and domineered over most and almost all the Nations of the World that the Jews will they nill they may see that omne mundi regnum omnis mundana sapientia omnia divinae legis sacramenta testantur quia Jesus est Rex every kingdom of the earth all the wisdom of the World and all the sacraments of the divine law do bear witness that Christ is King and this Lion here spoken of in this Text. And the difference betwixt this Lion and all other Lions is that as Franciscus Vallesius de sacra Philosophia c. 55. saith Mos Leonis est sibi tantum pradam capere non Leaenae but Christ took the prey for his Church and not for himself And we finde that his kingdome by three special prerogatives excelleth all other kingdomes of the world that is 1. Preheminence of Christs kingdome threefold 1. Eternity 2. Purity 3. Largity 1. The Prophet saith thy Throne O God Psal 110. is for ever and ever and thy Dominion shall endure throughout all Ages but transibit gloria mundi all other Kings within so many years shall not govern and after so many dayes they shall not be for death spareth none but sceptra ligonibus aequat And as Nazianzen saith Constantinus Imperator famulus meus ossa Agamemnonis Thyrsitis death makes no difference betwixt the bones of King Agamemnon and base Thyrsites the Emperour Constantine and my servant but when their race is run and their glass is out we may say of each of them as Horace saith of his Friend Torquatus Non Torquate genus non te facundia non te Horat. Restituet pietas But this King hath a prerogative above them all for he was Rex à seculo a King from everlasting and he shall be a King in secula seculorum world without end Luke 1.33 for so the Angel Gabriel testifieth that of his kingdome there shall be no end And this should batter down the pride of Tyrants that say with Nebuchadnezzar Is not this great Babel that I have built For mene mene tekel peres their glory is but as the grass of the field or otherwise if they were immortal they were intolerable And this should teach us to labour to become the Subjects of this King in whose kingdome there shall be Aug. l. 1 c. 10. de Trinitate as Saint Augustine saith requies sempiterna gaudium quod nunquam anferetur à nobis An everlasting rest and joy that shall never be taken from us 2. Preheminence The second preheminence of his kingdome is purity for of this King the Prophet speaketh thou hast loved righteousness and hated iniquity and the scepter of thy kingdome is a scepter of righteousness For this King is not like Ahab that would take away Naboths Vineyard nor like Rehoboam that would oppress his Subjects with over-grievous Taxes but he is a righteous King and a most just Judge far unlike some Judges of former dayes that for a word have made a man a transgressour and for a syllable or one letter have quite overthrown a mans cause and right and so have made the Laws a nose of wax to bend and turn as they pleased and to be rete Vulcanium like Vulcans iron net to catch the poor and friendless but tela aranea like the spiders web so easie for the rich and powerful to passe through it But blessed be God for it we have few such now and we hope we shall not provoke God so far as to send such amongst us for if you suffer oppression and wrongs when as the Poet saith Mensuraque juris vis erit Then surely peaceable men shall not be able to live in the Common-wealth But the equity and justice of this King should perswade all other Kings to follow his Example and as the wise man saith Sep. 1.1 to love righteousness all they that are Judges of the earth 3. Preheminence The third preheminence of his kingdome is that God anointed this King with the oyle of gladness in all things above his fellows for their time hath an end their dominion a limitation but his time is not limited and his rule hath no marches but exivit in omnem terram it hath gone forth into all Lands because he is the King of all the earth and when as all other Kings are but Reges Gentium Kings of some few Nations he is Rex Regum Dominus Dominantium the King of all other Kings and the Lord of all Lords And therefore Eusebius saith that the distinction or difference betwixt this true Christ and the other imaginary Christs that were anointed Kings before him may truely and very easily be discerned Euseb l. 1. c. 1. Eccl. Histor quia illi priores Christi nulli penè nisi genti propriae cogniti sunt those former Kings were scarce known to any but to their own proper people but not onely the name but also the rule power and kingdome of this true King is extended over all Nations per universum orbem terrae and through the compasse of the round world And though when the Jewes would have crowned him King Rex fieri noluit he refused the same yet to shew that this Dominus Angelorum was also Rex Judaeorum Beda l. 5. in c. 19. Luc. as Beda speaketh when he rid to Jerusalem upon the Asse he willingly permitted the people to cry Hosanna and to intitle him King of the Jewes and he confessed as much himself unto Pilat that he was a King And what meaneth this saith the Venerable Bede that he now willingly embraceth quod prius fugicudo declinavit that which before he declined and fled from it and the kingdome that while as yet he lived in the world he would not accept he now denieth not to take it when he is by and by ready to go out of the world He answereth that he formerly refused it Beda l. 3. in c. 11. S. Mar. because of the gross imagination of the Jewes that conceited him to be a temporal King like unto others but he doth now accept it to shew quod non temporalis terreni sed aeterni in coelis Rex esset imperii that his kingdome was not of this world as himself said unto Pilate but as the King of Heaven he ruled all the world Well then What we may learn from this Doctrine that Christ is our King seeing Saint Matthew doth by so many inanswerable arguments prove Christ to be a King and that he is a perpetual universal and principal King and here exprest by the Lion in this Text we may collect and draw matter both of comfort and fear both of joy and of grief For 1. Seeing Christ is King then as the Psalmist saith Psal 97.1 exultet terra let the earth rejoyce for if we will obey him and be ruled by him he will appoint over us such Viceroyes and under-rulers that will lead us sicut
