Iejunium prescribe it and that to a religious end Even to chasten our selves for sinne by this forbearance So no Physicall Philosophicall Verse 15. Politicall but a Propheticall yea an Evangelicall fast For if in very sorrow we are to fast when the bridegroome is taken away Much more when we our selves by our sinnes committed have beene the cause of His taking nay Matt. 9.15 of His very driving away from us And must we then fast Indeed we must or gett us a new Epistle for the day and a new Gospell too For as GOD heere in the Epistle commands it So CHRIST in the Gospell presupposeth it with His Cum jejunatis Matt. 6.16 taking it as granted We will fast That sure fast we must or els wipe out this cum jejunio and that Cum jejunatis and tell GOD and CHRIST they are not well advised we have found out a way beyond them to turne vnto GOD without any fasting at all But how fast To relieve all we may When we speake of Fasting Humanum dicimus propter infirmitatem vestram Rom 6.19 Psal. 109.24 we entend not mens knees should grow weake with fasting Two kinds of fasting we find in Scripture 1. David's who fasted tasting neither bread nor ought els 2. Sam. 3.35 till the Sunne was downe No meat at all That is too hard Dan. 10.3 2. What say you to Daniel's fast He did eat and drinke but not cibos desyderij no meats of delight and namely eat no flesh The Church as an indulgent mother mitigates all she may Matt. 19.12 Enjoynes not for fast that of David and yet qui potest capere capiat for all that She onely requires of us that other of Daniel to forbeare cibos desyderij and flesh is there expressely named Meates and drinks provoking the appetite full of nourishment kindling the blood Content to sustaine Nature and not purvey for the flesh Rom. 13.14 to satisfie the lusts thereof And thus by the grace of GOD we may if not David's yet Daniel's For if David's we cannot and Daniel's we list not I know not what fast we will leave for a third I find not 1. Tim. 5.25 And yet even this also doth the Church release to such as are in Timothee's case have crebras infirmitates It is not the decay of nature but the chastisement of sinne she seeketh But at this doore all scape through we are all weake and crasie when we would repent Matt. 16.22 but lusty and strong when to commit sinne Our Physitians are easy to tell us and we easy to beleeve any that will tell us Propitius esto tibi favour your selfe for it is not for you Take heed GOD is not mocked who would have sinne chastened Who sees I feare the pleasing of our appetite is the true cause the not endangering our health is but a pretense And He will not have his Ordinance thus dallyed with fast or loose Said it must be that Ioël heere saith Turne to GOD with fasting or be ready to shew a good cause why And to shew it to GOD. It is He heere calls for it the pen is but Ioël's He best knowes what turning it is will serve our turne will turne away Ira ventura which Quis poterit sustinere who is hable to abide And take this with you when fasting and all is in Ver. 14. if it be Quis scit si convertatur Deus If we leave what we please out then it will be Quis scit indeed 2. With Weeping The next point and GOD send us well to discharge it is Weeping Can we not be dispensed with that neither but we must weepe too Truly even in this point somewhat would be done too Els Ioël will not be satisfied but call on us still There is saith the Psalme a flagon provided by GOD of purpose for them Psal. 56 8. Therefore some would come some few droppes at least Not as the Saints of old No humanum dicimus heere too a Iob. 16.20 Iob's eyes poured forth teares to GOD b Ps. 119.136 David's eye gushed out with water He all to wet his pillow with them c Luk. 7.38 Marie Magdalen wept enough to have made a bath We vrge not these But if not poure out Ier. 13.17 not gush forth Nonne stillabit oculus noster saith Ieremie shall not our eye affoord a drop or twaine Stay a little turne and looke backe vpon our sinnes past it may be if we could get our selves to doe it in kind if set them before us and looke sadly and not glance over them apace Esa. 38.16 Thinke of them not once but as EZEKIA did recogitare thinke them over and over consider the motives the base motives and weigh the circumstances the grievous circumstances and tell over our many flittings our often relapsing our wretched continuing in them It would sett our sorrow in passion it would bring downe some Some would come Our bowells would turne our repentings rowle together and lament we would the death of our soule as we do otherwhile the death of a friend and for the vnkindnesse we have shewed to GOD as for the vnkindnesse we doe that man sheweth us But this will aske time It would not be posted through as our manner is we have done streight It is not a businesse of a few minutes 2. Pet. 3.9 1. Cor. 7.6 It will aske Saint Peter's 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 retired place and Saint Paul's 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vacant time It would aske a Nazarites vow to doe it as it should be done Even a sequestring our selves for a time as they did In other respects I grant but among others for this also even to performe to GOD a Votive repentance This I wish we would trie But we seeke no place we allow no time for it Our other affaires take up so much as we can spare little or none for this which the time will come when we shall thinke it the weightiest affaire of all And yet it may be when all is done none will come though For who hath teares at command Who can weepe when he lists I know it well they be the overflowings of sorrow not of every sorrow but of the sensuall parts and being an act of the inferiour parts reason cannot command them at all times they will not be had But if they will not the Prophet hath heere put an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 insteed of it for 3. With mâ—urâ—ing so doe the Fathers all take it Mourne If weepe we cannot mourne we can and mourne we must Et vos non luxistis saith the Apostle He saith not 1. Cor 5 2. Et vos non flevistis and you have not wept But and you have not mourned as if he should say that you should have done at the least Mourning they call the sorrow which reason it selfe can yeild In Schooles they terme it Dolorem appretiativum valuing what should
mind If but ache come into a joint we know we have tried them and found them they are not hable to drive away the least paine from the least part And how then when sicknesse commeth and sorrow and the pangs of death what comfort in these Comfort Nay shall we not finde discomfort in the bitter remembrance of our intemperate using them and little regard of the true Comforter Shall we not finde them as Iob found his friends like winter-bâ—ooks Iob. 6.15 16. full of raine in winter when no need of it when it raines continually but in Summer when need is not a drop in them So when our state of body and mind is that we can susteine our selves without it then perhapps some they yield but Iob 16.2 when sorrow seiseth on the heart then none at all In the end we shall say to them as he did miserable comforters are ye all Wherefore another Comforter we are to seeke that may give us ease in our disease of the minde and in the midst of all our sorrowes and sufferings make us ire gaudentes go away rejoycing No other will do it but this that when we have Him we need looke no further The other is likewise a difference of staying with us for ever For ever the weak poore comfort we have by the creatures heere such as it is we have no hold of it it stayes not not for ever nay not for any long time There be two degrees in it 1 Non in aeternum that is too plaine â— Nay not manent nobiscum they stay not with us fugiunt a nobis they fly from us many times in a moment as Salomon's fire of thornes a blaze and out streight Nay if they would tarry with us would they not tire us Even Manna it selfe did it not grow lothsome Num. 11.6 Doe we not finde that when we are ready to starve for hunger and have meat to drive it away if we use it any while the meat is as yrksome as the hunger was and we are as hungry for hunger as ever we were for meat That we may not be cloyed we change them and even those we change them for within a while coy us as fast What shall we doe where shall we finde comfort aright Ever Per quod fastidio occurritur fastidium incurritur so that if they would tarry we must put them away the not tarrying of them with us that is the change of them is it that makes us hable to endure them Well then comfort us they cannot when we need it we must pray for Alium If they could they cannot stay not for any space much lesse for ever If they could their very stay would prove fastidious and yield us but discomfort Seeing then we cannot entreat them to stay with us and if we could in the evill day they could not stead us but then faile us soonest when our need is greatest Let us seeke for another that through sicknesse age and death may abide with us to all aeternitie and make us abide with Him in endlesse joy and comfort The Application to the Sacrament Such is this heere which CHRIST promised and His Father sent this day and which He will send if Christ will aske and Christ will aske if now we know the Covenant and see the Condition we will seale to the deed To a Covenant there is nothing more requisite then to put to the Scale And we know the Sacrament is the Seale of the new Covenant as it was of the old Thus by undertaking the duty He requireth we are entitled to the comfort which heere He promiseth Luk. 22.19 And doe this He would have us as is plaine by His Hoc facite And sure of all the times in our life when we settle our selves to prepare thitherwards we are in best termes of disposition to covenant with Him For if ever we be in state of love toward Him or toward one another then it is If ever troubled in Spirit that we have not kept His commandements better then it is If ever in a vowed purpose and preparation better to looke to it then it is Then therefore of all times most likely to gaine interest in the promise when we are best in case and come neerest to be hable to plead the condition Besides it was one speciall end why the Sacrament it selfe was ordained our comfort the Church so telleth us we so heare it read every time to us He hath ordained these Mysteries as pledges of His love and favour to our great and endlesse comfort The Father shall give you the Comforter Why He giveth Him we see How He giveth Him we see not The meanes for which He giveth Him is Christ His entreaty by his Word Heb. 12.24 in prayer by His flesh and blood in Sacrifice For His blood speakes not his voice onely These the meanes for which And the very same the meanes by which He giveth the Comforter by Christ the Word and by Christ's body and blood both In tongues it came but the tongue is not the instrument of Speech only but of tast we all know And even that note hath not escaped the Ancient Divines to shew there is not onely comfort by hearing the Word Psal. 34.8 1. Cor. 12.13 but we may also tast of His goodnesse how gracious He is and be made drinke of the Spirit That not onely by the letter we read and the word we heare but by the flesh we eat and the blood we drinke at His table we be made partakers of His Spirit and of the comfort of it By no more kindly way passeth His Spirit then by His flâ—sh and blood which are Vehicula Spiritus the proper carriages to conveigh it Corpus aptaevit sibi ut Spiritum aptaret tibi Christ fitted our body to Him that He might fitt his Spirit to us For so is the Spirit best fitted made remeable and best exhibited to us who consist of both This is sure where His flesh and blood are they are not exanimes spirit-lesse they are 〈◊〉 or without life His Spirit is with them Therefore was it ordained in those very elements which have both of them a comfortable operation in the heart of man One of them bread serving to strengthen it or make it strong Psal. 104.15 and comfort commeth of 〈◊〉 which is to make strong And the other wine to make it cheerefull or â—nd and is therefore willed to be ministred to them that mourne and are opprest with griefe And all this to shew that the same effect is wrought in the inward man by the holy Mysteries that is in the outward by the Elements that there the heart is established by grace and our soule endued with strength and our conscience made light and cheerfull that it faint not but evermore rejoice in His holy comfort To conclude where shall we find it if not heere where under one we finde CHRIST our Passe-over offered for us and the
there is for many doe but passe well over into the land of promise These foure Passe-overs it will not be amisse to thinke of And in all these need we not one to helpe us well through that these perills may well passe us over Need we not one that may make the redd sea passable for us that we may well come to the land of the living And now then tell we what is the summe of all our desires Is it not Bonum Pascha While we are heere the Destroyers may passe and when we goe hence we may well get over Is it no Sic transire transitoria vt transeundo perveniamus ad aeterna So to passe these transitorie things that we may well come to those that shall never passe A good Passe-over is our wish and against we shall need it a good one GOD send us Vpon the point if we weigh well Salus ipsa nihil est nisi Pascha The benefit of all benefits salvation it selfe is comprised in this word is nothing but a Passe-over As much in one word as the other transire à malo to be saved from evill transire ad bonum to be sett safe in good To these two may all be reduced This is all we need and all we seeke And this Parasceue or Preparation will set us in hand to seeke it Luk. 22.15 and make us say with our SAVIOVR desiderio desideravi vt c earnestly to desire to have our part in this Passe-over 3 Who it is The next point if we need one and if we desire one where shall we have one Quis revolvet nobis hunc lapidem Who will rolle us away this stone said the Women this day Mat. 16.3 To our line againe the law How did they there in the Type for so it must be in the truth They had a means that helped them through both which per Metonymâ—an causae they called their Passe-over And it was a Lamb. CHRIST the Lamb of GOD. Have we so yes Ecce AONVS DEI said the Baptist at the first fight But every Lamb will not serve it must be a Paschall Lamb. Is CHRIST that Lamb Saint Iohn puts it out of question That which was said of the Paschall lamb ye shall not breake a bone of him he applies to CHRIST Ioh. 1.29 Ioh. 19.36 and saith in Him the Scripture was fulfilled Eodem tempore illorum nostrum adductus in Festo ipso 〈◊〉 Paschall lambe He is and so in case to be made a Passe-over of But 4 CHRIST offered in sacrifice Esay 53.7 a Passe-â—ver He is not till He be Offered For if ye marke it offering is a passing over of 〈◊〉 is offered to Him we offer it to Offered He must be Et oblatus est saith Esay offered He was Oblatus so He may be and yet alive but the word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 immolatus offered and offered in Sacrifice A live lamb is not it it is a lamb slaine must be our Passe-over And CHRIST is a Lamb slaine saith Saint Iohn from the beginning Apoc. 5.12.13.8 and the sprinkling of His bloud in Baptisme maketh the Destroyer passe over us There be many kinds of offerings This determineth As a Peace-offering which of them CHRIST was Such a one as we must epulari that is the Peace-offering For of the Peace-offering the flesh was to be eaten Part GOD had Levit 7.15 and part the offerer eate in signe of perfect peace and reconciliation betweene them CHRIST 's bloud not onely in the Bason for Baptisme but in the Cupp for the other Sacrament A Sacrifice so to be slaine A propitiatorie Sacrifice so to be eaten Thus CHRIST is a Passe-over But where is nostrum 5 Our interest Pâ—opter nos without which all this is nothing Propter nos for us that maketh it ours That which is for us offered is ours and we so reckon it The lamb was not slaine for it selfe Exod. 13.15 Luk. 23.4.14.15 Quid agnus committere but for the first borne So CHRIST not for himselfe Nothing worthy death in him witnesse Pilate but for us For us that is for our salvation to save us Save us from what from our sinnes To save us from our sinnes And heere now we are come to the point of the Passe-over indeed the quitting us and the manner of quitting us from our sinnes All the businesse whereof was carried in the very manner of a Passe-over First sinne it selfe what is it but a transgression 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or passing over the lines and limits of our Dutie set us in the law of GOD. And why hovers the destroying Angell over us Why goeth he not on his way but seekes to bring destruction upon our heads What is the marke he striketh at What but our sinnes But for them no Destroyer should ever have power over us But for them that hang so heavie on us and so presse us downe we should goe through well enough Why then Hic est omnis fructus ut auferatur peccatum All is but this to have our sinnes taken away And who shall take them away Ecce qui tollit peccata mundi Ioh. 1.29 that taketh away ours nay the sinnes of the world How taketh away GOD hath taken away thy sinne saith Nathan to David the word is not abstulit but transtulit that is transferendo abstulit 2. Sam. 12.13 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or as the Hebrew word is transire fecit To take it from David make it passe from him upon some other that is even the Sonne of David Him GOD hath given us to passe our sinnes over from us to Him And when that when He was offered made a Sacrifice for us It is the nature of every Sacrifice transferendo auferre He that offers it lay's his hands on the head of it Levit. 1.4.3.2.8.13 confesses his sinnes over it and his iust desert to be smitten by the Destroyer but prays he may put this offering in his owne place and what is due to him that is death may be transferred from him and light on the offering that may serve and he scape In all offerings thus it was but in the Paschall lamb specially that it hath carried away the name from all the rest to be called the Passe-over onely In it evidently the death of the first borne was translated over upon the poore lamb The lamb died Exod. 13.15 the first borne was saved his death passed over vnto the lamb that it was iustly called the Passe-over for so it was But much more iustly CHRIST who sure was even a Passe-over throughout from the first to the last At the first His birth what was it but a Passe-over from the bosoâ—e of His Father to the womb of His Mother to take our nature And His Circumcision what but a Passe-over from the state of one free to the condition of one bond to vndertake our debt And at the
