all fuluess is and dwells Col. ii 9. God blessed for ever Rom. ix 5. Let 's make this acknowledgment of him profess and proclaim it as they do here call him the ever blessed Blessed 6. be all his works actions and passions the works of our Redemption Justification Sanctification Glorification which all come to us only through his Name and Merits Attribute we all to him and to his Name Not unto us O Lord not unto us but unto thy Name be the praise and glory of all these great and wonderful things Blessed lastly be all his purposes and intentions towards us he came to reveal his Fathers will unto us bless him for that bless we should all such that make known unto us the will of God Beati pedes Evangelizantium Blessed be the feet of the Ministers of the Gospel much more this great Archbishop of our Souls that sends them He came to glorifie the Father S. Iohn viii to teach us to do so bless him for that He came to save and deliver us from all kind of evil however we wilfully thrust daily into it some or other bless him for that say all good of him that wishes and works all good to us but which is only truly to bless further we all purposes what we can and help them forward that he and we may be glorified by the hand For this blessing is not meerly a form of words we must 1. earnestly and heartily desire God to bless to bless all Christs ways of coming to us that we may joyfully and chearfully and devoutly entertain him Desire God 2. to bless him that cometh in his name him whoe're he be that he sends to us but this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 especially that his coming may come abroad to all the world all come in unto him Desire 3. that man may bless him incite the sons of men to sing praise too unto him Praise him all ye Nations praise him all ye people strive what we can to get all we come nigh to come with us and bear a part in blessing him In a word bless we our selves in him think and profess and proclaim our selves blessed that Christ is come to us that we have our part and portion in him place all our joy all our rejoycing all our triumph that he is with us that the name of the Lord is declared unto us that by his coming the name of the Lord is called upon us that we are now of his retinue that we now belong unto him that he is daily coming in us And for this Hosanna now 3. in excelsis indeed Hosanna to him in the highest sing we it as loud as we can reach as loud as we can cry it And that may pass for the first interpretation of in excelsis that we are to cry it as loud as we can cry it do what we can to express our joy how we can to give him thanks to exalt his praise what we are able in excelsis to the highest of our power so Psal. cxlviii 1. Praise him in the height We all of us in excelsis in our highest yea and 2. the very highest the very most in excelsis of us all the highest of us is too low to praise him worthily yet praise him O ye highest ye Kings and Princes of the earth Kings of the earth and all people Psal. cxlviii 11. come down from your excelsis and lay your Crowns and Scepters at the feet of this King as S. Luke that cometh and submit all your Kingdoms to the Kingdom of Christ make ye all your Kingdoms to bless his that your Kingdoms also may be blessed Nay and yet there are higher then these highest who are to praise him Praise him all ye heavens Psal. cxlviii 4. Praise him all ye Angels praise him all his Hosts ver 2. So S. Luke intimates it when he expresses it peace on earth in Heaven and glory in the highest glory in Heaven for the peace that is made between Heaven and Earth by him that cometh here in the name of the Lord by whom says the Apostle all things are reconciled Whether they be things in Earth or things in Heaven Col. i. 20. Hosanna in the highest for this peace with the highest sung be it by Heaven and Earth by Angels and Men the Angels sung somewhat a like Song at his Birth when he was coming into the world according as St. Luke interprets it and will sing it again if we invite them as the Psalmist does to sing with us and we must desire it that God may be prais'd all glory both in Heaven and Earth That 's the way indeed to Hosanna in the highest as it is a Song of Praise but 't is also we told you a prayer that even our praises and the ground of them may continue A prayer 1. to God in excelsis the most highest as the Psalmist speaks Save us O thou most highest No salvation but from those everlasting hills of mercy salvation to be look'd for from none else the very meanest of the multitude know that A prayer 2. for salvation in excelsis that he would deliver us with a high hand work salvation with a mighty arm such as all the world might see it that he would magnifie this King that cometh and exalt his Kingdom that cometh to the clouds set it above the reach and power of malicious men make it grow and prosper maugre all contradiction and opposition of the highest and strongest of the earth A prayer 3. for salvation in excelsis indeed for salvation in the highest Heavens not only to be delivered here but to be sav'd hereafter not only for Grace and Righteousness here of the highest pitch but for glory of the highest order a prayer that God as he has exalted him that here came in his name so he would exalt us all that call upon his name to sit at his right hand in heavenly places in the highest right So these multitudes pray and so pray we so praise they and so praise we Do what we can our selves to praise and bless him and do what we can to get others do it call upon the Angels to joyn with us do it with all our might and strength stretch out our voices scrue up our strings nothing content or satisfie us in our prayers or praises but the highest the highest thankfulness the highest devotion the highest expression and way of both that either the multitudes before or the multitudes that follow Iews or Christians former or latter Saints ever used before us All perhaps cannot spread carpets cloths and garments to entertain him nor have all Boughs of Palms or Olives to meet him with all have not wherewith to make a solemn shew and flourish but all have tongues all may sing Hosanna's to him or if that word be hard all may cry Save us Lord and Blessed be he that came and cometh If we have neither substance to praise him with nor solemn Ceremonies allowed
as the Apostle adviseth us Heb. iv 11. to enter into his rest Root we and build our selves upon him Root we our selves upon him by humility build we upon him by faith grow we up with him rooted and grounded in love and sprouting out in all good works rest we our selves upon him and make him our only stay and glory So when this Root shall appear the second time and blow up his Trumpet as he here set up his Ensign and our dead roots spring afresh out of their dust we also may appear with him with Palms and Branches in our hands to celebrate the praises of this Root and Branch of Iesse and enter joyfully into his rest into the rest of everlasting glory THE SECOND SERMON ON Christmas-Day St. LUKE â—i 7. And she brought forth her First-born Son and wrapped him in Swadling-clothes and laid him in a Manger because there was no room for them in the Inn. I Shall not need to tell you who this She or who this Him The day rises with it in its wings This day wrote it with the first Ray of the morning Sun upon the posts of the world The Angels sung it in their Choirs the morning Stars together in their courses The Virgin Mother the Eternal Son The most blessed among women the fairest of the Sons of men The Woman clothed with the Sun The Sun compassed with a Woman She the Gate of Heaven He the King of Glory that came forth She the Mother of the everlasting God He God without a Mother God blessed for evermore Great persons as ever met upon a day Yet as great as the persons and as great as the day the great lesson of them both is to be little to think and make little of our selves seeing the infinite greatness is this day become so little Eternity a Child the Rays of Glory wrapt in rags Heaven crowded into the corner of a Stable and he that is every where want a room I may at other times have spoke great and glorious things both of the Persons and the Day but I am determin'd to day to know nothing but Iesus Christ in Rags but Iesus Christ in a Manger And I hope I shall have your company along your thoughts will be my thoughts and my thoughts yours and both Christ's all upon his humility and our own This is our first-born which we are this day to bring forth for it is a day of bringing forth this we are to wrap up in our memories this to lay up in our hearts this the Blessed Mother this the Blessed Babe this the condition and place and time we find them in the taxing time the Beasts Manger the Swadling clouts all this day preach to us The day indeed is a high day the Persons high Estates but the case we find them in and the esteem too the day is lately in is low enough to teach us humility and lowliness at the lowest With this the day is great and the Persons great and the Text great too and time perhaps you think it is that it bring forth Come then let 's see what God hath sent us in it A Mother and a Child Swadling Clouts to wrap it and a Manger for a Cradle to lay it in and all other room or place denied it quite These are the plain and evident parcels of the Text in number five But the whole business is between two persons the Mother and the Child and it hath two consideratiens besides the letter a moral lesson and a Mystery The one sufficiently brought forth and laid before us a plain lesson of humility from all points and persons The other wrapped up and involv'd in the Swadling-clothes and Manger and want of Inn-room nay in the tender Mother her care and travel For each may have its mystery and the Text no injury nay hath its mystery and the Text injury if it be not so considered That 's the way that not one 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 one tittle of the Law or Gospel may fall to the ground or scrap or fragment may be lost We shall do so then Read you first that great Lecture of Humility which Christ this day taught us by his Birth and all the circumstances of it here so punctually exprest and then shew you a mystery in every circumstance For so great a business as this fell not out by chance nor the circumstances at hap-hazard but a reason of all there is to be given why Christ was born why of such a Mother at such a time under such a name in such a place why so wrapt and laid and no fit room allow'd him And when we have done so we will see whether he shall now meet better usage with us than in the Inn he did to day and learn you by his happy Mother how to wrap and where to lay him I begin to run over the words first as so many points of his humility And seven degrees it rises by seven particulars in them we take it from 1. His being brought forth or born 2. His Mother She. 3. His wrapping up 4. His clothes he was wrapt in 5. His laying in the Manger 6. The no respect he meets with in the Inn no room there for him And lastly the time when this was done In the days of the taxing then was this blessed Mothers time accomplished in the words just before and then she brought forth her First-born Son Thus the Et the And couples all and gives us the time of the Story that we may know where and how to find it in the Roman Records by the year of the Taxes The first step of his Humiliation was to be born and brought forth by a Woman the only begotten Son of the Immortal God to become the First-born of a mortal Woman The First-born of every Creature to become the First-born of so silly a Creature Lord what is man that thou shouldst become the Son of a woman But if thou wouldst needs become a Man why by the way of a Woman why didst thou not fit thy self of a Body some other way Thou couldst have framed thy self a humane Body of some purer matter than the purest of corrupted natures but such is thy humility that thou didst not abhor the Virgins Womb wouldst be brought forth as other men that we might not think of our selves above other men how great or good soever thou makest us But 2. if he would be born of a Woman could he not have chosen an othergates than she than a poor Carpenters Wife some great Queen or Lady had been fitter far to have made as it were the Queen of Heaven and Mother to the Heir of all the World But Respexit humilitatem ancillae it was the lowliness of this his holy Hand-maid that he lookt to it was for her humility he chose to be born of her before any other That we may know 1. whom it is that the eternal Wisdom will vouchsafe to dwell with even the humble
'T is worthy of it 1. for the Person it brings to us one that is fairer then the children of men Psal. xlv worth entertaining Worthy 2. for the way it brings him to us in an humble and familiar way such was his coming he comes into the world like other men that we may the easier approach him and so the more readily entertain him Worthy 3. for the good things it tells us he brings with him for the salvation he comes with to us a thing worth accepting Worthy 4. for the persons it brings all this good to or for the extent and fulness of that goodness that 't is to sinners sinners indefinitely and at large sinners of all sizes all degrees and latitudes this certainly worthy all acceptation by all to be accepted for all interessed in it And 5. to be accepted too with all acceptance all the best ways we can imagine with soul and body with hand and heart with all the expressions of love and reverence and joy and thankfulness love of his Beauty reverence to his Humility joy in his Salvation and thankfulness for the freeness and fulness of it If a friend come but a long Journey to us we give him all the welcome we can make and think nothing enough This friend came to us as far as Heaven is from us farther then all the corners of the earth If a great person come to visit us we meet him with all the respect and reverence we can contrive none too much This is the greatest person can come to us If there come one to save to when we are now ready to perish how do our hearts leap and our spirits dance for joy how glad are we nothing can be more Here 's one comes to do it and to do it to the utmost that none or nothing of us may be lost what can we now do to him again who is and does all this for us All we can do is all too little all expressions too low to receive him with and this saying that thus assures him to us worthy to be written in tables of Gold with pens of Diamonds to be written however on all our hearts never to be raz'd out nor ever to be brought forth but with devotion and reverence with exultation and joy And now I am fallen upon my second general the use we are to make of this faithful saying and a four-fold use it will be to believe To accept to apply to proclaim it I add to make this the day to begin it in I This is a faithful saying we are first therefore to believe it such it is to them that believe to others not St. Paul I confess says only to them especially cap. iv 10. But that especially is onely too for Christ is effectually the Saviour of none else The Saviour truly of all come down for all set up for all yet not any sav'd by him but Believers for all that Nor all they neither only such as are careful to maintain good works Tit. iii. 8. This saying not faithful but to Believers nor any Believers faithful but such as shew it by good works Thus St. Paul limits the words This is a faithful saying in those two last cited places that we may not cheat our selves out of the Text or the good things in it Indeed if we believe not yet he abideth faithful in himself he and all his sayings too that 's a faithful saying too 2 Tim. iii. 11. 13. But nor he nor any of his sayings faithful to us whatever in themselves if we be not faithful and believing if we distrust either the beginning or end of his coming to us or by our sins or foolish scruples or despairs thrust our selves out of our interests in any of them For the second Use we are to make of this saying is not only to believe it but to accept it Vse 2. Now to accept it is very highly to prize and value it and well we may 't is worthy of it Prize it we then as we do Jewels as that Merchant in the Gospel did the Pearl sell all to buy it there 's none to it Lay it up safe as we do treasures that neither Moth corrupt nor Thief steal it from us nor Sin nor Satan rob us of it there 's no treasure like it Keep it as we do the Records and Tenures of our Estates part with it upon no score Our state in heaven depends upon it 'T is our title to it Lord where were we without this assurance to save sinners where all our hopes if this were lost whereto all our treasures if this were gone We had need prize and value it and keep it sure and this is to accept it And yet to give it all acceptation is somewhat more To accept it as Tertullus tells Felix they did his noble deeds Acts xxiv 3. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 always and every where and with all thankfulness Do we it then 1. not now and then not to day only or one day or two but every day every day we rise every opportunity that presents it self on every occasion that appears that 's 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Do we it again 2. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in all places engrave it upon our doors carve it upon our posts write it upon our hands profess it every where we come not in our Closets and our Chambers only but in the Church in the High-Priests Palace in Pilates Hall at the Pillar and at the Cross no where asham'd or afraid to own it Do it 3. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with all thankfulness And how is that by some good deeds sure as well as words Present we him ever and anon with some good thing or other now a basket of good Fruits so St. Paul sometimes stiles good works Now a bottle of good Wine the Wine of devout and pious tears Now with a present of Gold or Silver to adorn his House or his Attendants Now with a garment to clothe his naked members Now with a dish to feed his poor and hungry Children Now with this gift now with another This is the way of thankfulness among men that they call good acceptance among themselves These and all the ways we can 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for so some Greek Copies read for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 will take all in But above all our souls and bodies a living Sacrifice will be the most acceptable present we can make him Rom. xii 1. and indeed the fittest for him that came to save them This will do well yet 3. St. Paul's quorum ego primus the Apostles applying the only bad word in the Text with an emphasis to himself his reckoning himself the chief of sinners shews us the best way to apply this faithful saying to our selves the confessing our selves no ordinary sinners The third Use of the Doctrine of the Text. But thou O blessed Apostle the chief of sinners What then O Lord are we Primo primi the chief of
Hymn of his goodness an Anthem of his love a Psalm of his mercy and in sweet numbers carol forth his praise set our heads to do it our hearts to endite it our pens to write it our voices to sing it and with the three Children in their Song invite all the creatures in Heaven and Earth Angels and men all the sensible and insensible creatures to bear us company so to make a full noise of all kinds of Musick to set forth his praise Do it with our hands too do that which will exalt his praise Then 't is benedixit complete when it has benefecit next it We speak best when we do best when our lives and actions speak it Benedixit bene vixit are not so near of sound for nothing A holy life is not more truly Gods blessing to man than again it is mans chiefest and most acceptable blessing God Many ways may this blessing God be performed by us but as we stand now with some relation to this days blessing the blessed Eucharist the feast of blessing the cup of blessing as the Apostle stiles it I shall shew you now you have taken it what blessing is more peculiarly required after it Three acts of blessing there are to be performed after this act of so taking Christ into our arms and for it three points of blessing for this great blessing of the Holy Communion Thanksgiving Oblation and Petition Bless him and give thanks to him Bless him and offer up his Son to him again and our selves with him offer his Son in our own arms him and our selves Bless him and present our petitions to him our prayers as well as praises Or in the language of the Text Benedicamus Speak well of him do somewhat for him and bring our requests and petitions to him You see I need not run out of the Text for any kind of blessing First then Bless him with your tongues Speak good of his Name and let your lips speak forth his glory and wonderous works tell the world what he has done for you what great and mighty things Salutem ejus evangelizate Psal. xcvi 4. Tell it out for good tidings the tidings of great joy Be always speaking always telling it Call to all the creatures to bear you company every thing to rejoyce with you Tell your happiness to the Woods and Mountains in your solitary retirements tell it to the Towns and Villages speak of it in all companies tell it to the young Men and Maids old Men and Children all Sexes and Ages what God has done for your souls Tell it to the Summer and Winter both in your prosperity and adversity let nothing make you forget your thanks Tell it to the Frost and Fire in your coldnesses and in your fervencies and zeals to the Earth and to the Waters in your drinesses of soul and in the sorrows of your hearts praise him in all conditions Tell it to the Angels and Heavens as you are about your heavenly business Tell it to the Fowls of the Air even in the midst of your airy thoughts and projects that they may be such as may set forth his glory Tell it to the Priests and Servants of the Lord to solemnize your thanksgiving Tell it to the Spirits and Souls of the righteous to bear a part with you in your Song and intreat them all all estates and orders all conditions and things to bring in each their blessing to make up one great and worthyblessing for this days blessing to rejoyce and sing exult and triumph with you for this happy arm-full of eternal blessings this day bestowed upon you Begin we the blessing blessing and honour and power and glory and thanks and praise and worship and great glory be unto God for ever and ever and let all the creatures say Amen Bless we him secondly with our Offerings Hold we up first our hands and bless him hold we up our hands and vow and resolve to serve him from henceforth with hand and heart and all our members offer him our vows and resolutions holy ones strengthen our hands and renew our purposes to serve him now henceforward with a high hand maugre all the pleasures and profits of the world say what they will against it with a strong hand do they what they dare or can against us Bless him and resolve to bless him for ever and every day renew we still our resolutions that our hands may be so strengthened by them that none may be able to take him out of our hands 2. Catch we fast hold of him with our hands when we bless him clasp him fast by a lively hope as assured that all our hope is in him all our hope in holding him clasp we him fast and bless him 3. Spread your arms and bless him with your Faith Open your souls and every day more and more let him come in let it be your continual exercise more and more to trust him to rely upon him 4. Open your hands and cast down your blessings upon the poor He that blesses the poor blesses God What you have done to them says Christ you did to me St. Matth. xxv Open your hands and bless God 5. Cross your hands and beat your breasts Bless him with your hands a cross as humbly acknowledging your vileness and unworthiness of so great a favour as his presence as the seeing and touching and handling and â—asting him He truly blesses God on high that thus makes himself low 6. Fill your hands and bless him bless him with a full hand both your hands full of blessings blessings of all sorts all good works and vertues An universal obedience is the onliest blessing God Simeon being interpreted is obedient and he it is that here blesses the obedient soul that at any time only truly blesses God 7 Wash we yet our hands before we either open or spread or hold up or cross or clasp or fill them Wash we before we bless wash away our impurities with our tears bewail and bemoan our defects and weaknesses and imperfections which in our receiving have been too many that by this hand our oblation and blessing may be offered with pure and unspotted hands and hearts 8. Clap we then our hands and bless him do it with joy and not with grief we may do it well when we have so washt them first Let it be our way of blessing to do it chearfully to settle our selves to all the works of piety and obedience of faith and hope and charity and humility and in a word to an universal righteousness with all the purity we can with all the strength and resolution we are able Bless with a chearful and ready hand set our selves ever hereafter merrily to this work But remember we all this while we so use our hands to bless that we so open and shut so spread and cross them that we let not Christ go out the while Offer we up our selves and him together Resolve we
our own spirits within or be put into us by other spirits by the ministery of Angels from without but inspired truths from this Spirit alone Angels indeed are sometimes the messengers of it but never called the spirits of it they bring it they do not breath it When they have brought it and done their message be it never so true never so comfortable it will not comfort but amaze us it will not sink into us but ly only at our doors till this Spirit breath and work it in He alone Spiritus Veritatis the Inspirer of truth Hence it is that this Spirit of of all Spirits is only call'd the Comforter for that he only lets in the comfort to the heart whatever Spirit is the Messenger Be it the Angels those Spirits and Messengers of heaven or be it the Ministers those Messengers upon earth with all the life and spirit they can give their words no comfort from either unless this Spirit of truth blow open the doors inspire and breath in with them Truth it self cannot work upon our spirits but by the spiration of this Spirit of truth 'T is but a dead Letter a vanishing voice a meer piece of articulate air the best the greatest the soundest truth no other it has no spirit it has no life but from this Spirit of truth To conclude this Point It is not when the Spirit of truth is come or when He that is the Comforter is come though both be but one he shall guide you neither title single but He the Spirit of truth both together to teach us first That the truth which this Spirit brings is full of comfort always comfortable Startle us it may a little at the first but then presently Fear not comes presently to comfort us trouble us it may a little at the first nay and bring some tribulation with it as times may be but ere the verse be out ere the words be out almost Be of good chear says Christ 't is but in the world and I have overcome the world and in me ye shall have peace St. Iohn xvi 33. that came before so that tribulation is encompassed with comfort Ye shall be sorrowful indeed but your sorrow shall be turned into joy ver 20. the first is no sooner mentioned but the other follows as fast as the Comma will let it Christs truth and this Spirits truth is the Comforters truth as well as the Spirits and have not only spirit to act and do but comfort also in the doing and after it to be sure Nay Joyn'd so 2. He the Spirit of truth to teach us again that nothing can comfort us but the truth no Spirit hold up our Spirits but the Spirit of truth Lies and falshoods may uphold us for a time and keep up our Spirits but long they will not hold a few days will discover them and then we are sadder than at first To be deluded adds shame to our grief 't is this Spirit only that is the Spirit of our life that keeps us breathing and alive t is only truth that truly comforts us which even then when it appears most troublesome and at the worst has this comfort with it that we see it that we see the worst need fear no more whilst the joys that rise from false apprehensions or lying vanities indeed from any thing below this Spirit of truth and heaven bring so much fear of a change or close or too sudden an end that I may well say they have no comfort with them They flow not from this Comforter they come not from this Spirit that 's the reason they have no Comfort no Spirit in them It may well occasion us as soon as we can to look after this He the Spirit of truth and for our own sakes enquire where he is watch his motion what and whence and whither it is 2. To understand the motion and coming of the Spirit what it means we can take no better way than to peruse the Phrases of the holy Book under what terms it elsewhere does deliver it The first time we hear of it we read it moving Gen. i. 3. The next time striving with man Gen. vi 3. Then filling him Exod. xxxi 3. Then resting upon him Num. xi 25. Sometimes he is said to come Iudg. iii. 10. Sometimes to enter into us Ezek. ii 2. Sometimes to fall upon us Ezek. xi 5. Sometimes to be put upon us Num. xi 29. Sometimes to be put into us Ezek. xxxvi 27. Sometimes to breath sometimes to blow upon us Isa. xl 7. All these ways is he said to come whether he move us to good or strive with us against evil or fill us with sundry gifts and graces or rest upon us in their continuance whether he comes upon us in the power of his Administrations or whether he enter as it were and possess us wholly as his own whether he appear in us or without us whether he come upon us so suddenly and unusually that he seems even to fall upon us or be put upon us by ordinary ways and means whether by imposition on or breathing in whether by a softer breath or a stronger blast whether he come in the feathers of a Dove or on the wings of the wind whether in Fire or in Tongues whether in a visible shape or in an invisible power and grace they are his comings all sometimes one way sometimes another his comings they are all Yet but some not all of his comings for all his ways are past finding out and teach us a Lesson against curiosity in searching his out-goings And yet this word Come sounds somewhat hard for all this still Did we not say he was God And can God be said to come any whither who is every where Nay of this very Spirit expresly says the Psalmist Psal. cxxxix 7. Whither shall I go then from thy Spirit And if I cannot go from him what needs his coming Coming here is a word of grace and favour and certainly be we never so much under his eye we need that need his grace need his favour Nay so much the more because he is so near us that so we may do nothing unworthy of his presence But He speaks to us after the manner of men who if they be persons of quality and come to visit us we count it both a favour and honour So by inversion when God bestows either favours or honours on us when this holy Spirit bestows a grace or a gift or a truth upon us that we had not before then is he said to Come to us I need not now trouble my self much to find out whence he comes Every good and perfect gift comes from above says St. Iames Iam. i. 17. From heaven it is he comes from the Father he sends him St. Iohn xiv 26. From the Son he sends him too in this very Chapter ver 7. And this is not only the place whence he comes but here are the persons too whence he proceeds