great benefits that this good God had done unto them First Moses tells you They waxed fat and then they kicked as we lately did and forsook God that made them and lightly esteemed the rock of their salvation They provoked him to jealousie with strange Gods and moved him to anger with their abominations They sacrificed to Devils and not to God to Gods that they knew not that came newly up whom their fathers feared not which was and is the fruit of every new Religion as of late dayes we have fully seen amongst us And then as they forsook God that formed them so presently they rebelled against his servants they muttered and murmured and rejected all their Governours and as the Psalmist saith They angred Moses in their tents and Aaron the Saint of the Lord for these two to forsake God and to rebel against their Governours do always go together And if you look into the foresaid sixteenth Chapter of Ezekiel you shall see how the Prophet sheweth their wickedness and how they have multiplied their abominations above measure and as many of us over-wickedly and unjustly seeking to make our children great in this world do bring them unto the Devil in the world to come Ezech. 16.21 so did they slay their children and cause them to pass through the fire and as the Psalmist saith Ps 106.37 They offered their sons and their daughters unto Devils and the Lord himself assureth us that Sodom had not done so wickedly as they had done Ezek. 16.48.51 and Samaria had not committed half of their sins And what an intolerable ingratitude was this The most monstrous thing that ever was not possibly to be described quia dixeris maledicta cuncta cum ingratum hominem dixeris because thou sayest all the evils that can be said when thou namest an ungrateful man especially to God that hath done such great things for us For we read of many bruit beasts that for small benefits have been very thankful unto men as of the Dog that for a peice of bread will follow and be ready to die for his Master and the Lion that for pulling a thorn out of his foot preserved the slave that did it from all the beasts of the forrest and afterwards his life on the Theatre in Rome and Primauday tells us of an Arabian infidel that being taken prisoner and afterwards set at liberty by Baldwin King of Jerusalem in token of his thankfulness for that favour Pet. Prim. c. 40. p. 431. he went to him by night into a Town where he was retired after he had lost the field and declared to him the purpose of his companions and conducted him until he had brought him out of all danger And when bruit beasts and Pagans are thus thankful unto us shall man be unthankful unto God No no He should be truly thankful And Seneca saith there be four special conditions of true thankfulness 1. Grate accipere to receive it thankfully 2. Nunquam oblivisci Never to forget it for he can never be thankful that hath forgotten the benefit 3. Ingenue fateri per quem profecerimus Four conditions of true thankfulness ingeniously to acknowledge by whom we are profited 4. Pro virili retribuere to requite the benefit received in the best manner that we are able But this people scarce observed any one of them I am sure not the second and therefore not possibly the third and fourth for the Prophet David tells us plainly that after the Lord had shewed his tokens among them and his wonders in the land of Ham and had brought forth his people with joy and his chosen with gladness and had given them the lands of the Heathen Is 105.42 43 so that they did as many have done amongst us to take the labours of the people in possession Ps 106.13 Yet within a while they did as we do forget his works and would not abide his counsel V. 21. yea they forgat God their Saviour which had done so great things in Egypt wondrous things in the land of Ham and fearful things by the Red-sea But to let this people pass that were destroyed for their unthankfulness let us look unto our selves and have our eyes behind us to behold and see First What God hath done for us And What God did for us the people of these dominions Amos 3.2 Secondly What we have done for the honour and service of God And First As the Lord said of the Jews You onely have I chosen of all the families of the earth so I believe the Lord may justly say of our Kings dominions that he shewed more love and favour unto them then he did to any other Kingdom of the World for whatsoever good he did to others he did the same to us And he shewed two more signal favours to us then he did to any other Kingdome of all Christendome As I. He raised the good Emperour Constantine the Son of Helen out of Britaine to close up the days of persecution and shut the doors of the Idol-Temples II. When the mysts of ignorance and errors and superstition had covered and overshadowed almost all the Church of Christ God sent successively no less then five such excellent Protestant Princes King Edward the sixth Queen Elizabeth King James and King Charles the I. and II. as no other Kingdom had the like to protest against all the Popish errours and superstition and to make such a perfect reformation of Religion that both for Doctrine and Discipline no Church in Christendom is so purely and so perfectly established as these Churches of our Kings dominions are such love and such mercies of God to us as exceeded all the blessings of the earth and shewed to no other Nation of the world in such a measure but to this And what reward I pray you What requital have we rendred unto God have we and our people rendred unâ—o God for those great unparalell'd benefits that he hath done unto us I do profess I have been a man ever faithful to my King and ever fearless of all the dangers of the world and therefore I must say the truth as Saint Steven told the Jews though I should fare as Saint Steven did that as they were a stiff-necked people that have always resisted the Holy Ghost and persecuted the Prophets and been the traytors and murderers of Christ so have the major part of us shewed themselves a rebellious Nation that confederated to assist the Devil to requite Gods extraordinary signal favour to us with extraordinary signal contempt of Gods service and signal malice to all his servants above any other nation of the World by raising out of us and bringing in amongst us the great Anti-Christ that is the great enemies of Christ you know whom * The Long Parliament to slay the two witnesses of Jesus Christ which were Cohors Magistratuum Chorus Prophetarum 1. the best and blessed King Charles the First that
that is himself upon Earth and Camerarius saith that this is a perpetual custom in the race of the Ottomans and Turkish Souldans to put all that pretend to succession unto death Neither is it only a Turkish custom to do so but it is the practice of most of them that are bewitched with this inordinate desire to rule as Kings to do the like for Plutarch writeth that Deiotarus having many Sons and being desirous that only one of them should reign slew all the rest with his own hands and Justin saith that Phrahartes the Son of Horodes King of the Parthians killed his own Father and after that massacred all his Bretheren that he might reign and rule alone And the Sacred Storie sheweth that the very people of God the Sons of Israel were not free from this fault Judges 9. but were pestered with this disease for Abimelech the Son of Gedeon slew seventy of his Bretheren in one day and played many other Tragical parts that he might make himself a King and the furious ambition of Absolon did let him on to play the Parricide 2 Sam. 15 16. and to end his Fathers days that he might reign in his place And not to go from our own home did not Henry the Fourth put by Richard the Second his own King and Cozen German that himself might be the King And did not Richard the Third cause the true King and his own Nephews the Sons of his own Brother Edward the Fourth to be done to death that he himself might be King And did not that arch-Rebel and Traytor now of late amongst our selves play the like Tragical parts that he might gain the rule of these Kingdoms And so did many others in many other Kingdoms for there is not any thing so Sacred which the great men of this world that desire