calls it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it is that which executeth what the commanding part resolueth The word in the Originall signifieth either Directum or Erectum that which keepeth right forward or standeth vpright The actiue power of our soule is subiect to two defects it may straggle out of the way through rashnes or stagger in the way through faintnes while we are in the way allurements of diuers kinds draw vs into by-pathes we are set vpon by the crafty serpent and if that succeed not then with terrors wee are startled and made either to come to a stand or else to march cowardly The cure of all this is a right Spirit when God is pleased by grace to set strait steps vnto our feete and strengthen our feeble knees so that wee step not aside out of the way nor halt in the way our Spirit is directus it keepes good correspondency with our iudgement and executeth no more then it hath in charge and it is also erectus it bends no more then our affections doeâ— whether it pursue or encounter any thing resolued vpon by the soueraigne part it sheweth continually a religious stayednesse Finally whereas grace maketh a double cure one on our Heart and another on our Spirit and the regeneration of our Spirit is but an attendant vpon the regeneration of our Heart wee may not diminish the number of the parts nor inuert the order but when wee will trie our selues whether and how farre wee are regenerated wee must looke into our inwards see how we finde our selues there but specially to these fountaines of life the Heart and the Spirit see whether grace command in the Heart before the Heart command and that it may season our workes well whether it selfe bee seasoned first with grace and hauing taken this suruey of the Heart wee must come on to the Spirit and see whether our execution be as holy as our resolution if grace preserue vs from mis-guiding allurements and support vs against disheartning affrightments then is our Spirit as right as our Heart is cleane both are regenerated by the Spirit of grace The Fathers vnderstand here a double grace not onely the grace of Regeneration whereof you haue heard but the grace of Prophesie also wherewith King Dauid was endued as appeare in his Psalmes wherein are many excellent Prophesies It was no small griefe vnto him to haue that diuine influence suspended and to haue withdrawne from him those heauenly Reuelations therfore they conceiue the words thus Dauid desired a cleane Heart that so hee might haue a right Spirit for Blessed are the pure in heart they shall see God saith Christ Mat. 5.8 Wis 1.1.5 and the holy spirit of discipline will not abide in a soule when vnrighteousnesse commeth in The holy spirit of Prophesie is long since ceased and wee cannot be depriued of that which we neuer had but of this we may be sure that sin in our heart doth not a little bleare our eyes when we come to consider of Gods truth in his word and endeauour though not our selues to be yet to vnderstand those that were vndoubted Prophets But enough of Regeneration so farre as this Text doth teach vs what it is I come on to shew you briefly the last point of the Text which is Whence it proceeds It proceeds from God of him King Dauid beggeth it Create in me a cleane heart O God and well may he aske it of him for God doth promise the gift of this grace A new heart will I giue you and a new spirit will I put into you saith God Eze. cap. 36. and S. Paul in his Epistles doth often direct his prayers for these vnto God â—t how then doth Eze. c. 18. bid vs make vnto our selues new hearts and new spirits and Moses in the Law Deut. 10. bids vs circumcise the fore-skin of our hearts Surely not to note our power but our want that out of the conscience thereof we should seeke vnto the father of Lights from whom commeth euery good and perfect gift Iam. 1.17 Or if it be to note any power of ours it is but power to vse the outward meanes but the effect wished hath a higher cause which is the Spirit of God And indeed the true cause why the Holy Ghost speaketh so differenly sometimes calling vpon vs and sometimes willing vs to call vpon God is because Gods inward worke is seldome without our outward though the honour which God doth to the vse of the meanes must not derogate ought from Gods totall producing of the effects The more to be blamed is the Church of Rome who by aduancing the meanes impaire that honour which is due vnto God Let it stand then for a grounded Truth that Regeneration is the gift of God As it is Gods gift so it is no ordinary gift of his it is a worke of his great might and of his great mercy of his great might for it is a Creation Creation is either to make something of nothing or at least if that whereof it is made be something yet that thing hath no disposition to become that which it is made if you looke to the gift that is giuen by Regeneration surely that is made simply of nothing it is an effect that proceeds immediately from the Spirit who hath nothing out of which to worke that effect but his owne almighty power for non educiturè potentia naturae nature sendeth forth no such fruit If you looke vpon the Person that receiueth the grace then also Regeneration will proue to be a Creation for so farre is he from being disposed fitly to receiue grace Rom 8.7 Is 11.6 that hee is naturally opposite vnto it the wisedome of the flesh is enmity against God so saith the Apostle and the Prophet will tell vs that regenerating is like the changing of the nature of Tygers Lyons and Wolues c. a hard worke Saint Austin goeth so farre that hee thinketh it a harder matter to bring a sinner accustomed to an euill course into a right way then to create a world especially to bring him to entertaine the Christian faith which is foolishnes to the Gentile and a stumbling blocke to the Iew. The more absurd is the patronage of free will in the case of new birth the very word Creation doth refute it 1. Cor. 1.23 2. Cor. 5. Eph. 4. which Saint Paul vseth more then once and thereby both Testaments put vs in mind that wee can doe as little towards our spirituall creation as we could towards our naturall in regard of both we may vse that of the Psalm It is God that hath made vs and not we our selues both waies made vs by the power of a God Neither is it onely a worke of great power but of great mercy also that is intimated by the word Renew pulchre dixit innoua saith S. Chrysostome it is well said renew the house was built before which sinne ruined and grace doth re-edifie and indeed that this
is longed for also when it is wanting in our nature By the Fall amongst other endowments this was lost Psal 62. â— The Sonnes of men are become vanity the sonnes of noble men are but a lie God then beholding them must needs finde wanting what in the Creation hee bestowed vpon them and what hee findeth wanting that he desireth may be recouered Behold how hee sheweth himselfe as a Father that might deale with vs as a Iudge what hee might exact hee desireth and desireth as a Father the supply of that the want whereof hee might punish as a Iudge hee taketh more delight to see vs recouered mercifully then iustly to perish in our sinnes The words must not be vnderstood exclusiuely Hee desireth Truth in the inward parts as if he desired it not also in the outward The inward is his Peculiar a closet whereinto none can enter but himselfe and as his residence is specially there so doth his eye principally looke into that wee may not thinke that the Holinesse that will content the Creature will content the Creator also when we go about to reforme wee must goe as deepe as Gods eye goeth and not thinke that all is well vntill all is well there But when we are prouided for that Mat. 5.29 wee must Let our light shine also before men the outward parts must haue Truth in them also God that is the Author of societies loues the bands of them also and by commanding the obseruation and commending the obseruers testifieth his good will towards them to the confusion of all Equiuocaters that diuorce the Inwards from the Outwards and care not how much fraud they vse outwardly while they please themselues with a counterfeit truth inwardly Wee must entertaine both such a truth in the Inward parts as manifesteth it selfe in the Outward and giueth good content both to God and Man But marke God that desireth Truth in the inward parts commendeth not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he doth not bid vs root out our Affections but order them aright he calls not for stupidity but simplicitie he wills vs to flie all serpentine wiles but to entertaine a singlenesse of mind 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Cyril vnleauened affections are much set by of God and sincerity is a vertue that yeelds sweet sauour vnto him Finally our Repentance our Confidence must specially be seasoned with this vertue for vnto them is the Text specially applyed And let this suffice for the regard that is yeelded to Sincerity I come now to the meanes by which it may be had and that is by diuine instruction of our Heart The Heart is here meant by the hidden part which elsewhere is called the Hidden man of the Heart why it is called Hidden in some sort I told you before as also why it is called a Part and not Parts the entrall is single and it hath a couering as it appeareth in the anatomizing of our bodies But by the entrall is meant the Vnderstanding the thoughts whereof are knowne onely vnto God They that write of the Temple of Salomon doe many of them parallel it with our persons which are temples of the Holy Ghost as that was partly vncouered and partly couered so haue wee an Outward and an Inward man and as that part of the Temple which was couered was partly Sanctum and partly Sanctum Sanctorum so haue we in our Inward man a couert seate of our desires which must be holy as you haue hitherto heard and a couert seate of the rule of our desires which must be more holy and that is our Heart there doth God reside as in his most Holy place and from thence by our conscience giueth order to the whole course of our life This place or power must be furnished with Wisedome The Apostle doth teach vs to distinguish betweene the Wisedome of this world and the Wisedome of God whereof the former is seeming the latter is Wisedome indeed This Wisedome is nothing but that guiding knowledge wherewith the Conscience must be furnished our desires haue no reason of themselues that which they haue they haue by participation of the higher power which is therefore called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because it is the guide of the inferiour powers now you know the vertue of a guide is Wisedome take away Wisedome hee will bee but a bad guide a bad did I say nay a blinde guide for Wisedome is his Eye and you know what our Sauiour Christ saith Mat. 6.22 The light of the body is the Eye if therefore thine Eye be single the whole body shall be full of Light if thine Eye bee euill the whole body shall be full of darknesse This Wisedome is nothing else but those good and sound Principles of Direction which should giue order to our affections which of them should stirre when and how farre did not Wisedome giue this order out of a true iudgement past vpon the Obiect Feare would stirre where Hope is called for and we would Ioy where wee should Grieue but that each affection taketh his proper turne and obserueth its iust measure wee are beholding vnto Wisedome But whence is this Wisedome Iob 38.36 Iob moued the question who hath put Wisedome in the inward parts or who hath giuen vnderstanding to the heart hee answereth himselfe fully in the 28. Chapter and the summe of his Answere is that God is the giuer thereof The reason may be taken from the nature of Wisedome which is answerable to the name thereof C. 6. â— 23 so saith the Sonne of Syrach 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Wisedome is as the name thereof importeth and it is not reuealed vnto many Fuâ—lâ— Misâ— l. 1. c. 5. Now it hath its name from Tzaphah which signifieth to couer And indeed true Wisedome had a double Couering in the dayes of King Dauid a Couering of Ceremonies that darkened the things and a Couering of Infidelity that made most men incapable of them only God could remoue these Couerings cleare the Mysteries of Religion and giue men eyes for to discerne them not that God vseth not the ministery of men and by men informeth vs of our duties but they can goe no farther then the Outward man Ambros Cathedram habet in Coelo qui docet corda none but our Master which is in Heauen can open our hearts and worke these good instructions into our consciences This is the tenour of the Couenant of Grace Behold Ier. 31.32 the Day is come saith the Lord that I shall make a new Couenant with the House of Israel and with the House of Iuda I will put my Lawes into their inward parts and in their Hearts will I write them and so saith Saint Paul 2. Cor. 3.17 Ibid. v. 18 where the Spirit of the Lord is there is libertie libertie from both the Couerings so that Men with open face behold the glory of the Lord. And indeed who should repaire these guifts when they
repaire to him and none but he must be our Physitian He cureth but how Per auditum by the Eare. Wee haue two Rationall Senses and contentions haue beene made about their precedencie the bookes that are giuen vs to studie will easily resolue the doubt they are Gods workes and his words if the sight of his workes might haue recouered vs we should not haue needed the Preaching of his word but the infirmitie of the former is argued by the supply of the later and whatsoeuer Philosophie thinkes Diuinitie must hold that wee are beholding much more to our Eare then to our Eye for Sauing wisedome when I name the Eare I meane the bodily the Enthusiasts haue an Eare but it is onely for Gods spirit but we must haue an Eare for Gods ministers for ordinarily God dispenseth not the Comforter but by their ministerie Fead Iob. 33. And this is the highest commendation of sacred Orders and that which must worke the greatest reuerence of the people towards them for that God conueieth heauenly treasure by these earthen vessels 2. Cor. 4.7 and into their hands hath put the power of the Keyes yea to their tongues hath he in a maner tyed the efficacie of his word they bind and loose mens soules they open and shut vnto them the King dome of Heauen They doe it did I say rather God doth it by them so are we taught by my Text God must make Dauid to heare it is not enough that God send his word and great be the number of Preachers God must breath also with his spirit 1. Cor. 37. and when Paul hath planted and Apollo watered he must giue the increase Acts 16.14 if God doe not then open the Heart as hee did Lidia's we may be no better then Francis Spera whose bones being broken with the conscience of his sinne he could not be cured because the many exhortations that were giuen vnto him by the words of men could haue no entrance into his Heart there wanted there the spirit of grace therefore we must with Dauid begge that God would make vs heare But I hasten to the last point you haue heard who giues the Physicke you must heare what Hope there is that Dauids petition will succeed there appeareth good hope good hope in the phrase for it is not onely Supplicatorie but Assertorie I obserued the like vpon the former Verse I will not repeate it But there appeareth more hope in the contexture for there Dauid is confident that the medicine shall not bee applyed in vaine the bones that thou hast broken shall reioyce so it is in the Originall marke an excellent difference betweene Gods children and others Reprobates in such a case Optare possunt sperare non possunt they may wish themselues in a better case but they cannot hope for better but the children of God when their bodies are euen brought to the graue and their soules to the gates of hell yet will they trust in God and trust to see the louing kindnesse of God in the land of the liuing We doe not belieue that the Sunne hath lost his light though the skye be ouer-cast with clouds Read Psal 77. neither will we thinke that God hath forgotten to be gracious euen when hee layeth deadly strokes vpon vs. The Chaldee Paraphrase obserues not onely a Reall ioy of the broken bones but a Vocall also not onely shall our soules be comforted and our bodies with our soules but out of the sense hereof wee shall breake forth into the Praises of God we shall praise our God with ioyfull lips Finally marke the method the sorrow of the Inward man casteth the Outward into a Consumption so likewise the Outward shall partake of Consolation if so be Consolation by the Eare be distild into the Inward Caro vt Cor no lesse the flesh then the spirit being quickned shall reioyce in the liuing God I conclude all As we are all subiect vnto sinne so are we not free from the distresses of Conscience When we are put to it let vs heare what the Lord will say for he will speake peace vnto our soules if our sorrow be godly let vs not be without hope Blessed are they that mourne so for they shall be comforted let vs rest assured that though Wee sow in teares yet we shall reape in ioy the Lord will turne our captiuitie Psol 12â— he will sill our mouthes with laughter and our tongues with songs AMEN PSAL. 51. VERS 9. Hide thy face from my sinnes and blot out all mine iniquities THe remedie that King Dauid sought in this Penitentiall was answerable to his distresse That which distrest him was sinne whereof the onely remedie is grace The sinne as you haue oftentimes heard was two fold first that which himselfe committed and secondly that which hee inherited from his parents he seekes a remedy for both in Grace You haue heard that it yeeldeth a remedy for the sinne which himselfe committed for the Impietie thereof by Expiation and by Consolation for the Malignitie that is therein It followth that now you heare of the remedy which Grace doth yeeld to the sinne which he inherited from his parents that is a Natiue Euill we commonly call it Originall sinne Grace cureth this partly by Forgiuing and partly by Regenerating forgiuing of the sinne and regenerating of the sinner These two points are commonly knowne by the names the first of Iustification the second of Sanctification of Sanctification by regenerating our sinfull nature you shall heare in the next Verse on this Verse I must speake of Iustification from by Forgiuenesse of originall sinne To come to the breaking vp of the Text there is something therein implyed and something exprest that which is implyed is Gods Prouidence that which is exprest is Gods Indulgence of Gods Prouidence we haue here intimated two Acts his Eye seeth all things and all things are recorded by his Hand Did hee not See all things it were needlesse to pray Hide thy face and it were as needlesse to pray Blot out were not all things recorded by his Hand such prayers must needes presuppose those workes Besides this Prouidence of God so implyed the Text will teach vs the Indulgence of God which is here fairely exprest for the better vnderstanding whereof I will open vnto you first the suite that King Dauid maketh for it and then the possibilitie that there is of his obtaining it In the suite wee shall see how answerable his desire is vnto Gods worke Gods worke is to See and Record and his desire is that hee would not See hide thy face that he would cancell blot out But in the prayer we must more-ouer marke 1. to what 2. how farre he would haue his desire extend To what not to his person but to his sinnes hide thy face not from me but from my Sinnes blot out not mee but mine iniquities Hee restraineth then Gods acts to their proper obiect But hauing so restrained them he
from it so likewise his blotting out is not Gods hauing no record of our sinne but not to vse it as an indictment against vs in iudgement and so because in law Idem est non esse non apparere that whereof no vse is made is figuratiuely said to be blotted out so that the words are not to bee vnderstood absolutely but metonymically and Ruffinus doth well qualifie them with a quasi quasi abscondit faciem suam and quasi delet God so dealeth with a penitent as if his face were hid and as if his booke were razed in regard of the sinfulnesse of his person A second proofe of the possibilitie of King Dauids speeding in his petition may be taken from the ceremoniall Law of Moses wherein Gods presence was figured in the Cloud so Moses calleth it in Exodus now betweene that and the place where the Israelites did sacrifice vnto God there hung a double vaile Cap. 13.21 Cap. 16.10 c. whereby Gods countenance was hid from seeing their imperfections when they humbled themselues penitently at his altar Adde hereunto that the Propitiatorie was betweene Gods face and the Tables of the Couenant which the Israelites entred into with God and by which in iustice God might measure all the passages of their life These are types of greater things Saint Paul calleth Christs flesh a vaile and hee cals him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Propitiatorie Rom. 3.25 And indeed so it is Heb. 10.20 God doth not behold vs but in Christ through the vaile of that flesh that suffered for vs in him that hath cancelled the obligation that was against vs not with the eyes of a righteous Iudge but of a mercifull father And this sense must bee added to the former to make the defence compleate and a Penitent hopefull that hee shall speed of such a prayer I conclude all with a good note of Theodoret who layeth this verse to a former I know mine owne wickednesse my sinne is euer before me thereupon saith hee it followeth well Turnethy face away from my sinne c. if wee fixe our eyes feelingly vpon our sinnes God will turne his eyes from them and God will not keepe them in his booke if Wee record them penitently Wherefore that God may looke off let vs looke on our sinfull selues let vs booke all our misdeeds that God may blot them out so shall we finde him in Christ not a Iudge but a Father his loue shall not suffer him to see that whereof hee cannot be ignorant neither will hee euer indict vs though the Record bee neuer so faire and full that hee hath against vs whereupon wee may with King Dauid pray no lesse hopefully then humbly Turne thy face from our sinnes O Lord and blot out all our offences If thou Lord marke what is done amisse who is able to abide it PSAL. 51. VERS 10. Create in mee a cleane heart O God and renew a right spirit within mee OVr naturall corruption is cured by Grace and grace doth cure it partly by forgining and partly by regenerating of the forgiuenesse you haue heard on the former verse and on this verse you are to heare of the Regeneration And that which you shall heare is first What then Whence it is In opening What it is the Text will leade me to shew you first in what part wee must haue it and secondly of what guifts it consists the part is set downe first in generall it is our inwards wee must haue it within but within wee haue many inwards whereof here are two distinctly exprest and they are two principall ones the Heart and the Spirit whereof the one noteth the soueraigne and the other the actiue power of our soule these are the parts that are to bee regenerated Now the guifts whereof this Regeneration consists are Holinesse and Stayednesse Holinesse of the soueraigne power and of the actiue Stayednesse the first wee haue if our Heart be cleane and the other if our Spirit be right This is Regeneration But whence is it surely from God to him King Dauid seeketh for it Create in me a cleane heart O God As it is fom him so it is no ordinary guift of his it is a Worke of his great Might for it is a Creation Create in mee and of his great Mercy for it is a Renouation Renew in mee our forfeiture maketh vs indebted vnto Gods Mercy renewing not onely to his creating Power These be the particulars which this Text doth occasion me to consider in Regeneration what remaineth but that our Regeneration may be furthered by them wee listen vnto them with a religious eare as they shall be further vnfolded briefly and in their order The first point then is the part wherein wee must haue Regeneration the text saith wee must haue it within S. Ambrose lest we should grossly mistake our corporall inwards for our spirituall tels vs that the inwards here vnderstood are Intelligibilia viscera the reasonable powers of our soule and of them our Sauiour Christ saith in the Gospel â—â—at 15.11 Not that which goeth in but that which commeth out defileth a man now where sinne first began there must Regeneration begin also but sinne began in the inwards Psal 49.20 for Man being in honour had no vnderstanding yea were it not for the vnderstanding a man could not sinne for it is an vndoubted Maxime Bruta non peccant no creature that is deuoid of conscience can contract guilt and it is as true that in whom there is no Reason there can be no Vertue for Reason is the proper subiect of Vertue and because of Vertue therefore of Regeneration which is the roote of all heauenly Vertues see then why King Dauid desireth Regeneration within because there is the proper seate of it And indeed except it begin there well may a man bee an hypocrite Religious he cannot be Mat. 23 27. he will be but like a painted Sepulchre as Christ speaketh that within is full of dead mens bones Liuing Temples of the holy Ghost must bee like the materiall temple of Salomon whereof the the innermost part was the place of Gods residence and therefore was Sanctum Sanctorum the most holy place the next place was Sanctum holy and the rest Sanctuarium partaking of holines though in a lower degree so much lower as it was farther from the place of Gods residence euen so though Regeneration must sanctifie our bodies yet more our soules though it must sanctifie our Vnderstanding yet must it sanctifie our Will much more and that which is most inward must bee sanctified first I conclude this point with Christs admonition giuen to the Pharisees Mundate quod intus â—â—t 23 26. when we desire Regeneration let vs desire to haue it specially in the inward man to haue our reasonable inwards new moulded by grace But what inwards here are two mentioned the Heart and the Spirit these words are often vsed the one for the other
is not the first time that we are beholding to Gods grace the very word Regeneration may teach we had this cleane heart and right spirit when we were first created for wee were created after Gods image sinne lost it grace restored it now you know that if a Tenant forfeit his Lease and a Land-lord after re-entry restore it to him againe this is a worke of his goodnesse which is more then a worke of his ability for many are able and doe it not therefore if any being able doe it the inducement is not his ability but his goodnesse the like must we conceiue of God it was his pittying mercie that imployed his almighty power to repaire what we had ruined to recouer what we had lost to restore what we had forfeited a cleane heart and a right spirit Finally both the creating and the renewing are actus continui workes that God neuer intermitteth otherwise we should quickly come to nothing or rather which is worse then nothing become fire-brands of hell for wee dayly forfeit by sin and God may daily take aduantage of our breach of his Couenant Adde hereunto that our Regeneration is not in facto but in fieri and therefore needeth a perpetuall influence and supportance for this cause though Dauid were now in the state of grace yet doth he begge grace of God though God had created in him a cleane heart yet doth he desire that God would create a cleane heart in him and though he bad renewed in him a right Spirit yet doth he pray that God would renew a right Spirit within him so doth he wisely prouide against forfeitures and religiously beg the increase of that which he had receiued But I conclude sicut rogauit Dauid it a debet vnusquisque nostrûm saith S. Hierom Dauids prayer is a praier that beseems vs all we all beare about vs a body of sin and we should all desire that it might be abolished We should indeed but who doth who doth enquire into the vncleannesse of his heart and the crookednesse of his spirit or who taketh notice whether there be in him at all any part of Regeneration nay who doth shew that there is any Nazianzene Oratione 43. writing de Encaeâ—ijs doth giue a good obseruation how a man should know whether his heart haue any part in this Creation or his spirit in this Renouation yesterday thou wert a time seruer to day thou art not ashamed of thy Sauiour Christ yesterday thou didst affect the praise of men to day thou settest more by an honest life yesterday thou wert delighted with vain spectacles to day thou art giuen to diuine meditations c. if thou find such a change Haec mutatio dextrae excelsi God hath put to his mercifull power to make thee a new man if it be otherwise with thee and the day following find thee as bad as thou wert the day before thou hast no part in Regeneration A fearfull case because the Psalmist mouing the question to God Psal 24. Who shall ascend into the mountaine of the Lord who shall stand in his holy place answers Euen he that hath innocent hands and a pure heart Wherfore be ye renewed in the spirit of your minds put on the New-Man Eph. 4.25 which after God is created in righteousnes true holines or because this is a worke too hard for any one of vs Let vs euery one pray with K. Dauid in this place Create in me a clean heart ô God renew a right spirit within me AMEN PSAL. 51. VERS 11. Cast mee not away from thy presence and take not thy holy Spirit from mee KIng Dauids desire set forth in the first part of this Psalme is that hee may be restored vnto and preserued in the state of grace How he desires to bee restored you haue hitherto seene you haue seene how hee sueth first in generall that Gods Mercie would relieue his Miserie Gods great mercy his deepe miserie Secondly in speciall how hee brancheth his owne sinne and Gods grace hee confesseth sinne which himselfe committed and that which he inherited from his parents and hee beggeth a two-fold grace that the cure may be proper to each kind of sinne finally he would not haue a plaister narrower then his sore nor a medicine that could not throughly remedy his disease Thus he desires to be restored But to be restored is not enough a Penitents desire must carrie him farther for how shall it appeare that hee doth vnfainedly sorrow for sinne and affect goodnesse except he be as desirous to continue in as to bee brought vnto the state of grace 〈◊〉 Pet. 2. Nay Saint Peter will tell vs that it were better neuer to haue knowne the way of righteousnesse then after wee haue knowne it to returne like dogges to our vomit and like swine to our wallowing in the myre Wherefore the second desire was necessarie for King Dauid and must bee exemplarie vnto vs. Let vs come then to it It is set downe in this and the following Verse and conceiued in a double prayer first in deprecation and secondly in supplication a prayer against that which King Dauid deserued and a prayer for that without which King Dauid could not perseuere we will meddle now onely with the former prayer But in the passage I may not forget a good note of Saint Bernards where he commends King Dauids method Serm. 3. de Penticost and obserues that after hee hath prayed Create in me a cleane heart O Lord renew a right spirit within me he prayeth seasonably Cast me not away from thy presence and take not thy holy spirit from me When we offend we fall into sinne and out of fauour and when we repent wee must not desire to be receiued into fauour vntill we are first acquitted from sinne otherwise wee shall betray that we wish there were no Sanction of the Law but as for the transgression of the Law we are not much moued therwith wheras the least sinne must be more irkesome to a repenting soule then the most grieuous punishment But let vs breake vp this prayer wherein I will note two things 1. the Manner and 2. the Matter the manner is a prayer against the matter is that which King Dauid deserued Now that which he deserued comprehends two fearefull iudgements 1. Reiection and 2. Depriuation I will cleare these two tearmes vnto you While we are in the state of grace wee haue communion with God and God hath communion with vs God receiueth vs into his family and we attend him we weare his liuerie and are knowne to belong vnto him the first giueth vs free accesse vnto his presence and the second is a participation of his holy spirit Sinne as much as lieth in it dissolues both these communions for we deserue by it first that God discharge vs of his seruice giue vs no longer place in his family which is that which I called Reiection Secondly we deserue that God take from
will not despise that in the word there is a Litote there is more meant then is exprest for the Holy Ghost meaneth that this morall seruice doth speed of both the effects of Sacrifices it yeeldeth a sweet sauour vnto God and he doth gratiously accept it it proueth a sauour of rest into man and his soule doth feele the comfort of it Finally out of the maine branches of the text wee will draw two Paradoxes First A broken and contrite heart are Gods Sacrifices therfore this is a Religious man-slaughter Secondly God doth not despise a broken and a contrite heart therefore God is neuer better pleased with vs then when we are least pleased with our selues You heare whereof I shall speake that you may learne to serue God truely by that which shall bee spoken listen to it diligently and with a religious eare Before I fall vpon the particulars I may not omit to shew you the coherence of this verse to the former the former did shew of how little worth Ceremoniall worship is this sheweth the great worth of the morall And well is this clause added vnto that for it is not enough to know what we must not doe in Gods seruice our chiefe care must be to know what we must doe what good will it doe mee to know that Turkes Iewes Infidels worship they know not what they know not how it must be my comfort to know the true God to know how to worship him as I ought The ground is cleare Negatiues are but to attend Affirmatiues and God doth not reward the forbearance of euill but the doing of Good forbearance doth hold backe the impediments that would hinder vs in our way but wee must not only auoid them but also goe the right way if wee will come to our iourneys end In a word our abilities are bestowed vpon vs not only to decline euill but also to doe good But to the Text. The first thing that I obserued was wherin morall seruice stands it stands in the humiliation of the inward man the inward man is here pointed out by two names the spirit and the heart How these words differ all are not agreed vpon a former verse I haue said something of them but in this place I thinke they note one and the selfe same reasonable soule as it vndergoeth a diuers consideration It hath a prerogatiue aboue the soule of a beast in that it can subsist though it be seuered from the body and so it commeth neere vnto the nature of Angels and with them communicateth in the name of Spirit which is a substance endued with vnderstanding and will But besides this separate Being it hath another which you may call coniunct it inhabiteth in and manifesteth it selfe by the body quickning and guiding our senses and our affections hence it is denominated from the body from the principall parts wherein it doth reside from none so often and so aptly as from the Heart which is the the principall seate thereof Neither is it without cause that the reasonable soule is remembred vnder both these names the Holy Ghost thereby giuing vs to vnderstand that whether we consider the powers of the soule inorganically as vnder the name of Spirit or else Organically as vnder the name of Heart either way considered they must be humbled wee must humble no lesse the superiour then the inferiour faculties of our soule for sinne hath infected both A second thing that wee must marke is that in our seruice God calleth not for Nostra but Nos not our Goods but our selues and to this end did hee command the people to put their hands vpon the Sacrifices to signifie whom it did represent and to accompany the Offering of the sacrifice with a zealous deuotion to testifie that themselues were to haue a feeling of that for which the beast was offered And indeed it was fit that he should offer himselfe that had offended that hee might feare to offend when hee saw that hee must smart if a beast onely should die and the paine there of might rid a sinner of his guilt few would forbeare sinne if any thing make them feare it is this that they must beare the burden of sinne themselues Secondly as wee must offer our selues so that which of our selues wee must offer is the better part our Spirit our Heart In all the Legall Sacrifices God reserued the Inwards to himselfe his meaning was to point out the parts which he desireth in vs hee desireth our Inwards they must be presented in our Sacrifice 1 Tim. 4.8 the Apostles rule is bodily exercise profiteth litle certainly very litle of it selfe it hath all his commendations from the Heart and the Spirit But there are two distinct reasons why these parts are principally required in morall seruice the first is because they are freest from hypocrisie Ier. 3.10 God cannot endure that we should turne vnto him in mendacio dissemblingly Now Simulation and Dissimulation are manifest in our body for we can personate therein whom we will we may so bee mask't as that no body shal know who we are but in the inward man we are our selues wee can there seeme no better nor no worse then we are there doth God behold vs and hee doth iudge of vs thereby A Second reason is the preualencie of those parts they haue the greatest hand in our sinne and must beare the greatest part in our repentance other parts and powers partake of sinne but by contagion which they contract by their attendance vpon the Spirit and the Heart attend then they must in repentance but the principall penitents must be the Heart and the Spirit vpon whom they attend But enough of the parts which must bee humbled Let vs now come to the humiliation of those parts they must be broken they must be contrite Betweene these wordes there is no great difference for Contrition is a breaking very small and the breaking here meant is a shiuering the English to shiuer commeth from the Hebrew here vsed which is Shauar and you know that to shiuer a thing is to breake it all to pieces Or if you will put a difference betweene the wordes then the first may note the beginning and the other the consummating of this humiliation as you know a thing may be first grosse bruised and that is breaking and then it may bee pounded all to pouder and that is the contrition of it But how doe these words agree with the former by the Heart and the Spirit you vnderstood the reasonable soule and hath the soule any parts can that bee turned into dust Surely no therefore these words are figuratiue they are resemblances borrowed from corporall things which doe most liuely set before vs the humiliation that is spirituall But it is a question whence these wordes are borrowed some fetch them from husbandry some from masonry either of them hath a faire ground in the Scripture They that fetch it from Husbandry for Ieremie and Hosea speake of
immediately vpon their Creation after Gods Image how foully were they ouer-reacht by the Serpent How shamefully did they plunge themselues in sinne in the full integritie of their nature And if they could stand so little in the fulnesse of grace how little shall we bee able to stand that come so short of their their measure Least therefore we make no vse of our abilitie God must be pleased to doe for vs that which he was not pleased to doe for them hee must in compassion of our frailtie either keepe off temptations or arme vs against them hee must giue vs grace to make vse of his grace In any other sense to conceiue that the first grace is indifferent and our will doth determine it is an Arminian dreame Not that we are excusable if hauing abilities we doe not vse them for temptations worke not physically but morally perswade they may they cannot compell and it is plaine that wee doe not vse that care and conscience in trying the fallacies wherewith wee are tempted to disbelieue God and those allurements which endeauour to withdraw vs from God as wee doe in reading the discourses of humane Arts and entertaining aduises concerning our worldly State Therefore wee are without all excuse and should iustly perish for our sinne when wee neglect the meanes that are giuen vs of God inward or outward And indeed all would so perish that haue them because all would so neglect them did not God as well follow as preuent some with his grace prouide by a second that they receiue not the first grace in vaine You haue not yet heard the vttermost that God doth for vs toward the performance of this condition for the condition must bee performed not for a day or a yeare but all our life long it is not enough for to heare Gods voyce to day and to morrow to despise it to day to bee true to him and to bee false to morrow our Faith and our Charitie must be as lasting as our life But alas our faith and our charity haue their wanings they fall often into a sowne wee breake euery day with God and if wee breake with him hee is no longer bound to vs yet he doth not so deale with vs nor take the aduantage which wee doe giue him hee is like a kind Landlord who when his Tenant neglecteth his Couenant and he by vertue of the Lease may make a re-entry forbeares and giues his Tenant leaue to salue the forfeiture hee is long-suffering toward vs and giueth vs space to repent and returne to our good God which is alwayes ready to receiue vs vnto grace and to pardon our offences Yet we may not presume of this vpon the Couenant for when God doth it hee doth it vpon another ground vpon the ground of Predestination Yea that which the kindest Land lord vseth not to doe God out of his goodnesse doth supply vs with those helpes whereby wee may recouer againe his fauour by the ministry of his word or some other meanes hee seasonably worketh in vs repentance and faith and indeed this is a great hight of grace Philip. 〈◊〉 that hee that beginnineth this good worke in vs will perfect it to the day of the Lord that wee are thus preserued by the power of God and that hee doth so put his feare into vs 1. Pet. 1. that wee depart not from him totally or finally What shall wee say then to these things Seeing that God by grace is Alpha and Omega the beginning and the end the author and the finisher of the performance of the condition required therefore though wee performe what wee are commanded yet must wee giue him the glory and hee that doth glory must glory in the Lord. I will shut vp this first obseruation with two good Admonitions The first shall bee this when wee receiue these commands from God Heare my voyce keepe my Couenant let vs humbly pray with Saint Austin Da domine quod iubes iube quod vis Lord enable mee to obey thee and then lay vpon me what commandement thou wilt Or rather if you will let vs pray as the Church teacheth vs when wee heare the ten Commandements Lord haue mercie vpon vs and encline outr hearts to keepe thy Law And God giue vs all this Spirit of Grace and Prayer 1. Epist 1. The second admonition let vs take from Saint Peter Brethren giue all diligence by the practice of Christian vertues to make your calling and election sure for if yee doe these things you shall neuer fall If wee follow the first admonition God will not bee wanting vnto vs if the second wee shall not bee wanting vnto our selues Thus much of the first Obseruation The second followeth We must not sticke at that which God requires because that which God offers doth infinitely exceed it That which God requires is neither thanke worthy nor in comparison of any worth It is not thanke worthy for what thankes doth a man deserue for yeilding that which he doth otherwise owe to God nay which God as before you haue heard doth giue him to bestow I will not againe amplifie these two points I adde a third what thankes doth a man deserue for working his owne perfection for to heare Gods voice and to keepe his Couenant are the perfection both of our head and of our heart they were first qualified for this vse and this vse is their happinesse It is true that so long as Concupiscence doth distemper our soule these imployments at first are not so pleasing they rellish as medicines to a sicke bodie And if you marke it well this is no small difference betweene Vertue and Vice wickednesse is sweete in the mouth and a man hideth it vnder his tongue but when hee hath swallowed it it is like the gall of Aspes vnto his conscience but with vertue it is cleane otherwise the first time wee enter thereupon is the harshest time Eccles 6. Vers 24 25. the longer wee are acquainted the better friends shall we be Put thy feet saith the sonne of Syracke into wisdomes fetters and thy necke into her chaine bow downe thy shoulder and beare her and be not grieued with her bonds Vers 28 29. for at last thou shalt find rest and it shall be turned to thy ioy For then shall her fetters be a strong defence for thee and her chaine a robe of glorie He that maketh his eare liable to Gods voice maketh his eare happie and he maketh his heart happie that maketh it stedfast in the Couenant of God for wherein can hee take more contentment And doth a man deserue thankes for thus bringing his owne person to perfection Put the case these things were thanke worthy yet certainly in comparison they are but of little worth for of what worth is the obedience of a seruant in regard of the fauour of a Soueraigne that vouchsafeth him to bee his Fauourite Of what worth is our loue of God which is our
