Angels present and the people shout out their Amen and shall our piety this way be lesse than theirs Surely the Angels of God are inseparably with us yea whole cohorts yea whole Legions of those heavenly soldiery are now viewing guarding us in these holy meetings and we acknowledg them not we yeild not to them such reverent and awful respects as even flesh and blood like our own will expect from us Did we think the Angels of God were with us here durst those of us which dare not be covered at home as if the freedom of this holy place gave them priviledge of a loose and wild licentiousness affect all saucy postures and strive to be more unmannerly then their Masters Did we consider that the Angels of God are witnesses of our demeanour in Gods house durst we stumble in here with no other reverence then we would do into our Barne or Stable and sit down with no other care then we would in an ale-house or Theater Did we finde our selves in an assembly of Angels durst we give our eyes leave to rove abroad in wanton glances our tongues to walk in idle and unseasonable chat our ears to be taken up with frivolous discourse Durst we set our selves to take those naps here whereof we failed on our pillow at home certainly my beloved all these do manifestly convince us of a palpable unrespect to the blessed Angels of God our invisible consorts in these holy services However then it hath been with us hitherto let us now begin to take up other resolutions and settle in our hearts an holy aw of that presence wherein we are Even at thy home address thy self for the Church prepare to come before a dreadful Majesty of God and his powerful Angels thou seest them not no more did Elishaes servant till his eyes were opened It is thine ignorant and grosse infidelity that hath filmed up thine eyes that thou canst discerne no spiritual object were they but anointed with the eye-salve of faith thou shouldest see Gods house full of heavenly glory and shouldest check thy self with holy Jacob when he awaked from his divine vision Surely the Lord is in this place and I knew it not how dreadfull is this place this is no other but the house of God and this is the gate of Heaven Gen. 28.16 17. Oh then when thou settest thy foot over the threshold of Gods Temple tremble to think who is there lift up thine awfull eyes and bow thine humble knees and raise up thy devout and faithful soul to a religious reverence and fear of those mighty and Majestical Spirits that are there and of that great God of Spirits whose both they and thou art and study in all thy carriage to be approved of so glorious witnesses and overseeres That so at the last those blessed Spirits with whom we have had an invisible conversation here may carry up our departing soules into the heaven of heavens into the presence of that infinite and incomprehensibly-glorious God both theirs and ours there to live and raign with them in the participation of their unconceivable blisse and glory To the fruition whereof he that hath ordained us graciously bring us by the mediation and for the sake of his blessed Son Jesus To whom with thee O Father of Heaven and thy co-eternall Spirit three persons in one God be given all praise honor immortality now and for ever HOLY DECENCY IN THE WORSHIP of GOD. By J. H. B. N. I Know that a clean heart and a right spirit is that which God mainly regards For as he is a Spirit so he will be served in Spirit but withall John 4.24 as he hath made the body and hath made it a partner with the Soul so he justly expects that it should be also wholly devoted to him so as the Apostle upon good reason prayes for his Thessalonians that their whole Spirit and Soul 1 Thes 5.23 and body may be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and beseeches his Romans by the mercies of God that they present their bodies a living sacrifice holy acceptable to God Rom. 12.1 Now as the body is capable of a double uncleanness the one morall when it is made an instrument and agent in sin the other naturall when it is polluted with outward filthiness so both of these are fit to be avoided in our addresses to the pure and holy God the former out of Gods absolute command who hath charged us to cleanse our selves from all filthiness both of the flesh and Spirit the latter out of the just grounds of Decency 2 Cor. 7.1 and expedience for though there be no sinfull turpitude in those bodily uncleanenesses wherein we offer our selves to appear before the Lord our God yet there is so deep an unbeseemingness in them as places them in the next door to sin Perhaps Gods ancient people the Jewes were too superstitiously scrupulous in these externall observations whos 's Talmud tells us of one of their great Rabbies that would rather suffer under extremity of hunger and thirst then tast of ought with unwashen hands as counting that neglect equall to lying with an harlot and who have raised a great question whether if any of their poultry have but dipped their beak in the bowle the water may be allowed to wash in forbidding to void the urine standing except it be upon a descent of ground lest any drop should recoyle upon the feet and in case of the other evacuation beside the paddle-staffe and other ceremonies in uncovering the feet injoyning to turn the face to the South not to the East or West because those coasts had their faces directed towards them in their devotions what should I speak of their extreme curiosity in their outward observances concerning the Law which no man might be allowed to read whiles he was but walking towards the unloading of nature or to the Bathe or near to any place of annoyance no Man might so much as spit in the Temple or before that sacred Volumn or stretch forth his feet towards it or turn his back upon it or receive it with the left hand no Man might presume to write it but upon the parchment made of the skin of a clean beast nor to write or give a bill of divorce but by the side of a running stream yea the very Turks as they have borrowed our circumcision so also religious niceties from these Jewes not allowing their Alcoran to be touched by a person that is unclean But surely I fear these men are not more faulty in the one extreme then many Christians are in the other who place a kinde of holinesse in a slovenly neglect and so order themselves as if they thought a nasty carelessenesse in Gods services were most acceptable to him Hence it is that they affect homely places for his worship abandoning all magnificence and cost in all the acts and apendances of their devotion clay and sticks please
sinners never nay he strives to forget God and when the notion of a God is forced upon him he struggles against it and sayes to the Almighty Depart from me And even this alone showes how he stands in respect of his affections He loves not God no not whiles he promerits him with his favours It is the Title that St. Paul gives to wicked men Rom. 1. â—0 that they are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 God-haters One would think this should not be incident into a man for nothing but evill is the object of hatred and God is absolute goodnesse it self yet such is the cankered and corrupt nature of the sinner that apprehending God sub ratione mali he hates him who is in himself infinitely amiable and as he saies in his heart there is no God so he wishes in his heart there were no God He is never well therefore whiles he hath any thing to do with God whiles he is in his company or in the company of those that he thinks belong to him his conscionable servants and whiles he is imployed in any of his services he stands upon thornes Thus the sinner is in his affectations aloof off from God and for his carriage and actions they are answerable to both the other All his life is nothing else but a departing from the living God and therefore he must needs at last be farr off Look to all his wayes you shall find how diametrally contrary they are to Gods Gods wayes are direct ones the sinners are oblique and crooked God hath chalked out his wayes in the Ten words of his royall law the sinner turnes his back upon every one of them and walkes point-blank opposite God commands an holy and religious disposition towards his Majesty the sinner gives himself over to a wild and loose profanenesse to a lawlesse course of godlesnesse and walks as without God in the world God commands all reverent and awfull usage of his name the sinner tears it in pieces with his oathes and blasphemies God commands all dutifull obedience to authority not for fear only but for conscience sake the sinner is ready to say disrumpamus vincula let us break their bonds and cast their cords from us God commands all sobriety chastity temperance the sinner runs into all excesse of riot Finally God commands all charity and justice to our neighbour the wicked heart is mercilesse and cares not upon whose ruines he raiseth his own advantages so every way both in his thoughts affections and actions the sinner is afarr off from God Now the morall and civill man hears this and turnes it off as nothing concerning him he is as near to God as the best and indeed in some sense he is so St. Paul could say to his Athenians He is not far from every one of us Every creature hath equally his living moving being from God but as for any relation to God in respect of holinesse of grace and mercy of glory this man is as far off as Earth is from Heaven yea as Heaven is from Hell For even by nature we are the best of us the Sons of wrath And if we had no more then even our birth sin this alone would estrange us sufficiently from God but besides this our actuall sins set us off yet further and if we had no sins of commission as we have numberlesse for in many things we sin all yea in all things we sin all yet those of omission cannot but put us into an utter distance for if the morall man could be supposed to do nothing actually against Gods will yet his thoughts are not upon him being wholly taken up with the World his affections are not towards him being wholly set upon the World and these earthly things his best actions are not regulated by the royall law of righteousnesse but by the rules of civility and common humanity and the end which he proposeth to himself in them is not the glory of God but his own honour or advantage And therefore both the wicked man and the mere morall man are aloof off from God and therefore out of the benefit of Gods favour and protection even as we know that those which live under the two poles are out of the comfortable reach of the Sun-beames or those Antichthones which are on the other side of the globe of the Earth are now whiles it is day with us Please your selves therefore ye sinfull and naturall men with the spirituall condicion wherein ye stand God is no otherwise near to you but to plague and punish you Ye can never receive any glimpse of true comfort in your soules whiles you so continue and therefore as ye tender your own present and eternall welfare stir up your selves to take this divine Counsell of the Apostle Draw nigh unto God And so from the distance implyed we descend to the approach injoyned which we shall consider as it hath respect to the presence of God and to the motion of man To the presence of God in relation to his Ordinances and to his Spirit First then we draw nigh unto God when we attend upon him in his worship and service for God is where he is worshipped and where he reveales himelf In this regard when Cain was banished from the presence of God it was not so much an exile as an excommunication Hence is all the legall service called appearing before the Lord So David when shall I appear in thy sight Psal 42.2 and can find in his heart for this cause to envy the sparrowes and swallowes as herein happier then himself Thus Jacob of his Bethel God was here and I knew it not Then therefore do we draw nigh unto God when we come into his house when we present our selves to him in our prayers whether private or publick when we attend upon him in his word whether read or preached in his holy Sacraments in all religious exercises And those that do willingly neglect these holy services they are no other then aloof off from God and certainly whatsoever they may think of it this estate of theirs is very dangerous for if the worst peece of hellish torment be that of losse and utter departing from the presence of God then surely our voluntary Elongation of our selves from his presence must needs be a fearfull introduction to an everlasting distance from him Let our Recusants whether out of heresie or faction make what sleight account they please of these holy assemblies Surely the keeping away from the Church is the way to keep out of Heaven Auditus aspectum restituit as Bernard well It is our hearing that must restore us to the sight of God This in relation to his Ordinances that to his spirit followes we do then Secondly draw nigh to God when upon our conversion to him we become the receptacles and entertainers of his good Spirit For God is undoubtedly where he breathes into the soul holy desires where he works Heavenly grace in the heart This
presence followes upon the other or accompanies it For when we do carefully and conscionably wait upon Gods ordinance then his Spirit offers and conveighs it self into the heart these are Vehiculum gratiae the carriage of grace into the soul Never any scorner or profane person hath any sense of this presence This is that David speaks so passionately of Oh cast me not away from thy presence and take not thine holy spirit from me It troubled him as before to be kept from Gods ordinances but it troubled him an hundred times more to be cast out from this more entire presence Cant. 5.6.7 the Church in the Canticles when she misses her welbeloved how impatient she is How she runs about the City How she hazards her self to the blowes of the watchmen and will take no rest till she have recovered him These spirituall desertions are the saddest things that can befall to a man For there is a spirituall familiarity of sweet conversation betwixt God and his which it is a death to forgoe they injoy each other live in each others sight impart their counsels each to other So then we draw near to God when repenting us of our former aberrations from him we renue our covenants with him put our selves into an awfull acknowledgment of him still seeing him that is invisible when we grow into dear though trembling acquaintance with him taking pleasure in his company interchanging our dulce susurrium cum Deo as Bernard speaks and indevouring to be in all things approved of him This must needs be a very comfortable and blessed condicion Oh happy thrice happy are they that ever they were born who have truly attained to it It is a true rule in philosophy that every naturall agent works by a contaction whether bodily or virtuall which the weaker or further off it is the efficacy of the operation is so much the lesse As when we are cold the fire heates us but not except we come within the reach of it If we stand aloof off it warmes us so feebly that we are little the better for it but if we draw close to the hearth now it sensibly refresheth us even thus also doth God himself please to impart himself to us How ever there is infinite vertue in the Almighty not confinable to any limits Luc. 8.45 yet he will not put it forth to our benefit unlesse we thus draw near to him who toucht me saith our Saviour when the bloody-fluxed woman fingred but the hemme of his garment Lo many thronged him but there was but one that toucht him and upon that touch Vertue went out from him to her cure He might have diffused his vertue as the Sun doth his beames at a distance to the furthest man but as good old Isaac that could have blessed his Esau in the field or in the forrest yet would have him to come close to him for his benediction So will God have us to draw nigh to him if ever we look for any blessing at his hands according to the charge here given Draw nigh unto God Now then that from the respect to the presence of God we may descend to consider the motion of man There are many wayes of our appropinquation to God this People saith God drawes nigh me with their lips but their hearts are farr from me This is an approach that God cannot abide this lip-walk may advance us to hell for our hypocrisie but it can never promove us one step towards Heaven God cannot abide meer talkers of religion let them say Lord Lord he shall answer them I know you not Depart from me ye workers of iniquity There are three wayes of our drawing nigh to God which he accepts of from us On our feet on our hands and on our knees On our feet first Keep thy foot Eccles. 5.1 saith Solomon when thou goest into the house of God what are the feet of the soul but the affections Then do we therefore draw nigh to God when we are so affected to him as we ought when we come to him with the foot of fear Fear the Lord all his Saints saith the Psalmist Serve the Lord in fear Ps 2. Fear God and depart from evill saith his Son Solomon Prov. 3.7 when we come to him with the foot of love I sought him whom my soul loveth saith the Spouse Cant. 3.1 when with the foot of desire As the embossed heart panteth for the rivers of waters so doth my soul for thee O God Ps 42.1 with the foot of joy I rejoyced when they said Come let us go up to the house of the Lord with the foot of confidence In the Lord put I my trust how then do ye say to my soul Flee hence as a bird to the hills And as we must draw nigh to God on the feet of our affections so also upon the hands of our actions even as Jonathan and his armour-bearer climbed up the rock with feet and hands this is done when we perform to God all holy obedience when we serve him as we ought both in our devotions and our carriage and this is the best and truest approximation to God Walk before me saith God to Abraham and be upright Master saith Peter if it be thou Joh. 21.17 bid me come unto thee and after that when he heard it was the Lord he girt his fishers coat to him casts himself into the Sea to come to Christ without this reality of action all our profession is but idle pretence I remember our Country-man Bromiard tells us of one who meeting his neighbour coming out of the Church askt him what is the Sermon done Done said the other No It is said it is ended but it is not so soon done And surely so it is with us we have good store of Sermons said but we have but a few done and one sermon done is worth a thousand said and heard For not the hearers of the law but the doers of it are justified and if ye know these things blessed are ye if ye do them Glory honour and peace to every one that worketh good Rom. 2.10 Now that we may supply both those other approaches on our feet hands we must in the third place draw nigh to God on our knees in our earnest supplications to him for his enabling us to them both doth any man want wisdom and this is the best improvement of wisdom that may be Ja. 1.4 to shelter our selves under the wings of the Almighty let him ask of God who giveth liberally and upbraideth no man let us sue to him with all holy importunity Oh that my wayes were made so direct that I might keep thy statutes Teach me O Lord the way of thy statutes Ps 119. and I shall keep it to the end O stablish thy word in thy servant that I may fear thee Thus let us seek the Lord early and fervently and powre out our hearts before him It is not for us to
