Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n
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A16549
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An exposition of the dominical epistles and gospels used in our English liturgie throughout the whole yeare together with a reason why the church did chuse the same / by Iohn Boys ... ; the winter part from the first Aduentuall Sunday to Lent.
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Boys, John, 1571-1625.
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1610
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STC 3458; ESTC S106819
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229,612
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305
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creature not a Creator therefore not to be worshipped adored as God If good men on earth and glorious Angels in heauen haue refused alway to bee reputed Christ what shamelesse Idolaters are they who say heere is Christ and there is Christ this is Christ and that is Christ The second question is Art thou Elias To which Iohn answers No. Yet Christ saith he is that Elias An Angel from heauen hath answered this obiection Luk. 1.17 Iohn Baptist is Elias in power not in person indued with the like temperance like wisdome like courage Now the Pharisies imagined that Elias himselfe should come not another in the spirit of Elias and therefore Iohn according to their meaning answered truly that he was not Elias How Iohâ— and Elias parallel see Beauxamis Harmoâ— Euangel Tom. 1. fol. 101. Ludolphus de vita Christi part 1. cap. 19. Postâ—l catholic Con. 2. Dom. 4. Aduent Whether Eliâ—s shall come before the great day of the Lords second comming see Luther postil maior in loc and his Maiesties Premonition from the 62. pag. to the 80. The third question is Art thou a Prophet To which Iohn answered also negatiuely Christ said he was more then a Prophet himselfe that he was lesse then a Prophet There are three degrees of humility 1. To submit our selues vnto our betters 2. To giue place to equals 3. To yeeld vnto inferiours All these were found in Iohn he submitted himselfe to superiors affirming that he was not Christ he gaue place to equals answering that he was not Elias he did yeeld to his inferiors in saying he was not a Prophet Yea but Iohn out of his humilitie must not tell an vntruth his father Zacharias in the Benedictus cals him the Prophet of the most high and Christ more then a Prophet Chrysostome Theophylact Euthymius and other Greeke fathers are of opinion that the Pharisies imagined Iohn to be that Prophet spoken of by Moses Deut. 18.15 The Lord thy God will raise vp vnto thee a Prophet like vnto me from among you euen of thy brethren vnto him ye shall hearken The which text must bee construed either of the whole Colledge of Prophets or else of Christ the chiefe of the Prophets and therefore Iohn answered directly that he was not that Prophet 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Prophet Rupertus and other Latine Doctors affirme that the Pharisies in this interrogatory desired to know whether his office were like that of Esay Ieremias Amos and the old Prophets vnto which Iohn might answere well that he was not such a Prophet for their office was to foreshew Christ by some works or foretell him by some words vel dictis praesignare vel factis praefigurare saith Rupertus But Iohns ambassage was not to foretell that Christ should come but plainly to tell that Christ was come Thou shalt be called the Prophet of the most high not to prefigure but to goe before the face of the Lord. A Prophet â—s a Preacher of the Gospel not as a Priest of the Law Hitherto Iohn Baptist answers negatiuely shewing what he was not neither Christ nor Elias nor a Prophet Wheâ—ein hee did not satisfie the messengers of the Iewes fully That therefore they might returne a more perfect answere they further importune and presse him to know what he was What saiest thou of thy selfe The which is the fourth interrogatory To this Iohn affirmatiuely declaring what he was I am the voice of a Crier c. There were two chiefe prophecies of him one that he should be that Angel of the Lord and this that he should be the voice of a Crier in the wildernesse Here then Interpreters obserue Iohns humility giuing himselfe the meanest title not Christ not an Angell not a Prophet but onely vox clamantis c. Wherein he liuely describeth a good Preacher of the Gospell hee must be the voice of a Crier in the wildernesse to make straight the way for the Lord. The word of God is a