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
of Austria It is true that in Electiue States men are absurd that make choyce of a woman but in States that are inherited Municipall Lawes she was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the transgression she past the bounds which GOD set her and broke a Law which was ordained to be a rule of her life Ioyne she was deceiued with she was in the transgression and then you shall see how the Serpent instils sinne into man we are not constrayned but allured to doe ill we swallow euill that is branched with the shew of good so did Eue and so doe all But how doth the Apostle deny that Adam was guiltie as well as Eue We must obserue that he doth not deny that Adam was in the transgression for then he should contradict himselfe who saith elsewhere that by man came sinne into the world yea he should contradict Adams owne confession Rom. 5. who acknowledged to GOD that his wife gaue him and he had eaten of the forbidden fruit Some therefore answer that not Adam but Eue was first in the transgression posterior in factura prior in culpa saith St HIEROME and because she was so forward not he but she was to beare the blame Some cleare the place by vnderstanding the words comparatiuely as if Eues sinne were so much greater then Adams that Adams deserued not the name of sinne in comparison of hers she was deceiued by the Serpent he by his Wife by how much more vnreasonable it is for a woman to be guided by a Serpent then for a man to be guided by his wife by so much was her sinne more soule then his But neither of these two answers fits the argument It lyeth rather in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Eue was deceiued and not Adam she made tryall of her wisedome in reasoning with the Serpent Adam did not she deceiued Adam Adam did not deceiue her consider her passiuely consider her actiuely she shewes her selfe vnfit to be a teacher wherefore she must be contented to be a scholler Semel docuit saith St Chrysostome omnia perturbauit she taught once and disordered all the world let her neuer be allowed to teach againe And indeed GOD so doomes her Gen. 3. Thy desire shall be to thy husband and he shall rule ouer thee If this subordination be not kept the course of nature will be depraued saith St HIEROMI and faults will be multiplyed in the world But we may not mistake and thinke that sinne was the first cause of womans subiection and that she was made inferiour quia abus◠est parilitate because she abused that coequalitie which she had with man which was the opinion of some ancient and moderne Diuines that conce it is refuted by the first Reason But as man before the Fall was to husband the ground which after the Fall was imposed vpon him to be done with the sweat of his browes so women were to obey before but after the Fall their obedience was made more harsh and vnpleasant yea and a verball ordination is added to the reall But I will conclude with reference of all this vnto our present occasion Adam and Eue liue still their weaknesse liues in their posteritie if you doubt it behold here spectacles of it I mistake Eue is away but here are many of Adams children Eue shewed the frailtie of the whole nature of her sexe and if her daughter were here I would let her see how like she is to such a mother but because she is not I will direct the rest of my speech vnto these sonnes of Adam Those that are blind seeke such guids as can see and they will be sure they haue better sight then themselues before they will commit themselues vnto them we chuse the best Lawyers for our Cases the best Physitians for our Bodyes but to supply the defect of our Soules to guid our Iudgement and our conscience in Religion we trust we know not whom certainly you haue and shewed your selues vnworthy to be men that could be so weake as to become Schollers to a woman I cannot tell how better to resemble your humor then to the distemperate appetite of girls that haue the Greene-sicknesse their Parents prouide for them wholsome food and they get into a corner and eat chalke and coales and such like trash so you that may in the CHVRCH haue graue and sound instructions for the comfort of your Soule in Conuenticles feed vpon the raw and vndigested meditations of an ignorant vsurping Prophetesse You may happily thinke that your fault is but small but it is no small fault to violate the orders set down by GOD for women to lift themselues aboue their ranke or men to fall below theirs it is lesse lawfull to doe so then for men to weare womens apparell or women to weare mens Put you on their Vaile and be you their glorie and let them put it off and be the glorie of GOD contrarie to St PAVLS rule or if you be loath to make such an exchange hence-forward let euerie man keepe his ranke and be forrie that you haue broken it yea be sorrie that you haue raised a scandall against your Soueraigne and your Pastors Conuenticles