not vnsitly distinguish the Remedie as we did the Disease the broken bones were vnderstood Properly and Figuratiuely Properly for the languishing of the body Figuratiuely for the languishing of the soule this being the cause whereof that is the Effect or that being as it were the redundancy of this Seeing then the Medicine must be of the same extent with the disease we must finde in it a Comfort for the Soule and a Comfort for the Body the Comfort of the soule noted by Ioy and the Comfort of the body noted by Gladnesse so that the whole Comfort must make vp Iubilum which as Gregorie the great noteth in his Moralls is such a chearefulnesse as taking roote in the soule doth manifest it selfe in the body and the light of the Countenance doth argue the peace that is in the Conscience But Saint Austin vpon the Gospell of Saint Iohn hath taught vs to distinguish of Ioy there is Gandium veritatis and vanitatis a true and a false ioy Ioy of it selfe is nothing else but the Content that euery part of our body and power of our soule taketh in the obiect that was made for to please it as the Eye hath ioy in colours the Eare in sounds the Palate in meates c. if these bee proportioned to the temper of the sense so fareth it with the powers of our soule but sinne hath distempered vs within and without and we can rellish no better then we can discerne wee doe as ill rellish true Ioy and Sorrow as wee doe distinguish Good and Euill therefore that we mistake not our Cure we must take heed that we doe not mistake Ioy and Gladnesse Gaudium vanitatis for Gaudium veritatis false for true Ioy that you may distinguish the one from the other I will shew you three markes wherby they may be discerned true ioy is first purum it is affected with nothing but that which is good that which is euil should properly be the obiect of sorow therfore all that delight in drunkennesse adultery blasphemie or any other sinne though they seeme to haue Ioy yet indeed it is no true Ioy for it is 〈◊〉 7.6 Chap. 20.12 13 14. â—â—ke 6.25 but as the Crackling of thornes as Salomon speaketh or as Iob like poyson sweete in the mouth that killeth so soone as euer it commeth into the maw of such Christ saith in the Gospell Woe be to you that reioyce for you shall weepe The second marke of true Ioy is that it is Solidum it spendeth not it selfe vpon toyes but vpon that which is of worth Wee obserue it as a difference betweene children and those that are of riper eares that children value things as they affect those that are of riper discretion value them as they are a child will preferre an apple before a iewell and we sinile at it but how many of vs doe more glory in fantasticall fashions then we doe in the greatest vertues but we shall bee driuen in the end to write vpon them Vanity of vanity all is but vanity yea those toyes will helpe to breake our bones for they will proue vexation of spirit and why they want the second property of Ioy there is no solidnesse in them The third property of true Ioy is that it is perpetuum it resteth not vpon that which is transitory which may be taken from vs or we from it that is a deceitfull Ioy the rich man was told so Luk. 12.19 who said vnto his soule Soule be merry eate and drinke thou hast goods for many yeeres but hee heard Thou foole this night shall they take thy soule from thee and then whose shall these things be Luke 12.33 wherefore wee must prouide our selues bagges which waxe not old a treasure in Heauen that fadeth not where no thiefe approacheth neither moth corrupteth where such treasures are there let our hearts bee also But all this while I haue but distinguished true Ioy from false I haue not shewed you what this medicinall Ioy is Lib. 1. Cons Est gaudium saith Saint Austin quod non datur impijs sed ijs qui te gratis colunt there is a Ioy whereof the wicked neuer partake it belongeth only to them that are thy faithfull seruants and what is that horum gaudium tu ipse es they haue no Ioy but thee and they thinke their liues most blessed when they ioy in thee and for thee But how can a man that is a sinfull man come to haue God for his Ioy surely in Christ and by Christ so saith the Angel to the Shepheards Luke 2.10 11. Behold I bring you tidings of great Ioy which shall be vnto all people for vnto you is borne a Sauiour which is the Lord Christ. In the Prophet Esay Cap. 61.1 2 3. Christ speaketh thus The Spirit of the Lord is vpon me because hee hath anointed me to preach good tidings vnto the meeke hee hath sent mee to bind vp the broken hearted to proclaime liberty to the captiues to giue vnto them that mourne in Sion beauty for ashes the oyle of ioy for mourning c. Cap. 9.3 And elsewhere speaking of Christs birth They shall ioy before thee according to the ioy in haruest and as men reioyce when they diuide the spoile And indeed hee that knoweth the case of one hunger-starued and bound in fetters like a slaue cannot deny but the newes of liberty the newes of plenty must needs bee good newes ioyfull newes vnto him and such is the newes of Saluation by Christ when we heare Son be of good cheere Mat. 9.2 thy sins are forgiuen thee when Christs spirit beareth witnesse to our spirit that we are the children of God wee must needs embrace these blessings with exceeding Ioy as in Samaria there was great Ioy so will there be in any City where this Saluation commeth to sinfull men You haue heard what is the Disease and what is the Cure you must heare whence it commeth not from Earth but from Heauen It is vsuall with too many when the worme of Conscience biteth them and they smart from that inuisible sting to sort themselues with iouiall company by them to driue away melancholly and to charme this Serpent with variety of sensuall delights but little doe they thinke that these are Medici nihili Chap. 13.4 Physitians of no worth as Iob speaketh and that when they returne to themselues againe and looke againe into themselues they shall find that the worme hath crept in farther and biteth more smartly the sting gets faster hold and paineth more grieuously and no maruell for may a man expect to be cured by that which caused his disease or shall he not rather be the worse the more he applieth that Physicke Esay 45.7 Deut. 32.39 there is none but God that can create Light and darknesse Good and Euill that can wound and heale kill and make aliue againe therefore if in so desperate a case we desire to haue recouerie wee must
God tooke an occasion from the wrongs done to his people to powre forth his displeasure vpon them Wisd 19. The wrong was double First they brought friends into bondage that had wel deserued of them The storie is plaine in Genesis how Ioseph saued them from perishing by famine and therefore how willingly they receiued him and his into the Communion of their Lawes therefore it was against all Law to make them bondmen God therfore which is iudge of all the world sent Moses and by him commanded Pharaoh to deliuer them and to suffer them being his first borne to goe three dayes iourney into the wildernesse and sacrifice vnto him But so farre was Pharaoh from obeying God that hardning his heart he vexed the Israelites more What then did God In reuenge of his people hee brake Pharaohs hard heart hee made the proud King giue him the glorie both of his Iustice of his power while he destroyed that ancient that goodly Kingdome and slew the persons the principall persons of it the ofspring of those whom Ioseph had saued together with their countrie Moreouer hee forced them to make an amends to the Israelites for their seruitude not onely in willingly letting them goe but in furnishing them also for their iourney with the richest of their garments and most precious of their Iewels This did God to the Egyptians And indeed it was God that did it For though there were some ceremoniall meanes vsed yet there were none vsed that were effectuall Moses and the people did but looke on Gods immediate power produced those wonderfull effects The same God that tooke this vengeance for them is the same still and he will neuer suffer his Church to be vnreuenged though hee suffer her to bee cruelly persecuted when he seeth time hee will doe to her enemies as he did to the enemies of Israel Saint Paul Saint Peter and Saint Iude teach it briefely 2. Thes 1. 2 Ep. 2. Saint Iohn in the Reuelation deliuereth the Doctrine more a large by way of prophecie and the Ecclesiasticall Storie sheweth that that prophecie is accomplished for a good part of it The second worke sheweth what God did to the Israelites and that is a worke of Mercie Moses here teacheth the Manner and the End of it The Manner God bore them on Eagles wings we account it a great honour that God doth vnto men when hee giueth his Angels charge ouer them to carrie them in all their wayes that they dash not their foote against a stone And indeed it is a great honour that these glorious spirits which attend Gods throne should become ministring spirits and attend sinnefull men How great an honour is it then that God doth vs Heb. 1.14 when hee himselfe vouchsafeth to bee the supporter of Israel Carrieth them as a man carrieth his little babe God putteth them in mind of it by Esay Chap. 46. vers 3.4 Hearken vnto me O house of Iacob Deut. 1. and all the remnant of Israel which are borne by me from the belly which are caried from the wombe and euen to your old age I am he and euen to the hoarie haires will I carrie you I haue made and I will beare euen I will carrie and I will deliuer you And Christ like the good shepheard in the Gospel beares his sheepe and so likewise in the Prophets And indeed the passage out of Egypt was a Diuine transportation for of so many hundred thousand that past so great a iourney through so desolate places ther was not one sicke not one tired and how could they haue all beene so well at ease except God had carried them They might well take to themselues those words of Esay 〈…〉 31. They that waite vpon the Lord shall renew their strength they shall mount vp with wings as Eagles they shall runne and not be wearie they shall walke and not be faint When at any time wee haue strength to doe that which neither in our owne iudgement nor in the iudgement of others we are able to doe we must giue the glorie of it to God as Dauid doth in the 18. Psalme we must acknowledge that God did carrie vs through God doth not onely say that he did carrie them but hee carried them vpon Eagles wings quasi super alas aquilarum saith the Chalde Paraphrase as it were vpon Eagles wings There is a Simile in the phrase which breedes two inquiries first who is vnderstood in the Eagles secondly what the Wings meane Some vnderstand Moses and Aaron the two guides that led the people of Israel out of Egypt and will haue them compared to Eagles Propter acumen intelligentiae altitudinem vitae by reason of their piercing iudgement Hom 46. in Matth. and their holy life Saint Chrysostome nearer to our purpose saith that they were Mollissimae pennae misericordiae diuinae as it were the downe feathers of Gods mercie because they handled the people committed to their charge tenderly and intreated them gently in imitation of Eagles of whom some report how truely let the naturalists inquire that whereas other birds carrie their yong ones in their talents or clawes which cannot bee done without some griping they lay them vpon their wings and so transport them without any grieuance which is a good embleme for Magistrates and teacheth them paternall affection towards their people Saint Ambrose resembleth Christ to an Eagle Lib. de Solomone and that in three points First because as the Eagle fluttereth ouer her yong ones and safegards them from any that would annoy them so doth Christ carefully protect his Church Secondly as the Eagle stirreth vp her nest and taketh vp her yong ones enforcing them to looke towards the Sunne thereby trying her generous or degenerating brood euen so doth Christ make triall of true and counterfeite Christians he reiects them as counterfeits that haue but Owles sight and which hate the light but those which can looke vpon the Sunne of righteousnesse and delight in beholding him they goe for true Christians And why They can see their pray a farre off and where the carcasse is there will the Eagles be Sursum Corda though Christ be in heauen their thoughts ascend thither Thirdly the Eagle hateth the Serpent and wheresoeuer hee seeth him renteth him with his beake and Christ the seede of the woman did breake the Serpents head there is perpetuall enmitie betweene them and their seede There is good correspondencie in these points betweene Christ and the Eagle but they cannot be so fitly applied in this place because the word in my Text is plurall Aquilarum of Eagles except wee shall say that Christ had in him the perfection of many Eagles or was attended with many Angels which are sometimes compared to Eagles Ezek 1. Reu 4. and the Cherubins in the Temple and Tabernacle had large and broad wings But let vs come to the wings By them are meant two things the first is the height the second
