a Statist or Politician to which I pretend not but as a Divine a Messenger from the God of Truth and Peace seeking to kindle and inflame your hearts to such a love of them as may be most happy to your own souls and most beneficiall to our Church and State in the good of both which you are all highly concerned and in nothing can you promote the prosperity of either or both of them more then in your Love and advancement of Truth and Peace May God the Fountain of Truth Christ the Saviour of Love the holy Ghost the Spirit of Peace assist me in speaking you in hearing all in doing so as we may shew a pure impartiall and unpassionate love of Truth and Peace In the words consider three things First the inference Therefore Secondly the objects propounded Truth and Peace Thirdly the dutie required Love Every word hath a weight beauty and benefit in it so that they well merit and require your attention First the inference Therefore The greater mercies God shewes to us the stricter obligations to love and obedience he hath upon us When our fasting and mourning are happily turned to cheerfull feasts our feares and jealousies cleered up to joy and gladnesse to hopes of better estate and times what doth God require of us but this Therefore to love the Truth and Peace When Gods infinite mercy and patience to us hath beyond expectation as well as desert brought back our Church and State from the brink and precipice of warre ruine and confusion which threatned our Peace From the spreading and prevailings of errours heresies schismes and superstition which strive to oppress or eclipse our Church and Truth That there is a breathing space a lengthning of our tranquillity put into our hands What doth God require of us by way of gratitude to him of loyalty to our Soveraign of fidelitie to our Countrey then to Love the Truth and Peace which are so happily still continued to us and by an active serious and industrious love to study the setling and recovery of them both Secondly the Objects propounded here we will consider First What Truth is Secondly What Peace Thirdly The union of them Truth and Peace Fourthly The lovelinesse in them which best appears in the benefit by them so as to merit our affection 1. Of Truth That question of Pilate to Christ will here be made What is Truth I answer It is a conformity agreeablenesse or answerablenesse of our mindes or things to their Ideas patternes rules or measures As that Copy is true which agrees with the Originall That weight or measure true which fits the Standard That impression true in waxe or paper which exactly fits the types and engravings That notion or perception true in the minde or sense which agrees with the nature of the thing or object whereto they are applyed Truth is the increated light of the intellectaull world shining from God to Angels and Men The first Idea rule measure or Standard of Truth is God his Will which I call Veritas Dei Whereby he is what he is essentially simply immutably by which he wils all things to be what indeed they are and knowes them to be such as they are most certainly This Sunne of Truth is in God never clouded spotted or eclipsed never setting or changing Eternall light day noone a constant serenity From this is the eradiation of Truth or shining forth of the Divine will by his Works and Word Which we call Veritas Rei and this is first Entitatis whereby things are such as God would have them to be and so are true and good Secondly Veritas mentis whereby things are known or believed by us to be such as indeed they are either made or revealed by God to us this is the truth of science or faith Thirdly Hence flows Veritas sermonis of dicti when our words and orall expressions are conformable to our knowledge and belief or things speaking the truth Ephes. 4. 15. Fourthly Veritas facti Vitae whereby our actions are conformable to what we say and seem to know judge or believe of things which is the doing of the Truth 1. Ioh. 1. 6. The Idea or pattern of our actions are our words of our words our minds and conceptions of our minds things themselves of all things the Divine will most wise powerfull and immutably good All Truth as being is originally from God as a Sea and Sun derived and must by a right beam and clear stream be reduced to him again and so it is when we do as we speak when we speak as we think know or believe when we know or believe as things are either made or revealed by God Then doth the ray or veyn of truth flow aright from God to us and reflect back again from us to him When in any of these we fail there comes in hypocrisie and simulation in our actions lying in our words error falsity and unbelief in our mindes when our actions contradict our words our words our mindes our mindes the nature and truth of things made or revealed by God whose will in his works and word is as I said the rule of Truth There are divers manifestations of truth though it be but one yet as light shining through divers pores or one Fountain derived in severall Conduits for the benefit of