attributes he hath he is called the Spirit of Adoption Rom. 8.15 the Spirit of Faith 2 Cor. 4.13 the Spirit of Grace of Love of Joy of Zeale for where he worketh Grace is operative our Love is without dissimulation our Joy is like the joy of heaven as true though not so great our Faith a working faith and our Zeal a coale from the Altar kindled from his fire not mad and raging but according to knowledge he makes no shadowes but substances no pictures but realities no appearances but truths a Grace that makes us highly favoured a precious and holy Faith full and unspeakable Love ready to spend it self and zeal to consume us of a true existence being from the spirit of God who alone truly is but here the spirit of Truth yet the same spirit that planteth grace and faith in our hearts that begets our Faith cilates our Love works our Joy kindles our Zeal and adopts us in Regiam familiam into the Royall Family of the first-born in Heaven but now the spirit of Truth was more proper for to tell men perplext with doubts that were ever and anon and sometimes when they should not asking questions of such a Teacher was a seal to the promise a good assurance they should be well taught that no difficulty should be too hard no knowledge too high no mystery too dark and obscure for them but Omnis veritas all truth should be brought forth and unfolded to them and have the vayle taken from it and be laid open and naked to their understanding Let us then look up upon and worship this spirit of Truth as he thus presents and tenders himself unto us as he stands in opposition to two great enemies to Truth as 1. Dissimulation 2. Flattery and then as he is true in the lessons which he teacheth that we may pray for his Advent long for his coming and so receive him when he comes And first dissemble he doth not he cannot for dissimulation is a kind of cheat or jugling by which we cast a mist before mens eyes that they cannot see us it brings in the Divel in Samuel's mantle and an enemy in the smiles and smoothness of a friend it speakes the language of the Priest at Delphos playes in ambiguities promises life As to King 〈◊〉 who a 〈…〉 slew when death is neerest and bids us beware of a chariot when it means a sword No this spirit is an enemy to this because a spirit of truth and hates these in volucra dissimulationis this folding and involvednesse these clokes and coverts these crafty conveyances of our own desires to their end under the specious shew of intending good to others and they by whom he speaks are like him and speak the truth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2 Cor. 3.12 in the simplicity and godly sincerity of the spirit not in craftinesse not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 handling the Word of God deceitfully 2 Cor. 4.2 Eph. 4.14 not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not in the slight of men throwing a Die what cast you would have them noting their Doctrine to men and the times that is not to men and the times but to their own ends telling them of Heaven Wisdom 1.5 when their thoughts are in their purse This holy spirit of Truth flies all such deceit and removes himself far from the thoughts which are without understanding and will not acquit a dissembler of his words there is nothing of the Divels method nothing of the Die or hand no windings nor turnings in what he teacheth but verus vera dicit being a spirit of truth he speaks the truth and nothing but he truth and for our behoof and advantage that we may believe it and build upon it and by his discipline raise our selves up to that end for which he is pleased to come and be our teacher And as he cannot dissemble so in the next place flatter us he cannot the inseparable mark and character of the evill spirit qui arridet ut saeviat who smiles upon us that he may rage against us lifts us up that he may cast us down whose exaltations are foiles whose favours are deceits whose smiles and kisses are wounds for flattery is as a glasse for a fool to look upon and so become more fool than before it is the fools eccho by which he hears himself at the rebound and thinks the wiseman spoke unto him and it proceeds from the father of lies not from the spirit of truth who is the same yesterday and to day and for ever who reproves drunkennesse though in a Noah adultery though in a David want of faith though in a Peter and layes our sins in order before us his precepts are plain his law is in thunder his threatnings earnest and vehement he calls Adam from behind the bush strikes Ananias dead for his hypocrisie and for lying to the holy Spirit deprives him of his own Thy excuse to him is a libell thy pretence fouler than thy sin thy false worship of him is blasphemy and thy form of godlinesse open impiety and where he enters the heart Sin which is the greatest errour the grossest lye removes it self heaves and pants to go out knocks at our breast and runs down at our eyes and we hear it speak in sighs and grones unspeakable and what was our delight becomes our torment In a word he is a spirit of truth and neither dissembles to decieve us nor flatters that we may deceive our selves but verus vera dicit being truth it self tells us what we shall find to be most true to keep us from the dangerous by-paths of errour and misprision in which we may lose our selves and be lost for ever And this appears is visible in those lessons and precepts which he gives which are so harmonious so consonant so agreeing with themselves and so consonant and agreeable to that Image after which we were made to fit and beautifie it when it is defaced and repaire it when it is decayed that so it may become in some proportion measure like unto him that made it for this spirit doth not set up one precept against another nor one text against another doth not disanul his promises in his threats nor check his threats with his promises doth not forbid all Feare in confidence nor shake our confidence when he bids us feare doth not set up meeknesse to abate our zeale nor kindles zeale to consume our meeknesse doth not teach Christian liberty to shake off obedience to Government nor prescribes obedience to infringe and weaken our Christian liberty This spirit is a spirit of truth and never different from himself never contradicts himself but is equall in all his wayes the same in that truth which pleaseth thee and that which pincheth thee in that which thou consentest to and that which thou runnâ—st from in that which will rayse thy spirit and that which will wound thy spirit And the reason why men who
powerfull Lord shall be lifted up and crowned with glory and honour for evermore Which God grant c. HONI â—…T QVI MAL Y PENSE A SERMON Preached on Whitsunday JOHN 16.13 Howbeit when He the spirit of truth is come he will lead you into all truth WHen the spirit of truth is come c. and behold he is come already and the Church of Christ in all ages hath set apart this day for a memoriall of his coming a memoriall of that miraculous and unusuall sound that rushing wind those cloven tongues of fire And there is good reason for it that it should be had in everlasting remembrance For as he came then in solemn state upon the Disciples in a manner seen heard so he comes though not so visibly yet effectually to us upon whom the ends of the world are come that we may remember it though not it a mighty wind yet he rattles our hearts together though no house totter at his descent yet the foundations of our souls are shaken no fire appears yet our breasts are inflamed no cloven tongues yet our hearts are cloven asunder 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 every day to a Christian is a day of Pentecost his whole life a continued holy-day wherein the Holy Ghost descends both as an Instructer and a Comforter secretly and sweetly by his word characterizing the soul imprinting that saving knowledge which none of the Princes of this world had not forcing not drawing by violence but sweetly leading and guiding us into all truth When He the spirit of truth is come c. In which words we have 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Epiphany or Apparition of the blessed Spirit as Nazianzen speaks or rather the promise of his coming and appearance and if we well weigh it there is great reason that the Spirit should have his Advent as well as Christ his that he should say Lo I come Psal 40. For in the volume of the book it is written of him that the spirit of the Lord should rest upon him Es 11.2 and I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh Joel 2.28 Christus legis Spiritus Sanctus Evangelii complementum Christs Advent for the fulfilling of the Law and the Spirits for the fulfilling and compleating of the Gospel Christs Advent to redeem the Church and the Spirits Advent to teach the Church Christ to shed his blood and the Spirit to wash and purge it in his blood Christ to pay down the ransome for us Captives and the Spirit to work off our fetters Christ to preach the acceptable year of the Lord and the Spirit to interpret it for we may soon see that the one will little availe without the other Christs Birth his Death and Passion Chists glorious Resurrection but a story in Archivis good newes sealed up a Gospel hid till the Spirit come and open it and teach us to know him Phil. 3.10 and the vertue and power of his Resurrection and make us conformable to his death This is the summe of these words and in this we shall passe by these steps or degrees First carry our thoughts to the promise of the Spirits Advent the miracle of this day cùm venerit when the spirit of truth comes in a sound to awake them in wind to move them in fire to enlighten and warm them in tongues to make them speak Secondly consider 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the work and employment of the Holy Ghost 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he shall lead you into all truth In the first we meet with 1. nomen personae if we may so speak a word pointing out to his person the demonstrative pronoune ille when he shall come 2. Nomen naturae a name expressing his nature he is a spirit of truth and then we cannot be ignorant whose spirit it is In the second we shall find Nomen officii a name of office and administration 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is the word from whence comes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a leader or conducter in the way for so the Holy Ghost vouchsafed to be their leader and conducter that they might not erre but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 keep on in a strait and even course in the way And in this great office of the Holy Ghost we must first take notice of the lesson he teacheth it is Truth Secondly the large extent of this lesson 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he leads into all truth Thirdly The method and manner of his discipline which will neerly concern us to take notice of it is ductus a gentle and effectuall leading he drives us not he drawes us not by violence but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is the word here he takes as it were by the hand and guides and leads us into all truth Cùm venerit ille spiritus veritatis When He the spirit of truth c. And first though we are told by some that where the article 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is added to fo there we are to understand the person of the Holy Ghost yet we rather lay hold on the pronoun 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ille when he the spirit of truth shall come he shall lead you which points out to a distinct person For if with Sabellius he had onely meant some new motion in the Disciples hearts or some effect of the Spirit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 had been enough but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He designes a certain person and ille he in Christs mouth a distinct person from himself Besides we are taught in the Schools Actiones sunt suppositorum actions and operations are of persons now in this verse Christ sayes that he shall lead them and before he shall reprove the world and in the precedent chapter he shall testifie of me which are proper and peculiar operations of the blessed Spirit and bring him in a distinct person from the Father and the Son And therefore S. Augustine rests upon this dark and generall expression The Holy Ghost communicates both of the Father and the Son is something of them both whatsoever we may call it whether we call him the Consubstantiall and Coeternall communion and friendship of the Father and the Son or with Gerson and others of the Schools Nexum Amorosum the Essentiall Love and Love-knot of the undivided Trinity But we will wave these more abstruse and deeper speculations in which if we speak not in the Spirits language we may sooner lose than profit our selves and speak more than we should whilest we are busie to raise our thoughts and words up to that which is but enough It will be safer walking below amongst those observations which as they are more familiar and easy so are they more usefull and take what oare we can find with ease than to dig deeper in this dark mine where if we walk not warily we may meet with poysonous fogs and damps instead of treasure We will therefore in the next place enquire why he is called the Spirit of Truth for divers
talk so much of the spirit doe fall into grosse and pernicious errors is from hence that they will not be like the spirit in this equall and like unto themselves in all their wayes that they lay claime to him in that Text which seemeth to comply with their humour but discharge and leave him in that which should purge it that upon the beck as it were of some place of Scripture which upon the first face and appearance looks favourably upon their present inclinations they run violently on this side animated and posted on by that which was not in the Text but in their lusts and fancy and never look back upon other testimonies of divine Authority that Army of evidences as Tertullian speaks which are openly prest out and marshall'd against them which might well put them to a halt and deliberation which might stay and drive back their intention and settle them at last in the truth which consists in a moderation betwixt two extremes For we may be zealous and not cruell we may be devout and not superstitious we may hate Idolatry and not commit Sacriledge we may stand fast in our Christian liberty and not make it a cloak of maliciousnesse if we did follow the spirit in all his wayes who in all his wayes is a Spirit of truth for he commandeth zeale and forbids Rage he commends devotion and forbids superstition he condemns Idolatry yea and condemns sacriledge he preacheth liberty and preacheth obedience to superiours and in all is he same spirit And this spirit did come His Advent and Christ did send him and in the next place to this end he came to be our leader to guide us in the wayes of truth to help our infirmities to be our conduct to carry us on to the end which is nomen officii the name of his office and Administration which one would think were but a low office for the spirit of God and yet these are magnalia spiriûts the wonderfull things of the spirit and doe no lesse proclaime his divinity then the Creation of the world we wonder the blind should see the lame goe the deaf heare the dead be raysed up but doth it not follow pauperes Evangelizantur Mat. 11.5 the poore receive that Gospel weigh it well and in the Ballance of the fanctuary as great a miracle as the former And this his Advent and coming was free and voluntary and though he was sent from the Father and the sonne yet sponte venit he came of his own accord and he not onely comes but sends himself say the schooles as he dayly works those changes and alterations in his creature These words to be sent and to come and the like Dicit Mittam ut propriam autoritatem oftendat Tum denique veniet quo verbo spiritûs potestas indicatur Naz. Or. 37. are not words of diminution or disparagement He came in no servile manner but as a Lord as a friend from a friend as in a letter the very mind of him that sent it which shewes an agreement and concord with him that sent him but implyes no inferiority no degree of servility or subjection Yet some there have been who have stumbled at the shadow which this word hath cast or indeed at their own and for this made him no more then a Creature 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a supernumerary God brought in to serve and minister and no distinct person of the blessed Trinity But what a grosse error what foule ingratitude is this to call his goodnesse servility his coming to us submission and obedience and count him not a God because by his gracious operation he is pleased to dwell in men and make them his Tabernacle why may we not as warrantably conceive so of either person For God with reverence to so high a Majesty serves us more then we doe him who are nothing but by his breath and power he serves us every day nay he Feedeth they young Ravens that call upon him He knocks at our doores he intreats waits suffers commands us to serve one another commands his Angels to serve minister unto us res rationesque nostras curat he keeps our Accounts numbers our teares watcheth our prayers in our misery in the deepest dungeon he is with us And these are no disparagements but Arguments of his excellency and infinite goodnesse and faire lessons to us not to be wanting to our selves and our brethren who have God himself thus carefully waiting upon us and to remember us that to serve our brethren is to exalt and advance and rayse us up to be like unto him When we wash our brethrens feet when we bind up their wounds when we sit down in the dust with them when we visit them in prison and minister to them on their bed of sicknesse we may think we debase our selves and doe decrease as it were but it is our honour our Crown our conformity to him who was the servant of God and our servant and made himself like unto us that he might serve us in his flesh and doth so to the end of the world invisibly by his spirit T is the spirits honour to be sent to be a leader a conduct and though sent he be yet he is as free an Agent as the sonne and the sonne as the Father Tertullian calls him Christi vicarium Christs vicar here on earth to supply his place but that argues no inequality for then the sonne too must be unequall to the Father for his Angel his Messenger he was and went about his fathers businesse And to conclude this in a farr remote and more qualifyed sense we are his vicars his deputies his Steward 's here on earth and 't is no servility 't is our honour and glory to doe his business to serve one another in love to be Servants to be Angels I had almost said to be holy Ghosts one to another John 20.21 As my Father sent me saith our Saviour to his Disciples so send I you and he sends us too who are Haereditarii Christi Discipuli Christs Disciples by inheritance and succession that every one as he is endowed from above should serve him by serving one another and though our serving him cannot deserve that name yet is he pleased to call it helping him that we should help him to feed the hungry to guide the blind and teach the ignorant and so be the Spirits Vicars as he is Christs that Christ may fill us more and more with his spirit which may guide and conduct us through the manifold errors of this life through darkness and confusion into that truth which may lead us to bliss The Spirits lesson For as he is a spirit of Truth so in the next place the lesson which he teacheth is Truth even that truth which is an Art Saint Austin calls it so and a law to direct and confine all other Arts quâ praeeunte seculi fluctus calcamus which goes before us in our
