of ignorance suggest unto us that the Scriptures are obscure and so unfit for the Vulgar to look into beleeve it not 't is a false alarum 't is a bold tale by Davids help ye may desâ—ry them Thy Word is a light unto my feet Psal 119.105 2 Pet. 1.19 and a lanthorn unto my paths faith the blessed King Saint Peter calls it a light that shineth in a dark place which if the darknesse comprehend not the aspersion is not to be cast upon the Word but upon us in whom the darknesse dwelleth The Sun is not a jot the more obscure that a blind man seeth it not no more is the Word of God that a natural man understands it not for it is impossible for him so considered 1. In regard of his natural corruption whereby he loves darknesse more than light 2. In regard of his natural dimnesse whereby saith Justin Martyn he is too weak to apprehend clearly the greater matters 3. In regard of the malice of our ancient enemy who labours to take that seed which is sowen out of our hearts and make it unprofitable Yet this word is to be lookt into of all to be heard received meditated and discourst of because by this means we may in time attain to the understanding of it But specially by the guidance of the unerring Spirit that teacheth us all things for which we must daily supplicate unto the Father of wisdom to make us wise unto salvation For if he be once confer'd upon us 1 Cor. 2.10 we are fitted then to search all things even the deep things of God Until which there remains a vail over the heart and scales of ignorance which must first fall loâ— as those did from Pauls eyes It is not every one that bringeth with him a rational soul that is capable of Divine Revelations 't is true 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. The mind seeth the mind heareth Epicharmus said it Epicharmus yet never is it fit to entertain sacred and supernatural objects until first rectified by the Spirit of truth For the Gentile that is the unregenerate walkers in the vanity of their minds until the power Divine actuate them anew until the holly Ghost who is the anointing eye-salve Joh. 14.26 open their eyes and teach them all things remain in that dark condition Velamen amove volumen evolve Hence proceeded Davids Petition Open thou mine eyes that I may behold wondrous things out of thy Laâ— Psal 119.18 If God open the heart of man as he did the heart of Lydiu What should 〈◊〉 from reading Gods mind in his written Word For this the Bereans won the reputation of being Noble which none but the ignoble brood of the lying Whore of Babylon oppose who were not their faces thatcht over with impudence as is their devotion laid over with ignorance might extremely be ashamed For which grand Sacriledge they pretend Apostolical authority derived from the Popes Chair under the disguise of holinesse wherein lyes a deep plot how to cheat mens souls of saving knowledge and thereby men of their souls The scope of which damned project is to keep the people in a servile awe at their back and make them submit to what they prescribe whereby poor souls they are hurried alougâ—ood winckt into an unavoidable destruction I would to God they were better advised A Chancellour in England advising a Judge told him it was his duty to open the Jurors eyes and not to lead them by the nose So I may say to the Popish Clergy it is their duty not to debarre any Lay-man for looking into the perfect law of liberty which is all the evidence they can shew for the Kingdom of heaven the land of the living but to let them use that granted liberty for their own satisfaction and better assurance Let them then say what they will the Scriptures are not for hardnesse like unto the Cities of the Anakims which were so strong and so walled that they made the Israelites quake to think of them Numb 6.13 neither are they for danger so perillous as they report to be medled with as the tree of knowledge of good and evil that brought death to them that tasted it but it is the power of God unto salvation and to them that keep it there is great reward I advise you therefore to fear nothing but in the strength of the Lord seek to know your Fathers will every way that you may be the better enabled to do it to your endlesse comfort and his endlesse glory who is God over all blessed for ever For what remains I contract my discourse The second step is Perseverance And continueth therein That is persevereth in the study of this holy doctrine and remaine thin the Knowledge belief and 〈…〉 Non quaruntuâ— in Christianis initis sed finis Hierom. 〈…〉 their glory when they lest their love to the truth It is the evening that crownes the day and the last act that commands the whole scene If ye continue in my word then are ye my disciples indeed Joh. 8.31 The third step is Remembrance He being not a forgetfull hearer There is an Hebraism in the words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an hearer of oblivion a term answering the former similitude Wicked men are often expressed by their bad memories and the sins of Gods people are usually sins of forgetfulnesse and incogitancy Our souls saith one are like filthy ponds in which fish die soone frogs live long Prophane jests are remembred pious passages forgotten Our memories naturally are very false and there is a wilful forgetfulnesse of the best things Therefore we should use the best helps As Attention Prov. 4.21 Affection Psal 119.97 Application Job 5.27 Meditation Luke 2.19 And Practice Psal 119.49 All these are great friends to memory which is the Chest and Ark of Divine Truths Isa 42.23 in which we should see them carefully locked up We should lay up something for the time to come and learn that in Zion which may support us in Babylon The fourth step is Practice But a doer of the work That is laboureth to refer and bring all things to practice Non quid legerint sed quid eperint non quid dixerint sed quomode vixerint This is the end of all our reading and hearing that we may do it it is not knowing but practising that bringeth blessednesse At the last day Christ will demand not what have we read or said but what have we done One practical Christian brings more glory to God than a thousand notional formal professors Is Optimè legit Scripturas qui verba vertit in opera An evidence we are truly godly when the Word is written in the heart and held forth in the life Phil. 2.16 It is not talking of wine but drinking of it that comforts and chears the heart The Theory of Musick is delightfull but the practice is far more excellent and pleasant A real good man is
Christian Reader I Have perused the greatest part of this Body of Divinity and find that the Learned and Reverend Author hath so mingled Utile Dulce together that it cannot but in many respects minister much benefit and delight to the Readers of it The Variety of the Matters the Brevity of each Particular the Holiness and Orthodoxy of Doctrine the Delicacy of Choise and Curious Notions the many accurate Collections out of learned Writers Philosophical Historical Theological are such as rendred it to me like a large Botanick garden wherein there are Fruits for the Palate Simples for the Health Flowers for the Eye Rarities for the Curious Walks for Recreation Arbors for Refreshment something or other to please and entertain every comer Or like a Jewel made up of many Diamonds where each little stone contributeth to the beauty and sparkling of the whole There is scarce any subject of Divinity or Morality concerning which we may not here find some elegant Strictures The whole composure of the Work being not intended for a large full and close Tractation of the Subjects therein contained but for a Collection of sundry wholsom and delightful Observations gathered together like Pearls in a Bracelet or Suckets in a Banquet to adorn the Argument and delight the Reader I shall say of it what the Scripture saith of the Land of Canaan that it is full of Milk and Honey and hath in it many Beds of Spices which with their fragrancy and sweetness cannot but refresh and recreate the minds of the Readers So variously hath the Lord distributed his Gifts for the service of his Tabernacle that some bring Wood and Skins some Sîlver and Gold some Blue and Purple some Scarlet and fine Linnen some Onyx and Precious stones some of which Materials are compacted into one Body and Frame others serve for Embroidery and Beauty All for the sanctity and glory of the whole So Christ divideth the spoils of Men as David did those of the Nations and consecrateth them to the uses of his Temple making one mans Judgment and Reason anothers Wit and Fancy anothers Memory and Reading anothers Oratory and Eloquence to be variously useful to the Edification of his Church and Glory of his Name Whereunto let all of us endeavour sincerely to consecrate both our selves and all that measure of Talents and enjoyments wherewith the Lord hath intrusted us Thine in our Common Saviour EDW. NORWICH SYNTAGMA THEOLOGICVM OR A TREATISE Wherein is concisely comprehended THE Body of Divinity AND THE FVNDAMENTALS of RELIGION Orderly Discussed Î Ïολογοσ The Prologue DIVINITY or inspired Philosophy Theologia est scientia vel sapientia rerum divinarum divinitus revelata ad Dei gloriam rationâ—lium creaturarum Salutem Walaeus in lâ—â— Commun is as the Haven or Sabbath of all mans contemplations It differeth from all other sciences for although they be busied about man as physick for the health of his body Ethicks for his civil conversation c. Yet none of them leads him to the consideration of his Maker Besides Divinity passeth for the most part from the material and formal cause and thinketh upon the efficient and final the first and the last cause And so while other sciences are either plunged in the baseness of the matter or curiously search into the forms of things which can hardly be known the Divine is carried back to the contemplation of the first cause to eternity and to the last cause in eternity which are the only comfortable meditations Divinity is the book of Gods Word Philosophy the book of Gods Works For Natural Theology is that knowledge or rudiment of knowledge concerning God which may be obtained by the contemplation of his Creatures which knowledge may be termed truly Divine in respect of the object and natural in respect of the light The bounds of this knowledge are that it suffiâ—eth to convince Atheism but not to inform Religion Hence there was never miracle wrought to convince an Atheist because the light of nature might have led him to confess a God But the Idolaters and Superstitious had need of miracles because no light of nature extendeth to declare the Will and true Worship of God Gods works shew his wisdom and power not his image and therefore never honoured with the title of Gods image but only the work of his hands The contemplations of man do either penetrate to God or are circumfer'd to nature or are reflected or reverted upon himself Out of which several inquiries there do arise three knowledges 1. Divine Philosophy 2. Natural Philosophy 3. And Humane Philosophy or Humanity for all things are marked and stamped with this triple character 1. The power of God 2. The difference of nature 3. And the use of man Now out of the contemplation of nature or ground of humane knowledge to induce any verity or perswasion concerning the points of faith is not safe Da fidei quae fidei sunt For the Heathens themselves conclude as much in that excellent and divine Fable of the Golden Chain That mea and gods were not able to draw Jupiter down to the earth but contrarywise Jupiter was able to draw them up to heaven So as we ought not to attempt to draw down or submit the mysteries of God to our reason but contrarywise to raise and advance our reason to the divine Truth Cullen Div. It is most apparent that Aristotle though stiled Natures chief Secretary and by those Divines who set forth a Book concerning his Salvation Christs forerunner in Naturals Metaphys l. 1. 12. as John Baptist had been in Super-naturals yet writes many things most absurdly concerning God which I list not to recite And I greatly fear for what have I to do to judge that is too true which a cleer head hath said concerning him and others of his Tribe Quantò doctiores tantò nequiores viz. The wiser they were the vainer they were and the further from God and his Kingdom their learning hung in their light Eth. l. 7. c. 3 4. and served but to light them into utter darkness Yea Aristotle confesseth the disability of moral knowledge to rectifie the intemperance of nature which he also confirmed in his own practice I guess this to be one reason why Tertullian saith That the Philosophers were the Patriarchs of the Hereticks Not but that there is an excellent and necessary use of Philosophy which is a gift of God and a great help to Divinity called by some her Hand-maid But captious subtilties and Sophismes or the measuring of Heavenly mysteries by natural reason these are to be avoided as vain deceits idle speculations and aëry nothings Hence the Apostle saith Rom. 1.21 22 23. They became vain in their imaginations and their foolish heart was darkned Professing themselves to be wise they became fools And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God 1 Cor. 2.14 into an image made like to corruptible man and to birds and
souls for himself For the first Sinners despair because they cannot be perswaded of mercy only viewing the severity of God and poring upon that Alas I have offended God and am afflicted in conscience I have deserv'd to be a fire-brand of Hell but yet consider the sweet goodness of God he is just to damn stubborn sinners but to such as humble themselves and with penitent hearts beg for mercy he is a gracious God witness Manasses Magdalen Paul c. For the latter Satan will tell thee thou may'st take thy liberty follow thy pleasures needest not be so precise for God is merciful The remedy is to consider not only the mercy but the severity of God also Remember how severely he hath dealt with the Jews for their Rebellion against Christ and his Gospel with David for the matter of Vriah with Moses for striking the Rock when he should only have spoken to it c. For as the act of seeing is hindered both by no light and by too much so the light and comfort of conscience is hindered either by not seeing of mercy or by seeing nothing else but mercy which causeth presumption Here is to be refuted the wicked opinion of the Manichees and Marcionites who held that there were two Beginnings or to speak plainly two Gods one good full of gentleness and mercy the other severe and cruel this they made the Author of the Old Testament and the other of the New But the answer is 1. That Scripture maketh one and the same God both bountiful and full of goodness and the same also severe 2. And though severity and mercy seem to be contrary yet that is not in respect of the Subject for the Divine Nature is not capable of contrary and repugnant qualities But in regard of the contrary effects which are produced in contrary Subjects Like as the Magistrate is not contrary to himself if he shew mercy unto those that are willing to be reformed and be severe in punishing obstinate offenders Or as the Sun by the same heat worketh contrary effects in subjects of a diverse and contrary disposition and quality To conclude then Who have goodness and who have severity If thou repentest and obeyest the Gospel thou art an happy man the sweetness of God and his goodness is to thee But if thou beest a profane unbelieving impenitent wretch and dyest in this estate the most just God will in his great severity cast thee into Hell 1 Sam. 25.29 as out of the middle of a sling The Lord God Exod. 34.6 7. The Lord God merciful and gracious long-suffering and abundant in goodness and truth keeping mercy for thousands forgiving iniquity transgression and sin and that will by no means clear the guilty visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and upon the childrens children unto the third Ezra 8.22 Psal 18.25 26. and to the fourth generation The hand of our God is upon all them for good that seek him but his power and his wrath is against all them that forsake him With the merciful thou wilt shew thy self merciful Psal 34.15 16. And with the froward thou wilt shew thy self froward The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous and his ears are open unto their cry The face of the Lord is against them that do evil Psal 101.1 to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth I will sing of mercy and judgment unto thee O Lord Rom. 11.22 will I sing Behold the goodness and severity of God Of the Mercy of God Mercy as it is referred to God Movet enim pium judicem fragilitas considerata peccantium Cassied Exod. 34. is the Divine Essence inclining it self to pity and relieve the miseries of all his Creatures but more peculiarly of his Elect Children without respect of merit God is most glorious in mercy Shew me thy Glory saith Moses It follows what it was The Lord God merciful and gracious c. In this he is superlative and outstrips Mercy is 1. General 1. In helping his Elect and comforting 2. In scattering and confounding their Enemies 2. More particular 1. In promising 2. In performing And these are the Flagons of wine to comfort distressed souls Mercy is an Attribute in the manifestation of which as all our happiness consists so God takes greatest complacency and delights in it above all his other works He punishes to the third and fourth Generation but shewes mercy unto thousands Exod. 20.5 6. Therefore the Jewes have a saying That Michael flies with one wing and Gabriel with two meaning that the pacifying Angel the Minister of Mercy flies swift but the exterminating Angel the Messenger of wrath is slow The more mercy we receive the more humble we ought to be 1. Because we are thereby more indebted 2. In danger to be more sinful worms crawle after Rain 3. We have more to account for But alas even as the glorious Sun darting out his illustrious beams shines upon the stinking Carrion but still it remains a Carrion when the beams are gone so the mercy of God shines as I may say upon the wicked but still he remains wicked For the Lord is good his mercy is everlasting The Lord is good to all Psal 100.5 Psal 145.9 Micah 7.18 and his tender mercies are over all his works He delighteth in mercy I proceed no further in these only add That for a Creature to believe the infinite Attributes of God he is never able to do it thoroughly without supernatural grace Of the Sacred Trinity De Trinitate THat God should be Three in one and One in three this is a Divine Truth Impossibile est per rationem naturalem ad Trinitat is Divinarum pâ—rsonarum cognitionem pervenice Aquin. Du Bartas ex Lombard Sens. lib. 1. dist 2. more certainly to be received by Faith than to be conceived by Reason for it is the most mysterious of all the Mysteries contained in the Bible which our Divine Poet sings thus In Sacred Sheets of either Testament 'T is hard to find an higher Argument More deep to sound more busie to discuss More useful known unknown more dangerous Some damnable Hereticks especially the Jewes at this day hold an indistinct Essence in the Deity without distinction of persons We assert a real distinction there is but there can be no separation If any stumble at the word Trinity and say it cannot be found in the Scriptures I answer yet the Doctrine is if not according to the letter yet according to the sense Besides there is expresly the word Three 1 John 5.7 from whence Trinity comes The Hebrews of old Siâ—rectè dicuntur tres Elohâ—m etiam recté dici possit tres Dii nam Elobim Latinè sonat Dii vel Deus Drus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Gen. 1.1 were no strangers to this Mystery though their posterity understood it not Moses Gen. 1.1 Dii creavit Elihu Job 35.10 God my Makers Solomon Eccl.
