A SERMON PREACHED AT SNARFORD IN LINCOLNSHIRE AT THE FVNERALS of Sir GEORGE SANCT-PAVLE Knight and Baronet December the 9. 1613. By IOHN CHADVVICH Doctor in DIVINITIE AND ONE OF HIS Maiesties Chaplaines in Ordinarie TOGETHER WITH A BRIEFE and true RELATION of his vertuous life and holy death ESAY 57. v. 1. The righteous perisheth and no man laieth it to heart and mercifull men are taken away none considering that the righteous is taken away from the euill to come LONDON Printed by William Stansby for William Barret and are to be sold at his shop in Pauls Church-yard at the signe of the three Pigeons 1614. A SERMON PREACHED AT SNARFORD IN LINCOLNESHIRE AT THE Funerals of Sir GEORGE S ct PAVLE Knight and Baronet the ninth of December 1613. THE TEXT PSAL. 37. v. 37. Marke the perfect man and behold the iust for the end of that man is peace THe saying is old and true that those things which are differing in their end doe most oppositely disagree Diues and Lazarus were of some likelihood whilest they liued in the world They were both made of one mould informed with one specifical forme breathed in one aire moued on one and the same earth yet if we obserue their conditions in their ends we shall finde as great oddes therein as is betwixt felicitie and miserie death and life heauen and hell which are such contraries as cannot bee reconciled nor made at one Dauid was much troubled to see the prosperous estate of the wicked and the meane and troublesome condition of the Lords children But God who will not leaue his seruants in erronious conceipts nor vnder the wearisome burden of fainting discontent counselleth his kingly Prophet not to be disquieted though he see the workers of iniquitie to flourish like a greene bay-tree and the righteous to vndergoe much feare and trouble for if hee marke but their ends hee shall behold the wicked which draw out their sword and bend their bow to slay such as bee of vpright conuersation that their sword shall enter into their owne heart and that like the grasse they shall soone bee cut downe and like the greene hearbe they shall wither away But for the man that hath the law of his God in his heart his steps shall not slide For marke the perfect and vpright man hee neither fadeth nor rotteth in his name nor falleth nor faileth in his profession and hope for finis illius pax his end and vpshot is peace Which point when Dauid had learned in Gods Sanctuary both by direction and obseruation he doth not keepe the knowledge thereof vnto himselfe but being established in the truth endeuoureth to confirme others in the same by exhorting them to obserue the conclusion of good men wherin they shall find such matter of desired comfort as may encourage them to passe thorow all the difficulties which this present euill world can oppose against them The words now read containe two parts The first part sheweth what be the properties of a good man The second part setteth downe what the end of a good man is to wit peace The properties they are two which I may call the essentiall parts of a Christian The former is perfection the latter righteousnesse For as man consisteth of two parts the soule and body so a good man is composed of two constituting properties And as by the motions and actions of the bodie wee conclude that it is informed with a liuing soule so by the workes of righteousnesse we proue that there is an inward perfection of holinesse in the soule And on the contrary side as the soule is said to bee flowen away when the body doth putrifie and corrupt so wee may inferre that the soules inward beautie is gone when the workes of iustice are not to be found For saith the Prophet When the Kings daughter is all glorious within her garments without are of wrought gold and therfore obserua perfectum vide iustum by the latter know the former as a true demonstration thereof The end of a good man thus described is peace Which words I confesse are diuersly vnderstood but I follow the last and best translation which is most agreeable to the originall And thus hauing broken the words into their naturall parts let vs see what nourishment wee may get by euery seuerall cantill for sure I am that there is not a crumme in any parcell of these words but it containeth good meat for a Christian soule to feed vpon Obserua perfectum Irenaeus saith that hee is perfect which was not made Perfectus infectus and that is only true of God who is that g Exod. 3.14 I am that sent Moyses to Pharo who is that h Gen. 17.1 all-sufficient that spake vnto Abraham that i Reu. 1.18 Alpha and Omega as S. Iohn calleth him For as Iustin Martyr saith the perfection of God is to bee of himselfe and of no other 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and whatsoeuer tendeth to perfection is from him as the Author and k Iames 1.17 giuer of it Which being true what then should our Prophet meane to call any man perfect