of darknesse Heaven is high and hard to reach Hell is steep and slipperie our Flesh is earthy and impotent Satan strong rancorous Sin subtle the World alluring all these yet God is the God of our Salvation Let those infernal Lions roar and ramp upon us let the gates of Hell doe their worst let the World be a cheater our Flesh a traitor the Devil a tyrant Faithfull is he that hath promised who will also doe it God is the God of our Salvation How much more then in these outward temporal occasions when we have to doe with an arm of flesh Do the enemies of the Church rage and snuffe and breath nothing but threats and death Make sure of our God he shall be sure to make them lick our dust Great Benhadad of the Syrians shall come with his hempen collar to the King of Israel The very windes and waves shall undertake those Mahumetan or Marian powers that shall rise up against the inheritance of the God of Salvation Salvation is rateable according to the danger from which we are delivered Since Death therefore is the utmost of all terribles needs must it be the highest improvement of Salvation that to our God belong the issues from death Death hath here a double latitude of kinde of extent The kinde is either temporal or eternal the extent reaches not only to the last compleat act of dissolution but to all the passages that lead towards it Thus the issues from death belong to our God whether by way of preservation or by way of rescue How gladly do I meet in my Text with the dear and sweet name of our Jesus who conquered Death by dying and triumphed over Hell by suffering and carries the keyes both of death and hell Revel 1. 18 He is the God the Author and Finisher of our Salvation to whom belong the issues from death Look first at the temporary he keeps it from us he fetches us from it It is true there is a Statutum est upon it die we must Death knocks equally at the hatch of a Cottage and gate of a Palace but our times are in God's hand the Lord of life hath set us our period whose Omnipotence so contrives all events that neither enemy nor casualty nor disease can prevent his hour Were death suffered to run loose and wild what boot were it to live now it is tether'd up short by that Almighty hand what can we fear If envy repine and villany plot against Sacred Soveraignty God hath well proved upon all the Poisons and Pistols and Poniards and Gun-powders of the two late memorable successions that to him alone belong the issues from death Goe on then blessed Soveraign goe on couragiously in the waies of your God the invisible guard of Heaven shall secure your Royal head the God of our Salvation shall make you a third glorious instance to all posterities that unto him belong the issues from death Thus God keeps death from us it is more comfort yet that he fetches us from it Even the best head must at last lie down in the dust and sleep in death Oh vain cracks of valour thou bragst thy self able to kill a man a worm hath done it a flie hath done it Every thing can finde the way down unto death none but the Omnipotent can finde the way up out of it He findes he makes these issues for all his As it was with our Head so it is with the Members Death might seize it cannot hold Gustavit non deglutivit It may nibble at us it shall not devour us Behold the only Soveraign Antidote against the sorrows the frights of death Who can fear to lay himself down and take a nap in the bed of death when his heart is assured that he shall awake glorious in the morning of his resurrection Certainly it is only our infidelity that makes death fearfull Rejoice not over me O my last enemy though I fall I shall rise again O Death where is thy sting O Grave where is thy victory Cast ye one glance of your eyes upon the second and eternal death the issues wherefrom belong to our God not by way of rescue as in the former but of preservation Ex inferno nulla redemptio is as true as if it were Canonical Father Abraham tells the damned Glutton in the Parable there is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a great gulf that bars all return Those black gates of Hell are barred without by the irreversible Decree of the Almighty Those bold Fabulists therefore whose impious Legends have devised Trajan fetcht thence by the prayers of Gregory and Falconella by Tecla's suspending the finall sentence upon a secundum praesentem injustitiam take a course to cast themselves into that pit whence they have presumptuously feigned the deliverance of others The rescue is not more hopelesse then the prevention is comfortable There is none of us but is naturally walking down to these chambers of death every sin is a pace thitherwards only the gracious hand of our God staies us In our selves in our sins we are already no better then brands of that Hell Blessed be the God of our Salvation that hath found happy issues from this death What issues Even those bloody issues that were made in the hands and feet and side of our Blessed Saviour that invaluably-precious blood of the Son of God is that whereby we are redeemed whereby we are justified whereby we are saved Oh that our Souls might have had leisure to dwell a while upon the meditation of those dreadfull torments we are freed from of that infinite goodnesse that hath freed us of that happy exchange of a glorious condition to which we are freed But the publick occasion of this day calls off my speech and invites me to the celebration of the sensible mercy of God in our late Temporal deliverance Wherein let me first blesse the God of our Salvation that hath put it into the heart of his chosen Servant to set up an Altar in this sacred threshing-floor and to offer up this daies Sacrifice to his name for the stay of our late mortal contagion How well it becomes our Gideon to be personally exemplary as in the beating of this Earthen pitcher in the first publick act of Humiliation so in the lighting of this Torch of publick joy and sounding the Trumpet of a thankfull jubilation and how well will it become us to follow so pious so gracious an example Come therefore all ye that fear the Lord and let us recount what he hath done for our Souls Come let us blesse the Lord the God of our Salvation that loadeth us daily with benefits the God to whom belong the issues of death Let us blesse him in his infinite Essence and Power blesse him in his unbounded and just Soveraignty blesse him in his marvellous Beneficence large continual undeserved blesse him in his Preservations blesse him in his Deliverances We may but touch at the two last How is
as Hulda tels him but that his eyes might not see all the evil which should come upon Jerusalem We cannot have a better Commenter then S. Augustine If saith he the Souls of the dead could be present at the affairs of the living c. surely my good Mother would no night forsake me whom whiles she lived she followed both by land and sea Far be it from me to think that an happier life hath made her cruel c. But certainly that which the holy Psalmist tels us is true My Father and my Mother have forsaken me but the Lord took me up If therefore our Parents have left us how are they present or do interesse themselves in our cares or businesses And if our Parents do not who else among the dead know what we doe or what we suffer Esay the Prophet saith Thou art our Father for Abraham is ignorant of us and Israel knows us not If so great Patriarchs were ignorant what became of that people which came from their loyns and which upon their belief was promised to descend from their stock how shall the dead have ought to doe either in the knowledge or aide of the affaires or actions of their dearest survivers How do we say that God provides mercifully for them who die before the evils come if even after their death they are sensible of the calamities of humane life c. How is it then that God promised to good King Josiah for a great blessing that he should die beforehand that he might not see the evils which he threatned to that place and people Thus that divine Father With whom agrees Saint Hierome Nec enim possumus c. Neither can we saith he when this life shall once be dissolved either enjoy our own labours or know what shall be done in the World afterwards But could the Saints of Heaven know our actions yet our hearts they cannot This is the peculiar skill of their Maker Thou art the searcher of the hearts and reines O righteous God God only knows abscondita animi the hidden secrets of the soul Now the Heart is the seat of our Prayers the Lips do but vent them to the eares of men Moses said nothing when God said Let me alone Moses Solomon's argument is irrefragable Hear thou in Heaven thy dwelling place and doe and give to every man according to his wayes whose heart thou knowest For thou even thou only knowest the hearts of all the children of men He onely should be implored that can hear he onely can hear the Prayer that knows the heart Yet could they know our secretest desires it is an Honour that God challengeth as proper to himself to be invoked in our prayers Call upon me in the day of thy trouble and I will deliver thee and thou shalt glorifie me There is one God and one mediator betwixt God and man the man Jesus Christ One and no more not only of redemption but of intercession also for through him onely we have accesse by one Spirit unto the Father and he hath invited us to himself Come to me all ye that labour and are heavy laden Sect. 3. Against Reason HOw absurd therefore is it in Reason when the King of Heaven cals us to him to run with our Petitions to the Guard or Pages of the Court Had we to doe with a finite Prince whose eares must be his best informers or whose will to help us were justly questionable we might have reason to present our suits by second hands But since it is an Omnipresent and Omniscious God with whom we deal from whom the Saints and Angels receive all their light and love to his Church how extreme folly is it to sue to those Courtiers of Heaven and not to come immediatly to the Throne of Grace That one Mediator is able and willing also to save them to the utmost that come unto God by him seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them Besides how uncertain must our Devotions needs be when we can have no possible assurance of their audience for who can know that a Saint hears him That God ever hears us we are as sure as we are unsure to be heard of Saints Nay we are sure we cannot be all heard of them for what finite nature can divide it self betwixt ten thousand Suppliants at one instant in severall regions of the world much lesse impart it self whole to each Either therefore we must turn the Saints into so many Deities or we must yield that some of our prayers are unheard And whatsoever is not of faith is sin As for that heavenly glasse of Saint Gregorie's wherein the Saints see us and our suits confuted long since by Hugo de S. Victore it is as pleasing a fiction as if we imagined therefore to see all the corners of the earth because we see that Sun which sees them And the same eyes that see in God the particular necessities of his Saints below see in the same God such infinite Grace and Mercy for their relief as may save the labour of their reflecting upon that Divine mirrour in their speciall intercessions The Doctrine therefore and Practice of the Romish Invocation of Saints both as new and erroneous against Scripture and Reason we have justly rejected and are thereupon ejected as unjustly CHAP. XV. The Newnesse of Seven Sacraments THE late Councill of Florence indeed insinuates this number of Seven Sacraments as Suarez contends but the later Council of Trent determines it Si quis dixerit aut plura c. If any man shall say that there are either more or fewer sacraments then seven viz. Baptisme Confirmation c. or that any of these is not truly and properly a Sacrament let him be Anathema It is not more plain that in Scripture there is no mention of Sacraments then that in the Fathers there is no mention of Seven Cardinall Bellarmine's evasion that the Scripture and Fathers wrote no Catechisme is poor and ridiculous no more did the Councils of Florence and Trent and yet there the number is reckoned and defined So as the word Sacrament may be taken for any holy significant rite there may be as well seventy as seven so strictly as it may be and is taken by us there can no more be seven then seventy This determination of the number is so late that Cassander is forced to confesse Nec temerè c. You shall not easily find any man before Peter Lombard Which hath set down any certain and definite number of Sacraments And this observation is so just that upon the challenges of our Writers no one Author hath been produced by the Roman Doctors for the disproof of it elder then Hugo and the said Master of Sentences But numbers are ceremonies Both Luther and Philip Melanchthon professe they stand not much upon them It is the number numbred which is the thing it self mis-related
or of a Disciple Give me leave O Saviour to borrow thine own words Verily I have not found so great faith no not in all Israel He saw thee hanging miserably by him and yet styles thee Lord he saw thee dying yet talks of thy Kingdome he felt himself dying yet talks of a future remembrance O Faith stronger then death that can look beyond the Crosse at a Crown beyond dissolution at a remembrance of Life and Glory Which of thine eleven were heard to speak so gracious a word to thee in these thy last pangs After thy Resurrection and knowledge of thine impassible condition it was not strange for them to talk of thy Kingdome but in the midst of thy shamefull death for a dying malefactor to speak of thy reigning and to implore thy remembrance of himself in thy Kingdome it is such an improvement of Faith as ravisheth my Soul with admiration O blessed Thief that hast thus happily stolne Heaven How worthy hath thy Saviour made thee to be a partner of his sufferings a pattern of undauntable belief a spectacle of unspeakable mercy This day shalt thou be with me in Paradise Before I wondred at thy Faith now I envy at thy Felicity Thou cravedst a remembrance thy Saviour speaks of a present possession This day thou suedst for remembrance as a favour to the absent thy Saviour speaks of thy presence with him thou spakest of a Kingdome thy Saviour of Paradise As no Disciple could be more faithfull so no Saint could be happier O Saviour what a precedent is this of thy free and powerfull grace Where thou wilt give what unworthinesse can barre us from Mercy when thou wilt give what time can prejudice our vocation who can despair of thy goodnesse when he that in the morning was posting towards Hell is in the evening with thee in Paradise Lord he could not have spoken this to thee but by thee and from thee What possibility was there for a thief to think of thy Kingdome without thy Spirit That good Spirit of thine breathed upon this man breathed not upon his fellow their trade was alike their sin was alike their state alike their crosse alike only thy Mercy makes them unlike One is taken the other is refused Blessed be thy Mercy in taking one blessed be thy Justice in leaving the other Who can despair of that Mercy who cannot but tremble at that Justice Now O ye cruell Priests and Elders of the Jews ye have full leisure to feed your eyes with the sight ye so much longed for there is the blood ye purchased and is not your malice yet glutted Is not all this enough without your taunts and scoffs and sports at so exquisite a misery The people the passengers are taught to insult where they should pity Every man hath a scorn ready to cast at a dying innocent A generous nature is more wounded with the tongue then with the hand O Saviour thine eare was more painfully pierced then thy brows or hands or feet It could not but goe deep into thy Soul to hear these bitter and girding reproaches from them thou camest to save But alas what sleabitings were these in comparison of those inward torments which thy Soul felt in the sense and apprehension of thy Fathers wrath for the sins of the whole world which now lay heavy upon thee for satisfaction This oh this was it that pressed thy Soul as it were to the nethermost hell Whiles thine eternall Father lookt lovingly upon thee what didst thou what neededst thou to care for the frowns of men or Devils but when he once turn'd his face from thee or bent his brows upon thee this this was worse then death It is no marvel now if darkness were upon the face of the whole earth when thy Fathers face was eclipsed from thee by the interposition of our sins How should there be light in the world without when the God of the world the Father of lights complains of the want of light within That word of thine O Saviour was enough to fetch the Sun down out of Heaven and to dissolve the whole frame of Nature when thou criedst My God my God why hast thou forsaken me Oh what pangs were these dear Jesu that drew from thee this complaint Thou well knewest nothing could be more cordial to thine enemies then to hear this sad language from thee they could see but the outside of thy sufferings never could they have conceived so deep an anguish of thy Soul if thy own lips had not expressed it Yet as not regarding their triumph thou thus powrest out thy sorrow and when so much is uttered who can conceive what is felt How is it then with thee O Saviour that thou thus astonishest men and Angels with so woful a quiritation Had thy God left thee Thou not long since saidst I and my Father are One Are ye now severed Let this thought be as farre from my Soul as my Soul from Hell No more can thy Blessed Father be separated from thee then from his own Essence His Union with thee is eternal his Vision was intercepted He could not withdraw his Presence he would withdraw the influence of his comfort Thou the Second Adam stoodst for mankind upon this Tree of the Cross as the First Adam stood and fell for mankind under the Tree of Offence Thou barest our sins thy Father saw us in thee and would punish us in thee thee for us how could he but withhold comfort where he intended chastisement Herein therefore he seems to forsake thee for the present in that he would not deliver thee from that bitter Passion which thou wouldst undergoe for us O Saviour hadst thou not been thus forsaken we had perished thy dereliction is our safety and however our narrow Souls are not capable of the conceit of thy pain and horror yet we know there can be no danger in the forsaking whiles thou canst say My God He is so thy God as he cannot be ours all our right is by Adoption thine by Nature thou art one with him in eternal Essence we come in by Grace and merciful election yet whiles thou shalt inable me to say My God I shall hope never to sink under thy desertions But whiles I am transported with the sense of thy Sufferings O Saviour let me not forget to admire those sweet Mercies of thine which thou powredst out upon thy Persecutors They rejoyce in thy death and triumph in thy misery and scoff at thee in both In stead of calling down fire from Heaven upon them thou heapest coals of fire upon their heads Father forgive them for they know not what they doe They blaspheme thee thou prayest for them they scorn thou pitiest they sin aganst thee thou prayest for their forgiveness they profess their malice thou pleadest their ignorance O compassion without example without measure fit for the Son of God the Saviour of men Wicked and foolish Jewes ye would be miserable he will not