they may be saued But if looking into our heart wee find sauing grace there for Gods Spirit doth witnesse vnto our spirit that wee are the children of God when we contemplate in our selues this second Act of Election we haue reason to thinke our Prerogatiue much more improued by how much an inward is better then an outward Iew the Circumcision of the spirit better then the Circumcision of the flesh to be baptized with the Spirit better then to be baptized with water to eate Panem Dominum eate the flesh and drinke the bloud of Christ better then to eate only and drinke only Sacramentall Bread and Wine finally to be a doer is better then to be a hearer of Gods Word The farther Christians goe beyond Christians in these gifts the better must they thinke their state and these spirituall differences betweene man and man better then whatsoeuer other differences there may be found betweene them Although the world vseth to bee little sensible of this greater good but most sensible of the lesser wealth honour c. wherein euerie man thinketh it a great matter to bee aduanced aboue his Neighbours When wee looke vpon the second word in the definition of the Church that is God wee see to whom wee are beholding for our aduancement and to whom wee must giue the glorie of it the glory of the first Act of Election Dauid concludes the remembrance thereof with Prayse yee the Lord Psal 147. And of the second Act also the glorie must be giuen vnto Him for so doe the Angels the Beasts the Elders c. after they haue mentioned it Reuel 5. Reuel 5. If the question be moued Quit te discreuit Who hath differenced thee our best answere will bee I thanke God through Iesus Christ our Lord and let him that glorieth glorie in the Lord. I told you I haue not to doe with the whole Church but with that part which is militant for such are the Elect which are on the Earth Heauen is the place for our Crowne Earth for our Crosse where Michael and the Dragon stroue there must their Angels striue also and the heele of the womans seed must bee bruised in the same place where it must breake the Serpents head The Fathers doe wittily obserue that the Church came out of Christs side when he died as Eue out of Adam when he slept Now out of Christs side when it was pierced issued Water and Bloud Monuments of our two Sacraments which remember vs that we must drinke of the same Cup whereof Christ dranke and be partakers of the same Baptisme wherewith he was baptized euery one must take vp his owne Crosse and follow his crucified Sauiour Saint Austine is resolute Ad Bonifacium Comitem Si Ecclesia vera est ipsa est quae persecutionem patitur we are bastards and no sonnes if wee suffer not for Christ and suffer we cannot but on earth for when wee part from the earth wee part from our enemies the Flesh the World and the Deuill flesh and bloud cannot enter into Heauen Satan is cast out thence and the world shall then bee vnto vs as if it were not therefore the Church Peregrinam agit in terris she is here a Pilgrim here she is like the desolate widdow here shee grieueth for the wickednesse of the world and because she is not alike wicked with them therefore doth the world implacably worke her woe Read this dayes Epistle Wisdome â— In this militancie of the Church the Elect of God become 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they find that they need and they seeke for helpe the word implieth asmuch The Church is compared vnto a Doue for her simplicitie and for her meeknesse shee is compared vnto a Lambe As a Doue she is nothing suspicious for Vt quisque est vir optimus ita difficillimè credit alios esse improbos Good men looke to find plaine dealing as themselues deale plainly As a Lambe the Church is as apt to be a prey as shee is not apt to prey vpon any shee is a fit subiect for the Shearer and the Slaughterer though it selfe be harmelesse and vsefull Looke vpon the enemies of the Church they are the Serpent and the Lion The Serpent is full of fraud fraud which circumuenteth our wits with sophistrie and transporteth our affections with vanitie coloured and blanched with a shew of Truth and Good The Lion is full of Crueltie and delighteth in bloud watchfull vpon all opportunities and neuer giuing ouer the least aduantage And the instruments of the Serpent and the Lion I meane wicked men are Serpentine and Lion-like deceitfully compassing their owne end and spending their power only in crueltie This hath beene the cariage of the enemies of the Church euer since God put enmitie betweene the seed of the woman and the seed of the Serpent But it was neuer more remarkable then in Popish Equiuocation and that which they call their Holy Inquisition the very markes of the Beast and by them they make their nearest approaches to that Father of Lâ—â—s and that ancient Murderer sure I am they haue cut the heart strings of all both Ciuill and Ecclesiasticall true Policie The Church being thus besteed when from her enemies she reflects her eyes vpon her selfe findeth her owne inabilite her need of succour and as the Apostles in their perill so she in hers cals for helpe Helpe Lord or else we perish so said they so saith shee And my text telleth vs that she hath recourse vnto God Psal 121. I lift mine eyes vnto the Hils saith Dauid from whence commeth my helpe Our helpe standeth in the Name of the Lord who hath made Heauen and Earth Psal 46. and God is our refuge and strength a very present helpe in trouble And see how full the helpe is He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High Psal 9â— shall abide vnder the shadow of the Almightie the whole Psalme is an excellent commendation of the Churches choice but specially that Verse Verse 13. Thou shalt tread vpon the Lion and the Adder the yong Lion and the Dragon shalt thou trample vnder feet though we be as simple as Doues yet God is able to make vs as wise as Serpents and hee will make vs confident as Lions though of our selues wee be as meeke as Lambes And why we haue a Serpent to oppose vnto a Serpent euen him that was figured by the Serpent whom Moses lifted vp Christ the wisdome of God him we haue to oppose to the groueling Serpent that feedeth vpon earth and earthly men If you be stung by this latter Serpent doe but looke to the former and you shall presently bee healed for hee is able to take that craftie one in his owne wilinesse Wee haue a Lion to oppose vnto a Lion the Lion of the Tribe of Iuda to the roaring Lion and out of the eater he can draw meate by death he ouercame him that had the power
Zorobabels Temple But that place must be considered not in its meanenesse as it was built by the Iewes but as it was furnished with that glorie whereof heretofore you haue heard that house so adorned was to bee the place of peace Salomons Temple was a place of peace but his peace was but a type it was a worldly peace Zorobabels Temple is also a place of peace but his peace is the truth that answered the former type the peace thereof is heauenly that Temple which had but the type of the glorie had no more but the type of the peace and the truth of the peace rested there where the truth of the glorie was So that there is an emphasis in the words this place the holy Ghost giueth thereby the Iewes to vnderstand that it was not the former but the later Temple whereunto God intended the peace which he promised to Dauid 2 Sam. 7. 2 Chro. 22. Isay 25. 26. and all the promises of peace in the Prophets were to be referred thither this Ierusalem was to answer vnto her name and to be indeed the vision of peace But I told you heretofore that Zorobabels Temple was to be vnderstood not only literally but mystically and so it signifieth not onely that materiall house but also the Christian Church peace is annext vnto this peace Extra Ecclesiam non est salus No saluation without the Church and therefore no peace he shall neuer haue God for his Father that hath not the Church for his Mother In our Creed wee place the holy Catholicke Church and Communion of Saints before the remission of sinnes and life euerlasting As the soule doth not quicken other parts than those that are vnited to the body no more doth the spirit of God giue his blessing of peace to any that are distracted from the body of the Church This must be obserued against all Schismaticks that doe excommunicate them selues and disorderly persons that are iustly excommunicated by the censure of the Church all these while they continue in that state though they doe not lose ius ad pacem yet they doe lose ius in pace though they doe not lose their interest in yet they suspend the benefit of that peace and their state is vncomfortable though it be not irrecouerable And they which follow negligently the assemblies of the Church doe not a little defraud themselues of this peace for they must seeke it chiefly by prayer in Gods house and there doth God dispence it by the mouth of his Ministers I will giue you only two proofes the one our of the Old Testament when the sacrifices were ended which were typicall prayers Num 6.25 Aaron is willed to dismisse the people with these words The Lord blesse thee and keepe thee the Lord make his face shine vpon thee and be gracious vnto thee the Lord lift vp the light of his countenance vpon thee and giue thee peace A second proofe wee haue in the New Testament where the Church doth solemnely vse those words of the Apostle when after the Liturgie it dismisseth the people The peace of God which passeth all vnder standing keep your hearts and mindes c. And what better inuitation can wee haue to repaire often to the Church than this blessing of peaceâ— foure-fold peace which is there daily offered vnto vs and may bee receiued if we come and come prepared for it I say prepared Before you heard that the peace commeth to the house but as it is furnished with the glorie where there is none of the glorie there can be none of the peace therefore wee must prepare these Temples of our bodies and soules by entertainement of the glory that they may be made capable of the peace The Apostle speaketh plainely Rom. 5. Wee must bee iustified by faith before we can haue peace with God Esay 32. If iudgement dwell in the wildernesse and righteousnesse remaine in the fruitfull fielde the worke of righteousnesse shall bee peace 1 Cor. 2. and the effect of righteousnesse quietnesse and assurance for euer God doth annoint vs before he doth establish vs. St. Austin hath a witty conceit vpon the words of the 85. Psalme Righteousnesse and Peace haue kissed each other Duae sunt amicae Iustitia Pax c. Righteousnesse and Peace are two fast friends happely thou wouldest gladly enioy the one but thou wilt not bee perswaded to performe the other for there is no man that would not willingly haue peace but all are not willing to worke righteteousnesse yet be thou assured that if thou dost not loue peace's friend which is righteousnesse peace will neuer loue thee for righteousnesse and peace doe kisse each the other 2 King 9. You know what Iehu answered the King of Israel when he asked him Is it peace Iehu what peace can there bee so long as the whoredomes and witchcrafts of thy mother are so many So may we reply to euery soule vnquiet soule that enquireth after peace Looke for none where there is sinne Well may there bee the enemie assaulting and daily sounding alarums but this securing peace which is Gods garrison cannot bee there So long as the Iewes serued God their enemies could not inuade their borders Exod 34. but then the Temple was exposed to the enemie when the Prophets could not reclaime them from sin It is a good conscience that is a continuall feast You haue heard seuerally of the Peace and the Place you must now heare ioyntly of their knitting together who knits them and How He that knitteth them is God in Christ God is the God of peace so the Apostle calleth him Phil. 4.19 and the Prophet tels vs that he creates light as well as darkenesse and Elihu is so bold as to say Iob 34. that if God giue peace none can hinder it But as God giueth it so hee giueth it in Christ for it is his worke to make peace the Prophet Esay cap. 9. vers 6. calleth him the Prince of peace his true members are Sonnes of peace his Apostles Messengers of peace and his doctrine is the Gospell of peace all the foure specified degrees of peace were wrought by him First he tooke away the guilt of our sinne Esay 53. The chastisement of our peace was layd vpon him For he that knew no sinne was made sinne for vs that wee might be made the righteousnesse of God in him 2 Cor. 5. Secondly hee hath kild the worme for being iustified by faith in him our heart condemnes vs not and we haue confidence towards God so that we can come with boldnesse vnto the throne of grace Thirdly the Law of the spirit of life that is in Iesus Christ doth free vs from the Law of sinne and death Rom. 8. It mortifieth it subdueth the old man and maketh vs walke not according to the flesh but according to the spirit Finally he putteth an end to that discord that is betweene man and man The Prophets foretold that when hee
this word imports is That the sinnes which we entertaine for friends shall suddenly turne to be our foes they shall appeare as an Army furnished with the instruments of Death So we learne of St PETER Brethren I beseech you 1 Pet. 2 11. as strangers and pilgrimes abstaine from fleshly lusts which fight against the soule We thinke that by them we sight against GOD but GOD is impenitrable the arrowes that we shoot rebound backe and wound our selues And no maruell for sinne is the sting of death and we cannot commit sinne but we receine that sting and when GOD shall come against vs as Iâ—HV against IEZEâ—EL and call who is on my side who Our owne sinnes 2 King 9. as her Eunuches shall stand out and at his command cast vs downe to be trampled vnder feet and to be made meat for Dogges to be insulted vpon by the Fiends of Hell and to be gnawne on by Death But where shall this martialling be Surely in our owne bosome in our owne conscience that shall then be a true and a cleare glasse representing our sinnes and representing them armed against vs. And this shall adde much to our miserie it shall not be then with vs as it is in this world here we behold our naturall face in a glasse Iames 1. and by and by goe away and forget what manner of person we were but this glasse shall still be before vs and our eye shall still be on it And why It is nothing but the worme that neuer dyeth we can no more be rid of it then we can be rid of our soule the Conscience is an essentiall power of the Soule and this worme by an irreuocable decree is made a perpetuall companion of a guiltie Conscience the wicked shall carrie it with them from the Iudgement-Seat and shall keepe it with them so long as they shall burne in the flames of Hell This is a powerfull Motiue and should worke in you that are guiltie a care to disarme so powerfull an Enemie to plucke out the sting before the wound be vncurable so many sinnes as remaine vnrepented of are as so many treacherous Souldiers howsoeuer they doe now speake friendly to you yet when they are least feared they will giue deadly strokes you shall feare them when you shall haue no remedy against them What I say to you I say vnto all nay GOD himselfe saith it in the close of this Psalme Heare this all ye that forget God Iewes and Gentiles whatsoeuer you be if you be adulterers drunkards vsurers blasphemers any way wicked liuers Consider this saith GOD least I suddenly take you away and there be none to helpe you for if we be guiltie of such sinnes and encourage our selues in them by base conceipts of GOD GOD will not faile to reproue vs and marshall such wickednesse before vs to conuict vs thereof and confound vs therewith God giue vs all timely repentance that we may preuent so fearefull a vengance Amen Πάντοτε δόξα Θηῶ. A SERMON PREACHED AT St ANDREWES IN WELLS A WOMAN DOING PENANCE FOR INCEST GALATH. 6. VERSE 1. Brethren if a man be ouertaken in a fault you which are spirituall restore such a one in the spirit of meekenesse considering thy selfe lest thou also be tempted WE are all compounded of the Old and New man and euerie one feeles the solicitations of both These solicitations exercise both our head and our heart our head to discerne betweene them our heart to make a good choyce vpon a right iudgement And that we make such a choyce it should appeare in our works they should argue the death of concupiscence and the life of grace in that we beare fruit not to the Flesh but to the Spirit Now the fruit of the Spirit is either pietie or charitie it testifieth that our selues are carefull to be good and being good we are not vnrespectiue of others Not of them that are good for it keeps vs from being ambitiously insolent not of them that are bad for it makes vs compassionately mercifull The exercise of this last branch of charitie the opening of our tender bowels towards such as offend is the Argument of these words which I haue now read vnto you Here we haue Offendors described and Compassion enioyned Offendors not of all sorts but such as ought to be the subiect of Compassion Offendors that are ouertaken in a fault we are enioyned to shew Compassion to these to restore them in the spirit of meekenesse And touching this Compassion we are moreouer taught First who must shew it and secondly what must moue them therunto They that must shew it are here called Brethren and spirituall each name importeth a reference they haue vnto the Offendor the first a reference of their persons they are their Allies and therefore may not shut their bowels against them the second of their guifts the better they are the more good they must doe such are the persons that must shew compassion And they must be moued thereunto out of an apprehension of the common danger danger is common to all Thou mayst likewise be tempted and no man must be vnobseruant hereof he must consider his owne selfe So haue you the contents of this Text which I meane now farther to enlarge as this spectacle doth occasion and shall be most behoofefull for vs all I begin first at the description that is here made of an Offendor where you shall see first his fault and then the cause thereof The fault is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a fall a fall taken by stumbling The fall is not corporall but morall yet by a corporall you may vnderstand a morall fall for he that falleth in regard of the sight of his body commeth lower and withall ordinarily taketh a bruise euen so is it in a morall fall GOD by Creation made a man dominum socium If you looke to this visible world he made him dominum as it appeareth Genes 1. where Soueraigntie is giuen ouer the Beasts Birds Fishes and euerie other Creature made for the vse of man But if you looke to the inuisible world then was he to be Socius a confort with the Angels in the blessed state of Heauen Yea in this Microcosme the Fabricke of the nature of man which is as it were an Epitome of these two other worlds the better part had the guidance of and commanded ouer the worse the Soule ruled the Body But so soone as man sinned he came downe domintos became servus and these base creatures began to tyrannize ouer vs who were ordained their Lords hence goods meats drinkes and other corruptible things are become Idols and we fall downe and worship them and what will not a man doe transported by the vanity of this world As for the societie we had with Angels the blessed Angels of Heauen we haue lost that and are become the Serpents brood not onely Beasts but also Diuels Finally Earth hath gotten the vpper hand of Heauen the Body of the
iudge our selues wee should not be iudged of the Lord. Yet may we not corrupt this Doctrine as the Church of Rome doth by ouer-valewing mans Penetencie and esteeming it to bee Satisfactorie Satisfactorie I say Dignitatesuâ for any worth that is in it though it may goe for Satisfactorie Dignatione Diuinâ because God is pleased to rest contented with it Paululum supplicij satis est Patri to the Indulgence of a Father small sparkles of Grace make a good satisfaction for a great fault committed by a Child but he were a gracelesse Child that would so mis-conster his Fathers good nature as to deeme a few sorrowing teares a full ransome of his offence Our condition of being Gods children by faith in Christ and the affection of God respecting vs in Christ as his Children are the true ground why God requires no more of vs and he that instead of this Relation plods vpon a proportion betweene his Repentance and Gods vengeance doth not onely corrupt a comfortable Doctrine by his errour but for his pride deserueth to forfeit Gods gracious Pardon Let vs keepe the right path neither ouer-valewing Godly sorrow neither yet neglecting it seeing God hath vouchsafed it so comfortable an effect Let vs all especially you that are the Penitents be feeling of our Miserie that God may releeue vs with his Mercie And let this suffice concerning the Inference I come now to the Amplification to consider so much of it as is contained in this Verse here I told you King Dauid doth display the malignitie of his Sinne. Malignitie is a vexing Euill therefore in the Sin here specified we must obserue first the Euill and then the Vexation thereof and we find a double Euill noted by the two Names that are giuen to the Sinne I haue on former Verses spoken of these words but the present occasion hath made me looke farther into them and obserue moreouer that which is not vnworthy of our knowledge These words then will teach vs that Sinnes especially if they be enormous haue plaine Characters of the Diuell Hee is resembled to a Serpent and to a Lion in regard of the first Christ calleth him a Lier Iohn 8.44 in regard of the last a Murderer and where he instils Sinne hee leaueth the steps of either of these of his Lying in the errour of Mens Iudgements of his Murdering in the Rebelliousnesse of their Affections the second of these is noted by Peshang Lawlesnesse the first by Chata aberration from the scope where at we ayme he desireth not to haue men to halfes he endeauoureth to venome both the fountaines of the reasonable Soule and soldome shall you find a man misled in his Iudgement whose Affections are not violent See the truth of this first in Moralitie then in Diuinitie Let a man bee giuen to Drunkennesse if the Serpent haue taken him by the Head and made him conceiue that that beastly qualitie doth well beseeme a man the Lyon will take him by the Heart and hee will grow mad against those that will not bee as mad as himselfe the bloud that is shed in quarrels of this nature are too dayly proofes of this Truth For vnchastitie you neede no better euidence then the storie of the Sodomites 〈◊〉 1. it is no great matter to gather proofes touching other Morall defects but the occasion remembreth me especially to instance in matters of Diuinitie here you shall see if euer that the enemie of mankind hath left the markes of either of his Persons How the Serpent preuailed against the Pharisees hee knoweth not the Gospell that doth not know Christ doth therein discouer manifold errours of their Iudgement and that the Roaring Lyon had entred their Hearts is witnessed by their persecuting of Christ and his Apostles how fouly the Arians were deceiued concerning the Deitie of Christ we read in the storie of the first Nicene Councell and in the Ecclesiasticall storie we read how barbarous how bloudy they were as the Serpent had bit them so the Lyon raged in them come on to the Papists is not their erronious Iudgement accompanied with most furious Affections As they are not ashamed to put the Diuels properties into their Creede teaching an Art of periurious Lying and Meritorious Murdering so doe they act them both publishing Lyes by their tongues and pennes and practising Murders by their inchanted Assasinates the Gunpowder-treason is a Monument hereof to their eternall infamie The Anabaptists came fairely after them whose opinions were not more grosse then their dealing seditious not so few as a hundred thousand persons perished while with their Rebellious sword they laboured to make good the forgerie of their braine they made it plaine that as well the Lyon as the Serpent had taken possession of them This the Germaine stories relate at large And our owne stories will tell vs that wee haue not wanted some that haue beene kinne vnto them Hackets Coppingers and others that though they haue not gone so farre yet had gone farther then beseemes those whose profession is truth and practise should bee obedience they haue receiued nay they haue vented some thing of the Serpent and some thing of the Lyon I thinke you see by this time what I meane I meane to lance the sores of these Penitents to let it appeare that the Serpent hath got into their Head and the Lyon into their Hearts They haue had a false light that deluded their Iudgement and an vnkind heat that hath warmed their Affections they haue scanted Gods bountie in permitting vnto vs the vse of his creatures and entertained a Iewish conceit of the vnlawfulnesse of eating bloud And as their opinions haue beene erroneous in regard of Christian libertie so haue they beene also concerning Ecclesiasticall societie thinking they may seperate themselues from the Church if those whom they esteeme irreligious liuers be not excommunicated by Ecclesiasticall censures yea so farre hath the Serpent preuailed as to make them if not denie at least to doubt of the Lawfulnesse of the Leiturgie the Ministrie yea to question the very Root of all the Ecclesiasticall Authoritie both of Prince and Pastors So farre hath the Serpent beene with them And if He get in before the Lyon will follow after and indeede he hath followed in them for what Auctoritie haue they not set at naught Ecclesiasticall Ciuill either of them more then once and trod vpon them more waies then one and how Lyon-like they would haue beene if they had had power answerable to their will God knoweth the proofe wee haue had of others may make vs iustly suspect the worst This onely I wish them to take to themselues that in their Sinne there was this double Euill and if they do not therein discerne this dou ble Euill they doe not as they ought looke into their Sinne which not withstanding they should doe because so to doe is the first step of Repentance The second step doth consider the vexation that doth accompanie this Euill
with an old disease a disease which hee brought from his Parents loines and cannot be quiet except he be eased of that except that be healed also And our euill Deeds when wee bethinke our selues of them wil discouer their fountaine which is our euill nature neither haue we sufficiently searched into our selues vntill wee finde the euill Tree that beareth euill fruite the root of bitternes that fructifieth in all our euill Deeds This we must obserue by the way as a fit preface shewing the reason of this branch of King Dauids Confession Let vs now come closer to the Text and see what this sinne is which he acknowledged and that is a Natiue Corruption Iniquitie wherein man is shapen Sinne wherein his Mother conceiues him That you may the better conceiue this I must first remember you of certaine grounded truthes which giue light hereunto without which it cannot be easily conceiued The first is that in the Creation God put this difference betweene Angels and Men that Angels had their seuerall Creations not so Men but as Saint Paul teacheth Acts 17.26 God of one blood made all the nations of men that were vpon all the face of the whole earth he would haue them all propagated from one Secondly as all mankind is deriued from One so with that One God was pleased to enter into a couenant for All and All were liable vnto and to communicate in that which befell that One this is cleare in the Comparison which Saint Paul maketh betweene the First and Second Adam Rom. 5. Thirdly the first Adam failed in his obedience so forfeited that which was couenanted on Gods part was subiect vnto that which was deserued on his owne no man can doubt of this that reades the third of Genesis Fourthly by the tenour of the Couenant man failing wrapt all his Posterity in his transgression and condemnation Rom. 5.12 the Apostle is cleare for this also By one man Sin entred into the world and death by Sin so that by the Fall all mankind becomes first guiltie then punishable both these Euils doth Adam communicate vnto his Posteritie I must open the latter branch a little farther because it is most proper to my Text. The punishment then of Adams Guilt was the losse of Holinesse and Happinesse Holinesse wherein and Happinesse whereunto hee was created in the losse of Holines stands so much of Original sin as my Text doth occasion me to speake of The Fathers vse to expresse it by the Parable of the Man that passing froÌ„ Ierusalem to Iericho fell amongst theeues Luk. 10.30 who robbed him and wounding him left him halfe dead The Schooles abridge it thus Supernaturalia sunt ablata Naturalia sunt corrupta both which being discreetly vnderstood containe a sound truth which I expresse more plainely thus The losse of concreated Holinesse consisteth in a Priuation and a Deprauation Adam was depriued of the Image of God according to which hee was created they call it vsually Original Righteousnes and the Powers that remained after he was thus stript were miserably peruerted he became not only auerse from God but aduerse to him also Sinne is an Auersion from God and a Conuersion to the world or a forsaking of God and things eternall to imbrace the world and things temporall God left Adam in the hands of his owne councell to chuse whether hee would follow Rationem Superiorem or Inferiorem as the Schooles speake that is cleaue to God or to the World but with this condition that which way soeuer hee bent thither should his inclination bee for euer after he preferred Earth before Heauen and so his propension hath been euer since out of loue of this earth to make head against God and goodnesse so that his Deprauation is not only Physicall but Morall not only an Impotency vnto Good but an Opposition to it also his vnderstanding is not only blind but a Sophister his owne Iudgement is a snare whereby he entangleth himselfe in error his will is so farre from making a good choice Ambros. Gen. 6.7 Gen. 8.21 Rom 7.18 Ier. 17.9 Rom 6 6. Rom. 7.24 that it commands alwaies for that which is worst all his Affections distast and abhorre the good which they cannot rellish and therefore not ensue Finally the Flesh is become Illecebra peccati sinne needes no other bait then mans senfualitie All the frame of the Imaginations of the Heart of Man are euill only continually from his youth and in his flesh dwelles no good thing the hearâ— is deceitfull aboue all things and hee beareth about him a Body of sinne and death And this is that Massa Corruptionis and Perditionis that woefull Being whereunto sinne brought Adam Whereby you may perceiue that though he hath lost his Goodnes hee hath not lost his Actiuenes and though sinne be Non ens a Priuation yet it is in ente a Dreprauation also by reason wherof men that were reasonable Creatures by Nature yea and Spirituall also 1. Cur. 3.1 1. Câ—â— 2.14 are vouchsafed no better names in the state of Corruption then those of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sensuall and fleshly Men. Hauing thus opened the miserable case whereunto Adam brought himselfe it wil not be hard for you to vnderstand the words of my Text and acknowledge with King Dauid the Natiue Corruption of mankind or the Originall Sinne meant in this place First then the want of Originall Holinesse is in the Text called Iniquitie or Sinne and well may it so bee called for what is Sinne but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an Vnconformitie to Gods Lawes and how vnanswerable is his being herein vnto that state wherein he was made were he only vnanswerable it were Sinne how much more when he is opposite thereunto and is become a rebell vnto God can any thing in the reasonable soule be lesse then Sinne â—on 7. that tempts vnto sinne but Concupiscence is Domesticus Hostis a traitour in our bosome that doth seduce vs and whose Lusts doe sight against the Soule 1. Vet. 2.11 Neither only doth it tempt to sinne but produce sinne also Iam. 1.15 et simile producit sibi simile wee must needs make the Tree Euill that beareth such euill fruit Neither can it be excused seeing the Leauen of Concupiscence hath seasoned all the powers of the soule euen of the Reasonable soule and so maketh the whole man come short of fulfilling the Law Deut. 6.5 Thou shalt loue the Lord thy God with all thy Heart with all thy minde with all thy strength c. Ioyne that generall Precept Exod. 20.17 with the generall Prohibition Non Concupisces thou shalt not lust and by them measure the state of a naturall man and he must be verie senslesse that doth not acknowledge sin in this Corruption he must needs make the Habits of no other nature then are the Actions which proceed therefrom They that yeeld it to be Vitium but not
King Dauid spake no more in his owne person then may beseeme the person of euery man especially if he be a Christian And therefore his practise should be a patterne vnto euery one of vs we are as hee was Si Dauid talis Rex talibus parentibus in peccato natus quanto magis Nos The fountaine of Corruption runnes as high now as euer it did well may wee deeme our selues worse better without intolerable arrogancy wee cannot deeme our selues therefore his Ecce Behold will well beseeme vs and we may well fall as low as he in the Confession of our sinnes I presse this the rather because this is a secret which Philosophers could not Hereticks would not know and so indulgent are we to our selues that we are too willing to be ignorant of at least to forget that which our proud nature doth not easily brooke The lesse the Old man doth like it the more should the New man studie it And that we studie it not in vaine let vs all pray God that wee may haue Grace to exemplifie so good a Sampler that we may so deepely launce our Spirituall woundes as that they may be the better cured by our Heauenly Physitian and the more seuere we are against our selues we may finde our Sauiour more mercifull vnto vs. Amen PSAL. 51. VERS 6. Behold thou desirest truth in the inward parts and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisedome Kâ—ng Dauid in that Vow which in this Psalme hee maketh for himselfe prayeth that he may bee restored vnto and preserued in the state of Grace To this end hee layeth open his own wickednes and layeth hold vpon Gods goodnesse how he layeth open his own wickednesse you haue heard at seuerall times as I vnfolded the verses that goe before and you shall God willing heare particularly how he layeth hold vpon the goodnesse of God as I shall haue opportunitie to expound vnto you the following verses But my Text commeth in betweene these two maine poynts so that it is hard to say to whether of them it referreth most for surely it may fairely be referred to either of them it may bee referred either to King Dauids vnfained repentance for his sinne or steadfast considence in the mercy of God therefore it is diuersly expounded by others and it will not bee amisse if I shew you how the words looke backward and forward respect King Dauids either godly sorrow or hope of Grace To come to the Text The argument of it is remarkeable Sinceritie Sincerity is fitly described in these words truth in the inward parts without truth there can be no Sinceritie but the truth that maketh perfect Sincerity must be in the inward parts Touching this Sincerity wee are moreouer taught first of what regard it is secondly how we may attayne it It is of principall regard because entertayned with the best affection that is Delight and this affection is in the greatest person it is in God God desireth this truth in the inwards parts But how may it be had surely not without diuine instruction of our inward man The inward man is noted by the secres part that must be furnished with good grounds which here are meant by Wisdome and this wisedome must come from Heauen God must make vs know it These particulars wherein Sincerity is set forth in this Text are remarkeable particulars so wee are taught by the first word behold Behold they are euident they may not be denied Behold they are vsefull euery one must make his profit of them And so haue I set before you the contents of this Scripture which I shal now farther enlarge as the time shall permit and we may best be edified But before I doe enter vpon the distinct poynts I must acquaint you with the Language of the holy Ghost which vseth often times to mention parts of our bodies when it meaneth the powers of our soules the reason whereof is in vulgar experience because so long as the soule dwelleth in the body the powers therof in their working make some sensible impression vpon the parts of our body those parts which euen for this cause haue by the wisest Philosophers and most iudicious Physicians been reputed the proper seats if not of the whole soule yet of the seuerall faculties therof My Text doth occasion me to instance in two parts the Kidneys and the Heart which are here to bee vnderstood though in the translation they are not exprest in the Originall the Kidneys are plainely mentioned which because they are two therefore they are translated parts and those inward or hidden parts because in the body the Kidneys are vsually couered with fat The Heart is a single entrall and therefore called by the name of a part also a hidden part because of the couerings wherein it pleased God that naturally the heart should be inwrapt vpon these two parts seuerall powers of our soule doe worke at least when they worke or are wrought there will be some sence thereof in these parts in the Kidneys of Affections as of Resolutions in the Heart this euery man that obserues himselfe may easily assure himselfe to be true Hauing thus opened vnto you the reason why the Holy Ghost thus speaketh let vs now come and looke a little farther into the things By the inward parts then are meant the Kidneys and by the Kidneys the Affections that discouer themselues therein now our Affections haue long since by those that haue been curious obseruers of them been reduced vnto foure Heads wherof two are exercised with Euill and two with Good Euill if it be absent wee feare and if it be present we Grieue as for Good that which we haue not we Desire and we ioy in that we haue To apply this to my Text I told you that it looketh backward and forward to Dauids Repentance and to his Confidence If to Repentance then to Euill malum culpae the Euill of sinne for which hee Grieued and malum poenae the wages of Sinne which he iustly Feared If to Confidence then to Good to Mercy which so farre as he had receiued hee ioyed in and desired so much as he had not yet receiued These are those inward parts the affections of King Dauids soule that are to bee vnderstood in this place in these it is that Sincerity must appeare so much is intimated by the word Truth But what is Truth surely nothing else but a conformitie of one thing to another whereof the one is the Sampler and the other is the exemplification All that is in mans nature receiued its being from God and was formed according to the patterne of Gods eternall decree which hee exprest in the Creation and which hee often toucheth at in the reproofes which taxe the obliquities of our nature we should bee in our Affections as God first made vs and that is the first Truth required in them a Truth that is opposed vnto vanity that vanity which doth dimimish the wel-being of
to cure with his Humility when he stooped vnto the ignominious death of the Crosse But it was not Hysop alone wherewith hee desired to be purged but Hysop dipt in the holy water and this doth intimate yet more fully that the expiation was to be made by Christ for to say nothing that the red Cow slaine whose blood was sprinkled directly before the Tabernacle was as all other sacrifices a Type of Christ those things that are principally to be marked in Christ were most liucly represented in the things that were burnt with the Cowe For there were to bee cast in Cedar wood Hysop and Scarlet The Cedar is the highest of all trees and well representeth the Deity of Christ 〈◊〉 4.33 Hysop in the History of Solomons knowledge in naturall things is opposed vnto the Cedar as the lowest of plants and may well note Christs Manhood the Scarlet is an excellent representation of his bloody death according to that in the Prophet Esay 〈◊〉 63.1 2. who is this that commeth from Edom with died garments from Bozra wherefore art thou red in thy apparell c. And indeed Christs blood is the Bath of purification it clenseth from all our sinnes if wee haue our hearts sprinkled therewith wee shall bee free from euill consciences Heb. 10.22 9 14 Zach. 13.1 our consciences shall bee freed from dead workes to serue the liuing God Finally his Spirit is that fountaine that is opened vnto the house of Israel Eâ—ek 36.25 and the cleane waters that in Ezekiel God promised to poure vpon his Church without Christ the vertue of his death and worke of his Spirit God purifieth no man The Heathen had their Aquam lustralem their holy water and so hath the Church of Rome also but the Heathen holy water had no respect vnto Christs blood the Romish would seeme to haue but sanctifying Ceremonies without Gods warrant are fruitles not only so but spirituall vsurpations If we expect purification from sinne wee must tye our selues vnto Christs death and not looke to partake the benefit of it but by such meanes as are ordained of God Mat. 15 9. for the Spirit breatheth where it will not where wee will so that in vaine shall we serue God if therein wee follow no better guide then the commandements of men And let this suffice touching the Person to whom King Dauid directs his Prayer Hauing thus seuerally considered What King Danid begs and Of whom by ioyning the points together wee must see with what confidence hee expects the successe of his Prayer The first point of confidence is implyed in the words purge wash for the Original hath it thou shalt purge thou shalt wash And indeed such future tenses are Propheticall wishes and why Faith in prayer hath an eye to Gods promise and therefore a hope of his performance 2 â—â—moth 2.12 and why God cannot deny himselfe hee euer will be as good as his word Numbers 19 hee commands the carnall purifying and promiseth the successe and shall hee deny successe vnto the spirituall if wee obserue it Certainly hee will not A second branch of Considence appeareth in the resolute affirmations I shall bee cleane I shall bee whiter then snow which import that as God will bee constant in keeping his word so hee will bee powerfull in accomplishing the deed no doubt of the Effect when hee is pleased to bee the Efficient 〈◊〉 19. Vos 1â— A cleane person saith the Ceremonie shall purge him that is vncleane and hee shall bee purified And who so cleane as God in comparison of whom the best of his creatures are vncleane If the carnall purification may be expected from a mortall man how much more may we expect the spirituall from our immortall God But marke here is not onely expected a freedome from sinne but also a furniture of grace not only innocency spirituall but Beauty also so saith Dauid I shall be cleane that is innocent yea I shall be white that is beautifull Parum est mundari a sordibus peccatorum Ruffin in huâ— locum nisi contingat decorari candore virtutum it is a cold comfort to bee freed from impurity except wee be beautified with sanctitie But where sinne abounded Rom. â— 20 grace abounded much more sinne stripped vs of our originall Righteousnes and wounded vs in our naturall power and grace doth not only heale vs againe but restore vs also to whatsoeuer we lost The same God that in the Law commanded that when a captiue Israelite was set free he should not goe away empty Detr 15.13 â— but be furnished liberally with whatsoeuer God had blest his Master is not fast handed towards vs when hee freeth vs from the death of sinne but adornes vs as beseemes the spouse of Christ White is the colour of Saints Mark 9.3 it appeares in the Transfiguration of Christ and in the apparitions of Angels in the Reuelation of Saint Iohn more then once as likewise in Daniel so that that phrase implyeth that the effect of Christs purifying is not onely Grace but Glory also yea vnspeakable Glory so the comparison will haue vs vnderstand it when Dauid saith that he shall be whiter then sâ—ow It was a gracious promise that was made Psal 68. though yee haue hen amongst the pots Vers 13. yet shall ye be as the wings of a Doue couered with siluer and her feathers with yellow gold yea when the Almighty scattered Kings for his Church shee was as white as snow in Salmon here Dauid goeth a step farther Vers 14. whiter then snow And indeed well may wee resemble spirituall things by corporall and eternall by temporall for that the one doth somewhat resemble the other but equall them we cannot we may not by reason of the many degrees wherby the corporall is exceeded by the spirituall and the temporall by the eternall I conclude Who can say I haue made my heart cleane I am free from sin Prou. 20. Lib. 1. c. 5. No man for Habet cor vniuscuiusque saith S. Austin in his Confessions quod offendat oculos Dominisscio fateor there is not the best of vs that hath not touched the dead that is not infected with dead works it beseemeth the best of vs to say with S. Austin scio fateor I know I acknowledge it but we must go on with S. Austin quis mundabit who shall make me cleane and resolue with him cui alteri praeter te Domine clamabo ab occultis munda me Domine Psal 19 12. O Lord I haue none to whom I may hopefully call but to thee Lord clense me from my secret faults or in the words of my Text Purge me with Hysop and I shall be cleane wash me and I shall bee whiter then snow AMEN GOd grant we may all so wash our garments white in the blood of the Lamb during these dayes of Grace that we may hereafter walk with him in white robes when we shal