Christians and thus he dyed one Thus Saint Peter would not converse and eat with the heathen as polluted and unclean and when the sheet was let down and in it the will of Christ preached unto them and baptized them Acts 10. And this is the mother of all repentance for what is repentance but the changing of our mind upon better information This if it were well practised would fill the world which is now full of errour with Recognitions and Recantations which are not onely confessions but the triumphs over a conquered errour as the rejoycings and Jubilees of men who did sit in darknesse but have now found the light This would be an Amulet and sure preservative against prejudice and those common and prevailing errours to which it gives life and strength and which spread themselves as the plague and infect whole Families Cities and Nations In brief this would make our errours more veniall and men more peaceable for he that seeks the truth with this impartiall diligence is rather unfortunate then faulty if he misse it and men would never advance their opinion with that heat and malice against dissenters if they could once entertain this thought that it is possible that they themselves may erre and that that opinion in which they now say they will dye may be false if they did not rest in the first evidence as best and so suffer it to passe unquestioned and never seek for a sure word of prophesie or a well grounded assurance that this is one For if this were done as it should either errour would not overtake or if it did it could not hurt us But this is an argument of a large compasse a subject full and yielding much matter and I was but to declare my mind and intention which may better thrive and be more seen under the manage of more nimble and ready wits and the activity of a better hand and pen. Second and as I thought it worth my paines and endeavour to strike at those common errours at which so many stumble and into which they willingly fall and with great complacency so did I set up in the course of my office and ministery this desire and I could not bring much more then desire to present in as faire an appearance as I could those more necessary and essentiall truths by the embracing of which we lay hold on happinesse and come neerest to it and to set them up as a mark at which all mens actions should especially aime For if this be once obtained the other will follow of it self because these truths are not so obnoxious and open to prejudice and men would not run into so many obliquities if they did principally and earnestly intend that to which they were everlastingly and indispensably bound nor could they so often erre if they were willing to be good It was as wise counsell as could have been given to those who sate to solve knotty doubts and to determine controversies in Religion in the Council at Dort Beati pacifici King James his Motto or Dicton and it was given by a King and it would have made good his motto and styled him a peacemaker though there had been nothing else to contribute to that title Paucissima definienda quia paucissima necessaria that they should not be too busie and earnest in defining and determining many things because so few were necessary which counsel if men had thought it worth their eare and favour and willingly bowed to it had made the Church as Jerusalem a City compact within it self and there would have been abundance of peace so long as the moon endureth For questions in divinity are like meats in this the more delicate and subtile they are the sooner they putrifie and by too much agitation and sifting anoy and corrupt the rule whilest men are more swift and eager in the pursuit and advance of that humour that raised them then in following of those truths which are but few and easie and with which they might build themselves up in their holy faith Lex nos innocentes esse jubet non curiosos innocency and not curiosity is the fulfilling of the Law Senec. Controv as it is not luxury which raiseth an healthfull constitution but temperance and those meats which are as wholesome as common The summe of all Christianity is made up in this to levell and place all our hope where it should be on God through Jesus Christ our Lord to love him and keep his commandments which are both open and easie when we are willing In other more nice then usefull disquisitions I am well pleased to be puzzled and to be at losse and yet am not at losse because I cannot lose that which I would not which I cannot have and I resolve for God and not my self or indeed for my self because for God and my answer is most satisfactory that I believe the thing and God onely knows the manner how it is and doth not therefore reveale it because it is not fit for me to know When I am to appeare before God in his house and at his table I recollect my thoughts and turn them upon my self I severely inquire in what termes I stand with God and my neighbour whether there be nothing in me no imagination which stands in opposition with Christ and so is not suitable with the feast nor with him that makes it And when this is done my businesse is at an end for to attempt more is to do nothing or rather that which I should not do but I do not ask with the Schooles how the ten predicaments are in the Eucharist how the bread is con or transubstantiated or how the body of Christ is there for they who speak at distance most modestly and tell us it is not corporally but yet 't is really there yet do not so define as to ascertain the manner but leave it in a cloud and out of sight I know that my redeemer liveth and that he will raise me up at the last day for he hath promised who raised himself and is the first fruits of them that slept but I do not enquire what manner of trumpet it shall be which shall then sound nor of the Solemnity and manner of the proceeding at that day or how the body which shall rise can be the same numericall body with that which did walk upon the earth It is enough for me to know that it is sown in dishonour and shall be raised in glory and my businesse is to rise with Christ here and make good my part in this First Resurrection for then I am secure and need not extend my thoughts to the end of the world to survey and comprehend the Second To add one instance more in the point of justification of a sinner in which after sixteen hundred yeares preaching of the Gospel and more we do not yet well agree and yet might well agree if we would take it as the Scripture hath
hungry was spet upon was whipt was nayld to the Crosse which were as so many parts of that discipline which taught him to be mercifull to be mercifull to them who were tempted by hunger because he was hungry to be mercifull to them who were tempted by poverty because he was poore to be mercifull to those who tremble at disgrace because he was whipt to be mercifull to them who will not yet will suffer for him who refuse and yet chuse tremble and yet venture are afraid and yet dye for him because as man he found it a bitter Cup and would have had it passe from him who in the dayes of his flesh offer'd up prayers and supplications with strong crying and teares for mortall men for weak men for sinners pertinacissimè durant quae discimus experientiâ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ariâ—… Anâ—… post l 2. c. xix This experimentall knowledge is so rooted and fix'd in him that it cannot be removed now no more then his naturall knowledge he can as soon be ignorant of our actions as our sufferings 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith the Philosopher Experience is a collection of many particulars registred in our memory and this experience he had and our Apostle tells us didicit he learnt it and the Prophet tells us he was vir sciens infirmitatum Es 53. a man well read in sorrowes acquainted with grief and carryed it about with him from his Cradle to his crosse and by his Fasting and Tentation by his Agony and bloudy sweat by his precious Death and Buriall he remembers us in famine in Tentation in our Agony he remembers us in the houre of death in our grave for he pitties even our dust and will remember us in the day of judgement We have passed through the hardest part of this Method and yet it is as necessary as the end for there is no coming to it without this no peace without trouble no life without death Not that life is the proper effect of death for this cleare streame flowes from a higher and purer fountaine even from the will of God who is the fountaine of life which meeting with our obedience which is the conformity of our will to his maketh its way with power through fire and water as the Psalmist speaks through poverty and contumilies through every cloud and tempest through darknesse and death it self and so carryes it on to end and triumph in life I was dead that was his state of humility but I am alive that 's his state of Glory and is in the next place to be consider'd Vivo I am alive Christ hath spoken it who is truth it self and we may take his word for it for if we will not believe him when he sayes it neither should we believe if we should see him rising from the dead And this his life and resurrection is most conveniently placed in that Non dabis thou wilt not suffer thy holy one to see corruption for what stronger reason can there be found out in matters of faith then the will pleasure of that God who brings mighty things to pass to this end Saint Paul cites the 2. Psalme and S. Peter the 16. and in this the humble soule may rest and behold the object in its glory and so gather strength to rayse it self above the fading vanities of this world and so reach and raise to immortality What fairer evidence then that of Scripture what surer word then the word of Christ He that cannot settle himself on this is but as S. Judes cloud carryed about with every wind wheel'd and circled about from imagination to imagination now raysed to a belief that it is true and anon cast down into the midst of darknesse now assenting anon doubting and at last pressed down by his own unstablenesse into the pit of Infidelity He that will not walk by that light which shines upon him whilst he seeks for more must needs stumble and fall at those stones of offence which himself hath laid in his own way why should it be thought a thing incredible that God should raise the dead to life If such a thought arise in a Christian Acts 26.8 reason never set it up I verily thought my self saith Saint Paul in the next verse but it was when he was under the Law and he whose thoughts are staggered here is under a worse law the law of his members his lusts by which his thoughts and actions are held up as by a law is such a one that studies to be an Atheist is ambitious to be like the beasts that perish and having nothing in himself but that which is worse than nothing is well content to be annihilated For why should such a temptation take any Christian why should he desire clearer evidence why should they seek for demonstration or that the Resurrection of Christ should be made manifest to the eye That is not to seek to confirm and establish but to destory their faith for if these truths were as evident as it is that the sun doth shine when it is day the apprehension of them were not an act of our faith but of our knowledg and therefore Christ saith Tertullian shewed not himself openly to all the people at his Resurrection ut fides non mediocri praemio destinata Tert. Apol. non nisi difficultate constaret that faith by which we are destined to a crown might not consist without some difficulty but commend it self by our obedience the perfection and beauty whereof is best seen in making its way through difficulties and so Hilary Habet non tam veniam quà m praemium Hil. l. 8. de Trin. ignorare quod credis not perfectly to know what thou certainly believest doth so little stand in need of pardon that it is that alone which drawes on the reward For what obedience can it be for me to assent to this that the whole is greater then the part that the Sun doth shine or any of those truths which are visible to the eye what obedience is it to assent to that which I cannot deny but when the object is in part hidden in part seen when the truth we assent to hath more probability to establish it then can be brought to shake it then our Saviour himself pronounceth Blessed are they who have not seen and yet have believed Besides it were in vain he should afford us more light who hath given us enough for to him that will not rest in that which is enough nothing is enough When he rained down Manna upon the Israelites when he divided the red sea wrought wonders amongst them the Text sayes For all this they sinned still and believed not his wondrous works The Pharisees saw his miracles yet would have stoned him they saw him raise Lazarus from the dead and would have killed them both The people said He hath done all things well yet these were they that crucified the Lord of life Did any
