to fix on Lactantius tells us that Philosophy is nothing else but opinion And Austine in his book de Civit. Dei tells us that Philosophi sunt potins opinantes quam scientes Though Philosophy be nothing else but a heap of disputables a crow'd of it may bees yet Divinity should not be so Whether all things be made of Atoms or Aristotles principles it is not much material never soul was saved or damn'd for these opinions A great wit may find a way as probable as either But whether the soul be immortal or no whether there will be a day of judgement or not it highly concernes us to be sure of those things for if there be no judgement men may live as they list but if there be they must live as they should States men for the prevention of divisions have somewhat in Goverment indubitable and so should Church men if one Preach up universal redemption another Preach it down who shall the sequacious pendulous people believe me thinks having an unerring rule to square by we should agree in fundamentals at least wise if not in circumstantials 4. Necessary usefull Truths not Toyes Trifles barren and unprofitable Notions subtile speculations It should be the great care of a Divine to Preach those things that may make most for the edification of his Auditory he should shew them their damnable deplorable estate by Nature the True means of their recovery by Christ Preach about Faith Repentance Charity Love Humility Heavenly mindednesse Contentednesse Heaven Hell Death Judgement to come fully instruct them in the Lords Prayer and ten Commandements T is not impossible for a man to come here often and scarce heare a word of any of these This I speak not to disparage those that doe well but because I would have some doe better I could wish that the fundamentalls of Religion were more Preacht Proud men think it inconsistent with the greatnesse of their parts and sublimity of their wits to iusist upon these they are much like Angelus Politianus that would not vouchsafe to read the Scriptures because as he thought they did not containe elegancies suitable to his florid stile and Genius They think these things belong to men of weaker and slenderer parts they will exercise themselves in more refined and curious speculations they will Marshall the Angells and know what God did before he made the World who looks upon the Sunn but in an Eclipse who takes cognizance of the Moon but when Travelling a blazing Comet is more look't upon then all the regular stars in heaven the Kings dwarfe hath more eyes upon him then all the proper personable men that the King hath If a man Preach a solid substantiall peece upon some ordinary usefull poynt in Divinity we take no great notice of it but if some haeretick in Divinity preach a peece made up of meere staggering drunken probabilities present us with some spurious mishapen Brat of his own intellect which he can prove to be legitimate neither by Scripture nor reason this is cry'd up for a man of rare parts elevated advanced intellectualls So apt are wee Athenian like to admire nay even to adore Toyes and Novelties 5. Ancient Apostolick truths I do not mean here antiquity of a later standing such as the Papists pretend to but Originall prime antiquitie Old truths like old goverments are best Innovations in Church and State being equally dangerous Those truths are most Authentique that are as old as Christ and his Apostles An old truth like an old musicall Instrument sounds best in the eare of all good men Tertullian tells us Verum quod prius Adulterinum quod posterius It is good coyn that is first stamped and afterward that which is counterfeit The Husbandman first sowed good seed and then the envious man sowed tares This was the unanimous crie of the Councell of Calcedon 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 let Ancient things prevaile Blessed be God which hath in mercy restored our ancient goverment both in Church and State 6. Particular applied truths Generalia non pungunt generall Truths never pierce a soule or wound a Conscience Generall truths like the Papists generall faith never save a soule It is not a loafe whole that nourisheth but cut and eaten Spices are never more fragrant then when they are broken Nathan tells David which I think little thought of it thou art the Man S. Peter doth not mince the matter but tells the Jewes plainly and piercingly that they had murthered Christ And what was the effect of this soul searching soul peircing preaching when they heard these things they were pricked at the heart and there were three thousands of them converted 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it was with them at if rapier points had been stuck in their spirits S. Paul might have entertained that Tyrant Faelix with some plausible discourse of the wonderfull birth life and death of Christ but he takes another course with him he reasons of righteousnesse temperance and judgement to come and this made him tremble He opposed righteousnesse to his briberies Temperance to his adulteries and judgement to come to his outragious insolencies 7. Peaceable truths Ministers are the servants of the God of Peace Embassadors of the Gospell of Peace they what ever other men are should be men of Peace they should be like the Cherubins of the Arke look upon one another with propitious Aspects the good Divine