yet by thy mercy soon enough believe that thou art risen and that thou art indeed my Lord my God who didst upon the Cross receive these wounds for mine and all mankindes redemption and though the Apostle knew Christ dyed for all yet he calls him here Emphatically his Lord his God as who should say this grace and favour was to him alone to have so convincing a Proof made unto him of that Truth he onely among all the Apostles then doubted of 29. And lest the Apostle should Glory that by this he might seem more in favour then the rest Christ tells him plainly no That others who without the help of Sense believed were more happy then those who for Sense-sake onely gave consent unto Faith Besides formally Saint Thomas did Believe more then he did see or feel that is he believed Christ to be God by feeling him to be man and not a Phantasm So if we shall allow him to have had onely humane Faith of the resurrection by this sight yet he had thence Divine Faith of all the rest of his Doctrines and especially of his Deity whereunto he Attributed the Power of his resurrection 30. The reason why Saint John writ no more on purpose to confirm this Doctrine of the Resurrection was because he thought the other Evangelists had been large enough in that point and because this was so pregnant a Proof as it alone was sufficient so what he adds in his last Chapter is rather to shew the effect thereof by the multitude that were converted by it then for any other reason 31. Here the Evangelist tells his Reason why he writ this viz. to render Christ received and believed to be the Messias that was promised and so God as well as man and when he says we shall have life by believing in his name he means in his Person in his merits in his Passion so that first we are to believe him to be our Saviour Secondly the Messias Thirdly God and the onely Son of his eternal Father And lastly that he will give to all that thus believe and do as he hath commanded life everlasting eternal happiness The Application 1. THe whole designe of this Gospel being onely to prove the Resurrection and by the reality thereof the Truth of Jesus Christ his being God as well as Man we have hence to gather that the exercise of our Faith is here chiefly required and that so often as we reade this Gospel each one cry out with the convinc't Apostle my Lord my God confirm in me that happiest Act of Faith which believes without the help of touch or eyes that thou art my Leige Lord as thou art Man and hast all Power given thee both in Heaven and Earth That thou art my God who hast created me out of nothing and redeemed me from worse then nothing my grievous sinful state to make me more then all things under Heaven a saved soul 2. Yet lest we should pay the duty of such a Faith without our reason leading thereunto see here apparent Proofs of the same real Body risen which was dead and buried while the wounds are just the same that were received on the Cross see that this humane Person is withall Divine whilest he gives power to pardon sins and to retain them if occasion be see how he proves what the Epistle taught that by our Faith we overcame the world when himself brings to his believers the Fruit and End of Victory a happy Peace and gives it his Apostles as a Testimony that it is the same Gods gift now rising from the dead who brought it with him hither at his Birth onely the Angels then delivered it and now we have it from his mouth Divine who well may give it us now he hath vanquish't all our Enemies the World the Flesh the Devil Sin and Death and gives this Peace both as Recompence and Fruit of Faith 3. O happy Faith that brings forth such a Peace as sets us right to God our neighbors and our selves for if with any of the Three we be at odds we can have peace with neither of the other O happy Faith again that works in us by Charity and brings forth all the twelve Fruits of the Holy Ghost with all the other Vertues that accomplish Christianity and integrate the Paschal Feast in us which now we Celebrate And consequently pray as above with holy Church that we may keep these Vertues in our Lives and Manners On the second Sunday after Easter The Antiphon Joh. 10. v. 11. I Am a good Shepherd who do feed my sheep and for my sheep yield my life Alleluja Vers Tarry with us O Lord Alleluja Resp For night draweth on Alleluja The Prayer O God who by the humble abasement of thine own Son hast raised up the prostrate world grant we beseech thee unto thy Faithful people everlasting Joy that they whom thou hast taken out of the danger of Eternal Death may enjoy perpetual Felicity The Illustration AS we finde in this Prayer the streame of the resurrection run strongly down the Channell of the Church her service thus humbly praying so we are minded that the Paschall Feast which we must retaine in our manners and lives is here commemorated in one of the chiefe accomplishments thereof the death of Christ since it was by his abasement unto death that we are raised up to life and are imboldened to begge our joy may be perpetuall who by his temporall resurrection are taken out of the danger of eternall death to the end we may not onely joy therein for ever but even injoy perpetuall felicity thereby But stay beloved why doe we now eclipse the glory of this Festivall by mixing with it the memory of our Blessed Lords inglorious death because the Holy Ghost will have it so first to shew us that it was an abasement for the Son of God to remaine one minute out of the Kingdome of his eternall Father though he were never so much triumphant over death upon death as also to indeer us the more unto Almighty God who was content to give us glory by the infamy of his Sacred Sonne but was not satisfied to give us being out of the nothing we were before he shewed his omnipotency by creating us unless he had made his own Son by death as it were not to be that so he might give us a second being in grace better then our first in nature and unless our Saviours temporall death might give us life eternall free from all danger and injoying perpetuall felicity yes yes the little Prayer above imports all this and infinitely more then all we can imagine who are not able to reach the depth of sence that lies under the dictates of the holy Ghost and such we know are holy Churches Prayers nor is there want of admirable sweet connexion between this Prayer and the Epistle and Gospel of the day for what doth all the former say but that our Saviours abasement was our
resignation as a meanes to our exaltation in the time of visitation which is to be understood when God shall think fit to look upon us with the eye of mercy 7. It were an injury to Gods goodnesse for us to cast about for that which God himself takes care for that is our soules good the care of that is his and our rule of that is by him laid unto us so in that affayre we have rather to do what is commanded already then to be solicitous about it as if it were not done And to be solicitous of Temporals is an unchristian care and therefore often forbidden in point of perfection however tolerated in regard of humane infirmity but moderate care is alwayes allowed Christians in order to Temporals when anxious solicitude is forbidden them by many texts of holy writ 8. Sobriety is the best companion of watchfulnesse and therefore both are recommended And because our watchfulnesse is to be perpetual therefore our sobriety must be so too but especially towards night when our hearts onely are to keep the watch whilest our senses are asleep and this because the devil is then most busie in temptations when men are least able to resist having as it were but their wish awake and their will asleep hence all spiritual men recommend temperance towards bed-time both in meat and drink hence the Completory begins alwayes with this very verse to put us in mind with what purity we ought to go to bed having our profest enemy alwayes awake and ready to devour us if he find us off our sober guard 9. Happy we that by the least resistance are sure of victory against this ravenous devil for maugre all his malice and all his power he cannot hurt us unlesse we yeeld our consents to his Temptations Here is added that we must stoutly resist him and believing too because so we get compleat victory for by resistance we overcome him by fortitude we bind him captive by Faith we take away all his armes and power that is by firm stout and constant Faith And again our resistance will have the more force because of what followes in this verse we never are left alone but have alwayes our fellow Souldiers to help us in this Fight against our enemy who never tempts us alone but all other good men at the same time and we have share in their greater resistance by adding what our weaknesse is able to do 10. This next verse comes yet more home to our comfort and assistance telling us besides the help of our fellow creatures we have the help of our omnipotent Creatour against this enemy of mankind the God of all grace who having called us to everlasting glory will not if we help our selves permit the devill to snatch us away into his kingdom of darknesse so that being designed for glory we cannot fear the want of grace for that is the seed and glory the fruit of Gods goodnesse in us O who seeing how much Christ suffered to purchase us patience would not gladly suffer this little we are told must be indured if we will hope for victory Let us therefore with the same zeal begin to suffer as we would desire the happy end of it which is assured victory and glory 11. This last verse minds us that the victory is Gods and the honour of it his though the reward by his mercy be our eternall glory too The Application WE have had hitherto the holy Ghost the sacred Trinity and the blessed Sacrament to help us on in our long journey between Pentecost and Advent which we are to march all upon the feet of Charity but now we must expect no more such speciall helps suffice it we have had last Sunday the corroborating repast whereof Elias his refreshment under the Tree in the desert was but a type or figure when yet he was told that little bread should inable him to his journeyes end although he had a great wâ—y to go after that before he came to the mount Horeb so beloved must our charity from this day forward march upon the late refreshment of the blessed Sacrament till we come in our annuall journey to the mount of Advent the mount of expectation the mount that