the first law of equity to heare both the plaintiffe and defendant with indifferency For as q Senec. in Trag. Qui aliquid statuerit parte inauditâ alterâ aequum licet statuerit haud aequus est Seneca saith truely Hee that giveth a right judgement without hearing both parties is no righteous Judge and therefore r Suet. in Claud. Pronunciabat saepè alterâ parte auditâ saepè neutrâ Suetonius justly chargeth Claudius with injustice for precipitating his sentence before hee had given a full hearing to both parties nay sometimes to either 2 They must lay all that they heare and what is brought on both sides in an even ballance and poyse them together Res cum re causa cum causâ ratio cum ratione concertet by the collision of arguments on both sides the fire of truth is struck out Protagoras his exception was good against them who to prove the providence of their paynim gods brought a number painted in a Table of them that calling upon them escaped shipwracke At picti non sunt inquit qui naufragio perierunt True saith he but none of those who notwithstanding their prayers to them suffered shipwracke are any where painted neither is there any register kept of them 3 They must maturely advise and seriously consider of the matter before they passe sentence The eye unlesse it bee fixed upon the object cannot perfectly discerne it nor distinguish it from things that are neare and like unto it And howsoever in a cleare water we may easily perceive any thing that is in the bottome yet if it bee troubled wee cannot and in every Court there are many troublers of the water the Lawyers by their wrangling and the witnesses by their varying the Judges by their different opinions to speake nothing of Angels also troubling the cleere streame of justice at certaine times 4 The eyes of their judgement must bee free from all mists of prejudice and clouds of affection For as that which a man looketh upon through red or greene glasse seemeth to bee of that colour the glasse is of though it bee of a far different if not a contrary so that which wee judge out of a forestalled conceit or prejudicate opinion seemeth to answer to our opinion of it how contrary soever it bee The Romane souldiers as t Div. instit l. 1. Lactantius noteth thought verily that the goddesse worshipped at Syracuse being demanded whether shee would bee carryed by them to Rome answered that shee would not that the image spake any such word but because they were before strongly perswaded that the goddesse would give such an answere Unlesse those that sit in judgement observe these rules they may easily take 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a fallacy for a demonstration and a malitious calumniation for a legall conviction If their eyes be either dimme with private affection or blinded with rewards or wink through carelesnesse or are shut through wilfulnesse that will fall out which S. u L. 2. ep 2. Inter leges ipsas delinquitur inter jura peccatur innocentia nec illic ubi defenditur reservatur qui sedet crimina vindicaturus admittit ut reus innocens pereat sit nocens judex Cyprian so grievously complaineth of Injustice sitteth in the place of justice and even in the sight of the lawes hanging about the judgement seat the lawes are broken the Judge who sitteth to revenge wrongs offered offereth that which hee should revenge and committeth that which hee should punish and hath his conscience coloured with sinnes of a deeper dye than the scarlet of his robes The Empresse wisely advised her husband when sitting at play and minding as it seemes that more than the cause before him hee rashly pronounced sentence Non est vita hominum ludus talorum The sitting upon life and death is not like the playing a game at Tables where a Table-man of wood is taken up by a blot and throwne aside without any great losse the life of man is of more worth than so Though all men detested Seianus and that most deservedly yet when they heard him adjudged to a most cruell and infamous death by no legall proceedings or course of justice the hate of all men recoyled backe upon the Judges and the people began to pity that great favourite who before was most odious Crepat ingens Seianus great Seianus is drawn upon an hurdle and hee suffereth for too much abusing his Princes favour * Juven sat 9. Sed quo cecidit sub crimine quisnam Delator quibus indiciic quo teste probavit c. Nil horum Verbosa grandis epistola venit A Capreis Benè habet nil plus interrogo What crime was laid to his charge what evidence was given in against him what witnesses were sworne I heare of none onely I heare of a long letter sent from the Emperour taking his pastime at the Capreae Hush not a word more Who doth not observe in our owne Chronicles how God met to Hastings his owne measure who the same day that the Earle Rivers Gray and others in the reigne of Edward the fourth without triall of law were by his advice executed at Pomfret had his head strucken off in the same manner in the Tower of London Such as Tiberius his Judges or Edward the fourth's are no fit Presidents for Christian Magistrates this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in my text will evidently convince them at Christs tribunall in the clouds for not looking better to their evidence when they sate on the bench here below let them therefore take judicii praefidem for a president in their judgements even God himselfe who as wee x Gen. 18.20 reade though the sinne of Sodome were exceeding great and the cry of it went up to heaven yet came downe from heaven to see whether they had done according to that cry Chrys in Gen. before hee rained down fire and brimstone to burn their bodies with unnaturall fire whose soules burned with unnaturall lust As the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I rebuke rebuketh the carelesnesse rashnesse of Judges and Magistrates in giving sentence upon the life or state of any in question before them so the other word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I instruct by chastening instructeth fathers and mothers to performe that duty which they owe to God and must performe to their children viz. before them continually to rehearse the law of God y Deut. 11.19 4 10. To talke of it when they are in their house and when they walke abroad when they lye down and when they rise up Above all things they must take care to season their young and tender years with pure and incorrupt religion and bring them up in the feare of God otherwise they are but halfe parents if they have not as well a care of their soules as of their bodies if they pamper the flesh in them but starve the spirit if they labour
but very soone fals from it For though no man take it from him death will quite strip him of it But the gifts of God are not such or like to the gifts of Princes For neither man nor time nor circumstances of actions nor reason of state nor the Divell himselfe nay nor death can deprive him of them or put him by them You see how the smoaking flaxe being blowne kindles the heat of our zeale and enflameth us on the purchasing the estate of grace by the price of Christs bloud Feele now I beseech you in the second place what warmth it yeeldeth to a benummed conscience and a soule frozen in the dregs of sinne That the bruised reed shall not bee broken nor smoaking flaxe be quenched is a doctrine of singular comfort and use yet must it be very discreetly handled and seasonably applyed to such and such onely as are heavie laden and bruised with the weight and sense of their sinne and through inward or outward affliction smoake for them and are as Arboreus speaketh extinctioni vicini neere to be utterly quenched through inundation of sorrow To tell a presumptuous sinner in the height of his pride and heat of his lust and top and top gallant of his vaine glory Rectus in Curiâ that he stands straight in the Court of heaven is in the state of grace and can never fall away from it or become a cast-away is to minister hot potions to a man in a burning fever which is the ready way to stifle him and as soone to rid him of his life as of his paine hot cordials and strong waters are to be given in a languishing fit and a cold sweat when the patient is in danger of swouning It is the part saith S. a Aug. de bono persev c. 22. Dolosi vel imperiti medici est etiam utile medicamentum sic alligare ut aut non prosit aut etiam obsit Austin of a deceitfull or unskilfull Physician or Chyrurgian to lay a wholsome salve or plaster so on that it doe no good nay rather that it doe hurt Having therefore made a most soveraign salve out of the words of my Text for the sores of a wounded conscience I am now to shew you how to use and when to apply it viz. in deliquio spiritus in a spirituall desertion or dereliction As wee sometimes feele in our bodies 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 deliquium animae a trance and utter failing of the vitall spirits so is there also in the soule of a faithfull Christian sometimes deliquium spiritus an utter fainting and failing in all the motions and operations of grace when God either to humble him that he be not proud of his favours or to make him more earnestly desire and highly esteeme the comforts of the Gospel withdraweth the spirit from him for a season during which time of spirituall desertion he lyeth as it were in a swoune feeling no motion of the spirit as it were the pulse-beating taking in no breath of life by hearing the Word nor letting it out by prayer and thanks-giving void of all sense of faith and life of hope ready every houre to give up the holy Ghost In this extremity we are to stay him with flagons comfort him with the apples in my Text and as his fit of despaire more more groweth on him in this sort and order to minister and give them unto him 1. When he lamenteth in the bitternesse of his soule after this manner There was a time when the face of God shined upon mee and I saw his blessing upon all that I set my hand unto but now he hath hid his face from mee and shut up his loving kindnesse in displeasure hee bloweth upon all the fruits of my labours and nothing prospereth with mee my estate decayes and my friends faile mee and afflictions and calamities come thicke upon me like a S. Bas de patientia conc 13. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Job 1.14 16 17 18. waves of the sea riding one on the neck of the other or like Jobs messengers one treading on the heeles of the other and the latter bringing still worse tidings than the former Apply thou this remedy Many * Psal 34.18 19. Matth 9.12 1 Tim. 1.15 are the troubles of the righteous but the Lord delivereth him out of them all he keepeth all his bones so that not one of them is broken 2. If hee goe on in his mournfull ditty saying I am farre from being righteous therefore this comfort belongeth not unto mee Apply thou this salve The whole need not the Physician but they that are sicke This is a faithfull saying and by all meanes worthy to bee received that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners Matth. 9.13 I am not come saith Christ to call the righteous but sinners to repentance 3. If hee reply Oh but I cannot repent for I am not able to master mine owne corruptions Vitiis meis impar sum I cannot shake off the sin that hangeth on so fast I am like one in the mudde who the more he struggleth with his feet to get out the deeper he sinketh and sticketh faster in the mire Apply this recipe Yet bee of good comfort because thou delightest in the Law of God touching the inward man thou strivest against all sinne and because thou canst not get the upper hand of some of thy bosome corruptions thy life is grievous unto thee Thou cryest with the holy Apostle Rom. 7.24 O wretched man that I am who shall deliver mee from this body of death Thou hungerest and thirstest after righteousnesse and Blessed are they which hunger and thirst for righteousnesse Matth. 5.6 for they shall be filled 4. If hee sinke deeper into the gulfe of desperation and say I feele no such hunger nor thirst in me Custome in sinne hath drawne a kall over my conscience and I am not now sensible of any incision Reach thy hand to him and support him with this comfort Bee of good cheare good brother for it is certaine thou hast some sense because thou art sensible of thy stupidity and mournest in thy prayers and art vexed for this thy dulnesse and blessed are they that mourne Matth. 5.4 for they shall be comforted 5. If he yet sinke deeper and lower crying Alas I cannot mourne my hard heart will not relent my flinty eyes will not yeeld a teare for my sins what hope then for me Answer him great as great as thy sorrow which is by so much the fuller because it hath no vent None grieveth more truly Hierom. Tom. 1. epist Mutus clinguis ne hoc quidem habens ut rogare possit hoc magis rogat quod rogare non potest than hee who grieveth because hee cannot grieve A man that is borne dumbe or hath his tongue cut out when hee maketh offer to speake moving his lips but is not able to bring forth a word beggeth
and hee layeth all the blame either upon bad servants or theevish neighbours or racking Land-lords or hard times or some losses by sea or land but never looketh into his owne heart where the true cause lyes be it covetousnesse or distrust of Gods providence or a quarrelling disposition or pride or idlenesse or luxurie or sacriledge Another is still whining that hee cannot get or keepe his health and he imputeth this either to his crazie constitution by nature or ill ayre or over much labour and study whereas indeed the cause is his ill diet his sitting up all night at Revels his powring in strong wines and spending the greatest part of the day in Tavernes his intemperancy or incontinency All other sinnes are without the body but hee that g 1 Cor. 6.18 committeth fornication sinneth against his owne body First against the honour of his body for thereby he maketh the members of Christ the members of an harlot next the strength health and life of the body which nothing more enfeebleth empaireth and endangereth than greedily drinking stolne waters and coveting after strange flesh A third is troubled in minde and hee feeleth no comfort in his conscience the good spirit hath left him and the evill spirit haunteth him and scorcheth his soule with the flashes of Hell fire and hee ascribeth this to some melancholy bloud or worldly discontent or the indiscretion of some Boanerges sonnes of thunder who preach nothing but damnation to their hearers whereas the true cause is in himselfe hee grieveth the spirit of grace hee turneth it into wantonnesse and quencheth the light of it in himselfe and therefore God withdraweth this holy Comforter from him for a time When h Just hist l. 1. Zopyrus qui sibi labia nares praecidi curasset queritur crudelitatem Regis Zopyrus had cut his owne lips and nose he gave it out that the Babylonians had so barbarously used him such is the condition of most men they disfigure their soules dismember their bodies by monstrous sinnes and yet lay the whole blame upon others i Mat. 10.36 The enemies of a man saith our Saviour are those of his owne house So it is so it is saith S. k Bern med c. 13. Accusat me conscientia testis est memoria ratio judex voluptas carcer timor tortor oblectamentum tormentum inde enim punimur unde oblectamur Bernard in mine owne house in my proper family nay within my selfe I have my accuser my judge my witnesse my tormentor My conscience is the accuser my memory the witnesse my reason the judge my feare the torturer my sinfull delights my torments l Camerar med hist cent 1. c. 20. Plancus Plautius hiding himselfe in the time of the proscription was found out onely by the smell of his sweet oyles wherewith hee used luxuriously to anoint himselfe m Eras adag Sorex ut dicitur suo indicio Sylla hearing some displeasing newes was so enflamed with anger that streining himselfe to utter his passion he brake a veine and spitting bloud died Remember the words of dying Caesar when hee felt their daggers at his heart whom he had saved from the sword Mene servare ut sint qui me perdant O that I should save men to doe mee such a mischiefe O that wee should harbour those snakes in our bosomes which if wee long keepe them there will sting us to death A strange thing it is and much to bee lamented that the soule should prescribe remedies against the maladies of the bodie and yet procure nourishment for her owne diseases What are the vitious affections we feed and cherish within us but so many pernitious infections of the minde What is anger but a fit of a frenzie feare but a shâ—king feaver ambition but a winde collicke malice but an apostem faction but a convulsion envie but a consumption security but a dead palsie lust but an impure itch immoderate joy but a pleasing trance of the soule These are the greatest causes of our woe not onely because they disturbe the peace of our conscience and set us upon scandalous and dangerous actions but also because they draw upon us heavie and manifold judgements From which if we desire to be freed that they prove not our utter destruction let us First confesse our sinnes with David to be the fuell of Gods wrath and the fountaine of all our miseries n Psal 51.4 Against thee thee onely have wee sinned and done this and that and the third and many more evils in thy sight that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest and cleere when thou art judged and with o Salv. l. 4. de provid Sive miseâ—ae nostrae sint sive infirmitates sive eversiones c. testimoniâ— sunt mali servi boni domini quomodo mali servi quia patimur ex parte quod meremur quomodo boni domini quia ostendit quid mereamur sed non irrogat quae meremur Salvianus Whatsoever our miseries are or afflictions or persecutions or overthrowes or losses or diseases they are testimonies of an evil servant and a good master How of an evill servant Because in them we suffer in part what wee deserve How testimonies of a good master Because by them he sheweth us what wee deserve and yet layeth not upon us so much as we deserve Secondly let us compose our selves to endure that with patience which we have brought upon our selves Tute in hoc tristi tibi omne exedendum est Thirdly let us forsake our beloved sinnes and then God will take away his plagues from us let us be better our selves and all things shall goe better with us let repentance be our practise and a speedy reformation our instruction so Gods judgements shall not bee our destruction Now O Father of mercy and tender compassion in the bowels of Jesus Christ who hast shewed us what wee deserve by our sinnes and yet hast not rewarded us according to our iniquities take away our stony hearts from us and give us hearts of flesh that thy threats may make a deepe impression in us and that wee may speedily remove the evill of our sinnes out of thy sight that thou maist remove the evill of punishment from us so our sinne shall not be our destruction but thy mercy our salvation through Jesus Christ To whom c. THE CHARACTERS OF HEAVENLY WISEDOME A Sermon preached before his Grace and divers other Lords and Judges spirituall and temporall in Lambeth THE EIGHTH SERMON PSAL. 2.10 Be wise now therefore O yee Kings be instructed yee Judges of the earth Most Reverend Right Honourable Right Worshipfull c. THe mirrour of humane eloquence apologizing for his undertaking the defence of Murena against Cato the elder pertinently demandeth a Cic. pro Muren A quo tandem Marce Cato aequius est defendi Consulem quam a Consule who so fit a patron of a Consull as a consull himselfe The like may be said in
of sinnes is peculiarly attributed to the Spirit and by a metonymie termed the Holy Ghost Barradius bringeth us an answer out of the schooles that z Barrad in harmon Evang. remission of sinnes is a worke of Gods goodnesse and mercy now workes of goodnesse are peculiarly attributed to the holy Spirit who proceedeth as they determine from the will of the Father and the Sonne whose object is goodnesse as workes of wisedome are attributed to the Sonne because hee is the word proceeding by way of generation from the understanding of his Father This reason may goe for currant in their way neither have I any purpose at this time to crosse it but to haste to the period of this discourse in which that I may better discover the path of truth in stead of many little lights which others have brought I will set up one great taper made of the sweetest of their waxe The Holy Ghost is sometimes taken for the person of the Comforter which sealeth Gods chosen to salvation sometimes for the gifts effects or operations of the Holy Ghost as it were the prints of his scale left in the soule these are principally three 1 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Grace 2 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 spirituall power or authority 3 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Vertue or ghostly ability to worke wonders and speake with divers languages 1 Is common to all them that are sanctified 2 Is peculiar to Christs Ministers 3 Restrayned to the Apostles themselves and some few others of their immediate successors z Joh. 3.5 Exceâ—t a man be borne of the water and of the spirit 1 Regenerating grace is termed the holyGhost 2 Spirituall order or ministeriall power is called the Spirit or holy Ghost in this place and Luk. 4.18 Esay 61.1 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me to preach the Gospell c. 3 Miraculous vertue is called the holy Ghost Act. 2.4 And they were filled with the holy Ghost and spake with divers tongues 1 The Spirit of grace and regeneration the Apostles received at their first calling 2 The Spirit of ecclesiasticall government they received at this time c. 3 The Spirit of powerfull and extraordinary operation they received in the day of Pentecost 1 In their mindes by infallible inspiration 2 In their tongues by multiplicity of languages 3 In their hands by miraculous cures Receive then the Holy Ghost is 1 A ghostly function to ordaine Pastors and sanctifie congregations to God 2 Spirituall gifts to execute and discharge that function 3 Spirituall power or jurisdiction to countenance and support both your function and gifts Thus have I opened the treasury of this Scripture out of which I now offer to your religious thoughts and affections these ensuing observations And first in generall I commend to the fervour of your zeale and devotion the excessive heat of Christs love which absumed and spent him all for us flesh and spirit His flesh he offereth us in the Sacrament of his Supper his spirit hee conferreth in the sacred rite of consecration His body hee gave by those words Take eate this is my body his spirit hee gave by these Receive ye the holy Ghost a gift unestimable a treasure unvaluable for it was this spirit which quickned us when wee were dead in trespasses and sinnes it is this spirit which fetcheth us againe when wee swoune in despaire it is this spirit that refresheth and cooleth us in the extreme heat of all persecutions afflictions sorrowes and diseases to it we owe 1 Light in our mindes 2 Warmth in our desires 3 Temper in our affections 4 Grace in our wils 5 Peace in our consciences 6 Joy in our hearts and unspeakeable comfort in life and death This is the winde which bloweth a Cant. 4.16 Blow upon my garden that the spices thereof may flow out let my beloved come into his garden and eat his pleasant fruits upon the Spouse her garden that the spices thereof might flow out This is the breath which formeth the words in the cloven tongues this is the breath which bloweth and openeth all the flowers of Paradise This is the blast which diffuseth the savour of life through the whole Church This is the gale which carryeth us through all the troublesome waves of this world and bringeth us safe to the haven where we would be And as the Spouse of Christ which is his mysticall body is infinitely indebted to her head for this gift of the spirit whereby holy congregations are furnished with Pastors and they with gifts and the ministery of the Gospell continually propagated so wee above all nations in the world at this day are most bound to extoll and magnifie his goodnesse towards us herein among whom in a manner alone this holy seed of the Church remaineth unmixed and uncorrupt not onely as propagated but propagating also not children onely but Fathers Apostolicall doctrine other reformed Churches maintaine but doe they retaine also Apostolicall discipline laying of hands they have on Ministers and Pastors but consecration of Archbishops and Bishops they have not And because they want consecrated Bishops to ordaine Pastors their very ordination is not according to ancient order Because they want spirituall Fathers in Christ to beget children in their ministery their Ministers by the adversary are accounted no better than filii populi whereas will they nill they even in regard of our Hierarchy the most frontlesse Papists must confesse the children begot by our reverend Fathers in the ministery of the Gospell to be as legitimate as their owne For albeit they put the hereticke upon us as the Arrians did upon the Catholike Fathers calling them Athanasians c. yet this no way disableth either the consecration of our Bishops nor the ordination of our Priests not onely because we have proved the dogge lyeth at their doores and that they are a kinde of mungrils of divers sorts of heretickes but because it is the doctrine of their Church b See Croy in his third conformity Whitaker in fine resp ad demonstrat Sanderi Rivet procem de haeref q. 1. Cath. orthod that the character of order is indeleble and therefore Archbishop Cranmer and other of our Bishops ordained by them if they had afterwards as Papists most falsly suppose fallen into heresie could not lose their faculty of consecration and ordination The consecration of Catholicke Bishops by Arrians and baptisme of faithfull Christians children by Donatists though heretickes is made good as well by the decrees of ancient as later Councels determining that Sacraments administred even by heretickes so they observe the rite and forme of words prescribed in holy scripture bee of force and validity Praysed therefore for ever bee the good will of him that dwelt in the bush that the Rod of Aaron still flourisheth among us and planteth and propagateth it selfe like that Indian fig-tree so much admired by all Travellers from the utmost branch whereof issueth a gummy juyce which hangeth
but rather m Suet. in Tit. Titus Vespasian who suffered no man by his good will to goe sad from him and in this regard was stiled Amor delicrae humani generis the love and darling of mankinde The laity shew in their name what they are durum genus and how ill they stand affected to us 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 stone and hardly entreat our tribe all have experience who have or ever had pastorall charges Wee cannot pray them so fast into heaven as they will sweare us out of our maintenance on earth And what reliefe wee have at secular tribunals the world seeth and if wee must yet expect harder measure from your officers and servants I know not to what more fitly to compare the inferiour of our Clergy who spend themselves upon their parochiall cures and are flieced by them whom they feed and by whom they should bee fedde through vexatious suits in law than to the poore hare in the Epigram which to save her selfe from the hounds leaped into the sea and was devoured by a sea-dogge n Auson epig. In me omnis terrae pelagique ruina est 4 The spirit of humility Matth. 20.28 The Sonne of man came not to bee ministred unto but to minister The head of the Church vouchsafeth o Joh. 13.14 to wash his disciples feet professing therein ver 15. that hee gave them an example that they should doe as hee had done to them Winde blowne into a bladder filleth it and into flesh maketh it swell but the breath of God inspired into the soule produceth the contrary effect it abateth and taketh downe all swelling of pride Take not Austine the Monke for your patterne from whose proud behaviour towards them the Brittish Monkes truely concluded that hee was not sent unto them from Christ but Saint Austine the Father whose modest speech in a contention betweene him and Jerome gained him more respect from all men than ever the Bishops of Rome got by their swelling buls and direfull fulminations According to the present custome of the Church saith he the title of a p August epist ad Hieron Bishop is above that of a Priest yet Priest Jerome is a better man than Bishop Austine As the q Bruson facet exempl Athenians wisely answered Pompey requiring from them divine honour We will so farre account thee a God as thou acknowledgest thy selfe a man for humility of minde in eminency of fortune is a divine perfection so the lesse you account your selfe a Prelate the more all men will preferre and most highly honour you When Christ consecrated his Apostles Bishops he breathed on them to represent after a sort visibly by an outward symbole the eternall and invisible procession of the holy Ghost from his person In regard of which divine signification of that his insufflation no man may presume to imitate that rite though they may and do use the words Receive the holy Ghost All that may bee done to supply the defect of that ceremony is in stead of breathing upon you to breath out prayers to almighty God for you that you right reverend Fathers may give and for you my Lord Elect that you may receive the holy Ghost for us that wee may worthily administer and for you that you may worthily participate the blessed body and blood of our Saviour and for us all that wee may bee nourished by his flesh and quickened by his spirit and live in him and hee in us and dwell in him and he in us So be it c. THE FAITHFULL SHEPHEARD A Sermon preached at the Consecration of three Bishops the Lords Elect of Oxford Bristoll and Chester in his Graces Chappell at Lambeth May 9. 1619. THE ELEVENTH SERMON 1 PET. 5.2.3.4 Feede the flocke of God which is among you taking the over-sight thereof not by constraint but willingly not for filthy lucre but of a ready mind not as being Lords over Gods heritage but being ensamples to the flock And when the chiefe shepheard shall appeare you shall receive a crowne of glory that fadeth not away Most Reverend Right Honourable Right Reverend right Worshipfull c. ARchilochus a Arist Rhet. c. 2. sharpning his quill and dipping it in gall against Lycambes that his satyricall invectives might bee more poignant putteth the pen in Archilochus his Fathers hand and by an elegant prosopopeia maketh him upbraid his sonne with those errors and vices which it was not fit that any but his father should in such sort rip up And b Orat. pro M. Coelio Tully being to read a lecture of gravity and modesty to Clodia which became not his yeares or condition raiseth up as it were from the grave her old grandfather Appius Caecus and out of his mouth delivereth a sage and fatherly admonition to her In like manner right Reverend receiving the charge from you to give the charge unto you at this present and being over-ruled by authority to speak something of the eminent authority sacred dignity into which ye are now to be invested I have brought upon this holy stage the first of your ranke and auncientest of your Apostolicall order to admonish you with authority both of your generall calling as Pastours set over Christs flocke and your speciall as Bishops set over the Pastors themselves That in the former words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 feed this in the latter 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 bishoping or taking the over-sight of them Both they are to performe 1 Not by constraint 2 Not for lucre 3 Not with pride 1 Not by constâ—ant constraint standeth not with the dignity of the Apostles successors 2 Not for filthy lucre filthy lucre sorts not with Gods Priests 3 Not in or with Lord-like pride Lord-like pride complyeth not with the humility of Christs Ministers As Tully the aged wrote to Cato the auncient of old age so in the words of my text Peter the Elder writeth to Elders of the calling life and reward of Elders in the Church of God 1 Their function is feeding and overlooking Christs flocke enjoyned ver 2. 2 Their life is to be a patterne of all vertue drawne ver 3. 3 Their reward is a Crowne of glory set before them ver 4. 1 Their function sacred answerable to their calling which is divine 2 Their life exemplary answerable to their function which is sacred 3 Their reward exceeding great answerable to the eminency of the one and excellency of the other May it please you therefore to observe out of the words 1 For your instruction what your function is 2 For correction what your life should be 3 For comfort what your reward shall be As the costly c Exod. 28.14 ornaments of Aaron were fastened to the Ephod with golden chaines of writhen worke so all the parts and points of the Apostles exhortation are artificially joyned and tyed together with excellent coherence as it were with chaines of gold This chaine thus I draw through them all
Table and you strike one string of any one of them the strings in the other that carry the same note though untouched give some sound at the same instant in like manner all the Fridayes throughout the yeere especially those that fall in Lent ought to sound out some of the Notes of the dolefull song that was pricked on that day not with a penne but with a speare the burden whereof was Christ crucified Doct. 5 Crucified In this word the Apostle briefly casteth up the totall of Christs sufferings the particulars whereof were his 1 Feares and sorrowes 2 Indignities and disgraces 3 Tortures and torments His agony and bloody sweat his betraying and taking his arraigning and condemning his stripping and whipping his mocking and spitting on his pricking and nailing to the crosse The crosse had foure parts 1 An arrectorium which was the maine tree fastened in the earth and standing upright towards heaven 2 Scabellum a planke to which the feete were nayled 3 Lignum transversum a crosse piece of wood whereto the hands were nayled 4 Verticem the top or place above the head where the inscription was put To the dimensions of which parts the m Eph. 3.18 Apostle seemeth to allude in his sacred Mathematickes that saith hee you may bee able to comprehend with all Saints what is the bredth and length and depth and height The bredth seemeth to have reference to the lignum transversum the length to the arrectorium the depth to the scabellum and height to the vertex of the crosse Those who are conversant in Jewish antiquities observe that crucifying succeeded in place of strangling among them wherein the speciall providence of God is to bee marked that although the Romanes changed the forme of the death yet they changed not the Tree hee that was crucified as well as hee that was strangled hanged upon a tree and thereby became n Deut. 21.23 accursed by the law A circumstance whereof the Apostle maketh a most comfortable use saying o Gal. 3.13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law being made a curse for us for it is written cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree The consequents of sinne are three 1 Shame 2 Paine 3 Curse All these Christ suffered on the crosse for us 1 Pain in his being nailed racked and pierced 2 Shame in being placed betweene two theeves and that naked on their solemne feast day on which there was a concourse of innumerable people at Hierusalem 3 The curse in hanging upon the tree being fastened thereto with nailes which is properly crucifixion or crucifying In summe to bee crucified is to bee put to a most painefull ignominious and accursed death first to bee stript starke naked stretched upon a gibbet or crosse there to have foure nayles driven into the most tender and sinewy parts of the body then to bee set up and exposed to open shame to bee a spectacle of misery to the world to Angels and to men and so to hang upon his owne wounds with continuall increase of torments till either extremity of famine hath exhausted the vitall spirits or extremity of paine hath rended and evaporated the substance of the heart into sighes and groanes All this the Sonne of God suffered for us and yet this is not all For wee must not thinke that Christs hands and feete were onely crucified which yet alone were fastened to the crosse his eyes were after a sort crucified when hee beheld the Disciple whom hee loved together with his deerest Mother weeping out her eyes under him his eares were crucified when he heard those blasphemous words others hee hath saved himselfe hee cannot save if hee be the Sonne of God let him come downe from the crosse his smell was crucified with the stench of Golgotha his taste with gall and vinegar and last of all and most of all his heart was crucified with foure considerations that entred deeper into his soule than the nayles and speare into his body These were 1 The obstinacy and impenitency of the Jewes 2 The utter destruction of Hierusalem and the Temple 3 The guilt of the sinnes of the whole world 4 The full wrath of his Father For Christ charged himselfe with the sinnes of all the Elect and therefore his Father layd a most heavie burden of punishment upon him so heavie that in bearing it he sweat blood so heavie that hee complaines in piteous manner p Mat. 26.38 my soule is heavy unto death yea and seemes to buckle under it crying out q Mat. 27.46 My God my God why hast thou forsaken mee All this Christ suffered for us and yet this is not all for r Cyprian de patientia qui adoratur in coelis nondum vindicatur in terra hee that is adored in heaven is not yet fully revenged upon earth Revenged said I nay hee is still wronged hee continually suffereth in his members and after a sort in himselfe by the contemners of the Gospell mis-believers and scandalous livers Because the crosse is the trophee of Christs victory over sinne death and hell Satan hath a deadly spite at it and as hee hath done heretofore so hee doth at this day employ all his agents to demolish and deface it namely by 1 Jewes 2 Gentiles 3 Papists 4 Separatists or Non-conformitants all foure enemies to the crosse of Christ 1 The Jewes make it a stumbling blocke 2 The Gentiles a laughing stocke 3 The Papists an Idoll 4 The Separatists a scarre-crow 1 To the Jewes it is an offence 2 To the Gentiles foolishnesse 3 To the Papists superstition 4 To the Separatists and Precifians an abomination As it was the manner of the Spartanes in the worship of Diana to whip naughty boyes before her altars so I hold it an act of piety and charity to scourge these foure sorts of men before the crosse of Christ in my text and first the Jew who maketh a stumbling blocke of the crosse Use 1. cont Jud. O unbelieving Jew why dost thou stumble at that which is the chiefe stay of an humble and faithfull soule is it because the crosse of Christ casteth an aspersion of innocent blood spilt by thy ancestors Repent for their sinne and thine owne and by faith dippe thine hand in this his blood it hath this wonderfull vertue that it cleanseth even those hands that were imbrued in it He is quickned saith Saint Cyprian by the blood of Christ even who a little before spilt Christs blood Is it because thy glorious fancy of the temporall throne of thy so long expected Messiah cannot stand with the ignominious crosse of Christ reprove this thy folly and convince this thine errour out of the mouth of thine owne Prophets which have beene since the world began Ought not Å¿ Dan 9.26 Messiah to bee slayne after sixty two weekes ought not Christ to suffer such things and so to enter into his glory what is written of him and how readest thou in