and harmony shews they were guided by one and the same Spirit of God 5. The divine properties of the Scriptures viz. Antiquity admirable perfection Psal 19.2 Tim. 3.17 Certainty of the truth the strong and perpetual opposition of the Devil and the wicked world against them above all writings Jerem. 36.23 And Gods powerful and watchful preservation of them notwithstanding 2 Chron. 34.15 Jerem. 36.28 and in history at large in all which divine properties the Scriptures carry express foot-steps of God himself above all the writings in the world 6. The powerful effects of the Scriptures for by them men are led unto God Joh. 1.8 they do directly work upon the spirits and souls of men in all their faculties Act. 26.18 Heb. 4.12 2 Cor. 10.4 They carry a mighty power to convert and save Ps 19. Rom. 1.16 2 Tim. 1.10 And where it converteth not it is powerful to convince harden confound and secretly to slay not in it self but by accident 2 Cor. 2.15 16 c. Now whatsoever carrieth with it such a divine power and efficacy must needs be from God 7. The Scriptures have many strong Testimonies 1. The whole Church of God hath ever witnessed to them 2. Innumerable Martyrs have sealed the truth with their blood Rev. 12.11.3 Heathens and Gentiles have borrowed a number of Stories out of the Scriptures which argueth that they were in their consciences convinced of the truth and authority of them 4. The sensible experience of believers who have found the divine effects of the Word in themselves John 9.25 5. The testimony of Gods blessed Spirit without which all other perswasions are flat and fruitless confirming the truth which himself hath inspired in every believing heart Add unto all how every part of Scripture seâ—teth up and magnifieth the true God it is all from him and therefore it is all for him This serves therefore to the eviction of the Jew that asks for signs In sacrâ Scripturâ non solum bonitas est quod praecipitur faelicâ— tas quod promittitur sed etiam veritas est quod dicitur Hugo vanquishing of Dives that would send the dead condemning of Antichrist that requires miracles and quelling of the Anabaptist that expects revelations Dixit Julianus Apostata vidi legi contempsi cui Basilius vidisti legisti non intellexisti si intellexisses non contempsisses Authoritas oertitudo Scripturae consistit 1. In narrationis solius veracitatâ— ejusque enuntiatione de rebus praeteritis praesentibus futuris 2. In potestate mandatorum prohibitionum Hinc pendet a Deo Authore praecipuo tum quia verax citra falsitatis suspicionem quia potestatem habet irrefragabilem All the Scriptures teach nothing else saith Augustine but that we must love our Neighbour for God and God for himself Nihil praecipit nisi charitatem Aug. nec culpat nisi cupiditatem It forbids nothing but lust it enjoyns nothing but love for without love there is no faith and without faith all our righteousness is sin Scriptura nos obligat 1. Ad credendum 2. Ad obediendum Haec obligatio nullâ externâ authoritate auferri potest The Scriptures are verba vivenda purposely composed to promote piety in the world All Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine for reproof 2 Tim 3.16 Rom. 15.9 Mat. 22.29 Joh. 5.39 Act. 18.24 for correction for instruction in righteousness For whatsoever things were Written aforetime Were Written for our learning that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope Ye do erre not knowing the Scriptures Search the Scriptures for in them ye think ye have eternal life and they are they which testifie of me Mighty in the Scriptures Of the old and new Testament Some Atheistical spirits would make the holy Bible a Bable but let such take heed it prove not to them a Babel their confusion Major fuit cura Caesari libellorum quà m Purpurae Julius Caesar being forced to swim for his life held his Commentaries in one hand above water and swam to land with the other How infinitely more are we to value this Book of books being the souls Promptuary The whole Bible is distributed into the old and new Testament In the old Testament we have the Gospel vailed under promises prophecies and Types But in the Books of the new Testament we have the Gospel revealed the Lord delineating to us the New Covenant of Grace in Christ unveiled and actually exhibited and performed Christ being the body and substance of all those ancient types and shadows Gods Covenant with man in Christ is represented to us in holy Scripture principally two ways As Promised fore-prophecied and typified in Christ to be manifested afterwards in the flesh Hence called the Covenant of promise Eph. 2.12 and covenants because of the several publications of the Covenant with more and more Augmentations in several points or Periods of time Thus the Covenant is made known in all the books of Scripture before Christs coming called the old Testament or Covenant Heb. 8.13.2 Cor. 3.14 As performed fulfilled and actually accomplished in Christ already come and manifested in our flesh in fulness of time And thus the Covenant is most clearly and fully unveiled to us in all the Books of Scripture written since Christs coming which are therefore stiled the new Covenant or the new Testament Heb. 8.8 Mat. 26.28 Heb. 9.15 The new Testament is better than the old not in regard of the substance the substance of both is one which is Christ Jesus but in respect of divers circumstances For 1. The Old Testament did but shadow out things to come the New Testament makes a gift and exhibition of them Col. 2.17 So that as the body is better than the shadow so is the New Testament than the Old 2. That was dark and obscure this plain and perspicuous 3. This hath sewer more lively and easie Sacraments 4. That was temporal and therefore not ratified with an Oath this is eternal and lasteth for ever for the which cause it was confirmed with an Oath 5. The Mediatour or Surety of that was Moses the Surety of this is Christ In comparison then with the state of the Old Testament how much more obliged are we to God who live in the times of the New in respect of the clear Revelation of Grace and Life untous The Prophets of the Old Testament they were as a sound John Baptist Christs immediate fore-runner was a voyce he is called so but it is Christ and he only who is the Word distinctly and fully signifying to us the Will of God concerning our salvation God spake with Moses at the door of the Tabernacle but now he leadeth his Spouse into the Presence-Chamber The Old Testament-Christians saw through a veil but now the Curtain is drawn with them it was the dawning of the day with us it is full Noon Oh that we would praise the Lord for his inestimable
Quia exercitiis stultitiae delectatur Pro. 10.23 5. Quia stultitiam suam spargere aliis communicare amat Pro. 12.23.13.16 6. Quia contemnit opponit sese mediis instructionis Pro. 15.5 7. Mediis illis quae maximè faciunt ad sapientiam abutitur Pro. 26.9 8. Omnes suas facultates applicat ad nequitiam exercendam manifestandam Pro. 6.12.13.14 Thus Sin and Folly are more than like one another for they are the same He is a fool who hath not wisdom to direct himself but he is the fool who will not follow the counsel and direction of the wise He is a fool that hath no knowledge and he is a fool who makes no use of the knowledge which he hath A fool is not able to judge of the nature of things and therefore he is angry with every thing that hits not his nature or his humour Hence Solomon Eccl. 7.9 Be not hasty in thy Spirit to be angry for anger resteth in the bosom of fools They that are emptiest of understanding are fullest of will and usually so full that we call them wilful And surely those men are more foolish than others inasmuch as they think themselves wiser than all Stustorum plena sunt omnia Wisdom like the Rayl flyes alone but foolishness Partridge-like by covies Mr. Adams There is the 1. Sad fool 2. Glad fool 3. Haughty fool 4. Naughty fool The sad fool that 's the envious man an enemy to all Gods favours if they fall from him he dies languishing The glad foll or rather mad fooll the dissolute man ready with a jest to put goodnesse out of fashion he dies laughing The haughty fool the ambitious man ever climbing towers though he never looks how to get down he forsakes peace at home to seek war abroad The naughty fool the coveteous man the very fool of all losing his friend time body soul and yet having no pleasure for it Jer. 17.11 He wasts him self to preserve his meanes Christ calls him fool which might best do it Luk. 12.20 As for the Atheistical fool he is that meer animal that hath no more than a reasonable soul and for little other purpose than as salt to keep his body from putrefying When an heire is impleaded for an Ideot the Judge commands an apple or a counter with a peece of gold to be set before him to try which he will take if he takes the apple or the counter and leaves the gold he is then cast for a fool and unable to mannage his estate for he knows not the value of things or how to make a true election Wicked men are thus foolish and more for when which is infinitely more sottish Heaven and hell life and death are set before them they chuse hell rather than heaven and death rather than life They take the mean transitory trifling things of the world before the favour of God Pardon of sin a part in Jesus Christ and an inheritance among the Saints in light Fools make a mock at sin Prov. 14.9 Shame shall be the promotion of fools Cap. 3.35 Sèe then that ye walk circumspectly not as fools but as wìse Eph. 5.15 Sincerity It is the bottome grace especially commending us to God It is conceived not to be so properly a distinct grace as the perfection of every grace It s the filling up of all our duties without this they are as empty sounds A sincere man is like a Chrystal-Glass with a light in the midst which appeareth through every part thereof so as that truth within breaketh out in every parcel of his life There is in his obedience to God 1. An universality 2. Uniformity 3 Ubiquity He hath respect unto all Gods Commandments so far as he knows them without prejudice or partiality and is the same at home as abroad in the closet as in the Congregation His faith is unfained his love cordial his wisdom undissembled his repentance a renting of the heart he truly aims at pleasing God and not at by-respects Christ is said to be girt about the paps with a golden girdle Rev. 1.13 So the Angels are brought in girded there Cap. 15.6 to signifie the best estate of their Pastours coming nearest then in sincerity to Christ In the first age of the Church they wore their girdle about their middle but the more spiritual they became their girdle went the more upward To this the Apostle may seem to allude Eph. 6.14 And truely here as one saith well if ever unbelt unblest he is a loose man that wants this girdle of sincerity There is a devilish proverb passeth amongst men That plain dealing is a Jewel but he that useth it shall die a beggar But the contrary may be asserted that it is both a means formally enabling to outward happinesse and also a special qualification that hath in a peculiar manner the promises annexed to it Pro. 14.11 Cap. 11.3.2 Chro. 16.9 And whereas it may be said that it often falls out that uprightness is oppressed This is easily answered if we consider 1. That many of the outward calamities that befal godly persons are not simply evils as the world judgeth but rather markes of special honour God puts upon them Jobs body was full of ulcers but his heart was pure and those tribulations he grapled with were onely probatory to trie his strength to draw out his graces and increase his glory 2. We must not limit God to every moment of time when he will honour and cleer his people The world at first was a confused Chaos but at the end of six dayes it was a curious work So God hath his time and we should not desire God should break off his work before he hath made an end of it Jam. 5.11 And David calls upon us to mark the upright man Psal 33.37 The beginning may be trouble but the end is peace Qualis Majorisreatus minoris infamia es tali◠appare For secret sins 1. They are as visible to God as the most open 2. As damnable to the soul 3. And what they want in number they have in nature and frequently in delight Encouragements to sincerity 1. It s the onely perfection we attain here Deut. 30.6 2. It makes us acceptable to God Eph. 6. ult 3. Where it is God passeth by many infirmities 2 Chro. 30.19 4. It is the best policy Psal 101.1 Pro. 11.3 5. It brings wonderful comfort and support under all afflictions and temptations 2 King 20.3 2 Cor. 1.12 That sincerity is most opposed by Satan is plain Job 2.3 As if the Holy Ghost would intimate this unto us that Satan pulled more at that than at his estate Satan did not care at all to pull Jobs Oxen c. from him but to pull his grace and sincerity from him As this gotten and improved is the joy of Angels so could it be stoln away or destroyed it would be the joy of Devils Sinceritas quasi sine carâ pure honey without the wax
the Ox follows the herd so will I follow good men saith Cicero etiamsi ruant although they do amiss But this was more than Paul desires 1 Cor. 11.1 And moreover Saints actions admit of this distinction 1. Some are noted as sinful wherein they bewrayed humane infirmity these are spectacles of natural frailty not examples for like practice 2. Some were done by special dispensation so Abraham attempts â—o slay his son and Israelites rob Egyptinns Now dispensations stretch not beyond the particulars to whom they are given 3. Some they did by special and extrordinary calling as Abraham leaves his countrey for Pilgrimage in Canaan and John Baptist was a kind of an Eremite and yet neither the one a Pattern of Popish Pilgrimage nor the other of their Eremitical life 4. Some are occasioned by special necessity of times or apparence of scandal so Primitivy Christians had all things common and Paul makes his hands to minister to his necessities And yet here is neither footing for Anabaptistical community nor for Ministers using manual labour except where cases and times are alike 5. Some were according with the general law Moral as those of Patience humility obedience c. and herein indeed is our bond of imitation A deformed man saith Peter Martyr being married to an uncomely woman caused his wife daily to look on beautiful pictures by meanes whereof their children were handsome and comely So a right beholding of their walking who have been burning and shining lampes in the Church may be very inducing to an imitable practice Be ye followers of me even as I also am of Christ 1 Cor. 11.1 Time and Opportunity Tempus est ens realis non rationis est aliquid in re Polanus non in sola mentis notione Time is the common measure of all things Bernard complaining of those who while they live are negligent and whose manner is to say come let us talk together to passe away the time with grief of Spirit saith O doneâ— praeterat hora O donec pertranseat tempus c. O until the hour be gone O until the time be past which the mercy of thy Maker hath bestowed upon thee to perform repentance to procure pardon to gain grace and to obtain glory This life is at it were a Faire and while the Faire lasteth there is to be bought in it any thing that is necessary In sentent But as Nazianzen speaketh Quodsi nundinarum tempus sluere sinus nullum aliud es hahitâ—rus If thou suffer the time of the Faire to slip away thou wilt not have any other It is storied of Alexander the great that when he came to besiege any place he caused a burning light to be set up and by a cryer published that so long as the light burned so long he gave them time to seek for mercy by surrendring themselves and the place but if within that time they did it not he made it known unto them that the sword should destroy them all Now what is mans life but a burning light and so long as this light continues God gives us time of making our peace with him and of providing for our safety but this light being once extinguished there is no more any thing that may afford comfort unto us Considering that mans end which he knoweth not is a time on which indeed his welfare doth principally depend and for which he ought carefully to be always ready seeing he doth not know the time when it shall be therefore Bernard cryeth out Miser quare omni horâ te non disponis Cogâ—ta te mortuum quum sit de necessit ate te moriturum O miserable man wherefore dost thou not dispose thy self every hour for thine end Think thy self to be dead who knowest that of necessity thou must dye Non parùm habemus temporis Seneca sed multùm perdimus The common complaint is we want time but the truth is we do not so much want it as wast it Time is to be redeemed for holy uses Pliny seeing his Nephew walking for his pleasure Totum