leaves us on the top of the highest mystery of our redemption the Incarnation of our Lord God where his first stoop to earth was our first step to heaven 2. Now for as much as we shall in this march find charity sometimes handed on by other vertues as last Sunday most properly by holy fear sutable to her in so long a journey and through the many dangers which she was to meet withall in the desert of this world and because at other times she will be in a manner out of sight and carried on with the crowd of other vertues thronging about her to secure themselves by her and to be her guard as they are bound she being sovereign to them all we must not therefore think our design is ill laid and that our obligation ceaseth as to the practise of charity when in the holy Text other vertues are more visible then she for there want not good Divines who grounded on S. Paul his definition or description at least of this majestick vertue affirm there is indeed no other vertue but charity both because God himself is called charity and because in heaven all other vertues are refunded into her so that in these Divines opinions even Faith Hope Humility Patience Obedience and all other vertues whatsoever are but charity believing hoping submitting suffering obeying or the like as one and the self same man by the severall faculties of his soul by his severall senses and members of his body is doing those exercises that such faculties such senses and such members are necessary for Be these Divines right or wrong it boots not to our purpose more then thus to let us see all our actions are good or bad according as they partake or want of charity to give them life or to declare them dead 3. This premised see how humility resignation to Gods holy will sobriety vigilance and a strong faith bring charity along this first-dayes journey after the repast she had last Sunday as above And though the Text tell her she is to carry us through the ravenous Lions walk yet we see the close of this Epistle is that the God of all Grace the God of charity will secure us through these dangers for his own glory if we but love him and will cast our cares on him and will rely upon his multiplied mercies whereof we have dayly and hourely huge experience if we will make him our Ruler him our Guide and if we do not loose our charity to him our Creatour by wasting it away upon creatures unworthy of our love because we cannot grasp temporall felicities without hazard of loosing eternall happinesse Yes yes assuredly this ought to be our duty now Whilest to this very purpose holy Church prayes to day
had each of them some quantity within them wherefore Christ to take away all colour of deceit first bids all those vessels to be filled full of water up to the top that so each person in the room might see the certainty of the miracle and the liberality of God when he pleaseth to open his bounteous hand unto us 8. This done Jesus bids them draw of the vessels full of water a cup full and carry it to the cheif Steward of the feast because he could best tell whether or not he had provided that plenty and such rare Wine as those pots full of water did afford For it was the Jewish custome ever to have some modimperatour or prefect of good order at such feasts so Christ gave him the respect of first tasting this cup of grace and the presence of such a prefect makes the company of Iesus and his Mother more avowable at the feast since where a prefect of good order was there could be no suspition at all of the least excess or disorder 9. This verse shewes us the modimperatour having found Wine come in more than he had appointed and knowing none durst provide any besides himself unless by chance the Bridegroom took the priviledge so to doe which yet was not usuall presently calls to him saying to this effect 10. This is beyond the ordinary course two wayes first that you have more Wine than I was privy too next that you have reserved to the last your best Wine for this is singular good much better than what we had before And yet the bâ—st is alwayes first served in that in case of want worse may suffice at the latter end when the tast being glutted before is not so able to distinguish the difference yet this was so superlatively rare as even to those Palates formerly glutted in a manner it did tast extraordinarily well indeed to admiration nor was it strange since the works of God are ever perfect 11. Many doubt wheither or no this were the first miracle that Christ wrought willing to believe divers former which he did in his youth though in regard Gelasius the Pope hath condemned a fictitious book published by Hereticks intituled The miraculous infancy of Jesus and full of inventions of their own it is not improbable this was the first he did after his Baptisme with any purpose to be noted for the Messias By the manifestation of his Glory here is understood the shewing of his power wherein he was glorified and for which cause the Disciples are here said to believe him to be the true Messias and the true â—amb of God who as John the Baptist had told them was come to take away the sins of the world and this miracle he chose to work at a marriage as alluding thereby to the solemnity he made this day of his own wedding between his Divine and humane nature since now he was resolv'd to discover himself to be as well God as man whence this was done mystically on the Third day after he was published by the Baptist to shew now the Third state of the world was begun The first being hat under the Law of Nature The second that under the Law of Moses and this that under the Law of Grace besides the miracle was done in the Gentiles Cana to shew Christ came to call all Nations it was also done in Cana of Galilee as importing the transmigration of possession that is amongst Christian people who are the possession of Christ as bought by his bloud and therefore are to passe yet from earth to heaven their better and finall possession The Wine he so abundantly gave imports the doctrine of Christ and his holy grace inebriating the soules of the Faithfull The Application 1. LEarn Husbands hence to love your Wives as Christ doth love his Church learn Wives to obey your Husbands as the Church obeys her Head our Saviour Jesus Christ since marriage is a Sacrament representing the union between Christ and his holy Spouse 2. Learn married people hence to moderate excesses both at bed and board for neither Jesus nor his Blessed Mother can behold excesse and they to faintifie your marriage must be there 3. Learn Parents hence to breed your Children rather to supply the Angels rooms in Heaven than for to be your own Successours here on Earth thus will the waters of humane infirmitie be turned into Wine of Christian perfection by grace moderating natures exorbitances and making peace between two fatall enemies the spirit and the flesh As the Prayer to day petitions On the Third Sunday after the EPIPHANIE The Antiphon MATH 8. ver 2. O Lord if thou wilt thou canst cleanse me and Jesus said I will Be thou cleansed Vers Let my prayer c. Resp Even as Incense c. The Prayer OMnipotent eternall God look we beseech thee propitiously on our infirmity and extend to our protection the right hand of thy Majesty The Illustration IT is remarkable to see how negatively Saint Paul in this dayes Epistle minds us of being sinners when positively he exhorts us to be Saints with the Romans for what greater signe that the Apostle found a world of infirmities in the Romans than that he stirs them up so much to Vertues contrary to the vices they abound in and thus the Epistle insisting all upon vertues is well adapted to the Gospell running all upon infirmities mystically representing vices for what else doth the corporall leprosie of the Leper or the paraliticall disease of the Centurions boy purport than the like scurvy latent diseases of sin in our Souls to those which were apparent in these two bodies Whence it was but fitting this dayes Prayer should beg to have the same right hand of God extended over us which was the cure of these temporall diseases types of our spirituall infirmities nor can we hope this will be done unless God of his infinite goodness be propitious to us and therefore we beseech him in the Prayer first to look propitiously on our infirmities and then to extend to our protection the right hand of his majesty that is to say all his power as if our vice required no less than an infinite vertue to cure it our weakness no less than all Heavens forces to protect us And since both the Leper and Paralitick saying this Prayer in effect obtained corporall cure thereby why should we doubt of Spirituall cure if we say with like Faith like Hope like Love the same Prayer to day and truly to say it with less were a confusion to Christianity that Jewes and Gentiles should exceed us in fervour of Piety besides we have yet an easier task than they in hand for their demands were no less than to have a Miracle wrought upon them by a Physicall cure without a Physicall cause unless we shall say the touch of Christs hand was a Physicall cure for all diseases whereas we onely demand a favour not a miracle a little Grace to blot out a great