excellent the Person so much more hainous is the offence done to him As to offend an Officer is in the eye of the Law more then to offend a private Subject a Magistrate more then an inferiour Officer a Peere more then a Magistrate for that is Scandalum Magnatum a Prince more then a Peere a Monarch more then a Prince Now in very nature a Spirit is more excellent then a Body I could send you higher but if we do but look into our own breasts we shall finde the difference There is a Spirit in Man saith Elihu Job 32.8 The Spirit of Man is as the Candle of the Lord saith Wise Solomon Prov. 20.27 without which the whole House is all dark and confused Now what comparison is there betwixt the Soul which is a Spirit and the Body which is Flesh even this which Wise Solomon instanceth in may serve for all The Spirit of a Man sustains his infirmities but a wounded Spirit who can hear Lo the Body helps to breed infirmities and the Spirit bears them out to which add the Body without the Spirit is dead the Spirit without the Body lives more It is a sad word of David when he complaines My bones are vexed Ps 6.2 and cleaves to my skin Psal 102.5 yet all this is tolerable in respect of that My Spirit faileth me My Spirit is overwhelmed within me my heart within me is desolate Psal 143.4 they were sore strokes that fetcht blood of our blessed Saviour but they were nothing to these inward torments that wrung from him the bloody sweat in his Agony when he said my soul is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 heavy unto the Death could we conceive that the Body could be capable of pain without the Spirit as indeed it is not since the Body feeles only by the Spirit that pain were painlesse but this we are sure of that the Spirit feels more exquisite pain without the Body in the state of separation from it then it could feel in the former conjunction with it and the wrong that is done to the Soul is more haynous then that which can be inflicted on the Body By how much then more pure simple perfect excellent the Spirit is whom we offend by so much more grievous is the offence to offend the Spirit of any good Man one of Christs little ones is so hainous that it were better for a man to have a milstone hanged about his neck and to be cast into the bottom of the Sea Mat. 18.6 To offend an Angel which is an higher degree of spirituality is more then to vex the Spirit of the best man Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy Flesh to sin neither say before the Angel that it was an errour Eccles 5.6 Hence St. Paul heightens his adjuration to Timothy I charge thee before the Elect Angels 1 Tim. 5.21 And giving order for the decent demeanure of the Corinthian Women in the Congregation requires That they should have power on their head because of the Angels 1 Cor. 11.10 To offend therefore the God of Spirits the Father of these spirituall Lights must needs be an infinite aggravation of the sin even so much more as He is above those his best Creatures and there cannot be so much distance betwixt the poorest worme that crawles on the Earth and the most glorious Archangel of Heaven as there is betwixt him and his Creator One would think now there could be no step higher then this yet there is our Saviour hath so taught us to distinguish of sins that he tells us All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven Matth. 12.31 and Marc. 3.29 Not that we can sin against one Person and not offend another for their essence is but one but this sin is singled out for a special obstruction of forgivenesse for that it is done against the illumination and Influence of that Grace whereof the Holy Ghost is the immediate giver and worker in the Soul who is therfore called the Spirit of Grace hereupon is Stevens challenge to the stiff-necked Jews Act. 7.51 Ye do alwayes resist the holy Ghost And his charge to Ananias Why hath Satan filled thy heart to lie to the Holy Ghost Act. 5.3 Ye see then how this charge riseth and what force is put into it by the condition of the Person A Spirit the holy Spirit the holy Spirit of God enough to make way for the consideration of the Act inhibited Grieve not the holy Spirit of God Grieve not c. How incompatible are the termes of this charge That which makes the sin as it is set forth more sinfull may seem to make it impossible If a Spirit how is it capable of passion and if it be impassible how can it be grieved Alas we weak mortalls are subject to be hurried about with every blast of passion The Almighty is above all the reach of these unquiet perturbations Lo that God which mercifully condescended because his infinite glory transcends our weaknesse to speak unto us men by man and by Angels in the forme of Men speaks to us men in the style and language of Men Two wayes then may the Spirit of God be said to be grieved in Himself in his Saints in himself by an Anthropopathie as we call it In his Saints by a Sympathie the former is by way of Allusion to humane passion and carriage so doth the Spirit of God upon occasion of mens sins as we do when we are grieved with some great wrong or unkindnesse And what do we then First we conceive an high dislike of and displeasure at the Act Secondly we withdraw our countenance and favour from the offender Thirdly we inflict some punishment upon the offence and these are all of them dreadfull expressions of the grieving of Gods Spirit even these three displeasure aversion punishment For the first Esay expresseth it by vexation Esay 63.10 A place so much more worthy of observation for that some judicious interpreters as Reverend Calvin Zanchius Pagnine and Cornelius a Lapide think very probably that this text is borrowed from thence 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And they rebelled and vexed the Spirit of his holinesse Where such an Act is intimated as compriseth both grief and Anger surely we do not think it safe to irritate the great and if it be but a man a little bigger then our selves we are ready to deprecate his displeasure but if it be a man that is both great and dear to us with whom we are faln out how unquiet are we if we have any good nature in us till we have recovered his lost favour do ye not see with what importunity good David seeks to appease the wrath of his incensed Father in Law none of the best men and causelesly provoked Let my Lord the King hear the words of his Servant If the Lord have stirred thee up against me let him accept an offering but if they
of evil inclinations and actions which yet will never reach to evince our son-ship to God How easily were it for me to name you divers Heathens which have been eminent in all these and yet for ought we know never the nearer to Heaven yet lower there are some speciall gifts of the Spirit which we call Charismata rare endowments bestowed upon some men excellent faculties of preaching and praying power of miraculous workings as no doubt Judas did cast out Devils as well as the best of his fellow-Apostles gifts of tongues and of Prophesie and the like which do no more argue a right to the son-ship of God then the Manuaries infused skill of Bezaleel and Aâ—oliab could prove them Saints yet lastly there may be sensible operations of the Spirit of God upon the soul in the influences of holy motions into the heart in working a temporary faith and some fair progresse in an holy profession and yet no sonship the world is full of such glow-wormes that make some show of Spiritual Light from God when they have nothing in them but cold crudities that can serve for nothing but deceit Will ye then see what leading of the Spirit can evince us to be the Sons and Daughters of God know then that if we will hope for a comfortable assurance hereof we must be efficaciously led by his sanctifying Spirit first in matter of judgment secondly in our dispositions and thirdly in our practise For matter of judgment ye remember what our Saviour said to his Disciples When the Spirit of truth is come he will lead you into all Truth John 16.13 That is into all saving and necessary truthes so as to free us from grosse ignorance or main errour Whosoever therefore is enlightned with the true and solid knowledg of all those points of Christian doctrine which are requisite for salvation is in that first regard led by the Spirit and in this behalf hath a just title to the son-ship of God as contrarily those that are grosly and obstinately erroneous in their judgment of fundamental truthes let them pretend to never so much holinesse in heart or life shall in vain lay claim to this happy condition of the Sons of God For our disposition secondly If the holy Spirit have wrought our hearts to be right with God in all our affections if we do sincerely love and fear him if we do truely believe in him receiving him as not our Saviour only but as our Lord If our desires be unfained towards him If after a meek and penitent self-dejection we can find our selves raised to a lively hope and firm confidence in that our blessed Redeemer and shall continue in a constant and habitual fruition of him being thus led by the Spirit of God we may be assured that we are the Sons of God for flesh and blood cannot be accessary to these gracious dispositions Lastly for our practise it is a clear word which we hear God say by Ezekiel I will put my Spirit into the midst of you and will by it cause you to walk in my statutes and keep my laws Ezech. 36.27 Lo herein is the main crisis of a soul led by the Spirit of God and adopted to this heavenly son-ship It is not for us to content our selves to talk of the lawes of our God and to make empty and formal professions of his name Here must be a continued walk in Gods statutes it will not serve the turne for us to stumble upon some acceptable work to step aside a little into the pathes of godlinesse and then draw back to the World no my beloved this leading of Gods Spirit must neither be a forced angariation as if God would feoffe grace and salvation upon us against our wills nor some suddain protrusion to good nor a meer actual momentany transient conduction for a brunt of holinesse and away leaving us to the sinful wayes of our former disobedience and to our wonted compliances with the World the Devil and the Flesh but must be in a steady uninterrupted habitual course of holy obedience so as we may sincerely professe with the man after Gods own heart My soul hath kept thy Testimonies and I love them exceedingly Psal 119.67 Now then dear Christians lay this to heart seriously and call your selves sadly to this triall What is the carriage of our lives What obedience do we yeild to the whole law of our God If that be entire hearty universal constant perseverant and truly conscientious we have whereof to rejoyce an unfailing ground to passe a confident judgment upon our spiritual estate to be no lesse then happy But if we be willingly failing in the unfained desires and indevours of these holy performances and shall let loose the reins to any known wickednesse we have no part nor portion in this blessed condition Mark I beseech you how fully this is asserted to our hands in this saith the beloved Apostle the Children of God are manifest and the children of the Devil whosoever doth not righteousnesse is not of God neither he that loves not his brother 1 Joh. 3.10 Observe I pray you what test we are put to ye hear him not say who so talks not holily or who so professes not godlinesse in these an hypocrite may exceed the best Saint but whosoever doth not righteousnesse withall see what a clause the Disciple of love superadds to the mention of all Righteousnesse neither he that loves not his brother surely the Spirit of God is a Loving Spirit Wisdom 1.6 and St. Paul hath the like phrase Rom. 15.30 To let passe then all the other proofes of our guidance by the spirit Instance but in this one Alas my Brethren what is become of that charitable and christian carriage of men towards one another which God requires of us and which was wont to be conspicuous amongst Christian compatriots Wo is me instead of that true and hearty love which our Saviour would have the Livery of our Disciple-ship the badg of our holy profession what do we see but emulation envy malice rigid censures and rancorous heart-burnings amongst men In stead of those neighbourly and friendly offices which Christians were wont lovingly to performe to each other what have we now in the common practise of men but underminings oppressions violence cruelty Can we think that the Spirit of him who would be styled Love it self would lead us in these rugged and bloody pathes No no this alone is too clear a proof how great a stranger the Spirit of God is to the hearts and waies of men and how few there are that upon good and firme grounds can plead their right to the son-ship of God Alas alas if these dispositions and practises may bewray the sons of an holy God what can men do to prove themselves the children of that hellish Apollion who was a man-slayer from the beginning For us my beloved Oh let us hate and bewaile this common degeneration of Christians and as we would
herein Interpreters differ ut qui maxime For those late writers which have read the words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Because of the young Men I must needs say they would make a clear sense if we might take their words for the use of any such word in the Greek Tongue which for my part I must confess never to have met with To pass over the improbable guesses of many The words are taken by some in a borrowed sense by some others in a naturall In a borrowed sense by those either who by Angells here understand Gods Ministers or as those that take it for holy men of what ever profession These latter seem not to have any fair warrant for their interpretation since however we find somewhere that the Saints shall be in a condition like to the Angels yet no where do we find them called Angels the former want not good probability for their construction neither is it an unusuall thing with the Spirit of God to call his Ministers by the name of Angels So Malachy 2. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for he is the Angel or Messenger of the Lord and of John the Baptist the same Prophet can say Malâ—c 3.1 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I will send my messenger or Angel yea the very name of the Prophet that writes is no other then Malachy My Angel And ye know in the Apocalypse how oft the prime Governors of the Church are called Angels whereupon St. Chrysostome as I remember makes the reason of that full expression of St. Paul If an Angel from Heaven Galat. 1. to allude unto this distinction that even Gods Ministers are his Angels too though upon Earth a title given them both in regard of their mission and of their near relation to God and of those qualities which these Men of God should imitate in those blessed Spirits The very name is doctrinall and teacheth us both what God expects from us both to himself and you and what he expects from you to us From us faithfullnesse and diligence in his holy errands whereabouts we are sent to the World from you love and reverence to those Messengers which he imployes about your Salvation but it was my meaning only to call to this sense at the window in my passage as that which I hold not within the compasse of the Holy-Ghosts intention Doubtless the sense is naturall and proper not of men by way of allusion but of those which are Spirâ—ts by essence and yet even in this sense there is some variety of judgment whiles some take this to be spoken of evill Angels others of good Those which apply this to evill Angels are likewise in a double opinion For some take it passively least even those Angels should be tempted others actively least they should take occasion to tempt The former conceit is as gross as it hath been ancient of Tertullian and some others that even spirits to whom they ascribe a kind of materiality may be taken with the immodest venditation of a fleshly beauty to which purpose they do ignorantly mistake that of Genes 6.2 That the Sons of God saw the Daughters of Men that they were fair not considering the sequel that they took them wives of all that they chose Surely if ever spirits have affected these fleshly sins yet of marryed Spirits there was never dream in any sober head This fancy is too absurd to merit a confutation No doubt wicked spirits take delight in drawing the Sons of men to inordinate affections and beastly practises but that themselves place any pleasure in bodily obscenities is a matter not easie to be believed Or if they should be obnoxious to those carnall desires that the interposing of a vail should any way avail to the restraint of their wicked inclinations and purposes it is too poor a thought to enter into any wise understanding The other viz. least those Spirits should take this occasion of tempting might pass for currant if ever we could find in the whole body of the Scripture where the evill spirits are absolutely called Angels without some addition of distinction which is learned Camerons observation except only that one 1 Cor. 6.3 where they are so stiled for the greater honour of the Saints that shall judge them However the truth of the proposition is undeniable that so we ought to habit and order our selves that we may not give advantage to the evill Spirits either to our temptation or their prevalence we may be sure those tempters will omit no occasion of winning us to filthiness Do you not think that when they see wanton dames come disguised into Gods house as it were into the box of the play-house with their brest bare almost to the Navel their armes to the elbow their necks to the shoulder-points darting their lascivious eyes every way and in their whole fashion and gesture bewraying such lightness as might be able to debauch a whole assembly think ye not I say that they applaud themselves in so rich a booty as knowing that every eye that is transported and every heart that is fired with that immodest gazing-stock are so many spoiles and trophees of their Temptations It is a true and seasonable word that holy Cyprian said to the dames of his time that it was not enough for them to keep themselves from being corrupted by others solicitations unless they took care so to dress and deport themselves that they might not be occasions of raysing wanton thoughts in the beholders For surely we can not free our selves from those sins wherein others by our means though besides our particular intentions are insnared there is much liberty I confess in matter of attire but let me withall give you St. Pauls Item to his Galathians Brethren ye have been called to liberty only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh but by love serve one another Galat. 5.13 When and how is our liberty an occasion to the flesh but when we do so pranck up and pamper our flesh as that we regard not therein any others dangers which when soever we are drawn to do we may be sure we have so wary and vigilant spirits to watch us as that no advantage can be let fall against our souls as therefore wise and carefull commanders do not only cast how to impugne oppresse and annoy an enemy but also how to remove those helps which might be advantageous to him in his siege even to the demolishing of Suburbs and stopping up of Fountaines and the like so must we do in this spirituall warfare of ours we must not only stir up our courage and indevors to resist and vanquish tentations but we must bend our utmost care upon the prevention and removall of whatsoever in our apparell carriage diet recreations may be likely to give furtherance to their assault or prevalency and in the whole practise of our lives so demean our selves as that we may according to the charge of the Apostle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not
but by the efficacy of the Spirit The soul hath an ear as well as the body when the ear of the soul hears the operative motions of Gods spirit as well as the ear of the body hears the external sound of the Gospel then are we called by God when true faith is wrought in the Soul as well as outward conformity in our life when we are made true Christians as well as outward professors then and not till then have we this calling from God Such then is our calling the election is answerable to it Not a temporal and external to some special office or dignity whereof our Saviour Have not I chosen you twelve John 6.70 and Moses his chosen Psal 106. Not a singling out from the most to an outward profession of Christ whereof perhaps the Apostle 1 Thes 1.4 Knowing beloved that ye are elect of God and the Psalmist Blessed is he whom thou choosest and causest to dwell in thy courts Psal 65.5 For notwithstanding this noble and happy priviledge little would it availe us to be sure of this and no more no profession no dignity can secure us from being perfectly miserable but an eternal election to glory whereof St. Paul Ephes 1.4 God hath chosen us in Christ before the foundations of the World that we might be holy and blamlesse before him in love and to his Colossians As the elect of God holy and beloved such as to whom saving Faith is appropriated the style whereof is Fidus electorum the faith of the Elect Tit. 1.1 Such then is our calling and elction Now this calling this election must be made sure or firme as the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies sure and firme not on Gods part who we know is unchangble in his nature in his counsels So as in that regard our election if it be at all is most sure and surer cannot be but on ours not only in respect of the object which is the truth and immutability of the thing it self but in respect of the subject too the soul that apprehends it so sure that it cannot be falsified cannot be disappointed It is not for us to expect such a certainty of knowledg in this point as there is of Principles of Arts or of those things whereof common sence assures us Our Schoolmen make distinction of a certainty evident and inevident Evident which ariseth out of the clearness of the object it self and the necessary connection of the termes as that the whole is greater then a part Inevident which arises not so much out of the intrinsecal truth of the proposition it self as out of the veracity and infallibleness of the party that affirmes it So both Divine and Humane faith receive their assurance from the Divine or Humane authority whereon it is grounded and this inevident assurance may be so certain as to expel all prevailing doubt though not all troubling doubt Neither need there any other for the Articles of our creed which we take upon the infallible trust of him who is the truth it self and can no more deceive us then not be This latter is the certainty which we must labour to attain unto In the grant whereof our Romish Divines are generally too straight-laced yielding yet a Theological certainty which goes farr but not home although some of them are more liberal as Catharinus Vega Ruardus Tapperus and Pererius following them which grant that some holy men out of the feeling and experience of the power of Gods Spirit in them may without any speciall revelation grow to a great height of assurance if not so as that they may swear they are assured of this happy estate of grace yet so as that they may be as confident of it as that there is a Rome or Constantinople which one would think were enough but the rest are commonly too sparing in the inching out of the possibilitie of our assurance by nice distinctions Cardinal Bellarmine makes six kindes or degrees of certainty whereof three are clear three obscure the three first are the certainty of understanding the certainty of knowledg the certainty of experience The first of them is of plain principles which upon meer hearing are yielded to be most true without any traverse of thoughts The second is of conclusions evidently deduced from those principles The third is of the matters of sense about which the eye or eare is not deceived The three latter certainties which are more obscure are those of Faith or Beleefe and the degrees thereof The first whereof is the certainty of the Catholick or Divine faith which depending upon Gods authority cannot deceive us The second is the certainty of humane faith so depending upon Mans authority and in such matters as shut out all fear of falshood or disappointment in believing them as that there was an Augustus Caesar a Rome a Jerusalem The third is the certainty of a well grounded conceit which he pleaseth to call conjecturall raised upon such undoubted signes and proofs as may make a Man secure of what he holdeth and excludes all anxiety yet cannot utterly free him from all fear This last he can be content to yield us and indeed in his stating the question stands onely upon the deniall of the certainty of a Divine faith in this great affair we are ready to take what he gives so as then here may be a certainty in the heart of a regenerate Man of his calling and election and such a one as shall render him holily secure and free from anxiety Let the distinguisher weary himself with the thoughts of reconciling certitude with conjectures security with fear let us have the security and let him take the fear to himself Shortly then whiles the Schools make much ado of what kind of certainty this must be taken whether of faith or of hope or of confidence surely if it be such an hope and confidence as makes not ashamed by disappointing us both are equally safe It is enough if it be such a fiduciall perswasion as cannot deceive us nor be liable to falshood But how far then reaches this assecuration So far as to exclude all fears all doubting and hesitation Neither of these Not all kind of fear for we are bidden to work out our salvation with fear and trembling Philip. 2. and to spend the time of our pilgrimage in fear 1 Pet. 1. Not doubting which the counsell of Trent would seem to cast upon our opinion we cannot be so senseless as not in the conscience of our infirmities and manifold indispositions find our selves put to many plunges but yet so as that by the power of our faith which is the victory that overcomes the World at last we do happily recover and find our selves freed by a comfortable and joyfull â—â—uctation If any Man could be so fond as to think we stand so sure that we shall never shake or move he grosly misconceives our condition but if so sure that we shall never be turned up by the roots never
