as should be saved Act. 4 last Thus you see that God himselfe is the Authour and cause of our new Birth it is the proper and peculiar worke of God to beget voluntariè nos genuit of his will he begâ—te us And yet you may please to observe that as this act of regeneration is attributed to God the Father as it is in this place So sometimes it is attributed to God the Sonne as Esai 53. 10. Beleevers are called his seed that he might see his seed he made his soule a sacrifice for sinne Sometimes to the spirit of God as in Jo. 3 6. That which is borne of the flesh is flâ—sh and the winde bloweth it so is every one that is borne of the spirit It is God the Fathers will he begets us of his will Christ the Sonnes merit Gal. 4 4. When the fulnesse c. to redeem them that were under the Law that we might receive the Adoption of the Sonne God the Holy Ghosts efficacy and power by the Spirit of Gods sanctifying and over-shadowing the Soule the new Man is quickned and made sometimes it is attributed to all the three persons in Trinity together as in that notable place Tit. 3 7. By his mercy he saved us by the renewing of the Holy Ghost which he abundantly shed in our hearts through Christ Jesus There we have the three persons together in two verses and here all the cause of our regeneration in one a parallel whereunto you shâ—ll hardly finde in the whole New Testament But God as I said he is the principall author and cause His Ministers but instrumentall yet as his Ministers they are and may very well be called Fathers And this near relation should warme the hearts of Ministers with an indulgent and paternall care and affection to beare great good will towards them and as Moses is commanded to carry them in his bosome And as Aaron when he went up to pray or to sacrifice he went up with the names of the twelve Tribes written upon his breast plate So the Ministers of the New Testament the Pastors of Christs Church according to that Typâ— ought to put up in all his devotion the prayers and supplications the wants of his people with his owne As Saint Paul calls his people his Epistle written in his hâ—art so shall the people be in their Pastours Aâ— S. Pauls â—â—â—â—ts desire and prayer to Israel waâ— c. Indeed the New Testament is nothing else but Jesus Christs Letter and Epistle writ from Heaven unto his Church the mind of God expressed to Man by Christ who sitâ— at the right hand of the Father making those Prayers and Petitions of ours which are imperfect in themselves to be more perfect by his mediation And as these instruments of Regeneration are called Fathers both in the Old Testament My Father my Father c. cryes Elisha to Elias Jehoram to him a wicked man yet hâ—s had more grace than some have now to call the Prophet his Father Worse names now must be digested So Saint Paul calls them Nurses or Mothers too 1 Thes 2. 7. There he putâ— upon himselfe the indulgence of a Mother as afterward the affection of a Father vâ—r 11. shâ—wing that as he did not occasionally forget to use the gravity of a Father in his exhortations and instructions so other whiles he puts upon him the meeknessâ— and softnesse and tendernessâ— of a Mother or of an affectionate Nurse Mothers and Nurses having a sympathy and fellow-feeling of their Childrens estates the Mother knowing by naturall instinct when the child is sick and diseased when it is distempered and pained and will accordingly apply her selfe to give it ease and not alwayes give it its humour nor what it cryes for So Gods Ministers should be willing to free their people from distemper and disorder from thâ— corruption and error of the times feeding them with wholsome and sound doctrine with the sincere milk of the Word that they may grow thereby not with fancies and humours and their owne inventions and imaginations for with griefe be it spoken we are falne from the worshipping of Images to the worshipping of Imaginations which as it breeds sicknesses in young children to let them eaâ—â— what they will so it breeds factions and divisions and â—xtreame distemperatures in States when they are suffered to bâ— carryed about with every wind of doctrine and every windy doctrine as the Israeliâ—es by Aarons permission and sufferance worshipped the Cllfe of their owne making And it teacheth the people againe since they stand in so nâ—â—r a relation to their Ministers as Children to Parents to carry a filiall and dutifull affâ—ction towards their Pastours as they carry a loving carefull and paternall heart and eye towards them and their good The want of which reciprocall loving kindnesse and affection when Father and Children Mâ—nister and People Master and Servant have had a greater desire to have their humours fed than their soules edified have not onely caused great râ—nts and divâ—sions which with Râ—â—bens caused great grâ—efe and sorrow of heart but I dare say hath grâ—â—ved the blessed and holy Spirit of God the sole worker of our Regeneration and by whom we are sealed unto the day of Redemption the Spirit of God witnessing to our spirits that we are the sons of God Rom. 8. Thirdly this calls upon the great Fathers of the Common-wealth who are called Gods being next to him and Patres Patriae thâ— Fathers of this