and therfore may seeme to import but one thing but Nazianzene doth distinguish them and so doe others both Greeke and Latine Fathers I will not trouble you with repeating of their words thus I conceiue the Heart noteth the soueraigne the Spirit the actiue power of the reasonable soule The Heart then is the soueraigne power for as in a Kingdome there are sundry ministers of State but the Maiesty is in the King so in our litle common weale our senses inward and outward attend and informe but with submission alwayes to the pleasure of the Will so that the Will is as it were a King in the person of man therefore it is that the Scripture maketh so frequent mention of the Heart in points of Morality But the Soueraignty thereof appeareth in two speciall poynts in commanding of the whole man and in seasoning all his workes that it commands appeareth by that receiued Maxime Inclinatio voluntatis est inclinatio totius suppositi let the Will once incline and all the whole person bends with it whether it be to loue or to hate what the will hates the Eye will not indure to behold the Eare to heare of the Tongue to speake of the Feet to goe to the Head to thinke of Finally no power of our Soule or part of our Body will haue to doe therewith except it bee to detest or to destroy it but on the other side what the Heart doth loue the Eye is not satisfied with seeing of it nor the Eare with hearing the Tongue cannot talke enough neither the Hands doe enough for it it will euer be busying our wits and wee can neuer thinke enough thereon such power hath the Will in commanding the seruice of the whole man and so readily doth euery part and power obey wee need not seeke proofe of this truth euery man may be an instance or an example of it vnto himselfe As the Heart hath this commanding power so hath it a seasoning power also it giueth a Moral seasoning vnto all our workes the rule is Actio tantum habet virtut is aut vitij quantum voluntatis looke how farre our Will doth intermedle with our works so farre are they either vertuous or vitious a good Will maketh the worke good and the worke cannot bee good if the Will bee euill wherevpon Nazianzene obserues well that God hath equalized all men in that ability which doth most commend or discommend and that is the ability of the Will hee giueth an instance in Liberality the Widowes mites by the forwardnesse of her Will were made a greaten offering then that which out of their superfluity the rich did offer in greater measure measure of coine but not of Will wee may apply it vnto any other workes of wisedome of strength of learning and whatsoeuer els hee that is lesse able and more willing may bee preferred before him that is better able and lesse willing in doing well and in doing ill men are doomed accordingly this is the soueraignty of the Heart so to command and so to season But as this power is soueraigne so there is another power that is actiue a power that putteth in execution the resolutions of the former power it is here called Spirit our common phrase sheweth that this word noteth an actiue power for wee say that a man is of an excellent spirit a great spirit a high spirit when wee meane that hee is fit for and forward in action and when we meane the contrary wee say that hee is of a quiet a meeke an humble spirit Psal 131. that is as the Psalmist speaketh hee doth not exercise himselfe in great matters which are too high for him that which the Philosophers obserue concerning the concupiscible and the irascible faculties of our soule tends this way for they make the soule actiue in pursuing of her obiects the concupiscible hasting vs to them and the irascible encountring all difficulties that may hinder vs from them so that the soueraigne power resolues not in vaine because of this actiue power that executes so well but certainely were it not for the actiue power the souer aigne power were in vaine God hauing so lincked them we must not seuer them and seing either of them is so necessarie to the other we must desire to haue our Regeneration in them both Out of this which you haue heard you may gather that though our Inward man is named yet the Outward is not excluded because though a part is named yet the whole is meant seeing the whole followeth the condition of these principall parts wee cannot be regenerated in these principall parts but the regeneration will redound vnto the whole man But what is Regeneration of what gifts consists it I told you of holinesse and staydnesse which are meant by cleannesse of the heart and rightnesse of the Spirit where first marke that Regeneration doth not concerne the substance Iohn 3.4 but the qualities of our nature Nicodemus conceiued grossely that thought a man must enter into his mothers wombe and so be borne againe that he may bee new borne and they conceiue as grossely that thinke that Originall sinne is any part of the substance of man wee lost not our being but our well being as the moone in the Eclipse ceaseth not to be a starre but to be a bright shining starre the ayre in the night ceaseth not to be ayre but to be lightsome ayre the earth in the winter is earth still though it be not a flourishing earth finally when we haue lost our health we lose not our bodies though they become but sicke bodies Yet may we not conceiue superficially of Originall sinne it is not as a painting but as a dying of our nature you know that painting is a colour layed on but the Dye is a colour that sincketh in we may wash off or scrape out a painting the body continuing the same but a Dye cannot be so taken out but it sincketh cleane through the wooll or the cloath and the inwards of the stuffe are coloured as well as the outwards The same may bee illustrated by the former similitudes but I will not be so troublesome onely this I obserue that as Illyricus and others haue racked Originall sinne too farre so the Pelagians old and new haue shrunk it too much we shall doe well to keepe the meane and hold the truth It is a corruption that though it be not our substance for that can not stand with the articles of our Creed as the learned haue proued abundantly against Illyricus yet is it throughly incorporated into our substance neither is there any the least particle of our soule and body that is not infected therewith whereupon God passeth his censure The frame of the imaginations of the heart of man is euill Gene. 5.6 that continually from his youth Rom. 7.18 and S. Paul maketh his confession I know that in me that is in my flesh there dwels no good thing therfore when we come
to Regeneration we must conceiue of it as of a cure that worketh out a deep rooted Corruption yea the termes of cleannes and rightnes must so be conceiued as that the cure doth not only worke out corruption but work in the contrary perfection as we see that the Eclipse of the moone is remedied by the imparting vnto it the brightnes of the sunne and the darkenes of the night by the succeeding of the day-light the winterly hue of the earth is exchanged for the flourishing of the spring and the weaknesse that wee seele being sicke by the vigour that we haue from health Euen so fareth it with our soules we put off the Old man by putting on the New and the root of Originall sin by being indued with Originall Righteousnes This being obserued concerning Regeneration in generall wee must now descend to the Regeneration of the parts in particular the first of which is the regeneration of the Heart it is here called Cleannesse I will not fall into the common place of the defiling Nature of sin I haue touched at it more then once on the former words of this Psalme I will keepe my selfe to that which is peculiar to this part I told you it is the soueraigne power of the reasonable soule and the first point wherein the soueraigntie appeares is that it doth Command now the blemishes of a commander are two 1. Folly and 2. Impotencie either he knoweth not what directions to giue them that are vnder him or else contrarie to his iudgement he is ouer-borne by his affections take an example of Solomon the father and Rehoboam the sonne Solomon was wise the wisest King that euer was and no wise King was euer more impotent in his affections as appeareth by his so doting on his heathenish wiues that to content them he entertained all kind of Idolatry the son of Solomon Rehoboam went as far in folly as his father in impotency the son of Syrach calls him the very foolishnesse of the people Ecclies 51. and well he deserued to be so called that forsooke the counsell of the Sages and listned vnto brainsicke youths and so lost ten Tribes of twelue In these two Kings we may behold the defects of our commanding parts for somtimes the iudgment of it is so weak that it misdeemes good for euill and euill for good light for darknesse and darkenesse for light and this error is predominant in those that are without the Church for of Infidels it is most true that they haue a foolish Heart Rom. 1. yea when they thinke they be most wise in their reasoning they shew themselues most foolish it were endlesse to descend to particulars if I should reckon no more then those which are toucht in the Scripture how much more if I should discouer it out of there owne writings there speculatiue learning their practicke their theologie their policy their ethicks their oeconomicks all are spiced with folly Though this folly be predominant in those without the Church yet is there more then a good deale of it within the Church also were there no other proofe contentious writings proclaime to the world that many beleeuers cum ratione insaniunt haue a crackt braine and weake iudgement working vpon false principles or working out such conclusions as will neuer spring from truth Folly is one defect of the commanding part but not the onely it hath another which is Impotencie though the iudgement doe not faile in setting the heart right yet the affections doe transport it that it cannot resolue right Video meliora proboque deterior a sequor wee know our duety oftner then wee can bee perswaded to doe it And this disease though it be in Infidels as the former verse doth witnesse and Saint Paul much more Rom. 1. saying that They detaine the truth of God in vnrighteousnesse and that though they haue no Law they are a Law vnto themselues yet is this disease more common in the Church whose sins spring more commonly from the impotency of their affections then from the ignorance of their iudgement as it is plaine by those that teach others but teach not themselues and commit those faults themselues which they condemne in others there are few reasonably bred that know not their Creed and the ten Commandements yet when they are put to a reall maintenance of their faith or obseruance of the Law who is hee that staggers not that yeelds not to his affections Well seeing these are the defects of the heart as it is a commanding part you easily conceiue what the cure thereof must be and what is the first property of a cleane heart it is the rectifying of it in regard of folly and impotencie the making of it first wise and vnderstanding the furnishing of it with good and sound Principles the knowledge of the good and acceptable will of God in a word a right iudgement in all things this S. Paul meaneth 〈◊〉 2.16 when hee saith We haue the mind of Christ so that bee the Scrpent neuer so crafty bee sinne neuer so sweetly sugered euill neuer so curiously blancht be the suggestions of our aduersary neuer so sophisticall yet shall wee not bee circumuented wee shall not be deceiued by it That our commanding part be so freed from folly is not enough it must bee freed from impotencie also wee must haue obedient and religious hearts Mat. 10.37 be as ready to doe as to know loue nothing in comparison of God and doing our duety not father mother brother sister wife c. yea we must deny them all Lâ—ke 14 16. I say too little Christ goeth farther we must hate them all if they be an impediment to our following of God and keeping of his commandements if we are so far masters of our selues as to make our affections conforme themselues vnto our iudgement then is the commanding part cured in regard of impotencie and so the commanding part so farre as it is rid of folly and impotencie is truely regenerate But there is in the soueraigne part besides the commanding power a seasoning power also and that must bee regenerated It seasons all our actions with vertue or vice according as it is good or ill As the knowledge of God is the regeneration of it as it is the commanding part so is the loue of God the regeneration of it as it is the seasoning part or rather the coniunction of the loue of God to the knowledge of God So that for a vertuous action wee must bee sani boni viri it must bee the worke of a well aduised and a well-affected man so that the latter part of regeneration is but a consequent vpon the former and the heart if it command well seasoneth well and seasoneth ill if it command ill according to the Commandement our workes doe proue either Vertues or Vices You haue heard what is the regeneration of the soueraigne power here is another power specified which is the actiue Nazianzene
a drudge Miserum est fuisse foelicem the memory of a better doubleth the misery of a worse estate it doth so corporally and it will doe so spiritually if euer we be put to the triall of it yea we shall find it will doe it so much the more by how much the touch of conscience is more tender then any other sense and the gift which we lose is infinitely more precious then any other gift The taking backe doth much amplifie the depriuation but how much more doth it amplifie that nothing is left behind Though the haruest be caried away yet if there be some gleaning behind though a Tree be cut downe yet if there bee a roote left in the ground though the Sunne goe downe yet if it be twilight these small remainders of greater goods are no small refreshings to a loser It doth a man some good to keepe some monuments of his better estate especially when they are pledges of some sparkle of good will towards vs continuing in him vpon whose iust displeasure we forfeited all As God in fauour giueth the holy spirit so in displeasure doth hee take him away and we cannot guesse better at the measure of his displeasure then by the measure of the depriuation If he take it but in part then mercy tempers iudgement but if he leaue no sparkles of grace that may be kindled again then we become Loruhama Hose 1. we are cleane shut out of the bowels of his compassion And this is that which King Dauids trembling conscience doth deprecate in these words Ne auferas Take not away I haue opened vnto you the nature of spirituall Reiection and Depriuation and I doubt not but by that which you haue heard you conceiue that they are grieuous iudgements but the bottomes of them are not sounded except we also take notice of the Consequents two wofull consequents The first if man be reiected of God as before you heard hee must looke for a cleane opposite condition hee loseth the place of Gods presence and whether shall he goe but euen to the pit of hell Hee loseth the state of that blessed place and hee shall fall into the state of the cursed God doth disgrace him dares any creature yeeld a good looke vnto him God layeth him open to danger and whose indignation then will not burne against him Whose hand will spare him vpon whom God layeth his heauie hand Guesse what will become of them that are reiected by the King of heauen by that which you see befall them who are reiected by Kings on earth The first consequent of reiestion is bad neither is the first consequent vpon depriuation better he that loseth the holy Spirit shall be possessed by an vncleane Spirit 1. Sam. 16. it was Sauls case the Text is plaine The Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul and an euill Spirit troubled him where God is not Satan will be Some would bee Neutrals in the World but indeed none are Man is either a Temple of God or a Synagogue of Satan yea and looke how much God taketh from vs of his Spirit so much wee shall be sure to haue of the vncleane Spirit as Darknesse taketh vp all the roome that is not filled with Light if we haue no portion of Gods Spirit those vncleane Spirits will possesse vs wholy A miserable exchange and yet is this the inâ—uitable consequent of depriuation You would thinke I had brought the iudgement to the height but I haue not there is another consequent a consequent worse then the former Omnis spes veniae tollitur so sayth Gregorie the Great the case is not only very bad but it is past all recouery and why Is a man reiected No other man may intercede for him See this in the case of a King How long saith God vnto Samuel wilt thou mourne for Saul seeing I haue reiected him from raigning ouer Israel See it in the case of a Kingdome I will cast you out of my sight saith God as I haue cast out all your brethren euen the whole seed of Ephraim he speaketh of the Kingdome of Iudah and therefore pray not thou Ieremie 1. Sam. 16. Ieremy 7. for this people neither lift vp crie nor Prayer for them neither make intercession to me for I will not heare thee A pittifull case a man may haue no Mediator if he be reiected How much more miserable is his case if he be depriued for then he cannot pray for himselfe it is Saint Pauls doctrine We know not what we should pray for as we ought but the Spirit maketh intercession for vs with groanes which cannot be vttered and he that searcheth the heart knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit because he maketh intercession for the Saints according to the will of God You see there is no Prayer can be made hopefully but must be endited by the Spirit and the Spirit prayeth in none but in those that are Saints therefore they that are depriued of the Spirit are depriued of the grace of Prayer as Zacharie also witnesseth which ioyneth them both together Zach. c. 12. When a man is brought to this case that hee hath no friend to stand vp for him and he cannot be a friend vnto himselfe how desperate is his case What remayneth then but that hee betake himselfe vnto a wretched course Surely Cain did so when hee was reiected hee became the Father of such Giants whom nothing could mend but the generall Deluge and what a life led Saul after hee was depriued So ill a life that his owne death could not make amends for it but many of his children were faine to be hanged vp long after to pacifie the wrath of God Yea the Parable of the vncleane Spirit witnesseth that they that haue beene in the state of grace and by reiection and depriuation are fallen from it are much worse vpon the relapse then euer they were before they first began to be good No wonder then that Dauid conceiued this deprecation against so fearefull iudgements Yea most gracious was God vnto him that gaue him time for to deprecate that put a distance inter meritum iudicium betweene his ill deseruing and Gods iust reuenge he deserued to be cast out but continued still in Gods presence he deserued to be depriued but he retayned still Gods holy Spirit See what good vse hee maketh of Gods patience while hee is in the presence hee preuenteth the casting out and preuenteth the taking away of the Spirit while yet the Spirit abode within him and his preuenting is nothing but deprecating And while we haue the like time we must vse no other meanes how long doth God forbeare vs when wee grieuously prouoke him Were we better aduised we would be more prouident and not ouer-slip the time allowed vs for deprecation lest to our endlesse griefe we find that when we are vnder these iudgements our state is past recouerie I should here end but I must speake a little of
dung whose labour is only to make themselues euerlasting fuell for hell God regardeth them accordingly and they receiue as little of this ioy of saluation as they would seeme to want it But if wee meane to receiue wee must first feele that we doe want and our want must be declared as King Dauids was in this supplication restore For God then begins to take pittie when men are brought to the knowledge of their wants yea he giueth men a sense of their want before he vouchsafeth a supply thereof But redde doth not only imply a sense of want but a remembrance also of that which sometimes we had It is a good thing for a man to bee feeling of his want but there is no small accesse made vnto that gracious sense if we apprehend withall that our want proceeds from our owne vnthristinesse that what wee want wee had and that it is through our owne fault that we are brought vnto this want And indeed if euer wee be in want we want through our owne default for God made vs perfect and we became not naked but by eating the forbidden fruit and since that time men haue beene more or lesse vnthriftie and haue mispent the portion which God hath giuen them Therefore wee must not come to God with the simple Verbe da that imports only that we are in want we must vse the compound redde we must confesse our selues Prodigals that is the right voice of a Christian Penitent But whereto shall we apply this restore To the saluation Or to the ioy Distinguish Quod fieri debet quod fit our deseruing and Gods dealing and the answere is plaine no doubt wee forfeit our saluation God might strip vs of it if hee did reward vs according to our sinnes Gods Couenant is like a lease that hath a clause of re-entrie but leaueth a power in the Land-lord to vse extremitie or deale mercifully with his Tenant God is vnto his children as a kind Land-lord vnto bad Tenants he doth not take forfeits as often as we make them hee doth not re-enter vpon our Tenement nor strip vs of our saluation we are often damnable yet we are not damned Notwithstanding hee doth not suffer vs to scape scot-free when he doth not take the forfeiture hee taketh à nomine poenae he doth inflict some penaltie yea and that a sharpe one too for he taketh euen from his dearest children the ioy of their saluation hee casteth them into sad moodes hee afflicteth them with heauie hearts when they looke vpwards they see cloudes cast ouer Gods countenance and cannot but sorrow for it when they looke downe they see Hels mouth gaping for them they cannot but tremble at it such agonies ouertake them and make them smart for their sinnes wherewith they offend God agonies I say of sorrow and feare Take a similitude from the Sunne which may make a day or a Sunshine day while it is aboue our Horizon it is often day when the Sunne doth not shine but thicke clouds breathed from the earth make a sad skie as if it were night yet cannot we say the Sunne is gone downe euen so many times are we in the state of saluation the Sunne is with vs wee are children of the day yet haue wee no ioy of our saluation our Sunne doth not shine wee haue no cleere day But from King Dauid you may learne that to bee sure of saluation will not content a religious heart except hee may haue the ioy thereof also I conclude this point let vs take heed that pleasure strip vs not of pleasure worldly of heauenly let vs not grieue God lest he grieue vs grieue him with sinne lest he grieue vs with sorrow for we see in King Dauids example that God inflicts such penalties and if at any time we suffer so for our desert let vs not continue stupidly in this distressing want but importune him with King Dauids Restore Restore mee to the ioy of thy saluation And so much of the first part of the supplication I come now to the second from the Restitution to the Confirmation Stablish me with a free spirit Where first we must see what spirit is here meant There is a spirit in man and there is a spirit of God some vnderstand the one some vnderstand the other I wil ioyne both together For indeed the attribute belongs to both Gods spirit is free and so is mans but Gods by nature mans by grace couple Gods Spirit vnto mans and then you shal find the saying of the Apostle true Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is libertie 2. Cor. 3. Rom. 8. Iohn 8. for it is the Spirit of adoption and if thereby the Sonne of God make vs free then are we free indeed Therefore I told you that here by the Spirit I vnderstand our disposition But this disposition of ours must bee considered as it is by nature so it is seruile as it becomes by grace so it is free I called it a generous disposition and indeed so the word signifieth But to open it a little more fully Iohn 8. ver 34 we learne of Christ that sinne maketh a slaue it appeareth plainly in that which we call free will and the attendants thereon Freewill is resolued into the iudgement wee passe vpon things and the choice wee make according to the iudgement now no man hath a more slauish iudgement then a wicked man for sin blindeth his eyes what he doth not desire he doth not beleeue and you shall seldome see a man possest with any enormous sinne in whom affected ignorance is not euident yea sinne maketh him put that out of all question which if he would vse his owne iudgement hee would find had no credibilitie Had it not beene for this seruilitie of iudgement Pharaoh could neuer so long haue held out against Moses Israel haue murmured so often against God Scribes and Pharisees haue so fearefully blasphemed our Sauiour Christ the Church of Rome so shamefully withstand the truth and Atheists so prophanely scoffe at the reproofe of their sinnes not one of these many leud ones which hath not a seruile iudgement Neither hath seruilitie taken possession only of our iudgement but of our will also wee can make no better choice then our iudgement will giue vs leaue if that be seruile this cannot be free Not free Nay it were well if it were no more seruile then our iudgement but indeed it is much more for how often doe we see what we should doe and yet to please sinne chuse to doe the contrarie Whether we be regenerate or whether we be vnregenerate for the text is vnderstood of both by seuerall Diuines we may say with the Apostle Rom. 7. I see a Law in my members rebelling against the Law of my mind and carrying me captiue vnto sinne we haue vncircumcised hearts and doe resist the Spirit of God Take an example or two the Pharisees could not denie the Resurrection of Christ the
God it is a phrase of Equipollencie Exod. 23. it is all one with God which is fairely insinuated vnto Moses wheÌ„ he desireth to see Gods face you shal find in the pursuit of that story that Gods glory Gods goodnes are aequipollent tearmes and it must be our endeauour as far as humaine frailtie will permit herein to resemble God to be nothing to doe nothing but that which may deserue praise And let this suffice concerning the first point the praise of God Let vs now see what King Dauid intends to doe about this praise his intent is to shew it forth I told you the word doth signifie Narrare and Enarrare to deliuer Gods praises by way of Historie and then vpon that he studieth to make a feeling Commentarie In King Dauids Psalmes you may find all kind of Histories you may well call them an abridgement of the Historicall Bookes yea and of the Propheticall too which are a kind of Historie there are few Narrations that tend to the praise of God whereat he hath not touched But his speciall commendations stands in the Enarration in the Commentarie that hee maketh vpon Diuine History he maketh vs see herein that which otherwise we would not heede he maketh vs sensible of that which otherwise wee would not regard Take a touch of it in some particulars Hee hath made many Psalmes of the Creation reade the 8. reade the 19. reade the 104. see how powerfully hee doth worke the obseruation thereof into the hearts of men in the 8. Psalme marke those words O Lord our Lord how excellent is thy name in all the Earth and againe What is man that thou art mindfull of him Or the sonne of man that thou visitest him And how powerfull are those words Psalme the 19. The heauens declare the glorie of God and the firmament sheweth his handie worke Day vnto day vttereth speech c. but beyond all goeth 104. Psalme Blesse the Lord O my soule O Lord my God thou art verie great thou art clothed with honour and maiestie c. the 107. Psalme is about Gods Prouidence but marke the Burden that is added to euerie branch Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodnesse and declare his wondrous workes that he doth for the children of men The same method doth he vse in opening the Redemption Psalme 103. the Law Psalme 19. and 119. the Deliuerance out of Aegypt in many Psalmes it were endlesse to goe ouer all particulars take it for a generall rule you shall find in him neuer a Historie whereupon he doth not make such a Commentarie wherein hee doth not point out some thing that is obseruable and endeauour to make vs sensible thereof and to entertaine it as matter of Gods Praise and this is that which he meaneth by shewing forth Wherby with all hee teacheth vs that the occurrents of Gods Prouidence which befall our persons fall out in our times or any way offer themselues vnto vs must be looked into with such a reflecting such an adoring eye that we must take notice of and giue honour vnto God for his power his wisedome his goodnesse his iustice his mercie that shineth herein and sheweth it selfe vnto the world Thus wee must learne to shew forth the praise of God Dauid addes moreouer wherwith he will shew it forth with his mouth with the Mouth that others might heare the Praises And indeede ore fit Confessio as fraudis so Laudis Luke 12.9 men therewith as they must confesse their sinnes so must they set forth Gods praises shew them forth vnto the world for he that will not confesse God before men God will not confesse him before his blessed Angels The Church is a Body and what befals any member may befall euerie one be it matter of hope or feare sorrow or ioy therefore ought euerie man to communicate to the other his case and his knowledge to worke in them by the same meanes the like affection which hee feeleth in himselfe yea though we doe not feele it yet should we haue a fellow-feeling each of the others affections wherof wee cannot ordinarily take notice except each be informed by the others Mouth The Mouth being the ordinarie meanes of communication the trumpe whereby wee doe mutually stirre vp our selues vnto the Prayses of God But when mention is made of the Mouth wee must not exclude the Heart for though the instrument be the Mouth yet the Musitian is the Heart he causeth the tune of the voice to sound and addeth the Dittie to the Tune and certainely the Musicke will neuer be wel-come to God should any part of man be wanting thereunto Psal 103. therefore Dauid thus cals vpon himselfe Blesse the Lord O my soule and all that is within me blesse his Holy name Gregorie the Great worketh this obseruation out of the word Meum my mouth there be many saith he that praise God but not with their owne mouth such as are the couetous the wantons c. They personate some other they seeme to take vnto themselues another mans tongue when they vtter that which they conceiue not in their own hearts But let such men know that their Praiers shall neuer haue accesse vnto Gods eares whose hearts are estrainged from Righteousnesse Wherefore let vs imitate Dauid in another place 〈…〉 who said that his Soule should be filled as it were with marrow and fatnesse when hee praiseth God with ioyfull Lippes Where withall we learne a good propertie of him that praiseth and that is hee performeth it with pleasure and indeede no man can sincerely praise 〈…〉 but he must delight in that which hee doth praise for praysing is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Nyssen speaketh a louing disposition And Saint Austin â—auâ—at Deum veraciter qui eum amat he praiseth God sincerely that loueth he loueth him vnfainedly and if our delight be not in him we must not thinke that we doe as we ought praise him In a word you heard before that Deus was totus Laudabilis wholy to be praised and we must be toti Laudantes haue no part of body or soule that must not be an instrument to sound forth Gods praise our whole life should be a Psalme thereof And let this suffice touching King Dauids Intent The Intent is good but men may intend more then they can doe good men haue beene ouer consident in their good meanings Saint Peter thought he would neuer forsake Christ and hee would die in his desence yet when he was put to it hee not onely cowardly shrunke from him but also fearefully denied him wherefore Dauid is well aduised hee presumeth not of his owne strength but hath recourse vnto Gods helpe O Lord open thou my lippes The Lippes are the doore of the mouth a doore that is shut vp therefore neede to be opened and it is worth the marking that the word which we translate open is not onely of the same originall with a doore in the Hebrew tongue
possest with a spirit that is deafe and dumbe they had neede that Christ should say vnto them Ephata be thou opened they will not bee able so much as to say 1 Cor. 12.3 Iesus is the Lord but by the Holy Ghost But if God once open our lippes then we shall be able for to speake Neither to speake onely for there is more included in the phrase then so Psal 45. Colos 2. but Grace shall be powred into our lippes our words shall be poudred with Salt as Saint Paul speaketh God that openeth the lippes will also Suggerere materiam supplie the matter of our speech for that is it Dauid aymeth at that he may againe be the Pen-man of God and that his tongue may be the Pen of a ready writer that hee may speake nothing but that which is indited by the Holy Ghost that his words may flow alwayes from the grace of Sanctification and that he may as he was before be a Prophet also and be inspired to speake by the grace of edification Neither doth he ayme in this Prayer onely at the matter of his speech but at the manner also that he may speake with freedome and with wisedome with freedome that he be no more check't with his consciousnesse of sinne And indeede ingenuous freedome in praysing of God is a good argument that our soules are possest with the peace which passeth all vnderstanding Philip. 4 7 and ioy of the Holy Ghost As in the Prayer hee desireth freedome so doth he desire wisedome of speech also it is Gregorie the Greats note Illius os aperit Deus c. God openeth his mouth who doth attend not onely what he saith but also when where and to whom Our tongue though it be a little member Cap. 3. Tâ—eâ— 28. Chap 22. yet it is an vnruly one saith Saint Iames Life and death is in the power of the tongue which made the sonne of Syracke to moue this question Who shall set a watch vpon my mouth and a seale of wisedome vpon my Lippes that I fall not suddainely by them and that my tongue destroy me not Whereunto you may shape an answere out of Dautâ—s Prayer Set a watch O Lord before my mouth Psal 141. and keepe thou the doore of my Lippes so that without this Prayer he could neuer haue made good that promise which elswhere hee maketh Psal 39. I said I will take heede to my wares that I offend not with my tongue One Pamâ—o in the Ecclesiasticall storie is reported to haue studied that short lesson many yeeres and yet in the end he profest that he could not attaine to the exact practise thereof And which of vs is here that offendeth not in his tongue And therefore good reason haue the best euen the verie best to Pray with Dauid Lord open thou my mouth and humbly to surrender the gouernement of his tongue vnto God Finally by this which you haue heard you may easily gather that lippes are to be vnderstood as mouth before this is no more exclusiue then that the heart the whole man must follow the Lippes as before they did the tongue for looke with what we will praise God for that must wee craue Gods guiding and assistance And let this suffice for the particular points which are contained in this Text. I come now to the generall which arise out of the parts laide together Whereof the first is this that seeing Dauid prayeth Open my lippes and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise wee must not begge ought of God which wee meane not to imploy to his glorie that which commeth from him must returne vnto him againe he that is the first cause must bee the last end of all his creatures and of their gifts Therefore when God first opened Zacharies mouth then presently he fell to Luke 1. Blessed be the Lord God of Israel c. When God first endowed vs hee did it that we might the better serue him by our owne default we are disenabled and out of the sense thereof we must confesse that without a second gift of grace we can doe nothing not so much as thinke a good thought nor open our lippes vnto his praise he must worke in vs both to will and doe it Philip. 2.13 Farre be it then from vs that we should with those prophane persons Psal 12. say Our tongues are our owne we will speake who is Lord ouer vs And let ouâ— tongues runne wild Certainely God neuer openeth our lips for such endâ— hee doth not furnish vs with any gifts whereby we should oppose his glorie But all that commeth from him doth shew forth his vertues vnto the world In Exod. c. 3. and therefore if our tongues produce worse effectâ— there is some other then God that openeth our lippes Vereor saith Origen no sint aliqui quorum diabolus aperiat ora many so speake that a man may well feare that the Diuell hath charge of their lippes for their words honour him he is a Lyar and deceipt is vnder their lippes hee is a murderer and their throates are open sepulchers he an impure spirit and some mens talke is nothing but ribaldrie and doth not the Diuell open their mouthes In some places the Scripture speaketh it expresly Matth. 26. the Diuell entered into Iudas presently his tongue fell to conference with the High Priest what hee might haue for betraying of Christ Satan filled the heart of Ananias and Saphira Acts â— and they fell to lying against the Holy Ghost a lying spirit entred into Michaia the false Prophet and he presently seduced Ahab to goe and bee slaine at Ramoth Gilead 〈…〉 and what else meane those three vncleane spirits like Frogges that came out of the mouth of the Dragon 〈…〉 of the beast and of the false Prophet to gather the Kings of the earth to the Battell of the great day of God Almightie Certainely they are those impostors by whose tongues the Diuell doth abuse the world There are some that haue mungrell tongues out of whose mouth commeth blessing and cursing that can blesse God within the Church and curse their Brethren when they are without it whom I must remember of Saint Iames his censure 〈…〉 3 1. My brethren these things ought not so to be can the Fig tree beare Oliue berries or a Vine Figges No fountaine can send forth at the same hole sweete water and bitter fresh and salt What nature abhorreth in vnreasonable creatures sinne produceth commonly in creatures that are reasonable are not we then worse then they Yea verily much worse in that they are but naturall monsters and wee are morall It were much better for vs to be plaine dumbe then to be of gracelesse speech 〈◊〉 12. for we shall giue an accompt for euerie idle much more for euerie euill word I had rather then neuer speake then not speake to Gods glorie And yet mistake not God needeth not our praysing of him
2. the Method There is a Mystery in either of them Rom. 6. In the Sacrifice That teacheth that the wages of sinne is death the innocent beast was slaine but the sinner first put his hands vpon him to note what we deserue and Christ endured for vs from the guilt of our sinnes we are not freed but by the vertue of his death The Mysterie of the Burnt offering is wee owe our selues wholly vnto God and to him must wee giue our selues but first wee must be mortified we cannot ascend in our thoughts vnto Heauen except we mortifie our carnall lusts that grouell vpon the earth To note this mortification and viuification of our selues intire mortification intire viuification which leaueth no hold vnto sinne in any part of our body or power of our soule and which withholds no part or power of either from the seruice of God and which withholds no part or power of either from the seruice of God was the Holocaust soe handled as wee read in the Law first slaine then wholly consumed by fire Besides the Mysterie there is a Method to be obserued in these words K. Dauid doth not only expresse them but digest them digest them according to the prescript of the Law when they were both offered the Sacrifice was presented before the Burnt offering The Morall thereof is very good Wee cannot haue the honour to serue God Prouerb 31.27 except wee first find fauour to be discharged of our sinnes the Sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination vnto the Lord and without holinesse it is impossible for a man to please God therefore we must offer our expiatory Sacrifice before our Dedicatory burnt offering wee must make our peace with God before we presume to come into his presence Finally we must take good heed that wee neither maine the parts of our Reconciliation nor peruert their order Maine them we doe if we offer the Sacrifice but withhold the burnt offering desire remission of our sinnes and take no care to become the seruants of God Or if wee offer the burnt offering and withhold the Sacrifice put our selues into the seruice of God but yet doe cherish a root of bitternesse in our hearts doe not vnburthen our consciences of sinne And how few are there that thus fully reconcile themselues to God and ioyne together both these Offerings Some can be contented to be rid of the vncleane Spirit and haue their house swept and garnished but they keepe it emptie and vnimployed entertaine not God neither doe they deuote themselues vnto his seruice Othersome are contented that God shall dwell in them and they will be his Temple but they will haue this Temple to bee also an House of Merchandise a Denne of thieues a very Synagogue of Satan So doe men maime their Reconciliation they are loath to be wholly reconciled vnto God As we must not maime our Reconciliation so we must not peruert the parts thereof the burnt offering must not goe before the Sacrifice neither must wee dedicate our selues to God before wee are cleansed from our sinnes that were to put new wine into old bottels Marke 2 2â— new cloth into an old garment which if we doe Christ tels vs in the Gospell what will become of it the bottels will breake and the garment will rent and grace will neuer abide in a sinfull soule hee will quickly returne like a dogge to his vomit and a Swine to wallow in the myre We must be new creatures or else neuer let vs offer to be the seruants of God And let this suffice for opening of the two branches of the ceremoniall worships I come now to consider Gods disposition towards them and that is twofold He doth not desire them he doth not delight in them Of the words Desire and Delight though one bee ioyned to Sacrifice and the other to Burnt offering yet doe they both reach either of them and doe oftentimes signifie the same thing but yet here they doe not so I difference them and I did it by warrant of the Scripture which obserues two parts of Gods disposition before these things are offered God doth not desire them that is he hath giuen no precept concerning them God speaketh it plaine in Ieremy Chap 7 2. Put your burnt offering vnto your sacrifice and eat flesh for I spake not vnto your fathers nor commanded them in the day when I brought them out of the Land of Egypt concerning burnt offerings and sacrifices Psal 40 And the Psalmist Sacrifice and offerings thou diddest not desire burnt offerings and sinne-offerings hast thou not required In the fiftieth Psalme there is a plaine deniall of them I will not reproue thee for thy sacrifices or thy burnt offerings because they haue not beene before me I will take no bullocke out of thy house nor hee goate out of thy fold These places doe iustifie the words of my text and shew plainly that God did not desire them before they were offered hee gaue no precept concerning them And as no Precept so no Promise hee did as little delight in them after they were offered as he did desire them before they were offered reade it in Ieremie Chap. 6. To what purpose commeth there vnto mee Incense from Saba and the sweet Cane from a farre country your burnt offerings are not acceptable Chap. 10. c. In Esay God doth passionately amplifie this poynt Heare the Word of the Lord yee Rulers of Sodome giue eare vnto the Law of our God yee people of Gomorrah to what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices vnto me saith the Lord I am full of the burnt offerings of Rams and the fat of fed beasts I delight not in the blood of bullocks of lambs Chap. 66. and of the goats c. and elsewhere He that killeth an Oxe is as if he slew a man he that sacrificeth a lamb is as if he cut off a dogs necke he that offereth an oblation as if he offered Swines blood he that offereth incense is as if he blest an Idoll Chap 5. Chap. 5. You may reade the like in Micah and Amos so that bee they part sacrifices be they whole sacrifices be they Expiatory or be they dedicatory God doth not require them God delighteth not in them there is no precept that requireth their performance there is no promise that doth warrant their acceptance And indeed though Desire and Delight or Precept and Promise are differenced as I haue shewed you yet haue they a dependencie the one vpon the other for therefore doth not God delight in these things when they are offered because he did not desire that they should be offered vnto him for promise of acceptance depends vpon the precept of offering whereof there is a precept thereunto there is anext a promise and a promise doth presuppose a precept in all the seruice of God proue one and conclude both and you ouerthrow both if you can iustly denie either So that