make shew that you haue not freedome of Religion and thereby you derogate from the honour of his most Christian gouernment and you haue wronged your Pastor by your Conuenticle casting an imputation vpon him that he cannot or he will not instruct you as he ought These things are included in your fault and you are to be sensible of these things confesse them and aske GOD and his CHVRCH forgiuenesse for them And God grant that you and we all may remember that it is our greatest honour to obserue Gods Order and that no woman presume to be an Eue no man abase himselfe to be an Adam to imitate either of them in that wherein they inuerted their ranke but that euerie one may abide in that whereunto he is called of God Amen A SERMON PREACHED AT St ANDREVVS IN WELLES WHEN ONE DID PENANCE FOR BLASPHEMIE LEVIT 24. VERSE 15 16. 15 And thou shalt speake vnto the children of Jsrael saying Whosoeuer curseth his God shall beare his sume 16 And he that blasphemeth the Name of the LORD he shall surely be put to death and all the Congregation shall certainly stone him as well the stranger as he that is borne in the Land when he blasphemeth the Name of the LORD shall be put to death COmmon-weales are gouerned by two kind of Lawes fundamentall and occasionall Fundamentall I call those by which the Common-weale was first framed Occasionall such as are from time to time added vpon emergent occasions you may resemble them by our Common and our Statute Lawes If men did liue as they ought according to the former I meane the fundamentall Lawes there would be no great need of the Lawes which I called occasionall But because they doe not Ex malis moribus bonae leges the enormous behauiour of some
LVKE 22. VERSE 60 61 62. 60 And immediately while he yet spake the cocke crew 61 And the Lord turned and looked vpon Peter and Peter remembred the word of the Lord how he said vnto him Before 〈◊〉 cocke crow thou shalt deny me thrice 62 And Peter went out and wept bitterly THESE words were read this day in the Church â—ent and they are verie agreeable to the Season an Argument of Repentance to the dayes of Humiliation Now Repentance is here deliuered not in a Rule but in an Example but such an example as deserues our best regard because the person is of principall note no meaner a man then St Peter is here presented vnto vs in the forme of a Penitent Let vs then looke vpon him And if we doe we shall see him here downe and vp taking a fall and â—ysing againe And indeed Repentance is nothing but a rysing from a â—all Therefore we may well resolue St Peters Case and my Text into his Fall and into his Rising His fall Peter denyed Christ a sore fall because from a high Rocke and that Rocke was CHRIST That Fall was sore but it is made sorer in that it was taken so soone and so often Soone before the cocke crew not many houres after he was fore-warned and fore-armed Often before the cocke crew Peter denied CHRIST thrice being ouer shooes he would ouer eares and the â—arther he went the worse he was So Peter came downe But he got vp againe and the Text will teach vs of his Rising first What were the Meanes and secondly What were their Effects The meanes were two one outward another inward The outward was a timely signe The signe was the crowing of a cocke an ordinarie thing but here seruing to an extraordinarie vse And that signe was timely immediately euen while he was speaking did the cocke crowe no sooner was Peter downe but he was put in mind of his Fall Neither was he onely put in mind by the outward meanes but he was also by an inward made sensible thereof euen by the helpe of CHRIST CHRIST turned and looked the Workes seeme corporall but indeed they are spirituall for he that turned he that looked was the Lord and he turned and looked as a Lord both Workes were spiritually operatiue Witnesse the Effects The Effects are as the Meanes were in number two each Meanes produced his Effect The Cocke did crowe and what came of it presently Peter remembred the words that the Lord saio vnto him he acknowledged CHRIST to be a true Prophet and gaue glorie to his truth This is the Effect of the outward meanes The inward meanes wanted not his Effect also CHRIST turned he looked and loe Peter is presently changed He was ouer-bold he now findeth his weaknesse for he went out he durst no longer abide by the Temptation Peter was senslesse he now groweth tender hearted for he wept bitterly the floods of sorrow that ouer-whelmed his soule gusht out in streames of teares that trickled downe his eyes There is one thing more in the Text which I may not omit and that is the correspondencie of the rising to the fall Peter was quickly downe before the crowing of the cocke and he was as quickly vp euen as soone as the cocke did crowe Secondly Peter had meanes to rise the cocke did crowe CHRIST turned CHRIST looked and Peter did vse the meanes which he had for he remembred he went out he wept Finally Peter