our example be your assurance that for vnbeliefe and vnthankefulnesse God will likewise be reuenged vpon you 13 The other part of this verse setteth foorth the notable effect of the mightie scepter of Christ that thereby his kingdome shall be builded and he shall be are rule euen in the midst of all his enimies Another kingdome opposite and aduersary to the kingdome of Christ. For the kingdome of Christ hath another kingdome aduerse and opposite vnto it it hath enimies that seeke to hinder both the founding and the standing of it The prince and captaine of all these enimies is the diuel Hee hath his vnder captaines and souldiours whose hand and helpe he vseth against the kingdome of Iesus Christ They sometimes oppugne it by force sometimes vndermine it by fraud somtimes by reproch and slaunder disgrace and defame it For some are open and professed enimies other guileful and masked by pocrites some hate the verie name of Christ other vnder pretence of his name doe fight against him and practise the subuersion and ouerthrowe of his kingdome Of one of these we haue had example in the empire of Rome of the other in the church of Rome Which both haue cruelly persecuted the church of Christ and with all their might haue endeuoured the vtter ruine and confusion thereof The first empire of Rome was a professed enimie seeking to abandon out of the world the verie name of Christ and Christians The Church of Rome vnder pretence of the name of Christ oppugneth the faith and church of Christ The later church of Rome hath plaied the wilie foxe and being indeede a deuouring woolfe yet hath put on sheepes clothing that with greater authoritie and lesse suspicion shee might make hauocke and spoile of the sheepe of Christ as indeed she hath done both spiritually of them that haue bin obedient vnto her and bodily of them that haue resisted her But wee see the bishop of Rome pretending himselfe to bee Christes vicar the head of the church the successour of Peter to whom Christ committed the soueraigne care and supreme gouernement of his church And in these titles he is soothed and flattered by his folowers who vnder him call themselues the catholike church the spouse of Christ as if there were none that honoured him more then they When indeed as traitours doe make proclamations in the name of the prince to leuie power against the prince euen so they by pretence of the name of Christ do gather power vnto themselues to fight against Christ knowing that amongst Christians they could not preuaile but onely by this pretence And thus deceitfully heretikes and false teachers in all ages haue dealt shadowing themselues vnder the name of Christian profession when they haue sought nothing else but to corrupt the integritie of Christian faith To be short no meanes hath satan left vnattempted both by himselfe and his that might breake off the course of the Gospell and hinder the growth of the church of Christ The Church of Christ though mightily oppugned by enimies yet continuing and growing in the middest of them 14 But howsoeuer the waues haue seemed to tosse this ship yet could they neuer sinke it howsoeuer the deuill and the world haue conspired togither to destroy the seed of Christ yet they could not hurt it their purposes vanished into the wind the more they haue oppugned the church the more it hath growen yea those things whereby they haue sought to worke the destruction of it haue been as a whetstone to sharpen the faith of the disciples of Christ to stir vp their deuotion and diligence to frame them to patience and holynesse and the ashes of one hath been as a most fruitfull seed whereof many moe haue sprung and neuer hath Christ wanted a people ouer whom he hath borne rule in the middest and in despight of all his enimies The enimies haue seene it and it hath beene as thornes in their eies they haue gnashed at it with their teeth and it hath made them euen madde to see that by no meanes they coulde preuaile in that they went about Thus the church of Christ beganne thus it hath growen and hath continued vntill this day and vnto the ende a Math. 16.18 the gates of hell shall neuer preuaile against it God the father graunt vnto vs c. The third Sermon vpon New yeeres day Verse 3. Thy people shall be a people of great deuotion or willingnesse in the day of thine armie in the excellent beautie of holinesse thy youth shall be as the dewe vnto thee from the wombe of the morning WE haue heard how the kingdome of Christ is alwaies oppugned with enimies and that it neuer wanteth the opposition and encounter of an aduersarie power Which yet cannot hinder but that Iesus Christ sitteth at the right hande of God as king and conquerour preuailing against al and none preuailing against him and still maintaining and gouerning his kingdome vntill he haue in the ende fullie and finally subdued and destroied all power that refuseth to how and to yeelde obedience vnto him Vntill the full accomplishment of which victory and conquest he ceaseth not both in himselfe and in his members to war and fight against his enimies and continually to maintaine both field and garison against them Iesus Christ by the preaching of the Gospell gathereth his armie against his enimies The prophet therefore in this third verse describeth