Saint Paul Rom. 6. speaking of Baptisme expresseth by Planting and he calls a Man newly baptised 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 newly planted which word is frequent in the Councels Our note is We must acknowledge the prerogatiue of a Christian aboue other men which must carrie with it an acknowledgement of Gods speciall care vouchsafed the faithfull whereof Infidels haue no proofe they continue Wild whereas wee are Planted trees they lie in the dregs of Nature whereas we are brought to the state of Grace The second Good that is done to the Tree appeares in the Choice that is made of the Soyle It is no small benefit for a Tree to be planted but that is not enough it must also be fitted with conuenient ground otherwise much care might be ill spent here we haue choice ground it is locus irriguus well watered ground and such is commended for the growth of Trees especially if the waters bee artificially diuided and carried round about the Trees that they may yeeld nourishment to the root which way soeuer they spread and such is the site of our Tree it is not onely planted by the waters but also by the diuisions of waters it hath iuyce enough and that well disposed This is the outside of the resemblance but the inside teacheth vs that as we Christians are beholding to God the Father by whose care we are planted so are we to God the Sonne by whose Spirit wee are watered For indeed by Baptisme we are incorporated into Christ He is the soyle that beares the spirituall Trees Cap. 13. Hee is the Fountaine opened to the house of Israel for cleansing mentioned in Zacharie Cap. 4. He is a Well of liuing waters springing vnto eternall life whereof we read in Saint Iohn Hee is the waters that streaming from the Sanctuarie ran into the Dead Sea Ezek. 47. and were both Sanantes and Viuificantes healed the Trees that grew on the bankes thereof and made them beare fruit abundantly both which properties are necessarily required for a transplanted Tree that it may cease to bee what it was and become what it should be And wee doe finde a mortifying and a quickening grace in Christ abolishing our Old Man and reuiuing the New Finally there are in Christ Riui aquarum Ioh. 7. He that beleeueth in me saith Christ out of his belly shall flow riuers of waters of life yea as wee haue manifold diseases and wants so may wee finde manifold remedies and supplies in Christ His grace doth compasse vs on euerie side and is at hand euerie where to steed vs. So good choyce hath God made of the Soyle wherein to plant the Trees and so well are Christians prouided for that are made members of Christ And so haue I opened vnto you the good that is done for this Tree let vs now goe on and see what good comes of it And wee shall finde that as it receiued so it yeelds a double good for it proues welll and is well approued it proues well whether you looke to the Principall or to the Accessorie Good which is expected of a Tree The Principall Good is to beare good Fruit and so doth this it bringeth forth fruit Fructus comes from fruor it must bee such a thing as is vsefull not briers or thornes that scratch and spoile of which kinde there is more then enough appearing as well in mens liues as growing vpon Trees Whereupon it comes to passe that the Prouerbe is changed and in stead of Homo homini Deus wee may now say Homo homini Daemon Men liue not for their mutuall good but ruine As that which a Tree beares must be Fruit so must hee bring it forth Those that are planted in the Church must not conceale the grace they haue receiued no more then a Tree doth his sap Wee glorie in the discouerie of rich metals and precious stones that nature hath buried in the earth and the sea wee suffer nothing of this great world to lye hid we loue to bring it forth to behold to shew it so should we deale with the gifts and graces which God hath treasured vp in this our little world No Tree should striue more to send forth fruits then wee to bring forth workes But we must looke that the Works be good as the Fruit of this Tree is It hath the two markes of good Fruit set vpon it it is kindly it is timely Lignum rationale saith Hilarie dat fructum non confusè non importunè As the naturall so the spirituall Tree bringeth forth fruit neither confusedly nor vnseasonably Let vs behold these two properties first in the Naturall then in the Spirituall Tree First let vs see how kinde it is Profert fructum suum Suum is a Relatiue and lookes backe vnto the good that is done for the Tree the first appeares in the care of him that of a wilde Tree madâ— it a planted Tree and it must not degenerate againe and beare Fruit answerable to his former stocke being a generous Vine it must not beare wilde Grapes nor sower Oliues being made partaker of the Sweetnesse of the true Oliue Tree The Children of God must not liue like the Sonnes of men neither must the members of the second Adam liue as if they were members of the first We are offended when we see such degenerating in the Trees of our Orchard it were to be wished we dâ—d not approue it in our selues that are of the garden of God The ouerflowing of Atheismes Heresies and impurities doe testifie to the world that we beare vnkindly fruit But Suum His fruit refers not onely to the Husbandmans care but also to the fruitfulnesse of the soyle and so requires not onely a good nature but a good measure also For a Tree to beare scant fruit where there is good store of iuyce must needs be vnkindly and it is not kindly for men to be sparing in doing well who are rooted so neere vnto the Fountaine of grace For him that hath fiue talents to yeeld but two or him that hath ten to yeeld but fiue will make but a bad accompt seeing God expects that men shall render according to that which they doe receiue Moreouer Suum doth import a respect to the doer and also vnto others as it is ioyned with Profert Looke vpon it and you shall finde that grace gâ—ueâ— abilitie to doe well but the Faculties of our soule seasoned with grace are they that are exercised in well doing therefore is the worke reputed ours as the Fruit is reputed to be borne by the branch of the wilde Oliue though it be beholding to the new stocke of whose fatnesse and sweetnesse it doth partake for that it is able to beare such Fruit It is no small honour that God doth vs in that he makes his gifts so become ours But as Suum giues vs 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Possession and Proprietie of the worke so Prefert cals for a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or
a Communicating of the worke vnto others we must bee good dispencers of the grace of God and edifie others with our gifts And here we see a difference betweene Rationall and Irrationall Trees of Irrationall Trees as of other Creatures the rule is true Vos non vobis they yeeld much good for which themselues are neuer a whit the better but Rationall Trees reape good of that where with they doe good they doe good because they bring forth fruit and from this themselues also reape good because the Fruit continues their owne and shall be reckoned vnto them in the day of the Lord. Finally by His fruit wee may vnderstand such Workes as belong to euery mans Vocation For as in an Orchard there is varietie of fruit Apple-trees Peare-trees Plum trees c. and euery tree endeauours to sucke iuice answerable to his kind that it may beare such fruit and an Apple-tree doth not turne a Plum tree nor a Plum-tree a Cherrie-tree c. but euery tree contents it selfe to bee of its owne kind So in the Church are there varieties of Callings Pastors People Magistrates Subiects Euery one is to walke as he is called of God 1. Cor. 1.20 learne what belongs thereto and not incroach vpon or entermedle with that which belongs to others Except men heed this whatsoeuer good they seeme to doe it is not accepted the Saying of the Romane Generall to the Souldier that kept the tents when he should haue beene fighting in the field Non amo nimiùm diligentes will be vsed of God if he call vs to one profession and we busie our selues about another God will not like such busie bodies As the Fruit is kindly so is it also Timely the Tree bringeth forth fruit in his Season As there are diuers seasons in the yeere so are there fruites for euery season the health of our body doth require it should be so for whose sustenance these fruites were prouided that is vnkind to bee taken in Winter which was fit in Summer neither will that serue at Autumne which was made for the Spring Euen so the qualities of men haue their seasons and as the Preacher saith There is a time for euery thing Cap. 3. a time for weeping and a time for laughing a time for peace and a time for warre Nehemiah doth blame the people that Wept Cap. â— and biddeth them goe and Feast God reproueth the people that did Feast because it was then a time to Fast Rehoboam was stared by the Prophet Esay 22. 1. Kâ—ays 12. 2. Coâ—â—â—â— 19. when he would haue warred vpon Israel Iehosaphat is rebuked by a Prophet for that hee would haue societie with the King of Israel The ground of this varietie is We may not rebuke when we should comfort nor comfort when we should rebuke the Habits of vertues must be alwayes in vs but the Acts must be exercised vpon their iust occasions You see by this time that the Tree proues well in regard of the Principall Good that is expected from a Tree neither is it lesse true in regard of the Accessorie Good The Accessorie good are Leaues and indeede the Accessorie are a great good of the Tree for they are Ornamentum arboris and Operâ—mentum fructuum they make the Tree more pleasant to behold and serue for to defend the Fruit from the iniurie of the weather therefore are they compared to the haire of a mans head which if it should be missing euery man sees how much deformitie and discommoditie would come vnto our head But this is but the out side of the Parable Good Workes haue their Circumstances which in doing them must bee obserued and are as behoofefull to the Worke as Leaues to the Tree both to recommend it and also to defend it for Example He that giues must giue with cheerefulnesse hee that obeyes must doe it with willingnesse hee that reproues must doe it with charitablenesse c. take away these Circumstances and a churlish gift is not worth thankes stubborne seruice cannot content neither will a man be reclaimed by a malicious reproofe put these Circumstances to it and if euer a man will be thankfull it will be to him that giues vnto him cheerefully if any seruant will please it is hee that doth his dutie willingly and if euer an vntoward nature will be altered Charitie must season the reproofe Due circumstances giue a sweete influence vnto a good worke and they are the best Apologie to stop the mouthes of slanderers Such Leaues a good Tree beares and a good Man obserues such Circumstances And he obserues them Constantly for his Leafe Neuer fadeth The reason why the Leaues fade and fall is the disproportion betweene the heate and the moysture when the heate is too weake and so the moysture fals backe to the roote or else is too strong and consumes it faster then it can be supplied by the roote so that if the Leafe neuer fade there must needes euer be a good proportion betweene them The Grace of God is compared sometimes to Fire sometimes to Water because it hath a warming and cooling propertie a drying and a moystning It warmeth vs when we are ouer cold as we are too often in doing good and when through indiscreete zeale wee are ouer hot then doth Grace coole vs and keepe vs in a good temper Sometimes wee are ouer drie and spating in doing well Grace then serues to moysten vs and make vs more friuitfull and when we grow luxuriant it drieth vp our superfluities and brings vs to a meane from the due proportion of these qualities ruling our Actions it comes to passe that as a Tree casteth not his Leaues so wee faile not in the Circumstances which must order our good workes Fruit without Leaues or Leaues without Fruit make but an imperfect good Tree So good Workes without due Circumstances and Circumstances without good Workes make but an imperfect Man As then the Trees of Paradise were all good for foode and pleasant to behold Gane 2. good for foode in regard of their Fruit and beautifull to behold in regard of their Leaues euen so should the Spirituall Trees bee I meane Christian men their workes should be both vsefull and gracefull otherwise they are not answerable to this Tree neither doe they attaine the perfection of Christian men And let this suffice to shew that the Tree proues well As it Proues well so it is well Approued for what it doth Prospers yea it is as well Approued as it Proues well for Whatsoeuer it doth prospers The Prospering of the Tree may well bee expounded out of the Parable of Trees Iudg. 9. where the Oliues fatnesse is said to bee that wherewith they honour God and man and the Vines Wine that wherewith they Cheere both That is the good vse that is made of them is their Prosperitie And what is the Prosperitie of a Rationall Tree but that our Workes set forth Gods Honour and edifie men Onely the Rationall
must not onely cease for to hate him but beginne to Loue him also Secondly Christ founded both these partes in our Redemption for Hee dyed and rose againe Saint Paul telleth vs there is a morall in that mysterie it lessoneth vs to dye vnto sinne and to rise vnto righteousnesse finally the Sacrament of Baptisme which in the Scripture is called the Baptisme of repentance Symbolically preacheth both vnto vnto vs the dipping into the water and the taking out of the water what doth it figure but the drowning of sin and the recouering of a sinner The vse that wee must make hereof is that we must not onely desire to be rid of the vncleane spirit but also to be possest of the holy Ghost if wee doe not change one for the other we are not changed so fully as we ought to bee and we must feare his doome out of whom the vncleane spirit was cast in the Gospell whom because the holy Ghost succeeded not the foule spirit repossest the person with seuen worse then himselfe Matth. 12. and made the latter end of that man worse then his beginning And thus much of the nature of Repentance which is the first worke Gods worke which changeth vs from bad to good not onely cleansing sinne but also giuing grace I come now to the second worke which is mans worke in handling whereof we must consider the Order and the Nature of it A word of the order Gods worke goeth before mans man could neuer doe good if God did not first make him good as truely as the dew doth first fall from heauen before there can bee fatnesse in the earth Psal 1. euen so must Gods grace change man before any alteration will appeare in the conuersation of man the tree must be planted by the Riuers of waters Ephes 2.10 before it can bring forth her fruites and we must bee Gods workmanship created vnto good workes before we can walke in them Wee must not therefore take such pleasure in beholding the Tree bee it neuer so richly loaden with fruites as to forget the roote which yeeldeth the iuice without which the Tree could beare no fruit we must so regard mans worke that wee giue the precedencie alwayes to Gods and acknowledge this to bee the off spring of that but enough of the Order I come now to the Worke which is bearing of fruites That which is here called fruites Acts 26. is called workes whereby we gather that good workes are fruites and indeed onely good workes deserue this name for if Saint Austins definition bee true Fructus est quo quis cum gaudio fruitur That is fruit which a man may with comfort enioy how should sinne be reputed fruites Who can take any content in it Not the sinner himselfe for though it be sweete in his mouth as Iob speaketh yet when it commeth downe into his maw Iob 20. it turneth into gall of Aspes Deut 22. well doth Moses compare it to the fruites of Sodome and Gomorrah for as the Booke of Wisedome describeth that fruit faire on the out side but the in-side nothing else but cinders euen so the appearance of sinne is pleasant but the substance of it is very vnsauorie If onely our lustes should be iudges howsoeuer at first they taste it as fruit yet euen they also loath it if they bee long vsed to it but if they swallow it and find no offence in it as too often they doe yet when it commeth to our conscience and thither sooner or later it must come Saint Pauls question will then come seasonably Tom. 6.21 What fruit had yee then in those things whereof yee are now ashamed Sinnes then may not passe for fruits fruits properly so called this title belongeth only to good workes they are fruits indeed they may say as the Vine in the Iudgess They cheare God and Men Chap. 9. God taketh delight in them they are to him a sacrifice of a sweet smell yea hee taketh as much content in them as if he did feed vpon them we learne it in the fiftieth Psalme Thinkest thou saith God that I will eat Buls flesh and drinke the bloud of Goats Offer vnto God praise and call vpon his Name in denying the former he acknowledgeth the later to be his food not that God is the better for ought we doe but so is hee pleased for to honour our workes as the Angels that came to Abraham did partake of his meâ—te not to refresh themselues but to doe him honour As God accepts them for fruits so are they fruits vnto men also vnto others and vnto our selues but with this difference that whereas God was not the better for them men are other men by our good workes are either brought to goodnesse or confirmed therein and as for our selues wee grow thereby in grace and fauour with God and feele more comfortable ioy in our owne soules therefore well may good workes beare the name of fruits And I the very name of fruits distinguishing good workes from bad containeth a good motiue to doe well and forbeare sinne for Who would labour for nought and spend his strength in vaine being not to haue so much as his labour for his paine for he must write vpon his wages not only vanitie but also vexation of spirit And againe Who would bee wearie of well doing that knoweth his labour is not in vaine but that in good time he shall eate the fruit of his labours O well is hee and happie shall he be But wee must marke that our worke is called fruit and not flowers not but that the flower goeth before the fruit but it is the hope of the fruit that maketh the flower to bee esteemed and God counteth that flower little worth that neuer commeth to be fruit we see this in the parable of the seed where that ground only goeth for good in which the feed giueth not ouer vntill it be fit for the Barne and hee that puiteth his hand to the Plough saith Christ in the Gospel Luke 9 6â— and looketh backe is not fit for the Kingdome of Heauen I obserue this the rather because here we may see many faire flowers which in their youth shew good effects of their Gouernours care and paines who no sooner are set at libertie as too often they are before the flowers become fruit but they wither and faile neither Church nor Common-wealth nor themselues are the better for their breeding whom I would haue to carrie this Lesson with them That Goodnesse is not a flower it is fruit and they must aswell ripen as blossome otherwise it will appeare that God in them hath done his worke but they come short of their owne Neither is Goodnesse only called Fruit in the singular number but the word is plurall our worke is many workes wee must beare Fruits we must as the Apostle speaketh be fruitfull in all good workes Col 1.10 The soule of a man is but one but
