Iosephus reports The fourth and the last inequalitie stands in the materials vsed about the fabricke to say nothing of their qualities certainely those that were vsed about the first Temple did in quantity farre exceede those that were vsed about the second For what comparison could there be between the riches of poore captiue Iewes and of King Salomon that was the most glorious Monarch in the world 1 Chron. 22.14 2 Sam. 8. Adde hereunto the prouision that his father King Dauid made in his time a hundred thousand talents of gold and a thousand thousand talents of siluer and brasse and iron without weight besides what he gaue out of his owne peculium or priuate Treasurie for the former were dedicated out of the spoyles of kingdomes which he conquered three thousand talents of gold of the gold of Ophir and seuen thousand talents of refined siluer besides great abundance of all sorts of precious stones Whereunto adde the offering of the Fathers of Israel fiue thousand talents and ten thousand drammes of gold and of siluer ten thousand talents of brasse eight thousand talents and a hundred thousand talents of iron besides precious stones And put all this together and therewith increase Salomons wealth the totall will bee a summe of infinite value farre exceeding that wherewith Zorobabel was furnisht eyther by the Persian Kings or by his owne countrey-men yea although you adde what afterward was bestowed eyther by Alexander the great or his successours Kings of Syria and those of Egypt Neither will the additions of other benefactors no not that of Herod make vp the summe I dare say boldly that if all the Christian Kings of the West for so many yeares as the Temple was a building by Salomon should contribute their treasures they could not raise a summe answerable to that which was expended vpon the first Temple and reserue to themselues their Kingly ports as Dauid and Salomon did Neither neede wee out of the incredulitie of the summe as some learned doe question the signification of the word talent as if it signified a lesser summe than commonly it is taken for For to say nothing that it is the same Authour that wrote both the 22. and the 29. of the first of Chronicles and that it is not likely he would vary the sense keeping himselfe to the same word they doe not marke that Dauids offering was the spoyle of many Kingdomes that God promised that Salomon should bee the richest King in the world that the vessels of gold and siluer vsed in the Temple were many thousands as appeares by Iosephus and that there was great store of treasure layd vp there besides 2 Chro. 5. I neede say no more to proue that if we compare fabricke with fabricke we cannot finde therein the truth of these words of Haggai Let vs come then to the furniture that is eyther typicall or spirituall such parts of the furniture as were figures of diuine things and that by Gods owne ordinance were typicall Vpon Diana's Temple at Ephesus Apollo's at Delphi the Capitoline Temple at Rome and many other heathenish Temples there was much gold and siluer bestowed yea and precious stones also but they wanted a typicall relation and therein did the temples of the Iewes infinitely exceede them In these types if we compare Salomons temple with Zorobabels Galatinus Chrysost orat 3. aduersus Iudaos Zorobabels commeth farre short of Salomons The Iewes confesse that fiue eminent things were wanting in the later temple which were in the former 1. the Cloud wherein God resided betweene the Cherubims 2. the Arke with the contents therein whereon the Cloud rested 3. the fire kindled from heauen wherewith all their sacrifices were to be offered 4. the Vrim and Thummim on the breastplate of the high Priest by which hee was inabled to giue out diuine Oracles and ordinarily resolue the Iewes perplexing doubts in peace and warre the fifth was the spirit of prophecie wherewith God furnished diuers other persons whom he sent as messengers vnto the kings and people of Iuda and Israel Now these fiue were the chiefe of all the typicall furniture if Zorobabels temple came short in these fiue there can be no doubt but it was inferiour in types vnto that of Salomons temple What remaines then but that the greatnesse of the glorie here meant must consist in the spirituall and heauenly furniture of the later temple or else there was none at all And indeede it is that which wee finde there we finde Christ in person as in former sermons I haue shewed you and hee is the truth of all those types Of the Cloud for in him God dwelt visibly on earth Cyril l. 4. in Ioh. c. 2. 1 Pet. 2. Rom. 8. Ind. Of the Arke by him God shewed mercie vnto men Of the Fire for by his spirit all sacrifices must be offered that are acceptable vnto God Of the Vrim and Thummim for hee is the word the wisedome of God Finally of the spirit of prophecie for he is the Prophet that was to come into the world and the Reuelation of Iesus Christ is the spirit of prophecie Reuel 1. What shall I say of the table of shewbread Christ is the bread of life of the golden candlesticke Iohn 6. Iohn 1. Reu. 5.8 Christ is the light of the world of the altar of incense it is Christ that putteth sweet odours into the prayers of the Saints of the altar of burnt offerings Psalme 40. Heb. 10. Iohn 1.29 1 Iohn 1.7 sacrifice and offerings God did not desire but he opened Christ eare and gaue him a body hee was the Lambe of God that tooke away the sinnes of the world and his bloud cleanseth from all sinne And what comparison betweene this truth and those types certainely no more than betweene earth and heauen therefore when the truth appeared the type vanished Ier. 3.16.17 It must needs follow then that the glorie of the later temple must needs be greater than the glorie of the former Greater if we insist only vpon Christs apparition in the materiall temple of Zorobabel L. 3. Epist 11. De ciuit Dei l. 18. how much more if with the Fathers St. Ambrose and St. Austine wee enlarge it to the Christian Church in whom Christ abideth And indeed Zorobabels temple beeing voide of the types did represent the Christian Church as Salomons full of them did represent the Church of the Iewes and then marke what St. Paul saith if these two Churches be compared 2 Cor. 3. Euen that which was made glorious had no glory in this respect by reason of the glory that excelleth for if that which was done away was glorious much more that which remaineth is glorious that whole Chapter is a good commentarie vpon my text the Epistle to the Hebrewes is much fuller So then wee must reade and consider this text as directed vnto vs it concernes vs for wee are partakers of that glory And see how God dealeth both with
made steward of Gods house a disposer of the secrets of the Kingdome of God an Oecumaenicall both Steward and Disposer Et ad haec quis idoneus No man that is not qualified by grace and by grace not only called but inabled thereunto as St. Paul was that was not only an Apostle but had also Apostolicall gifts But I said I would haue an eye to this present occasion wherefore I will enlarge this point as fitteth the present Auditorie The grace of a Minister is eyther inherent or assistant the first giueth Abilitie the second Authoritie by grace inherent hee vnderstandeth the Scripture by grace assistant hee hath power to retaine and remit sinne Of these two graces both are requisite to the being as it were of a Pastor there should be a sufficiencie in him vnto whom authoritie is giuen and hands should not be imposed on them which haue not a competencie of gifts And yet it falleth out too often that through the ambition of ignorant men and ouer-facilitie of those that haue power to lay on hands many weake yea wicked ones are honoured with that sacred calling whereunto themselues are no meane dishonour who in regard of the grace of inherence cannot say with St. Paul by the grace of God I am that I am inward grace in this kinde they haue plainely none I would they would redeeme this shame and not liue to bee scandalls of our Church But the sinne of such doth not impeach their power they are true though they are not fit Ministers Which must bee considered by those which factiously refuse or scrupulously forbeare to be Sheepe vnder such Shepheards or to communicate with them in sacred things although hee come short in regard of grace inherent yet God is not wanting to him in regard of grace assistant whether he dispence the Sacraments according to Gods ordinance or present according to the ordinance of the Church the peoples deuotion vnto God And let this suffice touching St. Paules Endowment I come now to his Employment And here I told you first that St. Paul did not neglect Gods gifts Gods grace bestowed vpon him was not in vaine Vaine is eyther emptie or idle emptie is that which hath a shew but no substance idle is that whose efficacie is not answerable to its abilitie The grace that St. Paul had was neither way vaine for he had Gods spirit indeed not in shew onely and his deeds did beare witnesse that Gods spirit was in him In this place the Apostle meaneth not so much emptinesse as idlenesse for though whatsoeuer is emptie must needs be idle yet whatsoeuer is idle is not emptie otherwise there could be no sinne of negligence whereof notwithstanding there is too much in the world Negligence of both kinde of graces of the grace of Adoption which is common to all the Church for how many be there whose vnderstanding God illightneth with the knowledge of the truth that neuer make vse of it in ordering of their liues but liue as if they knew neyther Creede nor ten Commandements how many good motions doth God kindle in the hearts of many a man who notwithstanding liueth frozen as it were in the dregs of his owne impure lusts and those good motions set him not a whit forwarder towards heauen Nay as water that hath beene warmed is apt to bee bound faster with the frost so after-lusts are the more violent by reason of former good motions But this is a foule neglect of Gods good gifts Wherfore let me remember you all in the Apostles words to follow his good example not to receiue the grace of God in vaine St. Paul did not the more grace he had the better he liued and so must we if there be light in vs it must shine forth from vs and they must feele the heat of our inward zeale that conuerse with vs outwardly in the world In a word wee must all walke in that spirit by which wee liue they that boast of Gods gifts let them shew the effects of them for I haue chosen you saith Christ that you may goe and beare fruit Gods grace that makes vs other men must make vs also profitable men As none of the Church must neglect the grace of Adoption so must not the Ministers neglect their grace of Edification they must not hide their talent consult with flesh and blood bee disobedient to the heauenly visions they must 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 stirre vp the grace of God blow off the ashes that would ouer-cast it sound the trumpet and giue timely Alarums be instant in season and out of season being salt wee must euer be seasoners of the world being light we must euer be dispelling the darkenesse of men being Architects wee must euer be building of Gods house being Husbandmen wee must euer bee labouring in Gods field finally being Shepheards we must euer be attending on Christs flocke so was St. Paul so must we Otherwise Gods grace is bestowed on vs in vaine our conscience cannot yeeld vs this good testimonie which St. Paul giueth here vnto himselfe it will rather challenge vs of our neglect and the grieuousnesse of our neglect will bee answerable to the gifts which wee receiue from God And God knowes there is too much of this neglect of our calling in many at whose hands God will require the blood of many perishing soules But I will dwell no longer vpon this first branch of St. Paules employment St. Paul did not neglect the gifts of God but vnto his vse of them there concurred more workers than one he doth specifie them and the preheminencie of eyther of them The workers are two St. Paul and Gods grace And here I must put you in minde that though in our first conuersion we are only passiue yet being conuerted we become actiue also God onely maketh vs new men but being new he will haue vs make vse of our new vnderstanding and our new will and our new affections he will haue vs vse them all And it were grosse for vs to neglect our selues when God hath giuen vs abilities which we may employ yea honoured vs so farre as to enable vs to work out our saluation and walke the waies that leade vnto eternall life neither doth hee euer deserue to come there that will not set forward that way And yet many such wretches haue you that leaue themselues to be carried to heauen by God while they giue themselues ouer-securely to fulfill their owne wicked lusts that hope well of God but themselues doe no good at all And as there bee such carelesse Christians so are there carelesse Ministers also who presuming vpon dabitur in illa hora do all things extempore preach pray and what not as if premeditation and studie did not concerne them but the spirit of God would alwaies supply them and giue them an extraordinarie abilitie But this is grosse presumption and dangerous also euen the high way vnto Enthusiasme Anabaptisme and all those mischieuous Sects the
his departure J should haue thought it needlesse to set any vpon him who as yet liues so freshly in the mouthes and hearts of all that knew him did I not find himselfe had meditated somewhat that way in his life time not for the perpetuating of his Name for he doth not so much as name himselfe in it but only for the expressing of his firme hope in the Resurrection and his charitable desire of their good that should suruiue him for whose sake he wrote this and desired it should be grauen only vpon a stone where he should lie without any further cost or ambition Viator consiste paucis te volo Me Vide. EXuviae hîc reponuntur hominis sed Christiani Quibus nihil vilius propter peceatum hominis Nihil pretiosius propter spem Christiani Non eas deseruit anima sed hîc deposuit Custos bonae fidei Spiritus Sanctus Qui cauet ne quis in vacuum veniat Dum legatione pro ijs apud Redemptorem Defungitur Anima cui reduci cum Christo Eas reddet gloriosas gloriosè induendas Et cum beatâ beandas in aeternum Libentèr mortalis sum qui sim futurus immortalis Ne tantuli in me contemplando te poeniteat Laboris non dimittêris sine praemio Voueo haec historia Mei prophetia sit Tui Perge Jf all this be not enough to continue the memorie of so worthy a Prelate behold another Monument of his owne making too A Monument of his wit shall I say and of his Learning or rather of his Pietie and Deuotion Surely if thou take the paines to reade attentiuely the Sermons here published to thy view thou shalt find in them a more then ordinarie expression of both For howsoeuer they are not set forth according to the ordinary fashion of these times wherein ornaments of speech varietie of illustrations allegations allusions and the like are affected and vsed euen to an excesse you must not expect too much of them from a man that neuer tooke more time for the preuiding of any sermon then some part of the weeke preceding that day whereon he was to preach and then also betooke not himselfe to the helpe of his pen but out of his strength of memorie and naturall readinesse of speech in both which he excelled deliuered those things which he had first exactly digested in his mind afterward dictated to his Amanuensis in such sort as they are here published yet J dare be bold to say that to an attentiue and iudicious Reader they will appeare to containe not only matter of excellent obseruation for the increase of knowledge and pietie in our Christian profession but also an exact Idea of the true forme of a Sermon so farre as concernes the essentiall parts of of it composed according to those rules of art which all men acknowledge to be of most vse in Ecclesiastical Oratorie For whereas speech is fitly compared by the ancients to a picture Plutarch de audiâ—ndis poetiâ— alibi in the framing whereof the chiefe thing that requires the Artisans skill is to draw his lines in their iust number and proportion so as may expresse all the parts of the thing described and the postures of them which when it is done it is no hard matter to adde the colours thereunto it followes that the principall point of art likewise in making of a Speech or Sermon is the delineation of the parts of it and the apt connecting of them together or opposing them one to the other whereupon the seuerall exornation of them with words and sentences does either k Verbaque praeuisam rem non muita sequetur Horat de art Pâ—â—â— of it selfe follow or is without any great difficultie put too Now in that was our Author alwayes so elaborate and exact that J thinke there was no point or circumstance in any Text that euer he handled so closely concealed which he did not both fetch out and propose and handle in such order and method as might best giue illustration to the whole Wherein what singular vse he made both of his Logicke and skill in the Tongues which are the two Spectacles that I may not say eyes that enable a man to looke exactly and distinctly into a Text I thinke there is no man of iudgement that doth not easily discouer In this respect then as I said before he hath left vnto yonger men a patterne of preaching And for the rest though his fashion were not to lay on much colour yet that which he did lay on will appeare to him that markes it to be very proper His illustrations so naturall his allegations so pregnant his words where the emphasis and weight of the sentence lies so choice and significant that if hee had vttered plura farre more in lines hee could hardly haue said plus more in substance and effect to any point that he hath handled But J had rather thou shouldest discouer these things Christian Reader by thy owne iudgement and obseruation then by my aduertisement therefore J wil detaine thee no longer at this time from the reading of so vsefull and precious a worke Only thus much J will promise thee for thine encouragement before thou begin that if thou take the paines to goe thorough with attention these or other Sermons of this Authour that are genuine and I hope no other will be published First thou shalt gaine thereby an exact knowledge of the meaning of the Text he handles and of euery particular word and phrase in it Secondly thou shalt meet with as great varietie of choice obseruations both theologicall and morall aptly deduced and methodically laid downe as thou art like to find any where in so few leaues againe lastly if thou bee indued as J hope thou art with the same spirit of grace and regeneration that the Author was thou shalt find thine affections kinaled and stirred vp thereby to a reall practice of Pietie and good Workes more then by a great many more flourishing Discourses then these at first sight seeme to be And these things when thou hast found by thine owne experience J doubt not but thou wilt bee moued together with me and all others that haue receiued beneht by the godly example and pious labours of this holy and learned man to glorifie that great God and Father of Lights who out of his abundant mercie hath done and doth daily raise such excellent Instruments as he was for the aduancement of his owne glorie in the propagation of his Gospel and aedification of his Church Soli Deo Gloria A TABLE OF THE CONTENTS Jn the first and second Alphabet 7. SErmons vpon the first Psalme pag. 1. c. 20. Sermons vpon Psaline 51. p. 53. c. 9. Sermons vpon Matthew 22. Verses 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 But when the Pharisees had heard that hee had put the Sadduces to silence c. pag. 243. c. A Sermon for the conclusion of the former Argument Marke 12.32
the younger as Sisters the higher Persons are in degree with the more respect must wee temper our Reproofe This is the generall Rule that we must follow particular instances of some Prophets who brought speciall Messages from God must not be drawne by vs into Example God will not haue Theologie to confound Policie Add hereunto that Nathan told his Message to Dauid in priuate because Dauid committed the Sinne priuately personall and priuate Sinnes must not haue a publike Reproofe except they haue vndergone first a iudiciall Censure where publike Authoritie hath not gone before the Reproofe of Personall faults must be priuate These Rockes being heeded our Vnpartialnes will be Diuine we may freely deliuer what difference there is betweene mens liues and Gods Lawes and set the Peoples danger before their eies yea touching Sin we may tell them that Omne animi vitium tanto conspectius in se Crimen habet quanto maior qui peccat habetur answerable to the Dignitie which God vouchsafeth vs are the Sinnes improued by which we offend him Secondly 〈…〉 Touching danger wee may let them know that Potentes potenter punientur Mercie will soone pardon the meanest but mighty men shall be mightily tormented This wee may tell them and tell them that they must expect this from God From God I say and not from Vs for we haue only 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 we are only Referendaries of Gods Will wee acknowledge 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to be the peculiar of God if any corporall chastisement bee to bee laid vpon a Soueraigne a Subiect must not draw the sword God onely hath power to vse it and they into whose hands he is pleased to put it which certainely is not the Pope nor his Assigne whether hee claime it Directly or Indirectly hee doth it Contra Ius sine Exemplo he hath no good either Rule or Example for it either in Gods word or in the writings of the Primitiue Church neither is it the People who must take Law from not giue Law to their Soueraigne both in Precept and in Sanction As Nathan did vse his Ministrie Vnpartially so did hee vse it Discreetly also 〈◊〉 de 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hee handled the King so artificially that he made him giue sentence against himselfe before he was aware That seemes a Beame in our Brothers eye Mat 7. which in our owne seemes scarse a Moate as Christ teacheth in the Gospell therefore our iudgement is best tried in another Mans Case for therein wee will see with the most if it be a fault and if it be a good deede we will see with the least Therefore hee that will handle a Mans Conscience with spirituall Wisedome must first worke vpon 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 see what good Rules he hath to guide Conscience withall and exercise them with some abstracted Case and if he find that it passeth an vpright iudgement then come on to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 His Conscience and if euer you shall then make him sensible of his owne Case Certainely he must either condemne himselfe which is a signe of Grace or else contradict himselfe which will argue him to be voide of Reason Neither is this the onely poynt of spirituall wisedome which a Pastour must haue he must also vse a good method in dispensing the parts of his Ministrie Nathan will teach him asmuch who comming to Dauid furnished with the Law and the Gospell first humbled him with the Law then raised him with the Gospell first told him Thou art the Man and then when Dauid acknowledged it Nathan added The Lord hath remoued thy sinne thou shalt not die And you may not peruert this Order you may not applie a Salue before you haue vented the Corruption of a wound you may not power Oyle into it before you haue scoured it with Wine finally You may not absolue a sinner before you haue made him penitent Hauing sufficiently vnfolded the Meanes I must now let you see that these Meanes are Needfull and Powerfull Needfull that is intimated in this word Venit Nathan came to Dauid Of himselfe Dauid sinned but when hee was left vnto himselfe there appeared in him no disposition to repent To manifest this God did let him alone by the space of a whole yeare and during that time hee seemeth to haue beene senselesse of his state Mortifera securitas Austin Sermon de Temp. 51. he seemed to bee as it were dead in that sinne It was a strange thing that such a Man should take such a Fall but more stange that in so many Moneths hee should not recouer out of it What was the Cause was it because hee did not know the difference betweene good and euill it were absurd so to thinke but it was because hee did not make vse of his knowledge in weighing his owne Actions whether they were good or euill wherefore had not Nathan come to Dauid it is to be doubted Dauid would neuer haue returned vnto God It is to be doubted the rather because if you looke to the first sinne of Man you shall finde that after he had eaten of the forbidden Fruit he hid himselfe from God no mention of his returne vntill God sought and found him out And who may hope to bee better then our Father Adam surely the continuall storie of the Church shewes that we are herein all too like vnto him looke vpon all the restitutions that are recorded and you shall finde in them all the preuenting Grace of God and that saying of God is of a perpetuall truth I am found of them that sought me not and made manifest to them that inquired not after me But what shall I neede Examples of that Truth which euery man that hath grace may reade in himselfe The Conclusion is Repentance springs not Naturally from vs it is an effect of Gods word reclayming vs of our selues we are as vnapt to Rise as we are apt to Fall Wherefore we cannot too much magnifie the goodnesse of God that vouchsafeth vnto vs the Ministrie of his Word it is a great Grace that God is not wanting vnto vs when we are wanting vnto our selues wanting not only to instruct our selues but also to make vse of our knowledge for the Scripture is vsefull not only to informe but also to remember vs. Needfull then the Ministrie is It is not onely so but Powerfull also The word of God is sharper then any two-edged sword Heb. 4. it is liuely it is mighty in operation it enters through euen to the diuiding asunder of the soule spirit ioynts and marrow and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the Heart The weapons of the Ministers warfare are mighty through God to cast downe Holds 2 Cor. 10. to cast downe Imaginations and euery high thing which is exalted against the knowledge of God and to bring into captiuitie euery thought to the obedience of Christ. And it had neede be so it hath to doe with so
repaire to him and none but he must be our Physitian He cureth but how Per auditum by the Eare. Wee haue two Rationall Senses and contentions haue beene made about their precedencie the bookes that are giuen vs to studie will easily resolue the doubt they are Gods workes and his words if the sight of his workes might haue recouered vs we should not haue needed the Preaching of his word but the infirmitie of the former is argued by the supply of the later and whatsoeuer Philosophie thinkes Diuinitie must hold that wee are beholding much more to our Eare then to our Eye for Sauing wisedome when I name the Eare I meane the bodily the Enthusiasts haue an Eare but it is onely for Gods spirit but we must haue an Eare for Gods ministers for ordinarily God dispenseth not the Comforter but by their ministerie Fead Iob. 33. And this is the highest commendation of sacred Orders and that which must worke the greatest reuerence of the people towards them for that God conueieth heauenly treasure by these earthen vessels 2. Cor. 4.7 and into their hands hath put the power of the Keyes yea to their tongues hath he in a maner tyed the efficacie of his word they bind and loose mens soules they open and shut vnto them the King dome of Heauen They doe it did I say rather God doth it by them so are we taught by my Text God must make Dauid to heare it is not enough that God send his word and great be the number of Preachers God must breath also with his spirit 1. Cor. 37. and when Paul hath planted and Apollo watered he must giue the increase Acts 16.14 if God doe not then open the Heart as hee did Lidia's we may be no better then Francis Spera whose bones being broken with the conscience of his sinne he could not be cured because the many exhortations that were giuen vnto him by the words of men could haue no entrance into his Heart there wanted there the spirit of grace therefore we must with Dauid begge that God would make vs heare But I hasten to the last point you haue heard who giues the Physicke you must heare what Hope there is that Dauids petition will succeed there appeareth good hope good hope in the phrase for it is not onely Supplicatorie but Assertorie I obserued the like vpon the former Verse I will not repeate it But there appeareth more hope in the contexture for there Dauid is confident that the medicine shall not bee applyed in vaine the bones that thou hast broken shall reioyce so it is in the Originall marke an excellent difference betweene Gods children and others Reprobates in such a case Optare possunt sperare non possunt they may wish themselues in a better case but they cannot hope for better but the children of God when their bodies are euen brought to the graue and their soules to the gates of hell yet will they trust in God and trust to see the louing kindnesse of God in the land of the liuing We doe not belieue that the Sunne hath lost his light though the skye be ouer-cast with clouds Read Psal 77. neither will we thinke that God hath forgotten to be gracious euen when hee layeth deadly strokes vpon vs. The Chaldee Paraphrase obserues not onely a Reall ioy of the broken bones but a Vocall also not onely shall our soules be comforted and our bodies with our soules but out of the sense hereof wee shall breake forth into the Praises of God we shall praise our God with ioyfull lips Finally marke the method the sorrow of the Inward man casteth the Outward into a Consumption so likewise the Outward shall partake of Consolation if so be Consolation by the Eare be distild into the Inward Caro vt Cor no lesse the flesh then the spirit being quickned shall reioyce in the liuing God I conclude all As we are all subiect vnto sinne so are we not free from the distresses of Conscience When we are put to it let vs heare what the Lord will say for he will speake peace vnto our soules if our sorrow be godly let vs not be without hope Blessed are they that mourne so for they shall be comforted let vs rest assured that though Wee sow in teares yet we shall reape in ioy the Lord will turne our captiuitie Psol 12â— he will sill our mouthes with laughter and our tongues with songs AMEN PSAL. 51. VERS 9. Hide thy face from my sinnes and blot out all mine iniquities THe remedie that King Dauid sought in this Penitentiall was answerable to his distresse That which distrest him was sinne whereof the onely remedie is grace The sinne as you haue oftentimes heard was two fold first that which himselfe committed and secondly that which hee inherited from his parents he seekes a remedy for both in Grace You haue heard that it yeeldeth a remedy for the sinne which himselfe committed for the Impietie thereof by Expiation and by Consolation for the Malignitie that is therein It followth that now you heare of the remedy which Grace doth yeeld to the sinne which he inherited from his parents that is a Natiue Euill we commonly call it Originall sinne Grace cureth this partly by Forgiuing and partly by Regenerating forgiuing of the sinne and regenerating of the sinner These two points are commonly knowne by the names the first of Iustification the second of Sanctification of Sanctification by regenerating our sinfull nature you shall heare in the next Verse on this Verse I must speake of Iustification from by Forgiuenesse of originall sinne To come to the breaking vp of the Text there is something therein implyed and something exprest that which is implyed is Gods Prouidence that which is exprest is Gods Indulgence of Gods Prouidence we haue here intimated two Acts his Eye seeth all things and all things are recorded by his Hand Did hee not See all things it were needlesse to pray Hide thy face and it were as needlesse to pray Blot out were not all things recorded by his Hand such prayers must needes presuppose those workes Besides this Prouidence of God so implyed the Text will teach vs the Indulgence of God which is here fairely exprest for the better vnderstanding whereof I will open vnto you first the suite that King Dauid maketh for it and then the possibilitie that there is of his obtaining it In the suite wee shall see how answerable his desire is vnto Gods worke Gods worke is to See and Record and his desire is that hee would not See hide thy face that he would cancell blot out But in the prayer we must more-ouer marke 1. to what 2. how farre he would haue his desire extend To what not to his person but to his sinnes hide thy face not from me but from my Sinnes blot out not mee but mine iniquities Hee restraineth then Gods acts to their proper obiect But hauing so restrained them he
and therfore may seeme to import but one thing but Nazianzene doth distinguish them and so doe others both Greeke and Latine Fathers I will not trouble you with repeating of their words thus I conceiue the Heart noteth the soueraigne the Spirit the actiue power of the reasonable soule The Heart then is the soueraigne power for as in a Kingdome there are sundry ministers of State but the Maiesty is in the King so in our litle common weale our senses inward and outward attend and informe but with submission alwayes to the pleasure of the Will so that the Will is as it were a King in the person of man therefore it is that the Scripture maketh so frequent mention of the Heart in points of Morality But the Soueraignty thereof appeareth in two speciall poynts in commanding of the whole man and in seasoning all his workes that it commands appeareth by that receiued Maxime Inclinatio voluntatis est inclinatio totius suppositi let the Will once incline and all the whole person bends with it whether it be to loue or to hate what the will hates the Eye will not indure to behold the Eare to heare of the Tongue to speake of the Feet to goe to the Head to thinke of Finally no power of our Soule or part of our Body will haue to doe therewith except it bee to detest or to destroy it but on the other side what the Heart doth loue the Eye is not satisfied with seeing of it nor the Eare with hearing the Tongue cannot talke enough neither the Hands doe enough for it it will euer be busying our wits and wee can neuer thinke enough thereon such power hath the Will in commanding the seruice of the whole man and so readily doth euery part and power obey wee need not seeke proofe of this truth euery man may be an instance or an example of it vnto himselfe As the Heart hath this commanding power so hath it a seasoning power also it giueth a Moral seasoning vnto all our workes the rule is Actio tantum habet virtut is aut vitij quantum voluntatis looke how farre our Will doth intermedle with our works so farre are they either vertuous or vitious a good Will maketh the worke good and the worke cannot bee good if the Will bee euill wherevpon Nazianzene obserues well that God hath equalized all men in that ability which doth most commend or discommend and that is the ability of the Will hee giueth an instance in Liberality the Widowes mites by the forwardnesse of her Will were made a greaten offering then that which out of their superfluity the rich did offer in greater measure measure of coine but not of Will wee may apply it vnto any other workes of wisedome of strength of learning and whatsoeuer els hee that is lesse able and more willing may bee preferred before him that is better able and lesse willing in doing well and in doing ill men are doomed accordingly this is the soueraignty of the Heart so to command and so to season But as this power is soueraigne so there is another power that is actiue a power that putteth in execution the resolutions of the former power it is here called Spirit our common phrase sheweth that this word noteth an actiue power for wee say that a man is of an excellent spirit a great spirit a high spirit when wee meane that hee is fit for and forward in action and when we meane the contrary wee say that hee is of a quiet a meeke an humble spirit Psal 131. that is as the Psalmist speaketh hee doth not exercise himselfe in great matters which are too high for him that which the Philosophers obserue concerning the concupiscible and the irascible faculties of our soule tends this way for they make the soule actiue in pursuing of her obiects the concupiscible hasting vs to them and the irascible encountring all difficulties that may hinder vs from them so that the soueraigne power resolues not in vaine because of this actiue power that executes so well but certainely were it not for the actiue power the souer aigne power were in vaine God hauing so lincked them we must not seuer them and seing either of them is so necessarie to the other we must desire to haue our Regeneration in them both Out of this which you haue heard you may gather that though our Inward man is named yet the Outward is not excluded because though a part is named yet the whole is meant seeing the whole followeth the condition of these principall parts wee cannot be regenerated in these principall parts but the regeneration will redound vnto the whole man But what is Regeneration of what gifts consists it I told you of holinesse and staydnesse which are meant by cleannesse of the heart and rightnesse of the Spirit where first marke that Regeneration doth not concerne the substance Iohn 3.4 but the qualities of our nature Nicodemus conceiued grossely that thought a man must enter into his mothers wombe and so be borne againe that he may bee new borne and they conceiue as grossely that thinke that Originall sinne is any part of the substance of man wee lost not our being but our well being as the moone in the Eclipse ceaseth not to be a starre but to be a bright shining starre the ayre in the night ceaseth not to be ayre but to be lightsome ayre the earth in the winter is earth still though it be not a flourishing earth finally when we haue lost our health we lose not our bodies though they become but sicke bodies Yet may we not conceiue superficially of Originall sinne it is not as a painting but as a dying of our nature you know that painting is a colour layed on but the Dye is a colour that sincketh in we may wash off or scrape out a painting the body continuing the same but a Dye cannot be so taken out but it sincketh cleane through the wooll or the cloath and the inwards of the stuffe are coloured as well as the outwards The same may bee illustrated by the former similitudes but I will not be so troublesome onely this I obserue that as Illyricus and others haue racked Originall sinne too farre so the Pelagians old and new haue shrunk it too much we shall doe well to keepe the meane and hold the truth It is a corruption that though it be not our substance for that can not stand with the articles of our Creed as the learned haue proued abundantly against Illyricus yet is it throughly incorporated into our substance neither is there any the least particle of our soule and body that is not infected therewith whereupon God passeth his censure The frame of the imaginations of the heart of man is euill Gene. 5.6 that continually from his youth Rom. 7.18 and S. Paul maketh his confession I know that in me that is in my flesh there dwels no good thing therfore when we come
calls it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it is that which executeth what the commanding part resolueth The word in the Originall signifieth either Directum or Erectum that which keepeth right forward or standeth vpright The actiue power of our soule is subiect to two defects it may straggle out of the way through rashnes or stagger in the way through faintnes while we are in the way allurements of diuers kinds draw vs into by-pathes we are set vpon by the crafty serpent and if that succeed not then with terrors wee are startled and made either to come to a stand or else to march cowardly The cure of all this is a right Spirit when God is pleased by grace to set strait steps vnto our feete and strengthen our feeble knees so that wee step not aside out of the way nor halt in the way our Spirit is directus it keepes good correspondency with our iudgement and executeth no more then it hath in charge and it is also erectus it bends no more then our affections doeâ— whether it pursue or encounter any thing resolued vpon by the soueraigne part it sheweth continually a religious stayednesse Finally whereas grace maketh a double cure one on our Heart and another on our Spirit and the regeneration of our Spirit is but an attendant vpon the regeneration of our Heart wee may not diminish the number of the parts nor inuert the order but when wee will trie our selues whether and how farre wee are regenerated wee must looke into our inwards see how we finde our selues there but specially to these fountaines of life the Heart and the Spirit see whether grace command in the Heart before the Heart command and that it may season our workes well whether it selfe bee seasoned first with grace and hauing taken this suruey of the Heart wee must come on to the Spirit and see whether our execution be as holy as our resolution if grace preserue vs from mis-guiding allurements and support vs against disheartning affrightments then is our Spirit as right as our Heart is cleane both are regenerated by the Spirit of grace The Fathers vnderstand here a double grace not onely the grace of Regeneration whereof you haue heard but the grace of Prophesie also wherewith King Dauid was endued as appeare in his Psalmes wherein are many excellent Prophesies It was no small griefe vnto him to haue that diuine influence suspended and to haue withdrawne from him those heauenly Reuelations therfore they conceiue the words thus Dauid desired a cleane Heart that so hee might haue a right Spirit for Blessed are the pure in heart they shall see God saith Christ Mat. 5.8 Wis 1.1.5 and the holy spirit of discipline will not abide in a soule when vnrighteousnesse commeth in The holy spirit of Prophesie is long since ceased and wee cannot be depriued of that which we neuer had but of this we may be sure that sin in our heart doth not a little bleare our eyes when we come to consider of Gods truth in his word and endeauour though not our selues to be yet to vnderstand those that were vndoubted Prophets But enough of Regeneration so farre as this Text doth teach vs what it is I come on to shew you briefly the last point of the Text which is Whence it proceeds It proceeds from God of him King Dauid beggeth it Create in me a cleane heart O God and well may he aske it of him for God doth promise the gift of this grace A new heart will I giue you and a new spirit will I put into you saith God Eze. cap. 36. and S. Paul in his Epistles doth often direct his prayers for these vnto God â—t how then doth Eze. c. 18. bid vs make vnto our selues new hearts and new spirits and Moses in the Law Deut. 10. bids vs circumcise the fore-skin of our hearts Surely not to note our power but our want that out of the conscience thereof we should seeke vnto the father of Lights from whom commeth euery good and perfect gift Iam. 1.17 Or if it be to note any power of ours it is but power to vse the outward meanes but the effect wished hath a higher cause which is the Spirit of God And indeed the true cause why the Holy Ghost speaketh so differenly sometimes calling vpon vs and sometimes willing vs to call vpon God is because Gods inward worke is seldome without our outward though the honour which God doth to the vse of the meanes must not derogate ought from Gods totall producing of the effects The more to be blamed is the Church of Rome who by aduancing the meanes impaire that honour which is due vnto God Let it stand then for a grounded Truth that Regeneration is the gift of God As it is Gods gift so it is no ordinary gift of his it is a worke of his great might and of his great mercy of his great might for it is a Creation Creation is either to make something of nothing or at least if that whereof it is made be something yet that thing hath no disposition to become that which it is made if you looke to the gift that is giuen by Regeneration surely that is made simply of nothing it is an effect that proceeds immediately from the Spirit who hath nothing out of which to worke that effect but his owne almighty power for non educiturè potentia naturae nature sendeth forth no such fruit If you looke vpon the Person that receiueth the grace then also Regeneration will proue to be a Creation for so farre is he from being disposed fitly to receiue grace Rom 8.7 Is 11.6 that hee is naturally opposite vnto it the wisedome of the flesh is enmity against God so saith the Apostle and the Prophet will tell vs that regenerating is like the changing of the nature of Tygers Lyons and Wolues c. a hard worke Saint Austin goeth so farre that hee thinketh it a harder matter to bring a sinner accustomed to an euill course into a right way then to create a world especially to bring him to entertaine the Christian faith which is foolishnes to the Gentile and a stumbling blocke to the Iew. The more absurd is the patronage of free will in the case of new birth the very word Creation doth refute it 1. Cor. 1.23 2. Cor. 5. Eph. 4. which Saint Paul vseth more then once and thereby both Testaments put vs in mind that wee can doe as little towards our spirituall creation as we could towards our naturall in regard of both we may vse that of the Psalm It is God that hath made vs and not we our selues both waies made vs by the power of a God Neither is it onely a worke of great power but of great mercy also that is intimated by the word Renew pulchre dixit innoua saith S. Chrysostome it is well said renew the house was built before which sinne ruined and grace doth re-edifie and indeed that this