one sinner how much more when a world of sinners is perfectly ransomed from death and restored to Salvation Certainly if but one or two appeared all rejoyced all triumphed Neither could they but be herein sensible of their own happy advantage who by thy mediation are confirmed in their glorious estate since thou by the blood of thy Cross and power of thy Resurrection hast reconciled things not in earth onely but in Heaven But above all other the Love of thee their God and Saviour must needs heighten their joy and make thy Glory theirs It is their perpetual work to praise thee how much more now when such an occasion was offered as never had been since the world began never could be after when thou the God of Spirits hadst vanquished all the spiritual powers of darkness when thou the Lord of Life hadst conquered death for thee and all thine so as they may now boldly insult over their last enemy O death where is thy sting O grave where is thy victory Certainly if Heaven can be capable of an increase of joy and felicity never had those Blessed Spirits so great a cause of triumph and gratulation as in this day of thy glorious Resurrection How much more O dear Jesu should we men whose flesh thou didst assume unite revive for whose sake and in whose stead thou didst vouchsafe to suffer and die whose arrerages thou payedst in death and acquittedst in thy Resurrection whose Souls are discharged whose Bodies shall be raised by the power of thy rising how much more should we think we have cause to be over-joyed with the happy memory of this great work of thy Divine Power and unconceiveable Mercy Lo now how weak soever I am in my self yet in the confidence of this victorious Resurrection of my Saviour I dare boldly challenge and defie you O all ye adverse Powers Doe the worst ye can to my Soul in despight of you it shall be safe Is it Sin that threats me Behold this Resurrection of my Redeemer publishes my discharge My Surety was arrested and cast into the prison of his Grave had not the utmost farthing of mine arrerages been paid he could not have come forth He is come forth the Summe is fully satisfied What danger can there be of a discharged Debt Is it the Wrath of God Wherefore is that but for sin If my sin be defraied that quarrel is at an end and if my Saviour suffered it for me how can I fear to suffer it in my self That infinite Justice hates to be twice paid He is risen therefore he hath satisfied Who is he that condemneth It is Christ that died yea rather that is risen Is it Death it self Lo my Saviour that overcame death by dying hath triumph'd over him in his Resurrection How can I now fear a conquered enemy What harm is there in the Serpent but for his sting The sting of death is sin that is pulled out by my powerful Redeemer it cannot now hurt me it may refresh me to carry this cool Snake in my bosome O then my dear Saviour I bless thee for thy Death but I bless thee more for thy Resurrection That was a work of wonderful Humility of infinite Mercy this was a work of infinite Power In that was humane Weakness in this Divine Omnipotence In that thou didst die for our sins in this thou didst rise again for our Justification And now how am I conformable to thee if when thou art risen I lie still in the grave of my Corruptions How am I a lim of thy body if whiles thou hast that perfect dominion over death death hath dominion over me if whiles thou art alive and glorious I lie rotting in the dust of death I know the locomotive faculty is in the Head by the power of the Resurrection of thee our Head all we thy Members cannot but be raised As the earth cannot hold my body from thee in the day of the Second Resurrection so cannot sin withhold my Soul from thee in the First How am I thine if I be not risen and if I be risen with thee why do I not seek the things above where thou sittest at the right hand of God The Vault or Cave which Joseph had hewn out of the rock was large capable of no less then ten persons upon the mouth of it Eastward was that great stone rolled within it at the right hand in the North part of the Cave was hewn out a receptacle for the body three handfuls high from the pavement and a stone was accordingly fitted for the cover of that Grave Into this Cave the good Women finding the stone rolled away descended to seek the body of Christ and in it saw the Angels This was the Goal to which Peter and John ran finding the spoils of death the grave cloaths wrapped up and the napkin that was about the head folded up together and laid in a place by it self and as they came in haste so they return'd with wonder I marvel not at your speed O ye blessed Disciples if upon the report of the Women ye ran yea flew upon the wings of zeal to see what was become of your Master Ye had wont to walk familiarly together in the attendance of your Lord now society is forgotten and as for a wager each tries the speed of his legs and with neglect of other vies who shall be first at the Tomb. Who would not but have tried masteries with you in this case and have made light touches of the earth to have held paces with you Your desire was equal but John is the yonger his lims are more nimble his breath more free he first looks into the Sepulcher but Peter goes down first O happy competition who shall be more zealous in the enquiry after Christ Ye saw enough to amaze you not enough to settle your Faith How well might you have thought Our Master is not subduced but risen Had he been taken away by others hands this fine linen had not been left behinde Had he not himself risen from this bed of earth he had not thus wrapped up his night-cloaths and laid them sorted by themselves What can we doubt when he foretold us he would rise O Blessed Jesu how wilt thou pardon our errours how should we pardon and pity the errours of each other in lesser occasions whenas yet thy prime and dearest Disciples after so much Divine instruction knew not the Scriptures that thou must rise again from the dead They went away more astonished then confident more full of wonder as yet then of belief There is more strength of zeal where it takes in the weaker Sex Those holy Women as they came first so they staid last especially devout Mary Magdalene stands still at the mouth of the Cave weeping Well might those tears have been spared if her Knowledge had been answerable to her Affection her Faith to her Fervour Withall as our eye will be where we love she stoops and looks down
desire to save the labour of Transcriptions I found it not unfit the World should see what Preparative was given for so stirring a Potion neither can there be so much need in these languishing times of any discourse as that which serves to quicken our Mortification wherein I so much rejoyce to have so happily met with those Reverend Bishops who led the way and followed me in this Holy Service The God of Heaven make all our endeavours effectuall to the saving of the Souls of his people Amen A SERMON PREACHED To his Majestie on the Sunday before the Fast being March 30. at White-hall In way of preparation for that holy Exercise By the B. of EXCESTER Galat. 2. 20. I am crucified with Christ Neverthelesse I live c. HE that was once tossed in the confluence of two Seas Acts 27. 41. was once no lesse streightned in his resolutions betwixt life and death Phil. 1. 23. Neither doth my Text argue him in any other case here As there he knew not whether he should chuse so here he knew not whether he had I am crucified there he is dead yet I live there he is alive again yet not I there he lives not but Christ in me there he more then lives This holy correction makes my Text full of wonders full of sacred riddles 1. The living God is dead upon the Crosse Christ crucified 2. S. Paul who died by the sword dies on the Cross 3. S. Paul who was not Paul till after Christ's death is yet crucified with Christ 4. S. Paul thus crucified yet lives 5. S. Paul lives not himself whiles he lives 6. Christ who is crucified lives in Paul who was crucified with him See then here both a Lent and an Easter A Lent of Mortification I am crucified with Christ an Easter of Resurrection and life I live yet not I but Christ lives in me The Lent of my Text will be sufficient as proper for this season wherein my speech shall passe through three long stages of discourse Christ crucified S. Paul crucified S. Paul crucified with Christ In all which your Honourable and Christian patience shall as much shorten my way as my care shall shorten the way to your patience Christ's Cross is the first lesson of our infancy worthy to be our last and all The great Doctor of the Gentiles affected not to flie any higher pitch Grande crucis Sacramentum as Ambrose This is the greatest wonder that ever earth or heaven yielded God incarnate was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but God suffering and dying was so much more as Death is more penal then Birth The God-head of man and the blood of God are two such Miracles as the Angels of Heaven can never enough look into never admire enough Ruffin tells us that among the Sacred Characters of the Egyptians the Cross was antiently one which was said to signifie eternal life hence their Learneder sort were converted to and confirmed in the Faith Surely we know that in God's Hieroglyphicks Eternal Life is both represented and exhibited to us by the Crosse That the Crosse of Christ was made of the Tree of Life a slip whereof the Angels gave to Adam's son out of Paradise is but a Jewish Legend Galatine may believe it not we but that it is made the Tree of Life to all believers we are sure This is the only scale of Heaven never man ascended thither but by it By this Christ himself climb'd up to his own glory Dominus regnavit à ligno as Tertullian translates that of the Psalm Father glorifie thy name that is saith he Duc me ad crucem Lift me up to the tree not of my shame but of my triumph Behold we preach Christ crucified saith Saint Paul to the Jews a stumbling-block to the Greeks foolishnesse but to them which are called Christ the power of God and the wisdome of God 1 Cor. 1. 23. Foolish men that stumble at power and deride wisdome Upbraid us now ye fond Jews and Pagans with a Crucified Saviour It is our glory it is our happinesse which ye make our reproach Had not our Saviour died he could have been no Saviour for us had not our Saviour died we could not have lived See now the flag of our dear Redeemer this Cross shining eminently in loco pudoris in our foreheads and if we had any place more high more conspicuous more honourable there we would advance it O blessed Jesu when thou art thus lifted up on thy Cross thou drawest all hearts unto thee there thou leadest captivity captive and givest gifts unto men Ye are deceived O ye blinde Jews and Painims ye are deceived it is not a Gibbet it is a Throne of Honour to which our Saviour is raised a Throne of such Honour as to which Heaven and earth and hell do and must vail The Sun hides his awfull head the earth trembles the rocks rend the graves open and all the frame of Nature doth homage to their Lord in this secret but Divine pomp of Crucifixion And whiles ye think his feet and hands despicably fixed behold he is powerfully trampling upon Hell and Death and setting up trophees of his most glorious Victory and scattering everlasting Crowns and Scepters unto all Believers O Saviour I do rather more adore thee on the Calvary of thy Passion then on the Tabor of thy Transsiguration or the Olivet of thine Ascension and cannot so effectuously blesse thee for Pater clarifica Father glorifie me as for My God my God why hast thou forsaken me sith it is no news for God to be great and glorious but for the Eternal and ever-living God to be abased to be abased unto death to the death of the Cross is that which could not but amaze the Angels and confound Devils and so much more magnifies thine infinite Mercy by how much an infinite person would become more ignominious All Hosannas of men all Allellujahs of Saints and Angels come short of this Majestick humiliation Blessing honour glory and power be unto him that sits upon the throne and to the Lamb for ever and ever Revel 5. 13. And ye Honourable and beloved as ever ye hope to make musick in Heaven learn to tune your harps to the note and ditty of these Heavenly Elders Rejoice in this and rejoice in nothing but this Cross not in your transitory Honours Titles Treasures which will at the last leave you inconsolately sorrowfull but in this Cross of Christ whereby the world is crucified to you and you to the world Oh clip and embrace this pretious Cross with both your arms and say with that blessed Martyr Amor meus crucifixus est My Love is crucified Those that have searched into the monuments of Jerusalem write that our Saviour was crucified with his face to the West which howsoever spightfully meant of the Jews as not allowing him worthy to look on the Holy City and Temple yet was not without a mysterie Oculi ejus super Gentes respiciunt
the first and best for the Maker By this Rule God should have had his service done onely by the heirs of Israel But since God for the honour and remuneration of Levi had chosen out that Tribe to minister unto him now the first-born of all Israel must be presented to God as his due but by allowance redeemed to their parents As for beasts the first male of the clean beasts must be sacrificed of unclean exchanged for a price So much Morality is there in this constitution of God that the best of all kindes is fit to be consecrated to the Lord of all Every thing we have is too good for us if we think any thing we have too good for him How glorious did the Temple now seem that the Owner was within the walls of it Now was the hour and guest come in regard whereof the Second Temple should surpasse the first This was his House built for him dedicated to him there had he dwelt long in his spirituall Presence in his typical There was nothing either placed or done within those walls whereby he was not resembled and now the Body of those Shadows is come and presents himself where he had been ever represented Jerusalem is now every where There is no Church no Christian heart which is not a Temple of the living God there is no Temple of God wherein Christ is not presented to his Father Look upon him O God in whom thou art well pleased and in him and for him be well pleased with us Under the Gospel we are all first-born all heirs every soul is to be holy unto the Lord we are a royal generation an holy Priesthood Our Baptism as it is our Circumcision and our sacrifice of purification so is it also our presentation unto God Nothing can become us but holinesse O God to whom we are devoted serve thy self of us glorifie thy self by us till we shall by thee be glorified with thee HEROD and the Infants WEll might these wise-men have suspected Herod's secrecy If he had meant well what needed that whispering That which they published in the streets he asks in his privy chamber yet they not misdoubting his intention purpose to fulfill his charge It could not in their apprehension but be much honour to them to make their successe known that now both King and people might see it was not fancie that led them but an assured Revelation That God which brought them thither diverted them and caused their eies to shut to guide them the best way home These Sages made a happy voyage for now they grew into further acquaintance with God They are honoured with a second messenger from heaven They saw the Star in the way the Angel in their bed The Star guided their journey unto Christ the Angel directed their return They saw the Star by day a vision by night God spake to their eies by the Star he speaks to their heart by a dream No doubt they had left much noise of Christ behinde them they that did so publish his Birth by their inquiry at Jerusalem could not be silent when they found him at Bethleem If they had returned by Herod I fear they had come short home He that meant death to the Babe for the name of a King could mean no other to those that honoured and proclaimed a new King and erected a throne besides his They had done what they came for and now that God whose businesse they came about takes order at once for his Sons safety and for theirs God which is perfection it self never begins any businesse but he makes and end and ends happily When our waies are his there is no danger of miscarriage Well did these wise-men know the difference as of Stars so of dreams they had learned to distinguish between the natural and Divine and once apprehending God in their sleep they follow him waking and return another way They were no subjects to Herod his command pressed them so much the lesse or if the being within his dominions had been no lesse bond then native subjection yet where God did countermand Herod there could be no question whom to obey They say not We are in a strange country Herod may meet with us it can be no lesse then death to mock him in his own territories but chearfully put themselves upon the way and trust God with the successe Where men command with God we must obey men for God and God in men when against him the best obedience is to deny obedience and to turn our backs upon Herod The wise-men are safely arrived in the East and fill the world full of exspectation as themselves are full of wonder Joseph and Mary are returned with the Babe to that Jerusalem where the wise-men had inquired for his Birth The City was doubtlesse still full of that rumor and little thinks that he whom they talk of was so neare them From thence they are at least in their way to Nazareth where they purpose their abode God prevents them by his Angel and sends them for safety into Aegypt Joseph was not wont to be so full of visions It was not long since the Angel appeared unto him to justifie the innocency of the Mother and the Deity of the Son now he appears for the preservation of both and a preservation by flight Could Joseph now chuse but think Is this the King that must save Israel that needs to be saved by me If he be the Son of God how is he subject to the violence of men How is he Almighty that must save himself by flight or how must he flie to save himself out of that Land which he comes to save But faithful Joseph having been once tutored by the Angel and having heard what the wise-men said of the Star what Simeon and Anna said in the Temple labours not so much to reconcile his thoughts as to subject them and as one that knew it safer to suppresse doubts then to assoil them can believe what he understands not and can wonder where he cannot comprehend Oh strange condition of the King of all the word He could not be born in a baser estate yet even this he cannot enjoy with safety There was no room for him in Bethleem there will be no room for him in Judaea He is no sooner come to his own then he must flie from them that he may save them he must avoid them Had it not been easie for thee O Saviour to have acquit thy self from Herod a thousand waies What could an arm of flesh have done against the God of Spirits What had it been for thee to have sent Herod five years sooner unto his place what to have commanded fire from Heaven on those that should have come to apprehend thee or to have bidden the Earth to receive them alive whom she meant to swallow dead We suffer misery because we must thou because thou wouldest The same will that brought thee from Heaven into earth sends
substance he made them richer in grace At whose board did he ever sit and left not his host a gainer The poor Bridegroom entertains him and hath his water-pots fill'd with Wine Simon the Pharisee entertains him and hath his table honoured with the publick remission of a penitent sinner with the heavenly doctrine of remission Zachaeus entertains him Salvation came that day to his house with the Author of it That presence made the Publican a Son of Abraham Matthew is recompensed for his feast with an Apostleship Martha and Mary entertain him and besides Divine instruction receive their Brother from the dead O Saviour whether thou feast us or we feast thee in both of them is Blessedness Where a Publican is the Feast-master it is no marvel if the guests be Publicans and sinners Whether they came alone out of the hope of that mercy which they saw their fellow had found or whether Matthew invited them to be partners of that plentiful grace whereof he had tasted I inquire not Publicans and sinners will flock together the one hateful for their trade the other for their vicious life Common contempt hath wrought them to an unanimity and sends them to seek mutual comfort in that society which all others held loathsome and contagious Moderate correction humbleth and shameth the offender whereas a cruel severity makes men desperate and drives them to those courses whereby they are more dangerously infected How many have gone into the prison faulty and returned flagitious If Publicans were not sinners they were no whit beholden to their neighbours What a table-full was here The Son of God beset with Publicans and sinners O happy Publicans and sinners that had found out their Saviour O merciful Saviour that disdained not Publicans and sinners What sinner can fear to kneel before thee when he sees Publicans and sinners sit with thee Who can fear to be despised of thy meekness and mercy which didst not abhorre to converse with the outcasts of men Thou didst not despise the Thief confessing upon the Cross nor the sinner weeping upon thy feet nor the Canaanite crying to thee in the way nor the blushing Adulteress nor the odious Publican nor the forswearing Disciple nor the persecutor of Disciples nor thine own executioners how can we be unwelcome to thee if we come with tears in our eyes faith in our hearts restitution in our hands O Saviour our breasts are too oft shut upon thee thy bosome is ever open to us We are as great sinners as the consorts of these Publicans why should we despair of a room at thy Table The squint-eyed Pharisees look a-cross at all the actions of Christ where they should have admired his Mercy they cavil at his Holinesle They said to his Disciples Why eateth your Master with Publicans and sinners They durst not say thus to the Master whose answer they knew would soon have convinced them This winde they hoped might shake the weak faith of the Disciples They speak where they may be most likely to hurt All the crue of Satanical instruments have learnt this craft of their old Tutor in Paradise We cannot reverence that man whom we think unholy Christ had lost the hearts of his followers if they had entertained the least suspicion of his impurity which the murmure of these envious Pharisees would fain insinuate He cannot be worthy to be followed that is unclean He cannot but be unclean that eateth with Publicans and sinners Proud and foolish Pharisees ye fast whiles Christ eateth ye fast in your houses whiles Christ eateth in other mens ye fast with your own whiles Christ feasts with sinners but if ye fast in pride while Christ eats in humility if ye fast at home for merit or popularity while Christ feasts with sinners for compassion for edification for conversion your fast is unclean his feast is holy ye shall have your portion with hypocrites when those Publicans and sinners shall be glorious When these censurers thought the Disciples had offended they speak not to them but to their Master Why doe thy Disciples that which is not lawfull now when they thought Christ offended they speak not to him but to the Disciples Thus like true make-bates they goe about to make a breach in the family of Christ by setting off the one from the other The quick eye of our Saviour hath soon espied the pack of their fraud and therefore he takes the words out of the mouthes of his Disciples into his own They had spoke of Christ to the Disciples Christ answers for the Disciples concerning himself The whole need not the Physician but the sick According to the two qualities of pride scorn and over-weening these insolent Pharisees over-rated their own holinesse contemned the noted unholinesse of others As if themselves were not tainted with secret sins as if others could not be cleansed by repentance The searcher of hearts meets with their arrogance and findes those justiciaries sinfull those sinners just The spiritual Physician findes the sicknesse of those sinners wholsome the health of those Pharisees desperate that wholsome because it calls for the help of the Physician this desperate because it needs not Every soul is sick those most that feel it not Those that feel it complain those that complain have cure those that feel it not shall finde themselves dying ere they can wish to recover O blessed Physician by Whose stripes we are healed by whose death we live happy are they that are under thy hands sick as of sin so of sorrow for sin It is as unpossible they should die as it is unpossible for thee to want either skill or power or mercy Sin hath made us sick unto death make thou us but as sick of our sins we are as safe as thou art gracious Christ among the Gergesens or Legion and the Gadarene Herd I Do not any where finde so furious a Demoniack as amongst the Gergesens Satan is most tyrannous where he is obeyed most Christ no sooner sailed over the lake then he was met with two possessed Gadarenes The extreme rage of the one hath drowned the mention of the other Yet in the midst of all that cruelty of the evil spirit there was sometimes a remission if not an intermission of vexation If oft-times Satan caught him then sometimes in the same violence he caught him not It was no thank to that malignant one who as he was indefatigable in his executions so unmeasurable in his malice but to the mercifull over-ruling of God who in a gracious respect to the weakness of his poor creatures limits the spightfull attempts of that immortal enemy and takes off this Mastive whiles we may take breath He who in his justice gives way to some onsets of Satan in his mercy restrains them so regarding our deservings that withall he regards our strength If way should be given to that malicious spirit we could not subsist no violent thing can endure and if Satan might have his will we should
