and looke for seeing the Apostle telleth vs That the feruent desirâ— of the creature waiteth when the sonnes of God shal be reuealed Because the creature is subiect vnto vanitie not of it owne will but by reason of him that hath subdued it vnder hope Because the creature also shall be deliuered from the bondage of corruption into the glorius libertie of the sonnes of God For we know that euery creaâ—ure groaneth with vs also and trauâ—lleth in paine together vnto his present And not onely the creature but wee also which haue the first fruites of the Spirit euen wee doe sigh in our selues waiting for the adoption euen the redemption of our body Seeing then Saint Iohn telles vs Dearely beloued we are now the sonnes of God but yet it is not made manifest what we shall be And we know that when he shall be made manifest we shall be like him for we shall see him as he is Seeing this world is as the sea as bitter as inconstant as full of dangers as full of monsters as full of deuouring fishes as the sea is and no place for vs to rest and abide in and yet we must passe through it before we can come to heauen seeing there is no hope except we can be assured that we are in Christs ship his Church and being in it we must looke for stormes and tempests either outward by persecution or inward by hereticks and schismaticks Let vs no way dismay our selues though Christ our Sauior died and seemed asleep as not regarding our miseries for hee is arisen and hath commanded the windes and seaes he hath captiued and subdued all our spirituall enemies and assured vs of eternall and euerlasting life Let euery one therefore that readeth or heareth this Treatise learne of the Apostle To deny vngodlinesse and wordly lusts and to walke soberly and righteously and godly in this present world Looking for that blessâ—d hope and appearing of that glory of that mighty God and of our Sauiour Iesus Christ. And so I conclude this Treatise as Saint Iohn doth his Reuelation which is the conclusion of the whole Bible He which testifieth these things saith Surely I comâ— quickly Amen Euen so come Lord Iesus The Grace of our Lord Iesus Christ be with you all Amen FINIS PRAYERS FOR SEA-TRAVELLERS VPON SEVERALL OCCASIONS suited to the former meditations in this Treatise A Prayer to prepare Nauigators by Sea to true Christian resolution in the vndertaking any long Voyage among Infidels MOST mightie and glorious God the earth is thine and all that therein is the world and they that dwell therein For thou hast founded it vpon the seaes and established it vpon the Flouds And though the heauen and the heauen of heauens bee thine and the earth with all that therein is yet thou hast set thy delight vpon our fathers and made choise of vs their seede to bee thy people Thou hast in the darkenesse of ignorance and error ouer-spreading the world giuen vs thy word to bâ— a lanthorne to our feete and a light vnto our pathes thou hast not onely giuen vs thy Law to teach vs what to doe but thy Gospell also to teach vs what to beleeue to bring vs to euerlasting life And seeing the summe of it all is to know thee to be the onely very God and whom thou hast sent Iesus Christ. And no man hath seene thee at any time but that onely begotten sonne which is in thy bosome he hath declared thee who is the brightnes of the glory and the ingraued forme of thy person bearing vp all things by his mighty word who being in the forme of God and thinking it no robberie to be equall with thee yet made himselfe of no reputation and tooke on him the forme of a seruant and was made like vnto men found in shape as a man And wheÌ„ the fulnes of time was come was made of a woman and made vnder the law to redeeme vs that were vnder the law that we might receiue the adoption of sonnes And seeing O Lord thou hast giuen thy spirit vnto all thy children to testifie vnto their spirits that they are thy sonnes And hereby wee know thy spirit that euery spirit that coÌ„fesseth that Iesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God we most humbly and heartily entreate thy maiestie that being now by our professions called to leaue our natiue couÌ„trie where thy Gospel is truly and sincerely preached by which meanes and by effectual working of thy spirit we haue had faith in thee and thy sonne Iesus Christ and in thy holy spirit one God in three persons begotten in our hearts and being to trauell through the great dangers of the vast and wide sea into the remote parts of the world amongst the heathen that doe not know thee nor call vpon thy name it may please thee so to increase and daily confirme that faith in thy sonne Iesus Christ which wee vndertooke at our first being receiued into thy Church by the Sacrament of Baptisme that we may euer acknowledge him to bee perfect God and perfect man in one person and thereby to bee our onely aduocate Mediatour and