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
the Text wee sound another merit and that is meritum dignationis the interest therein vouchsafed vs. Were there none but meritum dignitatis there were ground enough of our loue but this meritum dignationis the interest that we haue doth quicken vs to take notice of the worth that is in the thing Euery man naturally loueth that which is his owne and if the thing bee good it doth him the more good to looke vpon it Let a man walke in a faire Meadow it pleaseth him but it will please him much more if it bee his owne his eye will be more curious in prying into euery part and euery thing will please him the better so it is in a Corne field in an Orchard in a House if they bee good the more they are ours the more contentedly doe they affect vs for this word meum is suauissima amor is illecebra it is as good as an amatorie potion Then marke put tuus to Dominus and if so bee the Lord be louely how much more louely should hee bee in our eyes if hee bee our Lord and doth appropriate that infinite good that hee hath vnto vs hee holdeth of none but of himselfe and who would not ioy to bee owner of that good which is independent Hee is whatsoeuer heart can desire and who can but reioyce in hauing him in hauing of whom wee can want nothing Put tuus to Deus and see how it doth improue the motiue of loue there also Had wee nothing to doe with so tender hearted a Father so sweet natured a Sonne so gracious a Comforter as is the holy Spirit we could not but loue them if we did know them But when wee doe heare that these bowels of the Father doe yearne vpon vs that wee are the Spouse whom the Sonne of God doth wooe and that the holy Ghost vouchsafeth to make his Temple of vs how can wee bee but loue-sicke how can our Hearts choose but melt and our Affections gaspe and bray like the Hart after those Persons which haue in them so strong so manifold persuasions to loue But alas wee that in regard of our carnall loue are easily transported by any seeming good are altogether senslesse when wee are sollicited by our spirituall good so senslesse that God is passionate in his Prophets when hee doth taxe our more then bruitishnesse herein Isay 1. Hearken O heauen heare O earth for the Lord hath spoken I haue nourished and brought vp children and they haue rebelled against mee the oxe knoweth his owner and the asse his masters crib but Israel doth not know my people doth not consider Ier. 3. Can a mayd forget her ornaments or a bride her attire yet hath my people forgotten me dayes without number Wee doe loue our corporall benefactors at least while they are doing vs good but our spirituall benefactor wee forget euen while hee is doing vs good for when is hee not doing it wee cannot looke vpon our soules our bodies our state but wee see the perpetuall influence of his goodnesse and yet Tuus worketh little here and though God vouchsafe vs a great interest yet are wee little moued therewith Wee can loue a man in whom there are so many defects to allay the regard of his goodnesse and from whom we may receiue as much wrong as fauour how much more should we loue God in whom there is no defect and from whom thou canst receiue nothing but good I haue shewed you the reason of loue which is included in the name it followeth that I now come on to the dutie that is required and that is Loue. Wherein we are first to obserue that God speaketh not vnto vs as vnto seruants but as vnto friends hee would not haue vs in his seruice expresse a spirit of seruitude in feare but of adoption in loue hee would not bee feared as a Lord but loued as a Father O derint dum metuant is a Tyrants voyce God will haue all his seruants ingenuous hee will haue our seruice as naturall as is our allegiance Wherein the King of Heauen giueth a good patterne to all Kings and Gouernours in earth Though God hath qualified vs many wayes to doe him seruice yet doth hee in this word diliges Loue shew what hee doth principally respect and his eyes are vpon nothing so much as our Loue not on our wit our wealth our honour c. yea all other things are valued according to our Loue and without Loue they are nothing worth And why Loue is that which setteth all a worke for he that loueth will keepe Gods commandements hee will doe no euill But wee may not forget that seeing this Loue hath for its obiect him that is so farre aboue vs wee must not seuer it from Reuerence which must qualisie the loue which we owe to our Superiors in expressing our affection wee must not forget our distance yea and our feare in regard of our flesh may bee seruile to awe it and keepe it downe though it must bee also filiall in regard of the spirit to keepe it in heart I should now if the time would giue leaue shew you how those things that are required in loue must be applyed vnto this obiect The first propertie of Loue is Vnion and we should endeauor to become one with the Lord to bee transformed into him and as neere as a Creature can partake of his Creator partake of the diuine nature Wee should desire Vnion also with God with God the Father by Adoption with God the Sonne by a spirituall Wedlocke with God the holy Ghost by entertaining him as his Temple wee should so grow one with all three persons From this Vnion our Loue should come on to a Communion Communion in that infinite good which you heard is in the Lord for though Vnion bee a great aduancement of our Nature yet doth our comfort stand in the Communion neither did God euer intend the Vnion but for the Communion As wee must haue Communion with the Lord so with God also as Children wee must communicate in the inheritance of our Father as a Spouse in the honour and state of a Bride-groome as the Temple in the ornaments and endowments thereof Yea in this Communion there must appeare Beneuolentia Benesicentia there must appeare an intercourse of good will and good deeds betweene the Lord God and vs otherwise wee doe not loue as wee should This is not all the seate of Loue must be exercised also the Heart for the loue of God must bee free God doth not respect forced Loue. The Minde God will bee knowne before hee is loued and hee will haue them that loue him to meditate vpon him hee will not regard an vndiscreete Loue. Thy Soule must bee exercised if thou dost not long after him earnestly and take sweet content in him thou dost not loue Finally thy Courage must bee employed thou must bee as resolute to compasse this spirituall Vnion and Communion as carnall wooers are
promise Let vs come then to it The first Obseruation that I made vpon the reference of If and Then was this We may not exspect what God doth offer except we performe what God requires In conceiuing the mysterie of our Redemption we must obserue a double method of God the one according to which he resolu'd on it the other according to which he was pleased to communicate it If you looke vnto the first method that was first in Gods intention which was last in his execution he resolued first vpon the End to manifest his Mercie and Iustice in sauing a certaine number out of the Masse of perdition and leauing others to perish therein through their owne default and he made choice of and proportioned such meanes as in his wisedome might seeme fitest to compasse this End If we denie this we make Gods prouidence more indiscreete then is vsually that of well aduised men for in all their deliberations they begin at the end and according to the rule of wisedome Finis praescribit speciem mensuram mediorum they dispose all things answerable thereunto But as when men haue done their deliberations and giue order for their worke they prescribe first the meanes in their order and by those meanes will haue such as they imploy to compasse those Ends euen so doth God setting men in time on the way to their saluation wherevpon he was eternally resolued lead them first to the meanes without which it is not his pleasure they should euer come vnto their happie End These two methods must not be confounded the method of publishing the Gospell with the method of Gods making the first Decree thereof The Decree of sauing men did not runne the same way with the Decree of bringing men to saluation I would not obserue this darke point vnto you but that our English Anabaptists are become plaine Arminians as their Pamphlets shew which they scatter abroad to corrupt the people The ground of the errour of both as the learned may perceiue in ripping vp their discourses is the confounding of these different Decrees and Methods when they studie the mysterie of our saluation But let vs come to plaine matter God from the beginning though he were Lord of all and might at his pleasure giue Law to any yet hath he proceeded with his reasonable creatures by way of Couenant now a Couenant consisteth of mutuall stipulation or promise Gods to Vs and ours to God so runneth the Law Hoc fac viues to doe Gods will was to be our promise and Gods promise was to giue vs life so runneth the the Gospell Crede saluus eris we must yeeld Faith vnto God and God will bestow saluation vpon vs It is the first thing children learne in their Catechisme as they are taught that by Baptisme they are made children of God members of Christ and heires of the Kingdome of heauen so likewise are they taught that by their suerties they haue vowed to renounce the diuell and all his workes the pompe and vanities of this wicked world to beleeue the Articles of the Creed and keepe Gods holy Commandements There is then a mutuall conditioning betweene God and man man with God so Iacob Genes 28. which is generally to be obserued in all votiue Prayers God with man here and elswhere Deut. 28. And yet we may not mistake for there is great odds betweene these Conditionings for when God conditioneth with man hee asketh nothing but what was due to him before all the obedience