to giue so hee may giue as much or as little as hee will for hee may doe what hee will with his owne but hee doth not onely follow his Will but the counsell of his Will as this Apostle teacheth vs Occumenius and the counsell of his Will or his Wisedome doth respect 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the endowment of the Church As in our body naturall God hath ioyned beauty and commodity in framing the limmes so that euery one hath that proportion as is most comely and vsefull so the Church though vna yet is varia though it be but one body yet hath it diuers members and though the one body be quickned with the same spirit yet in euery member the spirit doth varie his gifts and the Church thereby is the more beautified and benefited so that no man is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sufficient of himselfe but hee is thereby vrged to desire the Communion of Saints wherein stands our mutuall comelinesse and comfort Seeing then Christ giues as hee thinkes meete euery man is bound to thanke him for that which hee hath and enuie must not make him murmure for that which hee hath not It is absurd for a man to dislike with the dispensation of Christ it is as if the members of the body should grudge that they haue not the endowments each of the other wherein if God should satisfie them the deformity and discommodity which would follow would quickly make them weary of their desires Though Christ be thus discreet in giuing yet is hee kindly bountifull also for he giues to euery one St. Ambrose hath a good rule In donis officiorum diuer sitas est non Naturae all drinke of the same spirit though they drinke not the same draught As in our naturall body there is no member that liues not by the soule no more is there in the mysticall Bodie any member that liues not by the Spirit Christ will haue euery one haue some token of his loue and will haue euery one stand the Church in some stead The Church I say for the particle All is limited by Vs. There are gifts that are bestowed vpon all the world as wee acknowledge in our daily grace The eyes of all things looke vp vnto thee O Lord and thou giuest them their meate in due season thou openest thy hand and fillest with thy blessing euery liuing thing Psal 145. but the graces here meant are the peculiar of the Church you heard it in the Gospell this day The spirit is such a thing as the world cannot receiue but the Church seeth and knowes him and he shall abide with her for euer for it is onely the Church that can say The Let is fallen to her in a faire ground she hath a goodly heritage But the gifts that as vpon this day descended on the Apostles were visible gifts and they had corporall effects speaking in diuers languages casting out diuells curing of diseases treading vpon serpents c. these gifts we haue not how then haue we the spirit that descended this day Gregory the Great answereth well Thou hast it though it appeare in another sort Thou canst not speake diuers tongues but of what Nation soeuer thou art thou canst speake the language of Canaan and it is as great a miracle that all Nations vnderstand the same heauenly language as that the same person should speake all languages Thou canst not cast out Diuels out of mens bodies but out of their soules thou mayst and cure the diseases of their soule though thou canst not the diseases of their body yea bruise thou mayst the old Serpents head though thou canst not safely tread vpon a Snake In a word thou mayst doe many things inuisibly and spiritually which are not inferiour to those things which the Apostles did visibly and corporally and doubt not but if thou beare the fruit of the Spirit the Spirit of Christ doth rest vpon thee And if wee doe solemnize the memory of Saints how much more should we solemnize the memory of the Sanctifier wee are all bound to keep this day holy to the Lord because this day the Lord gaue that gift which doth concerne vs all Wherefore let vs all say BLessed be the Lord God euen the God of our saluation hee daily loadeth vs with his gifts euen the spirituall gifts of Grace Hee that giues them fill vs with them that as we are called to be so we may be indeed comely and profitable members of the mysticall Body of Christ and liue for euer conformable to our Head Amen THE SECOND SERMON On Trinity Sunday at an Ordination of Ministers EPHES. 4.11 He gaue some to be Apostles some Prophets and some Euangelists and some Pastors and Teachers THE passage of Scripture contained from the 7. to the 17. Verse doth informe vs of the reasons which perswade Christians to agree in Gods truth These reasons are two drawne the one from the meanes whereby the other from the end for which the Church receiues the spirituall gifts of God The meanes is Christ And touching Christ St. Paul teacheth vs in this passage what he doth and what right he hath to doe it That which hee doth is expressed three wayes but all yeeld but one sense 1. He giues grace 2. He bestowes gifts 3. He fils all things that is his gift is a filling grace Grace is a free gift a gift Donum non salarium not an hyre of our labour but an argument of Gods fauour And this gift is free it is grounded vpon no obligation all gifts of men are in part due as the reciprocall between equals for loue challengeth loue or those that are not reciprocall between vnequals be they Honoraria or Eleemosynaria whereof the inferiour oweth the former to his superior in acknowledgement of his eminency and the superiour owes the latter vnto his inferiour out of a fellow-feeling which hee must haue of his wants but Gods gifts can neither bee deserued nor requited neither doth he finde ought worthy his regard in vs neither doth any danger of his moue him to commiserate vs His gift then is absolutely free But this is common to the gifts as well of Creation as of Redemption but the Scripture restraines the word Grace vnto the gifts of Redemption which are not onely non debita but indebita whereof God owes vs no one but he owes vs the contrary that is plagues and therefore hee doth giue not only non dignis to those that are without all merit of good but also indignis to those that are full of the merits of sinne The word then is plainly Euangelicall and signifieth such blessings as accompany the New Testament those blessings are most properly termed Grace This grace hath a power to fill which no other thing hath and it fils sistendo and explendo desiderium it fixeth our wandring desires so that we desire no other obiect and this is able to satisfie to the full and satisfie the whole man Now
shepheard and high steward of Gods house appoints all vnder officers He sent the Apostles and by the Apostles others And this his sending is called here a Gift and well it may be so called for God might haue left vs in the dregges of our corrupt nature or after we are called suffer vs to relapse but hee is pleased to appoint meanes of our new birth and to recouer vs when we fall which wee may well call a Gift Secondly it is such a gift as men desire In the fift of Deuteronemie it appeares that when the Israclites had once heard God they desired to heare him no more they desired a Moses and God was pleased to yeelde to their desire and hath euer since fedde them by men Thirdly this dedit is not restrained only to the Apostles time for they had semen in speciem the Church hath still the same commandement and the same promise and must propagate these functions and what wee doe Christ doth by vs. Fourthly no man must take it before it s giuen no man must take this office before he is called seeing it is a power no man must vsurpe it without his leaue to whom God hath giuen all power especially seeing the sinewes of it are the assisting Spirit of whose presence no man may presume without imposition of hands for he breathes where he will not where we will Christ though hee bee gone from the Church doth not destitute his Church if the Church will follow his Ordinance Finally holy Orders are a Gift therefore not to be bought Symony is opposite to the nature of them Precio res nulla Deiconstat Tertul. apolog This generall Rule is specially true of holy Orders and therefore I thinke the Schooles call grace of Edification gratis datam I am sure these things must be freely receiued giuen I conclude when wee looke vpon holy Orders we must obserue two duties that are required Reuerence which is called for by the Author and Obedience by the vse ANd God grant that we may both Pastor and People so be affected to these meanes and so be wrought by them as that God may haue his glory and we may reape our good Amen THE THIRD SERMON EPHES. 4. Vers 8 9 10. Wherefore he saith when he ascended vp on high heled captiuitie captiue and gaue gifts to men Now that he ascended what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth He that descended is the same also that ascended vp farre aboue all Heauens that he might fill all things THE Church is but one and therefore the members thereof should liue at one two speciall reasons mouing hereunto the Apostle in the second part of this Chapter alledgeth the first of which is drawne from the meanes whereby the second from the end wherefore the Church is indued with manifold graces Of the meanes I haue begun heretofore to speak and told you that the meanes is Christ and touching Christ the Text doth teach what he did and what right he had to doe it Of these two points I haue handled the former at seuerall times I haue shewed you what Christ did it followeth that I now goe on and shew what right he had to doe it And the Apostle will shew vs that Christ did no more than he might he gathereth it from Christs ascension for that ascension was a deserued Triumph In a triumph as they which are read in stories doe know there were two obserueable things the person of the Conquerour was carried in state and the monuments of the Conquest did attend his chariot and were disposable at his pleasure behold these things in the Ascension of Christ first Exaltation of his person Hee ascended on high farre aboue all Heauens secondly the Attendants vpon his exalted person Hee led captiuity captiue and gaue gifts to men such was his Triumph And this Triumph was deserued for he was not exalted before he was humbled that hee ascended what was it but that hee first descended yea he ascended not so high but hee first descended as lowe as hee ascended farre aboue all Heauens so hee descended into the lower parts of the Earth The same person is the subiect of both He that ascended is the very same that descended These are the particulars whereof I shall God willing now speake briefly and in their order and first of the Exaltation of his person And the Exaltation was the ascending thereof on high Ille triumphato Capitolia ad alta Corintho Victor agit currus On high saith St. Hierome that is to an high place and state First to a place Localis Homo c. saith Fulgentius ad Thrasimundum Christ being man wheresoeuer he is he is in a place and St. Austin Tolle spatia corporibus non erunt Christ could not haue a body and that body not contained in a place whatsoeuer deuices the Vbiquitaries haue to colour their conceits of the illocality of Christs body by that rule of St. Austin and St. Austins rule is grounded vpon the nature of bodies they cannot auoide a contradiction Into a place then Christ ascended and it is behoofefull for vs so to thinke for as Christs Ascension was so shall ours be Christ speaketh it expresly Where I am Iohn 17. 1. Cor. 5. there saith Christ in his prayer I will that all that beleeue in me be also and St. Paul doth distinguish betweene our presence and absence from the Lord which could not be if Christs body were euery where Where the place is whereinto Christ ascended we may gather out of the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which doth often signifie Heauen God on high is as much as God in Heauen but St. Paul here puts it out of all doubt when hee saith he ascended farre aboue all Heauens meaning the visible Heauens and so pointing at the place which hee elsewhere calleth the third Heauen 2. Cor. 12. which is a place appointed to bee the receptacle of Saints What manner of place it is we need not curiously enquire wee should rather striue to come to the place of this wee may bee assured that being the place which God hath assigned wherein hee will haue Angels and men enioy blessednesse it must needes bee a blessed place it is resembled to Paradise wherein grow the trees and runne the waters of euerlasting life it was shadowed by the holy Land flowing with milke and honey it was represented to St. Iohn in that glorious heauenly Hierusalem that came downe from Heauen it is called Gods House Gods Sanctuary the City of God and the Kingdome of Heauen the pleasures thereof we finde touched in the 16. and in the 36. Psalmes This must be obserued concerning the place because it is the first steppe of felicitie this earth is the valley of teares and they that liue here are in condition answerable to the place mortall in a mortall place and Christ hauing put off his mortality was no longer to abide in a
