which the Apostle comprehendeth vnder the name of sword Hee calleth it the sword of the spirit because it is spirituall and from the mouth of God because our enemy is a spirit our fight must also bee spirituall Hee willeth vs to bee furnished with the word of God and testimonies of holy Scripture whereby wee may expell and driue backe our enemy from vs. And how wee should vse this sword Christ by his owne example teacheth Matthew chap. 4. in his encountring with the Diuell When he tempteth vs to pride drawe we against him this sword God resisteth the proud 1. Pet. 5. When he tempteth to couetousnesse strike him with this sword The couetous man is an idolater and hath no inheritanc in the kingdome of Christ and of God Ephes 5. 5. If hee tempt to adultery lay at him with this sword No fornicator nor adulterer shall inherite the kingdome of God 1. Cor. 6. 10. Likewise when he tempteth to herisiâ—s as Christ is not the true God let vs boldly dash him on the face with this sword saying This same is very God and eternall life 1. Ioh. 5. 19. and his bloud clenseth vs from all sinne 1. Ioh. 1. 7. If hee saith wee are not iustified by faith only let vs draw this sword against him saying VVhosoeuer beleeueth in him shall not perish but haue euerlasting life Ioh. 3. 16. Againe a man is iustified by faith without the workes of the law Rom. 3 28. Againe if he tempt saying that by reason of the personall vnion Christ in his body is vbique euery where obiect against him the words of the Angell He is not here he is risen Math. 28. 6. Againe the very words in the Article of our faith He ascended into heauen from thence he shal come againe c. If he say the body of Christ is in the bread really reply that Christ said not my body is in the bread but this that is the bread is my body And so let vs vse this sword of the spirit in all other temptations Lastly he concludeth with prayer which is the seuenth part of this spirituall armour vers 18. And pray alwaies This is a continuall and feruent supplication to Almighty God that he will bee present and assist vs and all the Saints in this fight against Sathan With this kinde of armour let vs defend our selues against this enemy and strike him and driue him from vs. I his is a most excellent and effectuall kinde of weapon which the Apostle therefore placeth last because except God and our Emperour Iesus Christ by our praiers be present to protect vs all the rest of our armour little preuaileth After therefore that the Christian Souldier bee on euery side armed the Apostle willeth that turning to his Emperour and acknowledging his weaknes he deuoutly craueth succour and aid and not once or twice but continually for we stand in continuall neede of his defence And this wee should doe not coldly faintly and with the lippes onely as did the Iewish people of whom the Prophet in the person of God complaineth Esay chap. 29. This people honoureth mee with their lippes but their heart is farre from me but with a feruent spirit not carelesly and negligently as if wee stood in no feare of the enemy but watching with an earnest affection in this duty of prayer And that not onely for our selues but for the whole Church that is for the whole army of Gods Saints and Souldiers of Christs band in the Church militant To conclude there are none therefore vanquished of the enemy but such as forsake this their impregnable armoure and depart from their inuincible Captaine Iesus Christ The victory shall bee ours through him who hath vanquished Sathan and shall breake his head treade him vnder foot and make vs reigne and triumph wlth him for euer Lastly I heere obserue that the Church militant in this world is not a congregation absolutely pure without spot or blemish contagion of sinne scandals vices and imperfections as the tares sowne among the wheate and growing together plainly euinceth against the Donatists Anabaptists and such like For alwaie in the visible Church in this life the good and the bad the godly and the wicked the elect and the reprobate are mingled together The Church saith Augustine est velut lilium inter spinas bonis malis permista as a lilly among thornes mixed with good and euill as it may appeare by the example of the Church of the Corinthians 1. Cor. 1. and chap. 5. and other places which may bee proued by this argument taken from the scope of this parable thus As it is with the tares and the wheat so it is with the visible Church but thus it standeth with the tares and the wheat they both grow together vntill the time of haruest Therefore in the visible Church the good and the euil are mixed together vntil the time of haruest or of the end of the world The antecedent is proued out of this parable the consecution is illustrated by this rule in logike similium similis est ratio of like things is the like reason The vse which the godly should make hereof S. Cyprian teacheth that because tares seeme to bee in the Church this should