Elect Angels to procure the confirmation of them in their estate of holiness and happiness But in this I determine nothing because the holy Scriptures are so sparing in speaking of it The usual acception of this word Mediator is to signifie him that reconciles parties that be at difference and in this sense Jesus Christ the word made flesh is truely and properly called a Mediator to reconcile God and man because he interposeth himself between God and us in this difference that sin hath made to reconcile Gods justice to us by making satisfaction for our sin and to reconcile us to God by sanctifying our natures and making us conformable to his will in this life inchoatly and at death perfectly CHAP. V. The holy Scriptures being owned at least in outward profession by men of all professions that lay claim to the common name of Christianity we may therefore take it for granted that Arguments drawn from them should put an end to all strife amongst us The design and method of the four following Chapters proposed THe Reverence we owe to the authority of the holy Scriptures doth oblige every good Christian not onely to account it a necessary piece of humility to subscribe to the doctrine thereof as the will and pleasure of him that made us and to whom we owe all obedience but also to esteem it the safest and most prudential course to entertain and embrace the truths thereof as the Word of him who is Wisdom it self and therefore cannot err or be deceived and Goodness it self and therefore we may be sure he will not endeavour to seduce or delude us So that though there be divers things contained in this Sacred Volume which our shallow capacities cannot reach to comprehend yet we finde reason enough to impute it to the defects of our Nature and not to any over-sight in those Sacred Writings that we cannot always see a reason of every thing therein delivered And the Soveraign Authority and infinite Wisdom of him that inspired those holy men that wrote these Books is a sufficient argument to move us to a reverent submission to those matters of Faith which surpass the reach of our reason and therefore as every sober Professor of Christianity makes the Word of God the foundation of his Faith so the best Arguments that can be produced for the confirming of our Belief in that Faith which hath been delivered unto us will be such as are fetched from this Sacred Promptuary of holy Writ And as I was mentioning it before Chap. 2. for the honour of the Word of God that men of all Sects and perswasions who center in the common Profession of the Christian Religion do at least pretend great reverence to these Writings and whether in good earnest or in design to put off their opinions the more plausibly in the world do endeavour to represent even their most heterodox and incredible Notions as the Doctrine of the Spirit of God in the Scripture we may therefore very reasonably expect that Arguments drawn from the Scriptures should be convineing to them and an end of all strife And further that the fair and plain meaning of the words of Scripture which is most obvious to every man of understanding and which hath been received by the Church of God in all ages should be embraced by them as well as by us as the ground upon which all Arguments are to be built It being as absurd in matters of Reason and Faith for one or a few men to expect that his or their single Vote for some singular meaning of a plain Text of Scripture should be heard in opposition to the judgement of the Church of God in all ages as in matters of sense it would be for one man confidently and contentiously to pronounce that colour to be white or red which all his Neighbours and people of all Ages before him have received under the notion of black We may therefore take it for granted that Arguments drawn from the plain and obvious sense of the Scripture such as hath been received by the Church in all Ages should be accounted sufficient both to confirm the faith of those that are serious in Christianity and also to convince or at least put to silence those that are dissenting from us In order therefore to the confirming of us in the belief of this Truth which is the substance of the whole Doctrine of the Gospel that The Word made flesh or God the Son manifest in the flesh hath truely and really undertaken and performed the Office of a Mediator to reconcile God and man I shall propound these four general Heads to be considered and confirmed First That the Lord did promise to Adam after his fall and to all the Fathers and Prophets of the Old Testament his own Son to become man and in the Union of these two Natures to perform all those Offices which were necessary in order to our Redemption and Salvation Secondly That the Time which was appointed for the accomplishing of these promises and Prophesies and for the sending of the Son of God into the World is long since expired and consequently that we ought stedfastly to believe that our Saviour is already come in the flesh Thirdly That we have full and sufficient grounds to believe that the same Jesus whom the New Testament holds forth unto us and in whom we and all the Churches of God in all Ages have believed is that very Person who was promised to the Fathers to come as the Messiah or Saviour of the World Fourthly That the Apostles and Evangelists in the New Testament do hold forth unto us such a Christ as was really and truly God and Man Hypostatically united in one Person and who did in a real and proper sense satisfie Gods Justice for our sins and purchase eternal Salvation for us by his Merits On this Rock is the Church of God built Matt. 16.18 On this have every one of us built our particular Faith and in this we had need to be fully