THREE SERMONS PREACHED UPON SEVERALL PUBLIKE OCCASIONS By JOHN GAUDEN D.D. LONDON Printed by R. Bishop for Andrew Crook and are to be sold at his shop at the Signe of the Green Dragon in Pauls Church-yard 1642. TO THE Right Honourable ROBERT Earle of VVarwick Baron of Lees one of his Majesties most Honourable Privie Councell My very honourable Lord THe many noble favours which I have received from your Lordship chiefly and from others of your noble Family compell mee since these Sermons will needs be publike beyond my intentions to adde to them the honour of your Lordships name and to set upon them this Seal of Gratitude from a heart that unfainedly prayes for all those encreases to your Lordship and yours which may make both your Lordship and them truly honourable in this and ever happy in the other world For so I must professe to all the world your Noblenesse hath abundantly deserved of your Lordships most humble and obliged Servant IOHN GAUDEN A SERMON preached before his MAIESTIE HEBR. 12.14 Follow peace with all men and holinesse without which no man shall see the Lord THough there needs a large Preface and Apology for the Speaker as Elihu used to Iob and his friends being a stranger to this place and no way proportionable to so great and sacred a presence yet I am sure there needs no Apology for the Text I have read unto you The weight of the matter being of greatest and highest concernment to every one of your soules may by the favour of your patience piety and wisedome much supply the want of gravity and sufficiency in the Speaker The subject I have propounded being so necessary and indispensible that without it none that heare me this day from the least to the greatest from the Cottage to the Palace from the Mill to the Throne neither hearer nor speaker shall ever be happy to see the face of God And certainly in this brokennesse and distraction of minds and times every one almost going a severall way full of fractions and divisions crossing and thwarting each other if we could all be so happy as to learne this lesson and conspire to follow these two Peace and Holinesse no doubt it would much abate and compose our distances while like lines we all tend to one Centre God or run parallel to that straight rule of his will and This is the will of God even your sanctification I should be too happy and aboundantly excusable for my boldnesse in speaking to you this day if through Gods assistance and your patience I might be able so to represent to you that smooth safe and beautifull way of Peace and Holinesse that by the serious and consciencious following of them all of us might orderly and cheerfully goe together the Prince with the People and the People with the Prince the hearts of each drawing neerer to other and all to God to the sight and fruition of him in whose presence is fulnesse of joy and life for evermore The Text is a sacred and solemn exhortation by which the Spirit of God directs all men the next and onely way to attaine the most soveraign good and desireable end the happy sight of God In it we have 1 The precept or direction Follow peace with all men and holinesse 2 The motive or inducement Without which no man shall see God not promissory and affirmative for in so doing you shall see God but menacing and negative such being indeed the temper of mens hearts that they are more terrified with losse than won and invited with the hopes of good the misery of suffering prevailing more with our hardnesse than the happinesse of enjoying The horror of being ever separated from the sight of God the chiefest good of the soule which can import no lesse than hell and extreme misery this happily may scare many one to follow Peace and Holinesse whom neither the pleasantnesse of the way nor the amplenesse of the reward would induce to forsake their pleasing but yet impure and dangerous courses In the Precept we have 1 the Object which is double Peace and Holinesse 2 The Act or Duty but one and serves to both Follow them We will consider the objects severally in their natures and carry along the Act or Duty with them 1 Of Peace Follow peace with all men Now although the beauty sweetnesse and usefulnesse of this subject which is so agreeable to my mind and so necessary to our times that I should be glad to meet it in every Sermon I make or heare and in every man with whom I deale though I say it might deserve and justifie a large and renewed discourse upon it yet I may but sparingly now speak of it and onely sprinkle you with a few drops of this pure and chrystall stream which makes all to flow with milke and honey wheresoever it runs in the Conscience in the Church or in the State and Civill Societies because I have not long agoe in a publick though farre inferiour Assembly largely discoursed of it And I would not seem to doe what I need not that is drive two Mills with one streame since the plenty of the other Branch of Holinesse will afford matter sufficient and worthy your attention my speech and all our practices Onely give me leave to point out briefly to you these three things 1 What this Peace is 2 How and by whom to be followed 3 Why. 1 For this generall Peace we can better tell what it is by the fruition than any description of it What health is to the body and calmnesse to the Sea and serenity to the day such is peace to the hearts and conversation of men it is a kind of