description of God you must obserue that of his Prouidence there are two parts the first is the blessing of his creatures especially man the second is the Inquirie how these creatures vse his blessings this later point concerneth my Text. As then no Husbandman is so carelesse as hauing planted an Orchard not to looke into it and see the successe of his paines no more is God Esay will teach vs that the Husbandmans discretion commeth from the Lord of Hosts which is wonderfull in counsell and excellent in working neither is there any perfection in man which is not much more eminent in God Wee may not then dreame that wee hold of God without account or impeachment of waste wee owe our apparence both at his Court and at his Audit hee taketh his times for both or not to goe from our Parable the sonnes of Adam haue no exemption seeing their Father had none God placed him in Paradise and came into Paradise to suruey him and the Fig-tree that grew in the Vineyard was surueyed by the Lord thereof And let this suffice touching the first Person and the resemblance that is made of him The second Person is Man But as the description of God doth shew vs rather what God is to vs then what hee is in himselfe so in the description of man the chiefest consideration is what hee is to Godward not what he is Wee haue here then to doe with not simply a man but a member of the Church the Law speaketh to them that are vnder the Law Now of a member of the Church wee haue here an excellent resemblance hee is resembled to a tree bearing fruit 〈…〉 73. 〈◊〉 5. The Church is likened to a Paradise which is full set with fruitfull trees As God in the Creation made the whole world but of a part of the whole made Paradise so hath hee selected his Church out of a whole masse of the sonnes of Adam and calleth it his Orchard and of this Vineyard or Orchard the members of the Church are trees euery member is a tree though he be called sometimes by the name of a branch for euerie branch is potentially a tree a tree growing in a tree You may perceiue it by the litle shoots that wee take to inoculate and many branches that bored or otherwise planted take root in the ground although while they are but branches they doe not immediately root in the ground euen so euery member of the Church seeing he hath no communion with God but by the mediation of Christ is but a branch yet seeing Gods promises are made both to him and his 〈…〉 Cap. 52. and others may spring from him he is not vnsitly compared to a tree But it is to a tree that beareth fruit whose inward vertue manifesteth it selfe by outward workes As a tree that sucketh nourishment from the ground spendeth part of it in sustayning it selfe and when it is sufficed therewith worketh the rest of the juice vnto fruit so should the members of the Church themselues bee the better for the Grace which they receiue and doe good to others also they must beare fruit Fruit is significantly expressed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Athanas Tom. 1. Serm. de 〈◊〉 ment Gen. v. 9. for the likenesse of leaues doth often deceiue the ouer-seer but when the profit of the doctrine doth shew it selfe in workes then it appeares who is a sincere faithfull man and who is an Hypocrite Adde hereunto that though great is the ornament of leaues yet their best commendations goeth no farther then 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 pleasure it doth not come so farre as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 meat But out of the ground of Paradise God made to grow euery tree that was both pleasant to the sight and good for sood and such a tree must our tree be But euery tree by nature is a fruit tree Gen. 1. v. 11. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 God that made all made no other Saint Basil hath obserued it and because some trees make shew of the contrarie he giueth vs a distinction of secret and open fruit with one of which euerie tree is furnished And indeed seeing euerie tree hath seed according to his kind it hath fruit because naturally the seed is included in the fruit and followeth the condition of it being as that is either secret or open Seeing then euery tree beareth fruit to beare fruit is not enough wherefore there is another word added it must beare good fruite there are trees of the field and trees of the Orchard both beare fruit but the fruit of the field tree feedeth only beasts and birds only the fruit of the Orchard-tree yeildeth sustenance for man There must bee some difference betweene them that are within the Church and them that are without as betweene Orchard and Field trees the fruit of the one and the fruite of the other they without the Church fructifie for the Deuill and the World but the members of the Church beare fruite to God and good men as it is intimated by the Vine Indges 9. by the Figge by the Oliue vnto which trees the godly are compared Marke then that the difference betweene the trees of the Field and of the Orchard is not the bearing and not bearing of fruit in bearing fruit the natiue and the satiue both agree but it is good and bad fruit that doth distinguish them And this distinction is necessarie because it is possible that trees of the Orchard should become as bad as the trees of the Field and why since the fall of Adam they are all grafted trees and you know that a grafted tree may shoot out either out of the wild stocke or out of the sweet graft and it is a speciall care of a good Husbandman to cut off still all the shoots of the stocke that the graft may prosper the better Origen obserueth well wee haue inward trees a Good and a Bad we haue the flesh and the Spirit Habemus aâ—bores internas bonam malam â—nâ— cuit Gal. 5. and Saint Paul telleth vs that both these haue their fruits To beare good fruit then is to walke in the spirit and not to fulfill the deeds of the flesh Here is no species of good workes set downe neither intend I at this time to fall into the common place of good workes a former clause of my text gaue mee occasion to speake heretofore of them Nazian Zen hath a good Epitome of that argument 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Tom. 1. p 555. in two words of good workes there must be Varietie and Plentie But I may not forget that there were two speciall trees in Paradise the Tree of the knowledge of good and euill and the Tree of Life Lib. 2. ad Autoluc God forbad the one and permitted the other Theophilus Patriarch of Antioch giueth the reason and it is that God would haue vs captiuate our wits to his wisdome and for knowledge bee
to the Legall Sacrifice God did testifie it to the corporall Sion and Ierusalem by fire from heauen which consumed the Sacrifice but vnto the spirituall Sion and Ierusalem 1. Chron 7. he doth testifie it by the sensible comfort which by his Spirit he doth infuse into their soules while they are Militant and hee will testifie it more plentifully by the light of his countenance which shall shine vpon them when in the Church Triumphant they shall stand before his Throne Marke here a Correction of that which was said before you heard that Sacrifices and burnt offerings were neither required nor accepted here you find the contrarie And yet not the contrarie for there they bee refused in Casu in a Case wherein no sacrifice was allowed and they be also refused opposite if the Morall be not ioyned with the Ceremonial but here wee haue no such case no such opposition God did accept them vnder the Law as exercises of faith and he will accept the truth of them for euer for that is most agreeable vnto his nature a spirituall seruice to God which is a Spirit And let this suffice for King Dauids first vndertaking I come now to the second his vndertaking for the Kingdome The Kingdome is vnderstood in this word they it referreth to Sion and Ierusalem mentioned in the former verse they that haue the benefit are they that shal make the acknowledgement Before it was Ego the King spake in his owne person I will shew forth thy praise I will teach the wicked c. Now it is Illi my Kingdome Priest and people both shall be as religions as my selfe And indeed the Kingdome as well as the King ought to be thankfull vnto God when God is good to both Dauid vndertaketh for his Kingdome that it shall be very thankfull for they shall offer Bullocks A Bullocke is a faire Embleme of a spirituall Sacrihce for it fignifieth an heyfer that is come to the age of beng fruitfull or it commeth of Parah and yet it hath not borne the yoake nor beene put to any drudgery And such should euery one bee that serueth God he should be fruitfull and not seruile abounding in good workes but not be the slaue of sinne There are two other things to be obserued in this word first it was the fairest of Offirings Secondly it was the fittest for the Offerers Amongst the Sacrifices the fairer were the Beasts and of the beasts the fairest was the Bullocke God commanded no Sacrifice thet was greater then that S. Paul out of Hosea doth moralize this Sacrifice Heb. 13. Hos 19. calling it the Calues of our lippes for by Calues are these Bullocks meant We may adde that seing Bullockes were the greatest of Sacrifices we must thinke that nothing we haue is too good for God and we must make our Offerings of the best The Bullocke was not onely the fairest Offering but the fittetst for these Offerers you shall read Leutt. 3. that whether it were the whole Congregation or the Priest that had offended either of them was to reconcile himselfe to God by the oblation of a Bullocke and seeing they are meant in this place such a Sacrifice doth best beseeme them but that the propitiatorie is turned into a gratulatorie But to whom shall they be thankfull surely to him that doth deserue it to God they shall offer vpon his Altar he that fulfilleth the Desire hath iuterest in the Promise they shall confesse that it is He that doth good to Sion that it is He that butldeth the wals of Ierusalem Secondly note that he saieth not that they will offer vnto him but vpon his Altar the Altar that was erected by his appointment For though it be true that where the Altar was there was God yet it followeth not that where God is there is his Altar God is pleased to confine not onely the substance but the circumstance of our seruice also Deut. 12.33 hee would not bee worshipped euery where The Ceremoniall Altar is gon but the Morall thereof abideth where Christ is thither must we bend our seruice he is the Altar that halloweth our Sacrifice on him and by him must we present it vnto God Againe the Altar doth note that it is not enough for vs priuately to recount Gods blessings we must divulge them publikely though the Heathen had their priuate Altars yet God had none but in a publike place therfore the setuice must needs be publike that is done vpon the Altar Adde the Bullocke and the Altar together and then you shall find that this was Operaria gratitudo the hand should testifie the thankfulnesse of the heart and the Kingdome would be thankfull not in word onely but indeed also And indeed God doth good to Sion and buildeth vp the wals of Ierusalem that they may offer him such Sacrifice To conclude this poynt as Dauid in his owne Vow made Gods praise the vpshot of his promise so doth hee in the Vow of the People And indeed the Church must not desire prosperity otherwise then that God may haue the glory of it God made all things for himselfe and we must subordinate all things vnto him otherwise we substitute the Creature in stead of the Creator and cannot excuse our selues from Idolatry from which Dauid doth free his Kingdome in saying They shall offer at Gods Altar You haue heard of Gods acceptance and the Kingdomes thankfulnesse that these things shall bee performed Dauid vndertakâ—th for both he vndertaketh to each of them for the other for marke how resolutely he speaketh Thou shalt be pleased They shall offer Vox fidei fiduciae hee beleeueth it assuredly and therefore doth confidently affirme it Neither can their be any doubt but if our seruice be the sacrifice of righteousnesse God will accept it for he will neuer refuse what himselfe commanded And it can as little be doubted that the Kingdome will bee thankfull if God doe it that good for it is a speciall effect of Grace to make vs so thankfull so that we may not doubt of either I haue sufficiently opened the Promise vnto you one thing remaineth the circumstance of time when this Promise shall take place it is exprest in this word Then which is set before either of the vndertakings Then shalt thou be pleased Theu shall they offer c. except God fulfill the Desire there is no hope of the Promise but the performance of the Promise will not be farre behind if the Desire bee fulfilled Touching the Ceremonie wee find it in the Dedication of the Temple when many thousands of Bullocks were offered 1. King 8. and God appearing vnto Solomon told him how well he was pleased therewith And touching the morall though in figuratiue termes yet it is fairely set downe Ezek. 20. and Malac 3. you haue it in a short sentence Psal 110. The people shall be willing in the day of thy power Math. 18.20 and the beauties of holinesse And Christ is as briefe
