walke on long enough and no man enuie you no man maligne you or malice you But because God hath inspired you with his principall spirit and endewed you with speciall great graces aboue your fellowes therefore doth your aduersarie the Deuill the old enemie of all goodnes and vertue who is readie to burst to see you doe so well he I say doth bestirre himselfe and raise vp enemies against you But O blessed be our good Lord what a wonderfull comfort and incouragement haâ—…e all you what a horrible terrour affrightment haue all your enemies in this text For the holy Ghost saies not They shall be clothed or you shall cloth them but I euen I shal cloth them with shame It is impossible saies he that you should alwaies be armed at all points circumspect at all places vigilant at all times prouided at all occasions to preuent the mischieuous practises of your deuillish enemies No counsell of man no policie no wisdome no wit can foresee all their barbarous vndertakings and complottes to escape them But in heauen in heauen there is an eye an hand there is in heauen an eye to descrie them and a hand to persecure and punish them both an eye and an hand to deliuer you from daunger and to cloath them with shame Therefore saith he Cast your care vpon me let me alone with them your perill is my perill your case my case I le pay them that they haue deserued He take the quarrell into mine owne â—…ands I le trimme them well enough As for your enemies I shall cloath them with shame RemeÌ„ber I pray you beloued though indeede they haue made themselues worthie neuer to be remembred or once to be mentioned in our mouthes any more yet remember I say to their egregious dishonour reproch how those are now clothed with shame who were the first cause of the solemnizing or as I may say of the sanctifying of this present day for the day of the weeke and of yesterday for the day of the moneth of the twelue moneth with so holy an exercise How odious how execrable is their very name vnto vs what true hearted loyall subiect such as I am sure all are here doth not detest them hate them loath them as a toad or as a viper or as some hidious mishapen monster and curse the very day wherein such a rebellious generation and such a trayterous brood were borne Certainly my good brethren if the mercie of God which is incomprehensible did not giue them grace at the last gaspe to repent and crie to God for pardon as they are cloathed with shame in this world so shall they be much more in the world to come And as we hold them for no better then cursed creatures so shall the Lord at last say vnto them Goe ye cursed into euerlasting fire So let it be o Lord euen so to all the enemies of thine aâ—…ointed either open or secret so let it be to them As for his enemies doe thou thou O Lord thine owne selfe doe thou cloath them with shame But vpon himselfe shall his Crowne flourish These words vpon himselfe either are altogether impertinent and superfluous or else they are very important and materiall For it had beene sufficient to haue saide As for his enemies I shall cloath them with shame but as for himselfe his â—…rowne shall â—…lourish It is not greatly necessarie as it should seeme to 〈◊〉 his crowne shall â—…lourish vpon himselfe Yet the Lord in his gratious answer vnto Dauids praier thought good to put in this as a supernumerarie word ouer and besides the necessitie of the sentence to teach the good King and vs all likewise a very notable lesson Namely that he would blesse the crowne the dignitie the flourishing estate of his louing seruant not onely in his owne person and his posteritie in this world and in the world to come as I haue shewed alreadie but also from a lesser weight of glory still to a greater and greater Vpon himselfe saies he shall his crowne flourish For not onely it shall be as flourishing as Dauid left it at the day of his departure to God but after his dissolutioÌ„ and death as faâ—…t as his bodie corrupteth in the earth so fast shall his crowne encrease still in heauen Trust me truly I speake it before the liuing Lord and this high presence all the whole Church which shall be edified to saluation by Dauids blessed and godly gouernement euen after his death shal yet suffer his crown neuer to die but shall continually keepe it fresh and greene Yeâ—… as euery one brought to the building of the tabernacle and to the reedifying of the temple such as they were able so I assure you I speake now a great word euery particular subiect that is saithfull to God and to his Prince as he goeth on forward to God by the peace and by the religion which he hath enioyed vnder his Prince so he shall still beautifie and decke Dauids crowne one shall bring a white rose another shall bring a red rose and adde it to the crowne that so vpon himselfe still his crowne may slourish the white rose and the redde rose that are in the crowne alreadie beeing euer made more and more fragrant and slourishing O Christ what a crowne is this And what will it growe to much more in the ende You that are mighty Kings and Potentates vpon earth haue indeede great cares and continuall businesse in your heads but yet vouchsafe I pray you to hearken a little what I shal say vnto you You watch oftentimes ouer vs when we are asleepe our selues You care for our peace when it is not in our power to further it you procuring good to Sion and prosperitie to Ierusalem yet many times enioy the least part of it your selues But no force Take this still for your comfort We that cannot all our liues long doe the hundreth part of that good vvhich you doe euery houre shall haue nothing so flourishing a crovvne as you shall haue Vpon you vpon you shall euerlasting peace rest vpon you shall the glorie of Gods Maiestie shine vpon you vpon you shall your crovvne slourish Which the Lord of his mercie graunt I most humbly beseech him for Iesus Christs sake that as Dauids crovvne euer slourished till the first comming of Christ so our gratious Kings crovvne may euer flourish till the second comming of Christ and then that afterward for euer his royall Maiestie may be roy ally crovvned vvith eternall life thorough the same our deare Sauiour Iesus Christ to vvhom vvith the father and the holy Ghost be all honour and glo rie povver and praise dignitie and dominion novv and euermore Amen FINIS A SERMON PREACHED BEFORE the Kings Maiestie that day he entred into Oxford at Woodstocke August 27. 1065. Luk. 8. 15. But that which fell in good ground are they which with a good and a very good heart heare the word and keepe it and bring