to be made greater will not violate and spare neither King Father Brother or Friend to bring themselves unto advancement and to be the rulers of the People and to have the command and power over their Goods and Lives as the proof hereof is seen in Antoninus Caracalla who when he had murthered his own Brother Geta in his Mothers lap and betwixt her arms and being advised by some of his friends to Canonize him among the Heroes and to place him among the Gods to mitigate the thought of so execrable a fact answered like a wretch sit divus modo non sit vivus let him be a God among the dead so he be not alive among Men Camerar quo supra so great an enemy is the inordinate desire of bearing rule to all Piety and right saith mine Author Therefore our Saviour doth not stop when he had said seek a Kingdom which he knew most men would be ready enough and some too ready to do without bidding but he addeth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Kingdom of God and not the Kingdom of this world nor the Kingdom of the Antichrist nor of sin but the Kingdom of God And the Kingdom of God is taken many waies but especially The Kingdom of God three fold 1. For the Kingdom of Nature 2. For the Kingdom of Grace 3. For the Kingdom of Glory 1. The Kingdom of nature The first is all the world Heaven Hell Sea and Earth and all men good and bad are the subjects of this his Kingdom for he is Rex universae terrae super omnes nationes mundi whom he ruleth with his mighty power and by his wisedom disposeth all things sweetly even when he permitteth the wicked to flourish and chasteneth his own children every morning our King doing herein as the Husband-man doth with his Oxen mactandus liber ibit ad pascua servandus jugo premitur that which is appointed for the slaughter shall freely run to the best Pasture but that which is to be preserved shall be pressed under the Yoak 2. The Kingdom of Grace 2. The Kingdom of Grace comprehendeth not all creatures nor all men but the elect only that is the good and godly men in whose hearts this King writeth his holy Laws and ruleth them by his Spirit that guideth and directeth them to observe his Laws 3. The Kingdom of Glory 3. The Kingdom of Glory is that which the Apostle describeth whose joyes passeth all understanding whose subjects are the Saints and Angels and whose King is Jesus Christ the King of kings The first of these was established by power when the Almighty God created all things by his powerful Word or the Word of his power which is Jesus Christ but it shall be finished through its weakness when languishing Nature that still groweth weaker and weaker can hold out no longer The second was begun in weakness when Christ the Son of God began the same in the the infirmity of our flesh and to gather his Church by the preaching of a few Fisher-men but it shall end in power when after he hath put all his enemies under his feet he shall by the power of his Deity absolve the same and deliver it as the Apostle sheweth 1 Cor. 15. unto God his Father but The third shall begin in power and continue in power without ending when as the Poet saith Gloriosum Imperium siue fine dabit Cui nec metas rerum nec tempora ponit God shall give us a glorious Kingdom without ending and eternal happiness unto his Saints where there shall be no fight because they have no enemie no tears because they can recieve no hurt no fear because there is no danger and no grief because there is no evil but all peace all joy all felicity because God will be all in all And of these three Kingdoms we ought to submit our selves with all contentedness unto the first and with all care and diligence to seek the second that so to our everlasting comfort we may attain unto the third Which kingdom we shall never come unto unless we seek the second which is the kingdome of grace as we ought to do for as among the Romans none came to the Temple of Honour but by the Temple of Virtue so none shall come to the Kingom of glory but the Subjects of the Kingdom of grace and therefore we must seek for that as we ought to do and that is 1. Generally that the Church of Christ may be enlarged by the preaching of the Gospel and by all other ways that we can to convert men to the faith of Christ and not to pervert them by wicked errours or the evil examples of an ungodly conversation 2. Particularly that the Spirit of God and not the Spirit of Satan the grace of Christ and not our fleshly lusts or any other sin might reign in us and rule our hearts to do all things according to Gods Laws that so we our selves might be members of his Church and subjects of this kingdom And as I told you before our seeking for this kingdom must not be as children seek for their
nature is noted unto us by him that had the face and appearance of a man And as his natures and the quality of his person are here thus mystically exprest so his offices that he was to discharge are here likewise in the same manner of the Egyptian Hieroglyphicks set forth unto us as 1. His Regal and Kingly office whereby he was to rule and govern his Church is here to be understood by the Lion which is the King of all the Beasts 2. His Priestly office whereby he was to teach and to instruct his people and to offer sacrifice unto God to appease his wrath and so to take away the sin of the world is here most aptly exprest by the Oxe or Calfe that was deemed the most acceptable sacrifice that could be offered unto God Num. 23.1 as you may see by the sacrifice of Balaam And as his natures and his offices are here thus to be understood so the chiefest things that he was to do and the chiefest points that we are to believe are likewise here fairly exprest under what is signified by these four Beasts as 1. His Incarnation by him that had the face of a man 2. His Passion by the Oxe or Calf 3. His Resurrection by the Lion 4. His Ascension by the flying Eagles Fourthly and lastly not onely the foresaid particulars concerning Christ and these main points of Christian Religion are hereby to be observed but also all the whole duty of man and the chiefest points that every Christian ought to discharge if he looks for eternal happiness are here exprest unto us under the qualities conditions description and practice of these Beasts as hereafter I shall more fully declare unto you And so you see here is sententia brevis a short speech but materia uberrima an Ocean of matter to sail over And do you think that I can passe through such a world of most weighty points within the compasse of one inch of time lesse then one little houre that cannot be by a far better head then mine Therefore I must crave leave onely to go as far as I can untill I shall have your Grace and this honourable audience leave to proceed at some other time unto the rest of these points And for our more orderly proceeding at this time I shall humbly desire you to observe these three points 1. The number of these Beasts 2. The description of these Beasts 3. The practice of these Beasts 1. The number of the Beasts four Gen. 31.7 1. For their number it is said they were four Beasts And you must remember that sometimes a certain number is put for an uncertain as when Jacob said unto Laban Thou hast changed my wages ten times that is several times