What haue I to doe with the multitude of your sacrifices saith the Lord I am full of the burnt offerings of lambes and of the fat of fed beasts I desire not the blood of bullockes nor of lambes nor of goates incense is an abomination vnto me my soule hateth your new moones and your appointed feasts all of them are a burthen vnto me I am weary to beare them And Mich. 6.7 Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of Rammes or with ten thousand riuers of oyle nay the sacrifice best accepted of God is a troubled spirit a broken and contrite heart O God shalt thou not despise Psal 51.17 2. The Priesthood of Aaron and the kingdome of Israel were distinct offices and incompetible the Priest vnder the law might not incroch vpon the royalties of the King nor the King execute the Priests office for when b 2. Chro. 26.16 Vzziah the King went into the Temple of the Lord to burne incense the Priests of the Lord withstood him and said vnto him It appertaineth not vnto thee Vzziah to burne incense vnto the Lord but to the Priests the sonnes of Aaron consecrated to this office Goe forth of the Sanctuarie for thou hast transgressed and Vzziah the King was a leper vnto the day of his death But Christ is both a Priest and a Prince the Scepter and the Miter meet together in him 3. Aaron Eleazar and c Leuit. 16. euery high Priest vnder the Law did enter into the holy place by the blood of goats and calues which hee did offer for himselfe and for the sinnes of the people But Christ our Priest entred into the most holy place by his owne blood and obtained eternall redemption for vs Heb. 9.12 He d Galath 1.4 gaue himselfe for our sinnes that he might deliuer vs from this present euill world It was impossible that the blood of buls and goats should take away sinnes Heb. 10.4 He therefore did e Ephes 5.2 offer his owne body redeeming his Church euen with his owne f 1. Pet. 1.19 pretious blood 4. Aaron was annointed with an g Leuit. 8.12 Psal 133.2 oyle made of pleasant spices and balsame but God hath annointed Christ with oyle of gladnesse Psal 45.8 The spirit of the Lord quoth h Luk. 4.18.21 he hath annointed me that I should preach the Gospell vnto the poore and hath sent mee that I should heale the broken hearted c. 5. Aaron and euery high-Priest of the Iewes offered vp sacrifice i Leuit. 16.6 Heb. 7.27 first for his owne sinnes and then for the people But Christ as being holy blamelesse vndefiled Hebr. 7.26 who knew no sin 2. Cor. 5.21 who did k Esay 53.9 no wickednesse neither was any deceit in his mouth offered vp himselfe onely for our sins hee was wounded for our transgressions he was broken for our iniquities he carried our sorrowes and with his stripes are we healed 6. Aaron and his successors were Priests of the Iewes and tied only to the Temple of l Deut. 12.11 Iohn 4.20 Hierusalem but Christ is for all persons and all places at all times a Priest for euer an vniuersall Bishop of our soules as he told the woman of m Iohn 4.21 Samaria the houre commeth and is now when ye shall neither in this mountaine nor at Hierusalem worship the Father but the true worshippers shall euery where worship him in spirit and truth 7. Aaron and other Priests vnder the Law were made without swearing of an oath but Christ is made by an oath by him that said vnto him the Lord hath sworne and will not repent thou art a Priest for euer after the order of Melchisedech Heb. 7.20.21 8. Aarons Priesthood was temporarie but the Priesthood of Christ is for euer Eleazar succeeded Aaron and Phineas Eleazar and so downward for among the n Heb. 7.23 Iewes many were made Priests because they could not endure by reason of death but Christ because hee endureth for euer hath an euerlasting Priesthood The Iewes haue now o Song of the three Children vers 38. neither Prince nor Prophet nor burnt offering nor sacrifice nor oblation nor incense for the Lord repented p Bellarmin de cullu sanct cap. 10. §. secundo respondet that is changed Aarons Priesthood but Christ as our text hath it is consecrated by God the Father a Priest for euer None can succeed him hee will not giue his glory to another Esay 42.8 and therefore the blasphemous opinion of the q See Tileman Heshusius in loc Papists is