walke on long enough and no man enuie you no man maligne you or malice you But because God hath inspired you with his principall spirit and endewed you with speciall great graces aboue your fellowes therefore doth your aduersarie the Deuill the old enemie of all goodnes and vertue who is readie to burst to see you doe so well he I say doth bestirre himselfe and raise vp enemies against you But O blessed be our good Lord what a wonderfull comfort and incouragement haâ—…e all you what a horrible terrour affrightment haue all your enemies in this text For the holy Ghost saies not They shall be clothed or you shall cloth them but I euen I shal cloth them with shame It is impossible saies he that you should alwaies be armed at all points circumspect at all places vigilant at all times prouided at all occasions to preuent the mischieuous practises of your deuillish enemies No counsell of man no policie no wisdome no wit can foresee all their barbarous vndertakings and complottes to escape them But in heauen in heauen there is an eye an hand there is in heauen an eye to descrie them and a hand to persecure and punish them both an eye and an hand to deliuer you from daunger and to cloath them with shame Therefore saith he Cast your care vpon me let me alone with them your perill is my perill your case my case I le pay them that they haue deserued He take the quarrell into mine owne â—…ands I le trimme them well enough As for your enemies I shall cloath them with shame RemeÌ„ber I pray you beloued though indeede they haue made themselues worthie neuer to be remembred or once to be mentioned in our mouthes any more yet remember I say to their egregious dishonour reproch how those are now clothed with shame who were the first cause of the solemnizing or as I may say of the sanctifying of this present day for the day of the weeke and of yesterday for the day of the moneth of the twelue moneth with so holy an exercise How odious how execrable is their very name vnto vs what true hearted loyall subiect such as I am sure all are here doth not detest them hate them loath them as a toad or as a viper or as some hidious mishapen monster and curse the very day wherein such a rebellious generation and such a trayterous brood were borne Certainly my good brethren if the mercie of God which is incomprehensible did not giue them grace at the last gaspe to repent and crie to God for pardon as they are cloathed with shame in this world so shall they be much more in the world to come And as we hold them for no better then cursed creatures so shall the Lord at last say vnto them Goe ye cursed into euerlasting fire So let it be o Lord euen so to all the enemies of thine aâ—…ointed either open or secret so let it be to them As for his enemies doe thou thou O Lord thine owne selfe doe thou cloath them with shame But vpon himselfe shall his Crowne flourish These words vpon himselfe either are altogether impertinent and superfluous or else they are very important and materiall For it had beene sufficient to haue saide As for his enemies I shall cloath them with shame but as for himselfe his â—…rowne shall â—…lourish It is not greatly necessarie as it should seeme to 〈◊〉 his crowne shall â—…lourish vpon himselfe Yet the Lord in his gratious answer vnto Dauids praier thought good to put in this as a supernumerarie word ouer and besides the necessitie of the sentence to teach the good King and vs all likewise a very notable lesson Namely that he would blesse the crowne the dignitie the flourishing estate of his louing seruant not onely in his owne person and his posteritie in this world and in the world to come as I haue shewed alreadie but also from a lesser weight of glory still to a greater and greater Vpon himselfe saies he shall his crowne flourish For not onely it shall be as flourishing as Dauid left it at the day of his departure to God but after his dissolutioÌ„ and death as faâ—…t as his bodie corrupteth in the earth so fast shall his crowne encrease still in heauen Trust me truly I speake it before the liuing Lord and this high presence all the whole Church which shall be edified to saluation by Dauids blessed and godly gouernement euen after his death shal yet suffer his crown neuer to die but shall continually keepe it fresh and greene Yeâ—… as euery one brought to the building of the tabernacle and to the reedifying of the temple such as they were able so I assure you I speake now a great word euery particular subiect that is saithfull to God and to his Prince as he goeth on forward to God by the peace and by the religion which he hath enioyed vnder his Prince so he shall still beautifie and decke Dauids crowne one shall bring a white rose another shall bring a red rose and adde it to the crowne that so vpon himselfe still his crowne may slourish the white rose and the redde rose that are in the crowne alreadie beeing euer made more and more fragrant and slourishing O Christ what a crowne is this And what will it growe to much more in the ende You that are mighty Kings and Potentates vpon earth haue indeede great cares and continuall businesse in your heads but yet vouchsafe I pray you to hearken a little what I shal say vnto you You watch oftentimes ouer vs when we are asleepe our selues You care for our peace when it is not in our power to further it you procuring good to Sion and prosperitie to Ierusalem yet many times enioy the least part of it your selues But no force Take this still for your comfort We that cannot all our liues long doe the hundreth part of that good vvhich you doe euery houre shall haue nothing so flourishing a crovvne as you shall haue Vpon you vpon you shall euerlasting peace rest vpon you shall the glorie of Gods Maiestie shine vpon you vpon you shall your crovvne slourish Which the Lord of his mercie graunt I most humbly beseech him for Iesus Christs sake that as Dauids crovvne euer slourished till the first comming of Christ so our gratious Kings crovvne may euer flourish till the second comming of Christ and then that afterward for euer his royall Maiestie may be roy ally crovvned vvith eternall life thorough the same our deare Sauiour Iesus Christ to vvhom vvith the father and the holy Ghost be all honour and glo rie povver and praise dignitie and dominion novv and euermore Amen FINIS A SERMON PREACHED BEFORE the Kings Maiestie that day he entred into Oxford at Woodstocke August 27. 1065. Luk. 8. 15. But that which fell in good ground are they which with a good and a very good heart heare the word and keepe it and bring