illud tem pus perdidistâ— in quo non de Deo cogitââ—â—i Aug. called to him and said Poteras hascce horas non perdidisse you might have better bostowed your time than so Nullum mihi per otium dies exit saith Seneca for time that 's consumed idly is rather spilt than spent Nolite tempus in nugis conterere saith another It is reported of holy Ignatius that when he heard a clock strike he would say here 's one hour now more past that I have to answer for Mr Hooper the Martyr Act. Mon. was said to be spare of diet sparer of words and sparest of time Latimer rose usually at two of the clock in the morning to his study Bradford slept not commonly above four houres in the night and in his bed till sleep came his book went not out of his hand He counted not that hour well spent wherein he did not some good either with his pen tongue or study These worthies well weighed that they that lose time are the greatest losers and wastfullest Prodigals For the improving of time well 1. Know the use of time that it is a seed-time wherein thou must go forth and sow though in teares and showers An husbandman will not lose his seed-time whatever weather it prove 2. Know the worth of time before the want of time It is a very folly to be niggards of wealth and prodigal of time It is the great sinne of some that they cast away their short time in doing evil or doing nought to the purpose As little children who spend their candle in play and are glad to go to bed by dark and never perceive their childish folly till it be too late But Christian wisdom is to set such a price on time as not to let it slip without making our selves gainers of something better than it self Upon these words of Job Cap. 9.25 My dayes are swifter than a Post saith a Divine We seldome consider or consider as we ought this common truth We live for the most part as if we could not tell how to get rid of our time or as if we were weary of our time and knew not how to spend it out as if time were rather chained to a standing Post than were like a running Post All time is short and we have a very short estate in time Time passeth irrecoverably Time in motion cannot be stopt and once past cannot be recalled Hence the Ancients emblem'd time with wings as if it were not running but flying To shew that time is very swift 't is gone suddenly Redeeming the time Ephes 5.16 Omnia tempus habent quia in tempore suo omnia bene fieri habent bona sunt quum bene fiunt omnia There is a time to all things because in their time all things are well done and all things that are well done are good being done
Rom. 7.25 There 's a great difference betwixt the regency and residency of sin In a regenerate person rebel it may raign it shall not It fareth with sinne in them saith one as with those beasts Dan. 7.10 they had their dominion taken away yet their lives were prolonged for a season While we are at conflict and combate with sin it will not be our ruine but when we willingly take these bonds and chains upon us then sin will be our overthrow Sin comes to prevail over a man by degrees James 1.15 Nemo repeâ—tè fit turpissimus so that as the cloud in Elias time which was at first but as big as an hand did afterwards increase into a vast cloud able to darken the whole skie so sin hath its beginnings and subtle ingresses but afterward these sparks do prove a very great flame Therefore it should be our godly wisdom to subdue sin in the beginning of it to break it in the egge before it come to be a flying Serpent One spark let alone may endanger a whole town if we give indulgence to our lusts at first Voluptates lâ—tronum more quos Philetas Aegyptii vocant in hoc nos amplecluntur ut stranâ—ulent Senec. Epist 51. Rom. 6.12 they will be our Masters afterwards Jacob complained of Labans deceit about his wages but to all eternity thou wilt have cause to cry out that sinne hath deceived thee promising joy and pleasures but instead of this honey thou meetest with gall and wormwood to feed upon for ever Let not sinne reign therefore in your mortal body that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof Servant of God To serve God is a comprehensive term taking in all the duty of man in holinesse To serve God is to give him all the duties both of natural and of instituted worship We serve God while we love him fear him believe in him trust upon him yet all these have distinct and proper respects to God We trust God as he is faithful believe on him as he is true fear him as he is great love him as he is good and serve him as he is our Soveraigne and Lord of all Carnal men count the service of God unprofitable The reason is because they account nothing good but that which is outwardly good Psal 4.6 They can look no further than they see and therefore because they see no profit they conclude there is none to be had and are ready to say Mal. 3.14 It is in vain to serve God At the best many desire to be his retainers rather than servants willing they be to shrowd themselves under that name because they think that in the end it will go well with such also they think it a disgrace to be said to be of no Religion yet for all that they are loath to be tyed desiring to be free still and at their own disposing serving God now and than out of formalitie more than conscience and when their own occasions will give leave The end of our Redemption is to serve God whom we must serve 1. Integraliter with the whole man 2. Peculiariter him and him alone 3. Perseveranter to our lives end 4. Totaliter in every part of the same If God be not served with all he counts himself not at all served There is no fishing to the Sea No service to the Kings Nor no service to the King of kings Our Master 1. Is rich 2. Loving 3. Liberal 4. Lives for ever Adde God will protect his servants Psal 146.14 Never be ashamed of them Heb. 11.6 And his service is best and sweetest at last To be called the servant of God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Philo in l. de Regno is an higher title than Monarch of the world said Numa the second King of Rome Constantinus Valentinianus and Theodosius three Emperors called themselves Vasallos Christi the vassals of Christ as Socrates reporteth It is written Mat. 4.10 thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and him onely shalt thou serve Read Cap. 12.28 Josh 24.15 Luke 1.74 John 12.26 Rom. 1.9 1 Thes 1.9 2 Tim. 1.3 Heb. 9.14 cap. 12.28 c. Truth If any ask as Pilate did John 18.38 What is Truth I answer it is the most perfect essence of any thing or the most absolute perfection it self of any matter Veritas and bonitas differ but as the seal and the print for truth prints goodness and they be the clouds of errour which descend in the storms of passions and perturbations It hath these two properties 1. It is Divine grounded on the Scriptures 2. Truth is single one and the same at agreement with it self whereas errour is manifold dissonant and contradictory to it self Veritas simplex Error multiplex And truth is ever the same The declarative truth of God is like Christ the essential truth the same yesterday and to day and for ever Truth though it be very old yet waxeth not old Neither ever wanteth she voluntary witnesses to depose for her or arguments that offer themselves in her defence As the Poets feined the stones came of their own accord to the building of Thebes Yet Truth hath many cold friends When Callidus once declared against Gallus with a faint and languishing voice Oh saith Tully Tu nisi fingeres sic ageres Obsequium amicos veritas odium parit Wouldst thou plead on that manner if thou wert in good earnest Mens faint appearing for the Truth shews they do but faine Their coldnesse probably concludeth they do but counterfeit Yea Truth hath alwayes opposites Dogs saith a Divine though they fight never so fierce and mutually entertear one another yet if a Hare run by they give over and run after her Martial makes mention of a Hare on the Sicilian shore that having hardly escaped the hounds that hunted her was devoured by a sea-dog Whereupon he brings her in thus complaining In me omnis terraeque aviumque marisque rapina est An expectas ut Quintilianus ametur For sitan Coeli si canis astra tenet Moreover the defenders of the truth in all ages were accounted Schismaticks Tertullian saith it hath ever been seen veritatem in terris peregrinam agere inter ignotos facilè calumniatores invenire Elias the troubler of Israel Paul a mover of sedition Amos accused of the like before Jeroboam yea Christ to seduce the people and to affect Caesars Kingdome And Satan is the enemy of Truth either openly or covertly Indeed though he be the father of lies yet he sometimes speaks truth for his own advantage But as it is said concerning Judas speaking for the poor Joh. 12.6 so Satan will sometimes speak that which is true not that he regards the truth or that he would speak a word of Truth for he hath nothing but lies in his heart there is a lie in his heart when there is truth in his mouth But when ever he speaks truth it is to deceive and
which is a breach of the ninth Commandment Thou shalt not bear false witnesse 2. Doctrinal when a false Position is averred to be the truth of God and stamped with Divine authority Any erroneous doctrine is branded with this title For this cause saith Paul namely because they received not the love of the truth God shall send them strong delusion that they shall believe a lie 2 Thes 2.11 3. Practical this is a lie not spoken but done when a mans actions contradict his profession of which the Apostle He that saith I know him and keepeth not his Commandments is a liar and the truth is not in him 1 John 2.4 There is equivocation now set forth of a later impression Arch-Priest Blackwel and Provincial Garnet a Pest which the Jesuites have alaâ—â— called back from hell for the comfort of afflicted Catholicks as some have not been ashamed to profess But it is plain the Devil did onely equivocate with our first parents and yet is called a liar Every sin the more congenial it is to the Devil the more sinful and abominable it is Now every sin is of the devil both by temptation and approbation but onely some sins are of the devil by way of practice and the sin which is chiefly of him by practice is lying Remove from me the way of lying Psalm 119.29 Jesting Quid nobis cum fabulis cum risu Non solùm profusos Bern. sed atiam omnes jocos declinandos Tertullian saith he was Nullâ— rei naim nisi poenitentiae borne for nothing else but for repentance Sir Thomas Moore being brought to the Tower a malefactor Act. and Mon. fol. 970. and one of the Officers demanding his upper garment for a fee meaning his gown he said he should have it and took him his cap saying that it was the uppermost garment that he had So when he was to be beheaded he said to the Executioner I Pray you let me lay my beard over the block lest you should cut it It seeme he thought it no glory unlesse he might die with a Jest in his mouth Surely it was very unseasonable The Chronicler seemeth to doubt Edw. Hallâ— Chron. whether to call him a foolish-wise-man or a wise-foolish-man Crede mihi râ—â— sâ—vern est gandium verum True mirth is a severe Businesse Seneca Scurrility consists not with piety and Christian gravity Nor foolish talking nor jesting which are not convenient Ephes â— 4 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but rather giving of thanks Obscaenity Idle and wasâ— words are to be accounted for how much more then evil and wicked Plato and Xenophâ—n thought it fit and profitable that mens speeches at meetings should be written Evil words are not winde saith a late Writer as most men imagine but the Devils drivel that leaves a soul staâ—â— upon the speaker and oft sets the like upon the hearer Shunne obscene borborologie saith another and unâ—avoury speeches thou losest so much of thine honesty and piety as thou admittest evil in thy tongue Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth Eph. 4.29 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but that which is good to the use of edifying that it may minister grace unto the hearers Voice Christs not lifting up his voice in the street Isa 42.2 is vox jactantis non docentis There are many voices saith one all the Prophets are voices Preachers are voices Non vox hominis sed Dei certè but there are some voces ad placitum temporizing voices crying for their own profit others which are voces aequivecae as an hatchet that will not cut a fire that will not burn But John Baptist was the properest voice of them all Reverend Mr. Samuel Crook was wont to say to his friends rejoycing with him and blessing God for him I am nothing but a voice So John he professeth himself to be no more but a voice And indeed he was totus vox all voice his apparel his diet his conversation did preach holinesse as well as his doctrine John 1.23 Every faithful Minister is ordained to be a cryer and so had we need we have to do with deaf men dead men living carcases walking Sepulchres of themselves Now therefore as our Saviour lifted up his voice Isa 58.1 Clamâ—s etiam ut stentora vincas when he said Lazarus come forth So must Christs Ministers when they speak to such as lie rotting and stinking in the grave of their corruptions cry aloud Awake thou that sleepest Eph. 5.14 and arise from the dead Loquacity We read of it He that hath an ear to hear let him hear but never he that hath a tongue to speak let him speak Empty vessels are full of sound wisest men are most silent for as some gravel and mud passeth away with much water so in many words there wanteth no sin In multi loquio stulti loquium Many words are hardly well managed It is seldome seen that a man of many words miscarries not The silence of Swans may for a time be overcome with the noise of Swallows Vir linguae nequaquam crit stabilis but when the Swallows are hoarse the Swans will sing Epaminondas is worthily praised by Plutarch for this Quòd nemo plura nosset pauciora loqueretur That no man knew more and spake lesse than he did Talkativenesse is a sign of worthlesnesse taciturnity of solidity He that hath knowledge Prov. 17.27 spareth his words Silence It is a privative at least a negative A dumbnesse is a total so silence is a temporal privation of speech It is a good rule that one gives either keep silence or speak that that is better than silence Well said Hierom Discamus priùs non loqui ut postmodum ad loquendum ora reseramus In Eccl. 3.7 nihil nobis rectum esse vidâ—atur nisi quod discimus ut post multum silentium ex discipulis efficiamur magistri Seneca saith summa summarum haec est tardiloquum te esse jubeo Epist 40. And Ambrose In Psal 38. Ovalidum scutum circumspect a munitionis silentium O fidissimum stabilitatis fundamentum Multi enim etiam stabili corde firmati incauti tamen sermonis fluctuantis errore ceciderunt But here 's a misery saepè non possumus loqui quum volumus saepè non volumus quum possumus saepius autem utrumque non debemus quum facimus There are three sorts of silent persons 1. Some and it is their cunning 2. Others and it is their weakness 3. But there are and it is their wisdom To these I may adde a fourth There is a superstitious silence such as were those old Monks of Egypt who saith Cassian were Vmbrarum more silentes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as speechlesse as Ghosts So the Carthusian Monks who speak together but once a week Some kindes of Sectaries also at this day will not speak a word to any but those of their own Sect and that but at