warfares to God should not intangle himself with this world it is a sufficient and just conviction of those who would divide themselves betwixt God and the World and bestow any main part of their time upon secular affairs but it hath no operation at all upon this tenet which we have in hand that a man dedicate to God may not so much as when he is required cast a glance of his eye or some minutes of time or some motions of his tongue upon the publick business of his King and Countrey Those that expect this from us may as well and upon the same reason hold that a minister must have no family at all or if he have one must not care for it yea that he must have no body to tend but be all Spirit My Lords we are men of the same composition with others and our breeding hath been accordingly we cannot have lived in the World but we have seen it and observed it too and our long experience and conversation both in Men and in books cannot but have put something into us for the good of others and now having a double capacity qua cives qua Ecclesiastici as members of the common wealth as Ministers and Governours of the Church we are ready to do our best service in both one of them is no way incompatible with the other yea the subjects of them both are so united with the Church and Commonwealth that they cannot be severed yea so as that not the one is in the other but one is the other is both so as the services which we do upon these occasions to the Comonwealth are inseparable from our good offices to the Church so as upon this ground there is no reason of our exclusion If ye say that our sitting in Parliament takes up much time which we might have imployed in our studies or pulpits consider I beseech you that whiles you have a Parliament we must have a convocation and that our attendance upon that will call for the same expense of time which we afford to this service so as herein we have neither got nor lost But I fear it is not on some hands the tender regard of the full scope to our calling that is so much here stood upon as the conceit of too much honour that is done us in taking up the room of Peers and voting in this high Court for surely those that are averse from our votes yet could be content we should have place upon the wool-sacks and could alow us ears but not tongues If this be the matter I beseech your Lordships to consider that this honour is not done to us but our profession which what ever we be in our several persons can not easily be capable of too much respect from your Lordships Non tibi sed Isidi as he said of old Neither is this any new grace that is put upon our calling which if it were now to begin might perhaps be justly grudged to our unworthyness but it is an antient right and inheritance inherent in our station No less ancient then these walls wherein we sit yea more before ever there were Parliaments in the Magna Consilia of the Kingdome we had our places and as for my predecessors ever since the Conquerours time I can show your Lordships a just catalogue of them that have sat before me here and truely though I have just cause to be mean in mine own eyes yet why or wherein there should be more unworthiness in me then the rest that I should be stript of that priviledg which they so long injoyed though there were no law to hold me here I cannot see or confesse What respects of honour have been put upon the prime Clergy of old both by Pagans and Jewes and Christians and what are still both within Christendom and vvithout I shall not need to urge it is enough to say this of ours is not meerly arbitrary but stands so firmely established by law and custome that I hope it neither will nor can be removed except you will shake those foundations which I believe you desire to hold firme and inviolable Shortly then my Lords the church craves no new honour from you and justly hopes you will not be guilty of pulling down the old as you are the eldest sons and next under his Majesty the honourable patrons of the Church so she expects and beseeches you to receive her into your tenderest care so to order her affairs that ye leave her to posterity in no worse case then you found her It is a true word of Damasus Uti vilescit nomen episcopi omnis statua perturbatur Ecclesiae If this be suffered the misery will be the Churches the dishonour blurre of the act in future ages will be yours To shut up therefore let us be taken off from all ordinary trade of secular imployments and if you please abridge us of intermeddling with matters of common justice but leave us possessed of those places and priviledges in Parliament which our predecessors have so long and peaceably injoyed ANTHEMES FOR THE CATHEDRAL OF EXCETER LOrd what am I A worm dust vapor nothing What is my life A dream a daily dying What is my flesh My souls uneasie clothing What is my time A minute ever flying My time my flesh my life and I What are we Lord but vanity Where am I Lord downe in a vale of death What is my trade sin my dear God offending My sport sin too my stay a puffe of breath What end of sin hells horrour never ending My way my trade sport stay and place help up to make up my dolefull case Lord what art thou pure life power beauty bliss Where dwell'st thou up above in perfect light What is thy time eternity it is What state attendance of each glorious sp'rit Thy self thy place thy dayes thy state Pass all the thoughts of powers create How shall I reach thee Lord Oh soar above Ambitious soul but which way should I flie Thou Lord art way and end what wings have I Aspiring thoughts of faith of hope of love Oh let these wings that way alone Present me to thy blissfull throne ANTHEME FOR Christmas Day IMmortall babe who this dear day Didst change thine Heaven for our clay And didst with flesh thy Godhead vail Eternal Son of God All-hail Shine happy star ye Angels sing Glory on high to Heavens King Run Shepherds leave your nightly watch See Heaven come down to Bethleems cratch Worship ye Sages of the East The King of Gods in meanness drest O blessed maid smile and adore The God thy womb and armes have bore Star Angels Shepherds and wise sages Thou Virgin glory of all ages Restored frame of Heaven and Earth Joy in your dear Redeemers Birth LEave O my soul this baser World below O leave this dolefull dungeon of wo And soare aloft to that supernal rest That maketh all the Saints and Angels blest Lo there the God-heads radiant throne Like to ten thousand Suns in one Lo there thy Saviour dear in glory dight Ador'd of all the powers of Heavens bright Lo where that head that bled with thorny wound Shines ever with celestial honor crownd That hand that held the scornfull reed Makes all the fiends infernall dread That back and side that ran with bloody streams Daunt Angels eyes with their majestick beames Those feet once fastened to the cursed tree Trample on death and hell in glorious glee Those lips once drench't with gall do make With their dread doom the world to quake Behold those joyes thou never canst behold Those precious gates of pearl those Streets of gold Those streams of Life those trees of Paradise That never can be seen by mortal eyes And when thou seest this state divine Think that it is or shall be thine See there the happy troups of purest sprights That live above in endless true delights And see where once thy self shalt ranged be And look and long for immortalitie And now before-hand help to sing Allelujahs to Heavens King FINIS BOOKS printed for and to be sold by John Crook at the Sign of the Ship in St Pauls Church-yard ANnales veteris novi Testamenti Aviro Reverend Jacob Usserio Archiepisco Armachano Folio The Annals of the Old and New Testament with the Synchronismus of Heathen story to the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans by James Usher D.D. Arch-Bishop of Armagh and Primate of Ireland Folio The Antiquities of Warwikcshire illustrated beautified with Maps prospects and pourtractures by William Dugdale Folio Hymens Preludia or Loves Master piece being the 9th and 10th parts of Cleopatra Folio The History of this Iâ—on Age wherein is set down the Original of all the wars and commotions that have happened from the year of God 1500. Illustrated with the figures of the most Renowned persons of this Time Folio The History of the great and renowned Monarchy of China Fol. The holy History containing excellent observations on the Remarkable passages of the old Testament written Originally in French by N. Caussin S.I. and now rendred into English by a Person of Honour 4. Ejusdem de textus hebraici Veteris Testamenti variantibus Lectionibus ad Lodovicum Capellum Epistola Quarto Usserii de 70. Interpretum versione syntagma Quarto Montagues Miscellanea Spiritualâ—ia 4. second part A Treatise of Gavelkind both name and thing shewing the true Etymology and derivation of the one the nature antiquity and Original of the other by William Sonner Quarto The Holy Life of Mounsier de Renty a late noble man of France 8. Certain discourses viz. of Babylon the present See of Rome of laying on of hands of the old forme of words in Ordination of a set forme of prayer being the judgment of the Late Arch-Bishop of Armagh and Primate of Ireland by N. Bernard D. D. Octavo The Character of England with reflections upon Gallus Castratus 12. The French Gardiner instructing how to cultivate all sorts of Fruit-trees with directions to dry and conserve them in their natural An accomplished peice illustrated with sculpture By whom also all manner of Books are to be sold brought from beyond the Seas
stated and arbitrated by Reverend and Learned Bishop Overall on one side and our Divines on the other As for this Authour himself to prevent thy hard censure of his leaning to Arminius we referre thee to the passages which thou wilt meet with wherein he claims the liberty of reserving his own Judgement and more especially to pag. 387. where in the close of the Tract his unbyassedness is clearly professed Now Reader after thy quarrel with us taken off for our thus long withholding the good in these Remains from thee when it was in the power of our hands to give them forth for which we plead our long mocked Expectation of a promised and delayed Reimpression of all the Authours scattered Tracts to be reduced into a Volume in which these were meant to be included we dismiss thee with this blessing and we think it blessing enough May the Spirit of this Reverend Father rest upon thee and maist thou be but as Sound in thy Judgment and Religious in thy Affections as he was and as Blessed in the End as he now is The Heads of what is here Collected A Sermon Preach't before K. James at Hampton-Court in September 1624. on Philip. 3.18 19. Fol. 1 Christian Liberty laid forth in a Sermon at White-Hall 1628. on Call 5.1 Fol. 19 Divine Light and Reflections in a Sermon at White-Hall on Whitsunday 1640. on 1 John 1.5 Fol. 33 A Sermon Preach't at the Cathedral of Exceter upon the Pacification betwixt the two Kingdomes Septemb. 7. 1641. on Psalm 46.8 Fol. 48 The Mischief of Faction and the Remedy of it a Sermon at White-Hall on the second Sunday in Lent 1641. on Psal 60.1 Fol. 65 A Sermon Preacht at the Tower March 20. 1641. on James 4.1 Fol. 84 A Sermon Preach't on Whitsunday June 9. 1644. in Norwich on Ephes 4.30 Fol. 101 A Second Sermon in prosecution of the same Text in Norwich July 21. 1644. Fol. 127 A Sermon on Easter-day at Higham 1648. Fol. 185 A Sermon Preacht on Whitsunday at Higham 1652. on Rom. 8.14 Fol. 140 The Mourner in Sion on Ecclesiastes 3.4 Fol. 154 A Sermon Preacht at Higham July 1 1655. on 1 Pet. 1.17 Fol. 192 The Womens Vail or a Discourse concerning the necessity or expedience of the Close-covering of the Heads of Women Fol. 265 Holy Decency in the Worship of God Fol. 253 Good Security a discourse of the Christians Assurance Fol. 261 A plain and familiar explication of Christs presence in the Sacrament of his Body and Blood Fol. 287 A Letter for the Observation of the Feast of Christs Nativity Fol. 296 A Letter to Mr. William Struthers one of the Preachers of Edenbourgh Fol. 306 Epistola D. Baltasari Willio S. T. D. Fol. 317 Epistola D. Lud. Crocio S. T. D. Fol. 321 Epistola D. Herman Hildebrando S. T. D. Fol. 331 Reverendissimo Marco Antonio de Dom. Archiep. Spalatensi Epistola discessus sui ad Romam dissuasiva Fol. 394 A Modest Offer Fol. 336 Certain irrefragable Propositions worthy of serious Consideration Fol. 348 The way of peace in the five busie Articles commonly known by the name of Arminia Fol. 353 A Letter concerning the falling away from Grace Fol. 389 A Letter concerning Religion Fol. 401 Resolutions for Religion Fol. 405 A Letter concerning the frequent injection of Temptations Fol. 411 A consolatory Letter to one under Censure Fol. 414 A short answer to the Nine Arguments which are brought against the Bishops sitting in Parliament Fol. 417 For Episcopacy and Liturgie Fol. 421 A speech in Parliament Fol. 425 A speech in Parliament in defence of the Canons made in Convocation Fol. 428 A speech in Parliament concerning the power of Bishops in Secular things Fol. 432 Anthemes for the Cathedral of Exceter Fol. 435 OBSERVATIONS Of some Specialties of DIVINE PROVIDENCE In the Life of JOS. HALL BISHOP of NORWICH Written with his own Hand NOt out of a vain affectation of my own Glory which I know how little it can avail me when I am gone hence but out of a sincere desire to give glory to my God whose wonderful Providence I have noted in all my wayes have I recorded some remarkable passages of my fore-past life what I have done is worthy of nothing but silence and forgetfulness but what God hath done for me is worthy of everlasting and thankfull Memory I was born Julii 1. 1574. at five of the clock in the Morning in Bristow-Park within the Parish of Ashby de la Zouch a Town in Leicester-shire of honest and well allowed Parentage my Father was an Officer under that truly Honourable and Religious Henry Earl of Huntingdon President of the North and under him had the Government of that Market-Town wherein the chief Seat of that Earldome is placed My Mother Winifride of the House of the Bambridges was a woman of that rare Sanctity that were it not for my Interest in Nature I durst say that neither Aleth the mother of that just Honour of Clareval nor Monica nor any other of those pious Matrons antiently famous for Devotion need to disdain her admittance to comparison She was continually exercised with the affliction of a weak Body and oft of a wounded Spirit the Agonies whereof as she would oft recount with much passion professing that the greatest bodily sicknesses were but Flea-bites to those Scorpions so from them all at last she found an happy and comfortable deliverance and that not without a more then ordinary hand of God For on a time being in great distress of Conscience she thought in her Dream there stood by her a grave Personage in the Gown and other Habits of a Physitian who enquiring of her estate and receiving a sad and querulous answer from her took her by the hand and bad her be of good Comfort for this should be the last Fit that ever she should feel of this kinde whereto she seemed to answer that upon that condition she could well be content for the time with that or any other torment reply was made to her as she thought with a redoubled assurance of that happy issue of this her last tryal whereat she began to conceive an unspeakable joy which yet upon her awaking left her more disconsolate as then conceiting her happiness imaginary her misery real when the very same day she was visited by the reverend and in his time famous Divine Mr. Anthony Gilby under whose Ministry she lived who upon the Relation of this her pleasing Vision and the contrary effects it had in her began to perswade her that Dream was no other then Divine and that she had good reason to think that gracious premonition was sent her from God himself who though ordinarily he keeps the common rode of his proceedings yet sometimes in the Distresses of his Servants he goes unusual wayes to their relief hereupon she began to take heart and by good Counsel and her fervent prayers found that happy prediction verified to her and upon all occasions in the
too ever killing with an ever-living death for a perpetual fruition of our torment Here is the bondage where is the liberty Christ hath spoiled principalities and powers and made a show of them openly triumphing over them in the same cross Colos 2.15 By his death he destroyed him that hath the power of death tke Devil Heb. 2.14 So then Christ hath freed us fourthly from the bondage of Satans tyranny At the best the law is but a hard Master impossible to please 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith St. Paul but at the worst a cruell one The very courtesie of the law was jugum an unsupportable yoke but the spight of the law is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a curse Cursed is every one that continues not in all that is written in the book of the law to do it Gal. 3.10 Do you not remember an unmercifull steward in the Gospell that catcheth his bankrupt fellow by the throat and saies Pay me that thou owest me so doth the law to us we should pay and cannot and because we cannot pay we forfeit our selves so as every mothers son is the child of death Here is our bondage where is our liberty Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law being made a curse for us Oh blessed redemption that frees us from the curse Oh blessed redeemer that would become a curse for us that the curse of the law might not light upon us so Christ hath freed us fifthly from the bondage of the law Moses was a meek man but a severe Master His face did not more shine in Gods aspect upon him then it lowred in his aspect to men His ceremonies were hard impositions Many for number costly for charge painfull for execution He that led Israel out of one bondage carryed them into another From the bondage of Egypt to the bondage of Sinai this held till the vail of the Temple rent yea till the vail of that better Temple his sacred body his very heart-strings did crack a sunder with a consummatum est And now 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Christ is the end of the law Rom. 10.4 Now the law of the spirit of life hath freed us Rom. 8.2 You hear now no more newes of the ceremonies of prefiguration they are dead with Christ ceremonies of decency may and must live let no man now have his ear bored thorough to Moses his post Christ hath freed us sixtly from the law of ceremonies Our last Master is humane Ordinances the case of our exemption where from is not so clear concerning which I finde a double extream of opinion The one that ascribes too much to them as equalling them with the law of God the other that ascribes too little to them as if they were no tie to our obedience The one holding them to bind the conscience no less then the positive laws of God the other either sleighting their obligation or extending it only to the outward man not the inward we must learn to walk a mid-way betwixt both and know that the good lawes of our superiours whether civill or ecclesiastical do in a sort reach to the very conscience though not primarily and immediately as theirs yet mediately and secondarily as they stand in reference to the law of God with our obedience to his instituted authority and therefore they tie us in some sort besides the case whether of scandall or contempt Where no man can witness there is no scandall where is no intention of an affront to the commanding power there is no contempt and yet willingly to break good Iaws without all witness without all purpose of affront is therfore sin because disobedience For example I dine fully alone out of wantonnesse upon a day sequestred by authority to a publick fast I dine alone therefore without scandall out of wantonnesse therefore not out of contempt yet I offend against him that seeth in secret notwithstanding my solitarinesse and my wantonnesse is by him construed as a contempt to the ordainer of authority But when both scandall and contempt are met to aggravate the violation now the breach of humane lawes binds the conscience to a fearfull guilt Not to flatter the times as I hope I shall never be blurred with this crimination I must needs say this is too shamefully unregarded Never age was more lawlesse Our fore-fathers were taught to be superstitiously scrupulous in observing the lawes of the Church above Gods like those Christians of whom Socrates the historian speaks of which held fornication as a thing indifferent de diebus festis tanquam de vita decertant but strive for an holy day as for their life we are leapt into a licentious neglect of civill or sacred lawes as if it were piety to be disobedient Doth the law command a Friday fast no day is so selected for feasting let a schismaticall or popish book be prohibited this very prohibition endears it let wholsome lawes be enacted against drunkennesse idlenesse exactions unlawfull transportations excesse of diet of apparell or what ever noted abuse commands do not so much whet our desires as forbiddances what is this but to baffle and affront that sacred power which is entrusted to government and to professe our selves not Libertines but licentiate of disorder Farr farr is it from the intentions of the God of order under the stile of liberty to give scope to these unruly humors of men the issue whereof can be no other then utter confusion But if any power besides divine in Heaven or Earth shall challenge to it self this priviledg to put a primary or immediate tie upon the conscience so as it should be a sin to disobey that ordinance because 't is without relation to the command of the highest let it be anathema our hearts have reason to be free in spight of any such Antichristian usurpation whiles the owner of them hath charged us not to be thus the servants of men 1 Cor. 7.23 so Christ hath lastly freed us from the bondage of humane ordinances Lo now ye have seen our liberation from a whole heptarchy of spirituall tyranny Stand still now awhile Honourable and beloved and look back with wondring and thankfull eyes upon the infinite mercy of our deliverer sin beguiles us conscience accuseth us Gods wrath is bent against us Satan tyrannizes over us the law condemnes us insolent superstition inthralls us and now from all these Christ hath made us free How should we now erect altars to our dear Redeemer and inscribe them Christo liberatori how should we from the altars of our devoted hearts send up the holy sacrifices of our best obediences the sweet incense of our perpetuall prayers Oh blessed Saviour how should we how can we enough magnifie thee no not though those celestiall Choristers of thine should return to bear a part with us in renewing their gloria in excelsis glory to God on high Our bodies our souls are too little for thee Oh take thine own from us and give it
