they may be saued But if looking into our heart wee find sauing grace there for Gods Spirit doth witnesse vnto our spirit that wee are the children of God when we contemplate in our selues this second Act of Election we haue reason to thinke our Prerogatiue much more improued by how much an inward is better then an outward Iew the Circumcision of the spirit better then the Circumcision of the flesh to be baptized with the Spirit better then to be baptized with water to eate Panem Dominum eate the flesh and drinke the bloud of Christ better then to eate only and drinke only Sacramentall Bread and Wine finally to be a doer is better then to be a hearer of Gods Word The farther Christians goe beyond Christians in these gifts the better must they thinke their state and these spirituall differences betweene man and man better then whatsoeuer other differences there may be found betweene them Although the world vseth to bee little sensible of this greater good but most sensible of the lesser wealth honour c. wherein euerie man thinketh it a great matter to bee aduanced aboue his Neighbours When wee looke vpon the second word in the definition of the Church that is God wee see to whom wee are beholding for our aduancement and to whom wee must giue the glorie of it the glory of the first Act of Election Dauid concludes the remembrance thereof with Prayse yee the Lord Psal 147. And of the second Act also the glorie must be giuen vnto Him for so doe the Angels the Beasts the Elders c. after they haue mentioned it Reuel 5. Reuel 5. If the question be moued Quit te discreuit Who hath differenced thee our best answere will bee I thanke God through Iesus Christ our Lord and let him that glorieth glorie in the Lord. I told you I haue not to doe with the whole Church but with that part which is militant for such are the Elect which are on the Earth Heauen is the place for our Crowne Earth for our Crosse where Michael and the Dragon stroue there must their Angels striue also and the heele of the womans seed must bee bruised in the same place where it must breake the Serpents head The Fathers doe wittily obserue that the Church came out of Christs side when he died as Eue out of Adam when he slept Now out of Christs side when it was pierced issued Water and Bloud Monuments of our two Sacraments which remember vs that we must drinke of the same Cup whereof Christ dranke and be partakers of the same Baptisme wherewith he was baptized euery one must take vp his owne Crosse and follow his crucified Sauiour Saint Austine is resolute Ad Bonifacium Comitem Si Ecclesia vera est ipsa est quae persecutionem patitur we are bastards and no sonnes if wee suffer not for Christ and suffer we cannot but on earth for when wee part from the earth wee part from our enemies the Flesh the World and the Deuill flesh and bloud cannot enter into Heauen Satan is cast out thence and the world shall then bee vnto vs as if it were not therefore the Church Peregrinam agit in terris she is here a Pilgrim here she is like the desolate widdow here shee grieueth for the wickednesse of the world and because she is not alike wicked with them therefore doth the world implacably worke her woe Read this dayes Epistle Wisdome â— In this militancie of the Church the Elect of God become 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they find that they need and they seeke for helpe the word implieth asmuch The Church is compared vnto a Doue for her simplicitie and for her meeknesse shee is compared vnto a Lambe As a Doue she is nothing suspicious for Vt quisque est vir optimus ita difficillimè credit alios esse improbos Good men looke to find plaine dealing as themselues deale plainly As a Lambe the Church is as apt to be a prey as shee is not apt to prey vpon any shee is a fit subiect for the Shearer and the Slaughterer though it selfe be harmelesse and vsefull Looke vpon the enemies of the Church they are the Serpent and the Lion The Serpent is full of fraud fraud which circumuenteth our wits with sophistrie and transporteth our affections with vanitie coloured and blanched with a shew of Truth and Good The Lion is full of Crueltie and delighteth in bloud watchfull vpon all opportunities and neuer giuing ouer the least aduantage And the instruments of the Serpent and the Lion I meane wicked men are Serpentine and Lion-like deceitfully compassing their owne end and spending their power only in crueltie This hath beene the cariage of the enemies of the Church euer since God put enmitie betweene the seed of the woman and the seed of the Serpent But it was neuer more remarkable then in Popish Equiuocation and that which they call their Holy Inquisition the very markes of the Beast and by them they make their nearest approaches to that Father of Lâ—â—s and that ancient Murderer sure I am they haue cut the heart strings of all both Ciuill and Ecclesiasticall true Policie The Church being thus besteed when from her enemies she reflects her eyes vpon her selfe findeth her owne inabilite her need of succour and as the Apostles in their perill so she in hers cals for helpe Helpe Lord or else we perish so said they so saith shee And my text telleth vs that she hath recourse vnto God Psal 121. I lift mine eyes vnto the Hils saith Dauid from whence commeth my helpe Our helpe standeth in the Name of the Lord who hath made Heauen and Earth Psal 46. and God is our refuge and strength a very present helpe in trouble And see how full the helpe is He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High Psal 9â— shall abide vnder the shadow of the Almightie the whole Psalme is an excellent commendation of the Churches choice but specially that Verse Verse 13. Thou shalt tread vpon the Lion and the Adder the yong Lion and the Dragon shalt thou trample vnder feet though we be as simple as Doues yet God is able to make vs as wise as Serpents and hee will make vs confident as Lions though of our selues wee be as meeke as Lambes And why we haue a Serpent to oppose vnto a Serpent euen him that was figured by the Serpent whom Moses lifted vp Christ the wisdome of God him we haue to oppose to the groueling Serpent that feedeth vpon earth and earthly men If you be stung by this latter Serpent doe but looke to the former and you shall presently bee healed for hee is able to take that craftie one in his owne wilinesse Wee haue a Lion to oppose vnto a Lion the Lion of the Tribe of Iuda to the roaring Lion and out of the eater he can draw meate by death he ouercame him that had the power
Iewes were pricked at the heart when St. Peter preached vnto them Acts 2.37 and as perplexed in conscience cried out Men and Brethren what shall we doe before they receiued the comfort of the Gospell Saint Paul was stricken downe to the ground from Heauen before he was conuerted The Goaler came trembling to him and Silas Acts 16. Esay 67. before he was baptized It is a broken and contrite heart that must make vs capable of grace neyther will the filiall feare enter except way bee made by the seruile This may bee the reason why the holy Ghost by whose power the Apostles were to conuert the world Acts 2. Cap. 4. came vpon them at first in fire and with a mighty winde and a second time with an earth-quake which shaked all the house wherein they were It shewes how their Ministry should shake the hearts and consciences of the World for in omnes terras exiuit sonus eorum Besides this spirituall Luke 12. the Nations had a corporall shaking I came saith Christ to send a sword into the World No sooner had he begunne the Gospel but wee see how the Herodians the Sadducees the Pharisees bestirre themselues against him and against all the Apostles The Apostles intimate as much when in their prayer they repeat those words of the Psalme Psal 2. Acts 4.25 Why doe the Heathen so furiously rage together and the People imagine a vaine thing the Kings of the earth stand vp and the Rulers take counsell against the Lord and against his anointed And how furious was the Dragon against the Woman Reu. 12. because shee had borne a Man childe I will not trouble you to reckon vp the Heathenish or Hereticall Persecutions of the Primitiue Church Gen. 3. Ponam inimicitias I will put enmity betweene the Woman and the Serpent and betweene their seedes is the true ground of this shaking and it holdeth in all ages No sooner is the vanity of Oracles of Idols and of false worship discouered and deserted but the Diuell in reuenge of his quarrell will set Nation against Nation Family against Family Kindred against Kindred and a mans enemies shall be those of his owne houshold Wee haue wofull proofe of it in this age the bloody warres which haue beene and are in these westerne parts whence haue they sprung Gal. 3.1 but from Christs comming amongst vs in the truth of his Gospell which St. Paul to the the Galathians termeth a second forming of Christ in vs and as it were a crucifying of him before vs. But the enuious man that sowed tares cannot bee contented that hee should bee so ouer-topped with good eares of corne therefore there will follow a shaking I haue sufficiently shewed you that both Worlds were shaken but I may not forget a difference which is between their shaking though both are rowsed and giue their attendance at the first comming of Christ yet the great world doth it only effectu it serues to the honour thereof but not knowing what it doth But the little World attends also affectu it is sensible of that which it doth And indeed the shaking of the great World is only to worke a sensible shaking in the little World Which as it is wont to be wrought in other cases as when vpon the sight of Eclypses and blazing Starres men are affrighted and prognosticate vnto themselues Famines Pestilences Waâ—res Confusion of States which is likewise done by them vpon the sight of Earth-quakes So God would haue it also in this case he would that men should be obseruant and feeling of his extraordinary Workes wrought vpon the Heauens and the Earth in honour and testimony of his comming into the world who is the Sauiour of the world I haue done with the shaking I will onely giue you an obseruation or two vpon it and so passe on to the Time The first is St. Chrysostomes Hom. 14. in Mat. c. 14 Hom. 1. ad Rom. God when hee doth any great Worke in the world non solet subrepere stealeth not vpon the World but giueth signification before hand So did he before he brought on the Floud before hee deliuered his People out of Egypt before he gaue the Iewes ouer vnto the Babylonian captiuity We cannot reade those Stories but we must needes finde in them Gods palpable harbingers So that if men be surprised it is not because men are not forewarned but because they will take no warning The old World though the Arke was building before their face yet were they eating and drinking marrying and giuing in marriage till the floud came Though Moses told Pharaoh what euill God would bring vpon him yet did Pharaoh still harden his heart and the Iewes mocked the Prophets that early and late told them of their captiuity neyther would they beleeue it vntill they were past recouery 2 Cor. 4. 3. If our Gospell be hid saith St. Paul it is hid vnto those whose eyes the God of this world hath blinded that they should not beleeue Acts 26 2â— for as hee told Agrippa the things which they preached were not done in a corner As the corporall Sunne doth not rise without a dawning of the day so Christ came not into the world without some prognostication thereof Iewes and Gentiles that doe not beleeue are without all excuse because God hath so plainely shaken both the Worlds Neyther shall we haue ought to pleade for our selues if we neglect or forsake the Truth which God hath brought vnto vs because he hath accompanied it with so wonderfull deliuerances and comforts vs in honour of it with so many diuers blessings God hath vouchsafed many wayes to premonish vs let vs take heede that wee dis-regard him not The second Obseruation is this Mat. 5.18 No Creature can hinder the performance of Gods will Heauen and Earth shall passe rather than one iot of his word shall be vndone Wee neede not feare any opposition on the worlds part notwithstanding it is the common feare of worldly men because all the world is in Gods power hee can shake and shiuer it at his pleasure Of this God doth often put his People in minde by the Prophets and biddeth them bee bold thereupon And wee may say Si Deus nobiscum quis Rom. 8.31 yea and quid too contra nos Quid Is it the great World God can shake Heauen and Earth the Sea and the dry Land Quis Is it man God can shake him also hee can shake all Nations therefore we neede not feare what eyther World can doe vnto vs. And thus much of the manner of the Preparation I come now briefly to shew you the time thereof When a man heares of such great matters hee will be inquisitiue after this circumstance he will desire to know how often how soone And the holy Ghost doth here resolue both those questions How often Nazianz. orat 37. p. 607. â—rat 21. p. 388 if you aske he answers Yet