of the virgin conceived Christ quicke and accordingly brought him forth alive the wombe of the earth conceived him dead but brought him forth quicke uteri nova forma concepit mortuum parit vivum As we may behold the feature of a mans face either in the countenance it selfe or in a glasse set before it or in a picture drawne by it so wee may contemplate the resurrection either in the prophecies and types of the old law as in glasses or in the hystory of the new as it were in the face it selfe or in our spirituall resurrection from dead workes as in the picture A glasse sheweth the lineaments and proportion of a man but at a distance so wee may see Christ in the predictions visions and figures of the Old Testament as so many glasses but at a distance according to the words of that Seer c Num. 24.17 I shall see him but not neare So Hosea saw him insulting over death and hell and menacing them d Hos 13.14 O death I will bee thy death so Esay saw him risen from the dead and speaking to him sayd e Es 26.19 Thy dead shall live with my body shall they rise awake and sing ye that sit in dust So David in the Spirit saw the day of the resurrection and exceedingly rejoiced at it saying f Psal 16.9 my heart was glad my glory rejoyced my flesh also shall rest in hope For thou wilt not leave my soule in hell nor suffer thy holy One to see corruption So Adam saw him conquering death and triumphing over him that had the power of death to wit the Divell though more obscurely because at the farthest distance in the promise g Gen. 3.15 it shall breake thy head and thou shalt breake his heele the death and resurrection of Christ are mystically involved As the Poets fabled that Achilles after his Mother Thetis held him by the heele and dipt the rest of his body into the sea could bee hurt in no part but his heele so in a divine sense it may bee said of our Saviour that hee could be wounded by Sathan no where but in his heele that is in the lowest part of his humane nature his flesh This the serpent stung at his death but in his resurrection hee bruised the head thereof The Devill saith h Greg. Nyssen de resurrect ser 1. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Nyssen in his sermon upon the resurrection going about to catch was caught for catching at the bait of Christs flesh hee was caught fast himselfe and wounded by the hooke of his divine nature Besides these predictions and promises wee have in the Old Testament the figure of our Lords resurrection in Adam a type in the scape goat a signe or embleme in Jonas and a vision in Ezekiel The figure may bee thus expounded As Adam rose out of his dead sleepe in which Eve was formed out of his ribbe so Christ after his slumber of death on the crosse in which his spouse the Church was formed out of his side as hath beene said awoke againe The type may bee thus exemplified as the scape-goate came neere to death being within the cast of a lot to it and yet avoiding it was presented alive to God to make an attonement so Christ who seemed to have beene conquered by death and swallowed up of the grave lying there three dayes and three nights yet escaped it and was presented on Easter day to his Father alive to make an attonement for all his brethren To the embleme of Jonas Christ himselfe giveth the word or Motto i Mat. 12.40 As Jonas was three dayes and three nights in the whales belly so shall the sonne of man be three dayes and three nights in the heart of the earth After three dayes Jonas came out of the bowels of the whale Christ out of the heart of the earth The vision of Ezekiel is so cleare that he that runneth may see in it a praeludium of the resurrection k Ezek 37.7 8 9 10. The Prophet saw in a valley a number of dry bones moving one to the other and suddenly they were tyed with sinewes and covered with flesh and the winde breathed into them the breath of life and they stood up like an army Wee have viewed the resurrection in the prophecies and figures of the Old Testament as so many severall glasses let us now contemplate it in the history of the New as it were in the face it selfe 1 Early in the morning while it was yet darke the Angel removed the stone that so Mary and the Apostles might looke into the sepulchre and unlesse the angell of the covenant remove the stone from our hearts wee can never looke into Christs sepulchre with an eye of faith nor undoubtedly beleeve the resurrection 2 Peter and John made hast to the sepulchre but they stayed not there Mary abideth there shee therefore seeth a vision of Angels the one standing at the head the other at the feet where Jesus had lyen either to signifie that the Angels of God attend as well on Christs feet the lowest members of his mysticall body as on his head that is the chiefest in the Church or that the angels smell a sweet savour from our workes of charity and therefore the one sate at the head the other at the feete where Mary had annointed our Lord. 3 A third Angell whereof mention is made in the Gospell of Saint l Mar. 16.5 Marke sitting on the right side appeared like a young man to signifie that in the resurrection our age shall bee renewed and our bodies shall bee in their full strenghth and vigor his rayment shined like lightning to represent the clarity and splendour of our bodies that after death shall be made conformable to Christs glorious body 4 Mary Magdalene hath the honour first to see our Saviour and to bee the first Preacher of the resurrection to the everlasting comfort of all true Penitents and as by the woman death came first so the first newes of life from death was brought by a woman 5 Till Christ called Mary by name shee knew him not but supposed him to have beene the Gardiner who indeed is the Planter of the celestiall Paradise neither can we know Christ till by a speciall and particular vocation hee make himselfe knowne to us 6 Christ appeared first to single witnesses as Mary apart and Peter apart and James apart then to double Cleophas and that other disciple afterwards to the eleven Apostles and last of all to more than 500. brethren at once If Maries testimony might bee excepted at because shee was but a woman what can they say to Saint Peter what to Saint James to whom Christ vouchsafed to shew himselfe in particular If they except against them as single witnesses what will they say to Cleophas and Saint Luke two contests of one and the selfe same apparition If their paucity be cavelled at what will they say to the
to keepe or warily to looke to because flowers or tender plants need care lest they bee blowne downe with a winde or otherwise wronged Upon which grounds Saint p Ber. de concept Christ Voluit concipiflos in flore intra florem id est intra Nazareth ut fieret ipse flos florens id est Nazarenus Bernard thus pleasantly descanteth The sweet flower of Jesse would bee conceived in the wombe of the blessed virgin a most sweet and unblasted flower planted in Nazareth the flower of Galilee that he might budde and become a Nazarene that is a flourishing flower I will adde no more at this time of Nazareth but that as it was said of Archelaus that q Eras Adag Non Euripides ex Archelai sed Archelaus ex Euripidis amicitiâ nomen assequutus est Euripides was not famous for his acquaintance with Archelaus but Archelaus for his acquaintance with Euripides so for ought I ever read Christ was not ennobled by Nazareth but Nazareth honoured nay rather eternized by Christs dwelling in it This Nazareth is situate in Galilee where our Lord first preached the Gospell of the Kingdome and declared the power of his Deity by many signes and wonders and because his Countrey-men shewed least respect to his person and gave least credit to his doctrine it fell out by the just judgement of God in the conquest of Palaestine by the Romanes that the Galileans first smarted for their unbeliefe the whole countrey being spoiled and laid waste by Vespasian From Galilee we returne with our Saviour to Judaea where hee met John and was Baptized of him At the first mention of our Lords baptisme this objection offereth it selfe to every mans conceit The whole need not the Physitian but they that are sicke the cleane need not to be washed but they that are foule the innocent neede not to aske or receive pardon but the guilty why then should the health and salvation of all mankind take this purge why should the immaculate lambe bee washed in the Font why did hee desire the seale of remission of sinnes who knew no sinne neither was there guile found in his mouth 1 S. r Amb. in Luk. 2. Baptizatus est Dominus non mundati volens sed mundare aquas ut ablutae per carnem Christi quae peccatum non novit baptismatis jus haberent Ambrose answereth that our Lord was baptized not that hee might bee cleansed by the water but as was touched before intending thereby to cleanse and sanctifie the water that being washed by Christs flesh it might thereby bee elevated to bee an instrument of the holy Ghost in the spirituall washing of the soule 2 Saint ſ Aug. de bapt Christ Ne homines gravarentur ad baptismum Domini venire cum Dominus ipse non gravaretur ad baptismum servi venire Austine addeth that our Saviour vouchsafed to bee baptized to draw all men to Christian baptisme for why should any refuse to come to the Lords baptisme when the Lord himselfe daigned to come to the baptisme of his servant 3 Saint Jerome assigneth a third reason of Christs receiving baptisme from John viz. that hee might ratifie and give authority to Saint Johns baptisme 4 t Calvin haerm evang Ut certiùs sibi persuadeant fideles se in Christi corp inseri consepeliri cum eo in baptismo ut in novitate vitae resurgant Calvin yeeldeth a fourth reason that the faithfull might bee more assured that they are engraffed into Christ and are buried together with him in baptisme that they may rise up againe with him in newnesse of life But our Saviours reason must stand for all thus it becommeth to fulfill all righteousnesse the righteousnesse of the law hee had fulfilled in that behalfe in being circumcised the eighth day and now hee began to fulfill the righteousnesse of the Gospell The ceremoniall law was in force in Christs infancy which required circumcision and now the Gospell began to bee in force after Johns baptisme circumcision went out and baptisme came in with John therefore it was now requisite that Christ should bee baptized But why should hee bee baptized of John Of John It had beene an office beseeming the first of the Angelicall Hierarchy to lay hands on the head of the Church True but Jesus now came in humility and as hee was in the forme of a servant so hee vouchsafed to bee baptized of a servant The Lord commeth to doe honour to his servant the sunne to bee enlightned by a starre the fountaine to bee washed in his owne streame the roote to receive sappe and moisture from the branch God to receive the Sacrament from man This doth not more set forth our Lords humility than adde to Johns glory And questionlesse a speciall reason that moved our Saviour to receive baptisme from Saint John was to countenance Johns ministry and to give authority to his fellow-labourer and if I may so speake under-workman For John brought stones to Jesus and cut them for the building and Jesus layd them in the foundation of the heavenly Jerusalem neare himselfe the corner stone John rough-hewed the Jewes with the axe of Gods judgements threatned against them u Mat. 3.10 The axe is layd to the root of the tree c. to cut them downe and cast them into hell-fire unlesse they repented Christ smoothed and polished them with the doctrine of the Gospell that they might bee like * Psal 144.12 the polished corners of the Temple or like the x Lam. 4.7 Nazarites whose polishing was of Saphire John washed the sores of wounded consciences with water as the Jailer did y Act. 16.33 Paul and Silas stripes of body Christ healed them with the ointment of the spirit John cleansed the inward roomes of the soule by the water of baptisme and penitent teares Christ strawed the swept roomes with the flowers of Paradise John began Christ finished John baptized with water Christ with the holy Ghost and with fire Jesus and John resemble the Cherubins in the Arke casting a gracious looke one upon the other Alter in alterius jacientes lumina vultum Jesus like the sunne casteth light upon John and John like a Chrystall glasse reflects it upon him Jesus saith of z Joh. 5.35 John he was a burning and shining lampe John a Joh. 1.34 saith of Jesus This is the Sonne of God Jesus testifieth of John that hee was Elias John of Jesus that hee was the Messias Jesus pointeth to John saying b Mat. 11.9 Behold a Prophet yea and more than a Prophet John to Jesus saying c Joh. 1.29 Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sinnes of the world Jesus commeth to honour John in desiring his baptisme John by putting him back at the first honoureth him the more saying I d Mat. 3.14 have neede to bee baptized of thee and commest thou to me John saith of Jesus e Mat. 3.11 I am not
delicate fruits they who overcome not eat not x Apoc. 2.17 the hidden Manna as they partake not of the Spouse her graces so neither have they any right or title to her titles They are no Temples but rather styes no dove-cotes but cages of uncleane birds no habitations for the holy Ghost but rather haunts of uncleane spirits They indeed live and move in God for out of him they cannot subsist but y Gal. 2.20 Neverthelesse I live yet not I but Christ liveth in me Rom. 8 9. 2 Cor. 6.16 God himselfe liveth and moveth in the godly God is in all places and abideth every where yet hee z Ephes 3.17 dwelleth onely in the hearts of true believers For they and they onely are the Temple of the living God Doctr. 4 Are. In the Romane Kalendar no Saints are entred till many miracles be voiced upon them after death but in Gods Register wee finde Saints in the Church on earth among the a Rom. 1.7 Romanes b 1 Cor. 1.2 Corinthians c Eph. 1.1 Ephesians d Phil. 1.1 Philippians at e Act. 9.32 Lydda and elsewhere But what Saints and how Saints by calling Saints by a holy profession and blamelesse conversation Saints by gratious acceptation of pious endeavours rather than of performances Saints by inchoation Saints by regeneration of grace Saints by daily renovation of the inward man Saints by devotion and dedication of themselves wholly to God Saints by inhabitation of the holy spirit in them which maketh them a holy Temple of the living God In this life we are f 1 Cor. 3.23 Gods for all things are yours and you are Christs and Christ is Gods in the life to come g Apo. 21.22 And I saw no Temple therein for the Lord God almighty and the Lambe are the Temple thereof God is ours In this life wee are Gods Temple but in the life to come God is g Apo. 21.22 And I saw no Temple therein for the Lord God almighty and the Lambe are the Temple thereof ours Now God dwelleth with us and is but slenderly entertained by us but there wee shall dwell with him and have fulnesse of all things yet without satiety or being cloyed therewith Doctr. 5 The Temple Not the Temples but the Temple Gen. 1.1 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 As the learned Hebricians from the construction of the noune plurall with a verb singular as if you would say in Latine Dii or Numina creavit gather the trinity of persons in the unity of the divine nature so from the construction here of a singular adjunct with a subject plurall wee may inferre the plurality of the faithfull in the unity of the Church For wee that are many yet are truely one many graines one bread many sheepe one fold many members one body many branches one vine many private oratories or chaplets but one Temple The parts of the Catholike Church are so farre scattered and dissevered in place that they cannot make one materiall yet they are so neare joyned in affection and fast linked with the bonds of religion that they make but one spirituall Temple They are many soules and must needs have as many divers naturall bodies yet in regard they are all quickned guided and governed by the same spirit they make but one mysticall body whose head is in heaven and members dispersed over the earth Can unity bee divided If wee are rent in sunder by schisme and faction Christ his seamelesse coate cannot cover us all The Philosophers finde it in the naturall the States-men in the politicke and I pray God wee finde it not in the mysticall body of Christ h Cyp. de simplic prel A velle radium à sole divisionem lucis unitas non capit ab arbore frange ramum fructum germinare non poterit à fonte praecide rivum prorsus arescet That division tends to corruption and dissolution to death Plucke a beame if you can from the body of the sunne it will have no light breake a branch from the tree it will beare no fruit sever a river from the spring it will soone bee dryed up cut a member from the body it presently dyeth cast a pumice stone into the water and though it bee never so bigge while it remaines entire and the parts whole together it will swimme above water but breake it into pieces and every piece will sinke in like manner the Church and Common-wealth which are supported and as it were borne up above water by unity are drowned in perdition by discord dissention schisme and faction It is not possible that those things which are knit by a band should hold fast together after the band it selfe is broken How can a sinew hold steddy the joint if it bee sprayned or broken or cut in sunder Religion beloved brethren is the band of all society the strongest sinew of Church or Commonwealth God forbid there should bee any rupture in this band any sprayne in this sinew The husbandman hath sowed good seede cleane and picked in this Kingdome for more than threescore yeeres and it hath fructified exceedingly since the happy reformation of Religion in these parts O let no envious man sow upon it those tares which of late have sprung up in such abundance in our neighbour countries that they have almost choaked all the good wheat Let no roote of bitternesse spring up in our Paradise or if it bee sprung let authority or at least Christian charity plucke it up Wee are all one body let us all have the same minde towards God and endeavour to the utmost of our power to i Eph. 4 3. preserve the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace that our spirituall Jerusalem may resemble the old Byzantium the stones whereof were so matched and the wall built so uniformely that the whole City seemed to bee but one stone continued throughout It was the honour of the k Psal 122.3 Jerusalem is builded as a City that is compacted together old let it bee also of the new Jerusalem that it is a City at unity in it selfe Doctr. 6 I have held you thus long in the Porch let us now enter into the Temple Glorious things are spoken of you O ye chosen of God yee are tearmed vessels of honour lights of the world a chosen generation a royall priesthood a peculiar people a celestiall society yet nothing ever was or can be more spoken to Your endlesse comfort and superexcellent glory than that you are Children of the Father Members of the Sonne and Temples of the holy Ghost Seneca calleth the world Augustissimum Dei Templum a most magnificent Temple of God David the heaven Solomon the Church Saint Paul the Elect in the Church and in a sense not altogether improper we may tearme the world the Temple of the Church the Church the Temple of our bodies our bodies the Temples of our soules and our soules most peculiarly the Temples of the
living God because God dwelleth remaineth in our souls our souls in our bodies our bodies in the Church the Church in the world There are many other reasons of this appellation but the Apostle dwelleth most upon this of dwelling Where God dwelleth there is his Temple but he dwelleth in our hearts by faith we are therefore his Temple If exception bee made to this reason that dwelling proveth a House but not a Temple l Cal. in hunc locum De homine si dicatur hic habitat non erit protinus templum sed domus prophana sed in Deo hoc speciale est quod quemcunque locum suâ dignatur praesentiâ eum sanctificat Calvin answereth acutely that if wee speake of the habitation of a man wee cannot from thence conclude that the place where he abideth is a Temple but God hath this priviledge that his presence maketh the place wheresoever hee resideth necessarily a Temple Whereas the King lyeth there is the Court and where God abideth there is the Church It might bee sayd as truly of the stable where Christ lay as of the place where God appeared to Jacob This is the house of God and the gate of heaven Here I cannot but breake out into admiration with Solomon and say m 1 Kin. 8.27 The heaven of heavens cannot containe thee O Lord and wilt thou dwell in my house in the narrow roome of my heart Isocrates answered well for a Philosopher to that great question What is the greatest thing in the least n Isoc ad Dem. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The minde said hee in mans body But Saint Paul teacheth us to give a better answer to wit God in mans soule And how fitly hee tearmeth here believers the Temple of God will appeare most evidently by paralleling the inward and outward Temple of God the Church and the soule 1 First Churches are places exempt from legall tenures and services and redeemed from common uses in like manner the minde of the faithfull and devout Christian is after a sort sequestred from the world and wholly dedicated to God 2 Secondly Temples are hallowed places not by censing or crossing or burning tapers or healing it over with ashes and drawing the characters of the Greeke and Hebrew Alphabet after the manner of popish consecration but by the o Joh. 17.17 Word and Prayer by which the faithfull are also consecrated Sanctifie them O Lord with thy truth thy Word is truth 3 Thirdly Temples are places of refuge and safety and where more safety than in the houshold of faith God spared the City for the Temples sake and hee spareth the whole world for the Elects sake 4 Fourthly the Temple continually sounded with vocall and instrumentall musicke there was continuall joy singing and praising God and doth not the Apostle teach us that there is p Eph. 5.19 joy in the holy Ghost and continuall melody in the hearts of beleevers 5. Fiftly in the Temple God was to bee q Phil 3.3 worshipped and Christ teacheth that the true r John 4.24 worshippers of God worship him in spirit and in truth and Saint Paul commandeth us to ſ 1 Cor. 6.20 worship and glorifie God in our body and spirit which are his 6. Sixtly doe not our feet in some sort resemble the foundation our legges the pillars our sides the walls our mouth the doore our eyes the windowes our head the roofe of a Temple Is not our body an embleme of the body of the Church and our soule of the queere or chancell wherein God is or should be worshipped day and night The Temple of God is not lime sand stone or timber saith t Lact. divin instit l. 5. c. 8. Templum Dei non sunt ligna lapides sed homo qui Dei figuram gestat quod Templum non auro gemmarum donis sed virtutum muneribus ornatur Lactantius but man bearing the image of God and this Temple is not adorned with gold or silver but with divine vertues and graces If this be a true definition of a Temple and description of the Ornaments thereof they are certainly much to be blamed who make no reckoning of the spirituall Temple of God in comparison of the materiall who spare for no cost in imbellishing their Churches and take little care for beautifying their soules Hoc oportet facere illud non omittere they doe well in doing the one but very ill in not doing the other It will little make for the glory of their Church to paint their rood-lofts to engrave their pillars to carve their timber to gild their altars to set forth their crosses with jewells and precious stones if they want that precious pearle which the rich Merchant man sold all that hee had to buy to have golden miters golden vessels Mat. 13.46 golden shrines golden bells golden snuffers and snuffe-dishes if as Boniface of Mentz long agoe complained Their Priests are but wooden or leaden Saint u Amb. Auro non placent quae auro non emuntur Jnven sat 11. Fictilis nullo violatus Jupiter auro Ambrose saith expresly That those things please not God in or with gold which can bee bought with no gold In which words hee doth not simply condemne the use of gold or silver in the service of God no more than Saint x 1 Pet. 3.3 Peter doth in the attire of godly Matrons Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the haire and wearing of gold or of putting on of apparrell but let it be in the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit which is in the sight of God of great price but he Lactantius both speak comparatively and their meaning is that the chief adorning of Churches is not with the beauty of colours but of holinesse not with the lustre of pearles and precious stones but with the shining of good workes not with candles and tapers but with the light of the Word not with sweet perfumes but with a savour of life unto life It will bee to little purpose to sticke up waxe lights in great abundance in their Churches after they have put out the pure light of Gods Word or hid it as it were under a bushell in an unknowne tongue Rhenamus reporteth that hee saw at Mentz two Cranes standing in silver into the belly whereof the Priests by a device put fire and frankincense so artificially that all the smoake and sweet perfume came out at the Cranes beakes A perfect embleme of the peoples devotion in the Romish Church the Priests put a little fire into them they have little warmth of themselves or sense of true zeale and as those Cranes sent out sweet perfumes out at their beaks having no smelling at all thereof themselves so these breath out the sweet incense of zealous praiers and thanksgiving whereof they have no sense or understanding at all because they pray in an unknowne tongue And so from the
scorching heat would consume them in such sort that they could never come to maturity This Apologue shall serve for my Apologie if I presse you at this time with all the interest I have in your love nay with all the power that I have as a Minister of Christ Jesus to contribute something to the necessity of your brethren You know well the grapes I told you of which send to you as the grapes in Babel did to the vines in Judea to impart unto them some of your sap and to shade them under your well spread boughes or else they will undoubtedly wither and perish I beseech you in the bowells of Christ Jesus come not behind but rather goe before others in pious bounty and Christian charity So the good will of him that dwelt in the bush make you all like the tree in the first Psalme planted by the rivers of waters that bringeth forth his fruit in due season and his leafe shall not wither and whatsoever he doth it shall prosper THE STEWARDS ACCOUNT A Sermon preached in the Abbey Church at WESTMINSTER THE XXI SERMON LUKE 16.2 Give an account of thy stewardship for thou maist be no longer Steward Right Reverend right Honourable right Worshipfull c. THat I may give a better account of the mysteries of saving truth and you of the blessings of this life whereof God hath made us Stewards in different kindes I have chosen for the subject of my serious meditations and the object of your religious consideration this parcell of sacred Scripture which admonisheth us all to looke to our severall accounts to examine and cleare them that wee may have them ready and perfect when our Lord and Master shall call for them from every of us by name and in particular saying Give an account of thy stewardship The words are part of a Parable which resembleth the tents of Solomon vile and blacke without but full of precious things within For on the out-side we reade nothing but a narration of an unjust Steward or crafty Merchant who being called to an account and justly fearing to bee turned out of his place upon it in time provideth against the worst and taketh a course to make himselfe whole by cheating his Master but in the in-side there are many beautifull Images of divine doctrines drawne by the pensill of the holy Ghost which I purpose to set before you after I have opened the vaile of the letter by shewing you 1. What are the goods for which the Steward is to reckon 2. Who is the Steward charged with these goods 3. What manner of account he is to give Touching the first the learned Interpreters of this mysterious Parable are at strife and if I may so speake in law about the goods left in the hands of this unfaithfull Steward Some put temporall blessings only and worldly wealth in his account Others by goods understand the Word and Sacraments principally wherewith the Ministers of the Gospel are trusted But Bonaventure lighting one candle by another expoundeth this Parable by the other Parable of the five talents and taketh the goods here committed to the Steward to bee those five talents delivered to every man to trade and negotiate withall for God his Master and thus hee telleth them 1. Naturae 2. fortunae 3. potentiae 4. scientiae 5. gratiae the first of nature the second of wealth the third of power the fourth of knowledge the fifth of grace By nature hee understandeth all the naturall faculties of the minde and organs and instruments of the body By wealth riches and possessions By power offices and authority By knowledge all arts and sciences By grace all the gifts of the spirit and supernaturall infused habits such as are faith hope and charity c. whereunto if hee had added a most precious Jewell which if it be once lost can never be recovered viz. our time hee had given a true and perfect Inventary of all the goods for which the unfaithfull Steward in my Text is called to an account Touching the second about whom there is as great contestation and variety of opinions as about the goods themselves Gaudentius maketh a Steward of the Divell who justly deserveth the name of an unjust servant for wasting his lords substance that is spoyling his creatures and robbing him of his chiefest treasure the soules of men But if the Divell bee the Steward who is the accuser of this Steward doubtlesse he can be no other than the Divell whose stile is the a Revel 12.10 The accuser of the brethren is cast down which accuseth them before the Lord day and night Accuser of the brethren The Divell therefore is not the Steward here meant whom God never set over his family nor trusted him with any of his goods since he became a Divell Tertullian conceiveth the people of the Jewes to whom the Tables and Pots of Manna and Oracles of God were committed to be the Steward 's called to an account in my Text for the abuse of these holy things If wee follow this Interpretation neither the Parable nor the Text any way concerneth us Christians therefore Saint Ambrose Saint Chrysostome Saint Augustine Beda Euthymius and Theophylact enlarge the Stewards Patent and put all rich men in the world in it who are advised to make friends with the unrighteous Mammon they have in their hands that when they faile their friends may receive them into everlasting habitations Lastly Saint Jerome and others put in hard for the Ministers of the Gospel to whom they assigne the first place in the Patent as being Stewards in the most eminent kinde and so stiled both by our b Luke 12.42 Who then is the faithfull wise Steward whom his lord shall make ruler over his houshold to give them their portion of meat in due season Saviour and his c Tit. 1.7 A Bishop must be blamelesse as the Steward of God 1 Cor. 4.1 Let a man so account of us as Stewards of the mysteries of God Apostle To reconcile these opinions and make a perfect concord of seeming discords I understand by the great husband or rich man in the Parable Almighty God whose house is the whole world all things in it his wealth Men indued with reason and understanding are his Stewards whom he hath set over this great houshold to governe the rest of his creatures and employ the riches of his goodnesse to the advancement of his glory These are all accountable unto him the Jewes peculiarly for such things as hee bequeathed to his children by the Old Testament the Christians for such things as he hath bequeathed to them by the New the unregenerate are to reckon with him for the gifts of nature the regenerate for the graces of the spirit the rich for his wealth the noble for his honour the mighty for his power the learned for his knowledge every man for that hee receiveth of the riches of his mercy in spirituall temporall or corporall