truth of my Text His sinnes were in the number of those which are called crying sinnes for they were Murder Adultery Treachery and Blasphemie for such sinnes there was no Sacrifice Iustin Martyr obserues it in the place before cited If the Gospel saith he had not opened vnto him the gate of repentance in Lege seruatricem non inuenisset humanitatem he could haue found no reliefe in any ceremoniall expiation the Kings condition herein was no better then the subiects as hee confesseth in my text And though hee had no superiour on earth to question him yet doth he plead guilty and intimateth what hee deserueth at Gods hand his sinnes are such which deserue the sword and Gods sword hee could not but feare though hee were out of the feare of mans Adde hereunto that he doth not thinke that euerie light remedie will suffice a King as great men passe ouer the like sinnes with slight penance but litle doe they thinke that heauie punishments are their due which though they feele not from men yet they may feare from God But enough of Gods disposition towards this Ceremoniall worship wee are now to see in few words how Dauid doth conforme himselfe thereunto that is contained in these words Else would I haue giuen it I resolued the words into two propositions whereof the first was If God had affected these offerings he would haue tendred them It is the commendation which God himselfe giueth that Act. 13.22 hee was a man after Gods owne heart and hee would performe all his will and Gods will in sacrifiting he did not neglect neither in peace nor warre Not in peace for when hee translated the Arke from Obed Edoms house 2. Sam. 6. at euery sixe paces hee offered oxen and fatlings so hee offered also when hee went to warre as it appeares by the peoples prayer for him Psal 20. The Lord remember all thy offerings and accept thy burnt sacrifices I omit other places no man may reasonably thinke that hee would sticke at the offering of any Sacrifice who gaue so bountifully towards the Fabricke and furniture of the Temple as you may read 1. Chronic. 29. much more I dare say then any Prince in Christendome hath in his treasury or euer had And indeed hee thought nothing too good for God how chargeable so euer the patterne of the Temple was which was deliuered him hee most cheerefully made prouision for the full accomplishment of it wherein hee shewed himselfe a good patterne and teacheth all that be able to bee willing to aduance in the best sort the seruice of God The second proposition is that because God would not haue them hee forbore these offerings hee would not prescribe to God the satisfaction that God requireth is arbitrary in him none but himselfe knoweth what will content himselfe therefore hee must goe before vs and wee must yeeld what hee doth chuse Hee must definitely concerning our necessary seruice and concerning our voluntary at least indefinitely expresse his will or else wee cannot know or doe what hee will accept by meanes whereof our offering will bee thanklesse or fruitlesse for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 will-worship pleaseth me not it wil be cast off with Quis requisiuit Lâ—ay 1.12 Marke 7.7 Who hath required these things at your hands and in vaine doe they worship mee teaching the traditions of men And well may God so censure it for experience hath proued amongst the Heathen yea and amongst Christians also that when they leaue in such cases to be ruled by God men run wilde yea mad in their superstitions or rather impious Pietie The lash note I giue vpon this text is that the Fathers make it a Prophesie of the new-Testament wherein all carnall Rites were to bee done away and men were to serue God in spirit and truth we liue to see it and see to our griefe too many enuy themselues the comfort of it the Church of Rome by a multitude of inconuenent ceremonies hath much darkned the light of the Gospell and some are growen so absurd as to thinke that the Iewish Ceremonies shall be reuiued at Hierusalem againe But I cannot stand to refute these follies Let mee onely recommend two rules vnto you out of King Dauids words The first is the rectifying of your deuotion that you neuer so mistake the helpes which God affords our infirmitie as to giue the the honour of things heauenly vnto earthly or to let our bodies in God seruice be other then attendants vnto our soules Besides rectifying of our deuotion Let vs learne to resigne our selues wholly vnto Gods will remembring this that as wee must not be hastie and goe before him so must we not be slacke in in following him If in seruing of God wee take this course and are led by this guide wee shall be sure that our seruice shall neither be amisse nor yet in vaine and may expect that comfortable doome Math. 25.23 Well done seruant faithfull and true enter into thy Mastersioy PSAL. 51. VERSE 17. The Sacrifices of God are a broken Spirit a broken and contrite Heart O God thou wilt not despise KIng Dauid being resolued to serue God aduiseth how it may be done best In this deliberation hee taketh God for his guide and will make no other choyce then may stand with Gods good pleasure Now touching Gods pleasure hee informes vs that whereas there are two kinds of Gods seruice a Ceremoniall and a Morall God maketh little accompt of the Ceremoniall You heard that point opened the last Lords day that which hee regardeth is the morall and of that shall you God willing heare this day My present Text will tell you two things first wherein the Morall seruice stands secondly how it is esteemed It stands in the humiliation of the inward man the inward man is noted by the words Spirit and Heart two names but signifying the same reasonable soule which as it can subsist without the body is called a Spirit and it is called a Heart as it liueth in and doth manifest it selfe by the body This inward man must be humbled it must be broken and contrite two words meaning the the same thing but not without some difference in degree the former notes the beginning the latter the consummating of our Humiliation This is the morall seruice and it stands in these points He that vseth it shall find that it is well esteemed for what was denied vnto the Ceremoniall seruice is yeelded vnto this God did not desire that but this he doth it is the sacrifices of God Wherein marke two things first God that careth not for the slaughter of a beast requireth the mortification of a man he will haue his Heart his Spirit broken and contrite Secondly this one Mortification of man goeth in stead of the manifold slaughters of Beasts for it is Sacrifices The second thing that was denied vnto the Ceremoniall was that God did not delight in it but in the morall he doth he
breaking vp the fallow ground of our hearts Ier. 4.3 Hosea 10.12 that they may bee sowen Now you know that they that breake vp their grounds vse the Plough and the Harrow the Plough turneth vp the ground in great clods that is the first breaking of it then commeth the Harrow and turneth those clods into dust that is the second breaking of it and so these two breakings represent corporally what you must spiritually obserue in a broken and contrite heart The very same may fitly bee represented by the second resemblance that is taken from Masonry the Scripture doth often tell vs that sinners haue stony hearts and therefore they must be broken that they may be made fleshy hearts as tender and soft as flesh Now you know that when a Mason or Plaisterer will worke a rough stone into all kinde of shapes at his pleasure he first breaketh him being calcined or otherwise prepared all to pieces and then those pieces he poundeth into dust then that dust with liquor he can worke into a soft substance which will receiue any shape according to the fancy of the Plaisterer Euen so must the Heart and Spirit of a man be hammered by Gods Word Ierem. 23.9 broken and broken againe that so it may be made plyable vnto the wil of God These be faire resemblances and I might insist vpon them and by them illustrate the humiliation of a sinner but I choose rather the resemblance that offereth it selfe in my Text and that is contained in the word Sacrifices In the Temple or Tabernacle there were two Altars one of burnt sacrifice another of Incense the sacrifice of either will fit our purpose That of incense Exod. 30. where God telleth expresly of what spices the perfume should be made he addeth these wordes thou shalt beate some of it very small and put it before the testimony in the Tabernacle of the congregation where I will meete with thee The resemblance is very fit But it is fitter if we take it from the other Altar and indeed it is fit we take it thence for though my text be true of all morall seruice God requireth it God delighteth in it as might bee shewed at large if the time would permit and it were to my purpose yet now haue I to doe with no more then concerneth King Dauids case the reconciliation of a Penitent so much morall worship as answereth to burnt offering and sacrifice whereof you heard in the verse going before now they did belong to the Altar of burnt offerings wherefore there will wee seâ—ke and wee shall find our resemblance For the sacrifices were first cut in pieces that was their breaking secondly being so broken they were burnt into ashes that was a contrition of them a contrition and a breaking which doth most liuely represent the breaking and contrition required in Repentance Looke backe vpon them The Priest that did cut the sacrifice in pieces did as the Iewish Rituals obserue not mangle but ioynt the parts and what should wee doe in our Repentance but orderly take asunder and in our meditations view apart the seuerall powers that are in our soule and not mingle the vnderstanding and the will but seeing each hath his owne defects we must feelingly consider the seuerall defects that are in each power And this is the breaking of the Heart and the Spirit But the parts of the Sacrifice were not onely broken but they were brought to the fire and there they were burnt to ashes and it is not enough for vs in grosse to obserue the defects of the seuerall powers that are in our soule we shall find them intricate and a very Labyrinth wee must hunt out euery lurking sinne and euery particle must beare a part in this humiliation the fire of spirituall affliction must pierce euen vnto the least iot of that which doth partake of corruption otherwise our Heart and Spirit are not as they ought broken and contrite Saint Ambrose conceiueth that these words are meant of Christ And indeed he that doth but read the 53. of Esay which is often alleadged by the Apostles especially Saint Peter shall finde that Christ had a broken and contrite Heart and Spirit indeed the Euangelists doe expresse it in significant words Luke 22 44. Math. 26.38 Mark 14.33 hee was in an agony his soule was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 on euery side encompassed with heauinesse euen vnto death he began 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to be euen astonished 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to droope to become euen heartlesse the Sacrament what is it but a representation of the humiliation of our Sauiour Christ not in conscience of his owne sinne but for expiation of our pride was Christ pleased to be humbled not onely in body but in soule also And to him must we be conformed for he is the best patterne of a broken and contrite Spirit But marke in these words broken and contrite that euery kind of concussion is not a poenitentiall humiliation Iam 2.19 for the Diuels they feare and tremble when they remember in what case they stand Act. 24.25 and so did Felix tremble when Saint Paul preached of the iudgement to come and how was Pharaoh shaken when he was vnder the plagues of Egypt Daniel 5. Baltazar quiuered and his knees smote together when he saw the hand-writing but their hearts and spirits were made of tough mettall not one of them brake or was contrite but after Gods hand was off they continued whole and wholly the same persons And so if wee doe and it is too common for vs to doe so crie we out neuer so much I haue sinned and God be mercifull vnto me in our danger be it what it may be wee are not humbled as the morall seruice of God requireth As we wound our soules so must we be contented to search those wounds and least they fester Ier. 23.9 Habak 3 16. search them to the bottome we must be contented as throughly to grieue for sinne as to take delight therein But a little farther to wade into this point There are two kinds of Griefe that the Schooles speake of Appretiativus and Intensivus they apply it somwhat vntowardly but here wee may make a good vse of it for our spirituall humiliation must testistifie first at what rate wee doe set the fauour of God and hauing no better thing to wreck our displeasure vpon for the losse therof then our Heart and Spirit we vse them so roughly and choose them for the subiect of humiliation Secondly the breaking and contrition of heart and spirit doe shew that our sorrow is as intensiue as it is appretiatiue as the thing is most deare vnto vs which we afflict so there can be no deeper wounds giuen then those wherwith we afflict it But sorrow is not enough vnto humiliation there are two other things that must goe therewith and are very clearly insinuated in this manner of breaking and contriting our Heart The first is
the detestation of sin committed for how can a man more clearely expresse that he doth abhorre his own wickednesse then by so breaking and afflicting of his owne both Heart and Spirit if he make them suffer for it it is an vndoubted signe that hee doth detest it A second thing required is that a man returne to God and that also is insinuated in a broken and contrite heart for seeing it is the hardnesse of heart that did shut God out what is the breaking of the heart but the letting of him in Yea this breaking and contrition being borrowed from the Sacrifice there was no incensio sine ascensione as the corporall so the spirituall fire doth not burne but it doth ascend therefore fitly doth the Holy Ghost call the Altar vpon which the Sacrifices were offered Misbach Gnoloth the Altar of Ascensions that is the Altar of burnt Sacrifices that doe ascend because all such morall worship imports a mans religious disposition to be reconciled vnto God Hitherto we haue spoken of the humiliation of a broken and contrite heart but we haue spoken nothing of the workemaster who it is that can so humble both the Heart and Spirit Hee seemeth not here to be exprest and yet it is fit he be knowen and if we enquire we shall find that there is a double Author The principall one is God It is a good Rule of Saint Austins De fide ad Petr. c. 31. firmiter tene neminem hic posse paenitentiam agere nisi quem Deus illuminauerit gratuità misericordià conuerterit Saint Paul warranteth this Rule the seruant of the Lord must in meeknesse instruct those that are contrary minded 〈◊〉 2.25 and see if God peraduenture will giue them repentance But it is true also that the Heart and the Spirit that is broken and contrite hath a hand in its owne breaking and contrition of it selfe our owne vnderstanding doth discouer our sinne and our owne heart doth melt it selfe vpon the sight thereof yea it would be no vertue of ours were it not produced by our owne reasonable faculties It is true that the Crosse sometimes and sometimes discontent worldly discontent because things goe not with vs as flesh and bloud desireth or spirituall discontent because the worme of Conscience doth bite vs and giueth vs no rest doe oftentimes humble vs but these things make not vp our broken and contrite heart except we be as well actiue as passiue therein As Christ in his so we in our Sacrifices must be Sacerdotes Sacrificium we must be both the thing that is offered and the offerers we must as willingly humble our selues as be deeply humbled But here we must obserue a good Rule of Saint Bernards when we say that this humiliation is from God 〈…〉 Arbiâ—â— and from man from Gods Grace and mans freewill we doe not meane that these are co-ordinate but subordinate Non partim gratia partim liberum arbitrium Grace and freewill doe not share the worke betweene them sed totum singula peragunt each of them doth performe the whole worke Grace doth it wholly freewill doth it wholly sed vt totum in illo sic totum ex illâ As the whole humiliation is immediately wrought by the freewill of man so is the freewill of man inabled thereunto by the Grace of God Grace determineth the wil if not physically at least morally But to conclude this poynt We often read in the Prophets that God doth threaten he will conterere peccatores crush sinners all to pieces Saint Basil telleth vs that there is a remedy against it that is contrition is to be opposed against contrition In â—say 13. if we will humble our selues God will neuer humble vs. I haue dwelt long enough in opening our morall seruice I come now to shew you how it is esteemed Here the first thing that I find is that what was denyed to the ceremoniall is yeelded to the morall seruice First there it was denyed that God doth require that but here it is affirmed that God requireth this for a broken and contrite heart is Gods Sacrifices And see here at first we meere with a rubbe for in corporall Sacrifices a man might not offer that which was broken or bruised Leuit. 22. it should seeme that in spirituall he may But the reconciliation is easie for those Sacrifices did principally note Christ who was without all blemish before he was offered and yet being such he was broken for our sinnes my Text doth not compare man to the Sacrifice before it was offered though we should all striue to be as good as we may when we present our selues to God but the comparison is of man to the sacrifice after it is offered and then it may without fault bee broken yea it is brought thither to the end that it may be broken neither except it be broken is it any Sacrifice But to the maine point I told you there are two propositions in these words the Sacrifices of God are a broken and contrite heart First That God which careth not for the slaughter of beasts requireth the mortification of men that is the slaughter which he requireth therfore is the name Seuach giuen vnto it which signifieth a beast slaine And this bringeth vs on to another note concerning a broken and a contrite heart and that is Our humiliation is the slaying of the beastiality of our nature And indeed euery lust is a very beast and for them doth the Holy Ghost call men by the name of many beasts sometimes swine sometimes dogges sometimes foxes hee that doth abolish these lusts doth slay so many beasts A second proposition is That one mortification of man is to God insteed of all the sacrificing of Beasts All that were required to reconciliation or all simply surely we may vnderstand it both wayes It may be Sacrifices if it comprehend onely the Expiatorie and Dedicatorie as it doth so farte as God requireth these from vs and accepteth vs in Christ for he requireth no other Expiation of vs then a godly sorrow detesting sinne neither doth he expect any other Dedication then that wee be wholly conuerted vnto God and I shewed you how both these are represented in the broken and contrite heart Will you extend it to all Sacrifices you may Abulens in Exod. Tom 2. p. 131. for all had some reference to Reconciliation euen those which seeme to haue least the Votiue and Eucharisticall for though their principall ends were to acknowledge or obtaine some blessing of or from God yet the manner of the sacrificing so farre as it was common to the Sacrifice for sin did withall deprecate Gods wrath and acknowledge that sinne made the offerer vnworthy as well of that blessing which he had receiued as of that which he begged Which must bee obserued because this broken and contrite heart looketh to the praise of God which Dauid not many verses before promised he would shew forth And
indeed a repentant confession is in the Scripture called a giuing glory vnto God Finally these broken Spirit and heart are the Sacrifices which God calleth for for he is a Spirit and what can be more sutable vnto him then that which is spirituall therefore euer in the legall hee did ayme at the spirituall as you may gather out of the new Testament the Gospell is set forth in termes of the Law to preach is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to play the Priest Rom. 15.16 the people conuerted are called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Sacrifice and Oblation the skilfull handling of the Scriptures 2. Tim. 2.15 is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 rightly to diuide the Word yea Heb. 4. the Word it selfe is by Saint Paul said to bee sharper then any two edged sword or Sacrificers knife piercing euen to the diuiding asunder of the soule and the Spirit the whole passage is full of sacrificing phrases I may not omit one thing wee are called a spirituall Priesthood 1. Pet. 2 5. yea the whole body of the Church is so called a Priest must not bee without his Sacrifice and here are the Sacrifices which God will haue euery one offer euen euery lay man may offer these Sacrifices vnto God We may nay we must offer them but how will God accept them surely very well A broken and a contrite heart God will not despise Men vse to make little account of yea they make themselues sport with those that are broken hearted and of a contrite Spirit that mourne like doues and lament in the bitternesse of their soules Dauid complaineth in his Penitentials yea our Sauiour Christ himselfe in the 22. and other Psalmes that when they were humbled then they were derided And indeed in the iudgement of flesh and bloud these things seeme to be of no value they seeme to be contemptible but he that doth vse them shall finde that he shall neuer be confounded of God Ioel. 2 13. the reason wee haue in Ioel rent your hearts and not your garments c. for the Lord is gratious mercifull long suffering Esay 24. c. he will not breake a bruised reed nor quench smoking flaxe hee that would not despise Ahab in his humiliation nor Manasses will much lesse despise a Mary Magdalene a Saint Peter a Publican verily 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he will neuer set them at naught But the word hath in it a Litote more is meant then is exprest God is so farre from despising that he maketh great account thereof I told you that it is vouchsafed the double effect of Sacrifices First it yeeldeth a sweet smell vnto God Luke 15.7 for there is ioy in heauen for one sinner that repenteth yea more ioy then for ninety and nine that need not repentance and in the Prophet Esay 66. to this man will I looke euen to him that is poore and of a contrite Spirit C. 57. and trembleth at my Word Secondly it yeeldeth a smell of rest vnto man for so we read in Esay I dwell with him that is of a contrite and humble spirit to reuiue the spirit of the humble and te reuiue the heart of the contrite ones De interiore domo c. 37. Saint Bernard coupleth them both together Animam poenitentiae lachrymis afflictam Spiritus Paracletus libenter consolatur frequenter visitat ad veniae fiduciam plenè reformat Therefore let vs learne of Saint Austin this good lesson Aug. cont 5. Hereses quaeramus lapidem quo percutiatur incredulus percussus quassetur quassatus comminuatur comminutus in puluerem conuertatur conuersus in puluerem compluatur complutus seratur satus ferat fructum non quod igne absumatur sed quod in horreo condatur But I may not dwell longer hereon There are two other notes which I drew the one out of Gods desire of the other out of his delight in these Sacrifices I call them Paradoxes And so indeed they seeme to flesh and blood God requireth a broken a contrite heart and spirit as his Sacrifices then there is a certaine religious man-slaughter And so there is a man may holily kill himselfe breake his heart and crush his spirit as it were to dust Mat. 5.29 but this must be done not corporally but spiritually as elsewhere we are willed to plucke out our offending eyes and cut off our offending hands we must mortifie not our nature but the corruption that cleaueth to our nature such slaying God allowes for indeed it is a quickening life in sinne is death and the death of sinne is life The second Paradoxe is That we neuer please God better then when we please our selues least seeing God doth not despise a broken and a contrite heart for we are full of imperfections of which God would haue vs rid our selues therefore he is glad when he seeth vs play the good Husbands weeding our fields good Physitians purging of our corrupt humours carefull not to foster or fauour ought that may offend him or cause our owne ruine Now this we cannot doe without much disquieting and afflicting of our selues omnis medicina salutaris facit dolorem our corupt nature will repine at such alterations But to draw to an end What our Sauiour Christ said when he went to raise Lazarus this sicknesse is not vnto death that must wee conceiue of all those whom we see to haue broken and contrite hearts Mat. 17. rather as he that was to be dispossest was immediately before the diuell came out miserably torne and turmoyld and euen left for dead vntill Christ put out his hand and raised him vp safe and sound Euen so shall wee feele the greatest conflicts with sin when we are euen ready to be set free by grace Saint Austin setteth himselfe out for an excellent monument hereof in his Confessions Secondly seing God is delighted with this Sacrifice we are forbidden to despaire of our owne vnworthines as to presume of our righteousnes this Text doth warrant vs this comfort when in these fits wee seeme to be furthest from God God bringeth vs then nearest vnto himselfe for this pang is a fore-runner of health but senslesse sinners haue no part in this consolation Thirdly God in this morall seruice hath equalled the rich and the poore hee doth hereby take off their eyes from their worldly estate wherein they differ and sixeth them on that wherein they are equall In these Sacrifices the poore may bee as forward as the rich and if there bee any disaduantage it is on the rich mans side for he thinking that hee hath something to giue besides himselfe doth giue himselfe to God the lesse specially in this kind of seruice which rich men desire not to bee acquainted with God herein taketh downe their pride because he passeth by all their wealth and setteth his estimate vpon humiliation As for the poore that hath nothing to giue but himselfe God
by this Text yeeldeth him this glory hee need not if hee will be vnprouided of the best gift that can be giuen that is himselfe poore selfe if he haue grace to be as poore in spirit as hee is in purse and lament the want of grace asmuch as he doth his want of wealth Finally This Text is one of the Prefaces to our dayly Liturgie I would we did as often practise it as we doe repeate it Certainly there is great cause we should whether we respect sinne or woe whereof there was neuer more or any that deserued more humiliation The times deserue that euery day should bee a day of humiliation and that euery man should affiâ—â—t his soule the more wee know God requireth this seruice and the better wee see that he accepteth it the more forward should we bee to performe it ANd I pray God wee may haue so heard this Text opened that our hearts and Spirits may relent with it so shall we not be iudged of the Lord if we will iudge our selues Nay sowing in teares we shall reape in ioy AMEN PSAL. 51. VERSE 18. Doe good in thy good pleasure vnto Sion build thou the Walles of Ierusalem WHen I brake vp this Psalme I shewed that it consisteth of two Vowes made by King Dauid one for himselfe another for his Kingdome I haue ended the first that Vowe which concerneth the King I am now come vnto the second the Vow which he maketh for his Kingdome This second Vow as the first will be resolued into a Desire and a Promise Of the Promise in the next Verse the Desire is contained in this In opening of this Desire I will obserue first for whom it is conceiued secondly what it doth containe Those for whom it is conceiued are noted in these words Sion Ierusalem which made vp the mother Citie of the Kingdome of Israel an excellent type of the Church for these King Dauid maketh a suite and the suite for them is in effect the same which he made for himselfe He sueth that they may be restored into the state of grace that is the meaning of these words Doe well vnto Sion Secondly that being restored they may be preserued therein which he beggeth in these words Build vp the Walles of â—erusalem These be the blessings for which he sueth and hee sueth for them in a sense sutable to the places his suite is Mysticall But to whom is the suite made And for whose sake doth hee hope to speede Surely he sueth onely to God to him it is that hee saith Doe good build thou the walles and hee hopeth to speed onely for Gods sake therefore doth he adde in thy good pleasure Doe good in thy good pleasure and in thy good pleasure build thou the Walles of Ierusalem Lay together the parts of the Text and then you will see in it two remarkable vertues confidence in God and compassion towards the Church Confidence for in the beginning of the Psalme Dauid seemeth so deiected that he hath enough to doe to pray for himselfe hee so describeth his estate as if hee were not worthy to doe so much but towards the end of the Psalme he sheweth himselfe another man hee taketh heart and becommeth a suiâ—our for all Israel yea hee presumeth to begge for it the greatest blessing of God But he doth it out of another vertue also which shineth here the vertue of Compassion he is not contented to fare well himselfe he desireth the wel-fare of his whole Kingdome as hee made it obnoxious to Gods wrath so he holds himselfe bound to bee a mediatour for Gods fauour Such charitie in praying deserueth to be exemplarie wherefore let vs listen diligently to the vnfolding thereof that wee may learne to exemplifie it in our prayers The first thing that we must enter vpon are those for whom King Dâ—uid conceiueth this desire they are Sion and Ierusalem which words in the Scripture are taken sometimes historically sometimes mystically that is either they nore places in the holy land or else by those places represent vnto vs the Church of God Because the mysticall sense cannot bee concerued but by the correspondencie which it hath vnto the historicall I must first open the historicall that so I may the better guide your apprehension in the mysticall Before I doe this I must let you know that Sion and Ierusalem were two distinct places yet it is vsuall in the Scripture in naming either to meane both In the second Psalme I haue set my King vpon my holy hill of Sion Sion there comprehendeth Ierusalem for Dauid who is meant in that Text was King of both In the beginning of Ecclesiastes Solomon is said to haue beene King in Ierusalem we may not exclude Sion for he was King in that also This being briefely obserued I come now to the â—â—storie of these words Where first you must obserue that either of these places were hills of Sion the common attribute doth witnesse it for it is called Mount Sion and of Ierusalem it is as true Iosephus reporteth that it was built vpon the hill Acra the Psalmist beareth witnesse hereunto saying Psal 87. He hath laide his foundations in the holy mountaines and the common phrase of ascending to Ierusalem Secondly the whole tract of those hils was called the land of Moriah which is by interpretation the place where God appeareth or is conspicuous there God appeared vnto Abraham when hee was ready to offer Isaac there did he appeare vnto Dauid when the punishing Angell vpon Dauids Prayer was commanded to sheath his sword Finally there appeared the Sonne of God in our flesh when he wrought the redemption of man Thirdly those places were two seuerall Cities whereof one was in the lot of Beniamin the other was in the lot of Iudah Ierusalem that was in the lot of Beniamin was conquered by Iosua but Sion that was in the lot of Iudah continued in the possession of the Iebusites vntill the dayes of King Dauid he subdued them though he did not wholly extinguish them as appeareth by the storie of Araunah the Iebusite Dauid hauing gotten the possession of Sion ioyned it with a Wall to Ierusalem and so of two made one Citie one Citie of those which before were two and that of two seuerall nations Iebufites and Israelites of this vnion we must vnderstand these words in the Psalme Psal â—â— Ierusalem is a Citie that is compacted together in it selfe Fourthly Dauid hauing thus vnited the Cities translated thither the Arke and God there designed a place where the Temple should be built euen vpon a piece of ground that lay indifferently betweene the Tribes of Indah and Beniam in and so it became the fixed place where God chose to put his name and where hee vouchsafed to reside betweene the Cherubins it was Gods sedes Religionis the ordinarie place of Diuine worship to this the afore-named Psalme beareth witnesse Thither the Tribes euen the Tribes of Israel goe vp according
For if Christ dealt so graciously with those that came dissemblingly to learne of him what confidence may wee haue that hee will answere vs if in singlenesse of heart and humility of spirit wee open vnto him the scruples of our conscience and desire his resolution no doubt but hee that biddeth vs to seeke Math. 7.7 will helpe vs to sinde and we shall receiue of him that biddeth vs aske and hee that biddeth vs knocke will open vnto vs. But this poynt of answering questions in Diuinity deserues to bee stood vpon a little longer and our iudgement set right that it erre not herein Wee must then learne of the Preacher that There is a time to speake and a time for a man to hold his peace Chap. 3. this distinction in the Prouerbs is fitted vnto answeres Answere not a foole according to his foolishnesse lest thou be like vnto him answere a foole according to his foolishnesse Chap. 26. lest hee bee wise in his owne conceipt So that there is a time when a mau may answere a question and a time wheu a man may not answere it and how shall wee bee able to distinguish these times Surely the time when wee may not answere is knowne either by the question or by the questionist If the question be either friuolous or curious it must haue no answere for wee must not feed mens either idlenesse or saucinesse Tit. 2 Touching friuolous questions wee haue S. Pauls rule foolish questions auoid And for curious questions we haue our Sauiours example Ioh. 21. Christ bad Peter follow him Peter asked Christ what shall Iohn doe Christ taketh him short What is that to thee follow thou mee If wee looke into the Schoolemen and the Casuists wee shall find that their wits haue beene idly busie yea and often wickedly too in answering such questions as were very vnfit to bee demanded yea the resolutions vpon Cur and Quomodo Why and How in debating articles of Faith beyond the bounds which are set downe in the Scripture haue bred the greatest distraction in Christendome while each side with words and with bloud shed maintaineth his determination of that poynt which if it had neuer beene heard of the Christian Faith had beene neuer a whit the lesse sound and the Communion of Saints had beene preserued Aug. expla 56. Take this then for your first rule that if a question bee either not behoouefull or aboue our reach it must receiue no answere nay ordinarily we must not giue answere to them that study questions which nothing concerne their calling especially if neglecting theirowne dutie they are too inquisitiue after that which concerneth other men The world is much sicke of this disease and you shall heare oftner of idle and curious questions then of those that concerne the health of mens soules and the ordering of their calling Christians are herein as ill imployed as were the Iewes Though there bee no defect in the question yet there may bee in the questonist in regard of his ill disposition bee it Obstinacie or Impietie though his question bee good hee deserueth no answere An Hereticke saith Saint Paul after one or two admonitions auoid 〈◊〉 3 10. knowing that such a man is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he carrieth his doome in his owne bosome and doth wilfully withstand the truth he must not bee answered because of his obstinacie Math 7 Touching Impietie wee haue Christs Rule Giue not holy things vnto dogs and cast not your pearle among Swine lest they trample them vnder their feeet and turne againe rent you yea prophane Atheists moue questions touching God or sacred things which they disbelieue that they may therewith make themselues wickedly merry our silence must take from them all occasion to blaspheme and such questionists must receiue no answere Truth is neuer mute for want oâ— arguments of defence but sometimes silent out of holy wisedome whereas falshood hath nothing in reason to reply but yet it will be euer prating To our purpose then the premises conclude that it will be time to speak and that wee may answere though it bee a foole so the question bee profitable and the questionist be not prophane But Chrysostome setteth downe the two vsefull ends of our answere Hom in Math. 26. when we answere a foole it must be either for the publique confusion of proud folly and to make Pharisaicall spirits see they know not what they thinke they know or for the edification of the standers by those which with meeknesse will receiue the truth we may not suffer such to continue perplext through ignorance At these ends did Christ ayme in his Answere And so haue I sufficiently shewed you why Christ doth vouchsafe an answere though he that moued the question came as a Tempter Let vs now come on to the Answere that Christ vouchsafeth whereof the first branch is Thou shalt loue Wherin I will open two points 1. What is enioyned and 2. to Whom That which is enioyned is Loue and he that must loue is noted in this word Thou Chap 6. in Deuteronomie you shall find that this Thou is Israel Loue is in the number of those things quae melius sentiuntur quam verbis exprimuntur man may better feele then say what it is yet this is out of all question that it is an Affection and whereas our affections are either sensuall or rationall Loue is found in either of them There is a sensuall Loue wee see it in Beasts they loue their mates their of-spring their benefactors But wee haue not to doe with this loue farther then to note that this in man though it bee not the rationall loue yet should it be guided by the rationall And were it so as commonly it is not as appeareth by the enormous wantonnesse and monstrous lusts that haue beene that are in the world men would not proue themselues to bee worse then beasts as euery where they doe Coâ—â—dies Tragedies other Poems haue too much of this stuffe and it is the argument of two many true Histories This Loue if regulate though it bee not illicitus amor yet doth it not rise to the pitch of that Loue which is commanded here â—ut the Loue here meant is that which is in vs as we are reasonable creatures or rather religious as appeares after in Thou The Diuines commonly call it Charitie and so will I for distinction sake Though I hold that the exception of the Rhemists taken to the word Loue in our Translations is but a meere Cauill and I could easily proue it such To vnderstand what this Rationall Loue or Charitie is we must remember what God said when he had made Adam It is not good for Man to be alone let vs make him a helpe like himselfe For though that be spoken of Mariage-Charitie yet doth it containe the ground of all other For euen by the law of creation euery man is subiect to some want the supply wher of
one thing more which I may not omit concerning the nature of Charitie and that is the Constancie thereof Loue is strong as death Iealousie is cruell as the graue Cant. chap 8. the coles thereof are coles of fire which hath a most vehement flame many waters cannot quench Loue neither can the flouds drowne it if a man would giue all the substance of his house for Loue it would be contemned Abhorret vera Charitas omnia distrahentia pereat qui inter nos dissidium volunt Wee must not bee like little children that loue to day and hate to morrow nec ita amare ut aliquando osuri manente bonitate non exigente superiore lege aut patriae aut religionis I haue competently opened vnto you the nature of Charitie But you must obserue that whereas there are two things in it the qualitie and the exercise thereof Bernard it is not the qualitie but the exercise that commeth vnder the commandement Vbicunque in Scriptura dilectio requiritur non tam extgitur dilectio affectus quam Charitas operis Gal. 5. Deut. 10. the qualitie is the gift of God for hee is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Charitatis efficax it is hee that maketh men to bee of one minde and circumciseth mens hearts that they may loue and Charitie is the fruit of the Spirit And the Spirit doth worke it in our hearts not only by mouing without qualifying them as Peter Lumbard erroniously thought hee improueth our Charitie too farre but the Loue of God is powred abroad into our hearts by the holy Spirit Expla 11 ad Carth. substantialis Charitas dat accidentalem as S. Bernard speaketh God which is Charitie giueth vnto man the gift of Charitie But when we haue receiued the gift of God wee must employ it wee must not receiue the grace of God in vaine As in nature so in grace wee haue our abilities for action and the Parable will tell vs what will bee our doome if wee hide our Talent But the Commandement is affirmatiue and therefore tenet semper but not ad semper wee must neuer be without a louing disposition yet are we not bound to manifest it but as occasion shal be offered vs. Yet must we take heed that we neither will nor do ought that is contrary vnto Charity You haue heard What is giuen in charge you must now heare to Whom this charge is giuen Thou shalt loue and this Thou is Israel so wee read in Moses Hearken O Israel Thou shalt loue Deut. 6. It is giuen then to the regenerate for Israel is a name of the Church of those that were in couenant with God and had in their flesh the seale thereof Without the Church is the Kingdome of Satan and where Satan raigneth there Satanisme that is hatred is there can bee no true Charitie Iohn 13.35 Christ telleth vs it is the badge of his followers By this shall all men know that you are my Disciples Cant 2 4. if yee loue one another In the Canticles it is called the Banner of the Church now you know that the Banner keepeth euery Souldier to his owne station and so strengtheneth the whole by euery ones good order And wee neuer breake our ranke in the Church militant and hazard the whole by our disorder but wee doe it through want of Charitie What is spoken to the whole Church euery member must take it to himselfe and vnderstand himselfe in the word Thou Saint Paul hath taught vs that hatred and Charitie distinguish carnall and spirituall men 1. Cor. 3. by Charitie Saint Iohn telleth vs it is knowne that wee are borne of God 1. Ioh. 3.10 Sola Charitas diuidit inter filios Regniaeterni Austin de Trinit silios perditionis saith Austin wee haue no assurance that wee shall bee Saints in heauen except wee entertaine the Communion of Saints on earth if in this life wee delight in hatred after this life wee shall bee ranged with those which are hatefull But whose charge is this who is hee that commands Thou shalt loue surely it is Gods charge hee layeth this commandement vpon his Church Doe you heare it and not wonder at it God is a Soueraigne Lord hee may giue what Lawes please him vnto the Creatures which hee hath made yet see how gracious hee is hee will lay no other charge vpon his Church then that which may bee performed by loue then which kind of command nihil facilius nihil foelicius none can bee more easie Chap. 38. c. none can be more happy nothing more easie for what difficultie can there bee in Loue If God should come vpon a man as he did vpon Iob and presse him to reueale all the secrets of the Creation and prouidence much more if hee should bid him open the mysteries of the Kingdome of Heauen hee might answere Alas Lord I am an ignorant man If hee should bid him build such a Temple as Salomons was and furnish it with so many instruments and ornaments of gold and of other precious stuffe hee might say alas Lord I am a poore man If hee should bid him goe and roote out all Infidels from the face of the earth hee might answere alas Lord I am a weake man And so to many like commandements hee might plead some excuse But when God saith Thou shalt loue no man hath any excuse to plead but the malignitie of his owne nature yea no man comes to Heauen that did not loue though many poore ignorant weak ones c. come there A poore man may loue as well as a rich an ignorant as a wise a weake as a strong especially seeing though Charitie consists of beneficentia aswell as beneuolentia good deeds aswell as good will yet there is a dispensation allowed for want of good deeds ◠Cor. 8. if a man haue a good will For hee is accepted according to that which hee hath not according to that which hee hath not So that although God hath dispensed his temporall blessings vnequally yet the spirituall he will haue common vnto all I meane those which are the Graces of Adoption amongst which Charitie is a chiefe one and by it though there be otherwise great distance betweene man and man yea the Creator and his Creature yet may they easily bee brought together Neither is Loue onely an easie worke in it selfe but also it doth facilitate other things our doing our suffering both are made easie by Charitie Let a man attempt any thing whereunto hee hath no minde and it groweth presently tedious but Loue takes away all bitternesse of paine It was a painfull life that Iacob liued vnder Laban as he sheweth in Genes Gen 29 vers 20. 31. yet the seauen yeares that hee serued for Rachel seemed to him but a few dayes for the loue that hee had vnto her The like we may obserue in all sorts of men that are affected with any kind of