God tooke an occasion from the wrongs done to his people to powre forth his displeasure vpon them Wisd 19. The wrong was double First they brought friends into bondage that had wel deserued of them The storie is plaine in Genesis how Ioseph saued them from perishing by famine and therefore how willingly they receiued him and his into the Communion of their Lawes therefore it was against all Law to make them bondmen God therfore which is iudge of all the world sent Moses and by him commanded Pharaoh to deliuer them and to suffer them being his first borne to goe three dayes iourney into the wildernesse and sacrifice vnto him But so farre was Pharaoh from obeying God that hardning his heart he vexed the Israelites more What then did God In reuenge of his people hee brake Pharaohs hard heart hee made the proud King giue him the glorie both of his Iustice of his power while he destroyed that ancient that goodly Kingdome and slew the persons the principall persons of it the ofspring of those whom Ioseph had saued together with their countrie Moreouer hee forced them to make an amends to the Israelites for their seruitude not onely in willingly letting them goe but in furnishing them also for their iourney with the richest of their garments and most precious of their Iewels This did God to the Egyptians And indeed it was God that did it For though there were some ceremoniall meanes vsed yet there were none vsed that were effectuall Moses and the people did but looke on Gods immediate power produced those wonderfull effects The same God that tooke this vengeance for them is the same still and he will neuer suffer his Church to be vnreuenged though hee suffer her to bee cruelly persecuted when he seeth time hee will doe to her enemies as he did to the enemies of Israel Saint Paul Saint Peter and Saint Iude teach it briefely 2. Thes 1. 2 Ep. 2. Saint Iohn in the Reuelation deliuereth the Doctrine more a large by way of prophecie and the Ecclesiasticall Storie sheweth that that prophecie is accomplished for a good part of it The second worke sheweth what God did to the Israelites and that is a worke of Mercie Moses here teacheth the Manner and the End of it The Manner God bore them on Eagles wings we account it a great honour that God doth vnto men when hee giueth his Angels charge ouer them to carrie them in all their wayes that they dash not their foote against a stone And indeed it is a great honour that these glorious spirits which attend Gods throne should become ministring spirits and attend sinnefull men How great an honour is it then that God doth vs Heb. 1.14 when hee himselfe vouchsafeth to bee the supporter of Israel Carrieth them as a man carrieth his little babe God putteth them in mind of it by Esay Chap. 46. vers 3.4 Hearken vnto me O house of Iacob Deut. 1. and all the remnant of Israel which are borne by me from the belly which are caried from the wombe and euen to your old age I am he and euen to the hoarie haires will I carrie you I haue made and I will beare euen I will carrie and I will deliuer you And Christ like the good shepheard in the Gospel beares his sheepe and so likewise in the Prophets And indeed the passage out of Egypt was a Diuine transportation for of so many hundred thousand that past so great a iourney through so desolate places ther was not one sicke not one tired and how could they haue all beene so well at ease except God had carried them They might well take to themselues those words of Esay 〈…〉 31. They that waite vpon the Lord shall renew their strength they shall mount vp with wings as Eagles they shall runne and not be wearie they shall walke and not be faint When at any time wee haue strength to doe that which neither in our owne iudgement nor in the iudgement of others we are able to doe we must giue the glorie of it to God as Dauid doth in the 18. Psalme we must acknowledge that God did carrie vs through God doth not onely say that he did carrie them but hee carried them vpon Eagles wings quasi super alas aquilarum saith the Chalde Paraphrase as it were vpon Eagles wings There is a Simile in the phrase which breedes two inquiries first who is vnderstood in the Eagles secondly what the Wings meane Some vnderstand Moses and Aaron the two guides that led the people of Israel out of Egypt and will haue them compared to Eagles Propter acumen intelligentiae altitudinem vitae by reason of their piercing iudgement Hom 46. in Matth. and their holy life Saint Chrysostome nearer to our purpose saith that they were Mollissimae pennae misericordiae diuinae as it were the downe feathers of Gods mercie because they handled the people committed to their charge tenderly and intreated them gently in imitation of Eagles of whom some report how truely let the naturalists inquire that whereas other birds carrie their yong ones in their talents or clawes which cannot bee done without some griping they lay them vpon their wings and so transport them without any grieuance which is a good embleme for Magistrates and teacheth them paternall affection towards their people Saint Ambrose resembleth Christ to an Eagle Lib. de Solomone and that in three points First because as the Eagle fluttereth ouer her yong ones and safegards them from any that would annoy them so doth Christ carefully protect his Church Secondly as the Eagle stirreth vp her nest and taketh vp her yong ones enforcing them to looke towards the Sunne thereby trying her generous or degenerating brood euen so doth Christ make triall of true and counterfeite Christians he reiects them as counterfeits that haue but Owles sight and which hate the light but those which can looke vpon the Sunne of righteousnesse and delight in beholding him they goe for true Christians And why They can see their pray a farre off and where the carcasse is there will the Eagles be Sursum Corda though Christ be in heauen their thoughts ascend thither Thirdly the Eagle hateth the Serpent and wheresoeuer hee seeth him renteth him with his beake and Christ the seede of the woman did breake the Serpents head there is perpetuall enmitie betweene them and their seede There is good correspondencie in these points betweene Christ and the Eagle but they cannot be so fitly applied in this place because the word in my Text is plurall Aquilarum of Eagles except wee shall say that Christ had in him the perfection of many Eagles or was attended with many Angels which are sometimes compared to Eagles Ezek 1. Reu 4. and the Cherubins in the Temple and Tabernacle had large and broad wings But let vs come to the wings By them are meant two things the first is the height the second
the worst that is to the Serpent and of all kinds of Serpents for there are many kinds euen an Alphabet almost as Gesner obserues the last in the catalogue and worst is the Viper mentioned in my text The Fathers obserue sundrie properties of the Viper and they are wittie in the accommodation of them vnto men but because the learned Naturalists disproue the obseruations I will not trouble you with the applications And indeed the Holy Ghost is not very curious in distinguishing the kinds of Serpents but applyeth them indifferently vnto men calling them sometimes by the name of one Serpent and sometimes of another That which wee must principally obserue is the ancientnesse of this phrase which leadeth vs to the first fall of man of all beasts the Deuill pitched vpon the Serpent and by the Serpent wrought the ouerthrow of man and vnto this ouerthrow doth the Scripture allude when it calleth men a generation of Vipers which in plaine tearmes is the children of the Deuill as Christ speaketh Iohn 8. and 1. Epist. Iohn Chap. 3. We are all by nature children of Wrath but by adoption children of God and if grace be in vs we are denominated from our new not our old birth but these are denominated from their old as if they had no new Iohn 8. But there are three things in the Serpent which carrie a correspondencie vnto sinne the venome the craft the terrestreitie The venome being in the Serpent is insensible but comming from him disquiets those that receiue it euen so sinne is not felt of the sinner yet is it mischieuous to them that haue to doe with him Secondly the Serpent is craftie in conueying his venome euen so are sinners they recommend their wickednesse vnder some faire pretence euill worketh not vpon well disposed persons except they be deluded by some faire shew And therefore they are like Serpents in that their outward shew is faire though the inward be venemous Chrysostome and so Christ compareth the Pharise to painted Sepulchres within full of dead mens bones Last of all the Serpent groueleth vpon the earth and feedeth thereon euen so of sinners the highest minded sinners their thoughts are but base and earthly Hitherto I haue spoken but in generall this phrase in speciall sort belongeth vnto the Iew then whom none is more properly the brood of the Serpent The first enmitie and the most direct was to bee betweene the woman and the Serpent his seed and hers and the seed of the woman is our Sauiour Christ and they are most the brood of the Serpent that most directly impugne him and none doth this so much as the Iew. The heathen people as they know not Christ so they care not for him The Turkes though they doe not receiue him for the Sonne of God yet doe they reuerence him for a great Prophet yea they will not receiue a Iew to be a Turke except he first as it were purifie himselfe by being a Christian and of a Christian turne Turke Only the Iew is in direct opposition and the most desperate impugner of our Sauiour Christ witnesse their Talmude as Galatinue reporteth and other histories of this day haue registred such blasphemies as neither I can indure to vtter neither would you indure to heare more then enough to shew that they are most properly the brood of the Serpent Neither is this sinne personall to some few of them but nationall the same malice is found in them all Neither is it only nationall but naturall also they haue for many generations brought vp their children in it so that wee may well say that sinne is growne in them to the highest amongst them there is neither good egge nor bird they fill vp the measure of their fathers iniquitie nay they farre exceed them Ordinarily sinfull Parents doe not teach their children to bee like themselues a drunkard will not indure that his children should bee such no more will the Adulterer only the Iew laboureth nothing more then that his child should be like him in his sinne euerie succession eateth more sowre Grapes then did their predecessors they are a generation of Vipers A pitifull fall for those that had not only Abraham as they thought but God also to their father as hereafter you shall heare to become such and a great heart-gaule to their pride to be branded with such a name But to leaue them and touch a little at our selues seeing there will alwayes be a generation of Vipers in the world it is Gods pleasure also there should be a seed of the woman this to impugne that and Vniuersities were intended principally to nourish such seed wee doe little answere the intent of Founders and Benefactors and requite their Liberalitie very ill if these goodly buildings degenerate into Vipers nests and harbour a generation of such vermine Mistake mee not I meane not Iewes for though they principally are yet are they not the only generation of Vipers All sinners are in their degree Vipers drunkards adulterers blasphemers whatsoeuer wicked persons and of such there are some in these places Sinne is euen here become personall Yea there are a great some we may say it is Nationall also there is a Generation of these offenders And it is too much endeauōured to make these sinnes naturall also those that are growne old in them labour to leaue a succession after them and cannot indure that though they die their sinnes should die also But so ill a brood should bee crushed the very head of the Serpent should be bruised the seed of the woman should set it selfe to this worke and none of vs should be at rest till this is done The time is past and I can goe no farther only this I wish That because you are next to heare of Malum Poenoe the Wages of Sinne you would in the meane time thinke well vpon this Malum Culpoe which you haue heard I meane the measure of sinne that the feeling of this may prepare you for the fearing of that and both may make vs fitter to entertaine that remedie which Saint Iohn doth teach vs of both Amen The second Sermon LVKE 3. VERS 7. 7. Who hath forewarned you to flie from the wrath to come SAint Iohn doth not only tell the Iewes that they were deepe in sinne but also that they were in danger of the wages thereof and hee telleth it them in these words Who hath forewarned you to flie from the wrath to come Wrath to come is the proper and full wages of sinne from which they that must flie are certainly in danger But this danger is of that nature that of our selues we may runne into it but we cannot of our selues foresee it wee need a forewarner The Iewes needed one but had not what they needed which made Saint Iohn presse them with this question Who hath forewarned you Of this you haue not beene forewarned So then the argument of these words is the Iewes second euill Wrath to come
liue amongst Beasts and vpon his acknowledgement of the Lord of Heauen and Earth was restored againe maketh this cleare Canutus a King of this Land when flatterers magnified his power and did almost deifie him to confute them caused his chaire to bee set by the Sea shore at the time of the floud and sitting in his Maiestie commanded the waues that they should not approach his Throne but when the tyde kept his course and wet his garments Lo saith hee what a mighty King I am by Sea and Land whose command euery waue dareth resist Though then they are mighty yet there is much weakenesse ioyned with their might Not so Christ It appeares in the Epithite that is added vnto El which is Gibbor importing that he is a God of preuailing might In Daniel he is called El Elim The Mighty of mighties whereupon Moses magnifying his might saith Who is like vnto thee Exod. 15. O Lord amongst the gods Which words abbreuiated the Maccabees in their wars against their enemies did bear in their standard and therehence as the learned obserue did take their name of Maccabees Certainely this Epithite is a lust ground of that which King Dauid perswades Psalme 29. Ascribe vnto the Lord O yee mighty ascribe vnto the Lord glory and strength But there are two Eminences in Christs might by which hee is aduanced aboue all Creatures The first is that he is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 mighty of himselfe The second is that he is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 almighty 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 other Creatures haue their power from him and therefore their power depends vpon him so that he can at his pleasure intend or remit theirs but his owne continueth euer the same Secondly they can doe but euery one so much as is permitted him and neuer was there any creature to whom God imparted all his power I speake not of the degree but the parts thereof some things he committeth to Angels which Men cannot doe and some things to Men which Angels cannot doe the earth hath not the power of the heauens nor the heauens of the earth but God is the fountaine of all power there is nothing done by any of these which without these he cannot doe Ier. 23. Nothing is hard vnto him and the Angel Luke 1. Nothing is impossible vnto God therefore hee hath wrought the same effects without these creatures What he doth by his Angels ordinarily he extraordinarily hath done by himselfe and what doth hee by Man which without Man hee hath not done And as for the Sunne and the Starres he hath illightned the ayre without them and without the earth hath he prouided both bread and flesh yea at his pleasure he hath stript all those of their power in an instant in a word He doth whatsoeuer he will both in heauen and earth he cannot will that which he cannot doe nothing resisteth his will but all things readily do serue him If this title be carried through the Gospell euery point of the Gospel will witnesse the truth thereof in Christ it will witnesse that hee hath a preuailing power and that he is therefore worthily called a mighty God When God promised him hee promised him in these words I haue layd helpe vpon one that is mighty Psalme 89. When God exhibits him Luke 1. Zacharie proclaimes him thus God hath raised vp a mighty saluation vnto vs in the house of his seruant Dauid Christ himselfe Mat. 28. All power is giuen to mee both in heauen earth to say nothing of like titles that are remembred in the Reuelation But I chuse rather to obserue vnto you out