endeauoured to make his Repentance as afflictiue as his Sinne had been offensiue for as he denied shamefully so did he weepe bitterly You haue seene our Penitent but not so throughly but we may all desire to see him againe And verily if with a reflecting eye we doe deliberately reuiew him in him we may profitably behold our selues behold what we are behold what we should be are in his fall should be in his rising GOD giue vs all such single eyes I resume the Fall Peter denied CHRIST Rom. 10 It is a rule of the Apostles That with the heart a man belieueth vnto righteousnesse and with the mouth he confesseth to saluation whereby we learne that it is not enough for vs to stand in good tearmes with GOD except we also let the world know what good he hath done for our soules we may forfeit the former if we be not resolute in performing the latter CHRIST doth assure it in the Gospel saying that if any deny him before men he will deny them before his Father which is in Heauen This ground must guid vs in iudging aright of St Peters fall by it you shall find that it was a sinfull fact which that you may the better see I will distinctly obserue the Fact and the Sinne. The Fact was a deniall but it was negatio duplex a double deniall First Negatio notitiae and secondly Negatio consortij by former verses we are directed so to vnderstand it First he denyed that he had any acquaintance with CHRIST and secondly he denyed also that he had any dependencie on him This was his Fact And this Fact was sinfull for it contained a plaine contradiction to his Calling and his Conscience To his Calling Peter was CHRISTS Apostle could he be one of CHRISTS Apostles and not know him A chiefe Apostle and haue nothing to doe with him A flat contradiction to his Calling Neither to his Calling onely but to his Conscience also For was not Peter the man that Matthew Cap. 16 confessed Thou art CHRIST the Sonne of the liuing God and was well rewarded for that confession And had he not acquaintance with him A flat contradiction to his Conscience Was not Peter the man that Matthew cap. 19. said Behold we haue forsaken all and followed thee and was warranted an exceeding gaine for a trifling losse and had he no dependencie on him So that the denyall containeth two notable vntruths wherewith St Peter is iustly charged and charging him therewith we keepe our selues within the reasonable bounds which St Bernard hath set Peccauit Petrus De Gratia libero Arbit it is out of question that St Peter did sinne in denying but yet he did sinne Non odiendo Christum sed se nimis amando he bare no malitious mind against CHRIST but was willing to sleepe in a whole skin And that he might so doe he suppressed the truth in his heart and his tongue vttered these vntruths Wherefore his faith was still vnfained and his loue vndoubted but Constantia turbata est his constancie was shaken Loue of CHRIST and feare of danger had so shrewd a conflict that the feare of danger got the vpper-hand of the loue of CHRIST So that though he continued inwardly a good man yet durst he not out of the good treasurie of his heart bring forth his good things These are reasonable bounds but they are diuersly transgrest for some doe racke and some doe shrinke the sinne They racke it that in their Tracts De Apostasia Sanctorum put
heart but the feare of the world onely stayeth vs from confessing it with our mouthes so that the loue maketh vs sinne willingly but feare vnwillingly yea loue maketh vs inwardly to prize the world aboue CHRIST but feare maketh vs onely to deny CHRIST that we may escape the malice of the world Whereupon it commeth to passe that of the three kinds of denyers of CHRIST which I described before though all may recouer yet they that fall through the loue of the world recouer more hardly and they recouer more easily that fall onely out of the feare thereof And such was S. Peters casu I pray GOD that ours neuer be worse it will be likely that as he so we also will not so fall but that we will rise againe But let vs behold his Rising behold the meanes and behold their effects The meanes were two whereof the first was outward a timely signe The signe was the crowing of a cocke an ordinarie thing but by our Sauiour vsed to an extraordinarie end It is familiar with GOD so to deale I will instance onely in the Sacraments Water a common Element yet designed to be a Bath of Regeneration Bread and wine our daily food yet consecrated to make vs partakers of the Body and Blood of CHRIST to shew his power GOD doth so honour the meanest of his Creatures and for their vse teacheth vs to giue them their due regards But I must not forget that there is some Analogie to be obserued in the Creature when it is called to serue the power of the Creator CHRIST here maketh vse of the crowing of a cocke but see how fitly it serueth his turne The cocke crowing is as it were the harbinger of the Sunne it giueth warning vnto men that