detestable who make the Pope successor vnto Peter and Peter the successour vnto Christ in his Priesthood So they prate print and paint in their r In fine Chron. Marian. Scot. Mart. Polon Catalogues of the Romane Bishops I will not dispute this point after Paul Hebr. 7.25 concluding peremptorily that Christ and onely Christ is able perfectly to saue them that come vnto God by him seeing he liueth euer to lake intercession for them ſ Fox Martyr fol. 1027. as that learned man and martyr Iohn Lambert in his greatest agonie none but Christ none but Christ All the Peters and Peeres and Popes in the world which euer haue been are and shall be cannot sacrifice so much as may satisfie God for the sin of one poore soule Christ alone is our Priest for euer at whose right hand God the Father standeth assistant to t Genebrard in loc performe whatsoeuer he hath either said or sworne to him euen to the confusion of Kings and all other great enemies in the day of his wrath And surely this clause for euer as that holy Martyr of God u Fox Mart. pag. 1271. Iohn Bradford obserued euidently shewes that the Popish Masse is a most iniurious enemie to Christ in respect of his Priesthood and sacrifice The Priesthood of Christ is an euerlasting Priesthood and such a function as cannot goe to another but the Masse doth vtterly put him out of place as though hee were dead for euer and so God were a lyar who said hee should liue for euer Againe it is a pernitious enemie to his sacrifice for to re-iterate a thing once done for the full accomplishing of the end wherefore it was begun declareth imperfection of the same thing before but the Masse-priests re-iterate the sacrifice of Christ once done for the end wherefore it was begun that is for propitiation and remission à poena culpa ergo the Masse-priests make Christs oblation imperfect and deny that the vertue thereof endures for euer See Epistle Sun 5. in Lent I come now to the parallel of Dauid shewing the resemblance betweene Melchisedech and Christ This Melchisedech as Paul Hebr. 7. reports out of Moses Genes 14. was King of Salem and the Priest of the most high God So Christ is described in this present Psalme to be both a King and a Priest the King of Salem that is of x Galat. 4.26
mee in the time of trouble so will I heare thee and thou shalt praise me Å¿ Psal 31.27 Be strong and he shall stablish your heart all ye that put your trust in the Lord. Come to me all ye that labour and are laden and I will ease you Though hope seeme to tarrie t Habacuc 2.3 yet waite for it shall surely come and not stay u See Dr. Hull ser of the blessed In-mate God is like the bridegrome Ioh. 2. who kept his best wine for his last seruice First he propounds and propines vnto his followers the cup of his Crosse yee shall drinke indeed of my cup Matth. 20.23 but in conclusion hee turnes his Crosse into a Crowne Reuelat. 2.10 Be thou faithfull vnto death and I will giue thee the crowne of life First hee doth humble then exalt first he x Deut. 32.39 killeth and then hee cureth A tristibus semper sed necessarijs inchoat Deus deinde progreditur ad hilariora saith y In Iere. hom 1. Origene God euer begins at necessarie discontentments and so proceedeth vnto things more pleasing He saith I wound and I make whole I kill and giue life He saith not I will first make aliue and then I will destroy but first he z Ierem. 1.10 plucketh vp and then he planteth first he doth ouerthrow then he buildeth first he mortifieth our earthly members of sinne then he quickneth our inward man to grace Ioseph after he had worne the Iaylors iron chaine Genes 40.3 was adorned with the golden chaine of Pharao the King Gen. 41.42 Mordecai first among pages at the Court a Ester 4.2 gate was afterward honoured with the Kings ring and raiment and mounted on the Kings horse and it was openly proclaimed before him euen through the streetes of the Citie Thus shall it be done to the man whom the King will honor Ester 6.11 All which examples are Commentaries vpon our text and shew that howsoeuer almightie God punisheth his people for a time yet if they will heare what he saith he will in fine speake peace vnto them But the Psalmist addeth here by way of caueat Let them not returne againe