their sight in those darke roomes which they lost when they were suddenly brought forth into the open ayre by the over bright reflection of the Sunne beames from a wall new white-limed Which I speake not to detract from dignity or obscure glory or disparage nobility or dishonour worldly preferments or honours in them whose merits have been their raisers For these honourable titles and dignities are the lustre of eminent quality the garland of true vertue the crowne of worldly happinesse and to the lowly high favours of the Almighty The marke I aime at is to give some content to them whose places are inferiour to their vertues and advice also to those whom God hath or shall raise to great places and high preferments Let the former consider that there can be no obscurity where the Sunne shineth that he is truly honourable not alwayes whom the Prince putteth in high places but he upon whom God lifteth the light of his countenance that it is sufficient that hee seeth their good parts from whom they expect their reward that the more retired their life is the lesse exposed to envie and more free from danger that the fewer suters or clients they have to them the more liberty they have to be clients to God the lesse troubles they have about their temporall estate the better they may looke to their spirituall and secure their eternall lastly that the lesse they are trusted with the easier their account shall be at the great audit On the other side let those who have degrees accumulated and honours and preferments heaped upon them seeke rather to diminish their accounts than to increase their receipts and pray to God daily for lesse of his goods and more of his grace that they may make a better account at the last day and then receive a Kingdome in Heaven for a Stewardship on earth Beloved brethren you see your calling you are Stewards not Lords thinke upon it seriously that you may be every day you shall be one day called to a strict account for all that you have or enjoy This was the first point of speciall consideration I recommended to you from the nature of our office which is here called a Stewardship The second was that wee are not Gods Treasurers but his Stewards and that our imployment is not to gather up and keep but to expend and distribute our Masters monies for the maintenance and reliefe of his poore servants according to their severall necessities And looke whatsoever we lay out in this kinde shall be allowed upon our accounts and put upon our Masters score who acknowledgeth it to bee his owne debt o Mat. 10.42 Whatsoever you doe unto any of these little ones you doe it unto mee You clothe mee in the naked you feed mee in the hungry you relieve mee in the distressed you visit mee in the imprisoned you ransome mee in the captive you cure mee in the wounded you heale my pierced hands and feet with the oyle which you poure into their wounds Thrice happy Stewards wee if wee can so handle the matter that we may bring our Master indebted to us for the interest of his owne mony For he p Prov. 19.15 who giveth to the poore lendeth to the Lord and that which he hath given will he pay it him againe So exceeding bountifull is he that he giveth us aboundantly to pay our fellow-servants and payeth us double for giving it them After our Saviour had healed the man with a q Marke 3 5. withered hand to shew that it was whole he commanded him to stretch it forth in like manner if wee desire to shew and make a sensible proofe that the sinewes of our faith are not shrunke that the hands of our charity are not withered we must stretch them out and reach our almes to the poore which we will be more willing and ready to doe if we reflect often upon our office shadowed out under this Parable which is to bee Stewards not Treasurers of Gods manifold blessings Secondly if wee consider that wee lay out nothing of our owne but of our Masters purse And thirdly that whatsoever we lay out for him upon earth we lay up for our selves heaven according to that rule of Saint r Leo ser quod Thesaurum coâ—dit in coelo qui Christum pascit in paupere manus pauperis gaâ—aphylatium Christi Leo Hee layeth up treasure in heaven who feedeth Christ in the poore the poore mans hand is Christs boxe This branch of our duties which is to be alwayes fruitfull in good workes extendeth farther than the expending of monies or good usage of the blessings of this life For all the members of our body and faculties of our foule and graces of the spirit are paâ—â— of our Masters goods and must bee imployed in his service and occupied for his profit Besides all these wee are accountable to him for our time which wee may not wastefully and prodigally lavish out in sports and pastimes but so thriftily expend upon the necessary workes of our calling that we may save a good part to consecrate it to exercises of piety and devotion whereby wee may multiply the talent of grace committed unto us There is no covetousnesse commendable but of time of which yet most men and women are most prodigall Å¿ Senec. ep 1. Quem mihi dabis qui aliquod pretium tempori ponat qui diem aestimet c. spenders Any jewell that is lost may be found yea though it bee cast in the sea as Polycraâ—es his ring was which a fish in his mouth brought backe into his Kitchin Yea the treasure of grace and pearle of the word which the rich Merchant sold all that hee had to buy yea God himselfe after we have lost him may bee found if we seeke him in time onely lost time can never be recovered Wherefore that wee may not lose any moment of the time allotted which is so precious but put it to the best use for the increase of our talent of knowledge I passe from the Stewardship of the things of this life to the account we are to give of this Stewardship In which that we may more readily and safely proceed first I will set up a great light secondly remove some rubs out of the way The light shall bee a cleare confirmation of the truth of the point out of the Scriptures which are most evident and expresse both for the unavoidable necessity and strict severity of the last judgement Wee professe in our Creed that Christ who now sitteth at the right hand of his Father in heaven shall from thence come to judge the quicke and the dead and wee have sure ground in Scripture to build this article upon For t Acts 10 42. there wee reade that Christ is ordained of God to bee Judge of the quicke and the dead and that u Rom. 14.10 we shall all stand before his judgement seat nay that wee x 2 Cor. 5.10
Anthemes first single voices answering one the other and after the whole Quire joyning in one as it were tracing the same musicall steps hath not nature drawne with her pensill a perfect grasse green in the Emrald a skie colour in the Saphir the glowing of fire in the Carbuncle the sanguine complexion in the Ruby and the twinckling of the starres in the Diamond and all these together in the Opall which hath in it the lustre and beautifull colours of all these precious stones c Plin. nat hist l. 37 c 6. In Opale est Carbunculi tenuior ignis Amethysti fulgens purpura Smaragdi virens mare c. incredibili misturâ lucentes Such is this feast of all holy ones it is the Churches 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Kalendars pandect as it were a constellation not of many but of all the starres in the skie in it as in the Opall shine the beautifull colours and resplendency of all those precious stones which are laid in the d Apoc. 21.19 foundation and shine in the gates and walls of the heavenly Jerusalem Upon it we celebrate the chastity of all Virgins the simplicity of all Innocents the zeale and courage of all Confessours the patience of all Martyrs the holinesse of all Saints Upon this day the Church militant religiously complementeth with the Church triumphant and all Saints on earth keep the feast and expresse the joy and acknowledge the happinesse and celebrate the memory and imbrace the love and set forth the vertues of all Saints in heaven Which are principally three shadowed by the allegory in my Text 1. Patience in tribulation They came out 2. Purity in conversation And washed their garments 3. Faith in Christs death and passion Made them white in c. The better to distinguish them you may if you please terme them three markes 1. A blacke or blewish marke made with the stroake or flaile Tribulation 2. A white made by washing their garments and whiting them 3. A red by dying them in the bloud of the Lambe 1. First of the blacke or blew marke They came out of great tribulation The beloved Apostle and divine Evangelist Saint John who lay in the bosome of our Saviour and pryed into the very secrets of his heart in the time of his exile in Pathmos had a glimpse of his and our country that is above and was there present in spirit at a solemne investiture or installation of many millions of Gods Saints into their state of glory and order of dignity about the Lambe in his celestiall court The rite and ceremony of it was thus The twelve e Ver. 5 6 7 8. Tribes of Israel were called in order and of every Tribe twelve thousand were sealed in the forehead by an Angel keeper of the broad Seale of the living God Ver. 2. After this signature Loe a great multitude which no man can number of all nations and kindreds and people and tongues stood before the Throne and before the Lambe and they had long white robes put upon them and palmes given them in their hands in token of victory and they marched on in triumph singing with a loud voice Salvation from or to our God that sitteth upon the Throne and to the Lambe at which words all the Angels that stood round about the Throne and the Elders and the foure living creatures full of eyes fell before the Throne on their faces and worshipped God saying Amen Praise and glory and wisedome and thankes and honour and power and might be unto our God for ever and ever Amen This glorious representation of the triumphant Church so overcame and tooke away the senses of the ravished Apostle that though he desired nothing more than to learne who they were that he had seen thus honourably installed yet he had not the power to aske the question of any that assisted in the action till one of the Elders rose from his seate to entertaine him and demanded that of him which hee knew the Apostle knew not but most of all desired to know and would have enquired after if his heart had served him viz. who they were and whence they came that were admitted into the order of the white robe in Heaven The answer of which question when the Apostle had modestly put from himselfe to the Elder saying Lord thou knowest the Elder courteously resolveth it and informeth him particularly concerning them saying These are they that are come out of great tribulation c. Thou mightest perhaps have thought that these who are so richly arrayed and highly advanced in Heaven had been some great Monarchs Emperours or Potentates upon earth that had conquered the better part of the world before them paving the way with the bodies and cementing it with the bloud of the slâ—ine and in token thereof bare these palmes of victories in their hands Nothing lesse they are poore miserable forlorne people that are newly come some out of houses of bondage some out of the gallies some out of prisons some out of dungeons some out of mynes some out of dens and caves of the earth all out of great tribulation They who weare now long white robes mourned formerly in blacke they who now beare palmes in their hands carried their crosses in this world they who shout and sing here sighed and mourned under the heavie burdens of manifold afflictions all the dayes of their pilgrimage on earth they whom thou seest the Lambe leading to the f Ver. 17. living fountaines of waters dranke before deep of the waters of Marah and full cups of teares in the extreme heate of bloudy persecutions and in consideration of the great tribulation which they have patiently endured for the love of their Redeemer he bestoweth upon them these glorious robes whited in his own bloud and hee taketh them neere to himselfe that they may stand before him for evermore g Mat. 5 11 12. Blessed thrice blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousnesse sake for great is their reward in heaven The heavier their crosse is the weightier their crowne shall bee their present sorrowes shall free them from all future sorrowes their troubles here shall save them from all trouble hereafter their temporall paines through his merits for whom they suffer shall acquit them from eternall torments and the death of their body through faith in his bloud shall redeeme them from death of body and soule and exempt them from all danger miserie and feare Which priviledges the spirit sealeth unto them in the verses following They h Rev. 7.15.16.17 are before the Throne of God and serve him day and night in his Temple and he that sitteth on the Throne shall dwell among them They shall hunger no more neither thirst any more neither shall the Sun light on them nor any heat For the Lamb which is in the midst of the Throne shall feed them and shall lead them into living fountaines of waters and God shall wipe away all
keep the other above As Fishermen so likewise the Fishers of men in the draw-net of the Gospel make use both of corke and lead the generall promises like corke beare us up in hope the conditions like lead keep us downe in feare These conditions cannot bee performed without grace therefore all must implore divine aide yet grace performeth them not without the concurrence of our will We must therefore exercise our naturall faculties we must seeke the Kingdome of God we must strive to enter in at the narrow gate wee must search for wisedome as for treasure we must labour for the meat that perisheth not we must stirre up the graces of God in us we must work out our salvation with feare and trembling t Cic. lib. 2. de orat Lepidus lying all along upon the grasse cryed out Utinam hoc esset laborare O that this were to labour and get the mastery so many stretching themselves upon their ivory beds and living at ease in Sion say within themselves Utinam hoc esset militare O that this were to goe in warfare and fight under the crosse but let them not deceive themselves heaven is not got with a wish nor paradise with a song nor pardon with a sigh nor victory with a breath it will cost us many a blow and wound too before we overcome Observ 3 There can be no conquest without a fight nor fight without an enemy who are then our enemies nay rather who are not evill angels men the creatures and our selves angels by suggestions men by seduction and persecution the creatures by presenting baits and provocations and our selves by carnall imaginations lusts and affections fight against the spirit of grace and kingdome of Christ in us Omnes necessarii omnes adversarii Against all these enemies of our peace with God wee hang up a flag of defiance in our crisme and lift up our ensigne when we are crossed in the forehead and proclaime a warre under Christs banner in our renouncing the Divell and all his workes which beginneth at the Font and endeth at our Grave Philip graced his warre against the Phocenses and our Ancestors their exploits against the Saracens for Palaestine with the title of Bellum sacrum the holy Warre but neither of their expeditions and martiall attempts so properly deserved that appellation as this I am now to describe unto you Those warres were for Religion in truth or pretence but this warre is Religion and true Christianity and the weapons of this warfare are no other than holy duties and divine vertues which by some are reduced to three 1. Prayer 2. Fasting 3. Almes-deeds For say they as our enemies are three the Divell the Flesh the World so they tempt us to three vices especially 1. Pride 2. Luxury 3. Avarice Now our strongest weapon 1 Against pride is humble prayer 2 Against luxurie frequent fasting 3 Against avarice charitable almes Howbeit though these are the most usuall and if I may so speake portable armes of a Christian yet there are in his armorie many more and some more forcible than these which St. u Ephes 6.13 14 15 16 17 18 Paul taketh out and gilds over with these sacred attributes the sword of the Spirit the helmet of salvation the shield of faith the breast-plate of righteousnesse the girdle of truth the shooes of preparation of the Gospel of peace As this warre is thus holy in respect of the weapons used in it so much more in respect of the Prince that decreeth it the Heraulds that proclaime it the field where it is fought and the cause for which it is undertaken The Prince who decreeth this warre is the Holy One of Israel the Heraulds that proclaime it are the Ministers of the Gospel the field where the battell is fought is the militant Church the end for which it is undertaken is the advancement of Christs kingdome of grace in us and us in the kingdome of glory The Roman Historians divide their warres into three kinds 1 Externa forreine 2 Civilia civill 3 Servilia servile Forreine against other States Civill against seditious Citizens Servile against mutinous slaves This our warre partaketh of all these three kinds and may be termed both a forrein a civill and a servile warre A forrein in respect of Sathan and his band A civill in respect of the world A servile in respect of the flesh and slavish lusts that warre against the Spirit In other warres some are exempted by their calling as Priests some by their sexe as women some by their yeares as old men and children some by their indisposition of body or minde as sicke and impotent persons not able to beare armes but in this warre it is otherwise none can challenge any priviledge Not Priests for they blow the trumpet and give the onset not children for as soone as they are borne they are enrolled in the Captaines booke and are crosse-signed for this service in baptisme and it may be said of many of them as x Pet. Dam. serm de sanct Vict. Prius vicit quam vincere noscet Damianus spake of St. Victor the confessour He conquered before he could know what it was to conquer and St. Cyprian of martyred infants for Christ in his dayes y Cyp. ep 4. Aetas necdum habilis ad pugnam idonea extitit ad coronam The age which was not yet fit for warre was found worthy to receive a crowne Not women for they fight daily the good fight of faith and many of them are crowned in heaven with white and red garlands white consisting of lillies in token of their chastity and innocent purity red consisting of roses in testimony of their z Cyp. de â—aâ— viâ—g â—ortior 〈◊〉 viâ—is toâ—quenâ— uâ— iâ—veâ—tutor blood shed for the name of Christ Not aged and infirme persons for like Saint * 2 Cor 12 10. Paul when they are weake then they are strong nay when they are weakest then they are strongest when they are weakest in body they are strongest in spirit when they lye on their death-bed and are not able to stirre hand nor foot they grapple with the a 1 Pet. 5.8 roaring Lion that runneth about seeking whom hee may devoure and conquer him by their faith In other warres though the fight last many houres yet in the end either the night or the weather or the victory or the flight on one side parteth the armies and oftentimes necessity enforceth on both sides a truce for a time but this warre admitteth no intermission abideth no peace or truce all yeelding is death and treaties of peace mortall In all other battels hee that killeth conquereth and hee that is slaine is conquered but in this the persecuters who slay are b Cyp. dâ— laps Seâ—â—ciunt toâ—â— toâ—quentibus foâ—â—torâ—s pulsantes laâ—â—ntâ—s unâ—â—las pulsâ—ta lâ—matâ— membra vicerunt conquered and the Martyrs who are slaine and breath out their soules with a triumphant Io Paean in
offered and the time of my departure is at hand I have fought a good fight I have finished my course I have kept the faith Henceforth is laid up for me a crowne of righteousnesse which the Lord the righteous Judge shall give mee at that day Secondly of z Hieron l. de viris illustribus Utinam fiuar bestus quae mihi praeparatae sunt quas oro veloces mihi esse ad interitum alliciam ad comedendum me ne sicut aliorum Martyrum non audeant corpus attingere Quod si venire noluerint ego vim faciam ut devorar Ignoscite mihi filioli quid mihi profit ego scio nunc incipio esse Discipulus Christi nihil de iis quae videntur desiderans ut Jesum Christum inveniam ignis crux bestiae confractio ossium membrorumque divisio totius corporis contritio omnia tormenta Diaboli in me veniant tantum ut Christo fruar cum ardore pascendi rugientes audiret leones ait frumentum Christi sum dentibus bestiarum molar ut panis mundus inveniar Ignatius When he heard the Lions roare for hunger to whom he was suddenly to be cast as a prey O that I were with the beasts that are prepared for me whom I desire quickly to make an end of me if they refuse to touch my body as through feare they have abstained from the bodies of other Saints I will urge and provoke them to fall upon mee Pardon me children I know what is good for mee now I begin to bee Christs disciple desiring none of those things which are seene that I may finde Jesus Christ welcome fire crosse beasts teeth breaking of my bones tearing asunder of my members grinding to powder of my whole body let all the torments which the Devill can devise come upon mee to the end or so that I may enjoy Jesus my love I am Christs corne and presently I shall bee ground with the teeth of wilde beasts that I may bee served in as fine manchet at my Lords table Thirdly of Babylas Returne to thy rest O my soule for the Lord hath rewarded thee I shall now walke before the Lord in the land of the living Fourthly of Constantine the great * Euseb de vit Constant l. 4. c. 6. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Now I know my selfe to bee truely happy I have now attained the true light and none but my selfe understandeth or can apprehend what happinesse I am made partaker of Fiftly of Saint a Bernardus moriens dixit Duplici jure retinet Dominus meus regnum coelorum haereditate patris merito passionis altero ipse contentus alterum mihi donavit Author vit Bern. l. 1. c. 22. Bernard My Lord hath a double right to the kingdome of heaven by inheritance and by purchase by inheritance of his Father and purchase of his owne blood with the former right himselfe is contented the latter he hath given unto me I am not worthy I confesse neither can I by mine owne merits obtaine the kingdome of heaven but rest upon that interest which I have in the merit of Christs passion Sixtly of Luther b Vit. Luther Receive my soule Lord Jesu though I bee taken from this life and this body of mine bee layd downe yet I know certainely that I shall remaine with thee for ever neither shall any bee able to pull mee out of thy hand Seventhly of Juel c Humfred in vitâ Juelli A crowne of righteousnesse is layd up for me Christ is my righteousnesse this is my day this day let mee quickly come unto thee this day let mee see thee Lord Jesu You have heard what wee are to say in answer to the first question An sit whether there be any such white stone The second scientificall question is Quid sit what this white stone is And because the Logicians distinguish of 1 Quid nominis 2 Quid rei the quiddity as they speak of the name and of the thing First I will declare the Quid nominis what the word signifieth or to what the metaphor alludeth Nam de hoc calculo varii sunt Doctorum calculi Although all who have brought sweet lights to illustrate this dark prophesie make it very cleare that the white stone is a Metaphor and the gift a mystery yet as Manna is said to have rellished according to the severall appetites of them that had eaten it so this white stone in the mysticall signification appeareth divers to each Interpreters fancy and though a white stone even in the bottome of a river may easily be discerned yet not when the water is troubled as here it is Some by it understand corpus glorificatum a glorified body and therein note foure properties 1 Solidity 2 Candour 3 Rotundity 4 Splendour The solidity in the white stone say they representeth the impassibility the candour the clarity and beauty the roundnesse the agility the lustre or splendour the subtility and glory of the Saints bodies raised from the dust Thus d Aquin. in Caten Aquinas who taketh his hint from Rupertus and hee from Beda Others understand by the white stone the grace of the spirit which reneweth our mindes making them pure and white that is innocent before God so e Junius in Apoc Gratiam spiritus quae imbuit novis moribus mentes puras candidas id est innocentes reddit coram Deo Junius Aretius Chytreus Piscator and Mathesius Others interpret claritatem nominis an illustrious name or the honour and title of a conquerour either because as f Sextus Sen. bib sanct Calculo albo praenotabantur quo à caeteris discernerentur Sixtus Senensis noteth the dayes in which the Romanes gained any signall victory were entred into their Fasti or registers with a white stone or because they who overcame and had the better in the Olympicke games or races received for their guerdon a g Aretas in Apoc 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 white shining stone h Veg. in Apoc. Deus per Christi opera seu calculos computatorios omnium hominuÌ„ rationem subducit Vegus goeth a way by himselfe taking this white stone for a white counter and yeeldeth this reason of his interpretation Because God saith hee casteth all mens salvation by Christs workes and merits and all that hope to cleare with him for the infinite debts of their sinnes must reckon upon them or else they will fall short in their accounts Behold Saul prophesieth Balaam blesseth and a Jesuite delivereth Protestant doctrine i Coment in Apoc. Primasius and Victorinus will have this white stone to be alba geâ—â—a a white gemme or glistering jewell or pearle like that in the Gospell which the rich Merchant man sold all that he had to buy but the word in the originall is not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a stone used in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in
Carry-away as they called it that is some jewell or piece of coine with his name engraven on it or some speciall poesie Such entertainment is promised in my text and performed on this holy Table Christ who is both Hoste and feast biddeth you to his hidden Manna in the Sacrament and tendereth to every one of you a white stone with your new name written in it for your Apophoreton What remaineth but that by particular examination and fervent prayer and speciall faith and intention of devotion yee prepare your stomacks for these covered dishes and the hidden Manna and after you have fed upon it receive the white stone of absolution and keepe it safe by you and have it alwayes in your eyes Let not your importunate clients so trespasse upon your time but that you reserve alwayes some golden moments in every day and especially on the Lords day to bee clients to God So peruse other writings and Records that you forget not to search the deeds and evidences of your owne salvation before you give learned counsaile to others to secure and cleare their titles to their lands on earth aske you counsaile of the spirit and with David u Psal 119.24 make Gods statutes your counsailers to secure your title to a kingdome in heaven Make your election whereof the white stone in my text is a cleare evidence sure unto your selves by the markes which I have described unto you hatred of sinne and contempt of the world and desire of heaven secure it to your soules by the life of your faith and strength of your hope and ardency of your love and extremity of your hunger and thirst for righteousnesse and your earnest strife and most vehement fight against all your corruptions by your deepe sorrow for your sinnes carefull watching over all your wayes sonnelike feare of displeasing your heavenly father universall conformity to his will and humble submission to his rod with continuall growth in grace and mending your pace towards heaven the nearer you come to your journyes end So shall you overcome the devill by your faith the world by your hope the flesh by your spirituall love sinfull joyes by your godly sorrow carnall security by your watchfull care and filiall feare dreadfull crosses by your comfortable patience and dangerous relapses by your proficiencie in godlinesse and all sorts of temptations by your constant perseverance And thus overcomming Christ will make good his promise unto you set before you the hidden Manna and give you this white stone which none shall be able to take away from you and lay you all as so many pretious stones in the x Apoc. 21.19 foundation of the heavenly Jerusalem descending from God To whom c. THE NEW NAME THE XXVIII SERMON APOC. 2.17 And in the same stone a new name written which no man knoweth saving hee that receiveth it Right Honourable Right Worshipfull c. IN this close of a letter endited by the Spirit and endorsed to the Angell of the Church of Pergamus our Emperour Christ Jesus his donatives to his victorious souldiers are set forth to the best advantage of art To him that is to every one whosoever hee bee Jew or Gentile bond or free young or old Captaine or common souldier that overcommeth the flesh by subduing it the world by despising it the devill by defying him and quenching all his fiery darts on the buckler of his faith dipt in Christs blood I will give out of my bounty not for the merit of their service the hidden Manna of consolation the white stone of absolution and the new name of adoption which no man knoweth saving hee that receiveth it The hidden Manna I set before you when I first entertained your religious attention with the mysticall delicacies this text affordeth The last time I delivered unto you the white stone and now I am to spell and read unto you your new name and both declare what it is and why engraven in this white stone as also how so engraven that it can bee read by none save him who owneth it For my method I will take it from Masters of Musicke and dancing for as they first tune their instruments then finger the streines of some exquisite lessons on it finally teach their scholars how to foot the dance accordingly so the divine assistance concurring with your patience I will first by endevouring to accord the severall interpretations of the words as it were tune the strings next by delivering unto you the doctrines of this scripture set to the lessons and last of all by applying them to your lives and conversations direct you how you are to order your feet according to the heavenly musicke pricked by the Spirit in the rules of my text But because it is very hard to read letters or characters engraven in brasse or stone if the brasse or stone bee covered with dirt or blotted with inke before I proceed to spell your name I hold it requisite to rubbe out those spots and wipe away those blots which the ancient Pelagians and late Pontificians have cast upon this white stone I meane our Protestant doctrine concerning the assurance of our salvation in particular Object 1. They cast this blurre upon it That it hath no foundation in holy Scripture for where read wee say they thou William or thou John or thou Peter art assured of thy salvation 2. They cast this blurre upon it That it hath no place in the Apostles Creed and therefore in scorne and derision they tearme it the thirteenth article 3. They alledge against it That it hath no footing at all in reason For say they wee ought continually to pray for the remission of our sinnes which wee need not to doe if wee were assured of our justification and salvation 4. They article against it That it crosseth all such texts of Scripture wherein feare is commended unto us as a speciall helpe and furtherance to eternall salvation To what end doth David advise a Psal 2.11 Serve the Lord with feare and Saint Paul admonish b Rom 11.20 Be not high minded but feare and c Phil. 2.12 work out your salvation with feare and trembling and Saint Peter exhort d 1 Pet. 1.17 passe the time of your sojourning here in feare if all true beleevers are so assured of their salvation that they are in no danger of forfeiting their estate of grace here or losing their crowne of glory hereafter 5. They alleage against it That it dulleth the edge of industry and cooleth the heat of zeale and taketh away all care of walking exactly before God and uprightly before men care and watchfulnesse in their judgement are superfluous where salvation and eternall happinesse is secured The first blot is thus wiped out Resp ad 1. As all parts are contained in the whole body so all particulars and singulars are vertually enclosed in generals and universals and therefore as when wee read That all men are sinners and
be no other than grace and he who hath a greater measure of grace must needs more love the Fountaine of grace Christ Jesus As Jesus therefore more loved John so John more loved Jesus hee followed him boldly to the high Priests hall hee never denyed him once as Peter did thrice hee with his mother attended him at the crosse and from that day tooke the blessed Virgin to his owne home and therefore though Christ promised the keyes of heaven to Peter first yet hee gave Saint John a greater priviledge to leane on his breast Which leaned on his breast Of Saint Johns leaning on Christs breast foure kindes of reasons are given 1 A civill by Calvin 2 A Morall by Theophylact. 3 A mysticall by Saint Austine 4 A tropologicall by Guilliandus Though saith a Calv. in Harmon Calvin for a servant to lye on his masters breast may seeme unseemly yet the custome of the Jewes being not to fit at table as we do but at their meales to lye on beds or carpets on the ground it was no more for Saint John to lye on Christs breast than with us to sit next to him unlesse with Theophylact we conceive that Saint John upon the mention of our Lords death and that by treason tooke on most grievously and beginning to languish through griefe was taken by Christ into his bosome to comfort him or wee interpret with Saint Austin and others of the Ancients Sinum Christi Sapientiae secretum the bosome of Christ the cabinet of celestiall jewels or treasury of wisedome and inferre with Saint Ambrose from thence b In psal 118. Johannes cum caput suum super pectus domini reclinaret hauriebat profunda secreta sapientiae That John when hee laid his head to Christs breasts sucked from thence the profound secrets of wisedome and with c Beda in Evang Johan Quia in pectore Christi sunt omnes thesauri sapientiae scientiae reconditi meritò super pectus ejus recumbit quem majore caeteris sapientiae scientiae singularis munere donat Beda That Christ revealed to Saint John as his bosome friend more secrets and that the reason why his writings are more enriched with knowledge especially of things future than the rest is because he had free accesse to Christs breast wherein all the treasures of wisdome and knowledge were hid Moreover as d Guil. com in Johan c. 21. Guilliandus observeth S. John lay upon Christs breast for the same reason that Moses appointed in the law the breast of all sacrifices for the Priest to teach us that wisedome and understanding whose seat is the breast and heart ought to be the speciall portion of the Priests Among so many ingenuous reasons of this gesture of Saint John if wee leane to Saint Austines opinion the use wee are to make of it is with reverence and religious preparation to read and heare all the bookes of holy Scripture and especially Saint Johns writings who received those hidden and heavenly mysteries in Jesus his bosome which Jesus * Joh. 1.18 No man hath seene God at any time the onely begotten Sonne which is in the bosome of the Father hath revealed him heard in his Fathers bosome All Scriptures are given by e 2 Tim. 3.16 divine inspiration and are equally pillars of our faith anchors of our hope deeds and evidences of our salvation yet as the heaven is more starry in one part than another and the seas deeper in one place than another so it is evident that some passages of Scripture are more lightsome than others and some books contain in them more profound mysteries and hidden secrets and most of all S. Johns Gosspell and his Apocalypse wherein by Saint Jeromes reckoning the number of the mysteries neare answereth the number of the words quot verba tot sacramenta If wee like of Theophylact his reason wee are from thence to learne not to adde affliction to the afflicted not to vexe them that are wounded at the heart but to stay with flaggons and comfort with apples those that are in a spirituall swoune and by no meanes to withhold from them that faint under the burden of their sinnes the comforts of the Gospell to support them especially considering that hee as well killeth a man who ministreth not to him in due time those things which may hold life in him as hee that slayeth him downe right Lastly if wee sticke with Calvin to the letter it will discover unto us the errour of many among us that contend so much for sitting at the Communion and a table gesture as they speake whereas Christ at his last Supper neither sate nor used any table at all In eating of the Passeover wee read f Mat. 26.20 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mark 14.18 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Luk. 22.14 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that Christ with the twelve fell down or lay downe after the Jewish manner which was nearer to kneeling than sitting But what gesture precisely hee used in the delivery of the holy mysteries it is not expressed in Scripture most probable it is that he kneeled or at least that the Apostles kneeled when they received the sanctified Elements from him For no doubt they who in the first ages immediatly succeeded the Apostles received the Communion as the Apostles maner was and that they kneeled the heathen cavill against them that they worshipped bread and wine maketh it in a maner evident For had they sate or stood in the celebration of the Sacrament the Gentiles could have had no colour to cast an aspersion of bread-worship on them but because in receiving the sacred elements of bread and wine they kneeled downe and religiously called upon God the Paynims conceived that they adored the creatures of bread and wine And they among us who cannot distinguish betweene kneeling at the Sacrament and kneeling to the element bread worship and the worship of Christ in religiously and reverently participating the holy mysteries of his body and blood are as grossely ignorant in Christian rites as the ancient heathen were Verely did they consider seriously who it is that under the forme of bread and wine offereth unto them his body and blood even Christ himselfe by his Spirit and what they at the same time in a thankfull love offer to God their bodies for a holy and living sacrifice and what then they receive a generall pardon of all their sinnes under the seale of the King of heaven I perswade my selfe their hearts would smite them if they strived not to receive so great a benefit from so gracious a Majesty as in the most thankfull so in the most humble manner But it is not the position of your bodies but the disposition of your mindes which in this rare patterne of my text I would commend to your Christian imitation The best keeping the Feast of a Saint is to raise him as it were to life by expressing his vertues and