the Judge of hearts taxes him for little Faith Our mountains are but moats to God Would my heart have served me to dare the doing of this that Peter did Durst I have set my foot where he did O Saviour if thou foundest cause to censure the weaknesse and poverty of his Faith what maist thou well say to mine They mistake that think thou wilt take up with any thing Thou lookest for firmitude and vigour in those Graces which thou wilt allow in thy best Disciples no lesse then truth The first steps were confident there was fear in the next Oh the sudden alteration of our affections of our dispositions One pace varies our spiritual condition What hold is there of so fickle creatures if we be left never so little to our selves As this lower world wherein we are is the region of mutability so are we the living pieces of it subject to a perpetual change It is for the blessed Saints and Angels above to be fixed in good Whiles we are here there can be no constancy expected from us but in variablenesse As well as our Saviour loves Peter yet he chides him It is the fruit of his favour and mercy that we escape judgment not that we escape reproof Had not Peter found grace with his Master he had been suffered to sink in silence now he is saved with a check There may be more love in frowns then in smiles whom he loves he chastises What is chiding but a verbal castigation and what is chastisement but a reall chiding Correct me O Lord yet in thy judgment not in thy fury Oh let the righteous God smite me when I offend with his gracious reproofs these shall be a precious oyle that shall not break my head The bloody Issue healed THE time was O Saviour when a worthy woman offered to touch thee and was forbidden now a meaner touches thee with approbation and incouragement Yet as there was much difference in that Body of thine which was the Object of that touch being now mortal and passible then impassible and immortal so there was in the Agents this a stranger that a familiar this obscure that famous The same actions vary with time and other circumstances and accordingly receive their dislike or allowance Doubtless thou hadst herein no small respect to the faith of Jairus unto whose house thou wert going That good man had but one onely Daughter which lay sick in the beginning of his suit ere the end lay dead Whiles she lived his hope lived her death disheartned it It was a great work that thou meantest to doe for him it was a great word that thou saidst to him Fear not believe and she shall be made whole To make this good by the touch of the verge of thy garment thou revivedst one from the verge of death How must Jairus needs now think He who by the virtue of his garment can pull this woman out of the paws of death which hath been twelve years dying can as well by the power of his word pull my daughter who hath been twelve years living out of the jaws of death which hath newly seised on her It was fit the good Ruler should be raised up with this handsel of thy Divine power whom he came to solicit That thou mightest lose no time thou curedst in thy passage The Sun stands not still to give his influences but diffuses them in his ordinary motion How shall we imitate thee if we suffer our hands to be out of ure with good Our life goes away with our time we lose that which we improve not The Patient laboured of an Issue of blood a Disease that had not more pain then shame nor more natural infirmity then Legal impurity Time added to her grief twelve long years had she languished under this wofull complaint Besides the tediousness diseases must needs get head by continuance and so much more both weaken Nature and strengthen themselves by how much longer they afflict us So it is in the Soul so in the State Vices which are the Sicknesses of both when they grow inveterate have a strong plea for their abode and uncontrollablenesse Yet more to mend the matter Poverty which is another disease was superadded to her sicknesse She had spent all she had upon Physicians Whiles she had wherewith to make much of her self and to procure good tendance choice diet and all the succours of a distressed languishment she could not but finde some mitigation of her sorrow but now want began to pinch her no lesse then her distemper and helpt to make her perfectly miserable Yet could she have parted from her substance with ease her complaint had been the lesse Could the Physicians have given her if not health yet relaxation and painlesnesse her means had not been mis-bestowed but now she suffered many things from them many an unpleasing potion many tormenting incisions and divulsions did she endure from their hands the Remedy was equal in trouble to the Disease Yet had the cost and pain been never so great could she have hereby purchased health the match had been happy all the world were no price for this commodity but alas her estate was the worse her body not the better her money was wasted not her disease Art could give her neither cure nor hope It were injurious to blame that noble Science for that it alwaies speeds not Notwithstanding all those soveraign remedies men must in their times sicken and die Even the miraculous Gifts of Healing could not preserve the owners from disease and dissolution It were pity but that this woman should have been thus sick the nature the durablenesse cost pain incurablenesse of her disease both sent her to seek Christ and moved Christ to her cure Our extremities drive us to our Saviour his love draws him to be most present and helpfull to our extremities When we are forsaken of all succours and hopes we are fittest for his redresse Never are we nearer to help then when we despair of help There is no fear no danger but in our own insensiblenesse This woman was a stranger to Christ it seems she had never seen him The report of his Miracles had lifted her up to such a confidence of his power and mercy as that she said in her self If I may but touch the hem of his garment I shall be whole The shame of her disease stopt her mouth from any verbal suit Had she been acknown of her infirmity she had been shunned and abhorred and disdainfully put back of all the beholders as doubtlesse where she was known the Law forced her to live apart Now she conceals both her grief and her desire and her faith and only speaks where she may be bold within her self If I may but touch the hem of his garment I shall be whole I seek not mysteries in the virtue of the hem rather then of the garment Indeed it was God's command to Israel that they should be marked not only in their
this abashed Patient I may come in and confesse my errour and implore thy mercy It is no unusall thing for kindnesse to look sternly for the time that it may indear it self more when it lists to be discovered With a severe countenance did our Saviour look about him and ask Who touched me When the woman comes in trembling and confessing both her act and successe he clears up his brows and speaks comfortably to her Daughter be of good chear thy faith hath made thee whole goe in peace O sweet and seasonable word fit for those mercifull and Divine lips able to secure any heart to dispell any fears Still O Saviour thou doest thus to us when we fall down before thee in an awfull dejectednesse thou rearest us up with a chearfull and compassionate incouragement when thou findest us bold and presumptuous thou lovest to take us down when humbled it is enough to have prostrated us Like as that Lion of Bethel worries the disobedient Prophet guards the poor Asse that stood quaking before him Or like some mighty winde that bears over a tall Elme or Cedar with the same breath that it raiseth a stooping Reed Or like some good Physician who finding the body obstructed and surcharged with ill humors evacuates it and when it is sufficiently pulled down raises it up with soveraign Cordials And still doe thou so to my Soul if at any time thou perceivest me stiffe and rebellious ready to face out my sin against thee spare me not let me smart till I relent But a broken and contrite heart thou wilt not O Lord O Lord do not reject It is only thy Word which gives what it requires comfort and confidence Had any other shaken her by the shoulder and cheared her up against those oppressive passions it had been but wast winde No voice but his who hath power to remit sin can secure the heart from the conscience of sin from the pangs of Conscience In the midst of the sorrows of my heart thy comforts O Lord thy comforts only have power to refresh my soul Her cure was Christs act yet he gives the praise of it to her Thy faith hath made thee whole He had said before Virtue is gone out from me now he acknowledges a virtue inherent in her It was his virtue that cured her yet he graciously casts this work upon her Faith Not that her Faith did it by way of merit by way of efficiency but by way of impetration So much did our Saviour regard that Faith which he had wrought in her that he will honour it with the successe of her Cure Such and the same is still the remedy of our spirituall diseases our sins By faith we are justified by faith we are saved Thou only O Saviour canst heal us thou wilt not heal us but by our Faith not as it issues from us but as it appropriates thee The sicknesse is ours the remedy is ours the sicknesse is our own by nature the remedy ours by thy grace both working and accepting it Our Faith is no lesse from thee then thy Cure is from our Faith Oh happy dismission Goe in peace How unquiet had this poor soul formerly been She had no outward peace with her Neighbours they shunned and abhorred her presence in this condition yea they must doe so She had no peace in Body that was pained and vexed with so long and foul a disease Much lesse had she peace in her Minde which was grievously disquieted with sorrow for her sicknesse with anger and discontentment at her torturing Physicians with fear of the continuance of so bad a guest Her Soul for the present had no peace from the sense of her guiltinesse in the carriage of this businesse from the conceived displeasure of him to whom she came for comfort and redresse At once now doth our Saviour calm all these storms and in one word and act restores to her peace with her Neighbours peace in her Self peace in Body in Minde in Soul Goe in peace Even so Lord it was for thee only who art the Prince of Peace to bestow thy peace where thou pleasest Our body minde Soul estate is thine whether to afflict or ease It is a wonder if all of us doe not aile somewhat In vain shall we speak peace to our selves in vain shall the world speak peace to us except thou say to us as thou didst to this distressed soul Goe in peace JAIRUS and his Daughter HOw troublesome did the peoples importunity seem to Jairus That great man came to sue unto Jesus for his dying Daughter the throng of the multitude intercepted him Every man is most sensible of his own necessity It is no straining courtesie in the challenge of our interest in Christ there is no unmannerlinesse in our strife for the greatest share in his presence and benediction That only Childe of this Ruler lay a dying when he came to solicite Christs aide and was dead whiles he solicited it There was hope in her sicknesse in her extremity there was fear in her death despair and impossibility as they thought of help Thy daughter is dead trouble not the Master When we have to doe with a mere finite power this word were but just He was a Prophet no lesse then a King that said Whiles the childe was yet alive I fasted and wept for I said Who can tell whether God will be gracious to me that the childe may live But now he is dead wherefore should I fast Can I bring him back again I shall goe to him but he shall not return to me But since thou hast to doe with an Omnipotent agent know now O thou faithlesse messenger that death can be no bar to his power How well would it have become thee to have said Thy daughter is dead but who can tell whether thy God and Saviour will not be gracious to thee that the childe may revive Cannot he in whose hands are the issues of death bring her back again Here were more Manners then Faith Trouble not the Master Infidelity is all for ease and thinks every good work tedious That which Nature accounts troublesome is pleasing and delightfull to Grace Is it any pain for an hungry man to eate O Saviour it was thy meat and drink to doe thy Fathers will and his will was that thou shouldest bear our griefs and take away our sorrows It cannot be thy trouble which is our happinesse that we may still sue to thee The messenger could not so whisper his ill news but Jesus heard it Jairus hears that he feared and was now heartlesse with so sad tidings He that resolved not to trouble the Master meant to take so much more trouble to himself and would now yield to a hopelesse sorrow He whose work it is to comfort the afflicted rouzeth up the dejected heart of that pensive father Fear not believe only and she shall be made whole The word was not more chearfull then difficult Fear not Who can
Means out of office The Motion of the two fiery Disciples repelled THE time drew on wherein Jesus must be received up He must take death in his way Calvary is in his passage to mount Olivet He must be lift up to the Cross thence to climb into his Heaven Yet this comes not into mention as if all the thought of Death were swallowed up in this Victory over Death Neither O Saviour is it otherwise with us the weak members of thy mystical body We must die we shall be glorified What if Death stand before us we look beyond him at that transcendent Glory How should we be dismai'd with that pain which is attended with a blessed Immortality The strongest receit against Death is the happy estate that follows it next to that is the fore-exspectation of it and resolution against it He stedfastly set his face to goe to Hierusalem Hierusalem the nest of his enemies the Amphitheater of his conflicts the fatall place of his death Well did he know the plots and ambushes that were there laid for him and the bloody issue of those designs yet he will goe and goes resolved for the worst It is a sure and wise way to send our thoughts before us to grapple with those evils which we know must be incountred The enemy is half overcome that is well prepared for The strongest mischief may be outfaced with a seasonable fore-resolution There can be no greater disadvantage then the suddennesse of a surprisal O God what I have not the power to avoid let me have the wisdome to exspect The way from Galilee to Judaea lay through the Region of Samaria if not the City Christ now towards the end of his Preaching could not but be attended with a multitude of followers It was necessary there should be purveyors and harbingers to procure lodgings and provision for so large a troup Some of his own retinue are addressed to this service they seek not for palaces and delicates but for house-room and victuals It was he whose the earth was and the fulnesse thereof whos 's the Heavens are and the mansions therein yet he who could have commanded Angels sues to Samaritanes He that filled and comprehended Heaven sends for shelter in a Samaritane Cottage It was thy choice O Saviour to take upon thee the shape not of a Prince but of a Servant How can we either neglect means or despise homelinesse when thou the God of all the World wouldst stoop to the suit of so poor a provision We know well in what terms the Samaritanes stood with the Jews so much more hostile as they did more symbolize in matter of Religion no Nations were mutually so hatefull to each other A Samaritane's bread was no better then Swines-flesh their very fire and water was not more grudged then infectious The looking towards Jerusalem was here cause enough of repulse No enmity is so desperate as that which arises from matter of Religion Agreement in some points when there are differences in the main doth but advance hatred the more It is not more strange to hear the Son of God sue for a lodging then to hear him repelled Upon so churlish a denial the two angry Disciples return to their Master on a fiery errand Lord wilt thou that we command fire to come down from Heaven and consume them as Elias did The Sons of Thunder would be lightning straight their zeal whether as kinsmen or Disciples could not brook so harsh a refusal As they were naturally more hot then their fellows so now they thought their Piety bade them be impatient Yet they dare not but begin with leave Master wilt thou His will must lead theirs their choler cannot drive their wills before his all their motion is from him onely True Disciples are like those artificial engines which goe no otherwise then they are set or like little Children that speak nothing but what they are taught O Saviour if we have wills of our own we are not thine Do thou set me as thou wouldst have me goe do thou teach me what thou wouldst have me say or doe A mannerly preface leads in a faulty suit Master wilt thou that we command fire to come down from Heaven and consume them Faulty both in presumption and in desire of private revenge I do not hear them say Master will it please thee who art the sole Lord of the Heavens and the Elements to command fire from Heaven upon these men but Wilt thou that we command As if because they had power given them over diseases and unclean spirits therefore Heaven and earth were in their managing How easily might they be mistaken Their large commission had the just limits Subjects that have munificent grants from their Princes can challenge nothing beyond the words of their Patent And if the fetching down fire from Heaven were lesse then the dispossessing of Devils since the Devil shall inable the Beast to doe thus much yet how possible is it to doe the greater and stick at the lesse where both depend upon a delegated power The Magicians of Egypt could bring forth Frogs and Blood they could not bring Lice ordinary Corruption can doe that which they could not It is the fashion of our bold Nature upon an inch given to challenge an ell and where we finde our selves graced with some abilities to flatter our selves with the faculty of more I grant Faith hath done as great things as ever Presumption undertook but there is great difference in the enterprises of both The one hath a warrant either by instinct or expresse command the other none at all Indeed had these two Disciples either meant or said Master if it be thy pleasure to command us to call down fire from Heaven we know thy word shall enable us to doe what thou requirest if the words be ours the power shall be thine this had been but holy modest faithfull but if they supposed there needed nothing save a leave only and that might they be but let loose they could goe alone they presumed they offended Yet had they thus overshot themselves in some pious and charitable motion the fault had been the lesse now the act had in it both cruelty and private revenge Their zeal was not worthy of more praise then their fury of censure That fire should fall down from Heaven upon men is a fearfull thing to think of and that which hath not been often done It was done in the case of Sodome when those five unclean Cities burned with the unnatural fire of hellish Lust it was done two several times at the suit of Elijah it was done in an height of triall to that great pattern of Patience I finde it no more and tremble at these I finde But besides the dreadfulness of the judgment it self who can but quake at the thought of the suddainnesse of this destruction which sweeps away both Body and Soul in a state of unpreparation of unrepentance so as this fire should but