Country nay of the Common-wealth and State to see with what meat their Children their Subjects are fed for as I said they are Pastours and Fathers too Isaiah calls them Nursing fathers and Nursing mothers and prophesies that in the great Reformation Kings should be nursing fathers and Queens nursing mothers That is God would raise up the great Potentates and Princes of the â—arth to provide that the people should be fed with wholsome food that living waters should flow abundantly from the threshold of the Sanctuary and that all people should know the Lord from the greatest to the least Hence it followes necessarily that the Supreame Magistrate â—e seasoned with Religion and what a sweet perfume followes such Princes see in the â—xamples of Moses Joshua David Solomon Asa Josiah Hâ—zâ—kiah c. and not irreligious or Popishly affected but soundly and firmly grounded for which we may blesse God that he be a sincere worshipper and server of God the feare of God being the beginning of wisdome and a man being never truly intelligent untill he be obedient The best Plot is to save a soule For if that be true which they say in nature is true and certaine That what disease or infection the Nurse hath the sucking child will partake of and as the Parent is affected so for the most part is the Childs inclination and disposition Surely and without all question it will fare so in this If God please to give us a Magistrate which is godly and
of hearing and hearkning all blessings are promised If thou wilt hearken unto my Commandments all these benefits or blessings shall overtake thee And when God had sent his Son whom he promised long before to send the great Doctor and Preacher of his Church All the entertainment and receit of him all the reverence and respect called for is but audience ipsum audite Hear him Hear my beloved sons and it will make you sons dearly beloved Mat. 17. Hear then and your souls shall live If the Prophet should bid thee do some great matter saies Naamans servant to his Master wouldest thou not do it to be cleansed of thy Leprosie muchless when he bids thee but wash and be clean when he went away in a puff and snuf as too many do from the saving word So if God should command us and we his poor Ministers beseech you in his name to do some greater matters then wee do would you not do them to save your precious souls muchlesse would we hear and be happy Hear and our souls shall live hear him here whom we desire to see hereafter Beloved auditus est gradus ad visum Hearing is a degree to seeing if we will not hear God we shall never see him and therefore as John the Divine exhorts like a Divine so do I but in his words He that hath an ear let him hear and he that will not hear what the Church saith let him be anathema accursed Indeed omnis habent aures audiendi pauci obediendi All have ears to hear with but few to obey with ears of attention with Samuel Speak Lord for thy servant heareth or like David I will hear what the Lord will say unto me or with Mary who sate at Christ's feet to hear his Preaching or like the Spouse in the Canticles Hark it is the voice of well-beloved We see in my Text what an honour and dignity God hath put upon his word to beget us to himself of his own will he begets us with the word of truth and shall not we willingly give it the hearing The Apostle in the next verse makes the only use and application of the Doctrin and lesson here taught Since the word of truth is the seed of our new birth therefore let every man be swift to hear of a tractable docible and meek spirit ready to wait upon God in his Ordinances and to receive with meeknesse the ingraâ—fed word which being so received is able to save the soul Jam. 1. 21. Again God takes not the tongue out of our heads but he takes away the sin and iniquity of the tongue within a man unregenerate is a world of wickednesse as St. James saith The world is not fuller of wickednesse than the tongue of sin if unreformed he takes away therefore in our regeneration and puls out the venom and sting and violence of the tongue which is indeed a small member but doth great mischief blasphemies oaths railings revilings curses imprecations lies perjuries dissimulation all corrupt communication filthy and froathy speeches which are not once to be named amongst Saints And as the holy Ghost when he came down upon the Apostles they spake with new tongues as the spirit gave them utterance So whom the holy spirit sanctifies and regenerates it gives a new and another language and though it gives them no new tongues yet it gives the tongues they have a new dialect their tongues are touched with a coal from Gods Altar neither have the gift given them of praising God and speaking well of their neighbour As the regenerate person will not listen to false tales or tale-bearers which are flabellum Diaboli flagellum justi the Devils Bellows and the Saints scourges for the tongue kils more then the sword the sword of the mouth more then the mouth of the sword as he will not receive a false report against his neighbour as David speaks and makes one of the ten notes of a righteous man of a Citizen of heaven So he will not rashly nor hastily judge him before he know him or hear him speak