one whose t Ma. â— 7. lips did preserue knowledge and men did seek the law at his mouth But it is required of a Bishop that hee should pascere cibo too as well as verbo and therefore Saint Paul among other things sayes hee should bee u â— Tim 3. giuen to hospitalitie So was this man in a very extraordinarie and remarkable degree For to omit his house-keeping first at Saint Crosse where hee made it his studie and profession to refresh the bowels of the poore not with drie Pensions as his Predecessors for the most part had done either for the sauing of trouble or charges or both but as became the honour of that place with constant solide and substantiall meales and then afterward at his Deanerie of Worcester where he entertained the better sort with that splen dour and the meaner with that bountie and munificence that the whole Countrie rings of it to this day to omit these J say the list of his ordinarie Family which he kept in diet after hee came to the Bishopricke of Bath and Welles did commonly consist of at least fiftie persons a great part whereof hee kept not so much for any state or attendance vpon his person as out of pure charitie in regard of their owne priuate needs Besides all which his gates were the daily refectorie of his poore neighbours and for superuenient strangers be was another h 1 Gen 18 5. Abraham a i Gen 19.3 Lot neuer suffering any man of fashion Schollers especially that came to him vpon businesse or otherwise to depart emptie away Now in this rankenesse of housekeeping I know it is a disease that commonly fals vpon great Families that they grow disorderly and riotous abusing oftentimes the bountie of a good Lord or Master to their owne hurt and the scandall of others Which fault lest any man should suspect to haue beene in his house I cannot but remember another vertue of his which Saint Paul commends also in a Bishop and that is the k 1 Tim. 3.4 ruling of his house well and hauing those that are vnder him in subiection with all grauitie Surely this man had so For notwithstanding his large allowances of all things fit for the entertainment of strangers you should see no footsteps of riot or excesse in his house No tipling or carowsing of healths no casting of the childrens bread vnto dogs not so much as any hawkes or hounds kept vnlesse it were l Hi sunt catuâ— quibus venor regnum Coelorü those wherewith hee hunted after the Kingdome of Heauen And the reason of all this J take to haue beene first his owne example who was indeed a patterne of sobrietie and of all good conuersation as Saint Paul wisheth m 1. Tim 4.12 Timothie to be then the choice of his seruants wherein he imitated Dauid Psal 101.8 and lastly his training them vp whom he entertained in true pietie and deuotion For besides his ordinary Chappell houres which he saw duely and by all frequented hee caused many of his household to assist euery morning at the sixe a clocke Prayers in the Cathedrall Church adioyning Hee neuer sate downe to his meales but he had according to the ancient fashion of Bishops a Chapter of the holy Bible read by one whom he kept for that purpose and lastly at the close of the night he called his whole Family into his ordinary dining roome and there in his owne person most deuoutly commended them by his prayers vnto Almightie God Which thing though it be no more then euery Christian housekeeper in his particular charge doth or should doe yet I account it the more memorable in a man of his place because the multitude and different qualitie of their attendants seemes ordinarily vnto such a sufficient pretence to remit that dutie to their Chaplaines if not to lay it quite aside Now as the Philosopher sayes that each priuate Family is the modell of a Common-wealth so may I say that each Christian Family is the modell of a Church and therefore no wonder if he that was so good at the ordering of the one proued no lesse excellent in the administration of the other The care of his Diocesse as it was of all other his greatest and that which most tooke him vp so did it bring forth in him fruits of exemplary diligence and such as deserue not to be concealed from the World For first whereas the foundation of all good order in a Church is the planting of an able and learned Ministery which thing appertaines to the care of the Bishop and hath euer beene accounted a chiefe o 〈◊〉 this Cauâ—â—ut I the 〈◊〉 creete that thou shouldst ordam Fliers c. Trus 1.5 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈…〉 75. Qâ—id facit excepâ—d erdination◠〈…〉 non â—aciat Hicâ—â—â— ad â—â—utgrâ—um branch of his supereminent power in the discharge hereof he was so carefull and precise that he neuer conferred holy Orders vpon any person whom he did not first examine strictly according to the Canons of the Church neither did hee trust herein any Chaplaine or other Deputie but himselfe personally performed the office for the satisfaction of his owne conscience as one that meant to giue an account to God for what hee did A worthy example doubtlesse which if it were imitated by all the rest of that Venerable ranke neither on the one side would they bee troubled with so many clamours of the Laitie against the vnsufficiencie of their Clergie nor on the other would they haue such cause as oftentimes they haue to p Maâ—â—ianies Bishop of the Noâ—tatians at Constantâ—â—â—â—â— hammâ— ordained â—abbatius a 〈◊〉 Priest 〈◊〉 him afterward to hee a turbulent man wished he had laid his hands on the briars rather then on such a maâ—â—â—â—ad See Secrat lib 〈…〉 1.20 beshrew their owne fingers for ordaining them who are no sooner put into the Ministerie but they become the ring-leaders of faction and schisme against that very authoritie which ordained them As he was thus prouident to plant a good Ministerie in his Diocesse so was hee no lesse carefull to cherish those who were alreadie planted His care of them all in generall was most tender and fatherlike The most eminent among them for Pietie and Learning he did not only vse most familiarly but studied to draw them nearest to himselfe by prouiding them of Prebends in his Church wherein it was his want of opportunitie rather then of desire and forwardnesse that he did no more And lastly to the weaker sort of them he spared not to giue his aduice and direction vpon all occasions how they might enable themselues for the better discharge of their calling to which purpose he had both intended and begun a plaine and familiar explanation of the Doctrine of the Church of England contained in the Catechisme and thirtie nine Articles which he meant to haue communicated to them for their proper vse and instruction but the
they may haue learned from that old m Cacu◠apud Liuium lib. 1. Italian Thiefe who was wont to draw all the faire Oxen he could lay hands on though it were obtorto collo auersis vestigijs vnto his owne Den. But to preuent all such practises in this particular I hold it not amisse to acquaint thee somewhat more particularly with his resolutions touching matter of Religion and how hee stood affected to the controuersies of our times It is true that of his owne disposition whether framed so by nature or by grace or both he was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of a most peaceable and milde temper apter to reconcile differences then to make them and to interprete the sayings euen of the Aduersaries where they were ambiguous in the better part in regard whereof if there be yet any hope left of sowing vp those innumerable rents which Faction hath wrought in the seamelesse coat of Christ and of drawing the distracted parts of his Church to some tolerable vnitie J thinke he had beene such a man as is hardly found amongst many to bee imployed in that seruice Howbeit as Saint Iames sayes of the wisdome which is from aboue that it is k Iames 3.17 first pure and then peaceable so J may be bold to say that this mans desire of peace came euer in the second place and that his first care was to maintaine the puritie of Religion as it is now taught in the Church of England For proofe whereof though I might thinke it enough to referre thee to these and other of his Sermons wherein he hath as his matter led him confuted and cut the throat of most of the errours currant at this day in the Church of Rome yet because it may be excepted that a mans opinions are in some sort as the Lawyers say of ones Will ambulatorie while he liues and that no man is bound to stand to any Religion but what he dies in I will rather impart to thee a late profession of his made in his last Will and Testament which is the most authentike Record of a mans minde and such as when hee is once dead l Gal 3.15 no man disanulleth or addeth thereunto as the Apostle speakes Jn this last Testament of his amongst other pious recommendations of his soule to God he hath these words I Desire to end my life in that faith which is now established in the Church of England whereof I am a member and haue beene by Gods blessing well nigh thirtie yeares a Preacher and my soules vnfained desire is that it may euer flourish and fructifie in this Kingdome and in all his Maiesties Dominions and from thence be propagated to other Countries which sit in darknesse and in the shadow of death whether Jnfidels or Heretickes Amen Behold here not only a sound but a zealous Professor of the Religion established and I would to God euery man of learning and conscience whether of the one or other side would but make the like declaration of himselfe in his last Will perhaps it would be as good a Legacie as any hee could bequeath to Gods Church For by it would it appeare what euery man thinkes of the summe of Religion truly and indeed when all worldly hopes feares preiudices dependances and engagements being set aside he hath none but God and his owne conscience to satisfie And then I doubt not but as an eminent Prelate of the Church of Rome said of the doctrine of Iustification by faith only that it was a good Supper-doctrine though not so good to breake fast on so it would bee acknowledged of our reformed Religion in generall that although it be not so plausible and pleasant a religion to liue in as some other may be yet it is the only comfortable Religion to die in as being that which settles a man vpon the true rocke and giues a sure footing to his faith when all the superstitious deuises of mans braine doe like sand faile and moulder away But to returne to this Reuerend Prelate of whom we are speaking being fallen vpon the mention of his last Will and Testament it may haply bee expected that I should here relate what Legacies he gaue therein to the Church what summes of money he bequeathed ad pios vsus c. for that is the pompe of Willes in these dayes But for that J haue said enough alreadie He that gaue all whilst he liued euen his very Bookes a great part of which I thinke to the value of foure hundred pounds worth bee disposed to the Librarie of New Colledge in Oxford by a Deed of Gift diuers yeares before his death reseruing the vse of them only for his life time could not haue much left to bestow at his death Only a name hee hath left behind him and that more precious then any ointment a name that filleth the Church for the present with the sweet sauour thereof and I trust that euen Posteritie also shall be refreshed by it For r Wisd 4 1 2. the memoriall of vertue as he saith is immortall because it is approued both with God and Men. When it is present men take example at it and when it is gone they desire it it weareth a Crowne and triumpheth for euer hauing gotten the victorie and striuing for euerlasting rewards As touching the manner of his death though any man might guesse at it that hath beene acquainted thus farre with the passages of his life for seldome doe a mans life and his end varie yet it will not bee amisse to acquaint thee with thus much that hauing some few houres before his departure made a zealous and deuout confession both of his faith and sinnes to the Bishop of Elie there present from whom also he receiued absolution according to the order of our Church and being assisted to the last gaspe with the comfortable and heauenly prayers of that diuine Prelate after he had taken particular leaue of all about him and giuen them respectiuely both his counsell and benediction he speedily yeilded vp his soule to God There passed not many moneths before that Reuerend Bishop whom J last mentioned followed him to his graue with whom as he had liued many yeares in a most entire league of friendship not vnlike that which Saint Chrysostome describes to haue beene betwixt himselfe and Saint Basil Lib. 1. de Sacerdotio so J doubt not but they are now vnited and incorporated together in a farre more firme and vndiuided societie euen that of the first-borne which are written in Heauen Heb. 12.23 and as they were heere geminum sidus a paire of Lights of our Church comparable euen to those Primitiue ones whose lustre and influence remaines with this day so they haue by this time receiued the reward of such as turne many to righteousnesse euen to be Stars in the Firmament for euer and euer Dan. 12.3 Now although an k 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Homer Epitaph be a good mans due after
