Lord of life and make a mocke of him That they were left to themselves even to the hardnes of their harts the event not only shewes but our Saviour also as a Prophet argues them of before it come into act First in the Parable of a certaine Man who had two Sonnes the one stubborne of tongue yet ready of hand after his penitence the other ready of his promise but as slow to performe itin his deede for the one denyes to worke in his Fathers Vineyard yet after repents himselfe and goes the other promises to goe in faire and forward tearmes saying I will Sir but goes not Secondly in the Parable of the houshoulder who let his Vineyard out to ill husbandmen who both denied him his Rent beat his servants and slew his Sonne all whom he had sent one after another to demand it Thirdly in the Parable of the wedding dinner of the Kings Sonne to which they that were bidden that is the Iewes who were first called Matth. 10.6 both in the time of the Law Rom. 1.16 and of the Gospell of any nation refused to come In which Parables how carefull is our Lord to set the Sinne they were to commit before the eyes both of Preist and People in his right colours therefore hee describes it once twise and thrise over that they may take the better notice of it And them by this meanes hee left inexcusable so shall wee bee also unlesse wee take warning by their example For our duty is as well as theirs first to worke in his Vineyard when hee calls us for though wee bee his Sonnes he will not allow us to bee idle Secondly to pay him his Rent for our Farme or Lease of life he trusts us with for though wee bee his Farmers wee hold not of him in Cornage or for a Rose in winter Thirdly when hee calls us to his Table to come like men having on our wedding garment for it is neither for his honour nor our credit that wee should come in our old rags In a word wee must come to GOD as labourers in our course outside when hee would have us to worke but like Holy-day-men as if wee had not wrought at all when our labour is done that is not making shew of or trusting in any thing wee have performed For this is GODS manner of entertainment Thou must first come to him in thy rags that is such build as thou hast and worke out thy freedome after that thou must put on Christ for thy Garment by expressing him to thy power in thy outward actions whom thou hast layd up for thy righteousnes in thy heart and then thou art a guest for GODS Table Yea thus thou must pay him thy Rent by sorrow for thy sinne and a broken heart and then thou shalt be bidden or called in to the wedding among those whom GOD will receive to his Dinner and thither also thou must carry thy humility with thee not striving for place as if it were thine of due or merit Humble thy selfe and thou shalt bee exalted exalt thy selfe before GOD and thou shalt bee brought low These admonitions which beeing thus applyed might and should have beene medicinall to Christs enemies on the contrary fretted them to the gall so that to bee avenged they set the Herodians first to entrap him in a question of State that hee might bee brought within the compasse of Treason next the Sadduces with a question of their Law that hee might come within compasse of Heresie after that a Lawyer to tempt him if he could entrap him of Ignorance and so disable his Teaching but when he had put thē all off with wisdome fit for Wisdome to speake at length hee is so bold as to aske them a question seeing they will needs bee so bold with him concerning his Divinity The question is taken out of the booke of Psalmes In which the holy Prophet David calls Christ his Lord in the Spirit of Prophecy who was his Sonne according to the flesh so long before acknowledging his Divine Nature for Christ that was his Sonne in the flesh of his Manhood was his Lord in the Spirit of his Godhead This if our Saviours adversaries would have acknowledged they durst not have gone about to entrap him and then the question had beene easy also For it was no more but this How doth David in Spirit call Christ Lord seeing hee was his Sonne An easie question if they would either have beleeved David on his Prophecy or Christ on his word or the miracles which confirmed them both For Christ his miracles were such as evinced both the prophecyes that had gone of him to bee true and him to bee the Messias that was prophecyed of for they were all done in his owne Name which shewed him evidently to bee GOD because none can say of himselfe I charge or I command but hee that is highest therefore the Apostles said ever In the Name of Iesus of Nazareth or some such like words For this cause when Christ taught in this forme I say unto you all men marvailed and when hee said Thy sinns are forgiventhee the Pharisies murmered because they said and faid truely none could forgive sinnes after that manner but GOD alone These things might have taught these captious posers that Christ was GOD if they would have laid them to heart and on the other side they might know as well that Christ was Davids Sonne according to the flesh by his Mother the Blessed Mary the Virgin who was both of Davids Tribe and family David therefore might well call him Lord as hee was GOD who was his