to encourage him For which is a second branch of his Clemencie he tels him that he is not farre from the Kingdome of God There are two things in the Law first the Depth and secondly the End of it both which the Pharisees misunderstood The Depth as it appeares Matth. 5. where Christ shewes how shallowly they did vnderstand it The End for that they so rested in the perfection of the Law that they litle thought of the reliefe which mans inability to perform the same was to receiue from the Gospell and therefore they stumbled at the doctrine of Christ who neuer meant to derogate ought from the Law considered in it selfe but to discouer mans weaknesse the conscience wherof should make him flie vnto the Gospell This Scribe seemes to haue had a reasonable vnderstanding of the Depth of the Law but hee was not come so farre as to haue an vnderstanding of the End thereof Notwithstanding because the knowledge of the Depth is a good step to the knowledge of the End therefore our Sauiour Christ tels him he is not farre from the Kingdome of God By the Kingdome of God or of Heauen the Scripture vsually vnderstands the Gospell that is the way vnto eternall blisse Now seeing Christ is the end of the Law and the Law is a Schoolemaster to bring vs vnto Christ he that doth well vnderstand the Law how the Morall exceeds the Ceremoniall and how much the Morall requireth at the hands of men as this Scribe did if he do but trie himselfe thereby he will see what need he hath of the Gospell and may be perswaded to embrace it Therefore doth Christ tell him that hee is not farre from the Kingdome of God Non abest procul abest tamen A man that is almost at the top of the water may aswell bee drowned as hee that lieth in the bottome therefore a man must not content himselfe to bee almost a Christian as Agrippa did he must be altogether if he meane to be saued Therefore Christ in these words wils the Scribe to build forward and to supply that which he wanted of the meanes to life Obserue here how Christ would not breake a bruised reed nor quench a smoking flaxe because of his ingenuitie hee handled him gently Teaching vs how odious vnto him a Romish butcherie is and that we in dealing with Aduersaries of the Truth must follow the Apostles rule In meeknesse instructing them that are contrarie minded 2 Tim. c. 2. if God at any time will giue them repentance vnto the knowledge of his truth Especially if we see them preferre the truth before their owne priuate affections and not resist the Holy Ghost What became of this Scribe the Scripture doth not teach vs it is not vnlikely but that afterward he beleeued in Christ and that his ingenuitie made good vse of Christs clemencie I haue opened vnto you the comfortable confusion of him that moued the question they that set him a worke also were confounded but their confusion was damnable For though their mouthes were stopped yet their heart was not stopped their heart was not changed they continued malicious still They asked him no more questions no more serpentine questions otherwise questions they did aske him but hauing by their perplexing temptations laboured in vaine for that still they had the worst Yea and which vexed them more Christ by answering them got honour amongst the people who wondred at his readinesse and wisdome Luke 13. they therefore gaue ouer playing the Serpents and turned Lions The next newes wee heare of them is that they contriue and compasse the death of Christ And this is the right Method of the world when disputations and bookes will not make good a bad cause nor beare out errour and falsehood then the sword is set a worke to doe what the tongue or pen cannot and the bloud of Gods seruants is spilt to satiat cruell minds This Age hath too lamentable proofe thereof all our neighbour countries be turned into shambles of the Church But wonder not at it for Venena inuidiae possunt superari sed difficulter quiescere Malice may be ouerawed but it will neuer bee idle if it may worke with opportunitie Therefore I told you that their confusion was Damnable Damnable seeing their reason was conuicted and yet they persecuted Christ I will dwell no longer vpon this point because I toucht it in part before in this and also in the first Sermon Onely obserue that which Saint Paul hath God maketh the wisedome of this world foolishnesse and taketh the craftie in their wilinesse so that we may say with him Where is the Scribe God puts into the mouthes of Christs aduersaries such an answere as that they confirme his Doctrine and Testimonium ab Aduersario validissimum Moreouer their answere cleares the innocencie of Christ when they were still confounded that sought to haue iust cause against him And no wonder for he that foyled the Father of temptations could not be foyled by any of his Children One point more and so I end It is a note of Saint Chrysostomes tentando Iudaei sibi acquisiuerunt confusionem nobis prouiderunt salutem the Temptations wherewith Christ was exercised by the Iewes occasioned him to deliuer many excellent lessons for the instruction of his Church So did God bring light out of darknesse and how many excellent tracts haue the Fathers written which had neuer come from them if their industrie had not beene whetted by the enemies of the truth And the same prouidence at this day sets the Orthodoxe a worke to looke more and more into the mysteries of the Kingdome of Heauen enabling them to stop the mouthes of gaine sayers and to bring their Charge forward to the measure of the age of a perfect man in Christ I conclude you haue heard of exemplarie discretion and confusion discretion of Christ confusion of Christs aduersaries You shall doe well to imitate Christs discretion learne of him to be not onely Innocent as Doues but wise as Serpents If our words be poudred with such salt they are most likely to yeeld grace vnto the hearers As for the confusion of Christs aduersaries let vs take heed of the damnable confusion that doth but helpe men forward to fill vp the measure of their sinnes in this world that they may haue the greater measure of plagues in the world to come But let vs set before vs the comfortable confusion let vs be euer ready to shew our ingenuitie that we may haue experience of Christ clemencie Onely let vs take care not onely to begin well but also to goe on not onely to come neere vnto but also to enter into the Kingdome of God that Christ which is as ready to encourage as to discerne our good disposition may establish vs in grace and crowne vs with glorie who onely can so worke vs readily to obey that he may blesse our endeauours and receiue vs in the end with those comfortable words
Testament Whensoeuer God began a new reformation of his Church he did alwayes accompanie it with some new Ceremonie which serued to shew the beginning of that worke and to keepe it in remembrance When Adam fell God altered the Ceremonies whereunto he was vsed before the Fall namely the tree of life and the tree of knowledge of good and euill into Sacrifices that might prefigure the Redemption by Christ When the world degenerated againe and God renued this Couenant with Abraham hee instituted a new Ceremonie that of Circumcision When Abrahams posteritie degenerated God reformeth againe and to point out this new Reformation hee instituted the Tabernacle the Priesthood of Aaron And when this could not hold the Iewes in the truth of Religion God commeth to his last Reformation and that hath his Ceremonies also whereof the first was Baptisme Baptisme whereby men were admitted into the Church of Christ And this Baptisme was the easier entertained by this â—ultitude because the Prophets had foretold that when the Messias came he should poure forth cleane waters Ezâ—k 36 v 25. and cleanse the filthinesse of Israel with them Galatinus saith that the old Rabbins did vnderstand it of such a worke of the Messias But whatsoeuet is to bee thought of his iudgement who doth oftentimes make the most of the Rabbins sayings sure it is that the Prophets words doe sound that way reade Ezech. 36. Esay 44. Zacharie 13. where this point is enlarged and Baptisme foretold 〈◊〉 5 which also was prefigured in Naamans cleansing and in the curing vertue of the poole of Bethesdah In a word hearing that by this Ceremonie they might be admitted into the kingdome of the Messias they frequented it A dispute there is whither Saint Iohns Baptisme and Christs were all one Some difference is pretended out of the Fathers but they are mistaken as Zanchius hath well obserued in the Annotations vpon his Confessions Neither is it likely that the Baptisme of Christians should differ from the Baptisme of Christ although the efficacie of Saint Iohns Baptisme was not from his sprinkling of the water but from Christs giuing of the spirit The defect of these persons that came to be baptized was that they did affect Baptismum fluminis but not flaminis and this Saint Iohn apprehended and this made him to be quicke with them as he shewed himselfe to bee in the manner of his reproofe I come now to that wherein you may perceiue the spirit of Elias Notwithstanding their great number and faire shew whereof the one would haue terrified the other deceiued ordinarie men this Prophet of whom Christ saith Matth. 11.9 more then a Prophet reuealeth and declareth the bad case of these Iâ—wes as by the holy Spirit it was no doubt discouered vnto him for Christ elsewhere vseth the same phrase and that to the same persons And marke that he doth not only in generall preach repentance but he doth discreetly apply himselfe to the persons and tempereth his language as is fitting to them And so should wee doe for nothing is more absurd then vniformitie of language when wee haue to doe with different hearers But yet herein we must not be indulgent to our corrupt affections but the fire that kindleth our zeale must bee heauenly Wee must reproue those within the Church more sharpely then those without and the leaders more sharply then the followers those that are Hypocrites then plaine dealing men And it was fit that the Pharisees and Saduces that were so selfe-conceited and so domineered ouer the consciences of the common people should heare how little they did answere the opinion they had of themselues and the people should see there was no reason they should haue their skill in the Scriptures or holinesse of life in so great admiration The Saduces and Pharisees were at oddes betweene themselues but all agreed in this qualitie of Vipers And if they that pretend so fairely are so reproued how should they bee reproued that are openly prophane There are but two heads whereunto we reduce all euill Malum Culpae and Malum Poenae Sinne and the Wages thereof he sheweth that they were noâ— free from either First not a Malo Culpae not from Sinne for they were a generation of Vipers few words but they reach home and challenge these persons as being gone as farre as may bee in sinne For behold the three dimensions thereof the Intensiuenesse noted by the word Viper Secondly the Extensiuenesse noted by the word Generation and Thirdly the Protensiuenesse the generation of Vipers The word Viper sheweth that they were corrupt euery one in his owne nature and the word generation sheweth that the corruption had ouerspread whole multitudes for a generation is a multitude of persons that liue at the same time put Generation and Vipers together and that will import that the infection reached from Parents to children whereof the later were no better then the former It is a wofull thing if sinne be only personall and defile the nature of any one man but yet there is good hope that the righteousnesse of a multitude may slay Gods hand from proceeding against the personall sinne If of personall sinne become Nationall the case groweth much worse and yet some hope remayneth euen for a whole sinfull Nation if their Parents were not such for God doth oftentimes spare the children farre gone in sinne in remembrance of their Parents which had serued and feared him But when they also haue beene bad and sinne is become naturall to a Nation what hope none for sinne can goe no farther then of personall to become Nationall and of Nationall to become naturall So farre was sinne gone in these persons whom here Saint Iohn calls a generation of Vipers But to single the words a Viper is a beast the persons of whom Saint Iohn speaketh were men behold that vnto men hee giueth the name of beasts Man that was created after the Image of God was to better his estate and become like an Angell but by the Fall he made it worse and fell below himselfe to the condition of a beast Man being in honour saith the Psalmist hath no vnderstanding Psal 49. v 20. but becommeth like the beasts that perish Hence is it that the Scripture doth often giue him the name of a beast Basil in Hexameron Hom 8. 9. Tertull. contra Iudaeos cap 4. of a Lion of a Leopard of a Wolfe c. yea what beast is there whose name the Scripture doth not fit vnto man giuing vs to vnderstand that he is a compound beast compounded of all those ill qualities that are obserued in any beast so that no one beast bee it neuer so bad can bee matched vnto man seeing man can transforme himselfe into the sauagenesse of all be as cruell as any Lion as rauenous as any Wolfe as implacable as a Beare as craftie as a Fox as filthy as a Swine c. But of all beasts he is most compared vnto
Tree hath one aduantage aboue the Irrationall that it yeelds the doer a good Testimonie of his good Conscience It is a great blessing when a man doth labour to be assured of this that he labours not in vaine Neither doth the Tree onely Prosper well but the Prosperitie of it is vniuersall Whatsoeuer he doth prospers As he brings foorth good Leaues and good Fruit So there comes a Blessing vpon them both It is the vnhappinesse of the wicked that nothing goeth well with them Their very Table as it is in the Psalme is made their snare and that which should bee for their comfort is made vnto them an occasion of falling Psal 69. ver 22. but all things worke for the best to them that Loue God as the Apostle telleth vs Rom. 8. their very afflictions are matter of exceeding Ioy Iam. 1. And this is Mysterium Crucis wherewith none are acquainted but those that are truly initiated into Christ Bede goeth a step farther and shewes that their very sinnes doe Prosper He instanceth in Saint Peters fall by which he profited in Humilitie and Compassion we may instance also in Dauid and others and this is Miraculum miraculorum that God turnes both sorts of Euils as well Culpae as Paene as well of Sinne as Woe into the profit of a good Man God turneth it I say for his hand it is that workes so strange effects and his Hand is implyed in Iaztliack which though it be vulgarly Translated shall Prosper yet according to the Coniugation it may signifie shall make to prosper and then must there bee some Efficient which most fitly must bee accounted God And God will blesse in making all things to Prosper that a good man takes in hand as in the Creation when he saw all things that himselfe had made That it was good then he Blessed it Or if you will referre it to the Tree or the Christian noted by the Tree then the meaning is that the worke Prospers for the persons sake And indeede if we bee in ill termes with God that which wee doe will succeede but ill as all will succeede well if we bee in good termes but the Prosperitie here meant must be vnderstood not Corporally but Spiritually for Corporally they often are distressed though that distresse in the end turnes to their greater good Finally Saint Chrysostom vnderstands Christ by this Tree and indeed what you haue heard can fully agree to none but vnto Him Hee is the Tree of life and the best of vs is but a Branch in that Tree yea a diseased Branch therefore we must acknowledge the perfection of this Resemblance in Him and begge that according to our proportion it may bee communicated vnto vs. GOd our Father which is the Spirituall Husbandman so continue and cheerish our Plantation in Christ that wee may by the Holy Ghost become more and more fruitfull and gracefull Spirituall Trees abounding in good Workes and doing them as wee ought that the world may bee the better for them and wee finding grace in Gods eyes may euer enioy the Comfort of them AMEN PSAL. 1. VERS 4. The vngodly are not so but are like the chaffe which the wind drineth away THe Reward which God bestowes vpon them which performe their Vow made vnto him in Baptisme is as you haue heard in the first word of this Psalme Blessednesse Blessednesse in this life and Blessednesse in the life to come As this Blessednesse consists of two degrees so doth this Psalme yeeld vnto vs of either degree a speciall Euidence A speciall Euidence of the Blessednesse which is in this world and that stands in the difference which euen during this life may bee obserued betweene the good and bad we haue that difference exprest here in the third and fourth verses Of the Good I haue already spoken on the third verse I haue shewed you how fitly they are compared vnto a Tree a Tree for which much good is done whether you respect the Husbandmans Care in planting it or Choyce of the Soyle wherein it is set And as there is good done to it so comes there good of it for it proues well and is as well approued iâ— proues well in Fruit and Leaues good Fruit for it is kindly and timely neuer fading Leaues which are a perpetuall Ornament of a Tree and Muniment of the Fruits And as it proues well so is it well approued Whatsoeuer it doth is acceptable to God profitable to Men and comfortable to the Tree These things you heard enlarged and applyed to a good Man It followes that now I come on and you heare what this Scripture saith of a bad Man Wherein you must consider these two points first whom the Holy Ghost meanes by the Vngodly secondly What miserie euen in this life is heaped vpon them First they are not what they seeme to be Non sic improbi It is not so with the wicked they haue no part in the resemblance of the blessed Tree Secondly what they seeme not to bee that they are a worse resemblance fits them for they are no better then winnowed chaffe I begin with the first they are here called vngodly Venerable Bede obsernes well that by the Vngodly you must vnderstand not onely Incredulos but also falsos Christianos not only the godlesse Infidell which is without the Church but also the counterfeit Beleeuer that liues within the Church And indeed S. Paul Rom. 3. out of the Psalmes and other passages of Scripture making an Anatomie of a wicked man giues a good Rule those things which the Law speaketh it speaketh to them that are vnder the Law so that all they must take this Title to themselues that professe they know God but denie him in their workes that haue a forme of Godlinesse but deny the power thereof are called Christians but yeeld no odour of that sweet Oyntment which being powred vpon Christ the Head Runnes downe to the verie skirts of his Garments And therefore whosoeuer they are that are any parts of his Coat they should all of them smell of Mirrhe Aloes and Cassia Psal 45.8 1. Pet. 2.9 and shew forth the vertues of him that hath called them out of darknesse into his marueilous light All should but more then a good many doe not and therefore they come vnder this name of Vngodly But enough of the Persons of whom I haue spoken at large vpon the first Verse Let vs come on to their state remembring this that all come vnder the state that come vnder the name if they bee Vngodly they partake of the miserie And what is their miserie surely they are not what they seeme to be and what they seeme not to be that they are They are not what they seeme to be for in this world of all men the Vngodly seeme to be in best state but my Text denieth it Non sic improbi it is not so well with them they are not that Blessed Tree What then Surely what they seeme
