better it at all for the more knowledge the more is their Torment they care not to better it unlesse it be for their owne ill purposes that they may make that knowledge a Snare for men and a help to temptation See it in two great Mysteries One great help of our Redemption was the Passion of Christ it is the generall Tenent of the Fathers and upon good reason that the Devill was altogether ignorant of it before it was accomplished Therefore St. Austin and Pope Leo give this reason why the Devill did goe about to hinder it by all meanes when it drew to the consummation because then he understood that his power began to be abolished If the Devill had certainly knowne that by the death of Christ his Kingdome should haue beene demolished and his power destroyed it is probable nay it is certaine that he would not have gone about to have stirred up Judas to betray his Master or the High Priest to have shed that innocent blood Therefore St. Austin and Leo and others observe that that Dreame that Pilats Wife had concerning our Saviour when shee said to her Husband that he should not have to doe with that just man to prevent his Sentence diverse of the Fathers are of Opinion that that Dreame was suggested by the Devill though others are of another Opinion and upon better ground yet that was their Opinion that thereby he might hinder the suffering of Christ And others thinke upon the same ground that he was the means of instigation why Judas did bring back the peices of Silver and deliver them to the Priests and acknowledged that he had betrayed innocent blood that he might stay the Passion of Christ after he knew or came confidently to think that he was the Son of God As he was ignorant therefore that his Kingdom should be destroyed by the sufferings of Christ so he was ignorant of the first Mystery Christs incarnaration and our Redemption he was ignorant of the birth of the Son of God that the Son of God was borne into the World though he confessed oft What have we to doe with thee thou Jesus the Son of God It was a forâ—ed confession and St. Jerome sayth well he was rather forced then confessed But however at the beginning he knew it not when Christ set upon his ministeriall function at the first before his Miracles were wrought though he had a testimony from Heaven yet when Christ went into the Desart one of his Temptations was if it were possible to sound out whether he were the Son of God or no therefore he puts it with an if If thou be the Son of God it was the voyce of one that would make triall as Hillarie sayth It was a doubtfull Speech as Chrysostome sayth he was in great doubt he was at a stand he knew not what to think he was blinded with the lustre of the hypostaticall union it was a Mystery that he could not apprehend He could not make these two ends meet together when he saw Christ in the Desart his long fasting and that he was hungry in the end he could not make these possibly meet that these two should stand together that the Son of God should be hungry he understood it not that the Son of man should fast 40. dayes he knew it not He knew not the Mystery of the hypostaticall union therefore he comes If thou be the Son of God He laboured indeed to looke into the Mystery because he knew it not but it was not a disquisition of piety that he might beleive but of curiosity that he might know He laboured to prie into it not out of love or hope that it might be so but out of feare that it was so He knew well he was to have no benefite at all by the incarnation of Christ and therefore could have no love and because no love no hope and because no hope he desired not to make any due inquisition into it he could have no desire of it But the desire in the Text is a holy desire and a holy inspection being a holy desire and a holy object and a holy inspection it cannot possibly be understood of the evill Angells There is the first Proposition negative upon these two grounds the nature of Angells and the knowledge of Devills it cannot possibly be meant of evill Angells 2ly As it cannot be meant of evill Angells so it must necessarily be meant of holy and good Angells that is the Affirmative Proposition For the good Angells their spirituall eyes are fitted they are made capable of such Mysteries The Mysteries of faith they dazle the eyes of evill spirits they are not able to look on them or if he could he hath no desire because he finds no sweetnesse at all in the Mysteries of Salvation All his motion is to evill all his contemplations are about evill he moves onely to evill he cannot move to good Whereas on the contrary the good Angells Nazianzen expresseth it well of them they are altogether unmovable to evill they have onely motion to that that is good Now here in this place the object spoken of is good the speculation spoken of is good the desire is good the intendment of these inspectors is good therefore these Inspectors must be the good Angells for three reasons First because the good Angells their ministration was still used about the Mysteries of our Salvation in Christ our head Their ministration was used in relation of the conception of Christ and the manner of it in pointing out the name of Christ what it should be Their ministration was used to Christ in the Desart after his Temptation was past their ministration was used to Christ in the Garden in his Agonie they came and comforted him their ministration was us'd about the Sepulchre of Christ after his Resurrection It being so that they are imployed about the Mysteries of our Salvation we need not wonder if they make it their study and speculation Secondly their ministration was used in the Mysteries of Salvation in the Saints that are the Members they brought news of all these things of Christs birth to the Shepheards of his Resurrection to the Women of his Ascention to the Apostles Their ministration is used about the Mysteries of Salvation as far as it concernes the Saints Therefore since this is the great Errand that is given them in charge when they are sent to the Earth such holy Messengers would oft think of their Errand they have great delight to contemplate these Mysteries because God hath imployed them in these not onely concerning the head but the Members That is the second Thirdly the Mysteries of Salvation are things that the Angells have benefite by their share of comfort in It is in the glasse of the incarnation of Christ that they read the glorious Mystery of their owne confirmation in grace and happinesse therefore they must needs desire oft to look in that glasse they read so happy a lesson there
place in other Psalmes as the best introduction to all other discourses the last in this as a delightfull farwell to be alwayes fresh in remembrance That shall serve for the first step of the Gradation the generall part of the argument handled It is De FELICITATE The second is more speciall it is defelicitate Populi HAPPY or BLESSED ARE THE PEOPLE In the former part of the Psalme he speaks of such things as concern his own happinesse Blessed be the Lord MY strength vers 1. Send down from above and save ME out of the great waters vers 7. Rid ME and deliver ME from the hand of strange children vers 11. And he might as easily have continued the same strain in the clauses following That MY sonnes may grow up as the young plants MY daughters may be as the polished corners of the temple MY sheep fruitfull MY oxen strong MY garners full and plenteous and accordingly he might have concluded it also Happy shall I be if I be in such a case This I say he might have done nay this he would have done if his desires had reflected onely upon himself But being of a diffusive heart and knowing what belonged to the neighbourhoods of pietie as loth to enjoy this happinesse alone he alters his style and being in the height of well-wishes to himself he turns the singular into a plurall Our sheep Our oxen Our garners Our sonnes and daughters that he might compendiate all in this Happy are the people Here 's a true testimonie both of a religious and generous mind who knew in his most retired thoughts to look out of himself and to be mindfull of the publick welfare in his privatest meditations S. Ambrose observes it as a clear character of a noble spirit to do what tends to the publick good though to his own disadvantage And Salvian in his first Deprovidentia doth recon this as the principall thing which made the Fabii and the Fabricii and other Romane Worthies so renowned in their times That they were content to expose themselves to want and danger for the prosperitie and safetie of the publick But alas there are few such spirits in our time It is a rare thing to find a private man who cordially devoteth himself to the good of the Communitie It was the complaint of Plato in his time That every man was impetuously carried 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and of Thucydides the Historian in his Vnusquisque rem suam urget and of Tacitus in his Privatacuique stimulatio vile decus publicum S. Paul himself was driven to this complaint Phil. 2.21 All seek their own Where he left we may take it up Our own settling our own securitie our own wealth our own advancement is all we generally look after There is hardly any man to be found whose bent is not towards himself Whereas the publick is the private infinitely multiplied and so much the more of nearer concernment as it is of larger extension whereas again man is onely a world in a figurative sense of speaking and that but a microcosme or little world that is in effect a small part of the great yet as in some other things so in this also it falls out The Allegorie devoures the letter the private eats up the publick the part the whole the overweaning respect to the little world doth every where almost overturn the greater I know there are many which make fair shews goodly pretences great ostentation of the contrary You shall have them often crying out The Publick the Publick and as fast as the Jews did The Temple the Temple but it is with the like insincerity for their aim is wholly for themselves So we shew our selves hypocrites even in things civill as well as in religion Each godly man is of another temper His word is that of S. Ambrose Mihi parcior foris totus or that of the Oratour in Salust Adsum en Caius Cotta voveo dedóque me pro Republica It was a brave resolution in a Heathen but it concerns us Christians more For he was onely a part of one Communitie we each of us have a share in two being members of the Church as well as the State So there is a double tie upon us and that we should daily remember it it is insinuated in the Lord's prayer in which as there is one expresse petition for the publick so there is a respect had to it in all There is nothing singular not an I nor a Me nor a Mine but all plurall We Vs Our noting that it is every mans duty even in his prayers to be zealous for the Communitie But the text will not allow me that scope to speak of this zeal to the publick as 't is the dutie of private men but as it is an excellencie of Kings and Princes It 's true I might call it a duty even in them also God requires it of them as a duty but it becomes us to repute it an excellencie both because the benefit is ours which redounds from thence and likewise because it is more eminent and illustrious in them then in other men In others it 's limited and ministeriall in a Prince supreme and universall He is the influxive head who both governs the whole bodie and every member which is any way serviceable to the bodie The glorious Sunne that gives light both to the world and to the starres themselves which in their severall stations are usefull to the world Here 's enough to define it an excellencie to have the care and trust of the whole in himself Yea but further to tender it as himself and to set the weal of the publick in equipage with his own happinesse and to fold them up together his own in the publick and the publick in his own is so high an ascent of goodnesse that it were a great wrong to such virtue to stile it by any lesse name then an excellencie In this particular I might easily be large but it requires not so much proofs as acknowledgements and retributions Therefore I will briefly proceed both wayes and first give you a few examples for proofs and then I am sure there is no man so unworthy but will think himself obliged to retributions The first example shall be taken from Moses whom Philo reckons among Kings and so doth the Scripture Deut. 33.5 For howsoever he had not the name he had the power and authoritie yet even in that power he was not more Regal then in his tendernesse over the people At one time his tendernesse was so great toward them that because he could not do them so much good as he desired he besought the Lord to take away his life Numb 11.15 At another time he was so perplexed with the fear of their destruction that he requested of God either to keep them still in the land of the living or to blot him out of the book of life Exod 32.32 hereby shewing himself not onely the miracle of Nature as
