granted hee doth insist in the latter part only prouing at large that Christ is God And that In respect of the Glorie of his name being Gods owne sonne and heire of all things Worthinesse of his person as being The brightnesse of the glorie of God and the very image of his person Greatnesse of his power vpholding all things by his mightie word Benefit purchased for vs hauing by himselfe purgedous sinnes Dignitie procured to himself in that he sitteth at the right hand of the maiesty on high In all which he doth excell Angels as first hauing obtained a more excellent name then they For albeit Angels are called sonnes of God in respect of their creation and Israel the first borne of God and all elect the children of God in respect of adoption and grace yet no man or Angell is the sonne of God by nature but Christ alone begotten of the substance of the Father as being the brightnesse of his glorie and expresse image of his person Of whom the Father said in the second Psal. Thou art my sonne this day haue I begotten thee And in another text I will be his father and he shall be my sonne And when hee bringeth in the first begotten sonne into the world he saith and let all Angels worship him Insinuating that Christ is not onely greater then Angels but also God to be honoured of all Angels Againe whereas Christ is an eternall King whose scepter is a right scepter and whose throne is for euer and euer Angels are but subiects and seruants according to that of the Psalmist He maketh his Angels spirits and his ministers a flime of fire Moreouer Christ in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth and the heauens are the workes of his hands and all that in them is things visible and inuisible whether they be thrones or dominions or principalities or powers all were created by him and for him and therefore seeing Christ is Creator and Angels his creatures hee doth excell them as farre as things infinite can exceed things finite Lastly Christ sitteth at the right hand of the Maiestie on high heereby signifying that God hath giuen him all power in heauen and in earth and taken him into the fâ—llowship of his glorie for all things that the father hath are mine saith our Sauiour whereas Angâ—ls howsoeuer the he hold the face of our heauenly father and enioy his presence yet are they but mâ—ssâ—ngers and miâ—â—ters extending about his throne for the good of such as are â—eires of saluation as the Nightingale of Prince sweeâ—ty The sacred tutors of the Saints the guard of Gods elect the pursuiuants prepar'd To execute the counsels of the highest Gods glorious Heralds heauens swift harbingers Twixt heauen and earth the true interpreters And here let vs according to the present occasion of text and time magnifie the Father of mercy for that the Sonne of God on this day for our sake became the sonne of man yea seruant vnto men in that he came into the world not to be serued but to serue Matth. 20.28 For that the brightnesse of Gods glorie tooke vpon him the vilenesse of our nature being made a worme and no man a very scorne of men and outcast of the people For that he who was more excellent then Angels at this time became lesse then Angels that hee might make vs so great as Angels Vt not equaret Angelis minoratus est ab Angelis for that he who laid the foundation of the earth and made the world was himselfe now made Factor terra factus in terra Creator coeli creatus sub coelo being the childe of Mary who was the father of Mary Sine quo pater nunquam fuit sine quo mater nunquam fuisser so that whereas Dauid Psalme 118.24 This is the day which the Lord hath made we may say This is the day wherein the Lord was made wee will reioice and be glad in it For that he who sits on the right hand of the maiestie on high and measureth the waters in his fist and heauen with his spanne was now lodged in a stable crouded in a cratch and swadled in a few ragges O beloued if we were not in this great light of the Gospell almost so blinde as the Bat we would wish our selues all eie to behold the babe Iesus in the manger If wee were not as deafe as the stubborne Adder we would wish our selues all eare to heare the tidings of great ioy to all people namely that vnto vs is borne this day in the citie of Dauid a Sauiour which is Christ the Lord. If we were not in some sort possessed with a dumbe spirit wee would wish our selues all tongue to chaunt that heauenly caroll of the glorious Angels Glory be to God on high and in earth peace and good will toward men It is the fashion of many men at this festiuall especially to boast of their rich attire great attendance good fire large cheere yet seeing Christ is heire of all things in the world they cannot in their owne right enioy so much as a Christmas log or a Christmas pye till they be first ingraffed in him I may haue from man my warrant on earth heere that my land is mine my benefice mine my coate mine house horse hose mine and he is a very theefe that taketh away these from me But all the men in the world cannot giue me my possession before the liuing God but his sonne Christ onely who is heire of all and therefore that our land may bee our owne our apparell our owne our meate our owne our men and money our owne let vs be Christs that in him wee may haue the good assurance of all our substance that I may pronounce that vnto you which our Apostle to the Corinthians All are yours and yee Christs and Christ Gods The Gospell IOHN 1.1 In the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was God c. SAint Peter was an Apostle but not an Euangelist S. Luke an Euangelist but not an Aposâ—le S. Matthew was both an Euangelist and an Apostle but not a Prophet but our S. Iohn was all these in his Epistles an Apostle in his Apocalyps a Prophet in compiling his Gospell an Euangelist In which as Interpretors haue with one consent obserued he moâ—nts as an Fagle for whâ—râ—as his felow Euangelists specially treat of the conception birth education and other points of Christâ— incarnation in the world Saint Iohn flying higher then these beginneth his hâ—storie with Christs eternall generation before the worlds in the beginning was the word c. aâ— Augustine vpon my text transcender at omâ—â— cacuminâ— moâ—tiâ—m terrarum transcender at omnes â—ampos â—eris transcender at omnes alâ—s â—dines syderum tranâ—câ—ndâ—rat omnes choros legiones Angelorum nisi enim transcenderet â—sta omnis
shewes to bee most excellent in regard of Himselfe Vnto mee the least of all Saints is this grace giuen Other God Vnsearchable riches of Christ â—idde in God c. Angels Vnto rulers and powers in heauenly things c. Men to make all mensee what the fellow shippe of the mystery is and that by Christ wee might haue boldnesse c. The summe of all which is seeing I haue receiued so much good and endured so much euill for your sake seeing the great mystery concerning the common saluation as S. Iude speakes in his Epistle was not in times past opened vnto the ionnes of men on earth or to the blessed Angels in heauen as it is now declared by the spirit seeing I say yee may see what is the fellowshippe of the mysterie which euen from the beginning hath 〈◊〉 hid in God I desire you not to faint in your course but to continue stedfast in the profession of this holy faith vnto your liues end For this cause Some Diuines haue troubled themselues and other in examining the context heere but it is among words as among men affinnity which is neerest ought to be dearest and therefore seeing the first words of this chapter agree very well with the last of the former I take the coherence to b◠〈◊〉 â—â—uer preached that you Gentile in 〈…〉 〈…〉 are noâ— citizens with the Saints 〈◊〉 together in Christ the châ—â—â— corner stone to be the 〈…〉 And for th◠〈◊〉 namely for that I have together that you Gentiles are 〈…〉 I 〈◊〉 hated of my countrimen accused in their Synagogue 〈◊〉 â—â— their councels iniured by their offâ—cer◠〈…〉 appeale to Casar I was sent to 〈◊〉 where I am apâ—â—â—â—er as you may reade at large in the fast eight chapâ—â— of the Acts of the Apostles A priâ—â—ner of Iesus Câ—râ—â— He was the prisoner of Caâ—ar but Caesâ— had his authoritie from aboue for there is no power but of God Whoâ—oeuer then is in prison is â—â—â—tâ—s Ieâ—u Christs though otherwise libâ—â—â—â—â—eâ—u Christs suffering by Gods power and permittance â—ho can whâ—n he wâ—ll and will as shall make moâ—t for â—â— glorie proclame libâ—rtie to the captues and oâ—â—niâ—g â—â— the prison vnto them that are â—â—â—â—d Or he was â—â—e priâ—oâ—eâ— Châ—â—â—â— as enduring his â—ond for Christs faith and seruice Vâ—â—â—â—s noâ—â— Chrs to â—eâ—pro Christo. Namely for preaching among the Gentiles the eâ—searchable â—â—hes of Chrâ—st as it is in the S. verse So that whereas two thing especially commend a Maâ—tyr saith in Christ and loâ—e to the Church boâ—h are meâ— in the Apostle Hee suffeâ—ed for the true faith a pâ—iâ—onâ—r of Ieâ—â—s Christ and out of vnfained loue to Godâ— people Fâ—r â—â—u Gentiles as it iâ— in the hitteenâ—h verse â—or your sakeâ— euen for your good and example thaâ— yee likewise may conâ—â—nue conâ—tant in the sincere pâ—â—feâ—â—ion of Christianitie Fâ—â—â—â—â—◠〈…〉 is your glorie that ye hâ—â—e such â—n inâ—truâ—tor as is Christâ—n â—n boâ—d noâ— for any faction of yourâ— or fault of his oâ—ne but â—â—r confeâ—ence toâ—â—â—d God euen for the â—â—â—irâ—â—â—n â—f the grâ—â—e whâ—â—h â—s â—â—â—en â—ee to you-ward See Epistle Sâ—nday 16. after Trinitie Hitherto concerning the griefe which our Apostle suffered in Christs cause for the Gentiles I come now to treate of the grace which he receiued In respect of his knowledge being Certaine By reuelation shewed he the mysterie to me Full euen so perfectly reuealed that in a few words you may read and vnderstand â—y knowledge in the mysterie of Christ. Excellent which in other ages was not made knowne vnto the sonnes of men as it is now declared c. Practise whereof I am made a Minister according to the gift of the grace of God which is giuen vnto me c. If you haue heard of the ministration of the grace The calling of ' aul to be the Doctor of the Gentiles as it was knowne vnto himselfe by reuelation so to them by report If yee haue heard c. As if he should haue said if ye doubt not of my calling ye may be well assured of my doctrine But ye cannot doubt of my calling as hauing often heard how Christ in a vision appeared to me saying Saul Saul why persecutest thou me And when I had answered Lord what wilâ— thou haue mee to doe Iesus told Ananiâ—â—s in another vision Hee is a chosen vessell vnto mee to beare my name before the Gentiles and Kings and the children of Israel And so God separated mee from my mothers wombe and called me by his grace to reueale his sonne among the Gentiles as the Gospell ouer the circumcision was committed to Peter so the Gospell ouer the vncircumcision was committed vnto me being an Apostle not of men or by man Galat. 