hearing not it selfe calls the people into the Church to heare To a nightingale which beeing restles and sitting vpon a thorne her selfe brings others by her singing into a sweet sleepe To a goldsmith which beeing beggerly and hauing not one peice of plaâ—…e to vse himselfe hath store for otheâ—…s which he â—…hewes and sels in his shoppe Lastly to a ridiculous actor in the citie of Smyrna which pronouncing ô coelum O heaâ—…en pointed with his finger toward the ground which when Polemo the chiefest man in the place sawe he could abide to stay no longer but went from the companie in a chafe saying This foole hath made a solecisme with his hand he hath spoken false Latine with his hand Such are all they which teach one thing and do another which teach well and doe ill They are like a blunt whetstone a deformed painter a weather-beaten signe a deafe bell a restles nightingale a beggerly goldsmith a ridiculous actor which pronounceth the heauen and pointeth to the earth But â—…e that sitteth in the heauen shall laugh â—…ll such to scorne the Lord shall haue â—…em in derision and hisse them off from the stage Because hovvsoeuer they haue the heauen commonly at their tongues ende yet they haue the earth continually at their fingers end So that they speake false Latine vvith their hand nay that vvhich is vvorse they speake false Diuinitie vvith their hand Whereas vve might easily auoide all such irregularitie and make true coÌ„ gruitie betvveene the tongue and the â—…aÌ„d if vve vvould make this text of holy scripture the rule of our whole life For then I assure you vve should euery one of vs play our parts so vvell that in thâ—… ende the tragedie of this wofull life being onâ—…e finished we should haue an applause and a plaudite of the whole theatre not onely of men and Angels but euen of God himselfe who doth alwaies behold vs. Wherefore out of these fewe words let vs obserue these two parts The sirst negatiue what must not be neither Pastor nor people must teach one thing and doe another That must not be The second affirmatiue what must be both Pastor and people must doe that themselues which they teach others to doe That must be For He that both doth and teacheth the same shall be called great in the kingdome of heauen First that the Pastor must not teach one thing and doe another appeareth in the fourth of Leuiticus Where almightie God appointeth the selfe same sacrifice should be offred for the sinne of the Priest which is offred for the sinne of the whole people So that all the people may better sinne though it be a thousand times theÌ„ the Priest may sinne though it be but once For the people sinning offend onely by their sinne but the Priest sinning offendeth more by his example then by his sinne Therefore Moses beeing commanded by throwing downe his rod to worke miracles deliuered it to Aaron To signifie that especially it belongeth to him to doe somewhat himselfe whose dutie is to teach others Whereupon also our Sauiour giues vs a caueat to beware of false Prophets because they say and do not They say one thing and doe another They bind heauie burthens which they tie vpon other mens backes but touch not these burthens themselues so much as with the least of their fingers So that that which was fondly and falsly said of Christ He saued others himselfe he cannot saue may be fitly truly said of these They saue others themselues they cannot saue Whereas the Apostle making Timothy an example for all Ministers to followe writeth thus to him Take heed to thy selfe and to doctrine for in doing so thou shalt both saue thy selfe and them that heare thee By taking heede to thy doctrine thou shalt saue them that heare thee by taking heede to thy selfe thou shalt saue thy selfe Otherwise if thou take heede to thy doctrine and not to thy selfe thou maiest well saue others that heare thee but thy selfe thou canst not saue Thou maiest well preach to others but thou shalt be sure to prooue a cast-away thy selfe For when two pray if the one blesse and the other curse whose prayer will God heare And is it not then much more dangerous when out of one and the selfe same mouth commeth both blessing and cursing When one and the selfe same Minister teacheth well whereby the people are blessed and yet doth ill whereby he himselfe is accursed Is it not likely that God will rather respect his cursed doing to punish it then regard his blessed teaching to praise it Certainely the Psalmist puts the matter out of all doubt where he saies That God will surely cast away God will reiect God will destroy the enemie and the auenger The enemie and the auenger Who is he He that is an enemie to Gods glorie in that he doth ill and yet would seeme to be an auenger to be a maintainer to be a defender of Gods glorie in that he teacheth well he is the enemie and the auenger And such an one as this which is indeede an enemie and yet would seeme to be an auenger which is indeede a foe and yet would seeme to be â—… friend which doth indeede ill and yet would seeme to teach well such an one I say will God destroy To the wicked thus saith the Lord Why doest thou â—…reach my lawes and take my statutes in thy mouth whereas thou hatest to be thy selfe reformed by them and hast â—…st my words behind thee By thine owne mouth by thine owne confession I will condemne thee thou naughtie thou lewd seruant Thine owne words shall accuse thee and not I yea thine owne lips shall beare witnesse against thee For why goest thou about to take a little moate out of thy brothers eye and doest not first cast out that great beame which is in thine owne eye Why goest thou to other mens houses and pryest into other mens matters and doest not first goe to thine owne house and see that all be well in thy owne heart What meanest thou to doe Thou that teachest others doest thou not teach thy selfe Thou that preachest a maÌ„ should not steale dost thou steale If thou be a Preacher then preach to thy selfe as well as others If thou be a Phisitian then cure thy selfe as well as others Seeing indeed as Hierome writeth he is too nice and too daiâ—…tie a Physitian either for the body or els for the soule which prescribeth fasting to others and is sicke of a surset himselfe Wherefore the godly Pastor must not prescribe fasting to others and be sicke of a surfet himselfe he must not teach one thing and doe an other For not he that onely teacheth but He that both doth and teacheth the same shall be called great in the kingdome of heauen Now the people also are forbidden to teach one thing and doe another â—…s well