of both Christs Regall titles how well they fit vs what comfort they doe yeeld vnto vs. Our enemie the Diuell is compared to a Serpent to a roaring Lion hee is full of craft and of great strength and so are his instruments the wicked subtill and violent but wee are silly and we are feeble If we compare our selues to them how can we but feare to be deceiued to bee opprest See how God hath prouided for vs see how hee hath furnished Christ whom hee sendeth vnto vs Hee is a Counsellour and it was a Counsellour that wee needed that â—ight discouer vnto vs the Serpents policie in his end and Sophistrie in his meanes wherewith he setteth vpon vs He pretends that we shall be like vnto Gods when he meaneth to make vs Diuels and by setting an edge on our desire of the Tree of the knowledge of good and euill he would depriue vs of the Tree of life but Christ is at hand to discouer his purposes and to giue vs timely caueats that we bee not abused by them Secondly he still compasseth the world seeking Whom he may deuour and is mighty to destroy And certainely none should escape him were it not that we haue on our side a mighty God the seed of the Woman that shewed himselfe so much mightier than the seed of the Serpent by how much breaking of the head is more than bruising of the heele Wee haue a Dauid for that Goliah and a stronger man that hath entred that strong mans house bound him rifled him and diuided his spoyle So that if now it be doubtingly asked Shall the prey be taken from the mighty or the lawfull captiue bee deliuered we may answer with the Prophet Esay 49. Thus saith the Lord Euen the Captiues of the mighty shall be taken away and the prey of the terrible shall bee deliuered for I will contend with him that contendeth with thee and will faue thy children and all flesh shall know that I the Lord am thy Sauiour and thy Redeemer the mighty One of Iacob Wherefore seeing Christ is become our Counsellour let vs not leane vnto our owne wisedome but be counselled by him It is the second degree of wisedome when wee cannot aduise our selues to bee aduised by others if we faile herein the Philosopher himselfe will censure vs for fooles And remember withall that of the Sonne of Syracke Bee in peace with many neuerthelesse haue but one Counsellour of a thousand cap. 6. hee giues the reason at large cap. 37. And well may we rely vpon the iudgement of this Counsellour who much better than Elizeus can detect vnto vs the plots of the King of Aram of all our Enemies that we may prouide against them yea he can take them all in their owne wilinesse and infatuate their Counsels as he did Achitophels Reade Esay 19. 8. So did Christ deale with the old Serpent and with the broode of the Serpent in all ages our age our country hath had proofe thereof As this must encourage vs to rely vpon his Counsell so must the other title encourage vs to rely vpon his power his preuailing power We walk in the middest of our enemies and they vse the vttermost of their strength to ruine vs yet though we are in the middest of the valley of the shadow of death let vs feare none euill
which are stampt vpon true being the one is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the other is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is a being from it selfe and so is being it selfe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is a being all that which hath being and so stands in neede of nothing besides it selfe All creatures as they are from God so are they no longer nor no otherwise than it pleaseth him and it pleaseth not him that any one creature should haue all the parts much lesse the degrees of all his perfections The King of heauen deales as kings on earth Kings on the earth reserue in themselues the fulnesse of regall poweâ— whereof they doe impart but some branches and those limited to their subordinate officers after the same manner doth the Lord dispence of his infinite power to Angels to Men to other Creatures Therefore the name Iehouah is by the Wise man truly called Gods incommunicable name it noteth that internall power in God which is found in no other and which giueth whatsoeuer power any other haue For from this inward proceeds an outward and hee that is Lord is also Lord of Hostes. It is not Gods pleasure that we should pry too farre into his inward power and if we would we cannot he directeth vs therefore to his outward which is more fitting to our capacitie and may sufficiently resolue vs that he is very powerfull though he were no more powerfull than as hee appeares in his creatures in regard of whom he is termed The Lord of Hostes Let vs leaue then his inward and come to his outward power In the second of Genesis Vers 1. where the Creation is recapitulated we finde mention but of one Host of God the Text is plaine God made heauen and earth and all the host thereof and yet it is vsuall in the Scripture to call God the Lord of hostes as if there were many Surely it is cleare that God made but one but Apostasie of that one hath made many First Apostasie in heauen hath made two hostes of spirits Reu. 12. Michael and his Angels the Dragon and his then an Apostasie in Paradise beganne the distinction of the seede of the woman Gen. 3. and the seede of the serpent and of mankinde part is fallen to the Dragon and part is preserued and cleaueth to Michael the truth whereof appeared presently in Abel and Cain and although Cain by murder of Abel killed and destroyed one of the hostes yet God renewed it againe in Seth and the Armies went on again in the Children of God and the children of men Gen. 4. A man would haue thought the stoud had swept away all the seed of the serpent but it reuiued againe in cursed Cham and the Citie of God and the Citie of Babel will bee and be opposite vntill the end of the world But touching these Apostasies the first of Angels the second of men we must hold this true rule Summonere se potuêrunt saeliettuti coelestâ— non potuêrunt se eximerâ— porestati diuinae they might defraud themselues of their blessed communion with God but free themselues from his power they could not God hath set his hooke in their nostrils and his bit in their mouthes so that they cannot stirre without nor beyond his leâ—ue It is plaine in the story of Iob cap. 1. and of Ahab 1 Reg. 22. But there is an effectiue and a permissiue power of God God is Lord of both hostes but he worketh in them differently his worke in Michaels host and the seede of the woman is properly effectiue For though sometimes to make them sensible of their frailtie and to make them cleaue faster vnto him he leaueth them for a time vnto themselues yet ordinarily the influence of his grace doth direct and support them vnto and in good workes and they sight his battels But as for the Dragons host and host of the Serpents broode Gods power in them is properly permissiue he leaueth them to their owne corrupt iudgements and affections to follow and to execute them but he doth not communicate in their corruptions eyther as author or abettor of the roote or fruite thereof Yet this soueraignty God hath ouer the most wicked that they cannot breake out according to their owne disposition but where and when God will and when they breake out by his leaue they stop when he checketh and giue ouer when he saith it is enough So that Gods permissiue power is alwaies accompanied with his effectiue which doth stint the wicked in their workes maugre their gracelessenesse and without their priuitie directs their endeauours to his ends so that euen then they fulfill his will when transgressing his commandements they seeme to be most contrary to his will And this is no small comfort to Michaels host and the host of the womans seede that the host of the Dragon and the broode of the Serpent must not be feared according to their own malice but according to Gods leaue And this is the reason why Christ taught vs to pray daily Lead vs not into temptation but deliuer vs from euill and this we doe or should meane when wee speake these or the like words Our Enemies cannot assaile vs except thou O Lord permit them and if thou O Lord assist vs they shall assault in vaine Seeing all the world is compared vnto Hostes howsoeuer wee apprehend confusion in the world yet may wee not thinke but that all things are well disposed because these Hostes are the Lords he is the common Generall and he directs the conflicts neyther are any put to try masteries but by his speciall appointment and for the accomplishment of his ends But it befalleth vs as it doth them which stand in the same leuell wherein two huge Armies are pitched they conceiue them to be a disordered multitude whom notwithstanding if they behold from a high hill they will discerne that they are artificially ranged they will see how euery one serueth vnder his owne colours Euen so wee which behold the state of the world with the eyes of flesh and bloud dimme by reason of the weakenesse of our iudgement and wickednesse of our affections thinke all things are out of tune bonis malè malis benè that the worse men are the better they fare and they fare the worse the better they are But we must ascend into the sanctuarie of God and iudge of occurrents by heauenly principles if we do so then we will confesse that no armie on earth can bee better marshalled than is the great armie of all creatures of heauen and earth yea and hell also and notwithstanding all apparencies to the contrarie queniam bonus mundum Rector temperat â—mnia rectè fieri ne dubites doubt not but that all is well and shall end well because God is Lord of Hostes Againe seeing God is Lord of Hostes wee must make no worse conclusion than the Centurion did in the Gospell when Christ promised to come to his house and cure his feruant
knocked at the doore he left the sent of his sweet odours as a remembrance Cant. 5.4 But blessed is the Virgin and in being blessed she is a Patient shee becommeth not such but by meanes of some Agent this Agent may be either God or Man and so the Benediction bee either Reall or Verball Some vnderstand the Reall the Benediction of God some the Verball the Benediction of man the vse of the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 reacheth the former but the signification thereof imports the latter both may stand together And indeede the Verball Benediction is but an attendant vpon the Reall you may learne it of Balaam Num. 23. vers 8. vers 20. How shall Ieurse saith he where God hath not cursed How shall I detest where the Lord hath not detested Behold I haue receiued a commandement to blesse where he hath blessed and I cannot alter it Two things there are which the Verball Benediction must take heed of and wherein it must guide it selfe by the Reall it must bee sure that the person whom it blesseth doth partake of the Reall and being sure thereof it must proportion the Verball vnto the Reall The Fathers did not without good cause pen many Panegyricks in honour of the Saints and they penned them with those two Cautions and therefore might they without danger be pronounced euen in the Church to the edification of the people But the Golden Legend is too palpable an euidence of the latter Churches neglect of suiting their Verball Benediction to the Reall Benediction of God for how many haue they blessed whom God hath cursed and calendred for Saints such as it may bee feared are firebrands in hell And as for those which are Saints indeede how lauish are they in reporting what God neuer did eyther for them or to them the whole Legend being become nothing else but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Epiphanius speaketh a fardell of forged dreames Not to goe from our present instance of the blessed Virgin in whom if euer in any they haue disproportioned the Verball and the Reall Benediction We forget not Epiphanius his good rule 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Virgin must from our mouths receiue no lesse nor no more than her due The Church of Rome challengeth vs for giuing her lesse but they charge vs falsly for we most willingly goe as farre in our Verball as we haue any faire euidence that God hath gone in his Reall farther we doe not goe neyther indeede should we Epist 174. St. Bernard hath taught vs well Virgoregia falso non eget honore veris cumulata honorum titulis infulis dignitatum he giues a good reason Nam non est hoc virginem honorare sed honori detrahere Atheists are incouraged to eleuate the credit of the whole if they can iustly challenge the truth of any part of such stories Iob saith well Wee may not lye for God much lesse may wee lye for a Saint and yet the Legends of this blessed Virgin how are they fraught with officious lyes But I will not trouble you with farther discouery thereof who cannot forget their excesse in the publique Doctrine of her grace and glory whereof I gaue you a taste on the second branch of my Text. I come then to the last point which I meane to touch The Angell doth not onely say that the Virgin is blessed but also blessed in comparison the phrase is comparatiue Amongst other words this is one wherewith the Hebrewes which haue no formall comparatiue words vse to express the superlatiue degree Blessed amongst women is as much as Amost blessed woman as if the Angell should say Many daughters haue been blest but thou surmountest them all And indeed it is no great prerogatiue to be blest aboue many wretches but aboue many blessed ones to be blest is a blessing indeed The Angell therefore biddeth her obserue not onely the nature but the measure also of her estate Sarah was blessed and so was Rebecca Rahel likewise with Deborah Iael and many others but their blessing was nothing vnto hers for this phrase alludes to former prophesies Moses speaketh of a woman Gen. 3. whose seed should bruise the Serpents head but it was Haisha a speciall woman that he pointed at and that woman was this Virgin Esay speaketh of a Virgin that shall conceiue and beare a sonne whose name shall be called Immanuel Esay 7.14 but it is Hagnalma a speciall Virgin and that Virgin was this blessed Mary Ieremie saith The Lord will create a new thing in the earth and a woman shall compasse a man Geber an heroicall man and no woman bare such a sonne but this blessed Virgin Adde hereunto that which the Fathers generally obserue and Sedulius hath comprehended in two Verses Gaudia matris habens cum virginit at is honore Nec primam similem visa est nec habere secundam Neuer was the like woman before her neither euer shall the like come after her so true is it that she is and is to be acknowledged superlatiuely Blessed Farther comparison than betweene her and women the Holy Ghost is not pleased to make Others haue gone farther and lifted her higher than all Angels how truly I will not dispute I list not to be inquisitiue where the Holy Ghost is silent these things shall better be knowne when we meete in heauen That which onely I obserue vpon this point is that a Comparison sheweth the Eminency of a grace and is a most feeling motiue vnto Ioy thereby we are not onely put in minde of our good but of the greatnesse thereof Were there no baser creatures whereunto a man might compare himselfe he should lose much of that Ioy which ariseth out of the knowledge which hee hath that hee is a man were there not many out of the Church which are men we should not know how much honour our being in the Church addeth vnto vs in that wee are Christian men King Dauid maketh the 8. Psalme out of his feeling of the first comparison and to put vs in minde of the second the 147. Psalme concludes thus He hath not dealt so with euery Nation neither haue the Heathen knowledge of his Lawes Finally in comparison of our selues let vs remember a good obseruation of St. Austins Beatior Maria percipiendo fidem Cap. 3. de sancta Maria. quà m concipiendo carnem Christi his assertion is grounded vpon Christs owne words Luke 12. who when a certaine woman cryed out Luke 11.27 28. Blessed is the wombe that bare thee and the pappes that gaue thee sucke answered Nay blessed are they that heare the Word of God and keepe it And those else where hee calleth His mother his brethren and his kinred Matth. 12.49 where hee had both carnall and also spirituall cognation hee did value the spirituall more than the carnall The eminency of the blessed Virgin was this that shee did partake of both and therein she hath an eminency aboue vs but if we doe