of our religion dare tell the world that wee are all for faith and that wee hold workes to salvation as a parenthesis to a sentence Heaven and earth shall witnesse the injustice of this calumniation and your consciences shall be our compurgatours this day which shall testifie to you both now and on your death-bed that wee have taught you there is no lesse necessitie of good workes than if you should bee saved by them and that though you cannot be saved by them as the meritorious causes of your glory yet that you cannot be saved without them as the necessary effects of that grace which brings glory Indeed we doe not hover over your expiring soules at your death beds as Ravens over a carkasse we doe not beg for a covent nor fright you with Purgatorie nor chaffer with you for that invisible treasure of the Church whereof there is but one key keeper at Rome but we tell you that the making of friends with this Mammon of unrighteousnesse is the way to eternall habitations They say of Cyrus that he was wont to say He layd up treasure for himselfe when hee made his friends rich but we say to you that you lay up treasures for your selves in heaven whilest you make the poore your friends on earth Hee shall never be Gods heire in heaven who lendeth him nothing on earth As the wittie Poet sayd of extreme tall men that they were like Cypresse trees 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 so may I say of a straithanded rich man and these Cypresses are not for the Garden of Paradise None shall be ever planted there but the fruitfull and if the first Paradise had any trees in it onely for pleasure I am sure the second which is in the midst of the new Jerusalem shall have no tree that beares not twelve fruits yea whose very leaves are not beneficiall Doe good therefore O yee rich and shew your wealth to be not in having but in doing good and so doe it that wee may thanke you not your death-bed for it Late beneficence is better than none but so much as early beneficence is better than late He that gives not till he dies shewes that he would not give if he could keepe it That which you give thus you give it by your testament I can scarce say you give it by your will The good mans praise is dispersit dedit he disperses his goods not he left them behinde him and his distribution is seconded with the retribution of God His righteousnesse endureth for ever Psal 112.9 Our Saviour tells us that our good workes are our light Let your light so shine that men may see your good workes Which of you lets his light goe behind him and hath it not rather carried before him that he may see which way it goes and which way himselfe goes by it Doe good therefore in your life that you may have comfort in your death and a crowne of life after death Here the Preacher filled up his border with the gifts of this Citie as it were so many precious stones in stead whereof because I am not appointed to rehearse your deeds but the Preachers Sermon I will fill it up with the praises of the Speaker His sentences were verè lineae aureae according to Junius his translation of my text cum punctis argenteis the latter whereof interlaced his whole discourse It remaineth that as I have done in the former so I worke the embleme of the giver in his gift The Image shall be Marcus Callidius the Motto or words the words of Tullie De claris Oratoribus Orator non unus è multis sed inter multos singularis reconditas exquisitasque sententias mollis perlucens vestiebat oratio Nihil tam tenerum quam illius comprehensio verborum quae ita pura erat ut nihil liquidius ita liberè fluebat ut nusquam adhaeresceret nullum nisi in loco positum tanquam emblemate vermiculato verbum structum videres accedebat ordo rerum plenus artis actio liberalis totumque dicendi genus placidum sanum THE THIRD BORDER OR HORTUS DELICIARUM The third border of gold with studs of silver which the third Speaker offered to the Spouse was wrought upon those texts Gen. 2.15 16 17. And the Lord God tooke the man and put him into the Garden of Eden to dresse it and to keepe it And the Lord God commanded the man saying Of every tree of the Garden thou mayest freely eate But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evill thou shalt not eat of it for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die And thus he put it on THis Scripture containeth in it seven particulars of which by Gods assistance in order The third Sermon preached by Dr. Hacket sometimes fellow of new Colledge in Oxon abridged 1 Who tooke The Lord God 2 Whom The man Adam 3 What he did with him He placed him in Paradise 4 To what end To dresse and keepe it 5 God his large permission to the man To eat of all other trees 6 His restraint from the tree of knowledge 7 His punishment if he refraine it not Thou shalt die the death 1. Who tooke The Lord God Jehovah Elohim In Jehovah note the Unitie Elohim the Trinitie of persons Jehovah signifieth that he is of himselfe and giveth to all other to be for he is as Damascene teacheth the beeing of them that be the life of all that live Elohim signifieth which ruleth and disposeth all Of this Almighty Maker and Disposer of all the more wee speake the more we have to speake the more we thinke of him the more wee finde him greater than our thoughts and therefore with silence admiring that majesty which neither tongue of men nor Angels can expresse I passe to the second particular The Man Man consisteth of a body and a soule 2. Whom his body was made of the earth his soule was inspired by God not propagated by generation The soule doth neither beget nor is begotten saith Chrysostome but is infused by God who is said by the Preacher to give the soule a Eccl. 12.7 The Spirit shall returne to God that gave it and in this respect is called by the Author of the Epistle to the Hebrewes The b Heb. 12 9. Father of Spirits Upon which words St. Jerome inferreth Ridendi sunt qui putant animas cum corporibus seri and St. Austine refelleth that opinion by Adams words concerning Eve This is bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh he saith not soule of my soule In this part of man man is said to be made according to Gods own Image for the c Epiphan haeres 70. Audians heresie which attributed the corporall lineaments of man to God is long agoe exploded and that in a threefold respect 1. In respect of the faculties of the soule 1. Understanding 2. Will. 2. In regard of the qualities of the soule
nothing remaines for God so that unlesse a man put a sacrificing knife to the throat of his concupiscence and cut the wind-pipe of his worldly desires and bind himselfe as it were with cords to the hornes of the Altar the flesh and the world will devoure all and nothing will be left for charity to bestow but a few scraps cast into the almes-basket The sacrifices of righteousnesse In these words I note foure particulars 1 Rem Sacrifice 2 Numerum Sacrifices 3 Qualitatem of righteousnesse 4 Effectum and trust in the Lord. Rem Sacrific◠Sacrificium as i Lib. 10. de Civit Dei c. 6. Austine defines it est omne opus bonum quod agitur ut sanctâ societate inhaereamus Deo relatum ad illum finem boni quo veraciter beati esse possimus Sacrifices are either 1 Legall and these of three sorts 1 Burnt-offerings 2 Sinne-offerings 3 Peace-offerings 2 Evangelicall and these may be divided as the schooles speake into 1 Sacrificium redemptionis seu universalis sanctificationis 2 Sacrificia specialis sanctificationis For the Legall they were umbrae futurorum viz. 1 Of Christs sacrifice In which respect Nazianzen calleth them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 St. k Lib. 2. cont Faust Manich. c. 17. Austine termeth them praedicamenta unius veri sacrificii and St. Cyril saith Parturiebant veritatem sacrificii 2 Of the spirituall sacrifice of Christians that is holy offices of Religion and charity So saith St. l Lib. 10. de Civit Dei c. 5. Austine Quaecunque in mysterio tabernaculi de sacrificiis leguntur ad Dei proximi dilectionem referuntur and Justin Martyr Figurae eorum quae vel praedestinati ad Christum vel Christus ipse gesturus erat Now as the shadow vanisheth in the presence of the body so these after Christs oblation upon the Crosse Tunc as m Lib. 4. cont Marcion c. 1. Tertullian speaketh elegantly compendiatum est Novum Testamentum legis laciniosis operibus expeditum As those that cast metals saith n L. de spiritu sanc Cyril of Alexandria first make a mold after the fashion of the bell vessell or image which they cast but after the metall hath run and the vessell is cast or the work finished they lay aside their mold of earth so after the worke of our redemption was finished the types and molds of the law were cast away This Origen after his maner expresseth by an excellent allegory Til Isaac was born weaned Hagar Ishmael remained in Abrahams house but afterwards they were turned out of doors so til Christ the true Isaac was born and weaned the bondwoman her son the Old Testament and types therof remained in the Church but after his birth and ascension they were for ever cashiered For Evangelicall sacrifices they are of two sorts 1 The prime and soveraigne 2 Subordinate and secundarie 1 The prime and soveraign is of Christ himselfe who offered his body for our redemption and by his bloud entred into the holy place of which St. Austine excellently noteth Unum manebat cum illo cui offerebat unum se fecit iis pro quibus offerebat unus ipse erat qui offerebat offerebatur 2 Subordinate sacrifice to this are referred 1 The sacrifice of commemoration or the commemoration of Christs bloody sacrifice in the Sacrament of our Lords supper o Tert. de pudicit c. 9. quo opimitate dominici corporis vescimur anima de Deo saginatur which in this respect p In Psal 95. Chrysostome calleth coeleste simulque venerandum sacrificium and Irenaeus novi testamenti novam oblationem 2 The workes of charity which are called q 1 Pet. 2.5 Heb. 13.16 De idelis sacrifices and we must still offer them if we beleeve Tertullian Spiritualibus modo hostiis litandum Deo and r Con. Juli. l 10. Cyril Crasso ministerio relicto mentalis fragrantiâ oblationis And these we are to offer the rather because we are eased of the burden of the other The difference between us and those under the law is not in the duty of offering but in the kind of sacrifice ſ Iren. l. 4. c. 34. oblationes hic oblationes illic Quippe cum jam nona servis sed a liberis offerantur t Cap. 21. omnes justi sacerdotalem habent ordinem not to distribute the mysteries of salvation but to offer spirituall sacrifices to God 2 Numerum Sacrifices in the plurall number plurall in specie and in individuo For we are to offer divers kinds of sacrifices and we are often to offer them There are ordinary sacrifices and extraordinary morning and evening sacrifices of the soule and sacrifices of the body internall and externall whereunto St. u Lib. de spirit sanct Cyril applyeth that description of Solomons Queene Psal 45. All glorious within in inward devotion in a vesture embroidered with gold in respect of her outward oblations It is not enough to offer to God inward sacrifices we must offer also outward First because God requireth them Secondly because we receive from him outward blessings Thirdly because we sin in outward things and therefore ought to seek to t Quo sensu opera placant Dei iram Vid. in fra pacifie and appease his wrath by our outward sacrifices Of these there are divers kinds I will note three 1. Of almes and charitable deeds whereunto the u 1. Tim. 6. Heb. 13. Apostle exhorteth x 1. Cor. 13. Of these three the greatest is charity haec est Regina virtutum saith S. Chrysostome it is as the purple robe which in ancient time was proper to Princes If thou seest this purple robe of charity upon any say certainly he is the child of God he is an heire of the kingdome of heaven 2. Of mortification whereunto the y Rom. 12.1 Apostle exhorteth Hereby we expresse the z 1. Cor. 9.27 2. Cor. 4.8 dying of the Lord Jesu in our bodies 1. By temperance in our diet which is not more salubrious to the body than healthfull to the soule 2. By fasting which without doubt is an act tending to religion and helping it For so wee read a Luke 2.37 Anna served God with fasting and prayer and Christ promiseth a b Mat. 6.13 reward unto it and the Fathers generally make fasting and almes-deeds the two wings carrying our prayers to heaven 3. By Christian modesty in apparell habit and deportment cura corporis incuria animae The pride and luxury of this age in this kind exhausteth mens estates and eats up all their holy oblations What shall I speake of our plastered faced Jezebels who are worse than those Idols which we have cast out of our Churches Those are but dead Idols these are living and rank themselves with our gravest Matrons all bounds of modesty are broken and markes of honesty confounded 3. Of obedience whereunto the c Heb. 13. Apostle exhorteth If
and as the Å¿ Pro. 14.18 But the path of the just is aâ— the shining light that shineth more and more untill the perâ—ect day light of the Sun shineth more and more till it be perfect day as the branches of the true vine bearing fruit in Christ are purged and pruned by the Father that they may bring forth more fruit Å¿ John 15.2 Herein the supernaturall motions of the Spirit resemble all naturall motions which as the Philosopher teacheth us are velociores in fine quam in principio swifter in the end than in the beginning Of all the proper markes of the elect children of God this is the most certaine and therefore St. t Phil. 3.13 14. Paul instanceth in it onely This one thing I doe forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forth to those things which are before I presse towards the mark for the price of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus And St. u 2 Pet. 3.18 Peter closeth with it as the upshot of all Ye therefore beloved beware lest ye fall from your own stedfastnesse but grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ It is not so in the spiritual as in the corporall augmentation for the body groweth according to all dimensions but to a certain age but the soule may must grow in spiritual graces till the houre of death and the reason of the difference is because the aetas consistentiae of our body is in this life but of our soul in the life to come Here the body arriveth to the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 highest pitch of perfection but the soule arriveth not to hers til we come to the heavenly Jerusalem and to the x Heb. 12.23 Church of the first borne and to the spirits of just men made perfect O that our blessed Redeemer had here made an end of his letter and sealed up all the Angels praises with this sweet close what an admirable president should we have had of a perfect Pastour what joy should have beene in the presence of the Angels for the unspotted integrity and absolute perfection of this Angell But because as St. y Ep. ad â—ust Apud Deum nihil tantum suave placet nisi quod habet in se aliquid mordacis veritatis Jerome acutely observeth that there was no use of hony in the sacrifices of the old law because nothing pleaseth God which is onely sweet and hath not in it somewhat of biting truth therefore after the sweet insinuation I know c. there followeth a sharpe reprehension there is a Notwithstanding that standeth in this Angels light and obscureth the lustre of all his former vertues Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee Origen handling those word z Cant. 1.5 Nigra sum sed formosa I am blacke but comely draweth the face and lineaments of Christs Spouse if I may so speake with a blacke coale a Orig. in Cant. hom 1. Quaerimus quomodo nigra sine candore sit pulchra poenitentiam egit a peccatis speciem ei largita est conversio nigra est propter antiqua peccata sed propter poenitentiam habet aliquid quasi Aethiopici decoris How saith he can she be faire that is all blacke I answer she hath repented her of her sinnes and her repentance hath given her beautie but such as may be in a Negro or Blackmoore Philosophie teacheth that there is no pure metall to be found in the Mines of the earth nor unmixed element in the world What speak I of the earth the starres of the skie are not cleane nor the Angels of heaven pure in Gods eyes Job 25.5 Behold even to the moone and it shineth not yea the starres are not pure in his sight how much lesse sinfull man whose conception is lust and birth shame and life frailty and death corruption After St. Austine had blazoned his mothers vertues as Christ doth here the Angels he presently dasheth them all through with a blacke line b Aug. confes l. 9. c. 13. Attamen vae laudibili vitae hominum si remotâ miserecordiâ discutias eum Woe be to the most righteous upon earth if God deale with them in strict justice c Aug. l. 10. c. 28. Contendunt laetitiae meae flendae cum laetandis moeroribus ex qua parte stet victoria nescio hei mihi Domine miserere mei Contendunt moerores mei mali cum gaudiis bonis ex qua parte stet victoria nescio hei mihi Domine miserere mei Ecce vulnera mea non obscondo medicus es aeger sum misericors es miser sum As for me saith that humble Saint I confesse my sinnes to thy glory but my owne shame my sinfull delights contend with my godly sorrowes and on whether side standeth the victorie I know not woe is me Lord have mercy upon me Againe my ungodly sorrowes contend with my holy joyes and on which side standeth the victorie I know not woe is me Lord have mercy on me Behold I hide not my wounds thou art a Physician I am sicke thou art a Surgeon I am thy Patient thou art pitifull I am in miserie If the light be darknesse how great is the darknesse If our righteousnesse be as menstruous clouts Esay 64.6 what are our monstrous sinnes Yet the Prophet saith not that the covers of our sinnes but the robes of our righteousnesse are as filthy rags Whereupon b Origen in ep ad Rom. c. 3. Quis vel super justitia â—uá gloriabitur cum audiat Deum per Prophetam dicentem quia omnis iustitia vestra sicut pannus menstruatae Origen groundeth that question which may gravell all those that build upon the sinking sands of their owne merits Who dare brag of his righteousnesse when he heareth God saying by his Prophet All our righteousnesse is as filthy rags Surely Pope Gregorie was no Papist at least in this point for he prizeth the best endeavours of grace in us at a lower rate than Luther or Calvin they say our purest coyne is allayed with some quantity of baser metall he that it is no better than drosse c Greg. mor. l. 9. c. 11. Omnis humana iustitia injustitia esse convincituâ— si districtâ— judicetur All humane justice saith he examined according to Gods strict justice is injustice Therefore if we say or thinke God hath nothing against us he hath much against us for so saying or thinking For d Psal 19.12 who knoweth how oft he offendeth O cleanse thou us all from our secret faults Had we arrived to the perfection of this Angel in my text and could exhibite letters testimoniall signed by our Saviour such as this Angel of Thyatira might yet were it not safe to capitulate with God notwithstanding all our vertues and graces he hath somewhat against us either for sinnes of omission or sinnes of commission or at least sinnes of permission I
the blessing of Abraham might come upon us let us enter into the Arke of our confidence and the Spirit of Christ like Noahs Dove shall bring unto us an Olive branch glad tidings of peace and true signes of rest to our tempest-tossed consciences let us draw neare to God and he will draw neare to us let us goe to Christ and he will draw God neare unto us let us goe unto him in feare and reverence and he will embrace us in faith and confiâ—ence and he will receive us though we have beene prodigall and runnagate children he will receive us into his favour he will reconcile us to his Father he will salve our wounds hee will quiet our hearts hee will mitigate our feare of death and destruction and hee will imparadise us with himselfe in glorie everlasting The spirituall and morall interpretation of the Rehearsers text with a conclusion of the whole THus have I now at length presented to your spirituall view the brest-plate of Aaron decked richly with foure rowes of precious stones set in bosses of gold To the foure rowes I have compared the foure methodicall Sermons which yee have heard the Jewels in the rowes both to the parts of the Speakers and to their precious doctrine the embossement of gold to their texts a Orat. pro Cluent now because as Cepasius in Tullie postquam diu ex intimo artificio dixisset respicite respicite tandem respexit ipse so it hath beene the manner of the Rehearsers after they had fitly resembled the Preachers to make some resemblance of themselves and their office Sacra haec non aliter constant I intreat you right worshipfull men fathers and brethren not to think that I have so far forgotten modesty as to ranke my selfe with the meanest of the Jewels in these rowes nor the texture of my discourse to the embossements of gold wherein they were set yet not quite to change the allegory I finde among the Lapidaries a stone which seemes to me a fit embleme of a Rehearser it is no precious stone though it be reckoned with them by b Plin. l. 37. c. 9. Pliny and others because at some times it representeth the colours of the rainebow non ut in se habeat colores arcus coelestis sed ut repercussu parietum illidat the name of the stone is Iris whereunto I may make bold to compare my selfe because in some sort I have represented unto you the beautifull colours of these twelve precious stones as the Iris doth the colours of the Rainebow non per inhaerentiam sed per referentiam and therefore I reflect all the lustre splendour and glorie of them first upon Almighty God next upon the Jewels the Preachers themselves Pliny maketh mention of a strange c Nat. hist l. 2. c. 105. Pluvius in Hispania est qui omnes aurei coloris ostendit pisces nihil extra illam aquam caeteris differentes River in Spaine wherein all the fish while they swim in it have a golden colour but if you take them out of it nothing at all differ in colour from other in like manner I doubt not but that many things seemed excellent and truely golden in the torrent of the Preachers eloquence which taken out thence and exhibited to you in my rehearsall seeme but ordinary Howbeit the whole blame hereof lieth not upon me but a great part of it upon the very nature of this exercise to which it is d Mat. 3.3 essentiall to be defective The Preachers were voyces like St. John Baptist the Rehearser is but the Eccho Who ever expected of an Eccho to repeat the whole voyce or entire speech sufficient it is that it resound some of the last words and them imperfectly it implyeth a contradiction that a faire and goodly picture should be drawne at length in a short table e Quintil. instit orat l. 10. c. 2. Quicquid alteri simile est necesse est ut sit minus eo quod imitatur ut umbra corpore imago facie actus histrionum veris affectibus necesse est ut semper sit posterior qui sequitur The shadow alwayes comes short of the body the image of the face imitation of nature If I should have given due accents to each of their words and sentences I should long agoe have lost my spirits and I may truely say with St. Paul though in another sense f 2 Cor. 2.10 What I have spared herein for your sake have I spared as well as for mine owne to ease you of much trouble and now after a very short explication and application of mine owne text I will ease you of all g Joseph antiq Jud. l. 3. c. 8. Josephus worketh with his wit a glorious allegorie upon Aarons garments The Miter saith he represented the Heaven the two Onyxes the Sunne and Moone the foure colours in the embroidered Ephod the foure Elements the Girdle the Ocean the Bells and Pomegranates thundering and lightening in the aire the foure rowes of stones the foure parts of the yeare the twelve stones the twelve signes in the Zodiacke or the twelve moneths in the yeare St. h Ep. 128. Quatuor ordines quatuor puto esse virtutes Prudentiam Fortitudinem Justitiam Temperantiam c. Jerome taketh the foure rowes for the foure cardinall vertues which subdivided into their severall species make up the full number of twelve Although I dare not with Origen runne ryot in allegories yet I make no question but that we ought to conceive of the Ephod not as of a vestment onely covering the Priests breast but as of a holy type or figure vailing under it many celestiall mysteries and esteeme the stones set in these rowes upon the Ephod as precious or rather more in their signification than they are in their nature In which respect they may be termed after a sort so many glorious Sacraments sith they are visible signes of invisible mysteries which I am now to declare unto you St. Paul in the Epistle to the Hebrewes proveth manifestly Aaron to be a type of Christ his actions of Christs passion whereunto we may adde his ornaments of Christs offices Kingly Priestly and Propheticall For he is our Hermes Trismegistus Mercurius Termaximus Hermes because he is the Interpreter and Declarer of Gods will and Trismegistus that is thrice greatest because he is the greatest King the greatest Priest and the greatest Prophet that ever came into the world The Mitre Diadem-like compassed as Josephus writeth with three circles like a triple Crowne apparently seemeth to me to prefigure the Kingly office of our Saviour whereby he sitteth gloriously in the heart of all the Elect ruling them by the golden Scepter of his word As evidently the front-plate of pure gold engraven with holinesse to the Lord and breast-plate with Urim and Thummim representeth Christs Priestly function according to which he beareth the twelve Tribes representing all his Elect before God for a remembrance
heaven for them not to contest but to obtest not to attempt any thing against them but cedendo vincere to conquer them by yeelding But the Generall of the Romane military forces hath quite altered the ancient discipline by turning prayers into threats supplications into excommunications cries into alarums teares into bullets and words into swords and which is to be bewailed with bloudy teares the Garland of red Roses as Saint Cyprian sweetly termeth the Crowne of Martyrdome is put upon their heads not who dye for the faith but who kill not who shed their owne bloud but who draw the bloud not of Infidels but of Christians not of private persons but publike not of subjects but of Soveraignes The detestable oration of Pius made in the Conclave upon the news of the murder of the French King and the damnable Legend of Jaques Clement should not have moved me to have laid so fowle an aspersion upon any Romish Priests or Jesuites if I had not seen with my eyes at Paris the names of Old corne Garnet executed for the Powder Treason inserted into their Catalogue of Martyrs and heard also of certaine English Priests sharply censured for offering to pray for their soules because thereby they made scruple of their crowne of Martyrdome which according to their doctrine dischargeth all that are called unto it from Purgatory flames and giveth them present entrance into heaven O blessed Jesu are these of thy company didst thou make such a profession before Pontius Pilate didst thou teach thy Disciples to save mens soules by murdering their bodies to plant Religion and found thy Church by blowing up Parliaments are these of thy spirit that call not downe fire from heaven but rather call it up from hell to consume a whole Kingdome with a blaze and offer it up as a Holocaust to the Molock at Rome No d Bosquier in Evang. Domin fish will be caught in a bloudy net if they see but a drop spilt upon it they will swimme another way Therefore let all the fishers of men that cast the net of the Gospel into the sea of the world to take up soules looke henceforward that they bloud not their net with cruell persecutions and slaughter of Gods servants In the building of the materiall Temple there was heard no noise of any iron toole to shew that in stirres and broyles there is no building of Gods house As King-fishers breed in a calme sea so the Church exceedingly multiplyeth in the dayes of peace which long may we enjoy under our Solomon who deserveth as well the title of Preserver of the Peace as Defender of the Faith of the Church For what doth he not to take up quarrels and compose differences in all reformed Churches wherein God hath so blessed his zealous endeavours that as he hath hindred the growth of much cockle sowne by Vorstius and Bertius in the Low-countries so hee hath cleane cut off two heads of controversies lately arising one in the place of the other in France the former concerning the imputation of Christs active obedience the latter concerning his immunity from the Law As for his love to his Nathans and infinite desire of repairing the Temple I cannot speake more than you all conceive What then is the cause that so good a worke goeth on so slowly How commeth it to passe that in so many places of this Land the Spouse of Christ lieth sick of a consumption crying pitifully Stay me with flagons and comfort me with apples for I faint I swoune I dye Whose fault is it that many hundreds of soules for whom Christ shed his precious bloud are like to famish perish for the want of the bread of life and there is none to breake it unto them It seemeth strange to mee that in France and other countries where the poore flocke of Christ Jesus is miserably fleeced and fleaed by the Romish Clergy yet they finde meanes to maintaine a Preacher in every congregation and that in divers places of this Kingdome where neither the wild Bore of the forrest digges at the roote of ouâ— Vine nor the wild Beast of the field browseth upon the branches thereof there should not be sufficient allowance no not for an insufficient Curate Elie's zeale was none of the hottest yet he made no reckoning of his private losse in comparison of the publike when he heard the messenger relate the flâ—ght of Israel and the death of his two sonnes Hophni and Phineas he was mentis compos and fate quietly in his chaire but as soone as mention was made of the taking of the Arke hee presently fell downe backward and gave up the Ghost Deare Christians many living Temples of the Holy Ghost have bin lately surprised by Papists yet no man taketh it to heart The Jewes as Josephus reporteth in the siege of Jerusalem though they were constrained themselves to eate Mice Rats and worse Vermine yet alwaies brought faire and fat beasts to the Temple for sacrifices And Livie testifieth that when the Tribunes complained of want of gold in the treasury to offer to Apollo the Mations of Rome plucked off their chaines bracelets and rings and freely offered them to the Priests to supply that defect in the service of their gods I pray God these Painims and Infidels be not brought in at the day of Judgement to condemne many of our great professours who care not how the Temple falls to decay so their houses stand have no regard how God is served so they bee well attended take no thought though the Arke be under the curtaines so they be under a rich canopy or at least a sure roofe who are so farre from offering to God things before abused to pride and luxury that they abuse to pride and luxury things by their religious ancestors offered unto God who with Zeba and Zalmunna having taken the houses of God into their possession lay out the price of bloud the price of soules upon riotous feasting gorgeous apparrell vaine shewes Hawkes Hounds and worse What sinne may be compared to this that turneth those things to maintaine sinne that should convert many unto righteousnesse How is it possible that they should escape Gods vengeance who nourish pride with sacriledge maintaine luxury with murder not of bodies but of soules whom they and their heires starve by keeping back the Ministers maintenance who should feed them with the bread of life What boldnesse is it nay what presumption what contempt of divine majesty what abominable profanenesse and impiety to breake open the doores of the Tabernacle and rifle the Arke of the Covenant and rob God himselfe No marvell therefore if hee have shewed extraordinary judgements upon such felons as he did upon Achan who payed deare for his Babylonish raiment for it cost him all his goods and his e Judg. 7.25 And all Israel stoned him with stones burned him with fire after they had stoned him with stones life too and the life of his sonnes
Thou shalt plant vineyards and dresse them but shalt neither drinke of the wine nor gather the grapes for the worme shall eate them Thou shalt have olive trees throughout all thy coasts but thou shalt not annoint thy selfe with the oyle for thine olive shall cast his fruit Hereunto if we adde the infinite armies of plagues and judgements mustered in this chapter against Gods enemies we cannot but subscribe to the Prophets conclusion Non est pax impio there is no l Esay 48.22 57.21 peace to the wicked saith my God there is no fruit of sinne for it is the vine of m Deut. 32.32 33. Sodome and of the fields of Gomorrah the grapes thereof are the grapes of gall their clusters are bitter Their wine is the poyson of Dragons and the cruell venome of Aspes Would yee know all the miseries that sinne hath brought into the world reckon then all that are or ever were in the world For they are all concomitants effects or punishments of sinne Sinne cast the Angels from Heaven into Hell thrust man out of Paradise drowned the old world burnt Sodome and Gomorrah with fire and brimstone ruinated the greatest Monarchies destroyed the ancientest Cities and hath rooted up the most flourishing Churches and shall wee looke for better fruit of it But this interrogatory of the Apostle What fruit had yee seemeth to mee rather to aime at the particular endammagement and detriments of sinne which every soule that committeth it sustaineth within it selfe whereof many have been already recounted yet the greater part is behind among whom this is not the least that it blindeth the eyes of the mind and infatuateth the sinner Whereupon Saint Austines observation is If a theefe or fellon should presently upon his fact lose the sight of his eyes every body would say that it was the judgement of God upon him Oculum cordis amisit ei pepercisse putatur Deus behold God hath taken away the sight of his soules eyes and doest thou thinke that hee spareth him or letteth him goe n Cic. de Arusp respons Oculorum caecitas ad mentem translata est unpunished What greater losse to a noble mind than of libertie which is forfeited by sinne Sinne enthralleth our soule to our body and our body and soule to the Divell If captivitie of the body be so grievous a calamity what may wee judge of the captivitie of the soule If wee so disdaine to be slaves to men how much more should wee to bee vassals to beastly lusts To speake nothing of peace of conscience which crying sinnes disturbe and divine motions which worldly cares choake and heavenly comforts which earthly pleasures deprive us of and sanctifying graces which impure thoughts and sinfull desires diminish to leave the consideration of shame and death for matter of ensuing discourses by that which hath been already delivered all that are not besotted by sin and blind-folded by Sathan may see great reason for this question of the Apostle What fruit had yee A question which the proudest and most scornfull sinners who have them in derision that make conscience of unlawfull gaine shall propound unto themselves one day and checke their owne folly therewith as we reade in the booke of o Wisd 5.8 Wisedome What hath pride availed us or what profit hath the pompe of riches brought us Then shall they change their mindes when they cannot their estates and sigh for griefe of heart and say within themselves looking up to Heaven and seeing the felicity of the righteous crowned with eternall glory Ibid. Ver. 4 5 6 7. This is hee whom wee sometimes had in derision and in a parable of reproach Wee fooles thought his life madnesse and his end without honour But now how is hee accounted among the children of God and what a portion hath hee among the Saints Therefore wee have erred from the way of truth and the light of righteousnesse hath not shined upon us We have wearied our selves in the wayes of wickednesse and have gone through many dangerous pathes and the way of the Lord wee have not knowne Howbeit two sorts of men in the opinion of the world seeme to make great gaine of sinne the covetous and the ambitious the former is indebted to his extortion oppression and usury for his wealth the other to his glozing dissembling undermining perfidious and treacherous dealing for his honour and advancement in the Court of Princes The spirit of the former hath been conjured downe heretofore by proving that whosoever gathereth wealth or mony by unjust and indirect meanes putteth it into a broken bagge and that his mony shall perish with him unlesse hee breake off his sinne by repentance and make friends of unrighteous Mammon I come to the Politicians who correct or rather pervert that sentence of Saint Paul Godlinesse is great gaine thus a shew of godlinesse is great gaine of whom I would demand what shew of reason they have for this their politicke aphorisme If they beleeve there is a God that judgeth the earth they cannot but thinke that hee will take most grievous vengeance on such as goe about to roote out the feare of God out of mens hearts and make Religion a masque and God himselfe an Image the sacred Story a fable Hell a bug-beare and the joyes of Heaven pleasant phantasies If men hold them in greatest detestation who faulter and double with them shall not God much more hate the hypocrite who doubleth with his Maker maketh shew of honouring and serving him when hee indeed neither honoureth nor serveth him at all Simulata sanctitas est duplex iniquitas counterfeit sanctity is double iniquity and accordingly it shall receive double punishment When our Saviour threateneth the most hainous transgressours that they shall have their p Mat. 24.51 portion with hypocrites hee implyeth that the condition of none in Hell is lesse tolerable than of the hypocrite The q Psal 14.1 foole hath said in his heart there is no God and even in that hee shewed himselfe the more foole in that hee said it in his heart supposing that none should heare it there whereas God heareth the word in the heart before it bee uttered in the tongue and what though other know it not sith hee whom hee wrongeth who is best able to revenge it knoweth it But to wound the Politician with his owne sword If a shew and appearance of Religion is not onely profitable but necessary in politicke respects shall not Religion it selfe be much more Can there bee a like vertue or power in the shadow or image as in the body it selfe If the grapes painted by Zeuxis allured the Birds to pecke at them would not the Birds sooner have flowne at them had they been true grapes All the wit of these sublimated spirits wherewith they entangle the honest simplicity of others cannot wind them out of these dilemmaes If it bee a bad thing to bee good why doe they seem so If