1.1 Or after man Gal. 1.11 but the ministration of Gods grace was giuen vnto me by the reuelation of Iesus Christ. The word mimstration or dispensation may bee construed either passiuely being a grace giuen and dispensed to Paul or actiuely for that Paul was dispenser of it vnto other 1. Cor 4.1 Let a man so thinke of vs as of the ministers of Christ and disposers if the secrets of God His office then is called a dispensation For that it consisteth in the dispensing of Christs vnsearchable riches And the Gospell is called here Gods grace for that it is faithfully deliuered and fruitfully receiued nor by mans merit but onely through Gods free grace Preaching in the teacher and beleeuing in the hearer are both the faire gifts of God Or the Gospell is called Gods grace because the summe thereof is nothing else but the preaching of Gods exceeding rich mercies in Christ intimating that our iustification is not by the workes of the Law but freely by grace through faith As I wrote afore in few words I finde that some construe this of that which is written in other Epistles vnto other men as to Philemon and other Churches as to that of Colossus and Philippi Marlorat is of opinion that our Apostle wrote another Epistle though it bee not extant vnto the Church of Ephesus Other referre this clause to that which is deliuered in this present Epistle to wit vnto that which is sayd in the two former chapters Or to that in chap. 1. vers 9. or chap. 2. vers 14. He is our peace which hath made of both one and hath broken the step of the partition wall In this little briefe is contained all that great mysterie which in times past was not opened vnto the sonnes of men as it is now declared by the spirit that the Gentiles should bee fellow heires and of the same body and partakers of the same promise in Christ by the Gospell Which mysterie in times past was not opened vnto the sonnes of men This verse cannot easily bee digested as one sayd without a graine of
of Remaliahs sonne For albeit they determine to depose thee and to dispose of thy Kingdome purposing to set vp in thy throne the sonne of â—abeal vers 6 Yet thus saith the Lord God their counsell shall not stand neither shall it bee for the head of Aramis Damascus and the head of Damascus is Rezin and within threescore and fiue yeeres Ephraim shall be broken from being a people As if he should say these two kingdomes shall haue their limits and their two Kings must be content with their owne greatnesse they both aspire to the Crown but I haue set them their bounds which they shall not passe Beleeue my words and it shall goe well with you but if ye will not beleeue surely ye shall not bee established vers 9. And therefore that Ahaz and his people might giue credit to this promise the Lord saith our text spake once more to Ahaz Where note Gods long suffering and patience toward an Idolatious and a wicked King who did not vprightly in the sight of the Lord his God 〈◊〉 Dauid his father â— but made his sonne goe thorow the fire after the abominations of the Heathen whom the Lord had cast out before the children of Israel and offered and burnt incense in the high places and on the hilles and vnder euery greene tree The Lord desired not the death of a sinner but that he may turne from his euill waies and liue speaking to him as heere to Ahaz againe and againe turne you turne you for why will ye die O yee house of Israel He doth inuite to mercie not onely such as are godly men according to the prayer of Dauid Do well O Lord vnto those that be good and true of heart But he maketh his Sunne to rise on the euill and sendeth his raine on the iust and on the vniust Matth. 5.45 Hee is not slacke faith Peter in comming to iudgement as some men count sâ—â—icknesse but is patient toward vs and would haue no man to perish but would all men to come to repentance Wherefore thou whosoeuer thou bee which art in the gall of bitternesse selling thy selfe to worke wickednesse nay giuing thy selfe to wantonnesse to commit all vncleanenesse euen with greedinesse How dost thou thinâ—e thou shalt escape the iudgement of God or despisest thou the riches of his bountifulnesse and patience and long sufferance not knowing that the goodnesse of God leadeth thee to repentance The Lord spake to Ahaz againe yet not onely for his sake nor for the wicked alone but rather to prouide for the weake which had some seeds of Godlinesse For albeit they did offend the Lord very much in their distrust and Idolatrie yet God as being the father of mercies in wrath remembers mercy Habac. 3.2 Compassion and forgiuenesse is in the Lord our God albeit wee haue rebelled against him Dan. 9.9 Require a token of the Lord thy God As if Esay should haue said I perceiue you giue credit to my report entertaining my speech as the words of a meere man and not as the word of God Wherfore to demonstrate that I come not in mine owne name but from the Lord of Hosts Aske a signe not of Idols or of strange gods vnable to helpe thee but of thy God Aske a signe not of me but of the Lord which onely doth wondrous things Aske of him Ahaz and thou shalt vnderstand that it is the Lord who speakes vnto thee God for the confirmation of our faith addeth vnto his promises as proppes of our infirmitie signes and tokens which Augustine calles aptly visible words And these signes are of two sorts extraordinarie whereof the Prophet in our present text and that which was giuen to Hezekiah in the 38. chapter of this prophesie vers 7. Ordinarie in daily vse as Baptisme and the Lords Supper the which are signes and seales of Gods holy couenant with vs. And wee must so ioyne faith vnto the word that wee despise not the Sacraments which Almighty God offereth as helps for the strengthening of of our faith It is a true saying that Iesus Christ came into the world to saue sinners And this saying ought by all meanes to bee receiued and one chiefe meane is the ministration of the Sacraments and therefore the frantick spirits in our time who make no reckoning of Baptisme nor of the blessed Eucharist but esteeme them abces onely for little children are worthily censured by reuerend Caluin to separate those things which God hath ioyned together Whether it be toward the depth beneath or toward the height aboue The Prophet prescribes not what token Ahaz should aske lest happily the truth of the miracle might be suspected but hee leaueth it to the Kings owne free choice whether hee will haue it toward the depth or height that is in earth or heauen Or it may be the word depth is of some deeper signification as if Esay should say God will openly shew thee that his dominion is farre aboue all the world yea that it reacheth euen from the heauen of heauens to the very depth of depthes insomuch as hee can at his good pleasure fetch Angels out of heauen and also raâ—e the very dead out of their graues Here then obserue Gods omnipotencie who can doe whatsoeuer hee will in heauen and in earth and in the sea and in all deepe places Psal. 135.6 O God the great and mighty great in Counsell and mighty in worâ—e Behold thou hast made the heauen and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arme and there is nothing hard vnto thee This doctrine is comfortable to the godly who dwell vnder the defence of the most high and abide vnder the shadow of his wings hauing his spirit for their guide and his Angels for their guard But it is very terrible to the wicked in that all the creatures in heauen in earth and vnder earth attend the Lord of Hosts euenmore readie to fight against such as fight against him noneâ— This argueth his pride rather then humblenesse Or as other his trust in the strength of the King of Ashor rather then his affiance in the King of Kings And yet hee colours his foule contempt hypocritically with a faire pretence saying I will not tempt the Lord alluding doubtlesse to the text Deut. 6.16 ye shall not tempt the Lord your God He forgate the words in the some chapter a little before yee shall not walke after other gods c. and only wrested that clause which he thought would fit his turne wrest I say for to require a signe when God inuiteth and inioyneth vs is not to tempt the Lord but to trust and obey which is better then sacrifice Gedeon is commended for asking signes of the Lord Iudges 6. the Pharities on the contrary condemned euen by Christ himselfe the wicked generation and adulterous seeketh a