to their follie Sinners are fooles and their faults are their follies as the Scriptures euerie where speake in the Prouerbs especially Couetousnesse is a follie Drunkennesse a follie Whoredome a follie Atheisme follie Idolatrie follie God in his Sonne speaketh vnto his people peace but let them take heed that they returne not againe to their follie like the b 2. Pet. 2.22 sowe to the wallowing in mire and the dogge to his own vomite c John 5.14 Behold thou art now made whole sinne no more lest a worse thing come vnto thee Tnou doest euery day beg of our heauenlie Father that his kingdome may come looke then vnto the next clause that his will may be done in earth as it is in heauen Mercie and truth are met together d Tileman Bucer Vatablus When as Gods people heare what he saith vnto them in his holy word then all things are full of mercie truth righteousnesse and peace then the land shall giue her increase that is the Church abound with these good fruites of faith e Genebrard Tremel Wilcox Some say that these vertues meete together and kisse but in diuers subiects As for example mercy from God and truth from men as if hee should say God will turne his owne iustice toward his people into mercie and their hypocriticall hearts and foule hands into sound and sincere dealing and so righteousnesse and peace kisse The righteousnesse of God in executing his promises faithfully breeds in his people peace of conscience to their endlesse comfort Other affirme that these vertues meete together in one subiect and that in God Man Christ God and man They meete together in God for all the pathes of the Lord are mercie and truth Psalm 25.9 f Agellius Bellarm. in Psal 24. mercie in making and truth in keeping his promise to his people Saint g Rom. 15.8 Paul saith Iesus Christ was a minister of the Circumcision for the truth of God to confirme the promises made vnto the Fathers and that the Gentiles might glorifie God for his mercie God promised his Sonne vnto the h Rom. 9.4 Iewes and he gaue him in the i Galat. 4.4 fulnes of time to bee both a k Luke 2.32 light to the Gentiles and glorie of his people Israel l Hierome Augustine Turrecremat Herein shewing his mercie more principally to the Gentiles his truth vnto the Iewes and so his mercie and truth embraced each other in that hee made m Ephes 2.14 both people but one to wit one flock in n Iohn 10.16 one sheepfold vnder one shepheard If we take truth and righteousnes for Gods iustice in punishing mercie and peace for his gratiousnesse in pardoning yet they meete together in all his waies vnto such as keepe his couenant and his testimonies For as the o Prou. 12.10 mercies of the wicked are full of crueltie so the very iudgements of God vpon his seruants are full of mercie In his p Habacuc 3.2 wrath he remembers pitie punishing a little that he may pardon a great deale destroying the flesh only to saue the spirit 1. Cor. 5.5 q Bernard serm cont vitium ingrat Misericordiae res est aliquando subtrahere misericordiam It was good for Ioseph that he was a captiue good for Naaman that he was a leper good for Bartimaeus that he was blinde good for Dauid that he was in trouble r Fox Martyr fol. 1476. Bradford thanked God more of his prison then of any parlour or pleasure Å¿ Rom. 8.28 All things are for the best vnto the faithfull And so Gods mercie and truth are met together righteousnesse and peace haue kissed each other his mercy being iust and his iustice mercifull But God in giuing his only Sonne vnto the world more abundantly shewed his mercie and iustice kissing one another His iustice requires t Ezech. 18.20 that euery soule that sins should dye but his mercie desires not the death of a sinner Ezech. 33.11 Hee therefore gaue his Sonne to dye for our sinnes and to rise againe for our iustification and so both his iustice is satisfied and sinners are saued In Christs aduent mercie and truth are met together righteousnesse and peace haue kissed each other u Serm. 1. de annun Dom. Bernard hath a pretie Dialogue to this purpose betweene righteousnes and truth on the one side mercie and peace on the other part contending about the redemption of mankinde Christ our blessed Messias and Mediatour ended the quarrel at his comming and made them all exceeding kinde kissing friends for in giuing himselfe a x 1. Tim. 2.6 ransome for all men he did at once pay both vnto Iustice her debt and grant vnto Mercie her desire 2. Righteousnes and peace meete together in man so