fish of the sea was tributary to him How should this incourage our dependance upon that Omnipotent hand of thine which hath Heaven earth sea at thy disposing Still thou art the same for thy members which thou wert for thy self the Head Rather then offence shall be given to the world by a seeming neglect of thy dear Children thou wilt cause the very fowls of Heaven to bring them meat and the fish of the sea to bring them money O let us look up ever to thee by the eye of our Faith and not be wanting in our dependance upon thee who canst not be wanting in thy Providence over us LAZARUS Dead OH the Wisdome of God in penning his own Story The Disciple whom Jesus loved comes after his fellow-Evangelists that he might glean up those rich ears of History which the rest had passed over That Eagle soars high and towrs up by degrees It was much to turn water into wine but it was more to seed five thousand with five loaves It was much to restore the Rulers son it was more to cure him that had been thirty eight years a Cripple It was much to cure him that was born blind it was more to raise up Lazarus that had been so long dead As a stream runs still the stronger and wider the nearer it comes to the Ocean whence it was derived so didst thou O Saviour work the more powerfully the nearer thou drewest to thy Glory This was as one of thy last so of thy greatest Miracles when thou wert ready to die thy self thou raisedst him to life who smelt strong of the grave None of all the Sacred Histories is so full and punctual as this in the report of all circumstances Other Miracles do not more transcend Nature then this transcends other Miracles This alone was a sufficient eviction of thy Godhead O blessed Saviour none but an infinite power could so farre go beyond Nature as to recal a man four daies dead from not a mere privation but a setled corruption Earth must needs be thine from which thou raisest his body Heaven must needs be thine from whence thou fetchest his Spirit None but he that created man could thus make him new Sickness is the common preface to death no mortal nature is exempted from this complains even Lazarus whom Jesus loved is sick What can strength of Grace or dearness of respect prevail against disease against dissolution It was a stirring message that Mary sent to Jesus He whom thou lovest is sick as if she would imply that his part was no-less deep in Lazarus then hers Neither doth she say He that loves thee is sick but he whom thou lovest not pleading the merit of Lazarus his affection to Christ but the mercy and favour of Christ to him Even that other reflexion of love had been no weak motive for O Lord thou hast said Because he hath set his love upon me therefore will I deliver him Thy goodness will not be behinde us for love who professest to love them that love thee But yet the argument is more forcible from thy love to us since thou hast just reason to respect every thing of thine own more then ought that can proceed from us Even we weak men what can we stick at where we love Thou O infinite God art Love it self Whatever thou hast done for us is out of thy love the ground and motive of all thy mercies is within thy self not in us and if there be ought in us worthy of thy love it is thine own not ours thou givest what thou acceptest Jesus well heard the first groan of his dear Lazarus every short breath that he drew every sigh that he gave was upon account yet this Lord of Life lets his Lazarus sicken and languish and die not out of neglect or impotence but out of power and resolution This sickness is not to death He to whom the issues of death belong knows the way both into it and out of it He meant that sickness should be to death in respect of the present condition not to death in respect of the event to death in the process of Nature not to death in the success of his Divine power that the Son of God might be glorified thereby O Saviour thy usual style is the Son of man thou that wouldst take up our infirmities wert willing thus to hide thy Godhead under the course weeds of our Humanity but here thou saist That the Son of God might be glorified Though thou wouldst hide thy Divine glory yet thou wouldst not smother it Sometimes thou wouldst have thy Sun break forth in bright gleams to shew that it hath no less light even whiles it seems kept in by the clouds Thou wert now near thy Passion it was most seasonable for thee at this time to set forth thy just title Neither wâ—s this an act that thy Humanity could challenge to it self but farre transcending all finite powers To die was an act of the Son of man to raise from death was an act of the Son of God Neither didst thou say merely that God but that the Son of God might be glorified God cannot be glorified unless the Son be so In very natural Relations the wrong or disrespect offered to the child reflects upon the father as contrarily the parents upon the child how much more where the love and respect is infinite where the whole effence is communicated with the intireness of relation O God in vain shall we tender our Devotions to thee indefinitely as to a glorious and incomprehensible Majesty if we kiss not the Son who hath most justly said Ye believe in the Father believe also in me What an happy family was this I finde none upon earth so much honoured Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus It is no standing upon terms of precedency the Spirit of God is not curious in marshalling of places Time was when Mary was confessed to have chosen the better part here Martha is named first as most interessed in Christs love for ought appears all of them were equally dear Christ had familiarly lodged under their roof How fit was that to receive him whose in-dwellers were hospital pious unanimous Hospital in the glad entertainment of Jesus and his train Pious in their Devotions Unanimous in their mutual Concord As contrarily he balâ—s and hates that house which is taken up with uncharitableness profaneness contention But O Saviour how doth this agree thou lovedst this Family yet hearing of their distress thou heldest off two daies more from them Canst thou love those thou regardest not canst thou regard them from whom thou willingly absentest thy self in their necessity Behold thy love as it is above ours so it is oft against ours Even out of very affection art thou not seldome absent None of thine but have sometimes cryed How long Lord What need we instance when thine eternal Father did purposely estrange his face from thee so as thou cryedst out of
how apt passionate mindes are to take all occasions to renew their sorrow every Object affects them When she saw but the Chamber of her dead Brother straight she thinks there Lazarus was wont to lye and then she wept afresh when the Table There Lazarus was wont to sit and then new teares arise when the Garden There Lazarus had wont to walk and now again she weeps How much more do these friends suppose the Passions would be stirred with the sight of the Grave when she must needs think There is Lazarus O Saviour if the place of the very dead corps of our friend have power to draw our hearts thither and to affect us more deeply how should our hearts be drawn to and affected with Heaven where thou sittest at the right hand of thy Father There O thou which wert dead and art alive is thy body and thy Soul present and united to thy glorious Deity Thither O thither let our access be not to mourn there where is no place for sorrow but to rejoyce with joy unspeakable and glorious and more and more to long for that thy beatifical presence Their indulgent love mistook Marie's errand their thoughts how kind soever were much too low whiles they supposed she went to a dead Brother she went to a living Saviour The world hath other conceits of the actions and carriage of the regenerate then are truely intended setting such constructions upon them as their own carnal reason suggests they think them dying when behold they live sorrowful when they are alwaies rejoycing poor whiles they make many rich How justly do we appeal from them as incompetent Judges and pity those misinterpretations which we cannot avoid Both the Sisters met Christ not both in one posture Mary is still noted as for more Passion so for more Devotion she that before sate at the feet of Jesus now falls at his feet That presence had wont to be familiar to her and not without some outward homeliness now it fetches her upon her knees in an awful veneration whether out of a reverend acknowledgment of the secret excellency and power of Christ or out of a dumb intimation of that suit concerning her dead Brother which she was afraid to utter The very gesture it self was supplicatory What position of body can be so fit for us when we make our address to our Saviour It is an irreligious unmannerliness for us to goe less Where the heart is affected with an awful acknowledgement of Majesty the body cannot but bow Even before all her neighbours of Jerusalem doth Mary thus fall down at the feet of Jesus so many witnesses as she had so many spies she had of that forbidden observance It was no less then Excommunication for any body to confess him yet good Mary not fearing the informations that might be given by those Jewish Gossips adores him and in her silent gesture saies as much as her Sister had spoken before Thou art the Christ the Son of God Those that would give Christ his right must not stand upon scrupulous fears Are we naturally timorous Why do we not fear the denial the exclusion of the Almighty Without shall be the fearfull Her humble prostration is seconded by a lamentable complaint Lord if thou hadst been here my brother had not died The Sisters are both in one mind both in one speech and both of them in one speech bewray both strength and infirmity strength of Faith in ascribing so much power to Christ that his presence could preserve from death infirmity in supposing the necessity of a presence for this purpose Why Mary could not thine Omnipotent Saviour as well in absence have commanded Lazarus to live Is his hand so short that he can doe nothing but by contaction If his Power were finite how could he have forbidden the seizure of death if infinite how could it be limited to place or hindered by distance It is a weakness of Faith to measure success by means and means by presence and to tye effects to both when we deal with an Almighty agent Finite causes work within their own sphere all places are equally near and all effects equally easie to the infinite O Saviour whiles thou now sittest gloriously in Heaven thou dost no less impart thy self unto us then if thou stoodst visibly by us then if we stood locally by thee no place can make difference of thy virtue and aid This was Mary's moan no motion no request sounded from her to her Saviour Her silent suit is returned with a mute answer no notice is taken of her error Oh that marvellous mercy that connives at our faulty infirmities All the reply that I hear of is a compassionate groan within himself O blessed Jesu thou that wert free from all sin wouldst not be free from strong affections Wisdome and Holiness should want much work if even vehement passions might not be quitted from offence Mary wept her tears drew on tears from her friends all their tears united drew groans from thee Even in thine Heaven thou dost no less pity our sorrows thy glory is free from groans but abounds with compassion and mercy if we be not sparing of our tears thou canst not be insensible of our sorrows How shall we imitate thee if like our looking-glass we do not answer tears and weep on them that weep upon us Lord thou knewest in absence that Lazarus was dead and dost thou not know where he was buried Surely thou wert further off when thou sawst and reportedst his death then thou wert from the grave thou inquiredst of thou that knewest all things yet askest what thou knowest Where have ye laid him Not out of need but out of will that as in thy sorrow so in thy question thou mightest depress thy self in the opinion of the beholders for the time that the glory of thine instant Miracle might be the greater the less it was exspected It had been all one to thy Omnipotence to have made a new Lazarus out of nothing or in that remoteness to have commanded Lazarus wheresoever he was to come forth but thou wert neither willing to work more miracle then was requisite nor yet unwilling to fix the minds of the people upon the exspectation of some marvellous thing that thou meantest to work and therefore askest Where have you laid him They are not more glad of the question then ready for the answer Come and see It was the manner of the Jews as likewise of those Egyptians among whom they had sojourned to lay up the dead bodies of their friends with great respect more cost was wont to be bestowed on some of their graves then on their houses as neither ashamed then nor unwilling to shew the decency of their sepulture they say Come and see More was hoped for from Christ then a mere view they meant and exspected that his eye should draw him on to some further action O Saviour whiles we desire our spiritual resuscitation how should we labour to
bring thee to our grave how should we lay open our deadness before thee and bewray to thee our impotence and senselesness Come Lord and see what a miserable carkass I am and by the power of thy mercy raise me from the state of my corruption Never was our Saviour more submisly dejected then now immediately before he would approve and exalt the Majesty of his Godhead To his groans and inward grief he adds his tears Anone they shall confess him a God these expressions of Passions shall onwards evince him to be a man The Jews construe this well See how he loved him Never did any thing but love fetch tears from Christ But they do foully misconstrue Christ in the other Could not he that opened the eyes of him that was born blinde have caused that even this man should not have died Yes know ye O vain and importune questionists that he could have done it with ease To open the eyes of a man born blind was more then to keep a sick man from dying this were but to uphold and maintain Nature from decaying that were to create a new sense and to restore a deficiency in Nature To make an eye was no whit less difficult then to make a man he that could doe the greater might well have done the less Ye shall soon see this was not for want of power Had ye said Why would he not why did he not the question had been fairer and the answer no less easie For his own greater glory Little do ye know the drift whether of God's acts or delaies and ye know as much as you are worthy Let it be sufficient for you to understand that he who can doe all things will doe that which shall be most for his own honour It is not improbable that Jesus who before groaned in himself for compassion of their tears now groaned for their incredulity Nothing could so much afflict the Saviour of men as the sins of men Could their external wrongs to his body have been separated from offence against his Divine person their scornful indignities had not so much affected him No injury goes so deep as our spiritual provocations of our God Wretched men why should we grieve the good Spirit of God in us why should we make him groan for us that died to redeem us With these groans O Saviour thou camest to the grave of Lazarus The door of that house of Death was strong and impenetrable Thy first word was Take away the stone Oh weak beginning of a mighty Miracle If thou meantest to raise the dead how much more easie had it been for thee to remove the grave-stone One grain of Faith in thy very Disciples was enough to remove mountains and dost thou say Take away the stone I wis there was a greater weight that lay upon the body of Lazarus then the stone of his Tomb the weight of Death and Corruption a thousand rocks and hils were not so heavy a load as this alone why then dost thou stick at this shovel-full Yea how easie had it been for thee to have brought up the body of Lazarus through the stone by causing that marble to give way by a sudden rarefaction But thou thoughtest best to make use of their hands rather whether for their own more full conviction for had the stone been taken away by thy Followers and Lazarus thereupon walked forth this might have appeared to thy malignant enemies to have been a set match betwixt thee the Disciples and Lazarus or whether for the exercise of our Faith that thou mightest teach us to trust thee under contrary appearances Thy command to remove the stone seemed to argue an impotence straight that seeming weakness breaks forth into an act of Omnipotent power The homeliest shows of thine humane infirmity are ever seconded with some mighty proofs of thy Godhead and thy Miracle is so much more wondred at by how much it was less exspected It was ever thy just will that we should doe what we may To remove the stone or to untie the napkin was in their power this they must doe to raise the dead was out of their power this therefore thou wilt doe alone Our hands must doe their utmost ere thou wilt put to thine O Saviour we are all dead and buried in the grave of our sinfull Nature The stone of obstination must be taken away from our hearts ere we can hear thy reviving voice we can no more remove this stone then dead Lazarus could remove his we can adde more weight to our graves O let thy faithful agents by the power of thy Law and the grace of thy Gospel take off the stone that thy voice may enter into the grave of miserable corruption Was it a modest kinde of mannerliness in Martha that she would not have Christ annoyed with the ill sent of that stale carcass or was it out of distrust of reparation since her brother had passed all the degrees of corruption that she saies Lord by this time he stinketh for he hath been dead four daies He that understood hearts found somewhat amiss in that intimation his answer had not endeavored to rectifie that which was utterly faultless I fear the good woman meant to object this as a likely obstacle to any further purposes or proceedings of Christ Weak faith is still apt to lay blocks of difficulties in the way of the great works of God Four days were enough to make any corps noisome Death it self is not unsavory immediately upon dissolution the body retains the wonted sweetness it is the continuance under death that is thus offensive Neither is it otherwise in our Spiritual condition the longer we lie under our sin the more rotten and corrupt we are He who upon the fresh commission of his sin recovers himself by a speedy repentance yields no ill sent to the nostrils of the Almighty The Candle that is presently blown in again offends not it is the snuffe which continues choaked with its own moisture that sends up unwholsome and odious fumes O Saviour thou wouldst yield to death thou wouldst not yield to corruption Ere the fourth day thou wert risen again I cannot but receive many deadly foils but oh do thou raise me up again ere I shall pass the degrees of rottenness in my sins and trespasses They that laid their hands to the stone doubtless held now still awhile and looked one while on Christ another while upon Martha to hear what issue of resolution would follow upon so important an objection when they finde a light touch of taxation to Martha Said not I to thee that if thou wouldst believe thou shouldst see the glory of God That holy woman had before professed her belief as Christ had professed his great intentions both were now forgotten and now our Saviour is fain to revive both her memory and Faith Said not I to thee The best of all Saints are subject to fits of unbelief and oblivion the onely remedy whereof must