is not the first time that we are beholding to Gods grace the very word Regeneration may teach we had this cleane heart and right spirit when we were first created for wee were created after Gods image sinne lost it grace restored it now you know that if a Tenant forfeit his Lease and a Land-lord after re-entry restore it to him againe this is a worke of his goodnesse which is more then a worke of his ability for many are able and doe it not therefore if any being able doe it the inducement is not his ability but his goodnesse the like must we conceiue of God it was his pittying mercie that imployed his almighty power to repaire what we had ruined to recouer what we had lost to restore what we had forfeited a cleane heart and a right spirit Finally both the creating and the renewing are actus continui workes that God neuer intermitteth otherwise we should quickly come to nothing or rather which is worse then nothing become fire-brands of hell for wee dayly forfeit by sin and God may daily take aduantage of our breach of his Couenant Adde hereunto that our Regeneration is not in facto but in fieri and therefore needeth a perpetuall influence and supportance for this cause though Dauid were now in the state of grace yet doth he begge grace of God though God had created in him a cleane heart yet doth he desire that God would create a cleane heart in him and though he bad renewed in him a right Spirit yet doth he pray that God would renew a right Spirit within him so doth he wisely prouide against forfeitures and religiously beg the increase of that which he had receiued But I conclude sicut rogauit Dauid it a debet vnusquisque nostrûm saith S. Hierom Dauids prayer is a praier that beseems vs all we all beare about vs a body of sin and we should all desire that it might be abolished We should indeed but who doth who doth enquire into the vncleannesse of his heart and the crookednesse of his spirit or who taketh notice whether there be in him at all any part of Regeneration nay who doth shew that there is any Nazianzene Oratione 43. writing de Encaeâ—ijs doth giue a good obseruation how a man should know whether his heart haue any part in this Creation or his spirit in this Renouation yesterday thou wert a time seruer to day thou art not ashamed of thy Sauiour Christ yesterday thou didst affect the praise of men to day thou settest more by an honest life yesterday thou wert delighted with vain spectacles to day thou art giuen to diuine meditations c. if thou find such a change Haec mutatio dextrae excelsi God hath put to his mercifull power to make thee a new man if it be otherwise with thee and the day following find thee as bad as thou wert the day before thou hast no part in Regeneration A fearfull case because the Psalmist mouing the question to God Psal 24. Who shall ascend into the mountaine of the Lord who shall stand in his holy place answers Euen he that hath innocent hands and a pure heart Wherfore be ye renewed in the spirit of your minds put on the New-Man Eph. 4.25 which after God is created in righteousnes true holines or because this is a worke too hard for any one of vs Let vs euery one pray with K. Dauid in this place Create in me a clean heart ô God renew a right spirit within me AMEN PSAL. 51. VERS 11. Cast mee not away from thy presence and take not thy holy Spirit from mee KIng Dauids desire set forth in the first part of this Psalme is that hee may be restored vnto and preserued in the state of grace How he desires to bee restored you haue hitherto seene you haue seene how hee sueth first in generall that Gods Mercie would relieue his Miserie Gods great mercy his deepe miserie Secondly in speciall how hee brancheth his owne sinne and Gods grace hee confesseth sinne which himselfe committed and that which he inherited from his parents and hee beggeth a two-fold grace that the cure may be proper to each kind of sinne finally he would not haue a plaister narrower then his sore nor a medicine that could not throughly remedy his disease Thus he desires to be restored But to be restored is not enough a Penitents desire must carrie him farther for how shall it appeare that hee doth vnfainedly sorrow for sinne and affect goodnesse except he be as desirous to continue in as to bee brought vnto the state of grace 〈◊〉 Pet. 2. Nay Saint Peter will tell vs that it were better neuer to haue knowne the way of righteousnesse then after wee haue knowne it to returne like dogges to our vomit and like swine to our wallowing in the myre Wherefore the second desire was necessarie for King Dauid and must bee exemplarie vnto vs. Let vs come then to it It is set downe in this and the following Verse and conceiued in a double prayer first in deprecation and secondly in supplication a prayer against that which King Dauid deserued and a prayer for that without which King Dauid could not perseuere we will meddle now onely with the former prayer But in the passage I may not forget a good note of Saint Bernards where he commends King Dauids method Serm. 3. de Penticost and obserues that after hee hath prayed Create in me a cleane heart O Lord renew a right spirit within me he prayeth seasonably Cast me not away from thy presence and take not thy holy spirit from me When we offend we fall into sinne and out of fauour and when we repent wee must not desire to be receiued into fauour vntill we are first acquitted from sinne otherwise wee shall betray that we wish there were no Sanction of the Law but as for the transgression of the Law we are not much moued therwith wheras the least sinne must be more irkesome to a repenting soule then the most grieuous punishment But let vs breake vp this prayer wherein I will note two things 1. the Manner and 2. the Matter the manner is a prayer against the matter is that which King Dauid deserued Now that which he deserued comprehends two fearefull iudgements 1. Reiection and 2. Depriuation I will cleare these two tearmes vnto you While we are in the state of grace wee haue communion with God and God hath communion with vs God receiueth vs into his family and we attend him we weare his liuerie and are knowne to belong vnto him the first giueth vs free accesse vnto his presence and the second is a participation of his holy spirit Sinne as much as lieth in it dissolues both these communions for we deserue by it first that God discharge vs of his seruice giue vs no longer place in his family which is that which I called Reiection Secondly we deserue that God take from
vs his liuerie leaue vs no marke of our reference to him and this is that which I called depriuation But more distinctly in reiection we will obserue 1. from what Place and state both are included in Gods presence Secondly with what disgrace and danger a sinner deserues to bee reiected we may gather them both out of the words Cast out In the depriuation we will obserue first Whereof secondly how farre a sinner may be depriued Whereof first of what gift of the Holy spirit then What worth there is in the gift spiritus tuus thy holy Spirit or the Spirit of thy Holinesse a most precious gift of this a sinner deserueth to be depriued But how farre that appeareth in aufer as the taking away which wee will resolue into these two Notes the first is the taking backe of the spirit which God once gaue him and therefore some render it Ne recipias withdraw not secondly the spirit is so taken backe that nothing of it remaines with a sinner it is not a diminution but an ablation a stripping him wholy of the Spirit of God Finally both these reiection and depriuation must bee considered not in themselues but also in their consequences and the consequences are two and they much aggrauate the fearefulnesse of the iudgement The first is We cannot be reiected of our old good Master but wee shall fall into the hands of another who is much worse and wee shall be forced to weare a much worse Liuerie if we be stript of his Looke whatsoeuer good we lose we shall fall vnder the contrarie euill if we bee reiected if we be depriued This is the first Consequence A second is that such a sinners Case is desperate God will heare no mans praiers for him and he wil giue him no grace to pray for himselfe And what can follow but that being brought into so bad a case he senselesly runne a gracelesse course which commeth to the maine point of my Text which I told you was a desire of perseuerance in grace whereunto nothing can bee more opposite then this reiection and depriuation which is prayed against by our penitent King And so haue I broken vp this Text the parts whereof I shall now open farther vnto you God grant they may further our religious repentance First then of the manner of the Prayer I told you it is a deprecation a praying against When we are in danger we must not be senselesse bee it but corporall how much more if it be spirituall Now that we are sensible wee can giue no better proofe then if wee pray against the danger yea the more earnest wee are in prayer the more doe wee manifest the prouident feare of our soules Dauid had committed enormous sinnes adultery 1. Cor. â— 6 1. Iob. 3.15 murder of adulterers Saint Paul tels vs that none shall enter into the Kingdome of Heauen and of the murderer Saint Iohn tels vs that hee hath not eternall life abiding in him King Dauid finding himselfe in this danger had reason to fall vnto this kind of prayer especially hauing before his eyes the wofull example of his Predecessor Saul But what needed hee 1. Sam. â— God had promised that it should goe well with him and with his seed also and that when they sinne though hee will punish them he will not withdraw his Mercy as he did from Saul whom hee cast out from before his eyes yea and Dauid for his particular had his pardon brought vnto him by Nathan It is true But it is as true that he that doth recouer out of a desperate danger is not so soone secure as hee is safe behold it in a corporall danger If a man were ready to fall into a deepe pit and a stander by timely stretch out his hand and recouer him hee cannot so soone recouer his spirits as hee saued his life you shall see him looke wan feele his heart tremble scarce get a word from him or make him stand vpon his feet he will aske some pretty time before hee can come to himselfe againe And may we thinke that hee that found himselfe vpon the brinke of Hell that saw himselfe entring at the gates of aeternall death that was singed with the flames of that vnquenchable fire and felt the palpable darkenesse of that euerlasting night though by Gods mercy hee tumbled not into the pit came not into the Chambers of death was not deuoured of the fire nor cast into the vtter darknesse thinke wee I say that hee can soone forget those affrighting spectacles that hee can suddainly calme those stormes which they raised in his soule that hee can as soone be secured as hee is safe certainly he cannot they that haue beene exercised in such conflicts yeeld vndenyable proofe and therefore wonder not that King Dauid notwithstanding Gods gracious promise as if hee did forget it maketh this kind of prayer vnto God Adde hereunto that God doth not giue his promises to make vs idle but to exercise our faith in importuning God for a performance 1. â—im 4.8 Pietie hath the promise both of this life and of that which is to come yet doe wee not forbeare dayly to say the Lords Prayer that we may speed of both Our rule then is That wee must vse Gods Promises as directions in not as dispensations from the deuotion we owe vnto God And let this suffice touching the manner of the Prayer Let vs come now to the matter And first let vs looke to the Reiection wherein the first particular was the Place from whence a sinner deserueth to bee reiected that is here called the presence of God God from the beginning of the world had a speciall place whereat hee appeared to the Patriarkes and they performed their deuotions at it the learned gather it out of the 4. of Genesis where God threatneth that Cain should bee a vagabond and Cain complaineth that hee was cast from the presence of God that is excommunicated from the visible Church and the seuering of the sonnes of God from the sonnes of Men seemeth to haue bin in regard of the meeting in that speciall place But howsoeuer that may be doubted it is out of all question that when God made the Israelites a nationall Church hee had a visible presence amongst them hee commanded the Tabernacle to be built for that purpose whereinto he entred in the Cloud and rested betweene the Cherubims on the Mercy-seat This was the typicall presence of a spirituall residence of God of his gracious dwelling amongst his people This was a thing so much reuerenced by the Patriarkes Psal 27. that they held it a great blessing to enioy it Vnum petij aith King Dauid One thing haue I desired of the Lord and that will I still require that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the dayes of my life to behold the faire beauty of the Lord and to visit his holy Temple As it was a comfort to them to enioy
this solemne time All Saints day and of the blessed Sacrament which wee shall now receiue and my Text is well fitting to them both to the time for turne the deprecation into a supplication and what will it sound then but King Dauids desire to continue a Saint What is a Saint Is it not a person that is vouchsafed to attend the presence of God And is furnished with the holy Spirit of God And he that prayeth Take not from mee thy holy Spirit cast mee not out of thy presence what doth hee desire but this Lord continue mee what thou hast once made me let me euer bee a Saint And now you see how true that is which at the entrance I obserued my Text is a Prayer for perseuerance in grace it was King Dauids Prayer it must bee the Prayer of All Saints I hope wee are all such and that wee may neuer be other let vs timely pray against those fearefull iudgements of spirituall reiection and depriuation pray so we must and that wee pray not in vaine loe yonder is a gracious answere to our Prayer wee shall find it at the Table of the Lord that I may touch at the Sacrament as I haue done at the time Would any man be sure that hee is of Gods Family What better euidence can he haue then that he is fed at Gods Table Certainly hee is not cast out that is allowed his Ordinarie there Doth any man desire to continue in him the possession of Gods Spirit Loe yonder is the fuell that feeds that heauenly fire the bread the drinke are both Spirituall they are pledges they are Conduits of the Spirit of God the Spirit will neuer faile them that worthily doe partake of these And why it is Christs Spirit and where Christ is his Spirit must needes goe also But yonder is the fariest picture that euer was made of Christ goe to it receiue it that thou maist become one with it and it with thee so shalt thou be euer sure euer to be of the familie of God thou shalt stand before his presence thou shalt euer weare his liuery and keepe possession of his spirit Feare not thou hast Christ promise Iohn 6. Him that commeth to me I will not câ—â—â— forth and God hath said Heb. 13. I will neuer leaue thee nor for sake thee Onely le◠〈◊〉 not be senselesse of our danger nor carelesse of these good meanes LOrd our sinnes are many they are great but thou hast giuen Dauid a prerogatiue beyond Saul to the Family of Dauid beyond the Family of Saul to true Penitents beyond gracelesse Sinners Vouchsafe vs all to be such Penitents that we may enioy there prerogatiue when we sinne let vs not forget to returne in time and that we be not swallowed vp of these fearefull iudgements of reiection and depriuation heare vs graciously when we cry humbly Cast vs not away from thy presence and take not thine holy Spirit from vs. PSAL. 51. VERSE 12. Restore vnto me the ioy of thy saluation and stablish me with a free Spirit KIng Dauids desire to bee continued in the state of grace is conceiued in two Prayers one against that which himselfe deserued another for that without which hee could not perseuere I haue alreadie opened the former Prayer I come now to the later This later Prayer then that you may the better vnderstand I will obserue therein what King Dauid beggeth and of whom That which he beggeth is a restitution and a confirmation restore stablish Wee must moreouer obserue in the restitution whereof it is and in the confirmation wherewith it is wrought The restitution is of a comfortable sense of Gods grace Gods grace is noted by saluation whereof the comfortable sense is ioy The Confirmation is wrought by a generous disposition the disposition is meant in the word Spirit which that it may be generous must be free Such a comfortable sense and such a generous disposition are the two supporters of perseuerance by them are the children of God continued in the state of grace But whence doe they get them Surely only from God it is he that withdraweth in displeasure and therefore it is hee that in mercie must restore the comfortable sense as our being so our well being subsists only in him and therefore only by him can we be confirmed therein therefore King Dauid desirous to speed of these meanes of perseuerance seeketh them where they may be had hee beggeth them at the hands of God These are the contents of this text which I will inlarge and apply in their order But in the passage I may not forget to obserue vnto you that for obtayning perseuerance the deprecation will not suffice without a supplication it is not enough to be freed from the impediments except wee bee vouchsafed the meanes of perseuerance put the case our Master should neuer in this World turne vs out of his Family which is the Church nor strip vs of his Liuerie which is his holy Spirit yet if wee bee not prouided of meanes heartning and exercising vs in this seruice better neuer to continue then to continue so in that blessed societie The vnprofitable seruant that hid his Talent in a Napkin abode in the house with his fellowes that were more thrifty 〈◊〉 25. and emplyed their talents to their Masters aduantage but at the reckoning day that idle one was cast into vtter darknesse there to weepe and gnash with his teeth when his fellowes vpon their better account did enter into their Masters ioy God hath done vs all this fauour as to continue our entertainment in the Church we must not neglect our employment in his seruice if wee doe well may Gods fauour increase our paine wee must neuer looke that it will yeeld vs comfort For perseuerance is not a bare continuance in Gods Church and participation of his gifts it requireth that wee make vse of it and aduance his glorie This by the way let vs come now to the particulars whereof the first is saluation The Fathers by this word vnderstand our Sauiour Christ and indeed old Simeon calleth him so in his Song taking Christ in his armes he speaketh thus to God Lord now lettest thou thy seruant depart in peace for mine eyes haue seene thy saluation and saluation is included in the Name of Iesus therefore in the Kings Bibles the Latine hath the Name of Iesu insteed of saluation Acts. 18. â— Saint Peter in the Acts telleth vs that there is no other name vnder Heauen by which we may be saued but only the Name of Iesus he is that salutare Dei so often remembred in the Prophets and the sauing grace of God mentioned in Saint Paul Titus 2.11 But we must not vnderstand only the person by this name saluation but also the fruit that springeth from him spirituall and corporall The spirituall I haue handled vpon former Verses it is the discharge from the guilâ— from the corruption of sinne sinne which
true the soueraigne good There is one thing moreouer meant by this phrase which is peculiar vnto Dauid and doth somwhat concerne all those that are in authority 1. Sam. ca. 16 and that is an heroicall spirit Numb 11. God gaue him one when hee anointed him first to be King so did he vnto Moses Exod. ca. 19. and the Elders which were chosen to assist him Though euery child of God must by a noble spirit testifie his parentage and that Kingly degree whereunto he is called of God yet they that are set ouer others must haue a principall spirit in a higher measure answerable to their charge must their gifts be seruilitie beseemes none lesse then those who are appointed guides to lead others out of thraldome The next point is King Dauids prayer vphold or stablish His late wofull experience had taught him that he was labilis and fragilis that he was apt to take a fall and with the fall a bruise therefore hee had good reason to pray God to hold him vp to strengthen him yea the best are mutable creatures as they were made of nothing so of themselues they would turne to nothing againe Therefore hee that standeth must pray that he may not fall that his house rest not vpon the Sands to be blowen downe by the winds or borne downe by the Waues but vpon a Rocke which will hold out against them both Secondly this word importeth that he that hath recouered a fall Clem. Alex. Stromat lib. â— desires that he may no more relapse Vilificat libertatem qui iterùm vult amittere it is a shrewd argument that he setteth light by a free spirit that doth not desire as well for to keepe it as for to haue it and the desire for to keepe it doth argue at how deare a rate we set it Thirdly Saint Bernards rule is true Quae modo sunt modo non sunt is qui verè est non acceptat nec in caducis istis potest vera aeternitas sibi complacere Vertue be it neuer so eminent pleaseth not God except it bee lasting he will haue euery one striue to resemble him as well in constancie as in sanctitie Finally this comfortable sense and generous spirit are the two supporters of perseuerance for what should moue him to fall from God that is heartned with the comfortable sense of Gods fauour and established by a generous spirit to doe him seruice Therefore Gregorie the Great giueth vs a good note In 〈◊〉 Psal that if wee meane to perseuere wee must take heed that we doe not seuer these Solet quibusdam contingere c. it falleth out too often saith he that men luld a sleepe with the ioy of saluation forget how feeble their knees are and begge not to be held vp with a free spirit and so slip before they are aware wherefore he addeth Ita me correctum sac gaudere de veniâ vt tamen nunquam desinam esse suspectus de culpâ Let me neuer so ioy in the pardon of my sinnes as that out of the consciousnesse of my owne frailtie I should not desire to be strengthned against sinne The last thing I noted vpon this Text is Who is the giuer of these gifts and it appeareth to bee God for to him King Dauid prayeth and what better proofe then that euery man seeketh it of him and thanketh him Serm 6. Dei onâ—â—e 〈◊〉 Cap. 6. 1. Cor. 1.31 if that he haue it What meane we saith Saint Cyprian by all the Lords Prayer Nisi vt in eo quod esse cepimus perseueremus Whereunto agreeth Saint Augustine and the Apostle telleth vs that he that glorieth must glorie in the Lord Vntill we come to God we can find no ground of stabilitie how glorious were the Angels in Heauen How holy was Adam in Paradise Both left vnto themselues are monuments of the frailtie of a creature If they how much more we that come so short of their gifts Wherefore God hauing shewed vs how little stedfastnesse there is in the foundation of nature Psal 94. buildeth vs vpon a surer foundation he buildeth vs vpon himselfe Hee is become our refuge and the strength of our considence And as he only can establish vs with a free spirit so only he can restore vnto vs the ioy of his saluation The earth may breath forth vapours and intercept the sun-shine but not the Earth but the Sunne it selfe must dispell those vapours that with his brightnesse hee may cheere the earth againe our sinnes may cloud the light of Gods countenance only Gods mercie can make it breake through that cloude and shed a comfortable influence into our soule I say only God that for sinne withdrew it from vs. It is not meant that hereupon we should grow idle but wee must not ouer-value our endeuours Heb. 3.12 wee must take heed that our Lampes goe not out That there be not in any of vs an euill heart of infidelitie to depart from the liuing God Psal 127. we must gird vp our loines and we must watch But yet wee must still remember that Except the Lord build the house they labour but in vaine that build it except the Lord keepe the Citie the watchman waketh but in vaine Tutiores saith Saint Austin Esay 46. Viuimus si totum Deo damus non nos illi ex parte nobis ex parte committimus wee are most secure while we value our owne endeauours at nought and giue all the glorie of our stabilitie to God Heare yee me O house of Iacob and all that remayne of the house of Israel which are borne of mee from the wombe and brought vp of me from the birth therefore vnto the old age I am the same euen I will beare you vnto the hoarie haires I haue made you I will also beare you and I will carrie you and I will deliuer you If God put his feare into our hearts we shall not depart from him if hee keepe vs none shall be able to take vs out of his hand Reade Colos 1. Philip. 1. I conclude though we can say with Saint Paul 2. Tim. 4. I haue fought a good sight I haue finished my course I haue kept the faith hence-foorth there is laid vp for me a Crowne of righteousnesse which God the righteous Iudge shall giue me at that day yet let vs with the foure and twentie Elders Cast downe our selues and our crownes before him that sitteth vpon the Throne and the Lambe saying Reue. 4.4 Prayse and honour and glorie and power be vnto him that sitteth vpon the Throne and to the Lambe for euermore AMEN PSAL. 51. VERSE 13. Then will I teach transgressors thy wayes and Sinners shall bee conuerted vnto thee WHen I brake vp the first part of this Psalme I told you that it was a Vow and therefore obserued therein the parts of a Vow a Desire and a Promise for when a man voweth there is something that he
conuerted thereby and let vs each hasten other in our returne toward thee Let vs be carefull to saue not our selues onely but others also that each may bee the others ioy when we shall both be presented spotlesse and blamelesse at the appearing of Christ. PSAL. 51. VERSE 14. Deliuer me from bloud guiltinesse O God thou God of my saluation and my tongue shall sing aloude of thy righteousnesse THe religious seruice which King Dauid vowed is the Edifying of others and the gâ—â—rifying of God how he will edifie others you haue heard and are to heare how he will glosie God God may be glorified either in regard of the particular sauom hâ— sheweth vs or the generall worth that is in himselfe Dauid promiseth to glorifie God in both respects At this time my Text doth occasion me to speake of the former wherein I will obserue first a spirituall Pange haâ—ouer taketh his Deuotion and then the Deuotion it selfe In the Pange we shall see what he seeleth and to whom he slieth he feeleth a sting of Conscience a remorse of Bloud-guiltinesse and being pained herewith he seeketh for ease he crieth Deliuer But he seeketh discretly and ardently discretly for he seeketh to him that can Deliuer to the Lord who is interested in the consciences of his creatures and as he can so he will he is the God of his childrens saluation This is his discretion which he warmeth with Zeale hee is earnest in his petition which you may gather out of the doubling of the name of God Deus Deus salutis meae Hauing thus ouercome the spirituall Pange that interrupted him hee falleth to his Deuotion wherein you must marke first the argument that he insisteth vpon and that is God Righteousnesse Secondly the manner how he doth extoll it which is publike and cheerefull publike for hee will vtter it by his tongue cheerefull for his tongue shall sing aloude These bee the particulars which wee must now looke into farther and in their order And first of spirituall Pangs in generall King Dauid had a pardon of this sinne particularly besides a generall promise that God would neuer withdraw his grace from him and yet we find him here perplext and distrest in conscience Though I did on a former Verse touch at the reasons hereof yet will it not be amisse that I a little farther enlarge this point There can be no doubt but Gods truth is infallible he cannot denie himselfe hee will neuer recall his word but yet Quicquid recipitur recipitur ad modum recipientis the vertues wherewith we entertaine Gods promises are as wee are imperfect because we art partly flesh and partly spirit our faith is not without doubting if their be imperfection in our faith which is the foundation of our spirituall life our Hope will be answerable it will not be without distrusting neither will our Charitie be better we cannot so loue but we will feare And why Could we cast our eyes onely vpon God his goodnesse must needes appeare wonderfull and so leaue a kind of amazednesse in vs neither can we easily beleeue that he should vouchsafe such fauor vnto man but we more often cast our eyes vpon our selues vpon our wickednesse whereby we haue broken Gods lawes vpon our vnthankfulnesse which haue set light by Gods blessings and this is able to stagger our faith much more especially when the Serpent shall plie vs with the representation of Gods iustice thereby indeauouring to ouer-whelme our Meditations vpon his mercies and shall presse vnto our conscience the imperfection of our faith hope and charitie so farre as to perswade vs that they haue no truth at all Here-hence spring those spirituall pangs in so much that euen in those which by grace haue giuen sinne a deadly wound you shall perceiue many pangs as it were of spirituall death and as men that are recouered out of an Ague haue many troublesome grudgings thereof that disquiet them not a little euen so Penitents aster enormous sinnes must looke for many a smarting twitch of the worme of conscience But to leaue spirituall Pangs in generall and come to that which in particular is toucht here in my Text he feeles are morse of bloud-guilâ—inesse the euill he feeles is exprest by the name of blouds so the word is in the originall and is vsed to note either our originall corruption or actuall sinne King Dauid in the former part of this Psalme confesseth both that sinne that he inherited from his Parents and that which hee contracted himselfe therefore of the Interpreters some pitch vpon the former and some the later Saint Austin pitcheth vpon the originall sinne and supposeth that Dauid was moued with remorse of his corrupt nature which is the cause of all sinne and indeede they that are borne in Concupiscence are said to be borne of flesh and bloud 1. Cor. 15. and Saint Paul meaneth that wee must put off that before we can be fully blest when he saith that flesh and bloud cannot inherit the Kingdome of heauen Finally it is that where at God pointeth Ezek. 16. when he speaketh thus to the Church When I passed by thee and saw thee polluted in thine owne bloud I said vnto thee in thy bloud Liue. The reason of the phrase is because Vitaest in sanguine as the law speaketh the animall life subsisteth in the bloud and the abundance of bloud is the fuell of concupiscence whereupon some coniecture not improbably that to note this the legall expiation of sinne was made by the effusion of bloud Some goe not so farre as originall sinne but vnderstand the word of actuall which is the fruit of originall and because of actuall sins some are by Diuines called spirituall some carnall spirituall such as mooue from and are transacted principally by the reasonable faculties of the soule and haue but sequelam a concomitancie of animall carnall those that are suggested from and acted by the animall soule principally and haue but a concomitancie of the rationall by blouds they vnderstand that later kind of sinne And indeede such were the sinnes whereof King Dauid had now remorse his Adulterie his Murder both sprang from bloud adulterie from bloud luxuriant which made him transgresse in his concupiscible facultie murder from bloud ebullient which made him transgresse in his Irascible facultie The word Sanguines being plurall is by the Fathers obserued to note plentie and varietie of sinne some in one word parallell it with the first verse of this Psalme where Dauid mencioneth all his Iniquities and then there is a Synecdoche in the word species progenere the carnall sinnes put for all kind of sinnes which some resolue into sinnes past present and to come But it is best to keepe our selues vnto the Argument of that storie whereunto this Psalme alludes and then Varietie shall note Adulterie and Murder and Plentie shall consist in the many murders that followed the adultery Vriah was treacherously slaine and that he might be slaine treacherously many others
possest with a spirit that is deafe and dumbe they had neede that Christ should say vnto them Ephata be thou opened they will not bee able so much as to say 1 Cor. 12.3 Iesus is the Lord but by the Holy Ghost But if God once open our lippes then we shall be able for to speake Neither to speake onely for there is more included in the phrase then so Psal 45. Colos 2. but Grace shall be powred into our lippes our words shall be poudred with Salt as Saint Paul speaketh God that openeth the lippes will also Suggerere materiam supplie the matter of our speech for that is it Dauid aymeth at that he may againe be the Pen-man of God and that his tongue may be the Pen of a ready writer that hee may speake nothing but that which is indited by the Holy Ghost that his words may flow alwayes from the grace of Sanctification and that he may as he was before be a Prophet also and be inspired to speake by the grace of edification Neither doth he ayme in this Prayer onely at the matter of his speech but at the manner also that he may speake with freedome and with wisedome with freedome that he be no more check't with his consciousnesse of sinne And indeede ingenuous freedome in praysing of God is a good argument that our soules are possest with the peace which passeth all vnderstanding Philip. 4 7 and ioy of the Holy Ghost As in the Prayer hee desireth freedome so doth he desire wisedome of speech also it is Gregorie the Greats note Illius os aperit Deus c. God openeth his mouth who doth attend not onely what he saith but also when where and to whom Our tongue though it be a little member Cap. 3. Tâ—eâ— 28. Chap 22. yet it is an vnruly one saith Saint Iames Life and death is in the power of the tongue which made the sonne of Syracke to moue this question Who shall set a watch vpon my mouth and a seale of wisedome vpon my Lippes that I fall not suddainely by them and that my tongue destroy me not Whereunto you may shape an answere out of Dautâ—s Prayer Set a watch O Lord before my mouth Psal 141. and keepe thou the doore of my Lippes so that without this Prayer he could neuer haue made good that promise which elswhere hee maketh Psal 39. I said I will take heede to my wares that I offend not with my tongue One Pamâ—o in the Ecclesiasticall storie is reported to haue studied that short lesson many yeeres and yet in the end he profest that he could not attaine to the exact practise thereof And which of vs is here that offendeth not in his tongue And therefore good reason haue the best euen the verie best to Pray with Dauid Lord open thou my mouth and humbly to surrender the gouernement of his tongue vnto God Finally by this which you haue heard you may easily gather that lippes are to be vnderstood as mouth before this is no more exclusiue then that the heart the whole man must follow the Lippes as before they did the tongue for looke with what we will praise God for that must wee craue Gods guiding and assistance And let this suffice for the particular points which are contained in this Text. I come now to the generall which arise out of the parts laide together Whereof the first is this that seeing Dauid prayeth Open my lippes and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise wee must not begge ought of God which wee meane not to imploy to his glorie that which commeth from him must returne vnto him againe he that is the first cause must bee the last end of all his creatures and of their gifts Therefore when God first opened Zacharies mouth then presently he fell to Luke 1. Blessed be the Lord God of Israel c. When God first endowed vs hee did it that we might the better serue him by our owne default we are disenabled and out of the sense thereof we must confesse that without a second gift of grace we can doe nothing not so much as thinke a good thought nor open our lippes vnto his praise he must worke in vs both to will and doe it Philip. 2.13 Farre be it then from vs that we should with those prophane persons Psal 12. say Our tongues are our owne we will speake who is Lord ouer vs And let ouâ— tongues runne wild Certainely God neuer openeth our lips for such endâ— hee doth not furnish vs with any gifts whereby we should oppose his glorie But all that commeth from him doth shew forth his vertues vnto the world In Exod. c. 3. and therefore if our tongues produce worse effectâ— there is some other then God that openeth our lippes Vereor saith Origen no sint aliqui quorum diabolus aperiat ora many so speake that a man may well feare that the Diuell hath charge of their lippes for their words honour him he is a Lyar and deceipt is vnder their lippes hee is a murderer and their throates are open sepulchers he an impure spirit and some mens talke is nothing but ribaldrie and doth not the Diuell open their mouthes In some places the Scripture speaketh it expresly Matth. 26. the Diuell entered into Iudas presently his tongue fell to conference with the High Priest what hee might haue for betraying of Christ Satan filled the heart of Ananias and Saphira Acts â— and they fell to lying against the Holy Ghost a lying spirit entred into Michaia the false Prophet and he presently seduced Ahab to goe and bee slaine at Ramoth Gilead 〈…〉 and what else meane those three vncleane spirits like Frogges that came out of the mouth of the Dragon 〈…〉 of the beast and of the false Prophet to gather the Kings of the earth to the Battell of the great day of God Almightie Certainely they are those impostors by whose tongues the Diuell doth abuse the world There are some that haue mungrell tongues out of whose mouth commeth blessing and cursing that can blesse God within the Church and curse their Brethren when they are without it whom I must remember of Saint Iames his censure 〈…〉 3 1. My brethren these things ought not so to be can the Fig tree beare Oliue berries or a Vine Figges No fountaine can send forth at the same hole sweete water and bitter fresh and salt What nature abhorreth in vnreasonable creatures sinne produceth commonly in creatures that are reasonable are not we then worse then they Yea verily much worse in that they are but naturall monsters and wee are morall It were much better for vs to be plaine dumbe then to be of gracelesse speech 〈◊〉 12. for we shall giue an accompt for euerie idle much more for euerie euill word I had rather then neuer speake then not speake to Gods glorie And yet mistake not God needeth not our praysing of him
truth of my Text His sinnes were in the number of those which are called crying sinnes for they were Murder Adultery Treachery and Blasphemie for such sinnes there was no Sacrifice Iustin Martyr obserues it in the place before cited If the Gospel saith he had not opened vnto him the gate of repentance in Lege seruatricem non inuenisset humanitatem he could haue found no reliefe in any ceremoniall expiation the Kings condition herein was no better then the subiects as hee confesseth in my text And though hee had no superiour on earth to question him yet doth he plead guilty and intimateth what hee deserueth at Gods hand his sinnes are such which deserue the sword and Gods sword hee could not but feare though hee were out of the feare of mans Adde hereunto that he doth not thinke that euerie light remedie will suffice a King as great men passe ouer the like sinnes with slight penance but litle doe they thinke that heauie punishments are their due which though they feele not from men yet they may feare from God But enough of Gods disposition towards this Ceremoniall worship wee are now to see in few words how Dauid doth conforme himselfe thereunto that is contained in these words Else would I haue giuen it I resolued the words into two propositions whereof the first was If God had affected these offerings he would haue tendred them It is the commendation which God himselfe giueth that Act. 13.22 hee was a man after Gods owne heart and hee would performe all his will and Gods will in sacrifiting he did not neglect neither in peace nor warre Not in peace for when hee translated the Arke from Obed Edoms house 2. Sam. 6. at euery sixe paces hee offered oxen and fatlings so hee offered also when hee went to warre as it appeares by the peoples prayer for him Psal 20. The Lord remember all thy offerings and accept thy burnt sacrifices I omit other places no man may reasonably thinke that hee would sticke at the offering of any Sacrifice who gaue so bountifully towards the Fabricke and furniture of the Temple as you may read 1. Chronic. 29. much more I dare say then any Prince in Christendome hath in his treasury or euer had And indeed hee thought nothing too good for God how chargeable so euer the patterne of the Temple was which was deliuered him hee most cheerefully made prouision for the full accomplishment of it wherein hee shewed himselfe a good patterne and teacheth all that be able to bee willing to aduance in the best sort the seruice of God The second proposition is that because God would not haue them hee forbore these offerings hee would not prescribe to God the satisfaction that God requireth is arbitrary in him none but himselfe knoweth what will content himselfe therefore hee must goe before vs and wee must yeeld what hee doth chuse Hee must definitely concerning our necessary seruice and concerning our voluntary at least indefinitely expresse his will or else wee cannot know or doe what hee will accept by meanes whereof our offering will bee thanklesse or fruitlesse for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 will-worship pleaseth me not it wil be cast off with Quis requisiuit Lâ—ay 1.12 Marke 7.7 Who hath required these things at your hands and in vaine doe they worship mee teaching the traditions of men And well may God so censure it for experience hath proued amongst the Heathen yea and amongst Christians also that when they leaue in such cases to be ruled by God men run wilde yea mad in their superstitions or rather impious Pietie The lash note I giue vpon this text is that the Fathers make it a Prophesie of the new-Testament wherein all carnall Rites were to bee done away and men were to serue God in spirit and truth we liue to see it and see to our griefe too many enuy themselues the comfort of it the Church of Rome by a multitude of inconuenent ceremonies hath much darkned the light of the Gospell and some are growen so absurd as to thinke that the Iewish Ceremonies shall be reuiued at Hierusalem againe But I cannot stand to refute these follies Let mee onely recommend two rules vnto you out of King Dauids words The first is the rectifying of your deuotion that you neuer so mistake the helpes which God affords our infirmitie as to giue the the honour of things heauenly vnto earthly or to let our bodies in God seruice be other then attendants vnto our soules Besides rectifying of our deuotion Let vs learne to resigne our selues wholly vnto Gods will remembring this that as wee must not be hastie and goe before him so must we not be slacke in in following him If in seruing of God wee take this course and are led by this guide wee shall be sure that our seruice shall neither be amisse nor yet in vaine and may expect that comfortable doome Math. 25.23 Well done seruant faithfull and true enter into thy Mastersioy PSAL. 51. VERSE 17. The Sacrifices of God are a broken Spirit a broken and contrite Heart O God thou wilt not despise KIng Dauid being resolued to serue God aduiseth how it may be done best In this deliberation hee taketh God for his guide and will make no other choyce then may stand with Gods good pleasure Now touching Gods pleasure hee informes vs that whereas there are two kinds of Gods seruice a Ceremoniall and a Morall God maketh little accompt of the Ceremoniall You heard that point opened the last Lords day that which hee regardeth is the morall and of that shall you God willing heare this day My present Text will tell you two things first wherein the Morall seruice stands secondly how it is esteemed It stands in the humiliation of the inward man the inward man is noted by the words Spirit and Heart two names but signifying the same reasonable soule which as it can subsist without the body is called a Spirit and it is called a Heart as it liueth in and doth manifest it selfe by the body This inward man must be humbled it must be broken and contrite two words meaning the the same thing but not without some difference in degree the former notes the beginning the latter the consummating of our Humiliation This is the morall seruice and it stands in these points He that vseth it shall find that it is well esteemed for what was denied vnto the Ceremoniall seruice is yeelded vnto this God did not desire that but this he doth it is the sacrifices of God Wherein marke two things first God that careth not for the slaughter of a beast requireth the mortification of a man he will haue his Heart his Spirit broken and contrite Secondly this one Mortification of man goeth in stead of the manifold slaughters of Beasts for it is Sacrifices The second thing that was denied vnto the Ceremoniall was that God did not delight in it but in the morall he doth he