Saint y Jn loc Augustine expounds it an vniust man is full of quarrels like Ishmael z Gen. 16.12 euery mans hand is against him and his hand against euery man but he which is righteous and giueth euery man his due shall haue peace so much as is a Rom. 12.18 possible with all men especially with his own selfe and soule Righteousnes and peace are so neere so deare that thou canst not haue the one without the other Vnam vis alteram non facis happily thou wouldest enioy peace but thou wilt doe no iustice The b Virgil Poet could say Pacem te poscimus omnes interroga quoth c Vbisup Augustine omnes homines vultis pacem vno ore respondet totum genus hominum opto cupio volo amo Well then if thou desire peace do iustice for peace saith I am a friend only to such as loue my friend d Psal 34.12 What man is hee that lusteth to liue and would faine see good daies keep thy tongue from euil and thy lips that they speake no guile eschew euill and doe good seeke peace and ensue it Nay thou need not seeke it for it will of it selfe come to kisse her sister Righteousnesse e Basilius Agellius If men haue truth and righteousnesse God will affoord mercie and peace So the Prophet expressely Keepe innocencie and take heede vnto the thing that is right for that shall bring a man peace at the last Psal 37.38 At the first happily thou maist haue warre with vngodly men of this world for f Bradford apud Fox Martyr fol. 1491. doe well and heare ill is written on heauens doore but hereafter at the last assuredly thou shalt haue peace to thy soule g Tileman Tremellius Or righteousnes and peace meete in euery true beleeuer because being iustified by faith wee haue peace toward God through Iesus Christ our Lord Rom. 5.1 3. Righteousnes and peace meete in Christ God and man for by these two h D. Incognitus in loc some Diuines vnderstand the old Testament and the new The Law doth exact iustice requiring of a malefactor i Exod. 21.24 eye for eye tooth for tooth hand for hand foote for foote but the Gospell is full of mercie and peace saying vnto the sinner who truly repenteth him of his sinnes and vnfainedly beleeues the word of promise k Matth. 9.2.22 Sonne be of good comfort thy sinnes are forgiuen thee Daughter be of good cheere thy faith hath made thee whole l Mark 10.52 Goe thy way thy beleefe hath saued thee m Iohn 5.14 Behold thou art now made whole sin no more These two Testaments meete together in Christ as in their proper center they kissed each other on this day because the Gospell performed what the Law promised n Euthym. Or hee shewed truth in his words and mercie in his workes o Iob. 17.6.17 Hee deliuered the will of God vnto men and his word is truth Hee made the p Matth. 11.5 blinde to see the lame to go the deafe to heare he cleansed the lepers he cured the sicke he raised vp the dead and these without question are workes of mercie Or by these two vertues vnderstand q Euthym. Christs two natures his diuine nature by mercie hauing r Matth. 9.6 power to forgiue sinnes and to heale ſ Matth. 8.16 all manner of sicknesse by truth his humane nature 1. For that hee had true flesh and not as Heretikes imagined a phantasticall bodie 2. For that he was a man after Gods owne image t Ephes 4.24 created in righteousnes and true holinesse he was blamelesse and vndefiled Heb. 7.26 he knew no sinne 1. Cor. 5.21 hee did no wickednesse neither was any deceit in his mouth Esay 53.9 and so truth and mercie met together in the personall vnion of his two natures And this exposition is more probable by the next verse Truth shall florish out of the earth and righteousnes hath looked downe from heauen Christ is truth as he u Joh. 14.6 saith of himselfe I am the way the truth c. and Christ is our righteousnes 1. Corinth 1.30 x Hierome Arnobius Agellius Now Christ as man and borne of the Virgine Mary budded out of the earth and as God hee looked downe from heauen That men might bee iustified by grace from heauen it pleased him on this day to bud out of