and persectly setled And he that is confirmed in the truth of these four Positions is confirmed in the whole Doctrine of the Gospel Let us then proceed by the assistance of the good Spirit of God to the opening and confirming of them in order CHAP. VI. The first Proposition confirmed in its two Branches viz. First That God did promise to the Fathers of the Old Testament to send his Son into the World to take our Nature upon him Secondly That he promised that in the Vnion of these two Natures he should perform all those Offices which were necessary in order to our Redemption and Salvation ALL the Promises of God are Yea 2 Cor. 1.20 and Amen Faithfulness and Truth as being the Words of the God of Truth Tit. 1.2 who cannot lye Hath he spoken it and shall it not stand Hath he promised and shall he not make it good Mat. 5.18 Behold Heaven and Earth shall pass
diligence in the rectifying those mistakes which impose upon mens Consciences and cut off all just occasion from them that are ready to seek occasion for delivering up their minds to be seduced to an embracing of that which is evil Let us put no advantage into the hands of false Teachers that make it their business to deceive ignorant and well-meaning people Nor let us justly provoke such people to deliver up themselves as a prey to those Foxes and Wolves And to this end give me leave to commend to you this two-fold word of Exhortation 1. To be diligent and constant in preaching such sound Doctrine as may both exhort the people to that which is good and also convince Gain-sayers Let not the people have any just occasion given them to follow these grievous Wolves because those that should teach them are dumb Dogs Isa 56.11 that either cannot or will not bark and look after nothing but every man his gain from his quarter Let them find that the Priests lips do preserve Knowledge and that it is the best course for the people to seek the Law at their mouths Mal. 2.7 who by their Office are the Messengers of the Lord of Hosts 2 Tim. â— 2 Let 's take the Apostle Exhortation Preach the Word be instant in season and out of season reprove rebuke exhort with all Long-suffering and Doctrine 2 Tim. 2.15 Let us shew our selves Workmen that need not be ashamed of our work and such as are not a shame to our Work and Profession but rightly dividing the word of Truth so as to carve to every man his portion Tit. 1.11 And withal There are some whose mouths must be stopped who creep into Houses 2 Tim. 3.6 and lead captive silly people And these we must confute if they will not be convinced with sound Doctrine that the people may see the reasonableness of the truths which we preach the unreasonableness of the errors that are taught in corners And for those that are impetuously obstinate in their errors I doubt not but our Church which hath waited for their return with much long-suffering 2 Cor. 10.8 will seasonably exercise towards them that power which God hath given Acts 20.28 for their edification and not for their destruction 2. We must also take heed to our selves as well as to our Doctrine that we give no advantage to false Teachers to insinuate into men of good Affections a fancy to leave the Church because of the scandalous lives of them that are publick Preachers 1 Tim. 4.12 Let us be to the Believers a pattern not onely in word but also in Conversation in Charity in Spirit 1 Sam. 3.13 in Faith in Purity Remember how God did punish Eli's house when his sons by their wicked lives made men to abhor the offerings of the Lord. Remember what God threatens to the Priests Mal. 2.2 3. Mat. 5.17 and 8 9. Remember also our Saviours words Ye are the salt of the Earth if the salt have lost its savour wherewith shall it be seasoned It is thenceforth meet for nothing but to be troden under feet of men 1 Tim. 4 16. Let us therefore take heed to our Selves and to our Doctrine and then we may hope that we shall be Instruments to promote the salvation of our selses and of those that hear us However Isa 49.4 5. Though Israel be not gathered yet shall we be glorious in the eyes of the Lord And our judgment shall be with the Lord and our work with our God 2 Tim. 3.13 Though evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse deceiving and being deceived Ezek. 3.19 yet we having discharged the parts of faithful watchmen shall have delivered our own souls Now the Lord of his mercy inform the Consciences of those that are erroneous Acts 24.16 and soften the Consciences of prophane sinners and give us all grace to keep Consciences void of offence toward God and man in this world that so when we have fought our good fight 2 Tim. 4.7 8. and finished our course and kept the Faith unto death we may at death receive the Crown of Righteousness through the alsufficient merits of Jesus Christ To whom with the Father and the Holy Ghost let us give as is most due all Honour and Glory world without end Amen FINIS THE SUBTILE and PESTILENT NATURE OF Seducers A SERMON Preached in the CATHEDRAL AT SARUM Upon St. Marks Day 1665. By Paul Lathom M. A. 1 John 1.4 Beloved believe not every spirit but try the spirits whether they be of God because many false prophets are gone out into the world Printed by T. M. 1666. THE Subtile and Pestilent Nature OF SEDUCERS Ephes 4.14 That we henceforth be no more Children tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine by the sleight of men and cunning craftiness whereby they lye in wait to deceive THE Gospel written by St. Mark whose memory we celebrate this day hath in all Ages been received as Canonical Scripture But there hath been some difference amongst the Learned concerning the Person that wrote itâ— some affirming it to be written by that Mark whom St. Peter calls his