It well beseemed the great God to doe a great miracle and greatly to shew his power and authoritie in turning a great tempest into a great calme Yea as hee is a great God above all gods so he commonly doth great things for his glory and his peoples good so as their enemies confesse the Lord doth great things for them Yea lastly as there was a tranquillitie stilnesse calmnesse a great one so was it also sudden And herein lieth the greatest part of the miracle for the winds though sometime blowing strongly yet by little and little falling and sea raging extremely by little and little to grow calme is no great wonder being commonly seene But that no sooner the word of rebuke passed forth of Christs mouth but the effect of it appeared presently there was a great calme hee no sooner spake the word but it was done loe herein lieth the miracle and matter of wonder And so much be said for the opening of the sense of the words I now proceed to raise your doctrines And first from the letter The first may be raised from the context First A calme then arose a great tempest and now is made a great calme againe Which representeth unto us the mutabilitie or changeable vicissitude of all earthly temporall and sublunary things as summer and winter day and night cold and heat so in mens bodies health and sicknesse ease and paine and in mens estates wealth and povertie gaine and losse honour and disgrace and imprisonment peace and persecution are oftentimes changed one for another The world is like the Moone ever variable nothing continueth in one stay Vanitie of vanities all is vanitie And as it is in these earthly and outward so in heavenly and inward things state and condition The best of Gods children in this life are well acquainted and exercised with changes and alterations stormes and calmes mirth and mourning laughing and lamentation singing and sighing doe many times change and keepe their turnes and seldome are of any long continuance Wherefore let not such as are in best condition presume with David Tush my mountaine is so strong it cannot bee moved but let every one walke in humilitie and prepare for crosses afflictions and temptations And let such as are under the rod not be too much dejected but in patience possesse their soules and wait upon God after a storme commeth a calme Heavinesse may endure for a night but ioy commeth in the morning Our second lesson is That even all yea the most senslesse creatures man excepted doth heare and obey the voice of God and are in their kinds as it were zealous of his glory If we looke up to heaven we shall see thousand thousands and ten thousand times ten thousand stand before him even an innumerable company of most glorious Angels standing about his throne readie to doe what hee commandeth most willingly speedily and faithfully Descend by the Firmament and the Sunne which every morning commeth as a bridegroome forth of his chamber and reioiceth as a giant to runne his race yet at Gods command it stood still yea went backe and at Christ his passion it â—id it face as if then God performed what he had threatned I will cause the Sunne to goe downe at noone and I will darken the earth in a cleare day And the very starres fought against Siserah God rained fire out of heaven to burne Sodom and Aarons sonnes and Captaines with their fifties but the fire could not would not so much as sindge an haire on the heads of the three children Descend lower by the Regions of the Aire and we shall see it is the glorious God that maketh the thunder It is his voice which maketh the wildernesse of Cades to shake and Hindes to calve Lightnings are Gods arrowes and when the Lord calleth for them they answer Here we are He is the father of the raine The clouds are his bottles He also bringeth the winds out of his treasures Haile Snow Vapour all fulfill his word The earth trembleth aâ— his presence Mount Sinai shaketh as if it would rent in sunder and openeth to swallow up Core Dathan and Abiram God sent Lions to teare the Samaritanes in peeces but they did not offer any violence to Daniel being cast into their Den He did sting the rebellious Israelites with Serpents He plagued Egypt with flies and poore contemptible creatures He prepared a worme to bite Ionahs gourd at the root that it withered The Grashoppers when God sendeth them are called a strong nation mighty people and an huge armie The birds of the Aire at his command feed his Prophet with bread and flesh He hisseth for the flies of Egypt and bees of Assyria Devoureth Herod with lice Yea he doth sit above the water flouds and ruleth the Sea At his pleasure the waters must stand on an heape to let his people passe and sometimes must overflow and drowne all creatures in whose nosthrils is the breath of life The river Iordan must open and let Israel passe but the ancient river Kishon with a violent streame must sweepe the Canaanites away Fishes swim in Sea at his pleasure He prepared a Whale to swallow Ionah and the great sholes of Herrings faile not at such a day to be on such a coast He calleth for a Famine and destroyeth the provision of bread and at another time causeth the clouds to drop downe fatnesse that the poore may be satisfied with bread All diseases goe and come at his pleasure as the Centurion intended in Matth. 8. Hee punisheth disobedience with consumption and burning fever and when he rebuked it Peters wives mother was cured He shutteth up the wombe and it is he that maketh the barren to beare and become a ioyfull mother of children He formeth the light and createth darknesse maketh peace and createth evill even the Lord doth all these things Yea this great King carieth his Mace in Hell the place of confusion so as the very Devils are subject and obedient to him He never threatned or commanded uncleane spirits to bee gone but they went whereat the people greatly wondred Yea not only all creatures in Heaven Firmament Aire Earth Sea and Hell are obedient but in their kinds zealous See the zeale of the Angels who are winged and called Seraphims because they burne with a zeale of Gods glory are as a flaming fire when he useth their ministery See the zeale of the Frogs though breeding feeding creeping croaking in marish grounds and farre from houses yet being sent of God to plague Pharaoh they assaulted the Kings Palace crept into his ovens and kneading troughes yea could not be kept out of the Kings
