gall and the fruits of righteousnesse into hemlock instead of deciding controversies you make them like the Seidge of Troy of ten years standing and where as you say you are peace makers you are the greatest peace breakers and troublers of our Israel You make your selves questions like Hydras heads the taking away of one is the setting on of another you draw black lines because ye make use of a silver Plummet No wonder ye cannot see clearly if your eyes be bloudshot You are like the Polonian Ictus that knew not how to resist so many men in compleat armour the Coin of the Country was so stamped Good lawyers are stiled the oracles of the City the rulers of the Law a good ruler should see that he have skill to rule that his parchment be spread abroad before him that his eye be upon the rule the rule of the Law he must have nothing in his hand but his Plummet his hand must be steady not shaking he must be nimble handed to draw lines speedily 2. What doe you Women you Ladies more than others Having spoken to most of the considerable men in the World give me leave to speak a word or two to the Women first the Man and then the Woman It was Solomons question can a Man find a vertuous Woman If he had lived in our dayes he would have had as much a doe to find one as ever he had This question doth not imply an impossibility but onely the difficulty and rarenesse of it that it is a hard and rare thing to find a vertuous Woman for in Prov. 31. 29. Solomon tells us of many Daughters that have done vertuously and of one that excell'd all the rest and pray what did she doe Surely she had a Bible alwayes in her hand no she opened her mouth with wisdome in her tongue was the Law of kindnesse she looked well to the wayes of her household she did not eat the bread of idlenesse O! how many Women with us eat the bread of idlenesse it would pusle a Cherubin to know what they doe besides eating drinking sleeping and dressing themselves from one end of the year to the other I know that there are some few that doe vertuously this is not spoken to them Now I have told you what many of you doe doe I will tell you what ye should doe those that have families should provide for them but all should read hear pray Meditate Act. 16. 14. It was Lydias commendation she was one that feared and worshipped God As there is the beauty of the body so there is the beauty of the soul though the one be great yet the other is farre greater Me thinks you that have such beautiful bodies should strive to get beautifull souls a deformed soul in a beautiful body is just like a Toad in a golden Cabinet That of Solomon is good Scripture Prov. 31. 30. Favour is deceitful beauty is vain but a Woman that fearth the Lord shall be praised No beauty to the beauty of holynesse no Jewels to those precious and in estimable Jewels the graces of the Spirit no Pearle to the Pearle of price I have endeavoured to say somewhat to you all asunder now be pleased to hear what God sayes to you all together me thinks I hear God speaking thus to England O England what dost thou more than others Surely I have done somewhat more for thee than any other Nation and I expect that thou shouldst doe somewhat more for me I have freed thy tender neck from the galling yoke of thy insulting Tyrannizing enemies I have sheathed that tayterous sword that was wont to be sheathed in the bowels of thy Princes Of an Aegypt of black Schismes and Haeresies I have once more made thee a Goshen a Land of light I have crowned thee with the mercies of my right hand and of my left with the choisest richest and most distinguishing mercies in all my Cabinet I have brought thee from the Nadir of misery to the very Zenith of happinesse though in my Justice for thy sins and Rebellions I took away a good King from thee yet in my mercy I gave thee another as good And it is a great question whether thou wert more miserable in the losse of the one or are now happy in the miraculous restitution of the other I expect 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 somewhat extraordinary Shall God do so much for us and shall we doe nothing for him What shall we doe Let us act suitably and proportionably to those precious meanes advantages and opportunities God hath intrusted us with Let us be of one mind of one heart of one Spirit Let us love as Brethren pray and preach for the peace of Jerusalem pray that God would give us a Spirit of uniformity and meeknesse For the divisions of Reuben there were great thoughts of heart Alas who layes the divisions of our Reuben to heart Doe we not rather widen the breaches wound our very wounds and vex our very vexations We are by Gods goodnesse better in condition but very few of us in life and manners 't Is the glued bowe that doth execution that instrument that is best glued makes the best harmony surely were we more cemented and glued together we would make more heavēly Musicke in the ears of God good men Divisibile est corruptibile a Kingdome divided against it self cannot stand and surely if we be so divided we may expect that we cannot stand We have all been tryed sufficiently in the furnace of afflictions and God expects that now at length we should come forth like pure Gold he hath done a great many things for us and let us doe one thing for him what is that Onely let us fear the Lord and serve him in truth and consider what great things he hath done for us and not doe wickedly left we be consumed both we and our King Galatians 4. 