the soule or understanding but first it must passe the sentinels of our outward sences and they if loyall will keep out all sinne whatsoever but if corrupted or treacherous to their sovereigne the soule then they welcome any traytour sent by the world or the devill to surprize their Prince and indeed all resistance to forreigne enemies is vayne if we first subdue not our domestick foe our own bodies by forcing them to obey the commands of reason for unlâ—sse we bring them first to this obedience all our resistance to sinne is like artilery let flye at crowes in the ayre when an army of daring men are ready to run into the mouthes of our Cannon and might be taken off if levelld at whilest our bullets fly in vaine above their heads by a mismounting our Artillery that is to say by roaring and crying out against the distantiall world and devill when indeed the flesh is the storming foe that scales our walls unresisted at the same time we pretend a maine resistance to our mightiest foes this fond way of fight the Apostle tells us of when he shewes his own close guard to be the safer defence namely the chastizement of his own body and if we aske what that chastizement imports we shall find it to be not onely a correction or slight rebuke but an absolute subduing or captivating of it to the soules command by fasting prayer and other corporall austerities as haire-shirts disciplines or worse tormenting instruments such as holy men have taught us the wholsome use of upon all notable occasions of temptations or dangers to the soule nay these meanes the Apostle used amidst his greatest spirituall labours least as he sayd while he preached to others he might himself become reprobate by the assault of pride or vain-glory how much more then oght those to mortifie their bodies who do not wast them in spirituall indeavours as S Paul did but above all how fondly do Hereticks shake off the use of corporal mortifications the exercise of good works under pretence of Faith alone to be sufficient when the greatest master of Spirit in the world S. Paul dares not hold himself by Faith secure without good works much lesse did he boast as they doe of a revelation that he should be saved noe nor relye upon his being confirmed in grace but wrought his salvation with feare and trembling which did accompany his hope not his presumption thereof Heare Saint Ambrose how he speaks against hereticks opposing this doctrine and practise of Saint Paul in his Epistle to the Vercellan Church I hear saith this Doctor-Father some men say there is no merit of abstinence and that those are mad who chastize their bodies to make them subject to their soules which certainly Saint Paul had never done if he had held it to be madnesse To the same effect all the rest of the Fathers abound with like sentences which for brevity sake I omit to transcribe but not to admonish the Christian reader of especially the hereticks whom it most concernes I say not who they be least I offend persons while I onely oppose their errors cut of charity to them and zeale of their soules salvation Cap. 10. vers 1. Here the Apostle seems to divert from the Corinthians to the Jewes but indeed makes this seeming diversion an approach to them againe whilest he puts them in mind that it is not onely Faith with Abraham nor to be baptized with Christians will suffice to get the goale of heaven unlesse we run continually thither upon the speed of our perpetuall good works for saith he I will not have you ignorant that our Fathers namely the children of the Synagogue the Israelites wanted not Faith nor the figurative Baptisme of the cloud and the red Sea types of our true Baptisme yet because they did murmur at God and sinne in the desart deserting thereby the necessary adjunct of good works to merit their arrivall at the land of promise of six hundred thousand onely two men Joshua and Caleb did arrive at and enter the said land In like manner Christians be they never so firme in their Faith never so deepely dipt in the true Baptisme of the red sea of Christs passion unlesse they hold on the speed of good works while they are running the race to the heavenly Canaanâ— they shall never enter that heavenly land of promise which is the price they runne for But we are here to note how Calvin corrupts this place of S. Paul saying the Jewes received no lesse the truth and substance of Christ and his benefits in their umbratile and figurative Sacraments onely than we Christians do in our reall Sacraments which are the true substance of the Jewish shadowes For the Apostle doth not say they and we eat all one meate but that all they among themselves did eat of the figurative body of Christ the Manna in their desart raining down upon them and drank of his figurative bloud the waters flowing out of the rock strucken by Moses as a Type of the bloud and water the matter of our truer meates issuing out of our Saviours side peirced by Longinus as Jesus hung upon the crosse The cloud here mentioned is that we read of Exod. 13. shadowing them in the day from the scorching Sun and shining like fire to guide them in their nightly marches through the desarts as prodigious a thing as was the division of the red-sea by the switch of Moses his wand as he marched on before them 2. Note this verse doth not assert the Jewes to have been baptized in Moses as in a signe of their beliefe in the Mosaick Law but that by this precedent miraculous kind of Baptisme they were induced afterwards to believe in the â—aw of Moses so in this the figure differs from the thing figured for though this their umbratil Baptisme previous to their Faith be a Type of our true Baptisme yet our Faith in Christ is precedent thereto whereas the Jewish Faith was consequent to their shadow of baptisme And whereas the divided sea stood as two brasse walls to secure the children of Israel a dry passage through the wet element of the waves yet joyned againe to overwhelme the Aegyptian forces that presumed to persecute the children of God so the red sea of Christs passion divides it self to secure the children of grace but closeth to drown the children of the devill originall sinne in infants originall and actuall too in the adult being those who are at years of discretion As therefore our Baptisme is the thing praefigured by this divided sea so Christ is by Moses so the holy Ghost by the cloud cooling the scorching sun of concupiscence in us and inlightening our darkned soules by his holy Grace 3. We were told in the exposition of the first verse of this Chapter that they did all eat the same figurative food onely with us that is Manna wich was a figure of Christs body our spiritual food in the Sacrament of
