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A10994
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Sermons preached before his Maiestie 1. The bridegromes banquet. 2. The triumph of constancie. 3. The banishment of dogges. By Francis Rollenson, Batcheler of Diuinitie.
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Rollenson, Francis, ca. 1565-1630.
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1611
(1611)
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STC 21264; ESTC S112081
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60,158
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83
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of the earth and wilde beasts and creeping things and fowles of the heauen for in this life the Elect and the Reprobates are mixt together as the Iewes and Iebusites in old Hierusalem but it shall not be so at the last day for when our Sauiour comes to Iudgement hee shall like a Shepheard separate the Sheepe from the Goates his Reapers shall gather the Tares and binde them in sheaues to burne them but gather the Wheate into his barne and the true Israelites that haue done his Commandements shall haue right in the tree of life and enter in through the gates into the Citie but without shall be Dogges and Enchanters and Whore-mongers and murtherers and Idolaters and whosoeuer loueth or maketh lyes This Separation shall be as the Springes of Lebanon to the righteous but as the Waters of Marah to the vngodly as sweet as honie and the hony-combe to the true beleeuer but as bitter as Gall and wormewood to the Infidell In this world the commixion of the Good and the Euill is euill for the Good but good for the Euill First it is euill for the Good to liue amongst and conuerse with the wicked for which cause Dauid complaineth saying Woe is me that I am constrained to dwell with Mesech and to haue my habitation amongest the Tents of Kedar but on the contrary part it is good for the Euill because the Euill by the Good are shielded from many plagues if z Gen. 18.32 ten righteous men had bene found in Sodome God would not haue destroyed it for the tennes sake and one * Gen. 39.5 Ioseph was the cause that the blessing of the Lord was vpon the whole house of Potiphar This life is a time of weeping and mourning to Gods Children but a time of laughing and dauncing to the Sonnes of Beliall the Righteous mourne to see the Vngodly daunce and the Reprobate laugh to see the Elect weepe a Eccles 3.1 But as all things haue their appointed time and are subiect to change and alteration euen so the estate of Men for when that Generall Separation shall be made then they that haue sowne it teares shall reape in ioy and to such whose Seed-time hath beene Mirth a haruest shall befall of weeping and gnashing of teeth As one heauen cannot hold b Apo. 12.7.8 Michael and the Dragon nor one Temple c 1. Sam. 5. Gods Arke and Dâ—â—gon nor one ground beare both the Oke and the Oliue no more shall the glorious Citie New Hierusalem containe both the Sheepe and the Goates the pure in heart and the polluted in soule no no Within onely the Lambe shall be and the blessed Virgins his followers but without shall be dogges These two words Within and Without are like Hercules Pillars vpon which was written Nil vltrà Nothing further for in them we see the end of all flesh Within shewes the Map of heauen Without declares the Topographie of hell Within promiseth life euerlasting Without threatneth death aeternall d Exod. 28.30 The two words Vrim and Thummim being by Gods appointment written vpon the brest of the High Priest were to put him in minde of Zeale and Knowledge two essentiall and necessarie vertues in the Ministers of God so these two Within and Without being Characters of Separation doe intimate vnto vs the glorious Estate of the Righteous and the miscrable Condition of the Wicked in the world to come First Within like a Remembrancer puts vs in minde of that felicitie which the Apostle calleth a Mysterie because e 1. Cor. 2.7.6 The things which eye hath not seene neyther eare hath heard neyther came into mans heart are which God hath prepared for them that loue him oh then thrice happy are the Elect which shall be free Denizons in Paradise and coheyres with Christ in his Kingdome enioying f Iohn 16.22 a ioy which none shall take from them euen the g Mat. 25.21 ioy of their Lord being with him to behold his glorie whose presence shall be to them saith Austin tanquam Cythara Speculum Balsamum Mel Flos like a Harp for their hearing like a Glasse for their seeing like