other Fathers tell vs that the particle vt noteth not Causam but Consecutionem not the end but the euent of sin I called it a supernaturall Euent An Euent is that which followeth vpon a former thing Accidentally though naturally it cannot flow from it Sinne is destructiue of good and therefore cannot aduance the Prayse of God wee see it in euery particular for what are they but breaches of that Law in the performance where of standeth Gods honour But what neede I vse any proofe I the last Sabaoth day shewed you that Impiety is one of the Natural properties of sinne It cannot be expected then that so great a good should naturally spring therfrom as is the the Praise of God Therefore though old impure Hereticks and the latter Familists that turne the grace of God into wantonnesse that vse Christian Liberty as a cloake of their Maliciousnesse that hold let vs doe ill that good may come thereof blaspheme Gods holy Truth Row 3.8 and their Condemnation is iust no man may pretend a good intent for his doing ill nor compasse a good end by ill meanes except he meane to goe for a Libertine But though Gods Prayse doe not naturally flow from sinne and so be the proper end thereof yet an Euent it may bee and follow thereupon But this Euent cannot be Naturall for the Creature that is mutable may ruine it selfe of it selfe and of it selfe dishonor God but hauing ruined it selfe and dishonored him it cannot of it selfe repaire either its owne state or His honour it is onely God can doe this this is a worke of diuine prouidence it doth exercise al the Branches therof Gods Wisdome to contriue it Gods Goodnes to affect it and finally it cannot be effected without his power The mixture of the Law and the Gospell is such a secret of Gods wisdome as could neuer haue entred into the heart of a creature that the fall of man should be foelix culpa produce a more glorious raising of him who could euer haue dreamd or to keepe my selfe to my text may not we all stand amazed when we read that such a son as Solomon should be born of Bathsheba with whom K. Dauid had committed so foule an offence But as we must admire Gods wisdome in such works so must we much more his goodnes that testifieth his loue to sinfull man in being willing that his wisdome shall yeeld such remedy to mans distresse But God is pleased to let the world see in the freedom of his loue quod dare non dignis res mage digna Deo such goodnes can be found no where out of God Finally the power of God shined herein which was to encounter with so many difficulties we hold God omnipotēt because he made heauen earth of nothing but the Fathers hold that the restitution is a greater worke then the creation if the former need an omnipotent power much more the later The reason is because as there was nothing to help so there was nothing to hinder in the creation but in the restitution God was encountred ab intra ab extra frō within and from without From within by his own Iustice he was faine to ouermaster it with his Mercy from without by the powers of darknes who stroue to keep possession of man yea by mans own peruersenes who is too willingly a slaue to sin Satan Gene. 50. but of Satans Temptation we may vse the words of Ioseph to his Brethren Vos cogitastis malè Deus autem bene Ye thought euill against vs but God meant it vnto good and concerning our owne peruersenes wee may vse the words of the Psalme As a Father pitieth his Children Psal 103. so the Lord pitieth vs marke the reason for he knoweth our frailty he remembreth that we are but dust It is God only God that can cause such Euents And miserable were the state of the world if he did not cause them for else the Church had long since come to nothing How quickly had Adam dissolued the Couenant and when God had restored it by such a supernaturall Euent the Sonnes of God dissolued it againe God was faine to redouble the Euentin Noah in his posterity it fayled the third time and a third time was God faine to renew the Euent in Abraham And thus hath it gon on in all ages of the world God hath bin faine to shew that the Infidelity of Man cannot euacuate the fidelity of God that hee will be true though all the world be liars Rom. 3.4 2. Cor. 4.6 that hee can draw light out of darkenesse when darkenesse hath extinguished Light Such is his Omniscient Wisedome and Omnipotent Goodnesse The ground of all which proceeding is the freedome of Gods loue that had no Cause without him when it first began it is continued by no Cause besides himselfe for those duties the performance whereof doe seeme to entertaine Gods Loue what are they but the influences of his free Grace Wherefore I conclude with Saint Bernard Maior est Dei pietas quam quaeuis iniquitas or rather with Gods own words Ego Deus et non mutor I am the Lord which change not Malac. 3.6 therefore you Sonnes of Iacob are not consumed it is of the Lords morcy that we are not consumed Iament 3 2◠because his Compassions faile not they are renewed euery morning great is thy faithfulnesse the same God that told Noah Gen. 8. I will not againe curse the ground for Mans sake and giueth this for a reason for the Imagination of Mans Heart is euill from his youth doth implie that we must seeke for the cause of this strange Euent not on Earth but in Heauen wee must hold it to bee not an Earthly but an Heauenly Euent and so to be not Naturall but Supernaturall as at first I told you And this refutes all Manichees who dreame of two Gods a Good and a Bad and will haue the Good only to intermeddle with things that are good and the Bad with the things that are bad but here we may learne that there is but one God and that one God is good though good yet intermedling with that which is bad intermedling with it out of bad to draw that which is good and so to make it matter of his Glory for Malum non quâ malum sed quâ ordinatum as Saint Austin teacheth cedit in Gloriam Dei In Enchyr. And so haue I opened vnto you the meaning of this Text so farre as I finde it in this Psalme that is in Hypothesi applied to King Dauids Case And there is no doubt but King Dauid in speaking of them had an Eye to himselfe and in reference to himselfe did penitentially vtter them But Saint Paul hath taught vs in the Epistle to the Romans to turne this Hypothesis into a Thesis Chap. 3. and apply this Text to the whole Church And indeed if you remember that I told you
viatoris I wil follow this point no farther By this time I doubt not but you conceiue that the Israelites in their answere were ouer confident they presumed too much of their abilitie Râ—m 8. especially of the extent thereof they did not know what was impossible to the Law by reason of the flesh And yet mistake not there is a vertue in this vice Neither is their confidence so blameable but there is something commendable in it When a father willeth something to be done by his child the child doth not so much consider what it can doe as what it would doe and therefore vndertaketh euen beyond its strength The father that seeth it doth not so much dislike the vanitie of the attempt as hee liketh the willingnesse to obey he delighteth in the good nature of his child and desires that his abilities may be answerable to his endeauours And in this sort did God take the answere of the Israelites as it appeares in the speech which he made to Moses when he presented the like words vnto him I haue heard saith he the voice of the words of this people they haue well sayed all that they haue spoken so he commends their confidence But to giue them to vnderstand that they vndertooke more then they were able to performe Deut. 5. God addeth a wish O that there were such an heart in them that they would feare mee and keepe my Commandements alwayes For nullius momentiest subitus affectus nisi accedat perseuerandi constantia As the parable of the two Sonnes Matth. 21. plainely sheweth God foresaw that all this profession of the Israelites was in them but a flash of a temporarie faith Psal 79. such as out of temptation appeares in most of vs. For if we be preuented with grace yea in many good things out of the light of nature we assent vnto the truth of Gods Law and our hearts incline to the good thereof Yea if we sit Iudges in other mens cases and are not transported with preiudice and acceptance of the persons we manifest this assent and inclination to the Law of God in generall in our dooming of other men but we doe not cast vp our owne accounts When our owne case commeth a foote and wee are exercised with any particular temptation then Gods wish is necessarie O that there were in them such a heart It is necessarie euen for those that haue beene so forward to say and that commendably All that the Lord hath commanded we will doe Let vs then know that the strictnesse of Gods charge serues onely to exercise our faith in Christ to inflame our loue towards God and to encourage our hope of perfection in heauen Multum ille in hac vita profecit qui quam longe sit a perfectione Iustitiae proficiende cognoscit But I draw to an end This answere did the Israelites make vnto the message that was sent from Mount Sinai what answere then must wee make vnto the message that commeth to vs from Mount Sion The yoke that Moses put vpon them was grave an heauie yoke Acts 15.10 Matth. 11.30 the yoke that Christ putteth vpon vs is suave an easie yoke The easier our charge the readier should be our acceptance it could not bee so commendable in them to vnder take beyond their abilitie as it will bee shamefull in vs if wee come short of them in expressing our forwardnesse to obey God For if their state were glorious ours doth much more exceed in glorie 2. Cor. 3. What remaineth then but that we oblige our selues chearefully to the Couenant of Grace and penitently bewaile our manifold defects in obseruing our obligation and that in our conflicts when wee are driuen to cry out O wretch that I am who shall deliuer mee c. Rom. 7 2â— wee answere Thankes be to God through Iesus Christ our Lord I conclude all with that passage in the Psalme Lord thou hast commanded that we should keepe thy precepts diligently and let Dauids wish bee euery one of ours Oh that my wayes were made so direct that I might keepe thy Statutes The seuenth Sermon EXODVS 19. VERS 9. And the Lord said vnto Moses Loe I come vnto thee in a thicke Cloud that the people may heare when I speake with thee and beleeue thee for euer YOu may remember that I brake this whole Chapter into two parts a mutuall stipulation that passed betweene God and the Israelites and a preparation of the parties for so great a worke as was the promulgation of the Law I haue spoken of the mutuall stipulation it followeth that I now come on to the preparation This preparation is first ordered then the parties being orderly prepared doe meet each other The order for Gods preparation is set downe in this verse for the Israelites in many Verses following Touching Gods preparation we must obserue first that hee will vouchsafe his presence at this great worke I come to thee Secondly touching Gods presence the Text will teach vs the Manner and the End The Manner is such as beseemeth the person and fitteth the businesse as it beseemeth the person so it is maiesticall as it fitteth the businesse so it is mysticall both are included in the thicke Cloud The End of Gods presence was partly to grace Moses who was to be the Law-giuer that the people may heare when I speake with thee and partly to dispose the people aright who were to receiue the Law that they may beleeue thee for euer These be the points and they are remarkeable therefore are they prefaced with a note of attention Loe which will also direct our application it is remarkeable that God was present it is remarkeable that his presence was full of maiestie and mysterie the countenance which God vouchsafeth Moses is remarkeable and remarkeable is that disposition towards Moses which God requires in Israel I beseech you therefore in the feare of God to marke these points diligently whilst I cleere them vnto you briefly and in their order I come God vouchsafeth his presence at the worke and is this strange Must this haue a Loe put vpon it Is it strange for God to doe that which hee cannot chuse but doe Acts 7.49 For hee filleth heauen and earth heauen is his throne the earth is his footstoole reade the 139 Psalme and see whether a man can be any where without the presence of God Hee beareth vp all things by the word of his power saith the Apostle therefore it is not strange that God should be present at this work who is euery where it is rather strange that God should be said to come to it as if he changed the place of his presence which he cannot doe because he is infinite Obserue therefore that though God be euerywhere alike in regard of his being yet in regard of his being manifest he is not euery where alike now it is not his being but his being manifest that is meant in this place therefore
it quickeneth a bodie consisting of many different members all which it setteth on worke the eye to see the eare to heare the foot to goe c. euen so though the grace of God which is the soule of the soule of man be but one yet doth it animate the whole man and doth as truly communicate good manners to the parts as the Soule doth Life Titus 2. The grace of God which bringeth saluation vnto all mâ—n teacheth vs to denie all vngodlinesse and worldly lusts and to liue soberly righteously and godly in this present world Ephes 6. hereupon Saint Paul biddeth vs put on the whole armour of God and to cast away all workes of darknesse and in another place Whatsoeuer things are iust whatsoeuer things are holy Rom. 13. Philip. 〈◊〉 whatsoeuer things are true whatsoeuer things are of good report thinke vpon these things Wee must haue not only a disposition to doe well but remember that wee are to doe well more wayes then one The same God that commandeth one vertue commandeth all and he will not haue any part or power of man exempted from his seruice Which must bee heeded by vs because there are few that are of Saint Pauls minde Philip. 