not hinder our faith and charity that because wee see tares in the Church wee our selues should depart out of the Church but we should rather indeuour vt frumentum esse possimus that wee may bee the good come that when the corne shall begin to bee laid vp in the Lords barnes wee may receiue the fruits of our workes For in a great house are not onely vessels of gold and of siluer but also of wood and of brasse some to honour and some to dishonour 2. Tim. 2. The third part Then came the seruants of the housholder and said vnto him Maister sowedst not thou good seed From whence then hath it tares vers 27. Here is thirdly contained the question of the seruants concerning the rooting vp of the tares ioyned with an admiration Sowedst not thou good seed The Protasis or proposition is euen as the housholder would not that the seruants should pluck vp the tares but that they should grow together till the time of haruest Apodosis So wicked men and heretikes shal euer be in thevisible Church vntill the end of the world when they shall be separated and vtterly rooted out This Housholder is God the seruants according to Augustine are such Christians as are carryed with a more feruent zeale to haue the church purged Their speech with the answer of the Housholder is figured by an vnperfect Prosopopoeia verse 28. 29. 30. In that the seruants wondred at the increase of the tares we are taught the iust cause of admiration is giuen to the godly if they duly consider how so many tares of vices should spring vp in the Lords field from whence are so
with the coelestial influence of his graces and blessings that wee may bring forth the fruits of faith piety and all other christian vertues and fruits worthy of repentance Luk. 3. 8. And this he worketh by the means and faithfull diligence of his ministers preachers of his word for they are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 some way or other labourers with God in this husbandry Ye are saith the Apostle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Gods husbandry wee are Dei cooperarij we together are Gods labourers Their office the Apostle setteth downe Improue rebuke exhort And all this by the grace of God which worketh in vs both the will and the deed who hath ordeined vs that we shold bring forth fruit 2. Wee haue here a strong motiue of thankfulnes to our louing God for this his fatherly care of his Church which gratitude the Lord expecteth at our hands which wee must manifest in bringing forth good fruit We should resemble the good ground saith Seneca quae vno accepto dat centū which rendreth an hundred for one it receiueth God soweth his seed plentifully requireth of vs a plentifull haruest For euen as wee seeke fruit of the ground whereon we bestow our seed curse hat ground which yeeldeth no recōence so God requires but the fruit of obedience piety and holy conuersation which if we yeeld not we are subiect to the curse Heb. 6. 7. For the earth which drinketh in the raine that cometh oft vpon it and bringeth forth hearbes meete for them by whom it is dressed receiueth a blessing of God but that which beareth thornes and bryars is reproued and neere vnto cursing whose end is to be burned And I would to God that cursed fruit were not found amongst vs mentioned Deut. 32. vers 32. Their vine is the vine of Sodome and of the vines of Gomorah their grapes are grapes of gall their clusters bee bitter Adest dominus qui fructum expectat facundos viuificat steriles damnat Amb super Luk. 3. The Lord is present which respecteth fruit the fruitfull he quickeneth the barren he condemneth Surely there is no sinne that more displeaseth God then ingratitude for benefites The first sinne wherewith the Prophet Esay by Gods commanddement vpbraided the people of the Iewes was vnthankfulnesse for so many benefites receiued For thus he beginneth his prophesie Heare O heauens and hearken O earth For the Lord hath said I haue nourished and brought vp children but they haue rebelled against me The Oxe knoweth his owner and the Asse his maisters cribbe but Israel hath not knowne my people haue not vnderstood Esay 1. verse 2. 3. As the memory of no vertue is more firme then of a benefite receiued so scarce is there any vice worse then ingratitude Among the Romanes if a bondslaue were set free and afterwards found to bee iustly taxed of ingratitude it was lawfull for this fault to reuoke his libertie againe and to retaine him in his former seruitude Wee wonder at monsters as repugnant to nature as are the Centaurs Satyres a man with foure heades and such like but wee wonder not at Dogges Wolues Foxes Hares Cats c. because their forme and proportion is agreeable to nature So we maruel not at other vices which proceed of our frailty and are incident to our naturall corruption though we loath them as gluttony drunkennesse lust wrath enuy c. and such other damnable vices but ingratitude as an odious monster an vnnaturall vice a