ever but Christ living infuseth life into us that the bonds of Hell and of Death can no more hold us than they can him There is such a place as Hell but to the living members of Christ there is no such place for it is impossible it should hold them and you may as well place Lucifer at the right hand of God as a true Christian in Hell for how can light dewll in darknesse how can purity mix with stench how can beauty stay with horrour If Nature could forget her course and suffer contradictories to be drawn together and to be both true yet this is such a contradiction which unless Christ could die again which is impossible can never be reconciled Heaven and earth may passe away but Christ lives for evermore and the power and vertue of his life is as everlasting as everlastingnesse it self And againe There was a pale Horse Rev. 6.8 and his name that sate on him was death and he had power to kill with the sword with hunger and with the beasts of the Earth but now he doth not kill us he doth but stagger and sling us down to rise again and tread him under our feet and by the power of an everliving Saviour to be the Death of death it self Death was a king of terrors and the Feare of death made us slaves Heb. 2.15 brought us into servility and bondage all our life long made our pleasures lesse delightfull and our virtues more tedious then they are made us tremble and shrink from those Heroique undertakings for the truth of God but now they in whom Christ lives and moves and hath his Being as in his own dare look upon him in all his horror expeditum morti genus saith Tertull and are ready to meet him in his most dreadfull march with all his Army of Diseases racks and Tortures and as man before he sinned knew not what Death meant and Eve familiarly conversed with the Serpent so doe they with death and having that Image restored in them are secure and feare it not for what can this Tyrant take from them Their life that is hid with Christ in God It cannot cut them off from pleasure for their delight is in the Lord It cannot rob them of their treasure for that is laid up in heaven It can take nothing from them but what themselves have already crucified their Flesh It cannot cut off one hope one thought one purpose for all their thoughts purposes and hopes were leveld not on this but on another life And now Christ hath his keys in his hand Death is but a name it is nothing or if it be something it is such a thing that troubled S. Austin to define what it is we call it a punishment but indeed it is a benefit a favour even such a favour that Christ who is as Omnipotent as he is everlasting who can work all in all though he abolished the Law of Moses the law of Ceremonies yet would not abrogate this law by which we are bound over unto death because it is soprofitable and advantageous to us it was threatned it is now a promise or the way unto it for death it is that lets us in that which was promis'd it was an end of all it is now the beginning of all it was that which cut off life it is now that through which as through a gate we enter into it we may say it is the first point and moment of our After-eternity for t is so neer unto it that we can hardly sever them for we live or rather labour and fight and strive with the world and with life it self which is it self a temptation and whilst by the power of our everliving Christ we hold up and make good this glorious contention and fight and conquer and presse forward towards the mark either nature faileth or is prest down with violence and we dye that is our language but the spirit speaketh after another manner we sleep we are dissolved we fall in pieces our bodies from our soules and we from our miseries and Tempâ—…tions and this living everliving Christ gathers us together again breaths life and eternity unto us that we may live and reign with him for evermore And so I have viewed all the parts of the Text being the maine Articles of our faith 1. Christs death 2. his life 3. his eternall life and last of all his power of the keys his Dominion over hell and death we will but in a word fit the Ecce the behold in the Text to every part of it and set the seale to it Amen and so conclude And first we place the Ecce the behold on his death he suffer'd and dyed that he might learne to have compassion on thy miseries and on thy dust and rayse thee from both and wilt thou learne nothing from his compassion wilt thou not by him and by thy own sinnes and miseries which drew from him teares of Bloud learne to pitty thy self wilt thou still rejoyce in that iniquity which troubled his spirit which shed his bloud which he was willing should gush out of his heart so it might melt thine and work but this in thee to pitty thy self we talk of a first Conversion and a second and I know not what Cycles and Epicycles we have found out to salve our irregular motion in our wayes to blisse if we could once have compassion on our selves the work were done and when were you converted or how were you converted were no such hard questions to be answer'd for I may be sure I am converted if I be sure that I truly pitty my self shall Christ onely have compassion on thy soule But then again shall he shed his bloud for his Church that it may be one with him and at unity in it self and canst thou not drop a teare when thou seest this his body thus rent in pieces as it is at this day when thou seest the world the love of the world break in and make such havock in the Church oh 't is a sad contemplation will none but Christ weep over Jerusalem Secondly let us look upon him living and not take our eye from off him to fill and feed and delight it with the vanities of this world with that which hath neither life nor spirit with that which is so neer to nothing with that which is but an Idol Behold he liveth that which thou so dotest on hath no life nor can it prolong thy life a moment who would not cease from man whose breath is in his nostrills and then what madnesse is it to trust in that which hath no breath at all shall Christ present himself alive to us and for us and shall we lay hold of corruption rottennesse and when heaven opens it self to receive us run from it into a charnell-house and so into hell it self But then in the third place Behold he lives for evermore and let not us bound and imprison our thoughts
is a greater penalty and vexation than that which we undertook for its sake How many rise up early to be rich and before their day shuts up are beggers how many climb to the highest place and when they are neer it and ready to fit down fall back into a prison But in this we never faile the Spirit working with us and blessing the work of our hands making our busie and carefull thoughts as his chariot and then filling us with light such is the priviledge and prerogative of Industry such is the nature of Truth that it will be wrought out by it nor did ever any rise up early and in good earnest travell towards it but this spirit took him by the hand and brought him to his journeys end If thou seekest her as silver Prov. 2.4,5 if thou search for her as for had treasure which because it is hid we remove many things turn up much earth and labour hard that we may come to it then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God in which work our industry and the Spirits help are as it were joyned and linked together You will say perhaps that the Spirit is an omnipotent Agent and can fall suddenly upon us as he did upon the Apostles this day that he can lead us in the way of truth though we sit still though our feet be chained though we have no feet at all but the Proverb will answer you 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 If God will you may sail over the sea in a sieve but we must remember the Spirit leads us according to his own will nad counsel not ours that as he is an Omnipotent so he is a free Agent also and worketh and dispenceth all things according to the pleasure of his will and certainly he will not lead thee if thou wilt not follow he will not teach thee if thou wilt not learn nor can we think that the truth which must make us happy is of so easie purchase that it will be sown in any ground and as the Divels tares grow up in us Nobis dormientibus whilest we sleep The third is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 method or an orderly proceeding in the wayes of truth for as in all other Arts and Sciences so in our spirituall wisdome and in the school of Christ we may not hand over head huddle up matters as we please but must 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 keep an order and set course in our studies and proceedings our Saviour Christ hath a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mat. 6.33 seek first the kingdome of God and in that kingdome every thing in its order there is something first and something next to be observed and every thing is to be ranked in its proper place the Author of the Epistle to the Hebrews tells us of principles of Doctrine which must be learned before we can be led forward to perfection Heb. 5.13,14 of milk and of strong meat of plainer Lessons before we reach at higher Mysteries nor can we hope to make a good Christian veluti ex luto statuam as soon as we can make a picture or a statue out of clay Most Christians are perfect too soon which is the reason that they are never perfect they are spirituall in the twinkling of an eye they know not how nor no man else they leap over all their alphabet and are at their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 their end before they begin are at the top of the ladder before they have set a foot to the first step or rown they study heaven but not the way to it they study faith but not good works repentance without a change or restitution Religion without order they are as high as Gods closet in heaven when they should be busie at his foot-stool study predestination but not sanctity of life study assurance but not that piety which should work it study heaven and not grace and grace but not their duty and now no marvel if they meet not with that saving truth in this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in this so great disorder and confusion no marvel when we have broke the rules and order not observed the method of the Spirit if the Spirit lead us not who is a Spirit that loveth order and in a right method and orderly course leads us into the truth The last is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 exercitation and practice of the truths we learn which is so proper and necessary for a Christian that Christian Religion goes under that name and is called an exercise by Clem. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Strom. l. 4. Al. Nyssen Cyril of Ilierusalem and others and though they who lead a Monasticall life have laid claim to it as their own they were called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 yet it may well belong to every one that is the Spirits Scholar who is as a Monk in the world shut up out of it even while he is in it exercising himself in those lessons which the Spirit teacheth and following as he leads which is to make the world it self his monastery A good Chritian is the true 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Epictet Arrian l. 3. c. 5. and by this daily exercise in the doctrines of the Spirit he doth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as the Stoicks speak drive the truth home and make it enter into the soul and spirit for as Auaxagoras said well manus causa sapientiae 't is not the brain but the hand that causeth knowledge Talis quisque est qualibue delectater inter artisicem artificium mira cognatio est and worketh wisdome for true wisdome that which the Spirit teacheth consists not in being a good Critick or in rightly judging of the sense of the words or being a good Logician in drawing out a true and perfect definition of Faith and Charity or discoursing aptly and methodically of the Lessons of the Spirit or in being a good Oratour in setting out the beauty and lustre of Religion to the very eye No saith the son of Syrach He that hath no experience knoweth little Ecclus. 34.10 Ex mandato mandatum cernimus by practising the command we gain a kind of familiarity a more inward and certain knowledge of it If any man will do the will of God he shall know the Doctrine Joh. 7.17 in Divinity and indeed in all knowledge whose end is practice that of Aristotle is true Those things we learn to do we learn by doing them we learn devotion by prayer charity by giving of alms meeknesse by forgiving injuries humility and patience by suffering temperance by every day fighting against our lusts as we know meat by the taste so do we the things of God by practice and experience and at last discover heaven it self in piety and this is that which S. Paul calls knowledge according to godlinesse 1 Tim. 6.3 we taste and see how gracious the Lord is we do as it were see with our
name For even the Devills themselves have acknowledged Christ and this way is not evill spoken of nay it is magnifyed of them who had rather wallow in the mire then walk in it How is Christ made not onely panis quotidianus our daily Bread but sermo quotidianus the talk of every day and houre In our misery we implore his help In his Name we lie down and in his Name we rise up In his Name we Prophesy if afflictions beat upon us he is called upon to calme the storme If our conscience chide us we have learnt an unhappy art and skill to force him in to make our Peace We love to talke of him we many times leave our necessary callings and trades most unnecessarily but to heare of him but all these may be rather proffers then motions rather pleasing and flattering thoughts then painfull ambulations as St. Augustine speaks of himself in his Confessions Confess l. 8. c. 5. cogitationes similes conatibus expergisci volentium thoughts like to the endeavours of men half asleep who would be awak'd and cannot who move and stirre and lightly lift up the head and then fall down fast asleep I have been too liberall and given them more strength then they have I mean then these Gnostiques give them whom they neither more nor stirr but leave them in their prospect fast asleep Or at the best in the third place this inclination this approbation is but a Dreame visus adesse mihi c. Christ may seem to walk with us when he is not in all our ways and as in Drames we seem to perform many things we do all things and we do nothing Nunc fora nunc lites laeti modo pompa Theatri c. Ausonii Ephemeris We plead we wrestle we fight we Triumph we sayle we fly we see not what is but hath or should be done and all is but a dreame so when we have made a fancifull peregrination through all the pleasant fields and rivers of milk through all the riches and glory of the Gospel and delights which it affords when we have seen our Saviour in his Cratch lead him to mount Calvary beheld him on his Crosse brought him back with Triumph from his grave and placed him at the right hand of God wee may think indeed we have walked all this while with Christ but when our conscience shall recover her light which was darkned with the pleasures and follyes of this present life when she shall dart this light upon us and plainly tell us that we have not fasted with him that we have not watched one houre with him that we have not gone about with him doing good that we have loved those enemies which he came to destroy That we have been so farre from crucifying our flesh that we have crucifyed him again to fulfill the lusts thereof That the world and not Christ hath been the Forme which moved us in the whole course of our life behold then it will appeare that all was but a dreame Foolish men that we are who hath bewitched us we dispute we write books we coine distinctions we study for the truth we are angry for the truth we lose our Peace for the Truth we fight for the truth we die for the truth and when all is done upon due examination nothing is done but we have spun a Spiders webb which the least breath of Gods displeasure will blow a way we have known the way and approved it have subscrib'd that This is the way but have made no more progresse towards our journeys end then our picture we have but dreamt of life and are still in the valley of the shadow of Death Conclus And now what saies the Scripture Awake thou that sleepest that dreamest and stand up from the dead Let us not please our selves with Visions and Dreames with the suborned flattery of our own imaginations Let us not think that if we seek the way and like it and speak well of it we are in heaven already or have that hope that well-grounded never failing Hope which may entitle us to it why should such a thought arise in our heart a thought that makes us worse then fooles or mad-men and will keep us so courting of sinne labouring in iniquity and wit greedinesse working out our own destruction a thought that shuts out God and makes an open entrance for a legion of Devills and then welcomes and attends them For all the sinnes which the Flesh is subject to or the Devill can suggest may well stay and find a place of rest with such a thought Why should we please and loose our selves in such a Though See here is water what doth let me to be baptized said the Eunuch to Philip Act. 8. Here is light what hindereth that we doe not walk in it Behold heaven opens it self and displayes all its beauty and glory why do we run from it Knowledge directs but we will not follow Knowledge perswades but we will not hearken Knowledge commands but we rebell we are Illuminated wee professe we know Christ but wee will not be sanctified For by our Works we deny him Tit. 1.16 Our Knowledge follows and pursues us we cannot shake it off it staies with us whether we will or no it goads it provokes it chides it importunes it triumphs within us but yet not over us because those vanities which we are too familiar with will not suffer us to yeeld we cannot be ignorant of what we know but we are too often unwilling to doe that of which we cannot be ignorant our self-love undoes us and our own will drives us on the rocks whilst the light within us points out to the Haven where we should be and the knowledge within us which did exhort instrust and correct is made a witnesse against us and a Judge to condemne us to more stripes then they shall feele who had not so much as a glance of light but did sit in darknesse and in the shadow of Death Let us them not fly but walk not hover aloft in the contemplation of what is to be done but stoop down and doe it subdue the will to our Knowledge the sense to reason let us learn to walk by walking be more learned then before 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for Practice saith Naz. is to Knowledge Naz. Or. tertia what Knowledge is to it a Foundation as we build our Practice upon Knowledge for we must know before we can walk so we raise our knowledge higher and higher upon practice as Heat helpeth motion and is increast by it and the torch burns brighter being fann'd by that aire which it inlightens Psal 25.14 The secret of the Lord is revealed to them that fear him and his Coveuant to give them more understanding saith David Let us then joyne as St. Peter exhorts with Knowledge Temperance 2 Pet. 1.6 and with Temperance Patience and with Patience Godliness and these will make that we