exceede all creatures such eminencie as we must adore because wee cannot comprehend it for they are wonderfull Euen the name of wonderfull be longs vnto them as appeares by the answer that was giuen to Manoah in the booke of Iudges when hee enquired after the name of the Angell which appeared Why askest thou after my name seeing it is wonderfull It were easie to shew how this title fits Christ by running through the whole story of the Gospell which to euery part setteth a marke of wonder to his birth to his life to his death to his resurrection to his ascention I will instance only in his birth because we now solemnize the memory thereof In that appeare three great wonders 1. That natures so farre distant as God and Man should bee ioyned in one person 2. That the nature of man should be conceiued in a Virgins wombe that neuer knew man 3. That she should being her selfe conceiued in sinne conceiue a Sonne without sinne Were there no other wonder these were enow to style Christ wonderfull and to make it one of his peculiar titles But because the Fathers following the Septuagint and the Caldee haue coupled these words Wonderfull and Counsellour together and made of them but one title and their opinion is made probable by the Hebrew Text and the other titles which are all compounded Almighty God Father of Eternity Prince of Peace I will so ioyne them and handle them as one title whereof there are two parts Counsellour and Wonderfull Christ is a Counsellour And here also marke the odds betweene mortall Princes and this our King mortall Princes and their Counsell are distinct persons the weakenesse and the idlenesse or both of mortall Princes wits maketh them to vse the counsell of others as it is euident in all States whereupon is grounded that prouerbe of Salomon In the alundance of Counsellours there is welfare But here our King is the Counsellour also hee is both King and Counsell And that which the Apostle hath out of the Prophet Who euer was his Counsellour may well be applied to him His vnderstanding is so large so cleare that it reacheth to all things and pierceth into the depth of all as St. Paul describeth it Heb. 4. and by it hee meaneth Christ as it appeares by the close of his speech The word of God is sharper than any two edged sword and entreth in to the diuiding of the ioynts and the marrow and is a discerner of the thoughts all things are naked before his eyes And Dauid sheweth that the night and the day to him are all one and the darkenesse is as cleare as the light And as such is his ability so is his care answerable His wits are not idle He that keepeth Israel doth neâ—ther slumber nor sleepe as it is Psalm 121. His eyes are vpon his charge from the beginning of the yeare till the end thereof as it is Deut. 11. Not a Sparrow lights vpon the ground without his prouidence So that he needes no counsell besides his owne he well deserues the name of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of whom Aristotle alledgeth that Verse out of the Greeke Poet 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 But let vs come nearer the Point You haue heard that he is a Counsellour but whereof I cannot expresse better than by two of his vsuall titles the Wisedome the Word of God He is Consiliarius ad intra and ad extra beeing 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 both 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 St. Iohn comprehendeth both in that sentence The Son which is in the bosome of the Father and so is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hath declared himself vnto vs so is become 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And our Sauiour Christ Those things which I haue heard of my Father being Consiliarius ad intra haue I opened vnto you as Consiliarius ad extra and so Prouerbs 8. Wisedome describeth her selfe as a Counsellour both ad intra and ad extra with God and to the world But what is the Matter of this Counsell surely the principall is the Conenant betweene God and his Church which St. Paul Heb. 6. calleth the vnchangeable Counsell of God and God in the Prophets speaking of the Kingdome of Christ calleth it his Counsell not excluding all other secrets of God for Christ is priuy to them all He is the Lambe mentioned in the Reuclation that only can open the sealed Booke of Gods hidden Mysteries especially those that concerne his Church Now Christ as the Wisedome of God was of counsell when this Mysterie was resolued on before all time he was of counsell with God and when God was pleased to reueale it then Christ also became the Counsellour vnto men as he was the Word of God These two things are comprehended in his Counsellourship and in regard of both these may hee bee called wonderfull It was a wonderfull course that this wisedome of God found out to worke the Redemption of man by coupling of these Natures and satisfying Mercy and Iudgement and that by Man without sinfull man And as the course is wonderfull so likewise is the communicating thereof seeing the power of God vseth such weake instruments When wee behold the meanes wee cannot but wonder at the effects when wee see such heauenly treasures in earthen vessels and see such efficacie of the one shine through the infirmity of the other and behold the euidence of the spirit in the foolishnesse of preaching and see it casting downe of strong holds and captiuating vnto Christ euery thought this must needs make it wonderfull And wonderfull certainly will we acknowledge him to be if we consider these things for that is wonderfull which is aboue the reach of the vnderstanding Wee see the first royall title and Christs first royall vertue which is his Wisedome The second followeth which is his Power Primò opus est consulto deinde cum consulueris maturè opus est facto said the Heathen Orator for as it is true that Vis consilij expers mole ruit sua so is it no lesse true that if wisedome â—aue not strength to execute her designes it is fruitlesse Therefore our King is as well armed with power as furnished with wisedome So that he is able to execute whatsoeuer he doth resolue Therefore his second style is The mighty God El of it selfe signifieth mighty but it is communicated to others besides the true God to Angels to Men that are tâ—e Lieutenants of God or vsurpe the state of God all these haue a power but it is but a weake power in comparison and it is often times checked and curbed limited and stinted The Angels that are great in power are no farther powerfull than to doe Gods will much more are men at Gods controll Hee refraineth the spirit of Princes and maketh the stoutest of them to know that they are but men The story of Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel who was for seuen yeares cast out of his Pallace to
there is neuer a particle that I haue insisted vpon that is not fit to augment the grieuousnesse of the iudgement the iudgement which casteth a sinner out of the presence of God I should here take leaue of this point but that I cannot leaue out a good note of Cassiodores Cuius faciem timet eius faciem inuocat a strange thing two verses before he prayed Hide thy face c. and here he prayeth Cast me not out from thy presence hath the King forgot doth he contradict himselfe by no meanes marke his words and see a difference in the things wherof he speaketh Russinus the same difference which before I obserued out of Ruffinus when hee prayeth Hide thy face he limited his petition to his sinnes but here hee commeth to speake of his person and conceiueth a contrarie prayer Hide not thy face from me we must euer pray that our selues may be still in Gods gracious eye and we must pray also that his reuengefull eye be neuer on our sinnes I haue done describing the first punishment which is the Reiection I come now to the second which is the Depriuation And here wee must obserue first whereof we are depriued of the holy spirit and what is that that which maketh all Saints All Saints day this very day is a sacred memoriall of the gift If I said no more you might reasonably conceiue it but it is sit I speake more happily you will vnderstand the day better The Holy spirit as I told you is Gods Liuerie his Cognizance Iohn 14.16 none haue it but they that are his Christ tels vs so I will pray the Father and hee shall giue you another Comforter euen the spirit of Truth whom the World cannot receiue because it seeth him not neither knoweth him but yee know him for he dwelleth in you and shall be in you But to what end there are two principall vses of the Holy spirits inhabitation he is vnto vs the Oracle of God leading vnto all truth without whom we cannot perceiue the things of God yea they will be foolishnesse vnto vs but if we haue him 1 Ioh. cap. â— 1. Cor. 2. wee haue an vnction that will teach vs all things yea we can search the deepe things of God King Dauid had him in a double sort an Ordinarie vnuailing his eyes that hee might see the wonderfull things of Gods Law an Extraordinarie illightning him to fore-tell secrets of the Kingdome of Christ which were then yet to come The Chaldee Paraphrase and many of the Fathers vnderstand the holy spirit in this later sense for the Spirit of prophesie That is true which they say but it is not enough King Dauid had also the spirit of adoption and he doth not forget that in his prayer against depriuation Yea he must be thought principally to ayme at that for by the other gift wee may serue God on earth but without this we shall neuer goe to Heauen for so saith Christ Mat. 7.24 Many shall say in the last day haue we not prophecied in thy Name but they shall be answered depart from me you workers of iniquitie I know you not Therefore no doubt but King Dauid had an eye to that oracle which wrought in him a sauing faith and did as wee must feare to be depriued of that As the Holy spirit is an heauenly oracle in our Heads so in our Hearts it is an heauenly fire God who instituted sacrifices to be offered by the Church would haue them offered with no other fire but that which should be sent by him from Heauen yea the vsing of strange fire was capitall as appeares by the storie of Nadab and Abthu That type doth informe vs of a greater truth it teacheth vs wherewith spirituall sacrifices must be offered vnto God The first sacrifice spirituall must be a patterne to all the rest Christ by his eternall Spirit offered himselfe vnto God wherewith his propitiatorie therewith must our Eucharisticals be offered Saint Iude speaketh it plainely we must pray in the Holy Ghost The gift you see what it is but you doe not yet fully see what is the worth of it that I gathered out of tuus it is not onely a holy spirit but also the spirit of Gods holinesse or Gods holy spirit Our soule in vs is a spirit and we loue it so well that Sathan said not vntruely skinne for skin and all that euer a man hath will he giue for his life the Angels are yet better spirits 2 Pet cap. 2. higher in dignitie then Men their titles as Saint Peter affirmes confirme it Psal 103. and the Psalmist saith that they exceede in Power and we haue reason to respect them because they pitch their Tents about vs Psal 91. yea God hath giuen a charge vnto them ouer vs to carrie vs in their hands that we dash not our feete against a stone But there is a spirit beyond both these euen the spirit of spirits without whom the former cannot bee and from whom they receiue whatsoeuer good they haue hee is the fountaine of being and wel-being to them both If wee loue our owne soules and the safegard of Angels be deare vnto vs how should we loue Gods holy spirit that is so farre beyond them in infinitenesse of power and excellencie of being yea without whom they cannot be nor stirre without his command The phrase doth not onely import that the Spirit is Gods but also that it is the spirit of that which is most desireable in God that is his Holinesse which doth much improue the gift when the liuerie that it giueth vs and whereby he would haue vs knowne to be his doth make vs partakers of this Diuine attribute wherein to resemble him should bee the highest ambition of a reasonable soule But I will not wade farther in vnfolding the gift what hath beene said is able to make vs sensible of their losse that are depriued thereof especially when I shall haue added thereunto the Manner of losing which I called a depriuation The word is rendered vulgarly take not away But this taking away hath two remarkable things in it it is a taking backe of that which was giuen and a leauing vs not so much as any relique of the gift In regard of the first some render it Ne recipiaâ— take not home againe in regard of the other Ne spolies strip mee not altogether so the Arabicke I will touch a little at both of them First at the Taking backe Hee that loseth what good he had is much more sensible of the losse then if hee neuer had it hee that was borne sickly and hath a long time languished in a disease is not so much pained as hee that being healthy and strong is shaken with a feauer or tortured with some ache Pouerty and disgrace are more bitter heart-breakes to them that haue liued in plenty and honour then they can bee to him who was neuer of better condition then a begger or
will not despise that in the word there is a Litote there is more meant then is exprest for the Holy Ghost meaneth that this morall seruice doth speed of both the effects of Sacrifices it yeeldeth a sweet sauour vnto God and he doth gratiously accept it it proueth a sauour of rest into man and his soule doth feele the comfort of it Finally out of the maine branches of the text wee will draw two Paradoxes First A broken and contrite heart are Gods Sacrifices therfore this is a Religious man-slaughter Secondly God doth not despise a broken and a contrite heart therefore God is neuer better pleased with vs then when we are least pleased with our selues You heare whereof I shall speake that you may learne to serue God truely by that which shall bee spoken listen to it diligently and with a religious eare Before I fall vpon the particulars I may not omit to shew you the coherence of this verse to the former the former did shew of how little worth Ceremoniall worship is this sheweth the great worth of the morall And well is this clause added vnto that for it is not enough to know what we must not doe in Gods seruice our chiefe care must be to know what we must doe what good will it doe mee to know that Turkes Iewes Infidels worship they know not what they know not how it must be my comfort to know the true God to know how to worship him as I ought The ground is cleare Negatiues are but to attend Affirmatiues and God doth not reward the forbearance of euill but the doing of Good forbearance doth hold backe the impediments that would hinder vs in our way but wee must not only auoid them but also goe the right way if wee will come to our iourneys end In a word our abilities are bestowed vpon vs not only to decline euill but also to doe good But to the Text. The first thing that I obserued was wherin morall seruice stands it stands in the humiliation of the inward man the inward man is here pointed out by two names the spirit and the heart How these words differ all are not agreed vpon a former verse I haue said something of them but in this place I thinke they note one and the selfe same reasonable soule as it vndergoeth a diuers consideration It hath a prerogatiue aboue the soule of a beast in that it can subsist though it be seuered from the body and so it commeth neere vnto the nature of Angels and with them communicateth in the name of Spirit which is a substance endued with vnderstanding and will But besides this separate Being it hath another which you may call coniunct it inhabiteth in and manifesteth it selfe by the body quickning and guiding our senses and our affections hence it is denominated from the body from the principall parts wherein it doth reside from none so often and so aptly as from the Heart which is the the principall seate thereof Neither is it without cause that the reasonable soule is remembred vnder both these names the Holy Ghost thereby giuing vs to vnderstand that whether we consider the powers of the soule inorganically as vnder the name of Spirit or else Organically as vnder the name of Heart either way considered they must be humbled wee must humble no lesse the superiour then the inferiour faculties of our soule for sinne hath infected both A second thing that wee must marke is that in our seruice God calleth not for Nostra but Nos not our Goods but our selues and to