sweet divine and heavenly concent harmony and beauty of minds and manners of affections and actions it is one of the fairest and pleasantest fruits of that which among Christians wee call charity by which each is endeared to other by a mutuall love and study of one anothers good welfare and happinesse as their own both private and publick temporall and eternall This must be followed to the latitude and extension of the subject with all men Rom. 12.18 As much as in you lies if it bee possible live peaceably with all men As farre as the common bounds of our nature extend we are to follow peace with all men so farre as men Pax cum hominibus bellum cum vitiis The more thou art an enemy to their enemies their sins and vices the more faithfull friend thou art to them Peccata interficio homines amplector is the Motto not onely of every good Magistrate but of every good man hate and slay their sinnes but love and save their soules There is a double bond for it 1 Commune vinculum naturae the common tie of our nature being all of one metall binds us to peace by making us sociable God having sweetned our nature beyond the savagenesse and fiercenesse of other creatures which are prone and armed
perfection of happinesse which is the sight of God which what it is we shall best tell when we come to it I must now leave it to the worke of Gods Spirit in your devouter hearts to consider more largely and sublimely of this point Onely give me leave by way of conclusion to appeale to your piety wisedome and experience Whether the waies of holinesse be not worth the following which end in such happinesse as is beyond expressing Whether it be not a vanity folly and extreame madnesse for men and women that are built for eternity and capable of the highest good so much to neglect their soules their God and their happinesse by following their sins the worldly pleasures profits and honours with the neglect of holinesse The Devill the evill world and a mans owne corrupt heart will allow him to bee any thing so he be not holy let him bee rich and faire and strong and great and honourable and witty and eloquent and civill and politicke and knowing even in divine mysteries any thing so as hee bee not holy All these things as the Devill said to Christ will I give thee if thou wilt be unholy still and like my selfe Holinesse is that alone the Devill wants and despaires of himselfe and that he most envies us the sons of men because hee knowes it sets us in a way of happinesse so infinitely above him But what our Saviour said Matth. 8.22 to the young man that desired respite to bury his dead Father Let the dead bury the dead but follow thou me This give me leave to say to all you that heare me this day let dead hearts bury themselves in dead comforts dead honours dead pleasures dead hopes c. but follow thou Christ follow Holinesse I further appeale to the justice of your piety and goodnesse Whether the waies of holinesse and the followers of them deserve to be derided despised discountenanced discouraged so much as they are by the proud prophane sensuall and superstitious mindes of the world whether they which despise holinesse doe not withall despise their owne soules their God and Saviour whether they forsake not their owne mercies who follow lying vanities whether this be not to glory in our shame to be ashamed of that which is the glory of God and the reasonable creature Lastly I appeale to your royall wisedome and the rest of your Noble and Christian Prudence Piety Whether those that follow peace and Holinesse and are fitted to a capacity of seeing the great God and King of Heaven in his Glory be not also the worthiest and fittest to see the face and enjoy the favours of Christian Kings on earth These these are they that best know the duty honour and fidelity they owe to Majesty and make a conscience to pay it because it is a point of Holinesse so to doe These are the propugnacula munimenta regni Ecclesiae as was said of Saint Ambrose the strength honour and security of the Church and State under God and his Majesties care and pious providence These are in some sort the tutelares Genii protectors of his Majesties person health life Crowne Queene and posterity while they daily lift up pure hands and holy hearts to the God of Heaven for his Majesties safety honour and happinesse These are like Moses and Elias the Horsemen and Chariots of Israel these have power with God by their prayers counsells and good examples they stand in the gap and hinder the inundation of sin and judgements To these we owe under God the enjoyment of our peace plenty safety and Religion and of the blessing of blessings temporall a pious and gratious Prince O then let not Holinesse I beseech you bee banished as I beleeve it is not from your hearts your words your houses your lives from your favour and good opinion from your service nor from your Court Let there not be wanting in this place Iosephs and Mordecays and Nehemiahs and Daniels men in whom is the Spirit of the holy God as that Heathen Prince said of Daniel There is a Booke called The holy Court which might be usefull to Courtiers if it were not unsafe being larded with many false and frivolous opinions and superstitious practises It will bee your honour and happinesse to act what he sought to write O follow not sinne and vanity or strife and contention or lubricity and impurity or