Deut. 8.10 The fed hawk soon forgets her Master Therefore when thou shalt have eaten and be full then beware lest thou forget the Lord. Let us be careful we forget not Gods word neither let slip any one sermon without some profit There are several helps to memory Attention Men remember what they heed and regard Attend to my sayings saith wisdom keep them in the midst of thine heart that is in such a place where nothing can come to take them away Where there is attention there will be retention the memory is the chest and Ark of divine truths and a man should see them carefully locked up Affection That 's a great help to memory men remember what they care for Delight and love are ever reviving and renewing the object upon our thoughts Application and appropriation of truths We will remember that which concerneth our selves Hear this and know it for thy good This I must remember for my comfort Meditation This is a covering of the word that the fowles of the air do not snatch it from us As an apple which is tossed in the hand leaveth the odour and smell of it behind so often revolving the word upon the thoughts Mary kept Christs sayings and pondered them in her heart Conference with others The Disciples that travelled to Emmaus conferred together The Bereans that came from St. Paul his sermon took their Bibles and conferred together Many eyes see more than one that which one hath forgotten another may remember Repetition will be as a nail to fasten the things we have heard Prayer Our corporal meat will do us no good except God bless it no more can the food of our souls And beg the Spirit of God whose work it is to bring things to our remembrance And observe the accomplishment of truths such occasions observed will make old truths come to mind afresh Practise Christians can remember the circumstances of that sermon In sucoum sangâ—inem by which they get profit This is the digesting of our spiritual meat and the converting of it into our substance It is never our own truly and indeed till it be practised Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard Heb. 2.1 Nè praeteâ—flâ—amus lest at any time we should let them slip Abstinence Nature is contented with a little Natura pauâ—is contenta For who perceiveth not that at all things are seasoned by the desires Darius in his flight when he drunk of the water that was dirty and polluted with dead Carkasses affirmed he never drank sweeter or more pleasant The reason is because he never abstained from drink untill he was thirsty Cicer. Quest. Tusâ— It is necessary that every one be so far forth continent as may destroy the vices not the flesh for oftentimes in the pursuit of the enemy Greg. therein we kill the Citizen whom we love And oftentime while we do as it were spare our fellow-Citizen we further the enemy in the skirmish Abstaine from all appearance of evil 1 Thes 5.22 Testimony Testimonium est fallibile in fide humanâ in fide divinâ infallibile The witnesse of the Holy Ghost is the work of faith the witnesse of our spirits the sense of faith wrought This is better felt by experience than expressed by words known altogether and onely to them that have it The state of Gods children is full of sweet certainty and assurance he that having a cause to be tried and hath two sufficient witnesses doubts not of the day Now Gods Children have two witnesses Omni exceptione majores 1. Their own spirit which is not to be condemned for if conscience a natural thing be a thousend witnesses much more the spirit which is a supernatural power given of God 2. The Holy Ghost which cannot deceive or be deceived witnesseth with our spirits Besides what an honour is this to the Saints that the Holy Ghost should bear witness at the bar of their consciences There are several wayes of bearing witnesse to Christ 1. By openly publishing the truth of Christ promulging of the Evangelical truths concerning the Messiah 2. By leading lives answerable to the Christian profession holinesse and uprightness of conversation doth attest and credit the Doctrine of Christ 3. By suffering especially death it self for Christs cause and the Gospels To such the name of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is eminently applied Under the law one witnesse was allowed sufficient in case of Religion Deut. 29.16 17. Malitia tua te adduxit ad mortem non nos Lyran. Vâ—erque Diabolum habet isle in linguâ ille in aâ—re Dav. Detractores Canini dentes Diaboli Paâ—isien But two were required in civil cases Cap. 19.15 Witnesses of old were wont to put their hand upon the head of the offendor and say It is thy own wickednesse which condemns thee and not we We may neither raise an evil report nor receive it neither be the tale-bearer nor tale-hearer The one carries the Devil in his tongue the other in his ear Not only those that make a lye but those that love it when it is made to their hands are shut out of heaven Rev. 22.15 Every man hath two great witnesses either for or against him 1. Conscience within him 2. God above him Other faculties may rest but no passage shall be able to scape the record of conscience Conscia mens ut cuique sua est Ovid. ita concipit intra Pectora pro facto spemque metúmque suo This is Gods deputy-judge holding court in the whole soul bearing witnesse of all a mans doings and desires and accordingly excusing or accusing absolving or condemning comforting or tormenting But yet the witness of God is the most desireable witness The witnesse we have on earth is nothing worth unless we have a witnesse in Heaven If we have not the inward witnesse of our own conscience it is little advantage though we have a thousand outward witnesses Conscience is more than a thousand witnesses but God is more than ten thousand consciences As the witnesse of good men is more desirable than the witnesse of all other men and the witnesse of a good conscience is more desirable than the witnesse of good men so the witnesse of God is more desirable than without which we cannot have it and with which we shall have it the witnesse of a good conscience Job 16.19 Behold my witnesse is in heaven and my record is on high Contemplation A contemplative life without practice is like unto Rachel Jacobs wife beautiful and bright-sighted but yet barren It is good therefore to have Rachels beautiful face to be seconded with Leah's fruitful womb If ye know these things happy are ye if ye do them John 13.17 Consideration Cras tibi respondebo said Melanchton to his adversary Eccius It is but little that can be learned in this life without due and deep consideration which is an
God David did run the pure path of Gods commandments and Christ did all things well We are to have respect to all the divine ordinances of the God of Truth that in none if it be possible we may be sound faulty Forsake evil and do good saith the Prophet and so the Lord shall crown our desires above what we are able to ask or think saith the Apostle Let your Covetousness be turned to Liberality that the Saints of God those of the houshold of faith may be the better for you Let your Ambition be turn'd to Humility that ye think not of your selves above that which is meet Let your Adulteries be turn'd to Chastity that your bodies may be fit temples for the Holy Ghost to dwell in Let your Idolatries and Superstitions be turn'd to the zealous and Primitive service of God that God may dwell in the midst of you Let your Wantonness in attires and habits be turn'd to Gravity whereby the Heavenly graces of the Eternal Spirit may be enlarged in you and manifested by you as becometh Saints Let your hideous Blasphemies and horrid Oaths be turn'd to a reverent naming of the Lord that his Name may be hallowed by you In conclusion let all the Intemperance Prophaneness and Corruptions of our lives be turned to Holiness whereby all our actions may favour of grace goodness and obedience This obedience in actions whereby we glorifie God must be 1. Speedy 2. Cordial 3. Ever augmenting 4. Resolutely constant It must be speedy To day if ye will hear his voice harden not your hearts Dilatory procrastinarions beget difficulties and augment our miseries Wherefore to keep a Field from overgrowing with weeds is to pluck them up in the Spring and to preserve ones Body from overcharging with diseases is to purge the bad humors betime Thus sin and disobedience must be nipped in the bud or else they bring forth much soure fruit of trouble and danger 'T is the Polititians observation That à parvis veniunt summa mala principiis The greatest evils have but small beginnings Our obedience must be cordial My son give me thy heart saith the Wise man saith the wiser God If obedience be wrung from us it is not acceptable A cheer 〈◊〉 giver obtains acceptation at Gods hands Abraham's obedience in offering to offen up his son Isaac upon Divine command was cordial So were Davids services being a man after Gods own heart Christs obedience was cordial both in fulfilling every tittle of the Law and suffering the punishment due to our sins So was Paul's when in his conversion he consulted not with flesh and blood but immediately obeyed the Heavenly vision Our obedience must be ever augmenting It is the genuine nature of true grace to be ever growing and of good Christians to grow in grace The perfection of obedience is not compassed in a moment which is but a point of time but by degrees and many previal dispositions Were it not that we are too much indulgent to our corrupt affections our obedience would never leave growing until by Divine assistance and pious endeavours we increase the quantity thereof I know the desire of enjoying the home-pleasures of this sinful life hath the more favorable audience and powerful perswasions in a mind captivated to his own passions and prevails more But where the heart is set at liberty from the bondage of sin there Piety beareth sway and obedience aboundeth Hence proceeds the Apostle's elegant Climax Add to your faith virtue and to virtue knowledge 2 Pet. 1.5 6 7. Acti agamus and to knowledge temperance and to temperance patience and to patience godliness and to godliness brotherly kindness and to brotherly kindness charity If these things be in yoâ— and abound they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ Our obedience must be resolutely constant With the Galatians to begin in the spirit and to end in the flesh is a deep apostacy from the truth of obedience and from obedience to the truth It is manifest cowardise in Souldiers to forsake their Colours when they are upon service Our whole life is no other than a continual warfare If our resolution be not fixt in our Christian enterprises if we fail after the military oath is solemnly taken by us in our Baptism in obeying the Captain of our salvation the Lord of Hosts we cannot avoid the bafest imputation of cowardâ—se nor be accounted other than dastardly fugitives We know Satan and the World lay strong siege to take us and to draw us by head and shoulders from our obedience But we may learn from Job this point of valour that though God should kill us much less then if Satan should yet we should not upon any terms forsake him For the crown of life and diadem of glory Rev. 2.10 shall be given unto them alone that are faithful to the death Thus much concerning the honour of Obedience which this Glory in the Text imports Now follows the other honour imported by it which is the honour of Divine worship or adoration whereof there are two degrees 1. Internal 2. External The first is the internal affection or serviceable submission which is as the soul or life The other is the external note or sign of such submission as bowing kneeling supplication these are the body or material parts of it Now this worship when divine and opposed unto civil is proper unto God and incommunicable to any creature For the glorious prerogative of our Creation and Redemption in these works he admits no instrumental service much less can brook a Partner in the glory redounding to them My glory will I not give unto another Psal 95.6 In consideration of the works of Creation the Princely Prophet invites all to adore God O come let us worship and bow down and kneel before the Lord our Maker In consideration of our Redemption God speaking of Christ saith Let all the Angels of God worship him much more men Besides the seeds of grace and true religion are sown immediately by Gods sole powerful hand and their native off spring acts of faith especially must be reserved entire and untouch'd for him Prayers intrinsecally religious or devotions truly sacred are oblations which may not which cannot without open sacriledge be consecrated to any others honour but only to his who infuseth the spirit of prayer and thanksgiving into mens heares Bowing the body and kneeling as used to express a religious and divine worship must not be directed to honour them which are no gods but the Only wise and Immortal King Never had any man juster occasion to worship an Angel than S. John or a Saint than Cornelius and his company had The reason why the Lord in wisdom would have as well their willingness to worship as the Angel's and S. Peter's unwillingness to accept their proffered submission so expresly registred was to imprint the true meaning of that Law in
that soul alone that hath Christ it hath the Spirit of Christ Happy that soul alone that hath the Spirit of Christ it hath God Happy that soul alone that hath God it hath all things The sins of true Believers and all their imperfections do like the Morning-dew at the Suns approach vanish away and dissolve into nothing by the beams of the Sun of Righteousness by whom we have access by faith into his grace wherein we stand and rejoyce in hope of the glory of God Here 's a remedy to stanch a bleeding heart here is rest for a troubled spirit here is a Cordial restorative for a Christian soul that aforetimes did surfeit with the luscious bewitching pleasures of a sinful life and after trembled at the killing fears of the pangs of Hell To say something more how our peace with God was wrought which is worthy of all observation Know the condition of the Obligation of the first Covenant was this Do this and thou shalt live the transgression whereof by necessary consequence must have brought death To reduce us then into grace with God again after our desertion Doing and Suffering was requisite the one serving to give us life the other to save from death both for expiation of our offences and satisfaction of the offended Justice Our peace then is made by Christ's 1. Doing 2. Suffering By Christ's doing For if by our ill doing we undid our peace our peace must be mâ—de up by well doing which we being unsufficient for Christ whose grace is abundantly sufficient for us performed in our stead His conversation iâ— the days of his flesh besides his unspotted and pure Conception was unblemished He came to fulfill all righteousness and did so In the volume of the book it is written of me Heb. 10.9 saith our Saviour Lo I come to do thy will O God I can quickly impannel a sufficient Jury out of the three Kingdoms the Kingdom of this World the Kingdom of Grace and the Kingdom of Glory some friends others foes by their just verdict given up already to justifie the Innocency of our Blessed Redeemer An Angel in the 9. of Daniel calls him The most Holy And the same Angel tells his Virgin Mother that That Holy thing which should be born of her should be called the Son of God The Prophet Isaiah by Divine inspiration saith That he did no sin neither was there guile found in his mouth S. Peter saith He was a Lamb without blemish and without spot The Apostle to the Hebrews describes him to be Holy harmless undefiled separate from sinners S. John insorms us that We have an Advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the Righteous He is said by the Spouse in the Cantieles to be white and ruddy Ruddy in respect of his bloody Passion and whire in regard of his unstained Innocence Pilate though Christs enemy ingenuously professeth that he could find no fault in him Traiterous Judas when the fact was done confesseth that he did betray the innocent blood Habemus consitentem reum There was Herod's action in causing him to be arrayed in a gorgeous white robe as an implicite testimony of his innocence Pilate's wife bids her husband sitting on the seat of Judgment to have nothing to do with that Just man The Thief upon the Cross condemning himself and his fellow makes this his last and his best confession This man hath done nothing amiss The Centurion when he saw what fell out upon the death of Christ concluded with himself Verily this was the Son of God Luk. 4.34 or as S. Luke hath it Of a truth this was a just man The Devil too I know thee who thou art the Holy one of God For more evidence I can produce from heaven a cloud and innumerable company of witnesses as that Rev. 15.3 Part of the Saints heavenly song is Just and true are thy ways thou King of Saints Lastly take with us the sentence of the just Judge of all the world uttered from Heaven This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased I need to say no more in it 't is a plain case here 's a threefold cord Vox Dei vox populi vox populi Dei The voice of God the voice of the people the voice of the people of God Now for our comfort know thus much Christ's active righteousness was meritorious for our salvation for our peace wherefore Christ is said to be made to us of God righteousness and sanctification and that he knew no sin that we might be made the righteousness of God in him By Adam's fatal disobedience the peace was broken by Christs perfect and absolute obedience the peace is renewed As by the disobedience of one man the first Adam many were made sinners and so enemies to God so by the obedience of one man the Man Christ Jesus the second Adam many are made righteous and so reconciled to God Our peace then is made by Christs doing in fulfilling the Law in every point which in every point we did unrighteously violate He did work upon the Earth to work our peace in Heaven Which in like manner he did by suffering as well as doing Which I will by Divine assistance also briefly prosecute Were we not sinners Christ had no need to suffer Had he not now suffered we should not be saved because sinners All our deaths could not have wiped away one sin much less all our sins and therefore not made our peace Eternity of torments is satisfaction indeed to Gods Justice but then what hope of mercy of peace of life What we therefore could not do by suffering eternally Christ hath effected for us by a timely death Rom. 5.10 Act. 20.28 1 Joh. 1.7 We being sinners Christ died for us and being enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son Hence he is said to have purchased his Church that is the peace of his Church with his own blood and his blood to cleanse us from all sin Divine Truth terms him The Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world The sin of the world that takes away the world from God the removing where of out of the way makes way for grace and so for peace for a world of men Princeps vitae est interfectus ut nos ad vitam restitueret Dominus gloriae crucifixus est ut nos ad gloriam exaltaret The Prince of life was put to death to restore us from death of life The Lord of glory was ignominiously crucified to exalt us unto glory He was content to be for saken of his Father and to bear his indignation to make peace for us through the blood of his cross to reconcile us who were sometimes aliens and enemies in the body of his flesh through death to present us holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight Col. 1.21 22. Eph. 5.2 For this very purpose he became a Peace-offering for us Christ loved us and hath