to digest as well as tast there in the mouth is a kind of first digestion made Ruminate we then and meditate upon Christ when we have tasted him Let it be our business to spend much of our time and days henceforth in meditation of him that 's the way indeed to be filled with his Spirit while we thus digest him and chew upon him in our spirits Nor is 3. fire improper any way to bring to that holy Table The fire of charity is to kindle our devotion there to warm our affections and desires to it There 4. our tongues are to be warm'd into praises that they may run a nimble descant upon his benefits and move apace to the glory of his Name Thus are our tongues to be imployed and thus is the fire to be kindled in us that we may speak with our tongues This is the way to be filled with the Holy Spirit this blessed Sacrament the means to it Come thou therefore O blessed Spirit into our hearts and tongues lighten our understanding with thy heavenly light warm our affections with thy holy fire purge away all our dross burn up all our chaff renew our spirits separate our sins and evils from us unite us in thy love subdue us to thy self teach our hearts to think our tongues to speak our hands to act our feet to move only to thy will settle thy self in us hence forward and dwell with us so teach us with all our tongues and powers to praise thee here upon earth that we may one day praise thee with them in Heaven for evermore A SERMON UPON Trinity Sunday REV. IV. 8. And they rest not day and night saying Holy Holy Holy Lord God Almighty which was and is and is to come I Need not stretch the Text to reach the Time The 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Holy Holy Holy in it is plain enough to teach the Trinity An Anthem sung here by the Angels and Saints in heaven done so here also by four of the chief Apostles and the Bishops of Iudea signified by the four beasts and twenty four Elders taken up after generally by the Saints on earth commended to us by the Church to day as our Epistle sent from heaven with a pattern in it for our Hymns and Praises to the blessed Trinity Lord God Almighty For 't is a part I must tell you of one of St. Iohn's Visions presenting to us what is done in heaven what Good would have done on earth and what should there be done ere long throughout it beginning at Hierusalem Glory and honour and thanks should be given unto God for the wonders he was doing for his servants for the deliverance he was working for his Church for the judgments he was bringing on their enemies as glory had been of old given him by his Saints and Prophets was now given him by his Apostles and Bishops so it should be given still by the whole Christian Church for ever as he himself was and is and is to come so was his praise and is and is to come we therefore all to learn to bear our parts in that heavenly Anthem against the time we come thither to bear them company Example you see we have here set before us to do it by and a form to do it in better we cannot wish the four Beasts or Cherubims Angels Saints and the Apostles there 's our Pattern for they rest not day and night saying it and Holy Holy Holy Lord God of Hosts which was and is and is to come there 's the form we best do it in In each Part we shall observe a kind of Trinity or three Parts in each In the Pattern 1. the Persons 2. their earnestness and 3. their continuance 1. The persons praising God and saying it They the four beasts or living creatures as the words tell us just before 2. Their earnestness in it They rest not saying they cannot rest for saying it cannot rest without the saying it unless they say it say it over and over Holy Holy Holy cannot rest but doing it that 's their rest they take their praising God ◠Their continuance at it day and night it is and without rest and pause is it they are continually doing it saying and doing all to his honour and glory In the Form of Praise we have a sort of Trinity too three things observable 1. The glory or honour given Holy Holy Holy 2. The Persons to whom it is Lord God Almighty Father Son and Holy Ghost yet all three in one one single Lord one only God one alone Almighty and no more so there 's the Vnity in Trinity into the bargain And 3. here are the benefits intimated we praise him for He was our Creator He is our Redeemer He will be our Glorifier So you see Trinities enough in the Text to make it Trinity Sunday in it to fill all the Trinity Sundays after it The sum is that we are all to bear our parts in this holy Doxology to give glory and honour and power to the blessed Trinity with the four beasts and four and twenty Elders from time to time for evermore and that which may here serve well to perswade us to it is the Company and with them we will begin And they c. But who are they The beginning of the verse tells us the four beasts or as it may more genuinely and handsomly be translated the four living creatures 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but what or who are they That 's the question and a hard one too it seems by the variety of opinions probably to be answered rather by conjecture than resolution We shall take the likeliest of them and pass the rest 1. Some by the four living Creatures this they would have the four Cardinal vertues understood by the Lion fortitude by the Calf or Oxe justice by the Eagle temperance and by the Man prudence And then the sense will be that God is most signally prais'd and glorified by a vertuous life no way like that to praise him To do righteousness to walk wisely to live soberly to stand stoutly to God and goodness that 's the true way to give glory to the whole Trinity 2. Others by the four living Creatures apprehend the four chief faculties of our souls to be insinuated with which we are to praise him The irascible intimated by the Lion the concupiscible by the Oxe the rational by the face of man and the Spirit by the Eagle And here the Lesson is that we are to do it to praise God with all our powers set our affections and desires upon it be moved and angry at every thing that comes in to hinder it search all the means our reason can find out to perfect praise and raise up our Spirits upon Eagles wings to perform it to the highest pitch 3. Some by these four conceive the whole world consisting of the four Elements represented to us as praising God The fire by the Lion whose nature is hot
and fiery the earth by the Ox that tills it the air by man that breaths it the water by the Eagle which as other fowl was made out of it Gen. i. 20. All these indeed we find called in by the holy Psalmist to make up the song of praise Psal. cxlviii and by the three Children in the fiery furnace to make up theirs that we may know the Fire and all the Elements Beasts and all Creatures praise him as well as man nay better are readier commonly to do it than he that he is fain even the devoutest he of all of us to cry out to them to come in with their notes to help him out and fill up the Choir 4. Some think Gods title of slow to anger and swift to mercy is by these four here exprest by way of Hieroglyphick by the Oxe slowness by the Lion anger by the Eagle swiftness and by the Man mercy represented to us And without doubt or question in this slowness to wrath and swiftness to have mercy is Gods greatest glory and for them we most willingly give him glory must not cease at any time to give him glory 5. Others suppose it an Hieroglyphick of Christ himself who in his Incarnation appear'd in the form or face of a man in his Passion like a Calf or Oxe for sacrifice in his Resurrection like a Lion the Lion of the Tribe of Iudah in his Ascension like an Eagle and if this pass the meaning is that by Christ Gods glory is most advanced by his Incarnation Passion Resurrection and Ascension heaven and earth is filled with his glory and for this above all the rest for him and his benefits we are to give God the greatest glory there as it were begins all our praise thence the twenty four Elders first throw down their Crowns and fall down and worship as it were acknowledging him the beginning of all the good we receive both of grace and glory Christ the Author and Original of them all But 6. to come a little near These four living Creatures say others represent the four Evangelists that preach Christs Life and Death Resurrection and Ascension into glory The Lion St. Mark for he begins his Gospel as it were with the voice of a Lion roaring in the Wilderness The Calf or Oxe St. Luke who begins his with the story of a Levitical Priest whose Ministry was about the Sacrifice of Calves and Oxen. The Man St. Matthew who takes his rise from the Genealogy of men The Eagle St. Iohn who at the very first soars up on high that we had need of Eagles wings and eyes to follow and discern him By these four indeed Gods grace and mercy Christs name and glory is spread over the face of all the earth and by this we learn that to preach and teach and publish the things of Christ is to give God praise and glory a singular and notable way to do so 7. Some that suppose they yet hit it nearer conceive God here brought in in the Vision sitting as the Bishop of Ierusalem with all the Bishops of Iudea in council all about him as Acts xv it seems they did and these four living Creatures about the Throne to be those four chief Apostles St. Peter St. Iohn St. Barnabas and St. Paul there present rank'd here higher than the rest St. Peter for his primacy set first and resembled by the Lion for his fiery zeal and fervour St. Paul deciphered by the Oxe in respect of his labours more abundantly than they all St. Barnabas intimated by the Man as being a Son of consolation humanity and mercy by the interpretation of his name St. Iohn pointed at by the Eagle for those sublime and high speculations of the Divinity of Christ above all the rest These were the four great Standard-bearers of the Christian Israel for these four living Creatures were born in the standard of old Israel and here alluded to these the four great Champions and Defenders the Planters and Propagators of the Christian Faith of the blessed Trinity of the glory of God and Christ throughout the world And thus we see to undertake the business of the Gospel to take pains and labour to defend and propagate it with all our might and main is an actual and real glorifying of God and Christ. Yet lastly whatever these may be imagined to represent to us or whomsoever to point out or what council or persons or judicature soever to resemble Angels to be sure they were that thus represented the Vision to St. Iohn and as such if we consider them we may conclude all the business with this Lesson that the business of heaven as well as earth of Angels as well as men is to be imployed in Praises and thanksgivings to the Almighty an imployment therefore well worth our time and pains and study Now put all these together and I cannot give you a fuller description of the way to praise and glorifie him than these have given you For to do it as we should is 1. to live vertuously 2. To employ all the powers and faculties of soul and body to his service 3. To call in all the Creatures to help us to do it and to use them to it 4. To reflect often upon both his mercies and his judgments and acknowledge his goodness in them both 5. To meditate upon the Life the Death the Resurrection the Ascension of Christ with all devotion and humility 6. To preach and publish it what we can 7. To defend and maintain it to our utmost power 8. To reckon it lastly an Angels work a heavenly piece of business thus to spend our days and years in giving glory to the most highest And if heaven and earth and all the creatures else besides sinful man become thus the Trumpets of their Creators glory and in all their several ways and orders ambitiously contrive themselves into the instruments of it what strange creatures must we needs be that either neglect it or forget it Heaven and earth says our morning Hymn are full of the Majesty of thy glory we can be no other than hell then that are empty of it that do not resound it Dragons and all deeps says the Psalmist Psal. cxlviii 7. all but the old Dragon and the bottomless deep the deep of hell all praise him else You see what we bring our selves to by our unthankfulness what a sad condition they are in who give not glory unto God who delight not in magnifying and praising him who are against the Hymns and Anthems to that purpose Thus you see it done in the Text by Saints and Angels in the Heavens by Apostles and Evangelists on the Earth Thus de facto so it was then But 't is as well a Prediction of what should be after that not only the present Age of the Apostles and holy Bishops then but the succeeding Ages also of the Church should acknowledge the glory of the undivided Trinity And it fell out accordingly Not
too Holy in glorifying of his Angels holy in justifying his Saints holy in punishing the Devils Holy in his Glory and holy in his Mercy and holy in his Justice holy in his Seraphims and holy in his Cherubims and holy in his Thrones holy in his Power and holy in his Wisdom and holy in his Providence Holy in his Ways and holy in his Laws and Holy in his Promises holy in the Womb and holy in Manger and holy on the Cross holy in his Miracles and holy in his Doctrines and holy in his Examples holy in his Saints and holy in his Sacraments and holy in his Temples holy in Himself holy in his Son holy in his Spirit Holy Father holy Son and Holy Spirit Therefore with Angels and Archangels and with all the company of Heaven and all the Saints in Heaven and Earth we laud and magnifie thy glorious Name evermore praising thee and saying Holy Holy Holy Lord God of Hosts Heaven and Earth are full of the Majesty of thy Glory Glory be to thee O Lord most High Lord God Almighty which was and is and is to come Glory and Honour and Thanks be unto Thee for ever and ever Amen Amen Amen THE FIRST SERMON UPON THE Calling of St. Peter St. LUKE v. 8. Depart from me for I am a sinful man O Lord. A Strange Speech for him that speaks to him 't is spoken from St. Peter to his Saviour One would think it were one of the Gadarens who thus intreated him to depart the Coasts Strange indeed to desire him to depart without whom we cannot be stranger to give such a reason for it a reason that should rather induce us to intreat him to tarry than to go for being sinful men we have most need of him to stay with us but strangest of all it is for St. Peter to desire it and upon his knees to beseech it To desire Christ to go away from us to go from us because we have need of his being with us and for such a one as St. Peter and that so earnestly to inintreat it is a business we well skill not at the first dash Yet if we consider what St. Peter was when he so cried out or what made him to do it or how unfit he being a sinful son of man thought himself for the company of the Son of God we shall cease to wonder and know it is the sinners case for ever so to do to be astonished at miracles not to bear suddenly the presence of our Lord and when we first apprehend it to cry out to him with St. Peter here to withdraw from us for a while for that we are not able to endure the brightness and terrour of his Splendour and Majesty It was a miraculous and stupendious draught of Fish after they had given up all hopes of the least suddenly came to Net which thus amazed St. Peter and his Fellows They had drudged and toyl'd all night and not a Fish appeared but when Christ came to them then came whole showles and thrust so fast into the Net that they brake it to get in as if the mute and unreasonable creatures themselves had such a mind to see him by whose Word they were created that they valued not their lives so they might see or serve his pleasure And yet St. Peter makes as much means that he might see him no longer whom if he had not seen and seen again notwithstanding his desires to the contrary it had been better he had never seen nor been at all But such is our mortal condition that we can neither bear our unhappiness nor our happiness unreasonable Creatures go beyond us in the entertainment of them both according to their kinds though it may be here St. Peters humility speaks as loud as his unworthiness or inability to endure the presence of his Lord. St. Peter we must needs say was not thorowly call'd as yet to be a Disciple this humble acknowledgment of his own unworthiness to be so was a good beginning Here it is we begin our Christianity which though it seems to be a kind of refusal of our Master is but a trick to get into his service who himself is humble and lowly and receives none so soon as they that are such none at all but such whom by the posture of their knees and the tenours of hearty and humble words you may discern for such And to sum up the whole meaning of the words to a brief Head they are no other nor no more than St. Peters profession of his own humble condition that he is not worthy that his God and his Redeemer should come so near him and therefore in an Extasie as it were at the sight of so glorious a Guest desires him to forbear to oppress his unworthy servant with an honour he was not yet able to bear Yet we cannot but confess the words may have a harder sense upon them as the voice of a stupid apprehension or an insensibleness of such heavenly favours as our Saviours company brings with it We shall have time to hint at that anon It shall suffice now at first to trouble you only with two evident and general parts Christs absence desired And The Reason alledged for it I. Christ desired to be gone Depart from me And II. Why he is so For I am a sinful man O Lord. The Desire seems to be the voice of a threefold person and such is St. Peters now 1. Of a man 2. Of a sinful man and yet 3. Of an humble man Me that me here confessing my self a sinful man The Reasons equal the variety of the desires or Desirers Three they are too 1. For I am a man 2. For I am a sinful man 3. For thou O Lord thou art God and I a man 'T is a Text to teach us what we are to whom we speak and how to speak to him And if you go hence home without learning this you may say perhaps you have heard a Sermon but you have learnt nothing by it It shall be your faults if you do not And unless we cry in a sense contrary to St. Peters meaning Depart from us O Lord out of a kind of contempt and weariness of his Word and not out of the conscience of our own unworthiness of so great a blessing then though our words be somewhat indiscreet though we sometimes speak words not fitting for our Saviour to hear though they seem to shew a kind of refusal of him yet being no other than the meer expression of the apprehension of his glorious presence and our own unworthiness Christ will comfort us and call out to us presently as he doth to St. Peter ver 10. not to fear we shall not lose by his Word or Presence nor by our so sensible apprehension of his glory though we be but a generation of sinful men That our desires first may be set right though peradventure not always speak so the desires being the hinge upon
them as Pharaoh did with Ioseph Gen. xli 42. Puts his Ring upon their hands and espouses them to himself makes them the keepers of his Signet and grants Petitions by them He arrays them 2. in vestures of fine linnen that is the righteousness of the Saints says St. Iohn Rev. xix 8. cloths them with the best Robe too the royal apparel of his Son 3. He puts a gold chain about their necks obliges them with the richest blessings 4. he makes them to ride in his second Chariot carries them in the clouds and sets them all at his right hand 5. Cries before them bow the knee such honour have all his Saints 6. He makes them Rulers over all the Land of Egypt makes them to have dominion over the works of his hands Psal. viii 6. gives them all the blessings of the Land gives them their hearts desire and fulfils all their mind all at their disposal 7. He does more than Pharaoh he entertains them at his Table feeds them with the bread of Heaven embraces them in his arms receives them into his bosom counts them as the very apple of his eye reckons them as his Jewels compasses them continually with his loving kindness prevents them always with the blessings of his goodness Psal. xxi 3. and crowns them with glory and worship Psal. viii 5. Puts Crowns upon their heads as well as Robes upon their backs crowns them with this favour above the rest as to unbosom himself unto them to grant them secret conferences and discourses with him as to his only favourites in the world That this may appear the better their honour secondly is great in his salvation they do but cry to him and they are saved they do but go to him and they are delivered Psal. xxxiv 16. He preserveth the souls of his Saints says holy David Psal. xcvii 10. He preserveth the ways of his Saints says Davids Son Prov. ii 8. Nay says the Father again he gives his very Angels charge over them Psal. xci 11. makes them tarry all about them Psal. xxxiv 7. that they hurt not so much as their feet Psal. xci 12. that they break not a bone Psal. xxxiv 20. that they lack nothing ver 9. This is an honour to some purpose and a huge one for God to descend to do it for us not like the honours of the earth that lay us open to wind and weather that cannot shelter us from danger and ruine but raise us up commonly to throw us down with the greater violence No he lifts up his meek ones to salvation lifts up his Son upon the Cross to save them a high honour this we would count it so if a King should venture himself to save us an honour we knew not how to value and such a one this is you will see it clearly by the next honour and salvation both exalted which is the honour of Victors and Conquerours granted also to his Saints For 3. though the heathen rage the Saints shall be avenged though the people imagine a vain thing against them they shall rebuke them if the Kings of the earth stand up and the Rulers and Nobles take counsel together the Saints shall bind them all in chains and links of Iron all together the gates of hell shall not prevail against his Saints against his Church all the counsels and devices all the strength and power all the subtilty and malice of earth or hell shall do no good Come life come death come Angels come Principalities come Powers come things present come things to come come height come depth come any other creature come tribulation come distress come persecution come famine come nakedness come peril come sword come all the Kings and Princes of the earth all the Heathen and Inâ—idels under Heaven all the violence and cunning of hell and all the Inhabitants of that dismal dwelling come what can come come how they can come all that can as good come nothing nothing will come of it of all their fury in all these says St. Paul we are more than conquerours Rom. viii 35 36 37 38 39. through him that loved us Thanks be to God says he he always causes us to triumph in Christ 2 Cor. ii 14. We may erect our Trophies we may hang up our spoils the spoils of these our enemies and dance about them praise his Name in the dance as we are called to do ver 3. as certain of our victory through Iesus Christ for through him this honour have all his Saints 4. Yet not the honour only of the triumph but of the judgment seat besides to pass sentence and execute judgment upon the conquered enemies Know you not says St. Paul that the Saints shall judge the World 1 Cor. vi 2. Are you ignorant of the honour God has promis'd them Know you not that we shall judge Angels too ver 3. Much more then the Potentates of the earth who have oppressed the Church gain-said the Truth stood up against Christ and for a while trampled down the Saints The time will be the day will come when those great Princes such as Antiochus Herod Nero Dioclesian and the rest of those persecuting Furies shall be brought before the great Tribunal and receive their Sentence from the mouths of those poor Saints whom they so tyrannically raged against to be bound hand and foot and cast into utter darkness And how great an honour think you must this needs be to fit judges over those great men who made the earth tremble still before them and even hell at their coming thither to be moved at them as the Prophet speaks Isa. xiv 9. How great an honour I say for such poor Scrubs as we for the very poorest Saints to be made judges of such men yea and judges too not here not in earth but below but in heaven above yet such also is the honour of the Saints And greater yet for it is not honor but gloria here Sancti in gloria ver 5. a glorious honour that the Saints are honoured with All earthly honour reaches not to this title glory that we may be joyful in is more than earth affords The honours here are so full of fears so farc'd with troubles so stuff'd with cares so amongst thorns and briars so blasted with envies so justled at by rivals so assaulted by enemies so undermin'd by neighbours so suspected by friends that there is little true mirth or joy to be had in them 't is only the honour of the Saints in glory that is troubled with none of these but surrounded with uninterrupted joys and songs of joy And were the Saints lives here but so many days and years of affliction and vexation ignominy and dishonour this crown of honour at the last were a sufficient abundant superabundant recompence for them all And this is so properly the Saints that none else have the dream of a title to it 't is their inheritance Col. i. 12. Eph. i. 18. 't is their reward
ever This last indeed is beyond proportion eternity for time all blessings for a few Precepts the wine of Angels for abstinence from the bloud of the Vine for want of houses upon earth eternal dwellings in the heavens You see the Reward is full of blessings I shall observe their triple proportion in running over them 1. Such then first is the Reward of their Obedience that it lengthens days The world thinks it shortens them if by it you take away any thing from your flesh bate any thing of your diet either in quantity or quality when the King or Church commands to do so 'T was not so here and without doubt it is not Obedience hath the promise of length of days in the Commandment 'T was the reason that Ionadab gave his Sons to obey him ver 7. That you may live many days It was a blessing of long days upon themselves That 's the First But it ends not so Upon their children too reaches to them is a blessing of succession This is to live beyond our selves to sprout afresh out of the dust to have posterity And a Posterity that shall not fail wither or crumble away that 's more If it be a male succession 't is more still Non deficiet vir not a man fail you Female generations lose the name and so the succession fails even while it lasts It does almost so when it passeth into a collateral line This fails not that way neither Not vir de stirpe it continues in a direct line from the root Tremellius's Translation sets it higher Non exscindetur vir Of all this Progeny there shall not so much as a man be cut off Die they must by the necessity of nature but not a man cut off by violence that however it far'd with the captive Jews in Babylon not any of these should fail there but return to their Tents in peace that a fair and even succession it should be that after many days pass on calmly and quietly to their Fathers tombs in peace gathered to their Fathers 'T is well this such a blessing upon Posterity But when not only succeeding generations participate the blessing but Ionadab and his Father Rechab too passed Ancestors receive a new accession of glory by it this is a blessing not upon the Sons only but upon deceased Fathers too And all this you may look for upon the like obedience A long life a lasting a continued a male a lineal an unblemish'd Posterity all redounding back again to your own glory This the first proportion that which is given for your Obedience to your Father 2. The second is greater stans in conspectu a Posterity high enough to be seen placed in the eye of the world men famous and renowned in their Generations This is but to stand on high before the Kings and Princes of the earth In conspectu meo is higher that stands before God a Posterity as virtuous as honourable Stand before him and in place near him near his Sanctuary the place of his presence plac'd there so it seems 1 Chron. ii 5. Placed on high and near him as near as the title of Gods can make them made Judges of the earth so stare in conspectu is sometimes interpreted This is a second proportion answering to their obedience to commands They shall be Commanders Under command they kept now they are above it above the people equal with the Princes of the earth A famous a pious an honourable Posterity the second reward of Obedience 3. All this is much exceeding much Yet honour and virtue are created things and therefore mutable may fail at last Theirs shall not Stans in conspectu In honour they shall be and in honour they shall stand In virtue they shall be and in virtue they shall stand standing is a posture of continuance Stand and stand in his sight dear as the apple of his eye That must not be touched no more must they and then nothing can change them to be sure Cunctis diebus puts all out of question They shall stand so all their days says the Text. What speak I of days Stand so for ever continue ever Christians succeed into their order and obedience they survive into Christians live in them for ever When succession shall have done successive motions have their periods and all days shall have an end yet then Ionadab shall not want a man to stand then before him and see his face for ever This is indeed the last Reward a firm a perpetual an eternal succession And now we are come up to the tops of the Mountains the everlasting hills Eternity is a Circle and there we wind about in everlasting rounds There we turn about to the beginning of the verse the Lord speaking and confirming all that so the certainty may embrace with the eternity That you may see I tell you no more than God himself will make good Thus saith the Lords of Hosts the God of Israel He hath promised it and shall he not bring it to pass He has said it and shall it not be done Said it by his Prophet and Prophesie though it sometime wants light yet never certainty He engageth his honour Thus saith the Lord Kings will not fail upon the word of their honour He engageth his power Thus saith the Lord of Hosts he that doth what he will in heaven and earth He engageth his goodness his tried experienced goodness Thus saith the God of Israel their God who can witness he never broke his promise nor fail'd his word But doth God take care only for the Rechabites Or says he it for your sake too For yours also doubtless 't is the Reward of Obedience where ere it is found as it is in the Text. Will you give me leave to enquire Has the King at any time commanded some of your superfluities and has he obtain'd them have you been content to part with any of your delights in diet apparel in your houses to endure some abridgments to obey him to supply him Have the Inferiour Magistrates demanded the execution of the Laws and have you assisted them Has the Church required your presence your order and assistance for I speak not now of your private Fathers and can you say with these Rechabites we have obeyed and kept all their Precepts and done according to all that hath been commanded us Then and not till then dare I warrant you You and your seed shall stand before him for ever For it is not a Reward only to private and personal obedience but the obedience of Cities of Nations too Obedient Cities and Kingdoms as well as Families shall not want men to stand before him for ever but disobedient and rebellious shall For Kingdoms Cities and Countries have their fates and when they have rent this bond of union that kept them to their head they must expect their Funerals You then to look to it Remember that of the Prophet How is the faithful City become a harlot
