Preacher and hath since called his Preachers Angels The message is well suited An Angel comes to a Virgin Gabriel to Mary He that was by signification the strength of God to her that was by signification exalted by God to the conceiving of him that was the God of strength to a Maid but espoused a Maid for the honour of Virginity espoused for the honour of Marriage The marriage was in a sort made not consummate through the instinct of him that meant to make her not an example but a miracle of women In this whole work God would have nothing ordinary It was fit that she should be a married Virgin which should be a Virgin mother He that meant to take mans nature without mans corruption would be the Son of man without mans seed would be the seed of the woman without man and amongst all women of a pure Virgin but amongst Virgins of one espoused that there might be at once a Witness and a Guardian of her fruitful Virginity If the same God had not been the authour of Virginity and Marriage he had never countenanced Virginity by Marriage Whether doth this glorious Angel come to finde the Mother of him that was GOD but to obscure Galilee A part which even the Jewes themselves despised as forsaken of their priviledges Out of Galilee ariseth no Prophet Behold an Angel comes to that Galilee out of which no Prophet comes and the God of Prophets and Angels descends to be conceived in that Galilee out of which no Prophet ariseth He that filleth all places makes no difference of places It is the person which gives honour and priviledge to the place not the place to the person as the presence of God makes the Heaven the Heaven doth not make the honour glorious No blinde corner of Nazareth can hide the blessed Virgin from the Angel The favours of God will finde out his children wheresoever they are withdrawn It is the fashion of God to seek out the most despised on whom to bestow his honours We cannot run away as from the judgements so not from the mercies of our God The cottages of Galilee are preferred by God to the famous Palaces of Jerusalem he cares not how homely he converse with his own Why should we be transported with the outward glory of places whiles our God regards it not We are not of the Angels diet if we had not rather be with the blessed Virgin at Nazareth then with the proud Dames in the Court of Jerusalem It is a great vanity to respect any thing above goodness and to disesteem goodness for any want The Angel salutes the Virgin he prayes not to her he salutes her as a Saint he prayes not to her as a Goddess For us to salute her as he did were grosse presumption for neither are we as he was neither is she as she was If he that was a Spirit saluted her that was flesh and blood here on earth it is not for us that are flesh and blood to salute her which is a glorious Spirit in Heaven For us to pray to her in the Angels salutation were to abuse the Virgin the Angel the salutation But how gladly doe we second the Angel in the praise of her which was more ours then his How justly doe we blesse her whom the Angel pronounceth blessed How worthily is she honoured of men whom the Angel proclaimeth beloved of God O blessed Mary he cannot blesse thee he cannot honour thee too much that deifies thee not That which the Angel said of thee thou hast prophesied of thy self we believe the Angel and thee All Generations shall call thee blessed by the fruit of whose womb all Generations are blessed If Zachary were amazed with the sight of this Angel much more the Virgin That very Sex had more disadvantage of fear If it had been but a man that had come to her in that secrecie and suddenness she could not but have been troubled how much more when the shining glory of the person doubled the astonishment The troubles of holy mindes end ever in comfort Joy was the errand of the Angel and not terrour Fear as all passions disquiets the heart and makes it for the time unfit to receive the messages of God Soon hath the Angel cleared these troublesome mists of passions and sent out the beams of heavenly consolation in the remotest corner of her soul by the glad news of her Saviour How can joy but enter into her heart out of whose womb shall come salvation What room can fear finde in that breast that is assured of favour Fear not Mary for thou hast found favour with God Let those fear who know they are in displeasure or know not they are gracious Thine happy estate calls for confidence and that confidence for joy What should what can they fear who are favoured of him at whom the Devils tremble Not the presence of the good Angels but the temptations of the evil strike many terrors into our weaknesse we could not be dismaied with them if we did not forget our condition We have not received the spirit of bondage to fear again but the spirit of Adoption whereby we cry Abba Father If that Spirit O God witnesse with our spirits that we are thine how can we fear any of those spirituall