16. Am I therefore become your enemy because I tell you the truth DIfferent have been the entertainments not only of humane but divine truth with different men some have embraced it for a season others for ever and it is not impossible even for a Herod for a time to heare a Iohn Baptist gladly Such was the Laodicean temper of these Apostate Galatians to whom our Blessed Apostle directs this Epistle They had once high and reverent thoughts of his Ministry and they seem to acknowledge and embrace those heavenly truths delivered by him they received him as an Angel of God even as Christ Jesus vers 14. But soon after as the learned Estius observes by reason of the crafty and subtile insinuations of false teachers they change their note they desert the truth their thoughts of him before were not so high and honourable as they are now meane and low they that before looked upō him as their happiness now look look upon him as their enemy S. Paul wonders at their sudden change and defection and knowing no reason of it in himselfe
with an eye of pitty and to weepe over it as our Saviour did over Jerusalem O Ierusalem Ierusalem hadst thou but known even in this thy day those things that concerne thine everlasting peace O sinfull Universe O sinfull Universe hadst thou known in this thy day the things that concerne thy peace He never travels into it but to teach it civility morality Christianity His sober life tells the Drunkard that hee must be drunk no more His pious cautious abhorrence of oathes tells the swearer that he must swear no more His heavenly world contemning carriage tells the coveteous griping worldling that he is not for this but for a better world When you see him walk you think he walkes here no he walkes in the streets of the new Jerusalem His busy thoughts and meditations are upon his eternall rest God the chiefest good the blessed company of angells and the spirits of just men glorify'd The eyes of his soule are fixed upon the beauties of the third heaven the pearly gates of the palace of God Hee desires to doe every action of importance so as that he needs not be ashamed or afraid to be found in it at the dreadfull day of judgement He would be such a one in his life as he would be in his death and such a one in his death as he would be found when he stands before Christs Tribunall He lives 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as one ashamed that he should carry a body the hinderer of his happinesse about him And if it were not for Gods glory and the good of his brethren he would not care much how soon he were rid of it And were he as much master of the great as he is of the little World he would tread upon the Globe all at once and make it a step to heaven When he rises he thinks that will be his last day and when he goes to bed that that will be his last night therefore having but one pretious and invaluable jewell and that is his immortall soule he cabinets it in the Heaven of Heavens as finding no place upon earth fit for it And can there be any place in this world fit for a soule to take a nights lodging in that is better than ten thousand Worlds What shall it profit a man to gain the whole World and loose his own soule or what shall a man give in exchange the whole World nay ten thousand worlds weighed in the ballance they are all found too light So much may suffice for the second thing the Reasons I proceed in the third place to make use 1. This may be for the just reproofe of all the Christian world at once all Christian Kings Arch-Bishops Bishops Nobles Gentlemen Divines Physitians Lawyers Souldiers Tradesmen all men in all places that doe not act proportionably to those peerelesse means of grace received to those golden talents that God hath entrusted them with A man may very well put our Saviours interrogatory to any of them What do you more then others And more particularly 1. What doe you Christian Kings more than others Most is the pitty to the great disgrace of Christianity and griefe of all good men You embroyle the Christian world in bloud and unnecessary warres only for the accomplishment of your own ambitious unwarrantable antiscripturall designes great Grotius might have saved himselfe a labour of writing De jure Belli Pacis for you and your Court parasites can make any warre lawfull provided it be for your own ends if that ye be likely to get the better