him leuying and assembling his souldiours and men of war and preparing them to go foorth to battell against the enemie To which purpose that serueth which he saith In the day of thine armie meaning thereby the day and time when Iesus Christ shall call and gather vnto him his people as an army to fight for him Which is no other but that which the holy ghost elsewhere calleth a 2. Cor. 6.2 the accepted time the day of saluation euen the day and time of the preaching of the gospell whereby the Lords trumpet is sounded and the b Esa 11.10 standard of Christ crucified is lifted vp that nations and people may assemble themselues vnto him For as princes and captaines by striking vp the drum and blowing the trumpet and by auncients and banners displaied doe muster their men and leuie their souldiours and prepare them and leade them foorth to battell euen so Iesus Christ a Isu 5.14 the captaine of the Lords host by blowing vp the trumpet of his word and gospell whereby he is set vp for a signe vnto vs and b Gal. 3.1 described before our eies as crucified amongst vs calleth and assembleth his church and traineth his souldiers and warneth them leadeth them comforteth them to fight his battells against the enemies of his kingdome And thus doth he supply his army from time to time and as some are taken away putteth other in their place vntill he haue obteined an euerlasting victory and vtterly confounded the power of all his enemies And this is
or the stroke of a hand or the falling of a heare whâ—ch is not disposed by his hand to certeine ends and those profitable and necessary for the glory of his name and for the saluation of his elect And therefore be not afraid for that thou seest a Psal 2.2 the kings of the earth standing vp and the rulers aduising and laying their counsells as sure foundations against the Lord and against his Christ They cannot preuaile against the right hand of God The ship of Christ may be tossed with waues but it can neuer be drowned The bush wherein the Lord is may burne but it cannot be consumed the house of the Lord being builded vpon the rocke may be assailed with the windes but it cannot be ouerthrowen the vineyard of the Lord may be hewed and cut but it can neuer be displanted Iesus Christ sitting at the right hand of God he hath planted it and b Esa 27.3 he keepeth it night and day that it may growe for euer And this is the comfort and establishment of euery faithfull soule that he liueth vnder the band protection of him that sitteth at the right hand of God Feare not thou beleeuing man Sinne tempteth the diuell rageth the worlde hateth the wicked persecuteth thee but fight valiantly against all with most assured trust of victorie and conquest because thou fightest vnder the banner of him that sitteth at the right hand of God He is thy Sauiour he is thy Redeemer he hath power to preserue thee and will neuer suffer thee to bee cast away But thou wicked man thou enimie of religion and of the Gospel thou that laughest and mockest at the seruice of Iesus Christ thou that grindest thy teeth and gnawest thy toong for anger to see the successe of the Church and the growth of true religion do thou I say tremble and quake for feare For at whome doest thou spurne whom dost thou fight against but him that sitteth at the right hande of God Thou beatest thy selfe against the rocke and must needes bee broken in peeces thou kickest against the prickes and hurtest thy selfe Thou canst not prosper thou canst not preuaile Christ shall haue the victory the triumph shal be Christs he sitteth at the right hand of God vntill all his enemies be made his footestoole 11 Where the particle vntill noteth not any periode or point of time when Christ shall cease to sit at the right hand of God for he a Luc. 1.33 shall raigne ouer the house of Iacob for euer and of his kingdome there shall be no end but it determineth a time and day when all the foes of Christ shall certainly be brought to vtter and euerlasting confusion thencefoorth neuer to rile or to stirre againe Now they are Christs foes and enemies Enemies of Christ how vndâ—rstood as S. Austen sayeth b August de ciuit dei lib. 12. cap. 3. Resistendi voluntate non potestate nocendi For their will in resisting and rebelling against him not for any power or ablenesse they haue to hurt him And they are his enemies not onely by dealing against him in himselfe but also by practising euill against those that are his for he hath made vs one with himselfe he hath taken vpon him our person and our cause c August in Psal Caput corpus vnus est Christus sayeth S. Austen The head and the body togither make one Christ. And therefore our enemies are his enemies they that persecute vs are persecutors of him they that hate vs are reputed to hate him so that the afflictions of the Saints and faithfull are called by the holy Ghost d Phil. 3.10 Col. 1.24 Christs afflictions e 2. Cor. 1.5 1. Pet. 4.13 the sufferings of Christ f Gal. 6.17 the markes of the Lord Iesus g Heb. 11.26 and 13.13 the reproch of Christ h 2 Cor. 4.10 the dying of Christ. Christ in himselfe dyed but once and i Rom. 6.9 being raised from the dead dyeth no more death hath no more dominion ouer him But yet he is said after a sort to die againe in them who for his sake are