Balme for their smelling like Hony for their tasting and like a Flower for their touching the Meditation hereof worketh in the Regenerate strange effects First as the sweet sound of h 1. Sam. 16.13 Dauids Harp did driue away the Euill Spirit from King Saul and as the i Exod. 15.25 Wood which Moses cast into Marah changed the bitternesse of the Water into sweetnesse so though the righteous be enuironed and encompast with a thousand bitter afflictions in this life and be euen heauy loaden with crosses laid on them by Sathan and the world yet when they cast vp their eyes to heauen the bright and glorious countrie of the soule as Zoroastres cals it then is their Wormewood turned into hony and their griefe of minde into gladnesse of heart because they know that a time shall come when the Saints that are now eclipsed by the shadow of aduersitie k Dan 12.3 shall shine like the Sunne and the Starres of the Firmament and they that now weare Sackcloth with Dauid hairecloth with Eliah and garments of Camels hair with Iohn Baptist shall be cloathed with long white robes made white in the bloud of the Lambe Secondly as the sight of the blood of grapes made the Elephants of King Antiochus fight more furiously so euen the very thought of heauenly ioy stirres vp the mindes and the hearts of the Righteous to fight a good fight to runne a good race and to offer violence to the Kingdome of heauen by taking paines to heare Gods word preached in season and out of season by praying continually by beating downe the flesh and keeping it in subiection by Fasting and Abstinence by sweating blood and water and watring their Couches with teares had it not beene for the remembrance of Chanaan a land flowing with milke and honie the barrennesse of the Wildernesse would haue broken the hearts of the people of Israel our life is a pilgrimage and the World is a Wildernesse through it the way to the land of Promise is straite and hard to find Is not this enough to daunt and dismay a Passenger but hope of beeing at the last within the gates of the holy City cheares vp the Christian pilgrime armes him with patience against all dangers and hope once to bee separated from the societie of dogges causeth him to thinke Christs yoke sweet and his crosse a tree of Life Secondly this word Without points vs to Hell the habitation of Deuils the hold of all fowle spirits and a cage of euery vncleane and hatefull bird k Esay 30.33 which of old is prepared for the wicked and by Almighty God is made deepe and large the burning whereof is fire and much wood As was the banishment of Adam and Heuah out of Paradise such shall bee the exile of Dogges God to debarre
thy crowne In speaking the first Motiue the face of Christ was to looke vpon like the u Apoc. 4.3 Gasper-stone which is greene beautifull but in this hee resembleth the x Apoc. 4.3 Sardine which is red and bloodie for there is Comfort here is terrour there his y Cant. 5.16 mouth was as sweet things and he wholy delectable here out of his mouth proceeds a z Apoc. 1.16 sharpe two-edged sword and his countenance is very fearefull This word Corona a Crowne hath in the Scriptures diuers significations sometimes it signifieth aeternall life as in the second chapter of the Apocalipse a Apo. 2.10 Be faithfull vnto the death and I will giue thee the crowne of life so the Papists vnderstand this place whereupon they gather that the Decrees of Election and Reprobation be changeable for the Schoole-men teach that the Number of the Elect and of the Reprobate is certainely and vnchangeably decreed and purposed of God in his aeternall counsell so that it can neither be increased nor diminished for he hath absolutely appointed how many shall be saued and how many reiected but yet they say that he hath not certainely and vnchangeably decreed what particular men shall make vp or be of this determined and purposed number because that Men hauing as they say Free-will doe sometimes depart from God and sometimes returne vnto him The first of these Numbers they call the Formall number which is certaine the latter they call the Materiall number which is vncertaine and changeable so by their doctrine he that is elect may finally be blotted out of the booke of life and become a Reprobate and hee that is a Reprobate may be made an elect this their Position they endeuour to proue by this Text of Scripture amongst the rest by which words they affirme that it is euident that he which is elect to wear a Crowne of life may loose it and another which was not elect may supply his place But this their Collection is