Lord giue me goodnes and knowledge But first goodnes and then knowledge Because indeede one heartfull of goodnesse is worth a hundred headfulls of knowledge one handfull of doing is worth a hundred tongue-fulls of teaching For what is the hand else but the very seale of the tongue So that as a writing is not pleadable by the law of man without seales no more is a word warrantable by the law of God without works And theresore if they which serue the beast receiue the marke os the beast not onely in their foreheads but also in their haâ—…ds how much more theâ—… ought we which serue the huing God to receiue the marke of God not onely in our foreheads by open professing of him but also in our hands by faithfull â—…sing that which we professe Therefore it is a vsuall phrase well-nigh in all the Prophets to say The word of the Lord by the hand of Amos by the hand os Zacharie or such like I know indeede it is an Hebrevve phrase vvhere the hand of the Prophet signifieth the ministerie of the Prophet But yet this phrase may giue vs thus much to vnderstand that if the Prophets dealt so as euery vvord of God passed not only thorough their mouthes but also through their hands that then vve also must so deale in hearing handling the vvord of God as vve may bring vnto God saies Agapetus not onely a profering of vvords but also an offring of vvorks Wherefore deare brethren let your light so shine before men that they not onely hearing your good vvords but also seeing your good vvorks may glorifie your father vvhich is in heauen For then I assure you if vve glorifie our father vvhich is in heauen he vvill glorifie vs his children vvhich are vpon earth and in the ende make vs great in the kingdome of heauen O remember therefore that golden saying in the Scripture The seare of the Lord is the beginning of vvisedome a good vnderstanding haue all they that doe thereafter the praise of it endureth for euer A good vnderstanding haue all they that doe thereafter Why so Because an ill vnderstanding haue all they that doe not thereafter They that haue vnderstanding and doe not thereafter that is according to it haue an ill vnderstanding But they that haue vnderstanding and doe thereafter according to it haue a good vnderstanding A good vnderstanding haue all they that doe thereafter the praise of it endureth for euer It shall be eternally rewarded O how richly are the Apostles rewarded how highly are they nowe honoured in heauen because when they were vpon earth they had a good vnderstanding They had clouen tongues Clouen tongues What 's that I 'le tell you Doe you not see how our hands are cloauen and diuided into fingers So were the Apostles tongues They in a manner if I may so say had fingers vpon their tongues as well as we haue vpon our hands It was but a word and a worke with them They had no sooner taught others any good thing as O Lord what good thing did they not teach vs all but by and by they were readie to practise it and to performe it themselues Therefore they are alreadie great in the kingdome of heauen yea and much more shall be The twelue Apostles shall sit vpon twelue thrones iudging the twelue tribes of Israel And if we can happely obtaine so much grace and goodnes of God as that we may haue a care and a conscience as well to doe as to teach then as sure as God's in heauen we likewise shall be great in the kingdome of heauen We shall be enstalled with Christ and his Apostles in the throne of glorie when we shall heare him say vnto vs Come ye blessed of my Father inherite the kingdome of heauen prepared for you For ye haue not onely professed but practised ye haue not onely taught well but wrought well ye haue not onely said well but done well therefore now you shall be great in the kingdome of heauen To the which kingdom of heauen we beseech thee O Lord to bring vs euen for Iesus Christs sake Amen A SERMON PREACHED BEFORE the Kings Maiestie at Drayton in Northhamptonshire August 6. 1605. Psal. 132. 18. As for his enemies I shall cloath them with shame but vpon himselfe shall his Crowne flourish THe Royall Prophet hauing setled himselfe in his kingdom according to his owne desire and besides hauing after many wandrings to and fro at length brought backe the Arke againe to Ierusalem maketh here his most zealous and deuout praier to God for the continuance of his fauour both to the Church and Common-wealth committed to his gouernement Returne O Lord to thy resting place sai's he thou and the Arke of thy strength Let thy Priests be cloathed vvith righteousnesse and let thy Saints sing vvith ioyfulnesse For thy seruant Dauids sake turne not avvay the face of thine anointed Novv that he might apparantly see hovv neere the Lord is to all them that call vpon him in faithfulnesse and truth he vvaiteth not long for an ansvver but carries it avvay vvith him before he depart For to Dauids petition Returne O Lord vnto thy resting place thou and the arke of thy strength Gods ansvver is this This shall be my resting place here vvill I dvvell for I haue a delight therein I vvill blesse her victualls vvith increase and vvill satisfie her poore vvith breade To Dauids petition Let thy Priests be cloathed vvith righteousnesse and let thy Saints sing vvith ioyfulnesse Gods ansvver is this I vvill cloath her Priests vvith saluation and her Saints shall reioyce and sing Lastly to Dauids petition For thy seruant Dauids sake turne not away the face of thine anointed Gods answer is this There shall I make the horne of Dauid to flourish I I haue ordained a light for mine anointed As for his enemies I shall cloath them with shame but vpon himself shal his crown slorish As if he should haue said Turne away the face of mine anointed Nay that will I neuer doe I will indeede turne away the face of the enemies of mine anointed Their face shall be couered with confusion and cloathed with shame But contrariwise I haue ordained a light for mine anointed He euer shall haue a light in his face and a crowne vpon his head As for his enemies I shall cloth them with shame but vpon himselfe shall his crowne flourish These words are principally to be vnderstood of Christ. For neuer were any so cloathed with shame as his enemies the cursed Iewes which murthered him There eitie was sacked not one stone of it beeing left vpon another and they themselues as stubble or chaffe were scattered ouer the face of the earth So that they are the very shame of men and the out-cast of all people Insomuch as when we would signifie we hate a man deadly indeede we commonly vse to say we hate them worse then a Iewe. On the other side
