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A18954
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Dauid's catechisme. By E.A.
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Alport, Edward.
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1623
(1623)
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STC 537; ESTC S115913
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13,035
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40
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I say to be true I seldome heard of any young swearer that in elder years could wholly leave his swearing If there be any amongst them better natured or better nurtured then others they will ingenuously confess being admonished of their fault that they knew not whether they did sweare or no Thus with their oaths their fearefull oaths as with so many speares they wound the sides of CHRIST at unawares and yet like drunken men they know not what they doe Is it then so dangerous for a young man to accustome himselfe unto evill wayes Is it so hard for any that taketh delight in sinning to bee reclaimed Then let every young man give heede unto instruction let him be willing to bee Catechized let him bee an auditor and hearer of those lessons which shall bee taught him Prov. 2.3 let him call for knowledge and cry for understanding and seeke for her as gold and search for her as for treasures let him attend unto the Invitation and follow the Direction and hee shall understand The feare of the Lord the totall of my Text. Thus much for the name Children Come I now unto the Invitation in this word Come which is but a word The Invitation and therefore but a word of it And though it be but a word yet it bids us Come that CHRIST at the last may say Come And so like a Schollers or Saints Bell it rings and rouses us from the bed of carnall security and invites us unto the Church and Schoole of CHRIST to listen willingly How little any excuse will prevaile that in S. Lukes Gospell will satisfie Luk. 14.18 where though all their excuses were made Vnanimiter ioyntly yet were they all Inaniter vainely unlesse to incense the Master of the Feast the more against them Come then well and welcome unto The Direction The direction Hearken It is not then sufficient to Come for so do some whose desire is soone to bee gone or fairely to fall asleepe so that if at all they must be taken napping Ecclus. 22.10 Who so telleth a foole of wisdome is as a man which speaketh to one that is asleepe when hee hath tould his tale hee saith VVhat is the matter Some come as to the waters of Marah Exod. 4.15 to bee made bitter rather then better Some Act. 19.32 like those in the 19 Chapter of the Acts of the Apostles The more part knew not wherfore they were come together Yea many may come like the Sodomits unto Lots doore with open eyes yet see no better then Bats I will therefore tell you as my Text tels mee wherefore you must Come To hearken Come yee Children and hearken Before wee can possibly attaine unto the knowledge of any thing whatsoever wee must first heare the same expounded unto us and therefore it is not I suppose without great reason said that Hearing is the sense of learning because men can never learn that which they never heard I confesse some question hereof may bee made because Aristotle seemeth to say as much of the sight Arist motaph lib. 1 cap. 1. in the first Chapter of the Metaphis where hee calleth the sight Sensum cognitionis The sense of Learning Although wee confesse indeed that the sight is a most excellent Sense yet in this case Philosophy must give place unto Divinity and the Eye to the Eare. Listen then unto Lactantius Lactant. inflit lib. 3. ca. 9. better read in Gods booke then Aristotle who saith Plus est in auribus quam in oculis situm quoniam doctrina et sapientia percipi auribus solis potest oculis solis non potest There is more in mans eares then eyes for that learning and wisdome may be obtained by the eares onely but not by the eyes and wee see many blind men excell in wisdom and learning but deafe men not any The Apostle S. Paul Rom. 10.14 makes it plaine in the tenth to the Romans saying How shall they call on him in whom they have not beleeved and how shall they beleeve in him of whom they have not heard how shall they heare without a Preacher Whence in a word it appeareth that Without speciall revelation or extraordinary calling no man ever knew GOD at any time or beleeved in him whom hee hath sent IESVS CHRIST but by hearing the Word preached 1. Cor. 4.1 and being Catechized by them who are the Ministers of CHRIST and the disposers of the secrets of GOD. So then they that are desirous to know how good gracious the Lord is They that will know what the will of GOD and feare of the LORD is They that long after the newes of their salvation let them bring their attentive eares with them to the Churches and congregation of the faithful there let them hear what the spirit saith unto thē by the Ministers that therby they may beleeve and bee saved If then these things bee so Who will deny that there is a great necessity of this charge of the Prophet DAVID in this place Now as it is necessary to heare with their bodily eares so is it much more needefull to hear with the eares of their understanding whence S. Augustine hath observed A two-fould hearing 1 Auditus Corporis AND 2 Auditus Cordis A hearing of the body and a hearing of the heart understanding also The Iewes heard enough but understood little enough So Acts. 26.24 Festus heard Paul preach of the death and resurrection of CHRIST but hee wanted the eare of understanding and therefore hee cryed out with a loud voyce Paul Thou art besides thy selfe much learning hath made thee mad But MARIE when she sat at IESVS feet and heard him preach did heare with both eares as well of the understanding as of the body And therefore CHRIST pronounceth of her Luk. 10.24 that Shee had chosen the good part which should not be taken from her And S. Hiero hath these words on the 1 Chapter of Ioel Hieron in 1. Cap. Ioel. Auditus in sacris Scripturis non est iste sonus qui in aure resonat sed qui in corde percipitur iuxta illud Qui habet aures audiendi audiat The good Father is of opinion that As often as mention is made of hearing in the holy Scriptures wee are to understand the hearing of the heart not that which soundeth in the eare onely according unto that Hee that hath eares to heare let him heare Without all doubt the Holy Ghost where he speaketh of hearing laboureth by all meanes to perswade us unto a due understanding of those things which wee heare for all cannot understand at the first What better meanes then Catechizing can there bee to strengthen the understanding They must therefore heare and bee catechized that so they may understand Act. 2.41 Happy were those 3000 soules even 3000 at once who understandingly heard that one Sermon of Peters Act. 8 3◠And the Eunuch