they who are in such a case Now hence ariseth the scruple Why David a man of so heavenly a temper and of so good a judgement in things which concern salvation that he is said to be A man after Gods own heart 1 Sam. 13.14 should place felicitie in these temporalls Devout S. Paul who of all others came nearest to Davids spirit had these outward things in no better esteem then as drosse Phil. 3.8 or dung and our blessed Saviour in his first Sermon Matth. 5. thought good to begin the chain of happinesse from povertie and to second it from hunger and to continue it from suffering persecution Non dixit BEATL DIVITES sed BEATI PAâ—PERES as S. Ambrose observeth In this I say is the scruple That Christ should begin blessâ—dnesse from povertie and David place it in abundance that things earthly should be as drosse to Paul and as happinesse to David This scruple wrought so farre with some Interpreters that they conceived it to be a defective or imperfect sentence and that the Psalmist uttered it in the person of a worldly man like that of Solomon Eccles 2.24 There is nothing better for a man then to eat and drink c. Therefore to take off the suspicion of a paradox they interpose Dixerunt BEATUM dixerunt POPULUM CUI HAEC SUNT Men usually say HAPPY ARE THE PEOPLE IN SUCH A CASE But we need not flee to this refuge It is neither a defective nor a paradox but a full and true proposition agreeable both to the tenour of other Scriptures and also to the analogie of faith For first the Psalmist speaks not here as in other places of the happinesse of a man but of the happinesse of a people it is not Beatus homo but Beatus populus In some other places where he treats of the happinesse of a man he circumscribes it alwayes with things spirituall a Psal 32.2 Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth no sinne and in whose spirit there is no guile b Psal I 12.1 Blessed is the man that feareth the LORD c Psal 40.4 Blessed is that man that maketh the Lord his trust and the d Psal 65.4 84.5 128.1 like Here otherwise seeing he speaks of the happinesse of a people he might use more libertie to take in these out wardaccomplishments as having a nearer relation to the happinesse of a Nation or Kingdome then abstractively of a Christian Howsoever Aristotle affirms in the 7th of his Politicks that there is the same happinesse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of a single man and of a whole citie Yet there is a great deal of difference which he being not instructed in Christianity could not observe Look as on the one side the being of a State or Nation as a collective bodie is not so ordered to immortalitie nor by consequence to happinesse as the being of a man so on the other the concurrence of temporall good things is in no wise so essentiall or requisite to the happinesse of a man as to the being and wâ—ll-being and so to the happinesse of a State or people Experience tells us that a man may be happy without children a State cannot be so without people a private man may keep his hold of happinesse though poore and afflicted in the world a State is onely then happy when 't is flourishing and prosperous abounding with peace plentie people and other civill accessions Men are the walls for strength women the nurseries for encrease children the pledges of perpetuity money as the vitall breath peace as the naturall heat plentie as the radicall moisture religious and just government as the form or soul of a bodie politick Upon this ground the Psalmist well knowing how conducing these outward things are to popular happinesse he casts them all into the definition his present argument being the happinesse of a people In the second place admit he had spake here of the happinesse of a man or a Christian yet he mentions not these temporalls either as the all or the onely or the chief of happinesse but as the concomitants and accessories They have not an essentiall influx or ingredience into it but a secondarie and accidentall respect they have in these two considerations First they are ornamenta as garnishings which give a glosse and lustre to virtue and make it more splendid The Moralists say well that they are as shadows to a picture or garments to a comely personage Now as in these the shadowing makes not the colour of a picture truly better but onely seem better and appear more fresh and orient and as garments do indeed adorn the body now in the state of corruption whereas if man had stood in his integritie they had been uselesse for ornament as well as for necessity So likewise these outward things although in themselves they have nothing of true happinesse yet because they render it more beauteous and gracefull as the state of vertue now stands in respect of our converse with men we may well reckon them without prejudice to vertue inter ornamenta Then secondly they are adminicula also helps and adjuments as hand-maids to pietie without which vertue is impotent Were a man all soul vertue alone were sufficient it is enough by it self for the happinesse of the mind but being partly bodie and enjoying corporall societie with others he stands in need of things corporall to keep vertue in exercise Want clippes the wings of vertue that a man cannot feed the hungry or cloth the naked or enlarge himself to the good of others on the other side this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as the Philosophers term it sets vertue at libertie and gives it scope to be operative As fire the more aire fewell you give it the more it diffuseth it self so the more health peace plentie friends or authoritie we have the more power freedome and advantage we have to do vertuously Put now all these together the reason is evident vvhy the Prophet David here placeth this happinesse in the things vvhich are vvorse because they are serviceable to the things vvhich are better Hovvsoever he reserves the mention of the better till aftervvard Yet he vvould give us to understand that even these inferiour things are the good blenssigs of God and such blessings as being put together make up one part of the happinesse of a people It is true of popular happinesse as well as personall It is not one single good but the aggregation or affluence of many In the twenty eighth of Deuteronomie where Moses describes the blessednesse promised to the Israelites he reckons up all sorts of outward blessings and agreeable to those is the conflux of these in this Psalme The blessing of the house and of the citie That there be no leading into captivitie and no complaining in the streets The blessings of the basket and of the store That the garners may be filled with plentie The blessings of the
needs understand it of the Church therefore as in an holy rapture and speaking of Gods government of it he saith Her foundations ye know whom I speake of So in another Psalme the Lord heare thee in the day of trouble one would have thought he had spoken of some body before the Lord hear thee thee afflicted poor soule whosoever In the day of trouble the Lord heare thee so This poore man I know some interpret it in reference to Christ therefore they make it a prophesie of Gods hearing of Christs prayer upon the crosse and in the garden some of the antients interpret it so but yet it runs more directly concerning righteous men according to the phrase of Scripture This poore man that is any poore man any righteous man it is as much as The righteous crie and the Lord hears them This psore man cried and the Lord heard him that is whosoever is in distresse and perplexitie if he seeke to God God will heare him and deliver him Wee see it by experience And we may see it by example too The examples are many in Scripture I will instance only in three that this hath alway been the course that the Saints of God nay that even wicked men have tooke in the time of calamitie and distresse to flie to the Throne of grrace and to turne to God by prayer Moses when God sayd he had a purpose to destroy the congregation of Israel and consume them in a moment presently he betakes himselfe to his knees and he speakes to God O Lord this people have committed a great sinne it was the course that David tooke too when he saw the Angel of the Lord with his sword drawn over Jerusalem readie to destroy it It is I that have sinned it was the course that Hezekiah tooke when he had a Message of death brought to him He turned to the wall saith the Text and said to God O Lord remember how I have walked before thee with a perfect heart he turned to the Wall that is he sequestred himself from earthly occasions that he might Turne to the Lord with more libertie of Spirit and largenesse of heart It was the course that Manasses tooke that filled Jerusalem with blood when he was in chaines and captivitie and affliction he turned to the Lord and called upon him and humbled himselfe greatly it was the course that the Prodigall tooke in the new Testament when he had not bread to eate he saith I will goe to my Father that is I will turne to my Father and say Father I have sinned against heaven and before thee we see it confirmed by example there cannot be more said To confirme it by reason for this is the most easie and the most equall and the most successefull and most possible course of diverting any ill wee are in or in danger of It is the most equall and reasonable course because God is the person that is provoked by us he is the Judge that sends the punishment it is his Law that is broken his name that is dishonoured to whom should wee goe but to him that wee have provoked by our sinnes It is not possible that the turning away of judgement should be by any other way Vaine is the helpe of man it is not in the Arme of flesh to save any one from that judgement that God sends There is no care no providence no foresight of man can divert judgement we must have recourse to God And it is the most successefull way of all other no man can instance in any example of any soule that ever turned to God by prayer in the time of distresse but if God saw it needfull in his wisedome to turne away plague or famine he turned it away Prayer is the most readie and the most equall way And Prayer is the most easie way can any man desire to have a blessing upon easier tearmes then to aske and have to turn to God and to have him turne to us to turn to God have his judgements turned from us that is the first Proposition there is no hope of turning away calamities over us but by turning to God by Prayer Secondly there is no hope of diverting judgements but by turning to God by repentance that is the second Turne to God by prayer and turne to God by repentance or else prayer will not serve without repentance If I regard iniquitie in my heart the Lord wll not heare my prayer The prayer of sinners is oft times accepted but it is of penitent sinners but the prayer of sinne never the hands of the blasphemer and the eyes of the Adulterer that looke to Heaven God lookes with indignation upon such hands and eyes and hearts we must purge our hearts from wickednesse if we will turne to God These two cannot stand together God and sinne as on the other side pardon and impenitencie cannot stand together because pardon belongs to repentance so sinne and repentance cannot stand together the one takes away the other sinne removes repentance and repentance removes sinne sinne makes a seperation betweene God and us repentance knits us againe the one destroyes the other sinne makes God turne from the purpose of of mercie Your sinnes have withheld good things from you this I did to you and would have done more but for your transgressions sin makes God turn from the purpose of mercie on the other side repentance makes God turn from the purpose of judgement Lastly Sinne never meets with pardon that is impenitencie though sinne meet with pardon impenitencie doth not it sets a man further from God then sinne when its first committed It is worse to goe on in sinne then to commit it But repentance alway hath pardon First repentance never misseth of forgivenesse if we turne to God he is alway readie to turne to us See in that place of the Psalme The Lord is nigh to all that call upon him to those that are of a broken heart and he saves them that be of a contrite Spirt Yet plainer in 2. Chron. 3. If ye will turne to the Lord the Lord will not turne his face from you yet againe Amos 5. Hate the evill and seeke the good it may be the Lord will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph that is peradventure he will Some may say here is some hope some comfort but here is no assurance there is no assurance in this place The Lord is nigh he may be nigh he is nigh to all he may be nigh to me but yet it may be he will not turne to me in mercie it may be he may be too neare me as when he sends judgements what comfort have I by that promise the Lord is nigh I have lesse comfort by that It may be he will turne Is salvation promised with it may be It may be God will be gratious There is but little comfort in that Turne from your evill wayes and God will not turne away his face He hath turned