have therfore Verily I say unto you ye that have followed me in the regeneration when the Son of Man shal sit in the throne of his glory ye also shal sit upon twelve thrones and iudge the twelve Tribes of Israel andevery one that hath forsaken houses brethren sisters father mother wife children or lands for my names sake shall receive an hundred fold and shall inherit everlasting life And againe Yee are they that have continued with mee in my temptation And I appoint to you a kingdome as my Father hath appointed to me That yee may eat and drinke at my table in my Kingdome and sit on thrones iudging the twelve Tribes of Israel According to which promises the Apostle saith If wee suffer with him wee shall reigne with him It is a most true saying of the Apostle If in this life only we have hope in Christ we are of all men most miserable But in regard of the reward to come such as follow Christ to the end are of all men most happie Moses had respect to this recompence of reward and it made him leave following of Pharaoh and his Court and chuse to suffer afflictions with the people of God rather than to enioy the pleasures of sinne for a season This made the Apostles being scourged to depart out of the Councell rejoycing that they were counted worthie to suffer for the name of Christ This hath encouraged thousands and millions of holy Martyrs to suffer with patience and joy all the tortures and torments that the Devill and Tyrants could devise and by no meanes be pulled from following of Christ Oh then on on follow follow him let us all be Acolytes I neither meane it according to Philosophie the Stoicks being so called because they alwaies followed their opinions and did with obstinate pertinacie adhere to their doctrine and counted it a shame to forsake the same neither doe I meane it according to ridiculous Popery wherin Acolytes are one of their Ecclesiasticall Orders whose office is to light tapers and candles for there must be candles light whensoever the Masse is celebrated though at noone-day and Sunne shine never so bright and no marvell for it is a worke of darknesse but by Acolytes I meane according to the word in my Text let us follow Christ his doctrine and morall conversation and let our light so shine before men that they may see our good workes and glorifie our Father which is in heaven Oh follow him in troubles and temptations and you shall follow him in glory for so is the promise They shall follow the Lambe whither soever hee goeth Follow him on earth and you shall follow him in heaven follow him in momentanie misery and you shall follow him in endlesse felicitie follow him in temporarie death and you shall follow him in everlasting life then suffer with him and you shall reigne with him Now follow him that rideth upon the white horse and is gone forth to war and you shall follow him in triumph with Palmes in your hands and crownes on your heads when the Devill and all enemies shall be troden under foot But now give mee leave before I conclude this point to lament the paucitie the small number of those that follow Christ The time was whē it was said The whole world followed him but now may we complaine that all follow the world as the Apostle long since did All seek their own not those things which are Iesus Christs Good Lord how greedily and unweariedly doe men and women follow and even runne some after their pleasures of Hawkes Hounds Cards Dice some their profit and gaine some their honour and preferment some one sinne some another and in that pursuit will endure any hardnesse any discouragements but how few follow Christ in the way of obedience to the Gospell Which S. Bernard in his time lamented and discovered the folly of in a wittie descanting upon a Latine word The world saith I will deceive thee the flesh saith I will infect thee the Devill saith I will destroy thee but Christ saith I will refresh thee Yet how many follow the other and how few Christ They would come to Christ in heaven and are ready to say with Stephen at their departure Lord Iesu receive my spirit but will not follow Christ on earth they would with Balaam die the deaths of the righteous but cannot abide their lives they wish the end but not beginning or if they wil follow Christ on the shore they will not to sea with him can endure in times of libertie peace plentie and prosperitie to professe the Gospell but not in trouble and persecution they will bring him to the water-side and if he will preach out of the ship they will stand on shore and heare him but if it be rough they will not to sea with him But know you that the marke of a true disciple is to follow Christ in temptations tribulations perils and persecutions yea it is adversitie trieth and declareth a true disciple not like the Israelites to reioyce sing when they passed safely thorow the red sea but murmure when they wanted bread or water wherefore follow him in sicknesse povertie disgrace imprisonment death follow him to the