shall never be dryed And Peter went out and wept bitterly Christ before Pilate WEll worthy were these Jews to be tributary they had cast off the yoke of their God and had justly earned this Roman servitude Tiberius had befriended them too well with so favourable a Governour as Pilate Had they had the power of life and death in their hands they had not been beholden to an Heathen for a Legal murder I know not whether they more repine at this slavery or please themselves to think how cleanly they can shift off this blood into anothers hand These great Masters of Israel flock from their own Consistory to Pilate's Judgment-hall The Sentence had been theirs the Execution must be his and now they hope to bear down Jesus with the stream of that frequent confluence But what ailes you O ye Rulers of Israel that ye stand thus thronging at the door why do ye not go in to that publick room of Judicature to call for that Justice ye came for Was it for that ye would not defile your selves with the contagion of an Heathen roof Holy men your Consciences would not suffer you to yield to so impure an act your Passeover must be kept your persons must be clean whiles ye exspect Justice from the man ye abhor the pollution of the place Woe to you Priests Scribes Elders Hypocrites can there be any roof so unclean as that of your own breasts Not Pilate's walls but your hearts are impure Is Murder your errand and do you stick at a local infection God shall smite you ye whited walls Do ye long to be stained with blood with the blood of God and do ye fear to be defiled with the touch of Pilate's pavement Doth so small a gnat stick in your throats whiles ye swallow such a Camel of flagitious wickednesse Goe out of your selves ye false dissemblers if ye would not be unclean Pilate onwards hath more cause to fear lest his walls should be defiled with the presence of so prodigious Monsters of Impiety That plausible Governour condescends to humour their Superstition They dare not come in to him he yields to goe forth to them Even Pilate begins justly What accusation bring you against this man It is no judging of Religion by the outward demeanour of men there is more Justice amongst Romans then amongst Jews These malicious Rabbies thought it enough that they had sentenced Jesus no more was now exspected but a speedy execution If he were not a malefactor we would not have delivered him up unto thee Civil Justice must be their hangman It is enough conviction that he is delivered up to the secular powers Themselves have judged these other must kill Pilate and Caiaphas have changed places this Pagan speaks that Law and Justice which that High priest should have done and that High priest speaks those murdering incongruities which would better have beseemed the mouth of a Pagan What needs any new triall Dost thou know Pilate who we are Is this the honour that thou givest to our sacred Priesthood Is this thy valuation of our Sanctity Had the basest of the vulgar complained to thee thou couldst but have put them to a review Our Place and Holinesse lookt not to be distrusted If our scrupulous Consciences suspect thy very walls thou maiest well think there is small reason to suspect our Consciences Upon a full hearing ripe deliberation and exquisitely-judicial proceeding we have sentenced this Malefactor to death there needs no more from thee but thy command of Execution Oh monster whether of Malice or Unjustice Must he then be a Malefactor whom ye will condemn Is your bare word ground enough to shed blood Whom did ye ever kill but the righteous By whose hands perished the Prophets The word was but mistaken ye should have said If we had not been Malefactors we had never delivered up this innocent man unto thee It must needs be notoriously unjust which very Nature hath taught Pagans to abhor Pilate sees and hates this bloody suggestion and practice Do ye pretend Holiness and urge so injurious a violence If he be such as ye accuse him where is his conviction If he cannot be legally convicted why should he die Do you think I may take your complaint for a crime If I must judge for you why have you judged for your selves Could ye suppose that I would condemn any man unheard If your Jewish Laws yield you this liberty the Roman Laws yield it not to me It is not for me to judge after your laws but after our own Your prejudgment may not sway me Since ye have gone so far be ye your own carvers of Justice Take ye him and judge him according to your law O Pilate how happy had it been for thee if thou hadst held thee there thus thou hadst wash'd thy hands more clean then in all thy basons Might Law have been the rule of this Judgment and not Malice this blood had not been shed How palpably doth their tongue bewray their heart It is not lawfull for us to put any man to death Pilate talks of Judgment they talk of Death This was their only aime Law was but a colour Judgment was but a ceremony Death was their drift and without this nothing Blood-thirsty Priests and Elders it is well that this power of yours is restrained no Innocence could have been safe if your lawlesse will had had no limits It were pity this sword should be in any but just and sober hands Your fury did not alwaies consult with Law what Law allowed your violence to Stephen to Paul and Barnabas and your deadly attempts against this Blessed Jesus whom ye now persecute How lawfull was it for you to procure that death which ye could not inflict It is all the care of Hypocrites to seek umbrages and pretences for their hatefull purposes and to make no other use of Laws whether Divine or humane but to serve turns Where death is fore-resolved there cannot want accusations Malice is not so barren as not to yield crimes enough And they began to accuse him saying We found this fellow perverting the nation and forbidding to give tribute unto Casear saying that he himself is Christ and King What accusations saidst thou O Pilate Hainous capital Thou mightest have believed our confident intimation but since thou wilt needs urge us to particulars know that we come furnished with such an inditement as shall make thine ears glow to hear it Besides that Blasphemy whereof he hath been condemned by us this man is a Seducer of the people a raiser of Sedition an usurper of Soveraignty O impudent suggestion What marvel is it O Saviour if thine honest servants beloaded with slanders when thy most innocent person escaped not so shamefull criminations Thou a perverter of the Nation who taughtest the way of God truly Thou a forbidder of Tribute who payedst it who prescribedst it who provedst it to be Caesar's due Thou a challenger of temporal Soveraignty who
avoidedst it renouncedst it professedst to come to serve Oh the forehead of Malice Goe ye shamelesse traducers and swear that Truth is guilty of all Falshood Justice of all Wrong and that the Sun is the only cause of Darknesse Fire of Cold. Now Pilate startles at the Charge The name of Tribute the name of Caesar is in mention These potent spells can fetch him back to the common Hall and call Jesus to the Bar. There O Saviour standst thou meekly to be judged who shalt once come to judge the quick and the dead Then shall he before whom thou stoodst guiltlesse and dejected stand before thy dreadfull Majesty guilty and trembling The name of a King of Caesar is justly tender and awfull the least whisper of an Usurpation or disturbance is entertained with a jealous care Pilate takes this intimation at the first bound Art thou then the King of the Jews He felt his own free-hold now touched it was time for him to stir Daniel's Weeks were now famously known to be near expiring Many arrogant and busie spirits as Judas of Galilee Theudas and that Egyptian Seducer taking that advantage had raised several Conspiracies set up new titles to the Crown gathered Forces to maintain their false claims Perhaps Pilate supposed some such businesse now on foot and therefore asks so curiously Art thou the King of the Jewes He that was no lesse Wisdome then Truth thought it not best either to affirm or deny at once Sometimes it may be extremely prejudicial to speak all truths To disclaim that Title suddenly which had been of old given him by the Prophets at his Birth by the Eastern Sages and now lately at his Procession by the acclaming multitude had been injurious to himself to professe and challenge it absolutely had been unsafe and needlesly provoking By wise and just degrees therefore doth he so affirm this truth that he both satisfies the inquirer and takes off all perill and prejudice from his assertion Pilate shall know him a King but such a King as no King needs to fear as all Kings ought to acknowledge and adore My Kingdome is not of this world It is your mistaking O ye earthly Potentates that is guilty of your fears Herod hears of a King born and is troubled Pilate hears of a King of the Jews and is incensed Were ye not ignorant ye could not be jealous Had ye learned to distinguish of Kingdomes these suspicions would vanish There are Secular Kingdomes there are Spirituall neither of these trenches upon other your Kingdome is Secular Christs is Spirituall both may both must stand together His Laws are Divine yours civil His Reign is eternall yours temporall the glory of his Rule is inward and stands in the Graces of Sanctification Love Peace Righteousness Joy in the Holy Ghost yours in outward pomp riches magnificence His Enemies are the Devil the World the Flesh yours are bodily usurpers and externall peace-breakers His Sword is the power of the Word and Spirit yours materiall His rule is over the Conscience yours over bodies and lives He punishes with Hell ye with temporal death or torture Yea so far is he from opposing your Government that by him ye Kings reign your Scepters are his but to maintain not to wield not to resist O the unjust fears of vain men He takes not away your earthly Kingdomes who gives you Heavenly he discrowns not the Body who crowns the Soul his intention is not to make you lesse great but more happy The charge is so fully answered that Pilate acquits the prisoner The Jewish Masters stand still without their very malice dares not venture their pollution in going in to prosecute their accusation Pilate hath examined him within and now comes forth to these eager complainants with a cold answer to their over-hot expectation I finde in him no fault at all O noble testimony of Christ's Innocence from that mouth which afterwards doomed him to death What a difference there is betwixt a man as he is himself and as he is the servant of others wills It is Pilate's tongue that saies I finde in him no fault at all It is the Jews tongue in Pilate's mouth that saies Let him be crucified That cruell sentence cannot blot him whom this attestation cleareth Neither doth he say I finde him not guilty in that whereof he is accused but gives an universal acquittance of the whole carriage of Christ I finde in him no fault at all In spight of Malice Innocence shall finde abettors Rather then Christ shall want witnesses the mouth of Pilate shall be opened to his justification How did these Jewish blood-suckers stand thunder-stricken with so unexspected a word His absolution was their death his acquital their conviction No fault when we have found Crimes no fault at all when we have condemned him for capital offences How palpably doth Pilate give us the lie How shamefully doth he affront our authority and disparage our justice So ingenuous a testimony doubtlesse exasperated the fury of these Jews the fire of their indignation was seven-fold more intended with the sense of their repulse I tremble to think how just Pilate as yet was and how soon after depraved yea how mercifull together with that Justice How sain would he have freed Jesus whom he found faultlesse Corrupt custome in memory of their deliverance from Egyptian bondage allowed to gratifie the Jews with the free delivery of some one prisoner Tradition would be incroaching the Paschal Lamb was monument enough of that happy rescue men affect to have something of their own Pilate was willing to take this advantage of dismissing Jesus That he might be the more likely to prevail he proposeth him with the choice and nomination of so notorious a Malefactor as he might justly think uncapable of all mercy Barabbas a Thief a Murderer a Seditionary infamous for all odious to all Had he propounded some other innocent prisoner he might have feared the election would be doubtfull he cannot misdoubt the competition of so prodigious a Malefactor Then they all cried again Not him but Barabbas O Malice beyond all example shamelesse and bloody Who can but blush to think that an Heathen should see Jews so impetuously unjust so savagely cruell He knew there was no fault to be found in Jesus he knew there was no Crime that was not to be found in Barabbas yet he hears and blushes to hear them say Not him but Barabbas Was not this think we out of similitude of condition Every thing affects the like to it self every thing affects the preservation of that it liketh What wonder is it then if ye Jews who prosesse your selves the murderers of that Just One favour a Barabbas O Saviour what a killing indignity was this for thee to hear from thine own Nation Hast thou refused all Glory to put on shame and misery for their sakes Hast thou disregarded thy Blessed self to save them and do they refuse thee for Barabbas Hast thou said
oh when in the height of his pain and misery thou heardst him cry out My God my God why hast thou forsaken me what a cold horrour possessed thy Soul I cannot now wonder at thy qualms and swoonings I could rather wonder that thou survivedst so sad an hour But when recollecting thy self thou sawest the Heavens to bear a part with thee in thy mourning and feltest the earth to tremble no less then thy self and foundst that the dreadful concussion of the whole frame of Nature proclaimed the Deity of him that would thus suffer and dye and remembredst his frequent predictions of drinking this bitter cup and of being baptized thus in blood thou beganst to take heart and to comfort thy self with the assured exspectation of the glorious issue More then once had he foretold thee his victorious Resurrection He who had openly professed Jonas for his type and had fore-promised in three daies to raise up the ruined Temple of his Body had doubtless given more full intimation unto thee who hadst so great a share in that sacred body of his The just shall live by Faith Lo that Faith of thine in his ensuing Resurrection and in his triumph over death gives thee life and chears up thy drouping Soul and bids it in an holy confidence to triumph over all thy fears and sorrows and him whom thou now seest dead and despised represents unto thee living immortal glorious The Resurrection GRace doth not ever make show where it is There is much secret riches both in the earth and sea which never eye saw I never heard any news till now of Joseph of Arimathea yet was he eminently both rich and wise and good a worthy though close Disciple of our Saviour True Faith may be wisely reserved but will not be cowardly Now he puts forth himself and dares beg the Body of Jesus Death is wont to end all quarrels Pilate's heart tells him he hath done too much already in sentencing an innocent to death no doubt that Centurion had related unto him the miraculous symptoms of that Passion He that so unwillingly condemned Innocence could rather have wished that just man alive then have denied him dead The body is yielded and taken down and now that which hung naked upon the Cross is wrapped in fine linen that which was soiled with sweat and blood is curiously washed and embalmed Now even Nicodemus comes in for a part and fears not the envie of a good profession Death hath let that man loose whom the Law formerly over-awed with restraint He hates to be a night-bird any longer but boldly flies forth and looks upon the face of the Sun and will be now as liberal in his Odors as he was before niggardly in his Confession O Saviour the earth was thine and the fulness of it yet as thou hadst not an house of thine own whiles thou livedst so thou hadst not a grave when thou wert dead Joseph that rich Councellor lent thee his lent it so as it should never be restored thou took'st it but for a while but that little touch of that Sacred Corps of thine made it too good for the owner O happy Joseph that hadst the honour to be Landlord of the Lord of life how well is thy house-room repai'd with a mansion not made with hands eternall in the heavens Thy Garden and thy Tombe were hard by Calvary where thou couldst not fail of many monitions of thy frailty How oft hadst thou seasoned that new Tombe with sad and savory meditations and hadst oft said within thy self Here I shall once lye down to my last rest and wait for my Resurrection Little didst thou then think to have been disappointed by so Blessed a guest or that thy grave should be again so soon empty and in that emptiness uncapable of any mortal in-dweller How gladly dost thou now resign thy grave to him in whom thou livest and who liveth for ever whose Soul is in Paradise whose Godhead every where Hadst thou not been rich before this gift had enriched thee alone and more ennobled thee then all thine earthly Honour Now great Princes envie thy bounty and have thought themselves happy to kiss the stones of that rock which thou thus hewedst thus bestowedst Thus purely wrapped and sweetly embalmed lyes the precious body of our Saviour in Joseph's new vault Are ye now also at rest O ye Jewish Rulers Is your malice dead and buried with him Hath Pilate enough served your envie and revenge Surely it is but a common hostility that can die yours surviveth death and puts you upon a further project The chief Priests and Pharisees came together unto Pilate saying Sir we remember that this Deceiver said whiles he was yet alive After three daies I will rise again Command therefore that the Sepulcher be made sure till the third day lest his Disciples come by night and steal him away and say to the people he is risen How full of terrors and inevitable perplexities is guiltiness These men were not more troubled with envie at Christ alive then now with fear of his Resurrection And what can now secure them Pilate had helpt to kill him but who shall keep him from rising Wicked and foolish Jewes how fain would ye fight against God and your own hearts How gladly would ye deceive your selves in believing him to be a Deceiver whom your consciences knew to be no less true then powerful Lazarus was still in your ey That man was no phantasme his death his reviving was undeniable the so fresh resuscitation of that dead body after four daies dissolution was a manifest conviction of Omnipotence How do ye vainly wish that he could deceive you in the fore-reporting of his own Resurrection Without a Divine power he could have raised neither Lazarus nor himself with and by it he could as well raise himself as Lazarus What need we other witnesses then your own mouths That which he would doe ye confess he foretold that the truth of his word might answer the power of this deed and both of them might argue him the God of Truth and Power and your selves enemies to both And now what must be done The Sepulcher must be secured and you with it An huge stone a strong guard must doe the deed and that stone must be sealed that guard of your own designing Methinks I hear the Souldiers and busy Officers when they were rolling that other weighty stone for such we probably conceive to the mouth of the vault with much toile and sweat and breathlesness how they brag'd of the sureness of the place and unremovableness of that load and when that so choice a Watch was set how they boasted of their valour and vigilance and said they would make him safe from either rising or stealing Oh the madness of impotent men that think by either wile or force to frustrate the will and designs of the Almighty How justly doth that wise and powerful Arbiter of the world laugh them to scorn in