not yet learned to play the Hypocrites wee are not come so farre as the Pharisees we are not come so farre as to dissigure our faces There is no man almost turnes his countenance that turnes his eye to the ground We are smitten but we are not sensible Gods hand presseth us but we are not humbled the Fan is sent out but we are not winnowed wee are a corrupt floore and a corrupt generation that goe on still We are out of the way we and our Princes and Nobles and as our fathers before us so we have done evill as Daniel saith still we are a rebellious people I may aske Chrisostomes question that he asked the people of Antioch who is there among us all that his heart smites him who is there among us all that once grieves for sinne that once smites on his Thigh that makes his hand smite upon his breast to recal himselfe to turne to the Lord Nay wee may say as the Prophet of the people of Israell Jer. 3. I called but they would not turne and in Jer. 8. I hearkned and heard to see if there were any that would leave their wicked wayes but behold there was no man they all went on in the imaginations of their owne hearts and none said what have I done Or as the house of Judah Jerem. 18. I called to them for the forsaking of their sinnes but they gave me this answer Nay but as for us we will walke in the devises if our hearts and doe that which is delightfull in our owne eyes and according to the imaginations of our owne Spirits It is the answer that wee returne generally to God though we say it not with our lips we resolve to walke according to the devises of our owne hearts and what are those the devises of pride and vanitie of fraud and iniquitie and of lying and reviling one another and these are the devices of our owne hearts not the devises of Gods Spirit and of his law and these are the answers that we returne Nay but we will walke according to the devises of our owne hearts I cannot tell into what principle I shall resolve what should be the cause of so much impenitencie and hardnes Were it so that God had set us hard conditions I should cease to wonder but the conditions are easie it is but Turn to me Were it that we were not sensible of these things and heard not these doctrines in our eares I should not wonder but we heare them and harden our heart It can be nothing but the Spirit of securitie and drowsinesse that Isaiah speakes of that possesseth us The Spirit of slumber is on them and they have closed the eyes of their understanding Wee sleepe and promise our selves good dayes when God pronounceth evill It were well if it were no more but a Spirit of slumber there might be hope that we should awake but it is as a Spirit of derision of scorne like Job's horse that laughs at destruction we laugh when our feare cometh and as his horse is described there so men goe on in sin they rush into the battell though they be to encounter with God as if they were able to meet with judgements I have oft wondred that upon all those inducements to seeke heaven and salvation that men should neglect it so much and I see the reason is because men love life temporall better then eternall earth is heaven this world is better then the other yet that is some reason because this life hath som what sensible and we are lead by sense it must be a heart of faith that lookes after the other life sensible men will looke to this life But this I wonder at that men should not only love temporall life better then eternall but that men should love sinne better then life There is nothing that a man hath in this world better then life he will part with skin for skin arme after arme thousands after thousands with eye and skin and arme and all to save his life shall we be willing to part with those and not with sinne after sinne were it once said and all that a man had committed would he give for his life it were something if we would part with sinne after sinne no but wee love sinne beter then life and that is the reason though wee be in danger we goe on in sinne Remember the voyce of him that calleth God could not propound to you a more gracious way turne by prayer and repentance There are many bonds that will put us upon it The bond of nature cals upon us all creatures turne to God the insensible creatures the Ravens and Lyons they turne to God and seeke their meat of him shall we be more insensible then they There is not only the bond of nature but of obedience God cals upon us to turne we owe so much obedience to his command we owe it in dutie it is a dutie God will make us come in by the lure of judgement whether we will or no. The bond of thankefulnesse cals upon us whatsoever we have is from God the blessings of this life and the hopes of a better our health and strength and meanes and countenance our wits and comforts the hope of salvation and the hope of the pardon of sinne all is from God by the bond of thankefulnesse let us turne to him that gives us all that is the fountaine of all blessings we have none but from him Further there is the bond of necessitie that if we turne not to God we can turne no where if he take away his countenance we are consumed into our first dust and it were well if wee were resolved into that but wee are turned into Hel when God takes away the light of his countenance Hell is where God is not O! whether shall I turne saith Bernard that I may turne to the Lord whither shall I goe but to thee say the Disciples Thou hast the words of eternall life whom have I in heaven but thee or what in earth in comparison of 〈◊〉 whether shall we flie from God if we cannot flie â—â—rom him there is a bond of necessitie that we returne to him If there were no love necessitie should constraine us to turne to God Againe there is the bond of congruitie God turnes to us and he turnes first and he turnes woing and beseeching and intreating that we would returne to him and love our selves if wee will not love God yet let us love our selves and conform to Gods gracious affection that supreame Majestie that is pleased to descend from that high Throne to turne to sinfull man and to call upon him and he turnes to us now when he speakes to us and he turnes to us ever in granting our Prayers and in exercising his long-suffering daily that bond of congruitie should make us turne Yet that is not all There is the bond of experience in our selves that when we have turned to him heretofore he
justification in our hearts yet that grace of sanctification is imperfect and no man makes a perfect improvement of Gods gifts no man lives according to the measure of grace that God bestowes Therefore when we have done all we can we come short of what we ought Nay if we had done all we should all that God requires say you cannot merit you are unprofitable Servants you have done but your duty you have done but what God requires If the state of restitution cannot merit sin and impiety cannot merit There is in the best action that we performe in the work of Preaching and praying and alms and charity and deeds of piety so much Leaven so many infirmities that he that knowes the nature of sin and the latitude and small extent of piety in his heart when he Prayes he prayes not onely for the pardon of his sins but of his Prayers And when he preacheth he prayes not onely for pardon of his silence and neglect but of his performance if there be infirmities in the best there is no plea of merit Our work is onely this to flie to the Throne of grace in the name of grace that is it that is a prevaling forcible word with God to plead for mercy and beg for pardon because he is gracious It is a word that so prevailes that it carries alway mercy with it from Heaven it is that word that God delights in it is that word about which prayer clucks as the Wings of the Cherubims about the Mercy-Seate The Wings of Prayer must flutter about the Mercy-seate about mercy That is the second thing to shew what the foundation of the pardon of sin is none but mercy it is founded in grace therefore he adds it to the former Take away all iniquity and receive us graciously as an inducement to perswade God to take away all iniquity That is the second I will but touch the third The Third is he adds it as a clause of perfection that makes up the perfect enumeration of the graces Take away all iniquity and receive us graciously There is nothing that a Christian can beg in this World but it may be brought in the compasse of one of these two These two words are as the two Tables of Prayer like the two Tables of the Law in these two there are all kind of Petitions all the evill that is to be removed is in that Take away all iniquity and all good that is to be conveyed in that Receive us graciously So that he might make a Perfect Prayer for them yet very short and compendious and yet full Take away all iniquity and receive us graciously this is a Prayer that the Prophet studied this was the Prayer that the Spirit guided him to make for them Here are the two hands of Prayer Take away iniquity and receive us graciously If we divide Prayer as the Apostle doth into foure sorts that are rather parts then kinds of Prayer 1. Tim. 2. I beseech that Prayer and intercession and giving of thanks be made to God for all men they are all in this forme that the Prophet prescribes them Here is the deprecatory part for the removing of ill Take away all iniquity here is the supplicatory part for the pouring out of all good Receive us graciously Here is the gratulatory part We will give the Calves of our lips Take the division of Prayer according to that scantling that David makes Psal 34. For obedience gives the Law to Prayer he refers the duty of a Christian to two heads Eschew evill and doe good upon that hangs all the Law and the Prophets according to these two are the parts of Prayer one for the removall of evill another for the infusion of grace here are both the removall of the greatest evill take away iniquity and powre the choicest of thy mercies on us that is mercy Receive us graciously One part of the Prayer is for expelling of darknesse Take away iniquity the other for the shewing of the light of his Countenance Receive us graciously Lastly if we divide it as David divides prayer Psal 25. there he makes his Prayer Remember Lord and remember not these are the two heads an affirmative and a negative remember not my sins but remember me He desires God both to remember and yet to forget here are both these here is one part