sea let winds and waves rage never so horribly yea follow him into the sea if he call thee thereunto what hurt had the children of Israel by following the Cloud and Arke into the midst of the red sea The Lord is with his in all their temptations and tribulations hee will deliver them and bring them to honour Thus the passengers are all shipped we have observed both their number and their order Christ went in before and his Disciples followed him It now followeth to speake of the Vessell wherein they passed but for this time I conclude with that Prayer our holy mother Church hath taught vs in the Collect for this day Almightie God which by thy Sonne Iesus Christ didst give such grace to thy holy Apostle Saint Peter and commandedst him earnestly to feed thy flock make we beseech thee all Biships and Pastors diligently to preach thy holy word and the people obediently to follow the same that they may receive the crowne of everlasting glorie through Iesus Christ our Lord. Amen Into a ship We have observed the Passengers for their number and order of shipping Now let us consider the Vessell wherein they passe which is here said to be a Ship The Romish Peterlings say this was Peters ship and in that they have a great mysterie that Christ and his Disciples are in their Church Indeed that Christ once was in Peters ship taught out of it and drew a great draught of fishes the Text is cleare That also Christ and his Disciples were in the Church of Rome is as cleare when Saint Paul saith Their faith
could never enioy to Gods praise and our comfort but by the benefit of ships Againe God having enriched severall Countries with severall commodities and scarce any one that affordeth all things even for the being much lesse the well being of man but as some have great store of Corne others abound with Wine others have plentie of Fruits others stored with mines of Gold Silver Copper Tinne Lead or Iron others are for breed of Cattell that as in the bodie of the little world the head cannot say to the foot I haue no need of thee so in the body of the great world one Country cannot say to another I have no need of thee and though never so farre distant yet by benefit of Navigation the Commodities of severall Nations are exchanged merchandize with wonderfull encrease of wealth is maintained yea the knowledge of God propagated farre remote countries by this meanes being made as neare neighbours and daily passage from one to another as over a woodden bridge Lastly it is a wonderfull ease in journey shipping maketh great burthens light and long waies short conveying both persons and commodities from place to place both with more ease in shorter time and with farre lesser charge so beneficiall is the Art of Navigation Now to make Application Iacob blessing his Sonnes before his death and in spirit foreseeing their placing in Canaan as if with Iosuah he had seene the Lots cast and falne gave this blessing to his Sonne Zebulun Zebulun shall dwell at the Hauen of the Sea and he shall be for an Hauen of Ships In this Tribe was this Sea Corazin Bethsaida Capernaum which was so commodious gainful a dwelling that Moses before his death blessing the Tribes â—â—ddeth Reioyce Zebulun in thy goings out First in thy prosperous voiages whereby they did suck of the abundance of the Seas and of treasures hid in the Sands The people were so rich in Solomons daies that in Ierusalem Silver was as plentifull as stones but by his Ships he fetched it from Ophir England is a fruitfull Countrey and as compleat in it selfe as any I reade of a verie Canaan flowing with Milke and Honie specially abounding with such things as are for food and apparell which giue the Law to all other Merchandize Yet we want I say not Tabacco I would we wanted that Indian Gold and Silver and Wine and Weed and all rather than it should be so abused through wantonnesse and riot But we want Spices and thousands of comfortable blessings Our Merchants fetch them from farre in their Ships wherein they excell all Nations Lastly whereas Inhabitants in the maine Continents are subiect to sudden and violent incursions of enemies so as many times when no danger is suspected Cities and Castles are surprized and Princes led into captivitie by their enemies how doth Nature and Art secure us Islanders Nature having digged so great and unpassable a Ditch without great and long preparation and Art builded such strong though woodden Wals Castles and Bulwarkes Wherefore that we may be happie still as well in Earthly as Heavenly things let vs pray God to maintaine Merchandize the sinew of our wealth peace and welfare that they may cheerefully goe out and in and with Zebulun reioyce in their trading export such things as we can spare and import such blessings as we want And specially for his Maiesties Roiall Navie that that may be as a ready-well-furnished Wall and Castle of defense for the propulsation of everie invading Foe And so much be said of the Letter It is generally agreed by the ancient Fathers and later Divines both orthodoxall and heretical that the Ship is a most excellent Embleme and Hieroglyphick wherein is most lively almost in all things as may be gathered from the Scriptures and writings of learned Divines represented the state and condition of a true visible Church in this world The Ship I say resembleth the Church the Sea the world the storme persecutions Christ his sleepe his patience the Haven is Heaven the Pilot is Christ the Mariners Prophets Apostles Ministers the Passengers Christians divers roomes divers orders and offices the maine Mast Christs Crosse the Sailes profession of godlinesse the wind the Spirit of God the contrarie winds the