heart whether the reproofe were just or no and finding it just confesseth his sinne and seeketh for pardon and forgivenesse The Jewes here when they were charged by S. Peter with the murder of the sonne of God say not Quid hic sed quid nos not what hath this man to meddle with us but who can give us good counsell not what shall we say but what shall wee doe for words are too light a recompence for deeds 1. A word of the duty of faithfull teachers that with the cocke by clapping my wings upon my breast I may awake my selfe as well as others The salvation of the hearers much dependeth upon the gifts of the Preacher and the gifts of the Preacher much depend upon his sincere intention not to gaine profit or u Salvianus de gubernat Dei lib. 1. Utilia magis quam plausibilia sectari nec lenocinia quaerere sed remedia applause to himselfe but soules to God not to tickle their eares but to pricke their hearts Such a Preacher * Bern. in Cant. Illius doctoris vocem libentiùs audio non qui sibi plausum sed qui mihi planctum movet S. Bernard ever wished to heare at whose Sermon the people hemmed not but sighed clapped not their hands as at a play but knocked their breasts as at a funerall According to which patterne x Hieron Nepot Te docente in ecclesiâ non clamor populi sed gemitus suscipiatur lachrymae auditorum tuae laudes sint S. Jerome endevoureth to frame Nepotian his scholar When thou teachest in the Church saith hee let there bee heard no shouts of admiration but sobs of contrition let the fluencie of thy eloquence be seene in the cheekes of thy hearers This is not done by ostentation of art but by evidence of the spirit A painted fire heateth not nor doe the gestures and motions of an artificiall man destitute of soule and life any whit move our affections 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they are the graces of sanctification shining in the countenance gesture life of the Preacher and not the beauty and ornaments of speech which insinuate into the heart and multiply themselves there without which though wee speake with the tongues of men and Angels wee are but like sounding brasse or tinckling cymbals except the Lord touch the heart and the tongue of the Preacher with a coale from his Altar all the lustre of rhetoricall arguments and blaze of words will yeeld no more warmth to the conscience than a glow-worme Yee have heard briefly of the duty of Pastours reserve I pray you one eare to listen to your owne duty as hearers 2. It was the manner of the Jewes to bore thorow the eares of those servants that meant not to leave them till death and if yee desire to be in the lists of Gods servants yee must have your eares bored and the pearles of the Gospel hanging at them All shepherds set a marke upon their sheepe and so doth the good Shepherd that gave his life for his sheepe and this marke is in the eare y Joh. 10.3 27. My sheepe heare my voyce There is no doctrine in the word wee heare of more often than of hearing the word and keeping it We heare that we ought to heare the Father z Esay 1.1 Heare O heaven and hearken O earth for the Lord hath spoken we heare that we ought to heare the Son * Mat. 13.43 Mat. 17.5 He that hath eares to heare let him heare and This is my well-beloved Son in whom I am well pleased heare yee him we heare that wee ought to heare the Spirit a Apoc. 2.7 Let him that hath an eare to heare heare what the Spirit saith to the Churches All the venturers in the great ship called Argonavis bound for Colchis to fetch the golden fleece when they were assaulted by the Syrens endevouring to enchant them with their songs found no such help in any thing against them as in Orpheus his pipe wee are all venturers for a golden crowne in heaven and as the Grecians so wee are way-laid by Syrens evill spirits and their incantations from which we cannot be safe but by listening to the Preachers of the Gospel who when they pipe unto us out of the word our hearts dance for joy In that golden chaine of the Apostle the first linke is hung at the eare Faith commeth by b Rom. 10.14 17. hearing and hearing by the word of God How shall they call on him on whom they have not beleeved and how shall they beleeve in him of whom they have not heard and how shall they heare without a Preacher Doe we think that God will heare us in our prayers if wee heare not him speaking to us in his Word The Prophet c Zach. 7.13 Zacharie assureth us hee will not When I cried they would not heare so they cried and I would not heare them saith the Lord of hosts If yee desire with S. Paul to heare in heaven 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the d 2 Cor. 12.4 words that cannot be uttered ye must on earth be attentive hearers to the words uttered by our Peters and Pauls None was cured with more difficulty as it seemeth than the man that had a deafe and dumb spirit such are our obstinate Recusants and Seperatists who have not an eare to heare what God speaketh to them by the Ministers of the Word Religion is not unfitly compared to the Weasell e Adrian Jun. emblem Mustella concipit aure parit ore which as Adrianus Junius writeth conceiveth at the eare and brings forth her young ones at her mouth for the seed of Gods word is cast in at the eare and there having conceived divine thoughts and meditations she bringeth forth the fruit of devotion at her mouth praises and thanksgivings godly admonitions exhortations reprehensions and consolations Marke your Jaylers they often suffer their prisoners to have their hands and feet free neither are they in any feare that they will make an escape so long as the prison doores and gates are sure lockt and fast barred so dealeth Satan with those whom hee holdeth in captivity hee letteth them sometimes have their hands at liberty to reach out an almes to the poore and sometimes their feet to goe to Church to heare prayers but he will be sure to keepe the eares which are the gates and doores of their soule fast which he locks up with these or the like suggestions Christ saith that his house is Domus orationis not orationum an house of prayer not of sermons Few there are but know enough the greatest defect is in the practice of religious duties What can they heare which they have not often heard before which no sooner entreth in at one eare but runneth out at the other Give mee leave a little to lift these Adders from the ground whereby they stop the right eare and plucke their taile from the head whereby they stop
him he in thy strength we in his safetie both in thy salvation Here is God assisting and the King trusting God saving and the King rejoycing God blessing and the King praising lastly the King desiring and God satisfiing his desires to the full as you may see through the whole Psalme In this verse you may discerne three remarkeable conjugations or couples 1. God is joyned with the King 2. Strength with confidence 3. Salvation with exceeding great joy And thus they depend each of other 1. The King of God 2. Confidence of strength 3. Joy of salvation 1. God exalteth the King 2. Strength begetteth confidence 3. Salvation bringeth with it exceeding joy 1. God is above the King 2. Salvation is above strength 3. Exceeding joy above confidence If the King seeke God in him he shall find strength and in his strength salvation and in his salvation exceeding great joy Marke the word King it standeth as a cliffe before a song which directeth the singers how to tune the notes and lift up or depresse their voyces If the King stand here as a lower cliffe for David then strength is aid salvation victory rejoycing thanks-giving but if the word King be set as an higher cliffe for Christ then strength here is omnipotencie salvation redemption of mankinde rejoycing the exaltation of the humane nature to the highest degree of celestiall glory and happinesse This heavenly Manna of Evangelicall doctrine which the Fathers finde within the golden pot that is the inward sense of the words the Jewish Rabbins note to be carved in the outside of the letter to speake yet somewhat plainer that minde and meaning which the Christian Expositors make of the words by referring them to the truth whereof David was a type they gather from the very characters for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 transposed is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Anagram as it were of the word which signifieth to rejoyce is Mesiach that is Christ or the annointed Now the title of King is attributed to Christ in Scriptures sometimes absolutely sometimes with additions but such as make him more absolute exalting his crowne as farre above all corruptible crownes as the heaven is above the earth For his stile given by the sacred Heralds is King immortall King of Heaven King of righteousnesse Prince of peace Lord of life Lord of quicke and dead Lord of all King of Kings and Lord of Lords This heavenly crowne in glorie as much obscuring the lustre of earthly Diadems as the Sun doth the least blinking starre belongeth to our head Christ Jesus by a threefold right 1. Of birth 2. Of donation 3. Of conquest His birth giveth it him for he is the first born of the Father and therefore b Gal. 4.1 heire of all things and Lord of all By gift also he hath it c Psal 2.8 Luke 1.32 The Lord God shall give unto him the Throne of his Father David and he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever Aske of mee and I will give thee the heathen for thine inheritance and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession It is his also by conquest for he hath overcome the world John 16.33 he hath conquered hell and death and hath the keyes of both Rev. 1.18 If you demand where his throne is I answer above at the right hand of his Father Psal 110.1 below in the hearts of all the faithfull whom he ruleth by the Scepter of his word Thus much for the cliffe I set now to the notes which are either 1. In rule 2. In space 1 The note in space I take from the coherence of this Psalm with the former the last words of the former Psalme are Salvum fac Regem Lord save the King or Save Lord let the King heare when we call the first of this Exultabit Rex in salute The King shall rejoyce in thy salvation That which there the Church prayeth for the King here the King praises God for The Chuch prayeth God there ver 1. The name of the God of Jacob defend thee send thee helpe and strengthen thee out of Sion And ver 4. grant thee thy hearts desire and fulfill all thy mind and doth not the King in this Psalme trace the former footsteps and follow the same notes in this Psalme of thanks-giving The King shall rejoyce in thy strength ver 1. And thou hast given him his hearts desire ver 2. What instance I in divers Psalmes In the same Psalme for the most part in the beginning the Prophet soweth in teares and in the end reapeth in joy in the beginning hee complaineth in the ending he prayseth in the beginning he cries for sorrow in the end he sings for joy in the beginning we have a storme of passion in the end the sunshine of Gods favour The countenance of the Prophet drawne to the life in this booke of Psalmes resembleth the picture of Diana at Delphos quae intrantibus tristis exeuntibus hilaris videbatur the face whereof seemed to frowne upon all at their comming in but to smile upon them at their going out Such a copie of Davids countenance wee have Psal 6. lowring at the first verse Lord rebuke mee not in thine anger c. but clearing up at ver 8. Depart from me yee workers of iniquitie for the Lord hath heard the voyce of my weeping How dolefully doth the 22. Psalme begin My God my God why hast thou forsaken mee but how sweetly doth it conclude from ver 22. to the end I will declare thy Name to my brethren in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee c. O the wonderfull power and efficacy of prayer which in a moment pierceth the clouds and bringeth backe a blessing before wee can imagine it is gone out of our lips Like a piece of Ordnance highly mounted it battreth the walls of heaven before the report thereof be heard on earth No naturall agent produceth any effect before it selfe be produced nothing bringeth forth before it selfe is brought forth yet prayer worketh oftentimes before it is made and bringeth forth some good effect before it selfe is perfectly conceived for God understandeth the thoughts before the notions are framed he heareth the heart dictating before the tongue like the pen of a ready writer copieth out our requests Now if the prayer of one righteous man prevaileth so much with the Omnipotent how much more the united prayers of the whole Church If one trumpet sound so loud in the eares of the Almighty how much more a consort of all the silver trumpets of Sion sounded together If one sigh is of force to drive our barke to the wished haven how much more a gale of sighes breathed from a million of Gods afflicted servants What judgement cannot so many hands lifted up beare off from us what blessing are they not able to pull down from heaven Wherefore as the whole Synagogue with one mouth prayed God for their King so according to Saint
