and also ab illo malo from the deuill and all his designements Lastlie it is the perfection of the church if we respect the time to come for hee is the ancient of daies not to bee antiquated by length of time He is the perfection of our soules and bodies in the resurrection and in a word our exceeding great reward So he praieth verse 24. That we may be where he is that we may behold his glorie which was from euerlasting Of this knowledge of the power of Christs praier manifold is the holie and deuine vse practise 1. Of hope which quickneth vs. For while we pray heere on earth wee knowe and beleeue assuredly that Christ praieth for vs and pleadeth our cause as an aduocate in heauen In his humiliation hee praied for vs in his exaltation then assuredlie oh Angelicall Manna 2. Of reuerend boldnesse which the spirit of God exhorteth Seeing Heb. 4. 14. 15. 16. then that wee haue a great high Priest which is entered into heauen euen Iesus the Sonne of God Let vs hold fast our profession for wee haue not an high Priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities but was in all things tempted in like sort yet without sin Let vs therfore goe boldly vnto the throane of grace that we may receiue mercie and finde grace to helpe in time of neede 3. Of resolution if the praier of Elizeus was powerfull to restore 2. Reg. 4. 36. Act. 20. 12. to life the Sonne of the Shunamite and of Paul to bring againe the breath of Eutychus Why should not wee resolue to trust in the Lord albeit hee kill vs for he killeth and maketh aliue againe he laies vs in the dust and raiseth vs vp to euerlasting and euerliuing glorious felicitie 4. Of confirmation for heere are all the blessings of Garazim and the dew of Hermon which falleth vppon the hill of Sion which is Gods Church where the Lord promiseth his peace and blessing for Zach. 2. 5. euermore this is not murus aheneus but murus igneus not a wall of Brasse but of fire wherein is not onely protection but terrour and vtter destruction Protection to Gods Children a terrour to their enemies euen a far off but if they bee so foole hardie as imagining their skins to be thunder proofe and approach to hurt his church they and theirs shall bee vtterlie consumed 5. Of precedent wee ought also to pray for our selues and for our brethren for that is a countermure against all assaults of Sathan and therfore Christ our Sauiour so aduiseth vs Pray continually Luk. 18. Lastly of direction Christ praieth to God the Father immediately wee therefore in his name onely ought to send out our praiers not to Saint or Angell for that is an iniurie to the whole Trinitie First to God the father who is the obiect of our praiers so himselfe speaketh Call Psa 50. 15. vpon me in the time of trouble and I will heare you 2. To God the Sonne for he is the one and onely mediatour of our praiers There being but one God and one mediatour betweene God and man 1. Tim. 2. 5 which is the man Christ Iesus 3. To God the holy Ghost for he is the breath of our praiers Wee in our selues knowing not what to pray for Rom. 8. 26 nor how to pray as we ought but the spirit it selfe maketh request for vs with sighes vnutterable Now let vs descend from the person which is the Sonne of God vnto the parties which are the Sonnes of men First as they are designed by titles of fauour honour Secondly as they are distinguished by notes of separation from the world I pray for them which are my Sonnes by adoption my Saintes by calling my Princes and Priests by conuersation my beloued by decree my baptized by institution my Illuminates by purpose and mine Associates by promise His Sonnes so Saint Iohn stileth Iohn 1. 12. them As many as receiued him to them he gaue prerogatiue to bee the Sonnes of God An heauenlie priuiledge The Sons of men become the sonnes of God by knowing acknowledging Iesus Christ The same diuine in words of admired demonstration pointeth this out saying Behold what loue the father hath giuen to vs that wee wretches should be called the Sonnes of God And because the Euangelist thought it not enough that wee should be so called he addeth further Deerely beloued now are we 1. Io. 3. 1. 2 the Sonnes of God but yet it is not manifest what wee shall bee If then we be sonnes some vertue together with the seede is transfused Bonus sanguis non mentitur Honourable blood cannot counterfeit Whereupon the spirit of God warneth vs that we shew our selues as Sonnes not as bastards for Heb 12. 8 whome hee praieth not 2 I pray for them which are my saints by calling whome I haue purged by my blood and sanctified by my spirit The blood of Iesus 1. Ioh. 1. 