him to the defence of his own truth Or say of his truth as the Jews did of his Sonne Let him deliver it if he will have it If we discerne any that preferre the giddinesse of their own reason under the notion of sound Reason before the Sobriety of the holy writings and the Church shall we presently either reele out of the way or stagger in it About the eleventh year of this present Century of the Church a new starre-gazer one Fabricius in the upper Germanie publish'd at Witteberge by the vertue of a strange glasse a pretended discovery of strange spots in the Sunne about which time in the lower Germanie a like acute Novelist publish'd pretented spots in the best Belgique Church But as the clearest-sighted though of a lesse excellency then S. Stephen's eie judg'd those suppos'd staines through divine permission to have been by the grand Artist the devil juggled into the starre-wise glasse not into the Sunne so the best-sighted though not so wonderfull as Lyncius yet free from the Jaundice of Opinion discern'd through the right Optique of sacred truth the spots to be not in the Church but in the Novelist and so that his mistakes were the staines If then we see any departing from the truth shall not we depart from Them shall we not rather partake with the Prophet in his tears than with them in such backsliding as deserves such tears You see then enough yea too much cause of sorrow and yet you can not but see the little Effect it produces And must we not confesse this to bee very unnaturall that where there is so great cause there is so litle Effect where so much sinne so few teares for sinne O let us then with severity look upon our Own sinnes let us with compassion behold other mens and shall we make ourselves so unhappy as not to bewaile our own unhappinesse shall we weep for the death of our Friends Bodies and shall we not weep for the death of our Own Soules That being for them but to fulfill the Law of Nature but this being for us to violate the Law of God! When David and his men saw Ziklag burnt and their wives and children carried into Captivity it is said they wept untill they had no more power to weep 1 Sam. 30.4 And shall not we weep as much to see our Soule which is the City of God set on fire by vice and all the vertues and ornaments of our Soules to be lost to be Triumph'd-upon by the Enemies of our Soules Surely as the wind by gathering many clouds makes a shower so our mind by meditation collecting the many evils of our own lives and others will easily cause a shower of tears And indeed who would not willingly by a temporall sorrow scape eternall sorrow since in this life a few accepted teares can wash away the greatest sinnes that shall be remitted but after this life eternall teares can not wash away the least sinnes Let us then crie here for the guilt of our sinnes that we may not hereafter crie for the punishment of them Let us bemoan our selves like Ephraim repentant Ephraim in this our Prophet chap. 31.19 with a holy indignation Surely after that I was turn'd I repented and after that I was instructed I smote upon my thigh I was asham'd yea even confounded because I did bear the reproach of my youth Let us with the wise man Eccles 2.2 crie-out of mirth what does it crie-out of the madnesse of it The Septuagint term it there 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the turning-about the Giddinesse of mirth Let us turn our hearts by Meditation towards Hell that they may never be neerer to it than by Meditation Can we remember how the Israelites mourn'd by the waters of Babylon and not imitate their mourning The waters of Babylon sayes S. Austin are the transitory pleasures of this world by which the Godly mourne as in a strange Country when they remember Sion the heavenly Ierusalem And what more powerfull Motives can we have for teares whether we consider our selves or God than Feare or love both which God has provided for us There are sayes S. Gregory two causes of tears the first for Fear of Punishment the Second for delay of our happinesse both which are intimated according to that Father by that double blessing which Caleb as it is Josh 15.19 bestow'd upon his daughter Achsah to whom he gave the upper and the nether springs the nether spring is Fear the upper Love To the same purpose did Nazianzen observe that Noah's flood came partly from the Earth and partly from Heaven so sayes he the purging flood of tears comes partly from the feare of Hel land partly from the desire of Heaven from the love of God And surely as waters which are distill'd from the rose by the force of fire yeil'd a sweet smell so much more sweet are the waters of the head which are press'd-out by the heat of divine Love It is indeed the Spirit of divine love that from the eies forces holy tears according to that of David Ps 147. Hee causes his wind to blow and the waters flow The same Prophet sayes Ps 104.3 God layes the beames of his chambers in the waters that is he covers the upper part of the heaven or air with water the just man is such a heaven whose upper parts his soule his head his eies are overflow'n with devout sorrow whose teares doe mystically fullfill that of the Psalmist Ps 148.4 The waters that are above the heavens praise the name of the Lord And more admirably doe these waters the tears of the just praise the justice the Mercy and