Apostles some Prophets some Evangelists some Pastours and Teachers for the perfecting of the Saints for the worke of the Ministery for the edifying of the body of Christ Ver. 12. Till wee all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Sonne of God unto a perfect man unto the measure of the age of the fulnesse of Christ Till all the Elect be come God ceaseth not to call by the ministery of the word and none may call without a calling to call Needs must there be therefore a settled order in the Church for the calling of those to the ministery of the word sacraments who are to call others by their ministery This constant ordination of a succession in the Church some make a royalty of Christ or an appendant to his princely function for it is for Kings to set men in authority under them in the affaires of the Kingdome Others annexe it to his priesthood because the high Priest was to consecrate inferiour Priests A third sort will have it a branch of his propheticall office because Prophets were to anoint Prophets All these reasons are concludent but none of them excludent For the entire truth in which these three opinions have an equall share is that the establishing the ministery of the Gospell and furnishing the Church with able Pastours hath a dependance on all three offices 1 On the Kingly in respect of heavenly power 2 On the Priestly in respect of sacred order 3 On the Propheticall in respect of ministeriall gifts Each of Christs offices deliver into our hands as it were a key 1. Clavem Coeli 2. Clavem Sanctuarii or Templi 3. Clavem sacrae Scripturae 1. His Kingly office conferreth on us the key of heaven to open and shut it 2. His Priestly the key of the Temple to enter into it and administer holy things 3. His Propheticall the key of holy Scripture to open the meaning thereof Thus you see ordinem ordinis an order for holy orders you heare who is the founder of our religious order and whose keyes we keepe Which consideration as it much improveth the dignity of our calling so it reproveth their indignity who walke not agreeable thereunto A scar in the face is a greater deformity than a wound or sore in any other part of the body such is the eminency of our calling beloved brethren that our spots can no more be hid than the spots in the Moone nay that it maketh every spot in us a staine every blemish a scar every pricke a wound every drop of Inke a blot every trip a fall every fault a crime If we defile Christs priesthood with an impure life we do worse than those his professed enemies who spit on his face If we foule and black with giving and receiving the wages of unrighteousnes those hands wherwith we deliver the price of mans redemption in the blessed Sacraments we more wrong our Saviour than those who pierced his sacred hands with nailes If we in these holy Mounts of God wherein we should presse the purest liquor out of the grapes of the Vines of Engaddi vent our owne spleene and malice what doe we else than offer to Christ againe vinegar and gall If we Christs meniall and domesticall servants turne m Rom. 12.11 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 into 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as some copies mis-read and serve the time instead of serving the Lord. If we preach our selves and not Christ crucified if we beare the world in hand to wooe for our master but indeed speake for our selves if we use the staires of the Pulpit as steps only to our preferment if we heare our Lord and Master highly dishonoured and dissemble it if we see the Sea of Rome continually to eat into the bankes of our Church and never goe about to make up the breaches if that should ever fall out which a sweet sounding Cymball sometimes tinckled into the eares of the Pope that n Bernard de considerat ad Eugen Multi necessarii multi adversarii non Doctores sed Seductores non Praelati sed Pilati the greatest enemies of Christ should be those of his owne house if Pastours turne Impostours if Doctours Seductours if Prelates Pilates if Ministers of Christ servants of Antichrist either by silence to give way or by smoothing Romish tenets to make way for Popery no marvaile then if judgement begin at the house of God as it did in the siege at Jerusalem with the slaughter of Ananus the high Priest no marvaile if God suffer sacriledge to rob the Church of her maintenance almost in all places when the Church her selfe is guilty of worse sacriledge by robbing God of his worship and service But on the contrarie if as Ambassadours for Christ we deliver our message faithfully and roundly if we seeke not our owne but the things that are Jesus Christs if we esteeme not our preferments no nor our lives deere unto us in comparison of our Masters honour if we preach Christ crucified in our lives as well as in our sermons if in our good name we are the sweet smelling favour of God as well as in our doctrine we may then Christi nomine in Christs stead challenge audience yea and reverence too from the greatest powers upon earth whatsoever State-flies buzze to the contrary For as he that o Luke 10.16 despiseth Christs ministers despiseth him so he that p Mat. 10.40 receiveth him receiveth them also No man who honoureth the Prince can dis-esteeme his Ambassadours If Scribes and Pharisees must be heard because they teach in Moses chaire how much more Saith St. Chrysostome may they command our attention who sit in Christs chaire The same Apostle who chargeth every soule to be q Rom. 13.1.4 subject to the higher powers who beare not the sword in vaine as strictly requireth the faithfull to r Heb. 13.17 obey them that have the rule over them in the Lord and submit unto them for they watch saith he for your soules as they that must give account that they may doe it with joy and not with griefe for that is unprofitable for you Therefore ſ Sym. epist ad Anast Defer Deo in nobis nos Deo in te Symmachus kept within compasse when he thus spake to Anastasius the Emperour Acknowledge God in us and we will acknowledge him in thee Deus est in utroque parente we hold from Christ as you from God as we submit ourselves to Gods sword in your hands so you ought to obey Christs word in our mouthes And so I passe from the person consecrating to the persons consecrated He breathed on them and said receive ye the holy Ghost The holy Martyr St. t Cypr. de unita Eccles Apostolis omnibus post resurrectionem suam parem potestatem tribuit dicit sicut misit me pater ego mitto vos accipite Spiritum sanctum si cui remiseritis peccata remittentur ei c. Hoc
Prophet Elias did savory meat from the impure bill of a Raven 2 We absolutely deny that Heretiques either first made this signe or introduced it into baptisme For though it be most confidently affirmed by Cartwright Parker and other Authors of schisme amongst us that the signe of the Crosse was first devised or cryed up by the Heretiques above named yet Irenaeus whom they alledge for it saith no such thing he speaketh not a word in the places quoted by them of the signe of the Crosse but of the name of the Crosse nor of Christs Crosse but of Valentinus his God Aeons Crosse All that he hath in his declaration against those Heretiques touching this point is that Valentinus the Heretique called one of his fantasticall Aeons by two names 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is bound or definition and Crosse Now if we may not use the signe of the Crosse because that Heretique called his feigned God Crosse by the like reason we may not make definitions in Logicke nor keepe bounds in our fields because he called his Aeon Horon that is bound or definition Had the Valentinians used the signe of the Crosse as they did the name yet that is no sufficient proofe that they devised this signe or brought it first into the Church It is certaine that this signe was by many Aeons that is ages ancienter than Valentinus his Aeons or his heresie We find some print of it in t Dial. cum Tryph. Jud. Justine Martyr his Dialogue against Tryphon Nazianzen and other Fathers note an expression of it in Josuah's fight with Amaleck Sozomen sheweth solid characters thereof in the Temple of Serapis in the ruines whereof amongst other Hieroglyphickes the Crosse was taken up at the sight whereof many of the Egyptians were astonished and partly induced thereby to embrace the Christian faith The first is therefore a limping objection and the second halteth downe-right It was this Papists have horribly abused the signe of the Crosse ergo we may not use it To argue in such sort from the abuse to the taking away of all use of a thing is an abuse of arguing and a meere non sequitur as u Rhet. l. 1. c. 1. Aristotle teacheth for there is nothing in the world that may not be abused save vertue What creature of God hath not beene abused by Gentiles to Idolatrie What ordinance of God is not at this day abused by Papists to superstition be it the Church or Communion Table the Pulpit nay the Scriptures and Sacraments themselves The Papists abuse lights in the Church must wee therefore sit at Evensong in the darke They abuse Frankincense offering it to their Images may not wee therefore use it in a dampish roome They abuse Godfathers and Godmothers to make a new affinity hindering marriage in such parties will they therefore christen their children without witnessâ—s Excreate sodes Papists abuse spittle mingling it with chrisme and putting it in the mouth of the childe when they baptize it will they therefore never spit It is not the Valentinians first use or the Papists abuse or any thing in the Crosse it selfe savouring of superstition but a crosse humour in themselves which stirreth them up to cavill at and alwayes quarrell with the warrantable and decent rites and commendable constitutions of their Mother the Church of England to whose censure I leave them and come to our selves Use 5 Suffer I beseech you a little affliction of the eare it is a time of penance You have heard of Jesus Christ and him crucified many wayes Contra prof vit in the garden before his death on the crosse at his death and since his death also by the persecutors of the Church and scandalous livers in the Church and foure professed enemies of his crosse 1 Jewes 2 Gentiles 3 Separatists 4 Papists And shall wee fill up the number and adde more affliction and vexation to him by our unkindnesse and ingratitude and neglect of his word and prophane abuse of his sacraments shall wee that are Gospellers by our reproachfull lives put Christ to open shame and crucifie the Lord of life again shall wee whom hee hath bought so deerely loved so entirely provided for so plentifully and preserved so miraculously returne him evill for good nay so much evill for so much good hee hath fed us with the finest wheat flower and the purest juice of the grape shall wee in requitall offer him gall and vinegar by our gluttony and drunkennesse feasting and revelling even this holy time set apart for the commemoration of Christs passion and our most serious meditation thereupon shall wee spit upon Christ by our blasphemous oathes and scoffes at his word and ministers shall wee put a worse indignity and disgrace upon his members than the Jewes or Romanes did by making them the members of an harlot shall wee strip Christ starke naked by our sacriledge sell him by simony racke him by oppression teare him in pieces by sects in the Church and factions in the state u Hom. Id. 1. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hoc Ithacus velit magno mercentur Achivi It is that our enemies would spare for no gold to buy it at any rate that whilest the shepheards are at strife they might send in their wolves to make havocke of the flocke * Eras adâ—g Pastores odia exercent lupus intrat ovile If any here present at the hearing of these things shall bee pricked in heart x Act. 2.37 as the Jewes were at * Saint Peters Sermon upon this subject and shall demand of mee as they did of him and the rest of the Apostles quid faciemus what shall wee doe I answer in his words y ver 38. repent and be baptised every one of you not in the first which is already past but in the second baptisme which is of teares z Psal 4.4 stand in awe and sin no more commune with your owne heart in your chamber and bee still crucifie the world and the pompes the flesh and the lusts thereof breake off your sinnes by righteousnesse and your iniquities by almes to the poore humble your soules by watching and praying fasting and mourning Prostrate your selves before Jesus Christ and him crucified and after you have bathed your eyes in brinish teares and anointed them with the eye-salve of the spirit looke up with unspeakable comfort on your Saviour hanging on the crosse stretching out his armes to embrace you bowing downe his head as it were to kisse you behold in his pierced hands and feet and side holes to hide you from the wrath of God behold nayles to fasten the hand-writing against you being cancelled to his crosse behold vinegar to search and cleanse all your wounds behold water and blood and hyssope to purge your consciences and lastly a spunge to wipe out all your debts out of his Fathers tables Which the Father of mercy and God of all consolation