this Rapture yet Saint Thomas disputing this question purposely to declare the naturall truth determines him to remaine alive because God doth not kill men to honour them by his conversing with them so Saint Thomas concludes his soul was in his Body and consequently resolves that which the Apostle will not determine saying this Rapture was when Saint Pauls Soul was in his Body whence he was alive though he did not know so much But many doubt what this Third Heaven meanes unto which the Apostle was elevated but the common consent runs to affirm he was carryed up even to the Empyreall Heaven the highest of all that where God shews himself in his greatest glory and concludes this is called the third not as to averr there are but three heavens in all but as to include all be there never so many by the briefest way which is by saying three for all Yet the common division of the heavens into Aereall Aethereall and Empyreall will serve literally to this Text making the ayre the first heaven so birds are called the Inhabitants of Heaven The second the Aethereall which includes all the voluble Orbs above us and the Empyreall to be that of the Blessed to which last understand the rapture of S. Paul to have been The greatest doubt is whether he were rapt both bodie and soul up so high some think no and that this rapture may bee understood to be imaginary onely or Intellectuall wherein he had a revelation or vision of stranger things than were lawfull for him to speak or then were in his power to utter if it had been lawfull and this they ground out of the 1. verse of this Chapter and out of the 17. both which mention visions yet it is much more probable that he was really rapt both soul and bodie First because it was as easie for God to doe both as one Secondly because the Apostle doubts whether it were so or not as we see in this second and third Verse where he professeth not to know which in his sense is to doubt whereas those who have visions or revelations doe not doubt but know they are upon earth for all those Visions which onely make a rapture of the soul but none of the bodie so it is probable as Moses went corporally up to the mount Sinai where he was rapt out of the sight of the people by interposition of a cloud snatching him from their eyes and had delivered into his corporall ears the words of the Law in like manner Saint Paul who was to be the heavenly Doctor of all nations had corporally delivered to him such secret words as he mentions even in Paradise to have received and thence to bring back to earth such a Magazine of spirituall commands as he hath filled the whole world withall though he neither have told nor could tell all hee heard and therefore S. Paul after he had spoken of the third heaven adds the mention of Paradise to shew he was rapt not onely in his understanding but also in his will above the pitch of nature and even into that place of heaven which is therefore called Paradise because it ravisheth the wills of the Blessed with an infinite delight of loving as well as of seeing and understanding God So Divines allow in the vast Empyreall heaven a kinde of place apart called Paradise for the variety of pleasure it affords And hither they allow S. Paul to be rapt yet doe they not therefore say he did see God face to face as the blessed souls there inhabiting doe because he was not to remain there with them yet S. Thomas and other Divines thinke it probable he might have a transient sight thereof 2 secundae q. 175. a 5. but more probably it was not so since to Moses was onely granted to see the back of the Angell representing God and since 1 Tim. 6. v. 16. we read No man ever did see God that is to say with corporall eyes as here the Apostle was corporally rapt For if of the Angel it were said in Gods name to Moses No man shall see me and live how much more probable is it that Paul living after this rapture did not see God himself though no man doubts but he might see the glory of Christ and not unlikely heard from his own glorious mouth those secrets which he could not utter however to render his calling or Apostolate undoubted he had it conferred upon him personally by our Saviour in heaven as he upon earth did personally call the rest of his Apostles to his Service Of this Gal. 1. v. 12. the Apostle makes mention saying Christ revealed unto him the doctrine that he preached and then most probably was this Revelation made when he therewith revealed his glory too and those secrets he speaks of here may be partly certain Attributes of the Deitie assuredly the Ranks and Orders of Angels and their natures which S. Dennis seems to have drawn more particulars of from the Apâ—stle than himself utters in his own enumeration of their nine Orders and therefore in his celestiall Hierarchy S. Dennis this Apostles Disciple tells us of higher matters belonging to the holy Angels than ever any man else durst venture on Lastly we may piously believe S. Paul had told unto him by Christ in this rapture much of the course of divine providence in governing the world especially the holy Church much of the conversions of nations by himself and the rest of the Apostles which his modesty would not permit him to boast of 5. â—ee how he distinguisheth himself rapt from himself in the ordinary condition of man even as if he were not the same man for of him that was rapt hee proâ—esseth to glory still in the sense as above not vainly but of him that was not rapt he boasteth not at least not in this place to shew how great a difference there was between his rapt and not rapt condition and therefore as of his usuall self he boasts onely that he is infirm namely that he is lyable to affliction and miseries which are â—nconsistent with the state of rapt creatures for their rapture exempts them from the pain of sense and so from grief or pain which is meant here by infirmity as it is when our Saviour is called the man of griefes by Isaiah cap. 53 v. 3. which he explicates by adding these words Knowing infirmity that is to say lyable to all torture misery or pain 6. We read in the Acts cap 14. v. 10. that the Lycaonians held Paul and Barnabas for Gods To avoid vain-glory in this hee tells them he will not be understood above what he is above a man lyable to all misery and persecution which gods are exempted from nay lest they should thinke him an Angell though not god he speaks sparingly of those prerogatives of his rapture An excellent example for them to follow who are indeed nothing extraordinary and not boast themselves as more than ordinary men which yet
intrinsical flowing from the Deity The causes of this Fast were many As that thereby he might satisfie for Adams eating the forbidden Apple That his own humane Soul might be more apt to contemplation by this means That he might sanctifie the Lenten fast of forty days which he knew his Apostles would erect and deliver over for the Church to follow until the worlds end in imitation of this example he had given them When it is said That after forty dayes he was hungry this argues not but he might sooner have felt the want of meat however his divinity supplyed the defect thereof and when he was sensible of hunger afterwards it was not that he could no longer fast but to have the merit of being tempted against his holy purpose and of resisting that Temptation for our future instructions in like occasions 3. The Tempters approaching argues he came visibly in the shape of a man which he had assumed for Christ had his internals so regulated as likewise Adam by Original Justice had that he could not be tempted by any inward Suggestion against Reason nor was Adam what-ere he might have been so tempted but by Eve and she by a Serpent outwardly appearing When the Devil said If thou be the Son of God it argues he was doubtful of it for he had heard the voyce from heaven saying This is my beloved Son when Christ was Baptized as also he had heard how John the Baptist preached him to be the Messias the Son of God and yet seeing him appear to be a man and finding he was hungry as men are he tempts him to break his fast by the subtilty of telling him it would shew him to be the Son of God if he would turn stone into bread to satisfie his hunger 4. Excellent answer giving no advantage to the aggressor but repelling him rather by his own weapons turned upon him by holy Writ saying Man doth not onely live by bread but by every word that proceedeth from the mouth of God Deut. c. 8. v. 3. and what need he convert the stones to bread to manifest his power who with the least word of his mouth could feed the better part of man his Soul intimating thereby Prayer and Meditation to be as fit a food for the refreshment of a Christian as his daily bread the one enabling him to live eternally the other helping out a momentary breathing onely 5 6 7. The evil Spirit finding Gluttony to be no motive able to prevail with Deity flies to the medium that had wrought upon himself the Titillation of Ambition or Vain-glory when he said he would be like the Highest fondly thinking what prevailed with him in Heaven would work upon our Lord on Earth To be forsooth attended on by holy Angels though in an act of diabolical presumption Precipitation of himself from the pinacle of the Temple Too short a cloak to hide so large a sin as the Revenge thou aymest at beneath it Thou hadst thy self a Fall from Heaven down to Hell which thou wouldst now repay by giving Christ another from off the Temple where God is adored down to the ground where thy High Altar is when men adore low Creatures of the earth before their high Creator This this fond Serpent is thine aym to make thy God lye sprawling on the earth as thou dost lye in everlasting flames and this thou wouldst have done before the doors of all the holy Priests whose houses were about the Temple so to make them scorn and trample ore the God they had adored upon their holy Altars Alas how short is thy Serpentine wisdom of his that is eternal of his that sees thy specious pretexts are all deceits and tells thee so when he replies Thou shalt not tempt thy Lord thy God Deut. 6.16 How canst thou hope to Tempt hereafter any man to evil under shew of good this thou hast got to make poor man thy Master by ayming at the Mastery upon thy God To conclude by the Hands of Angels in this Text is understood their ayd for Spirits have no hands nor any other limbs or parts at all 8 9 10. Alas how poor a thing is Avarice to tempt a God withall say who is able first to give him any thing and it shall be restored Rom. 11. v. 35. Thus creatures seeme to uncreate their God in their foolish imaginations thinking him to be imperfect as themselves needy or indigent as they who yet hath made and given to the universe a being out of nothing But for the devill to presume God should adore him too for that he could not give this is a fondnesse not to be exprest as passing all imagination and so was best returned with a scorn of bidding the fond usurper know his distance go like a Lacquey at the heeles of his creator and well he was not yet reduc't to his first principle to nothing by an immediate annihilation It was indeed high time to tame his insolence when nothing but an homage due to God an Adoration would suffice him No devil no maugre thy pride Thou must adorâ— thy Lord thy God and he alone it is that thou and we and all the world must serve His are the Heavens and the earth is his and well it is thou art the Lacquey yet of him thou wouldst have Lorded over if thou couldst It is his greater glory to force thee to thy duty maugre thy proud heart then to deprive himselfe of what is good in thee thy being how bad soever thou art thy selfe and howsover despicablely miserable in that being too 11. Some doe doubt how Christ came backe to his desert of Quarentana when the devill was gone affirming the good Angels carryed him thither as the bad Angel had brought him thence but probably himselfe gave his own Divinity leave to doe that office to his body if yet we may not say it was the effect of his glorified soule and body too for they were both as glorious then as now Sure enough as soon as he was there the Angels as to their Lord and God came offering their attendance however this is for our comfort that after the devill hath tempted us if we resist we may hope the Angels will come to comfort us that need it since they did so to Christ who stood in no necessity thereof at all The Application 1. WE had the honour to be called into the field to day by the Lieutenant Generall the Priest of holy Church but we are led up to the Battaile by the Captaine Generall himselfe our Saviour Jesus Christ who hath already vanquisht all our enemies for as he dyed to conquer death and purchase us eternall life by dying so by his being tempted he secur'd us of the victory in our Temptations if we but resist the Temptor and persisting in our holy purposes Crown the Fast with our Perseverance therein such as Jesus in his hunger gave us an example of although not bound to Fast as we 2. It is a
