resemble the Angels and for which they are so called is Propter Celeritatem for their readinesse chearfulnesse and swiftnesse in Executing the Commands of Almighty God Angels are represented to us Winged and those Wings not let down and clapt to their sides but raised up expansit and stretched out to shew their readinesse to execute the will of the Heavenly Father they stand in his presence their Eye is upon him they doe but watch for the word of Command and presently they are upon the Wing They doe not goe but runne not runne but fly such should be our readinesse in doing the will of our God we must not runne before we be sent but being sent we must not linger delay nor make excuses we must not Drive heavily in his Service the wheeles of our obedience must be oyled with Chearfulnesse and Alacrity that we may move swiftly in all our Duties and Performances as we dayly Pray so we must dayly Practise That his will may be done on Earth as it is in Heaven and we see how the Angels doe his will with winged Chearfulnesse and Swiftnesse Goe thou and doe likewise The fifth resemblance for which Bishops Pastors and Ministers of the Church are styled Angels is Propter Puritatem for their Holinesse and Purity Angels are pure Creatures so had they need be that stand in the presence of the holy God and are admitted so neer unto him in this respect we must be as the Angels and that upon the same account Moses tells Korah Numb 16.9 That the Lord had taken him neer unto him to doe the service of the Tabernacle Even so we that are the Lords Priests set a part to doe the service of the Tabernacle and to Minister before him in holy things are taken neer unto the Lord And he hath said He will be sanctified in them that come neer him Levit. 10. Oh what a hatefull thing it is to God and Man to see a profane person polluted and besmeared with all manner of impiety impurity and uncleannesse to draw neer to God in holy Services with his polluted Heart polluted Lips polluted Life and polluted Hands to pollute all that he toucheth it is a wonder that in such cases the holy God doth not break out upon them to strike them through with a Thunderbolt or by Fire from Heaven avenge himself upon their presumption as he did upon Nadab and Abihu in the like Case and for the same Sinn Levit. 10. And how hatefull it is to Man we may perceive by that which Ely his Sonns are Charged with in the same Case 1 Sam. 2.17 You make the Lords People to abhorre the Sacrifice of the Lord. Woe be to us if through our profannesse or irreverent handling of holy things we make the Lords People to abhorre the Sacrifice of the Lord take heed we handle holy things in a holy manner that we put off our Shooes when we approach the burning Bush and stand upon holy Ground that we wash our Hands in innocency before we compasse the Altar All the washings and purifyings under the Law did but Typically Teach us how holy we ought to be Our very Garments that we wears reade unto us Lectures of holinesse and purity In the Consecration of Aaron to the Office of the Priesthood among other Religious Ceremonies it was Commanded That the Blood of the Sacrifice should be Sprinkled upon his right Eare and upon the Thumbe of his right Hand and upon the great Toe of his right Foot And what did all this signifie but that the Lords Priests must be Sanctified throughout and from Top to Toe Consecrated as holy unto the Lord. The Motto of the High-Priests Miter was Holinesse to the Lord It should be the Motto of every one of our Hearts our Lips our Lives and all our Service should Proclaime Holinesse to the Lord. We are here styled Angels to shew That we should walk before the Lord even in Angelicall purity and holinesse We should now come to speak of the Person from whom this Epistle is sent But by the way we may not omit the Charge here given to Saint John concerning the things to be signified unto the Church from him and that is To Write them down To the Angel of the Church of Ephesus Write Saint John had been an Authentique Messenger to have delivered Viva voce byword of Mouth a Message from Christ to the Church But Christ doth not think that sufficient but he must Write The Reason was Those things that he there wrote to that Church did concern all other Christian Churches to the worlds end He that hath an Eare must hearken unto them And therefore that they may come to the knowledge of them it was necessary they should be written Secondly Things delivered by word of Mouth and so transmitted from Mouth to Mouth by Tradition are subject to be corrupted misreported to admit of Addition Diminution Alteration there can be no certainty in them but Litera Scripta manet Away then with all your Popish Traditions Anabaptisticall Revelations Fallacious 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Vnwritten