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A13284
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A spirituall posie for Zion. Or Two decades of observations, theologicall and philosophicall. By Archibald Symmer, preacher of Gods word at Great-Oakley in Northhampton-shire
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Symmer, Archibald.
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1629
(1629)
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STC 23588; ESTC S118075
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30,896
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50
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A SPIRITVALL POSIE FOR ZION OR Two Decades of Observations Theologicall and Philosophicall BY ARCHIBALD SYMMER Preacher of Gods word at Great-Oakley in North-hampton-shire Virus ero sime carnalis aranea carpat Sed mel siqua legat spiritualis apes LONDON Printed for W. Sheares 1629. TO THE RIGHT WORSHIPFVLL Sir THOMAS BROOKE of Great-Oakley Knight one of his Majesties Iustices of Peace in North-hampton-shire and my very gratious Patron Grace in this world and glory in the world to come Right Worshipfull WOnderfull is the power of the Almighty in the sense of Smelling and powerfull is his providence in the object of the same whether corporall or spirituall for as the first object is double naturall and artisiciall so is it a double demoustration of that vigilant care The first part of this ocular argument is this goodly Theatre the earth garnished with her glorious garment of Flora's fertilities that admirable diversitie of fragrant flowers The second part is apparent by that acumen hominis which God hath instilled into his reasonable creature for the refreshment of the spirits through the nostrils for the witty industry of man about the procurement of artificiall smels is great as appeareth by his diligence about the Moschat Sivet Conradus Gesner Hist of foure footed beasts c. But as the spirituall smell of the soule is farr more pretious so is the Divine Love Providence in this farre more great and gratious the impregnable proofe pregnant trueth wher of is his eternall word whence the Redeemed of the Lord doe gather odoriferous flowers to prevent the noysome and loathsome smell of impietie the contemplative smelling of which gratious garlands is the continuall delight of Davids Blessed man Psal 1.2 the practique a sweet savour unto the Lord as in the example of Noah Gen 8.21 Now out of this sacred Garden by the blessing of that ever blessed Gardener I have gathered a few spirituall flowers which I present unto your Worship in testimonie of my thanksulnes for all your constant loves earnestly craving that these first fruits of my poore Labours may passe into the world under the shelter of your gratious acceptation which patronage if I obtaine then shall this Tuzzimuzzie have its wished and expected smell Though theresore the mighty Apolloes of this Learned generation could have dedicated vnto your W. a farre more odoriferous Nosegay yet reject not this simple one The Persian Prince tooke in good part The water of the well Because he saw the giuers heart The givers gift excell So let it please your W. to respect Non quid sed quo animo for what I can I offer For loe I offer at your kindnesse shrine This little Incense or this flower of mine And so I humbly take my leave commending both your selfe and all yours to the effectuall blessing and grace of the Lord and to the power of his word whereby hee is able to build you up further and to give you an incorruptible inheritance among those that are called and sanctisied through faith in the Lord Iesus Your Worships ever to command ARCHIBALD SYMMER To the Christian Reader IT may come to passe Christian Reader that some affe-ear'd Midas will misconstrue these words of the Wife-man Heeks 12.12 Of making many bookes there is no end and much reading is a wearinesse of the flesh and some Cynicke Momus will mutter with the COmicke Niljam dictum quod non sit dictum priur all this therefore is but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 But let thy Christianity canse thee to consider the truth of that tryed Position 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Nil tam facile quà m otiosum dormientem de alioram labore vigilijs disputare Hieron in Hos Martial shall sooner finde Lelius carping his verses then publishing his owne Sed tu vide et side The drift of my labours is thy good the information of the ignorant and reformation of the rebellious If I obtaine this thing blessed is my desire If thou attaine this end blesse God the Beginner and finisher of the