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A16505
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The rainebow, or, A sermon preached at Pauls Crosse the tenth day of Iune, 1617 by Immanuel Bourne ...
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Bourne, Immanuel, 1590-1672.
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1617
(1617)
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STC 3418; ESTC S725
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61,782
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73
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iudgement not to be searched into Oraculum e schola Eliae Pet. Mart. loc Com. Three opinions concerning the day of iudgement who daring to outface the Sunne in beholding the bright shining of his glorious beames and searching into secrets not to be looked into haue dazelled their eyes and left their erronious opinions testimonies of their vile presumption Some like Lots wife haue not beene afraid to looke backe towards Sodome and to prie into Gods secret iudgements contrary to the admonition of the Angell yea to the doctrine of Christ himselfe setting downe and defining a determinate time to the day of iudgment producing an oracle as they faine from the schoole of one Elia a Iew by which they affirme that the world should continue sixe thousand yeares which they account thus two thousand before the Law two thousand vnder the Law and two thousand in the kingdome of Christ But for this prescription of time wee haue no warrant from the word of God and therefore we may iustly refuse it Others there are who differ but little from the former teaching that as God was sixe dayes in creating the world so he shall bee sixe dayes in gouerning of it accounting to euery day a thousand yeares and alledging for their ground that of the Prophet Dauid in the 90. Psal verse 4. A thousand yeares in thy sight Psal 90.4 are but as yesterday which is past But concerning that place of the Prophet the meaning iâ— that innumerable yeares is but as a short time with God And wee may as well say two thousand or ten thousand yeares are but as yesterday as a thousand since all is alike with God with whom there is neither Prius nor Posterius no difference of time for hee remaineth alwayes the same throughout all generations and his yeares haue no end Psa 102.27 And I am God Psal 102. â—7 Malac. 3.6 I change not and ye sonnes of Iacob are not consumed Malac. 3.6 we cannot therefore approoue of this neither because it cannot be prooued out of the word of God A third sort there is who affirme that as Christ was thirtie three yeares with his naturall body vpon the earth so he shall remaine thirtie three yeares with his mysticall body the Church accounting to euery yeare fiftie yeares making them like to the yeares of Iubely Leuit. 25.11 which did consist of fiftie yeares Leuit. 25 11. So that by this account it should be from the birth of Christ vnto the end of the world one thousand sixe hundred and fiftie yeares and therefore not aboue thirtie foure yeares to the day of iudgement But all these are figmenta hominum the deuises of men and therfore not to be beleeued S. Aâ—gust ad Hâ—sichâ—â—n Excellent is that answere of S. Augustine vnto Hesichius to whom enquiring curiously of the end of the world S. Augustine answereth Se non audere spacia seculorum vsquâ— ad finem mundi aut metiri aut enumerare that he durst not either number or measure the times of the ages vnto the end of the world because it is written Of that day and houre knoweth no man no not the Angels in heauen Math. 24.36 Math. 24.36 It is sufficient for vs to know that it is the last time and therefore not long to the day of Iudgement These are the last times S August in Genes lib. 1. Sixe ages of the world and end of the world For as S. Augustine obserueth in his first booke vpon Genesis there are sixe ages of the world the first from Adam vnto Noah the second from Noah vnto A raham the third from Abraham to Dauid the fourth from Dauid to the captiuitie of Babylon the fift from the captiuitie of Babylon vnto Christ and the sixt and last from Christ vnto the end of the world And of these ages fiue are wholly passed already and of the sixt and last there are 1616. yeares expired 1. Cor. 10.11 and therefore if S. Paul in his dayes affirmed vnto the Corinthians that the ends of the world were come vpon them 1. Peter 4.7 and S. Peter in his time that the ende of all things was at hand which is aboue fifteene hundred yeares since 1. Iohn 2.18 then may wee iustly verifie with S. Iohn