eleven Apostles or to more than five hundred brethren that saw him all at one time nay what to more than five millions of Confessors and Martyrs signing the truth of it with their blood and shewing the power of it as well by the wonders which they wrought in his name as the invincible patience wherewith they endured all sorts of torments and death it selfe for his name I might produce the testimony of Josephus the learned Jew and tell you of Paschasinus his holy Well that fils of his owne accord every Easter day and the annuall rising of certaine bodies of Martyrs in the sands of Egypt and likewise of a Phoenix in the dayes of Tyberius much about the time of our Lords resurrection rising out of her owne ashes m Lactant. in Poem Ipsa sibi proles suus pater suus haeres Nutrix ipsa sui semper alumna sibi Ipsa quidem sed non eadem quia ipsa nec ipsa Eternam vitam mortis adepta bono But because the authours of these relations and observations are not beyond exception I will rather conclude this point with an argument of Saint n De civit Dei l. 22. c. 5. Haec duo incredibilia scil resurrectionem nostri corporis rem â—am incredibilem mundum esse crediturum idem dominus antequam vel unum horuÌ„ fieret ambo futura esse praedixit unum duorum incredibilium jam factum videmus ut quod erat incredibile credeâ—et mundus curid quod reliquum est desperatur Austines to which our owne undoubted experience gives much strength The same Spirit of God saith hee which foretold the resurrection of Christ foretold also that the doctrine thereof should bee publickly professed and believed in the world and the one was altogether as unlikely as the other But the latter wee see in all ages since Christs death and at this day accomplished in the celebration of this feast why then should any man doubt of the former The Apostles saw the head living but not the mysticall body the Catholike Church of all places and ages We have read in the histories of all ages since Christ and at this day see the Catholike Church spread over the whole face of the earth which is Christs body how can wee then but believe the head to bee living which conveigheth life to all the members I have set before you the glasse of the resurrection in the figures of predictions of the Old Testament and the face it selfe in the history of the New may it please you now to cast a glance of your eye upon the Image or picture thereof in our rising from the death of sinne to the life of grace All Christs actions and passions as they are meritorious for us so they are some way exemplary unto us and as none can bee assured of the benefit of Christs birth unlesse hee bee borne againe by water and the Spirit nor of his death unlesse hee bee dead to sinne nor of his buriall unlesse hee have buried his old Adam so neither of his resurrection unlesse hee bee risen from dead workes and continually walketh in newnesse of life See you how the materiall colours in a glasse window when the sun-beames passe through it produce the like colours but lesse materiall and therefore called by the Philosophers intentionales spiritales on the next wall no otherwise doth the corporall resurrection of Christ produce in all true believers a representation thereof in their spirituall which Saint John calleth o Apoc. 20.5 the first resurrection Saint Paul p Heb. 6.1 repentance from dead workes Sinnes especially heinous and grievous proceeding from an evill habit are called dead workes and such sinners dead men because they are deprived of the life of God have no sense of true Religion they see not Gods workes they heare not his Word they savour not the things of God they feele no pricke of conscience they breath not out holy prayers to God nor move towards heaven in their desires but lye rotting in their owne filthinesse and corruption The causes which moved the Jewes so much to abhorre dead corpses ought to be more prevalent with us carefully to shunne and avoid those that are spiritually dead in sinnes and transgressions they were foure 1 Pollution 2 Horrour 3 Stench 4 Haunting with evill spirits 1 Pollution That which touched a dead corpse was by the law uncleane neither can any come nigh these men much lesse embrace them in their bosome without morall pollution and taking infection in their soules from them 2 Horrour Nothing so ghastly as the sight of a dead corpse the representation whereof oft-times in the Theater appalleth not onely the spectatours but also the actours and yet this sight is not so dreadfull to the carnall man as the sight of those that are spiritually dead I speake of foule notorious and scandalous offenders to them that feare God Saint John would not stay in the same bath with Cerinthus and certainely 't is a most fearefull thing to bee under the same roofe with blasphemous heretickes and profane persons who have no feare of God before their eyes 3 Stench The smell of a carkasse is not so offensive to the nostrils as the stench of gluttony drunkennesse and uncleannesse in which wicked men wallow is loathsome to God and all good men 4 Haunting with evil spirits We read in scriptures that the men that were possest of the divel came q Mat. 8.28 out of the tombs and graves and we find by dayly experience the like of these rather carkasses than men that the devill hankereth about them and entereth into their heart as he did into Judas filling them with all wickednesse and uncleannesse After they have exhausted their bodies with incontinency their estate with riotous living and have lost first their conscience and after their credit they fall into the deepest melancholy upon which Sathan works and puts them into desperate courses r Psal 73.19 O how suddenly doe they consume perish and come to a fearefull end Me thinkes I heare some say wee heard of places haunted by evill spirits in time of popery are there now any such not such as then were solitary houses ruined pallaces or Churches in which fearefull noyses are said to have beene heard and walking spirits to have beene met For at the thunder of the Gospell Sathan fell like lightning from heaven and hath left those his old holds but places of a contrary condition such where is the greatest concourse of people I meane profane Theaters disorderly Tavernes Ale-houses places of gaming and lewdnesse yea prisons also which were intended for the restraint of wickednesse and punishment of vice are made refuges of Malefactors and schooles of all impiety and wickednesse Quis custodes custodiet ipsos As in the hot sands of Africa where wilde beasts of divers sorts meet to drinke strange monsters are begotten which gave occasion to that proverbe Å¿ Eras
Jud. 5.23 Curse ye Meros curse yee bitterly the inhabitants thereof because they came not to the helpe of the Lord against the mighty accurseth all those in the name of Meros that refuse to come in their best equipage to aide the Lord against the mighty r Magdeburg Cent. 5. Pomp. Laetus compend hist Rom. Anastasius the Emperour for his luke-warmnesse in the Catholicke cause and endevouring to reconcile the Arrians and Orthodoxe or at least silence those differences was strucken to death with a hot thunder-bolt No Sacrifice is acceptable to God that is not salted with the fire of zeale which guided by wisedome quickneth and enflameth all the inward desires as well as the outward actions that appertaine to religion for the chiefe seat of zeale is the fountaine of heat and that is the heart there it ſ Psal 45.1 bubbled in David there it t Luk. 24.32 Did not our hearts burne when hee opened to us c. burned in the disciples it u Psal 22.15 My heart is dried c. consumed and dryed up the very substance of the heart in Christ If our zeale burne not inwardly as well as outwardly as well upwards towards God as downewards towards the world if it enflame not our charity as well as incense our piety if the heat of it bee cooled by age or slacked by opposition or extinguished even by floods of bloody persecution it is no true Vestall fire nor such as becommeth Gods altar for that might never this did never go out sincerity it selfe is not so opposite to hypocrisie as zeale Sincerity without zeale is a true but a cold and faint-hearted zeale is an eager fierce hot and couragious enemy of all hypocrites whom shee brandeth with an eternall note of infamy But because all fires are in a manner alike to the eye how should wee know holy fire from prophane heavenly from earthly that is zeale from enraged hypocrisie pretending with Jehu that hee is zealous for the Lord of hostes I answer as a precious Diamond is valued by three things 1 Inward lustre 2 Number of caracts 3 Solidity of substance and thereby is distinguished both from counterfeit gemmes and those that are of lesse value so true zeale is distinguished from hypocriticall by 1 Sincerity 2 Integrity 3 Constancy all which notes are discernable in holy * Psal 119.2 Davids zeale 1 Sincerity I have loved thy testimonies with my heart ver 6. yea my whole heart 2 Integrity I have had respect unto all thy commandements ver 34. all false wayes I abhorre 3 Constancy I have kept thy lawes unto the end ver 44. When the face and hands and outward parts burne as in a feaver the heart is so cold that it quaketh and shivereth so it is with the hypocrite his tongue alwayes and his hands too sometimes burne x Persius satyr Sed pone in pectore dextram Nil calet If you could put your hand into his bowels you should finde his heart like Nabals as cold as a stone True zeale if it bee transported it is in private devotion to God si insanimus Deo insanimus in outward carriage towards men it proceeds resolutely indeed and undauntedly but yet deliberately and discreetly it burneth within most ardently it scarce ever flameth or sparkleth outwardly like those bathes in the Pythecusian Ilands whereof y Balnea in Pythecusiis insulis fervent supra modum calore vi igneâ nec tamen flammam emittunt Vide Aristot mirabilium auscult Aristotle writeth that they are hot above measure and of a fiery nature yet send forth no flame Secondly as insincerity discries the hypocrite so also want of integrity Take the hypocrite that maketh the fairest offer to zeale though hee outstrippe some it may bee in some works of piety and duties of the first Table you shall take him tardy in most acts of charity and duties of the second Table Peradventure he will slay smaller sinnes with the sword of the Spirit like the meanest of the Amalekites but hee will spare Agag and the principall his gainefull sinnes of simony sacriledge usury and oppression hee is never Totus teres atque rotundas Goe he as upright as hee can you shall perceive him to limpe and halt with God or man or both If the point of controversie in the Church no way touch his free-hold hee takes it no more to heart than z Act. 18.17 Gallio did the uproare about Saint Pauls preaching then difference about articles of faith are but contentions about words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but if it rubbe upon his profit or credit with his owne faction then hee never leaveth crying out great is a Act. 19.28 Diana of the Ephesians You may finde an hypocrite zealous against Idolatry but you shall finde him very moderate against sacriledge if he have a moneths minde to Rome he will stickle for the authority of the Church but the scripture is very cheape to him hee will deliver prayers by tale to God the blessed Virgin and Saints but for Sermons hee holds it a kinde of merit to heare few of those of his owne sect and none of any other On the contrary if hee hath beene brought up at the feete of Cartwright or Brown then he is all for Scriptures and nothing at all for the Church all for preaching and nothing for prayer unlesse it be an abortive issue of hi◠owne brain an extemporary indigested incomposed inconsequent ejaculation in which he is never out because he is never in As for the premeditated penned advised and sanctified forme of Service appointed by the Church it is to him like the white of an egge that hath no tast in it But the most certain and infallible character of an hypocrite and his zeale is the soon cooling and abating thereof and in the end evaporating into ayre like a blazing starre he glareth for a time but in a short space playes least in sight like fire-works of danke powder hee never leaves shooting off on these and the like watch-towers whilest his matter lasteth but when that is spent goeth out in a fume or stench True beauty beareth off all weathers but paint is washed off with a shower or discovered by the fire Saint Basil's embleme was columna ignea a fiery pillar fiery there 's his zeale a pillar there 's his constancy I doubt whether nature can present such a stone as the name Asbestus in the original signifieth that is a stone of fire that nothing can extinguish but I am sure grace can and that is this jewell of zeale I have beene so long in describing for it burneth alwayes in the heart and can never be quenched I would bee loath to be thought to goe about to quench the smoaking flaxe or discourage any man in whom there is a sparke of this fire covered with ashes yet I should deceive them or suffer them to be mis-led with an ignis fatuus if I should
cursed persons To cleare the meaning of our Saviour it will bee requisite briefly to declare first how man is capable of blessednesse at all secondly how farre in this life truly termed by St. Austin the region of death Blessednesse is a soveraigne attribute of God and as p Nyss hom de â—â—at Nyssen teacheth primarily and absolutely and eternally belongeth to him onely Creatures are blessed but in part derivatively and at the most from the terme of their creation Beauty first shineth in the living face and countenance that which is resembled in the image or picture is but a secondary or relative beauty in like manner saith hee the primary blessednesse is in God or to speake more properly is God himselfe the blessednesse which is in man made after Gods image is but a secondary blessednesse For as the image is such is his beauty and blessednesse but the image of God in man since his fall is much soiled and defaced and consequently his blessednesse is very imperfect and obscure Yet they that rubbe off the dust of earthly cares and dirt of sinne and by spirituall exercises brighten the graces of God in their soule as they are truly though not perfectly beautifull within so they may be truly though not absolutely stiled blessed even in this life 1. First because they are assured of Gods love and they see his countenance shine upon them which putteth more q Psal 4.7 gladnesse into their heart than is or can be in the heart of them whose corne and wine is increased For if it bee deservedly accounted the greatest happinesse of a subject to bee in continuall grace with his Prince what is it to bee a Favourite of the King of kings 2. Secondly because they have an r 1 Pet. 1.4 inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that fadeth not away reserved in the heavens for them A great heire though hee may sometimes pinch for maintenance and bee driven to hard exigents yet hee still solaceth himselfe with this hope it will bee better with mee and I shall one day come to my lands and such comfort have all Gods Saints in their greatest perplexities and extremities 3. Thirdly because they enjoy the peace of a good conscience which Solomon calleth a continuall feast And Saint Paul a cause of t 2 Cor. 1.12 For our rejoycing is this the testimony of our conscience Rom. 8.28 triumph and joy 4. Fourthly because all things work together for their good and tend to their eternall happinesse The joyes of the wicked are grievous their pleasures are paine unto them but on the contrary the sorrowes of the righteous are joyous and the paines which they endure for Christ are pleasures unto them The gaines of the worldly are indeed losses