arripere apprehendere to seize vpon it with great vehemencie to lay hold on it with both hands as vpon a thing we are glad we haue got and will be loth to let goe againe We know assumpsit and apprehendit both take but apprehendit with farre more fervor and zeale then the other Assumpsit any common ordinarie thing apprehendit a thing of price which we hold deare and much esteeme of Now to the former comparison of what they and what we but specially what we add this threefold consideration 1. That He denied it the Angells 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 denied it peremptorily 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Neither looked nor called nor sent nor went after them Neither tooke hold of them nor suffered them to take hold of Him or any promise from Him Denied it them denied it them thus 2. But graunted it vs and graunted it how That He followed vs first and that with paine And seized on vs after and that with greate desire We flying and not worth the following and lying and not worth the taking vp 1 That he gave not leave for vs to come to Him or satt still and suffered vs to returne and take hold yet this He did 2 That He did not looke after vs nor call after vs nor send after vs only yet all this He did too 3 But Himselfe rose out of his place and came after vs and with hand and foot made after vs Followed vs with his feet and seized on vs with his hands and that per viam non assumptionis sed apprehensionis the maner more then the thing it selfe All these if we lay together and when we haue done weigh them well it is hable to worke with vs. Surely it must needs demonstrate to vs the care the love the affection He had to vs we know no cause why being but as Abraham was dust and as Abrahams seede Iacob saith Gen. 18.25.32.10 lesse and not worthy of any one of these No not of the meanest of his mercies Especially when the same thing so gratiously graunted vs was denied to no lesse persons then the Angells farr more worthy then we Sure He would not have done it for vs and not for them if He had not esteemed of vs made more acompt of vs then of them And yet behold a farr greater then all these Which is apprehendit semen He took not the person but he took the seed that is the nature of man Many there be In Apprehendit Semen that can be content to take vpon them the persons and to represent them whose natures nothing could hire them once to take vpon them But the seed is the Nature yea as the Philosopher saith naturae intimum the very internall essence of nature is the seed The Apostle sheweth what his meaning is of this taking the seed when the verse next afore save one he saith that forasmuch as the children were partakers of flesh and bloud He also would take part with them Ver. 14. by taking the same To take the flesh and bloud He must needs take the seed for from the seed the flâ—sh and bloud doth proceed which is nothing els but the blessed apprehension of our nature by this days Natiuitie Wherby He and we become not only one flesh as man and wife do by coniugal union but even one bloud too as brethren by naturall union Ephes. 5.28.29 Per omnia similis saith the Apostle in the next verse after againe sinne only set aside Alike and sutable to vs in all things flesh and bloud and nature and all So taking the seed of Abraham as that he became himselfe the seed of Abraham So was and so is truly termed Verse 17. in the Scriptures Which is it that doth consummate and knit vp all this point and is the head of al. For in all other apprehensions we may let go and lay down when we will but this this taking on the seed the nature of man can never be put of It is an assumption without a deposition One we are He and we and so we must be One as this day so for ever And emergent or issuing from this are all those other apprehendings or seisures of the persons of men by which God layeth hold on them and bringeth them back from error to truth and from sinne to grace that have been from the beginning or shal be to the end of the world That of Abraham himself whom God layed hold of and brought from out of Vr of the Chaldeans and the Idolls he there worshipped That Gen 1â— 7 Act. 9.4 Luk. 22.62.62 of our Apostle S. Paul that was apprehended in the way to Damascus That of Saint Peter that in the very act of sinne was seized on with bitter remorse for it All those and all these wherby men dayly are layd hold of in spirit and taken from the by-pathes of sinne and error and reduced into the right way and so their persons recovered to God and seized to his vse All these apprehensions of the branches come from this apprehension of the Seed they all have their beginning and their being from this dayes taking even Semen apprâ—hendit Our receiving His Spirit for His taking our flesh This seede wherewith Abraham is made the sonne of God from the seed wherwith Christ is made the soone of Abraham And the end why He thus took vpon him the seed of Abraham was because He tooke vpon Him to deliver the seede of Abraham Deliver them He could not except He destroyed death Ver. 14. and the Lord of death the devill Them He could not destroy vnlesse He dyed Dy He could not except He were mortall Mortall He could not be except He tooke our nature on Him that is the seede of Abraham But taking it He became mortall dyed destroyed death delivered vs was Himselfe apprehended that we might be lett goe One thing more then out of this word Apprehendit The former toucheth His love whereby He so layd hold of us as of a thing very precious to Him This now toucheth our daunger whereby he so caught us as if He had not it had been a great venture but we had suncke and perished One and the same word Apprehendit sorteth well to expresse both his affection wherby He did it and out great perill wherby we needed it We had been before layd hold of and apprehended by one mentioned in the 14. verse he that hath power of death even the Devill We were in daunger to be swallowed vp by him we needed one to lay hold on us fast and to plucke us out of his jawes So He did And I would have you to marke It is the same word that is used to Saint Peter in like daunger Matt. 14.13 when being ready to sinke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Christ caught him by the hand and saved him The same heere in the Greeke that in the Hebrue is used Gen. 19.16 to Lot and his daughters in the
profession live a brutish life Nay then Saint Paul tells us further that if we henceforth walke like men like but even carnall or naturall men 2. Cor. 3.3 it is a fault in us Some-what must appeare in us more then in ordinarie men who are vouchsafed so extraordinarie a favour Some-what more then common would come from us if it were but for this Daies sake To conclude not onely thus to frame meditations and resolutions 1 For Practise Phil. 3.12 but even some practise too out of this act of apprehension It is verie agreeable to reason saith the Apostle that we endevor and make a proffer if we may by any meanes to apprehend Him in His by whom we are thus in our Nature apprehended or as He termeth it comprehended even Christ Iesus and be vnited to Him this day as He was to us this day by a mutuall and reciprocall apprehension We may so and we are bound so verè dignum justum est And we do so so oft as we do with Saint Iames lay hold of apprehend or receive insitum verbum the word which is daily grafted into us For the Word He is and in the word Iam. 1.21 He is received by us But that is not the proper of this day vnlesse there be another ioyned vnto it This day Verbum caro factum est and so must be apprehended in both But specially in His flesh as this day giueth it as this day would have us Now Ioh. 1.14 the bread which we breake is it not the partaking of the bodie of the flesh of Iesus Christ It is surely and by it 1. Cor. 10.16 and by nothing more are we made partakers of this blessed vnion A little before he said Because the children were partakers of flesh and bloud He also would take part with them May not we say the same Because He hath so done taken ours of us we also Verse 14. ensuing his stepps will participate with Him and with His flesh which he hath taken of us It is most kindly to take part with Him in that which He tooke part in with us and that to no other end but that He might make the receiving of it by us a meanes whereby He might dwell in us and we in Him He taking our flesh and we receiuing His spirit by His flesh which He took of us receiving His spirit which He imparteth to us That as He by ours became consors humanae naturae so we by His might become consortes Divinae naturae 2. Pet. 1.4 partakers of the Divine nature Verily it is the most streight and perfect taking hold that is No vnion so knitteth as it Not consanguinitie Brethren fall out Not marriage Man and wife are severed But that which is nourished and the nourishment wherewith they never are never can be severed but remaine one for euer With this Act then of mutuall taking taking of His flesh as He hath taken ours let us seale our dutie to Him this day for taking not Angells but the Seed of ABRAHAM Almighty GOD grant c. A SERMON PREACHED before the KINGS MAIESTIE at White-hall on Wednesday the XXV of December A. D. MDCVI being CHRIST-MASSE day ESA. CHAP. IX VER VI. For unto us a Child is borne and unto us a Sonne is given and the Government is upon His shoulder and He shall call His Name WONDERFVLL COVNSELLER THE MIGHTY GOD THE EVERLASTING FATHER THE PRINCE OF PEACE THE words are out of Esay and if we had not heard him named might well haue been thought out of one of the Evangelists as more like a storie then a Prophecie Is borne is given sound as if they had been written at or since the Birth of Christ yet were they written more then six hundred yeares before There is no one thing so great a stay to our faith as that we find the things we beleeve so plainly fore-told so many yeares before Is borne is given Nay shall be speake like a Prophet Nay is loquens de futuro per modum praeteriti speaking of things to come as if they were already past Rom. 4.17 This cannot be but God who calleth things that are not as if they were and challengeth any other to doe the like It is true miracles move much but yet Es. 41.23 even in Scripture we reade of lying miracles and the possibility of false dealing leaveth place of doubt ◠Thes. 2.9 even in those that be true But for one six hundred yeares before He is borne to cause prophecies plaine direct prophecies to be written of Him that passeth all conceit cannot be imagined how possibly it may be but by God alone Therefore Mahomet and all false Prophets came at least boasted to come in signes But challenge them at this not a word no mention of them in the world till they were borne True therefore that Saint Iohn saith The testimonie that is the great principall testimonie of Iesus Apoc. 19.10 is the spirit of prophecie It made Saint Peter when he had recounted what he himselfe had heard in the Mount yet as if there might be even in that deceptio sensus to adde 2. Pet. 1.19 Habemus etiam firmiorem sermonem prophetiae We have a word of prophecie besides and that firmiorem the surer of the twaine This Prophecie is of a certaine Childe And if we aske of this place as the Eunuch did of another in this Prophet Of whom speaketh the Prophet this we must make the answer that there Philip doth Acts 8.34 of Christ and the testimonie of Iesus is the spirit of this prophecie The ancient Iewes make the same It is but a fond shift to draw it as the latter Iewes do to Ezekias it will not cleave It was spoken to Ahaz Ezekias Father now king and that after the great ouerthrow he had by the kings of Syria and Israel in the fourth of his raigne But it is deduced by plaine supputation out of the eighteenth of the second of Kings Ezekias was nine yeare old before Ahaz his Father came to the crowne It was by that time too late to tell it for tidings then that he was borne he then being thirteene yeares of age Verse 7◠Beside how senslesse is it to applie to Ezekias that in the next verse that of his government and peace there should be none end that his throne should be established from thence forth for ever whereas his peace and government both had an end within few yeares To us it is sufficient that the fore-part of the Chapter is by Saint Matthew Mat. 4.15 expressely applied to our Saviour and that this verse doth inseparably depend on that and is alleaged as the reason of it For unto us Of Him therefore we take it and to Him applie it that cannot be taken of any or applied to any other but Him But how came Esay to speake of Christ to Ahaz Thus. The occasion of this Prophecie
by a deed of gift Datus Of which the one his Birth referreth to himselfe the other the gift to his Father To shew the ioynt consent and concurrence in both For our good Ephes. 5.2 Ioh. 1.11 Ioh. 3.16 So Christ loved us that he was given So God loved us that He gave his Sonne By his very birth there groweth to us an interest in him thereby partaker of our nature our flesh and our bloud That which is de nobis He tooke of us is ours flesh and bloud is our owne and to that is our owne we have good right His humanitie is cleerly ours good right to that But no right to his Deitie Therefore his Father who hath best right to dispose of him Ioh. 3.16 Gal. 4.4 hath passed over that by a deed of gift So that what by participation of our nature what by good conveighance both are ours Whither a Child He is ours or whither a Sonne He is ours We gave Him the one His Father gave us the other So both ours and He ours so farr as both these can make Him Thus God Heb. 6.17 willing more aboundantly to shew to the heires of promise the stablenesse of His Counseile tooke both courses that by two strong titles which it is impossible should be defeated we might have strong consolation and ride as it were at a double anchor I want time to tell of the benefit which the Prophet Verse III. calleth the harvest or booty of his Nativitie This it is in a word If the tree be ours the fruit is If He be ours His Birth is ours His Life is ours His Death is ours His Satisfaction His Merit all He Did all He Suffered is ours Further all that the Father hath is His Heb. 1.2 Ioh 3.35 Mat. 21.18 1. Cor. 3.22.23 Rom. 8 32. He is Heire of all then all that is ours too Saint Paul hath cast up our accompt Having given Him there is nothing but He will give us with Him So that by this Deed we have title to all that His Father or He is worth And now shall we bring forth nothing for Him that was thus borne Our Dutie Psal 116.12 2. Cor. 9.14.15 Colos 1.12 Iam. 1.17 no Quid retribvam no giving backe for Him that gave Him us Yes thanks to the Father for His great bounty in giving Sure so good a giving so perfect a gift there never came downe from the Father of lights And to the Sonne for being willing so to be borne and so to be burthened as He was For Him to condescend to be borne as Children are borne To become a Child great humilitie Great ut Verbum infans ut tonans vagiens ut immensus parvulus that the word not be hable to speake a word He that thundereth in heaven cry in a cradle He that so great and so high should become so little as a Child and so low as a manger Not to abhorre the Virgins wombe not to abhorr the beasts manger not to disdaine to be fedd with butter and hony All great humilitie All great and very great But that is greater is behind Puer natus much Princeps oneratus much more That which He bare for us more then that He was borne for us For greater is Mors crucis then Nativitas praesepis Worse to drinke vinegar and gall Phl. 2.8 then to eate butter and hony worse to endure an infamous death then to be content with an inglorious birth Let us therefore sing to the Father with Zacharie Benedictus Luc. 1.68.46.2.14 and to the Sonne with the blessed Virgin Magnificat and with all the Angells Gloria in Excelsis To the Prince with His government on His shoulders Nothing but thanks Yes by way of duty too to render unto the Child confidence Puâ—r est ne metuas To the Sonne reverence Filius est ne spernas To the Prince obedience Princeps est ne offendas And againe To Natus is He borne then cherish Him I speake of His spirituall birth wherein we by hearing and doing His word are as himselfe saith His Mothers Mat. 12.49.50 To Datus is He given then keepe Him To Oneratus is He burthened favour Him lay no more on then needs you must This is good morall counseile But Saint Bernard gives us politique advise to looke to our interest to thinke of making our best benefit by Him De Nobis nato dato faciamus id ad quod natus est datus utamur nostro in utilitatem nostram de Servatore nostro salutem operemur With this borne and given Child let us then do that for which He was borne and given us Seeing He is ours let us use that that is ours to our best behoofe and even worke out our salvation out of this our Saviour His counseile is to make our use of Him but that is not to do with Him what we list but to employ Him to those ends for which He was bestowed Those are foure He is given us saith Saint Peter 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for an example to follow In all but that which is proper to this day 1. Pet. 2.21 to doe it in humilitie It is that which the Angell set up for a signe and sample upon this very day It is the vertue appropriate to His birth As faith to His conception Beata quae credidit So humilitie to His birth et Hoc erit signum Fieri voluit in vitâ primum quod exhibuit in ortu vitae it is Cyprian That He would have us first to expresse in our life that He first shewed us in the very entrie of His life And to commend us this vertue the more Placuit Deo maiora pro nobis operari It hath pleased Him to do greater things for us in this estate then ever He did in the high degree of His Maiestie as we know the work of redemption passeth that of creation by much He is given us in pretium for a price A price either of ransome to bring us out de loco calignoso 2. Pet. 1.19 or a price of purchase of that where without it we have no interest the kingdome of Heaven For both He is given offer we Him for both We speake of Quid retribuam We can never retribute the like thing He was given us to that end we might give Him backe We wanted we had nothing valuable that we might have this He gave us as a thing of greatest price to offer for that which needeth a great price our sinns so many in number and so foule in qualitie We had nothing worthie God this He gave us that is worthy Him which cannot be but accepted offer we it never so often Mat. 7.7.8 Mat. 14.6.7 Let us then offer Him and in the act of offering aske of Him what is meete for we shall find Him no lesse bounteous then Herod to graunt what is duly asked upon His birth day He is given us as Himselfe saith as