goodnesse of the Lord Who will not then shed a few such tears that he may never shed any more tears And since our Soule is the Garden of God who will not provide a Fountain of tears to make it pleasant for his intertainment who will not labour who will not Rejoice to shed such tears as God himself will wipe away when he will change the darknesse of sorrow into the light of joy the dark eie into a cheerfull eie when he will work such a wonder in the Soul as he has in the eie by a marvelous raising of light out of darknesse out of the apple of the eie which the Hebrews call 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 amongst other reasons from the blacknesse as the word also signifies expressing God's wonderfull work in the composition of the eie when as out of the apple of the eie which is the darkest part of it he raises light The apple of the eie being so black or dark that when in the Proverbs Cha. 7.9 it is said in the black and dark night it is in the Original 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as if we should say in the apple of the eie of the night Yet out of the darkest sorrow God will at last raise the most cheerfull light From an eie darken'd with humble tears with innocent tears such as
are not afraid to approach to the throne of the judge of heavē earth with powerfull tears which overcome him that is almighty which power vouchsafe O Lord most powerfull to shew in the weaknesse of our tears that by thy mercy their weaknesse may thus overcome thy power Change our heads into waters that they may be clean change our eies into a fountain a fountain of tears so pure that thou mayst see thine own image in them that so thou mayst delight in them that we may for ever delight in thee delight with thee To whom O Father of mercies with thy dear Sonne our Saviour and thy Holy Spirit our Comforter in all our sorrows be ascrib'd all thanks for thy Power and Mercy for evermore FINIS OF The Christian's Strife A SERMON BY BARTEN HOLYDAY Doctor of Divinity OXFORD Printed by Leonard Lichfield 1657. 1 Corinth 9. 25. Every man that strives for the Mastery is temperate in all things Now they doe it to obtain a corruptible crown but we an incorruptible MAN since his fall is much like the Devill before his fall he has a great desire unto mastery in which desire he does but confesse his fall by which he has chang'd that mastery it selfe which he had only into a desire of the mastery which he had He had by creation a mastery over all the creaturs of this inferiour world but by his fall he fell not only from the mastery of them but also of himself and is now become aslave to his own desires to the distraction of his desires his way and his eie never being together His way is still downward still farther from that perfection from which he fell but his eie is still upwards towards that perfection from which he fell But as his nature is corrupt so is his desire a desire of mastery not because it is a perfection but because it is a Glory and therfore he does more truly desire the crown then the strife Yet this desire in man though but like a vertue yet because like a vertue finds opposition in man and is kept down by greater vice And therfore though divers have an appetite to the mastery in divers things yet if their feare or sloth be greater then their desire their desire yeilds to their fear or sloth But this naturall desire when most able being not able to aime at the true mastery diverting to meaner objects corrupts it self into inferiour and triviall appetites and insteed of seeking for mastery in the true perfections of the mind it either descends to strive for the mastery in the vanities of the mind or for the vain mastery in the abilities of the body Which trifling desires brake forth into the actions of those naturall men the Ancient Heathen especially the Greeks and not only in their businesse but also in their games Wherby they did prove indeed that labour is a part of man's curse which they increas'd whiles to their labour they added vanity For wheras it is one releefe against the punishment of labour that man may propose to himself an end which shall abundantly recompence his labour they were as Vain in the choise of their End as they were unhappy in their labour Which vanity our Apostle perceiving in them takes occasion to teach Christian wisdome from their Heathenish folly by rectifying both their labour and their purpose and that we might the better understand his instruction he drawes it from the nature of their practises Amongst the Corinthians were celebrated the Isthmian Games in which after a great deale of preparation they took a great deale of toile and all for a crown as corruptible as their bodyes he teaches them therefore by a wise emulation how to Imitate that Labour and Correct it He does not forbid them still to continue their preparation he does not forbid thē still to continue their strife but he changes the kind of them whiles he changes the reward of them and proposes a crown which they might obtaine as much exceeding the crown which they proposed to obtaine as Heaven and eternitie exceed earth and time That therfore we may understand this instruction of our Apostle we may first consider the strife it selfe the strife for the Masterie then the Preparation for the good performance of that strife A Temparance in all