unto them because they help on their damnation whereas the losses of the godly are gaine and advantage unto them because they further their salvation 5. Fifthly because they enjoy God wherein consisteth the happinesse of a man in some measure and degree even in this life For it cannot be denied but that devout Christians even whilest the soule resides in the body have a comfortable fruition of the Deity whose favour is better than life by faith in the heart by knowledge in the understanding by charity in the will by desire in the affections by sight in the creatures by hearing in the Word by taste in the Sacraments by feeling in the inward motions and operations of Gods Spirit which fill them with exceeding and unspeakable joy and comfort Saint u Apoc. 21. John setting forth the blessednesse of the triumphant Church and depainting the joyes of Heaven in golden colours describeth a City situate in Heaven whose temple is God and light the Lambe and walls Salvation and courts praise and streets gold and foundations gemmes and gates pearles twelve in number in a relation to the Lambes twelve Apostles Answerable to the gates in price though not in number are the steps up to them which our Saviour who is the way directeth us unto they are eight in number made of so many whole pearles that is divine Vertues 1. The first step is humility poore in spirit upon which when we stand we may easily get upon the next godly sorrow mourning for sinne none so apt to mourne for their sinnes and humble themselves under the mighty hand of God in sackcloth and ashes as the poore in spirit 2. When we are upon this step we readily get up upon the next which is tender compassion and meeknesse none so compassionate and meeke towards others when they slip into the mire of sinne as those who continually bewaile their fowle falls and wash their defiled soules with their teares 3. When we are upon this third step we may soone get up the fourth which is hungering and thirsting for righteousnesse for those who are most sensible of their owne wants and continually bewaile their corruptions and are compassionately affected towards others when they are overtaken with any temptation must needs hunger and thirst for righteousnesse both in themselves and others 4. When we are upon this fourth step we may soone climbe up to the other three Mercy the fifth Purity the sixth and Peace the seventh for they who eagerly pursue righteousnesse shall certainly meet with these three her companions Lastly they who have attained unto righteousnesse and are enamoured with her three companions Mercy Purity and Peace will suffer any thing for their sake and so ascend up the highest step of Christian perfection which is constant patience and zealous striving for the truth even unto bloud which is not only saved but cleansed also by being spilt for Christs sake The lowest greece or staire and the first step to Heaven is poverty in spirit that is as the Fathers generally interpret Humility which is the ground-colour of the soules beautifull images the graces of the spirit The ground-colours are darke and obscure yet except they be first laid the wooll or stuffe will not receive much lesse retaine the brighter and more beautifull Such is lowlinesse of minde of no great lustre and appearance in itselfe yet without it no grace or vertue will long keep colour and its beauty and therefore Christ first layes it saying Blessed are the Poore in spirit These poore in spirit are not to bee understood poore in spirituall graces such cannot come neere the price of the Kingdome of Heaven and therefore the spirit adviseth them under the type of the Church of * Apoc. 3.18 Laodicea to buy of him gold tryed in the fire that they may bee rich c. nor are they necessarily poore in state much lesse such as are poore in state onely for bare poverty yea though it bee voluntary is but a weake plea and giveth a man but a poore title to a Kingdome in Heaven Wee heare indeed in the Gospel of Lazarus the x Luke 16.22 Beggar in Heaven but wee finde him there in the bosome of rich Abraham to
of the Martyrs sepulchres when she had no Churches but caves under ground no wealth but grace no exercises but sufferings no crowne but of martyrdome yet then she thrived best then she spread farthest then she kept her purity in doctrine and conversation then she convinced the Jewes then she converted the Gentiles then shee subdued Kingdomes whence I inferre three corollaries 1 That the Roman Church cannot be the true Church of Christ For the true Church of Christ as she is described in the holy Scriptures hath for long time lien hid beene often obscured and eclipsed by bloudy persecutions but the Roman or Papall Church hath never beene so her advocates plead for her that she hath beene alwayes not onely visible but conspicuous not onely knowne but notorious And among the many plausible arguments of perswasion and deceiveable shewes of reason wherewith they amuse and abuse the world none prevaileth so much with the common sort and unskilfull multitude as the outward pomp and glory of the Papall See For sith most men are led by sense and judge according to outward appearance the Church of Rome which maketh so goodly a shew and hath born so great sway in the world for many ages easily induceth them to beleeve that she is that City whereof the Prophet speaks x Psal 87.3 Glorious things are spoken of thee thou City of God What more glorious and glittering to the eie than the Popes triple crowne and the Cardinals hats and their Archbishops Palls and their Bishops miters and crozures their shining images their beautifull pictures their rich hangings their gilt rood lofts their crosses and reliques covered in gold and beset with all sorts of pretious stones These with their brightnesse and resplendency dazle the eyes of the multitude and verily if the Queenes daughters glory were all without and the kingdome of Christ of this world and his Church triumphant upon earth all the knowne Churches in the Christian world must give place to the See of Rome which hath borne up her head when theirs have beene under water hath sate as Queene when they have kneeled as captives hath braved it in purple when they have mourned in sackcloth and ashes But beloved y Rom. 10 17. faith commeth not by sight but by hearing and we are not to search the Church in the map of the world but in the Scriptures of God where we find her a pilgrim in Genesis a bondwoman in Exodus a prisoner in Judges a captive in the book of Kings a widow in the Prophets and here in my text a woman labouring with child flying from a red Dragon into the wildernesse I grant that Christ promiseth her a kingdome but not of this world and peace but it is the peace of God and joy but it is in the Holy Ghost and great glory but it is within z Psal 45.13 The Kings daughter is all glorious within c. 2 That none ought to despise the Churches beyond the seas under the Crosse but according to the command of the blessed Apostle a Heb. 13.3 Remember them that are in bonds as bound with them and them that suffer adversitie as heing our selves also in the body Their turne of sorrow is now ours may be hereafter God hath begun to them in a cup of trembling it is to be feared it will not passe us but we and all the reformed Churches shall drink of it Our Church in Queene Maries dayes resembled this woman in my text theirs now doth both never a whit the lesse but rather the more the true Churches of Christ because they weare his red livery and beare his Crosse 3 That we ought not to looke for great things in this world but having food and raiment as the woman had here in my text to be therewith contented and as she withdrew her self from the eye of the world so ought we to retire our selves into our closets there to have private conference with God to examine our spirituall estate to make up the breaches in our conscience to poure out our soules in teares of compunction for our sins of compassion for the calamities of our brethren of an ardent desire and longing affection for the second comming of our Lord when he shall put an end as to all sinne and temptation so to all sorrow and feare Amen Even so come Lord Jesu To whom c. THE SAINTS VEST A Sermon preached on All-Saints day at Lincolnes-Inne for Doctor Preston THE XXIV SERMON APOC. 7.14 These are they that came out of great tribulation and have washed their robes and made them white in the bloud of the Lambe Right Honourable Right Worshipfull c. THe question which the Elder moved to Saint John in the precedent verse to my Text 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 what are these mee thinks I heare some put to mee at this present saying What are these holy ones whose feast yee keep what meane these devotions what doe these festivities intend what speake these solemnities what Saints are they Virgins Confessours or Martyrs whose memory by the anniversary returne of this day you eternize 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whence came they or rather how came they to bee thus honoured and canonized in our Kalendar My direct answer hereunto is my Text These are they c. and the exemplification thereof shall be my Sermon The palmes they beare are ensignes of their victory the robes they weare are emblemes of their glory the bloud wherein they dyed their robes representeth the object of their faith the white and bright colour of them their joy and the length of them the continuance thereof Yea but these holy ones you may object at least the chiefe of them had their dayes apart the blessed Virgin hers apart and the Innocents apart the Apostles apart and the Evangelists apart how come they now to be repeated why committeth the Church a tautologie in her menologie what needeth this sacred 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or congeries of feasts blending of devotions thrusting all Saints into one day and that a short one in the rubricke It is that men may see by that which we doe what we beleeve in that Article of our Creed the communion of Saints Wee joyne them all in one collect wee remember them all upon one day because they are all united into one body admitted into one society naturalized into one Kingdome made free Denisons of one City and partakers of one a Col. 1.12 inheritance of the Saints in light In a word we keep one feast for them all upon earth because they all keep one everlasting feast in heaven the marriage b Apoc. 19.9 supper of the Lambe The Romanes beside severall Temples dedicated to severall deities had their Pantheon or all-gods temple See wee not in the skie here single starres glistering by themselves there constellations or a concourse of many heavenly lampes joyning their lights do we not heare with exceeding delight in the singing of our Church
of Galatians hee endevoureth to prove according to the true characters and points in the Hebrew is novum nomen a new name never given to any but our Saviour of this name above all other names it is most certain that no man knoweth the vertue thereof but he that is partaker of it In which interpretation the Jesuites affection seemeth to me to have over-swayed his judgement For as Aristoxenus the Musician out of an admiration of his own profession defined the soule to be an n Cic. Tusc 1. harmony so this expositour out of a love to his own society resolveth this new name can be no other than a denominative from Jesus But he should have considered that this new name here promised to the Angel of Pergamus is 1500. yeeres elder than Ignatius their Patriarch and is not promised to him onely but to all Christian conquerours in alleges whereas the name Jesuite before Layola in this age so christened his disloyall off-spring was never heard of in the world Neither lyeth there hid such a mystery in the name Jesuite that no man knoweth it saving hee that receiveth it it is knowne well enough not onely to Romanists of other orders but also to those of the reformed Church who yet never received the badge of their profession nor any marke of the o Apoc. 14 9. beast Victorinus and some others with more probability ghesse the new name to be here meant Christianus of which they understand those words of p Esa 62.2 Esay they shall bee called by my new name Aretas giveth the same interpretation of the white stone and the new name by both which the conquerour in proving masteries was made knowne to the people Carthusian distinguishing of the essentiall and accidentall rewards in heaven and calling the former auream the latter aureolam conceiveth this white stone to bee aureolam a gemme added to the Saints crowne of glory in it the name of Beatus engraven which no man can know but he that receiveth it because q 1 Cor. 2.9 eye hath not seene nor eare heard neither have entred into the heart of man the things which God hath prepared for them that love him r Illyr in Apoc Scribam cum haeredem vitae aeternae Illyricus and Osiander relating the custome of the Romanes in the election of their chiefe Magistrates to write his name to whom they gave their voice in a white stone thus comment upon the words of my text Him that overcommeth I will entertaine with hidden Manna and I will declare him heire apparent to a crowne in heaven I will elect him to a kingdome ſ Comment in 2. Apoc. Pareus expoundeth novum nomen nomen dignitate praestans a name of honour and renowne t Junius annot in Apoc. Induendo novum hominem quem nemo novit nisi spiritus hominis qui in ipso est cujus laus non est ex hominibus sed ex Deo Junius glosseth it signum indicium novitatis vitae a signe and token of newnesse of life Lastly Victor Pictabionensis Sardus Beda Bulenger Melo Primasius Rupertus Pererius and other expositours generally concurre upon Filius Dei the new name say they written in the white stone is the sunne of God Which their opinion they illustrate by other texts of Scripture as namely Rom. 8.15.16 and 1 Joh. 3.1 and they backe it with this reason The new name here is such a one as no man knoweth saving hee that receiveth it and what can