should have been taken from him but left all other thoughts and did cleave to his masters side with an inseparable resolution As the Lord liveth and as thy soul liveth I will not leave thee So must we be to Christ in whom God hath manifested his good will to us and say as Peter did To whom should we go thou hast the words of eternal life Gods Mercy is like Daniels goodly tree Dan. 4. whose height reacheth unto the heavens and the sight thereof to all the earth whose pleasant fruit all mortal men do taste and eat and under the shadow of whose fair leaves they take rest and comfort To the defence and succour of this tree must we run in storms and extremity and not then only but at all times lest with ungrateful Popelings we go about in the fairest sunshine to lop the branches Of pions memory is that last speech uttered with the fierce zeal of a dying Martyr burnt in a Tun in Smithfield in the presence of Henry the Fourth King of England Mercy Lord Jesus Christ mercy And of him that with lifted-up hands and singers flaming with fire cried to the people None but Christ none but Christ for ever Cry then ye braving Merit-mongers and say not with the Laodicean Church We are rich and increased with goods and have need of nothing when as your consciences tell you as theirs did Ye are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked Learn with the Prophet Jeremy to say It is of the Lords mercies that we are not consumed because his compassions fail not Make it the height of your ambition with the Apostle to be found in Christ Lam. 3.22 not having your own righteousness which is of the Law but that which is through faith of Christ the righteousness which is of God by faith And since the bowels of Gods compassion and good will to us do yearn upon us and the merits of our blessed Saviour are so effectual as to justifie in his sight let all the world conclude with David Thy loving kindness is better than life Psal 63.3 And with the Angels here acknowledge our salvation to proceed from Gods good will Our Justification thus effected a main work of Gods goodness towards man there follows upon the very neck of it our Sanctification And here we find the Well of Gods Mercy to be like Jacob's deep to which whosoever cometh with a thirsting soul may freely drink of the water of life Since then O God thy Mercy and thy Goodness is of that depth that no Mortal is able to found it and it able to satiate all with thy good Spirit that as by thy Son we are justified in thy sight so by thy Spirit we may be sanctified for Holiness becometh that house wherein thou dwellest O Lord. Know then that by an eternal constitution of Gods predestinating will some were ordained to be vessels of dishonor some of honor Those of dishonor are Reprobates and câ—st-aways who spend their days in prophaneness and end in never-ending pains But those of honor are the Elect who being made to be perpetually glorified among the blessed Angels that kept their first station have here their conversation tanquam in coelo as in heaven and following the conduct of that sanctisying Spirit that makes them holy and acceptable to the most Holy end in never-ending happiness The first are passed in silence our speech must be of the latter whom God by special grace vouchsafes to grace with such endowments as fit them for glory There are none begotten by a natural generation exempted from the contagion of sin neither can any in truth glory of a pious conformity of their wills Papists presume upon a natural ability to gain acceptation at the hands of God and Pelagians have given that goodness to remain in our wills which doth not both which whilst the wheel is turning and the sum of all their misfortunes is cast up sleep supinely in carelesness and boast vainly in security Divine truth hath discovered our nakedness and shame so that the naked truth without all contradiction is that what characters of goodness were imprinted in our nature by the hand of our Creator were by the hand of man that catcht hold of the forbidden fruit quite obliterated and blotted out insomuch that unless the same power take us in hand again and put upon us the stamp of a new creation we shall never alter those crooked and wry dispositions which by our offending disobedience we have contracted The life of a Christian doth challenge an higher parentage than from earth when the beauty thereof is marred and the emoluments departed And here the Lords good will hath not been deficient but superabundant above what we are able to ask or think for out of the plentiful treasures of his grace hath he supplied our defects First he sent his Son and behold now he sends his Spirit His Son to free us from condemnation from which otherwise we cannot be free his Spirit for our regeneration which is an act of Divine power whereby being born of God we are reduced to the obedience of his Name Isa 63.18 1 Pet. 2.9 and made like unto him Holy as he is holy hereby becoming the people of his holiness as saith the Prophet and as that Saint of God the Apostle Peter speaks A chosen generation a royal Priesthood an holy nation a peculiar people What was written upon the plate of the holy Crown of pure gold belonging to the Priest in the Levitical law is by the singer of God engraven in Capital letters in the hearts of his Saints HOLINESS TO THE LORD Exod. 99.30 Which inward holiness makes them zealous of good works that are like to Pearls as one saith found here below but carry a resemblance of Heaven in their brightness and orient colours To which end our Saviour gave this precept Let your light so shine before men that they seeing your good works may glorifie your Father which is in heaven Those sacred actions of obedience that have their original dependencie upon the Divine operation of Gods Spirit in the heart please God wonderfully He is glorified by them and in them his soul takes great pleasure Cui prius non beneplacitum erat in hominibus Theophil nunc pro beneficiis refocillationibus hominum habet opera in quibus quietem habet faith Theophilact on these words God who at first was highly offended with men for their apostacy accepts the good deeds of men though himself be the Author of their good for favours and refreshings wherein he is well pleased As I breathe Christians I cannot but admire the good will of God who dwelling in that light unto which there can be no access would vouchsafe to shine upon us who are darkness in the very abstract or would lift up the light of his countenance upon us whom sin had made so contemptible In good earnest I am transported much more
die so was it necessary he should live again 1. In regard of Gods Decree Isa 53.10 revealed in his Word promising that He should see his seed that is the Just and that He would prolong his days Peter in his Sermon on the day of Pentecost averrs That David in the 16. Psalm spake of Christ's Rising by way of prediction the knowledge whereof came unto him by Divine infusion Act. 2.31 2. It was necessary for the instruction and settlement of our Faith we being naturally prone to infidelity And that 1. Concerning the Divinity of our Saviour Christ the glory and truth whereof had not been made sufficiently apparent had he not used his power in rising again But in that he is risen he hath mightily declared himself to be the Son of God i.e. Ex afflicto ejus statu as Gal. 4.14 very God of very God Who although he was crucified through weakness yet he liveth by the power of God 2 Cor. 13.4 If Christ be not risen saith the same Apostle 1 Cor. 15. then our preaching is in vain and in vain our faith By his Resurrection therefore we obtain 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 fidei a full measure of faith in this that there is no place of doubting left us but that we firmly may believe that Jesus Christ is true God for whom to be held bound in the strict chains of a powerful death is a matter of the greatest impossibility Again it was necessary for the settlement of our Faith 2. Concerning the victory Christ hath gotten over death The weaker is overcome of the stronger so that if Christ had not risen he had been weaker than Death had not been a sufficient Redeemer we had been still in our sins we could not have been perswaded God had received perfect satisfaction But being that he is revived by the same Power that giveth life unto all Death hath no longer dominion over him Gods justice is satisfied and we remain no longer in our sins Wherefore we may well in the language of triumph proclaim O death where is thy sling O grave where is thy victory And we continuing the same note may adde by the vertue of a lively faith Thanks be to God who giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ 3. It was necessary for the comforting assistance of our Hope lest it should be converted into a Desperate humour Our propensity to Desperation is by woful experience too well known But inasmuch as our Saviour our Head Clarissima fidei confâ—ssio Brentius Brevis longa totaque aurea est haec Apologia saith another had a glorious Exit out of the grave and an absolute conquest over death it is forcible enough to make us hope that we his members united unto him by the indissoluble bond of the Spirit shall also rise again after death Upon this hope was that speech of Job grounded I know that my Redeemer liveth and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth and though after my skin worms destroy this body yet in my flesh shall I see God whom I shall see for my self and mine eyes shall behold and not another though my reins be consumed within me Job 19. Were it not for Christ's Resurrection hope herein might have failed both him and us for his is the cause of ours therefore is he stiled Primitiae dormientium The first-fruits of them that sleep 4. It was necessary for the compleat and perfect consummation of our eternal happiness For in that he was humbled to sustain great evils by dying for our freedom from all evil so was he glorified by his Resurrection for our promotion to all â—ood He was delivered for our offences and raised again for our justification Rom. â— ult And as it is Heb. 7.25 He is able to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them 5. It was necessary in regard of the compleat discharge of his office of Priesthood to which he was from all eternity anointed of the Father If he had not risen again he had not performed the full duty of that calling which required that he should make satisfaction for the sins of people which he did by offering up himself an Offering and a Sacrifice to God of a sweet smelling favour upon the Cross And further that calling required also that he should apply the vertue of this Sacrifice the merit of his death to every true Believer which could not be performed without his Resurrection So that as he died to satisfie the justice of God so was it requisite he should rise from death to make to us a particular application of the vertue of his Passion by his effectual Intercession unto his Father in heaven for us upon earth Whereupon comes the Apostles Quaere and Answer Rom. 8.34 Who is he that condemneth It is Christ that died yea rather that is risen again who is even at the right hand of God who also maketh intercession for us Thus much of the Necessity of Christ's Resurrection The second point is concerning the Ends of his Resurrection which are divers Viz. 1. In regard of himself 2. In regard of the Law 3. In regard of us In regard of himself the end of his Rising was twofold 1. To declare that he himself that Holy and Just one whom the Jews had by wicked hands crucified and slain was the Prince of life Who at his pleasure as he could give life to others so unto himself Act. 3.15 though he were brought to the lowest step of an humbled state though death held him in its hands For if at his Crucifying the shaking of the earth the rising of some dead bodies the obscuration of the Sun not hap'ning within the compass of the course of nature because not at the usual time of the conjunction of those two Planets the Sun and Moon wrested a confession out of the spectators that He was the Son of God much more may his Resurrection evict thus much that He is the Prince of life who might lay down and take up his life when he pleased And 2. That having finished and perfected the great work of our Redemption he might reign thenceforth for ever in glory â—â—n 7.14 Whose dominion is an everlasting dominion which shall not pass away and whose Kingdom that which shall not be destroyed Albeit he seemed for a time to be deposed from his Royalty whilst he submitted himself to death yet it was but a short cessation that he might come off with the greater honour and so to enter into his greatest glory In regard of the Law the end of his Rising was to ratifie the truth of that Promise of life which was pass d unto man upon the performance of that Covenant passed betwixt God and man Do this and thou shalt live It could not be but that in equity Christ should live again being that he did fulfill exactly and precisely