things And lastly the End and purpose of that strife a Crown for them Corruptible but for us Incorruptible Behold then first the Strife The Grecians a people of rare naturall excellency and Vanity were so transported with the appetite of Mastery that there was scarce any thing done amongst them without great strife without great comparison or to draw a word from our Apostle in this place without great Agonie for so in effect he speaks whiles he saies 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it may be rendred Every one that is in an agonie for the mastery which contentions sometimes were even in vile things as at this day amongst us as for the mastery in drinking or Eating most for there was amongst them their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Athenaeus tells us To which contentions amongst others the Apostle it seems did allude when excellently he said that Their glory was their shame But in this place he intends such bodily exercises as were rather Vaine then Vile their various exercises drawn from the severall respects unto the body as from the speed of it in Running as in the precedent verse he speakes of the Race or from the Strength of it as in wrestling as principally seemes to be intended in this verse But all was a strife nay we may call it a Fight for so our Interpreters render the same word 1 Tim. 6.12 Fight the good fight of Faith the word being there also 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And that you may more fully apprehend the wisedome of our Apostle in this comparison it will be necessary to take a view of the agreement of these two kinds of Combats of those outward contentions of the Heathen Grecians and the inward contentions of a Christian If you will view the Place of their strife you shall find the Race was performed in their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a plot of ground containing in length an hundred twenty and five paces which just length was chosen because Hercules as their fable has it runne so farre at one breath And can any thing better expresse the place or length of our Christian life Our Strife against sinne as the Apostle calls it Hebr. 12.4 Is not our contention determin'd with the length of our life And is not life the life of the strongest usually determin'd within a hundred or sixcore yeares though some as stories tell us have out lived that number of yeares If you will likewise view that place in which their wrestling was performed which was their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Tertullian and S. Chrysostome call it you shall find that no man was admitted into it but he that
disconsolate yet are they secretly guided by the true Spirit of comfort Sorrow does sometimes also keepe-in teares when the heart is excessively contracted when it so cals in the vitall heat that the moisture of the brain is meerly congeal'd such winter also does the righteous sometimes feel and only would shed teares because he can not and thus his will does weep though his eies doe not It is indeed only Man's Intentive will that is the cause why only Man does weep and good reason it is since it was only his will that was the cause of his sinne and consequently an occasion of his teares The soft heart is naturally most ready to weep and it is the soft heart that is spiritually most ready to weep Yet if you would know the true cause of teares you may observe nay for feare of errour you must observe that as teares flow from the moisture of nourishment receiv'd into the body so spirituall sorrow flows from grace receiv'd into the Soule Unto which grace of sorrow in our Conversion in the first point of conversion the will is meerly passive meerly passive in respect of an inward change though it has still naturall liberty by which it is always active active in generall to concurre to an Act of faith as to an Act not in speciall as to such an act an act of Faith The Naturall will can concurre to the work of God in respect of outward means as it can freely heare or not heare the word preach'd but the inward efficient cause of conversion is the Holy Ghost In which expression we may understand all subordinate causes inservient in that worke though not working by their owne power but by the power of God And thus we may say that conversion is the worke of Man as he is the subject of it but the worke of God in respect of the first motion The will in this is like Elisha's eie which had a naturall power to see but it needed a supernaturall power to discerne a supernaturall aide of angels An active Liberty then unto grace the will by meer nature can not claim nor may wee though some doe attribute an active power to the water in baptisme though Sacramentall much lesse to the teares in repentance as if the water did concurre actively and physically to the production of grace God does indeed sometimes exalt a naturall agent to an ability above his degree in his kind but never above his kind The first is to helpe things in their Order but the last is to destroy order The God then of Nature and of order does not make a Naturall agent the proper cause of a supernaturall Effect which truth may save us from the magisteriall impositions of mistaking Reason Our Prophet here does wish for this sorrow it was not then according to the measure he desir'd either in his own possession