rationall creatures First There is Truth naturall or physicall in the Works of God which by sense and discourse by art and science we learn Secondly There is Truth morall politicall or civil which is in the enacting interpreting and executing of Laws according to the rules of Justice Thirdly there is a truth Theologicall supernaturall or religious which chiefly concerns our Souls and is immediately taught from God The first is in the Works of God and Nature The second in the laws and edicts of men agreeable to principles of reason The third is in the sacred Scriptures the only foundation and rule of faith and religion The first concerns us as creatures severally The second as sociable creatures joyntly in a state or Common-wealth The third as Christians in a Church and neerer call or relation to God The first requires our love to it as we love our selves in a naturall way the second as wee love our Countrey relations and liberties the third as we love our soules By the first the health and welfare of our bodies and pleasure of our senses fancies and minds are maintained while we know and enjoy the true vertues power and use of creatures able to apply fit meanes to our ends By the second the health of the state or body politick is preserved while Lawes which are the nerves and ligaments of civil societies are grounded upon innate infallible and eternall principles of equity reason and justice to which all men agree and being so constituted are truly interpreted and executed not wrested depraved obscured or violently broken this is veritas justitiae decisionis the truth in judicature
THE LOVE OF TRVTH AND PEACE A SERMON PREACHED BEFORE THE HONOVRABLE HOVSE OF COMMONS Assembled in PARLIAMENT Novemb. 29. 1640. By IOHN GAUDEN Bachelor in Divinity Published by order of that House LONDON Printed by G. M. for Andrew Crooke in Pauls Church-yard at the Greene Dragon 1641. TO THE HONORABLE HOUSE OF COMMONS Assembled in PARLIAMENT SVch is the powerfull and universall influence which the great and noble Constellation of your House bath under God and the King over all that are members of this State that none with modesty may deny your desires or with safety at least of their discretion disobey your Commands So irresistible a force must the intimation of that Will carry which proceeds from somany wise and excellent judgements united together This may sufficiently justifie my obedience in presenting this Sermon to your and the publique view which not any self-forwardnesse or over-valuing hath obtruded It was enough in the Authors opinion if not too much that so sudden and abortive conceptions had once adventured the Hearing of so Learned Pious and Judicious an Assembly Where obtaining through Gods blessing some approbation by doing some good I hope they were further by the vote of your Honorable House required to be Printed Which they now are and with all Humilitie presented to your Acceptance That at once I may both cast in a mite to Gods glory in the publique good which should be the end of all our actions and also testifie a minde vehemently sensible of and thankfull for those free and Noble expressions of favour generally from the whole House and particularly from some members of it my speciall friends conferred upon me What good others may now get from these notions I know not I pray and hope they may not be wholly uselesse to candid pious and unprejudiced mindes since your censure hath allowed them as fit and necessary for our times This I am sure your wisedome and pietie are above all others by the publication of this Sermon more straightly obliged in conscience to justifie before God and man your desires and opinion of it by your proceedings answerable to the subject and intent of it which is the love of Truth and Peace The splendor of so many cleer mindes concentred in Truth cannot but kindle to a publique love of it And from the sacred light and heate of so many wise and warm hearts the life sweetnesse and abundance of our Peace cannot but grow and flourish That this may be the happy successe wherewith with God will be pleased to crown your publique endevours as also these which from my private Pen are now adopted unto your so great and Honorable protection is the earnest prayer of Your most humble Servant GAUDEN THE LOVE OF TRUTH AND PEACE ZACH. 8.19 Thus saith the Lord The fast of the tenth moneth shall be to the house of Iudah joy and gladnesse and cheerefull feasts therefore love the Truth and Peace THough the weight of this Service and Imployment be so great that it might well have required abler shoulders to bear it and longer time to prepare for it and not to have put Sauls Armour on Davids backe Yet that I may not be wanting to Gods glory my own conscience or your desires and expectation I have adventured to appear this day in this place before this Honorable Grave and Judicious assembly Nothing did more encourage me against the greatnesse of the Work the shortnesse of the Time and the insufficiency of my own Abilities than the auspicious