not shut against you his fatherly providence is tendred to you he withholds no good thing from you he sent first his Son and now that his Son is ascended to him he sends the Spirit of his Son to you into your hearts that by that meanes he may abide with you for ever But why compared â— the love of God to the love of man mans love in respect of Gods not being so much as a grain of mustard-seed to the whole earth or the whole earth to the vast heavens or the smallest drop of water to the whole Ocean I answer for my 〈◊〉 thus that by the marvellons defect and straitness of the one you may in some though in the smallest measure conceive survey you cannot the infinite greatness of the other He sent his Son but his Son return'd in his presence was joy in his absence griefe wherefore God bereaving us of his Sons bodily presence in his tender love sent the Spirit of his Son to raise our dead spirits to comfort us without him comfortless he adopted us sons being his enemies by his Sons coming now for farther confirmation and stronger assurance he signs it he seals it by sending the Spirit of his Son into our hearts Because sons Not natural but elected adopted sons such as many justly challenge the prerogatives and liberty of sons God That is the Father Hath sent forth As Kings do their Ambassadours to signify their pleasure and desires they neither adde nor diminish from their Commission so the Holy Ghost what he receives from the Father shows to them to whom the Father sends him he speaks not of himself but what he hears he speaks what he receives he delivers The Spirit That is John 16.13 14 the Holy Ghost the third person in Trinity Of his Son To wit of the natural Son of God Jesus Christ Gods Son begotten by eternal generation time out of mind 〈◊〉 your bear tsâ— Into your 〈◊〉 Crying Making you with confidence and assurance to cry the Spirit properly cryes not for then it should cry and pray to it selfe Sic ipse Spiritus postulat i.c. ad postulandum cos quos replevit inslammat but it is said to cry when it works that effect in us according to that Rom. 8.15 Ye have received the Spirit of Adoption whereby ye cry Abbâ— Father We are said to cry by the Spirit as a man to see by the eye Abba Father Abba it is an Hebrew word derived from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifyes to be willing here it is translated Father and the reason of that name is rendred to be because of the propensity of the will and desire of a father towards his children being their chiefest wel-willers and wel-wishers The intention then of the words is this The adoption and free election thorough Jesus Christ into the right and liberty of sons pertains not to the Jews alone but to the Gentiles also to the Galatians by the redemption wrought by the Son of God for this purpose annointed by the Father ye receive the adoption of sons God thus making you sons sent his Spirit to you his Spirit sent to you dwells in your hearts and dwelling in your hearts makes you cry with an assurance of his good will Abba Father Of the words there are these parts 1. A person sent the Spirit of the Son 2. A person sending God 3. The sending it self sent 4. The place whither God sends the Spirit of his Son into your hearts 5. The office or effect of the Spirit Crying Abba Father 6. The reason moving and prevailing with God to send his Sons Spirit into your hearts because sons Of the first the person sent the Spirit of the Son the Holy Ghost It will be judg'd in me to be but a labour in vain to endeavour to prove that there is such a Spirit except there be some as I hope there are none so grosly ignorant as those disciples spoken of in the 19. of Acts who profest they did not so much as hear whether there were an Holy Ghest or no. This is a Principle of Religion to be taken of all for granted not to be call'd in question not to be proved to spend words and time in the demonstration hereof is to no more purpose than to prove 't is day when the sun shines this being sufficiently manifest in the works of nature that sufficiently apparent in the effects of grace Divine truth contained in the sacred Word of God stops all gainsaying proceedings in this point None but who will oppose God will oppose it if any man teach otherwise or doubt of the verity hereof he is proud knowing nothing but doting about questions and strifes of words he is a man of a corrupt mind and destitute of the truth carried away with the spirit of giddiness and of error I will therefore spare my pains in convicting such rude and giddy-headed spirits for I direct my lines to Christians well instructed in this Article of our faith not to Turks and Mahumetans and by Gods assistance teach and write what shall be more fit all things well weigh'd for them to learn and me to deliver 1. Why the Holy Ghost is called a Spirit 2. Why he is called the Spirit of the Son The third person is called a Spirit because 1. He is a spiritual incorporeal and invisible essence whose being is not like that of Angels though spirits they are but ministring spirits of Almighty God finite but he is infinite whom the world cannot contain whom the most piercing eye cannot see whom the most sublime wit cannot conceive The reâ—ulgene glory of those heavenly spirits dazzles our understanding in our meditations and discourses of them our imaginations cannot reach their transcendent and Metaphysical nature far distant from our spheare much more are we unable to fix our bodily or intellectual eye upon that spiritual being whose being and glory is absolutely in comprehensible dwelling in that light to which there can be no accesse and in that height to which no created nature can aspire He is called a Spirit 2. Nescis torda mâ—li â—â—ina gratiá Spiritus Sancti Ambros In regard of the mighty power and unresistible efficacy it hath in operation implyed in the rushing wind on the day of Pentecost and the fiery tongues His wonderful activity is made sufficiently manifest by the creation of the world and well known in the hearts of sinners by their conversion and new creation a work not of small importance Act. 2. a concurrence of all the powers of nature cannot effect it Men and Angels can do much but not so much let men of the rarest parts most eminent endowments and of the best quality laying grace aside do what they may say what they will they shall find themselves scanted of ability to begin much lesse to go thorough with so great a work The wind blowes strong and fire is very active so the Holy Spirit blows down the strong
in every one that is called God And forasmuch as the Essence and the Persons are inseparable whatsoever is properly called God is a Person What Motion what Quality what Inspiration can be called God He is a Person because we are baptized in his Name He is the Author of this institution He is the Director of the whole act by his authority by his command by his power the water is sanctified the baptized are renewed the whole work is happily accomplished For all is done in the Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost not in the name of a Motion of a Quality of an Inspiration He is a Person because the properties of a Person are attributed to him Luk. 11.12 Joh. 16. Joh. 14.1 Cor. 12.11 Act. 13.2.1 Joh. 5.7 Rom. 8. He is sud to teach us heavenly knowledge to lead us into all truth to comfort the afflicted members of Jesus Christ to distribute gifts and graces according to his good pleasure to call and send Apostles to bear witness in heaven with the Father and the Son to bear witness with our spirits that we are the sons of God to cry in our hearts Abba Father to make intercessions for us with groanings that cannot be uttered These are not effects proper to a Motion or a Quality or an Inspiration Lastly He is distinguished most manifestly from the Gifts of God Dona honoraria There are diversity of gifts but the same Spirit the same Spirit distributing these gifts so divers where it will Thus it is apparent that the Spirit of the Son is a Person And as he is a Person so is he 2. A distinct Person from the Father and the Son Non aliud sed alius Not essentially differing noted by the first word but hypostatically noted by the last And as he is a Person so is he 2. A distinct Person from the Father and the Son Non aliud sed alius Not essentially differing noted by the first word but hypostatically noted by the last And that because he is the Spirit of the Father and the Son He cannot be said to be his own Spirit as the Father cannot be said to be his own Father or the Son his own Son that is as absurd as this Again because he is said to be another from them both I will ask the Futher Joh. 14.16 and he shall send you another Comforter Christ whilst he was on earth was a Comfort unto his Disciples wherefore lest diffidence and despair by reason of the great persecutions they should suffer after his departure should break their hearts and sorrow ruine them he prays the Father to send them another Comforter and promiseth he will see it done for their assurance cap. 15.26 He will send him from the Father Furthermore He hath a relative property and characteristical note several from theirs putting a difference betwixt them and him He onely proceeds from the Father and the Son He onely appeared under the form of an innocent Dove and of fiery cloven tongues By his immediate operation Christ was conceived in the womb of the Virgin and by his immediate operation Gods children are throughly sanctified and furnished unto every good work Last of all The Father sends him that so sends him whence he is neither the Father nor the Son but one from them It is a marvellous impropriety of speech that a man should be said to send himself but proper it is to say he comes of his own accord Forasmuch therefore as the Spirit is said to be sent from the Father and the Son and as here God sent forth the Spirit of his Son He is a Person distinct from them both Which is the thing I intended to demonstrate As he is a Person so is he the third and last Person not last in time nor last in nature nor last in dignity but last in the order and manner of subsisting and of performing such works as are common to them all called works ab extra as Creation Redemption Preservation Justification Sanctification c. Having briefly gone over these two points I shall endeavour by Gods grace to do the like in the next which is this 3. That there are Three Persons in the Deity to whom the Divine Essence is communicated The Father the Son the Spirit For humane Reason fully to conceive so high a mystery is impossible What therefore we must learn hereof the Scripture teacheth Faith receives and Reason must not contradict Rather imbrace those depths of knowledge with admiration than by an over-curious inquisition to dive into it and return unsatisfied and sore troubled Yet because Ignorance needs information and Curiosity requires confirmation I will say somewhat though little of it The Platonists acknowledge in God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Mind or Understanding a Word a Spirit By Understanding they understand the Father by the Word the Son who by S. Joh. 1.1 is expresly called the Word by Spirit the Third Person proceeding from the Father and the Son called The Love of God Hence Divines conceive the matter thus The Father is quasi Deus intelligens God understanding The Son who is the express Image of the Father is quasi Dens intellectus God understood callâ—d the Wisdom of the Father the Image of the Father the Word of God as a word is but the image of the understanding The Spirit breathed and proceeding from the Father and the Son is quasi Deus dilectus God is Love saith S. Lombard John hence by Lombard said to be that Love wherewith the Father loves the Son the Son the Father So the Text reckons up three the Father the Son the Spirit God sent forth the Spirit of his Son This is indeed a deep mystery Yet as abstruse as this Divine mystery of the Trinity is Nature can give us some insight by similitudes though imperfect of the possibility and truth of it We see that in the Sun there is an indesinent fountain of light a brightness and splendor springing out of it and a quickning and reviving heat proceeding from it yet none will be so foully mistaken as to conclude out of these three that there are three Suns there being still but one So though the Essence of the Godhead be but one yet we must know it is communicated unto three Persons and though communicated unto three Persons yet still the Essence is but one We see that in Man there are two diverse and far different natures a Body and a Soul yet these two make not two Men but one these reteining the unity of one Person If two diverse Natures met together make one Person why may not one Nature and Essence be communicated to Three and those Three having one and the same Essence still remain one God We see that in the Soul of Man there is a Will which is the immediate beginning ab intra of every act proceeding from our selves commanding this or that to be done sic volo
from One unchangeable God on whom if we rest contented not overruled with prejudicate opinions never shall fear distract us Plura sunt quae nos terrent Senec. ep 13. saepius opinione laboramus quà m re I borrow this from Seneca Many things terrifie us and we are oftner vext and pain'd in opinion by furmises than in very deed by truth But it is otherwise with the well-inform'd Christian who ponders all events and examineth the causes the defect whereof sets some at their wits end 'T is ignorance and rashness that makes way for misprision and misprision for fear The best things sometimes scare us Gods merciful goodness not understood puts us to a stand his very favourable presence which should move joy did and shall move fear in some I do not think there lives that man this day on earth so resolute did God appear not in flaming fire in thundering and lightening to render vengeance but in a soft wind as to Elijah or as here another way to Jacob in every respect full of respect but would be sore afraid Devout Jacob whose dream portended nothing but happiness at the end of his Divine rapture was afraid What he saw and fear'd was no other but a welcom prediction of his future glory and perpetual safety and yet was afraid That magnificent greatness and blessed eminency to which the Lord promised to advance him left him not undaunted Yet this must I needs say he was more afraid than hurt 'T is a certain truth though God terrifie his children yet he harms them not No disadvantage is taken to undo them by it but to raise their spiritual fortunes After the fall of their courage one way at the brightness of his Majesty he puts spirit into them another way to further their exaltation thorugh a sense of his mercy Thus he doth with this religious man whose fear gave the occasion of my writing Here men may admire so good a man would be taken napping and then fear when he had most reason to rejoice The Father of Heaven did from Heaven look upon him with a benigne aspect yet he trembles Observe what ensues and cease to wonder Religious hearts are in a continual awe of God yet not bereft of comfort 'T is their blessedness Pro. 28.14 that they always fear Happy is the man that feareth always So it is to be referr'd the well ordering of our conversation aright Piety puts all things straight in us that rectifies all the passions of the soul directeth our hearts to the fear of the Lord which brings in time a crown of rejoycing Hence he requires it of us upon our Allegiance to his Supremacie Royal which should we deny 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 timor were no less than Rebellion than Atheism The Greeks therefore derive the Name of God from a word that signifies fear intimating that God above all must be feared of all as well as acknowledged Hereupon the Heathen Latine Poet grounded his invention Primus in orbe Deos fecit timor Fear first made Gods on earth Divine Truth sometime calleth God by the name of Fear Jacob sware by the Fear of his father Isaac Gen. 31.53 that is by that God whom his father Isaac feared If any desire to know what kind of fear this of Jacob's was I dare not entangle better thoughts in the perplexing briars of School-niceties sprung out of the rank grounds of acute Philosophers but will use my endeavours to satisfie expectation by painting out a smoother way of far less danger and of more profit This holy Pilgrim as he was deckt with the ornaments of Grace so was he clogg'd with the infirmities of Nature As he was of a good heart so withal without disgrace of a timorous disposition His fear might well consist with his goodness It was not carnal or worldly arising out of an afflicting distrust of Gods providence Nor yet humane begotten by an excessive desire to this fugitive life Nor servile as proceeding from self-love so from the threatned judgments of an angry God for the violations of his pure sanctions This with the rest is sever'd from grace Gregor Mag. Ignorat mens gratiam libertatis quam ligat servitus timoris saith Gregory in his Pastorals The grace of liberty proper to the sons of God is unknown to the mind tyed to the slavery of a base fear A Divine calls it Esau's with which Jacob had no medling he bought his brothers birthright not his vices Jacob's fear was natural initial filial Natural whereby he declined hurtful objects when presented to him initial whereby for the love of God he rejected all desire of sinning filial whereby his obedience to the Highest Power was kept sound and entire None of the sons of men are exempted from the first since the first man The first man had it not actually in his Integrity because there was nothing to hurt him his Apostacie gave it a being in time Our blessed Saviour the Lord Jesus had it but without sin 't was long of sinful men he was so weak so infirm Who foreseeing the bitter Cup he was to drink to the Worlds health Aug. Enchir. cap. 24. his heart drew back his soul was heavy even unto death Austin defines it Fugitantis animi motum the motion or passion of a yielding mind which is no more separable from us than our nature This makes good that expression of it in the Book of Wisdom A betraying of the succours which Reason offereth Wisd 17.12 So powerful is our weakness above the strength of Reason that the very suspition or conceit of approaching evil puts us oft out of heart Nothing almost lays open our imperfections to the worlds eye more than it Faintness of heart at the sight of unavoidable mischiefs seifeth upon our choicest metallâ—d men upon our most heroick spirits Wherefore Origen upon the Book of Judges notes it to be Humanae fragilitatis indioium Orig. in cap. 7. lib. Judic Hom. 9. a bewraying note of humane insufficiency Take it in the excess it unmans a man and makes him like a Sword-fish to which Themistocles compar'd a Coward which hath a weapon but wants a heart Take it in the mediocrity and just temper it subscribes to what Reason dictates and then doth us good If Religion moderate it as it allays the â—orce of its corruption so it gives it a purer essence and brings us off with a greater grace This I believe in part was Jacob's case who frightned with the suddenness of such an unaccustomed spectacle as was presented to his view gave place to fear which be knew not speedily how to shun Yet without doing Jacob wrong we may not say this was his onely fear but as he was by nature thus inclin'd so was he by a spiritual emanation of grace above nature indued with initial fear All that are born of God have by the transcendent working of his Almighty power all that is old in them renewed and