should not only pray but Preach for the Peace of Jerusalem Rogamus non Pugnamus Auguste was wont to be the language of the Church formerly it hath no weapons but those of prayers and teares Popish was the practice of the Covenanters that brought us hither a punie upstart Mushrome yesterday Religion upon the poynt of asword and truly had their swords been no keener then their arguments I think they might have been soon blunted 4. I proceed in the fourth place to tell you some truths which I think to be suitable to and convenient for this Auditory 1. That Arts and Sciences should be subservient and ancillatorie to Divinity that the Hagar of Humanity should not outbrave the Sarah of Divinity it must not justle it out and take up the best roomes in a Sermon how then comes it to passe that many of your Sermons are stuft with all Arts and Sciences but Divinity How comes it to passe that instead of making the Spouse borders of Gold with studds of silver a great many of you make her borders of brasse with studds of Tinn and pewter Are they not like Onesilaus his head that instead of braines was full of hony-combes When the Persian King sent Antalcidas the Lacedimonian Captain a Garland of flowers perfum'd with spices and odours he tells him Rosarum fragrantiam adulteratione perdidisti so may I say to many of you Concioneis majestatem adulteratione perdidistis With admirable fitnesse did the learned K. Iames compare such Sermons to the red and blew flowers that pester the corne which were
governed by a wise just and merciful King God punisheth the wicked spares the good so doth the King the King is as it were a God on Earth I have said ye are Gods there is so neare a relation between God and the King that a Man cannot injure the one without offering an injury to the other he that touches the Lords annointed doth as it were touch God he that strikes at the King doth at the same blow to his power strike at God himself 3. Monarchy is the most ancient and universal Government and therefore likeliest to render a Nation happy As ancient Apostolicke truths make the Church so ancient Governments make the State happy innovations being equally dangerous in both As old truths are most wholesome for the Church so old Governments are most wholesome for the State That Monarchy is the most ancient Government in the World is indisputable it being as old as Adam whom God constituted Monarch of the World as we read in Genesis of the antiquity of this Government humane writings sufciently tell us and as it is the most ancient so it is the most universally received Government almost all the Nations in the World either have been or are governed by it Surely had not they found the happynesse of it above other Goverments they would not have so long acquiesced in it That which the General practise of the World the unanimous consent of all Nations tell us to be true we cannot rationally doubt of 4. My fourth argument is drawn from those appellations that the Philosopher gives a good King he styles him a Father a Physician a Shepheard all these termes bespeak a happinesse a blessing to the Common-wealth Augustus was termed pater patriae the Father of his Countrey Homer calls Agamemnon 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the like was said of Moses Now if a good King be a Father sure it is to be careful over his Children if a Physitian it is to heal them if a Shepheard it is to feed them and surely that Nation cannot but be happy that hath a Father to provide for it a Physitian to heal it and a Shepheard to feed it 5. My fifth argument is drawn a Minori ad majus from the lesser to the greater if it be requisite that in a single house in a family for the happynesse thereof there should be a Governour a ruler a Master of it how much more in the great family of the Common-wealth If it be requisite for the welfare thereof that there shou'd be a chief Magistrate in the City how much more in a Kingdome the affairs of the one being far more urgent and important then those of the other a City may better subsist without a Major an University without a Vicechancellour then a Kingdome without a King A Kingdome without a King is like a body without a soul a good King is as were the soul of the body of the Commonwealth 6. Let us listen to the voice of instructing nature let us look into the Universe and there we shall find nothing but Kingdomes and Kings Nature it self prompts us to Monarchy Oh what beauty and order is there in the Commonwealth of bees Oh how obsequiously doe all the rest follow the Master beee Oh how do they mourn at his Funeral and when he is dead constitute another is not the Sunne King of Luminaries Prince of Planets doe not the Cranes follow their leader Is not the Whale King of Fishes The Eagle King of birds Is not the Lyon King of beasts Shall these irrational creatures acquiesce in Monarchy as most suitable to their nature condition and shall not we shall we be worse then Bruits shall they have more knowledge then wee go to the Ant thou sluggard saith Solomon as the Ant may teach us prudence and providence so these may teach us loyalty and as it is requisite to the happynesse of a Nation that it have a King or that he b◠the Son of Nobles one of Noble extraction one of the blood Royal this is the onely way to prevent divisions and to secure the peace