Son 1 Pet. 5.13 Others supposing the Author of it to be that Mark who was also called John the Son of Mary of whom we read Acts 12.12 That he whom St. Peter calls his Son was the Evangelist I suppose to be beyond controversie the onely doubt that remains is whether he was the same with John-Mark 〈◊〉 Son of Mary or another person of the â—â—â—e name This I cannot finde absolutely determined by the Learned and Judicious and therefore shall leave it in the middle It is agreed that this St. Mark the Evangelist was the first Bishop of Alexandria as Dorotheus tells us and that he preached the Gospel to all those parts from Egypt even to Pentepolis The time of whose Preaching the Gospel in Egypt Buchol Chronol Bucholtzer determines to be about the 44th year of Christ Concerning the time when he wrote this Gospel no certainty can be gathered out of Historians Euseb Eccl. Hist l. 2. c. 15. saith Bullinger But Eusebius reports it to be presently after the confusion of Simon Magus which was in the Reign of Nero and about the 68th year of Christ And yet Bucholtzer in his Chronology reports from Eusebius I suppose his Chronicle that St. Mark did suffer death four or five years before this time So that the most Learned and diligent searchers of Antiquity are not free from over-sights especially in Chronology But this by the way For the occasion of the writing of this Gospel Eusebius relates it thus Eccl. Hist l. 2. c. 15. out of Clemens Alexandrinus That after that wonderful confusion of Simon Magus the Christian Religion began so much to flourish and encrease amongst them that had heard St. Peter preach that they were not content to hear
away sooner then one iota or tittle of his Word fail till all be fulfilled And therefore if we make it appear that such a thing was promised by God to the Fathers that the Son of God should be Incarnate to the end that he might be a Mediator between God and man and the Authour of Eternal Salvation to us I suppose no man that reads this will doubt but that in the fulness of Time these promises would take effect Now that God did all along to the Fathers of the Old Testament make such a promise will be evident by considering First The Names and Titles that are applied to him that was promised to come as the Messiah which will shew that he was foretold to be such an one as should be truly God and truly Man Secondly The Offices that are applyed to him which will shew that he was foretold to come as the Saviour of the World First I say the Names and Titles which up and down the Old Testament are given to the Messiah that was promised do shew that for his Person he should be God and Man and some of them also do point at his Office 1. Gen. 3.15 We find him stiled The Seed of the Woman that should break the Serpents head His Humanity is denoted in his being the Seed of the Woman his Divinity in that Office that is ascribed to him To break the Serpents head which may very fitly be interpreted by that expression of the Apostle He was manifest to destroy the works of the Devil 1 Joh. 3.8 Now no person can enter into the strong mans house except he be stronger then he To the same purpose is that other expression where he is called Gen. 22.18 The Seed of Abraham in whom all the families of the Earth shall be blessed which as it foretels his humane Nature which should be born of the Seed of Abraham so it shews that he was to come as a general good to the world not onely to be the glory of his people Israel Lu. 2.31 but also to be a Light to lighten the Gentiles that both Jews and Gentiles might through him be delivered from that curse which they were liable unto through Sin and might be partakers of the blessedness that he hath purchased by his Sufferings and Obedience And this likewise foreshews that he should be the Son of God in that his sufferings and obedience are represented of such infinit value as to purchase so great and general benefits to Mankind 2. He is sometimes called by the name of Shiloh Gen. 49.10 by which word is understood the Messiah as is evident by the Caldee-Paraphrase and most of the Ancient Rabbies who in this place for Shiloh do read Messiah As to the signification of this word some derive it from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifies the Secundine that contains the Embryo in the womb and in this sense it may denote that the Messiah should be born an Infant and also say some that he should be born of a Woman without a Natural Father Others derive it from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to send and so it may denote his Office that he should be sent by God the Father into the world for the Salvation thereof Others derive it from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifies Peace and so likewise it may denote his Office that he should be the Author of Peace and Reconciliation between God and man and should purchase eternal Happiness for us and therefore he is called our Peace Eph. 2.14 However we interpret this word yet still it speaks the Messiah to be such a Person and designed to such an Office as I said before 3. He is elsewhere stiled A Prophet whom the Lord should raise up to Israel like unto Moses Deut. 18.15 The Lord thy God shall raise up unto thee a Prophet this both shews that he should be a real and not a fantastical Person and it sets before us one of those Offices which he should undertake in order to our Redemption He shall be raised up in the midst of thee of thy brethren and this shews that he was to be the Son of Man That this Prophesie belongs to Christ is evident from Acts 3.22 and Chap. 7.37 4. Psal 80.15 David calls him The Man of Gods right hand and the Son of man whom he had made strong for himself And this shews both