the Vse both of the Doctrine and the Day to apply them both and cry out every one of us with St. Paul 'T is I and I and I for whom He came In the Doctrine there are these particulars 1. That Christ Iesus came into the world 2. That He came to save sinners 3. That He came to save the chiefest of them the very quorum primi of them What is it else to S. Paul or us or why does he bring himself in upon no better title 4. That all these are faithful sayings and worthy of acceptation all single such but all together make up a saying worthy all acceptation the very 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the saying above all sayings the whole Word and Gospel it self the Word after which no word can be said nothing beyond it Of which therefore surely the Vse 2. must needs be great if we throughly apply it and four ways there are to do it in the Text four Vses we are to make of it 1. If a saying a faithful saying it be we then faithfully to believe it 2. If worthy acceptation we then worthily to accept it 3. If it reach the chief sinners too our chief business then with St. Paul humbly to apply it to our own particular not think much any of us to say quorum ego primus not to stick to confess our selves the chiefest among them that are sinners so we may be found chief or second or any one among them that are saved 4. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it is a special saying this is not to be wrapt up in silence then nor hudled up within private walls but to be spoken and spoken out cried and proclaimed to all the world And all this lastly I add to be done to day That indeed is not in the Text but 't is in the Time and never better to be done then now to day That 's the right use of this Holy time that to which the Church designs Christmas to proclaim Christs coming into the world to save sinners and to call them in all to come to him To carry on the design I go on now with the Text and begin with the first branch of the Doctrine there that Christ Iesus came into the world 1. That he did so this great day is witness worthy therefore to be kept for ever for a witness of it and they that keep it not to be suspected that they do not think he did nor believe that there was any such matter Yet that such a one there was one Iesus that went about doing good the Iews his rankest enemies will not deny it That that Iesus was the Christ though the Iews will not the Samaritans will confess it S. Iohn iv 43. Christ and Jesus too the Christ the Saviour of the world nay the Christ indeed and the Saviour indeed and they know it they say there Nay of the Jews too many believed it S. Iohn vii 31. believed and justified it Nor did they it without good ground the many Miracles that he did in the confirmation of it the performing what was prophesied of the Messiah Isa. xxxv 6. and lxi 1. The opening the eyes of the blind the making the lame to walk the deaf to hear the dumb to speak the cleansing the Lepers the raising the dead the preaching to the poor the Gospel of peace those pure and holy and comfortable Doctrines that he taught were a sufficient resolution to S. Iohn Baptists question that it was He that should come and we should look for no other S. Mat. xi 3 4 5. no other than He. Indeed we need not for this Iesus is a Iesus of another sort of another manner of spelling 't is observ'd then all former Iesus's then Iesus the Son of Nun or Iesus the Son of Iosedec or Iesus the Son of Syrach this Iehoscuah Iesus or a Iehoscuah for 't is so in the Hebrew is with the points of Iehovah in it a Iehovah Iesus a Saviour that is the Lord as the Angel tells us St. Luke ii 11. A Iesus never the like before a Iesus above every Iesus a name now above every name a name to which Heaven and Earth and Hell must bow never did they to any Iesus else And as this name now above every name so this coming of his above every coming We sometimes call our own births I confess a coming into the world but properly none ever came into the world but he For 1. He only truly can be said to come who is before he comes so were not we only he so 2. He only strictly comes who comes willingly our crying and strugling at our entrance into the world shews how unwillingly we come into it He alone it is that sings out Lo I come Psal. xl 3. He only properly comes who comes from some place or other Alas we had none to come from but the womb of nothing He only had a place to be in before he came Now such a Iesus as this as has God in his name and must be conceived to be also so by the way of his coming may well be the Messiah that should come into the world Iesus the Christ. We need seek no further especially if it be the Iesus that comes to save sinners And he it is says our next particular 2. Nay the Angel said so before he was born He had the name given him for the purpose S. Mat. i. 21. Thou shalt call his name Iesus for why For he shall save his people from their sins Himself professes he came for the purpose to call sinners to repentance S. Luke v. 32. and that 's to save them yea so for them that there 's a non veni to others he came for no other to speak truth there were no other to come for Omnes aberraverunt We were all sinners So if he came for the best of us he yet came for sinners for them or no body But so for such as not for them that were not such so altogether for sinners as not at all for the righteous I came not to call the righteous not them but sinners as it were in opposition to them Indeed Opus non habent they had no need of his coming The whole need not the Physician S. Mat. ix 12. but they that are sick and they are sinners In a word not only so for sinners as before the righteous and as it were against the righteous but so for sinners too as for the worst first for the greatest of them above the least the quorum primi to be the primi the chiefest sinners he chiefly came for that 's the third Point of this great Doctrine of the Text. 3. Look the company he keeps you 'l say so Publicans and Sinners the most emphatical of the name there you find him so often that he is accused for it by the righteous the Scribe and Pharisee S. Mark ii 16. So for the most enormous sinners it seems that the righteous cannot bear it they
so God hath blessed thee for ever Blessed be God the Father of our Lord Iesus Christ and blessed be our Lord Iesus Christ for all this grace for all this blessing If our Spouse so fair then we sure should be faithful if his lips so full of grace our lips as full of thanks if he blessed of God we again bless God and him for so great a blessing so great blessings so continually descending upon us so lasting so everlasting never sufficiently answered but by all our ways of blessing and so blessing him always all our days whilst we live for ever We to sing our parts and praise him in the Song sing or say Thou art fairer thou O Christ art fairer c. For this is the sum and whole meaning of the Text to give us a view of Christs Beauty and the Christians Duty both together so to shew and set forth to us the lustre and splendour of Christs incomparable Beauty and the overflowing fulness of his Grace as to make us really in love with him to ravish our 〈◊〉 and tongues and hands to his Service and praise that we may to 〈◊〉 and every day serve and praise and magnifie him all the day long 〈…〉 way to blessedness for ever I begin with his Beauty for that 's 〈…〉 attractive to him When I shall be lift up shall draw all men to me says he himself S. Iohn xii 32. That lifting up was upon the Cross and if that be so attractive if he be so powerful in his humiliation when his face is clouded with darkness his eyes with sadness his heart with sorrow when his body is so mangled with wounds deform'd with stripes besmear'd with blood and sweat and dust that will draw all men to him how infinitely prevalent then must he needs be when we see him in his excellence smooth and even and entire in all the parts of his soul and body For in both fair he is formosus fair formosus prae very fair formosus prae filiis fairer then the fairest and sweetest child in whom commonly is the sweetest beauty prae filiis hominum than the children of men when they come to their full strength and manly beauty By these degrees we shall arrive to the perfection of his beauty fair he is very fair fairer than the sweetest fairer than the perfectest beauty of the sons of men so in both his body and his soul. In his Body first And fair and comely sure must that Body be which was immediately and miraculously fram'd by the Holy Ghost pure flesh and blood that was stirred together by that pure Spirit out of the purest Blood and Spirits of the purest Virgin of the world The shadows of that face must needs be beautiful that were drawn by the very finger and shaddowing of the Holy Ghost those eyes must needs have quid sidereum as St. Ierome some star-like splendor in them which were so immediately of the heavenly making The whole frame of that body must needs be excellent which was made on purpose by God himself for the supreme excellence to dwell in to reside in to be united to so united by the union hypostatical A body without sin must needs be purely fair a body without concupiscence must needs be sweet without defect must needs be lovely without vacuity must needs be complete without superfluity must needs be so far handsom without inordination must needs be perfect without death must needs be firm without dust must needs be singular without corruption must needs be curious and delicate without any of them must needs be excellent And all these were Christs body without sin without concupisence without defect without vacuity without superfluity without inordination death and dust and corruption could not get the least dominion over it thou shalt not suffer my flesh to see corruption saies the Psalm he did not suffer it to see it saies the Gospel rais'd incorruptible it quickly was went down into the grave but staid not there came not into the dust at all into any corruption at all had none all the while it was upon the earth had none under it Fair he was in his conception conceived in purity and a fair Angel brought the news Fair 2. in his Nativity 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is the word in the Septuagint tempestivus in time that is all things are beautiful in their time Eccl. v. 11. And in the fulness of time it was that he was born and a fair star pointed to him Fair 3. in his childhood he grew up in grace and favour St. Luke ii 52. The Doctors were much taken with him 4. Fair in his manhood had he not been so says S. Ierome had there not been something admirable in his countenance and presence some heavenly beauty Nunque secuturi essent Apostoli c. The Apostles and the whole world as the Pharisees themselves confess would not so suddenly have gone after him Fair 5. in his Transfiguration white as the light or as the snow his face glittering as the Sun S. Mat. xvii 2. even to the ravishing the very soul of S. Peter that he knew not what he said could let his eyes dwell upon taht face for ever and never come down the Mount again 6. Fair in his Passion Nihil indecorum no uncomeliness in his nakedness his very wounds and the bloody prints of the whips and scourges drew an ecce from the mouth of Pilate Behold the man the sweetness of his countenance and carriage in the midst of filth and spittle whips and buffets his very comeliness upon the Cross and his giving up the Ghost made the Centurion cry out he was the Son of God there appeared so sweet a Majesty so heavenly a lustre in him through that very darkness that encompass'd him 7. Fair in his Resurrection so subtile a beauty that mortal eyes even the eyes of his own Disciples were not able to see or apprehend it but when he veil'd it for them 8. Fair in his Ascension made his Disciples stand gazing after him so long as if they never could look long enough upon him till an Angel is sent from Heaven to rebuke them to look home Acts i. 11. If you ask Eusebius Evagrius Nicephorus Damascen and some others how fair he was they will tell you so fair that the Painter sent from Agbarus King of Edessa to draw his Picture could not look so stedfastly upon him as to do it for the rays that darted from his face and though the Scripture mention no such thing 't is no greater wonder to believe then what we read of Moses his face which shone so glorious that the Children of Israel could not behold it 2 Cor. iii. 7. Lentulus the Roman President his Epistle to the Emperour Antonius describes him of very comely colour shape and figure and so do others Not such a beauty yet as that which darts from it wanton rays or warms the blood or stirs the spirits to vain desires
exceeding glory Wonder we 1. stand we and wonder or cast our selves upon the earth upon our faces in amazement at it that God should do all this for us thus remember thus visit thus crown such things as we That 2. he should pass by the Angels to crown us leave them in their sins and misery and lift us out of ours That 3. he should not take their nature at the least and honour those that stood among them but take up ours and wear it into heaven and seat it there And there is a visit he is now coming to day to make us as much to be wondred at as any that he should feed us with his Body and yet that be in Heaven that he should cheer us with his Blood and yet that shed so long ago that he should set his Throne and keep his Table and presence upon the Earth and yet Heaven his Throne and Earth his Foot-stool that he should here pose all our understandings with his mysterious work and so many ages of Christians after so many years of study and assistance of the Spirit not yet be able to understand it What is man or the Son of man O Blessed Iesu that thou shouldst thus also visit and confound him with the wonders of thy mercy and goodness Here also is glory and honour too to be admitted to his Table no where so great to be made one with him as the meat is with the body no glory like it Here is the crown of plenty fulness of pardon grace and heavenly Benediction Here 's the crown of glory nothing but rays and beauties Iustres and glories to be seen in Christ and darted from him into pious souls Come take your crowns come compass your selves with those eternal circlings Take now the cup of salvation and remember God for so remembring you call upon the name of the Lord and give glory to your God If you cannot speak out fully as who can speak in such amazements as these thoughts may seriously work in us cast your selves down in silence and utter out your souls in these or the like broken speeches What is man Lord what is man What am I How poor a thing am I How good art thou What hast thou done unto him How great things What glory what honour what crown hast thou reserved for me What shall I say How shall I sufficiently admire What shall I do again unto thee What shalt thou do Why 1. if God is so mindful of us men Let us be mindful of him again remember he is always with us and do all things as if we remembred that so he were 2. Is he so mindful of us Let us be mindful of our selves and remember what we are that we may be humbled at it 3. Does he remember us Let us then again remember him with our prayers and services 2. Has he visited us Let us in thankfulness visit him again visit him in his Temple visit him at his Table visit him in his poor members the sick the imprisoned 3. Has he made us lower then the Angels Let us make our selves lower and lower still in our own sights Is it yet but a little lower then the Angels Let us raise up thoughts and pieties and devotions to be equal with them 4. Has he crown'd us with glory Let us crown his Altars then with offerings and his name with praise let us be often in corona in the congregation of them that praise him among such as keep Holy-day Let us crown his Courts with beauty crown our selves with good works they should be our glory and our crown And for the worship that he crowns us with too let us worship and give him honour so remember so visit so crown him again so shall he as he has already so shall still remember us last and bring us to his own palace there to visit him face to face where he shall make us equal to the Angels we are now below and crown us with an incorruptible crown of glory through Christ c. THE NINTH SERMON ON Christmas-Day S. LUKE ii 30 31 32. For mine eyes have seen thy salvation Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people A light to lighten the Gentiles and the glory of thy people Israel SAlvation cannot but be a welcome then at any time I know no day amiss But in Die salutis at such a time as this on Christmas-day especially Then it first came down to bless this lower world But salvation so nigh as to be seen is more much more if we our selves have any interest in it if it be for the Gentiles too that we also may come in Far more if it be such salvation that our friends also may be saved with us none perish if it be omnium populorum to 'um all in whatsoever Nation Add yet if it be salvation by light not in the night no obscure deliverance we like that better and if it be to be saved not by running away but gloriously Salvation with Glory that 's better still Nay if it be all salvation on a day of salvation not afar off but within ken not heard of but seen to us and ours an universal salvation a gladsome a lightsome a notable a glorious salvation as it is without contradiction Verbum Evangelii good Gospel joyful tidings so it must needs be verbum diei too the happiest news in the most happy time These make the Text near enough the day and yet 't is nearer What say you if this salvation prove to be a Saviour and that Saviour Christ and that Christ new born the first time that viderunt oculi could be said of him no time so proper as Christmas to speak of Christ the Saviour born and sent into the world He it is that is here stiled salutare tuum Christ that blessed sight that restores Simeons decaying eyes to their youthful lustre that happy burthen that makes Simeon grasp heaven before he enter it Indeed the good old man begins not his Christmas till Candlemas 'T was not Christmas-day with him he did not see his Saviour till he was presented in the Temple The Feast of Purification was his Christmas This the Shepherds the worlds and ours This day first he was seen visibly to the world Being then to speak of salvation which is a Saviour or a Saviour who is salvation 1. First of the Salvation it self 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2. Then of its certainty and manifestation so plain and evident that the eye may see it Salvation to be seen More 2. prepared to be seen 3. Of the universality before the face of all people 4. Of the Benefits They are two 1. A light 2. A glory with the twofold parties 1. The Gentiles 2. The Iews Of each both severally and joyntly When we have done with the salvation then of the other sense of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Saviour himself that 's the prime meaning of salutare here 1. Of his natures
but to all the people the whole people But in conspectu totius populi it might be for all one people and the rest ne're a whit the nearer to salvation the further off rather when it is so restrain'd â—niuscujusque populi would be better for all the people of the world 'T is somewhat near the height that of what we can desire yet omnium populorum 't is we need for all people whatsoever not only all that then were but all before up to Abraham up to Adam and all since down to us that live this day down to all that shall survive us as long as there shall be people upon earth Vniuscujusque populi had been enough for the whole world then alive Omnium populorum it must be or the Fathers before and we since are men most miserable But do not Simeons old eyes deceive him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 what 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for all I know some quicker sights some younger eyes that can construe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 into pauci can see no such matter It may be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the glory of the elect Israel at the end of the Text dims their weak eyes or peradventure like men overwhelm'd with the news of some unexpected fortune they think themselves in a dream and dare not give credit to their eyes though they behold it so great and undeserv'd a blessing that 't is a labour to perswade 'um that they see it though they cannot but see it Simeons eyes are old enough to ponder objects he knows what he sees and he speaks what he knows and he speaks no more then the Angel before told the Shepherds gâ—udium quod erit omni populo tidings of joy which shall be to all people erit shall be for ever And say not the Apostles the same also The Saviour of all men says St. Paul 1 Tim. iv 10. specially of them that believe of them especially not them only Who will have all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth 1 Tim. ii 4. The Saviour of the world St. John iv 14. A ransom for all 1 Tim. ii 6. God not willing that any perish not any 2 St. Peter iii. 9. Nay God himself says more Ezek. xxxiii II. I will not the death no not of the wicked not of a sinner Much less his death before he be or man or sinner That 's no kin to salutare tuum that 's not salvation but destruction prepar'd And 't is not nollem I would fain not have it so but plain nolo I will not or more to the word I not will it I deny it utterly Thy destruction is from thy self 't is none of my doings Salutare meum I will the contrary To put all out of question take his oath Vivo ego as I live I do not And accordingly does the Saviour himself send out his general proclamation St. Mat. xi 28. Come to me all that are heavy laden and who is not yet do but come come who will and I will ease He calls 'um all by that grace they may come if they will except you think he mocks 'um when they are come He will refresh them To take away all plea of ignorance or excuse we proceed further In conspectu omnium not only prepared for all but in the sight of all before their faces So prepar'd that they may see and know it know it to be prepar'd not that it might be and is not as if indeed the salvation were sufficient in it self but God would not suffer it to be so So though universal yet so hidden under obscure and nice distinctions that few can see it but withal so evident that all may see it in conspectuomnium none with good reason deny it Had it been 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they migh have had some pretence and colour if they had not seen it had it been only in sight many things are so which we oft-times do not see But 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that which is just before our faces we must be blind if we see not that If for all this they close their eyes and will not see then 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is contra against 'um to confute to confound their vain imaginations So 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 will be against those that cry out the light of righteousness rose not upon us to prove the contrary now 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to their faces There is no idle word in Scripture every Adverb and Preposition and Article the dictate of the Spirit There are other words he might have used 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 many more but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 methinks on purpose 1. It may be besides what has been said to distinguistâ— the Iews and Vs since this salvation came 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 before our faces When the light 's before the shadows are behind So it is with us ever since the Sun of Righteousness arose this day since this light of Salvation left the clouds When the light 's behind the shadows are before So to the Jewish Synagogue Salvation behind the cloud to them Nothing before their eyes but veils and shadows nothing else took up their eye-sight but we with open face behold the glory of the Lord. 2. Or may it not be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 against the face of the world clean contrary That 's for nothing but glory and pomp God works not as man works but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 against the hair will have an humble Saviour lowly born of poor Parentage in a Stable wrapt in Rags laid in a Manger no Royal Cradle no Princely Palace without Attendants without State The Angels themselves at such a sight as this could not but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 bow down and look and look again and mistrust their eye-sight to see God in a Cratch Heaven in a Stable and bow down we must our high towring thoughts and lay 'um level with that from whence we were taken if we would bless our eyes with so hidden secrets or be partakers of so great Salvation They were poor Shepherds that first saw this happy sight as it were on purpose to inform us that the poor humble Spirit has the first rank among those whoever see Salvation 3. Or lastly is it not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 according to the inclination and capacity of all people 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of the people 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 durum genus stony-hearted people those that set their faces against Salvation to soften them if possible or else to break them in pieces like a potters vessel Or again 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 people so call'd from the Corner-stone Christ Iesus such as had already turn'd their faces towards salvation to further and encourage them Or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not only of the people to their capacity but to theirs too who were neither his people nor people whose
into Heaven cannot now but look askew upon the earth To look up into Heaven is 2. to despise and trample upon all things under it He is not likely to be a Martyr that looks downward that values any thing below Nay he dies his natural death but unwillingly and untowardly whose eyes or heart or sences are taken up with the things about him Even to die chearfully though in a bed of Roses one must not have his mind upon them He so looks upon all worldly interests as dust and chaff who looks up stedfastly into heaven eyes all things by the by who eyes that well The covetous worldling the voluptuous Gallant the gaudy Butterflies of fashion will never make you Martyrs they are wholly fixt in the contemplation of their gold their Mistresses their Pleasures or their Fashions He scorns to look at these whose eyes are upon Heaven Yet to scorn there but especially to fit us against a tempest or a storm of stones there is a third looking up to Heaven in Prayer and Supplication It is not by our own strength or power that we can wade through streams of Blood or sing in flames we had need of assistance from above and he that looks up to Heaven seems so to beg it It was no doubt the spirit of Devotion that so fixt his sight he saw what was like to fall below he provides against it from above looks to that great Corner-stone to arm him against those which were now ready to shower upon his head It is impossible without our prayers and some aid thence to endure one petty pebble But to make it a compleat Martyrdom we must not look up only for our own interests for we are 4. to look up for our very enemies and beg Heavens pardon for them He that dies not in Charity dies not a Christian but he that dies not heart and hand and eyes and all compleat in it cannot die a Martyr Here we find S. Stephen lifting up his eyes to set himself to prayer 't is but two verses or three after that we hear his prayer Lord lay not this sin to their charge This was one thing it seems he lookt up so stedfastly to Heaven for A good lesson and fit for the occasion so to pass by the injuries of our greatest enemies as if we did not see them as if we had something else to look after then such petty contrasts as if we despis'd all worldly enmities as well as affections minded nothing but heaven and him that St. Stephen saw standing there All these ways we are to day to learn to look up to Heaven as 1. to our hop'd for Country as 2. from things that hinder us too long from coming to it as 3. for aid and help to bring us thither as 4. for mercy and pardon thence to our selves and enemies that we may all one day meet together there The posture it self is natural 'T is natural for men in misery to look up to Heaven nay the very insensible creature when it complains the Cow when it lows the Dog when he howls casts up its head according to its proportion after its fashion as if it naturally crav'd some comfort thence 'T is the general practice of Saints and holy persons Lift up your eyes says the Prophet Isa. xl 26. I will lift up my eyes says Holy David Psal. cxxi 1. And distrest Susanna lifts up her eyes and looks up towards Heaven ver 35. Nay Christ himself sighing or praying or sometimes working miracles looks up to Heaven who yet carried Heaven about him to teach us in all distresses to look up thither in all our actions to fetch assistance thence If we had those thoughts of Heaven we should I know how little of the eye the earth should have Vbi amor ibi oculus where the love is there 's the eye We may easiy guess what we love best by our looks if Heaven be it our eyes are there if any thing else our eyes are there 'T is easie then to tell you St. Stephens longings where his thoughts are fixt when we are told he so stedfastly lookt up to heaven And indeed it is not so much the looking up to Heaven as the stedfast and attentive doing it that fits us to die for Christ. 'T is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a a kind of stretching or straining the eye-sight to look inquisitively into the object To look carelesly or perfunctorily into Heaven it self to do it in a fit to be godly and pious now and then or by starts and girds will not serve turn to mind seriously what we are about that 's the only piety will carry it Plus vaâ—â—t hora fervens quam mensis tepens One hour one half hour spent with a warm attention at our prayers is worth a month a year an age of our cold Devotions 'T is good to be zealous says St. Paul somewhat hot and vehement in a good matter And it had need be a stedfast and attentive Devotion that can hold out with this But. To stand praying or looking up to Heaven when our enemies are gnashing their teath upon us and come running head-long on us to have no regard to their rushing fury nor interrupt our prayers nor omit any ceremony of them neither for all their savage malice now pressing fiercely on us but look up stedfastly still not quich aside this looks surely like a Martyr The little Boy that held Alexander the candle whilst he was sacrificing to his Gods so long that the wick burnt into his finger and yet neither cried nor shrunk at it lest he should disturb his Lords Devotions will find few fellows among Christians to pattern him in the exercise of their strictest pieties Let but a leaf stir a wind breathe a fly buzz the very light but dwindle any thing move or shake and our poor Religion alas is put off the hinge 't is well if it be not at an end too What would it do if danger and death were at our heels as here it was Oh this attentive stedfast fastning the soul upon the business of heaven were a rare piety if we could compass it This glorious Martyr has shew'd us an example the lesson is that we should practise it But all this is no wonder seeing he was full of the Holy Ghost That Almighty Spirit is able to blow away all diversions able to turn the shower of stones into the softness and drift of Snow able to make all the torments of Death fall light and easie If we can get our souls filled once with that we need fear nothing nothing will distract our thoughts or draw our eyes from Heaven Then it will be no wonder neither to see next the Glory of God and Iesus standing at the right hand of God I call'd this point St. Stephens confirmation or his encouragement to his death He that once comes to have a sight of God and Christ of Gods Glory and Christ at the right hand of