proclamation in writing common to all and the Minister is the voice of the Crier to giue notice to the people that the matter of the proclamation concerneth them and euery one of them Acts 13.26 Men and brethren and whosoeuer among you feareth God to you is the word of this saluatioÌ„ sent To you God raised vp his Sonne Iesus and hath sent him to blesse you by turning euery one of you from your iniquities Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh A Preacher therefore must cry from the bottome of his heart the which is prefigured Ezekiel 3.1 Sonne of man eat this roll and goe and speake vnto the house of Israel Vtter nothing to the people but that which thou hast first digested thy selfe The voice A word is first conceiued in the heart then vttered by the voice yet we heare the voice before wee know the word so Christ the eternall Word was before Iohn and all other Preachers In the beginning was the Word and that beginning was before all beginning yet the world knew not the Word till it was preached by the voice of men and Angels albeit the word in it selfe be before the voice yet vnto vs the voice goeth before the word He that commeth after me was before me Christ then is the Word and euery Preacher of Christ is a voice the which one word confounds all such as being called thereunto doe neglect their dutie of preaching In euery voice specially a Church voice three commendable qualities are required that it bee cleere sweete and high Cleere for as Hierome said Omnia in sacerdote debent esse vocalia All things in a Diuine should preach his apparell preach his diet preach his whole life preach An example in word in conuersation in spirit in faith in purenesse Such a voice was the Baptist his preaching was of repentance and he liued as a penitent as he did boldly speake the truth so constantly suffer for the truth on the contrarie bad manners and false doctrine make harsh and hoarse the loud voice Couetous Iudas had an hoarse voyce filthie Nicolaes an hoarse voyce Simon Magus an hoarse voyce Peter in denying his Master through extreame coldnesse of feare had an hoarse voyce too for a time Manicheus Arius Pelagius all Hereticall Schismaticall Atheisticall teachers are hoarse voyces in Gods quier Iâ—le solus praedicat viua voce quipraedicat vita voce Secondly the Church voice must be sweet euery seed is not to be sowen at euery season in euery ground and so it is in Gods husbandrie The voyce therefore must aright diuide the word which it sings and saies obseruing time and keeping it selfe in tune speaking to the proud boldly to the meeke mildly to all wisely The bels hung on Aarons garment were of pure gold hereby signifying that Aarons voyce should bee no founding brasse no iarring cymball but a sweete ring prouing sweetly reprouing sweetly
confuting error sweetly confirming the truth sweetly running ouer all the changes of Gods ring mentioned 2. Tim. 4. without any iarre or false stroke sweetly Such a voyce was Iohn the Baptist rebuking Herod hardened in his wickednes rufly taking vp y e dissembling Pharisies bitterly speaking to his own disciples gently singing to euery one the true note fitly and this as Dauid speakes is to charme wisely Thirdly the Church voyce must bee high and that in regard of the Matter of which He speakes regard of the Men to which He speakes And such a voyce was the Baptist also First for the matter he reached many streines neuer sung before Repent saith he for the kingdom of heauen is at hand This note was neuer heard of the people nor sung by the Priests in old time Iohn being more then a Prophet exalted his voyce aboue the Prophets and in a plaine song without any crotchets preached him who is higher then the highest Secondly in regard of the men to whom he spake For as it followeth in the next word hee was the voice of a Crier Now men vse to crie aloud Either When they speak to meÌ„ which are a far off When they speake to men which are deafe When they are angrie Sinners are farre off from God and exceeding deafe and therfore we must be angrie crying aloud and lifting vp our voyce like a Trumpet shewing the people their transgressions and to the house of Iacob their sinnes First sinners are farre off as it is said of the prodigall childe gone into a farre countrey like lost sheep straied out of Gods pastures into Satans inclosures and therfore it is our office not onely to whistle but also to crie Returne returne ô Shulamite returne returne God doth not goe from man but man from God He that saileth nigh a rocke thinketh the rock runnes from the shippe when as indeed the shippe rides and