vaine-glory c. these will cast you out from the presence of God and betray you to utter darknesse And what considerate minde can with patience thinke of being ever separated from the fountaine of its being life and happinesse O what infinite darknesse necessity and horror must for ever oppresse that soule Holinesse only is that divine magnetick power which drawes the soule to God and God to the soule never quiet till it be united to the fountaine its vertue I know your piety cannot but consider oft and seriously That the greatest of you will be one day like Sampson when his fatall haire was cut weak and impotent and like other men your eyes blinded your great strength departed the chaines of darknesse will involve you the wormes will be your fetters and the grave your prison O while you live follow holinesse that when you die as Sampson did you may quite destroy those enimies which living you could not that death may be an end of your sinne and mortality but the beginning and consummation of your endlesse happinesse in the sight of God That when the eyes of your bodies shall be shut to this world and all things desirable here the eye of your soule that rationall and eternall eye may be opened to see and enjoy God and reigne with Christ for ever That you and we though in different degrees may then receive that Crowne of immortall glory which is free from cares and crosses from feares and jealousies from sleep and soule-breaking distractions but full of a divine and constant glory serenity joy and eternall security Amen A SERMON PREACHED BEFORE THE IVDGES AT CHELMSFORD ZECH. 8.16 These are the things yee shall doe speake yee every man the truth to his Neighbour execute the judgement of truth and peace in your Gates THE Customary solemnity of publike Assise and administration of Justice hath not more of state and policy than of safety and piety in this That not only the gentry and commons but your wisedome and gravity Right Honourable and Reverend disdaine not to receive advice from the Pulpit before you goe to the Bench and hear Gods charge to you before you give your charge to others Hereby not so much to conciliate a greater reverence and authority to your persons and proceedings by amusing the minds of the populacy and awing their consciences with the pompe and formality of religion as those Heathen Law-givers Solon Lycurgus Numa and others are said to have done but seriously and in the feare of God to ascend with Moses first to the Mount and talke
with God before you judge and teach the people To the Law and to the Testimony these will informe you the will of God which is the highest law and perfectest rule to examine truth to measure justice and to maintaine peace which though they flow from that pure and eternall fountaine of essentiall truth justice and peace most clearly and plentifully in the conduit of his Word yet are ready to contract much soil and dregs in the vessels of mens hearts and course of humane actions so that the best have need often to refine and renew their minds by a fresh information of their judgements concerning the will of God and resolution of their wills to doe it His Word no doubt teacheth the best politicks his precept and example shew the happiest platforme of government whose almighty power is so tempered with wisedome and goodnesse That as he made at first the state and frame of all things full of beauty order and harmony by number weight and measure so he still preserves and governes the great Common-wealth of all creatures in heaven and earth with that just proportion of power and goodnesse as keeps the generall peace of things and keepes off that confusion to which the variety and contrariety of particular natures seeme to tend So that who so will judge and governe aright shall not need to use those Machiavellian engines lying fraud simulation and injustice mysteries indeed not of true policy but of iniquity unreasonable reasons of state which the impotency and folly of wicked men pretend as necessary when indeed â—â—ey tend not to the establishing but undermining of States and ruine both of governours and governed We need goe no further than this Text to see what God requires and teacheth us as best and necessary for the well ordering of humane societies both for private and publi ke or judiciary proceedings 1 In private that every one speake the truth to his neighbour this would stop many injuries and complaints with which the publike courts are pestred 2 In publike and judiciary proceedings every one promote the execution of truth and peace in the gates 1 The people and governed By their presence obedience assistance by their testimony and evidence of word and oath for the search and finding out of truth By their hands and power for the maintaining of peace both in the safety of the person of the Magistrate and execution of that â—ust sentence which they give 2 The Magistrate and persons governing 1 by their knowledge of what is judgement and justice 2. By their authority and power to execute what they know is just 3. By their integrity in the execution according to truth and peace For these three things are you know necessary in Magistrates and those minores Dii inferiour mortall gods 1. Skill to governe power 2. Power to arme their skill 3. Willâ—â— actuate both uprightly That neither ignorance breed error and so injustice nor weaknesse contempt