wee can performe is due by our natiue allegeance the allegeance which a Creature oweth to his Creatour but we in our conditioning with God may not desire ought of God which he hath not first promised for no Creature may carue to himselfe hee must be contented with that which God will vouchsafe him and whatsoeuer he offers vnto vs is such as whereunto we haue otherwise no right Adde hereunto that we may bee sure of God that what he offers he will performe for with God there is no variablenesse nor shadow of change Scio cui crediderim Iam. 1. But he cannot bee so sure of vs Omnis homo mendax we neuer abide stedfast in our Couenant But Gods conditioning with vs I must open vnto you a little more fully Know then that though what God requires wee must performe yet performe it out of our owne strength we cannot originall sinne hath dâ—â—inabled vs and by adding actuall vnto it wee are made lesse able though in regard of their natural gifts there is inequalitie betweene men yet a bono caelesti omnes aequè auersi nisi discriminet gratia God requires that we should heare his voice 1 Cor. 2.14 beleeue in him but a naturall man cannot perceiue the things of God yea hee will winke with his eyes and stop his eares least â—ee should see and heare returne and bee saued God requires that we keepe his Couenant 〈◊〉 8. but the wisedome of the flesh is enmitie against God it is not it cannot be subiect to his Law Yea so impotently are we giuen to spirituall fornication that though God graciously wooe Vs yet gracelesly we reiect him Thereis no remedie then but the condition which God requires on our part must remaine vnperformed except he giue vs grace wherewith to performe it he must giue vs supernaturall power to performe this supernaturall worke 1. Cor 47 Quis te discernit Quid habes quod non accepisti He biddeth vs heare his voice beleeue in him whereas faith is his gift he must purifie our hearts by faith He biddeth vs keepe his Couenant and loue him but Charitie is a fruit of the Spirit Acts 1â— and this fire must be kindled from heauen God must circumcise our hearts and make vs keepe his lawes Dat non tantum nouas reuelationes sâ—d bonas voluntates for no man can come to the Sonne except the Father draw him Ex nolente faciens volentem as saith Saint Austin But if God giue that which we must giue to God how is the worke ours Surely thus though God giue the abilitie yet hee will haue vs make vse of it vse the eye of faith which he doth illighten and so obey his voice vse the Charitie wherewith he doth seasen our hearts and set our affections vpon him let it be our chiefest care to hold fast vnto him if we doe so we shall be reputed performers of the condition for grace doth not take away the libertie of our will though it giues new qualities working vpon it not onely Physically but morally also Yet here againe remember that we need a second grace that we may make vse of the first for our vnderstanding though enlightned may bee circumuented with Sophistrie and our will may bee transported with vanitie euen after God hath sanctified it though otherwise the Will doth tend naturally to good when it is sanctified as the vnderstanding to truth It is cleare in Adam and Eues case
which can neuer proue good either to the conquerour or the conquered Well then seeing Teaching is Gods method of conuerting you see whereof you must take care the Word of God must dwell richly in you especially you must arme your selues with the sword of the Spirit Colos 4. Ephes 6. 2. Tim. 4. Tit. 2. which is the Word of God that you may bee able to instruct the ignorant and refute those that are contrary minded And this care doth St. Paul commend earnestly to Timothie and Titus And you know that it was a very bitter reproofe which Christ vsed vnto Nicodemus Art thou a Master in Israel and knowest not these things Ier. 3. If you will be Pastors according to Gods owne hrart you must feede his people with knowledge and vnderstanding And let this suffice concerning the manner of bringing men to Christ In the next place wee are to see what must be done to them that entertained the Gospell First they must consecrate them vnto God Baptizate Baptize them This is not the first Institution of Baptisme for not onely Iohn the Baptist but the Apostles also baptized as it is in St. Iohn chap. 4. And howsoeuer there is a question Whether the Baptisme of Iohn the Baptist and of Christs Apostles be the same for Christ baptized none in his person and of the same efficacy yet there is no question but that the Baptisme is the same and of the same efficacy which the Apostles administred both before and after Christs Passion So that Christ in this place extended the Baptisme vnto the Gentiles but doth not of new institute it To baptise is properly to dip into the water in that fashion were they wont to baptise except in case of infirmitie wherein the Church allowed springling in stead of dipping But nicitie hath almost worne out the old forme at least in many places And yet the old forme doth most liuely represent that which St. Paul maketh the life of Baptisme that is our conformitie to Christ Know you not saith he Rom. 6. that so many of vs as were baptised into Iesus Christ were baptised into his death therefore we are buryed with him by Baptisme into death that like as Christ was raised vp from the dead to the glorie of the Father so wee should walke in newnesse of life And indeed to baptize is not only to dippe into the water The word dibaphum which signifieth Scarlet as it were twice dipt and dyed retaine◠the steps of that signification which is immergere but it is tingere also to dip as it were into a dye-fatte so that a person dipped in commeth out of another hue than hee went into the water though not physically yet morally Go to saith Gregorie Nyssen thou that art baptized thou art become another man it doth not appeare in the lineaments of thy body it must appeare in the lineaments of thy manners thou must be dead vnto the sinne whereunto thou diddest liue and liue vnto God vnto whom thou wert dead thou must haue put off the Old and put on the new Man Mortification and Viuification Remission of sinnes Adoption to be Gods sonnes Iustification and Sanctification are the Blessings that wee reape by being put into that Bath of Regeneration Which is also the very gate of saluation and maketh vs capable of all other sacred Rites of the Church which they call Sacramenta or Sacramentalia Sacraments or things that haue cognation therewith And indeed it is called Sacramentum initiationis the Sacrament of initiation or our Admission into the Church All Religions haue some ceremonious Forme whereby they admit Professors into their societie Austin cont Crescon Gramaticum l. 3. c. 25. the Iewes had Circumcision the Gentiles had seuerall kindes of Purifyings though herein the Gentiles were but the Apes of the Iewes the same God that annext Circumcision to the old Testament was pleased that Baptisme should bee annext to the new and by that toadmit all the world into one body of the Catholicke Church But let vs come to the Forme They were to baptize in the name of the Father Sonne and the holy Ghost And here we meet with the first and greatest fundamentall Principle in Religion which is Vnitie in Trinitie and Trinitie in Vnitie In Nomine in the Name noteth the Vnitie of the Godhead against Arius for were there more Gods than one the holy Ghost would say in Nominibus and not in Nomine Secondly in the phrase in Nomine Note that where no one Name is specified all the Names of God are comprehended for all note but one and the selfe same nature the riches whereof we cannot comprehend but vnder diuers names which helpe our weake vnderstanding but doe not diuide it The mention of the Father Sonne and the Holy Ghost refutes Sabellius and shewes that though the Nature of God is but One yet in that One there are three Persons whereof no one is the other neyther is one euer called by the name of the other when they are considered in relation one to the other but in relation to vs they communicate in the Name Father and Spirit is their common attribute because God is a Spirit Saint Basil hath a short but a good note 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 We must obserue the Forme of Baptisme which is deliuered in the Gospel and we must beleeue in them into whom we were baptised and we must glorifie as many as we beleeue in the Father the Sonne and the holy Ghost And indeed without the true knowledge and acknowledgement of the Trinitie we cannot reape the comfortable fruite of our Baptisme for wee owe it vnto all three persons though to none but to them three St. Ierome saith right Vna diuinitas vna largitio the Deitie in all three is One and therefore all three bestow the same gift vpon vs we haue the same Author of our Regeneration as we had of our Creation all three persons concurred to worke it and all three to put vs in possession of it Which that wee may the better perceiue Lib. 6. cent Donatist learne of St. Austine that this Forme of Baptisme doth containe the whole Creede for the Creede is is diuided into three parts euery part doth expresse one of the three persons and the benefit which the Church reapeth from that person for so in the Catechisme we teach children to summe vp the Creede when we aske them what they learne therein they answer vs they learne three things first to beleeue in God the Father that made them and all the world secondly to beleeue in God the Sonne that redeemed them and all mankind thirdly to beleeue in God the holy Ghost that sanctifieth them and all the Elect of God Marke then St. Austins conclusion Symbolum igitur profitetur quis eo ipso quod baptizatur the receiuing of Baptisme is a Profession of the Christian Faith And this is a principall reason why the Sacrament of Baptisme was as St.