of a Nation When it is otherwise every new Governour may be the cause of a new war In Government it is requisite that there should be some standard somewhat indubitable unquestionable besides a Person of Noble extraction is more apt to command obedience more likely to win upō the hearts of the people They look upon such as men designed for Government as men born to rule There is somewhat of Soveraignty and Majesty enstamped upon them people abhorre to be ruled either by inferiours or equals for the meanest of the people their brows were never made for Diadems neither have they those endowments and qualilifications which may be speak them fit for Empires They were born to Obey not to command So much may suffice for the second thing I proceed in the third place to shew you that it is the happynesse of our Nation in particular For the demonstration of this let us compare our former Estate under no King with our present Estate under a King let us look upon the miseries of the one and the felicities of the other and doubtlesse it will appear that it is our happynesse to be ruled by a good Prince contraries doe illustrate one another the ruder blasts of Winter make us more in love with the beauties of Summer No Musick more pleasing to the eare then when the sweetness of a concord takes away the harshnesse of a discord A Man that is upon the Land and hath escaped Shipwrack may look with pleasure upon the swelling heaven-threatning seas In the 2. of judges we read of the destruction of the whole tribe of Benjamin and many calamities that had befallen the Israelites would you know the reason of this the Holy Ghost tells us verse 25. In those dayes there was no King in Israel every man did that which was right in his own eyes If any one should aske me what was the occasion of all our misenies and distractions in England it was the losse of our gracious and merciful Soveraigne in those dayes there was no King in our Israel every man did that which was right in his own eyes that deep-dyed hainious scarlet sin was not the least cause of all our miseries that blow that stuck him made three Nations reele like a drunken man it was not he only that dyed but our happinesse also dyed with him Our miseries like the waves of the Sea or like Ioh's sad messengers came crowding in upon us they did as it were strive which should be for most they may be reduced to these principally 1. Warre or want of Peace Warre is one of Gods scourges with which he whips a Nation for rebellion and treason it was but just with God to punish us with a Warre because we knew not how to value the blessings of Peace Jessurun-like we waxed fat and kicked with the heel we forgat to fear God and to honour
hee enquires of them he reproves their ingratitude and expostulates with them in the words of my text Am I therefore become your enemy because I tell you the truth Am I I the Apostle of Christ your teacher your spirituall guide one that watches over you for the good of your soules your enemy you that professed your selves to be happy in my ministery you that thought nothing too good for mee you that loved mee so dearely that if it had been possible you would have pulled out your own eyes and have given them me am I become your enemy because I tell you the truth because I preach the Gospell to you all the truths of Christ more especially that fundamentall truth that we are not justified by the Law as you think and your false teachers suggest but by faith in Christ. I would be loath to be accounted your enemy upon any account but most of all upon the account of truth you should honour mee for the truth esteeme mee for my works sake not hate mee look upon me as your enemy am I therefore become your enemy because I tell you the truth this is the true genuine sense of the words according to Chrysostome Estius Calvin Diodate Perkins and some others compared together there 's no difficulty in them therefore this may suffice for exposition of them they containe in them two things 1. The Gallatians envy and hatred conceived against S. Paul am I become your enemy 2. The ground of it it was upon the score of truth because I tell you the truth The words without torturing and wracking afford these two plain truths 1. That many men look upon them as their enemies that tell them the truth Am I become your enemy 2. That the Preachers of the Word should be truth-tellers Because I tell you the truth First of the first is this That many men look upon those as their enemies which tell them the truth In the prosecution of it I shall use this method 1. Prove it by Scripture 2. Give you some Reasons and Arguments for it 3. Make use But before I come to my proposed method I think it necessary for my more orderly proceeding to give you some distinctions of truth and those that oppose it and the assertors of it Truth may be considered too wayes either 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 either in it self and as it is nothing else but a conformity between the object and the intellect or else it may be considered by way of accident as it thwarts mens lusts and corruptions if we consider it the first way It is not odious but there is a friendly amity between the understanding and it The eye is delighted with colour the ear with Harmony and the understanding the eye of the Soul is no lesse delighted