wickednesses Give us assurance of thy favour and let the powers of Hell doe their worst It was no ordinary favour that the Virgin found in Heaven No mortall Creature was ever thus graced that he should take part of her nature that was the God of Nature that he which made all things should make his humane body of hers that her womb should yield that flesh which was personally united to the Godhead that she should bear him that upholds the world Loe thou shalt conceive and bear a Son and shalt call his name Jesus It is a question whether there be more wonder in the Conception or in the Fruit the Conception of the Virgin or Jesus conceived Both are marvellous but the former doth not more exceed all other wonders then the latter exceedeth it For the childe of a Virgin is the reimprovement of that power which created the world but that God should be incarnate of a Virgin was an abasement of his Majestie and an exaltation of the creature beyond all example Well was that Child worthy to make the mother blessed Here was a double Conception one in the wombe of her body the other of the soul If that were more miraculous this was more beneficiall that was her priviledge this was her happinesse If that were singular to her this is common to all his chosen There is no renewed heart wherein thou O Saviour art not formed again Blessed be thou that hast herein made us blessed For what womb can conceive thee and not partake of thee Who can partake of thee and not be happy Doubtlesse the Virgin understood the Angel as he meant of a present Conception which made her so much
Lord for his goodnesse and declare the wonders that he doth for the children of men These Mercies are great in themselves our unworthiness doth greaten them more To doe good to the well-deserving were but retribution He ladeth us who are no lesse rebellious to him then he is beneficial to us Our streight and shallow bounty picks out the worthiest and most capable Subject the greatest gift that ever God gave he gives us whiles we are enemies It was our Saviour's charge to his Disciples Interrogate quis dignus Ask who is worthy that is as Hierom interprets it of the honour to receive such guests Should God stand upon those terms with us what should become of us See and wonder and be ashamed O ye Christian hearers God loads us and we load him God loads us with Benefits we load him with our Sins Behold I am pressed under you saith God as a cart is pressed that is full of sheaves Amos 2. 13. He should goe away laden with our thanks with the presents of our duty and we shamefully clog him with our continual provocations Can there be here any danger of self-sacrificing with Sejanus and not rather the just danger of our shame and confusion in our selves How can we but hate this unkinde and unjust unanswerablenesse Yet herein shall we make an advantage of our foulest sins that they give so much more lustre to the glorious mercies of our God who overcomes our evil with good and loads even us The over-long interruption of favours loseth their thanks and the best benefits languish in too much disuse Our God takes order for that by a perpetuation of beneficence he ladeth us daily Every day every minute renews his favours upon us Semper largitor semper donator as Hierome To speak strictly there is no time present nothing is present but an instant and that can no more be called Time then a prick can be called a Line yet how swift soever the wings of Time are they cannot cut one instant but they must carry with them a successive renovation of God's gracious kindness to us This Sun of his doth not rise once in an age or once in a year but every minute since it was created riseth to some parts of the earth and every day to us Neither doth he once hurl down upon our heads some violent drops in a storm but he plies us with the sweet showrs of the former and the latter rain Wherein the Mercy of God condescends to our impotency who are ready to perish under uncomfortable intermissions Non mihi sufficit saith that Father It is not enough that he hath given me once if he give me not alwaies To daies Ague makes us forget yesterstaies health Former meals do not relieve our present hunger This cottage of ours ruines straight if it be not new daubed every day new repaired The liberal care of our God therefore tiles over one benefit with another that it may not rain through And if he be so unwearied in his Favours why are we weary of our Thanks Our bonds are renewed every day to our God why not our payments Not once in a year or moon or week but every day once without fail were the Legal Sacrifices reiterated and that of all those creatures which were necessary for sustentation a Lamb flowre wine oyle that is meat bread drink sauce Why but that in all these we should still daily re-acknowledge our new obligations to the giver Yea ex plenitudine lacrymis as it is in the Original Exod. 22. 