3 13. to forget those things that are behind and make forward no sooner haue wee brought forth one good worke but we fall in loue with that and there take vp our rest and thinke that may serue insteed of all suffering Gods graces to be idle which are aswell able to make a chastâ—cie as a sober tongue and an obedient eare as a diligent hand Much more good might come from euery man if he did not thinke hee did good enough therefore let vs remember that nothing must bee accounted enough that is lesse then all and that wee set not straighter bounds to our duties then those which are in Gods Law But we haue not now to doe in generall with good workes my text restraineth me to workes of repentance I come then nearer to those And although I hane alreadie opened vnto you the nature of repentance yet must I wade a little farther in it and branch it as it were into its kinds The Law of God hath two parts the Precept and the Sanction The Sanction sheweth vnto vs the danger of sinne obliging vnto punishment from which wee are not free but by Iustification and this Iustification is attended with Repentance Repentance that looketh vnto the guilt of sinne which cleaueth vnto the Act thereof This Repentance is that which is practised in the times of Humiliation when we deprecate Gods wrath which is vpon vs or hangeth ouer vs by reason of enormous sinnes of the whole state and of particular persons 〈◊〉 2. Ionah 3. such is that which is called for in Ioel and whereof wee haue the practice in Ionah The Primitiue Church was well acquainted with it as appeareth by the Ecclesiasticall storie the Canons of the first Councels the writings of Tertullian Origen Cyprian and others our Church taketh notice of it in a part of the Liturgie and wisheth the publike restitution of it Tantae seueritati non sumus pares But it is rather to bee wished then hoped for Notwithstanding what is not done in publike by malefactors should be supplied by better obseruance of those dayes which are appointed weekly and of those weeks which are appointed yearely to be Poenitentiall to be dayes and weekes of Fasting and Praying Wee cannot denie but crying sinnes are daily committed and therefore Gods wrath might daily bee inflicted The way to stay it is to shew that wee are not guiltie thereof and as he is not guiltie by the Law of man which had no hand in sinne so by the Law of God none goe for not guiltie except they doe expresse a penitent sorrow that any should bee so wretched as to commit the sinne You remember how one Achan troubled all Israel and his sinne is layed to all their charge Ioshua the seuenth and they were all made to sanctifie themselues from that sinne and how the vnknowne murder was expiated wee reade Deut. 21. there must bee a feeling in vs of other mens sinnes a religious feeling seeing thereby they put not only themselues but vs to in danger of Gods wrath and therefore though our conscience haue no speciall burden of its owne yet must it haue of others and endeuour to ease both it selfe and the whole state thereof And how may priuate men better doe this then by those solemne acts of Humiliation the only attonement which by faith in Christ we can make with God But Saint Pauls complaint may be renewed 1. Cor. 5. It is reported commonly that there is fornication wee may adde Murder Adulterie and any other enormeous sinne the seates of Iudgement can witnesse that our Land is fertile of all sorts but as Saint Paul said so will I all men are puffed vp and who doth sorrow The emptinesse of our Churches vpon Fridayes and Wednesdayes and other Fasting dayes sheweth how litle feeling there is in vs of the crying sinnes of our State It were well if we had some feeling of our owne But where is that Drunkard where is that Adulterer where is that Murderer where is that Blasphemer that Vsurer that Oppressor that commeth into Gods House bathed in his teares broken in his heart stript of his pride humbled in his bodie and making a reall crie for mercie in the eares of God No wee come not so farre as a vocall our tongues crie not God bee mercifull to mee a Sinner which is but the voice of man much lesse doe our sighes doe it which are the voice of Gods Spirit we shame not to sinne Regis admirabilem virtutem fecit multò splendidiorem c. but to repent wee are ashamed Ashamed of that whereof we should glorie surely Theodoret thought better of King Dauids repentance when he pronounced of it There were many Heroicall vertues in King Dauid but for none is he so illustrious as for his repentance so much more illustrious by how much it is a rarer thing to see a King come from his Throne clothed in sackcloth sitting in dust and ashes feeding vpon the bread of sorrow and mingling his drinke with his teares then to see him in state either vttering Prouerbs like a Solomon or triumphing ouer his foes as at other times he also did Stultum est iâ—e eo statu viuere in quo non audet quis Mori or doing any other act in the maiestie of a King But most men are ashamed of this glorie and chose rather to glorie in their shame vnto whom I will vse Saint Austines words It is grosse folly to liue in that state in which a man would bee loth that death should take him hee addeth That the man which dareth goe to bed with a conscience charged with the guilt of one enormous sinne is much more desperate then he that dareth lie vnarmed with seuen
contented with so much as he doth reueale but we should spend all our time and paines in obedience and conforming our selues to Gods Law 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hâ—mil de Sement tom 1 Ioâ—l 2.23 Esay 61. Reuel 21 Gal. 5. Rom 6. Therefore doth Gods Law and a showre of raine come in Hebrew both from one root to signifie that wee should drinke it in as fruit trees doe raine to be the better for it In Ioâ—l it is plainly called the raine of righteousnesse and of raine Athanasius his obseruation is good though the substance of it be but one yet doth it yeild sustenance for diuers fruits Sure I am that the Scripture calleth vs Trees of Life Trees of Righteousnesse and we should bring forth fruits of the Spirit which is called the fruit of Sanctification haue a man neuer so much knowledge if hee goe no farther then knowledge hee can deserue no better a name then the Deuill hath who from his knowledge is called Daemon Nâ—mdicit Qui non seâ—it sed nonâ—â—cieâ—â— fructâ—m â—â—omâ—er enim oportet ferre 〈…〉 Nam cetheri â—â—serâ—cors fueris 〈◊〉 rapinâ—s sis dâ—dities â—on cris bonus but the Scripture denominateth a good man from his vertue Chasidh But there remayneth one note more which Theophylact maketh vpon this description Hee saith not euery tree which hath not borne but euery tree which is not bearing for wee must alwayes bee bearing fruit though the other day thou wert mercifull if to day thou be an extortioner thou shalt not goe for a good tree And God himselfe doth iustifie this doctrine telling vs that all the righteousnesse of an vnconstant good man shall be forgotten Those that be planted in the House of the Lord shall flourish in the Courts of our God 〈…〉 they shall still bring forth fruit in their old age they shall be sat and well liking The Tree described Psal 1. and Reuel 21. confirme this truth To shut vp this description of a member of the Church out of it we must learne these few Lessons First God expecteth to behold in vs rather our workes then his owne what we yeild then what wee receiue and our care must be rather to doe our duties then boast of our gifts seeing for those not these we are called to an account Secondly we must beare fruit according to our kind Men doe not gather Grapes of thornes nor figges of thistles it is vnnaturall for Vines to beare hawes or Figge-trees burres wee betray our selues rather to bee in then of the Church if we beare such fruit and though wee cannot bee challenged for being idle yet shall wee be for being ill imployed If to beare fruit were enough the case of the wicked would bee better then that of the godly for as wild trees commonly beare greater burthens then the grafted or planted you know Aesops reason for it so doe the wicked commonly abound in workes more then the good But God considereth not How many but How good yea the more of euill workes the worse so that when we come to cast vp our account wee must consider not so much the number as the qualitie of them remembring to write vpon the euill vanity of vanities all is but vanity and vexation of spirit for what fruite is there in those things whereof we shall be then ashamed wee must desire to beare that fruit which may abound to our accompt Philip. 4. And so haue I deliuered vnto you so much of my Text as concerneth the persons speaking of them so farre as I haue beene occasioned by their resemblances I come now to the Iudgement whereof wee must consider first the Cause where we shall see that God obserueth his owne Law and cutteth vp no tree in this siege that his vengeance layeth to his Church but such as are no fruit trees It is a clause in the couenant Deut. 2â— that as God maketh vs fruit trees so we should beare good fruits if we faile he is no longer tied to continue vs trees or performe vnto vs the blessing Sanction of his Law Deut. 28. his Iustice requireth that hee make good the second sanction which curseth sinners and come to eradication But to open this cause a little fuller wee must obserue that Gods dealing with men though it bee acted by his Power yet it is ordered by his Iustice neither doth he vse his power vntill he haue examined our deserts this is vndoubtedly true in plagues though not in blessings In blessing he preuenteth vs but he neuer striketh vntill he bee pronoked therefore the Scripture seldome mentioneth any iudgement of God but it prefaceth it with some cause thereof first giuen by man you may reade it in the doome of Adam the old World Sodome Gen. 3.6 1â— Chron. 2. and Israel In this place the not bearing of good fruit is expressed as the cause of the iudgement which followeth the not bearing I say of good fruit For whereas the Commandements of God are Affirmatiue or Negatiue The Affirmatiue are those for which our faculties were giuen vs the performing of the Negatiue are but with standings of such impediments as hinder vs therein Adde hereunto that the Affirmatiue is the measure of the Negatiue so that wee know not how farre we must withstand but by knowing how much we are bound to doe moreouer the Deuill that hee might haue vs at leasure to doe what wee should not maketh vs neglect to doe what we should Because then we should striue to the heighth of vertue for homo est animal officiosum man is made for vertuous action and his commendations is well doing and doing ill is but a necessarie consequent of not doing well as appeareth by the Parable of the vncleane spirit it is impossible for a man to be idle it would imply a contradiction to the definition of the soule therefore the transgression of the Affirmatiue Commandements are here called in question they are alleadged for the cause of Iudgement Si sterilitas in ignâ—m mittitur rapacitas quid meretur Fulgent Serm. de dispen Duplex fructus bonus Gratiae Poenitentiae Aust de Contritione cordis And if Omâ—ssions be so punished what is due to Commissions It is Fulgentius his collection If barrennesse burne in hell what shall wickednesse seele the deeper men goe in sinnes the greater is the account they haue to giue But lest men should not well conceiue this cause wee must learne of Saint Augustine that there is a double good fruit of Grace and of Repentance we should indeed principally take heed of Omissions and bee filled with the fruits of righteousnesse but if insteed of those good fruits we fall into sinnes of commission there is a second good worke wherewith we must relieue ourselues a worke of repentance in the defect of the first this second must succeed Though God might by the Law punish vs for want of the first yet from the Gospel wee haue this comfort that he
which I enioyed with thee before the foundations of the world were lay◠Himselfe then receiued nothing which hee had not for euer but in him wee receiue the honour to be loyned in one person with God Christus esse voluit quod homo est vt homo esse poss it quod est Christus Cypr. de vanit Idol in that person to conquer sinne death and hell after the conquest to receiue all power both in heauen and earth and possessed of this power to sit vpon the Throne of God It is not the Godhead but the Manhood in Christ and so it is Wee that haue receiued these Blessings So that we must begin the obseruation of Gods fauour vnto vs at that dignitie which our nature hath attained in Christ These different words Natus and Datus Borne and Giuen imply that they were not both of one time The Manhood beganne when Christ was incarnate but the Godhead was long before It was though it were not manifested vntill the time of his birth So that being and being manifest make the difference for that the Manhood receiued then his beeing but the Godhead only his beeing manifest And yet wee must not make such a difference without taking heed of Nestorius his errour For if the words be soundly vnderstood if they bee vnderstood of the Person not of the Natures we may apply Natus and Datus to eyther of them the Godhead may be said to be borne and the Manhood may bee said to bee giuen That the Godhead or rather God may be said to be borne it is cleare Luke 1. The holy thing that shall be born of thee shall be called the Sonne of God And the Virgine Mary by the Fathers is as you heard called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 St. Bernards obseruation is true speaking to the Virgine Mary as it were in the person of the Angell Quod natum est ex ipso Deo erit tuus quod ex te nascetur erit eius vt tamen non sint duo Filij sed vnus licet aliud ex te aliud ex illo sit ita tamen non cuiusque suus sed vnus vtriusque Filius So that vnderstand it of the Person and Natus will agree with Filius vnderstand it also of the Person and Datus will agree with Puerulus for the Childe was giuen also and had a being before euen as ancient as the Sonne of God to whom he is inseparably vnited Whatsoeuer attribute of God may be verified of Man so long as we meane no more but the Person But if our meaning doe once point at the Natures then Natus is peculiar to the Childe which beganne in time and Datus to the Sonne which was before all time so the Diuines ancient and later doe vsually distinguish these words Thirdly note that Natus goeth before Datus Christ is before hee is bestowed And the Holy Ghost would haue vs to consider two distinct Acts of God 1. The Constitution of our Sauiours Person 2. And then the Donation thereof vnto Vs And it is requisite that our meditations confound not Gods Workes Wee must multiply our meditations as Gods works are multiplied The Constitution of the Person is as a means which God prouideth and prouideth for an end which was his Donation So that Christs Incarnation is not to be taken as a speculatiue but a practick thing God therein did not onely reueale his Wisedome and his Power which wee may speculate with our wits but thereby doth giue vs a taste of his Goodnesse also to affect our hearts So that wee may not separate Datus from Natus lest we proue ignorant how vsefull this Incarnation is and so depriue our selues of the comfort thereof Lastly if Datus be the end of Natus and he that is Borne is Giuen vnto Vs we must make St. Paules Conclusion God that spared not his onely Sonne but gaue him for vs what is there that he will not bestow vpon vs He hath nothing nearer and dearer he that is vouchsafed this may presume to speed of whatsoeuer else We cannot haue a better encouragement to pray nor anchor-hold of our prayer nay we cannot learne better how to demeane our selues towards God than by imitating Gods dealing herein with vs. Let Natus or rather Renatus goe before Datus in vs Let vs first bee new-borne before wee giue our selues to God Except we be prouided of this gift we are not fit to make a Present and if wee be prouided and vnfainedly make this Present vnto God what haue wee that shall not be deuoted vnto him our honour our wealth our friends Hee will neuer deny ought vnto God that first giueth himselfe to him And thus much for the odds betweene the two Natures implied in the words Borne and Giuen Moreouer we must obserue that the Childe borne and the Sonne giuen if they be separated from Vs they make an Article admirà ble but comfortable it is not except you adde vnto it Vs. When this Clause is put vnto that our Faith is Faith indeed and taketh place as well in our heart as in our head and we listen diligently vnto the Annunciation which the Angel made vnto the Shepheards Behold I bring you glad tidings of great ioy that shall be to all the People for vnto you is borne a Sauiour which is the Lord Christ In a word you haue the true Description of Immanuell God with vs which then proued true when this Childe was borne vnto Vs and to Vs this Sonne was giuen Finally marke the Tense of these words Natus Datus it is the Praeter-tense they speake of Christ as if hee were already borne Christ was not borne in sixe hundred yeares after The reason is the stile is Propheticall The Prophets speake of things to come as if they were present or past they speake of the Workes of God answerably to the Nature of God In the Nature of God there is no time because it is eternall When Moses asked after Gods name he receiued this answer I am that I am In the Reuelation that Name is resolued into all the parts of time 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and it imports that all parts of time are together in God they are all present in him As it is with his Nature so it is with his Workes Nothing falleth out in time that was not decreed before all time and whatsoeuer is in the decree is euer present to God And because present in the decree therefore as concluded God may speake of it as a thing past because the Conclusion is before his eyes he may speake of it as a thing present and as his hand shall produce it he may speake of it as a thing to come And the holy Ghost vseth libertie to speake of such things so diuersly But for their speaking of Christs birth as if it were passed when it was yet to come there are moreouer two speciall Reasons The one is for that the efficacie of his birth began immediately vpon the fall As in Paradise Adam
