then the oile of Aaron more fructifiing then the deawe of Hermon That so we maie be al knit together without anie disiūction that whether we bee supplicants to the throne of grace wee maie al of vs come togither as ioint petitioners or whether we be the singers of thanksgiuing in the house of the Lord we maie al sing in the harmonie of the spirit or whether we be as the company of an army to stand in the gap to entreat for Cōditions of peace we may all cry togither Spare vs good Lord spare thy people bee not angrie with thine inheritance so al of vs being as so many beames issuing from the Sun of righteousnes all as brookes comming frō the fountaine of goodnes al of vs as nerues proceeding frō the head of wisdom al of vs as arteries springing from the hart of loue all of vs as veines deriued from the liver of life al of vs as lines drawne from the center of grace Al of vs going one way through truth vnto life through light vnto truth through loue vnto light hauing one hope one faith and grace of God in Christ Jesus the one only meanes of our saluation The vse hereof is to exhort al the Saints Vse seruāts of God to an vniformity in Christianity and the profession thereof that so there may be no diuision in the body for seeing a body a house a kingdome cannot stand if once deuided Alas how shal the Church of Christ the body of Christ the houshold of the faithful the kingdome of heauen vpon earth stand if there be so manie Sizers and Concisers Cutters Carvers of her members Liuie Rome in that ciuil or rather vnciuil discord betweene Crassus and Caesar and Pompey had almost lost by this threefold discorde the threefold cord of their concorde and many other Cōmon wealths haue been much wasted and impaired by the monster dissention Tacitus in vita Agrico lae Tacitus in the life of Agricola describing the figure fashion complexion chiualrie and resolution of the Britaine 's in that time obserueth this also that they were then drawne into pety partialities and factions Britan gens vali dissima Tacit and the greatest helpe that the Romanes had adversus validissimas gentes as he calleth our natiō was that they had no cōmon coūcel togither but each citty fought against their neighbours Et ita dum singuli pugnant vniversi vincūtur whilest one by one fighteth al are subdued The Romanes are againe entring our land they expect an aduantageous successe by our home-bred factions and schismes dissentions But Lord let it neuer come to passe let our Common-wealth and Church be as Ierusalem a Citty at vnitie safe as Mount Syon that shal neuer be remoued Let thy Church here be for euer the house of peace O let not her Peace-makers be her Peacebreakers let not her fathers be foster-fathers of dissention but let Patrones be patternes of vnity let her Presidents be the presidēts of vnity her Antients beare the standards of vnity let her be begirt with the wals of vnitie let her and her seruants her sonnes be guided by thee O God the God of vnity till the comming of thy Sonne Christ Iesus to iudgment J knowe J speak to an intelligent and ingenious auditorie J need not expatiat in this of the profit pleasure blessing faelicitie of vnitie You al know that she is the greatest gift of God cheifest ioy of Angels highest happines of mē fearfullest terror of diuils holiest harmonie of Saints heauenlyest Antheme of Celestial Cherubins The Empresse of the world whose priuie Counsel be the vertues whose Ladies of honor bee the Muses whose nearest attendants bee the Graces whose Gard be the Angels whose Court is prosperitie whose state is felicitie whose statuts veritie whose continuance eternitie David his Ecce as the roial vsher of this Empresse bids you behold how good gratious and happy and holy and heauenlie a thing it is to dwel together in vnity Hold it and behold it entertaine her retaine her that you maie al saie as these converts Come let vs goe vp And so J end this point and follow them in their going vp Come and let vs goe vp The life of a Christian is not the life of speculation 2 Obs not a professing life but a practising not a talking life but a walking they must not only Come together but goe together they must walke goe clime goe vp Goe repent goe vp perseuerance 1. Repent This ditty their dutie Come and let vs goe vp Jn the word go we may note their repentance in their going vp their perseuerance For the first they had lōg layen vpon the lees of vngodlines vnstird vnmoued they sat in the seat of the scornful or if they stood vp they stood but in the waie of sinners or if they walkt they walked but in the counsell of the wicked gressus digressus but now they take a newe iourney in hand they chuse new liuing