the Sunne is repairing vnto their Horizon and ready to dispell the darkenesse of the night by shedding forth his beames vpon the face of the Earth Now CHRIST is the Sunne of Righteousnesse and whither he commeth thither commeth light spirituall light he was comming to S. Peter after the mid-night as it were of his fall and of this he gaue notice to S. Peter by the crowing of a cocke But what is this to vs I will not insist vpon signes in generall by which GOD is pleased familiarly to put vs in mind of our dutie or let vs see the state wherein we stand I will keepe my selfe to the AlI gorie which the Fathers make of this signe They tell vs that GOD hath granted to enerie member of his Church two crowing cockes by which he doth awaken him when he falleth into a spirituall sleepe and they are Concionator and Conscientia the Preacher outwardly and the Conscience inwardly doe or should serue for morall crowing cockes Nathan was such a cocke vnto Dauid Ionah vnto Nineueh S. Peter to the Iewes that crucified CHRIST when they called them to repent and returne vnto GOD. And Christian people ought also to esteem their Preachers such they must esteem them as crowing cocks whose vovce soundeth nothing but this Eph. 4. Surge qui dormis Awake thou that sleepest stand vp from the dead and IESVS CHRIST shall giue thee light Rom. 13 they tell vs that our night is past and our day is come therefore we must cast away all workes of darkenesse and put vpon vs the Armour of light Besides this outward crowing cocke euerie man hath another that croweth within him that is his Conscience it is said to be a thousand witnesses and the Sonne of Syrach doth tell vs that from it we shall learne more then from seuen watchmen that are set on a Tower And verily many a man would sleepe vnto death were he not often rowsed by this Cocke Wherefore though CHRIST tooke extraordinarie care of St Peter we may not thinke that he doth neglect vs that hath prouided that which outwardly and inwardly doth awaken and rouse vs he hath not left vs destitute of crowing cockes But I told you the Cocke did not onely crow but crowed timely it was a timely signe that CHRIST gaue to St Peter immediately euen while he was speaking did the cocke crow Peter was denying him forswearing him cursing and in the verie heat of his sinning the Cocke crew We can haue no greater proofe that the mercie of GOD is free then when we see a man reclaymed euen then when he is most transported with his vnruly affection And GOD hath magnified his mercie thus more then once it was St Pauls case also he was breathing out threats and enraged to make hauocke of the Church when a light from Heauen shone about him and by a mercifull violence brought him to bethink himselfe And haply if euerie one of vs obserue the course of his life he may remember that some good Sermon working some religious inward motiues hath made him step backe while he was stepping rashly into the pitfall of the Diuel Assuredly when we are once going there would be no staying if we were not by so prouident a hand and by so gratious violence seasonably held backe Wherefore we must acknowledge it as a speciall benefit of GODS mercie that he then commeth in with his helpe when we are past hope Theophylact goeth one step farther O bonitatem Etiam cum ligaretur etiam cum negaretur non neglexit discipuli salutem How wonderfull is the goodnesse of CHRIST When his enemies were binding him he tooke care to loose St Peter out of the snare of the Diuel yea while S. Peter was denying him ashamed of his bands CHRIST was not ashamed of S. Peter but recouered him out of the iawes of the Lyon as one of his deare Sheepe A great improuement of CHRISTS compassionate bowels and incouragement vnto all that haue they been neuer so enormous sinners CHRIST will be to them as he shewed himselfe to S. Peter a most mercifull Sauiour You haue heard the outward Meanes I hasten now vnto the inward The inward Meanes are CHRISTS helpe he turned and looked that which he prayed for in this Chapter that Peters faith should not faile he performed now It is disputed whether these Acts were corporall and the iudgement of Diuines are different but all agree that they were spirituall also if it be granted that they were corporall S. Austin argueth it from the Title that is here giuen vnto CHRIST which is The Lord CHRIST was now at the Barre in the eye of flesh and blood a poore prisoner yet doth the Holy Ghost honour him with the name Lord and else-where calleth him that was crucified The Lord of Glorie The Lord of Life that present condition of his manhood did not derogate ought from the glorie of his Godhead that wrought answerable to its power when CHRIST seemed to be altogether in the power of others it wrought vpon the soule and conscience of S. Peter and did there presse him being so farre gon with Petre vbi es bethinke thy selfe O Peter what is become of thee and what is done by thee