Whereupon Prosper noteth that that which Virgil writeth of Augustus Cesar He hath giuen vs an Empire without ende may much more fitly be applied to Christ. For though Augustus raigned very long aboue fiftie yeares yet at length his gouernment as all other earthly kingdomes was determined But of our heauenly king onely the angel Gabriel saide most truly Of his kingdome there shall be no ende Now this glorie is as well called a crowne as a kingdome And this crowne as S. Peter saith is vndefield which neuer fadeth away The Greeke words which S. Peter vseth are Latine words also and they are not onely appellatiues beeing the epithites of this crowne but also propers the one the proper name of a stone the other of a flower For Isidore writeth there is a pretious stone called Aniantus which though it be neuer so much soyled yet it can neuer at all be blemished And beeing cast into the fire it is taken out still more bright and cleane Also Clemens writeth that there is a flower called Aâ—…rantus which beeing a long time hung vp in the house yet still is fresh and greene To both which the stone and the flower the Apostle as I am verily perswaded alludeth in this place As if he should haue saide The crowne which ye shall receiue shall be studded with the stone Amiantus which cannot be defiled and it shall be garnished with the flower Amarantus which alwaies is fresh and neuer fades away ye shall receiue a crowne vndefiled and that neuer fades away Which as Beda noteth was insinuated in the crowne round about the Arke of the Testament For in a circle there is neither beginning nor ending Or rather euery where there is a beginning euery where an ending and so no where any beginning or ending To shew that the patient also shal haue a crown set vpon their head per circuituÌ„ running round in a circle neuer comming to any end of eternitie Well our glorie is called also a treasure Three kind of treasures there are A treasure in hell a treasure in earth a treasure in heauen That in hell is a treasure of torments that in earth is a treasure of snowe that in heauen is a treasure of eternitie For the first S. Iames sayes Go to nowe you rich men weepe and howle for the miseries that shall come vpon you your riches are corrupt and your garments are moth-eaten your gold and siluer is cankred and the rust of them shall be a witnesse against you and shall eat your flesh as it were fire Ye haue heaped vp treasure for the last dayes Here 's a treasure in hell Which to be a treasure of torments the Apostle prooueth saying Thou after thy hardnesse and heart that cannot repent treasurest vnto thy selfe wrath against the day of wrath A treasure of wrath and of torments â—…roÌ„ which God for the deare blood of his sonne sake deliuer vs euery one The second is a treasure in earth Oâ—… which our Sauiour saith Lay not vp treasures for your selues vpon earth where the moath and canker corrupt and where the eues dig thorough and steale And this is a treasure of snowe For S. Gregorie vpon those words of Iob Who entreth into the treasures of snowe sheweth that earthly treasures are treasures of snowe You see little children what paines they take tâ—…â—…ake and scrape snowe together to make a snowe-ball right so they that scrape together the treasure of this world haue but a snowe-ball of it as soone as the sunne shineth and God breatheth vpon it and so entreth into it by and by it comes to nothing The third is a treasure in heauen Concerning which our Sauiour saith Lay vp for your selues treasures in heauen where are bagges that neuer waxe old Now this is a treasure of eternitie And therefore the Christians of the primitiue Church suffered with ioy the spoiling of their goods knowing that they had in heauen a better and a more enduring substance They contemned all treasures of snow in respect of this substance For they haue no substance neither are simply good though they be called goods but melt away as snow this is a better and a more enduring substance yea a most enduring a surpassing eternall waight of glorie Thus ye see how eternall our gloâ—…ie is It is a kingdome a crowne a treasure And this kingdome is an euerlasting kingdome this crowne is an incorruptible crowne this treasure is an eternal treasure And therefore seeing our glorie is so surpassing eternall we must be patient in all affliction For the momentarie lightnes of our affliction worketh vs surpassing exceeding â—…ernall waight of glorie Fourthly our glorie is weightie yea exceeding waightie â—…he glorie to come by some resemblances is shewed to be eternall by other to be weightie First to this purpose it is compared to wine Touching which our Sauiour saith Hereaâ—…r will I not drinke with you of the frâ—…ite of the vine till I drinke it nevve vvith you in my fathers kingdome Now how waightie this wine shal be appeareth in that the spies bringing clusters of grapes out of Caâ—… 〈◊〉 them vpon a poalâ—… on their 〈◊〉 To shewe in the celestiall 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 glorie there shalâ—… be So when 〈◊〉 Lord turned water 〈◊〉 wine hâ—…â—…ommanded to â—…ll the vessels to the 〈◊〉 These vessels topâ—…ll of wine doe signifie at the mariage oâ—… the Lamb that â—…e 〈◊〉 shall hâ—… a â—…ll reward pressed downe shâ—…ken together râ—…g ouer So that euery one of them mâ—…y say Mâ—… cuppe doth ouerflowe Againe 〈◊〉 glorie is comâ—…d to a peny Now in a peny we consider fowre things The image the superscription the sound the waight So our Sauiour when they shewed him a peny aâ—…ked whose image and superscription it was First then for the image Christ shall change our vile bodies that they may be like the glorious bodie of his sonne that as we haue borne the image of the earthly so we may beare the image of the heauenly For the superscriptioÌ„ our Sauiour saith To him that ouercommeth will I giue a white stone and in it a name written which no man knoweth but he that receiueth it As a Prince seeing his name vpon a peice of coine knoweth it is of his owne mint so euery patient Christian seeing his owne name in this white stone which is a token of honour knoweth it properly belongeth to himselfe For the sound the Psalmist saith Blessed are they that dwell in thy house they shall alwaies praise thee This shall be the sound of the peny continually the praise of God As the foure and twentie elders neuer ceased day nor night to sing Holy holy holy to him that is and was and is to come Fourthly for the waight the shekel of the Sanctuarie was twise as weightie as the common shekel in like mâ—…ner our glorie shall be as the shekel of the Sanctuarie