waies they goe egressus regressus they goe goe out and goe on and goe vp and turne from the waie of their wickednes and from the wickednes of their waies Doctrine The doctrine gathered from the word goe is this that it is a certaine signe of salvation in a penitent sinner vpon the first knowledge acknowledgment of his sinnes to goe to the throne of grace Austin Reason St Austin giueth the reason of this doctrine Man by his going from God is deformed and poluted and altogether void of al spiritual blessings and by his returne and going back to God he obtaineth al those blessings he formerlie lost Excedendo frigescit ascendendo fervescit Recedendo tenebrescit revertendo clarescit therfore these conuerts resolue here as those did of whom St Austin speaketh In 70. Psal Conferamus nos ad te bene erit nobis de nobis malum est nobis de nobis quia commisimus malum dimisisti nos nobis The state of Christians in their conuersion is vndoubtedly most heauenlie that though Sathan hath assaulted them and sinne hath wounded them and the world tempted them and the flesh betraied them and temptation entrapped thē yet al these enimies remoue their beeseedg when the soule is desirous to turne to his God O how happie is the Christian then when he hath the father calling the sonne mouing the holy spirit perswading the word directing the rewarde inuiting Saints conuersing Angels reioicing and he himselfe singing that sweet holy Hymne Nūc dimittis Lord now lettest thou thy seruant depart in peace from the wicked waies of the world the flesh the deuil and frō the companie of al infernall complices loe J come J walke J goe J runne J clime J goe vp to the house of the Lord J repent my sinns past video meliora proboque J follow hard to the marke for the high price of my saluation Thus
RECVSANTS CONVERSION A SERMON PREACHED AT St. JAMES before the PRINCE on the 25. of Februarie 1608. BY DANIELL PRICE Master of Arts of Exeter Colledge in Oxford At Oxford Printed by Ioseph Barnes 1608. TO THE ILLVSTRIOVS PRINCE HENRIE PRINCE OF Great Britaine and DVKE of CORNWAYL the glory of grace in this life and the grace of glorie in the future REligious most Gratious Prince let me craue pardon for my presumption in offring that vnto the eie of the world which I lately preached in the eare of your Highnesse The vnde served vnexpected attention and former acception of these labours haue drawne this little gift in representation of my remembrance therein VVith this I present my selfe and service being ever ready with all my power to doe your Highnesse the humblest duty thinking my selfe happie when I may performe any thing which may testifie my true zealous and dutiful affection Your highnesse hath already cunning Aholiab and Bezaleel sweet singing David Parable speaking Ecclesiastes Sinne smiting Micaiah Ionas powerfull for Contrition Peter potent for compunction Barnabas singuler for Consolation These all haue dedicated and consecrated their labours to the building of Gods temple in you For my owne part I confesse I am not able with these to bring taches or rings or earings or bracelets or iewels of gold or Onix stoÌ„es or Sittim wood or ointmeÌ„ts or spices or perfumes but the little oile which I haue I desire to present for the light of the Temple Your Grace is the comforte of the old the hope of the young and the ioy of all tanquaÌ„ ad clarum beneficum sidus certatim ad volant they striue to flocke to your Highnesse as to the comfortable starre of their happinesse wishes praiers presents be their offrings VVith me it is worse then with many I haue nothing to present vnlesse as Eschines did to Socrates I should present my selfe and ah las in my selfe I finde that there is such a disproportion betweene a presents worthinesse and my weaknesse that even in this I had beene disanimated had I not beene by your gratious favour encouraged It now remaineth that in the huÌ„blest manner I can devise I wholy resigne my selfe studies labours endeavours course of life to your Highnesse protection and disposition craving pardon for my boldnesse and ever praying for your Highnesse blessednesse that you may be truly gratious in this life and truly glorious in the life to come Your Highnesse most humbly devoted in all service DANIELL PRICE Esay 2.3 Come and let vs goe vp to the mountaine of the Lord to the house of the God of Iacob WHen the Lord for many yeeres togither had manifested himselfe to be the God of Israell expected that his people would become the Israell of God it proved at the leÌ„gth that Israels sins made them to become Ismaels sonnes of a chosen generation a royall Priesthood a peculiar people a holy nation they became an vnwise and