put to death This is the felowship that we haue with Christ who by faith are ioyned vnto him to our comfort for that howsoeuer our cause be neglected with men yet with God it shall not goe without regard because it is the cause of Christ and to the terrour of our enemies for that by dealing against vs they fight against Christ and procure vnto themselues the wrath of so great and so strong an enemy Enemies corporall and spirituall 12 These enemies are either corporall or spirituall for that spiritual enemies are here also to be vnderstood appeareth by the application that the Apostle maketh of this place 1. Cor. 15. where citing the same he reckoneth death for one of those enemies that are to be destroyed saying k 1. Cor. 15.26 the last enemie that shall be destroyed is death But whether corporall or spirituall enemies all shall be subdued vnto Christ all shall be brought in subiection vnto him Which the Prophet here importeth by this that they shall be made his footestoole Whereby is imported an extreme and vtter abasing What is meant by being made the footestoole of Christ. and bringing downe of all the power and pride and glorie of them that are aduersaries to the kingdome of Christ an abridging and breaking of euery arme that is lifted vp against him Treading vnder foot in the holy Scriptures signifieth full and perfect victorie and conquest and that with all ignominy and reproch When the Prophet vnder the figure of Babylon will signifie the vtter confusion of the enemies of Gods Church he saith a Esa 26.6 The feete shall treade it downe euen the feete of the poore and the steppes of the needie When Iosuah had discomfited the fiue Kings of the Canaanites and had caused them out of the caues where they had hid themselues to be brought vnto him he called all the men of Israel and sayed vnto the b Iosu 10.24 chiefe of the men of warre Come set your feete vpon the neckes of these kings whereby he gaue token of victory not onely atchiued against these but to be atchieued against the rest of those wicked nations according to the words of encouragement which he addeth for declaration of this signe Be strong and of good courage for thus will the Lord doe to all the enemies against whom ye fight When our Sauiour Christ would signifie the vtter desolation and ouerthrow of Ierusalem he sayeth c Luc. 21.24 Ierusalem shall be troden vnder foote of the Gentiles vntill the time of the Gentiles be fulfilled Thus therefore when it is said that Christ shall make his enemies his footestoole and so tread them vnder foote we vnderstand thereby that he shall conquere them and cast them downe shall disarme them of all their power expose them to infamie and shame
we harbour with in our selues b August cont Iâ—l Pelag. lib. 2. exercitum quendam cupiditatum as Saint Austen saieth An army of sinfull affections within vs still occasioning vs to fight a very army of vicious and sinfull affections which yeeld vs continuall matter and occasion of fighting from our beginning to our end against the wantonnesse and wilfulnesse of youth against the crookednesse of olde age in prosperitie against presumption and carnall securitie in aduersitie against impatiencie and despaire in high estate against disdaine in low estate against enuie in aboundance against excesse in want against vnlawfull shifts in the folowing of vertue against vaine glory in the hatred of vice against curiositie and rashnes in iudging censuring other men in religion against schisme heresie infidelitie in ciuill conuersation against wrathfulnesse vnfaithfulnesse vnmercifulnesse selfeloue and all iniustice against euill workes in the profession of true faith against misbeleefe in the practise of good works Temptations of sinne still succeeding one another Yea and as they say of the heads of Hydra the Serpent that one being cut off there grew vp moe for it and as the waues of the sea one still folow in the necke of another euen so it is with the temptations of sinne the ending of one is the beginning of another and one victorie is the drawing on of another fight a Cypr. de mortall If couetousnesse be ouerthrowen saith Saint Cyprian then ariseth wanton lust if lust be repressed then ambition comes in place if ambition be reiected then anger prouoketh pride swelleth enuie fretteth c. So â—…e is it which the same Father elsewhere saith b Idem de duplicimartyrio Although there be not alwaies Neroes Diocletians and Maximines raging against the Church yet neuer doth the deuill cease to busie and trouble them that haue professed the warfare of Christ. And Saint Hierome c Hierony epis ad Heliodorum Erras si vnquam putas Christianum persecutionem non pati tunc maximè oppugnaris quum te oppugnarinescis Thou art deceiued if thou thinke a Christian man at any time free from suffering persecution and then is a man most of all oppugned when he doth not know himselfe to be oppugned 7 Now being thus beset with enemies on euery side nay carying within our selues enmitie against our selues we see a necessitie of fighting we see a reason why we are called the armie of the Lord. Let vs therefore be as we are called let vs euery man take sword in hand and d Iudg. 5.23 goe foorth to helpe the Lord against the mightie against e Reuel 12.9.17 the Dragon and the