But because either you do not or will not know what ye should doe I will tell you Be Wise O ye Kings and be instructed O ye judges of the earth serve the Lord with feare and rejoyce with trembling You should 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 spend your hatred some other way and joyne hearts and hands against those sworn enemies of God and all goodnesse the Turke and the Pope that are ready to overrunn all Christendome the one with his Tyrannicall sword the other with his Tyrannicall word this would be a happy Synchristianismus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an act worthy of all the Christian Kings in Christendome were this but once done how soon would the seaven hills be made plaine nor should thy triple Idoll O Anti-christian Rome resist the Christian swords As you are above others in Place so you should be above others in grace As you are the best of men for greatnesse so you should be the best of men for goodnesse As you have no superiours in degree so neither should you in vertue Consider you are the Fathers of Christendome therefore you should provide for its welfare you are the shepheards of Christendome therefore you should feed it You are the Physitians of Christendome therefore you should heale it And now I am speaking of the actions of Kings pray what doth His Majesty of England He doth to the admiration of all his friends and envy of all his enemies There are three or foure potent Sects in England just a drawing one upon the other and He partly by his piety partly by his policy partly by his promises sweetens them all and keeps them from drawing and long may he doe so But what did he doe Among many other good acts he made an Act of Oblivion which may be termed the Cement and glue of this Kingdome It were to be wished that as he made an Act of Oblivion for his enemies so he would make an Act of Remembrance for his friends Though it be the height of Christianity to forgive our enemies yet it cannot be denied but that it is somewhat of Christianity to remember our friends I chanced to overheare many poor sufferers say they were un-univers'd un-commonwealth'd they seemed to have no part to act upon the stage of England durst I say any thing I would say that they are hated and slighted by most men hated by their enemies because they are not of their pernicious Popish principles and slighted by many of those that should be their friends because they are some few of them richer then they as it is naturall with rich men unlesse they have more than ordinary supplies of grace to forget God themselves and their brethren Me thinks those few sufferers that the King hath been pleased to look upon thy are just like men that have newly escaped drowning they are so taken with their landing that they will not as much as cast a planke into the Sea for the landing of their Brethren that are strugling with the boisterous swelling Seas 2. What do you Noble men above others As there are many of you truly noble vertuous honourable so there are many of you that are the staine of your Families the shame of your Ancestors and the disgrace of Christianity you are as farre above others in wickednesse as you are in bloud and degree I would have all the Noble men in Europe consider that whether they have respect
if he wound a soul surely it must be with an arrow fetch 't from the quivers of the Scriptures an arrow taken out of Aristotles quiver may smite an ear but it will never smite a conscience 't is not a Text of Aristotle but a Text of Scripture that shews a man the grizly horrid Shape of a sin the amiable lovely countenance of a grace the strictnesse of Gods Stern-brow'd Justice the dreadfulnesse of the ever approaching day of Judgement a quotation out of Aristotle will never make a man go to his study weep for his sins resolve to turne a new leaf prepare for his later end cause a man to be enamourd on and with the beauties of the Empyrean heaven the fruition of God the chiefest good the blessed company of Angels and the Spirits of just men made perfect Though we may look upon gray-headed Aristotle as an oracle in the Schools yet not in the Pulpit that self-same Aristotle which in the Schooles we look upon as the glory of Philosophy the miracle of nature in the Pulpit we look upon him only as a mere purblind Owl-eyed Heathen As he himself confessed men to be in the contemplation of Divine things There is not the meanest Schollar in Christs School which which knows not how to confute him the naturall man discerneth not the things of God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Natural man is uncapable of the things of God 't is so in the original Beza tells us that 't is a Metaphor taken a Minoribus vasis from lesser vessels that cannot contain things bigger then themselves as if the Apostle should have said the narrow brim'd vessel of mans brain cannot comprehend the great things of God why because