〈◊〉 when men are come so farre as Gods truth there is nothing they should prize so much as Christian peace And this peace depends much vpon the Shepheards staffe Philo Iudaeus for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it depends much vpon the Pastors gouernment whether the people shall liue at peace or no it depends vpon his exemplarie and doctrinall charitie For Charitie is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Nazianzene speaketh it is louing nay it is the mutuall loue of men St. Paul speaketh more closely to our purpose when he saith it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Col. 3. the band of perfection or the knot of those that are initiated in truth And well may it be called a Band first quia adhibet impedimenta There are two impediments which stay the dissoluing of Societies the one is if a man doe no wrong the other is if hee be not ouerfeeling of wrong done vnto him Now Charitie hath both these properties it is innocent and patient it doth no euill and it is long-suffering it couers a multitude of sinnes and taketh heede that it giueth no offence you shall find these properties in the thirteenth of the first to the Corinths As it is accompanied with these impediments so is the nature of it to worke Societie for Charitie is virtus vniens as the soule knits together the heterogeneous parts euen so doth Charitie different persons and maketh them all as one by it is wrought the communion of Saints But the staffe is not of a band but of bands which implies that the Charity is manifold And indeede so it is there is the loue of God and the loue of our Neighbour each is a band St. Chrysostome compareth one to the bodie the other to the soule the body without the soule and the soule without the body cannot make a man no more can the loue of God without the loue of our neighbour nor the loue of our neighbour without the loue of God make vp a full Charitie if the loue of our neighbour be wanting we want the body of Charitie and wee want the soule if there bee wanting the loue of God put both together and then the Charitie becomes vincula bands Some obserue a threefold loue in Charitie Amorem honestum iucundum vtilem It is true that these three are reckoned in Philosophie for distinct and may goe asunder as the vegetable sensitiue and reasonable soules doe yet as none hath a reasonable soule but hee that hath all three so doth Charitie containe all three kinds of Loue 1. honest loue because of vertue without which there is no charitie 2. pleasant loue because of familiaritie for Charitie is sociable 3. profitable loue for none of them that are in Charitie thinketh any thing of that which hee possesseth to be his owne but they haue all thing common Acts 4. common quoad 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 though not quoad 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for their mutuall vse though without preiudice to their distinct propriety This is the second reason why Charitie is called bands A third reason is because as Chrysostome wittily obserues by Charitie 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hee that is but one becommeth many looke how many friends a man hath so manifold is he hee hath so many bodies so many soules so many paire of eyes to watch for him so many paire of eares to heare for him so many tongues to speake for him so many feete to go for him finally so many paire of hands to fight or to worke for him so may Charitie make a thousand to be but as one and one to be a thousand times himselfe worthily therefore is Charitie called bands and reckoned the propertie of one of Christs staues And indeede Christ came especially to recommend this vnto the world it is the new Commandement that he gaue vnto his Church that we should loue one another and tels his Iohn 13. that by louing one another all men shall know that they are his Disciples for the spouse of Christ is as an Armie with banners Cant. 6. and Ierusalem is as a Citie that is compacted in it selfe Psal 122. she is vna in vno one Church vnder one head Christ so much these compounds import 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ephes 2.3 c. they note all the effects of the staffe of bands Let this suffice concerning the second Abilitie Hauing thus vnfolded the meaning of the Staues I must now shew you how Christ furnished himselfe with them for so he saith I tooke vnto my selfe Which words looke backe vnto the fourth verse where the Father layeth the Commandement vpon him saying Pasce oues feede the sheepe appointed to the slaughter here hee professeth his obedience to his Father signauit Pater the Father designed him and he came into the world to doe his will that sent him Iohn 6. St. Paul giueth the rule No man taketh the honour of Priesthood but he that was called of God as was Aaron therefore Christ took not vnto himselfe this honor to be made the High Priest but hee that said vnto him Thou art my sonne this day haue I begotten thee Heb. 5. gaue it to him And if Christ did not take this honour before it was giuen much lesse may any other without a lawfull calling intrude into this sacred calling and entermeddle with these holy staues Secondly Christ tooke vnto himselfe though this phrase may bee here as it is elsewhere Pleonasticall yet is it not amisse to obserue that Christ did qualifie himselfe with the Staues before hee did exercise himselfe in his calling Many venter to bee heads before they are worthy to be hands or feete 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Nazianzene speaketh purifie others being impure themselues 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 such men may rather goe for stage-players than graue teachers of the people for a graue teacher must first haue the staues before he vse them secondly he must worke the effect of the staues into himselfe before he endeauour to worke others by them But many saith Nazianzene 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 wrangle like Artisans to make their partie good rather than like graue Diuines keepe the people at one Thirdly as a Pastor must haue both the staues so must hee take them in their order the staffe of beauty before the staffe of bands for the holy Ghost goeth before the Catholicke Church 1 Tim. 3. and communion of Saints yea the Church is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 so that he is not in the Church that is not for the Truth there can be there may be no vnitie where there is not veritie There can be none the Historie of Hereticks in Epiphanius and Irenaeus testifie as much there may be none for what communion hath light with darknesse the enmitie betweene the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a sacred warre neyther may the Church entertaine any peace with those that haue warre with their Sauiour Christ You
shew the dignitie of the Soule of man Beasts haue soules no lesse then men but theirs compared to ours are verie base our soule comes from Heauen theirs from the Earth we must not vnderualue this precious guift of God nor let any vnruly lusts tell the world that the Soule that dwelleth in vs is not much better conditioned then that of a Beast You that are the Penitent take notice of this take notice how your fact hath debased your Soule It is cleare then that God did not make but one because he could make no more whereupon it will follow that the reason why he made but one was because he would not And indeed all Gods outward workes are arbitrarie they depend vpon his Will neither could any thing haue forced them against his Will whether they be workes of the Creation of the Prouidence or of the Redemption whatsoeuer outward worke he doth commeth freely from him Hauing found out this generall cause a man would thinke the Prophet might haue rested here for who should aske an account of Gods Will which prescribes to all things and whereon our Faith may securely rest because it is a most holy ground it is the rule of righteousnesse a man may boldly securely submit to it without disputes obey it in the greatest Articles of our Faith as the Mysterie of the Trinitie of the Incarnation we rest vpon his bare word and we should doe ill if we did enquire beyond it such busie curiositie in the highest straines of Religion bred the old Heresies and is the Mother of many controuersies that now disquiet the CHVRCH But yet this we must hold that in all outward workes GODS Will is guided by his Wisdome Eph. 1. and he doth all things according to the counsell of his Will as the Apostle speaketh And although sometimes he is pleased to try our Faith by his absolute commands yet oftentimes especially in moralities he vouchsafeth to condescend to our infirmity and cherish our obedience by yeelding a reason of his doings and so settles our disputing wits as he doth in this place by the Prophet whose resolution of the doubt is verie full for he not onely refutes Error but declares the Truth wherein he goeth so farre as to set downe not onely the generall but the particular cause also of GODS making one and so maketh our vnderstanding happy for felix qui potuit rerum cognoscere causas farther our vnderstanding cannot goe and when it commeth so farre if euer it will be quiet and obey readily Let vs come then vnto the reason which GOD is pleased to yeeld it is in effect this It was expedient it should be so in regard both of Nature and Grace In regard of Nature quaesiuit semen GOD would haue mankind propagated In regard of Grace quaesiuit semen sanctum he would haue mankind propagated as beseemed his children for these ends was God pleased so to order his Worke to make one and but one But let vs take these branches asunder First He sought seed and is that hindred by many wiues A man would thinke it is farthered rather for the more wiues a man hath the more children may he haue A man would thinke so but it is not so for God hath proportioned the strength of one man to the vse of one woman and if he so confine his lust he shall haue more strength of body and length of life to propagate his seed such seed as may be fit for propagation But the man that is giuen to many women doth sooner decay the state of his body becomes barren before his time or begetteth children that are naturally Eunuches for the children of lustfull persons doe seldome proue fruitfull As for women that communicate their bodyes to many men their case is much more such looke into the Stewes and you shall see that those common Harlots are as barren of children as they are excessiue in lust neither are they more fruitfull that carrie their sinne more closely Adde hereunto Cap. 15. that saying of the sonne of SYRACH Bastard plants take no roots if two become one and that one be not of Gods making they cannot looke for Gods blessing the more of such ones the more vnhappy ones Therefore that Gods blessing which in the Creation he gaue to man saying Multiply and increase might be poured out vpon man in full measure he made but one As he said a seed so he said a holy seed he would haue men multiply but so as beseemes the children of God as was most expedient for the state of Grace And here the phrase is to be obserued that which we render holy seed is in the Originall the seed of God it may allude to diuers stories First To that of the Creation Gen. 1. God made man after his Image after the Image of God made he them both male and female Cap. 3. therefore St LVKE fetcheth ADAMS pedigree from GOD GOD eleuated the nature of man whom he made answerable to the Couenant whereinto he entered and man became not onely a sociable Creature but also a member of the CHVRCH and GOD would haue them multiply as such bring forth children after his Image answerable to the honor which in the Creation he hath done them A second allusion of this phrase may be to the storie of the Separation which after the Fall was made betweene the Seed of the Woman and the Seed of the Serpent the seed of ENOS and of CAIN The seed of ENOS that continued in the Couenant Gen. 6. and had the seed of God as St IOHN speaketh abiding in them were called the sonnes of God and they were to continue on a posteritie like vnto themselues partakers of the same Grace heires of the same Promises the CHVRCH was to be perpetuated in their seed But as ADAM tooke a fall and then brought out children after his owne Image not GODS so these sonnes of GOD coupled themselues with the daughters of men and of them were borne Giants such Mongrels such Monsters as lost the seed of GOD and therefore were swept away with the Flood GOD reuiued his seed a third time by NOAR in SEM and of SEMS posteritie chose ABRAHAM Exod. 19. whose posteritie he made a Kingdome of Priests a holy Nation and forbad them to profaine the holy off-spring of the Lord in mingling themselues with the cursed off-spring of CHAM to continue their prerogatiue The storie of EZRA and NEHEMIAH shew how the Iewes transgrest this Commandement and how much those good men were offended therewith and prest the reformation thereof our Prophet that liued about those times may allude thereunto But whatsoeuer did occasion the phrase the issue of Polygamie must needs be an vnholy a bastard a cursed seed GOD in his Couenant promiseth to be our GOD and the GOD of our Seed but it is of our seed lawfully begotten Deut. 23. therefore in the Law he commandeth that a bastard shall not come