aduersitie therefore as wee must praise God for the one so must wee pray against the other at the same time wee must doe both But who are they that must doe it the text hath no more but Wee but if you looke vnto the beginning of the Psalme you shall find a Commentarie vpon that word you shall find that this must be done vniuersally Israel must doe it The House of Aaron must doe it all must doe it that feare the Lord if all be the better for the Day the dutie of solemnizing the Day belongeth vnto all to the Ecclesiasticall to the Ciuill State both must acknowledge what they receiue both must acknowledge the Day whereon they did receiue it The Day wherein the blessed Sunne did arise vnto vs all the fruits of whose Raigne are this great calme from stormes of warre and plentifull publication of Gods sauing truth wee must all acknowledge both these blessings As we must all acknowledge them so must we all take full comfort in them we must not defraud the Day of our ioy seeing the day brings comfort vnto vs it brings comfort to our bodie and comfort to our soules therefore our bodies and soules must reioyce in it In it but not forgetting him that made it that is God As for the Day wee are most beholding to him so in him must we ioy most But our comfort must not make vs forget our danger danger from without danger from within danger from our owne vntowardlinesse danger from the maliciousnesse of our enemies this double danger must make vs seeke to him that made our Day that he would make it a perpetuall Day that hee would hinder whatsoeuer impediment we may iustly feare from our enemies and not suffer vs to be an impediment of our owne blisse I shut vp all with the very words of my text Our times are such as that we haue good cause to vse the first words This is the Day which the Lord hath made and if we must say this this must draw from vs that which followeth the religious solemnizing of the day we must exhort each the other and be perswaded by our mutuall exhortation to vow the expressing of our comfort Wee will reioyce and bee glad in it and deprecate whatsoeuer imminent danger with Saue Now wee beseech thee O Lord O Lord we beseech thee send vs now Prosperitie AMEN A SERMON PREACHED AT SAINT MARIES IN OXFORD ON THE fift of Nouember 1614. LVKE 9. VERS 53 54 55 56. 53. But they would not receiue him because his face was as though he would goe to Ierusalem 54. And when his Disciples Iames and Iohn saw it they said Lord wilt thou that wee command that fire come downe from Heauen and consume them euen as Elias did 55. But Iesus turned about and rebuked them and said yee know not of what spirit you are 56. For the Sonne of man is not come to destroy mens liues but to saue them Then they went to another Towne FAthers and Brethren Reuerend and Beloued in the Lord We solemnize this Day in a religious acknowledgement of the King and his Kingdomes our Church and Common-weales vnspeakable deliuerance from an vnmatchable Treason In furtherance of this common Pietie to refresh our memorie and quicken our deuotion I haue chosen this storie which containes an vnpartiall censure of an inordinate Zeale inordinate Zeale in two Apostles who are therefore vnpartially censured by our Sauiour Christ And this storie haue I the rather chosen at this time to speake of in this place because here is the hope of Church and Common Weale the Seed aswell of the Gentrie as of the Clergie And it is for such that the Factors of Rome doe trade to make Aduocates of the one and of the other Actours of their holy Fathers most barbarous Designes Wherefore it is very behoofull that they aboue others bee not only inured to detest but informed also vpon what ground they should detest such sauage such hellish counsels and attempts Now better informed they cannot bee then if they be furnished with sound rules of a good conscience which they may oppose to all deceitfull Romish ones wherewith the vnlearned are insnared and they peruerted that are vnstable The Romanists boast of their manifold studies of Diuinitie and indeed they haue manifold I would they were as good as they are many But their Cases of Conscience are that vpon which they principally relie and wherewith their Kingdome is most supported And no maruell for they are euen for the Lay-mans studie and their Power of the Keyes is chiefly managed by these Cases It is most true that all parts of their Diuinitie are full fraught with sophistrie but when we come to this part ouer and aboue what impietie what iniquitie what impuritie doe we find Others occasionally may vnder take other points I wish they would prouided alwayes that they doe it soundly discreetly considering what a precious what a tender thing a good Conscience is It is not euery mans skill aright to handle it But I haue now to doe with a point of Iniquitie with an vnlawfull reuenge of persons afflicted for Religion We haue here a Reuenge proposed by such afflicted persons and we haue Christs doome passed therevpon that such reuenge is vnlawfull See it in the Text. First the Affliction The Samaritans would not receiue Christ And this Affliction was for Religion Christ was not receiued because his face was as if he would goe to Ierusalem It was great inhumanitie not to entertaine a stranger but the reason improues it as high as Impietie if we therefore fare the worse at the hands of men because wee are well disposed to serue God Being so farre vrged Zeale cannot hold surely Iames and Iohn could not as was their name so were they Sonnes of Thunder were they called and the Exhalations they breath are very hot And yet marke though they are bold to propose yet are they not so bold as to resolue They propose their Desire their Reason Their desire is Fire a cruell weapon and they would not haue it spare a iot it must consume their enemies make a finall and a fearefull spectacle of these vngodly Samaritans A sharpe desire And yet they sticke not at it and why it is not singular they haue though not a Rule yet an Example for it Elias did so that is the reason He dealt so with the old Samaritans when they wronged him and shall these new Samaritans escape better that thus wrong Christ This they propose But they doe not resolue as if they were conscious to themselues that they may erre they submit their desire to God and to Christ They desire Fire consuming Fire but it is from Heauen they would haue no other then God would send Nay they would not haue that except Christ be pleased Master wilt thou if thou say Nay we haue done Behold Nature and Grace and how Grace doth stop the furie of Nature Grace doth somewhat but the Fountaine
dung whose labour is only to make themselues euerlasting fuell for hell God regardeth them accordingly and they receiue as little of this ioy of saluation as they would seeme to want it But if wee meane to receiue wee must first feele that we doe want and our want must be declared as King Dauids was in this supplication restore For God then begins to take pittie when men are brought to the knowledge of their wants yea he giueth men a sense of their want before he vouchsafeth a supply thereof But redde doth not only imply a sense of want but a remembrance also of that which sometimes we had It is a good thing for a man to bee feeling of his want but there is no small accesse made vnto that gracious sense if we apprehend withall that our want proceeds from our owne vnthristinesse that what wee want wee had and that it is through our owne fault that we are brought vnto this want And indeed if euer wee be in want we want through our owne default for God made vs perfect and we became not naked but by eating the forbidden fruit and since that time men haue beene more or lesse vnthriftie and haue mispent the portion which God hath giuen them Therefore wee must not come to God with the simple Verbe da that imports only that we are in want we must vse the compound redde we must confesse our selues Prodigals that is the right voice of a Christian Penitent But whereto shall we apply this restore To the saluation Or to the ioy Distinguish Quod fieri debet quod fit our deseruing and Gods dealing and the answere is plaine no doubt wee forfeit our saluation God might strip vs of it if hee did reward vs according to our sinnes Gods Couenant is like a lease that hath a clause of re-entrie but leaueth a power in the Land-lord to vse extremitie or deale mercifully with his Tenant God is vnto his children as a kind Land-lord vnto bad Tenants he doth not take forfeits as often as we make them hee doth not re-enter vpon our Tenement nor strip vs of our saluation we are often damnable yet we are not damned Notwithstanding hee doth not suffer vs to scape scot-free when he doth not take the forfeiture hee taketh à nomine poenae he doth inflict some penaltie yea and that a sharpe one too for he taketh euen from his dearest children the ioy of their saluation hee casteth them into sad moodes hee afflicteth them with heauie hearts when they looke vpwards they see cloudes cast ouer Gods countenance and cannot but sorrow for it when they looke downe they see Hels mouth gaping for them they cannot but tremble at it such agonies ouertake them and make them smart for their sinnes wherewith they offend God agonies I say of sorrow and feare Take a similitude from the Sunne which may make a day or a Sunshine day while it is aboue our Horizon it is often day when the Sunne doth not shine but thicke clouds breathed from the earth make a sad skie as if it were night yet cannot we say the Sunne is gone downe euen so many times are we in the state of saluation the Sunne is with vs wee are children of the day yet haue wee no ioy of our saluation our Sunne doth not shine wee haue no cleere day But from King Dauid you may learne that to bee sure of saluation will not content a religious heart except hee may haue the ioy thereof also I conclude this point let vs take heed that pleasure strip vs not of pleasure worldly of heauenly let vs not grieue God lest he grieue vs grieue him with sinne lest he grieue vs with sorrow for we see in King Dauids example that God inflicts such penalties and if at any time we suffer so for our desert let vs not continue stupidly in this distressing want but importune him with King Dauids Restore Restore mee to the ioy of thy saluation And so much of the first part of the supplication I come now to the second from the Restitution to the Confirmation Stablish me with a free spirit Where first we must see what spirit is here meant There is a spirit in man and there is a spirit of God some vnderstand the one some vnderstand the other I wil ioyne both together For indeed the attribute belongs to both Gods spirit is free and so is mans but Gods by nature mans by grace couple Gods Spirit vnto mans and then you shal find the saying of the Apostle true Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is libertie 2. Cor. 3. Rom. 8. Iohn 8. for it is the