same and so let carping Theon bite till his gums ake and viperous Zoilus spider-like consume his owne bowels through vnregarded malice but thou Vive vale siquid novisti rectius ist is Candidus imperti si non his utere meeum And so I commend thee to the grace of the Almightie and rest Thine in the Lord Iesus A.S. A SPIRITVALL Posie for ZION The first Decad. Fl. 1. Of CHARITIE IEhova Alpha and Omega Invocatio Gen. 15.1 Ps 18.2 thou All sufficient Shield to thy Saints who out of the mouth of babes Psalm 8.2 and sucklings hast ordained strength and perfected thy prayse direct and protect I humble intreat thee both the minde and pen of thy poore servant that whatsoever shall proceed from hence may bee according to the Analogie of faith and tend to the declaration of thy most orthodoxall will through Christ our Immortall Redeemer Amen And thou Gentle Reader because I would have thee use me and peruse my labours in Love and Iudgement I have begun with thee in Love and of Charitie and Sebrietie Aristotle entereth into the treatise of his Demonstratiue Syllogisme in his Posterior Analytikes with the consideration of the these three Questions principally Cap. 1. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 so to borrow the Aegyptian spoile wee will beginne our Love the Infallible Demonstration of unfained Christianitie 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2 Cor. 13.11 that there is Brotherly Love even among the Militant Saints of God is questienlesse for as Ichova the true God is the God of Love so the true Chrulian the man of God is the man of Love as were Abraham Gen. Rom. 9.3 Col. 1.4.1 Thess 1.3 Philem. 5. Heb. 6.10 Apoc. 2.19 45.15 Moses Exod. 32.32 Paul the Colossians the Thessalonians Philemon the Hebrewes and the Angel and Pastor of the Church in Thyattia Neither indeed is it possible to be otherwise for as the Apostle saith 1. Cor. 13.1 Though I speake with the tongue of men and of Angels and haue not Charitie I am become as sounding brasse or a tinckling cymball And as by faith the Redeemed of the Lord possesse Christ lesus their Immortall Husband Gal. 3.26 and by patience their owne soules Luke 21.19 so by the eternall bond of Christian Amitie they enjoy one another 1 Cor. 13.13 Ps 133.1 Though therefore as the Lord lesus saith Matth. 24.12 Among the wicked because iniquity shall abound the Love of many shall waxe cold yet the Love of the Elect shall continue and whosoever denieth this shall of necessitie inferre and averre this monstrous and rediculous absurditie that there is no treu Congregation on the earth which flatly contradicteth that trueth of the holy Ghost Psalm 97.10 The Lord preserveth the soules of his Saints Then take away Charitie take away the Congregation of Charitie Eph. 1.23 and 5.30 for this Mysticall Body of Christ
〈◊〉 〈◊〉 what is the cause of it for as the Poet saith Foelix qui potuit rerum cognoscere ausas Charitie is an heavenly agitation both in and on the sanctified heart whence then is it from the earth no for all that is of the earth is both earthie and earthly but brotherly loue is heavenly therefore it must needs come from the Lord of heaven heavenly This fire then is kindled from the Empyrell Paradise of God and this love is enlived and caused after this manner The God of Love yea the Lord of Love it selfe hath loved us 2 Cor. 13.11.1 Iohn 4.16 Zeph. 2.1 Ephes 1.4 when we were not worthy to bee loved yea before we were at all in rerum natura which divine supreame love moved and procured him to chuse us in Christ before the foundation of the world That we should be holy and blamelesse before him in love This love of the Lord to his Saints kindleth in their hearts this their deare love to their loving God againe which is a finall cause of that sempiternall love So then that archetypus primigenius amor that un searchable love of IEHOVA is the efficient cause hujus amoris ectypi of this our love to our Maker for as the seale imprinteth into the waxe that image and character that is ingraven first into it selfe so the Love of God to us imprinteth into our hearts our love to him againe And of this love of ours to the Lrd ariseth our bounden Charity to our Brethren The Faithfull love one another because they love the Lord. Neither is it possible to be otherwise for the Spirit saith If a man say I love God and hateth his Brother be is a lyar for hee that loveth not his Brother whom hee hath seene how can he love God whom he hath not seene 1 Iohn 4.20 The necessity then of the connexion of those two loves of God and man is great yea absolute and the equity of of the dependencie of the latter upon the former is infringible