himselfe That nothing come from it but such as may become that flesh which is now all one with the flesh of the SONNE of GOD. Without the Manifestation Provided that it be not all Within For we deale not with a Mysterie alone but with a Manifestation too That therefore our godlinesse be not onely mysticall but manifest as GOD was As the Mysterie so the Godlinesse of it Great and conspicuous both For that is the complaint that in our godlinesse now adaies we go very mystically to work indeed we keepe it vnder a veile and nothing manifest but opera Carnis Which maketh Saint Iames crie Galat. 5.19 Iam 2.18 2. Cor. 4.10.11 Ostende mihi shew it me and Saint Paul tell us that the life of IESVS must not onely be had in our spirit but manifest in our flesh For Godlinesse is not onely Faith which referreth to the Mysterie as we have it directly at the IX Verse the Mysterie of Faith But it is Love too which referreth to the Manifestation For in hoc cognoscimus saith Saint Iohn By this we know ourselves and in hoc cognoscent omnes saith CHRIST 1. Ioh. 3.14.4.13 Ioh. 13.35 By this shall all men know that we are His. And if Faith work by Love the mysterie will be so manifest in us as we shall need no perspective glasses or other optique instruments to make it visible all men shall take notice of it And yet remaineth there one point then which there is not one more peculiar to a Mysterie 2 By the Initiation of us into it That which the Apostle Hebr. X. Verse XX. calleth Initiating whereby we grow into the fellowship of this and what Mysteries soever For this we are to vnderstand that Mysteries go not all by hearing No they be dispensed also And men are to esteeme of us saith he 1. Cor. 4.1 not onely as of the Vnfolders but as of the Stewards or Dispensers of the Mysteries of GOD. Operari mysterijs is a phrase well knowne to the very Heathen themselves That mysteries as they work so they are to be wrought That they are to be handled and that our hands are to be cleane washed yer we offer to touch them By which I understand the Mysterie of godlinesse or Exercise of godlinesse call it whether yee will which we call the Sacrament the Greek hath no other word for it but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whereby the Church offereth to initiate us into the fellowship of this daies Mysterie Nothing sorteth better then these two Mysteries one with the other the Dispensation of a Mysterie with the Mysterie of Dispensation It doth manifestly represent it doth mystically impart what it representeth There is in it even by the very Institution both a Manifestation and that visibly to set before us this flesh and a mysticall Communication to infeof us in it or make us partakers of it For the Elements What can be more properly fit to represent unto us the union with our Nature then things that do unite themselves to our Nature And if we be to dispense the Mysteries in due season what season more due then that His flesh and blood be set before us that time that He was manifested in flesh and blood for us Thus we shall be initiate You looke to heare of a Consummation of it too And consummate it shal be but not yet Not Apoc. 10.7 till the daies of the voice of the Seventh Angell Then shall the Mysterie of GOD be finished So we find it directly but not before When He that was this day manifested in the flesh shall manifest to the flesh the fullnesse of this Mysterie His eternitie glorie and blisse So still it remaineth a Mysterie in part A part thereof there still remaineth behind to be manifested What He is appeareth what we shall be doth not yet appeare but shall at the second appearing Two veiles we reade of 1. Iohn 2.2 1 The veile of His flesh Hebr. X. Verse XX. 2 And the veile where our hope hath cast anchor even within the veile meaning heaven it selfe The first is rent these mysteries are remembrances of it The second also shall be and we also with it and as He in the end of the Verse so we with Him in the end shall be received vp into glorie To the consummation of which great Mysterie even that Great Manifestation He vouchsafe to bring us all that was this day for us all manifested in the flesh IESVS CHRIST the righteous c. A SERMON PREACHED before the KINGS MAIESTIE at White-hall on Moonday the XXV of December A. D. MDCIX being CHRIST-MASSE day GALAT. CHAP. III. VER IIII. V. When the fulnesse of time was come GOD sent his Sonne made of a woman made vnder the Law That He might redeeme them that were vnder the Law that we might receive the Adoption of Sonnes IF when the fullnesse of time commeth GOD sent his Sonne then When GOD sent his Sonne is the fullnesse of time come And at this day GOD sent his Sonne This day therefore so oft as by the revolution of the yeare it commeth about is to us a yeerely representation of the fullnesse of time So it is and a speciall honour it is to the Feast that so it is And we our selves seeme so to esteeme of it For we allow for every moneth a day Look how many months so many dayes to this Feast as if it were and we so thought it to be the full recapitulation of the whole yeare This honour it hath from CHRIST who is the substance of this and al other Solemnities Peculiarly à Christi missa from Christs sending For they that read the ancient Writers of the Latine Church Tertullian and Cyprian know that Missa and Missio and Remissa and Remissio with them are taken for one So that Christi missa is the sending of CHRIST And when then hath this Text place so fit as Now Or what time so seasonable to entreat of it as This Of the sending of his Sonne as when GOD sent his Sonne Of the fulnesse of time as on the yearely returne and memoriall of it To entreat of it then The Heads are two 1. Of the fulnesse of time 2. And of that wherewith it is filled 1. Times fullnesse in these When the fullnesse of time came 2. The Division Times filling in the rest GOD sent his Sonne made of a woman made vnder the Law c. In the former Quando venit plenitudo temporis there be foure points 1. Plenitudo temporis That time hath a fulnesse or that there is a fulnesse of time 2. Venit plenitudo That that fulnesse commeth by steps and degrees not all at once 3. Quando venit That it hath a Quando That is there is a time when time thus commeth to this fulnesse 4. And when that When is And that is When GOD sent his Sonne And so passe we over to the other part in the same Verse Misit
of Grace and Truth both Many are the perfections whereof He is full Two onely heere chosen out as two streames 1 Grace and 2 Truth With them He commeth with the fullnesse of them Not of one of them but of both Grace referreth to the Sonne Truth to the VVord Grace is to adopt us Iam. 1.18 Truth to beget us anew for of His owne will He hath begotten us by the word of Truth And these do very fitly follow after glorie Glorie of it selfe terrifies and makes stand aloofe Grace invites And His glorie is such as is full of grace His Mercie as great as His Maiestie full out A blessed thing it is when these two meet and they that are in glorie are full of grace too It is not so with every one that is in glorie But though there be Grace vnlesse there be Truth too all is nothing For Grace because it is plausible and pleaseth the people it is affected there is a taking on grace in face and phrase but when all is done it wanteth sound truth That is right grace that hath truth ioyned to it Verbum gratiae and verbum charitatis both and it is both Yea verbum caro His word is not wind it hath flesh on it His Truth is as it were the flesh of His Grace Thus may be the consequence But of these two choise is made as of those our nature stood most in need of Out of grace we were and without grace as Sinners and in errors wandring up an downe as even the best of our nature did at his comming into the flesh This is the state He found us in when He came among us Eph. 1.6 Ver. 16. Against the first gratificavit nos in Dilecto He brought us in grace againe through His Beloved SONNE Gratiam pro gratiâ he saith after streight for the grace His Sonne had with Him He received us to grace Against the later He brought us Truth to set us in the right way Via Veritas Vita Veritas betweene both Via veritas or veritas viae the true way Vitae veritas or veritas vitae Ioh. 14.6 the true life that is Life eternall We cannot be without either This for our need But within a verse after I finde these two set in opposition to the Lawe Ver. 17. and the Lawe to them as if S. Iohn pointed us whereto we should refer them The Lawe full of rigour many threats and curses in it CHRIST bringeth the word of Grace opposeth to that The Lawe full of emptie shadowes and Ceremonies which Truth is set against Corpus autem CHRISTVS CHRIST the very body to Lex habens vmbram So Colos. 2.17 Heb. 10.1 requisite to quit us of the Lawe The Lawe the Word that marred flesh The bringing of these two together is a great matter and together they must be Grace take it from Truth and it is fallax but a vizour but a meere illusion Truth sever it from grace and it is ingrata but an unpleasing thing Grace and Truth kept in sunder and never met before but when the Word and flesh met then did they meet and kisse each other sayth the Prophet Pâ—al 85.10 and doth with a whole psalme celebrate this meeting They must meet and Grace be first as here We shall never endure the severitie of His Truth Grace first then Truth unlesse Grace come before and allay it But when Grace hath brought us to Him Truth will hold us with Him By Grace we shall accomplish what Truth requireth at our hands that so receiving Grace and walking in Truth we may come to the third the reward of both Glorie Full of both Luke 1 2â— Act. 7.55 Ioh. 3.34 Full of them and the word would not be passed Wee finde others full of grace as his Blessed Mother and as S. Stephen Theirs reacheth not to us None of them have more then serves for themselves For the Spirit is given them but by measure but pleâ—â—â—â—ndo vasis in them the fulnesse of a Vessell if ye take any thing out to poure into another it is the lesse for it But His is plenitudo fontis the fulnesse of a fountaine which is never drawne drie qui implet abyssum non minoratur fills a great poole and it selfe never the lesse Of which fulnesse they all received and He never the emptier We shall not need to goe to any other store-house or helpe to supply or fill up CHRIST with any other as if he were but halfe full He is full full of both Our care is to be to make ourselves fit Vessells and there is all Thus farre Quòd Verbum factum caro Now Quid Verbum carni the Benefite II. Quid Verbum Carni The Bâ—nefit and that which the Benefite ever draweth with it the Duety Quid Caro Verbo 1. Factus caro benefaciet carni being made flesh He will be a Benefactor to it No man ever hated his flâ—sh and no more can He us who are flesh of His flesh or rather He of ours Ephes. 5.29 He seeth us daily in Himselfe He cannot looke upon His flesh but He must thinke upon us And GOD the Father cannot now hate the flesh which the Word is made which is now taken into one person with His onely Sonne and united to the Deitie it selfe If He love the Word He must love it too for the Word is become it either love both or hate both But love it certainly for as this day When He brought His Sonne clothed with it into the World He gave expresse commandement Heb. 1.6 all His Angells should worship Him so clothed and our flesh in Him A new dignity which is this day accrued to our Nature to be adored of the blessed Angells Our Nature questionlesse is set in high favour with GOD GOD send our persons so too and all shall be well Besides good hope we now have that He being now flesh All flesh may come to Him to present Him with their requests Time was when they fled from Him Ps. 65.2 but ad factum carnem jam veniet omnis caro For since He dwelt amongst us all may resort unto Him Yea even Sinners and of them it is sayd Hic recipit peccatores Luc. 15.2.2 comedit cum eis He receiveth them receiveth them even to His Table A second hope that seeing He hath made our flesh His Tabernacle He will not suffer this of ours the same with that of His to fall downe quite and come to nothing the same He dwelleth in himselfe not to perish utterly but repaire it againe Psal. 16.9 and raise it out of the dust So that insuper Caro nostra requiescet in spe our very body may rest in hope to be restored againe and made like to His glorious bodie Phil. 3.21 A third that where it was flesh and bloud shall not inherit the Kingdome of God it is reversed flesh aâ—d bloud shall
that He had made And it was a conveniencie that He should and it was an inducement that He would vndertake the businesse and go through with it 2. What Christ is to us All this He is in Himselfe Yet not so but in all His splendor and glorie He mindeth us And that so as He is desirous to bring us to the ioynt partaking of His inheritance as Sonne of His glorie as the Brightnesse yea of the very Divine nature as the Character of His Substance The ground whereof is laid in quem fecit haeredem whom He made heire and that was as man For per quem fecit we said is GOD Quem fecit is man 1 He is made Heire Made him heire Heires are either borne or made So borne by nature or so made by purchase He was His Sonne and His onely Sonne and so borne His heire He was borne and yet He would be made There is a mysterie in this we are to looke to it It will fall out to concerne us Heire borne He was and so claimeth all as His inheritance by due of birth-right But it is further heer said He was made what meanes this Quem fecit Nay quem genuit That is true But quem fecit is true likewise Fecit haeredem qui prius fuit haeres So borne and so made too Haeres natus and haeres factus So commeth He to a double right two titles How so He needed but one He would have two To what end Not for Himselfe for Himselfe one was enough Beliâ—e His meaning was to have two that He might set over one to some body els There is the point He was borne Heire for Himselfe but made heire for us Haeres natus that serveth Him that He reteines to Himselfe Haeres factus that He disposeth of to us By this we hold euen by Quem fecit that is our tenure and best hope He is and ever was in the bosome of His Father as haeres natus He now is but on our behalfe and to our behoofe at the right hand of His Father as Haeres factus And now followeth He purged our sinnes â— He purgeth our sinnes For He could not bring us to sit with Him in His throne thus purchased being so spotted and foule as we were by meanes of the pollution of our sinnes He was then to purge and make cleane our Nature first that He might exalt it to partake His purchase being so clensed Where first our case is set downe wherein He found us and wherein we are without Him A sinners case how gloriously soever he or she glister in the eyes of men being in GODS eyes as the case of a foule diseased person And we thereby taught so to conceive of sinnes as of foule Spots without or of such humours within as go from us 2 Cor. 7.1 by purging Inquinamenta carnis Spiritus as Saint Paul termes them right defiling both flesh and Spirit which vnlesse they be purged there is no entring into the heavenly Ierusalem where the throne is into which nihil inquinatum Apoc. 21.27 no polluted thing shall ever enter Exalt us He could not being in that plight for love or pitie therefore purge us He would And heer now is the topp or highest point of elevation in this Text. Who being the Brightnesse or though He were the Brightnesse that is a Partie so excellent in Nature Glorie Person and Power Nature as Sonne Glorie as Brightnesse Person as Character Power as maker and supporter of all who though He were all this did not abhorre to come and visit us being in that foule and wretched case This will teach us Psal 84. Luk. â— 78 Domine quid est homo what is man that Thou shouldest visit him Visit him not as the day-spring from an high doth the earth but visit him as if a great Prince should go into an Hospitall to visit and looke on a lothsome diseased creature 2 And not onely visit him but not refuse the base office to looke to his purging from that his vncleannesse 3 And thirdly not cause it to be done by another but to come and do it in Semetipso by his owne selfe in person 4 And fourthly in doing not to stand by and prescribe but Himselfe to minister and make the medicine 5. And fiftly to make it Himselfe and make it of Himselfe in semetipso and de semetipso to make the medicine and be the medicine 6. And how or of what Spots will out with water Some will not with any thing but with blood Without shedding of blood there is no taking away Sinne as Chap. IX v. 22. And not every blood will serve but it must be lambs blood And a lambe 1. Pet. 1.19 without spot And not every lamb neither but the Lamb of GOD or to speake plainely a Lamb that is GOD His blood and nothing els will serve to do this Ioh. 1.29 7. And seventhly not any blood of His not of a veine one may live still for all that but His best most pretious His heart blood which bringeth certaine death with it With that blood He was to make the medicine Dy He must and His side be opened that there might issue both the water and the blood that was to be the Ingredients of it By Himself His own selfe and by Himselfe slaine by His death and by His blood-shedding and by no other meanes Quis audivit talia The Physitian slaine and of his flesh and blood a receipt made that the patient might recover And now we may be at our choise whither we will conceive of sinne as of some outward soile in the soule And then the purging of it to be per viam balnei needs a bath with some cleansing ingredients as the Prophet speakes of the herb Borith Ier. 2.22 And this way purged He us made a bath of the water that came out of His side to that end opened Zach. 11.1 that from thence might flow a fountaine for sinne and for vncleannesse Zach. 11 1. Water and mixed with His blood as forcible to take out the steines of the soule as any herb Borith in the world to take away the soile of the skinne Or whither we will conceive of sinne as of some inward pestilent humour in the soule and conscience casting us into perill of mortall or rather immortall death Then the purging of us to be by way of some Electuarie or Potion And so He purgeth our sinnes too To that end He hath made an Electuarie of His owne bodie Take Mat 26.26.27 eate it and tempered a cup with His owne blood Drink ye all of it which by the operation of His eternall Spirit in it Heb. 9.14 is able effectually to purge the conscience from dead works or actuall sinnes and from the deadly effect of them No balsame or medicine in the world like it The Summe of all is There be two defiling sinnes and two waies He purgeth