Lord giue me goodnes and knowledge But first goodnes and then knowledge Because indeede one heartfull of goodnesse is worth a hundred headfulls of knowledge one handfull of doing is worth a hundred tongue-fulls of teaching For what is the hand else but the very seale of the tongue So that as a writing is not pleadable by the law of man without seales no more is a word warrantable by the law of God without works And theresore if they which serue the beast receiue the marke os the beast not onely in their foreheads but also in their haâ—…ds how much more theâ—… ought we which serue the huing God to receiue the marke of God not onely in our foreheads by open professing of him but also in our hands by faithfull â—…sing that which we professe Therefore it is a vsuall phrase well-nigh in all the Prophets to say The word of the Lord by the hand of Amos by the hand os Zacharie or such like I know indeede it is an Hebrevve phrase vvhere the hand of the Prophet signifieth the ministerie of the Prophet But yet this phrase may giue vs thus much to vnderstand that if the Prophets dealt so as euery vvord of God passed not only thorough their mouthes but also through their hands that then vve also must so deale in hearing handling the vvord of God as vve may bring vnto God saies Agapetus not onely a profering of vvords but also an offring of vvorks Wherefore deare brethren let your light so shine before men that they not onely hearing your good vvords but also seeing your good vvorks may glorifie your father vvhich is in heauen For then I assure you if vve glorifie our father vvhich is in heauen he vvill glorifie vs his children vvhich are vpon earth and in the ende make vs great in the kingdome of heauen O remember therefore that golden saying in the Scripture The seare of the Lord is the beginning of vvisedome a good vnderstanding haue all they that doe thereafter the praise of it endureth for euer A good vnderstanding haue all they that doe thereafter Why so Because an ill vnderstanding haue all they that doe not thereafter They that haue vnderstanding and doe not thereafter that is according to it haue an ill vnderstanding But they that haue vnderstanding and doe thereafter according to it haue a good vnderstanding A good vnderstanding haue all they that doe thereafter the praise of it endureth for euer It shall be eternally rewarded O how richly are the Apostles rewarded how highly are they nowe honoured in heauen because when they were vpon earth they had a good vnderstanding They had clouen tongues Clouen tongues What 's that I 'le tell you Doe you not see how our hands are cloauen and diuided into fingers So were the Apostles tongues They in a manner if I may so say had fingers vpon their tongues as well as we haue vpon our hands It was but a word and a worke with them They had no sooner taught others any good thing as O Lord what good thing did they not teach vs all but by and by they were readie to practise it and to performe it themselues Therefore they are alreadie great in the kingdome of heauen yea and much more shall be The twelue Apostles shall sit vpon twelue thrones iudging the twelue tribes of Israel And if we can happely obtaine so much grace and goodnes of God as that we may haue a care and a conscience as well to doe as to teach then as sure as God's in heauen we likewise shall be great in the kingdome of heauen We shall be enstalled with Christ and his Apostles in the throne of glorie when we shall heare him say vnto vs Come ye blessed of my Father inherite the kingdome of heauen prepared for you For ye haue not onely professed but practised ye haue not onely taught well but wrought well ye haue not onely said well but done well therefore now you shall be great in the kingdome of heauen To the which kingdom of heauen we beseech thee O Lord to bring vs euen for Iesus Christs sake Amen A SERMON PREACHED BEFORE the Kings Maiestie at Drayton in Northhamptonshire August 6. 1605. Psal. 132. 18. As for his enemies I shall cloath them with shame but vpon himselfe shall his Crowne flourish THe Royall Prophet hauing setled himselfe in his kingdom according to his owne desire and besides hauing after many wandrings to and fro at length brought backe the Arke againe to Ierusalem maketh here his most zealous and deuout praier to God for the continuance of his fauour both to the Church and Common-wealth committed to his gouernement Returne O Lord to thy resting place sai's he thou and the Arke of thy strength Let thy Priests be cloathed vvith righteousnesse and let thy Saints sing vvith ioyfulnesse For thy seruant Dauids sake turne not avvay the face of thine anointed Novv that he might apparantly see hovv neere the Lord is to all them that call vpon him in faithfulnesse and truth he vvaiteth not long for an ansvver but carries it avvay vvith him before he depart For to Dauids petition Returne O Lord vnto thy resting place thou and the arke of thy strength Gods