Angels thus making warre against the womans seede If in the middest of so many so dangerous so deadly enemies we sit still and sleepe and refuse to fight what doe wee but betraie our selues and the quarrell and cause of him that hath chosen vs to be his souldiours No seruant of Christ that is not his souldiour And surely if we doe not fight wee are none of his if thou be no souldiour thou art no seruant of Iesus Christ because to be his seruant is to be a souldiour And therefore thou be not skilled in this spiritual battel if thou be not daily if exercised a Iam. 4.7 to resist the diuell and to b Heb. 12.4 fight against sinne if there be not in thee a daily controuling of thine owne waies a checking of thine owne hart a resisting of thine owne desires a subduing of thine owne affections that thou maiest c 2. Cor. 10.5 bring euerie thought to the obedience of Christ if all bee at peace within thee and thou findest no diuision no contradiction betwixt the flesh and the spirite betwixt the old and the new man betwixt that which thou art of thy selfe and that which thou art of God what doest thou in the Lordes tents to what end doest thou professe the seruice of Christ Go out of the campe if thou wilt not fight and keepe not a standing there idlely and in vaine Many say they are Christs who yet are not so because they fight not for him 8 Let vs consider this in our harts for many there are that say they are Christs and take his name in their mouthes who yet neuer drew sword nor gaue stroke in Christs behalfe who defie the diuell with their mouthes but wrestle not against his workes who haue renounced the worlde and yet liue in league with the worlde and continue deepely entangled in the corruptions thereof whose lust is their law and they make their owne carnall desire the rule and measure of all their doings These men deceiue themselues They would faine liue with Christ in heauen but yet they would d 2. Cor. 5.15 liue to themselues here vpon the earth they would be blessed in the world to come but yet would not be crossed in the pleasures of this world But this cannot be He that hath called vs vnto eternall life hath told vs that we must e Luc. 13.24 striue to enter in at the straight gate that leadeth vnto it He that hath set before vs f 1. Cor. 9.25.26 an incorruptible crowne hath withall warned vs that we must g 2. Tim 2.5 fight for it And as Saint Ambrose saith h Ambros in psa 118. ser 18. Non decet redimitos floribus corona sed puluerulentos c. The crowne is not for carpet knights that loue to be beset and garlanded with posies and floures but for them that are beraied with wrastling and tumbling in the dust and victorie is not the honour of nicelings and wantons but of them that haue sweate and laboured for it If therefore we desire the reward of victorie and the crowne that is promised to them onely that ouercome let vs as I haue saide addresse our selues vnto the fight and applie both our harts and our hands to the pulling downe of the kingdome of Satan and to the maintenance and aduancement of the kingdome of Iesus Christ We are to fight for Christ by doing the duties of our seuerall callings 9 Now because as in earthly armies there are men of diuers sorts and places generals captaines lieutenants sergeants coronels common souldiours c. So in the warfare of Christ there are likewise diuers callings and conditions of men we are euery one to consider the standing and place whereunto we are assigned of the Lord and faithfully to imploy our selues therein for his aduantage that we may still be getting ground of the enemy against whom we fight Princes and Magistrates by well managing the sword of ciuill authoritie by establishing and executing good lawes for Christs behoofe and for the setting foorth of the glory of God Ministers by vsing carefully and wisely the sword of the spirit the word of God for the cutting downe of sinne and vnrighteousnesse and to breede in mens hearts the feare of God and the loue of his
common vse no vncleane thing might be suffered to touch them that so they might remaine pure and vndefiled to the vses of the Lord. Euen so we whom Christ a Ioh. 15.19 hath chosen and b Gal. 1.4 giuen himselfe to deliuer vs from this present euill world that he might make vs c 2. Tim. 2.21 vessells of honour sanctified and meete for the vses of the Lord should d Iam. 1.27 keepe our selues vnspotted of the world by e 2. Pet. 1.4 flying the corruption that raigneth therein by lust and abhorring those polluted and vncleane courses in the lothsome filthinesse whereof the world walloweth and tumbleth it selfe to the great offense and displeasure of almighty God And surely so long as the contagion and filth of the world cleaueth fast vnto vs and we frame our selues to the fashion and behauiour thereof there can be nothing so lothsome and hatefull vnto vs as we our selues are lothsome vnto God And therefore God himselfe in this sort aduiseth vs a 2. Cor. 6.17 Come out from among them and seperate your selues and touch no vncleane thing and I will receiue you and I will be a father vnto you and you shall be my sonnes and daughters saith the Lord. Whereupon the apostle thus exhorteth in the beginning of the next chapter b 2. Cor. 7.1 seeing then we haue these promises