Sonne as hee was Man But their pride having taken the right answer from them they had not one word to reply which strucke them with such a confusion that they turned their backs like men vanquisht neither ever durst any after that Day aske him any question Now are their mouths stopt our Saviour hath leasure to breath awhile which hee doth not neverthelesse no more then hee did before this time strike his enemies dumbe which hee could easily have done to enjoy his quiet Hee could have done it easily as it appeares out of the story of his taking in S. Iohn Iohn 18.6 where hee strikes his enemies backward to the ground with a word hee could therefore have long agoe stopped their mouths but hee would not yea hee could easily have put them all to silence but his pleasure was they should goe on partly because hee would have his wisdome and theirs compared together to the full that it might appeare which was the true one partly because hee would have it seene what fury hee had to strive with what hatred to overcome Assoone as these foulers are gone with their nets our Lord warnes the people at large of such false Teachers as they bee Especially hee denounces wo upon wo against the Pharasies who were a sect much like the Iesuites now a dayes for austerity and
and he that shall come will come and will not tarry Let us heare therfore the word of exhortation as it is laid down for us in Saint Iames Be patient my Brethren untill the comming of the Lord behold the husbandman waiteth for the pretious fruit of the earth and hath long patience for it untill he receive the former and latter raine be patient therfore and stablish your hearts for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh The same Apostle ascribes to patience the meanes to make us perfect Iames 1.2 My Brethren count it ioy when yee fall into many temptations knowing that the triall of your faith worketh patience and let patience have her perfect worke that ye may be perfect and entire wanting nothing This vertue whosoever would have hee is now at the fountaine for from Christ we must have it or not at all Let us then seeke for it in him or to him for it and so we may come to find it and the rather let us doe it because our soules are not our owne in this troublesome world without patience for in patience saith Christ yee must possesse your Soules Meditations for THURSDAY A Little lightning before death as on this day hath our Blessed Saviour and but a little neither even while he is preparing and eating the Passeover all the rest of the day he is teaching as may be probably conjectured But ere hee beginne to do that he gives direction first where he will have the Passeover made ready for him by sending two of his Disciples to a certaine man that should meet them with a pitcher of water by which and other signes that hee gives they should know him to be the partie whose house hee had chosen for the purpose This man whom our Saviour sent thus to is observed further to have beene a Disciple for when the two who were sent from Christ meete with him they say The Master saith which is noted to have beene the name that the followers of Christ called him by among themselves as it may appeare to be by Martha's words to Mary her sister The Master is come and calleth for thee This being granted that this man was a beleever it will rest uncertaine whether Christ had bespoken a roome of him before this or no for if he was a Disciple he might ere this time have made it knowne to him by word as well as by revelation that he would eate the Passeover in his house and it helpes the conjecture a little because his roome was so ready But howsoever that might be done ordinarily or otherwise certaine it is that Christs foretelling they should meete him bearing a pitcher of water was propheticall to confirme the Disciples faith ours Also in that his roome was ready drest to receive Christ besides that it commends decency unto us both in the man and in it selfe it serves also to shew us how wee should have our hearts prepared for our Master namely that wee must cleanse them dresse them trimme them and alwayes have them fit to receive him if wee give him the upper roome in them also wee do but follow our example Only let us take heede when he sends his Disciples that is his Ministers that they find us not without our pitcher of water that is without teares of true penitence in our eyes that wee are no better prepared to entertaine him The next thing the holy Evangelists lead us to is the putting that in effect which here was made way for But before wee come to that if it seeme strange to any which Saint Iohn hath noted unto us that our Saviours Passeover was two dayes before the Iewes for theirs was on Saturday Ioh. 19.14 his on Thursday it may be the lesse marveilous to him that considers how farre Christ was before them in preparation And that might well serve for an answer were it not that the law of GOD is so strict in appointing the day on which the Passeover should be kept Exod. 12.18 But the undoing of this knot is to be learned out of a custome which the Iewes had taken up ever since they came from Babiloa and to gaine credit to it ascribed it to revelation from