contrary to the intention and meaning of the Spirit of God that writ it who is neuer in opposition to himselfe b Ioh. 10.29 My Father is greater then all and no man is able to take them out of his hand therefore our election is certaine For c Iam. 1.17 with God there is no variablenes neither shadowing by turning Horum qui electi sunt si quispiam perit fallitur Deus sed nemo eorum perit quia non fallitur Deus Aug. de cor gra cap. 7. Aqui. part 7. quest 24. art 3. saith Augustine Of the elect if any perish God is deceiued but none of them can perish because God cannot be deceiued Likewise Aquinas saith Simpliciter in libro vitae scripti nunquam deleri possunt simply they that are written in the booke of life can neuer be blotted out of this Text of Scripture then we must seeke for some other Exposition for by it cannot be vnderstood the Crowne of aeternall life Secondly this word Corona a crowne sometimes signifieth any faithfull man which by the Ministerie preaching of the word is conuerted from Gentilisme to Christianity So S. Paul calles the Philippians saying d Philip. 4.1 Therefore my brethren beloued and longed for my ioy and my crowne so continue in the Lord ye beloued Thirdly it is the Badge or Cognisance of Authoritie both Temporall and Spirituall and so is it to be vnderstood in this place in which our Sauiour exhorteth the Angel or Bishop of Philadephia to constancie in his Function for feare an other be placed in his Office and take the dignitie of the Bishoprick from him By this threatned degradation may all Arch-angels and Angels learne to know that Crownes be no perpetuities If Salomon turne his heart from the Lord God of Israel and build high places to Chemosh the abhomination of Moab Molech the abhomination of the children of Ammon God will surely rent his kingdome from him and giue it vnto his e 1. Reg. 11.11 seruant if Eli the high Priest will not chasten the wickednesse of his sonnes but suffer them to run into slaunder and stay them not f 1. Sam. 4.11.18 he and they both shall goe with blood to their graues and the Priest-hood be conferred vpon an other Therefore hold that you haue that no man take your Crownes The second generall part of my Text is a Catalogue of the Rewards that Christ promiseth to bestow on Conquerours saying Him that ouercommeth will I make a pillar in the Temple of my God and hee shall goe no more out and I will write vpon him the Name of my GOD and the name of the Citie of my God which is the new Ierusalem which commeth downe out of heauen from my God and I will write vpon him my new Name Him that ouercommeth c. Reward makes men both valiant and ventrous g 1. Sam. 18.27 for a wife Dauid will fetch two hundreth fore-skins of the Philistims for gold the h 1. Reg. 9.28 seruants of Salomon will tenni confidere ligno hazard their liues in a ship and saile to Ophir Our Sauiour therefore to stirre vp our courage and put spirit in our faint hearts doth as the Romanes did they had lawes for the Triumphs of Generals and diuersities of crownes appointed for well deseruing Martialists and this was done in policie to make their men of warre stout and valiant so Christ to encourage those that march vnder his Standard the Crosse proclaimeth their Rewards saying i Apoc. 2.7 To him that ouercommeth will I giue to eate of the tree of life which is in the middest of the Paradice of God k Apoc. 2.13 To him that ouercommeth will I giue to eate of the Manna that is hid and will giue him a white stone and in the stone a new name written which no man knoweth sauing he that receiueth it Him that ouercommeth will I make a Pillar in the Temple of my God c. Oh then who would not be a souldier in the Campe of Christ preferring his thornie crowne before a diadem of gold his Crosse before a chaire of estate his Whip before a Scepter his Reed before all temporall Royaltie his White coate before raiments of Needle-worke his scoffes and taunts before worldly applause his gall and vinegar before the rich Gluttons delicious fare his death before life considering that Cum Domino iudices venient qui nunc pro Domino iudicantur saith Augustine They shall come with the Lord as Iudges who are now iudged for for the Lords cause Him that ouercommeth will I make a Pillar A Pillar is the Embleme of three things Remembrance Preheminence and Continuance First it is the Register of Memorie God turned l Gen. 19.26 Lots wife into a pillar of Salt because contrary to the commandement of the Angel shee looked backe towards Sodome and Gomorrah and Christ saith Remember Lots wife The sight of this Salt