Spirit of adoption and if thereby the Sonne of God make vs free then are we free indeed Therefore I told you that here by the Spirit I vnderstand our disposition But this disposition of ours must bee considered as it is by nature so it is seruile as it becomes by grace so it is free I called it a generous disposition and indeed so the word signifieth But to open it a little more fully Iohn 8. ver 34 we learne of Christ that sinne maketh a slaue it appeareth plainly in that which we call free will and the attendants thereon Freewill is resolued into the iudgement wee passe vpon things and the choice wee make according to the iudgement now no man hath a more slauish iudgement then a wicked man for sin blindeth his eyes what he doth not desire he doth not beleeue and you shall seldome see a man possest with any enormous sinne in whom affected ignorance is not euident yea sinne maketh him put that out of all question which if he would vse his owne iudgement hee would find had no credibilitie Had it not beene for this seruilitie of iudgement Pharaoh could neuer so long haue held out against Moses Israel haue murmured so often against God Scribes and Pharisees haue so fearefully blasphemed our Sauiour Christ the Church of Rome so shamefully withstand the truth and Atheists so prophanely scoffe at the reproofe of their sinnes not one of these many leud ones which hath not a seruile iudgement Neither hath seruilitie taken possession only of our iudgement but of our will also wee can make no better choice then our iudgement will giue vs leaue if that be seruile this cannot be free Not free Nay it were well if it were no more seruile then our iudgement but indeed it is much more for how often doe we see what we should doe and yet to please sinne chuse to doe the contrarie Whether we be regenerate or whether we be vnregenerate for the text is vnderstood of both by seuerall Diuines we may say with the Apostle Rom. 7. I see a Law in my members rebelling against the Law of my mind and carrying me captiue vnto sinne we haue vncircumcised hearts and doe resist the Spirit of God Take an example or two the Pharisees could not denie the Resurrection of Christ the
Souldiers brought them direct word of it but see what a peruerse choice they made Matth. 28. rather then they would giue glorie vnto God by acknowledging the truth they bribe the Souldiers to out-face it with a grosse lie This seruilitie of there will is more plainly set downe in the Acts 4. Chap. where after Peter had healed a Creeple in the Name of Iesus they therefore apprehended him and Iohn and fall to this consultation What shall we doe to these men For that indeed a notable miracle hath beene done by them is manifest to all them that dwell at Ierusalem and wee cannot denie it a man would expect that their will should yeeld vnto such cleere euidence yet doth it not for marke how they resolue That it spread no further amongst the people let vs straightly threaten them that they speake henceforth to no man in this name O seruile will Neither are these principall faculties only but their attendants also seruile First the concupiscible or that faculty whereby we ensue what wee suppose good the seruilitie thereof is most palpable God made all these visible creatures to serue vs and vs to serue only himselfe but what creature is there which man doth not aduance aboue himselfe Yea deifie that he may be a drudge vnto it Our meates and drinkes so rauish vs that Esau sold his birth-right for a messe of pottage our money and wealth how base doth it make vs Chap. 1â— There is nothing worse then a couetous man saith the Sonne of Syrach for such a man will sell his Soule for a morsell of bread The Apostle calleth the couetous man a plaine Idolater which is nothing else but a slaue to an Idoll And to whom is not an ambitious man a slaue Whose eyes are obseruant of euery mans lookes whose eares attend euery mans tongue whose tongue pleaseth euery mans humour whose feet goe whether whose hands doe what euery man will that can inch him forward to the place whereunto hee aspires Finally looke whatsoeuer humour possesseth vs there is no slauerie which for the satisfying thereof wee doe not willingly affect yea marke that the baser things are the stronger are mens affections that bow to them as we see in Epicures Wantons Couetous and other wicked ones it is hard to see a man so humbly so earnestly to serue God as they doe serue their earthly lusts Neither is the irascible or the facultie wherewith we encounter difficulties while we pursue good lesse seruile then the concupiscible is in pursuing of vanitie and toyes it maketh Pigmies seeme Gyants vnto vs euery danger is as vgly as death euery frowne will ouer awe vs and the least terrour cast vs into a Feuer If we be put to it whether we will lose Heauen or Earth God or the World we will quickly betray with what resolution we are carried vnto the best things and how hardly we brook walking in the narrow way though it lead vnto the Kingdome of Heauen how hardly we endure momentany afflictions though they worke vnto vs an exceeding and eternall weight of glory 2. Cor 5. Read the Storie of the Israelites passage from Egypt to Canaan in them you may read what man-hood we haue Seruilitie hath so cowardized all our Fortitude that we set lightly euen by God himselfe if we may not possesse him easily and speedily I need say no more by this time you see what a base and seruile spirit we haue certainly by nature it is most base and seruile I haue amplified this that you might see there is great reason why King Dauid should make this Prayer and perceiue better what that is which hee desireth and what he meaneth by a free spirit Hee meaneth not a Libertines freedome hee would not bee a sonne of Belial haue a cloake for licentiousnesse but hee would bee enthrawled to none but God And indeed his seruice is perfect freedome he would haue his iudgement free he would walke by no light but by the light of Heauen his vnderstanding he would haue captiuated only to the wisdome of God and then he is sure he shall neuer mistake his true obiect truth because Gods Word is truth and he can neuer erre whom God doth guide and verily hee is the wisest man that maketh Gods Commandement the rule of his iudgement his iudgement is free indeed And what is a free-will Sure that which chuseth the only good that whose souereigne good is only God he chuseth all that chuseth him so that hauing him the will misseth nothing of her proper obiect let it pitch vpon other goods and it will bee if not deluded yet certainly skanted because nothing can satisfie which is lesse then that for which the will was made As grace doth thus free the reasonable facultie so doth it the sensitiue also it freeth our desires though there be no Law to compell yet doth a man readily run the way of Gods Commandements he thinketh hee cannot speed fast enough nor haue enough of that good which a holy will guided by a wise iudgement recommends vnto him vnto him Modus diligendi Deum est diligere sine modo hee drinkes himselfe drunke at the riuer of diuine pleasures and is so vnsatiable in that that he passeth in the World for a foole and a mad-man This is the freedome of desire it made King Dauid daunce in an Ephod before the Arke it made Abraham follow God whithersoeuer hee did call him and many holy men to affect solitarinesse that they might haue the more of the societie of God and his Angels Such a desire is no hireling it loueth good for good and will serue God onely out of the content it taketh in his seruice and such seruice God requireth and such a desire is a free desire The last facultie that is free is the irascible the courage of a man must be made free Saint Paul hath exprest that excellently Rom. 8. Who shall separate vs from the loue of Christ Shall tribulation or anguish or persecution or famine or nakednesse or perill or sword No I am perswaded that neither death nor life neither Angels nor principalities nor powers nor things present nor things to come nor heigth nor depth nor any other creature shall be able to separate vs from the loue of God which is in Christ Iesus Behold a free courage such a Martyrs courage as will readily obey and runne to Christ though he must be loaden with the Crosse that will be contented to hate Father and Mother Wife Children if they hinder him from being Christs Disciple Put these together and you may reasonably conceiue what King Dauid meaneth by a free spirit And such freedome is to be desired by vs all we must all desire to be so free in our iudgement will desires courage and so we shal become generous persons such as stoupe to no base things and shall sticke at the bestowing of nothing we haue though it bee our owne selues whereby we may compasse the
such obiects may worke feare in a naturall man but what need these Israeltes to feare They came armed against it they came prepared with Puritie with Modestie and should such men feare It is certaine they did feare and there was good reason for it for what proportion betweene mans Abilitie and the Maiestie of God when man is at the best And the Israelites ceremoniall preparation could not so suddenly become morall that will aske more time then three dayes The more they had of the old man the more they were subiect vnto this Passion and it might well rise in them though the obiect which they discerned were aloofe off as indeed it was for their Tents were in some good distance from the Hill and though they were so farre cut of danger yet were they not out of feare the dread of these Harbingers of God seised vpon them Adde hereunto that the spirit of the Old Testament as Saint Paul telleth vs is the spirit of bondage and feare and so this passion had good correspondencie with that Couenant Neither vpon them only but vpon Moses also did these dreadfull Harbingers worke for so must you vnderstand those words in the text Moses spake Saint Paul will tell you what he said Verse 19. Heb. 12. I exceedingly feare and quake so terrible was the sight in his eyes The Rhemists come in here vnseasonably with the doctrine of their Traditions and they will haue Saint Paul by tradition know that Moses spake those words As if he might not know it aswell by Reuelation for the spirit of Prophecie looketh aswell backward as forward Else how did Moses pen the Booke of Genesis that speaketh of things done so many hundred yeares before But what gaine they if we doe acknowledge he had it by tradition Doe wee denie all traditions Wee acknowledge traditions of many Histories as that of Iannes and Iambres Of Ceremonies as that of concluding the Passeouer with blessed Bread and Wine whence Christ tooke an occasion to improue them to an higher vse and institute the Eucharist Our question is about Articles of faith and I hope this is none and therefore they may keepe the note in store vntill they meet with a more pregnant place But let vs leaue those