Couenant stands in their mutuall stipulation Man vowes a Duetie God promiseth a Reward Touching the first partie to the Couenant and his Vow wee must more distinctly obserue Who this partie is and what he vowes The Partie is Haâ—ish Vir ille That man each word will yeeld his note First that the Partie to the Couenant is man and secondly that he is more than an ordinarie man As for his vow it consists of two parts an Abrenunciation of that corrupt state wherein he liues by nature and a dedication of himselfe to a better state whereunto he is called by Grace But these parts must bee considered first ioyntly in regard of their number and order we must see why they are in number two and then how those two are digested hauing thus considered them ioyntly wee must looke into them seuerally we must looke into the nature of each of them apart and then in the Abrenunciation we shall finde From what and How farre we must be seuered will you know From what the text will tell you that wheras there are Sinners and Sinnes we must be seuered not from the Sinners but the Sinnes not from the vngodly sinners and scorners but from their counsell way and chaire Secondly of sinne you shall finde here the seed and the fruit from which you must be seuered the seed is the counsell of the vngodly that is it which is sowen in our inward man and comprehends the solicitation vnto sinne from which spring two euill fruits which shoot forth in our outward man The way of sinners is the first which is our falling to an ill course of life the second which is worst is the Chaire of the Scorner our becomming ring-leaders vnto others both to doe ill and also to vilifie what is good This is that from which we must be seuered But how farre our first care must be to withstand the first offer of sin we must not meddle with the seed thereof Not walke in the counsell of the wicked We should estrange our selues so farre but if haply we haue not beene so watchfull as to auoyd the seed yet we must be carefull not to bring forth the fruit thereof not the first fruit wee may not apply our selues to a wicked course stand in the way of sinners at least take heed of the second Fruit of professing the art of sinning to the reproach of vertue which is a sitting in the seat of the scorners this is the Serpents method to draw vs to the height of sinne from whence wee must take the measure of our care in preseruing our selues therefrom And this is the first branch of that Vow which we made in Baptisme and I called it Abrenunciation according to the ancient phrase of the Church The second part of our Vow is our Dedication when we haue really shaken off this corrupt course we must betake our selues vnto a better We are taught here what it is and How long it must continue It stands in two points the first of which is the entertainment that we must giue vnto Gods Law that must be acceptable to our inward man Our delight must be in the Law of the Lord the second is our employment answerable thereunto the benefit thereof must redound to the whole man the whole must meditate vpon that Law But how long surely God will not be serued by fits we must perseuere in this deuotion Day and Night that must be the terme of our Meditation neither onely of our Meditation but of our Delight also yea this continuance of time though annext vnto the last must be vnderstood in all the former clauses for the latter doth alwayes presuppose the former we cannot meditate except we delight neither can wee delight as we ought in the Law except we seuer our selues so farre as is required from Communion with sinners therefore wee must be constant in all To begin then wee are first to see the first Partie to the Couenant which is set downe in two words Vir ille That man it is a Man and yet such an one as is more than ordinarie Man is a terme which though it properly note one sex yet vsually it includes both and why Man is the Head of the woman therfore vsually where he is mentioned shee is included the Cinilians obserue it in the Law and so doe the Diuines on the Scripture Certainely the Fathers thought it worth their noting vpon this place And it is well they did note it for some Schoole Diuines haue beene so ill catechized Aâ—uâ—enâ—â—s in c. p 5. Matthaâ— as that they haue questioned the womans interest in this Couenant forgetting the Text of Saint Paul that In Iesus Christ there is neither male nor female Gal. 3.28 what therefore is spoken to man the woman also must take vnto her selfe Secondly as there is no sex excluded no more is there any kindred for in Christ there is neither Iew nor Greeke therefore is the Partie set downe in a name that signifies all mankinde to signifie that all mankinde are included in this Couenant And indeed it was entred into with Adam in Paradise therefore it concernes all his posteritie As the Sun in the firmament so the Sonne of righteousnesse is common vnto all I say hath made a whole Chapter of it Cap. 56. Let not the sonne of the stranger that hath ioyned himselfe vnto the Lord speake saying The Lord hath vtterly separated me from his people Neither let the Eunuch say behold I am a dry tree the Prophet goeth on and reports the interest which God giues to each of them in his Couenant Saint Peter Acts 10. Vos 3â— hauing first receiued it in a vision deliuers it afterwards in a Maxime Of a truth I perceiue that there is no respect of persons with God wherefore then if any man be excluded it is because he excludes himselfe And indeed there are too many which exclude themselues and though all may yet few doe partake of this Couenant and therefore the Psalmist doth not onely name a Man but that Man is Ish which vsually notes some great man especially with this Emphasis Ha-ish if the person be so noted sure it is some extraordinarie Man And verily whereas all the world lyeth drowned as it were in wickednesse Psal 14.2 3 so that The Lord lookes downe from heauen and cannot see any one that doth good no not one Gen. 6.17 Psal 12. Miâ— 7.2 and all flesh hath corrupted his way so that the Psalmist cryes out Helpe Lord for there is not one godly man left there must needs bee somewhat more than ordinarie in him which is not led away with the errour of the wicked seeing they are so many but striues to enter in at the straight gate and to goe a way that is so narrow to be as Noah in the old world as Lot in Sodom as Eliah in Israel is a rare thing and therefore deserues a marke of raritie the Person deserues not onely to bee called
because in themselues they can find little true good And so haue you seene the Vngodly stript of all that is desireable in the Blessed Tree So that although with the Church of Laodicea they say that they are rich and increast with goods and haue neede of nothing Reuel 3.17 yet by by this time you see that they are wretched miserable poore blinde and naked And a man would thinke this were miserie enough so to be stript The Holy Ghost doth not leaue them so but as it tels vs that they are not what they seeme to be so doth it also tell vs that what they would not seeme to be that indeed they are and this it teacheth in another Similie He resembles them to Dust or to Chaffe driuen with the wind he doth not resemble them to Nothing for manet in ijs materia poenalis Sinne as the Schoole teach is Nothing but not simply Nothing it were happie for the wicked if as they were made at first of Nothing so sinne would bring them to nothing againe but sinne is such a nothing as euer cleaues vnto that which continueth Something it destroyes the Well-being but not the Being of a Creature For example by sinne our Vnderstanding doth not cease to be but to bee furnished with the true Light whereby we may see the way of Life and our Will loseth not her being but her holy power of choice as likewise our Affections are depriued of their true taste This which so remaynes being depraued with sinne doth Saint Hilarie fitly call Materiam paenalem it remaynes vnto our greater woe But to come to the Similie The Vngodly doe not thinke so well of themselues but the Holy Ghost thinketh as meanly it appeares by the Resemblance Dust or Chaffe things that are next to Nothing And indeed to set forth their vilenesse the Holy Ghost doth varie such kind of Resemblances sometimes by representing them by Scumme sometimes by Froth sometimes by Drosse sometimes calling them Vanitie yea Psal 62. casting them below Vanitie in the Scales if they bee both put they will ascend lighter then Vanitie The reason is because all imperfection that is in vnreasonable Creatures is but Malum Poenae and therefore must needs come short of Malum Culpae seeing the least Sinne is worse then the greatest Woe therefore the greatest Woe doth not sufficiently set forth the Euill of the least Sinne. We need not therefore wonder that the Holy Ghost doth vse so meane resemblances to set forth the Vngodly in whom there is so little worth But to come closer to it They are like Dust or Chaffe Puluis licet terra sit tamen terra esse desijt quia nihil habet solidi destitutus humore that which is Dust was Earth but by loosing his moysture it is no longer a part of the Earth and Chaffe was a part of the Eare of Corne though being thresht it continues no longer a part of the Eare take which Resemblance you will though the latter is thought best to expresse the Originall This you may gather That all the Vngodly haue their Originall in the Church though they doe not shew themselues to be of the Church The Husbandman carrieth out cleane Seed but when it growes into an Eare that Eare that beares the good graine beares also Chaffe Matti 13. Our Sauiour Christ vseth this Similie comparing the World to Gods Field his Word vnto Seed and himselfe vnto the Sower and surely God neuer sowed any of his heauenly Seed but the Eares did spring accompanied with Chaffe God sowed it in Adam of whom sprang Cain and Abel Cain plaine Chaffe Abel good Corne He sowed it in Noah of whom sprange Sem Cham and Iapheth Sem and Iapheth good Corne but C ham very Chaffe Hee sowed it in Abraham of whom sprang Ishmael and Isaac in Isaac of whom sprang Iacob and Esau from both came Chaffe as well as good Corne. And this Resemblance of Chaffe doth adde much to the Vngodlinesse of the Vngodly that being vouchsafed to be in the Church they haue so little Grace as not to be of the Church which agrees well vnto those persons which I told you before were meant here by Vngodly namely Counterfeit Christians But Chaffe hath two remarkable things in it Ariditatem and Sterilitatem which you may very fitly oppose to the double good of the blessed Tree the Drinesse is opposite to the Good that is done for the Tree and