the truth of his Divine Nature where in he was the man of Gods right hand the Son of God Phil. 2.7 equal to the Father in Power and Glory in Blessedness and Eternity and also it foretels that God the Father should prepare him a body in which he might suffer for our sins and which by the Hypostatical union with the Divine Nature was made strong to undergo that wrath of God and to break through the bonds of Death which no meer man would have been able to do likewise by the Union of the Divinity with the Humanity of Christ his suffering should become of infinit value and Heb. 9.14 This blood of Christ being offered up by the Eternal Spirit should be able to purge our consciences from dead works to serve the living God Further David calls him his Lord who was foretold to be his Son after the flesh Ps 110.1 The Lord said unto my Lord Sit thou on my right hand till I make thine enemies thy footstool now the same person being in different respects Davids Son and Davids Lord this shews him to be both the Son of God and the Son of Man 5. He is called Immanuel Isa 7.14 which shews the admirable and unconceivable Union of the Divine Person of the Word with that flesh that he took upon him God was pleased to dwel with men on earth 1 King 8.12 and to pitch his Tabernacle amongst us in a more near and especial manner when the Word was pleased to be made flesh Joh. 1.14 And this stupendious Transaction was not for nothing but for this end that being a middle Person between God and us Medium participationis one that did partake of both Natures he might fitly stand as a middle Person Job 9.33 and lay his hand upon us both 6. We have other Titles given to him in that eminent Scripture Isa 9.6 7 which serve to denote both his Natures and Offices To us a Child is born to us a Son is given This shews the humane Nature of Christ which should be taken into that near Union with the Person of the Son of God And the Government shall be upon his shoulders This denotes that Kingly Office which Christ as our Mediator did undertake And his Name shall be called Wonderful in regard of the Ineffable Union of the two Natures in the Person of one Mediator to which agrees that of the Apostle 1 Tim. 3.16 Without controversie great is the mystery of godliness God manifest in the flesh Further he is called
David Reigned but that he should exercise a spiritual jurisdiction over The Israel of God as I have spoken before To this purpose also is that which Daniel speaks of The God of heavens setting up a Kingdom that should never be destroyed Dan. 2.44 which is spoken of the Kingdom of Christ And that Zechariah speaks of thus Behold thy King cometh unto thee Zechar. 9.9 which is applyed to our Saviour Mat. 21.7 By all this it is sufficiently evident to every sober and impartial eye that the Lord did promise to the Fathers of the Old Testament his own Son to become man and to be a Mediator between God and man and that accordingly the Spirit of God in the Law and the Prophets hath attributed to the Messiah who was promised such Names and Titles as speak him to be such a Person and withal that they foretel him to be designed by the Father to such Offices as were necessary to be performed in order to our Redemption and Salvation CHAP. VII The second Proposition confirmed by nine Arguments viz. That the time which was appointed by God for the accomplishing of these Promises and Prophesies and for the sending of the Son of God into the world in our Nature is long since expired so that we are certainly to believe that our Saviour is already come in the flesh THat God the Father was pleased in his wonderful goodness and tenderness toward Mankind to make very gracious promises concerning the sending of his own Son into the World to be our Redeemer and Saviour I think hath been made so evident that he who would go about to cavil at it must either bid open defiance to the belief of the Law and the Prophets or if he profess with his mouth that he believeth them yet he will shew indeed by his wresting of them that he bears very little reverence to them Now as we have seen how the inestimable love of God was manifest in that man had no sooner fallen from obedience to his Creatour and given him occasion to pronounce that sentence of the Law which his Justice did shew to be the due desert of sin but he did presently even in the midst of judgement remember mercy and promised unto man a Saviour that should deliver him from that curse of the Law which was but now denounced So now let us see the admirable faithfulness of God who hath fulfilled with his hand what he promised with his mouth and When the fulness of time was come Gal. 4.4 did send forth his Son made of a Woman made under the Law The Apostle tells us that the Doctrine which they preached of Christ being then already come and crucified for our sins was to the Jews a stumbling-block 1 Cor. 1.23 44. and to the Greeks foolishness and we may add that what he told us before we have still reason to tell you weeping 2 Cor. 3.24 that to this day the vail is upon the hearts of the Jews even a double vail of ignorance and obstinacy so that though the wrath of God hath come upon this Nation to the utmost 1 Thes 2 16. and doth continue to this day by reason of their crucifying the Lord of Life yet will they not be sensible of it but still are ready to cry as their fathers formerly Mat. 27.25 His blood be on us and on our children And which is more sad many even amongst the Professours of Christianity are waxed so wanton in matters of Religion that they would be glad to finde out some new sawces to gratifie the vanity of their own appetites would fain finde some new matters in this great Mystery of godâ—iness God manifest in the flesh