to heale a time to breake downe and a time to build up A time to weep and a time to laugh a time to mourne and a time to dance c. In which distribution of time according to the severall affaires of our life all actions and accidents all intents and events all counsels and acts all words and workes all motions and cessations businesses and recreations beginnings and endings inchoations and perfections yea affections also as joy and griefe love and hatred have some part and portion of time laid out for them sinne only is exempted that is never in season As the Apostle spake to Simon b Acts 8.21 Magus Non est tibi pars neque sors it hath neither part nor lot in this partition and yet it intrudeth upon us and usurpeth upon either the whole or the greatest part of our demised time We heare of a time to build and a time to pull downe a time to spare and a time to spend but not in like manner a time to doe good and a time to doe ill a time to live godly and a time to sinne a time well to imploy and a time to mispend neither God nor Nature hath bequeathed any legacie of time to sinne Sinne should have no existence at all and therefore no time no estate and therefore neither terme Sinne is none of Gods creatures nor the issue of nature therefore hath no just claime or title to time the best of Natures temporall goods much lesse to happy eternity which is the purchase of the Sonne of God to the price whereof Nature cannot come neere Moreover sinne mis-spendeth spoyleth maketh havocke of our time abridgeth it and often cutteth it off and therefore deserveth that not a moment of time should be given to it Will you have yet more reasons ye have them in the Text drawne from all the differences of time sin hath been unfruitfull is shamefull and will prove pernicious and deadly therefore no portion or part of time is to be allowed to it against which all times give in evidence The time past brings in against it all sorts of dammages and losses sustained by it What fruit had yee The present time layeth open the shame filthinesse of sinne Whereof yee are now ashamed The future produceth the great and grievous penalties which the sinner by the breach of the eternall Law incurreth The end of those things is death A wise man holdeth intelligence with the time past by memory with the present by prudent circumspection with the time to come by providence by re-calling that which was fore-casting what will be he ordereth that which is and therefore he cannot but be sufficiently advertised of those hainous and grievous imputations laid upon sinne by the Spirit of God in my Text. It is altogether unfruitfull and unprofitable good for nothing What fruit had yee It is shamefull and infamous Whereof yee are now ashamed Nay it is pestilent and pernicious For the end of those things is death If this forcible interrogatory of the Apostle so full of spirit of perswasion worke not in us newnesse of life and a detestation of our former sinfull courses we are not only insensible of our profit prodigall of our credit and reputation but also altogether carelesse of our life Nihili est saith the c Plaut in Pers Certè nihili est qui nihil amat quid ei homini opus est vitâ Poet qui nihil amat he is of no account who makes account of nothing Non spirat qui non aspirat he breathes not who gaspeth not after something What then is that ye desire How bestow ye your affections What object hath the command of your thoughts and soveraignty over your wills and desires Is it gaine wealth and affluence of all things flye then sinne for it is altogether unfruitfull and unprofitable Is it glory honour and reputation eschue then vice for it bringeth shame and infamy upon you and your posterity Is it long life nay with Melchizedek to have no end of your dayes abandon all wicked courses for they have an end and that end is death and that death hath no end That sinne is unfruitfull not only formaliter but also effectivè not only negatively by bringing forth no fruit but also positively by bringing forth evill corrupt fruit by making the soule of man barren of the fruits of righteousnesse yea and the earth also and trees barren of the fruit which they would otherwise have brought forth to our great joy and comfort hath been the subject of our former discourses spent especially in the proofe of these particulars That sinne eclipseth the light of our understanding disordereth the desires of the will weakneth the faculties of the soule distempereth the organs of our body disturbeth the peace of our conscience choaketh the motions of the spirit in us killeth the fruits of grace inthralleth the soule to the body and the body and soule to Sathan lastly depriveth us of the comfortable fruition of all temporall and the fruition and possessions of all eternall blessings All which laid together will make a weighty argument bearing downe and forcing our assent to this conclusion That sinne is sterill and barren and consequently that every sinner is an unthrift and in the end will prove bank-rupt how gainfull a trade soever hee seeme to drive with Satan for as Christ cursed the figge-tree in the Gospell so God curseth all trees that beare the forbidden fruit of sinne and therefore the Apostle truly tearmeth the works of darknesse unfruitfull saying d Eph. 5.11 Have no fellowship with the unfruitfull works of darknesse but reprove them rather The godly man whose delight is in the law of the Lord is likened e Psal 1.3 4. to a tree planted by the rivers of waters which bringeth forth fruit in due season but the wicked to chaffe which the winde scattereth abroad For although they may sometimes build palaces upon the ruines of the Church and fill their houses with the treasures of wickednesse and their coffers with the Mammon of unrighteousnesse yet in the end they will appeare to bee no gainers no nor savers neither by their trafficke with the Devill For if they gain wealth they lose grace if they gaine glasse they lose pearle if they gaine earth they lose heaven if they gaine an estate for tearme of yeares among sinners they lose an eternall inheritance with the Saints in light if they gaine a small portion of the world they f Mar. 8.36 lose their whole soule and what advantageth it a man to gaine the whole world and to lose his owne soule Alas what gained g Josh 7.25 Achan by his Babylonish garment and wedge of gold nothing but a heape of stones wherewith hee was battered in pieces What gained Gehezi h 2 Kin. 5.27 by his great bribe a leprosie that cleaved to him and his posterity after him What gained i Judg. 8.27 Zeba and Zalmunna by
out into such course language Yea but some will say What is the nodding at a Sermon the stealing a farthing the breaking of a jest such an hainous matter that it deserveth everlasting torments of body and soule in Hell I answer with Saint t Aug. l. 2. cont Donat. Non afferamus stateras dolosas ubi appendamus quod volumus quomodo volumus pro arbitrio nostro di centes hoc grave est hoc leve sed afferamus stateram divinam de Scripturis sanctis tanquam de thesauris Domini in illâ quid sit grave appendamus Austine in the estimation of sinnes we ought not to bring out deceitfull weights of our owne but out of the Scriptures golden weights sealed by God and in them see what is light and what is weighty In these scales wee shall find the least sinne to be heavie enough to weigh down to the ground yea to Hell for every offence committed against an infinite Majesty deserveth an infinite punishment every transgression of the eternall Law excludeth a man from eternall happinesse and deserveth eternall death Whosoever shall breake one of the least commandements saith our u Mat. 5.19 Saviour and teach men so shall be least in the Kingdome of heaven Here Bellarmine wisheth us to marke that Christ saith not simply hee that breaketh one of the least commandements but he that breaketh it and teacheth others to doe so We mark it well and that clause may serve to brand him and his fellow Priests and Jesuits for who teach men to break the least commandements if not they whose doctrine is that veniall sinnes are not against the Law nor simply and properly to be called sinnes but rather naevuli aspergines and pulvisculi that is dustings or spertings or small spots warts or blisters Yee all perceive how much this Text of Scripture maketh for us in our doctrine against Papists but I feare it maketh as much against us in our lives Doe we so live as if we were perswaded that the least sinnes inasmuch as they are committed against an infinite Majesty and are breaches of his eternall Law are exceeding great nay infinite Could we drink iniquity as the beast doth water if we thought it were deadly poyson Doe we make great account of small sinnes nay doe we not rather make small account of the greatest Who ever espyed an Adder thrusting his sting at him and started not backe Natures insensible of paine and ignorant of that danger doe no lesse For if any venemous thing be applyed to any part of our body the bloud as if it took notice of its deadly enemy flyeth back turneth it streams another way and shall not our conscience which hath knowledge and sense of the venome of sinne be much more fearfull of it It is no amplification of the malignant nature of sinne to compare it to a poyson it is rather a diminution For no poyson could ever yet be made so strong that the least imaginary quantity thereof was deadly the least thought of sinne yea the sinne of thought is so Poysons be they never so pernicious and deadly are pernicious and hurtfull to that part onely which of it selfe is mortall I meane our bodies but sinne killeth that part that naturally cannot dye it slayeth our immortall spirits There are many forcible arguments to deterre us even from small sins and to excite us to watch over them as 1. Quia difficiliùs caventur because it is a thing more difficult to avoid them than the greater Many are choaked with small bones of fishes but few with greater because they are usually felt in the mouth before they goe downe the throat Solinus writeth of a kind of * Polihist c. 8. Brevissima apud Amyclas vipera est ac propterea dum despectui est faciliùs nocet viper of a small quantity that doth much more hurt than the greater because the most part of men sleighten it 2. Quia difficiliùs curantur because the wound that is given by them is with more difficulty cured as a pricke made with a bodkin or a steeletto if it be deep is more dangerous than a wound given with a greater weapon because the flesh presently closeth up and the bloud issuing not forth runneth inwardly with greater abundance 3. Quia ad majora viam muniunt because they are a preparation and disposition to greater offences As the wimble pierceth the wood and maketh way for the auger so the smaller sinnes make a breach in the conscience and thereby a way to greater The least sins are as the little theeves that creep in at the windowes and open the doores to the greater that rifle the house and rob the soule of all her spirituall wealth whence is that observation of Saint x Lib. 9. mor. in Job Si vitare parva negligimus insensibiliter seducti majora etiam perpetramus Gregory If we sticke not at small sinnes ere we are aware we shall make no bones of the greatest 4. Quia parva peccata crebra ita nos praegravant ut unum grande because small sinnes with their multitude and number as much hurt the soule as great sinnes with their weight The Herrings though a weake and contemptible kind of fish yet by their number kill the greatest Whale What skilleth it saith Saint y Aug. ep 108. Quid interest ad naufragium an uno grandi fluctu navis operiatur an paulatim subrepens aqua in sentinam per negligentiam derelicta impleat navem atque submerguntur Et serm 10. de divers Quid interest utrum te plumbum premat an arena plumbum una massa est arenae minuta grana sunt nonne vides de minutis guttis impleri flumina minuta sunt sed multa sunt Austine whether a ship be over-whelmed with one great wave or drowned by a leake in the bottome unespyed in which the water entereth drop by drop What easeth it a man to be pressed to death with a heap of sands more than with a sow of lead Are not the greatest rivers filled by drops The sinnes we ordinarily commit minuta sunt sed multa sunt they are small but they are many and what they lose in the quantity they get in the number These indeed are important considerations yet mee thinkes there is more nay there is all that can be said in this clause of the Apostle The end of those things is death the smaller sinnes as well as the greater in their owne nature are mortall It is a more fearfull thing I confesse to be plunged into the bottome of a headlesse lake than to sinke a little under water yet he that is held under water how neere soever it be to the top till his breath is gone is as certainly drowned as he that is found dead in the bottome It is but a miserable comfort to bee put in hope of an upper roome in Hell and not to be thrust into the lowest dungeon Wherefore as yee
shall have no end This is the last and most forcible argument of the three wherewith the Apostle laboureth with might and maine to beat downe sinne and put to flight even whole armies of temptations Yee may observe a perfect gradation in the arguments the first though strong and forcible drawne from the unfruitfulnesse of sinne is not so necessary and constraining as the second drawne from the shame and infamy thereof nor that as the third drawn from the wages thereof which is everlasting death As honour and glory is to be more set by than gaine and commodity life than honour immortality than life so shame and infamy is worse than losse and disadvantage death than shame hell than death The holy Apostle hath now made three offers unto us and put us to a three-fold choice First he laid before us the faire fruits of Paradise to bee gathered from the tree of life and corrupt rotten fruit from the forbidden tree that is invaluable treasures to be got and inestimable profit to be made by godlinesse and irrecoverable losses to be sustained by ungodly and sinfull courses of thriving Secondly he tendered unto you glory and honour to be purchased by the service of God as on the contrary shame and infamy by retaining upon Sathan and pursuing sinfull pleasures Now in the third place hee setteth before you life and death life by the gift of God and death for the hire of sinne Shall I need to exhort you in the words of b Deut. 30.19 Moses Chuse life how can ye doe otherwise Is the flesh appalled at the death of the body though the paine thereof endure but for a moment and shall not the spirit be much more affrighted at the death of the soule the pangs and paines whereof never have an end If there be any so retchlesse and carelesse of his estate that hee passeth not for great and irrecoverable dammages and losses so foolish that hee esteemes not of inestimable treasures if any be so infamous that he hath no credit to lose or so armed with proofe of impudency that hee can receive no wound from shame yet I am sure there is none that liveth who is not in some feare of death especially a tormenting death and that of the soule and that which striketh all dead everlasting Therefore it is as I conceive that the Apostle according to the precept of Rhetoricians c Cic. de orat l. 2. Puncta caeterorum argumentorum occulit coucheth as it were and hideth the points of other arguments but thrusteth out this putting upon it the signe and marke of a reason For. For the end of those things is death And this hee doth for good reason because this last argument is worth all the former and enforceth them all it not only sharpneth the point of them but draweth them up to the head at the sinner For therefore are lewd and wicked courses unprofitable therefore we may be ashamed of them because their end is so bad For the end Why doth the Apostle skip over the middle and come presently to the end why layeth hee the whole force of his argument upon the end 1. Because there is nothing in sinne upon which wee may build or have any assurance thereof but the end as there is nothing certaine of this our present life but the incertainty thereof Sin somtimes hath no middle as wee see in those fearfull examples of Corah Dathan and Abiram who had no sooner opened their mouths against Moses but the earth opened her mouth to swallow them up quicke of Achan who had no sooner devoured the accursed thing but it was drawne out of his belly with bowels heart and all of Herod who had no sooner heard the people cry The voice of God and not of man but hee felt himselfe a worme and no man of Zimri and Cozbi who had no sooner received the dart of lust in their heart than they felt a javelin in their bodies of Ananias and Sapphira who no sooner kept backe part of the price for which they sold their possessions but death seized upon them and they gave up the ghost and of many others whose deaths wounds yet bleed afresh in sacred and profane stories 2 Because there is nothing permanent of sinne but the end the duration if it have any is very short like to that of Jonahs gourd d Jonah 3.7 which rose up in a night and was eaten up with a worme in the morning 3 Because nothing is so much to bee regarded in any thing as the end for fines principia actionum the end setteth the efficient on worke and all is well that endeth well as wee say in the Proverbe e Deut. 32.29 O that they were wise saith God by Moses then they would consider their latter end If wee invert the speech it will bee as true O that men would consider their latter end and then they would be wise For assuredly he that in his serious contemplation beginneth at the end of sinne in his practise will end at the beginning To consider the end of sinne is to take a survey of all the miseries and calamities incident to intelligent natures of all the plagues that light upon the bodies and soules and estates of impenitent sinners in this life with a fearfull expectation of hellish torments then a violent separation of the soule from the body which is no sooner made but the soule is presented before the dreadfull Judge of quicke and dead arraigned condemned and immediately upon sentence haled and dragged by ugly fiends to the darke and lothsome dungeon of hell there in all extremity of paines and tortures without any ease or mitigation to continue till the generall day of the worlds doom when meeting again with the body her companion in all filthinesse iniquity and ungodlinesse they are both summoned to the last judgement where all their open and secret sinnes are laid open to the view of men and Angels to their inexpressible and astonishable confusion after conviction the sentence at which not the eares onely shall tingle the teeth chatter the knees smite one the other but the heart also melt the sentence I say of eternall damnation shall bee pronounced in their hearing f Mat. 25.41 Goe ye cursed into everlasting fire prepared for the Divell and his Angels A most heavie sentence never to bee recalled and presently to bee put in execution the Devill with reviling and insultation carrying them with all their wicked friends and associates to the place of endlesse torments to endure the full wrath of God and the paines of everlasting fire O what will it bee to feele the second death which it is death to thinke or speake of who can read the description thereof in Saint g De vit contemp l. 3. c. 12. Fieri patriae coelestis extorrem mori vitae beatae morti vivere sempiternae in aeternum cum diabolo expelli ubi sit mors secunda damnatis
Fathers of children Magistrates of cities and Kings of realmes who have received your authority from God bee ruled by him by whom yee rule take him for a president in your proceedings from whom yee have your warrant hee first convinceth then reproveth after threatneth and lastly chastiseth those all those whom he loveth doe yee likewise first evidently convince then openly rebuke after severely threaten and last of all fatherly chasten with moderation and compassion all those indifferently without partiality who deserve chastisement not sparing those who are most deare and neare unto you But to the bruised reed to the drouping conscience overwhelmed with sorrow and griefe both for sinnes and the punishment thereof the Spirit speaketh in the words of my text on this wise Why doe yee adde affliction to your affliction and fret and exulcerate your own wounds through your impatience It is not as yee conceive your enemy that hath prevailed against you it is not a curst Master or a racking Land-lord or a partiall Magistrate or an envious neighbour that wreakes his spleene and malice upon you but it is your heavenly Father that striketh you and he strikes you but gently and with a small ferular neither offereth hee you any harder measure than the rest of his children so hee nurtureth them all Neither are yee cast quite out of favour though cast downe for the present nay bee it spoken for your great comfort yee are no lesse in favour than when your estate was entire which now is broken and your day cleerest which is now overcast Yee are so farre from being utterly rejected and abandoned by your heavenly father that yee are by this your seasonable affliction more assured of his care over you and love unto you For hee never saith As many as I love I smile upon or I winke at their faults but I rebuke and chasten whom hee lesse careth for hee suffereth to play the trivants and take their pleasure but hee nurtureth and correcteth you whom hee intendeth to make his heires yea joint heires with his best beloved Christ Jesus Therefore submit your souls under his mighty hand in humble patience after that raise them up in a comfortable hope kisse his rod quae corpus vulnerat mentem sanat which woundeth the body but healeth the soule makes the flesh peradventure blacke and blew but the spirit faire and beautifull Arguite castigate vos ipsos convince your owne folly rebuke your bad courses chasten your wanton flesh with watching fasting and other exercises of mortification confesse your faults and grieve not so much because yee are stricken as that ye should deserve to bee so stricken by him then will the affection of a father so worke with him that hee will breake his ferular and burne his rod wherewith hee hath beaten you and the overflowing of his future favours will make it evident that whatsoever was said or done before was in love to make you partakers of his holinesse and more capable of celestiall happinesse Wherefore let all that mourne in Zion and sigh as often as they breath for their many and grievous visitations heare what the Spirit saith to the Angel of Laodicea I rebuke and chasten as many as I love Spices pounded and beaten small smell most sweetly and Texts of Scripture yeeld a most fragrant savour of life when they are expounded and broken into parts which are here evidently foure 1 The person of Christ I. 2 The actions of this person Rebuke and chasten 3 The subject of these actions As many 4 The extent of the subject As I love 1 The person most gracious I. 2 The actions most just Rebuke and chasten 3 The subject most remarkable Whom I love 4 The extent most large As many 1 In the person you may see the author of all afflictions 2 In the actions the nature of all afflictions 3 In the extent the community of all afflictions 4 In the subject the cause of all afflictions Of this extent of the subject subject of the actions actions of Christ by his gracious assistance and your Christian patience and first of the person 1. That in all afflictions of the servants of God God is the principall agent and hath i Isa 45.7 I make peace create evill the greatest stroake needeth not so much evident demonstration as serious consideration and right and seasonable application in time of fearfull visitations For what passage can wee light upon at all adventures especially in the writings of the Prophets where wee finde not either God threatning or the Church bewailing afflictions and sore chastisements k Amos 3.6 Is there any evill in the city which I have not done saith the Lord And l Lam. 1.12 Is there any sorrow like unto my sorrow wherewith the Lord hath afflicted mee in the day of his fierce wrath saith his captive Spouse What face of misery so ugly and gastly wherewith hee scareth not his disobedient people To them that have hard hearts and brazen browes that cannot blush hee threaneth to make m Lev. 26.19 the earth as iron and the heaven as brasse hee martials all his plagues against them sword famine pestilence stings of serpents teeth of wilde beasts blasting mildew botches blaines and what not And according as he threatneth in the law he professeth that he had done to the Israelites in the dayes of the Prophet Amos n Amos 4.6.7 8 9 10. I have sent you cleannesse of teeth and scarcity of bread in all your coasts and yet yee have not returned unto mee also I have withholden the raine from you and yet yee have not returned I have smitten you with blasting and mildew your gardens and vineyards the valmer-worme hath devoured and yet yee have not returned unto mee Pestilence I have sent you after the manner of the Egyptians and your young men I have slaine with the sword and yet yee have not returned unto mee I have overthrowne you as God overthrew Sodome and Gomorrah and you were as a fire-brand out of the burning and yet yee have not returned unto mee There being a double evill as the Schooles distinguish Malum 1. Culpae 2. Poenae the evill of sin and the evill of punishment to make him the author of the former and to deny him to be the author of the later is a like impiety For the former errour impeacheth his purity sanctity the later his justice and providence It is true that in the afflicting of his children God sometimes useth none of the best o Job 1.2 2 Cor. 12.7 Hieron lib. de vir illustr in Ignat. De Syria ad Romam pugno ad bestias in mari in terrà ligatus cum 12. Leopardis hoc est militibus qui me custodiunt quibus si benefeceris pejores sunt iniquitas eorum mea doctrina est instruments neither do they intend what God doth in laying heavie crosses upon his children yet he keepeth their malice within such
and all the ingredients of that bitter cup which our Saviour prayed thrice that it o Mat. 26.44 might passe from him We have viewed the root and the branches let us now gather some of the fruit of the tree of the crosse Christs passion may be considered two maner of wayes 1. Either as a story simply 2. Or as Gospel The former consideration cannot but breed in us griefe hatred griefe for Christ his sufferings and hatred of all that had their hand in his bloud the latter will produce contrary affâ—ctions joy for our salvation and love of our Saviour For to consider and meditate upon our Saviours passion as Gospel is to conceive and by a speciall faith to beleeve that his prayers and strong cries are intercessions for us his obedience our merit his sufferings our satisfactions that we are purged by his sweat quit by his taking clothed by his stripping healed by his stripes justified by his accusations absolved by his condemnation ransomed by his bloud and saved by his crosse These unspeakable benefits which ye have conceived by the Word ye are now to receive by the Sacrament if ye come prepared thereunto for they who come prepared to participate of these holy mysteries receive with them and by them though not in them the body and bloud of our Lord and Saviour and thereby shall I say they become flesh of his flesh and bone of his bone nay rather he becommeth flesh of their flesh and bone of their bone The spirit which raised him quickneth them and preserveth in them the life of grace and them to the life of glory Howbeit as the sweetest meats turne into p Cal. l. 4. instit c. 14. sec 40. Quemadmodum sacrum hunc panem coenae Domini spiritualem esse cibum videmus suavem delicatum non minus quà m salutiferum piis Dei cultoribus cujus gustu sentiunt Christum esse suam vitam quos ad gratiarum actionem erigit quibus ad mutuam inter se charitatem exhortatio est ita rursus in nocentissimum venenum omnibus vertitur quorum fidem non alit non aliter ac cibus corporalis ubi ventrem offendit vitiosis humoribus occupatum ipse quoque vitiosus corruptus nocet magis quà m nutrit choler in a distempered stomach so this heavenly Manna this food of Angels nay this food which Angels never tasted proves no better than poyson to them whose hearts are not purified by faith nor their consciences purged by true repentance and charity from uncleannesse worldlinesse envie malice ranckour and the like corrupt affections If a Noble man came to visit us how would we cleanse and perfume our houses what care would we take to have all the roomes swept hung and dressed up in the best manner Beloved Christians we are even now to receive and entertaine the Prince of Heaven and the Son of God let us therefore cleanse the inward roomes of our soules by examination of our whole life wash them with the water of our penitent teares dresse them up with divine graces which are the sweetest flowers of Paradise perfume them with most fragrant spices and aromaticall odours which are our servent prayers zealous meditations and elevated affectious tuned to that high straine of the sweet Singer of Israel Lift ye up ye gates and be ye q Psal 24.9 lift up ye everlasting doores and the King of glory shall come in Cui c. THE REWARD OF PATIENCE THE LII SERMON PHILIP 2.9 Wherefore God hath also highly exalted him Right Honourable c. THe drift of the blessed Apostle in the former part of this chapter to which my Text cohereth is to quench the fire-bals of contention cast among the Philippians by proud and ambitious spirits who preached the Gospel of truth not in truth and sincerity but in faction and through emulation Phil. 1.15 Some indeed preach Christ out of envie and strife This fire kindled more and more by the breath of contradiction and nourished by the ambition of the teachers and factious partaking of the hearers Saint Paul seeketh to lave out partly with his owne teares partly with Christs bloud both which he mingleth in a passionate exhortation at the entrance of this chapter If there be therefore any consolation in Christ if any comfort of love if any fellowship of the spirit if any bowels of mercies fulfill yee my joy bee yee like minded having the same love being of one accord of one mind Let nothing be done through strife or vaine glory Look not every man to his owne things but every man also to the things of others Let the same mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus who being in the forme of God thought it no robbery to be equall with God But made himselfe of no reputation c. In this context all other parts are curiously woven one in the other only there is a bracke at the fifth verse which seemes to have no connexion at all with the former for the former were part of a zealous admonition to brotherly love and christian reconciliation add this to voluntary obedience and humiliation in those he perswaded them to goe together as friends in this to give place one to the other in those he earnestly beseecheth them to be of one mind among themselves in this to be of the same mind with Christ Jesus Now peace and obedience love and humility seeme to have no great affinity one with the other for though their natures be not adverse yet they are very divers Howbeit if ye look neerer to the texture of this sacred discourse ye shall find it all closely wrought and that this exhortation to humility to which my Text belongeth hath good coherence with the former and is pertinent to the maine scope of the Apostle which was to re-unite the severed affections and reconcile the different opinions of the faithfull among the Philippians that they might all both agree in the love of the same truth and seeke that truth in love This his holy desire he could not effect nor bring about his godly purpose before he had beat down the partition wall that was betwixt them which because it was erected by pride could be no otherwise demolished than by humility The contentions among the people grew from emulation among the Pastors and that from vaine glory As sparkes are kindled by ascending of the smoake so all quarrels and contentions by ambitious spirits the a Judg. 5.16 divisions of Reuben are haughty thoughts of heart A high conceit of their owne and a low value and under rate of the gifts of others usually keep men from yeelding one to the other upon good termes of Christian charity Wherefore the Apostle like a wise Physician applyeth his spirituall remedy not so much parti laesae to the part where the malady brake forth as to the cause the vanitie of the Preachers and pride of the hearers after this manner Christ
call us by thy spirit and wee shall heare thee and hearing thee turne from our wicked wayes and turning live a new life of grace here and an eternall life of glory hereafter in heaven with thee O Father the infuser O Son the purchaser O holy Spirit the preserver of this life Amen Cui c. THE BEST RETURNE THE LV. SERMON EZEK 18.23 Not that hee should returne from his wayes and live Or if hee returne from his evill wayes shall hee not live Right Honourable c. SAint a Possid in vit Austine lying on his death-bed caused divers verses of the penitentiall Psalmes to bee written on the walls of his chamber on which he still cast his eyes and commented upon them with the fluent Rhetoricke of his tears But I could wish of all texts of Scripture that this of the Prophet Ezekiel were still before all their eyes who mourn for their sins in private For nothing can raise the dejected soule but the lifting up of Gods countenance upon her nothing can dry her tears but the beams of his favour breaking out of the darke clouds of his wrath and shining upon her nothing can bring peace to an affrighted and troubled conscience but a free pardon of all sinnes whereby shee hath incurred the sentence of death which the Prophet tendereth in the words of the text Which are as the very heart of this chapter and every word thereof may serve as a principall veine to conveigh life-blood to all the languishing or benummed and deaded members of Christ his mysticall body Returne and live These words are spirit and life able to raise a sinner from the grave and set him on his feet to tread firmly upon the ground of Gods mercy as also to put strength and vigour into his feeble and heavie limbes 1. to creep then to walke and last of all to runne in the pathes of Gods commandements The explication whereof to our understanding and application to our wils and affections were the limits of my last Lords-dayes journey By the light which was then given you yee might easily discerne our lusts which are sudden motions from Gods desires which are eternall purposes and distinguish betweene a sinner who is not purged from all dregges of corruption and a wicked person who Moab-like is settled upon his lees between a common infirmity and a dangerous sickenesse betweene sin in the act and wickednesse in the habit Questionlesse there is more reason to pitty him that falleth or slippeth than him that leapeth into the sink of sinne and daily walloweth in the mire of sensuall pleasures Yet such is the mercy and goodnesse of almighty God that hee desireth not that the wicked such as make a trade of sinne and have a stiffe necke a hard heart a seared conscience that the wretchedst miscreants that breathe should either dye in their sinnes here or for their sinnes hereafter The former of the two is the death of life the latter wee may significantly tearme the life of death which exerciseth the damned with most unsufferable pangs and torments for evermore Here when wee part life dyeth but in hell death liveth and the terrours and pangs thereof are renewed and encreased daily the former death is given to the vessells of wrath for their earnest the latter is paid them for their wages This death is properly the wages of sinne which God cannot in justice with-hold from the servants of sinne and vassals of Satan For God whose infinite wisdom comprehends not only the necessity of all effects in their determined but also the possibility in their supposed causes foreseeing from all eternity what an intelligent nature endued with free-will left to himselfe would doe how hee would fall and wound himselfe by his fall and knowing how hee could so dispose of his fall and cure his wound that his the Creators glory might bee no whit impaired but rather encreased by not powerfully hindering it decreed to create this creature for his glory which he appointed to shew upon him by three meanes 1. By way of generall bounty in placing the first parents of mankinde in Paradise and in them giving all sufficient meanes to bring them to eternall happinesse an end infinitely elevated above the pitch of their owne nature and after the abuse of their free-will and losse of that happy estate in which they were created and bringing themselves into thraldome to sinne and Satan 2. By way of speciall mercy graciously freeing freely justifying justly glorifying some a Rom. 9.23 in and by Christ viz. the vessels of mercy prepared unto glory 3. By way of justice in utterly leaving or uneffectually calling and upon abuse or refusall of some measure of grace offered to them deservedly hardening and upon their finall incredulity and impenitency necessarily condemning and in the end eternally punishing others to wit the vessels of wrath 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 made up or fitted to destruction This fabricke of celestiall doctrine strongly built upon evident texts of Scriptures may serve for a fortresse to defend this text and the principall doctrines contained in it against all the batteries of Heretickes and Atheists made against it viz. 1. That God approveth not the death of the wicked in his sinne but on the contrary liketh and commandeth and taketh pleasure in his conversion 2. That he decreeth not or desireth the death of any wicked for it selfe as it is the misery and destruction of his creature but as a manifestation of his justice For he b Lam. 3.33 punisheth not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with his heart or willingly hee made not death nor delighteth in the c Wisd 1.13 Fulgent ad Mon. Mortem morienti non fecit qui mortem mortuo justè retribuit destruction of the living Thy destruction is from thy selfe d Hos 13.9 O Israel but in mee is thy helpe The wicked after his hardnesse and impenitent heart treasureth up unto himselfe wrath against the day of wrath and the revelation of the righteous judgement of God who rendreth to every man according to his workes Upon which texts the Fathers inferre that not onely the execution but the very decree of damnation of the reprobate passeth upon their sinne foreseene Saint e Ep. ad Sixt. Vasa irae homines sunt propter naturae bonu n creati propter vitia sâ—pplicio destinati si vasa sint perfecta in perditionem sibi hoc imputent Austine The vessels of wrath are wicked men created for the good of nature but destinated to punishment for their sinnes And againe If they are fitted to destruction let them thanke themselves Saint f Prosper ad object 3. Gal. Qui à sanctitate vitae per immunditiem labuntur non ex eo necessitatem pereundi habuerunt quia praedestinati non sunt sed quia tales futuri ex voluntariâ praevaricatione praesciti sunt Prosper They that fall away from holinesse through uncleanness lye not under a necessity of