them Cleane we are from the first as washed from the originall vncleannesse of our Nature and that by the Laver of regeneration And whole we are as purged within T it 3 5. from the actuall sinnes of our persons and that by the cup of the New Testament 1. Cor. 10.16 which we blesse in His Name And the blood of IESVS CHRIST purgeth us from our sinnes 1. Ioh 1.7 By both He purgeth us from both And this for His purging And is set downe Of which we are not to conceive 3 And sitteth at the right hand c. as of a thing meerely touching Him that His labour being done He took his rest and there is all But that this His sitting downe is a taking possession of that His deare made purchase And that not in His owne name He had it before He was in glorie and in the selfe same glorie with His Father before ever the world was This Haeres factus pertaineth to us as done for us not for Himselfe who needed it not nor could have any vse of it These two between them comprehend all even all we can wish 1 to be purged of the one 2 and to be seised of the other They follow well For to what end purged He us To leave us there No but for some further matter which though it be last in execution was first in intention Having so cleansed us not content with that it was His purpose further to bring us to glorie that is to no lesse matter then to fit on His throne with Him purchased by Him for no other end And these two Purging and Sitting downe in the throne as the Alpha and Omega the first and the last of that He doth for us And so in them is all well represented Purging our sinnes the first Sitting in the throne the last To purge our sinnes He began this day the first day the day of His Birth wherein He purified and sanctified by His holy Nativitie the originall vncleannesse of ours And Sit in the throne was His last work on the last day of His Ascension Then tooke He possession in our names 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith the Apostle as forerunner for us C. 6. Ver. ult The degrees of this Exaltation be these 1 First A throne it is and that is not every seate but a speciall and cheife and honorable seate 2 And secondly of thrones there be some inferiour as the thrones of Iustice This is the highest for it is a throne of Maiestie 3 Thirdly It is in excelsis and that maketh up all For the thrones heer below even of Maiestie sooner or later they that sitt in them must come downe from them But the throne on high Thy seat ô GOD is for ever and ever Not fading and transitory Psal. 45.7 as ours heer 4 Fourthly in this throne Set He is And Sitting is the site or position of rest that is rest in glory Heer where most glorie least rest 5 And fiftly on the right hand which is on the throne the best and next place to GOD Himselfe And by this Verse 13. are we above the Angells for to which of them as the Apostle after deduceth said He at any time Sitt on my right hand No but stand before me as ministring spiritts all Verse 14. Or when they rest it is on the other hand the right hand is kept for us and possessed already by one in our Nature who in this seat will not sit alone Sed consedere nos secum fecit in coelestibus Eph. 2.6 Even now we sit there in Him and shall there sit with Him in the end So He promiseth in expresse terms Apoc 3.21 that we shall sit with Him in His throne as He doth in His Fathers And so not in the throne will He be above us but onely that He in the middest and we on His right hand III. Our duty to Christ. Our duety then is for His excellencie to honor Him for His Power to feare Him for His love shewed reciprocally to love Him againe for His hope promised truly to serve Him GOD for His part would have His servants the Prophetts will used but how ever they in times past were regarded by them this He makes full accompt of if He send His Sonne we will not faile but reverence Him Specially such a SONNE of such glorie Mat. 21.37 such power and above all of such love towards us to provoke ours againe And againe of such ability to reward with eternall glorie as He will even buy our service at Who gives more and pay us for it to the full with no lesse wages then a throne of glorie 1. As a Prophet speaking This in generall More particular In three termes He is sett out to us heer in the text 1 Speaking 2 Purging and 3 Sitting as a Prophet He speakes as a Priest purges as a King sits Speaking our duty is to heare Him to lay up His sayings in our heart Two markes His word hath heer 1 fecit and 2 sustinet made and makes continue Let it have the same in us In the Sermon time something is begunn to be made in us but it continueth not which sheweth it is not verbum virtutis to us Againe let it not be as a Brightnesse only to be seen by us but as a Character too to leave a marke behinde it to be seen on us and then it is right Now hodie si vocem To day if yee will heare His voice yee can heare none but vagitum infantis Psal. 95.8 such a voice as useth to come from a new borne babe And even so He speaks to us if we can understand For even this Verbum to be infans and Tonans to be vagiens He to send forth such a voice it speaketh humilitie I am sure and great love that so would humble it self it we have eares to heare it When He that was the brightnesse of His Fathers glorie should be so eclipsed He that sitts on the throne thus be throwen in a manger 2. As a Priest purging Prophetts spake but purged not Purging was ever the Priests office It is true the word He speakes hath a mundifying vertue Iam mundi estis Now are ye cleane It clenseth then But not that only nor principally For the medicine which purgeth ex proprietate His flesh and bloud goe to it By which will we are sanctified even by the offering of the bodie of IESVS C. 10.10 That blood of IESVS CHRIST cleanseth us from all Sinne 1. Ioh. 1.7 These the true ingredients into this medicine But better yet if both goe togither And this day they first came togither the Word and Flesh therefore of all daies this day they would not be parted For will you sever the flesh from the Word that day on which GOD joyned them GOD forbid There is a correspondencie between the Word and His brightnesse and between the Sacrament and His Character
The Word giveth a light and His brightnesse sheweth in it ad horam and not much longer The parts of the Sacrament they are permanent and sticke by us they are a remembrance of the Characters made in His skinne and flesh And if yee seeke to be ridd of your sinnes this was broken for you and this was shed for you for that very end for the remission of sinns And so yee receive His Person even Semetipsum And in Semetipso in His Person it was He purged our sinns And so that a sure way Lastly for Sitting that is His kingdome 3. As a King Sitting c. that is kept for dies novissimorum novissimus the last day indeed That is yet in hope only The same flesh that cleansed our sinnes the same now sitteth on the throne and so hath both vertues for the present a power to purge for the future a power likewise to exalt The same blood is the blood of sacrifice for remission of sinns and the blood of the New Testament for the passing to us the bequest which is the right of His Purchase for which He was made Heire And the very Angells who this day adored Him in our flesh and it in Him therby shewed plainely not the purging onely but the exalting of it also Luk. 2.13.14 by this Dayes worke And that to day wherein they sang alowd in the skie we have cause to make much of and to rejoyce in it the Day of the greatest Glorie to GOD peace to the earth and goodwill towards men that ever rose upon the world GOD grant that we may so hold this first feast with Christian joy as we may hold that last with like joy and be found as cheerefull in it A SERMON PREACHED before the KINGS MAIESTIE at White-hall on Saturday the XXV of December A. D. MDCXIII being CHRIST-MASSE day IOHN CHAP. VIII VER LVI ABRAHAM Pater vester exultavit ut videret Diem meum vidit gavisus est Your Father ABRAHAM rejoyced to see my Day and he saw it and was glad HEER is Ioy Ioy at a sight at the sight of a Day and that day CHRISTS It is CHRIST that calleth it heer diem meum His day And no day so properly His as His Birth Day So the Text comes full upon the Day But to deduce it poynt by poynt First CHRIST hath a Day proper to Him which in expresse termes He calleth heere diem meum my day Secondly This Day to be seen is a day of Ioy. Double ioy 1 Exultavit and 2 Gavisus est both in the Text. And thirdly which is somewhat strange It was so to the Patriarch ABRAHAM Him we finde heer doing that which we now are about Seeing and rejoycing at the sight of CHRISTS Day taking notice of it and taking Ioy in it Lastly all this nothing displeasing to our SAVIOVR CHRIST for it is spoken by Him to the praise of Abraham that did it and to the dislike of the Iewes that did it not To them is this speech CHRIST tells them of Abrahams doing it and blames them for not doing the like And what are we now disposing ourselves to do but even the very same that is in the Text heer to rejoyce to see CHRISTS Day And a threefold warrant we have in this Verse to do as we do 1. The Patriarch's doing it 2. CHRISTS allowance of the doing of it 3. And His dislike of the Iewes for not doing it We have ABRAHAM for our example we do but as he did In his time CHRIST's Day was a Day of Ioy and a Day of Ioy is a Feast and so holden by Him we see Which falls out much to our content For the same Feasts the same Religion So we find by this that he and we are of one Religion One in substance which is CHRIST One in circumstance which is His Day CHRIST himselfe Abrahams Ioy Nay His Day Abrahams Ioy too The same meum that is CHRIST the same Diem that is Christmasse Then which is another degree Abrahams Example approved of by CHRIST and that after somewhat a strange manner For it is not heer if you mark it Exultavit vt videret Me But vt videret Diem meum He makes His Day the object of all this exultation and Ioy. His Day I say and not Himselfe commends him that he reioyced at the sight not of Himselfe but of it Verily this speech of His is much to the honour of His Day and the very solemnity of the Feast and all the Ioy and gladnesse thereon may well be thought to have been founded upon this speech of His. Alwaies if Exultavit vt videret were a praise to Him We may be sure Exultavit cum videret can be no dispraise to us Add thirdly Abrahams example approved by CHRIST Not so approved as he leaves it at liberty They that will may do the like But that He reproves them that do it not For He blames the Iewes heer for not doing herein as Abraham Your Father Abraham did it you do it not Which is against them that have a spleene at this Feast that think they can Ioy in Him well enough and set His Day by Nay and abrogate it quite and in so doing they Ioy in Him all the better Nay love Him love His feast Ioy not in it nor in Him neither You shall see how they are mistaken Therefore they do so they tell us lest observing dayes and times they should seeme to Iudaïze It falls out quite contrary For Gal. 4 10 who are they whom CHRIST heer blameth are they not Iewes And wherefore blameth He them for not doing as Abraham And what did Abraham Reioyce on his Day So upon the point it will fall out that not to rejoyce on His Day that is indeed to Iudaïze and they little better than these Iewes that follow them in it Nay heer is another thing yet will grieve them more Iewes they shall be But none of Abrahams Children No more than these were Observe it well It is the Occasion of this speech the very issue CHRIST takes with them Pater noster Abraham was still in their mouthes in the 33 39.53 Verses If saith CHRIST you were His Children mark that If ye would patrissare desire what He desired and Ioy what He Ioyed in Now My Day he so highly esteemed as glad he was that He might see it And you that would so faine father your selves upon Him are so farr from that as what He desired absent ye despise present what He would have been the better to see ye are the worse that ye see it Now then how are these Abrahams Children that have nothing of Abraham in them Before at the 40. Verse Ye seeke to kill me for telling the truth This did not Abraham and ye do it Heer now againe He rejoyced in my day And ye do it not Do that he did not do not that He did How can these be Abraham's sonnes Verily as it is in
be joy among the Angells in heaven to heare their Hymne kept still alive Though there is another congruitie for the Sacrament That the great Mysterie of Godlinesse 1. Tim. 3.16 which is GOD manifested in the flesh might not be celebrated without the Mysterie of His flesh that the day He came among us to be partaker of flesh and blood we also might be partakers of the flesh and blood which He tooke from us to give them us againe But otherwise this Day in this Hymne and this hymne in this Day continually have a speciall interest Time in Musique is much And if we will keep time with the Angells do it when they do it this day they did it And what fitter time to sing it then the day it was first soong the day of the first singing of it Canticum diei in die cantici When should the hymne of CHRISTS birth be better soong then on CHRISTS birth day But because it is not Vox but Votum the voice is not all but the hearts desire and wish it is that GOD chiefly respecteth to add that And what should we wish from our hearts but that the Angells may have their wish Every one may have his due as it is heer sett out And for that Nihil aequius est quam ut pro quo quis oret pro eo laboret what we wish for we should not stand wishing only but endeavour with-all it may come to passe that it be our labour too with all our endeavours to procure the glorie of heaven and the peace of the earth To find peace in the goodwill of GOD and to give Him all glorie for it who hath appoynted peace our portion heere and glorie our hope layd up there Assuring our selves that the same 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that was hable to bring the SONNE of GOD from heaven into earth shall have the like power to lift up the Sonnes of men from earth to the glorie of heaven There with the blessed Angells to sing this glorious Hymne eternally No more of wish then but of fruition and so of everlasting Gratulation A SERMON PREACHED before the KINGS MAIESTIE at White-hall on Moonday the XXV of December A. D. MDCXX being CHRIST-MASSE day MATT. II. VER I. II. Cum ergo natus esset IESVS in Bethlehem Iudae in diebus Herodis Regis Ecce Magi ab Oriente venerunt Ierosolymam dicentes Vbi est qui natus est Rex Iudaeorum Vidimus enim stellam Ejus in Oriente venimus adorare Eum. When IESVS then was borne at Bethlehem in Judaea in the daies of Herod the King Behold there came Wise men from the East to Jerusalem saying Where is the King of the Jewes that is borne For we have seene His starre in the East and are come to worship Him WE passe now this yeare from the Shepheards and the Angells to the Wise men and their Starr This Starr and their comming no lesse proper to this Day then those other were For though they came not to Hierusalem this day yet this day venerunt ab Oriente from the East they came They set forth this very day For they came when IESVS was borne And this day was He borne Howsoever the Starr brought them not to their journeys end till twelve dayes hence yet this day it first shewed it selfe how soone IESVS was borne vidimus stellam it appeared streight For which very appearing you shall find the Fathers of the East Church doe call this first day 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 aswell as the last This first wherein His Starr appeared and they began their journey That last wherein He appeared himselfe and their iourney was at an end First and last an Appearing there was One beginnes the other ends the Feast We passe from one of them to the other but from the lesse to the greater For of the twaine this is the Greater Greater in it selfe Greater to us Two waies greater in it selfe Th' other of the Shepheards a poore one poore and meane This of the Wise men a Signe of some State high and heavenly Esay 7.11 GOD bad Ahaz ask a Signe Ask one from heer below or one from the height above He would aske neither but GOD gave both From below Hoc erit Signum you shall find the babe in a manger Luk. 2.12 Low enough That we have done withall Now from above Ecce vidimus stellam The Signe from Heaven His new Starr Besides to speake vprightly one might in some sort complaine of the privatenesse of the Angells appearing Somewhat obscure it was few priuy to it passed over in the night betweene the Angells and them And upon it three or foure Shepheards got them into the stable and what there they did no man could take notice of More famous and more Manifestation-like was this heer A new Light kindled in heaven A Starr never seene before The world could not but looke up at it and ask what it meant Mal. 19.4 Nothing appeareth there but the Sound of it goeth out into all lands and the newes of it to the vtmost parts of the earth This made another manner venerunt upon this came there to Hierusalem not a rout of Shepheards but a of troope Great Persons And not from a heath or Sheep common hard by but from a farr from the East twelve daies journey of All Hierusalem rang of it The King Priests and People busied with it To this day remembred in all Stories It cannot be forgotten For this was not done in a corner This was indeed a Manifestation Acts 26.26 Better in it selfe thus And for us Better For us all For we all hold by this It was a brack in the former The Sermon was made and the Antheme soong and none at it but the Shepheards And what were they Iewes What is that to us This Scripture offereth more grace Iam. 4.6 These heer that came from the East first they were Gentiles Gentiles that concernes us for so are we We may then looke out if we can see this Starr It is ours it is the Gentiles Starr We may set our course by it to seeke and find and worship Him as well as they This is for us all But there is yet more grace offered to some in particular The Shepheards were a sort of poore simple men altogether unlearned But heer come a troope of men of great Place high account in their countrey And withall of great Learned men their name gives them for no lesse This lo falls somewhat proper to this Place and Presence that will be glad to heare it It is faustum salutare Sydus to such that wealth worth or wisedome shall hinder none but they may have their parts in CHRISTS birth aswell as those of low degree It is not onely Stella Gentium but Stella Magorum The Great Meâ—s the Wise mens Starr this So quoad nos for us it fitteth well And quoad se of it selfe it is fit every way This Starr
is fixed upon the print of the neiles and on the hole in the side of him that vvas pierced for us So that this fourth duty CHRIST himselfe layeth upon us and vvilleth us from his own mouth Respice Crede 5 Respice â—pera And beleeving this of him what is there the eye of our hope shall not look for from him What would not he do for us that for us would suffer all this Rom. 8.32 It is S. PAVL 's argument If GOD gave his Sonne for us how shall he denie us any thing with Him That is Respice Spera Looke upon him and his heart opened and from that gate of hope promise thy selfe and looke for all manner of things that good are Which our expectation is reduced to these two 1 The deliverance from the evill of our present miserie 2 and the restoring to the good of our primitive felicitie By the death of this undefiled Lambe as by the yearely Passeover looke for and hope for a passage out of Egypt which spiritually is our redemption from the servitude of the power of darknesse And as by the death of the Sacrifice we looke to be freed from whatsoever evill So by the death of the High Priest looke we for and hope for restitution to all that is good even to our forfeited estate in the land of Promise which is Heaven it selfe where is all joy and happinesse for evermore Respice Spera Looke and Looke for by the Lambe that is pierced to be freed from all miserie by the High Priest that is pierced fruition of all felicity Now inasmuch as His heart is pierced and his side opened 6 Respice Recipe the opening of the one and the piercing of the other is to the end somewhat may flow forth To which end saith Saint Augustine Vigilanti verbo usâ—s est Apostolus the Apostle was well advised when he used the word opening for there issued out water and blood which make the sixt effect Respice Recipe Marke it running out and suffer it not to runne waste but receive it Of the foâ—mer the water the Prophet speaketh in the first words of the next Chapter that out of his pierced side a Zach 13.1 GOD opened a fountaine of water to the house of Israel for sinne and for uncleannesse Of the fulnesse whereof we all have received in the Sacrament of our Baptisme Of the later the blood which the Prophet in the b Zac. 9.11 IX Châ—pter before calleth the blood of the New Testament we may receive this day for it will runn in the high and holy Mysteries of the Body and Blood of CHRIST There may we be partakers of the flesh of the c Psal 116.13 Morning-Hart as upon this day killed There may we be partakers of the d 1. Pet. 1.19 Cup of salvation the precious blood e Matt 26.28 which was shedd for the remission of our sinnes Our part it shall be not to accompt the f Heb. 10.29 blood of the Testament an unholy thing and to suffer it to runne in vaine for all us but with all due regard to receive it so running for even therefore was it shedd And so to the former to add this sixt Respice Recipe And shall we alway receive grace 7 Râ—spiâ—â— Retiâ—ont even streames of grace issuing from Him that is pierced and shall there not from us issue something backe againe that he may look for and receive from us that from him have and do daily receive so many good things No doubt there shall if love which pierced Him have pierced us aright And that is no longer to hold you with these effects Respice Retribue For it will even behove us no lesse then the Psalmist