the Virgins wombe as a bridegroome out of his chamber the Godhead was ioyned vnto the flesh and the flesh vnto the Godhead and these two were coupled together and after an ineffable manner in an ineffable marriage made one Beleeue this and thou shalt haue power to be Gods owne sonne as it is in our text My beloued if thou put on this wedding garment thy soule shall be Christs own spouse so nere so deare to him as that he will say to it I am thy saluation and it may also tell him I am my welbeloueds and my welbeloued is mine For if Pilate by wearing Christs coate without a seame did appease the wrath of angry Caesar how much more shall euery true beleeuer please God our heauenly King if he put on Christ himselfe O the blessed crying of a blessed babe by which euery faithfull seruant and sonne of God escapeth eternall howling in hell O glorious manger in which our soules Manna lay the bread of life that came down from heauen on which if a man feede hee shall not hunger againe O how rich are the ragges which haue made plaisters for our sores for our sinnes I conclude with an hymne of Prudentius Mortale corpus sumpsit immortalitas Vt dum caducum portat aeternus Deus Transire nostrum posset ad coelestia The Epistle Act. 7. 55. And Steuen being full of the holy Ghost looked vp stedfastly with his eyes into heauen c. YEsterday you heard how Christ was borne to day you shall vnderstand how Steuen died In Christs natiuitie who was borne in a little village and in an Inne of that village and in a stable of that Inne and laid in a cratch of that stable wee may learne humilitie not to boast of our great birth In S. Steuens martyrdome wee may behold an excellent patterne how to behaue our selues at our death hauing faith in God and loue toward our neighbours the which assuredly will breed such a Christian resolution in vs as that wee shall depart this life cheerefully lying downe in our graues as in a bed to sleepe for so the text here when hee had thus spoken be fell a sleepe The Church then in ioyning these two festiuals is desirous that wee should learne to liue well as Christ and dye well as Steuen In the words of Augustine Celebraâ—imus hester na die natalem quo rex marâ—yrum natus est in â—â—â—ndo hodie cel bramus natalem quo primicarius martyrâ—um migraâ—â—â— ex mundo Oportebat enim vâ— priâ—â—um immortalis pro mortalibus susciperet carnem sie mortalis pro immortals contemneret mortem Et ideo natus est Dominus vt moreâ—etur pro seruo ne serâ—â—â— timeret mori pro domino Naâ—â—â— est Christus in terris vt Stephanuâ— nasceretur in câ—lis c. And I pray with the same Father hartily donet mihi dominus pâ—â—ca dicere salubriter qui doâ—â—uit Stephane tanto dicere fartiter In the whole text two points are to be considered especially the bloudy behauiour of the Iewes in martyring Steuen godly behauiour of Steuen in his martyrdome toward God in generall hee stedfastly looked vp into heauen and called vpon God particular Lord Iesus receiue my spirit Men heartily praying for his enemies on his knees with a loud voice Lord lay not this sinne to their charge Himselfe vndergoing his martyrdome so comfortably that giuing vp the ghost hee laid downe his head vpon the hard stones as vpon a soft pillow to slâ—epe The Iewes in their blind zeale were so furious and mercilesse that they put Steuen to death who sought to bring them to eternall life stoning him as a blasphemer against God and his law who was a man full of faith and power and the holy Ghost An harsh and an hard fact of a stonie people saith Augustine ad lapides currebant duri ad duros Petris 〈◊〉 qui pro Petra qui Christus est moriebatur Lapides Indaearebellis In Stephanum lymphata rapis quae crimine duro saxeâ— semper eris But of their crueltie toward Steuen and other Prophets of God in the Gospell appointed for this day more copiously The most obseruable point in our present text is the godly behauiour of Steuen in his martyrdome 1. to God he looked vp stedfastly with his eyes into heauen c. As to the place where his treasure was his conuersation was his helpe was Hereby teaching vs whether we should flie for succour in aduersitie not vnto men here below but vnto God in heauen aboue so Dauid When I was in trouble I called vpon the Lord and hee heard me my helpe commeth euen from the Lord. So Iob my witnesse is in heauen and my record is on high And so S. Iames euery good gift is from aboue Calling vpon God and saying Lord. Thomas Becket a renowned Martyr and Saint among the Papists at his death earnestly commended himselfe and his cause to the protection of S. Mary but our protomartyr heere knowing that shee was neque magistra neque ministra neither mistresse of his soule nor yet a ministring spirit to his soule forgetting our Lady calleth vpon our Lord only saying Lord Iesu receiue my spirit the which is not an invocation of God the Father as Fran. Dauid impiously taught making Iesu the Genitiue case and the meaning thus O Father in heauen which art the Lord of thy sonne Iesu but as Ambrose notes a prayer vnto God the Sonne for besides infinite places of holy Scripture wheâ—e Christ is called Lord and called vpon as the Lord. S. Iohn Apocalips 22.20 vseth as Steuen here Iesu in the vocatiue Case etiam veni Domine Iesu euen so come Lord Iesus Where Domine Iesu cannot bee construed the Lord of Iesus but the Lord Iesus See Lorin in loc Bellarmine de Christo lib. 1. cap. 8. If the Lord be considered without Iesus howsoeuer in regard of his power he is able yet in regard of his iustice not willing the good Angels and blessed Saints in heauen are willing but not able wretched vncharitable men on earth are neither able nor willing onely Christ the Mediator betweene God and man is both able and willing to heare vs and helpe vs able because Lord willing because Iesus And therefore Steuen here doth not inuocate the Lord but in the name of Iesus neither doth he call vpon any Iesus but the Lord Iesus he lookes not for any succour either from men on earth or blessed spirits in heauen onely hee poureth out his soule to the redeemer of his soule Lord Iesu receiue my spirit Receiue He knew that his life was hid with Christ in God and therefore commendeth his soule to him alone who created it and redeemed it and iustified it and sanctified it and will in his good time glorifie it O Lord Iesu take thine owne into thine owne
Lord is the death of his Saints And these things as Augustine note are spoken in the Psalme not to shew the Martyrs infelicitie but in amplification of the murtherers inhumanitie For the sea shall giue vp the dead in it and the glorious Angels in the last day shall gather together all Gods elect from the foure winds and from the one end of the heauen to the other and then this corruptible shall put on incorruption and this mortall immortalitie then our bodie which hath a long time slept in the graue shall be roused vp againe by the sound of the trumpet and raised vp againe by the power of our blessed Sauiour who died for our sinnes and rose againe for our iustification And then he shall change our vile bodie that it may be fashioned like vnto his glorious bodie Then he which is the resurrection and the life shall giue vs our perfect consummation in bodie and soule in his eternall glory Iob in his greatest extremitie said I am sure that my Redeemer liueth and though after my skinne wormes destroy this bodie yet shall I see God in my flesh Ambrose being readie to depart out of this world told his acquaintance Non sic vixi vt me pudeat inter vos viuere sed nec mori timeo quia bonum dominum habemus I haue not so liued among you that I am ashamed to liue neither doe I feare to die because we serue a good Lord. Oecolampadius to his friend visiting him at the point of death What shall I say to you newes I shall be shortly with Christ my Lord. The renowned Martyr Babilas when Decius the cruell Emperour had commanded his head to be chopped off vsed the words of the Psalmist O my soule returne to thy rest And Steuen here stoned to death is said Terminis terminantibus to sleepe in the Lord. Felix somnus cum requie requies cum voluptate volupt as cum aternitate The Gospell MATTH 23.34 I send vnto you Prophets and wise men and Scribes c. IT is a good obseruation in the Churches historie that these three commonly succeed each other Ingentia beneficia ingentia peccata ingentes pocnae The present Gospell is an example hereof in which all the same points are very remarkable 1 Ingentia beneficia Christs exceeding great mercy toward the Iewes in seeking their conuersion as well by himselfe as his messengers And those Prophets and wisemen and Scribes and that not once but often how often would I haue gathered and that not cursorily but earnestly Ierusalem Ierusalem not coldly but affectionately like as the benne gathereth her chickens vnder her wings 2 Ingentia peccata the Iewes exceeding great malice toward Christ abusing his meanes ye would not ministers of all sorts Prophets Wisemen Scribes with all kind of iniury Killing Crucifying Stoning Scourging Persecuting in all places not sparing so much as the Sanctuarie whom yee shew betweene the temple and the altar At all times for it is not heere thou that hast killed in time past or thou that wilt kill in time to come but in the present thou that killest and stonest Intimating their continuall habit in killing the Prophets and stoning such as were sent vnto them As if he should haue said qua occidissi occides occisara es 3. Ingentes paere both in respect of the Guilt that vpon you may come all the righteous bloud c. Punishment behold your house is left vnto you desolate Or as other their punishment is threefold Temporall your house is left vnto you desolate Spirituall yee shall not see mee henceforth Eternall that vpon you may come all the righteous blood Wherefore behold This Idea renders not there son why Christ did send Prophets vnto this people but imports the true cause why they persecuted such as were sent namely because they were serpents and a generation of â—â—pers as it is in the words immediately going before Vipers are conceiued by byting off the males head and borne by renting the females belly so they killed their spirituall Fathers the Prophets and rent in sander the compassionate bowels of their deare mother the Church I send How shall they preach except they be sent no man ought to take that honour vnto himselfe but he that is called of God Heb. 5.4 Here then obserue that Christ is very God taking vpon him as the master of the vineyard and Lord of the haruest to thrust forth labourers into the Church It is a token of his mercy to send Prophets and Wisemen and Scribes vnto any nation and an infassible demonstration of his seuere iudgment not to send according to that of the Prophet Amos in his 8. chapter at the 11. verse Behold the daies come saith the Lord that I will send a famine in the land not a famine of bread nor a thirst for water but of hearing the word of the Lord. Prophets and Wisemen and Scribes Howsoeuer all these may be confounded and meet in one yet I thinke with Hierome and other expositors that Christ vsed so many tearmes to shew the riches and diuersities of his grace ordaining some to be Apostles and some Pastor and teachers Ephes. 