you The worldlings fear disturbeth the souls quiet and putteth the conscience in a manner out of frame But Jacobs fear which is the fear of God is that to which with David we must be ever devoted Psal 119.38 For take it upon the word of a King Holy and reverend is his Name Psal 111.9 Last of all The setled Christian must fear the Highest Power but as a son a father from whom with Adam he must not flie and quiver 'T is for a godless heathen Emperor through the horror of a guilty conscience to run under a bed at the noise of thunder Gods voice 'T is for a proud Felix to tremble when the last Judgment is urged 'T is for a Simon Magus his heart to quake when rebuk'd for the desire of a Simoniacal purchase It did well enough become desperate Judas in an humour to hang himself out of the way for his treachery to his innocent Master fear and despair did drive him to his wits end But he that is confirm'd in Christianity is of a far better resolution and more gracious temper If he offend as who doth not he is not as are some ungodly high-minded but hath learn'd of the Apostle rather like a good child to fear Nor as others hopeless but is both an importunate suiter unto Heaven for mercy and withall zealously addicted to Pauls exercise Act. 24.16 which is to have a good conscience void of offence toward God and toward men In one word From Jacob's fear in coming unprovided into that place which he imagined to be the house of God Learn we when we come into the house of God Eccl. 5.1 as the Preacher warns us to keep our feet from rushing unadvisedly into it our ears from listning to what doth not become it our tongues from uttering any thing rashly in it our heart from hastily conceiting either superstitiously or prophanely of it the whole man from unreverently abusing it 't is the gate of Heaven And here I make a stand God in mercy grant us his Peace to settle our unquiet minds his Spirit to rule our untamed hearts his Joy to solace our afflicted souls his Grace to rectifie our disordered passions his Fear to restrain our unruly wills That by his Peace we may rest in quiet to his Spirit we may yield obedience with his Joy we may be ever cheered in his Fear we may live and die to live with him for ever To whom Father Son and Holy Spirit be ascribed all honour and glory by Angels by men in heaven in earth world without endâ— Amen ORDINE QVISQVE SVO OR THE Excellent Order 1 COR. 11.3 But I would have you know that the head of every man is Christ and the head of the woman is the man and the bead of Christ is God GOD is the God of order and he will have not only some things but all things done in order he commands order commends order delights in order and will have order both in Substantials and Circumstantials in Reals and in Rituals 'T is the Devil who is the Author of disorder and confusion he knows if order go up his Kingdom must go down and therefore he doth his utmost to hinder it Omne ordinatum pulchrum Cant. 6.10 Order is the glory of all Societies A well-ordered Family Army City are comely sights It makes the Church fair as the Moon clear as the Sun and terrible as an Army with banners Hence God hath set an Order in heaven an Order in Hell an Order amongst Angels an Order amongst the starres an Order amongst Rational creatures an Order amongst sensitive Creatures the very Bees have a King and ruler over them And as it is the glory so it is the safety Take away this and we shall be all in confusion if there were not an Order in the Sea it would over flow the land and drown all The air would poyson us the creatures destroy us and every man would destroy another It s good then or every man to be bound the best are but in part regenerate and being left to themselves may fall into dangerous sins and errors shall therefore insist upon that which is here by the blessed Apostle propounded viz. A pattern of the most excellent Order This Portion of Divine truth is divided into three heads 1. The head of every man which is Christ 2. The head of the woman which is the man 3. The head of Christ which is God For the First The head of every man which is Christ No man is excluded from subjection unto him in regard of his universal dominion and that imperial power by which he ruleth all creatures after which manner he is the head of every wicked man also and of the Devils themselves which thing they do beleeve and at which they tremble But yet in a more peculiar manner and crytical sence he is the head of every man that is elected to life in regard of his special dominion called Dominium officii the dominion of his office whereby he ruleth in the Church of God in which manner he is the head of every man only that is a lively and real member of his mystical body inseperably united unto him by the inviolable bond of the spirit of grace whether he be Jew or Gentile Barbarian or Scythian bond or free rich or poor Whereupon issues this consequence that Christ being the head of every true member of the Church He is also the head of the whole Church Concerning which these two points are to be handled 1. According to what nature 2. In what respect Christ is the head of the Church As for the first point Christ is the head of the Church according to both natures both his divine and humane both which are two springs whence do flow several Observations In that Christ as God is head I Observe 1. The perpetuity of the Church the gates of hell shall not prevail against it 2. That with all reverent respect obedience is to be rendred by us to Christ in all things 3. That albeit Christ be ascended to his Father and our Father to his God and our God yet is not the Church left destitute of an head on earth for heaven and earth is fil'd with the glorious Majesty of his Deity and the Church with the special presence of his Spirit In that Christ as man is head of the Church I Observe 1. That his affection to us is intimate the sence of our miseries in him accute and he most prompt and inclind to help us in all extremities 2. That we may solace our selves wipe away all teares from our eyes and banish all sorrow from our hearts for that nothing is left Satan to triumph for over us being that Christ in our nature hath overcome Satan As for the second point In what respects Christ is the head of the Church My meditations are grounded upon the relation which the head hath to the members and this consists 1. In a
ever about him and far most of all for a Church-man Subtile and powerful are they with whom he hath to do the gifts where with he ought to be furnished withall are not to be reputed vulgar yet so are they to be tempered as that they outstretch not the capacity of the vulgar upon occasion His work is not stinted to the Body the Soul is the subject he works upon The dignity therefore of the Soul far exceeds that of the Body And as the commodity arising from their spiritual industry redounds more to the Spirit of a man the finer metal than the Body the baser substance though indeed to both So in a Divine indeed must the Divine habiliments of the mind seasoned and moderated with the grace of Gods holy Spirit that they may work with the more agility and with the greater efficacie and far surpass the best endowments generally of the common sort He hath more precious things in hand than any wherefore his sufficiency must be correspondent to his charge and his care proportionable to his sufficiency Salvation is the end of his intentions and that that crowns his actions Wherefore look about you Tuke heed unto your selves In our selves we must take heed of two things 1. Of our Doctrine 2. Of our Life Take heed unto thy self saith Paul to Timothy and unto the doctrine continue in them 1 Tim. 4. uit for in doing this thou shalt both save thy self and them that hear thee As our life is not contemplative alone spent in the bare speculation of Divine oracles like Moses conferring with God but also practical spent in actions with men pertaining to holiness So we must behave our selves in both with that moderation and convenient wariness as that the one may be an help and furtherer to the other to remove all obstacles that may be prejudicial to the acquiring of the happiness of Eternity both in our selves and others The ornaments of the Priests robe in the old Law Lib. de sacr Altar myst c. 17. were significant intimations hereof as is observed by Pope Innocent It was sumptuously garnished with Onix stones Bells and Pomgranates By the Onix stones are intimated Truth and Sincerity by the brightness of their truth of Doctrine which must be as clear as the Sun by their solidity and integrity of Conversation both springing up out of sound Learning The Bells note our incessant sounding forth the praises of the Lord in his holy Temple by preaching in season and out of season Woe be to me saith Paul if I preach not the Gospel The Pomgranates are signs are symbols of good works The order gives occasion of a further observation There was a Bell and a Pomgranate a Bell and a Pomgranate and a Bell betwixt every Pomgranate figuring how that good works in the Ministerial order must be ever intermingled with good words the matter of these yields matter for amplifying this discourse They were made of pure gold pure metal abstracted from all dross to signifie the necessary concurrence and sweet harmony of an undefiled life and true doctrine both appearing exceeding good to the eye both sounding exceeding well to the ear If all of our Function excel in purity of life and foundness of doctrine then are we all spiritually true Bell-metal Hence it is said by the Evangelist that Christ began to do and to teach whose steps we must follow He did much but he did no sin to shew that our conversation should be blameless and in his mouth was found no guile to shew that we should speak nothing but the truth Take heed of your Doctrine First that it be found agreeable to the Scriptures If any teach otherwise let him be accursed The Word of God is the foundation of revealed Truth whereupon we must build Take heed of vain Philosophy whose precepts may seem specious but in them may be comprehended the doctrine of devils Many turbulent spirits delighting to be pragmatical and factious have obtruded into the Church for doctrine the commandments of men and for their own ends attempt to corrupt Religion and bring in Innovations and new-fangled devices causing an apostasie from the Truth and drawing disciples after them But I trust ye have learned otherwise not to be guided by the ostentation or umbratical shews of any plausible tongue but by the most perfect rule of Divine truth the Word of God Believe it Schismatical wits if not prevented breed an infection in the Church worse than the plague Let the Word of God then be the ground of our proceedings lest we wander out of the way and affirmatively conclude what God denies To this end by Canonical constitutions they are to be duly examined who plead for admittance into Holy Orders that so they may both satisfie themselves by experience and certifie others whether or no they be orthodoxally learned and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 apt to teach Pious therefore was that resolution of a most Reverend Father in God Never to admit any into this holy Function but such of whose Knowledge in Divinity he should receive some competent intelligence The part of a most wise and judicious Prelate The admission of illerate men into the Ministery hath been the bane of our Religion and the disgrace of our Profession as we all well know For where there is no Knowledge the people must perish Gods service and worship must be disregarded There are some are probably suspected of heterodoxal doctrine who upon examination or serious dispute or preaching care should be taken they may be hindred from propagating their inventions Others there are whose Insufficiency is so gross that to hear them speak to the purpose is as great a wonder as it was to hear Balaam's Ass The Church suffereth under both It is most convenient therefore that whoso desire to take this Vocation upon them should have solid Learning and be able to exhort to reprove to instruct the people of God and should solemnly protest to teach and maintain nothing contrary to what the Word of God shall warrant Let us therefore take heed unto our selves that our Doctrine be sound for The Priests lips preserve knowledge Secondly What we teach must be plain as well as found There is no goodness to be hoped no proficiency to be expected by teaching where what is taught is not understood Our speech must not outstretch the common apprehension Prudentibus vicis non placont phalerata sed fortia said Bishop Iewel Bonaventure's words in prenching were not inflantis sed inflammantia Not strong lines but a plain phrase tends to Edification the end of Preaching Many times in difficult Terms lies enwrapt a pestilent Heresie Hereticks at least Novelists coin such obscure sentences as that they may walk unseen as it were in a cloud of obscurity But this is not the way to gain souls to God the plainest manner is the best My speech and my preaching saith Paul was not with enticing words of mans wisdom but in demonstration
some sort rest satisfied Had that Apostate Julian disburdened his soul of all praejudicate opinions had he pondered divine truths as was requisite had he look't into it as into the word of God he never had blasphemed it in saying Vidi legi contempsi I saw it read it contemned it to whom learned Basil modestly replied as Chamier that famous French-man reports out of history Vidisti legisti non intellexisti si intellexisses non contempsisses sawedst thou it readst thou it thou never understoodst it hadst thou understood it thou hadst never contemn'd it Of so great authority and so full of divine majesty are the Oracles of God as that in an understanding man they beget an awful reverence and mightily prevail for an obedient subscription with those that studiously look into it never man spake as Christ never man as God Now who those are that should diligently enquire after the will of God and look into the perfect Law of liberty is a point worthy our enquiring after None but such as exempt themselves from God exempt themselves from this task All are bound to it but who will observe it Minister and People as they combine to honour God so to know him and whom he hath sent Jesus Christ The Knowledge of whose will glides not into the soul of man by natural instinct or moral infusion but by the Spirit and the Word of truth the Spirit illuminating the Word informing our understanding In which word we that are Pastours of the flock of Christ above others must use assiduous scrutiny 't is our profession to know more than ordinary Act. 20.28 as appointed in an higher sphear to be Overseers of the Church of God Hence the Spirit terms the Prophets Seers because they saw the will of God which others also saw by them 1 Cor. 4.1 and the Apostles with their successours stewards of the mysteries of God and Embassadors for Christ to pray men in Christs stead to be reconciled to God 2 Cor. 5.20 En flexanimam suadae medullam whose knowledge by preaching must be diffused others must reap the benefit of our paines God makes us knowing men to make knowing men which many have taken on them to do but some neglect it some can but will not some will not because they cannot some cannot and yet presume As for them that can and will not I pity them they shall be beaten with many stripes as for them that will not because they cannot I slight them though richer than my selfe they are but dumb dogs as for them that cannot yet presume the world may jeere them they make the Pulpit undervalued But for Gods sake my brethren let us that can will and endeavor when we speak from the father of languages to deliver our embassage not in an ill one lest we expose our selves to a scornful censure nor in a too obscure and affected one labouring more for fine words than fit ones lest affecting the praise of humane eloquence we feed the people as Heliogabalus did his Parasites with painted dishes as those fed the eye not the body so the other tickle the eare but profit not the soul 'T is truth that one speakes there is