Wranglers and come to Moses Happily you wonder why hee should quake A man that came so neere God and was so deare vnto him God talked with him face to face as familiarly as a man talketh with his friend I but then these Harbingers did not appeare no Thunder no Lightning then no burning Hill no loud sounding of the Trumpet when these appeare they will make Moses himselfe to quake And why shall I say because there are some relikes of sinne euen in the best of Gods Saints during this life and being not perfect in loue they must needs bee subiect vnto feare If I should say so 1. Iohn ◠I should say something but not all that is to bee said For our Sauiour Christ that was without all sinne when he appeared in our nature at the as it were Mount Sinai Certainly at the Tribunall of God where he had presented if not to the eyes of his bodie yet of his soule those dreadfull attendants vpon the Throne of Iudgement the sight cast him into an agonie and made him sweat water and bloud it made his humane nature to droope as himselfe confesseth and bee heauie vnto death And doe wee wonder that the seruant feareth where we see the sonne in such a case Let not the holy Ones of God thinke to bee priuiledged from that whereunto the Holy of Holies was pleased to bee subiect Let vs all rather confesse that that indeed is dreadfull which is dreadfull to such a person and let vs all feare that which Christ himselfe feared But why goe I so high as Christ If they should not haue feared the Mountaine would haue risen in Iudgement against them for that trembled Verse 18. Psal 18. it trembled exceedingly In the Psalme it is said that the Earth shooke and trembled the foundations also of the Hils were moued and were shaken alluding vnto this storie another Psalme saith that The Mountaines skipped like Rams Psal 114. and the little Hils like young sheepe and mouing the question What ailed yee O yee Mountaines that yee skipped like Rams and yee little Hils like Lambes The answere is made Tremble thou Earth at the presence of the Lord at the presence of the God of Iacob And shall not wee feare him nor tremble at his presence when the senselesse creatures shew themselues awfully sensible of his accesse vnto them surely our senselesnesse must needs bee without all excuse Yet some such there haue beene Such were the Scribes and Pharisees who when the Sunne lost his light the Rockes cleft the Graues were opened and the Earth quaked were so little touched that their heart could serue them to contriue a forgerie wherewith to countenance that villanie wherewith they brought Christ to his painfull and shamefull death This was a spirit of slumber indeed and neuer did a greater spirituall Lethargie seize vpon the sonnes of men God euer keepe vs from such senselesnesse and giue vnto vs the spirit of feare whensoeuer his dreadfull Harbingers present themselues before vs yea let vs often represent them vnto our selues that this feare may be seasonably present with vs. But let our feare be such as was that of Israel and of Moses a hopefull feare For there is a feare that deterres from God and there is a feare that doth only humble vs before God Ge◠4 The first is the Reprobates feare and maketh men like vnto Caine Renegadoes and Vagabonds forsake God and goe they know not whether But the godly mans feare maketh him tremble and yet keepe on his way though he goe quaking yet he goeth to God And indeed after God hath made vs sensible of our weaknesse and his greatnesse he vseth to support and strengthen his children he makes them experience the truth of that answere which Christ gaue to Saint Paul Psay 6 My grace is sufficient for thee my strength is made perfect in weaknesse 2. Cor. 12. vers 9. So did he hearten Esay with a cole from the Altar Daniel with a touch Deut. 15. Moses with an answere a kind answere and by Moses he bid the Israelites not feare And what wonder if he support his children in these tremblings seeing he supported the Hill for other wise the hil being al on fire trembling in the fire must needs haue bin consumed but it held out Yea and so did Moses Aaron when they entred into the cloud trod vpon that fierie hil no lesse securely then the three children did in the fierie Furnace whereinto they were cast by the appointment of Nebuchadnezzar 〈◊〉 3 And so shall the righteous at the day of iudgement when all the world is on fire and a lowder Trumpet shal sound then this at mount Sinai
true Oliue is the Iew and if the Gentile partake of the fatnesse thereof he must be grafted thereinto and become a Branch of that Oliue To the Ephesians more plainly more fully he maketh the receiuing of the Gentiles into the Church to bee an admission into the Couenant into the Common-wealth of Israel Ephes 3. a becomming one body with them But as the Gentile becommeth a Iew so is it not a Iew according to the flesh but according to the spirit A Sonne of Abraham he is but a spirituall Sonne the partition wall is taken downe yea the Arke it selfe is remoued Ieremy 3. and the Ceremonies which cloath the Religion of the Iewes cease they are not imposed vpon the Gentiles Yea the Iew himselfe becommeth a Gentile the Iew I say becommeth a Gentile carnally as the Gentile becommeth a Iew spiritually Of the ten Tribes it is most cleare that after their Captiuity they neuer returned and there is no such Nation to be heard of in the world they are mingled with other Nations and become Gentiles according to the flesh And as for the other two Tribes that made vp the Kingdome of Iuda many thousands of them were conuerted to the Christian Faith in the daies of the Apostles and yet there is not extant any Nationall Church of them neither was there long extant any they also are become Gentiles according to the flesh And God that buried the bodie of Moses so that it could not be found lest the Iewes should commit Idolatry with that body whereby God had wrought so great Miracles seemes also to haue as it were buried so many Iewes as became Christians by mingling them with the Gentiles lest that superstition which hath besotted the Gentiles to goe a Pilgrimage to the Holy Land should haue wrought more strongly in making them dote vpon that holy people But God hath turned all the world into a Canaan hath of all Nations compounded the Israel of God Of a truth saith St. Peter I see there is no respect of Persons with God but in euery Nation whosoeuer beleeueth and feareth God is accepted of him There is neyther Iew nor Gentile Graecian nor Barbarian bond nor free but all are one in Christ all are contained vnder this name Vs. In the Prophet vpon this ground Israel seemes to note the Gentiles Ezek. 37. when both Iuda and Israel are remembred to bee conuerted to God and the whole house of Iacob You see of what Nation the People is now see of what Condition Borne to Vs giuen to Vs. And who are we for whom God hath done this Gifts are bestowed vpon Persons eyther for their worth or for their need For their worth and so they are Munera honoraria they are presented in dutifull acknowledgement of their worth whether it be worth of vertue or worth of degree For their need and so they are Munera eleemosynaria conferred out of a pitifull compassion of others wants This gift is not of the first kinde it cannot be Honorarium There was no worth in vs which God should honour with this gift bestowed vpon vs. Our degree was of no regard our vertue of much Iesse the former was none in comparison and the later was none at all It must then be Munus eleemosynarium and indeed so it was the Scripture so speaketh of it Through the tender mercy of our God the day-spring from on high hath visited vs so saith Zacharie And St. Paul Tit. 3. After the kindnesse and loue of our Sauiour towards man appeared not by workes of righteousnesse which we haue done but of his mercy he saued vs. And indeed it was a worke of great mercy For whereas there is but duplex malum malum Poenae and malum Culpae a double euill of Sinne and Woe we were plunged deepe in both deep in Sin deepe in Woe To pity him that is deep in woe is not strange it seemeth to be the proper act of Mercy but pity towards Malefactors the Philosophers acknowledge none No man say they pitieth a Thiefe when he goeth to the Gallowes or a Murderer feeling the stroke of Iustice how much lesse would they pity them if the sinne were against themselues and that committed by a Vassall against his Lord a Vassall that had receiued much fauour against his Lord from whom he receiued it In such a case they acknowledge no pity Yet this is our case and we haue found pity so great pity that Christ was borne for Vs and Christ was giuen vnto Vs. So that of this pity as well Causa 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not onely the Cause but the Occasion must be found in God It is cleare that the proper Cause is the goodnesse of God and it is as cleare that the occasion also must bee fetched from him Were there onely malum Poenae in vs there might bee found in vs an Occasion of Mercie but seeing there is also malum Culpae there cannot but bee an Occasion of Iustice Our double Euill worketh a double Occasion and so maketh Mercie and Iustice as it were to striue in God And indeed both take their occasions Natus satisfied Iustice for a Person came forth that was able to giue full satisfaction vnto Iustice but Datus satisfied Mercy because this Person was freely bestowed vpon Vs. So that if we put Borne for Vs and Giuen to Vs together we see the sweet Harmony that is in the Quire of Gods Attributes None singeth alone they concent together yet so that some one doth most loudly speak the praise of God and in our case Mercy reioyceth ouer Iudgement For though our sinnes haue occasioned Iustice and therefore Christ was borne for Vs that he might satisfie that iustice that was too heauie for vs yet our Woe occasioned Mercy which gaue Christ vnto Vs that in our own Person we might enioy the Blessings of God We are borne for our selues that we may liue and haue all the comfort of our life present to come blessings which we wanted and by which when we receiue them our state is the better It is not so with Christ he was borne for others not for himselfe and giuen to others not to himselfe for what wanted he whereof he needed a supply Hee was in the forme of God and what good is there that is not in the Nature of God which is the ouerflowing Fountaine of all good Looke vpon the State of Christ this Point will appeare clearly No man will doubt but his Birth was for the good of others that considereth that his glory is not his owne but ours He sitteth indeed at the right hand of God and is lifted vp aboue all Angels and Arch-angels and euery Name that is named in Heauen and Earth in this World and that which is to come but what gaineth he by it who was from eternity most high in the glory of his Father Christ himselfe affirmeth it Iohn 17. Glorifie mee O Father with that glory