timbrels how shall we think those Angelical Spirits triumphed in meeting of the great Conqueror of Hell and Death How did they sing Lift up your heads ye gates and be ye lift up ye everlasting doors and the King of glory shall come in Surely as he shall come so he went and behold he shall come with thousands of his Holy Ones thousand thousands ministred unto him and ten thousand thousands stood before him From all whom methinks I hear that blessed applause Worthy is the Lamb that was killed to receive power and riches and wisdome and strength and honour and glory and praise Praise and honour and glory and power be to him that sitteth upon the Throne and to the Lamb for evermore And why dost not thou O my Soul help to bear thy part with that happy Quire of Heaven Why art not thou rapt out of my bosome with an extasie of joy to see this Humane nature of ours exalted above all the Powers of Heaven adored of Angels Archangels Cherubin Seraphim and all those mighty and glorious Spirits and sitting there crowned with infinite Glory and Majesty Although little would it avail thee that our Nature is thus honoured if the benefit of this Ascension did not reflect upon thee How many are miserable enough in themselves notwithstanding the Glory of their humane nature in Christ None but those that are found in him are the happier by him who but the Members are the better for the glory of the Head O Saviour how should our weakness have ever hoped to climb into Heaven if thou hadst not gone before and made way for us It is for us that thou the Fore-runner art entred in Now thy Church hath her wish Draw me and I shall run after thee Even so O Blessed Jesu how ambitiously should we follow thee with the paces of Love and Faith and aspire towards thy Glory Thou that art the way hast made the way to thy self and us Thou didst humble thy self and becamest obedient to the death even to the death of the Cross Therefore hath God also highly exalted thee and upon the same terms will not fail to advance us we see thy track before us of Humility and Obedience Oh teach me to follow thee in the roughest waies of Obedience in the bloody paths of Death that I may at last overtake thee in those high steps of Immortality Amongst those millions of Angels that attended this triumphant Ascension of thine O Saviour some are appointed to this lower station to comfort thine astonished Disciples in the certain assurance of thy no-less glorious Return Two men stood by them in white apparel They stood by them they were not of them they seemed Men they were Angels Men for their familiarity two for more certainty of testimony in white for the joy of thine Ascension The Angels formerly celebrated thy Nativity with Songs but we do not finde they then appeared in white thou wert then to undergoe much sorrow many conflicts it was the vale of tears into which thou wert come down So soon as thou wert risen the women saw an Angel in the form of a young man cloathed in white and now so soon as thou art ascended Two men cloathed in white stand by thy Disciples thy task was now done thy victory atchieved and nothing remained but a Crown which was now set upon thy head Justly therefore were those blessed Angels suited with the robes of light and joy And why should our garments be of any other colour why should oile be wanting to our heads when the eyes of our Faith see thee thus ascended It is for us O Saviour that thou art gone to prepare a place in those celestial Mansions it is for us that thou sittest at the right hand of Majesty It is a piece of thy Divine Prayer to thy Father that those whom he hath given thee may be with thee To every bleeding Soul thou saiest still as thou didst to Peter Whither I goe thou canst not follow me now but thou shalt follow me hereafter In assured hope of this Glory why do I not rejoyce and beforehand walk in white with thine Angels that at the last I may walk with thee in white Little would the presence of these Angels have availed if they had not been heard as well as seen They stand not silent therefore but directing their speech to the amazed beholders say Ye men of Galilee why stand ye gazing into heaven What a question was this Could any of those two hundred and forty eyes have power to turn themselves off to any other Object then that Cloud and that point of Heaven where they left their ascended Saviour Surely every one of them were so fixed that had not the speech of these Angels called them off there they had set up their rest till the darkness of night had interposed Pardon me O ye Blessed Angels had I been there with them I should also have been unwilling to have had mine eyes pull'd off from that dear prospect and diverted unto you Never could they have gazed so happily as now If but some Great man be advanced to Honour over our heads how apt we are to stand at a gaze and to eye him as some strange meteor Let the Sun but shine a little upon these Dials how are they look'd at by all passengers Yet alas what can earthly advancement make us other then we are dust and ashes which the higher it is blown the more it is scattered Oh how worthy is the King of Glory to command our eyes now in the highest pitch of his Heavenly exaltation Lord I can never look enough at the place where thou art but what eye could be satisfied with seeing the way that thou wentest It was not the purpose of these Angels to check the long looks of these faithfull Disciples after their ascended Master it was onely a change of eyes that they intended of Carnal for Spiritual of the eye of Sense for the eye of Faith This same Jesus which is taken up from you into heaven shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him goe into Heaven Look not after him O ye weak Disciples as so departed that ye shall see him no more if he be gone yet he is not lost those Heavens that received him shall restore him neither can those Blessed Mansions decrease his Glory Ye have seen him ascend upon the Chariot of a bright Cloud and in the clouds of Heaven ye shall see him descend again to his last Judgement He is gone can it trouble you to know you have an Advocate in Heaven Strive not now so much to exercise your bodily eyes in looking after him as the eyes of your Souls in looking for him Ye cannot O ye Blessed Spirits wish other then well to mankind How happy a diversion of eyes and thoughts is this that you advise If it be our sorrow to part with our Saviour yet to part with him into Heaven it is our comfort
sacred Trumpet to his lips Never was it never can it be more seasonable then now now that we are fallen into a war of Religion now that our friends and Allies grone either under miscarriage or danger now that our distressed neighbours implore our help in tears and blood now that our God hath humbled us with manifold losses now that we are threatned with so potent enemies now that all Christendome is embroiled with so miserable and perilous distempers oh now it hath seasonably pleased your Majesty to blow the Trumpet in Zion to sanctifie a Fast to call a solemn Assembly The miraculous successe that God gave to your Majesty and your Kingdome in this holy exercise may well incourage an happy iteration How did the publick breath of our Fasting-prayers cleanse the aire before them How did that noisome Pestilence vanish suddenly away as that which could not stand before our powerfull Humiliations If we be not streightned in our own bowels the hand of our God is not shortned O Daughter of Zion gird thee with sackcloth and wallow thy self in ashes make thee mourning and most bitter lamentation Fast and pray and prosper And in the mean time for us let us not think it enough to forbear a meal or to hang down our heads like a bulrush for a day but let us break the bands of wickedness and in a true contrition of Soul vow and perform better Obedience Oh then as we care to avert the heavy Judgments of God from our selves and our Land as we desire to traduce the Gospel with peace to our posterity let each man humble one let each man rend his heart with sorrow for his own sins and the sins of his people shortly let every man ransack his own Soul and life and offer an holy violence to all those sinfull corruptions which have stirred up the God of Heaven against us and never leave till in truth of heart he can say with our blessed Apostle I am crucified Ye have seen Christ crucified S. Paul crucified see now both crucified together I am crucified with Christ It is but a cold word this I am crucified it is the company that quickens it He that is the Life gives it life and makes both the word and act glorious I am crucified with Christ Alas there is many a one crucified but not with Christ The Covetous the Ambitious man is self-crucified he plaits a crown of thorny cares for his own head he pierces his hands and feet with toilsome and painfull undertakings he drencheth himself with the vineger and gall of discontentments he gores his side and wounds his heart with inward vexations Thus the man is crucified but with the world not with Christ The Envious man is crucified by his own thoughts he needs no other gibbet then another man's prosperity because anothers person or counsel is preferred to his he leaps to hell in his own halter This man is crucified but it is Achitophel's Crosse not Christ's The Desperate man is crucified with his own distrust he pierceth his own heart with a deep irremediable unmitigable killing sorrow he paies his wrong to God's Justice with a greater wrong to his Mercy and leaps out of an inward Hell of remorse to the bottomlesse pit of damnation This man is crucified but this is Judas's Crosse not Christ's The Superstitious man is professedly mortifiâ—d The answer of that Eremite in the story is famous Why dost thou destroy thy body Because it would destroy me He useth his body therefore not as a servant but a slave not as a slave but an enemy He lies upon thorns with the Pharisee little ease is his lodging with Simeon the Anachoret the stone is his pillow with Jacob the tears his food with exiled David he lanceth his flesh with the Baalites he digs his grave with his nails his meals are hunger his breathings sighs his linen hair-cloath lined and laced with cords and wires lastly he is his own willing tormentor and hopes to merit Heaven by self-murder This man is crucified but not with Christ The Felon the Traitor is justly crucified the vengeance of the Law will not let him live The Jesuitical Incendiary that cares only to warm himself by the fires of States and Kingdomes cries out of his suffering The world is too little for the noise of our Cruelty their Patience whiles it judgeth of our proceedings by our Laws not by our executions But if they did suffer what they fâ—lsly pretend as they now complain of ease they might be crucified but not with Christ they should bleed for Sedition not Conscience They may steal the Name of Jesus they shall not have his Society This is not Christs Cross it is the cross of Barabbas or the two malefactors 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mark 15. 7. All these and many more are crucified but not as S. Paul was here with Christ How with Christ In partnership in person In Partnership of the suffering every particularity of Christs Crucifixion is re-acted in us Christ is the model we the metal the metal takes such form as the model gives it so are we spred upon the Cross of Christ in an unanswerable extension of all parts to die with him as the Prophet was upon the dead child to revive him Superstitious men talk of the impression of our Saviours wounds in their Idol S. Francis This is no news S. Paul and every believing Christian hath both the lathes and wounds and transfixions of his Jesus wrought upon him The Crown of thorns pierces his head when his sinful conceits are mortified his lips are drencht with gall and vineger when tharp and severe restraints are given to his tongue his hands and feet are nailed when he is by the power of God's Spirit disabled to the wonted courses of sin his body is stripped when all colour and pretences are taken away from him shortly his heart is pierced when the life-blood of his formerly-reigning corruptions is let out He is no true Christian that is not thus crucified with Christ Woe is me how many fashionable ones are not so much as pained with their sins It is no trouble to them to blaspheme oppress debauch yea rather it is a death to them to think of parting with their dear Corruptions the world hath bewitched their love That which Erasmus saith of Paris that after a man hath acquainted himself with the odious sent of it hospitibus magìs ac magìs adlubescit it grows into his liking more and more is too true of the world and sensual minds Alas they rather crucifie Christ again then are crucified with Christ Woe to them that ever they were for being not dead with Christ they are not dead in Christ and being not dead in Christ they cannot but die eternally in themselves for the wages of sin is death death in their person if not in their surety Honourable and beloved let us not think it safe for us to rest in this miserable and
deadly condition As ye love your Souls give no sleep to your eyes nor peace to your hearts till ye find the sensible effects of the Death and Passion of Christ your Saviour within you mortifying all your corrupt affections and sinful actions that ye may truly say with S. Paul I am crucified with Christ Six several times do we find that Christ shed blood in his Circumcision in his Agonie in his Crowning in his Scourging in his Affixion in his Transfixion The instrument of the first was the Knife of the second vehemence of Passion of the third the Thorns of the fourth the Whips of the fifth the Nails of the last the Spear In all these we are we must be Partners with our Saviour In his Circumcision when we draw blood of our selves by cutting off the foreskin of our filthy if pleasing Corruptions Col. 2. 11. In his Agony when we are deeply affected with the sense of God's displeasure for sin and terrified with the frowns of an angry Father In his Crowning with thorns when we smart and bleed with reproches for the name of Christ when that which the world counts Honour is a pain to us for his sake when our guilty thoughts punish us and wound our restless heads with the sad remembrance of our sins In his Scourging when we tame our wanton and rebellious flesh with wise rigor and holy severity In his Affixion when all the powers of our Souls and parts of our body are strictly hampered and unremovably fastened upon the Royal Commandements of our Maker and Redeemer In his Transfixion when our hearts are wounded with Divine love with the Spouse in the Canticles or our Consciences with deep sorrow In all these we bleed with Christ and all these save the first onely belong to his Crucifying Surely as it was in the Old Law 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 without bloodshed there was no remission Heb. 9. 22. so it is still and ever in the New If Christ had not thus bled for us no remission if we do not thus bleed with Christ no remission There is no benefit where is no partnership If Christ therefore bled with his Agony with his Thorns with his Whips with his Nails with his Spear in so many thousand passages as Tradition is bold to define and we never bleed either with the Agony of our sorrow for sin or the Thorns of holy cares for displeasure or the Scourges of severe Christian rigour or the Nails of holy constraint or the Spear of deep remorse how do we how can we for shame say we are crucified with Christ Divine S. Austin in his Epistle or Book rather to Honoratus gives us all the dimensions of the Cross of Christ The Latitude he makes in the transverse this saith he pertains to good Works because on this his hands were stretched The Length was from the ground to the transverse this is attributed to his longanimity and persistance for on that his Body was stayed and fixed The Height was in the head of the Cross above the transverse signifying the exspectation of supernal things The Depth of it was in that part which was pitcht below within the earth importing the profoundness of his free Grace which is the ground of all his beneficence In all these must we have our part with Christ In the Transverse of his Cross by the ready extension of our hands to all good Works of Piety Justice Charity in the Arrectary or beam of his Cross by continuance and uninterrupted perseverance in good in the Head of his Cross by an high elevated hope and looking for of Glory in the Foot of his Cross by a lively and firm Faith fastening our Souls upon the affiance of his free Grace and Mercy And thus shall we be crucified with Christ upon his own Cross Yet lastly we must goe further then this from his Cross to his Person So did S. Paul and every Believer die with Christ that he died in Christ For as in the first Adam we all lived and sinned so in the second all Believers died that they might live The first Adam brought in death to all mankind but at last actually died for none but himself the second Adam died for mankind and brought life to all Believers Seest thou thy Saviour therefore hanging upon the Cross all mankind hangs there with him as a Knight or Burgess of Parliament voices his whole Burrough or Country What speak I of this The arms and legs take the same lot with the head Every Believer is a lim of that body how can he therefore but die with him and in him That real union then which is betwixt Christ and us makes the Cross and Passion of Christ ours so as the thorns pierced our heads the scourages blooded our backs the nails wounded our hands and feet and the spear gored our sides and hearts by virtue whereof we receive justification from our sins and true mortification of our corruptions Every Believer therefore is dead already for his sins in his Saviour he needs not fear that he shall die again God is too just to punish twice for one fault to recover the summe both of the surety principal All the score of our arrerages is fully struck off by the infinite satisfaction of our Blessed Redeemer Comfort thy self therefore thou penitent and faithful Soul in the confidence of thy safety thou shalt not die but live since thou art already crucified with thy Saviour he died for thee thou diedst in him Who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods elect It is God that justifies Who shall condemn It is Christ that died yea rather that is risen again and lives gloriously at the right hand of God making intercession for us To thee O Blessed Jesu together with thy Coeternal Father and Holy Spirit three Persons in one infinite and incomprehensible Deity be all Praise Honour and Glory now and for ever Amen ONE OF THE SERMONS Preached to the LORDS OF THE High Court of Parliament In their solemn Fast held on Ashwednesday Feb. 18. And by their Appointment published by the B. of EXCESTER Acts 2. 37 38 40. 37. Now when they heard this they were pricked in their hearts and said to Peter and the rest of the Apostles Men and brethren what shall we doe 38. Then said Peter unto them Repent and be baptized c. 40. And with many other words did he testifie and exhort them saying Save your selves from this untoward generation WHO knows not that Simon Peter was a Fisher That was his trade both by Sea and Land if we may not rather say that as Simon he was a Fisher-man but as Peter he was a Fisher of men he that call'd him so made him so And surely his first draught of Fishes which as Simon he made at our Saviours Command might well be a trade Type of the first draught of men which as Peter he made in this place for as then the nets were ready to
crack and the ship to sink with store so here when he threw forth his first drag-net of Heavenly Doctrine and reproof three thousand Souls were drawn up at once This Text was as the sacred Cord that drew the Net together and pull'd up this wondrous shoal of Converts to God It is the summe of Saint Peter's Sermon if not at a Fast yet at a general Humiliation which is more and better for wherefore fast we but to be humbled and if we could be duely humbled without fasting it would please God a thousand times better then to fast formally without true Humiliation Indeed for the time this was a Feast the Feast of Pentecost but for the estate of these Jews it was dies cinerum a day of contrition a day of deep hunger and thirst after righteousness Men and Brethren what shall we doe Neither doubt I to say that the Festivity of the season added not a little to their Humiliation like as we are never so apt to take cold as upon a sweat and that winde is ever the keenest which blows cold out of a warm coast No day could be more afflictive then an Ashwednesday that should light upon a solemn Pentecost so it was here every thing answered well The Spirit came down upon them in a mighty wind and behold it hath ratled their hearts together the house shoo◠in the descent and behold here the foundations of the Soul were moved Fiery tongues appeared and here their breasts were inflamed Cloven tongues and here their hearts were cut in sunder The words were miraculous because in a supernatural and sudden variety of language the matter Divine laying before them both the truth of the Messiah and their bloody measure offered to that Lord of Life and now Compuncti cordibus they were pricked in their hearts Wise Solomon says The words of the wise are like goads and nails here they were so Goads for they were compuncti pricked yea but the goad could not goe so deep that passeth but the skin they were Nails driven into the very heart of the Auditors up to the head the great Master of the Assembly the divine Apostle had set them home they were pricked in their hearts Never were words better bestowed It is an happy blood-letting that saves the life this did so here We look to the figne commonly in Phlebotomy it is a signe of our idle and ignorant Superstition S. Peter here saw the signe to be in the Heart and he strikes happily Compuncti cordibus they were pricked in their hearts and said Men and brethren what shall we doe Oh what sweet Musick was this to the Apostles ear I dare say none but Heaven could afford better What a pleasing spectacle was this anguish of their wounded Souls To see men come in their zealous Devotions and lay down their moneys the price of their alienated possessions at those Apostolick feet was nothing to this that they came in a bleeding contrition and prostrated their penitent and humbled Souls at the beautiful feet of the Messengers of Peace with Men and Brethren what shall we doe Oh when when shall our eyes be blessed with so happy a prospect How long shall we thunder out God's fearful judgements against wilful sinners How long shall we threaten the flames of Hell to those impious wretches who crucifie again to themselves the Lord of life ere we can wring a sigh or a tear from the rocks of their hearts or eyes Woe is me that we may say too truely as this Peter did