will not despise that in the word there is a Litote there is more meant then is exprest for the Holy Ghost meaneth that this morall seruice doth speed of both the effects of Sacrifices it yeeldeth a sweet sauour vnto God and he doth gratiously accept it it proueth a sauour of rest into man and his soule doth feele the comfort of it Finally out of the maine branches of the text wee will draw two Paradoxes First A broken and contrite heart are Gods Sacrifices therfore this is a Religious man-slaughter Secondly God doth not despise a broken and a contrite heart therefore God is neuer better pleased with vs then when we are least pleased with our selues You heare whereof I shall speake that you may learne to serue God truely by that which shall bee spoken listen to it diligently and with a religious eare Before I fall vpon the particulars I may not omit to shew you the coherence of this verse to the former the former did shew of how little worth Ceremoniall worship is this sheweth the great worth of the morall And well is this clause added vnto that for it is not enough to know what we must not doe in Gods seruice our chiefe care must be to know what we must doe what good will it doe mee to know that Turkes Iewes Infidels worship they know not what they know not how it must be my comfort to know the true God to know how to worship him as I ought The ground is cleare Negatiues are but to attend Affirmatiues and God doth not reward the forbearance of euill but the doing of Good forbearance doth hold backe the impediments that would hinder vs in our way but wee must not only auoid them but also goe the right way if wee will come to our iourneys end In a word our abilities are bestowed vpon vs not only to decline euill but also to doe good But to the Text. The first thing that I obserued was wherin morall seruice stands it stands in the humiliation of the inward man the inward man is here pointed out by two names the spirit and the heart How these words differ all are not agreed vpon a former verse I haue said something of them but in this place I thinke they note one and the selfe same reasonable soule as it vndergoeth a diuers consideration It hath a prerogatiue aboue the soule of a beast in that it can subsist though it be seuered from the body and so it commeth neere vnto the nature of Angels and with them communicateth in the name of Spirit which is a substance endued with vnderstanding and will But besides this separate Being it hath another which you may call coniunct it inhabiteth in and manifesteth it selfe by the body quickning and guiding our senses and our affections hence it is denominated from the body from the principall parts wherein it doth reside from none so often and so aptly as from the Heart which is the the principall seate thereof Neither is it without cause that the reasonable soule is remembred vnder both these names the Holy Ghost thereby giuing vs to vnderstand that whether we consider the powers of the soule inorganically as vnder the name of Spirit or else Organically as vnder the name of Heart either way considered they must be humbled wee must humble no lesse the superiour then the inferiour faculties of our soule for sinne hath infected both A second thing that wee must marke is that in our seruice God calleth not for Nostra but Nos not our Goods but our selues and to this end did hee command the people to put their hands vpon the Sacrifices to signifie whom it did represent and to accompany the Offering of the sacrifice with a zealous deuotion to testifie that themselues were to haue a feeling of that for which the beast was offered And indeed it was fit that he should offer himselfe that had offended that hee might feare to offend when hee saw that hee must smart if a beast onely should die and the paine there of might rid a sinner of his guilt few would forbeare sinne if any thing make them feare it is this that they must beare the burden of sinne themselues Secondly as wee must offer our selues so that which of our selues wee must offer is the better part our Spirit our Heart In all the Legall Sacrifices God reserued the Inwards to himselfe his meaning was to point out the parts which he desireth in vs hee desireth our Inwards they must be presented in our Sacrifice 1 Tim. 4.8 the Apostles rule is bodily exercise profiteth litle certainly very litle of it selfe it hath all his commendations from the Heart and the Spirit But there are two distinct reasons why these parts are principally required in morall seruice the first is because they are freest from hypocrisie Ier. 3.10 God cannot endure that we should turne vnto him in mendacio dissemblingly Now Simulation and Dissimulation are manifest in our body for we can personate therein whom we will we may so bee mask't as that no body shal know who we are but in the inward man we are our selues wee can there seeme no better nor no worse then we are there doth God behold vs and hee doth iudge of vs thereby A Second reason is the preualencie of those parts they haue the greatest hand in our sinne and must beare the greatest part in our repentance other parts and powers partake of sinne but by contagion which they contract by their attendance vpon the Spirit and the Heart attend then they must in repentance but the principall penitents must be the Heart and the Spirit vpon whom they attend But enough of the parts which must bee humbled Let vs now come to the humiliation of those parts they must be broken they must be contrite Betweene these wordes there is no great difference for Contrition is a breaking very small and the breaking here meant is a shiuering the English to shiuer commeth from the Hebrew here vsed which is Shauar and you know that to shiuer a thing is to breake it all to pieces Or if you will put a difference betweene the wordes then the first may note the beginning and the other the consummating of this humiliation as you know a thing may be first grosse bruised and that is breaking and then it may bee pounded all to pouder and that is the contrition of it But how doe these words agree with the former by the Heart and the Spirit you vnderstood the reasonable soule and hath the soule any parts can that bee turned into dust Surely no therefore these words are figuratiue they are resemblances borrowed from corporall things which doe most liuely set before vs the humiliation that is spirituall But it is a question whence these wordes are borrowed some fetch them from husbandry some from masonry either of them hath a faire ground in the Scripture They that fetch it from Husbandry for Ieremie and Hosea speake of
breaking vp the fallow ground of our hearts Ier. 4.3 Hosea 10.12 that they may bee sowen Now you know that they that breake vp their grounds vse the Plough and the Harrow the Plough turneth vp the ground in great clods that is the first breaking of it then commeth the Harrow and turneth those clods into dust that is the second breaking of it and so these two breakings represent corporally what you must spiritually obserue in a broken and contrite heart The very same may fitly bee represented by the second resemblance that is taken from Masonry the Scripture doth often tell vs that sinners haue stony hearts and therefore they must be broken that they may be made fleshy hearts as tender and soft as flesh Now you know that when a Mason or Plaisterer will worke a rough stone into all kinde of shapes at his pleasure he first breaketh him being calcined or otherwise prepared all to pieces and then those pieces he poundeth into dust then that dust with liquor he can worke into a soft substance which will receiue any shape according to the fancy of the Plaisterer Euen so must the Heart and Spirit of a man be hammered by Gods Word Ierem. 23.9 broken and broken againe that so it may be made plyable vnto the wil of God These be faire resemblances and I might insist vpon them and by them illustrate the humiliation of a sinner but I choose rather the resemblance that offereth it selfe in my Text and that is contained in the word Sacrifices In the Temple or Tabernacle there were two Altars one of burnt sacrifice another of Incense the sacrifice of either will fit our purpose That of incense Exod. 30. where God telleth expresly of what spices the perfume should be made he addeth these wordes thou shalt beate some of it very small and put it before the testimony in the Tabernacle of the congregation where I will meete with thee The resemblance is very fit But it is fitter if we take it from the other Altar and indeed it is fit we take it thence for though my text be true of all morall seruice God requireth it God delighteth in it as might bee shewed at large if the time would permit and it were to my purpose yet now haue I to doe with no more then concerneth King Dauids case the reconciliation of a Penitent so much morall worship as answereth to burnt offering and sacrifice whereof you heard in the verse going before now they did belong to the Altar of burnt offerings wherefore there will wee seâ—ke and wee shall find our resemblance For the sacrifices were first cut in pieces that was their breaking secondly being so broken they were burnt into ashes that was a contrition of them a contrition and a breaking which doth most liuely represent the breaking and contrition required in Repentance Looke backe vpon them The Priest that did cut the sacrifice in pieces did as the Iewish Rituals obserue not mangle but ioynt the parts and what should wee doe in our Repentance but orderly take asunder and in our meditations view apart the seuerall powers that are in our soule and not mingle the vnderstanding and the will but seeing each hath his owne defects we must feelingly consider the seuerall defects that are in each power And this is the breaking of the Heart and the Spirit But the parts of the Sacrifice were not onely broken but they were brought to the fire and there they were burnt to ashes and it is not enough for vs in grosse to obserue the defects of the seuerall powers that are in our soule we shall find them intricate and a very Labyrinth wee must hunt out euery lurking sinne and euery particle must beare a part in this humiliation the fire of spirituall affliction must pierce euen vnto the least iot of that which doth partake of corruption otherwise our Heart and Spirit are not as they ought broken and contrite Saint Ambrose conceiueth that these words are meant of Christ And indeed he that doth but read the 53. of Esay which is often alleadged by the Apostles especially Saint Peter shall finde that Christ had a broken and contrite Heart and Spirit indeed the Euangelists doe expresse it in significant words Luke 22 44. Math. 26.38 Mark 14.33 hee was in an agony his soule was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 on euery side encompassed with heauinesse euen vnto death he began 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to be euen astonished 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to droope to become euen heartlesse the Sacrament what is it but a representation of the humiliation of our Sauiour Christ not in conscience of his owne sinne but for expiation of our pride was Christ pleased to be humbled not onely in body but in soule also And to him must we be conformed for he is the best patterne of a broken and contrite Spirit But marke in these words broken and contrite that euery kind of concussion is not a poenitentiall humiliation Iam 2.19 for the Diuels they feare and tremble when they remember in what case they stand Act. 24.25 and so did Felix tremble when Saint Paul preached of the iudgement to come and how was Pharaoh shaken when he was vnder the plagues of Egypt Daniel 5. Baltazar quiuered and his knees smote together when he saw the hand-writing but their hearts and spirits were made of tough mettall not one of them brake or was contrite but after Gods hand was off they continued whole and wholly the same persons And so if wee doe and it is too common for vs to doe so crie we out neuer so much I haue sinned and God be mercifull vnto me in our danger be it what it may be wee are not humbled as the morall seruice of God requireth As we wound our soules so must we be contented to search those wounds and least they fester Ier. 23.9 Habak 3 16. search them to the bottome we must be contented as throughly to grieue for sinne as to take delight therein But a little farther to wade into this point There are two kinds of Griefe that the Schooles speake of Appretiativus and Intensivus they apply it somwhat vntowardly but here wee may make a good vse of it for our spirituall humiliation must testistifie first at what rate wee doe set the fauour of God and hauing no better thing to wreck our displeasure vpon for the losse therof then our Heart and Spirit we vse them so roughly and choose them for the subiect of humiliation Secondly the breaking and contrition of heart and spirit doe shew that our sorrow is as intensiue as it is appretiatiue as the thing is most deare vnto vs which we afflict so there can be no deeper wounds giuen then those wherwith we afflict it But sorrow is not enough vnto humiliation there are two other things that must goe therewith and are very clearly insinuated in this manner of breaking and contriting our Heart The first is
indeed a repentant confession is in the Scripture called a giuing glory vnto God Finally these broken Spirit and heart are the Sacrifices which God calleth for for he is a Spirit and what can be more sutable vnto him then that which is spirituall therefore euer in the legall hee did ayme at the spirituall as you may gather out of the new Testament the Gospell is set forth in termes of the Law to preach is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to play the Priest Rom. 15.16 the people conuerted are called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Sacrifice and Oblation the skilfull handling of the Scriptures 2. Tim. 2.15 is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 rightly to diuide the Word yea Heb. 4. the Word it selfe is by Saint Paul said to bee sharper then any two edged sword or Sacrificers knife piercing euen to the diuiding asunder of the soule and the Spirit the whole passage is full of sacrificing phrases I may not omit one thing wee are called a spirituall Priesthood 1. Pet. 2 5. yea the whole body of the Church is so called a Priest must not bee without his Sacrifice and here are the Sacrifices which God will haue euery one offer euen euery lay man may offer these Sacrifices vnto God We may nay we must offer them but how will God accept them surely very well A broken and a contrite heart God will not despise Men vse to make little account of yea they make themselues sport with those that are broken hearted and of a contrite Spirit that mourne like doues and lament in the bitternesse of their soules Dauid complaineth in his Penitentials yea our Sauiour Christ himselfe in the 22. and other Psalmes that when they were humbled then they were derided And indeed in the iudgement of flesh and bloud these things seeme to be of no value they seeme to be contemptible but he that doth vse them shall finde that he shall neuer be confounded of God Ioel. 2 13. the reason wee haue in Ioel rent your hearts and not your garments c. for the Lord is gratious mercifull long suffering Esay 24. c. he will not breake a bruised reed nor quench smoking flaxe hee that would not despise Ahab in his humiliation nor Manasses will much lesse despise a Mary Magdalene a Saint Peter a Publican verily 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he will neuer set them at naught But the word hath in it a Litote more is meant then is exprest God is so farre from despising that he maketh great account thereof I told you that it is vouchsafed the double effect of Sacrifices First it yeeldeth a sweet smell vnto God Luke 15.7 for there is ioy in heauen for one sinner that repenteth yea more ioy then for ninety and nine that need not repentance and in the Prophet Esay 66. to this man will I looke euen to him that is poore and of a contrite Spirit C. 57. and trembleth at my Word Secondly it yeeldeth a smell of rest vnto man for so we read in Esay I dwell with him that is of a contrite and humble spirit to reuiue the spirit of the humble and te reuiue the heart of the contrite ones De interiore domo c. 37. Saint Bernard coupleth them both together Animam poenitentiae lachrymis afflictam Spiritus Paracletus libenter consolatur frequenter visitat ad veniae fiduciam plenè reformat Therefore let vs learne of Saint Austin this good lesson Aug. cont 5. Hereses quaeramus lapidem quo percutiatur incredulus percussus quassetur quassatus comminuatur comminutus in puluerem conuertatur conuersus in puluerem compluatur complutus seratur satus ferat fructum non quod igne absumatur sed quod in horreo condatur But I may not dwell longer hereon There are two other notes which I drew the one out of Gods desire of the other out of his delight in these Sacrifices I call them Paradoxes And so indeed they seeme to flesh and blood God requireth a broken a contrite heart and spirit as his Sacrifices then there is a certaine religious man-slaughter And so there is a man may holily kill himselfe breake his heart and crush his spirit as it were to dust Mat. 5.29 but this must be done not corporally but spiritually as elsewhere we are willed to plucke out our offending eyes and cut off our offending hands we must mortifie not our nature but the corruption that cleaueth to our nature such slaying God allowes for indeed it is a quickening life in sinne is death and the death of sinne is life The second Paradoxe is That we neuer please God better then when we please our selues least seeing God doth not despise a broken and a contrite heart for we are full of imperfections of which God would haue vs rid our selues therefore he is glad when he seeth vs play the good Husbands weeding our fields good Physitians purging of our corrupt humours carefull not to foster or fauour ought that may offend him or cause our owne ruine Now this we cannot doe without much disquieting and afflicting of our selues omnis medicina salutaris facit dolorem our corupt nature will repine at such alterations But to draw to an end What our Sauiour Christ said when he went to raise Lazarus this sicknesse is not vnto death that must wee conceiue of all those whom we see to haue broken and contrite hearts Mat. 17. rather as he that was to be dispossest was immediately before the diuell came out miserably torne and turmoyld and euen left for dead vntill Christ put out his hand and raised him vp safe and sound Euen so shall wee feele the greatest conflicts with sin when we are euen ready to be set free by grace Saint Austin setteth himselfe out for an excellent monument hereof in his Confessions Secondly seing God is delighted with this Sacrifice we are forbidden to despaire of our owne vnworthines as to presume of our righteousnes this Text doth warrant vs this comfort when in these fits wee seeme to be furthest from God God bringeth vs then nearest vnto himselfe for this pang is a fore-runner of health but senslesse sinners haue no part in this consolation Thirdly God in this morall seruice hath equalled the rich and the poore hee doth hereby take off their eyes from their worldly estate wherein they differ and sixeth them on that wherein they are equall In these Sacrifices the poore may bee as forward as the rich and if there bee any disaduantage it is on the rich mans side for he thinking that hee hath something to giue besides himselfe doth giue himselfe to God the lesse specially in this kind of seruice which rich men desire not to bee acquainted with God herein taketh downe their pride because he passeth by all their wealth and setteth his estimate vpon humiliation As for the poore that hath nothing to giue but himselfe God
of Israel may bee as plants growen vp in their youth Psal 141. that the daughters may bee as corner stones polished after the similitude of a Pallace that their garners may be full affording all manner of store c. But as before you heard that the places are taken not only historically but also mystically so must these words be answerable thereunto God then did good when he sent his Sonne into the world dissolued the works of the Diuell and gaue gifts vnto men And we must not conceiue of the corporall prosperity of Israel otherwise then as a Type of the spirituall It is excellently set forth by the Prophet Esay Chap 25. in this mountaine shall the Lord of hosts make vnto all nations a feast of fat things c. Finally the word vsed by the Psalmist signifieth not onely to doe good but to doe it with delight and so God speaketh in the Prophets that hee will delight to doe them good and so doe it abundantly for we are not sparing in doing a thing when we de it with delight Yea and the good done as the word also signifieth Act. 14.16 shall containe in it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it shall be such as shall cheere vp the spirits of the Israelites hee desireth that to them that mourne in Sion may be giuen â—sa 61. beauty for ashes the oyle of ioy for mourning a garment of praise for the spirit of heauinesse Thus Dauid would haue Israel restored to the state of Grace Not onely restored to it but also preserued in it so it followeth in the Text Build vp the wals of Ierusalem In muris tuitio salutis Ierusalem could not be blessed but it would bee enuyed yea the more enuied the more it was blessed therefore it is not enough that it haue good it must also haue meanes to preserue that good otherwise better neuer haue it then to lose it againe Non minor est virtus quam quaerere parta tueri therefore is Dauid as carefull of the safetie as the plentie of his people And indeed he did strongly fortifie both Sion and Ierusalem the Psalme testifieth as much â—sal 48. Walke about Sion goe round about her tell the Towers thereof marke well her Bulwarkes c. But I dwell too long vpon the materiall Sion the Church also needeth a preseruation and she must haue her Wals but they are of another kinde A Lacedaemonian being asked why their City was not walled answered that they had valiant defendants which were in stead of wals vnto their Câ—â—ie the Heauenly Ierusalem hath no other wals the wals are the Angels that pitch round about it Zach. 2.5 yea God himselfe doth enuiron it as a wall so saith the Prophet Beside this inuisible it hath a visible wall the wall of the Citie hath 12. foundations and in them the names of the 12. Apostles of the Lambe All Gouernours that watch ouer Gods people Reuel 21. 1 Sam. 25.16 1. Pet. 2.5 Reuel 19. Cant. 6.4 and keepe away their enemies from them are as a wall vnto them for this is a liuing Citie and all the parts thereof are liuing and therefore Ierusalem is not onely said to bee trimmed as a Spouse but also the Spouse is said to bee faire as Ierusalem Yea euery mans Grace of perseuerance is a Wall vnto himselfe and thereby doth hee hold out against all the manifold temptations wherewith hee is exercised while hee is militant our Faith our Hope our Charity all our spirituall weale and comfort are secured by perseuerance Here is mention made not onely of Wals but of building and building importeth an addition vnto the former Fabricke And indeed great Cities are not brought to their perfection in an instant Rome wee say was not built in a day no more was Ierusalem it did flourish in the dayes of Dauid but it was to flourish more in the daies of Salomon the Temple was not yet built nor furnished with those Orders which Dauid receiued from God neither was the Policie setled or the Crowne entailed Dauid wished that all these things might bee perfected and the state raised to that pitch of Glory which it attained in the dayes of King Salomon But to the Mystery As the Church wanteth Wals in that it is militant so in that it is in Via in that we are but on our Way wee need Edification and Building vp Churches haue their nonage and euery member hath no beter beginning then of a babe in Christ wee must not alwayes feed vpon milke we must vse our stomacks to stronger meate Heb. 5. Ephes 4. they that are young lings must grow on to the age of perfect men in Christ they must grow on in Faith in Hope in Charitie these must receiue dayly accessions so lonâ— as wee liue in this world yea and wee must not thinke that here will be an end of our building our Faith must end in the sight of God our Hope in the fruition of God our Charitie in vnseparable Vnion with God vntill we haue put off our mortalitie and infirmitie and attained this perfection we haue not ended our Building And there is no doubt but Dauid looked thus farre But here we must take heed of two Errors First we may not looke for new Reuclations from Heauen as if God would adde any thing to his Oracles old and new Heretickes fancying otherwise haue set on worke the forge of their idle braines and haue broached illusions of the Diuell as diuine inspirations But Gods truth is consummated in the writings of the Prophets and Apostles neither doth it admit any accession either of Romish Traditions or Anabaptisticall Illuminations such building is Babylonish the building of Ierusalem is onely the working of Gods Word into our heads and our hearts to make vs wise and holy men The second Error is of Iudaizing Christians who dreame of an earthly restitution of that Citie and erecting of a glorious worldly Monarchie there which shal not only ouer top but ouer-rule all the world To countenance this fancy they corrupt many a Prophesie and deserue no other refutation then that check which was giuen vnto the Iewes vaine atempt in the dayes of Adrian the Emperor by his Generall and in the dayes of Iulian the Apostata by the hand of God himselfe Certainly my Text fauoreth no such Building but that out of Amos in Acts 15. vers 16. You haue heard the Contents of King Dauids desire I come now to see to whom he doth direct it vnto God vnto him it is that he saith doe good build thou And indeed to whom should he goe but to him that can and will grant what hee sueth for God onely can for hee that is Goodnesse must doe good 〈◊〉 1 17. Euery good and perfect gift commeth from aboue it commeth from him The eyes of all looke vnto him hee openeth his hands and filleth all things liuing with goodnesse In the Creation hee gaue beginning to the
it hath is but as a beame in comparison of the Sunne and but as a drop vnto the Ocean You see what is the singularitie of Gods nature pointed out in the word Lord as it is vsed to note the Hebrew Iehoua Besides this Singularity it noteth also Gods Eternitie And indeed where there is such Singularitie there cannot choose but bee Eternitie the one doth necessarily inferre the other as I could shew you if the Time would permit The Cabalists find Eternitie in the Syllables whereof the Name Iehoua is made they finde a preterperfecttense in the last syllable a present tense in the middle syllable and a future tense in the first Chap. 4. vers 8. This might seeme idle subtilty but that S. Iohn in the Reuelation goeth before vs in so resoluing the name Iehoua telling vs that the Lord is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Reuel Chap 3.6 1. Timoth. 6 16. Chap. 1.17 which was which is and which is io come But to to giue you more plaine proofe of this Eternitie In Malachy God speaketh thus I am the Lord I change not Saint Paul telleth Timothy God only hath immortality Saint Iames with God that is the Father of Lights there is no variablenesse nor shadow of change You see then that there is Singularitie and Eternity in the Nature of God and both are noted by the Name Iehoua or Lord. But as these things are noted when wee looke into the Nature of God so is there another thing noted which is Gods relation to his Creatures And indeed though the name Iehoua seeme not to bee yet is the name Lord apparantly a relatiue word so that what God is in himselfe of that he is a fountaine to his Creatures all things liue moue and haue their being in him and when he sendeth forth his Spirit hee renueth the face of the Earth Yea not onely the dependencie of the Creature vpon him but also the making good of his Word vnto his Creature is implyed in this Name God himselfe teacheth it Exod. 6. where hee telleth Moses that hee had before appeared vnto the Fathers by the name of Shaddai All-sufficient but hee would now appeare in his name Iehoua as a powerfull efficient hee would performe the promise which hee had made vnto the Patriarks To conclude this point Out of that which you haue heard you may gather that the name Lord doth note an euer-liuing and ouerflowing fountain of Blessednes and Perfection The second word is God in the Originall of the Law it is Elohim it it noteth the Trinitie the Father the Sonne and the Holy Ghost and such a God doth the Church acknowledge and by her acknowledging God for such differeth from those that are without the Church Those without the Church though they haue not reached home yet haue they gone farre in the knowledge of Iehoua in the knowledge of the fountaine of Perfection but by strength of Reason they could neuer finde out the Trinitie some touches we read in Trismegist and the Platonists but it was traditionary Diuinity that brought them to the knowledge thereof and that too very imperfect and corrupt to say nothing that Trismegist is by the learned censured for a counterfeit But the true knowledge of one God in three Persons is a peculiar mystery of the Church the Infidels for want of faith cannot comprehend doe not acknowledge it But this Trinitie may bee considered either ad intra or ad extra as it is in God or as it doth manifest it selfe to man As it manifesteth it selfe vnto man so each Person purteth on another consideration the first of a Father to men the second of a Redeemer and the third of a Sanctifier Although it bee necessary for the truth of our Faith to acknowledge the Trinitie in the first manner yet the Comfort of our faith lieth in the second consideration thereof as will appeare in the third word of my Text whereunto I now come and that is thy the Lord thy God Wherein we must first marke that as there are three persons in God so euerie one of those persons is Ours he that is a Father is our Father he hath adopted Vs and hee that is the Sonne of God hath redeemed Vs to make Vs Gods sonnes and his owne spouse and he that is the Holy Ghost hath sanctified Vs that we may be his holy Temples Secondly we must draw the Name Lord throughout all these persons he that is our Father is the Lord and so is he the Lord that is the Sonne the Holy Ghost is Lord also that is they are all three the ouer flowing Fountaine of blessed prefection and what they are they are it to me for they are all three my God and so their good is mine They are mine by Creation I was made after the Image of God and so are they all three mine they were the sampler according to which I was framed For because God could not be like man man was made like God 1. Tim 2.16 Colos 2.9 that likenesse might be a ground of mutuall loue But much more mine in the Redemption for then God was manifest in the flesh the Godhead dwelt bodily in my nature God became mine 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 my nature hath possession of his person and is admitted into an association in his workes It is no small prerogatiue then that is intimated in this word thy God I vnderstand now what an honour is done to the Patriarchs when God saith I am the God of Abraham the God of Isaac and the God of Iacob what honour is done to Dauids sonne when God saith I will bee his Father this appropriation of God is the greatest prerogatiue vouchsafed vnto the Church I haue opened the Name vnto you out of which you may presently gather Who are excluded from our Loue the Loue that is due to the first Person euen omnes fictitij and factitij dij as well corporall as mentall Idols all that are not capable of this title Iehoua Elohim with whom we are not or at least we should not be in couenant But because hereafter when I come to the Commandement I shall fall vpon this point I will now passe it ouer As such persons are excluded so there is included in the Name a reason of our Loue and we find therein a double reason Exemplum and Meritum Good examples are strong perswasions and men fashion themselues to nothing more willingly then to that wherof they haue a pattern in their betters Now the exactest patterne of Charitie is in the Lord God for there is Vnitie and Trinitie and Trinitie in Vnitie Austin de Triritat l 15. c. 17. alibi and what is that but the two parts of Charitie Vnion and Communion But this is too high a speculation for a vulgar eare The second reason is more popular and that is Meritum this merit is two fold dignitatis and dignationis Dignitatis the merit of Gods owne worth for causa diligendi
be a peculiar treasure vnto me aboue all people for all the earth is mine And yee shall be vnto me a Kingdome of Priests and an holy Nation These are the words which thou shalt speake vnto the children of Israel IN the motion which God by Moses maketh vnto the Israelites I told you that there are two points considerable the first is whereof God doth remember them the second vpon what termes God will contract with them I haue handled the former I come now to the later wherein you shall see first what God requires then what he offers both points are to bee handled first seuerally and then ioyntly That which God requires is Obedience and Fidelitie Obedience They must heare Gods voice Fidelitie they must keepe Gods Couenant that which God doth promise is a plentifull reward which is set forth first Comparaetiuely then Absolutely Comparatiuely it is a gracious prerogatiue for they shall be a peculiar treasure to God aboue all People and this prerogatiue is gracious because all the world is Gods Absolutely it is set forth in regard of Eminencie and Sanctitie Eminencie for they shall be vnto God a King dome of Priests Sanctitie for they shall be vnto him an holy Nation Hauing considered these points seuerally wee must consider them ioyntly also wee must see how that which God doth offer depends vpon that which God doth require Gods blessings are promised vpon condition of our duties Now therefore if ye will obey c. Then shall ye be c. This is the substance of the whole passage whereof I meane to handle at this time only the first branch whereunto that wee may all learne to conforme let vs in the feare of God listen to the particulars thereof as they shall now be vnsolded briefly and in their order First then of the Obedience Israel must heare Gods voice I need not in many words obserue vnto you that God being a Spirit hath properly no corporall voice such as wee haue but yet by his almightie power hee can at his pleasure create voices and by them reueale his word vnto men or else if he dâ—e not create a new voice he can by his inspired seruants deliuer his minde But to make this point a little plainer Gods voice is either direct or reflected Direct is that which he doth immediately vtter vnto men such was that voice wherein God deliuered the Decalogue in Mount Sinai a terrible voice and wonderfull wonderfull in that it was heard of so many hundred thousand at one instant terrible for it did so affright them that they desired to heare it no more Moses in Deutronomie doth not only describe but remember also the Israelites of this voice and it is this voice that is principally vnderstood in this place Besides this direct there is a reflected voice of God wherein God maketh himselfe knowne to some particular persons with whom he talketh face to face as hee did to Moses and by them maketh his will knowne to the whole Church this reflected voice was vsed by God because the people could not indure to heare the direct they did deprecate the hearing of that and God condescended to their desire and from that time forward spake vnto them first by Moses and then by other men But this reflected voice hath a reflection also as there may be an echo of an echo and so the Priests that receiued the Law from Moses and the Prophets and reade it to the people and the Pastors that receiue the Gospell from Christ and his Apostles and preach it to the world are Gods voices of them all Christs saying is true Hee that heareth you heareth me and he that heareth me heareth him that seut me The voice then must not be restrained to the direct it must bee extended to the reflected also to the primarie and to the secondarie so long as all three agree in one and the later doth represent the former and so by consequent all the Scripture is Gods voice and they are Gods voices vnto vs that are sincere Preachers of the Scripture which now is the summarie of Gods Word for other voice of God wee must now acknowledge none but leaue the Romanists and Enthusiastes to be deluded with their counterfeit Echoes and imaginarie Voices Hauing shewed you what is meant by the voice I must now shew you what it is to heare Of hearing then there are two sorts a physicall and a morall a man is defined to be animal rationale a liuing creature endued with reason now if he heare only as a liuing creature that hearing is common to him with beasts which hauing sense are apt to apprehend sounds and be moued with them but a man in hearing must doe more hee must heare not only as animal but also as rationale his sense must be but as a gate to conuey the Voice vnto his reason and then must the Voice worke vpon his reasonable powers his vnderstanding and his will it must informe his vnderstanding and he must assent to it and it must perswade his Will and Affections and he must also submit to it otherwise hee doth not heare as a reasonable creature though as a liuing creature hee doth heare well may his action be Physicall morall it cannot be But euen Morall hearing is of two sorts Philosophicall or Theologicall philosophicall I call that which goeth no farther then naturall reason can carrie vs and so if we heare the Voice of God the contents thereof will be no better then folly to our blind vnderstanding which scanneth them 1. Cor. â— Rom. 1. or we shall proue our selues fooles when wee draw our conclusions out of them And as for our Will and Affections they will be enmitie to them and that our sinfulnesse may appeare more sinfull by them we will bee more exasperated to set our selues against God Rom. 7 Mans reason is vnreasonable in hearing Gods voice which otherwise in hearing mans voice sheweth it selfe very reasonable witnesse the many examples of Philosophers Eagle-eyed in humane literature but Owle-eyed when they read the Scripture such were Porphyrie Gallen and others There is then an other Morall hearing which is Theologicall When God saith Ephata to a mans eares as Christ did to the deafe man in the Gospell when God doth circumcise mens eares as the Law speaketh when God doth open mens eares to heare as the Learned when our hearing is tempered with Faith and wee rest vndoubtedly resolued of Gods truth in regard of our vnderstanding and in regard of our Will the word of God is sweeter vnto vs then Honie and the Honie combe more to be desired then Gold yea then much fine Gold Psal 19.10 then we heare Theologically we doe audiendo audire heare indeed or as it is rendred we doe obey Gods voice wee are such hearers as are doers of Gods word Psal 10 6. And this was excellently figured in the boaring of the seruants eare who in the Sabaticall yeere would not take