to say rather hunting after occasions to doe good than flying of them or indeed expecting them till they be cast into our laps for though then to relieve is good yet to search out the poor and to carry them our Almes is much better 14. By Blessing those who Persecute us is here understood praying for them that God will turn their hearts which yet is not so much a precept as a Counsell much lesse are we to curse them or to wish the like persecution may befall them as they bring to us for we are under precept bound not to doe this latter though the former were a counsell onely 15. This Verse teacheth us how to make our neighbours his good or evill to be our own by rejoyceing at his prosperity as at our own and lamenting his affliction or weeping thereat as if our selves were under the same lash For thus we should shew our selves to be perfect Christians and indeed where these common bowels are not there Gods particular spirit is wanting and this joy as it is understood to be rather of our neighbours spirituall than temporall good so is our sorrow to be more for his sinne whereby he loseth grace than for any his temporall loss whatsoever 16. There is much labour to know the true meaning of the unanimity or being of one minde which is here recommended for some and those not unaptly will have it to be an advise Apostolicall for every man humbly to depose his own opinion in things that are not sin or apparent falsities in naturall truths or at least not resist other mens opinions in like cases out of animosity to defend our own as holding our selves wiser than our neighbours or more learned which is no part of Christian perfection for that teacheth us to undervalue our selves rather and to preferre all others before us both in Vertue and Learning Saint Chrysostome explicates this place as exhorting us to measure our selves by our neighbours rather than to reduce them to our defective proportions but Origen and he indeed in this place better than any will have the sense of it to be thus that is wishing to your neighbour in all things as to your self and averting from him what you would not have fall upon your own head and here we are to note that as from the nineth Verse to the twelfth the Apostle told us what Christian dilection was so from thence to this place he proceeds to tell us how that Love is advanced or promoted first by hope of eternall Glory next by patience in Adversity then by incessant Prayers further by Hospitality to all persons Friends or Foes chiefly by this his last advice of Vnanimity in the senses above said for as the first and chief Christian Vertue is Charity so the next is Humility and with that here the Apostle closeth this present verse forbidding us to vaunt our own knowledges or abilities but rather to agree and acquiess to the opinions of those who are reputed perhaps less able or less vertuous than your selves this is indeed a true signe of humility and this is perhaps the literall sense of the Apostle counselling us to consent unto the humble that is even to those who are below us in the indowments either of nature or of grace The Application 1. IT is now fit to descend unto particular instructions after the generall grounds laid in last Sundayes Epistle for conformity to Gods holy Will and for subordination to each other as members of the same Mysticall Body of Christ See how to day each member is taught his particular Duty The Priest in the three first Verses of this Epistle 2. The Lay-man in the five next Verses is also taught to walk according to his own vocation in order both to God and his neighbour 3. And least we should think our Enemies were not our Neighbours too see how the Apostle commands us to love them also to pray for their conversion to Blesse and not to Cruse them to rejoice at their Prosperity to condole with their Lamentings For to doe this to Friends is humane but to perform it towards our Enemies is a work Divine and shewes t is done in us by Gods holy Grace Which we petition in the Prayer above beging peace in our Times as the effect of a sweet moderation between the Heavenly and Earthly compounds that we are The Gospel JOHN 2. ver 1. c. 1. ANd the third day there was a Marriage made in Cana of Galilee and the Mother of Jesus was there 2. And Jesus also was called and his Disciples to the Marriage 3. And the Wine failing the Mother of Jesus saith to him They have no Wine 4. And Jesus saith to her What is to me and thee Woman my hour cometh not yet 5. His Mother saith to the Ministers whatsoever he shall say to you doe ye 6. And there were set there six water-pots of stone according to the purification of the Jewes holding every one two or three measures 7. Jesus said to them Fill the water-pots with water and they filled them up to the top 8. And Jesus saith to them Draw now and carry to the chief Steward and they carried it 9. After the chief Steward tasted the Water made Wine and knew not whence it was but the Ministers knew that had drawn the Water the chief Steward calleth the Bridegroom 10. And saith to him Every man first setteth the good Wine and when they have well drunke then that which is worse but thou hast kept the good Wine untill now 11. This beginning of Miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee and he manifested his glory and his Disciples believed in him The Explication 1. THe third day here made mention of is the third day after Jesus had begun to aggregate his Colledge of Apostles which S. Iohn tells us of in the person of Philip Chap. 1. v. 43. preparatorily called by Christ unto the Apostolate after Peter and Andrew James and John had bin called to the same preparatively too but not yet absolutely as will be said anon and these callings were as soon as Christ had ended his fourty dayes Fast in the Desart was baptized and pointed out by John the Baptist for the Messias in order whereunto the said Baptist sent his own Disciples to Jesus with intention to preferre them to a better master and Andrew by name was one thus sent and thus preparatively called by Christ So this third day here mentioned by S. Iohn Evangelist is that which followed three dayes after Philip was thus called for that was the last time mentioned by this Evangelist in all he sayes from that first Chapter hitherto this third day therefore alludes to that of Philips vocation to the Apostolate onely three dayes before to shew both how speedily our Saviour went about his work when once he began it and how he had his Disciples to the wedding that by the miracle he wrought thereat they might be confirmed in their Faith of his