hand and giveth them a stay in the next clause onely use not liberty for an occasion unto the flesh Lest any presumptuous sinner should lay hold on the hornes of the Altar and claspe about that gracious promise i Tit. 2.11 The grace of God that bringeth salvation unto all men hath appeared he beateth off their fingers in the next verse teaching us that denying ungodlinesse and worldly lusts wee should live soberly righteously and godly in this present world In like manner lest any should * 2 Pet. 3.16 wrest the former verse of this Prophet as they doe the other Scriptures to the building forts of presumption but to the apparent ruine of their owne soules the Prophet forcibly withstandeth them in the words of my text But when the righteous turneth away from his righteousnesse c. The life of a Christian is not unfitly compared to a long and dangerous sea voyage the sea is this present world the barkes are our bodies the sailers our soules the pylot our faith the card Gods Word the rudder constancie the anker hope the maine mast the crosse of Christ the strong cables our violent affections the sailes our desires and the holy Spirit the good winde which filleth the sailes and driveth the barke and marriners to the faire k Act. 27.8 haven which is heaven Now in our way which lyeth through many temptations and tribulations there are two dangerous rockes the one on the right hand the other on the left the rock on the right hand to be avoided is presumption the rock on the left threatning shipwracke is despaire betweene which we are to steere our ship by feare on the one side and hope on the other To hold us in a solicitous feare that we touch not upon presumption let us have alwayes in the eye of our minde 1 The glorious and most omnipotent majesty of God 2 His all-seeing providence 3 His impartiall justice 4 His severe threatnings against sinne 5 The dreadfull punishments hee inflicteth upon sinners 6 The heinousnesse of the sin of presumption which turneth Gods grace into wantonnesse 7 The difficulty of recovery after relapses 8 The uncertainty of Gods offer of grace after the frequent refusall thereof To keepe us in hope that wee dash not upon the rocke of despaire on the contrary side let us set before our troubled and affrighted consciences these grounds of comfort 1 The infinitenesse of Gods mercy 2 The price and value of Christs blood 3 The efficacy of his intercession 4 The vertue of the Sacraments 5 The universality and certainty of Gods promises to the penitent 6 The joy of God and Angels for the conversion of a sinner 7 The communion of Saints who all pray for the comfort of afflicted consciences and the ease of all that are heavie laden with their sinnes 8 The examples of mercy shewed to most grievous sinners Upon these grounds the contrite penitent may build strong forts of comfort after this manner My sins though they be more in number than the heires of my head yet they are finite whereas Gods mercy is every way infinite if my debt bee as a thousand my Saviours merits are as infinite millions And not onely Gods mercy but his justice also pleads for my pardon for it is against justice that the same debt should be twice paid to require a full ransome from my Redeemer and expect it from my selfe I l â— Joh. 1.9 confesse my sinnes and therefore I know he is faithfull and just to forgive mee my sinnes and cleanse mee from all my unrighteousnesse One drop of the blood of the Sonne of God was a sufficient price for the ransome of many worlds and shall not such store of it spinning from his temples dropping from his hands gushing out of his side and trickling from all parts of his body both in the garden and in the High Priests Hall satisfie for one poore soule that preferreth his love even before heaven it selfe All my sinnes are either originall or actuall the guilt of originall is taken away in baptisme and as often as I have received the blessed Sacrament a generall pardon was tendred unto mee for all my other sinnes and the seale delivered into my hands What though God will not heare the prayers of such a sinner as I am yet he will heare the prayers of Jesus Christ the righteous who is the propitiation for my sinnes I acknowledge to my hearts griefe and sorrow that neither faith nor hope nor any other divine vertue beareth any sensible fruit in mee for the present yet the seed of my regeneration remaineth in mee And as the blind man knew that his sight began to be restored to him even by the defect he found in it when he thought he m Mark 8.24 saw men walke like trees so even by this I know that I am not utterly destitute of grace because I feele and unfainedly bewaile the want of it If there were no heavenly treasure in mee Satan would not so often and so furiously assault mee for theeves besiege not much lesse breake open those houses where they are perswaded nothing is to be found The greater my sorrow is for my sinne and my spirituall desertion the greater is my hope for the spirit maketh intercession for the sonnes of God n Rom. 8.26 with groaning which cannot be expressed None were cured by the brazen Serpent which before had not beene stung by the fiery neither doth Christ promise ease unto any but to those that feele themselves heavie burdened But to confine my meditations to the letter of my text Before ye heard Repent you of your sinnes and you shall surely live God pawneth his life for it therefore despaire not how grievous soever your sinnes be But now I am to tell you plainly if you repent you of your repentance and turne from righteousnesse to sinne and end your dayes in that state you shall surely die eternally therefore presume not how compleate soever your former righteousnesse seeme to have beene In these two verses are implyed a double conversion 1 From evill to good 2 From good to evill To turne from evill is good from good is evill the former is repentance upon which I spent my last discourse the later is relapse or apostacie against which I am now to bend all my forces But when the righteous turneth away from his righteousnesse and committeth iniquity c. in the transgression which he hath transgressed and in the sinne which he hath sinned in them hee shall surely die The contents of this verse are like the Prophet Jeremies figges of which wee read that the bad were exceeding bad for in the antecedent or fore-part we have apostacie that totall and in the hinder part or consequent death and that finall The words divide themselves into first a supposition When or if the righteous forsake secondly an inference his former righteousnesse shall not be remembred c. The supposition is dangerous the
a fearfull expectation of eternall death I doubt not but that some of you were pricked in heart with this sharp reproofe of sinne which ye heard in the handling of the former Verses and ye resolved forthwith to turne from your evill wayes and walke in the pathes of Gods commandments what remaines but that yee hold on your holy course to the end that ye may winne a garland of the flowers of Paradise Beware of turning out of the way to take up the golden apples which the Divell casteth before you if ye turne never so little aside ye endanger your crowne of glory and hazzard your lives All your former righteousnesse which ye have done shall not be mentioned and in the trespasse that yee have trespassed and in the sinne that ye have sinned in them yee shall dye What a soule and shamefull thing is it with the dogge to returne to your vomit of luxury and with the swine to your wallowing in the mire of sensuall pleasures As in the diseases of the body so also much more of the soule all relapses are dangerous and in some diseases altogether incurable the reason whereof alledged by some learned Physicians is this that when wee first take our bed the malignity of the disease worketh upon corrupt humours in the body which when they are purged and we restored to health if after by any distemper we fall into the same malady the malignity of the disease worketh upon our vitall spirits in like manner the malignity of sinne before our conversion worketh but upon our corrupt nature but after upon the graces of Gods Spirit Remember the possessed man in the Gospel who when the t Luke 11.26 uncleane spirit went out of him returned to his owne home and finding it swept and garnished took seven worse spirits than that which before haunted him and so his last state was worse than his first u John 8.11 Sinne no more saith our Saviour to the impotent man lest a worse thing befall thee * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Improbè Neptunum accusat qui bis naufragium fecit Eras Adag Lysimachus was wont to say that it was impardonable carelesnesse to stumble twice at the same stone The first time we offend we may plead ignorance and over-sight but hee that twice runneth upon the same rocke if hee bee cast away cannot blame his hard chance but his retchlesse folly x Tertul. de poenitent Comparationem videtur egisse qui utrumque cognoverit judicato pronunciasse eum meliorem cujus se rursus esse maluerit Tertullian acutely observeth that he who after his conversion to God and giving his name to Christ falls againe to serve Sathan in any vicious course of life seemeth to have put God and the Divell in the same ballance and having weighed both their services deliberately and upon a settled judgement to have preferred the service of the Divell and pronounced him the better Master of the two whom he the second time chuseth to serve after hee hath made tryall of both To be overtaken with some kind of temptation or other is the lot of all the sonnes of Adam but when God hath delivered us out of the snare of the Divell and we have escaped the danger and undertaken a new course of life and held it for some time then to turne backe to the wiles of sinne and walke of Sathan what is it else than to breake all our former promises and vowes made to God to resist the motions of the Spirit to strive against grace to cast his feare and commandements behind us and presuming upon his gentlenesse and patience to runne desperately upon the point of his glittering sword which hee hath whet and threatned to make it drunke with the bloud of all retchlesse and presumptuous sinners Notwithstanding all these great and fearfull dangers which we incurre by relapses how many turnings doe we make in our way to Heaven how often doe wee slacke our pace how often doe wee unbend our desires nay rather flye backe like a broken bow After wee have made an open confession of our sinnes and a solemne profession of amendment after wee have protested against our former courses and vowed to walke in newnesse of life and taken the holy Sacrament of our Lords blessed body and bloud upon it yet how soone doe we looke backe to Sodome with Lots wife how soone doe we forget that in private which we promised in publike how soone doe we leave the strait pathes of Gods commandements and follow the sent of our former sinfull pleasures After we have eaten the food of Angels we devoure Sathans morsels after we have drunke the bloud of our Redeemer we greedily swill in iniquity like water Wee find in Scripture many desperately sicke yet cured the first time by our Saviour but where doe we reade in all the Gospel of any blind mans eyes twice enlightened of any deafe eares twice opened of any tyed tongue twice loosened of any possessed with Divels twice dispossessed of any dead twice raised No doubt Christ could have done it but we reade not that ever he did it that we should be most carefull to avoid relapses into our former sins the recovery whereof is alwayes most difficult and in some case as the Apostle teacheth us impossible I tremble almost to rehearse his words y Heb. 6.4 5 6 7 8. It is impossible for those who were once enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and were made partakers of the holy Ghost and have tasted the good Word of God and the powers of the world to come if they shall fall away to renew them againe unto repentance seeing they crucifie to themselves the Sonne of God afresh and put him to an open shame For the earth which drinketh in the raine that commeth oft upon it and bringeth forth herbes meet for them by whom it is dressed receiveth blessing from God But that which bringeth thornes and bryars is rejected and is nigh unto cursing whose end is to be burned The z Plin. nat hist l. 9. c. 43. Scolopendra hamo devorato omnia interiora evomit donec hamum egerat deinde resorbet Scolopendra having devoured the bait when shee feeleth the hooke to pricke her casteth up all that is in her belly till shee have got up the hooke but as soone as ever that is out of her bowells she suppeth up all that which before she had cast from her How excellently hath nature in the property of this fish set before our eyes the condition and manner of a sinner who after he hath devoured Sathans morsells feeling the hook in his conscience and being pricked with some remorse rids the stomacke of his soule by confession and never leaveth fasting and praying and sighing and sobbing till the hooke be out and the wound of his conscience healed with the balme of Gilead but that being done resorbet interiora omnia he returneth to his former vomit and greedily
and this queere I leave it and insist rather upon those that follow the first whereof is the consideration of the time or rather duration of this infirmity in the people How long They that are sound in their limbes may by a small straine or blow upon their legs halt for a while but sure long to halt is a signe of some dangerous spraine or rupture now this people as it should seeme halted in this manner at least three yeeres The strongest and soundest Christian sometimes halteth in his minde betweene two opinions nay which is worse betweene religion and superstition faith and diffidence hope and despaire but hee halts not long Christ by his word and spirit cureth him As in our bodies so in our soules we have some distempers doubts suddenly arise in our minds as sparks out of the fire which yet are quenched in their very ascending and appeare not at all after the breath of Gods spirit hath kindled a flame of truth in our understanding Heresies and morall vices are like quagmires wee may slightly passe over them without any great danger but the longer we stand upon them the deeper wee sinke and if wee bee not drowned over head and eares in them yet we scape not without much mire and dirt Hereof e Confess lib. 3. c. 11. Novem ferme anni sunt quibus ego in illo limo profundi tenebris falsitatis cum saepius surgere conarer gravius alliderer volutatus sum S. Augustine had lamentable experience during the space of many yeeres in which he stucke fast in the heresie of the Manichees Had I but saith he slipt onely into the errour of the Manichees and soone got out of it my case had beene lesse fearefull and dangerous but God knowes that for almost nine yeares I wallowed in that mud the more I strived to get out the faster I stucke in Beloved if wee have not beene so happy as to keepe out of the walke of the ungodly yet let us bee sure not to stand in the way of sinners much lesse sit in the seat of the scornefull if wee are not so pure and cleane as we desire at least let us not with Moab settle upon the lees of our corruption if wee ever have halted as Jacob did yet let us not long halt with the Israelites whom here Elijah reproveth saying How long Halt yee It may be and is very likely that many of the Israelites ran to Baals groves and altars and yet they were liable to this reproofe of Elijah For though we run never so fast in a wrong way we doe no better than halt before God Better halt saith S. Austine in the way than run out of the way This people did neither they neither ran out of the way nor limped in the way but halted betweene two wayes and missed both Betweene two opinions Had they beene in the right way yet halting in it the night might have overtaken them before they came to the period of their journey but now being put out of their way and moving so slowly as they did though the Sun should haue stood still as it did in the valley of Ajalon they were sure never to arrive in any time to the place where they would be Yet had they beene in any way perhaps in a long time it would have brought them though not home yet to some baiting place but now being betweene two waies their case was most desperate yet this is the case of those whom the world admireth for men of a deep reach discreet carriage they are forsooth none of your Simon Zelotes Ahab shall never accuse them as hee doth here Elijah for troubling Israel with their religion they keepe it close enough whatsoever they beleeve in private if at least they beleeve any thing they in publike wil be sure to take the note from the Srate either fully consort with it or as least strike so soft a stroake that they will make no jarre in the musick Besides other demonstrations of the folly of these men their very inconstancy and unsettlednesse convinceth them of it for mutability and often changing even in civill affaires that are most subject to change is an argument of weaknesse but inconstancie in religion which is alwayes constant in the same is a note of extreme folly Whence it is that the spirit of God taxeth this vice under that name as Oh yee foolish Galatians who hath bewitchâ—d you Are yee so foolish f Chap. 3.1 3 4. having begun in the Spirit are yee now made perfect in the flesh Have yee suffered so many things in vaine And g Ephes 4.14 Be not like children tossed to and fro and carried about with everie wind of doctrine If religion be not only the foundation of Kingdomes and Common-wealths but also of everie mans private estate what greater folly or rather madnesse can there be than to build all the h Matth. 7.26 securitie of our present and hope of our future well-fare upon a sandie foundation He that heareth my words and doth them not is likened to a foolish man which buildeth his house upon the sand All the covenants betweene God and us of all that we hold from his bountie are with a condition of our service and fealtie which sith a man unsettled in religion neither doth nor ever can performe hee can have no assurance of any thing that hee possesseth no content in prosperitie no comfort in adversitie no right to the blessings of this life no hope of the blessednesse of the life to come what religion soever gaine heaven he is sure to lose it Whether the Lord be God or Baal be God neither of them will entertaine such halting servitours Were he not worthy to be begged for a foole that after much cautiousnesse and reservednesse would make his bargaine so that he were sure to sit downe with the losse such matches maketh the worldly-wise man howsoever the world goe whether the true or the false religion prevaile in the State while hee continueth resolved of neither hee is sure to lose the pearle which the rich merchant sold all that he had to buy What shall I speak of inward wars and conflicts in his conscience Now he hath strong inducements to embrace the Gospel shortly after meeting with a cunning Jesuit he is perswaded by him that he is an Enfant perdue out of all hope of salvation if he be not reconciled to the Roman Church the next day falling aboord with the brethren of the separation he beginneth to thinke the Brownists the onely pure and refined Christians for all other Christians if we beleeve them build upon the foundation hay and stubble but they gold silver and precious stones When he is out of these skirmishes and at leisure to commune with his owne heart his conscience chargeth him with Atheisme indifferencie in religion and hollow-hearted neutralitie Adde we hereunto the judgement of all understanding men who esteeme such as
the wrath of God and hee shall be tormented in fire and brimstone before the holy Angels and before the Lamb and the smoak of their torments shall ascend for ever And they shall have no rest day nor night which worship the beast and his image and whosoever receiveth the print of his name I dare boldly say that none of you my Beloved have received any print of the beast yee are yet free from the least suspition of familiarity with the Whore of Babylon yee have kept your selves unspotted of Popery wherefore as yee tender your honour and reputation nay the salvation of your bodies and soules keep your selves still from Idols be zealous for Gods honour and hee will bee zealous for your safety abstaine from all appearance of that evill which the spirit of God ranketh with sorcery and witch-craft If in your travels you chance to see the heathenish superstitions and abominable idolatries of the Roman Church make this profitable use thereof let it incite you to compassionate the blindnesse and ignorance of so many silly soules nuzzled in superstition who verifie the speech of the Psalmist d Psal 115.8 They that worship idols are like unto them they have eyes and see not the wonderfull things of Gods Law they have eares and heare not the word of life they have hands and handle not the seales of grace they have feet and walke not in the wayes of Gods commandements What a lamentable thing is it to see the living image of God to fall downe before a dead and dumb picture for men endued with sense and reason to worship unreasonable and senslesse metall wise men to aske e Hosea 4.12 My people aske counsel at their stocks their staffe teacheth them for the spirit of whoredome hath caused them to erre and they have gone a whoring from under their God counsell of stocks and stones for them who in regard of their soules are nobly descended from Heaven to doe homage and performe religious services and devotions to the vilest and basest creatures upon the earth yea to dust and rottennesse How much are wee bound to render perpetuall thanks to God who hath opened our eyes that wee see the grossnesse of their superstition and hath presented unto us a lively image of himselfe drawne to the life in holy Scripture an image which to looke upon is not curiositie but dutie to embrace not spirituall uncleannesse but holy love to adore not idolatrie but religion to invocate not superstition but pietie If the Lord be God follow him Turne we the Rhetoricke of this text into Logicke and the Dilemma consisting of two suppositions into two doctrinall positions the points which I am to cleare to your understanding and presse upon your religious affections will be these 1. That there is but one true God either the Lord or Baal not both 2. That this one true God is alone to be worshipped either Baal must be followed or Jehovah not both But the Prophet will prove by miracle and the evidence of fire that Baal is not God nor to be worshipped the conclusion is therefore that Jehovah the God of Israel is the onely true God and he alone to be worshipped That there is but one true God is one of the first principles which all Christians are catechized in the Decalogue Lords prayer and Creed all three begin with one God to teach us 1. Religious worship of one God 2. Zealous devotion to one God 3. Assured confidence in one God At our first Metriculation if I may so speake into the Universitie of Christs Catholique Church wee are required to subscribe to these three prime verities 1. That there is a Deitie 1. Above all 2. Over all 3. In all 2. That this Deitie is one 3. That in this Unitie there is a Trinitie of persons We acknowledge 1. A Deitie against all Atheists 2. The Unitie of this Deitie against all Paynims 3. A Trinitie in this Unitie against all Jewes Mahumetans and Heretiques Through the whole old Testament this one note is sounded by everie voyce in the Quire We heare it in the Law Heare O Israel the Lord our God is f Deut. 6.4 one Lord. We heare it in the Psalmes g Psal 18.31 Who is God but the Lord We heare it in the Prophets h Hosea 13.4 Thou shalt know no God but mee for there is no Saviour besides me and i Mal. 2.10 Have we not all one father hath one not God created us The new Testament is as an eccho resounding the same note k Ephes 4.5 6. 1 Tim. 2.5 One Lord one faith one baptisme One God and father of all who is above all and through you all and in you all For there is one God and one Mediatour between God and men the man Christ Jesus And This is l John 17.3 life eternall to know thee the only true God and whom thou hast sent Jesus Christ For although we read m Gen. 1.1 Elohim as if ye would say Gods in the plurall number yet the verb Bara is in the singular number to signifie the Trinitie in the Unitie howsoever we find the Lord n Gen. 19.24 rained upon Sodome Gomorrah brimstone fire from the Lord out of heaven and likewise in the Psalmes o Psal 110.1 The Lord said to my Lord yet S. Athanasius in his Creed resolveth us there are not more Gods or more Lords nor more eternals nor more incomprehensibles but one eternall and one in comprehensible In the mysterie of the Trinitie there is alius and alius not aliud and aliud on the contrarie in the mysterie of the incarnation of our Lord and Saviour there is not alius and alius but aliud and aliud in the one diversity of persons in one nature in the other diversity of natures in one person Sol quasi solus God is as Plato stileth him the Sunne of the invisible world and it is as cleare to the eye of reason that there is one God as to the eye of sense that there is one Sunne for God must be sovereigne and there cannot be more sovereignes The principles of Metaphysick laid together demonstrate this truth after this manner There is an infinite distance betweene something and nothing therefore the power which bringeth them together and maketh something nay all things of nothing must needs be infinite but there cannot be more infinite powers because either one of them should include the other and so the included must needs bee finite or not extend to the other and so it selfe not be infinite Out of naturall Philosophie such an argument is framed Whatsoever is either hath a cause of its being or not if it hath a cause of its being it cannot be the first cause if it have no cause of its being it must needs bee the cause of all causes For there cannot be an infinite processe from causes to causes which nature abhorres therefore wee must needs
come to one first cause that setteth all on working and it selfe dependeth upon no other former cause This truth the Poets fitly resembled by a golden chaine upon which heaven and earth hang whose uppermost linke was fastened to Jupiters chaire The morall Philosophers also yeeld a supply of their forces to aid this truth There can be but one chiefe good say they which wee desire for it selfe and all other things for it but this must needs be God because nothing but the Deitie can satisfie the desire of the reasonable soule and because in the highest and chiefest of all good there must needs be an infinitie of good otherwise we might conceive a better and more desirable good now no infinite good can be conceived but God Neither is it a weake pillar wherewith the Statesman supporteth this truth Nulla fides regni sociis omnisque potestas Impatiens consortis erit No one Kingdome can stand where there are two p Bod. de rep l. 2. c. 20. De vnius dominatu supreme and uncontrollable commanders therefore neither can the whole world which is a great Empire or Kingdome be governed by two or more supreme Monarchs This argument may be illustrated by the fact and apophthegme of the Grand Seignior who when his sonne Mustaphas returning from Persia was received and entertained with great shouts and acclamations of all the people he commanded him presently to be slaine before him this oracle to be pronounced by the Priest Unus in coelo Deus unus in terris Sultanus One God in heaven one Sultan on the earth q Lact. divin institut l. 1. c. 5 Adeo in unitatem universa natura consentit Lactantius also harpeth upon this string There cannot be many masters in one family many Pilots in one ship many Generalls in one armie many Kings in one Realme r De Ira Dei cap. 11. Non possunt in hoc mundo multi esse rectores nec in una domo multi Domini nec in una nave multi gubernatores nec in uno regno multi reges nec in uno mundo multi soles many sunnes in one firmament many soules in one body so the universalitie of things runnes upon an unitie These and the like congruities induced the greater part of the heathen Sages to assent to this truth Mercurius Trismgeistus giveth this reason why God hath no proper name because he is but one 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Orpheus calleth God the one true and first great begotten because before him nothing was begotten whose nature because he could not conceive he saith he was borne of immense aire 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Pythagoras termeth him Animam mundi and Anaxagoras Mentem infinitam Seneca Rector of the whole world and God of heaven and all gods Tully and Plato were confessours of this truth and Socrates a Martyr of it but Beloved we need not such witnesses for we have the testimony of those three that beare record in heaven of God the father I am God and there is ſ Esay 46.9 none other of God the sonne this is t John 17.3 life eternall to know thee to be the only true God whom thou hast sent Jesus Christ of God the holy Ghost O Lord there is u 1 Chron. 17.20 none like thee neither is there any God but thee there * 1 Cor. 8.6 is but one God the father of whom are all things and wee in him and one Lord Jesus Christ by whom are all things and we by him This point is not more cleere in the proofe than profitable in the use which 1. Convinceth the errour of the Manichees who taught there were two Gods and of the Tritheites who worshipped three and of the Greekes who multiply their Gods according to the number of their cities and of the Romans Qui cum omnibus gentibus dominarentur omnium gentium servierunt erroribus who when they had subdued all nations made themselves slaves to the errours of all There was no starre almost in the skie no affection in the minde no flower in the garden no beast in the field no thing almost so vile and abject in the world which some of the Heathen deified not Omnia colit error humanus praeter eum qui omnia condidit This Unity of the Trinity inferreth a Trinity of Unity Viz. 1. Of faith 2. Baptisme 3. Charitie The two former the x Ephes 4.5 Apostle inferreth in that verse wherein hee declineth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 surely there can bee no verity of unity where there is no unity of verity If there bee but one God then the worship of him must needs be the onely true religion if there bee no name under heaven by which we may be saved but the name of Jesus Christ y Acts 4.12 it insueth hereupon which serveth wonderfully for our everlasting comfort and the terrour and confusion of all Infidels that onely the Christian can be saved The Poets fained that the way to heaven was via lactea a milkie way but the Scripture teacheth that the only way thither is via sanguinea not a milkie but a bloudie way by the crosse of Christ 3. From unity of faith and Sacraments there followeth a third unity to wit the unity of love For how can they bee but united in love who are members of one mysticall body and quickened by one and the selfe same spirit The neerest and strongest tie among men is consanguinity how neare and deare ought then all Christians to bee one to another who are not only made all of one bloud as all men and women are but also are redeemed by one bloud the bloud of Christ and participate also of one bloud in the Sacrament Where the union is or should be firmer the division is alwayes fowler how then commeth it to passe that as in the Church of Corinth one said z 1 Cor. 1.12 13. I am of Paul another said I am of Apollo another I am of Cephas so in our Church one saith I am of Luther another I am of Calvin another I am of Zwinglius Is Christ divided Is the reformed religion deformed Is not this a cunning sleight of Satan to divide us one from another that so he may prevaile against us all as Horatius did against the Curiatii the manner whereof * Decad. 1. l. 1. Conserus manibus cum non motus tantum corporum agitatioque anceps telorum armorumque sed vulnera quoque sanguis spectaculo essent duo Romani super alium alius vulnerati tribus Albanis expirantes corruerunt ad quorū casum cum conclamasset gaudio Albanus exercitus Romanas legiones jam spes tota nondum tamen cura deseruerat exanimes vitae unius quem tres Curiatii circumsteterant Forte is integer fuit ut universis solus nequaquam par sic adversus singulos ferox ergo ut segregaret pugnam eorum capessit fugam ratus secuturos ut quemque vulnere
and occupation of the Sechemites but of the Hittites 3. Whether Hamor were the father or sonne of Sechem For in Genesis we reade that he was the father of Sechem but in the Acts many translate 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the son of Sechem 1. The first doubt may be thus cleared Joseph alone was buried in Sechem and rested there but the other Patriarchs were at the first buried at Sechem but afterwards removed from thence to Ephron and were buried all in Abrahams vault or cave thus Josephus S. Jerome are easily reconciled For though the bones of them all lay in Ephron yet at Sechem there might be some monument of them remaining as empty tombes with some inscription 2. The second difficulty is much more intricate and those who have stroven to get out of it have more intangled themselves and others in it Calvins answer is somewhat too peremptory that there is an errour in all our copies of the New Testament and ought to be corrected and though Beza goe about to excuse the matter by a semblance of some like misnomer in the Gospel yet this his observation unlesse he could produce some ancient copies wherein such mistakes were not to be found openeth a dangerous gap to Infidels and Heretickes who hereby will be apt to take occasion to question the infallible truth of the holy Writ Canus in going about to take out the blot maketh it bigger saying that Saint Luke erred not in relating Saint Stephens speech but that Saint Stephens memory failed him and that through errour or inadvertency hee confounded Jacobs purchase with Abrahams This answer commeth neere to blasphemy for no man doubteth but that Saint Stephen in his speech spake as hee was inspired by the holy Ghost Therefore Lyranus Lorinus and many others think to salve all by putting two names upon the same man whom they will have sometimes to be called Ephron sometimes Hamor but they bring no good proofe out of Scripture for it and though they could make Ephron and Hamor the same man yet they can never make the cave in the land of the Hittites and that in the land of the Sechemites to be one and the same parcell of ground With submission to more learned judgements quia hic Delio opus est natatore I take it that either 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 should be rendred by joyned to the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and a comma at 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and so the sense is That the Patriarchs were translated into Sechem by the Sechemites and laid in Abrahams sepulchre which he bought for mony or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to be understood and then the meaning will be this That some of the Patriarchs were laid in Abrahams sepulchre some in the field that Jacob bought Thus then according to the originall wee may render this verse And they were carried over into Sechem and laid in the sepulchre that Abraham bought besides that which Jacob bought of Hamor that is Jacob dyed and our fathers and some of them were bestowed in Sechem in the cave which Jacob bought and some of them in that which Abraham bought 3. The third doubt is easily resolved For Hamor was the father of Sechem as we reade Genes 33.19 neither doth S. Stephen gain-say it for his words are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of Sechem which should have been translated the father of Sechem as Herodotus in Clio saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and in Thalia 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mar. 15.40 and Saint Mark 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Adrastus of Mydas to wit the father of Mydas Cyrus of Cambyses that is the father of Cambyses Mary of James that is Mary the mother of James The mist being thus dispelled we may cleerly see our way and readily follow the Patriarchs in the funerall procession from Egypt first to Sechem and afterwards to Ephron And they were carried over c. This transportation offereth to our religious thoughts two acts 1. Of Piety 2. Of Charity both significative and mysticall For the carrying the Patriarchs bones from Egypt to Canaan shadoweth our removall after death from Egyptian darknesse to the inheritance of Saints in light and the laying them by the bones of Abraham may represent unto us how the soules of all the faithfull immediately after they were severed from their bodies are carried by Angels into the bosome of Abraham The first I call an act of piety or religion because the Patriarchs before their death by faith gave charge of their bones and their posterity executed their last Will in this point to professe their faith in Gods promise which was to give the land of Canaan to their seed for an inheritance and accordingly by their dead bodies they tooke a kind of reall possession thereof And they As by a Synecdoche the soule is put for the man Anima cujusque is est quisque so by the same figure the corpses of the Patriarchs are called the Patriarchs Poole elegantly called his dead body his depositum Scaliger his relique Saint Paul the tent-maker agreeable to his profession called it an earthly tabernacle And although indeed it bee but the casket which containes in it the precious ring our immortall spirit yet in regard of the union of it to the soule and because it concurreth with the soule to the physicall constitution of a man it may by a figure be called a man Yea but had the Patriarchs no priviledge but must they goe the way of all flesh They must for earth is in their composition and into the earth must be their resolution As the world is a circle so all things in the world in this are like a circle that they end where or as they began The vapours that are drawne up from the earth fall downe againe upon the earth in rain The fire that descended at the first from the region of fire in the g Pickolom Phys hollow of the Moone ascends up thither againe The waters that flow from the sea returne backe to the sea in like manner the soule of man which was infused by God returneth to God that gave it but the body which was made of red earth returneth to dust as it was We need not inquire of Scripture where reason speaketh so plaine nor interrogate reason where sense giveth daily testimony to the truth Every passing bell rings this lesson in our eares Omnis loculus locus est every coffin is a topicke to prove it every grave layes it open to us every speechlesse man on his death-bed cries out to us Memento mori quod tueris eris Were carried over into Sechem The life of man is a double pilgrimage 1. Of the outward man 2. Of the inward man The outward travelleth from the cradle to the coffin the inward from earth to heaven Of all creatures man only is properly a pilgrim on earth because he alone is borne and liveth all his time here out of his own country of all men the Patriarchs