a Magick in the tongue can charm the wild mans motions and though God hath chosen by weak things to confound the wise 1 Cor. 1.27 yet experience shews that in all times a washed language hath much prevailed The Scriptures are pen'd in a tongue of a deep expression in every word almost a Metaphor illustrating by some allusion How political is Moses how Philosophycal and Mathematical is Job how massy and sententious Solomon in his Proverbs how quaint and amorously affected in his Canticles how grave and solemn in his Ecclesiastes and how poetical and full of heavenly raptures is his father in his Psalmes Christs doctrine astonished the Jewes Paul pleaded at the barr in a transcendent straine of eloquence and in dispute was subtile In a word it suites not with the Majesty of so divine an Art as is that of winning soules to be presented in sordid rags but in a graceful trimme yet plain Confections that are cordial are not the worse but the better for being guilded Divinity as it must not lasciviate so being well ordered by significant words placed in a native decency angles the soul and lifts it up to heaven As Herod therefore bade the wise men diligently to search for the young child Jesus and when they had found him to bring him word that he might go and worship him also so I advise my brethren accurately to look into this perfect law of liberty and when they have found what there is hidden by constant preaching to divulge it By this means the perverse transgressor is called and converted and Gods pleasure before neglected is observed I repeat St Peters exhortation feed the flock of God which is among you taking the oversight thereof 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Tantâ—m ut nos pascat vâ—stiat not by constraint but willingly not for filthy lucre but of a ready mind 1 Pet. 5.2 that every one of you may say with the Apostle of the Gentiles As much as in me lieth I am ready to preach the Gospel unto you Rom. 1.15 Quicquid in me situm est Promptum est Which done in sincerity not having an eye to the airy applause of men nor wordly commodity but to the glory of God immortal in the salvation of the souls of the hearers when the chief shepheard shall appear 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ye shall receive a Crown of glory that fadeth not away 1 Pet. 5.4 As for silent Ministers not silent by authority but through insufficiency I should wish them well did I wish they never had that calling unto which I dare say they were never truly called but compel'd by necessity on whom avarice laid on the supposedly holy hands By which disorder of ordering broken tradesmen and such of the giddy-headed multitude untuter'd in the Word of God who never knew other Art than how to deceive this holy function is prophaned the Church scandalized the well-deserving kept in penury ignorance gets head impiety propagates and the sheep of Christ with these Wolves in sheep-skins are pitifully worried This tends to verifying Winifrids Apothegme changing one word In old time there were golden Pastors and wooden Chalices but now golden Chalices and wooden Pastors as of old the Jewes had a royal Temple but a rascal Priesthood To redress this abuse the remedy lies in the Imposers hands would the reverend Fathers of the Church hold in their hands from imposition and Patrons theirs from Donation until merit claimed it Clerus Angliae stupor mundi these unworthy vermine would never appear and Churchmen would gain their ancient reputation I make bold therefore to report what an honourable person once writ to his most excellent Majesty of famous memory learned King James They must rather leave the Ark to shake as it
you after rain fair weather after darkness light after tempestuous storms a gentle calm after a temporary misery everlasting glory And this honour have all his Saints And thus much concerning the Attribute of special honour This honour The last part of the Text is the latitude or extent of this special honour All Gods Saints have it This honour have all his Saints Every one whom the Lord of Hosts calls to bear arms or to expose his life or fortunes to dangers in this spiritual war He doth furnish him with all military habiliments und confers upon him that strength whereby he may return conqueror upon whose victorious return unto him from whom he came he crowns him with glory and honor Every particular Saint hath due unto himself by promise a crown of life laid up for him which the righteous Judge shall at the last day give unto him Peter Paul James John and every sanctified man shall not miss of the King of Kings royal pay Be thou faithful unto death saith the Spirit in the Revelation and I will give thee the crown of life He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death He that overcometh and keepeth my works unto the end to him will I give power over the nations and he shall rule them with a rod of iron as the vessel of a potter shall they be broken to shivers To him again saith the same Spirit that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne even as I also overcame and am set down with my Father in his throne So that all and every one of his Saints hath the honour of overcoming and triumphing upon the overthrow of their Antagonists God will thus deal with you too if you keep on hostility against the enemies of your salvation if you be faithful defenders of the true faith An honorable end ever crowns honorable actions And what other can be the expectation of the Heirs of salvation which is the proper title of Gods Sâ—ints and I trust that title with all the concomitants thereof ours Be ye sure then to make your Election your Justification your Sanctification sure For not those that are registred Saints in Popes Calendars are thus honored but only they that are cleansed with the blood of Christ they that are sanctified with the holy Spirit only they who are Canonized in heaven and belonging to the election of grace Who to their exceeding joy at the last day shall hear that fearful sentence of death pronounced against their enemies Go ye cursed c. And this judgment have all the wicked And that comfortable sentence of an endless life prono need to them Come ye blessed of my Father inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the beginning of the world which Kingdom is called by the Apostle the inheritance of the Saints in light And this honour have all his Saints Amen WARRANTABLE SEPARATION WITHOUT Breach of Union GAL. 2.9 And when James Cephas and John who seemed to be pillars perceived the grace that was given unto me they gave to me and Barnabas the right bands of fellowship that we should go unto the heathen and they unto the circumcision VERITAS semper habet inimicos pictas semper derisiones truth is never free from foes ever ignorant piety never free from division ever prophane but truths triumph rests in this invicta manet that it stands for ever because a beam of the divine wisdom Pieties glory consists in this it fits for heaven They that continue to the end in truth and piety here is their triumph here is their honour they shall be saved and reign with God Coheirs with Christ in the likeness of God as at the beginning What truth more hated than the truth of the Gospel by the Jew the Jew 's convinct What piety or Religion more contemned than Christian piety by the Jew also the Jew is forsaken Who more hated for the truth and pious living than Christ the Lord of glory received into glory After Christ who more despised hated reviled persecuted for the constant profession of the truth of the Gospel both in life and doctrine than Paul now clothed with glory and majestey for thus shall it be done to him whom the King delighteth to honour Was it not thus with Paul had he not false brethren that said to him as the Jewes did to Christ What new doctrine is this Or as the Epicurean and stoick Philosophers said unto him may we know what this new doctrine whereof thou speakest is thou bringest strange things unto our eares Did not false brethren creep in derogating from his Apostolical dignity but such was his undoubted resolution that neither their great words nor their high looks could daunt him Weather-beaten-souldier as I may so speak in Christianity See his defence in the first Chapter of this Epistle like that among the Philosophers in the midst of Mars hill continuing unto this verse in hand where he shakes off his viperous opponents with as much ease as he did the viper from off his hands I need not point out the several verses tending to his purpose but rather confine my self to the text Onely thus much in general false brethren there were as he calls them in the 4th verse of this Chapter contradicting the Gospel preached by him and Christian liberty to whom he yeelded not a foot of ground or advantage Whereupon the Apostles subscribe unto him on sure grounds and plain demonstrations in the 7. and 8. verses and in the text And this is the occasion Thus you see truth stands firme piety unalterable 1 Cor. 11.1 Be ye therefore followers of me as I am of Christ Jesus saith Paul and ye shall stand firme unmoveable Vincenti corona to him that overcomes will I give a Crown Apoc. 3. and he shall sit in my throne saith Christ Thus Paul gets the glory of the day witness the parts of the text which may seem to be a Paradox 1. An union admitting a separation 2. A separation without breach of the union 1. In the union are the persons united James Cephas John and Paul and Barnabas with a description of the former from their offices who seemed to be pillars 2. The ground of the union perceived the grace that was given unto me and the consequitur thereof the act of union they gave unto me and Barnabas the right hands of fellowship Thus by the grace of God they are united And by the same grace separated Se via sindit in ambas that we should go unto the heathen and they unto the circumcision And here I cannot let passe any name without note To begin with the persons uniting worthy of that title the Scripture gives unto the Giants in the sixth of Genesis men of renown stiled here to that effect Pillars James Cephas and John in number three not haply without mystery intimating how in the counsel of he wen it was determined before by the highest powers the powers
in the salvation of penitent and beleeving soules the glory of his justice in the condemnation of obdurate and perverse malefactors As it is a perfect law so it is a law of liberty oppos'd to the Mosaical which is lex senvitutis a law of thraldome The liberty of this law in respect of our twofold condition is twofold 1. Gracious here in the life of grace wrought by Christ the Son of the everliving God if the Son make us free we are free indeed Joh. 8.36 Wherefore we have a free accesse at all times to call upon the Father of mercys imploring his powerful assistance in holy actions and invincible protection from all evil 2. Glorious in the life of glory called Vindicationis libertas the liberty of compleat redemption the creature being delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God Phrasis qulgatissima est Deum colere Non secus at que agri fertiles inprimis optimi sic Dei cultus fâ—uctus fert ad vitam aternam uberrimos Of this twofold liberty there are these parts 1. A liberty from sin our submission to the Gospel and faithful embracing of the promises of God in Christ frees us both from the raigning power of sin and from the condemning power For being made free from sin we become servants to God and have our fruit unto holiness and the and everlusting life Rom. 6.22 2. A liberty from the yoke of the ceremonial law and bondage of the morall From the yoke of the ceremonial law which was so ponderous as that neither we nor our fathers were able to bear but now by Christ and the law of faith it is blotted out quite abolished and taken out of the way And from the bondage of the moral law in these ensuing particulars 1. From the curse and consequently from the punishment of sin the transgression of the law Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law being made a curse for us Gal. 3.13 Rom. 8.1 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and the Apostle certifies us that there is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus 2. From the rigour and exaction of the law requiring of us for our justification perfect righteousness inherent in us and perfect obedience to be practis'd by us 3. From the terrour and coaction of the law which ingendereth servile fear in those who are under it and compelleth them through the horror of torment as bond-slaves by the whip or rack to the outward though unwilling performance of it But those that are under the law of grace are zealously addicted to good works and services of God which are over done by them with the free consent of a plous mind the original cause whereof is not any natural disposition but the love of God shed abroad in our hearts by the holy Ghost which is given unto us 4. from the instigation of the law for which reason saith Pareus on 1 Cor. 15.56 it hath got the name of the strength of sin whereby sin appears more sinfull which is not caused by any fault in the law in it self good and condemning sin but through the viciousness of our unregenerate nature that takes occasion from the sacred prohibitions of it to transgresse which irritation is accidentall not essentiall to the undefiled law of the righteous Lord. Another part of this liberty is a liberty from death which is twofold the first and the second They that are effectually in subjection to the Gospel the glad-tidings of peace are free from the first death as it is a punishment And from the second over them the second death shall have no power Tollitur morâ— non ne fiat sed ne obsit Aug. To them the nature of the first death is changed and made but transitus ad vitam a passage from death to life it is the end of sin and misery and the beginning of our unspeakable happiness the high-way from the vale of teares to the Kingdom of glory and Celestiall joyes the Period of a mortall life and the innitiation of a life immortal Last of all there is a liberty from Sathan and the world granted to the sons of God adopted in the Son of God the Son of God hath over come the strong man Not imperium Principis but Carnificis à Lapide and bound him as being stronger than he thorough death he destroyed him that had the power of death that is the Devil and delivereth them who through fear of death were all their life time subject to bondage Heb. 2.14 Get thee behind us Satan as Christ said to Peter and let the wicked world follow thee which Christ hath over-come Joh. 16. ult And since O loving Saviour we live free men free from sin reigning condemning free from Satan and the world under the easy yoke of thy Evangelical Law and under the protection of thy wings We will with thy disciples follow thee whithersoever thou goest and run after thee whither thy good Spirit shall lead us Thus it is apparent how the Gospel of Christ is a perfect Law of liberty into which whoso looketh and continueth therein he being not a forgetfull hearer but a doer of the work shall be blessed in his deed From the bottome of the stairs or ladder we now go up the steps the first whereof is speculation whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty Joh. 5.39 Audite saeculares comparate vobis Biblia animae Pharmaca Chrysost Prono capite propenso collo accurate in trospieere 1 Pet. 1.12 It was a good advice blest be the mouth that gave it Search the Scriptures which is made good by the reasons rendred for in them ye think ye have eternal life and they are they which testify of me saith our Saviour hence this search must not be slight this speculation not vain this looking not perfunctory our Knowledge of Christ and eternal life depending on it This is intimated in the original word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifying an exact and accurate prying into a thing as if one to find out somewhat difficult to find out should stand in this posture with his body or head bended towards the earth his eyes contracted and fixed upon some object as if he did intend to look it through and so to inform himself fully Thus when we attempt to look into the abstruse mysteries of divinity to acquaint our selves with the sacred Principles of Religion a superficial view is of no avail Profound matters require a serious and frequent meditation an indefatigable study hence the Apostle St Peter describing the desire of the Angels to know the hidden mysteries of salvation expresseth it by the same word the Angels desire to look narrowly into the things revealed to us by the Holy Ghost a work worthy their and our pains not to be posted over with a careless run but to be stuck close unto and prosecuted until finished and the mind in