of his other fishing Master we have travailed all the night and have caught nothing Surely it may well goe for night with us whiles we labour and prevail not Nothing not a Soul caught Lord what is become of the success of thy Gospel Who hath believed our report or to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed O God thou art ever thy self thy Truth is eternal Hell is where it was if we be less worthy then thy first Messengers yet what excuse is this to the besotted world that through obduredness and infidelity it will needs perish No man will so much as say with the Jews What have I done or with Saint Peter's Auditors What shall I doe Oh foolish sinners shall ye live here always care ye not for your Souls is there not an Hell that gapes for your stubborn impenitence Goe on if there be no remedy goe on and die for ever we are guiltless God is righteous your Damnation is just But if your life be fickle death unavoidable if an everlasting vengeance be the necessary reward of your momentany wickedness Oh turn turn from your evil waies and in an holy distraction of your remorsed Souls say with these Jews Men and Brethren what shall we doe This from the general view of the occasion we descend to a little more particularity Luke the beloved Physician describes Saint Peter's proceeding here much after his own trade as of a true spiritual Physician who finding his Country men the Jews in a desperate and deadly condition gasping for life struggling with death enters into a speedy and zealous course of their cure And first he begins with the Chirurgical part and finding them ranck of blood and that foul and putrified he lets it out compuncti cordibus Where we might shew you the incision the vein the lancet the orifice the anguish of the stroke The Incision compuncti they were pricked The Vein in their hearts Smile not now ye Physicians if any hear me this day as if I had passed a solecisme in telling you these men were pricked in the vein of the heart talk you of your Cephalica and the rest and tell us of another cistern from whence these tubuli sanguinis are derived I tell you again with an addition of more incongruities still that God and his Divine Physician do still let blood in the median vein of the heart The Lancet is the keen and cutting reproof of their late barbarous Crucifixion of their Holy and most innocent and benigne Saviour The Orifice is the ear when they heard this Whatever the local distance be of these parts spiritually the ear is the very surface of the heart and whosoever would give a medicinal stroke to the heart must pass it through the ear the sense of discipline and correction The Anguish bewrays it self in their passionate exclamation Men and brethren what shall we doe There is none of these which my speech might not well take up if not as an house to dwell in yet as an Inne to rest and lodge in But I will not so much as bait here onely we make this a through-fare to those other sacred prescriptions of saving remedies which are three in number The first is Evacuation of sins by a speedy repentance 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The second the soveraign Bath or Laver of Regeneration Baptisme The third dietetical and prophylactical receipts of wholesome Caution which I mean with a determinate preterition of
of Godlinesse in the illuminating our eyes in raising us from our sins in ejecting our corruptions in changing our lives and creating our hearts anew we may at the last feel the happy consummation of this power in the full possessing of us in that eternall Blessednesse and Glory which he hath prepared for all that love him To the perfect fruition whereof he bring us that hath dearly bought us Jesus Christ the righteous to whom c. THE BEAUTY AND UNITY OF THE CHURCH In a SERMON preached at White-hall By J. H. Cant. 6. 9. My Dove my Undefiled is One. OUR last daies discourse was as you heard of War and dissipation this shall be of Love and unity Away with all profane thoughts Every syllable in this Bridal-song is Divine Who doubts that the Bride-groom is Christ the Bride his Church the Church whether at large in all the Faithfull or abridged in every faithfull Soul Christ the Bride-groom praises the Bride his Church for her Beauty for her Entirenesse For her Beauty she is Columba a Dove she is perfecta undefiled Her Entireness is praised by her Propriety in respect of him Columba mea my Dove by her Unity in respect of her self Una one alone My Dove my undefiled is but one So as the beautifull Sincerity the dear Propriety the indivisible Unity of the whole Church in common and of the Epitome thereof every Regenerate Soul is the matter of my Text of my speech Let your holy attention follow me and finde your selves in every particular The two first titles Columba and perfecta are in effect but one This creature hath a pleasing Beauty and an innocent Simplicity Columba imports the one and perfecta the other yea each both for what is the Perfection which can be attained here but Sincerity and what other is our honest Sincerity then those gracefull proportions and colours which make us appear lovely in the eyes of God The undefiled then interprets the Dove and convertibly for therefore is the Church undefiled because she is a Dove she is as Christ bade her 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 innocent Mat. 10. 16. and therefore is she Christ's Dove because she is undefiled with the gall of spiritual bitterness Had ye rather see these Graces apart Look then first at the Loveliness then at the Harmlesness of the Church of the Soul Every thing in the Dove is amiable her Eyes Cant. 1. 15. her Feathers Psal 68. 13. and what not So is the Church in the Eyes of Christ And therefore the vulgar Translation puts both these together Columba mea formosa mea Cant. 2. 10. which Lucas Brugensis confesses not to be in the Hebrew yet addes Nè facile omittas Thy Dove O God yea why not thy Raven rather I am sure she can say of her self I am black And if our own hearts condemn us thou art greater Alas what canst thou see in us but the Pustles of Corruption the Morphews of Deformity the hereditary Leprosie of Sin the Pestilential spots of Death and dost thou say My Dove my undefiled Let malice speak her worst The Church saies she is black but she shies she is comely and that is fair that pleaseth Neither doth God look upon us with our eyes but with his own He sees not as man seeth The Kings daughter is all glorious within finite eyes reach not thither The skin-deep Beauty of earthly faces is a fit object for our shallow sense that can see nothing but colour Have ye not seen some Pictures which being look'd on one way shew some ugly beast or bird another way shew an exquisite face Even so doth God see our best side with favour whiles we see our worst with rigour Not that his Justice sees any thing as it is not but that his Mercy will not see some things as they are Blessed is the man whose sin is covered Psal 32. 1. If we be foul yet thou O Saviour art glorious Thy Righteousnesse beautifies us who are blemished by our own Corruptions But what shall our borrowed Beauty blemish the whiles thine infinite Justice shall we taint thee to clear our selves Dost thou justifie the wicked dost thou feather the Raven with the wings of the Dove whiles the cloth is fair is the skin nastie Is it no more but to deck a Blackmore with white even with the long white robes which are the justifications of Saints God forbid Cursed be he O Lord that makes thy Mercies unjust No whom thou accountest holy thou makest so whom thou justifiest him thou sanctifiest No man can be perfectly just in thee who is not truly though unperfectly holy in himself Whether therefore as fully just by thy gracious imputation or as inchoately just by thy gracious inoperation we are in both thy Dove thy undefiled In spight of all the blemishes of her outward administrations Gods Church is beautifull in spight of her inward weakenesses the faithfull Soul is comely in spight of both each of them is a Dove each of them undefiled It is with both as he said long since of Physicians The Sun sees their successes the earth hides their errours None of their unwilling infirmities can hinder the God of Mercies from a gracious allowance of their integrity Behold thou art all fair But let no idle Donatist of Amsterdam dream hence of an Utopical perfection Even here is the Dove still but Columba seducta or fatua as Tremelius reads it Ephraim Ephraim is a silly seduced Dove Ose 7. 11. The rifeness of their familiar excommunications may have taught them to seek for a spotlesness above And if their furious censures had left but one man in their Church yet that one man would have need to excommunicate the greater half of himself the Old man in his own bosome Our Church may too truly speak of them in the voice of God Woe to them for they have fled from me Ose 7. 13. It is not in the power of their uncharity to make the rest of God's Church and ours any other then what it is The Dove of Christ the undefiled The Harmlesness follows A quality so eminent in the Dove that our Saviour hath hereupon singled it out for an Hieroglyphick of Simplicity Whence it was questionlesse that God of all fowls chose out this for his Sacrifice Sin ex aliqua volucri Levit. 1. 14. And before the Law Abraham was appointed no other Gen. 15. 9. then a Turtle and a Pigeon neither did the Holy Virgin offer any other at her Purifying then this embleme of her self and her blessed Babe Shortly hence it was that a Dove was imployed for the messenger of the exsiccation of the Deluge no fowl so fit to carry an Olive of peace to the Church which she represented And lastly in a Dove the Holy Ghost descended upon the meek Saviour of the world whence as Illyricus and some ancients have guessed the sellers of Doves were whipt out of the Temple as Simoniacal chafferers of the Holy Ghost The
Church then is a Dove Not an envious Partridge not a carelesse Ostridge not a stridulous Jay not a petulant Sparrow not a deluding Lapwing not an unclean-sed Duck not a noisome Crow not an unthankfull Swallow not a death-boding Schrich-owl but an harmlesse Dove that fowl in which alone envy it self can finde nothing to tax Hear this then ye violent spirits that think there can be no Piety that is not cruell the Church is a Dove not a Glead not a Vultur not a Falcon not an Eagle not any bird of prey or rapine Who ever saw the rough foot of the Dove armed with griping talons who ever saw the beak of the Dove bloody who ever saw that innocent bird pluming of her spoil and tiring upon bones Indeed we have seen the Church crimson-suited like her celestial Husband of whom the Prophet Who is this that cometh from Edom with died garments from Bozrah and straight Wherefore art thou red in thine apparel and thy garment like him that treadeth in the wine-press Esay 63. 1 2. but it hath been with her own blood shed by others not with others blood shed by her hand She hath learned to suffer what she hateth to inflict Do ye see any Faction with knives in their hands stained with massacres with firebrands in their hands ready to kindle the unjust stakes yea woods of Martyrdome with pistols and poniards in their hands ambitiously affecting a canonization by the death of God's Anointed with matches in their hands ready to give fire unto that powder which shall blow up King Prince State Church with thunderbolts of censures ready to strike down into Hell whosoever refuses to receive novell opinions into the Articles of Faith If ye finde these dispositions and actions Dove-like applaud them as beseeming the true Spouse of Christ who is ever like her self Columba perfecta yea perfecta columba a true Dove for her quiet Innocence For us let our Dove-ship approve it self in meekness of Suffering not in actions of Cruelty We may we must delight in blood but the blood shed for us not shed by us Thus let us be Columba in foraminibus petrae Cant. 2. 14. a Dove in the clifts of the rock that is in vulneribus Christi as the Glosse in the gashes of him that is the true Rock of the Church This is the way to be innocent to be beautifull a Dove and undefiled The Propriety follows My Dove The Kite or the Crow or the Sparrow and such like are challenged by no owner but the Dove still hath a Master The World runs wilde it is ferae naturae but the Church is Christs domestically intirely his My Dove not the worlds not her own Not the worlds for If ye were of the world saith our Saviour the world would love his own but because ye are not of the world but I have chosen you out of the world therefore the world hateth you Joh. 15. 19. Not her own so S. Paul 1 Cor. 6. 19 20. Ye are not your own for ye are bought with a price Justly then may he say My Dove Mine for I made her there is the right of Creation Mine for I made her again there is the right of Regeneration Mine for I bought her there is the right of Redemption Mine for I made her mine there is the right of spiritual and inseparable Union O God be we thine since we are thine we are thine by thy Merit let us be thine in our Affections in our Obedience It is our honour it is our happiness that we may be thine Have thou all thine own What should any piece of us be cast away upon the vain glory and trash of this transitory world Why should the powers of darkness run away with any of our services in the momentany pleasures of sin The great King of Heaven hath cast his love upon us and hath espoused us to himself in truth and righteousness oh then why will we cast roving and lustfull eyes upon adulterous rivals base drudges yea why will we run on madding after ugly Devils How justly shall he loath us if we be thus shamefully prostituted Away then with all our unchast glances of desires all unclean ribaldry of conversation let us say mutually with the blessed Spouse My beloved is mine and I am his Cant. 2. 16. My Dove mine as to love so to defend That inference is natural I am thine save me Interest challenges protection The Hand saies It is my Head therefore I will guard it the Head saies It is my Hand therefore I will devise to arm it to withdraw it from violence The Soul saies It is my Body therefore I will cast to cherish it the Body saies It is my Soul therefore I would not part with it The Husband saies Bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh and therefore 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he makes much of her Ephes 5. 29. And as she is desiderium oculorum the delight of his eyes to him Ezec. 24. 16. so is he operimentum oculorum the shelter of her eyes to her Gen. 20. 16. In all cases it is thus So as if God say of the Church Columba mea my Dove she cannot but say of him Adjutor meus my helper Neither can it be otherwise save where is lack either of love or power Here can be no lack of either not of Love he saith Whoso toucheth Israel toucheth the apple of mine eye not of power Our God doth whatsoever he will both in heaven and earth Band you your selves therefore ye bloody Tyrants of the world against the poor despised Church of God threaten to trample it to dust and when you have done to carry away that dust upon the soles of your shoes He that sits in Heaven laughs you to scorn the Lord hath you in derision O Virgin Daughter of Sion they have despised thee O daughter of Jerusalem they have shaken their heads at thee But whom have ye reproched and blasphemed and against whom have ye exalted your voice and lift up your eyes on high Even against the Holy one of Israel who hath said Columba mea my Dove Yea let all the spiritual wickednesses in heavenly places all the legions of Hell troup together they shall as soon be able to pluck God out of his throne of Heaven as to pull one feather from the wing of this Dove This Propriety secures her She is Columba mea my Dove From the Propriety turn your eyes to the best of her Properties Unity Let me leave Arithmeticians disputing whether Unity be a number I am sure it is both the beginning of all numbring numbers and the beginning and end of all numbers numbred All Perfection rises hence and runs hither and every thing the nearer it comes to perfection gathers up it self the more towards Unity as all the virtue of the Loadstone is recollected into one point Jehovah our God is one from him there is but one World one Heaven in that world one Sun
make us to appear in the sight of God The Toad or the Serpent are lovely objects to us in comparison of these disguises to the pure eyes of the Almighty yea so perfectly doth God hate them that he professes those hate him that like them Whosoever will be a friend to the world is an enemy to God Jam. 4. 4. Oh then if we love our Souls let us hate those fashions that may draw us into the detestation of the Almighty for our God is a consuming fire Besides misbeseeming it is a just plea against any Fashion that it is painfull For though there be some Pain allowed in all Pride yet too much we indure not and behold these Fashions shall pinch and torture us to death to an everlasting death of body and Soul The ill guest in the Parable was thus clad Mat. 22. 12. the King abhorres his suit and after expostulation gives the sentence Binde him hand and foot and take him away and cast him into utter darkness where shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth Oh fear and tremble at the exspectation of this dreadfull doom all ye that will needs be in the fashion of the world If ye be so foolish as to flatter your selves here in the conceit of your Liberty there shall be binding in the conceit of a lightsome and resplendent Magnificence there shall be darknesse in the conceit of Pleasure and Contentment there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth Lastly commonnesse and age are the usuall disparagements of Fashions The best may not goe like every body where a Fashion is taken up of the basest it is disdained of the eminent Behold these are the fashions if not of all I am sure of the worst the very scum of the world is thus habited Let us that are Christians in an holy pride scorn to be suited like them As common so old fashions are in disgrace That man would be shouted at that should come forth in his great-grandfires suit though not rent not discoloured Behold these are the overworn and misshapen rags of the old man Away with them to the frippery of darknesse yea to the brokery of Hell Let us be for a change Old things are passed all things are become new As we look to have these bodies once changed from vile to glorious so let us now change the fashions of our bodies and Souls from corrupt and worldly to spirituall and heavenly and loathing all these misbelieving painfull common old fashions of the world let us put on the Lord Jesus Christ that being clad with the robes of his Righteousnesse here we may be cloathed upon with the robes of his Glory in the highest Heavens Amen THE ESTATE OF A CHRISTIAN Laid forth In a SERMON preached at Grayes-Inne on Candlemas day By Jos. HALL Rom. 12. 2. But be ye changed or transformed by the renewing of your minds c. THE true method of Christian practice is first destructive then astructive according to the Prophet Cease to doe evil learn to doe good This our Apostle observes who first unteacheth us ill fashions and then teacheth good We have done with the negative duty of a Christian what he must not doe hear now the affirmative what he must doe wherein our speech treading in the steps of the blessed Apostle shall passe through these four heads First that here must be a change secondly that this change must be by transformation thirdly that this transformation must be by renewing fourthly that this renewing must be of the minde But be ye changed or transformed by the renewing of your minds All of them points of high and singular importance and such as do therefore call for your best and carefullest attention Nothing is more changing then the fashion of the world Mundus transit The world passeth away saith S. John Yet here that we may not fashion our selves to the world we must be changed we must be changed from these changeable fashions of the world to a constant estate of Regeneration As there must be once a perfect change of this mortall to immortality so must there be onwards of this sinfull to gracious and as holy Job resolves to wait all the daies of his appointed time for that changing so this change contrarily waits for us and may not be put off one day What creature is there wherein God will not have a change They needed not as he made them nothing could fall from him but good we marr'd them and therefore they both are changed and must be Even of the very Heavens themselves it is said As a vesture shalt thou change them and they shall be changed how much more these sublunary bodies that are never themselves We know the Elements are in a perpetual transmutation so are those bodies that are compounded of them as he said of the River we cannot step down twice into the same stream And every seven years as Philosophy hath observed our bodies are quite changed from what they were And as there is a natural change in our favours colour complexion temper so there is no lesse voluntary change in our diets in our dispositions in our delights With what scorn do we now look upon the Top which our Childhood was fond on how do we either smile or blush in our mature age to think of the humours and actions of our youth How much more must the depravedness of our spiritual condition call for a change It is a rule in Policy Not to alter a well-setled evil I am sure it holds not in the Oeconomy of the Soul wherein length of prescription pleads rather for a speedy removal no time can prejudice the King of Heaven In some cases indeed change is a sign of a weak unsetledness It is not for a wise man like Shel-fish to rise or fall with the Moon rather like unto the Heaven he must learn to move and be constant It was a good word of Basil to the Governour Utinam sempiterna sit hoec mea desipientia Let me dote thus alw aies It was not for nothing that Socrates had the reputation of Wisdome that famous Shrew of his Xantippe could say she never but saw him return with the countenance that he went out with Give me a man that in the changes of all conditions can frame himself to be like an Auditors counter and can stand either for a thousand or an hundred or if need be for one this man comes nearest to him in whom there is no shadow of turning But in case of present ill there can be no safety but in change I cannot blame the Angels and Saints in Heaven that they would not change I blesse them that they cannot because they are not capable of better and every motion is out of a kind of need I cannot wonder at the damned spirits that they would be any thing but what they are We that are naturally in the way to that damnation have reason to desire a change worse we cannot be upon