of the Prayer that God would be mindfull receive us graciously Another that he would not be mindfull Take away iniquity remove it out of thy sight forget our sins Here is one part that God would open his eyes and another that he would shut them shut them upon our sins open them upon our persons The one part of the Prayer fits the sin the other the sinner For sin they pray that God would put it from them and remove it for themselves they pray that God would take them to him and receive them to mercy Men when they punish sin they cut off the Sinner but they cannot take away the sin God is otherwise in his proceeding he takes away the sin and spares the Sinner To make up the perfect part of Prayer here is the evill to be removed and the grace to be bestowed Take away iniquity and receive us graciously here is that that concernes the time past Lord take away iniquity what we have done thou knowest here is that that concernes the time to come that we fall no more strengthen us by thy spirit receive us graciously As Cyprian speaks in another place it is the breviary of the whole Gospell as Tertullian saith it is the Compendium of all Heavenly Doctrine This text here is all the Gospell and all that is good in the Law it is the summe of the Gospell it is like the Lords Prayer here are six words in it answerable to the six Petitions Take away iniquity and receive us graciously as Christ divides that Prayer he refers all to two heads one for deprecation of ill Forgive us our Trespasses and lead us not into temptation deliver us from evill The other for the powring out of all good Hallowed be thy name thy Kingdome come thy will be done and give us dayly bread So here is for the removall of evill and the strengthning to grace take away iniquity and receive us graciously Here is a Patterne for us one halfe of his Prayer is spent for the pardon of sin the other halfe for the powring out of grace For a man to neglect to beg pardon that is to be unmindfull of the time past he that begs not grace is unmindfull of the time to come By pardon we returne and by grace we stand He that hath the consideration of Hell that will stir him up to beg pardon and he that sees the joyes of Heaven will beg grace for that is the path that leads thither to make a perfect prayer joine both The Prophet to give them a full forme he joynes these though briefly None of them could plead that they
were not able to learne it he joynes these that we might learne to joyne them in our Prayers They are the things that God joynes therefore he joines them They are the things that the promises of God joyne therefore he joynes them They are the things that other Saints joyned therefore he joynes them God when he speakes of himselfe he joynes these The Lord the Lord gracious and mercifull pardoning iniquity c. They goe together in God can a man make a better prayer to God or more perfect then that that is taken from those Attributes and termes that are most emynent in God The Spirit of God joynes these together in God we may well joyne them in Prayer As Cyprian saith of the Lords Prayer it is good to come to the Lord in his owne words though there be no vertue in the words without the Spirit God will accept the words of his owne Son when we come in the name and words of Christ So here it is the Spirit of God that commenceth and makes our Suites it is the Spirit of God that frames our Bill that Dictates our Prayers He is the Counsellor of the Father he knowes what the Father will grant Shall we neglect to make such Prayers as the Spirit dictates Can you have sayth St. Austin a better to Coppy your Prayers then the Spirit of God Then here the Spirit of God joynes the grace and mercy of God we must joine them in our Prayers God will acknowledge the words of his Holy Spirit if we come to Christ in his owne words As they are the words that God joynes so they are the words that are joyned in the Promise I will be mercifull to their Transgressions and I will pardon their Sins In many of the Promises of God these two still meet Prayer builds upon a Promise when Prayer gets a promise it builds it goes up to Heaven upon promises there is the Ladder of promises It is impossible Prayer should miscarry that takes the direction of the promise God hath promised to pardon therefore prayer sues for it God hath promised to be gracious therefore prayer begs it These two are joyned in the promise therefore they should in our Prayers Thirdly they are the two that the Saints joyne God be mercifull to us and blesse us and be mercifull unto us he delights to put these two God be mercifull and mercifull God take away our sins and receive us graciously be mercifull in pardoning and be mercifull in powring out and diffusing the light of thy Countenance O! when the Saints set before us the Patterns of such Prayers it is comfortable to us such Patterns as they sped with when they were in our condition It is a great incouragement and comfort and assurance to a Christian when I come with the Prayer of David of the Prophets and Apostles O! It is a comfort when a soule can enlarge it selfe in those Heavenly words that the Spirit of God wrought in the hearts of the Saints in former times For this very purpose the Prophet records this Prayer that they might learne it then and we treasure it up now for it is full of the Jewells of Heavenly grace That shall serve to have spoken of that Take away iniquity and receive us graciously the reason why he adds this clause to the other There is one thing behind the Order but that I must reserve for another time SERMON V. Hosea 14.2 Take away all iniquitie and receive us graciously So will we render thee the Calves of our lips GOOD and evill are the two bounds that are set to all obedience That they are the hounds of obedience the Prophet David shews in Psa 37. where he reduceth all the duty of man to those two heads in shunning of evill and following that that is good Eschew evill and doe good and dwell for ever That they are the bounds of the grace of repentance the Prophet Ezekiell shews us Chap. 38. Cast away from you all your Transgressions make you a new heart and a new Spirit As the Apostle Paul Ephes 4. Put of the old man with the deeds thereof and be renewed in the spirit of your mind That they are the bounds of Prayer our blessed Saviour shews in those two parts Pray that you enter not into temptation there is the one Seeke first the Kingdome of God and the righteousnesse thereof there is the other part Lastly that they are the bounds of the duty of thankfullnesse the Psalmist shewes againe in Psal 103. Blesse the Lord O my soule and all that is within me blesse his holy name that forgiveth all thine iniquities that Crowneth thee with mercy and loving-kindenesse All the Saints of God they well know this that piety is excercised about these two these two are the hinges upon which the Door of piety turnes both backward and forward upon these it is that obedience turnes in the shunning of evill and pursuing of good upon these it is that Prayer turnes in deprecating evill and petitioning for good Lastly upon these two the worke of thankfullnesse turnes too in giving God praise for the diverting of evill and for the effusion of good And according to these limits we may see all these duties plainly set out in the text by the severall bounds of them Here is the worke of Repentance with the bounds thereof in that clause Turne to the Lord to set out to us as I shewed before both the terme from which we must turne the aversion of ill and the terme of happinesse to which we must turne that is the conversion to that that is good Put away your sins from you turne from them and then turne to the Lord. There are the bounds of repentance For the duty of Prayer with the bounds of that we have it in the next words Take away all iniquity there is the deprecation of that that is evill and receive us graciously there is the Petition we make for that that is good Lastly for the duty of thankfulnesse we have that in the last words with the bounds thereof So will we render If thou wilt take away sin we will render the prayse of that work and if thou wilt shew us thy Salvation we will render the praise of that worke Of the first of these we spake already and of the last I am to speake afterward and in the second I am conversant at this time The forme of Prayer the Prophet sets to the people according to the bounds of it in which I considered before these two parts There are the parts of the Prayer and the order of the parts The parts of the Prayer in those two First for the removall of sin Take away all iniquity I shewed you the reasons why he directs his prayer against sin why he would have them direct it against all sin why he Prayes against sin for the taking of it away The 2. part of the prayer is for the powring down of the grace they stood in
unto the end of his race he obeyed to the death even to the death of the Crosse so we must not set up our staffe till we be at the end of all that God will bring us to and then when a man is tryed he is blessed and shall have the crowne of life These things put together let us see what it is to endure Tribulation So much for the first point the description of the Person to whom the promise is made the man that endureth temptation so much for this time SERMON II. James 1.12 13. Blessed is the man that indureth temptation for when 〈…〉 shall receive the Crowâ—â— of life which the Lord hath promised to them that love him THESE words I divided into foure particulars One of the person to whom the promise is made The man that endureth temptation The other of the reward that is assured to him Blessednesse and the Crowne of life The third it is the assurance of this reward the crown that is promised to them that love God And the last is the manner and the time of retribution he shall receive it when he is tryed And of the first of these I spake in the fore-noon and that is the description of the person to whom the promise is made And now I am to proceed unto the second branch that is of the reward or retribution it selfe it is in these words Blessed shall he be and he shall receive the crown of life They are the words that hover over the other the description of the person as the opening of the heavens did over Stephen when he was stoned Here is Stephens agonie the man that endures tribulation and then comes in his blessednesse the crowne of life as the opening of the heavens to encourage every Christian the better for the enduring the conflict It followes upon the first in a very good order for there is nothing that will stirre us up more to endure tribulation with patience and submission of spirit then the thought of the reward It is the resolution that every man propounds to himselfe in any undertaking whether it be of action or passion quid habebo what shall I have if I do or suffer These are the voyces of all men both good and bad worldly men and others Even Judas himselfe when he went about that evill work of betraying Christ he encouraged himself by this word what will you give mee and I will betray him to you Nay and the Disciples themselves in a matter of greater moment a thing that concerned heaven as the discourse doth that we are now about they propound it to our blessed Saviour S. Peter moves him with this Lord we have left all and followed thee what shall we receive And it was the custome of Princes when they they set about any great achievement or undertaking to encourage the undertakers to come to the worke they propounded wages and prizes and rewards that they might draw them to it Generalls when they goe to fight to encourage their Souldiers to fight they use to make promises of Donatives to make them more resolute and valiant The same course here the blessed Apostle Saint James takes in the description of the great work he was about As a heavenly cryer he was to make publication here of a great undertaking the enduring of tribulation and because hee would not misse of his ayme but encourage many to come to the cheerfull undertaking here propounded he propounds to them the greatnesse of the reward that he may allay the sharpnesse of the suffering He lends the poore man