ansvver is this This shall be my resting place here vvill I dvvell for I haue a delight therein I vvill blesse her victualls vvith increase and vvill satisfie her poore vvith breade To Dauids petition Let thy Priests be cloathed vvith righteousnesse and let thy Saints sing vvith ioyfulnesse Gods ansvver is this I vvill cloath her Priests vvith saluation and her Saints shall reioyce and sing Lastly to Dauids petition For thy seruant Dauids sake turne not away the face of thine anointed Gods answer is this There shall I make the horne of Dauid to flourish I I haue ordained a light for mine anointed As for his enemies I shall cloath them with shame but vpon himself shal his crown slorish As if he should haue said Turne away the face of mine anointed Nay that will I neuer doe I will indeede turne away the face of the enemies of mine anointed Their face shall be couered with confusion and cloathed with shame But contrariwise I haue ordained a light for mine anointed He euer shall haue a light in his face and a crowne vpon his head As for his enemies I shall cloth them with shame but vpon himselfe shall his crowne flourish These words are principally to be vnderstood of Christ. For neuer were any so cloathed with shame as his enemies the cursed Iewes which murthered him There eitie was sacked not one stone of it beeing left vpon another and they themselues as stubble or chaffe were scattered ouer the face of the earth So that they are the very shame of men and the out-cast of all people Insomuch as when we would signifie we hate a man deadly indeede we commonly vse to say we hate them worse then a Iewe. On the other side
kingdome but onely a way directing to a kingdome For seeing they are no cause neither haue any correspondence or proportion in them in respect of the glorie to come therefore the Apostle saith The afflictions of this life are not worthie the glorie that shal be reueiled And yet againe because the possessing of our soules in patience is a way directly tending to the saluation both of our soules and bodies therefore he saith The momentarie â—…ightnesse of our affliction worketh vs â—… surpassing exceeding eternall weight of glorie To which our Sauiour subscribeth in these words The gate is straight and the way narrowe which leadeth vnto life This straightnesse therfore and narrownesse of affliction is not a cause which deserueth but a gate or a way which leadeth vnto life So in an other place we haue that by many tribulations we must enter into the kingdome of heauen Not by many tribulatioÌ„s no not by any tribulations we must merit heauen but by many tribulations as by a gate or way we must enter into the kingdome of heauen And in this sense S. Paul saies The momentarie lightnesse of our affliction worketh vs a surpassing exceeding eternall waight of glorie But now though this sentence doe not confirme any Popish error yet it doth excellently comfort any distressed and afflicted For it exhorteth vs to be patient in all afflictions and that for foure reasons The two first drawn from the nature of our affliction the two last from the nature of that glory which shal be the reward of our affliction Tâ—… first is because our affliction is momentarie the second because our affliction is light the third because our glorie shal be eternall yea surpassing eternall the fourth because our glorie shall bâ—… weightie exceeding weightie And therefore he saith The momentarie lightnesse of our affliction worketh vs a surpassing exceeding eternall waight of glorie Ineede not here make any apologiâ—… for my selfe nor yet render any reason why I discourse of pouertie before the rich of affliction before those that are euere way slourishing This point was cleared so reuerently and so learnedly of late in this high presence that I am sure it must needes be yet well remembred Certainely though ye haue not beene afflicted heretofore neither are at this time yet beeing men ye may be hereafter Wherefore it is noâ—… 〈◊〉 that we all learne the doctrine of patience in tribulation Partly that we may be more thankfull to God iâ—… hitherto we haue not beene afflicted and plagued like other men Partly that if any time of affliction happen hereafter as any griefe any losse any sickenes or such like we may be prepared aforehand and as it were armed with patience to endure it For the momentarie lightnesse of our affliction worketh vs a surpassing exceeding eternall waight of glorie First our afflictioÌ„ is momentarie Wel sai's Eucherius Nothing is of great importance which is of small coÌ„tinuance Now our whole life is very short What is our life saith S. Iames It is a vapour which for a time appeareth but anon after vanisheth away Therefore saith the Prophet O Lord thou knowest my life as it is in the Septâ—…agint but as it is in the Hebrewe Thou knowest my fliâ—…ting And theresore seeing our whole life is but a vapour or a flitting certenly our afflictions which are all comprised within the compasse of this life must needes be much more momentarie All afflictioÌ„ as the Apostle writeth for the present seemeth not to be ioyous but grieuous but afterward it bringeth forth the quiet fruits of righteousnesse to them that are exercised thereby He saith not that affliction is but that it seemeth to be So that affliction seemeth to be one thing and is indeede an other It seemeth to be grieuous it is indeede ioyous it seemeth to be troblesome it is indeede comfortable it seemeth to be long and tedious it is indeede momentarie and short Euen as God himselfe determineth this matter For a moment saith he in mine anger for a little season haue I hid my face from you but in euerlasting mercie will I turne vnto you againe That we should not doubt of this doctrine he redoubles the promise