4.11 As if hee should haue said I will omit no meanes for your conuersion I will send vnto you messengers endued with all varietie of gifts administrations and operations Some distinguish Prophets and Wisemen and Scribes after this sort Prophetae sunt quifutura praenunciant Sapientes qui recte praesentibus vtuntur Scribae qui praeterita nobis in memoriam reuocant God hath dealt with England as with Iewrie speaking vnto vs early and late by his Wickliffes and Whit gifts Bilwys and Bradfords giuing vs his Latymors and Ridleys and other Iewels of all sorts vsing all kindes of messengers adorned with all kindes of gifts sending zealous Preachers endowed with the spirit of prophecie politicke Prelates endued with the spirit of wisdome iudicious and accurate writers endued with the spirit of knowledge who like learned Scribes taught vnto the kingdome of heauen are able to bring forth out of their treasure things both new and old Ierusalem had many Prophets and great is the number of our Preachers England affoords an Eli for an Eliah and a Matthew for a Matthew c. In the first obseruable point of our text concerning Ingentia beneficia Gods owne people the Iewes and wee parallell And some of them shall yee kill and crucifie Some they killed as Iames the brother of Iohn with the sword Some they crucified as Peter and Christ himselfe the Lord of life Act. 3.15 Some they scourged as Paul for thus hee p.c. writes of himselfe Of the Iewes fiue times receiued I fortie stripes saue one I was twice beaten with rods Some they persecuted from Citie to Citie as Barnabas Act. 13.50 Some they
or metonymically vnderstanding by the world men of the world Mundus non capit idest non intelâ—git the world cannot comprehend that is apprehend the bookes that should be written A very lanke conceit for the world in this sense cannot vnderstand so much as one line of the Gospell according to that of Paul The naturall man perceiueth not the things of the spirit of God Other take these words as spoken hyperbolically for the spirit of God accommodating it selfe to the rudenesse of men vseth elsewhere this kind of figure Deut. 1.28 The Cities of the Canaanites are said to haue been walled vp to heauen Exod. 3.17 The land of the same Canaanites is tearmed a soyle flowing with milke and honie Psal. 107. The men who goe downe into the sea in ships and occupie their businesse in great waters are so tossed in the deepe by the stormie winds and waues as that Dauid saith in the 26 vers They mount vp to the heauen and are carried downe againe to the depths And so S. Iohn in auowing the world could not containe c. doth intimate that if all the things which Iesus did should bee written euery one the number of the bookes in folio would be without number As high walles and huge waues are said to reach heauen euen so these bookes hyperbolically to be greater then all the world Other construe this verse literally Iesus is that eternall word in the beginning by whom all things were made Iohn 1.3 and by whose mighty word all things are sustained Heb. 1.3 working from the foundation of the world hitherto Iohn 5.17 So that if euery thing which Iesus did as God both afore the world and in the world should be registred all this huge vniuerse though it be Gods faire library could not containe the bookes that should be written And thus as you see the conclusion of this Gospell is answerable to the beginning both intimating Christs incomprehensible diuinitie Hee made the whole world at the first and hee gouernes all things in the world euer lithens and therefore most impossible that all his words and works and wonders should bee recorded in bookes albeit euery plant were a pen euery drop of water inke euery foot of land paper and euery liuing creature a ready writer The Disciplethen who wrote these things as Horace said of Homer hath so fitly disposed of his whole storie The Epistle APOCAL. 14.1 I looked and loe a Lambe stood on the mount Sion c. THis text is nothing else but a description of Christ a Lambe sitting on mount Sion The Church in quantitie an hundreth fortie and foure thousand qualitative for Faith in that her coÌ„fession is Open hauing his name and his fathers name written in their foreheads a voice like the sound of many waters and great thunder Harmonicall singing a new song of diuerse parts and yet all agreeing as the voice of harpers harping with their harps Good workes in that her children are not defiled with women and in their mouthes is no guile for they follow the Lambe whithersoeuer he goeth and the reason of all is because they were redeemed from the earth and from men that they might be the first fruits vnto God and to the Lambe A Lambe stood on the mount Sion Christ the Sonne of God is the Lambe of God euen the Lambe here mentioned as it is apparant by his correlatiue father For so the text hauing his name and his fathers a Lambe in figure and a Lambe in fact In figure for Christ Iesus is our Pascall Lambe 1. Cor. 5.7 slaine from the beginning of the world Apocal. 13.8 prefigured in the sacrifices of the Law so well as now presented in the Sacraments of the Gospell As one pithily Prius profuit quà m fuit A Lambe indeed so meeke as a Lambe Like a Lambe dâ—â—â—be before his shearer A Lambe for that hee feedeth all his with his flesh and clotheth all his with his white robe of righteousnesse whereby wee stand as it is in our text without spot before the throne of God And this Lambe sits not idle nor lieth asleepe but standeth alwaies in a readinesse to protect his followers He that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleepe Psalm 121.4 Hee standeth not as the beast in fickle sand or sea but on mount Sion which cannot be remoued Psal. 125 1. In the middest of his inheritance the Church against which hell gates shall not preuaile For Sion is a type of Christs Kingdome called often in holy Scripture Ierusalem aboue prepared in the top of the mountaines and exalted aboue the hils He stands on a mount higher then either earth or sea from whence the two beasts his opposites arise So that he is willing to defend his followers as standing and able for that he stands on a mount and left any should doubt of this our Apostle saith I looked and loe Two words of attention assuring vs hereby that the woman persecuted in the wildernesse that is the Church afflicted in the world shall at the last haue the victorie though all the red Dragons on earth and al the blacke deuils in hel furiously rage together against the Lord and against his anointed And here giue mee leaue to remember an obseruable note touching the writings of S. Iohn how that in his Gospell he teacheth especially faith in his Epistles especially loue in his Apocalyps especially hope This booke being as reuerend Bellinger censure h Euangeliâ—â—ssineâ—ss liber of all holy Scripture the fullest of consolation And with him an hundred fortie and foure thousand This affoords comfort that the Lambe stands not alone but hath on his side many from East and West as well Gentiles as Iewes hauing his fathers name written in their foreheads It is thought by some that this number is mysticall insinuating the perfection of Gods elect because both the duodenarie number and millinarie are numbers of perfection It is a certaine number because the Lord knoweth who are his 2. Tim 2.19 as hauing their names written in his booke yet a definite for an infinite as almost all haue noted in that the number of such as are with the Lambe is a multitude which no man is able to number Apocalyps 7.9 it is in it selfe a very great number but in comparison of the company fauouring lies and following Antichrist it is a little flocke a few people which are redeemed from the earth selected out of those innumerable troops of small and great rich and poore bond and free whose names are not written in the booke of life of the Lambe Apoc. 13.8 16. Hauing his name and his fathers name written in their foreheads The vulgar Latine Aretas Ardens and other reade as the translation of Hen. 8 and our Communion booke His name and his fathers name the which is more significant then