delighted tradidit repletos non replendos Isid Pelus l. 4. ep 102 saith the father he gave them over not be filled but being filled already with all iniquity he delivered them over to a reprobate minde they retained not God in any part of their time and now that is run out is at an end and that time will be no more they would be evil and now they cannot be good The Jewish Doctors had a proverb that God did but in this his proceeding farinam jam molitam molere but do that which was done already to his hands grinde that corn that was ground already and leave them who would be left to themselves and their own hellish wickednesse which was their ruine For that of Basil is most true Bas Hom. 22. c. 11. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Judgement follows mercy at the heels to take revenge upon those who wantonly abuse her strikes them dead who would not live and seals them up to damnation who were condemned already You may now Turn and he will receive you that 's the dialect of mercy but you shall not if you thus put it off from time to time that 's the voice of an angry and despised God Oh that thou hadst known in this thy day see Mercy gave her a day and shined brightly in it by which light she might have seen the things that concerned her peace nunc autem but now now it is past are as the black lines of reprobation drawn out by the hand of Justice It was thy day but now it is shut up and now nox est perpetuo una dormienda thy Sun is set for ever all is night eternal night the light is hid from thine eyes and thou shalt never see it more You will say this was spoken to a People to a Nation 't is true but may it not also be so with every particular person may it not be so with one Pharisee with one viper as well as with a generation was it not so with Judas as well as with Jerusalem I have read that a Body or a Society that a Common-wealth may fall under a censure and be subject unto penalty yet bodies do not offend but in their parts 't is not Rome that commits the fault but Sempronius or Titius who are parts of that Common-wealth Not the Amorites alone Not the sect of the Pharisees not Jerusalem alone but every man may have Diem suam his allotted time in which he may turn from his evil wayes and this day may be a Feast-day or a day of trouble it may beget an eternal day or it may end in the shadow of death and everlasting darknesse Oh that men were wise but so wise as the creatures which have no reason so wise as to know their seasons to discover hanc diem suam this their day wherein they may yet turn that we could but behold that Decretory hour or but place it in our thoughts or make it our fear that such a one there may be in which Mercy shall forsake us and Justice cut off our hopes for ever Certainly we should not make so many Dayes in our year we should not resolve to day for to morrow and to morrow for the next and so drive it forward till the last sand till we can resolve no more For he that thinks so lightly of eternity to think it may be wrought out in a moment and yet will not allow it so much but when he please hath just cause to fear that his day is past already Now though there may be such a day such a moment yet this day this moment like the day of judgement is not known to any and it may seem on purpose to be removed out of our sight that we may be jealous of every moment of our life and when the devil tempts the World flatters the flesh rebells set up this thought against them that this may be our last moment and if we yeeld now we shall be slaves for ever For as the long suffering of God is Salvation the second of Pet. 3.15 so is every day every hour of our life such a day and such an hour which carries along with it eternity Sen. de benef 2.5 either of pain or Blisse That thou mayest therefore turn now think that a time may come when thou shalt not be able to turn tardè velle nolentis est not to be willing to turn to thy God now is to deny him delay is no better then defiance And why shouldest thou hope to be willing hereafter whoart not willing now and art not willing now upon this false deceitful hope that thou shalt be willing hereafter Wilful and present folly is no good presage of after-wisdom and it is more probable that a froward will will be more froward and perverse then that after it hat joyned with the vanities of this world and cleaved fast unto them it should bow and bend it self to that Law which makes it death to touch them He that leaps into the pit upon hope that he shall get out hath leapt into his Grave at least deserves to be covered over with darknesse and to buried there for ever Feare then lest the measure of thy Iniquity be almost full and perswade thy self thy next sin may fill it Think this is thy Day thy houre Thy moment and though peradventure it may not be yet think it may be thy last It is no error though it be an error For if it be not thy last yet in Justice God might make it so for why should Heaven be offer'd more then once and if it be an Error It is an happy Error and will redeeme us from all those Errors which delay brings in and multiplies even those Errors which make us worse then the Beasts that perish A happy error I may say an Angel that layes hold on us and snaches us out of the fire out of the common ruine and hastens us to our God A happy Error which frees us from all other errors of our life And yet though it may be an errour for it is no more Then it may be it is a truth for onely Now is true there may be many more Nows 't is true a now to morrow and a now hereafter and a now on our death-bed but these are but may-bees and these potentiall Truths concern us not for that which may bee may not bee that which concerns us is an Everlasting Truth To day if you will heare his voice harden not your hearts if you harden them to day and stand upon May-bees then they may be stand for ever And therefore if you expect I should point out to a certaine time The time is now Turne ye Turne ye even now now the Prophet speaks now the words sound in your eares Now if you will heare his voice harden not your hearts For why was it spoken but that we should hear it It is an earnest call after us and if we obey not it
And first Every particular sinne is of a monstrous aspect being committed not onely against the Law written but against the Law of Nature which did then Characterise the soule when the soule did first enforme the Body for though we call those horrid sinnes unnaturall which Saint Paul speaks against in the 1. to the romanes yet in true estimation every sin is so being against our very Reason which is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Naz. or 34. the very first Law written in our hearts saith Naz. for sin is an unreasonable Thing nor can it desend it self by discourse or argument If Heaven were to be bought with sin it were no Purchase for by every evill work I forfeit not onely my Christianity but my manhood I am robb'd of my chiefest Jewel and I my self am the Theef Who would buy eternity with sinne who would buy Immortallity upon such loathed Termes If Christ should have promis'd Heaven upon condition of a wicked life who would have beleeved there had been either Christ or Heaven And therefore it is laid as an imputation upon man Solum hoc animal Naturae fines transgreditur no Creature breaks the bounds and limits which Nature hath set but Man and there is much of Truth in it man when he sinnes is more unbounded and irregular then a Beast For a Beast follows the conduct of his naturall Appetite but man leaves his Reason behind which should be more powerful and is as naturall to him as his sense Man saith the prophet David that understands not is like to the Beasts that perish and Man that is like to a Beast is worse then he No Fox to Herod no Goat to the Wanton no Tyger to the Murderer no Wolfe to the Oppressor no Horse-leech to the Covetous for Beasts follow that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that instinct of Nature by which they are carried to the Object but man makes Reason which should come in to rescue him from sin an Instrument of Evill so that his Reason which was made as a help as his God on Earth serves onely to make him more unreasonable Consider then though it be but one sinne yet so farre it makes thee like unto a Beast nay worse then any though it be one yet it hath a monstrous aspect and then Turne from it Secondly though it be but one yet it is very fruitful and may beget another nay multiply it self into a numerous issue into as many sins as there be haires of thy head for as it is truly said omne verum omni vero consonat there is a kind of agreement and harmony in truthes and the devout School-man tells us that the whole Scripture is but one copulative proposition because the precepts therein contained are many and yet one many in regard of the diversity of those works that perfect them but yet one in respect of that root of charity which begins them so peccatum multiplex unum there is a kinde of dependencie between sins and a growth in wickednesse one drawing and deriving poyson from another 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Epiphanius speaks of heresies Epiphan Heres Bastlid as the Asp doth from the Viper which being set in opposition to any particular vertue creepeth on and multiplies and gathers strength to the endangering of all And sin may propagate it self first as an efficient cause Removens prohibens weaking the power of grace dimming the light of the Gospel setting us at a greater distance from the brightnesse of it making us more venturous taking off our blush of modestty which should restrain us one evil act may dispose us to commit the like and that may bring on a thousand Secondly as a material cause one sin may prepare matter for another thy covertousnesse beget debate debate enrage thee more and that not end but in murder Last of all as the final cause thou mayest commit theft for fornication and fornication for theft that thou mayest continue a Tyrant be more a Tyrant that thou mayest uphold thy oppression oppresse more that thou mayest walk on in safety walk on in the blood of the innocent that thou mayest be what thou art be worse then thou art be worse and worse till thou art no more Ambition leads Absolon to conspiracy conspiracy to open Rebellion Rebellion to his Fathers Concubines at last to the Oak where he hung with three darts in his side For sin saith Basil like unto a stone that is cast into the water multiplies it self by infinite Gyres and Circles The sins of our youth hasten us to the sins of our age an the sins of our age look back upon the follies of our youth pride feathers my ambition and ambition swells my pride gluttony is a pander to my lust and my lust a steward to my gluttony Sins seldom end where they begin but run on till they be infinite and innumerable And now this unhappy fruitfulness of sin may be a strong motive to make me run away from every sin and fear one evil spirit as that which may bring in a Legion Could I think that when I tell a lie I am in a disposition to betray a kingdom could I imagine that when I slander my Neighbour I am in an aptitude to blaspheme God could I see luxurie in gluttony and incest in luxurie strife in covetousness and in strife murder in idleness theft and in theft sacriledge I should then Turn from every evil way and at the sight of any one sin with fear and trembling cry out behold a troop cometh But in the Third place if neither the monstrosity of sin nor the fruitfulnesse of sin moves us yet the guilt it brings along with it and the obligation to punishment may deter us For sin must needs then be terrible when she comes with a whip in her hand indeed she is never without one if we could see it and all those heavy judgments which have fallen upon us and prest us well-neer to nothing we may impute to what we please to the madnesse of the people to the craft and covetousnesse of some and the improvidence of others but t was sin that called them down and for ought we know Josh 7.2 Sam. the last c. but one For one sin as of Achan all Israel may be punisht for one sin as of David threescore and ten thousand may fall by the plague For Jonahs disobedience a Tempest may be raised upon all the Marriners in the ship and what stronger winde can there blow then this to drive us every one out of every evil way how should this consideration leave a sting behinde it and affect hand startle us It may be my sacriledge may the Church-robber It may be my luxury may the wanton It may be my bold irreverence in the House of God may the prophane man say whatsoever sin it is it may be mine which hath wrought this desolation on the earth and then what an Achan what a Jonah what a Murderer am I I
them For if the man be Ignorant if he will administer Physick he will kill if the man be ignorant if he will Preach he will also Prophesie lies If he be a Magistrate if he will Govern he will also shake the pillars of the Common-wealth If he be a Christian if he be ignorant then as he will professe so also will he run into the snares of the Devil and this his ignorance is no plea against that Law which he was bound to know Sen. Contr. l. 5. c. 5. as well as to keep it Ex toto noluisse debet qui Imprudentiâ defenditur he that will plead Ignorance or error for an excuse must have his whole will strongly set up against it and then the great difficulty or impossibility of avoiding it may be his Advocate and speak for him but if he make room for it when he might exclude it if he Embrace that which may let it in or make no use of the light that detects it if he will or reject not or be indifferent if he distast the truth for some crosse aspect it hath on his designes and love a lie because it smiles upon them and promotes them then this ignorance is a sin and the last the greatest and therefore cannot make up an excuse for another sin for those sins which it brings in in Triumph but is so much the more Malignant in that we had light but did turn our face away and would not see it or did hate and despise it and blow it out For he that will not know the wayes of life or calls his evil wayes by that name may well be askt the question why he will die Ignorance then is not alwayes an excuse for some are negligent and indifferent will not take the pains to lift themselves up to the truth by those steps and degrees which are set for them and are the way unto it and so walk as in the night which themselves have made because they would not look upon the Sun Others study and affect it and when the truth will not go along with them to the end of their designes perswade themselves into those errours which are more proportioned to it and will friendly wait upon them and be serviceable to fill and answer that expectation which their lust had raised and call them by that name They will not know what they cannot but know nor see death though he stand before them in their way and so are lead on with pomp and state with these false perswasions with these miserable Comforters to their grave The fourth pretence But in the next place when we finde some check of Conscience some regret some gain-sayings in our minde that we are unwilling to go on in these evil wayes and yet take courage and proceed we are ready to please our selves with this thought and are soon of the Opinion that what we are doing or have done already if it be evil yet is done against our will and if destruction overtake us it seises on them that did so much hate and abhor it that we shook and trembled when it did but shew it self to us in a thought And this I take to be an errour as full of danger as it is void of reason of no use at all but to make us favour our selves and ingage and adventure further in those wayes which lead unto death I deny not but as there is great difference in sins so there may be a difference also in committing them that the righteous person doth not drink down sin with that delight and greedinesse which the wicked do that they do not sport themselves in the wayes of death nor fall into them with that easinesse with that precipitancy that they do not count it as a purchase to satisfie their lusts and that most times the event is different for the one falleth down at the feet of God for mercy the other hardens his heart and face and wil not bow but yet I cannot number it amongst the marks and characters of a righteous man or as some love to speak and may so speak if they well understood what they said of one of the elect when he falls into any mortal grievous sin as Adultery Murder and the like that he doth not fall plenâ voluntate with a full consent and will but more faintly and remissly as it were with more Gravity then other men that he did actually fall but was not willing to fal that is that he did wil indeed the sin which he did commit but yet did commit it against his will Nor can I think our consent is not full when we chide and rebuke the tentation and yet suffer it to win ground and gain more and more Advantage against us when we have some grudgings some petty murmurs in our selves and in our heart defame those sins which we shew openly in our Actions for when we have done that which is evil we cannot say we would not have done it when we have made roome for sin to enter we cannot say that we would have excluded it For 1. I cannot see how these two should meet so friendly a double Will nay a contrary will in respect of one and the same Act especially when sin is not in fieri but in facto esse when the temptation hath prevailed and the will determined its act Indeed whilst the Act was suspended and our minde wavering and in doubt where to fasten or which part to embrace whether to take the wedge of Gold or to withdraw whether to smite my brother or to sheath up my sword and anger together whether to taste or not to taste the forbidden Fruit when it was in labour as it were and did strive and struggle between these two the delightfulnesse and unlawfulnesse of the Object between the temptation and the Law whilest the flesh lusteth against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh there may be such an indifferency a kinde of willing and nilling a profer and distast an approach and a pawse an inclination to the object anda fear to come neer But when the sense hath prevailed with the will to determine for it against the reason when lust hath conceived and brought forth then there is no room for this indifferencie because the will hath determined its act and concluded for the sense against the reason for the Flesh against the spirit For we must not mistake the fluctuations and pawses and contentions of the minde and look upon them as the Acts of the will which hath but one simple and indivisible act which it cannot divide between two contraries so as to look stedfastly on the one and yet reflect also with a look of liking upon the other our Saviour hath fitted us with an instance you cannot serve God and Mammon if we know then what the will is we shall know also that it is impossible to divide it and shall be ashamed of that Apologie to say we sin semiplenâ