following law of Christ who had power as God to abrogate what he pleased of Moyses law and to confirm what he pleased thereof and to make what new law best liked himself as he did when he made our saving law of the Gospel To conclude these words God is one import the Saviour of the Jews was not Moyses but even that one God who also saveth all other Nations and therefore he is emphatically called here one God that is to say one Saviour 21. This verse onely reduplicates the former senses and sayes that neither the law of Moyses was against the promises of God made to Abraham nor yet was it that law which did or could justifie the people but that it was as it were a stay or prop a pedagogue indeed as follows v. 24. of this chapter unto them to keep them in aw and order untill Christ came in whom the promises made to Abraham were to be performed and he coming the pedagogue of Moses law was to cease at his pleasure 22. By the Scripture concluding all things under sin is here understood Moyses his written law which then was and still is called the Scripture even to this day yet by this concluding is not understood the Scripture orders sinne to be but onely that this Scripture notwithstanding all men then living lay under the yoke of sinne and were not by virtue of that Scripture freed from this yoke but by Jesus Christ in whose person and not in Moyses law did consist our justification promised to Abrahams seed that was to Christ Jesus Note here the promises said to be given to those that believe do not exempt from good works nor make faith alone even in Jesus Christ without works to be saving but such a faith onely saves which works by charity The Application 1. THe scope of this Epistle is to tell us with how ample a reward Almighty God did recompence the obedience of Abraham in being ready to sacrifice his onely sonne Isaac according as he was commanded by the Authour of life Namely with such a blessing upon his seed as should bring a benediction upon the whole seed of Adam all mankind So that since the first root of all mans misery was Adams disobedience in a triviall thing an apple therefore God was pleased to take an occasion of making Abrahams obedience in a weighty thing the apple of his eye his onely Joy the rise of all mans happinesse not that Abrahams obedience did satisfie God for Adams disobedience but that the sonne of God who was to satisfie the Divine Justice for this sinne did please to take that first mans flesh upon him who first by his obedience taught man the way to keep the law of God by doing his commands 2. And certainly it was with deep designe Almighty God delayed his promise unto Abraham four hundred and thirty years before he was pleased to make a beginning of performance in giving by Moyses a Law to lawlesse man and by that Law to try the children of Abraham the Jews before he gave a better Law to them and all the world besides by Jesus Christ The design we may both piously and profitably presume was as well to prove the faith and hope of Abraham as his obedience and his love were proved in the sacrificing little Isaac For probably there passed not one minute of time over Abrahams head nor over the heads of his posterity wherein they did not give themselves an infinite content in thinking on the goodnesse and on the veracity of God that surely he would not fail to verifie his promises which he had graciously made unto them the frequent memory we find in holy Writ and the gladsomenesse wherewith the mention is made of these promises testifie as much and consequently prove Abrahams whole life time was in a manner one continued act of faith and hope in the Messias to come 3. O beloved how can we read this Text and not be animated to an imitation of like acts of virtue of like obedience to so sweet a Law as we enjoy when all the end thereof is felicity without an end Or if we cannot think our selves so much concerned as Abraham who had as vve the comfort of having concurr'd to the salvation of all mankind as of himself at least let us not come short of Abrahams posterity of the Jews see how they boast here how they vaunt themselves thence the sole people of Almighty God because they were descended but from Abraham When did the cease to glory in the promises made of Jesus but to come and that as they thought to make them onely rich onely honourable here on earth onely temporally happy whereas we Christians know he is actually come hath left us rich here in grace and made us sure of heavenly honour of eternall felicity and of greater riches yet in glory if we be not defective to our selves O how should our whole lives be one act of faith one act of hope one act of charity one continuall indeavour to prove all this by a perpetuall obedience to the Law of Christ from whom we are extracted in a righter line then the Jews yet were descended from Abraham since their naturall conception was in sinne our supernaturall adoption is in grace What need we more say but the Churches prayer upon this holy Text and see by that what Christians should be at according to the will of holy Church and that 's the will of God no doubt Say then that prayer beloved and do as you pray so shall you be the Christians Christ desires The Gospel Luke 17. v. 11. 11 And it came to passe as he went unto Jerusalem he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee 12 And when he entred into a certain town there met him ten men that were lepers who stood afarre off 13 And they lifted up their voice saying Jesus master have mercy upon us 14 Whom as he saw he said go shew your selves to the Priests and it came to passe as they went they were made clean 15 And one of them as he saw that he was made clean went back with a loud voice magnifying God 16 And he fell on his face before his feet giving thanks and this was a Samaritan 17 And Jesus answering said were not ten made clean and where are the nine 18 There was not found that returned and gave glory to God but this stranger 19 And he said to him arise go thy wayes because thy faith hath made thee safe The Explication 11. HE was then going from Cesarea to Jerusalem to the feast of the Tabernacles and was willing to passe by Samaria and Galilee the right way indeed he was to go yet he went that way with speciall zeal to requite the discourtesie he received in being cast out of a village in that countrey and ill used after a cure he did upon one of that countrey men a Samaritan shewing us by this an example to requite evil turns with good