knowing that he that carries a false report and he that receives and believes it the one carries the Devil in his tongue the other in his ears And therefore they which are born from above will set a watch before their mouthes and guide the dore of their lips as the Kingly Prophet saith They will take heed to their waies that they offend not in their tongue and they will utterly purpose that their mouth shall not offend They will therefore open their mouthes with wisdom and guide their words with discretion as Solomon speaks of the good house-wife as she will keep her self so she will keep her words at home within her own dores The tongue indeed hath a double hedge teeth and lips to shew it should not easily or commonly straggle or wander or run over The law of grace as Paul saith will be in the lips of the righteous his mouth will shew forth Gods praise 'T is worth noting that David will take heed to his waies that he offend not in his tongue intimating that the safety and security of a mans waies of his whole life and conversation consists much in the government of his tongue Quâ— facile violat quae facile volat as easily sins as moves and it moves often too easily no arrow or bullet out of a gun or bow wounds more speedily or quickly or pierceth more deeply or deadly then a tongue primed with the powder and set on fire with the fire of hell And therefore James tels us that he is a perfect man that is in a great part regenerate that can rule it for it is the opinion of a Father That half the sins committed in the world are committed through the licentiousnesse and unrulines of the tongue Quâ—tidiana fornax is humana lingua The tongue of evil men is a continual Fornace wherein the names of righteous men are tryed And therefore to end this point The government of the tongue is an infallible note and evidence of some progresse and perfection in grace But a regenerate heart and a wicked tongue a sanctified heart and a virulent venomous blasphemous tongue never go together For if the spring or fountain the heart be clear and pure needs must the streams be so for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks When Socrates would know the disposition and condition of one that came to be his Schollar he bid him speak that all might know him Sermo virum indicat the speech shews the man it is animi index the interpreter of the mind We may easily know what is in the heart by that which comes out of the mouth He is of Galilee saith the girl of Peter for his speech bewrayeth him A man is easily discerned by his language what Countreyman he is of Canaan or Ashdod Certainly beloved a stinking and strong breath doth not more evidently declare ill lungs and corrupt inwards
wont in times past to be the comprimisâ—r and determiner of all Law-suits Let not us fall out for we are brethren saies Abraham to Lot the greater to the lesser What brethren and fall out No it is a good and joyfull thing for brethren to dwell together in unity It was the harlot would have the child divided the true mother would have it live they shew of what house they came of what discent they are who love to live in envy and malice in hatred and division you are of your father the devil saith Christ to the envioâ—â— Jews for his works ye do profess whâ—â—â—â—â—â—y all they have not God for their Father nor the Church of God for their Mother nor Christ for their Saviour who are enemies to peace for as I said True belieâ—â—â— are of one heart and of one mind of one soul Give me leave to give you a strong pathetical and effectual motive to love and peace the character of Gods children God is the God of peace Christ Jesus is the Prince of peace the holy Ghost is the Spirit of peace the Gospel is the Gospel of peace your calling in general is a calling of peace ye are called to peace Ours who are the poor despised Ministers of Christ is a calling and commission of peace and we are commanded nay charged into what house soever we come to preach and pray for peace to that house how well and faithfully some have done their errand let the world judge When Christ came into the world he brought it there was peace over all the world the Temple of Janus was shut and wars were ceased at every gate and the blessed Angels of heaven sang at his birth and nativity Glory be to God on high on earth peace good will towards men and therefore surely there is heavenly musick in it David saith God will give unto his people the blessing of peace So that peace is a blessing nay the blessing of blessings the sugar and sweetning of all blessings for nothing is a blessing without it what are our sweetest comforts our dearest and nearest relations our riches honour magnificence or any worldly accommodations if not enjoyed in peace It was therefore prophesied in Esay That when Christ should be born Christ the Prince of Peace the peacemaker that men should break their Swords into Ploughshares and their Spears into Pruning-Hooks that is there should be unity and peace in the world all animosities and hostilities should be laid aside and so they are where Christ is born in us Nay even the Souldier with a sword in one hand and fire in the other he cries and speaks aloud Sic quaerimus pacem Thus we look for