a Man but That man by an Excellencie and wee must hold this rule that though it may bee yet it is not a common thing to bee a Partie to this Couenant therefore we must thinke it worth our paines to affect it seeing wee receiue so honourable a title for our right in it The Fathers go one step farther and apprehend in this title Hominem Dominicum as Saint Austin speakes our Sauiour Iesus Christ And no maruell for though the first Couenant were entred into immediately with a meere man yet because hee forfeited and failed to performe his part of the contract God in the renuing of it prouided better for vs and entred into the second Couenant immediately with him that is both God and Man and so that by him as the Head it should be communicated to the Church which is his bodie and who dare assume to bee a Partie to this Couenant but Christ and those whom he will enable thereunto we may not presume of this honour except we deriue it from him for though it be a point of great dignitie yet is it a point of great difficultie also as you will perceiue when we haue vnfolded the Vow Let vs come then vnto it I told you it consists of two parts which we must consider first ioyntly and then seuerally in the ioynt consideration of them we must consider first their number they are two they must needs be so many since the Fall before one was enough While we had the Image of God we had nothing to doe but to dedicate our selues to him but now that Image is lost wee haue more to doe wee must not onely put on the new but also put off the old man Gen. 3.15 those words of God I will set enmitie betweene the Serpent and the Woman her seed and his imply that there must be a separation betweene His and those that are not His and this hee discouered immediately after Adam had children in the separation of Abel from Cain in whom Saint Austin layeth the foundation of the two Cities the Citie of God and the Citie of the Deuill which is true concerning so much of it as hath a foundation in man although it began before in regard of the Angels which before the fall of Adam were ranged into good and bad After Abel and Cain God continued the separation in the posteritie of Seth and Cain in the posteritie of Noah of Abraham 2. Cor. 6.14 of Isaac of Iacob c. Saint Paul giues the rule No communion betweene light and darknesse righteousnesse and vnrighteousnesse c. As this number of parts is required so must we take them in their order and the naturall order is here set downe in my Text we must begin at the Abrenuntiation The Law for the most part is deliuered in negatiue Commandements which speake to vs as we are in the state of corruption from which wee must be cleansed before we can make any vse of the affirmatiue and haue our part in sanctification Learne of our bodies how wee must deale with our soules corrupt humours must be purged before good nourishment be administred otherwise the peccant humours will corrupt good nourishment Cap. 10. vers 12. Hosea teacheth it by another Similie bidding vs to plow vp the fallow grounds of our hearts and not sow amongst thornes good husbands know that except the plow doe first weed the ground the weeds will choake the good seed that is sowne therein and surely the reason why men profit so little at the Church is because they are not by Abrenuntiation prepared for their dedication But enough of the parts of our Vow as they are considered ioyntly let vs now come to take them asunder and looke into the nature of each of them apart and first of our Abrenunciation wherein wee shall learne From what and How farre we must be seuered There are Sinnes and Sinners both exprest in my Text the Sinners in three seuerall names whereof the learned giue diuers significations wherein they doe rather follow the translations than the originall words but the best exposition of these names is that which we sinde in the description of their Sinnes The first is Rashang which is a tumultuous or an vnquiet person whose Sin is Ambulare in consilio who is more vnquiet than hee that is vnresolued The second is Chataim from Chata which signifieth one that shoots but cleane besides the marke and his Sinne is Stare in viâ looke where his arrow pitcheth there to take vp his stand and to resolue vpon that course The third is Letz a craftie Scorner and the definition of his Sinne is to sit downe in a chaire to be a publike professor of sinne with the disgrace of godlinesse As we must marke this distinction of the Sinners so must we also the specious titles that are giuen to their Sinnes Counsell Way Chaire good names but ill applyed Counsell is necessarie to guide vs in our course but not the Counsell of the vngodly wee are all commanded to goe a Way but it must not be the way of Sinners and a Chaire is a seat of honour but not if it be the seat of the Scorner That wee be not abused by the outside we must looke into the inside of a temptation adde Vngodly vnto Counsell Sinner vnto Way Scorner to the Chaire and then we shall see that there is reason why wee should bee separated from these and we shall not be ouer-reached by wolues in sheepes clothing But mark whereas you haue heard of Sinners Sin the persons their ill qualities we are not willed to be separated from their persons but from their ill qualities not from the Vngodly but from his counsel not from the Sinner but from his Way not from the Scorner but from his Chaire we must goe out of the world if we will be separated from their persons but from their qualities wee may bee separated and yet conuerse with them onely when publike authoritie commands whether Ecclesiasticall or Ciuill we must separate our selues from the persons also not only from the sinnes of men The children of God are compared to light and during the time of their spirituall warfare they must shew themselues like vnto light Light shines in the aire and on the earth and yet contracts no contagious qualitie from the one or the other so should the children of God doe and as Christ tels them they must be though in the world yet not of the world yea as the light doth discouer Iohn 17. and correct the malignant qualities of the aire and the earth remaining it selfe vnalterable so must not we be the worse for the world rather the world should be the better for vs. But let vs looke a little farther into these things from which wee must be separated and then we shall finde here the seed and the fruit of Sin the seed that is the Counsell of the wicked by that they seeke to worke vpon our
he is entitled he hath none except he partake of the same grace that was in the Patriarke These two must concurre they cannot bee seuered without danger danger not to the Couenant for God will be true though all the World be lyars Rom 3 4. but vnto so many as were gracelesse Iewes although they vaunted that they were Abrahams seede yet were they neuer to come into Abrahams bosome Wherefore seeing the Iewes did diuorce these things which God would haue conioyned Saint Iohn aduiseth them to correct this errour and to begin to tread Abrahams steps least otherwise they be nothing the better for being Abrahams sonnes So then the Baptists exhortation hath two parts the first teacheth what these Iewes ought to intend the second vpon what they may not stand That which they ought to intend is Penitencie that whervpon they may not stand is their Pedigree at this time only of the former That which the Iewes ought to intend is exprest in these words Bring forth therfore fruits worthy of repentance wherin we are to obserue first the Inference then the Argument The Inference S. Iohn gathereth this counsell out of his former reproofe and wisheth them to take a better course because they were in so bad a case this is the force of the particle therefore In the argument we haue the workes and an answerablenesse that must be betweene them the workes are two Gods and mans God giueth Repentance which man must imploy in bringing forth fruites The answerablenesse is Mans worke must keepe good correspondencie with Gods Men must bring forth fruites such as are worthy of repentance Of these points briefly and in their order I begin with the Inference Although in the fits and heate of our passions it seeme otherwise yet is it a grounded truth that there is no man except he be giuen ouer to a reprobate sense which doth not naturally abhor to be either wicked or a wretch You may perceiue it by his iudgement in cold bloud And â—o peccanti oâ—endere mala suâ— vitia si non excidero inhibeho Seneca Epist 40 certainely reason doth acknowledge this to be so true that Seneca thought one of the best meanes to reclaime a man that goeth a stray was to set his case before him though I shall little please saith hee yet I will bee bold to let him that erreth know his fault for it is likely that thereupon if hee doe not presently turne Tunc melius proteruns coriqimus c Greâ— Mag in astor yet hee will at least make a stand Gregorie the great a better Authour speaketh in the voice of Religion we cannot take a better course to reclaime vntoward natures then if wee shew them how ill they doe when they suppose they doe well and turne their vaine glorie into a profitable shame The holy Ghost master both of reason and Religion is the guide vnto them both For in the Scriptures wee find that the Prophets seldome shew what God requires before they haue shewed the Iewes what they want they preface the doctrine of that which they should be with a former doctrine of that which they were the instances are euerie where to bee found I will alleadge some few God himselfe when he dealeth with Adam after his fall beginneth with Where art thou The fathers Commentarie is not vnfit Non modo vbi loci sed vbi conditionis God demandeth of him not onely in what place but in what case he was Surely their Commentary is made probable by Adams answere for Adam doth answere as well in what case I was naked as in what place he was I hid my selfe Wisedome in the first of the Prouerbes dealeth thus plainely with men How long yee simple ones will yee loue simplicitie and yee scorners delight in scorning Our Sauiour Christ vseth the same method in his Epistle vnto the Church of Laodicea 〈◊〉 3. Thou art wretched and miserable and poore and blind and naked Thus they all set before their eyes with whom they deale as Saint Iohn Baptist doth their poore and wofull case But they rest not therein but proceed from the reproose vnto the remedy as S. Iohn Baptist doth least other wise they should seeme rather to reproach then to reproue to insult vpon them rather then to correct them Nemo prudens punti quod peccatum sit sed ne peccetur It is not so much as good Policie much lesse Pietie to punish because men haue offended they should rather prouide by punishments that they offend no more and therfore are chastisments called corrections because they are not so much afflictions for as preuentions from committing sinne Now reproofes are Verball punishments therefore they must imitate them so shew a disease as that withall they prescribe the cure thereof 1. Sam 2.6 imitating God who as Anno speaketh killeth and maketh aliue againe Certainely he which asked Adam where are thou Relieued him againe with the seed of the woman shall bruise the Serpents head and Wisedome that began with How long will yee fooles delight in folly c. concludeth with Turne you at my reproofe I will powre out of my spirit vpon you I will make knowne my words vnto you And our Sauiour Christ least he should seeme to vpbraid the Laodiceans offereth them a present supplie of gold of rayment of eye-salue Rnuel 3. of whatsoeuer they did want Certainely if so be we adde the meanes how they may recouer whom we reproue we are most likely to speed of their amendment for the remedie prescribed is an euidence that the reproofe proceeded from Loue and the reprehender may say with S. Paul 1. Cor 4 I wrote not these things to shame you but as my beloued I warne you and Loue is so necessarie in reproofe that Saint Austin is of opinion That no man should reproue except he first strictly examine his conscience whether hee doe it out of Loue I adde that this Loue must bee made euident by the care that we shew of the reproueds good The reason is plaine for although the inborne principles before specified I meane our naturall desire of goodnesse and happinesse make vs capable in our worst case of good counsell yet whether the counsell that is giuen vs be for our good wee argue oftner from the person then from the things and our iealousie of the person is a preiudice to his words and stoppeth vs from deliberating vpon the truth of his reproofe whereas on the contrarie side the Loue of the person doth open our eares and be his words neuer so tart they sinke downe into our soule and our most stubbourne affections are contented to bee wrought by them Let the righteous reproue me saith the Psalmist and it shall be a precious balme and Saint Austin Loue me and say what thou wilt let it appeare that they meane our good and it shall not grieue vs if we be blamed so much as wee deserue I note this the
