FOUR SERMONS PREACH'D By the Right Reverend FATHER in GOD JOHN TOWERS D. D. L. Bishop of Peterburgh 1. At the Funerall of the Right Honorable William Earl of Northampton 2. At the Baptism of the Right Honorable James Earl of Northampton 3. Before King JAMES in Defence of The Material Church 4. Before K. CHARLES at White-Hall in time of Lent He that hath an ear let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the Churches Rev. 2.7 London Printed for Thomas Rooks and are to be sold at the sign of the Lamb at the East end of S. Pauls near the School 1660. TO THE RIGHT HONORABLE JAMES Earl of NORTHAMPTON And to his Excellent Lady ISABELLA The Right Honorable Countess of NORTHAMPTON Right Honorable my singular good Lord IT is now more than time that these holy Sermons should come to light into the light of this World to be themselves a Light to the World after so many years since the departure of the Reverend and Religious Author of them into the light of God When they first come abroad whom ought they earlier to greet than your noble Lordship that his Posthume Papers might crave protection from the same Family which gave Patronage to his living Person From the service of the Earldom he went up to wait upon the Throne and yet did never forget Your Castle-Ashby after his arrive to the Kings White-Hall though he was found to have merit enough to entitle his attendance upon the two best Peers in Chaplainry to your Grandfather who deserved to be in respect of the Earldom though there was a deserv'd and much more ancient rise of the noble name of the Comptons Ortus Domus suae a fairer commendation than which the quickest best-tongu'd Orator could not invent for himself and in Tutorage to your Father whose fall was so valiant that he chose to pay a magnanimous Death rather than to owe a bestowed Life though from thence the same merit carried him on to do yearly homage to the two choicest Kings James the wise and Charles the Religious yet he had also humble Gratitude enough to confesse aloud it was Northampton's Arm more than his own hand and Pen that rais'd him My good Lord you see already your just Title to the whole But you have still a more peculiar Interest in these selected four One of them was Preach'd at that Parish which was all your Ancestors and the Authors Nine parts yours and the Tithes his and Tither of duty it ought to return Another at your owne 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the second the Baptismall Birth of your Noble selfe A third at the third Birth of the most munificent your Fathers Father when he had pass'd over the life of Nature and the life of Grace and was receiv'd up into the life of Glory A fourth is added to expiate the delay in payment of the three former Nay my most noble Lord all this will not suffice that you should have title to these Composures from your Progenitors from your selfe from the Author unlesse I humbly acknowledge the right you have in my Transcription too from the claim which your Honour may lay to my very selfe also your interest in me your jurisdiction over me your purchase of me Your Honor had interest in me before I was so happy as to see your Lordship or so wise as to know my felf even whilst I was yet in Lumbis for sure our Birth is not so wholly wretched as to have nothing else entail'd upon us at our coming into the world besides original sin we are even born with respects and duties and devotions to originall Benefactors too Your jurisdiction over me shall never be disown'd by me whilst I have breath Dum spiritus hos regit Artus in that since I had breath your Lordship was the first Master I ever had Master and Father too by your purchase of me in that I did eat of your Lordships bread when by the common calamities of the Times and the deserv'd ones of my own I had no bread of my own to eat but went abroad to Preach the Gospel like the Gospels first Disciples without Pâ—rse or Scrip. Luk. 22.35 And now my most excellently voriuous and meek Lady is not your right the same with my Noble Lords and has not your owne goodnesse bought a like interest in me I have nothing to return to either of your Honors but my prayers that You both may enjoy the whole benefit of this which is a dedication upon design that as you are regenerate by Baptism the discourse of one of these Homilies you may so love to serve God in his own House the subject of another that when your Bodies are interr'd in the Church the matter of a third your souls may be convey'd to that place which Christ is gone up to prepare for you the subject-matter of a fourth there to enjoy honour and bliss eternall 'T is really the Prayer of My Noble Lord and my Religious Lady Your Honors most Faithfull most obliged Servant William Towers A SERMON Preached at the FVNERALS of the Right Honorable WILLIAM EARL of Northampton Rev. 14.13 Beati Mortui qui in Domino moriuntur Blessed are the Dead that die in the Lord. FOR the Authority of this