a Tyrant which is but in his Nostrills you will not forsake it in time of Temptation Love if it be true oh it is mighty in operation stronger then Death it self and will meet and cope with him though he comes towards us on his pale Horse Mieremb de arte volunt with all his pomp and Terrour Love saith a devout Writer is a Philosopher and can discover the Nature and qualities the malignity and weakness of those Evills which are set up to shake our Constancy and strike us from that rock on which we are founded who is a God like unto our God saith David what can be like to that we love what can be equall to it if our Hearts be set on the Truth to it the whole world is not worth a thought Nullum spectaculum sine concussione spiritus Tert. de Spect. c. 15. nor can that shop of vanities shew forth any thing that can shake a soul or make the passions Turbulent and unruly that can draw a Teare or force a smile that can deject it with sorrow or make it mad with joy that can raise an Anger or strike a feare or set a desire on the wing every object is dull and dead and hath nothing of Temptation in it for to love the truth is all in all and it bespeaks the world as Saint Paul did the Grave where is thy victory nor heigh Rom. 8.35,36,37,38,39 nor depth can seperate us from that we love And love is a Sophister able to answere every Argument wave every subtilty and defeat the Deviills 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 his wiles and crafty enterprizes nay Love is a Magician and can conjure downe all the terrours and noyse of Persecution which are those evill Spirits which amaze and cow us Love can rowse and quicken our drooping and fainting spirits and strengthen the most feeble knees and the hands that hang downe If we love the Truth if Truth be the Antecedent the consequent is most Naturall and Necessary and it cannot but follow that therefore we will when there is reason lay downe our lives for it For againe what is said of Faith is true of Love it purifies the Conscience and when that is clean and pure the soul is in perfect Health cheerfull and active full of courage either to doe or suffer ready for that disgrace which brings honour for that smart which begets joy for that wound which shall heale for that Death which is a Gate open'd to Eternity ready to goe out and joyne with that Peace which a good Conscience which is her Angelus custos her Angel to keep her in all her wayes hath seal'd assured unto her A good conscience is an everlasting never-failing foundation the foundation of that bliss which the noble army of martyrs now enjoy But then the clamors checks of a polluted one will not give us leisure enough to build up an holy resolution for when we have deteined the Truth of God in unrighteousnesse 1 Rom. 81. as the Apostle speaks kept it downe as a Prisoner and not suffered it to worke in us any Thing like unto it self when in the whole course of our life we have kept her Captive under our sensuall Lusts and affections have not hearkened to her voice when she bids us do this but done the contrary when in our ruff and jollity we have thus slighted and baffled her it is not probable that in Time of Danger and Astonishment she should have so much power over us as to winne us and to prevail with us to suffer for her sake but we shall willingly nay hastily throw her off and renounce her when to part with her is to escape the evill that we most feare and avoid the blow that is coming towards us for wee shall soon let goe that which wee hold but for fashion sake which we fight against when wee defend it and tread under foot even then when wee exalt it which hath no more credit with us then what our Parents our Education the voice of the People and the multitude of professors have even forc'd upon us If the Truth have no more Power over us if we have no more love for the Truth but this which hath nothing but the name of Love but is indeed the contrary if we blesse it with our Tongue and fight against it with our Lusts at once embrace and stifle it then those sensuall Lusts which in time of Peace did deteine and keep it under will be the same and shew themselves againe in Time of Persecution and be as forcible to deterre us from those Evills which are so but in shew and appearance as they were before to plunge us in those of sin which were true and reall If we love not the truth we are Ismaels and not Isaacs Every uncleane Beast is not fitt to make a Sacrifice nor the hairy scalp of him that goes on in his sinnes fitt for the Crowne of Martyrdome for how shall hee who drawes out his life in Open Hostility to Christ and trifles with him and contemnes him all his Dayes suffer or die for him before Repentance and Reconciliation which is indeed in the very Act of Hostility shall wee seek for Heaven in Hell or shall wee seek for witnesses to the Truth amongst a Generation of Vipers Can he who all his life long hath cast Christs words behind him seale to them with his blood that they are true Can the Conscience so beaten so wasted so overwhelm'd with the Habits of sinne upon the sudden take in and entertaine a Feare of so little a sinne as the denyall of one Truth is in respect of all Can Ismael in the twinkling of an Eye bee made an Isaac I will not say It is Impossible but it carries but little shew of probabilitie and if it be ever done it is not to be brought in censum ordinariorum nor falls out in the Ordinary course that is set and is to bee lookt upon as a Miracle which is not wrought every day but at certain times and upon some important occasion and to some especial end for it is very rare and unusual that conscience should be quiet and silent so long and then on the sudden be as the mighty voice of God That it should lie hid so long and then come forth and work a miracle drive us to the confession of some one truth which had no power to hold us from polluting our selves with so many sins Keep faith 1 Tim. 1.19 saith Saint Paul and a good conscience which some having put away concerning faith have made ship-wrack for so neer an alliance there is between faith and a good conscience that we must either keep them both or lose them both faith being as Saint Paul intimates as the ship and an undefiled conscience as the rudder if you strike off the rudder or let it go the Ship will soon dash upon the rocks and faith will be lost in the waves
we are sick and will be so there is something wanting and a supply is our shame being an Argument of that defect which we are unwilling to acknowledge a Physitian doth but upbraid us and selves in our Disease as in health it self and had rather languish and Dye then be told we are sick And this in the Second place proceeds even from the force and power of Conscience within us which if we will not hearken to it as a Friend will Turne Fury and pursue and lash us and if we will not obey her Dictates will make her feele her whip This is our Judge and our Executioner It whips the sluggard stones the Adulterer Hangs and quarters the Traytor blows upon the misers store and makes the lips of the Harlot bite like a Cockatrice whither shall they goe from her spirit and power whither shall they fly from her presence the Philosopher will tell us 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they fly from themselves Aristot l. 9. Eth. c. 4. yet carry themselves about with them whithersoever they goe Now every thing that is oppressed doth naturally desire ease and so doe they and finding it a laborious thing to quiet the Conscience which cannot be done but by yeelding and bowing our backs to her whip and running from our selves from those sinnes which pleased our sense but enraged our Conscience we seek out many inventions and advance our sinnes against her till they prevail and even put her to silence For in evill men the worst part doth the office of the better corrupts the Records mitigates the sentence pronounceth life in Death The sensuall part is their Conscience their God it bids them doe this and they doe it and when it is done is a ready Advocate to plead for it and defend it It conceives and brings forth the Monster and then gives it what name it please It was a crying sinne It hath now lost its voice It was uncleanness it is now frailty It was treason it is now the love of our Countrey It was perjury It is now prudence Riches commend Covetousnesse bonor Treason pleasure wantonness That which begets sinne nurseth it up till it grow up to strength to oppose it self to Conscience and degrade and put her from her Office and bring in a Thousand sorry excuses to take her place in the midst of which she cannot be heard not heard against Riches whose Sophistry is preferred before her Demonstrations not heard against Beauty which bewitches us and makes us fooles not heard against Honor which lifteth us up so high that we cannot heare her not heard against Power which is the greatest parasite in the world and calls in a world of Parasites to bow before us and blesse us in the Name of the Lord and thus we are first pleased to sinne and then are easily pleased in it wee are in danger and will not know it and when the God of Israel is angry heare what the God of Ekron will say In a word we raise a storme in our selves and whistle it downe we wound our selves and skinn it over we are too soon troubled and too soon eas'd and might recover were not our remedy more fatall then our Disease Thus you see this humour of being pleased is very predominant in most men and in the Third place as it proceeds from the power and force of Conscience which will speak if she may be Heard and doth speake even when she is not heard so it doth from the lustre and Glory of Piety and holinesse which spreads her Beames and darts her Light in the very face of them who have proscrib'd her sent her a Bill of divorce and put her away 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for goodnesse is equally venerable to all men and not onely Good men speak well of her but her enemies praise her in the gates who is so evill that he is willing to goe under that Name How angry will a Strumpet be if you call her so Call a Pharisee a Hypocrite and he will thrust you out of the Synagogue Though I bow downe before an Image yet I am not an Idolater though I break the bonds of Peace yet I am not factious Though I never have enough yet I am not covetous I am not evill though I doe those Things for which we justly call men so Our rule here is quite contrary to that known and received Axiome of the world Malo me divitem esse quam haberi In the managing of our worldly affaires we had rather be rich then be accounted so but in the course of our Religion we are rich enough we are good enough if we have but the name that we are so we are good enough if none dare call us evill And thus it is both in the Errours of our understanding and of our will In the one we think it better to pretend to knowledge and rest our selves in that then to be taught to alter our mind malumus didicisse quam discere That we know something already is our glory Quintil. l. 3. Instit. 1. but to submit our selves to Instruction is an Argument of Imperfection and therefore we account it a punishment to be Taught And this is the reason why so few have retracted their Errors but rather stoutly defended them even a loathness to seem to have erred which mightily reignes in most men but especially in all pretenders unto knowledge Nature it self having annexed a shame unto these two above all other Things which Naturally befall us Lust and Ignorance for as the Italian Proverb is A Learned Fool will be a fool ever And so it is in the other In the practick errors of our life wee would not know our selves nor have others know that we have done any thing amisse qui apponit scientiam apponit dolorem Eccles 1. last vers he that increaseth Knowledge increaseth sorrow for when the knowledge of the Truth incites us to follow after it and the force of Custome draws us back we are as it were at warre and divided in our selves our motion is unquiet as the bounding of a heady Steed with the bit in his mouth we are in our own way and impatient of a Check and we hate those Counsellors which are willing to be eyes to us and lead us out of Danger Tell a heretick he is so He will Anathematize you Tell a Schismatick he is so he will fly from you as from the Plague Tell a persecuter he is so and he will rage more and make it good upon your self deny it and yet make it too manifest That he is so For the will of man loves the channel which it hath chosen and would runne on smoothly and evenly without Interruption but when it meets with any stop or bank it begins to rage and foame and cast up mire and dirt in their faces who do attempt to stop its course volumus errare we will erre and he is an Enemy that tell us the truth volumus peccare
else but the Flattery of our Sense because when I breake the Law my will stoops downe to please my sense and betray my reason but yet when I please my sense I doe not alwayes sinne for I may please my sense and be Temperate I may please my eye and make a Covenant with it I may please my Tast and yet set a knife to my Throat I may please my sense and it may be my Health and Virtue as well as my sinne so in like manner to please men against God is the basest slattery and Saint Paul flings his Dart at it but to please men in reference to God is our Duty and takes in the greatest part of Christianity for thus to please men may be my Allegiance my Reverence my meekness my Longanimity my charitable care of my Brother I may please my superior obey him I may please my obliged Brother and forgive him I may please the poore Lazar and relieve him I may please an erring Brother and convert him and in thus doing I doe that which is pleasing both to God and man What then is that which here St. Paul condemnes Look into the Text and you shall see Christ and men as it were two opposite Termes If the man be in Error I must not please him in his Error for Christ is Truth If the man be in sinne I must not please him for Christ is Righteousness And in this case we must deale with men as Saint Austin did with his Auditory when he observed them negligent in their Duties we must tell them that which they are most unwilling to heare Quod non vult is facere Bonum est saith he That which you will not doe That which you are afraid of and run from That which with all my Breath and Labor I cannot procure you to love That is it which we call to doe good That which you deride That which you Turne away the care from with scorne That which you loath as poyson That which you persecute us for Quod non vultis audire verum est That which you distast when you heare as gall and Wormwood That which you will not Heare That which you call strange Doctrine That is Truth As Petrarch told his friend Si prodessevis scribe quod Doleam Petrarch l 7. de Re. F c. ult If you will profit and Improve me in the wayes of Goodnesse let your Pen drop Gall write something to me which may trouble and grieve me to read so when men stand in opposition to Christ when men will neither heare his voice nor follow him in his wayes but delight themselves in their owne and rest and please themselves in Error as in Truth to awake them out of this pleasant Dreame we must trouble them we must thunder to them we must disquiet and displease them for who would give an Opiate Pill to these Lethargiques To please men then is to tell a sick man that he is well a weak