prodigious exorbitant all good men detest and wonder at For as it is a thing naturall amantem redamare to repay loue for loue because loue is onely requited with reciprocall loue So it is a monstrous thing not to loue againe and shew our selues vnthankful to our louing God who is such an infinite benefactor to mankinde The very Ethnikes and Paganes shall rise in iudgement against Christistians and condemne them for their ingratitude towards God When the Tarentines were besieged of the Romanes and were in danger through famine to yeeld themselues and their Cittie into the hands of their enemies the Rhegians ordeining a feast euery tenth day sent reliefe vnto the Tarentines for which benefite when they were deliuered from the Romanes and in memory of their former misery they instituted an yearely feast which they called Ieiunum saith Aelianus variae hist lib. 5. Prophane histories are full of such like examples And is it not a shame that Ethnikes and men without God in the world should condemne Christians of ingratitude and that the sparkles and darke glimse of reason and honesty should worke more with them then the light of faith and bright beames of piety can preuaile with vs Whoso is thankfull for small benefites receiued deserueth to receiue greater of his friend and God hateth ingratitude not so much for his owne as for our sakes because t doth as it were close vp Gods hands of liberality and turneth his face from vs. For the hope of the vnthankfull shall melt as the winter yee and flowe away as vnprofitable waters saith the wise man VVisdome 16. 29. Qui grate beneficium accipit primam eius pensionem soluit Hee that thankfully receiueth a benefite hath made the first requital saith Seneca Nothing did more winne the loue of Augustus Caesar to Furnius and made him facile and willing to grant other thinges vnto him then that when hee had obtained pardon for his Father who tooke part with Anthonie hee said Haec vna O Ceasar abs te mihi facta est iniuria effecti vt viuerem morerer ingratus This onely iniury O Caesar thou hast done mee in that thou makest mee liue and dye as an vnthannkefull man Signifying that so great was this benefite that hee was insufficient euer to requite it Eraesmus Apophth lib. 7. Take wee heede therefore brethren of this barbarous sin of ingratitude towards God Thirdly all Pastours are here taught by this example of Christ who spake vnto the people by easie and familiar parables and similitudes studiously and wisely to frame their Sermons according to the capacity of the people and not to affect a a strange stile and phrase of speech or to vse verbis sesquipedalibus as Eusebius Libr 4. Cap. 11. writeth of the Marcionites high and loftie words For nihil frigidius doctore qui verbis duntaxat philosophatur Neque enim hoc doctoris sed hystrionis est saith Chrysostome Homil. 1. Act. 1. Nothing is more cold and foolish then that Teacher which disputeth onely in words neither is it the part of a Teacher but rather of a player And verbis ludere apud imperitū vulgus admirationē sui facere indoctorū hominū est Hier. in Epist ad Neop By playing and dallying in words to bring the vnlearned people in admiration of him is the property of ignorant and vnskilfull men Far otherwise did the Apostle Paul which came
not in excellency of words nor in enticing speech of mans wisedome but in plaine euidence of the spirit and of power 1. Cor. 2. 1. 3. Praedicator enim saith Bern. plus intendere debet ad imbuenda corda quam ad exprimenda verba For a preacher should seeke rather to instruct the heart then to expresse eloquent words which is but to feede the eare Out of this whole parable in generall in that our Sauiour shadowed out the kingdome of heauen by many parables it was 1. that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Prophet Psal 78. 2. I will open my mouth in a parable which the Euangelist also alleageth to the same purpose in this chapter ver 3◠2. That as Greg. saith ex his quae animus nouit surgat ad incognita quae nō nouit That the minde by the things it knoweth might mount vp to those things which it knoweth not These parables therefore are not carelesly to be passed ouer but zealously and religiously to be pondered that wee may obserue the doctrine thereof to our comfort institution and instruction The second part setteth downe the malice and industry of Sathan in corrupting the good seed with the darnel and tares of vices And this is the Diuels seed which he soweth in the furrowes of iniquity The protasis or proposition is euen as a man sowing good seed in his field his enemy whiles hee slept sowed tares among the wheate Apodosis Euen so Christ the sonne of man soweth his word the good seed in his Church but men being secure carelesse and negligent the Diuell came and sowed heresies deprauation of good doctrine scandals and all kind of vices that hee might corrupt the same By the tares are signified the children of the wicked vers 