foolish generatioÌ„ a disobedient and rebellious generation a generation that set not their harts aright whose spirit was not confident in their God dishonouring Gods Maiestie despising Gods mercy abusing his goodnes abasing his glory prophaning the Kings holyday the Saboath of the Lord poluting the Sanctuary the Chamber of Presence of the Lord neglecting his precepts the Acts of Parliament of the Lord conteÌ„ning his holy-ones the Privy Counsell of the Lord not regarding him as a father who had adopted them his sonnes or as a Master who had hired them his servants or as a husband who had espoused them as his wife or as a Lord who had delivered them as his people out of the fieâ—y furnace of the land of Aegypt of the house of bondage HerevpoÌ„ the Lord sent forth his heavenly heralds the Prophets with their celestiall proclamations to signifie his anger conceiued against their sinnes and yet his mercie if it were received by sinners that so he might inviâ—e those that did rebel incite those that did neglect hasten those that did linger and recall those that did wander to sue out their pardons and to recouer those places that they had lost in the house of his Courts Etym. nom Prophetarum Thus sent hee forth Esay his health to heale their sicknesse Ieremie his exaltation to bring them to humiliation Esekiell his strength to helpe their weaknes Daniel his iudgement to manifest his mercie by these 4. as by 4. truÌ„pets or by the 4. windes or by the 4. rivers of Paradise or by the 4. Evangelists he doth send out his spirituall Pursevants with their celestiall proclamatioÌ„s Our Prophet Esay is one of these foure who having sounded a Parle in the former Chapter and having contested with this people Summa totius primi capitis proueth that they are a sinfull nation a people full of iniquity seed of the wicked corrupt children their whole head sicke and their whole hart beauy so that from the sole of the foote to the crowne of the head nothing but wounds and sores swelling corruptioÌ„ the land wast the cities burnt Zion like a beseedged Citie the faithful Citie become a harlot the siluer drosse the wine water the Princes rebellious and that therfore the Lord would consume theÌ„ and vtterly ouerthrowe them Yet not withstanding all this their miserie in this Chapter hee prophecieth of Gods great mercie that there shal be a time of the restauration of the Church of the erection of the Temple of the election of the Gentiles the house of the Lord shal be prepared vpon the mountaine and the mountaine of the house of the Lord shal bee prepared on the top of the mountaines shal be exalted aboue al the hills and the people shal resort thervnto and shal mutually and reciprocally excite and solicite each others with these words of my Text. Come let vs goe vp to the house of the Lord to the mountaine of the God of Jacob. Which words emblematicallie doe describe Ecclesia militantis symbolum triumphantis exercitium the true signe of the Church militant on earth and the holy exercise of the Church triumphing in heauen Wherin if devotion compunction conuersion assention or religion may moue let him that hath an eare heare what the spirit saith vnto the Church or rather what the Church speaketh with the spirit come and let vs goe vp to the mountaine of the Lord to the house of the God of Jacob. If vnitie amitie or vnamitie maie moue if the prophet who was a noble courtier or the people who were worthy Converts or the place they goe to to the house of God or the God of that house Deus Iacobi maie draw attention from you O then come see and heare tast the gratious goodnes of the Lord in the society of his Saints with one minde one mouth inuiting one another with these words come and let vs goe vp to the mountaine of the Lord to the house of the
must remember they that were marked to be preserued in Jerusalem they were marked with the Character 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is the last of al the Hebrew letters teaching theÌ„ that they must run their race euen to the last Their profession must be Sacramentum militare to hold vntil death like to the couenant in our Liturgy of matrimony to be kept til death vs depart like to that in the Poet of Megara to her Hercules Seneca Non vincet fidem vis vlla nostram Moriar Alcide tua They must with the a Cant. 3.4 Spouse in the Canticles take hold and not leaue the hold With b Io. 20 21. Mary Magdalen stand and wait and stay at the sepulchre they must with the c Mat. 15.22 woman of Canaan crie continue in crying calling e Heb 12.4 d Phil. 4.1 They must continue in the Lord they must be stedfast and vnmoueable alwaies abounding in the worke of the Lord. f Ps 