man that he is strong an erring man That he is Orthodox in stead of purging out the noxious Humour to nourish and increase it to smooth and strew the wayes of Error with Roses that men may walk with case and Delight and even Dance to their Destruction to find out their palate and to fittit to envenom that more which they affect as Agrippina gave Claudius the Emperor Poyson in a Mushrome what a seditious Flatterer is in a Common-wealth that a false Apostle is in the Church For as the seditious Flatterer observes and learnes the Temper and Constitution of the place he lives in and so frames his speech and Behaviour that he may seem to settle and establish that which he studies to overthrow to be a Patriot of the Publick good when he is but a Promoter of his private ends to be a servant to the Common-wealth when he is a Traytor so do all Seducers and false Teachers They are as loud for the Truth as the best Champions shee hath but either substract from it or adde to it or pervert and corrupt it that so the Truth it self may help to usher in a lye when the Truth it self doth not please us any lye will please us but then it must carry with it something of the Truth For Instance To acknowledge Christ but with the Law is a dangerous mixture It was the Error of the Galatiams here To magnisy Faith and shut out Good Works is a Dash That we can doe nothing without Grace is a Truth but when we will doe nothing to impute it to the want of Grace is a bold and unjust addition To worship God in Spirit and Truth our Saviour commands it but from hence to conclude against outward worship is an injurious Defalcation of a great part of our Duty The Truth is corrupted saith Nyssen 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Orat. 1. Cont. Ennom To stand fast in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free The Apostle commands it but to stand so as to rise up in the Face of the Magistrate is a Gloss of Flesh and Blood and corrupts the Text Letevery soul be subject to the higher Powers That 's the text but to be subject no longer then the Power is manag'd to our will is a chain to bind Kings with or a Hammer to bear all Power down that we may tread it under our Feet and when we cannot relish the text these mixtures and Additions and Substractions will please us These hang as Jewells in our Eares these please and kill us beget nothing but a dead Faith a graceless life not Liberty but Licentiousnesse not Devotion but Hypocrisy not Religion but Rebellion not Saints but Hypocrites Libertines and Traytors And these we must avoid the rather because they goe hand in hand as it were with the truth and carry it along with them in their Company Tert. de Proscript as Lewd persons doe sometimes a Grave and Sober man to countenance them in their sportiveness and Debauchery De nostro sunt sed non nostrae saith Tertul. They invade that Inheritance which Christ hath left his Church some furniture some colour something they borrow from the truth something they have of ours but Ours they are not And therefore as St. Ambrose adviseth Gratian the Emperor of all Errors in Doctrine we must beware of those which come neerest and border as it were upon the truth and so draw it in to help to defeat it self Because an open and manifest Error carries in its very forehead an Argument against it self and cannot gain admittance but with a vaile whereas these Glorious but painted Falshoods find an easy entrance and begge entertainment in the Name of truth it self This is the Cryptick method and subtill Artifice of men-pleasers that is Men-deceivers to grant something that they may win the more and that too in the end which they grant not rudely at first to demolish the truth but to let it stand that they may the more securely raise
up and fix that Error with which it cannot stand long Saint Paul saw it well enough though the Galatians did not If you be circumcised Christ profiteth you nothing That is is to you as if there were no Christ at all For if the false Apostles had flatly denyed Christ the Galatians would have been as ready as Saint Paul to have Cut them off because they had received the Gospel but joyning and presenting the Law with Christ they did deceive and please them well who began in the Spirit and did acknowledge him but would not renounce the Law propter metum Judaeorunt for feare of their Brethren the Jews Now these men-pleasers these Crows which devour not dead Dictum Diogenis 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Athen Deipnos l. 6. c. 17. but living men are from an Evill Egge and Beginning are bred and hatcht in the dung in the love of this world and are so proud and fond of their Originall that it is their labour their Religion and main designe of their life to bring the Truth Religion and Christ himself in subjection under it and to this end are very fruitfull to bring forth those mishapen issues which savour of the earth and corruption and have onely the name of Christ fastned to them as a badge to commend them bring them to that end for which they had a being which is to gaine the world in the Name but in despight of Christ And these are they who as Saint Peter speaks make merchandize of mens souls 2. Pet. 2.3 nummularii sacerdotes as Cyprian calls them Doctors of the Mint who love the Image of Caesar more then of God and had rather see the one in a piece of Gold then the other renew'd and stampt in a mortall man and this Image they carry along with them whither soever they goe and it is as their Holy Ghost to inspire them for most of the Doctrines they Teach savour of that mint and the same stamp is on them both The same face of Mammon which is in their Heart is visible also in their Doctrine H s 4. â— Thus Hosea complain'd of the false Prophets in his Time peccata populi mci come derunt They cat up the sinne of the People that is by pleasing them they have consented to their sinne and from hence reaped gaine for flatterry is a livelyhood or they did not seriously reprehend the sinnes of the People that they might reeive more sacrifices on which they might feed some render it Levabant animum suum ad peccata populi they lifted up their soule anhelabant they even panted after their sinne desired that they might sinne that they might make advantage and so made them evill to make themselves Rich. For from hence from hence from that for which we cannot find a name nor have a Thought bad enough from a desire to be rich breaks forth that mark of a slave our desire to please Saint Paul hath made a window into their breasts that we may see them with the same hand coyning their Dectrine and Money Rom. 16.18 They that are such serve not the Lord Jesus but their own Belly and by good words and fâ—…re Speeches deceive the Hearts of the simple Serpents they are to Deceive and the Curse of the serpent is upon them upon their belly they goe and they eat Dust all the dayes of their life For a wonderfull Thing it is to see how the love of the world will Transforme men into any shape sometimes to fawne like a Dog sometimes to rage like a Lion and then to lurke like a Fox how like the Charity of the Gospel it makes them to beare all Things beleeve all Things endure all T hings Contumelias in quaestn habere et injuriis pasci to count Contumelies gain and to feed and feed sweetly on Injuries to speak what they doe not think to like what they condemn to mortify themselves to eye and cringe and bow and fall to the ground which is a kind of Mortification more then they will doe for Christ who brings Poverty disgrace and contempt and hath no reward but that which is laid up for the future This brought Plato the great Philosopher a ship-board to sayle to Dionysius his Court Naz. Or. 3. and there laid him down at his feet this made him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. as Nazianz. speaks prefer a Halfe-peny before his goods This was the evill Spirit in the mouth of those lying prophers which did prevaile with Ahab to goe up and fall at Ramoth Gilead This makes men speak not with mens Persons but with their Fartunes not with thye sinner but with the rich and Noble man and this Spirit is abroad still and perswades some into their Graves and some into Hell rayses every storme and every Tempest and makes that desolation which we see upon the Earth Val. Max. l. 4. c. 3. We read that Aristippus found Diogenes washing his Herbs and Roots his daily food and in a kind of pitty or scorne told him That if he would flatter Dionysius he need not eat these nor tye himself to such course fare but Diogenes replies like a Philosopher and returns his saying upon him Si tu ista esse velles Dionysio non adulareris If thou couldest content thy self and feed on these thou wouldst never be so base as to flatter Dionysius And certainly if we could with the Lyrick be content with Nature for our purveyour and look for no supply but from her Hand Having Food and Raiment as Saint Paul speaks could we be there with content did we not enlarge our desires as Hell and send our hopes afarr off did we not love the world and the things of this world we should not thus debase and annihilate our selves as being men our selves to make our selves the shadows of others in their morning to rise with them at their noone and highest to come up and close with them and then at their night fall out and leave them in the dark we should not mould and fitt our best part to their worst our Reason to their lust nor make our fancy the Elaboratory to work out such Essaies which may please and destroy them we should not foment the Anger of the Revenger to consume him nor help the Covetous to bury himself alive nor the Ambitious to break his Neck nor the Schismatick to rend the Seamlesse coat of Christ nor the seditious to swim to Hell in a River of Blood but we should bind the Revengers Hands break the Misers I dols bring down the Ambitious to the Dust make up those rents which Faction hath made and confine the Seditious to his own sphere and Place for who would favour or uphold such Monsters as these but for pay and salary In a word If every man did hate the World every man would love his Brother If every man did keep himself unspotted of the World every man would be his Brothers Keeper when the
caput alterius nè testimonium dicere as the orator observes in Senecas controversies that they cannot be brought to bear witnesse to that truth which may endanger the life of any man so heartlesse that they cannot speak the truth having so much of the woman and the coward that they know not how but count it as a punishment to be just and honest men May we not take these now for quiet and peaceable men no these are not quiet for they never studied it and the orator will tell us mores naturâ non constant there is more required to the composing of our manners and the raising and fixing this virtue in our mind then that which the hand and impression of nature left in us 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith Nazianzen Nazianz. orat 31. for those imbred dispositions those naturall virtues do not reach home Who thanks the sire for its heat or the water for its moisture the snow for being cold or the sun that it doth shine and may we not truly say of these low and tender dispositions whom no disorder can affect no violence move that they are Lambs that is have as much quietnesse as nature instil'd and put into them Again as there is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a naturall quietnesse so there may be also 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a constrained quietness wrought in us by necessity the quietnesse of Esau which would last but till his fathers funerall the quietnesse of a Philistim under the yoke and harrow I might say the quietnesse of Goliah when his head was off And indeed this forced quietnesse is like that of a dead man of whom we may say quiescit he is at rest and quiet because he cannot move Absalom and Achitophel Theudas and Judas Catiline and Cethegus and all those turbulent boutefeaus which history hath delivered to the hatred and detestation of posterity were as quiet before opportunity and hope set their spirits a working as now they are in their urnes or graves Much quietnesse the world hath yielded in this kind and many men who have been quiet against their will who have stood still because they were bound hand and foot or as little able to break forth into action as those that are whilest authority was too strong for them and held them in they were as silent as the night but when the reines were slacked and the bit out of their mouths as raging as the Sea and as loud as the noise of many waters as Virgil describes his horse stare loco nescit they could not be quiet they could not stand still and keep their place or as Job characters out his they swallowed up the ground for rage and fiercenesse they mockt at feare and turned not back from the sword like those wild horses which set the world on fire and threw Phaeton out of the chaire when they were weak and low upon their knees tendring supplications but when their strength increased reaching forth their demands on the point of their sword These Pageants the world shews every day but this is not to be quiet in Saint Pauls sense for nemo pius qui pietatem cavet no man is good or quiet who cannot or dare not for some danger that is neere him and hangs over his head be otherwise 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith Basil we commend those men and call them good and quiet men who are so by choice and election and not by necessity For as he is not a Jew who is one outwardly so is not he a peaceable man who is so outwardly and for a time nor is that quietnesse which is outward in the flesh but he is quiet who is so inwardly and quietnesse is that of the heart in the spirit whose praise is not of men but of God for if the love of peace be in the heart the lips will be sealed and the hands bound up for ever So that to be quiet consists in sweet composure of mind in a calme and contented conversation in a mind ever equall and like unto it self and he is a quiet and peaceable man who is not moved when all things else are stands upon his own basis when all about him is out of frame when the world passeth by him and inverts its scene and changes its fashion every day now shining and anon lowring now flattering anon striking now gliding by us in a smooth and delightfull streame and anon raising up its billows against us in every change is still the same the same when the sword hangs over him and peace shadows him the same when riches increase and poverty comes towards him as an armed man the same when religion flourisheth and the commonwealth hath nothing praeter obsessum Jovem Camillos exules but God dishonoured and good men opprest the same when the world runs crosse to his desires as when he can say So So thus would I have it 〈◊〉 in rebus novis nihil novum to whom nothing comes as new and unexpected who stands as a rock and keeps his own place and station not swelling at an error not angry with contempt not secure in peace not afraid of persecution not shaken with feare not giddied with suspicion not bowed down with covetousnesse nor lifted above himself with pride who walks and is carried on in every motion by the same rule in cujus decretis nulla litura whose decrees and resolutions admit no blot who doth not blot out this daies quietnesse with to morrowes turbulency as Aristides spake of Pericles who is not unquiet or troubled for any rub or interposition Aristides in Photii Bibl. for any affront in his way but keeps himself in an even and constant course as constant in his actions as his knowledge as if you should ask him a question of numbers he will give you the same answer to day which he did yesterday or to morrow which he did to day and many yeares before who by his patience possesseth his soul and will not yield or surrender it up to any temptation or provocation whatsoever there to be swallowed up and lost whom another mans evil doth not make evil another mans riches doe not make pale another mans honor doth not degrade from himself whom another mans noise doth not disquiet another mans riot doth not discompose another mans fury doth not distract another mans schisme doth not divide from the Church in a word who changeth not colour with the world nor is altered with that confused variety and contradiction of so many humors of so many men and applyes himself to every one of them as a Physician to supple and cure and not to enrage them this man is quiet hath gained this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 this quietnesse of mind this man cannot but be at peace with himself and all the world And to this Christianity and the religion which we professe doth bind us this is a plant which our heavenly Father alone doth plant in our hearts in which when