was stung by the Serpent so in Paradise was hee cured by the seed of the Woman The Patriarchs in their order Heb. 11. not onely knew but felt the vertue of this Childe this Sonne St. Paul comprehends it in a short Rule Iesus Christ yesterday and to day and the same for euer Hee was a Lambe slaine not onely borne from the beginning of world Neither onely did the efficacie of his person worke but in a sort his presence also was vouchsafed vnto the world It is an ancient opinion of many of the Fathers and not a few of the worthiest late Diuines approue it that all apparitions of God in the Old Testament were of the second Person In the eighth of the Prouerbs himselfe saith that his delight was to be amongst the Sonnes of men Yea and to say nothing of other shapes how often did hee appeare in the shape of a man which apparition the Fathers call Praeludium incarnationis It was a faire intimation of that which in time hee should bee for euer after hee had once taken vpon him the nature of man which death it selfe should neuer seuer from him O Lord that wouldest not only become Man but also bee Gods gift to Man thou which wert before all time wouldest be bestowed in time bestowed vpon Iewes bestowed vpon Gentiles and make them both one Israel of God Notwithstanding there was nothing in them to demerit thee much in them to prouoke thee yet hast thou out of thine own goodnesse so tendered Man as to satisfie thy Iustice that it might bee no hinderance vnto thy Mercy but that thy Mercy might remedy both our Woe and Sinne We beseech thee that wee may all be new borne by vertue of thy Sonnes birth and giue our selues to Thee as he is giuen to Vs that so we may be in the number of those which with the Prophet may say Tovs a Childe is borne to vs a Sonne is giuen Which grace he vouchsafe vs that is giuen vnto vs To whom with the Father and the Holy Ghost be giuen all honour and glory now and for euer Amen THE THIRD SERMON The Gouernment shall be vpon his shoulders THe Doctrine of this Scripture containes the Truth and Excellencie of Christs Person and State Of the truth of Christs Person I haue already spoken and shewed you both the Natures wherein it subsisteth and the People to which it belongs The Natures wherein it subsists are two The Nature of God and of Man which haue a most streight vnion in one Person and yet without the least diminution of eyther nature This Person belongs vnto the Iewes not according to the flesh but according to the spirit euen to the whole Israel of God which consists of beleeuing naturall both Iewes and Gentiles To this People doth Christ belong But of what degree is hee amongst them For euery companie that consists of many persons if they bee incorporate hath men of sundry degrees by the Ordinance of God and the common rules of discretion there are superiours there are inferiours some which command some which are commanded Of which ranke is our Sauiour Christ Of the highest it appeares in his State The Gouernment shall be vpon his shoulders Although then the Scripture affirm that Christ appeared in the forme of a seruant and himself said That he came not to be ministred vnto but to minister et must we not mistake his Ministery was not of the foote but of the head it was not an obeying but a commanding Ministeric The Head ministers and so doth the Foote in our body naturall but they minister not both alike The head ministreth to the foote by way of commanding the foote ministreth to the head by way of obeying Christs Ministery was of the former not of the later kinde his Foes and his Friends in the Gospell both salute him by the name of Rabbi or Rabboni which is by interpretation Master And our Sauiour Christ telleth his Disciples in St. Iohn You call me Master and Lord and you say well for so I am And elsewhere he calleth himselfe The Heire of the Vineyard The Lord of the Sabaoth The Name of Christ or Messias is a most cleare proofe hereof for none were anointed but to be superiours and the Acts which Christ did exercise beare witnesse hereunto which were all of them eyther Propheticall when hee taught or Priestly when hee sacrificed or Kingly when hee wrought Miracles These bee the things which were done by him and the Gospell relates no other kinde of acts or at least none in comparison And all these are commanding acts they are acts of a Superiour exercised in the dayes of his flesh in the dayes of his greatest humiliation So that the forme of a Seruant and the ministring of Christ shew that he had not the attendance for worldly respect that was due to such a Superiour hee had not so much as a house to hide his head in much lesse had hee any Princely pompe But they deny him not to haue been a Superiour they deny him not that which was giuen him in my Text and my Text giueth him the State of a Superiour To come then vnto it There are two things to bee obserued in the words 1. Of what sort the Gouernment was 2. and Wherewith Christ did sustaine it The Gouernment was of the best sort it was Regall it appeares in the next Verse where Christ is said To sit vpon the Throne of Dauid And this Gouernment he sustaines by his owne carefull Power for it is layd vpon his shoulders These two Points we must at this time looke into briefly and in their order I beginne with the Gouernment If wee looke backe to the Story of Genesis we shall finde that when God promised Isaac which was a Type of Christ he changed both his Fathers and his Mothers name shee was called Sarai but God new named her Sarah which is a Princesse and Abram was new named Abraham a Father of many Nations And me thinks when I reade these words here in the Prophet and those that follow wherein Christ is described I see the application of those names to this Person I see the Principality I see the Posterity I see in Christ the truth of Sarah and of Abrahams name And surely the word which here signifieth Gouernment hath great affinity with the name of Sarah But of Gouernments some are subordinate some are absolute Some so command as the Centurion in the Gospell I am a man set vnder authority though I haue diuers vnder mee and I say to one come and hee commeth and to another go and he goeth But some so command as Salomon speaketh of a King against whom there is no rising vp whose Lawes must not bee disputed on earth and his Commandements bee obeyed by all that are his Subiects Christs Gouernment is not of the subordinate but the absolute sort it appeares by the Throne by the Kingdome vpon which he sitteth places of absolute power especially if
the shadow of death yet will I feare no euill if thou O Lord art with me thy rod and thy staffe shall comfort me c. In all assaults of our peace wee shall at last bee conquerors And this is enough ad pacem viatoris to the peace of the Church militant that wee shall neuer so be deiected but we shall haue strength enough to rouse our selues with King Dauid and say as Psalme 42. Why art thou cast downe O my soule and why art thou disquieted within mee hope in God for I shall yet prayse him who is the health of my countenance and my God and be as resolute as St. Paul Rom. 8. Who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods elect it is God that iustifieth c. who shall condemne it is Christ that is dead c. with the temptation God will make a way for vs to escape that wee may be able to beare it 1 Cor. 5. Wee may expect no more than this in the Church militant because as Christ came to preach peace so hee came also to send a sword and if the worke of the house prosper in the hand of Zorobabel and Iosua Tobia and Sanballet will impugne it no sooner doth Christ rest gloriously in his Church but there wil be many that will professe enmity against it But the time commeth when all enmitie shall cease all enemies shall be put downe wee shall be fitted for and admitted vnto the sight of God when our glorie shall be consummated and withall our peace bee made perfect so perfect as that it shall be euerlasting What shall we say then to these things Liuie When the Romanes by conquest might haue giuen law to the Grecians at Corinth in the solemne time of the Istmian games their Generall by an Herauld vnexpectedly proclaimed freedome to all the Cities of Greece the proclamation did at first so amaze the Grecians that they did not beleeue it to bee true but when it was proclaimed the second time they gaue such a shout that the very Birds flying in the ayre were astonished therewith and fell dead to the ground Ps 126. Or if you will haue a better storie take that of the Iewes who when at first they heard of Cyrus proclamation and that the Lord thereby had turned the captiuitie of Sion they confesse that at first hearing they were like men that dreamt but afterward their mouth was filled with laughter and their tongue with singing Now the peace that the Grecians and the Iewes had was but a temporall a corporall peace how much more reason is there that our affections should bee strained to the highest pitch of ioy and thankes when wee heare the proclamation of our peace which is so true so perfect peace the peace not of our bodies but of our soules a peace not of our earthly but of our heauenly state a peace that shall so be begun here that it shall endure for euer Wherefore let vs acquaint our selues with God Iob 22. that he may giue vs peace Christs peace Iob 5. which maketh God at peace with vs reconciles vs to our selues and maketh vs at concord with all the world So may we lay our selues downe in peace and take our rest and God which onely can will make vs dwell in safety Psalme 4. NOw the Lord of peace himselfe giue you peace alwaies 2 Thes 3.16 by all meanes Amen THE SIXT SERMON Thus saith the Lord of Hostes. THese words thus saith or saith the Lord of Hosts haue often come in my way since I first beganne the vnfolding of this Text and I still past by them you may thinke I did forget or neglect them but it is not so they are of greater moment than that I should doe the one or the other I reserued them to the last because then I thought I might handle them best For they are the warrant of Gods vndoubted truth and a warrant is then seasonably opened when that whereunto it is annext hath beene fully declared You haue heard of the blessed presence of Christ in Zorobabels Temple of the preparation thereunto of the description thereof the description of the person that should come of the good that he should doe his bountie in giuing set forth first absolutely then comparatiuely the security of his gift consisting in a foure-fold peace These be many they be great blessings lest we should feare that they are too good to bee true our eye must bee vpon the warrant that will ascertaine vs that nothing is promised which shall not be performed In opening of this warrant I shall informe you of two things What it is and Why it is reiterated so often It is the signature of a most powerfull Person There is a double power Internall Externall this Person is mighty in regard of both in regard of the Internall for he is the Lord in regard of the Externall for he is the Lord of Hostes. As for his signature it is such as beseemes so great a Person plaine and peremptorie thus he saith And these words taken ioyntly are the full warrant of the preachers message and the peoples faith He saith enough to assure and command if he say only Thus saith the Lord of Hosts and they must neither dis-beleeue nor disobey if hee say no more The reason why the words are reiterated so often is the weightinesse of the matter expressed in the reiteration The holy Ghost hereby would worke in vs a regard answerable to the matter which hee hath declared to vs and cause vs to ponder it as it deserues Let vs then in the feare of God listen to the vnfolding of those particulars which I haue pointed at whereof the first is the power of the person The first branch of his power is his internall power it is noted by the name Lord. In the originall it is Iehouah and Iehouah is that name which signifieth the first moment of Gods nature for it noteth his being and being goeth before liuing as likewise doe the attributes of being goe before the attributes of liuing the later doe necessarily suppose the former Mistake mee not I meane not that Gods nature is compounded but wee cannot conceiue the onenesse of all his perfections therefore wee helpe our selues in our contemplations by distinguishing them as they are in the creatures which are a shadow of the Creator a shadow like a body which receiues distinct beames from the Sunne all which in the Sunne are but one for so those perfections are but one in God which grow manifold as they come from him to vs. But to our purpose When Moses was desirous to know Gods name the first that he exprest vnto him was this I am or I am that I am the meaning is all one with the title of Iehouah which is here rendred Lord and giueth vs to vnderstand that all other things in comparison vnto God indeed are not though they seeme to be for they haue not the two characters
this filling grace is nothing else but the Holy Ghost But by the Holy Ghost we must vnderstand not onely his gifts but also his person both are bestowed on vs the gifts to qualifie vs and the person to continue and increase these qualities in vs. And herein stands a great difference betweene Adam created and Adam redeemed Adam had rich gifts but hee had not the promise of the Spirit to perpetuate his gifts but we haue in Christ And indeed Christ is the Giuer St. Paul saith so but the Psalmist makes him a Receiuer they are easily reconciled for he receiued that which he gaue Therefore Christ here is vnderstood as hee is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 God and Man hee receiued as Man that which he gaue as he was God And he gaue this discreetly according to a measure not his power but his wisedome moderated his gift and his wisedome had an eye to the comelinesse and commodity of his mysticall Body the Church And although he gaue discreetly he gaue vniuersally to euery one is his grace giuen euery member hath a marke of his fauour and hath some gift wherewith he may stead the Church And thus farre we came the last Sabbath in opening what Christ doth we must now goe on and see another point herein contained in this 11. Verse Christ giues grace but hee giues it not without meanes for hee giues Ministers And of these Ministers this Verse doth shew vs the different degrees and the common originall the different degrees for some are Apostles some Prophets some Euangelists c. the common originall for Christ giues them all Of these points God willing briefly and in their order First then Christ that is our means vseth means himself giues grace before he giues grace To vnderstand this we must obserue a distinction of grace There is grace of Adoption and grace of Edification the first makes Christians the second maketh Ministers Christ giues the latter that by it he may giue the former The Ministers Calling then stands in grace of Edification that is in ability to bring others to the state of Christians Christ could doe it of himselfe he that at first made man after his Image could repaire that Image againe in man And that he can doe it he sheweth plainly in those whom he first cals and maketh meanes to call others of these wee haue patternes Adam Abraham the Apostles So that though causa salutis be coniuncta yet it is arbitraria the vse of meanes in our saluation is not necessary but voluntary no Minister may dreame that Christ doth vse him because he needs him he must rather acknowledge how much he is bound to Christ that he vouchsafeth to vse him though he hath no need of him He doth honour him with the name of a Co-adiutor and fellow-labourer in the whole course of mans conuersion Ministers beget vs to Christ they nourish vs in Christ they binde and loose our soules they open and shut Heauen and in a word they saue All these things Christ doth by them and the people must acknowledge causam coniunctam the co-operation of the Minister with Christ St. Paul doth excellently expresse it by the resemblance of an Epistle written whereunto he compares the Corinthians 2. Cor. 3. and makes the author thereof the Spirit and himselfe Hee vseth another similitude of Husbandry 1. Cor. 3. whereunto concurreth God and himselfe The foolishnesse of Preaching and the demonstration of the Spirit goe together and Faith is wrought by Gods Word but as it is heard from men The people then may not seuer these they may not looke for inspirations from heauen without preaching on earth nor thinke that preaching on earth will preuaile without inspiration from heauen But causae coniunctae are eyther coordinatae or subordinatae they are both of equall power or one hath soueraignty ouer the other Christ concurres with man and man with Christ But farre be it from vs to thinke that their power is equall in this businesse no Dominium est Christi Ministerium hominis Christ is Lord man is but the seruant and therefore whatsoeuer man doth he must doe according to his instructions he may not presume to doe more or lesse Balaam could tell Balaac so and St. Paul deliuers nothing but what be receiued of the Lord. We may not make new Articles of Faith nor institute new Sacraments we may not publish any other Couenant betweene God and man than our Master is pleased to enter into nor set to any other seales than his The Angels behold Gods face alwayes to direct their seruice and Christ did not his owne but his Fathers will when hee was on earth and shall man arrogate more vnto himselfe No he must still remember his subordination and venter no farther than he hath commission I haue not yet opened enough the inequality betweene Christ and vs in this worke for indeed a Minister is not only a subordinate cause but also no better than an instrument the efficacy of all that hee doth proceedeth from him that vseth it Other Soueraignes giue their charge and leaue their seruants to vse their owne faculties in dispatch of their businesse and the worke is no greater than their faculties can compasse the Embassadors and Commissioners of Princes beare witnesse to this truth according to their weaknesse or wisedome doth their errant speede But it is not so in that worke wherein Christ and the Minister concurres it is true that the Minister must vse the vttermost of his endeauour and husband his talent to the best aduantage but his planting his watering his watching his building is of little force except the worke be set forward with a stronger hand except Christ giue increase there is an inward influence which is soly Christs and produceth the Heauenly light and life In regard of this Ministers are but Imagines as Saint Ambrose speaketh in Psal 38. they do but outwardly delineate and represent in the Word and Sacraments what Christ doth powerfully worke by his Spirit So that the Minister seeth how farre hee is employed and how short hee comes in this worke of equality with Christ And seeing Christ will haue our ministry vsher as it were his efficacy and will haue the people to reuerence our words if they meane to bee partaker of his workes Chrysostome speaketh not amisse when he saith that we doe in potestate seruire so serue our Master that we haue authority ouer the Church and so we need not be ashamed nor may be contemned whose seruice is so honourable And thus much in generall of the calling of the Ministry I come now to speake of their degrees And here we must marke that they haue all a degree aboue others but yet they differ in degrees betweene themselues grace of Adoption is common to all the Church not so grace of Edification the Apostle implyes it in these words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 restraining the later grace to some few And indeed if all should haue