counterblasts of Satan by false Doctrine the Card and Compasse whereby they saile Gods Word the pixis nautica which only eieth the fixed North Pole Faith the Cable and cordage Love the Anchor hope praiers and teares their Ordnance Word and Sacraments their food Gods good pleasure the Rudder and prosperitie the Remora which maketh the Ship stand still or saile verie slowly If I should now insist vpon these things and shew you both by what authoritie from Scriptures or Fathers or both I frame this Allegorie and how fit this resemblance is in all the passages thereof in many a Lecture I could not dispatch it I hasten to things more profitable and doe only in generall propose it and referre the particulars to your owne further meditation and now come to resolue the waightiest question which troubleth so many in these daies viz. Which is that Ship wherein Christ and his Disciples are seeing everie Ship saith he is there which is that true visible Church in these daies wherein to live and whereof to be a member is most happy To search all the Ships Pinnesses and Cock-boats which are or have beene upon the Sea were an endlesse labour there are or have beene so many Iewes Turks Arrians Anabaptists Familists yea and fruitlesse for many of them which formerly have failed faire and troubled the eies of beholders have suffered Ship-wrack and are long since sunck only some few peeces of their broken Ships doe float here and there and others have received great leakes and will sinke of themselues which shew that Christ is not in them I will only search two viz. the Romish Ship which they say is the only Ship of Christ and Peter and the Ship of the Reformed Church which they say is but an haereticall Cock-boat Have but patience and by Gods grace I shall resolve the question in whether of these doe Christ and his Disciples passe that so we may ship our selves with them For the Church of Rome there is nothing better pleaseth them than this Allegorie they say theirs is Peters Ship and therefore expresse it upon the Wals and in Tabletures in portraiture of a beautifull and goodly Ship vnder sailes the Pope at the Sterne Cardinals and Bishops and Shavelings the Mariners and plying their tacklings and the poore Protestants as Hereticks cast over board and swimming a while for life but in the end drowned And therefore they send out their Emissaries Iesuits Priests to draw all Disciples to board there But let me tell you I have searched that Ship and finde it a faire one to looke on and furnished with Masts Yards Cables Cordage large Sailes and mightie Ordnance a
this Miracle might be the more which redoundeth to Christ froÌ„ causing this calme the Euangelist telleth us there was a tempest a sudden tempest a great tempest and it appeareth it was so from divers passages of the storie For first the instrumentall Cause was a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a sudden and furious winde which God did cast upon the Sea for so the word in Ionah signifieth the waves also so lifted up and tossed with it that the very ship was covered with them or as the word signifieth was filled brim full for S. Marke useth the same word which is used in S. Iohn at the Mariage-Feast in Cana of Galile where the Water-pots are said to be filled up to the brim yea the passengers whereof some of them were Fishermen as Peter Andrew Iames Iohn were exceedingly fearefull they should be drowned Surely they had seene many a tempest before and were men inured and accustomed to such dangers of whom the Poet saith truly Their hearts are of brasse and oake to encounter dangers yet even they are as at their wits end as David saith and distracted with the greatnesse of this perill and cry out to their Master Saue vs wee perish All which declare the truth of my Text that this was a great dangerous tempest indeed wherof more hereafter wheÌ„l come to speake of the ship being covered with waves In the meane time receive this doctrine which coÌ„taineth both the History Mysterie viz. That God many times suffereth his people to come into great perills dangers extremities and very hard exigents before he deliuer them which being a doctrine lately and largely in this place handled from another Text I onely now barely propose it and proceed Vpon the Sea When God divided the waters from the dry land he called the dry land Earth and the gathering together of the waters Seas and ever since the Hebrewes have usually called all collections and gatherings together of waters Seas Yea that vessell which Solomon made for the vse of the Temple in stead of the Laver in the Tabernacle and was for containing of two or three thousand Baths of water for the Priests to wash with is called a Brasen Sea and Moulten Sea And howsoever my Text calleth this gathering of waters Sea and elsewhere it is called the sea of Galile because the promised Land being divided into three Provinces Galile Samaria and Iewrie this Sea was in the Province of inferiour Galile It is also called the Sea of Tiberias from a Citie on the banke of it of that name It is in the Old Testament called the Sea of Chinnereth and in the New Testament it is called the Lake of Genesarâ—th A lake and so it might more properly be called than Sea and so S. Luke calleth it even in recording this storie A storme of winde came on the Lake for that it was but a few leagues in compasse and the Lake of Genesereth because the countrey of Genesereth adioyned unto it Iâ— was a Sea that abounded with Fish and there was the place where Peter and Andrew Iames and Iohn were Fishers It was nourished with that sweet and pleasant Riuer of Iordan which rising at the foot of Mount Libanus running in a narrow channell did first inlarge it selfe in a small Lake called Merom where Iosuah discomfited the Canaanites Ios 11. 