7 Christ purging vs from al our sinnes And Paul testifieth that Iesus Christ was declared mightilie to be the sonne of God by the spirit of sanctification Rom. 1 not onely in himselfe which was powred out on him without measure but also vppon euerie one of his in some measure We ought therefore to bee holy as our heauenlie father is holie wee beleeuing also a communion of Saints which is seene by faith and not by eie 3. I pray for them which are my Princes my Priests by conuersation So Peter entituleth 1. Pet. 29 them ye are of the Royall Priesthood Royall therefore Princes Priesthood therefore Priests Princes in swaying their affections Priestes in sacrificing their pleasures and in offering their daily sacrifices to God for themselues others In euerie true christian there shineth a certaine princely maiestie seasoned and sorted with a Priestlie modestie and humilitie Chrysostome saith they are knowne by their gate by their looke by their vesture by their voice Their going princely being shod with the Eph. 6. 15. shoes of preparation of the Gospell Psal 131. 1 Their lookes Princely being lifted vppe vnto the hils from whence commeth their helpe Their vesture Priestlike al glorious Psa 45. 13. within Their voice Priestlike soft and milde as Iacobs voice and these are those for whome Christ heere praieth 4. I pray also for them which are my beloued by decree Beloued before they were Iacob haue I loued Beloued when they were children Hos 11. 1 when Israel was a childe I loued him Beloued when they were men Zorubbabel the sonne of Shealtiel shal be as the signet vpon Hag. vlt. my right hand Beloued when they are not Right deere in the sight of the Lord is the death of his Saints yea albeit Beggers yet beloued for angels attend them in after death Luc. 16 22 to carrie and conuey them to rest 5 I pray for them which are my Baptized outwardly by
of this world Therefore it is consonant that he as a King praieth not for the world As touching his Priesthood many and manifold are the obiections but they may be reduced briefly to these foure heads The first drawen from the power of his passion The second from the equitie of his will The third from his owne practise And the fourth from Apostolicall exhortation 1. From the power of his passion is obiected that of Saint Iohn He 1. Ioh. 2. 2. is the reconciliation for our sins and not for ours only but for the sinnes of the whole world Why therefore doth hee not pray for the world seeing hee is the propitiation for the sinnes of the whole world The same Euangelist elswhere answereth it He came indeed vnto his Io. 1. 11. 12 owne but his owne receiued him not But to as many as receiued him to them he gaue this prerogatiue to bee the sonnes of God Their destruction and desertion therefore is of themselues because they do not receiue him The second obiection drawen from the equitie of his will is that of S. Peter where 2. Pet. 3. it is said that he would that all men 2. Pet. 3. should bee saued How then can that bee seeing heere hee praieth not for all men The answer herevnto is that his will is two-fold to wit voluntas Signi and voluntas Beneplaciti His reuealed will and his concealed will He praieth saith Saint Augustine that 's his Aug. in Iohan mercie For he hath mercie on whom hee wil haue mercy He praieth not that 's his iustice For there are vessels Rom. 9. of wrath prepared for destruction The third obiection is taken from his owne practise for hee praied for his enemies father forgiue thē The answer Christ was then the Lambe of God and in his deepest humiliation wherein hee shewed all tokens of meekenesse and mercie but heere in the distinguishment of the sheep from the Goates he is the Lion of the royall blood of Iuda that rendeth in peeces his aduersaries and diuideth the spoile The fourth obiection from Apostolicall exhortation is that of Saint Paul who exhorteth 1. Tim. 2. 1 That praiers and supplications bee made for all men The answer This word All is not to be vnderstood de singulis generum but de generibus singulorum as that also in our Liturgy That it may please thee to haue mercie vpon all men which some haue made an nicetie of is not vnderstood collectiuè but distributiuè as Master Perkins consenteth But that of Cyrill meeteth al obiections and descendeth to the third office of Christ as hee is a Prophet For that ancient Father saith Christ speaketh heere spiritu prophetic◠for obserue the maner In his passion hee praieth for his aduersaries not mentioning his Disciples heere hee praieth for his Disciples and excludeth his enemies Neither is this dissonant from Dauid his tune when he said Let their Table bee made a Psal 6 9. snare bow downe their backs and let that which was for their wealth bee vnto them an occasion of falling and the like for this is no imprecation but a prophecie that so it shal befall the accursed the Lords enemies Augustine is of the same iudgement Christ might saith Augustine haue praied in silence vnto his heauenlie father but hee would not First because he might be an example vnto his Disciples that they might also pray Secondlie that hee might make knowne vnto them the mysteries of the kingdome of heauen to whom they belonged whereof this was not