the Gospell begin to cast wanton eyes upon their glorious superstitions and contrary to the lawes of God and our Soveraign throng to their exoticall devotions What shall we say Increpa Domine Master rebuke them And ye to whom God hath given grace to see and bewail the lamentable exorbitances of their superstitions settle your souls in the noble resolution of faithfull Joshua I and my house will serve the Lord. Stand fast in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made you free Hath the Gospell of God freed us from the worship of stocks and stones from the mis-religious invocation of those who we know cannot hear us from the sacrilegious mutilation of the blessed sacrament From the tyrannical usurpations of a sinfull vice-god From the dangerous relyance upon the inerrable sentence of him that cannot say true from the idle fears of imaginary Purgatories from buying of pardons and selling of sins shortly from the whole body of damnable Antichristianisme and shall our unstable mouths now begin to water at the Onions and Garlick of our forsaken Egypt Oh Dear Christians if ye love your solus if ye fear hell stand fast in this liberty wherewith Christ hath made you free What mercy soever may abide well-meaning ignorance let the wilfull revolter make account of damnation I cannot without yearning of bowels think of the dear price that our holy fore-fathers stak't down for this liberty of the Gospel no lesse then their best and last blood And shall we their unthrifty progeny lavish it out carelessly in a willing neglect and either not care to exchange it for a plausible bondage or squander it out in unncecessary differences Do but cast your eyes back upon the fresh memory of those late flourishing times of this goodly kingdome when pure religion was not more cheerfully professed then inviolably maintained how did we then thrive at home and triumph abroad How were we then the terrour the envy of Nations Our name was enough to affright to amate an enemy But now since we have let fall our first love and suffered the weak languishments and qualmes of the truth under our hands I fear and grieve to tell the issue Oh then suffer your selves O ye noble and beloved Christians to be rouzed up from that dull and lethargick indâ—fferencie wherein ye have thus long slept and awake up your holy courages for God and his sacred truth And since we have so many comfortable and assured ingagements from our pious Soveraign Oh let not us be wanting to God to his Majesty to our selves in our utmost endeavours of advancing the good successe of the blessed Gospell of Christ Honour God with your faithfull and zealous prosecutions of his holy truth and he shall honour you and besides the restauration of that antient glory to our late-clouded Nation shall repay our good Offices done to his name with an eternal weight of glory in the highest heavens to the possession whereof he that hath ordained us in his good time mercifully bring us for the sake of the Son of his love Jesus Christ the just To whom with the Father and the Holy Ghost one infinite God be given all praise honour and glory now and for ever Amen DIVINE LIGHT AND REFLEXIONS IN A SERMON Preacht to his MAJESTY at WHITE-HALL On Whitsunday 1640. By JOS. EXON 1 John 1.5 God is Light IF ye mark it your very Calender so as the wisdom of the Church hath contrived it is a notable Catechism And surely if the plain man would but ply his Almanack well that alone would teach him Gospell enough to show him the history of his Saviour If one day teach another all dayes would teach him There should he see his blessed Saviours conception Annuntiated by the Angel March 25. Fourty weekes after that he should see him born of the Virgin accordingly at the feast of the Nativity eight dayes after that circumcised on New years day then visited and adored by the Sages in the Epiphanie then presented into the Temple on the day of Purification then tempted and fasting fourty dayes in Lent He should see him usher'd in by his fore-runner the holy Baptist six Moneths before his Nativity attended by his twelve Apostles in their severall ranks and Thomas the last for his unbelief And at last after infinite and beneficiall miracles he should see him making his Maundy with his disciples on the Thursday and crucified on Good Friday he should see that on Easter Morning God the Father raises up his Son Jesus from the dead Act 5.30 On Ascention day God the Son mounts up to Heaven in glory Act. 1.9 On Whitsunday God the holy Ghost descends upon the Apostles Act. 2.3.4 And his belief in all these summed up in the celebration of the blessed Trinity the Sunday following I shall not over-labour to reduce the Text to the day Fire and light have so near affinity that they are scarce ever separated The same Spirit of God who appeared as this day in the shape of fierie tongues to the disciples may be now pleased by my tongue to manifest himself to your souls in light And as that fire was very lightsome else it could not have been seen in the day-time so may this exhibition of light be accompanied with a fire of holy zeal both in my tongue and your hearts In my last Sermon at the Court I gave you the Character of man I shall now indeavour to give you some touches of the Character of God There is nothing in this world so much concerns a man as to settle his heart in a right apprehension of his God which must be the ground of all his piety and devotion without which all his pretenses of Religion are so nothing worth as that in them God is made our Idoll and we the mis-worshippers of him without which shortly our whole life is mis-spent in error and ignorance and ends in a miserable discomfort Whence it is that this dear disciple makes it the summ of all the Apostolicall mission which he had from his Lord and Saviour to informe the World what to think of God This then is the message which we have heard of him and declare to you that God is light Would ye know the message which the Apostles received from Christ would ye know the message which they delivered from Christ to the World it is in these three syllables of my Text. God is light It is not possible that our finite conceit should comprehend God essentially as he is in himself No motion of our weak humanity can thus reach his infiniteness our ambition must be only to conceive of him according to those expressions which he hath made of himself wherein it hath pleased his wisdom to condescend to our shallow capacity by borrowing from those creatures which come nearest to his most pure simple spirituall nature Amongst which none is more proper or more frequent then this of Light Not only therefore hath it pleased God to expresse those Heavenly
it with all joy and thankfulnesse And if Moses by conferring with God but 40 Dayes and Nights in the delivery of the law had a glorious brightnesse in his face Oh let us that more then fourty years have had conversation with God in his Gospell shine with the resplendent beames of heavenly knowledg And if the joyes of heaven are described by Light surely the more lightsome our soules are here the nearer they come to their blessednesse Light is sown from the righteous saith the Psalmist Lo here is the seed-time of Light above is the harvest If the Light of saving knowledg be sown in our hearts here we shall be sure to reap the crop of heavenly glory hereafter And this is the first quality of Light with the reflection of it upon us The next followes which is purity Of all the visible Creatures that God hath made none is so pure and simple as the light it discovers all the foulnesse of the most earthly recrements it mixeth with none of them neither is possibly capable of the least corruption some of the best Interpreters therefore have taken this metaphor of Light to implie the purity and perfect goodness of God In whom as there is an infinite clearnesse of understanding so also an infinite rectitude of will in so much as his will is the rule of all right neither doth he will ought because it is good but therefore it is good because he wills it Goodnesse hath no lesse brightnesse in it then truth and wickedness as it is never without errour so it is no lesse dark then it Justly therefore is God all light in that he is all pure and good and the reflection of this quality upon us must be our holiness For this is the will of God even our sanctification The more holy then we are the more we conform to him that is Light The way of the just is as the shining Light that shineth more and more as contrarily sins are the works of darkness the mover of them is the Prince of darknesse the agents of them are the Sons of darknesse and their trade is walking in darknesse as it followes in my text and the end of them is utter darkness Whiles he sayes then Be Holy as I am Holy he doth as good as say Be ye Light as I am Light Ye were darkness but now it is Gods own phrase Lux estis ye are Light in the Lord saith St. Paul to his Ephesians justly therefore doth it follow walk as children of the Light In right wayes with straight stepps And surely if God be Light and we darkness what interest can we claim in him For what communion is there betwixt Light and darkness Oh the comfortable and happy condicion then of those that are in God they are still in Light Truly the light is sweet saith wise Salomon and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to behold the Sun As on the contrary it is a wofull and disconsolate estate to live in any sin this is no other then to be dungeon'd up in a perpetuall darknesse The Egyptians were even weary of themselves for a three dayes darknesse how irksome had it been to have lived alwayes so I have read a book of one Haitonus a monk of the order of the Praemonstratenses a Cozen as he saies of the then King of Armenia written some 340 Years agoe set forth by one Nic. Salcon and dedicated to Pope Clement the 5th where with much confidence he affirmes that in the Country of Georgia there was a certain province called Hamâ—en of three daies journey about so palpably dark continually as that no man could see his hand in it that the inhabitants of the borders of it might hear many times in the woods the noise of men crying of horses neighing of cocks crowing but no man durst venture to go unto it because he could not find the way out again which he saies with much earnestnesse that he saw Neque Credidissem saith he nisi propriis oculis perspexissem reporting it to have been a miraculous judgment upon some Persian persecutors of the Christians in that place I list not to inquire into the likelyhood of the story it might be some temporary judgment as that was upon Egypt for the time and now long since vanished but imagine ye the truth of that which he dares with so deep protestations avow and conceive the condicion of all wilfull sinners who live shut up in a region of thick darkness whence they can no more get out then they can be capable of any comfort within and when they have wearied themselves in those wretched mazes of vanity they are shut up in the utter darknesse of the dreadfull pit of eternall Death Oh then that willing sinners be they never so gay and glorious could but apprehend the misery and horrour of their own estate in this behalf certainly it were enough to make them either maz'd or penitent For what is darknesse but a privation of Light Now God is Light And sin deprives us of Gods presence and shuts us out from the face of God and if in his presence be the fulnesse of joy then in his absence is the fulnesse of sorrow and torment neither have the Schools determined amiss that the pain of loss is more horrible then the pain of sense so as that darknesse which our sin causeth in the alienation and absence of the Lighr of Gods countenance is without his great mercy the beginning of an utter exclusion from the beatificall face of God and of that utter darknesse of hell For us as we professe our selves the Children of the Light so let us walk in the Light And what Light is that Thy law is a Light to my feet saith holy David Lo this is the Light wherein we must walk that so walking in the Light of his law we may happily enjoy the light of his countenance Ps 36.10 and may come at the last to the light of his glory so in his Light we shall see Light This of the second quality of the Light and the reflection of it The third and last followes It is this which Learned Estius thinks to be mainly driven at in this place That God is therefore Light because he is the Fountain and cause of Light to all Creatures that do enjoy it and indeed what Light is there which is not from him Naturall Morall Divine For the naturall It was he that said Fiat Lux Let there be Light in the first day It was he that recollected that diffused Light into the body of the Sun in the fourth day that goodly Globe of Light receives from him those beames of Light which it communicates to the Moon Stars Skie and this other inferiour World What Light of intellectuall or morall vertue ever shined in the heart of any man but from him The Spirit of man is the Candle of the Lord searching all the inward parts of the belly Prov. 20.27 What Light
and indeavours to the holding of the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace and labour and study not how to widen or gall and ranckle but how to salve and heal these unhappy sores of the Church and State by confineing our desires within the due bounds free from incroachments from innovations by a discreet moderation in all our prosecutions by a meek relenting even in due challenges by a fair and charitable construction of each others acts and intentions and lastly by our fervent perswasions and prayers and so many as are thus minded peace be upon them and upon the whole Israel of God this day and for ever Amen A SERMON Preacht at the TOWER March 20. 1641. By JOS. NORVIC JAMES 4.8 Draw nigh unto God and he will draw nigh to you Cleanse your hands ye sinners and purge your hearts ye double minded 9. Be afflicted and mourne and weep c. I Have pitch't upon this Text as fit for both the time and the season both of them sad and penitentiall and such as call us to devotion and humiliation both which are the subjects of this Scripture There is no estate so happy if it could be obtained as that of perfect obedience but since that cannot be had partly through the weaknesse and partly through the wickednesse of our nature for there is a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an impossibility upon it Rom. 3. the next to it is that of true repentance which is no other then an hearty turning from our evill wayes and an indeavour of better obedience and this estate is here recommended to us under a double Alegory the one of our drawing nigh to God the other of our cleansing and purging In the former whereof the sinner is represented to us in a remote distance from God in the other as foul and nasty both in his heart and his hands and the remedy is prescribed for both of his remotenesse drawing nigh to God of his foulnesse Cleansing and purging the former is enough to take up our thoughts at this time Wherein ye have a duty injoyned and an inducement urged the Duty draw nigh to God the Inducement God will draw nigh to you To begin with the former the duty of drawing nigh implies something and requires something it implies a distance and requires an act of approach It implies a distance for we cannot be said to draw near if we were not afar off The sinner therefore is in a remote distance from God and that in respect of both termes both as of God and as of the sinner Of God first the sinner then is aloof off from God not from the presence of his essence and power so he would be afar off and cannot Whether shall I go from thy presence or whether shall I flee from thy Spirit If I go up to Heaven thou art there and if as our new Translation hath it I make my bed in hell an uneasy bed God knowes that is made there yet there thou art also Ye the Devills themselves could not have their being but from God for their being is good though themselves be wicked that they are spirits they have from God that they are evil Spirits and so Devils is from themselves And their companions the wofull reprobate soules would fain be further off from God if they could They shall in vain call to the Rocks and Mountains to cover them from his presence he cannot be excluded from any place that fills and comprehends all things How then is the sinner aloof off from God From the holinesse of God from the grace and mercy of God from the glory of God From the holinesse of God he is no lesse distant then evill is from good which is no lesse then infinitely There is no locall distance but is capable of a measure for an actuall infinite magnitude is but an atheous paradoxe in philosophy If it be to the Antipodes themselves on the other side of the earth we can have a scale of miles that can reach them yea of furlongs of paces of feet of barley cornes but betwixt good and evil there is no possible no imaginable proportion and as from the holinesse of God so from the grace and mercy of God he is no lesse distant then guilt is from remission which is also no lesse then infinitely for the sinner as he is and continues such is utterly uncapable of remission It is true that Gods mercy is over all his works but the sinner is none of them By him were made all things that were made John 1. but God never made the sinner God made the man but it is the Devil and mans free-will that made the sinner indeed sin is nothing else but the marring of that which God hath made sin therefore without repentance may never hope for remission when repentance comes in place it ceaseth in Gods imputation to be it self but without it there is no place for mercy Many sorrows saith the Psalmist shall be to the wicked Psal 32.10 but he that trusteth in the Lord mercy shall compasse him about Lo sorrowes and torment are for the wicked mercy only for the penitent and faithfull The sinner may flatter himself as our nature is apt to do Mens sibi saepe mentitur with a vaine hope of better but he that is truth it self hath said it There is no peace saith my God to the wicked tribulation and anguish on every soul that doth evill he that hardens his heart shall fall into evill And as he is a aloof off from Grace as the way so from Glory as the end here is indeed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a great gulfe and unmeasurable betwixt the Sinner and Heaven One is not so much as within the ken of the other without holiness there is no seeing of God saith St· Paul Hebr. 12.14 no not so much as afar off unlesse it be for an aggravation of torment Much lesse may any unclean thing enter there Look as impossible as it is for a man that hath this clogg of flesh about him to leap into the Skie so impossible it is for the soul that is clogged with sin ever to come within the verge within the view of the third Heaven which is the presence of the Lord of Glory This for the distance in respect of God will ye see it in respect of the sinner himself He is aloof off from God in his thoughts in his affections in his carriage and actions In his thoughts first which are onely evill continually He never thinks of God but when he feels him punishing and then not without a murmuring kind of regret Psal 10.4 and indignation no not even whiles he sweares by him doth he think of him God is not in all his thoughts saith the Psalmist that is by an usuall Hebraisme God is not at all in his thoughts for otherwise unlesse it be virtually and reductively there is no man whose thoughts are altogether taken up with the Almighty the