4 5 7. and then contracting it selfe againe kept channell till it came secondly more to inlarge it selfe in this Lake or Sea and then passing out of it againe did at the last emptie it selfe into the dead Sea a Sea though having no entercourse with the Ocean and dead because no fish or other creature doth liue in it because of the bituminous sulphureous matter I know no waters in the world comparably renowmed to this Riuer and this Sea Howsoever disgracefully Naaman once said Are not the riuers of Damascus Abanaâ— and Pharpar better than all the waters of Israel Yet hath God enabled the waters of Israel aboue all the waters of the world and the waters of Iordan aboue all the waters of Israel The waters of this Riuer betwixt this and the salt Sea did stand as on an heape at that time when Iordan overflowed all his bankes till his people Israel passed over it on drie ground into the land of Canaan right over against Iericho Eliah and Elishah divided the waters of this Riuer with their cloake and went over on dry ground Naaman the Syrian washing seuen times in it according to the word of the Prophet was clensed of his leprosie In this did the Prophet Elisha cause the Iron to swim Yea in this was Christ baptised and the Baptist saw heauen open heard the voice of the Father and saw the Spirit in likenesse of a Dove descend and light on Christ Oh that famous River of Iordan no Sea more ennobled than this thorow which it ran Here did Christ call â—oure of his first and prime Apostles On this sea Christ and Peter walked Here did hee calme the Tempest and here hee appeared after his Resurrection when they tooke an exceeding multitude of fishes On this famous sea now this great Tempest was So much for the Letter I having formerly shewed how marvellous God is in this Creature and provoked you to give him due glorie As the Ship representeth the Church so the Sea this world and may so fitly in a threefold respect First as the sea is alwaies in motion but specially tempestuous when the winds doe blow so this world is restlesse ever in action but then specially stormie and tempestuous when Tyrants and Heretikes doe blow upon it Againe as the sea is Dangerous for shelfes rocks sands unlesse men saile by a very good compasse and thousands doe make shipwracke to the losse of lives and goods So in this world are many dangers and perils and specially heresies and sins are as rockes whereon thousands even all that doe not saile by the true compasse of Gods word doe make shipwrack to the eternall destruction of soule and bodie as Saint Paul saith that Hymeneus and Alexander did Lastly as the â—ea is full of fishes and living Creatures there goe things creeping innumerable so is the world and as fishes in the sea are caught with nets so are men by the net of the Gospell as Christ said to his Apostles Follow me and I will make you fishers of men And the kingdome of heaven is like to a draw-net cast into the sea Matth. 13. 47. And as in the sea small fish are a prey to greater so in this world the poore and weake are as a prey devoured of the rich and strong In which respect the Lord by his Prophet calleth them Fishers for which and divers other respects if I would stand upon them the world may very fitly be compared to
no strength in him When wicked Belshazzir an enemy of Gods people and at that time he and his Wives Concubines and Princes carowsing in the Vessels of Gold and Silver which his father Nabuchodonezer had brought from the Temple of the Lord in Ierusalem and praised their gods of Gold and Silver Brasse Iron Wood and Stone no sooner cast his eye on death through the glasse of the Law which God set up on the wall over against the Candlesticke but his countenance was changed his thoughts so troubled him that the ioints of his loynes were loosed and his knees smote one against another and nothing could comfort him or still that raging storme This was signified by that dreadfull manner of giving the Law on Mount Sinai with such darknes thunder lightning and earth-quake that all the people fled and Moyses himselfe confessed I exceedingly feare and quake We see when wicked and ungodly men come to die how they fare either they die sullenly as Nabal whose heart was dead as a stone it being the righteous judgement of God upon them that such as refused grace in their life time when he offered it should in their sicknesse neither have grace nor crave it but die blockishly and senslesly The Lord knoweth our times are full of such men and women which as David saith have hearts as fat as brawne possessed with a spirit of slumber you might as well speake to the bed-sted as to them talke with them of the way of Redemption Iustification and Salvation alas how ignorant Tell them of Resurrection and last Judgement they have no apprehension Reprove them for their sinnes past they know no such matter Informe them in the doctrine of Repentance Contrition of heart longing after the righteousnesse of Christ the happinesse of heaven they wonder as if you were reading of Riddles to them You shall finde no sound knowledge no token of true repentance no fruit of lively faith no testimonie of a well-grounded hope no signe of Christian joy as looking for a better life nothing but dulnesse and deadnesse of spirit and all their desire is to live But others being awakened out of their sins their consciences accusing and they beholding death in the looking-glasse of the Law good Lord how are they affrighted What tossing sighing groaning sweating compassed about with the sorrowes of hell and he is overwhelmed with