this end did hee command the people to put their hands vpon the Sacrifices to signifie whom it did represent and to accompany the Offering of the sacrifice with a zealous deuotion to testifie that themselues were to haue a feeling of that for which the beast was offered And indeed it was fit that he should offer himselfe that had offended that hee might feare to offend when hee saw that hee must smart if a beast onely should die and the paine there of might rid a sinner of his guilt few would forbeare sinne if any thing make them feare it is this that they must beare the burden of sinne themselues Secondly as wee must offer our selues so that which of our selues wee must offer is the better part our Spirit our Heart In all the Legall Sacrifices God reserued the Inwards to himselfe his meaning was to point out the parts which he desireth in vs hee desireth our Inwards they must be presented in our Sacrifice 1 Tim. 4.8 the Apostles rule is bodily exercise profiteth litle certainly very litle of it selfe it hath all his commendations from the Heart and the Spirit But there are two distinct reasons why these parts are principally required in morall seruice the first is because they are freest from hypocrisie Ier. 3.10 God cannot endure that we should turne vnto him in mendacio dissemblingly Now Simulation and Dissimulation are manifest in our body for we can personate therein whom we will we may so bee mask't as that no body shal know who we are but in the inward man we are our selues wee can there seeme no better nor no worse then we are there doth God behold vs and hee doth iudge of vs thereby A Second reason is the preualencie of those parts they haue the greatest hand in our sinne and must beare the greatest part in our repentance other parts and powers partake of sinne but by contagion which they contract by their attendance vpon the Spirit and the Heart attend then they must in repentance but the principall penitents must be the Heart and the Spirit vpon whom they attend But enough of the parts which must bee humbled Let vs now come to the humiliation of those parts they must be broken they must be contrite Betweene these wordes there is no great difference for Contrition is a breaking very small and the breaking here meant is a shiuering the English to shiuer commeth from the Hebrew here vsed which is Shauar and you know that to shiuer a thing is to breake it all to pieces Or if you will put a difference betweene the wordes then the first may note the beginning and the other the consummating of this humiliation as you know a thing may be first grosse bruised and that is breaking and then it may bee pounded all to pouder and that is the contrition of it But how doe these words agree with the former by the Heart and the Spirit you vnderstood the reasonable soule and hath the soule any parts can that bee turned into dust Surely no therefore these words are figuratiue they are resemblances borrowed from corporall things which doe most liuely set before vs the humiliation that is spirituall But it is a question whence these wordes are borrowed some fetch them from husbandry some from masonry either of them hath a faire ground in the Scripture They that fetch it from Husbandry for Ieremie and Hosea speake of
by this Text yeeldeth him this glory hee need not if hee will be vnprouided of the best gift that can be giuen that is himselfe poore selfe if he haue grace to be as poore in spirit as hee is in purse and lament the want of grace asmuch as he doth his want of wealth Finally This Text is one of the Prefaces to our dayly Liturgie I would we did as often practise it as we doe repeate it Certainly there is great cause we should whether we respect sinne or woe whereof there was neuer more or any that deserued more humiliation The times deserue that euery day should bee a day of humiliation and that euery man should affiâ—â—t his soule the more wee know God requireth this seruice and the better wee see that he accepteth it the more forward should we bee to performe it ANd I pray God wee may haue so heard this Text opened that our hearts and Spirits may relent with it so shall we not be iudged of the Lord if we will iudge our selues Nay sowing in teares we shall reape in ioy AMEN PSAL. 51. VERSE 18. Doe good in thy good pleasure vnto Sion build thou the Walles of Ierusalem WHen I brake vp this Psalme I shewed that it consisteth of two Vowes made by King Dauid one for himselfe another for his Kingdome I haue ended the first that Vowe which concerneth the King I am now come vnto the second the Vow which he maketh for his Kingdome This second Vow as the first will be resolued into a Desire and a Promise Of the Promise in the next Verse the Desire is contained in this In opening of this Desire I will obserue first for whom it is conceiued secondly what it doth containe Those for whom it is conceiued are noted in these words Sion Ierusalem which made vp the mother Citie of the Kingdome of Israel an excellent type of the Church for these King Dauid maketh a suite and the suite for them is in effect the same which he made for himselfe He sueth that they may be restored into the state of grace that is the meaning of these words Doe well vnto Sion Secondly that being restored they may be preserued therein which he beggeth in these words Build vp the Walles of â—erusalem These be the blessings for which he sueth and hee sueth for them in a sense sutable to the places his suite is Mysticall But to whom is the suite made And for whose sake doth hee hope to speede Surely he sueth onely to God to him it is that hee saith Doe good build thou the walles and hee hopeth to speed onely for Gods sake therefore doth he adde in thy good pleasure Doe good in thy good pleasure and in thy good pleasure build thou the Walles of Ierusalem Lay together the parts of the Text and then you will see in it two remarkable vertues confidence in God and compassion towards the Church Confidence for in the beginning of the Psalme Dauid seemeth so deiected that he hath enough to doe to pray for himselfe hee so describeth his estate as if hee were not worthy to doe so much but towards the end of the Psalme he sheweth himselfe another man hee taketh heart and becommeth a suiâ—our for all Israel yea hee presumeth to begge for it the greatest blessing of God But he doth it out of another vertue also which shineth here the vertue of Compassion he is not contented to fare well himselfe he desireth the wel-fare of his whole Kingdome as hee made it obnoxious to Gods wrath so he holds himselfe bound to bee a mediatour for Gods fauour Such charitie in praying deserueth to be exemplarie wherefore let vs listen diligently to the vnfolding thereof that wee may learne to exemplifie it in our prayers The first thing that we must enter vpon are those for whom King Dâ—uid conceiueth this desire they are Sion and Ierusalem which words in the Scripture are taken sometimes historically sometimes mystically that is either they nore places in the holy land or else by those places represent vnto vs the Church of God Because the mysticall sense cannot bee concerued but by the correspondencie which it hath vnto the historicall I must first open the historicall that so I may the better guide your apprehension in the mysticall Before I doe this I must let you know that Sion and Ierusalem were two distinct places yet it is vsuall in the Scripture in naming either to meane both In the second Psalme I haue set my King vpon my holy hill of Sion Sion there comprehendeth Ierusalem for Dauid who is meant in that Text was King of both In the beginning of Ecclesiastes Solomon is said to haue beene King in Ierusalem we may not exclude Sion for he was King in that also This being briefely obserued I come now to the â—â—storie of these words Where first you must obserue that either of these places were hills of Sion the common attribute doth witnesse it for it is called Mount Sion and of Ierusalem it is as true Iosephus reporteth that it was built vpon the hill Acra the Psalmist beareth witnesse hereunto saying Psal 87. He hath laide his foundations in the holy mountaines and the common phrase of ascending to Ierusalem Secondly the whole tract of those hils was called the land of Moriah which is by interpretation the place where God appeareth or is conspicuous there God appeared vnto Abraham when hee was ready to offer Isaac there did he appeare vnto Dauid when the punishing Angell vpon Dauids Prayer was commanded to sheath his sword Finally there appeared the Sonne of God in our flesh when he wrought the redemption of man Thirdly those places were two seuerall Cities whereof one was in the lot of Beniamin the other was in the lot of Iudah Ierusalem that was in the lot of Beniamin was conquered by Iosua but Sion that was in the lot of Iudah continued in the possession of the Iebusites vntill the dayes of King Dauid he subdued them though he did not wholly extinguish them as appeareth by the storie of Araunah the Iebusite Dauid hauing gotten the possession of Sion ioyned it with a Wall to Ierusalem and so of two made one Citie one Citie of those which before were two and that of two seuerall nations Iebufites and Israelites of this vnion we must vnderstand these words in the Psalme Psal â—â— Ierusalem is a Citie that is compacted together in it selfe Fourthly Dauid hauing thus vnited the Cities translated thither the Arke and God there designed a place where the Temple should be built euen vpon a piece of ground that lay indifferently betweene the Tribes of Indah and Beniam in and so it became the fixed place where God chose to put his name and where hee vouchsafed to reside betweene the Cherubins it was Gods sedes Religionis the ordinarie place of Diuine worship to this the afore-named Psalme beareth witnesse Thither the Tribes euen the Tribes of Israel goe vp according
of Israel may bee as plants growen vp in their youth Psal 141. that the daughters may bee as corner stones polished after the similitude of a Pallace that their garners may be full affording all manner of store c. But as before you heard that the places are taken not only historically but also mystically so must these words be answerable thereunto God then did good when he sent his Sonne into the world dissolued the works of the Diuell and gaue gifts vnto men And we must not conceiue of the corporall prosperity of Israel otherwise then as a Type of the spirituall It is excellently set forth by the Prophet Esay Chap 25. in this mountaine shall the Lord of hosts make vnto all nations a feast of fat things c. Finally the word vsed by the Psalmist signifieth not onely to doe good but to doe it with delight and so God speaketh in the Prophets that hee will delight to doe them good and so doe it abundantly for we are not sparing in doing a thing when we de it with delight Yea and the good done as the word also signifieth Act. 14.16 shall containe in it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it shall be such as shall cheere vp the spirits of the Israelites hee desireth that to them that mourne in Sion may be giuen â—sa 61. beauty for ashes the oyle of ioy for mourning a garment of praise for the spirit of heauinesse Thus Dauid would haue Israel restored to the state of Grace Not onely restored to it but also preserued in it so it followeth in the Text Build vp the wals of Ierusalem In muris tuitio salutis Ierusalem could not be blessed but it would bee enuyed yea the more enuied the more it was blessed therefore it is not enough that it haue good it must also haue meanes to preserue that good otherwise better neuer haue it then to lose it againe Non minor est virtus quam quaerere parta tueri therefore is Dauid as carefull of the safetie as the plentie of his people And indeed he did strongly fortifie both Sion and Ierusalem the Psalme testifieth as much â—sal 48. Walke about Sion goe round about her tell the Towers thereof marke well her Bulwarkes c. But I dwell too long vpon the materiall Sion the Church also needeth a preseruation and she must haue her Wals but they are of another kinde A Lacedaemonian being asked why their City was not walled answered that they had valiant defendants which were in stead of wals vnto their Câ—â—ie the Heauenly Ierusalem hath no other wals the wals are the Angels that pitch round about it Zach. 2.5 yea God himselfe doth enuiron it as a wall so saith the Prophet Beside this inuisible it hath a visible wall the wall of the Citie hath 12. foundations and in them the names of the 12. Apostles of the Lambe All Gouernours that watch ouer Gods people Reuel 21. 1 Sam. 25.16 1. Pet. 2.5 Reuel 19. Cant. 6.4 and keepe away their enemies from them are as a wall vnto them for this is a liuing Citie and all the parts thereof are liuing and therefore Ierusalem is not onely said to bee trimmed as a Spouse but also the Spouse is said to bee faire as Ierusalem Yea euery mans Grace of perseuerance is a Wall vnto himselfe and thereby doth hee hold out against all the manifold temptations wherewith hee is exercised while hee is militant our Faith our Hope our Charity all our spirituall weale and comfort are secured by perseuerance Here is mention made not onely of Wals but of building and building importeth an addition vnto the former Fabricke And indeed great Cities are not brought to their perfection in an instant Rome wee say was not built in a day no more was Ierusalem it did flourish in the dayes of Dauid but it was to flourish more in the daies of Salomon the Temple was not yet built nor furnished with those Orders which Dauid receiued from God neither was the Policie setled or the Crowne entailed Dauid wished that all these things might bee perfected and the state raised to that pitch of Glory which it attained in the dayes of King Salomon But to the Mystery As the Church wanteth Wals in that it is militant so in that it is in Via in that we are but on our Way wee need Edification and Building vp Churches haue their nonage and euery member hath no beter beginning then of a babe in Christ wee must not alwayes feed vpon milke we must vse our stomacks to stronger meate Heb. 5. Ephes 4. they that are young lings must grow on to the age of perfect men in Christ they must grow on in Faith in Hope in Charitie these must receiue dayly accessions so lonâ— as wee liue in this world yea and wee must not thinke that here will be an end of our building our Faith must end in the sight of God our Hope in the fruition of God our Charitie in vnseparable Vnion with God vntill we haue put off our mortalitie and infirmitie and attained this perfection we haue not ended our Building And there is no doubt but Dauid looked thus farre But here we must take heed of two Errors First we may not looke for new Reuclations from Heauen as if God would adde any thing to his Oracles old and new Heretickes fancying otherwise haue set on worke the forge of their idle braines and haue broached illusions of the Diuell as diuine inspirations But Gods truth is consummated in the writings of the Prophets and Apostles neither doth it admit any accession either of Romish Traditions or Anabaptisticall Illuminations such building is Babylonish the building of Ierusalem is onely the working of Gods Word into our heads and our hearts to make vs wise and holy men The second Error is of Iudaizing Christians who dreame of an earthly restitution of that Citie and erecting of a glorious worldly Monarchie there which shal not only ouer top but ouer-rule all the world To countenance this fancy they corrupt many a Prophesie and deserue no other refutation then that check which was giuen vnto the Iewes vaine atempt in the dayes of Adrian the Emperor by his Generall and in the dayes of Iulian the Apostata by the hand of God himselfe Certainly my Text fauoreth no such Building but that out of Amos in Acts 15. vers 16. You haue heard the Contents of King Dauids desire I come now to see to whom he doth direct it vnto God vnto him it is that he saith doe good build thou And indeed to whom should he goe but to him that can and will grant what hee sueth for God onely can for hee that is Goodnesse must doe good 〈◊〉 1 17. Euery good and perfect gift commeth from aboue it commeth from him The eyes of all looke vnto him hee openeth his hands and filleth all things liuing with goodnesse In the Creation hee gaue beginning to the