for a moment for a little season Therefore the Princely Prophet say's plainly Heauinesse may endure for a night but ioy commeth in the morning As the two Angels then that came to Lot log'd with him for a night and when they had dispach't their arrant went away in the morning so afflictions which are the Angels or the messengers of God God sendeth afflictions to doe an arrant vnto vs to tell vs we sorget God we forget our selues we are too proud too selfe conceiâ—…ed and such like and when they haue said as they were bad then presently they are gone Whereupon we read that the spirit of life returned into the two witnesses which had beene slaine by the beast after three dayes and an halfe Why after three dayes and an halfe To teach vs that affliction and persecution may perhaps tyranize ouer vs three dayes and an halfe but they shal not fill vp the whole fowre dayes For the elects sake those dayes shall be shortened Agreeably to that which Iohn Baptist begun his preaching with Repent for the kingdome of heauen is at hand Repent that 's a matter of mortification and affliction to the flesh For the kindome of heauen is at hand That 's a matter of comfort and ioy So our Sauiour Behold I come quickly and my reward with me if Christ will come quickly then affliction will be gone quickly Thus momentarie is our affliction For our whole life is short much more then the afflictions of this life affliction is grieuous but for the present heauinesse endureth but for a night persecution lasteth but three dayes and an halfe the kingdome of heauen is at hand theresore deliuerance is at hand Christ will come quickly therefore affliction will be gone quickly Wheresore seeing our affliction is so momentarie let vs be patient in affliction For the momentarie lightnesse of our affliction worketh vs a surpassing exceeding eternall waight of glorie Secondly our affliction is light Almightie God setting forth his owne excellency saith Who hath measured the heauens with his span and the waters with his fist By the heauens are meant the diuine blessings of God by the waters afflictions woes Those he measureth with his span which is a longer measure these with his fist which is a shorter measure So that the Lord is as I may say a rhetoritian verie plentifull and copious in his blessings he measureth them with his spanne but he is a logitian more short and sparing in his afflictions these he measureth with his fist For in the hand of the Lord there is a cuppe the wine is redde and full mixt he powreth out of the same as for the dregges thereof the wicked of the earth doe drinke them vp First we drinke not
yea whole pictures of his passion and of his resurrection in his head in his hands in his side in his ◅eete When king Arthurs bodie was taken vp somewhat more then sixe hundred yeares after his death it was knowne to be his by nothing so much as by the prints of ten seuerall wounds which appeared in his skull Christ our king who did ouercome death could likewise if it had pleased him haue quite and cleane defaced and abolished all the markes of death Neuerthelesse as at his transfiguration he shewed Peter Iames and Iohn the signes of immortality in his body which was then mortall so here contrariwise at his resurrection he sheweth Thomas the signes of mortalitie in his bodie which is nowe immortall That he and all we might vndoubtedly con◅sse that though they perhaps might be deceiued in King Arthurs bodie yet we can neuer be deceiued so long as we beleeue that the verie same bodie of Christ which in Golgotha the place of dead mens skuls was wounded from top to toe and put to death for vs is now risen again from death to life Euen as king Alexanders stagges were knowne a hundred yeares together by those golden collars which by the kings commandement were put about their necks so much more might Thomas know Christ by his woundes which were as a comly ornament to his head and as chaines vnto his necke we also when we preach the resurrection of Christ preach no other thing but that which we haue heard which we haue seene with our eies which we haue looked vpon and our hands haue handled of the word of life Socrates in his Ecclesiasticall historie writeth that Athanasius being accused by one Iannes to haue killed Arsenius and after to haue cut off his hand that he might vse it to magick and ◅orcerie cleared himselfe notably of this slander Hauing by good happe found out Arsenius who lay hid for the nonce he brought him before the Counsell of Tyrus and there asked his accuser whether he euer knew Arsenius or no He answered yes Then Athanasius called him forth with his hands couered vnder his cloake and turning vp the one side of his cloake shewed them one of his hands And when most men surmised that th◅ other hand ◅t leastwise was cur o◅f Athanasius without any more adoe casteth vp the other side of his cloake and sheweth the second hand saying you see Arsenius hath two hands now let mine accuser shewe you the place where the third hand was cut off Christs case was euen almost the same He was thought by some to be quite dead and gone Bu◅ Thomas seeing those very hands of his which were n◅iled to the crosse acknowledgeth that this our brother was dead and is aliue againe was lost an◅ is found For if the spies that were se◅ to viewe Iericho knew Rahabs hou◅ from all the rest by a red thread whi◅h hung out of the windowe how much more easily then might Thomas know Christ especialy seeing Rahabs house was a figure of Christs body the windowe a signe of the wound in his side the red thread a figure of the streame of blood issuing out of that wound When Vlysses had beene long from home no man almost at his returne knew him yet Euriclea his nurce espying by chance the mark of a