the righteousness of faith in his heart And here we may learne the true doctrine of the Sacraments against Anabaptists ascribing too little to them and Papists attributing too much Anabaptists affirme that Sacraments are bare badges of Christianity distinguishing a Christian from an Infidell as a gowne did a Romane from a Grecian But we teach out of our Apostle that the Sacraments are not onely signa but also signacula certaine sure witnesses and seales of grace whereby God inuisibly worketh in vs and doth not only quicken but also strengthen our faith in him And against our aduersaries of Rome wee conclude from hence that the Sacraments iustifie not ex opere operato for if they bee the seales of the righteousnesse of faith how can they saue by the bare worke done without faith Ista non tribuunt quod per ista tribuitur in the wordes of reuerend Hooker they bee not physicall instruments of our saluation as hauing in themselues any vitall efficacy but onely morall instruments of Gods grace the vse whereof is in our hands the effect in his according to that of Augustine Multi nobiscum manducant bibunt temporaliter sacramenta qui bababunt in fine aeterna tormenta Touching Circumcision see further in the Gospell ensuing and concerning the second argument vsed here taken from Gods promise made to father Abraham Epistle 13. Sund. after Trinity The Gospell Lvke 2.15 And it fortuned assoone as the Angels were gone away from the shepeards into heauen c. ALâ—eit this text commend vnto your consideration a great many of remarkeable vertues of the glorious Angels in preaching Christ of the good sheepheards in seeking Christ of blessed Mary the Virgine in keeping Christ as his mother in her louing armes as his handmaid in her lowly heart yet the more proper and proportionable parts accommodated vnto the present feast are principally two 1 The Câ—câ—â—ciâ—ion of Christ. 2 The imposition of his name Iesuâ— Of these first I purpose to speake ioyntly then seuerally These two were ioyned together to thevv that Christ our Mediatour betweene God and man was both a man in beâ—ng circuâ—â—â—d and God in being Iesius that is a Sauâ—â—r of his people from thâ—◠〈◊〉 or Christ happily was called Iâ—sus and 〈◊〉 at the â—aâ—â—â—me to â—â—gnitie that there is no remission of sinne 〈◊〉 it 〈◊〉 of blood Heb. 9. â—1 Hee could not therefore become Iesus vntill hee had giuen vs a taste of his blood for wee haue redemption through his blood euen the forgiuenesse of sinnes according to his rich grace â—â—pheâ— 1.7 or the dolorous Circumcision and sauing Iesus are coupled together insinuating that there should be persecution and bloodshed in the world for the preeching of this name So Christ in the Gospell assured his Apostles expresly Yee shall â—â—â—â—ted of â—â—men â—â— my name And Paul saith of himselfe while hee was an oppressour of the Church I â—â—râ—ly thought in my selfe that I ought to doem 〈…〉 or these two were conioyned to put vsin minde hoâ— God doth exalt the humble and mecke Christ humbled himselfe quoth Paul and became obedient Wâ—â—efore Go I hath also highly exalted him and gâ—uen him a nâ—me â—houe euery name that at the name of Ieâ—us euery â—nee should bow both of things in â—â—â—â—en and things in earth and things vnder earth Or it may be that these were both at once to witnesse that Christ is the true Physition of the world For when all mankinde was exceeding sicke in head and heauy in heart when from the sole of the foot vnto the head there waâ— nothing whole but wounds and swellings and sores full of corruption as it is in the Prophet then our blessed Sauiour came to visit his people binding vp their wounds on this day Pelaculae carnis and powring in oile and wine washing them euen with the wine of his blood and mollifying them also with the sweet oile of his sauing name Iesus For some deriue 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of the Greeke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Or as almost all Interpreters obserue these two went together for that it was vsuall among God people the Iewes to giue names vnto children in their circumcision as it is among vs in Baptisme So wee reade in the first lesson appointed to be read this morning praier that God altered Abrams name when he did institute Circumcision Thy name shall not any more be called Abram but Abraham for a father of many nations haue I made thee Now the reason hereof is plaine that as often as we heare our selues named we might instantly call to minde the Couenant betweene God and vs in holy Baptisme to wit how God on his part promised to be our God and we vowed on our part by Godfathers and Godmothers that wee would forsake the deuill and all his workes the vaine pompe of the world the carnall desires of the flesh and continue Christs faithfull souldiers and seruants vntill our liues end Hitherto concerning Circumcision and the name Iesus iointly let vs now treate of these parts apart and first of Circumcision which is Threefold Carnall vnder the Law Threefold spirituall vnder grace Threefold Celestiall in the kingdome of glorie The first is Sâ—cramâ—ntum â—acrâ—res the second sacra 〈…〉 the third res sacramenti The first in it due time was good the second at all timeâ— is better the third in eternitie best of all The first is nascen 〈◊〉 euery manchild of eight dâ—ies old among you shall â—he circumcised Geneâ— 17.12 The second is renascentiâ—â— a circumcision of the heart in the spirit Rom. 229. when as the regenerate by the sword of the spirit which is sharper then the sharpe kniues vsed in circumcision yea sharper then any two edged sword as being a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart doe not onely circumcise the fore kinne but all the power of the soule and all the parts of the body Circumcising their eye 〈◊〉 they looke vpon a damseâ—â— or behold vanitie Circumcising their eares and their lips hedging their possessions â—rit â— tâ—ornes and making doores and bars for their mouth Ecclesiast 28.24 Hedging their eares again't heresie backbiting â—ttery barring their mouth against lying blasphemie foolish â—â—lking Circumcising their hands that they steale no more but worke the thing that is good Ephes 4.28 Circumcising their feet that they be not swift to shed blood Circumcising their very thoughts Esay 1.16 Wash you make you cleane put away your â—â—â—â—tents out of my sight as our olde English translation according to the vulgar Latine In a word cutting of all superfluous lusts of the flesh and all superfluous cares of the world casting off all the old man which is corrupt and putting on the new man which after God is created in righteousnesse and true holinesse Ephes. 4.22 The third kind of circumcision is resurgentium
vnto the sonne of men as it is now declared by the spirit Read ser. 2.4.6 7 of Augustine de Epiphania Dom. And herein appeares the goodnesse and vnsearchable riches of Christ in that he manifested himselfe to the shepheards albeit ignorant and to the Wise-men 〈◊〉 impious In rusâ—â—citate pastorum imperitia praeualet in sacrilâ—gâ— imagorum impietas and yet he who chose the foolish things of the world to confound the wise and came not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance appeared vpon Christmas day to shepheards and on this day to wise but wicked Astrologers Vt nullus magnus 〈◊〉 nullu infirmâ—u desperaret as Augustine and Aquine sweetly To Ierusalem As to the Citie of God acquainted with the diuine oracles hauing Moses and the Prophets which witnesse of the Messias And here they did learnâ— that Christ should be borne at Bethlehem in Iurie for 〈◊〉 it is written by the Prophet and thou Bethlehem in the land of Iurie are not the least among the Princes of Iuda for out of thee shall come vnto me the Captaine that shall gouerne my people Israel And so hauing the light of Gods holy word added to the starre they went on their iourney with cheerefulnesse vntill they came to the place where the childe was Or to the Scribes and Pharisies at Ierusalem to condemne their â—â—â—ggishnesse and carnalitie who standing hard by saw not so much as they who came from farre Verâ—â—s ill minat magus insiâ—â—litas obâ—â—â—at magistros Carnales 〈…〉 quod 〈…〉 veâ— 1. quod oftendet vâ—â—tur paginis quarum non ere dis eloquâ—â— In which respect Augustine compared the Iewish Doctors vnto stenes erected in common passages that teach other how to walke in the right way but themselues stand still And he 〈◊〉 vs vpon bowed knees intreat the Father of mercies and God of all grace so to lighten our darke vndeâ—â—â—â—â—ng with his heauenly starâ—e that wee may 〈◊〉 and spiritually discâ—â—ne the things of the Scriptures 〈◊〉 the Lord as Augustine prophecied a great while 〈◊〉 four our 〈…〉 and carnalitie take his word from vs Christians as hee did his kingdome from the Iewes and giue it to such as wee thinke to bee most alien from God and his Gospell Examine the cited passages and passions of that holy Father againe and againe Decies repetita placebunt and then in thy serious meditations apply them vnto the present Romish Synagogue and thou shalt easily find that the Protestants estate in respect of the Papists is very like to this of the Wise men in respect of the Iewes For as the Iewes euer boasted of the Temple so the Papists of the Church as the Iewes and onely the Iewes in times past had Gods Law so the Papists in latter ages and if you will beleeue themselues onely the Papists imbrace the Catholike faith As the Iewes were magnificent in their Ceremonies euen so the Papists exceeding glorious in their ornaments orders outsides of the Church And yet such as are Wise-men and haue wit to count the number of the Beast know that Antichrists seate is the Romane sea Hee whose pencill is not inferiour to many standing in so fit a place as any to take Romes picture portrayeth her