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A56704 A sermon preached at St. Paul's Covent-garden on the first Sunday in Lent being the second part of the sermon preached before the Prince of Orange / by Symon Patrick ... Patrick, Simon, 1626-1707. 1689 (1689) Wing P851; ESTC R31758 23,908 44

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generation of Vipers who had hearts as full of Rancour and Malice as the Viper is of Poyson no less venomous than the Asp and the Cockatrice mentioned in this Prophecy And yet were so terrified at his Preaching that they humbled themselves to his Baptism and there disgorged their Venom by confessing their Sins and engaging for it was not a bare acknowledging but a renouncing them to amend their lives according to his Doctrine All this you may read in the Third of St. Matthew and St. Luke where they shew how the whole Nation flockt to him for Advice what they should do to flee from the wrath to come and were instructed by him to prepare themselves by such means as these now mentioned for the Kingdom of Christ which he told them was approaching II. Now what was thus begun by him was further promoted by our blessed Lord and Saviour as soon as he appeared when he taught all his Disciples whom he admitted Except ye be converted and become as little children ye cannot enter into the kingdom of heaven Mat. 18. 3. that is be made my Subjects and be Partakers of their happiness Accordingly all that professed Subjection to him in sinceriry had their hearts thus converted and changed into that blessed temper of Spirit which he infused into his Disciples in his Sermon upon the Mount. Where he taught them to be humble contented tender-hearted meek merciful peace-makers pure in heart patient to lay aside all anger lust revenge and whatsoever it is that troubles the World. And you read in the conclusion That the people were astonished at his doctrine for he taught them as one having authority Mat. 7. 29. or as St. Luke expresses it upon another occasion Luk. 4. 32. his word was with power having no doubt such effect as to work these qualities in many hearts whereby their natures were altered and turned into the similitude of their Master the Prince of Peace who in his Life-time employed his Twelve Apostles in the same blessed Work of making Peace among Men And compares them to Lambs when he sent them to preach in Judea which he tells them was to send them among a company of Wolves For Men of such Spirits there were then in that Nation some of which notwithstanding were converted and brought to live with them in a peaceable Subjection to the Government of the Lord Jesus III. But this Work was compleated when the Holy Ghost came down from Heaven upon the Apostles on the Day of Pentecost when some thousands of Jews and Proselytes of several Nations were converted not meerly to believe on Christ but to live in the dearest love and kindness one with another So you read in Act. 2. 44 45. And all that believed who were Three thousand converted at the first Sermon they preached were together that is lived in perfect unity and had all things common and sold their possessions and goods and parted them to all men as every man had need that is they did not barely abstain from hurting and destroying one another as Isaiah here saith they should ver 9. but were so kind as to do good and impart to each other as their own abilities afforded and their Neighbors necessities required And this not for a fit only but they continued daily with one accord in the temple and did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart ver 46. that is with Charity and Liberality unto others whose wants called for their assistance For so a single eye signifies Mat. 6. 22. a charitable frank disposition And accordingly so a single heart is to be here interpreted a Mind free from covetous selfishness purely bent to do good to others and that with chearfulness Which was the thing that gave them favour with all the people as it there follows ver 44. IV. Nor was this the effect of Christianity in those only that first received it but you may observe the same Spirit continued in those that afterwards embraced it For at the next great Conversion which was made of Disciples to Christ you find that they being all filled with the Holy Ghost the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul Act. 4. 32. In which was punctually fulfilled this Prophecy of Isaiah For though they were never so different in their Principles and Affections before now they were so reconciled and united as if there had been but one Heart or Spirit in such a great multitude And it is observable that this Change was wrought in the holy mountain of God as the Prophet predicts ver 9. at Jerusalem where the Gospel was first preached and had this admirable effect in those that entertained it to make them conspire together for their common good as if they had been but one Man. For none of them said that ought of the things he possessed was his own but they had all things common as it there follows neither was there any among them that lacked for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them and brought the price of the things that were sold and laid them down at the Apostles feet and distribution was made unto every man as he had need V. After this indeed when the number of the Disciples was multiplied as the Text speaks Act. 6. 1. there arose a murmuring of the Grecians against the Hebrews because their widows were neglected in the daily ministration But as this only signifies that in such a great company of Christians of which the body of the Church was made up there were some so imperfectly instructed that they retained some partiality of Spirit and were too much inclined to favour particular Persons out of their near Relation and peculiar Affection to them because they were their Country-women born in Judea which the Grecians though Jews were not So this very thing occasioned a greater Unity by the provision of a speedy and most excellent remedy which silenced these murmurings for the present and prevented them for the future For the People are directed to find out seven Persons from among themselves men of honest report full of the Holy Ghost and Wisdom whom the Apostles might appoint to attend upon this business And it is very remarkable that as this Proposal pleased the whole multitude so they all agreed by a common consent to make choice of Grecians only as appears by their Names ver 5. for this employment who could not be suspected of any want of tenderness for that party which had been aggrieved And accordingly after this we hear of no more complaints about such matters because all Mens necessities were considered by these excellent Persons with an equal respect and fatherly care to the general satisfaction both of those who were born in Judea and those that were born in other Countries And thus far you have seen only what concord there was among those Jews and Proselytes who were converted to Christianity VI. But now if we proceed to consider