man dyed innocently not the whole Congregation which followed but they which led the Congregation were to be guiltie of his death Secondly The imposing of hands vpon the Malefactor was the making of him as it were a politicke Sacrifice for mundi expiatio est malorum occisio as the Priest so the Prince hath his Sacrifice to offer as the CHVRCH so the Common weale the execution of Malefactors is a propitiating of GOD. And GOD in the Common-weale of Israel in cases wherein he refused the Ceremoniall was well pleased to haue this Sacrifice and to admit it as expiatorie of the Common-weale I told you of the thing before but of the deuoting of the person to pacifie GOD I could not speake till I came to this place You the Penitent may hereby see how zealously the State should be bent against you and how much it concernes vs to see Iustice done vpon you Hauing thus sufficiently opened the punishment I come now to shew you vpon whom it must be executed Quicunque vpon him whosoeuer he be that curseth or blasphemeth here must be no respect of persons high or low rich or poore be he what he may be he is liable to punishment if he curse his God Though it be a false-one yet if it be his the Law saith plainly he shall beare his sinne The words may be vnderstood either as a relation or as a commandement As a relation what other Nations doe how zealous they are for the honour of their Gods In the Storie of the wonders which GOD wrought in deliuering the children of Israel out of Aegypt we find that when Pharaoh would haue the Israelites sacrifice to their GOD in the Land of Aegypt Exod. 8. Loe said Moses shall we sacrifice the abhomination of the Aegyptians before their eyes and will they not stone vs How did Nebuchadnezzar cause the Furnace to be heated to consume those that would not worship his golden Image What a doe kept Demetrius the Siluer-Smith when St Paul was thought to blaspheme Diana Protagoras was banished Socrates was put to death for disgracing the gods of Athens The Mahumetans lay on many stripes vpon them that disgrace their Alearon I will omit the solemne Bellum sacrum of the Graecians Thus the words may be conceiued by way of relation and then see how GOD argues Doe the Heathen punish those who dishonour or curse those that are onely gods in their erroneous reputation Much more then ought he to be punished that blasphemes the true GOD. Thus doth GOD oftentimes shame his owne people for their Impieties by setting before their face the Pietie that is in Infidels Hath a Nation changed their Gods which yet are no Gods Ier. 2. But my people hath changed their glorie for that which doth not profit And againe Mal. 3. Will a man rob God Yet ye haue robbed me So that the punishment cannot be denied to be iust by true Religion which is held most iust by the glimmering light of Reason But the words may haue in them more then a bare Relation they may containe a commandement also a commandement that whosoeuer curseth God though it be but his God that is a false God shall be punished for conscientia erronea ligat so long as any man in his conscience is perswaded that he is the true God he must worship him as if he were such It is true that when he commeth to the knowledge of his error Esay 8. Esay 2. he may then curse his false gods he may cast them to the Bats and to the Moles But so long as his vnderstanding is clouded with error his Reuerence must follow the Rule of his Conscience It is good Diuinitie that is deliuered in the Booke of Wisdome touching Idolatrous periured persons They shall be iustly punished Cap. 14. both because they thought not well of God giuing heed vnto Idols and also vniustly swore in deceit despising holinesse â—or it is not the power of them by whom they sweare but it is the iust vengeance of sinners that punisheth alwayes the offence of the vngodly And no maruell for were it a true GOD they would vse him so their ignorance is not antecedent but concomitant and such ignorance doth not excuse the quantitie much lesse doth it excuse the qualitie of sinne But to leaue his God and come to the Name of the Lord. Here Quicunque must be repeated againe we may lesse admit exception of persons amongst them that blaspheme the Name of the Lord then amongst them that curse their God But here we meet with a markable distribution of quicunque whosoeuer Whether saith the Text he be a Stranger or borne in the Land Though morally all men are bound and may be perswaded by Ministers and others to acknowledge and worship the true GOD yet politickly Infidels cannot be compeld And why It is a worke that needeth the assistance of supernaturall grace which is not annext vnto the Sword Notwithstanding the Ciuill Sword may take vengeance vpon all euen Strangers Infidels that openly blaspheme the Name of the Lord though they may be tollerated in their false yet may they not open their mouthes against the true Religion Quicunque whatsoeuer Stranger doth so he must be stoned And if a Stranger much more he that is borne in the Land for he is tyed to honour GOD by a double obligation a natiue a votiue as a man as a member of the Church Now the more obligations the more guilt the more guilt the more iust the punishment therefore Quicunque whosoeuer borne in the Land blasphemeth the Name of the Lord he must be stoned to death I must carrie Quicunque a little farther the root of Blasphemie may be without vs or within vs Without vs the Diuel who may suggest it and then it is no sinne of ours though a sinne except we consent vnto it and delight in it Within vs it may be three-fold First Ignorance Secondly Infirmitie Thirdly Malice There is great odds betweene these to GOD-ward St Paul blasphemed but he did it ignorantly he did not beleeue that IESVS was the CHRIST St Peter blasphemed but he did it of infirmie he did it being ouertaken with feare of death The Pharisees they also blasphemed but they did it out of malice they did it against their owne conscience Now of these three Rootes the two first leaue place for repentance St Peter and St Paul are ensamples thereof Math. 12. Not so the third it is the sinne against the Holy Ghost not to be forgiuen in this world nor in that which is to come But howsoeuer there is this odds to GOD-ward yet in regard of the Magistrates sword there is no difference Quicunque be the root ignorance be it infirmitie be it malice he must be stoned to death his body must be made an expiatorie Anathema or Sacrifice by the State whose Soule notwithstanding vpon repentance may be saued in the day of the Lord. And verily the Blasphemer
should rise againe The last point of this Text remaines which is the correspondencie betweene the rising and the fall which I told you consists in three points First Peter was soone downe and soone vp the same night that he was wounded he was healed and cured the same night that he fell sicke many perish through their procrastination and their case becommeth desperate before they enter into consideration thereof no sooner did the cocke crow CHRIST turne and looke but Peter came to himselfe But what doe we doe What vse doe we make of the time giuen vs to repent How little doth aduersitie prosperitie words stripes preuaile with vs We are so farre from repenting quickly that we doe not repent at leasure And what is the reason We doe not make vse of good meanes whilst GOD doth grant them vs The Cocke did crow and Peter did remember CHRIST turned and lookt Peter went out and wept bitterly he did not receiue the grace of GOD in vaine It were to be wisht that we did herein resemble him and not frustrate either the outward or the inward Meanes Esay 47. But the Minister may complaine I haue laboured in vaine I haue spent my strength in vaine Yea GOD himselfe may complaine Rom. 10. All the day long haue I stretcht forth my hand vnto an vnbeleeuing and gaine saying Nation Or if we are not so gracelesse as to neglect the two former correspondencies certainly it is a hard thing to find the man that is like to St Peter in the third and proportioneth his Repentance to his Offence Great faults should not be a little sorrowed for but we should afflict our soules for sinne as much as we haue solaced them therewith Certainly St Peter did so Yea Clemens Romanus obserueth that St Peter euerie night about the crowing of the Cocke did rise and pray with teares vntill the morning If he did lament so vncessantly in whom inward pietie did not faile but onely the outward constancie was shaken what should we doe that sinne so willingly and with so high a hand We should better obserue and obserue more dayes of Humiliation then most of vs doe Bitter teares if euer are now most seasonable not onely the compunction for our owne sinnes but compassion also towards the distracted Churches woefull calamitie doth importune vs for them We make grieuous lamentation for a friend if his soule be departed from his body but who is much troubled for himselfe when GOD by sinne is driuen from his soule If but a neighbours House or some small Village be laid wast by casualtie of fire as many as heare of it are moued with compassion and readily afford some succour But how many Townes yea Countreys Members of the Orthodoxe Church are exhausted and made desolate by famine sicknesse the attendants vpon the blood-thirstinesse of the Sword and there are few Samaritans that haue any Bowels All like the Priest and the Leuite passe by yea and passe ouer these troubles as if they did nothing concerne them but onely to administer Table-talke or fill vp the wast of their idle times I will onely remember you of GODS censure of such stupiditie And I pray GOD it may make vs all more sensible of our owne and of the Churches case In the day of the Iewes calamitie did the Lord God of Hosts call to weeping and to mourning to baldnesse and to girding with Sack-cloth and behold ioy and gladnesse slaying Oxen and killing Sheepe eating flesh and drinking wine Let vs eat and drinke for to morrow we shall dye So said those senslesse wretches But it was renealed in mine eares saith the Prophet Esay by the Lord of Hosts Esay 22. surely this iniquitie shall not be purged from you till you dye saith the Lord God of Hosts He said it to them and in them to vs happie are we if other mens harmes make vs beware But I conclude This Text is an example and an example is the easiest doctrine for apprehension and most powerfull in operation so that if we doe not learne it there is something amisse in our head and there is something amisse in our heart if we be not the better for it Wherefore let vs all turne to him and humbly beseech him that we may be made mindfull of our frailtie and set in a good course of our penitencie that we may be as apt to rise as we are to fall and iudge our selues as seuerely as we gracelesly offend our God So may God accept our teares clense our soules and make vs all as he did repenting Peter his faithfull seruants in this world and glorious Saints in the world to come A SERMON PREACHED AT GREENWICH MATTHEW 3. VERSE 16 17. 16 And Iesus when hee was baptized went vp straight way out of the water and loe the Heauens were opened vnto him and hee saw the Spirit of God descending like a Doue and lighting vpon him 17 And loe a voyce from Heauen saying This is my beloued Sonne in whom I am well pleased IN this dayes Gospel our Sauiour CHRIST taught Nicodemus Ioh. 3. that Except a man be borne againe or from aboue he cannot see he cannot enter into the Kingdome of Heauen and St. Iohn the Apostle teacheth how a man may know whether he be so borne againe or no. He that beleeueth that Iesus is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Christ or Anointed of the Lord is borne of God Now a fairer proofe of that Article or a more sufficient warrant for our saith therein the whole Bible doth not yeeld then that which was deliuered at the Baptisme of CHRIST and is contained in those words that now I haue read vnto you For here you must my Text doth will you so behold GOD the FATHER anointing Iesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power as St. Peter speaketh Acts 10. And see with all how wel the Text fitteth the time for this is Trinitie Sunday and what is the Text but a report of the cleare the comfortable presence concurrence of the blessed Trinity in Sacring Iesus to be the Christ Here is Pater in voce Filius in carne Spiritus Sanctus in columba the Sonne in our nature receiues the Vnction the Holy Ghost in the shape of a Doue becomes the Vnction and the Father in a voyce from Heauen beareth witnesse to the grace that floweth from that Vnction In this great worke euery Person beareth his part But more distinctly in this Sacring of Iesus wee may learne from my Text First What were the circumstances Secondly What was the substance of it The circumstances were two First the Time when Iesus was baptized Secondly the Place without the water or vpon the Riuers side for Iesus came straight way out of the water and loe c. In the substance we shall see first Quis who it was that was Sacred it was euen the same Person that was baptized the Sonne of GOD in the nature of man it was Iesus Secondly
so it behoued him to fulfill all righteousnesse whereof this was a Branch to shew that he was the Truth of former Types Cap. 8. We read in Leuiticus how solemnely Aaron was consecrated and seeing CHRIST came to bee what Aaron onely did signifie the high Priest of God it behoued that he also should haue an Inauguration but so much more excellent by how much the Truth exceedes the Type Luke 3. and the Lora the Seruant This correspondency is made the more probable because St. Luke tels vs that when this was done CHRIST was about thirtie yeeres old and of that age was the Priest to be when he entred vpon his charge the Holy Ghost by that Law Numb 4.8 and by this example of CHRIST giuing vs to vnderstand That maturitie of age is a necessary requisite in all that will vndertake a sacred function Marke withall the regular humilitie of our Sauiour though he were the Lord of Glory Hâ—b â— No man saith St Paul taketh the honour of Priesthoed vpon him but he that is called of God as was Aaron therefore Iesus glorified not himselfe but was glorified by him that said vnto him Thou art a Priest for euer after the order of Melchisedeck hee tooke not vpon him the office of a Mediatour vntill he was thereto ordained checking the sacrilegious pride of those which presume of their abilitie and intrude themselues without Imposition of hands into sacred Functions they cannot be so able they should not be lesse humble then was our Sauiour CHRIST St. Luke addeth that CHRIST was praying when the Holy Ghost descended As GOD doth promise so we must desire his guifts the greatest guifts with the most earnest desire CHRIST would herein bee exemplary vnto vs to testifie the humilitie that beseemes our nature and goe before vs in that which he commandeth he prayeth for that which he looked for from GOD. After this holy patterne haue all Christian Inaugurations and Ordinations beene accompanied with publicke and deuout Prayers And if CHRIST did not receiue the Holy Ghost from his Father but by praying how can they but blush at their vnmannerlinesse that refuse vpon their knees to receiue the Sacrament of the Body and Blood of CHRIST Finally we learne of CHRIST praying that after Baptisme we must not be secure for though all sinnes be forgiuen vs yet is not concupiscence wholy extinguisht neither haue we our full measure of grace we ought therefore to fall to our prayers and so prepare our selues to receiue the Holy Ghost which is our needfull guide and strength in our spirituall warfare But because I shall resume this second Person againe in the end of the Text we will passe on and see in the next place how he was consecrated He was consecrated first in signo visibili with a visible signe which was the likenesse of a Doue De Agone Christiano The word