GOD which was this That if the Passeover fell neere the Sabbath day it should be deferred untill the Sabbath that the people might not have two holy-daies so neere together and so the commandement belike be endangered Sixe dayes shaltthou labour This was the reason why the Iewes deferred their Passeover untill Saturday which our Saviour kept upon Thursday For Thursday was the legall day Therefore Christ who best knew the meaning of his owne commandement which they by scrupulousnes mis-understood kept that day neither would give the least example to make the law of GOD of none effect by mans traditions This keeping of the Passeover was the last Ceremonial act that ever our Saviour performed Now seeing wee have none of this dayes worke set downe by Christs pen-men let us come unto that the evening affords us which is full of many strange occurrences The first thing in it is the abrogating of the Sacramentall Supper of the old Testament the Passeover and instituting that of the New which wee call by Saint Pauls direction the Supper of the Lord. And there are not many circumstances to observe in the first of these As first That Christ abrogated the Legall Ceremonies by fulfilling them and inducing of better for he kept both the right day though the whole nation did otherwise and the right time of the day the evening and the right company his Disciples and of those no more thē the twelve who were his houshould servants and ever with him as for his sitting whereas some thinke it is legall he should have stood it appeares out of Exodus Exod. 11.10 that it was a circumstance not perpetuall but proper to the time when the Israelites were to leave Aegypt and that he observed the feast in an other mans house the reason is ready because hee had not more shame for mankind one of his owne no not a place to hide his head in Secondly wee may observe about it Christs desire hee had to eate this Supper with his disciples which himselfe expresses most expressely when hee sayes desiderio desideravi c. that is I have vehemently desired to eate this Passeover with you before I suffer As for a third circumstance which some gather that hee tooke the cup in the time of the Passeover and gave it his disciples to go among them after the same manner that hee did when hee instituted his owne Supper it is by the learned observed to be spoken by Anticipation and the action to belong to the Sacrament following in which it is of the essence of it therefore by the other Evangelists it is only mentioned in that place To let passe that then these two that wee are certaine of have their use to us-ward the first to shew Christs strictnes in
his Christ-Crosse though hee can reade no other letter When thou hearest mee thus speake of a Crosse and suffering thou canst looke for nothing in such a booke but Tragicall and so it is a Tragedy even the wofullest argument that ever was acted The Actors in it are all great men as in Tragedies Herod a King Pilate the Romane Deputie the Rulers of the Iewes the chiefe Pharisies the High Priests all High thou seest yea the most High himselfe for GOD hath a part in it The Protasis or first part containes the Life of Death that is the furie of Christs enemies the Epitasis or second the Death of Life that is of Christ who is Life in the fountaine even The Life the Catastrophe or last part in it is the Death of Death which by Christ his dying was utterly destroyed in regard of efficacie to hurt any of those that belong unto GOD any more The beginning of this Tragedie as it falls to be is joyous but the end was bitter The first Scene of it was Christs riding as upon this day into Ierusalem in triumph The bravery of this show was not outward and yet it is a wonder to see how it affected the multitude Christ hath enough followers when he comes riding in Triumph but c. the whole Citie was mooved Men and Trees too stript thēselves to strow the way as hee went every mouth was full of Hosanna That is Heare us O Lord. even the childrens also and if they had held their peace the very stones would have spoken And who would have thought when he sawe and heard these things that Christ should have needed to have wept over this Citie or these should have bin the men that should betray him But follow on thy Saviour into the Citie and thou shalt see what entertainement he finds there not for his owne for he had none but for thy sinnes that thou maist learne to bewaile them For When thou commest into the City thou shalt see the multitude indeed follow Christ but it is the multitude even the variable unconstant multitude so that among so many followers of Christ onely his Disciples were his true followers Thou shalt see againe while the Citie is mooved with joy the Pharisies on the other side as much mooved with anger and asking even our Saviour himselfe of the Children which cryed Hosanna Hearest thou what these say When thou commest into the Temple thou shalt see the house of his glory which hee had chosen of old to put his Name there filled with buyers and sellers whom there is no way to drive out but with a whippe Therefore hee makes one and burning in zeale rests not till hee have driven out all these ungodly prophaners out