those rules and precepts hath raised such a fence and hedg about every common-wealth which if we did not pluck it up our selves might secure and carry them along in the course of things even to their end that is to the end of the world but this we talk of as we do of many other things and talk so long till we believe it and rest on our guesse and conjecture as on a demonstration but the truth is we are our own fate and destiny we draw out our thread and cut it we start out of our places and divide our selves from one another and then indeed and not till then Fate and Necessity lye heavy upon a kingdom and it cannot stand Christianity binds us to our own businesse and till we break loose till some one or other steps out of his place from it there is peace we are safe in our lesser vessels and the ship of the common-wealth rides on with that smoothnesse and evennesse which it hath from the consistencie of its parts in their own place for though all are one in Christ Jesus yet we cannot but see that there is a main difference between the inward qualification of his members and the outward administration and government of his Church In the kingdomes of the world and so in the Church visible every man is not fit for every place some must teach and some govern some must learne and obey some must put their hand to the plough some to this trade and some to that onely 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Aristotle speaks those who are of more then ordinary wit and ability 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Aristot l. 6 Polit. c. 5. must beare office in Church or Common-wealth One is noble another is ignoble one is learned another is ignorant one is for the spade and another for the sword one for the flaile and sheephook another for the scepter and such a disproportion is necessary amongst men for nihil aequalitate ipsa inaequalius Plin. Epist there is no greater inequality in the world then in a body politick where all the parts are equall for that equality which commends and upholds a Common-wealth ariseth from the difference of its parts moving in their severall measures and proportions as musick doth from discords when every part answers in its place and raiseth it self no higher then that will beare when the magistrate speaks by nothing but the Laws and the subject answers by nothing but his obedience when the greater shadow the lesse and the lesse help to fortifie the great when every part doth its part and every member its office then there is an equality and an harmony and we call it peace For if we move and move cheerfully in our own sphere and calling we shall not start forth to discompose or disorder the motion of others in theirs if we fill our own place we shall not leap over into anothers our desires will dwell at home our covetousnesse and ambition dye our malice cease our suspicion end out discontent vanish or else be soone changed and spiritualized our desires will be levelled on happinesse we shall covet the best things we shall be ambitious of heaven we shall malice nothing but malice and destroy it suspect nothing but our suspicion and be discontent with nothing but that we are so and so in this be like unto God himself and have our Center in our selves or rather make peace our Center that every motion may be drawn from it that in the compasse and Circumference of our behaviour with others all our Actions as so many lines may be drawn out and meet and be united in peace And this is not onely enjoyned by Religion and the Gospel but it is the Method of nature it self which hath so ordered it that every thing in its own place is at quiet and rest and no where else The earth moves not water is not ponderous in its proper place the fire burnes not in its sphere but out of it it hath voracitatem toto mundo avidissimam saith Pliny it spreads it self most violently and devours every thing it meets with nay poyson it self is not hurtfull to those tempers that breed it Senec. ep 81. Illud venenum quod serpentes in alienam perniciem proferunt sine suâ continent saith Seneca The venome of the Scorpion doth not kill the Scorpion and that poyson which serpents cast out with danger and hurt to others they keep without any to themselves And as it is in nature so is it in the society of men Our diligence in our own businesse is soveraign and connaturall to our estates and conditions but most times poysonous abroad and dangerous and fatall to our selves and others When Uzzah put forth his hand to hold up the Ark of God and keep it from falling though his intention were good yet God struck him for his error and rashnesse in moving out of his place and struck him dead 2 Sam. 6.7 because he did not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doe his own businesse when Uzziah invades the Priests office the 2. Chr. 26. and would burn Incense and Azariah the Prophet told him ad te non pertinet it pertaineth not to thee it is not thy businesse even while the censer was yet in his hand his sinne was writ in his forehead he was struck with a leprosie cut off from the city of the Lord v. 21. When Peter was busie to enquire concerning John What shall this man doe Our Saviour was ready with a sharp reply quid ad te what is that to thee thy businesse is to follow me When Christians out of a wanton and irregular zeale did throw down Images and were slaine by the Heathen in the very fact the Church censured them as disturbers of the peace rather then Martyrs and though they suffer'd death in the defiance of Idolatry yet allowed them no place in the Dypticks or in the Catalogue of those who laid down their life for the truth Corah riseth out of his place and the earth swallows him up Sheba is up and blowes a Trumpet and his head flyes over the wall Absalom would up into the Tribunall which was none of his place and was hang'd in the Oke which was fitter for him and if any have risen out of their place as we use to say on the right side and been fortunate villaines their purchase was not great honey mingled with gall Honour drugg'd with the hatred and curses of men with feares and cares with gnawings within and Terrors without all the content and pleasure they had by their great leape out of their place was but as Musick to one stretcht out on the Rack or as that little light which is let in through the crack or flaw of a wall into him that lyes fettered in a loathsome dungeon and at last their wages which was death eternall death and howling for ever Nay when we are out of our place and busie in that which
commit but costs us deare what more painfull then Anger what more perplext and tormenting then Revenge what more intangled then Lust what can more disquiet us then Ambition what more fearefull then Cruelty what sooner disturbed then pride nay further yet how doth one sinne incroche and trespasse upon another I fling off my Pleasure and Honor to make way to my Revenge I deny my Lust to further my Ambition and rob my Covetousnesse to satisfie my Lust and forbeare one sinne to commit another and so do but versuram facere borrow of one sinne to lay it out on another binding and loosing my self as my corruption leads me but never at ease Tell me which is easier saith the Father to search for wealth in the bowells of the earth nay in the bowells of the poore by oppression then to sit down content with thy own night and day to study the world or to embrace Frugality to oppresse every man or to relieve the oppressed to be busie in the Market or to be quiet at home to take other mens goods or to give my own to be full of businesse for others or to have no businesse but for my soul to be solicitous for that which cannot be done or to have no other care but to do what God requires To do this will cost us no sweat nor labour we need not go a Pilgrimage or take any long journey it will not cost us money nor enage us to our friends we need not saile for it nor plough for it nor fight for it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. saith Chrysostome if thou beest willing Chrysost orat de ira obedience hath its work and consummation if thou wilt Arist l. 4 Eth. c. 3. thou art Just Mercifull and Humble As Aristotle spake of his Magnanimous man 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 so to a resolved Christian nothing is great Liber rectus animus omtia subjiciens sin se nuili Sen. cp ult nothing is difficult 'T is not to dig in the Mineralls or labour in chaines 't is not to cleave wood or draw water with the Gibeonites but thy lines are fallen unto thee in a faire place 't is but to do Justly love Mercy c. Lastly it is not onely easie but sweet and pleasant to do what God requires For Obedience is the onely spring from whence these waters of comfort flow it is an everlasting foundation on which alone joy and peace will settle and rest For what place canst thou find what other foundation on which thou mayst build up a true and lasting joy wilt thou look on all the works which thy hands have wrought wilt thou prove thy heart with mirth and gather together all that is desireable and say here it will lye All that joy will soon be exhausted and will draw it self dry That pleasure is but like that beast of the Apothecary to whom Julian the Pelagian likens Saint Austin Non sum similis pâ—arm â—copolae utâ—d t is qui promit tebat Bestiam quae seipsam com sset August Cont. Iul. Pelag. l. 3. c. 21. which he promised his patient of great virtue which before the morning was come had eaten up himself But the doing what God requires our conformity to his will is the onely basis upon which such a superstructure will rise and towre up as high as heaven for it hath the will and power of God to uphold and perpetuate it against all those stormes and tempests which are sent out of the devils treasury to blast or imbitter it Do you take this for a speculation and no more Indeed it is the sin and the punishment of the men of this world to take those truths which most concern them for speculations for the groundlesse conceptions of thoughtfull men for school subtilties rather then realities Mammon and the world have the preeminence in all things and spirituall ravishments and heaven it self are but ingens fabula magnum mendacium as a tedious ly or a long tale that is told And there is no reason of this but their disobedience for would they put it to the triall deny themselves and cleave to the Lord and do what he desires there would then be no need of any Artist or Theologue to demonstrate it or fill their mouth with arguments to convince them of the truth of that which would so fill their souls Of all the Saints and Martyrs of God that did put it to the triall did we ever read that any did complain that they had lost their labour but upon a certain knowledge and sense of this truth betook themselves cheerfully to the hardship of mortification renounced the world and laid down their lives poured out their blood for that truth which paid them back again with interest even with fulnesse of joy Let us then hearken what this Lord will say and answer him in every duty which he requires and he will answer us again and appeare in glory and make the terrours and flatteries of the world the object not of our feare and amazement but contempt and the displeasing and worser side of our obedience our Crown and Glory the most delightfull thing in the world for to conclude this why are we afraid why should we tremble at the commands of God why should their sound be so terrible in our eares The Lord requires nothing of us but that which first is possible to rouse us up to attempt it secondly which is easie to comfort and nourish our hopes and thirdly which is pleasant and delightfull to do to woe and invite and even flatter us to obedience and to draw us after him with the cords of men And what doth he require but to do justly and love mercy c. We have now taken a view of the substance of these words The Application and Conclusion and we have looked upon them in the form and manner in which they lye what doth the Lord require let us now draw them neerer to us for to this end they are sharpned into an interrogation that as darts they might pierce through our souls and so open our eyes to see and our eares to hearken to the wonders of his Law And first this word Lord is a word of force and efficacy and strikes a reverence in us and remembers us of our duty and allegiance for if he be the Lord then hath he an absolute will a will which must be a rule to regulate our wills by his Jubeo and his vete by his commands and prohibitions by removing our wills from unlawfull objects and confining them to that which may improve and perfect them from that which is pleasing but hurtfull to his Laws and commands which are first distastfull and then fill them with joy unspeakable And this is the true mark and character of a servant of God to be then willing when in a manner he is unwilling to be strong when the flesh is weak to have no will of his own
in his hand For the state and face of things may be such as may warrant Demosthenes wish and choice and make it more commendable in exilium ire quà m tribunal to go into banishment then to ascend the tribunal for he best deserves honour who can in wisdome withdraw himself he can best manage power who knows when to lay it down Bring him now from the publick stage of honour to his private house and there you might have seen him walking as David speaks in the midst of his house in innocency and with a perfect heart as an Angel or intelligence moving in his own sphere and carrying on every thing in it with that order and Decorum which is the glory of a stranger whose moving in it is but a going out of it to render an account of every act and motion you might have beheld him looking with a settled and immoveable eye of love on his wife walking hand in hand with her for forty foure yeares and walking with her as his fellow-traveller with that love which might bring both at last to the same place of rest You might behold him looking on his children with an eye of care as well as of affection initiating them into the same fellowship of pilgrims and on his servants not as on slaves Quid Servus Amicus humilis but as his humble and inferiour friends as Seneca calls them and as his fellow-pilgrims too and thus he was Domesticus Magistratus a Domestick Magistrate a lover and example of that truth which Socrates taught that they who are good Fathers of their family will make the best and wisest Magistrates they who can manage their own cock-boat may be fit at last to sit at the stern of the common-wealth for a private family is a type and representation of it nay saith Eusebius in the life of Constantine of the Church it self I confesse I knew but in his evening when he was neer his journeys end and then too but at some distance but even then I could discover in him that sweetnesse of disposition that courteous affabibility which Saint Paul commends as virtues but have lost that name with Hypocrites with proud and supercilious men who make it a great part of their Religion to pardon none but themselves and then think that they have put off the old man when they have put off all humanity In these Omilitick vertues I could discern a fair proficiency in this reverend Knight and what my knowledg could not reach was abundantly supplied and brought unto me by the joynt testimony of those who knew him and by a testimony which commends him to heaven and God himself the mouthes of the poor which he so often filled Thus did he walk on as a stranger comforting and supporting his fellow-Pilgrims and reaching forth his charity to them as a staffe Thus he exprest himself living and thus he hath exprest himself in his last Will which is voluntas ultra mortem the Will the Mandate the Language of a Dead man Speculum morum saith Pliny the Glasse wherein you may see the Charity that is the Face the Image of a Pilgrim by which he hath bequeathed a Legacy of Comfort and Supply a plain acknowledgement that he was but a stranger on the earth to every Prison and to many Parishes within this City and remembers them who are in bonds as one who himself was in the body and sometimes a prisoner as they I know in this world it is a hard thing Justum esse sine infamia to be good and not to heare ill expedit enim malis neminem esse bonum for evil men make it their work to deface every faire image of virtue and then think well of themselves when they have made all as evil as themselves but it was this our honoured brothers happinesse to find no accuser but himself I may truly say I never yet heard any but report hath given him an honourable passe the voice of the poor was He was full of good works the voice of the City he was a good Magistrate the voice of his equalls he was a true friend the voice of all that I have heard he was a just man and then our charity will soon conclude he was a good Christian for he lived and died a son of the Church of the reformed and according to the way which some call Heresy some Superstition so worshipped he the God of his Fathers And now he is gone to his long home and the mourners go about the streets He is gone to the grave in a full age when that was well neer expired which is but Labour and sorrow 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Cyril speaks grown in wisdom and grace which is a fairer testimony of age then the gray haires or fourscore yeares his body must return to the dust and his soul is return'd to God that gave it and being dead he yet speaketh speaketh by his Charity to the Poore speaketh by his faire example to his Brethren of the City to honour and reverence their Conscience more then their Purse vitamque impendere vero and to be ready to resign all even life it self for the truth he speaks to his friends and he speaks to his relict his virtuous and reverend Lady once partner of his cares and joyes his fellow-travellour and to his children who are now on their way and following a pace after him weep not for me why should you weep I have laid by my Staff my Scrip my provision and am at my journeys end at rest I have left you in a valley in a busie tumultuous world but the same hand the same provision the same obedience to Gods commands will guide you also and promote you to the same place where we shall rest and rejoyce together for evermore There let us leave him in his eternall rest with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob with all the Patriarchs and prophets and Apostles all his fellow-Pilgrims and strangers in the Kingdom of Heaven FINIS By the forced absence of the Author from the Presse besides many points mistaken these Errata have escaped which the Reader is desired to amend as he finds them PAg. 4. l. 12. r. Transacted p. 12. l. 23. r. riddle p. 25. l. 7.5 These will bring in p. 26. l. 39. r. not because he cannot but because he will not p. 27. l. 13. r. bought mortall pag. 33. marg Eulalia p. 39. l. 10. not p. 65. l. 14. cast himself into hell p. 83. ult this noise when PAg. 10. l. 5. for that hath p. 13. l. 14. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ibid. l. 19. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 14. l. r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ibid. marg Tit. for Tim. ibid. l. 7. in them p. 16. c. 6. entered p. 17. l. 21. Sublunary p. 23. l. 39. be the cause p. 24. l. 25. founded on p. 35. l. 40. beautifying p. 45. l. 3. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 54. l. 30. for and are p. 58. l. 27. for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 63. l. 19. affectuall p. 75. l. 9. about p. 78. marg for Deus Duos p. 89. l. 30. breath of fooles p. 89. l. 32. abfuerunt p. 99. l. 8. of the object p. 100. l. 27. for innocence justice p. 104. l. 27. start back ibid. l. 30. intention ibid. l. 33. shunk p. 108. l. 40. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 118. l. 27. victo viâ for victoriâ p. 121. l. 4. worn out with p. 122. l. 7. steame p. 125. l. 32. maintaining some errours p. 126. l. 35. that which was p. 136. l. 31. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ibid. l. 42. measured out p. 137. l. 25. Adde that which is done often with that which is done alwaies p. 161. l. 9. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 192. l. 18. aegris p. 168. l. 33. r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 178. l. 13. adde many times makes us speak what otherwise we would not p. 207. l. 15. r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 208. l. 25. r. shines p. 228. l. 29. r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 230. l. 16. r. the memory p. 241. l. 5. r. lifts us p. 242. l. 37. r. over that p. 244. l. 5. r. non exercere p. 240. l. 25. r. not his mercies p. 250. l. 13. r. to file and hammer them p. 251. l. 39. r. of their faith ibid. l. 43. r. and now this heartlesse p. 252. l. 25. r. but then p. 253. l. 6. r. God will do p. 260. l. 9. r. reviled p. 264. l. 1. r. usurp p. 266. l. 18. r. disarme death p. 283. l. 23. r. Salviguardium ibid. l. 34. Dele The third inference p. 300. l. 33. r. Petrus Damiani p. 304. l. 44. r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 306. l. 15. r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 307. l. 41. r. faceremus p. 325. l. 30. r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 331. l. 24. r. wasting ourselves p. 337. l. 46. r. For want of this p. 338. marg for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 343. l. 9. r. the love of that p. 344. l. 3. r. sound p. 345. l. 3. r. as the occasion of sinne p. 350. l. 10. r. define them p. 351. l. 30. r. see in them p. 353. l. 37. r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 354. l. 14. r. if he be p. 359. l. 20. r. and last of all p. 362. l. r. r. make us feel p. 363. l. 3. r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 364. l. 14. adde which when we cannot fill up c. ibid. l. 41. r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 368. l. 34. r. tune p. 370. l. 41. r. sticks it in them p. 373. marg r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 374. l. ult r. Cynick p. 403. l. 3. r. is this faith p. 427. l. 37. r. kicking p. 447. l. 13. r. ◠p. 478. l. 3. r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 521. l. 11. r. now bowing p. 537. l. 3. r. they leave a soul p. 574. l. 33. r. seen in our cities p. 619. l. 22. r. to be removed
condition To these Dominus veniet the Lord will come and his coming is called the consummation of all things that which makes all things perfect and restores every thing to its proper and natural condition The creature shall have its rest the earth shall be no more wounded with our plowshares nor the bowels of it digg'd up with the mattock there shall be no forbidden fruit to be tasted no pleasant waters to be stolen no Manna to surfet on no Crowns to fight for no wedge of gold to be a prey no beauty to be a snare Dominus veniet the Lord will come and deliver his Creature from this bondage perfect and consummate all and at once set an end both to the world and vanity Lastly Dominus venit the Lord will come to men both good and evil he shall come in his glory Math. 25.31,32 and he shall gather all Nations and separate the one from another as a Shepherd divideth his sheep from his goats and by this make good his Justice and manifest his providence in the end for his Justice is that which when the world is out of order establisheth the pillars thereof for sin is an injury to the whole Creation and inverts that order which the Wisdom of God had first set up in the World My Adultery defileth my body my oppression grindeth the poor my malice vexes my brother my craft removes the Land-mark my particular sins have their particular objects but they all strike at the vniverse disturb and violate that order which wisdom it self first establisht and therefore the Lord comes to bring every thing back to its proper place to make all the wayes of his Providence consonant and agreeable to themselves to Crown the Repentant Sinner that recover'd his place and bind and setter the stubborn and obstinate offendor who could not be wrought upon by promises or by Threats to move in his own sphere Dominus veniet the Lord will come to shew what light he can strike out of Darkness what Harmony he can work out of the greatest disorder what beauty he can raise out of the deformed body of sinne for sinne is a foul deformity in Nature and therefore he comes in judgement to order and place it there where it may be forced to serve for the Grace and Beauty of the whole where the punishment of sinne may wipe out the disorder of sinne where every thing is plac'd as it should be and every man sent 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Act. 1.25 Gers to his proper place nec pulchrius in coelo Angelus quant in Gehennâ Diabolus Heaven is a fit and proper place for an Angel of light for the Children of God and Hell is as fit and proper for the Devil and his Angels Now the wayes of men are crooâ—ed Intricate and their Actions carried on with that contrariety and contradiction that to quit and help himself out of them and take himself off from that Amazement Duos Ponticus deos tanquam duas Symplegadas naufragii sui adsert quem negare non potuit i.e. creatorem i. e. nostrum quem procare non poteâ—it i. e suum Tert c. 1. adv Marcion Marcion ran dangerously upon the greatest Blasphemy and brought in two Principles one of Good and another of Evill that is two Gods but when he shall come and lay Judgement to the line all things will be even and equall and the Heretick shall see that there is but one now all is jarring discord and confusion when he comes he makes an everlasting Harmony he will draw every thing to its right and proper end restore Order and beauty to his work fill up those breaches which sinne hath made and manifest his wisedome and Providence which here are lookt upon as hidden mysteries in a word to make his Glory shine out of Darkness as he did light when the earth was without forme That the Lord may be all in all Here in this world all lyes as in a night in darkness in a Chaos or confusion and we see neither what our selves nor others are we see indeed as we are seen see others as they see us with no other Eyes but those which the Prince of this world hath blinded Our Judgement is not the Result of our Reason but is rais'd from by and vile respects If it be a friend we are friends to his vice and study Apologies for it If it be an enemy we are Angry with his virtue and abuse our witts to disgrace it If he be in Power our eyes dazle and we see a God come downe to us in the shape of a man and worship this Meteor though exhaled and raised from the dung with as great Reverence and Ceremony as the Persians did the Sunne what he speaks is an Oracle and what he doth is an Example and the Coward the Mammonist or the Beast gives sentence in stead of the man which is lost and buried in these If he be small and of no repute in the world he is condemned already though he have reason enough to see the Folly of his Judges and with pitty can null the Censure which they passe If he be of our Faction we call him as the Manichees did the chiefest of their Sect one of the Elect but if his Charity will not suffer him to be of any we cast him out and count him a Reprobate The whole world is a Theatre or rather a Court of corrupt Judges which judge themselves one another but never judge righteous Judgement for as we Judge of others so we do of our selves Judicio favor officit our self-love puts out the eye of our Reason or rather diverts it from that which is good and imployes it in finding out many Inventions to set up Evill in its place as the Prophet Esay speaks wee feed on Ashes a deceived Heart hath Turned us aside Isa 44.20 that we cannot deliver our soul and say is there not a lie in our Right Hand Thus he that sows but sparingly is Liberall He that loves the world is not Covetous He whose eyes are full of the Adultress is chast He that sets up an Image and falls down before it is not an Idolater he that drinks down blood as an Oxe doth water is not a Murderer He that doth the works of his Father the Devill is a Saint Multa injustè fieri possunt quae nemo possit reprehendere Cic. de Finibus 93. Many things we see in the world most unjustly done which we call righteousnesse because no man can commence a suit against us or call us into question and we doubt not of Heaven if we fall not from our cause or be cast as they speak in Westminster Hall If Omri'â— statutes be kept we soon perswade our selves that the power of this Lord will not reach us and if our names hold faire amongst men we are too ready to tell our selves That they are written also in the Book of Life This is
the Judgement of the world Thus we judge others and thus we judge our selves so byass'd with the Flesh that for the most we passe wide of the Truth Others are not to us nor are we to our selves what we are but the work of our own hands made up in the world and with the help of the world for the wisdome of this world is our Spirit and Genius that rayses every Thought dictates all our words begetteth all our Actions and by it as by our God we live and move and have our being And now since judgment is thus corrupted in the world even Justice requires it Et veniet Dominus qui malè judicata rejudicabit the Lord will come and give judgement against all these crooked and perverse Judgements and shall lay Righteousness to the Plummet Is 28.17 and with his oreath sweep away the refuge of lyes and shall judge and passe another manner of sentence upon us and others then we doe in this world Then shall we be told which we would never believe though we have had some Grudgings and whisperings some half Informations within us which the love of this world did soon silence and suppress Then shall he speake to us in his displeasure Aliud est judicium Christi aliud anguli Susurrorum Hier. and though we have talk'd of him all the day long tell us we forgot him If we set up a golden Image he shall call us Idolaters though we intended it not and when we build up the Sepulchres of the Prophets and flatter our selves and accuse our Fore-fathers tell us we are as great murderers as they and thus find us guilty of that which we protest against and haters of that which we think we love and lovers of that which we think we detest and take us from behind the bush from every lurking hole from all shelter of excuse take us from our Rock our Rock of Ayre on which we were built and dash our presumptuous Assurance to Nothing Nor can a sigh or a groane or a loud profession a Fast or long Prayers corrupt this Lord or alter his sentence but he shall judge as he knows who knows more of us then we are willing to take notice of and is greater the our Conscience which we shrink and dilate at pleasure and fit to every purpose and knoweth all things and shall judge us not by our Pretence our Intent or forc'd Imagination but secundum Evangelium according to his Gospel veniet he shall come when all is thus out of Order to set all at Right and strait again And this is the end of his coming The Third Particular Non nostis Horam You know not the Hour And now being well assured that he will come we are yet to seek and are ready with the Disciples to Ask When will these things be and what hour will he come veniet come he will Et hocsatis est aut nescio quid satis sit as P. Varus spake upon another occasion this is enough or we cannot see what is enough But nothing is enough to those who have no mind nor Heart to make use of that which is enough to them enough is too much for they look upon it as if 't were nothing and therefore Christ doth not feed and nourish this thriftless and unprofitable Humor but bridles and checks it puts in his veto his prohibition not to search after more then is Enough Non nostis Horam you know not the hour is all the Answer which he who best knows what 't is fit for us to know will afford our Curiosity For what is that we doe not desire to know Sen. devit Beat. c. 32. Curiosum nobis Natura dedit ingenium saith the Philosopher Nature it self may seem to have imprinted this itch of Curiosity in our very mindes and witts made them inquisitive given them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an eye which never sleepes never rests upon one Object but passeth by that and gazeth after another That he will come is not enough for our busy but idle curiosity to know we seek further yet to know that which cannot be known the Time and very hour of his coming The mind of man is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Enormi otiosae curiositati tanâ—aâ—… decrit dis ere quantum â—buerit inquiâ—ere Terr de Anima c. ult restless in perpetuall motion It walkes through the Earth sometimes looks upon that which delights it sometimes that which grieves it stays and dwells too long upon both and misinterprets them to her own Impoverishing and disadvantage perruâ—pit Coeli munimenta saith Seneca it breaks through the very Gates of Heaven and there busily pryes after the Nature of Angels and of God himself but see it not Enters the Holy of Holies and there is venturing into the Closet of his secrets and there is lost lost in the search of those Things of Times and Seasons which are past finding out and are therefore set at such a distance that we may not send so much as a Thought after them which if they could be known yet could not advantage us It was a good Commendation which Tacitus gives of Agricola retinuit quod est difficulimum in sapientiâ modum In vita Agricolae He did what is difficult for man to doe bound and moderate himself in the pursuit of knowledge and desired to know no more then that which might be of use and profitable to him which wisdom of his had it gain'd so much credit as to prevaile with the sonnes of men which would be thought the Children of Wisedome they had then laid out the precious Treasure of their Time on that alone which did concern them and not prodigally mispent it on that which is impertinent in seeking that which did fly from them when they were most intentive and Eager in their search If this Moderation had been observed There be Thousand questions which had never been rais d Thousand Oâ—inions which had never been broacht Thousands of errors which had never shew'd their heads to disturb the Peace of the Church to obstruct and hinder us in those wayes of Obedience which alone without this impertinent turning our eye and looking aside will carry us in a strait and even course unto our end Why should I pride my self in the Finding out a new conclusion when t is my greatest and my onely glory to be a New Creature why should I take such paines to reconcile Opinions which are Contrary my businese is to still the Contradictions of my mind those Counsells and desires which every day thwart and oppose one another what profit is it to refute other mens errours whilst I approve and love and Hugg my owne What purchase were it to find out the very Antichrist and to be able to say This is the man All that is required of me is to be a Christian what if I were assured the Pope was the Beast I sought for he appeared in as