and opposition nor corruptnesse injury and oppression What is knowledge of truth and equity if there be not courage and conscience to speak it What is skill courage and conscience if destitute of power to execute what they know and decree Fundamentum pacis veritas stabilimentum utriusque potestas Truth is the foundation of peace and power the support of both truth and peace which without authority grow feeble and despised as authority not grounded upon equity and guided by truth proves violence tyranny and oppression and becommeth not a file sive and schreene to separate the rust from the metall the bran from the flowre the chaffe from the graine the vile and refuse from the choice and precious but mola malleus plebis the maul and mill that violently and promiscuously grindes and beats to peices all that comes under its rigour and weight Your Honours and wisedomes I presume are provided with all three Power and authority I am sure you have the highest and amplest from the King of Heaven by the mediate appointment of our gracious King on earth Skill and knowledge you have through Gods blessing by the study and experience in the lawes Vprightnesse and integrity we charitably pray and hope you have from the grace of God and the tendernesse of your owne consciences Indeed you have all from God whose word hath ordained your power and regulated this by just law and exacts a conscience in executing these lawes So that by attending to Gods word you may confirme your authority encrease your knowledge and incite your consciences The judgement in all points is the Lords as power justice and truth in your judgements flow from him so will they as rivers returne back to him in your reckonings and accounts Happy is it when every one of these as so many rivulets contribute their strength to the publick current of justice that so judgement may runne downe as a noble and mighty streame and know no stop or resistance That every one being a lover of truth and peace the first and severest censurer and judge of himselfe and his owne actions you may with the more patience and cheerfulnesse attend to what I shall out of Gods word with all modesty and due observance but yet truth and faithfulnesse endeavour by the discharge of my owne conscience to informe some to reforme others and at least to confirme yours by stirring up your prudent mindes by way of remembrance of what is just and true and tends to your owne and others peace Which since you know and have authority to doe happy are you if you doe them These are the things you shall doe c. Two things are considerable in the words 1. The forme of the charge or command These are the things yee shall doe 2. The duty or matter 1. Private personall and universall to all men speak every man the truth to his neighbour 2. Publick politicall and speciall to Magistrates Execute the judgement of truth and peace in your gates We will begin with the duties themselves and reserve the forme of the command to the last place when wee shall apply the duties to every one as they concerne them 1. The first branch of the duty and command is private personall and universall to all men Veriloquentia Speak yee the truth every man to his neighbour 1. What we must doe speak the truth 2. Who every man 3. To whom to his neighbour 1. Speak the truth Man is {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} a sociable creature Speech is the meanes of society and commerce The common change and coyne The mine of truth is Gods the mint and coynage of it Speech must have his Image and superscription the stamp and impression of truth It is capitall offence of the highest Majesty to counterfeit or falsifie this by a lie By Reason we come neere the Angels by reason and speech both wee exceed the beasts by truth speaking we come neerest to God and get farthest from the Devill the father of lies
more and yet nothing more than this life and the body needs 2 The second is a higher and middle Region of minds which are raised above the vulgar in desire of knowledge honour and renowne {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} These are {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} rather high-minded than heavenly {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} as Comets raised up and more lightsome than others but still of grosse and earthly qualities and will soone vanish 3 The third and highest Region is of minds that are as the Starres in the Firmament pure holy heavenly as heaven full of light beauty order tranquillity and constancy of motion {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} out of the reach of inferiour things not subject to mutation or corruption of a sweet and happy influence to all inferiour faculties which are as the earth or lower world of the man It is mens vicina Deo as the highest heaven so the renewed mind is neere to God himselfe above all things looking to him filled with him adores admires delights converseth with God Good thoughts as good Angels descending in all humble acknowledgement of its owne distance and unworthinesse yet ascending by faith to the contemplation of the infinite perfections of God himselfe and his mercifull communicating of himselfe to us through Jesus Christ This makes a renewed mind never alone a good mans solitude more to bee envied than all the company in the world For as God hath made us bodies