hee desired Christ not to take so much paines marke what reason he giueth I my selfe am a man set vnder authoritie and I haue souldiers vnder me and I say vnto one Come and he commeth and to another Goe and hee goeth and if I a petty Captaine that haue but a handfull of men vnder mee can so easily command them what mayst thou doe that art Generall of heauen and earth thou mayst doe whatsoeuer thou wilt for all things are thy host wherefore only speake the word and my seruant shall be whole Where by the way and yet fitly to our purpose we may obserue that he reputeth sicknesse one of Christs souldiers before I made the Armies consist only of persons I must now enlarge it also vnto things for indeed no lesse things than persons are Christs souldiers The Sunne shineth and scorcheth the Earth whereupon followeth a drought accompanied with those noisome creatures which are engendred in a drought these are souldiers of Christ And Ioel setteth them forth like an Armie The raine fals and glutteth the earth from whence spring weedes the off-spring of raine and vndigested moystures whereupon followeth the diseases of fruit and corne these are souldiers of Christ The pestilence wasteth the citie the sword cateth vp the people these are souldiers they come to execute Christs wrath as truly as the good Angels do pitch their tents about vs for to guard vs or any other good meanes is bestowed vpon vs to doe vs good Wherefore wee must not consider the Creatures only as they are in their owne nature but according to that employment also which they haue vnder God for they are all souldiers of the Lord of Hostes There is one thing more which I may not forget the whole world is called Gods Host but the Church is it in a speciall sort Salomon calleth it en Armie with banners Cant. 6. Moses speaking of the Church vnder the Old Testament calleth it the entring into the Leuiticall ministrie ingressâ—m in militiam St. Paul of the New Testament bids Timothie doe what himselfe had done fight a good fight 2 Tim. 2. and cap. 4. the whole body is called a Church Militant When we assemble together then Dauid will tell vs Psalme 110. Thy people O Lord will come willingly at the time â—f mastering thine armie in holy beauty The Lords day is his muster day all that are enrolled should then appeare before him Ephes 6. partly to furâ—â—â—h hemselues out of his armorie and partly to be directed how to carly themselues in their seuerall stations for euery man must walke as hee is called 1 Cor. 7. Which they should obserue that little frequent the Church and take as little notice why these Church meetings were instituted No wonder if they be vnarmed no wonder if they offend were we carefull to appeare at the musters we would be more resolute when we are gone thence because we should be compleately armed and more vigilent against the enemie because we should be better instructed As the Church is an Armie so it is but one Armie though diuided into seuerall bands Though there be particular Congregations yet there is but one holy Catholicke Church and seeing the Host is but one there should be no mutinie against the Generall That disloyall speech Nolumus hunc regnare super nos Wee will not haue this man raigne ouer vs Luke 19.14 receiued in the Gospel a iust reward of treacherie As we must not mutinie against the Generall so must not the souldiers side betweene themselues We should not sheathe our swords one in another corporally much lesse spiritually there should be no ciuill there should be no ecclesiasticall rents between the parts of Christendome for so Michaels Host doth degenerate into the Host of the Dragon that of the Womans feede into the opposite which is the Host of the Serpents brood To weaken them God is pleased that his enemies should be as the Madianites by his prouidence one of them doth ruine the other but hee would haue his children alwaies one man and be alwaies of one minde not to hazzard their owne liues nor the liues of others but in his quarrell and against his enemies This religious this honourable disposition of a Christian that is a souldier in Gods Host is much to bee wisht though little to be hoped for in these vncharitable and bloudy daies I haue spoken enough of the power of the person I come now vnto his signature which I told you is plaine and peremptorie It is plaine for here are no logicall demonstrations nor rhetoricall declamations but a plaine expression of Gods minde This is the best eloquence of Kings or Generals they are not bound to yeelde a reason of their commands or to vse insinuations into their peoples affections it is enough for them to expresse their pleasure in those things that are of their absolute command and if they do more they do it out of their goodnesse shew that they do as much desire to leade their subiects by reason as to require their obedience Much more may the Lord of heauen and earth do thus whose wisedome is vndeceiueable and his power most absolute though he be pleased sometimes to giue vs a reason of his command yet may we not expect it farther than he is pleased to vouchsafe it The signature is plaine but it is peremptorie for hee that speaketh so plainely speaketh as one that hath authoritie we may not dispute much lesse resist such commands because they are the commands of the Lord of Hostes This is to be noted both by Pastor and People for thus saith the Lord of Hostes is the Pastors warrant for his message he must bring nothing to the people without this signature I speake of things necessary to saluation For otherwise as in the Common-weale so in the Church there be many indifferent things which are left vnto the disposition of those that are in authoritie who are referred only vnto the generall rules 1 Cor. 14.26 Let all things be done to edification Let them bee done decently and in order 1 Cor. 14.40 But in matters necessary to saluation it is with the Church as it is with the Common-weale wee must distinguish betweene the Law-makers and the Executioners thereof They that are the Executioners of Lawes may not take vpon them to make new Lawes Iudges and Iustices in their assizes and sessions informe the people what is the Law already established and by vertue of their Commissions they doome euery mans cause according to such Law Euen so God the King of kings hath decreed the Lawes of Christian Faith and Life and these Lawes hath hee committed to the Pastors of the Church hee hath committed vnto them the promulgation application of his lawes and more he hath not committed The Church of Rome agreeth with vs in the generall rule that thus saith the Lord of Hostes must be the warrant of the Pastors proceeding the Councell of Trent layeth it for
depart He then that deales treacherously with his wife by taking another while she liues is guiltie not onely of sinne against her but also against GOD and he should be so guiltie though he were diuorced diuorce may goe so farre as to part their companie for a time but it dissolues not the bond of Matrimonie no though both sides be willing to haue it dissolued they may renounce their owne right they cannot renounce Gods without his consent the Obligation which he layeth vpon them cannot be cancelled he that marrieth a second wife euen after diuorce deales treacherously for marriage implyes indiuiduam vitae consuetudinem so strait a tye that whom God hath conioyued Math. 19. 1 Cor. 7. no man can put asunder and diuorce was granted onely for the hardnesse of the Iewes hearts therefore they that are diuorced must be reconciled againe or remaine vnmarried to any other And if it be Adulterie vpon diuorce to marrie againe how much more is it Adulterie to marrie without a diuorce And this is your case which are the Penitent I know you had a faire pretence your wife was lewd she ran from you she was seuen yeeres absent you heard she was dead faire pretences and they doe you this good that they keepe off from you the stroake of seuerer Iustice But though they diminish your fault they doe not altogether excuse it the death of your wife was not hastily to be belieued you should haue legally proued it before you ventred vpon a second match And as for her forsaking you it was a foule fault but you ought not to haue recompenced euill with euill and become an Adulterer because she was an Adulteresse if you will partake of her sinne you must partake of her punishment at least in part The full punishment of Adulterie is verie great temporall eternall in this life MOSES Law did cut off Adulterers by death Leu. 20. and if the Adulterer be a Polygamist our Law also excepting in some cases inflicteth death vpon him 1 Cor. 5. The Apostles Canon doth excommunicate him Neither is an Adulterer onely punishable in this world his case is much worse in the world to come for the Apostle threatens it with eternall death except they repent 1 Cor. 6. Hebr. 13. God himselfe will iudge Adulterers and they shall neuer enter into the Kingdome of Heauen Make you then good vse of this your Ecclesiasticall penance that so you may preuent GODS eternall vengeance There is one clause more in this second branch of the Exhortation whereat I will touch and so end The person against whom the Iowe offended is here called the wife of his youth he marryed her in his younger yeeres and now in his elder set his affection vpon some other It is thought that the Iewes returning from Captiuitie brought with them their wiues poore in state worne and withered in their bodyes with carking and caring and that thereupon to relieue their wants and satisfie their lusts with richer and fairer women they fell to these second matches And indeed pouertie and deformitie are shrewd temptations to worldly and carnall men but this phrase teacheth that the woman whom a man loueth in youth he must loue her in age the longer they haue beene wedded the more must be their loue and it is a greater fault to play false with an old wife then with a young bride Men must euer keepe in mind the promise they made at their marriage I take thee to my wedded wife to haue and to hold for better for worse for richer for poorer in sicknesse and in health till death vs doe part But I end and SOLOMON shall make my conclusion Prou. 2. Drinke waters out of thine owne cisterne and running waters out of thine owne well Let the fountaines be dispersed abroad and riuers of waters in the streetes Let them be onely thine owne and not strangers with thee Let the fountaine be blessed and reioyce with the wife of thy youth Let her be as the louing Hind and pleasant Roe Let her breasts satisfie thee at all times and be thou rauisht alwayes with her loue And why wilt thou my sonne be rauisht with a strange woman and embrace the bosome of a stranger For the wayes of man are before the eyes of the Lord and he pondereth all his doings Let vs all walke in the Spirit and not in the Flesh to fulfill the lusts thereof So shall God blesse vs and our posteritie here on Earth and after this life we shall be reckoned in the number of those Virgines which follow the Lambe wheresoeuer he goeth Amen A SERMON PREACHED AT St CVTBERTS IN WELLES WHEN CERTAINE PERSONS DID PENANCE FOR BEING AT CONVENTICLES WHERE A WOMAN PREACHED 1 TIMOTH 2. VERSE 11 c. 11 Let the woman learne in silence with all subiection 12 But I suffer not a woman to teach nor to vsurpe authoritie ouer the man but to be in silence 13 For Adam was first formed then Eue. 14 And Adam was not deceiued but the woman being deceiued was in the transgression THIS Epistle is a Booke of Ecclesiasticall Canons therein St PAVL doth instruct TIMOTHIE Bishop of Ephesus how he should guid his censures in regard as well of the discipline as the doctrine of the CHVRCH Amongst others in this Chapter we haue two Canons which serue to correct the mis-beuauiour of Christian women Their mis-behauiour was twofold They did glorie in the monument of their shame and they aduanced themselues aboue the condition of their sex The monument of shame is Apparell for there was no need thereof while we were cloathed with Innocencie but when the conscience of our sinne made vs loathsome in our eyes then did we betake our selues vnto this couert to hide our vile selues from our counfounded senses we put on cloathes Vpon this ground St PAVL tels women I may adde men also for we liue in an age wherein it is hard to say whether in cloathes men grow more womannish or women more mannish but here St PAVL tels women that if they will be gaye and fine indeed they must attire themselues according to that fashion whereinto God at first put them not according to that which sinne hath forced vpon them they must adorne themselues not with the burnished and embelished elements or rather excrements of this lower world but with the graces and vertues that come from Heauen so shall they haue a conuersation well suited with their profession and make themselues louely in the eyes as well of God as men This is the summe of the first Canon the Canon that corrects womens glorying in the monument of shame which is their Apparell To this St PAVL adds a second which corrects their aduancing themselues aboue their sexe and it is contained in those words which now I haue read vnto you The better to vnderstand this Canon we must resolue it into a Rule and the Reason which the Apostle giues for the same In the
rule we shall see what it is and who prescribes it The rule is a precept which first doth range and then doth qualifie women answerable to their ranke In the Schoole of CHRIST there are Masters and Schollers women are placed amongst Schollers they must learne yea so are they placed amongst Schollers that they may neuer hope to be Masters for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they can haue no licence to teach The ground whereof is a generall maxime they may not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vsurpe vpon men if absolutely women may not be superior to men then may they not be in Ecclesiasticall things for teaching imports a superioritie Women being thus ranged must be qualified answerable to their ranke being Schollers they must haue the qualities of Schollers those are two filence and obedience silence they must vse their eares and not their tongues about sacred things they must be more forward to heare then to speake they must learne with silence And vnto their silence they must adde obedience they must not giue but take instructions and put in practise what they are taught they must learne with all subiection This is the Rule But who prescribes it So harsh a rule had need of a verie good Author women will otherwise be hard of beliefe And surely this hath a good one it is St PAVL his stile in the Preface of this Epistle shews his warrant he is an Apostle of IESVS CHRIST he deliuers it not in his owne name but in his Masters as his Steward so much is intimated in the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whence comes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifieth a Steward so that we cannot dis-belieue him but we question CHRISTS truth The authoritie of this Rule then descends from Heauen and if it doe the bare promulgating of it requires that we credit it But as God doth all things not onely according to his Will but the Counsell of his Will euen so his words are Decrees not onely of his Will but also of his Counsell they haue a reason and for strengthening of our Faith the Holy Ghost though he be not bound yet is he often pleased to expresse the same He doth it in this place And the reason of this rule is taken first from the Creation then from the Fall From the Creation thus doth the Apostle argue woman must be subiect vnto man for Adam was first framed and then Eue the precedencie in being giues a prerogatiue of commanding But this was a reall ordinance and woman it should seeme tooke no notice of it for EVE began quickly to be a teacher of ADAM She did so but with verie ill successe for she was seduced she discouered the weaknesse of her iudgement and that not in a matter of speculation but of practise for she was in the transgression she brake GODS bonds and cast his cords from her by her and not by ADAM or rather by her taking vpon her to teach ADAM came sinne into the world Hereupon the Apostle concludes that because woman hath giuen so wofull a proofe of her vntowardlynesse in teaching of man she must forbeare for euer to meddle with that function and man must maintaine that authoritie which GOD hath giuen him ouer a woman These are the contents of this second Canon whereof suitable vnto this occasion I will now speake briefly and in their order I begin with the Rule I told you it is a Precept wherein we must see first how women are ranged The name of man and woman which in the Originall are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 haue a double signification they are vnderstood ratione either Sexus or Coniugij they