38. that is all hypocrites and the whole rabble of wicked men which are the children 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 illius mali of that wicked that is of the diuell which 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Synecdochicā is called wicked a causa efficiente procreante because he is the principall cause of all euill both to himselfe and to otherrs The wicked are called the children of the diuell not from the efficient procreant cause as if the diuell had created them neither from the formal cause as thogh their very essence were destroied changed into euil but first ab adiunctis because in their malice and wickednesse they resemble and are compared to the Diuell Secondly ab effectis because in their liues and conuersation they imitate the Diuell First wee heere learne that Sathan is the infatigable enemy of mankinde and that this is his perpetuall practise by all meanes to worke our destruction And that he may the better effect this hee laboureth chiefly to supresse the first beginnings of godlilines to corrupt the very seed and to choke vp the corne in the blade that it neuer may growe to maturity and ripenesse Semper primordia pulsat captat rudimenta virtutum sancta in ipso ortu festinat extinguere sciens quod ea fundata subuertere non possit saith Chrysostome His pollicy is euer to bee striking at the beginnings of goodnesse hee catcheth at the first rudiments and principles of vertues holy desires at their first budding and springing hee hasteneth to extinguish knowing that if they take deep roote he shall not be able to subuert them And therefore hee walketh about like a roaring Lyon 1. Peter chapter 5. verse 8. Yea among the Sonnes of God Iob. chapter 1. vers 6. hauing great wrath knowing that he hath but a short time the neerer the end of the world approacheth the more fiercely he rageth as it appeareth by the ouerflowing seas of all iniquity vpon the whole face of the earth in these later times And euen at the beginning as soone as God had sowne original righteousnesse he cast in the seed of originall sinne wherewith hee infected the recent purity and choaked with his tares the seed of God which was the seminary of all euill And this he effecteth not onely by inward suggestions but also by outward enticements of wicked men and that not by their filthy and corrupt communication onely but also by the pestilent seed of euill examples he laboureth to infect the minds of men and to catch them in his net yea in those that heare the word of God hee hindereth the fruit thereof three maner of waies Either through wandring and idle cogitations whereby he taketh away the attention of their mindes from the word or through the tumults of persecutions or at least through couetousnesse and the cares of this life and which is worst of all hee permitteth not the seede that fell in the good ground if by any means he may to be long vncorrupted and to this end he hath many false Apostles which wrest and peruert the sacred Scripture and in stead of the naturall milke it giueth wring out the bloud of subtile violent interpretation and cause it to walke a mile or two further for their fancy then euer the holy Ghost meant it as it is vsuall this day with the Papists for the supporting of the kingdome of Antichrist He doth also captare occasionem take his opportunity and therfore it is said while men slept a metaphor taken from the bodily sleep in which all the senses are consopited secure and at rest This sleepe is not a corporall but a spirituall sleepe of the soule which is shadowed out by the bodily sleepe which Aristotle and out of him Galen thus defineth Somnus est quies virtututum animalium per antiperist asin ob fumos in caput ascendentes vnde frigiaitate cerebri repercutiuntur hinc redeuntes ad cor obstruunt sensuum organa that is Sleepe is the rest of the animall powers through an Antiperistasis or repulsion on euery part whereby heate or cold is made more strong in it selfe by the restraining of the contrary by reason of the fumes or vapours ascending into the head from whence returning backe to the heart they stoppe the organs of the senses This then is the spirtuall veternum and lethargy when men are altogether carelesse negligent and secure of their soules and as if their senses were asleepe or dead they haue no feeling of any godly motions in their heart But for your better edification let vs first see what sleepe is in this place Secondly how great a sinne and detriment this is vnto vs. First men slept hauing reeeiued the good seede in the fieldes of their heart when in vaine they receiue the grace of God Therefore the Apostle rowseth vp the Corinthians that they sleepe not As workers together we beseech you that yee receiue not the grace of God in vaine 1. Cor. chap. 6. vers 1. A thing is receiued in vaine when it is not applyed to that end for which it was ordained In vaine doest thou buy a garment if thou neuer puttest it