fitnesse and readinesse of this Text so every way sutable as I conceive 1. To the Auditors 2. To the Times 3. To the present Occasion 1. To the Auditors who are or should be all Filii veritatis alumni pacis Lovers of Truth and Peace professors of Truth and protectors of Peace being called together by his sacred Majesty and Deputed by the Countrey to be Counsellors and Vindicators of Truth and Peace 2. To the Genius of our Times nothing is more needfull to be preached than the love of Truth and Peace The Winters distemper of our age is such that the Love of many if not most is grown cold to both Truth much obscured depraved blemished prejudiced undermined discountenanced suppressed Peace very crazy and shaken rumors of wars preparations for wars study of sides parts great division of thoughts pertinacy in opinions breeding disaffections and disaffections flaming to open contention and hostility so far as from the strife of pens and tongues writing and disputing we are come to the terror of war to swords and arms That if the great God who is the Father of Truth and Peace who refraines the spirits of men that delight in warre had not been gracious unto us and inclined the heart of our King to Counsells of Peace you had not this day been Auditors nor I a Speaker of this Theam but all of us miserable actors or spectators of the contrary the suppression of Truth and utter subversion of our Peace 3. The Text suits to the present occasion of the Sacrament Your late fasting is this day happily turned to a cheerfull feast your Water changed to Wine the best viands the best wine the soules provision for eternity the body and bloud of Christ A soules feast a feast of exceeding joy of eternall gladnesse A feast of love Gods love to us Christs love for us our love to them and to each other A Feast of Truth the sealing and confirmation of the highest most necessary and comfortable truth which received by faith is able to save our soules And a feast of Peace too the most glorious peace between God and our soules between Christ and his Church between one another So that nothing can come more seasonably after your Fast and with this Feast of spirituall joy the holy Sacrament then this divine exhortation most worthy of God to teach and of us to learn as men and as Christians both which names import a speciall relation we have above all creatures under heaven to Truth and Peace as we are {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} rationall and sociall creatures as {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} regenerate and sanctified by the Spirit which raiseth our souls to the enjoyment of the highest Truth and Peace which is in God and from God bringing the soul to God and uniting it ever with him The three words in the Text whereon I purpose to insist are a sacred Trinity Three precious Jewels Truth Peace and Love all eminent in God and from him objects and affections of the highest capacity use and excellencie to our souls Truth as the light of the Sunne Peace as the heat which enlivens fosters quickens makes fruitfull all Love makes us enjoy them both Truth and Peace are Bona publica universalia Truth for the soule Peace for the body and state every one hath a share and interest in them Prince Peeres and People Of these I intend to speak not as
of such men Whether they have any intent to reedifie Babels ruines or no I cannot tell some vehemently suspect it sure I am there is such a confussion and noveltie of Language affectated by some men of Altars Sacrifice Priests Corporiety of presence pennance auricular Confession Absolute that is blinde obedience the holy of holys and Adoration which must bee salved from a flat Idolatry or at best an empty formality by some distinction or notion that must be ready at hand that most people know not what they meane what they would have or what they intend to call for next Not that I am ignorant how farre pious antiquity did use these and such like words innocently without ill mind or meaning and without offence to the Church as then times were yet let mee tell you 1. Such swerving from the forme of sound words used in the Primitive and purest times occasioned and strengthened after errours 2. They were not then ingaged to mainetaine Truth against such erroneous and pernicious Doctrines as we now are of the reformed Church which Doctrines are now eagerly maintained by a proud faction who seeke to abuse antiquity and patronize their owne errours by using those names and words to other intents and things than ever was dreamed of by the Ancient Church 3. By such dangerous symbolizing with them in words and some outward formalities we doe but prepare our mindes and sweeten them with lesse distaste to relish their Doctrines and Tenets and as it were in a civill way wee complement our selves out of our Truth giving the adversaries strong hopes and presumptions as they have discovered that wee are inclining towards them To bee ashamed of frequent serious and conscientious preaching which was the worke of