or at all in his power The cause then of Spirituall sorrow can not be naturall and as holy teares have thus their Cause from grace so also have they their Abundance And here we may farther observe the apt wisdome of the Prophet who expresses his sorrow a work of Grace by similitude and parallel to the work of Nature Now in Nature there is not only a fountain that sends forth streams but there are also waters in the Cavernes of the earth to nourish the fountain so must there be not only a fountain in the penitent eie but there must also be inwardly store of waters He wishes therfore not only that his eies were a fountain but also nay first of all that his Head were waters And if we consider the collection of waters which are in the earth we shall find some affirme it to be caus'd by Protrusion as we may call it by a violent blast forcing those waters into the Pores of the earth so S Basil Some also we shall find that attribute it to the attractive influence of the Heavens so Aquinas Both which waies we shall find proportionall to God's manner of working in the Soule whiles some he Thrusts into tears by Affliction as some he Drawes into teares by Love And as the waters in the earth as some think doe serve to temper the veines of metall so does the secret sorrow of the heart serve to temper the hardnesse of the heart that at last it confesses it is waters and the eies as a fountain send forth streams of tears Now streams as they passe doe commonly cleanse such places as they passe-through so surely the tears of the truly penitent do not only wash away his finnes but they indeavour also to wash away other-mens and consequently the calamity due unto them Which Object of sorrow we should next behold if through the darknesse of sorrow we could behold it But alas what pleasure is in Destruction which being contrary to nature is also contrary to pleasure What pleasure in garments rolled in blood which doe afford more Horrour than warmth what pleasure in the tumult of the Battell where not to be furious is to be Cowardly where Mercy is held an Absurdity and to be barbarous a glory This is the prerogative and the supererogation of the Sword This claimes alone the triumph over the conquer'd this usually alone over-acts the triumph Yet thus did the sword sleight Iudah to a slaughter and wound the Prophet also with Compassion But is Judah so destroy'd that it has left none like unto her Yet then her vices also were gone with her but surely there will alwaies be a People and but too like her whiles as much in sinne as in an undeserv'd love and whiles in sinne too probably a Judah in Calamity God will not want a People nor will they want faults nay by turning his Blessings into sinnes they make him turne them into Curses the Punishment of sinnes The deformity of which if in the wisdome of your fear you would behold but in the extreamity of your fear can not insteed of the eie understand by the eare and the Prophet will tell you that this his People the people of Judah were liers slanderers slanderers of their brethren deceivers that their tongue was a bow a bended bow v. 3. nay and an arrow too yea an arrow shot-out v. 8. that when their tongue spake peaceably their heart lay'd wait v. 8. that their habitation was in the midst of deceite v. 6. Take yee heed every one of his neighbour sayes the Prophet and trust ye not in any brother for every brother will utterly supplant Heare him accuse them farther They proceed from evill to evill v. 3. you see their degrees They weary themselves to commit iniquity v. 5. you see their unhappy diligence They bee all adulterers an assembly of treacherous men v. 2. O what a Judah is this and shall such a Judah be found in our Judah O Let every Conscience be its owne Confessor and whisper it self an answer to amendment And can we desist then from bewailing our owne sinnes and
〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from the Amplitude of it the word signifying Ioh. 5.2 a poole from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to swimme In after times the custome was only to Dippe the person lightly in the water According to which Rite when in S. Matthew 28.19 it is said Teach all nations baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Sonne and of the Holy Ghost the word being there 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 S. Cyprian in an Epistle to Celsus renders it by Tingentes Dipping them Tertullian also before him using the same word In which dipping the delay under the water signified the Mortification of sinne as the comming out of the water expressed a reviving to newnesse of life Besides in this manner of baptizing the Infant was sometimes dipt but once to signifie one God and one Death of Christ sometimes thrise to expresse the Trinity of the Persons into which he was baptised and the three days that our Saviour was dead At last in the westerne Church about the times of S. Gregory the Greate a thousand yeares since came in the frequent use of Aspersion or Sprinkling upon the consideration that the vertue of Baptisme consisted not in the plenty of the Water Which Rite was also though not frequently in the time of the Apostles as is conjectured from Act. 2.41 where mention is made of the Baptisme of about three thousand in a day which may seem to have been thus performed for expedition