more tentations no more foyles no more reproches euea when we shall fall asleepe we may lay our selues downe in peace and take our rest for Christ which only can will make vs dwell in safety As securely as himselfe rested in the graue so shall our flesh rest in hope there is the first taste of our victorie But when wee awake wee shall drinke our fill of it and shall with the Saints in the Reuelation yea in this Chapter insult and say O death where is thy sting O graue where is thy victorie Thankes bee vnto God which hath giuen vs victory through Iesus Christ our Lord. But he is Typus not only victoriae but vitae also and that of grace and glorie Fulgent p. 714. Of grace in Baptisme and of glorie at the last day so the Fathers distinguish Resurrectio carnis Christi gratiam nobis corporalis spiritualis resurrectionis attribuit it raiseth out of both sleepes the spirituall and corporall and they doe it by the direction of St. Paul for he makes him a Type of both but in a different fashion Of the first he is Typus analogicus of the second exemplaris Wee are buried with Christ in Baptisme that as Christ dyed and rose againe from the dead so should we walke in newnesse of life Rom. 6.3 Christ then in his Resurrection doth first preach vnto vs rising from sinne And indeed if the name Christus did imply the cause of his Resurrection the name of Christians must imply the cause of ours no hope of an answerable resurrection if we haue not a part in the vnction for the first resurrection doth fit vs for the second If we haue saith St. Paul Phil. 3 our conuersation in heauen we may looke for our Sauiour which shall change our vile bodies and make them like vnto his glorious body This all should thinke vpon that little intend the first and yet looke for the second Resurrection whereas a spirituall body can be the Tabernacle of none but a spirituall soule and wee must feele the answer of a good conscience to Godward before we can bee begotten to a liuely hope by the Resurrection of Iesus Christ Nyssen de opif. hom c. 22. yea wee must 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 foretaste glorie by the vse of grace And if a man haue the Spirit of grace Theophylact comforts him well Ne angaris animo quod mort ali corpore cinctus sis c. bee not disheartned when thou lookest vpon thy house of clay the Spirit of life that is in Iesus freeth vs from the Law as of sinne so of death for if the spirit of him that raised Iesus from the dead dwell in thy mortall body he that raised Iesus from the dead will also quicken thy mortall body by the spirit that dwelleth in thee Rom 8. There is one thing more noted by the first fruits Leuit. 1. they were put on the Altar but not burnt to note that they were ready for God without fire The Crosse of Christ hath made an end of all affliction there remaines nothing for vs but acceptation that wee bee presented vnto God in his Temple and receiued into those heauenly Tabernacles These be the things that the First fruits doe teach and whereof we may not doubt for therefore the Fathers tell vs that Christs resurrection is not only Auspex and Examplar but also fidei iussor Theodoret. yea chirographum nostrae resurrectionis they make a faire demonstration of it Primitiae habent cognationem cum vniuerso eo cuius sunt Primitiae the first fruits and that whose first fruits they are must needes be of the same kinde The cognation then is betweene Christs manhood and ours in that he opened vnto vs the new and liuing way Heb. 9. Non est dubit andum de consortio gloriae sicut non est dubit andum de consortio naturae And therefore the Fathers in the Primitiue Church testified their faith by standing vpright this day and many following daies while they prayed not onely to remember themselues whither their desires should tend but also to testifie that this day is quodammodo imagoventuri saeculi a representation of our blessed rising from the dead It is true that as the Easter first fruits were presented before those at Whitsontide so God hath put a distance between Christs resurrection ours we must stay our time yet the first fruits wils vs to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to bee as sure as if wee were already risen The last note that I will giue vpon Primitiae is that they are Primitia dormientium the first fruits of them that slept the same flesh awakes which slept that first slept in sinne and then for sinne And is not this a wonderfull mercie This flesh if you looke to the basenesse of it how much more if to the sinnefulnesse may seeme vnworthy of so great glorie but God doth vouchsafe it and leaues vs to stand and wonder at it He that could haue created new bodies chooseth rather to repaire our old that this our vnworthinesse might the more commend his goodnesse hee will make these quondam Iustfull eyes itching eares bloudy hands c. fit to doe him seruice in the kingdome of Heauen But it is time to conclude I will shut vp all with a few admonitions that spring from the Text. There is in euery man 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a naturall querulousnesse against death This Text will silence it for the remembrance of the Resurrection 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Athanasius speakes furnisheth vs with a shield to quench that fiery dart it will make vs resolue that death is better than life because the passage to a better life For the Resurrection is Pascha Transitus death is not meta but via not our iournies end but the passage thereunto but it is to them that are Christians that are according to the inner man Temples of the holy Ghost for where grace is Leo de Pasch Serm. 13. there is the passage vnto glorie Quare appareant nun◠quoque in Ciuitate sancta i.e. in Ecclesia Dei futurae Resurrectionis indicia quod gerendum est in corporibus fiat in cordibus Let our renued hearts bee vnto vs a pledge that our bodies shall be renued But grace must be Paschall transitus sine reditu wee must so rise from sinne that we returne not like dogges to our vomit 1 Pet. 2. and like swine to our wallowing in the myre Serm 10. de Pasch St. Bernard complained of many in his dayes Qui sacram Domini Resurrectionem Paschae priuabant nomine to whom it was not Transitus but Reditus that though they kept the Feast for a day and did partake the Sacrament also yet after all this turned as good fellowes as euer they were before I would it were not so with vs also That it is so with the vulgar people the Tauernes can witnesse that are neuer better furnisht
considering that spirituall plagues are much more heauie than corporall and we should in our humiliation ioyne our cryes with those soules vnder the Altar that were slaine for the Word of God and the Testimony which they held saying How long O Lord holy and true doest thou not iudge and auenge our bloud on them that dwell in the earth Reuel 6.10 The Vse of all this first part of my Text that is the case of Sufferers is this That we know not God to halues God describeth himselfe to be Iust as well as Mercifull Exod. 34. and the sonne of Syrach tells vs Ecclus 5. that God is as mighty to punish as to saue therefore we must not look vpon onely Gods Mercy but vpon his Iustice also which is so palpable in the plagues And yet must wee not so plod vpon Gods Iustice as not to carry our eye from thence to his Mercy for as in the first case exprest in my Text we haue seene the Church suffering from Gods wrath so now in her second case we must behold her as a Suppliant hauing recourse vnto the Throne of grace And here first wee must obserue That though God for sinne be pleased to humble his Church yet doth hee afford her a meanes of reliefe whereby shee may come out of her greatest distresse And why God is not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not a Destroyer but a Sauiour of his Church he doth not punish her but to recouer her as anon you shall heare more at large But though the Church be subiect to no more calamities than she hath remedy for yet of her manifold distresses the remedy is but one Penitent Deuotion is the onely remedy of all distresses And this Deuotion is here called by two names Prayer and Supplication The words in the Originall are fitted to the argument the first is Tephillah which is such a prayer as a prisoner maketh to him before whom hee is arraigned you may interpret it by those words in Iob cap. 9. I will make supplication to my Iudge And indeed a Penitent must so come to God as if he came to the Barre hee must suppose himselfe to bee an indited person And being such the second word will teach him what his plea must be euen a Psalme of Mercy for so Techinnah signifieth hee must come vnto God with Haue mercy vpon mee O God after thy great mercy Psal 51. and hee must pray with Daniel cap. 9. O Lord righteousnesse belongeth vnto thee but vnto vs confusion of faces In the Primitiue Church they had stationary dayes Tertullian saith their name is borrowed from warfare and Christians vpon that day putting on the whole armour of God did stand vpon their guardes against powers and principalities Serm. 36. and spirituall wickednesses in heauenly places St. Ambrose more plainly saith stationes vocantur Ieiunia quòd flentes ieiunantes in ijs inimicos repellamus These were the weekly fasting dayes Wednesdayes and Fridayes whereon Christians repaired to the Church and therein quasifactâmanu like an Armie with spirituall weapons of fasting and praying weeping and lamenting of their sinnes they put to flight all their ghostly enemies and remoued all the heauie pressures of the Church We keepe the dayes but haue lost the truevse of them It is much to bee wisht that they were restored againe and that thereon we did as our Fore-fathers were wont plye God in these sinnefull and wofull times especially with Tephillah and Techinnah the Prayers of guilty ones and Supplications for the mercy of God But more fully to rip vp this Deuotion so farre as wee are led by my Text obserue that it consisteth of two acts one inward and another outward The inward is a liuely sense of the Penitents euill case and an expression of his deuotion out of that sense Euery one of them must know the plagues of his owne heart Where first obserue that the plagues inflicted are corporall but the sense required is spirituall And why the originall of sinne is in the soule whereunto the body concurres but as a pliable instrument therefore God would haue the body serue by his smart to awaken the soule make it apprehensiue of Gods displeasure and tremble at his iudgements The word which we doe render plague doth signifie a wound now in the heart there may be a wound of sinne or a wound for sinne The wound of sinne 1. Pet. 2. is that which sinne giueth to the soule St. Peter tels vs that our sinfull lusts fight against the soule and in fighting giue the soule many a stabbe the sonne of Syrach expresseth this excellently All iniquity is as a two-edged sword the wounds whereof cannot bee healed Ecclus 21. And what meane we else when we say that sinne is mortall but that it giueth mortall wounds Besides this wound of sinne there is a wound for sinne you know that when a man in fight hath receiued a wound the Chirurgion must come with his instrument and search that wound scoure it and put the wounded man to a second paine euen so when wee haue wounded our soules with sinne wee must wound them a second time for finne if wee meane to be deuoutly penitent wee must be prickt at the heart we must rent our hearts we must breake our stonie hearts wee must melt our hearts we must poure forth our soules our spirit must be wounded within vs and our heart must be desolate This is that which God commanded the Iewes Leuit. 