But here I take this number to be as it is set down to signifie four Beasts and neither more nor less 2. The description of the Beasts 2. The description of these Beasts is two-fold 1. Particular and proper to each one 2. General and common to them all 1. The proper and particular description of the Beasts 1. Touching their particular description we are to consider 1. Who and what they are that are thus exprest by these Beasts 2. Why each one of them is so exprest as they are here described unto us Aug. de civit Dei l. 8. c. 3. For the first I may truly say with St. Aug. Alii atque alii aliud atque aliud opinati sunt several men have had their several interpretations of them and I finde four expositions of them to be most of all respected 1. Of the Papists 2. Of the Puritans 3. Of some latter Writers of the Protestants 4. Of the Ancient Fathers 1. The Papists interpreting this vision of the Militant Church do understand the same by Heaven and by the seat that was set therein they understand the authority of the Church of Rome by the Lamb or him that sate on the seat their universal Bishop the Pope and by these four Beasts they would have us to understand the 4. Patriarchships 1. Of Antioch 2. Of Ephesus 3. Of Jerusalem 4. Of Alexandria Which have always had the greatest power and cheifest authority next after the Church of Rome And by the 24. Elders that sate upon the 24. seats they understand the six Arch-Bishops that were in every Patriarchship as 1. in Antioch The Arch-Bishop 1. of Mesopotamia 2. of Ninivee 3. of Babylon 4. of Assyria 5. of Parthia 6. of Media 2. In Ephesus The Arch-Bishop 1. of Smyrna 2. of Pergamus 3. of Thyatira 4. of Philadelphia 5. of Sardis 6. of Laodicea And so the rest of Jerusalem and of Alexandria But this exposition seemeth furthest from the truth I. Because they interpret it of the Priest-hood Church and Government thereof altogether externally Whereas indeed the Kingdom and Priest-hood of Christ is altogether spiritual Chrysost hom 82. in c. 18. Johan Non quod hoc etiam temporaliter non possideat sed quod in coelis habeat imperium as St. Chrysost saith II. For that the Church of Rome was not as then Empresse and cheif Lady of all other Churches nor afterwards till the time of the Emperour Phocas In Regist ejusdem Gregorii as it appeareth by the Epistles of Gregory Bishop of Rome unto the Emperour Mauritius III. Because that if this exposition were true the Arch-Bishopricks of Italy Spain France Britany Germany and the like should be excluded which were too great a wrong from this vision or they could not tell under which Patriarchship they should be comprehended 2. Exposition The second Exposition is of Brightman and his followers that say these four Beasts do signifie the four-fold state quality and condition of the Ministers of the Church of Christ from the time of our Saviours Ascension to his coming to judgment As 1. Age. 1. In the infancy of the Church they were bold and stout like Lions to preach the Gospel of Christ so that although as Eusebius saith Alii flammis exusti alii ferro perempti alii patibulo cruciati Euseb l. 8. c. 11 12. alii flagris verberati Some were burn'd to ashes some slain with the sword Some hanged and others whipped to death yet they ceased not to publish the truth of Jesus Christ because they knew that as S. Bern. saith Vere tuta pro Christo cum Christo pugna in qua nec vulneratus nec occisus fraudaberis à victoria To fight for Christ and with Christ is very safe when neither wounded nor killed we should not be deprived of the victory 2. Age. 2. In the next age of the Church after Constant the Great that closed up the dayes of Persecution the Ministers of Christ were as painfull and laborious in their vocation of Preaching the Gospel of God as the Oxen are in tilling our ground or treading out the Corn for us And so their voluminous works and pious devotions left behind them do sufficiently
oves gently and lovingly like sheep as he did the Israelites by the hands of Moses and Aaron And Psal 99.1 2. Seeing Christ is King then as the same Prophet saith contremiscat populus let the people tremble for if they fall to be unruly as we were of late let them be never so impatient this King can as easily gather unto himselfe the spirit of his under-Princes as we can slip a cluster of Grapes from a Vine and he can send them a Rehoboam without Wisedome or a Jeroboam without Religion or Ashur a Stranger an Vsurper as we have had to be our King or nullum Regem no King at all but a disordered Anarchy which is the worst of all Psal 10.4 and all this quia non timuerunt Jehovam because they cared not for God neither was God in all their thoughts But to end this Point seeing Christ our King is this Lion here mentioned we need not fear our spiritual enemies for though he be a Lion and a roaring Lion that is against us yet you see we have a Lion with us and as Saint John saith he that is in us is greater then he that is in the world 1 John 4. and is stronger then the strong man armed and able as the Apostle saith Rom. 16.20 Vide the abridgment of the Gospel fol. 26. 27. to tread and bruise Satan under our feet and therefore we ought to stand fast in the Lord without fear because as Saint Chrysostome well saith non debet timere hostem fortem qui habet Regem fortiorem he need not fear the strongest enemy that hath a stronger King as our King is blessed be God for it 2. Saint Luke is understod by the Calf 2. as Saint Matthew is here understood by the Lion quia solet res quae significat ejus rei nomine quam significat nuncupari as the bread that signifieth the body of Christ is termed the body of Christ because he proveth Christ to be the King of the Jews and that Lion of Juda which was so long expected to come into the world so for the like reason Saint Luke is here to be understood by the Calf because he principally aimed to prove Christ that is signified by the Calf to be that Priest of whom the Lord sware thou art a Priest for ever after the order of Melchisedeck For I told you before that of all the sacrifices of the four footed Beasts of the Herds which the Hebrews called bakar that is majores hostias the greater sacrifices the Calf was most acceptable unto God as the Prophet sheweth Psal 51.19 Heb. 9.19 Exod. 24 8. Esay 11.6 7. when they offered yong bullocks id est goodly Calfs upon his altar And the reason is because the Calf is meeker and more gentle then either of the rest in regard of which meekness the quiet and peaceable man is metaphorically called a Calf And therefore by the Calf is here signified the Priestly office of Christ whereby he offered up himself as a meek and immaculate Calf unto God that by the blood of this Calf we might be sprinkled and purged from all our sins because that without shedding of bloud there is no remission Heb. 9.22 as the Apostle speaketh And of all the rest of the Evangelists Saint Luke onely doth most specially aime to prove Christ to be a Priest and to shew his Priestly office for both the Alpha and Omega of his Gospel is concerning the Temple and the sacrifices thereof when as he beginneth the same with the Priesthood of Zacharias and his sacrifice of incense and endeth the same with the sacrifice of the Christians that were