him King he refused it and conveyed himselâ—e from among them such was our Saviours Humility in his Life In his Death he suffered himselfe to bee scourged spit on blasphemed crown'd with Thornes and condemn'd by an unjust Judge Lastly when hee was nayled most cruelly upon the Crosse and made a spectacle of disgrace unto all beholders and had sustained the utmost of the Jewish malice yet hee prayed for his enemies saying Father forgive them for they know not what they doe Luke 23.34 Such was our Saviours Humility in his Death This Humility of our Saviour is recorded by Saint Paul Phil. 2.6.7 where he sayes of him That being in the forme of God he thought it no robbery to bee equall with God And yet he made himselfe of no reputation but tooke upon him the shape of a servant and humbled himselfe and became obedient to Death even the death of the Crosse This Humility of our Saviour is exposed by himselfe to us for our imitation Learne of me for I am meeke and humble in heart Math. 11.29 And thus is Christ compared to a Violet and may be justly called Nazarenus The Flower of Humility The second Flower whereunto our Nazarenus is compared is the Lilly The Lillie a Flower growing upon a straight stalke raised from the Earth white of colour and of a fragrant smell signifying unto us the innocency of our blessed Saviour Ego sum Lilium Convallium You know whose speech it is Cant. 2.1 I am the Lilly of the Valleys The Ancients were wont tom Emblematize Innocency by Whitenesse which is the most pure and perfect colour And so the Ancient of Dayes is sayd to have his Garments white as snow Rev. 11.14 And well may he be called a Lilly for his Whitenesse well may hee be styled a Lambe for his Innocency Ecce Agnus Dei qui tollit peccata mundi Behold the Lambe of God that takes away the sinnes of the World Iohn 1.29 whole Hands Heart and Tongue were free from injury O Mirrour of Innocency who offended neither in thought word nor deed being neither disobedient to God nor injurious to men but full of Grace towards God and of Truth towards men Moses led not the Israelites into Canaan but Iosuah the sonne of Nun because he offended not at the waters of strife Noting unto us that hee who was to be the Saviour of the World and the Leader of the spirituall Israel into the Celestiall Canaan must be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Without sinne In Nature our Jesus of Nazareth was like other men but in Holinesse of Nature transcending all men In all things like us sinne onely excepted He was Nostri generis socius sed nostrae contaminationis alienus Like us in Nature but not like unto us in corruption of Nature Great was the commendation which was due by merit unto Cato and Fabritius two noble Romans famous for their Uprightnesse and Integrity Singular was the Innocency of Samuel Recorded 1 Sam. 13. ver 3. approved by the suffrages of all Israel who defrauded or oppressed no man who had neither taken away any mans Oxe or Asse nor had blinded his eyes with the bribes of aâ—y one The Integrity of these Worthies reaches but to men but the Innocency of our Saviour extends it selfe farther even to the Law of God which he violated not in the smallest thing in the least precept This made him bold to demand of the Iewes Ioh. 8.46 Quiâ— ex vobis arguet me de peccato Which of you can convince me of sin He was holy in his cogitations upright in his intentions divine in his words just in his workes Free from Originall free from Actuall sinne neither omitting good nor committing evill sanctified in his Conception holy in his Birth innocent in his Life and righteous at his Death Adam was innocent at his Creation but his Whitenesse was soone sullyed and changed into Blacknesse But in our Nazarenus was no inclination that Satan could worke upon And therefore hee sayes The Prince of this World commeth but he finds nothing in me So immutable was his Purity so unchangeable his Innocency as could neither by the World nor the Devill nor by any other meanes become stayned or polluted What was his whole Life The Modell of Obedience a Glasse of Righteousnesse yeelding to his Parents Duty and Reverence Giving bread to the hungry sight to the blind hearing to the deafe feete to the lame health to the sicke life to the dead comfort to the sorrowfull forgivenesse to the sinner rendring unto Caesar that which was Caesars and unto God that which was Gods Heere was Innocence so spotlesse as that it was approved from Heaven by the voyce of God himselfe This is my beloved Sonne in whom I am wel pleased Maâ—h 3. Math. 3. the last Verse It was cleered by Pilate too though an unjust Judge I finde no fault in this man Luk. 23.14 It was confessed by the repenting Thiefe upon the Crosse in the same Chapter vers 41. This man hath done nothing amisse Thus is Christ compared to the Lilly for his Whitenesse and may justly bee called Nazarenus The Flower of