part of the commaundement there is perfectio viatoris and comprehensoris Perfectio comprehensoris the perfection of a man when hee commeth to heauen will bee this saith Saint Austin Non concupiscet hee will not there couet at all couet any thing against the prescript of Gods Law But wee may not exspect to haue that perfection in this life because God is pleased euen in his best Children to continue here Luctam inter spiritum carnem a conflict betweene the flesh and the spirit Onely in Baptisme hee taketh away reatum Concupiscentis and regnum Concupiscentiae those that are regenerated are not guiltie because sinfull Concupiscence is or stirreth in them neither doth Concupiscence continue her soueraigntie ouer them So that God vnto their perfection in the Church militant requires onely of his Children vt post Concupiscentias ne eant that they take no care for the flesh to sulfill the lusts thereof Rom 13 14. Rom 8. v. 1. And there is no Condemnation to them that are in Christ Iesus that walke not after the flesh but after the spirit which is Saint Pauls conclusion vpon the conflict described Rom. 7. and he shewes plainely that hee would haue it vnderstood of the New and Old mans Conflict not of reason and sensualitie as the Arminians And can men performe so much as in the Apostles words is required The Romanists say they can but they say it vntruely For this contention of the spirit and the flesh is not duellum but Bellum it is not a single combat but a plaine warre And you know there is great ods betweene these for in a single combat a man is to ward but one and bee hath but one to wound But in the warre in a pitch't battaile Singuli pugnant contra omnes omnes contra singulos euerie man must take care of all his enemies that are in the field For there is not one of them but may giue him a wound eminus or cominus either buckling with him or striking him from aloofe So that when he gardeth his head from one another may smite him at the heart when he maketh all sure before he may be smitten behind or he may be pierced in the sides As hee is thus encumbred in the defensiue so is he in the offensiue also he may not thinke himselfe safe so long as any one of his enemies doth liue Behold here a liuely Image of the militant Souldiers of Christ they haue not to doe with one but with many enemies the flesh the world the diuell And these haue vnder them many desperate Souldiers The flesh as many as wee haue senses and affections parts of our bodies and powers of our Soules The world as many as there are creatures And the diuell is a Prince of many legions Wee must withstand them all and that at all times and not onely withstand them but also stand against them at all times wee must looke to be set vpon by them and we must set vpon them A very hard taske Pluribus intentus minor est ad singula sensus saith the prouerb and the more our strength is distracted by many the lesse must it needs be against any one Were I onely to defend my eye happily I might make my part good against the lust thereof but at the same instant that I turne them away least they behold vanitie I am assaulted with an itching in my eare that is exposed to flatterie Put the case I bestirre my selfe so well that I keepe the enemie out of both those inlets he will giue mee a fall by my tongue he will cast some firie Dart into that it shall be set on fire of Hell as Saint Iames speaketh to slander to blaspheme Iames 3.6 to speake some idle or euill words Neither are my hands secure at the very same time from being sollicited with briberie or vnto bloudshed It were infinite to goe ouer all the powers of my Soule all the parts of my body they are all at once and euer in the same danger and must all at once and euer be put vnto the same labour both defensiue and offensiue Adde hereunto three great disaduantages of the spirituall warfare aboue the corporall for in the corporall warfare as there are many enemies so those against whom they come being many distract them that they cannot all fall vpon one but in the spirituall warre it is not so all our spirituall foes at one time may set vpon euerie one of vs yea they neuer goe a sunder for our flesh euer ioyneth with the world and the diuell with them both The second disaduantage is that whereas open hostilitie in earthly warfare is not alwayes accompanied with treacherie in the spirituall it is For our selues hold secret intelligence with and yeeld assistance to our ghostly enemies we betray vnto them a propension that we haue to be conquered And when the battle ioynes our members become weapons of vnrighteousnesse and with our owne lusts wee fight against our owne soules The third disaduantage is that in earthly warfare when the souldiers come to execution they spare none and they goe vpon a good principle shall I spare his bloud that will be euer ready to spill mine 1. Sam. 15. Reg. 20. Saul in sparing Agag and Ahab who spared Benhadad were taxed and punished for their foolish pittie But of this foolish pittie there appeares too much in our spirituall warfare for if God bring the world vnder vs yea and our flesh too we are afraid to be hard hearted to either of them wee hold it too much spiritualtie to crucifie the world and wee hold it too much inhumanitie to crucifie our owne flesh And by reason of this indulgence euen when they are foyled they are still in heart still in hope to recouer the masterie and bring vs vnder againe This being the condition of sinfull man the Schoolemen hold that no man in the state of grace is of sufficient strength to ouer come all sin though they adde that there is no one sinne which hee may not ouercome they speake of actuall sinnes and they speake truely if they bee vnderstood of that which a man may doe For if a man be tempted vnto any sinne if hee pray vnto God for grace and make vse of that grace which God doth giue him hee may with-hold his consent and choose whether he will act it and if he doe consent and act it hee is without all excuse Tertullian hath a prettie simile when two striue oftentimes the one ouercommeth the other not because the conquerour was the stronger but because he that is conquered was the more cowardly and such cowards the best of men doe proue very often in their spirituall war are But it is in vaine to dispute what may be done by grace against all sin or any one sin otherwise then to shew al mens frailty For the least of the two was neuer so done as that any man can truely boast of perfectio
Esay 6. Esayes lips were touched with a coale from the Altar before he could receiue his message When we come before God wee must endeuour to bee like vnto him Leiuit 11.44 Holy as hee is holy for God is a God of pure eyes Habak 1 13. and can behold no iniquitie such as bee wicked cannot stand before him Wherefore clense your hands Iames 4.8 yee sinners and purge your hearts yee double-minded If he that was inuited to the mariage was challenged for wanting his wedding garment how shall God take it at his Spouses hand if she come vnprepared We reade Ezech. 16 how God trimmed her against that day the day of Espousals and how he will trimme her against the mariage day we may reade Reuel 21 But I cannot stand to amplifie these things To draw to an end I will put you in minde to doe that to a good purpose which you vsually dâ—e You put on cleane linnen your best clothes and how often doe you looke in a glasse to see that all bee handsome before you shew your selues in the Church to your Neighbours I was about to say that they may see how gay you are but I will hope in Charitie you doe it out of good manners to God You that will not come slouenly before your betters should doe well not to come stouenly before the Lord of Heauen and Earth But remember that God that approueth this outward decencie requireth the inward much more he will haue you lift vp to him not only cleane hands but pure hands also hee will haue you not only to heare his Word Luke 8. v 15. but also to receiue it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 into an honest and good heart A neat outside and a slouenly inside is like a painted sepulchre full of dead mens bones And most Churches are full of such painted sepulchres They are a generation cleane in their owne eyes but not washed from that filthinesse Prou. 30. I wish better to you and I hope better of you Therefore I exhort you I exhort my selfe in the words of the Prophet Esay Goe out of her expounded by the Apostle 2. Cor. 7. or briefly in the words of the Apostle Let vs clense our selues from all vncleannesse both of flesh and spirit perfecting holinesse in the feare of God And that this exhortation may succeed with vs no worse then Moses did with the Israelites for they did as they were commanded Verse 14. and obserued the first stipulation 1. Thess 5 23. Verse 5. The very God of peace sanctifie vs throughout in spirit soule and bodie and keepe vs blamelesse to the comming of our Lord and Sauiour Iesus Christ At what time hauing had our fruâ— here in Holinesse our end shall be euerlasting life This God grant vs for lesus Christ his sake To whom c. Blessed are the pure in heart 〈◊〉 8. for they shall see God The ninth Sermon EXODVS 19. VERS 12.13.21.24 12. And thou shalt set bounds vnto the people round about saying Take heede to your selues that yee goe not vp into the Mount or touch the border of it whosoeuer toucheth the Mount shall surely be put to death 13. There shall not a hand touch it but he shall surely be stoned or shot through whether it be beast or man it shall not liue when the Trumpet soundeth long they shall come vp to the Mount THat branch of Gods order which prepared the Israelites â—o receiue the Law required their Puritie and their Modestie I spake last of their Puritie I come now to speake of their Modestie It is deliuered in those words that now I haue read vnto you Therein we must obserue that Moses had his charge and the Israelites had theirs Moses charge is to make a fence betweene the people and the Hill hee must set bounds round about the people The Israelites charge is they must not breake through the fence made by Moses They must not goe vp into the Mountaine The Israelites must not But they are diuided into common People and the Priests the Prohibition is laide vpon them both vpon the People in this 12. verse and in the 24. verse it is laid vpon the Priests Moses is to bid both take heede vnto themselues Neither to themselues onely but to their beasts also they are put into the number verse 13. Besides this in the Prohibition the text doth lead vs to consider the stricktnesse wherewith the Israelites were to obserue it and the sharpnesse of the punishment which they were to vndergoe if they presume to violate it The stricktnesse is great for they might not transgresse the bounds set them either Cominùs that is at hand by so much as touching the border making the very first and least approach vnto it there can be no lesse then touch and the first touch is in the border As they must not transgresse Cominùs so must they not Eminus aloofe they must not gaze on the Hill and you know the eye can goe whether the foote cannot come God will haue the first Inlet and the first Out-let of sinne to be heeded And hee will haue them both heeded vnder a Paine a sharpe Paine it is no lesse then death the Transgressour must die But obserue touching this death that it is such as is inflicted vpon an execrable thing and the doome thereof is vnpardonable See both these points in the text First the execrablenesse of the Transgressour all must abhorre him for No hand may touch him and yet all must be against him for they must stone him with stones or shoote him through with Darts And he that dieth so dieth as an execrable thing He that Transgresseth must die that death without remission Moriendo morietur he shall certainely die Non viuet he shall not liue both phrases are peremptorie they leaue no place for pardon Not for the pardon of any one for the text saith Quicunque Whosoeuer shall presume to transgresse be hee of the People or bee he of the Priests be he a reasonable creature or be he a beast the doome is vnchangeable They must die Die certainely for though they scape the hands of men yet they shall not scape God will breake out vpon them as we read verse 24. especially vpon the greatest of them which are otherwise most likely to scape He will breake out vpon the Priests Finally obserue that the charge of the Israelites is often repeated and limited to a time you haue it in my Text and you haue it againe and againe in the 21 22 23. and 24. verses what God will haue carefully obeyed of that he will haue vs often remembred But our obedience is limited Though in morals our dueties are euerlasting yet our ceremonials doe last but for a time When the Trumpet soundeth long then the Israelites may goe vp into the Mount You haue heard the particulars whereof I meane to intreate on this text they all Preach vnto vs Modestie to bee
see what feeling we haue of dreadfull obiects You haue a prouer be touching the eare 〈◊〉 5. which the holy Ghost vseth more then once I will doe a thing which whosoeuer heareth both his eares shall tingle Experience doth discouer this that hideous noyses worke a commotion in our spirits and make them flie vp into the head ring there as it were an amazed alarum and that in diuers formes which are better discerned by our feeling then I can expresse in words And as for our eye such spectacles how doe they fixe them as if they could not moue dazell them as if they had no sight melt them as if they were a fountaine of water God could not present these Obiects to such eyes such eares but they will be confest to be dreadfull Dreadfull in their owne nature for so are flashes of lightning huge duskie flames of fire great claps of Thunder the sound of such a Trumpet whose loud sound might be heard of so many hundred thousand people And if they were dreadfull in their owne nature as experience teacheth how much more when they are cloathed with such circumstances as these were The circumstance of Place for these meteors were wrought in the lower Region of the Ayre whereas the middle Region is their naturall place In the Deserts of Arabia a drie parched Countrie which yeeldeth no exhalations no vapours which are the matter of these meteors Adde hereunto the season of the yeare for it was now the moneth of Iune 〈…〉 〈…〉 〈◊〉 3 2â—.4 a time wherein these Meteors are not vsuall But specially obserue out of Nyssen that as at the destruction of Sodome so now the skie was cleare there was no prognostication in the Ayre of such an imminent storme So that it could not be imputed vnto nature it must needs bee confest that the finger of God was there Iob 38 And God whom the Booke of Iob doth set forth as the father and treasurer of Raine of Winds of Thunder of Lightning can at his pleasure immediately by his word or else if it please him by his Ministring spirits the bad Angels as it appeares Iob 1. how much more by the good who attend his Throne and whom he vsed at this time produce such Meteors when and where hee he will But the more vnexspectedly hee produceth them the more dreadfull they are and were at this Time and Place I am not yet come to the quicke It is a good rule in Diuinitie that these harbingers or attendants vpon Gods apparitions are an Image not onely of his greatnesse but of his prouidence also In them as in a looking Glasse you may behold the worke which he hath in hand I will shew it you in this present one you may make vse of the rule in vnderstanding other of Gods workes God was now about to deliuer his Law and these harbingers represent the dreadfulnesse thereof The dreadfulnesse of the precept that is noted first by the lightning and then by the thunder By the lightning for the precepts of God are like sire they search and discouer the duetie of a man It is a shallow conceite that the naturall man hath of his duetie to God or to his Neighbour Rom. 7. Saint Paul confesseth what a stranger hee was in it till hee was better nurtured by the Law and giueth this for a generall rule By the Law commeth the knowledge of sinne So that the Law suffereth not a man to be ignorant of his Obligation but setteth it most legible before his eyes This is the Lightning of the precept of the Law And this lightning commeth not without a clappe of Thunder for when a man from the Law reflecteth vpon himselfe and seeth how short he commeth of fulfilling the Law what perplexing terrours will arise in his thoughts what vnquietnesse will distresse his soule His spirit within him will bee ouerwhelmed and the tumult of his Conscience will drowne the sound of all consolation that shall be ministred vnto it many haue had wofull experience hereof As you haue seene the Image of the precept of the Law so must you also behold the Image of the Sanction For the Trumpet calleth to iudgment the flaming fire is an Image of the doome the wicked shall bee summoned with much terrour and they shall bee sent into endlesse torments For the summons shall be by the Trumpet and the wicked shall goe into euerlasting fire I cannot stand to amplifie these things onely take these few obseruations that if this high Parliament of God bee kept with so great terrour how dreadfull shall the grand Assises bee Our Sauiour Christ in the Gospell hath set it forth by three Euangelisls Matth. 24. whom you may paralell with Marke and Luke where you shall find that if this be terrible that is much more terrible Secondly obserue that things corporall come short of things spirituall and no words can fully expresse those things which are here meant for much more is meant then can be said and according to the meaning doth the terrour arise Gods Motto may well be Nemo me impunè lacesset Thirdly we must consider the wonderfull patience of God and stupiditie of men God sheweth vs in this spectacle of Thunder Lightning c. what he can doe what we deserue But what sometimes Caesar said to the Questor who would haue hindred him from entring into the Treasurie at Rome shaking his sword It is easier for my Power to dispatch thee then for the goodnesse of my Nature to bee willing to strike thee may much more truely bee said of God His Power maketh him Mercifull and his Mercie doth manage his Power The Author of the Booke of Wisdome openeth this at large Chap. 11. c. But what stupiditie is there in the meane time in men in prouoking of God that is armed with such power and hath in readinesse such instruments of death Yea which giueth such euidence of them to the intent that they may feare before him It is true that mocking Atheists aske 2. 〈◊〉 3. Where is the promise of his comming But this is vox coeci surdi they doe winke with their eyes and stop their eares other wise there is no man but in all ages God hath discouered vnto him the Ensignes of his reuenging power For haue we not Thundring and Lightning in all ages You will say they are but ordinary Meteors no more is a Rainbow And yet that Meteor hath a mysterie in it and that Bow of Heauen is called Gods Bow because it containeth a perpetuall Prophesie that the world shall be no more destroyed with water Gen. 9. Numb 10. And are not the Thunder and Lightnings called Gods voice And why because they signifie that God will come to iudgement with a tempestuous fire Wee may also make the same vse of the Trumpets Sure Saint Hierome had a good meditation when he said That whether he did eat or drinke or whatsoeuer hee did hee heard
such obiects may worke feare in a naturall man but what need these Israeltes to feare They came armed against it they came prepared with Puritie with Modestie and should such men feare It is certaine they did feare and there was good reason for it for what proportion betweene mans Abilitie and the Maiestie of God when man is at the best And the Israelites ceremoniall preparation could not so suddenly become morall that will aske more time then three dayes The more they had of the old man the more they were subiect vnto this Passion and it might well rise in them though the obiect which they discerned were aloofe off as indeed it was for their Tents were in some good distance from the Hill and though they were so farre cut of danger yet were they not out of feare the dread of these Harbingers of God seised vpon them Adde hereunto that the spirit of the Old Testament as Saint Paul telleth vs is the spirit of bondage and feare and so this passion had good correspondencie with that Couenant Neither vpon them only but vpon Moses also did these dreadfull Harbingers worke for so must you vnderstand those words in the text Moses spake Saint Paul will tell you what he said Verse 19. Heb. 12. I exceedingly feare and quake so terrible was the sight in his eyes The Rhemists come in here vnseasonably with the doctrine of their Traditions and they will haue Saint Paul by tradition know that Moses spake those words As if he might not know it aswell by Reuelation for the spirit of Prophecie looketh aswell backward as forward Else how did Moses pen the Booke of Genesis that speaketh of things done so many hundred yeares before But what gaine they if we doe acknowledge he had it by tradition Doe wee denie all traditions Wee acknowledge traditions of many Histories as that of Iannes and Iambres Of Ceremonies as that of concluding the Passeouer with blessed Bread and Wine whence Christ tooke an occasion to improue them to an higher vse and institute the Eucharist Our question is about Articles of faith and I hope this is none and therefore they may keepe the note in store vntill they meet with a more pregnant place But let vs leaue those Wranglers and come to Moses Happily you wonder why hee should quake A man that came so neere God and was so deare vnto him God talked with him face to face as familiarly as a man talketh with his friend I but then these Harbingers did not appeare no Thunder no Lightning then no burning Hill no loud sounding of the Trumpet when these appeare they will make Moses himselfe to quake And why shall I say because there are some relikes of sinne euen in the best of Gods Saints during this life and being not perfect in loue they must needs bee subiect vnto feare If I should say so 1. Iohn ◠I should say something but not all that is to bee said For our Sauiour Christ that was without all sinne when he appeared in our nature at the as it were Mount Sinai Certainly at the Tribunall of God where he had presented if not to the eyes of his bodie yet of his soule those dreadfull attendants vpon the Throne of Iudgement the sight cast him into an agonie and made him sweat water and bloud it made his humane nature to droope as himselfe confesseth and bee heauie vnto death And doe wee wonder that the seruant feareth where we see the sonne in such a case Let not the holy Ones of God thinke to bee priuiledged from that whereunto the Holy of Holies was pleased to bee subiect Let vs all rather confesse that that indeed is dreadfull which is dreadfull to such a person and let vs all feare that which Christ himselfe feared But why goe I so high as Christ If they should not haue feared the Mountaine would haue risen in Iudgement against them for that trembled Verse 18. Psal 18. it trembled exceedingly In the Psalme it is said that the Earth shooke and trembled the foundations also of the Hils were moued and were shaken alluding vnto this storie another Psalme saith that The Mountaines skipped like Rams Psal 114. and the little Hils like young sheepe and mouing the question What ailed yee O yee Mountaines that yee skipped like Rams and yee little Hils like Lambes The answere is made Tremble thou Earth at the presence of the Lord at the presence of the God of Iacob And shall not wee feare him nor tremble at his presence when the senselesse creatures shew themselues awfully sensible of his accesse vnto them surely our senselesnesse must needs bee without all excuse Yet some such there haue beene Such were the Scribes and Pharisees who when the Sunne lost his light the Rockes cleft the Graues were opened and the Earth quaked were so little touched that their heart could serue them to contriue a forgerie wherewith to countenance that villanie wherewith they brought Christ to his painfull and shamefull death This was a spirit of slumber indeed and neuer did a greater spirituall Lethargie seize vpon the sonnes of men God euer keepe vs from such senselesnesse and giue vnto vs the spirit of feare whensoeuer his dreadfull Harbingers present themselues before vs yea let vs often represent them vnto our selues that this feare may be seasonably present with vs. But let our feare be such as was that of Israel and of Moses a hopefull feare For there is a feare that deterres from God and there is a feare that doth only humble vs before God Ge◠4 The first is the Reprobates feare and maketh men like vnto Caine Renegadoes and Vagabonds forsake God and goe they know not whether But the godly mans feare maketh him tremble and yet keepe on his way though he goe quaking yet he goeth to God And indeed after God hath made vs sensible of our weaknesse and his greatnesse he vseth to support and strengthen his children he makes them experience the truth of that answere which Christ gaue to Saint Paul Psay 6 My grace is sufficient for thee my strength is made perfect in weaknesse 2. Cor. 12. vers 9. So did he hearten Esay with a cole from the Altar Daniel with a touch Deut. 15. Moses with an answere a kind answere and by Moses he bid the Israelites not feare And what wonder if he support his children in these tremblings seeing he supported the Hill for other wise the hil being al on fire trembling in the fire must needs haue bin consumed but it held out Yea and so did Moses Aaron when they entred into the cloud trod vpon that fierie hil no lesse securely then the three children did in the fierie Furnace whereinto they were cast by the appointment of Nebuchadnezzar 〈◊〉 3 And so shall the righteous at the day of iudgement when all the world is on fire and a lowder Trumpet shal sound then this at mount Sinai
temporall Iurisdiction should be swallowed vp in the Ecclesiastical State sauour not of the things of God but of the things of this world yea they sow dangerous seeds of discord betweene Princes and Pastors and seeke to breed iealousies vpon which what will follow but that the one will seeke to ruinate the other Christs Kingdome then is of his Church and it is a spirituall Gouernment of his Church Notwithstanding these words must not bee vnderstood exclusiuely as if Christ were so confined to his Church as that he had nothing to doe with those that were without the Church As King Dauid ruled in Israel but so that the Philistines Ammoniâ—es Moabites and all the bordering Countries were subiect vnto his Scepter and hee layd tribute vpon them and commanded them at his pleasure Euen so our Sauiour Christ not only ruleth in his Church but commandeth them also that are without it not onely men but euen the powers of Hell also He hath the keyes both of death and hell and euery knee boweth to him at of things in heauen and of things in earth so euen of things vnder the earth also And it is our comfort that hee which is our King hath so great a Power ouer our Foes the more power hee hath ouer them the lesse wee neede to stand in feare of them the more securely may wee obey him And so haue you heard of what sort Christs Gouernment is The next Point is Wherewith he sustaines this Gouernment it is here said that it shall be vpon his shoulders Morall Princes vnburden themselues vpon the shoulders of others the wits the power of their Officers in peace and warre doe beare vp the greatest part of their state It is not so with our King he beareth all himselfe euen when hee vseth meanes those meanes are but Instruments whose abilitie and efficacie are both from him The Minister speaketh words and dispenseth Elements but in vaine doth he both except Christ bee with him and his spirit make effectuall that which is done by him if there bee not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it will be indeed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And what likelihood was there that a few Fishermen and those vnlearned should euer haue subiected the crownes of Princes the wits of Philosophers the stomacks of the Mighty the desires of the Ambitious finally all kinde of dispositions vnto the Scepter of Christ had not Christs spirit wrought with them A second thing that is to bee obserued in this Word is that as Christ is highest in degree so is hee deepest in care and so should Kings bee The Great world the Little world both preach this Lesson vnto temporal Kings The Great World hath many parts whereof it doth consist and of them one is placed aboue another The higher any part is placed the more it laboureth for the rest by motion and influence Witnesse the Sun the Moone the Starres compared to the inferiour Bodies all which labour for the Earth the basest of all In the Little World of our Body is not our Head set aboue our Hands and our Feete And how painefully doth the Eye watch the Eare heare and euery sense employ it selfe for the direction and preseruation of the Hands and Feete If it bee so in the Creatures that are destitute of Reason betweene reasonable Creatures it should bee much more so The Gouernour must lesse take his ease and lesse be idle than those which are gouerned nay his care his paine must farre exceede theirs he must partake of euery one of theirs Doe wee not see it so in our Body The hand hath his peculiar worke so hath the foote and euery other in feriour part employes it selfe about some particular function but the directiue and commanding parts in man are Architectonicall they resemble the Master of the works in a Building whose presence and guidance runneth through all the seuerall kinde of Labourers appointing what they must doe and caring that they doe it well whether they hew stones or lay them square timber or coâ—ple it whatsoeuer other worke is to bee done the Master hath though not his hand yet his head working with them No otherwise should the Magistrate carry himselfe in his charge nor be lesse prouident in the Common-weale the influence of his care must quicken must order must further whatsouer functions of the people and make them tend to the common good The 72. Psalme compares our Gouernour I meane Christ of whom this Text speaketh vnto a showre of raine and wee see that a showre of raine waters carefully all the plants of the fields the rose the lilly the violet the cedar and the pine all of them do fare the better for the watering of the raine And the grace of Christs spirit is no otherwise showred downe vpon euery member of the Church euery one is nourished therewith Malachie compares him to the Sunne he calleth him The Sun of Righteousnesse And who knoweth not how common the warmth of the Sunne is and how effectuall it is also The Raine yeelds matter to the earth but that it may become prouing matter the earth is beholding to the Sunne which workes the moisture and distributeth it through the whole body of the herbs and plants Christs grace supplyeth both Rain and Sunne from him wee haue both Posse and Velle nay the Apostle saith He worketh in vs both to will and to doe euen of his own good pleasure So that we may well say The Gouernment lyeth vpon his shoulders Vpon his shoulders Princes on earth beare the Ensignes of their Gouernment some in their hands as Scepters some on their heads as Crownes but Christ weareth his on his shoulders The Fathers generally vnderstand this of Christs Crosse some looking to the History related in the Gospell that Christ was made to bear his own Crosse vpon his shoulders when he went vnto his death which they say was prophesied of in the 95. Psalme Dicite in gentibus quia Dominus regnauit à ligno So saith St. Austin it was anciently read though it be not found so read now ordinarily in the Septuagint The Iewes in malice razed it out as hee thinkes But because the Hebrew Text hath it not wee neede not stand vpon so vncertaine a ground Wee may take a better eyther from the type of Aaron bearing the twelue Tribes ingrauen vpon his shoulders when he went into the Temple or from Eliakim Esay 22. vpon whose shoulders the key of the house of Dauid was layd or from the shepheard bearing the lost sheepe vpon his shoulders or if you will haue it of the Crosse take it from Christ himselfe speaking to the Disciples that went to Emmaus Ought not Christ to haue suffered these things and so to enter into his glory or from St. Paul also Christ triumphed ouer Powers and Principalities in his person but then when this Person suffered vpon the Crosse So that Christ reigned in his passion and because in his passion therefore had he his Gouernment
coniugall Couenant that is betweene God and man God hath promised to be our God and we haue promised to be his People but eyther side promiseth to the other exclusiuely God promiseth to be our God and the God of none as he is ours and wee promise to be his People and to be the People of no other God as we are his This appropriation of our selnes vnto God is that which the Apostle speakes of 1 Cor. 8. Though there be that are called Gods whether in heauen or in earth as there be Gods many and Lords many yet vnto vs there is but one God God the Father and one Lord Iesus Christ This made Dauid to say Psal 73. Whom haue lin heauen but thee Psal 139. and there is none in earth that I desire in comparison of thee Yea doe I not hate them that hate thee I hate them with a perfect hatred as if they were mine enemies Psal 16. but all my delight is in thy Saints which are on the earth As man in his zeale doth so proceede exclusiuely towards God so doth God towards man for God taketh the Church for his peculiar Exod. 19. therupon promiseth Abraham I will blesse them that blesse thee and curse them thâ—t curse thee This is true coniugall Loue of each side and vpon this knot commeth in zeale which is otherwise called iealousie and is nothing but the affection of eyther part whereby it so desires to enioy the other as that none other either haue it or wrong it for if eyther the wife communicate her selfe to any other or be by any other wronged the iealousie of the husband is stirred vp against his wiues enemies or against his wife Against his wife so speakes God Ezekiel 16. And I will iudge thee as women that breake wedlocke and shed blood are iudged and I will giue thee bloud in sury and iealousie And as hee proceedeth in iealousie against his adulterous wife so doth he against enemies that wrong her thereupon the Prophets expresse his anger against them by iealousie and the Church Esay 62. desiring reuenge saith Lord where is thy zeale In this place the zeale respects reuenge vpon the enemies not vpon the Spouse you may perceiue it by the coherence of this Text with that which goeth before where mention is made of a deliuerance and Christ is here brought in as the Deliuerer the ground of the worke is zeale Finally marke that whereas Gods glory doth as well appeare in our deliuerance as our owne good yet in working thereof God seemeth to be moued rather with his loue to vs than care for his owne glory and giueth a good patterne vnto vs that we likewise in seruing of God must respect not so much our owne saluation as his glory And so haue you heard the Warrant of this Doctrine what remaines but that I vse vnto you the words of the Psalmist Be yee lifted vp O yee gates be yee lifted vp O euerlasting doores and the King of glory shall come in Who is the King of glory euen the Lord of Hosts hee is the King of glory You haue heard him described and haue heard the substance and excellencie of his Person and State Behold God is our saluation let vs trust and not bee affraid the Lord Iohouah is our strength and song he also is become our saluation therefore with ioy let vs draw waters out of this Well of Saluation O Lord that art able and willing let me feele the efficacie both of thy power and will in making me partaker both of the Person and State of Christ and the excellencie of both So shall all my power be set on worke by all my will to make me wholly thine as thou art pleased to be mine Grant this mutuall knot may bee so knit that I neuer breake it so shall I be sure that thou wilt euer hold it IHS SIXE SERMONS VPON The Second of HAGGAI HAG. 2. Vers 6 7 8 9. For thus saith the Lord of Hosts Yet once it is a little while and I will shake the heauens and the earth and the sea and the dry land And I will shake all Nations and the desire of all Nations shall come and I will fill this house with glory saith the Lord of Hosts The siluer is mine and the gold is mine saith the Lord of Hosts The glory of this latter house shall bee greater than of the former saith the Lord of Hosts and in this place will I giue peace saith the Lord of Hosts ALthough the fruits of seruing God be not his The first Sermon but our owne welfare yet if it were not more furthered by him than it is endeauoured by vs wee should neuer fare well because wee should neuer serue him Our impediments are two and they are two extreames Carelessenesse and Curiositie Carelessenesse keepes vs backe when we should beginne and when we should goe forward Curiosity slakes our zeale Sometimes we doe not serue God because we doe not care for him and sometimes we grow cold in pietie because we thinke our best endeauours are not worthy of Gods maiestie Thus the euill Angell whether hee appeare in his darkenesse or in his counterfeit light both waies gaines vpon vs. This Prophecie of Haggai doth little else but propose an example of eyther impediment and the remedie that is applied thereunto the Iewes yeelde the example but the remedy is from God The Iewes in acknowledgement of Gods great goodnesse should vpon their returne out of the Babylonian captiuity haue made their first work the re-edifying of Gods house but they were otherwise minded and busied themselues about their owne houses That memorable speech King Dauids religious meditation neuer came into their hearts which is recorded 2 Sam. 7. Lo saith hee I dwell in a house of Cedar but the Arke of God lodgeth vnder Curtaines therefore I will build him an house But these Iewes could finde in their hearts to dwell in sieled houses and let the Temple lye in its â—uines Wherefore God corrects and reformes this their carelessenesse corrects it with rebukes and stripes reformes it by his word and spirit By these meanes were they brought at length to begin the worke They beganne but were quickely wearied and it was curiosity that wearied them They were contented indeede to build a Temple vnto God but not except it might be so goodly a one as was that of Salomâ—n and because their ability would not reach so farre many of them gaue ouer working and fell to weeping Behold a wicked curiosity which vnder colour of Gods honour would not honour him at all Well God must remedie this impediment also and he doth it by teaching the Iewes two excellent rules in Religion The first is wee must not iudge of Gods workes as wee doe of mens In mens workes by the beginning wee make coniecture of the ending and a iudicious man when hee seeth a foundation will easily ghesse what pile of building will be raised
as we ought value our spirituall state the eminency is very great which God vouchsafeth euery one of vs and that wee may ioy in it so much as we should this degree of Gods blessing must bee weighed by vs. But I will pursue this Text no farther onely a generall Vse there is that we must make of the whole and that is taught vs by this blessed Virgin her selfe her Magnificat is an excellent patterne thereof see therein how her words are correspondent to the Angels The Angell biddeth her Haile that is be glad and what saith she My soule doth magnifie and my spirit doth reioyce The Angell telleth her that shee is highly beloued of God and she doth not magnifie her selfe she reioy ceth not in her selfe but My soule saith she doth magnifie the Lord and my spirit reioyceth in God my Sauiour The Angell goeth on The Lord is with thee and she sings on The Lord indeed hath regarded the lowe estate of his handmaid Hee that is mighty hath magnified mee Finally she heareth that she is Blessed amongst women and she gathers that because she is so graced of God not for her own worth that from thenceforth all generations shall call her Blessed A better patterne of meditating vpon Gods mercies we cannot haue nor learne a better vse of the Auemarie I would the Church of Rome that are so deuoted to the Virgin would of her learne this good lesson if they will not let vs not neglect so good a patterne But I must end The summe of all is As the blessed Virgin so euery one of vs must haue a comfortable feeling especially of Gods free Loue that is the liuing spring of his gracious presence of that singular presence wherewith hee honoured the Virgins wombe and that common which is vouchsafed to all beleeuing hearts the least whereof must bee deemed to be no small prerogatiue O Lord it was thou that shewedst the Virgin light wherefore with cords of deuotion we binde our sacrifice to the hornes of thy Altar yea thou art a God to euery one of vs therefore we thanke thee Thou onely art our God and therefore we praise thee and let vs euer set thee before vs that dost vouchsafe to come so neare vnto vs that our heart may be glad and our tongue reioyce in thee so long as we liue here and when we depart hence our flesh also will rest in hope till wee come both body and soule into thy presence where is the fulnesse of Ioy and bee crowned with that right hand whereat there are pleasures for euermore Amen IHS TWO SERMONS PREACHED in the Cathedrall Church at WELLS THE FIRST SERMON On Palme Sunday MATTH 26. Vers 40.41 What could ye not watch with me one houre Watch and pray that yee enter not into temptation the spirit indeede is willing but the flesh is weake THese words were read vnto you out of this dayes Gopell 〈…〉 therein you heard that they were vttered by Christ to his Disciples Christ out of his owne foreknowledge and out of the Prophet Zachary gaue the Disciples to vnderstand that no sooner should himselfe their Captaine fall into the enemies hands but they would all shew themselues to bee but cowardly followers St. Peter with the rest though more forward than the rest answered that they would bee so farre from flying in his danger that they would spend their liues in his iust defence Hereunto Christ replyed that they would not be as good as their word nay that they would shamefully contradict their words by their deeds and it fell out euen so for scarce had an houre passed but they began to betray their weaknesse Christ taketh them in the very beginning of it and from it taketh an occasion first to reproue Vers 40. then to aduise them Vers 41. Hee reproueth them for their present defect What could yee not watch with mee one houre and aduiseth them to preuent a future reuolt Watch and pray that ye enter not into temptation c. More distinctly in the reproofe wee must note the matter and the manner the matter is the Disciples drowsinesse they did not Watch that is amplified by the circumstance of time and of persons of time they held not out for the space of one houre And of persons the persons of Disciples and the person of Christ drowsinesse was intolerable in them because they had promised so much especially in Christs company to whom they did owe more than to Watch. As was the sinne so was the reproofe that foule this sharpe it is vttered in few words but they goe to the quicke for the first 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 What is Elleipticall and implies Christs wondering at their vnanswerablenesse to their presumptuous vndertaking The next words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 point out their ignorance of themselues Could ye not this is more than you thought on so Christ reproues But he doth not leaue them so as he disliked what was past so would he haue them better prouided against that which is to come you may perceiue it in his aduise which is respectiue to their disease they presumed much but could doe little Christ biddeth them therefore bee more carefull and lesse confident more carefull Watch lesse confident Pray do the vttermost of your endeauour but build onely vpon Gods succour But why need they be more carefull and lesse confident Christ yeeldeth the reason of both where there is danger there is need of care they were in danger to enter into temptation Watch lest yee enter into temptation But if they be carefull why may they not be confident there is good reason their helpe standeth not in themselues The Spirit indeed is willing but their flesh is weake therefore they must seeke to God and seeke by prayer Pray You see the contents of this Scripture which wee must now farther open and apply vnto our selues I begin with the Reproofe whereof the matter is the drowsinesse of the Apostles their drowsinesse is noted by not watching It was night when Christ spake this and so a time to sleep adde hereunto that they had newly supped and had heard the dolefull sermon of Christs departure all which serue to increase the heauinesse as of their mindes so of their bodies But it was the night wherein Christ was to be betrayed and wherein themselues were to be exposed to danger and therefore it was a time to watch The care of our duety sometimes and sometimes of our safety maketh vs forbeare many things which otherwise we might lawfully vse sometimes we fast from our ordinary fare sometimes we put off robes of state and cloath our selues with garments of heauinesse and eate the bread of mourning so is there a time when we should deny our eyes their beloued sleepe and then not to deny it is a sinne a great sinne as great as to fare deliciously when wee should fast and attire our selues gorgiously when wee should mourne the Scripture condemneth all three the apparrell