Christ and the holy Apostles the honour and chiefe imployment of the Primitive and best Bishops and Ministers in all ages as that deservedly famous Bishop Iewell in his Apologie prooves out of the Fathers sufficiently against the Popes and other idle bellyes which count preaching as a work below their greatnesse as indeede it is above their goodnesse Is this to love the truth To preach ridiculous impertinent flattering or corrupt matter which is the shame of the Pulpit and foolishnesse of preaching in good earnest so as to bring an infinite contempt odium and envie upon the Sacred function of the Ministry that men abhorre the Services of God and daily separate by swarmes from our Church are these the fruites of our love of the Truth Pudet haec opprobria nobis c. Sure there is something extreamely amisse and displeasing to God as well as men either in our Doctrine or manners or hearts or all Else whence should that burthen of dishonour those loades of reproaches be cast upon the Clergy which makes them drive so heavily and this even among Christians and reformed Churches whereas naturally all men though otherwise barbarous and insolent yet are prone to pay a speciall reverence and double honour to their holy men such as are in a more immediate neerenesse and relation to their deitie or gods Now truth carries a Divine Majesty and lustre with it casting a glory on every Moses or Man of God who converseth with it The more truth there is in any religion the more love and honour will arise from the professours to the Preachers of it if they seriously affect the one they cannot scornefully neglect the other God himselfe hath long agoe taught all men especially Church-men in Elyes heavy doome this lesson as an infallible maxime in point of True honour 1 Sam. 2. 30. Those that honour me I will honour and those that despise me shall be lightly regarded Saint Paul gives a charge to Timothy 1 Tim. 4. 12. and to Titus Tit. 2. 15. both Bishops Let no man despise thee c. One would think the Apostle should rather have charged the Ephesians and Cretians not to despise them but the Apostle shewes the true way for Ministers to be Masters of mens love and affections is to be a holy rule and example to mens life and actions To Timothy But be thou an example in word in conversation in love in spirit in faith and in purenesse 1 Tim 4. 12. To Titus Shewing thy selfe a patterne Tit. 2. 7. Certainely had Divines both great and small beene more busied in preaching and practising those great weighty and necessary Truths that are able to save their owne and others soules they would not have had such leisure to have beene so inventive and operative in poore beggerly toyes and trifles which neither bring honour nor profit to God themselves or others Nothing I say nothing will restore the Church and Church-men to their Pristine honour love and authority in mens hearts and minds but a serious setting of themselves to the study preaching and practising of Truth and Peace in a holy life These these were the Arts these the Policies these the pious fraudes and stratagems by which anciently they won peoples hearts to love God his truth and of themselves the witnesse of it To such a height of honour and extasie of love that they received them as Angels of God Embassadors from Heaven counting them deare as their right eyes Humility Piety and industry layd the foundation of all those magnificent structures dignities titles places revenues priviledges wherwith Church-men were anciently indowed what hath or is likely to wast and demolish them is easie to conjecture Iisdem artibus retinenda quibus olim parabantur O consider then I beseech you how precious a jewell how sweete and necessary a blessing we are like to loose by our want of love to it Solem e mundo tollunt what the Sun is to the world that is Gods Truth to our soule the light life joy day and soule of our soules As the darkenesse barrennesse coldnesse and deformity of the earth would be if the Sunne were alwayes absent from it or clouded to it such will the state of our poore soules and our Church be if the healing wings of the Sun of righteousnesse Truth be quite removed or onely a winters Truth clouded deaded and obscured by many superstitious Doctrines and practifes If I say such a truth content us where will be the chearefull light of the promises which now wee enjoy where that onely rock of the soules comfort which no temptation can shake or undermine the free Iustification of our soules by faith in the merits of Christ onely where the sound and well grounded peace of our consciences where the warmth of our zeale love and affections to God from the fiduciary apprehensions of his love to our soules where will be the ravishing joy hopes and expectation of a better life where the zealous care of leading here a holy life will not all these faile us if truth doth and is not truth like to faile if our love doth Are not all those flowers and beauties of our soules and Church heliotropia such as have their life and motion from