that it is the last time and with S. Iames that the Iudge standeth before the doore Iames 5.9 Signes of the day of iudgement of two sorts Seeing almost all the signes that were to come before the day of Iudgement are already past and expired or else now manifest in the world for these signes are of two sorts the first Signa praecedentia precedent signes the second coniuncta or rather concomitantia as the Logicians speake signes accompanying the day of iudgement Of the first sort there are diuers noted in the Scripture as the preaching of the Gospell throughout all nations Mat. 24.14 2. Thes 2.3 2. Tim. 3.1 2 3 4 5. Math. 24.6 7. Rom. 11.25 26. the comming of Antichrist the departing away from the faith the generall corruption of the world and vniuersalitie of iniquitie warres and rumours of warre deadnesse of heart with carelesse securitie and last of all the calling of the Iewes But of time and manner and where it is not yet concluded amongst learned Diuines Howsoeuer the most of these signes are fulfilled alreadie And for the second sort they are set downe by our Sauiour Mathew 2â— Math. 24. â—here shall bee signes in the Sunne in the Moone and in the Starres and then shall appeare the signe of the Sonne of man in heauen and all the Tribes of the earth shall mourne and they shall see the Sonne of man comming in the cloudes of heauen Reuel 1.7 with power and great glory Fearefull and terrible shall these signes bee And therefore while the Sonne of righteousnesse CHRIST IESVS is in the signes of mercie Sol Christus luna est â—â—clesâ—a and the Moone in the fulnesse of grace before the Sunne bee turned into darkenesse and the Moone into blood while God doeth with patience expect our conuersion Conuersâ—on necâ—ssâ—ry in the time of meâ—â—y Hebr. 12.29 Greg in Hâ—m 13 in Euang. let vs turne vnto him lest when he shall passe to the signes of iustice hee punish with the seueritie of his iudgements For our God is a consuming fire saith the Apostle And S. Gregorie Hom. 13. vpon the Euangelists Deus quos diu vt conuertantur tâ—lerat non conuersos durius damnat those whom a long time God doeth suffer expecting their conuersion not being conuerted hee condemneth them with the greater seueritie Dulcis rectus dicitur Dominus the Lord is said to be gracious and righteous Psalm 25.7 Psal 25.7 Hee is now gracious because hee doeth offer the sweetnesse of his mercie vnto the wicked that they might not perish but in the daye of iudgment he shall bee found iust and righteous because he wil iustly condemne those then
honour of God who in this will be like the Rainebow though not in any thing they should like those who as the Bow appeareth onely in the day and not in the night so likewise immitating the Bowe Dissembling Christians they will make profession of Christ in the day time of prosperity but when the night of aduersitie approcheth they forsake their profession leaue Christ to himselfe rather then they will endure the least miserie for his sake or like those who as the Bow hath both endes downewards Os homini sublime dedit But couerous wordlings like bruite beasts looke euer downewards so they bend all their affections downwards casting their eyes vpon the ground searching greedily for the mucke and pelfe and vaine honours of the world but seldome or neuer lifting vp their hearts or eyes towards heauen to seeke for the riches and treasures thereof But we must not so immitate the Bow but as according to the opinion of the ancient the Rainebow letting downe her hornes vpon the earth Virgil. 1. Greg. Plaut Curcul Propertius lib. 3. cleg 4. Vitrunius lib. 9. cap. 4. Looke downward vpon Gods blessings and send vpward thy thankfulnes then will God send down his graces vpon thee doth draw vp the water from the fountaines to the cloudes which being turned into showers doe returne and water the fruites of the earth for which cause this phrase was vsed of them arcus bibit aquas the Bow doth drinke vp the waters which opinion Vitrunius defendeth calling the Bow a notable instrument by which God doth draw vp the waters from the earth into the ayre by this meanes to make the ground more fruitfull so likewise beeing inlightened with the heauenly brightnesse of Gods gracious Spirit and casting downe both our eyes to behold the infinite blessings of God vpon the earth we should be mooued by diuine contemplation to send vp the sweete smelling vapours of thankefull hearts towards the cloudes of heauen that being conuerted into the diuine showers of Gods mercifull fauours we may be made fruitfull with all spirituall graces