of Aethiopia did well to bee Catechized by Philip and heare him expound the Prophet Isai unto him And it was the best houre that ever S. Augustine spent in his whol life when hee went to heare the eloquence of S. Ambrose for so of a Manachie hee became a true Christian and the rest of Infidels became faithful and by comming to heare obtayned mercy at the hands of GOD to understand that which was taught them and to beleeve in the name of CHRIST IESVS Wherfore I exhort all in the name of Iesus Christ that so often as they come or repayre to any divine exercise they come to heare and heare to understand what the Spirit of GOD saith unto them for when they come not heare they despise the ordinance of GOD when they heare and not understand or beleeve the Word becommeth unfruitfull unto them and all their hearing is in vaine which Catechizing will helpe Quid est audi Ambros 〈◊〉 25. in Psal 119. saith S. Ambrose non otiosè dicitur quod commune est omnibus suppetit umversis ipso jure naturae c. What is meant by Heare saith he It is not an idle charge when wee are commanded to heare since it is common unto all men to heare and it agreeth with every man naturally Therefore it is not without great cause that this charg is here given because many times men heare against their wills and when they are otherwise occupied yet are they wont to heare a sound and the voyce of him that speaketh Therfore it behoveth those that are present in body to bee present in minde and minde to understand that hearing they may heare and seeing they may see the wondrous things of the Law the power of the Gospell the feare of the Lord the efficacy of the Spirit and the strange and admirable operation of the feare and word of the LORD It is written of the Iewes that they heard the mysteries of the Law but they did not understand the same wherefore the Lord saith Heare O my people and I will speake unto you Now the word of GOD is spirituall therefore heare spiritually When the Voyce spake from heaven what did it say Surely nothing else but This is my beloved Sonne in whom I am well pleased Mat. 17.3 heare him to shew That wee are sooner drawne to beleeve in the Sonne of GOD by hearing then by any sense besides Provided Mat. 4.24 Luk. 8.18 that wee take heed what wee heare how wee heare and whom wee heare for many are night walkers but light talkers Philip. 3.18 being enemies of CHRIST's Crosse have the shewe of godliness but deny the power thereof in their heart whose meat is their maker and belly their god whose body being given to ease and minde to content shunne labour be it never so wholsome fly affliction be it never so holy Tel them of catechizing they will say It is novelty informe them of right hearing they wil answer It is foolishness though indeed it bee the same which makes us wise unto salvation Theophrastus in Plutarch could say Plutarch de Auditione that Hearing of all other Senses especially engendreth greatest motions and perturbations of the minde and I may say that It bringeth greatest ioyes and delights unto the Inner man and unto the spirit for hereby our faith in and feare of the LORD is bred in us our hope is increased our patience confirmed our godly meditations enlarged our affiance strengthened sinne abated Sathan foyled and the powers of Hell and Darkenesse vanquished and overcome Wherfore I say no more then the Spirit hath said in the Revelation Rev. 2.29 Let him that hath an eare heare And thus much bee spoken of the parties who are to heare and consequently of their name Invitation and Direction Now of the person whom they are to heare in this word MEE or the party who wil teach them in these I wil teach you which because they belong both unto one person I will not sever them but for unity and peace sake conioyne them and as M. Curius saith Duos parietes de eadem fideliâ dealbare where you may see the blessed Prince of peace and lover of unity proposing unto his people a rule in Divinity Those then who desire to know this was whom they were to hear here my Text tels them DAVID himselfe Come yee children and hearken unto mee MEE your Prince MEE your Prophet And I your Preacher I your Father for so hee was unto them will be your Teacher I will teach you Hee having as it were the Sword in one hand and the word in the other one teaching the other terrifying them for terrifying and not teaching may savour of tyranny and to teach and not to terryfie may make them lazie Therefore hee uses his Princely power in his Propheticall Office I will teach you c. Here is teaching with authority This perfect patterne of a compleat Prince not pictured in Plato nor fayned in Xenophon but formed according to GOD's owne heart is here really and royally parallel'd by his sacred Maiestie our Gracious SOVERAIGNE informed by Gods Spirit in all holy knowledge and conformed unto DAVID himselfe in all godly practice His sanctified wisdome and knowledg my heart doth rather ioyfully conceive then my pen can sufficiently expresse his holy Commaunds divine Expositions and sacred Directions in his severall Bookes doe best expresse What zeale hee hath ever had and still hath unto Gods House and to set forth his Glorie what dangers he hath escaped thankefulnesse unto GOD the Author thereof ordayned what a blessing Hee hath been unto this Kingdome disioynted when it was in danger of inundation and innovation after the late Queenes death of blessed memorie in his peaceable entrance comfortable union continuance of peace and prevention of warre preserving the truth and confuting error If any bee ignorant of the translated BIBLE his owne Workes wholsom Lawes to the ioy of all loyall hearts will ever testifie him Wife Learned Good and Godly And how in this particular his most Excellent Maiesty de jure hath resembled this princely Prophet all Iurisdictions within his Maiesties Dominions de facto can witnesse Since then this notable authority is not built upon the notable foundation of hearesay but of the knowne truth not denied by her adversaries it ought much to move all loyall hearts to remove all lets that may hinder this godly Exercise with all alacrity to stirre them uppe with an earnest desire for Gods glory and their owne good to bee instructed thereby And so I come to the doctrine which this princely Prophet will preach or Lesson that hee will teach them The feare of GOD I will teach you the feare of the Lord. First I will speake of the Quality then of the Obiect The quality Feare in holy Scripture is diversly taken but especially two wayes First it is taken for an awfull dread and reverence of GOD which makes us