Psal. 116.13 to enter into the consideration of Quid retribuam Especially since we by this day both see and receive that which he and many others desired to see and receive and could not Or if we have nothing to render yet our selves to returne with the Samaritan and falling downe at his feet with a loud voice to glorifie His goodnesse who finding us in the estate that other Samaritane found the forlorne and wounded man healed us by being wounded himselfe and by his owne death restored us to life For all which his kindnesse if nothing will come from us not so much as a kind and thankfull acknowledgement we are certainly worthy He should restrein the fountaine of his benefits which hitherto hath flowen most plenteously and neither let us see nor feels him any more But I hope for better things that love such and so great love will pierce us and cause both other fruicts and especially thoughts of thankfulnesse to issue from us Thus many and many more if the time would serve But thus many severall uses may we have of thus many severall respects or reflexed looking upon HIM whom we have pierced 3. With enforcement of themselves Respicere se facient Thirdly facient serespicere For the HOLY GHOST did easily foresee vve would not readily be brought to the sight or to use our eyes to so good an end Indeed to flesh and blood it is but a dull and heavy spectacle And neither willingly they begin to look upon it and having begun are never well till they have done and looke off of it againe Therfore is the Verbe by the Prophet put into this Coniugation of purpose which to turne in strict propriety is Respicere se facient rather then Respicient They shall procure or cause or even enioine or enforce themselves to looke upon it or as one would say looke that they looke upon it For some new and strange spectacle though vaine and idle and which shall not profit us how strange soever we cause our selves sometimes to take a journey and besides our paines are at expenses too to behold them we will not only look upon but even cause our selves to look upon vanities and in them we have the right use of facient se respicere And why should we not take some paines and even enioine our selves to looke upon this being neither farre off nor chargeable to come to and since the looking on it may so many waies so mainly profit us Verily it falleth out oft Matt. 11.12 that of CHRIST 's violenti rapiunt illud Nature is not enclined and where it is not enclined force must be offered which we call in Schooles Actumelicitum Which very act by us undertaken for GOD and as here at His word is unto him a Sacrifice right acceptable Therfore facias or facfacias do it willingly or do it by force Do it I say for done it must be Set if before you and looke on it or if you list not remove it and set it full before you though it be not with your ease Respice Looke backe upon it with some paine for one way or other looke upon it we must The necessity whereof
And that if he endured and no more but that it might suffice it is worth all we have for all we have we will give for our life But not death only Phil. 3.8 but the kind of death is it Mortem mortem autem Crucis saith the Apostle doubling the point Death he endured even the death of the Crosse. The Crosse is but a little word but of great contents but few letters but in those few letters are conteined multa dictu gravia perpessu aspera heavy to be named more heavie to be endured I take but the foure things ascribed by the HOLY GHOST to the Crosse answerable to the foure ends or quarters of it 1 Sanguis Crucis Colos. 1.20 2 Dolores crucis Acts 1.2 3 Scandalum Crucis Gal. 5.11 4 Maledictum Crucis Gal. 3.13 that is The death of the Crosse is all these foure a 1 bloody 2 dolefull 3 scandalous 4 accursed death 1. Though it be but a cold comfort yet a kind of comfort it is if dye we must that our death is mors sicca a drie not sanguis Crucis not a bloodie death 2. We would dye when we dye an easie not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not a tormenting death 3. We desire to dye with credit if it might be if not without scandall scandalum crucis 4. At least-wise to go to our graves and to dye by an honest ordinary and by no meanes by an accursed death maledictum Crucis In the Crosse are all these all foure The two first are in the Crosse The two latter in the shame For the Crosse and the shame are in very deed two Crosses the shame a second Crosse of it selfe To see then as in a short time shortly That of the Poët nec siccâ morte Tyranni sheweth plainly it is no poore priviledge to dye without effusion of blood And so it is 1. For a blessing it is and our wish it is we may live out our time and not dye an untimely death Where there is effusion of blood there is ever an untimely death 2. Yet every untimely death is not violent but a bloody death is violent and against nature and we desire to pay Nature her debt by the way of Nature 3. A violent death one may come to as in warre sanguis belli best sheweth it yet by valor not by way of punishment This death is poenall not as all death stipendium peccati but as evill men's death vindicta sceleris an execution for some Capitall offense 4. And not every crime neither Fundetur sanguis is the punishment of Treason and other more heynous crimes to dye embrued in their owne blood And even they that dye so dye not yet so evill a death as do they that dye on the Crosse. It is another case where it is sanguis mortis the blood and life go away togither at once another when it is sanguis crucis when the blood is shedd and the party still in full life and sense as on the crosse it was the blood first and the life a good while after This is sanguis Crucis an 1 vntimely 2 violent 3 poenall 4 poenall in the highest degree there bleeding out his blood before he dye and then dye When blood is shed it would be no more then needs shed it would be not poured out Or if so at one part the necke or throat not at all parts at once But heer was fundetur havock made at all parts His Passion as he termeth it a second Baptisme a River of blood Mar. 10 3â— and he even hable to have been baptized in it as he was in Iordan And where it would be Summa parsimonia etiam vilissimi sanguinis no waste no not of the basest blood that is waste was made heer And of what blood Sanguis IESV the blood of IESVS and who was He Sure by vertue of the union Personall GOD and so this blood blood of GOD 's owne bleeding every dropp whereof was precious more precious then that whereof it was the price the world it selfe Nay more worth then many worlds yea if they were ten thousand Yet was this blood wastfully spilt as water upon the ground The fundetur and the qui heere will come into consideration both This is sanguis Crucis and yet this is not all neither there is more yet For the blood of the Crosse was not onely the blood of Golgotha but the blood of Gabbatha too For of all deaths this was peculiar to this death the death of the Crosse that they that were to be crucified were not to be crucified alone which is the blood of Golgoâ—ha but they must be whipped too before they were crucified which is the blood of Gabbatha a second death yea worse then death it selfe And in both these places He bledd and in either place twise They rent His body with the 1 whipps they goard His head with the 2 thornes both these in Gabbatha And againe twise in Golgotha when they 1 nailed his hands and his feet when he was 2 thrust to the heart with the speare This is sanguis Crucis It was to be stood on a little we might not passe it It is that whereon our faith depends Rom. 3.25 Coloss. 1.20 Per fidem in sanguinem Ipsius By it he is Author of our faith Faith in GOD and Peace with GOD both Pacificans in sanguine Crucis Pacifying all with the blood of the Crosse. Now this bloody whipping and neyling of His is it which bringeth in the second point of paine that it was not blood alone without paine as in the opening of a veine but it was blood and paine both The tearing and mangling of his flesh with the whipps thornes and nailes could not choose but be exceeding painfull to Him Paines we know are increased much by cruell and made more easie by gentle handling and even the worst that suffer we wish their execution as gentle and with as little rigour as may be All rigour all crueltie was shewed to Him to make His paines the more painfull In Gabbatha they did not whip Him saith the Psalmist they ploughed his back and made not stripes but long furrowes upon it They did not put on His wreath of thornes Psal. 129.3 and presse it downe with their hands but beat it on hard with batts to make it enter through skinne flesh skull and all They did not in Golgotha pierce his hands and feet but made wide holes like that of a spade as if they had been digging in some ditch Psal. 22.16 These were paines and cruell paines But yet these are not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Holy Ghost's word in the Text Those are properly streining paines paines of torture The Rack is devised as a most exquisite paine even for terror And the Crosse is a rack Psal. 22.14 whereon he was stretched till saith the Psalme all his bones were out of joint But even to stand as He hung three long hours
works whereby we may die to sinne There the bread of GOD which shall endue our soules with much strength yea multiplie strength in them to live vnto GOD Ioh. 6.33 yea to live to him continually for he that eateth His flesh and drinketh His bloud Ioh. 6.56 dwelleth in Christ and Christ in him not inneth or sojourneth for a time but dwelleth continually And never can we more truly or properly say In Christo Iesu Domino nostro as when we come new from that holy Action for then He is in us and we in Him indeed And so we to make full accompt of this service as a speciall meanes to further us to make up our Easter daye 's accompt and to sett off a good part of our charge In CHRIST dropping upon us the annointing of His grace In Iesus who will be readie as our SAVIOVR to succour and support us with his Auxilium speciale His speciall helpe Without which assisting us even grace it selfe is many times faint and feeble in us And both these because He is our Lord who having come to save that which was lost will not suffer that to be lost which He hath saved Thus vsing His owne ordinance of Prayer of the Word and Sacrament for our better enhabling to discharge this daies dutie we shall I trust yeeld up a good accompt and celebrate a good Feast of His Resurrection Which Almighty GOD grant c. A SERMON Preached before the KING'S MAIESTIE AT WHITE-HALL On the V. of Aprill A. D. MDCVII being EASTER DAY I. COR. CHAP. XV. VER XX. Nunc autem CHRISTVS resurrexit a mortuis primitiae dormientium But now is CHRIST risen from the dead and was made the first fruicts of them that sleepe THE same Apostle that out of CHRIST 's Resurrection taught the Romanes matter of duty the same heere out of the same resurrection teacheth the Corinthians matter of hope There similiter vos by way of patterne to conforme our selves to Him in newnesse of life Rom. 6.4 Phi. 3.21 Anâ— heer similiter vos in another sense by way of promise that so doing He shall heerafter conforme us to Himselfe change our vile bodies and make them like His glorious body That former is our first resuâ—rection from sinne This later our second resuâ—rection from the grave This the reward of that In that the worke what to doe In this our reward what to hope for These two Labour and Hope the Church joyneth in one Antheme to day her first Antheme They sort well and being soong together make a good harmonie But that without this labour without hope is no good musique To rise and to reclaime our selves from a sinfull course of life we have long lived in is labour sure and great labour Now labour of it selfe is a harsh unpleasant thing unlesse it be seasoned with hope Debet qui arat in spe arare saith the Apostle above Chap 9.10 at the IX Chap. in the matter of the Clergie's maintenance He that plowes must plow in hope his plough will not goe deepe els his furrowes wil be but shallow Men may frame to themselves what speculations they please but the Apostle's saying will prove true sever hope from labor and you must looke for labor and labourers accordingly sleight and shallow GOD knoweth Labour then leades us to hope The Apostle saw this and therefore is carefull whom he thus presseth to newnesse of life and the labour thereof to raise for them and to set before them matter of hope Hope heer in this life he could set them none They were as he was himselfe at quotidiè morior Ver. 31. every houre in danger to be drawen to the block It must therefore be from another or at least as the Text is by a hope of being restored to life againe It was their case at Corinth heer in this chapter plainly If we must die to morrow if there be all that shall become of us then let us eat and drinke while we may If we be not sure of another life Ver 32. let us make sure of this But when in the sequele of the chapter he had shewed there was a restoring and that so sure he was of it that he falls to insult over them in these termes they gird up their loynes again and fall to their labours a fresh as knowing their labour should not be in vaine in the LORD This hope leades us to our restoring Ver. 32. Our restoring is but a promise shall be restored that necessarily referrs to a Party that is to make it good Who is that CHRIST Eccles 9.4 CHRIST is our hope Why hope is ioyned to the living saith the Wise-man CHRIST is dead buried last Fryday If He be our hope and He be dead our hope is dead too And if our hope be dead our labour will not live long nay both are buried with CHRIST in His grave It was their ease this day Luc. 24.21 that went to Emmaüs say they supposing CHRIST to be dead nos autem sperabamus we were once in good hope by Him that is while He lived as much to say as now He is in His grave our hope is gone we are even going to Emmaüs But then after as soon as they saw He was alive againe their hope revived and with their hope their labour and presently back againe to Ierusalem to the Lord's worke and bad Emmaüs farewell So He leads us to labour labour to hope hope to our restoring our restoring to CHRIST 's who as He hath restored Himselfe will restore us also to life And this keeps us from going to Emmaüs It is used proverbially Emmaüs signifieth a people forlorne all that are at sperabamus have lost their hopes are sayd to goe thither and thither we should all goe even to Emmaüs but for the hope that breathes from this verse without which it were a cold occupation to be a Christian. This then is the hope of this text spes viva spes beata worth all hopes els whatsoever All hopes els are but spes spirantium hopes while we breath This is spes expirantium the hope when we can fetch our breath no longer The carnall man all he can say is dum spiro spero his hope is as long as his breath The Christian aspireth higher goeth further by vertue of this verse and saith dum expiro spero Iob. 29 17. his hope failes him not when his breath failes him Even then saith Iob reposita est mihi spes in sinu meo this hope and onely this is layd up in our bosome that though our life be taken from us yet in CHRIST we to it and it to us shall be restored againe Our case is not as theirs then was No persecution nor we at quotidiè morior and therefore not so sensible of this doctrine But yet to them that are daily falling toward death rising to life is a good text Peradventure not when we are well
with the fields that we need a feast of first fruits a day of consecration every yeere By something or other we grow un-hallowed and need to be consecrate anew to re-seize us of the first fruits of the Spirit again At least to awake it in us as Primitiae dormientium at least That which was given us and by the fraud of our enemie or our owne negligence or both taken from us and lost we need to have restored that which we have quenched to be light anew that which we have cast into a dead sleepe 1. Th. 5..19 Ephes. 5.14 awaked up from it If such a new consecrating we need what better time then the feast of first fruits the sacring time under the Lawe and in the Gospell the day of CHRIST 's rising our first fruits by whom we are thus consecrate The day wherein He was himselfe restored to the perfection of His Spirituall life the life of glorie is the best for us to be restored in to the first fruits of that spirituall life the life of Grace IV. The Application to the Sacrament And if we aske what shall be our meanes of this consecrating The Apostle telleth us Heb. 10.10 we are sanctified by the Oblation of the bodie of IESVS That is the best meanes to restore us to that life He hath said it and shewed it himselfe He that eateth Me shall live by Me. The words spoken concerning that are both Spirit and Life Ioh. 6.57.63 whither we seeke for the Spirit or seek for Life Such was the meanes of our death by eating the forbidden fruit the first fruits of death and such is the meanes of our life by eating the flesh of CHRIST the first fruits of life And herein we shall very fully fit not the time only and the meanes but also the manner For as by partaking the flesh and blood the substance of the first Adam we came to our death so to life we cannot come unlesse we do participate with the flesh and blood of the second Adam that is CHRIST We drew death from the first by partaking his substance and so must we draw life from the second by the same This is the way become branches of the Vine and partakers of his nature and so of his life and verdure both So the time the meanes the manner agree What letteth then but that we at this time by this meanes and in this manner make our selves of that conspersion whereof CHRIST is our first fruits by these meanes obteining the first fruits of His Spirit of that quickning Spirit which being obteined and still kept or in default thereof still recovered shall heer begin to initiate in us the first fruits of our restitution in this life whereof the fulnesse we shall also be restored unto in the life to come As Saint Peter calleth that time the time of the restoring of all things Then shall the fulnesse be restored us too Act. 3.21 when GOD shall be all in all not some in one and some in another but all in all Atque hic est vitiae finis pervenire ad vitam cujus non est finis This is the end of the Text and of our life to come to a life whereof there is no end To which c. A SERMON PREACHED BEFORE THE KING'S MAIESTIE AT VVHITE-HALL on the XXVII of March A. D. MDCVIII being EASTER DAY MAR. CHAP. XVI Et cum transisset Sabbatum c. VER 1. And when the Sabbath day was past Marie Magdalen and Marie the mother of Iames and Salome bought sweet ointments that they might come and embalme Him 2. Therefore early in the morning the first day of the weeke they came unto the Sepulcher when the Sunne was yet rising 3. And they said one to another Who shall roll us away the stone from the doore of the Sepulcher 4. And when they looked they saw that the stone was rolled away for it was a very great one 5. So they went into the Sepulcher and saw a yong man sitting at the right side clothed in a long white robe And they were afraid 6. But he said unto them Be not afraid Ye seeke IESVS OF NAZARET which hath beene crucified He is risen He is not heere Behold the place where they put Him 7. But goe your way and tell His Disciples and PETER thâ—t He will goe before you into Galilee there shall ye see Him as He said vnto you THE Summe of this Gospell is a Gospell that is The Summe a message of good tydings In a message these three points fall in naturally 1 The Parties to whom it is brought 2 The Partie by whom 3 And The Message it selfe These three 1. The Parties to whom Three women the three Maries 2. The Partie by whom an Angell 3. The Message it selfe the first newes of Christ's rising againe These three make the three parts in the Text. 1 The Women 2 The Angell 3 The Message Seven verses I have readd ye The first foure concerne the Women The fifth the Angell The two last the Angell's message In the Women we have to consider The Division 1 Themselves in the first 2 Their Iourney in the second and third and 3 Their Successe in the fourth In the Angell 1 The manner of his appearing 2 and of their affecting with it In the Message The newes it selfe 1. That CHRIST is risen 2. That He is gone before them to Galilee 3. That there they shall see Him 4. Peter and all 5. Then the Ite dicite The Commission Ad Evangelizandum not to conceale these good newes but publish it These to his Disciples they to others and so to us we to day and so to the worlds end I. The Parties to whom Three Women AS the Text lyeth the part that first offereth it selfe is The parties to whom this message came Which were three Women Where finding that Women were the first that had notice of Christ's resurrection we stay For it may seeme strange that passing by all men yea the Apostles themselves Christ would have His Resurrection first of all made knowne to that sexe Reasons are rendred of diverse diversly We may be bold to alleage that the Angell doth in the Text Verse 5. Vos enim quaeritis for they sought Christ. And Christ is not vnrighteous to forget the worke and labour of their Love Heb. 6.10 that seeke Him Verily there will appeare more Love and Labour in these Women then in Men even the Apostle's themselves At this time I know not how Men were then become Women and did animos gerere muliebres Ioh. 20.19 and Women were Men Sure the more manly of the twaine The Apostles they satt mured up all the doores fast about them sought not went not to the Sepulcher Ioh. 21.15.20 Neither Peter that loved Him nor Iohn whom He loved till these Women brought them word But these Women we see were last at His Passion and first at His