the Barrennesse to the good that comes of it Touching the Drinesse it is plaine to any one that beholds Chaffe for though while it was growing it had some sap yet being cut downe from the Root which did feed it and thresht from the Graine which might yeeld some moisture to it it must needs be drie And such is the condition of the Vngodly if they let goe their hold-fast which they haue on Christ by a true faith and lose themselues from that blessed Communion which they haue with Saints what sap of Grace can there be in them seeing these two are the only meanes of Grace and without these we may not expect any sap of Life Therefore Ieremie compareth the Wicked vnto the Heath in the Desart Ier. 17.6 and parched places in the Wildernesse in a Salt Land And if they bee subiect to Drinesse they must needs bee subiect to Barrennesse for who can expect fruit where there is no sap seeing sap is the cause of fruit and who can expect good workes where there is no Grace seeing it comes of Grace that man doth any thing that is good But the Vngodly are not only compared vnto Chaffe but vnto winnowed Chaffe The state of the Vngodly is but meane if they bee no better then Chaffe but their state is meaner if that Chaffe be winnowed It is some honour to the Chaffe that it cleaues to the Eare of Corne growing in the Field and in the threshing Floore lieth mingled with the graines but it loseth much though not of its substance which it neuer had yet of the countenance which it seemed to haue if once it come to be winnowed Those that are not of the Church acquire some estimation by being in the Church which they vtterly lose when they leaue that Communion But what is this Winnowing The Fathers obserue a double Winde that turmoyles the Vngodly There is ventus Vanitatis and Ventus Iudicij they are exposed to an Inward and to an Outward Wind the Inward Wind is the Wind of Vanitie that taketh them sometimes in the Head and as Saint Paul speaketh Ephes 4. They are carried about with euery Wind of Doctrine by the slight of man and as Saint Iames Iam. 1. they waue about and are vnstable in all their wayes Let a Theudas or a Iudas of Galilie come amongst the Iewes Let a Montanus or a Mahomet come amongst the Christians what a company will they draw after them vnlearned and vnstable soules how are they besotted with Nouelties how are they with
and our duetie toward our neighbour being an abridgement of the second Table it is therefore called the second Commandement Where by the way you may take notice that those Iewes erre who breaking the ten Commandements into two fiues thinke there were siue grauen vpon either Table whereupon it would follow that the first Commandement which commandeth our dutie towards our neighbor was ioyned with those Commandements which enioyne our duetie toward God which cannot stand with this first and second of my Text. Hauing found in regard of what Scripture these Commandements are called First and Second Let vs now see how well the matter contained in them doth deserue these names And here we shall find that this Order is very naturall for as in their being so in being the obiects of our Loue these persons are to goe the one before the other God before our Neighbour God hath the first right vnto our Loue and then our Neighbour But let vs looke into the Commandements a sunder The loue of God is termed the first Commandement and it is two wayes first Ordine naturae dignitatis whether you looke to the originall of the Louelinesse or to the worthynes that is therein You cannot denie the Lord our God to bee the originall of louelinesse if you remember what I obserued vnto you on the name of Lord God and our Lord God not a branch of these obseruations which doth not strongly proue this primacie of Loue but I chuse rather to represent it vnto you by two or three familiar Similes The first is of Consanguinitie Brethren loue each the other but their Loue is not immediate it passeth vnto them by their Parents in whome they both meete and there groweth the roote of their loue take away that dependencie which they haue thereon and brotherly affection will presently wither Euen so it is betweene vs and our neighbour Loue we must and why Because we are sonnes of the same Father Malachi pointeth out this ground Haue we not all one father Chap 2. 〈◊〉 10 Wherefore doth any man wrong his brother You see here is a faire ground of Primacie There is as faire in our body wherein our members haue a fellow feeling each of the others case and they bestirre themselues for their mutuall comfort but whence commeth this but from the Head where is the fountaine of sense and motion The members haue no vertue for which they are not beholding to the Head The Church is a body whose Head is Christ and Christ is the fountaine of fellow-feeling whereof if he doe not communicate an influence we shall be absurd if we seeke it in the body yea we shall seeke it in vaine Take a third Simily of an House or a Temple these buildings hane a foundation whereupon the whole pile is reard the parts support the one the other but it is the foundation the corner stone that knitteth them that holdeth them all together you ruine the house if you loose the foundation And the Temple of God which we are or the Communion of Saints wherein we liue where shall wee find the sinnewey bands of it but in the Spirit of Christ wherof we all drinke which foundeth vs all on him I might amplifie this point by the title of Creator which belongeth vnto God which cannot bee acknowledged but it will enforce his right to the first fruites of our loue from whom our being taketh beginning In order of nature then it is cleare that our first loue belongs to God Now I will make it as cleare that in Order of worthinesse it belongeth to him also Loue is an affection of our Will our Will naturally is carried vnto good where then wee find apparently the preeminencie of good thither must the precedencie of our loue deseruedly bend now the preeminencie of Good is out of all question in God he is so good that Christ telleth vs there is none good but he Matth. 19.17 When I opened the name of the Lord our God I fell vpon this point and I said enough to cleare it wherefore I will now be the more briefe I will onely point out three grounds the least of which doth argue God to be worthy of our first loue if that which we loue be good First God is good ase he hath no other originall of his goodnesse but himselfe and this no other can bee but God Others as they haue their being so haue they their goodnesse from him Enerie good and euerie perfect gift commeth from him 〈◊〉 1.17 which is himselfe the Father of lights As God is good ase so hee is perse good by nature yea Goodnesse is his Nature In all Creatures Nature and Goodnesse I speake of morall goodnesse are two distinct things so that Goodnesse may bee separated from the nature and be recouered by it againe Angels by Creation had and lost it it was Adams case but hee recouered it againe both of them were like the Moone betweene whose brightnesse and Bodie there is no such vnion but that they may admit a separation as appeares in the Eclipse but Goodnesse and God are as Light and the Sunne one so essentiall to the other that they cannot bee seuered except they cease to bee A seeming Eclipse there is of the Sunne but that seemeth to vs which indeed is not euen so though God neuer cease to bee good yet may flesh and blood conceiue worse of him but it is onely a carnall conceipt Iam 1.17 for in Gods goodnesse there is no variablenesse nor shadow of change Thirdly God is good propterse he hath no end of his goodnesse without himselfe other things haue their goodnesse giuen them for a farther end their goodnesse is not onely for their perfection but for their vnion to some other to this they tend and are restlesse till they attaine this but Gods goodnesse is absolute it is its owne end and beside it selfe it needeth nothing as appeard before the Creation while it enioyed it selfe and it is no necessary but an arbitrary Graciousnes out of which God vouchsafeth to entertaine communion with his Creatures If then the most worthy good doe iustly challenge our first loue then certainly our first loue is vndenyable due vnto God whose Goodnesse hath this threefold preheminence whereupon it will follow that we are bound first to loue the Lord our God and the commandement that enioyneth this is for good reason called the first But though the first yet not the onely Victor Antiochenus hath a good note Primum eò magis vocat vt secundum quoque quod a primo diuelli non debet commodiùs inferri queat The Pharisee moued his question concerning the Great Commandement Christ telleth him there are more Great Commandements then one and therefore beginneth with the first that hee might the more fitly teach him the second a second inseparable from the first This second it did concerne the Pharisee to know for whatsoeuer his loue was to wards God it is
certainly Gods did not resolue vpon any Law which Charitie did not approue and so euen those Lawes also may be said to spring from Charitie And as they spring from it so must our obedience to them ayme at it it must not suffice vs to keepe the Law of the Church and of the Common-weale but wee must keepe them to testifie how much wee tender the glorie of God and the good of our Neighbour which the Wisdome of the Magistrate teacheth vs may bee aduanced this way Yea those that are disposed as they should bee in Loue will not bee so friuously curious in scanning of or cauelling with the Lawes of men Ecclesiasticall or Ciuill considering that Loue bindeth them in things indifferent to captiuate their wits to the wisdome of the Magistrate And which is more they will obey more conscionably and more fully and thinke there is more then a penaltie due to the transgression thereof and more then the auoyding of scandall required in the Obedience these are but Accessories Loue teacheth the true end of the Law the Loue that inditeth it sheweth the true end in obeying it and pointeth out the glorie of God 1. Sam. 15. Mich. c. 6. and the common good The obseruance of these Lawes is not in moralitie thankes worthy except Charitie be the life of our obedience Finally this Loue must cleere the eyes of the Iudge or Interpreter of the Law and teach him how farre it must be prest Yea and teach the Lawgiuer also when hee may dispence and what hee must alter in these dispensable and changeable Lawes his Wisdome in both must bee guided by Charitie the Charitie that is contained in both these Commandements In both so saith the Text on these two Commandements hang the Law and the Prophets Hila◠Alterum sine altero nullum ad salutem affert profectum both must goe together It is true that sometimes the Scripture ascribes vnto one of the Loues as much as here Christ doth vnto both Matth. c. 7. but then there is a Synecdoche in the speech so that in one expressed both are vnderstood And well it may be so because a man cannot loue God but hee will loue his Neighbour because hee must loue his Neighbour for Gods sake and hee cannot loue his Neighbour but hee must loue God for this is the streame that floweth from that Fountaine and you know if there bee no Fountaine there can bee no streame distinguish wee may seuer wee cannot these two Loues though they shew themselues in two acts yet they proceed from one habit As it is but one vertue of my sight that seeth Heauen aboue mee and earth below mee so it is but one Vertue of Loue that vnites vs to God aboue and our Neighbour here below Wherefore What God hath conioyned let not men seuer let them not seuer these two loues in their studie of the Lawes both Loues doe make vp the full contents of either Law And if these Lawes depend on Charitie then simply all because there bee no other kinds then these and so wee must conclude that whatsoeuer Law is not squared by Charitie deserues not the name of a Law You happily may expect that I should shew you that these two Loues are the contents also of the Prophets But what need I seeing I haue told you that the Prophets are in effect nothing but the Law or the Law looking vpon the liues of the Israelites Whereupon it will follow necessarily that if so be the two Commandements be the contents of the Law they must needs also be the contens of the Prophets and that more euidently by so much as Examples are more euident then Rules Wherefore we will passe ouer that and come to a point of speciall regard Some captious persons may demand If the loue of God and our Neighbour bee the contents of all the Law and the Prophets why do they print so many Books Leuit. 