with it And indeed they may easily ouercharge vs as appeareth in the next reason the reason of our prayer The spirit is wilâ—ing but the flesh is weake I will not trouble you with the diuers sense that is put vpon these words the best and the most agree that these two words note the two parts of a regenerate man the spirit noting the New and the flesh the Old man and so this passage agreeth with the like Rom. 7. the phrases themselues doe giue vs to vnderstand that our willingnesse to serue God is not from Nature but from Grace and our backwardnesse is not from Grace but from Nature If these two parts do not concurre the spirit the flesh the flesh may plucke backe as much as the spirit putteth forward yea and though they doe concurre yet the spirit is too quicke for the flesh and will venture farther than flesh dares to follow Tertullians rule is true that these words import Quid eui subijci debeat whether of the parts should haue the command but all goeth not as it should because one part is inabled to will but the other is not inabled to obey therefore St. Hierome saith well Quantum de ardore mentis confidimus tantum de fragilitate carnis metuamus we must not suppose we can doe all we would but we must pray that the spirit that is well disposed may also bee strong to subdue the flesh as by watching the flesh is dis-inabled to sinne so by praying is the spirit inabled to rule But more distinctly First touching the willingnesse of the spirit there is great difference betweene the habit of grace and the vse thereof though wee be well qualified with the habit yet except God excite and assist wee make little vse thereof Now the willingnesse of the spirit here meant is the ability of a regenerate man without the assistance of God and we must pray for the latter because without it the former will auaile but little As for the weaknesse of the flesh it must be vnderstood with a restraint ad bonum for to resist it is strong enough strong enough to resist the spirit but weake to resist temptation And why the Tempter offereth to the flesh if it yeeld that which the flesh naturally desireth and if it yeeld not he threatneth what the flesh naturally abhorres corporall comfort is that whereafter the body doth long by nature as by nature it doth Ioath the losse thereof The Tempter therefore hath an easie conquest vpon the flesh except Gods hand goe with it in vaine is it countermanded by the spirit many wofull examples haue the Primitiue Churches of this frailty of our nature and euery day is too fertill in spectacles hereof if the Tempter set vpon the flesh he will easily carry vs away though not without some contradiction of the spirit And here we see the fountaine of all our sinnes of infirmity the roote of them is this oddes betweene the flesh and the spirit and this is the whetstone of Prayer the best men if they be buffeted with the messenger of Sathan as Saint Paul was their best remedy is that which Saint Paul vsed Prayer vnto God whose Grace onely can be sufficient for vs 2. Cor. 12. â— and whose strength is made perfect in our weaknesse If this lesson be necessary for those that haue some inward alacrity how much more for them that are altogether drowsie if the best must pray in conscience of their infirmity how feruent in prayer should they be that feele not in themselues that forwardnesse of grace how earnestly should they pray O God make speed to saue vs O Lord make haste to helpe vs I conclude all This whole Text is a lesson of modesty and calleth vpon vs to worke out our saluation in feare and trembling seeing it is God that worketh in vs both to will and to doe not that wee should wauer in our faith but that we should not presume vpon our owne strength remembring that it is an easie matter to vow much while we are on the shore whereof we will be little mindfull when wee be ouertaken at sea Many faire flowers shoote forth when the Sunne shineth which come to nought if they be nipt with a Frost we may not presume that we will be more constant than the Apostles let their weaknesse teach vs to be humble lest if wee promise more than we performe Christ taxe our pride and vpbraid our weaknesse the Tempter will euer set on vs therefore let vs neuer cease to Watch. But the more wee finde out our danger by Watching the more let vs flye to God in Praying that the same God which hath giuen vs a willing spirit may also giue vs obedient flesh that both may hold out in the day of Temptation so shall they both reioyce in the liuing God reioyce here while they sticke fast vnto Christ notwithstanding the Crosse and reioyce hereafter when both comming out of all tribulation shall from Christ receiue an immarcescible Crowne THE SECOND SERMON On Good-Friday MARKE 14.35.36 And he went forward a little and fell on the ground and prayed that if it were possible the houre might passe from him And hee said Abba Father all things are possible vnto thee take away this Cup from mee neuerthelesse not that I will but what thou wilt IN the history of Christs Crosse which wee commemorate this day there are two remarkable parts first a feeling representation thereof which Christ made vnto himselfe and secondly a constant perpession thereof when it was imposed by others The first may bee called Propassio and the second Passio there went a Crosse before the Crosse a fore-Crosse before the after-Crosse a rationall before the sensitiue Christ wrought a smart in himselfe before hee was stricken by others This feeling representation this fore-hand Crosse this selfe-affliction is the argument of those words that now I haue read vnto you The whole Tract is conceiued in forme of a prayer and indeed it is an Offertory prayer Christ by prayer sets the stampe of a sacrifice vpon his death and turneth his suffering into an offering In this Prayer wee are to obserue the circumstances that attend it and the substance of it The circumstances are two when and where when he prayed timely he prayed before he suffered he armed himselfe before he came vnto the conflict But where in a priuate place that hee might more freely poure forth his soule to God he withdrew himselfe from all company of men In the substance of the Prayer wee must see first to Whom it is directed and secondly What is expressed in it It is directed vnto the Father and there is reason it should be so directed by him was the Crosse ordained therefore a prayer against the Crosse must be directed vnto him But as he to whom Christ directed his prayer is his Father so in directing of it he doth expresse the behauiour of a Childe The behauiour of a childe is
the Lord and wee must with him answer for our selues I will take the cup of saluation and praise the name of the Lord vnto this end is this Sacrament called the Eucharist Thus Christ conscerateth the Elements But why what good came to the elements by consecration surely much good for they are made the body and the bloud of Christ so saith Iesus This is my body this is my blood The interpretation of these words is much controuerted and it is much disputed What change of the Elements the wordes of Christ did make for that Christ changed the bread when he consecrated it wee make no doubt Whereas then there are three things in bread and wine 1. the name 2. the vse and 3. the substance wee confesse a change in the two first but deny it in the third First wee confesse a change in the name directed by St. Austines rule Ad Bonisaâ— ep 23. Because of a similitude Sacraments commonly beare the names of the things themselues the Sacrament of Christs body is after a sort the body of Christ and the Sacrament of Christ blood is after a sort the blood of Christ Of St. Aducrsus Iudaeos Austins opinion in our case was Tertullian Christ saith hee calleth bread his body And Cyprian the signifying elements and the thing signified De â—nctione Chrismatis are caded by the same name Our Sauiour saith Theodoret changed the names and called the signe by the name of his body Ambrose Chrysostome Ambros de Sacraments l. 5. c. 4. Chrysost ad 〈◊〉 sarios â—â—â—nachos and others might bee alledged to this purpose Secondly wee acknowledge a change in the vse of the Elements for there must be some ground for which the signes may beare the names of the things themselues and that is The vertue the power the operation of the flesh and bloud of Christ beeing mystically vnited to the signes doe in a wonderfull sort manifest these things by the signes through the operation of the Holy Ghost This we learne of St. Cyprian De â—nctione Chrismatis to the Element once sanctified not now their own nature giueth the effect but the diuine vertue worketh in them more mightily the truth is present with the signe and the spirit with the Sacrament De Sacramentis l. 4. c. 4. so that the worthinesse of the grace appeareth by the efficiency of the thing Ambrose also If there be so great strength in the word of the Lord Iesus that all things beganne to be when they were not how much more shall it bee of force that the mysticall Elements should bee the same they were before and yet be changed into another thing Theodoret. The signes which are seene Christ hath honoured with the names of his body and blood not changing the nature but adding grace vnto nature Thus farre wee goe in acknowledging a change of the Elements by consecration farther we goe not wee acknowledge no change in the substance of the nature of the Elements De Sacramentis l. 4. c. 3. and herein we are guided by the Fathers also Ambrose Thou camst to the Altar and sawest the Sacraments thereon and wondredst at the very ereature De Coena Domini and yet it is a solemne and a knowne creature Cyprian After consecration the Element is deliuered from the name of bread and reputed worthy to bee called the body of the Lord notwithstanding the nature of the bread still remaines Ad Coesarios Monacbos Chrysostome The substantiall bread and cup sanctified with a solemne blessing is profitable for the life and safegard of the whole man To proue this the Fathers vse to parallel the Sacrament and the Person of Christ De ieiunio 7. mensis in their disputes against Eutyches Gelasius As the bread and wine after consecration are changed and altered into the body and blood of Christ Dialogo secundo so is the humane nature of Christ changed into his diuine Theodoret hath the same parallel and so hath St. Austine as hee is cited de Consecratione distinctione secunda Hoc est quod dico Now a generall Councell not onely particular Fathers haue resolued that both natures continue in Christs person vnaltered so doe their properties so doe their actions only this honour the diuine doth to the humane nature that as it hath associated it into one person so doth it manifest her properties by it and performe her actions Euen so is it in the Sacrament the heauenly the earthly thing are both vnited to make one Sacrament but each keepeth vnaltered its owne nature properties and actions onely the heauenly doth worke by the earthly and doth not ordinarily without it manifest its operation If in the person of Christ there was no alteration of the diuine nature though the Scripture say the word was made flesh much lesse may we dreame of any alteration in the earthly part of the Sacrament though it be said the bread is the body and the wine is the blood of Christ Out of this distinction of changing of the Elements you may perceiue that Christs consecration was effectuall though not effectuall to Transubstantiation For in a sacramentall argument both substances must remaine and by reason of the mysticall vnion Disparats may be affirmed the one of the other without absurditie Whether the sacramentall vnion doe require moreouer a Consubstantiation may also here be disputed for some vrge it out of these words But their answer is briefly this The earthly and the heauenly thing may bee conioyned really though not locally And as they may be conioyned so they may bee receiued seeing the proper Exhibiter of the heauenly is the Holy Spirit and the Receiuer is our faith Our faith may ascend to Christ in heauen and the Spirit beeing infinite may vnite vs vnto Christ though we be as low as the earth Whereas then the words may haue their truth without any recourse to a miracle or contradicting any other Article of faith or forcing strange senses vpon other passages of Scripture we content our selues with this mysticall relatiue vnion and forbeare all other vnnecessary speculations Although we must needs confesse that the words make more for Consubstantiation than they make for Transubstantiation We confesse then that in the Sacrament there is the body and blood of Christ and that three manner of waies though we admit neyther of the two false waies Transubstantiation and Consubstantiation First in regard of the signe for it was not chosen for it selfe but with reference to Christ Secondly in regard of the resemblance it doth most fitly set forth the efficacy that is in Christ the strengthning the cheering efficacie you heard before out of the 104th Psalme that those properties are in bread and wine Strength is eyther increased or recouered and cheerefulnesse followeth eyther vpon the recouered or increased strength wee are Babes and must grow in Christ we are Souldiers and lose blood in his quarrell we must finde that which
to giue so hee may giue as much or as little as hee will for hee may doe what hee will with his owne but hee doth not onely follow his Will but the counsell of his Will as this Apostle teacheth vs Occumenius and the counsell of his Will or his Wisedome doth respect 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the endowment of the Church As in our body naturall God hath ioyned beauty and commodity in framing the limmes so that euery one hath that proportion as is most comely and vsefull so the Church though vna yet is varia though it be but one body yet hath it diuers members and though the one body be quickned with the same spirit yet in euery member the spirit doth varie his gifts and the Church thereby is the more beautified and benefited so that no man is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sufficient of himselfe but hee is thereby vrged to desire the Communion of Saints wherein stands our mutuall comelinesse and comfort Seeing then Christ giues as hee thinkes meete euery man is bound to thanke him for that which hee hath and enuie must not make him murmure for that which hee hath not It is absurd for a man to dislike with the dispensation of Christ it is as if the members of the body should grudge that they haue not the endowments each of the other wherein if God should satisfie them the deformity and discommodity which would follow would quickly make them weary of their desires Though Christ be thus discreet in giuing yet is hee kindly bountifull also for he giues to euery one St. Ambrose hath a good rule In donis officiorum diuer sitas est non Naturae all drinke of the same spirit though they drinke not the same draught As in our naturall body there is no member that liues not by the soule no more is there in the mysticall Bodie any member that liues not by the Spirit Christ will haue euery one haue some token of his loue and will haue euery one stand the Church in some stead The Church I say for the particle All is limited by Vs. There are gifts that are bestowed vpon all the world as wee acknowledge in our daily grace The eyes of all things looke vp vnto thee O Lord and thou giuest them their meate in due season thou openest thy hand and fillest with thy blessing euery liuing thing Psal 145. but the graces here meant are the peculiar of the Church you heard it in the Gospell this day The spirit is such a thing as the world cannot receiue but the Church seeth and knowes him and he shall abide with her for euer for it is onely the Church that can say The Let is fallen to her in a faire ground she hath a goodly heritage But the gifts that as vpon this day descended on the Apostles were visible gifts and they had corporall effects speaking in diuers languages casting out diuells curing of diseases treading vpon serpents c. these gifts we haue not how then haue we the spirit that descended this day Gregory the Great answereth well Thou hast it though it appeare in another sort Thou canst not speake diuers tongues but of what Nation soeuer thou art thou canst speake the language of Canaan and it is as great a miracle that all Nations vnderstand the same heauenly language as that the same person should speake all languages Thou canst not cast out Diuels out of mens bodies but out of their soules thou mayst and cure the diseases of their soule though thou canst not the diseases of their body yea bruise thou mayst the old Serpents head though thou canst not safely tread vpon a Snake In a word thou mayst doe many things inuisibly and spiritually which are not inferiour to those things which the Apostles did visibly and corporally and doubt not but if thou beare the fruit of the Spirit the Spirit of Christ doth rest vpon thee And if wee doe solemnize the memory of Saints how much more should we solemnize the memory of the Sanctifier wee are all bound to keep this day holy to the Lord because this day the Lord gaue that gift which doth concerne vs all Wherefore let vs all say BLessed be the Lord God euen the God of our saluation hee daily loadeth vs with his gifts euen the spirituall gifts of Grace Hee that giues them fill vs with them that as we are called to be so we may be indeed comely and profitable members of the mysticall Body of Christ and liue for euer conformable to our Head Amen THE SECOND SERMON On Trinity Sunday at an Ordination of Ministers EPHES. 4.11 He gaue some to be Apostles some Prophets and some Euangelists and some Pastors and Teachers THE passage of Scripture contained from the 7. to the 17. Verse doth informe vs of the reasons which perswade Christians to agree in Gods truth These reasons are two drawne the one from the meanes whereby the other from the end for which the Church receiues the spirituall gifts of God The meanes is Christ And touching Christ St. Paul teacheth vs in this passage what he doth and what right he hath to doe it That which hee doth is expressed three wayes but all yeeld but one sense 1. He giues grace 2. He bestowes gifts 3. He fils all things that is his gift is a filling grace Grace is a free gift a gift Donum non salarium not an hyre of our labour but an argument of Gods fauour And this gift is free it is grounded vpon no obligation all gifts of men are in part due as the reciprocall between equals for loue challengeth loue or those that are not reciprocall between vnequals be they Honoraria or Eleemosynaria whereof the inferiour oweth the former to his superior in acknowledgement of his eminency and the superiour owes the latter vnto his inferiour out of a fellow-feeling which hee must haue of his wants but Gods gifts can neither bee deserued nor requited neither doth he finde ought worthy his regard in vs neither doth any danger of his moue him to commiserate vs His gift then is absolutely free But this is common to the gifts as well of Creation as of Redemption but the Scripture restraines the word Grace vnto the gifts of Redemption which are not onely non debita but indebita whereof God owes vs no one but he owes vs the contrary that is plagues and therefore hee doth giue not only non dignis to those that are without all merit of good but also indignis to those that are full of the merits of sinne The word then is plainly Euangelicall and signifieth such blessings as accompany the New Testament those blessings are most properly termed Grace This grace hath a power to fill which no other thing hath and it fils sistendo and explendo desiderium it fixeth our wandring desires so that we desire no other obiect and this is able to satisfie to the full and satisfie the whole man Now
this filling grace is nothing else but the Holy Ghost But by the Holy Ghost we must vnderstand not onely his gifts but also his person both are bestowed on vs the gifts to qualifie vs and the person to continue and increase these qualities in vs. And herein stands a great difference betweene Adam created and Adam redeemed Adam had rich gifts but hee had not the promise of the Spirit to perpetuate his gifts but we haue in Christ And indeed Christ is the Giuer St. Paul saith so but the Psalmist makes him a Receiuer they are easily reconciled for he receiued that which he gaue Therefore Christ here is vnderstood as hee is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 God and Man hee receiued as Man that which he gaue as he was God And he gaue this discreetly according to a measure not his power but his wisedome moderated his gift and his wisedome had an eye to the comelinesse and commodity of his mysticall Body the Church And although he gaue discreetly he gaue vniuersally to euery one is his grace giuen euery member hath a marke of his fauour and hath some gift wherewith he may stead the Church And thus farre we came the last Sabbath in opening what Christ doth we must now goe on and see another point herein contained in this 11. Verse Christ giues grace but hee giues it not without meanes for hee giues Ministers And of these Ministers this Verse doth shew vs the different degrees and the common originall the different degrees for some are Apostles some Prophets some Euangelists c. the common originall for Christ giues them all Of these points God willing briefly and in their order First then Christ that is our means vseth means himself giues grace before he giues grace To vnderstand this we must obserue a distinction of grace There is grace of Adoption and grace of Edification the first makes Christians the second maketh Ministers Christ giues the latter that by it he may giue the former The Ministers Calling then stands in grace of Edification that is in ability to bring others to the state of Christians Christ could doe it of himselfe he that at first made man after his Image could repaire that Image againe in man And that he can doe it he sheweth plainly in those whom he first cals and maketh meanes to call others of these wee haue patternes Adam Abraham the Apostles So that though causa salutis be coniuncta yet it is arbitraria the vse of meanes in our saluation is not necessary but voluntary no Minister may dreame that Christ doth vse him because he needs him he must rather acknowledge how much he is bound to Christ that he vouchsafeth to vse him though he hath no need of him He doth honour him with the name of a Co-adiutor and fellow-labourer in the whole course of mans conuersion Ministers beget vs to Christ they nourish vs in Christ they binde and loose our soules they open and shut Heauen and in a word they saue All these things Christ doth by them and the people must acknowledge causam coniunctam the co-operation of the Minister with Christ St. Paul doth excellently expresse it by the resemblance of an Epistle written whereunto he compares the Corinthians 2. Cor. 3. and makes the author thereof the Spirit and himselfe Hee vseth another similitude of Husbandry 1. Cor. 3. whereunto concurreth God and himselfe The foolishnesse of Preaching and the demonstration of the Spirit goe together and Faith is wrought by Gods Word but as it is heard from men The people then may not seuer these they may not looke for inspirations from heauen without preaching on earth nor thinke that preaching on earth will preuaile without inspiration from heauen But causae coniunctae are eyther coordinatae or subordinatae they are both of equall power or one hath soueraignty ouer the other Christ concurres with man and man with Christ But farre be it from vs to thinke that their power is equall in this businesse no Dominium est Christi Ministerium hominis Christ is Lord man is but the seruant and therefore whatsoeuer man doth he must doe according to his instructions he may not presume to doe more or lesse Balaam could tell Balaac so and St. Paul deliuers nothing but what be receiued of the Lord. We may not make new Articles of Faith nor institute new Sacraments we may not publish any other Couenant betweene God and man than our Master is pleased to enter into nor set to any other seales than his The Angels behold Gods face alwayes to direct their seruice and Christ did not his owne but his Fathers will when hee was on earth and shall man arrogate more vnto himselfe No he must still remember his subordination and venter no farther than he hath commission I haue not yet opened enough the inequality betweene Christ and vs in this worke for indeed a Minister is not only a subordinate cause but also no better than an instrument the efficacy of all that hee doth proceedeth from him that vseth it Other Soueraignes giue their charge and leaue their seruants to vse their owne faculties in dispatch of their businesse and the worke is no greater than their faculties can compasse the Embassadors and Commissioners of Princes beare witnesse to this truth according to their weaknesse or wisedome doth their errant speede But it is not so in that worke wherein Christ and the Minister concurres it is true that the Minister must vse the vttermost of his endeauour and husband his talent to the best aduantage but his planting his watering his watching his building is of little force except the worke be set forward with a stronger hand except Christ giue increase there is an inward influence which is soly Christs and produceth the Heauenly light and life In regard of this Ministers are but Imagines as Saint Ambrose speaketh in Psal 38. they do but outwardly delineate and represent in the Word and Sacraments what Christ doth powerfully worke by his Spirit So that the Minister seeth how farre hee is employed and how short hee comes in this worke of equality with Christ And seeing Christ will haue our ministry vsher as it were his efficacy and will haue the people to reuerence our words if they meane to bee partaker of his workes Chrysostome speaketh not amisse when he saith that we doe in potestate seruire so serue our Master that we haue authority ouer the Church and so we need not be ashamed nor may be contemned whose seruice is so honourable And thus much in generall of the calling of the Ministry I come now to speake of their degrees And here we must marke that they haue all a degree aboue others but yet they differ in degrees betweene themselues grace of Adoption is common to all the Church not so grace of Edification the Apostle implyes it in these words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 restraining the later grace to some few And indeed if all should haue
for the shield of faith is able to quench all siery darts of the Deuill The Martyrs tryed it who neither were circumuented by the Serpent nor dismayed by the Lyon but ouercame by the bloud of the Lambe in that they loued not their liues vnto death and therefore with Crowns with Palms and Harpes they sing the triumphant song of Moses And we must all be resolued that as Ioshua when he had ouercome the Kings of Canaan brought them and made the Heads of Israel to set their feete vpon their neckes euen so Iesus that hath spoyled the powers of darknesse will haue his members with like confidence to insult vpon them Yea it is a part of that iust and glorious reuenge of Adams cowardise in his great strength hee yeelded himselfe a prey to Sathan when he had full power to withstand him to blot out that shame hee will haue the sonnes of Adam that are much weaker to encounter and trample on that mighty Hunter and serpentine Lyon And wee much neglect the honour that Christ would doe vs and the manifestation of that power which hee is pleased to vouchsafe vs if so be wee haue no testimony from our owne conscience that wee haue in our owne persons experience of this Triumph Tertullian hath a good rule that oftentimes men are foyled not because he that set on them was the stronger but they did not know or vse their owne strength that did resist It is the case of most men I neede no other proofe than their enormous falls the reason why they become Sathans prey is their cowardise or their negligence eyther they doe not at all resist or they pray not for assistance vnto God if they did they might confidently say with Saint Paul I can doe all through him that strengthneth me Philip. 4.16 and that is Christ But howsoeuer we faile in doing what we should this is sure that this conflict is no disproofe of the Triumph seeing the intent of it is to be a perpetuall euidence or rather an euident perpetuation thereof And so haue you the first attendant vpon the Triumphant Chariot The second is the disposing of the spoiles He gaue gifts and hee that rifled the strong man distributed whatsoeuer hee found in his House Touching the nature of the gifts I need not speake now former words of my Text occasioned mee to open them here onely you must marke originem and mensuram donorum though they were giuen often before yet tho dispensation depended vpon Christs Ascension Cap. 7. In Saint Iohn we reade that the Spirit was not giuen because Christ was not yet glorified And Acts 2. Saint Peter tels the Iewes that Christ being exalted poured forth the Spirit yea Christ himselfe Acts 1. when hee was readie to ascend biddeth his Disciples stay at Ierusalem vntill they were endued with power from aboue And no wonder that it depends vpon his Ascension seeing it is an effect of his Kingdome and his Kingdome began properly at his Ascension And as this is true of the Originall so is it also of the Measure of the gifts though hee gaue them before yet hee neuer gaue them in that measure whether you respect the number of persons that partake them or the degree of the gifts which were bestowed on them Saint Peter 2. Pet. 1. compares the gifts of the Prophets vnto a candle the Gospell vnto the day light a great oddes betweene the lights and as great oddes is there betweene the Spheares of their actiuity for it is no great roome that a candle can illighten be it neuer so great a candle and the Prophets went not out of the Holy Land ordinarily and that was but a corner of the world but the Sunne goeth out from one end of Heauen and the circuit thereof is vnto the end of it and there is nothing hid from the heate of it Psalme 19. euen so the Sunne of Righteousnesse shed his beames ouer all the world and Christ after his ascension made his Church Catholike euen wee that are assembled here are beholding for this our sacred assembly vnto the Ascension of Christ from thence it is that this light is come to vs. And as often as in our Creede we remember his ascension let vs thankfully remember that we owe this our spirituall condition vnto it And let this suffice for the opening of Christs Triumph My Text doth not onely tell vs of a Triumph but tells vs also that that Triumph was deserued Christ by vertue of his Hypostaticall Vnion was able to doe all that is specified in the Triumph to ascend in place and state to leade captiuity captiue and to giue gifts But hee would not attaine it onely by power hee would receiue it by merit and why hee stood out for man and therefore would obserue the Articles of that Couenant which God did enter into with him and the Couenant was Hoc fac viues Though Adam being created holy was immediately fit for Heauen yet God would not haue him come vnto Heauen but by vse of his Holinesse in obedience to God euen so Christ would fulfill all righteousnesse and vndergoe the Crosse in satisfaction for our sinne before hee would enter into Glory And wee must not deceiue our selues and dreame of any other course for though wee cannot equall Christs Crosse yet by mortification and tribulation wee must resemble it though wee cannot fulfill the Law yet must wee doe our vttermost endeauour And this course must bee vnto vs though not causa a merit as it was to Christ yet via regnandi the meanes vnto the Kingdome of Heauen without which no man shall euer haue accesse vnto the blessed presence of God But more distinctly Wee must marke that the Descension went before the Ascension and that the degree of the Ascension beares correspondencie to the degree of the Descension First the Descension goeth before the Ascension and it must needs doe so in Christ you will acknowledge it if you know what the Descension is The Descension is the incarnation and the passion of Christ in respect of these the Sonne of God is said to descend And indeede he fell below himselfe when he submitted himselfe to them by so much as a man is below God and so to bee vsed being a man is little answerable to the Maiesty of a God Had hee not thus descended hee could neuer haue ascended for whither should hee ascend that was in the forme of God and so as coaequall as coaeternall what state what place could hee bee aduanced vnto that as God was highest in both But his pleasure to descend made it possible for him to ascend it was possible for him to ascend in regard of that wherein hee did descend hee might glorifie his manhood in which hee was pleased to be humbled Secondly as the Descension must needes goe before the Ascension so doth the Ascension keepe good correspondency with the Descension Christ ascended high farre aboue all Heauens and hee descended lowe
I will giue them Luke 4.6 notwithstanding he is but an Vsurper Neither is Antichrist any better who sitteth in the Temple of God and carrieth himselfe as God 2. Thos 2. taking vpon him that power ouer the consciences of the people which Christ neuer gaue him the particulars are many you may meete with them in the Casuists and in the Controuersie Writers I will not trouble you with them Our Sauiour Christs power is iust For it was giuen vnto him But when First in his Incarnation for no sooner did he become man but he was annointed with the Holy Ghost and with Power therefore the Angels that brought the newes of his Birth to the Shepheards said that to them was borne a Sauiour which was the Lord Christ No sooner did the Sonne of God become man but hee was inuested with this power the eternall purpose of God and Prophesies of him began to be fulfilled the Godhead communicated to the manhood this power not changing the manhood into God but honouring it with an Association in his workes the manhood is of counsell with the Godhead in his gouernment and Christ from the time of his Conception wrought as God and man who before wrought onely as God Of this gift speaketh the Psalmist Thou art my Sonne this day haue I begotten thee aske of mee and I will giue thee the Heathen for thine Inheritance c. Psal 2. and in Daniel chapt 7. one like the sonne of man is brought vnto the Ancient of dayes and to him was giuen a kingdome c. But though this gift were bestowed at Christs Conception yet was the execution thereof for the most part suspended vntill his Resurrection some glympses he gaue of it and shewed his glory in his Miracles but for the most part he appeared in the forme of a seruant and his Humiliation was requisite that he might goe through with his Passion his power though it were not idle before yet was the carriage of it veiled and therefore acknowledged but by a few But after his Resurrection God gaue him this power manifestly and the world was made to see it clearly for Christ did then not onely cloath his person with Maiestie but shewed himselfe wonderfull in the gouernement of his people Therefore the time of the gift is by the Holy Ghost limited to the Resurrection and declared to be a reward of his Passion so saith the Psalme Thou hast made him a little lower than the Angels that thou mightst crowne him with glory and honour Psal 8. St. Paul applyeth it vnto Christ Heb. 2. Rom. 14 and tells elsewhere that Christ dyed and rose againe that hee might be Lord both of quicke and dead The same he teacheth the Ephesians and the Colossians Cap. 1. Cap. 2. but especially the Philippians Christ being in the forme of God took vpon him the forme of a seruant and did exinanite himselfe and became subiect to death euen the death of the Crosse therefore God exalted him and gaue him a Name aboue all Names c. This gift or manner of giuing is properly meant in this place the gift of power in reward of Christs merit for by this merit did he enter into his Glory and into his Kingdome And from this must Ministers deriue their power which Christ hath right to conferre vpon them not onely by the gift of his Conception but also by the reward of his Passion As Christs power is lawfull so is it full also for hee hath all power a plenary power The word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doth note sometimes a passiue power sometimes an actiue a passiue power as in those words of the Gospell to them that receiued Christ hee gaue 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 power to bee the sonnes of God Iohn 1.12 actiue when Christ sent his Disciples hee gaue them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 power ouer vncleane spirits Matth. 10.1 that is to cast them out According to this double acception of the word is the fulnesse of Christs power diuersly expounded Some say it is full passiuely before Christs Resurrection Christ was obeyed but per nolentes by those that serued him against their will and so hee was serued but to halfes but afterward hee gathered Populum spontaneum an ingenuous willing people Psal 110. a people that should serue him readily not with a mixt will halting between two or between willing and nilling but with all their heart and cheerfully not like luke warme Laodiceans for the Kingdome of Heauen suffereth violence and the violent take it Matth. 11. This is the Interpretation of some true in it selfe though not so proper to my Text. Therefore we must vnderstand it of an actiue power that power which by allusion out of the Prophets words is specified in the Reuelation Cap. 3. He hath the Key of Dauid that shutteth and no man openeth openeth and no man shutteth he hath both Keyes of the Church Clauem Scientiae and Clauem Potestatis the Key of Doctrine and the Key of Discipline hee giueth all men their Talents and calleth them to an account for the vse of them It is he that separateth the Sheepe from the Goates and from his mouth proceedeth as well Goe ye cursed as Come ye blessed But if you will haue it to the full it is comprehended in those three offices whereunto Christ was annointed he was annointed to be a Prophet a Priest and a King all by an Excellency all Heauenly and what power is there belonging vnto spirituall gouernment which is not reduced vnto these three And they were all three in him without exception without restriction and so he had all power or as I told you a power vnlimited in it selfe And yet marke the phrase it is omnis Potestas not Omnipotentia though in Christ as he is God there is Omnipotency yet that power which hee hath as Mediatour is of a middle size it is greater than any Creature hath Angell or Man but yet not so great as is the infinite Power of God that extends ad omnia possibilia to all that possible may bee But the power which God hath giuen to the Mediatour is proportioned not to scientiae simplicis intelligentiae but visionis it extends as farre as the Decree which God made before all times of all that shall be done in due time especially concerning the Church it hath an hand in mannaging all that Prouidence and mannaging it in an heauenly manner As the power is vnlimited in it selfe so it extends to all places Hee hath all power in Heauen and in Earth Heauen and Earth are the extreame parts of the world and in the Creed are vsually put for the whole but in the Argument we haue in hand we must restraine it to the Church which consisteth of two parts one Triumphant in Heauen the other Militant on Earth Christ hath power in both for both make vp his body and he hath reconciled both vnto God In Earth he giueth men Grace in Heauen he giueth
which can neuer proue good either to the conquerour or the conquered Well then seeing Teaching is Gods method of conuerting you see whereof you must take care the Word of God must dwell richly in you especially you must arme your selues with the sword of the Spirit Colos 4. Ephes 6. 2. Tim. 4. Tit. 2. which is the Word of God that you may bee able to instruct the ignorant and refute those that are contrary minded And this care doth St. Paul commend earnestly to Timothie and Titus And you know that it was a very bitter reproofe which Christ vsed vnto Nicodemus Art thou a Master in Israel and knowest not these things Ier. 3. If you will be Pastors according to Gods owne hrart you must feede his people with knowledge and vnderstanding And let this suffice concerning the manner of bringing men to Christ In the next place wee are to see what must be done to them that entertained the Gospell First they must consecrate them vnto God Baptizate Baptize them This is not the first Institution of Baptisme for not onely Iohn the Baptist but the Apostles also baptized as it is in St. Iohn chap. 4. And howsoeuer there is a question Whether the Baptisme of Iohn the Baptist and of Christs Apostles be the same for Christ baptized none in his person and of the same efficacy yet there is no question but that the Baptisme is the same and of the same efficacy which the Apostles administred both before and after Christs Passion So that Christ in this place extended the Baptisme vnto the Gentiles but doth not of new institute it To baptise is properly to dip into the water in that fashion were they wont to baptise except in case of infirmitie wherein the Church allowed springling in stead of dipping But nicitie hath almost worne out the old forme at least in many places And yet the old forme doth most liuely represent that which St. Paul maketh the life of Baptisme that is our conformitie to Christ Know you not saith he Rom. 6. that so many of vs as were baptised into Iesus Christ were baptised into his death therefore we are buryed with him by Baptisme into death that like as Christ was raised vp from the dead to the glorie of the Father so wee should walke in newnesse of life And indeed to baptize is not only to dippe into the water The word dibaphum which signifieth Scarlet as it were twice dipt and dyed retaine◠the steps of that signification which is immergere but it is tingere also to dip as it were into a dye-fatte so that a person dipped in commeth out of another hue than hee went into the water though not physically yet morally Go to saith Gregorie Nyssen thou that art baptized thou art become another man it doth not appeare in the lineaments of thy body it must appeare in the lineaments of thy manners thou must be dead vnto the sinne whereunto thou diddest liue and liue vnto God vnto whom thou wert dead thou must haue put off the Old and put on the new Man Mortification and Viuification Remission of sinnes Adoption to be Gods sonnes Iustification and Sanctification are the Blessings that wee reape by being put into that Bath of Regeneration Which is also the very gate of saluation and maketh vs capable of all other sacred Rites of the Church which they call Sacramenta or Sacramentalia Sacraments or things that haue cognation therewith And indeed it is called Sacramentum initiationis the Sacrament of initiation or our Admission into the Church All Religions haue some ceremonious Forme whereby they admit Professors into their societie Austin cont Crescon Gramaticum l. 3. c. 25. the Iewes had Circumcision the Gentiles had seuerall kindes of Purifyings though herein the Gentiles were but the Apes of the Iewes the same God that annext Circumcision to the old Testament was pleased that Baptisme should bee annext to the new and by that toadmit all the world into one body of the Catholicke Church But let vs come to the Forme They were to baptize in the name of the Father Sonne and the holy Ghost And here we meet with the first and greatest fundamentall Principle in Religion which is Vnitie in Trinitie and Trinitie in Vnitie In Nomine in the Name noteth the Vnitie of the Godhead against Arius for were there more Gods than one the holy Ghost would say in Nominibus and not in Nomine Secondly in the phrase in Nomine Note that where no one Name is specified all the Names of God are comprehended for all note but one and the selfe same nature the riches whereof we cannot comprehend but vnder diuers names which helpe our weake vnderstanding but doe not diuide it The mention of the Father Sonne and the Holy Ghost refutes Sabellius and shewes that though the Nature of God is but One yet in that One there are three Persons whereof no one is the other neyther is one euer called by the name of the other when they are considered in relation one to the other but in relation to vs they communicate in the Name Father and Spirit is their common attribute because God is a Spirit Saint Basil hath a short but a good note 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 We must obserue the Forme of Baptisme which is deliuered in the Gospel and we must beleeue in them into whom we were baptised and we must glorifie as many as we beleeue in the Father the Sonne and the holy Ghost And indeed without the true knowledge and acknowledgement of the Trinitie we cannot reape the comfortable fruite of our Baptisme for wee owe it vnto all three persons though to none but to them three St. Ierome saith right Vna diuinitas vna largitio the Deitie in all three is One and therefore all three bestow the same gift vpon vs we haue the same Author of our Regeneration as we had of our Creation all three persons concurred to worke it and all three to put vs in possession of it Which that wee may the better perceiue Lib. 6. cent Donatist learne of St. Austine that this Forme of Baptisme doth containe the whole Creede for the Creede is is diuided into three parts euery part doth expresse one of the three persons and the benefit which the Church reapeth from that person for so in the Catechisme we teach children to summe vp the Creede when we aske them what they learne therein they answer vs they learne three things first to beleeue in God the Father that made them and all the world secondly to beleeue in God the Sonne that redeemed them and all mankind thirdly to beleeue in God the holy Ghost that sanctifieth them and all the Elect of God Marke then St. Austins conclusion Symbolum igitur profitetur quis eo ipso quod baptizatur the receiuing of Baptisme is a Profession of the Christian Faith And this is a principall reason why the Sacrament of Baptisme was as St.