as where it will not be written he wishes it graven Written where it may but graven where it must But written or graven one of them in us all II. The Object Iâ—bâ— Râ—deemer and his resurrection This for Iob's wish Shall we now passe to the third verse and see what these words be that no paper will serve but stone nor penn but yron nor ynke but lead Great expectation is raised with this so stately an entrie The words be Iob's His Scio and his Spero touching the two articles of this day 1 His Redeemer and His rising 2 and the traine of it His owne rising and his seeing GOD. They beginn with Scio the piller of this faith and end with Haec mihi spes the arch of his hope ever hope giving the assumption to faiths proposition 1. Quòd Redempâ—or Lett 's bâ—ginn with the obiect of his knowledge The first is newes of a Redeemer We owe this word to Iob he the first in the bible that ever named Him so Of the creation we read in Moses and GOD provided well for us that we should no sooner heare of a Creator by Moses but we should of a Redeemer by Iob. For though GOD by right of creation were as saith Melchisedek owner of heaven earth Gen 14 19. yet the creature being subject to vanitie shewed they were gone aliened from GOD. But this is good newes Rom. 8.20 that seeing we were GOD 's not our own he would not see that câ—riâ—d away that was his owne but would be content one should redeeme it back But it is newes to heare that Iob is at his Redeemer Iob with all his innocencie with his so just Iob. 1.8.9.2 3.4 and holy life as GOD himself bare witnesse unto it as Sathan himselfe could not except against it yet he is not at Scio quòd Iudex but Scio quòd Redemptor doth deprecari â—udicem and for all his vertues a Redeemer will doe well though and he in the number of those that are glad to say Scio to take notice of Him From which his Scio his notice taking we take a true estimate of Iob's estate For if he looke after a Redeemer then is he either sold for a Servant or caried away for a Captive one of these For these two only we read of redeemed from Egypt the hâ—use of bondage or redeemed from Babylon the land of their captivitiâ— Saint Paul confesseth both by himselfe Sold under sinne led away captive under the law of sinne Rom. 7.14.23 Iob. 7.20.6.20 Iob confesseth as much Peccavi quid faciam sinned he had and by committing of sinne was become Servus peccati Sold by himselfe and made subiect to sinne and sold by GOD and made subiect to corruption from both which he needed a Redeemer Whither servant or captive one or both it falleth out well that both states are redeemable neither past redemption Sinned that he needs a Redeemer not so sinned but a Redeemer will serve Chap. 3â— 24.26.34.31 GOD is willing saith Elihu to receive a reconciliation to admitt of a Redeemer if we can get us one to lay downe the price there is hope we may be restored to see GOD againe A Redeemer will doe it Why the Scio quòd he knowes of one Good tydings to all that need to know there is one presently in being For then Nunc dimittis may Iob say he may depart in peace dye when he will his Redeemer lives who will never see that perish he hath payd the price for but since He came to redeeme that which was lost will not suffer that to be lost which He hath redeemed This of his Redeemer Now what he beleeves of Him First live he must 2. Quòd Vivit be a living quick thing not dead or without life Silver gold will not doe it our redemption is personall not reall to give somewhat and save himselfe But such a Redeemer as must answer body for body and life for life give himselfe for Iob and those he redeemes so is the nature of the word so the condition of our redeeming There is His person Of what nature out of the word Redeemer Sure if a Redeemer GOD. His Natures GOD. Psal. 49.7.8 Vers. 15. Chap. 15.15.16.25.4.5 The Psalme deduceth at large Man cannot redeeme his brother nor give an attonement unto GOD for him It cost more to redeeme soules so that he must let that alone for ever Then tells he us plainly It is GOD shall redeeme our soule from the hand of hell Iob saith the same in effect In His Saints He found folly and in His Angells pravitatem somewhat awry They both need a Redeemer themselves That they want themselves they cannot performe to others and if neither Saint not Angell then no Redeemer but GOD. On the other side if a Redeemer man he is to be of necessitie And Man So is the flatt law of redemption of persons He must be frater or propinquus Levit. 25.25 Ruth 3.12 a brother or next of bloud els not admitted to redeeme a person That he may be admitted then he must be flesh of our flesh and then he may The very word sheweth it which doth as properly signifie to be next of kinne as to redeeme 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Vpon the point then both He must be Man cannot GOD may not But GOD and man both may and can But what stand we strayning the word Redeemer or the conditions of it Deum in carne when we have both twaine his natures in formall termes immediately in the verse following videbo Deum in carne There is GOD in plaine termes and His flesh is humane flesh and that is man I know in carne there may be construed two waies But I know both waies well and both waies it is taken by the Fathers 1 I in my flesh shall see GOD or 2 I shall see Deum in carne that is Deum incarnatum GOD having taken flesh upon Him This later way I finde Saint Augustine taketh it Videbo Deum in carne quod ad id tempus pertinet cum CHRISTI Deïtas habitu carnis induta est I shall see GOD in my flesh this perteines to the time when the God-head of CHRIST was clothed with the habit of flesh And well both For one depends on the other our seeing GOD in the flesh upon GOD 's being seen in our flesh But Deus in carne are the two natures Now His office is Redeeming How discharges He that How brings He the worke of our redemption to passe Many were His workes concurring to it Quod resurgâ—t His Office Iob singles out and makes choise of one among them all which is the chiefe of all the accomplishment of all and where He shewed Himselfe a compleat Redeemer For then a Redeemer right when He had brought His worke to perfection and that He did when He rose againe So I read rise againe and not stand
any evill at all least of all that but that out of the evill He was hable hable and willing both to draw a farre greater good Greater for good I say then that was for evill And that was Solutionem peccati ex Solutione Templi For we are not to thinke that He would thus downe with it and up with it againe onely to shew them feats and tricks as it were to be wondred at and for no other end No the end was the destroying of sinne by the destroying this Temple It went hard Et vae tibi atrocitas peccati nostri and woe to the heynousnesse of our sinnes for the dissolving whereof neither the Priest might be suffered to live nor the Temple to stand but the Priest be slaine and the Temple be pulled downe Priest and Temple and all be destroyed But sinne was so riveted into our Nature And againe our Nature so incorporate into His as no dissolving the one without the dissolution of the other No way to over-whelme sinne quite but by the fall of this Temple The ruine of it like that of Samson's That the destruction of the Philistines this Iudic. 16.30 the dissolving of all the workes of the Divell It is Saint Iohn's owne terme 1. Ioh. 3.8 Vt Solveret opera Diaboli 2. But neither was this enough yet Neither would He for all this Permitted for another aâ— good have at any hand let it goe downe but that withall He meant to have it up againe presently Never have said Solvite but with an Excitabo streight upon it which is a full amends so that the Temple loses nothing by the loosing The World with us hath seene a Solvite without any excitabo Downe with this but nothing raised in the stead But that is none of His Solvite without excitabo none of CHRIST ' s. We see with one breath He vndertakes it shall up againe and that in a short time There is amends for Solvite And so now with these two limitations vnder these two conditions 1 One of a greater good by it 2 the other of another as good or better in liew of it may Solvite be said permissivè and otherwise not by any warrant from CHRIST or from His example And thus you have heard what He saith Will ye now see what they did b Solvite the doing what became of this Solvite of His Solvite saith he and when time came they did it But he said Solvite that is loose and they cryed Crucifige at the time that is fasten fasten Him to the Crosse but that fastening was His loosing for it lost Him and cost Him his life Which was the Solutum est of this Solvite For indeed Solutum est Templum hoc this Temple of His bodie the spirit from the flesh the flesh from the bloud was loosed quite The roofe of it His head loosed with thornes the foundation His feet with nayles The side Isles as it were His hands both likewise And His bodie as the bodie of the Temple and His heart in the midst of his bodie as the Sanctum Sanctorum with the Speare Loosed all What He said they did and did it home Nay they went beyond their commission and did more then Solvere More then Solvite A thing may be loosed gently without any rigour They loosed Him not but rudely they rent and rived Him one part from another with all extremitie left not one piece of the continuum whole together With their whippes they loosed not but tore His skin and flesh all over with their hammers and nailes they did not Solvere but fodere His hands and feet With the wreath of thornes they loosed not but gâ—red His head round abouâ— and with the Speare point rived the very heart of Him as if He had said to them Dilaâ—iate and not Solvite For as if it had come è laniena it was not Corpus Solutum but lacerum 1. Cor. 11.24 Matt. â—6 â—8 His bodie not loâ—sed but mangled and broken Corpus quod frangitur And His blood not easily let out but spilt and powred out Sanguis qui funditur even like water upon the ground Well is it turned Destroy It is more like a destruction then a soluâ—iâ—n More then Solvite it was sure The Solvite of this Temple sensible Now will ye remember This was a Temple of flesh and bone not one of lime and stone Yet the ragged ruines of one of them demolished will pitie a mans heart to see them and make him say Alas poore stones What have these done yet the stones neither feele their beating downe nor see the deformed plight they lye in But He Sic solutus est vt se solvi sentiret the Solution of His skin flesh hands feet and head He was sensible of all He saw the deformitie He felt the paines of them all The Solvite of his Sweat So saw and so felt as with the very sight and sense before it came there befell Him another Solvite a strange one Solutus est in sudorem the orifices of the veines all over the texture of His bodie Luk. 22.44 were loosed and all His blood let loose that He was all over in a strange sweat stood full of great droppes of blood A Solvite never heard of nor read of but in Him onely The Solvite of the Veile And yet another Solvite For that Solvite Templum hoc might every way be true in all senses verified what time the Veile of His flesh rent that His soule was loosed and departed at the very same instant the Veile of the materiall Temple that split also in two Matt. 27.51 from the top to the bottome as it were for companie or in a sympathie with Him That it was literally true this Solvite and of the Temple that they meant And so two Solvite's of both Temples together at once The great Solvite at his Passion One more yet and I have done with Solvite and that is a Solvite in a manner of all of the great Temple of heaven and earth For the very face of Heaven then all black and darke at noone day yet no Eclipse the Moone was at the full the Earth quaking Matt. 27.51.52 the stones renting the graves opening as they then did shewed plainely there was then toward some vniversall Solvite some great dissolution as the * Diâ—â— Arâ—op Philosopher then said either of the frame of nature or of the GOD of nature Cast your eye thither looke upon that and there you shall see Solvite Templum hoc plainely and what it meanes And it had beene enough if they had had eny grace even to have pointed them to the time when this Solvite Templum hoc was fulfilled by them And this for both Solvite and Solutum est their part which was His passion by their Act. III. â— Excitabo the saying Now to answer them two to Excitabo and Excitavit
no Agent can worke Not GOD himselfe but by miracle Fitt then we must be Now of ourselves as of ourselves we are not fit so much as to thinke a good thought It is II. Corinth III.V. Not so much as to will For it is GOD that worketh in us to will Phil. II. XIII If not these two ◠Neither thinke ◠nor will then not to worke No more we are Neither to beginne Phil. I.VI. nor having begoon to goe forward and bring it to an end Fitt to none of these Then made fitt we must be And who to reduce us to fitnesse but this GOD of peace heere that brought againe Christ from the dead 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 To set in joint Now if I shall tell you what manner of fittnesse it is the Apostle's word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 heere doth import It is properly the fittnesse which is in setting that in which was out of joint in doing the part of a good Bone-setter This is the very true and native sense of the word Set you in joint to doe good workes For the Apostle Ephes. IV. and Colos. II. tells us Ephes 4.16 Col. 2.19 that the Church and things Spirituall goe by joints and sinnewes whereof they are compact and by which they have their action and motion And where there are joints there may be and otherwhiles there is a dis-jointing or dis-location no lesse in things Spirituall then in the naturall body And that is when things are mis-sorted or put out of their right places Now that our Nature is not right in joint is so evident that the very Heathen men have seene and confessed it And by a fall things come out of joint and indeed so they did Adam's fall we call it and we call it right Sinne which before broke the peace which made the going from or departure which needed the bringing backe the same sinne heere now againe put all out of joint And things out of joint are never quiet never at peace and rest till they be set right againe But when all is in frame all is in peace And so it referrs well to the GOD of peace who is to doe it And marke againe The putting in joint is nothing but a bringing backe againe to the right place whence it slipt That still there is good cohaerence with that which went before The peace-maker the bringer-backe the bone-setter are all one The force or fullnesse of the Apostle's Simile of out of joint you shall never fully conceive till you take in hand some good worke of some moment and then you shall for certaine For doe but marke me then how many rubbs letts impediments there will be as it were so many puttings out of joynt yer it can be brought to passe This wants or that wants one thing or other frames not A sinnew shrinkes a bone is out somewhat is awry and what a doe there is yer we can get it right Either the will is averse and we have no mind to it or the power is shrunke and the meanes faile us or the time serves not or the place is not meet or the parties to be dealt with we finde them undisposed And the miserie is when one is got in the other is out againe That the wit of man could not have devised a fitter terme to have expressed it in This for the disease What way doth GOD take to set us right First by our Ministerie and meanes For it is a part of our profession under GOD this same 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to set the Church in and every member that is out of joint You may reade it in this very terme Ephes. IV. XII 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And that we do by applying outwardly this Testament the blood of it Two speciall Splints as it were to keep all streight Out of the Testament by the word of exhortation as in the next Verse he calls it Ver. 22. praying us to suffer the Splinting For it may sometimes pinch them and put them to some paine that are not well in joint by pressing it and putting it home But both by denouncing one while the threats of the Old Testament another while by laying forth the promises of the New if by any meanes we may get them right againe This by the Testament which is one outward meanes The Blood is another inward meanes By it we are made fit and perfect choose you whither and that so as at no time of all our life we are so well in joint or come so neere the state of perfectnesse as when we come new from the drinking of that blood And thus are we made fit Provided that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 do end as heere it doth in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The first Agent all this fit making do end in doing and in a worke that some worke be done For in doing it is to end if it end aright if it end as the Apostle heere would have it For this fitting is not to heare learne or know but to doe His will We have beene long at Teach me thy will at that lesson There is another in Psalme CXLIII Psal. 143.10 Teach me to doe thy will we must take out that also Teach me thy will and Teach me to doe thy will are two distinct lessons We are all our life long about the first and never come to the second to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 It is required we should now come to the second 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 We are not made fit when we are so to doe never a whit the more 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is to end in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is doing and in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is in a worke In worke and in every good worke We must not slip the collar there neither For 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In all good workes if we be hable to stirre our hand but one way and not another it is a signe it is not well set in His that is well set he can move it to and fro up and downe forward and backward every way and to every worke There be that are all for some one worke that single some one peece of GOD 's service wholy addicted to that but cannot skill of the rest That is no good signe To be for every one for all sorts of good workes for every part of GOD 's worship alike for no one more then another that sure is the right So choose your Religion so practice your worship of God It is not safe to do otherwise nor to serve GOD by Synecdoche but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to take all before us But in the doing of all or any beside our part 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 heere is also 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The second Agent a Worker besides For when GOD hath fitted us by the outward meanes there is not all
