long time beleeved to be such Sed oculos à rebus omnibus abducas quae Deus non sunt si veritatem quaeras Esay 8. 20. To the Law and to the Testimony Joh. 5.29 Search the Scriptures from these wells must we draw the waters of life purifying refreshing and saving truths {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} The Veyn and Mine of truth hath many windings and intricate turnings requiring a sagacious and industrious minde to follow it 2 Shew your love to truth by propagating and imparting it to others when your selves have discovered it Veritas nihil erubescit praeterquam abscondi Truth is onely ashamed to bee hidden as the Sunne to be clouded or eclipsed Truth as light wasts not by communicating it selfe to others Quò communius bonum eò divinitus Shew your love to it and to men by teaching it to others but in a calme and unpassionate way truth is best seene in cleare and untroubled waters {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} Ephes. 4. 15. Speaking the truth in love Pittying not triumphing in others ignorance or reproaching their errors and weaknesse of judgement Farther shew your love by using all meanes to plant and nourish truth by setting up the lights of good and painefull Preachers in the dark and obscure corners of our Land where God knowes many poore soules perish for want of knowledge such I meane as can and will rightly divide the Word of truth 1 Tim. 2. 15. There is no engine you can invent so effectuall to batter down and demollish the adverse party or to secure the prosperitie of our Church and State But this will hardly be done without encouraging men to the study and preaching of truth in the way of necessary competent and liberall maintenance for it is most certaine as Bishop lewell sometime told Queen Elizabeth in a Sermon Tenuitatem beneficiorum necessario sequitur ignorantia sacerdotum Never flatter your selves that the Lampes of the Temple will burne at all or but very dimly and poorely if you supply them not with Oyle sufficient to enliven themselves and enlighten others 3. Shew your love of truth by a zealous active and constant maintaining of it Zeale is flamma amoris Love raised to a flame by all justifiable wayes asserting the honour of it and the professors of it against the profanenesse idlenesse envy calumnies and oppositions of the enemies thereof either Atheists sensuall ignorant or superstitious 2 Cor. 13. 8. We can doe nothing against the truth but for the truth doe all you lawfully may by severe and wholesome Edicts fencing in and fortifying truth against the Seminary incursions of those that seeke to encroach upon its ancient bounds also against the bold and impudent Preaching Printing and Disputing for the contrary errors which have beene long agoe exploded and confuted which by misused power or tacit connivence seeke to creepe in and undermine our truth Leakes may sinke us as well as rockes split us Jude 3. Contend then earnestly for the truth but with the power of Gods not mans arme of flesh with a contention of love not of force such as may not destroy men but their errors which otherwise will destroy them Truth is so sufficiently armed with its owne power that it needes not the assistance of the Sword or Canon which reach not the minds of men nor can divide them from their errors nor batter downe the {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} strong holds of prepossessed false opinions That excellency if power which is in the Word of God and his Spirit is onely able to subdue the understanding Yet must not the Magistrate so farre be wanting to Gods glory and the Churches good as to faile to defend truth against those that by cunning or force seeke to subvert it setting up the just t 〈…〉 or of those Lawes which may chase away those Owles and Bats and ferall Birds that love darkenesse and portend a night where ever they appeare that cannot endure the light because their workes are evill as well as their doctrines false 4. Shew your love to the Truth as by doing for it all you can so by obeying the truth from the heart 1 Pet. 1. 22. by living conformably to it that there be no solaecisme in your lives that the truth of your doctrine be not confuted by the corruptnesse of your manners not onely seeking the truth and speaking the truth and defending the truth but farther doing the Truth 1 John 1. 