likenesse is not vsed saith St. Augustine ad excludenaam veritatem Columbae to denie that that which appeared was a true Doue but ad Ostendendum quod spiritus nâ—n apparuit in specie substantiae to shew that the Essence of the Spirit is a sarre different thing from that wherein he did vouchsafe to manifest himselfe It was then a true Doue and the end for which it was vsed sheweth there is reason we should thinke it to be so It was to be signum analegicum an apt signe to represent what was signified and the shape without the substance of a Doue could not so well signifie the properties of the Holy Ghost their correspondency is to the qualities that are obserued in a liuing Doue I am not ignorant that many thinke otherwise and that the shape onely was sufficient Some aduocates of Rome make vse of this shape without substance to confirme their Transubstantiation and the subsistence of accidents without the subiect Bread and Wine But I leaue them to feed vpon their fancies and will not contend about that which is no Article of Faith onely this I would haue obserued Iohn 1. that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the Text doth not alwayes note a resemblance but some times a truth and seeing the phrase will beare both opinions as well that which holds that it was onely the shape of a Doue as that which defineth it was a true Doue I chuse rather the latter as most agreeable to the intent of the Holy Ghost and the difference that I put betweene the workes of GOD and the workes of the Diuell As GOD is an Omnipotent Creatour so those things which he exhibits are reall but the Diuell affecting to be thought what he is not maketh shew of that which he doth not his workes are spectra meere illusions Though this were a true Doue yet was it not assumed into one Person with the Holy Ghost as the nature of man was at the Incarnation of CHRIST St. Austin giueth the reason Non venit spiritus sanctus liberare Columbas he came not to redeeme Doues Ergo non est natus dé Columba therefore was not incarnate by a Doue but he came to signifie the properties of CHRIST therefore it was sufficient that by his Almighty power hee created a Doue of nothing and thereby gaue notice of his presence and residence in our Sauiour CHRIST which Doue as it was made of nothing so after the seruice was done was dissolued into nothing againe Wherein amongst other things appeares a difference betweene this Doue and the imposture of Mahomet and superstition of Rome both practised by a Doue whereof the later in a Romane Councill proou'd but an Owle S. Chrysostome giueth another note vpon this Doue In principijs spiritualium rerum c. when GOD first foundeth Religion he vseth sensible visions in commiseration of them which are not capable of incorporall natures but his purpose is that when once such things haue made faith vnto his truth we should continue our faith in his truth though he doe not dayly confirme it vnto vs by such things Which the Romanists should obserue who after so many hundred yeeres plantation of the Christian saith will still haue Miracles a marke of the true Church Finally we must obserue that signes come not Propter se but Propter aliud there is some other thing intended besides that which is presented so was it here the Doue appeared but the Spirit of God was meant thereby the Spirit was the Sacred Oyle wherewith our Sauiour was annointed The holy Spirit though in Person but one yet is hee infinite in the varietie of operations and so may haue answerable vaâ—ietie of resemblances out of which the Scripture maketh choice vpon seuerall occasions of such as come neerest vnto the Argument in hand And to this purpose must we referre signes they serue not onely for illustration but for limitation also they confine our thoughts which otherwise would bee confused and fixe them vpon that which is presently intended The grace then of the Holy Ghost here meant
Well done seruant faithfull and true enter into thy Masters Ioy. Πάντοτ◠δοξά Θηῶ. TEN SERMONS Deliuered on the nineteenth Chapter of Exodus contayning the Preface of GOD and the preparation of the people to the promulgation of the LAW BY The Right Reuerend Father in God ARTHVRE LAKE late Bishop of that See LONDON Printed by W. S. for Nathaniel Butter 1629. TEN SERMONS DELIVERED ON THE NINETEENTH CHAPTER OF EXODVS contayning the Preface of GOD and the preparation of the People to the promulgation of the LAW The first Sermon EXODVS 19. VERS 1 2. In the third moneth when the children of Israel were gone out of Egypt the same day came they into the Wildernesse of Sinai For they were departed from Rephidim and were come to the Desert of Sinai and had pitched in the Wildernesse and there Israel camped before the Mount YOu may remember that opening vnto you those words of our Sauiour Christ in the Gospell of Saint Matthew Chap 22. Thou shalt loue the Lord thy God with all thy heart with all thy minde with all thy soule and with all thy strength and thy Neighbour as thy selfe I told you they were the generall contents of the Decalogue whereof I then promised you a speciall and distinct explication I haue not forgotten that promise although I haue beene interrupted by interuenient texts occasioned by the times wherefore my purpose is this day to begin my performance of that promise And I could not doe it on a fitter day for this is Ascension day and it was an Ascension day that is mentioned in my text Moses being a type of that whereof Christ was the truth began vpon the day here mentioned to ascend into the Mount thence to bring the Law as our Sauiour Christ vpon this day which wee solemnize ascended into Heauen thence to send the Holy Ghost which as the Apostle telleth vs giueth life to the Law Adde hereunto that as Christ ascended into his glorie so Moses in his Ascension had a kind of Transfiguration for comming neere vnto God his face so shined that he was faine to put a vaile vpon it because the children of Israel could not endure to behold it There is then a good correspondencie betweene this Feast and my text Neither doe I only thinke so but our Church also which commandeth the tenth of Deuteronomie to be read this morning wherein is a report of this Ascension of Moses So that the time which I haue chosen is fit and I meane God willing not to bee scant in my performance I will pay you the principall with interest for I meane to vnfold not only the twentieth Chapter but also the nineteenth of this Booke though that more fully yet this competently And there is good reason why for the nineteenth containeth a remarkable preparation to the twentieth neither will the twentieth bee so well vnderstood or regarded so well if the nineteenth doe not make vs more docill and attentiue then vulgarly men vse to bee Wherefore what God thought fit at the giuing of the Law will not amisse be remembred at the expounding thereof it will bee behoofefull for you that I quicken your capacitie and raise your attention with these powerfull obseruations wherewith the Holy Ghost doth preface the promulgation of the Law You must then take notice of the forerunning Circumstances and Solemnitie which are recorded in this Chapter The Circumstances whereof only I shall speake now are two First the Time Secondly the Place of both which we haue here the two termes A quo and In quo Whence they take there beginning and where they haue their ending Of the Time the reckoning beginneth after the children of Israels going forth out of Egypt and it endeth on the third moneth the verie same day that is the verie same day that the third Moneth began As for the place the text teaceheth vs first whence they came immedately from Rephidim Secondly where they tooke vp their rest in the wildernesse of Sinai thereon the cloud pitched and they encamped before it These be the particulars which I meane to obserue in these Circumstances That you may the better vnderstand them I will resume them againe God grant that as I open them more largely so you may heare them more profitably The first Terme then of the Time sheweth vs whence the reckoning doth begin it beginneth at the children of Israels comming out of Egypt which words doe not only note a motion from a Place but also an Alteration of their State for they did not only come out of the Land but also out of Bondage wherewith they were oppressed in that Land And such a going out giueth the name vnto this Booke this Booke is called Exodus and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is nothing but a going out a going out of bondage into libertie There is a great mysterie in the word which concerneth Christ and his Church wee learne it in the Transfiguration of Christ therein Moses and Elias appeared vnto him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Luke 9.31 and spake of the Exodus or departure which he should performe at Hierusalem The Apostle maketh it plaine Heb. 2. By death which is an exodus Verse 14 15. for wee vsually say that a man is departed when wee meane hee is dead he ouercame him that had the power of death that is the Deuill that hee might set them free or giue them an Exodus which all their life time werein feare of bondage And who are they but the Church Let this be the first note A second is That God did not giue his Law to Israel when they were in Egypt but when they were come thence when they were a Societie by themselues then he gaue them a Policie whereby they might be Distinguished and Ordered Distinguished first from themselues for though before they were a Church yet was it but Domesticall each Family at least each Tribe was left vnto it selfe but now they were to become a Nationall Church to bee knit into one Bodie which could not bee but by one forme of gouernment And this forme being of Gods Ordinance must needs distinguish them Secondly from others also whose Policie was but of humane institution Moses telleth them that the very heathen should acknowledge the difference especially if as God did them the honour to distinguish them by the Law so they should answere the Distinction in the good order of their Liues whereat the Law did principally aime There is a mysterie in this point also which Saint Paul doth obserue out of the Prophets Esay and Ieremie Come out from amongst them 2. Cor. 6. v. 17 18. and separate your selues saith the Lord and touch no vncleane thing and I will receiue you I will bee your Father and yee shall bee my sonnes and daughters saith the Lord Almightie So long as we are mingled with the heathen and learne their workes God will not vouchsafe vs his Oracles nor incorporate vs for his people the branch
must be broken off from the wilde Oliue tree before that by grafting it can bee made partaker of the fatnesse of the true Oliue Therefore our Baptisme beginneth with Abrenuntio I renounce the Deuill and all his workes c. then come wee to the confession of our Faith and profession of our Obedience And this Separation if not in Place yet at least in Disposition we must hold to our liues end if we meane to haue any communion with God This is a true rule but not to bee rackt as it was by Nouatians and Donatists of old and is by the Anabaptists and Brownists at this day For they fancie Egypt in Canaan and thinke that the Oracles of God are reuealed only to them in their Schisme Silly soules that they are feeding only vpon the wind and running mad with their owne deuices The Romanists are little better they please themselues with the vsurped name of Catholiques and conclude the Holy Ghost within the Diocesse of Rome and affirme that none can go out of the Popes sheepfold and bee saued Chap. 11.8 But wee that haue tried them and found them to be the spirituall Egypt mentioned in the Reuelation haue vpon iust grounds come out from the and without any preiudice to our Communion with the Catholique Church haue forsaken their corruptions since which time the Oracles of God sound more cleerely to vs and are enioyed by vs more comfortably You haue heard whence the reckoning of the Time beginneth let vs now see where it endeth The word in the originall signifieth either a new Moone or a whole Moneth and therefore a whole Moneth because a new Moone For it is an vsuall thing in the Scripture to denominate the whole time from a principall part thereof Gen. 1. The euening and the morning were made the first day Luke 11. Ieiuno bis in Sabbato saith the Pharisee in the Gospell the sense is well exprest in our English I fast twise in the weeke the weeke is there denominated from the Sabbath which was the seuenth day thereof and the whole yeere is in Hebrew called Shanah from the Tropicke point to which when the Sunne is come it turneth from vs or to vs in like manner is the whole moneth denominated from the beginning thereof Our language beareth some markes of this obseruation for what is a Moneth but a Mooneth that is the time of the Moones period or circle The word then being doubtfull there are here other words added to expound it which are On the same day that is the very day of the new Moone For as for their opinion that thinke it was the third day that so the number of dayes might answere the number of moneths it is not so agreeing to the signification of the word therefore the most iudicious Chronologers iustly reiect it But you must moreouer obserue that because the Moone was made to rule the night Psal 104 19. and as the Psalmist speaketh for certaine seasons and to distinguish times therefore in the first ages of the world and at this day in some Countries the ciuill moneths were not Solarie but Lunarie that is euery moneth began with the new Moone and ended at the change Numb 18. Psal 80. Esâ—y 1. when therefore you reade in the Scripture that amongst the Feasts of the Iewes one was the feast of the new Moone enioyned by the Law and practised by the Iewes you must vnderstand that of the first day of euery moneth So then my text in the third moneth in the same day is as much as the first day of their third moneth Theirs I say for we cannot parallel ours with theirs ours being Solarie and theirs Lunarie moneths Euerie one of ours partaketh two of theirs and euery one of theirs partaketh two of ours Therefore when Chronologers say this was the moneth of Iune because the first moneth was April they must be vnderstood warily Only this is agreed vpon by the Iewes and Christians Greeke and Latine Fathers that this day was the seuen and fortieth after the Israelites departed out of Egypt Whereupon will follow another note more for the capacitie of of the people That God did not deferre long the giuing of his Law for he suffered not much more then a moneth and halfe to passe before he gaue it So great a Bodie would not haue held out without confusion except it had beene speedily prouided of a Law Verse 18. Iethro taught Moses as appeareth in the Chapter which goeth before that the gouernment of so huge a multitude was a burden too heauie for one to beare wherefore following his aduice Moses made many Officers But God was not pleased to bee so familiar with them as hee was with Moses whom he knew by name and spake with all face to face that they should come immediatly to him for resolution of their doubts Therefore a generall Law was expedient and it was timely giuen them The King of Heauen in this branch of his prouidence being a good patterne to Kings on earth teaching them that they must not leaue their subiects cases to the discretion of their vnder Officers but command them to bee ordered by an indifferent Law Put both the Termes together that wherein the reckoning beginneth and that wherein it endeth and there will arise another very profitable note For how commeth this moneth to bee called the third The ancient yeare of the Iewes began at Autumne when they gathered in their fruit as it appeareth Exodus 23. and from that this was the ninth moneth It is true but God in Exodus 12. tooke order for another Epoche hee commanded from that time forward their yeere should begin at the Spring This moneth shall bee vnto you the beginning of moneths the beginning of the Sacred yeare as some distinguish calling the other Politike Yet the Sabaticall and Iubile began at the other it may bee because of the rest of the Land the Feasts began here I will not dispute whether this were a new or a renued beginning Whether it now were first instituted of God or whether it had his beginning when the world was first framed Let Chronologers perplexe themselues with that doubt who are still seeking but cannot agree at what time of the yeere the world began the resolution thereof is not to our purpose if it might be had But hardly can it bee had for the world being an exact Globe there were in the first moment of creation all seasons of the yeere though in seuerall places and the season from whence they will begin the world must be vnderstood but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 according to the place first inhabited Paradise whose situation is not yet resolued This we must obserue That though the common reckoning of time bee from the beginning of the world yet haue all nations specially Epoches of their owne occasioned by memorable euents which haue befallen their States which being not well either knowne or heeded cause those great perplexities and