complexa gremio jam reliquà naturà abdicatos tum maximé ut mater operiens nomen prorogat tiâ—ulis c. Pliny calleth the earth our tender mother which receiveth us into her bosome when wee are excluded as it were out of the world and covereth our nakednesse and shame and guardeth us from beasts and fowles that they offer no indignity to our carkasses Now because it is to small purpose to bestow the dead in roomes under ground if they may not keep them Abraham wisely provided for this for hee laid downe a valuable consideration for the field where the cave was Were laid in the sepulchre that Abraham bought for a summe of money As Abraham here bought a field out-right and thereby assured the possession thereof to his posterity so by his example the Synagogue under the Law and the Catholike Church under the Gospel especially in dayes of peace secured certaine places for the buriall of the dead either purchased for money or received by deed of gift and after they were possessed of them sequestred them from all other and appropiated them to this use onely by which sequestration and appropriation all such parcells of ground became holy in such sort that none might otherwise use or imploy them than for the buriall of the dead without sacriledge or profanation As the holy oyle ran from Aarons head to his body and the skirts of his garments so holinesse stayeth not in the Chancell as the head but descendeth to the whole body of the Church and the Church-yard as the skirt thereof Mistake mee not brethren I say not that one clod of earth is holier than another or any one place or day absolutely but relatively only For as it is superstition to attribute formall or inherent holinesse to times places parcells of ground fruits of the earth vessell or vestments so it is profanenesse to deny them some kind of relative sanctity which the holy Ghost attributeth unto them in Scripture where wee reade expresly of holy ground holy daies holy oyle and the like To cleare the point wee are to distinguish of holinesse yet more particularly which belongeth 1. To God the Father Sonne and Spirit by essence 2. To Angels and men by participation of the divine nature or grace 3. To the Word and Oracles of God by inspiration 4. To types figures sacraments rites and ceremonies by divine institution 5. To places lands and fruits of the earth as also sacred utensils by use and dedication as 1. Temples with their furniture consecrated to the service of God 2. Tithes and glebe lands to the maintenance of the Priests 3. Church-yards to the buriall of the dead Others come off shorter and dichotomize holy things which say they are 1. Sanctified because they are holy as God his name and attributes c. 2. Holy because they are sanctified 1. Either by God to man as the Word and Sacraments 2. Or by man to God as Priests Temples Altars Tables c. Of this last kind of holy things by dedication some are dedicated to him 1. Immediately as all things used in his service 2. Mediately as all such things without which his service cannot be conveniently done and here come in Church-yards without which some religious workes of charity cannot be done with such conveniency or decency as they ought The Church is as Gods house and the yard is as the court before his doore how then dare any defile it or alienate it or imploy it to any secular use for profit or pleasure To conclude all Church-yards by the Ancients are termed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 dormitories or dortories wherein they lye that sleep in Jesus Now it is most uncivill to presse into or any way abuse the bed-chamber of the living and much more of the dead What are graves in this dormitory but sacred vestries wherein we lay up our old garments for a time and after take them out and resume them new dressed and trimmed and gloriously adorned and made shining and Å¿ Mar. 9.3 exceeding white as snow so as no Fuller on earth can white them These shining raiments God bestow upon us all at the last day for the merits of the death and buriall of our Lord and Saviour Cui c. THE FEAST OF PENTECOST A Sermon preached on Whitsunday THE LXIII SERMON ATCS 2.1 And when the day of Pentecost was fully come they were all together with one accord in one place SAint a Hom. in die ascens 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chrysostome comparing the works of redemption with the works of creation observeth that as the Father finished the former so the Sonne the later in six dayes especially in memorie whereof his dearest Spouse the Catholique Church hath appointed six solemnities to be kept by all Christians with greatest fervour of devotion and highest elevation of religious affections These are Christ his 1. Virgin birth 2. Illustrious Epiphanie 3. Ignominious death 4. His powerfull resurrection 5. His glorious ascension 6. His gracious sending downe of the holy Ghost The day of 1. His incarnation by which he entred into the world 2. His manifestation on which he entred upon his office of Mediatour 3. His passion on which he expiated our sinnes 4. His resuscitation by which he conquered death the grave 5. His triumphant returne into heaven on which hee tooke seizin and possession of that kingdome for us 6. His visible mission of the holy Ghost in the similitude of fiery cloven tongues on which he sealed all his former benefits to us and us to the day of redemption This last festivall in order of time was yet the first and chiefest in order of dignity For on Christs birth day hee was made partaker of our nature but on this wee were made partakers after a sort of his in the Epiphany one starre onely stood over the house where hee lay on this twelve fiery tongues like so many celestiall lights appeared in the roome where the Apostles were assembled on the day of his passion he rendred his humane spirit to God his father on this hee sent downe his divine spirit upon us on the resurrection his spirit quickened his naturall body on this it quickened his mysticall the Catholique Church on the ascension he tooke a pledge from us viz. our flesh and carried it into heaven on this hee sent us his pledge viz. his spirit in the likenesse of fiery tongues with the sound of a mighty rushing wind After which the Spouse as Gorrhan conceiveth panted saying b Cant. 4.16 Awake O North wind and come thou South blow upon my garden that the spices therof may flow out let my Beloved come into his garden eat his pleasant fruits The wind she gasped for what was it but the spirit and what are the fragrant spices shee wishes may flow but the graces of the holy Ghost which David calleth gifts for men in the eighteenth verse of the 68. Psalme the former part whereof may furnish the feast we
upper roome at Jerusalem where Christ appointed them to wait for the k Act. 1.4 promise of the father 1. Of the time In the Syriacke and Latine wee read 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or dies dayes in the plurall number but in the originall 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the day in the singular The Syriacke and the Latine had an eye to the whole number of dayes which now amounted unto fiftie the originall designeth in the singular the precise day which made it up fiftie the day by the accesse whereof to the 49. the number of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or fiftie was made complete Word for word according to the originall wee should thus reade my text 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in or upon the fulfilling of the fiftieth day from the feast of first fruits Metall upon metall is no good Heraldrie yet feast upon feast is good Divinitie especially when the one is the type the other the truth For this reason l 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Severianus conceiveth that our Saviour was offered up for our sinnes on the crosse the day and time of the day when the Paschall Lamb according to the Law was to be killed to set the face to the picture the truth to the type that the body might as it were drive out the shadow and occupie the space thereof And in like manner m In haec verba ut ostenderet tum spiritum sanctum legem tulisse nunc legem ferre Theophylact imagineth that hee sent the spirit fiftie dayes after when the Jewes kept a feast for the Law to shew that as then the holy Ghost proclaimed the Law so now also then the law and covenant of works now the law of faith and covenant of grace S. o Aug. hom de Pent Sicut 50. post pascha die lex lata fuit manu Dei scripta in tabulis lapideis ita spiritus cujus officium erat eam cordibus inscribere condem diebus post resurrectionem Christi qui est pascha nostrum implevit quod in legis promulgatione figuratum erat Austine giveth another rellish of his owne As saith he fiftie dayes after Easter the Law was given written by the finger of God in tables of stone so the spirit whose office it is to write it in the hearts of men just so many dayes after Christs resurrection who is our Passover fulfilled that which was figured in the publishing of the Law S. p Chrys hom de Pent. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Chrysostome striketh upon a different string yet maketh good musicke others fetched the congruitie from the Law hee from nature What saith he is Pentecost It signifieth that season of the yeare wherein the Jewes thrust their sickle into the corne-harvest In like sort the Lord of the harvest disposed that now the Apostles should put their sickle the sickle of the Word into the harvest of the world and reape it I shall not need to straine farther for congruities S. Cyrill and S. Ambrose give me the hint of another synchronisme for they affirme that on this day the Angell descended into the poole of Bethesda and after the troubling the water cured the sicke whatsoever the disease was And what fitter day could have beene thought upon for the holy Ghost to descend to bestow the gift of miraculous cures than upon this day of healing I could tell you of the Jubilee which fell upon the fiftieth yeare in which all possessions returned to their former owners and acquittances were given for all debts but because the best stomacks rather desire solid than sweet meats I therefore content my selfe at this present with q Calv. com in Act. 2. Festo die quo ingens multitudo Hierosolymae confluere solebat editum est miraculum quo illustrius redderetur Calvin his observation upon the circumstance of time This solemnitie being next to that of the Passover was the fittest time to make the miracle wrought upon it more illustrious For this reason Christ came up so often to Jerusalem at their solemne feasts and S. Paul made haste in his journey that he might be there at the feast of Pentecost to win more soules by the preaching of the Gospel in a time of so great confluence of people from all parts There is no fishing to the sea and now it was full sea at Jerusalem all the cities in Palestine like so many rivers emptying themselves into it The gift of tongues could not at any time so fitly have been bestowed as at this when there were present at Jerusalem men of everie nation under heaven Acts 2.5 6. To convince all gaine-sayers of the miracle What are these say they that speak Are they not Galileans How then heare we every one speake in our owne tongue where wee were borne Parthians and Medes and Elamites and they that dwell in Mesopotamia and in Judea and Cappadocia Pontus and Bithynia Phrygia and Pamphylia in Aegypt and the parts of Libya about Cyrene and strangers of Rome Jewes and Proselytes Cretes and Arabians we doe heare them speake in our tongues the wonderfull works of God vers 7 8 9 10 11 As we read in the 19. Psalme vers 2. Dies ad diem eructat sermonem nox ad noctem ostendit scientiam Day unto day uttereth speech and night unto night sheweth knowledge or giveth intelligence so here Lingua ad linguam eructat sermonem the tongues of men of all nations gave testimony to the miraculous gift of tongues in the Apostles It is the wisdome of State to appoint beacons to be set up on the highest hils to give notice to all the Countrey And Christ himselfe commandeth us not to hide a candle under a bushell but to set it on a candlesticke that it may give light to all that are in the house And in this consideration those Preachers of the glad tidings of salvation who have had the best foyle of modestie to set off the lustre of their knowledge have yet been desirous to deliver their Embassage from God to men in the fullest assemblies not to gaine thereby more applause to themselves but more soules to God When the eares stand thicke in a corne-field not a drop of raine falleth besides them on the ground And this is a principall end of our celebration of Christian feasts to draw multitudes together to heare Christ preaching by his Ministers and working still miraculous cures upon the soules of men by the Sacraments administred in the Church And so from the holy day I proceed to the sacred persons assembled on it viz. the Apostles They were all together Beza telleth us of an ancient manuscript in which he found the substantive added to the adjective omnes viz. Apostoli which words though I finde not in our copies yet by comparing this verse with the last of the former chapter it appeareth that the all here must bee restrained to the Apostles or principally meant of them for they were as S. Austine
setteth them r Aug. serm de Pent. Tanquam duodecim radii solis seu totidem lampades veritatis totum mundum illuminantes forth twelve beames of the sunne of righteousnesse or twelve great torches of the truth enlightening the whole world They were as the twelve Patriarks of the new Testament to be consecrated as oecumenicall Pastours throughout all the earth they were as the ſ Exod. 15.27 twelve Wels of water in Elim from whence the chrystall streames of the water of life were to be derived into all parts they were as the twelve t Apoc. 12.1 starres in the crowne of the woman which was cloathed with the sunne and the moone under her feet and as the twelve u Apoc. 21.14 pretious stones in the foundation of the celestiall Jerusalem The present assembly in this upper roome was no other than a sacred Synod and in truth there can be no Synod where the Apostles or their successours are not present and Presidents For all assemblies how great soever of Lay-persons called together about ordering ecclesiasticall affaires without Bishops and Pastours are like to Polyphemus his vast body without an eye Monstrum horrendum informe ingens cui lumen ademptum But when the Apostles and their successours Bishops and Prelates and Doctours of the Church are assembled and all are of one accord and bend their endevours one way to settle peace and define truth Christ will make good his promise to be in the * Matt. 18.20 When two or three are gathered together in my name there am I in the middest of them And middest of them and by his spirit to lead them into x John 16.13 When the spirit of truth is come he will guide you into all truth all truth With one accord All the ancient and later Interpreters accord in their note upon the word accord that Animorum unio concordia est optima dispositio ad recipiendum Spiritum sanctum that Unitie and concord is the best disposition of the minde preparation for the receiving of the holy Ghost The bones in Ezekiel were y Ezek. 37.7 8. joyned one to another and tyed with sinewes before the wind blew upon them and revived them so the members of Christ must bee joyned in love and coupled with the sinewes of charitable affections one towards another before the holy Spirit will enlive them Marke saith S. z Serm. de Temp. Membrum amputatum non sequitur spiritus cùm in corpore erat vivebat precisum amittit spiritum Austine in the naturall body how if a member bee cut off the soule presently leaveth it while it was united to the rest of the members it lived but as soone as ever it was severed it became a dead peece of flesh so it is in the mysticall body of Christ those who sever themselves by schisme or faction from the body and their fellow-members deprive themselves of the influence of the holy Spirit Peruse the records of the Church and you shall finde for the most part that faction hath bred heresie When discontented Church-men of eminent parts sided against their Bishops and Superiours Gods spirit left them and they became authours of damnable heresies This was Novatus his case after hee made a faction against Cyprian Donatus after hee made a faction against Meltiades Aerius after hee made a schisme against Eustatius and doe we not see it daily in our Separatists who no sooner leave our Church but the spirit of God quite leaveth them and they fall from Brownisme to Anabaptisme from Anabaptisme to Familisme and into what not The Church and Common-wealth like the * Plin. l. 2. nat hist c. 105. Lapis Tyrrhenus grandis innatat comminutus mergitur Lapis Tyrrhenus while they are whole swimme in all waters but if they be broken into factions or crumbled into sects schismes they will soone sinke if not drowne And so I passe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from their unanimitie of affection to their concurrence in place In one place The last circumstance is the place which was an upper chamber in Jerusalem The Apostles and Disciples stayed at Jerusalem after the ascension of our Lord partly in obedience to his a Acts 1.4 command which was not to depart out of Jerusalem till they were indued with power from above partly to fulfill the prophecie the b Esay 2.3 Law shall goe out of Sion and the word of God out of Jerusalem They kept all together out of love and for more safetie and they tooke an upper chamber that they might bee more private and retired or because in regard of the great confluence of people at this feast they could not hire the whole house or as Bernardinus conceiveth to teach us that the spirit of c Com. in Act. Ut discamus quod datur spiritus iis qui se ab imis attollunt rerū sublimium contemplatione ut cibo se oblectant God is given to such as raise up themselves from the earth and give themselves to the contemplation of high and heavenly mysteries Now to descend from this higher chamber and to come neare to you by some application of this text It will be to little purpose to heare of the Apostles preparation this day if wee prepare not our selves accordingly to discourse of their entertainment and receiving the holy Spirit if wee receive him not into our hearts It is a mockerie as Fulgentius hath it Ejus diem celebrare cujus lucem oderimus To keepe the day of the Spirit if wee hate his light If wee desire to celebrate the feast of the Spirit and by his grace worthily receive the Sacrament of Christ his flesh wee must imitate the Apostles and Disciples in each circumstance 1. Rely upon Gods promises by a lively faith of sending the spirit of his Sonne into our hearts and patiently expect the accomplishment of it many dayes as they did 2. Ascend into an upper chamber that is remove our selves as farre as wee can from the earth and set our affections upon those things that are above 3. Meet in one place that is the Church to frequent the house of God and when we are bid not to make excuses but to present our selves at the Lords boord 4. Not onely meet in one place but as the Apostles did with one accord to reconcile all differences among our selves and to purge out all gall of malice and in an holy sympathy of devotion to joyne sighs with sighs and hearts with hearts and hands with hands and lifting up all together with one accord sing Come holy Ghost so as this day is Pentecost in like manner this place shall be as the upper roome where they were assembled and we as the Apostles and Disciples and the Word which hath now beene preached unto us as the sound of that mightie rushing wind which filled that roome and after wee have worthily celebrated the feast of the Spirit and administred the
Sacrament of our Lords body and bloud wee shall feele the effects of both in us viz. more light in our understanding more warmth in our affections more fervour in our devotions more comfort in our afflictions more strength in temptations more growth in grace more settled peace of conscience and unspeakable joy in the holy Ghost To whom with the Father and the Sonne bee ascribed c. THE SYMBOLE OF THE SPIRIT THE LXIV SERMON ACTS 2.2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind and it filled all the house where they were sitting SAint Luke in the precedent verse giveth us the name in this the ground of the solemne feast we are now come to celebrate with such religious rites as our Church hath prescribed according to the presidents of the first and best ages The name is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the feast of the fiftieth day from Easter the ground thereof the miraculous apparition and if I may so speake the Epiphany of the holy Spirit in the sound of a mighty rushing wind the light of fiery cloven tongues shining on the heads of the Apostles who stayed at Jerusalem according to our Lords command in expectation of the promise of the holy Ghost which was fulfilled then in their eyes and now in our eares and I hope also in our hearts After God the Father had manifested himselfe by the worlds creation and the workes of nature and God the Sonne by his incarnation and the workes of grace it was most convenient that in the third place the third person should manifest himselfe as he did this day by visible descension and workes of wonder Before in the third of Matthew at the Epiphany of our Saviour the Spirit appeared in the likenesse of a dove but here as yee heare in the similitude of fiery cloven tongues to teach us that we ought to be like doves without gall in prosecution of injury done to our selves but like Seraphins all fire in vindicating Gods honour This morall interpretation Saint a Greg. tert pas Omnes quos implet columbae simplicitate mansuetos igne zeli ardentes exhibet Et ib. Intus arsit ignibus amoris foras accensus est zelo severitatis causam populi apud Deum lachrymis causam Dei apud populum gladiis allegabat c. Gregory makes of these mysticall apparitions All whom the spirit fills he maketh meeke by the simplicity of doves and yet burning with the fire of zeale Just of this temper was Moses who took somewhat of the dove from the spirit and somewhat of the fire For being warme within with the fire of love and kindling without with the zeale of severity he pleaded the cause of the people before God with teares but the cause of God before the people with swords Sed sufficit diei suum opus sufficient for the day will be the worke thereof sufficient for this audience will be the interpretation of the sound the mysticall exposition of the wind which filled the house where the Apostles sate will fill up this time And lest my meditations upon this wind should passe away like wind I will fasten upon two points of speciall observation 1. The object vehement the sound of a mighty rushing wind 2. The effect correspondent filled the whole house Each part is accompanied with circumstances 1. With the circumstance of 1. The manner suddenly 2. The sourse or terminus à quo from heaven 2. With the circumstance of 1. The place the house where 2. The persons they 3. Their posture were sitting 1. Hearken suddenly there came on the sudden 2. To what a sound 3. From whence from heaven 4. What manner of sound as of a mighty rushing wind 5. Where filling the roome where they were sitting That suddenly when they were all quiet there should come a sound or noise and that from heaven and that such a vehement sound as of a mighty rushing wind and that it should fill the whole roome where they were and no place else seemes to mee a kind of sequence of miracles Every word in this Text is like a cocke which being turned yeeldeth abundance of the water of life of which we shall taste hereafter I observe first in generall that the Spirit presented himselfe both to the eyes and to the eares of the Apostles to the eares in a noise like a trumpet to proclaime him to the eyes in the shape of tongues like lights to shew him Next I observe that as there were two sacred signes of Christs body 1. Bread 2. Wine so there are two symboles and if I may so speake sacraments of the Spirit 1. Wind 2. Fire Behold the correspondency between them the spirit is of a nobler and more celestiall nature than a body in like manner the elements of wind and fire come neerer the nature of heaven than bread and wine which are of a more materiall and earthly nature And as the elements sort with the mysteries they represent so also with our senses to which they are presented For the grosser and more materiall elements bread and wine are exhibited to our grosser and more carnall senses the taste and touch but the subtiler and lesse materiall wind and fire to our subtiler and more spirituall senses the eyes and eares Of the holy formes of bread and wine their significancie and efficacy I have heretofore discoursed at large at this present by the assistance of the holy Spirit I will spend my breath upon the sacred wind in my Text and hereafter when God shall touch my tongue with a fiery coale from his Altar explicate the mystery of the fiery cloven tongues After the nature and number of the symboles their order in the third place commeth to be considered first the Apostles heare a sound and then they see the fiery cloven tongues And answerable hereunto in the fourth verse we reade that they were filled with the holy Ghost and then they began to speake with other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance For b Mat. 12.34 out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh With the c Rom. 10.10 heart man beleeveth unto righteousnesse and then with the tongue he confesseth unto salvation My d Psal 45.1 heart saith David is enditing a good matter and my tongue is the pen of a ready writer first the heart enditeth and then the tongue writeth They who stay not at Jerusalem till they are endued with power from above and receive the promise of the Father but presently will open their mouthes and try to loosen the strings of their fiery tongues I meane they who continue not in the schooles of the Prophets till they have learned the languages and arts and have used the ordinary meanes to obtaine the gifts and graces of the holy Spirit and yet will open their mouthes in the Pulpit and exercise the gift of their tongues doe but fill the eares of their auditors with a
sound and their zealous fiery cloven tongues serve but to put fire and make a rent in the Church of God The organ pipes must bee filled with wind before the instrument give any sound our mouthes lips and tongues are the instruments and organs of God and before they are filled with the wind in my Text they cannot sound out 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 his wonderous workes whereof this is one as followeth And suddenly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Every circumstance like graines in gold scales addeth to the weight e Oecumen in Act. c. 2 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Oecumenicus conceiveth that this sound came on the sudden to scare the Apostles and out of feare or amazement to draw them together And indeed this sudden noise in this upper roome the Apostles sitting still and there being no wind abroad stirring seemeth not lesse strange than the sudden calme after Christ rebuked the f Mat. 8.26 wind and the sea Windes are not raised to the height on the sudden but grow more and more blustering by degrees this became blustering on the sudden and which is more strange it was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quasi 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 privative and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 appareo without any cause appearing To heare a thunder clap in summer when we see a blacke cloud overcasting the whole skie or a report where we know there is a canon mounted no way amazeth us but to heare thundering in a cleere sun-shine when there is no cloud to be seen in all the skie or the report like that of a canon where there is no peece of ordnance or a sudden light in a darke roome without lamp candle torch or fire somewhat affrighteth and amazeth us so it was here a noise is heard as of a mighty rushing wind yet no wind or if a wind a wind created of nothing without any cause or prejacent matter There is a great controversie among the Philosophers about the causes of winds Some as Democritus imagined that many atomes that is such small bodies and motes as wee see in the beames of the Sunne meeting together and striving for place stirred the aire and thereby made winds others as Agrippa that the evill spirits ruling in the aire as they raise tempests so also they cause winds Aristotle endeavoureth to demonstrate that the rising up of dry exhalations from the earth generateth the winds which so long rage as the matter continueth after that faileth the wind lies The Divines resolve with g Psal 135.7 David that God draweth them out of his hidden treasures To which our Saviour seemeth to have reference The h John 3.8 wind bloweth where it listeth and thou hearest the sound thereof but knowest not whence it commeth that is originally There came a sound Some will have this sound to bee an eccho or a sound at second hand because so it will bee a fitter embleme of the Apostles preaching to the people and ours to you For first the sound of the Gospel comes from God to us and then it rebounds from us to you but the word in the originall is not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an eccho but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a sound besides the eccho comes by reverberation from below but this sound came from above From heaven Lorinus and other Commentatours are of opinion that heaven here as in many other Texts of Scripture is put for the aire as God is said to i Gen. 7.11 open the windowes of heaven and to raine fire and k Gen. 19.24 brimstone from heaven But I see no reason why 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 here may not signifie the efficient cause and heaven bee taken properly For though the sense of hearing judged it that the sound began but in the aire yet it was there made without any apparent cause and why may not this sound be as well from heaven properly as we reade of a voice from heaven saying l Mat. 3.17 This is my well beloved Sonne in whom I am well pleased and another voice from heaven saying m John 12.28 I have both glorified it my name and will glorifie it againe and yet a third voice from heaven saying Blessed are the n Rev. 14 13. dead which dye in the Lord But what manner of sound was this As of a rushing mighty wind or rather a rushing blast For in the originall it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ruentis flatus not venti As our breath differeth from our spirit and breathing parts so the spirit which the Apostles received was not the holy Ghost himselfe the third person but some extraordinary gifts and graces of the spirit Though Peter Lumbard the great Master of the sentences seemed to encline to that opinion that the Apostles received the very person of the holy Ghost yet this conceit of his is pricked through with an obelisque and à magistro hic non tenetur by the later Schoolmen who rightly distinguish between the substance of the spirit and the gifts The infinite substance neither is nor can bee imparted to any creature but the finite graces whereof they were only capable The Law the Gospel both came to the eares of men by a sound the one from Sinai the other from Sion that was delivered in thundering lightening with darknesse and an earth-quake this in a sound of a gale of wind and in the likenesse of shining tongues the Apostles sitting still the place being filled but not shooke with the blast As in lessons skilfully pricked the musicall notes answer to the matter of the ditty so the manner of the publishing of the Law and Gospel was correspondent to the matter contained in them that was proclaimed in a dreadfull manner this in a comfortable For the o Rom. 4.15 Law worketh wrath but the Gospel peace the Law feare the Gospel hope the Law an obscure the Gospel a more cleere and evident knowledge according to that sacred aphorisme of Saint Ambrose Umbra in Lege imago in Evangelio veritas in coelo there was a shadow in the Law an image in the Gospel the truth it selfe in heaven Moses himselfe quaked at the giving of the Law but we reade not that the Apostles were terrified but exceedingly comforted at the receiving of the Gospel as the roome was filled with the blast so their hearts with joy And it filled the place where they were sitting The Apostles expected the fulfilling of Christs promise and it is very likely that they were praying on their knees yet they might be truly said 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which our translators render sitting For the word in the originall importeth only a settled abode as it is taken in the verse following There appeared cloven tongues like fire 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and it sate upon each of them Sitting as the word is taken in our language is a kind of posture of mans body which cannot