are taken distinctly because though the first vnderstanding of them be true yet the second is more full and my desire is that you should vnderstand that most fully which you are bound chiefely to obserue Some then suppose that as in other places so in this many words are heaped together whereof the meaning is but one they yeeld a double reason One is because if you compare Moses and the other Euangelists in whom this Text is found with Saint Matthew you shall find that these words are either not reckoned by the same number or not digested in the same order Another reason is for that the Holy Ghost calling for the same dutie doth often mention but one or two of these parts as if they did import as much as all the rest And indeed it is true as the first reason affirmeth that propter Emphasin or Exegesin to shew the earnestnesse of the speaker or to helpe the vnderstanding of the hearer the Holy Ghost doth often multiplie words of the same signification I will giue you an example of either of the Emphasis Hearken O daughter and consider incline thine eare Psal 45. The Holy Ghost meaneth no more but this he would not haue the lesson passe vnregarded Of the Exegesis I will incline mine eare vnto a parable I will open a darke speech Psal 49. the Holy Ghost by these words darke speech doth but helpe the reader to vnderstand what he meaneth by a parable You may light vpon many such examples in reading the old or the new Testament And it may well bee that the Holy Ghost doth in this place intend by these many words to make a deeper impression of that which he speaketh in vs and that euerie of these words should giue light vnto the other As for the second Reason Wheresoeuer we find fewer of these words exprest the rest are implied which they cannot denie that alleage the reason because they conceiue and conceiue aright that the whole Soule is meant But I told you the words may also bee vnderstood distinctly Bernard thinkes that these three words Heart Soule and Mind were intimated in Christs question tripled to Peter Louest thou me Louestithou me affectuosè Prudenter Fortiter But I rather thinke they point out those other three remarkable things in the seate of Charitie which I haue named The first that it is virtus ordinata it taketh vp the parts wherein it is seated in a due order The second that it is virtus subordinate of the parts wherein it is seated the first is to guide and command the rest The third that it is virtus transcendens if it must be in all these parts then it takes vp the whole man First it takes vp the parts wherein it must be seated in due order and this order is two fold there is ordo ad intra and ordo ad extra an order in the spreading of it within vs and an order for the vsing of it without vs. Touching the order of the spreading of it within vs obserue that here the Holy Ghost setteth downe first the natiue seate of Loue which is the Heart and then the Deriuatiue seates which are the Soule the Mind whereunto you must adde the Strength I will touch briefly at them all First there is no question but the Natiue seate of Loue is the Heart the very definition sheweth it for Idem velle idem nolle vera est amicitia Loue is nothing else but a correspondence kept betweene persons in willing and nilling the same thing So that there cannot be any thing more voluntsrie then Loue therefore in the Canticles Christ speaking to his Church insteed of thou hast inflamed me with Loue saith Thou hast enheartned me so you shall find it in the originall and King Dauid doth defire that his Heart may bee knit vnto God so that there the fountaine must be opened and Charitie must begin there The reason is because Good is the proper obiect of the Will and what is Charitie but the embracing of good And therefore the Will must bee first seasoned therewith and it is the Will that is here vnderstood by the Heart But Charitie is like vnto a fountaine that ouerfloweth and though it beginneth at the Will yet doth it diffuse it selfe into other powers much like the vitall spirits that hauing their originall in the Heart are conueied from thence in the Arteries throughout the whole body Charitie then hath besides the natiue diuers Deriuatiue seates The first here mentioned is the Soule by which is vnderstood the concupiscible facultie by which wee long for that which we Loue which when we obtaine wee take our delight in it This power must receiue a streame of Charitie and whether we doe long for or delight in any thing we must doe both in Charitie Charitie must make these of sensuall to become rationall otherwise the longing and the liking of a man will bee no better then the longing and the liking of a beast And indeed they are too commonly so this distemper began in Eue and hath beene propagated in to all mankind not to be corrected but by a streame from this fountaine A second deriuatiue seate here mentioned is the Minde thither must Charitie send forth a streame for our wits are apt to be sorges of vanitie and to yeeld snares to entrap others That which must correct this ill disposition is Charitie it will so qualifie our wits that they shall neuer bee ill employed The word that the Euangelist vseth is worth the marking it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or discourse Charitie must not onely season our vnderstanding that it may bee capable of the apprehension of good but also that our Meditations may bee vpon that which is good In this life our soule hath no intuitiue knowledge that is reserued for the life to come a discursiue it hath and that must be seasoned with Charitie Besides these wee find elsewhere a third deriuatiue seate and that is the Strength the Hebrew word is Meodh by which is noted the irascible facultie or that courage wherewith we vndertake to pursue what wee loue and resist the opposite In doing whereof because we often make vse of our substance or goods the Caldee Paraphrase rendreth the word by substantia but the Enuangelist out of the Septuagint renders it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 strength by which that courage is meant which before I specified enixe omnia moliaris viriliter Now this courage must not be without Charitie there must come a streame thereof euen into this power also Men must not be so valiant as to forget to bee in Charitie nor without Charitie bestow their substance If wee finde Charitie in the streames we may not doubt but it is in the fountaine and wee may conclude well it is not in the fountaine if it bee not in the streames Because it is not with this fountaine spirituall as it is with the corporall for a corporall may bee full and yet
deum est ipse Deus Bernard Basilâ—n Psal 46. there is enough in God to make him louely and why 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 good and louely are reciprocall that which is louely is good and that which is good is louely whereupon is grounded that Maxime in Philosophie Bonum est quod omnia appetunt Reason hath no better marke to guesse at that which is good then the propension of all men for to attaine it Now looke vpon the Name the Lord God and see whether you doe not find that good in it which doth challenge Loue. Begin with Dominus ou heard that he was goodnesse it selfe if a man doe loue that which is good how can he but loue goodnesse Nay if wee loue the streames with what loue must we embrace the Fountaine If we Loue that good which is dependent how much more that which is independent Seeing there is a possibilitie for vs to bee defrauded of that which is dependent but of that which is independent we cannot be defrauded Yet see the common folly of men Iere. 2.13 they forsake the fountaine of liuing waters and digge vnto them Cisterns that can hold no water If 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 deserue Loue how much more 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 You heard before that what God is he is it to the full Creatures haue but drops or beames and who would leaue the Fountaine to rest contented with a drop And when he might enioy the whole body of the Sunne to solace himselfe in a single beame And yet such folly there is in the world and he that thinketh Gods gifts louely though they are but single in a Creature how little is hee affected with the louelinesse of his Creator Wee cannot denie that good is the obiect of our Loue therefore where there is the greatest good thither wee should bend the greatest of our Loue dost thou loue Wisedome Colos 2.3 All the treasures of wisdedome are hid in him dost thou loue Holinesse It is to him that the Angels sing Holy holy holy Esay 6.3 Psal 24.1 Psal 16.11 doest thou loue Wealth The earth is the Lords and all that therein is doest thou loue Pleasure In his presence is fulnesse of ioy and at his right hand are pleasures for euermore Finally doest thou loue Power and Honour He is the Lord of hosts he is the King of glorie euen a King of Kings and Lord of Lords Adde hereunto that what he is whether 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he is it Onely he is it Eternally both which are strong Motiues vnto Loue for we vse to loue that which is not common as that which is common by reason of the familiarnesse of it groweth vile in our eyes now such good as is in God is no where else to be found As we loue those good things which are not common so we loue them the more the more they are lasting because our desire would neuer bee defrauded of that wherein it taketh content this good is more lasting then our desire the good of euerie Creature is as mutable as the Creature is yea more because it differeth from the nature of the Creature but this good being all one with the nature of God it is as lasting as is his nature It is no maruell then that euerie Creature eluding our desire which is carried vnto good doth as it were with a reall voice put vs off when we dote vpon it and by experience say to vs Non ego sum bonum tuum it is not I that am thy good which is to be sought after and after all our painefull enquirie wee are driuen to Saint Austins resolution Fecisti nos Domine propter te irrequietum est cor nostrum dones requiescat in te so great is the capacitie of mans desire that nothing can fill it but onely the Lord and his soule must needs remaine empire that doth not make the Lord the obiect of his Loue. You see that there is much worth in the Lord and great cause why hee should be beloued there wanteth not worth also in God in euery of the three persons in Trinity Had we eyes to looke vpon them ad intra as they are in the blessed Trinitie we might easily perceiue it but there is no proportion betweene our eyes and that light therefore we will forbeare to behold the dazeling brightnes Only of this we may be sure that euery person is most louely because euery of them loueth the other the Scripture speaketh it plainly the Father loueth the Sonne the Sonne loueth the Father and the holy Ghost is the loue of them both Now what they loue is lonely indeed because their iudgement is most vpright and their desire most Holy But wee will not sound that bottomlesse depth let vs looke vpon these persons as they manifest themselues ad extra and see how louely they are Hee that is a Father in the Trinitie doth manifest himselfe as a Father to the Sonnes of men the Scripture doth often remember his tender bowels he shutteth them not vp no not against them that are Prodigals a Father and a Mother on earth may forsake may forget their Children but our Father in Heauen cannot forget hee will not forsake his And is not such a Father louely God the Sonne doth manifest himselfe to the world as a Sonne hee vseth all his credit with his Father to worke not onely the remission of mans sins which he expiated with his bloud but also the aduancement of their Persons whom hee vouchsafeth to bee his Spouse by taking man so neere vnto himselfe hee bringeth him neere to God also and maketh them Children that were Seruants intitles them to Heauen that deserue to burne as firebrands in hell And is not such a Sonne louely The holy Ghost doth manifest himselfe as the holy Ghost quickning man and sanctifying him testifying by these effects that hee is a Spirit of life to him euen of such a life as maketh him a sacred Person hee maketh him a liuing Temple a fit habitation for himselfe that he may bee an Oracle of God within him and kindle the fire vpon the Altar of his Heart wherewith onely hee can offer acceptable Sacrifices vnto God And is not this holy Spirit louely All three Persons are most louely if the consideration goe no farther then that which I haue exprest But how great an accesse will bee made vnto their louelines if you draw through euery one of them that ground of louelines which before wee found in the name Lord for the Father is Lord the Sonne Lord and the holy Ghost Lord as we are truely taught in Athanasius his Creed euery one of them is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 good of himselfe and all-good and by this accesse we must in our meditations improue their louelines But I haue dwelt long enough vpon meritum dignitatis the desert of loue that is included in their owne worth I told you that in
the Text wee sound another merit and that is meritum dignationis the interest therein vouchsafed vs. Were there none but meritum dignitatis there were ground enough of our loue but this meritum dignationis the interest that we haue doth quicken vs to take notice of the worth that is in the thing Euery man naturally loueth that which is his owne and if the thing bee good it doth him the more good to looke vpon it Let a man walke in a faire Meadow it pleaseth him but it will please him much more if it bee his owne his eye will be more curious in prying into euery part and euery thing will please him the better so it is in a Corne field in an Orchard in a House if they bee good the more they are ours the more contentedly doe they affect vs for this word meum is suauissima amor is illecebra it is as good as an amatorie potion Then marke put tuus to Dominus and if so bee the Lord be louely how much more louely should hee bee in our eyes if hee bee our Lord and doth appropriate that infinite good that hee hath vnto vs hee holdeth of none but of himselfe and who would not ioy to bee owner of that good which is independent Hee is whatsoeuer heart can desire and who can but reioyce in hauing him in hauing of whom wee can want nothing Put tuus to Deus and see how it doth improue the motiue of loue there also Had wee nothing to doe with so tender hearted a Father so sweet natured a Sonne so gracious a Comforter as is the holy Spirit we could not but loue them if we did know them But when wee doe heare that these bowels of the Father doe yearne vpon vs that wee are the Spouse whom the Sonne of God doth wooe and that the holy Ghost vouchsafeth to make his Temple of vs how can wee bee but loue-sicke how can our Hearts choose but melt and our Affections gaspe and bray like the Hart after those Persons which haue in them so strong so manifold persuasions to loue But alas wee that in regard of our carnall loue are easily transported by any seeming good are altogether senslesse when wee are sollicited by our spirituall good so senslesse that God is passionate in his Prophets when hee doth taxe our more then bruitishnesse herein Isay 1. Hearken O heauen heare O earth for the Lord hath spoken I haue nourished and brought vp children and they haue rebelled against mee the oxe knoweth his owner and the asse his masters crib but Israel doth not know my people doth not consider Ier. 3. Can a mayd forget her ornaments or a bride her attire yet hath my people forgotten me dayes without number Wee doe loue our corporall benefactors at least while they are doing vs good but our spirituall benefactor wee forget euen while hee is doing vs good for when is hee not doing it wee cannot looke vpon our soules our bodies our state but wee see the perpetuall influence of his goodnesse and yet Tuus worketh little here and though God vouchsafe vs a great interest yet are wee little moued therewith Wee can loue a man in whom there are so many defects to allay the regard of his goodnesse and from whom we may receiue as much wrong as fauour how much more should we loue God in whom there is no defect and from whom thou canst receiue nothing but good I haue shewed you the reason of loue which is included in the name it followeth that I now come on to the dutie that is required and that is Loue. Wherein we are first to obserue that God speaketh not vnto vs as vnto seruants but as vnto friends hee would not haue vs in his seruice expresse a spirit of seruitude in feare but of adoption in loue hee would not bee feared as a Lord but loued as a Father O derint dum metuant is a Tyrants voyce God will haue all his seruants ingenuous hee will haue our seruice as naturall as is our allegiance Wherein the King of Heauen giueth a good patterne to all Kings and Gouernours in earth Though God hath qualified vs many wayes to doe him seruice yet doth hee in this word diliges Loue shew what hee doth principally respect and his eyes are vpon nothing so much as our Loue not on our wit our wealth our honour c. yea all other things are valued according to our Loue and without Loue they are nothing worth And why Loue is that which setteth all a worke for he that loueth will keepe Gods commandements hee will doe no euill But wee may not forget that seeing this Loue hath for its obiect him that is so farre aboue vs wee must not seuer it from Reuerence which must qualisie the loue which we owe to our Superiors in expressing our affection wee must not forget our distance yea and our feare in regard of our flesh may bee seruile to awe it and keepe it downe though it must bee also filiall in regard of the spirit to keepe it in heart I should now if the time would giue leaue shew you how those things that are required in loue must be applyed vnto this obiect The first propertie of Loue is Vnion and we should endeauor to become one with the Lord to bee transformed into him and as neere as a Creature can partake of his Creator partake of the diuine nature Wee should desire Vnion also with God with God the Father by Adoption with God the Sonne by a spirituall Wedlocke with God the holy Ghost by entertaining him as his Temple wee should so grow one with all three persons From this Vnion our Loue should come on to a Communion Communion in that infinite good which you heard is in the Lord for though Vnion bee a great aduancement of our Nature yet doth our comfort stand in the Communion neither did God euer intend the Vnion but for the Communion As wee must haue Communion with the Lord so with God also as Children wee must communicate in the inheritance of our Father as a Spouse in the honour and state of a Bride-groome as the Temple in the ornaments and endowments thereof Yea in this Communion there must appeare Beneuolentia Benesicentia there must appeare an intercourse of good will and good deeds betweene the Lord God and vs otherwise wee doe not loue as wee should This is not all the seate of Loue must be exercised also the Heart for the loue of God must bee free God doth not respect forced Loue. The Minde God will bee knowne before hee is loued and hee will haue them that loue him to meditate vpon him hee will not regard an vndiscreete Loue. Thy Soule must bee exercised if thou dost not long after him earnestly and take sweet content in him thou dost not loue Finally thy Courage must bee employed thou must bee as resolute to compasse this spirituall Vnion and Communion as carnall wooers are
speaketh properly to them that are vnder the Law and so Thou an Israelite and teacheth vs which are the Israel of God In this word Christ taxeth the Pharisees glosse who straightened the extent of neighbourhood Matth. 5. as appeared by the Addition they made to the Law Thou shalt loue thy Neighbour and hate thine Enemies they confined neighbourhood to their owne sect at least to their owne Nation And wee see at this day the Iewes mention not Christians without reproch no more then Papists doe Protestants But a Christian must know that in Iesus Christ there is neither Iew nor Gentile Coloss 3.11 Grecian nor Barbarian male nor female bond nor free Saint Austin hath a conuicting reason De Doctrina Christiana c. 30. which is that otherwise there would bee some persons with whom we might commit adulterie whose goods wee might steale whose bodies we might murder without any sinne against them which is absurde The case of the Canaanite was extraordinarie Austin tract in Iohannis cap. 15. we may not match our affections with Gods precepts as if they were alike lawfull Wherefore let vs beare fruit answerable to the seed which God hath sowen in our hearts and though our nature bee prone to satanisme and hatred for this charitie is a straine aboue nature and knowne only to those of the Church yet let vs mortifie it and subdue it to the Law of God Let vs not define whom we must loue other wise then we are taught of God let vs not thinke we loue as many as we should if we exclude any from our loue for our loue must be the fulfilling of the Law therefore it is impossible for vs in regard of any man whatsoeuer to performe the Law which bindeth vs to him without Loue. NOw therefore the God of Loue season all our hearts so with Loue that Hatred being cleane rooted out we may all be of one minde of one heart and out of the sweet sense and comfort hereof we may all say and sing Ecce quam bonum Behold how good and ioyfull a thing it is for brethren to dwell together in vnitie The sixth Sermon MATT. 22. VERSE 37 38 39. Thou shalt Loue the Lord thy God with all thy Heart and with all thy Soule and with all thy Mind This is the first and great Commandement And the second is like vnto it Thou shalt Loue thy neighbour as thy selfe THe last point which I opened vpon this Text taught vs vpon whom we must bestow our Charitie we learned that we must bestow it vpon The Lord our God and our neighbour vpon these persons and vpon those things that haue reference vnto them must it bee bestowed Therefore though the Commandement seeme in nature to bee but one for it is onely Loue yet Christ breaketh it into two and these two vnequall As it must be bestowed on them so in bestowing it we must obserue an Order and a Measure both are plainely prescribed in the Text. The Order for here is a Frist and a Second commandement mencioned The Measure for here is mentioned the great commandement and a commandement that is onely like it We are willed to loue first The Lord our God secondly Our neighbour this is the Order And we are willed to loue the Lord our God with all our heart soule and mind c. and our neighbour as our selues this is the Measure Order then and Measue are to be obserued in the bestowing of our Charitie And indeed without Order and Measure no worke hath either Beautie or Perpetuitie looke vpon the frame of heauen and earth were not the parts thereof so well ordered had not each of them his limits it could neither be so goodly nor so lasting a Creature want of Order would blemish the goodlinesse and want of Measure would shorten the lastingnesse thereof Euen so is it in Charitie inuert the Order alter the Measure required therein by the Law wee doe foulely deforme it and all societie grounded thereon bee it heauenly or earthly will quickly bee disolued This time will not suffice for the opening of both wherefore I will now onely handle the Order and reserue the Measure for some other time Touching then the Order that is to be obserued in Charitie wee must know that it is twofold there is Ordo ad intra and ordo ad extra an order in the generation of it or the working of it into our soules and an order in the employment of it as we expresse it in our liues Of the first Order you heard when I opened vnto you the seate of Charitie and shewed you that it is either Primitiue or Deriuatiue it must begin at the Heart and from thence spread it selfe into the Soule the mind the strength With that Order we haue nothing to doe now my Text leadeth me to speake of the second Order the Order of employment the bestowing of it vpon others after we are seasoned with it our selues To come then to this Order to vnderstand it we must take this Rule Scire quid facere debeamus nescire ordinem faciendt perfecta scientia non est moralitie requireth that we not onely know what we ought to doe but also in what order otherwise the knowledge of our dutie is imperfect therefore imperfect because it will be indiscreete discretion being that which doth distinguish and digest the parts of De Cinit Dei lib 5 cap. 22. and points in our dutie So that take away Order vertue will presently degeâ—erate into vice especially if we admit that definition of Saint Austine short but true Vâ—rtus est ordo amoris vertue is nothing else but the well ordering of our Charitie Wherefore the Order of Gods precepts must not bee passed ouer vnregarded because therefore doth God keepe an order in commanding to intimate vnto vs what order we must keepe in our liuing Whatsoeuer is good may be beloued well or ill well if you obserue the order and if you neglect it then you loue it ill But let vs come closer to the Text. Here we find a first and a second Commandement It is doubted by some whether they are rightly so called seeing that which concerneth our Neighbour was first deliuered Leuit. 19. vers 18. and therefore deliuered on mount Sinai Leuit. 27.34 Comp. numb 10 ver 11 12 with Deâ—â—r 1 6 vide Deut. 2 1â— and that which concerneth the Lord our God was deliuered afterward Deutro 6. vers 50. and therefore deliuered in the land of Moab Deutr. 1.5 The distance of times wherein they were deliuered was thirtie eight yeeres But we must not insist vpon these words as referring to the times wherein Moses deliuered the Commandements but as expounding their sense as they are a Summe of the Decalogue and point out the principall duties prescribed therein Now because the Decalogue was engrauen in two Tables and the briefe of the first was our dutie toward God therefore is that called the first Commandement
errours in Chronologie I will not trouble you with enumeration of them they that are learned may find them in the Chronologies the ignorant may find enough in the common Almanackes That which I will obserue vnto you is That our mercifull God hath so done his wonderfull workes that they ought to be had in remembrance and amongst other helpes of memorie God vseth this of Chronologie We should not thinke of these dates of times but we should refresh our memorie of that which was done at the beginning of that date God was pleased that the Israelites should so bee remembred of their deliuerance out of Egypt And the Church by whose ordinance the yeere of the Lord is so familiar in our tongues and in our pens would haue vs still thinke how much we are bound to God for the Incarnation of our Sauiour Iesus Christ Descend to smaller matters but yet of good regard when you find in your Almanacke the generall Earthquake the yeere eightie eight the Gun-pouder treason c. Consider with your selues that neither Gods iudgements nor his mercies ought to bee forgotten by vs. Yea this Chronologie must put vs in mind that neither our being nor our being that which we are be it good or bad was alwayes the same There was a time when it was otherwise with vs and the memorie thereof must not be buried in obliuion least we proue vnthankfull as certainely we will if we make not so good vse of the Chronologie And let this suffice concerning the first circumstance the circumstance of time the Beginning and Ending thereof Let vs now come to the second Circumstance of Place And here wee must first see Whence the Israelites came immediatly they departed from Rephidim a place of pressure and the last place where they conflicted with difficulties before they receiued the Law Exod. 17. Numb 33. There was no no water and there Amaleke set vpon them But God relieued them supplying them with water and giuing them victorie ouer their Enemies God did not giue them a Law before hee had giuen them good proofe of his gracious power hee made them feâ—â—e the extraordinary reliefe of his hand before hee spake vnto them with his voice thus dealt hee in deliuering of the old Testament And thus dealt Christ in deliuering of the New hee wrought miracles before hee preached Sermons And indeed this is a very likely way to preuaile with men to haue their reason first subdued before their faith bee informed When reason is first brought to confesse that which is done cannot be done but by a diuine power then will faith easily beleeue that what is spoken Iohn 3. is a diuine word Learne this of Nicodemus Master wee know that thou art a teacher come from God for no man could doe that which thou doest except God were with him Act 14 v. 16. So were the men of Lystra the jaylour and others brought to beleeue Another note is that there is great difference betweene Gods dealing with them before they came to Rephidim and when they came there For before they came there their deliuerance from their enemies was wrought by God without any concurrencie of theirs Exod. 14. v. 13. Feare you not saith Moses stand still and see the saluation of the Lord which hee will shew you to day But afterward when Amalek came and fought with Israel Exod. 17. v. 9. then Moses said vnto Ioshua Chuse vs out men and goe out fight with Amaleke c. I will pray Though God was pleased to deliuer them from their enemies yet not without their owne labour of body yea and deuotion of mind too after he had once set them free Therefore it was fit they should now haue a Law to guide them in their actions and in their deuotions and God giueth them one And vs whom preuenting grace doth first make Christians without any cooperation of ours afterward will God haue to be instruments to cooperate with him and that in this cooperation we follow his direction for hee loueth not wil-worship and therefore that wee may doe what pleaseth him in the seruice wherein hee vseth vs hee giueth vs for our Guide his sacred Law Thirdly whereas God first gaue them Victorie and Water at Rephidim and when they were free from bodily danger and prouided of food then God gaue them the Law We may here obserue Greg. Niss de vit mos p. 17â— that Homo supponitur in Christiano and our animall life must be prouided for that we may intend our spirituall Come we at length to the last Terme of this second Circumstance and that is the Place whether they came and where they setled This place was the wildernesse of Sinai they pitcht before that mount First the place was a wildernesse Philo Iudaeus inquires the reason De Deâ—â—log why God would giue his Law not in some Citie but in a vast Desert And though hee resolue modestly what is the true reason God onely knoweth yet doth he yeeld some likely reasons One is this because the worldly imployments of Citizens wherein their thoughts and desires are for the most part taken vp make all sinnes abound there both against the first and second Table and men so prepossest are not capable of good lawes Retirednesse from such imployments and solitarinesse which silence those clamorous and disturbing thoughts and affections open mens eares and hearts better to listen to God When wee are weaned from the world we are fitter to bee Gods Disciples to learne what he teacheth therefore God saith Ose 2. v. 14. ducam vos in solitudinem loquar ad Cor. This made many in the Primitiue Church to forsake Cities and the frequencies of people and in solitarie places to to giue themselues to spirituall contemplation Which custome degenerated long since into superstition whereof the Church of Rome hath too many spectacles in there Anchorites and Ermites mâ—ere hypocâ—ites which abuse the credulitie of the simple with their seeming holinesse A second reason which he giueth is that as Nauigators before they set to Sea are prouided of Tackling and other necessaries which they must vse at Sea so God was pleased to furnish the Israelites in their way with those Lawes which they were to make vse of when they came into the Holy-land You may if you please improue this reason mystically Canaan was a type of Heauen the wildernesse a type of the world which we must passe through the grace whereby we must liue in the world to come we must be furnisht with in this present world Glophy 〈◊〉 To leaue Philo Iudaeus take another from Cyrillus Alexandrinus Desertum typus Ecclesiae militantis a Desert is a type of the militant Church certainely this Desert was it did most liuely represent to the Israelites what they were by Nature and what they became by Grace This wildernesse was of it selfe a disconsolate place it had neither meate nor drinke for reasonable creatures yet did
promise Let vs come then to it The first Obseruation that I made vpon the reference of If and Then was this We may not exspect what God doth offer except we performe what God requires In conceiuing the mysterie of our Redemption we must obserue a double method of God the one according to which he resolu'd on it the other according to which he was pleased to communicate it If you looke vnto the first method that was first in Gods intention which was last in his execution he resolued first vpon the End to manifest his Mercie and Iustice in sauing a certaine number out of the Masse of perdition and leauing others to perish therein through their owne default and he made choice of and proportioned such meanes as in his wisedome might seeme fitest to compasse this End If we denie this we make Gods prouidence more indiscreete then is vsually that of well aduised men for in all their deliberations they begin at the end and according to the rule of wisedome Finis praescribit speciem mensuram mediorum they dispose all things answerable thereunto But as when men haue done their deliberations and giue order for their worke they prescribe first the meanes in their order and by those meanes will haue such as they imploy to compasse those Ends euen so doth God setting men in time on the way to their saluation wherevpon he was eternally resolued lead them first to the meanes without which it is not his pleasure they should euer come vnto their happie End These two methods must not be confounded the method of publishing the Gospell with the method of Gods making the first Decree thereof The Decree of sauing men did not runne the same way with the Decree of bringing men to saluation I would not obserue this darke point vnto you but that our English Anabaptists are become plaine Arminians as their Pamphlets shew which they scatter abroad to corrupt the people The ground of the errour of both as the learned may perceiue in ripping vp their discourses is the confounding of these different Decrees and Methods when they studie the mysterie of our saluation But let vs come to plaine matter God from the beginning though he were Lord of all and might at his pleasure giue Law to any yet hath he proceeded with his reasonable creatures by way of Couenant now a Couenant consisteth of mutuall stipulation or promise Gods to Vs and ours to God so runneth the Law Hoc fac viues to doe Gods will was to be our promise and Gods promise was to giue vs life so runneth the the Gospell Crede saluus eris we must yeeld Faith vnto God and God will bestow saluation vpon vs It is the first thing children learne in their Catechisme as they are taught that by Baptisme they are made children of God members of Christ and heires of the Kingdome of heauen so likewise are they taught that by their suerties they haue vowed to renounce the diuell and all his workes the pompe and vanities of this wicked world to beleeue the Articles of the Creed and keepe Gods holy Commandements There is then a mutuall conditioning betweene God and man man with God so Iacob Genes 28. which is generally to be obserued in all votiue Prayers God with man here and elswhere Deut. 28. And yet we may not mistake for there is great odds betweene these Conditionings for when God conditioneth with man hee asketh nothing but what was due to him before all the obedience wee can performe is due by our natiue allegeance the allegeance which a Creature oweth to his Creatour but we in our conditioning with God may not desire ought of God which he hath not first promised for no Creature may carue to himselfe hee must be contented with that which God will vouchsafe him and whatsoeuer he offers vnto vs is such as whereunto we haue otherwise no right Adde hereunto that we may bee sure of God that what he offers he will performe for with God there is no variablenesse nor shadow of change Scio cui crediderim Iam. 1. But he cannot bee so sure of vs Omnis homo mendax we neuer abide stedfast in our Couenant But Gods conditioning with vs I must open vnto you a little more fully Know then that though what God requires wee must performe yet performe it out of our owne strength we cannot originall sinne hath dâ—â—inabled vs and by adding actuall vnto it wee are made lesse able though in regard of their natural gifts there is inequalitie betweene men yet a bono caelesti omnes aequè auersi nisi discriminet gratia God requires that we should heare his voice 1 Cor. 2.14 beleeue in him but a naturall man cannot perceiue the things of God yea hee will winke with his eyes and stop his eares least â—ee should see and heare returne and bee saued God requires that we keepe his Couenant 〈◊〉 8. but the wisedome of the flesh is enmitie against God it is not it cannot be subiect to his Law Yea so impotently are we giuen to spirituall fornication that though God graciously wooe Vs yet gracelesly we reiect him Thereis no remedie then but the condition which God requires on our part must remaine vnperformed except he giue vs grace wherewith to performe it he must giue vs supernaturall power to performe this supernaturall worke 1. Cor 47 Quis te discernit Quid habes quod non accepisti He biddeth vs heare his voice beleeue in him whereas faith is his gift he must purifie our hearts by faith He biddeth vs keepe his Couenant and loue him but Charitie is a fruit of the Spirit Acts 1â— and this fire must be kindled from heauen God must circumcise our hearts and make vs keepe his lawes Dat non tantum nouas reuelationes sâ—d bonas voluntates for no man can come to the Sonne except the Father draw him Ex nolente faciens volentem as saith Saint Austin But if God giue that which we must giue to God how is the worke ours Surely thus though God giue the abilitie yet hee will haue vs make vse of it vse the eye of faith which he doth illighten and so obey his voice vse the Charitie wherewith he doth seasen our hearts and set our affections vpon him let it be our chiefest care to hold fast vnto him if we doe so we shall be reputed performers of the condition for grace doth not take away the libertie of our will though it giues new qualities working vpon it not onely Physically but morally also Yet here againe remember that we need a second grace that we may make vse of the first for our vnderstanding though enlightned may bee circumuented with Sophistrie and our will may bee transported with vanitie euen after God hath sanctified it though otherwise the Will doth tend naturally to good when it is sanctified as the vnderstanding to truth It is cleare in Adam and Eues case
such obiects may worke feare in a naturall man but what need these Israeltes to feare They came armed against it they came prepared with Puritie with Modestie and should such men feare It is certaine they did feare and there was good reason for it for what proportion betweene mans Abilitie and the Maiestie of God when man is at the best And the Israelites ceremoniall preparation could not so suddenly become morall that will aske more time then three dayes The more they had of the old man the more they were subiect vnto this Passion and it might well rise in them though the obiect which they discerned were aloofe off as indeed it was for their Tents were in some good distance from the Hill and though they were so farre cut of danger yet were they not out of feare the dread of these Harbingers of God seised vpon them Adde hereunto that the spirit of the Old Testament as Saint Paul telleth vs is the spirit of bondage and feare and so this passion had good correspondencie with that Couenant Neither vpon them only but vpon Moses also did these dreadfull Harbingers worke for so must you vnderstand those words in the text Moses spake Saint Paul will tell you what he said Verse 19. Heb. 12. I exceedingly feare and quake so terrible was the sight in his eyes The Rhemists come in here vnseasonably with the doctrine of their Traditions and they will haue Saint Paul by tradition know that Moses spake those words As if he might not know it aswell by Reuelation for the spirit of Prophecie looketh aswell backward as forward Else how did Moses pen the Booke of Genesis that speaketh of things done so many hundred yeares before But what gaine they if we doe acknowledge he had it by tradition Doe wee denie all traditions Wee acknowledge traditions of many Histories as that of Iannes and Iambres Of Ceremonies as that of concluding the Passeouer with blessed Bread and Wine whence Christ tooke an occasion to improue them to an higher vse and institute the Eucharist Our question is about Articles of faith and I hope this is none and therefore they may keepe the note in store vntill they meet with a more pregnant place But let vs leaue those Wranglers and come to Moses Happily you wonder why hee should quake A man that came so neere God and was so deare vnto him God talked with him face to face as familiarly as a man talketh with his friend I but then these Harbingers did not appeare no Thunder no Lightning then no burning Hill no loud sounding of the Trumpet when these appeare they will make Moses himselfe to quake And why shall I say because there are some relikes of sinne euen in the best of Gods Saints during this life and being not perfect in loue they must needs bee subiect vnto feare If I should say so 1. Iohn ◠I should say something but not all that is to bee said For our Sauiour Christ that was without all sinne when he appeared in our nature at the as it were Mount Sinai Certainly at the Tribunall of God where he had presented if not to the eyes of his bodie yet of his soule those dreadfull attendants vpon the Throne of Iudgement the sight cast him into an agonie and made him sweat water and bloud it made his humane nature to droope as himselfe confesseth and bee heauie vnto death And doe wee wonder that the seruant feareth where we see the sonne in such a case Let not the holy Ones of God thinke to bee priuiledged from that whereunto the Holy of Holies was pleased to bee subiect Let vs all rather confesse that that indeed is dreadfull which is dreadfull to such a person and let vs all feare that which Christ himselfe feared But why goe I so high as Christ If they should not haue feared the Mountaine would haue risen in Iudgement against them for that trembled Verse 18. Psal 18. it trembled exceedingly In the Psalme it is said that the Earth shooke and trembled the foundations also of the Hils were moued and were shaken alluding vnto this storie another Psalme saith that The Mountaines skipped like Rams Psal 114. and the little Hils like young sheepe and mouing the question What ailed yee O yee Mountaines that yee skipped like Rams and yee little Hils like Lambes The answere is made Tremble thou Earth at the presence of the Lord at the presence of the God of Iacob And shall not wee feare him nor tremble at his presence when the senselesse creatures shew themselues awfully sensible of his accesse vnto them surely our senselesnesse must needs bee without all excuse Yet some such there haue beene Such were the Scribes and Pharisees who when the Sunne lost his light the Rockes cleft the Graues were opened and the Earth quaked were so little touched that their heart could serue them to contriue a forgerie wherewith to countenance that villanie wherewith they brought Christ to his painfull and shamefull death This was a spirit of slumber indeed and neuer did a greater spirituall Lethargie seize vpon the sonnes of men God euer keepe vs from such senselesnesse and giue vnto vs the spirit of feare whensoeuer his dreadfull Harbingers present themselues before vs yea let vs often represent them vnto our selues that this feare may be seasonably present with vs. But let our feare be such as was that of Israel and of Moses a hopefull feare For there is a feare that deterres from God and there is a feare that doth only humble vs before God Ge◠4 The first is the Reprobates feare and maketh men like vnto Caine Renegadoes and Vagabonds forsake God and goe they know not whether But the godly mans feare maketh him tremble and yet keepe on his way though he goe quaking yet he goeth to God And indeed after God hath made vs sensible of our weaknesse and his greatnesse he vseth to support and strengthen his children he makes them experience the truth of that answere which Christ gaue to Saint Paul Psay 6 My grace is sufficient for thee my strength is made perfect in weaknesse 2. Cor. 12. vers 9. So did he hearten Esay with a cole from the Altar Daniel with a touch Deut. 15. Moses with an answere a kind answere and by Moses he bid the Israelites not feare And what wonder if he support his children in these tremblings seeing he supported the Hill for other wise the hil being al on fire trembling in the fire must needs haue bin consumed but it held out Yea and so did Moses Aaron when they entred into the cloud trod vpon that fierie hil no lesse securely then the three children did in the fierie Furnace whereinto they were cast by the appointment of Nebuchadnezzar 〈◊〉 3 And so shall the righteous at the day of iudgement when all the world is on fire and a lowder Trumpet shal sound then this at mount Sinai