of the doctrine of Christ the Gospel we have delivered unto you 6. The particle as here imports as much as if he had said by these two means namely of our preaching and your thereby tightly understanding the true sense of Christs doctrine you are confirmed in Christ in your belief of his veracity and so he becomes confirmed in you by these infallible testimonies you have of him our preaching and your right believing 7. See here how absolutely right masters the Apostles were how absolutely true schollars or disciples the Corinthians were of Christ to whom nothing is wanting in any grace that can be requisite to their confirmation who are true children of Christ who have such masters and who are such believers as the Corinthians were So that what remained was onely to see all they had heard and believed of Christ to be verified by his revealing the certainty thereof at his second coming in the day of Judgment when this perfect and fertile grace shall bring forth in them the fruits of glory in the Kingdome of heaven 8. This verse alludes to the present grace of Christ which the Apostle sayes should confirm them now in their belief meaning the Church not every particular member thereof and render them both here till then and at the day of Judgement inculpable for their having thus believed being thus called by God and thus instructed by the Apostles The Application 1. WE heard last Sunday how this Apostle summed up to his Ephesian Converts those particular vertues that were proper for new converted soules now to day he speaks to the Corinthians much in the same stile they being newly by his means then made good Christians onely here the Apostle insists much upon the effects of that grace in them which wrought their conversion and those effects how excellent they are the Explication of the Text above hath told us 2. It remains therefore that all Catholick Christians while they read this Text which minds them of their like conversion amidst a thousand millions of men who want that happinesse set their charity on work immediately to produce the like effects in their soules by the operation of the grace they have received to be and to persevere in that saving Faith which works it self by charity out of grace into glory at that latter day when every one shall receive according to their works 3. As therefore the gift of Faith wrought upon our understandings and directed them to an assent to mysteries above the reach of reason so charity is to direct our wills to attempt things above nature such as are all good works done for a supernatural end Now because all such works are the effects of grace and not of nature and because grace is given to us by the operation of God his mercy towards us who mercifully operates that in us which we our selves may cooperate unto but cannot operate without his helping hand without the operation of his mercy upon us even towards our cooperation which is indeed his holy grace working in us Therefore holy Church to day fitly prayes as above The Gospel Mat. 9. v. 1. c. 1 And entering into a boat he passed over the water and came into his own cittie 2 And behold they brought unto him one sick of the palsie lying in bed and Jesus seeing their faith said to the sick of the palsie have a good heart son thy sins are forgiven thee 3 And behold certain of the Scribes said within themselves he blasphemeth 4 And Jesus seeing their thoughts said wherefore think you evil in your hearts 5 Whether is easier to say thy sins are forgiven thee or to say arise and walk 6 But that you may know that the Son of Man hath power in earth to forgive sins then said he to the sick of the palsie Arise take up thy bed and go into thy house 7 And he arose and went into his house 8 And the multitudes seeing it were afraid and glorified God that gave such power to men The Explication 1. MUch dispute there is about this Cittie which it was since the Text calls it his own but the most probable sense is that it was Capharnaam which he was most pleased to grace with his miracles and preaching for Bethleem he had honoured with his birth Nazareth with his youthly education Egypt with his slight thither Hierusalem with his passion and so it rests Capharnaam must be that cittie which he now calls his own by his habitation preaching and cuting all diseases frequently therein 2. They bring him a paralytick in his bed the reason was that men sick of this disease lose the use of their joynts can neither go stand nor sit Here we may learn not onely to labour our own but our neighbours wellfare for this paralytick was brought doubtlesse by those who having seen the works of Christ and his wonders were zealous to bring this sick man on their shoulders to the fountain of health S. Marke sayes c. 2. v. 3. there were foure did bring this man to Christ And by the following words in this verse is evinced what we have already said of these mens zeals foâ— they carried the man up to the top of a house not being able to bring him bed and all through the crowd So Christ seeing the faith of these men who brought him with this zeal said to the paralytick in recompense of his and their faiths who brought him for the Text runs in the plurall number Sonne be of good heart thy sinnes are forgiven thee By these words we see the faith of miracles is and must be mixed with a confident hope of obtaining the favour asked which we believe is in his power to grant that we do ask it of and this confident hope is that which chears up the heart which Christ bade this paralytick continue Great is seen to be the benignitie grace and favour shown by Christ to this poore diseased creature when he calls him childe and to make him capable of that denomination forgives him his sinnes to shew he was not onely a corporall but a spirituall Physician and had power over souls as well as over bodies Nor is it marvell he first heals the soul of sinne by remitting it before he cures the body of this paralytick since commonly sinne in the soul is the cause of diseases in the body so that this was even a due order to cure the disease by taking away the cause thereof besides since all Gods workes are perfect it is consonant to Christ his dignitie and bountie being God to doe the worke completely to cure the man both body and soul and this indeed is commonly found to be the practise of Christ in most of his cures since his aime in all his miracles was the conversion of souls besides he came purposely into the world to take away the sinnes thereof But a main reason why here he did remit sin was to shew himself to be God by exercising that power which