the least to wit That the vngodly had no portion with them of the praier of their Lord and Sauiour But let vs heare Christ himselfe First excluding the reprobates in generall in this verse I pray not for the world and secondly in particular excepting Iudas as you see verse 12. Where you may obserue that he praieth not for his confusedly but particularly for the Lord knoweth who are his Now then ye see that as he is a king he answereth My kingdome is not of this world As he is a Priest all receiue him not albeit he profer offer himselfe vnto all and as a Prophet he foretelleth what shall bee the portion of the wicked to drinke But if any shall bee yet curious and obiect that the person of the Sonne of God suffered which is sufficient I answer that the Pascall Lambe profited the Israelites onely and not the Aegyptians The vse of all this is First that the promises of God doe onelie concerne the faithfull And therefore let men remember that of Saint Augustine Sperando desperando miserè pereunt homines by hoping wickedly and wantonlie all their life in the mercy of God desparing worse in their death by forsaking the liuing Lord men miserably perish The second vse is that albeit Paul preach yet Christ is indeed to some the righteousnesse of God but to others the Rock of offence So that the effect is not in the Preacher but in the disposed auditour Lastly that a Prophet must aswell denounce Gods iudgements as pronounce his mercies So did Hosheah to the Clergie when he cried O ye Priests Hos 5. 1. heare this and to the Laitie Harken O ye house of Israel and to the kings Court Giue eare O house of the king for iudgement is toward you because yee haue beene a snare in Mizpah a net spred vpō Tabor In like manner also doe al the Prophets Fitly therefore heere doth Christ Iesus the very spirit of Prophecy proclaime the wicked world to bee excepted in his holy and heauenly mediation He therefore saith I pray not Durus est hic sermo quia cor nostrum durius Did the sunne stand still at the praier of Iosua did it Josh 10. 12 2. Reg. 20. 11. Mat. 26. 45. retire ten degrees in the Dial of Ahas at the word of Ezechias And was it darkened at the passion of Christ Iesus No maruell then if now it had stood still and neuer againe mooued or retired to the vtmost corner of the world and neuer returned or beene vtterly darkened and neuer giuen any light againe seeing the light of the world and the Sonne of God said I pray not for the world Ex. 19. 18. Did Mount Sinay tremble at the giuing of the Law and the walles Iosh 6. 20 of Iericho fall downe when the Priests sounded their Trumpets and did the earth quake at the passion of Iesus Christ as fainting vnder such an hideous burthen Mat. 26. 51 that the wicked and accursed sonnes of men should execute the Lord of life No maruell then if the whole frame and fabrik of heauen of earth had not beene dissolued into their ancient Chaos when Christ Iesus by whom all things were made shall say I pray not for the world But the heauens the earth are reserued vnto 2. Pet. 3. 7. the second and glorious comming of the Lord and are now preserued and susteined only for
earthly things for they are put betweene their sight and the Church So saith Saint Paul If our 2. Cor. 4. 4. Gospell bee hid it is hid to them that are lost in whom the God of this world hath blinded the mindes of the infidels that the light of the glorious Gospell of Christ which is the Image of God should not shine vnto them Note that the God of this world blindeth them and so they suffer a fearefull eclipse The Sunne is Idem in tract desphaera eclipsed when the bodie of the Moone is interposed betweene our sight and the bodie of the Sunne not that the Sunne loseth any light but is therby shadowed from our sight In like manner the sonne of GOD is eclipsed to the wicked worldlings by the offence that they take of the churches meanenesse This is apparent by the speech of the Pharisies Doth Ioh. 7. 48. 49. any of the Rulers or the Pharisies beleeue in him but this people which know not the law are accursed The offence they take at the church is the meannes deiection therof which yet is confirmed by our Sauiour That the poore receiue the Gospell Fitly also are they resembled by the Meteors for the Philosophers Aristot de meteor l. 1. tearme them the passions of the Elements so likewise are these distemperatures of the world In the Church they are Heretikes and Schismatikes In the Common-wealth Traitors and Combustions In societies and corporations the fire brands of hell and dissension They are Meteors of euerie element of the fire as tailed Meteors for if they bee great and honourable in the world they draw a great traine with them of Seruitors and Retainers all which must bee at their beck and insist in the steps of their insolencie and diuellish policie many of which sort of Meteors do fall from the firmament and so do these and the fal of them is great