it of either the one or the other much more of both cannot want strength to die be the death of what kind it will It was a gallant speech of Luther when he was disswaded from appearing before the Council of Wormes I think it was that he would go thither though all the tiles of the houses were so many Devils Had every stone that was cast at the Martyr Stephen been a Devil he would not after this vision have been afraid The Lord is my light and my salvation whom then should I fear the Lord is the strength of my life of whom then shall I be afraid says David Psal. xxvii 1. and yet he saw nothing like this sight Gods presence is enough whether it be seen by the eye of sense or by the eye of Faith to keep us stedfast to make death hide its head for fear while we stand triumphing over it I conceive it impertinent to make it a business to enquire too solicitously what this glory was and how St. Stephen saw it That it was some glorious sight some high resplendent light or brightness such as God used to appear in as Exod. xxiv 17. Numb xiv 10. 1 Kings viii 10. to Moses and his Prophets there call'd his glory or some apparition of Angels in shining garments winging about a throne of glory visibly appearing to the eye of the Martyr Stephen is the probablest to conceive and the shining of his face as if it had been the face of an Angel chap. vi ver 15. is an evidence it was a visible appearance But no doubt his understanding saw further then his eye into Heaven that lookt and saw a glory there of which the sense though elevated to his height cannot be capable Divinum lumen says St. Gregory Nissen the inaccessible light Spem in re says St. Hilary His hope already Deum Divinitatem says St. Austin God and the Godhead Imo Trinitatem and that facie revelata says he again The blessed Trinity unveiled Futurae vita gaudia says Bede The joys of the other life These all he saw say they and we shall make no scruple to say in Spirit so he did as far as humane nature is capable in this condition But without question Christ he saw in his body standing amidst that glory the words are plain for that and that alone were enough to put courage into the most coward heart To see his Faith confirm'd by sight and Christs Glory with the Father visibly appear to see whom he had trusted and for whom he had laboured and disputed now with his own eyes in glory must needs make him kiss the hands that would now send him so soon to him To see him 2. standing at the right hand of God as if he were risen from his sitting there to behold the sufferings and courage of his Martyr that stood below now made a spectacle to Christ and all his Angels that 's an honour he may well glory in To see him 3. standing amidst his hosts as if he were coming down to help him that adds more spirit still To see him 4. standing at the right hand of God as if he suffered with him and was therefore pleading for him as friends and advocates used to do with the accused party at the Bar. This infuses yet a greater confidence that notwithstanding all his sins or weaknesses he shall now easily prevail To see him 5 standing as a Priest to offer him up a sweet smelling sacrifice to his Father that still increases it To see him lastly standing like a judge of masteries at the end of the race or goal to crown him with a crown of glory cannot but make him think long for the death that shall bring him to it All these ways Christ may be brought in here as standing for us In the Creed we profess him sitting thereby acknowledging his place in Heaven and his right to be our Judge yet when his Saints and Servants have need of him he stands up to see what it is they want how valiantly they behave themselves he stands up to shew them who it is they trust he stands up to help and aid them he stands up to plead and even suffer with them he stands up to present them to his Father he stands up to reward them with the garlands of Glory Sometimes it is oftner it has been when the beginning of Christianity needed it at first that by some visible comforts and discoveries he shews himself to the dying Saint Often it is that the soul ready to depart feels some sensible joys and ravishments to uphold its failing spirits But he is never wanting with inward assistances and refreshments to those who suffer for him We must not look all of us nor Confessors nor Martyrs now adays to see Visions and Revelations with St. Stephen we are set in a fixt way where Reason and Religion so long prov'd and practis'd is able to give us comfort in the saddest distresses God does not usually confirm our reason by our sense in the revelation of himself or what he expects from us It may be because the Devil grown cunning now by so many centuries of years has taken up of late as he is Gods ape a way to fetch off souls by some sensible delusions from the Faith for he can transform himself nay does so says the Apostle into an Angel of light For this it may be God sends us now to the word and to the testimony and leaves us to reason tradition and example of so many ages to expound it However this is sufficient that neither God nor Christ will leave us wholly comfortless but will surely stand by us when we need and supply us as there is Indeed he cannot look for such a profession upon it as we find here from St. Stephen yet to a stedfast profession of our Faith those assistances he still allows us are sufficient We will look a little upon Stephens though And first here is a kind of profession of the Blessed Trinity the Holy Ghost here at the beginning of the first verse of the Text God in the middle and Jesus at the end Here is 2. a profession of Christs manhood whilst he calls him the Son of Man Here is 3. a profession of his Faith in all of them by his so loud proclaiming Here is 4. a profession of Gods ready help Christs ready assistance to his Saints in trouble Here is 5. a profession of Gods owning the Christians cause and gloriously standing up to confirm and maintain Here is 6. a profession of Christs opening Heaven to all Believers that Heaven is always open to us if we could see it that Gods Glory shines upon us to shew us the way thither that Christ stands there to make our way to guide us thither Here lastly is a profession of his confidence and resolution that though his enemies stand pressing now about him and Death before him he will not eat his words will not renounce his faith
foundation of the earth it covers the deep with its wings covers Heaven and Earth with the Majesty of its glory IV. Yet so it might and we ne're the better but that fourthly 't is a Name of Grace and Mercy as well as Majesty and Glory Iesus is a word of which I may more justly say as Tully says of the Greek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that it contains so much ut Latino uno verbo exprimi non possit It cannot be exprest in any one Latin or English word or any one indeed besides it self Mercy and Grace dwell in it it engrosses all and without it there is none any where to be found no Mercy out of Iesus no Grace but from Iesus no Name under heaven given by which we can be saved but the Name of Iesus Acts iv We are Baptized in the Name of Iesus Acts xix 5. We receive remission of our sins in the Name of Iesus Ye are justified in the Name of the Lord Iesus 1 Cor. vi 11. Ye are sanctified in the Name of the Lord Iesus in the same verse We are glorified by the Name of Iesus in that Name we live in that name we die To Iesus it is we run for grace and assistance whilst we live To Iesus we cry for Grace and Mercy when we die To Iesus we commit our spirits when we breath them out We can neither live nor die without our Iesus Thy name says the Spouse is oyntment poured forth Cant. i. 3. Now Oyl has three special uses for light for meat for medicine We have all in Iesus 1. He is the light that lighteth every one that comes into the world St. John i. 9. 2. He 's the meat that never perishes S. John vi 27. and feeds us up to everlasting life S. Iohn vi 54. 3. He 's the cure and medicine of all our maladies He wants nothing that has Iesus and he has nothing that wants him Omnia Iesus nobis est si volumus c. says St. Ambrose Iesus is all things to us if we will Curari desideras medicus est si febribus aestuas fons est si gravaris iniquitate justitia est si auxilio indiges virtus est si mortem times vita est si ire desideras via est si tenebras fugis lux est si cibum appetis alimentum est Dost thou want health he is the great Physician Art thou fried in the flames of a burning Fever he is the well-spring to cool thy heat Art thou over-laden with thine iniquity he is thy righteousness to answer for thee Dost thou want help he is ever ready at hand to succour thee Art thou afraid of death he is thy life Wouldst thou fain be going any whither he is the way Art thou in darkness and fearest to stumble he is a light to thy feet and a lanthorn to thy paths Art thou hungry or thirsty he is nourishment and food and meat and drink the truest What is it that thou desirest that he is not that this name will not afford thee Why it heals our sicknesses it supports our infirmities it supplies our necessities it instructs our ignorances it defends us from dangers it conquers temptations it inflames our coldnesses it lightens our understandings it rectifies our wills it subdues our passions it raises our spirits and drives away all wicked spirits from us it ratifies our petitions it confirms our blessings and crowns all our prayers In this name they end all that end well through Iesus Christ our Lord. In thy name O blessed Iesus we obtain all that we obtain through it we receive all that we receive so that say we may well with that holy Father Iesus meus omnia Iesus meus omnia Iesus is my all Jesus he is and all I have nothing else but him I will have nothing else but him and I have all if I have him V. And well may we now say fifthly 't is a name of sweetness and comfort too a seet name indeed oyntment we told you it was and a sweet oyntment it is that fills all the house with its precious odour insomuch as it makes the Virgins therefore love thee says the Spouse there in the fore-cited place of the Canticles Mel in ore in aure melos in corde subilus says S. Bernard 'T is honey in the mouth 't is musick in the ear 't is melody in the heart The soul and all its powers the body and all its members may draw sweetness thence O how sweetly sounds the Name of Iesus or a Saviour to one in misery to one in danger to one in any calamity or distress how does it rejoyce the heart and quicken the very bones Gyra regyra versa reversa says the devout S. Bernard non invenies pacem vel requiem nisi in solo Iesu. Quapropter si quiescere vis pone Iesus ut signaculum super cor tuum quia tranquillus ipse tranquillat omnia Turn you and turn you again which way you will which way you can you can never find such peace and quiet as there is in Iesus you will find none any where but in him If you would fain therefore lay you down to rest in peace and comfort set the seal of Iesus upon your heart and all will be quiet no dreadful visions of the night shall affright you no noon days trouble shall ever shake you In the midst of that terrible storm of stoâ—es about St. Stevens ears he but looking up and seeing Iesus falls presently into a quiet slumber and sweetly sleeps his last upon a hard heap of pebbles more pleasantly than upon a Bed of Down or Roses For 't is remarkable that the holy Martyr there calls out upon the Name of Iesus rather than that of Christ as if that only were the name to hold by in our last and greatest agonies Nor is it to be forgotten that this Name was set upon the Cross over our Saviours head to teach us that 't is a Name which set upon the head of all our Crosses will make them easie the thought of Iesus the reference to that holy Name the suffering under that will give both a sweet odour and a pleasant relish to whatever it is we suffer This looking unto Iesus as the Apostle advises Heb. xii 2 3. will keep us from being weary or fainting under them will make us conquerours more than conquerours Rom. viii 37. sure of our reward to sweeten all For neither death nor life nor Angels nor Principalities nor Powers nor things present nor things to come nor heighth nor depth nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Iesus ver 38 39. This same Iesus at the end fixes and fastens all the love of God in Iesus will never leave us never forsake us keep but that devoutly in our hearts and piously in our mouths and we need fear nothing Come what can it sweetens all Methinks
make this house the Church of God It is the Gate and Court of Heaven now Christ is here Angels sing round about it all Holiness is in it now Christ is in it Here all the Creatures reasonable and unreasonable come to pay their homage to their Creator hither they come even from the ends of the earth to their devotions a house of Prayer it is for all people Gentiles and all hither they come to worship hither they come to pay their Offerings and their Vows here 's the Shrine and Altar the glorious Virgins Lap where the Saviour of the World is laid to be adored and worship'd here stands the Star for tapers to give it light and here the Wisemen this Day become the Priests worship and offer present prayers and praises for themselves and the whole world besides all people of the world high and low learned and ignorant represented by them This House then is a place well worth the coming to here might the Wisemen well end all their Journeys sit down and rest where the eternal Wisdom keeps its residence here may the greatest Potentates not disdain to stoop and enter where the King of Kings and Lord of Lords vouchsafes to make his Lodging Here only in this blessed Inn where Christ is lodged can the soul truly rest no Wisdom but what is here no Greatness but what is his no house but what is sanctified by his presence no bed but where his right hand becomes our Pillow and his left our covering can satisfie the wearied soul or give so much as one wink of rest or quiet or contentment to it Well may the Wisemen pass by all other houses tocome to this slight all the magnificent Palaces in the earth to take up a lodging in this Inn leave all other sights for this blessed sight and count nothing worth the seeing till they see him nothing but him Wise men will do so still esteem Gods House how mean soever it appear above all houses his sight above all that can be seen count all things dross and dung so they may gain Christ one glance of him one beam of his glorious brightness Any place shall be worth being in where he is no journey tedious that at last brings to him no way troublesome that leads to him Rocks and Mountains easier than flowry plains and Meadows Sands and Desarts pleasanter than the Spicie Gardens of the East and the Hesperian Orchards Ice and Snows and rain and hail and stormy weather the greatest hardships that all these lower Regions can pour upon us more delightful than continual Summers and perpetual Springs than uninterrupted sun-shines and gawdy days if by those endurances we may at length arrive at the feet of Christ. All the injuries and inconveniences that can befall us here are not worth the naming so they bring us to our Saviour O my God let me loose all so I may find him let me want any thing so I want not him let me have nothing so I may have him He is the only thing the Wise men sought and he it is that thus seeking they found and saw at last And when they were come into the house they found the young Child with Mary his Mother And he was a thing worth finding And found he would be because they sought him will be so of us if we seek him diligently carefully and constantly as they did here For the vvords here may as vvell carry the title of a revvard for their pains as of a posture of their faith Some ancient Copies which the Latine follows read 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 invenerunt they found the Child and thus it seems to speak their success and the recompence of their labour in the search Others they say as ancient read 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 viderunt they saw the Child which our English follows and though there be no great difference or matter of distinction yet being authorized by our Church we are willing to make use of as being of a larger capacity as well somewhat expressing the Wise mens carriage as their success For we intend to handle both 1. As it presents to us their success A success sufficient to encourage us all to turn perpetual travellers to find Christ in the flesh Christ a Child to find him as soon almost as he can be found a young Child not yet full a fortnight old to find him with his Mother too Christ and the devout soul together Christ and the soul united to find him and Mary together Christ exalted in our hearts for so Mary signifies exalted his Kingdom and Power set up and exalted in our hearts to find all this all this for one poor journey for the pains and labour of so small a number of days and hours is a success than which no journey no undertaking can have better yet all these are here 1. They found first an incarnate God their Saviour in the flesh a sight that the very Angels desire to look into Bow down to look into says St. Peter 1 Pet. i. 12. A sight which all the Patriarchs and Prophets still desired to see but could not A sight which made the very Angels leave their heaven to come down and see and seeing sing for joy A sight which made the Stars rejoyce in their courses and wait upon poor mortals steps that they might be admitted to behold it For indeed what wonder ever saw they like it He that spans the Heavens become a span breadth himself The eternal word without a word to say the infinite wisdom become childishness the incomprehensible greatness wrapt up in swadling-bands He that fills heaven and earth not big enough to fill a Virgins arms He that opens his hand and fills all things living with his plenteousness sucking himself a little milk out of his Mothers Breasts to live by He poor himself who makes all rich God a man Eternity a child who would not travel the world over to see this miracle and think his time and pains never spent so well as then 2. But secondly to have the first sight almost as it were of so happy a wonder adds something to the glory of the success to be admitted among the first into Christs presence to be so honour'd as to be of the number of his first attendants to be with him whilst he is yet a child to wait upon this new-born King and have relation to him from his Cradle to meet with him so young so tender so pliable so easie to be approach'd and dealt with is a success of so much honour and obligement that we may expect any thing from his hands being of his first followers and servants in so tender a condition towards us 3. Thus far the Journey seems sufficiently successful yet not only to find a Saviour in the flesh so near allied unto us and so soon almost as he is so made to us but also thirdly to find him in his Mothers arms fast claspt within our souls for every
come upon us and hurry us hence before we are aware into the horrors and miseries of everlasting darkness 4. By this time you understand this ecce is not to set us a gazing up into Heaven or observing days and months and times and years but to retrive our months of vanity as holy Iob calls them and fill the days we live with more acceptable employments For God having so late accepted our persons and our complaints and prayers and tears or rather us indeed without them and desiring only of us that we would but accept and employ those mercies and all others of his to our own salvation we should be me thinks the most unreasonable of men to be so unkind to God as either not to receive his grace or receive it still in vain Worthy it is of better usage for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 here is the same with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Tim. iv 9. Accepted here the same with that worthy of all acceptation there The very time says our Apostle is such what then is the salvation of it that surely much more Accept we it therefore and the time of it with all readiness with all thankfulness with all humility Take we all the opportunities henceforward of salvation look every way about us and slip none we can lay hold on This ecce ecce reiterated is to rouse us and to tell us that our ecce should answer Gods Ecce tempus says he ecce me or nos say we Behold the time behold the day says God Behold us say we O God our hearts are fixed our hearts are fixed our hearts are ready our hearts are ready to accept it Ecce adsum says Abraham behold here I am Ecce venio says Christ Lo I come to do thy will O God Behold thy servants are ready says David to do whatsoever my Lord shall appoint And behold we are coming we are here we are ready with thee according to thy heart these are the returns or Eccho's we are to make God back again Nor is it time to dally now Time is a flitting Post Day runs into night e're we are aware this Now is gone as soon as spoken and no certainty beyond it and no salvation if not accepted e're we go hence There are I know that cry to day shall be as yesterday and to morrow as to day all things continue as they were since our Fathers fell asleep And this thing you call Religion does but delude us and our Preachers do but fright us this salvation they talk of we know not what to make of it if there be such a thing indeed the day is long enough we may think time enough of it many years hence Such scoffers indeed St. Peter told us we should meet with But I hope better things of you my beloved and such as accompany salvation And I have told you nothing to fright you from it I have not scar'd you with the antient rigour nor terrified you with primitive austerities I have only shewed you there is such a thing as salvation to be thought of and 't is time to set about it You cannot fast you 'l tell me you are weak and sickly it will destroy you You cannot watch you say it will undo you you cannot give Alms you have no moneys You cannot come so oft to Prayers as others your business hinders you But however can you do nothing towards it towards your own salvation can you not accept it when 't is offered can you not consider and think a little of it If you do but that I shall not fear but you will do more When you have business you can spare a meal now and then to follow it and nothing's made on 't when you are at your sports or play you can sit up night after night and catch no hurt for a new fashion impertinence or vanity you can find mony and time enough at any time for any of these I desire you would but do as much nay half as much I am afraid I may say the tenth part so much to save your souls spend but as much time seriously upon that as you do upon your dressing your visits your vanities not to require any thing so much of you upon that as upon worldly business and dare promise you salvation you shall be accepted at that day at that day when our short Fasts shall be turned into eternal Feasts our petty Lents consummate into the great Easters when time it self shall improve into eternity this day advance into an everlasting Sun-shine and salvation appear in all its glories Accept us now O Lord we pray thee in this accepted time save us we beseech thee in this day of salvation that we may one day come to that eternal one through him in whom only we are accepted thy beloved Son Christ Jesus To whom with thee and thy Holy Spirit be consecrated all our times and days all our years and months and hours and minutes from henceforward to whom also be all honour and praise all salvation and glory for ever and ever Amen A SERMON ON THE Second Sunday in Lent 1 COR. ix 27. But I keep under my body and bring it into subjection lest that by any means when I have preached to others I my self should be a castaway DVrus sermo A hard Text you 'l say a whipping Sermon towards that begins with castigo and ends with reprobus that is so rough with us at the first as to tell us of chastning and keeping under the body and so terrible at the last as to scare us with being castaways unless we do it And that too cum aliis praedicaverim the greatest Preachers the very Apostles themselves after all their pains no surer of their Salvation than upon such severe conditions If the Preacher will needs be preaching this tell us of disciplining our bodies talk to us of being castaways Quis cum audire potest who can endure him who can bear it Well bear it how we can think of it what we please be the doctrine never so unpleasing it must be preacht and bear it we must unless we know what to preach better than St. Paul or you what to hear or do better than that great Apostle And 't is but time for us to preach for you to hear it Men daily fool away their souls by their tenderness to their bodies and their salvation by the certainties they pretend of it 'T is time to warn them of it And this Time as fit a time as any can be to do it in the holy time of Lent A time set apart by the holy Church to chasten and subdue the body in And the opportunity is fallen into my hand among the rest and vae mihi si non I cannot excuse my self if I do not take it if I neglect the occasion to do my utmost to keep my self and you from being castawaies I know people do not love to hear on 't and the Preacher shall get
fool-hardy as not to fear where there are so many in-lets and out-lets so many windows and posterns so many gaps and breaches and easie batterings and easier underminings to let in the enemy But 2. bring up now the forces that are laid against it the strong enticements and allurements the hopes the fears the desires the joys the sorrows that on this or that side do continually assault it the innumerable occasions the infinite opportunities that are against it and who is it that dares think to withstand them all Add thirdly the strongest titles that we hold by and we have yet a cause to fear Saints and Servants and Sons and Heirs and being sealed to the day of Redemption these and all those happy names and interests beâ—ides we read of cannot put us above fear Servants may be turned away Saints may turn sinners Sons may be cast off Heirs may be disinherited Seals may be broken up Elect we are no further than good works created ordained predestinated no further Eph. i. 4 5. and ii 10 and good works I am sure have uncertainty enough Verebar omnia Iob fear'd the best of them nothing will more assure us than this godly fear Nay add we lastly the very way of the working of Gods Graces in us and yet we have reason to fear still We are told indeed by some his Grace is irresistible but God knows we find it otherwise Why does S. Stephen tell us else that we resist the Holy Ghost Acts vii 51. or St. Paul wish us not to quench the Spirit if we cannot do it 1 Thess. v. 19. Do it alas we do too often One there was that said he should never be removed God of his goodness had made his Hill so strong Yet remov'd he quickly was fell and fell fouly too and had he not wept and chastned himself to purpose had lain low enough for ever for all his Hill so strong Nemo tantâ est firmitate suffultus ut de stabilitate suâ debeat esse securus says St. Aug. Ser. 72. Who can look upon Noahs Drunkenness Lots Drunkenness and Incest Davids Adultery and Murther Solomon's Carnality and Idolatry Adam's fall in Paradice and the Angels in Heaven it self and not fear his own poor easie brittle earth We may well fear being castaways upon such grounds as these and fear the very grounds that thus sink under us not only the sad upshot at the last but the means that bring us to it all the way 3. But besides if there be no way of keeping from being castaways without this keeping under of the body if all our preaching and our great doings will not do without it we have a third reason to fear our selves and set seriously about it For if St. Paul here 3. not only fear his being a castaway and fear that by some means he may come to it but fear also that all means besides this harshness towards his body will scarcely hinder it if after all his preaching from Ierusalem round about unto Ilyricum his preaching gratis too after all his labours all his sufferings all his persecutions upon the Gospel score he fears yet that the best he has done else the best he can do else will not save him for all his haste where are our great assurers of themselves and others of Heaven and Glory Why 't is not our preaching 't is not our praying 't is not our prophesying 't is not our doing wonders neither even to the casting out of Devils that can save us from being cast out our selves at last with a Non novi the sad sentence of I never knew you depart from me St. Mat. vii 23. Indeed we have so little reason to be confident that we shall not be castaways by reason of any of those performances that our very preaching or prophesying as we call it nay and praying too may bring us to it We may preach Rebellion Heresies and Schisms nay and pray them too some have done so long and so preach away both our selves and others Nay though we preach others into Heaven we may preach out our selves We may preach freely and preach constantly and preach long and preach sound doctrine too preach with the tongues of Angels and yet prove Devils at the last grow proud upon it light others up to Heaven and yet go down to Hell our selves shine gloriously for a blaze and go out in a stench have our 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 here and be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for ever have our reward and glory here and be cast away for ever And now if the strongest Cedars shake what shall the Reeds do If the first preachers of the Gospel the grand Apostles those Stars and Angels of the Churches stand so trembling and must deal so roughly with their bodies for fear of being castaways who is it can dream himself exempt unless ye mortifie the deeds of the body 't is to all of us it is said so Rom. viii 13. there is no living If we keep not ous bodies low they will keep us low if we bring not them into subjection they will bring us into slavery they will cast us away if we cast away too much upon them There 's no way to cure our fears to confirm our hopes to help our weaknesses to beat back temptations to establish our titles and rights to Heaven to make Gods Grace effectual upon us to sanctifie our prayers and preachings and all our labours to the glory of a reward but to watch and fast and deal severely with our bodies to study temperance and exercise our selves to do and suffer hard things 'T is no will-worship surely as men brand it that is prest and practis'd here under so great danger of being castaways if we do it not it is not sure Nor is it so hard a business as men would seem to make it None of all the ways I told you of for the subduing of the body are so at all We can sit up whole nights to Game to Dance to Revel to see a Mask or play make nothing of it We can rise up early and go to bed late for months together for our gain and profit and be never the worse We can fast whole days together and nor eat nor drink when we are eager upon our business or sport and never feel it We can endure pain and cold and tendance affronts and injuries and neglects slightings and reproaches too to compass a little honour and preferment and not say a word We can be temperate too when we please for some ends and purposes Only the souls business is not worth the while whether cast-aways or no is not considerable all 's too much on that accompt Mole-hills are Mountains and there is a Lion always in the way watching will kill us fasting will destroy us any kind of strictness will impair us temperance it self will pine us into Skeletons every good exercise takes up too much time every petty thing that crosses but the