Innocency The third Flower wherunto our Nazarenus may be compared is the Saffron The Saffron which is a Flower as St. Bernard observes used in making of Sawce for Meate St. Bern. or in seasoning some kind of Dishes and does represent Abstinence or Temperance which may very fitly figure out unto us the Temperance of our Nazarenus When first hee set foote into his Propheticall Office and began to make himselfe knowne to the World hee entred with admirable Abstinence fasting miraculously Forty dayes and Forty nights Math. 4.2 Profane Esau sold his Birth-right for a messe of pottage Gen. 25.32 and was the picture of a Belly-god But to shew that the Kingdome of God did not consist in meates and drinkes as our Apost sayes Rom. 14.17 Rom. 14.17 Christ beginneth with Fasting and continues in Temperance which is a moderate use of meate and drinke unto the end Not like many Divestes who fare delicately every day turning fasting into feasting making their guts a Gulfe of pleasure and their Belly their God drawing all their Happinesse downe their throats He who was God of Heaven and Earth and had all things at command who opens his hand and filleth all things living with plenteousnesse was pleased to use sparingly that which others spent prodigally and to save that by Abstinence which others spoile by Luxury And thus is Christ compared to the Saffron and may be fitly called Nazarenus The Flower of Temperance The fourth Flower whereunto our Nazarenus may be compared is the Rose The Rose the most noble of all Flowers dilating it selfe abroad and of a ruddy colour which properly represents Christ our Nazarenus Ego sum Rosa Sharonis Cant. 2.1 I am the Rose of Sharon He is first like the Rose in his dilatation and spreading himselfe abroad seeking not onely
Creationis By right of Creation so the Angels are his Subjects But as hee is Rex Iudaeorum Iure Redemptionis King of the Jewes by right of Redemption So none are his Subjects but such as are saved by him For this was the end why he became The King of the Iewes That wee should bee saved from our enemies and from the hands of all that hate us Luke 2.71 For as St. August St. Aug. observes Non Rex Israel Christus ad exigendum tributum vel exercitum ferro armatum hostesque visibiliter debellandum sed Rex Israel quod mentes regat quod in aeternum consulat quod in Regnum Coelorum credentes sperantes amantes perducat Christ was not the King of the Iewes to exact Tribute or to raise an Army or visibly to vanquish enemies but hee was the King of the Iewes to rule mens hearts and mindes to counsell them eternally and to bring all those that beleeve in him hope in him and truely love him unto everlasting life Happy then is that man who is a Subject in the Kingdome of Grace but thrice happy is he who is a Subject in the Kingdome of Glory For he shall be glorious in his body This corruptible must put on incorruption 1 Cor. 15.53 1 Cor. 15.53 but much more glorious in his soule for Qualis tunc erit splendor animarum quando lux corporis Solis habebit claritatem saith St. August How great shall the splendor of their soules be when their bodies shall shine as the Sunne in the firmament Their felicity shall be such as that they shall desire to dwell there for ever as Peter did on Mount Thabor And good Reason seeing they shall be possessed of such happinesse as neither eye hath seene nor eare hath heard nor hath it entred into the heart of man to conceiue The which happinesse seeing wee cannot comprehend Grant ô Lord that we may be comprehended of it and so I passe from the Subjects unto the government of this Kingdome which is the last thing considerable in the Text. This Mighty Monarch this King of the Iewes governes not his subjects by humane Lawes and civill policies but by his owne Law called by St. Paul Gal. 6.2 Gal. 6.2 The Law of Christ Now this Law is nothing else but the Word of Christ by which Word wee shall be judged at the latter day sayes our Saviour His Word must rule us outwardly and his Spirit inwardly the one as a Law the other as a Guide We offend not if we transgresse not his Word we obey not if we erre from it This Law of Christ whereby he governes is like the Lawes of the Medes and Persians unalterable It shall bee an everlasting Law especially that new Commandement which he gave us namely That we should love one another Now as this Kingdome and the government thereof is spirituall and stands not in the glittering shew of this world nor in any thing desireable by flesh and blood as the two sonnes of Zebedee vainely imagined but ruleth in the heart and reines Therefore the Lawes of this Kingdome and the government thereof requires the inward righteousnesse of the heart binding not onely the outward act but the Conscience For the Authority and Government of the King is that whereby he by his Word and by his Spirit for the Word barely without the Spirit pierces not into the