note in generall male and female or in speciall such of either sexe as are ioyned in wedlocke The Apostle in this place makes vse of the generall signification but so that his doctrine may be applyed also to the speciall for if in generall women be so subiected vnto men wedlocke makes no alteration in this case but doth much more subiect a wife vnto her husband and in their measure must all the particulars of this text hold in the Oeconomicks though here they be handled as they are to be vnderstood in the Ecclesiasticks To come then nearer my Text. The CHVRCH is a societie and therefore consists of different parts there must be in it superiours and inferiours This is taught vs by the resemblance that is made between it and a Kingdome wherein there is a Soueraigne and Subiects betweene it and a Citie wherein there are Magistrates and Commons betweene it and an Army with Banners wherein there are Captaines and Souldiers betweene it and an House wherein there is a Master and his Family finally betweene it and our naturall Body wherein there are directing and obeying parts St PAVL handling this last resemblance 1 Cor. 12. shewes the ground of this subordination of persons as in all societies so in the CHVRCH to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the comlinesse and commoditie of the Societie This being a generall course which GOD hath set down in Societies it must be enquired first what be the different parts of a CHVRCH and then who are assigned to either part The parts are exprest in my Text and so also are the parties that are assigned to beare those parts The parts are Teachers and Learners all members of the CHVRCH come vnder this diuision for they are either Pastors or people ghostly Fathers or ghostly Children Stewards or the Houshold of GOD such as guid or are guided vnto Heauen This being plaine that there are but these two parts The second enquirie is What parties are assigned to beare them And here we find that GOD imposeth the person of a Learner vpon the woman and of a Teacher vpon the man Though the knowledge and the feare of GOD are common to men and women for women also are in the Couenant and must not be ignorant of the Articles thereof especially seeing GOD hath vouchsafed them to be spirituall both Kings and Priests yet the administration of sacred things is the peculiar of men In the beginning of the world GOD layed this Function vpon the first borne that was male after the deliuerance out of the Aegyptian captiuitie GOD in steed of the first-borne chose the Tribe of Leuie vnto this seruice to be performed onely by the males thereof after CHRIST was inaugurated to the Office of a Mediator he chose twelue men to be his Apostles and to them gaue order for the continuance of the Ministerie in that Sexe It is true that GOD extraordinarily in both Testaments raysed vp Prophetesses according to that of Ioel cap. 2. and while the Foundation of the CHVRCH was laying by women he enformed men of his Truth yea by a silly woman gaue entrance vnto Christianitie in a whole Kingdome but the instances are rare and they are workes wherein GOD shewed himselfe to haue power to dispense with his owne Ordinance and dispose at his
pleasure his owne guifts but they may not be drawne into example by vs to the preiudice of a well setled Ecclesiasticall policie the generall ordinance must hold except women that breake it can shew a dispensation Ordinarie Women-Prophets and Priests sprang vp amongst the Heathen with the corruption of Religion who as they had female Gods so had those Gods for their attendants suitable persons of their owne Sexe yea sometimes their He-Gods had She-Priests in the Poets tales you shall find enough of such trash The Heretickes receiued it from the Infidels corrupting holy orders as they did GODS sacred Truth and had their Prophetesses accompanying them yea the Petuzians ordained Episcopas and Presbiter as feminine both Bishops and Priests Licinius as Eusebius reports by a tyrannous Law forbad women to assemble in the CHVRCH with men and commanded them to haue their seuerall Congregations to make themselues Teachers of their owne Sexe but his Edict is censured for ridiculous and whether within the CHVRCH or without the CHVRCH the calling of women to this sacred function hath beene deemed a prophanation of holy orders The Councell of Carthage hath a short but a full Canon to this purpose Caum 98. Quamuis docta quamuis sancta admit a woman be neuer so learned neuer so holy yet non presumat she may not presume to meddle with a sacred function It is not to be hoped that any woman will euer be of so vnspotted a life as was the Virgine Marie nor so well acquainted with the mysteries of the Kingdome of Heauen yet shall you not find in all the life of CHRIST or after his death during the time which she liued with the Apostles that she intermedled with any part of pastorall function Whereupon St Bernard was bold to put off an imposture of a Priest that made the Virgines Image to speake vnto him when he entred into a CHVRCH to performe his deuotion with this wittie answer Your Ladiship hath forgotten that St PAVL forbids women to speake in the Church But if women be allowed to be onely Hearers in the seruice of Religion it may be thought they haue little to doe whereas indeed it is farre otherwise for not onely St PAVL in this Epistle sets them out other worke but Solomon also Prou. 21. hath read an exemplarie Lecture of good houswiferie vnto them in which chapter also they may find some libertie that they haue to teach for there Bathshâ—ba is brought in teaching and instructing her sonne Solomon and it may be gathered out of the second Epistle to Timothie that Timothy was bred vp in Religion by his mother Eunice and grand-mother Lois it being out of all question that women are so farre allowed to teach as to instruct them which vnder their husbands are committed to their charge But the Apostles interdict forbids them within doores in the presence of their husbands and likewise abroad in the companie of others especially if they be men to attempt any such thing If they doe it abroad they vsurpe vpon the Pastors function as within doores vpon their husbands for though the place where they meet be not properly a CHVRCH yet by reason of the vse whereunto they put it their meeting becomes a Conuenticle and such acts of a woman are in the eye of the Law derogatorie to the authoritie of the Pastors as in the eye of Reason to the authoritie of man vpon whom it is not lawfull for a woman to vsurpe as followeth in my Text. And indeed the generall Inhibition that forbids a woman to vsurpe authoritie ouer a man is the ground of this particular they must not be teachers but hearers for teaching carrieth with it a kind of authoritie But more distinctly to rip vp this generall rule which forbids women to vsurpe authoritie vpon men the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 imports two things authoritie and exemplaritie words that are authenticall are words of command and such as inferiors must exemplifie and the priuiledge of speaking such words belongs vnto man For whereas all authoritie is included in three heads Rex Propheta Sacerdos all three are setled in man man hath a kingly power in his House to giue order vnto all businesses which concerne the same and he is appointed a Prophet to his Family to informe them of the knowledge of GOD I know him saith GOD of ABRAHAM Gen. 18. that he will command his children and his houshold after him and they shall keepe the way of the Lord c. In the Law parents are commanded euerie one to teach his children and St PAVL 1 Cor. 14. requires women if they will learne any thing to aske their husbands at home which as it taxeth the ignorance of such men as are not able to teach so that they may be able it whets their industry to be more carefull to learne Finally a man is Sacerdos the sacrifice of prayer and thankes-giuing must be offered by him for his whole Family Iob 1. this did Iob practice day by day he sent for and fanctified his children and offered burnt offerings according to the number of them all This which is true in a priuate Family is much more true in a Common-weale which is but a multitude of Families and the authoritie in publike must be in persons of that sexe to which it belongeth in priuate If women intermeddle they doe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vsurpe vpon the authoritie that is proper to man and then what followes The Philosopher will tell you that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the rule of women is the baine of a Family no lesse then tyranny is the baine of a Common wealth the reason is plaine they haue more of the heart then the head and their affections out-step their discretion yea whereas in the head there is wit and wisedome women are commonly more wittie then wise for wisedome requires the pondering of circumstances but the forwardnesse of their affections will not suffer women to pause so long whereupon it followes that their resolutions are rash and wilfull which cannot prognosticate any good euents Cornelius Agrippa hath tried the best of his wits to aduance them in abilities aboue men but he doth so collude in handling the Argument that women may well feare a iudgement will be giuen against them if they come to the Barre furnished with no better euidence Happily some woman may be as wise as Abigail and some men as silly as Natal yet then neither doth man lose his prerogatiue nor woman acquire a title aboue him she may deale with him per viam consilij but not imperij counsell she may command him she may not In a word women are not to giue directions to men nor men to take their patternes from them the contrarie rather must preuaile both in priuate and publike especially in ecclesiasticall functions men are to giue women their directions and women are to take their patternes from men for so much the distinction that sorts them into
Learners and Teachers doth import And so haue you heard how this precept doth range women who must hence learne with what place they are to content themselues in the Schoole of CHRIST As the Precept doth range them so doth it qualifie them Learners they are and they must haue the qualities of Learners which are these two silence and obedience First women must learne in silence There is a double silence one of the tongue and another of the wit St CHRYSOSTOME obserues that in his dayes women came to CHVRCH as they goe a gossopping met there to talke and prattle together vnto whom he giueth this Item that they must not there so much as conferre of heauenly things much lesse may they tattle about worldly affaires they must spare their tongues and vse their eares be swift to heare and slow to speake I suppose many women labour of the same imperfection now adayes who shall doe well to take notice of this memento of St Chrysostome and make better vse of their Teachers paines then they are wont to doe But there is a silence of the wit as well as of the tongue as women must heare with attention so must they also heare with sobrietie of iudgement they must not haue busie heads and moue curious and needlesse questions seldome will the tongue be quiet if the wit be so working the truth whereof is most apparent in this age of ours then which none euer bred more idle disputes tending to quarrelling rather then edification the end of Learning The Minister is GODS Steward and is to giue euerie one his portion of meat in due season In our Houses we will hardly endure that enerie one of our Family should prescribe vnto himselfe his own dyet and not be contented with what is prouided by such as we put in trust to serue them but we are bolder with GODS Stewards then we will suffer our Family to be with ours and none are more sicke of this disease then women they want the first qualitie of a Learner to wit silence when they come to heare they should come furnished with that but not with that onely they must be furnished also with another qualitie which is obedience Women must learne with all subiection Women were wont in St PAVLS dayes to weare in the CHVRCH the symbole of subiection which was a Vaile who himselfe approues of the expediencie hereof and saith that it was to be done propter Angelos 1 Cor 11 to note their subiection to the Pastors who were representatiuely vnto them as CHRIST whose Spowse women must shew themselues to be And indeed married women are called Nuptâ—e of wearing a Vaile Cat. 24. and of Rebecca you read in Genesis that so soone as she came within sight of Isaac she couered her selfe with a Vaile and so presented her selfe in token of subiection vnto him St PAVL Ephes 5. paralels the subiection of the wife to her husband with the subiection of the CHVRCH to CHRIST so that they must submit themselues not onely to learne but to obay and be ruled by them whom GOD hath made their Teachers for wheresoeuer GOD placeth one vnder another his purpose is by the one to order the other But you must marke that it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with all subiection which may be vnderstood either of the things wherein or the parts wherewith they doe obey Touching the things you heard before that a man is Rex Propheta Sacerdos in all these three functions women must be ordered by men and men must giue directions vnto women And as in all these things they must be subiect so must their subiection be as well in affection as in action it must partake not onely of the outward but of the inward man they must be subiect as reasonable not as vnreasonable Creatures But we must not mistake The subiection of the wife to the husband and of women to their Pastors is not serua but libera it is not slauish but ingenuous When GOD made the woman for man he made her as another-himselfe Gen. 2. man is so to esteeme of her she must be similis though not aequalis honoris she must partake in the same kind of honour though not in the same degree that man doth And as Turtullian saith of a King that he is solo Deo minor hath in his Kingdome none aboue him but onely GOD so is a woman in a Family solo marito minor she should command all in the House but her husband This the Romans intimated when at the first bringing of their wiues into their Houses they greeted them with these words Vbi ego dominus tu domina and Vbi ego herus tu hera We meane as much by these words whereat many stumble in the solemnization of Matrimonie with my body I thee worship which import nothing else but that the husband doth communicate to his wife whatsoeuer degree he hath either in the CHVRCH or Common-weale And indeed for a husband to esteeme his wife at a lower rate is barbarous inhumanitie she is and must be accounted one with himselfe and as his Consort And as in wedlocke the husband must so temper his superioritie ouer his wife so must Pastors claime no other superioritie ouer them then CHRIST doth ouer his CHVRCH Implicit faith and blind obedience of the Romanists are no parts of the subiection women must be Learners but they are not bound to receiue more then Pastors are authorized to deliuer vnto them in the Name of CHRIST farther to subiect them is to tyrannize ouer them as popish Priests doe ouer their followers You haue heard of what ranke women are and how farre they are subiected vnto men But here we must take heed of two Rockes whereof one is an error the other is a slander The error is the opinion that doth out of this Text impugne 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the gouernment of women to which purpose there was a Tract published by some distempered humor in Queene Maries dayes which had also the concurrencie of French Diuines who to countenance the Salicke Law doe gladly entertaine such an opinion But both should know that generall rules haue their exceptions and those set downe by GOD himselfe Besides the generall rule Honour thy father and thy mother which shews that euen mothers also haue their place in gouernment MOSES hath giuen vs a particular resolution of this case Dent. 27. from the mouth of GOD himselfe which is that where heires males faile in a line the females may succeed in an Inheritance And if in the Inheritance then in all things belonging thereunto though it be a Royall Soueraigntie And the French that are so stiffe for the Salicke Law hold that in Signiories which depend on the Crowne of France onely in regard of homage and are otherwise free passe vnto the heires females by succession otherwise how came Britannie to be incorporated into the Crowne of France and Burgundy into the House