of whose weakenesse and wants besides the report that the sacred word doth make which is both fidei morum norma our daily experience doth let vs see what lamentable defects are in all the seede of Adam To soile this doubt I answere that there is a perfection in euery Christian which is that excellent forme by which hee differeth from all the sonnes of darkenesse and out of which issueth streames of a vertuous conuersation But this perfection is not in an absolute freedome from sinne but in our vnion with Christ in l Coloss 2.9 whom doth dwell all the fullnesse of the God-head bodily and through whom all beleeuers are made partakers of the godly Nature as Saint m Pet. 2.1.4 Peter speaketh and out of whom they receiue grace for grace as saith n Iohn 1.16 S. Iohn The greatest perfection that man can attaine vnto is suae imperfection is cognitio the knowledge of his wants and therefore almightie God out of his infinite loue appointed a high Priest euen Iesus Christ the Mediator of the new couenant to make that perfect which by none other could be done And therefore Epiphanius saith that the perfection of a faithfull man is in cognitione Christi whom truly to know is o Iohn 17.3 eternall life as our blessed Sauiour witnesseth But to come to the point The two first are attained in this life The last is partly attained in this life and more fully in the world to come The perfection of a good man is either quoad 1. partes 2. veritatem or 3. mensuram For the first those that are regenerate of water and the holy Ghost as the Euangelist speaketh are by the Apostle called new borne Babes Now as euery child so soone as he is borne is a perfect man because hee hath all the parts and
lineaments of a man howbeit he cannot shew any perfect action of a man euen so those that haue receiued the immortall seed of Gods truth p Pet. 1.2.1 hunger after the sincere milke of Gods word that they may grow thereby are perfect in him who is the q Col. 2.10 head of principalities and powers perfect I say in respect of all the parts of sanctitie and true holinesse though they want such excellent vse thereof as those haue which are of riper yeares And therefore the r Gal. 6. Apostle calleth all beleeuers new creatures both because they are the workmanship of God and secondly because they haue the stampe of perfection vpon them as the creatures which God did make of which it is said he saw that they were good And hence appeareth the loue of God toward the weake ones in faith that they are by him respected and accompted of as perfect in their weakest infancie much like a louing father who though his child can performe no dutie of a man yet doth he prouide meat to nourish him clothes wherwith to couer him means to preserue and keepe him yea a portion and an inheritance for him Secondly as Gods tender loue appeareth hereby so is mans happinesse seene herein Who though he be feeble and weake to any thing that is good either for the helping of himselfe or others yet is he cared for and esteemed of as though he were perfect in the performance of all duties of a sonne-like obedience and lacked nothing For which cause you shall finde it often in the Scriptures that when a good man considereth of his owne estate he wanteth neither matter to complaine of nor time of repentance Yet when God looketh vpon ſ Ioh. 1.47 Nathaniel vnder the Figge-tree vpon t Iob. 1.1 Iob in the East countrey vpon u Luke 1.6 Zacharie and Elizabeth he speaketh of them as though they were void of all defects and wants for so cleere is the crystall glasse of his loue through which he beholdeth his owne image in man that howbeit S. Paule crieth out against his owne x Rom. 7.24 wretchednesse yet God assureth him he being in Christ that nothing can y Rom. 8.1 condemne him nor separate him from eternall happinesse And thus much for perfection Quoad partes The second is perfection Quoad veritatem Whilest man doth dwell in the house of clay he hath faith but with some doubting hope but with distrust loue but with dislike Yet because his faith is true faith God accounteth of him as compleat for when the new man of righteousnesse and z Ephes 4.22 holinesse of truth is put on as S. Paule speaketh there is the perfect obiect of Gods loue And hence is that of S. Bern. Veritas liberat saluat lauat It freeth a man from the intanglements of sinne it saueth him from running with hypocrites into the pollutions of vniust and dissembling behauiours yea it will wash him from the swinish fashion of those who hold the veritie of God in vnrighteousnesse The Scribes and Pharisees made a glorious shew of vertue but because it wanted truth therefore all their pompe came to the ground and they had their a Matth. 