they make them vsurpers of Christs office And howsoeuer their Schooles qualifie the matter their Liturgies cannot be freed from this imputation And the notions of the vulgar vnderstanding and the affections of their heart in their practicke deuotion are framed according to their Liturgie not according to their Schooles the more reason haue we to censure the abuse Moses at Mount Sinai Aaron in the Tabernacle may be typicall Mediatours but there is no true one either in Earth or Heauen but only our Sauiour Iesus Christ None of Redemption as the Papists confesse neither any of Intercession as we moreouer hold and hold it with the Primitiue Church But I here end my Text and with my Text this whole Chapter Only I will giue you one generall obseruation vpon it which may not bee neglected This whole Chapter is but an Exordium to the next Chapter shall I say or to the whole Law indeed to the whole Law but immediatly to the next Chapter Now in this Exordium I would haue you obserue how God playeth the skilfull Oratour and performeth all things which the best rules in Rhetoricke require in an Exordium The rules require that an Orator should Captare beneuolentiam worke himselfe into the good liking of his Auditors And why because if they like not the man they will not much care for the matter And doth not God this at the fourth Verse Doth he not set forth his well deseruings of them in ouerthrowing their euemies in setting them free And what may better giue God an interest in their loue then the experiment that hee had giuen them of his reall loue The next rule of Rhetorike is Reddere Auditores dociles to bring them that alreadie affect the man to bee desirous to bee informed of the matter And how is that done by shewing how much the matter concerneth them how beneficiall it will bee to them For men gladly heare of their owne good and the greater the good the more gladly doe they heare of it See how excellently God playeth this part of the Orator at the fift and sixt Verses how significantly hee setteth forth the benefit which they shall reape by their obedience shewing them what a rate hee will set vpon them what an approach they shall make to him how sacred how blessed their state shall bee which is so much the more to be esteemed in that they shall haue it as a Prerogatiue none shall haue it but they And who will not bee curiously inquisitiue after such a matter and heare them gladly that bring such good tydings The third point of Rhetoricke is Auditores attentos reddere to rowse his Auditory make them shake off all dulnesse and drowsinesse that no part of the speech slip by or passe vnweighed This is done by setting before vs the danger that may ouertake vs and the respect that must be vsed by vs. And God omitteth not this point of Rhetoricke all the rest of the charge is spent hereabout It serueth to quicken and quallifie the Israelites as beseemed that heauenly Sermon which they were to heare from the mouth of God Chrysoil Hitherto tend their Preparation which you heard of heretofore and the humiliation wrought by the Harbingers of God whereof you haue heard this day What shall I say now to you but only this The same Sermon that was preached to Israel is to be preached now to vs for we are now the Israel of God therefore vnto vs belongeth this Oratorie of God Yea God hath deserued better of vs then euer he did of Israel for we enioy the truth whereof they had but the Type We haue reason then to affect him Yea and to affect also that which is deliuered by him for it containeth our soueraigne good our blessed communion with God And those spurres of attention must worke vpon vs no lesse then vpon them Because though wee be not called to the Parliament we must come to the Assizes the Assizes is much more dreadfull then was the Parliament Finally though wee were not at those Espousals we shall be at the mariage feast It concerneth vs therefore to prouide our wedding garment In a word will we nill we we are parties to this Couenant though not as it was vailed yet as it was vnuailed Therefore not one of the Articles must passe vs vnregarded because enquirie will be made after our conformitie vnto euery one of them GOd grant that we may so set God and our owne good before our eyes that we may willingly open our eares and gladly apply our hearts to heare him and heare of it that what we shall learne at the foot of Mount Sinai may make vs more fit to climbe to the top of Mount Sion Heb. 12. So shall we be incorporated into the blessed Societie that dwelleth there while wee liue here and hereafter hauing our Harps sing there a new Song before the Throne before the foure Beasts and the Elders Reuel 14. which none can learne but the 144000. which are redeemed from the Earth AMEN FIVE SERMONS PREACHED in Saint Maries in OXFORD Vpon Luke 3. Verse 7 8 9. BY The Right Reuerend Father in God ARTHVRE LAKE the late L. Bishop of Bath and Wells LONDON Printed by W. STANSBY for Nathaniel Butter 1629. FIVE SERMONS PREACHED AT Saint Maries in OXFORD The first Sermon LVKE 3. VERS 7.8.9 7. Then said he to the people that were come bee Baptised of him O generation of Vipers who hath forewarned you to flee from the wrath to come THis Chapter is the second Lesson appointed for this Morning Prayer the Argument whereof is nothing else but a storie of Saint Iohn Baptists seruice what paines he tooke and what successe he had his paines were great his successe diuers To say nothing of them with whom hee preuailed nothing at all such as were they that despised the counsell of God against themselues being not baptised of him Luke 7. This Chapter sheweth that betweene them with whom hee preuailed there was no small odds for some were sincere some hypocrites Saint Iohn vseth them accordingly For he instructeth the sincere mildly but his Sermon against hypocrites it very sharpe you haue it in my Text my Text is Saint Iohns reproofe of those Iewes which came dissemblingly to his Baptisme More distinctly to open it consider Whom hee reproueth and How The persons were many a multitude and they seeme well disposed whether you respect their Paines or their pretence Their paines they came out they tooke a iourney from home to come vnto him and the pretence of their iourney cannot be disliked for they came to be baptised Such were the persons But how dealeth Saint Iohn Baptist with them Surely notwithstanding their great number and their faire shew hee doth not spare to tell them that they were in worse case then they thought and must take a better course then hitherto they had For their Case whereas there are but two heads whereunto we reduce all Euill
of death and being the stronger rifled that strong mans house so that we may well say If God bee with vs who can bee against vs if we relie vpon his wisdome wee shall neuer be circumuented neither shall we be opprest if we relie vpon his Power therefore the Church doth well to make her prayer vnto Him But how doth she pray First feruently for she cries In the Ceremoniall Law Incensio went before Ascensio the Sacrifice was set on fire before it yeilded an odour of sweet smell ascending vnto God besides the siluer trumpets sounded aloud with varietie of other Musicke while the Sacrifice was burning These were but types whereof the morall was that we must not be lither in deuotion but expresse a feruencie therein And we haue a good Precedent in our Sauiour Christ who prayed with strong cries Heb 5. King Dauid doth expresse his earnestnesse by many sit Similies of parched ground that gapes wide for the showres of raine Psal 41. of a chased Hart that breatheth and brayeth after the water brookes Psal â—4 Nâ—â—m of the passions of Louers which are very violent And God liketh such deuotion for sitit sitiri he longeth to be longed after But we must remember that there is Clamor Cordis Oris a crying of the heart and the mouth And as God is specially Inspector so is he also Auditor Cordis as his eyes are specially vpon our hearts so are his eares open thereunto Non vox sed votum non cordula musica sed Cor Non Clamans sed Amans cantat in aure Dei God doth best vnderstand and accept the sighes and groanes of our spirit which cannot be exprest And yet Ex abundantia cordis os loquitur the sire that is in the heart will not be supprest a vehement passion will make a vehement eloâ—ution Psal 39. But when we crie we doe it to manifest the earnestnesse of our affections and extremitie of our distresse not to rowse God as if he could not otherwise heare that were a conceit fit for the worshippers of Baal â— King 18. Tertull. de Oratione whom Elias scoffes for it for quibus arterijs opus si pro sono audiamur if the crie of the voice were the measure of deuotion he that hath the most Stentorean voice should be most deuout but we must know that no crie of the lips can ascend higher towards God then it is carried vp by the feruencie of the heart though the seruencie of the heart can ascend vnto God though the tongue bee mute for God said to Moses why cryest thou when hee spake neuer a word Whether wee pray only with the heart or also with the voice we must be remembred by this practice of the Church to be earneest therein earnest in our Soliloquies when wee enter into our Closet much more when we are mustered in the holy Assemblies must our deuotion offer a gratefull violence vnto God according to that good paterne which we haue Psal 130. The Church prayeth earnestly not only so shee prayeth constantly also she cryeth day and night The foure Beasts in the Reuelation day and night cease not saying Holy Holy Holy Lord God Almightie which is the practice of the Triumphant Church Moses was willed to make all things according to the patterne that was she wed him in the Mount therefore he instituted that the Sacrifices should burne day and night Of the day there is no question and it is put out of all question concerning the night also by those words in the Psalme Behold Psal 134 blesse yee the Lord all yee seruants of the Lord which by night stand in the house of the Lord 1. Chron. 9 33. and that phrase which we meete withall often in the Scripture of keeping Gods watches The New Testament should herein answere the Old and wee are willed therein to pray continually 1. Thess 5. The Diuines haue a rule Precepta affirmatiua tenent semper sed non ad semper the habits of vertue must euer bee in vs but wee must performe the Acts when we haue iust occasion certaine times we must appoint our selues for Prayer not only in the day but also in the night so did Dauid he remembreth it often and no doubt but others did it aswell as he for the Church speaketh thus in Esay Esay 26. With my soule haue I desired thee in the night with my spirit within me will I seeke thee early Christ spent nights in prayer Acts 16. and Paul and Silas prayed and sang prayses vnto God at midnight And the Canonicall houres which are mentioned in the old Liturgies were distributed aswell through the night as through the day To say nothing of the Vigils at solemne times But so much of the publike old Deuotion which was vsed in the night long since degenerated and is out of vse euen in the Church of Rome as Bellarmine confesseth though priuately men may pray at all houres and no doubt but many doe aswell in the night as in the Day Some not contented with that limitation of affirmatiue Precepts to congruous time do mingle our Meditations with our actions so Saint Ambrose Clamant opera tua clamat sides clamat affectus De Cain 〈◊〉 Abel clamat passiones clamat sanguis whatsoeuer good wee doe or crosse wee suffer patiently that is a reall prayer But to let passe these Obseruations which may haue their good vse as may that also which vnderstandeth Prosperitie by Day and Aduersitie by Night and telleth vs that we must pray in whatsoeuer state wee are I will obserue vnto you that which is more proper and profitable and which will shew you that indeed the Church Militant doth crie day and night take the words as strictly as you can Obserue then that a man prayeth many wayes First in his owne person as Dauid did who professeth of himselfe that in his aduersitie he gaue himselfe vnto prayer wee haue his practice in the Psalmes and we haue Christs not only practice but precept Watch and pray yea Matth. 26. Chap. 6. and direction too When thou prayest enter into thy chamber c. Finally this dutie is made a part of our Catechisme no man therefore should be ignorant of it no man should neglect it Secondly we pray when any member of the Church doth pray for Christ hath taught euery man to say our Father so to include others aswell as himselfe euen all that are members of the same bodie so Singuli orant pro omnibus 〈…〉 omnes orant pro singulis euerie man prayeth for all the Church and all the Church doth pray for euery man And this is no small part of the Communion of Saints which wee beleeue in our Creed for God will that Oratio bee Insigne charitatis that out prayer be a perpetuall Badge of our mutuall Charitie Thirdly euery man prayeth when the Minister serueth God he doth not only pray for vs but we also
nothing is still prone to returne to nothing especially being wrought vpon by the Diuell and the World you will not so much wonder that the children of Israels garments did not cleane weare out in their forty yeares passage through the Wildernesse as that the garment of Regeneration which we receiue in Baptisme weareth not out all the daies of our pilgrimage in this world But we must not mistake stability doth not exempt vs from stormes yea stormes that may shake our house and peraduenture vntile some part thereof and breake some boughes off from our tree but the foundation the roote are immoueable the house the tree shall neuer fall And this is the vttermost of that stability which we must expect in this world The gates of hell shall not preuaile Valere poterunt non poterunt praeualere We shall experience that they had might but not might enough to ruine vs they may giue vs wounds but none that are vncurable they may bruise our heele but shall not be able to breake our head we are so farre established in this world and in the world to come wee shall be established farther euen so farre as to be free from all stormes and all wounds we shall not be at all moued You heare how Christ doth stablish how he doth order But these things may bee done eyther well or ill Many make orders which are not good and support their people in doing euill it is not so with this King in doing both hee followeth a good rule Iudgement and Iustice I will not trouble you with the diuers significations of much lesse with the manifold commentaries vpon these words I suppose the fairest to bee that which points out the two especiall acts of a King which are the calling of his people to an account of their liues that is Iudgement and to proceede in their trials by an euen rule that is Iustice Euery man is required to haue a care of his life and to be respectiue of the society wherein hee liues A Romane Emperour in the Preface of his Institutions makes this abridgement of ciuill conuersation A man must honestè viuere not doe ought disgracefull to his owne person that is not enough hee must bee carefull of others also alterum non laedere that he worst not another mans state while he would better his own yea he must suum cuique tribuere so liue that euery man be the better for him This is the duty of a Subiect and the King looks that he shall performe it to this end he keepes an Assizes and executeth Iudgement It fareth with the body politicke as it doth with the body naturall in the body naturall if the humours keepe their proportion wee shall haue our health no sooner doe they swarue from it but they begin a disease which maketh way to putrefaction and so to dissolution wherefore we apply physicke to reduce them againe into a due temper euen so while good Lawes sway our carriage towards our selues towards our neighbours each man doth well the Common-weale doth prosper but no sooner doth the subiect breake these bands but a ciuill putrefaction entreth which maketh way to the ruine of a State wherein euery particular mans wel-fare is hazzarded with the whole the remedy whereof is the worke of Iudgement Iudgement then is a fit remedy but it must bee attended with iustice also not the Kings affections but his lawes must moderate his iudgement and the medicine must bee fitted to the disease otherwise if the Scales of iustice doe not first weigh the merits of the cause the iudgement will as much disquiet the State as discontent the parties iudged If you put these words together to order and to stablish with iudgement and iustice each requires both ordering is not perfect without iudgment and iustice nor stablishing perfect except both concurre for stablishing is nothing but a perpetuating of good order Therefore to set the subiects right the King must vse iudgement guided by iustice and that he may keepe them in that state he must perseuere in so doing These words as you see haue an euident truth in a Common-weale and from thence are they borrowed but to note a higher truth which concernes the Church whereof Christ is King And here we must obserue an improuement of the vertues vpon which Christ will passe his iudgement Honestè viuere is not only to liue as beseemes ciuill men but as beseemeth Saints children of God expressing his image members of Christ leading his life and temples of the holy Ghost bearing in our foreheads Holinesse to the Lord. And as for alterum non laedere it is not enough for vs not to defraud others we must loue our very enemies blesse them that curse vs doe good to them that hate and persecute vs. Finally our suum cuique tribuere must be to deny our selues our friends our life when we will testifie our duty to God yea to lay down our liues also for the Brethren after the example of Christ So dear must their welfare be vnto vs. As that which comes into iudgement is so improued so is the iudgement it selfe also for Christs iudgement is without preiudice without partiality nothing can be concealed no person can be exempted he will bring all both persons and things secret and open before his iudgement seate all bookes shall then bee opened and the secrets of all hearts reuealed he will iudge them all But his iudgement is ordered by iustice and this iustice is of a higher straine than ciuill iustice can be for the iustice is Euangelicall wherein God through Christ doth so question vs as that he tenders withall a pardon vnto vs and is as ready to forgiue as to discouer our faults Not only to forgiue them but also to amend vs it sufficeth not Christ graciously to clense vs from the guilt of sinne hee also giueth vs a new heart and createth an ingenuous spirit within vs by which wee may bee held in from sinning With such iudgement and with such iustice doth Christ order and stablish his Church And here must wee marke a notable difference betweene this King of heauen and Kings on earth earthly Kings neyther giue minds vnto their subiects to obserue their Lawes neyther is it lawfull for them in all cases to exempt their subiects from the stroke of iustice when they haue offended But our King can doe both hee can rectifie our conuersation and when we haue sinned he can comfort our distressed consciences Last of all in vsing this rule whereby he directs and supports his State this King is constant he doth it incessantly from henceforth and for euer As the growth hath an eternity so must the cause thereof which is the Kings policie haue an eternity also For there could be no eternity in the effect were there not an eternity in the cause especially in effects which are alwaies in fieri and not in facto such as is this It is in the mystical body as it is in
coniugall Couenant that is betweene God and man God hath promised to be our God and we haue promised to be his People but eyther side promiseth to the other exclusiuely God promiseth to be our God and the God of none as he is ours and wee promise to be his People and to be the People of no other God as we are his This appropriation of our selnes vnto God is that which the Apostle speakes of 1 Cor. 8. Though there be that are called Gods whether in heauen or in earth as there be Gods many and Lords many yet vnto vs there is but one God God the Father and one Lord Iesus Christ This made Dauid to say Psal 73. Whom haue lin heauen but thee Psal 139. and there is none in earth that I desire in comparison of thee Yea doe I not hate them that hate thee I hate them with a perfect hatred as if they were mine enemies Psal 16. but all my delight is in thy Saints which are on the earth As man in his zeale doth so proceede exclusiuely towards God so doth God towards man for God taketh the Church for his peculiar Exod. 19. therupon promiseth Abraham I will blesse them that blesse thee and curse them thâ—t curse thee This is true coniugall Loue of each side and vpon this knot commeth in zeale which is otherwise called iealousie and is nothing but the affection of eyther part whereby it so desires to enioy the other as that none other either haue it or wrong it for if eyther the wife communicate her selfe to any other or be by any other wronged the iealousie of the husband is stirred vp against his wiues enemies or against his wife Against his wife so speakes God Ezekiel 16. And I will iudge thee as women that breake wedlocke and shed blood are iudged and I will giue thee bloud in sury and iealousie And as hee proceedeth in iealousie against his adulterous wife so doth he against enemies that wrong her thereupon the Prophets expresse his anger against them by iealousie and the Church Esay 62. desiring reuenge saith Lord where is thy zeale In this place the zeale respects reuenge vpon the enemies not vpon the Spouse you may perceiue it by the coherence of this Text with that which goeth before where mention is made of a deliuerance and Christ is here brought in as the Deliuerer the ground of the worke is zeale Finally marke that whereas Gods glory doth as well appeare in our deliuerance as our owne good yet in working thereof God seemeth to be moued rather with his loue to vs than care for his owne glory and giueth a good patterne vnto vs that we likewise in seruing of God must respect not so much our owne saluation as his glory And so haue you heard the Warrant of this Doctrine what remaines but that I vse vnto you the words of the Psalmist Be yee lifted vp O yee gates be yee lifted vp O euerlasting doores and the King of glory shall come in Who is the King of glory euen the Lord of Hosts hee is the King of glory You haue heard him described and haue heard the substance and excellencie of his Person and State Behold God is our saluation let vs trust and not bee affraid the Lord Iohouah is our strength and song he also is become our saluation therefore with ioy let vs draw waters out of this Well of Saluation O Lord that art able and willing let me feele the efficacie both of thy power and will in making me partaker both of the Person and State of Christ and the excellencie of both So shall all my power be set on worke by all my will to make me wholly thine as thou art pleased to be mine Grant this mutuall knot may bee so knit that I neuer breake it so shall I be sure that thou wilt euer hold it IHS SIXE SERMONS VPON The Second of HAGGAI HAG. 2. Vers 6 7 8 9. For thus saith the Lord of Hosts Yet once it is a little while and I will shake the heauens and the earth and the sea and the dry land And I will shake all Nations and the desire of all Nations shall come and I will fill this house with glory saith the Lord of Hosts The siluer is mine and the gold is mine saith the Lord of Hosts The glory of this latter house shall bee greater than of the former saith the Lord of Hosts and in this place will I giue peace saith the Lord of Hosts ALthough the fruits of seruing God be not his The first Sermon but our owne welfare yet if it were not more furthered by him than it is endeauoured by vs wee should neuer fare well because wee should neuer serue him Our impediments are two and they are two extreames Carelessenesse and Curiositie Carelessenesse keepes vs backe when we should beginne and when we should goe forward Curiosity slakes our zeale Sometimes we doe not serue God because we doe not care for him and sometimes we grow cold in pietie because we thinke our best endeauours are not worthy of Gods maiestie Thus the euill Angell whether hee appeare in his darkenesse or in his counterfeit light both waies gaines vpon vs. This Prophecie of Haggai doth little else but propose an example of eyther impediment and the remedie that is applied thereunto the Iewes yeelde the example but the remedy is from God The Iewes in acknowledgement of Gods great goodnesse should vpon their returne out of the Babylonian captiuity haue made their first work the re-edifying of Gods house but they were otherwise minded and busied themselues about their owne houses That memorable speech King Dauids religious meditation neuer came into their hearts which is recorded 2 Sam. 7. Lo saith hee I dwell in a house of Cedar but the Arke of God lodgeth vnder Curtaines therefore I will build him an house But these Iewes could finde in their hearts to dwell in sieled houses and let the Temple lye in its â—uines Wherefore God corrects and reformes this their carelessenesse corrects it with rebukes and stripes reformes it by his word and spirit By these meanes were they brought at length to begin the worke They beganne but were quickely wearied and it was curiosity that wearied them They were contented indeede to build a Temple vnto God but not except it might be so goodly a one as was that of Salomâ—n and because their ability would not reach so farre many of them gaue ouer working and fell to weeping Behold a wicked curiosity which vnder colour of Gods honour would not honour him at all Well God must remedie this impediment also and he doth it by teaching the Iewes two excellent rules in Religion The first is wee must not iudge of Gods workes as wee doe of mens In mens workes by the beginning wee make coniecture of the ending and a iudicious man when hee seeth a foundation will easily ghesse what pile of building will be raised
These foure speeches containe the whole doctrine of the Annuntiation of which I haud pitched onely vpon the first branch It is enough for this time enough if I onely vnfold the true meaning of the words but if I should moreouer encounter the false glosses made thereon then certainly you would say it were more than enough For there are no words in the Scripture so few in number I alwayes except the Sacramentall words Hoe est corpus meum whereupon idolatrous superstition hath so much fastened as it hath vpon these But the full ripping vp thereof is a worke for the Schooles here I had rather edifie with truth than refute falsehood wherefore well may I touch at the latter but I will principally bend my selfe vnto the former not doubting but a Dagon compounded of so many impieties will of it selfe fall downe and fall asunder at the presence of the Arke and they which shal be but reasonably informed of the truth will neuer be perplexed with the opposite grosse errours Let vs come then to the words They are gratulatory in them the Angell sheweth How and Why hee would haue the Virgin affected hee would haue her affected comfortably hee signifieth so much in his first word Haile or be of good cheare there is good cause why consider thy estate consider it in it selfe consider it in comparison both wayes considered it sheweth there is good cause why Thy state in it selfe is good first because thou standest in so good termes with God Highly fauoured secondly because thou hast so good a pledge of that fauour the Lord is with thee if thy state be such it is surely good good in it selfe But good things the more peculiar they are the more are they precious and thy state is a prerogatiue it is good also in comparison for Blessed art thou among women This is the summe of the Angels congratulation wherein you easily perceiue that I must speake of two principall points the Affection required in the Virgin and the Motiues working that Affection they are two the nature and the measure of her state That these Motiues may worke in vs no lesse than they did on her that blessed affection which I wish cōmon to vs God grant vs all her ears her heart in hearing though not the Angell Gabriel himselfe yet him whom God hath appointed to be vnto you as the Angell Gabriels voice As my Text then so doe I begin at Haile the Affection which is required to be in the Virgin Haile is a Saxon salutation it was wont to be more full as the Antiquaries obserue and to be pronounced Was-haile corruptly Wassaile a salutation answerable to the Greeke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or the Latine Salue that is health be vnto you the Syriac Paraphrase translates Shelom Leki that is Peace be vnto you which was the Iewes common salutation both translations may stand with the Angels meaning because howsoeuer we varie phrases in saluting yet is our meaning still the same we wish all good to them whom we salute But yet neither of the Translations doth expresse the proper signification of the Euangelists word for his word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is be of good cheare the English Cheare is plainly the Greeke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Wherefore we must note that of salutations some doe expresse the blessing that is conferred vpon vs and some the sense and feeling thereof that must be in vs he that saith Haile wisheth health or good estate of our persons he that saith Peace be vnto you wisheth a happy successe in all our affaires but he that saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 be of good cheere doth wish vnto vs the comfort of them both of our persons and of our affaires This I note the rather because my Text doth plainly distinguish betweene the blessing bestowed on the Virgin and the feeling that she was to haue thereof and it is her feeling that he calleth for in this first word The feeling is Ioy an affection sutable to the blessing for the blessing is a Gospell so the Fathers obserue that what goeth before these words is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 begins here here begins the Gospell And where the Gospell beginneth there must ioy begin also wee learne it of St. Paul who relates it out of the Prophet Rom. 10. yea the word it selfe doth speake it the Greeke word doth the English word doth the old word Gospell which is nothing else but a Good spel darke English because old but we make it plaine by an equiualent phrase and significant to our purpose when we translate it Glad tidings Ioy then must attend the Gospell And if you reade the Prophets hardly shall you finde where they mention the one Psalme 96. and do not call vpon vs for the other Reioyce O heauens and be glad O earth Let the sea roare and all the trees of the field reioyce for he commeth for he commeth c. saith the Psalmist speaking of this first comming of Christ And Esay Cap. 9. Thou hast made them reioyce as in the day of haruest and as they that diuide the spoiles for vnto vs a childe is borne vnto vs a sonne is giuen c. But what need more places seeing our Sauiour Christ in the fourth of Luke giues a plaine intimation that his first comming was the true yeare of Iubile and that you know began with Iubilation This Iubilation or Ioy is common to all the Church so wee learne of the Angell speaking to the Shepheards Behold I bring you glad tidings of great ioy that shall bee to all the people for vnto you is borne a Sauiour c. If required in all then specially in the Virgin according to her interest in ought her ioy to be for this Gospell Her interest was the greatest as will appeare in her state therefore is this ioy so expresly commended vnto her There is another reason also why it is commended and that is that the truth may be answerable to the type Abraham saith Christ saw my day and reioyced Iohn 8. And when did Abraham see it and reioyce If we looke into Genesis we shall finde when euen then when hee receiued the promise that he should haue his sonne Isaac then he laughed as the Text obserues and for a memoriall that he did laugh God commanded him to giue vnto his sonne this name Isaac which signifieth laughter St. Paul Heb. 11. that pierced deeper into the secrets of the Scripture than euery reader is able to doe doth obserue that Abraham did 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Verse 13. see this obiect a farre off and as being a farre off did with reuerent ioy giue entertainment thereunto he meaneth that he did not only apprehend Isaac the Patriarch who was to be born within some few moneths and so was at hand but our Sauiour Christ also figured by Isaac who was not to come but after many generations and so was a farre off
cap. 4. by St. Paul Rom. 11. and he hath his name from Oyle Yea and what was his Crosse but the Oliue presse of Gethsemane that so strained him the true Oliue that his name became Oleum effusum Cant. 1. and the drops of Oyle that streamed from Christ haue anael'd many millions of men made Christians Iohn 18. Christ tooke delight to walke in this Garden intimating thereby that it was his delight so to be pressed with the Crosse But there is a third thing which we must marke in this place in Gethsemane he withdrew himselfe from his Disciples when he gaue himselfe to Prayer that he might more freely poure forth his soule vnto God hee retired himselfe from all company of men And indeed retirednesse is most fit for passionate and affectionate Prayers Many things may beseeme vs in priuate which in publicke are not fit the teares of the eyes the sobs of our tongues the beating of our breasts the interruptions of our affections the prostration of our persons the villifying of our selues expostulations with God and such like many of these modesty will stifle in company or they may be abused to vaine glory but priuacie taketh away all hope of the one as it giueth vs scope to bee free in the other Therefore Christ here by example teacheth that whereof in St. Matthew cap. 6. v. 5. he giueth a rule To pray in priuate to pray in our closet And many holy men haue not only practised Aug. Bern Anselm Heb. 10. but recorded also their soliloquies and priuate conferences that haue passed betweene God and their soules But this is not to be abused to the preiudice of the Communion of Saints or publicke Prayers they must be obserued St. Paul blameth them that neglected the Assemblies these priuate Deuotions must bee added ouer and aboue the publicke Christ that vsed these did not forbear the other no more must wee The last thing that I will note vpon this Cricumstance is that Christus separatus est in oratione qui separatus est in passione Christ associated none with him in this offertory Prayer more than he did in his propitiatory Sacrifice or Suffering vpon the Crosse he bids the Disciples pray for themselues he neuer bids them pray for him the glory of the Redemption is so wholly his that hee suffered none to haue the least share therein with him And so haue I vnfolded the Circumstances vnto you let vs now come to the Substance of the Prayer Wherein we must first see to whom it is directed And we finde that the person is the Father and indeed he ordained the Crosse and therefore there is reason that a prayer concerning the Crosse should be made vnto him Iewes and Gentiles wicked men and Angels had a hand in it but it was but a secondarie hand the primarie was Gods they did no more than was determined by him And God that determined it determined it as a Father out of the heart of a Father did hee ordaine it and hee did mannage it with a Fathers hand Had God beene as bowellesse as Adam was gracelesse the fall of man had beene as desperate as was the fall of Angels but God forgat not to be a Father when Adam forgat to be a Childe therefore out of his Fatherly affection did he prouide this recouerie of his lost childe he prouided that his only begotten Sonne should dye that his adopted sonnes might liue Neyther did he only ordaine it out of a Fathers heart but mannaged it also with a Fathers hand he included nothing in the ransome of the adopted Sonnes that tended not to the glory of the onely begotten Sonne neyther was Christ euer so handled by God as that God did not shew himselfe a Father vnto Christ We haue our afflictions and happely we acknowledge they come from God but that is not enough the Heathen did so much as many as acknowledge diuine prouidence acknowledge that from it commeth light and darkenesse peace and warre prosperity and aduersity But our Afflictions haue this proper name of the Crosse and when wee enquire after the Authour of them we must behold God in the person of a Father with this title must we sweeten his sowre prouidence Are wee left to the will of our enemies yet he that holdeth the bridle is a Father and they can doe no more than he will permit yea to him belong the issues of death and he will suffer no child to be tempted aboue his strength Doth God chastise vs himselfe as what childe is there whom the Father chastiseth not and by chastisement shewes that hee taketh him not for a bastard but for a sonne then paululum supplieij satis est patri his mercy will reioyce ouer his iudgement 1 Sam. 7. Heb. 12. he couenanted so with Dauid in the Old Testament and in the New Testament he warranteth as much by S. Paul Wherefore whensoeuer wee pray against the Crosse let vs not forget to pray vnto God as our Father As we must put vpon God the person of a Father when we pray to him so must wee not come to him but with the behauiour of a Childe Certainly Christ did not The behauiour of a Childe is Reuerence and Reuerence is a vertue compounded ex timore amore of awe and loue Christ expressed both these affections his Awe in an humiliation and in a compellation his Loue His Humiliation was the prostrating of his bodie He fell vpon the earth saith my Text St. Luke He fell vpon his knees St. Matthew He fell vpon his face all agree that he was humble very humble Humilitatem mentis habitu carnis ostendit the posture of his body made sensible the lowlinesse of his soule The distance betweene the Creatour and the Creature is so great that it may well beseeme the most glorious Angell in Heauen to fall downe low before his footestoole certainely the 24. Reu. 5. Elders cast downe not onely their Crownes but themselues also before his throne where they attend And if the distance of a Creature from his Creatour call for such behauiour what behauiour must a sinner vse when he appeareth before his iudge what humiliation of Body must true contrition of heart expresse must we not shew that we are vnworthy to looke to Heauen most worthy to bee reputed no better than vilenesse The Sonne of God in the forme of Man had but sinne imputed and yet we see here how thereupon he is humbled and how then should we villifie our selues in whom sinne is inherent We alwaies owe lowlinesse but wee should striue to intend it most when wee haue most neede to deprecate Gods wrath the greater need wee haue of mercie the more shew should wee make of our humilitie How doth this checke the stiffenesse of our knees the loftinesse of our lookes the inflexiblenesse of our bodies if we be richer if we be greater than others we thinke we may be more familiar shall I say nay more vnmannerly
〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it was all ouercast with a heauinesse to death finally how it affected his body it made it sweat great drops of blood Put these together and you haue a faire commentary vpon that one word wherewith S. Luke doth expresse Christs sense calling it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an Agonie or a sharpe conflict And indeed wee must confesse that there was much extraordinary in Christs Crosse and that it was such a draught as none could take but he And by this wee must obserue in the Cup and Christs sense thereof first that God would haue copiosam redemptionem not onely in regard of the person suffering which was both God and Man and therefore could to a little suffering adde an infinite worth but also in regard of the sufferings themselues which God would haue to be as great as the person of Christ was capable of And he would not haue it seeme strange vnto vs if we be put to a fiery tryall seeing God was pleased so farre to exercise the patience of his owne deare Sonne after his example we must be contented to take not only Calicem but Calicem hune to drinke not only of a Cup but of a very bitter Cup also as many in the primitiue Church and later ages haue done Secondly in the liuelinesse of Christs sense wee are taught quanti steterit salus nostra with how great heauinesse and horror Christ vndertooke and went through the redemption of our soules the more he felt of that the more are wee indebted to his loue and should detest our sinne yea wee must learne of Christs sorrow to sorrow our selues for our selues and by his heauinesse how to bee heauie when we haue offended God But enough of the Crosse Let vs come now to the wish of Nature It is exprest in two words transeat aufer let it passe take it away The words import that the Cup was making towards him and indeed the word houre sheweth that this was the time of taking it now death the reward of sinne temporall death fast clasped with eternall came to require due satisfaction to bee made to God Christ doth not denie that this is iust therefore let it goe on but yet transeat let it goe besides me let not me be the partie on whom it seizeth But how can that bee seeing Christ stood out as the surety of mankinde the execution must come out vpon him that hath vndertaken the debt if then God let his iudgements ire goe forth certainely they will not transire passe by the person of Christ for they are right arming Thunderbolts as the Wiseman calleth them Therefore Christ addeth a second word aufer though of themselues they would seize on me yet be thou pleased to take them from me let thy hand stay them which will not stay themselues But to leaue the words and come to the things that are obseruable in the Wish It is an inborne principle of nature for euery liuing thing to desire his preseruation and abhor destruction but this principle should be more liuing in the Sonnes of men who know that God made not death Wisd 1. and that it is the wages of sinne Rom. 5. Ambros Theophylact. in bunc locum because it is vnnaturall because it is penall it may bee feared it must bee deprecated we put off nature if our nature bee not so affected Especially if it be Calix iste such a Cup as Christs an extraordinary Cup wee may not only deprecate it but ingeminate our deprecation as Christ three times prayed the same words and St. Paul did the like against the buffettings of Sathan But we must marke that though all things were foreseene by Christ and resolued vpon yet it pleased God that hee should permit euery power of his soule to doe and suffer what was naturall vnto it Chrysostome and thereby declare vnto the world that he was a true Man Sermone 1. de Sancto Andrea Yea St. Ambrose and St. Bernard obserue that it was much more glorious for Christ to doe so than to haue done the contrarie that not only the passion of his bodie but the affection of his heart also might make for vs that whom his death quickned them his trembling might confirme his heauinesse glad his drooping cheere and his disquiet set at rest Theophylact obserueth that Christs Wish is a good warning to vs that wee doe not cast our selues into temptation 〈◊〉 de passione Christi St. Cyprian giueth the reason Quis non timeat si timet ille quem omnia timent he prefaceth his words with a passionate Meditation and they are foolishly hardy that presume of more than is exprest in the Wish of Christ And the Wish is not onely Admonitory but Consolatorie also It is no small comfort that it is lawful for vs to expresse our Wishes though they be contrary to Gods will yea his knowne will for so was Christs The more rigid is their Diuinity that are so zealous for Grace that they abolish Nature and will haue a Christian man forget to be a man But though this Wish may be common to Christ and vs yet is there as great difference betweene it as it riseth in vs and as it rose in him It rose in him neuer but according to the prescript of reason his reason was neuer preuented by his affection sicut quando voluit factus est homo as he was not incarnate but when hee was willing so onely when hee was willing did his affections stirre within him Nihil coactum in Christo Damascen lib. 3 Orthod sid cap. 20. the obiects could not worke his affections but when he saw it fit therefore shall you reade in the Gospell that Christ troubled himselfe when he groaned in spirit Iohn 11. But as for our affections they out-step our discretion and wee are transported with them before we are aduised which maketh vs retract them with our after wits Secondly Christs affections when they stirred neuer passed those bounds which were set them by reason but ours will not so be bridled seldome are we moued but we eyther ouer reach or come short of that which wee ought to doe Therefore our affections and Christs are fitly resembled to two Vials of cleane water whereof the one hath a muddy residence the other hath no residence at all stirre the water that is in the Viall without residence and though you trouble it yet you shall not see any foulenesse in it but no sooner is that Viall that had the residence stirred but the mudde mingleth with the water euen so our affections are tainted with concupiscence from which conception by the Holy Ghost did free our Sauiour Christ You haue heard the Wish of Nature and heard how it is bent against the Crosse But there is one point which may not be omitted Christs modesty in expressing this for it is but a conditionall Wish Christ limiteth it with If If it possible let this Cup passe Things are