to the Legall Sacrifice God did testifie it to the corporall Sion and Ierusalem by fire from heauen which consumed the Sacrifice but vnto the spirituall Sion and Ierusalem 1. Chron 7. he doth testifie it by the sensible comfort which by his Spirit he doth infuse into their soules while they are Militant and hee will testifie it more plentifully by the light of his countenance which shall shine vpon them when in the Church Triumphant they shall stand before his Throne Marke here a Correction of that which was said before you heard that Sacrifices and burnt offerings were neither required nor accepted here you find the contrarie And yet not the contrarie for there they bee refused in Casu in a Case wherein no sacrifice was allowed and they be also refused opposite if the Morall be not ioyned with the Ceremonial but here wee haue no such case no such opposition God did accept them vnder the Law as exercises of faith and he will accept the truth of them for euer for that is most agreeable vnto his nature a spirituall seruice to God which is a Spirit And let this suffice for King Dauids first vndertaking I come now to the second his vndertaking for the Kingdome The Kingdome is vnderstood in this word they it referreth to Sion and Ierusalem mentioned in the former verse they that haue the benefit are they that shal make the acknowledgement Before it was Ego the King spake in his owne person I will shew forth thy praise I will teach the wicked c. Now it is Illi my Kingdome Priest and people both shall be as religions as my selfe And indeed the Kingdome as well as the King ought to be thankfull vnto God when God is good to both Dauid vndertaketh for his Kingdome that it shall be very thankfull for they shall offer Bullocks A Bullocke is a faire Embleme of a spirituall Sacrihce for it fignifieth an heyfer that is come to the age of beng fruitfull or it commeth of Parah and yet it hath not borne the yoake nor beene put to any drudgery And such should euery one bee that serueth God he should be fruitfull and not seruile abounding in good workes but not be the slaue of sinne There are two other things to be obserued in this word first it was the fairest of Offirings Secondly it was the fittest for the Offerers Amongst the Sacrifices the fairer were the Beasts and of the beasts the fairest was the Bullocke God commanded no Sacrifice thet was greater then that S. Paul out of Hosea doth moralize this Sacrifice Heb. 13. Hos 19. calling it the Calues of our lippes for by Calues are these Bullocks meant We may adde that seing Bullockes were the greatest of Sacrifices we must thinke that nothing we haue is too good for God and we must make our Offerings of the best The Bullocke was not onely the fairest Offering but the fittetst for these Offerers you shall read Leutt. 3. that whether it were the whole Congregation or the Priest that had offended either of them was to reconcile himselfe to God by the oblation of a Bullocke and seeing they are meant in this place such a Sacrifice doth best beseeme them but that the propitiatorie is turned into a gratulatorie But to whom shall they be thankfull surely to him that doth deserue it to God they shall offer vpon his Altar he that fulfilleth the Desire hath iuterest in the Promise they shall confesse that it is He that doth good to Sion that it is He that butldeth the wals of Ierusalem Secondly note that he saieth not that they will offer vnto him but vpon his Altar the Altar that was erected by his appointment For though it be true that where the Altar was there was God yet it followeth not that where God is there is his Altar God is pleased to confine not onely the substance but the circumstance of our seruice also Deut. 12.33 hee would not bee worshipped euery where The Ceremoniall Altar is gon but the Morall thereof abideth where Christ is thither must we bend our seruice he is the Altar that halloweth our Sacrifice on him and by him must we present it vnto God Againe the Altar doth note that it is not enough for vs priuately to recount Gods blessings we must divulge them publikely though the Heathen had their priuate Altars yet God had none but in a publike place therfore the setuice must needs be publike that is done vpon the Altar Adde the Bullocke and the Altar together and then you shall find that this was Operaria gratitudo the hand should testifie the thankfulnesse of the heart and the Kingdome would be thankfull not in word onely but indeed also And indeed God doth good to Sion and buildeth vp the wals of Ierusalem that they may offer him such Sacrifice To conclude this poynt as Dauid in his owne Vow made Gods praise the vpshot of his promise so doth hee in the Vow of the People And indeed the Church must not desire prosperity otherwise then that God may haue the glory of it God made all things for himselfe and we must subordinate all things vnto him otherwise we substitute the Creature in stead of the Creator and cannot excuse our selues from Idolatry from which Dauid doth free his Kingdome in saying They shall offer at Gods Altar You haue heard of Gods acceptance and the Kingdomes thankfulnesse that these things shall bee performed Dauid vndertakâ—th for both he vndertaketh to each of them for the other for marke how resolutely he speaketh Thou shalt be pleased They shall offer Vox fidei fiduciae hee beleeueth it assuredly and therefore doth confidently affirme it Neither can their be any doubt but if our seruice be the sacrifice of righteousnesse God will accept it for he will neuer refuse what himselfe commanded And it can as little be doubted that the Kingdome will bee thankfull if God doe it that good for it is a speciall effect of Grace to make vs so thankfull so that we may not doubt of either I haue sufficiently opened the Promise vnto you one thing remaineth the circumstance of time when this Promise shall take place it is exprest in this word Then which is set before either of the vndertakings Then shalt thou be pleased Theu shall they offer c. except God fulfill the Desire there is no hope of the Promise but the performance of the Promise will not be farre behind if the Desire bee fulfilled Touching the Ceremonie wee find it in the Dedication of the Temple when many thousands of Bullocks were offered 1. King 8. and God appearing vnto Solomon told him how well he was pleased therewith And touching the morall though in figuratiue termes yet it is fairely set downe Ezek. 20. and Malac 3. you haue it in a short sentence Psal 110. The people shall be willing in the day of thy power Math. 18.20 and the beauties of holinesse And Christ is as briefe
You begin the Lords Prayer with Our Father and so professe that euery member of the Church and you are Children of one heauenly Father wherein you acknowledge in euery member a ground of loue Throughout the second Table of the Commandements our neighbour is enioyned to loue vs which iniunction to performe hee hauing taken vpon him in his baptisme we cannot looke on him but wee see ground why wee should loue him for then wee looke on the man that hath vowed vnto God that hee will loue vs. And if wee looke on him as he partakes in the Sacrament of the Eucharist then wee see another ground why wee should loue him for then we behold him as professing that hee doth loue vs in testimony whereof the Saints were wont to begin this Sacrament with a mutuall holy kisse in lue whereof the supersticious kissing of the Pax succeeded in the Romish Church You see then that if so bee the sociablenesse which is naturall requireth loue that of grace requireth it much more What shall wee say to them that are without the Church that persecute the Church is there any ground of loue in them yea the wickednesse of man cannot euacuate the right of Nature much lesse of Grace they are our neighbours whether they will or no by Nature because they are men and so are they also by Grace because they may bee Christian men so that wee cannot say to them in neither respect what haue wee to doe with you Therefore in the same person wee must distinguish betweene his ill affection towards vs and his neighbour-hood which God vouchsafeth him and not let the malice of the one intercept the sight of the louelinesse that is in the other And if so bee wee may not forget that spirituall Louelines which is only in hope as it is in Infidels much lesse may we forget that Louelinesse which is indeed in those which are Christians these haue in them most vndoubted grounds of Loue. The next degree of Diuine neighbourhood is betweene vs and the Church Triumphant Angels and Saints wee cannot doubt of their Louelinesse if wee know wherein their neighbourhood consisteth I shewed it you before and further they really testifie their Loue toward vs the Saints in praying for the Church in generall the Angels in being ministring spirits for the good of the Church Heb. 1. But here wee must take heed that wee inlarge not this bounderie too farre for men that haue made little account of Saints on Earth haue made too much of them when they haue beene departed this life and to Angels they haue attributed more then euer God bestowed vpon them Wee for the auoyding of their errours must confine our thoughts within the iust bounds of their Louelinesse The third degree of neighbourhood is that which is betweene the Church and our Sauiour Christ and here wee find the fullest ground of Louelinessâ— that euer was or will be created the Church saith truly in the Canticles totus est desiderabilis view him from top to toe C. 5.16 you shall find nothing in him that doth not shew him to bee a most louely neighbour peruse all his fore specified references towards his Church there is not the least of them that doth not challenge the loue thereof And now that wee haue gone ouer all you see a good reason why the word that is vsed by Moses Reang signifieth not only a neighbour but also a friend for euery one that is a neighbour is by the vertue of his neighbourhood to be accounted as our friend Secondly that all persons must bee considered as they are in God and Christ and not as in themselues otherwise wee shall misdeeme them for any communion which a man hath with God and Christ cannot but seeme vnto vs an apparant right that he hath to be accounted our neighbour and our friend But he that appeareth vnto vs as deuoid of both these communions hee cannot seeme vnto vs to bee our neighbour and therefore not our friend A third thing that I noted in the person whom we must loue is euery mans interest in him for the Law speaking to euery man saith He is thy Neighbour therefore thou must not looke vpon him only with thy direct sight but with a reflected also Let vs runne ouer the degrees of Neighbourhood againe and see how euery of them doth concerne euery one of vs. The first degree of humane neighbourhood is neighbourhood in place that was instituted as I told you Propter auxilium solatium and God knoweth there is no man that doth not stand in need of both and it is not Gods will that any should bee excluded from either but euery man hath an interest of helpe and prosit from him that is his neighbour in place therefore we must euery man take care to yeild and expect to receiue whatsoeuer helpe or comfort he hath in himselfe or is in any other these gifts must bee mutuall they must bee interchangeable a neighbour must doe for thee as well as be a receiuer from thee therefore doth God call the neighbour thine The next degree of humane neighbourhood is that of bloud wherein men are brought neerer one vnto another then they can bee by any politique Lawes because of a neerer interest which doth combine them the interest of nature For euery man hath his nature and being in or from those of his bloud the father hath his being in his sonne the sonne hath his being from his father a brother hath his being in a brother an vncle in a nephew And so betweene all other degrees there is an interest of being which one hath in anoher more or lesse as the degrees are more or lesse remote Whence it is that politique neighbourhood respecteth no man but out of deliberate reason it is quickened by hope of receiuing like kindnesse when time shall serue but neighbours in bloud respect each other out of an inborne affection for it is naturall to euery man to affect himselfe and his owne being without any farther consideration and consequently he cannot but affect another in whom he beholds his being to be preserued as well as in himselfe or from whom he conceiues his being to haue proceeded Hence it is that Parents loue their children and children their Parents and a brother loues a brother and an vncle his nephew euen where they looke for no retribution Come wee on to the third degree of neighbourhood which superaddeth another ground of loue and by consequent increase of interest This third degree goeth beyond that of bloud as the Lawes of men doe limit Consanguinitie but yet in true iudgement Consanguinitie hath no stricter limits then the nature of man because all men are made of one blood and so in true iudgement euery man must thinke that hee hath in euery man an interest of his naturall being and vpon this ground a man in whom nature is not degenerate will loue another man and doe for him be he