Christ is so exalted now that all power is giuen him in heauen and earth yea God hath giuen him a name aboue al names that at the most sweete and most excellent name of Iesus euerie knee and euerie heart also might doe obeysance And as the Apostle prooueth out of the eight Psalme The Lord now after all his dolorous paines and torments hath crowned him with honour and glorie Neuerthelesse in a secondarie sort this promise may be applyed also to Dauid who was a notable type of Christ and so consequently to euerie faithfull successor of Dauid which is Christs vicegerent and liefienant vpon earth For yee knowe what vvas the ende of all Dauids enemies Absolom his disobedient sonne hung vp by the goldylockes of pride Achitophel his travterous Counsellor made avvay himselfe Shemei a reuiler of him and a deâ—…ractor from him in his gray haires put to a shamefull death The same may be saide of the rest But holy Dauid himselfe could neuer be ouercome For though many enemies specially Autiochus Epiphanes bent all their force to the very vttermost to roote out Dauids posteritie and to destroy Gods people yet mangre their heads and their heâ—…ts Dauids crowne yet flourished and continued in his stocke till at the length the sonne of Dauid came into the vvorld of vvhome the Angel Gabriel spake to the blessed virgin Marie in this sort He shall be great and shall be called the sonne of the most High and the Lord God shall giue him the throne of his Father Dauid and he shall be ruler ouer the house oâ—… Iacob and of his kingdome shall be no ende Novv if this Scripture be so notably verified in Dauid he hauing faithfully serued in his time and beeâ—…g novv by the vvill of God dead no reason but that vve may vnderstand it also generally of euery holy one of God which treadeth in Dauids steps going in and out before Gods people As for his enemies I shall cloath them with shame but vpon himselse shal his crowne flourish Here are two parts His enemies himselfe His enemies first shall haue shame secondly shall be cloathed with shame Himselfe first shal haue a crown secondly shal haue a flourishing crown As for his enemies I shall cloth them with shame but vpon himselfe shall his crowne flourish The shame which the Lord God assureth Dauid shall light vpon his enemies is a veriâ—… dreadfull iudgement against them Nicetas saies plainely No punishment so grieuous as shame And Nazianzene yet more expressely Better were a man die right out then still liue in reproach and shame This diuerse valiant worthies haue shewed to be true ridding themselues voluntarily of their life that so they might be rid of their shame Aiax beeing readie to dispatch himselfe vsed these as his last words No greife doth so cut the very heart of a generous and magnanimous man as shame and reproach What should I speake of any more Grecians or Romanes as of Brutus Cassius Antonius Cato Vticensis and such others In Scripture we haue a plaine proofe Mightie Sampson beeing about to pull the whole house vpon his owne head saide thus O Lord God I pray thee strengthen me at this time onely that I may be at once auenged of the Philistims for my two eyes He desired rather once to die valiantly then long to liue wretchedly For as Saint Ambrose writing of Samson saith For a man to liue or die is naturall but for a man to liue in shame and contempt and to be made a laughing stocke of his Enemies is such a matter as no well bred and noble minded man that hath any courage or stomacke in him can euer digest it Yet the Lord God promiseth Dauid his anointed that shame shall be the reward of all his enemies shame I say which is a great deale worse then death it selfe As for his enemies saies he I â—…hall cloath them with shame Secondly they shall be clothed with â—…hame To be clothed is an Hebrew phrase signifying to haue any thing vnseparably cast vpon one And it is taken both in the better and in the worser part As a little before I cloath her Preists with saluation that is I will furnish Syons Priests with such indowments and graces from aboue which they shall be as it were inuested into that both by their life and doctrine they shall still further the saluation both of themselues and of them which heare them Contrariwise in this place I will cloath them with shame That is shame shall so vnseparably accompanie them that as wheresoeuer a man goeth he carrieth his cloathes with him so wheresoeuer they goe they shall carrie their shame with them And that which is strangest of all they which are ashamed vse to cloath or couer their shame and then thinke themselues well enough But Dauids enemies shall be so shamed that euen the very couering of their shame shall be a discouering of it and the clothing or cloking of their ignominie shall be nothing else but a girding of it more closely and more vnseparably vnto them So the Prophet speaketh elsewherâ—… Let them be put to confusion and shame together that reioyce at mine hurt Let them be clothed with rebuke and dishonour that lift vp themselues against me O Lord God say Amen to it let it be euen so O Lord Let them be clothed with rebuke and dishonour that lift vp themselues against thine anointed And againe Let shame be vnto him as a cloake that he hath vpon him and as the girdle that he is alwaies girded with all And yet againe Let mine aduersaries be clothed with shame and let them couer themselues with their owne confusion as with a cloake But to leaue the word and come to the matter The enemies of Dauid shall be clothed with shame three waies In their owne conscience In the world In the day of Iudgement Touching their owne conscience S. Austin saies well All vnordinate desires as none are more vnordinate then trayterous and rebellious enterprises carrie in themselues that bane vvhich poysons and punishes them at the last Whereupon the Prophet saies Hide me O Lord vnder the shadow of thy wings vntill iniquitie be ouerpast as the Septuagint translate it But we read it Vntill this Tyrannie be ouerpast And others translate it Vntill this Calamitie or this Miserie be ouerpast Which indifferent acceptation of the Hebrevv vvord shevveth that nothing doth so tyrannize ouer the conscience nothing is such a calamitie and miserie to the minde as iniquitie and sinne Iudas after he had betraied his Lord and Master was so confounded in his owne conscienâ—…e that he cried out and said I haue sinned in betraying innocent blood Proditor Casâ—…a vile traytour if his blood be innocent then thy conscience is guiltie And if thou caâ—…st confesse thou hast sinned when it is too late why diddest thou 〈◊〉 take heede of sinning when 〈◊〉 time I haue sinned saies he sinned in betraying innocent blood