continually in the Temple praysing and blessing God Luc. 24.53 For though that before the birth of this Priest the other Priests were to burn incense in the Temple of the Lord as Zacharias did yet this Priest being now born and ascended up to heaven the sacrifice that the Christians are to offer unto God is to be continually praysing and landing God in the Temple as Saint Luke saith the Apostles did For the true propitiatory sacrifice being exhibited the Types and Figures thereof must now cease and be abolished and in the place thereof the gratulatory sacrifice must be established And therefore Saint Luke beginneth his Gospel with the propitiatory sacrifice of Zaâ—harias because Christ was not as yet incarnate John 1. but he endeth the same with the gratulatory sacrifice of the Apostles because that now the word was made flesh and Christ had ascended into Heaven S. Luke proveth Christ to be a Priest by 3 special Arguments And lest this should not be sufficient to demonstrate Christ to be a Priest he proceedeth to prove him to be that Priest which was after the order of Melchisedech by three other special Arguments 1. A Prosapia from his Pedegree 2. From the true qualities and properties of a Priest 3. From the performance of the duties and office of a Priest 1 Argument from his Pedegree 1. In that St. Luke deriveth his Genealogy by Nathan S. Ambrose saith it was to shew his Priestly office and Venerable Bede saith that because Saint Matthew intended to shew the Regal office of Christ and St. Luke his Priestly office therefore St. Matthew derives his person from King Solomon Beda l. 1. in c. 3. Luc. and St. Luke from Nathan and so saith he in the Chariot of the Cherubims the Lion which is the strongest of all Beasts designs his Kingly office and the Calf which was the sacrifice of the Priest denotates his Priestly function and saith he Eandem uterque sui operis intentionem in genealogia quoque salvatoris texenda observavit And both the Evangelists in like manner observed the same intention of their work in setting down the genealogy of our Saviour And then immediatly he addeth two excellent Observations to confirm the same point As 1 Observation 1. That in the manner of setting down his genealogie S. Matthew descended from Abraham to Joseph Beda ibid. to note his Kingly office and to shew that he partaked with us of our mortality but S. Luke by ascending from Joseph unto Adam and so to God doth rather design his Priestly office in expiating our sins and so bringing us to immortality And therefore in the descending generations of S. Matthew the taking upon Christ our sins is signified but in the ascending genealogies of S. Luke the abolition of our sins is noted unto us For so the Apostle saith God sent his Son in the similitude of sinful flesh there is the acception and the taking of our sins upon him and for sin or by the sacrifice for sin Rom. 8.3 condemned sin in the flesh there is the expiation of our sins And 2. To the same purpose he observeth 2 Observation that S. Matthew in his genealogie descended from David by Solomon with whose mother David sinned but S. Luke ascended by
Nathan unto David by a Prophet of which name God absolved him from his sin The second Argument 2 Argument from the quality of a Priest which should be 1. knowledge 2. uprightness Ps 72.1 whereby S. Luke proveth Christ to be a Priest is from the quality of a Priest what manner of man he should be and that is to be endued with knowledge and uprightness or judgement and righteousness for which cause the Prophet prayeth Give the King thy judgement O God and thy righteousness unto the Kings son For who is this King and this Kings son but this Priest the Messias of the world And so Moses prayeth in like manner Let thy Vrim and thy Thummim be with thy holy One Deut. 33.8 or as some read it upon the man of thy mercie for who is this holy One or this man of his mercy but this our true high Priest called the man of his mercy 1. Because he is the man that is full of mercy 2. Because that God out of his meer mercy did give this man unto us 3. Because by this man onely and none else we obtain mercy And according to these two mens prayer for those two things to be given unto the high Priest God gave them most ampâ—y without measure unto the Messias that is Esay 42.1 Jer. 23.5 our high Priest For I have put my Spirit upon him saith the Lord there is knowledge and he shall bring forth judgement unto the Gentiles there is uprightness And S. Luke sheweth that Christ had Vrim and Thummim 1. Christ his knowledge Luke 11.49 knowledge and uprightness without measure For In regard of the first he plainly calleth him the wisdome of God And his wisdome appeared 1. In his wise unreprovable and unrepliable answers to Satan that subtil Serpent to the Herodians that feigned themselves to be just men and were sent to intrap him in his speech and to the chiefest Doctours of the Jews to whom he did so wisely answer Luke 20.7 that they durst not ask him any thing at all and if he asked them any question they answered They could not tell how to answer him 2. In his heavenly teaching of his followers so truly expounding the Prophecyes of the Prophets so profoundly speaking to them in parables so plainly delivering the Law unto them and so sweetly comforting all that came unto him that the eyes of all were fastened upon him Luke 4.20 22. and they wondered at the gracious words that proceeded out of his mouth And 2 His uprightness Mark 7.37 1 Pet. 2.22 In regard of the second that is his uprightness S. Mark saith that the people testified he did all things well And S. Peter saith There was no guile found in his mouth And S. Luke confirmeth the same throughout his whole Gospel 3 Argument from the office of a Priest threefold The third Argument whereby S. Luke proveth Christ to be a Priest is from the duty and office of a Priest which is specially threefold 1. To expound the Law 2. To pray for the people 3. To offer sacrifice for their sins 1. The Prophet Malachy saith The Priests lips should keep knowledge Mal. 2.7 and the people should seek the law at his mouth And S. Hierom saith It is the duty of the Priest to answer all that ask him concerning the Law and therefore if he be the Priest of the Lord Hieron super Hagg. let him know the law of the Lord or if he be ignorant of the law he is no Priest of the Lord. And therefore S. Luke sheweth That Christ taught the people most diligently expounded the Law most truly and answered all questions that were asked of him most readily And Luke 22.32 2. He sheweth That he prayed for S. Peter that his faith should not fail And S. John sheweth how he prayed for all those whom his father gave him and for all them also which should believe on him through the word And John 17.11 20. 3. How as a Priest he offered sacrifice for the sins of the people which he did both in the Garden and upon the Cross S. Luke sheweth it more amply then any of all the Evangelists for though S. Matthew and S. Mark do tell us that he was in heaviness or exceeding sorrowful Matth. 