intercessor to thee for vs Giue vs grace wee beseech thee in our daily dangerous trauels by sea with Christian courage and resolution to be alwaies readie according to thy good will and pleasure to liue and dye in this faith Let vs not trust either in the goodnesse or strength of our ships or in prouisions of things necessarie made by those which set vs forth nor in the skill and valour of our Commanders nor in any other outward meanes but let vs acknowledge all these things to proceede from thy goodnesse and euermore depend vpon thy blessing vpon the meanes in our vse of them not for any merit of ours but for thy Sonne Iesus Christ his sake In all our troubles and extremities let vs by faith haue recourse to our Lord and Sauiour Iesus being assured he is God and therefore can and Man and therefore will deliuer vs if it stand with thy glory and our good And if it please thee to bring vs amongst either Infidels or Idolaters grant that we may not communicate with them in their sinnes but consider thy great goodnesse towards vs who are by nature no better then they and haue deserued worse at thy hands in abusing thy long suffering and patience that thou passing by so many and so great and populous Nations and leauing them in their incredulitie and vnbeleefe hast reueiled thy self and thy will vnto vs and made vs professors of the same euen to the farthest endes of the world Grant vs therefore good Lord that we may not staine our holy Christian profession by any vnchristian conuersation to make thy name which wee call vpon to be blasphemed or ill spoken off amongst the Heathen but that we may conscionably
wonderfull And as the due consideration of his birth could not but moue amazement and astonishment to men and Angels to see a new thing in the world The Word made Flesh God and Man in one person a Virgin and a Mother in one So the miracles that hee wrought such as neuâ—r any man did could not but worke admiration in those that saw them We say therefore with the Prophet Stay your selues and wonder and with another Prophet Behold among the Heathen and regard and wonder and maruell For all miracles are maruelous and wondrous workes It is therefore an ordinary thing that attended the miracles of Christ that his Disciples and the people wondred The second thing therefore is rather to be considered that is their confession What man is this c. Saint Iohn writing his Gospell last of all the Euangelists purposing thereby to confute Cerinthus and other hereticks that denied the Diuinitie of Christ after he had proued it by his essence and eternitie Secondly by his Creation and preseruation of all things doth set downe certaine excellent Sermons and notable miracles wrought by Christ and omitted by the other Euangelists and at last he concludeth These things are written that ye may beleeuâ— that Iesus is that Christ that sonne of God and that in beleeuing ye might haue life through his name thus wrought one strange miracle with Nathanael Rabbi thou art the sonne of God And in the blind man that was cured and instructed by him who said Lord I beleeue and worshâ—pped him And in another miracle at the sea They thaâ— were in the ship came worshipped him saying Of a truâ—h thou art the sonne of God And at his death the Centurion when he saw what was done and they that were with him saw the Earthquake they feared greatly saying Truely this man was the Sonne of God All these brought vnto it by Christs miracles made that good confession concerning his Diuinitie which when Saint Peter made saying Thou art that Christ the Sonne of the liuing God Our Sauiour told him That flesh and bloud had not reuealed it vnto him but his Father which is in heauen And further That vpon this rocke or true confession of him he would build his Church and the gates of hell should not preuaile against it Now howsoeuer the beholders of this miracle proceede not so farre in their confession and acknowledgement yet they are in a good way and doe in a manner confesse as much when they propound it by way of question Who is this that both the winds and the sea obey him For it is as much as if they had said It is impossible that he should bee but a meere man that hath these vnruly creatures at command to check and controle at his pleasure As therefore Christ himself in the next Chapter in another miracle vpon one that was sicke of the Palsey when he had first told him Sonne be of good comfort thy sinnes are forgiuen thee And certaine of the Scribes said within themselues This man blasphemeth And Saint Marke addeth their reason Who can forgiue sinnes but God onely That hee might shew himselfe to bee God indeed and so to haue power to forgiue sinnes doth command him to arise take vp his bed and goe vnto his owne house And so thorowly curing the man by his word doth manifestly proue himselfe to be God and to haue power as well