wound in his foote which he got by hunting the wild boare by and by made him known to his friends In like manner Thomas beholding the wounds not of Christs feete onely but also of his whole bodie beleeueth verily though the wild boare out of the wood stroake sore at him that he might fall yet that he hath now recouered him selfe and is risen and returned home againe Euen as the wise men knewe Christ was borne by the starre which appeared in the East and knewe also where he lay when he was borne by the standing of that star directly ouer against him so Thomas not by one starre but by many starres which notwithstanding are more beautifull and bright then all the starres of heauen knoweth and confesseth that the true sunne of righteousnesse is now risen and shineth ouer all the earth Thus these blessed wounds witnesse and my hands and put forth thy hand and put it into my side and be not faithlesse but faithfull So much for the first cause which is to approoue his resurrection The second caus◅ why Christ hath his wounds yet to be seene in his body is to appease his father Almightie God was once readie to haue destroied the Israelites had not Moyses his chosen stood before him in the gap Moyses as he was a mediator betweene God and the people was a singulur type of the Messias to come And standing in the gap he did as it were point to Christ. For when our Sauiours side was woū ded then indeede there was a great gap and a great breach made by which all we that beleeue in him may escape Therefore Moyses his standing before the Lord in the gap did signifie as S. Barnard noteth that Christ making intercession before his father for vs shold alwaies stand in the gap and shew how he himself was broken vpon the crosse and as I may say troden downe for our redemption That poore creeple also which begged at the beautifull gate of the temple teacheth vs what he continually doth who when he was rich became poore for our sakes The temple is his bodie which after it had been destroied was built vp againe in three daies The beautifull gate of this temple is the pretious wound in his side of which the Psalmist saies This is the gate of the righteous the iust shall enter in by it Therefore as that poore creeple lying at the beautifull gate of the temple was healed by S. Peter so Christ lying a◅ the beautifull gate of his owne body shewing his most grieuo◅s b◅t yet most glorious susferings and torments appeaseth his fathers wrath and obtaineth whatsoeuer he intreateth of him King Ezekias hauing receiued rayling letters from Senacherib went vp to the temple and spread the letters before the Lord and praied saying Open thine eyes O Lord and see and heare all the words of Senacherib who hath sent to blaspheme the liuing God No Ezekias was euer more taunted and reuiled more scorned and reproched then he who was counted the shame of men and the outcast of the people Wherefore now he spreadeth forth and laieth open not onely the blasphemous words which were v◅tred against him but also the dolorous wounds and gashes which were giuen him that so he may put out the hand-writing that was against vs and appease his father and throughly reconcile him to vs. And looke how king Salomon when he praied for the people stood before the altar and stretched out his hands toward heauen in semblable wise Christ who is farre greater then Salomon standeth euermore beside the altar o◅ his crosse and stretcheth out his beskarred and
a while till Antonius the next day shew'd his robe in the market place all bloody cut and full of holes as his enemies had left it TheÌ„ the people were so incensed and enraged against them that they made the best of theÌ„ all glad to hide their heads The Romanes said we haue no king and therefore they slewe Caesar the Iewes said we haue no king but Caesar and therefore they slewe Christ. But at the day of iudgement what shall Christ say Those mine enemies which would not that I should raigne ouer them bring hiâ—…her and slay them before me Then not only the angels but all creatures shall be readie to execute vengeance on these murtherers when they shall see the robe of Christ washt in vvine and his garment in the blood of grapes When Thamar Iudas daughter in lavv vvas accused for committing folly in Israel she sent to her father in lavve saying Looke I pray thee vvhose these are the signet and the staffe Iuda by and by knevve them and said She is more righteous then I. And so shall Christs enemies be enforced to confesse him more righteous then theÌ„selues yea they shal be quite confounded vvhen they shall see hovv they haue abused him vvhen they shall see the markes vvhich their signet staffe haue made their signet in his hands and their staffe in his side The Prophet Daniel recordeth â—…hat while Balthazar was drinking wine in the golden vessels which hee had taken out of the temple there appeared fingers of a mans hand that wrote vpon the wall and the king saw the palme of the hand that wrote Then his countenance was changed and his thoughts troubled him so that the ioynts of his loynes were loosed and his knees smote one against an other In this case of Balthazar we may consider the state of the wicked what it shall be at the last day When they shall see the fingers and the palmes of Christs hands which they haue so pitifully wounded writing dovvne their doome they shal tremble euery ioynt of them be at their vvits endes and they shall say to the mountaines Fall on vs and to the rocks Couer vs and hide vs from the presence of him that sitteth on the throne and fâ—…oÌ„ the wrath of the lamb Thus these victorious vvouÌ„ds of Christ shal confront coÌ„found his enemies As Saul was astonished wheÌ„ be heard Iesus of Nazareth calling to him as Herod was affrighted