heart effecteth and worketh the conversion of those that are to bee converted and glorifies himselfe in the eversion and confusion of the rest For as the Kingdome of the Gospell is the meanes to bring us to the Kingdome of Grace so the Kingdome of Grace doth bring us to the Kingdome of Glory And none shall enter into the Kingdome of Glory but such as through the Kingdome of Grace submit themselves in the Kingdome of the Gospell to Christ the King his his Lawes and Authority Now in this inferiour part of his Kingdome which is the Kingdome of Grace there is not the best subject but is subject to tansgresse though through infirmity yet not through wilfull Rebellion But in the superior part which is the Kingdome of Glory there shall not be the least omission of good nor the least commission of evill but all our thoughts words and workes shall wholly tend to the glory of our Celestiall King and Governour For when sin and the old Serpent shall be cast into the bottomelesse pit we shall have no temptations but shall sing Blessing glory honour and power be unto him that sitteth upon the Throne and the Lambe for ever-more Rev. 5.13 Rev. 5.13 What remaines now but that with the Queene of Sheba we set forward out of our owne Countrey the World to see and admire the Wisedome Justice Peace Power Mercy and Magnificence of our Heavenly Solomon here entitled King of the Iewes She was a Queene we subjects shee came from farre we have our Solomon amongst us shee sought a meere Man we may finde one who is both God and Man shee gave presents we shall receive rewards Let not the Queene of Sheba then rise up in Judgement against us for behold a greater than Solomon is here Seeke him then O sanctified Soule seeke him with devotion for he is Iesus A Saviour seeke him by imitation for he is Nazarenus A sweet smelling Flower seeke him by homage and obedience for he is Rex Iudaeorum King of the Iewes seeke him for thy refection seeke him for thy protection for he is the Seed of the Woman that breakes the Serpents Head It is hee that is the keeper of Israel and the Salvation of his people It is he that will slay all thine and his enemies that would not have him reigne over them Though that great Dragon old Serpent and roaring Lyon seeke to devoure thee yet seeke thy King and Saviour and hee will defend thee Of thy selfe thou art Debilis ad operandum facilis ad seducendum fragilis ad resistendum Vnable to doe well easie to be seduced and weake to resist Yet the Name of Iesus of Nazareth King of the Iewes is a strong Tower to fly unto for under that thou shalt be secure Feare not therefore for hee is thy shield and exceeding great reward Hee is that God of peace that shall shortly tread downe Satan under thy feete Rom. 16.20 Rom. 16.20 Feare not the Law for Christ hath satisfied it where Moses launceth Iesus cureth where the Law searcheth the Gospell salveth Feare not thy sinnes if thou doest weepe for them for this King of the Iewes calleth all that are wearie and heavie laden and hee will refresh them Feare not the world for Christ hath overcome the world It is he Qui pugnat pro te it is he qui pugnat in te It is he that fights for thee against the world it is he that fights in thee by his grace Feare not the ungodly for thy King is a righteous and severe King who shall one day sit in
of Sceva Act. 19.14 found this to be true by their owne deare experience for they could not adjure the evill spirit though they used the name of Iesus whom Paul preached And as they ascribe too much to the Name so they ascribe too little to the Person of Iesus in that they make him but a Demi-Saviour joyning others with him as partners in the worke of our Redemption coupling our workes with his Merits our satisfaction with his satisfaction The intercession of Saints with his Intercession especially the Intercession of the Virgin Mary whom they call the Queenâ— of Heaven the Mother of Grace requesting her that by the authority of a Mother shee would command her sonne Oh take heede of sharing stakes betweene Christ and any creature in the act of our salvation He will not bee accounted joynt purchaser of our Redemption with any no not with his owne Mother the Virgin Mary for hee was her Saviour as well as ours My Spirit reioyceth in God my Saviour saith she Luke 1.47 Luk. 1.47 And Sanguinem quem de Matre accepit pro Matre obtulit saith one of the Fathers The Blood which hee receiued from his Mother hee shed for his Mother Let us acknowledge our selves lost by Nature but found onely by Christ He onely it was that came to seeke and to save that which was lost We were through Adams transgressions bound by the Divel wee are losed onely by Christs Passion Alligavit fortem vinculis Passionis It is hee that bound the strong man spoyled him of his weapons It was hee that set us at liberty when we were in bondage That found us when wee were lost That called us home when