the earth in the words of S. y Jn loc Augustine Vt iustitia prospiceret de caelo id est vt iustificarentur homines diuinâ gratiâ veritas nata est de Maria Virgine vt possit pro illis iustificandis offerri sacrificium sacrificium passionis sacrificium crucis vnde offerret sacrificium pro peccatis nostris nisi moreretur quomodo autem moreretur nisi carnem indueret quomodo carnem indueret nisi veritas de terra oriretur z Genebrard Other otherwise when righteousnesse that is Gods grace lookes downe from heauen then truth among men florisheth vpon earth a Placidus Parmen Or before Christs comming the whole world was full of vntruths all the Gentiles adored false gods and many Iewes worshipped the true God falsely But the Sunne of righteousnesse appearing in our Horizon b 1. Pet. 2.9 called vs out of darknesse into marueilous light teaching that onely c 1. Kings 18.39 the Lord is God and that an d 1. Cor. 8.4 Idoll is nothing and so truth florisheth out of the earth and righteousnesse hath looked downe from heauen e Augustine Tileman Or truth springs out of the earth and righteousnesse lookes downe from heauen when a sinner humblie confesseth his faults vnto God according to that of Saint f 1. Epist 1.8.9 Iohn If wee say that wee haue no sinne wee deceiue our selues and truth is not in vs if wee acknowledge our sinnes he is faithfull and iust to forgiue vs our sinnes and to cleanse vs from all vnrighteousnes g Bellarmine Or the diuine iustice manifested it selfe from heauen in Christs springing out of the earth For hereby we know the h Rom. 1.18 wrath of God is reueiled from heauen against all vngodlinesse and vnrighteousnesse because nothing could expiate the sinnes of men but the death of Gods owne and onely Sonne hee budded out of the earth and was buffeted vpon the earth and buried vnder the earth and all this and more then this he did suffer and doe for our redemption and ransome i Paulinus epist lib. 1. epist 4. Quid illi pro malis meis quae pertulit quid pro bonis suis quae contulit referam quid pro suscepta carne quid pro alapis quid pro flagellis pro cruce obitu sepultura rependam esto reddamus crucem pro cruce funus pro funere numquid poterimus reddere quod ex ipso per ipsum in ipso habemus omnia c. reddamus
witnesseth Psalme 39.6 How can he then that begs his bread but for a day promise to spend his breath in magnifying the Lord for euer Answere is made that the Prophet will not only commend the mercies of the Lord in word but also commit them vnto writing h Eobanus Hessus Vt sciat haec aetas posteritasque legat As the tongue of the Prophet is termed i Psal 45.2 elsewhere the penne of a ready writer so the writing of the Prophet is heere termed his mouth as Euthymius vpon the place Liber Psalmorum * Acts 4.25 os Dauid k Wilcox Hee doth intend to note the mercies of God and to set foorth his truth in a book the which he will leaue behind him as an instrumēt to conuey the same from generation to generation from the generation of l Euthym. Incognit Turrecremat Iewes to the generation of Christians m Hierome Or from the old Testament to the new for the blessed Apostles in their Sermons vsually cite sentences out of the Psalmes S. n 2. Pet. 4.6 Peter telleth vs that the Gospell was preached vnto the dead so may we say that the Gospel is preached by the dead For the most ancient Fathers and other iudicious authors which haue spēt their daies in writing learned expositions godly meditatiōs vpō the holy scriptures although they be dead sleep in the bed of their graue yet they sing alway the mercies of the Lord and shew the truth of his word from one generation vnto another It is reported in our o Malmesbur de gestis Reg. Anglorum lib. 2. cap. 6. Chronicles of Athelstan Parum aetati vixit multum gloriae So many zealous and industrious Doctors haue liued in respect of their age but a little yet in respect of their acts a great while shining still in their works and writings as lights of the world Or the Prophet may be said to sing euer intentionally though not actually p Io. de Combis comp Theolog. lib. 7. cap. 21. For as the wicked if he could liue alway would sinne alway so the good man if God should suffer him alway to breathe on earth would sing