And some of these Meteors are not indeed of the fire but seeme to bee hauing in them neither illumination nor heat but onelie a false glimmering and these the Naturalists call ignes fatui walking fires in the night season So these wretched worldlings haue no goodnesse neither effectiuè nor formaltier neither in themselues reallie nor towards others indeed and verilie but onely a false and feigned glosse of goodnesse hypocrisie Like also to the Meteors of the Ayre For Bernard calleth them venti furentes raging and blustering winds throwing downe and violently ouerturning whatsoeuer occurreth them And Augustine calleth them venti Aug. in soliloquio adurentes windes scorching and drying vp by their vnthankfulnesse the chrystall streame of Gods mercie and grace which would flow vnto them Like also vnto the watrie Meteors euen to those Nubes pendulae which promise raine but giue neither drop nor dew So Saint Iude stileth them Clouds they are without water Iude 12. carried about of euerie winde Lastly among the Meteors of the earth to lead are they resembled by the Prophet for he saith Iniquitie is as Zac. 5. 7. 8. a talent of lead which if they doe not looke vnto it will weigh and sway them downe to the bottomlesse pit of hell and heauinesse You see now how fitly the wicked are resembled to the eclipses and Meteors of the firmamentarie world Now let vs descend vnto the Elementarie and heerein they are like vnto them in their corruption and rebellion First vnto the fire in vnkinde blastings so these in their wilfull and wicked blasphemies Secondly vnto the Aire when it infecteth so they by their euill examples and misperswasions corrupt and taint all those which are neare vnto them Thirdly as the water by vncouth and vnvsual inundations doth runne ouer the land and destroieth both the corne and cattel so doe these cormorants and wretched worldlings depopulate whole countries by enclosures by racking their miserable tenants Lastly they are fitly resembled vnto the Briers and Thornes of the earth for the spirit of God saith as is the Lilly amōg the thornes so is my spouse among the Can. 2. 2. daughters As for the causes of the world they know but two therafter they work accordingly The 1. is the material cause They happilie credit and deeme the world to bee made of nothing for they desire to reduce and bring it and themselues to nothing And in liuing here without Christ it to thē they to it are nothing for asmuch as without him was made nothing For if a worldling be deuote Ioh. 1. 3. his religion is an Idoll and an 1. Cor. 8. 4. Idoll is nothing in this world and if hee bee irreligious and an Atheist his bellie is his God and the end thereof is faeda annihilatio filthie nothing This being the difference betweene a superstitious Plutarch 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 person an Atheist the one 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 thinks there is no God the other 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 wisheth there were no God to punish his Idolatrie so that the world to them and they to themselues are nothing Their life onely beeing a meere phantasie and their liuelihood a meere fopperie And as the world is said to be round which is the formall cause so these wretches run aroūd temporizing in the world doing a Omnia pro tempore nihil pro veritate Al things to fit the time nothing for the truth b Optat. li. 1 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chrysost 2. Tim. 3. 7 Alwaies about the way neuer in the way like those silly women that Paul speaketh of Who are euer learning and neuer come to the acknowledgement of the truth For if you respect their practise they are like vnto the Hedge-hog which hath two holes one toward the South the other toward the North and when the winde bloweth in the north she shutteth that and openeth the other toward the South and turneth her selfe that way If the winde blow in the South shee openeth that to the North and that way reposeth herselfe Semblably doe these for with euerie winde they turne and with euery note tune accordinglie If you respect their heart it is like the cart wheele which alwaies turneth round in the dirt so their affections are turmoiled in the vilest and basest conditions If you mark their thoughts they are like a rowling axe-tree euer deuising mischief and miserie euen vpon their beds for there is no pece to the wicked In a word if you consider their whole life it is like vnto a Mil-horse euer mouing round and neuer going forward but at night in the same place as in the morning so these as religious as godly as well disposed at thirtie as at twentie at sixtie as at sixteen at the euening of their death as at the morning of their birth And for other causes besides these two they neither know nor desire to learne For as touching the efficient cause which is God they haue said with the cursed in Iob Depart from vs wee