thus Roma in Hebrew Signifieth Height Roma in Greeke Signifieth Strength Roma in Latine Signifieth Loue if it bee read backward Roma in English Signifieth Roome or place Foure tongues like trumpets Rome doe sound thy name In Hebrew thou art Height in Greeke a power And Loue in Latine speech-and Place in our Foure squares of hundred yeeres doe sit the same The first in Height exalted Christ his name The next in Strength augmented worldly power The third Gods loue cast Backward on thy flowre The fourth in empty place hath shewed thy shame And now foure waies thou wouldest fall conceale With Scriptures vpper Height and strength of schooles And forme of Zeale and Rome the head of fooles The Height mants ground to reason truth to zeale Sâ—â—ente and Roome cone cyueth 〈◊〉 no grace Thy height of strength is backward loue of place We haue seen his sâ—arre Cardinal Abacus and Albertus haue written that these Wise men endowed with extraordinary skill in Astrologie might foreknow the time when our blessed Sauiour should be borne by the position of starres and constitution of the planets But this assertion is vtterly condemned by S. Augustine and other holy Fathers of the Church as you may finde in Beauxanis Har. Tom. 1. fol. 60.61 Sixt. sinen bibliothec lib. 6. annot 10. It is apparent that this starre was not ordinarie but in many properties especially three differing from all other in the skie to wit In Place for it could not haue shewed the direct way to such as trauelled by it vnlesse it had been in the lowest region of the aire Mouing for it moued not circle wise but went right forward as a guide of the way none otherwise then the cloud and piller of fire went before the people of Israel at their going out of Egypt Brightnesse for whereas other starres appeare to shine by night onely this gaue light euen in the broad day Hac stella quae solis votam Vinest decore ac lmiue Gregorie Nissen and Aquine thinke that it was a new hure created onely for this purpose Theophylact and â—uthymiue that it was an Angel or fome other heauenly power appearing not in the nature but in the figure of a starre S. Augustine saith it was manifica liagaacali the stately tongue of heauen Other coniecture that it was the holy ghost appearing in the likenesse of a starre at Christs birth as in the likenesse of a Doue at Christs baptisme For as Baronius out of the great opinion of his owne reading is bold to write all the Fathers agree that these Magi were lead to Christ here by an inward light of the spirit so well as with an outward light in the skies Agente hoe sine dubio in corum cordibus inspinui we drâ—ina vt costantae vâ—sionis mysterium non laterei quod oculic estendebatur insolitum animis non set obsceromâ— And therefore when they found the babe Iesus in a seely cottage they were not any whit discouraged at his contemptible pouertie but instantly they saw non terra portante sed caelo narrante magnum aliquid in parne latere that this little childe was a great King yet a great God and a great King aboue all Gods And hereapon aâ— followeth in our text They fell doâ—â— slat and worshipped him and opened their treasures and offered vnto him gifts gold frankincense myrrhe That is as Augustine glosseth A dorant corporious honorant mu neribus venerantur officijs oculis hominem vident deum abseguijs consiuentur Christ as being the word in the beginning by whom all things were made bestowed on these Wise-men euery good
she shall call his name Now the naming of children is an office properly belonging to fathers and not to mothers In that therefore this charge was wholly referred and transferred to Mary wee may note that Christ was so conceiued of his mother as that hee had no father on earth as also that Ioseph affianced to Mary was rather an helpe then an absolute head a wedded but not a bedded husband I say not a bedded husband after the birth of Christ as Hierome notablie proues in a tract of this argument against Heluidius And for the strengthening of this reuerent opinion I finde a tradition entertained by the most ancient Doctors Origine Basile Theophylast and other that whereas the married women had one seuerall in the Temple for their deuotions and the Virgins another Mary not onely before but after the birth of her sonne also did vsually troupe with the maidens and not with the married liuing and dying a Virgin This Epistle then is all one with the Gospell Esay and Gabriel are messengers of the same errand for that which Esay speakes of Mary Gabriel speakes vnto Mary Thou shalt conceiue in thy wombe and beare a sonne and shall call his name Iesus And they both are so fit for the present feast that he who runs and reades may see the reason why the Church allotted them for this day The Gospell Lvk. 1.26 And in the sixth moneth the Angel Gabriel was sent from God vnto a City of Galilee named Nazareth to a Virgin c. ALmighty God in the twelfth chapter of Exodus enioyned his people to eate the pascall lambes head and feet and purtenance Christ is our Pascal lamb 1. Cor. 5.7 Wherefore wee must as Mary did anoint Christs head feet that is meditate on his birth and death on his ingresse into the world and egresse out of the world This scripture principally speakes of his birth and of the purtenance thereof an euangelicall and angelicall annunciation of his admirable conception In which obserue these 4. circumstances especially When In the sixth moneth Where In a City of Galilee named Nazareth Who saluting Gabriel an Angel sent from God Who saluted A Virgin espoused c. What Haile full of grace c. In the sixth moneth That is as Gabriel expounds himselfe vers 36. in the sixth moneth from the conception of Elizabeth And it is an argument to perswade Mary that shee may haue a sonne for that her consin Elizabeth had conceiued a child in her old age by her old husband Iohn the Baptist as it is thought was conceiued about the latter end of September and Christ according to the Churches account about the latter end of March. In the very same moneth as some coniecture the world was created and so the second Adam was conceiued about the time the first Adam was deceiued For as in Adam all die euen so in Christ shall all bee made aliue The Poet saith of the spring which alwaies beginneth in this moneth Omnia tune florent tune est noua temporis atas noua de grauido palmite gemma tumet And so Christ incarnate making a new heauen and a new earth ecce ego facio noua Behold saith the Lord I make new things Esay 43.19 See Tho. Caten m. Moller in loc Ludolph de vita Christi part 1. cap. 5. Giron ser. 1. Raulin ser. 3. Ferus ser. 5. in annun The Iewes for religious vses and festiuall times counted Nisan the first moneth which for the most part answereth our March and so forward but for ciuill they counted the seuenth the first It is worth obseruing therefore that the Annunciation vnto Zacharie was in the beginning of the Ciuill and this Annunciation vnto Mary in the beginning of the religious or ecclesiasticall yeere Teaching vs hereby that our whole life is onely ciuill and not truly religious vntill Christ be conceiued and formed in vs vntill hee dwels in our heart who reneweth a right spirit within vs. The Angel Gabriel was sent from God Gabriel in Hebrew signifies the power of God a fit ambassadour for such an errand because the conception of Christ and through it the redemption of the world is called expresly the strength of Gods arme Luk. 1.51 Euery Preacher of the Gospell ought to follow this example for his commission he must bee sent from God and in execution of it hee must bee Gabriel that is a man of good courage powerfull in doctrine and exhortation An Angel was sent about this businesse and not a man for sundry reasons especially thice 1. That our humane nature might bee repaired after the manner it was ruinated as a serpent was sent by the diuell vnto Eua to worke our woe so Gabriel an Angel was sent from God vnto Mary to bring glad tidings of our weale Ad Euam angelus malus accessit vt per eam homo separaretur â— Deo ad Asariam angelus banus venit vt in ea Deus vmretur homini 2. An Angell sent vnto a Virgin because Virgins are as Angels according to that of 〈◊〉 Câ—elibatus qua i câ—lobeatus And Christ also saith in the resurrection when there shall be no more marrying that we shal be then as the Angels of God in heauen 3. To shew that Angels are ministring spirits sent forth to minister for their sakes who shall bee heires of saluation Heb. 1.14 and therfore seeing we haue such a guard attending vs on euery side we should do whatsoeuer we doe in a reuerent and seemely fashion alway remembring that wee are made a spectacle to men and Angels 1. Cor. 4.9 Vnto acity of Galilee named Nazaret The Iewes held this country and city so contemptible that the Pharisies said of the one out of Galilee ariseth no Prophet And Nathaniel of the other Can there any good thing come out of Nazaret Heere then obserue that euen Pharisies and learned men may be deceiued as also that God is not tied vnto any place but his spirit bloweth where it listeth And therefore we may not iudge of men either by then countrie or county Ioseph and Mary liued in Nazaret a city of Galilee good people though they dwell in bad parishes and places are the same Mytically Nazaret is by interpretation a flower it was fit therefore that he which is the lilie of the vallies and the rose of the wild should be conceiued in flore i. in Nazaret de flore i. de beata virgine cum floribus i. tempore florum in the spring or flower time Galilee was the marches of the Iewes abutting and adioyning neere to the countrie of the Gentiles and so Christs conception in Galilee doth insinuate that in him all the nations of the world shall be blessed Gen. 22.18 And that hee should breake downe the stop of the partition