of his Sanctuary throwing downe their tables and overthrowing their seates and not suffering so much as a vessell to be carried through the Temple neither had they all any power to resist him Now all these things are written for our example for the ill is written that we may learne to avoide it the good that we may imitate it But cheifly must our eye be bent on our Saviours actions in this story for that is the best copy we have to follow Follow him then as he rides and see his humility It is but an asse that he sits on that thou maist follow him the better yet is he that is thus meanly seated the King not only of Zion as the Prophet calls him Zach. 9.9 but of Heaven Earth This thou maist learne even of the children that follow him for their cry is Hosanna that is Heare us O Lord and againe they say Blessed bee the King that commeth in the Name of the Lord Take thou up this cry together with them else thou must not ioyne with this company for from the aged to the children all had these two voices in their mouth Hosanna Blessed be the King The one is the voice of praier the other of praise two workes that peculiarly belong to this Day among us which is Sunday Amongst other things S. Iohn tells us of certaine Greekes Proselites Ioh. 12.20 that comming to worship at the Feast desired as this day to see Iesus neither doth he put them backe but upon this occasion as it seemes begins to speake of his suffering which was to follow ere many daies were over Be thou ashamed that any strangers should presse neerer to heare or see him then thou and be not afraid hee will reject thee if thy desire bee to learne for he does not so unto these Especially take heede thou beest not left out when he goes into the Temple for by his behaviour in that Temple thou maist learne how to behave thy selfe in the Temple of thy Body that as he with a whip of smal cords whipped the buyers and sellers out of the Temple overthrew also the tables of the money-changers and the seats of them that sold Doves so must we make us a whipp of cords the smaller the better and whip out of the Temple and Citie too our corrupt affections neither let them so much as once looke againe into the Sanctuarie of our Soules no not though they come to sell Doves for sacrifice or would change our money into gold At least let them never have power to sell our Soules which onely Christ was able to buy but let us throwe downe their tables overthrowe their seats scatter their merchandize and not suffer any vessell that is not hallowed to come through our thoughts Thus shall wee bee fit to sanctifie this Day when wee have thus hallowed our harts anew by cleansing of them otherwise we shall justly heare the same which was spoken to these prophaners My House shall bee called a house of Prayer but yee have made it a Denne of Theeves Meditations for MONDAY FRom Bethany comes our Holy Lord this Morning to Ierusalem againe from his friends that had entertained him to his enemies that would crucifie him and that to save them if they would have beene saved This was the towne of Martha and Marie whome Christ loved therefore hee honoured it with a miracle in raising up Lazarus their Brother and with making it his retyring place And well it was howsoever that Christ had any place to retire to so neere Ierusalem howbeit his own Citie owed him a better if it had done him right yet for all that he must go to Bethanie to seek his lodgging if he will have one and pay deare for it too for he satisfied his Host to the full both for his cost and curtesie in that hee raised him out of his grave after he had lyen in it foure dayes It goes hard with our Saviour mee thinkes when hee must bee glad to raise his host out of his grave yet it is well that hee found one though hee opened the earth for him For a man may digge in many places and not find gold and Christ may often call at the graves of Mankind
but that it was evening and spices then were not ready to bee bought Out of these things much might bee noted for this day but that they were done the last Night and so are not proper for this time The first thing wee have on this day to observe is the malice of the high Preists and Pharises which ends not with the death of our Saviour our it is so cruell but survives to shew it selfe against his dead body Therefore they come to Pilate and say Sir we remember that that deceiver said while hee was yet alive AFTER THREE DAYES I WILL RISE AGAINE Command therefore that the sepulchre be made sure untill the third day least his Disciples come by Night and steale him away and say unto the people He is risen from the dead so the last error shall bee worse then the first Vpō which intreaty Pilate answers them Yee have a watch goe your way and make it as sure as yee can So they went and made the Sepulchre sure sealing the stone and setting a watch S. Marke addes to this that it was a great stone which could not easily bee remooved without strength and therefore when they come in the morning the women say Who shall remoove us the Stone So that now sure Christs body is sure enough a great stone and sealed and a watch by it were enough to keepe downe a dead body But all this is to their greater shame