Book of the Revelation of S. John Occasio Operis I should not need to plead but that for the honorable memory of the Person of Honour whose Body we now interr and because of the morenesse of Time since his death it will mis-become such an obliged Chaplain of such a bountifull Patron not to take pains somewhat more than ordinary and to exceed the hour in this last Publick Service which he performs for the most liberal of Masters to the meanest of Gods Houshold Servants Let this short Apology bear me out in my prolixnesse after since by his own example I desire to do much of good at his Death to those who are come hither to remember him and to mourn their own losse though in his blessednesse the businesse of whose Life was to do all good to all The joynt consent of the Ancient and Modern Church Authoritus Libri hath with an easie refutation of some weak objections to the contrary and with a constant and unanimous submission of their Faith and Obedience to the Contents of it by the direction of the Holy Spirit received this Book into and by the special Providence of the same Spirit preserved it in the Canon of the Scripture That the blessed Apostle and Evangelist S. John was the Author of it by writing we doubt not and that being the Apostle of Christ he wrote this as he did his Gospels and Epistles being inspir'd by the Holy Ghost to remain in the Church of Christ as Apostolical Scripture for confirmation whereof Vers 1. He cals it also in the beginning The Revelation of Jesus Christ and tels us that God gave it unto him and that he sent and signifi'd it by his Angel
only Author the principal efficient cause of our new Birth The Principal I say for he does not use to worke Regeneration in the heart of any man 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as the Enthusiasts will have it immediately but by such ordinary meanes as he has appointed both for himselfe to offer and for us to apprehend eternal Salvation The means allotted to us in this behalfe who are Receivers is Faith the onely Hand he has given us to reach out and lay hold on and apply unto ourselves the Grace of God offered the merit of Christ with the consequents thereof Forgivenesse of our sins justification and eternal salvation By faith of Jesus Christ the righteousnesse of God is unto all and upon all that believe Rom. 3.22 But then in respect of God who is the Donor the means by which he does usually bestow these Graces upon us and convey them unto us are two his Word his Sacraments Of the efficacy of his Word no Christian doubteth By hearing comes faith Rom. 10.17 and by the hearing of faith is the spirit received Gal. 3.2 And for the Sacraments they have as little reason to trouble themselves and the Church of God with seruples of doubt as if they were but bare signes and no more Do not the Fathers call the Sacraments Verbum visibile a visihle Word Are they not as it were an Epitome of the Gospel Receive they not all their worth and vertue and operation not only from the present Grace but from the ancient Appointment and Ordinance of God and from the Word of God which by Divine as well as Ecclesiasticall Ordination is joyned to the outward Elements But to make it good against them in this one Sacrament which we have now in hand If he and he onely shall be saved in an ordinary course who believes and is baptized Mark 16.16 may we not well reckon Baptism an ordinary means of this salvation If of salvation then also of those other graces which are the way unto it regeneration remission of sins righteousness and renewing of the mind Except a man be born of water and the spirit John 3.5 there 's regeneration by it John Baptist preach'd the Baptism of Repentance for the remission of sins Luk. 3.3 Repent saies S. Peter and be baptized for the remission of sins Act. 2.28 and Arise says Ananias to Paul upon his conversion and be baptized and wash away thy sins Act. 22.16 there 's remission Ye are wash'd saies St. Paul 1 Cor. 5. then presently follows upon that Ye are sanctified ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus v. 11. there be two other graces As many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ Gal. 3.27 and having Christ upon us we have his obedience his merits his righteousnesse how shall he not with him also freely give us all things Rom. 8.32 So that as S. James in the case of our regeneration does joyn together the Spirit and the Word which is one of the means he uses to that purpose Of his own will begat he us with the Word of Truth Jam. 1.18 so our Saviour Christ does joyn the Holy Ghost and Baptism which is another effectuall meanes Except a man be born of water and the spirit he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God Joh. 3.5 And S. Paul couples both these means together makes them march hand in hand as equally usefull to sanctification in the Church of God Christ loved the Church and gave himself for it that he might sanctifie it