among the leaves that nurses a worm to consume it when we least think of it Nay though we had coronam militum a Crown an Army of men as thick as the spires of Grass to encompass and guard either our honours wealth or pleasures yet they would all prove in a little time but as the Grass all men are nothing else Sr. Iames i. 11. but particularly the rich man so says that Apostle ver 10. the rich man as the flower of the grass he shall pass away He shall not stay for a storm to blast or blow him away even the Sun of prosperity shall do it Mole ruit suâ his own weight and greatness shall throw him down For the Sun is no sooner mark but that no sooner risen with a burning heat but it withereth the grass and the flower of it falleth and the grace of the fashions of it perisheth so also shall the rich man fade away in his ways Mark that too in his very ways his own very ways shall bring him to ruine and destruction 'T is so with the leaves of honour 't is so with the leaves of pleasure the very Sun no sooner rises upon them but it withers them the very Sun-shine and favour of the Prince ruines them the burning heat of their pleasures waste them away make their pleasures troublesome and burthensome in a little while and a while after vanish and confound them with shame and reproach leave them nothing upon their heads but ill coloured and ill seated leaves ignominy and dishonour nothing in their souls but driness and discomfort their estates too oftentimes drained dry scarce any thing but the Prodigals Husks to refresh them or dry leaves to cover them But the Christians Crown is nothing such 't is a flourishing Crown Psal. cxxxii 18. a Crown of pure Gold Psal. xxi 3. a Crown of precious Stones Zech. ix 16. a Crown of Righteousness 2 Tim. iv 8. a Crown of Life St. Iames i. 12. a Crown of Honour Psal. viii 5. a Crown of Stars Rev. xii 1. a Crown of Glory 1 Pet. v. 4. a Crown of Glory that fadeth not away in the same verse eternal everlasting A flourishing not a withering Crown a Crown of Gold not of Grass of precious Stones not of Leaves of Righteousness not unjustly gotten of Life not unto Death of Honour not to be ashamed of of Stars not Stubble of Glory not vanity that never so much as alters colour but continues fresh and flourishing and splendid to all eternity An inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that fadeth not away reserved in Heaven for us says St. Peter 1. Pet. i. 4. And having now compared our Crowns and finding so vast so infinite a difference between them Can we think much to do as much for this incorruptible Crown of Glory as the other do for their vain and corruptible one Shall they that strive for petty masteries for toys and trifles for ribbands and garlands be so exact in their observances so strict in their diet so painful in their exercises so vigilant in their advantages so diligent in providing strengthning and enabling themselves for their several sports and undertakings and shall we that are to strive for no less than Heaven it self be so loose in our performances so intemperate in meat and drink so sluggish in our business so careless of advantages so negligent in all things that make towards it Are leaves worth so much and the fruit of eternal peace so little Is a little air the vain breath of a mortal man to be so sought for and is the whole Heaven it self and the whole Host and God of it the praise of God and Saints and Angels that stand looking on us to be so slighted as not worth so doing doing no more than they Where is that man Dic mihi musâ virum shew me the man that can that takes the pains for eternal glory that these vain souls do for I know not how little enough to stile it But if we compare the pains the ambitious man takes for honour the voluptuous for his pleasure the covetous man for wealth meer leaves of Tantalus his Tree that do but gull not satisfie them the late nights the early mornings the broken sleeps the unquiet slumbers the many watches the innumerable steps the troublesom journeys the short meals the strange restraints the often checks the common counterbuffs the vexatious troubles the multitude of affronts neglects refusals denials the eager pursuits the dangerous ways the costly expences the fruitless travels the tortured minds the wearied bodies the unsatisfied desires when all is done that these men suffer and run through the one for an honour that sometimes no body thinks so but he that pursues it the other for a pleasure base oftentimes and villanous the third for an estate not far from ruine nay oftentimes to ruine his house and posterity If I say we compare these mens pains and sufferings with what we do for Christ and God and Heaven and happiness true real immoveable happiness and glory Good Lord how infinitely short do we come of them shall not they rise up against us in judgment and condemn us nay shall not we our selves rise up against our selves in judgment who have done many of these things suffered many for a little profit vain-glory or vain hope which we thought much to do for eternal glory This we do we strive and labour and take pains for vanity we are temperate in all things restrain and keep in our selves for the obtaining sometimes a little credit sometimes a little affection or good opinion from some whose love or good opinion is worth nothing or if it be is as easily lost as soon removed changed from us is commonly both corrupt and corruptible without ground and to little purpose But for Gods Judgment Christs Affection the Holy Spirits good Love to us for the praise of good men of Saints and Angels the whole choire of Heaven rejoycing over us nay for Heaven it self and blessedness and glory all which we might obtain with the same pains and lesser trouble and in the same time 't is so little that we do so far from all that I may without injury stile it nothing But for Gods sake for Christs sake for our own sake let it not be so for ever let us not always prefer Glass before Diamonds Barley Conrs before Pearls pleasure or profit or honour before Heaven and Happiness and Glory There are in Heaven unspeakable pleasures whole Rivers of them there There are in Heaven infinite and eternal riches which we can neither fathom nor number there is glory and honour and immortality and eternal life There are all these Crowns made incorruptible and everlasting all running round encircling one another like Crowns encircling our souls and bodies too like Crowns without end without period If we would have any Crowns Honour or Riches or Pleasure let us there seek them where they are advanced to an
him only before to tell her so to tell her he would be with her by and by himself This makes it Annunciation day the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary as the Church calls it and the Annunciation to her as we may call it too The Annunciation or announcing and proclaiming of Christ unto her that he was this day to be Incarnate of her to take that flesh to day upon him in the womb which he was some nine months hence on Christmass-day to bring with him into the world And 2. the Annunciation or announcing that is proclaiming of her blessed among above women by it by being thus highly favoured by her Lords thus coming to her A day upon these grounds fit to be remembred and announced or proclaimed unto the World Indeed Dominus tecum is the chief business the Lord Christs being with her that which the Church especially commemorates in the day Her being blessed and all our being blessed highly favoured or favoured at all either mens or womens being so all our hail all our health and peace and joy all the Angels visits to us or kind words all our Conferences with heaven all our titles and honours in heaven and earth that are worth the naming come only from it For Dominus tecum cannot come without them He cannot come to us but we must be so must be highly favoured in it and blessed by it So the Incarnation of Christ and the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin his being incarnate of her and her blessedness by him and all our blessednesses in him with her make it as well our Lords as our Ladies day More his because his being Lord made her a Lady else a poor Carpenters Wife God knows all her worthiness and honour as all ours is from him and we to take heed to day or any day of parting them or so remembring her as to forget him or so blessing her as to take away any of our blessing him any of his worship to give to her Let her blessedness the respect we give her be inter mulieres among women still such as is fit and proportionate to weak creatures not due and proper only to the Creator that Dominus tecum Christ in her be the business that we take pattern by the Angel to give her no more than is her due yet to be sure to give her that though and that particularly upon the day And yet the day being a day of Lent seems somewhat strange 'T is surely no fasting work no business or occasion of sadness this What does it then or how shall we do it then in Lent a time of fast and sorrow Fast and feast too how can we do it A Feast it is to day a great one Christs Incarnation a day of joy if ever any and Lent a time of sorrow and repentance a great one the greatest Fast of any How shall we reconcile them Why thus The news of Joy never comes so seasonable as in the midst of sorrow news of one coming to save us from our sins can never come more welcome to us than even then when we are sighing and groaning under them never can Angel come more acceptably than at such time with such a message as All Hail thou art highly favoured blessed art thou 'T is the time that Angels use to come when we are fasting So to Daniel Dan. ix 3 21. So to Cornelius Acts x. 30. the time when we best hear a voice from heaven and best understand it with St. Peter Acts x. 13 15 16 20. the time when God himself vouchsafes to spread our Table as he did there of all kinds of beasts and fowls to St. Peter all heavenly food and mysteries 'T is the very time for gratia plena to be fill'd when we are empty the only time for Dominus tecum for our Lords being with us when we have most room to entertain him So nor the Church nor we in following it are any whit out of order Dominus tecum Christ is the main business both of our Fasts and Feasts and 't is the greatest order to attend his business in the day and way we meet it be it what it will Though perhaps it seem stranger too to hear of an Angel coming into a Virgins Chamber at midnight as is conjectured and there saluting her But no fear of those Sons of God if they come in unto the daughters of men Angels are Virgins may be with Virgins in the privatest Closets are always with them there to carry up their Prayers and to bring down blessings No strange thing then to hear of an Angel with any of them whom God highly favours with whom himself is too no wonder to hear of an Angel or Ave to any such The only wonder indeed to us will be to hear of an Ave Mary Indeed I cannot my self but wonder at it as they use it now to see it turn'd into a Prayer 'T was never made for Prayer or Praise a meer Salutation the Angels here to the blessed Virgin never intended it I dare say for other either to praise her with or pray unto her And I shall not consider it as such I am only for the Angels Ave not the Popish Ave Marie I can see no such in the Text. Nor should I scarce I confess have chosen such a Theam to day though the Gospel reach it me but that I see 't is time to do it when our Lord is wounded through our Ladies sides both our Lord and the mother of our Lord most vilely spoken of by a new generation of wicked men who because the Romanists make little less of her than a Goddess they make not so much of her as a good woman because they bless her too much these unbless her quite at least will not suffer her to be blessed as she should To avoid both these extremes we need no other pattern but the Angels who here salutes and blesses her indeed yet so only salutes and blesses her so speaks of and to her as to a woman here though much above the best of them one highly favoured 't is true yet but favoured still all her grace and blessedness and glory still no other meer favour and no more and Dominus tecum the Lords being with her the ground and source and sum of all Virgin and Day both blessed thence The better to give all their due Angel and Lord and Lady and you the better understanding of the Text the scope and matter and full meaning of it we shall consider in the words these two Particulars The Angels Visitation and the Angels Salutation I. His Visitation or coming to her in these words And the Angel came in unto her II. His Salutation to her or saluting her in these Hail thou that art highly favoured The Lord is with thee Blessed c. In the Visitation we have 1. The Visitor 2. The Visited 3. The Visiting The Angel the Visitor He. The blessed Virgin this the Visited Her And
the Visiting his coming in unto her In the Salutation there is to be considered both the Form of it and the Titles in it 1. The Form threefold 1. Hail 2. The Lord is with thee 3. Blesed art thou or be thou blessed Sis benedicta it may be as well as es 2. The Titles given her they three too Thou that art highly favoured that 's one Blessed thou that 's another Blessed among women that 's the third These all so evident and so plain that none can miss them But to these two Points two more are to be added The Grounds and Bounds of these great titles 1. The Ground of this high blessedness and favour 1. Full of grace so our old Translation and the old Latine render it her fulness of grace and goodness that 's one 2. But the Lord is with thee that 's the main thence all her blessedness thereby it is that she is so highly favoured because the Lord is with her 2. The Bounds or Limitation of these titles they come first with a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 no other form then what is and hath been given unto men though great they be yet divine they be not The greatest Title secondly is but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from meer grace and favour Thirdly It must still too acknowledge Dominus tecum She hath a Lord is a Subject as well as we And lastly All her blessedness is but inter mulieres among women how much soever she excels all vvomen she is but inter mulieres among such Creatures in the rank of Creatures no Goddess nor partner vvith the Godhead either in title or vvorship By considering and laying all these Points together vve shall both vindicate the blessed Virgins honour as vvell from all superstitious as prophane abuses and our selves from all neglect of any duty to the mother of our Lord one so highly favoured and blessed by him whilst we give her all that either Lord or Angel gave her but yet dare not give her more And now Dominus mecum and Dominus vobiscum too the Lord be with me whilst I am speaking it and with you whilst you are hearing it and bless us both whilst we are about it that we may learn to bless where we should bless whom and when and how to do it and rightly both accept and apply God's blessings and our own We are now to learn it from the Angel his visiting and blessing the blessed Virgin here His visit and his Salutation to her But his visit or visitation that stands first Where the visiter the visited and his visit the Angel the Virgin and his coming into unto her are all to be considered And the Angel came in unto her And who so fit as an Angel to come into her to give this visit to give this blessing It was a bad Angel that brought the curse upon the woman 't was fit a good one should bring the blessing The imployment 2. suits none so well 'T was news of joy who could bring it better than one of those who were the first sons of eternal joy the first enjoyers of it who could pronounce it better Who fitter 3. to come with a Dominus tecum before the face of the Lord with a message of his coming down to earth than they who always behold his face in heaven St. Mat. xviii 10. Who fitter 4. to come to her she was an immaculate and unspotted Virgin and to whom do Virgins Chambers lie ope at midnight but to Angels God sends no other thither at that time of night and that that time it was may be well conjectured from Wisdom xviii 14 15. When all things were in quiet silence and that night was in the midst of her swift course Thine Almighty Word came down from Heaven then it seems was the time of her Conception of Christs coming to her before whom immediately the Angel came to bring the message that he was a coming if as St. Bernard says he were not come already And 5. with such a message to a Virgin as that she should conceive without a man who was convenient to bring it but an Angel Ne quo degenere depravaret affectu says St. Ambrose that there might not be the least ground of a false suspition But 6. to such a Virgin one so highly favour'd as to be made the mother of God for the mother of Christ is no less he being God what messenger could come less than an Angel Prophets and Patriarchs were too little for so great an embassage and Angels never came upon a greater Nay 7. every Angel neither was not fit for so high an Office The Angel Gabriel it was he is the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 here Gabriel is by St. Hierom and St. Gregory interpreted Fortitudo Dei the Power or strength of God and in this work it appear'd indeed Gods strength and power never so much shewn as in the saving of us by Christ. It is by others 2. interpreted Vir Deus or Deus nobiscum God man or God with us Could any be thought fitter to bring this news upon his lips than he that carries it in his name Especially 3. being the same that foretold all this to Daniel Dan. ix 21. fit that he should see to the performance who brought the promise 4. Petrus Damiani thinks he was the holy Virgins Guardian Angel proper therefore to bring her this good message or any else 5. God had several times employed him before to Daniel Zachary and others and found hm faithful he therefore now employs him still that we may know he that is faithful in the least God will by degrees trust him with the most the greatest matters In a word Angels drove us out of Paradise and now they come to let us in again Then they placed a Sword to keep us out now they bring the word to let us in None now you see more fit for this business than an Angel than the Angel Gabriel too whether we respect the persons either from whom or to whom the message comes or the message or the time or the way and order of it So we have done with him come we now to her a greater than He if we may speak with Epiphanius and some others Yet I shall not give her other Titles than the Scripture gives her I am afraid to give her such as many do A Virgin espoused to a man whose name was Ioseph of the house of David she was and her name was Mary in the verse before the Text. 1. Of royal descent and linage 2. Espoused to an Husband of the same Kingly house 3. Of a name very answerable to her greatness Of Davids Seed for so her Son the Messiah was to be A Virgin for of such a one he was to come Semen mulieris not maris from the beginning the womans seed and not the mans so necessarily a Virgin then and so plainly foretold to be by Isaiah Isa. vii 14. A Virgin shall conceive and
bear him yea a Virgin espous'd 1. To conceal the mystery of his Incarnation from the Devil 2. To take away all occasion of obloquy from devilish men 3. That the birth of our Saviour might be with all possible honour and 4. That his Genealogy might so be reckoned as all others regularly by the man as you see them both by St. Matthew and St. Luke Of a high and illustrious name besides Maria is Maris stella says St. Bede The star of the Sea a fit name for the mother of the bright morning star that rises out of the vast sea of God's infinite and endless love Maria 2. the Lyriack interprets Domina a Lady a name yet retain'd and given to her by all Christians our Lady or the Lady mother of our Lord. Marie 3. rendred by Petrus Damiani de monte altitudine Dei highly exalted as you would say like the Mountain of God in which he would vouchsafe to dwell after a more miraculous manner than in very Sion his own holy Mount. 4. St. Ambrose interprets it Deus ex genere meo God of my kin as if by her very name she was designed to have God born of her to be Deipara as the Church against all Hereticks has ever stil'd her the Mother of God you may well now fully conceive no Embassador so fit to come to such an one as her but some great Angel at the least And his coming to her comes next to be considered And the Angel came in unto her Where we are taught both how he came and where he found her By his coming or being said to come we are given to understand that it was in a bodily and humane shape So Angels often used to come in the likeness of men and at this time it was of all ways the most convenient that the Angels should come like men seeing their Lord was now to come so and one of them to come before him with the news When he himself would vouchsafe to wear the livery of our flesh 't is most convenient his servants sure that wait upon him whom he sends upon his errands should appear at least in the same Livery Nor could his Message easily be delivered in more sweetness nor the Blessed Maid entertain it with less terror or diffidence any other way For though it could not but trouble her as we see it did in the follovving verse to see a man at that time in her Closet ere she was aware yet his coming in so insensibly when the doors were shut upon her besides perhaps the brightness of his countenance and raiment could not but tell her it was an Angel and so abate her fear a little Yet observe here a difference between the Angels coming now and heretofore we never read of an Angels appearing but abroad or in the Temple till now Now they begin to grow more familiar with us come in into our Closets now Christ is coming the Kingdom of Heaven 't is a sign is come nigh unto us And 't is a good Item to us to keep much in our Closets seeing Angels are now to be met with there And 2. 't is an Item too for Virgins to keep within Dinah went out and met with you know whom came home ill-favouredly The blessed Virgin keeps in and meets with an holy Angel and the title of highly favoured and blessed for it The stragling gadding huswife meets no Angel to salute her whosoever does if we look for Angels company and salutations we must be much within A Garden enclosed is my Sister my Spouse a Spring shut up a Fountain sealed says Christ Cant. iv 12. The Spouse of Christ the Soul he loves and vouchsafes his company much private oft within Within and at her Prayers and Meditation too So was the blessed Virgin say the Fathers here blessedly employed watching at her devotions no way so sure to get an Angels company or hear good news from heaven to obtain a favour or a blessing thence as this as prayer and watching in our Closets This we piously believe of the blessed Virgin but we are sure she was within a true daughter of Sarah in it who it seems kept commonly within doors in her Tent Gen. xviii 10. whose daughters you are says St. Peter 1 Pet. 3. 6. as long as you do well must be too in this as well as other things if you vvould do vvell For lastly to shevv the truth of the Angels vvords that she vvas full of grace the Scripture tells us by the Angels coming into her that she vvas vvithin vvhere qui habeat abundantiam gratiae says Hugo they that are full of grace keep in as much as they can fearing the corrupt discourses and conversations of the World None so scrupulous of appearing abroad none more fear idle loose or vain discourses vvhich cannot be avoided by such vvho go often abroad than they that are fullest of grace and goodness Nor do they care for the salutation favours and complements of men vvho are highly favoured of the Lord. No matter at all vvith them to be neglected by men vvho desire only to be saluted by an Angel as vvas the Virgin here vvhich falls next to be considered The Angels Salutation Tvvo Points vve told you there vvere to be handled in it The form of it and the titles in it The form in vvhich it runs the Titles vvith vvhich it 's given The form is in three expressions Hail the Lord is with thee Thou art or be thou blessed Three several salutations as it vvere and that 1. for the greater reverence and honour to her so Kings and Queens are commonly saluted vvith three adorations 2. To shevv from vvhom he came from Father Son and Holy Ghost from all three persons in the Trinity That 3. she vvas so intent and busie at her devotions that she minded not perhaps his first and second Salutation he vvas fain to add a third To shevv lastly the triple blessing that he came vvith Peace and Grace and Blessedness that Heaven vvas novv at peace vvith us Grace vvas thence coming dovvn apace Heaven doors set open and very blessedness of Heaven clearly now propounded and proffered to us The first salutation is an Ave a salutation never heard from Angels mouth before And it speaks joy and peace and health and salvation both to her and us by her The Greek word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rejoyce rejoyce indeed at such a Child as now is to be born of thee O Virgin Daughter Behold I bring you tydings of great joy of a Child all our joy by him which is Christ the Lord 2. The Hebrew word speaks Peace be to thee A wish for peace the first news of Heaven reconciled the way to reconciliation being now in agitation and to be by her Peace from the Prince of Peace from the author of our peace now coming as joyful a salutation as we can wish all our peace from this Conception all begun with this message and
the Angel the Herauld of it 3. It intimates health as well as peace we were all sick till this day came the best with the Spouse sick of love Cant. v. 8. the worst sick of somewhat else none well till this news came till the next morning after this great Conception rose with healing in his wings Now all hail and whole and well again 4. It signifies a wish of salvation too Ave says one piously though not learnedly a vae all woe now away temporal and eternal Eva spell'd backwards all Eves ill spun web unravel'd undone roul'd backward by the Conception of this blessed Virgin here foretold temporal and eternal woes taken all away nothing but joy and salvation to us if we will hear it with the Blessed Virgin and accept it The second salutation is The Lord is with thee and it may be either an apprecation or wishing that he would be or an Annunciation or affirmation a declaring and affirming that he is or a prediction or foretelling that he will be with her It was an apprecation when Boaz gave it to the Reapers Ruth ii 4. that God would be with them It was an apprecation and an affirmation both when the Angel gave it to Gideon Judg. vi 12. The Lord is with thee thou mighty man of valour It is affirmation apprecation and prediction all three here to our Blessed Lady a wish that the Lord would an assurance that he is a prediction that he will be yet more signally and more particularly with her by and by 'T is somewhat to be saluted by an Angel and 't is not common we hear often of their coming with a message seldom with a salutation 't is sign of more then ordinary acquaintance and familiarity with God and of his respect particular unto us when he sends his Angels not only upon errands but how-do-yous to us With such a salutation too as the Lord is with thee The hand of the Lord was with him 't is said of St. Iohn Baptist and that was well his hand and not himself and yet the greatest of them that was born of women was not greater than he St. Matth. xi 11. But here 't is he himself with the greatest among women It is a great favour to have his hand but it is an high one to have himself with us Yet the Angel says to Gideon Judg. vi 12. The Lord be with thee 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but 't is here 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an Article an Emphasis put upon it he is not with her as he is with any else Tecum in mente tecum in ventre as the Fathers gloss it Tecum in spiritu tecum in carne with her he was or would be presently as well in her body as in her soul personally essentially nay bodily with her and take a body from her a way of being with any never heard before or since a being with her beyond any expression or conception whatsoever And the Lord thus being with her all good must needs be with her all the gracious ways of his being with us are comprehended in it so the salutation no way to be exceeded And well may he chuse to be with her even make haste and prevent the Angel as St. Bernard speaks to be with her He is with the pure in heart with the humble spirit and piously retired soul and she is all And though by the Angels words ver 31. we cannot conceive that the Lord was yet conceived in her he speaking in the future yet as sure it was even whilst the Angel was in his salutation as if he were already incarnate in her flesh upon this may well follow the third salutation Blessed art thou or be thou blessed Yet I shall not here say much of this I reserve it to be handled amongst the titles onely tell you it may as well pass for a salutation as the other We still sometimes use it in our salutations use to say God bless you when we salute sometimes so the mowers to Boaz return his salutation of the Lord be with you with The Lord bless thee Ruth ii 4. And Gen. xlvii 7. we read that Iacob blessed Pharaoh when he came before him that is saluted him in a form of blessing All the famous salutations now you see of all former and latter times are here rallied up in this Daniel's Live for ever for life and health and safety the Angels to Gideon The Lord is with thee Boaz his to Ruth Blessed be thou of the Lord my daughter Ruth iii. 10. Tobit's to the Angel Gaudium tibi Tob. v. 11. Ioy be unto thee Christ's to his Disciples Peace be unto you The Apostles grace and peace and salvation to their Churches all in this of the Angel to the Virgin now in treaty about Christs Incarnation To shew us 1. all these are in Christ all now coming to us by his coming to us to be found altogether no where but in him joy and peace and health and salvation and blessedness first rising on us by this days business his Incarnation To teach us 2. good forms of salutation blessing and not cursing though there are some so peevish to say no worse to tell us they had as lieve we should say the Devil take them as God bless them or God be with them It seems they had rather imitate the bad Angel than the good I hope we had not Good words if it be no more are fittest sure for Christian mouths but yet good wishes too for he that forbids to say to some God speed you 2 John x. intimates we should say so to others And though the Disciples are bid to salute no man by the way St. Luke x. 4. that is when it will retard or hinder their holy business they are yet bid when they come into a house say Peace be to it ver 5. And if the Angel do it and Christ bid it and do it too as he does St. Luke xxiv 35. I hope we may and will do too Nay and give good titles too upon the same account the Angel does so to the blessed Virgin and we hasten to them Thou that art highly favoured blessed blessed among women Thou that art highly favoured but why thou without a name why not Mary here as well as after ver 30. Why there he used her name so to dispel her fear as it were by a kind of friendly familiarity here he forbears it in his reverence to her We use not to salute great persons by their Names but by their Titles and the Mother of God is above the greatest we here meet with upon the earth We must not be too familiar with those whom God so highly favours that 's our lesson hence We are not to speak of the Blessed Virgin the Apostles and Saints as if we were speaking to our Servants Paul Peter Mary or the like 'T is a new fashion of Religion neither taken from Saints nor Angels nor any of Heaven or heavenly spirits
it must not be determined by us we must not the meanest of us resolve and determine with our selves to be ignorant or remain so in any spiritual or heavenly business but to know as far as our condition requires or will give us leave Yet in meer humane knowledges even a resolved ignorance may do well when your knowing would take up more time than it is worth when it would rob us of better or hinder us in the more necessary improvements of our souls when there is just fear it will but make us insolent or impertinent better far not to know a Letter not to speak a Tongue but what the Nurse and Mother taught us than be the nimblest Orator or skilfullest Linguist or rarest Philosopher if nothing be like to come of it but the disturbance of the Church the seducing others and vain glory in our selves In this case we may with St. Paul even determine to be ignorant more ignorant still especially in unprofitable curious or impious knowledge or ways of knowing However even in the best and most necessary of these it may be requisite not to know in a second sense that is not to seem to know them to bear our selves sometimes as if we did not There are some we may have to deal with that are suspicious of being deceived by too much reason and Philosophy with whom 't is the only way to work to renounce as it were all Art and Logick and discourse as if we were wholly ignorant in them that we may so by St. Pauls own way of becoming all things to all men to the ignorant as ignorant of every thing but salvation by plainness and condescension to their humour win them to the truth And indeed where ever Eloquence Language Philosophy or natural reason are like more to lose than gain a soul more to vaunt themselves than preach Christ not to know that is to seem not to know them or deal by them or build upon them or make shew of them but conceal them is the best Not to know them in a third sense is not to teach them not to teach them when we should be teaching Christ or teach them instead of Christ Natural Reason for Divine Faith Moral Philosophy for the only Divinity Not to know them fourthly to profess and make our whole business of them to make knowledge our whole profession as if Religion consisted knowing only and they the best Christians that knew most Alas Nos Doctrinis nostris trudimur in infernum is too true Many a learned man is thrust at lest into hell with all his knowledge We may speak with the tongues of Angels and have all knowledge all faith too even to a miracle and to do miracles and yet for all that be but sounding brass and tinckling Cymbals meer noise and vapour not so good as the Prophets reprobate Silver but meer Brass and Copper that will not pass with heaven for currant money nor be received into the Treasuries of God better it is not to know at all than to know only and no more to know and not do we shall only get the more stripes by the bargain and hovvever vve seem to knovv God not to be knovvn of him or acknovvledged by him but sent avvay by Christ vvith an I know you not The things then not to be knovvn and the not knovving being things of so difficult or doubtful nature best it is novv that vve determine somewhat of them that vve may knovv both the things and knovvledge or rather not knovvledge that is fittest for us The any thing the Apostle means expresly is set dovvn in the former verse under the terms of excellency of speech or wisdom and that vvisdom Chap. i. 20. to be the wisdom of the world of the wise and prudent Moral Philosophy of the Scribe Law and History and Philology of the disputer of this world natural Philosophy Mathematicks Astronomy Astrology all which St. Paul seems determined not to know 'T is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he has so judg'd it so judg'd and past sentence upon all those knowledges as to give a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to give a negative to them all In things of moment 't is good to be determined and resolved 'T is for want of this judgment and determination that we lose our selves so oft e're we are aware and not only consume our days in knowledges that do not profit in searching out endless Genealogies and disputations to no benefit of the hearers without the least edification Settle we and fix our selves upon this point in all our knowings and not knowings to do all to edification that whether we know any thing or not whether we know every thing or nothing it be all to the glory of God and then even our ignorance will save us as well as our knowledge only with this item that it be a determining by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with the Apostle here a determination with judgment to discern and judge what things are fit not to be known what to be known what knowledge and time and pains to bestow upon them what we are to be wholly ignorant in what in part what really not to know what to seem only not knowing in what to conceal and what to teach what to make our profession of and what to know only by the by how far and where and when to know them And this is the very determining our determination I spake of for a fourth consideration I shall set no other bounds either to our knowledge or object or our determining our selves to it or in it than what we have within the bounds of the Text because my determination is to hasten to the knowledge of Iesus Christ and him Crucified To determine then this determination of St. Paul's not to know any thing take we the words as they lie and consider who it is that has thus determined I it is that St. Paul himself it is an Apostle and a great knowing one too Yet I have determined not to know Sciences there are that are below an Apostle that become not him whatever they do others The Apostles were to act all by the power of the Spirit were not to study words and humane arguments though we sometimes find them disputing too Acts xix 8. and quoting Poets and humane Authors Acts xvii 28. were not to pretend to such worldly wisdom that the glory might be wholly Gods and the whole world convinc'd that as the Christian Faith was not stablished by mortal strength nor setled by worldly power so it was not perswaded by humane wit or interests and was therefore truly divine and heavenly But 2. even the successors of the Apostles the Ministers of the Gospel though they have now only this ordinary way of enabling them to their office are yet so to use their knowledge as if they us'd them not their chief work being Christs and these only as ways to it remembring their great business to be to know