let vs clense our selues frō all fithines of the flesh of the spirit and grow vp to full holines in the feare of God In which words he expresseth both those parts of holines which I mentioned before calling the one the clensing of our selues from all filthinesse of the flesh and spirite the other the growing vp to full holinesse or the fulfilling and perfiting of our sanctification in the feare of God Which fulfilling of our sanctification standeth in clothing from day to day both inwardly our conscience and outwardly our conuersation with pietie and the feare of God thereby to c 1. Pet. 2.9 set foorth the vertues of him that hath called vs out of darkenes into his maruelous light And this the Apostle Saint Paule calleth d Rom. 13.14 Gal. 5.16 the putting on of the Lord Iesus Christ teaching vs thereby not onely to attire our selues by faith with his merites and righteousnes that thereby we may be iustified in the sight of God but also by holines to expresse in our life the example that he hath laied before vs that by our good workes and godly life it may appeere that we haue Christ dwelling and ruling in our harts Which the same Apostle elsewhere more particularly describeth saying e Col. 3.12 put on as the elect of God holy and beloued tender mercie kindenesse humblenesse of minde meekenes long suffring c. And againe f 1. Thess 5.8 Let vs which are of the daie be sober putting on the brestplate of faith and loue and the hope of saluation for an helmet 17 These and such like are the ornaments whereby the church of Christ is to him that loueth her g Cant. 5.9 Holines our attyre when we come to the place of the Lords assemblie goodly as the morning faire as the moone pure as the sunne and to her enimie terrible as an armie with displaied ensignes Thus attired and armed we shoulde come and present our selues in this place of the assemblie of the Lordes armie not in hautines and presumption not in vaine and wanton apparell not in the care of decking our selues to the eies of the worlde the follie whereof in this generation nowe long agoe stinketh in the nostrels of the Lorde but in humblenesse and lowlinesse of minde in meekenesse and quietnesse of spirite in innocencie and simplicitie of hart in a sacred feare and reuerence of that high maiestie before which we present our selues If we come not thus prepared wee are but spots and blots in the Lords assemblie and we are to feare the same exception to be taken against vs as was taken against him that came to the wedding supper without a wedding garment a Math. 22.12 friend howe cōmest thou in hither not hauing on a wedding garment For what is the wedding garment but euen the beautie of holinesse which the prophet heere commendeth as the attire of the Lords armie That therefore our comming may be gratefull to the Lord and without danger to our selues let vs haue this sentence of the prophet in our mindes and remember alwaies to appeere before the Lorde in the beautie of holinesse in true deuotion humblenesse of minde obedience loue b 1. Tim. 1.5 out of a pure hart and a good conscience and faith vnfained so the Lorde seeing in vs the shadow and picture of his beautie shal take delight and pleasure in vs whereas otherwise by hypocrisie and sinne our being heere is but abhomination before him 18 Now followeth the latter part of this verse Thy youth shal be as the dew vnto thee from the wombe of the morning Where the words being very obscure in the Hebrew text are diuersly translated Vpon searching and comparing of diuers iudgements I haue set downe that which I take to be most fit And verie answerable heereunto is that which is written by the prophet Micah c Micah 5.7 The remnant of Iacob shall be among manie people as the dew from the Lorde and as the little mistling droppes vpon the grasse which doe not waite for man nor hope in the sonnes of Adam By which wordes the prophet foretelleth the mightie increase of the church amongst the Gentiles whose multitude shall be as the small dew and little drops that fall from heauen without number and that this shall come to passe not by any power or worke of man but by the gracious hand of almightie God euen as hee onely without the helpe of man causeth the shewers and dew to fall vpon the earth To which verie purpose I take it the wordes of our prophet here are likewise to bee vnderstoode The multitude of the armie of Christ and by what hand they are raised vp vnto him for hauing before declared how Iesus Christ shall haue his armie to ioyne with him in fight against his enimies he addeth heere in what multitude they shall come and by what hand they shal be raised vp vnto him They shall be innumerable as the dewe which by the onely hand of God is brought foorth from the wombe of the morning where the prophet by a metaphor nameth it the wombe of the morning where the morning dewe is secretly formed and from whence it commeth as children from the wombe Againe the name of youth by another figure importeth not meerely yoongnesse of age but the persons themselues that are yoong by the like phrase of speech as we are woont to say The youth were gathered togither the youth were sporting themselues c. Youth they that are newly newly borne againe to Christ 19 By youth then are meant the young frie