alway the mercies of the Lord. Hee will in q 1. Thessal 5.18 all things giue thankes vnto God r Psal 92.2 early telling of his louing kindnes in the morning and of his truth in the night season In the morning ſ Dr. Incognit Turrecremat Glossa that is in a prosperous estate when as the Sunne shineth vpon him he will acknowledge that euery good gift in him is from aboue comming downe from the Father of lights and Father of mercies And in the darke night of aduersitie hee telleth of Gods iustice confessing ingenuously t Luke 23.41 We receiue things worthie of that we haue done Hee giueth thankes vnto the Lord in both in the one highly magnifying Gods fauour in the other humbly vilifying his owne fault u Placidus Jncognitus Or because God hath inspired into man not only the breath of x Gen. 2.17 this present life but of y Iohn 3.16 Apoc. 2.10 that also which is to come the Saints are said to continue their song of Gods praise in the kingdome of glorie which here they begin in the kingdome of grace For so the Spirit Apoc. 19.1 I heard a great voyce of a great multitude in heauen singing Halleluiah saluation and glorie and honour and peace be to the Lord our God It is obiected if the Saints in heauen alway sing the mercies of the Lord then they remember their miseries on earth and if they remember their sinne and sorrow here how can they be perfitly blessed there for the Lord saith z Esay 65.17 I will create new heauens and a new earth and the former shall not be remembred nor come into minde a Gregor moral lib. 4. cap 42. Answere is made that as men in perfit health often remember their terrible fits of their former sicknesse with exceeding ioy yea the more they call into mind their danger past the greater is their delight present euen so the Saints in the kingdome of glorie remember happily their misdeeds and mishaps in this valley of teares but it is without any pollution of sinne or touch of sorrow So b Vbi sup Idem Augustin lib. 22 de Ciuit. dei cap. vlt. Gregorie the Great Erit in illa beatitudine culpae memoria non quae mentem polluat sed qua nos arctius laetitiae astringat vt dum doloris sui animus sine dolore reminiscitur debitorem se medico veriùs intelligat eò magis acceptam salutem diligat quò molestiae meminit quam euasit c August apud Io. de Combis comp Theolog. lib. 7. cap. vlt. Heauenly happinesse consisteth in two things in the necessarie possessing of euery thing which is good and in the necessarie remouing of euery thing which is euill Miserie then is not remembred of the Saints as a matter of griefe but as a motiue to ioy because they bee now d Rom. 7.24 deliuered from this bodie of death and enioy the Crowne of euerlasting life where God is to them e 1. Cor. 15.28 all in all a glasse to their sight hony to their taste musicke to their hearing Balsome to their smelling where f 1. Kings 3.12 Salomons wisedome seemes follie g 2. Sam. 2.18 Ahasels agilitie slownesse Samsons strength weaknes h 2. Sam. 14.25 Absoloms comelines deformitie Caesars empire beggerie Methusalems long life shortnes of daies or a speedie death Thus I haue shewed how the Prophet may be said to sing alwaies the mercies of the Lord in this life vnto the worlds end in the next for euer and euer world without end As for al meanes he praises the Lord with his mouth and all that is without him as also with his minde and al that is within him His i Psal 45.1 heart indites a good matter and his tongue is the penne of a ready writer All his members are for the seruice of his Maker as S. k In loc Augustine glosseth our text Obsequantur membra inquit mea domino meo loquor sed tua loquor annunciabo veritatem tuam in ore meo Si non obsequor seruus non sum si à me loquor mendax sum Ergo vt abs to dicam ego dicam duo quaedam sunt vnum tuum vnum meum veritas tua os meum Now let vs according to this copie draw the lines of our liues vsing all meanes to set foorth the louing kindnesse and truth of the Lord. l Psal 105.1 O give thankes vnto the Lord and call vpon his name tell the people what things he hath done O let your songs be of him and praise him and let your talking bee of his wondrous workes O my soule praise the Lord and all that is within me praise his holie name praise the