Christ Crucified and to teach him and not to know any thing but in order to it at least not to profess any thing above or equal with it that may swallow up the time which ought to be spent in divine employments Thus this not knowing is first determined by the person Persons wholly interessed in the business of Heaven not to turn their studies into a business of the world persons design'd to an extraordinary office not to deal in it by extraordinary means but guide all according to that rule and way and work that God has set them But the not knowing the secular Sciences is not only limited to spiritual persons there are limits within which all must keep as well their ignorance as knowledge When at any time they will determine not to know it must be 1. by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by judgment and discretion not promiscuously such things as sound judgment propounds unnecessary dangerous or unfruitful It must be 2. by a non judicavi quicquam whatsoever knowledge we have of humane Sciences we must judge and reckon it as nothing determine it to be no or her than dross and dung than building with hay and stuble in respect of the knowledge of Iesus Christ not any thing to that It must be 3. too without putting any estimate upon our selves for any such knowledge we must still think we know nothing whilst we know no more Moses a man as St. Stephen stiles him Acts vii 22. mighty in words and deeds and learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians yet when God would send him of his errand considering that tells God he was not eloquent neither heretofore nor since he had spoken to his servant but slow of speech and slow of tongue And Isaiah that Seraphick Prophet cries out he is a man of unclean lips Isa. vi 5. so little valued they all their knowledge when they had but a glimpse of that great knowledge God was now imparting to them How much soever we think we know before when we once come to the knowledge of Christ or but our thoughts to come to know a taste of the riches of the fulness of the knowledge of Christ we then know we know nothing count our selves dolts and ideots meer fools and blocks for squandering away so much time and cost and pains upon those empty notions whereby we are not an inch the nearer Heaven and it may be the further from God after all our labour Then only we begin truly to know when we can pass this sentence upon our selves that we know not any thing when we are so humble that we think so at least think not any thing of our selves for all we know 4. We must determine not to know any thing at all of humane Sciences or natural reasonings rather than to determine our selves by it renounce it rather all knowing and turn all to believing not fix our faith upon natural principles or believe no further than we can know rather than so we had far better know nothing set it up for a resolution however in the matters of faith not to know that is not to go about to determine them by reason for the natural man he understands them not ver 14. they are foolishness unto him a foolish thing to him to talk of a God Incarnate of a Crucified Saviour of a Religion whose glory is the Cross and reward he knows not where nor when Or 5. he is only not determined to know any thing so the negative is truly joyn'd not to his knowledge but to his determination not determined if he know it he counts it but by the by his main business is something else humane knowledge is but by the way and obiter he intends them not for his doctrine nor yet to prove or stablish his doctrine upon them as upon foundations nor pearch moral and natural Philosophy for Divinity but to advance both the one and the other all Philology Language and History to the Service of Christ and the glory of his Cross to use our Rhetorick to set forth his sufferings the merit and benefit and glory of them our natural Philosophy to find us out the God of Nature in all his works moral Philosophy and History to disswade Vice and encourage Vertue even by the light of nature the knowledge of the Heavens and heavenly Spirits to declare his excellent and wondrous works our Criticisms to sift out truth and our Languages to express it in a word not so much to know any of them as God through them not them properly but Christ Iesus by them There is no fear of humane Sciences thus determined Yet there is one way more to determine our not knowng by by the persons with whom we have to do Our Doctrines for so we told you and for the chief meaning here we tell you now again to know here signifies to teach our Doctrines are to be proportioned and fitted for the auditory It was no meaner a mans practice than St. Pauls to the weak to become as weak to gain the weak to the weak and simple not to speak mysteries and speculations to them that were without Law as without Law plain honest dealing not quirks and quillets to gain such not to know any such thing among such as they Yet sometimes upon the same ground to do quite contrary to confound the wisdom of the world by that which that counts foolishness the strength of the world by that it reckons weakness the honourable things of the world by things which that esteems base and ignominious The Corinthians gloried in their learning and eloquence St. Paul to confute their vanity undertakes to do more by plainness and rudeness of speech and ignorance than they all of them can by all their wisdom and rhetorick among them he will make no use of any thing but the contemptible knowledge of the Cross of Christ and yet do more then all their Philosophers and Orators Where Learning will serve but to ostentation and the ear only tickled by it or humane applause not edification Schism not peace the issue of it among them not to know any such thing is best of all for let all things be done says the Apostle to edification 1 Cor. xiv 26. and if that will be done best by plainness to use plainness if by learning to use that as the you are that are to be edified so the I the Minister to deal with them if they be puft up with humane knowledge to humble them to the Abc of the Cross to exalt and preach up that above all knowledge whatsoever if divided into Schisms by the several Sects of Philosophy or the Masters of them to unite all again into one as so many pieces into one Cross among them to cry up no knowledge but thence or thither So then now to sanctifie all our secular knowledges and ignorances thus we are to determine them to know our times and place and persons for them to keep
stench and worms and rottenness then any dead body whatsoever full of infamous and stinking sins worms of conscience and worms of concupiscence rotten resolutions and performances continuance in sin is the sleep of death Holy purposes and resolutions are the rising out of it Walking thenceforward in the ways of righteousness is going into the holy City and the letting our righteousness so shine before men that God may be glorified is the appearing unto many And the order is as like our justification or spiritual Resurrection well resembled by it God first for the merits of Christs Death and Passion breaks ope the stony heart looses the fetters of our sins and lusts all worldly corruptible affections in us opens the mouth of it to confess its sins then the soul rises as it were out of its sleep by the favour of Gods exciting grace and comes out of sin by holy purposes and resolutions resolves presently to amend its courses then next it goes into the holy City by holy action endeavour and performance so goes and manifests its reconcilement to the Church of God and at last makes its Resurrection repentance and amendment evident and apparent to the world to as many as it any where converses with that all may bear witness to it that it is truly risen with Christ now lives with him This the order this the manner of our first Resurrection from the death of sin to the life of Grace Our second Resurrection to the life of Glory is but this very Resurrection in the Text acted over again As soon as the consummatum est is pronounced upon the world as soon as Christ shall say as he did upon the Cross all is finished the end is come the Arch-Angel shall blow his Trumpet the Graves open the earth and Sea give forth their dead and the dead in Christ shall rise first then they that be alive at his coming For if we believe that Iesus died and rose again even so them also that sleep in Iesus shall God bring with him 1 Thess iv 14. and they shall come out of their Graves and go into the Holy City the new Ierusalem that is above and there appear and shine like stars for ever Indeed the ungodly and the wicked shall arise too and appear before the great Tribunal but not like these Saints for into the holy City they shall not come Rise and come forth they shall but go away into some place of horror some gloomy valley of eternal sorrow some dark dungeon of everlasting night some den of Dragons and Devils never to appear before God but be for ever hid in the arms of confusion and damnation As for the godly the holy City is prepared for them for us if we be like them Saints and Angels are the inhabitants of this holy City no room there for any other if our bodies then be the bodies of holy Saints then into the holy City with them and not else no part in the new Ierusalem if no part in the old no portion above if none below no place there with Angels if no communion here with Saints no happiness in heaven if no holiness on earth They are the bodies of the Saints you hear that go into the holy City they that rise from the sleep of sin and awake to righteousness that rise from the dust of death to the rays of glory And this now may hint us of our duty to close with them for the close of all It has been shewed before what is the first Resurrection without which there is no second namely a life of holiness a dying to sin and a living unto God And this is a Resurrection we are not meerly passive in as in the other We must do somewhat here towards our own Resurrection at least to finish it We must open our mouths which are too often what David stiles the wicked mans throat even open Sepulchres and by confession send out our dead our dead works confessing our iniquities we must awake out of our sins and arise and stand up by holy vows and resolutions rear up our heads and eyes and hearts and hands to heaven seek those things that are above if we be risen with Christ get up upon our feet and be walking the way of Gods commandments walking to him get us into the holy City to the holy place make our humble appearance there express the power of Christs Resurrection in our life attend him through all the parts of it all our life long This the great business we are now going to requires of us more particularly to come to it like new rais'd bodies that had now shaken off all their dust all dusty earthly thoughts laid aside their Grave-cloths all corrupt affections that any way involv'd them and stood up all new all fitly composed for the holy City drest up in holiness and newness of life thus come forth to meet our new risen Saviour and appear before him This the way to meet the benefits of his Passion and Resurrection for coming so with these Saints out of their Graves Christs Grave also shall open and give him to us the Cup and Patine wherein his body lies as in a kind of Grave shall display themselves and give him to us the Spirit of Christ shall raise and and advance the holy Elements into lively Symbols which shall effectually present him to us and he will come forth from under those sacred shadows into our Cities our Souls and Bodies if they be holy and his grace and sweetness shall appear to many of us to all of us that come in the habit of the Resurrection in white Robes with pure and holy hearts Here indeed of all places and this way above all ways we are likeliest to meet our Lord now he is risen and gone before us this the chief way to be made partakers of his Resurrection and the fittest to declare both his Death and Resurrection the power of them till his coming again And to declare and speak of them is the very duty of the day the very Grave this day with open mouth professes Christ is risen and gives praise for it that it is no longer a land of darkness but has let in light no longer a bier of death but a bed of sleep But shall thy loving kindness O Lord be known in the dark or shall the dead rise up again and praise thee yes holy Prophet they shall they did to day and if his loving kindness shall not be known in the dark the dark places shall become light now the sun of righteousness has risen upon them But shall the dead rise up again and praise him and shall not we shall the graves open and shall not our hearts be opened to receive him nor our mouths to praise him for it Was it the business of the dead Saints to day to rise to wait upon their Lord and shall not the living rise to bear them company shall the whole City ring of it out
speak to us often when we do not mind them In the very grave in our deepest melancholies in our saddest conditions at the head and at the feet of them they take their places and sit to comfort us But especially when we descend into the grave to seek our Lord when we cannot be satisfied unless we may even die with him when we are crucified and dead to the whole world but him when our only business is both in life and death to be with him then to be sure we shall not want Angels to attend us at every turn they stand ready for us upon all occasions they are still at hand A strong consolation this in all afflictions A brave encouragement 2. in all good undertakings A good Item 3. too for our good behaviour to carry our selves well soberly modestly piously in all conditions because of the Angels as the Apostle speaks 1 Cor. xi 10. that thus stand about us that are every where so near us So near us that they often answer our desires ere we can speak them We read not of a word the Women said to the Angel yet says the Text He answer'd Thus many times God answers us by himself or by his Angels ere we utter our necessities or breath out our thoughts He does not always delay his mercy till we beg it he prevents us with his loving kindness Psal. ciii He did so to be sure to day by sending it by such Messengers Angels have wings so they were grav'd and painted in the Tabernacle and the Temple His comforts had so too to day The message of the Resurrection the greatest of our comforts could not upon this account come by a better hand By an Angel then 1. that it might be with the greater speed By an Angel 2. that it might be with the greater honour Angels are glorious things honourable Embassadors and such are not sent on petty errands nor can that embassie be slight on which such persons come By an Angel 3. that the benefit might look with more convenience It was an Angel that shut the Gates of Paradise against us and drove us thence into the Territories of the grave the more convenient sure that the Angel again should roll away the stone and open the gates of Heaven out of those confines of death into which he drave us He had 2. been imploy'd in the news of our Lords Incarnation and first birth out of the womb the fitter to be sent with the tidings of his Resurrection and second birth out of the grave By an Angel 4. that it might be told with all the advantage it could possibly Such news is fittest for Angels tongues men know not how worthily enough to speak it Thus for the greater speed and so our greater comfort for the greater honour 2. and so our greater and humbler thanks for the greater convenience 3. and so the greater confirmation of the Analogie of our faith for the greater advantage 4. and so our greater and readier acceptance of it was this first news of the Resurrection given us by an Angel though nor men nor Angels sufficiently fit for it Angels certainly the fittest of the two they the fittest for the news and yet methinks meaner Embassadors might be fitter for the Persons to whom 't is told Angels and Women the Sons of God and the Daughters of men are no good matches though I must tell you too such women as these such who out-run the Apostles themselves in affection and duty to their Lord whose love triumphs over the power of death whose early piety prevents the morning watch and shames the Sun are company for Angels to make up their Choires But it is not without reason that the Angel first appears to women that they are honour'd here with the first news of a Resurrection There 's a mystery in it The woman was first deceiv'd by an Angel of darkness 't was therefore most convenient she should first be undeceived by an Angel of light The woman 2. was the first that fell somewhat the more requisite that she should hear first of the hopes to rise again Thus does the Almighty Wisdom proportion all things to us Thus does the Eternal Goodness contrive all things for us with order and convenience respondent ultima primis and all things answer one another first and last Yet all must not look for Angels to comfort or instruct them St. Peter and St. Iohn came to the Sepulchre but found no such favour they came too late the Angels were gone before they came The women had been before them and had gotten the blessing 'T is they that watch and rise up early to find their Lord that meet Angels at their Prayers When the day breaks the Angel must be gone Gen. xxxii 26. to say his Mattens says the Chaldee He 'l stay no longer When we come lagging in with our devotions God's answers come lagging too extraordinary favours are the rewards only of extraordinary attendance But what those two great Apostles not so highly favour'd as poor silly women What 's Mary Magdalene the sinner too among the rest preferr'd above them 'T is so Women and sinners and any above us above the greatest Apostles the greatest Clerks in Gods favour if above them in their devotion and and piety to their Lord 'T is so and we must be content nay if God please to prefer the weak and meaner things of the world upon any account either such as are so or such as we conceive so at any time before us we have no more to say but even so it pleased thee O Father and learn upon it to be humble and not think too highly of our selves As those weaker things are hereupon also not to be afraid or terrified at their weaknesses but called to here by the Angel not to fear Fear not ye Which is the Proem or first Part of his speech to which we are now come Four things here there were that possibly they might fear 1. The glorious presence of the Angel 2. The ghastly countenances of the Souldiers 3. The unsetled face of the yet almost quaking Earth 4. and the sad sight and horror of the grave Yet fear not says the Angel not any of these Not me not an Angel first Angels are our fellow-servants and of our brethren that bear the testimony of Iesus as well as we Rev. xix 10. We need not fear them they 'l do us no hurt nay they are always ready to do us good Somewhat I confess there is in it that makes them commonly thus Preface all their speeches as Fear not Zacharias St. Luke i. 13. and ver 30. Fear not Mary and fear not to the Shepheards St. Luke ii 10. All is not so well between Heaven and us as should be all not so wholly well but that we may be afraid sometimes of a messenger from thence Yet fear not for all that they come not to us thence but with good tidings especially when they come
in raiment white garments as the Angel does ver 3. or a long white garment as St. Marks Angel Chap. xvi 5. That 's neither a fashion nor a colour to be afraid of for any that seek Iesus which was crucified or hope to see the face and enjoy the company of Holy Angels though some now a days are much scar'd with such a garment when the Angels or Messengers of the Churches appear in it But 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Fear it not 'T is but an innocent Robe no more hurt in it than in the Angels that wore it 'T is the Robe of Innocence and the Resurrection No reason to fear it Fear not ye not this bright appearance No nor 2. that black one neither of the ghastly countenances of the amazed Souldiers They alass are run and gone There was no looking for them upon him they had crucified They indeed had reason to be afraid that the earth that trembled under them should gape and swallow them that the grave they kept being now miraculously opened might presently devour them that he whom they had crucified now coming forth with power and splendour might send them down immediately into eternal darkness for their villany Nay the very innocent brightness and whites in which the Angel then appear'd might easily strike into them a sad reflection and terror of their own guilt and confound them with it and I am afraid when the Angels long white Garment does so still 't is to such guilty Souls and Consciences as these Souldiers that it does so such who either betrayed their Lord to death or were set to keep him there Such I confess may fear even the Garments of Innocence that others wear But they that seek Christ crucified may be as bold as Lions Non timent Mauri jacula nec arcus nec venenatis gravidas sagittis Christe pharetras Thy Discirage ples O B. Iesu now thou art risen will fear nothing nor Darts nor Spears nor Bows nor Arrows nor any force or terror any face or power of man whatever And ye good innocent souls ye good women fear not ye your own innocence will guard you these Souldiers shall do you no hurt their shaking hands cannot wield their weapons nor dare they stand by it they are running away with all speed to save themselves So 2. Fear not them Nor fear 3. the quaking earth that seems ready either to sink them or sinks under them 't is now even setling upon its foundation The Lord of the whole earth has now once again set his foot upon it and it is quiet and the meek such as seek Christ they shall now inherit it But though the earth were mov'd and though the hills were carried into the midst of the Sea yet God is our hope the Lord is our strength and we will not therefore fear says David Psal. xlvi 1 2. No though the waters thereof rage and swell and though the mountains shake at the tempest of the same do earth what it can to fright us God is a present help in trouble Why then should ye be afraid Fear not No not lastly the very grave it self that King of Terrors That is now no longer so to you Though Tyrants should now tear your bodies into a thousand pieces grind your bones to power scatter your ashes in the air and disperse your dissolved atomes through all the winds no matter this Angel and his company are set to wait upon your dust and will one day come again and gather it together into Heaven Nothing can keep us thence nothing separate us nor life nor death says the Apostle Rom. viii 38. Fear nothing then at all Not ye however For ye seek Iesus which was crucified that 's an irrefragable argument why you should not fear And such give me leave to make it before I handle it as an encouragement of our endeavours an encouragement 1. against our fears before I consider it as an encouragement to our work And indeed Ye who dare seek Iesus that was crucified amidst Swords and Spears and Graves of what can you be afraid He that dreads not death needs fear nothing He that slights the torments of the Cross and despises the shame of it He that loves his Lord better than his life that dares own a crucified Saviour and a profession that is like to produce him nothing but scorn and danger and ruine He cannot fear Illum si fractus illabatur orbis impavidum ferient ruinae The World it self though it should fall upon him cannot astonish him Nothing so undaunted as a good Christian as he that truly seeks Iesus that was crucified And there 's good reason for it He that does so is about a work that will justifie it self He needs not fear that He whom he seeks is Iesus one who came to save him from his sins he needs not fear them This Iesus being crucified has by his dying conquer'd death O death where is thy sting He needs not fear that And though die we must yet the Grave will not always hold us no more than it did him He is not here nor shall we be always here not always lie in dust and darkness no need to fear that Nay he is risen again and we by that so far from fear that we know we shall one day rise also For the Chambers of Death ever since the time that Christ lay in them lie open for a return are but places of retreat frome noise and trouble places for the Pilgrims of the earth to visit only to see where the Lord lay Thus is every Comma in the Text an Argument against all fears that shall at any time stop our course in seeking Jesus that was crucified And having thus out of the words vanquisht your fears I am now next to encourage your endeavours For I know ye seek Iesus c. I know it says the Angel That is I would not only not have you be afraid of what you are about as if you were doing ill but I commend you for it for 't is well that you seek Iesus which was crucified you need not be afraid you do well to do it Yea but how dost thou know it Thou fair Son of light that they seek him Alas 't is easie to be known by men and womens outward deportment whom they seek Let us but examine how these women sought and we shall see 1. The come here to his Sepulchre they not only follow'd him to his grave a day or two ago the common office we pay to a departed friend but to day they come again to renew their duties and repeat their tears Nor do they do it slightly or of course They 2. do it early very early St. Mar. xvi 2. as if they were not could not be well till they had done it So early that it was scarce light nay while it was yet dark says St. Iohn they thought they could not be too soon with him they loved They 3. came on with courage
all taken away and all of you undone for ever But now he is not here you may hope better and dread no longer and I shall quickly put you out of all fear indeed for I shall tell you now He is risen as he said IV. And now indeed O blessed Angel thou saist something Away all my fears He is risen Why then 1. He is above the malice of his enemies and of all that hate him They and the Souldiers that crucified him may be dismaid and look all like dead men for fear but I shall never be dismaid hereafter seeing death has no more dominion over him For 2. if he be risen we shall rise one day too If our head be risen the body ere long will rise also He is the first fruits 1 Cor. xv the whole lump of course will follow after So certain that the Apostle tells us that in him we are all already made alive ver 22. and with indignation asks how some among them durst be so bold to say there was no resurrection of the dead seeing Christ is risen ver 12. But is he not rather raised than risen 3. that they durst say so Was it by his own power or anothers By his own sure for all the Evangelists say unanimously he is risen Indeed 't is said Acts iv 10. that God rais'd him from the dead It was so for he was God himself he and his Father one St. Ioh. x. 30. so God rais'd him and yet he rais'd himself was not rais'd as the Widows Son or Iairus Daughter or his Friend Lazarus but so as none other ever were or shall be rais'd and risen and yet so risen as not rais'd by any but himself that 's a third note upon He is risen And 4. risen so as to die no more All they did but he not He convers'd a while with his Disciples upon earth so by degrees to raise them too but after forty days he ascended into heaven Risen surely to purpose risen above all heavens risen into glory And if thus risen we have good cause 1. to raise our thoughts up after him entertain higher thoughts of him than before though then we knew him after the flesh yet now with the Apostle henceforth to know him so no more Good cause 2. If He be risen to raise up our affections after him set our affections as the Apostle infers it upon things above Col. iii. 1 2. and no longer upon things beneath set them wholly upon him Nay and 3. Raise our selves upon him build all our thoughts and hopes upon him build no longer upon Sand and Earth but upon that Rock that is now risen higher than we in whom we need fear no storms or tempests we cannot miscarry And in the mean time lastly Now he is risen let us rise and meet him rise in hast with Mary yet not to go to the grave to weep as they thought of her but to cast our selves at his feet and cry Lord If thou hadst been here if I had found thee in the grave my brother and I and all my brethren had died indeed been irrecoverably ruin'd and undone And yet for all that Come now and see where the Lord lay Be your own eyes your witnesses that He is risen And 't is but just that in so doubtful a condition of affairs and a change so unheard of you should seek an evidence not to be contradicted Come then and see it The place will shew it and your eyes shall behold it Indeed that he is risen as he said to a tittle to a day assoon as ever it could be imagined day is an argument that not being here he is truly risen Yet 't is fit that we should be certain he is not there For 't is fit that we should be able to give a reason of the faith that is in us says St. Peter We can neither believe unreasonable things our selves nor imagine others should believe them We are not to take our Religion upon trust from an Angel Si Angelus de Coelo says St. Paul Not from an Angel coming from Heaven it self Some Angel it seems thence may speaking to an absolute possibility preach some other doctrine then what we have received but believe him not says the Apostle if he do Gal. i. 8. But suppose an Angel thence can speak no other yet there is an Angel that is from below from the pit of darkness that can transform himself into an Angel of light We had therefore need take heed to our own eyes too as well as to our ears The best way to fix them is to look first into the grave of Iesus that was crucified see what we can find there to make good what the Angel tells us be he who he will Try the spirits says St. Ioh. i. 4 1. Whether they be of God before we trust them See whether things are as they are presented 'T is but dark day yet we may be deceived if we look not narrowly into the business even to the very inmost corners and cranies of the grave Come see then what is there Nothing but the linnen cloths that wrapt him in says S. Ioh. xx 6 7. and two Angels says St. Luke xxiv 4. Well this was enough indeed to prove he was not there But how proves it that he was risen had not some body stoln him thence The grave was clos'd the stone was seal'd the guard was set and who durst come to do it His Disciples why they were stoln away themselves for very fear And it is not probable they would venture for him through a guard of Souldiers when he was dead that ran from him when he was alive The Iews Why they set a watch to keep him there The Souldiers why who should hire them or Why should they take money to deny it if they were hired to it Besides it was against the Iews interests to give so fair a ground to the report of his Resurrection and his Disciples had so little subtilty to maintain so forlorn an interest as theirs that it looks not like a piece of their contrivance and so poor a purse God knows they had that they could not see so largely as to reach it Nay and the linnen cloths left all behind are a kind of witnesses against it 'T is not probable they would have stoln the dead body and left them when they came to steal and the laying them so in order by themselves requires more leisure than a theives hast So being clearly gone and clearly none to own the theft and none to prove it and nothing to evince it 't is plain he must be risen as he said We have now then no more to do then see the place where c. And where he lay we call the grave A good place sometimes to go into the house of mourning better to go into than the house of mirth says Solomon who had tried both best to recal our wandring thoughts to prepare both for a comfortable death