19. Deut. 6. Why do you preach so many Sermons So may the lazinesse of wretched men argue for it selfe but it may receiue an answere out of that which I haue alreadie said or rather out of that which Christ saith in my Text for though by Moses God had deliuered these two Rules of Loue yet in his wisdome did he thinke it fit vpon them to make a first Commentarie by Moses and a second by the Prophets And who are wee that wee should thinke our selues wiser then God that made the Commentaries or better then the Israelites that receiued them Wherefore we must obserue that though Loue be the ground of the Law yet it is but as a Seed and though a seed graine be potentially or in possibilitie an eare yea many eares of corne yet must the ground be first plowed and the seed sowne the raine must fall vpon the ground the Sunne shine vpon it before it come to bee an eare and be carried into your Barne for your sustenance euen so the Word of God requireth the plowing vp the fallow grounds of your hearts there must bee a sowing and a watering of it before it will fructifie and your liues be the better for it Men looke immediatly vpon particulars and not vpon the generall rule by which they should frame their liues Adde hereunto that we must remember that not only good is commanded but also euill is forbidden and though we keepe the Affirmatiue yet we need Negatiues There are first Principles in all Arts and Sciences which are vertually the whole body of the Art or Science but it is not for euery one to draw out the conclusioons whereof the whole bodie must bee made And it is much more hard to draw out practicke Conclusions then speculatiue because they are clothed with many circumstances And though it be hard to draw out all the Commandements of the Law of Nature out of Loue yet you will find it much harder to draw the positiue Lawes After all the ease that God hath done vs in the Bible yet if Magistrates and Ministers doe not make Commentaries vpon those Commentaries the Church and Common-weale would be full of ignorance and men would not know how to apply or resolue the generall Rule To say nothing that what we doe know it is as if wee did not know it because had we not those powerfull remembrancers the Minister in the Church the Magistrate in the State wee would take no heed to doe what wee know I come to the last point of my Text you see how these Commandements may be inlarged to take vp both parts of the Bible But can those parts of the Bible be so contracted as not to exceed these contents For the Bible doth containe aswell 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 what God offereth vs as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 what he requireth of vs. I answere some inlarge the words so farre as to make them comprehend both yea the very Gospell for that Christs Redemption tendred vs therein is nothing else but the gladtydings that
Esay 6. Esayes lips were touched with a coale from the Altar before he could receiue his message When we come before God wee must endeuour to bee like vnto him Leiuit 11.44 Holy as hee is holy for God is a God of pure eyes Habak 1 13. and can behold no iniquitie such as bee wicked cannot stand before him Wherefore clense your hands Iames 4.8 yee sinners and purge your hearts yee double-minded If he that was inuited to the mariage was challenged for wanting his wedding garment how shall God take it at his Spouses hand if she come vnprepared We reade Ezech. 16 how God trimmed her against that day the day of Espousals and how he will trimme her against the mariage day we may reade Reuel 21 But I cannot stand to amplifie these things To draw to an end I will put you in minde to doe that to a good purpose which you vsually dâ—e You put on cleane linnen your best clothes and how often doe you looke in a glasse to see that all bee handsome before you shew your selues in the Church to your Neighbours I was about to say that they may see how gay you are but I will hope in Charitie you doe it out of good manners to God You that will not come slouenly before your betters should doe well not to come stouenly before the Lord of Heauen and Earth But remember that God that approueth this outward decencie requireth the inward much more he will haue you lift vp to him not only cleane hands but pure hands also hee will haue you not only to heare his Word Luke 8. v 15. but also to receiue it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 into an honest and good heart A neat outside and a slouenly inside is like a painted sepulchre full of dead mens bones And most Churches are full of such painted sepulchres They are a generation cleane in their owne eyes but not washed from that filthinesse Prou. 30. I wish better to you and I hope better of you Therefore I exhort you I exhort my selfe in the words of the Prophet Esay Goe out of her expounded by the Apostle 2. Cor. 7. or briefly in the words of the Apostle Let vs clense our selues from all vncleannesse both of flesh and spirit perfecting holinesse in the feare of God And that this exhortation may succeed with vs no worse then Moses did with the Israelites for they did as they were commanded Verse 14. and obserued the first stipulation 1. Thess 5 23. Verse 5. The very God of peace sanctifie vs throughout in spirit soule and bodie and keepe vs blamelesse to the comming of our Lord and Sauiour Iesus Christ At what time hauing had our fruâ— here in Holinesse our end shall be euerlasting life This God grant vs for lesus Christ his sake To whom c. Blessed are the pure in heart 〈◊〉 8. for they shall see God The ninth Sermon EXODVS 19. VERS 12.13.21.24 12. And thou shalt set bounds vnto the people round about saying Take heede to your selues that yee goe not vp into the Mount or touch the border of it whosoeuer toucheth the Mount shall surely be put to death 13. There shall not a hand touch it but he shall surely be stoned or shot through whether it be beast or man it shall not liue when the Trumpet soundeth long they shall come vp to the Mount THat branch of Gods order which prepared the Israelites â—o receiue the Law required their Puritie and their Modestie I spake last of their Puritie I come now to speake of their Modestie It is deliuered in those words that now I haue read vnto you Therein we must obserue that Moses had his charge and the Israelites had theirs Moses charge is to make a fence betweene the people and the Hill hee must set bounds round about the people The Israelites charge is they must not breake through the fence made by Moses They must not goe vp into the Mountaine The Israelites must not But they are diuided into common People and the Priests the Prohibition is laide vpon them both vpon the People in this 12. verse and in the 24. verse it is laid vpon the Priests Moses is to bid both take heede vnto themselues Neither to themselues onely but to their beasts also they are put into the number verse 13. Besides this in the Prohibition the text doth lead vs to consider the stricktnesse wherewith the Israelites were to obserue it and the sharpnesse of the punishment which they were to vndergoe if they presume to violate it The stricktnesse is great for they might not transgresse the bounds set them either Cominùs that is at hand by so much as touching the border making the very first and least approach vnto it there can be no lesse then touch and the first touch is in the border As they must not transgresse Cominùs so must they not Eminus aloofe they must not gaze on the Hill and you know the eye can goe whether the foote cannot come God will haue the first Inlet and the first Out-let of sinne to be heeded And hee will haue them both heeded vnder a Paine a sharpe Paine it is no lesse then death the Transgressour must die But obserue touching this death that it is such as is inflicted vpon an execrable thing and the doome thereof is vnpardonable See both these points in the text First the execrablenesse of the Transgressour all must abhorre him for No hand may touch him and yet all must be against him for they must stone him with stones or shoote him through with Darts And he that dieth so dieth as an execrable thing He that Transgresseth must die that death without remission Moriendo morietur he shall certainely die Non viuet he shall not liue both phrases are peremptorie they leaue no place for pardon Not for the pardon of any one for the text saith Quicunque Whosoeuer shall presume to transgresse be hee of the People or bee he of the Priests be he a reasonable creature or be he a beast the doome is vnchangeable They must die Die certainely for though they scape the hands of men yet they shall not scape God will breake out vpon them as we read verse 24. especially vpon the greatest of them which are otherwise most likely to scape He will breake out vpon the Priests Finally obserue that the charge of the Israelites is often repeated and limited to a time you haue it in my Text and you haue it againe and againe in the 21 22 23. and 24. verses what God will haue carefully obeyed of that he will haue vs often remembred But our obedience is limited Though in morals our dueties are euerlasting yet our ceremonials doe last but for a time When the Trumpet soundeth long then the Israelites may goe vp into the Mount You haue heard the particulars whereof I meane to intreate on this text they all Preach vnto vs Modestie to bee
they be Natiue and not Electiue they must needs haue a most free absolute Power And such Christs is Natus Rex it is the expresse letter of my Text And the Wisemen that came to present him Matth. 2. asked for him that was borne King of the Iewes Nay Christ himselfe when Pilate asked him whether he were a King replyed for this cause was I borne And Pilate set vp this stile ouer his Crosse Iesus of Nazareth King of the Iewes which he would not alter though he were much importuned by the Scribes and Pharisees The places of the Prophets are very cleare Esay 32. Ier. 23. but specially Dan. 7. all of them beare witnesse to the Kingdome of Christ So that wee must acknowledge in Christ a Kingly power such a Power as none must dare to dispute the verity of his Word as curious and scoffing Atheists and Epicures doe or resist his Authority as proud Pharaohs and Senacheribs Christ can brooke neyther But as Christ is called a King so here is an addition vnto his Title his Throne and Kingdome are termed the Throne and Kingdome of Dauid And indeed Christs Pedegree is by St. Matthew and St. Luke fetched from King Dauid Himselfe calleth himselfe in the Reuelation The roote and generation of Dauid The Apostle telleth vs that be was of the seed of Dauid according to the flesh And how often in the Gospell is he called The Sonne of Dauid In the Prophets euen Dauid himselfe sometimes and sometimes The branch of Dauid Finally the Angell in the first of Luke telleth the Virgin Mary That Christ shall sit vpon the Throne of his Father Dauid But how can that bee seeing that which Dauid had Christ had not and what Dauid had not Christ had Christ had not the Temporall state of Dauid that was fallen into the hands of Herod the great and the Spirituall state of Christ Dauid had not His Kingdome was Temporall How then could Christ be said to sit vpon his Kingdome Although it were granted that by succession Christ was the right heire to the Crowne of Israel yet seeing the Scepter was departed and the Law-giuer gone the Tabernacle of Dauid was downe we cannot finde a Truth of these words we cannot if wee vnderstand them literally but if mystically wee may And St. Pauls rule is our guide All things yea and persons too if they were eminent came to the Israelites in Types 1 Cor. 10. they had shadowes of good things to come St. Bernards rule is true This Throne of Dauid which Christ sate on was not sedes Typica but Vera not Corporalis but Spiritualis not Temporalis but Aeterna yet so that Illa was huius Imago the Temporall of the Eternall the Corporall of the Spirituall the Typicall of the true Throne Dauids state of the state of the Church And indeed