126.6 They must goe and go on yea they must goe and go vp with these Israelites Non est ad astra mollis è terris via They must go on go vp clime and ascend if they will be trulie vpright they must go right vp to the mountaine of the Lord to the house of the God of Iacob The vse herof is to exhort those that are matriculated in the book of Christ Vse that they proue proficieÌ„ts in his Schoole that they may walke froÌ„ strength to streÌ„gth from faith to faith from vertue to vertue froÌ„ grace to grace Ps 84. Rom 1.17 2. Cor. 3 18 and so maie at length passe froÌ„ glorie to glorie That so there be no euil or vnfaithful hart in vs at any time to fal from the liuing God not starting aside as Ephraim not backsliding with Demis not gainesaying with Ecebolius not repugning with Iulian not turning from the truth with Phygellus and Hermogenes not making shipwracke of a good coÌ„science with Hymeneus and Alexander but that for euer and euer wee consecrate our bodies to his name our eares to heare his word our tongue to sound his praises our hands to be lifted vp 4 obseru our cheekes to be bedewed our knees to be bowed our feet to aproach his Courts and so I come to the place whether they goe to the mountaine of the Lord to the house of the God of Iacob The Church of God in Scripture is compared to manie seueral things Cant. 2.10 Elek 17.6 for her louelines to a a Doue for her fruitfulnes to a b Vine for her holynesseto a c Pet. 2.9 Priecthood for her royalnesse to a d Psa 45.10 Queene for her brightnesse to the e Cant. 6.9 Morning for her fairenesse faire as the fairest of f Cant. 5.9 woemeÌ„ and here for her safenesse to mount Syon not for her visiblenes as the Papists out of this other places affirme but for her stedfastnes and safenesse shee is as Mount Syon that standeth fast fore ermore For visibility we hold as it hath been often answered them that it is an externall ornament no necessary argument of Christs Church wee know that of St. Austen to be true that the Church is wel compared to the Moone In Psal 10. for as the Moone receiueth the light from the Sunne so doth the true Church receiue her light from Jesus Christ the Sunne of righteousnes And as the Moone so the Church is soÌ„etimes in the full shineth in ful brightnesse as in the Apostles times and diuers hundred yeares after Some times she is in the waine and ecclipsed as for manie hundred yeares last past it hath beene in which that Apostasie froÌ„ the faith is come which S. Paule by the spirit of God foreshewed That there should come a departing and the man of sin should be disclosed eueÌ„ the sonne of perdition 2. Thes 2.3 and more plainlie the spirit speaketh euidentlie that in the latter times some shal depart from the faith and shal giue heede vnto spirits of errour and doctrine of deuils which speake lies through hipocrisie and haue their Consciences burnt with a hot iron 1. Tim. 4.1 For the visibilitie of the Church the argument would as well befit Bethel where Ieroboam his calues had more coÌ„course then the Temple at Ierusalem and might iustifie the Ephesians clamour Great is Diana of the Ephesians whom al the world worshippeth and is as availeable to proue the Arrians to be of the Church Naziane who measured their Church by multitude not quality and the Turke maie in this contest with the Pope his Church being as apparant in shew as ceremonious for rites as superstitious in deuotion as glorious in Temples as ancient almost for succession Our aduersaries in this remeÌ„ber not how in the sacred stories the Church is hieroglyphically depainted by Noahs arke by Abrahams progeny Iobs family Eliahs complaint Nebuchadne sors furnace the Apostles latent the Christians Couchant That the Church is like a a Cant. 2.2 Lylie among the Thornes like a Lylie of the vallies Like a b Esay 1.8 Lodge in a garden of Cucumers Like a c Cant. 2.14 Doue in the holes of the rockes and in the secret places of the staires d Rev. 12.6 like a woman flying into the desert e Eze. 16.5 yea cast out into the open field to the contempt of her person Thus hath shee bin seene and skorned acknowledged but detested visible but miserable Where now is the magnificent pompe and glorie and speciositie eminencie and perspicuitie of this Church I follow these visible heretickes no farther about their visibility The Church is here named by the name of a mountaine That God who among al the fowles chose the Doue among al the flowers the Lylie among al trees the Cedar amoÌ„g al natioÌ„s Iudaea amoÌ„g al daies the Saboath among al turrets the tower of David among al Cities Ierusalem among al other mouÌ„taines hath chosen Syon for himselfe It is not Babilon that burnt mountaine