as if the old Doctrine of the Church of God in all ages were so old that it were time to lay it aside To obviate therefore the growing vanity of those that are so loose in the Profession of Christianity and to help to establish us all in the belief of that Faith into which we have been Baptized I shall endeavour by several Arguments to confirm this Truth that we are verily to believe the time to be come and long since past when the Son of God was to come in the flesh and to make himself an offering to Divine Justice for our sins First 1 Argument I argue from the calling of the Gentiles to the Knowledge and Service of the true God When God was pleased to make choice of Jacob and his Posterity for his peculiar people he gave them several Ordinances and Rites Eph. 2.14 which the Apostle calls a middle-wall of partition between them and the Gentiles God having appointed the observation of these to be the cognizance of his own people so that the Gentiles not observing these this made as it were a partition-wall to separate the Jews from the Gentiles And if we look into all the Writings of the Prophets whensoever we finde any thing spoken of the Conversion of the Gentiles we finde it tyed to the coming of the Messiah in the flesh So when the Prophet speaks of Christ Isa 49.6 and the forming of him from the womb he saith It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Judah I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles Isa 60.3 that thou mayst be my Salvation to the ends of the earth And afterwards speaking of the coming of Christ he saith The glory of the Lord shall arise upon the earth and the Gentiles shall come to thy light and the King to the brightness of thy rising I might instance in many other Prophesies concerning the Conversion of the Gentiles all which do foretel its coming to pass about the time of the coming of the Messiah in the flesh Eph. 2.14 15. who was to break down the middle-wall of partition that was between us and so of twain to make one people Now that the Gentiles have been many of them long since turned to the knowledge and obedience of the true God is evident Joh. 4. Christ himself preached the Gospel to the man of Samaria and afterward to the whole City and many of them believed in him And afterwards we finde that divers of the Apostles went and preached the Gospel to the Gentiles yea St. Paul is expresly stiled The Apostle of the Gentiles Eph. 3.2 3. And he saith Is he the God of the Jews only Is he not of the Gentiles also Rom. 3.29 30. Yes of the Gentiles also Seeing it is one God that will justifie the circumcision by Faith and the uncircumcision through Faith We read in the New Testament of the Churches of God at Rome at Corinth at Galatia at Ephesus and many other places which before were Heathenish places Yea to go no further then this our Island which was sometime of the number of the Gentile Nations yea of the remote parts of the Gentiles and yet as we know that at
the the working of apparent and undeniable Miracles we are to receive it as that which God himself hath commended to us as a Truth and himself born witness of it Indeed to determin what is the utmost that is in the Power of Natural Causes or Agents to produce without Supernatural Assistance and what is the least of those that are to be esteemed Supernatural Effects and which ought to be ascribed to a cause of Transcendent Power this is a matter of great difficulty But yet when such things are done as were never heard of from the Foundation of the World to be done by them that have made the greatest experiments of the strength and operation of Natural Causes yea which have directly crossed the course of Nature without using any Natural Causes to oppose one another I suppose that every rational man will account him absurd that will deny these to be Miracles and done by the immediate hand of God except he can shew any Natural cause that should be imagined to work these effects This we find our Saviour to stand much upon when he was on Earth for the confirmation of his being the true Messiah Joh. 5.36 I have a greater Witness then that of John though the Jews did most of them reverence him greatly for his strict life the works which my Father hath given me to finish the same works that I do bear witness of me that the Father hath sent me And afterward Joh. 10.25 when the Jews asked Jesus to tell them plainly whether he were the Messiah he sends them to his Works The works that I do in my Fathers Name Ver. 37 38. they bear witness of me And further saith If I do not the works of my Father believe me not but if I do though ye believe not me yet believe the works that ye may know and believe that the Father is in me and I in him And elsewhere Joh. 14.11 Believe me that the Father is in me and I in him or else believe me for the very works sake Joh. 15.24 And again If I had not done amongst them the works which no other man can do they had not had sin that is their sin had not been so great and inexcusable but now have they both seen and hated both me and my Father Yea he tells those that were understanding persons among them that inasmuch as they had refisted and opposed that Doctrine which he had thus confirmed and had imputed these works to the evil Spirit Matt. 12.28 therefore they had sinned that sin against the holy Ghost which should never be forgiven Thus you see that Jesus himself laid great stress upon this Argument Mark 3.29 to prove himself to be the true Messiah because he had done such works to confirm this Truth as no other man could do yea such as none but God himself could do And that Jesus did work these Miracles to confirm the truth of his being the Messiah may be sufficiently evident both by what hath