they are spiritually discern'd he hath no eye suitable to a spiritual object and would you have a man see without eyes This is the advantage the Christian hath of the Heathen the Heathen hath but one bad eye but the Christian hath two good ones The Heathen hath only the eye of a depraved corrupted reason but the Christian hath not only the eye of reason that corrected and sanctified but also the eye of faith No wonder then that he is better sighted then he Excellent is that place in Canticles the first and thee leventh we will make thee borders of Gold with studds of Silver by the borders of Gold according to Aquinas we are to understand the Scriptures and their spiritual meaning by the studds of Silver the art and Method of the Preacher A Preacher must be sure to see that his Sermon hath borders of Gold though it hath not studds of Silver but it is most commendable when it hath both not borders of Gold without studs of Silver or studs of Silver without borders of Gold but borders of Gold with studs of Silver we will make thee borders of Gold with studds of Silver The foundation of a Sermon should be lay'd in the Scriptures whatever the superstucture be Preaching is nothing else but an opening of the Scriptures a conferring comparing them together and surely they which doe not use Scriptures are Praters not Preachers 2. Plain and clear Truths the more simple and immixed a Truth is the better it is the Word of God it is the aliment of the of the soul you know the more the simple aliment is the more nutritive it is The word of God is compared to pure Gold and you know the mixtures of brasse or tin doe but derogate and take a way from the excellency of it Pretious stones shine with their native lustre and beauty the Word of God is like a Topaz the more you pollish and smoth it the rougher it will be That Sermon is best which is like an unpainted glasse window paint doth but hinder the Transmissiō of the light the immoderate paintings of humane Learning doe but Eclipse the beams of Truth which would be more visible in and of themselves The soft and silken effeminacies of Capua did but enervate and emasculate the victorious armies of the daring Iron-sided Hanibal The more glittering Scabbard of humane learning doth but blunt the edge of the sword of the Spirit Admirable is that of Saint Paul in the 1. to the Corinths the 2. and the 1. and the 2. And I Brethren when I came to you came not with excellency of speech or wisdome declaring unto you the Testimony of God for I determined to know nothing among you save Jesus Christ and him Crucified Saint Paul spoke this at the royal exchaing of all learning 't is in effect as much as if he should have said thus I confess my cadencies are not so sweet smothe my language is not so polite my stile is not so flourishing my lines are not so strong as those of theirs are that are puft up with word wisdome which by this means endeavour to bring into contempt the plainesse and simplicity of the Gospel I don't approve my Doctrines to you by tropes of Rhetorick Syllogismes of Logick axioms of Philosophy I professe no science among you but the science of the Crosse would it be suitable to discours of Gods emptying himself in swelling terms of Christs abasing himself in a lofty stile to discours sweetly of Vinegar and Gall to beset Christ's Crown of Thornes with a Crown of flowers No I leave that to vaine glorious self seeking Preachers those that Preach themselves not Christ Crucified but for my self my Doctrine is from above it needs not such Aegyptian reeds and weak props A Sermon should be as clear as Chrystal a man should see into the very bottome ofit It should not be an Aegypt a Land of darknesse but a Goshen a Land of light A Preacher is a light surely not in a dark Lanthern but in a Kandlestick A Preacher is a Teacher which implyes that he should teach something which may be understood he that cannot make others understand a thing he may give us leave to suspect that he doth not understand it himself Such muddy streams tell us of a cloudy muddy intellect such a man sees men like the man in the Gospel men walke like Trees he hath only some Embrio faint languishing conceptions of a thing something he would say but you must pardon him he knowes not how to expresse himself 3. Dogmatical positive Truths not aery controversies not hovering Probabilites things that may or may not be but things that the soul may build on Controversies are sitter for the Schools then the Pulpit Many a man like the Bishop of Alexandria in stead of Preaching down a haeresy hath Preach't it up and in stead of making the Funeral Sermon of a Haeresy he hath raisd it frō the dead all arts sciences if we believe them have their Prima principia primas veritates and why should not Divinity the Queen of Sciences have hers It should not be in Divinity as it is for the most part in Philosophy where the soul like Noahs Dove can find no thing