wall and to make the Iewes and the Gentiles both one Ephes. 2.14 or Galilee signifieth an end or confine so Christ a Galilean is the end of the law Rom. 10.4 See this and many moe like this apud pont in sed annun To a Virgin espoused to a man whose name was Ioseph Mary though a Virgin was affianced to Ioseph of the house of Dauid for sundry causes â— left her selfe should be iudged an adulteresse and so stoned to death according to Moses law 2. Left her sonne should be reputed a bastard and so consequently not admitted for the Messias He who came into the world not to destroy the law but to fulfill all righteousnesse Matth. 3.15 would not himselfe be borne vnlawfully 3. That Christ heereby might honour both estates of maiden head and marriage of maiden head in that shee was a Virgin of marriage because she was espoused 4. That Ioseph might be to her selfe and her sonne a curator and a guardian in the time of trouble for so we reade in the second chapter of S. Matthew that the Angell of the Lord appeared to Ioseph in a dreame saying Arise and take the babe and his mother and flee into Egypt c. Againe arise and take the babe and his mother and goe into the land of Israel c. 5. That her husband might witnesse her virginity Sicut Thomas dubitando palpando constantissimus factus est Dominicae confessor resurrectionis Ita Ioseph Mariam sibi desponsando eiusiâ— conuersationem in tempâ—re cuiodie sindiosius comprebando factus est pudicitiae fidelissimus testos Pulchra viriusque rei conuenientut dubitatio Thomae desponsaâ—ia Mariae See Bernard vbi in marg Beauxam har Tom. 1. fol. 22. Maldonat in Mat. 1. Sixt. seuen Bib. lib. 6. annot 64. Of the house of Dauid S. Luke sets downe the names of so many places and persons exactly that wee might attend his relation more diligently Noluit nos negligenter audire quod tam diligenter sinduit enarrare Because Christ is the promised seed and sonne of Dauid Mary was espoused to Ioseph of the house of Dauid Hereby shewing her owne petegree by her husbands genealogie for the Iewes according to Gods law were to take wiues out of their owne tribes Dauid is â—iled a man according to Gods owne heart Act. 13.22 And so Ioseph a man of Dauids house was a man according to Gods owne hart to whom he did reueale Secret◠〈◊〉 atque sacratisimum sui cordis arcanum a mysterie which none of the Princes of this world vnderstood And Mary being thus affianced to Ioseph she proue in good housewife being in this respect like the Snaile which this 〈◊〉 She was not of the tribe of 〈◊〉 busy gossip â—â—ing about from house to house proâ—ing and speaking things which are not comely 〈◊〉 as almost all 〈…〉 vpon the words of our text 〈…〉 thee was within either at her holy deuotion or at her daily worke I come now to the salutation it selfe Haile Mary c. the which as Luther said of the Pater noster is made by the Papists a very great Martyr I purpose therefore to demonstrate these two points especially First their foule abuse secondly the true vse of Aue Maria. The Papists iniurie this angelicall salutation in Groce by misconstruing the whole sentence ioyntly in Parcell abusing euery particular word seuerally For the first they patch it vp together by fetching in other stitches out of other places as blessed is the fruit of thy wombe and adding the name Maria Iesus amen And all this that it may be repeated often vpon their beades as a maine point of holy deuotion and why so because forsooth it was vsed by the Greeke Church in their Masse daily for so they find it recorded in the Liturgies of S. Iames and Chrysostome Our answere is that those Liturgies are counterfeit the one being a sufficient consutation of the other For if the Greeke Church had a Liturgie written by S. Iames the blessed Apostle who would imagine that Chrysostome would haue made a new and if Chrysostome had penned a Liturgie he would not haue made a prayer for Pope Nicholas who liued almost fiue hundred yeeres after him and for the Emperour Alexius who liued seuen hundred yeeres after him It were very much as B. Iewell obiected against D. Harding to say Chrysostome prayed for men by name so many hundred yeeres before they were borne But to trace the Papists a little neerer euen from step to step if Aue Maria bee a prayer it must either bee a prayer for Mary or to Mary It cannot be a prayer for Mary whether wee consider the words as vttered by Gabriel while shee liued or as babled by them now shee is dead If in her life shee was full of grace and free from all sinne as they teach impiously then assuredly she did not need any prayer of man or Angell as abounding with all mercy and abandoning all misery much lesse now being a Saint in heauen and as they would haue vs to beleeue a queen of heauen ouerruling and commanding Christ himselfe to shew mercy on such as she will haue mercy As Aue maria could not be a prayer for Mary so it should not be a prayer to Mary because praying to Saints hath in Gods holy bible neither precept nor praise nor paterne Not to dispute this point Eckius a â—ancke payâ—st acknowledgeth in his Enchiridon that innocation of Saints is not inioyned in the Scriptures expresly not in the old Testament because the Patriarkes and the Prophets afore the comming of Christ as the Church of Rome beleeues were not in heauen but in limbo Not in the new testament least happily the Gentiles lately conuerted vnto the faith of one God should instantly returne to the worshipping of many Gods as the men of Lycaonia would haue sacrificed vnto Paul and Barrabas Acts 14 Petrus Asoto likewise and other Romanists of most eminent note for learning confesse that praying vnto Saints is not taught in Gods booke plainly but insinuated only So that as Melancthon obserues the Papists are saine to ride post vnto the Court for an example We cannot come to the Princes presence but by the mediation of some fauourite in like sort say they we must exhibite our petitions vnto Peter or Paul especially to Mary that she may commend them vnto Christ her sonne God himselfe hath answered this idle conceit for vs Osea 11.9 I am God and not man the holy one in the mids of thee and Esay 55.8 My wayes are not as your wayes c. Earthly princes out of necessity must employ many mediatours and officers about them as tongues and eares and eyes vnto them but the King of heauen is all eye and all eare seeing hearing vnderstanding all things euen the very secrets of our hearts afore we speake your heauenly father saith our
them that are bound Esay 61.1 and deliuereth vs from the power of darknes Coloss. 1.13 In the fourth estate we confesse a liberty of glory Al the doubt betweene vs and the Papists is of the second estate how man corrupted as renewed how he commeth vnto regeneration after degeneration And yet herein we consent that the will of man in turning vnto God and in doeing good is not a stocke or a stone in all and euery respect passiue for euery man is willingly conuerted and by Gods grace at the very time of his conuersion he willeth his owne conuersion and so the will of man is in some sort a coworker with grace For this end Paul exhorteth vs not to receiue the grace of God in vaine but to worke out our saluation in feare and trembling Philip. 2.12 To this purpose the saying of Augustine is very remarkeable qui fecit te sine te non iustificabit te sine te Fecit nescientem iustificat volentem He who made thee without thee will not iustifie thee without thee What theÌ„ is the maine difference between the Papists and vs in this question it is in one word this they write that our will is a coworker with grace by the 〈◊〉 of nature we say that it workes with grace by grace Thâ—y teach that grace doth enable the will of it selfe to doe good workes if it please but wee further adde that grace worketh in the will of man to please to do such offices as God requireth at our hands He doth not hang his worke vpon the suspended if of our will but he worketh in vs to will and causeth vs to do the things that he commandeth vs to doe We will in deed saith Augustine but God worketh in vs to will we worke but God worketh in vs to worke we walke but he causeth vs to walke we keepe his commandements but he worketh in vs to keepe his commandements In the words of Paul it is God that worketh in you both the will and the worke euen of his good pleasure Philip. 2.13 If God only made thee a man and thou thy selfe hast made thy selfe a good man thy worke of necessity must be greater then Gods worke Melius est enim iustum esse quam te hominem esse our bare being is not so good as our better being wherefore to stop thy presumptuous mouth and to beate the lie downe thy throate Christ here saith expresly ye can beare no fruite except ye abide in me without me can ye do nothing In naturall and humane actions it is true that your will is free yet see that your will is alway subordinate to my will in whom ye liue and moue and haxe your being but in spirituall things appertaining to the kingdome of heauen your selues are not sufficient as of your selues to thinke much lesse to speake least of all to doe that which is good Qui vires in folijs venit a raditibus humor The iuyce which is in the branch commeth originally from the root and so qui viret in folijs c. The graces eminent in the sonnes of God are from aboue proceeding from the father of mercies and fountaine of all grace qui a seipso se fructum existimat ferre in vite non est quiin vite non est in Christo non est qui in Christo non est Christianus non est August tract 81. in Euang. Iohan. Ser epist. Sun 11. 