been spoken already and also by what he spake to the Disciples of John Baptist Matt. 11.4 When their Master sent them to him to be satisfied whether or no he were the true Messiah he answers them Go tell John the things that ye have seen and heard The blind receive their sight the lame walk the lepers are cleansed the dead are raised up And therefore do you judge who it is that hath power to do such works as these It would be a large task to reckon up all the Miracles of Christ which are upon record I shall onely set before you some of those which do most apparently shew themselves to be works peculiar to the Divine Power to effect (a) Joh. 2. He turned water into wine at Cana of Galilee (b) Mat. 14. He fed 5000 men with five loaves (c) Mat. 15. and 4000 with seven loaves (d) Joh. 9.1 He restored divers blind men to sight amongst which one that was born blind (e) Mar. 7.32 He restored to speech and hearing one that was deaf and dumb He calmed the Seas twice He raised three dead folks whereof (f) Joh. 11. Lazarus had been dead four days so that there could be no doubt but that he was really dead and past being recovered by natural Causes These works and many others which Jesus wrought being such as no man can reasonably deny to be the works of Gods immediate power and being wrought to confirm the truth of his being the true Messiah may be sufficient to establish our Faith in the belief of it If the unbelieving Jews and Atheistical persons amongst us do doubt of the truth of these matters of fact and consequently of the truth that they are brought to confirm alledging that we bring onely the Writings of the New Testament for the proof thereof which is of suspected credit with them I answer that we have as much cause Reason it self being judg to believe the History of the New Testament as any other Histories which are written in the world If we believe the Roman History written by Livie and Suetonius Tacitus and the English Chronicles written by divers of our own Nation and should account him very unreasonable that should deny the truth of the things therein reported without alledging any sufficient ground for his suspecting the integrity of these Writers then why should we not believe the matters of fact recorded by the Writers of the New Testament seeing we cannot alledge any sufficient ground of doubting either the sufficiency of these Writers or yet their integrity But have rather ground to conclude that no bad creature would write those things which tend so directly to the beating down of Satans Kingdom and terrifying of lewd and wicked men nor would any good creature so far take the name of God in vain or wrong the souls of well-meaning people as to report such matters in the name of God which they knew to be untruths and that therefore it is most reasonable to conclude these things to be written by good men and who did know themselves to write the truth Besides the Miracles that Christ is reported to have wrought were not done in a corner nor a great while before they were written He fed 5000 people at one time and 4000 at another miraculously yea most of Christ Miracles were wrought openly so that many of the Jews were present at the doing of them and they were written in the same age wherein they were done so that the unbelieving Jews who were such enemies to Jesus would certainly have contradicted them if they had written an untruth Yea other Writers besides the Evangelists do mention these Miracles See what testimony Josephus himself though a Jew Joseph Antiq. l. 18. c. 4. gives of Christ At that time was Jesus a wise man if it be lawful to call him a man for he was the performer of divers admirable works and the instructor of
6. Those that spend more Zeal in crying out against indifferent things then in reproving apparent ungodliness may justly be suspected by us Rom. 2.22 Thou that abhorrest Idols saith the Apostle dost thou commit Sacriledge It is true that in respect of the Authority of him that commands there is no small commandment and the breach of any of Gods Laws is a great sin But yet in respect of the nature of the Command Christ sometimes speaks of a first and great Commandment Mat. 22.38 Mat. 5.19 and sometimes of one of the least Commandments and he that is scrupulous in smaller matters and careless in greater doth betray himself to have a diseased Conscience Sermon on Acts 26.9 as I have elsewhere shewed And therefore those that Cry out with such a loud and bitter cry against things which in the judgement of the soberest of themselves are in their own Nature indifferent as if they were palpable Idolatry and yet have made no bones of sacriledge injustice and shedding of innocent blood it is a shrewd sign that they are Seducers and have a design to impose upon us 7. Those that contradict the sense of the Church of God in all ages are to be suspected as Innovators and that their opinions are rather new then good It is true that the antiquity of an errour doth not excuse it for there have been errours in the Church ever since the time of the Apostles But yet the constant judgement of the Church of God in all Ages concerning any point in controversie or concerning the meaning of any controverted Scripture gives us good encouragement to believe it and to disbelieve them that oppose it because it is not probable that our gracious God would leave his Church in the dark through so many ages and never discover the Truth till now of late 8. Lastly we may know them from the direction that God himself gives us Deut. 18. ult VVhen a Prophet speaketh in the name of the Lord if the thing follow not nor come to pass that is the thing which the Lord hath not spoken but the Prophet hath spoken it presumptuously thou shalt