that is in tribulation here a staffe to rest on it is not only one staffe but two Blessednesse is the one and the Crowne of life is the other These are good props a thorne was in the first word the enduring of tribulation but here is that that recompenceth it here is a Crowne and Blessednesse in these other words that I am now to speak of It is not blessednesse deferred the Apostle in a great deale of wisdome begins with blessednesse he doth not name tribulation without blessednesse When blessednesse is named a man may safely name tribulation It takes in all what God will give blessednesse and what the man that endures temptation is to receive from Gods hand that we cannot apprehend the glory of the crown of life These are the two things The one of them is the generall description of the reward The other the particular The generall description of the reward in this word Blessed is the man It is blessednesse that is the sum of all comfort and the retribution that is promised to the enduring of Tribulation And what shall I now say to you of that It is the thing that is in all your hearts and in the hopes and aimes of every man more or lesse even by the light of nature Though it be in all our hearts it is not in our understandings Paul can resolve us for that whereas other things that are good are subject to the eye we must not looke to have it in this respect Eye hath not seene Of other things the comforts of Gods spirit we may tell how they are described in Scripture and you receive them by the eare but of blessednesse Celestiall no tongue of Angells can speake sufficiently Eare hath not heard it Yet the things that eare hath not heard it is possible for the heart to imagine we may indeed in representation but we cannot in the fullnesse It hath not entered into the heart of man to conceive How great that good is that is comprised in this small compendium Blessednesse take it thus There are two things acknowledged by all even by those that have little insight into it The first that Beatitude it is the highest and the greatest of all good things that can be expected that nothing can be imagined above this It is the fruition of God it is whatsoever is set forth to us in Scripture to make us understand that glory It is not onely summam but the most spacious it comprehends in it all good things whatsoever Beatitude is so great a good that as St. Austin observes every man would be partaker of Beatitude not onely the good but even bad men that will not conforme to the rules of piety that lead to blessednesse they would faine have blessednesse though they care not for piety And there is no man that heares me now that is never so much affrighted with the name of Tribulation but would be glad to imbrace blessednesse they love the end but not the way It must needs be a great good that all out of that small glimpse of light that they have yet with so much earnestnesse desire It is so great a good that it comprehends in it all good things whatsoever It is as St. Austin saith the accumulation of all good it must needs be the accumulation of all good because it is the reward of every good action if it be the
onely true of the state of glory but of grace every grace is an eye devotion and prayer that is as an eye by which the devout soul looks up to God And faith that is an eye by which a beleiving soul spies God patience that is as an eye to look after comfort in affliction Every grace is as an eye but hope that is an eye that sees for all the sight of hope is serviceable to all other graces whatsoever they are It is the same to the soul that an Anchor is to the Ship the promise is the same to hope as hope is to the soul the promise is the Anchor of hope as hope is the Anchor of the soul It is better then other Anchors for in other Anchors the ship is above the Anchor that is let downe below it takes hold upon the Earth in the Bottome But here the contrary the ship of the soul that is below but the Anchor is above the Anchor is in Heaven there a man hath his hold hope is that Anchor hope is in Heaven because the promise is in Heaven Hope and the Promise cannot be Severed hope is therefore an Anchor in Heaven because the promise is seated there There being so much comfort to be drawne from the promise so much support to faith and hope and patience so many discoveries of the goodnesse and wisdome and truth of God that all these might appeare together and all be couched under one word hereupon after he had told us of the Crowne of life he adds this word so full of comfort and enjoyment for the present as well as for the future therefore he sayth that God hath promised That is the consideration in respect of God Now I goe on to another consideration on our partâ— there is another clause the Crowne that is promised to them that love God Here is that that is required on our part to get our title and interest in the promise A man would think that the Apostle should rather have varied it in this clause though love be an excellent grace and as much interressed in the promise as any other yet it was not so pertinent one would think to mention the love of God in this after he had spoken of suffering if it had run ordinarily and regularly it should have run thus Blessed is the man that endureth temptation for when he is tried he shall receive the Crowne of life which God hath promised to those that suffer for him Having made mention of tribulation before a man would have thought he would have continued in the course of speaking to those that suffer for him As Christ doth Blessed are those that suffer for righteousnesse sake for theirs is the Kingdome of Heaven Or if the Apostle would have set it larger yet he might have annexed it to other graces that are comprehensive as well as love as the Crown that is promised Timentibus to those that feare him Or Vincentibus to them that overcome and persevere Or Credentibus to those that beleive Or Colentibus to those that serve him all these have interest in the Crowne of life But he could not set it better it is set by the spirit of God but we may see good reason that the Crowne is promised to those that love him It is not Improper It is not Straite It is not Exclusive It is not improper having begun to speak of suffering blessed are they that endure and suffer tribulation tentation he ends with love why so there is good reason nothing enables a man more to suffer for the name of god then love God never thinks we suffer for him if we doe not love him There is no burthen so light but it is heavy if love be wanting and there is no burthen so heavy but it is light where love is As Bernard sayth there is nothing that love cannot make easie and light every yoake Solus amor c. As St. Austin sayth well love is onely that that finds no difficulty it leaps over every impediment and obstacle there is nothing can stand in the way of love to keep it from Christ Nothing is hard to love God cannot give a Command so severe to the eye of flesh and blood he cannot lay so much weight of suffering but love will beare it it makes all things easie The Apostle St. John he tells us in 1 John 1. of keeping the Commandements by Love and then followes This is love to keepe his Commandements and his Commandements are not grievious Why are they not grevious Love accounts every thing easie Therefore because he would shew the way how we are to suffer and to come to the Crown he sayth he hath reserved it For them that love him because love will endure and beare all things love will endure any thing for God There is good reason and it was very proper that the Apostle should place it so Secondly it is not exclusive it doth not exclude other graces that are not mentioned The Crowne is promised in other places to other vertues There is no vertue but hath the promise of the Crowne made to it in some place See the wisdome of the spirit of God he so gives honour to one grace that he passeth not by another As you have it concerning the Saints in the Old Testament there is an honour done to every Saint sometimes to one sometimes to another Sometimes Job is memorable for patience sometimes Abraham for faith David for repentance There is no Saint of God in Scripture but hath some remarkable note of commendation God so honours one that he doth not forget the rest every one in his way and kind So it is with graces they are all amiable and lovely and have commendation from Heaven but not all at the same time Every one interresseth in the Crowne but sometime one hath the promise sometimes another to encourage us to all That we may be encouraged to patience there is the promise to that that we may be stirred up to purity it is promised to that Againe to faith the promise is made to that and so of the rest every grace hath the promise therefore because in other places the promise is made to feare and faith and patience and purity the Apostle here singles out the Mistris grace and settles the promise on her on love they are not excluded though they be not named Lastly it is not a strait narrow expression but very full so full that it comprehends all other expressions Tell me what grace you would have cannot I find it in love Because love is the Bond of perfection in that it is made to love it is made to all there is none wanting where love is Love is the fullfilling of the Law it is all the Commandements in that it is all the Commandements it is all duties all duties are in love in that it is all duties it is all graces if love be named all is named As there is no grace that
and that his rejoycing is to be picked out of the word of God and that will appeare to us by three Propositions that are here contained The first is this that a Christian in this world hath his rejoycing he hath his rejoycing here his life even while it is a life of sorrow is a life of rejoycing Though they be creatures of mortification though they be Creatures daily excercised in repentance though they be daily tried by afflictions and tribulations yet Christianity is such an excellent estate that in the middest of tribulation they find comfort in the middest of mortification it administers rejoycing St. Paul found it not onely in tribulation but in other failings therefore he sayth of all godly sorrow causeth rejoycing It must needs be that there must be rejoycing in godly sorrow for godly sorrow produceth and raiseth joy therefore he sets it downe in another place As sorrowing but yet alway rejoycing He sets it downe with advantage he gives sorrow but a Siâ—ut as sorrowing As if the sorrow of a Christian in the world were not worthy the name of sorrow It is Sicut but Vera gaudenti alway rejoycing True rejoycing It is a slander and an evill report that men bring on Piety to think it makes men sullen and discontented alway in an afflicted estate There is nothing makes the heart more chearfull then a good Conscience there is nothing brings a good conscience so much as the favour of God a constant walking in the wayes of Gods Commandements a keeping to the rules and wayes of piety Christianity is not so stoicall as to grudge us of our joy A Christian is so far from being deprived of joy that he is the onely Creature indeed that hath the true title to it It doth not take away this affection it takes away none it improves none more then this Non lollit c. It doth not take it away but rightly tempers it it teacheth us to place it on the right object to keep the due bounds the right compasse That we may see that it doth not sequester or exclude the comfort or joy of the heart the Scripture calls upon them most of all and gives them Commands and in junctions of rejoycing and it doth it by reduplication Rejoyce in the Lord O yee righteous and least they should not be ready to take the first admonition Againe I say rejoyce there is an injunction from that St. Austin observes well the Saints in the World are tied to rejoyce to rejoyce in the Lord Si non c. If we doe not make use of this affection to Gods glory and our owne comfort we should repugne the Command of God and more then a single Command too there is a reduplication And St. Basile observes from that that the word is doubled Rejoyce and againe rejoyce it notes the encrease and