Church according to that in the Prophet This people haue I formed for my selfe 〈◊〉 45. they shall bee to set forth my prayse And indeed of what regard the Church is with God we may gather out of that which God hath done for it he is become a father vnto it in Christ and tendreth euery member thereof as his deare childe hee hath giuen his only begotten sonne to death for the saluation of it and made him the Bridgeroome of the Church the Holy Ghost doth he send to guide to comfort it and the Angels are ministing spirits for their sakes that shall be heires of saluation Can any man beleeue this 〈◊〉 1. and not beleeue that wee are a pretious treasure vnto God Hee hath prouided for vs a Kingdome that cannot be shaken 〈◊〉 12.28 1. â—ct 5.4 an immarescible Crowne of glorie hee hath communicated vnto vs the Throne of his owne Sonne and giuen vs power ouer all our enemies and can wee doubt but we are Kings vnto him And as for our Priesthood Iames 5 16. that is as euident the prayer of the righteous auailes much their sufferings are to him sacrifices all their life is a sauour of a sweet smell and he is well pleased with the worke of their hands Feuci 7 14. Finally they haue washed their robes white in the bloud of the Lambe they are clothed with the righteousnesse of Christ God vouchsafeth to conuerse with them to dwell with them therefore they are to him an holy Nation We that account our selues happie if wee bee deare to great men great if we be but pettie Lords thinke not meanly of our selues if we be but Priests vnto Baal and looke bigge if we haue but the righteousnesse of a Pharisie how happie should wee thinke our selues that are vouchsafed to be the Fauorites of the King of Kings how should we esteeme our selues that are made Kings of Heauen how should we glorie in our diuine Priesthood and ioy in our true Holinesse when we consider our selues as we are in our selues dust and ashes weake and wicked ones wee may well crie out with Dauid who am I O Lord and what is my Fathers house that I O Lord should be such a one vnto thee and sing the Virgins Hymne My soule doth magnifie the Lord and my spirit hath reioyced in God my Sauiour for he that is mightie hath magnified me c. And when vnder the Crosse wee find that in the eye of worldlings wee are reputed wormes and no men the reproch of men and the despised of the people when they oppresse vs with more then Egyptian bondage scoffe at the sighes and groanes which the Holy Ghost indites in vs and repute all our deuotion to bee but madnesse when they traduce vs as Samaritans as friends of Publicans and Sinners yea as instruments of Beelzebub and condemne vs to a shamefull death as pestilent fellowes traitours and blasphemers what greater comfort can we haue then this promise of God Eritis mihi You shall be to me a peculiar treasure a Kingdome of Priests an holy Nation But I goe on You haue heard of much good but what you haue heard doth not yet amount to a Prerogatiue that appeares in these words aboue all people When we haue good things that are not common to others especially if it be better then they haue any then haue we obtained a Prerogatiue and this was Israels case for the Church was not now Catholique as it had beene before Abrahams time and was to bee after the comming of Christ Gods promise was Catholique to Adam though Cain played the Apostata it was Catholique also to Noah but his children fell away therefore when Gods reuiues it vnto Abraham hee made it but particular and Israel only was his Inheritance In Iuda was God knowne his Name was great in Israel Athanas de Incarnat verb. not that others might not bee if they would become Israelites but ordinarily none but Israelites or Proselytes had part in the Promise Therefore the Law speaketh thus What Nation is there so great Deut. 4. who hath God so nigh vnto them as the Lord our God is in all things that we call vpon him for And what Nation is there so great that hath Statutes and iudgements so righteous as all this Law that I set before you this day And the Psalmist God sheweth his word vnto Iacob Psal 147. his Statutes and Iudgements vnto Israel he hath not dealt so with any Nation c. This is often repeated by Moses Deut. 10. but especially Chapter 32. Seeing then God doth compare one Nation vnto all people and preferre it he doth extoll his owne grace and teach vs that the blessing is singular and if singular then a Prerogatiue and because singular and a Prerogatiue the more to be esteemed Surely in worldly things we thinke so for what is he that hath any gist or good which others haue not who doth not esteeme it as much for the rarenesse as for the greatnesse thereof I would wee did passe as true a iudgement vpon our heauenly Treasures surely the Church was wont to doe so Pone me vt signaculum Cant 8. saith the Spouse Set mee as a Seale vpon thy arme and in her Plea Populus tuus omnes nos Wee are thine enen the sheepe of thy pasture Esay 63. As God doth honour vs aboue others so will hee that we be mindfull of his speciall fauour Put now together the Greatnesse of the Good which God offers with the Singularitie of the fauour which God vouchsafeth Israel and they will yeild vs a definition of the Church for what is Ecclesia but a people chosen out of the world and preferred before it in that it is Gods peculiar treasure and to him a Kingdome of Priests and an holy Nation But I leaue that point to your priuate meditations which will bee the fuller if you adde the next particular vnto it for that also is considerable in your contemplations of the Church That which God offers is a Prerogatiue and such a Prerogatiue as is Gracious I gather it first out of Vos Deut 7 yee yee shall bee vnto mee a peculiar treasure c. And who are yee neither the most nor the best of people Moses from God telleth them so bondslaues in Egypt and much more bound to Satan for they were a rebellious nation more base in minde then in condition and therefore God biddeth them looke vnto his free loue the cause of their deliuerance Et dare non dignis res mage digna Deo the lesse worth there appeares in the receiuer the more grace doth there shine from the giuer As Israels want of worth made the gift gracious so also was it gracious in that God was not driuen to make the choice out of any want for all the earth is mine saith God All Nations they are the same by nature and it was free for God to make choice of any other
quaerenda in hac vita what God is is a lesson for the life to come in this life it is enough for vs to learne what Gods will is A second mysterie in the Cloud is that it agreeth well with the reuelations of the Old Testament Gal. 4. for God appeared then in shadowes and figures there was a vaile cast ouer the Law which was figured in the vaile wherewith Moses couered his face 2. Cor. 3. So that though the Church in the Old Testament had much more knowledge then the rest of the world for they had sauing knowledge as appeareth Heb. 11. Yet he that is least in the Kingdome of God saith Christ is greater then Iohn Baptist notwithstanding that he was greater then any Prophet of the Old Testament A third mysterie is the condition of the Law Chap. 33. which in Deuteronomic is called a fierie Law very piercing and very scorching it enters farre in searching of a mans conscience it is a discerner of the thoughts I had neuer knowne Heb. 4.12 Rom. 7.7 saith Saint Paul that lust is sinne had not the Law said thou shalt not lust As the Law is piercing because fierie so is it scorching also it vexeth and tormenteth their consciences whom it findeth guiltie it is a burden too heauie for the best of vs to beare Acts 15. Saint Austine obserues well Breuis differentia Legis Euangelij timor amor although both these affections beseeme both Testaments and he that loueth must feare and he that feareth must loue yet Feare was preualent in the Old Testament and Loue is in the New We haue not saith Saint Paul receiued the spirit of bondage to feare Rom 8.15 which was the state of man vnder the Old Testament but we haue receiued the spirit of adoption whereby we cry Abba Father which is the libertie of the New Testament The same Apostle resembleth the different conditions of the Church vnder the two Testaments to the different conditions of a child when he is in nonage and when he is come to his full age Gal 4. while he is in his nonage though he be heire yet is he kept in awe and vnder a Pedagogue but when he commeth to full age his Father affords him a more chearefull countenance and more liberall maintenance Euen so vnder the Law the Church was kept vnder and scanted of grace but vnder the Gospel shee is more free and indued with a more plentifull measure of Gods holy Spirit Finally hereunto looketh the difference that Saint Paul maketh betweene Mount Sinai and Mount Sion Heb. 12. the terriblenesse of the one and the sweetnesse of the other I shall haue occasion to compare them before I come to the end of the Chapter By the mixture of the Cloud and of the Fire you may also conceiue a mixture of our knowledge of God as the light of the fire signifieth that he is in some good sort manifested vnto vs 1. Cor. 13 1◠so doth the Cloud signifie that out knowledge is very imperfect wee see but as through a glasse darkly that which we know not of God is much more then that which we doe know Let this suffice for the manner I come now to the End which is twofold for God came first to grace Moses whom he designed Lawgiuer to Israel or rather Referendarie of that Law which himselfe would giue vnto them And hee graced him two wayes First in comming to him and not vnto them so saith the Text I will come to thee Moses was vpon the hill the people in the bottome now the Cloud came downe but to the top of the hill not into the bottome wherein there was no small grace done to the person of Moses in the sight of all the people God vouchsafed his presence only to him and not to the people The second grace is yet greater that in the hearing of the people God would speake with him for it is not here said that God did speake with them But that wee mistake not this grace which is done to Moses and giue him more honour then hereby was by God intended towards him we must obserue that though here we find no mention of Gods speaking with the people but only of his speaking with Moses yet Deut. 5. verse 5. Moses himselfe saith that God talked also with them and here we reade that God so talked with Moses as that he talked in the hearing of the people When here wee reade of Gods talking with Moses only without any mention of Gods talking with the people hereby the Holy Ghost intends to honour him with the Mediatour ship of the Old Testament that honour which Saint Paul giueth him when hee saith The Law was giuen by Angels in the band of a Mediatour But where Moses saith Deut. 5. that God talked with the people there the Holy Ghost would teach vs that God intended the Law to the people And out of both places compared together it followeth that the Law was committed to Moses to the end that the people might receiue it from him not only as hee should deliuer it in the two Tables but also as he should report vnto them by word of mouth And because they were to receiue Gods Law as he should report it that they might be sure hee brought them nothing but that which hee receiued from God therefore God vttered the Law to him in their hearing Whatsoeuer commeth from a man as a meere man will hardly worke vpon the conscience because of that knowne principle Omnis homo mendax men haue their errors and their priuate ends therefore their proiects are entertained with iealousie that they mistake or intend their owne good but if a Law be once knowne to be Gods pleasure we readily submit because we know he is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hee can neither deceiue nor bee deceiued and hee hath absolute power to command Vpon this principle those famous Lawgiuers amongst the Heathen did make it their first labour to perswade their people that they had familiar colloquies with some diuine power by whom they were directed in their Law-giuing Minos with Iupiter Lycurgus with Apollo Numa with Aegeria c. Mahomet could neuer haue made his Alcoran so currant but by that notorious imposture of a Doue which had beene taught to come familiarly to his eare and which to the people hee pretended to bee the Holy Ghost Heretikes old and new haue had their Enthusiasticall guides Papisticall pretended apparitions and reuelations are much of this kind abuses of that sacred principle But to the point when God would establish the Canon both of the Old and New Testaments by two demonstrations hee shewed that they came from him the one of Miracle the other of Oracle So did hee establish that which the Church receiued by Moses First hee gaue him power to worke many Miracles which was a second proofe that he came from God for no man could doe