considering that spirituall plagues are much more heauie than corporall and we should in our humiliation ioyne our cryes with those soules vnder the Altar that were slaine for the Word of God and the Testimony which they held saying How long O Lord holy and true doest thou not iudge and auenge our bloud on them that dwell in the earth Reuel 6.10 The Vse of all this first part of my Text that is the case of Sufferers is this That we know not God to halues God describeth himselfe to be Iust as well as Mercifull Exod. 34. and the sonne of Syrach tells vs Ecclus 5. that God is as mighty to punish as to saue therefore we must not look vpon onely Gods Mercy but vpon his Iustice also which is so palpable in the plagues And yet must wee not so plod vpon Gods Iustice as not to carry our eye from thence to his Mercy for as in the first case exprest in my Text we haue seene the Church suffering from Gods wrath so now in her second case we must behold her as a Suppliant hauing recourse vnto the Throne of grace And here first wee must obserue That though God for sinne be pleased to humble his Church yet doth hee afford her a meanes of reliefe whereby shee may come out of her greatest distresse And why God is not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not a Destroyer but a Sauiour of his Church he doth not punish her but to recouer her as anon you shall heare more at large But though the Church be subiect to no more calamities than she hath remedy for yet of her manifold distresses the remedy is but one Penitent Deuotion is the onely remedy of all distresses And this Deuotion is here called by two names Prayer and Supplication The words in the Originall are fitted to the argument the first is Tephillah which is such a prayer as a prisoner maketh to him before whom hee is arraigned you may interpret it by those words in Iob cap. 9. I will make supplication to my Iudge And indeed a Penitent must so come to God as if he came to the Barre hee must suppose himselfe to bee an indited person And being such the second word will teach him what his plea must be euen a Psalme of Mercy for so Techinnah signifieth hee must come vnto God with Haue mercy vpon mee O God after thy great mercy Psal 51. and hee must pray with Daniel cap. 9. O Lord righteousnesse belongeth vnto thee but vnto vs confusion of faces In the Primitiue Church they had stationary dayes Tertullian saith their name is borrowed from warfare and Christians vpon that day putting on the whole armour of God did stand vpon their guardes against powers and principalities Serm. 36. and spirituall wickednesses in heauenly places St. Ambrose more plainly saith stationes vocantur Ieiunia quòd flentes ieiunantes in ijs inimicos repellamus These were the weekly fasting dayes Wednesdayes and Fridayes whereon Christians repaired to the Church and therein quasifactâmanu like an Armie with spirituall weapons of fasting and praying weeping and lamenting of their sinnes they put to flight all their ghostly enemies and remoued all the heauie pressures of the Church We keepe the dayes but haue lost the truevse of them It is much to bee wisht that they were restored againe and that thereon we did as our Fore-fathers were wont plye God in these sinnefull and wofull times especially with Tephillah and Techinnah the Prayers of guilty ones and Supplications for the mercy of God But more fully to rip vp this Deuotion so farre as wee are led by my Text obserue that it consisteth of two acts one inward and another outward The inward is a liuely sense of the Penitents euill case and an expression of his deuotion out of that sense Euery one of them must know the plagues of his owne heart Where first obserue that the plagues inflicted are corporall but the sense required is spirituall And why the originall of sinne is in the soule whereunto the body concurres but as a pliable instrument therefore God would haue the body serue by his smart to awaken the soule make it apprehensiue of Gods displeasure and tremble at his iudgements The word which we doe render plague doth signifie a wound now in the heart there may be a wound of sinne or a wound for sinne The wound of sinne 1. Pet. 2. is that which sinne giueth to the soule St. Peter tels vs that our sinfull lusts fight against the soule and in fighting giue the soule many a stabbe the sonne of Syrach expresseth this excellently All iniquity is as a two-edged sword the wounds whereof cannot bee healed Ecclus 21. And what meane we else when we say that sinne is mortall but that it giueth mortall wounds Besides this wound of sinne there is a wound for sinne you know that when a man in fight hath receiued a wound the Chirurgion must come with his instrument and search that wound scoure it and put the wounded man to a second paine euen so when wee haue wounded our soules with sinne wee must wound them a second time for finne if wee meane to be deuoutly penitent wee must be prickt at the heart we must rent our hearts we must breake our stonie hearts wee must melt our hearts we must poure forth our soules our spirit must be wounded within vs and our heart must be desolate This is that which God commanded the Iewes Leuit. 16.31 when hee bid them afflict their soules in the day of their solemne Fast This is that godly sorrow which St. Paul 2. Cor. 7.10 speaketh of sorrow not to be repented of Animae amaritudo est anima poenitentiae this vexing of our soules is the very soule of repentance As a penitent man hath these two wounds so he must know them but wee come very short of this all this mortall life of ours is nothing else but a masse of plagues full of temptations Iohn 7. and trauelleth with vanity of vanities and vexation of spirit Psal 38. all the sonnes of Adam doe daily suffer from the wrath of God in some thing or other and euerie one of vs may say as Augustus the Emperour sometimes said that he sitteth inter lachrymas suspiria betweene sighings and teares Certainly as the Christian world now standeth wee are encompast with lamentable spectacles both abroad and at home But many men are so hardened that they feele not their owne disease much lesse others yea so farre they are from feeling the ordinary plagues of man that they doe not feele the extraordinary ones wherewith God doth rowze sinnefull men Wherefore we must hold it for one of the gifts of grace wherewith God doth endue his children that they recouer againe the sense of godly sorrow And wee may well conclude that hee that is senslesse is gracelesse and they which haue no sense beare the heauiest plague The word doth carry with it not
a commendable highth than by profitably reading of those places You shall learne thus much also that factus Christianus is much more pious than is natus he that out of a forlorne state is by the mercie of God brought to the state of grace when he is come to the yeares of discretion doth abound much more in the fruits of righteousnesse than he that is borne in the state of grace and so will euerie true conuerted sinner abound more than he that neuer tooke a grieuous fall But I must hasten to the preheminencie of Grace a preheminencie beyond St. Pauls preheminency euen by the testimonie of St. Paul himselfe Not I but the grace of God that is with me he correcteth himselfe as if he had presumed too farre Where marke that though a man worke with grace not only per effectum but also per consensum not only to the producing of the effect but also vnderstanding and willing it for hee is instrumentum rationale and God doth not deale with men as with blockes and bruit beasts yet is a man but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an Instrument the principall Agent is the grace of God And although there be two workers yet must they not be reputed coordinate but subordinate neither doth man worke otherwise than as hee is moued by grace and the children of God are led by his spirit Whereby you may gather how wicked a doubt that is which now doth perplexe the Church Whether forsooth our will determines Gods grace or Gods grace determines our will in the point of iustification Certainly St. Paul thought the point out of question when he vsed this correctiue Not I but the grace of God that is with me mecum or quae in me The grace of God doth not cooperate with our free will except it bee first regenerated by grace Therefore the defence of free will is idly gathered hence seeing Papists meane it in actu primo and St. Paul speakes here de actusecundo He is most vnthankefull then and so vnworthy of grace that doth not giue the preheminence to the grace of Adoption cooperant in all his workes of pietie And so to the cooperant grace of Edification must we giue the glorie of all the workes of our Ministrie Paul planteth and Apollo watereth it is God that giueth the increase wee haue heauenly treasures but we conuey them in earthen vessels the foolishnesse of preaching is ours the demonstration of the Spirit is from Heauen Non vos estis qu◠loquimini sed Spiritus Patris Matth. 10. wee speake the words God openeth the heart wee wash with water Christ with the Holy Ghost we giue the bread and wine Christ his body and blood Ros coelestis sacit messem terrestrem wee may not thinke better of our selues than of Ministers the power of whose worke dependeth on the Spirit of our Master wee are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but Christi a second grace is the cause why our first is not frustrate so was it before the fall much more is it so now I haue done with the particulars of my text two things I gathered out or the whole bodie of it which I will note in a word The first is St. Pauls sinceritie who giueth the glorie vnto God of the originall of the gifts and of the vse of the gifts wherewith he was endowed condemning all sacriledge of this kinde What God told Zorobabel re-edifying the Temple of the earthly Hierusalem the same is fulfilled in the restauration of our heauenly neyther by armie nor strength but by my Spirit saith the Lord of Hosts men shall bring forth all the stones thereof with shouting crying grace grace Zach. 4. Therefore let vs say Not vnto vs O Lord not vnto vs but vnto thy name giue the praise for of thee and through thee and for thee are all things all things that belong to the being of thy Church the being both of Pastor and People Let him that glories glorie in the Lord. As St. Paul dealeth sincerely in regard of Gods glorie so doth he also modestly in regard of himselfe as he extolleth God so doth he abase himselfe witnesse the extenuation of his endowment of his employment and the correction of that speech wherein hee might seeme to value himselfe at too high a rate I cannot stand to amplifie this vertue of his though the pride of our nature deserues to haue it amplified that it may be admonished thereby I will onely commend vnto your meditation King Dauids Psalme Lord I am not high minded I haue no proud looks c. and Christs exhortation to vs to become as little children hee that exalteth himselfe shall bee humbled and that humbleth himselfe shall bee exalted Let vs not therefore bee ashamed to cast downe our selues that the Lord may lift vs vp and seeing our helpe standeth in the Name of the Lord and without Christ we can doe nothing for quis te discreuit and what hast thou that thou hast not receiued because it is hee that worketh in vs both to will and to doe let vs continually pray Lord make speed to saue vs Lord make haste to helpe vs saue and helpe both Pastor and People that both may truly say with St. Paul By the grace of God I am that I am and euery one may haue this sweet repose of conscience Gods grace was not bestowed on me in vaine Finally the Apostle ascribing before his sinnes to himselfe and his vertue to God doth teach that we are sufficient to our owne ruine not so to our rising according to that of Hosea Destructio tua ex te c. Therefore the Minister must with meeknesse teach the contrary minded 2 Timothie 2. I haue set before you an exact patterne of a good Pastor and Christian wee should all endeauour to conforme thereto but this is rather to bee wished than hoped because of the frailtie of our nature Wherefore a timely suruey of the Church is requisite to make such a suruey is the reason of this meeting The world hath many Saules blasphemers oppressors wicked liuers but you vse to present All as Pauls you say All is well when euery man may see that much is amisse Remember that this is Iudicium ante iudicium a medicinall Iudgement before a mortall the iudgement of man to preuent the iudgement of God Doe not by cruell indulgence exempt any from the iust censure of the Church to expose your selues and them to the intolerable vengeance of God Rather let vs all ioyne of Saules to make Paules that so wee may repaire the decayes of the Church and heare a comfortable doome when we all come before the Tribunall seat of Christ THe Lord giue vs all this effectuall grace the vndoubted pledge of eternall glorie Hee that hath begunne in you a good worke perfect it till the day of the Lord. Amen IHS A SERMON PREACHED IN TRINITY CHVRCH IN WINCHESTER AT An ASSIZES 1610. EZRA 7. vers 26. And whosoeuer will not doe
carried towards heauen and heauenly things while our thoughts doe so stoope wee approach that fire of which Saint Iames speakes that it setteth the tongue on fire and wee may well say that the whole frame of nature is set on fire thereby so set on fire that it is melted so melted that it is dissolued There is a threefold band 1. betweene GOD and Man 2. betweene superiours and inferiours 3. betweene those that are equals In those that come neare this fire they are melted all there continueth no communion betweene God and vs for want of piâ—tie no communion betweene superiours and inferiours neyther respects the other as it ought nor any commerce between equals each doth endeauour to deuour the other But to open this a little plainer From our bodie naturall wee must learne what an euill this melting is in the bodie politicke In the bodie naturall if a ioynt bee dissolued wee finde a double euill the part groweth weake in it selfe and troublessome to the neighbour parts as you may see in an arme out of ioynt it is weake it selfe and a burthen vnto the next part whereupon it resteth beeing not able to sustaine it selfe the same falleth out in the policique melting Men through disorder grow weake themselues and they are troublesome to others weake they are though their lusts bee strong because that strength is not of the man who should bee a reasonable creature but it is of a beast of the sensuall part of a man Hee that rideth a fierce horse let the horse keepe what pace hee will so long as the rider commandes him by the bridle wee say hee rides strongly but if the horse get the bit in his mouth and runne away the faster his pace the weaker the rider because hee cannot checke him Our affections are as that fierce horse and our reason should bee as a strong bridle stirre they neuer so much if reason commaund wee are strong but if reason haue no power and they runne loose then certainely the more violent they are the weaker are wee Wee speake significantly when wee say that a man transported by his passions is an impotent man and wee therein imitate the phrase of GOD himselfe who by the Prophet reproouing Iudah for her vnsatiable spirituall fornication saith How weake is thy heart Drunkards and murtherers adulterers and all kinde of dissolute liuers thinke themselues very stronge because they haue their full forthe in sinne but let them not deceiue themselues they are melted they are dissolued this is but a weakenesse they haue lost that strength not onely wherewith God created them vnto vertue but euen that strength wherewith humane policie doth strengthen them vnto ciuill societie they are vnprofitable therefore But that is not all the euill A member out of ioynt is not only vnseruiceable it selfe but also painefull to the other partes And whosoeuer groweth disordered as hee weakeneth himselfe so is hee mischieuous to others adulterers to other mens wiues murtherers to their persons robbers to their goods slanderers to their good name it is the condition of all sins they disorder policies That which I obserue vnto Iudges herein is that they should not onely take notice of the facts vpon which they sit Iudges but to stirre vp in themselues the zeale of iustice should diligently consider these two things which cleaue vnto euery such fact the weakenesse and the annoyance of the malefactour hee is not what hee should bee seruiceable to the State and what hee should not bee hee is mischieuous vnto others So much is implyed when hee is said to bee dissolued But let vs see of whom this melting or dissoluing is affirmed The earth and all the inhabitants thereof are dissolued Some take these words according to the figure 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and resolue them thus All the inhabitants of the earth are dissolued as if the melting and dissoluing did concerne onely the persons yea and point out also such persons as are apt to bee dissolued namely those that haue their thoughts and affections grouelling vpon the earth We haue a distinction in Saint Paul of the two ADAMS The first was of earth earthly the second was the Lord from Heauen as is the earthly so are they that are earthly and as is the heauenly so are they that are heauenly 1. Corinth 15. they are so in this that the earthly is easily dissolued but the heauenly is not if wee did set our affections on things aboue and not on things below if wee had our conuersation in Heauen and would bee though in the world yet not of it wee neede not feare melting wee should not bee dissolued but while wee grow more like the old Adam than the new while wee set our affections on things below and sauour onely the things of earth no wonder if wee melt if wee bee dissolued The Admonition for vs all is to keepe vs to the example of CHRIST yea to let CHRIST liue in vs let our hearts bee possessed with the loue of Heauen and Heauenly things so shall wee not proue melting or disordered members of the State But the words may bee taken as they lye in my Text and the dissoluing may bee applyed no lesse to the earth than to the inhabitants thereof both may bee dissolued both may melt But then wee must obserue a distinction There is a penall and there is a sinnefull melting the earth is subiect to a penall but the sinnefull is that whereunto men onely are subiect and being subiect thereunto cause the earth to bee subiect to the other A fruitfull land may become barren and a healthy Countrey become contagious yea a Countrey that is like the Garden of GOD as Sodome was may become a salt a dead Sea as Sodome is which is the penall melting or dissoluing thereof But this befalleth not except the people sinne and the crye of their sinne come vp vnto God Maledicta terra propter te hath a constant truth there is neuer any penall melting where a sinnefull melting hath not gone before The Vse that I would make hereof is That when wee see plagues wee should thereby bee put in minde of sinnes the Magistrate should bestirre himselfe thereabout especially hee should inquire after crying sinnes GOD taught this lesson to Ioshua when the Israelites fled before the men of Ai Ioshua rent his clothes and fell to his prayers and so did others with him a good worke you would thinke in such a case to deprecate the wrath of GOD but GOD telleth Ioshua that he should intend another worke Vp saith hee what makest thou here Israel hath sinned therefore they cannot stand before their enemies Goe thou and correct that sinne and that sinne was but the sinne of one how much more must hee doe it if as in the Text All the inhabitants bee dissolued The more sinners the more speed must the Magistrate make and there can be no more than All. But All may bee vnderstood eyther of singula
of Grace doth it much more They put the Question to Christ and Christ giueth them an answere a cooling answere for he reproues their Zeale and disproues their Reason and he doth both in Word and Deed. He reproues in Deed for He turned about his gesture was angrie not only in Deed but also in Word and his Word commented vpon his Deed he checked them But to reproue and shew no cause is to hold the Hands but not to rectifie the Heart Christ doth not so hee will not only haue them forbeare but also to be perswaded that they ought so to doe Therefore he confuteth their Reason Their Reason was Elias his Example Christ telleth them that Example is misapplied you know not of what spirit yee are Euery mans temper must be according to his Calling you are called to bee my Apostles therefore must you take your temper from me and my temper is answerable to the ends of my Incarnation well might Elias answere his Name it signifieth the Power of God and he shewed Gods Power in taking vengeance he came to destroy mens liues but Iesus must answere his owne Name and his Name signifieth The Saluation of the Lord therefore is he become the Sonne of Man that he may Saue the liues of men So Christ refuteth their Reason in Words But not only in Words He doth it in Deeds also he that gaue them a good Rule giueth them a good Example He went vnto another Towne yea partly the Rule and partly the Example put these hot Disciples into a better moode for not Christ only but they also left that and went into another Towne You see the contents of this Scripture and withall that they may bee reduced vnto two Heads The Reuenge and the Censure Of the Reuenge there are two parts The Preuocation of the Samaritans and the Passion of the Apostles And in the Censure Christ first reproues and then disproues not only in Words but also in Deeds The particulars are many therefore you may not expect that I speake much of any one so much may suffice as will serue this present Occasion thereon to ground a sound Case of Conscience and thereby to stirre vp due thankes for our wonderfull Deliuerance To this end will I resume the points and touch at them briefly and in ther order And first at the Affliction The Samaritanes would not receiue him The persons that afflicted were Samaritans and the Samaritans were ancient enemies of the Iewes from the dayes of Rehoboam whose Kingdome was rent into two that of Israel whose Metropolis was Samaria and the other of Inda these Kingdomes were at oddes and in the Israelites did the first quarrell begin against the Iewes After the Israelites were carried away captiues by the Kings of Assyria and a Colonie mixt of many Nations succeeded in their roome the quarrell was inherited together with the Countrie It appeares immediately vpon the Iewes returne from the Babylonian captiuitie for then the Iewes would not admit the Samaritans to build the Temple with them because they held them for Gentiles and the Samaritans in reuenge did their worst to interrupt the building of the Temple and although to partake of the Iewes prosperitie they were contented to be reputed of their kindred yet in time of their aduersitie they disclaymed them and were Suiters vnto the Kings of Syria and Egypt that they might goe for Gentiles though indeed they were neither Iewes nor Gentiles but Mungrels mixt no lesse in Religion then in Nation taking somewhat of the Gentile and somewhat of the Iew as appeares in the Samaritanismus described by Epiphanius as impious a Chaos as is the Turkes Alcoran These were the men that offered the indignitie vnto Christ Being so bad men they make the indignitie the worse though of it selfe it is bad enough Let vs see what it is It is a sinne compounded of Inhumanitie and Impietie there is inhumanitie in the fact but the reason doth improue it vnto Impietie The fact was they would not receiue Christ great inhumanitie not to receiue strangers especially for Samaritans who as Epiphanius reports receiued the fiue Bookes of Moses wherein Hospitalitie is taught both by Rule and by Example The example of Abraham and Lot are remarkable in Genesis who were 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Saint Paul willeth Christians to be Rom. 12. giuen to Hospitalitie Origen first and out of him Chrysostome obserue the significancie of the phrase which importeth that we should be so hospitable as not to stay till strangers seeke to vs but preuent them by our inuitation And indeed so did Abraham and so did Lot Neither had they only these Examples but the Law also Leuit. 19. Thou shalt not wrong a stranger but loue him as thy selfe Eumaenes in Homer presseth the reason of it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 all strangers are of Gods Family the whole World is his House vnder whom euery man holdeth but a small Territorie and although in regard of our owne Tenure they that haue another are strangers vnto vs yet are we all Tenants of the same Land-lord yea of the Houshold of the same great Master and therefore no man should esteeme another a stranger Surely our Sauiour Christ shewes Matth. 25. that this reason which Nature it selfe taught the Heathen is true also in Diuinitie in that Come yee blessed for when I was a stranger yee lodged me and Solomon to the same purpose He that giueth to the poore lendeth to the Lord. In Iambic But if this Reason goe too high Nazianzene hath another more plaine to reason 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 No man can denie harbour to others that thinketh vpon this that himselfe is a stranger hee hath his ground from Gods Law who therefore bids the Israelites bee good to strangers because themselues were strangers in Egypt Chap. 31. It was no small comfort vnto Iob that hee could say The stranger did not lodge in the street but I opened my house to him that went by the way â—il 5. de Heres I end this point with Saint Austines exhortation Disce Christiane sine discretione exhibere hospitalitatem ne fortè cui domum clauseris cui humanitatem negaueris ipse sit Deus Certainly he against whom the Samaritans shut their gates was Christ They were so farre from inuiting him that they would not be intreated by him If they had beene but as daintie as the Egyptians who held it an abomination to eat with the Hebrewes it had beene too much but not to receiue them vnder their roose was plainly against the Law of Nations It was so But haply they had some reason for their fact They alledge one And see Quomodo cum ratione insaniunt Christs face was as if he would goe to Ierusalem The fact was bad this reason maketh it worse Some doe thinke that the Samaritans did alwayes denie entertainment to the Iewes but it is most certaine that they did it when they
that we should bow before him the knees of our hearts no lesse then the knees of our bodies when we lift vp our hands vnto GOD we should lift vp our Soules also and our eyes should not behold Heauen but our faith should pierce vnto the Throne of GOD. Finally there is no Ceremoniall Law which should not attend some Morall as the shadow doth the body or the body should the soule the Sonne of SYRACH hath made a whole Chapter that teacheth this Lesson But the Iewes put a sunder what GOD had conioyned Cap. 35 they shewed much zeale for the Ceremoniall but were carelesse of the Morall Law expressed much submission of their bodyes but little deuotion of their Soules and drew neere with their lips but their hearts were farre from God Of this GOD complaineth ESAY 1. and doth passionately vary tearmes to expresse his dislike thereof they solemnized their Feasts and offered Sacrifices and assembled themselues in his House Esay 1 But what saith GOD To what purpose is the multitude of your Sacrifices Who required your presence to tread in my Courts I hate your solemne Feasts The cause of all is Your hands are full of blood In the last of ESAY GOD is much sharper He that killeth an oxe is as if he slew a man Cap. 66. he that sacrificeth a lambe as if he cut off a dogs necke he that offereth an oblation is as if he offered swines blood he that burneth Incense as if he blessed an Idol Marke the Reason They haue chosen their owne wayes and their soule delighted in their owne abominations You see then that in seruing GOD we may offend him grieuously if we seuer those things which he hath coupled for our seruice then will be plaine hypocrisie and Hypocrifie is by a Prouerbe noted to be double iniquitie And iustly is it so noted for therein we do first Interpretatiuè deny that GOD is the Searcher of the heart in that we doe not approue our heart to him Secondly we doe expresly preferre the Diuell before GOD in that we giue the better part I meane our Soule to the Diuell and reserue onely the worser part that is our bodyes for GOD. This should all that present themselues in GODS House seriously thinke on especially you that make shew of a solemne Penitent but such a shew as betrayeth that there is no broken heart within you nor contrite spirit seeing there appeareth so little euidence thereof in the outward man Be you assured that so repenting for sinne you doe but add vnto your sinne you are a transgressor of the Law in regard of your Separation of the Ceremoniall from the Morall Law But there is an other transgression of the Law which is the direct and immediate violation of the Morall part thereof This is the greater sinne and doth more apparently deserue such a name for the former though it be a sinne yet it is a cloaked sinne it maketh some faire shew in the eyes of men how vgly soeuer it is in the eyes of GOD but this walketh vnmasked and appeareth as it is Secondly the former is Malum quia prohibitum euill vpon no other ground but because by a positiue Law it is forbidden it is onely extrinsically euil the other is prohibitum quia malum by no meanes to be done though there were no positiue Law that did forbid it the euill thereof is intrinsicall for it is the violation of the Image of GOD according to which man was made and according to which he should liue In the particular Case that concernes this Penitent GOD that gaue a rationall facultie vnto the soule of man whereby he should order the sensitiue in the vse thereof would haue a man shew himselfe to be better then a beast And how doth a man differ from a beast that hath vnbridled lusts and neglect not onely sacred wedlocke but the degrees of Affinitie and Consanguinitie within which GOD and Nature require that his lusts be stinted This should you that are the Penetent seriously thinke on and measure the grieuousnesse of your sinne by this these things as well the transgression of the Morall as the seperation thereof from the Ceremoniall But the grieuousnesse of sinne is argued not only from what is done but also from the doing of the same Aliud est peccare aliud peccatum facere saith St AVGVSTINE It is one thing to sinne another thing to be giuen ouer to sinne and his distinction is not idle for it is grounded not onely vpon St IOHNS phrase 1 Iohn 3. but also vpon St IAMES his gradation Men are first inticed by their lusts Cap. 1. then lust conceaueth and brings forth sinne and sinne being perfected brings forth death and this perfecting of sinne is properly the doing of sinne All men sinne but they that haue grace take heed of doing sinne feare and shame are both shaken off by those that goe so farre they endeauour not so much as to hide their sinnes Of these Iewes our Psalme saith They sate they spake they ran they wrought euill they consented one with another and were professors of a wicked life And little better is the case of this Penitent who for many yeeres hath openly in the eyes of the world notwithstanding the clamor of many that iustly did detest it liued in abominable Incest which doth much aggrauate his sinne There is a third Aggrauation in my Text taken from the Person that doth commit the sinne Thou hast done these things And the circumstance of the Person doth much improue the foulenesse of a fault No man should sinne against GOD but they that are most bound should forbeare most Now the Iewes had a double Obligation one by Nature the other by the Couenant They were GODS Creatures and GOD vouchsafed to contract with them Not to performe the dutie which we owe especially when we haue solemnly vowed it maketh vs guiltie in a high degree And euerie one within the Church if he doe sinne is so farre guiltie his Vow in Baptisme will presse him no lesse then the Condition of his Nature And this must you that are the Penitent ponder in your Soule that you may answerably hereunto feele the burden of your sinne I doe not amplifie these things without Cause they must be the rather marked because the deeper the Iewe was in guilt the greater was GODS Patience Notwithstanding their double offence their Seperation and Transgression their double Obligation of Nature and Vow their double sinning in that they did not onely act but professe sin yet did GOD hold his peace he proceeded not against them but with great Patience GODS Patience is noted by his Silence the word signifieth to be deafe and dumbe and putteth vs in mind of a double voyce a voyce of sinne and a voyce of Iudgement That sinnes haue a Voyce you may read Gen. 4. where ABELS blood doth cry and in the Storie of Sodome Gen. 18. the voyce of whose sin came vp to
GOD is grounded vpon it and affinitie doth in some sort equall consanguinitie as grafted branches doe those that are naturall But because where consanguinitie is a good ground of charitie there needeth no repaire neither will GOD haue any therefore hath he forbidden mariage within certaine degrees some collaterall more in the right line and they that match within these degrees are said to commit Incest Adde hereunto that GOD would haue a distinction kept between persons he would not haue the same person a Father and a Sonne an Husband and a Brother c. in regard of the same persons such peruersenesse in matches can neuer be approued of reason much lesse of GOD. See then your fault you that are the incestuous persons you haue first gone against GODS Ordinance which prouided for the propagating of charity and your sinne is iniurious to the societie of mankind and if it might preuaile Families must needs continue strangers each to the other and they must confine their wealth and their loue euerie one to their owne Howse Secondly In confounding Consanguinitie and Affinitie you haue made a peruerse confusion of a Father and an Husband and of a Daughter you haue made a Wife at least a Strumpet And this is your second sinne and of this and the former consisteth your sinfull fact and haynous sinne It is wickednesse Wickednesse is a word common to all sinnes but it must be here vnderstood in a speciall sense as the word sinner is often in the Scripture in the Old Testament the Amalekites those sinners 1 Sam. 15.18 in the New Testament the Gentiles are also called sinners as also Publicans Harlots not so much because they had sinne in them as for that their sinnes were enormous All Incontinencie is wicked but Incest is wicked 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the highest degree But to open the word here vsed by the Holy Ghost a little more fully The word is Zimmah which signifieth any act of our mind or thought of our heart but because the thoughts of the imaginations of our hearts are commonly euill therefore an euill thought or purpose is often intimated vnto vs thereby Thirdly Because he that is a slaue to his affections can hardly be master of his actions for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 out of the abundance of the heart the mouth will speake therefore it signifieth a reuealed thought a thought reuealed in our actions Finally the word being put without any limitation doth signifie an execrable an intollerable wicked both thought and act and so it is here to be vnderstood But marke that though the sinne be an act yet it is denominated from the thought And why The principall part thereof lyeth in the purpose of the heart not in the outward performance by our body which may also be obserued in the storie of the Deluge all flesh had then corrupted his way but GOD pointeth at the fountaine of this corruption in these words Gou. 6. euerie imagination of the thoughts of mans heart were euill Act. 8. and that continually SIMON MAGVS offered money to the Apostles that he might by them be inabled to giue the Holy Ghost to whom soeuer he layd his hands vpon but marke what St PETER saith to him Pray that the thought of thy heart may be forgiuen thee for I perceiue thou art in the gall of bitternesse and the bond of iniquitie Men that doe that which is right in their owne eyes are commonly drawne thereunto by following the counsell of their owne heart we must therefore listen to the aduise of SOLOMON Prâ—u 4.23 Keepe thy heart with all diligence for out of it are the issues of life and death A second note that this word doth yeeld is that we must be so farre from acting that we must not so much as purpose sinne not suffer our selues so farre to be baited by our owne lusts Athanas as to conceiue sinne in the inward man 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sinne in the priuie closet of our soule Excellently NAZIANZENE to this purpose 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 let no man set vp Idols of wickednesse in his soule 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 nor carrie about him pictures of wickednesse in his heart for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the inward lust is the greatest part of fornication and incest and therefore doth the Holy Ghost so often forbid the lust of concupiscence In a word laudantur homines vituperantur 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as men are inwardly disposed so are they morally reputed good or bad and herein doth morallitie differ from policie But I haue not yet touched at the haynousnesse of this sinne Incest then must be reputed in the number of the most enormous sinnes a sinne that hath his originall from the impure Spirit which is antiquus adulter the ancientest Adulterer not onely spirituall but corporall also and taketh delight no lesse in the corruption of our bodyes then of our soules you may see it in the confessions of sundry Witches who report the manner of their festiuitie at their impious meetings and read it in the description of their Mysteries wherein they doe initiate their followers TERTVLLIAN in his Apologie and other Fathers make mention of it And how many impure Hereticks did he rayse in the Primitiue CHVRCH This and the 18 Chapter doth tell vs that the Aegyptians from whom the Israelites came and the Canaanites into whose Countrey they were to goe were Nations ouergrowne with this haynous sinne but marke what it addeth God did detest them for it and the Land did spue them out And no maruell â—ozomene for it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a man that is giuen ouer to this degree of lust hath lost all soueraigntie of reason and is become a verie beast yea worse then a beast for beasts abhorre this coniunction as heretofore vpon a like occasion I shewed you out of ARISTOTLE And therefore although these extrauagant lusts did raigne in the Heathen who learned them of their impure gods yet was not the light of reason so farre exstinguished in all of them Ouid. but that many acknowledged the haynousnesse of them the Poet did Dira canam procul hinc natae procul este parentes said one of them Lab 8. De Legibus when he was to speake of a Daughters lying with her owne Father The Philosophers did PLATO saith that by an inward vnwritten Law the sacred Law of Conscience men doe abhorre these vnnaturall mixtures of mankind The Ciuill Law calleth it a funestation of a mans selfe and indeed the persons are dead in sinnes and trespasses that make such a coniunction And how can that be but abominable in GODS iudgement which the blind reason of vnregenerate man hath acknowledged to be so abominable I will conclude this point with two aggrauations of the sinne which arise from the persons of these offendors The man is a Father and a father should be a good example to his children and by
sinners euen such sinners of whom I am chiefe Now then J beseech thee let the power of my Lord be great according as thou hast spoken The Lord is slow to anger and of great mercie and forgiueth iniquitie and sinne Be mercifull J beseech thee to the impietie of thy seruant according to thy great mercie let the vngodlinesse of my heart of my mouth be blotted out of thy remembrance let it not bring vpon me the vengeance J deserue but create in me a new heart and touch my tongue with a cole from thine Altar that J which am vnworthy by reason of my scandalous crying sinne to meditate on or make mention of thy glorious Maiestie thy diuine Wisedome may haue a heart alwayes enditing good things and my blasphemous tongue may be turned into an instrument of thy glorie So shall my soule be filled as it were with marrow and fatnesse when J shall prayse thee with ioyfull lips and J shall sing forth thy wonderous mercie all the dayes of my life Heare me ô Father of mercie for giue me amend me and establish in me this holy purpose of my repentant heart to thy glorie and the comfort of enormous sinners for Jesus Christs sake by the powerfull operation of thy Holy Spirit Amen A SERMON PREACHED AT St ANDREWS IN WELLES A SCHISMATIQVE DOING PENANCE WHO HAD FOR MANY YEERES ESTRANGED HIMSELFE FROM THE COMMVNION OF OVR CHVRCH 1 CORINT 3.18 18 Let no man deceiue himselfe if any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world let him become a foole that he may be wise A Particular visible Church is built vpon two foundations Vnion and Communion a louing vnion of the faithfull and an holy communion in sacred things Both these must be preserued or else that Church will come to naught Now there were amongst the Corinthians that did vndermine these foundations some rent the vnion and the communion was corrupted by other-some St Paul wrot this Epistle to amend them both And marke what a distinct course he taketh He first setleth the vnion before he offereth to purge the communion And there is good reason why for though the louing vnion of the faithfull be vnprofitable if it be without a holy communion in sacred things yet is a holy communion in sacred things impossible if you take away the louing vnion of the faithfull Therefore lest St Paul should lose his labour in redressing of the communion he first taketh care of repayring the vnion The first thing then that in the Church of Corinth he reformes is Schisme and he spends well-nigh foure Chapters in reforming thereof in throughly searching into the disease and applying thereto a soueraigne remedy The words that now I haue read vnto you belong to the remedy and you shall find them to be a principall branch thereof Let vs come more closely to them Of medicinall remedies some are preseruatiue some are restoratiue The preseruatiue are for the sound the restoratiue are for the sicke You shall find them both in my Text and you shall find that they are Catholica remedia such remedies as doe or may concerne vs all The preseruatiue remedy is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 prouidence or the preuention of Schisme you haue it in these words Let no man deceiue himselfe The restoratiue is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 repentance or the recouering of a Schismatique it followeth in these words If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world let him be a foole that he may be wise But more distinctly In the preseruatiue we are to behold our naturall weakenesse and therefore to learne spirituall carefulnesse St Paul supposeth that we are prone to deceiue our selues and therefore aduiseth that no man should doe himselfe that wrong Let no man deceiue himselfe In the restoratiue we must behold first the distemper of a Schismatique and then the cure fitting to such a distemper The distemper is a carnall selfe-conceit a selfe-conceit for the man thinkes himselfe wise but the selfe-conceipt is but carnall as appeares by the limitation or extenuation rather that is added to his wisedome he is onely wise in this world Such is his distemper Whereof the first cure is an exalting humilitie The first branch is humilitie He must become a foole but he need not be disheartened there followeth an exaltation thereupon He becomes a foole that he may be wise These are the remedies And they are as I told you Catholica remedia such remedies as doe or may concerne vs all The preseruatiue doth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Let no man deceiue himselfe The restoratiue may 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 If any That which hath befalne this man may be the case of the best of vs all These are the particulars which GOD-willing I shall now enlarge and apply vnto this present occasion I pray GOD we may so doe it as that we all not this Penitent onely may be the better for it The first remedy is the preseruatiue and therein the first thing that I pointed out is our naturall weaknesse This St Paul supposeth we may gather it out of that which he aduiseth for in vaine were his aduise if there were not a truth in that which he supposeth but farre be it from vs to thinke that the Holy Ghost doth require any thing in vaine let it stand then for an vndoubted truth that we are prone by nature to deceiue our selues 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from whence the Verbe is deriued which is vsed by the Apostle signifieth a leauing of the right way which putteth vs in mind that in this world we are but way-faring men When we are admitted into the Church we are set in the path which will lead vs to our euerlasting home but when we are in it we may goe out of it It appeares too plainly in Adam and Eue and it is not to be expected that the children should be better then the parents especially seeing our restitution commeth short of that measure of grace which they had in their Creation It being true that we may the question is How it comes to passe that we doe goe out of the way and leaue the straight path wherein we are set the Scripture obserues two meanes the one without vs the other within vs that is the world this is concupiscence the world allures concupiscence inclines Adde hereunto a third that is the diuel he blancheth the world that it may allure more strongly and worketh concupiscence by perswasion that it may yeeld more readily and these betweene them consummate the deceipt whereby we are led out of the way But betweene these we must obserue a great difference that which worketh the deceipt from without is but an occasion that which worketh it from within is the true cause thereof the world the diuel Suadere possunt cogere non possunt they may sollicit powerfully but they cannot inforce vs vnwillingly to goe out of the way Physicall actions may be constrayned morall cannot I may haue