there is an excellent Analogie betweene the Person of Dauid and Christ as both were Kings Dauid was anointed to be a King long before hee was possessed of his Kingdome and so was our Sauiour Christ anointed with the holy Ghost long before he entred into his Glory For though he did many acts of a Gouernour Propheticall and Priestly yet few Regall acts before his Resurrection and those which hee did hee did them rather with the efficacie than in the Maiestie of a King for his outward Man represented nothing lesse But after his Resurrection and Ascension Efficacie and Maiestie conioyned and he sate him downe at the right hand of God and now doth he gouerne in the glory of his Father Secondly as there was a distance betweene Dauids Vnction too and Possession of the Crowne so was that a troublesome time few quiet dayes had he being persecuted both abroad and at home by Saul by his Seruants Euen so our Sauiour Christ entred not into his glory but by many afflictions all kinde of Enemies pursue him with all kinde of malice so that his life was a continuall Crosse And as Dauid so Christ the nearer he drew to his Crowne the sharper was his Crosse Thirdly as King Dauid first possessed only the Tribe of Iuda and after some yeares the ten Tribes euen so our Sauiour Christ at first possessed only the Iewes and after some time inlarged his Church vnto the Gentiles Fourthly Dauid being possessed of his Kingdome spent many years in repressing the Foes of his Kingdome Philistines Amonites Syrians c. and at length fate downe in peace and ruled with Iustice and Iudgement in much Prosperity euen so our Sauiour Christ though ascended into Heauen and reigning there yet shall he be vntill the generall Resurrection subduing his Enemies vnder his feete and freeing his Church from troubles and calamities when that is done then shall he rule and reigne with his Church in much peace and ioy These and such like Analogies are obseruable in comparing of Christ and Dauid which are the cause why the Kingdome of Christ is called The Kingdome of Dauid But yet in the letter of the storie which is the ground of this comparison you shall finde many Hyperboles reade the 89. Psalme the 72. Psalm the 132. to say nothing of diuers places of the Prophets which seeme to exceede the truth if they be applyed to King Dauid whereby the holy Ghost giueth vs to vnderstand that they must bee applyed to a greater than Dauid And indeed the phrases that are in these reall Allegories or Types must be vnderstood of the Corporall part but Quodammodo in a measure answerable vnto them the fulnesse of their truth appeares in the Spirituall And some Diuines obserue Ezâ—k 21.26 37 that The Throne of Dauid is not that which Dauid possessed but that which was promised to Dauid for his sonne And indeed in 2 Sam. 7. the Promise though it be made vnto Dauid yet is it made for his sonne his sonne is Christ It was not meant of his immediate Sonne otherwise than in a Type but it was meant of his Sonne 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Messias or Sauiour of the world As also the Promise made to Abraham was made for his Sonne which in appearance seemed to be Isaac but St. Paul to the Galathians telleth vs that that seed is Christ Well then this Kingdome is the Church and therein Christ sitteth as in his Throne it is the Gouernment thereof that is committed vnto him And here wee may not dreame of a corporall Kingdome and turne the truth into a Type St. Paul hath told vs that The Kingdome of God is neyther meat nor drinke but righteousnesse and peace and ioy of the holy Ghost And Christ in the Gospell The Kingdome of God is within you The Parables of the Kingdome if you looke to their Morall imply as much all sound things and persons spirituall Grosse then is the vsurpation of the Bishop of Rome who in Christs name contrary to Christs rules combines both Swords the Spirituall and the Corporall And they that vnderstand The Kingdome of Christ carnally as if all
and giue the world a good testimonie that we are the subiects of the Prince of peace I will set God before mine eyes and I will try how mine eyes can behold God and if I finde that mine eye delights to behold him that his countenance puts gladnesse into my heart when I doe behold him I am sure we are at Peace For were wee not eyther I haue no eyes and doe not see him or when I doe I shall be confounded with the sight of him I will open mine eares and I will heare God in his Word and if when I heare him the Law of his mouth is sweeter vnto mee than hony and the hony combe I know we are at peace were we not I must needs be like Adam heare and fly And if in the dayes of my mortality I can attaine this Peace of Perfection I doubt not but in the dayes of my immortality I shall attaine vnto that higher peace the peace of Retribution all teares shall be wiped from mine eyes all sickenesse from my body all blindnesse from my vnderstanding all vntowardlinesse from my will This ciuill discord of the flesh and the spirit and that greater betweene my conscience and God how much more these lesser discords that are between me and other men shall fully cease and be abolished for euer the Prince of Peace shall consummate my peace And so haue you those two titles of Christ which shew that we must vnderstand spiritually those two former titles which you heard before doe royally belong vnto him I should now farther shew you that the Scripture giues Christ many names because one or few cannot fully expresse him or at least we cannot fully sound the depth of that name when it is giuen vnto him The name of Iesus is a rich name and so is the name of Christ the vsuall names by which our Sauiour was called but the riches of those names are vnfoulded vnto vs in these particular titles and wee must take these as Commentaries vpon those for as it is in the eleuenth of this Prophecie The spirit which rested vpon Christ was manifold how manifold the holy Ghost doth there describe in abstracto but here to like purpose he speaketh of Christ in concreto The time will not suffer me to parallel these and the like places this is our Rule That as our nature delights in variety so there is a variety in Christ to giue full content vnto our nature and wee must not lightly passe by any one of his titles seeing euery one of them promiseth so much good vnto vs. O Lord that being my Lord art pleased to be my Father such a Father as that I neede not feare that I shall euer be an Orphan and hast prouided me an inheritance that shal be as lasting as my selfe that when all other fayle mee shall bee enioyed by mee an inheritance most comfortable because therein consists my Perfection and thy Retribution the Retribution of glory wherewith thou dost crowne the Perfection of grace grant that I neuer want that piety which I owe vnto my Father that charity which I owe vnto my Brethren Let my heart goe where my best treasure is and let that peace which passeth all vnderstanding haue the vpper hand in me Let me feele it let me practise it so in heart that I may haue the fulnesse of both sense and practice of it in the Kingdome of Heauen Amen THE SIXTH SERMON Of the increase of his Gouernment and Peace there shall bee no end vpon the Throne of Dauid and vpon his Kingdome to order it and to establish it c. IN Christ whom the Prophet describeth here vnto vs I obserued a double excellencie one of his Person and another of his State The first I haue already handled I come now to the second the excellencie of the State Which stands in a boundlesse growth of the Kingdome and a constant policie of the King that is the effect wherof this is the cause But more particularly in the effect obserue that there is a growth the Prophet calleth it an increase a growth of the gouernment and a growth of the peace both partake of the same increase And the increase of both is boundlesse there is no end of it no bounds of place it ouerspreadeth all no bounds of time it endureth for euer the word beareth both Of this effect or boundlesse growth of the Kingdome the cause is the constant policie of the King Which consisteth in the exercise of his two roy all indowments of his wisedome Hee shall order and to order is nothing else but to employ that wisedome which Christ hath as a wonderfull Counsellour of his power He shall support and to support what is it but to employ his power the power that he hath as he is a mighty God hee employeth them both his wisedome his power But they may bee employed eyther well or ill according as the rule is by which they proceed Christ employeth them well his rule is good it is iudgement and iustice he cals all to an account and measures to all as they are found vpon their triall This is the policie And herein he is constant he continueth it without ceasing from henceforth euen for euer So that of the euerlasting effect there is an euerlasting cause You see what is the summe or substance of this second excellencie but that you may see it better let vs runne ouer the parts briefly and in their order And first we are to obserue how answerable the excellencie of the state is to the excellencie of the person one goeth not without the other Christus naturalis will haue Christum mysticum conformable vnto him the body to the head Where he vouchsafeth an vnion of persons he vouchsafeth a communion also in the dignity of the persons It appeares in the name he is called Christ which is annoynted with oyle of gladnesse and we are called Christians we partake of the same oyle His name is but an oyntment poured out as it is in the Canticles Cap. 1.3 poured out like that precious oyle vpon Aarons head which ranne downe to the skirts of his garment Cap. 60. All Christs garments and the Church in Esay is compared to a garment smell of Myrrhe Aloes and Cassia as it is Psalme 45. This is taught by diuers Similies Of the wiues communicating in her husbands honour and wealth The branches partaking of the fatnesse and sweetnesse of the roote The members deriuing of sense and motion from the head So that our King is not like the bramble that receiueth all good and yeelds none to the state but hee is like the Fig-tree the Vine the Oliue they that pertaine to him are all the better for him they are conformable to him if he haue an excellencie they shall haue one also A good patterne for mortall Kings and Gouernours who should herein imitate the King of Heauen that as when a man seeth an excellent work he ghesseth that the
worke man was excellent though he see him not so the eminency of the Gouernour may be seene when hee is not seene it may be seene in the eminencie of his people Surely the corporall Heauen doth not more declare the glory of God Psalme 19. nor the corporall Firmament his handy worke than the mysticall heauen and the Firmament of the Church doe set forth vnto the world the glory of Christ But enough of the correspondencie of one excellencie to another let vs descend now to the particulars of the later and speake first of the growth And here we see how Christus mysticus doth answer Christum naturalem also In describing of the King the Prophet beganne at his childhood of which St. Luke saith that Christ grew in wisedome in stature and in fanour both with God and man And what doth the word increase intimate but a childhood as it were of the Church from which it groweth forward Certainely the Scripture doth follow the Simile and fetcheth as Christ out of his mothers wombe so the children of God out of the Churches wombe by a new birth And as Christ sucked his mothers breast so doe these children liue at first by reasonable milke as Saint Peter speaketh suckt from the Churches two breasts the Old Heb. 6. and the New Testament As he so they come at length to stronger meat and both come to the age of a perfect man Christ naturally the Church mystically Ephes 4. And this doctrine is taught by other Similies also In the Prophets wee reade of Vine-plants which grew and spread farre Dan. 2. of the little stone in Daniel cut without hands which grew into a great Mountaine In the Gospell the Kingdome of heauen is compared to mustard seed the least of seeds but not of the least growth it becommeth a Tree and it is compared to leauen and who knoweth not how that disperseth it selfe throughout the whole lumpe But this is plain in the story Crescite multiplicamini was a