with truth it being it's natural genuine proper object in this sense Saint Austine affirmes truth to be dear to the intellect but if we consider it the second way as it creates a disturbance in the Commonwealth of mens lusts so it is odious to them the Sun in its self is an amiable and lovely object and Solomon teils us that it is a pleasant thing for the eye to behold the Sun but they that have fore eyes cannot endure to looke upon it truth is a glorius ray from the Sun of righteousnesse It is in it self precious and lovely yet men of corrupt minds and irregular affections doe not love it yea they cannot bear the clearer more piercing irradiations of it this I take to be meaning of Calvin upon the place Veritas odiosa est malitia pravitate eorum qui eam non sustinent audire Truths are either humane or Divine Philosophical or Theological Philosophical such as are cognoscible by the light of nature such as are found out by experience humane disquisition such as we meet with in Ethicks Physicks Mathematicks and Methaphysicks Theological or Divine truths such as are revealed from above such as stream frō the clearer Fontains of the Scripture of the entertainments of Philosophical or humane truths I doe not here enquire truths are either general or particular general such as are proposed in an universall way without application to the conscience or reflexion upon such men or such and such lusts as this vice is to be hated particular such as reflect upon particular men and particular lusts such as sting the conscience as pride coveteousnosse drunkness are to be hated General gliding tansient irreflexive unconcerning truths may peradventure gain tolerable acceptance be looked upon with a more propitious aspect when a particular severer conscience smiting truth may be brow beatē suspected de graded to a meer probability nay it may be flatly opposed contradicted in down right terms Men are either good or bad unregenerate or regenerate unregenerate such as are in the gall of bitternesse such as wallow like Swine in the Mire of their corruptions such as are meerly as they were born regenerate such as are born again such as cleave to Gods commaudements such ss stear their thoughts word and actions according to the dictates of Gods Word and Spirit unregenerate men naturally hate Gods truths and this hatred it doth not terminate in the truth it self but it is extended to the Person that delivereth it as if he were the Author of it and not that God that sent him but with the regenerate truths find more courteous and Christian like entertainments they know whose truths they are therefore they respect and reverence them for his sake and if they doe at any time look upon them superciliously it is in that and so far forth as they are unregenerate and not regenerate as to their unsanctified not to their sanctified part This distinction as to the sense and substance of it I find in Proverbes the 9. 8. Reprove not a scorner least he hate thee rebuke a wise man and he will love thee Men are according to Solomon either devided into scorners or wisemen by scorners we are to understand wicked men by wisemen such as are wise to salvation as for scorners if we reprove them they will hate us but wisemen being rebuked they will love us Though Herod cut of Iohn Baptists head because of Herodius yet Anathan may tell a David thou art the man and he will not be much offended The sum of all is this that unregenerate men look upon those as their Enemies that tell them Divine truth not proposed in general but particularly applyed to their consciences they hate the truth not barely considered in it's self but as it thwarts their sins their unmortified affections and this hatred it rebounds as it were from the truth to the Person This being premised I proceed to the proposed Method 1. That many men look upon those as their Enemies that tell them the truth is clear from these Scriptures Asts 7. 54. When they heard these things they were cut to the heart and the
our King that sword which being pampered with Peace we wantonly drew God would not sheath till he had beat us with It and sheathed it in our Bowels How destructive Warre is to a Nation I need not tell you we have too too long tasted of the bitter fruits of it ever since that constrained departure of his Majesty from his Palace the devouring sword hath been among us till the happy restitution of our now Raigning Soveraigne How did our own mercilesse fellow subjects like the Tyrants of Athens or like so many Wolves or Tygers worry us That usurped Dominion which they unlawfully got by the sword they as unlawfully maintained by the sword O what summes did they extort from us that they might consume it upon their lusts O what armies did their appaled guilty consciences levy O how did they scarre us into a constrained obedience Though our bodies were subject to them yet our hearts and souls onely to our lawful Prince 2. As we wanted Peace so also truth instead of ancient Apostolique truths we had onely divided novelties figments Chimeras the dreams and fancies of deluded mens brains who would own nothing for truth but what made for their own interests Instead of Preaching loyalty they Preached rebellion instead of Preaching unity they Preached Schisme and Heresy The Church mourn'd the Woman was fled into the Wildernesse Religion