range their Schollars into Formes and though themselues bee neuer so learned yet they reade vnto their seuerall Formes no deeper points than they are capable of if they should doe otherwise well might they shew their learning they would shew no discretion neither would the Schollars be the better for that which they should teach them And you must remember that it concernes you so to distinguish your Auditors feede some with milke some with strong meate you must catechize the youth plainly 1. Cor. 3.2 Hebr. 5.12 briefly the elder that are riper in yeares and iudgement must be built on with more learning and more full instruction This is that our Sauiour meaneth when hee saith that the Steward of the Lords House who is faithfull and wise will giue to euery one of the Family his portion Luke 12.42 and that in due season In due season not only speaking Verbum Dei in die suo opening such passages of Scripture as are sutable to seuerall Times and Feasts a thing which discreet Ministers should looke vnto and thinke that the Church hath therefore disposed the passages of Scripture in the Liturgie agreeable to Times that the Minister should therehence learne what Arguments hee should chuse for his Texts But this is not all that is meant by giuing the beleeuers each one his portion in due season it is meant also that they must so breed all that are committed to their care that the old shall not neede to come backe againe to learne their rudiments wherein they should haue beene throughly instructed when they were young If this were done so many discontents would not grow betweene pastor and people while they contend which of the Flocke should be or should not be catechized neither should Ministers haue cause to complaine of the grosse ignorance which they finde in many that are well stricken in yeares But this comes to passe for that the wholsome Ordinance of the Church is neglected which requires that you should call vpon children to performe in their owne persons that vow which was made for them by their Sureties and not suffer them to partake the Communion and other sacred Rites till they can doe it so well that you may vpon your knowledge present them to the Bishop and the Bishop vpon try all confirme them and admit them to the other priuiledges of Christianity But as foolish Schoolemasters that ignorant people may thinke their Schollars are very forward reade Greeke to them when they scarce vnderstand any Latine so doe many vnaduised Ministers teach the people great mysteries of Religion who vnderstand not the elements thereof and their catechizings are more profound than their preachings should be I wish you would I hope you will take heed of this errour and shew your selues more skilfull Schoolemasters in breeding your Disciples There is another errour and it is some kinne to this and that is to teach them that are present the duety of some that are absent teach the people what is the Pastors duty and the Pastor what is the peoples duetie in a Country Parish to speake of their faults that are in authority and at an Assembly of Iudges of Iustices to discourse at large of those things which concerne the duety of a Country man c. I will not deny but that the Moralities are so intermixt in Scripture that occasion may bee giuen to intermingle Instructions concerning different Auditories but discretion requires that we should then passe by or at least lightly passe ouer what concernes others and insist vpon that which is fitting to the present Auditory otherwise wee shall but feed a corrupt humour which is naturall to vs all and that is a desire to heare other mens dueties especially their faults and in the meane time to be carelesse of our owne dueties and to be puft vp with the conceit that our selues are the better because we heare others are so bad thus many are brought to sigh for other mens sinnes who might better spend their griefe about their owne It were well if it were no worse it breeds an ill conceit of others which proceeds to vncharitable and vndutifull both words and deedes the world hath had too much proofe of it it is a seede of sedition your precise Preachers haue sowne too much of it But surely this is not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to imitate discreet Schoolemasters in teaching of the people But Pastors must not onely bee 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they must teach the people 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to keepe that which is taught them or obserue it in their liues and conuersation A discreete Schoolemaster doth not onely teach his Schollars Grammar Rules whereby for example true Latine may bee made but hee teacheth them also to make Latine according to those Rules neither doth he thinke his paines bestowed to any purpose before his Schollars can doe that Euen so a discreet Minister must teach his people not onely to know but to doe their duetie to turne their Science into Conscience so to learne Christ as to become Christians Christians in that sense which St. Paul speaketh of to the Galathians Cap. 5. My little children with whom I am in trauell againe till Iesus Christ bee formed in you which you may farther interpret by his words in the first of that Epistle I liue saith St. Paul yet no more I but Iesus Christ liueth in mee To the Corinthians likewise thus hee writes ◠Cor. 3.2 that they are his Epistle written by the Spirit of God in the tables of their hearts by his ministry so legible as that it might bee seene and read of all And elsewhere he saith that to learne Christ is to put off the Old man and put on the New And certainly Iames 1. Psal 19. hee is a very truant in the Schole of Christ whose life doth not expresse his learning that is not aswell a doer as a hearer of the word It is a grosse conceit that true beleeuing without godly liuing will aduantage a Christian and yet it was an ancient conceit St. Austin was occasioned by it to write his Bookes de fide operibus yea before him the Apostles in euery Epistle forget not to correct that errour And indeede Baptisme which is Sacramentum fidei the obsignation of our faith doth it not represent vnto vs our dying vnto sinne Rom. 6. and rising vnto righteousnesse and if wee doe not make this vse of it non prodest sed obest they that are not the better by it shall fare the worse for their Baptisme for the indelible character which we receiue in it will testifie against vs in the day of iudgement that wee haue not only transgrest Gods commandements but also broken our vow of obedience which will adde to our guilt and increase our paine for the seruant that knoweth his Masters will and doth it not shall be beaten with more stripes Luke 12.47 and you know in the Gospel that of the two sonnes
of the Gospel it teacheth how all men should bee ranged in their orders and rest contented with their measure of gifts it teacheth the true reference between parents and children masters and seruants magistrates and subiects pastors and people yea between pastors it noteth the inequalitie which it maketh good by the Analogie which is betweene our naturall body and the Church As it doth thus teach proportion so doth it complexion also the blood of Doctrine as Tertullian cals it is defaecated clensed from all earthly dreggs and drosse it endureth no earthly and grouelling affections no melancholy or dismall cogitations As no humour more than melancholie doth deforme the beauty of complexion no more is any thing more opposite to the truth of the Gospell than sowre and hellish desires and thoughts But vnto beauty it is not enough that the blood be purged from melancholy the colour will not bee viuidus floridus fresh and cheerefull if the blood be eyther dilutus or sublimatus nimis too watery through phlegme or too fierie through choller the one maketh a fallow complexion the other too high coloured And verily the Gospell doth not humour men nor feede their raw and vndigested vanities whereunto our adle heads and euil hearts while we affect commerce with this world are prone As it doth not humour the carnall wantonnesse of men no more doth it make them Enthusiasts nor carry their thoughts into the closet of Gods secrets there to reade what hee hath not reuealed in his word it teacheth them not to seeke the things that are too hard for them nor to search rashly things that are too mighty for them it clippeth the wings of such soaring spirits with the admonition of the Apostle Rom. 12. Let no man presume to vnderstand aboue that which is meete but that hee vnderstand vnto sobrietie The Gospell that worketh such spirituall proportion and complexion is iustly termed a staffe of beauty 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith an old Philopher no painter or caruer can limme or graue any picture or statua that in any sort can represent the exquisite beauty that is in truth He spake it of philosophicall it is much more true of theologicall truth The Sonne of Syrach compares Simon the sonne of Onias the high Priest ministring in the Sanctuarie vnto the Morning starre in the middest of a cloud â—cclus 50. vnto the Moone when it is at full to the Sunne shining vpon the Temple of the most high to the Raine-bow bright in the faire clouds to the fairest flowers the goodliest trees the richest iewels he concludes Wisd 8. when hee put on the garment of honour he was cloathed with all beauty so likewise saith the wise man in the long garment was all the ornament or as some reade all the world as if all the beautie of the World were concluded therein Yet all this was but a transitorie Type Types come short of their Truths and things temporall of those things which are eternall If those were so beautifull how beautifull are these learne the inequalitie from St. Paul If the administration of condemnation were glorious much more doth the ministration of righteousnesse exceede in glorie for euen that which was glorified was not glorified in this point that is as touching the exceeding glorie for if that which should be abolished were glorious much more shall that which remaineth be glorious 2 Cor. 3. This is excellently represented in the image of the Church which we haue â—euel 12. with the Moone that is all mutable and transitorie things vnder her feete her selfe was cloathed with the Sunne and had vpon her head a crowne with twelues starres I will not trouble you with the portraiture of the Church which is made Cant. 4. where euery limbe of her is set forth in its proper beauty That which I will onely note is that this beauty came by the Gospell Cap. 60. so Esay foretold Arise O Hierusalem bee bright for thy light is come and the glory of the Lord is risen vpon thee and the Apostle confirmes it when out of another place of the same Prophet he congratulateth the time of Christs comming Cap. 62. and the publishing of the Gospell by his Ministers with those words Rom. 10. How beautifull are the feete of them which bring glad tidings of peace surely that was the time wherein Christ came to make his Church sine macula ruga without spot or wrinkle to make heauenly Hierusalem the perfection of beauty as it is called in the Psalme and described in the end of the Reuelation I doe not now wonder at Dauids exclamation O how amiable are thy dwellings c. Psalme 84. and his One thing haue I desired c. Psalme 27. for hee cannot but bee rauished with loue that hath a sight of this heauenly beauty The word doth not onely signifie beautie but sweetnesse also and indeed Christ was wholly delectable as we read in the Canticles his fruit was sweet vnto his Spouses mouth the Gospel is sweeter than honey and the honey combe the Prophet Esay compares it to a banquet of sweet wines of meat full of marrow the Gospell to a marriage feast his spirit is the spirit of Adoption and of Libertie his burden is light his yoke is easie St. Paul Gal. 4. doth amplifie this by the opposition of Mount Sion to Mount Sinai In a word Christ hath his name from oyle euen sweete oyle to signifie the softnesse and pleasantnesse of his nature Zacharie foretold he should come meeke vnto his Church himselfe bids his Disciples Matth. 11. Learne of him because he is meeke and St. Paul exhorts the Christians by the meeknesse of our Sauiour Iesus Christ St. Bernard found much sweetnesse in the name of Iesus also when he conceiued that it was mel in ore melos in aure iubilum in corde honey in the mouth musicke in the eare and the very ioy of our hearts so that Christs first staffe was a staffe not only of fairenesse but of sweetnesse also And this is for our imitation that are Pastors At the deliuering of the Crocier we finde in the Ritualls that the Ordainer speaketh these words to the ordained Accipe baculum Pastoralis officij vt sis in corrigendis vitijs piè seuerus our staffe inableth vs to strike at sinne but we must neuer strike but with tender compassion towards the sinner in curing of spirituall sores wee must imitate good chirurgions haue Lions hearts but Ladies hands This is that we must learne from the staffe of beauty I come now to the other staffe the staffe of bands or the second Ability that must be in a good Pastor As he must bee well skild in the Couenant of grace and furnished throughout with Euangelicall truth which is the sweet beauty of the Church so must hee also be prouided of Charitiâ— and tender Christian peace taking care that the parts fall not asunder the one from the other Greg. Nyssen 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉
4. of Iohn the woman of Samaria alledgeth Our Fathers worshiped in this Mount in defence of Mount Garisim against Sion But this is but apish imitation on all hands and not the true vse that is to be made of Stories You haue heard their Desire and the Reason thereof which they are bold to vtter vnto Christ But they that are so bold to propose are not bold to resolue It was but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it was not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that was in them you may gather it by the voyce of Grace wherewith they correct the voyce of Nature There are but two meanes whereby men may accomplish an action Potentia and Potestas Ability and Authority they deny themselues both First Ability They will haue fire but it is from Heauen they will haue none but such as God can send and such workes of wonder they acknowledge to be his workes and though they be performed at the word of man yet he worketh by his owne finger and therefore it is not to be doubted but if he doe it it shal be well done and if it be not well he will not do it Neyther doe they onely deny that they haue Ability but Authority also which they referre to Christ Master wilt thou As the ability is Gods so they know that God worketh not but Mediante Christo and therefore haue they recourse vnto him Though they confesse whether their owne heart carried them yet they doubted of the goodnesse thereof as they had cause for immediately before they were chid because they forbid one to worke miracles that did not follow Christ that they did out of zeale as they did this they saw they erred there they thought they might erre heere also wherefore they come in with Lord wilt thou Iusta voluntas hominis quae ea tantum vult quae Deus vult eam velle iniusta vero quae vult illud quod Deus non vult eam velle And Saint Bernard Quid odit Serm de Resur aut punit Deus praeter propriam voluntatem cesset voluntas propria et Infernus non erit Wee may not take in hand corporall no nor spirituall weapons without this preface Lord wilt thou and wee must pray Psal 143. Teach me O Lord to doe thy will for thou art my God The two meanes whereby the Apostles qualifie their speech will teach vs to qualifie ours They put the Question to Christ and Christ shapeth them an Answere and his answere consisteth of a Reproofe of their zeale and Disproofe of their reason and he doth both in Words and Deeds First in Deeds He turned about His Obseruation will not hold that saith this phrase is neuer taken but in bonam partem it signifieth sometimes the euidence of Christs displeasure Christ as hee was truely man so was he herein like vnto him that those Obiects that wrought vpon his soule gaue some signification in his bodie of sorrow when he wept of exultation when he reioyced and of displeasure when he was wrath but his passions were free from Concupiscence wherewith ours are defiled our Passions are like water that hath a muddie residence which when it is stirred euery part groweth fowle with mudde but Christs like cleane water in a pure vessell which is neuer the fowler for the motion This being obserued Christs turning to them might well bee such as gaue notice that hee was offended with them Neither did he reproue them in Gesture only but in Words also his words commented on his gesture and they were words of reproofe verè diligit Christus suos sed seuere as well as he loueth them he spareth not to let them know their faults hee is farre from King Dauids indulgence of whom it is obserued that he neuer said to his sonne Adoniah Why doest thou so But Christ as when there is cause he comforts so when there is cause hee checkes also Neither must wee looke that the light of his countenance should alwayes shine vpon vs except there be in vs constant obedience But Reproofe without Disproofe is to hold the hand without mending the heart Christ intends the good of his whom he reproues and therefore disproues that which misled them that when they see their errour they may not only forbeare but also be willing so to doe when they see there is good reason why they should Christ then disproues their Reason their Reason was Elias did so therefore why not wee Christ telleth them the Example is ill applied You know not of what spirit you are And indeed Examples are tickle proofes and conclude nothing except both agree in the same common Rule or Principle Now that they neuer examined Christ therefore telleth them They know not of what spirit they are The spirit doth often signifie not only the Person of God and Diuell but also the motions that in vs are wrought by either of them so the first meaning of Christs words may bee You doe not obserue who stirreth you to this worke you thinke it is God but it is the Deuill Or if you will take the word Spirit only for an holy Spirit then Christs meaning is You doe not consider that euery ones temper must be sutable to his Calling Elias had one Calling you haue another Elias was to goe before Christ and turne the hearts of Fathers to their children that when Christ came he might not smite the earth with cursing and he went before in the person of Iohn Baptist who was a sower man But they as if Christ were to be Elias would haue him to breake forth in fierie wrath Which is the more blameable in them because when Christ sent them abroad he willed that if any Citie refuse to entertaine them they should only shake off the dust of their feet and leaue the rest of their punishment vnto Gods Iudgement who will in time handle them worse then the Apostles wished for it shall be easier for Sodome and Gomorra Matth. 5. which perished by fire then for that Citie And could they forget Christs Sermon which he made on the Mount wherein he willed them to loue their enemies to pray for them c. The reason whereof is because they know not how soone of wolues they may become sheepe The Samaritans whom they would haue consumed with fire were the first strangers that receiued the Gospel they were the first in the dayes of Christs flesh as appeareth in the storie Iohn 4. And after Christs Ascension they were the first likewise as appeares in the Acts. Chap. ◠It is for God who only knoweth who will conuert and who not to giue such doomes as Elias did and till his pleasure is knowne our vocation that are Christians especially if we be Christian Pastors is to incline rather to mercie then to iudgement and because these Adostles did not so Christ challengeth their zeale of ignorance Nescitis cuius spiritus Though the Passion came immediately from the heart and so was zelus amarus
this word imports is That the sinnes which we entertaine for friends shall suddenly turne to be our foes they shall appeare as an Army furnished with the instruments of Death So we learne of St PETER Brethren I beseech you 1 Pet. 2 11. as strangers and pilgrimes abstaine from fleshly lusts which fight against the soule We thinke that by them we sight against GOD but GOD is impenitrable the arrowes that we shoot rebound backe and wound our selues And no maruell for sinne is the sting of death and we cannot commit sinne but we receine that sting and when GOD shall come against vs as Iâ—HV against IEZEâ—EL and call who is on my side who Our owne sinnes 2 King 9. as her Eunuches shall stand out and at his command cast vs downe to be trampled vnder feet and to be made meat for Dogges to be insulted vpon by the Fiends of Hell and to be gnawne on by Death But where shall this martialling be Surely in our owne bosome in our owne conscience that shall then be a true and a cleare glasse representing our sinnes and representing them armed against vs. And this shall adde much to our miserie it shall not be then with vs as it is in this world here we behold our naturall face in a glasse Iames 1. and by and by goe away and forget what manner of person we were but this glasse shall still be before vs and our eye shall still be on it And why It is nothing but the worme that neuer dyeth we can no more be rid of it then we can be rid of our soule the Conscience is an essentiall power of the Soule and this worme by an irreuocable decree is made a perpetuall companion of a guiltie Conscience the wicked shall carrie it with them from the Iudgement-Seat and shall keepe it with them so long as they shall burne in the flames of Hell This is a powerfull Motiue and should worke in you that are guiltie a care to disarme so powerfull an Enemie to plucke out the sting before the wound be vncurable so many sinnes as remaine vnrepented of are as so many treacherous Souldiers howsoeuer they doe now speake friendly to you yet when they are least feared they will giue deadly strokes you shall feare them when you shall haue no remedy against them What I say to you I say vnto all nay GOD himselfe saith it in the close of this Psalme Heare this all ye that forget God Iewes and Gentiles whatsoeuer you be if you be adulterers drunkards vsurers blasphemers any way wicked liuers Consider this saith GOD least I suddenly take you away and there be none to helpe you for if we be guiltie of such sinnes and encourage our selues in them by base conceipts of GOD GOD will not faile to reproue vs and marshall such wickednesse before vs to conuict vs thereof and confound vs therewith God giue vs all timely repentance that we may preuent so fearefull a vengance Amen Πάντοτε δόξα Θηῶ. A SERMON PREACHED AT St ANDREWES IN WELLS A WOMAN DOING PENANCE FOR INCEST GALATH. 6. VERSE 1. Brethren if a man be ouertaken in a fault you which are spirituall restore such a one in the spirit of meekenesse considering thy selfe lest thou also be tempted WE are all compounded of the Old and New man and euerie one feeles the solicitations of both These solicitations exercise both our head and our heart our head to discerne betweene them our heart to make a good choyce vpon a right iudgement And that we make such a choyce it should appeare in our works they should argue the death of concupiscence and the life of grace in that we beare fruit not to the Flesh but to the Spirit Now the fruit of the Spirit is either pietie or charitie it testifieth that our selues are carefull to be good and being good we are not vnrespectiue of others Not of them that are good for it keeps vs from being ambitiously insolent not of them that are bad for it makes vs compassionately mercifull The exercise of this last branch of charitie the opening of our tender bowels towards such as offend is the Argument of these words which I haue now read vnto you Here we haue Offendors described and Compassion enioyned Offendors not of all sorts but such as ought to be the subiect of Compassion Offendors that are ouertaken in a fault we are enioyned to shew Compassion to these to restore them in the spirit of meekenesse And touching this Compassion we are moreouer taught First who must shew it and secondly what must moue them therunto They that must shew it are here called Brethren and spirituall each name importeth a reference they haue vnto the Offendor the first a reference of their persons they are their Allies and therefore may not shut their bowels against them the second of their guifts the better they are the more good they must doe such are the persons that must shew compassion And they must be moued thereunto out of an apprehension of the common danger danger is common to all Thou mayst likewise be tempted and no man must be vnobseruant hereof he must consider his owne selfe So haue you the contents of this Text which I meane now farther to enlarge as this spectacle doth occasion and shall be most behoofefull for vs all I begin first at the description that is here made of an Offendor where you shall see first his fault and then the cause thereof The fault is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a fall a fall taken by stumbling The fall is not corporall but morall yet by a corporall you may vnderstand a morall fall for he that falleth in regard of the sight of his body commeth lower and withall ordinarily taketh a bruise euen so is it in a morall fall GOD by Creation made a man dominum socium If you looke to this visible world he made him dominum as it appeareth Genes 1. where Soueraigntie is giuen ouer the Beasts Birds Fishes and euerie other Creature made for the vse of man But if you looke to the inuisible world then was he to be Socius a confort with the Angels in the blessed state of Heauen Yea in this Microcosme the Fabricke of the nature of man which is as it were an Epitome of these two other worlds the better part had the guidance of and commanded ouer the worse the Soule ruled the Body But so soone as man sinned he came downe domintos became servus and these base creatures began to tyrannize ouer vs who were ordained their Lords hence goods meats drinkes and other corruptible things are become Idols and we fall downe and worship them and what will not a man doe transported by the vanity of this world As for the societie we had with Angels the blessed Angels of Heauen we haue lost that and are become the Serpents brood not onely Beasts but also Diuels Finally Earth hath gotten the vpper hand of Heauen the Body of the
vncharitablenesse in our supernaturall cognation Naturall brethren maligne each the other either because the affection of Parents is vnequall or because they shall not haue equall part in the Inheritance but GOD embraceth all his children with the same loue and they are all called to be heires of the same Kingdome therefore they should all haue alike tender bowels one towards another As the name of Brethren calleth for compassion so doth the name of spirituall also by spirituall is ment he that is strong in Faith and hath not yeelded to temptation he that is led by the Spirit and hath not fulfilled the lusts of his Flesh the more he is so spirituall the more compassionate he must be Greg. Mag◠Vera iustitia compassionem habet falsa indignationem It is a shrewd argument that our righteousnesse is pharisaicall and not Christian if we rather insult then shew pittie who more spirituall then GOD then Christ then the Angels The best of men cannot match the meanest of them in the holines of Spirit and yet the Angels reioyce at the conuersion of a sinner Luke 19.7 and how doth Christ the good Sheepeheard take comfort in the recouerie of the lost Sheepe And as for GOD you read his disposition in that countenance and cheere wherewith the Father receiued his prodigall child Where there is lesse kindnesse there is lesse of the Spirit as in the Diuell who calumniateth amplyfieth sinnes aggrauateth Iudgements and we are too like him if our bowels be crueltie You see who must shew compassion and read their duties in their names But if their names will not worke enough the ground that the Text addeth inforcing this dutie doth more strongly presse them and the ground is considering thy selfe least thou also be tempted 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 our eies happily are watchfull but are more fixed vpon others then vpon our selues we take delight to pry farre into other mens faults and a pleasing thing it is to flesh and blood to be learned in such arguments But it is but a propertie of Vultures and Rauens that quickly sent carrion and hast vnto it the Holy Ghost here taketh off our eyes from other obiects and fastens them vpon our selues we are the book which our selues should most study we should know none so well as our selues But when we are brought so farre as to study our selues we study like the Pharisee read nothing in our selues but our owne perfections if GOD hath giuen vs any guifts we need no spectacles to read it the characters are alwayes of the largest sise yea we oftentimes read more then is written and giue thankes to GOD for that which he hath not bestowed or not bestowed in that measure which we suppose we haue Because of our ouer great docilitie to study this argument the Scripture passeth by it and reads vs another lesson the lesson of our infirmities looke we must vpon our selues yea and to our selues also but that which we must behold and heed is least thou also be tempted Consider Quia homo es habens naturam mutabilem saith THEODORET No man in this world is so spirituall but he is also carnall St HIEROME with this Text censured the Heretickes of old and we may censure some that liue at this day who thinke that a righteous man is such a tree as can beare no bad fruit but posse peccare is the portion of euerie mortall man and he that standeth may fall for we all walke in the middest of snares Aut sumus aut fuimus aut possumus esse quod haec est euen he that hath ouercome temptation knowes how hard a thing it is to be tempted And if it be hard then should not we be hard hearted towards them whom it foyleth Which obseruation is not vnnecessarie because our nature is as prone to rigor as it is to sinne we are to haue an eye to both and indeed nothing will make vs sooner auoid the temptation vnto rigor then the acknowledgment that our felues are prone to sinne it is St AVSTINS rule Nil sic ad misericordiam inclinat ac proprij periculi cogitatio he that knowes he may need mercie hath a good inducement to shew mercie Wherefore as to the comfort of the Penitent I may promise her that her teares are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 though she sow in teares Basil she shall reape inioy so let me aduise you to forgiue and it shall be forgiuen vnto you He that is mercifull doth good to his owne soule saith SOLOMON Prou. 11. Ecel 8. Eph. 4. Colos 3. Wherefore despise ye not a man returning from his sinne be courteous one towards another and tender hearted forgiuing freely as God for Christ sake forgiueth you St PAVL doth teach vs this lesson in this Text the Text is documentum exemplum the matter of it informeth vs yea the phrase is a good patterne vnto vs in deliuering an argument of mercie he vseth not a word that doth not sauour of mercie Homo noting the pronesse of our nature to sinne 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the occasions of sinne praeoccupatus the surprisall all in fauour of the Penitent And what meaneth the name of Brother Spirituall the Spirit of Meeknesse Consider thy selfe Thou mayst be tempted Are they not as water cast vpon the fire of our zeale to temper it if it grow too hot Then looke we on the words all call vpon vs that as we are eye witnesses and eare witnesses of this Penitents confession contrition so we should let GOD and the Angels see how full we are of compassion Compassion that must moue vs all to pray to GOD for her that God by the power of the keyes may loose her from those bands wherewith her sinne her crying sinne hath tyed her God heare vs and worke by vs and in vs that she may be fully restored and her fall may make vs all to beware Amen Blessed are the mercifull for they shall find mercie A SERMON PREACHED IN THE CATHEDRAL CHVRCH OF WELS AT WHAT TIME A MAN DID PENANCE FOR INCEST WITH HIS WIVES DAVGHTER 1 CORINTH 5. VERSE 1 c. 1 Jt is reported commonly that there is fornication amongst you and such fornication as is not so much as named amongst the Gentiles that one should haue his fathers wife 2 And ye are puffed vp and haue not rather mourned that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from amongst you 3 For J verily as absent in body but present in spirit haue iudged already as though J were present against him that hath so done this deed 4 Jn the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ when ye are gathered together and my spirit with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ 5 To deliuer such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh that the spirit may be saued in the day of the Lord Jesus THE present occasion led me to this Text and this Text that I haue read vnto you well fitteth
the vncleane Spirit I goe on This censure which you haue heard of was inflicted by St PAVL and the Acts of inflicting it are two first it is pronounced by himselfe iudicially and then he requireth that it be solemnly denounced by the Corinthians First touching his owne iudiciall pronouncing here is something remarkable in his person for he was absent and present absent in body present in Spirit There is a morall rule contained in these words and a miracle The morall is this distance of place doth not extinguish the relation that is betweene persons though a King and his Subiects a Master and his Seruant a Husband and his Wife a Father and his Child be farre a sunder yet may they giue order one to another concerning their affaires so may a Pastor to his CHVRCH Especially an Apostle might who wheresoeuer he were was neuer out of his Dioces for his Dioces reached ouer all the world and so St PAVL being at Ephesus in Asia was in regard of his relation at Corinth also which is in Europe thus was he present euen when he was absent These words containe also a miracle Papae quanta est virtus doni saith St CHRYSOSTOME What a strange guift of the Spirit was this which maketh men that are a sunder to be together and informeth men of those things which are done a farre off so that none of his Dioces could any where be out of his reach Such an assistance of the Spirit had ELIZEVS 2 King 5. 8 who being in Israel could tell what was done in the King of Syria's bed-chamber and being in his owne chamber saw GEHEZI take bribes of NAAMAN when he was farre out of his sight Such a guift had St PAVL and thereby could be present where he was absent as he speaketh here and he tels the Colossians Cap. 2. that when he was absent yet he did he hold their order and stedfastnesse of their faith in Christ as his knowledge so also his power reached to any distance for the punishing of offendors This being obserued concerning his person we are now to see his worke he doth pronounce iudicially I haue iudged already Where we must first obserue that when Iurisdictions are subordinate if the inferiour be carelesse the superiour must take cognizance of the disorder and supply the others negligence otherwise Churches and Common-weales will come to confusion this is the course that St PAVL taketh in his place Secondly the word iudging doth import that he did not deale passionately or rashly but aduisedly and as beseemed a Iudge he tryed the cause by the Law of GOD and doomed not what he found not forbidden therein And indeed Apud Deum non sacerdotis sententia sed reorum vita quaeritur there must be some generall Law which men are bound to obey and mens liues must be tryed by that Law and as they are found so they must be censured otherwise GOD doth not regard he doth not approue the censure Last of all marke that St PAVL doth not onely say I haue iudged but I haue iudged already he doth not put off his iudgement vntill he commeth to Corinth but proceeds without delay you shall find the reason in the Preacher cap. 8. Because sentence against an euill worke is not executed speedily therefore the heart of the sonnes of men is fully set in them to doe euill a timely chastisement of one is a soueraigne preseruatiue of many You haue heard how iudicially St PAVL pronounced the sentence the next thing that you must heare is that he requires the Corinthians to denounce it solemnly he will that they haue a hand in it partly to redeeme their negligence and partly to expresse their detestation of sinne in both respects it was behoofefull that they should denounce what he had decreed denounce it by the mouthes of their Pastors as what is decreed by vs in the Consistorie is published by the Minister of the Parish where the sinner dwelleth whom our Decrees concerne But to denounce is not enough they must denounce it solemnly First in regard of the place it must be done in the face of the CHVRCH You being gathered together and my spirit with you that is in the presence of the chiefe Pastor and all his Flocke at Corinth Notorietas facti must haue notorietatem iuris Deut. 29. a publike sinne must haue a publike doome that others may behold and beware But this is done tantum conscia Ecclesia the Congregation is but witnesse to the doome not Iudge of the fact the power of the Keyes is giuen to the CHVRCH quoad 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not quoad 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that it may haue the benefit of them not the managing the managing is committed onely to the Pastor as appeares Math. 16. and Ioh. 20. As the denouncing must be solemne in place so must it be in proceeding also for they must proceed cum potestate potenti â with the Authoritie and Efficacie of our Lord IESVS CHRIST St PAVL doth pronounce the Corinthians doe denounce neither of them must arrogate more to himselfe then is committed to him in regard of Authoritie they are but Delegates in regard of Efficacie they are but Instruments of CHRIST he is the Author and Actor of the Censure so that the proceeding must not be in mans name or with mans power but in the Name of our Lord Iesus Christ and with the Power of our Lord Iesus Christ This maketh the proceeding to be solemne in deed CHRIST is present at it his Commission is our warrant and his cooperation maketh good our censure Whose soeuer sinnes ye remit Iohn â—â— they are remitted vnto them and whose soeuer sinnes ye retaine they are retained Whatsoeuer ye bind on Earth it shall be bound in Heauen So that we must doe all ad nutum summi Pastoris as we are directed and authorized by the chiefe Pastor And you that are the Penitent must heare and feare the sentence as if it came from CHRIST's owne mouth and were to be performed by CHRIST's owne hand Put all the parts of the censure together and you will confesse that it is horrendum iudicium for you must set before your eyes Heauen and Hell the blessed state of those that are in the one the woefull state of those that are in the other then behold a man taken out of the blisse of the one and throwne into the woe of the other by an Apostle and in the presence of all the Saints nay by CHRIST himselfe by his voyce by his hands you must suppose that all this is done Contra Aduer sarium legis Lib. 1. cap. 17. St AVSTIN when he considered it thought it was grauius quam gladio feriri c. much more grieuous then to be beheaded burned stoned c. Many euidences there are of GODS seueritie against impure lusts Deut. 23. as namely he would not that a bastard should come into the Congregation of Israel