in the one as in the other So in this place though they giue him the terme of a man yet enquiring what man and so acknowledging him more then a man by the worke that he hath wrought in commanding the winds and seaes they doe in a sort confesse him to be God For conclusion therefore of the History the meditation rising to sea-men from hence is this that as in the vndertaking of their voyages they must if they haue any hope to make a good and prosperous voyage begin at Christ and be carefull and sure to take him along with them that is to examine the lawfulnesse of their callings and professions either as sea-men or as Merchants and Factors to doe seruice vnto God and to the state wherein they liue committing themselues to that vast element the sea and depending vpon Gods protection and defence and so expecting a blessing from him in all their honest labours so must they prepare themselues before hand especially in long voyages and amongst Infidels for many disasters and counterbuffes not onely of wind weather which our Sauiour Christs ship was subiect to in his short voyage but of many other dangers which cannot possibly be auoided and if Christ seeme to be asleepe in not affoording them present helpe by their earnest and hearty prayers to awake and stirre him vp by faith beleeuing his omnipotent power and by hope expecting and waiting his leisure submitting their willes to his will and ready as well at sea as at land and as well by death as by life to giue him praise and glory And thus much shall suffice for this history of Christs voyage and the meditations thence arising But I haue yet a further taske in the second generall part of the text that is the mysterie In the former I haue endeauoured to teach sea-men to be Christians but now I am to shew that all true Christians bee sea-men and haue a longer voyage in hand then to the East Indies for their whole life is but a voyage from earth to heauen In which voyage they haue a sea to passe thorough and a ship to passe in and in their passage they must looke for great tempests threatning to drowne both them and their ship and they shall find Christ in whom they trust to be asleepe as if he regarded not their danger but if they waken him by their deuout prayers he will arise quickly and not onely make all their enemies to vanish and secure the ship but neuer leaue them nor forsake them till he haue brought them to heauen the hauen where they would be This voyage cannot be performed by factors and seruants but euery Christian man and woman must vndertake it in their owne persons For â—ustus ex fide sua viâ—it in fide sua moriâ—ur that is the godly man doth liue and die doth begin and continue and make an end of this voyage according to his owne faith In this voyage 1. The sea is an image of the world 2. The ship an image of the true Church of Christ. 3. The tempest an image of the rage and fury of heretickes and schismatickes and persecuting tyrants against the Church 4. Christ his sleeping an image of his death 5. His arising an image of his resurrection whereby he subdued all his and our enemies And 6. The calme that followed is an image both of the peace of conscience and ioy in the holy Ghost the first fruits of the spirit which the Church receiueth as the benefits by his
house of this their tabernacle is dissolued they haue an euerlasting habitation in the heauens and therefore like to sea-men they vse the world as sea-men vse the sea as a way or place of passage to goe through neuer more ioyfull then when their voyage is ended by death and they brought into their right port or hauen that they may leaue their ship the Church Militant and goe ashore into the land of the liuing the Church Triumphant in heauen To conclude this point and not to passe it any further in the things wherein the sea is a true resemblance of the world as the vastnesse both of the one and of the other and that the sea casteth vp her dead vnto the shoare and so the world casteth vp those that are dead vnto it as the filth of the world aâ—d the off-scowring of all things to make them a gasing stock vnto the world to the Angels and to men and such like things wherein the sea and the world are alike We see that as the sea is bitter inconstant full of dangers full of monsters full of deuouring fishes and no place to settle and abide in so likewise is the world in all these respects to teach all men so to vse the world as sea-men vse the sea who in respect of the conditions and dangers before spoken of doe continually stand vpon their guard and watch day and night and specially in the night lest they should be suddenly ouertaken It is fit for all Christians to be as carefull and rather more for their soules then for their bodies the losse being much greater if they should miscary for what shall it profit a man to winne all the world and to lose his soule