fit to converse with things corporall so minds and spirits for a mentall and spirituall communion with himselfe by meditation and prayer which are the fruits of faith The renewed mind alone sees God upon earth and discernes his wayes which are hidden from the eyes of the world In Warres and tumults it looks upon the anger of Princes the injuries of men and their rebellious spirits and considers the just judgement of God upon sinfull men corrupted with long peace whose spirits are stir'd up to punish each other And through all times and mutations of humane affaires it still marks and expects Gods care and faithfulnesse for the preservation of the Ark his Church amidst the inundation of warre and barbarisme The Church being Gods great designe in this world to which all States Monarchs Princes the great men and great things of this world are subservient Next to God a renewed mind reflects upon and reverenceth it selfe studies books men creatures all things but chiefly it selfe counts it selfe as the Iewell of the man precious and portable all things without as the lumber which may be lost and must be left It turnes the current of affections another way and improves them by grace to better objects love joy desire delight to God and Christ and the doing of good fear hatred griefe anger c. against sin and the doing of evill It considers sin as the greatest deformity and evill that can befall and which only can hurt the soule It had rather have Gods grace than his temporall gifts It esteemes heaven not so much for the impunity as the immunity from sin The happinesse it desires is a perfection of Holinesse and its glory a fulnesse of Grace In it selfe it is mens tranquilla full of composednesse tranquillity and sweet harmony which it counts so divine a happinesse as no occurrence in the world is worthy to disorder it It keeps a symmetry of actions and uniformity of life making passions and affections subject to reason reason to faith and faith to the truth and will of God revealed In respect of men the renewed mind studies to be {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} as publike diffusive and universall a good as may be not {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} pragmatick and censorious out of a pharisaicall vanity but in a serious solid and primitive way of piety discreetly reserved yet ingenuously communicative counting it a halfe and defective happinesse to save it selfe only {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} For all other things in the world it is mens sapiens i. e. cui res sapiunt ut sunt The renewed mind relisheth and judgeth aright of things and accordingly lets out its affections unto them {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} it loves earthly things as things of a brittle temper and when they are broke it is not much troubled It is mens quadrata square and fitted for all the casts of that the world calls fortune this counts Providence ready to entertaine any occurrence of life as becomes one whom God loves no condition befalls in which it finds not occasion to improve some grace or virtue by exercising of it It is mens immota as a Rock so is the renewed mind in the stormes and inquietudes of the sea of this world wherein others are tossed and overwhelmed its firmnesse and constancy the more appeares Ponderibus librata suis so balanced and setled upon its weighty and serious intentions and hopes for eternity ut si fractus illabatur orbis impavidum ferient ruinae It expects the greatest troubles and comforts from within for all without the renewed mind as Noahs Ark when the old world men of old grosse and earthly minds sink to despaire and are drowned in a deluge of their owne feares This is then raised higher and by faith and prayer makes neerer approaches unto heaven The pulls and stresses of worldly calamities doe but fasten the anchor of its hope that it gets the better hold for the worse things it finds in this life the more confidently it expects better in the life to come It is mens defaecata shake and stirre it never so much yet as a cleere and living spring it soone recovers its setled purity and discovers nothing faeculent or unsavory Angry but not sowred to malice cheerfull but not vaine provident but not distrusting industrious but not covetous liberall but not profuse abounding but not proud advanced but not insolent learned but yet humble poore but yet content rerum Dominus nil cupiendo supplyes its wants from it selfe but cutting off its desires Its joyes and comforts are not that {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} superfluity and torrent of sensuall and worldly joyes which as a winter-streame soone abate spending themselves apace and besides leaves a squallor and filth after them upon the conscience But as a modest spring its joyes rise and run in a secret cleere and silent streame but yet fidelibus aquis constant and perennant such as the greatest drought of affliction cannot overcome In a word the renewed mind as a noble streame passeth cleere by all those pleasant things which worldly minds admire and are detained with in the circular eddy of their owne fancies This keeps its desires within the banks of moderation and content being impatient of resistance still hastens its course towards its great Sire the Ocean Irrequieta est anima nostra donec ad te redeat Domine never