and seek for peace peace being the end of war when Christ lived in the world he taught it Beati pacifici Have salt in your selves and have peace one with another And if a man smite thee upon one cheek c. And if he take away thy Cloak c. When Christ went out of the world he made peace his Legacy Peace I give you my peace I leave unto you and when he rose again he made it his salutation He came in unto them the dores being shut and said Peace be unto you and when he had so spoken he shewed them his hands and his side as if he had said see here my dear friends how dear your peace cost me even these wounds in my hands and side ne rumpatis eam break not that so easily which cost me so dear upon every poor and slight occasion or for the love of every base sin or pleasure make not me to bleed again Enough I think to coole the fiery spirits If this will not serve to take the sting of envy and malice out of the minds of many but still like Salamanders they will live in the fire and heat of contention I will send such down to the place of utter confusion for an argument of peace and they shall hear even the Devil himself pleading hard for that which he continually breaks Mat. 8. 30. What have we to do with thee Jesus thou Son of God art thou come to torment or trouble us before the time They that trouble all the world you see would not be troubled themselves Enough to cool the fiery spirits of such as make division their musick and love to fish in troubled waters nay that firâ—t trouble the waters themselvs and then complain of the Lamb that comes to drink of them let me send such to meditate upon that speech of Christ That Belzebub is not divided against Belzebub if he were his kingdom could not stand That seven devils agreed in Mary Magdalen a legion in another whereas with grief be it spoken three scarce agree with us in a Family or ten in a Parish But were our State and Commonwealth as strong as the kingdom of Satan division and contention if continued must needs bring it to desolation and ruine As Joseph therefore when he sent his brethren home to their father gave them this godly advice Fall not out by the way the same I exhort and beseech in the bowels of our blessed peace-maker looking all towards Jerusalem let not Babylon have our hearts let us go on in love and peace and the God of love and peace will be with us O let not division of hearts hinder the building of Christianity as division of tongues hindred the building of Babel Filia dissentionis desolatio The daughter of dissention is dissolution yea and desolation The factions and divisions between Simeon Eleazar and Jehochanon foretold and prophesied by Christ and faithfully recorded by Josephus a fellow-sufferer and eye-witness laid the Temple and City and the houses of Jerusalem desolate and not one stone upon another The Temple of Solomon you know who was a Prince of peace and type of Christ was built in peace there was not the sound of an Axe Hammer or any other instrument heard in the erecting of it Indeed it was beaten down with Axes and Hammers as David dolefully complains but it was set up without them The mystical and spiritual sense you easily apprehend The spiritual Temple and house of God in us is or should be built in peace and unity without clamor stirr or noise we should as the Apostle saith edifie one another in love and peace for Si collidimur frangimur If we be broken and unbound we are undone signified by Scelurus faggot a known story Divisum est câ—â—â—orum jam jam interibunt saith the Prophet Their accord is gone their cord is untwisted they cannot stand Iscouedo the Spanish Poet being demanded by his Master Philip the third by what means he might become Master of the Low Countries he gives him this shrewd and subtile councel Divide them amongst themselves according to Machiavels precept to his Caesar Borgia Divide impera make a division and get the Dominion It is observed by many learned men and lameâ—â—ed by more that the unkind
and needless division of Christian Princes amongst themselves have added more Lands and Territories more Dominions and Principalities unto the Turks Empire then their own Sword and Bow As Phrahartes one of Pompey's chief Captains said of Julius Cesar's Conquests Nostra ruina factus est magnus By our ruine he is raised and made great his gain hath been our loss his rise our downfall our breaches and divisions which like Reubens have caused great grief of heart have been his utmost advantage Whilst we wory and fight and sheath our swords in one anothers bowels they say with the Edomites There there so would we have it they sing and laugh with Nero having set Rome on fire When I am dead let all the earth burn And therefore for conclusion of this point in which I have been something earnest and long being very seasonable and needfull to press in the condition we are in let us but advisedly and soberly consider the many mischiefs which factions and divisions have brought into the world and closely lay them to heart and it cannot but warm us with that heavenly fire of love the image of our Father and account it with David who though a fortunate and valiant Warrier yet a man of peace nay altogether for peace a man much vers'd in battel and