29. of our plenty and tears that is as Cajetan of a dear or cheap year must we return more or lesse may not misse our thanks We need daily we beg daily Give us this day we receive daily why do we not daily retribute to our God and act as some read it Blessed be the Lord daily who loadeth us with his benefits It is time now to turn your eyes to that mixt respect that reacheth both to God and us Ye have seen him a Benefactor see him a Saviour and Deliverer The God of our Salvation The Vulgar's salutaria following the Septuagint differs from our Salvation but as the Means from the End With the Hebrews Salvation is a wide word comprising all the favours of God that may tend to preservation and therefore the Psalmist elsewhere extends this act both to man and beast and as if he would comment upon himself expounds 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 save by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 prosper Psal 118. 25. It is so dear a title of God that the Prophet cannot have enough of it the interposition of a Selah cannot bar the redoubling of it in my Text. Every deliverance every preservation fathers it self upon God yet as the Soul is the most precious thing in the world and life is the most precious thing that belongs to the Soul and eternal life is the best of lives and the danger and losse of this life is the fearfullest and most horrible chiefly is this greatest Salvation here meant wherein God intends most to blesse and be blessed Of this Salvation is he the God by Preordination by Purchace by Gift By Preordination in that he hath decreed it to us from eternity 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rom. 8. 30. By Purchace in that he hath bought it for us and us to it by the price of his blood 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Cor. 6. 20. By Gift in that he hath feoft us in it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The gift of God is eternal life Rom. 6. 23. Since therefore he decreed it he bought it he bestows it justly is he the God of our Salvation Who can who dates arrogate to himself any partnership in this great work What power can dispose of the Souls final condition but the same that made it Who can give Eternity but he that onely hath it What but an infinite Merit can purchase an infinite Glory Cursed be that spirit that will offer to share with his Maker Down with your Crowns O ye glorious Elders at the foot of him that sits on the Throne with a Non nobis Domine Not unto us O Lord not unto us but to thy Name give the praise Away with the proud incroachment of the Merits of the best Saints of Papal Largesses Only our God is the God of our Salvation How happy are we the while All actions are according to the force of the Agent weak Causes produce feeble Effects contingent casual necessary certain Our Salvation therefore being the work of an infinitely-powerfull cause cannot be disappointed Loe the beauty of Solomon's Al-chum who hath resisted his will When we look to our own fleshie hands here is nothing but discouragement when we look to our spiritual enemies here is nothing but terrour but when we cast up our eyes to the Mighty God here is nothing but confidence nothing but comfort Comfort ye comfort ye therefore O ye feeble Souls and send your bold defiances to the Prince
Godliness here is the foolishness of preaching 1 Cor. 1. 21. If to the Effects of Godliness here is weak Grace strong corruption Rom. 7. If to the Opposites of Godliness here is a Law fighting Fighting perhaps so it may be and be foiled nay but here is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a conquering and captivating Law Rom. 7. 23. whereby I am not onely made a slave but sold for a slave 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rom. 7. 14. So then here is an opposed Saviour a foolish preaching a feeble grace a dominearing corruption and where then is the power of Godliness all this while Know O thou foolish man that God is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the strong God and yet there is a Devil He could call in the Being of that malignant Spirit but he will not he knows how to magnifie his Power by an opposite Christ will be spoken against not for impotence to resist but for the glory of his prevailing so we have seen a well-tempered Target shot at to shew the impenetrableness of it Preaching is foolishness but it is stultitia Dei and the foolishness of God is wiser then the wisedome of men Grace is weak where Corruption is strong but where Grace prevails Sin dares not shew his head Sin sights and subdues his own Vassals but the power of Godliness foils it in the Renewed so as if it live yet it reigns not Great then is the power of Godliness great every way great in respect of our enemies great in respect of our selves of our enemies the Devil the World the Flesh So great first that it can resist the Devil and it is no small matter to resist the powers and Principalities of Hell whom resist stedfast in the Faith Resist Alas what is this The weak may perhaps resist the strong the Whelp the Lion We may resist the Spirit of God himself Semper restitistis saith Saint Stephen of the Jews Loe here is resistance to God and not for a brunt but perpetual ye have alwaies resisted So the Ship resists the Rock against which it is shattered so the crushed Worm turns towards the foot that treads it Yea but here is a prevalent resistance Resist the Devil and he shall flee from you James 4. 