A thousand hells could not haue more tormented him then this desperate sorrowe and extreame shame wherewith his conscience was cloathed tearing his bowells whilst he was aliue and powring them out when he died Now as for shame in the world we reade that God did set a marke vpon Cain the murtherer of iust Habel and so consequently the ring-leader of all Dauids enemies Therefore as when men see a wolfe or a foxe or any such hurtfull beast in the forest they set all their dogges vpon him so the enemies of the Lords anoynted beeing burnt as it were and branded with the markes of shame are howted and hunted wheresoeuer they goe One example at this time shall suffice Maxentius a wicked rebell against his owne Lord the famous Emperour Constantine the great deuised to haue a bridge made with cock-boats chained together ouer a riuer neere Rome thinking to traine the Emperour that vvay and there to â—…hem in the riuer But God so wrought for his chosen seruant that the enemie himselfe beeing compelled to flie that way was taken in that pit which he digged for others And so as Pharaoh was cloathed with shame in the open view and sight of all the world when he and all his host were drowned in the redde sea after the same fashion Maxentius was drest Lastly touching shame in the day of iudgement Dauids enemies at that day shall stand before the tribunall seat of Christ beeing naked in all respects else but onely couered with their owne shame Then they shall be vexed with horrible feare and cloathed with confusion whereas the righteous shall be cloathed with incorruption yea though in this life with the rich glutton they haue beene cloathed with purple and fine linnen yet then their attire shall be dishonour and their garment shall be shame Thus will the Lord cloath the enemies of his anointed with shame cloath them in their owne consciencâ—… cloath them in the world cloath them in the day of iudgement As for his enemies I shall cloath them with shame But vpon himselfe fhall his crowne slourish The one halfe of this Sermon is now past the other shal be as soone dispatcht But vpon him shall his crowne slourish First himselfe shall haue a crowne Tertullian reporteth out of Diodorus Siculus that the first that euer ware a crowne was Iupiter The souldiers gaue him a royall crowne for a reward of his victorie and triumph ouer the Titans Hereupon Iupiters priest brought 〈◊〉 and crownes to the gates of Listra and would there haue sacrificed to Paul Afterward when Gods people the Israeâ—… would needs haue a King as other nations had round about them then their Kings would needs haue crownes also as other Kings had round about them Hence we read that Dauid hauing vanquished the king of Rabbath tooke the crowne from off his head and found it the weight of a talent of gold with pretious stones in it and set it vpon his owne head Though indeed long before that the Amalakite brought him a crowne which he took from Sauls head when he slewe him So that the thing God promiseth is this that any crowne which king Dauid should get either by conquest or by succession or by any other iust title should still slourish more and more Some there are in the world which to be sure of outward ornaments inough will needes weare a triple crowne Others haue beene vnwilling to weare that one which they might Canutus that was absolute king almost of fiue kingdomes somewhat before the conquest vpon a time in his progresse riding neere the Thames lighted and sat downe besides the shoare Then as it were to trie a conclusion he commanded the water beeing now readie to arise againe and to slow not to come any neerer him But the water keeping his naturall course came still vp higher and higher till it beganne to wette him Whereupon turning to his Nobles which were about him Ye call me â—…aies he your king and Master so indeede I am and yet loe yee I cannot command so much as this little streame but doe what I can that will still doe as it list Whereupon presently he posted to Westminster and resigned his crown to the crucifixe there neither could he euer after this be perswaded to weare it any more Now as the pride of that man of sinne which sits vnder the signe of the triple crowne is too intolerable so on the contrarie part this was too much nicenesse in Canutus Seeing it followeth not because he could not coÌ„mand the sea and the waters as Christ did that therefore he might not weare a crowne For neither doth Christ himselfe in heauen weare such a crowne as kings of the earth doe But the truth is this that royaltie and maiestie which is essentiall to God he is content to communicate to his holy ones and to his anointed by participatioÌ„ and grace Therefore the Lords anointed which is as it were his fauourite may verie well doe all these three things at once weare the crowne which God giueth and yet detest the pride which God abhorreth and still admire the Maiestie which God enioyeth So that the Lord promising his seruant Dauid a crowne promiseth him wealth wisedome renowne dignitie prosperitie in one word all royalties belonging to a crowne But vpon himselfe shall his crowne slourish Secondly he shall haue a flourishing crowne Flourishing is metaphorically attributed to a crowne As in the next verse before There shall I make the horne of Dauid to â—…lourish A metaphor taken from those goodly creatures as stagges and such like whose chiefest beautie and strengh consisteth in their hornes especially when they bud and branch abroad So in these words But vpon himselfe shall his crowne slourish A plaine allusion to those slowres which either continually or els a verie long time keepe fresh and greene Besids at the first kings crowns were not made of gold and pearles as I told you of Dauids crowne but onely of greene oken leaues as that of Iupiters or else of some other branches or flowres as others The Lord then meaning that Dauids kingdome should be established for euer and that his lasting glorie should still growe greene he maketh this louing promise vnto him But vpon himselfe shall his crowne flourish How flourishing beautifull flowers are consider but the Lillie and you shall soone perceiue Marke saies our Sauiour how the lillies of the field doe growe they labour not neither doe they spinne yet doe I say vnto you that euen Salomon in all his royaltie was not cloathed like one of these Now if God so cloath the flowers of the sield which growe to day and to morrowe are cast into the ouen how much more shall he cloath Dauidâ—… enemies with shame but vpon himselâ—…e make his crowne flourish For euen as in Salomons Temple fiue candlesticks at the right side and fiue at the left standing before the Oracle and being made for matter of