blessing that concerned as well the spirituall as the naturall propagation of man both had a like small beginning Before the Floud one Adam and one Eue from whom sprang all the children of God after the Floud there was but one Family to people all the world and but a piece of that to people the Church Abraham had but one Isaac whose off-spring was to become a mighty Nation hee that marketh how it encreased in Egypt will say that it encreased indeed Come to the New Testament what a small beginning had the Church thereof but what an increment doe we find of it And when the Gospel was in this later age new planted how few were they from whom it spread It were no great matter to weary you with relating out of the Prophets Texts that handle this increase But it needeth not the matter is plaine And this is the vse euen the comfort of the Church that when we see but a cloud no bigger than that of Elias wee may prognosticate that the whole heauens shall bee ouercast there will follow more as truly as when a few graines are sowen there will arise many eares and each loaden with many graines God somewhere in the Prophet vseth that Simile and speaking of the Church hee promiseth that hee will sow it with the seed of men So that wee may vse those words of Zachary Cap. 4. Who hath despised the day of small things for they shall reioyce and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel with those seuen they are the eyes of the Lord which runne to and fro through the earth For there is an increase and this increase is boundlesse But before I come to the measure of the increase I must a little obserue what that is which doth increase it is here specified to be the Gouernment and the Peace thereof What the Gouernment and what the Peace is you heard before at this time I am onely to obserue that both of them increase for it is remarkeable that they both increase When mortall Princes inlarge their Dominions they are faine withall to encrease their garrisons Witnesse the Romane Empire which neuer kept so many Armies as when they had most Prouinces And no maruell for what they conquered by the sword they were faine to hold by the sword for but for feare they were not obeyed by them whom they held by force Quem metuunt oderunt Et quem quisque odit periisse expetit are too euident and too much experienced rules All Nations haue had the triall of it in their conquests But it is not so with the Kingdome of Christ where hee enlargeth his Dominions he bringeth Peace the inseparable companion of his Dominions and why he maketh all his Subiects naturall The Romanes in the end found that to be the best policie to denizen whole Countreyes whom they conquered and giue them the same immunities with the Citizens of Rome And sure this was a better prouision for their peace than the sword could bee But this was but a morall perswafion vnto peace it could not worke the heart and alter it that was still indisposed thereunto as appeares by many rebellions and warres of those that had these immunities when fit occasion was offered them But our Sauiour Christ changeth the heart In the eleuenth of this prophesie it is excellently figured by the cohabitation of the Wolfe and the Lambe the Leopard and the Kid c. Haue men neuer so saluage dispositions yet when they come vnder the Gouernment of Christ they put them off and become as meeke as tame as the Lambes and Kids in the flocke of Christ He that readeth the stories how barbarous other countries yea our own countrey was before it was christianed will acknowledge the truth hereof I will only instance in two well knowne persons St. Paul and St. Austine what they were before they haue each of them registred with their own pennes St. Paul in his Epistles St. Augustine in his Confessions what they became who knoweth not that hath read the Writings of them both The ground of all is None commeth vnder Christs gouernment but hee is new-borne not so much naturalized as indeed made a naturall subiect and we see in our own Country how true the affection is as of a naturall Prince to his Subiects so of naturall Subiects to their Prince This City lodgeth no garrison neyther doth any other except the frontier Towne that is armed against the forraigne enemie and yet we all readily obey euen so is it and much more so in the Kingdome of Christ where the gouernment commeth peace commeth with it they both goe together they both increase But how farre surely without stint of time or place of the encrease saith our Prophet there is no end Where the Prophets doe speake of the increase of the gouernment they ioyne withall the increase of the peace Psalme 72. Esay 60. Micah 4. c. The increase is as I termed it boundlesse
may be reiterated though the other may not And so haue I laid before you as many particulars as I thinke obserueable in this Text which I will now vnfold briefly and in their order First then of the Author He is here called Iesus Saint Paul calleth him the Lord Iesus Though Sacraments be Ceremonies yet are they Ceremonies of efficacie Were they onely of significancie the Church might haue some power to ordaine them but being of efficacie their ordination belongeth onely to God because the efficacy floweth from his Spirit and of his Spirit none can dispose but himselfe As onely God is the Author of Sacraments so did hee institute them by the second Person by him that is the Sauiour of the world doth hee institute the Sacraments of sauing grace the Sacraments are his most liuely picture therefore he was fittest for to draw them He was fittest as Iesuâ— for to draw them and as the Lord to enioyne the obseruation of them therein especially stands his Kingdome in his Church to prescribe the meanes vnto eternall Life But how doth he do it you shall learne that in the Institution I therein obserued the time and the manner The time while they were eating saith St. Matthew after Supper saith St. Luke Saint Paul the same night that he was betrayed St. Paul and St. Luke are easily reconciled for the Passeouer was solemnized at the same time and St. Luke meaneth when they had done with that so far as concerned the Paschal Lamb but were not yet risen for that there was another Ceremony to be performed as the Iewish Ritualls obserue and that Ceremony was this The Master of the Family after the Passeouer was eaten distributed with solemne words concerning the deliuerance out of the Egyptian captiuity bread and wine before that was done Christ instituted the Sacrament and so it might be while they were eating though it were after Supper Where out of St. Pauls addition that it was the night wherein Christ was betrayed we may obserue that for the terrour of the Crosse which he fore-saw Christ did not omit to doe any thing which concerned his office and was to be for the comfort of his Church Secondly obserue that they were not at a prophane but a sacred Banquet which hindered not but they might be meete guests for Christs holy Supper while they receiued one Sacrament they were not vnfit for another And this teacheth vs the reason why though Christ gaue the Sacrament to the Apostles while they were feasting the Church commands vs to take it fasting For their feast was sacred the Church forbids that which is prophane so doth St. Paul 1. Cor. 11. yea the Iewes were to sanctifie themselues before the receiuing of the Passeouer How may we then come vnprepared to ours that the meate of our soules may the better be receiued we must not be prepossest with the food of our bodies Where by the way you may learne how to answer the cauill against our Liturgie which saith that the Diuell entered into Iudas after his vnworthy receiuing of the Sacrament For put the case he were not at the Eucharist which notwithstanding will not easily be proued because the best Harmonists are against the conceipt and so are the Fathers Greeke and Latine But put the case he were not there yet was he at the Passouer that is plaine in the Euangelists and the Passeouer was a Sacrament and so in effect the matter is all one Secondly obserue on these words While they were eating that before the Sacrament of the Old was abolished for it was not abolished but by the death of Christ Christ instituted the Sacrament of the New that because we haue alwayes so much need of grace wee might neuer be without the meanes thereof So did he substitute Baptisme to Circumcision the Ministry of the Gospell to the Priesthood of the Law the Lords Day to the Iewish Sabbath Seeing then Christ hath been so carefull of vs we must not be wanting to our selues if we want grace the blame must not be laide on him but on vs. Thirdly Christ abolished the Ceremoniall Law but not all Ceremonies We consist of a body and a soule and God doth conuey grace vnto the soule by the body which cannot be done without Ceremony But ours are fewer in number than were the Iewes Austin though they are not inferiour in power yea they are much more commodious though they be lesse burthenous Our charge being easier and our comfort greater our sinne is lesse excusable and our neglect more challengeable if we doe not practise such easie meanes to compasse so great a benefit Enough of the Time I come now to the Manner of the Institution where wee must first see what Elements were chosen and here we finde bread and wine Of this choice the reason is inquired Some thinke it occasionall because the Father of the Family did after the Passeouer distribute bread and wine Some thinke Christ tooke an occasion from that ceremony to institute this by this Truth to accomplish that Type Others thinke the reason to be Propheticall Cap. 1. Malachy foretold that from the rising of the Sun vnto the going downe of the same Gods Name should be great amongst the Gentiles and in euery place incense should be offered to his Name and a pure Offering the word is Mincah and so doth import an accessory to the ancient Sacrifice that was made commonly of fine flower and wine this accessory might in some cases be a principall as appeares in the Law Some rise higher vnto the dayes of Melchisedech and because hee offered bread and wine and Christ was a Priest after the order of Melchisedech therefore hee made vse of his Sacrifice and perpetuated it to this heauenly vse Now the bread and wine which Melchisedech brought out when hee met Abraham are by many of the Fathers thought to be a Sacrifice I might adde a fourth Originall that is Manna and the water out of the Rocke wherewith God sustained the Israelites in the wildernesse St. Paul calleth them spirituall meate and drinke 1. Cor. 10. But to leaue these points which are subiect to dispute I will come to that which is more cleare and that is Bread and Wine are the choisest of food bread strengtheneth mans heart and it is the sustenance of all other sustenances the Psalmist giueth Wheate as it were kidnies of fat not onely alluding to the forme of the graine but also to the effect thereof and God by the Prophet when he threatneth a famine expresseth it by breaking the staffe of bread as if without it all food were heartlesse As for wine the Psalme teacheth vs that it was made to cheare vp mans heart The Parable of the Trees telleth vs it cheareth both God and man Iudges 9. In the Probleme Esdras 3. What is strongest wine is brought in as one Ecclesiasticus hath made almost a whole Chapter of it and holdeth that there is no life without it be