for it makes but the evidence of our Saviours resurrection the greater which otherwise might have wanted witnesses from his enemies but now it hath even his enemies for witnesse that hee rose againe and that both to their cost and trouble to convince them So let them watch this day as merrily as they will to morrow will bee a heavy morning with them come it assoone as it will or can come which to us is the beginning of our joy It is to us the beginning of our joy but yet upon condition that is so wee bee right fitted to receive it To fit thy selfe first thou must frame thy affection to the affection of the Disciples which they had for the want of their Master For Hee that had seene the cleaven set either together or in severall should no doubt have seene so many faces of heavines and who had lookt as this day againe on our Lady Christs blessed Mother sitting with the sword thorough her heart Luke 2.35 which Saint Simeon had fore-hight her should not have needed any other pourtraict to set forth the true passions of Love Hope and Faith under a cloud of sorrow for if any one wavered in doubt of Christs resurrection shee beleeved because shee knew him to bee GOD and on the other side if any one mourned for his death shee mourned the most for shee was his Mother Thus must thou do to Mourne but for thy sinnes that crucifyed Christ yea thou must set thy selfe among his Murderers as Saint Peter sets thee saying Act. 2.23.36 I am one of those LORD that crucifyed thee Stand here fast now for this is the safest place for thee at first for thou must come to joy through this kind of sorrow or else in Christ thou canst not have it Next to this thou must learne of the holy women that waited for Christs resurrection how to waite for his rising againe in thy heart for they waited with their sweete odours and so must thou do too What these odours are Saint Iohn tells thee in his Revelation where hee sayes The odours that are offered in heaven are the prayers of the Saints Now thou must be as holy that is as Saint-like as thou canst therefore thou must not want thy odours such as thou canst get which if they bee not for enbalming as the womens were but for burning it is the better for it was a fault of love in them to provide that Christs Body should not see corruption Pray thou then and let the heate of zeale send out thy sighes and thy servent devotions in a smoake up towards heaven thus shalt thou cense thy soule that Christ may come the next day to thee and thou maist bee received of him at his Table And now I have brought thee where I would leave thee even upon thy knees wayting for Christ and blessed art thou when hee comes if hee finde thee so doing For as he rose that thou mightst rise so from that place if from any he will raise thee up yea lend thee his hand to set thee on thy feete that thou maist stand before him for ever Waite thus then and powre out thy prayers unto GOD to prepare thee for his comming and if thou remember others in thy prayers as thou art bound to the language of heaven in them which runnes upon OUR and VS put mee in among them yet of neede I beg it rather then desert and I have a better reward of my paines from thee then I can looke for Now I must leave thee for I know thou wilt shut thy doore when thou prayest as Christ bids thee Matth. 6.6 SO GOD SPEEDE THEE Tu autem DOMINE Miserere Nostri THe love that LOVE had last to shew The life that LIFE had last to spend The paines unto Gods justice due Suffer'd by God in manhood true The price which bought us God to Friend The tree on which salvation grew The merit which shall never end But doth to infinite extend In one weeke though the dayes be few This booke would seeme to comprehend Thinke you it can Yet if it hath not wonne it Reade but your Christs-Crosse and there God hath done it FINIS
affectionate for it is the Nature of Love to shew it selfe most loving when it is a leaving So have I seene two friends that having kept their countenance till they were to part yet then could hold no longer but burst out and wept of meere affection If thou aske how thou shouldst get so neere thy Saviour as tosee and heare him I answer draw neere unto him by Prayer by Fasting by Thankfulnes by Repentance meditate of him all the day long and of the price and Love of his Passion and when thou hast done thus on the Day time at Night lay the same thoughts under thy pillow and rest upon them or rather upon him sleeping and waking Thus shalt thou both follow him to his lodging and Inne with him too And if thou doest this every Night thou doest but thy duty for this is a weeke that should thriftily be divided into houres and minutes by hearing reading prayer or meditation which at Night should be laid up within thee to digest and ere the Morning they will be a part of thee as thy nourishment is And one thing let us observe to this purpose ere we leave this Day That the matter which Christ uttered this day was not written that wee might have one day at least in this weeke free for meditation Meditations for TUESDAY RIse up with thy Saviour O my soule and put on him for thy garments that thou maiest follow backe this morning to Ierusalem Cleave to him also as he