be otherwise minded will they nil they they shall one day finde that they haue no exemption from them Thus saith the Lord is our warrant regard not our persons regard that Lord whose Embassadors wee are receiue the words wee speake so long as we speake his Words not as the words of men but as the Word of God Finally couple Thus saith with the Lord of Hosts The Lord of Hosts noteth Gods Power Thus he saith noteth his Will Our soules shall finde little rest on Gods Power if it be not sure of his Will for God can doe many things which he will not doe though he cannot will any thing which he cannot doe Luke 3.8 God could raise vp Children vnto Abraham of stones but hee would not but the many miracles which he hath wrought shew that hee can doe what he will The coupling then of these words Thus saith the Lord of Hosts imports Gods willing power and powerfull will which amount vnto an authority fit to build our Faith vpon and to giue law vnto our Conuersation I haue sufficiently shewed you What the warrant is wee must now in few words see Why it is repeated so often For I dare say you shall not finde any passage in the Scripture where Thus saith the Lord is so often read in so few lines The reason is the weightinesse of the matter whereunto it is annext Mortall Princes vse not to signe Bils the contents whereof are triuiall matters many things are done by vertue of their Authority whereunto their signature is not vsed Euen so ordinary matters passe in the Word of God without nay speciall vrging of his Authority when that is prefixt the point is of great regard and if it be often ingeminated it giueth vs to vnderstand that we must take speciall notice of euery clause of it What must wee gather here then but the weightinesse of euery branch of this Text And indeede if you haue not forgotten what hath been obserued on euery part thereof you will easily confesse that there is not one of them which is not so weighty as to deserue Thus saith the Lord of Hosts Was not the shaking of Heauen and Earth the shaking of all Nations a weighty point and therefore deserued it not to be signed with Thus saith the Lord of Hosts If the shaking did deserue this signature much more did the Comming of the desire of all Nations especially seeing he came to fill the Temple with glory and as it deserued so it was signed with Thus saith the Lord of Hosts If the giuing of Glory were a matter of great moment what shall wee say of the degree of Glory Surely it required a great ability so great as we would hardly haue beleeued had we not bin heartened by Thus saith the Lord of Hosts and it must proceed from so great bounty as may be testified by the same Thus saith the Lord of Hosts Finally the peace wherein we possesse whatsoeuer good is contained in Christs presence doth so passe mans vnderstanding that to establish his heart in the beliefe thereof he needes this signature Thus saith the Lord of Hosts At length to conclude You haue heard in the former Sermons What in this Whom you must beleeue you must not separate Whom from What that which we must beleeue doth no doubt most pleasantly affect vs because it is our good but he whom we must beleeue doth most firmely secure vs because he is the Author of that good As then when wee gather fruit from a tree we doe not fixe our eyes onely vpon the boughes from whence we immediately gather it but also thinke vpon the roote which feeds those boughes and maketh them to bee fruitfull so in our religious meditations we must couple the Author with the Matter of blessings that God may be glorified as well as our soules are benefited If we say with Saint Paul I know whom I haue beleeued then we shall be secure that he will safe-keepe whatsoeuer any of vs committeth vnto him hee will keepe our soules keep our bodies and all that which himselfe hath bestowed vpon them Grace and Peace Christ will keepe them vntill his day his second day the day wherein the great and the little world shall receiue their last shaking Then shall the desire of all Nations which at first came in Humility returne againe in Glory hee shall returne to fill his House his Church with glory conformable to his owne Glory Then hee will open vnto vs all his treasures of siluer and gold and therewith adorne his Spouse which being Triumphant shall infinitely exceed her selfe as she was Militant Then shall our Peace come to the full and none shall be able to take our blessednesse from vs because none shall be able to separate betweene vs and Christ They shall not if we build our Faith vpon Gods reuealed Will vpon his Almighty Power vpon my Text Thus saith the Lord of Hosts Now let vs that are a handfull of his Host while we are militant so giue glory vnto the Lord of Hosts that we may hereafter bee triumphant and hauing palmes in our hands and crownes on our heads with harpes and tongues wee may sound and sing ioyntly and cheerfully Halleluiah Praise ye the Lord and with the whole Host of the Kingdome of Heauen saying Holy Holy Holy Lord God of Hosts Heauen and Earth are full of thy Glory Amen יהוה A SERMON PREACHED Vpon the ANNVNTIATION day LVKE 2.28 Haile thou that art highly fauoured the Lord is with thee Blessed art thou among women THis is a part of the Gospell appointed for this day and this day goeth commonly for the Annuntiation day whether the day haue his right place in the Calender I leaue to be disputed by Chronologers what is meant by the Annuntiation is an argument fitter for Diuines certainly for the Pulpit the third part of this Chapter treats thereof and it is conceiued in forme of a Dialogue In the Dialogue there are two speakers the Angell Gabriel the Virgin Mary and each of them maketh two speeches the Angell to the Virgin and the Virgin to the Angell The Angell in his first congratulates the Virgin whom hee informeth from God that she shall bee the mother of Iesus Christ Good newes but strange strange that a Virgin should be a mother this Virgin the mother of that Childe The Virgin thought so nay she said so whereupon the Angell addeth his second speech importing that though the thing be wonderfull yet the meanes are powerfull these must be thought vpon as well as that and she must resolue that nothing shall hinder it because it is the Holy Spirit that will doe it So spake the Angell The Virgin replies vnto him to his first speech shewing her willingnesse to vnderstand the message which hee brought that is gathered out of her question Quomâ—do c. to his second shewing her readinesse to obey so soone as shee vnderstood it that appeares in her submission Ecce c.
as we ought value our spirituall state the eminency is very great which God vouchsafeth euery one of vs and that wee may ioy in it so much as we should this degree of Gods blessing must bee weighed by vs. But I will pursue this Text no farther onely a generall Vse there is that we must make of the whole and that is taught vs by this blessed Virgin her selfe her Magnificat is an excellent patterne thereof see therein how her words are correspondent to the Angels The Angell biddeth her Haile that is be glad and what saith she My soule doth magnifie and my spirit doth reioyce The Angell telleth her that shee is highly beloued of God and she doth not magnifie her selfe she reioy ceth not in her selfe but My soule saith she doth magnifie the Lord and my spirit reioyceth in God my Sauiour The Angell goeth on The Lord is with thee and she sings on The Lord indeed hath regarded the lowe estate of his handmaid Hee that is mighty hath magnified mee Finally she heareth that she is Blessed amongst women and she gathers that because she is so graced of God not for her own worth that from thenceforth all generations shall call her Blessed A better patterne of meditating vpon Gods mercies we cannot haue nor learne a better vse of the Auemarie I would the Church of Rome that are so deuoted to the Virgin would of her learne this good lesson if they will not let vs not neglect so good a patterne But I must end The summe of all is As the blessed Virgin so euery one of vs must haue a comfortable feeling especially of Gods free Loue that is the liuing spring of his gracious presence of that singular presence wherewith hee honoured the Virgins wombe and that common which is vouchsafed to all beleeuing hearts the least whereof must bee deemed to be no small prerogatiue O Lord it was thou that shewedst the Virgin light wherefore with cords of deuotion we binde our sacrifice to the hornes of thy Altar yea thou art a God to euery one of vs therefore we thanke thee Thou onely art our God and therefore we praise thee and let vs euer set thee before vs that dost vouchsafe to come so neare vnto vs that our heart may be glad and our tongue reioyce in thee so long as we liue here and when we depart hence our flesh also will rest in hope till wee come both body and soule into thy presence where is the fulnesse of Ioy and bee crowned with that right hand whereat there are pleasures for euermore Amen IHS TWO SERMONS PREACHED in the Cathedrall Church at WELLS THE FIRST SERMON On Palme Sunday MATTH 26. Vers 40.41 What could ye not watch with me one houre Watch and pray that yee enter not into temptation the spirit indeede is willing but the flesh is weake THese words were read vnto you out of this dayes Gopell 〈…〉 therein you heard that they were vttered by Christ to his Disciples Christ out of his owne foreknowledge and out of the Prophet Zachary gaue the Disciples to vnderstand that no sooner should himselfe their Captaine fall into the enemies hands but they would all shew themselues to bee but cowardly followers St. Peter with the rest though more forward than the rest answered that they would bee so farre from flying in his danger that they would spend their liues in his iust defence Hereunto Christ replyed that they would not be as good as their word nay that they would shamefully contradict their words by their deeds and it fell out euen so for scarce had an houre passed but they began to betray their weaknesse Christ taketh them in the very beginning of it and from it taketh an occasion first to reproue Vers 40. then to aduise them Vers 41. Hee reproueth them for their present defect What could yee not watch with mee one houre and aduiseth them to preuent a future reuolt Watch and pray that ye enter not into temptation c. More distinctly in the reproofe wee must note the matter and the manner the matter is the Disciples drowsinesse they did not Watch that is amplified by the circumstance of time and of persons of time they held not out for the space of one houre And of persons the persons of Disciples and the person of Christ drowsinesse was intolerable in them because they had promised so much especially in Christs company to whom they did owe more than to Watch. As was the sinne so was the reproofe that foule this sharpe it is vttered in few words but they goe to the quicke for the first 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 What is Elleipticall and implies Christs wondering at their vnanswerablenesse to their presumptuous vndertaking The next words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 point out their ignorance of themselues Could ye not this is more than you thought on so Christ reproues But he doth not leaue them so as he disliked what was past so would he haue them better prouided against that which is to come you may perceiue it in his aduise which is respectiue to their disease they presumed much but could doe little Christ biddeth them therefore bee more carefull and lesse confident more carefull Watch lesse confident Pray do the vttermost of your endeauour but build onely vpon Gods succour But why need they be more carefull and lesse confident Christ yeeldeth the reason of both where there is danger there is need of care they were in danger to enter into temptation Watch lest yee enter into temptation But if they be carefull why may they not be confident there is good reason their helpe standeth not in themselues The Spirit indeed is willing but their flesh is weake therefore they must seeke to God and seeke by prayer Pray You see the contents of this Scripture which wee must now farther open and apply vnto our selues I begin with the Reproofe whereof the matter is the drowsinesse of the Apostles their drowsinesse is noted by not watching It was night when Christ spake this and so a time to sleep adde hereunto that they had newly supped and had heard the dolefull sermon of Christs departure all which serue to increase the heauinesse as of their mindes so of their bodies But it was the night wherein Christ was to be betrayed and wherein themselues were to be exposed to danger and therefore it was a time to watch The care of our duety sometimes and sometimes of our safety maketh vs forbeare many things which otherwise we might lawfully vse sometimes we fast from our ordinary fare sometimes we put off robes of state and cloath our selues with garments of heauinesse and eate the bread of mourning so is there a time when we should deny our eyes their beloued sleepe and then not to deny it is a sinne a great sinne as great as to fare deliciously when wee should fast and attire our selues gorgiously when wee should mourne the Scripture condemneth all three the apparrell
of paines to fulfill Gods commands but so insolent so foolish are the most of men that they will haue their owne wils satisfie their owne lusts and rather than faile thereof they will breake Gods bonds and cast his cords from them And what Cup can be bitter enough to purge such peccant humours The last note that I gaue vpon the Text is the comparison betweene the Wish and the Will whereof I told you the one was conditionall the other absolute the one is but as it were a deliberation the other a resolution And indeed that difference we must hold when our Wishes and Gods Decrees are different neuer to present our desires but with a condition but to take heed of capitulating with God for that were to giue Law vnto the Law-giuer which should not be attempted and will not be endured But it is time to end Tract 104. Christ saith S. Austin being in the forme of a seruant might haue conceiued this prayer in silence but It a se voluit Patri exhibere peccatorem vt meminisset se nostrum esse doctorem he would so performe his deuotion as might make best for our instruction And Saint Chrysostome noteth herein an extraordinary instruction Sublimem admirabilis Philosophiae virtutem docet etiam Natur â abhorrente renuente Deum sequendum It is an high straine of Christian vertue that is taught vs in this patterne of Christ so farre to be masters of our naturall Affections that will they nil they we will doe what God doth bid vs. St. Cyprian telleth ys that we are not onely taught by Christ What to doe but How namely to imitate Christs offertory Prayer prostrating our selues humbly inuocating our Father reuerently and not presenting our desires otherwise than conditionally if we take this course we shall conclude with an absolute submission vnto the Will of God Certainly St. Bernard thought so for hee meditateth thus vpon my Text Noniam despero Domine Lord I am not out of heart now be my case neuer so bad Let my tribulation be irkesome vnto me and let me haue a comardly heart by nature let me be forward when I petition with Transeat Let this Cup passe take i◠from mee I haue learned of thee to betake my selfe not to a carnall but an heauenly comfort Not my Will but thy Will be done will hold in all murmuring and hearten all fainting of my soule These words then are exemplary words they informe vs what Christ did to direct vs what we must doe Christs example is without exception because hee was without sinne and is of good vse for vs because we may fall into the like case The like I say but not the same we may fall though not into a Propitiatory yet into a Probatory suffering It is sacriledge to affect the one the other is common to the whole Church When we fall into it if we take Christ for our patterne we shall finde him our patron also we shall finde that his draught hath left little bitternesse in ours and that which is left is much allayed When Christ made this Prayer an Angell from heauen comforted him and if wee conceiue the like prayers the Spirit of Christ will not faile to be a comforter to vs. Onely let vs ex non volito make volitum giue the vpper hand to Grace aboue Nature and we shall finde much ioy in affliction which will be vnto vs the pledge of a greater ioy which after our affliction wee shall enioy in the Kingdome of Heauen THis Grace he giue vnto vs that in this practice hath gone before vs that as his so by his our patient obedience may open vs a way vnto a blessed Inheritance IHS A SERMON PREACHED AT St. PETERS IN OXFORD