because man is the Image of God created after the same Calvin Iust 1.2 c. 8. sect 40. Gen. 1.27 and the Samts recreated and renued in knowledge c. Colos 3.10 whence it followes that whosever loves the Lord dearely with Danid Ps 18.1 cannot choose but love his children sincerely Wee doe not speak of that mercenary love wherewith the servile Mammonists and slavish drudges of this perishing world with the Iewes doe love God for his Wine his Oyle and such transitories nor of that evanishing shadow of sâ—â—ming Charity wherewith the Hypocrites of this subtile generation favour the righteous for by-respects and sinister ends but we treat of that true love wherewith we love our blessed God for his owne most sweet and gracious selfe and of that upright Charity by the meanes whereof in trueth of heart we may say one to another as Paul to his Corinths It is not yours but you that I seeke a Cor. 12.14 And so this Brotherly love is that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that infallible signe of true saving grace planted in that sanctified heart that enjoyes it whereby such a noble faithfull and loving Brother may most certainly perswade his owne soule that hee truely loveth his God and was first beloved of him and that before the â—oundation of the world so that now all things worke together for his best his Blisse Rom. 8.28 even his eternall Ioy being called according to the purpose of God which is his sweetest consolation For never did yea never could there any man love the chosen Darlings of God but onely he who was first beloved eveâ—lastingly and mercisully chosen of God O then let us labour for the reall practise Application true exercise of this most joyfull and blessed affection The woman of Samaria when shee knew that gift of God namely the excellencie of the water of Life shee entreated the Lord to give it her that she might thirst no more Iohn 4.15 So behold and consider the dignity of this fire of Love and Life and be ravished with a servent desire of it Motives to Charity And that we may be moved unto the amiable performance of this most acceptable obedience let us listen to these two mightie motives the first is the soeveraigne will and imperious precept of the Lord of hostes the second is the fruitfulnesse and gracious bounty of this liberall Grace Concerning the first we are most frequently commanded to love our neighbour Exod. 23.4 Lâ—uit 19.18 Dâ—ut 22.1 Proverb 15.17 Esay 1.17 Matth. 19.19 Luke 11.42 Iohn 13.34 35. c. 15.12 17. Rom. 12.9 10. c. 13.8.1 Cor 1.2.2 Cor. 2.8 Gal. 5.6.13 14. 22. Ephes 3.17 c. 4.2.15 32. Phil. 1.9 c. 2.2 Colos 2.2.1 Thess 3.12 c. 4.9 c 5.8.1 Timoth. 1.5 c. 2.15 c. 4.12 c. 6.11.2 Timoth. 1.13 2.22 Tit. 2.2 Heb. 10.24 Iam. 1.27.1 Pet. 1.22 c. 2.27 c. 3.8 c. 4.8 c. 5.14.2 Pet. 1.7.1 Iohn 2.10 c. 3.11.14.16 18. 23. c. 7.11 21.2 Iohn 5. Iude 2. So frequent is the precept because the duty is so necessary Concerning the second motive great is the utility and bounty of love for first it causeth that amiable and quiet peace of assotiation which the Psalmist declareth with the blessings that accompany the same in this manner Behold how good and how comely and pleasant a thing it is for Brethren to dwell together in unity Psal 133. It is like the precious oyntment upon the head that ran downe upon the beard even Anrons beard that went downe to the skirts of his garments as the deaw of Hermon and as the deaw that descended upon the Mountaines of Sion for there the Lord commanded the blessing even life for evermore Charitie is the exercise of the faithfull Cal. 5.6 1 Cor. 16.14 Whence it comes to passe that as the ungodly bury many good gists in others under that one infirmity of malice â—rov 10.12 so Gods Children cover many infirmities in others under that one good gist of Charity for as St. Hierome saith Non aequè audiunt Inimici Amici qui Inimicus est etiam in scirpo nodum quaerit Envie hath the yellow laundies 1 Cor. 13.5.6 but Charity is not easily provoked thinketh no evill rejoy ceth not in iniquitie but rejoyceth in the truth for Charitie is not suspitious but beareth all things beleeueth all things hopeth all things endureth all things Chap. 8.2 Chap 13.4 Charitie edifieth Wherein in many things for it worketh longanimitie and patience kindnesse benevolence and humilitie Vnto these Charity addeth spirituall magnanimitie 1 Iohn 4.18 By the vertue of Charitie the Saints live in the light of the Lord and are blamelesse 1 Iohn 2.10 By Charitie we are perswaded of the sanctifying grace of God in this world Chap 3.14 and of his crowning glorie in the world to come Finally Charitie is the bond of perfection Coloss 3.14 and the