in their mutual Charity for in one word former things such as we now see shall be so banished from the Christian World that they shall be known only by hear-say I cannot now further enlarge upon this because I have one thing more to add for the Explication of this Prophecy which as it will answer the most literal sense of it so is very suitable to the present season IV. The grosser sort of Jews I told you in the beginning of this Discourse would have us understand by Wolves Leopards and Lyons c. the very Beasts that bear these Names which in the days of Christ they fansy shall become tame and made as gentle and familiar as those we call Oxen Calves and Lambs There is great reason I shewed you against this Interpretation but if any be so stubborn as to stick to it and will not believe unless we shew him when this was done I think it is not difficult to give him satisfaction For St. Mark tells us That when our blessed Saviour was in the Wilderness forty days tempted of the Devil of which St. Matthew gives us a larger Account in the Gospel for this day he was with the wild Beasts and the Angels ministred unto him Mark 1. 13. The Devil that is attempted to affright him with such terrible Creatures as the Lyons Wolves and Tygers which are greedy of Man's Flesh as well as of other Creatures But none of these had any power to annoy him Quite contrary they all lickt his Feet as I may speak and were as innocent and as gentle as the Lambs For that must be the sense of these words He was with the wild Beasts he was in the midst of them and that without any harm at all they being as mild in his presence as those we count the meekest Creatures In this the power of our Saviour began to discover it self to the Devil who saw this Prophecy literally fulfilled in him The Wolf shall dwell with the Lamb c. and that of the Psalmist in Psal 91. 13. Thou shalt tread upon the Lyon and the Adder the young Lyon and the Dragon shalt thou trample under thy feet Yet such is the bold and restless nature of the Tempter when he could not terrifie him by this horrid company of wild Beasts he had the confidence to hope for an advantage from hence another way For he imagined our Saviour himself would take the confidence by this Authority and Power which he found he could exercise over those fierce Creatures to presume to do some other strange thing without the same reason Especially when Scripture might seem to encourage to it even that very Scripture which I now named Accordingly the Devil takes our Saviour into the holy City and sets him on a Pinnacle of the Temple and saith If thou be the Son of God cast thy self down for it is written He shall give his Angels charge concerning thee and in their hands they shall bear thee up lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone Mat. 4. 6. If you enquire where this is written the Answer to it will acquaint you with a thing very remarkable For it is written in the same Psalm where you find the other words I now alledged Thou shalt tread upon the Lyon and the Adder c. and the truth is goes immediately before them in this manner For he shall give his Angels charge over thee to keep thee in all thy ways they shall bear thee up in their hands lest thou dash thy foot against a stone Thou shalt tread upon the Lyon and Adder the young Lyon and the Dragon shalt thou trample under thy feet Now they being thus connected and knit together our Saviour durst not separate them as Men in these days are bold to do with the holy Scriptures Which he understood so perfectly that he could not be cheated with the Devil's Sophistry For he knew the Psalmist was to be thus expounded as an Doctor Jackson eminent Divine of ours hath long ago observed That the Angels should keep him if he trod upon a Lyon or an Adder as they came in his way in the Wilderness as well as bear him up that he should not d●sh his foot against a stone And so they did for the Angels ministred unto him while he was with the wild Beasts upon whom if he had trod it had been no tempting of God because he had promised to send his Angels to guard him from harm in that action But they had no such Commission that he could find to keep him if he cast himself headlong from the pinnacle of the temple For it was no part of his way as it was to be in the Wilderness whither the Spirit carried him Nor was it a thing included in this Promise which signifies only thus much That all Creatures should be obedient unto him and though never so fierce and virulent in their own nature should lose their Power and their Poison in his presence Thus I think the words of Isaiah were in the most literal sense of them made good to the full And it may be observable perhaps that as this Prophecy in my Text immediately follows a Prediction That Christ the branch of the stock of Jesse should be filled with the Spirit ver 2 3. The spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him the spirit of wisdom and understanding the spirit of counsel c. So our Saviour's being with the wild Beasts immediately followed after the descent of the Holy Ghost upon him at his Baptism as the three first Evangelists tell us who write about this matter particularly St. Mark in the place before named saith Immediately the spirit driveth him into the wilderness that is as soon as ever he was Baptized and the Holy Spirit with a Voice from Heaven was come down upon him he was led by the Spirit into desart places and there he was with the wild Beasts Mark 1. 12 13. And then came to pass what Isaiah had foretold That there was no difference between a Lyon and a Lamb a Leopard and a Kid an Asp and a sucking Child but they were all alike subject to our blessed Lord and Saviour There is one Objection that may be made against what I have said which seems to lye against the very intention of our Saviour Which was not may some fansy to make Peace in the World but he himself saith I came not to send peace but a sword I am come to set a man at variance against his father and the daughter against her mother c. Mat. 10. 34 35 36. Or as St. Luke's words are Luk. 12. 51. Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth I tell you Nay but rather division This I thought good to mention though such Passages I hope are now so well understood that a short Answer will serve to it For First It is evident from plainer places That our Lord did come to send Peace and he was