Ier. 51.25 nor Horeb that smoaking mountaine Exod. 19.18 nor Eball that cursing mountaine Deut 27. â—3 nor Synai that trembling mountaine Deut 4.1 where there was fire to the midest of heauen and darknesse and mists and cloudes and thundring and lightning the Trumpet sounding and the earth quaking But it is that prepared mountaine Mich. 4.1 it is that high mountaine Esec 20.40 It is that holy mouÌ„taine Ps 2.6 Jt is the mountaine of his name Esay 18.7 it is the mountaine of his Temple Mich. 3.12 the mountaine of his testament Esay 14.13 the mountaine of the house of the Lord. Mons supra montes mons in vertice montium Some take these words to be spoken of the general Church some of the particular Temple Some that the Prophet here alludeth by the particular to the general Sion was the place where he apointed his Temple to bee built this therfore is called the
thee suck and God himselfe shal vtter his voice from the heauen to the earth Peace be within thy wales and plentiousnesse with in thy Palaces Honorable springes of Nobilitie yee generous and in genious spirites I haue not the spirit of Paule to speake to the Noble men of Beraea yet giue mee leaue to remember you of your duty which the Lord requireth Kings cast their Crownes at his feete and Nobles seeke their honour in his seruice Perfourme dutie to him and yee shall be more Noble then yee were borne yee shal bee partakers of a new birth in Christ Jesus adde vnto the Nobilitie of your birth the Nobilitie of life the Nobilitie of vertue is your owne of birth your predecessours Et quae non fecimus ipsi Vix ea nostra voco Remember your God his seruice Religion Remēber his Tēple Remēber that this place is the Spring-Garden of the Nobilitie here ye grow vp as plants here shal ye be preferd to be as the polished Corners of the Temple O then remember the honor due vnto the Temple I hope you hope for the blessings of the eternal life one of them is to be made Pillars in the Temple of my God Are you to bee pillars in the Temple of God Revel 2 O then remēber the Loue you ought to shew vnto this temple What shoulde I speake of the corners or pillars of the Temple Templum est is viventis Dei yee are the Temple of the liuing God the Scripture speaketh it I neede not demonstrate it your lips be the Organs of this Temple your thanksgiuing the hymnes of this Temple your vnity the harmonie of this Temple your tongues the censors of this Temple your praiers the incense of this Temple your hart the Altar of this Temple your repentance the sacrifice of this Temple your zeale the fire of this Temple which as the fire in the Temple let it neuer goe out The time wil come when you wil acknowledge this condemne your selues for contemning this when you wil hate the pompe and glorie and all the state of this world when in true iudgement you shal finde your gold and siluer to bee but the earths dregs your silkes but the excrements of wormes your Pearles but the rubble of the sea the sweetest muske to be natures avoidance the most gorgeous apparell to bee follies garnish and prides ensigne the most faire houses riotts witnesses oppressions monumentes the greatest cheere the bodies stench and the bellies burthen the greatest offices favours butterflies and monies bondslaues Authoritie envies obiect and cares subiect the chiefest Glory statteries shaddow and popularities apprentice Ah las what fruit or ioie or comfort wil ye then haue of those things whereof yee wil be ashamed O then remember now euen now in your tender yeares to tender your selues to your God for they that honor him he wil honour them and they that despise him he wil despise them Al of you worshipfull beloued Remember what you haue hard this day if the Text I haue chosen the Conuersion of the Gentiles cannot moue you to Conuersion yet let the time wherein I speake It is Lent a time of al others in the whole yeer appropriated for this holie worke of Cōversion Devotion comming to the Church and performing of diuine offices Jt is the time wherein Christ in fortie daies did suffer more misery then in all his life It is the time in which he did hunger fast thirst watch praie sweat bleed faint and die for thee That so he might be the Lambe of God that taketh away the sins of the sinners of the world Remember this weake weary bleeding fainting dying Lamb worthy is this Lamb that was killed to receiue power and riche◠and wisdome and strength and honour and glorie praise And let al the Creatures which are in heauen and on the earth and vnder the earth and in the sea and al that are in them sing praise and honour and glorie and power be vnto him that sitteth vpon the throne and vnto the Lambe for evermore Amen