Son and that from these Two loving each other did proceed the Holy Ghost the third Person of the Blessed Trinity in this Sence he said they did not know him and in this Sence he professeth he did know him and that if he should say otherwise he should be a lyer as they were lyers who had called him Devil and Samaritane yet particularly that they did not thus know him to be as well Father of Christ Jesus as to be one onely true God But says Christ I know him thus and more then this I keâ—p his Word that is in the best literal Sence I am his Word though this place may bear the other Glosses too that Christ as Man obeyed the Precepts of his Father and that as the Jews did shew they were not of God because they did not give ear to his Word meaning his Laws and Commandments therefore he said they were not of God but rather of the Devil whose suggestions they did adhere unto and follow 56. Abraham your Father from whom you glory to be descended in your Faith he himself was glad to see me nay did long desire it and when he had the happiness of my sight he leapt for joy and yet you that boast your selves to be his children are so degenerate as seeing me and perpetually conversing with me you rejoyce not but reject and revile me most blasphemously Many expound this Place diversly some will have the day of Christ which Abraham did long for and exulted to behold to be the time of the eternal generation of the Word of God others the day of his Living upon Earth others the instant of the Incarnation of God in his Mothers Womb others the Day of his Passion which wrought all mankindes Redemption and all these very well And they differ as much in expounding the Time when Abraham injoyed this desire by actually seeing this day some affirming that by Faith he see this day when he obeyed God in Sacrificing his Son which was a Figure of Christ his being to dye for our Sins others that he see it by Revelation as Prophets do things to come others that he knew it and see it when Simeon came to Limbus and told Abraham he had held Jesus in his hands as also when Zachary St. Anne the Blessed Virgins Mother and St. John Baptist told him they had seen him and likewise by the Angels of God telling him thereof as the like Angels do tell Souls in Purgatory what doth daily comfort them but the best way of all is that God for a reward of his Obedience gave him the happiness both by Revelation and Elevation of his Souls Faculties to see Christ Born as the Saints in Heaven Now see all we do if yet this may not be done as some conceive by the very natural Faculty of a Soul able of her self to know all things naturally as soon as she is out of the body or as St. Stephen Act. cap. 7. v. 55. from Earth though clogged with his body did see Christ up as high as Heaven by the like Elevation nor doth this lessen the Joy Abraham had therein to see and know no more then an other separated Soul since his joy was answerable to his expectation longer then that of any other and if we say more earnest perhaps we shall not do others wrong because as the promise of all our happiness was made to Abraham in his Seed so questionless his share of joy was greater because he had thereby the fulfilling of the promise made to him above two thousand years before and although all who receive a benefit equally divided are equally happy yet if among these any one had the happiness to be able to say this benefit was derived to them by vertue of a promise made to him in all their behalfs sure he hath somwhat more of Joy even in his equal share admit he had no more then others have This then was Abrahams Case though if this were not the Text doth not deny all the rest that see the day of Christ with Abraham did exult thereat with him but here it was enough to the purpose that Christ told them how careless soever they were of the honour yet their Father Abraham rejoyced at it 57. It is not hence to be inferred that Christ did live as some have pretended almost fifty years for the reason they said he was not yet fifty was to be sure they would not fall short of the years he had lest our Saviour might have intrapt them as they desired to do him so they named a time much beyond what he had lived and therefore he could not as they conceived possibly have seen Abraham whence they would inser he did lye and was not to be believed not reflecting nor indeed knowing he as God was elder then Abraham how much younger soever he were as man 58. And by this Answer of Christ it is evident he spake of knowing Abraham not as man for so he was Abrahams Junior but as God who as such created Abraham and all the world besides and therefore he doth not say of himself I was before Abraham but I am before him thereby to shew that in God there is no difference of the time no not any time at all but all that is in him is eternal and so cannot be said to have been or that it shall be but that it is whence we see God giving himself a name Exod. 3. says I am who I am so now Christ speaking of himself as God not as man says before Abraham was I am which was as high an expression of his Deity as he could use and for that cause the Jews not believing but even hating him run and 59. Took up stones to pelt him immediately to death as the highest blasphemer in their opinions that possibly could be For it was according to the Law Blasphemers should be stoned to death Levit. 24. v. 16. though indeed they were so doting on their Father Abraham that even for Christ to have preferred himself before him onely was enough for them to have stoned him to death if he had not declared also that he was God and the Creator of Abraham for so his words imported and so it was indeed by our Saviours hiding himself is here understood his hindering the Faculty or Power of their optick Nerves or withdrawing his concurse as God from their Faculty of seeing him though he left them power at the same time to see all things else besides himself as perfecttly as ever if yet we may not more rationally say this was done by hindering his body from reflecting any species to their eyes for this every glorified Body shall be able to do So it is not hence to be conceived Christ did hide himself by running into any corner or covert for thither their malice would have pursued him but that he did by his omnipotency work a miracle that they seeing should yet not see him who stood in the midst of them
exaltation when Saint Peter in his Epistle tels us we that are Christians are called to suffer with Christ who gave us example by his sufferings to follow his steps even unto death for him who did vouchsafe to dye for us And is not this the full sence of the Prayer As for the Gospell if we look with a regardfull eye upon it 't is but the same sence in other words for while it runs upon the nature of a Shepheard it never comes unto the hight of his commends untill it layes him low as death to save his sheep so still it drives to that abasement which is our exaltation and drawes us sweetly on to dye for him while it gives us an example of confidence that admits no fear because there is no security but in Trust and who can we trust more safely then him that knowes no guile our Saviour Jesus Christ who rather dyes in us then we can dye for him and if he dye it is that we may live and joy eternally with him that by his resurrection conquered death Thus do the sparkes of spirit flye from every letter of the Holy Text when they are strook against the steele of this dayes Prayer and thus the high dignity of Pastorate acquires a glory from the lowest stoop the Pastor makes even that to death so in a word our highest sanctity consists in our lowest humility as this dayes Prayer Epistle and Gospel do all avouch The Epistle 1 Pet. 2. v. 21 c. 21 For unto this are you called because Christ also suffered for us leaving you an example that you may follow his steps 32 Who did no sinne neither was guile found in his mouth 23 VVho when he was reviled did not revile when he suffered he threatned not but delivered himselfe to him that Iudged him unjustly 24 VVho himselfe bare our sinnes in his body upon the Tree that dead to sins we may live to justice by whose stripes you are healed 25 For you were as sheep straying but you are converted now to the Pastor and Bishop of your soules The Explication 21. SAint Peter had before advised to bear patiently not onely just punishments inflicted on the faithfull to whom he writ dispersed as they were some here some there of Pontus Galatia Cappadocia Asia and Bithynia but also to bear injuries with the like patience saying that to this Christians were called because Christ did suffer for us most unjustly leaving us example to doe the like if need were and as there were three causes which moved God to become man this last is one of them The first was by his death to redeeme us the second by his preaching to teach us the third by his example to draw us to imitate his sanctity of life And to this last the Apostle now chiefely exhorts in this place as we see by the following verse contrary to the Hereticks Doctrine who hold it needless Christ having dyed for our sinnes that