sure having this seal The Lord knoweth who are his The Lord knoweth and none but he neither Man nor Angel It is sealed on purpose that it may be concealed and reserved only in the counsel of the most High It is therefore a most high and dangerous presumption in any man to passe a judgment upon the final estate of another especially to the worse part This is no other then to rush into the Closet of the Highest and to break open his cabinet and to tear up the privy Seal of Heaven an insolence that God will not passe over unrevenged It was a good answer that the Servant gave in the story who carrying a covered dish through the Street and being asked what it was answered It is therefore covered that thou mayest not know and so it is here the final estate of every Soul is sealed that it may be known only to the God of Heaven and if any man dare to pry into this Ark of God with the men of Bethshemesh let him fear to be struck dead as they were 1 Sam. 6. The Romanists have taken too much boldnesse this way there is one of their Saints St. Matilda or St. Maude a Prophetesse of theirs which in her Revelations professeth that she would needs know of God what became of the Souls of four men Sampson Solomon whom I must tell you the greatest part of the Romish Doctors give out for a cast away very injuriously and uncharitably since that besides his being a type of Christ and a pen-man of some part of holy Scripture his Ecclesiastes is a plain publication to all the World of his penance for his former miscarriages Origen and Trajane and received this answer What my pitty hath done with Sampson I will not have known that men may not be incouraged to take revenge on their enemies what my mercy hath done with Solomon I will not have known lest men should take too much liberty to carnal sins What my bounty hath done with Origen I would not have known lest men should put too much confidence in their knowledg What my liberality hath done with Trajan I would not have known for the advancement of the Catholick faith lest men should sleight the Sacrament of Baptism a presumptious question and an answer answerable So they have not stuck to tell us that the same day that their St. Thomas Becket dyed there dyed in all the World three thousand thirty and three whereof 3000. went to Hell thirty to Purgatory and three whereof their Saint was one to Heaven sure I think much alike I will not weary you with their frenzies of this kind they have bragg'd of some of their Saints who have had this deep insight into the hearts of men and counsels of God that they could tell by the view who should be saved who condemned and some fanatick Spirits in our Church have gone so farr as to take upon them as some vain Palmesters by the sight of the hand to judge of fortunes by the face and words and garbe and carriage of men to passe sentence of reprobation upon other mens souls what an horrible insolence is this in any creature under Heaven or in it There may be perhaps grounds to judg of a mans present condition God doth not call any man to stupidity or unreasonablenesse If I see a man live debauchedly in drunkennesse in whoring in professed profanesse If I hear him in his ordinary speeches to tear Gods name in pieces with oaths and bsasphemies I may safely say that man is in a damnable condition and must demean my self to him accordingly forbearing an entire conversation with him with such a one eat not saith the Apostle but if I shall presume to judg of his finall estate I may incur my own condemnation in pronouncing his Judg not that ye be not judged Perhaps that man whom thou sentencest is in the secret counsel of God sealed to life and shall go before thee to Heaven who that had seen Manasses revelling in his Idolatry Magick Murder worshiping all the hoast of Heaven polluting the house of God with his abominable altars using sorceries and inchantments filling the streets of Jerusalem with innocent blood 2 Kings 21. would not have said there is a cast-away Yet howsoever the history of the Kings leaves him in his sin and dishonor yet in the 2 Chron. 33. You find his conversion his acceptation his prayer and how God was entreated of him vers 19. So as for ought we know he lived a Devil and dyed a Saint Who that had seen and heard Soul breathing out threatnings and executing his bloody cruelties upon the Church of God dragging poor Christians to their judgments and executions would not have given him for a man branded for hell yet behold him a chosen vessel the most glorious instrument of Gods name that hath been since Christ left the earth as thou lovest thy Soul therefore meddle not with Gods seal leave that to himself Thou mayest read the superscription of a man if thou wilt and judge of his outside but take heed of going deeper look well to the seal that God hath set upon thine own soul look for that new name which none can read but he that hath it this is worth thine enquiry into and God hath given thee the Characters whereby to decipher it whom he did predestinate them also he called and whom he called them also he justifyed and whom he justified them also he glorified that is they are as sure to be glorified as if they were glorified already Rom. 8.30 Read thine own name in the book of life and thou art happy as for others let thy rule be the judgment of charity and let Gods seal alone Secret things belong to God and things revealed to us and our children but if thou wilt needs be searching into Gods counsel remember that of Solomon as the Vulgar reads it Prov. 25.27 Scrutator Majestatis opprimetur a gloria He that pries into Majesty shall be overwhelmed with glory Now that from the Secrecy we may descend to the Peculiarity of Designation You know it in common practise in your trades and merchandise that when a man hath bought a parcel of commodities he sets his marke upon them to distinguish them from the rest in the warehouse so doth our God he sets a mark upon his own whereby they are plainly differenced from others And this mark besides the stampe of his eternal decree is true sanctification By this then it is that we are known from the World As upon some large plain where there are severall flocks and heards feeding together every one knows his own by his mark So the man with the writers inkhorne set a mark upon those which mourned for their own sins and the sins of their people Ezek. 9. It is therefore so farr from truth that our sanctification is no certain proof of our son-ship and of our interest in the covenant of grace as that there is no other
Spirit leads no man but by a just rule That rule is the word of truth in all matter of judgment that must direct us uncertain and variable Traditions private and ungrounded Revelations which are any way crosse to this recorded will of God are the deceitful guides of the spirit of errour If then any frantick or superstitious person shall pretend any other direction then God hath given us in his revealed will well may I say of him as St. Paul dares say of an Angel from Heaven if any such could be guilty of that offence Let him be Anathema Thirdly Gods Spirit leads his sweetly and gently disponit omnia suaviter not in a blustring and hurrying violence but by a leasurely and gracious inclination so in Elijahs vision There was fire wind Earthquake but God was in none of them these were fit preparatives for his appearance but it was the still soft voice wherein God would be revealed 1 Kings 19.12 Those that are carried with an heady and furious impetuousnesse and vehemence of passion in all their proceedings which are all rigour and extremity are not led by that good spirit which would be styled the spirit of meekness who was pleased to descend not in the form of an Eagle or any other soul of prey but in the form of a meek and innocent dove Fourthly Gods Spirit leads on in a constant way of progression from grace to grace from vertue to vertue like as the sun arises by degrees to his full meridian whereas passion goes by suddain flashes like lightning whereof the interruptions are as speedy and momentany as the eruptions The very word of leading implies a continuance neither can they be said to be led on that make no proceedings in their way if either therefore we go backward or stand still in goodnesse if we promove not from strength to strength we have no ground to think we are led by the Spirit of God Lastly Flesh and Spirit are ever opposite one to the other and go still contrary wayes and lead to contrary ends If ye walk after the flesh ye shall dye saith our Apostle Nature and Grace which have their hands in this manuduction both wayes stand in perpetual opposition to each other If therefore we be led by our sensual appetite to do and affect that which is pleasing to corrupt nature we are led by that blind guid the flesh and if the blind lead the blind it is no marvell if both of them fall into the pit of perdition but if we mortify our evil and corrupt affections crossing and curbing our exorbitant and sinful desires and bringing them forceably under the subjection of Gods Spirit Now we may be assured to be led by the Spirit of God Other particularities of discovery might be urged whereby we might easily judg of our own conditions but these are enow whereby we may try our selves our guides and wayes It is cleare then to summe up these proofes of our estate that only they who walk in the wayes of Gods commandements who are directed by the revealed Will and word of God who are sweetly inclined by the gracious motions of his Spirit who go on in a constant fashion through all the degrees of grace and obedience who restrain their own natural desires and affections submitting themselves wholy to the government of the Holy Ghost onely they I say are led by the Spirit of God Five sorts of men there are therefore who what challenge so ever they may pretend to make are not led by the Spirit of God First those that go on in a known evil way Lead me O Lord in the wayes of thy righteousnesse saith the Psalmist Lo they are only the pathes of righteousnesse in which God leads us the rest are false wayes as the Psalmist justly calls them which every good heart and much more the holy God utterly abhors wo is me that I have lived to see those dayes wherein any that looks with the face of a Christian should maintain that sins are no sins to the faithful and that he is the holiest man that can sin the boldlyest and with the greatest freedom from reluctancy Did ever any man look for Heaven in Hell before Did ever any seek for the greatest good in the worst of evils This is not heresie but meer Devilisme wherewith yet it seems some ungrounded soules are wofully tainted God be merciful to them and reclaim them ere it be too late from so damnable an impiety Secondly those that are led by their own vain imaginations and illusive dreams in the wayes of error raising unto themselves new and wild opinions and practises without any warrant from the written word of God Thirdly those that are carried by passion and distemper though even in good waies turning a religious heat into fury and uncharitable rage Fourthly those that make no progresse at all in good but either decay in grace or thrive not And lastly those that humour and sooth up corrupt nature careing only to fulfil the lusts of their own flesh All these whereof God knowes there are too many in the World yea in the Church of God making a fair flourish of Christianity are nothing lesse then led by the Spirit of God and therefore can lay no claim to the state or title of the Sons of God which is inferred in the connexion of this qualification with the priviledg being the third head of our discourse So many as are led by the Spirit of God are the Sons of God The Spirit of God is God neither is mention made here of the Spirit only as by way of exclusion of the other persons No what one doth all do according to the old maxime All the external works of the Trinity are indivisible it is good reason then that God should lead his own and so he doth But here it will be fit for us to consider How far this leading of Gods Spirit will argue and evince this son-ship and whether every conduct thereof will do it There is a work of the Spirit of God at large The Spirit of God fills all the World saith the Wiseman Wisdom 1.7 Not so yet as was the errour of P. Abailardus in Bernard That Gods Spirit is anima mundi as the God of the World not as the soul of the World As in the state of the first Tohu and Bohu the Spirit of God sluttered upon the Waters as it were to hatch the creature which should be produced Gen. 1.2 so doth he still fill the world for the preservation of this universse But in this all he works in man especially There is a spirit in man saith Elihu in Job 32.8 and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding yet this is not the leading of this holy Spirit that we are in hand with lower then this there are certain common graces wrought in men by the Spirit of God as some general iluminations in the knowledg of divine things some good moral dispositions some restraints
be and be acknowledged the sons of God Let us put on as the elect of God holy and beloved bowels of mercy kindnesse humblenesse of mind meeknesse long-suffering forbearing one another forgiving one another if we have a quarrell against any even as Christ forgave us and above all these things put on charity which is the bond of perfectnesse Colos 3.12 13 14. And lastly forsaking the mis-guidance of Satan the World and our corrupt nature which will lead us down to the chambers of death and eternal destruction let us yield up our selves to be led by the holy Spirit of God in all the wayes of righteousnesse and holynesse of piety justice charity and all manner of gracious conversation that we may thereby approve our selves the sons and daughters of God and may be feoffed in that blessed inheritance which he hath laid up for all his to the possession whereof may he happily bring us who hath dearly bought us Jesus Christ the righteous to whom with the Father and the blessed spirit one infinite God be given all praise honour and glory now and for ever Amen THE MOURNER IN SION ECCLESIASTES 3.4 There is a time to weep and a time to laugh a time to mourn and a time to dance I Need not tell you that Solomon was a wise man his wisdom as it was in an extraordinary measure put into him by him that is wisdom it self so was it in a more then ordinary way improved by his diligent observation his observation was Universal of times things persons actions events neither did he look his experiments up in the closet of his own brest but by the direction of Gods Spirit laid them forth to the World in this divine sermon which not as a King but as a Prophet he preach't to all posterity Every sentence here therefore is a dictate of the holy Ghost it is not Solomon then but a greater then Solomon even the holy Spirit of the great God that tells you there is not a time onely but a season too for every thing and for every purpose under Heaven that is as I hope you can take it no otherwise for every good thing or indifferent as for evill things or actions if men find a time yet sure God allowes no season those are alwayes damnably-unseasonable abuses of times and of our selves not to meddle with other particulars our thoughts are now by the divine providence pitch't upon a time to weep and a time to laugh a time to mourn and a time to dance or rather onely upon the time to weep and mourn for our time of laughing and dancing is past already and perhaps we have had too much of that in our former times which makes the causes and degrees of our now weeping and mourning as more uncouth so more intensive we must be so much deeper in our mourning by how much we have been more wild and wanton in our laughter and dancing To fall right down therefore upon our intended discourse without any previous circumlocutions There is a threefold time of just mourning 1. When a man is sensible of his punishments 2. Of his sins 3. Of his dangers Of his punishments first or rather which is more general of his afflictions for all afflictions are not intended for punishments some are fatherly chastisments onely for our good whereas all punishments are afflictive when we are whip't then when we smart with the rod we have cause to weep and if in this case we shed no tears it is a sign of a gracelesse heart It is time therefore to mourn when we are pressed by sufferings whether from the immediate hand of God or mediately by the hands of men whether by private or publique calamities are we smitten in our bodies by some painfull and incurable diseases Doth the pestilence rage in our streets Hath God forbidden us the influence of Heaven and curst the Earth with barrennesse Hath he broken the staffe of bread and sent leannesse into our souls Hath he humbled us with the fearfull casualties of fire or water by wracks at Sea by lightnings and tempests by land hath he sent murrain amongst our cattle and destroying vermine into our barnes and fields now God tells us it is a time to mourn are we disquieted in our minds by some over-mastering passions of griefe for the miscarriages of children for the secret discontents of domesticall jars for unjust calumnies cast upon our good name are we molested in our mindes and spirits with impetuous and no lesse importune then hatefull Temptations now it is a time to mourn do we find in our souls a decay and languishment of grace a prevalence of those corruptions which we thought abated in us Do we find our selves deeply soul-sick with our sinfull indispositions Shortly do we find the face of our God for the time withdrawn from us Now now it is a time to mourn If we turn our eyes to those evils which are cast upon us by the hands of men Do men find themselves despoyled of their estates restrained of their Liberties tortured in their bodies Do they find the wofull miseries of an intestine war killings burnings depopulations do they find fire and sword raging in the bosom of out Land now it is a time to mourn Were these evils confined to some few persons to some special families they were worthy of the tears of our compassion for it is our duty to weep with them that weep but where they are universal and spread over the whole face of any Nation there cannot be found tears enough to lament them Punishments then are a just cause of our sorrow and mourning but to a good heart sin is so much greater cause of mourning by how much a moral evil is more then a natural and by how much the displeasure of an Almighty God is worthy of more regard then our own smart Doth thine heart then tell thee that thou hast offended the Majesty of God by some grievous sin now is thy time to weep and mourne as thou wouldest for thy only son Zechar. 12.10 now it is time for thee to be in bitternesse as one that is in bitternesse for his first borne Thy soul is foul wash and rince it with the tears of thy repentance go forth with Peter and weep bitterly Dost thou finde in the place where thou livest that sin like some furious torrent bears down all before it now it is time for thee to mourne for the sins of thy people and to say as the holy Psalmist did Psal 119 136. Rivers of waters run down mine eyes because men keep not thy law Lastly as our sufferings and our sins make up a due time for our mourning so do our dangers also for fear is no lesse afflictive then pain yea I know not whether there can be a greater pain then the expectation of imminent mischiefs Do we therefore see extremities of judgments hovering over our heads ready to fall down like Sodoms fire and
brimstone from heaven upon us now is it high time to mourne for the anteverting of a threatned vengeance shortly therefore to sum up all that we have spoken whether we feel evils of punishment or fear them or be conscious of the evils of sin that have deserved them we cannot but finde it a just time to weep and mourne And now to come home close to our selves can any man be so wilfully blind as not to see that all these are met together to wring tears from us and to call us to a solemn and universal mourning What single men suffer themselves best feel and our old word is The wronged man writes in marble I meddle not with particulars Our pains of body our losses in our estate our demestique crosses our wounds of Spirit as they are kept up in our own breasts so they justly call us to private humiliations if we cast abroad our eyes to more publick afflictions have we not seen that God hath let his sea loose upon us in divers parts of our Land as if for a new judgment upon us he would retract the old word of his decreed limitation Hitherto shalt thou come but no further and here shall thy proud waves be stayed Job 38.11 Hath not God given us in divers parts of our Nation a feeling touch of some of the Egyptian plagues in the mortality of our cattle in the unusual frequencie of noysome and devouring vermine But wo is me all these are but flea-bites in comparison of that destructive sword that hath gone through the Land and sheathed it self in the bowels of hundred thousands of brethren Oh that my head were waters and mine eyes a fountain of tears that I might weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of my People Jer. 9.1 Was there ever a more fearful example of divine vengeance against any Nation then to be armed against each other to their mutual destruction that Christian compatriots brethren should pour out each others blood like water in our streets and leave their mangled carcasses for compost in our Fields That none but the sharper sword should be left to be the arbiter of our deadly differences that Fathers and Sons should so put off all natural affection as to think it no violation of piety to cut the throats of each other Oh that we have lived to see the woful havock that the hellish fury of war hath made every where in this flourishing and populous Island the flames of hostile furie rising up in our Towns and Cities the devastation of our fruitful and pleasant Villages the demolition of our magnificent Structures the spoiles and ruines of those fabricks that should be sacred in a word this goodly Land for a great part of it turned to a very Golgotha and Aceldama These these my brethren if our eyes be not made of pumices must needs fetch tears from us and put us into a constant habit of mourning And if our punishments deserve thus to take up our hearts where shall we find room enough for sufficient sorrow for those horrible sins that have drawn down these heavy judgments upon us Truly beloved brethren if we were wholly resolved into tears and if every drop were a stream 1 Kin. 8.38 we could not weep enough for our own sins and the sins of our People Let every man ransack his own breast and finde out the plague of his own heart but for the present let me have leave a little to lay before you though it is no pleasing object that common leprosie of sin wherewith the face of this miserable Nation is over-spread whether in matter of practise or of opinion For the former should I gather up all the complaints of the Prophets which they have taken up of old against their Israel and Juda and apply them to this Church and Nation you would verily think them calculated to this our meridian as if our sins were thiers and their reproofs ours what one sin can be named in all that black bedrole of wickednesse reckoned up by those holily querulos censors which we must not own for ours Of whom do you think the Prophet Esaiah speaks when he sayes Your iniquities have separated between you and your God and your sins have hid his face from you that he will not hear for your hands are defiled with blood and your fingers with iniquity your lips have spoken lies your tongue hath muttered perversnesse Esay 59.2.3 Of whom do ye think the Prophet Micah speaks when he sayes The rich men thereof are full of violence and the inhabitants thereof have spoken lies and their tongue is deceitfull in their mouthes Micah 6.12 Do we think of Epicurisme and self-indulgence Whom do we think the Prophet Amos speaks of when he saies Wo be to them that are at ease in Zion that put farr away the evill day and cause the seat of violence to come near that lye upon beds of Ivory and stretch themselves upon their couches that drink wine in bowles and anoint themselves with the chief ointment but they are not grieved for the affliction of Joseph Amos 6.1.3.4.6 Tell me brethren was there ever more riot and excesse in diet and clothes in belly-cheer and back-timber then we see at this day Do we think of drunkennesse and surfets Of whom do we think Esay speaks when he saith They have erred through Wine and through strong drink are out of the way the Priest and the Prophet have erred through strong drink Indian smoak was not then known they are swallowed up of wine they are out of the way through strong drink they erre in vision they stumble in judgment for all tables are full of vomit and filthinesse Esay 28.7 Of whom doth the Prophet Hosea speak when he sayes Whoredome and Wine and new Wine take away the heart well may these two be put together for they seldom go asunder but tell me brethren was there ever such abominable beastlinesse in this kinde as raigns at this day since the hedg of all Ecclesiasticall Jurisdiction was throwne open And if we think good to put these and some other of their damnable society together of whom do we think the Prophet Hosea speaks when he sayes The Lord hath a controversy with the Land because there is no truth no mercy no knowledg of God in the Land By swearing and lying and killing and stealing and committing adultery they break out and blood toucheth blood Hos 4.1.2 Do ye think of perjury Of whom do ye think the same Hosea speaks when he sayes They have spoken words swearing falsly in making a covenant Hos 10.4 Do we think of the violation of holy things and places Of whom do we think the Prophet Esay speaks when he sayes Is this house which is called by my name become a den of robbers in your eyes behold even I have seen it saith the Lord Esay 7.11 I could easily tire you if I have not done so already with the odious parallels