6.2 reward For their actions wanting the aduerbe were to them like the Apples of Sodome nothing but dust and corruption That word which Vatablus translateth in my Text perfectum others haue conuerted veritatem and some simplicitatem and others integrum and all to teach vs that simplicitie and truth in the profession of holinesse giueth a man the name of perfection in Gods account For he onely is a b Homo quadratus tetragoule and a foure-squared Christian indeede who doth toto pectore Deum colere endeauor to honour and serue God with a sound heart voide of hypocrisie I know the best child of God findeth in himselfe the law in g Rom. 7.23 his members fighting against the law of his minde is he therfore destitute of the truth of Gods grace not so Is wine no wine because there be many Lees in the same Is water no water because it is cumbred troubled with mud it were an vnreasonable speech to say so And it is no lesse disagreeing from the truth to thinke and say that a man is no child of God because hee is troubled with the incombrances of sinne For the Lord beholding in whom there is true faith hope and brotherly charitie which is vinculum perfectionis as h Col. 3. S. Paul speaketh esteemeth them for perfect who are simply plaine and plainely simple without hypocrisie The third perfection which I named to you in the beginning is perfection quoad mensuram what to a measure without defect or want that is impossible to bee attained in this world The perfection then which we must looke for in the third place is to i Phil. 3.13 striue forwards to that which is set before and not to be wearie of well doing till we come to a full measure of sanctitie void of sinne which only is attained in the world to come The Apostle saith Quotquot perfecti sumus ita sentiamus S. Augustine vpon those wordes thus speaketh Quotquot perfectè currimus hoc sapimus quod nondum perfecti sumus illic perficiemur quò perfectè currimus So many as runne perfectly vnderstand thus much that as yet they haue not attained perfection but shall be made compleat there whereto they manfully run Be you k Math. 5.48 perfect like as your heauenly father is perfect saith Christ that is saith Augustine ad perfectionem contendite aime at perfection as the marke whereupon you set your eies in all your Christian attempts For as the heauens and the earth are said to be perfect because they moue and abide to that end whereunto God did appoint them as Moyses speaketh so hee that is borne not of the l Iohn 1.13 will of the flesh but of the will of God is said to be perfect because hee imploieth the parts of his bodie and the powers of his soule as m Rom. 6. weapons of righteousnesse till they come to the n Psal 16. fulnesse of ioy and neither standeth still nor turneth backe but goeth on vntill he haue finished his course and haue the end of his faith which is the o Pet. 1.1 saluation of his soule In this world we see in part wee know in part and the greatest measure to bee attained in comparison of that which by hope is expected is but like a drop of water to the Ocean or a sand by the sea-shore to a mightie mountaine But there will be a time when wee shall come vnto a perfect man Ephes 4.13 and vnto a measure of the fulnesse of the age of Christ Iesus and when that that is perfect is come 1. Cor. 13.10 then that which is imperfect shall be abolished The conclusion then of this point is this that howbeit absolute perfection is only
as well as the presented of his free entrance without any contract eyther directly or indirectly Shall I goe on to tell you of other deeds of mercie how for these thirtie yeares hee gaue tenne olde and poore men gownes and money euery yeare and of late added twentie more to the number how Market Raison had foure pounds yearely towards the releefe of their poore besides a hundreth and sixtie pound that was giuen to helpe the poorer and yonger sort of tradsemen by good summes to passe from one to another as there was need and now by his Will hath giuen a great summe of money to build an Hospitall and a large yearly pension for euer to relieue such as shall be placed in it besides the relieuing of tenne poore men with a certaine pension and gownes for euer that shall be chosen out of the Townes neere adioyning to his house at Snarford In briefe of late he hath beene at extraordinary charge to build finish and furnish a house fitting his place and calling and I haue obserued that since the laying of the first stone of that house which is seuen yeares past his charity hath encreased in his large summes he gaue to the poore in this Countrey as though hee meant to make sure the foundation of his house with the workes of charitie or hasted to prouide a Mansion for his soule in heauen before his earthly house was finished Now for his priuate bountie to poore Schollers and others of which he now findeth the comfort as it was knowne to none better then my selfe Onely this I wil say according to Salomons direction He cast his bread vpon the waters and as our Sauiour saith his right knew not what his left hand did for many a