despaire Now are his sinnes set before him the sinnes of childhood youth age his swearing riot uncleannesse oppression contempt of Gods word and generall profanenesse such as hee made but a mocke and sport of but now they come in troopes and appeare so great that he is swallowed up of dismaiednesse and letteth his tongue be wray his despaire and utter blasphemie and let a man labour to comfort him he still holdeth Cains conclusion My sin is greater than can be pardoned And thus as his life was full of sinne his death is full of sorrow as in his health he had no conscience in his sicknesse he hath no comfort as in his life he mocked Gods counsell in his death God laugheth at his destruction and he is in hell whilest he liveth which to prevent he could wish the rocks and mountaines to fall on him and cover him Yea not only the wicked and reprobate but even the elect and most righteous having but a glimpse of death thorow this glasse have beene exceedingly daunted and brought into most fearefull fits Holy Iob a man by Gods owne testimonie that feared God and eschewed evill and all the dayes of his life did wait for his change Iob 14. 14. could in good measure beare the sudden strange losse of all his substance cattell servants and children and say The Lord hath given and the Lord hath taken blessed be the name of the Lord but let him be touched in his bodie sicke and sore from the crowne of the head to the soale of the foot let God withall write bitter things against him and make him possesse the sinnes of his youth let him see death in the looking-glasse of the Law and then he enjoyeth wearisome nights and is full of tossings yea will curse the day and all the services of his birth David a man after Gods owne heart will wade thorow a world of troubles and it is not the malice of Saul hatred of the Philistims envie of the Princes rebellion of Absolom trecherie of Achitophel no threatning of Goliah grapling with a Lion fighting with a Beare no hunger cold danger can discourage him but in all distresse he comforteth himselfe in his God but let him see death in the looking-glasse of the Law and hee will even roare for the disquietnesse of his heart his heart will be pained the terrors of death fall on him fearefulnesse and trembling come upon him and horror over whelme him Psal 55. 4. yea the feare of death doth undoe him then will he make his bed to swim and even water his couch with teares and then all his prayers are against death Oh spare me that I may recover my strength and Oh my God cut me not off in the midst of my dayes Oh save me for thy mercies sake for in death there is no remembrance of thee and who will give thee thanks in the grave Let King Ezekiah receive a message of death from God and behold in the glasse of the Law and hee will turne his face to the wall and weepe bitterly chatter like a Crane or Swallow mourne like a Dove and complaine that God like a Lion hath broken all his bones and all his prayer is for life The living the living shall praise thee But in Christ himselfe we have an Example of all Examples for this purpose who as Mediator beholding death in the glasse of the Law and the inferiour reason presenting it to the minde not with all circumstances he began to feare his soule was exceeding sorrowfull even to death yea the sorrowes of death compassed him about that he fell into a dreadfull agonie his thoughts were troubled his spirits affrighted his heart trembled his ioynts shooke his pores opened and a sweat of drops like bloud burst thorow and thorow his garments Oh this was a grievous storme in his soule And what doth he As his disciples came to him so he to his Father and in a sweet and solitarie place a Garden an Oratorie whither he had often resorted to pray there he powreth out his soule in an heavenly prayer most commendable both for substance and circumstance with earnest intention for he did double and ingeminate the title often Father Father with wonderfull fervencie of spirit every word afforded a drop of bloud in faith he said my Father with humblenesse for he kneeled downe with wonderfull reverence he fell downe groveling as it were kneeling
borne or buried or whilst he lived whereon to rest his head And as quickly was he gone againe he did but sojourne or as the word signifieth pitch his Tent among us for the space of 33 yeers which compared with eternitie or long lives of the Patriarchs is nothing He was but as a Traveller which as for a nights lodging only turned in unto us and as a stranger he was used for his owne would not receive him but did lade him with all wrongs and injuries preferre a murtherer before him and most disgracefully crucifie him betwixt two notorious malefactors But it shall suffice only to touch these things The third and last is more largely to be handled as most fitting the Text the day the insuing service of this day whereunto with some few words to that purpose I would prepare you and is this This man is a strange man wonderfully qualified For they propound the question in way of admiration What manner of man is this q. d. Oh what a wonderfull man is this And well might they so marvell and demand for there was never such a man on earth before or since or shall be The Church saith Her beloved is the chiefest of ten thousand a finite number being put for an infinite All the thousands and millions of glorious Angels in heaven or men on earth cannot afford such another He is the only Standard-bearer as the word signifieth He is anointed with the oile of gladnesse above his fellowes He received not the spirit by measure In him were hid all the treasures of wisdome and knowledge yea all that fulnesse of the Godhead