and joyful Resurrection But Christs grave 2. or Sepulchre has more in it than any else There sit Angels to instruct and comfort us there lie cloths to bind up our wounds there lies a napkin to wrap up our aking heads there is the fine linnen of the Saints to make us bright white garments for the Resurrection You may now descend into the grave with confidence it will not hurt you Christs body lying in it has taken away the stench and filth and horrour of it 'T is but an easie quiet bed to sleep on now and they that die in Christ do but sleep in him says St. Paul 1 Thes. ix 14. and rest there from their labours says St. Iohn Revel xiv 13. Come then and see the place and take the dimensions of your own graves thence Learn there how to lie down in death and learn there also how to rise again to die with Christ and to rise with him T is the principal Moral of the Text and the whole business of the day In other words to die to sin and live to righteousness that when we must lie down our selves we may lie down in peace and rise in glory I have thus run through all the Parts of the Text. And now I hope I may say with the Angel I know ye also seek Iesus that was crucified and are come hither to that purpose But I must not say with the Angel He is not here He is here in his Word Here in his Sacraments Here in his poor members Ye see him go before you when ye see those poor ghosts walk you hear him when you hear his Word or read or preacht You even feel him in the blessed Sacraments when you receive them worthily The eyes and ears and hands of your bodies do not cannot but your souls may find see and him in them all Some of you I know are come hither even to seek his body too to pour out your souls upon it and at you holy Sepulchre revive the remembrance of the crucified Iesus yet take heed you there seek him as you ought Not the living among the dead I hope Not the dead elements only or them so as if they were corporally himself No He is risen and gone quite off the earth as to his corporal presence All now is spirit though Spirit and Truth too truly there though not corporally He is risen and our thoughts must rise up after him and think higher of him now then so and yet beleive truly he is there So that I may speak the last words of the Text with greater advantage then they are here Come see the place where the Lord lies And come see the place too where he lay go into the grave though not seek him there Go into the grave and weep there that our sins they were that brought him thither Go into the grave and die there die with him that died for us breath out your souls in love for him who out of love died so for us Go into his grave and bury all our sins and vanities in that holy dust â— Go we into the grave and dwell there for ever rather than come out and sin again and be content if he see it fit to lie down there for him who there lay down for us Fill your daily meditations but now especially with his death and passion his agony and bloudy sweat his stripes and wounds and griefs and pains But dwell not always among the Tombes You come to seek him seek him then 1. where you may find him and that is says the Apostle at the right hand of God He is risen and gone thither And seek him 2. so as you may be sure find him Not to run out of the story seek him as these pious women did 1. Get early up about it hence forward watch and pray a little better he that seeks hâ—m early shall be sure to find him Seek him 2. couragiously be not afraid of a guard of Souldiers be not frighted at a grave nor fear though the earth it self shake and totter under you Go on with courage do your work be not afraid of a crucified Lord nor of any office not to be crucified for his service Seek him 3. with your holy balms and spices the sweet odours of holy purposes and the perfume of strong Resolutions the bitter Aloes of Repentance the Myrrhe of a patient and constant Faith the Oil of Charity the spicie perfumes of Prayers and Praises bring not so much as the scent of earth or of an unrepented sin about you seek him so as men may know you seek him know by your eyes and know by your hands and know by your knees and feet and all your postures and demeanors that you seek Iesus that was crucified let there be nothing vain or light or loose about you nothing but what becomes his Faith and Religion whom you seek nothing but what will adorn the Gospel of Christ. You that thus seek Iesus which was crucified shall not want an Angel at every turn to meet you to stand by support and comfort you in all your fears and sorrows nor to encourage your endeavours nor to assist you in your good works nor to preserve you from errors nor to inform you in truths nor to advance your hopes nor to confirm your faiths nor to do any thing you would desire You shall be sure to find him too whom your souls seek and He who this day rose from his own Sepulchre shall also raise up you from the death of sin first to the life of righteousness and from the life of righteousness one day to the life of glory when the Angel shall no longer guide us into the grave but out of it out of our Graves and Sepulchres into Heaven where we shall meet whole Choires of Angels to welcome and conduct us into the place where the Lord is where we shall behold even with the eyes of our bodies Iesus that was crucified sitting at the right hand of God and sit down there with him together in the glory of the Father To which He bring us who this day rose again to raise us thither Iesus which was crucified To whom though crucified to whom for that he was crucified and this day rose again to lift us up out of the graves of sins and miseries and griefs be all honour and power praise and glory both by Angels and Men this day henceforward and for ever Amen THE FIFTH SERMON UPON Easter Day 1 COR. xv 19. If in this life only we have hope in Christ we are of all men most miserable ANd if this Day had not been we had been so Miserable indeed and without hope of being other If Christ had not risen there had been no Resurrection and if no Resurrection no hope but here then most miserable we Christians to be sure who were sure to find nothing but hard usage here tribulation in this World and could expect no other or no better
providence and common course But then I must have either an Angel from heaven to tell me so or an evidence from God which I can neither resist nor deny a full evidence besides that it is God that so assures me that he it truly is who requires my belief Otherwise I am to trust no further than reason will assure me nor hope more nor otherwise from Christ or God then true reason grounded upon Gods holy Word and possibilities and probabilities too will move me to To hope other is but to be our own deceivers 4. True hope in Christ should be rightly ordered First Faith then hope then rejoycing in hope then assurance not assurance at the first dash nor rejoycing neither Hope hath a kind of torment with it at the first when the thing we hope for is either delay'd or a great way off The nearer we draw to it the lesser is our torment the nearer are we to our rejoycing Whatsoever joy rises before we come somewhat nigh the thing we hope for is either none or very little and if Faith enter us not into our Hope if Hope be grounded upon Opinion only not on faith it will scarce hold a shaking fit See the Apostles order Rom. v. 3 4 5. first Tribulation then Patience then Experience then Hope then and not before that hope which maketh not ashamed Till you have been tried and tried again patiently endured affliction and temptation till your Patience be grown into Experience till you are become an experienced Christian have had experience both of Gods favours and his frowns and are become an experienced Souldier in the Christian Warfare one well vers'd in that holy trade you cannot have the hope which maketh not ashamed All hope that rises not in this method will but shame you In a word first the hope of righteousness in the order I have told you then the blessed hope of glory All other is preposterous and no better in the upshot than that which is in this life only for it will not hold or not hold beyond it though it talk never so much of another No without the hope of righteousness here a hope that expresses it self by righteousness in this life no hope no true hope I am sure of glory in the other 5. There is a fifth Hope that is as vain which neither knows how to go about nor pursue its ends nor entertain them neither when they come A kind of people there are who lay claim to much hope in Christ yet when good motions arise within them to beget this hope they either carelesly neglect or wilfully quench them when God shews them ways to confirm it they mind it not nay when Salvation it self seems to knock at their very doors they sit still and stir not so much as to open and let it in or if it fall out that they entertain it 't is with so much vanity and self-conceit so much empty prattle and boasting of it self so much shew and specious profession that Christ in whom it is pretended to be all is least of all seen in it True hope is never without humility and discretion it takes all opportunities to confirm and raise it self manages its motions with all carefulness sobriety humility and godly fear expects nothing but what in prudence it may slips no time but what of necessity it must uses whatsoever means it possibly can yet without the least vain ostentation to attain what it wishes and desires 6. To this end sixtly it endeavours after holiness The hope that does not so is no true hope in Christ at all Every one that hath this hope purifies himself says St. Iohn 1 Epist. iii. 3. hath his soul purified in obeying the Truth unto unfeigned love of the Brethren adds St. Peter 1 Epist. i. 22. St. Paul calls it a hope of righteousness Gal. 5. 5. And the Psalmist joins to it doing good Hope and be doing good Psal. xlii 5. as if there could be no good hope without doing good unless it did purifie us to all obedience and love This is the only hope in Christ we read of for approv'd and sound a pure holy obedient operative charitable hope Whatever hope else is said to be in Christ does but usurp the name and is no such and brings us no whither but to the end of the verse to be most miserable Yet 7. Stedfastness and constancy must be added to make hope compleat Upon Faith it must be grounded as we told you and Faith can admit no wavering Sure and stedfast the Apostle calls it Heb. vi 19. Hope without wavering Heb. x. 23. Anchor-hope and Helmet-hope strong and sure Sure nay sure and firm unto the end too Heb. iii. 6. So sure as that it carries rejoycing with it as if it had already obtain'd Heb. vi 11. No doubtful sad melancholick wavering or unconstant piece of business as the hopes of the world are now up now down now merry now sad nor as those false hopes in Christ without ground taken up without discretion pursued and with impurities and impieties daily defiled will one day prove No nor yet any impatient expectation but a hope with patience as the blessed Apostle 1 Thes. i. 3. a quiet and patient waiting for Christ 2 Thes. iii. 5. to be content to endure any thing though never so hard any time though never so long and think nothing too much for his sake There are so many mens hopes of the contrary nature so impatient of any service or hardship or endurance for Christ that with most it is come to more then an If If they have only a false hope in Christ so it is without an If too evident too common the more the pitty I have been somewhat long in discovering the false hopes we have in Christ which little differ either from impudence or presumption to say the least because the religious world as they would be accounted is too full of them because so many deceive themselves with their false glitterings and will needs be forsooth the Saints the only Saints who have hope in Christ who neither know the nature nor feel the power of it More false hopes even in Christ there are but such as may well be reduced to these heads as many false hopes as false beliefs and they are more then I can tell you more then any can more however then the day would give us leave to tell you if we would or could A hope in Christ 1. that misconceives him 2. a groundless 3. unreasonable 4. preposterous 5. indiscreet 6. unholy 7. a wavering inconstant and impatient hope are the only false hopes I have informed you of you may reduce all others to them but this one behind which the Apostle seems to imply by the rule of contraries when he tells us of a hope he had which made him use great plainness of speech 2 Cor. iii. 12. whereby he insinuates that the hope through Christ
dead Earth into Herbs and Flowers Such a wind is this Spirit that gives life to every one that comes into the world for he is the Spirit of Life Rom. viii 2. But that which adds somewhat still to the fuller glory of these effects and must not be pass'd without a note is that 't is Spirit still this wind blows still For however the winds are not always in a noise and bustle yet some spirit of air there is that moves in the deepest stillness Spiritus there is always though not ventus some tender breeze though no gale of wind there is always stirring And if there were not continually some such sweet breathings of the Holy Spirit upon us when those strong and louder blasts seem to be lull'd asleep we were but dead men and might sleep for ever but such there are and we live by them I might but I will not add any more to the Effects either of the Wind or of the Spirit I pass on to their Course and Compass to shew you how far their effects and powers reach The Wind bloweth where it listeth and the Spirit where he willeth And here I must tell you 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Vbi vult is a large circuit Vbi is where and Vbi is when and Vult is what you will especially when 't is his who worketh all things according to the counsel of his will Ephes. i. 11. So that 't will be no stretching to say either of the Wind or of the Spirit that it bloweth 1. Where it lists and 2. How it lists and 3. As much as it lists and 4. On whom it lists and 5. When it lists 1. The Wind blows where it lists on this side or on that side or on any side any where and every where The Spirit does so too only with more propriety to Vbi vult doing out of the liberty of its own will what the wind only does out of the subtilty of its nature No place lies exempted from the power of his will It finds St. Paul and Silas in the prison and blows up the organs of their voices into Songs and Hymns It finds Manasses in the dungeon blows there with his wind and the waters flow out of his eyes It finds St. Matthew at the receipt of Custom and blows him out of a Publican into an Apostle It blows St. Peter and St. Andrew out of their Boat to the stern of the Church of Christ. He blows upon some in their journey as upon St. Paul upon others at home as upon Cornelius upon one in the bed upon another at the Mill upon Ionas in the Whales belly No place beyond his compass not the Isles of the Gentiles not the land of Vz not the Deserts of Arabia Here and there even amongst them he blows some into his Kingdom In a word no chamber so secret but it can get into no place so remote but it can reach none so private but it can find none so strong but it can break through none so deep but it can fathom none so high but it can scale no place at all but it can come into and none so bad but some way or other it will vouchsafe to visit It makes Holy David cry out as in an extasie Psal. cxxxix 6. Whither shall I go then from thy Spirit or Whether shall I go then from thy Presence If I climb up into Heaven thou art there if I go down to Hell thou art there also If I take the wings of the morning and remain in the uttermost parts of the earth even there also shall thy hand lead me and thy right hand shall hold me No place it seems in Heaven or Earth or Sea or Hell it self can hold him out Nor can any hold him to this or that way of working neither for He bloweth 2. How he lists sometimes louder sometimes softer sometimes after this manner sometimes after that He raises new inclinations or he cherishes the old He changes the tempers of men or disposes them He removes opportunities of doing ill or he propounds opportunities of doing good he scares us with threats or allures us with promises he drives us with judgments or he draws us with mercies he inflames us within or he moves us from without which way soever it pleases him No wind so various in its blowing Different ways he has to deal with divers men and diversities of gifts he has for them too differences of Administrations diversities of Operations 1 Cor. xii 5. To one he gives the word of wisdom to another the word of knowledge to another faith to another the gift of healing to another the working of miracles to another prophesie to another discerning of spirits to another divers kinds of tongues to another the interpretation of tongues all from the Spirit says the Apostle in the forecited Chapter Nor was this only for those times He still breaths diversities of gifts and graces as he pleases On some sanctifying graces on others edifying On others both To some he gives a cheerful to others a sad spirit to some a kind of holy lightness to others a religious gravity to one a power wholly to quit the World to another power to stand holy in it to one an ability to rule to another a readiness to obey to one courage to another patience to a third temperance and so to others other graces as he thinks fittest 3. Yet of these gifts to some more to some less not to all alike nay not to the same person always alike neither but 3. as much only as this Spirit will All have not faith alike nor hope alike nor charity alike nor courage alike nor patience alike neither all vertues nor any vertues all alike Upon some the abundance of the Spirit dwells upon others he breaths only some have had exstasies others but only moderate breathings Eliah had abundance of the Spirit yet Elisha has it doubled 2 Kings ii 9. And yet this very same Elisha that presently upon it divides Iordan with the wind of a Mantle and restores waters to their sweetness and earth to its fruitfulness by a cruse of Salt 2 Kings ii 21. in but the very next Chapter cannot so much as prophesie without a Minstrel ver 15. is not so much as in a disposition to receive this divine Spirit without the help of an Instrument of Musick to rally his spirits into harmony and order St. Paul who was but even now caught up into the third Heavens 2 Cor. xii 1. feels by and by such a thorn in the flesh ver 7. that of all that great extraordinary proportion he has no more left him than a poor pittance a mere sufficiency ver 9. 4. And the Person is as much in his own power as the measure is He blows not only what but upon whom he will He is no mans debtor Rom. xi 35. He will have mercy upon whom he will have mercy Rom. ix 18. What
he will make good what Christ has promised and what he comes to be the guide into the way of truth We need not either mistrust or fear it For though Christ himself must go away and leave us because it is expedient that he should yet this Spirit will stand by us howsoever Howbeit he will He is a mighty wind and will quickly disperse and blow away the mists of ignorance and error He is a fire and will easily purge the dross and burn up the chaff that mixes with the truth and hides or sullies it nothing can stand before him nothing shall He comes to us with a Howbeit a non obstante be it how it will though we be blind and ignorant and foolish and full of infirmities and sins so we be willing he will come and guide us Yet if now we will so be guided to close up all We must lastly submit our selves wholly to his way and guiding to the truth and to all of it To his way and order 1. no teaching him how he should teach us Them that be meek shall he guide in judgment and such as be gentle them shall he learn his way Psal. xxv 8. No teaching without humility we must be willing to be guided or he will not guide us Men will not now thence come so many errors and mistakes To truth too 2. we must submit If it be truth no quarrelling against it No seeking shelters and distinctions to defend us from it though we have been long in error and count it a dishonour to revoke it revoke it we must be it what it will or we endanger the loss of the whole truth the Spirit will not lead us And to all 3. too We must not plead our interest or any thing against it be it never so troublesome never so disadvantageous never so displeasing we must resolve to embrace it because 't is truth With this submission too we are now to come to the holy mysteries submit our hearts and judgments and affections here not to presume to pry too much into the way and manner of Christs and the Spirits being there but to submit our reasons to our faith and open our hearts to Christ as well as our mouths to the outward elements and keep under our affections by holy and godly doing that so the Spirit of truth may come into them all And so doing the Spirit will come and he will guide us guide us into all necessary and saving truths guide us to Christ guide us to God guide us here and guide us hence guide us in earth and guide us to heaven THE FOURTH SERMON UPON Whitsunday ACTS ii 1 2 3 4. And when the day of Pentecost was fully come they were all with one accord in one place And suddenly there came a sound from Heaven as of a rushing mighty wind and it filled all the house where they were sitting And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire and it sate upon each of them And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost and began to speak with other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance THE words are the History for the day The day the anniversary for the words This day the Text fulfilled in the ears of some of every Nation under Heaven ver 5. remembred and celebrated by the tongues and voices of the Christian Church throughout the Earth The things done here the reason of the day and the day the memorial of them Here you may see why we keep this Feast why 't is so solemn why 't is one of the dies albi why so white a day a Sunday white with the light of that holy fire that this day came down from Heaven and sate like rays of light upon the Apostles those whitest and purest sons of light the Holy Ghost the third Person of the blessed Trinity descending miraculously in it upon the Disciples as it were a sudden rushing mighty wind filling all the corners both of the place and of their souls and so seating himself in the form of fiery cloven tongues upon each of that holy company and thereby giving them new hearts and words to speak the wonders of the most High A business we are this day to be their Disciples in to use our tongues to the same purpose that we may testifie our selves to be led by the same Spirit breath by the same breath move by the same wind our hearts warm'd by the same fire our words fram'd by the same tongues that this day appear'd so miraculously upon them We have done so in the unity of the Church several times before in the year for Christ the second Person of the Godhead do we so now also for the third the benefits and glory which this day came from him which they this day did after a strange miraculous way receive we may this day also receive in an efficacious way though not externally and visibly yet internally and invisibly from the same Spirit For this Feast is his and our â—â—eech this day principally of him and our praises for him Now the best way to keep the Feast so as to be partakers of the honour and benefits of it is to place our selves in the same fashion set our selves in the same posture dispose our selves after the same order with them here both for the receiving of him and after we have received him For 't is part of the Epistle not the Gospel that I have read you and the business of the Epistle is commonly Doctrine and Instruction as the matter of the Gospel is usually history So we then to be instructed by it how to demean our selves for the receiving of the Holy Spirit how to know how and where and when it is he comes how to distinguish him and his coming from other spirits what to do also when we have received him and when more especially to do the one or expect the other by the pattern and example in the Text. This will prove the best the only celebration of the Feast the most glorious manifestation this day on our parts for the more glorious manifestation this day on Gods the manifestation of our thankfulness for the manifestation of Gods goodness Thus without either nicety or much Art I shall divide you the Text into these Particulars 1. The Disposition of them that the Spirit comes and lights upon them that are all with one accord in one place that are there quietly sitting and expecting Christ there especially upon the solemn days upon the day of Pentecost a solemn Festival 2. The way and manner and order of the Holy Spirits coming suddenly from Heaven like a sound thence like the sound of a rushing mighty wind filling all the house in the appearance of cloven fiery tongues sitting upon each on whom he comes 3. The effect and issue immediately upon it They are filled all filled filled with Ghost and Spirit the Holy Ghost or Spirit begin to speak speak strangely strange tongues
warning of its approach for this reason among the rest least we should attribute any thing to our own preparations yea though they be such as God requires Sudden last of all to shew us our duties not to neglect the light and sudden motions of the Holy Spirit though we know not how or when or whence they rise so we know but whether they go and lead us if to good catch at them let them not go as they came but leap we into the water while it stirrs fan we our selves with this wind while it moves for how long it will stay or whether ever come again we know not take it in the present while we may omit no good motion no opportunity or occasion of any doing well suddenly it comes and suddenly it may be gone if we lay not hold upon it and make use of it Thus from the quickness and suddenness of this Spirits motion Gods grace and goodness his incomprehensible power and operation and our readiness to lay hold upon it are preached to us But from Heaven what next is preached to us but that thence it is all holy winds and breaths and spirits come from Heaven not of men no humane wit can teach what this Spirit does the spirit of man but the things of a man 1 Cor. ii 11. it knows no further the things of Heaven from the Spirit of Heaven de Caelo from the very Heaven of Heavens not any lower Heavens or any other spirits of Heaven but that which has no plural number is but one and is an Heaven it self not only a Spirit of Heaven but Heaven that is the Spirit the Heaven in whom all of us live and move and have our being as in our Heaven of Glory Yet again from Heaven that we may at any time know what wind blows in us if our affections intentions and endeavours are only totwards Heaven set upon Heaven and heavenly things if what moves us be only heavenly and not earthly interests then 't is the good Spirit that reigns and rules in us then 't is the Wind and Spirit and Fire and Tongue a wind out of Gods own treasury a Spirit out of Gods own bosom a fire from that Eternal Light a tongue from that Eternal Wisdom but if our actions come but so much as collaterally and glancing at other respects than God and Heaven 't is no Spirit no motion no work of his Spirit but some others this comes directly straight from Heaven 3. Now from Heaven what is it that comes here there came suddenly a sound from Heaven a sound yes a sound and 't is a good hearing the best news we ever heard since Christs departure a sound that is gone out into all Lands and into the end of the World Sonus coelorum the sound of the Heavens the very true Pythagorical harmony of the Spheres the sweetest sound was ever heard the sound of the Gospel of the Kingdom of Heaven and the knowledge of it We perhaps lookt when we heard of something coming down from Heaven for some glorious Host of Angels Cherubims or Seraphims some or other of them at least or for the new Hierusalem we read of Rev. xxi 2. coming from above down from God out of Heaven and we think much to be put off with a sound yet I must tell you this sound sounds better in our ears the sound of an Eternal Comforter that should abide with us for ever and bring us in due time to that new Hierusalem and those blessed Spirits in Heaven And with a fitter convoy he could not come than with a sound who was now to send and constitute such as should sound out the Gospel over all the World so many Apostles Evangelists Pastors and Teachers Nor yet of all sounds with any so correspondent to him could he come as that of the wind nothing more to express his Glory and Godhead that this Spirit he is that very he that cometh riding upon the wings of the wind a fit blast to stop the idle breath of those saucy enquirers of our age who dispute this blessed Spirit out of his Deity Need had he appear it seems 4. as a rushing mighty wind to rush down these enemies of his and overthrow them Indeed he came to day with so mighty and powerful a blast that we might see both his Power and Godhead as well as his Mercy and Goodness to us his goodness in coming like a wind his power in coming like a rushing mighty one The benefits we receive from the wind represent the benefits we receive from the Spirit and so 1. present his goodness The Wind first purges and clears the Air from noisom and infectious vapours the Spirit clenses and purifies our souls and bodies from the stinking and unwholsom steams of sins and lusts 2. The Wind sometimes gathers up clouds and rains and sometimes scatters them again The Holy Spirit one whiles gathers clouds into the countenance and brings showers into the eyes of the penitent sinner and other while it blows away all blackness from our faces and makes the soul look up and the Spirits smile and dance in our hearts and eyes 3. The Wind cheers and refreshes the Plants and Trees the blessed Spirit cheers the Plants of Grace within us and makes them fructifie and prosper puts life and spirit into the root verdure and freshness into the leaf fineness and subtilty into the rellish of the fruit of all holy actions and vertues 4. The Wind cools the heat and revives the fainting spirit the Holy Spirit does so too allays the inordinate heat of concupiscence within us cools the over-hotness and ardors of our Passions revives us and recovers us when we are almost choakt with the fumes and flames of our own corruption affections and lusts 5. The Wind again kindles the fire and blows the spark into a flame and the Holy Spirit it is that kindles all heavenly warmth and flames within us without his breath we are all but dead coles 6. The Wind scatters the chaff and skreens the dust out of the corn the Holy Spirit blows away all our chaff and dust all our dross and rubbish our vanities and follies and makes us fit corn for Gods own Garners 7. The Wind it is that drives home the Ship into the Haven and the Holy Spirit it is that drives our poor torn and tatter'd Vessels into the Haven where we would be as the Psalmist speaks drives us up and down over the troublesom Sea of this tempestuous World into the Port of everlasting bliss into the Haven of Heaven it self You see the goodness and graces of the Holy Spirit not unfitly expressed by the resemblance of the Wind. See we now his Power as well resembled by it by the rushing mighty wind The Wind is but a thin and airy puff so subtile that we cannot see it yet what a rattling does it make rattles the Ships of Tharsis together tears up Trees by the roots throws down