that name bee but the title of the sonnes of God which no man knoweth saving hee that receiveth the Spirit of adoption whereby hee cryeth u Rom. 8.16 Abba Father which Spirit testifieth to his spirit that hee is the childe of God All other expositions may after a sort bee reduced to this for this is a blessed name according to Carthusians interpretation for the children of God are the children of the resurrection and they are most happy It is the name of Christian conquerors according to Victorinus and Aretas his glosse for * 1 Joh. 5.4 every one that is borne of God overcommeth the world and this is the victory that overcommeth the world even our faith This is also a symbol and token of newnesse of life for all the regenerate sonnes of God x Eph. 4.24 have put on the new man This name indeed is a glorious name in Pareus his sense for if it were an honour to David to bee sonne-in-law to an earthly King how much more honourable is it to be the adopted sonne of the King of heaven Lastly this name importeth according to Illyricus and Osianders joint explication haeredem vitae aeternae heire of eternall life for if y Rom. 8.17 sonnes then heires And thus as you heare the strings are tuned and all interpretations accorded now I set to the lessons or doctrinall points which are foure 1 The title of sonnes novum nomen 2 The assurance of this title inscriptum calculo 3 The knowledge of this assurance novit qui recipit 4 The propriety of this knowledge nemo novit nisi qui recipit The Roman Generals after their conquests of great countries and cities had new names given unto them as to Publius Scipio was given the sirname of Africanus to Lucius Scipio of Asiaticus to Metellus of Numidicus to Pompey of Hierosolymarius in like manner our celestiall Emperour promiseth to all that overcome their spirituall enemies a new name and eminent title of honour even that which Alexander the conquerour of the whole world most triumphed in when the Egyptian Priest saluted him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sonne of God But why is this called a new name Either because it is unknown to the world and worldly men or in opposition to our old name which was sonnes of Adam That is the name of our nature this of grace that of our shame and misery this of our glory and happinesse that is a name from the earth earthly this is a name from the Lord of heaven heavenly And it appertaineth to all the Saints of God in a threefold respect 1 Of Regeneration 2 Adoption 3 Imitation Regeneration maketh them sonnes of God Adoption heires with Christ Imitation like both When the Astronomer that calculated the nativity of Reginaldus Polus was derided of all because the disposition of the man was knowne to all to be contrary to those characters which he gave of him Poole facetely excused the matter saying Such an one I was by my first nativity as hee hath described me but since that I was born again This 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or second birth though Nicodemus at the first deemed a riddle because it could not enter into his head how a man could re-enter his Mothers wombe and be borne the second time yet after our Saviour ingeminated this doctrine unto him z Joh. 3.5 Verily verily I say unto thee Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit
the writer of them such was the story of Genesis before the Floud whereof Moses could bee no otherwise infallibly enformed than by Gods revealing them unto him 2. Of things to come which is properly termed prophecy and this may be either 1. By instinct when men or women fore-tell things to come not knowing the certainty or being fully perswaded of the things themselves 2. Per raptum or ravishing of Spirit when they fore-tell such things whereof they are infallibly assured either 1. By voice as Moses was 2. By dreame as Daniel 3. By vision as Esay Ezekiel Zechary and other Prophets By instinct I am easily induced to beleeve that many especially before their death may fore-tell many things that come to passe shortly after and I deny not but some also may per raptum as I am perswaded John Hus did before his martyrdome in those words which are stampt in the coyne of those dayes yet to be seen Centum revolutis annis respondebitis Deo mihi after a hundred yeeres you shall bee called to an accompt for these things about which time they were openly challenged for them by Martin Luther and other zealous Reformers Yet are wee not to build our Christian faith upon any prophesies save those only which holy men have set downe in Scripture as they were guided by the holy Ghost Among which this is to bee ranked which Saint John received not from man or Angel but from e Cap. 1. V. 9 10. Jesus Christ not per instinctum but per raptum as himselfe testifieth I John which also am your brother and companion in tribulation and in the kingdome and patience of Jesus Christ was in the Isle of Patmos for the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ I was in the spirit on the Lords day and heard behind mee a great voice as of a Trumpet Note wee herein that Saint John received this revelation in his exile or banishment to teach us that Gods servants may be banished out of their native soyle and the Court of Princes but not out of the Catholicke Church or the presence of God Secondly Saint John received this prophesie as he was in the spirit to intimate unto us that this booke is of a spirituall interpretation Thirdly he received it on the Lords day to lesson us that God most blesseth our meditations on this day and that they must bee at peace with him and free from worldly cares and businesse who expect revelations from him For the title of the booke of Apocalypse or Revelation it is taken either from the manner whereby it came to Saint John before mentioned or from the matter herein contained which is mysticall hidden and for the most part of things future very obscure before the event and issue manifest them not from Saint Johns manner of expressing them for that for the most part is very intricate For as Plato sometimes spake of an obscure example Exemplum O hospes eget exemplo You had need to illustrate your example by another example so of all the bookes in Scripture the booke of Revelation most needs a revelation and cleare exposition in which as Saint Jerome hath observed Quot verba tot Sacramenta there are neere as many mysteries and figures and aenigmaticall expressions as words for this is the booke spoken of in this booke f Apoc. 5.1 sealed with seven seales answerable to the seven letters enclosed in it directed to the seven Churches of Asia to Ephesus Smyrna Sardis Pergamus Philadelphia Laodicea and Thyatira which names are as it were a small table and short draught of the lineaments of these Churches As Irenaeus his peaceable temper and Lactantius his milkie veine and Eusebius his piety and Chrysostomes golden mouth and contrariwise Jacobs subtilty and Edoms cruelty and Nabals folly and Seneca his end Se necans and Protesilaus his destiny were written in their names g Ovid. ep Protesilae tibi nomen sic fata dedêre victima quod Troiae prima futurus eras so the speciall and most noted vertues and vices in these Churches may bee read by the learned in the Greeke tongue in their names I dare not affirme that the holy Ghost either imposed or made choice of these names to intimate any such thing especially because these names were given to these Cities before they gave their names to Christ Neither doe we reade that these names at the first were put upon these Townes by men endued with a Propheticall spirit but by their Heathen Founders or Governours yet is the correspondency between these names and the condition of these Churches at the time when Saint John as Christ his amanuensis wrote these letters to them very remarkable and they may serve the learned as places in artificiall memory to fixe the character of these Churches in them 1. By the name Ephesus so termed quasi 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifying remission or slacking they may bee put in minde of slacking or back-sliding wherewith the Spirit upbraideth this Church h Cap. 2. Ver. 4. Thou hast left thy first love remember whence thou art fallen and repent 2. By the name Smyrna signifying lacrymam myrrhae the dropping or teares of myrrhe they may be put in mind of the i Ver. 10. cup of teares which this Angel was to drinke Yee shall have great tribulation for ten dayes 3. By the name Pergamus quasi 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifying beyond or out of the bounds of marriage they may be put in mind of the Nicolaitans abounding in this Church who were great abusers of k Ver. 15. marriage Thou hast them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans which thing I hate 4. By the name Sardis quasi 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifying fleshly they may be put in minde of many in this Church that were l Cap. 3. Ver. 4. fleshly given for as we reade This Angel had but a few names which had not defiled their garments 5. By the name Philadelphia signifying brotherly love they may bee put in minde of this vertue whose proper worke it is to cover multitude of sinnes which because it was eminent in many of this Church the Spirit covereth all her infirmities and rebuketh her openly for nothing but contrariwise commendeth her and promiseth because she m Ca. 3. Ver. 10. had kept the word of his patience to keep her from the houre of temptation 6. By the name Laodicea quasi 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifying the righteousnesse or customes of the people they may bee put in minde of the condition of the common sort in this Church and else-where who are well conceited of themselves though God knowes for little cause they imagine that they are very forward in the way that leades to eternall life that they are rich and encreased with goods and have need of nothing when indeed in their spirituall estate they are
setting his foot on his neck advanced himselfe blasphemously wresting the Scripture and applying those words of the Psalmist to himselfe Psal 91.13 Thou shalt tread upon the Lion and the Basilisk it was Pope Adrian who was afterwards choaked with a flie I could relate unto you in what Councell divine majestie is ascribed to the Pope and a power above all powers in the Councell of Lateran under Leo the tenth But I tremble at such horrible blasphemies and leave the Authors and maintainers of them to the censure of the true Melchizedek who as he is a Prince of peace so he is also Rex justitiae King of righteousnesse and will one day right himselfe and all his servants and destroy the man of sin with the breath of his mouth and brightnesse of his presence 7. The next point in which this Text instructeth us is the strength and validity of an oath God when he would shew unto us the immutability of his decree concerning Christs Priesthood confirmeth it unto him by an oath thereby declaring that the greatest evidence of truth and strongest assurance of faith between man and man nay between God and man is an oath It is the soveraigne instrument of justice the indissoluble bond of amity the safest refuge of innocency the surest warrant of fidelity the strongest sinew of all humane society Detestable therefore and â—amnable is their doctrine and practice who straine and weaken the sinew which holdeth the members of all politike bodies together who cancell that bond which being made on earth is registred in the high Court of heaven and the three persons in the blessed Trinity are witnesses thereunto who either untye this everlasting knot by cunning equivocation or cut it asunder by Papall dispensation O my deare brethren hold not with them who breake with God sweare not to their doctrine who maintaine forswearing take not part with that religion which taketh away all religious obligation Is that thinke you the Orthodoxe faith which alloweth and in some case commendeth g Aug. de mendac ad consent perfidiousnesse and treachery Is their doctrine truth Qui dogmatizant mendacium who doctrinally teach the lawfulnesse of an equivocating lye anâ— that they may verifie their doctrine of lyes belye the Truth himself and endeavour to make that which I tremble to utter Jesum ipsum h See Parsons sober reckoning with Thomas Morton and the same L. Bishop of Duresme Tract de aequivocat Jesuitam Jesus himselfe in this point a Jesuit O ubi estis fontes lachrymarum Of all beasts we have those in greatest detestation which devoure their owne young What are our words and promises our vowes and oathes but the issue of our owne mouth which they who resume and recall what doe they other than eate and devoure their owne off-spring The first that brake his allegiance in heaven was the Divell and thereby became a Divell and the first that brake promise on the earth was likewise the Divell to Adam and Eve whose scholars they shew themselves who teach that the Pope can dispense with the oath of allegiance that oathes are better broken than kept with Heretickes Such was Julius the second who if we may beleeve i Bodin de rep l. 5. c. 6. Bodin was not ashamed openly to professe Fidem dandam omnibus servandam nemini Such was Alexander the sixth who when his son Borgias had drawne in the ring-leaders of the contrary faction by faire promises and deepest protestations and oathes of pardon and reconciliation and as soon as he had them all in his power put them to the sword his father applauded this his perfidious and barbarous act and cryed out O factum benè O well done and according to my hearts desire Such was k Cocleus hist Hussit l. 5. anno 1423 Noris te dare fidem haereticis non potuisse peccare mortâ—liter â—â— servaris Martin the fifth who when Alexander Duke of Licuania had sworne to protect the Hussites wrote to him in these words Know that thou couldest not nor mightest not give faith to Heretickes and that thou sinnest mortally if thou keepest thy word and oath with them Such was Hambertus the Embassadour of l Sleia l. 6. Anno 1527. Anno 