6. which is the strongest vindication of its honour and your beleefe of it There is a labour of love which loves its labour ready to deny our selves in any thing neere or deare to us rather than deny any saving truth chearefully suffering for it rather than it should suffer a good minde that loves the truth suffers more in truthes suppression than its owne yea by dying for it if need be and God choose us out for his champions to crowne and improve the necessity of death with the glory of martyrdome which is the highest witnessing of our love to God and his Truth Difficulties rather whâ—â— and twist to a firmer resolution than any way blâ—t or discourage a well placed affection The Heathen man set such a price on truth that he thought it worth our life Vitamque impendere vero Nec propter vitam vivendi perdere causam It is a blind preposterous love that loves life better then that for which onely life is worth the having better we dye than truth decay which as a Phoe nix is wont to renew its life out of martyrs ashes 5 Lastly what we come short in doing or suffering for the love of truth at least seeke to supply by our frequent and fervent prayers to God that hee would so make the way and carry on his truth that it may prevalile upon the hearts of men to a love of it But in this variety of Opinions and Distraction of sides every one challenging truth to be on their party How shall we know what is that Truth which we ought to love and adhere unto I Answer the Truth of God like the light of the Sunne is best knowne and distinguished from all other by the beauty and excellency of its effects of life heate and fertillity that is infallibly the saving and necessary truth of God most deserving our love and study which hath and alwayes had the greatest and best influence on mens hearts and lives that is Gods truth which makes men more godly more holy pure just good humble peaceable charitable selfe-denying and consciencious in all their wayes What brings us nearest and makes us likest to God which conformes us most to that highest and divinest patterne of Christs minde and conversation It hath beene alwayes the Seale of honour set upon Christian Religion and that truth whereon it is founded that it most magnifies God and goodnesse Those truths which have the greatest operation on mens mindes consciences and lives so as to
of such men Whether they have any intent to reedifie Babels ruines or no I cannot tell some vehemently suspect it sure I am there is such a confussion and noveltie of Language affectated by some men of Altars Sacrifice Priests Corporiety of presence pennance auricular Confession Absolute that is blinde obedience the holy of holys and Adoration which must bee salved from a flat Idolatry or at best an empty formality by some distinction or notion that must be ready at hand that most people know not what they meane what they would have or what they intend to call for next Not that I am ignorant how farre pious antiquity did use these and such like words innocently without ill mind or meaning and without offence to the Church as then times were yet let mee tell you 1. Such swerving from the forme of sound words used in the Primitive and purest times occasioned and strengthened after errours 2. They were not then ingaged to mainetaine Truth against such erroneous and pernicious Doctrines as we now are of the reformed Church which Doctrines are now eagerly maintained by a proud faction who seeke to abuse antiquity and patronize their owne errours by using those names and words to other intents and things than ever was dreamed of by the Ancient Church 3. By such dangerous symbolizing with them in words and some outward formalities we doe but prepare our mindes and sweeten them with lesse distaste to relish their Doctrines and Tenets and as it were in a civill way wee complement our selves out of our Truth giving the adversaries strong hopes and presumptions as they have discovered that wee are inclining towards them To bee ashamed of frequent serious and conscientious preaching which was the worke of Christ and the holy Apostles the honour and chiefe imployment of the Primitive and best Bishops and Ministers in all ages as that deservedly famous Bishop Iewell in his Apologie prooves out of the Fathers sufficiently against the Popes and other idle bellyes which count preaching as a work below their greatnesse as indeede it is above their goodnesse Is this to love the truth To preach ridiculous impertinent flattering or corrupt matter which is the shame of the Pulpit and foolishnesse of preaching in good earnest so as to bring an infinite contempt odium and envie upon the Sacred function of the Ministry that men abhorre the Services of God and daily separate by swarmes from our Church are these the fruites of our love of the Truth Pudet haec opprobria nobis c. Sure there is something extreamely amisse and displeasing to God as well as men either in our Doctrine or manners or hearts or all Else whence should that burthen of dishonour those loades of reproaches be cast upon the Clergy which makes them drive so heavily and this even among Christians and reformed Churches whereas naturally all men though otherwise barbarous and insolent yet are prone to pay a speciall reverence and double honour to their holy men such as are in a more immediate neerenesse and relation to their deitie or gods Now truth carries a Divine Majesty and lustre with it casting a glory on every Moses or Man of God who converseth with it The more truth there is in any religion the more love and honour will arise from the professours to the Preachers of it if they seriously affect the one they cannot scornefully neglect the other God himselfe hath long agoe taught all men especially Church-men in Elyes heavy doome this lesson as an infallible maxime in point of True honour 1 Sam. 2. 