had each of them some quantity within them wherefore Christ to take away all colour of deceit first bids all those vessels to be filled full of water up to the top that so each person in the room might see the certainty of the miracle and the liberality of God when he pleaseth to open his bounteous hand unto us 8. This done Jesus bids them draw of the vessels full of water a cup full and carry it to the cheif Steward of the feast because he could best tell whether or not he had provided that plenty and such rare Wine as those pots full of water did afford For it was the Jewish custome ever to have some modimperatour or prefect of good order at such feasts so Christ gave him the respect of first tasting this cup of grace and the presence of such a prefect makes the company of Iesus and his Mother more avowable at the feast since where a prefect of good order was there could be no suspition at all of the least excess or disorder 9. This verse shewes us the modimperatour having found Wine come in more than he had appointed and knowing none durst provide any besides himself unless by chance the Bridegroom took the priviledge so to doe which yet was not usuall presently calls to him saying to this effect 10. This is beyond the ordinary course two wayes first that you have more Wine than I was privy too next that you have reserved to the last your best Wine for this is singular good much better than what we had before And yet the bâ—st is alwayes first served in that in case of want worse may suffice at the latter end when the tast being glutted before is not so able to distinguish the difference yet this was so superlatively rare as even to those Palates formerly glutted in a manner it did tast extraordinarily well indeed to admiration nor was it strange since the works of God are ever perfect 11. Many doubt wheither or no this were the first miracle that Christ wrought willing to believe divers former which he did in his youth though in regard Gelasius the Pope hath condemned a fictitious book published by Hereticks intituled The miraculous infancy of Jesus and full of inventions of their own it is not improbable this was the first he did after his Baptisme with any purpose to be noted for the Messias By the manifestation of his Glory here is understood the shewing of his power wherein he was glorified and for which cause the Disciples are here said to believe him to be the true Messias and the true â—amb of God who as John the Baptist had told them was come to take away the sins of the world and this miracle he chose to work at a marriage as alluding thereby to the solemnity he made this day of his own wedding between his Divine and humane nature since now he was resolv'd to discover himself to be as well God as man whence this was done mystically on the Third day after he was published by the Baptist to shew now the Third state of the world was begun The first being hat under the Law of Nature The second that under the Law of Moses and this that under the Law of Grace besides the miracle was done in the Gentiles Cana to shew Christ came to call all Nations it was also done in Cana of Galilee as importing the transmigration of possession that is amongst Christian people who are the possession of Christ as bought by his bloud and therefore are to passe yet from earth to heaven their better and finall possession The Wine he so abundantly gave imports the doctrine of Christ and his holy grace inebriating the soules of the Faithfull The Application 1. LEarn Husbands hence to love your Wives as Christ doth love his Church learn Wives to obey your Husbands as the Church obeys her Head our Saviour Jesus Christ since marriage is a Sacrament representing the union between Christ and his holy Spouse 2. Learn married people hence to moderate excesses both at bed and board for neither Jesus nor his Blessed Mother can behold excesse and they to faintifie your marriage must be there 3. Learn Parents hence to breed your Children rather to supply the Angels rooms in Heaven than for to be your own Successours here on Earth thus will the waters of humane infirmitie be turned into Wine of Christian perfection by grace moderating natures exorbitances and making peace between two fatall enemies the spirit and the flesh As the Prayer to day petitions On the Third Sunday after the EPIPHANIE The Antiphon MATH 8. ver 2. O Lord if thou wilt thou canst cleanse me and Jesus said I will Be thou cleansed Vers Let my prayer c. Resp Even as Incense c. The Prayer OMnipotent eternall God look we beseech thee propitiously on our infirmity and extend to our protection the right hand of thy Majesty The Illustration IT is remarkable to see how negatively Saint Paul in this dayes Epistle minds us of being sinners when positively he exhorts us to be Saints with the Romans for what greater signe that the Apostle found a world of infirmities in the Romans than that he stirs them up so much to Vertues contrary to the vices they abound in and thus the Epistle insisting all upon vertues is well adapted to the Gospell running all upon infirmities mystically representing vices for what else doth the corporall leprosie of the Leper or the paraliticall disease of the Centurions boy purport than the like scurvy latent diseases of sin in our Souls to those which were apparent in these two bodies Whence it was but fitting this dayes Prayer should beg to have the same right hand of God extended over us which was the cure of these temporall diseases types of our spirituall infirmities nor can we hope this will be done unless God of his infinite goodness be propitious to us and therefore we beseech him in the Prayer first to look propitiously on our infirmities and then to extend to our protection the right hand of his majesty that is to say all his power as if our vice required no less than an infinite vertue to cure it our weakness no less than all Heavens forces to protect us And since both the Leper and Paralitick saying this Prayer in effect obtained corporall cure thereby why should we doubt of Spirituall cure if we say with like Faith like Hope like Love the same Prayer to day and truly to say it with less were a confusion to Christianity that Jewes and Gentiles should exceed us in fervour of Piety besides we have yet an easier task than they in hand for their demands were no less than to have a Miracle wrought upon them by a Physicall cure without a Physicall cause unless we shall say the touch of Christs hand was a Physicall cure for all diseases whereas we onely demand a favour not a miracle a little Grace to blot out a great