dwelt in him bodily that they may well marvell What manner of man is this For Christ hath said of himselfe he is a wonder and the Prophet maketh this one of his glorious titles He shall be called wonderfull And never any creature so answerable to his name as Christ to this For what he was said did suffered ordained was all most marvellous Let us retaile these things For wherein can I more edifie you than by provoking you to marvell which is the whetstone of knowledge And first let us consider his person and it will make us marvell yea be astonished with marvelling He that is true God from everlasting in time became true man not ceasing to be what he was before but beginning to be what he was not before assuming true manhood to subsist in the word by hypostaticall or personall union neither nullifying the Deitie nor deifying the Humanitie but reserving the essentiall properties of each nature severall and distinct without mixture or confusion The Apostle saith This is a great mysterie and to be much marvelled at God manifested in the flesh The word made flesh Manhood assumed into personall union with Godhead that so Godhead and Manhood make the person of one Redeemer as soule and body doe one man that seeing as God hee could not die which God hath threatned and as man not overcome death being God and man he could both suffer and overcome the one suffered and the other enabled By reason of which union and as I may call it association of divers natures a kinde of mutuall commutation there is whereby those concrete Titles God and Man when we speake of Christ doe take interchangeably one anothers roome and in the Concrete it is most holy and true which in the Abstract were horrible and hellish blasphemie to affirme We cannot say the Humanitie made the world or Deitie suffered but we may truly say the man Christ made the world and the God Christ suffered The Apostle saith The Iewes did crucifie the Lord of glory 1 Cor. 2. 8. and that God hath purchased his Church with his bloud and Christ being on earth said at the same instant The Sonne of man was in heaven Where you see a bloudy death is attributed to God and Lord of glory and ubiquitie to manhood which humane nature admitteth not Therefore by God and Lord of glory wee must understand the whole person of Christ who died and shed his bloud but not in that nature for which he is called God and Lord of glory and in the other place by Sonne of man we understand the person of Christ who was in heaven as well as on earth though not in that nature for which he is called the sonne of man Yea without this caution the Fathers who were both sound in the faith and unanimous in defense thereof will seeme to be both corrupt and contrary For Theodoret disputeth with great earnestnesse that God cannot be said to suffer but he meant in the Abstract against Apollinarius who held the Deitie to be passible And Cyrill is as earnest saying Whosoever doth denie very God to have suffered death doth forsake the faith but he meaneth in the flesh and not in that substance for which the title God is given him But why doe I goe about to expresse and make cleare such a mysterie as is unconceiveable The strength of faith appeareth in those things wherein our wits and capacities are weake and therefore I must leave you reverendly and religiously to marvell at the person of your Redeemer and say What manner of man is this who is truly God-Man and Man-God And so I proceed to speake of his humane nature wherein he is more familiar unto us yet therein most marvellous also And first His conception is marvellous which was not according to the course of nature and by carnall copulation as Ebion blasphemed but as the holy Gospel teacheth and we professe to beleeve he was conceived by the Holy Ghost that as he was God of his Father without mother so he might become man of his mother without father and so be a Priest for ever after the order of Melchizedech who is said to be without father and mother And this comming of the Holy Ghost upon the Virgin effected a threefold worke First the fashioning of the body of a part of Maries substance that so he might be the true sonne of Adam Abraham and David according to the flesh and also the creating and infusing of the soule into the body which at the first was organized and fit to receive it which other bodies are not Secondly the sanctification of that matter that it had not the least staine or blemish of any originall sinne uncleannesse contagion or corruption Thirdly the union of the Godhead Manhood All which were wrought at the same instant of time Of all which the personal union is most marvellous That as in the Trinitie three persons are united in essence so in Christ three several and distinct substances viz. Deitie Soule and Flesh are united in one person And therefore the humanitie of Christ his soule and body did not make a person as in other men but so soone as