poore Scholler that neuer saw his face hath tasted of his loue whose prayers to God for him though vnknowne like harbingers haue entred into heauen to take vp roome for his comfort in the sauing grace of God Now for his priuat deuotion besides his daily reading in the booke of God and his paines hee tooke in other bookes especially in the writings of Bishop Iewel which hee greatly esteemed hauing found singular good out of them as vpon the day of his death he did acknowledge This one thing I cannot omit that euery Munday in the morning he did in his priuate studie recall to mind what he had learned vpon the Sabbath day and what vse he was to make to himself of the same And then his manner was to pray That all the weeke and the whole time of his life after hee might shew the fruit of that his learning and so he addressed himselfe to the works of his calling a custom worth imitation by all you Gentlemen and all other Christians that meane to attaine the happinesse he now enioyeth If any shall aske me how I knew these things I answer not by the sounding of a Trumpet or the ringing of a Bell when he went about these priuate duties of pietie but by a priuat conference I had with him of late in which as he asked counsell touching som needfull questions that concerned his comfort so he did open himselfe in this matter to me not with a desire it should be knowne but in humility to be further directed as in other points which I will not name so in this one Whether it were lawfull in his priuate prayers wherein he was to disclose and confesse the secrets of his hart to the Almighty to kneele vpon a Cushion by which question in what a base account of himselfe he appeared before God it is manifest to all that shall well consider thereof And withall it doeth much condemne the proud behauiour of many which in publique and priuate praiers dispose themselues as though they did contest with God and stood not sighing and crying for mercie and pardon for their treacherous rebellions against the Almightie but with the proud Pharisee were bragging of their deeds And thus he spent his life in which he was an instrument of much good a faithfull friend to the well-disposed a mercifull Iudge of offenders and a worthy example of vertue where euer hee came Now for the time of his sickenesse and death His sickenesse was seuen dayes in all which time howbeit his pains were often extreame yet neuer was he heard to vtter any impatient speech Little or nothing did hee sleepe eyther day or night and yet this was Gods mercie to him that hee neuer vttered any offensiue word that might argue eyther leuitie or impietie For the most part of fiue dayes and nights I was with him Whose calling was much honored by him in all his procedinges and to the meanest of whome he was a worthie Patron aganst all oppositions and so were many of his good friends diuers reuerend Ministers in whose godly speeches and deuout prayers and good companie he much reioyced and did acknowledge Gods goodnesse that those he loued in his life should be with him at his death I confesse he was diuers times and wayes assaulted by the Tempter who vsually came and iniected temptations into him when he should haue taken his naturall rest against all which hee made resistance by the Word of truth And acquainting me with the particulars that were laid to his charge when I shewed him what spirituall armor he might vse to quench those fierie darts hee would pause for a time as meditating of what I had said in the end hee did still breake out into these wordes Lord Iesu strengthen my faith and Lord I beleeue helpe my vnbeleefe He was much in meditation often in priuat mentall prayer and often he did tell me that thinking of death he did find no feare of it as formerly in his flesh he had done Vpō Wednesday in the morning I perceiuing his strength to decay and his paines to encrease entreated him that he would set his house in order and determine of his worldly affaires and he looking cheerefully vpon me thus spake Now I know you loue mee as I am sure you haue done long in that you wish I might die in peace which said he I assure my selfe I shall doe and for my worldly estate I haue made my Will I haue disposed of my land though not as you haue often wished yet so as I hope it shal stand and I will impart the same vnto my brother Wray which shortly after he did All that day he was in great paines often desiring me to pray for him and sometimes greeuing that his bodily paines would not giue him leaue to make a vocall prayer yet once vpon a sudden with lifted-vp eyes and handes hee powered out his heart in such a heauenly manner as might assure the hearers that Gods spirit spake in him Vpon Wednesday in the night about ten of the clocke he fell into a slumber in which he continued but a while and as he said when he awaked all my bodily pains are gone away but my mind is much troubled