you that are the Penitents that it doth not you should not be here to doe penance if you had such doome as GODS Law requireth you are therefore bound to thanke GOD for the clemencie of the State and make good vse of this time of grace remembring that though you scape the corporall fire there is another fire which you haue cause to feare which St IVDE telleth vs was figured out in the perpetuall burning of Sodome and Gomorrha the fire of Hell and assure your selues that if the Land of Canaan spued out those impure persons Heauen will receiue no such and if they that transgressed MOSES Law perished ciuilly without all mercie most wofull shall their destruction be that are reserued for that fire which shall deuour the aduersaries the fire of Hell You shall doe well therefore to quench that fire before you come at it and there are three waters with which you must quench it The first is the water of your teares you must imitate King DAVID who all the night long washt his bed watered his couch with his teares there he sinned and there he bathed himselfe so must you But mans teares are too weake a water to wash away either the guilt or staine of sinne which are the fewell of that fire you must therefore moreouer vse two other waters the water of CHRISTS blood to wash away the guilt and the water of his Spirit to purge out the corruption of your sinne If you make good vse of these three waters that fire will neuer seize on you otherwise assure your selues that though we spare you GOD will not spare you he will one day punish you most seuerely And it were good that our Law did not spare so much as it doth considering the growth and ouer-spreading of impuritie It were to be wisht that our temporall Sword did strike as deepe as the Sword of MOSES did it may when it pleaseth the State and it shall not doe it without example of other Countreys Or if that may not be obtained at least it were to be wisht that the old Canons of the CHVRCH were reuiued and ghostly discipline exercised more seuerely for certainly the scandall is great which such sinnes bring vpon the CHVRCH and they that slander vs without a cause when they haue iust cause how will they open their mouthes against vs Our care then should be to stop their mouthes but principally we should prouide that there be no wickednesse amongst vs which is the end of the doome and the last point of my Text. I will touch it briefly The Iudgement was seuere but it was necessarie Necessarie for the State which is to preserue it selfe free from guilt there must no wickednesse be amongst you No wickednesse that is impossible in this world for viuitur non cum perfectis hominibus they that haue most of the Spirit haue some-what of the Flesh and the Field of GOD till haruest will haue Tares as well as good Eares and the good eares will haue chaffe as well as good graine and the good graine will haue bran as well as flower We may not looke then for any State wherein there is no wickednesse The Law therefore requireth onely that there be Nullum scelus no haynous wickeduesse no tantum scelus as the Vulgar speaketh enormous transgressions there must be no crying sinnes the State must haue a vigilant eye vpon such sinnes and execute vengeance vpon notorious sinners they must not be amongst vs. But they will the Serpent will be in Paradise yea Lucifer was in Heauen the Arke had a CHAM and amongst CHRISTS Disciples there was a IVDAS Be then they will amongst vs. But the meaning of the Law is they must not be indured by vs they must not scape vnpunished if they doe they will proue contagious such sinnes are like fretting Gangreenes they are like vnto Leauen they infect all about them and if they doe not infect they will make guiltie and for sparing such a one GOD will not spare a whole State And there is good reason for Qui non vetat cum potest iubet GOD taketh them for abettors that will not when they may reforme inordinate liuers Therefore the State must put away from amongst them such inordinate liuers 1 Cor. 5. Hierusalem below must as neere as may be be like vnto Hierusalem aboue Apoc. 22. of that aboue St IOHN saith Extracanes impudici no vncleane person commeth thither neither must any be indured here so soone as they appeare they must be made expiatorie Sacrifices and their death must free the State from guilt But I draw to an end A word to you that are the Malefactors Origen Ad paenitentiae remedium confugite qui praeuenti estis tam graui peccato Seeing you haue beene ouertaken with so foule a fault neglect not the remedy which GOD hath left you heartie and vnfained repentance for your sinne the rather because you haue to do with a most mercifull Iudge who doth not onely moderate the punishment but commute it also commute the punishment which you should suffer in Hell with a punishment which the CHVRCH inflicteth here on Earth Consider the qualitie consider the quantitie of these different punishments and you will confesse that it is a most mercifull commutation Cast then your eyes backe and consider what you haue done how haynous your offence hath beene and cast your eyes forwards likewise and consider what you haue deserued how great a danger you haue incurred by inioying a short and beastly pleasure Thinke vpon both these often and thinke vpon them seriously so shall you yeeld GOD the greater glorie for the mercie which he vouchsafeth you and he shall worke the greater comfort in your soules by assuring you of the remission of that sinne wherewith you haue so greatly prouoked him And to vs all this I say Eligamus priùs affectus castigare quà m propter ipsos castigemur Let vs plucke out our eyes cut off our hands rather then by retayning them to be cast into Hell-fire Let this spectacle remember vs often to set before vs the shame of the world and the horror of a guiltie conscience which befall enormous sinners in this life And if that will not hold in our corrupt nature let vs set before vs the neuer-dying Worme the euer-burning Fier Or rather 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Let vs begin here our life in chastitie Nazian that we may one day be in the number of those Virgins that follow the Lambe whether soeuer he goeth Reuel 14. And let Magistrates and Ministers both be iealous ouer the State with a godly iealousie that as by the Ministry of the Word and Sacraments it is espowsed to one Husband 2 Cor. 11. so it may be presented as a chast Virgin vnto CHRIST when those heauenly Nuptials shall be solemnized wherein standeth our euerlasting happinesse This God grant for Jesus Christs sake by the operation of the Holy Spirit To which one
both to our faith and to our manners and from our most wise and most holy GOD nothing could proceed that was not most righteous and most true Out of this Principle doth MALACHI worke the reparation of a breach which the Iewes had made vpon the seuenth Commandement The breach was Polygamie or multiplying of wiues whereof the reparation is a reducing of them to the first institution of marriage and this is done in those words that now I haue read vnto you Herein we haue first a Text of the Law And did he not make one Then a Sermon of the Prophet made thereon yet had he the residue of Spirit And wherefore one Because c. But more distinctly In the Text of the Law we will consider First the matter that is contained in it then the manner how the Prophet doth vrge it The matter sets before vs a Worke and a Workmaster The worke is the making of one the Workmaster was he both clauses are darke because the words are short To cleere them we must supply out of Genesis and there we find that this one was one Adam and the he that made him was the Lord God GOD made one out of one male he made one female by creation and by coniunction he made that female to be one againe with that male out of which he tooke her This is the matter The manner of the Prophets arguing the Text is powerfull that which in Genesis is a plaine narration is here turned into a question and in such questions the Holy Ghost doth report himselfe vnto the Consciences of those that heare whether to their knowledge he speake not truth So must you vnderstand those words did he not make one Hauing proposed his Text the Prophet maketh a short but a full Sermon hereupon for it consists of a doctrine and an exhortation The doctrine openeth the reason of GODS worke and the Prophet argues in effect thus GOD made but one was it because he could make no more or because he would make no more Certainly not because he could not for he had aboundance of Spirit then it was because he would not And indeed all GODS workes ad extra as the Schooles call them the workes of Creation Prouidence Redemption are all arbitrarie they come from his Will but such a Will as is not blind it is guided by his Wisedome and his Will prescribes nothing whereof his Wisedome cannot yeeld a reason and sometimes he is pleased to shew that reason to vs who otherwise are bound to rest satisfied with the signification of his holy Will Therefore the Prophet goeth on in his arguing wherefore one What is the reason of this Will of GOD And he answereth by the direction of GODS Spirit that it was expedient it should be so two wayes expedient First Expedient in Nature God sought for seed he would haue men multiply and increase which could not be except he had made one and if he had made more then one it could not well haue beene Secondly It was expedient in Grace also for though GOD would haue men multiply yet would he not haue them multiply otherwise then beseemed the children of GOD he sought a holy seed For these ends was GOD pleased thus to order his workes and vpon this doctrine of the ends doth the Prophet ground an exhortation it consists of two parts because in the case of mariage we owe a double respect one to our selues another to our mate The respect we owe to our selues is that we must watch ouer our better part take heed to our Spirit The respect we owe to our mate is we must not violate the faith plighted to her let no man deale treacherously with his wife especially if she be the wife of his youth that is he married her when he was young the longer they haue beene marryed together the more back-ward should they be from dealing falsely one with the other You see the particulars of the Text and of the Sermon that we may better vnderstand them and their fitnesse for this occasion I will open them a little more fully I pray GOD I may doe it profitably also Come we then to the Text of the Law to the matter contained therein I will not trouble you with the diuers translations and varietie of interpretations suitable thereunto leaue that to the Schooles our CHVRCH hath made a choyce and that choyce agrees well with the Originall we will rest contented with that and according to it frame our obseruations I told you that the words set before vs a Worke and a Workemaster yet neither doth plainly appeare they are onely pointed at here but exprest Gen 1. whence I supplyed the name of ADAM and the name of GOD whereof the first is the Worke and the second the Workmaster so that then the words will sound thus God made one Adam Let vs take these parts asunder The name of ADAM is not to be vnderstood vulgarly but as the Holy Ghost vseth it and so it comprehends both sexes so we read Gen. 1. GOD created ADAM male and female made he them in the 5 of Genesis more plainly God made man male and female and called them Adam so that the name ADAM being but one is commonly two the male and the female As they are one in name so are they in nature also we read Gen. 2. that GOD made the female out of the rib of the male for he would haue her to be like him De Paradiso Cap. 10. and he confest her to be bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh Nec illud otiose saith St AMBROSH it is worth our marking that GOD did not make the woman of the same Earth whereof he made man but he made EVE of the rib of ADAM to giue vs to vnderstand that there is but one body in them both and that one body the onely Fountaine of all mankind Plat. Do Conuiuio Leo. Heb. The Platonists Androgunos is but a corruption of this truth As man was by creation made two but of like substance and so continued still one both in name and nature so by a second work they were made yet more one that is by marriage Gen. 2. for that maketh two one flesh two I say the Septuagint adde that word vnto MOSES his Text and CHRIST approues it in the Gospel Math. 19◠1 Cor. 6. Eph. 5. St PAVL therein followeth CHRIST and the words of marriage are the man shall cleaue to his wife therefore doth the Apostle call the wife 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the husband 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Cor. 7. Lesse then one there could not be and be a naturall propagation and more then one there should not be and that propagation be orderly But this onenesse is principall or accessorie the principall is onenesse of coniugall power and coniugall affection Coniugall power for though in other things the man is superiour to the woman the husband to his wife Rom. 7.1
into the Congregation of Israel vnto the third generation Cap. 3. The Booke of Wisedome amplyfieth this point the children of Adulterers shall not come to perfection and the seed of the vnrighteous bed shall be rooted out the like you may read Eccl. 23. but because those Bookes are Apochryphall Cap. 31. ◠here what IOB saith of Adulterie It is a sinne to be condemned it will deuour vnto destruction and it would root out all my posteritie And no wonder that GOD dealeth so with Bastards for which of vs if he haue Land entailed entailes it otherwise then vpon heires lawfully begotten If we thinke Bastards vnworthy to inherite our Lands here on Earth shall GOD thinke them worthy to be heires of the Kingdome of Heauen I will not condemne all Bastards to Hell I know IEPHTA found fauour with GOD and so no doubt haue many others but that commeth to passe by GODS extraordinarie mercie ordinarie Promise we haue none that they shall doe well Yea obserue and you shall find that they seldome keepe a meane if good verie good and if they be bad they are verie bad and parents of such children haue reason rather to feare the worst then hope the best for though GOD at after-hand doth often pardon sinnes yet before-hand he giues no encouragement to sinners You that are the Penitent take this to heart your second match being plaine Adulterie the children borne in such wedlocke must needs be bastards and being Bastards they are not the holy seed yea they are a seed that is cursed so cursed for your fault that as much as in you lyeth you strip them of all blessings on Earth and in Heauen they are fauoured by the Law neither of God nor men And so great wrong done to them should goe to your verie heart you haue sinned against your children not onely against your owne body And let this suffice concerning the doctrine that is in the Prophets Sermon I come now to the exhortation which he deduceth therefrom The exhortation is double according to the double respect which we owe. The first is to our selues keepe your selues in your Spirit or take heed to your Spirit We must take care of our whole man the outward and inward for touching the outward the Apostles rule is 1 Thes 4.4 1 Cor. 3. 1 Cor. 6. We must keepe our vessels in honour we may not defile the Temples of God We may not take the Members of Christ and make them the Members of an Harlot we must be chast propter carnem Christi as IGNATIVS speaketh because we are bone of Christs bone and flesh of his flesh But as we must take care of our bodyes so must we much more take care of our soules for it is in vaine to keepe the body chast and to retaine an adulterous heart for an adulterous heart though it be peccatum sine teste it hath no man to witnesse it yet is it peccatum Athanasius God will doome it for sinne Yea if a man stop not lust in his heart Math. 15. he will not be master of it in his body for ex abundantia cordis out of the aboundance of the heart the mouth speaketh out of that commeth Adulteries and Fornications But qui adinngit Spiritui adimit carni the better the Soule is the better will the body be therefore is temperance properly called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a keeping of a man in his right wits because so long as a man hath his wits about him he is master of his lusts but no sooner hath Dalilah brought that Sampson asleepe but the Philistims will be vpon him and depriue him of his strength he will be ouertaken with this lustfull Epilepsie and prophane the Temple of the Lord. But to open this point a little farther we must obserue that as we haue sensuall and reasonable faculties so it was Gods pleasure that those actions which are Elicitae or come naturally from the sensuall faculties should also be imperatae ordered and limited by the rationall therefore is the rationall facultie called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the guid and gouernour of our life and he deserues not the name of a man whose sense is not subiect vnto reason But the Spirit doth not onely note the reasonable soule but in an argument concerning the CHVRCH it meaneth that Soule as it is regenerated by Grace and then it putteth vs in mind that the care of our Soules must be more then reasonable it must be spirituall and not onely the best wit of man which is corrupt as appeares in the vnchast chastitie of the Heathen but the sanctifying Grace of God must set bounds to our lusts which will suffer them to passe no farther then they are allowed by Gods Law A man is an excellent creature if he be but a man if he keepe his reasonable Spirit how much more excellent would a Christian man be if he could continue a Christian and preserue in himselfe the Spirit of Grace I may not omit the word keepe it willeth vs to set a watch because we are apt to run riot whether the Spirit signifie Reason or Grace we must watch If reason we must watch that we admit not into our imaginations nor suffer our wits to discourse vpon lustfull fancies we liue in the middest of temptations and none are more insinuating then those that are pleasurable we must take heed therefore that our reason be not betwitched by them they will cunningly euchant vs and transforme vs into beasts before we are aware wherefore we must keepe a watch ouer our Reason and not onely ouer Reason but ouer Grace also that we grieue not the Holy Spirit that we quench him not that we doe not dispite him Ephes 4.30 ◠Thes 5.19 for the Holy Spirit of discipline will not abide in a Soule that is disposed vnto sinne Adspicis vt veniant ad candida tect a columbae the doue-like spirit delighteth to dwell in doue-like persons himselfe being chast in those that are chast Wherefore we must keepe our spirits that for our vnchastitie the Spirit of God forsake vs not You haue the first branch of the exhortation the second followeth This biddeth vs be carefull of that respect which we owe vnto our mate Let no man deale treacherously with his wife A wife a little before my Text is called a mans companion and the wife of his couenant Now you know that fraud in fellowship is abominable especially if that fellowship be established by couenant as wedsocke is and no fellowship vpon straiter couenants then wedlocke for therein there is a double couenant pactum hominis and pactum Dei the persons contracting doe plight their faith each to other that is pactum hominis Then God he commeth in as a partie to knit the knot and will haue this mutuall stipulation made in his sight and in his name so that both stand bound to God not onely to themselues neuer to loose this knot till death them
saith the Apostle that you are the Temple of God speaking of our whole person But lest question should be made of any part in the sixth Chapter he distinctly expresseth both Body and Soule He that is ioyned vnto the Lord is one Spirit with him that is cleere for our soule And lest we should vnder-value our worser part Know you not saith he that your bodyes are the Temples of the Holy Ghost So that no question can be made of either part of our person both are liuing stones 1 Pet. 2. and built vp into a Spirituall House And if we be Spirituall Houses then God is in vs of a truth 2 Cor. 6. for so the Apostle collecteth Ye are the Temples of the liuing God saith GOD and I will dwell in them and walke in them St Peter is not afraid to say 2 Pet. 1. We are made partakers of the Diuine nature and the Fathers that we are deified Although there be no personall vnion betweene vs and GOD as there is in CHRIST yet such a mysticall one there is that Philo Iudaeus his words are verie true Deus est animae bonorum incola malorum tantum accola though GODS generall influence be wanting to no Creature yet his gratious inhabitance is the prerogatiue of the Church And all they to whom GOD commeth so neere haue presently erected in them an Oracle and an Altar the Spirit by the Word reuealeth their eyes to see the maruailous things of GODS Law they are all 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 They haue an vnction that teacheth them all things 1 Iohn 2. 1 Cor. 2. yea they haue the verie mind of Christ yea the same Spirit that erecteth the Oracle erects an Altar also an Altar of Incense in their hearts which sendeth forth Prayers intelligibiliter suaueolentes Spirituall but acceptable vnto GOD. as Origen answereth Celsu◠obiecting to the Christians that they had no Altars And how can we want an Altar of burnt sacrifice when our broken and contrite hearts offer vp our bodies a liuing sacrifice holy and acceptable to GOD which is our reasonable seruice of him This is enough to let you vnderstand that we are if we are Christians Houses of God answerable vnto Christ I would it were enough also to perswade vs so to esteeme our selues as such grace requireth at our hands for what an improuement is this to our persons and what a remembrance should this be to euerie one to keepe his Vessell in honour but more of that anon I must first speake a little of the description of the Market it is in my Text called an House of Merchandize GOD that made vs Men made vs also sociable and vsed our wants as a Whetstone to set an edge vpon that propension but we should liue together as Merchants ordered by commutatiue Iustice whose Standard is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it requireth that men barter vpon euen tearmes otherwise one man will deuour another and the Common weale cannot continue To preuent this mischiefe GOD hath appointed distributiue Iustice the vertue of the Magistrate who dispencing praemium poenam Reward and Punishment should set euerie man a thriuing but suffer no man to thriue to the preiudice of others The euill of the dayes wherein we liue doe giue me occasion to complaine not onely that there is varietie of corruption in Trades dangerous because some are ouer-thriuing but also of the decay of Trades no lesse dangerous because there are so many thousands that haue no meanes to thriue at all Gouernours giue order for Houses of Correction and no doubt but if they were better vsed vagrants might be restrayned thereby but there must be moreouer an increase of Trades that must employ the Common-people multiplying as they doe in this blessed time of peace while the Gentleman depopulates the Countrey and the Vsurer and Victualer are become the chiefe Trades-men of Incorporations what wonder if contrarie to GODS Law and the Kings the whole Land be filled with miserable poore There is no true at least no full remedy for this euill but they to whom the care of distributiue Iustice is committed must reuiue and quicken the Commutatiue and make our Land according vnto that good opportunitie which GOD hath giuen vs an House of Merchandize This by the way vpon occasion of the phrase where out you may gather that in the Market the world taketh vp most of our thoughts and our dealing there is for worldly things Hauing sufficiently opened the description of the Temple and the Market The difference betweene them is euident to a meane conceit he will easily apprehend that the one place is Heauenly the other Earthly the one for the Communion of Saints the other for the Common-weale in the one place we need be no more then Men in the other we must shew our selues to be the Children of God And is it not a great fault to confound these things which GOD hath so distinguished Surely it is and it was the Iewes fault CHRIST doth open it as he doth forbid it for if we may beleeue the Rabbines the Law was pronounced in the eares of Malefactors while stripes were layed vpon their backes and it is most likely that while CHRIST expelled the Merchants with his whip he spake these words vnto them Make not my Fathers House an house of Merchandize Let vs come then to this Prohibition The best places are subiect to abuse Heauen was and so was Paradise no wonder then if the Temple be And seeing abuse can be excluded no where we must be watchfull euerie-where yea the better a place is the more doth the Diuel solicit vs to abuse it because he will doe GOD the more despite and worke man the more mischiefe Therefore the better the place is the more circumspect must we be It is a soule fault to dishonour GOD any where but specially in his owne House In estimating our owne wrongs we aggrauate them by this circumstance Esay 26 Ier. 11. and shall we neglect it when we ponder the sinnes we commit against GOD Nay rather the greatnesse of our contempt ariseth with the greatnesse of his Maiestie which appeareth in that place and the more gratious he sheweth himselfe there the more gracelesse are we if we yeeld him not a due regard Now what doth that due regard require at our hands Surely that we bring not so much as the world into the Temple we may not doe legitima in illegitimo loco saith St Austin we may not doe lawfull things in a place appointed for better vses Caelum est Caelum ingrederis Nilus the Temple is Heauen as you are taught before when thou entrest the Temple thou must suppose thou art entering into the Kingdome of Heauen Now in Heauen there is neither eating nor drinking marrying nor giuing in marriage buying nor selling therefore we must neither thinke of nor meddle with these things while we enter into that place 1 Cor. 11 Haue you not
others Lib. 5. cap. 1â— saying Who can forgiue linnes but God onely St Irenie giues the reason Quomodo rectè remissa peccata nisi ille ipse in quem peccauimus donet remissionem He is the only I egislator as St Iames speaks and concludes that he onely hath power to condemne and absolue Therefore doth GOD Esay 43 and 44 claime this as his peculiar it is the peculiar of his Word to acertaine our Faith and of his Spirit to vnburden our Soules and insteed of the heauinesse that did oppresse to cheare vs vp with spirituall ioy Hitherto you haue seene a good correspondencie betweene the Co fession and the Remission but now you must heare of a great difference for Dauid was come no farther then Dixi he had a good purpose to confesse but of GOD which is the searcher of the heart he witnesseth that he was come to Remisisti granted the parden before it was asked so doth St Austin paraphrase these words Vox mea in ore nondum erat sed auris Dei iam in corde erat And what is this but a proofe of that gratious promise which GOD himselfe hath made in the Prophet Esay 〈◊〉 6 5. Oâ—at â— Orat. 15. before they call I will answer and while they speake I will heare 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 cryed out Nazianzene when he conâ—dered this But else-where he giues the reason of this celeritie â—ra est opus alienum when GOD is angry he goes against his owne natuâ—e but eius proprium est misereri it is as it were naturall to him to do good vnto men You need no better proofe then the parable of the proâ—igall child man cannot be so forward to receiue good but GOD is much more forward to bestow it and what greater incouragement to confesse most humbly then to obserue that GOD deales with a confessing sinner most gratiously And indeed we ought to obserue it for which was the last point to be handled on the Text the successe is remarkable It is signed with Selah Not to trouble you with the vse of this word in Musicke The learned make hereof a double morall vse for it is either a note of so â—e great thing and then they render it by the superlatiue degree or of some constant thing and so the Caldee rendreth it in aeternum Both these morall vses sit our purpose for the two maine branches of my Text are great and constant truthes What is there in the Confession that is not great Is it not a great thing to see a man so to put off selfe-loue and pride the properties of his corrupt nature and not onely acknowledge himselfe to be but also to humble himselfe as being a sinfull wretch To vse that rhetoricke wherewith he was wont to shift off his blame in amplyfying of his owne sinne In being so charitable as to eâ—cuse all the more to accuse himselfe and the more to set forth GODS glorie not to sticke euen in the hearing of men to be the publisher of his owne miserie This is great but due But how much more great is it to see GOD the Iudge of man so little to be moued with the heynousnesse of sinne as to send a Prophet to comfort an humble sinner yea to send his Spirit to ease the broken heart to take off the load from his Rebels and lay it vpon his deare Sonne And herein to preuent him who might well thinke himselfe happy if he spead after long attendance Certainly these things are great the more great because not due But as they are great so they are constant also for what king Dauid did must be done by all and all in so doing may looke for the same successâ— Salomon hath a generall rule Proâ— 28. He that hides his sinne shall not prosper but he that confesseth them and forsaheth them shall find mercie The Apostles confirme it If we confesse our sinnes God is faithfull to forgiue saith St Iohn and St Paul If we would iudge our selues we should not be iudged of the Lord. But the more is the pittie 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 there are many as Tertullian speakes which either deferre Nazianz. or abhorre this worke of Confession vt publicationem sui as if they should be too well knowne thereby either to GOD or men praesumo pudoris magis memores quam salutis more respectiue of a little false credit then of eternall life whereby you may perceiue the truth of St Chrysostomes note Inuertunt homines Dei ordinem Diaboli instinctu Deus enim pudorem dedit peccato confessioni siduciam but Diabolus peccato sidâ—â—iam confessioni pudorem the world hath too many spectacles of this peruerse dealing to whom we may vse the words of Tertullian Ne tu verecunde bonus qui ad delinquendum exporrigis frontem ad confitendum contrahis Is it not forsâ—oth a goodly modestie to be impudent in sinne and shamefast in the censure thereof But to what end doth man auoid this shame Surely to fall into a worse for he that will not be ashamed voluntarily shall against his will be put to shame Certainly the shall at the last day when GOD shall reueale all secrets in the sight of Angels and men Yea haply GOD will bring it to light in this world for some men haue their maske taken off here and their nakednesse discouered before they dye so that it is ill prouidence è malis maximum when we must chooâ—e one of two euils to reserue our selues vnto the worst And whereas he which accuseth himselfe need feare no accuser to spare himselfe that he may haue many and those that are much worse to accuse him But if a man be senslesse that he will not prouide what is best for himselfe yet let him not be so gracelesse as to doe wrong vnto GOD Peccator cum sis Nazianz. accede vt glorifices Deum occasionem praebeas 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 â— Si dubitas accedere inhibuisti bonitatem and we shall find that GOD can worse brooke the contempt of the Gospel then the breach of the Law Wherefore let vs listen to the Sonne of Syrach Cap. 4 and not be ashamed to confesse our sinne let vs sowe in teares that we may reape in ioy for blessed are they which now mourne for they shall be comforted Let euerie one of vs haue that good testimonie of our conscience which Iob had I haue not hid my sinne Cap. 31 as Adam conceiuing iniquitie in my bosome and we shall be able with King Dauid to pray and pray with hope Lord haue mercie vpon me heale my soule for I haue sinned against thee If we follow Dauids practise and say as he did we will confesse our sinnes against our selues vnto the Lord we shall be able vpon our owne experience euerie man to boast of King Dauids successe and to say Lord thou hast forgiuen the iniquitie of my sinnes A SERMON PREACHED AT WHITE-HALL
Quo modo how this Sacring was performed it was performed Signo visibili verbo audibili with a visible signe and an audible word The Signe commeth first in the Text we are told what it was and what it ment It was the shape of a Doue and by it was ment the Spirit of God But touching this Signe wee learne here moreouer Vnde and Quo Whence it came where it pitcht whence the Heauens were opened vnto him and the Spirit of God descended where it pitcht the Spirit that descended lighted on Iesus You see what was the Visible signe A visible signe of it selfe is but a dumbe shew it may amaze it cannot instruct therefore it must bee illustrated and it is here illustrated by an audible word the word is called Vox de Caelo a voyce from Heauen and it was fit it should be so for from whence came the vision from thence was the Reuelation for to come the vision was from Heauen therefore the Reuelation thereof also But this is not all that we learne here concerning the word goe on and you shall finde Cuius and de quo who it is that vttereth it and of whom He that vttereth it is not exprest but fairely implied in Filius meus my Sonne Iesus could not be the Sonne but of GOD the Father therefore is it GOD the FATHER that speaketh the word And the word that he speaketh concerneth Iesus it teacheth vs first What he is to God the Father and secondly What he doth for vs. He is neere because the Sonne and deare because his beloued Sonne adde to both the Article 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that Sonne that beloued Sonne and then he will prooue neere and deare indeed From him that is so great with God we may not exspect small matters that which hee doth is answerable to that which hee is he doth that which neuer any other person could doe he propitiateth GODS wrath and by him we finde grace in the eyes of GOD These blessings of IESVS are contained in the last words In whom I am well pleased There is one Point more All this commendations that is giuen vnto IESVS referreth to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 This this person that is in the middest of you that maketh so little shew and is so little regarded is hee whom I so esteeme and vpon whom depends your soueraigne good I will not you may not for his Humilitie defraud him of his Glory You haue seene a glimpse of the Sacring of Christ though I should not yet the Text would require you to entertaine it with your best regard for the visible signe the audible word both are prefaced with a particle of attention Loe loe the Heauens were opened Loe a voyce from Heauen the word doth summon your eyes your eares to behold to attend these holy Mysteries And I pray GOD so to sanctifie your eyes and your eares that while I take a sunder this Text and shew it you more fully in the parts the blessed Trinitie may vouchsafe by them to instill into you some fructifying drops of our blessed Sauiours heauenly Vnction Amongst the particulars where-into I resolued the Text the first was the circumstance of Time when CHRIST was baptized CHRIST was baptized before he was Sacred hee was receiued into the new Couenant by Baptisme before hee became a dispenser thereof And the Church neuer thought it fit to swarue from so good a Patterne and conferre Holy Orders vpon any that was not first incorporated into the Church Yea it hath alwayes gon for a grounded truth that it is Baptisme that maketh a man capable of other Holy rites and that being vnbaptized he is vncapable of them Secondly the circumstance of Time doth notifie the kinde of grace that was figured in the descension of the Doue he descended not in but after the Act of Baptisme Had hee descended in the Act it might haue beene thought that onely Gratia gratum faciens the grace of regeneration or sanctification had beene represented by the Doue but descending after some farther kind of grace is more ouer intimated What that grace was let vs breifely inquire Some fetch hence the Originall of Confirmation and suppose that Christ the Head confirmed himselfe here vnto his Body the Church So that as in the Church Baptizati recipiunt spiritum sanctum they that are first baptized are after confirmed so CHRIST would be confirmed after hee was baptized There is no doubt but the Right of confirmation is Apostolicall notwithstanding the friuolous exceptions that by some are taken to it and it may passe inter pie credibilia that CHRIST did vouchsafe in his owne person to sanctifie that as hee did many other sacred rites of the Church But yet it may not be denied that ouer and aboue here is ment another kind of grace a grace that is not common to euery member of the Church as the grace of confirmation is but peculiar vnto a publique Person such as CHRIST was now called to be And therefore I call it Sacring grace such a kind of grace seemeth to be intimated by the circumstance of Time The second circumstance is that of Place the Place was where CHRIST stood after he came out of the water that was the banke of Iordan which St. Iohn calleth Bethabara the very name doth containe a Monument of the children of Israels first passage there into the land of Canaan and then the Place is not without a Mysterie the choice thereof giueth vs to vnderstand that the Historie of Iosua was performed in Iesus that the waters of Baptisme were become a passage from earth to Heauen from the condition of Nature to the condition of Grace and that euen while wee liue in this vaile of miserie we are thereby enrolled among the Saints Adde hereunto that Bethabara was now a place of great concourse Hierusalem Iudaea all the Regions about Iordan and all sorts of men resorted thither to be baptized of Iohn and it was meete that so great a worke as CHRISTS Sacring should be performed in a great assembly Yea all the remarkeable manifestations of our Sauiour his Miracles his Sermons his Death c. are noted to haue beene publike they were not as St. Paul obserues to King Agrippa done in a corner the vnbeleeuing Iew or other that doubts or disputes of their truth is by the circumstance of Place conuicted to doe it out of affected ignorance And let this suffice for the circumstance I come to the substance of the Sacring where first wee must see who it is that was sacred Wee finde that it was the same Person that was baptized the Sonne of God clothed with the nature of man Where note that Iesus had two Abilities an Actiue a Passiue one to giue another to receiue the Spirit hee that was able for to giue was contented 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 according to the diuine dispensation and humble condition whereunto for our sakes hee submitted himselfe to receiue the Spirit And indeed