12. after Trinity The rest of the punishments here mentioned are very grieuous as to be cut away from the Viâ—e to be cast out of the vineyard to wither c. but the last of all is the greatest of all I meane the burning of fruitlesse branches in hell fire which is vnquencheable This of all terribles in the Scriptures is most terrible whether we consider in it the paine of the losse or the paine of sense the reprobate which abide not in Christ haue paine of losse for the Vine saith vnto such branches at the last day depart from mee from me that am your first beginning and last end from me that am your redeemer from me that made my selfe man for your sakes and receiued these wounds for your remedy from me that inuited you with pardon and ye would not accept it Wherefore depart for euer from my friendship from any protection from my kingdome from my paradice from my sight And because whatsoeuer is separated from Christ is also separated from those who goe with Christ in saying depart from me he saith likewise depart from mine from the quiers of my glorious Angels from the sweet company of my blessed mother and from all my most happy Martyrs Apostles Prophets Confessors in a word from all the holy Saints and host of heauen into euerlasting fire prepared for the diuest and his Angels For as in sinne there is an auersion from the creator and a conuersion vnto the creatures according to that of the Prophet they haue forsaken me the fountaine of liuing waters and haue diggedpits euen broken pits that hold no water so iâ— the punishment of sinners as diuines obserue there is not onely paena damiti which is answerable to their auersion from the creator but also paena sensiu which is answerable to their conuersion vnto the creatures and therefore such branches as beare no fruite are not only cast out of the sight of the Vine and the whole vineyard but also gathered together and made the fagots and fewell of hell fire the which in many respects is exceeding dreadfull especially because the torments of this Aetna neuer dying euer frying are both vniuersall and eternall Hell paine is vniuersall afflicting euery power of the soule euery part of the body Concerning the soule the imaginatiue faculty shall be tortured with horrid imaginations more terrible then those which a deepe melancholie man suffers in his dreames or then those the cruell Egyptians saw which as the Wiseman speakes were fearefull visions and sorrowfull sights affrighting visages of wild beasts and hissing of Serpents c. Thy will as hauing in nothing it owne will is an hell of it selfe to it selfe The memory shall be continually troubled with a fixed recordation of things passed that it once possessed and of the present which it now suffereth and of those which are to come in eternity So that it cannot thinke vpon any thing which in any sort should administer comfort for if it calles to mind the pleasures it had in the world it is for its greater torment Materia tristitiae non delectationis causa saith Aquine The vnderstanding shall bee so darkened as that it shall bee full of errours and illusions euen as a tumultuous sea with innumerable waues of imaginations more bitter then gall some going other comming all restlesse As for the body the damned are to bee bound hand and foot crouded together in the prison of vtter darkenesse like
should passe from great pleasures in this world to the greatest pleasures in the next vt quis hic ventrem ibi mentem impleat vt de delicys transeat ad delicias And as the same father told Heliodore Delicatus es si his vis gaudere cum seculo postea regnare cum Christo. Here then is comfort for the disconsolate many through lingring diseases as the dead palsie the gout and the like lâ—e bedrid and as it were buried long before their death insomuch as their beds which heretofore were places of rest and ease to them are now couches of teares and misery Yet these men hence haue great comfort if they make good vse of Gods visitation for their bed in their sicknesse on which they suffer so much heauinesse shall on their dying day be to them a Bethanie from which they shall ascend to the kingdome of eternall happinesse Or Bethanie signifies the house of obedience wherfore seeing Christ was obedient vnto God his father in all things vnto the death euen the death of the Crosse therfore God hath exalted him highly Phil. 2.8 Through disobedience we were cast our of Paradise and through obedience wee shall enter in againe sola obedientis accepit palmam inobedientiâ— pâ—nam I passe from the circumstances of place to the circumstances of time When is had spoken these things c. that is as you may reade vers 3. all those things which appertaine to the kingdome of God After hee had blessed them and as it is the Gospell allotted for this day giuen them a large commission to preach adorned with many singular priuiledges and promises assuring them and their posterity that hee would bee present in spirit with them alwaie till the end of the world when hee had spoâ—en all these things he was taken vp on high c. This sheweth euidently that hee is a most induâ—trious and vigilant Pastor of his Church affecting and effecting also the good thereof As the gouerment is on his shoulder so was hee more faithfull in Gods house then Moses was Heb. 3.5.6 He did not ascend and as it were breake vp schoole till hee had instructed his Disciples in all points appertaining to their calling and his kingdome Now looke what care Christ at his ascension had ouer his Church the same must euery Master haue ouer his houshold and euery Minister ouer his cure when it shall please God to take them out of this world A Prophet is sent to King Hezechia to bid him put his house in order for hee must die signifying hereby that it is the dutie of a good Master of a family to haue care not onely for the gouerment of his house whilest he is aliue but also that it may be well ordered when he is dead The same care must in like sort bee practised of Ministers according to the paterne of S. Paul I haue kept nothing backe but haue shewed all the councell of God vnto you take heed therefore c. for I know this that after my departing shall grieuous Wolues enter in among you not sparing the flocke So likewise S. Peter I know that the time is at hand that I must lay downe this my tabernacle I will endeauour therefore alwaies that yee may be able to haue remembrance of these things after my departure If it bee part of thy fidelity that Gods people committed vnto thy particular charge may be well instructed after thy death O how carefull oughtest thou to be for their good in thy life Rapite saith Augustine quos potestis hortando portando rogando disputando c. that is in the words of Paul Preach the word be instant in season and out of season improue rebuke exâ—ort with all long suffering and doctrine The second circumstance of time is while his Apostles beheld c. If any demand why he would not haue the whole nation of the Iewes see him ascend that so they might assuredly know that hee was risen againe from the dead and so beleeue in him Answere is made that it is Gods good pleasure that the mysteries of holy beleefe whereof Christs ascension is one should rather bee learned by hearing then by seeing according to that of Clemens Alexandrinus â—aith is the soules eare Christs owne Disciples indeed were taught his ascension by sight that they might the better teach other who did not see they were witnesses of these things chosen before of God for the same purpose Act. 10.39 41. Whereas therefore Paul had no witnesse of his being taken vp into the third heauen and Eliah one spectator onely who saw him as he went vp in a chariot of fieriâ— horses and a whirle wind into heauen Christ had many beholders of his ascension hee was taken vp on high uidentibus illis in the sight of all his Apostles assembled together He did ascend paulatim as Augustine speaks he was neither suddenly snatched away nor yet secretly stolne away but while they beheld hee was taken vp on high as it followeth in the manner of his ascending to be considered A cloud receiued him out of their sight Now whereas he caused a cloud to come betweene himselfe and their sight it signified vnto them that hereafter they must bee content with that which they had seene and not curiously to seeke to know further what became of him And the same thing is taught vs also wee must content our selues with that Almighty God hath in his holy word reuealed and enquire no further in things appertaining to God His word is a sufficient lanterne to our feet and a guide to our paths a perfect glosse yea glasse of his knowne will in which euery true beleeuer may see so much as hee need to search in this life For the like end in giuing the Law on mount Sinai God appeared in a thicke cloud and when hee did manifest his glory in Salomons Temple a darke cloud filled the same Happily some will obiect how Christ elsewhere promised he would neuer leaue his Church I am alway with you till the end of the world Matth. 28.10 Answere is made that these words are to bee construed of the presence of his Godhead or spirit not of the presence of his manhood and therefore two glorious Angels at the 11. verse chide the Disciples hanging on his bodily presence Why stand yee gazing into heauen It is true that Christ is to be found in heauen yet not with the gazing eyes of flesh but onely with the spirituall eyes of faith It may be further alleaged if the Godhead bee present on earth then the manhood must of necessity be present there because both are vnited together Our Diuines answere this argumeÌ„t that followes not Christs manhood subsists in that person which is euery where ergo his manhood is euery where The reason is plaine saith Aquine because the sonne of God