of our sins with Israels Yet one more do we think of the bold intrusion of presumptuous persons into the sacred calling without any commission from God Of whom do we think the Prophet Jeremy speaks The Prophets prophesy lies in my name I sent them not neither have I commanded them nor spake unto them They prophesy unto you a false vision and the deceit of their own heart Jer. 14.14 and again I have not sent these Prophets yet they run I have not spoken to them yet they prophesyed Jer. 23.21 To what purpose should I instance in more as I easily might as practical atheisme falsehood cruelty hypocrisy ingratitude and in a word universal corruption O England England too like to thy sister Israel in all her spiritual deformities if not rather to thy sister Sodome Behold this was the iniquity of thy Sister sodome pride fulnesse of bread and abundance of idlenesse was in her neither did she strengthen the hands of the poor and needy Ezechiel 16.49 Lo thou art as haughty as she and hast committed all her abominations But that which yet aggravates thy sin is thy stubborne incorrigiblenesse and impudence in offending is it not of thee that the Prophet Jeremy speaks This is a Nation that obeyeth not the voice of the Lord their God nor receiveth correction Jer. 7.28 For O our God hast thou not whipt us soundly and drawn blood of us in abundance yet wo is me what amendment hast thou found in us what one excesse have we abated what one sin have we reformed what one vice have we quitted Look forth brethren into the World see if the lives of men be not more loose and lawlesse their tongues more profane their hands more heavily oppressive their conversation more faithlesse their contracts more fraudulent their contempt of Gods messengers more high their neglect of Gods ordinances more palpable then ever it was Yea have not too many amongst us added to their unreformation an impudence in sinning Is it not of these that the Prophet speaketh Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination Nay they were not ashamed at all neither could they blush therefore shall they fall among them that fall in the time of their visitation they shall be cast down saith the Lord Jer. 8.12 By this time I suppose you see how too much cause we have to mourn for those sins of practise which have fetcht down judgments upon us turn your eyes now a little to those intellectual wickednesses which we call sins of Opinion Opinion think some of you now alas what so great offence can there be in matter of conceit and in those results of ours ratiocination which we picht upon in the cases of Religion let me tell you dear Christians what valuation soever you may please to set upon these capital errours of the understanding set abroach for the seduction of simple souls there is more deadly mischief and higher offence to God in them then in those practical evils which honest hearts profess to abhorr These as they are the immediate sins of our spirituall part so they do more immediately strike at the God of Spirits in his Truth and holinesse and as Religion is the highest concernment of the soul so the depravation of Religion must needs be most dangerous and damnable It is no marvell therefore if a truly-zealous Christian could even weep his eyes out to see hear those hellish heresies Atheous paradoxes which have poysoned the very air of our Church wherein they were vented One beats the keys into the sword or hangs them at the Magistrates girdle so as he suspends religion upon the meer will and pleasure of severaignty One allowes plurality or community of Wives another allows a man to divorce that wife he hath upon sleight occasions and to take another One is a Ranter another is a Seeker a third is a Shaker One dares question yea disparage the sacred Scriptures of God another denies the Souls immortality a third the Bodies resurrection One spits his poyson upon the blessed Trinity another blasphemes the Lord Jesus and opposes the eternity of his Godhead One is altogether for inspirations professing himself above the sphere of all Ordinances yea above the blood of Christ himself Another teaches that the more villanie he can commit the more holy he is that only confidence in sinning is perfection of sanctity that there is no hell but remorse To put an end to this list of blasphemies the very mention whereof is enough to distemper my tongue and your ears One miscreant dares give himself out for God Almighty Another for the Holy Ghost Another for the Lord Christ Another a vile adulterous strumpet for the Virgin Mary O God were there ever such frenzies possessed the braines of men as these sad times have yieled Was ever the Devil so prevalent with the sons of men Neither have these prodigious wretches smothered their damnable conceits in their impure breasts but have boldly vented them to the World so as the very presses are openly defiled with the most loathsome disgorgments of their wicked blasphemies Here here my dear brethren is matter more then enough for our mourning If we have any good hearts to God if any love to his truth if any zeal for his glory if any care for his Church if any compassion of either perishing or endangered souls we cannot but apprehend just cause of pouring out our selves into tears for so horrible affronts offered to the dread Majesty of our God for so inexpiable a scandal to the Gospel which we professe for so odious a conspurcation of our holy profession and lastly for the dreadful damnation of those silly souls that are seduced by these cursed impostors Ye have seen now what cause we have of mourning for sins both of Practise and Opinion It remaines now that we consider what cause of mourning we may have from our dangers for surely fear as it is alwayes joyned with grief so together with it is a just provoker of our tears And here if I should abridge all the holy Prophets and gather up out of them all the menaces of judgments which they denounce against their sinfull Israel I might well bring them home to our own doors and justly affright us with the expectation of such further revenge from Divine Justice for how can we otherwise think but that the same sins must carry away the same punishments The holy God is ever constant to his own most righteous proceedings if then our sins be like theirs why should we presume upon a dissimilitude of judgments Here then it is easy to descry a double danger worth our mourning for the one of further smart from the hand of God for our continuing and menacing wickednesse the other of further degrees of corruption from our selves For the first let that sad Prophet Jeremiah tell you what we may justly fear They are not humbled even unto this day neither have they feared nor walked in my law
perfect Mediator betwixt God and man To proclaime the acceptable year of the Lord and the day of vengeance of our God to comfort all that mourn in Zion to give unto them beauty for ashes the oyl of joy for mourning the garment of praise for the spirit of heavinesse Esa 61.2.3 So as all Gods faithfull ones may cheerfully expect the performance of that cordiall promise which the God of truth hath made to his Israel Their soul shall be as a watred Garden and they shall not sorrow any more at all then shall the Virgin rejoyce in the dance both young men and old together for I will turne their mourning into joy and will comfort them and make them rejoyce from their sorrow Jerem. â—1 12 13. But if the justice of God have been so highly provoked by the sinnes of a particular Nation as that there is no remedy but the threatned judgments must proceed against them remember what charge Ezekiel tells you was given to the man clothed in linnen that had the writers inkhorne by his side The Lord said unto him go through the midst of the City through the midst of Jerusalem and set a mark upon the forheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof Ezek. 9.3 4. Lo these marked Jewes owe their life to their tears if they had not wept for their fellowes they had bled with their fellowes If their sighs could not save their people from slaughter yet they have saved themselves their charitable mourning is recompensed with their own preservation Oh then my brethren as we desire the joyes of another World and as we tender our own comfort and safty in this let us not be sparing of our tears let them flow freely out for our own sins first and then for the sins of our people let not our mourning be perfunctory and fashionable but serious hearty and zealous so as that we may furrow our cheekes with our teares Let our devotions that accompany our mourning be fervent and importunate as those that would offer a kind of holy force to Heaven wrestling with the Angel of the covenant for a blessing Let our amendment which should be the effect of our mourning be really conspicuous to the eyes both of God and men And finally that our mourning may be constant and effectuall let us resolve to make it our business and for that purpose let us solemnly vow to set apart some time of each day for this sad but needfull task and which is the main of all since the publique is most concerned in this duty Oh that the trumpet might be blown in Zion fasts sanctified solemn assemblies called that the Ministers of the Lord as the chief mourners might weep aloud in Gods sanctuary Joel 2. â—5 and say Spare thy people O Lord and give not thine heritage to reproach wherefore should the enemies of thy Church say among the people where is their God This were the way to reconcile our offended God to divert his dreadfull judgments to restore us to the blessings of peace and to cause the voice of joy and gladness to be once again heard in our land ON EASTER-DAY AT HIGHAM 1648. 1 COR. 5.7 For Christ our passover is sacrificed for us Therefore let us keep the feast THe feast that is the passover of the Jewes then expiring or the Christians Easter then succeeding indeed I know not whether both be not alluded to for this Epistle is conceived to have been written by the Apostle some 24. Years after our Saviours passion ere which time it is more then probable that the feast of Christs resurrection was solemnly celebrated by the Christian Church this I am sure of that no record in all history mentions the time when it began to be kept and therefore it is most likely according to Augustines received rule to be deduced from the observation of the Apostles There were ancient and eager quarrels betwixt the Eastern and Western Churches about the day whereon it should be kept but whether it should be kept or no there was never yet any question since Christianity look't forth into the World and as that Pasche so this Easter is justly the feast for the eminency of it above the rest for if we do with joy and thankfulnesse according to the Angels message solemnize the day wherein the Son of God our blessed Redeemer being born entred the life of humane nature how much more should we celebrate that day wherein having conquered all the powers of death and Hell he was as it were born again to the life of a glorious immortality But to leave the time and come to the Text. This for that leads it in is both a relative and an illative referring to what he had said in the foregoing words and inferring a necessary consequence of the one clause upon the other Purge out the old leaven for Christ our passover is sacrificed for us The whole Text is Allegoricall alluding to the charge and duty of Gods ancient people the Jewes in the observation of their passover who upon no lesse pain then cutting off from the Congregation of Israel must admit of no leavened bread to be eaten or found in their houses during the whole seven dayes of this celebrity as you may see Exod. 12.17.18 c. As therefore the ceremoniall passover would admit of no materiall leaven So the spirituall passover may not abide any leaven of wickednesse Purge therefore out the old leaven For Christ our passover is sacrificed for us The first work then that we have to do is to cast back our eyes to the ground of this institution and to enquire why no leaven might consist with the Jewish passover And we shall find that there was not the same reason of the first observation of this ceremony and of the following The first was Necessity Devotion was the ground of the rest Necessity first for in that suddain departure which they were put upon there could be no leasure to leaven their dough as you may see Exod. 12.39 Devotion afterward in a gratefull recognition both of their own servile condition and of the gracious providence of God In the former they were called to look back upon their old Egyptian servitude by their unleavned bread for this was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the bread of affliction as we turn it or the bread of the poor as the word signifies which they must now eat to put them in mind of their hard and poor condition in Egypt under their evill task masters all their lives after as Deut. 16.3 to the same purpose it was that they must eat the Lamb not with sowre herbes as it had wont to be turned for a sharp kind of sowrenesse in sawces is esteemed pleasing and tastfull but with bitter herbes yea as the word is in the Originall 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 cum amaritudinibus with bitternesses In the latter they were minded of a
double providence of the Almighty One that God was pleased to fetch them out of Egypt in an happy suddainnesse even when they had no leasure to make up their bach The other that he sustained them with this unleavened dough till he sent them Manna in the Wildernesse The one was the bread of the poor the other the bread of Angels As therefore he would have a pot of Manna kept in the Ark for a Monument of that miraculous food wherewith he fed them in the desert so he thought good to ordain this observation of unleavened bread for a perpetuall memoriall of their provision preceding it And this was not onely a charge but a sanction under the severe penalty whether of excommunication or death or both both for the authority of the Commander and for the weight of the institution whereby God meant both to rub up their memory of a temporall benefit past and to quicken their faith in a greater spirituall favour of their future Redemption from sin and death by the blood of that true paschall lamb which should be sacrificed for them This is the ground of this institution Now let us if you please inquire a little into the ground of this alâ—usion to the leaven the nature and signification of this implyed comparison here mentioned and we shall easily find that leaven hath first a diffusive faculty so it is taken both in the good part and the evill in good Mat. 1â— 33. so the Kingdom of Heaven is compared to leaven which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till the whole was leavned Lo these same 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 were more then a bushel of our measure and one morsel of leaven seasons it all In evill so here immediately before my Text in an ordinary Jewish proverb A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump Secondly it hath in it self a displeasing sowerness in which regard it is an ill construction attributed both to false doctrine and to evill manners To false doctrine Mat. 16.6 Take heed saith our Saviour of the leaven of the Pharises To ill manners so in the next words ye have the leaven of malice and wickedness So then here the very inference offers us these two necessary heads of our discourse 1. That sin or the sinner for it may be taken of either or both is spirituall leaven 2. That this leaven must be purged out because Christ is our passover and sacrificed for us For the first sin hath the true qualities of leaven both in respect of the offensive sowreness and of the diffusion In the former nothing can be so distastfull unto God as sin Indeed nothing can displease but it as nothing is so sweet and pleasing to him as the obedience of his faithfull ones If any edible thing could be more offensive to the palate Sin would be likened to it As indeed it is still resembled by whatsoever may be most abhorring to all the senses To the sight so it is compared to filth Esa 4.4 Psal 14.3 to beastly excrements 2 Pet. 2.22 to spots and blemishes 2. Pet. 2.13 to menstruous and polluted blood Ezec. 16.6 To the smell so to a corrupted ointment to the stench of a dead carcass what should I instance in the rest How should it be other then highly offensive to the Majesty of God when it is professedly opposite to divine justice since all sin is the transgression of the royall law even the conscience which is Gods taster finds it abominably loathsome how much more that God who is greater then the conscience who so abhors it that as we are wont to do to the potsherd which hath held poysonous liquor he throwes away and breaks the very vessel wherein it was as he that findes an hair or a coal in the daintiest bit spits it out all Did God find sin in his Angels he tumbles them down out of Heaven Doth he find sin in our first parents he hurles them out of Paradise Yea did he find our sins laid upon the blessed Son of his love of his nature he spares him not awhit but laies load upon him till he roars out in the anguish of his Soul Lo he was wounded for our transgressions he was bruised for our iniquities the chastisements of our peace were upon him and by his stripes we are healed Esa 53.5 And to whom should we rather conform our selves then to the most holy God what diet should we affect but his who is the rule of all perfection How then should we utterly abhorr every evill way how should we hate our sins with a perfect hatred And surely the more ill savour and loathlinesse we can find in our bosom sins the nearer we come to the purity of that holy one of Israel our blessed Redeemer whose stile it is Thou lovest righteousness and hatest wickedness Ps 45.7 Oh then be we perfect as our Father in Heaven is perfect Cleanse your hands ye sinners and purge your hearts ye double minded What shall we say then to the disposition of those men that can find no savour in any thing but their sins No morsell goes down sweetly merrily with them but this wo is me how do they chear themselves with the hope of injoying their sinfull pleasures how do they recreate themselves with the memory of their fore-passed filthiness how do they glory in that licentious liberty which they indulge unto themselves how do they even when they are grown old and past beastly action tickle themselves with the wanton remembrances of their younger bestialities yea so hath the delight in sin most wofully besotted them that they respect not friends estate children health body soul in comparison of the bewitching contentment they find in their sins Oh poor miserable souls Oh the wretchedest of all creatures not men but beasts let me not seem either unmannerly or uncharitable to speak from the mouth of Gods Spirit you know the word Canis ad vomitum The dog to his vomit The swine to it's mire And if they will needs be dogs how can they look for any other but dogs intertainment Foris Canes without shall be dogs Revel 22.15 But for us dear Christians let me take up that obtestation of the Psalmist Oh all ye that love the Lord hate the thing which is sin Psal 97.10 let us hate even the garment spotted with the flesh yea let us hate our selves that we can hate our sins no more And if at any time through the frailty of our wretched nature and the violence of tentation we be drawn into a sinfull action yet let us take heed of being leavened with wickedness Purge out the old leaven for Christ our passover is sacrificed for us Now as sin is leaven in respect of the sowring quality of it so also in respect of the diffusive It began with one Angel and infected Legions It began with one Woman it infected all the Generation of Mankind let it take hold of one faculty it infecteth the whole