Vpon EASTER DAY 1 COR. 15.20 Christ is risen from the dead and become the first fruits of them that slept ANd these words are a part of that first Hymne wherewith wee solemnize this Feast yea they containe a good and full Commentary vpon this dayes employment For this day is spent in historia Prophetia we therein renue Christs and foretaste our owne Resurrection that in the Seruice and this in the Sacrament These two Resurrections are inseparable therefore St. Paul willing to assure vs of the later doth first establish the Doctrine of the former and he doth it by Witnesses and by Reasons By Witnesses because a matter of fact and by Reasons because this fact is an Article of Faith For Articles of Faith are not only credenda but also credibilia though before they are reuealed we cannot diuine at them yet being reuealed we may argue fairely for them many times out of Nature but out of Scripture alwaies The Reasons here yeelded by the Apostle are of two sorts the first collects the Absurdities that presse all Gaine-sayers the second those Conueniences that must bee acknowledged by true Beleeuers This Scripture stand◠in the midst of these Reasons and is compounded of the conclusion of the former and foundation of the later The refutation of the Absurdities warrants this truth Christ is risen from the dead and the proofe of the Conueniences relyes vpon this ground Christ is become the first fruits of them that slept The Resurrection then from the dead is the maine point of this Text and the Text doth occasion vs to consider 1. what it is then how applyed What it is we cannot be ignorant if we know the termes wherein it is exprest these two termes Dead and Resurrection But when we haue found them wee must discreetly apply them for they haue different subiects Christ and those that slept they belong to both but vnto those by him for He is their first fruits These be the contents of this Scripture and of these shall I by Gods assistance and your Christian audience now speake briefly and in their order And first of the termes Death and Resurrection These termes are opposite therefore by the one wee must bee led to know the other and because death is first in nature I beginne at that All death if it bee antecedent to the Resurre ion is eyther in sinne or for sinne Death in sinne is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Orat. 7 as Nyssen defines it an inabilitie to doe good because we haue lost communion with God But communion with God simply wee cannot lose and be for without him nothing can subsist It is then communion in that which is his supreme perfection in wisedome and in holinesse the soule that is destitute of these that soule is dead for it can neyther taste nor see how good the Lord is whom notwithstanding so to know is euerlasting life and if it be so senslesse it must needes be liuelesse It is dead in sinne But as there is death in sinne so is there also for sinne and this is double eyther only the dissolution of soule and body or else a penall condition that followeth thereupon Touching the dissolution we must marke that as
of the Gospel it teacheth how all men should bee ranged in their orders and rest contented with their measure of gifts it teacheth the true reference between parents and children masters and seruants magistrates and subiects pastors and people yea between pastors it noteth the inequalitie which it maketh good by the Analogie which is betweene our naturall body and the Church As it doth thus teach proportion so doth it complexion also the blood of Doctrine as Tertullian cals it is defaecated clensed from all earthly dreggs and drosse it endureth no earthly and grouelling affections no melancholy or dismall cogitations As no humour more than melancholie doth deforme the beauty of complexion no more is any thing more opposite to the truth of the Gospell than sowre and hellish desires and thoughts But vnto beauty it is not enough that the blood be purged from melancholy the colour will not bee viuidus floridus fresh and cheerefull if the blood be eyther dilutus or sublimatus nimis too watery through phlegme or too fierie through choller the one maketh a fallow complexion the other too high coloured And verily the Gospell doth not humour men nor feede their raw and vndigested vanities whereunto our adle heads and euil hearts while we affect commerce with this world are prone As it doth not humour the carnall wantonnesse of men no more doth it make them Enthusiasts nor carry their thoughts into the closet of Gods secrets there to reade what hee hath not reuealed in his word it teacheth them not to seeke the things that are too hard for them nor to search rashly things that are too mighty for them it clippeth the wings of such soaring spirits with the admonition of the Apostle Rom. 12. Let no man presume to vnderstand aboue that which is meete but that hee vnderstand vnto sobrietie The Gospell that worketh such spirituall proportion and complexion is iustly termed a staffe of beauty 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith an old Philopher no painter or caruer can limme or graue any picture or statua that in any sort can represent the exquisite beauty that is in truth He spake it of philosophicall it is much more true of theologicall truth The Sonne of Syrach compares Simon the sonne of Onias the high Priest ministring in the Sanctuarie vnto the Morning starre in the middest of a cloud â—cclus 50. vnto the Moone when it is at full to the Sunne shining vpon the Temple of the most high to the Raine-bow bright in the faire clouds to the fairest flowers the goodliest trees the richest iewels he concludes Wisd 8. when hee put on the garment of honour he was cloathed with all beauty so likewise saith the wise man in the long garment was all the ornament or as some reade all the world as if all the beautie of the World were concluded therein Yet all this was but a transitorie Type Types come short of their Truths and things temporall of those things which are eternall If those were so beautifull how beautifull are these learne the inequalitie from St. Paul If the administration of condemnation were glorious much more doth the ministration of righteousnesse exceede in glorie for euen that which was glorified was not glorified in this point that is as touching the exceeding glorie for if that which should be abolished were glorious much more shall that which remaineth be glorious 2 Cor. 3. This is excellently represented in the image of the Church which we haue â—euel 12. with the Moone that is all mutable and transitorie things vnder her feete her selfe was cloathed with the Sunne and had vpon her head a crowne with twelues starres I will not trouble you with the portraiture of the Church which is made Cant. 4. where euery limbe of her is set forth in its proper beauty That which I will onely note is that this beauty came by the Gospell Cap. 60. so Esay foretold Arise O Hierusalem bee bright for thy light is come and the glory of the Lord is risen vpon thee and the Apostle confirmes it when out of another place of the same Prophet he congratulateth the time of Christs comming Cap. 62. and the publishing of the Gospell by his Ministers with those words Rom. 10. How beautifull are the feete of them which bring glad tidings of peace surely that was the time wherein Christ came to make his Church sine macula ruga without spot or wrinkle to make heauenly Hierusalem the perfection of beauty as it is called in the Psalme and described in the end of the Reuelation I doe not now wonder at Dauids exclamation O how amiable are thy dwellings c. Psalme 84. and his One thing haue I desired c. Psalme 27. for hee cannot but bee rauished with loue that hath a sight of this heauenly beauty The word doth not onely signifie beautie but sweetnesse also and indeed Christ was wholly delectable as we read in the Canticles his fruit was sweet vnto his Spouses mouth the Gospel is sweeter than honey and the honey combe the Prophet Esay compares it to a banquet of sweet wines of meat full of marrow the Gospell to a marriage feast his spirit is the spirit of Adoption and of Libertie his burden is light his yoke is easie St. Paul Gal. 4. doth amplifie this by the opposition of Mount Sion to Mount Sinai In a word Christ hath his name from oyle euen sweete oyle to signifie the softnesse and pleasantnesse of his nature Zacharie foretold he should come meeke vnto his Church himselfe bids his Disciples Matth. 11. Learne of him because he is meeke and St. Paul exhorts the Christians by the meeknesse of our Sauiour Iesus Christ St. Bernard found much sweetnesse in the name of Iesus also when he conceiued that it was mel in ore melos in aure iubilum in corde honey in the mouth musicke in the eare and the very ioy of our hearts so that Christs first staffe was a staffe not only of fairenesse but of sweetnesse also And this is for our imitation that are Pastors At the deliuering of the Crocier we finde in the Ritualls that the Ordainer speaketh these words to the ordained Accipe baculum Pastoralis officij vt sis in corrigendis vitijs piè seuerus our staffe inableth vs to strike at sinne but we must neuer strike but with tender compassion towards the sinner in curing of spirituall sores wee must imitate good chirurgions haue Lions hearts but Ladies hands This is that we must learne from the staffe of beauty I come now to the other staffe the staffe of bands or the second Ability that must be in a good Pastor As he must bee well skild in the Couenant of grace and furnished throughout with Euangelicall truth which is the sweet beauty of the Church so must hee also be prouided of Charitiâ— and tender Christian peace taking care that the parts fall not asunder the one from the other Greg. Nyssen 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉
vncharitablenesse in our supernaturall cognation Naturall brethren maligne each the other either because the affection of Parents is vnequall or because they shall not haue equall part in the Inheritance but GOD embraceth all his children with the same loue and they are all called to be heires of the same Kingdome therefore they should all haue alike tender bowels one towards another As the name of Brethren calleth for compassion so doth the name of spirituall also by spirituall is ment he that is strong in Faith and hath not yeelded to temptation he that is led by the Spirit and hath not fulfilled the lusts of his Flesh the more he is so spirituall the more compassionate he must be Greg. Mag◠Vera iustitia compassionem habet falsa indignationem It is a shrewd argument that our righteousnesse is pharisaicall and not Christian if we rather insult then shew pittie who more spirituall then GOD then Christ then the Angels The best of men cannot match the meanest of them in the holines of Spirit and yet the Angels reioyce at the conuersion of a sinner Luke 19.7 and how doth Christ the good Sheepeheard take comfort in the recouerie of the lost Sheepe And as for GOD you read his disposition in that countenance and cheere wherewith the Father receiued his prodigall child Where there is lesse kindnesse there is lesse of the Spirit as in the Diuell who calumniateth amplyfieth sinnes aggrauateth Iudgements and we are too like him if our bowels be crueltie You see who must shew compassion and read their duties in their names But if their names will not worke enough the ground that the Text addeth inforcing this dutie doth more strongly presse them and the ground is considering thy selfe least thou also be tempted 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 our eies happily are watchfull but are more fixed vpon others then vpon our selues we take delight to pry farre into other mens faults and a pleasing thing it is to flesh and blood to be learned in such arguments But it is but a propertie of Vultures and Rauens that quickly sent carrion and hast vnto it the Holy Ghost here taketh off our eyes from other obiects and fastens them vpon our selues we are the book which our selues should most study we should know none so well as our selues But when we are brought so farre as to study our selues we study like the Pharisee read nothing in our selues but our owne perfections if GOD hath giuen vs any guifts we need no spectacles to read it the characters are alwayes of the largest sise yea we oftentimes read more then is written and giue thankes to GOD for that which he hath not bestowed or not bestowed in that measure which we suppose we haue Because of our ouer great docilitie to study this argument the Scripture passeth by it and reads vs another lesson the lesson of our infirmities looke we must vpon our selues yea and to our selues also but that which we must behold and heed is least thou also be tempted Consider Quia homo es habens naturam mutabilem saith THEODORET No man in this world is so spirituall but he is also carnall St HIEROME with this Text censured the Heretickes of old and we may censure some that liue at this day who thinke that a righteous man is such a tree as can beare no bad fruit but posse peccare is the portion of euerie mortall man and he that standeth may fall for we all walke in the middest of snares Aut sumus aut fuimus aut possumus esse quod haec est euen he that hath ouercome temptation knowes how hard a thing it is to be tempted And if it be hard then should not we be hard hearted towards them whom it foyleth Which obseruation is not vnnecessarie because our nature is as prone to rigor as it is to sinne we are to haue an eye to both and indeed nothing will make vs sooner auoid the temptation vnto rigor then the acknowledgment that our felues are prone to sinne it is St AVSTINS rule Nil sic ad misericordiam inclinat ac proprij periculi cogitatio he that knowes he may need mercie hath a good inducement to shew mercie Wherefore as to the comfort of the Penitent I may promise her that her teares are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 though she sow in teares Basil she shall reape inioy so let me aduise you to forgiue and it shall be forgiuen vnto you He that is mercifull doth good to his owne soule saith SOLOMON Prou. 11. Ecel 8. Eph. 4. Colos 3. Wherefore despise ye not a man returning from his sinne be courteous one towards another and tender hearted forgiuing freely as God for Christ sake forgiueth you St PAVL doth teach vs this lesson in this Text the Text is documentum exemplum the matter of it informeth vs yea the phrase is a good patterne vnto vs in deliuering an argument of mercie he vseth not a word that doth not sauour of mercie Homo noting the pronesse of our nature to sinne 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the occasions of sinne praeoccupatus the surprisall all in fauour of the Penitent And what meaneth the name of Brother Spirituall the Spirit of Meeknesse Consider thy selfe Thou mayst be tempted Are they not as water cast vpon the fire of our zeale to temper it if it grow too hot Then looke we on the words all call vpon vs that as we are eye witnesses and eare witnesses of this Penitents confession contrition so we should let GOD and the Angels see how full we are of compassion Compassion that must moue vs all to pray to GOD for her that God by the power of the keyes may loose her from those bands wherewith her sinne her crying sinne hath tyed her God heare vs and worke by vs and in vs that she may be fully restored and her fall may make vs all to beware Amen Blessed are the mercifull for they shall find mercie A SERMON PREACHED IN THE CATHEDRAL CHVRCH OF WELS AT WHAT TIME A MAN DID PENANCE FOR INCEST WITH HIS WIVES DAVGHTER 1 CORINTH 5. VERSE 1 c. 1 Jt is reported commonly that there is fornication amongst you and such fornication as is not so much as named amongst the Gentiles that one should haue his fathers wife 2 And ye are puffed vp and haue not rather mourned that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from amongst you 3 For J verily as absent in body but present in spirit haue iudged already as though J were present against him that hath so done this deed 4 Jn the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ when ye are gathered together and my spirit with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ 5 To deliuer such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh that the spirit may be saued in the day of the Lord Jesus THE present occasion led me to this Text and this Text that I haue read vnto you well fitteth