augmentation of their joy they should not onely rejoyce a little but much not once but oft they should make it a continuall work There is good reason to stir us up to joy all the blisse of Heaven is set downe by joy Enter into thy Masters joy And not onely glory but the first fruits in this World are called by that name the joy in the holy Ghost To this purpose God encourageth us to it by the best examples the example of the Prophets and Apostles and if that be too little by the example of Angells and if that be too little by the example of God himselfe There is joy in Heaven joy among the Angells of God when it is said that there is joy in Heaven for one sinner that is converted there is joy with God Joy it is the affection that God honoureth because he will be sure to Invite us to take our fill of joy if it be right and spirituall joy There are none of all the Saints if we look to them but they had their time of rejoycing even those that were most depressed and afflicted Holy David Abraham Job Paul all these had their times of rejoycing Christianity it is a state of rejoycing and the Saints of God have their times to rejoyce in this world That is the first Proposition Secondly there is another that ariseth from this as they have a true title to joy so they have the onely title to true joy it is not superficiall joy that they are affected with it is substantiall joy substantiall joy is that that is upon true grounds and when joy is rightly seated The right Seat where is it The Spirit the heart of a man It is joy of heart they are the rejoycing of my heart Otherwise joy is not substantiall if it be out of its place from the Teeth outward in the outward man it is not true joy unlesse it be inward If it be outward onely it may be mirth as Tully saith yet not true joy joy is that that is in the heart and springs from the heart Even carnall men will be full of mirth they will have all the expressions of joy that are possible in the outward thing but it is onely superficiall dissembled joy it is not that joy that is truly within For in the middest of that mirth the heart is sorry The joy of the Hypocrite is short for a moment as holy Job sayth It is as the crackling of Thornes In the middest of that mirth there is the Worme of Conscience that damps all that is as the Hand-writing upon the Wall to Bellshazzar when it came to be read it filled him full of horrour and anguish and discomfort and vexation there are none of these outward things that can breed cordiall substantiall joy On the other side a godly man in the middest of sorrow can preserve joy of heart It is true a godly man is not alway as the wicked Jocund and joviall they are not loud in their mirth it may be they laugh not much but a godly man is still joyfull when he laughs not for there is the true mirth and joy that is within As the Poet sayd of the running of Nilus the running of Nilus is very still yet it is very swift though it make not any appearance of motion the excellency sayth he of the River is in this that it seems little to move and yet it moves apace So it is with the joy of a godly man the joy of a Christian moves not outwardly there is no revelling he doth not make boast of his joy but then within he hath it he hath the Feast of a good Conscience and there is the voyce of the Bridegroome and of the Bride The voyce of the Bridegroome must needs be there when the voyce of Christ is there when the voyce of the Spirit is there There is the pipeing and dancing in a spirituall sence and all those concommitants of mirth that attend the Feast of a good conscience A godly man onely hath true joy he onely hath cause to be so therefore David expresseth it in Psal 4. Thou hast put
Parents the constant love of the Father and the tender love of the Mother One word cannot set it out So here because all dominion is due to God and we are to pay him all subjection and service therefore one word cannot set it out there are words of both sexes used there is a relative to be found in both superiours Master and Mistresse and inferiours Servants and Hand-maid As the eyes of Servants and Hand-maids so our eyes waite upon the Lord our God There is mention of both sexes in our propinquity to Christ and his nearenesse to us that is the reason that both these are set downe So doe our eyes waite upon the Lord our God The fifth and last is that that makes the paralell and proportion to all the former there hangs the meaning So. As the eyes of Servants So doe our eyes And here now there is a great deale of matter in this word It argued a sweet temper in the Prophet David that he that was so great a Prince and King yet thought it his greatest honour to call himselfe by the name of Gods Servant Nay there was yet a greater submission he did not onely reckon himselfe in the number of Gods Servants but he learned this lesson from the duty that Servants give their Masters he stooped so low as to men of meane condition to be instructed It is a lesson you may learne from your Servants see what duty they give you give you the same to God So it seems to be but one argument but there are foure in it First De facto from the thing that was done as Servants give all respect to their Masters so will we to God Then De jure as Servants should give respect to their Masters so will we It is an argument taken from the equality as so we will doe it so chearfully as they doe our delight shall be in the Lord as they delight in their Masters We will doe it so properly as they doe we will wait on him in all things whatsoever he Commands us we will doe so they doe to their Masters we will doe it as plainly and evidently A good Christian looks on God so plainly that he considers him as neare him as the Master is to the Servant God is alway at hand What shall I say So that is so excellently so constantly and comfortably it is an argument taken from equality Nay further it is an argument that may be prest from a greater dependence So nay much more shall our eyes wait on the Lord. There is the true height of the argument We have more reason to wait upon God then Servants on their Masters Servants have a compensation and they deserve it for their work and service we doe no service for God that deserves any thing Servants owe obedience to their Masters not simply but in subordination to God we owe duty and respect to God simply Servants their eyes are fixed upon their Masters here on Earth our service is to be continued in Heaven Servants doe it for a time our service lasts alwayes Servants doe it for men of the same condition with themselves they give obedience to their Masters and yet have fellowship of nature with them and have priviledges and prerogatives of grace commonly they have the same title to Heaven the same fellowship of the Spirit yet they give true obedience to their Masters though they have fellowship in the Spirit and community of nature There is no such community between our great Master and us Christians there is an infinite distance between God and us therefore we must doe more God is infinitly gracious he powres out more blessings we have more good from him so then we should not onely doe so but more Therefore that is it now that Christians will lay hold on to force the word as David betters the coppie so let us better the similitude of David as Servants so we nay more But I must recall the word O it were happy if we gave so much as Servants to their Masters Where is the man to be found that gives more obedience to God then Servants to their Masters or that gives so much Who gives so much to God as his Hireling doth to him Who walks so faithfully to God as a Servant that is hyred but for one Weeke doth to his Master That is who gives so much service to God as a good Servant to a good Master Nay more as a good Servant to a bad Master Nay further as the worst Servant to any Master There is not the worst Servant but he gives obedience to any Master generally better then we doe to God In the fore-noone I told you it was a fault Servants are grown to an ill passe they are unfaithfull but now Masters will justifie Servants if the Servants be ill the Masters are worse There is not the worst Servant but may put us to â—lush when we consider our selves in the obedience we owe to God because there is not the worst Servant but gives better and more Compare the particulars The worst Servant can but delaâ—â—â—â—â—â— and wast his Masters goods and they are but temporall but we doe the graces of Salvation and the Talents that God hath given us not onely the Talents of life and health and strength and riâ—hes that we wast on pleasures but the Talents of grace and gifts and the hope of Heaven we delapidate out our Masters goods The worst Servants murmure when they are ill used by their Masters we grudge and repine when God poures plenty in our laps The worst Servant sleeps when his Master is absent we sleep in our Masters presence when he is speaking to us Not thinking that it is the Ordinance of God we will not take off our selves It is not onely an irreligious but an uncivill thing Infirmities will grow I yeild to it but let us strive against them we sleep in our Masters presence The worst Servant can but despise and contemne his Master he can but neglect his Commands and his worke and that work is corporall we neglect the work of our Master and it is a spirituall work the great work of his glory that brings good to our selves We are worse then the worst Servant there is not the worst Servant in the World but may be justified by the obedience that we give to God Examine it by these two perticulars we are glad to heare of God as a Father see if we account him a Master put the two Questions in the Prophet If I be a Master where is my feare If I be a Father where is my honour If God be our Lord and Master where is his honour and feare Here are the two Questions First if God be our Master where is our livery Servants goe in their Masters cloath without shame When I speake of a badge I speake not of the spirituall badge of Christianity but of the temporall badge for cloaths are of Gods bestowing There are the spirituall
hoped then to have made an end of these Meditations Then I considered that as I began this Feast with speaking of Mysteries so there could not be a better Subject chosen for the sealing up of the same And this Text that I have chosen now will answer that first Scripture for indeed it is much at one for it shews that the Mysteries of the Gospell are worthy not onely of the study of Apostles but of Angells Therefore it is that I have now made choise of this Scripture to be the accomplishment and fullfilling of that first dayes Indeed they were very far fetched however they have a good dependence in this Chapter of Peter yet they might have as good connexion to those words of Paul That I should make knowne the Mysteries of the Gospell sayth St. Paul that is the Text I began with and these words added to that make it full and compleat That I should make knowne the Mysteries of the Gospell which things the Angells desire to looke into It is a Scripture that hath some difficulty in it and will be well worth our study especially since it speaks of Angells and agrees with the solemnity that is past in a better and nearer nature then the former The first Text told us of the Christians Christmas this Text goes further and tells us how it is observed by the Angells themselves That seeing it is the birth of Christ that administers joy to the Angells it is the common theame of both let us now see in these words the common studie and inspection and speculation of both That the incarnation of Christ it was to be the rejoycing of the faithfull our blessed Saviour shews in John 8. Abraham desired to see my day and saw it and rejoyced That it was the common study of the Prophets St. Peter shews it here The Prophets enquired after it that it was the common study of the Apostles St. Paul tells us I desire to know nothing but Jesus Christ and him crucified that it is the common studie of Saints the same St. Paul saith Ephes 3. That ye may be able to comprehend with all Saints what is the height and breadth and length and depth c. Now that it is the common