whole earth According to the prophesie of Esay It shal be in the last dayes that the mountaine of the house of the Lord shall be prepared in the top of the mountaines and shall be exalted aboue the hills and all nations shall flow vnto it So that now Christ which is the head-corner-stone may be fitly called the second Adam The Greeke letters of which name as S. Cyprian writeth do seuerally signifie all the quarters of the earth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the East 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the West â—… againe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the North M. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the South According to the promise of God vnto Abraham Thy â—…eed shal be as the dust of the earth that is As the first Adam was made of the dust of the earth so thy seede which is Christ the second Adam shall be dispersed as dust ouer all the earth Thy seede shall be as the dust of the earth and thou shall spread abroad as a great mountaine to the East and to the West and to the North and to the South and in thee and in thy seed shall all the familes of the earth be blessed The lewish Synagogue speaketh in this sort My soule troubleth me for the chariots of Amminadab Amminadab signifieth a willing or an obedient people Such are the faithfull Gentiles Of whom God saith A people which I haue not knowne shall serue me As soone as they heare of me they shall obey me But the strange children shall dissemble with me The strange children shall faile and be afraid out of their prisons Though God haue beene a louing father to the Iewes yet they dissemble and are strange children to him Contrariwise though God haue not knowne the Gentiles yet they doe knowe and serue him Therefore the obstinate Iewes repining and grudging that the Gentiles are called say euery one of them Anima mea conturbauit me My soule troubleth me thorough enuie malice blindnes and disobedience Because they faile and are afraid out of their prisons On the other side the obedient Gentiles beeing called to this libertie of the sonnes of God lie not in any prisons but ride in the chariots of Amminadab Because as soone as they heare of God they willingly obey him Which is implied in that a man of Cyrene named Simon did carie the crosse of Christ. A man of Cyrene is a Gentile Simon signifieth hearing and obeying Therefore a man of Cyrene named Simon carying the crosse is a faithfull Gentile which as soone as he heareth of God doth willingly obey him For now God hath perswaded Iapheth to dwel in the tents of Shem That is he hath perswaded the Gentiles comming of Iapheth to embrace that obedience vnto Christ which the Iewes comming of Shem haue refused This is the reason why the Hebrew Scriptures are translated into Greeke and Latin and all other languages To shew that Iapheth doth now dwell in the tents of Shem. And that those oracles which before were appropriated to the Iewes are now imparted vnto all the Gentiles So that the prophecie of the Patriarke Iacob is now also fulfilled who saith Nepthalie shal be as a Hind let loose giuing goodly words For Christ did first preach in the land of Nepthaly among the Iews But seeing the Iewes would not obey him therefore he hath turned to the Gentiles And so Nepthalie is as a hind let loose giuing goodly words Because Christ who first preached in Nepthalie is not now any longer in prison among the Iewes but as a hind let loose leaping by the mountaines and skipping by the hills so he hath run swiftly oâ—…er all the world and with his goodly words with his gratious words he hath perswaded Iapheth and all the Gentiles to dwell in the tents of Shem and to ride in the chariots of Amminadab These chariots of Amminadab are called in Latine Quâ—…drigae because each of them is drawne with foure horses Which very aptly befitteth the doctrine of the Gospel For as Calâ—… 〈◊〉 in the Epistle before his Harmonie God hath of set purpose ordaâ—…ed that the Gospel shold be written by foure Euangelists that so he might make a triumphant chariot for his sonne Which beeing drawne with fowre horses and running vpon fowre wheels might quickly passe ouer all the earth and so shew the glorie of the Lord vnto all his Church Wherefore the Church is like a graine of mustard-seede which is indeede the least of all seeds but when it is grown it is the greatest among herbs and it is a tree so that the birds of the aire come and build in the branches thereof Thus the congregation of Christ riseth from small beginnings to great proceedings Aâ—…d though at the first it was but aseed yea but a graine yet now it is growne to be an hearb yea to be a tree wherein all the birds of the ayre all the faithfull in the world doe make their nests Therefore the church of Christ may be compared also to the Samaritans inne For that inne is called in greeke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because it receiueth and lodgeth all strangers that come So the church lodgeth all pilgrims vpon earth In the Synogogue there was not lodging for all For then it was said The Ammonites and the Moabites shall not enter into the congregation of the Lord But novv Christ is borne in an inne To signifie that in the Church there is lodging for all For Christ is the host the Church the inne the crosse is the signe Harken to the Host which is Christ and you shall heare him say Come vnto me all you that labour and trauaile and I will refresh you I will bring you into the wineseller yea I will suppe with you and you with me Go into the inne which is the Church and there you shall finde Parthians and Medes and Elamites and all nations vnder heauen staied with flagons and comforted vvith apples yea refreshed and filled vvith nevve vvine Looke vp to the signe vvhich is the crosse and you shâ—…ll see diuerse things First you shall see one crowne of thornes To shew that the earth is the Lords and all that therein is the round world and they that dwell therein For the roundnes of the crowne doth declare the large dominion oâ—… him that is crowned Namely that his dominion is from the one sea to the other and from the flood vnto the worlds end Secondly you shall see two hands To shew that God is not the God of the Iewes only but of the Gentiles also For not only one hand but both his hands are fast-nayled and stretched-out The one to the one theefe the other to the other theif the one to the Iewes the other to the Gentiles that he may embrace all that loue him Thirdly you shall see three tongues To shew that Christ is not the king of the Hebrewes