mine eyes forcibly layd open to see mine eares to heare and so the rest of my body may be constrayned to produce some worke but the powers of my reasonable soule can neuer be constrayned I cannot be constrayned to iudge otherwise then my vnderstanding leads me nor to chuse that which my will refuseth therefore our vnderstanding and our will must be actors principall actors in this deceipt And so St Iames telleth vs Cap. 1. 1 Iohn â— that He that is tempted is bayted and led aside by his owne concupiscence St Iohn insinuates as much when he telleth vs that All that is in the world is the lust of the flesh the lust of the eyes and the pride of life as if there were no deceipt in the world were it not that we did fasten our concupiscence vpon it Rom. 7. Finally St Paul telleth vs in his owne case Peccatum decepit me that which deceiued me was mine owne sinne And indeed he that first instilled sinne into vs gaue vs the seed of his owne sinne The Diuels sinne was selfe-deceipt for when he fell there was nothing besides himselfe that might deceiue him and that cunning Huntsman is not contented to make vs a prey except he take vs in the cords of our owne sinne except we follow the counsels of our owne hearts and doe that which is right in our owne eyes to disobey GOD and leaue the path of life It were easie to illustrate this in all sorts of sinnes but I will keepe my selfe to this present occasion to the sinne of Schisme The Diuel attempts two things against the truth of Religion the first is Priuation the second Deprauation a declining vnto the left-hand or to the right to the left-hand by making men Atheists to the right-hand by making them Separatists he would that all should be fooles and say in their hearts that there is no GOD or that GOD is without Prouidence that GOD knoweth not or eareth not for the things of this world And if he cannot so stifle Religion he endeauoureth for to leauen it whom he cannot draw to the left hand he will endeauour to draw to the right he will by corrupting of good principles maketh them fall vpon many vngodly conclusions and vse zeale for GOD to estrange themselues from GOD. Wofull experience hath the Church had of such Paralogismes in the Iewes who vpon this ground opposed CHRIST in the Gentiles that tooke this for a ground to quarrell with the Iewes and the Separatists of this latter age wherof we haue had more then a good many in this Countrey haue stumbled at this stone lest they should serue GOD amisse they haue refused to serue GOD at all Nazianzen in his time though in another case yet sauouring of this sinne cryed out 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Orat. 40. O vnwarie warinesse ô imposture of the wicked-one that turneth Pietie into Impietie and ouercommeth reason by reason Who can consider this and not acknowledge the weaknesse of our nature This weakenesse may be resolued into our ouer-easie beleeuing and rash dis-beleeuing ouer-easie beleeuing of seducing Imposters that labour to instill their fancies into vs and rash dis-beleeuing of those whom GOD hath lawfully placed to rule ouer vs both which a man shall easily obserue in all Schismatiques But to acknowledge our naturall weakenesse is not sufficient the Apostle aduiseth vs to beware of it and indeed therefore is our naturall weaknesse remembred that it might stirre vs vp vnto spirituall carefulnesse not to doe that which we are prone to doe Let no man deceiue himselfe We must take heed of the occasions that from without offer to deceiue vs of Wolues in Sheepes clothing of an Angel of darkenesse turning himselfe into an Angel of light Try the spirits at St Iohn yea Try all things as St Paul willeth vs. 1 Iohn 4 1 Thes 5. â—1 In Iob we haue a prettie resemblance of the eare to the tast as the one doth try the meates which we are to take into our bodyes so should the other the words which we are to receiue into our soules But in vaine shall we try them if we doe not try our selues first for we must try them by our iudgement by our will Verum est index sui obliqui a peruerse iudgement cannot discerne truth from falsehood neither can an vntoward will make a right choyse when Good and Euill are presented vnto it he cannot choose but be deceiued by others that is first deceiued in himselfe wherefore seeing our iudgement and our will must be the rule by which we must try others our first care must be to set them straight our vnderstanding must be a good Logician our will a good Moralist if either be defectiue we deceiue our selues and we are verie apt to be deceiued by others It is a miserable thing for a man to be deceiued by others Platâ— in Crâ—tilâ— but to be deceiued by himselfe is most miserable cum Impostor â—e minimum quidem decedat we shall euer carrie about vs the Deceiuer in our bosoms and he shall haue that credit with vs as that we shall neuer so much as suspect his deceipt yea Sathan and the World shall euer haue their Agent with vs and make vs assacinates to destroy our selues Adde hereunto that this kind of deceipt makes vs vncapable of wholesome counsell for if our ignorance be onely priuatiue seldome doe we obstinate our selues against good instructions but if our reasonable powers be depraued and possest with qualities opposite vnto those which we should receiue there is much lesse hope of our amendment Intus apparens excludit alienum Nazianz. orat 1. selfe-deceipt is most refractorie and most hardly will he be brought backe into the way that being deceiued of himselfe wittingly and willingly went out of the way whereof this Penitent may be a liuely example vnto vs. And let this suffice concerning the Preseruatiue I come vnto the Restoratiue remedy wherein we are first to see the distemper of a Schismatique I told you it was a carnall selfe-conceipt First a selfe-conceipt the Schismatique thinkes himselfe wise GOD that indowed vs with the faculties of sense and reason gaue these faculties a double abilitie a direct and a reflected The direct is that whereby they receiue their obiect the reflect is that whereby they iudge of that receipt I will make it plaine to you by an example first of sense and then of reason Mine eye seeth a colour for example Greene hauing seene it it passeth a iudgement vpon the sight and knowes that is greene which it doth see the like may be obserued in hearing smelling tasting and the rest of the senses In like manner is it in our soule The vnderstanding apprehends some truth and hauing apprehended it it passeth a iudgement vpon it and knoweth that that is truth which it hath apprehended The like may be said of Good But we must marke here a difference betweene sense and reason as
was the Embleme of the acceptable yeere Luke 4. it testified that GOD was now 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and that men had now communion with him againe But here are two rules that must bee obserued first that these wordes in whom I am well pleased must bee vnderstood exclusiuely Act. 3. CHRIST is the onely Mediatour neither is there any other Name vnder Heauen giuen by which we may be saued but onely the Name of IESVS so that he which hath the Sonne hath life 1 Iohn 3. and hee which hath not the Sonne hath not life CHRIST will yeeld this glory to none other Secondly that GOD is immediatly well pleased with CHRIST but mediatly with vs If we doe not so vnderstand the words wee haue but little comfort in them wherefore we must bee assured that we are made accepted in Gods beloued that the Church is now called Hephzibah My delight is in her saith the LORD By the Sonne Esay 62.4 wee haue all accesse vnto the Father through the Holy Ghost Finally all this is to be vnderstood of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hic this Person which seemeth so meane appeares in the forme of a Seruant yet hee is Filius meus my Sonne my beloued in whom I am well pleased GOD is not ashamed of his SONNE humbling himselfe in our nature neither doth he loue him the lesse And why his obedience was voluntary it was to doe his FATHERS will it was to doe vs good much lesse should we be ashamed for whose sake he became so humble yea God forbid that we should reioyce but in the Crosse of Christ if Hic and Meus sort so well in GODS iudgment they must agree much more in ours But to draw to an end In this Text there is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a true Epiphanie And indeed the Church reades my Text but out of St. Luke vpon the Epiphanie day on which the Tradition holds that he was Baptized and this great manifestation of GOD was made vnto the world wherein all things are Augusta maiestati Christi congrua very solemne very heauenly no where is the Mystery of the Trinitie which is the first foundation of true Religion nor the comfortable actions thereof which is the foundation of Christian Religion so ioyntly so vndeniably reuealed The Mystery of the Trinitie is incomprehensible vnutterable Ego nescio saith St. Hilarie I professe my ignorance of it yet will I comfort my selfe the Angels know it not the world cannot comprehend it the Apostles neuer reuealed it cesset ergo dolor querelarum let not men murmurre or complaine that this secret is hidden from them let it suffice them to know that there is a Trinitie in Vnitie let them neuer inquire how it is for they will inquire in vaine Naztanzene giueth the reason 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 While I would contemplate the Vnitie my thoughts are daâ—led by the Trinitie and while I goe about to distinguish the Trinitie I am presently cast vpon the Vnitie the one doeth call my thoughts vpon the other And what wonder that a man should bee so puzled For Quo intellectu Deum capiat homo 3. Austin qui intellectum suum quo vult capere nondum capit How should he bee able to comprehend the Trinitie that comprehends not yet his reasonable Soule the onely helpe which hee hath wherewith to comprehend it and is indeede the best resemblance of it That which I haue said concerning the Trinitie is a good rule of sobrietie to hold in curious wits that will prie too farre into these diuine Mysteries And yet Epiphanius doeth well checke the incredulitie of Sabellius Non credis tres personas diuinae Essentiae doest thou not beleeue the Trinitie in Vnitie Comitare Iohanem ad Iordanem attend Iohn Baptist to the riuer Iordan there thou shalt finde them all three And indeed here the Trinitie is brought in some sort within the compasse of our conceipt for it is not set foorth as it is In se but ad Nos not simply as the foundation of true Religion but as the foundation of Christian Religion as euery Person contributes towardes our Saluation When such an Obiect is presented the word of attention is pressed seasonably and reasonably it is prest to the eye and prest to the eare these reasonable senses are summoned with reuerence and confidence to behold to attend these sacred Mysteries To behold them as they are deliuered in the Historie for euen the Historie it selfe being rare is able to allure our reasonable senses Did it nothing otherwise concerne him who would not willingly yea greedily heare the voyce of GOD the FATHER see the Holy Ghost in the shape of a Doue and see the SONNE of GOD so humbling himselfe in the nature of man How much more should we desire it when there is not onely Miraculum but Mysterium in it euen one of the greatest Mysteries of godlinesse The Heauens are opened that is a Miracle but they are opened for Vs the Holy Ghost descends in a Doue but the Doue is but an Embleme of the holinesse that must be in Vs that is the Mysterie the SONNE of GOD here appeares to bee the Sonne of Man that is a Miracle but he appeares to Sanctifie the waters for the regeneration of man that is a Mysterie when the Miracles present these Mysteries doe they not deserue a Loe deserue that the eye the eare both should be taken vp by which thou mayest be made partaker of them O but thou wilt say I would trauell farther then Iordan to see such a sight might my eye see the Heauens opened might my eare heare GOD speake from Heauen might I bee so happy as to come to such an Inauguration of my Sauiour my eye should not be satisfied with seeing nor my eare with hearing Heare what S. Ambrose answereth to such an obiection EisdeÌ„ sacramentis res iam agitur quibus tunc gesta est nisi quod gratia pleniore the life of that Mysterie continueth stil though it be not cloathed with the same Miracle then was the Trinitie seene with carnall eyes whom now we contemplate with the eyes of Faith Dominicâ— 6. post Pentecost Yea St. Ambrose is bold to say that greater grace is offered vnto vs then to them that were present at the Baptisme of CHRIST for vnto them as being incredulous GOD perswaded Faith by corporall signes but in vs that are the faithfull hee worketh grace spiritually And it is greater grace so to behold GOD as the faithfull doe then as doe those that are vnfaithfull so that the Loe doeth no lesse concerne vs then it did them Yea it concernes vs much more our eyes should dayly be lifted vp Heauen and behold how the grace of Sanctification descends from thence into vs and to behold how the benefit of Adoption is dayly offered vs our eares should be opened vnto Heauen The Holy Ghost commeth to vs but who seeth him GOD professeth that he accepteth