or what shall he giue for a recompence for his soule And the danger greater wherefore Christ chargeth vs Feare not them that can kill the body but are not able to kill the soule but feare him which is able to destroy both soule and boâ—y in hell And wee hauing so many commandements and charges in these regards to Watch and pray lest we fall iâ—to tentation to be sober and watch because the diuell goeth about like a roaring Lyon seeking whom he may deuour Let not the children of the world be wiser in their generation then we But though we bee vpon the land yet let vs thinke our selues to be at sea seeing this world is to vs as a sea and let them that are at sea compare the world and the sea together and bee as carefull and watchfull to preuent the dangers of the world as the dangers of the other sea or else there will be small comfort in making neuer so speedy prosperous and gainefull a voyage when their bodies shall returne safe home and their soules be drowned by the way in the gulfe of the worlds pleasures And thus wee see the sea is an image of the world Secondly the ship is an image of the true Church of Christ Militant here on earth So speakes Saint Chrysostome vpon this place It is not to be doubted saith he but this ship was a figure of the Church according to which exposition the holy Ghost speaketh by Salomon She is like a ship of Merchants which fetcheth her goods from farre that is the Church which the Apostles sayling in and the Lord guiding it the Spirit of God blowing on them with a fresh gale doth runne through the sea of the world by the preaching of the Gospell carrying in it the rich and inestimable iâ—well of Christs bloud the price paid by him for the redemption of all mankind In which words of Saint Chrysostome agreeing with the current of all writers we obserue another honour of Nauigation for as we account it a great honour to the holy estate of matrimony that Christ in the coniunction of the man and the woman would mystically signifie and represent the spirituall marriage and vnion betwixt himselfe and his Church so may we not idly ouerpasse the honour done here to Nauigation that our Sauiour did make the ship here as hee did Noahs Arke before a figure of his Church by which all Christians might learne of trauellers by sea how to passe through the sea of the world And certainely a ship may be the true resemblance of the Church of Christ in many respects First in the building a ship must be made in the keele toward the water and the earth very close and tight but is open aloft in the vpper part toward heauen so the Church of Christ is close and shut vp toward the world the sea but open vpwards towards God for our conuersation is in heauen from whence also we looke for the Sauiour euen the Lord Iesus Christ. Secondly in the forme a ship is made a Head and a Sterne that is before and behind very narrow but in the middle it is broad so the Church of Christ in the beginning was very narrow kept within the limits of Iudaea and in the middle when Christ came it spread abroad by the Ministery of the Apostles and their successours but in the end of the world it shall againe bee narrow for Thinke you when the Sonne of man comes that hee shall find faith in the earth Thirdly a ship that intends to make a long voyage must not onely be built but well furnisht and prouided of many necessaries she must haue her Ballast her Mast her Rigging her Sayles her Victualing her Ordinance her Lading and that neither too light nor too heauy and of such Merchandize as will best vent in the place whether she is to trade she must haue her Helme to bee guided by and her Compasse whereby to steere a right course and she must haue skilfull Commanders and seuerall Officers and painefull Saylers she must haue a Wind to carry her along and instruments to take the height of the Sunne and the Starres whereby she may be sure to steere a good course And lastly she must be prouided of an Anchor both in time of danger and being arriued in the Port or Hauen But if I should prosecute this comparison in all things belonging to a ship it would require a whole volume of it selfe and I must confesse that I am out of my element and that this taske would require the helpe and art of a skilfull Nauigator It shall suffice according to these short obseruations that the ballast of Christs ship is the feaâ—e of God to keepe it vpright That her Mast is the Crosse of Chrisâ— That her Sayles are the Faith of Christians That her Rigging consists in applâ—cation of the examples of the Saints that haue gone before vs That her victualing is the Flesh and bloud of Christ which will neuer perish buâ—â—ndure to life euerlastiâ—g That her Ordinance are the threâ—tnings of Gods Law thundring out death to all malefactors That her Lading is Good workes according to which euery man shall make his voyage That Sin is