to do as it commands as holy Church by reading it commends The Gospel Luk. 6. v. 36. c. 36 Be ye therefore merciful as also your Father is merciful 37 Judge not and you shall not be judged Condemn not and you shall not be condemned Forgive and you shall be forgiven 38 Give and there shall be given to you good measure and pressed down and shaken together and running over shall they give into your bosome For with the same measure that you do mete it shall be measured to you again 39 And he said to them a similitude also Can the blind lead the blind doth not both fall into the ditch 40 The disciple is not above his master but every one shall be perfect if he be as his master 41 And why seest thou the mote in thy brothers eye but the beam that is in thine own eye thou considerest not 42 Or how canst thou say to thy Brother Brother let me cast out the moat out of thine eye thy self not seeing the beam in thine own eye Hypocrite cast first the beam out of thine own eye and then shalt thou see clearly to take forth the moat out of thy brothers eye The Explication 36. WE have seen how perfect charity was inculcated by St. John in this dayes Epistle now St. Luke begins his Gospel in a stile suitable thereunto when he recommends the love of our enemies under the notion of mercy And indeed when he bids us be merciful to one another as our heavenly Father is merciful what else can he point out unto us then the dilection of our enemies since God the Father his first mercy was shewn to none else but those that were his utter enemies mankind for whose redemption yet he sent his sacred Son a sacrifice and a propitiation for the whole masse of humane nature to shew the height of his perfection in this his act of mercy which was indeed so great that hence it is his mercy is said to have surpassed all his other works Psal 44.9 And that we do not mistake in expounding mercy here for love of our enemies we may avouch St. Matthew Chap. 5.43 who speaking to the same sense as St. Luke doth here though not in the same words brings in our Saviour saying You have heard that it is said thou shalt love thy neighbour and shalt hate thine enemie v. 44. But I say unto you Love your enemies do good to them that hate you and pray for your persecutours and those that calumniate you and v. 48. he concludes this subject thus Be ye perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect as who should say St. Lukes mercy here recommended is the dilection of our enemies and who so loves them is not onely merciful as God is mercifull but by that means is perfect also as God is perfect in such sense as the Expositours interpret St. Matthewes perfection and S. Lukes mercy which are here all one because love or mercy to our enemies is indeed the very height of perfection in us and so it is the greatest that ever did to us appear to be in God if yet any of his attributes can be one greater then another When therefore we are bid be mercifull or perfect as God is we are to understand it thus that Christians are to proceed further in perfection then all other people who though they received the precept of loving their enemies in the very law of Nature as we read Exod. 23.4 5. if thou meet thine enemies Oxe or Asse astray bring it home yet were so blind as not to practise indeed not to see it as appeared when the Scribes and Doctours of the Law delivered a Tradition quite opposite to this teaching as our Saviour sayes above Hate your enemies and for this reason to undeceive them and to shew the world their errour that had antiquated the law of nature in this particular God himself makes it a signal mark of his perfection and recommends it to us as the height of perfection in us above which he requires no more at our hands and for which he likens if not equalls us unto himself in perfection I say likens us because that is the true sense of this Text bidding us love our enemies perfectly and not slightly but with all our hearts as God loveth us who dyed for our sakes that were all his enemies and this perfection therefore is divine not humane in us because we may bear a kind of civill respect of love to our enemies and yet not love them perfectly as God loveth us whereby we onely attain to this divine perfection of mercy and love which likens us to God himself And though by the first 't is true we become Gods children in nature by the last we become his children in grace and so of regulated nature make our nature sayntified too which gives it the finishing and life-colour of perfection or similitude to God though when we are greatest Saints here our perfection is but initiated or begun since here we can at most but curb but tame concupiscence whereas in heaven it shall be extirpated quite and clean and then we shall be perfectly perfect as God is while our here beginnings shall be there finished by the burnish of Glory polishing the works of Grace wrought in our unpolisht natures 37. How excellently well doth this follow since we are alwayes apt to fall upon judging and condemning our enemies Yet it is not Judiciary but rash Judgment that is here forbidden since the former is the main vertue that supporteth government over all the world but the latter is a vice as much destroying order as it were to see the delinquent leap from the bar to the bench and in stead of standing to receive his own sentence from the mouth of Justice pronounce a peremptory sentence on his Judge for so shall all those be to us at the latter day whom we by our rash Judgements here condemn of any fault wherein they are not guilty Now the reason is because Judgment is an act of Jurisdiction not onely declaring but punishing of crimes and therefore restrained to some Magistrates onely not allowed to any that are meer subjects such as we all are to Almighty God and consequently none of us can lawfully sit as Judge over the actions of our neigbours no not the Priest himself out of his Confessionary or Tribunal Seat where the Penitent must be his own accuser too or else cannot be judged by the Priest The like is of condemning as of Judgement which seem to differ onely as the Judges declaration of the crime doth from the condemnation of the Criminal by the prolation of the sentence against him and assignation of him over to the punishment of the Law answerable to the Fact for which he is condemned But why it is said Judge not and you shall not be judged Condemn not and you shall not be condemned will not easily be understood for by this meanes no delinquent