supple us And as His Types so his Names the e Io 15.26 Spirit of truth the f Esai 11.2 Spirit of counseile the Spirit of holinesse the Spirit of comfort And according to His severall faculties we to invocate or call for Him by that name that is most for our use or present occasion For all these He looks we should send for Him Our error is as if he were onely for one use or office for comfort alone so in all others we let him alone if never in heavines never looke after him or care once to heare of him But He is for advise and direction also No lesse Paracletus a counselor then Paracletus a comforter He is not sent by CHRIST to comfort onely Ye may see by the very next words the first thing he doth when He commeth is He shall reprove Vers. 8. which is far from comforting But sent He is as well to mediate with us for GOD as with GOD for us GOD 's Paracletus His Sollicitor to call on us for our duety as our Paracletus or Comforter to minister us comfort in time of need Our manner is we love to be left to our selves in our consultations to advise with flesh and blood thence to take our direction all our life and when we must part then send for Him for a little comfort and there is all the use we have of Him But he that will have comfort from Him must also take counseile of him have use of him as well against error and sinfull life as against heavinesse of minde If not heere is your doome where you have had your counseile there seeke your comfort he that hath beene your Counseilour all the time of your life let him be your Comforter at the houre of your death And good reason he will not be Paracletus at halves to stand by at all els and onely to be sent for in our infirmitie Base it is to send for him never but when in extreme need but even otherwise extra casum necessitatis for entertaining of acquaintance and to grow familiar as we use to doe those we delight in The word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 giveth as much He should be neer us by us one ordinarie not a stranger to call or send for a great way of It is so expedient and he may know us throughly and we him the best and neerest way to finde sure comfort when most we shall need it For be that should minister it soundly indeed had need be familiarly acquainted with the state of our soules that he may be ready and ripe then To goe to a Lawyer 's reading and not heare it serves us not for our worldly doubts nor to heare the Physique lecture for the complaints of our bodyes No we make them Paracletos we call them to us we question with them in particular we have private conference about our estates Onely for our soule 's affayres it is enough to take our directions in open churches and there delivered in grosse private conference we endure not a Paracletus there we need not One we must have to know throughly the estate of our lands or goods One we must have intirely acquainted with the estate of our body In our soules it holdeth not I say no more it were good in did We make him a stranger all our life long He is Paraclitus as they were wont to pronounce him truly Paraclitus one whom we declined and looked over our shoulders at And then in our extremitie sodenly He is Paracletus we seek and send for him we would come a little acquainted with him Mat. 25.12 But take we heed of Nescio vos It is a true answer We take too little a time to breed acquaintance in Neâ—cio vos I feare they finde that so seeke him Paracletus they doe not Paraclitus rather This of Paracletus Now of Mittam the 1 time and the 2 manner 2. His sending 1. The time Mittaâ— both are to the purpose The time that when He sends we make ready for Him The time of the yeâ—re was this time in the Spring the fairest and best part of it The time of the moneth the third day so they deduce from the fifteenth day the day of the Passeover and so fifty dayes it will so fall out by calculation that is the beginning of the moneth The time of the day it was before the third houre that is Act. 2.15 nine of the clock in the morning plainly So it was still prime These teach us it would be in our prime the time of health and strength when we lay the grounds of our comfort not to tarry till the frost and snow of our life till the evill dayes come Eccles. 12. and the yeares approach whereof we shall say we have no pleasure in them He in the spring we in the end of the yeare He in the beginning of the moneth we in the last quarter nay even pridiè calendas He before nine in the morning we not till after nine at night If we will keepe time with him we know what His time is of sending The manner is best and it is in the body of the word As the Spirit of truth â— The manner Per Paraclesiâ— by preaching as the Holy Ghost by prayer the Paracletus we know what he meaneth per Paraclesin by invitation As the Dove to baptisme the Winde to prayer Asperâ—ios attraxi Spiritum Psal. 119.131 the tongue to a sermon the Paracletus to Paraclesis as it were a refreshing so 1. Cor. 10.3.4 friends meete and nourish love and amitie one with another And even humanum dicere after naturall men when our spirits are spent and we wax faint to recover them or never in the naturall man it is done no way more kindly then by nourishment specially such as is apt to bâ—eed them as one kinde is more apt then other There is a spirituall meat and a spirituall drinke saith the Apostle in which kinde there is none so apt to procreate the Spirit in us as that flesh and blood which was it selfe conceived and procreate by the Spirit and therefore full of spirit and life to them that partake it It is sure to invite and allure the Spirit to come there is no more effectuall way none whither Christ will send Him or whither He will come more willingly then to the presence of the most holy Mysteries And namely at this feast concerning which our Saviour CHRIST 's voyce is to sound in our eares Si quis sitiat veniat ad me If any thirst let him come to me and drinke Ioh. 7.39 Which He meant and spake saith Saint Iohn of the spirit which was to be given at that time of especially when He was newly glorified De meo accipiet saith CHRIST of Him and it is no where more truly fulfilled that He shall take of CHRIST 's and give it us then it is done of that Ver. 14.
draw water Esa. 12.3 then to draw blood from Him But indeed to looke well into the matter they cannot be separate they are mixt either is in other There is a mixure of the bloud in the water there is so of the water in the blood we can minister no water without blood nor blood without water In baptisme we are washed with water That water is not without blood The blood serves instead of nitre He hath washed us from our sinnes in His blood Apoc. 1.5 washed They made their robes white in the blood of the Lamp Apoc. 7.14 No washing no whiting by water without blood And in the Eucharist we are made drinke of the blood of the New Testament but in that blood there is water for the blood of CHRIST purifieth us from our sinnes 1. Ioh. 1.7 Now to purifie is a vertue properly belonging to water which yet is in the blood and purifying referrs to spotts not to guilt properly So either is in other Therefore the conceit of separation let it alone for ever To take heed then of dreining CHRIST 's water from his blood or abstracting his blood from his water of bringing in the Restringent sola into either Every one of us for his owne part thus to doe But howsoever men frame phansies to themselves as frame they will doe what we can that our doctrine be looked to we are not to teach IESVS CHRIST but That IESVS CHRIST that thus came in both That our Divinitie then on the one side be not waterish without all heart or comfort presenting CHRIST in water onely to make feâ—re where none is Nor on the other that we frame not our selves a Sanguine Divinitie voyd of fâ—are quite and bring in CHRIST all in blood blood and nothing els with little water or none at all for feare of Ex nimiâ spe desperatio Faith as it justifieth saith Saint Paul there is blood So it purifieth the heart saith Saint Peter Gal. 3.8 Acts 15.9 Rom. 8.20 1. Ioh. 3.3 there is water Hope as it saveth saith Saint Paul blood So it cleanseth saith Saint Iohn water In vaine we flatter our selves if they doe the one and not the other Doe we make grace of none effect that we may not Gal. 2. vlt. Doe we make the Law of none effect by faith that we may not neiâ—her Rom. 3.10 not this day specially the Feast of the Law and Spirit both but rather establish it Apoc. 15.4 Best if it could be sett right the Song of Moses and of the Lamb it is the harmonie of heaven Rom. 15.34 1. Ioh. 2.1 Ioh. 5.14 If we teach Ne peccetis water To teach also blood Si quis autem peccaverit with Saint Iohn If we say Salvus factus es blood to say Noli ampliuâ— peccare water withall with CHRIST himselfe This is that IESVS CHRIST and the true doctrine of Him neither diluta and so evill for the heart nor tentans caput and so fuming up to the head Neither Scammoniate tormenting the conscience nor yet Opiate stupifying it and making it senselesse And so much for CHRIST 's double comming II. The Spirits paâ—t Well when CHRIST is come and thus come may we be gone have we done Done we are yet in the middst of the verse before we make an end of it it must be Whitsontide The Spirit is to come too So a new qui venit that comes in both those and comes in the Spirit besides And a new non solùm not in water and blood onely but in the Spirit withall Not that CHRIST said not truly Consummmatum est that he hath not done all Yes Ioh. 19.30 to doe that was to be done CHRIST was enough needs no supplie The Spirit comes not â— His witnesse to doe comes but to testifie That inter alia is one of his Offices a A witnesse there is to be And a Witnesse is requisite There is no matter of weight with us if it be sped authentically especially a Testament but it is with a Teste And GOD doth none of His great workes but so of which this Comming is one even the greatest of all Neither of his Testaments Acts 14.17 without one As GOD in nature left not himselfe without witnesse saith the Apostle So neither CHRIST in Grace As then in the Old Testament Esay 8.20 Ad Legem testimonium saith Esay 8. So in the New Ad Evangelium testimonium to the Gospell to CHRIST and the testimonie calls Saint Iohn heere CHRIST also to have his Teste We to call for it and if it be called for of us to be hable to shew it A witnesse there needeth then and a witnesse there is One nay three b A witnesse there is nay three Deut. 17.6 In ore duorum that is in every matter nothing without two at least But in this so maine so high a matter God would enlarge the number have it in ore trium have it full no fewer then three three to His part three to ours At the ordering of it in heaven â—hree there were the 1 Father the 2 Word and 3 the Spirit that the whole Trinitie might be aequally interessed in the accomplishment of the worke of our salvation and it passe through all their hands And at the speeding it in earth three more 1 The Spiâ—it and 2 Water and 3 Bloud to answere them that all might goe by a Trinitie that Holy Holy Holy might be thrise repeated The truth heerin answereth to the type For under the Law nothing was held perfectly hallowed till it passed three the 1 cleansing watâ—r first the 2 sprincling of bloud second 3 and last that the holy oyle were upon it too the Holy oyle the Holy Ghost's type but when eny thing annointed with all three then had it his perfect halydome then it was holy indeed And even so passe we through three hands all 1 God's as men Water notes the Creation the heavens are of water and if they the rest God's â—s men 2 Christ's as Christen men Bloud notes the redemption 3 And the Spirit 's as Spirituall men which perteines to all If any be Spirituall he knowes this Gal. 6.1 Iud. 19. and you tâ—at be Spiâ—ituall doe this saith the Apostle For Christians that be animales Sâ—iâ—itum non habentes Saint Iude tells us there is no great reckoning to be made of them To let the other goe The Spiâ—it is a witnesse to IESVS CHRIST c Thâ— Sâ—iâ—it a 〈◊〉 1 〈…〉 that came in water and bloud Witnesse to IESVS CHRIST that came Witnesse to His water and blood He came in In a witnesse it is required He be Tâ—â—â—is idoneus will you see quà m idoneus how apt how every way agreeing The Sâ—irit and Iesus agree Iesus was conceived by the Spirit The Spirit and Christ agree in the word Christ is the Spirit For CHRIST is annointed Annointed with what â— To the waâ—â—r and 〈◊〉 He câ—me in
Plague them in this life 〈◊〉 away yea and fly away from them And even so from these there goeth a sent aâ— from a plague sore you will beare with it it is the Holy Ghost's 〈…〉 that 〈◊〉 their blood corrupts their name makes them and their memorie odious Esay 66.24 yea even an abhorring to all flesh Say what they will this is the 〈◊〉 of plague when all is done And it is GOD 's owne will GOD himselfe 〈◊〉 have us 〈…〉 of them 〈…〉 Of Coreh the first we read of in this kind 〈…〉 Change the people all that they gett them from about them 〈…〉 from 〈◊〉 Tents touch not eny thing that is 〈…〉 should say the◠〈◊〉 the plague it is infectious So GOD 〈…〉 of them 〈…〉 I pray GOD all may take warning from 〈…〉 and so thinke of them and shun them as persons contagious that have sores 〈…〉 on them Now this is but their plague on Earth to be plagued in their end their blood Plague them in the other life 〈…〉 name but all this is nothing to their plagues in Hell whither certainely 〈◊〉 goe so many as in flagranti crimine in the very act of treacherie are taken away 〈◊〉 man shall need to wish them more hurt They perish and come to a fearefull end Psal. 73.19 It is truly said by them I will plague them 〈◊〉 one more that makes up all For if ye marke the person is changed 1 That is God himselfe will smite He will plague The last verse it was they shall do no violence they shall do no hurt Consequently he should have gone on they shall be smitten they shall be plagued that had beene enough It 〈◊〉 so but in the first person I will smite I will plague as if GOD himselfe would 〈…〉 doer of it and doe it even 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 proprijs manibus with His owne hands And 〈◊〉 so sensible hath beene the demonstration of the hand of his power in the fall of 〈◊〉 that to hold us to the terme of plague GOD 's tokens have beene seene upon 〈◊〉 as if He had sent his hand from on high to plague them indeed Vpon these this 〈◊〉 upon others since these GOD hath from Heaven shewed how much these 〈◊〉 displease him by making even the prints of his hands to be seene upon the 〈◊〉 that men have been even forced to acknowledge it was no humane or 〈◊〉 but some supernaturall divine power that brought it to passe And that though other hands were in it yet GOD it was that strooke the stroke This is the end that in the end shall come to all these from the LORD so many as have eny hand in the hurt of the Lord 's annointed He that is the founder of Kings will be the Confounder of all Conspirators Carrie it as closely as they can His hand shall finde them out finde them out and smite them smite them and plague them plague them 〈…〉 for ever This is the Covenant heere made with David in the name of Kings And I promise you this is a faire Covenant and a full but Application to His Majestie might we see some 〈◊〉 of it how it was kept For that is Sal foederis the proofe the keeping of it 〈◊〉 many faire Covenants heere in the World take wind for want of this Salt of the Covenant the true keeping Of David there is no doubt it was kept with him but the time will not serve And 〈◊〉 time requireth rather to shew the proofe of the presents in Your Majestie That 〈◊〉 whole Text mutato nomine hath been kept with You from point to point and the faithfull mercies of David as Esay calls them as faithfull to You Esay 5â— 3 as ever they were to him Of that then I find then both these daies and on them both these waies You were found by GOD found the twentie ninth of Iulie and annointed found the fifth of 〈◊〉 and delivered 1. The twentie ninth of Iuly Found in the Cradle and annointed Found first and that sooner a great deale then David for in your cradle There 〈◊〉 found You and annointed You. David was come to yeares of discretion first to 〈◊〉 Him service But you by his preventing grace found before You were or could 〈…〉 to doe him eny An antecedence even in this 2. The twentie ninth of Iuly and the twentie fifth both Twise annointed 2. Sam. 2.4.5.3 〈◊〉 He found you twise to annoint you Once before you did or could serve him 〈◊〉 after you could and did once more Found you the twentie ninth of Iulie and the 〈◊〉 fifth both David was twise annointed too but he but of two pieces of one 〈◊〉 but you of two entire Kingdomes or indeed of three the least of them 〈◊〉 then that of his when both pieces were together So an annointing also more 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 difference I finde but with vantage still on your side For in the Text 3. Found in the womb and delivered before ever annointed 〈◊〉 first annointed and after delivered But you were delivered before ever annoinâ—â—◠〈◊〉 before He found you in your Cradle there to annoint you He found you in the 〈…〉 before ever you came into the world there to deliver you Even there His 〈…〉 over you that even there a Sonne of wickednesse did you no hurt This is more 4. Delivered before annointed Delivered againe the fifth of August 〈…〉 in the Text more then ever David could sing of 〈◊〉 not onely thus delivered you before your birth and so before your annoinâ—â—◠〈◊〉 after it also no lesse Witnesse this fifth day of this moneth So were you delivered first and then annointed and then delivered againe from this day and from being lost on it 5. Annointed the second time 25. of Iuly and Delivered after it 5. of November And thus farr the Text. But then were you annointed againe after that and delivered againe after that from a fifth day too though of another moneth For either of your annointings have had a famous deliverie to second it So we double the point heere A deliverance in the womb an annointing after that deliverance A deliverance after that annointing And then an annointing againe And then a deliverance againe vpon that So upon the matter foure findings with you Twise to annoint and twise to deliver beyond David beyond the Text heere So the Text kept with you over and over againe Application to the fift of August the Day it selfe Verse 2. Then found found by GOD. But to let the rest goe and to hold us to this day This day if daies could speake and dayes can speake saith the nineteenth Psalme would certifie that this Covenant was kept with you in every clause of the six on this your finding-day For your finding-day well may it be called well may it be said you were found on it and found by GOD on it Found for sure you were lost And