26.38 Mar 14.35 Aristotle sect 11. probl 30. et Basil in c. 17. Isaia when he came to the garden yet S. Luke expresseth the matter more fully and more lively then both of them for he faith that he fell into a sweating agony that is a perplexed fear of one that is entring into a greivous conflict as both Aristotle and Saint Basil testifie And such a perplexed fear is a most acceptable Sacrifice in the sight of God as the Prophet saith Ps 51.17 The Sacrifice of God is a troubled spirit a broken and a contrite heart O God shalt thou not despise and such a broken heart was the heart of this Priest at this time for here is both 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a combate and a Sacrifice a troubled Spirit and a fresh bleeding Sacrifice 1. 1. He offered up his soul in prayer Leo Serm. 7. de pass The quality of Christ his prayer Brevis oratio penetrat coelum He offered up his soul while he was in the Garden in a fervent Prayer to God and that Prayer saith Pope Leo was in omnibus perfecta in all things perfect and for all men And it consisted like a faithfull Prayer plus gemitibus quam sermonibus rather in sighs then in words for it was saith Saint Augustine very short but very pithy few words but full of fervency and therein his intention was earnest for he went a stones cast from his Disciples his love was great for he often ingeminated Father Father his faith was stedfast for he said my father his affection was vehement for he cryed O my father his humility was unfaigned for he kneeled down and with great reverence he fell groveling upon his face as Saint Matth. witnesseth his constancie was apparent for he prayed three times his obedience was unreprovable for he said Not my will but thy will be fulfilled and his fervency was admirable for every word drew drops of blood and therefore this prayer was directed as an incense in the sight of his father and the lifting up of his hands as an evening sacrifice Ps 14.2 And as the Apostle saith he was heard in that which he feared and he had all that he desired for whereas S. Bernard demandeth Quid oras domine quid sudas and quid sitis for what dost thou pray O Lord and why dost thou sweat Saint Hilary answereth Hilarius l. 10. de lâ—inâ—t Pro nobis oratio pro nobis sudor est his prayer and his sweat and his thirst and all was for us and he obtained all for us And then 2. As he thus offered up his soul in
not nor ever shall be able to prove that he did but the Scots say that he did and so they do say a thousand things more then I believe to be true and they should believe nothing especially what they know not against their King when as all other men that are both wise and honest can sufficiently answer and justifie all that ever his now Majesty did And I that am not worthy to be of his counsel and to know the reasons of his actions yet could shew you very just and sufficient reasons for every thing that ever I heard his Majesty did and I would do it but that Himself and his Council I know can justifie all his actions with many far deeper reasons then I can dive into Therefore these very firebrands of sedition knowing this would a little excuse his Majesty by laying the faults upon his Counsellors that seduced him And who are they They speak in general in universalibus latet error so did the long Parliament against our late King there they learned their lesson and they walk in the same paths But the former Parliaments could name their names the Duke of Buckingham so can these men name the Duke of Ormond And what hath he done I observe two things that they charge him with 1. To testifie what he knew to be truth and these men conceived to be otherwise A mighty fault because they had not their eyes open to see the truth his Grace offended to testifie the truth 2. In obeying his Majesty's gracious goodness by relieving those that were necessitous and perhaps for ought that they know had done his Majesty very good service and for ought that we know had done no injury to any of our men and this is a sin unpardonable with these uncharitable men I but they will say by relieving these he lets the Army starve and I demand what Subject ever did pawn his own lands melt his own plate lay out his own moneys to relieve the King's Armies and to shew himself I will not say more faithful but I say neer so faithful to his King and so bountiful a benefactor and friend to all the King 's loyal Subjects as the Duke of Ormond hath alwayes been I must and ever will with all thankfulness acknowledge it when the long Parliament and their whelps had robbed me of all that I had all the relief and subsistence which I had from all the friends in the world was that bountiful gift which this noble Duke sent me by Sir George Lane And I could name the many many more to whom his Grace did the like And are these things faults worthy to be reproved And I am sure he hated the Rebellion and disowned the Rebels of this Nation as much or more then any man and would you have him to be an enemy to the postnati and a stranger to the innocent God hath made him a more honourable and a more gracious man I but we are not yet come to the quick the English interest by the favour of the Duke unto the Irish and the Judges of the Court of Claim is much shaken and is like to be dismembred and left inanimate But would you have the English interest to continue be it right or wrong or would you have it so to continue that God might bless it and it to prosper If so then let it be rooted in justice and established in truth or otherwise the breath of the Lord will scatter it and the wrath of God will soon destroy it and instead of blessing will as Jacob said bring the curse of God upon you and your Posterity And you might see if you had your eyes open the great care of my L Duke and the great pains and diligence of the Court of Claim to search out the truth of every cause that the innocent should not be made guilty nor the nocent carry away the victory And what more would you have done Yet as I said before they that have learned the way to be Rebels do know the way to be rebellious still But especially because Rebels and Traytors have had their Presidents and examples to chalk and tread out the desperate pathes of treachery and rebellion unto them because as the Poet saith Nullum caruit exemplo nefas You cannot easily name the wickedness that I can not parallel with the like example as If Alexander and Holophernes were drunk so was Noah long before them If Oedipus committed incest with Jocasta so did Lot commit incest with his own daughters and if Polynices kill'd his own brother Eteocles so did Alexander Caracalla kill his own brother Getha Romulus killed Remus and Cain his onely brother Abel And so the men that became Rebels and Traytors unto their King and murderers of their Brethren here amongst us may alledge they are not the first that rebelled but they can name enough that murdered their oppressors which they onely intended to do and they can cite you great Massacres and the rooting out of many Potentates that Lorded and domineered over the poor people as the massacres in France the Cicilian Vespers the treachery of Mithridates and the subjects of Pontus that conspired together to destroy all the Romans that were dispersed over all the Kingdom of Pontus so the Saxons became treacherous and the murderers of all the British Lords on Salisburie-plain and they say the Irish did the like to eradicate the