Verities as they call them when you speak of the Canon whereby we should be directed in matters of Faith and Manners in order to our Eternall salvation God hath better provided for his Church then so By giving us a more sure Word of the Prophets and Apostles and our Lord himself all in Writing unto which we shall doe well to take heed as to the Lights shining in a dark place to guide our Feet in the wayes of truth life and peace We now come to consider of the Person from whom the Epistle is sent Intererit multum Davusne loquatur berusne It adds much to the luster and authority of that which is written to consider from whom it is written And that is here from this wonderfull Person described in the Text by Holding the seven Starrs in his right hand and walking in the midst of the seven Golden Candlesticks As the Prophet Isay once askt the question Isay 63.1 Who is this that commeth from Edom with Garments died red from Bozrah So here Who is this wonderfull Person which here we see walking in the midst of the seven Golden Candlesticks Why It is none other but the Sonne of God the Lord of the Candlesticks and the owner of them the very same which we saw before bolding the seven Starrs in his right hand But hath he no Name Yes But the Spirit thought it more fit to represent him here in a Glorious Vision to set him forth in such a Heavenly Description and Periphrasis as might strike in the Church an awfull reverence of so Divine a Majesty to tremble at his Word and carefully to heed it in the promises the Threatnings the Instructions the Admonitions the Reprehensions and all the severall dispensations of it as the Word of the Mighty God and not of Man the King Chiefe Priest and Prophet of the Church and one that was perpetually in the midst
COncionem banc perlegi cùm nihil in eâ aut Ecclesiae Anglicanae aut bonis moribus contrarium reperiatur Publicâ Luce donandam censui Edm. Diggle S. T. P. Reverendissime in Christo Patri ac Dom ' Dom ' Archiepisc ' Eborac à Sacris Domest Datum Episcopo-Thorpae 16. Calend. Septem 1663. A SERMON AD CLERUM At the Visitation of the DEANE and CHAPTER there holden the 19th day of November Anno Dom. 1662. By the most Reverend Father in God ACCEPTUS By Divine Providence Lord Arch-Bishop of YORK his GRACE Primate of England and Metropolitan Preacht by Thomas Bradley D. D. one of his late Majesties Chaplains and Praebendary of the Church afore-said Canst thou stay the sweet influences of the Pleades or loose the bands of Orion Job 38.31 The Sauffers and the Snuffe-dishes shall be of pure Gold Exod. 25.38 Yorke Printed by Stephen Bulkley and are to be sold by Francis Mawbarne at the Minster-Gates 1663. Cum Privilegio Revel 2.1 And to the Angel of the Church of Ephesus Write These things saith he which holdeth the seven Starrs in his right hand and walketh in the midst of the seven golden Candlesticks Ver. 2. I know thy Works c. IN the precedent Chapter we have the Description of a wonderfull Person One like unto the Son of Man walking in the midst of seven Golden Candlesticks clothed with a garment down to the foot and girt about the paps with a Golden Girdle ver 13. His head and his haire as white as wooll or snow and his eyes as a flame of fire ver 14. And his feet as fiue brasse burning in a furnace and his voyce as the sound of many waters ver 15. c. which is none other but the description of Jesus Christ the Eternall Sonne of God in his glorious capacities of King Priest and Prophet of his Church In these two Chapters the second and the third are contained seven Epistles written from him to the seven famous Churches of Asia To every Epistle there is prefixt a severall Preface and every of those Prefaces taken out of some part of that glorious description As for instance The Preface to this first Epistle is taken out of those parts of this description which are found verses 13. and 16. Verse the 13. I saw one like unto the Sonne of Man in the midst of the seven golden Candlesticks And in the 16. ver He had in his right hand seven Starrs thus the Description The Preface to the Epistle thus Thus saith he which holdeth in his right hand the seven Starrs and walketh in the midst of the seven golden Candlesticks The Preface of the Epistle to the second Church the Church of Smyrna is taken out of those parts of the Description which are found ver 11. and the 18. ver the 11. thus I am the first and the last And ver the 18. thus I was dead and am alive thus the Description the preface to the Epistle thus Thus saith he which is the first and the last which was dead and is alive and so of the rest The Preface to every one of them is taken out of such part of this glorious Description as represents Christ unto them in such a forme or posture as is most suitable to that Churches State or