therefore hath in the Liturgie restored it to its natiue puritie Onely it were to be wished that so farre as the Church allowes it we would practise it for I am perswaded that many liue and dye in enormous sinnes that neuer made any vse of it nor receiued any comfort from the power of the Keyes The confessing to the Lord doth not exclude confessing vnto man so the due limitation be obserued But enough of the Confession There is one point more to be obserued before we come to the Successe and that is that this confession of King Dauid was onely in purpose he was come no farther then dixi a sense he had of his sinne but he was not yet come so farre as to vtter it though he was disposing himselfe thereunto But dixit was not onely verbum oris but cordis also promptitudinem alacritatem hoc verbo notat saith St Bernard he was willing and ready to make his confession he adds Saul dixit peccaui sed quia non dixit antequam diceret corde priusquam ore as King Dauid did non audiuit Deus transtulit pecâ—atum tuum he heard not so good newes from Samuel as King Dauid did from Nathan The Lord hath put away thy sinne The lesson rising hence is pij non trahuntur ad Tribunal Dei sed sponte accedunt knowing that there is no shelter against GOD but onely in GOD we must preuent our summons and resolue vpon a voluntarie apparance Finally putting the Purpose to the Confession we see that the children of GOD vse not to continue in their sinnes but so soone as they are roused the principles of grace doe worke and they humbly shreeue themselues to GOD. And so haue you the first maine point in this Text which openeth vnto vs King Dauids Practise I come now to the Successe thereof which is the forgiuenesse of the sinne Where we may first see the difference betweene Triâ—unals on Earth and the Tribunall of Heauen On Earth Non est confessi causa tuenda rei Confession is the cause of condemnation it is not so at the Tribunall of GOD there though it be not the cause as Papists straine it yet it is the meanes of absolution Whereby you may perceiue that the word here vsed is a phrase of the Gospell and not of the Law For iudgements of men tread the steps of the Law of GOD 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 there is no reliefe for a poore sinner to be found in the Law he that will haue it must seeke iâ— in the Gospel And yet the word here vsed is borrowed out of the Law but it is the Ceremoniall Law and the Ceremoniall Law is if not wholly yet for the most part Gospel But more distinctly to handle this point We must obserue the Matter forgiuen and the Manner of forgiuing The matter forgiuen is the Iniquitie of his sinne It is disputed what is meant here by â—â—â—quitie whether culpa or poena Some vnderstand poenam and thinke that an allusion is made in this word vnto the message of Nathan wherein GOD doth remit the heauiest stroke of his wrath but yet retaines some part in punishing the child and permitting Absolon to rebell and abuse king Dauids concubines so Theodoret Deus non condigna poena Dauideni puniuit Some vnderstand culpam and will haue this phrase to be an amplification of that as if Superbia defendens or Taciturnitas celans or Impietas contra Deum assurgens or some such great guilt were meant by this phrase But as I doe not censure these opinions which may well stand So I thinke the phrase lookes backe vnto that word which was in the Confession The sinne confessed was Peshang and this is but an analysis of this word for Gnaon Catai what is it word for word but the peruersenesse of my aberration Catah is an aberration from the Scope or Marke whereat we ayme all men ayme at felicitie but most men stray from it because they are not led by that Law that guides vnto it the violating whereof is called Catah But some doe stray out of meere ignorance and they onely breake the Law some out of stubbornnesse which will not submit themselues to the Law-giuer these mens sinne is called peruersenesse which GOD is said here to forgiue So that Dauid did not confesse more against himselfe then GOD includes in his pardon well may GOD exceed our desire he neuer doth come short thereof if it doe concerne our spirituall our eternall good as he doth exclude no sinner that doth confesse so doth he except against no sinne that is confessed You haue heard the Matter of the pardon now heare the Manner And the manner makes the Remission answerable to the Confession The Confession had an inward sense and an outward euidence so hath the Remission For GOD spake the word by Nathan to resolue king Dauids faith but he also gaue a tast of his truth by working ease in King Dauids heart Both are included in the word but specially the latter for Nasa signifieth to vnburden as if the soule were burdened with sinne And indeed sinne is a burden a burden as King Dauid else-where speakes too heauie for him to beare 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 heauier saith Chrysostome then any lead And no wonder For if euerie euill doe make a heauie heart much more spirituall euill cloggeth the Spirits makes a man sincke inwardly and bow outwardly you can haue no better character of such a deiected soule then that which we find in the penitentiall Psalmes It is verie true that many walke lightly and skip frolickly as if they bare no weight though they be fraught with sinne but the answer is plaine Nihil ponderat in loco suo while sinne resides in that part which commits the sinne it giues such content to the concupiscence that dwels therein as being the desired obiect thereof that it presseth not at all neither is it euer burdenous till it be brought vnto the conscience which onely hath an eye to discerne it a scale to weigh it and a sense wherewith to iudge of that weight and when GOD inhibendo with-holding those vanities which hinder the conscience from weighing and exhibendo putting the whole measure of sinne into the scales doth rouse vs then the most carelesse and the most senslesse shall be driuen to acknowledge that indeed it is a great burden But the penitents comfort is this that as he feeles it so he hath one by whom he may be eased of it the putting on the hands vpon the Sacrifice did ceremonially testifie as much but the morall thereof is in St Iohn Behold the Lambe of God which taketh away the sinnes of the world Qui tollit a plaine translation of Nasa But CHRIST speakes it more plainly Mat. 11. Come to me all ye that labour and are heauie loaden and I will ease you Where also we find that it is the Lord onely that forgiueth sinnes They spake truly in the Gospel that excluded all
which might be done but also out of hatred of that which he had done he cannot be said truly to repent that continueth on his enter-medling with that which caused his sinne whereof he doth repent Godly sorrow for what we doe amisse is ioyned with a perfect hatred of that which did seduce vs otherwise we should wash our selues that we may be defiled againe and that we might surfet againe ease our stomaches of that which did surcharge them and so as it is in the Prouerb returne like Dogges to our vomit and like washt Swine to our wallowing againe in the mire Peter did not so he went out in detestation of his sinne he abandoned the place that gaue occasion thereof Neither did he onely goe out but he hastened out so some interpret the word in St Marke And indeed feare and hatred adde wings vnto our feet and will turne our going into flying and he that is slow paced doth betray his good-will towards sinne and that he doth neither hate or feare it as he ought And verily such Snailes are all vnwilling Penitents they thinke there is no reason why they should make speed yea why they should stirie at all most are like vnto Lot's sonnes-in-law who when they were wisht to be gone because GOD would destroy Sodome thought that Lot did mocke them And we are thought oftentimes to be but merrie-men when we tell you that GODS Iudgement hangs ouer you and therefore it is high time for you to forsake your sinnes They that are not so bad as Lot's sonnes-in-law yet will be as vnconstant as Lot's wife who went out indeed but yet looked backe to Sodome so doe they giue ouer their sinnes but as those that are sorrie for that they haue parted companie with them You haue an excellent proofe hereof in the 18 Chapter of the Reuelations where the destruction of spirituall Babylon is related The Kings that had committed fornication with her the Merchants that had bought of her commodities the Mariners that had made long voyages to her all went out but being out they looked on not reioycing as the Saints there doe but lamenting and mourning and crying out Alas alas for that great Citie Where sinne is there is Babel For what is Babel but confusion And what doth more confound then sinne And yet doe we no more willingly part from sinne then those persons did from Babel There is one cause more of Saint Peters going out and that was that he might haue more libertie to performe the second Act of Repentance and weepe bitterly Theophylact doth interpret the word in Saint Marke Obuelauit se he couered his head And indeed so were malefactors vsed in the Easterne Countreys you read it in the storie of Haman and haply so much is meant in this Chapter where our Sauiours face is said to haue beene couered In the West-Countrey they had also the like custome as appeares by that clause in the capitall Sentence Caput obnubito vaile his head so that Saint Peter did iudge himselfe by that Ceremonie to be a sonne of death and as a sonne of death did he bewayle himselfe Adde hereunto that solitarinesse doth argue sinceritie in our Repentance for Ille dolet verè qui sine teste dolet he cannot be thought to dissemble that calleth no witnesses of his griefe but onely GOD and his holy Angels Finally He that is solitarie will mourne not onely more sincerely but more freely also he that is alone hath nothing to restraine him but if euer he will then poure forth his soule before GOD grouell in dust and ashes bathe himselfe in his owne teares and with sighes and groanes that cannot be exprest often interrupt his penitentiall prayers In a word he will in the best fashion performe the last Act which here we read of in St Peters Repentance he will weepe bitterly Percussit Petram effluxerunt aquae Peters heart in the heat of his denying seemed to be as hard as a rocke but when CHRIST with his Spirit toucht Peters heart it melted into teares as the rocke did into waters when Moses strucke it with the rod of GOD. But in this Act of weeping bitterly we must obserue that the bitternesse was in the soule the teares came from the body No doubt but Peters heart was ouer-whelmed with sorrow while he was in the High Priests Palace and you know that Strangulat inclusue dolor atque exaestuat intus and it cannot be eased except the heart be vnburdened by teares But we must take heed that we doe not seuer the soule from the body when we bewayle our sinnes yea the heart must begin to the eyes the bitternesse of the heart must goe before the weeping of the eyes otherwise we know that of teares the Poet hath long since noted Hae simulare docentur hae quoque habent artes many shed Crocodile teares and hypocriticall which cannot be reckoned amongst true Penitents Often-times the body cannot weepe though we would neuer so faine the reason may be in the temper thereof but if there be a rationall sorrow in the heart GOD accepts the will insteed of the act and will impute teares vnto vs though we neuer shed them This act of weeping bitterly is no indifferent thing but a prouident rather for weepe and sorrow we must for sinne either here or hereafter Luke 1â— Math. 33. and that we may not weepe hereafter either in Iudgement when we shall be reiected or in Hell when we shall be tormented we must weepe here and let the bitternesse of sorrow succeed in the place of the sweet fruit of sinne The last note therefore that I will giue vpon this Act is the Effect hereof For there are comfortable and vncomfortable Teares Esau did weepe when he had sold his Birth-right but he found no place for repentance though he sought it with teares but St Peters had a happier issue Aust Cons l. 3. Filius tantarum lachrymarum perire not potuit he that wept so bitterly did not faile to speed of grace his teares did wash away his sinnes The Fathers compare them to a Baptisme not meaning that they restore our adoption againe but onely that they release the suspension thereof neither meane they to preiudice the worke of faith which must goe before but to shew what GOD moreouer expects of vs and what he accepts in vertue of our faith And verily the CHVRCH hath euer held that the lesse excuse we haue for our sinne after Baptisme the more humiliation is expected from vs and vpon our humiliation In Ps â—1 if we be faithfull we may promise our selues restitution into the fauour of GOD. Thy sinnes saith St Chrysostome are written in a Booke and thy teares are as a spunge weepe and thy sinnes will be blotted out and there will no record Remaine extant against thee Were it not for this reliefe the Nouatians opinion would hold current and there would be few that could haue hope that after their fall they
vs in his beloued SONNE but who heareth him No bee we neuer so often summoned our eyes our eares are slumbring are wandring and I presume not though I wish I might that what I haue spoken will awaken and fixe them Wherefore let vs turne both vnto him that opened the eyes of the blind and eares of the deafe that he would vnuaile both our eyes and our eares that these Mysteries be not presented to vs in vaine but that the Heauens bee now so open to our Faith that hereafter they may bee opened to our persons that the Doue would make vs such Doues that we may flie with peace into the Arke of God that he which is the Sonne and Beloued would make vs beloued sonnes of God that hauing our sinnes purged our persons accepted we may haue an endlesse Communion in Glory with the Holy Spirit that affoordeth vs this Communion in Grace A SERMON PREACHED AT WHITE-HALL 1 IOHN 3. VERS 20 21. 20 For if our heart condemne vs God is greater then our heart and knoweth all things 21 Beloued if our heart condemne vs not then haue we confidence to wards God AND verily this Scripture deserues well to be looked into at this time For we are at length awakened out of our dead sleepe in carnall securitie GODS Iudgements haue rowsed vs and we purpose GOD willing publickely and penitently to deprecate GODS fierce wrath prouoked by our crying innes GOD grant we may do it acceptably â—nd effectually But that cannot be except we first keepe a Scrutinie we throughly suruay euerie man his owne selfe this is the truest Preface vnto and best preparation for a Penitentiall Fast He that can vnflatteringly present himselfe before the vnpartiall eyes of his owne soule and the most holy eyes of GOD he whose heart is of that temper that it can receiue those religious impressions which such a sight will worke he and he onely hath made the first and the hardest step that must be troden by a penitent man My purpose is and it is the scope of my Text to guid our feet into that step and aduise vs to grow more familiarly acquainted with that whereunto the most of men desire to be verie strangers I meane our Consciences Conscience in my Text is called by the name of heart and our heart importeth as much as the Conscience of a Christian Touching this my Text doth teach vs what is her worke it is to censure or to sentence vs this you may gather out of the whole body of my Text. But in so dealing she proceeds not alike with all And why She findeth not all alike Some are and they are censured as guilâ—ie persons they haue a Conscience that condemneth them Other-some are not guiltie and they haue a Conscience which condemneth not The difference of the persons maketh a difference of her Worke. Vpon this Difference St Iohn groundeth an Inference He argueth from our Heart vnto GOD and giueth vs to vnderstand That as we deale when we reckon with our selues so will GOD deale when he calleth vs to an Account The worke of GOD and our Heart are in this case alike Alike they are but yet they are vnequall and that in two respects First of Power secondly of Knowledge I will a little supply the words so you will perceiue that St Iohn speaketh as much in two comparatiue Maximes Our heart is great and indeed it can doe much in this Little world of ours and yet it is no match for GOD God is greater then our Heart he can doe whatsoeuer he will both in Heauen and earth This is the first Maxime Our Heart knoweth much of that which is in vs it is euer of our Priuie Councell but yet that much commeth short of all it is God onely that knoweth all things euen those things that are hid in the obscurest darkenesse This is the second Maxime See now what S. Iohn worketh out of these two Maximes First concerning persons that are guiltie If our euill Conscience that is lesse in power and more shallow in knowledge doe notwithstanding condemne vs How shall not God condemne vs who is both Omnipotent and Omniscient Secondly concerning those that are guiltlesse If a man vpon due scrutinie can giue himselfe a Quietus est certainely that man may come with boldnesse vnto the Throne of Grace S. Iohn expresseth the Inference in these words If our Heart condemne vs not then haue wee confidence towards God But whom doeth all this concerne which we haue spoken of Conscience Surely the members of the Church they are meant by this name Beloued they must know that the workes and fruites which proceed from these workes doe concerne them neither haue they any priuiledge By this short modell you may conceiue the substance of my Text and apprehend vpon what I meane to insist GOD so blesse mee in speaking and you in hearing that whensoeuer wee are put vpon the triall God and our Heart may bee comfortable to vs seeing we are assured by my Text that they will deale very plainely with vs. The first particular was the name whereby Conscience is here called and that is Heart Vnder this name Heart the Scripture comprehendeth three things the Will the Conscience and the Affections sometimes the Holy Ghost intendeth all three by the word at other times some one in this place it vnderstandeth that one of them which is called Conscience And there is reason why that is called by the name of Heart The heart of man is his Morall Treasurie CHRIST teacheth it in St. Cap. 1â— Matthew A good man out of the good treasurie of his heart bringeth foorth good things and an euill man out of the euill treasurie of his heart bringeth foorth euill things whatsoeuer our conuersation is be it good or bad the roote of it is there and from thence as Salomon speaketh proceede life and death Prow 4. Now where the fountaine is of our morall Actions there GOD is pleased should bee the seate of morall Directions and Corrections too that no motion of the heart should farther be yeelded vnto then might stand with the fore-hand Counsell or after-hand content of the Conscience GOD would not haue vs seeke farre for these things either vp to Heauen or downe to hell or passe the Sea's they are neere vs in vs yea a very part a principall part of vs. And by whom will a man bee ordered in these things if not by himselfe and to whom could GOD more mercifully commend him then to himselfe This mercifull care cutteth off those poore excuses and vaine Apologies which men might make if GOD had not chosen so sit a Seate for Conscience But wee must farther obserue that the Conscience is furnished with two Powers a Directorie and a Iudicatorie it hath in it morall Principles whereby to guide men which is the Law written in our Heart whereby wee discerne good and euill the learned call it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is nothing else but practique
rules of life of which there are two sorts As there is the Heart of a naturall and the Heart of a Christian man so these rules are either Naturall or Supernaturall The Naturall are those which are inborne and ingrauen in the hearts of all men the reliques of that Image which in the Creation wee receiued from GOD these informe the naturall man though weakely of Pietie Equitie Sobrietie and concerning all these the very Heathen haue deliuered many memorable sentences But besides these a Christian hath other rules his Heart is new written with the Spirit of GOD Cap. 31. according to the promise made in Ieremie I will put my Lawes into their inward parts and in their Hearts will I write them and wee finde the performance thereof in the New Testament preached by St. Peter Act. 2. and St. Paul Corinth 3. and to the Hebr. cap. 8. Yea euery Christian man feeleth the trueth of it in his owne soule hee feeleth those Naturall Principles rectified by Grace and much higher superadded to them so that the Christian man discernes much better then a naturall man can what is good and euill This is the furniture of the Directory power The Conscience hath besides this a Iudicatorie power and there is furniture for that also which is nothing else but a skill how to trie mens liues by those former rules and doome them as it findeth them And this skill is aswell in the Conscience of a naturall man as of a Christian man though it be of much greater perfection in the latter then in the former But wee must know that it is not the hauing but the vsing of these rules is properly meant by our Conscience For as the Schooles note well Conscientia neque potentia naturalis neque habitus it is neither a natiue nor an acquired abilitie sed est Actus Conscience is a Worke and indeed it is a worke which my Text speaketh of and whereas Conscience hath two workes the one going before our morall works the other following after though for your better vnderstanding I will touch at the former yet keeping my selfe to my Text I will insist vpon the latter These principles then whether Naturall or Supernaturall were bestowed vpon vs perpetually to assist and guide vs in our wayes One of the Heathen well resembled Conscience to a Paedagogue Epictetu◠for as the Paedagogue by the appointment of parents is alwayes at hand with a childe to direct and restraine him who otherwise through impotency of affection would goe astray euen so is our Conscience appointed ouer vs to hold the raines to guide and hold in our wilde and headstrong nature And surely wee are bound to acknowledge the mercifulnesse of GOD manifested herein hee hath graciously prouided for the preuenting of sinne who is pleased not onely to giue vs a Law but also to place in vs a perpetuall remembrance thereof vnto vs. And the reason why men sinne must needes be either because they doe not consult or doe contemne this guide so that either their sinnes are wilfull if they contemne or their ignorance is affected if they neglect this preuenting meanes afforded of GOD. But I haue not now to doe with the Consciences worke of Direction that worke of hers that goeth before our worke but I haue to doe with the worke of Iudicature the worke that followeth our workes GOD hath left it in some sort in our power whether we will or will not make vse of the former worke of Conscience and some by his grace vse it some for want of grace vse it not but GOD hath appointed Conscience a second worke which it is not in any mans power to put off the worke of Iudicature wherein GOD doeth let vs see what it is to vse or not to vse the former worke And here we must marke that as the Law which is contained in the Directory work of Conscience hath two parts a Precept and a Sanction so the Iudicatorie worke of Conscience doeth two things it playeth the Iury to arraigne vs and the Iudge to doome vs. First it testifieth whether wee haue or haue not obserued the precepts of GOD. In that respect it is resembled to a Registrie or an exact Record exhibited at an Assizes if wee doe not take notice of the counsell which our Conscience giueth vs before hand wee shall finde that our Conscience taketh notice of all that is done by vs and will make a perfect presentment thereof it will truely relate how farre we haue or haue not suffered our selues to bee led by her aduice and we shall not be able to except against the Verdict of this Iury. As it maketh a true Presentment in regard of the Precept so doeth it pronounce a iust Doome in regard of the Sanction for it pronounceth what is our due and therein wee shall finde it a Iudge not onely putting vs in minde of life and death but also sentencing vs thereunto And indeed this is the last and the highest worke of Conscience and for this cause Nazianzene doeth fitly tearme it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an inward and vpright Tribunall But to open this Iudicatorie work of Conscience a little more fully we must obserue that she dealeth not alike with al because she findeth not all alike The Physicians acknowledge Corpus neutrum a body that is neither sicke nor whole but the Conscience doeth not acknowledge any neutrall man that is neither good nor bad Non liquets and speciall Verdicts are not knowne to the Conscience it findeth euery man either guiltie or not guiltie Secondly it confoundeth not Tares with Wheate nor Sheepe with Goates in the Presentment not in the Doome doeth it confound the right hand with the lest Hell and Heauen Death and Life It hath an accusing and excusing Voyce a condemning and an absoluing Voyce these two sorts of Voyces it hath and no more Finally we must expect no shift no delay in the worke of our Conscience whether it play the Iury or the Iudge But let vs take these workes a little a sunder And first see that which is against vs the Apostle vseth a significant word which is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a compound word which sheweth that Conscience doeth first 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 know throughly before it doeth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 offer to condemne vs the very word importeth an orderly course of proceeding it doeth not goe against vs without a iust ground and so is free from the corruption which is in too many worldly Iudges that resolue vpon a mans execution before they haue heard his cause But our Conscience is priuie to all our doings an eye-witnesse of all that passeth from vs 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it knoweth and proceedeth vpon certaine knowledge Yea it will present it so to the eyes of our soule that it will not suffer vs to be ignorant of that which it knoweth it will make vs Confitentes reos we shall plead guiltie against our owne selues And here
not to them or stoppes their eares that they heare it not But this doeth rather suspend the worke then alter the nature of their Conscience it doeth not make it a not-condemning Conscience of a condemning one How many theiues and murderers are very frolicke not only when they act their wickednesse but when they are in the Gaile when they are brought to the Barre yea when they are casting off the Gallowes But wise men that see them in this humour censure it for vnreasonable stupiditie and desperatenesse they hold it not to be comfortable securitie No more is that which wee see in sinners who while they drinke in iniquitie with greedinesse haue stonie hearts and brasen foreheads If in the dayes of grace wee make vnto our selues the dayes of Iudgement and sift our selues vnpartially according vnto GODS word before we bee tried at GODS Barre and finde our selues discharged with a not guiltie and an Euge Serue bone well done seruant faithfull and true enter into thy Masters ioy this is indeed a not-condemning Conscience The second Rocke is that many confound a tender Conscience with a guiltie Conscience and plod more vpon the Heart of a man then they doe vpon the Heart of a Christian man they consider not the prerogatiue that the Elect haue by being in CHRIST into whom when they were ingrafted they were iustified from all sinne So that though afterwards they may become damnable through their fall yet damned they cannot be because their repentance and saith cannot bee in vaine neither must they measure the trueth of their state by their sense GOD is pleased often times to humble his children by suspending the sense of their state but he doeth not alter their state because his guifts are without Repentance and vpon their teares sighes and prayers wherewith GOD is pleased to be importuned he restoreth vnto them the sense of their state againe their eyes are opened to see that their obligation is cancelled and the booke crost wherein all their debtes were entred and that the blood of Christ hath cleansed them from all sinne You haue heard many things concerning Conscience all which though they bee of good regard yet they containe not all that which wee must heede For the worke of Conscience is rather Praeiudicium then Iudicium it is but a reall Prophecie informing vs how GOD will hereafter deale with vs. Therefore Saint Iohn carrieth our thoughts from our Hearts vnto God and will haue vs expect from GOD what wee finde in our owne Hearts And indeed our Heart is nothing else but GODS Apostle whose message is the Iudgement to come St. Ieromes Trumpet that sounded still in his eares Surgite mortui venite ad iudicium Besides our inward we haue an outward Iudge besides the present there is a future Iudgement And verily it is a wonder that any man should doubt of a future Iudgement that hath a Conscience seeing the vse of the Conscience is to forewarne vs of it the Iudgement in our bosome must bee vnto vs a Remembrancer of another Iudgement that is to come and wee must the rather be mooued with the former because of the reference it hath vnto the latter Reference nay Resemblance which is more for in the present Iudgement wee haue a liuely representation of the Iudgement to come GOD will deale with vs no otherwise then our Heart doâ—th the Iury at his Barre will exhibite no other presentment neither shall wee heare any other Sentence from that Iudge the Booke of GODS Prouidence will agree with the Booke of our Conscience and the Doome of our Conscience shall be ratified by GODS Doome And this representatiue qualitie that is in our Conscience must make vs the more to regard the absolute qualitie thereof For though it bee much to feele the force of Conscience without this Reference yet is it much more if the Reference bee included in our feeling thereof it will make vs more carefull to prepare our selues for GOD when wee are remembred so to doe by our owne Heart God then and our Heart agree in one worke their worke is like Like it is but not equall you may perceiue it in St. Iohns Inference that hee maketh according to the difference of the worke of Conscience One worke of the Conscience is to condemne thereupon St. Iohn maketh an Inference If our Heart condemne vs God is greater then our Heart and knoweth all things Wherein appeares a double inequalitie The first is of Authoritie Our Heart is great it is King in this little world of ours for it doeth season all that commeth from vs our workes are good or euill so farre as our Conscience is a partie to them they are good if she be good and if she be euill they are euill The inclination of the Heart is the inclination of the whole man so that no power of the soule or part of the body will hold backe if our Heart or Conscience doe set forward Our Heart then is great great within the Spheare of this little World But God is greater then our Heart who commandeth both ours and the great World GOD is said to be greater not so much in regard of his Eminencie aboue vs as his Soueraignetie ouer vs in which sense the Psalme saith that our God is a great God and a great King aboue all Gods And indeed Power belongeth onely vnto him Creatuâ—es are tearmed Powers rather Propter Ministerium then Dominium they can doe nothing beyond the influence they haue from GOD But GODS power is absolute and the Sentence hee pronounceth vnresistable whereas he can checke the sentence which our Heart pronounceth But to fit this point of Gods power to that which wee said before of the power of our Heart GODS power doeth season all the afflictions that come vpon vs and the apprehension that they come from him maketh them much more grieuous then they would be in themselues Secondly if GOD bee bent against vs no creature will stand for vs. You see wherein standeth the first inequalitie betweene GOD and our Heart The second Inequalitie standeth in Omnisciencie It is true that our Heart knoweth much 1 Corinth 2. and as the Apostle saith No man knoweth the things in man but the Spirit of man But that is as true which Salomon saith Prou. 20. The spirit of man is as the candle of the Lord searching the inward parts of man it is but a Candle and that is a dimme light a Candle of the Lord and that is a Ministeriall light Two wayes is our knowledge dimme through Ignâ—rance and Selfe-loue Ignorance is the cause that we cannot know our selues if wee would Selfe-loue is the cause that we will not know our selues so well as we can therefore Dauid prayed and wee must pray Ab occultis munda me domine O Lord cleanse me from my secret faults As for GOD his eyes are ten thousand times brighter then the Sunne Eccles 23. Dauid hath made a whole Psalme of
Lord that art pleased I should liue I blesse thee for that my time hath not beene night but day euen Summers daies long and warme cheerefull and fruitfull But the day of my Soule hath beene much better then the day of my bodie seeing the Sunne of righteousnesse hath also risen vnto me who hath so illighned me that hee hath discouered thy saluation to me That saluation which freeth me from all I feare and supplieth vnto me all that I want my eyes are vpon both yea my selfe is possest of both And what couldest thou haue done for me Lord which thou hast not done that hast blest me so corporally that hast blest me so spiritually I haue no more to expect in this life and therefore I willingly surrender it to thee this long-liued bodie this spirituall-liued soule Hoping that both shall turne their length into eternitie and their daies shall bee yet much more cleare and much more warme where God is the Sun and both light and heat are such as proceed from that Sunne A Meditation vpon Psalme 39. VERSES 12 13. 12. Heare my prayer O Lord and giue eare vnto my erie hold not thy peace at my teares for I am a stranger with thee and a soiourner as all my fathers were 13. O spare me that I may recouer my strength before J goâ— hence and be no more seene O Lord I am mortall I see it I feele it but it is thou that hast cleared mine eyes and quickned my sense which otherwise are to dimme and dull to read or acknowledge what notwithstanding I beare engrauen in capitall letters and the condition of my nature maketh palpable Yea so are my senses taken vp with other obiects and so little am I willing to know that whereof if I be not willingly blind I cannot be ignorant that except thou hadst rowsed me and thy afflicting hand stung me I should certainely haue beene both deafe and dumbe I should not haue heard thee neither shouldest thou haue heard from me But Lord the bitter Potion that I haue taken from thy hand hath wrought thus farre as to make mee confesse that it is too hard to be digested by me if thou doe not delay it I must needs perish by it Yet Lord I know that it is not the end whereat thou aymest thou meanest not to take me out but weane me from the world This vse if I make of thy rod thou wilt quickly giue ouer to lay on stripes I haue made this vse I now doe better know my selfe I liued before as if I were not onely in but also of the world I vsed not the things of this world but enioyed them rather Now I find that I haue here no abiding place I am but a soiourner a Tenement I haue here but no free-hold the goods that I haue I account them not mine otherwise then by loane and therefore am as readie to leaue them as I haue an vncertaine title to them And if I am but a soiourner in this place I must needs be a stranger to the personnes little commerce with them little affection towards them haue I. And why should I haue more seeing they will haue little with me and beare little towards mee I am crucified to the world and the world is crucified to me Weedes grow neere the corne and corne neere the weeds but yet the neerenesse is not without a strangnesse for neither doe their rootes sucke the same iuice in the ground neither aboue ground doe their stalkes beare the same fruit euen so thy children O Lord that cohabit with the children of this world neither inwardly nor outwardly liue by nor walke with the same spirit which the worldlings haue My roote is in heauen and my fruit heauenly I am transplanted from the wild Oliue into the true and grow no more in the fields but in the Paradise of God Neither is this my single condition I haue it common with my Fathers I am their heire and their inheritance is descended vnto me what they were not I desire not to be neither would I be more inward with the world then they desired to be Happily flesh and bloud may suppose that it hath a greater interest in things of this life and neerer cognation with the men of this world but it is a supposall of flesh and bloud I make it not the Iudge of my state neither according to it do I esteeme my selfe I haue better Parentage and better can I proue my Pedigree I acknowledge none for my fathers that had their portion in this life from them I descended that vsed the world as if they vsed it not and walked with thee with those Pilgrims I professe my selfe a Pilgrim and my life but the life of a way-faring man that is on his way to the Holy land Therefore as they so I desire not to bee surcharged with earthly things neither to surfeit on the vanities of this life I desire to liue but it is that I may keepe on my way to haue the things of this life but no farther then they are necessarie for my iournie I haue enough if I haue enough to doe this Measure vnto me so much and so temper my crosse that I may not come short of this I desire not to be immortall in a state of mortalitie farre be that from the heart of thy seruant onely let me not bee dis-inabled to my iournie so long as I am fit to walke therein and to walke towards thee Forbeare to sowre my life and make bitter my daies I would serue thee cheerefully I would serue thee couragiously deiect me not enfeeble me not let not thy heauie hand ouerwhelme me with heauinesse of heart neither let thy punishing hand enfeeble my fainting spirits It is not long I desire to liue neither is it continuall ease that I affect I know that the later is not safe too much ease is the bane of pietie and more haue gone to heauen from the Racke then from their Downe-bed And as for the former it is against the Decree thou hast made our daies but a span long and the time of our pilgrimage is but a moment scarce worthie the name of time What then is my desire That of this little thou shouldest affoord me a little a little breathing before I breath out my last Let me be a while what before long I must cease to bee a vigorous Pilgrim let me walke strongly that before long shall not be able to walke at all let me foretaste heauen on earth and trie me with the vse of earth how much I preferre heauen before it If thou continually affright my conscience with the horror of sinne if thou daily for sinne afflict my bodie if thou put no end to the malice of men and if thou cloud the state of thy seruant with incessant disgrace how shall I so forlorne a wretch so distressed a caitife not be ouer-whelmed with dispaire and proue restiue in my way How shall I inwardly or outwardly
Confession the Aduisers shew how little grace there is in that Sect how vnlikely they are vnto King Dauid and vnto Iames and Iohn Howsoeuer they did let vs be of the old Patriarke Iacobs minde and say of them as he sayd of his sonnes Simeon and Leui they were Brethren in iniquity My glory enter not into their secret and my honour be thou not vnited to their Assembly Let vs not auenge our selues but giue place vnto wrath knowing that vengeance belongeth vnto God and hee will repay But if wee haue bitter zeale let vs not boast Wee lie against the truth as Saint Iames speaketh Hoc nomine ijs à quibus iniurias accepimus sublimiores simus ostendamus quid illos daemones doceant quid Christus nos erudiat In a word Nazianâ—â—â— Let euery man be slow to wrath seeing the wrath of man doth not accomplish the righteousnes of God And thus much of the Case of Conscience A second vse that we should all make of this Storie thus applied is to be stirred vp hereby vnto heartie thankfulnesse for our Deliuerance If wee did congratulate our first restitution to the Gospel by Queene Elizabeth how must we also our continuation thereof and preseruation therein in the dayes of King Iames that hee hath not suffered the Destroyer to haue his will against vs he hath saued our soules and saued our bodies the Destroyer aimed at the ruine of both Their first intent was to make vs drinke of their golden cup of poyson to make vs fall downe and worship their Idoll But not speeding of that because it pleased God to continue our Soueraigne a constant Defender of the Truth they attemped a second ruine the ruine of our bodies But Iesus hath Saued vs from both he hath saued vs from being corrupted with their Heresies he hath saued vs from being Destroyed by their malice So that wee may say Blessed be the Lord which hath not giuiug vs as a prey vnto their teeth Wee can neuer more feelingly receiue the Eucharist then vpon this occasion there is present our Iesus he inuiteth vs to partake of him And wee that haue Seene let vs also taste how good the Lord is and praise him because wee finde that all are so blest that put their trust in him I end The summe of all is The Church is subiect to the Crosse and Christians must looke to suffer and must not be ashamed to suffer for Christ But in suffering they must remember not to recompence euill for euill but to ouercome euill with good So did Christ so must Christians both in Word and Deed. O Lord that by thy Words and by thy Deeds hast taught vs to spend the heate of our zeale in the constant profession of thy Truth not in the bloody persecution of our foes giue vs grace to possesse our soules in patience and let the bloud of our deadliest enemies be precious in our sight So shall we beare the character not of the Destroyer but of the Deliuerer and hauing happily escaped all plots of our destruction in thy House with songs of prayse blesse thee O Iesu the only constant Author no lesse of our temporall then of our eternall Saluation A SERMON PREACHED AT St ANDREWES IN WELLES ONE DOING PENANCE FOR JNCEST PSALME 50. VERSE 21. These things hast thou done and J kept silence thou thoughtest that J was altogether such a one as thy selfe but J will reproue thee and set them in order before thine eyes THE Argument of this Psalme is an heauenly Assises whereof we haue here the Apparance and the Indictment the apparance made at it and the indictment read in it The Apparance is great whether we respect the Iudge or the iudged the Iudge GOD the iudged the Church of the Iewes both are set forth GOD in Maiesty whether you respect his owne Person or Attendants the Church with her prerogatiues as she is consecrated to GOD and hath couenanted with him And the conclusion is that this Church notwithstanding yea the rather for her prerogatiues shall be arraigned before that Iudge But what is her Arraignment Surely the transgression of the Law so much of the Law as containeth GODS seruice for this she shall be arraigned and receiue iudgement also as we are taught in my Text. In my Text then we are to obserue two things First how farre the Iewes are guiltie Secondly how GOD proceedeth against them How farre they are guilty appeares in the first words These things c. which are relatiue and repeat the enormous sinnes that are distinctly specified in the words that goe before For these sinnes GOD proceeds against them after much Patience which the Iewes abused vnto such Vengance as against which they shall haue nothing to except GODS Patience is gathered out of his silence I held my tongue the Iewes abuse hereof GOD testifieth to their face thou thoughtest that I am altogether such a one as thou art This abuse is insufferable therefore GOD threatneth Vengance I will reproue thee such Vengance as against which they shall not be able to except I will set thy sinnes in order before thine eyes You haue heard the substance of these words which I must now enlarge and apply as this present occasion doth require The first point then is the Indictment which sheweth how farre the Iewes were guiltie it is expressed in the first words These things hast thou done whereof euerie one is remarkable These things are relative words and repeat the Challenge that is made vnto the Iewes in sundry former verses the summe whereof is That they were guiltie of transgressing the Law The Law so farre as we haue to doe with it is partly Ceremoniall and partly Morall within these two is concluded the seruice of GOD. The Ceremoniall cherisheth the Morall and the Morall quickneth the Ceremoniall yea the Ceremoniall is a sensible description of the Morall and the Morall is a discreet limitation of the Ceremoniall when they goe together they worke both a sincere and a sober seruice of GOD sober in regard of the Ceremonie sincere in regard of the Moralitie But we must marke that the Ceremoniall and the Morall Law differ as the Soule and Body of man the body is of small vse if it be seuered from the Soule so is the Ceremoniall Law if it be seuered from the Morall Secondly the body is inferiour to the Soule euen so is the Ceremoniall Law inferiour to the Morall so that if it be a fault to neglect the Ceremoniall it is a much greater to breake the Morall Law Lo then the Indictment stands vpon two Branches a Seperation and a Transgression a Seperation of the Ceremoniall Law from the Morall and which is worse a manifold Transgression of the Morall with these two sinnes GOD chargeth the Iewes Both are great sinnes The Seperation is for GOD in his seruice commanded that our Soules should concurre with our bodies that our Affections should speake vnto him as well as our tongue