of Austria It is true that in Electiue States men are absurd that make choyce of a woman but in States that are inherited Municipall Lawes she was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the transgression she past the bounds which GOD set her and broke a Law which was ordained to be a rule of her life Ioyne she was deceiued with she was in the transgression and then you shall see how the Serpent instils sinne into man we are not constrayned but allured to doe ill we swallow euill that is branched with the shew of good so did Eue and so doe all But how doth the Apostle deny that Adam was guiltie as well as Eue We must obserue that he doth not deny that Adam was in the transgression for then he should contradict himselfe who saith elsewhere that by man came sinne into the world yea he should contradict Adams owne confession Rom. 5. who acknowledged to GOD that his wife gaue him and he had eaten of the forbidden fruit Some therefore answer that not Adam but Eue was first in the transgression posterior in factura prior in culpa saith St HIEROME and because she was so forward not he but she was to beare the blame Some cleare the place by vnderstanding the words comparatiuely as if Eues sinne were so much greater then Adams that Adams deserued not the name of sinne in comparison of hers she was deceiued by the Serpent he by his Wife by how much more vnreasonable it is for a woman to be guided by a Serpent then for a man to be guided by his wife by so much was her sinne more soule then his But neither of these two answers fits the argument It lyeth rather in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Eue was deceiued and not Adam she made tryall of her wisedome in reasoning with the Serpent Adam did not she deceiued Adam Adam did not deceiue her consider her passiuely consider her actiuely she shewes her selfe vnfit to be a teacher wherefore she must be contented to be a scholler Semel docuit saith St Chrysostome omnia perturbauit she taught once and disordered all the world let her neuer be allowed to teach againe And indeed GOD so doomes her Gen. 3. Thy desire shall be to thy husband and he shall rule ouer thee If this subordination be not kept the course of nature will be depraued saith St HIEROMI and faults will be multiplyed in the world But we may not mistake and thinke that sinne was the first cause of womans subiection and that she was made inferiour quia abus◠est parilitate because she abused that coequalitie which she had with man which was the opinion of some ancient and moderne Diuines that conce it is refuted by the first Reason But as man before the Fall was to husband the ground which after the Fall was imposed vpon him to be done with the sweat of his browes so women were to obey before but after the Fall their obedience was made more harsh and vnpleasant yea and a verball ordination is added to the reall But I will conclude with reference of all this vnto our present occasion Adam and Eue liue still their weaknesse liues in their posteritie if you doubt it behold here spectacles of it I mistake Eue is away but here are many of Adams children Eue shewed the frailtie of the whole nature of her sexe and if her daughter were here I would let her see how like she is to such a mother but because she is not I will direct the rest of my speech vnto these sonnes of Adam Those that are blind seeke such guids as can see and they will be sure they haue better sight then themselues before they will commit themselues vnto them we chuse the best Lawyers for our Cases the best Physitians for our Bodyes but to supply the defect of our Soules to guid our Iudgement and our conscience in Religion we trust we know not whom certainly you haue and shewed your selues vnworthy to be men that could be so weake as to become Schollers to a woman I cannot tell how better to resemble your humor then to the distemperate appetite of girls that haue the Greene-sicknesse their Parents prouide for them wholsome food and they get into a corner and eat chalke and coales and such like trash so you that may in the CHVRCH haue graue and sound instructions for the comfort of your Soule in Conuenticles feed vpon the raw and vndigested meditations of an ignorant vsurping Prophetesse You may happily thinke that your fault is but small but it is no small fault to violate the orders set down by GOD for women to lift themselues aboue their ranke or men to fall below theirs it is lesse lawfull to doe so then for men to weare womens apparell or women to weare mens Put you on their Vaile and be you their glorie and let them put it off and be the glorie of GOD contrarie to St PAVLS rule or if you be loath to make such an exchange hence-forward let euerie man keepe his ranke and be forrie that you haue broken it yea be sorrie that you haue raised a scandall against your Soueraigne and your Pastors Conuenticles make shew that you haue not freedome of Religion and thereby you derogate from the honour of his most Christian gouernment and you haue wronged your Pastor by your Conuenticle casting an imputation vpon him that he cannot or he will not instruct you as he ought These things are included in your fault and you are to be sensible of these things confesse them and aske GOD and his CHVRCH forgiuenesse for them And God grant that you and we all may remember that it is our greatest honour to obserue Gods Order and that no woman presume to be an Eue no man abase himselfe to be an Adam to imitate either of them in that wherein they inuerted their ranke but that euerie one may abide in that whereunto he is called of God Amen A SERMON PREACHED AT St ANDREVVS IN WELLES WHEN ONE DID PENANCE FOR BLASPHEMIE LEVIT 24. VERSE 15 16. 15 And thou shalt speake vnto the children of Jsrael saying Whosoeuer curseth his God shall beare his sume 16 And he that blasphemeth the Name of the LORD he shall surely be put to death and all the Congregation shall certainly stone him as well the stranger as he that is borne in the Land when he blasphemeth the Name of the LORD shall be put to death COmmon-weales are gouerned by two kind of Lawes fundamentall and occasionall Fundamentall I call those by which the Common-weale was first framed Occasionall such as are from time to time added vpon emergent occasions you may resemble them by our Common and our Statute Lawes If men did liue as they ought according to the former I meane the fundamentall Lawes there would be no great need of the Lawes which I called occasionall But because they doe not Ex malis moribus bonae leges the enormous behauiour of some
euidence of the tongue were enough but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 imports that there is an inward sense of the outward euidence And indeed St Cyprian telleth vs concerning the inward sense that confession is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 conscientiae St Austin that it doth pondus animi profâ—rre St Ambrose He that confesseth ingemit cuâ—pae dolore speakes with sighes and groanes that cannot be exprest And indeed this inward sense must be the first step of Confession and we must be resolued of that truth which is deliuered by Nazianzene 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it is a principall thing in Confession to be touched at the heart But then ex abundantia cordis os loquitur and therefore St Austin saith that to confesse is ex occulto et tenebroso procedere alluding to Lazarus his comming out of the graue and to shew that indeed we detest sinne a true penitent will vtter it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Nazianz. so did Manasses so did the prodigall child and so doth King Dauid in this place If any man be spare of speech in this kind Tertullian will tell him that dissimulatio est consilium contumaciae it is to be doubted that he is not so out of charitie but he may be reconciled againe to his sinne whereas Confessio error is is professio deserendi and he that outwardly and inwardly doth confesse obligeth himselfe to forsake sinne both to GOD and man Obligeth himselfe I say for the verbe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is iudiciall and the obligation is the stronger by how much the stipulation is more solemne and if the arraignment passe before GOD and men there is no trauersing of such an Indictment the Indictment which our selues put in and our selues doe signe to be Billa vera But as Confession signifieth a giuing in of euidence or rather the finding of the Bill of Indictment so we must particularly see against whom the Bill is found King Dauid finds it against himselfe he layeth the blame where it was deserued and confesseth against himselfe It was condemned long since for an Heresie in vnchast Martion to hold peccata non voluntate sed necessitate patrari with that maxime he thought to excuse his incontinencie For the ground of this pretended necessitie men haue sought to opposite places some to Heauen and some to Hell the opinion is ancient that setcheth it from either Adam was the Author of the first he layd his sinne to GOD The woman that thou gauest me gaue me of the fruit and I did eat And no lesse ancient is that that fetcheth it from Hell Eue layd the blame vpon the Diuel The Serpent said she beguiled me and I did eat These Masters haue had many Schollars I would they had not still But to the first the sonne of Syrach spake in his dayes Say not the Lord hath caused me to erre for he hath no need of sinfull men he is a GOD of pure eyes and cannot behold wickednesse And to the second St Austin Non est hoc tollere sed geminare peccatum the excuse is worse then the fault for as strong as the Diuel is suadere potest cogere non potest he may verie powerfully commend it vnto vs but it is neuer entertained but by our good will So that we may spare much vnnecessarie paines of climing into Heauen to know what GOD hath decreed or descending into Hell to inquire after the Diuels power we must stay at home and there sind the right partie for man as Soloman speakes peruerteth his owne waies and euerie man saith St Iames when he is tempted is baited and led aside by his owne lusts so that the rhetoricall translatio criminis whether it be de compendio or per circuitum as St Austin speakes on this Text must haue no place in Confession herein quo quis humilior eo laudabilior the lesse excuse the more grace And if men in Confession may not deriue their blame to others how much lesse may they vaunt of that which they doe amisse And yet how many are there which not onely some out their owne filthinesse but also glorie in their shame Isay 3. The shew of whose countenance witnesseth against them who discouer their sinne as Sodom did Cap. 6. and desire not to hide it of whom GOD complaines in Ieremie Were they ashamed when they committed abhomination They were not ashamed neither could they blush Too too many there are that set themselues down in the seat of the scorner and thinke that it is their highest commendation not onely to haue sinews of Iron in their necke but plates of Brasse on their fore-head to be not onely incorrigible but impudent also whose sinnes that are indeed the workes of darknesse are become so shamelesse as to walke abroad at noone day Witnesse the blasphemies the impurities the violences that are so frequent obiects of euerie mans eyes and eares But this is not to confesse against our selues for to confesse against our selues is to be humbled not to be exalted it taketh downe our pride and doth not hearten our shamelessenesse This is the first branch of that euidence which we giue in and it was the first thing noted by imposing of hands vpon the Sacrifice But there was another meant also which was the pointing out of the meanes and person by whom we are relieued and that is GOD in CHRIST which is taught in the second part of the euidence the confessing to the Lord. To confesse to the Lord is not to informe him of that which he doth not know but rather as St Austin speakes Affectum nostrum patefacimus in te Domine confitendo tibi miserias nosiras we adde nothing to GODS knowledge Chrysâ— 5. but rather reueale our assection to GOD-ward Confessio fraudis nostrae est laudis Dei which the verie word Iadah in Hebrew notes including in it both But the affection that we reueale in our Confession is double it is affectus timoris and confidentiae which looke to the two Artributes of GOD that temper his prouidence in gouerning the world I meane Iustice and Mercie for confessio peccatorum est testimonium conscientiae timentis Deum as St Chrysostome no man can doe it but he doth acknowledge and tremble at the lustice of GOD. Yet not the Iustice onely doth affect him but the Mercie also for confessio poenitentis ad laudem pertinet ignoscentis because as we tremble when we consider GOD is iust so considering that he is mercifull we hope in him also Thus to seare thus to hope is to giue glorie vnto GOD and to giue him glorie is to confesse vnto him You expect haply that importuned by the Romish Commentaries on this place I should fall vpon the controuersie of Auricular confession but I know that the Pulpit especially in the time of Lent is rather for Ghostly counsell then for disputes and therefore I forbeare onely giuing this note that our Church doth not condemne it as simply euill and