not be affraid of him Those that pretend to a gift of prophecy as many have done in our age though they should by often shooting at random hit the Mark sometimes yet if they miss in anything that they foretel as we have seen it in our frequent experience this is a sure sign that the Lord hath not sent them but they speak of their own heads and we have reason to fear that they have not onely belyed the Lord in saying Thus saith the Lord Jer. 23.31 when the Lord hath not spoken but also that they have had a further design even to entice us to the embracing of their errours by these pretences Upon whomsoever we see any of these Marks we have reason to suspect them to be of those that lye in wait to deceive and therefore should avoid them and take Solomons counsel Prov. 19.27 to Cease or forbear to hear the instruction that tends to cause us to err from the ways of Wisdom To conclude I shall give you a recapitulation of what hath been spoken a little varying from my former Method You have heard 1. That there are many Winds of false doctrine stirring to try who are stable 2. That Seducers use a great deal of subtilty and diligence lying in wait to deceive 3. That a great number are by them tossed to and fro and carried about 4. That even those that are of honest affections and good lives are in danger of being ensnared by them and therefore he that thinketh he standeth should take heed lest he fall 5. That especially those that are children and weak in knowledge are in great danger and consequently that we should labour to be men and not children in understanding 6. Lastly that God hath appointed the Office of the Ministry in the Church as a special preservation from errours Now the Lord Joh. 5.29 of his Mercy grant to all of us Grace and Wisdom to search the Scriptures 1 Joh. 4.1 and to try the spirits whether they be of God and to hold fast the Faith and a good Conscience 1 Tim. 1.19 now when so many have made shipwrack of both that so we may not be drawn away with the errour of the wicked to depart from our own stedfastness 2 Pet. 3.17 18. but may grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ Grant this O Lord we beseech thee through the Merits of thy dear Son and the working of thy Holy Spirit To which glorious Trinity God the Father Son and Holy Ghost be all Honour and Glory world without end Amen FINIS 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 OR HEAVENLY WISDOM described by its seven Properties An ASSIZE SERMON Preached in the CATHEDRAL at SARVM July 9th 1665. at the Wiltshire-Assizes Before the Right Honourable his Majesties Judges of Assize and Nisi Prius for the WESTERN Circuit In the Sheriffalty and at the request of THOMAS MOMPESSON Esquire By Paul Lathom M. A. Pro. 4.7 Wisdom is the principal thing therefore get Wisdom and with all thy getting get Vnderstanding Printed by T. M. 1666. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 OR Heavenly WISDOM described By its Seven PROPERTIES James 3.17 But the Wisdom that is from above is first pure then peaceable gentle easie to be entreated full of Mercy and good Fruits without partiality and without hypocrisie WIsdom is the soul of Nature the eye of the Soul the light of the Eye the sun of that Light the copy of Heaven the standard of the Earth the helm of Reason the guardian of Life the glory of Men the mirror of Angels the shaddow or reflection of God himself who is as the Psalmist speaks 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 covered with Light as with a Garment Psal 104.2 It is Wisdom that makes a man Denizon of the upper Regent of the lower World correspondent of both Without which we should be but clods of moving Earth steept to dirt in Phlegm and kneaded into humane shape This general term Wisdom divides it self ut analogum in sua analogata into worldly Policy moral Prudence and Christian Wisdom Worldly Policy trades in the World as its City from whence it seems to take its name Now all that is in the world is either 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Joh. 2.18 or else 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Pleasures Profits or Honours That which designes riches as its end our Apostle calls 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 earthly that which designes pleasures Jam. 3.15 he calls 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sensual that which designes honour he stiles 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Devilish because it imitates that great sin of the Devil Pride And of all worldly wisdom in general St. Paul pronounceth that it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 foolishness before God 1 Cor. 3.19 Moral Prudence whether we take it for a practical
that delight in war Or wish them with Cyrus to be once glutted with blood Justin who delight in blood No far be it from us to have a zeal as hot as fire to call for fire from Heaven even upon those that would gladly set us all in a flame We rather wish they may shew themselves such men of wisdom as they pretend to be and may learn to shew forth that wisdom which is from above which is not onely pure but peaceable also From hence let us proceed Thirdly 3 Pillar to view the next Pillar in this Palace and that is Peaceableness This Wisdom is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 gentle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith a Learned and judicious Annotator is the ordinary word of the Philosophers Dr. Ham. in locum and taken from them by the Lawyers to signifie the mitigation of exact and strict Justice when the execution of it is not so agreeable to the Rules of Charity And so it notes in general the fit and proper temper that is to be observed in all