mine eyes forcibly layd open to see mine eares to heare and so the rest of my body may be constrayned to produce some worke but the powers of my reasonable soule can neuer be constrayned I cannot be constrayned to iudge otherwise then my vnderstanding leads me nor to chuse that which my will refuseth therefore our vnderstanding and our will must be actors principall actors in this deceipt And so St Iames telleth vs Cap. 1. 1 Iohn â— that He that is tempted is bayted and led aside by his owne concupiscence St Iohn insinuates as much when he telleth vs that All that is in the world is the lust of the flesh the lust of the eyes and the pride of life as if there were no deceipt in the world were it not that we did fasten our concupiscence vpon it Rom. 7. Finally St Paul telleth vs in his owne case Peccatum decepit me that which deceiued me was mine owne sinne And indeed he that first instilled sinne into vs gaue vs the seed of his owne sinne The Diuels sinne was selfe-deceipt for when he fell there was nothing besides himselfe that might deceiue him and that cunning Huntsman is not contented to make vs a prey except he take vs in the cords of our owne sinne except we follow the counsels of our owne hearts and doe that which is right in our owne eyes to disobey GOD and leaue the path of life It were easie to illustrate this in all sorts of sinnes but I will keepe my selfe to this present occasion to the sinne of Schisme The Diuel attempts two things against the truth of Religion the first is Priuation the second Deprauation a declining vnto the left-hand or to the right to the left-hand by making men Atheists to the right-hand by making them Separatists he would that all should be fooles and say in their hearts that there is no GOD or that GOD is without Prouidence that GOD knoweth not or eareth not for the things of this world And if he cannot so stifle Religion he endeauoureth for to leauen it whom he cannot draw to the left hand he will endeauour to draw to the right he will by corrupting of good principles maketh them fall vpon many vngodly conclusions and vse zeale for GOD to estrange themselues from GOD. Wofull experience hath the Church had of such Paralogismes in the Iewes who vpon this ground opposed CHRIST in the Gentiles that tooke this for a ground to quarrell with the Iewes and the Separatists of this latter age wherof we haue had more then a good many in this Countrey haue stumbled at this stone lest they should serue GOD amisse they haue refused to serue GOD at all Nazianzen in his time though in another case yet sauouring of this sinne cryed out 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Orat. 40. O vnwarie warinesse ô imposture of the wicked-one that turneth Pietie into Impietie and ouercommeth reason by reason Who can consider this and not acknowledge the weaknesse of our nature This weakenesse may be resolued into our ouer-easie beleeuing and rash dis-beleeuing ouer-easie beleeuing of seducing Imposters that labour to instill their fancies into vs and rash dis-beleeuing of those whom GOD hath lawfully placed to rule ouer vs both which a man shall easily obserue in all Schismatiques But to acknowledge our naturall weakenesse is not sufficient the Apostle aduiseth vs to beware of it and indeed therefore is our naturall weaknesse remembred that it might stirre vs vp vnto spirituall carefulnesse not to doe that which we are prone to doe Let no man deceiue himselfe We must take heed of the occasions that from without offer to deceiue vs of Wolues in Sheepes clothing of an Angel of darkenesse turning himselfe into an Angel of light Try the spirits at St Iohn yea Try all things as St Paul willeth vs. 1 Iohn 4 1 Thes 5. â—1 In Iob we haue a prettie resemblance of the eare to the tast as the one doth try the meates which we are to take into our bodyes so should the other the words which we are to receiue into our soules But in vaine shall we try them if we doe not try our selues first for we must try them by our iudgement by our will Verum est index sui obliqui a peruerse iudgement cannot discerne truth from falsehood neither can an vntoward will make a right choyse when Good and Euill are presented vnto it he cannot choose but be deceiued by others that is first deceiued in himselfe wherefore seeing our iudgement and our will must be the rule by which we must try others our first care must be to set them straight our vnderstanding must be a good Logician our will a good Moralist if either be defectiue we deceiue our selues and we are verie apt to be deceiued by others It is a miserable thing for a man to be deceiued by others Platâ— in Crâ—tilâ— but to be deceiued by himselfe is most miserable cum Impostor â—e minimum quidem decedat we shall euer carrie about vs the Deceiuer in our bosoms and he shall haue that credit with vs as that we shall neuer so much as suspect his deceipt yea Sathan and the World shall euer haue their Agent with vs and make vs assacinates to destroy our selues Adde hereunto that this kind of deceipt makes vs vncapable of wholesome counsell for if our ignorance be onely priuatiue seldome doe we obstinate our selues against good instructions but if our reasonable powers be depraued and possest with qualities opposite vnto those which we should receiue there is much lesse hope of our amendment Intus apparens excludit alienum Nazianz. orat 1. selfe-deceipt is most refractorie and most hardly will he be brought backe into the way that being deceiued of himselfe wittingly and willingly went out of the way whereof this Penitent may be a liuely example vnto vs. And let this suffice concerning the Preseruatiue I come vnto the Restoratiue remedy wherein we are first to see the distemper of a Schismatique I told you it was a carnall selfe-conceipt First a selfe-conceipt the Schismatique thinkes himselfe wise GOD that indowed vs with the faculties of sense and reason gaue these faculties a double abilitie a direct and a reflected The direct is that whereby they receiue their obiect the reflect is that whereby they iudge of that receipt I will make it plaine to you by an example first of sense and then of reason Mine eye seeth a colour for example Greene hauing seene it it passeth a iudgement vpon the sight and knowes that is greene which it doth see the like may be obserued in hearing smelling tasting and the rest of the senses In like manner is it in our soule The vnderstanding apprehends some truth and hauing apprehended it it passeth a iudgement vpon it and knoweth that that is truth which it hath apprehended The like may be said of Good But we must marke here a difference betweene sense and reason as
sinne hath abridged what had no bounds it hath brought our life within a short compasse it is measured by dayes and dayes are aâ— the first so the least part of Time which thou hast made And these dayes are not infinite in vaine should a man desire to number that which cannot bee numbred Iacob said his dayes were few Dauid that his were but a span long Saint Iames that no mans life is more lasting then a bubble a man would thinke a litle Arithmeticke would cast vp so small an account a man seemes to need no better a master then a man for what man is he that is ignorant of this principle That man is mortall and that it cannot be long before he returne to dust And yet Moses that was learned in all the sciences of the Aegyptians amongst which Arithmeticke was one desireth to learn this point of Arithmetick onely of thee O Lord why Is it because as Iob speaketh thou hast determined the nuÌ„ber of his dayes Would Moses haue thee reueale to euerie man the moment of his end Such speculations may wel beseeme an Aegyptian an Israelite they doe not beseeme Thy children O Lord know that it is not for them so to know times and seasons which thou keepest in thine owne power and are a secret sealed vp with thee we should not prie into that counting house nor curiously inquire into that summe It is not then a Mathematicall numbring of daies that Moses would be schooled in but a morall he would haue God not simply to teach him to number but to number so and so points out a speciall manner a manner that may bee vsefull for the children of God And indeed our petitions must beare this mark of profitable desires and we should not aske ought of thee but that by which if we speed wee may become the better he that so studieth his mortalitie learnes it as he should and it is onely thou O Lord that takest him out such a lesson But what is the vse O Moses that thou wouldest haue man make of such a knowledge Euen to applie his heart vnto wisedome O happie knowledge by which a man becomes wise for wisedome is the beautie of a reasonable soule God conereated him therewith But sinne hath diuorced the soule and wisedome so that a sinfull man is indeed no better then a foole so the Scripture calleth him and well may it call him so seeing all his carriage is vaine and the vpshot of his endeauours but vexation of spirit But though sinne haue diuorced wisedome and the Soule yet are they not so seuered but they may be reunited and nothing is more powerfull in furthering this vnion then this feeling meditation that wee are mortall For who would not shake hands with the world that knows we must shortly appeare before God Yea who would not prouide for that life which hath no end that seeth that this hastneth so fast vnto an end Finally who would suffer the arrowes of Gods wrath that summon vs vnto Iudgement to passe vnregarded seeing the due regard thereof is able to turne a Tribunall into a Throne of grace Surely affliction if we discerne the hand that infflicts it is the best schoole of wisedome yea of the best sort of wisedome the wisedome of the heart it turneth knowledge into practise and maketh vs more tender hearted then we are quicke sighted it doth not onely discerne that God is a consuming fire but melts at the very sight of him it doth not onely know that Gods word is a hammer but feeleth the force thereof in a broken and contrite spirit it conceiue feares so soone as it heareth threats and is no sooner touched but it is reclaimed And this is Wisedome the true wisedome of a mortall man whose best helpe against mortalitie stands in the awful regard of Gods offended fauour Seeing then O Lord this is the fruit of that desired knowledge and hee is best seene in the length of his dayes that is most humbled with the sense of thy wrath and he needs least to feare death that doth as hee ought most feare thee vouchsafe to bee his master that desireth to bee thy scholler and let grace teach what nature doth not discerne that I moulder into dust because I corrupt my selfe with sinne so shall I bee wearie of my naturall folly that negotiates for death and affect true wisdome that is the Tree of life with this I shall endeauour to furnish not onely my head but my heart also and that which now is the seate of deaâ—h shall then become the receptacle of life that life which beginnes in thy feare which is the onely in-let of euerlasting ioy A Meditation vpon Lament 5. VERSE 21. Turne thou vs vnto thee O Lord and we shall bee turned renew our dayes as of old WEe are mutable and what wonder Seeing we are creatures we cannot know that we were made of nothing but wee must acknowledge that to nothing we may returne againe and indeed thither we hasten if we bee left vnto our selues For marre our selues we can but we cannot mend our selues wee can dedestroy what God hath built but we cannot repaire what we doe destroy Wretched power that is onely able to disinable vs and hath no strength but to enfeeble him whose strength it is I read of Adam the first monument of this vnhappie strength but I may read it in my selfe I as all his sonnes inherit as his nature so this selfe ruining power But when experience hath made me see how valiant I haue been against my selfe inflicting deadly wounds precipitating my person and misguiding my steps I become disconsolate and helplesse in my selfe what then shall I doe To whom then shall I seeke To the fiends of hell that sollicited me to sinne To the worldly vanities by which my lusts were baited Well may they adde to my fall raise mee againe they cannot they will not such euill trees beare no such good fruit and if they did they would rather haue me a companion in their sinne and in their woe then seeke to free mee from or ease me in either of them But happily the good Angels as they are more able so they are more willing to pittie to relieue mee but they behold thy face O Lord and stirre not but when thou sendest them and they only to whom thou sendest can be the better for them these heauenly spirits that attend thy Throne moue not but at thy becke and doe no more then thou commaundest I see then that if I stray it is thou that must fetch me home it is thou Lord that must lift me vp when I am slipt downe to the gates of death and my wounds will be incurable if thou bee not pleased to heale me Thou Lord hast made me know in what case I am and onely canst redresse my wofull case I seeke to thee and to thee onely To thy wisedome I commend my head illighten it shew me thy way thou that of nothing