Daues out of this Kingdom and they have done no more unto their Oppressours But to answer these subtle Pleaders for the defence or lessening of their sinful mischief by the example of others wickedness I say 1. That no example can any ways excuse wickedness but rather aggravates the sin that the sight of others falling into the ditch should teach us to beware of the like fall yea though we should have never so many examples of any evil-doing yet we ought not to follow them because the Lord tells us plainly We ought not to follow a multitude to do evil and it is our duty not to do what others do but what God commands us and all others to do 2. I say that herein hîc hîc caruit exemplo nefas those two fold treachery and rebellion 1. Of the late English-Scotizing Rebels And 2. Of the bloody Irish murderers can not be fitted with any Presidents nor parallel'd out of any Histories I do assure you that I have read as many English Greek and Latin Histories as well I could yet in all the Histories that I have read I do profess unto you I never found so much cruel subtlety and such infernal impiety as I saw in the English Rebels nor so much ingratitude inhumanity and cruelty as we read in Sir John Temples Book was acted in the Irish Insurrection if you will afford it no worser name for 1. Touching the English and Scotish Rebellions first for their subtlety the subtle serpent devised not so many lies to deceive our forefathers as they most impudently
find out the deepest Mysteries of Gods secrets in his absolute decrees and unsearchable waies of Election and Reprobation and the like but of those lighter heads that bestow their search about things of nothing as the Graecians did beat their brains to find out how many rowers Ulysses ship had and whether the Iliads or the Odysses were first written so we must know whether the ancient Monks wore their Cloaks short like the French or down to the heels like the Spaniards or whether Saint Augustine wore a white garment upon his black cloaths or a black cheimer upon a lawn surplice and a thousand such like points and ceremonies that are like the spiders web which will make no garment for them or like the banquet of a sick mans dream that will not satisfie their hungry souls and are raised up by the Devil to this only end that while we seek after these fruitless things that may hurt us much but avail us little that may best be spared and ought least to be disputed we might leave off to seek the Lord and those things that do necessarily pertain unto salvation But in universalibus later error What it is to seek the Lord general things are often dark and every one saith that he seeks the Lord but that either he mâ—keth darkness his secret place Ver. 14. his pavilion round about him with dark waters and thick clouds to cover him or else dwelleth in the light that no man can attain unto it Psal 37 27. otherwise God forbid that you should imagine saith every man that we do not seek the Lord. Therefore to take away this curtain to unvail this glorious face and to let you see that few of us do seek the Lord whatsoever we say the Prophet tells us plainly that to seek the Lord is to seek good and not evil or as he explaine h it further in the immediate Verse 15. it is to hate the evil and love the good and to establish judgement in the gate and this the Prophet David said long before eschew evil and do good and dwell for evermore Besides God is truth and God is justice therefore you must seek the truth and you must do justice for When truth shall flourish out of the earth and righteousness shall look down from heaven Psa 85.11 12. then the Lord will shew loving kindness he will speak peace unto his people and our Land shall give her increase but while our Land flows with Lies and the father of lies rewards the Liers and spreads them abroad to uphold robberies oppressions and rebellions the Lord will not speak peace unto us because righteousness and peace have kissed each other and therefore though we should be never so desirous of peace and to procure peace be contented it should be done upon unrighteous terms it may be with the ruine of the Church yet it cannot be None can make peace but God Jer. 25.29 Psal 46.9 because it is not in the power of any man no not of the King himself to conclude a peace when God proclaimeth war for as he calleth for a sword upon the Inhabitants of a Land so it is he and he alone that maketh wars to cease in all the world he breaketh the bow and knappeth the spear in sunder and burneth the Chariots in the fire and without him it cannot be done as you may see in Ier. 47.6 And I fear and I pray God it be but my fear that as the wrath of God was never appeased for the innocent bloud of the Gibeonites that Saul most unjustly spilt untill it was revenged by bloud upon the house of Saul so the innocent bloud that hath been spilt in this Kingdom can never be expiated untill an attonement be made by bloud because that without bloud there is no remission that is of bloud unless they do with Manasses wipe away the streams of bloud with the streams of most penitent tears for he that sheddeth mans bloud that is illegally by man shall his bloud be shed that is judiciarily by the Magistrate saith God in the Old Testament and all they that take the sword that is without due authority shall perish by the sword that is by just authority saith our Saviour Christ in the New Testament and therefore if your peace may not be had with truth and according unto Justice gird you with your swords upon your thighs O you mighty men of valour and let the right hand of the most highest teach you terrible things untill as our Prophet speaketh Ver. 24. judgement shall run down as waters and righteousness as a mighty stream that is smoothly without any manner of opposition as Montanus and Vatablus render it Set God and his truth alwaies before your eyes and labour for that peace which may stand with the peace of Conscience and with your peace with God or otherwise you may purchase a worldly peace at too dear a rate it may be with the loss of your souls when God shall say unto you as he doth unto the Jews Shall not I visit for these things as if he said you indeed for your peace and prosperities sake for fear of danger and in hope of rest may be contented to wink at all these sins that have provoked me to wrath and perhaps to sell my truth and suffer my service to be abused and my servants to be destroyed that you may live in peace but do you think that I am such an one as your selves or that I will suffer all these things to go unrevenged No no saith the Prophet The Lord is known to execute judgement and he will be Judge himself he will kindle the fire and none shall quench it And therefore noble and religious Gentlemen that love your God better than the World and his eternal honour better than your own temporal happiness love peace and ensue it but let it be with the truth and with justice let the story of the worthy Maccabees be set before your eyes that rather than they would change their Religion or suffer the service of God any waies to be impaired and their Ecclesiastical government to be in any thing changed they sold their peace with the loss of their lives which is their everlasting praise and here I do profess I do most heartily wish for peace and would think my self most happy to see peace established as of old but rather than I should see it with the ruine of the Church with a Presbyterian Discipline that new-sprung out-landish weed of mans invention and no plant of Gods plantation I beseech Almighty God that I may beg my bread and seâ—k it in desolate places that my bloud may be poured like water upon the ground and the remainder of my years may be cut off from the Land of the Living so much do I desire to imbrace mine own misery rather than to see the Churches infelicity and the service of God so much vilified And I am confident