man himselfe use any mortification or doe any penance at all 22. Nor could he do any because he was God as well as man and hence Calvins Doctrine teaching Christ was a reall sinner and that he was in regard of his sins afraid to dye and did sweat bloud for fear thereof were all most abominable blasphemies because though in Christ there were two natures humane and divine yet there was in him but one person so had that person sinned God had sinned as well as man since the actions are attributed to the suppositum or person not to the natures contracted by the person but see the Apostle mindes us that Christ was not onely free from sin of fact but also of word and consequently of thought which is by word expressed nor is this marvell since out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh Matt. c. 12. v. 34. but certainly God was the most abounding in Jesus his heart and so his words were all holy he being the very word of the eternall Father to whom as nothing is more proper then veracity so nothing is more improper then falsity or dissimulation fraud or guile 23 As indeed he was reviled when they called him drunkard raiser of seditions blasphemer nay conjurer or devill as casting out devils in the devils name yet did not he revile those who used him so ill nor did he recriminate as commonly men doe that excuse their own sins by casting other mens faults in their dish though in pure charity we read in Saint Matthew cap. 23. How roundly he did rebuke the Jewes to see if by a temporall check he could preserve them from eternall paines of hell which is a far other aime then those use who excuse themselves by way of recrimination of others for their end is not charity but passion or revenge and when he might have terrified the Judges that unjustly did condemne him he did not give them the least threat but gave himselfe up to the hands of Pilate his unjust judge how farre short are we of following this example whose whole indeavors are in all our actions even in those that are unjust to justifie our selves whereas if we would follow Saint Bernards counsell we should finde a remedy for all evils and injuries done unto us in the passion of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ 24. The Apostle here assimilates Christ to the Emissary Goat in Levit. cap. 16. v. 21. Sent out into the desert loaden with all the sinnes of the people and so Christ came into the desert of this world out of his Eternall Fathers heavenly Pallace carrying all our sinnes upon his shoulders though by sins here is not understood the fact or guilt thereof but the punishment due unto them by the tree is meant the Crosse of Christ whereon while he dies hee represents us to his heavenly Father as dead to sinne because he dyes for us and for our sins whereupon Saint Ambrose sayes divinely well c. It was not our Life but our Sinne which dyed when Christ our Saviour dyed upon the Crosse So we being dead by that meanes to sinne may live to justice that is in the sight of the just Judge may deserve Eternall life in heaven for living justly here on earth O Soveraigne Stripes which bruising Christs body do cure our Soules more ulcerated with sinne then his body was with stripes 25. Straying we were indeed from God from vertue from Salvation from heaven and running to the devill to vice to damnation to hell had not Christ our Shepheard â—â—duced us to his fold againe by converting us to an amendment of our lives and winning us to follow the Footsteps of our heavenly Pastor and Bishop of our Soules See Bishops are metaphorically called Pastors because as shepheards feed their sheep so do Bishops by Doctrine and example feed the soules of men but Christ is eminentially called both as feeding soules not onely by grace here but with glory in the next world The Application 1. HOw sweetly Holy Church
the love of them both uniting them and him all in one indistinct essence distinguished into three distinct persons now the true reason why God is called charity is because he is goodnesse it self which is charity communicative and diffusive of it self 9. But this next shews clearly why St. John calls God Charity because he appeared so to be by sending his onely begotten Son into the world that we may live by him alluding to the like in his Gospel chap. 3. v. 19. who by Adam were all dead And this love he shewed us as an example for us to give our selves to him by again 10. For in this that is to say in our re-dilection or retaliation of love for love consisteth charity which can never be in us to God but reciprocal between God and us though in us to others it may be not mutual and de facto in very deed in God to us it was so when he loved us before we loved him for it was impossible we should have loved him before he loved us and therefore we are inabled to re-love him because his previous love to us inkindled our subsequent love to him Whence the Apostle sayes our charity doth not so much consist in that we love God as in that God loves us and makes us thereby able to re-love him because he sent his Son a propitiation for our sins St. Augustine sayes briefly and excellently well upon this place tract 9. God loved the impious to make them pious the unjust to make them just the sick to make them whole and why may not we adde he loved them that hated him to make them love him for sending his Son a Sacrifice for his utter enemies O how contrary is this to the course of the world which is to revenge our selves on those that love us not O how truly is it said of God Esay 55.8 9. My wayes are not like your wayes but exalted from them as high as heaven from earth yet S. Paul shews us we may follow God marching above us as high as heaven is from earth when Rom. 9. v. 2 he desired to be Anathema accursed to save the Jewes his persecutours and consequently his utter enemies 11. If is here a causal not a doubting or conditional particle as who should say because God hath thus loved us we must therefore love one another In like manner And was taken causally when Christ said to his disciples as in his Gospel Joh. 13. v. 14. I have washed your feet being your Lord and Master And you must wash one anothers feet that is to say because you must c. Hence learn to humble your selves to your fellow servants since I your Lord your God have humbled my self to you And we may note the deep art of this phrase in St. John who rather sayes admiring If God hath thus loved us then because God hath thus loved us c. to shew it doth not follow we can render equally to God we can love him as well as he can love us So it is not said therefore love him again but rather if God hath loved us and we must love one another as who should say since we cannot retaliate love for love to God let us at least love one another let us for his sake love our neighbours as our selves since he dyed equally for them as for us for as S. Matthew tells us Chap. 25. v. 40. what you did to the least of my brethren you did to me And indeed since God cannot personally want any thing that we are able to give him he hath afforded us this means to relieve him as wanting when we relieve the necessities of our neighbours So the sense of this verse is strong and even inforcing us to love one another Since God so unlike to us so much above us in perfection hath stooped so low as to love us how much more ought we that are all one like another to love each other since like naturally runs to like and naturally loves what is like unto it 12. This verse corroborates the explications of the former as saying though God be in himself Invisible yet if we love our neighbour God is by his Divine and indivisible vertue of charity united to us and made as it were one in and with us whereby our charity is rendered perfect nay even the Invisible God becomes as it were visible both in us by the visible charity we shew to others and in our neighbour whom we love as the visible image of the invisible Deity But we shall do well to see upon this occasion how these words are safely expounded God no man ever saw For which purpose turn to the exposition upon 2 Cor. 12.4 on Septuagesima Sunday declaring what S. Paul saw in his rapture but for present let us take it with the common sense of Expositours that no pure man ever in this world or in heaven can with corporal eyes see God his essence or divine nature though Cornelius à Lapide presumes to say Christ being both God and Man did see his own divinity whence neither Moyses nor St. Paul did thus see him and that sight the Blessed have of him in heaven is more by way of grace then of nature and this indeed more with the soules understanding then with the bodies eyes To conclude this verse a thing is then perfect when it consists intirely of all its parts and charity we know to be tripartite consisting of our love to God which alone is not perfect unlesse we love our neighbour also as we do our selves for these are both integral and essential parts of perfect charity And while we have charity thus perfected then though we see not God yet he both regards and abides in us by reason of this divine vertue of charity uniting God to all and all to God again Besides we perfect even the charity we love God with all when we extend it to our neighbour too since we cannot love one another for Gods sake but we must love God more then we did before Lastly when the text sayes his charity we may understand it as if truly the charity of God to us were perfected by our loving each other since while we do so God abideth in us and his charity is thereby perfected not so as to make it more in it self but to make it more in us and to appear also more to others which is a kind of perfection too and in particular charity is perfected by loving our enemies which being a love none but God hath taught us God in this hath appeared more perfect to us then in any thing else he ever did because he became a propitiation even for us that were all his enemies before his charity perfected in us made us his friends and him our Saviour and so finally gave him an opportunity who was in himself all perfection to receive in our esteems at least an addition to his innate perfection if not a new perfection by our