only but of the Grecians and the Latins also For his title Iesus of Nazareth King of the Iewes is written in Hebrew Greeke and Latine That at the most sweet and most excellent name of Iesus euery knee may bow and all tongues may confesse that Iesus Christ is the Lord Fourthly you shall see fowre quarters os the crosse To shew by the fowre quarters of the crosse the fowre quar ters of the world For God is no accepter of persons but in euery quarter and countrey he that feareth him is accepted with him Therefore also Christs garments were deuided into fowre parts Because out of what quarter or part soeuer we come of all the fowre parts of the world if we be naked Christ hath garments to cloath vs if we be harbourles Christ hath room to lodge vs. Euen as he himselâ—…e saies All that the Father giueth mee shall come to mee and whosoeuer commeth to mee Non eijciam forâ—…s I will not turne him out of doores Wherefore whether we respect the host or the hosts inne or the innes signe and about the signe it selfe whether we respect one crown or two hauds or three tongues or fower quarters euery of these doth plainly shew that now in the Church there is lodging for all and so consequently â—…hat the Church may be compared to the Samaritans inâ—…e It may be compared likewise to Salomons troupe of horseâ—… For Salomons troupe of horses was kept in fowre thousand stables ten and ten in a stable so that he had in his whole troupe fourtie thousand horses which were either bought by him or else brought to him out of all countries So the Apostles as we may read in th' Acts brought by one sermoÌ„ three thousand soules brought by an other sermon fiue thousand soules to Christ and so euerie day out of all countreys and kindreds there are added to the church by infinite and innumerable multitudes such as shall be saued It may be compared to S. Peters sheete For in Peters sheete were all sort of beasts fowre footed beasts of the earth and wild beasts creeping things and foules of the heauen So in the Church there are all manner of men Circumcised and vncircumcised Barbarians and Sythians It may be compared to Noahs Arke For there came to Noah into his Arke all kind of creatures cleane and vncleane male and female So there commeth to Christ into his Church all manner of men Iewes and Grecians bond and free It may be compared to S. Iames his net For that net had corke aboue to make it swimme and lead belowe to make it sinke that it might â—…ake all sorts of fiishes So the Church hath diuerse fishers of men some that teach slightly and superficially some againe that teach more deeply and profoundly that all manner of men may be taught and caught and drawne vnto Christ. Lastly it may be compared to king Assuerus his feast For that feast entertained all kind of guests seuen dayes together in the court of the garden of the kings pallace So in the church the Lord of hosts hath made vnto all manner of men a feast of fat things euen a feast of fined wines to vse the Prophet Esais words and fat things full of marrow of wines fined and purified Before that this feast was prepared the oxen and fatlings killed and euery thing els prouided all men were not bidden But now that Christ hath bin killed he keepeth as I may say open house and sendeth his seruants into the high waies to gather together all that euer they finde Yea his seruaÌ„ts haue not only biddeÌ„ all that they could sind in the hie-waies but also they haue crost the seas and called the very further most Ilands of all the world to behold the glorie of the Lord. Blessed O blessed be the Lord for his vnspeakable mercies towards this Iland now farre more slourishing then euer it was in which we liue For alas in the time of the olde Testament who was there I pray you in this whole Monarchie at least wise that euer we could read or heare of which had any true knowledge of God S. Ierom in th' end of his dialogue against the Pelagians writeth thus Vntill the very comming of Christ saies he the Prouince of Brittain which hath bin oftentimes gouerned by tyrants and the Scottish people and all the nations round about the Ocean sea were vtterly ignorant of Moyses and the Prophets So that then by the testimonie of S. Ierom all our religion was superstitioÌ„ all our church-seruice was idolatriâ—… all our Priests were Paynims all our gods were idols Then there was in Scotland the temple of Mars in Cornewall the temple of Mercurie in Bangor in Wales the temple of Minerva in Malden in Essex the temple of Victoria in Bath the temple of Appollo in Leycester the temple of Ianus in Yorke where Peters is now the temple of Bellona in London where Pauls is now the temple of Diana Therefore it is very likely that they esteemed as highly then of the goddesse Diana in London as they did in Ephesus And that as they cried there Great is Diana of the Ephesians so they cried here Great is Diana of the Londoners Euen no more then three and fiftie yeares before the incarnation of Christ when Iulius Caesar came out of Frauce into England so absurd and senslesse were the people of this land that in stead of the true and euerliuing God they serued these heathenish and abominable idols Mars Mercurie Minerva Victoria Apollo Ianus Bellona Diana such like And not long after to wit an Christ. 180. King Lucius being first christened himselfe forth with established religion in this whol kingdom But thanks thaÌ„â—…s be to God in the time of the new Testameâ—…t three and fiftie yeares after the inâ—…arnation of Christ when Ioseph of Arimathea came out of France into England many in this Realme os blind and ignorant Pagans became very zealoâ—…s and sincere Christians For Saint Philip the Apostle after hee had preached the Gospell through-out all France at length sent Ioseph of Arimathea hither into England Who when he had conuerted very many to the faith died in this Land and he that had buried the bodie of Christ was buâ—…ied in Glasceâ—…burie himselfâ—… Also Simon Zelotes an other Apostle afâ—…er he had preached the Gospell throughout all Mauritania at length came ouer into England Who when he had declared likewise to vs the doctrine of Christ crucified was in the end crucified himselfe and buried here in Brittaine Abâ—…t this time 〈◊〉 one of the seaâ—…ntie Disciples whâ—…m Sainâ—… Paul mentioneth in 〈◊〉 Epistle to the Romans was a 〈◊〉 and a renowned Bishop in this Lâ—…d Also 〈◊〉 a noble English Ladie whom Saint Paul mentioneth in his second Epistle to Timothie was here amongst vs a famous professor of