of them and do you think that this value is sufficient to maintain an able Ministery to supply all these Churches and Parishes as they ought to be or that Popery shall be supprest and the true Protestant Religion planted amongst the people by the unition of Parishes and the diminution of Churches without any augmentation of their means Credat Judaeus Apella non ego Object But you will say his Majesty hath most graciously provided and it is confirmed by the Act of Settlement that a very ample augmentation is added to all the meanest Bishopricks of Ireland and he hath most royally and religiously bestowed all the Impropriations forfeited to his Crown upon the several Incumbents unto whose Churches they did belong Answ I answer That when God placed man in Paradice the devil was ready to cast him out and when God maketh our paths straight and easie Satan will straight put rubbs and blocks in our way to stumble us so though I gave above fifty pounds for Agents money to follow the Churches cause and spent above thirty pounds to procure a Commission to gain that augmentation which his Majesty was so graciously pleased to add unto the Bishop of Ossory yet presently there comes a Supersedeas to stop the proceeding of my Commission How the devil hindereth all intended good and I am not the better either by Augmentation or Agents so much as one penny to this very day and some devil hath put some great rub for a stumbling block in my way untill God removes the same and throws it where blocks deserve to be And though his Majestie hath been pleased to bestow his Impropriations upon the Incumbents yet my Lord Lieutenant and the Council thought it fit to take forty pounds per annum out of those Impropriations for the better provision of the Quire in Dublin and so by that means the Clergy of Ossory are not the better by one penny that the Clergy might be like unto their Bishop for I find but four impropriations forfeited to his Majesty and bestowed upon the Church in all the Diocess and these being set by Mr. Archdeacon Teate to the uttermost pitch that he could they did not reach to forty pounds the last year And to say the truth without fear of any man we are not only deprived of the Vicarial Tythes and offerings by the Farmers of the great Lords Impropriate Rectories but our Lands and Glebes are clipped and pared to become as thin as Banbury Cheese by the Commissioners and Counsel of those illustrious Lords for though his Grace our most excellent Lieutenant the Duke of Ormond is I say it without flattery a man of such worth so noble so honourable and so religious as is beyond compare and for his fidelity and Piety and other incomparable parts scarce to be equalized by any Subject of any King and so many other great Lords are in themselves very noble and religious yet as Rehoboam in himself considered was not so very a bad King but had very bad Counsellours that did him a great deal of dishonour and damage so this most honourable Duke And thus as Christ was crucified betwixt the good thief and the bad so are we betwixt the good Lords and their bad Agents But let them fear least by making their Lords great here on earth they do make themselves little in heaven and other great Lords may have as I fear some of them have such Commissioners and Counsel that as well to make themselves a fortune as to enlarge their Lords revenues will pinch the Parsons side and part the Garments of Christ betwixt themselves and their Lords as my Lord Dukes Agents have distrained and driven away my Tenants Cattel for divers great sums of Chieferies and challenged some Lands that as I am informed were never paid nor challenged within the memory of man And who dares oppose these men or say unto them Why did you so Not I though they should take away my whole estate for as Naboth had better have yielded up his Vineyard than to have lost his life so I conceive it better to yield to their desires quietly than to lose both my Lands and my labour by such a Jury as will give it away though never so Unjustly whereof I have had experience and a sad proof non sine meo magno malo Yet The Civility and Piety of the 49 men I confess the 49. men have been very civil and shewed themselves very fairly conditioned and religious both to my self and as I understand to all other Clergymen and I wish that all Noblemens Commissioners and Agents would be so likewise that their doings may bring a blessing and not a curse upon them and perhaps upon their Lords and Masters Lords and Masters shall answer to God for the oppressions that their servants do under their power that must give an account to God for the ill carriages and the oppressions of the poor by their servants who dishonour their Lords and make them liable to Gods wrath for the wrongs that they do to make them the greater and so receive the greater condemnation for great men must not only do no wrong themselves but they ought also to see that none under their wings and through the colour of their power and authority do any wrong unto the poore But to deal plainly and to shew what respect favour and justice we the poor Bishops and Clergymen have from the great Lords and Courts of justice in this Kingdom I will instance but in the example of my self who after I had exposed my self to the dayly and continual hazard of my life by my preaching and publishing so many Books against the Rebels and Long Parliament which I have unanswerably proved to be the Great Antichrist and had for all their Reign served duram servitutem and suffered more hardship than any Bishop and upon my restitution to my Bishopprick by the happy restauration of our most gracious King having spent above four hundred pounds to gain the Bishops Mansion house where Bishop Bale saw five of his Servants kill'd before his face and himself driven to flee to save his life and which was given to Sir George Askue by Cromwel for his service to the Long Parliament I have fully shewed the favour and the justice that I had at the Kings Bench though I must ingeniously confess my Lord Chief Justice dealt as fairly and as justly as any Judge in the world could do And I do pray to God that both Judges and Jury and all the pleaders may have better at the Bar of the King of Kings Then letting pass the proceeding of the Court of Claim that gave away the Lands and Houses that were in my possession while I was in London though a chief Member of that Court promised that nothing should be done against the Church untill I returned home and acknowledging the civility and fair respect that was shewed me by my Lord Chief Baron and the other