too Et erunt Tibi They shall be for thee They shall be not one for thee and another for Aaron but Erunt Tibi They shall be both for thee They shall be both thine A third if they can finde they may lay claime to that But both these are for Moses We have then the delivery of them to Moses to make which is a kind of seizin or a Ceremony investing him with the right of them We have beside plaine words to lead their possession and those words operative Erunt Tibi That as none to make them so none to owne them being 〈◊〉 but Moses And what would we have more to shew us Cujus sunt Tubae whose the trumpetts be or whose is the right of calling Assemblies It is Moses's certainly and he by vertue of these stands seized of it To go yet further But was not all this to Moses for his time onely and as it begun in him That power to contiâ—â—e after Moses so to take end with him Was it not one of these same Privilegia Personalia quae non trahuntâ—r in exemplum A priviledge peculiar to him and so no precedent to be made of it Noâ—â—or if you looke but a little forward to the VIII Verse following there you shall see that this power which GOD heer conveyeth this Law of the silver trâ—mpets is a Law to last for ever even throughout all their generations not that gâ—neration onely And there is great reason it should be so that seeing the Vse should never cease the Power likewise should never determine Moses received it as chiefe Magistrate Being then not to determine but to continue it must descend to those that hold Mosâ—s's place I demand then what place did Moses hold Sure it is that Aaron was noâ— the High Priest annointed and fully invested in all the rights of it ever since the eighth Chapter of the last Booke Moses had in him now no other Right but that of the Chiefe Magistrate Therefore as in that Right and no other He received and held them So he was made Custos utriusque Tabulae So he is made Custos utriusque Tubae But who can tell us better then he himselfe in what right he held them He doth it in the third verse of Deuter. XXXIII reade it which way you will Erat in lishrune Rex or in rectissimo Rex or in rectitudine Rex or in recto Regis dum congregaret Principes populi Tribus Israël All come to this that though in strict proprietie of speech Moses were no King yet in this he was in rectitudine Rex or in recto Regis that is in this had as we say Ius Regale that he might and did assemble the Tribes and chiefe men of the Tribes at his pleasure Heerin he was Rex in rectitudine For this was rectitudo Regis A power Regall And so it was holden in Aegypt before Moses even in the law of Nature that without Pharao no man might lift up hand or foot in all the land of Aegypt suppose Gen. 41.44 to no publique or principall motion And so hath iâ— been holden in all Nations as a speciall Power belonging to Dominion Which maketh it seeme strange that those men which in no cause are so fervent as when they pleade that Church-men should not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is have Dominion do yet hold this Power which hath ever been reputed most proper to Dominion should belong to none but to them only Our Saviour CHRIST 's Vos autem non sic may I am sure be said to them heere in a truer sense Mat. 20.26 then as they commonly use to applie it The chiefe Magistrate to succeed in it To conclude then this point If Moses as in the right of Chiefe Magistrate held this Power it was from him to descend to the chiefe Magistrates after him over the people of GOD and they to succeed him as in his place so in this right it being by GOD himselfe setled in Moses and annexed to his place lege perpetuâ by an estate indefeizible by a perpetuall Law throughout all their generations Therefore ever after by God's expresse order from yeare to yeare every yeare on the first day of the seventh moneth were they blowen by Moses first and after by them that held his place and the Feast of the Trumpetts solemnly holden as to put them in mind of the benefit thereby comming to them so withall to keep alive and fresh still in the knowledge of all that this power belonged to their place that so none might ever be ignorant to whom it did of right appertaine to call Assemblies And how then shall Aaron's Assemblies be called with what trumpet they God himselfe hath provided for that in the X. Verse following Aaron's Assemblies how called that with no other then these There is in all the Law no order for calling an Assembly to what end or for what cause soever but this and onely this No order for making any third trumpett Vnder these two therefore all are comprized This order there God taketh that Moses shall permit Aaron's sonnes to have the use of these trumpetts Verse 10. But the use not the property Num. 31.6 They must take them from Moses as in the XXXI Chapter of this Booke Phinees doth But Erunt tibi God's owne words Erunt tibi must still be remembred His they be for all that Moses the owner still the right remaines in him their sounding of them deprives not him of his interest alters not the property Erunt tibi mâ—st â—till be true that right must still be preserved It may be if we communicate with flesh and bloud we may think it more convenient as some do that GOD had delivered Moses and Aaron either of them one But when we see GOD 's will by GOD'S word what it is that Moses is to have them both we will let that passe as a Revelation of flesh and bloud and think that which GOD thinketh to be most convenient Now then if the trumpets belong to Moses and that to this end 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The two duties that with them he may call the Congregation these two things do follow First that if he call the Congregation must not refuse to come Secondly that unlesse he call they must not assemble of their owne heads but keepe their places Briefly thus the Congregation must come when it is called and it must be called yer it come These are the two duties we owe to the two trumpets and both these have GOD 's people ever duly performed And yeâ— not so but that this Right hath been called in question yea even in Moses's owne time that we marvell not if it be so now and both these duties denied him even by those who were alive and present then when GOD gave him the trumpets But marke by whom and what became of them The first duty is to come when they be called
for flesh and bloud alreadie doth It is that 1. Cor. 15.50 Saint Iohn is about to inferre the former verse out of this Ver. 12. vz. to them gave He power to be made the Sonnes of God For Ex quo hoc verum est Filium Dei filium hominis fieri potuisse non est incredibile c. Since sure it is that the Sonne of God is made the sonne of man it is not incredible but that the sonnes of men may be made the Sonnes of God Not incredible nay Securitas nobis data est a kind of bond is entred security given Seeing this Verse is true so is the last Dedit potestatem He gave power and well might Why for the Word is made flesh and therefore flesh may have reciprocall hope to be regenerate by the Word and adopted through grace and so exalted to the glorious dignitie of the Sonnes of God And because Grace and Truth do this we shall faile of neither of them He is full and not for himselfe He needs them not He hath them for us and hath sufficient Neither shall be wanting if we be not wanting to our selves His grace shall prevent us and His truth follow us all the dayes of our life Psal. 23.6 So we see quid Verbum carni what He hath done for us Now our Duety reciprocall III. Quid Caro Verbo Our duety Quid caro verbo what we for Him againe If the Word become flesh we to take order that flesh of ours that the Word hath taken we take it not 1. Cor. 6.16 and make it una caro with you know whom or may read 1. Cor. 6. God forbid Knowe ye not the WORD is become flesh That flesh is then so to be preserved that as he saith we sawe the Glorie so may we we saw His flesh as the flesh of the only begotten Sonne of God Kept with such care and in such cleannesse as it might beseeme His flesh to be kept And as much may be sayd for habitavit the house would be somewhat handsome as handsome as we could that is to receive Him We blame them that this day received Him in a stable take heed we doe not worse our selves But the Fathers presse a further matter yet out of verbum caro factum that we also are after our manner verbum carnem facere to incarnate the Word We have a Word we This for the Comparative But then fearing it might be we would not conceive high enough of this SONNE or weigh Him as He is worthy He goeth to it Positivè and as it were setts up His Armes consisting of eight severall Coats or proclaimeth His stile of as many severall Titles Which we may reduce to foure severall combinations 1 Sonne and Heire 2 the Brightnesse and Character 3 Maker and Supporter of all things 4 That purgeth our sinns and that is sett downe in the throne And these againe may be abbridged to these two 1 what He is in Himselfe 2 and what to us 1 In Himselfe all the rest 2. To us 1 made Heire 2 purgeth our sinns 3 and so clenseth our Nature that being so clensed He may exalt it For it is for us and not for Himselfe He taketh up the place mentioned at the right hand on high Then our duetie Bona si sua nôrint If we can skill of our owne good to finde our estate greatly dignified by it and to honour this day the beginning of this dignitie to us wherein GOD gave His SONNE to speake vivâ voce unto us to purge our sinnes and to exalt us to His throne on high I. The comparative part and difference GOD in times past spake to the Fathers and His speech was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of many severall parcells to severall persons at severall times some at one time some at another And as the time grew so grew their knowledge peece and peece of the great mysterie 1. In the Matter this day manifested God in times past c. in many parts spake concerning His Person First one peece Man He should be a Gen. 3.15 of the Womans seed That should bruize the Serpents head and there was all Gen. 3. Then another peece Of what Nation He should be b Gen. 22.18 of the seed of ABRAHAM Gen. 22. Then another yet Of what Tribe c Gen. 49.9 10.11 c. of the Tribe of IVDA Gen. 49. Then againe a fourth peece of what Family d Psal. 132 11.1◠c. of the house of DAVID Psal. 132. So likewise GOD in times past spake of His Offices To MOSES one peece He should be e Deut. 18.18 a Prophet Deuteron 18. TO DAVID another He should be f Psal. 110·4 a Priest Psal. 110. TO IEREMIE a third He should be g Ier. 23.5.6 a King and his Name IEHOVA justitia nostra Iere. 23. And not to hold you long in this GOD in times past in sundrie parts spake concerning this Dayes worke That came by peeces too One parcell to h Esay 9.6 Esai of His Birth Esa. 9. To i Mic. 5.2 Mica the Place of it Mic. 5. To k Dan 9.25.26 c. Daniel the Time of it by weekes Dan. 9. So you see it was by peeces and by many peeces they had it Well said the l 1. Cor. 13.9 Apostle that Prophecying is in part One may now in a few houres come to as much as came to them in many hundred yeares This for the Matter 2. In the Manner Now for the Manner It was multiformis GOD c. many manner waies One manner by dreames in the night Iob 33. Another manner by visions And those againe of two manners Iob 33 15· 1 Either presented to the outward sense as Esay VI. 2 Or in an extasie Esay 6.1 Dan. 10.7 c. 1. Reg 19 12. represented to the inward as Dan. X. Another yet by Vrim in the brest of your Priest And yet another by a small still voice in the eares of the Prophet I. Reg. 19. And sometime by an Angel speaking in him Zach. I. But most what by His SPIRIT Zach. 1.9 And to trouble you no more very sure it is that as for the Matter in many broken peeces so for the Manner in many diuerse fashions spake He to them But then if in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 you understand Tropos figures Then were they yet many more The Paschall Lamb a Exod. 12.4 ◠c. Exod. 12. the Scape-goat b Levit. 16.10 Levit. 16. The Red Cow c Num. 19 1 2 c. Num 19. and I know not how many even a world of them Many they were and tropes they were shadowed out darkly rather then cleerly expressed Theirs was but candle-light to our day-light but Vespertina cognitio in comparison of ours whom the Day hath visited sprung from on high This for the Matter and Manner Now for the Men. Luk. 1.78 GOD in
once That is that we not only dye to sinne and live to GOD but dye and live as He did that is once for all which is an utter abandoning once of sinn's dominion and a continuall constant persisting in a good course once begoon Sinn 's dominion it languisheth sometimes in us and falleth haply into a 〈◊〉 but it dyeth not quite once for all Grace lifteth up the eye and looketh up a little and giveth some signe of life but never perfectly reviveth O that â—nce we might come to this No more deaths no more resurrections but one that we might â—nce make an end of our daily continuall recidivations to which we are so subiect and once get past these pangs and qualmes of godlinesse this righteousnesse like the morning cloud which is all we performe that we might grow habituate in grace radicati fundati rooted and founded in it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 steddie Ephes. 3.17 1. Cor. 15. vlt. and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 never to be remooved that so we might enter into and passe a good accompt of this our Similiter vos â— The Discharge and meanes of it Iâ— Iesus Christ our Lord. And thus are we come to the foot of our accompt which is our Onus or Charge Now we must thinke of our discharge to goe about it which maketh the last words no lesse necessarie for us to consider then all the rest For what is it in us or can we by our owne power and vertue make up this accompt We cannot saith the Apostle 2. Cor. 3.5 nay we cannot saith he 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 make accompt of any thing no not so much as of a good thought toward it as of our selves If any thinke otherwise let him but prove his owne strength a little what he can do he shall be so confounded in it as he shall change his minde saith Saint Augustine and see plainely the Apostle had reason to shut up all with In Christo Iesu Domino nostro otherwise our accompt will sticke in our hands Verily to raise a soule from the death of sinne is harder farr harder then to raise a dead bodie out of the dust of death Saint Augustine hath long since defined it that Marie Magdalen's resurrection in soule from her long lying dead in sinne was a greater miracle then her brother Lazaru's resurrection that had lyen foure daies in his grave If Lazarus lay dead before us we would never assay to raise him our selves we know we cannot doe it If we cannot raise Lazarus that is the easier of the twaine we shall never Marie Magdalen which is the harder by farre out of Him or without Him that raised them both But as out of Christ or without Christ we can doe nothing toward this accompt Not accomplish or bring to perfection but not do not any great or notable summe of it Ioh. 15.5 but nothing at all as saith Saint Augustine upon Sine me nihil potestit facere So in Him and with Him enhabling us to it we can thinke good thoughts speake good words and doe good workes and dye to sinne and live to GOD and all Omnia possum saith the Apostle Phil. 4.13 And enable us He will and can as not onely having passed the resurrection but being the resurrection it selfe not onely had the effect of it in himselfe but being the cause of it to us So He saith himselfe I am the resurrection Ioh. 11.25 and the life the resurrection to them that are dead in sinne to raise them from it and the life to them that live vnto GOD to preserve them in it Where beside the two former 1 the Article of the resurrection which we are to know 2 and the Example of the resurrection which we are to be like we come to the notice of a third thing even a vertue or power flowing from Christ's resurrection whereby we are made able to expresse our Similiter vos and to passe this our accompt of dying to sinne and living to GOD. It is in plaine words called by the Apostle himselfe virtus resurrectionis Phil. 3.10 the vertue of CHRIST 's resurrection issuing from it to us and he praieth that as he had a faith of the former so he may have a feeling of this and as of them he had a contemplative so he may of this have an experimentall knowledge This enhabling vertue proceedeth from Christ's resurrection For never let us thinke that if in the daies of His flesh there went vertue out from even the verie edge of his garment Luk. 8.46 to doe great cures as in the case of the woman with the bloudie issue we reade but that from His owne selfe and from those two most principall and powerfull actions of His owne selfe his 1 death and 2 resurrection there issueth a divine power from His death a power working on the old man or flesh to mortifie it from His resurrection a power working on the new man the Spirit to quicken it A power hable to râ—ll backe any stone of an evill custome lye it never so heavy on us a power hable to drie up any issue though it have runne upon us twelve yeare long And this power is nothing els but that divine qualitie of grace which we receive from Him 2. Cor. 6.1 Receive it from Him we doe certainely onely let us pray and 〈◊〉 ouâ— selâ—es that we receive it not in vaine the Holy Ghost by waies to flesh 〈…〉 vnknowne inspiring it as a breath distilling it as a dew deriving it as a secret inflâ—ence into the soule For if Philosophie grant an invisible operation in us to the câ—lestiall bodies much better may we yeeld it to His aeternall Spirit whereby 〈◊〉 a vertue or breath may proceed from it and be received of us Which breath or Spirit is drawen in by Prayer and such other exercises of devotion on our parts and on GOD 's part breathed in by and with the Word well therefore termed by the Apostle the Word of grace And I may safely say it Act. 20.32 with good warrant from those words especially and chiefly which as He himselfe saith of them are Spirit and Life even those words which ioyned to the element Ioh. 6.63 make the blessed Sacrament There was good proofe made of it this day All the way did He preach to them even till they came to Emmaus and their hearts were whot within them which was a good signe but their eyes were not opened but at the breaking of bread Luk. 24.31 and then they were That is the best and surest sense we know and therefore most to be accompted of There we tast and there we see Tast and see how gratious the Lord is Psal. 34.8 1. Cor. 12.18 Heb 13.9 Heb 9.14 There we are made to drinke of the Spirit There our hearts are strengthened and stablished with grace There is the bloud which shall purge our consciences from dead