Condition such as may adde a greater authority to the whole Epistle such as may make the deeper impression into them and procure the greater reverence and obedience to that which is written and contained in them But our businesse is with the Church of Ephesus the most famous of all the rest Famous for this that it was the Metropolis of all the rest Ephesus was the Metropolis of all Asia Famous for the University there it was an University as Atheus was but it seems they studied much the black Art for when by the Preaching of St. Paul among them they were convinced of the vanity of those Studies in testimony of their Repentance They brought their Conjuring Books and burnt them before all men but first they were prized and upon the valuation they came to fifty thousand pieces of silver Acts 19. Famous for the magnificent Temple of Diana in it the statelyest Fabrique in the world two hundred and twenty years in building as some Histories relate Famous for the Preaching of St. Paul there Acts 20. and for that Divine Epistle which he Wrote to that Church inserted in the sacred Canon and one of the largest among them the Epistle to the Ephesians But much more famous for this Epistle written unto them more immediately from our Lord himself whereof our Text is a part Other Churches had the Honour to be written unto by the holy Apostles of our Lord but this more immediately by our Lord himself for he it is which here dictates to his sacred Penman and amanuensis John Vnto the Church of Ephesus Write So then It was St. Johns Charge to write this Epistle It is our Businesse now to Reade it and to consider of the Contents of it For not unto Ephesus alone but unto us doth it belong Let him that hath an eare heare what the Spirit saith unto the Churches To us therefore as directly doth it belong as if the Epistle were superscribed To the Angel of the Church of York write These things saith he that holdeth the seven Starrs in his right hand and walketh in the midst of the seven golden Candlesticks Novi opera tua I know thy works For the opening of this Letter at the first view it divides it self into these three Parts 1. The Person to whom it is directed here represented to us under the name and Notion of an Angel To the Angel of the Church of Ephesus 2. The description of the Person from whom it is sent as he is here represented to us in two wonderfull postures 1. Holding in his right hand seven Stars 2. Walking in the midst of the seven golden Candlesticks These things saith he which c. 3. The speciall notice that he took of their state and condition the carriage and behaviour of that Church in these words Novi opera tua I know thy works And now oh for the Tongue of an Angel to speak of so Angelicall so Heavenly a subject Angels Starrs Golden Candlesticks A Chrysostome here to set them forth in their luster and in their brightnesse would well suite with such a subject but we must doe as we may The Text is of Shew bread all along and that belongs properly to the Priests And in the Tabernacle where the golden Candlestick was set it was commanded That the Table there should be furnished with such Bread and so it is here And that I may break to every one of you a morsell of it and give to each of you his portion in due season Let us take a second view of the Text in the particulars of it branching themselves out of these more generall Parts And here out of the first part The Person to
the whole body of the Clergy of that Church Lyra goes further In Angelo Ecclesiae totam affatur Ecclesiam In the Angel of the Church he speaks to the whole Church however most especially to the Pastors and Ministers of it But why in the singular number as to one but because he was their Chief he was their Governour he had the oversight of all the rest he had the Charge of them as they had of the Flock of Christ and of the Congregations under him he was to give them their Charge to set them upon their Duty and to see that they did discharge it accordingly and therefore as if they were all involved in him and included in him whatsoever is found good in them is imputed unto him and he is commended for it whatsoever is found reproveable in them is charged upon him all along throughout the whole Epistle and he is blamed for it Judge you then if he and all his Successors in the like Charge have not reason to look into the Carriage and Behaviour of those which are so immediately under their Government and under their Charge if they have not reason as their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to Oversee them to Visit them to take an Account of them how they carry in their Places and discharge their Duties in their severall Charges Surely it is but reasonable and necessary that he should take an Account of others which is to give an Account for others