and cleanse it with the washing of water by the Word Eph. 5.26 what shall I say more This will I say that A cause therefore we need not fear to call it of our regeneration and salvation though not the principall that 's God himselfe yet the instrumentall as we speak in Schools or medium He saved us saies the Apostle God Tit. 3. there 's the principall cause by the washing of regeneration there 's the instrumentall v. 5. We have the steps of all the ancient Fathers of the Church walking in this Track a warrant to us for this confidence 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 we find it call'd and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a second Birth and a Divine Generation by Dionysius 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a being born again by Greg. Nazianz. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Bath by which we wash away our sinnes Clem. Alexandr Peccatorum omnium remissionem the forgivenesse of all our sins by S. Ambrose Fons Divinus quo Fideles in Creaturam novam regenerantur by Cassiodorus the Divine Fountain by which the Faithfull are made up into a New Creature and by every one the Door of Heaven the Sacrament of Initiation the first admission into Gods Kingdome Not that all that are baptized are thereby necessarily admitted into the Kingdome of Heaven or that all do receive the Grace of God who receive the Sacrament of his Grace for as not the Bread and Wine in the Eucharist so neither the water in Baptism does contain in it selfe any vital force or efficacy That Grace which is a consequent of the Sacraments it doth accompany them as their end the benefit whereof whoso partakes he receives it from God himselfe the Author of Sacraments and not from any other natural or supernatural quality in them And therefore their manner of necessity to life supernatural is not in all respects as food unto natural life they are not Physical but Moral Instruments of Salvation Duties of Service and Worship which unlesse we perform as the Author of them requireth they are unprofitable Hugo's Rule we acknowledge and follow in this case De Sacr. lib. 1. c. 3 Fideles salutem ex istis elementis non quaerunt etiamsi in istis quaerunt though we seek for salvation in Baptism yet not from Baptism but from God for this is the instrument of God to that end and purpose a Moral Instrument the use whereof is in our hand the effect in his for the use we have his express command for the effect his conditional promise so that without our obedience to the one there is of the other no apparent assurance whereas on the other side where the signes and Sacraments of his Grace are not either omitted through contempt or received with contempt we are not to doubt but that they really give what they promise and are what they signifie The same is true here which Solomons Wisdome observeth in the Brazen Serpent He that turned himselfe to it was not healed by the thing he saw but by thee O Saviour of all Wisd 16.7 The necessity therefore that Ispake of for the comming to Christ this way for our being renewed by this second Birth I hope appeareth which necessity notwithstanding we do not preach unto you to be so absolute as if God had never another door into Heaven as if he had so tied his saving Grace to this means as without it 't were impossible to be attained by any this is
unto his servant John 'T is a slight cavil that some have made against it The place which it holds amongst the other Books of Canonical Scripture because forsooth it stands the last and was written some time after the other and therefore say they was added and foisted in after the whole body of the Canon was perfected Where there are many several Books must not some one be the last And if this had not been added added but not foisted for God and not Man put it in would they have made the same exception against the Epistle of S. Jude which was the last before this or against any other which instead of this Themselves call the last They cannot for they own it Or would they have God Date all his Letters Epistles Writings to Man at the same time what man does so But as for the Order of it that it stands last in place it is so far from diminishing the Authority of it that indeed it addes unto it and does exceedingly commend it to us for it is intruth as the Signet of God with which the Holy Spirit would seal up and conclude the whole Canon both Old and New of Divine Scripture in regard whereof we have it more extraordinarily approv'd unto us both in the begining of it with a Blessing upon him that readeth and upon them that hear the words of this Prophecy and keep those things that are written therein vers 3. And in the end of it with the same Blessing upon him that keeps the sayings of the Prophecy of this Book 22.7 and with a dreadfull curse upon him who shall either adde unto these things God shall adde unto him the Plagues that are written in this Book or shall take