put on black our pious learned teachers were driven into corners the blind led the blind our Starres of the first magnitude were overclouded there were no stately Cedars left in the Lebanon of the Church few or no Trees that bare pleasant fruit were standing in the Paradise of God Those Divines that were most eminent for piety and learning were silenced their adversaries works were the works of darknesse therefore they hated the light and the dispencers of it The seers themselves were blind the people perished because there was no vision England was turned Amsterdam any one that had lost his Religion might have found it here every family had a certain Religion peculiar to it self The Universities were discountenanced the Church revenues converted to private mens uses They that had no reverence for the Crown had lesse for the Mitre 'T was no wonder that they that would have no King would have no Bishop England that was the Goshen of the World a Land of light was now turned into an Egypt a Land of darknesse It was such darknesse as we afterwards felt in those swarmes of Heresies and blasphemous opinions that were among us 3. The want of Lawes and the due administration of Justice As it is one of the great happinesses of a Nation to have good Lawes and to have them executed so it is the great misery of a Nation either to be without Lawes or without the execution of them this was our misery the Fountains of Justice were Sealed the Streams were dam'd up those Servants that ruled over us they turned judgement into gall and the fruits of righteousnesse into hemlock they trampled upon all the Fundamental Lawes of the Land they raced the very Foundations of Government they knew no Lawes but their lusts and what ambition prompted them to The voice of Justice could not be heard for the beating of Drums sounding of Trumpets the prerogative of the King the priviledges of Parliament the just rights and liberties of the people were violated and trodden upon it was death as much as to name any of these a man could call nothing his own neither was there any certainty of any thing We were nothing else but a sacrifice to their ambition and cruelty For the iniquities of our Nation many were our Princes we that would not submit to the Government of one pious mercifull King before were afterwards compelled to submit to the Tyranny of thirty or fourty mercilesse ones these these were the miseries these were the heavy burdens we sighed and groaned under when we had no King in this our Israel Now we have seen the black let us now see the white we have heard the harsher and more grating let us now hear the sweeter and more ear-pleasing notes Let us view those blessings that we enjoy now God hath bin pleased to give us a King in this our Israel As the setting of our first Sun King Charles the I. the mirrour of Kings and glory of Martyrs was one of the greatest causes of our miseries darknesses ever since so the rising of King Charles the II. is under God the greatest cause of our light warmth and comfort This Sun like the Sun of Righteousnesse did arise with healing under his wings Parallell and answerable to all our fore mentioned wounds In King Charles the II. we have a salve 1. We have peace our wound was war now oursalve is peace What can be more acceptable to a Nation so long worried with wars than peace Peace it is the glue that cements and sodders a divided distracted Nation It is a choice mercy a token of Gods love and favour Surely if warre be a great judgement then by the rule of contraries peace cannot but be a great mercy Peace is the Mother of plenty the nourisher of arts and ingenuity it is hard to tell whether a Nation be more miserable by war or happy by Peace whether the one doth it more harme or the other good Now our insulting Tyrannizing lawlesse armies are disbanded that were wont to destroy not defend us and blessed by God we can sit in Peace and quietnesse under our own Vines and Fig-tree and there is none to make us affraid 2. As we have Peace so we have also truth Peace and truth doe well together it is our happinesse that we have both now our eyes behold our teachers such as have the tongue of the learned and know how to speak a word in due season such as can divide the word of truth aright pastours that can feed us with knowledge Now the Starres of the Church are fixed the Trees of Paradise take root Universities are in couraged the Churches revenues are restored Religion learning and what soever is praise worthy flourish The word is Preached the Sacraments are administred in a reverent decent manner all things are done decently and in order The face of all things both in Church and State is more amiable and lovely 3. As there is respect had to Divine so also to humane Lawes we are now governed by the ancient fundamental Lawes of our Realme these are the compasses that we steer by these are the standing rules of the Nation Justice now runs down like a mighty stream and waters all our Land the cryes of the Fatherlesse and Widow are heard courts are open grievances are redressed the Kings prerogative the Priviledges of Parliament the liberties of the subject are all preserved inviolate These are the happinesses we enjoy under the wings of a gracious Prince and surely happy is the people that is in such a case If we reflect upon our former and