glances at them or but favourably speaks of them as in that remarkable expression 1 Kings xv 5. where he calls Davids Murther and Adultery the matter only of Vriah the Hittite yet recounting of their vertues he is alway full and large Lastly He sometimes honours them with miracles even at their Sepulchres as he did Elisha 2 Kings xiii 21. makes Napkins and Handkerchiefs from their bodies Acts xix 12. Nay their very shadows Acts v. 15. cure diseases and unless we will believe nothing but what we see done before us in our own days many great miracles have been done at the Sepulchres of the Martyrs God so honouring the memory of their faith and patience to the glory of Christianity and the glorious propagation of it through the world and there have been thousands of Witnesses to attest it And now if God so honour them as if he delighted to honour them it cannot seem strange if I now go on to tell you we are to honour them too It cannot be a sin in us to do that which God does before us that we may do it the better I must confess there has been a fault and still there is some in giving more honour to Saints and Martyrs than their due not robbing Peter as we say to pay Paul but robbing God to give to St. Paul St. Peter St. Mary and other Saints Yet there is a fault in others too to rob the Saints under pretence to give to God But is there not a mean between them Sure sure there is We may give each their due God his and the Saints theirs and all will be well For Praise God in his Saints the beginning of the next Psalm as we may read it and some understand it and may so without offence it coming especially so close to this honour of the Saints may seem to call upon us to give this honour to them And Psal. lxviii 35. may be as well God is wonderful in his Saints as God is wonderful in his holy Places for ought that I can guess by the Sense or Context and a good reason to praise him for them and in them too as well as in his Sanctuary we may praise him I hope for all the wonders that he does for the Children of men be they in heaven above or in the earth beneath And indeed there is an honour due in both to the Saints that dwell on earth as it is Psal. xvi 3. and to the Saints that dwell in heaven Distinguish we but the honour as the Scripture does and find out the several senses of it there and we may know to give each their own We shall begin below see how we are to honour the Saints that are in the earth To honour is 1. to esteem and value one Good men are to be valued be their condition never so mean or poor that 's one duty we owe the Saints whilst they live here and there is good reason for they are very Pillars of the earth and bear it up Psal. lxxv 3. Ten righteous men you know would have saved even Sodom and its four neighbour Cities 'T is good we should prize them high that are more worth one of them than half a City To honour one 2. is to perform the offices of Charity unto him thus we are bid to honour all men 1 Pet. ii 17. to go one before another in giving honour Rom. xii 10. especially then to do it to the houshold of faith men of Piety and Religion 3. To honour is not only to value or to love but to delight to be with to seek their company Honorare timentes Dei Psal. xv 4. to make much of them that fear the Lord never to think our selves so well as in their company All my delight says the same Psalmist is upon the Saints that are in the earth and upon such as excell in vertue Psal. xvi 3. he was never pleased but when he was with them Nay even Saul as bad as he was yet honour me says he I pray thee to Samuel 1 Sam xiv 30. before the Elders of my People and turn again with me his company he must needs have and an honour he acknowledges it to have the company of such a man a holy Priest or Prophet The world now is of another opinion no company so contemptible men are never well till such a one is gone never merry till these holy men are out of doors so far are men from thinking themselves honoured with their Society or willing to honour them with theirs any company rather than such as they they make us melancholy say they they make us sad and dull they trouble us with discourse we do not like with God and Heaven and Vertue and Religion such hard businesses and we know not what But for all that 't is a duty we owe both to our selves and them to give them this honour be they never so poor or despicable and David you hear made it his delight as well as Saul his honour to receive this honour from or give this honour to such men as they 4. To honour is to maintain them too when they have need Honour Widows says St. Paul 1 Tim. v. 3. that is maintain them out of the Churches Stock and they that labour in the Ministry are to be honoured with double honour 1 Tim. v. 17. maintenance and respect out of the Churches Stock and out of ours Honour is thus taken too in the fifth Commandment and we sin against the Commandment both of God and men when we deny this honour where it is due or whensoever the poor Saints stand in need of it Thus you see what it is to honour or how you are to honour the Saints below to set a high value and esteem upon them to perform all offices of Love and Charity unto them to seek their company and take pleasure to be in it and as occasion serves to express the honour and respect we bear them by some outward real Testimonies and Effects We will see now how we are to honour the Saints above To Honour then as it may relate to them is to give them a respect above other men to look upon them as the Courtiers of Heaven as persons in highest place as the Inhabitants of glory as such as are always praying for us Rev. vi 9. such as are following the Lamb whithersoever he goeth Rev. vii 14 15. Nebuchadnezzar himself at the hearing of the interpretation of his Dream could not refrain himself but he must even worship Daniel in whom he saw the wisdom of God so eminent Dan. ii 46. We cannot hold our selves sometimes but that we must needs express some especial respect or other to some who either amaze us with their stupendous abilities of nature or works of grace And is it only strange and irregular to give honour to those glorious Saints whose excellencies are so great whose vertues have been so full of wonder I cannot see why their memories
it 3. Witnesses should be men of rank and quality their worth has plac'd them above the clouds 4. They are authentical habentes circumpositam the Spirit has set them round about us to that intent and he is the Spirit of Truth So far now from doubting of our guide that we wave Nubem and pass to habentes the second relation they have to us not only to direct us but to bear us company And indeed what is Nubem and Nubem tantam and Nubem Martyrum and Nubem testium to us without Habentes except it be ours yea and habentes nobis if we have it not along with us What are the glorious Angels themselves to us but flames and two-edged Swords without this Habentes if we have them not for ministring Spirits What are the Triumphant Saints to us however dazled with their own glories without Habentes if they be none of ours if they be not members of the same Church of the same Religion with us Cast off your Religion quite if you can claim no portion in the Saints if you have no Martyrs What is it then that some so often ask what have we to do with Saints 'T is well besides the Habentes that we have an Impositam from the Vulgar Latine that it is imposed upon us some necessity of it sure and that we have a Circumpositam from the Greek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that not only we have this Cloud but that we have it put about us not of our own putting on Habentes it might be we might have it of our own chusing or fancying we know who have so Clouds of their own making Saints of their own canonizing but impositam or circumpositam it cannot be except some body put it on us and who is it that makes the clouds a garment for this earth but he that makes the Clouds his Chariot Who can dispose of the Saints but the King of Saints So then a sufficient excuse we have for Habentes God it is that compasses us with this Cloud of Witnesses And if they compass us they will be near about us by and by that they may behold our doing to be spectators of our course and Witnesses to that too to rejoyce at our speed to congratulate our success to receive us with the triumphs of glory And yet methinks the Apostle mentions Saints that are gone before how come they now to be round about us Angels indeed are ministring Spirits perhaps some of them may pitcht about us Angelus Domini in circuitu timentium Psal. xxxiv 8. The Angel of the Lord tarrieth round about them that fear him but how can the Saints be said to compass us about May it not be a Metaphor to shew their multitude because there are so many that we cannot turn our eyes any where about us but we see them The Phrase is Davids in another case The sorrows of death compassed me Psal. xviii 4. at every hand on every side at every turn I cannot avoid them Or is it that they guard us round with their Quousque Domine quousque their earnest prayers for their afflicted Brethren Or is it that being there is joy in heaven over one sinner that repenteth St. Luk. xv and they with the Angels make up the Choir and heaven it self encompass us they therefore are said to compass us Or is it that their Graves and Sepulchres are round about us and we as it were still encompassed with their bodies and they as it were did still encompass us in their bodies The word may seem on purpose as it were 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is jaceo and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is circumjacentem lying round about us The Sepulchres of the Saints do so this day As if St. Paul had meant that from the sight and nearness of the resting places of their sacred ashes we should every day be put in mind with thankfulness to acknowledge the riches of Gods goodness in our deceased brethren and learn those vertues whereby their bones now flourish out of their Graves and their memorials live for evermore Least as Abels bloud from the earth so their dust from their silent dormitories should cry out against us Not Suppositam now no supposed cloud 't is true 't is real if it encompass us Such Saints there are without a supposition they die not all when they go hence something there is still to make the God of Abraham the God of the living 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it is and circumpositam it should be not sub nor super not superpositam not set over us they as Lords and Masters of our faith to make what Articles they lift but circum about us as fellow Witnesses and Companions One more not Praepositam not set before us to run to either for mediation or intercession He that regards the clouds thus shall not reap no thanks I am sure The Prayer of the humble pierceth the clouds Ecclus. xxxv 17. flies higher 'T is the Prayer of the self conceited however it seem a voluntary dejection and humility that is stifled in the middle Region and if you mark it there 's no Aspicientes here no looking of up to them habentes is all that 's here aspicientes is kept till the next verse for IESVM For if this cloud dim our eye sight and we instead of being compassed about with them compass them about by Pilgrimages Adoration or Invocation our best way is to the next words Deponentes pondus to cast off that heavy mist that sits upon our eye lids or to the next verse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 turn our eyes from them and look to IESVS the Author and finisher of our faith I hope by this time we know what to do with Nubem what use to make of this Cloud of Martyrs for habentes it is and we have it not for nothing Are they Clouds why habentes first Let 's have them in account for such for something more than earth Habentes in honore let us think and speak reverently of those happy spirits have their vertues in remembrance their remembrances in honour them in our thanksgivings their monuments and ashes in so much respect to keep them from the prophane scattering hand to put us in mind of their exemplary Piety and a Resurrection Habentes nobis next to have them to our selves to apply them home for imitation to ascend up in our thoughts like clouds to heaven in our affections to inhabite there to live and move there in all our actions that Christ may be seen in all our doings To learn from habentes nubem good company from Nubem something heavenly from Nubem in the Singular peace and unity to learn the degree from Tantam from Testium the open profession of our faith and from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 courage and constancy To do all this habentes circumpositam is the way to place them
THE SIXTH SERMON ON Christmas-Day S. LUKE i. 68 69. Blessed be the Lord God of Israel for he hath visited and redeemed his people And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David T IS a Blessed Day our Blessed Saviours Birth-day and a blessed Text we have here for it both a Day and Text to bless him in A Text top-full of blessings and a day wherein they came Blessed Persons and blessed doings in the Text. Blessed Persons the Blessed God our Blessed Lord Blessed David and a Blessed People for a redeemed people are so Blessed are the people that are in such a case Blessed doings in it too God blessing and man blessing God visiting redeeming saving mightily saving Israel And one of Israel in the name of all the rest mightily blessing him for so doing to it All these blessings as well remembred as came in the day Never was Text so fraught with blessings never rose Day so fair with blessings never saw Israel such a one before never shall Israel or any people see such a Day again for blessings till we come into the land of blessedness All that can be said to dim it is that this is not the day that blessed Zachary gave this blessing in it may be nor was this the day that God gave this blessing neither Time it self runs upon such uneven wheels that we are fain to borrow hours and minutes to make up the reckoning of our years and days 'T is enough that we count near it 't were enough if it were a day only set apart by Holy Church to recount it in though it were nothing near it nothing near the day when the Lord God of Israel thus visited and redeemed his people Our business is not to be exact Chronologers of the days of our salvation but exact performers of our Duties our thanksgivings and praises for it Good Zachary does it here before this Redemption was fully wrought six months before this Horn of salvation did appear If we do it a few days before or after it matters not To bless God for it that 's the business Only we must be allowed a day to do it in either first or last But the Church having pitcht it generally every where much about this time We take it as we find it quarrel no more with the Church for doing it now then we do with Zachary for doing it then when he more forestall'd the time then we can possibly mistake it Being therefore come hither to day upon that account the account of blessing God and having here a day of blessing and a Text of blessing we shall divide the words into blessings too Gods blessing and mans blessing Gods blessing man and mans blessing God again I. Gods blessing hath in it these particulars 1. His visiting he hath visited 2. His redeeming us and redeemed 3. His saving or raising up a salvation for us That salvation 4. no mean or little one but a mighty salvation so one of our translations A salvation 5. with a horn to hold by a horn of salvation so the other a sure salvation For us 6. all of us the very people to hold by an universal salvation A salvation 7. raised up an eminent salvation Rais'd up 8. in the right house in the house of David a royal a glorious salvation Rais'd up lastly upon a right ground too David's relation to him his servant David or Gods goodness to his servants a singular and especial salvation for them above the rest This is Gods blessing man the first general with the particulars II. Mans blessing God is the second and that has these 1. An acknowledgment of Gods blessings and his blessedness visiting redeeming saving c. That blessings they are and His they are He visited He redeemed c. He therefore blessed for so doing 2. A particular applying and setting our selves to bless him for them a Benedictus a Hymn set and begun upon it 3. A desire that others even all would do so too for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 may have as well 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 after it Benedictus as well sit as est to follow it for there is neither here so may be and is as well a Wish that others would as a Way that we our selves may bless him by This is all mans blessing God the poor pittances we bless him with acknowledgments endeavours and desires all that we can give him for all his blessings A very short return however to be given him such as it is And to Day however a Day set apart to do it in For all these blessings either rose upon us with the Sun to day or are to rise from us e're it rise to morrow Our Lords Nativity being the chief ground both of Gods blessing us and our blessing him To day it was he began to visit to redeem to save to raise up his horn and ours To day then sure we to raise up our voices for it in a Benedictus in Hymns and Praises All that is in the Text was on his part set on foot as it were to day No reason in the world but what is on ours should be so too That it may I shall first spread Gods blessings here before you so the better to stir up yours I. Mans blessing indeed it is that stands first here yet Gods it is that is so He first blesses before we bless before we either can or can think to do it But you must know it is a day and a business too where all things seem out of order at the first High things made low and low things high the first made last and the last first God made man and man God The very course of Nature out of order quite No wonder then that the words that tell us it are so too that our blessing should be set before Gods However this certainly it must teach us that the first thing we ought now to think or speak of is blessing God Yet the way to do that best is to understand His blessings first I shall take them in their order so his Visiting I begin with Indeed there they begin all 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that 's the rise of all Gods blessings His looking down upon us or looking over us so the word signifies before it comes to visiting is the source of all his mercies There is nothing else to cause them but that loving eye he hath to his poor creatures the pleasure he takes to look upon them That here brings him down to visit them For I must tell you now this visiting is a coming down down from heaven down from his glory down from himself a coming to purpose and down to purpose when he came so low as flesh and a visiting indeed when he came so near us He visited in former times but by his proxies by his Angels the ushers of his glory or by his Prophets or by a Cloud or
by a Fire Here it was first he visited in person 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 was but a looking down from heaven till now a looking on us at a distance and that was a blessing too that he would any way look upon such poor worms as we it could not be construed visiting properly till this day came Now first it is so without a figure Yet is not good old Zachary too quick Does he not cry out 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 too soon our blessed Saviour was not yet born how says he then the Lord hath visited and redeemed his people Answer we might the good old man here prophesied 't is said so just the verse before and after the manner of Prophets speaks of things to come as done already But we need not this strain to help us out Christ was already really come down from heaven had been now three months incarnate had begun his visit had beheld the lowliness of his handmaid says his Blessed Mother ver 48. The Angel had told her twelve weeks since Her Lord was with her ver 28. of this Chapter Blessed Zachary understood it then no less than his Wife Elizabeth that proclaimed it ver 43. though he could not speak it As soon as he could he does and breaks out into a Song of Praise that was his prophesying for this new made Visit this new rais'd Salvation That word slipt e're I was aware comes in before the time But 't is well it did you might else perhaps have mistaken visiting for punishing so it went commonliest in Scripture till to day It does not here This business has alter'd it from its old acception And yet punishing sometimes is a blessing too 'T is a mercy we oft stand in need of to bring us home to God But it is infinitely a greater when he comes himself to fetch us home as now he does Shall I shew you how great it is Why then 1. It is a visit of Grace and honour that he made us here he visited us as great and noble persons do their inferiours to do them honour Hence Whence it is to me says St. Eliz. that the Mother of my Lord should come unto me c. ver 43. She good soul knew not how to value such an honour nor whence it was Whence then is this O Lord that the Lord of that Blessed Mother my Lord himself should come unto me That 's a far higher honour and no reason of it to be given but that so it shall be done to those whom this great King of Heaven and Earth delighteth thus to honour 'T is a blessing first this that we speak of by which God owns and honours us 2. It was a visit of Charity He visited his people as charitable men do the poor mans house to seek some occasion to bestow an Alms. He went about doing good says S. Peter Acts x. 38. As poor as he was and the Apostle tells us poor he was he had a bag for the poor S. Iohn xii 6. and for our sakes it was he became poor says S. Paul 2 Cor. viii 9. emptied bag and himself and all to make us rich His visit now 2. is a blessing that makes us rich 3. It was a visit of Service too He visited us as the Physician does his Patient to serve his necessity to cure and recover him The innumerable multitudes of the sick and lame and blind and deaf and dumb and Lepers and possessed that he daily healed and cured will sufficiently evince he visited them also as a Physician So 't was a blessing 3. that cures all diseases makes all sound and whole again 4. His visit 4. was a visit of brotherly love and kindness He visited us as David did his Brethren to supply their wants carry them provision and take their pledge 1 Sam. xvii 17. He did so and much more becomes himself by this visit our Provision makes his Body our meat and his Blood our drink and himself our pledge supplies all our defects and wants and enters himself body for body and soul for soul to make all good This a visiting no brother could do more no brother so much 5. His visit 5. was not of petty kindnesses but great mercies abundant mercies too He visited us as holy David says he does the earth Psal. lxv 9 11. Thou visitest the earth and blessest it thou makest it very plenteous Thou waterest her furrows thou sendest rain into the little Vallies thereof thou makest it soft with the drops of rain and blessest the increase of it He not only furnishes our necessities but replenishes us with abundances makes us soft and plump and fat and fruitful by his heavenly dews and showers This 5. a visit of abundant superabundant mercies 6. His visit 6. was a visit of Friendship and that 's more yet He visited us as blessed Mary did her Cousin Elizabeth came to us to rejoyce and be merry with us So acquainted has he now made himself with us by this visit that he now vouchsafes to call us friends S. Iohn xv 15. he eats and drinks and dwells and tarries with us makes it his delight to be among the sons of men This is a visit I know not a name good enough to give it And yet lastly his visit was not of a common and ordinary friendship neither but of a friendship that holds to death He visited us as the Priest or Confessor does the dying man When health and strength and mirth and Physicians and Friends have all given us over he stands by and comforts us and leaves us not till he has fitted us wholly to his own bosom A visit of everlasting friendship or an everlasting visit was this visit in the Text. Thus I have shewed you a seven-fold visit that our Lord has made us made Gods first blessing into seven A visit of Honour a visit of Charity a visit of Service a visit of Kindness a visit of Mercy a visit of Friendship and a visit of everlasting Love All these ways he visited his people and still visits them all the ways he can imagine to bless them and do them good And yet I should have thought I had forgot one if it did not fall in with the blessing we are to consider next Redeeming For he visited us also as he is said to do the children of Israel Gen. l. 24. to bring us out of the Land of Egypt out of the house of bondage He visited us to redeem us or visited and redeemed 2. Now if redeem'd Captives it seems we were And so we were under a fourfold Captivity To the World to Sin to Death and to the Devil The World 1. that had ensnared and fettered us so wholly taken us that it had taken away our names and we were called by the name of the World instead of that of Men as if we were grown such worldlings that we had even lost our natures and our names even the best of us the Elect are sometimes called
11. Prophesie had neither life nor spirit without it and the Name of Iesus is the very Amen to it Rev. iii. 14. All the Promises of God too in him are yea and in him Amen says the Apostle 2 Cor. i. 20. His very name is the Amen Rev. iii. 14. The faithful and true witness in the same verse Absolutely faithful and true Rev. xix 11. Nay This same Name Iesus from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to save was rightly given him in this sense first that it saved the honour of God and the credit of his Prophets that their words fell not to the ground but were all accomplished and made good in his blessed Name A good Name the while for us to hold by for our souls to rest on for our hopes to anchor on that is so faithful and true to us will not fail us in a word or tittle II. And indeed it need not for it is 2. a Name of Power A Name 1. at which the Devils roar and tremble Iesu thou Son of God what have we to do with thee A Name 2. that not only scares the Devils but casts them out and unhouses them of their safer dwellings A Name so powerful 3. that pronounced even by some that followed not Christ with the Apostles St. Luke ix 49. that were not of so confident a faith or so near a relation to him it yet cast them out So mighty 4. that in it many of those also cast out devils did many wonderful works St. Mat. xvii 22. to whom he will profess he never knew them who must therefore at last depart down to those Devils they cast out A name it seems that though in a wicked mouth has oft done wonders So powerful 5. that no disease or sickness no ach or aile no infirmity or malady could stand against it His Name says St. Peter hath made this man whole whom ye see and know Acts iii. 16. His name made that man makes all men whole So powerful 6. with God himself that he cannot stand against it cannot deny us any thing that we ask in it If ye shall ask any thing in my name I will do it says Christ St. Ioh. xiv 14. whatsoever it be verse 13. and my Father will do it too St. Ioh. xv 16. In a word Iesus signiffes a Saviour and a Saviour is a name of power He that saves either himself or others must be no weakling The stronger man in the Gospel at least St. Luke xi 22. mighty to save as the Prophet speaks Isa. lxiii 1. But he that saves us from the powers of darkness must be the strong and mighty God too and so is his name Isa. ix 6. or the devil will be too strong for him O thou God who art mighty to save save thy Servants from him save us from all the evils and mischiefs he plots against us that through thy Name we may tread them under that rise up against us III. So will this Name be glorious too so it was and so it is we are to shew you next a Name of Majesty and glory Take it from the reason the Angel gives of the Imposition St. Luke i. 31 32 33. Thou shalt call his Name Iesus Why Why he shall be great and shall be called the Son of the Highest and the Lord God shall give him the Throne of his Father David and he shall reign over the house of Iudah for ever and of his Kingdom there shall be no end The whole together nothing but the Angels comment upon the name Iesus nothing but the interpretation of the name where we consider first that 't is a royal name the name of a King not of any King neither but a King by succession not any new upstart King but of a King from the lineage of ancient Kings not of any hereditary or successive King neither but of one from the Kings of Iudah Kings of Gods own making none of Ieroboams lineage or any others of the peoples setting up more glorious than so And yet more of a King whose Kingdom shall have no end that 's a glorious King indeed All other Kings die and leave their Kingdoms and their names behind them half wrapt up at least in dust and rubbish this has an everlasting Kingdom and an everlasting Name he lives ever and that lives so too But of his Kingdom there shall be no end hath another sense too All the ends of the earth shall come in unto him there shall be no particular end or bound of his Dominion Upon his holy hill of Sion indeed it is God sets him Psal. ii 6. But so there that he gives him the Heathen for his inheritance and the uttermost parts of the earth for his possession ver 8. that he may rule them thence He is both an everlasting and an universal King Nay lastly the King of Kings his Name is written so upon his thigh Rev. xix 16. So glorious a Name has he such a superexaltavit there is upon it so highly exalted is this name Iesus Phil. ii 9. So highly that some Commentators and Grammarians would have it the same with the Name Iehovah then surely 't is full of Majesty and Glory 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 only say they is added either to make it effable which was before ineffable to make it possible and lawful to be uttered which was before scarce either so infinite was the Majesty of that great Name Or 2. to intimate to us that God now is become man 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 taken out of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifies a man and put into his own Name of Iehovah so making it Iehosuah or Iesuah which is our Iesus and the Name now given us to be saved by Whether this Criticism will hold or no the name Emmanuel which says S. Matthew was fulfilled in this of Iesus so fulfilled that the Evangelist quotes the Prophets words of calling him Emmanuel fulfilled in the calling of him Iesus S. Matih i. 21 22 23. as if both were the same that name I say has Gods Name in it to be sure El is one of his so with us it is there joyn'd enough to render it glorious and the Angel telling us in his interpretation and reason of the Name that he was the Son of the Highest intimates it was a Name of the highest Majesty and Glory And what can we say upon it less than burst out with the Psalmist into a holy exclamation O Lord our Governour O Lord our Iesus how excellent is thy name in all the world It is all cloth'd with Majesty and Honour it is deckt with light it spreads out it self in the Heavens like a curtain it lays the beams of its chamber in the waters it makes the cloud its Chariot it comes riding to us upon the wings of the wind the Holy Spirit breaths it full upon us it makes the Angels its Spirit to convey it it makes the Ministers of it a flaming fire it laid the