1577. Charles the fifth who when the Lady Katherine the youngest sister of that Emperour was espoused to John Frederick Duke of Saxony the instruments were drawne and sealed as soone as ever there was a change of Religion in Saxony he perswaded the young Lady to break off the match affirming openly that faith was not to be kept with Heretickes Such were the Popish Divines of Paris who both in their Sermons and printed bookes taught openly that the m Aug. Thual hist l. 63. Aperto capitein concionibus evulgatis scriptis ad fidem sectariis servandam non obligari principem contâ—ndebant allato in cam rem Concilii Constantiensis deoreto Prince was not bound to keep faith with Sectaries and to that purpose alledged a decree of the Councell of Constance Such was Clemens the seventh who when Charles the fifth had resolved upon an expedition against the Moores to which hee had formerly bound himselfe by oath sendeth unto him a Bull whereby hee releaseth him of all oathes that hee had taken for the expulsing those Infidels notwithstanding any constitution Apostolicall statute ordinance or oath to the contrary yea though ratified by the See of Rome with an expresse clause of excluding any dispensation or relaxation whatsoever Such was Julian the Popes Legate who perswaded Uladislaus King of Hungarie Bohemia to undertake a wicked warre against Amurath the Turke contrary to oath assuring him that the Pope allowed of it and there is no doubt he did so but as n Loc. ant cit Bodin observeth religiously Pontifex probavit Deus immortalis non probavit Almighty God allowed not of it for Uladislaus the King was slaine in the battell his whole army put to flight Julian the Popes Legate mortally wounded to whom as he was now breathing out his last perjured breath Gregory Sarmosa exprobated his wicked counsell and pestilent doctrine saying o I nunc Juliane dic â—egi tuo apud inferos Haereticis fidem non esse servandam Goe to Julian and tell the King now in the other world or in hell that faith is not to be kept with Heretickes and Infidels You have heard how this Text thundereth against the Fathers of the Romane Church all who embrace or practice their perfidious tenets mark I beseech you now a while how it lighteneth upon the children of our Church and all who defend the certainty as well of morall as theologicall faith As when there came a p John 12.28 voice from heaven Jesus said This voice came not because of mee Ver. 30. but for your sakes so we may truly say of the oath in my Text God tooke not it so much because of Christ to secure him
heaven for them not to contest but to obtest not to attempt any thing against them but cedendo vincere to conquer them by yeelding But the Generall of the Romane military forces hath quite altered the ancient discipline by turning prayers into threats supplications into excommunications cries into alarums teares into bullets and words into swords and which is to be bewailed with bloudy teares the Garland of red Roses as Saint Cyprian sweetly termeth the Crowne of Martyrdome is put upon their heads not who dye for the faith but who kill not who shed their owne bloud but who draw the bloud not of Infidels but of Christians not of private persons but publike not of subjects but of Soveraignes The detestable oration of Pius made in the Conclave upon the news of the murder of the French King and the damnable Legend of Jaques Clement should not have moved me to have laid so fowle an aspersion upon any Romish Priests or Jesuites if I had not seen with my eyes at Paris the names of Old corne Garnet executed for the Powder Treason inserted into their Catalogue of Martyrs and heard also of certaine English Priests sharply censured for offering to pray for their soules because thereby they made scruple of their crowne of Martyrdome which according to their doctrine dischargeth all that are called unto it from Purgatory flames and giveth them present entrance into heaven O blessed Jesu are these of thy company didst thou make such a profession before Pontius Pilate didst thou teach thy Disciples to save mens soules by murdering their bodies to plant Religion and found thy Church by blowing up Parliaments are these of thy spirit that call not downe fire from heaven but rather call it up from hell to consume a whole Kingdome with a blaze and offer it up as a Holocaust to the Molock at Rome No d Bosquier in Evang. Domin fish will be caught in a bloudy net if they see but a drop spilt upon it they will swimme another way Therefore let all the fishers of men that cast the net of the Gospel into the sea of the world to take up soules looke henceforward that they bloud not their net with cruell persecutions and slaughter of Gods servants In the building of the materiall Temple there was heard no noise of any iron toole to shew that in stirres and broyles there is no building of Gods house As King-fishers breed in a calme sea so the Church exceedingly multiplyeth in the dayes of peace which long may we enjoy under our Solomon who deserveth as well the title of Preserver of the Peace as Defender of the Faith of the Church For what doth he not to take up quarrels and compose differences in all reformed Churches wherein God hath so blessed his zealous endeavours that as he hath hindred the growth of much cockle sowne by Vorstius and Bertius in the Low-countries so hee hath cleane cut off two heads of controversies lately arising one in the place of the other in France the former concerning the imputation of Christs active obedience the latter concerning his immunity from the Law As for his love to his Nathans and infinite desire of repairing the Temple I cannot speake more than you all conceive What then is the cause that so good a worke goeth on so slowly How commeth it to passe that in so many places of this Land the Spouse of Christ lieth sick of a consumption crying pitifully Stay me with flagons and comfort me with apples for I faint I swoune I dye Whose fault is it that many hundreds of soules for whom Christ shed his precious bloud are like to famish perish for the want of the bread of life and there is none to breake it unto them It seemeth strange to mee that in France and other countries where the poore flocke of Christ Jesus is miserably fleeced and fleaed by the Romish Clergy yet they finde meanes to maintaine a Preacher in every congregation and that in divers places of this Kingdome where neither the wild Bore of the forrest digges at the roote of ouâ— Vine nor the wild Beast of the field browseth upon the branches thereof there should not be sufficient allowance no not for an insufficient Curate Elie's zeale was none of the hottest yet he made no reckoning of his private losse in comparison of the publike when he heard the messenger relate the flâ—ght of Israel and the death of his two sonnes Hophni and Phineas he was mentis compos and fate quietly in his chaire but as soone as mention was made of the taking of the Arke hee presently fell downe backward and gave up the Ghost Deare Christians many living Temples of the Holy Ghost have bin lately surprised by Papists yet no man taketh it to heart The Jewes as Josephus reporteth in the siege of Jerusalem though they were constrained themselves to eate Mice Rats and worse Vermine yet alwaies brought faire and fat beasts to the Temple for sacrifices And Livie testifieth that when the Tribunes complained of want of gold in the treasury to offer to Apollo the Mations of Rome plucked off their chaines bracelets and rings and freely offered them to the Priests to supply that defect in the service of their gods I pray God these Painims and Infidels be not brought in at the day of Judgement to condemne many of our great professours who care not how the Temple falls to decay so their houses stand have no regard how God is served so they bee well attended take no thought though the Arke be under the curtaines so they be under a rich canopy or at least a sure roofe who are so farre from offering to God things before abused to pride and luxury that they abuse to pride and luxury things by their religious ancestors offered unto God who with Zeba and Zalmunna having taken the houses of God into their possession lay out the price of bloud the price of soules upon riotous feasting gorgeous apparrell vaine shewes Hawkes Hounds and worse What sinne may be compared to this that turneth those things to maintaine sinne that should convert many unto righteousnesse How is it possible that they should escape Gods vengeance who nourish pride with sacriledge maintaine luxury with murder not of bodies but of soules whom they and their heires starve by keeping back the Ministers maintenance who should feed them with the bread of life What boldnesse is it nay what presumption what contempt of divine majesty what abominable profanenesse and impiety to breake open the doores of the Tabernacle and rifle the Arke of the Covenant and rob God himselfe No marvell therefore if hee have shewed extraordinary judgements upon such felons as he did upon Achan who payed deare for his Babylonish raiment for it cost him all his goods and his e Judg. 7.25 And all Israel stoned him with stones burned him with fire after they had stoned him with stones life too and the life of his sonnes
ordinary Priests and Chemarims who were a peculiar order differing from the rest by their blacke habit so the Romish Clergie is evidently divided into ordinary Priests and Monks and Jesuites whose coat is of the same colour with Baals Chemarims 6. As the Priests of Baal used vaine repetitions of the name of their God in their prayers crying O Baal heare us Baal heare us c. so doe Papists in their Jesus and Ladies Psalters much more often repeat the name of Jesus and our Lady and which I never read of the Baalites they put a kind of religion in the number For yee shall reade in the Churches as yee passe by many hundred nay thousand yeeres of pardons liberally offered to all that devoutly say over so many Pater nosters or Ave Maries before such an Altar or Picture 7. As the Priests of Baal used many strange gestures at their Altars mentioned ver 26. so doe these at theirs and some more ridiculous than those of the Baalites 8. As the Priests of Baal cut themselves with knives and launcers till the bloud gushed out in great abundance so these at their solemne processions whip themselves till they are all bloudy These things being so is it possible that there should be any that have given their names to Christ and partake with us in the mysteries of salvation and seed at our Lords board should yet bow the knee to the Romish Baal and so fall within the stroake of Elijahs reproofe How long halt yee between two opinions Should wee not much wrong our reformed Church to surmise there should be any of her members subject to the infirmity or rather deformity of the Israelites here taxed by the Prophet Had they no meanes this sixty yeeres to strengthen the sinewes of their faith and cure their halting Are there any that follow Baalim or to speake more properly insist in the steps of Balaam and for the wages of unrighteousnesse will as much as in them lyeth curse those whom God hath blessed Are there any that lispe in the language of Canaan and speake plaine in the language of Ashdod frame and maintaine such opinions and tenets as like the ancient Tragedian Buskin which served indifferently for either foot left as well as right so these as passable in Rome as Geneva If there be any such I need not apply to them this reprehension of my Prophet How long halt yee between two opinions The dumbe beast and used to the yoke hath long agoe reproved the madnesse of such Prophets But I would that this larum of Elijah still rung in the eare of some of our great Statists About this time Doctor Carier who came over Chaplaine with the Lord Wotton preached a scandalous Sermon in Paris at Luxenburg house and not long after reconciled himselfe to the Romish Church and miscarrying first in his religion after in his hope of great preferments by the Cardinall Perons meanes in great discontent ended his wretched dayes who in the height of their policy over-reach their Religion and keep it so in awe that it shall not quatch against any of their projects for the raising their fortunes or put them to any trouble danger or inconvenience For as the Heliotropium turneth alwayes to the Sunne so they their opinions and practice in matter of Religion to the prevalent faction in State As the cunning Artizan in Macrobius about the time of the civill warre between Anthony and Augustus Caesar had two Crowes and with great labour and industry he taught one of them to say Salve Antoni Imperator God save Emperour Anthony and the other Salve Auguste Imperator All haile my Liege Augustus and thereby howsoever the world went he had a bird for the Conquerour so these if the reformed Religion prevaile their birds note is Ave Christe spes unica but if Popery be like to get the upper hand they have a bird then that can sing Ave Maria. Strange it is â—hat in the cleare light of the Gospel wee should see so many Batts flying which a man cannot tell what to make of whether birds or mice They are Zoophytes plant-animals like the wonderfull sheep in Muscovie Epicens amphibia animalia creatures that sometimes live in the water and sometimes on the land monsters bred of unlawfull conjunctions which should not see light If the image of this vice be so horrid and odious in nature what shall wee judge of the vice it selfe in religion I am sure God can better away with any sort of sinners than these for these he threatneth to spew out of his mouth To close up all My Beloved as yee tender the salvation of body and soule take heed of this Laodicean temper in religion if ye ever looke to be saved by your religion yee must save and preserve it entire and unmixed Take heed how ye familiarly converse with the Priests and Chemarims of Baal lest they draw you away from the living God to dumb dead Idols By no meanes bee brought to bow the knee to Baal or give any shew or countenance to idolatrous worship for God is a jealous God and will not give any part of his glory to graven Images Now the Lord who of his infinite mercy hath vouchsafed unto us the liberty of the Gospel and free preaching of his Word give a speciall blessing to that portion which hath been delivered to us at this present plant hee the true Religion in our hearts and daily water it both by hearing and reading his Word and meditating thereupon that it may bring forth plentifull fruit of righteousnesse in us all strengthen he the sinewes of our faith that we never halt between two opinions enflame he our zeale that we be never cold or lukewarme in the truth but in our understanding being rightly enformed and fully resolved of the orthodoxe faith we may in the whole course of our life be conformed to it reformed by it zealous for it and constant in it to death and so receive the crowne of life through Jesus Christ Cui cum Patre Spiritu sancto c. Amen Ambodexters Ambosinisters Or One God one true Religion THE LIX SERMON 1 KIN. 18.21 If the Lord be God follow him but if Baal then follow him Right Honourable c. NOt to suspect your memorie or wrong your patience by any needlesse repetition of what hath beene formerly observed out of the whole text joyntly or the parts severally considered the drift of the Prophet Elijah in this sprightly reproofe is to excite the King Nobles and Commons of Israel to resolution and zeale in the true and only worship of the true and only God and agreeably to this his maine scope and end hee bendeth all his strength and forces against those vices that bid battaile as it were to the former vertues These are two 1. Wavering unsettlednesse opposite to resolution 2. Timorous luke-warmnesse the sworne enemie to zeale To displace and utterly overthrow them and establish the contrarie