when he thought Iohn Baptist was risen againe as the Carthagineans were troubled when they sawe Scipio's sepulchre as the Saxons were terrified when they sawe Cadwallo's image as the Philistims were afraid when they sawe Dauids sword as the Israelits were appaled when they saw Aarons rodde as the Hungarians were dâ—…unted when they sawe 〈◊〉 as drum as the Romanes were dasht vvhen they savve Caesars robe as Iâ—…da vvas ashamed vvhen he savve Thamars signet and stasfe as Balthazar vvas amazed vvhen he savve the hand vvtiting vpon the vvall So shall Christs enemies be confounded vvhen they shall see his hands and his side As if our Sauiour should say thus to euery one of his enemies Thou enemie of all righteousnesse Many things many times hast thou done against me and hitherto haue I held my tongue but novv vvill I reprooue thee and set before thee the things that thou hast done Thou art the man thou art the man that didst murther me and put me to a most shamefull death Deny it if thoâ—… darst Denie it if thou canst These are thy marks which are yet to be seene in my hands This deadly wound is thy doing which is yet to be seene in my side Therefore thine owne eyes shall giue euidence and thine owne conscience shall giue sentence against thee See now whether I say true or no. Look what thou hast done Put thy finger here and see my hands and put forth thy hand and put it into my side and as thou art not faithfull but faithlesse so looke sor no mercie at my hands but for shame and euerlasting confusion So much for the third cause which is to confound his enemies The fourth cause why Christ hath his wounds yet to be seene in his body is to comfort his friends Almightie God in the old law appointed cities of refuge whither they which had sinned vnwillingly might slie and be safe if they staied in any os them till the death of the high Priest Our high Priest can yet plainly prooue by his hands side that once he died for vs. Whither then should we flie sinnefull soules whither should we flie for succour and comfort but to Christ His wounds onely are the cities of refugeâ—… wherein we are safe and secure according to that of the Psalmist The high hills are a refuge for the wilde goates and so are the stonie rocks for the conies O blessed be these high hills blessed be these stonie rocks which protect defend vs yea though we haue willingly sinned not onely against the furie of man and the rage of the world but also against the terrible and dreadsull displeasure of almightie God Therefore our Sauiour speakes to his Spouse in this sort My doue thou art in the holes of the rocke in the secret places of the staires shew me thy sight let me heare thy voice Insinuating that the Church dares neither be seene nor heard of God except shee be in the holes of the rocke and in the secret places os the staires The rocke is Christ. The staires also and the ladder whereby Iacob climb's vp to heauen is Christ. So that the doue which is the Church lying hid in the holes of this rocke and in the secret places of these staires dreadeth nothing but with great boldnes why doe I say boldnes yea with great ioy with great comfort sheweth her selfe to God and speaketh vnto him Here the sparrow findeth her a house and the swallow a nest where shee may lay her young euen thine altar that is thy wounds whereby thou didst offer vp thy selfe as a sacrifice for our sinnes euen thine altars O Lord of hosts my King and my God When Elias flying from Achab came to Beersheba he sate downe vnder a iuniper tree and desired that he might die A iuniper tree maketh the hoatest coale and the coolest shadow of any tree The coale is so hot that if it be rackt vp in ashes of the same it continueth vn extinguished by the space of a whole yeare Therefore whereas we read in the hundred and twentieth Pâ—…alme With hot burâ—…ing coales it is in the Hebrew as S. Hierom noteth with Iuniper coales Which prooueth that iuniper coales be the most hot burning coales that are Now the coale is not so hot but the â—…dowe is as coole Insomuch as the onely shadow of the iuniper tree sleeth and killeth serpents Therefore Elias seeking to rest himselfe where he might be safest from serpents and other daungers sat down vnder a iuniper tree and
desired that he might die For he thought he could neuer with the sparrow finde him a house and with the swallow make him a nest in a better place thē where he was ouershadowed with that Iuniper tree which shadowed out the tree of the crosse of Christ. Of which the Church say's Vnder his shadow had I delight and sat downe and his fruite was sweete vnto my mouth So that if Simeon holding the child in his armes desired to die how much more blessedly then might Elias haue departed now in peace when as beeing wearied with the world he was shadowed with the tree of life and not onely held the child in his armes but also was held himselfe as a child in the wounded and naken armes of Christ. Notably also doth the storie of Noah declare what singular comfort the faith full finde in Christs woundes For onely Noah saued all onely Christ redeemeth all Noah signified rest Christis our rest and peace Noah saued all by the wood of the arke Christ redeemeth all by the tree of the crosse Noah was tossed vp and downe vpon the waters Christ saith to his father Thou hast brought all thy waues vpon me Noah saued all by the doore in the side of the arke Christ redeemeth all by the doore in the side of his bodie Noah the fortieth day after the decreasing of the flood opened the windowe Christ the fortieth day afer his r◅surrection ascendeth vp and openeth heauen Lo ye how all things agree together None but Noah none but Christ Noahs rest Christs peace Noahs arke Christs crosse Noahs water Christs woe Noahs