spend the time present and to come religiously but even to redeem the time past which they had misspent or else it needed not to be redeemed but that he did account it quite lost unto them who had not spent it well Now the best way to redeem past time ill spent is to be sure that every instant of time be not onely well imployed but that in it over and above some good deed be superadded more then rigorously we are bound unto with intention to redeem time past thereby and this may be done by prayers mortification almes contrition and tears laid down upon the account of misspent time before so that as we secure every instant of present time by doing good all the while it flowes away from us we shall likewise redeem our lost time past if we produce an act of sorrow for it and let our repentance for not having done well heretofore accompany our well doing for the present Note the dayes are not said to be evil that there is any malice or iniquity intrinsecal to time which is no other thing then the suns motion and this we may call the measure of al other movings but that the malice of an evil action which takes up time whilst it is in doing is of so malignant a nature in the sight of God that it renders the doer of it and the time wherein 't is done ungratefull to his divine Majesty and consequently as that man is evil who doth ill so that time is accounted evil also which is spent in evil doing and since there is no man that doeth good of himself no not one Ps 13.3 therefore the Apostle reflecting on what we do of our selves sayes absolutely the dayes are evil are rendred such by our evil deeds And that they may be good he exhorts us in the following verse 17. That we become not unwise in wasting time by following our own imaginations but wise in studying to understand what is the will of God namely to spend our time in acts of virtue not in idlenesse or sinfull courses 18. And for instance that this was his true meaning the Apostle gives us warning above all others of that idlenesse and wicked course of life which drunkards spend their time in who seem to drink off their own damnation by every cup of drink they take in any notable excesse or as if they did begin a health to the devil and he to pledge them swallowed the drinkers of his health up into the pit of hell This seem to be affirmed by the instance of the effect that follows drunkenness or rather by the description of it what it is when S. Paul saies it includes riotousnesse in it self it exposeth men to all sort of sin and we know whither the great master of Ryots Dives went immediately to hell so do all his followers that die guiltie of that soul-swallowing-sin of drunkennesse for few there are who once give way to this absorbing vice that ever leave it off because it brings them to wantonnesse quarrels and what not besides so consequently great is the danger of it and therefore the Apostle names it here as the greatest or one notorious mis-spending of time principally to be avoided by Christians But if your thirst be such as you must alwaies be quenching of it and so endanger being drunk loe S. Paul gives you a safe and lawful cup whereof he allowes you to drink your fill the cup of spirit not of material liquours but such as the Apostles drank when their hearers thought them drunk Act. 2.13 14. though they were not so save onely that by the plenitude of the holy Ghost of the cup of grace they did seeme to be like drunken men 19. Alwaies talking both in Church and house at home and abroad of the Almighty God of heaven or of heavenly things as if the wine of grace had set our tongues a running so as we could not hold our peaces and yet to shew what cup it was we were filled with our talk ought to be spiritual even singing as commonly drunkards do but differently from them spiritual hymnes and canticles praising Almighty God for our spiritual inebriation and this even in our hearts as the Apostle adviseth which argues our heads are not to be full of drink but our hearts full of love that is our soules full of grace So here we see the difference between brutish and spiritual drunkards the one is feeding full the other fasting the one prating the other preaching the one howling the other singing the one wallowing in the mire of sin the other swimming in the sea of grace and see one more admirable difference that even while our tongues are silent our hearts and soules are singing the praises of Almighty God when they are drunk in spirit This the Apostle saies in plain tearmes while he bids the Ephesians and in them us Christians sing in our hearts which may be done not onely while we hold our peaces but while we waking pray mentally nay while we sleep or which is more while we are extatically rapt in a deep contemplation more benumming our outward senses then soundest sleep can do and in such a circumstance was S. Paul himself when he was rapt to the third heavens and said of himself he knew not whether his soul were in or out of his body 2 Cor. 12.2 but well he knew that his heart was singing praise and glory to his Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ to Almighty God And the best evidence of our being thus spiritually drunk is when we are alwayes chearfull in our countenances and speeches whatsoere befall us in our persons sickness or health peace or persecution favour or frowns of Princes or the like 20. Giving God the Father alwayes thanks for all in the Name of Jesus Christ good or bad that shall betide our persons that is to say taking good as encouragements to deserve better bad as punishments to terrifie us from continuing to do ill And while the Apostle bids us live alwayes giving God the Father thanks in his Sons Name who gave him the best be alludes unto the double title by which God requires these continual thanks at our hands first as he is God and Master of all goodness secondly as he is our Father incessantly imparting part of his inexhaustible goodness unto us 21. By being here subject to one another is not understood denial of all superiority as some would fondly infer but the speech is indefinite not determining how many shall be subject and how many command yet absolutely commanding Subjects to obey their Superiours Children their Parents in the fear of our Lord for fear lest our Lord punish those that break this command not by the penance which superiours here impose upon the offenders but by eternal or at least far greater purgatory punishments to be inflicted on them by our Saviour the Judge of all the Universe then any this world can afford And yet by this fear is not
present good any longer in hope of we know not yet what future happinesse in our celestials therefore to shew the constancy of her charity in doing good holy Church begs it as a grace to day that she may not onely persevere in good works but further do them exactly and purely in honour of Gods holy Name least what may seem good in man's eye prove bad in the sight of his heavenly Majesty Say now the prayer above and see if it be not sutable to this application The Gospel Mat â—8 23 c. 23 Therefore is the Kingdom of Heaven likened to a man being a King that would make an account with his Servants 24 And when he began to make the account there was one presented unto him that owed him ten thousand talents 25 And not having whence to repay it his Lord commanded that he should be sold and his Wife and his Children and all that he had and it to be repayed 26 But that Steward falling down before him said Have patience towards me and I will repay thee all 27 And the Lord of that Servant moved with pity dismissed him and forgave him the debt 28 And when that Servant was gone forth he found one of his fellow-servants that did ow him a hundred pence and laying hands upon him throtled him saying Repay that thou owest 29 And his fellow servant falling down besought him saying Have patience towards me and I will repay thee all 30 And he would not but went his way and cast him into Prison till he repayed the debt 31 And his fellow servants seeing what was done were very sorry and they came and told their Lord all that was done 32 Then his Lord called him and said unto him Thou ungraciouâ— Servant I forgave thee all the debt because thou besoughtest me and oughtest not thou therefore also to have mercy upon thy fellow servant even as I had mercy upon thee 33 And his Lord being angry delivered him to the Tormentours untill he had repaid all the debt 34 So also shall my heavenly Father do to you if you forgive not every one his Brother from your hearts The Explication 23. THe sense of this verse is that look what this Parable reports to be done here between Debtour and Creditour on Earth the same will be done in Heaven between God and his Creatures wherefore not so much the Kingdom of Heaven as the course of it is here described in this Parable 24. By the number of ten thousand talents of money owing from the Servant to the Master is here assigned a certain for an uncertain Debt or indeed a finite for an infinite namely a mortal sin against Almighty God which how ever finite in the act is infinite in the malice because committed against an infinite Goodnesse So that by deadly sin a man becomes debtour to God and stands bound to repay him all the Gifts Virtues and Graces infused into his Soul by holy Baptisme and squandered away by any one deadly sin so the debt is of the treasure of Heaven the grace of the holy Ghost spent by a sinner which God trusted him with and which by sin he hath wasted 25. By this command to sell the non-solvent debtour as also his wife children and all the goods he hath is intimated that for any one mortal sin a man and all that is dear unto him is confiscate to Almighty God and ought to be sold to be cast into eternal pains and so though this be nothing towards repayment of the debt yet since he had sold grace Heaven God and all for sin now by right God should sell his sin body soul and all to the devil though still his goodnesse as long as man lives reserves a place for repentance such as in the following verse we find Note here the particularizing to sell wife and children adds nothing to the mystery more then to show man looseth himself and all that is dear unto him by sin 26. Alas what can poor man afford towards the repayment of so great a treasure when 't is wasted by him Hence the text sayes true nature cannot make good a debt of grace But yet if the creature do humbly prostrate it self at the feet of the Creatour and acknowledge with sorrow the fault oâ— incurring so great a debt and beg of God grace to make good what nature cannot then God his goodnesse is so great thaâ— he gives such a sorrowing soul so great a help of grace as makes him