16.31 when hee bid them afflict their soules in the day of their solemne Fast This is that godly sorrow which St. Paul 2. Cor. 7.10 speaketh of sorrow not to be repented of Animae amaritudo est anima poenitentiae this vexing of our soules is the very soule of repentance As a penitent man hath these two wounds so he must know them but wee come very short of this all this mortall life of ours is nothing else but a masse of plagues full of temptations Iohn 7. and trauelleth with vanity of vanities and vexation of spirit Psal 38. all the sonnes of Adam doe daily suffer from the wrath of God in some thing or other and euerie one of vs may say as Augustus the Emperour sometimes said that he sitteth inter lachrymas suspiria betweene sighings and teares Certainly as the Christian world now standeth wee are encompast with lamentable spectacles both abroad and at home But many men are so hardened that they feele not their owne disease much lesse others yea so farre they are from feeling the ordinary plagues of man that they doe not feele the extraordinary ones wherewith God doth rowze sinnefull men Wherefore we must hold it for one of the gifts of grace wherewith God doth endue his children that they recouer againe the sense of godly sorrow And wee may well conclude that hee that is senslesse is gracelesse and they which haue no sense beare the heauiest plague The word doth carry with it not
others Lib. 5. cap. 1â— saying Who can forgiue linnes but God onely St Irenie giues the reason Quomodo rectè remissa peccata nisi ille ipse in quem peccauimus donet remissionem He is the only I egislator as St Iames speaks and concludes that he onely hath power to condemne and absolue Therefore doth GOD Esay 43 and 44 claime this as his peculiar it is the peculiar of his Word to acertaine our Faith and of his Spirit to vnburden our Soules and insteed of the heauinesse that did oppresse to cheare vs vp with spirituall ioy Hitherto you haue seene a good correspondencie betweene the Co fession and the Remission but now you must heare of a great difference for Dauid was come no farther then Dixi he had a good purpose to confesse but of GOD which is the searcher of the heart he witnesseth that he was come to Remisisti granted the parden before it was asked so doth St Austin paraphrase these words Vox mea in ore nondum erat sed auris Dei iam in corde erat And what is this but a proofe of that gratious promise which GOD himselfe hath made in the Prophet Esay 〈◊〉 6 5. Oâ—at â— Orat. 15. before they call I will answer and while they speake I will heare 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 cryed out Nazianzene when he conâ—dered this But else-where he giues the reason of this celeritie â—ra est opus alienum when GOD is angry he goes against his owne natuâ—e but eius proprium est misereri it is as it were naturall to him to do good vnto men You need no better proofe then the parable of the proâ—igall child man cannot be so forward to receiue good but GOD is much more forward to bestow it and what greater incouragement to confesse most humbly then to obserue that GOD deales with a confessing sinner most gratiously And indeed we ought to obserue it for which was the last point to be handled on the Text the successe is remarkable It is signed with Selah Not to trouble you with the vse of this word in Musicke The learned make hereof a double morall vse for it is either a note of so â—e great thing and then they render it by the superlatiue degree or of some constant thing and so the Caldee rendreth it in aeternum Both these morall vses sit our purpose for the two maine branches of my Text are great and constant truthes What is there in the Confession that is not great Is it not a great thing to see a man so to put off selfe-loue and pride the properties of his corrupt nature and not onely acknowledge himselfe to be but also to humble himselfe as being a sinfull wretch To vse that rhetoricke wherewith he was wont to shift off his blame in amplyfying of his owne sinne In being so charitable as to eâ—cuse all the more to accuse himselfe and the more to set forth GODS glorie not to sticke euen in the hearing of men to be the publisher of his owne miserie This is great but due But how much more great is it to see GOD the Iudge of man so little to be moued with the heynousnesse of sinne as to send a Prophet to comfort an humble sinner yea to send his Spirit to ease the broken heart to take off the load from his Rebels and lay it vpon his deare Sonne And herein to preuent him who might well thinke himselfe happy if he spead after long attendance Certainly these things are great the more great because not due But as they are great so they are constant also for what king Dauid did must be done by all and all in so doing may looke for the same successâ— Salomon hath a generall rule Proâ— 28. He that hides his sinne shall not prosper but he that confesseth them and forsaheth them shall find mercie The Apostles confirme it If we confesse our sinnes God is faithfull to forgiue saith St Iohn and St Paul If we would iudge our selues we should not be iudged of the Lord. But the more is the pittie 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 there are many as Tertullian speakes which either deferre Nazianz. or abhorre this worke of Confession vt publicationem sui as if they should be too well knowne thereby either to GOD or men praesumo pudoris magis memores quam salutis more respectiue of a little false credit then of eternall life whereby you may perceiue the truth of St Chrysostomes note Inuertunt homines Dei ordinem Diaboli instinctu Deus enim pudorem dedit peccato confessioni siduciam but Diabolus peccato sidâ—â—iam confessioni pudorem the world hath too many spectacles of this peruerse dealing to whom we may vse the words of Tertullian Ne tu verecunde bonus qui ad delinquendum exporrigis frontem ad confitendum contrahis Is it not forsâ—oth a goodly modestie to be impudent in sinne and shamefast in the censure thereof But to what end doth man auoid this shame Surely to fall into a worse for he that will not be ashamed voluntarily shall against his will be put to shame Certainly the shall at the last day when GOD shall reueale all secrets in the sight of Angels and men Yea haply GOD will bring it to light in this world for some men haue their maske taken off here and their nakednesse discouered before they dye so that it is ill prouidence è malis maximum when we must chooâ—e one of two euils to reserue our selues vnto the worst And whereas he which accuseth himselfe need feare no accuser to spare himselfe that he may haue many and those that are much worse to accuse him But if a man be senslesse that he will not prouide what is best for himselfe yet let him not be so gracelesse as to doe wrong vnto GOD Peccator cum sis Nazianz. accede vt glorifices Deum occasionem praebeas 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 â— Si dubitas accedere inhibuisti bonitatem and we shall find that GOD can worse brooke the contempt of the Gospel then the breach of the Law Wherefore let vs listen to the Sonne of Syrach Cap. 4 and not be ashamed to confesse our sinne let vs sowe in teares that we may reape in ioy for blessed are they which now mourne for they shall be comforted Let euerie one of vs haue that good testimonie of our conscience which Iob had I haue not hid my sinne Cap. 31 as Adam conceiuing iniquitie in my bosome and we shall be able with King Dauid to pray and pray with hope Lord haue mercie vpon me heale my soule for I haue sinned against thee If we follow Dauids practise and say as he did we will confesse our sinnes against our selues vnto the Lord we shall be able vpon our owne experience euerie man to boast of King Dauids successe and to say Lord thou hast forgiuen the iniquitie of my sinnes A SERMON PREACHED AT WHITE-HALL
should rise againe The last point of this Text remaines which is the correspondencie betweene the rising and the fall which I told you consists in three points First Peter was soone downe and soone vp the same night that he was wounded he was healed and cured the same night that he fell sicke many perish through their procrastination and their case becommeth desperate before they enter into consideration thereof no sooner did the cocke crow CHRIST turne and looke but Peter came to himselfe But what doe we doe What vse doe we make of the time giuen vs to repent How little doth aduersitie prosperitie words stripes preuaile with vs We are so farre from repenting quickly that we doe not repent at leasure And what is the reason We doe not make vse of good meanes whilst GOD doth grant them vs The Cocke did crow and Peter did remember CHRIST turned and lookt Peter went out and wept bitterly he did not receiue the grace of GOD in vaine It were to be wisht that we did herein resemble him and not frustrate either the outward or the inward Meanes Esay 47. But the Minister may complaine I haue laboured in vaine I haue spent my strength in vaine Yea GOD himselfe may complaine Rom. 10. All the day long haue I stretcht forth my hand vnto an vnbeleeuing and gaine saying Nation Or if we are not so gracelesse as to neglect the two former correspondencies certainly it is a hard thing to find the man that is like to St Peter in the third and proportioneth his Repentance to his Offence Great faults should not be a little sorrowed for but we should afflict our soules for sinne as much as we haue solaced them therewith Certainly St Peter did so Yea Clemens Romanus obserueth that St Peter euerie night about the crowing of the Cocke did rise and pray with teares vntill the morning If he did lament so vncessantly in whom inward pietie did not faile but onely the outward constancie was shaken what should we doe that sinne so willingly and with so high a hand We should better obserue and obserue more dayes of Humiliation then most of vs doe Bitter teares if euer are now most seasonable not onely the compunction for our owne sinnes but compassion also towards the distracted Churches woefull calamitie doth importune vs for them We make grieuous lamentation for a friend if his soule be departed from