are loving and charitable to our neighbours for the love we bear to God so the Gospel ends Do this and live Live eternally live in the happy fruition of all the vaste promises God made to those that love him thus 2. But we have yet a better pattern of our duty then what Jesus bid the Doctour of the Law take to secure him of this happinesse the charitable Samaritan We have our dearest Lord our Blessed Saviour Jesus here not onely the giver but the keeper of this his Law least we should argue our impossibility to keep the same when we see at how dear a rate he kept it how he so loved us as he laid his life down for a testimony of his love and gave us grace to do the like as the onely means of doing it Nor had the end our glory been otherwayes atchieveable then by the meanes unto it his holy grace so he that would our happy end must will us the meanes to compasse it this followes naturally and is therefore in the rule of grace undeniable nature being ever perfected by grace Hear how he sayes himself Blessed are the eyes that see the things you see c. and to the rest of those things which the Explication enumerates we may avowably here adde this for one their seeing Jesus give his life for an example to us of valuing his love at as dear a rate as he did our loves when he dy'd to gain them 3. Yes yes beloved this is the full scope of the Gospel and ought to be the aym of our actions while we read it so we may hope that he whose bounty gives us Faith to believe him charity to love him and hope to enjoy him will mercifully give us grace so to fulfill the condition of his Lawes whereunto his promises are annexed that we need not fear to obtain What to day we beg in the Prayer above the running without offence in to the possession of those promises which they that do offend cannot obtain and those that love can never loose by offending whilest they love So that onely love is the easie rule we are to be happy by for ever as was hinted before in the Illustration On the thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost The Antiphon Luk. 7.15 BVt one of them when he saw that he was made clean returned again with a loud voyce magnifying God Vers Let my prayer c. Resp Even as Incense c. The Prayer ALmighty and everlasting God give unto us the encrease of faith hope and charity and that we may deserve to obtain what thou doest promise make us love what thou doest command The Illustration HEere 's a Prayer that in one word of it richly containes all the doctrine of this day and indeed all the main point of the differential doctrine between the Roman Catholick Church and her antagonists especially the Hereticks of this time who deny good works to be necessary to mans salvation and will have no more then faith alone required on our parts pretending the work of our salvation is already finished by the passion of our Lord if we do but believe as much It is otherwise with us for here we pray not onely for other acts of virtue namely hope and charitie but even for our own increase of faith as well as for increase in other good works which as they are all rooted in these three Theologicall virtues so are they contained in them as the tree is contained in the root thereof or rather in the seed that runs to root the better to support the tree That then we may pray as well to the bettering of our understandings as to the perfecting our wills in the service of Almighty God know beloved holy Church to day instructs us in this Prayer to beg increase of all good works eminentially included in the three Theologicall virtues above mentioned and doth further declare that by this increase it is we may deserve to obtain as much as God Almightie hath pleased to promise us which is no lesse then his heavenly glory especially if we can by our increase in virtue arrive as well to love as to do what God commands that is to say in other termes if we so love God as for his sake we can also love the things commanded though never so contrary to our liking for then we Saint our selves indeed when thus we love And why because where sinne is not in man sanctitie will be undoubtedly as it was in S. Marie Magdalene who then was even canonized by our Lord himself when he declared Many sinnes were forgiven her because she loved much Luke 7.47 And by many we understand all for God never doth his works to halses but leaves them ever perfectly compleat And having thus evinced the veritie of this glosse out of the letter of the Prayer let us further see how the Canon of the Churches service is harmonious by the musicke of her Prayer to day which is therefore best because it is throughout three parts in one Nay if I said the whole Epistle Gospel and the Prayer to boot were all contained in the word increase perhaps I should not erre for if we but apply that word unto the things wherein we beg increase the work is done the cabinet of rich connection by that key is open to the view of the world But lest some dimmer sighted souls do not perceive as much it will not be amisse to show the whole Epistle of the day doth run upon the ground-work of the Prayer while from the first unto the last it beats upon the faith of Abraham joyned with the hope of a reward for his obedience performed with an act of charitie wherewith he shewed he did deserve the promise of Almighty God because he loved his commandement better then he did his onely sonne Isaack whom he was ready to sacricrifice to show how truely he did love the said command Compare this now unto the Prayer and see what can be more desired to make the harmony compleat Yet further look upon the Fathers expositions of the last verse in this Epistle as you see below and then say if the glosse I made above be other then Expositours allow As for the Gospell t is alike concording with the Prayer if we believe the Fathers of the Church expound the saving faith aright wherewith it ends when they declare this faith was saving to the cured Samaritan because it was accompanied with his good works namely with his hope of cure when in that hope he paid obedience unto Christ saying go shew your selves unto the Priest for the Text sayes after and it came to passe as they went they were made clean and lastly by his gratitude returning to give thanks for the cure which acts of other virtues obedience and gratitude made manifest his charitie since they were good works growing out of that root and since by this action of gratitude we see the Samaritan shewed an increase of Faith Hope and