able to pay the debt to recover what he lost for so may the debtour have again as much as he had spent to repay thâ— Creditour since God the creditour accounts himself repaid for sin by his servants recovering grace which they had lost for the very truth is God cannot lose by any creature and he esteems so much of a creatures cooperation with his holy grace that in such a case he reckons his own gifts to man as a repayment of mans debt to him 27. This verse proves the former to be explicated in a right sense so it needs no more enlargement 28. This verse besides the ingratitude it showes in man to God not forgiving his brother Gods image as himself was forgiven so again it showes the narrownesse of mans heart and the largenesse of Gods one forgiving an infinite debt being but asked so to do the other not remitting a petty one by any entreaty whatsoever 29. Strange that we cannot kneel with humble heart to God but he relents and yet to man no bow of knee or heart prevailes Note here patience or forbearance of the debt was truly and properly demanded upon promise and just hope of payment after a while because it is not out of mans power to pay man what is due unto him though 't is impossible we can hope to make even scores with God unlesse he rather remit then demand the debt So the patience asked by the servant of his Lord was rather an artifice to gain time hoping by intervention of Friends rather to get the debt remitted then that there was any likelihood of this servants payment of it what fair promises so ever he made in the instant of his being pressed because that was a debt from a creature to God but this is onely a debt between man and man so here to delay was not to delude or elude the debt and considering it was asked of him for a little summ who had before obtained remission of an infinite great one truly the debt ought by all means to have been forborn if not forgiven 30. Here we see how true it is that the rigour of the law is highest injury This man did but use the rigour of the law yet he had before a pattern set him oâ— mercy from his master and therefore that ought to have moved him to show some favour at least and to forbear rigour But by this we are advertised how unchristian a thing it is in us to beg absolution for
corporall eyes to the latter that their time is now come also of awaking from the sleep of infidelity and of their other enormious sins being the Redeemer of all mankinde was actually come though even the Jewes also after Christs Birth were fast enough asleep in their infidelity most of them and so were capable of this speech to them even in that sense too 12. By the night is here meant the time before Christs comming made dark as night with infidelity By the day the time after our Saviours Birth rendered bright as day with the light of the Gospel the works of darkness are Sin because they shut out the light of grace from our Souls the Armour of Light are acts of Vertue works of Grace and in these words Saint Paul minds us that our life is here a spiritual warfare since we know Armour is necessary for Warriours though the Greek Text imports by Armour of Light a kind of habit proper to the day and this is not inconsistent with the other sense above for Armour is a kind of habit too 13. This Verse seemes to begin with prosecuting the last sense in the former as if it were indecent to appear in the day without our Armour of Light as above but if it be taken as independent thereof it imports not for the sense is full in it self Aâ— in the day of Grace as in the day of the illuminating Gospel let us walk honestly that is modestly converse religiously and shew our selves to be children of Light by our works shining to the edification of our neighbour and glory of God Not any more in Banquettings and Drunkenness feastings and excesses of Wines These you know are works of the Flesh not of the Spirit or the Grace of God by Chamber-works the Apostle means here plainly Fornication by Impudicities more petulant and wanton actions of Lust even in publick such as indeed may be well called carnall impudencies Not in Contention not striving for vain-glory and popular applause whence followes the forbidden Emulation which is an envie at our neighbours greater good or esteem than our own See therefore here three of the capitall Sins so represented unto us as by all means to be avoided Gluttony Lechery Envy all being acts and deeds of darkness not fit to appear in the day light of the Gospel which now shines bright among us 14. By putting on Christ is here meant being dressed up in such Vertues as may make us appear Christians men clad in the Livery the Sanctity of our Lord and Master Jesus Christ and so abundant the Apostle in this phrase bids our Vertues be that they may hang as full Garments all over us for this difference there is betwixt carrying and putting on of cloathes that when carryed they are cumbersome and not adorning when put on they are light and becoming So to carry Vertue onely wrapt up in the speculation of it is no way graceful but to unfold it by the practice thereof this becomes a good Christian and this is truly to put on Christ not onely to study and speculate but to practice Vertue The Application 1. THe two first Verses of this Epistle are wholly and clearly describing the effects of the Incarnation and do exhort to a due Christian comportment at such a season That is now to prepare our selves for our Deification since therefore God became man that man might become God I have said ye are Gods and all sons of the Highest Psal 82. v. 6. 2. The third Verse tells us how unsuitable all Sin must needs be at this season though indeed it cannot be allowable at any time but especially how unseasonable these three deadly Sins now are which here the Apostle specifies and under them forbids us all the rest Gluttony Lechery Envy For nothing sooner starves a Soul to death than a gluttonous pampering of the Body nothing more odious to our God incarnate than to pollute that humane nature which Jesus could not endure to take upon him but in the sacred womb of his unpolluted Virgin Mother Nothing so unseasonable at this season of love as for a Christian to envy Christ in his neighbour just now when he coming to save us commands us to love each other as he loves us all 3. The last Verse gives us an armour of Proof against all danger of sin whatsoever for as Jesus by taking our sins upon himself did redeem us so we by putting on his Vertues may deserve to be saved that is to say we may be capable of Salvation for other desert we have not of our selves than a meer capacity of Heaven through the merits of our Saviours death and passion applyed to us cooperating towards that which we cannot operate our own Salvations since it is the onely participation of his merits that makes us fit to receive his rewards for those we call our meritorious actions such as Saint Augustine required saying He that made thee without thee will not save thee without thee Yet the same Doctor lest we should presume too much upon our selves says also When God rewards mans works he crowns his own Gifts for even our cooperation whereby we merit is the speciall Gift of God Which we Petition in the Prayer above most aptly set to the Tune of this Epistle The Gospel LUKE 21. ver 25. c. 25. ANd there shall be signes in the Sun and the Moon and the Stars and upon the Earth distresse of Nations for the confusion of the sound of the Sea and Waves 26. Men withering for fear and expectation what shall come upon the whole world for the powers of Heaven shall be moved 27. And then they shall see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with great power and majesty 28. But when these things shall begin to come to passe look up and lift up your heads for your redemption is at hand 29. And he spake to them a similitude see the figtree and all trees 30. When they now bud forth fruit out of themselves you know that Summer is nigh 31. So you also when you shall these see things come to passe know that the Kingdom of God is nigh 32. Amen I say to you that this generation shall not pass till all be done 33. Heaven and Earth shall pass but my Words shall not pass The Explication 25. THese Signes appearing in the Sun Moon and Stars argue they shall not perish but remain set to another Series or order of being than they were before such Signes in them shall portend the dismall day of Judgement And indeed how can there be other than a sad distress on earth amongst all the Nations thereof upon the confusion of sound that will then be in the boiling Sea and Waves which by the general conflagration fire falling from Heaven shall be far more agitated than ever by any storm or tempest these commonly happening but in some part of the Sea whereas this disturbance shall arise from the very bottom of the channell
have it so but in a way clean contrary then we are not of one minde nor do we speak forth his praises with one mouth which yet we doe when out of severall mouthes we express one and the same will and way to praise Almighty God The Apostle seemes to insert the glorifying God and the Father of Jesus Christ under two severall notions to let us see that as Christ was man he was also truly the Son of God because as the second Person had in Heaven a Father without a Mother so in Earth Christ had a Mother without any Father save onely God in Heaven 7. For the which cause that is to shew you are all of one mind c. receive help and cherish one another being Christians or in order that you may be so as Christ hath received you that were Gentiles unto the honor of God to the same Church with his native and chosen People th◠Jewes and of all severall nations made up one joynt honour and glory to the Divine Majesty 8. True it is Christ was sent by his Heavenly Father with Commission as it were unto the Jewes onely and therefore he did live and die amongst them to verifie those promises which God had made them in Abraham and the Prophets for as the law was onely given unto and kept among the Jewes so the promises and predictions of that law did onely appertain to them and were necessarily to be made good amongst them as indeed most exactly they were by Christ and this in virtue of Cōmission from his Heavenly Father For which cause he is called here Minister of the Circumcision though he abrogated that law in regard he did all his life time administer to the circumcised his labours and pains by