thou abasest thy self to behold the things both in Heaven and Earth It is our glory to look up even to the meanest piece of Heaven it is an abasement to thine incomprehensible Majesty to look down upon the best of Heaven Oh what a transcendent Glory must that needs be that is abased to behold the things of Heaven What an happinesse shall it be to me that mine eyes shall be exalted to see thee who art humbled to see the place and state of my blessednesse Yea those very Angels that see thy face are so resplendently glorious that we could not overlive the sight of one of their faces who are fain to hide their faces from the sight of thine How many millions attend thy Throne above and thy Footstool below in the ministration to thy Saints It is that thine invisible world the Communion wherewith can make me truely blessed O God if my body have fellowship here amongst Beasts of whose earthly substance it participates let my Soul be united to thee the God of Spirits and be raised up to enjoy the insensible society of thy blessed Angels Acquaint me before-hand with those Citizens and affairs of thine Heaven and make me no stranger to my future Glory LXXXVIII Upon the stinging of a Wasp HOW small things may annoy the greatest Even a Mouse troubles an Elephant a Gnat a Lion a very Flea may disquiet a Giant What weapon can be nearer to nothing then the sting of this Wasp Yet what a painfull wound hath it given me that scarce-visible point how it envenomes and ranckles and swells up the flesh The tenderness of the part addes much to the grief And if I be thus vexed with the touch of an angry File Lord how shall I be able to indure the sting of a tormenting Conscience As that part is both most active and most sensible so that wound which it receives from it self is most intolerably grievous there were more ease in a nest of Hornets then under this one Torture O God howsoever I speed abroad give me Peace at home and whatever my Flesh suffer keep my Soul free Thus pained wherein do I finde ease but in laying honey to the part infected That Medicine only abates the anguish How near hath Nature placed the remedy to the offence Whensoever my Heart is stung with the remorse for sin only thy sweet and precious Merits O blessed Saviour can mitigate and heal the wound they have virtue to cure me give me Grace to apply them that soveraign receipt shall make my pain happy I shall thus applaud my grief It is good for me that I was thus afflicted LXXXIX Upon the Arraignment of a Felon WIth what terrour doth this Malefactor stand at that Bar his Hand trembles whiles it is lift up for his triall his very Lips quake whiles he saith Not guilty his Countenance condemns him before the Judge and his fear is ready to execute him before his Hangman Yet this Judge is but a weak man that must soon after die himself that Sentence of Death which he can pronounce is already passed by Nature upon the most innocent that act of Death which the Law inflicteth by him is but momentany who knows whether himself shall not die more painfully O God with what horror shall the guilty Soul stand before thy dreadfull Tribunall in the day of the great Assizes of the World whiles there is the presence of an Infinite Majesty to daunt him a fierce and clamorous Conscience to give in evidence against him Legions of ugly and terrible Devils waiting to seize upon him a gulf of unquenchable Fire ready to receive him whiles the Glory of the Judge is no lesse confounding then the Cruelty of the Tormenters where the Sentence is unavoidable and the Execution everlasting Why do not these terrors of thee my God make me wise to hold a privy Sessions upon my Soul actions that being acquitted by my own heart I may not be condemned by thee and being judged by my self I may not be condemned with the World XC Upon the Crowing of a Cock. How harshly did this note sound in the eare of Peter yea pierced his very heart Many a time had he heard this Bird and was no whit moved with the noise now there was a Bird in his bosome that crowed lowder then this whose shrill accent conjoined with this astonished the guilty Disciple The wearie Labourer when he is awakened from his sweet sleep by this natural Clock of the Houshold is not so angry at this troublesome Bird nor so vexed at the hearing of that unseasonable sound as Peter was when this Fowl awakened his sleeping Conscience and called him to a timely repentance This Cock did but crow like others neither made or knew any difference of this tone and the rest there was a Divine hand that ordered this Mornings note to be a Summons of Penitence He that fore-told it had fore-appointed it that Bird could not but crow then and all the noise in the High Priests Hall could not keep that sound from Peter's eare But O Saviour couldst thou finde leisure when thou stoodst at the Bar of that unjust and cruell Judgment amidst all that bloody rabble of Enemies in the sense of all their fury and the exspectation of thine own Death to listen unto this Monitor of Peter's Repentance and upon the hearing of it to cast back thine eyes upon thy Denying Cursing Abjuring Disciple O Mercy without measure and beyond all the possibility of our admiration to neglect thy self for a Sinner to attend the Repentance of one when thou wert about to lay down thy life for all O God thou art still equally mercifull Every Elect Soul is no lesse dear unto thee Let the sound of thy faithfull Monitors smite my ears and let the beams of thy mercifull eyes wound my heart so as I may go forth and weep bitterly XCI Upon the variety of Thoughts WHen I bethink my self how Eternity depends upon this moment of life I wonder how I can think of any thing but Heaven but when I see the distractions of my Thoughts and the aberrations of my life I wonder how I can be so bewitched as whiles I believe an Heaven so to forget it All that I can doe is to be angry at mine own vanity My Thoughts would not be so many if they were all right there are ten thousand by-waies for one direct As there is but one Heaven so there is but one way to it that living way wherein I walk by Faith by Obedience All things the more perfect they are the more do they reduce themselves towards that Unity which is the Center of all Perfection O thou who art one and infinite draw in my heart from all these stragling and unprofitable Cogitations and confine it to thine Heaven and to thy self who art the Heaven of that Heaven Let me have no life but in thee no care but to injoy thee no ambition but thy Glory Oh make
together This I have been bold to say out of caution not of reproof Thus much that there was a Feast of the Jewes Now what Feast it was is questionable whether the Pasch as Irenaeus and Beza with him thinks upon the warrant of John 4. 35. where our Saviour had said Yet four months and then comes harvest or whether Pentecost which was fifty dayes from the shaking of the sheaf that was Easter Sunday as Cyrill Chrysostome Theophylact Euthymius and some later or whether one of the September Feasts as some others The excellencie of the Feast makes for Easter the Feast 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the number of Interpreters for Pentecost the number of Feasts for September For as God delighted in the number of seven the seventh day was holy the seventh year the seventh seven year so he shewed it in the seventh month which reserves his number still September the first day whereof was the Sabbath of Trumpets the tenth dies expiationum and on the fifteenth began the Feast of Tabernacles for seven dayes It is an idleness to seek that which we are never the better when we have found What if Easter what if Tabernacles what if Pentecost what loss what gain is this Magnâ nos molestiâ Johannes liberasset si unum adjecisset verbum John had eased us of much trouble if he had added but one word saith Maldonat But for us God give them sorrow which love it this is one of Saint Paul's 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vain disputations that he forbids his Timothie yea which is the subject thereof one of them which he calls 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 foolish and unlearned questions 2 Tim. 2. 23. Quantum mali facit nimia subtilitas how much mischief is done by too much subtilitie saith Seneca These are for some idle Cloisterers that have nothing to doe but to pick straws in Divinity Like to Appian the Grammarian that with long discourse would pick out of Homer's first verse of his Iliads and the first word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the number of the books of Iliads and Odysses or like Didymus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that spent some of his four thousand books about which was Homer's Countrey who was Aeneas's true mother what the age of Hecuba how long it was betwixt Homer and Orpheus or those wise Criticks of whom Seneca speaks that spent whole volumes whether Homer or Hesiod were the elder Non profuturam scientiam tradunt they vent an unprofitable skill as he said Let us be content with the learned ignorance of what God hath concealed and know that what he hath concealed will not avail us to know Rather let us inquire why Christ would go up to the Feast I find two silken cords that drew him up thither 1 His Obedience 2 His desire of manifesting his Glory First It was a general law All males must appear thrice a year before the Lord. Behold he was the God whom they went up to worship at the Feast yet he goes up to worship He began his life in obedience when he came in his Mothers belly to Bethleem at the taxation of Augustus and so he continues it He knew his due Of whom do the Kings of the earth receive tribute of their own or of strangers Then their Sons are free Yet he that would pay tribute to Caesar will also pay this tribute of Obedience to his Father He that was above the Law yields to the Law Legi satisfacere voluit etsi non sub Lege He would satisfie the Law though he were not under the Law The Spirit of God sayes He learned Obedience in that he suffered Surely also he taught obedience in that he did This was his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to John Baptist It becomes us to fulfill all Righteousness He will not abate his Father one Ceremony It was dangerous to goe up to that Jerusalem which he had left before for their malice yet now he will up again His Obedience drew him up to that bloody Feast wherein himself was sacrificed how much more now that he might sacrifice What can we plead to have learned of Christ if not his first Lesson Obedience The same proclamation that Gedeon made to Israel he makes still to us As ye see me doe so doe ye Whatsoever therefore God injoyns us either immediately by himself or mediately by his Deputies if we will be Christians we must so observe as those that know themselves bound to tread in his steps that said In the volume of thy Book it is written of me I desired to doe thy will O God Psal 40. 6. I will have obedience saith God and not sacrifice But where Sacrifice is Obedience he will have Obedience in sacrificing Therefore Christ went up to the Feast The second motive was the manifestation of his Glory If we be the light of the world which are so much snuffe what is he that is the Father of lights It was not for him to be set under the bushel of Nazareth but upon the table of Hierusalem Thither and then was the confluence of all the Tribes Many a time had Christ passed by this man before when the streets were empty for there he lay many years yet heales him not till now He that sometimes modestly steals a Miracle with a Vide nè cui dixeris See thou tell no man that no man might know it at other times does Wonders upon the Scaffold of the World that no man might be ignorant and bids proclaim it on the house tops It was fit the world should be thus publickly convinced and either wone by belief or lost by inexcusableness Good the more common it is the better I will praise thee saith David in Ecclesia magna in the great Congregation Glory is not got in corners No man say the envious kinsmen of Christ keeps close and would be famous No nor that would have God celebrated The best opportunities must be taken in glorifying him He that would be Crucified at the Feast that his Death and Resurrection might be more famous will at the Feast doe Miracles that his Divine power might be approved openly Christ is Flos campi non horti the flower of the field and not of the garden saith Bernard God cannot abide to have his Graces smothered in us I have not hid thy righteousness within my heart saith the Psalmist Absolon when he would be insigniter improbus notoriously wicked does his villany publickly in the eyes of the Sun under no curtain but Heaven He that would doe notable service to God must doe it conspicuously Nicodemus gain'd well by Christ but Christ got nothing by him so long as like a night-bird he never came to him but with owles and bats Then he began to be a profitable Disciple when he durst oppose the Pharisees in their condemnation of Christ though indefinitely but most when in the night of his death the light of his Faith brought him openly to take down the Sacred Corps before
all the gazing multitude and to embalm it When we confess God's name with the Psalmist before Kings when Kings defenders of the Faith profess their Religion in publick and everlasting monuments to all nations to all times this is glorious to God and in God to them It is no matter how close evils be nor how publick good is This is enough for the Chronography the Topography follows I will not here stand to shew you the ignorance of the Vulgar translation in joyning probatica and piscina together against their own fair Vatican copy with other antient nor spend time to discuss whether 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 be here understood for the Substantive of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it is most likely to be that Sheep-gate spoken of in Ezra nor to shew how ill piscina in the Latin answers the Greek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ours turn it a pool better then any Latin word can express it nor to shew you as I might how many publick Pools were in Jerusalem nor to discuss the use of this Pool whether it were for washing the beasts to be sacrificed or to wash the entrails of the Sacrifice whence I remember Hierom fetches the virtue of the water and in his time thought he discerned some redness as if the blood spilt four hundred years before could still retain his first tincture in a liquid substance besides that it would be a strange swimming pool that were brewed with blood and this was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 This conceit arises from the errour of the construction in mismatching 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Neither will I argue whether it should be Bethsida or Bethzida or Bethsheda or Bethesda If either you or my self knew not how to be rid of time we might easily wear out as many hours in this Pool as this poor impotent man did years But it is Edification that we affect and not Curiosity This Pool had five Porches Neither will I run here with S. Austin into Allegories that this Pool was the people of the Jews Aquae multae populus multus and these five Porches the Law in the five books of Moses nor stand to confute Adrichomius which out of Josephus would perswade us that these five Porches were built by Solomon and that this was stagnum Solomonis for the use of the Temple The following words shew the use of the Porches for the receit of impotent sick blinde halt withered that waited for the moving of the water It should seem it was walled about to keep it from Cattel and these five valuted entrances were made by some Benefactors for the more convenience of attendance Here was the Mercy of God seconded by the Charity of men if God will give Cure they will give harbour Surely it is a good matter to put our hand to Gods and to further good works with convenience of injoying them Jerusalem was grown a City of blood to the persecution of the Prophets to a wilful despight of what belonged to her peace to a profanation of God's Temple to a mere formality in God's services and yet here were publick works of Charity in the midst of her streets We may not alwaies judge of the truth of Piety by charitable actions Judas disbursed the money for Christ there was no Traitor but he The poor traveller that was robb'd and wounded betwixt Jerusalem and Jericho was passed over first by the Priest then the Levite at last the Samaritan came and relieved him His Religion was naught yet his act was good the Priests and Levites Religion good their uncharity ill Novatus himself was a Martyr yet a Schismatick Faith is the soul and good works are the breath saith S. James but as you see in a pair of bellows there is a forced breath without life so in those that are puffed up with the winde of oftentation there may be charitable works without Faith The Church of Rome unto her four famous Orders of Jacobins Franciscans Augustines and Carmelites hath added a fifth of Jesuites and like another Jerusalem for those five Leprous and lazarly Orders hath built five porches that if the water of any State be stirred they may put in for a share How many Cells and Convents hath she raised for these miserable Cripples and now she thinks though she exalt her self above all that is called God though she dispence with and against God though she fall down before every block and wafer though she kill Kings and equivocate with Magistrates she is the onely City of God Digna est nam struxit Synagogam She is worthy for she hath built a Synagogue Are we more orthodox and shall not we be as charitable I am ashamed to think of rich Noblemen and Merchants that dye and give nothing to our five porches of Bethesda What shall we say Have they made their Mammon their God in stead of making friends with their Mammon to God Even when they dye will they not like Ambrose's good Usurers part with that which they cannot hold that they may get that which they cannot lose Can they begin their will In Dei nomine Amen and give nothing to God Is he onely a Witness and not a Legatee Can we bequeath our Souls to Christ in Heaven and give nothing to his Lims on earth And if they will not give yet will they not lend to God He that gives to the poor Foeneratur Deo lends to God Will they put out to any but God and then when in stead of giving security he receives with one hand and payes with another receives our bequest and gives us glory Oh damnable niggardliness of vain men that shames the Gospel and loses Heaven Let me shew you a Bethesda that wants porches What truer house of effusion then the Church of God which sheds forth waters of comfort yea of life Behold some of the porches of this Bethesda so farre from building that they are pulled down It is a wonder if the demolished stones of God's House have not built some of yours and if some of you have not your rich Suits garded with Souls There were wont to be reckoned three wonders of England Ecclesia Foemina Lana The Churches the Women the Wooll Foemina may pass stil who may justly challenge wonder for their Vanity if not their Persons As for Lana if it be wonderful alone I am sure it is ill joyned with Ecclesia The Church is fleeced and hath nothing but a bare pelt left upon her back And as for Ecclesia either men have said with the Babylonians Down with it down with it even to the ground or else in respect of the Maintenance with Judas ut quid perditio haec why was this wast How many remorseful souls have sent back with Jacob's sons their money in their Sacks mouths How many great Testators have in their last Will returned the anathematized peculium of Impropriations to the Church chusing rather to impair