sing it with him It is a good and joyfull or a pleasant and joyfull thing for brethren to dwell together in unity For our own particular let the men of our famous Nation give me leave to speak to them and put them in mind of their own strength and honour in intimating unto them the memorable words and observations of Henry the fourth the Champion of Christendom Monsieur Roan the Champion and Marshal of France in the beginning of the Reigne of Queen Elizabeth of blessed memory walking in his Gallery with Roan and being in serious discourse of the unity of the Queen with her Subjects of their unanimity and strength of the wealth and strong scituation of the Island which he said was impregnable and unaccessible being walled with a Wall of Brasse he meant invironed and compassed with Seas Roan answered like a prudent observer Angle le terra grand animal The Land of England is a strong and mighty body which can never die except it kill it self And surely they deserve more then one death who willingly and desperately goe about to be their own murthers with Nero to kill and rip up the bowels of their own Mother And to me it seems a mystery indeed the mystery of iniquity is in it that many have and will have order in their own houses and it is the Item and injunction they give to their servants when they hire them this is the order of my house and thus and thus you must doe and obey and yet would have none in the great House the Church and Commonwealth neither Magistrate nor Minister I will say no more to such than the great Apostle hath spoke before me If any man be contentious we have no such custome nor the Church of Christ and that God is the God of order not of confusion And how can he serve God that is the God of love and peace without peace and love His Name is love and his Law is love And therefore to conclude this Character of a Christian and strongly once more to move to unity and peace Take three pathetical and emphatical motives and perswasions from the Doctor of the Gentiles The first is 1 Cor. 1. 10. Now I beseech yor brethren by the name of the Lord Jesus Christ by which you are named or called that you all speak the same things and that there be no divisions amongst you but that you be perfectly joyned together in the same mind and the same judgement Love and unity are the Cement and Glew of Christianity and Religion the unity of the spirit is best kept in the bond of peace The second is Phil. 2. 1 2. If there be any consolation in Christ any comfort of love any fellowship of the spirit any bowels of mercy fulfill my joy and be ye like minded hrving the same love being of one mind and of one accord and let nothing be done in strife or contention for that undoes all God came to Adam in the cool of the day and to Elias not in the thunder or fire or storm or tempest but in the quiet sound 1 Kings 19. 11. And it is worth your noting upon what persons and at what time the holy Ghost came down Acts 2. 1 2. He came down upon the Apostles whilst they were all in supplication and prayer and of one mind in an upper Chamber in Jerusalem The spirit of unity descends upon none but upon such as have unity of spirit Beloved if ever we find an enlargement of spirit or feel the descent of spiritual blessings in an ample and plentifull manner we shall find it to be when we are in unity and unanimity And therefore if we will have a sensible apprehension of the spirits communion and benediction let us in the name of God meet in one Assembly in the same mind of those primitive Christians â—to which we pretend did and be in the same posture and devotion they were Acts 4. 31. Who being of one heart and of one mind the place moved where they met When we hold one of Paul another of Apollo another of Cephas are we not divided and divided prayers are fruitlesse when the River is divided into many streams and currents it cannot carry our Vessels our hearts wanting love and unity and our Altar fire the incense of our prayers cannot ascend 3. Note that place well 2 Cor. 13. 11. Finally my brethren farewell be perfect be of good comfort be of one mind live in peace and the God of love and peace shall be with you and if God be with us and for us we need not care who can be against us God is the God of love and peace and the Godly are peaceable and loving By those characters men shew their heavenly birth their birth from God whose name is Love and whose Law is Love 3. In our first birth Generatio unius est corruptio alterius the generation and begetting of one is the death and corruption of another untill the old man be dead the new man cannot quicken As it was prophesied of Jacob and Esau when they were in their mothers womb that the elder should serve the younger So untill the elder man be brought into subjection to the younger there can be no peace in the members neither is this work wrought 4. In our first some are more easily conceived and brought forth into the world some with much more difficulty and pain with greater sorrows and anguish with many throbs and throws crying and roaring and being pained with the woman in the twelth of the Revelations ready to be delivered Thus it is in our second birth some are more easily converted and turned to God as