his body but who is much troubled for himselfe when GOD by sinne is driuen from his soule If but a neighbours House or some small Village be laid wast by casualtie of fire as many as heare of it are moued with compassion and readily afford some succour But how many Townes yea Countreys Members of the Orthodoxe Church are exhausted and made desolate by famine sicknesse the attendants vpon the blood-thirstinesse of the Sword and there are few Samaritans that haue any Bowels All like the Priest and the Leuite passe by yea and passe ouer these troubles as if they did nothing concerne them but onely to administer Table-talke or fill vp the wast of their idle times I will onely remember you of GODS censure of such stupiditie And I pray GOD it may make vs all more sensible of our owne and of the Churches case In the day of the Iewes calamitie did the Lord God of Hosts call to weeping and to mourning to baldnesse and to girding with Sack-cloth and behold ioy and gladnesse slaying Oxen and killing Sheepe eating flesh and drinking wine Let vs eat and drinke for to morrow we shall dye So said those senslesse wretches But it was renealed in mine eares saith the Prophet Esay by the Lord of Hosts Esay 22. surely this iniquitie shall not be purged from you till you dye saith the Lord God of Hosts He said it to them and in them to vs happie are we if other mens harmes make vs beware But I conclude This Text is an example and an example is the easiest doctrine for apprehension and most powerfull in operation so that if we doe not learne it there is something amisse in our head and there is something amisse in our heart if we be not the better for it Wherefore let vs all turne to him and humbly beseech him that we may be made mindfull of our frailtie and set in a good course of our penitencie that we may be as apt to rise as we are to fall and iudge our selues as seuerely as we gracelesly offend our God So may God accept our teares clense our soules and make vs all as he did repenting Peter his faithfull seruants in this world and glorious Saints in the world to come A SERMON PREACHED AT GREENWICH MATTHEW 3. VERSE 16 17. 16 And Iesus when hee was baptized went vp straight way out of the water and loe the Heauens were opened vnto him and hee saw the Spirit of God descending like a Doue and lighting vpon him 17 And loe a voyce from Heauen saying This is my beloued Sonne in whom I am well pleased IN this dayes Gospel our Sauiour CHRIST taught Nicodemus Ioh. 3. that Except a man be borne againe or from aboue he cannot see he cannot enter into the Kingdome of Heauen and St. Iohn the Apostle teacheth how a man may know whether he be so borne againe or no. He that beleeueth that Iesus is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Christ or Anointed of the Lord is borne of God Now a fairer proofe of that Article or a more sufficient warrant for our saith therein the whole Bible doth not yeeld then that which was deliuered at the Baptisme of CHRIST and is contained in those words that now I haue read vnto you For here you must my Text doth will you so behold GOD the FATHER anointing Iesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power as St. Peter speaketh Acts 10. And see with all how wel the Text fitteth the time for this is Trinitie Sunday and what is the Text but a report of the cleare the comfortable presence concurrence of the blessed Trinity in Sacring Iesus to be the Christ Here is Pater in voce Filius in carne Spiritus Sanctus in columba the Sonne in our nature receiues the Vnction the Holy Ghost in the shape of a Doue becomes the Vnction and the Father in a voyce from Heauen beareth witnesse to the grace that floweth from that Vnction In this great worke euery Person beareth his part But more distinctly in this Sacring of Iesus wee may learne from my Text First What were the circumstances Secondly What was the substance of it The circumstances were two First the Time when Iesus was baptized Secondly the Place without the water or vpon the Riuers side for Iesus came straight way out of the water and loe c. In the substance we shall see first Quis who it was that was Sacred it was euen the same Person that was baptized the Sonne of GOD in the nature of man it was Iesus Secondly
is not indefinite because represented in a speciall signe the signe of a Doue this signe drawes our thoughts from plunging themselues into that infinite varietie of grace that was in CHRIST to contemplate that which beareth correspondency to a Doue In which contemplation we must keepe this rule to behold first Qualis Christus fuerit how CHRIST himselfe was qualified then Quales nos esse debeamus how wee as Christians must be conformable to him But let vs come to the speciall grace designed by the Doue Some obserue the neatnesse of that bird Aspicis vt ventant ad candida tecta Columbae Accipiat nullas sordida turris aues and they will haue the vertue here intimated to be Sanctity and indeed such an high Priest it behoued vs to haue as was holy harmelesse separate from sinners and higher then the Heauens the Angel at his birth calls him that holy thing Daniel the Holy of Holies his person his conuersation both were most pure hee was in nothing soild with the filth of sinne And what the Church must be we learne in our Creed where it is called the holy Catholique Church Holinesse beseemes Gods House for euer and from this 〈◊〉 haue wee the honour euen on earth to bee called Saints a Christian should not be an vneleane person neither should he delight in filthinesse Some looke vpon the sweete nature of the Doue which is louing and louely and indeede the name 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sounds that propertie the Doue is so called quasi 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 exceeding in loue St. Austin obserueth this propertie Tract 7. in 1. Epist Ioh De Columba demonstrata est charitas quae venit super Dominum quo nobis infunderetur the Doue was the Embleme of charity that was in CHRIST and from him streamed into vs And indeede greater charity could not be found in any then was in our Sauiour CHRIST who gaue his life for his friends yea for his Enemies and he commends no vertue more then charity vnto vs he prayeth that we may bee like to him therein and tells vs that by this shall all men know wee are his Disciples if we loue one another Ioh. 1â— Ioh. 13. the whole booke of Canticles is nothing but a commentary vpon this propertie wherein the name of Doue is more then once remembred But I will resolue this propertie of the Doue into two which will make way vnto some others The Doue is without Guile and without Gall a simple and harmelesse bird which figure two excellent properties of the Holy Ghost Sinceritie and Mercy the one a vertue of the Head the other of the Heart and they are opposed vnto the two maine properties of the Diuell who is noted to bee slie as a Serpent and cruell as a Lyon Our Sauiour CHRIST is especially recommended vnto vs in the Scripture as being farre from these hellish qualities That of the Head there was no guile found in his mouth Ioh. 14. Ioh. 18. Reuel 1. and no maruell for he was the Truth he came into the world to beare witnesse of the truth St. Iohn calls him the faithfull and the true witnesse the more blasphemous are they that draw any act or word of his to patronize or colour their impious Aequiuocations and mentall Reseruations we should conforme our selues vnto CHRIST bee true Nathaniels without simulation or dissimulation Satien cap. 1. Psal 15. be as good as our word though it bee our owne hinderance How farre then hath the World degenerated when Christians to excuse their owne fraud will fasten fraud on CHRIST Yet when I commend plaine dealing I doe not condemne discretion the good of the Serpent wee may haue though not the euill plaine dealing may well stand with Prudence and there is an innocent prouidence onely we must take heed that our tongues and our wits be not made snares and pitfalls but as CHRISTS word was not yea and nay but all the promises of God in him were yea and Amen so must our dealing not be fraudulent but sincere As CHRIST was without Guile so was hee without Gall so farre from taking offence when it was not giuen that when it was giuen he would not take it witnesse the checke which he gaue vnto his Disciples when they would haue had fire from Heauen to destroy the churlish Samaritans you know not saith he of what spirit you are Luke 9. the Sonne of Man came not to destroy Isay 42. but to saue mens liues Hee would not breake a bruised reede nor quench smoaking flaxe yea so tender were his Bowels that in the middest of his tortures vpon the Crosse Luke 23. hee forgaue hee prayed for his crucifying enemies It is this sweetnesse of CHRISTS nature that when the conscience of sinne holds backe doth encourage vs to come with boldnesse vnto the throne of Grace the Doue is not so free from Gall as our Sauiour is from reuengfull malice And what should a Christian be heare our Sauiour CHRIST Discite a mâ— quia mitis sum Matth. 12. Act. 8. Hebr. 13. we should imitate CHRIST in meeknesse we should not bee in the gall of bitternesse like Simon Magus neither should any roâ—te of bitternesse spring vp in vs Spiritus non generat accipitres sed columbas if so bee our nature be cruell it is signe it was neuer new moulded by the Spirit of grace Rom. 12 whose propertie it is not to bee ouer-come of euill but to ouer-come euill with good But here also marke that hee who forbids Crueltie doth not forbid Courage we may partake the good of the Lyon but not the euill It was and it is a grosse conceipt of Macheuilisme to thinke that these properties of the Doue to be without Guile and without Gall haue beene the baine of Christiandome while the Enemies thereof haue taken aduantage of their simplicitie to insnare them and of their pittie to deuoure them well may imprudent simplicitie and cowardly pittie disaduantage the prudent the couragious can neuer disaduantage nay sinceritie in the end ouercometh infidelitie and pittie triumphes ouer crueltie none euer dealt more plainely then CHRIST none was dealt withall more deceitful none vsed more pitie none was vsed more cruelly And what was the issue he prooued the wisedome of his Enemies plaine folly their fury turned vnto his greater glory Neither haue these properties prooued worse in Christians it were an easie matter to prooue it out of the Martyres story recorded both in the old and the New Testament Yea which maketh the opposit vices more odious neuer was there any craftie wit that was not vnto himselfe a snare nor cruell heart whose hands did not giue himselfe the deadliest woundes the Serpent the roaring Lyon that set vpon CHRIST what are they but monuments of the euill successe of their hellish qualities Wherefore though the world please it selfe in wilinesse and bloodinesse let it alwayes bee the care and comfort of a Christian