unto God and such is the Case in the Text To the Angel of the Church is the Epistle directed of him is the Account required for all that are under his Charge and Government especially his Clergy To the Angel of the Church of Ephesus Write But the main thing offered out of this superscription of the Epistle to be inquired into is this Why it is Directed to the Bishop or who ever else are included in it under the Name and Notion of an Angel To the Angel of the Church And Saint Augustine gives the Reason in a word Propter similitudinem for the likenesse that is between them and for the many properties wherein all Bishops Pastors and Ministers of the Church should resemble the Angels and the resemblances between them for which they are called by that Name are principally these five 1. Propter Dignitatem For the Honour and Dignity that God hath put upon them God hath Clothed them with Honour and Dignity above their Brethren and hath Anointed them with the Oyle of Grace and gladnesse above their fellows Hath Dignified them with the highest Titles that Men can be capable of Spirituall Fathers Pastors Rulers Embassadors Starrs Angels that they may be Honourable in the Eyes of the People it is much for his own Honour that it should be so it is for the Honour of his Service that it should be so it is much for the advantage of their Ministery that it should be so it is for the Honour of the People that it should be so and therefore hath he Commanded that we should account them worthy of double Honour if not for their own sake yet for their works sake and for their Masters sake we should not think much to Honour them whom God doth Honour And let them whom God hath thus Honoured take heed they doe not dishonour him nor themselves Remember the Item given to Elyes Sonns in this very case Those which Honour me I will Honour but those that despise me shall be despised 1 Sam. 2.30 made good Malach. 2.9 2. Propter Ministrationem Pastors and Ministers of the Church are called Angels for the likenesse of their Ministration with that of the Angels Angels are Ministring Spirits sent out for the good of those that shall be the Heires of salvation Heb. 1.14 Pastors and Ministers are such for all the world called commissionated and sent out for the good of those that shall be the Heires of Salvation to Preach unto them the Gospel of Grace To Publish and Declare unto them the Mistery of Godlinesse To Proclaime the glad tydings of Salvation To Instruct them in the way of Life To Comfort to Confirme them to strengthen them and every way to Build them up upon their most holy Faith and so to fit and prepare them for the Glory that is intended them their very Name imports their Duty Angels Messengers from God to Man And the Message that they bring is good 't is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 good newes tydings of Peace and of good things How beautifull therefore ought their very Feet to be upon the Mountains which are shod with the preparation of such Gospel 3. Angels Propter Scientiam Sapientiam for their wisedom and knowledge Angels are wise and knowing Spirits As an Angel of God so is my Lord the King to discern good and evill sayes the widdow of Tekoah to David 2. Sam. 14.17 And verse the 20. My Lord the King is Wise as an Angel of God to know all things Angels are wise and knowing Spirits such ought Pastors and Ministers of Churches to be Wise and Knowing The Priests Lips must preserve Knowledge and the people shall seek the Law at his Mouth for he is the Messenger of the Lord of Hosts Malac. 2.7 The Roman Orator was wont to say of the Lawyers House that it was Oraculum Civitatis the Oracle of the City I am sure it ought to be so of the Divines The Divines Residentiary House ought to be Oraculum Civitatis from whence any of the People ought to fetch Instruction Direction Resolution Satisfaction in all their Doubts and Difficulties Tanquam ab Oraculo as from an Oracle and this requires much knowledge wisedome and prudence He must not be a Novice saith Saint Paul 1 Tim. 3.6 He must be as a Steward saith our Saviour plentifully furnished that may bring out of his Treasury things New and Old God will not send a Message by the Leggs of the Lame nor make Blind men Seers nor Dumbe men his Orators Vbi desinit Philosophus ibi incipit Mediâ—us It was wont to be said Where the Philosopher ends there the Physitian begins I am sure it ought to be so with the Divines Arts and Sciences Knowledge in the Learned Languages Histories and all other kinds of Humane Learning were wont to be accounted the Stayres into the Pulpit the Handmaids to Divinity But how ordinary hath it been in these latter and looser Times for young Neophytes to skip over all these at one jumpe into the Pulpit and there with great Confidence and Impudence the onely Armour of Ignorance to vent their own raw Fancies or such things which they have taken up upon Trust from such Authors as they have light upon or what they have taken from the Mouth of their admired Teachers by Brachygraphie and so Communicate them unto the people apt to take any new Impressions and fill them with varietie of Fancies and Innovations The fourth property wherein the Bishops Pastors and Ministers of Churches doe