in this place when it is said Christ our passover is sacrificed for us So as here is a trope or figure twice told First the lamb is the passover Secondly Christ is that paschal Lamb. You would think this now far-fetched here was a double passing over The Angels passing over the Israelites the Israelites passing out of Egypt both were acts the one of God the other of men as for the lamb it is an animal substance Yet this Lamb represents this passover This is no newes in sacramental speeches The thing signed is usually put for the sign it self My covenant shall be in your flesh that is circumcision the sign of my covenant the rock that followed them was Christ 1 Cor. 10.4 that is Christ was represented by that rock This cup is the new testament So here Christ our passover Gen. 17.13 that is Christ represented by the Paschal-lamb What an infatuation is upon the Romish party that rather then they will admit of any other then a grosse literall capernaiticall sence in the words of our Saviours sacramental supper This is my body will confound Heaven and Earth together and either by a too forceable consequence endeavour to overthrow the truth of Christs humanity or turne him into a monster a wafer a crum a nothing Whenas St. Austin hath told us plainly sacramentaliter intellectum vivificabit Take it in a sacramental sence there is infinite comfort and spiritual life in it As for his body St. Peter hath told us the heavens must contain him till the time of the restitution of all things Acts 3.21 Yea when our Saviour himself hath told us the words that I speak are spirit and life Jo. 6. Now what a marvellous mercy was this of God to Israel thus to passe over them when he slew the first-borne of Egypt There was not an house in all Egypt wherein there was not mourning and lamentation no roof but coverd a suddainly made carcasse what an unlook't for consternation was here in every Egyptian Family Only the Israelites that dwelt amongst them were free to applaud this judgment that was inflicted upon their tyrannous persecutors and for their very cause inflicted for this mercy are they beholden under God to the blood of their Paschal-lamb sprinkled upon their door-posts Surely had they eaten the lamb and not sprinkled the blood they had not escaped the stroak of the destroying Angel This was in figure In reality it is so It is by and from the blood of our redeemer sprinkled upon our souls that we are freed from the vengeance of the Almighty Had not he dyed for us were not the benefit of his precious blood applyed to us we should lye open to all the fearful judgments of God and as to the upshot of all eternall death of body and soul As then the Israelites were never to eat the Paschal-lamb but they were recalled to the memory of that saving preterition of the Angel and Gods merciful deliverance from the fiery furnaces of the Egyptians so neither may we ever behold this sacramental representation of the death of our blessed Saviour but we should bethink our selves of the infinite mercy of our good God in saving us from everlasting death and rescuing us from the power of hell This is the first figure That the Lamb is the Passover The se-second followes That Christ is that Paschal-Lamb Christ then being the end of the Law it is no marvell if all the ceremonies of the Law served to prefigure and set him forth to Gods people but none did so clearly and fully resemble him as this of the paschal Lambe whether we regard 1. the choyce 2. the preparation 3. the eating of it The choice whether in respect of the nature or the quality of it the nature ye know this creature is noted for innocent meek gentle profitable such was Christ our Saviour His fore-runner pointed at him under this stile Behold the Lamb of God what perfect innocence was here No guile found in his mouth Hell it self could finde nothing ro quarrel at in so absolute integrity What admirable meekness He is brought as a Lamb to the slaughter and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb so opened be not his mouth Esay 53.7 Doth his own treacherous servant betray him to the death Friend wherefore art thou come Mat. 26.50 Do the cruel tormentors tenter out his pretious limmes and nail his hands and feet to the tree of shame and curse Father forgive them for they know not what they do Oh patience and meeknesse incident into none but an infinite sufferer 2ly The quality Every Lamb would not serve the turne it must be agnus immaculatus A lamb without blemish that must be paschal Exod. 12.5 Neither doth it hinder ought that leave is there given to a promiscuous use either of lamb or kid for the sacramental supper of the passover For that was only allowed in a case of necessity as Theodoret rightly and as learned Junius well in the confusion of that first institution wherein certainly a lamb could not be gotten on the suddain by every Israelitish house-keeper to serve six hundred thousand men and so many there were Exod. 12.37 This liberty then was only for the first turne as divers other of those ceremonious circumstances of the passover were namely the four daies preparation the sprinkling of the blood upon the door-cheeks eating with girded loines and staves in their hands which were not afterward required or practised The lamb then must represent a most holy and perfectly sin-less Saviour could he have been capable of the least sin even in thought he had been so far from ransoming the World that he could not have saved himself Now his exquisite holinesse is such as that by the perfection of his merits he can and doth present his whole Church to himself glorious not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing as holy and without blemish Ephes 5.27 Canst thou therefore accuse thy self for a sinful wretch a soul blemished with many foul imperfections Look up man lo thou hast a Saviour that hath holinesse enough for himself and thee and all the World of beleevers close with him and thou art holy and happy Behold the immaculate lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world thine Therefore if thou canst lay hold on him by a lively faith and make him thine This for the choice the preparation followes so Christ is the paschal lamb in a threefold respect in resemblance of his killing sprinkling his blood and roasting 1. This Lamb to make a true passover must be slain So was there a necessity that our Jesus should dye for us The two Disciples in their walk to Emaus hear this not without a round reproof from the mouth of their risen Saviour Oh fooles and slow of heart to beleeve all that the Prophets have spoken Ought not Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into his glory Luc. 24.26 Ought not there is
necessity the doom was in paradise upon mans disobedience morte morieris thou shalt dye the death Man sinned man must die The first Adam sinned and we in him the second Adam must by death expiate the sin Had not Christ dyed mankind must had not he dyed the first death we had all dyed both the first and second without shedding of blood there is no remission Heb. 9.22 Hereby therefore are we freed from the sence of the second death and the sting of the first to the unfailing comfort of our soules hereupon it is that our Saviour is so carefull to have his death and passion so fully represented to us in both his sacraments the water is his blood in the first Sacrament the Wine is his blood in the second In this he is sensiby crucify'd before our eyes the bread that is his body broken the wine his blood poured out And if these acts and objects do not carry our hearts to a lively apprehension of Christ our true passover we shall offer to him no other then the sacrifice of fools Lo here then a soveraign antidote against the first death and a preservative against the second the Lamb slain from the beginning of the World why should we be discomforted with the expectation of that death which Christ hath suffered why should we be dismayed with the fear of that death which our all-sufficient Redeemer hath fully expiated 2ly In the first institution of this passover The blood of the lamb was to be sprinkled upon the posts and lintells of the doores of every Israelite so if ever we look for any benefit from Christ our Passover there must be a particular application of his blood to the believing soul even very Papists can say that unless our merits or holy actions be dyed or tinctured in the blood of Christ they can avail us nothing but this consideration will meet with us more seasonably upon the fourth head 3ly This passover must be roasted home not stewed not parboild So did the true paschall lamb undergo the flames of his Fathers wrath for our sins here was not a scorching and blistering but a vehement and full torrefaction It was an ardent heat that could fetch drops of blood from him in the garden but it was the hottest of flames that he felt upon the cross when he cryed out My God my God why hast thou forsaken me Oh who can without horrour and amazement hear so wosull a word fall from the mouth of the Son of God Had he not said My Father this strain had sunk us into utter despair but now in this very torment is comfort He knew he could not be forsaken of him of whom he saith I and my Father are one he could not be forsaken by a sublation of union though he seemed so by a substraction of vision as Leo well the sense of comfort was clouded for a while from his humanity his deity was ever glorious his faith firme and supplyed that strong consolation which his present sense failed of and therefore you soon hear him in a full concurrence of all Heavenly and victorious powers of a confident Saviour say Father into thy hands I commend my Spirit In the mean while even in the height of this suffering there is our ease for certainly the more the Son of God indured for us the more sure we are of an happy acquittance from the Tribunall of Heaven the justice of God never punished the same sin twise over By his stripes we are healed by his payment we are discharged by his torments we are assured of peace and glory Thus much of the preparation The eating of it followes in the appendances the manner the persons The appendances It must be eaten with unleavned bread and with sour or bitter herbs Of the unleavened bread we have spoken enough before For the herbs that nothing might be wanting the same God that appointed meat appointed the sauce too and that was a sallad of not pleasing but bitter herbs herein providing not so much for the palate of the body as of the soul to teach us that we may not hope to partake of Christ without sensible disrelishes of nature without outward afflictions without a true contrition of Spirit It is the condition that our Saviour makes with us in admitting us to the profession of Christianity he shall receive an 100. fold with persecutions those to boot that for his sake and the Gospells forsake all Mark 10.30 Sit down therefore O man and count what it will cost thee to be a true Christian through many tribulations c. Neither can we receive this evangelicall passover without a true contrition of soul for our sins past think not my beloved that there is nothing but jollity to be look't for at Gods table Ye may frolick it ye that feast with the World but if ye will sit with Christ and feed on him ye must eat him with bitter herbs here must be a sound compunction of heart after a due self examination for all our sins wherewith we have offended our good God Thou wouldst be eating the paschal lamb but with sugar-sops or some pleasing sauce it may not be so here must be a bitternesse of soul or no passover It is true that there is a kind of holy mixture of affections in all our holy services a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rejoyce in him with trembling saith the Psalmist It is and should be our joy that we have this lamb of God to be ours but it is our just sorrow to finde our own wretched unworthiness of so great a mercy Godly sorrow must make way for solid joy and comfort if there be any of you therefore that harbours in your breast a secret love of and complacency in your known and resolved sins procul O procul let him keep off from this holy Table let him bewail his sinfull mis-disposition and not dare to put forth his hand to this passover till he have gathered the bitter herbs of a sorrowful remorse for his hated offences And where should he gather these but in the low grounds of the Law there they grow plenteously lay the law then home to thy soul that shall show thee thy sins and thy judgment School thee Yea dear Christians how can any of us see the body of our blessed Saviour broken and his blood poured out and withall think and know that his own sins are guilty of this tort offered to the son of God the Lord of life and not feel his heart touched with a sad and passionate apprehension of his own vilenesse and an indignation at his own wickednesse that hath deserved and done this these are the bitter herbs wherewith if we shall eat this passover we shall finde it most wholesome and nourishable unto us to eternall life The manner of the eating of it followes in three particulars 1. The whole lamb must be eaten not a part of it 2. Not a bone of it must be broken 3. In
prophesying these may be as variable as the other are constant it is no more possible to fit all Churches and Countreys with one form then to fit all bodies with one suit or all limmes with one size Neither can I with learned Beza and Cappellus think that prophesying here is taken for the hearing of prophesyes these things were extraordinarily done till they were restrained In those Primitive times there were some women extraordinarily gifted by Gods Spirit who took upon them to preach and pray publickly which afterwards St. Paul forbad to his Timothy 1 Tim. 2.12 They exercising these manly functions presumed to take upon them manly fashions whereas therefore bare-headednesse was in Corinth as also in all Greece and Rome a token of honour and superiority and covering the head a token of subjection these forward women usurpe upon the fashions of their husbands and will have their faces seen as well as their voyces heard as the Jesuitesses of late time dared both to attempt and practise till the late restraint of Pope Urban curbed and suppressed them Our holy Apostle who was zealously carefull to reforme even Soloecismes in the outward deportment of Gods service controlls this absurd disorder and as the great Master of holy ceremonies injoynes a modest vail to the women when they will show themselves in these acts of publique devotion For this cause the women ought to have power on their head because of the Angels Wherein your selves without me observe two remarkable heads of our discourse 1. An Apostolicall Canon 2ly The carriage or grounds of it The Canon is fully and home-charged The women ought to have power on their head The grounds are double one precedent For this cause The other subsequent Because of the Angels which in the vulgar and in St. Ambrose is brought in by a Copulative or etiam propter Angelos From the Canon it self in the generality you would of your selves in my silence easily inferre that spirituall superiors must take care not only of the substantiall parts of Gods worship but of the circumstantiall appendances of it what is a meerer ceremony then our cloathes what can seem of lesse consequence then a vail left off or put on the head may be as good and as full of holy thoughts bare or covered what is that you would think to the heart of our devotion yet the chosen vessel fears not to seem too scrupulous in laying weighty charges upon us in so small and as we might imagine unimporting a business Certainly my beloved though the Kings Daughter be all glorious within and there lies her chief beauty yet her clothing is of wrought Gold too And if in the Tabernacle Gods first dwelling place upon Earth it pleased him to give order for the principal stuffe of the vails and curtaines and frame for the matter and form of the Ark and Altars and Tables of the Face-bread yet he thought good not to neglect the punctuall directions for the Taches Snuffers Snuff-dishes beesomes and the meanest requisites of that sacred Fabrick Justice and Judgment which are the main businesses of the law must be chiefly regarded but yet even the tithing of mint and anyse and cummin may not be neglected Had not Simon the Pharisee meant an hearty welcome to our Saviour he had never undergone the envy of inviting him to his house but yet our Saviour finds him short of his due complements of the hospitall kiss of washing and anoynting Let no man say what matter is to be made of stuffes or colours or postures God is a Spirit and will be worshipt in Spirit and truth these bodily observations are nothing to that spirituall and infinite essence what Corinthian Gossip might not have said so to our Apostle yet he sees the respect of these circumstances so necessary that the neglect of them may yea will marr the substance and surely in all experience were it not for ceremonies what would become of state goverment conversation religion and yet of these there is great difference some ceremonies are no less then substance to others and beside the latitude of their nature they have one aspect as they look toward an imposing authority and another as they look toward an arbitrary use It is one thing what men take up out of will or custome another thing what they conform to out of duty and obedience so as what our superiors to whom we must leave to see further then our selves think fit to injoyne us out of their estimation of decency and order is not now left to the freedom of our election it is for them to judge it is for us to obey neither have we the like reason to censure them for imposing things indifferent which are found by them to conduce unto holy ends that they have to censure us for not observing them herein they are wise and just whiles we are conceitedly refractory I know how little I need to press this to a people where I can find nothing but an universal conformity only this touch was needfull if but to second and revive those late meet and expedientorders which we lately commended to your carefull and Christian observation This from the generall and confused view of this Apostolicall charge cast your eyes now upon the particular injunction The Woman ought to have power on her Head what is this power but a signification of her husbands power over her for it is worth observing that the Hebrew word which signifies a vail 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies also power 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 being derived from a root of that sense so as the meaning plainly is The woman ought to wear that on her head which may import and testifie that she is under her husbands power which is as the Valentinians read it not amiss in Irenaeus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a vail or covering here therefore ye have an evident Metonymy the thing signified which is the husbands power is put for that which signifies it which is the womans vail so as this proposition then lies open to a double consideration the one in reference to the thing signified which is the husbands power over the wife the other in reference to the sign implying it which is the wifes vail or covering of the head of both briefly The first that the husband hath power over the wife is so clear both in nature and reason that I shall willingly save the labour of a proof it is enough that by her Creatour she was made for an helper and an helper doth necessarily argue a principall it is enough for matter of instiution that he who gave her a will appointed it should be subject to the will of her husband which how deep an impression it took in very Heathens appears clearly enough in the Persian sages censure of Vashti Est. 1. And that it may appear the liberty of the Gospell doth no whit alter the case How do the blessed Apostles St. Paul and St. Peter redouble the charge of
in hand without which there can be no firm peace no constant and solid comfort to the Soul of Man Three things then call us to the indeavor of this assurance our duty our advantage our danger We must do it out of duty because our God bids us Gods commands like the Prerogatives of Princes must not be too strictly scanned should he require ought that might be losse-full or prejudiciall to us our blindfold obedience must undertake it with cherefulnesse how much more then when he calls for that from us then which nothing can be imagined of more or equall behoof to the Soul It is enough therefore that God by his Apostle commands us to Give diligence to make our calling and election sure Our Heavenly Father bids us what sons are we if we obey him not Our blessed Master bids us what Servants are we if we set not our selves to observe his charge our glorious and immortall King bids us what subjects are we if we stick at his injunction out of mere duty therefore we must indeavour to make our calling and election sure Even where we owe no duty oftentimes advantage drawes us on yea many times across those duties which we owe to God and Man how much more where our duty is seconded with such an advantage as is not parallelable in all the World beside What lesse what other followes upon this assurance truly attained but peace of conscience and joy in the holy Ghost in one word the begining of Heaven in the soul What a contentment doth the heart of Man find in the securing of any whatsoever good what a coyle do mony-Masters keep for security of the summes they put forth and when that is taken to their mind are ready to say with the rich Man in the Gospel Soul take thy ease Great venturers at Sea how willingly do they part with no small part of their hoped gain to be assured of the rest How well was Ezekiah appaid when he was assured but of fifteene years added to his life How doth Babylon applaud her own happiness to her self when she can say I sit as a Queen I shall not be a widdow I shall know no sorrow It must needs follow therefore that in the best things assured there must be the greatest of all possible contentments And surely if the heart have once attained to this that upon good grounds it can resolve God is my Father Christ Jesus is my Elder Brother the Angels are my Guardians Heaven is my undoubted patrimony how must it needs be lift up and filled with a joy unspeakable and glorious What bold defiances can it bid to all the troupes of worldly evils to all the powers of Hell with what unconceiveable sweetness must it needs injoy God and it self how comfortably and resolutely must it needs welcome death with that triumphant champion of Christ I have fought a good fight I have finished my course I have kept the faith and now from henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness c. 2. Tim. 4.7 8. Out of the just advantage therefore of this assurance we must endeavour to make our calling and election sure Neither is the advantage more in the performance hereof then there is danger in the neglect In all uncertainties there is a kinde of afflictive fear and troublesome mis-doubt Let a man walk in the dark because he cannot be confident where safely to set his steps he is troubled with a continual suspicion of a suddain mis-cariage and therefore goes in pain what can there be but discomfort in that soul which knowes not in what termes it stands with God Yet whiles there is life there may be hope of better But if that soul be surprised with an unexpected death and hurried away with some suddain judgment in this state of irresolution in how deplored a condition is it beyond all expression I cannot but therefore lament the woful plight of those poor souls that live die under the Roman discipline who when they have most need of comfort in the very act of their dissolution are left pitifully disconsolate and given up by their teachers to either horror or suspence Even the most Saint-like of them except his soul fly up in Martyrdom like Gedeons Angel in the Smoke of his incense may not make account of a speedy ascent to heaven insomuch as Cardinal Bellarmine himself of whom our Coffin dares write that his life was not stayned with mortal sin pag. 27. He that could call heaven Casamia and whose canonization the Cardinals thought fit to be talked of in his sickness when Cardinal Aldobrandino desired him that when he came to heaven he would pray for him answered To go to heaven so soon is a matter too great for me men do not use to come thither in such hast and for me I shall think it no small favour to be sure of purgatory and there to remain a good while pag. 42. which yet himself can say differs not much for the time in respect of the extremity of it from hell it self and to be a good while there O terror past all reach of our thoughts And if the righteous be thus saved where shall the sinners appear For ought they can or may know hell may but purgatory must be their portion heaven may not be thought of without too high presumption Certainly if many despair under those uncomfortable hands I wonder that no more since they are bidden to doubt and beaten off from any possibility of the confidence of rest and happinesse But whiles I urge this danger of utter discomfort in our irresolution I hear our adversaries talke of a double danger of the contrary certitude A danger of pride and a danger of sloth The supposed certainty of our graces breeds pride saith their Cardinal The assurance of our election sloth saith their Alphonsus a Castro out of Gregory And indeed if this cordial doctrine be not well given well taken well digested it may through our pravity and heedlesness turne to both these noxious humors as the highest feeding soonest causeth a dangerous Plethory in the body How have we heard some bold ungrounded Christians brag of their assurance of glory as if they had carried the keyes of heaven at their Girdle How have we seen even sensual men flatter themselves with a confident opinion of their undoubted safety unfailable right to happiness How have we known presumptuous Spirits that have thought themselves carried with a plerophory of faith when their sailes have been swelled only with the winde of their own self-love how many ignorant soules from the mis-prision of Gods infallible election have argued the needlessnesse of their indeavours and the safety of their ease and neg-lect As ye love your selves sail warily betwixt these rocks and sands on either side But if these mischiefs follow upon the abuse of a sound and wholsome doctrine God forbid they should be imputed to the truth it self as if that God who
〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 By good works The vulgar reads it thus and the Council of Trent cites it thus and some of ours so the text runs thus Give diligence that by good works ye may make your calling and election sure I inquire not how duly but certainly there is no cause that we should fear or dislike this reading good works are a notable confirmation to the soul of the truth of our calling and election Though Cardinal Bellarmine makes ill use of the place striving hereupon to inferre that our certitude is therefore but conjectural because it is of works For the solution whereof justly may we wonder to hear of a conjectural certitude Certainly we may as well hear of a false-truth what a plain implication is here of a palpable contradiction Those things which we conjecture at are only probable and there can be no certainty in probability Away with these blinde peradventures had our Apostle said and he knew how to speak guesse at your calling and election by good works his game here had been fair but now when he saies By good works indeavour to make your calling and election sure how clearly doth he disclaim a dubious hit I-misse-I and implies a fecible certainty And indeed what hinders the connection of this assurance Our works make good the truth of our faith our faith makes good our effectual calling our calling makes good our election therefore even by good works we make our election sure Neither can it hurt us that the Cardinal saith we hold this certainty to be before our good works not after them and therefore that is not caused by our good works We stand not nicely to distinguish how things stand in the order of nature surely this certainty is both before and after our works before in the act of our faith after in our works confirming our faith neither do we say this certainty is caused by our good works but confirmed by them neither doth this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 imply alwaies a thing before uncertain as learned Chamier well but the completing and making up of a thing sure before To which also must be added that these 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 good works must be taken in the largest latitude so as to fetch in not only the outward good offices that fall from us in the way whether of our charity justice or devotion but the very inmost inclinations and actions of the soul tending towards God our believing in him our loving of him our dreading of his infinite Majesty our mortification of our corrupt affections our joy in the holy Ghost whatsoever else may argue or make us holy These are the means by which we may and must endeavor to make our calling election sure But to let this clause passe as litigious the undoubted words of the text goe no less If ye do these things ye shall never fall 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 these things are the vertues precedently mentioned and not falling is equivalent to ascertaining our calling and election Not to instance then and urge those many graces which are here specified I shall content my self with those three Theological vertues singled out from the rest faith hope charity for the makeing sure our calling and election For faith how clear is that of our Saviour He that believes in him that sent me hath everlasting life and shall not come into condemnation but hath passed from death to life Joh. 5.24 This is the grace by which Christ dwels in our hearts Ephes 3.17 and whereby we have communion with Christ and an assured testimony of and from him For he that believeth in the Son of God hath the witness in himself 1 John 5.10 And what witness is that This is the record that God hath given us eternall life and this life is in his Son verse 11. He that hath the Son hath life verse 12. See what a connection here is Eternal life first this life eternal is in and by Christ Jesus this Jesus is ours by faith This Faith witnesseth to our souls our assurance of Life Eternall Our hope is next which is an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a thrusting out of the head to look for the performing of that which our faith apprehends and this is so sure a grace as that it is called by the name of that glory which it expecteth Colos 1.5 For the hope sake which is laid up for you in heaven that is for the glory we hope for Now both faith and hope are of a cleansing nature both agree in this Purifying their hearts by faith Act. 15.9 Every one that hath this hope purifyeth himself even as he is pure 1 Joh. 3.3 The Devil is an unclean Spirit he foules wheresoever he comes and all sin is nasty and beastly Faith and hope like as neat huswives when they come into a foul and sluttish house cleanse all the roomes of the soul and make it a fit habitation for the Spirit of God Are our hearts lifted up then in a comfortable expectation of the performance of Gods merciful promises and are they together with our lives swept and cleansed from the wonted corruptions of our nature and pollutitions of our sin this is an undoubted evidence of our calling and election Charity is the last which comprehends our love both to God and man for from the reflection of Gods love to us there ariseth a love from us to God again The beloved Disciple can say We love him because he loved us first 1 John 4.19 And from both these resulteth our love to our brethren which is so full an evidence that our Apostle tells us we know we are passed from death to life because we love the brethren 1 Joh. 3.14 For the love of the Father is inseparable from the love of the Son he that loves him that begets loves him that is begotten of him Shortly then think not of a ladder to clâ—mbe up into heaven to search the books of God First look into your own lives those are most open we need no locks or keyes to them the Psalmist in his fifthteenth will tell you who is for that blisseful Sion are your lives innocent are your works good and holy do ye abound in the fruites of piety justice Christian compassion Let these be your first tryall it is a flat and plain word of the divine Apostle whosoever doth not righteousness is not of God 1 John 3.10 Look secondly into your own bosomes open to none but your own eyes If ye find there a true and lively faith in the Son of God by whose blood ye are cleansed from all your sins by vertue whereof ye can cry Abba Father a sure hope in Christ purifying your souls from your corruptions a true and unfained love to your God and Saviour who hath done so much for your soules so as you dare say with that fervent Apostle Lord thou knowest that I love thee and in him and for his sake a sincere love to his
impressa fuit aliqualis notitia veritatis divinae dolor de peccatis suis aliquod desiderium aliqua cura liberationis mutentur plane in contrarium veritaâ—em rejiciant odio habeant concupiscentiis suis se tradant in peccatis occalleant ibid. Thes 5. 8. These foregoing inward acts wrought by the word and Spirit both may be and are many times through the fault of the rebellious will choaked and quenched in the hearts of Men so as after some knowledg of divine truth some sorrow for sin and desire and care of deliverance they fall off to the contrary and give themselves over to their own lusts Ne Electi quidem ipsi in his praecedane is ad regenerationem actibus ita se gerant unquam quin ut propter negligentiam resistentiam suam possint juste a Deo deseri derelinqui sed ea est erga eos Dei specialis misericordia ut quam vis c. Eos tamen iterum iterumque urgeat Deus nec desistat promo vere donec eosdem gratiae suae prorsus subjugaverit ac in statu filiorum regeneratorum collocaverit Theol. Br. ibid. Thes 6. 9. Yea the very elect of God do not so carry themselves in these foregoing Acts but that they do oft-times justly deserve for their neglect and resistance to be forsaken of God But such is his speciall grace and mercy to them that he notwithstanding followes them effectually with powerfull helps till he have wrought out his good work in them Gratiam specialem essicacem ad salutem certo perducentem his quos Deus ex beneplacito suo gratioso elegerit propriam profitetur D. Overal in Art 3. Sent. 3. 10. When the hearts of his elect are thus excited and prepared by the foregoing Acts of grace God doth by his secret and wonderfull work regenerate and renew them infusing into them his quickning Spirit and induing all the powers of their soul with new qualities of grace and holyness Deus animos electorum suorum praedictis gratiae suae actibus excitatos praeparatos intima quadam mirabili operatione regenerat quasi de novo creat infundendo spiritum vivificantem omnes animae facultates novis qualitatibus imbuendo Theol. Br. de convers Thes 1. 11. Upon this conversion which God works in the heart followes instantly our actuall conversion to God whiles from our new changed will God fetches the act of our believing and turning to him He gives that power which the will exercises so as it is at once both ours and Gods ours in that we do work Gods in that he works it in us Praedictam conversionem sequitur haec nostra conversio actualis Deo perliciente ipsum actum credendi convertendi ex mutata voluntate quae acta adeo agit ipsa convertendo se ad Deum credendo hoc est actum suum vitalem simul eliciendo ibid. 12. In working upon the will God doth not overthrow the nature of the will but causeth it to work after it's own native manner freely and willingly neither doth he pull up by the roots that sinfull possibility which is in our nature to resist good motions but doth sweetly and effectually work in Man a firme and ready will to obey him his grace is so powerfull that it is not violent Divina haec actio non laedit voluntatis libertatem sed roborat neque tamen extirpat radicitus vitiosam resistendi possibilitatem sed pravitatem ad resistendum motibus spiritus sancti sed haec resistibilitas propter efficacissimam suavissimam motionem gratiae nequit in actum hic nunc erumpere huic gratiae resisti nequit quia primum operatur velle id est non resistere c. ibid. in explic Thes 2. Deum cum voluerit quibus voluerit gratiam tam abundantem tam potentem aut congruam aut alio modo efficacem concedere ut quamvis possit voluntas ratione suae libertatis resistere non tamâ—n resistat sed certo infallibiliter obsequatur Dr. Overal in Artic 4. It is true that whiles our naturall concupiscence raignes in us we have not only a possibility but a proneness to resistance which yet is by the gracious and effectuall motion of God Spirit so over ruled that it breaks not forth into a present Act for God works in us to will that is not to resist Yea the very will to resist is for the time taken away by the power of grace Deus hominem conversum fidelem non ita semper movet ad bonos actus subsequentes ut tollat ipsam voluntatem resistendi sed quandoque permittit illam vitio suo deficere a ductu gratiae in particularibus multis actibus concupiscentiae suae parere Theol. Br. ibid. Thes 3. 13. God doth not alwayes so work in the regenerate that he doth ever take from them this will to resist but sometimes suffers them through their own fault to give way to their own sinfull desires for howsoever in those principall Acts which are absolutely necessary to Salvation the grace of God works powerfully in the elect both the will and the deed in his own good time yet in some particular acts he thinks good for his own holy purposes to leave the best Men sometimes to themselves who do thereupon grieve his good Spirit by a recoverable resistance Oportet semper discrimen statuere inter illos actus principales sine quibus salus Electorum non constat particulares subsequentes actus c. ibid. in explic Of the Fifth ARTICLE OF PERSEVERANCE QUibusdam non electis conceditur quaedam illuminatio supernaturalis cujus virtute intelligant ea quae in verbo Dei annuntiantur esse vera iisdemque assensum praebent minime simulatum In iisdem ex hac cognitione fide oritur affectuum quaedam mutatio morum aliqualis emendatio non electi huc usque progressi ad statum tamen adoptions justificationis nunquam perveniunt Theol. Br. de 5. Art Thes 1 2 3 4. 1. EVen among those which belong not to the election of God there are some that are enlightned by supernaturall knowledg and give their assent to the truth of the Gospel receiveing the same with some joy and from that knowledg and faith find some change in their affections and lives who yet howsoever they may pass in the judgment of charity never attained to that hearty renovation which is joyned with justification nor yet to the immediate disposition thereunto and therefore were never in the true State of the adoption of Sons these may utterly fall away from that grace which they have professed Unde constat â—os nunquam reipsa pertingere ad illam mentis affestuum mutationem renovationem quae cum justificatione conjuncta est imo nec ad illam quae proxime praeparat ac disponit ad justificationem ibid. in explic 4. Artic. Idem regeniti ac justificati quandoque
to thy self who hast both made and freed it To summe up all then we are freed from the bondage of sin by the spirit of Christ from an accusing conscience by the blood of Christ from the wrath of God by faith in Christ from the tyranny of Satan by the victory of Christ from the curse of the law by the satisfaction of Christ from the law of ceremonies by the consummation of Christ from humane ordinances by the manumission and instruction of Christ and now stand fast in all these liberties wherewith Christ hath made you free And so from the liberty and prerogative we descend to the maintenance of this liberty Stand fast Is it any boot to bid a man hold fast our once recovered liberty did ye ever hear of a wild bird that once let out of the cage wherein she hath been long enclosed would come fluttering about the wires to get in again Did ye ever see a slave that after his ransome paid and his discharge obtained would run back and sue for a place in his Gally Casuists dispute whether a prisoner though condemned may upon breach of prison escape and the best resolve it affirmatively so Caietan Soto Navarre Lessius others Their reason is For that he is not sentenced to remain voluntarily in bonds but to be kept so neither is it the duty of the offender to stay but of the keeper to hold him there hence chaines and fetters are ordained where otherwise twists of towe were sufficient but never any Casuist doubted whether a prisoner would be glad to be free or once well escaped would or ought to returne to his gaol that self love which is engraffed in every breast will be sure to forbid so prejudiciall an act God himself hath forbiden to deliver back the slave that is run from his Master Deut. 23.15 Hagar thought it an hard word Returne to thy Mistress and be beaten Gen. 16.9 If Noahs Dove had not found more refuge then restraint in the Ark I doubt whether it had returned with an Olive-branch O then what what strange madness possesseth us that being ransomed by the precious blood of the Son of God paid down for us upon the crosse we should again put our neck under the servile yoke of sin Satan Men The two first shall go together indeed they cannot be severed where ever sin is there is a Divell at the end of it why will we be the servants of corruptions 2 Pet. 2.19 Servants both by nature and by will The Philosophers dispute whether there be servus natura divinity defines it clearly servi eratis peccati ye were the servants of sin Rom. 6.19 though not more by nature then by will contrary to the civill condition there is no servitude here but willing St. Pauls thesis his servants ye are to whom ye obey is reduced by our Saviour to this hypothesis He that doth sin is the servant of sin Joh. 8.33 Do we then obey the filthy lusts of our brutish sensuality how high soever we look we are but vassals and our servitude is so much more vile as our master is more despicable A Princes vassal may think himself as good as a poor free-man but a slaves slave goes in rank with a beast such is every one that endrudgeth himself to any known sin In whose eyes a vile person is contemned saith the Psalmist A vile person who is that Be not deceived it is not the habits that makes a man vile but the conditions No rags can make the good man other then glorious no robe can make the leud man other then base when we see and hear of high titles rich coates antient houses long pedegrees glittering suites large retinues we honour these and so we must do as the just monuments signes appendances of civill greatness but let me tell you withall the eyes of God his Saints and Angels look upon any of you as a vile person if his sin be his Master as they say of Lewis the eleventh that he was the slave of his Physitian Corterius but a tirant to others so nothing hinders but that ye may be the commanders of others and yet the while vassals to your own corruptions It is the heathen mans question Blush O ye Christians blush for shame to hear it An ille mihi liber cui mulier imperat Shall he go for a freeman that is a slave to his Curtizan that is at the command of her eyes and hangs upon the doom of her variable lips Shall he go for a freeman that is at the mercy of his cups whether for mirth or rage Shall he go for a free-man that is loaden with fetters of Gold more servile to this mettal then the Indian that gets it Shall he go for a free-man that is ever fastned upon the rack of envy or ambition Hate this condition O all ye Noble and Generous Courtiers and as ye glory to affect freedom and scorne nothing so much as the reputation of baseness abhorre those sins that have held you in a miserable and cursed servitude Stand fast in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made you free Lastly what should we or why do we inthrall our consciences to the sinfull yoke of the corrupt ordinances of men That which the legall ceremonies were to the Jewes Popish traditions are to us yea more and worse Those ceremonies were prefigurations of Christ to come these traditions are defigurations and deformations of Christ exhibited Those were of Gods prescribing these of that homo delinquentiae as Tertullian construes it That man of sin see what a stile here is as if he were made all of impiety and corruption That which Rehoboam said of himself we may justly borrow here The Popes little finger is heavier then Moses his loines From these superstitions and Antichristian impositions Christ hath freed us by the clear light of the glorious Gospell of his Son Christ Jesus Oh stand fast now in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made you free Give leave I beseech you Most gracious Soveraign and ye honourable and beloved Christians to my just importunity if in these cold slippery back-sliding times I presse this needfull exhortation with more then common vehemence Hath the Gospell of Christ freed us from the Idolatrous adoration of Daniels Maazim a breaden God and shall any of us so farre abdicate not our religion onely but our reason as to creep crouch and to worship that which the baker makes a cake and the Priest makes a God Crustum pro Christo as he said And if Israel play the harlot yet Oh why will Judah sin If the poor seduced souls of forraign subjects that have been invincibly noursled up in ignorance and superstition whose wofull case we do truly commiserate with weeping and bleeding hearts be carried hood-wink't to those hideous impieties which if they had our eyes our means they would certainly detest shall the native subjects of the Defender of Faith who have been trained up in so clear a light of