7. Loe Godliness can make a Coward of the great Prince of Darkness He shall flee But if Parthian-like he shall shoot fleeing as he doth loe this shall quench all the fiery darts of Satan Ephes 6. 16. If he betake himself to his hold this can batter and beat down the strong holds of sin about his eares this can enter and bind the strong man Shortly it can conquer Hell yea make us more then Conquerors Lo to conquer is not so much as to make another a Conqueror but more then a Conqueror is yet more Is there any of you now that would be truely great and victorious it is the power of Godliness that must doe it Pyrrhus his word concerning his Souldiers was Tu grandes ego fortes Surely if our Profession make us great our Faith must make us valiant and successful I tell you the conquest of an evil spirit is more then the conquest of a world of men O then what is it to conquer Legions And as it foils Satan so the World No marvel for if the greater much more the less The World is a Subject Satan a Prince the Prince of this world The world is a biâ—got Satan is a God The God of this World If the Prince if the God be vanquish'd how can the subject or suppliant stand out What do we talk of an Alexander or a Caesar conquering the world Alas what spots of earth were they which they bragged to subdue Insomuch that Rome which in two hundred forty three yeares had gained but some fifteen miles about in Seneca's time when her Dition was at the largest had the neighbouring Germanie for the bounds of it Loe here a full conquest of the whole world Mundus totus in maligno To conquer the whole material world is not so happy so glorious a work as to conquer the malignant and this the power of Godliness only can doe this is the victory that overcomes the world even your Faith And now what can the Flesh doe without the World without the Devil Surely were it not for the Devil the World and the Flesh were both good and if it were not for the Devil and the World the Flesh were our best friend now they have debauch'd it and turn'd it traitor to God and the Soul now this proud Flesh dares warre against Heaven Godliness doth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 beat it black and blew yea kill it dead Mortifie your earthly members Colos 3. 5. so as it hath not a lim to stir not a breath to draw Anacharsis his charge was too hard for another but performable by a Christian 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He can rule his tongue his gut his lust Sampson was a strong man yet two of them he could not rule the power of Godliness can rule all Oh then the great power of Godliness that can trample upon the Flesh the World the Devil Super aspidem upon the Aspe the Dragon the Lion or as the Psalmist Psal 91. 13. upon that roaring Lion of Hell upon that sinuous Dragon the World upon that close-biting Aspe the Flesh And as great in respect of our Enemies so no less great in respect of our Selves great and beneficial What wonders are done by Godliness Is it not a great wonder to make a Fool wise to make the Blind see This Godliness can doe Psal 19. 7 8. Let me be bold to say we are naturally like Solomon's child Folly is bound to our heart Prov. 22. 15. In things pertaining to God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 We were foolish saith Saint Paul Titus 3. 3. Would any of us that are thus born Naturals to God be wise to Salvation That is the true Wisdome indeed all other is but folly yea madness to that The Schools cannot teach us this Philosophy whether Natural or Moral or Politick can doe nothing to it if ye trust to it it is but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vain deceit as Saint Paul Colos 2. 8. Triobolaris vilis as Chrysostome It is onely Godliness must doe it Please your selves how you list without this ye great Politicians of the world the wise God hath put the py'd coat upon your backs and past upon you his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rom. 1. 22. If ye were Oracles to men ye are Idiots to God Malitia occaecat intellectum as he said ye quick-sighted Eagles of the world without this ye are as blinde as Beetles to Heaven If ye would have eyes to see him that is invisible the hand of your Omnipotent Saviour must touch you and at his bidding you must wash off your worldly clay with the Siloam of Godliness Is it not a wonder to raise the dead We are all naturally not sick not qualming not dying