the rock stands still euen so we leaue the waies of the Lord and runne our owne courses and then wee complaine that God is farre from vs and that our crie comes not nigh him It is true that God is farre off from the wicked not because he is moueable for hee is euer the same but because they bee wandring yet they cannot flie from his presence The further from East the neerer vnto the West the more they goe from Gods grace the neerer his iustice saluation is far from the wicked but iudgemen hangs ouer their heads It is our dutie therefore to recall men à Deo irato ad Deum placatum from God as an angrie Iudge to God as a mercifull Father If we draw neere to God he will draw neere to vs as the good father of the prodigall sonne when hee perceiued him a farre off he had compassion and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him It is said in the text that the sonne did go to his father but the father ran to meete his sonne The fathers compassion and mercie was greater then the sonnes passion and miserie Secondly sinners are deafe and therefore wee neede to crie aloud Some will heare but with one eare like Malchus in the Gospell hauing their right eare cut off and only bringing their left eare to the sermon misconstruing all things sinisterly Some stop both their eares like the deafe adder refusing to heare the voice of the charmer charme hee neuer so wisely Psalme 58.5 S. Augustine writing vpon those words hath reported out of naturall Historiographers that the serpent delighting in the darknesse where withall he hath inclosed himselfe claspeth one of his eares hard to the ground and with his taile stoppeth the other lest hearing the Marsus hee should be brought foorth to the light so worldly men stop one eare with earth that is with couetousnesse and the other with their taile that is hope of long life Ieremie therfore crieth O earth earth earth O vnhappie caitiue thou that hast nothing but earth in thy mouth euer talking of worldly wealth thou hast nothing but earth in thy minde euer plotting how to ioyne house to house and field to field nothing but earth in thine hands euer busied about the trifles of this life heare the word of the Lord which chargeth thee not to trust in vncertaine riches but in the liuing God and that thou be rich in good workes euermore readie to distribute while thou hast time stop not thine eare from the crie of the poore with hope of long life but remember what Iob saith in his 21. chap. vers 13. They spend their daies in wealth and suddenly they go downe to hell O foole this night will they fetch away thy soule from thee then whose shall those things be which thou hast prouided Thirdly men speake aloud when as they be angrie so the Preacher ought to be zealous in the cause of God euermore displeased with the sinnes of his people saying with Dauid Doe not I hate them O Lord who hate thee and am not I grieued with those that rise vp against thee Such a crier was S. Peter telling Simon the Sorcerer that he was in the gall of bitternes bond of iniquitie Such a crier was Paul taking vp Elymas O full of mischiefe the childe of the diuell and enemie of all righteousnesse c. Such a crier was Polycarpus who told Marcion that he was the diuels darling And such a crier euery Diuine should bee as a Simon helping to beare the crosse of the distressed and a Barnabas which is the sonne of consolation so like Iames and Iohn stiled in scripture Bonarges which is sonnes of thunder as Ambrose fitly vox and clamor must goe together the voice preach faith the crie repentance the voice comfort the crie threaten the voice sing mercie the crie sound iudgement so most Interpreters expound vox clamantis according to the vulgar Hebraisine vox clamans Yet it is a good obseruation of other that Iohn is not the crier but the voice of the crier for it is Christ who crieth in Preachers he speakes by the mouth of all his holie Prophets he crieth O ye foolish how long will yee loue foolishnes he crieth Repent for the kingdome of God is at hand he crieth Come vâ—to me all ye that are wearied and laden and I will refresh you To day then if yee will heare his voice harden not your hearts but suffer the words of exhortation and doctrine be moued at his crie lest he despise your call As he saith in the first of the Prouerbs Because I haue called and yee haue refused I haue stretched out mine hand and none would regard therefore they shall call vpon me but I will not answere they shall seeke me earely but they shall not finde me Think on this all ye that forget God ye that suffer Christ to stand and knock and crie at the