wee were banished That raised us when wee were dead that redeemed us when wee were miserable captives he restored our lives by losing his owne he unbound us by fastning himselfe he overcame by being overcome he redeemed us by enthraling himselfe he cured us by his owne wounds raised us to life by his owne Death made us rich by his owne poverty robbed himselfe of his dignity by becomming a creature of his Royalty by paying of tribute of his liberty by becomming a servant of his credit for he was blasphemed of his joy for hee was heavy to the Death of his wel-fare for hee was wounded scourged nayled crucified and all this for our Salvation What Saint or Angel did Nay what Saint or Angel could doe the like for us He onely and alone Carnem suam pro omnium Carne dependit animam suam pro omnium anima constituit saith Saint Cyril St. Cyril He I say payned his flesh for the flesh of us all his soule for all our soules Hee was Moses Serpent to heale us Gods Lambe to feed us with his flesh and cloath us with his fleece The true Pelican nourishing us with his blood O profunditas Divitiarum O the depth of the riches of the mercy of this our Jesus Let us draw waters of comfort out of this depth of Mercy Let us not rest contented with that generall name of Christians but labour for assurance of salvation that as Thomas called Christ his Lord and his God Ioh. 20 28. so we may by faith every one particularly call him Our Jesus We are all naturally like the wounded man betweene Jerusalem and Jericho Luke 10.30 Luke 10.30 Let us seeke out that good Samaritan who hath compassion on us will binde up our wounds powre Wine and Oyle into them and restore us to health Sinne is an unsupportable load with it we are all over-burthened yet our Jesus calls us Come unto me all yee that are weary and heavy laden and I will refresh you Math. 11.28 He invites gratiously let us hasten speedily Non pedibus sed affectibus Not with our feet but with our affections Whilst he standeth at the doore and knocks let us open unto him lest by too long delay wee lose him Then shall wee open the doore but hee hath withdrawne himselfe then shall we seeke him but not finde him call him but he will not answere wherefore while the time serves let us say unto our Iesus as David to the Lord Say unto my Soule I am thy Salvation If we aske in time we shall receive If wee seeke in time we shall find if we knocke in time hee will open unto us if wee beleeve we shall be saved Away then with all conceite of our owne merit or the Holinesse of any Saint Let Christ be the sole Lord of our salvation without any Copartner for hee alone hath possession of that three-fold Treasury which must make us rich unto salvation namely the Treasure of Glory the Treasure of Grace and the Treasure of Wisedome Man was exiled from Celestiall Glory Christ alone enjoyed the Treasury of Glory that hee might bring Mankind unto Glory Man was an enemy unto God therefore Christ had the Treasury of Grace to reconcile man unto God Man was blind and wrapped in darknesse therefore Christ had the Treasury of Wisedome to teach men the way to eternall Life Looke in Iohn 1.14 Joh. 1.14 and you shall finde all these three comprehended in one Verse Spectavimus glorian plenam gratia veritatis We saw the glory of Christ behold the first full of Grace behold the second and Truth behold the third Now therefore let us say Non nobis Domine non nobis sed Nomini tuo da gloriam Not unto us Lord not unto us but unto thy Name give the glory For thou O Iesus art made unto us of God by thy paines sustained Wisdome Righteousnesse Sanctification and Redemption Wherefore seeing that thou my blessed Saviour hast borne my sorrows shed my teares suffered my disgrace sustained my punishment and payd my Debt let Iewes Turkes and Heathen revile thee I will honour thee let them blaspheme the Name of Iesus I will adore it let them persecute it I will make it my refuge for the Name of the Lord is a strong tower of Righteousnesse They that flye unto it are secured Let them disdaine it I shall esteeme it to bee a precious oyntment powred out let them vilifie it I will glory in it For with the Lord there is Iustice but with our Iesus there is plenteous Redemption O Lord what Pylate deemed to bee thy shame proves to bee thy glory Hee writes thee disgracefully Iesus with his hand whom hee would not call faithfully Iesus with his heart Yet this is thy Name this is thy function Iesus by Title a Saviour by Office With this name Iesus thy Birth was honoured and with this Name Iesus thy Death is honoured What thou broughtest into the world by the Angels Direction thou carryedst out of the world by Pilates Inscription Iesus of Nazareth King of the Iewes And so I passe from his Name Iesus unto his Title Nazarenus of Nazareth Nazareth NAzareth was the name of that Towne which Ioseph dwelt in when hee returned out of Egypt in the which Iesus