study of Angells St. Peter tells us after that he had mentioned the sufferings of Christ and the glory and the diseent of the Holy Ghost and the Preaching of the Apostles he closeth all up with this honourable conclusion Into these things the Angells desire to looke That I may the better therefore goe on with the resolution and full explication of these words I will reduce all that I am to say of them to these three parts that naturally rise out of the consideration of the words Qui Angeli Quae bona Quis radix desiderij Who are the Angells here spoken of whome the Apostle sayth They desire to looke into the Mysteries of the incarnation What those good things are that they desire to looke into And what is the root of this desire that carries them to this inspection These are the three things I shall consider First Qui Angeli who these Angels are Didimus Alexandrinus in his Commentarie upon this place it seems in his time they interpreted this place of the evill Spirits the evill Angels and Lorinus the Jesuite he goes about to shew so much out of Clemens Alexandrinus that Clemens not onely though I find not the place makes mention of the Interpretation but refutes them Therefore here now there is good occasion given to search well into the first thing to know who these Students are these that are the glorious beholders and Scrutators of this heavenly mystery that are the inspectors here spoken of these good Inquisitors to know what Angells they are Therefore briefly I will reduce it to these Propositions The first Negative that the place cannot possibly be understood of evill Angells of evill Spirits for these two reasons One reason is taken from the name and appellation of Angells Though the name be given sometimes in Scripture to the evill Spirits yet generally when it is applied to them there is some word of addition annexed whereby it may be knowne of whome the Scripture speaks The evill Angells the Angells of Satan the Angell of the bottomlesse Pit the Angells that kept not their first estate the Angells that sinned and the like Or if there be not some such clause of addition yet there is alway some circumstance of Interpretation that directs and points out who those Angells are when the Scripture calls those evill Spirits Angells as The Devill and his Angells Rev. 12. Know ye not that ye shall judge the Angells 1 Cor. Every one must needs be sure that this is meant of the evill Angells it cannot be meant of the good There is some circumstance alway in the Text that points it out when they are said to be Angells But for the holy Angells the blessed Spirits they are frequently and generally called so in Scripture for the most part if not alway when this word is simply met with it is appliable to good Angells And the reason is very evident because the name of Angell is a name of function by nature they are Spirits by Office they are Angells it is a name of Office and function and imployment since the name of Angell is a name of that holy Office and imployment that Gods puts them to and since the good Angells are onely put by God upon such imployments the evill Angells have onely his restraint and permission they have not his direction therefore the name of Angell cannot properly be applied to evill Spirits without abuse of the name Though they be Spirits as the good Angells are they are not Angells properly by nature they are spirits but by imployment Devills in malice Devills But the other as they are in nature Spirits so in imployment they are Angells Angells that is holy Angells because the name is generally applied to good Angells when there is no such addition that reason is sufficient That is one reason why it cannot be meant of evill Angells but that is not all Another reason is taken from the latitude and measure of the knowledge of Devils and evill Angells Though their knowledge be great of naturall things and much strengthened by experience yet for the Divine Mysteries of redemption their knowledge is altogether defective in it They are very cunning it is very likely in the Scriptures because they may have them ready to ensnare men but the saving Mysteries of the Gospell I make doubt whether they truely understand them I am confident the Devill did not understand the first Promise that was given so long before how the Seed of the Woman should breake the Serpents head before Christs Passion He was not sure that the Son of God should take our nature and that Christ was he till after the Resurrection their knowledge therefore in Divine Mysteries is very short and they care not to
It must needs be the good Angells that have benefit by these Mysteries that are used to be Witnesses to them Then in this first point there are these Vses redound besides that that follows When we look on the Persons the Angells there are two instructions arise I will but name them The first is this that it is an honourable imployment and service and study for a man to looke into the Mysteries of Salvation to be conversant about them we may looke to them with honour because they are speculations that befit Angells they are angelicall notions the Mysteries of faith and redemption even those that are revealed they are a study that befit the speculation of Angells therefore it is a great honour for any man â—o be busied about them If we had not this place to evince it by reason the Proposition is shewed plainly in Act. 17. Those Christians that are mentioned there the Bereans they are called Noble by the Spirit of God for this very purpose because they searched the Mysteries of Salvation as they were Preached by the Prophets and Apostles They are called Noble Christians because they were conversant in a noble study For this ennobles the mind and the whole man because it leads him to glory It ennobles the mind because it endues it with this honourable knowledge that is so illustrious that there can be no better There can be no better study in Heaven for the Angells of God They are called noble Bereans because they were conversant in this study St. Chrysostome tells us they were not called noble of themselveâ— those Converts they had no outward nobility but they are called so for the great dilligence they used in searching the Mysteries of Salvation Let prophane Porphirius and Julian the Apostate be scandalized at the Scriptures because of the simplicity of them as they speake we know there are these Mysteries in it that exceed the sight of Angells and those Mysteries that are revealed that they call simple they are so abstruse and excellent that they are not unworthy the speculation and study of Angells That is the first deduction that the Mysteries of faith are noble things to look into they may be looked into with honour the Angells make them their study Secondly as the Mysteries of faith may be looked into with honour so they must be looked into with sobriety and modesty because they are angelicall speculations that is they are deep and profound speculations Men that will be too busie to search the causes of the great Mysteries of predestination of the Trinity of the incarnation of the Son of God Men that will eyther spie out all or beleive none they will love nothing unlesse they can see all O here is that that may stay their busie heads we must not dive too farr Angells cannot see to the bottome Angells cannot see through them he onely can see through them that sees all things that is God And the great Counsell of God in these Mysteries cannot be dived into to the bottome by the Angells Because they are great sublime Mysteries the Angells make them their speculation It is with these Mysteries as it is with the Sun as Hillarie sayth it is a good comparison of him look as it is with the Sun sayth he there is somewhat in the Sun that you may look on if you will be content to see that you may but there is somwhat in the Sun that may not be looked on if you will not see that you may you shall see nothing at all for he that looks too fixedly on the Sun he can see nothing at all he loseth his eyes So the Mysteries of Salvation there is somewhat in them that may be understood if you will be content to understand those things that are revealed they may be understood but if you will not be content to look on those things that you may you shall lose the opportunity of understanding those things that you might He compares them to the Sun to teach us to looke on these Mysteries with sobriety We may well compare it with the condition of the Moone too as well as of the Sun There is somewhat in the Moone that was never defined all the Philosophers and Mathematicians with all their curious inspections and Instruments cannot tell what is the Mole what is the darknesse in the body of the Moone what the darke part is they cannot tell exactly There is somewhat in the Moone that they cannot tell what it is that is the dark part of it and there is somewhat that we can tell what it is the light part by that it affords us light to discerne So in the Mysteries of Salvation there is a dark part that is not intelligible and there is a part that is intelligible that we may be bold and must looke into here the inspection of Christians is required it is a holy comfortable study to converse in the Mysteries of Salvation But then there is the dark part that is non-intelligible here we must shut our eyes and sit downe silent and admire and be comforted in this that we cannot understand that there is something in this great worke that concernes us that is impossible to be comprehended For the parts that may be understood looke on them with the eye of inspection but the parts that cannot be looked on bring the eye of faith we must not search but beleive It is enough for us to know that they cannot be comprehended and God will not have them knowne Quod deus c. sayth St. Austin let us be content to be ignorant of that that God would have us ignorant of and since we could have knowne nothing of these Mysteries unlesse God had revealed them let us be content with that part that God hath revealed and made plaine to us because after all is done after the inspection of the glorious Spirits that have so much knowledge yet still they desire more and more to look into them There is somewhat in these Mysteries that will dazle the Angells at least their best thoughts That is the second thing as we may look to them with honour so we must look into them with sobriety and modesty I have done with the first thing who these Angells are that are spoken of here that have this great desire to looke into these Mysteries Which things the Angells that is the holy and blessed Spirits the good Angells that are about the Throne that are confirmed in grace I come now to the second and shall onely goe on with that at this time that is to see what are these good things Which things There is a great deale more difficulty in this then the former because the doubt is made to what this Pronoune relative hath reference To which The difficulties in this part are so many that now I find my selfe in a Labyrinth there is no Scripture almost more difficult And there are variations not onely of Interpreters but variation of Readings