upper roome at Jerusalem where Christ appointed them to wait for the k Act. 1.4 promise of the father 1. Of the time In the Syriacke and Latine wee read 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or dies dayes in the plurall number but in the originall 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the day in the singular The Syriacke and the Latine had an eye to the whole number of dayes which now amounted unto fiftie the originall designeth in the singular the precise day which made it up fiftie the day by the accesse whereof to the 49. the number of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or fiftie was made complete Word for word according to the originall wee should thus reade my text 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in or upon the fulfilling of the fiftieth day from the feast of first fruits Metall upon metall is no good Heraldrie yet feast upon feast is good Divinitie especially when the one is the type the other the truth For this reason l 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Severianus conceiveth that our Saviour was offered up for our sinnes on the crosse the day and time of the day when the Paschall Lamb according to the Law was to be killed to set the face to the picture the truth to the type that the body might as it were drive out the shadow and occupie the space thereof And in like manner m In haec verba ut ostenderet tum spiritum sanctum legem tulisse nunc legem ferre Theophylact imagineth that hee sent the spirit fiftie dayes after when the Jewes kept a feast for the Law to shew that as then the holy Ghost proclaimed the Law so now also then the law and covenant of works now the law of faith and covenant of grace S. o Aug. hom de Pent Sicut 50. post pascha die lex lata fuit manu Dei scripta in tabulis lapideis ita spiritus cujus officium erat eam cordibus inscribere condem diebus post resurrectionem Christi qui est pascha nostrum implevit quod in legis promulgatione figuratum erat Austine giveth another rellish of his owne As saith he fiftie dayes after Easter the Law was given written by the finger of God in tables of stone so the spirit whose office it is to write it in the hearts of men just so many dayes after Christs resurrection who is our Passover fulfilled that which was figured in the publishing of the Law S. p Chrys hom de Pent. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Chrysostome striketh upon a different string yet maketh good musicke others fetched the congruitie from the Law hee from nature What saith he is Pentecost It signifieth that season of the yeare wherein the Jewes thrust their sickle into the corne-harvest In like sort the Lord of the harvest disposed that now the Apostles should put their sickle the sickle of the Word into the harvest of the world and reape it I shall not need to straine farther for congruities S. Cyrill and S. Ambrose give me the hint of another synchronisme for they affirme that on this day the Angell descended into the poole of Bethesda and after the troubling the water cured the sicke whatsoever the disease was And what fitter day could have beene thought upon for the holy Ghost to descend to bestow the gift of miraculous cures than upon this day of healing I could tell you of the Jubilee which fell upon the fiftieth yeare in which all possessions returned to their former owners and acquittances were given for all debts but because the best stomacks rather desire solid than sweet meats I therefore content my selfe at this present with q Calv. com in Act. 2. Festo die quo ingens multitudo Hierosolymae confluere solebat editum est miraculum quo illustrius redderetur Calvin his observation upon the circumstance of time This solemnitie being next to that of the Passover was the fittest time to make the miracle wrought upon it more illustrious For this reason Christ came up so often to Jerusalem at their solemne feasts and S. Paul made haste in his journey that he might be there at the feast of Pentecost to win more soules by the preaching of the Gospel in a time of so great confluence of people from all parts There is no fishing to the sea and now it was full sea at Jerusalem all the cities in Palestine like so many rivers emptying themselves into it The gift of tongues could not at any time so fitly have been bestowed as at this when there were present at Jerusalem men of everie nation under heaven Acts 2.5 6. To convince all gaine-sayers of the miracle What are these say they that speak Are they not Galileans How then heare we every one speake in our owne tongue where wee were borne Parthians and Medes and Elamites and they that dwell in Mesopotamia and in Judea and Cappadocia Pontus and Bithynia Phrygia and Pamphylia in Aegypt and the parts of Libya about Cyrene and strangers of Rome Jewes and Proselytes Cretes and Arabians we doe heare them speake in our tongues the wonderfull works of God vers 7 8 9 10 11 As we read in the 19. Psalme vers 2. Dies ad diem eructat sermonem nox ad noctem ostendit scientiam Day unto day uttereth speech and night unto night sheweth knowledge or giveth intelligence so here Lingua ad linguam eructat sermonem the tongues of men of all nations gave testimony to the miraculous gift of tongues in the Apostles It is the wisdome of State to appoint beacons to be set up on the highest hils to give notice to all the Countrey And Christ himselfe commandeth us not to hide a candle under a bushell but to set it on a candlesticke that it may give light to all that are in the house And in this consideration those Preachers of the glad tidings of salvation who have had the best foyle of modestie to set off the lustre of their knowledge have yet been desirous to deliver their Embassage from God to men in the fullest assemblies not to gaine thereby more applause to themselves but more soules to God When the eares stand thicke in a corne-field not a drop of raine falleth besides them on the ground And this is a principall end of our celebration of Christian feasts to draw multitudes together to heare Christ preaching by his Ministers and working still miraculous cures upon the soules of men by the Sacraments administred in the Church And so from the holy day I proceed to the sacred persons assembled on it viz. the Apostles They were all together Beza telleth us of an ancient manuscript in which he found the substantive added to the adjective omnes viz. Apostoli which words though I finde not in our copies yet by comparing this verse with the last of the former chapter it appeareth that the all here must bee restrained to the Apostles or principally meant of them for they were as S. Austine
First it is sinne for God in the Law appointed a z Levit. 4.2 5.15 sacrifice for a trespasse by ignorance and the servant in the Gospel which knew not his Masters will and therefore did it not shall be beaten with fewer a Luke 12.48 stripes indeed than the other who knew his Masters will and did it not yet with some Secondly it is the parent of sinne viz. of many errours in matter of faith which are sinnes This b Psal 95.10 people saith God hath erred in their heart because they have not knowne my waies And Christ imputeth the grosse errour of the Pharisees concerning the resurrection to their ignorance of the Scriptures c Mat. 22.29 Ye doe erre not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God And it is also the punishment of sinne as we reade Because they did not like to retaine God in their d Rom. 1 21 28. knowledge God gave them over to a reprobate sense and their foolish heart was darkened Even this is a sin of ignorance not to know that ignorance is a sin I speake not only of ignorantia pravae dispositionis of wilfull ignorance but also of nescience which they call simple ignorance why else doth the Prophet pray Effunde aestum tuum in gentes quae te ignorant Poure downe thine indignation upon the e Psal 79.6 nations that know thee not and upon the people that call not upon thy Name Why doth the Apostle threaten f 2 Thes 1.8 flaming fire to all that know not God I would S. g De grâ—t lib arbitr c. 3. Sed illâ— ignorantia quae non est eorum qui scire nolunt sed eorum qui tantum simpliciter nesciunt neminem sic excusat ut sempiterno igne non ardeat Austines censure might upon good ground from Scripture be qualified where he passeth the sentence of damnation to eternall fire even upon those who never had knowledge of the means of salvation and not only upon those who might have known them if they would Yea but we have all knowledge our ignorance will not cast us the clearest beames of the Gospel have for these many yeers shined in our climate we should be most unthankful to him that dwelleth in an unaccessible light if we should not acknowledge as much It is most true in these parts as in the part of heaven over our heads we see continually many goodly starres yea many constellations of starres but as about the South pole so in divers remote parts of this Kingdome there is scarce any starre to be discerned or if any but a blinking starre of the sixth magnitude Yet to yeeld us a greater knowledge than other nations I feare that this plea will rather hurt us than help us if we could say truly we were blind we should not have so much to answer for but h John 9 41. now because we say we see our sinne remaineth if we so perfectly know our Masters will and doe it so imperfectly a few stripes will not serve our turne i De gubern Dei lib 4 Quanto minore periculo illi per Daemonia pâ—jerant quà m nos per Christum Et nunquid tam criminosa est Hunnorum impudiâ—itia quam nostra nunquid tam rep chensibilis Almanni ebrietas quam Christiâ—ni Doe ye thinke saith Salvianus that the heathen so much dishonour God when they forsweare themselves by their false gods as you when you forsweare your selves by the true Doe you thinke a Jew or a Pagan or a Papist by his profane or loose life causeth the truth to be so evill spoken of as we that have the word taught among us most purely yet live impurely who know better yet doe worse As we presume of our knowledge so did Jerusalem which is by interpretation the k Rob. Steph. interpret nominum Heb. Châ—ld Visio pacis seu visio perfecta vision of peace much more yet our Saviour upbraideth her with ignorance saying Thou even thou Our Saviour strikes twice upon the same string he rubbeth againe and againe upon the same sore Thou even thou Thou which carriest peace in thy name thinkest not thou of those things that belong to thy peace Jerusalem was once the light of the world and yet behold she is darknesse From Moses to the daies of John Baptist and from the daies of John Baptist till this present she was instructed by Seers sent from God and directed to the way of peace yet she seeth it not Let those who assume to themselves most knowledge take heed lest they be like Pentheus Sapientes in omnibus praeterquam in iis in quibus sapientem esse convenit wise in all things save those where wisedome might stead them l Eurip 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He is not to be accounted a wise man saith the wise l Eurip 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Poet who knoweth simply most things but who knoweth things of most use Is Jerusalem ignorant of the maine point of all of the comming of the Messias notwithstanding all the light she might have taken from the Law of Moses from the visions of the Prophets from the doctrine and miracles of our Saviour how grosse then is that errour of all the rest in the Romish Church by which shee maintaineth and holdeth that she cannot erre Was Jerusalem seated upon so high a hill so neer heaven obscured with the fumes arising from the bottomlesse pit and may not the City situated on seven hills have a thicke mist cast over her What can shee plead for her immunity from errour in matter of faith more than Jerusalem could that faith was planted in her by S. Peter the Christian faith was planted in Jerusalem by Christ himselfe that it was watered in her with the bloud of the Apostles Jerusalem was watered with the bloud of Christ himselfe If Rome can alledge any one promise made to her Jerusalem can many But to leave Rome and come with a Nathans application to our selves mee thinks I heare Christ saying to us and our Church If thou even thou if thou which art the Queen of all the reformed Churches if thou which hast enjoyed the sun-shine of the Gospel without any eclipse by persecution for more than 60. yeers if thou who hast had line upon line precept upon precept admonition after admonition exhortation after exhortation if thou whom God hath miraculously preserved from imminent destruction by defeating the invincible Armado in eighty eight since discovering the matchlesse powder plot if thou even thou who sittest quietly under thine own vine when all thy neighbour vines are plucked up by the roots or trampled under foot if thou even thou knowest not or wilt not take notice of the things that belong to thy peace At least in this thy day that is the day of thy visitation the day of grace a day given thee for this end to provide for thy peace to call thy selfe