whatsoeuer To conclude the Rainebow doth appeare in the cloude How long the Rainbow shall continue But there is a question demanded concerning the continuance of it how long shal it remaine be seene in the clouds It is reported that some holy men were of opinion Author Histor Scholast in lib. Genes cap. 38. that for fortie yeares before the day of iudgement and generall burning of the world there should be neither Raine nor Rainebowe to be seene But what these holy men were I cannot reade for I can finde none of the ancient Fathers vpon my Text to be of this iudgement yet it seemeth the ground and foundation of this opinion was that they supposed that generall burning of the world could not be effected without an vnspeakable precedent drinesse of the aire and an vnmeasurable abundance of drie exhalations and so much of this drie matter as they dreamed necessarie for the burning of the world could not be gathered but in a long continuance of time not possibly in lesse then in forty yeares and therefore for that time there should be neither Raine nor Rainebowe But in this reason that which is taken for certaine is not only vncertaine but most plainly false for that burning of the world shall not be effected by natural causes but by the supernaturall worke and diuine power of almightie God as the first iudgement was when the whole world except Noah and his family was destroyed with the floud And therefore there it no reason why there should not be both Raine Petitio principii and Rainebowe till the day of iudgment for both these shall passe away with the cloudes and not before And thus from the cloudes the scituation I passe to the vse of the Bow It shall be for a signe I haue set my Bow in the cloud 4. Part. it shall be for a signe Authore Socrat. apud Platonem and it shall be for a signe of the Couenant betweene mee and the earth This Iris or Rainebow is deriued 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of the greeke verbe which signifieth to speake because it is a speaking signe or visible word for it is signum pluuiae tum praeteritae tum instantis a signe both of raine that is past and of raine that is at hand and therefore it was feigned of the heathen poets to be nuncius Iunonis the messenger of Iuno and of others it was called Daemonis hoc est sapientis arcus the Bow of God or of a wise Creator because it is a signe of the diuine wisedome certaine it is that it is nuncius dei the messenger of God by which he doth testifie that he will no more bring a generall floud to destroy the world Two significations of the Bow This Rainebow hath two principall significations In the first one Phisicall or naturall the second metaphisicall or supernaturall In the first it is signum pluniae a signe of raine in the second it is signum serenitatis a signe of faire weather and this is aboue nature for all naturall Philosophy is ignorant of it onely the Church doth vnderstand it by faith out of the reueiled will of God that as often as the Bow doth appeare in the cloud we remember the couenant and promise of God that the world should neuer againe be destroyed with water But how can this be may some man obiect Whether the Rainbow was before the flood how is it possible that the Rainebow should be a signe that there should not follow a generall floud to destroy the world seeing the Rainebow was before the floud and then was no true signe of this as the euent did plainly testifie To this some haue answered that the Rainebowe was not before the floud so Saint Chrysostome Alcuinus and the interlinearie Glosse But without question this Rainebowe was before the floud although after the floud it was appointed for a signe S. Chrysost Hom. 28. Gen. First because God did cease from all the workes of creation the seauenth day Gen. 2.2 so that hee did not after create any new species or kindes of creatures and therefore it must needes follow that the Rainebow was created before the floud Pererius in Gen. Quarsum enim Deus hunc eâ—â—inem toto eo tempere impediuâ—ser quorsum â—a diuturno miraculo naturaleÌ„ Iriâ—is ac pluuiae generationeÌ„ prohibuisset Certe nulla ratio reddipotest cur Deus omissa naturali via refrigerandi terras pec imbâ—es tanto miraculo exundaÌ„tium terrestrium aquarum tandiu vti voluit Secondly God created the causes of the Bowe before the floud for there was not wanting the cloudes nor the Sunne nor a place where the cloudes might be set against the Sun vpon which the Sun shining the Rainebowe doth appeare And therefore since the causes of the Bowe were before the floud it must needs follow that the