Which manner of baptizing was also defended by S. Ciprian about foure hundred yeares before it came into common practice Indeed it aptly agrees with the word in S. Peter 1 Ep. 1.2 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Sprinkling of the blood of Christ which was shadow'd out in the Law Hebr. 9.13 Which figure of Sprinkling with our Saviour's blood may helpe us the better to understand the Nature of Baptisme which is here said to be into Christ And surely then we may see the Nature of it in the Necessity of it as the necessity in the Command Act. 2.38 Be baptized every one of you This is indeed the Apostles Washing of Regeneration Tit. 3.5 the true Receiver being in this Sacrament as truely washed in soule as in body not that Regeneration is a washing but as a washing Baptisme to the right Receiver is the powerfull instrument of Salvation the Morall instrument not the Naturall since what is meerly Naturall cannot produce what is Supernaturall It is to all a signe of outward communion it is to the best of all a signe of Inward also to those it is an entrance into the visible Church to these into the Invisible also No man can enter into the Kingdome of Heaven unlesse he be borne againe of water and the Spirit Ioh. 3.5 Necessarily of the Spirit lesse necessarily of the Water also the spirit not depending upon the water the water necessarily depending upon the Spirit The want of Baptisine Excludes not from Heaven the contempt excludes the want of Circumcision in the wildernesse did not exclude the Infant-Israelite from the Israel of God but being the Child of Godly parents he was reputed the Child of God Nor yet does this make void the value of Baptisme It is the Instrument of Salvation though not the only not the absolute instrument it is the Ordinary Instrument Preaching of the Gospell is the power of God unto Salvation Rom. 1.16 though the dying Infant of righteous Parents is admitted to Salvation without this Instrument of Salvation God shewing the difference of his power in the difference of age Some receive water and Grace those are right receivers some water and not Grace these are wrong receivers some receive Grace and not water these though not receivers are as happy as receivers To the right receiver Baptisme is not only a signe of cleansing but a cleansing but the wrong receiver is but a Blackmore whom Baptisme doth rather wash than whiten It is the saying of S. Austin Sacramenta in solis electis efficiunt quod figurant To these the Elect it is both a signe and a Seale of Remission of sinnes To these Grace is given sometimes before Baptisme sometimes in it To these Grace is augmented either in Baptisme or after it To these it is the key that gives possession of the House their Heavenly Mansion To these it is the turfe that gives possession of the Land the land of Inheritance the true Canaan To these it is the pure water the figur'd the blood of Christ Heb. 10.23 Yea it is rather vertually this blood than that water a blood that purifies all but those that are guilty of it Thus all that are inwardly baptized are baptized into Christ though never any were baptized by Him as S. John testifies ch 4.2 so that for a table not a story we may take that in Nicephorus lib. 2. c. 3. when he cites Evodius Bishop of Antiochia affirming that our Saviour baptized S. Peter The worke is ancient enough but the corruption is like the publishing of the work New enough and lookes more like the Art of a Correcter then the integrity of an Author since when our was reported to the Pharisies it is also added that it was by his Disciples Ioh. 4.12 but their baptisme was into Christ But Into Christ what is that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He that receives a Prophet says our Saviour Mat. 10.41 in the name of a Phrophet Shall it here sound so He that has been baptised in the Name of Christ that is with Invocation of his name and of the other persons in the Trinity Indeed that is commanded in Baptisme Mat. 28.19 But every one that is so baptized puts not on Christ Into Christ Is it into the Profession of Christ but many that professe him put him not on they but professe him Into Christ It is into the Doctrine of Christ but many too many that have been Baptised into Christ's doctrine have not conformity to such Doctrine Yet is it into the Doctrine of Christ S. Paul finding at Ephesus certain Disciples new converts ask'd them if they had receiv'd the Holy Ghost and they answering that they had not heard of a Holy Ghost he asked them then unto what they had been baptized and they replyed unto John's baptisme 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Into Iohn's baptisme that is into the Doctrine which he preach'd and seal'd with baptisme Into Iohn's Baptisme not into Iohn but By him he being the first that effectually baptized as afterwards other ministers into Christ Yet was Iohn's baptisme into Christ where it was attended with due forme and then necessarily with due knowledge and Sanctity it was into Christ But may it not seem to have been always without the Holy Ghost is it not his own testimony Mat. 3.11 I baptize you with water but he that comes after me shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost Truth it is yet not that none of them which were baptised by him were baptised also by the Holy Ghost but such