which is the first place we speak not so properly when we say that God hath any vertue as when we attribute to him all vertue in the abstract all wisdom all justice all holines all goodnes Goodnes is the rule of our will but Gods will is the rule of goodnes it selfe we are to doe things because they are just good but contrariwise things are just good because God doth them therfore if vertue be the load-stone of our love it wil first draw it to God whose nature is the perfection of all vertue As for beauty what is it but proportion colour the beauty of colour it self is light light is but a shadow or obscure delineation of God whose face darkneth the sun dazleth the eies of the Cherubins who to save them hold their wings before them like a plume of feathers A glympse wherof when the Prophet David saw he was so ravished with it that as if there were nothing else worthy the seeing it were impossible to have enough of so admirable an object he crieth out d Psa 105.4 seek his face evermore not so much for the delight he took in beholding it as for the light he received from it For beholding the glory of God as in a mirrour with open face we are changed into his image after a sort made partakers of the divine nature ô my soul saith a Saint of God mark what thou lovest for thou becommest like to that which thou likest Si coelum diligis coelum es si terram diligis terra es audeo dicere si Deum diligis Deus es if thou sincerely perfectly lovest heavenly objects thou becomest heavenly if carnall thou becomest sensuall if spirituall thou becomest ghostly if God thou becomest divine Let us stay a while consider what a wonderful change is wrought in the soule of man by the power of divine love surely though a deformed Black-a-moor look his eies out upon the fairest beauty the world can present hee getteth no beauty by it but seems the more ougly by standing in sight of so beautiful a creature the sun burns them black darkeneth their sight who long gaze upon his beams but contrarily the Sun of righteousnes the more we looke upon him the more he enlighteneth the eies Poulin in opusc Illum amemus quem amare debitum quem amplecti chastitas cui nubere virginitas c. maketh them fair their faces shine who behold him as Moses his did after he came down from the Mount where he had parley with God O then let us love to behold him the sight of whose countenance will make us fair lovely to behold let us conform our selvs to him who wil transform us into himself let us reflect the beams of our affection upon the father of lights let us knit our hearts to him whom freely to love is our bounden duty to embrace is chastity to marry is virginity to serve is liberty to desire is contentment to imitate is perfection to enjoy is everlasting happines To whom c. THE ROYALL PRIEST A Sermon preached in Saint Maries Church in Oxford Anno 1613. THE XXXVII SERMON PSAL. 110.4 The Lord sware and will not repent thou art a Priest for ever after the order of Melchisedech Right Worshipfull c. THere are three principall attributes of God Wisedome Goodnesse Power Wisedome to comprehend all the good that can bee Goodnesse to will all that which in wisedome he comprehendeth Power to effect all that in goodnesse he willeth and decreeth for the manifestation of his justice and mercy to his creatures These three attributes of God shine most clearely in the three offices of Christ 1 Kingly 2 Priestly 3 Propheticall Power in his Kingly Wisedome in his Propheticall Goodnesse in his Priestly function For Christ by his Princely authority declareth especially the power by his Propheticall he revealeth the wisedome and by his Priesthood he manifesteth the goodnesse of God to all mankinde Christ as a Prophet in wisedome teacheth us what in his goodnesse he hath merited for us as a Priest and by his power he will bestow upon us as a King freedome from all miserie in the Kingdome of glory And on these three offices of Christ the three divine graces 1 Faith 2 Hope 3 Charity have a kinde of dependance 1 Faith holdeth on him as a Prophet 2 Hope as a King 3 Charity as a Priest For Faith buildeth upon the truth of his Prophesie Hope relieth upon the power of his Kingdome Charity embraceth the functions of his Priesthood whereby he washeth us from our sinnes in his owne bloud and maketh us a Apoc. 1.5 6. Kings and Priests unto God and his Father In this Psalme David as Christs Herauld proclaimeth these his titles First his Kingly Sit thou on my right hand ver 1. Be thou ruler in the midst of thine enemies ver 2. Secondly his Propheticall The people shall come willingly in the beautie of holinesse ver 3. Thirdly his Priestly The Lord sware thou art a Priest ver 4. To obscure which most cleare and evident interpretation of this Propheticall Psalme although some mists of doubts have beene cast in former times yet now after the Sun of righteousnesse is risen and hath dispelled them by his owne beames nothing without impietie can be opposed to it for b Mat. 22.42 43 44. there he whom David meaneth openeth Davids meaning he whom this Prophesie discovereth discovereth this Prophesie he to whom this Scripture pointeth pointeth to this Scripture and interpreting it of the Son of man sheweth most evidently that he is the King who reigneth so victoriously ver 1. the Prophet that preacheth so effectually ver 3. and the Priest that abideth continually according to the words of my text which offer to our religious thoughts three points of speciall observation 1 The ceremony used at the consecration of our Lord The Lord sware 2 The office conferred upon him by this rite or ceremonie Thou art a Priest 3 The prerogatives of this his office which is here declared to be 1 Perpetuall for ever 2 Regular after the order 3 Royall of Melchizedek First the forme and manner of our Saviours investiture or consecration was most honourable and glorious God the Father performing the rites which were not imposition of hands and breathing on him the holy Ghost but a solemne deposition of his Father with a protestation Thou art a Priest ceremonies never used by any but God nor in the investiture of any but Christ nor his investiture into any office but his Priesthood Plin. panegyr Trasan Imperium super Imperatorem Imperatoris voce delatum est nihil magis subjecti animo factum est quam quod caepit imperare At his coronation we heare nothing but the Lord said Sit thou on my right hand The rule of the whole world is imposed upon our Saviour by command and even in this did Christ shew his obedience
to his Father that he tooke upon him the governement of his Church But at the consecration of Christ we have a great deale more of ceremonie and solemnity God his Father taketh an oath and particularly expresseth the nature and condition of his office a priesthood after the order of Melchizedek and he confirmeth it unto him for ever saying Thou art a Priest for ever Of all which circumstances the Apostle in the Epistle to the d c. 7.20 21. Hebrewes taketh speciall notice and maketh singular use to advance the Priesthood of Christ above that of Aaron Inasmuch as Christ was made a Priest not without an oath by so much he was made a surety of a better Testament For those Priests were made without an oath but he with an oath by him that said unto him The Lord c. Jehovah is the proper and essentiall name of God never in the Scriptures attributed to any creature as most of the learned Rabbins and Christian Interpreters observe a name in such sort adored by the Jewes that in a superstitious reverence unto it wheresoever they meet with it in the text they either over-skip it or in place thereof reade Adonai or Lord a name also so much admired by the Gentiles that they called their chiefe God Jove which is but a contraction of the Hebrew Jehovah And as they glanced at the very name so they had a glympse of the reason thereof as may appeare by Plutarch his exposition of the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Thou art engraven in golden characters upon the gate of the Temple of Apollo whereby saith he they who came to worship God acknowledged that Beeing properly belonged to him Him whom St. John calleth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Parmenides and Melissus terme 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I am saith God to e Exod. 3.14 Moses hath sent thee and againe I am that I am Of all things else we may say truely that they are not that they are because they are not of themselves nor are their owne essence nor continue what they are God properly is that he is because himselfe is his owne beeing and because he is that he was and was that he is aad shall be what he was and is the same yesterday and to day and for ever Besides this reason of the name 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 derived from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 God himselfe intimateth another taken from his faithfulnesse and truth in performing his promises I appeared unto Abraham unto Isaac and unto Jacob by the name of God all-sufficient but by my name f Exod. 6.3 Jehovah was I not knowne unto them that is I had not made good my promise unto them I had not given beeing to my words that is I had not performed and accomplished them According to which etymologie of the word Jehovah the first straine of this verse soundeth to this tune Jehovah sware that is he that giveth continuance to all things by his word he giveth his word for the continuance of this thy sacred office he who is alwayes as good as his word nay who is his word hath said nay hath sworne Thou art a Priest for ever The Lord Sware As we honour God in swearing by him so the Father honoureth the Sonne in swearing to him or taking a solemn oath at his investiture An oath is a sacred forme of speech in which for the confirmation of a truth or assurance of faith supreme majestie is called upon as a witnesse or surety this if it be done by any creature whomsoever implieth a kinde of adoration of him by whom they sweare who by this manner of appealing to him is tacitly acknowledged to be the Discerner of our thoughts and supreme Judge of all our actions and therefore Aquinas defineth juramentum adorationis speciem a kind of adoration But if supreme Majesty himselfe vouchsafe to use the like forme he doth not thereby adore himselfe but most surely bindes himselfe to the performance of that for which he pawneth as it were his glory and life Thus St. Austine briefely resolveth the point g Quid est Dei juramentum promissionis firmamentum si tu jurando testaris Deum cur non Deus jurando testetur semetiplum L. 16. de Civit. Dei c 32. Quid est Dei veâ—i veracisque juratio nisi promissi confirmatio infidelium quaedam increpatio What is Gods oath saith he a solemne kinde of attestation to his promise for our greater assurance As for the manner and forme of this oath though it be not here set downe yet it may be easily gathered out of other texts of Scripture For God alwayes sweareth either by his essence or by his attributes by his essence h Ezek. 18.3 As I live saith the Lord or by his attributes either of power as Esay 62.8 He hath sworne by his strong arme or by his holinesse i Psal 22.16 Psal 89.35 or the like Whence we may take up this observation by the way That Gods attributes are his essence and his essence himselfe For sith God cannot acknowledge any greater unlesse he should deny himselfe it followeth that he cannot sweare by any thing that is not himselfe If Princes have this priviledge to confirme all their Proclamations and Patents with Teste meipso Witnesse our selves shall we require farther security from God Not to beleeve him upon his word which is all that heaven and earth have to shew for their continuance were incredulous impietie to expect or demand further an oath of him by whom we all sweare were presumptuous insolencie Yet see how the goodnesse of God overcommeth the distrustfulnesse of man he giveth us more security than we could have had the face to aske or hope to obtaine he vouchsafeth not onely a bill of his hand his written word but also entereth into bands for the performance of all covenants and grants made to us in the name of our elder brother Christ Jesus As often as I endevour to stay my thoughts upon this point they breake out into that exclamation of k Tertul. l. de peniten c. 4. O beatos nos quorum causâ Deus jurat O miserrimos si nec juranti Domino credimus Tertullian O thrice happy we for whose sake God taketh an oath but most wretched we if we beleeve not God no not upon his oath Or the like of Pliny upon occasion of the Emperours deposing before the Consul O strange thing and before this time unheard of he sweareth by whom we all sweare he confirmeth the Priesthood of his sonne by an oath by whom all oathes are confirmed In which consideration I marvaile not that Martin Luther was wont to say he tasted more sweetnesse and received greater comfort in his meditation upon this parcell of Scripture than any other For what doctrine doth the whole Scripture affoord so comfortable to a drooping conscience charged with many foule and grievous sinnes as this that God hath sworne his onely