burne the Bands and Cords with which they were bound but not to touch an Haire of their Heads or a Hemme of their Garments Thirdly He walkes in the midst of them Erudire to Teach and to Instruct them to Awe them to keep them in order For he is the beloved Sonne of the Father in whom he is well pleased whom we must Heare and Obey Matthew 3.17 He the great Prophet of his Church whom we are Commanded to Heare with a severe intimation by his Spirit by his Word and by his Pastors sent out by him doth he teach the Churches to the worlds end And so he walks in the midst of them as a Schoole-Master in the midst of his Schoole and his Disciples or Schollers Fourthly He walkes in the midst of them To Observe them to take notice of their Carriage their Manners their Order and their Behaviour as appeares by the particular Charges which he gives to these severall Churches in this his Visitation in all of them making good what in Generall he tells them before he come to deale particularly with them Novi Opera tua I know thy Works And so he walks in the midst of them as the Master of the Feast in the Gospel walk't in his Dining Roome to take a View of his Guests to see who had and who had not on his Wedding Garment And to this purpose it is observable in what manner of Posture and Gesture he is here seen He is seen Walking Not Sedet Otiosus as Bullinger observes not Stat Negligens he doth not sit as being Idle He stands not still as being negligent but he is seen Walking from end to end forward and backward to and fro that at every turne he might take a View and at every step cast an Eye that nothing done or said amongst them may escape his Cognizance Lastly he is walking in Medio in the midst of the Candlesticks Non in Angulo non in exteriori aliquâ parte Not in a Corner not in some Skirt or Outside of them but In medio Candelabrorum in the midst of the Golden Candlesticks that he might look over them every way and they at an equall distance on all sides might receive from him that Direction Protection Comfort and Encouragement which is their Light and Life The truth is He bought them he layd down a Price for them which was far more pretious then Gold his own Blood he had need see what becomes of them and he is to deliver them up to God the Father he received them by weight and he received them by tale Of those which thou hast given me have I lost none It is his great Care that he may deliver up his full Tale and that he may deliver them up Pure and Bright and Cleare and that he may present them without spot or wrinkle and therefore is it that he hath such a speciall Care of them such a vigilant Eye upon them continually resident among them and walking in the midst of them Oh how happy are the Churches under the inspection of such an Eye under the Care of such a Guardian under the Protection of such a Patron in the Favour of such a Prince the Teaching of such a Prophet the Intercession and Benediction of such a Priest continually present with them President over them and resident among them walking in the midst of them and how holily ought they to carry themselves in such a Presence how circumspectly under the Inspection of so severe an Eye that when he shall come to visit them as here he doth this Church and to take an Account of them they may give up their Account with joy when he shall say unto them as here to Ephesus Novi Opera tua I know thy Works they may be such as they need not be ashamed of such as may stand by us and abide the tryall such as may prayse us in the Gate such as upon the enquiry and examination he may approve of and upon which we may expect the Promise here in this Visitation made Vincentibus To them that over come to Eate of the Fruit of the Tree of Life which is in the midst of the Paradice of God to Receive the White Stone and therein the New Name Written which none can Reade but he that receiveth it to be Cloathed with White Rayment washt in the Blood of the Lambe and in it to follow the Lambe whither soever he goeth and to be ever in his Presence in whose Presence is fulnesse of joy and at whose Right Hand there is pleasure for evermore Which the Great God of Heaven and Earth be pleased to admit us unto for his sake which Holdeth the seven Starrs in his Right Hand and Walketh in the midst of the seven Golden Candlesticks To whom be all Honour and Glory now and for ever Amen FINIS