that would take up almost the whole houre for a man to name the Authors that bring out variety of interpretations Therefore I will not trouble you with that I will not so much as gather them up together it will be but an unusefull point least I seeme to handle Commentaries and not the Text. I will onely touch at them in the last part as they come in my way and as they are usefull for the understanding of this Scripture Now we look to the second thing these good things there is no difficulty in the rest The desire here is an ardent desire the inspection is an accurate inspection to penetrate with a mans eyes so to looke as to look through to make a good inspection The Angells that are here spoken of I shewed to you and made it plaine that they are the good Angells there is no difficulty in any of these three words Well the onely difficulty is in this word Into which The word is Plurall yet all the Latine not onely Coppies and Translations of the Bible all but some that are later and there is no Writing of all the Latine Fathers excepting one or two that is Ireneus it is still read In quem in the Singular number Vpon whom So the Rhemists Translation reads it following the vulgar Latine they read On whome the Angells desire to looke We read Into which the Angells desire to looke Thereupon Gregory applies this Scripture to God himselfe that the object of the Angells inspection it is God understanding the three persons of the Sacred Trinity De deo c. sayth Gregory these things are uttered concerning God that it is upon him that the Angells desire to look Others apply it not to the three persons in the sacred Trinity but to the Holy Ghost in particular that there is so great glory such câ—equall and coessentiall glory of the Holy Ghost with the Father and the Son that the Angells desire to blesse their spirituall eyes with the continuall looking on it And indeed there is some probability for this reading for the Holy Ghost for the comming of the Holy Ghost is the immediate antecedent before the Text the Holy Ghost came downe from Heaven and then followes according to their reading Vpon whome the Angells desire to look Venerable Bede applies it by a way himselfe in particular he applies it in the Singular number but to the second person in Trinity Christ and Christ considered especially in his humane nature and the reason is somewhat probable because in the Verse before there is twice mention of Christ the Spirit of Christ and the Sufferings of Christ and then followes according to his reading Vpon whome the Angells desire to looke And if I should follow now this reading and take it in the Singular number and doe that injury and wrong to the Greeke Copy it would afford one or two very good points of instruction and the reading is not at all dissonant to the Articles of faith For certainly the Angells desire to look upon God and to behold the humane nature of Christ and to look upon the three persons in the sacred Trinity And if we should applie it to Christ it would afford a good point of Instruction whether we apply it to his humane nature or his divine If to his humane nature so the point is this that Christs humane nature at the right hand of God is made so glorious that the very Angells themselves as venerable Bede sayth not onely desire to fill their eyes with the glorious beams of his Divine nature but with that far transcendent excellency of glory wherewith his humane nature is cloathed They desire to see the glory of his humane nature It must needs argue a great deale of glory as much as it is capable of that is laid upon the humane nature of Christ more then on the Angelicall nature though it be not a Spirit that though in it selfe a body is not capable of so much glory as a Spirit yet the humane nature of Christ by reason of the hypostaticall union is capable of more glory then the Angells are And it must needs be a greater glory because the Angells desire to looke into it It is a point of great comfort to us to consider that our nature hath received already so much glory in Christ our head We know that our nature is capable of beatificall glory in the Members since it hath received already in such abundance in Christ our head it shall receive in an unspeakable manner there shall be a great deale of beatificall glory upon the Saints our nature in Christ is capable of glory already That is the first point if we apply it to the humane nature of Christ Againe if we apply it to the Divinity of Christ that the Angells look on Christ as God it affords us a point of Instruction that is this There is one essentiall beatitude of Angells and Saints in Heaven of men and Angells There is no essentiall difference in the beatitude of Saints and Angells Christ sayth in the Gospell we shall be like the Angells and be as they are What is the essentiall beatitude of Angells To look upon the Son of God Christ is as Basile speaks the delight of Angells And what is the beatitude of Saints To look upon the Son of God We know when we shall appeare we shall be like him for we shall see him as he is There is our happinesse in looking to Christ What is the beatitude essentiall of Angells Christ tells us Mat. 18. There Angells behold the face of your heavenly Father The face of God the beatificall Vision is their beatitude And what is the essentiall beatitude of the Saints Christ tells us Mat. 5.6 Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God Then here is no difference at all in the essentiall beatitude of the one and of the other Therefore the Scripture as in one place it calls Angells our fellow Servants Rev. 19. See thou doe it not for I am thy fellow Servant Angells are fellow Servants with Apostles and fellow Ministers and Ministers are fellow-Angells for so Ministers are called As they are called our fellow Servants so the Saints are their fellow Angells Heirs of the same Salvation Heb. 12. We are come to the first borne that are written in Heaven and to an innumerable company of Angells to enjoy the society of Angells we are fellow Heirs of the same Salvation there is the same-Heaven for both the same happinesse for both the same glory for both the same inheritance for both therefore the same happinesse because the same inheritance There is sayth St. Austin well one and the same inheritance of glory for them and us that is the Heavenly immortall inheritance sayth he sweetly Heaven is the inheritance of both which is as great to every one as to all and as great and full of Roome for many as to few Every one hath all Heaven that is all blisse all
this is a great extent this is the pole of Persons Further it reacheth not onely to the Visible Earth and the visible Heavens but to the invisible Heavens not onely to men but to Angells there are no poles of that Heaven there is no extent It is Salvation common to men with men and common to men with Angells being the common worke they make it their common beatificall or salvificall object these things of redemption of Salvation these things that are so delectable and salvificall that concerne our good as well as Angells it is into these things that they desire to looke Now I have done with the second thing I have shewed you who the persons are and what the good things are There is onely one behind that is the maine what kind of desire it is and what is the root of this desire and the cause of this inspection But thus much for this time SERMON II. 1 PETER 1.12 Which things the Angells desire to looke into HOWSOEVER the method of nature and the method of Art be justly in themselves distinguishable yet it falls out oft times that there is the same Proceedings in both and as nature goes before so Doctrine follows after such is the method that I have set to my selfe in picking out scriptures for you during the time of this solemnitie which is still continued to me though it be ended in it selfe if wee looke to the method of nature we shall find that the Creatures they are so ordered that man he is the horizon of all things visible and Angells they are the horizon simply of all Creatures Angells are the top and man is next to them therefore if we ascend in this order where man ends there it is that the Angelicall nature begins so man is in the confines of Angells above and other Creatures below In his body he partakes of Earthly things in his soule he hath affinity with the Angelicall nature man being the next Creature under Angells and Angells the onely Creature above man therefore I say where it is the humane nature ends there the Angelicall nature begins in order of ascending so in those Scriptures that I have propounded to you all the other Texts that I have chosen have beene for you that I might shew to you in what manner you are to entertaine the Declaration of these great benefits that this solemne time hath presented to us but now where man ends there the Angells begin and as I shewed you what your inspection should be so now I will shew you what entertainment the Angells give these tidings and great blessings and what their inspection is that as they desire to looke upon us when we are seemly conversant in the worship of God so now we may goe forward to look on them in this Text as the Scripture presents them to us and see how they are conversant in the admiring and entertaining of these Mysteries of Salvation they sayth Nazianzen keepe Christmasse with us I am verily perswaded sayth he the Angells keep this Feast this very day speaking of the Nativity of Christ I will goe a little further for I am not onely perswaded but I am sure that they keep not onely one day but every day for this their inspection is the keeping of the Angells Christmass the inspection into the incarnation of our blessed Saviour which because it is a great Mystery in it selfe and because the Text of Scripture that I handle wants not its difficulties therefore I am resolved to goe on in the course that the Lord set Ezekiel Ezek. 20. Son of man drop thy words Abstruse things are not to be cast downe by whole Buckets but by drops so there are three drops three things in it two I have gone over in the forenoone First who these Angells are I shewed at large Negatively not the evill Spirits Affirmatively that it must of necessity be understood of the good Angells the other Angells have no delight to look into the Mysteries of Salvation except it be for their wicked advantage they look to Mysteries but they are Mysteries of iniquity not to the Mysteries of redemption they find no sweetnesse in them it must be the good Angells those that were attendant and imployed and their service required and their ministration used to the Law in the publication of it and to the Saints of God in the making knowne and declaring those Mysteries they have benefite in them as well as we it is the good Angells Because these Mysteries of redemption are Angelicall speculations we need not to be ashamed to be conversant in the study of them it is an honourable study Because it is fit for Angelicall study we must look on them with sobriety the Angells set them bounds we must not goe too far That was the first-drop The second thing was what these things are in particular that the Angells desire to looke into I shewed in what Coppies the Singular number is used into whome the Greeke into which the same good things that are set downe in the foregoing words the good things testified by the Holy Ghost from Heaven certified by the Prophets before and reported by Christ that is in one word summarily the Mysteries of the Gospell those are the things they desire to looke into In particular they are high speculations that the Angells looke into They are delightfull and plausible arguments there are no sad thoughts come into the Angells hearts they study no sorrowfull subject whatsoever Thirdly they are all things that concerne Salvation the Angells thoughts run upon nothing else though they enjoy Salvation either in the glorifying of God for their owne or in striving to be serviceable to God in the furthering of others their thoughts are upon Salvation Lastly they are brotherly speculations The Angells have the good things they looke to with us they are theirs and ours nay more properly ours then theirs they are not drawne by these meanes they were confirmed in an instant we are drawne by degrees This is the sum of the two first parts in the forenoone There is but one behind which is the maine and will prove the longest that is to see Quae radix desiderij what is the Originall and ground of this holy desire that the Angells have to looke into these sublime and glorious Mysteries to make them the object of their speculation except we find out this we find out nothing Because there are many things questionable seeing oft times inquisition comes from curiosity or from want of desire or from ignorance and the Angelicall nature is not subject to these defects they are not curious to enquire into that that is concealed from them and they are not defective in the knowledge of any thing that is necessary for them to know therefore upon this Wheele the whole frame will turne to find out the ground and Originall of the desire of the Angells why they are carried with so holy and impetuous motion to looke to those Mysteries