doore Christs side Noahs windowe Christs kingdome The Prophet Hose foretelleth that Ephraim shall flie away like a bird This is fulfilled not only in Ephraim but euen in all mankind All haue gone astray all haue flowen away from God as a hauke which takes a check and giues ouer her pray wherefore Christ holding out his wounded and bloody hands as meate to reclaime vs calleth vs as it were and saith Re◅urne returne O Shulamite returne returne that we may behold thee Prudentius writeth that vvhen Asclepiades commanded the tormentors to strike Romanus on the mouth the meeke martyr answered I thanke thee O captaine that thou hast opened vnto me many mouthes vvhereby I may preach my Lord and Sauiour Tot ecce laudant ora quot sunt vulnera Looke hovve many vvounds I haue so many mouthes I haue to praise and laud the Lord. And looke hovv many vvounds Christ hath so many mouthes he hath to call vs to himselfe so many lures he hath to make our soule flie for comfort onely vnto him Manna vvas a most comfortable meate vvhich God gaue the Israelites It vvas like to coriander seede and the tast of it vvas like vnto vvafers made vvith honey This our holy Saniour applieth to himselfe For vvhen the Capernites said Our fathers did eat Manna in the desert Iesus ansvvered Your fathers did eate Manna in the wildernesse and are dead I am the liuing bread which came downe from heauen Therefore as then there was a golden pot of Manna kept in the Tabernacle that the posteritie might see the bread wherewhith the Lord fed them so there is yet a golden pot of Manna kept in heauen that the faithfull in allages may tast and see how sweete the Lord is which feedeth them with his owne bodie and blood the least droppe whereof though it be as small as a coriander seede yet it is as sweete as a wafer made with honie Hard it is to giue a reason wherefore Christ when he came to the citie of Sichar in Samaria where was Iacobs well sat downe vpon the well about the sixt houre But certainely he did this not so much for himselfe as for vs. That hereby we might learne when the sunne is hotest about the sixt houre of the day whē we are most exercised with afflictions whē we are sorest grieued for our sinnes alwaies to haue recourse vnto Christ alvvaies to goe with the king into the wineseller alwaies to sit dovvne vpon Iacobs vvell Of which the Prophet Zacharie sai's In that day there shall be a fountaine opened to the house of Dauid and to the inhabitants of Ierusalem for sinne and for vncleanenesse Whereupon S. Austin saith verie diuinely In all aduersities sai's he I could neuer yet sind any remedie so cōfortable and so effectuall as the vvounds of Christ. Christ is not vnlike to the poole in Ierusalem called Bethesda hauing fiue porches vvhich beeing troubled by an angell healed any man that vvent first into it vvhatsoeuer disease he had Bethesda signifieth the house of effusion or povvring out in vvhich house Christ dvvelt vvhē he povvred out his blood and his soule for our saluation Therefore hee alone is the angell vvhich came dovvne at a certaine season into the poole and troubled the vvater because vvhen the fulnes of time was come he came into the world to be troubled himselfe and to be crucified that he might heale not onely that one man which had bin diseased eight and thirtie yeares but euen all mankinde with the troubled water and blood which issued out of his side So that there is nothing so comfortable for sicke and sinnefull men as to sit in the seats and porches of this poole Wonderfull are the words of the Prophet concerning Christ He shall feede his flocke like a shepheard he shall gather the lambs with his armes and carie thē in his bosom Which was prefigured in the high Priest who did beare vp with his shoulders a breast-plate wherin were the names of the twelue tribes written in twelue precious stones That which the shepheard doth with his armes and bosom that which the high Priest doth with his shoulders breast that doth Christ with his hands and side He is the good shepheard which bringeth home the lost sheepe vpon his shoulders Yea he writeth the names of all his sheepe in his pretious wounds which are the pretious stones vpon his breast-plate that both declare his loue to vs also allure vs to loue him This makes Dauid say in great deuotion The Lord is my shepheard therefore can I lacke nothing He shall feede me in a greene pasture and lead me forth beside the waters of comfort For as the henne gathereth her brood vnder her wings so God gathereth his children together And as an eagle stirreth vp her nest flo◅ereth ouer her birds taketh them and beareth them on her wings so Christ carrieth vs vp in his hands to the high places of the earth and causeth vs to sucke honie out of the stone and oyle out of the hard rocke Butheius an excellent painter painted an eagle carrying Ganymedes into heauen so nicely and tenderly that her talents did not hurt him but onely beare him vp And in like sort Christ beareth vs vp in his hands that we dash not our foot against a stone yea his right hand is vnder our