goes and listen what he sayes for this is a day in which the double doore of his lips is open to poure forth the treasure of his heart even the riches of his wisdome and mercy unto those that have eares and hearts to receive them for this day he not only teaches his owne but puts his enemies to silence by the evidence of his wisdome and utterly convinces them His Disciples give him the first occasion of speaking by shewing him the fig-tree which he had cursed yesterday this Morning withered up by the rootes which whilest they beheld with admiration they are bold to make him also acquainted with in these words How soone is the fig-tree withered A marvaile was this nay a miracle too and that in this tree above other Trees for the fig-tree is call'd Sapiens arbor that is the wise tree because it never puts out till the Spring be confirm'd Winter utterly over therefore of all trees it is least subject to blasting Iud. 9.11 For this cause among other the figtree in the booke of Iudges it may be is put among those wise trees that refuse the Kingdome over the other But there is no wisdome nor understanding nor counsell against the Lord if Christ command the poore fig-tree must wither have it never so well provided against weather in his late and deliberate budding This is the very use that our Saviour makes of this accident for hence he takes occasion to shew his Disciples what miracles their faith should worke if it were true and setled that it should not only have Trees but the Earth and Sea obedient to it so that mountaines should remoove and the Sea stand still at their faith were it not wavering This is much but the next priviledge is greater namely that they should obtaine of GOD whatsoever they askt in Christs Name observing but one condition that is to forgive as they wold be forgivē Me thinkes this is something like mans state in his innocency who had but one condition to observe to keepe himselfe happy even as Mankind heere in the person of the Disciples hath but one rule prescribed to restore it to GODS favour by forgivenes that is to forgive others who repent towards them Mankind I say not the Disciples alone for in other places our Saviour makes both the duty and condition generall Therfore looke to thy faith whosoever thou art for thou art warn'd as well as the Disciples and if thou looke thy prayer should find enterance by it to obtaine forgivenes in Christ beleeve this one thing ere thou begin to pray That Faith is not faith unlesse Love goe with it thou must forgive therefore and that from the bottome of thy Heart thy repentant Brother which is a worke of Love or else thou canst never be forgiven With the end of this doctrine wee are come now with our Saviour into Ierusalem and no sooner there but entred into the Temple which to this purpose lay next the gate that led to Bethanle that Christ might have the readier entrance into his owne house There he hath not beene long a teaching saith S. Matthew and that as hee was walking saith S. Marke because hee would loose no time but the cheife Preists and Scribes and Elders of the people all men of authority and therefore the Pharisies who were a kind of Monkes were not with them are upon him to know his authority It was a part of High Treason if they would have considered it for them to call him to account for his authority from whom they held theirs for if they were High Preists hee was their King if they were Scribes hee was their High Preist if they were Elders hee was from everlasting For this cause hee pleases not to answere them directly but by another question touching the Baptisme of Iohn whether it was from Heaven or of men This was a question that they were sure to be taken in whatsoever they answer'd for if the said it was of men they feared the people least they should stone thē because all men held Iohn for a Prophet if they said from Heaven they condemned themselves for not beleeving Iohn nor Christ neither whom Iohn had taught and pointed at when hee said Behold the Lambe of God and againe when hee said This is hee who commeth after mee but is greater then I whose shoe latchet I am not worthy to unloose Therefore when they would not speake truth for shameing and durst not speake falshood for endangering themselves they unfitly for men of place and learning put the question off with Wee cannot tell and because they would not confesse the truth that they knew neither therfore will our Saviour instruct them who are already enform'd yet contrary to their conscience deny to know that which they knew well enough For they had evidences enough not only to teach but enforce upon them also that our Lords authority could not but be from GOD but Pride would not suffer them to acknowledge him For this cause hee who resists the proud and gives grace to the humble cared not to give grace to them who were not humble enough to stoop to his authority but leaves them to the hardnes of their harts even till they come to that height of malice as to crucifie him who sought their Salvation This teaches us to take heed how we oppose our selves to the knowne Truth least wee bee left to our selves as these High Preists Scribes Elders were to crucifie againe the