Charity in him upon his spirituall conversion wrought together with his corporall cure the Church with all the reason in the world prayes to day for increase of the like virtues and thus adapts the Prayer unto the preaching parts of this dayes service so exactly well as we may freely say the spirit of the Epistle and Gospel is as it were eminentially contained in the Prayer above The Epistle Galat. 3. v. 16. c. 16 Brethren to Abraham were the said promises and to his seed he saith not and to seeds as in many but as in one and to thy seed which is Christ. 17 And this I say the Testament being confirmed of God the Law which was made after foure hundred and thirty years maketh not void to frustrate the promise 18 For if the inheritance be of the Law now not of promise but God gave it to Abraham by promise 19 Why was the Law then It was put for transgressours untill the seed came to whom he had promised ordained by Angels in the hand of a Mediatour 20 And a Mediatour is not of one but God is one 21 Was the Law then against the promises of God God forbid For if there had been a Law given that could justifie undoubtedly justice should be of the Law 22 But the Scripture hath concluded all things under sinne that the promise by the faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe The Explication 16. IN recompense of his faith were these promises made to Abraham which are read Gen. 22. c. Nay even of Isaac himself whom his Father Abraham obediently sacrificed would Christ descend that so in Abrahams seed the promises might be made good Yet this seed is not to be understood Isaac but Christ of Abraham by Isaac lineally descending Note these promises were not made so to Abraham as to fall upon his person but upon the person of his seed Christ Jesus for in him indeed were all the promises truly performed which were made to Abraham since by believing in Christ we are all saved not by any merits of Abraham So Abrahams seed or posteritie is not here taken collectively as importing many but as importing one onely branch of the said posterity namely Jesus Christ 17. Since it was said before v. 15. mans will and testament is not to be broken much lesse that Testament which is confirmed by God himself which were these promises to Abraham no they are not violable by any Law lesse by a Law subsequent thereunto as by the Law of Moses which was 430 years after these promises to Abraham 18. Hence it is evident Abrahams seed did not inherit these benedictions by virtue of the Law which was delivered to Moyses on the mount Sinai 430 years after God had made the promise of these benedictions as if that Law were giving life or saving souls but by virtue of the promise made before the Law of Moyses was written So that our salvation flowes out of the faith we have in Christ to whom the promises were made that by his person being the seed of Abraham all men should be made happy For this promise involves the faith of Christ as the means to save us so doth not the Law of Moyses rehearsing onely the said promise 19. This question is of difficulty the premises in the precedent verses considered yet it is evident the Law here mentioned was not saving but rather to terrifie the transgressours and to declare their transgressions then to save them for neither was there time yet or place for a saving Law since the Saviour of the world was not come so this was at most but a middle Law between that of nature before it and this of grace following of it which we now enjoy and so it was adapted as to a middle use to civilize rather then to save men who even in the time of this law were not savd by virtue of it but by virtue of Faith Hope in Christ who was to come after this law and who was prefigured by it So S. Paul speaks plainly when he sayes in this vers this law was made but for transgressors untill the seed of promise that is untill Christ should come In the following words ordained by Angels is insinuated the Catholick Doctrine telling us this Law was written and delivered by Angels or Gods Embassadours not by God immediately and so like Embassadours they use his name and speak in his person whom they personate that is in Gods Name whence it is that part of this Law which was confirmed by Jesus Christ comes elevated or dignified unto us by the dignitie of the deliverer the Sonne of God himself not onely an Angel By the hand of a Mediatour is understood the person of him that did then mediate between God and the People of Israel namely Moyses into whose hand the Law was given For since a Mediatour must be a party placed between two and partaking of both sides here Mediatour must not be understood of Christ who was not then in being as man but onely his Deitie had being his Humanitie had it not Nor is Christ called our mediatour as God onely but as God and man for as God he partakes of the dignitie and authoritie of his Mediatourship as Man he exerciseth the works and merits of a Mediatour Besides the Angel is said here to use the hand of the Mediatour to deliver the Law by but that was Moyses hand so in this place he must be understood to be the Mediatour 20. This verse again confirms what was said in the former that Moyses is spoken of for Mediatour as distinguished from God whilest the Apostle sayes a Mediatour is not of one so Moyses was not of one side onely but of Gods and the Jews or rather Gods chosen people the children of Israel So Mediatour is not taken here for Christ as mediating between God and Christians or all Nations but as Moyses mediating between God and the Jews onely a particular nation for this mediation was not to salvation since that was Christs and could be none others because he could both plead as man and forgive as God This is yet cleared more by the following words saying God is one and so could not be the Mediatour here mentioned which was Moyses for God had not then put on humane nature to render him of a double consideration or concern but onely was one creating not mediating God which must be man too So that the true sense of this place is God who is one then made Moyses Mediatour between him and the Jews and since made Christ Mediatour between him and all the Nations of the world Wherefore that law of Moyses was rather an usher to Christ his law then a fulfiller of the promises made to Abraham for they were onely fulfilled by Christ and his holy Gospel being the means as well to save as to govern men whereas Moyses his law could onely govern them but their salvation had root in the