30. Those that honour me I will honour and those that despise me shall be lightly regarded Saint Paul gives a charge to Timothy 1 Tim. 4. 12. and to Titus Tit. 2. 15. both Bishops Let no man despise thee c. One would think the Apostle should rather have charged the Ephesians and Cretians not to despise them but the Apostle shewes the true way for Ministers to be Masters of mens love and affections is to be a holy rule and example to mens life and actions To Timothy But be thou an example in word in conversation in love in spirit in faith and in purenesse 1 Tim 4. 12. To Titus Shewing thy selfe a patterne Tit. 2. 7. Certainely had Divines both great and small beene more busied in preaching and practising those great weighty and necessary Truths that are able to save their owne and others soules they would not have had such leisure to have beene so inventive and operative in poore beggerly toyes and trifles which neither bring honour nor profit to God themselves or others Nothing I say nothing will restore the Church and Church-men to their Pristine honour love and authority in mens hearts and minds but a serious setting of themselves to the study preaching and practising of Truth and Peace in a holy life These these were the Arts these the Policies these the pious fraudes and stratagems by which anciently they won peoples hearts to love God his truth and of themselves the witnesse of it To such a height of honour and extasie of love that they received them as Angels of God Embassadors from Heaven counting them deare as their right eyes Humility Piety and industry layd the foundation of all those magnificent structures dignities titles places revenues priviledges wherwith Church-men were anciently indowed what hath or is likely to wast and demolish them is easie to conjecture Iisdem artibus retinenda quibus olim parabantur O consider then I beseech you how precious a jewell how sweete and necessary a blessing we are like to loose by our want of love to it Solem e mundo tollunt what the Sun is to the world that is Gods Truth to our soule the light life joy day and soule of our soules As the darkenesse barrennesse coldnesse and deformity of the earth would be if the Sunne were alwayes absent from it or clouded to it such will the state of our poore soules and our Church be if the healing wings of the Sun of righteousnesse Truth be quite removed or onely a winters Truth clouded deaded and obscured by many superstitious Doctrines and practifes If I say such a truth content us where will be the chearefull light of the promises which now wee enjoy where that onely rock of the soules comfort which no temptation can shake or undermine the free Iustification of our soules by faith in the merits of Christ onely where the sound and well grounded peace of our consciences where the warmth of our zeale love and affections to God from the fiduciary apprehensions of his love to our soules where will be the ravishing joy hopes and expectation of a better life where the zealous care of leading here a holy life will not all these faile us if truth doth and is not truth like to faile if our love doth Are not all those flowers and beauties of our soules and Church heliotropia such as have their life and motion from
amend them are set beyond all question and disputes These let us chiefely study love and live by 2. If our love be thus rightly set to Gods truth he will take care to settle our peace to which we owe a love too and must shew it in the second place First by praying heartily and constantly for it Psal. 122. 6. Every one should thinke himselfe called upon in those words O pray for the peace of Ierusalem Prayer engages God on our side and calls in an omnipotent arme to settle strengthen and secure our peace Secondly by assisting really to the support and maintaining of it against the perturbers of it 1. By seasonable counsells and faithfull advise grounded on Truth and Iustice 2. By arming counsells with power and Subsidyes of purses and persons to suppresse all unjust and rebellious practises which seeke to violate our peace Peace is not safe except there be power for warre which is the guard of peace as power without counsell is brutish and selfe confounding so counsell without power is feeble and subject to be despised 3. By living orderly in a way of meekenesse humility and subjection in the feare of God and obedience to the wholesome Lawes established which is that we are taught by the truth of God Rom. 13. â— Let every soule be subject c. This I am sure will bring a man peace at the last If not externall yet internall which will be eternall 4. By searching out and exemplary punishing those that are the perturbers of our peace justly troubling those that have troubled Israel as Ioshua to Achan Psal. 34. 