Joh. 6.10 11 12 13. multiplyed the loaves and fishes hee gave this sensible and undeniable proofe of the truth of this miracle both by saturitie in the stomacks of the people and by substantiall remnants thereof in the baskets When they were filled saith the Evangelist hee said to his disciples Gather the fragments that remaine that nothing be lost Therefore they gathered them together and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves which remained over and above to them that had eaten Cloven tongues The holy Ghost which now first appeared in the likenesse of tongues moved the tongues of all the Prophets that have spoken since the world began For the l 2 Pet. 1.21 prophecie came not in old time by the will of man but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the holy Ghost Of all the parts of the body God especially requireth two the heart the tongue the heart whereby m Rom. 10.10 man beleeveth unto righteousnesse and the tongue whereby he maketh confession unto salvation the heart to love God the tongue to praise him Out of which consideration the Heathen as Plutarch observeth dedicated the Peach-tree to the Deitie because the fruit thereof resembleth the heart of man and the leafe his tongue And to teach us that the principall use of our tongue is to sound out the praises of our maker the Hebrew calleth the tongue Cobod that is glory as My heart was glad n Psal 16.9 30.13 57.9 Buxtorph Epit radic and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 my tongue also Hebrew my glory also rejoyceth They who glorifie not God with their tongue may be truly said to have no tongue in the Hebrew language and verily they deserve no tongues who make them not silver trumpets to sound out the glory of God And if such forfeit their tongues how much more doe they who whet them against God and his truth whose mouths are full of cursing and bitternesse direfull imprecations and blasphemous oathes These have fierie tongues but not kindled from heaven but rather as S. o Chap. 3.6 James speaketh set on fire of hell and their tongues also are cloven by schisme faction and contention not as these in my text for a mysticall signification Cloven Some by cloven understand linguas bifidas two-forked tongues and they will have them to be an embleme of discretion and serpentine wisdome others linguas dissectas slit tongues like the tongues of such birds as are taught to speake and these conceive them to have beene an embleme of eloquence For such kinde of tongues p Hieroglyph l. 33. Pierius affirmeth that the Heathen offered in sacrifice to Mercurie their god of eloquence and they made them after a sort fierie by casting them into the fire ad expurgandas perperam dictorum labes to purge out the drosse of vain discourses 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In the originall it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 tongues parted at the top but joyned at the roote and they represented saith q In Act. Quia in proximo debebant dividi in omnes terras Gorrhan the dispersion of the Apostles which after ensued into all countries These tongues were not of fire but As it were of fire The matter of which these tongues consisted was not grosse and earthly but aeriall or rather heavenly like the fire which r Exod. 3.2 Moses saw in the bush for as that so this had the light but not the burning heat of fire It is not said of fires in the plurall but of fire in the singular number because as the silver trumpets were made all of one piece so these twelve tongues were made of one fierie matter to illustrate the diversitie of gifts proceeding from the same spirit And it sate Sitting in the proper sense is a bodily gesture and agreeth not to tongues or fire yet because it is a gesture of permanencie or continuance the word is generally used in the originall for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ſ Chrys in Act. 2. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifying to abide or reside and so it may expresse unto us the continuance of these gifts of the Spirit in the Apostles and may put us in minde of our dutie which is to sit to our preaching and continue in the labours of the ministrie Give t 1 Tim. 4.13 14 15. attendance saith the Apostle to reading to exhortation to doctrine Neglect not the gift that is in thee which was given thee by prophecie with the laying on of the hands of the presbyterie Meditate upon these things give thy selfe wholly to them that thy profiting may appeare to all Upon each of them Whether these tongues entred into the mouths of the Apostles as Amphilochius writeth of S. Basil or rested upon their heads as S. Cyril imagined whence some derive the custome of u Lorinus in Act. c. 2. imposition of hands upon the heads of those who are consecrated Bishops or ordained Priests it is not evident out of the text but this is certaine and evident that it sate upon each of them It sate not upon Peter onely but upon the rest as well as him S. Chrysostome saith upon the * Chrys in act c. 2. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hundred and twentie that were assembled in that upper roome those who say least affirme that it rested upon all the Apostles For howsoever the Papists take all occasions to advance S. Peter above the rest of the Apostles that the Roman See might be advanced through him as Hortensius the Oratour extolled eloquence to the skies that hee might bee lifted up thither with her yet the Scripture giveth him no preheminence here or elsewhere for Christ delivereth the keyes of heaven with the power of binding and loosing into all x Matt. 18.18 Whatsoever ye binde on earth shall be bound in heaven and whatsoever yee loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven of their hands he breathes vpon them all John 20.21 22. and sendeth them with as full commission as his Father sent him All their names shine in the y Apoc. 21.14 foundation and gates of the heavenly Jerusalem and here in my text fierie cloven tongues sate upon each of them And there appeared unto them c. As in the Sacrament of Christs body so in these symbols of the spirit we are to consider two things 1. The signes or outward elements 2. The thing signified by them Of the signes yee have heard heretofore hold out I beseech you your religious attention to the remainder of the time and yee shall heare in briefe of the thing signified by them Miracles for the most part in holy Scripture are significant the cloudie pillar signified the obscure knowledge of Christ under the Law the pillar of fire the brighter knowledge of him in the Gospell the renting of the veile at the death of our Saviour the opening of the way to the Sanctum Sanctorum into which our high
Priest Christ Jesus entred after his death and there appeareth for us the curing of all bodily diseases by the word of Christ the healing of all spirituall maladies by his word preached Now if other miracles were significant and enunciative how much more this of tongues Verily he hath little sight of celestiall mysteries who cannot discerne divine eloquence in these tongues diversitie of languages in the cleaving of them and knowledge and zeale in the fire As S. John Baptist was so all the dispensers of Gods mysteries ought to z Bernard in verb. Christi Ille erat lucerna ardens lucens lucere vanum est ardere parum lucere ardere perfectum bee burning and shining lamps shining in knowledge burning in zeale There are three reasons assigned by learned Commentators why the Spirit manifested himselfe in the likenesse of fierie tongues 1. To shew his affinitie with the Word such as is between fire and light the Word is the true light that enlighteneth everie one that commeth into the world and here the Spirit descended in the likenesse of fire 2. To shew that as by the tongue wee taste all corporall meats drinks and medicinall potions so by the Spirit wee have a taste of all spirituall things 3. To teach us that as by the tongue wee speake so by the Spirit wee are enabled to utter magnalia Dei the wonderfull works of God and the mysteries of his kingdome It is not yee that a Matt. 10.20 speake saith our Saviour but the Spirit which speaketh in you which Spirit spake by the month of the Prophets that have beene since the world began Our mouthes and tongues are but like organ-pipes the breath which maketh them sound out Gods praises is the Spirit And those that have their spirituall senses exercised can distinguish betweene the sound of the golden bels of Aaron and of the tinckling b 1 Cor. 13.1 Cymball S. Paul speaketh of for sacred eloquence consisteth not in the enticing words of mans wisdome but in demonstration of the Spirit and power The fire by which these tongues were enlightened was not earthly but heavenly and therefore it is said As of fire Christ three severall times powred out his spirit upon his Apostles first c Vers 1.16 Matthew the tenth at their election and first mission the second is d Vers 22. John the twentieth when he breathed on them and said Receive yee the holy Ghost and thirdly in this place At the first they received the spirit of wisdome and knowledge at the second the spirit of power and authority at the third the spirit of zeale and courage As many proprieties as the naturall Philosophers observe in fire so many vertues the Divines will have us note in the Spirit given to the faithfull they are specially eight Illuminandi of enlightening 2. Inflammandi of heating 3. Purgandi of purifying 4. Absumendi of consuming 5. Liquefaciendi of melting 6. Penetrandi of piercing 7. Elevandi of lifting up or causing to ascend 8. Convertendi of turning For darknesse is dispelled cold expelled hardnesse mollified metall purified combustible matter consumed the pores of solid bodies penetrated smoake raised up and all fuell turned into flame or coale by fire 1. Of enlightening this Leo applyeth to the Spirit 2. Of enflaming this Gregory worketh upon 3. Of purifying this Nazianzen noteth 4. Of consuming this Chrysostome reckons upon 5. Of melting this Calvin buildeth upon 6. Of penetrating this S. Paul e 1 Cor. 2.10 The Spirit searcheth all things pointeth to 7. Of elevating this Dionysius toucheth upon 8. Of converting and this Origen and many of our later writers run upon 1. Fire enlighteneth the aire the Spirit the heart 2. Fire heateth the body the Spirit the soule 3. Fire purgeth out drosse the Spirit our sinnes 4. Fire consumeth the stubble the Spirit our lusts 5. Fire melteth metals the Spirit the hardest heart 6. Fire pierceth into the bones the Spirit into the inmost thoughts 7. Fire elevateth water and fumes the Spirit carrieth up our meditations with our penitent teares also to heaven 8. Fire turneth all things into its owne nature the Spirit converteth all sorts of men and of carnall maketh them spirituall These operations of the Spirit God grant wee may feele in our soules so shall we be worthy partakers of Christ his body and by him be sanctified in body and soule here and glorified in both hereafter To whom c. CHRIST HIS LASTING MONUMENT A Sermon preached on Maundy Thursday THE LXVI SERMON 1 CORINTH 11.26 As often as yee eate of this bread and drinke of this cup yee doe shew the Lords death till he come WHen our Saviour was lifted up from the earth to draw all to him and his armes were stretched out at full length to compasse in and embrace all true beleevers after he had bowed his head as it were to take leave of the world and so given up the ghost a souldier with a a John 19.34 speare pierced his side and forthwith came there out water and bloud Which was done to fulfill two prophecies the one of b Exod. 12.46 Moses A bone of him shall not be broken the other of c Zech. 12.10 Zechary They shall looke on him whom they pierced as also to institute two d Chrysost Cyrillus Theophilact in hunc locum Damascenus lib. 4. de fid c. 10. Aug. l. 2. de Symb. c. 6. tract 9. in Johan Sacraments the one in the water the other in the bloud that ran from him the one to wash away the filth of originall sinne the other to purge the guilt of all actuall The hole in Christs side is the source and spring of both these Wells of salvation in the Church which are continually filled with that which then issued out of our Lords side For albeit he dyed but once actu yet he dyeth continually virtute and although his bloud was shed but once really on the crosse yet it is shed figuratively and mystically both at the font and at the Lords board when the dispenser of the sacred mysteries powreth water on the childe or wine into the chalice and by consecrating the bread apart from the wine severeth the bloud of Christ from his body In relation to which lively representation of his sufferings the Apostle affirmeth that as oft as we eate of that bread and drinke of that cup wee shew the Lords death till he come In the Tabernacle there was sanctum sanctum sanctorum a holy place a place most holy so in the Church Calendar there is a holy time all the time of Lent and the most holy this weeke wherein our blessed Saviour made sixe steps to the Crosse and having in sixe dayes accomplished the workes of mans redemption as his Father in the like number of dayes had finished the workes of creation the seventh day kept his e Bernard in dic Pasch Feria sexta redemit hominem ipso
in the children of his love than the mutuall love of his children one to another n Mat. 23.8 Ye are all brethren love therefore as brethren be pitifull be courteous not rendering evill for evill nor railing for railing but contrariwise o 1 Pet 3.8 9. blessing knowing that yee are thereunto called that yee should inherit a blessing As beames of the same sunne let us meet in the center of light as rivelets of the same spring joyne in the source of grace as sprigs on the same root or twins on the same stalke sticke alwaies together Such was the love of the Saints of God in old time that their hearts were knit one to the other yea which is more All the beleevers had but p Acts 4.32 The multitude of them that beleeved were of one heart of one soule one heart But such love is not now to be found in our bookes much lesse in our conversations we hardly beleeve there can be such love in beleevers we seem not to be of their race wee seem rather to be descended many of us from Coelius who could not be quiet if he were not in quarrells who was angry if he were not provoked to anger whose motto was Dic aliquid ut duo simus Say or doe something that we may be two or from Sylla of whom Valerius Maximus writeth that it was a great question whether he or his malice first expired for he died railing and railed dying or of Eteocles and Polynices who as they warred all their life so after a sort they expressed their discord and dissention after their death for at their funerals the flame of the dead corpses parted asunder when they were burned When the Son of man commeth shall hee find q Luke 18.8 faith on the earth saith our Saviour I feare we may demand rather shall he find charity on the earth All the true family of love may seem to be extinct for the greater part of men as if they had been baptized in the waters of strife from the font to their tomb-stone are in continuall frettings vexings quarrells schisme and faction Turba gravis paci placidaeque inimica quieti But let these Salamanders which live perpetually in the fire of contention take heed lest without speedy repentance they be cast into the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone forever If r Mat. 5.9 blessed are the peace-makers for they shall be called the children of God cursed are all make-bates for they shall be called the children of the wicked one If the fruits of ſ Jam. 3.18 righteousnesse are sowne in peace of them that make peace certainly the fruits of iniquity are sowne in contention by them that stirre up strife and contention If they that sow t Pro. 6.16 19. These sixe things doth the Lord hate yea seven are abomination unto him a false witnesse that speaketh lies and he that soweth discord among brethren discord among brethren are an abomination to the Lord they that plant love and set concord are his chiefe delight What u Cic. tusc 1. Optimum non nasci proximum quà m citissimè mori Silenus spake of the life of man The best thing was not to be borne the next to dye as soone as might be may bee fitly applyed to all quarrells and contentions among Christian brethren it is the happiest thing of all that such dissentions never see light the next is if they arise and come into the Christian world that they dye suddenly after their birth at the most let them be but like those 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 small creatures Aristotle speaketh of whose life exceedeth not a summers day Let not the * Ephes 4.26 sun goe down upon our wrath How can we long be at odds and distance if we consider that we are all brethren by both sides For as we call one God our Father so we acknowledge one Church our Mother wee have all sucked the same breasts the Old and New Testaments we are all bred up in the same schoole the schoole of the crosse we are all fed at the same table the Lords board we are all incorporated into one society the communion of Saints and made joynt-heires with our elder brother Christ Jesus of one Kingdome in Heaven If these and the like considerations cannot knit our hearts together in love which is the bond of perfection the Heathen shall rise up in judgement and condemne us x Mart. epig. lib. 1. Si Lucane tibi vel si tibi Tulle darentur Qualia Ledaei fata Lacones habent c. Martial writeth of two brothers between whom there was never any contention but this who should die one for the other Nobilis haec esset pietatis rixa duobus Quod pro fratre mori vellet uterque prior The speech also of Pollux to Castor his brother is remarkable y Mart. epig. lib. 1. Vive tuo frater tempore vive meo I cannot let passe Antiochus who when he heard that his brother Seleuchus who had been up in armes against him died at Galata commanded all the Court to mourne for him but when afterwards hee was more certainly enformed that he was alive and levied a great army against him he commanded all his Commanders and chiefe Captaines to sacrifice to their gods crown themselves with garlands for joy that his brother was alive But above all z Plut. de fraterno amore Euclid shewed in himselfe the true symptomes of brotherly affection who when his brother in his rage made a rash vow Let me not live if I be not revenged of my brother Euclid turnes the speech the contrary way Nay let me not live if I be not reconciled to my brother let me not live if we be not made as good friends as ever before Shall nature be stronger than grace bonds of flesh tie surer than the bonds of the spirit one tie knit hearts together faster than many The a Cic. offic l. 1. Oratour saith Omnes omnium charitates patria complectitur but we may say more truly Omnes omnium charitates Christus complectitur all bonds of love friendship affinity and consanguinity all neernesse and dearnesse all that can make increase or continue love is in Christ Jesus into whose spirit we are all baptized into whose body we are incorporated who in his love sacrificed himselfe to his Fathers justice for us who giveth his body and bloud to us in this sacrament to nourish Christian love in us For therefore we all eate of one bread that we may be made one bread therefore wee are made partakers of his naturall body that wee may be all made one mysticall body and all quickned with one spirit that spirit which raised up our head Christ Jesus from the dead Cui cum Patre c. THE PERPLEXED SOULES QUAERE A Sermon preached on the third Sunday in Lent THE LXIX SERMON ACTS 2.37 What shall we doe THe words of the
grieves not a picture weepeth not these teares then of our Saviour may serve as haile-shot to wound all such Heretickes as imagined that Christ had but an imaginary body 2. Veritatem amoris the truth of his love It is true love which resolveth it selfe into teares upon the sight or apprehension of anothers losse griefe or danger When Jesus wept at the grave of Lazarus the Jewes said Behold how he d Joh. 11.36 loved him and when the Disciples and whole multitude saw Christ weepe as soone as he came in sight of Jerusalem they could not but say within themselves Behold how he loveth this city 3. Veritatem prophetiae the truth of his prophecie concerning the destruction of Jerusalem and all the calamities that shortly after befell the Jewish nation they must needs be true evils and judgements certainly to come upon the city which the Sonne of God foretelleth with wet eyes Quum appropinquavit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 when he came neere If Christ in his humane body could have beene present in many places at once as the Trent Fathers teach and our e Bell. lib. 3. de sacr Euch. c. 3. 4. Romanists set their faith upon the tenters to beleeve he then might have spared many a wearisome journey he needed not to have travelled as he did from country to country and city to city all the progresses which he made through Judea and Galile and Samaria and the coasts of Tyrus and Sidon might have beene saved For without stirring his foote by this doctrine he might have presented himselfe at the same time in Nazareth and Bethlehem and Corazin Bethsaida and Capernaum and Nain and Jerusalem as if we may beleeve f Aelian de Var. hist lib. 4. Pythagoras eodem die horâ visus est in Metapentio Crotona in Olympo femur aureum ostendit Aelian Pythagoras at the same time was seene in divers cities and there shewed his golden thigh a fit miracle for aurea legenda the golden legend sed quia non legimus non credimus but because we find no such thing in Scripture we beleeve it not We are so farre from finding it there that we find the direct contrary g Math. 28.6 He is not here for he is risen If there be any force at all in this reason of the Angel the humane body of Christ cannot be in more places at once for could it be in more places at once it might have beene in the grave and risen out of it at the same time which the Angels for supposeth to be impossible Hector adest secúmque deos in praelia ducit In this battell against the Trent faith we have men and Angels on our side for as the Angel argueth here from the impossibility of the existence of Christs body in more places at once so do the ancient fathers h Lib. 4. contr Eutic Christi corpus quando in terra fuit non erat utique in coelo nunc quia est in coelo non est utique in terra Vigilius Christs body when it was upon earth was not at the same time in heaven and now because 〈◊〉 is in heaven it is not therefore upon earth and Saint i Aug. l. 20. cont Faust Manic c. 11. Secundum praesentiam spiritualeÌ„ nullo modo pati illa possit secundum praesentiam corporalem simul in sole luna cruce esse non possit Austine When ye Manichees teach that Christ was at the same time in the Sun and in the Moone upon the Crosse what meane ye by presence his divine spirituall that is nothing to your purpose for according to that hee could not suffer Do you mean corporall according to that he could not be together in more places and consequently not as ye suppose in the sunne and in the moone and upon the crosse at once As the Poets faigne of Hercules that in his cradle with one graspe of his hand hee killed two serpents so by the handling of this one circumstance if the time and this present occasion would permit mee I might kill two monsters of heresies the former of transubstantiation which you see lieth halfe dead before you the latter of consubstantiation the former holdeth a multi-presence and the latter an omnipresence or ubiquity of Christs body The word appropinquavit he came neere reacheth a blow home to both these For comming neere a place is a locall motion Now every locall motion must have a terminus à quo and a terminus ad quem a place or point to bee left and another to be got which cannot be verified in a body which in the same time is in utroque termino in the terme from which and the tearme to which it is to move much lesse can an infinite or omnipresent body move locally because such a body according to their supposition filleth all places and consequently cannot goe from one to another iâ—â—â—nnot lose any place it had or acquire any it had not This comming heere then of our Saviour to Jerusalem proveth that the Lutherans and all ubiquitaries are as farre out of the way in this point as Papists they that hold this errour must blot out all Christs gests recorded by the Evangelists and reverse all his progresses from Judea to Galile and from Galile to Judea from Jerusalem to Nazareth and from Nazareth to Jerusalem from land to sea and from sea to land Moreover to entitle a creature to ubiquity is to deifie it and to attribute this incommunicable property of the deitie to the humane nature of Christ is to confound his two natures Thus heresies unnaturally engender the later with the former and Lutheranisme begets Eutychianisme at which monstrous error though the Romanists are startled yet the heresie of transubstantiation which they foster at this day is of the same cast Admit once that Christs body may be at the same time in heaven at the right hand of his Father on the Altar in the right hand of the Priest why may it not be in milions of places if it may be wheresoever masses are said why may it not also by divine power be where they are not said why not then every where if it may stand with the unity of an individuall body to be in two distinct and distant places at once it may as well be in two hundred places and if in two hundred in two thousand and if in two thousand every where The nature of an individuall body which is to be indivisum in se divisum â caeteris omnibus is as well destroyed by putting it in two places at once as in two millions Wherefore as wood cleavers drive out one wedge by another and conjurers cast out one spirit by another as bad and as Plato tooke downe Diogenes trampling upon his rich carpet k Eras Apoph and saying I tread Platoes pride under my feete Calcas fastum sed alio fastu thou treadest upon my pride saith
die quo fecerat sequenti die sabbatizavit in monumento Sabbaths rest in the grave Now above all the dayes of this holiest weeke this hath one priviledge that in it Christ made his last will and testament and instituted the sacrament of the Eucharist and administred it in his owne person delivering both the consecrated bread and cup of blessing to his Apostles with his owne hand Which mysterious actions of his were presidents in all succeeding ages and rules for the administration of that sacrament to the worlds end For Primum in unoquoque genere mensura est reliquorum the first action in any sacred or civill institution in respect of those that succeed is like the originall to all after draughts and the copy to all that write by it Such was the first institution of marriage in Paradise of circumcision in Abrahams family of the passover in Egypt of all the other types and figures of the Law on Mount Sinai and of the Lords Supper in this upper roome wherein all Christs speeches and actions may not unfitly bee termed Rubricks to direct the Christian Church in these mysterious rites For before the end of the next day they were all coloured in bloud What was done now in effigie was then done in personâ he that now tooke bread was taken himselfe he that brake it was broken on the crosse he that gave it to his Disciples was given up for our sinnes he who tooke the cup received from his Father a cup of trembling he who powred out the wine shed his owne bloud in memory of which reall effusion thereof unto death we celebrate this sacramentall effusion unto life For so he commanded us saying f Luke 22.19 Doe this in remembrance of mee and his faithfull Apostle fully declareth his meaning in the words of my Text As often c. As Christ g 1 John 5 6. came to us not by water only but by water and bloud so wee must come to him not by water only the water of regeneration in baptisme but also by the bloud of redemption which is drunke by us in this sacrament in obedience to his commandement and in acknowledgement of his love to us even to death and in death it selfe As a h Hieron in hunc locum Quemâ—dmodum si quis peregre proficisâ—â—ns aliquid pignoris ei quem diligit derelinquit ut quotiâ—scunque illud vid â—t possit ejus beneficia amicitias memorare quod ille si perfâ—ctè dilexit non potest sine ingente desidâ—rio videre vel â—etu man taking a long journie leaveth a pledge with his friend that whensoever he looketh upon it he should thinke upon him in his absence so Christ being to depart out of this world left these sacred elements of bread and wine with his Church to the end that as often as she seeth them she should thinke of him and his sufferings for her When Aeneas plucked a twigge of the tree under which Polydorus was buried the bough dropped bloud i Vâ—rg Aen 3. cruor de stipite manat so as soone as we plucke but a twigge of the tree of Christs crosse it will bleed a fresh in our thoughts shewing us to be guilty of the death of the Lord of life For though we never consulted with the chiefe Priests nor drave the bargaine with Judas nor pronounced sentence against him with Pilate nor touched his hand or foot with a naile yet sith hee was wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities and the k Esa 53.5 6. chastisement of our peace was upon him and the Lord laid on him the sinnes of us all we cannot plead not guilty inasmuch as our sinnes were the causes of all his sufferings The Passover by the Law was to be eaten with sowre herbes and in like manner the Christian passover which wee are now met to eate must bee eaten with sowre herbes that is pensive thoughts and a sad remembrance both of our sinfull actions and our Saviours bloudy passion For as oft as yee eate c. The coherence or rather consequence of this verse to the former is like to that of the Eccho to the voice the words of institution rehearsed in the former verses are as the voice the inference of the Apostle in this verse as the Eccho For as the Eccho soundeth out the last words of the voice so the Apostle here repeateth the last words of Christs institution Doe this in remembrance of mee and in effect explaineth them saying to do it in remembrance of Christ that is as oft as ye do it ye shew forth his death 1. We are but once born and therefore but once receive the sacrament of Baptism which is the seale of our regeneration but we feed often consequently are often to receive the sacrament which is the seale of our spirituall nourishment growth in Christ and therfore the Apostle saith As often as 2. Whensoever wee communicate wee must make an entire meale and refection thereof therefore he addeth Ye eate and drinke 3. In making this spirituall refection wee must thinke upon Christ his bloudy passion and declare it to others therefore he addeth Yee shew the Lords death 4. This commemoration of his death must continue till hee hath fully revenged his death and abolished death it selfe in all his mysticall members therefore he addeth Till he come As oft as ye are bid to the Lords Table and come prepared eate of this bread and as oft as ye eate of this bread drinke of this cup and when yee eate and drinke shew forth the Lords death and let this annuntiation continue till he come If ye take away this band of connexion the parts falling asunder will be these 1. The time when 2. The manner how 3. The end why 4. The terme how long wee are to celebrate this supper 1. The time frequent As often 2. The manner entire Eate and drinke 3. The end demonstrative Shew forth 4. The terme perpetuall Till he come that is to the end of the world As often Wee never reade of any saith l Praef. institut Nusquam legimus reprehensos qui nimium de fonte aquae vitae hauserint Calvin that were blamed for drawing too much water out of the Wells of salvation neither doe we find ever any taxed for too often but for too seldome communicating which is utterly a fault among many at this day who are bid shall I say thrice nay twelve times every moneth once before they come to the Lords Table and then they come it is to be feared more out of feare of the Law than love of the Gospel Surely as when the appetite of the stomach to wholsome meat faileth as in the disease called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the body pines and there is a sensible decay in all parts so it falleth out in the spirituall 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 when the soule hath no appetite to this bread of life and food of
Angels the inward man pineth away and all the graces of the spirit sensibly decay in us This malady the Apostle suspected not to be in his Corinthians and therefore he imposeth not here a law of often receiving but supposeth they did so for he imagined not that any would be so carelesse of their life safety as not often to exemplifie the copy of their pardon He conceived that he needed not to bid any to drink freely of the wine that maketh glad the heart of every communicant or to eate frequently of the food that perisheth not therefore taking that for granted he prescribeth the manner how and the end why they were often to celebrate this sacrament saying As oft As ye eate There are three kinds of eating 1. Spiritually only 2. Sacramentally only 3. Sacramentally and spiritually 1. They eate Christ spiritually only who beleeve the incarnation passion of our Lord and Saviour yet dye before they are called to his Table 2. They eate sacramentally only who are bid to the marriage feast and come thither also and eate of the Brides cake drink of her wine but have not on the wedding garment such were the Jewes who ate manna in the m John 6.49 wildernesse and dyed in their sins and Judas at Christs last supper and all infidels and hypocrites who receive at the Sacrament panem Domini not panem Dominum the Lords bread but not the Lord himselfe who is that bread of n John 6.48 life 3. They eate Christ both sacramentally and spiritually who beleeving in Christs incarnation and passion according to his command come with preparation unto this Table and with their mouth feed upon the outward element which may be considered three wayes 1. In substance so it is bread or wine 2. In use so it is a sacrament 3. In significancy and efficacy to all beleevers so it is the body and bloud of Christ And drinke It is worth your observation that our adversaries the Papists who are so much against a figure in the words used in the consecration of the bread This is my body yet are forced to admit of a double figure in the words used in the consecration of the cup This is the new Testament in my bloud If they cast not here a double figure they are lost for first there is continens pro contento the cup put for the liquor contained in it Secondly in those words as likewise in the words of my Text they must digest a Metonymie or swallow downe flagons and cups This cup. The sacrament is called a cup in a double respect 1. Quia potus drinke to nourish and refresh the soule 2. Quia potio because a medicinall potion to purge the conscience o In ep ad Cor. 1. c. 11. Materialis qui debet sumi parcè dari largè sacramentalis qui debet sumi innocenter tractari reverentèr spiritualis scilicet passionis vel poenitentiae qui debet sumi libenter sustineri laetanter vituperabilis qui debet estundi simplicitèr Gorrhan findeth out foure sorts of cups and engraveth upon each of them a severall poesie 1. The materiall or ordinary cup which saith hee ought to be taken sparingly but given liberally 2. The sacramentall which ought to be taken innocently and touched reverently 3. The spirituall which ought to bee taken willingly and borne joyfully 4. The abominable and execrable cup which ought to be refused absolutely or shed wholly But although this fourth cup bee mentioned Apoc. 17.4 yet wee will content our selves at this time with these three cups 1. Calix consolationis the cup of mirth and spirituall consolation 2. Calix afflictionis the cup of affliction 3. Calix benedictionis the cup of blessing Of the first p Psal 23.5 David dranke freely Of the second q Jer. 16.7 Lam. 4.21 Ezek. 23.33 Jeremy sorrowfully Of the third the r 1 Cor. 10.6 Corinthians holily If this cup in my text be calix benedictionis the cup of blessing then certainely the Romish Priests deserve calicem maledictionis a cup of cursing who deprive the laity of this cup. They cannot say in their congregation to the people As oft as yee drinke of this cup for they never drinke of it To whom belongeth the commandement of eating Take eate to the Priests onely Why then doe the Laity among them eat To the Laity also Why then doe they not drink sith it is most evident in the text that Christ said ſ Mat 26.27 Drinke ye all of this to whom before he gave the bread saying Take eate t Mat. 19.6 Those things which God hath joyned together let no man put asunder If the cup were not needfull why did Christ adde it to his Supper If it were needfull why doe they take it away Doubtlesse as halfe a meale is no meale nor halfe a hand a hand nor halfe a ship a ship so neither is their halfe communion a Sacrament si dividis perdis This is the cup of the New Testament saith Christ which is shed for * Mat. 26.28 many for the remission of sinnes Are these many onely Priests Had the Laity no sinnes or no remission of sinnes by Christs bloud If they have as they all professe why doe they forbid them that which Christ expressely commandeth them Drink ye all of this for it is shed for you and for many But to go no farther than this chapter when St. Paul requireth ver 28. Let a man examine himselfe I would willingly examine our Adversaries whether this precept concerneth the lay people or no They will say it doth especially because they most need examination that they may confesse their sinnes and receive absolution for them before they presume to come to the Lords Table let them then reade what followeth in the same verse and so let them eate of that bread and drink of that cup. Ye doe shew the Lords death The Apostle doth not hereby exclude other ends of receiving the Sacrament but sheweth this to be the chiefest God never set so many remarkeable accidents upon any thing as on his Sonnes death at which the Sun was eclipsed the rockes were cloven the vaile of the Temple rent from the top to the bottome the graves opened and the dead arose Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his Saints but most precious the death of his holy One for this Sacrament was principally instituted to keepe in remembrance that his precious death Wee shew forth Christs death three manner of wayes 1 In verbo 2 In signo 3 In opere 1 By commemoration of the historie of his passion 2 By representation thereof in the sacred Symboles 3 By expression thereof in our death to sinne And as it is more to shew forth Christs death in signo by administring or participating the Sacrament thereof than in verbo by discoursing of his passion so it is much more to shew it forth in opere in mortifying our members upon earth