Doctor Reconciliation for the sinnes of the world Mediator Advocate Wisdome Righteousnesse Sanctification Redemption Our Master Prophet Servant of God Our hope Our brother Bread of life Rock Stone cut out of the mountaines without hands End of the Law Spouse and Head of the Church Chiefe corner stone Righteous branch Seed of Abraham Sonne of David King of glory Lord of all the Righteous one Hope of glory Heire of all things Iudge of quicke and dead The Priest after the order of Melchizedech The consolation of Israel Who doth not marvell at these things and say What manner of man is this to whom so many glorious and honourable titles are given When he was but a childe of twelue yeares of age and lost in Ierusalem after three dayes his Parents found him in the Temple sitting in the midst of the Doctors hearing them and asking them questions and all that heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers and his Parents were amazed And when ye heare the story will ye not marvell and say What manner of childe is this that disputed so learnedly with the Doctors When he was baptised of his servant in Iordan the heavens were opened God the Father pronounced This is that my welbeloved Sonne in whom I am well pleased and the Holy Ghost descended in the likenesse of a Dove and rested upon him And doe you not marvell what manner of man he is at whose Baptisme such strange things hapned When Peter in the name of himselfe and the rest of the Apostles did make that excellent confession of faith which Christ so commended he said Thou art the Christ or that Christ Christ is a Greeke word and answereth to the Hebrew Messiah as is expounded in the Gospell Wee have found the Messiah which is by interpretation the Christ And both doe signifie in English Anointed and yet S. Peter at another time spake more fully Thou art the Christ or anointed of God Three sorts of persons were Legally anointed with Materiall oile viz. Kings as Saul Priests as Aaron and Prophets as Elisha and these were Christs of God for that he did set them apart and furnish them with gifts for those functions whereof that externall anointing was the Symbole which God acknowledged Touch not mine anointed and whereof David made conscience though Saul was a wicked man and he was much tempted thereunto when opportunitie was offered yet he repelled the temptation saying to Abishai Who can stretch his hand against the Lords anointed and bee guiltlesse Yea his heart did smite him for comming so neere him as to cut off the lap of his garment But never any one before or since The Christ or That Christ but the blessed Sonne of the Virgin who onely received all fulnesse of grace and in whom onely all those offices did meet and concurre They have doubled in divers who were his types as David was both a King and a Prophet Melchizedeck a King and Priest and Samuel a Priest and Prophet but all three never but in him alone and therefore worthily stiled That Christ or Anointed of God That King and Prince of all the Kings of the earth to whose Scepter Lore and Law all must stoope in obedience and all shall bee destroyed that will not have him to reigne over them That great Prophet to whose doctrine all must hearken That High Priest who onely and once for all hath offered the propitiatory sacrifice for the sinnes of the Elect. Doe you heare these things and doe you not marvell and say What manner of man is this who onely dischargeth such great offices Againe whilest hee was here on earth he tooke three of his beloved disciples and led them up to the top of Mount Thabor and there was transfigured before them his face did shine as the Sunne his raiment was white as the light and as snow so as no Fuller on earth can white them and there appeared Moses and Elias talking with him and there was also a bright cloud and there was heard the voyce of God the Father giving to his Sonne honour and glory from that excellent glory saying This is my beloved Sonne in whom I am well pleased heare him With which voice and sight the disciples that heard and saw and specially S. Peter was so ravished that he forgot himselfe and the redemption of the Elect by the death of Christ at Ierusalem and desired no other heaven but to abide there though without a Tent Oh marvell you also and say What manner of man is this Againe whilest he was here on earth what excellent doctrine did hee preach and deliver pronouncing the poore in spirit the meeke such as mourne and hunger and thirst after righteousnesse and suffer persecution for righteousnes sake Blessed requiring every disciple of his to deny himselfe take up the crosse and follow him to love our enemies blesse them that curse us overcome evill with good If we be smitten on one cheeke to turne the other yet promising great reward in heaven calling all to him that travell and are heavie laden promising he will not cast away any that come unto him that hee will not breake the bruised reed nor quench the smoaking flax that whosoever beleeveth in him shall not perish but have everlasting life yea he is passed from death to life and shall not come into iudgement that he knoweth his sheepe and will give unto them everlasting life that of all those his Father hath given him he will not lose one but raise him up at the last day that such as for his sake forsake father mother brother sister goods houses or lands shall in this world receive an hundred fold more and in the world to come everlasting life that such as now follow him in the regeneration shall sit upon thrones that such as for his sake hunger and thirst shall sit at his Table and eat and drinke with him in his kingdome such doctrine for matter and manner of deliverie as the Church truly said Hony and milke were under his tongue and his lips were full of grace Yea all the Synagogue wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth A woman could not containe her selfe when shee heard him but pronounced Blessed is the wombe that bare thee Luke 11. 27. His very enemies were astonished and said Never man spake like him And the rude multitude marvelled and questioned amongst themselves What thing is this What new doctrine is this and whence hath this man this wisdome Is not this the Carpenters sonne from whence then hath this man all these things And will not you also when yee reade in the Gospell marvell and say What manner of man is this that hath preached such new true holy humble heavenly charitable and comfortable