neuer to speake what he doth not meane nor to doe what he would not be done vnto I would it were so but GOD knoweth it is farre other wise euen with those that beare the name of Christians as if so be they were altogether ignorant that the Doue is included in the name of a Christian none are more fraudulent none are more cruell as they are euen amongst vs that are Orthodox in opinion It were too much if these things were onely in practise how intollerable is it when they are become Doctrinall and the Deuill hath so farre insinuated himselfe into mens heads and hearts as that a generation should rise vp who should teach such cases of Conscience as resolue men artificially to lye and meritoriously to shed blood making men put off not onely Christianity but euen humanity also The Christian world especially the Orthodox part thereof is in a desperate Paroxisme by this meanes if GOD bee not pleased to put to his helping hand certainely if euer the Deuill and Satan both names opposite to the Doue are now let loose the Serpent if euer hath now made way for for the Lion the bands of humane society were neuer so crackt if they be not quite dissolued and yet is sociablenesse a speciall property of the Doue but a property growne strange amongst Christians who by their degenerating malice haue brought the Church to bee a Doue indeed that is a bird subiect to oppression so the Hebrew word signifieth to such oppression that a man might well wish for the wings of a Doue to flye away into some Wildernesse where he might not see these vnnaturall Barbarismes or if that may not bee at least a man hath iust cause to wish for Gemitum Columbae the mourning of a Doue to bewaile the miseries of GODS Church And indeed the Spirit figured by the Doue is hee that worketh in the hearts of Christians sighes and groanes that cannot be exprest And I pray GOD he may worke such sighes and groanes in vs Psal 68. that though the Church now lye amongst the pot sheards and deformed shee may recouer againe the winges of a Doue couered with siluer and all her feathers bee as yealow gold Though these be profitable obseruations which you haue heard of the correspondency of the Holy Spirit to the Doue yet may I not forget a note which goeth farther and as I suppose is most naturall to the Text Columba docuit saith St. Austin Christum baptizaturum in Spiritu sancto the Doue did signifie that CHRIST would baptize with the Holy Ghost and that hee would communicate this power to none hee would transferre the ministry to men but reserue the efficacy of Baptisme to himselfe both while hee was on earth and as he now reigneth in Heauen For certainely the Sacring doeth note this his possession and dispensation of the Holy Ghost it is his Spirit and hee onely giueth it he sanctifieth the waters of Baptisme vnto their sacred vse and by his Spirit added vnto them doeth regenerate those that are members of his Church Hauing thus farre opened vnto you the visible signe what it was and what it meant I must now shew you Vnde whence this Doue came and that wee are taught in these words the Heauens were opened vnto him Much dispute there is how the Heauens were opened many thinke it superfluous to haue the Doue descend from an higher Stage then the Aire they hold it not likely the firmament should bee diuided to giue way vnto him but they little thinke of GODS power and the Maiestie that beseemeth this Sacring I make no doubt but that as GOD could so hee did make all creatures doe seruice vnto CHRIST hee that made the Sunne to stand to honour Iosuah and to honour Ezechias made it goe backe many degrees would hee not make those glorious bodies part a sunder to giue paslage to this Sacring Doue I suppose he would Especially seeing all acknowledge that it was a Doue newly created by the Omnipotent power of GOD and the Text saith not that Heauen but that the Heauens were opened vnto him Yet must wee not transferre the motion of the Doue to the Spirit who being euery where changeth not his place But GOD by that motion would giue vs to vnderstand that the grace of the Holy Ghost commeth downe from Heauen according to that of St. Iames euery good and perfect guift commeth from aboue euen from the Father of light with whom there is no variablenesse nor shadow of change not so much as of place himselfe vnchangeable breatheth where hee will Besides the phrase of opening the Heauens sheweth vs that onely by CHRIST Paradise aboue is opened and the commerce renued betweene Heauen and earth and as many as are baptized into CHRIST are really freed from that curse which was Symbolically sigured by our shutting out of Paradise below and the shutting vp thereof by placing the Cherubims at the entrance with a flaming branded sword Last of all the Text saith that the Heauens were opened to Christ but Chrysostome expounds it well Illi sed propter nos to him but for vs all the benefit that CHRIST reaped by his mediation and Inauguration was but to bee a well-head from whence Grace should streame into vs he had the honour we haue the good You haue heard whence the Doue commeth â—ib 3. Cap. 19. Cap. 11. Cap. 41. Caâ— 16. Numb 11. now shall you heare where it pitcht it lighted vpon Iesus Irenie obserues well this is the fulfilling of sundry Prophesies recorded in Isay The Spirit of the Lord shall rest vpon him I will put my Spirit vpon him the Spirit of the Lord is vpon me But obserue that it so came vpon him that it manifested it selfe by him so is the phrase elsewhere declared in the story of Gedeon Sampson Saul and others for after this Inauguration neuer any man spake as CHRIST spake and hee did those workes that neuer any man did But wee must not mistake the Holy Ghost did not now descend vpon Iesus as if he had him not before hee that was conceiued by the Holy Ghost could not be without him no not for a moment euen as he was the Sonne of Man Yea and of Grace of Sanctification it is out of all question that from the moment of his conception hee neuer increased therein Some question there is touching the Grace of Edification which in the Schooles is called Gratis data Some hold that he had the fulnesse thereof also when he was conceiued Cap. â— but the words of St. Luke makes it probable that though the man hood of CHRIST were so neere linckt vnto the well-head of the Spirit which is his God-head as by personall vnion yet the God-head did communicate the Grace of Edification vnto the man-hood by degrees as it was fit for him to manifest it and we may without impietie hold that some accession of such kinde of grace was made to the man-hood at his
see how GOD dealeth with vs he maketh our Hearts the Chronicles of our liues a Chronicle indeed for hereinto are entered both what we doe and when and wee can as hardly deny the Record as we are vnwilling to belie our selues and therefore we should take heed what we doe seeing the euidence thereof will remaine with vs. Neither is it an idle Euidence but the presentment of a Iurie our Conscience is as it were a whole Iury empanelled to trie vs whether Guiltie or not Guiltie it is alwayes going vpon vs and presenteth vs as it findeth vs. And who would not bemoane his case that will he nil he himselfe must bee tried by himselfe and that his sinnes are so palpable in his owne eyes that himselfe must bring in a Verdict against himselfe This is wofull bee cause the Conscience that is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is also 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 wee will not spare to doome our selues if we finde our selues guiltie wee will power confusion vpon our owne soules and with confusion and horror breed that worme suddainly which will bite vs intollerably we will bitter and sower our relish with the foretast of Hell Mala Conscientia tota est in desperatione August in Psa 31. we will make our selues most forlorne creatures In the Conscience which is guiltie there are stings dreadfull which the patient feeleth but none other can bee acquainted with and it is a true rule that Tribulationes tanto acerbiores quanto sunt interiores The Spirit of a man will sustaine his infirmities but a wounded spirit who can beare especially the spirit which himselfe woundeth but hee is his owne afflictor who is asllicted in Conscience A man may flee from his enemie but who can slie from himselfe It is true that a Conscious man would euery where thrust himselfe from himselfe but he findeth by wofull experience that he can neuer goe from himselfe no though hee would vnnaturally bereaue himselfe of corporall life yet the tormenter abideth by him and whether soeuer he draweth himselfe he afflicteth himselfe euermore Many men that seele themselues euilly Conscious labour to put off the distresse thereof by solacing themselues with the pleasures and vanities of this life but their attempt is a poore and short palliation of a desperate disease Wherefore let vs take heed of an euill Conscience that loadeth vs with so much intollerable euill Though a man grow so desperately wicked that he regardeth no body yet he hath good reason to regard himselfe hee that feareth no bodies eye should feare his owne and feare the power that he hath ouer himselfe though hee feare not the power of any other Though we hide our sinnes from others we cannot hide them from our selues neither will wee spare our selues though all the world would spare vs. Hee neuer wanteth an accusing Iury nor a condemning Iudge that is infested with a guiltâ—â— Conscience As the Conscience dealeth vncomfortably with them that are guiltie so with them that are guiltlesse it dealeth very comfortably it doeth not condemne so speaketh St. Iohn But in his phrase there is a Litote Minus dicitur sed plus intelligitur there is more meant then is exprest And indeed it cannot bee otherwise for if the Conscience be a worke as it condemneth him whom it findeth guiltie so whom it sindeth guiltlesse him it absolueth it doeth iustilie And here also we must obserue that our Conscience if it be good 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it knoweth all the good wee doe it Recordes it yea and tendreth the Record that we may solace our selues with the contemplation of it And indeed Conscientia recte factorum to bee Conscious to our selues of well doing is no small comfort Especially when goodnesse is little regarded in the world yea is commonly persecuted by the world it is no small matter to haue in our soules that which can sweeten all the crosses which are laid vpon our bodies Goodnesse hath pleasure inseparably linckt vnto it as in GOD so in godly men and our Conscience will not suffer vs to be defrauded of this heauenly pleasure which keepeth a memoriall of our by-past vertues and sweetens our life with the relation thereof It commeth not to absolue vs per Saltum but doeth it vpon as good a ground and as faire euidence brought out for vs as the condemning Conscience worketh vpon euidence brought against vs. It is then the first benefit of an absoluing Conscience that it keepeth and sheweth soorth when it may best steed vs the Record of our well-doing Neither doeth it onely tender it as a Iâ—ry but also as a Iudge sentenceth vs according to it As it keepeth in minde how well we haue obserued the Precepts of the Law so doth it award vnto vs the Sanction thereof all the Benedictions that GOD hath annext vnto it corporall Benedictions Benedictions spirituall temporall Benedictions and Benedictions eternall Although well-doing bee full of contentednesse yet the reward of wel-doing maketh no small accesse vnto it a good Conscience is accompanied with both it is accompanied with Bonum in re and Bonum in spe good in possession and good in expectation Wherefore blessed is the man that can enter into his owne heart and finde there so good Euidence and so good a Sentence But how may a man haue such a good Conscience St. Austin teacheth the method of it Psal 31. Vt habeat quis bonam Conscientiam credat operetur he that will haue a Conscience that shall giue in good euidence for him and pronounce a comfortable sentence on him must Beleeue well and Liue well Faith doeth purifie the Heart and a good life beareth the fruite that aboundeth to our reckoning when wee iudge our owne soule But a man must not looke to haue this blessing of a good Conscience suddainely Augst in Psal 66. Vade ad formicam piger got to the Pismire thou sluggard she gathereth graine in Summer whereof shee maketh vse in Winter Et formica Dei surgit quotidiè currit ad Ecclesiam c. GODS Emmet that is a man that will haue such a good Conscience riseth early hasteneth to the Church heares often prayeth often meditateth often and so doeth acquire this absoluing Conscience Colligentem in aestate videre potes commedentem in hieme videre non potes the outward meanes which he vseth are visible but the inward comforts which when time serueth he reapeth are inuisible Thus doeth Saint Austin moralize that Simile of Salomon and wee must not looke to haue such not-condemning or absoluing Consciences except we bee such Pismires of GOD. But here are two Rockes to be heeded at which many suffer Shipwracke while they mistake the doctrine of a not-condemning and a condemning Conscience First of a not-condemning Some confound herewith a seared Con-and because they are senselesse they doe not thinke themselues gracelesse Custome in Sinne or the busie pursuite of their corrupt lusts silenceth their Conscience that it speaketh
mind my countrie and reioyce in my hopes These things I would doe but by reason of my paine I cannot doe What remaineth then but that I desire release and thou denie not my desire I make my suite as one that desireth to speed passionately feelingly â—pray but my prayer is a Crie and my crie is powred forth not onely by my tongue but also by mine eyes Behold Lord a true Penitent whose voice is not onely verball but reall and canst thou stop thine eares against such words can thy relieuing hand forbeare to succor when it is importuned by such deeds thou that hast opened my mouth vouchsafe to open thine owne eares and let the fountaine of mercifull comfort streame downe vpon him from whose eyes thou hast drawne flouds of Teares speake comfortably to him that speaketh penitently to thee and deale graciously with him that prostrateth himselfe humbly before thee So shall I willingly be a soiourner in earth that I may be a Citizen of heauen a stranger to the world that I may be a friend of God the ease that thou giuest me shall encourage me in thy seruice and I will liue so heare as hee that shall not liue long And because I shall when death commeth bee no more a mortall though neuer so worldly a happie man I will endeauour that I may be by thy grace an immortall an eternall blessed Saint A Meditation vpon Psalme 63. VERSE 1 2. 1. O God thou art my God early will I seeke thee my Soule thirsteth for thee my flesh longeth for thee in a barren and wearisome land where no water is 2. So haue J appeared before thee in thy Sanctuarie that I might see thy power and glorie O Lord I want I seeke reliefe to whom shall I come but vnto God And with thee I dare be bold thou art my God there is store in God and my want cannot be relieued but by his store I am in a wildernesse for what is this world but a wildernesse Nay my selfe am a wildernesse what is a wildernesse but a drie earth which tireth those that passe through it And what is the cause It hath no water no water to quench the traueilers thirst no water to make fruitfull the soile that it may beare foode to sustaine his hunger no water which may inable the earth to become greene or be imbellished with flowers the sight wherof may ease the wearisomnesse of the traueller that languisheth and fainteth through thirst and hunger This is the state of a wildernesse and in such a wildernesse am I drie and wearie no moysture no strength and why I haue no fountaine I haue spent that moysture which I receiued from thee Thou madest me a greene tree but I am become drie withered no fruit no leaues no sap as farre spent as was the prodigall Sonne and all by sinne And yet sinne doth not leaue me it turmoiles me still and my bloud being spent my spirits wasted the bloud and spirits of grace and goodnesse now I faint now I am wearie And gladly would I recouer some strength euen as gladly as the prodigall child would haue fed vpon Huskes but he found none that gaue him And here in my wildernesse I find no waters except they be the waters of Marah so bitter they cannot be drunke or of Iericho so bad that they will make the land barren of such Waters I haue springs enough Euerie outward sense and euerie inward my vnderstanding my will are fountaines of such waters fountaines that streame forth and moisten my whole man yea and turne the whole man into a dead Sea This goodly as it were Garden of the Lord which was set euerie where with trees of life I meane my bodie and soule inwardly and outwardly representing the Image of God what are they now but euen as the dead Sea And what are all the fruites thereof but euen as Sodome I want not waters then but sweete waters the want of them maketh me a wildernesse fruitlesse and yet fruitfull fruitfull in rootes of bitternesse in thistles in briers the fruits of a cursed soile But fruitlesse am I in whom groweth neither the Lilly nor the Rose neither is my life innocent nor my heart patient I am as indisposed to suffer for well-doing as to doing well But as for these better plants the Vine that cherisheth God and man the Oliue by which they are honoured both and the sweete figtree that groweth in Paradise they grow not in my soile drie soile that hath no sap of that kind And yet a soile in husbanding whereof I tire my selfe and therefore well may I call it a wearisome soile all the fruit it beareth is but vanitie of vanities and all my comfort is but vexation of spirit Seeing this is my case where lies my comfort The comfort of my Soule the comfort of my bodie both are a wildernesse But neither would bee so the thirst of my Soule the desire of my flesh my drie my tired soule and flesh speake their wants and speake more audibly then can my words what I want what I beg The thirst is mine but that I thirst it is thy gift O Lord the desire is mine but that I doe desire O Lord it commeth of grace it is thy holy spirit that teacheth me this language which can be learned in no other schoole And why Lord hast thou taught it me Is it not because I should speake to thee That my drougth should speake my wearinesse should crie That both should aske of the Lord raine For with thee is the well of liuing waters it is thou that turnest a wildernesse into a standing water and drie ground into water springs Vnto thee then come I O Lord that onely art able to relieue me because thou art a God of power and no lesse willing then able because thou art my powerfull God Euen thou O God that art three in one and one in three O God the Father I come to thee and in the bowels of a Father thou canst not reiect me thou art my God I haue no other God then hee that is my Father O God the Sonne I come to thee thou canst not refuse him whom thou hast made thy brother thou art my God I haue no other God then hee that is my Sauiour O holy Ghost I come to thee wilt thou despise him whose comforter thou hast vouchsafed to bee thou art my God I haue none other God then he that is my Comforter A threefold cord cannot be broken and how should I faile that haue this threefold stay Let me be a wildernesse a drie a wearisome wildernesse was it not this God that of the Chaos vnshapen and emptie Chaos made this solid this beautifull fabricke of the world And cannot be transforme my wildernesse into a paradise Yea the waters of the Sanctuarie no sooner entred the dead Sea but they became liuing waters all things presently liued in it and the Tree of life grew plenteously all along the bankes of it
their sinnes offend God and if they offend they shall be punished because God is not onely sensible of his wrongs but also Iudge of our liues as he hath prescribed the precepts of his Law so hath hee added sanctions thereunto and as the precept sheweth what we must doe so what he will doe we learne out of the Sanction if we faile to obey thou O Lord wilt not faile to strike for there is Wrath with thee and from thee will that wrath breake out on vs. And woe be to vs if it breake out for thy wrath O God is a powerfull wrath And indeed how can it be otherwise if it be thine who art a God of power Can wee looke into thee and not apprehend Almightinesse in thee But our eyes are too weake to pierce so farre happily in that that comes from thee a naturall man may behold what power there is in thee Heauen and earth are the worke of thy hands nay they are the Host that attends thy Person if they are mightie thou much more for what they haue thou gauest them and in proofe thereof thou takest from them at thy pleasure As the Sunne did shine first at thy command so at thy command it hath lost his light it was from thee the fire receiued his burning qualitie and when thou forbaddest it it could not burne thou madest the waters flow thou spakest but the word and they were sollid like a wall Thou fixedst the Globe of the earth and it stood still and when thou didst vtter thy voice it quaked it trembled for very feare when thou sendest foorth thy spirit thou renewest the face of the earth and all things wither and returne to nothing if thou with-draw thy spirit How powerful then art thou O Lord at whose command is the power of euerie creature and fighteth for thee against thine enemies The Sunne can scorch them the fire consume them the aire poyson them the earth swallow them and how many spectacles haue we of such Iudgements But what speake I of these greater souldiers of thine and weapons of thy wrath How many beasts in the fields How many birds of the ayre How many fishes in the Sea haue vndertaken Gods cause against man and executed remarkable Iudgements vpon sinners But I doe not yet come home enough hee that readeth the plagues of Aegypt and considers what a destruction God wrought by frogs and flies and lice the least whereof wrested a submission from Pharaoh and his Kingdome and forced them to confesse their vnablenesse to resist can he choose but be amazed at the sight of Gods power when these creatures so farre in their owne nature vnder the power of man when he commands them to be his Executioners so farre ouermatch the stoutest of men But what looke I without vs for the sinnewes of Gods wrath What sinnewes may wee find euerie man within himselfe If God bee pleased to reward vs according to our deseruings he shall need no other we wil doe him this seruice our selues Our wits will not only faile vs but insnare vs our hearts will be so farre from eschewing that they will carrie vs headlong into all mischiefe our eyes will see fearefull visions our eares bee filled with dreadfull sounds our tongues will betray vs our feete miscarrie vs our hands offer uiolence vnto vs no power of our soule no part of our bodie wherewith we haue conceiued or acted sinne that will not lay on some deadly stroke vpon vs for sinne But of all the souldiers of God wherin we are most feelingly to behold the Power of his wrath there is none comparable to our owne Conscience which laieth on so heauie a burden and peirceth with so deadly a sting that there is no man whom it cannot crush with its waight and which will not runne mad if he throughly feele the smart thereof I will not draw a man down into hell where into notwithstanding wrath will tumble sinfull man I might there shew him vtter darknesse the priuation of that light which shineth in heauen vnquenchable fire in opposition to the Waters of life that streame in heauen the weeping and wailing insteed of the endlesse musicke that is aboue the murmuring gnashing of teeth insteed of the triumphant songs of blessed Soules finally the tormented and tormenting fiends insteed of the blessed Sainâ—s and Angels that are aboue And what are all these but euidences of the power of Gods wrath And is the power so large so palpable and yet vnknowne Can it be such and yet not discerned of man If he climbe into heauen God manifesteth it there and he finds it in earth if his thoughts fal thither neither can he descend into hell but there he shal meete it nay he must goe from himselfe or else God will force him to behold it Why then doth thy seruant Moses moue this question who knoweth it Is it not because men doe not heed it and so though they should yet take no notice of it And indeed Lord if any be ignorant his ignorance is inexcusable and yet some such beasts rather then men are there that are willing not to know what they are not willing to regard Or if men be not so grosse as thus to winke with their eyes that they may stupifie their hearts yet do their lusts dim their sight and they see so imperfectly that they they are but weakly affected with it Hence coÌ„meth it to passe that thy minatorie words and works stay so few from falling into sin and reclaime so few that are fallen there into they do not belieue that thou wilt strike vntill they feele thy stroakes are on them The Israelites would not as Moses had good proofe for fortie yeere and wee are no better then they though our triall hath beene much onger then theirs we haue no vsefull knowledge of the wrathfull power of God This question may well bee moued of vs euen of vs to whom God hath vouchsafed the same power ouer his wrath our little feare argueth our little knowledge and we may not thinke that we haue any true knowledge which doth not end in feare such a feare as can hold Gods hand or at least moderate his stroake is the onely argument that wee haue profited in that schoole of the great and lesser world wherein we haue so full so plaine a Lecture read vnto vs of the powerfull wrath of God A Meditation vpon Psalme 90. VERSE 12. So teach vs to number our dayes that we may applie our hearts vnto wisedome THE SECOND PART THou dost manifest thy power O Lord and we are the monuments of it our mortalitie is therein are grauen the capitall Letters that describe thy powerfull wrath For what is mortalitie but a reall voice in our eares or presenting rather vnto our eyes the doome of sinne Thou madest vs immortall and immortalitie was a part of thy Image which art eternall our time then had no terme it could not be defined by any kind of period But
sinne hath abridged what had no bounds it hath brought our life within a short compasse it is measured by dayes and dayes are aâ— the first so the least part of Time which thou hast made And these dayes are not infinite in vaine should a man desire to number that which cannot bee numbred Iacob said his dayes were few Dauid that his were but a span long Saint Iames that no mans life is more lasting then a bubble a man would thinke a litle Arithmeticke would cast vp so small an account a man seemes to need no better a master then a man for what man is he that is ignorant of this principle That man is mortall and that it cannot be long before he returne to dust And yet Moses that was learned in all the sciences of the Aegyptians amongst which Arithmeticke was one desireth to learn this point of Arithmetick onely of thee O Lord why Is it because as Iob speaketh thou hast determined the nuÌ„ber of his dayes Would Moses haue thee reueale to euerie man the moment of his end Such speculations may wel beseeme an Aegyptian an Israelite they doe not beseeme Thy children O Lord know that it is not for them so to know times and seasons which thou keepest in thine owne power and are a secret sealed vp with thee we should not prie into that counting house nor curiously inquire into that summe It is not then a Mathematicall numbring of daies that Moses would be schooled in but a morall he would haue God not simply to teach him to number but to number so and so points out a speciall manner a manner that may bee vsefull for the children of God And indeed our petitions must beare this mark of profitable desires and we should not aske ought of thee but that by which if we speed wee may become the better he that so studieth his mortalitie learnes it as he should and it is onely thou O Lord that takest him out such a lesson But what is the vse O Moses that thou wouldest haue man make of such a knowledge Euen to applie his heart vnto wisedome O happie knowledge by which a man becomes wise for wisedome is the beautie of a reasonable soule God conereated him therewith But sinne hath diuorced the soule and wisedome so that a sinfull man is indeed no better then a foole so the Scripture calleth him and well may it call him so seeing all his carriage is vaine and the vpshot of his endeauours but vexation of spirit But though sinne haue diuorced wisedome and the Soule yet are they not so seuered but they may be reunited and nothing is more powerfull in furthering this vnion then this feeling meditation that wee are mortall For who would not shake hands with the world that knows we must shortly appeare before God Yea who would not prouide for that life which hath no end that seeth that this hastneth so fast vnto an end Finally who would suffer the arrowes of Gods wrath that summon vs vnto Iudgement to passe vnregarded seeing the due regard thereof is able to turne a Tribunall into a Throne of grace Surely affliction if we discerne the hand that infflicts it is the best schoole of wisedome yea of the best sort of wisedome the wisedome of the heart it turneth knowledge into practise and maketh vs more tender hearted then we are quicke sighted it doth not onely discerne that God is a consuming fire but melts at the very sight of him it doth not onely know that Gods word is a hammer but feeleth the force thereof in a broken and contrite spirit it conceiue feares so soone as it heareth threats and is no sooner touched but it is reclaimed And this is Wisedome the true wisedome of a mortall man whose best helpe against mortalitie stands in the awful regard of Gods offended fauour Seeing then O Lord this is the fruit of that desired knowledge and hee is best seene in the length of his dayes that is most humbled with the sense of thy wrath and he needs least to feare death that doth as hee ought most feare thee vouchsafe to bee his master that desireth to bee thy scholler and let grace teach what nature doth not discerne that I moulder into dust because I corrupt my selfe with sinne so shall I bee wearie of my naturall folly that negotiates for death and affect true wisdome that is the Tree of life with this I shall endeauour to furnish not onely my head but my heart also and that which now is the seate of deaâ—h shall then become the receptacle of life that life which beginnes in thy feare which is the onely in-let of euerlasting ioy A Meditation vpon Lament 5. VERSE 21. Turne thou vs vnto thee O Lord and we shall bee turned renew our dayes as of old WEe are mutable and what wonder Seeing we are creatures we cannot know that we were made of nothing but wee must acknowledge that to nothing we may returne againe and indeed thither we hasten if we bee left vnto our selues For marre our selues we can but we cannot mend our selues wee can dedestroy what God hath built but we cannot repaire what we doe destroy Wretched power that is onely able to disinable vs and hath no strength but to enfeeble him whose strength it is I read of Adam the first monument of this vnhappie strength but I may read it in my selfe I as all his sonnes inherit as his nature so this selfe ruining power But when experience hath made me see how valiant I haue been against my selfe inflicting deadly wounds precipitating my person and misguiding my steps I become disconsolate and helplesse in my selfe what then shall I doe To whom then shall I seeke To the fiends of hell that sollicited me to sinne To the worldly vanities by which my lusts were baited Well may they adde to my fall raise mee againe they cannot they will not such euill trees beare no such good fruit and if they did they would rather haue me a companion in their sinne and in their woe then seeke to free mee from or ease me in either of them But happily the good Angels as they are more able so they are more willing to pittie to relieue mee but they behold thy face O Lord and stirre not but when thou sendest them and they only to whom thou sendest can be the better for them these heauenly spirits that attend thy Throne moue not but at thy becke and doe no more then thou commaundest I see then that if I stray it is thou that must fetch me home it is thou Lord that must lift me vp when I am slipt downe to the gates of death and my wounds will be incurable if thou bee not pleased to heale me Thou Lord hast made me know in what case I am and onely canst redresse my wofull case I seeke to thee and to thee onely To thy wisedome I commend my head illighten it shew me thy way thou that of nothing
from it so likewise his blotting out is not Gods hauing no record of our sinne but not to vse it as an indictment against vs in iudgement and so because in law Idem est non esse non apparere that whereof no vse is made is figuratiuely said to be blotted out so that the words are not to bee vnderstood absolutely but metonymically and Ruffinus doth well qualifie them with a quasi quasi abscondit faciem suam and quasi delet God so dealeth with a penitent as if his face were hid and as if his booke were razed in regard of the sinfulnesse of his person A second proofe of the possibilitie of King Dauids speeding in his petition may be taken from the ceremoniall Law of Moses wherein Gods presence was figured in the Cloud so Moses calleth it in Exodus now betweene that and the place where the Israelites did sacrifice vnto God there hung a double vaile Cap. 13.21 Cap. 16.10 c. whereby Gods countenance was hid from seeing their imperfections when they humbled themselues penitently at his altar Adde hereunto that the Propitiatorie was betweene Gods face and the Tables of the Couenant which the Israelites entred into with God and by which in iustice God might measure all the passages of their life These are types of greater things Saint Paul calleth Christs flesh a vaile and hee cals him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Propitiatorie Rom. 3.25 And indeed so it is Heb. 10.20 God doth not behold vs but in Christ through the vaile of that flesh that suffered for vs in him that hath cancelled the obligation that was against vs not with the eyes of a righteous Iudge but of a mercifull father And this sense must bee added to the former to make the defence compleate and a Penitent hopefull that hee shall speed of such a prayer I conclude all with a good note of Theodoret who layeth this verse to a former I know mine owne wickednesse my sinne is euer before me thereupon saith hee it followeth well Turnethy face away from my sinne c. if wee fixe our eyes feelingly vpon our sinnes God will turne his eyes from them and God will not keepe them in his booke if Wee record them penitently Wherefore that God may looke off let vs looke on our sinfull selues let vs booke all our misdeeds that God may blot them out so shall we finde him in Christ not a Iudge but a Father his loue shall not suffer him to see that whereof hee cannot be ignorant neither will hee euer indict vs though the Record bee neuer so faire and full that hee hath against vs whereupon wee may with King Dauid pray no lesse hopefully then humbly Turne thy face from our sinnes O Lord and blot out all our offences If thou Lord marke what is done amisse who is able to abide it PSAL. 51. VERS 10. Create in mee a cleane heart O God and renew a right spirit within mee OVr naturall corruption is cured by Grace and grace doth cure it partly by forgining and partly by regenerating of the forgiuenesse you haue heard on the former verse and on this verse you are to heare of the Regeneration And that which you shall heare is first What then Whence it is In opening What it is the Text will leade me to shew you first in what part wee must haue it and secondly of what guifts it consists the part is set downe first in generall it is our inwards wee must haue it within but within wee haue many inwards whereof here are two distinctly exprest and they are two principall ones the Heart and the Spirit whereof the one noteth the soueraigne and the other the actiue power of our soule these are the parts that are to bee regenerated Now the guifts whereof this Regeneration consists are Holinesse and Stayednesse Holinesse of the soueraigne power and of the actiue Stayednesse the first wee haue if our Heart be cleane and the other if our Spirit be right This is Regeneration But whence is it surely from God to him King Dauid seeketh for it Create in me a cleane heart O God As it is fom him so it is no ordinary guift of his it is a Worke of his great Might for it is a Creation Create in mee and of his great Mercy for it is a Renouation Renew in mee our forfeiture maketh vs indebted vnto Gods Mercy renewing not onely to his creating Power These be the particulars which this Text doth occasion me to consider in Regeneration what remaineth but that our Regeneration may be furthered by them wee listen vnto them with a religious eare as they shall be further vnfolded briefly and in their order The first point then is the part wherein wee must haue Regeneration the text saith wee must haue it within S. Ambrose lest we should grossly mistake our corporall inwards for our spirituall tels vs that the inwards here vnderstood are Intelligibilia viscera the reasonable powers of our soule and of them our Sauiour Christ saith in the Gospel â—â—at 15.11 Not that which goeth in but that which commeth out defileth a man now where sinne first began there must Regeneration begin also but sinne began in the inwards Psal 49.20 for Man being in honour had no vnderstanding yea were it not for the vnderstanding a man could not sinne for it is an vndoubted Maxime Bruta non peccant no creature that is deuoid of conscience can contract guilt and it is as true that in whom there is no Reason there can be no Vertue for Reason is the proper subiect of Vertue and because of Vertue therefore of Regeneration which is the roote of all heauenly Vertues see then why King Dauid desireth Regeneration within because there is the proper seate of it And indeed except it begin there well may a man bee an hypocrite Religious he cannot be Mat. 23 27. he will be but like a painted Sepulchre as Christ speaketh that within is full of dead mens bones Liuing Temples of the holy Ghost must bee like the materiall temple of Salomon whereof the the innermost part was the place of Gods residence and therefore was Sanctum Sanctorum the most holy place the next place was Sanctum holy and the rest Sanctuarium partaking of holines though in a lower degree so much lower as it was farther from the place of Gods residence euen so though Regeneration must sanctifie our bodies yet more our soules though it must sanctifie our Vnderstanding yet must it sanctifie our Will much more and that which is most inward must bee sanctified first I conclude this point with Christs admonition giuen to the Pharisees Mundate quod intus â—â—t 23 26. when we desire Regeneration let vs desire to haue it specially in the inward man to haue our reasonable inwards new moulded by grace But what inwards here are two mentioned the Heart and the Spirit these words are often vsed the one for the other