away from the words of the book of this Prophecy God shall take away his part out of the book of life c. 22. v. 18 19. he shall have no part nor lot in it Beloved What could be spoken more throughly to ratifie the authority of it If we may adde nothing to it 't is already every way absolute and perfect the word of God without question the onely word to which we may not adde our own inventions without great offence If we may take nothing from it again 't is a forcible Argument of the sacred in violablenesse of it for what bold foisting man would ever dare to speak so arrogantly of the most Holy his own Endeavours He that could write all the rest so holily could never be guilty of such a pride nor ever able to counterfeit so exact a Holinesse and that it is indeed the Holy Scripture for it is the Scripture of which Christ sayes John 10. that It cannot be broken v. 35. This is a main point observable in which this Book stands equall'd to the sacred unquestion'd Writings of Moses himselfe the first and chiefe of all the Prophets and Penmen of Gods Book For as those Books of his because they usher in and are as it were the Fore-door the entrance into the rest of the whole Scripture are therefore in several places strengthned and fenc'd with such a seal as this Deut. 4.2 Ye shall not add unto the Word which I command you neither shall ye diminish ought from it And again c. 12. v. 32. Thou shalt not add thereto nor diminish from it So this Book standing in the rear and as it were shutting up the back-Gate of the same Canonical Scripture is likewise furnisht and stampt with the same Authentick Seale of Gods Holy Spirit to signifie how perfect how inviolable it is that nothing must be put to no Postscript or taken from it no Deleatur no Index expurgatorius neither that as Moses was a main Coryphaeus to lead on the Van-guard in Gods Spiritual Warfare so was S. John another Coryphaeus of special Note to bring up the Rear in the same Battel Why it was order'd by the Church which took care to gather together the Writings of the Apostles Evangelists to be plac'd the last of all the Books there is a manifest reason not that it is behinde the rest in worth and excellence but in regard of the Time wherein it was written In vita Johannis S. Jerome reports that in the time of the second great Persecution of the Christians under Domitian the Roman Emperor the first Tyranny they tasted of was under Nero in the 14. year of his Reign did S. Lib. 3. cap. 25. Vid. Euseb Hist Ecclesias L. 3. c. 18. John write this Book in the Island Pathmos And Irenaeus a Father in the Church far more ancient than St. Jerome affirms as much that it was not then long since St. John wrote his Revelation Sed pene sub nostro saeculo sayes he almost about our time toward the end of Domitians Reign so that An. Dom. 96. it was written after all both Gospels and Epistles of the New Testament for he outliv'd all the Apostles even to the third year of Traian the 14th Roman Emperor sayes Sophronius and that was 102 after the birth of Christ and the 68. from his passion by St. Jerom's computation and 25 years after the Destruction of Jerusalem Therefore 't is plac'd last because written last not because least in Dignity and Divine Authority no 't is truth which Beza speaks of it in his Preface to it that the Holy Ghost did set down in this precious Book whatsoever Predictions of the former Prophets did remain to be fulfill'd after Christs comming and therefore Ocolampadius in his Preface to Daniel's Prophecy calls this Book the best Paraphrase upon all the other Prophets The Argument of this whole Book is Argum. Libri principally Propheticall though there be Doctrinal Exhortative and Instructive passages sprinkled here and there among the Prophecies but Propheticall for the most part it is whence St. John in the beginning calls it the words of this Prophecy a Prophecy of things that should come to passe even from the time that he wrote to the end of the world of some Occurrents that should befall the Church of God then presently in St. John's time and of other Trials that the Church should indure continually through the whole course of her warfare here on earth first from the Roman Tyrants afterward from divers Hereticks and lastly from Antichrist himselfe of their several oppositions and insultings against her wherewith they should grievously vex her seeming in a manner to be forsaken of Christ her Head and almost utterly oppresse her But withall of those sweet consolations which the Elect of God should have under their crosse and that those Tempests of Afflictions which they underwent were not carnal blown upon them with every winde or meerly from the rage and malice of their Enemies but that God that Winde Joh. 3.8 that Spirit which bloweth where it will had the chiefe hand in them and that by his providence things were so ordered for the exercise of the faithfull and that they should not alwayes continue no