14 Thus seeke peace and pursue it by pursuing those that would rob us of it And certainely you will finde none are more enemies to and perturbers of our peace then those that are the perverters and opposers of our Truth either in judicature or Religion for these scatter and blow the coales of discontent in every corner that the whose house must needes be set on fire if they be not timely quenched And now give me leave by way of Conclusion a little to apply to you and my selfe the weight and force of this Text Therefore love the Truth and Peace Had we in this Church and State Right Honourable and the rest beene so happy in the love of truth and peace as we have beene in the long glorious injoying and the miraculous preservation of them among us certainely neither truth had this day beene so clouded and perplexed nor our peace so broken and distracted The God of truth and peace declares his displeasure and high indignation against us for the negligence coldnesse and ingratitude of many for the profanenesse Atheisme and malice of some for the superstition formality and backe-sliding of others How many are there that deny or despise spise or suppresse or oppose or contemne scorne and deride and corrupt and belye the Truth That the Prophets complaint may come neare our times Esay 59. 15. Truth faileth and he that departeth from iniquiry maketh himselfe a prey Nos patimâ—r longae pacis mala saevior armis Luxuria incumbit Long peace like faire weather hath raised up the vapours of sinnes to cloud our Sunne and trouble our Heaven withall which almost of us from highest to the lowest are not guilty of one or more of those forenamed degrees of neglect against truth which shewes wee have either no love at all or a small love a tepid and Laodicean love a shamefaced which is a shamefull love or a false and base love of truth not for it selfe but for our selves as our Diana the mystery by which our gaine or greatnesse are sustained If wee have not loved truth in peace were it not just with God to make us want truth in warre And because men received not the love of the truth he should give them over to strong delusions to beleeve a lye 2 Thes. 2. 10. Certainely God will severely exact of this Church and Nation of Prince and People of Preachers and Hearers an account for our long enjoyed and undervalued truth and peace Have wee so long beene a Vine planted and watered and fenced both to necessitie and omament by an excessive indulgence of God and doe wee bring forth soure grapes that neither please God nor profit men May we not justly feare what wee have deserved to be laid wast and desolute to be made a hissing and astonishment to all Nations that God should remove or extinguish the glorious Lampe of the Gospell in whose light we have not rejoyced because we have not loved it Love is an affection of union and fruition Doe we love the truth if we are weary of it tediously and peevishly affected to it willing to leave it and withdraw from it The loathing and nauseating of this Heavenly Manna as if we have had so much that it is necessary to recover and quicken mens appetites to it by a more scanty allowance of it is this to love the truth The tampering and essayes of someto clip or wash or new coyne or allay and abase with some Romish mixture the gold and puritie of our Doctrine is this to loue the truth That pure and refined Truth which hath passed the fiery triall hath beene baptized in the blood of many Martyrs sowne in a field made fruitfull with their ashes who loved not their lives so much as the Truth To set up lying vanities Pictures and Images and to cry downe Praying and Preaching whereby those toyles may be usefull and necessary to the ignorant because untaught people Is this to love the truth To suffer Idolatry or superstitious formalities in serving God to get ground upon our Opinions and practises Is this to love the truth Quae quo nudior eô venustior which the lesse it hath of painting the more it hath of true lovelinesse and native beauty Are not the lengthen and increase of Ceremonious shadowes a presage and signe of the shortning of our Day and setting of our Sunne or diminishing of our Light To quarrell at those Truths which have bin long ago determined by the Scripture in the publique confession of our Church and in the Writings or Preachings of our gravest learnedst Divines Prelates and others as in the points of Iustification by faith alone of Trasubstantiation of auricular Confession of prayer for the dead of worshipping before Images of fiduciary assurance and the like which some doting and superstitious Spirits dare to question and retractate Is this to love the truth What hath been done by Preaching and Printing by correcting or rather corrupting of Bookes where the correctors themselves deserve to be corrected your piety and wisedome may best finde out Nay such hath beene the shamelesse impudence and effrontery of some ridiculous heads that plaine and honest mindes shall be scorned derided and in judgling fashion cheated out of truth and the power of Religion which is a holy life if you doe not harden your faces and confirme your resolutions against supercilious vanity