turmoiled and tossed Wherfore let vs in time crie aloud and awake him with our praiers Or rather indeede he is not asleepe but awake alreadie We haue awaked him not with our praiers but with our sinnes Our sinnes haue cried vp to heauen And the Lord beeing awaked as a gyant comes forth against vs and as a mighty man refreshed with wine For not onely those are waters which are in the chanell or in the sea but as waters are here vnderstood euen those fires are waters those fires I say which very lately awaked vs at midnight affrighted vs at noone day which raged on the South side and anon after on the North side oâ—… the towne It was but a fewe mens losse but it was all mens warning And what shall we make nothing of this that one kind of disease deuoureth vp the townesmen an other the schollers This is now the tenth course of schollers which within this moneth hath beene brought forth to buriall not one of them dying of the plague whereas heretofore if one or two scholers haue died in a whole yeare out of all Colledges it hath beene accompted a great matter This and such like grieuous iudgements beloued doe plainely declare that the Lord beeing awaked with the cry of our sinnes is grieuously displeased and offended at vs. Wherefore let vs yet now at the length in the name of God rowfe vp our selues and awake out of our deadly sinnes Let this that our holy brother did so sodainly in a manner fall asleepe be a loud O yes as it were to awake vs all Let euery one of vs amend one iudge one accuse one condemne one that we be not all condemned of the Lord. Let euery one of vs I beseech you crie vp to heauen for mercie and say with Dauid I haue sinned and done wickedly Or with Ionas Take me for I knowe that for my sake this great tempest is vpon you Then our most mercifull father shall blesse vs all as he hath done this holy Saint both in our life and in our death by the pardoning of our offences couering all our sinnes with the bowells and blood of Christ. And though in this world we be euer subiect to a flood of many waters yet he shall drawe vs still out of many waters as hee did Moses Surely in the floode of many waters no more then they did to Ionas they shall not come neare vs. Neither onely shall we be safe in the flood of death but also in the flood of the day of iudgement For that also is a flood and a terrible fearefull one too To wit not of water but of fire As it was in the dayes of Noah so shall it be at the comming of the sonne of man In the first flood they which had not an arke ranne vp to the toppes of houses to the tops of trees to the toppes of mountaines because they desired to hold vp their heads aboue the still rising raging water In the second they which are not found in Christ shall say to the mountaines Fall vpon vs and to the caues Couer vs and hide vs from the wrath of the Lambe Then they shall be glad to creepe into euery hold and corner that they may auoide the burning of fire But we that confesse our sinnes and forsake the fame shall lift our heads to no other mountain but tò Christ from whome commeth our saluation we shall desire to be couered with no other rocke but onely with that out of which came the blood and water of life For neuer did Noahs flood so cleane wash away all wicked men from the face of the earth as the blood of Christ shall purge vs from all our sinnes and present vs blamelesse before the face of our father onely if we be faithfull vnto death For then the next thing is felicitie and the crowne of life Which God for his mercie sake graunt vs all that as we make no doubt but this our holy brother now triumpheth with Christ so all and euery one of vs after we haue waded through this world as a flood of many waters may inherit that kingdome of glorie which our louing Lord Iesus hath purchased for vs with his deare blood to whom with the Father and the Holy Ghost be all honour and glorie now and euermore Amen FINIS A SERMON PREACHED AT WHITEhall before the King on tewsday after Lo Sunday 1604. 2. Cor. 3. 18. But all we with open face behold as in a glasse the glorie of the Lord and are transformed into the same image from glorie to glorie as by the spirit of the Lord. THe old Testament and the new Testament in summe and substance are all one Christ Iesus the very summe substance of them both in himselfe is one and the same yesterday and to day and for euer Those mysticall wheeles which Ezekiel sees in a vision are one within an other After the same sort there is gospell in the lawe and there is lawe in the gospell One wheele is within another one testament is within another For neither is the lawe so full of threatenings but that it hath some comforts in it neither is the gospell so full of comforts but that it hath some threatenings in it So that the lawe is nothing else but a threatning gospell and the gospel is nothing els but a comfortable lawe The two cherubims which shadowe the merey-seat haue their faces one toward another In like manner the two testaments which shadowe out Christ the true mercy-seat vnto vs haue their faces one toward another For the old testament looketh forward toward the newe which is come and the newe testament looketh backeward toward the old which is past Those glorious seraphims which sing Holy Holy Holy do call to one another So the lawe and the gospell lauding him alone which is the holy one of God doe call to one another Behold the Lambe of God which taketh away the sinnes of the world There the lawe calls to the gospell when Iohn commends Christ. Among them that haue beene borne of women there hath not risen a greater then the Baptist. Here on th' other side the gospell calls to the lawe when Christ coÌ„mends Iohn Whereupon also commending his spouse he saies Thy two breasts are like two young roes that are twins feeding among the lillies The two breasts of the church are the tvvo testaments out of which vve that are the children of the church suck the pure milke of the vvord of God These testaments feede among the lillies Because they treate and discourse especially of Christ vvho saies I am the lilly of the valleyes These testaments also are like tvvo young roes that are tvvins Because tvvins as vve reade of Hippocrates tâ—…ins vvhen they goe they goe together vvhen they feede they feede together And after the same fashion the tvvo testaments beeing the tvvo breasts of the church go together and feede together like tvvo young roes that are