things Hesychius saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that which is fit decent or due This general word is several wayes applied in divers places of Scripture In this Text the word peaceable that goes before it and other words of the same Nature attending it advise us to construe it a readiness to recede from our own strict right in order to Peace In this sense the Apostle exhorts Ministers especially to be gentle 2 Tim. 2.24 Tit. 3.2 And all men also to labour after this frame of Spirit In which places he opposeth gentleness to a contentious strictness in standing upon our own Right to the prejudice of Peace And indeed Peace being so excellent a Jewel as I have before shewed Wisdom but especially that which is from above will perswade a man to part with much to purchase this pearl of price Beside that God who is infinite in Wisdom is said to be gentle Psal 18 39. hanvathekah tarbeni Thy gentleness hath made me great Christ who is the Wisdom of the Father is gentle 2 Cor. 10.1 I exhort you 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by the gentleness of Christ The Holy Ghost who is the Spirit of Wisdom is gentle Gal. 5.22 for gentleness is reckoned among the fruits of this Spirit How far then are they from this Wisdom which is from above who with the Spanish begger will not alter one step of their gravity for all the lashes of the Law for all the entreaties of friends nor for the preservation of publick peace Yea who had rather see Heaven and Earth blended together then to abate any thing of their own humours Certainly if this Wisdom be not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 yet it looks very like it and represents men as much resembling that sort of persons whom the Apostle describes to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 presumptuous and self-willed This is none of the Fruits of the Wisdom that is from above And indeed there are so few endued with this Virtue of gentleness that we may leave this with a lamentation and proceed to the Fourth Pillar in the House of Wisdom 4th. Pillar viz. Easiness to be entreated it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Which word may either signifie an easiness to believe any good of another or that may mitigate his fault and so our Doctor Hammond paraphraseth it and thus it casts a frowing eye upon those that are very prone to evil surmises malignant interpretations of other mens actions and intentions to calumniating and backbiting their Brethren and who 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2 Pet. 2.10 are not afraid to speak evil of dignities at least in their secret discourses A sin which as it is very common so is it very contrary to the nature of that Charity which as the Apostle tells us 1 Cor. 13.6 7. doth not rejoyce in iniquity in evil and false reports of others but believeth all things and hopeth the best and consequently it is contrary to the nature of Heavenly Wisdom But Beza renders this word Obtemperans and Tremellius out of the Syriack version Obsequens It is the property of the Wisdom that is from above to be obedient to Government How great care God hath taken to preserve the Authority of the Magistrates is evident by his investing them with the title of Father and Mother in the fifth Commandment Yea he calls them Elohim gods Psal 82.6 and joyns the fear of the Lord and the King together jirah eth Jehovah ve hammelech fear thou the Lord and the King Prov. 24.21 Nor hath he in the New Testament been more remiss in exhorting to obedience even when they were subject to the worst of men for their Governours but exhorts us to be obedient not onely 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for fear of wrath and punishment but chiefly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for Conscience sake Rom. 13.5 and in obedience to Gods Commandment So strange is it that any man can pretend Conscience as an encouragement to disobedience 1 Pet. 2.13 And St. Peter exhorts us to be obedient to every ordinance of man 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for the Lords sake Strange then it is that any can pretend obedience to God as opposite to their Allegiance to Caesar Piety is defined by Cicero Cicero de Na. Deor. to be Justitia erga Deos And St. Augustine explains it It is Verus cultus veri Dei the right way of worshipping the true God Ludovicus Vives Aug. Civ D. l. 4. c. 23. Comment in Aug. tell us that Piety is also taken for reverence to our Elders and Superiours Which makes it the more strange that any should oppose Piety to that reverence and obedience which they owe to their Parents and Superiours What shall we then say of them who Tacitus Hist l. 2. as the Historian saith of Otho's Souldiers Jussa Dueum interpretari quam exequi malunt are nimbler at disputing then at obeying the commands of their Governours How far are they from that Wisdom which is from above There is no doubt but such persons are furnished with many pleas to colour and countenance their disobedience Some will find fault with those that rule them And no doubt but Facilis cuivis rigidi censura chachinni Juvenal Sat. 18. he that is indued with a malicious mind towards any person and carries a pestilent tongue in his head may easily open his mouth against that mans person or actions and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 It is much easier to see faults in those that govern then to rule well if our selves were in Authority He takes but little notice of the state of the present world who is not sensible that one great cause of breeding and nourishing this malignant and disobedient temper in mens spirits is the multitude of Seducers who creep into houses and lead by the ears not