Teaching Preaching Curing and infinite other wayes serving the Jewes in order to their Redemption and this directly and principally to prove the veracity of God who had promised to send the Jewes a Messias that should do this and by doing this he was truly and properly their Minister 9. But not to the Gentiles so because he came to them for mercy onely and ultroneously to shew his goodnesse was not limited to the bounds of his Commission to the Jewes but might and did mercifully extend it self also to the Gentiles thereby to amplifie the honour and glory of God in doing more than could be expected of him and that to a people who had no promise nor any hope thereof Though it was not onely foreseen that Christ would doe this act of ultroneous grace and mercy but fore-told by the royall Prophet Psal 17. ver 50 as followes in this nineth verse of the Epistle 10. And as Deut. 32. ver 43. The Prophet sayes of the Gentiles Rejoice ye Gentiles with his People that is with the People of God with the Jewes for your Conversion also and sing forth praise to God for his mercy shewed to you therein 11. Here it is declared that not onely some few Nations of the Gentiles but even all of them shall be first or last made partakers of these mercies and thereby are bound to praise our Lord. 12. By the root of Jesse is here meant a Branch of that root namely Christ Jesus the son of David and of Jesse as Isaias saith in another place There shall spring a rod from the root of Jesse Isai 11. ver 1. which Rod is Iesus descended as above and yet with reason enough Christ is called the root of Iesse too for though as man he was but a branch of David his root yet as God he was the root of David his Creature again David was rather his Seed than his Root because he had not from David to be Redeemer of the World but was himself the Root of Davids and all Mankinds redemption and sprouting forth as from the Root of goodnesse in himself branches of Grace and Glory to David and all those whom he was graciously pleased to predestinate for Heirs to God and Coheires to himself in his Heavenly Kingdome The hope of which Kingdome he hath mercifully given as well to the Gentiles as faithfully by promise he gave to the Iewes 13. The Apostle here calls him the God of Hope as above Verse 5. he did call him the God of Peace and Comfort and prayes he will replenish them with all Ioy and peace as who should say both Jew and Gentile setting aside former distances now are to Joy in this that they are made one in Christ Iesus and therefore must live in peace together as the members of a naturall Body since they are become Members of Christ his Mysticall Body that by so living they may both abound in hope of one reward enough for both the Kingdome of Heaven and this through the Vertue that is Charity or the Grace of the holy Ghost wherein he also prayes they may both abound The Application 1. IF what is here written be to our Instruction 't is to make us be the Saints we are not yet 't is to facilitate the way by shewing us how the Jew and Gentile were both Saincted by Christianity The Roots whereof are the three Theologicall Vertues Faith Hope and Charity which indeed doe briefly summe up this whole Epistle in the last Verse thereof and are given us as the best preparatives to make way for Jesus into our Hearts Faith we see made Jew and Gentile both one Church O may it grow to such an excellence in us to abolish Heresie from Christianity and because it is a speciall gift of God let it be our daily Prayer that he will give it unto all the World Turk Heathen Pagan Jew 2. Hope keeps together those that Faith uniteth and like an Ancre in a storme secures the Ship of Christ in highest seas of Persecution May then the Hope of future mercy inable us to undergo our present Misery may the example of the Saints before us encourage us to be like patterns unto our Posterity as they have been to us that were our Predecessours 3. Charity makes operative both our Faith and Hope sends the Believer with the hazard of his life to propagate the Faith of Christ throughout the World and directs our present actions to such a rectitude of their intentions as may secure a future possession of their Hopes So without Charity in vain we Hope in vain men doe believe and are rather nominall than reall Christians such as cry out at the latter day Lord Lord and shall hear him say I know you not while you professe belief in Jesus Christ and offer dayly sacrifice to the Devill while you pretend a hope of Heaven and doe such actions as can onely merrit Hell while you call one another brethren in Christ and bear a mutuall hatred greater than the Gentile bore the Jew for want of those Heart-raising virtues this Epistle recommends and bids us Pray as above that by the frequent acts thereof we may both prepare the way of Christ and be able by his coming
of pennance unto remission of sins as it is written in the Book of the sayings of Isaiah the Prophet 4. A voice of one crying in the Desart prepare the way of our Lord make straight his paths 5. Every valley shall bee filled and every mountain and hill shall be made low and crooked things shall become straight and rough wayes plaine 6. And all flesh shall see the salvation of God The Explication 1. BY Tetrarch we are here to understand a Commander of the fourth part of the kingdome of Paleâ—â—ina equally divided by the Roman Emperours into four Provinces and those committed to the care of four chief Commanders called Tetrarchs The reason why the Evangelist is here so exact as to specifie Tiberius the Roman Emperour and all the four temporall Commanders under him of â—alestina divided as above into four Provinces as also the spirituall Commanders which were the High Priests of Ierusalem at the time of Iohn the Baptists preaching and pointing out our Saviour Iesus Christ to be the Messias or Redeemer of all mankinde was because the verity of our Saviours birth death and passion should be left to after ages as a truth so abundantly testified that never any doubt should be rationally made thereof since all that are here named had some remarkable hand in the passages of our Saviours life and death as namely Tiberius the Emperour who was so taken with the reports of our Saviours singular sanctity of life and miracles that hee contended mainly to have him placed among the Roman gods but failed in the attempt by divine Ordinance because it had been an Indignity for him that was the onely true God of all the world to have obtained an after-place among the Idols and false gods of the Romans Pilate as having condemned Christ to be crucified Herod Antipas for having unjustly committed to prison Iohn the Baptist the fore-runner of Christ because he reprehended him for marrying Herodias wife to his brother Philip so these two brothers are brought in upon one account Lastly Lysanias because he about that time did endeavour to recover the Kingdome of Iudea for Antigonus in casting out Hircanus made King thereof by the Roman Emperour and Herod for backing Hircanus against Lysanias in the quarrel as above was by Augustus Cesar and Anthonie his colleague preferred to the crown of Iudea with the exclusion of the said Hircanus from that crown these four principall Commanders being men famous in the world at that time and having all notice of our Saviours prodigious miracles they are recorded as Testimonies beyond all exception of the truth thereof 2. As also were the two Priests Annas and Caithas ' whereof the latter was then and all the three years of our Saviours preaching high-Priest before whom he was first convented after he had been by Judas betrayed into the hands of the Jews that conspired his death and 't is here specially remarked that in the conjunction of these above named circumstances the word of our Lord the divine Command fell upon John the Baptist Son to Zachary in the desart that he should preach the coming of our Saviour and baptize in water to shew that he was the fore-runner of him who afterwards was to baptize in spirit Christ Jesus but whether this command this word of God came to the Baptist by some Angell or an expresse Messenger from heaven or onely by an internall Inspiration to John himself so to doe is not certain neither is it much materiall since either way gave Authority enough as appeared by Christ so solemnly avowing him afterwards 3 4. Besides the coming of John the Baptist into the Country of Jordan was foretold we see by the Prophet Isaias as in these three following verses doth clearly appear By his preaching the baptisme of pennance unto remission of sinnes is not understood that remission of sinnes was had by Iohn's but should be had by Christ his baptism So Iohn did onely by preaching pennance dispose to the receiving remission of sins which was given by the baptisme of Christ for originall and by the Sacrament of Confession for all actuall sin and Iohn for this preaching is called a voyce of one crying in the desart c. 5. Note this Verse as spoken now by Iohn the Baptist is not so much propheticall of what shall be done hereafter as exhorting to what is fit for the present to doe since he came to prepare the way for Christ rather than to foretell what should be done by him or by us after him so this Future tense is here to be understood as a command or counsell in the Present tense as if he should say Let every valley be filled every hill made levell c. So to even the way for the King of Heavens coming since upon Kings approaches such preparations are usually made to shew the duties and zeals of Subjects laying themselves and all they have levell at the feet of their Soveraign whence by Valley here understand the dejected by Mountain or Hill the proud Soul by Crooked understand wicked by Rough stubborn by Plain gentle Souls and then take the Morall thus That if we will shew our selves loyall and loving subjects to Christ and prepare his wayes for him as Iohn the Baptist exhorteth we must raise up our dejected and suppress our proud thoughts we must streighten our crooked and even our rough wayes by confessing our sins so to make him see he shall not come amongst rebellious and refractory subjects but finde us ready to conform or ply our selves alwayes and to all purposes by his holy Grace according to his sacred will and pleasure 6. The genuine sense of this last Verse is also by the same trope of the future to make an exhortation to us in the Present tense as if the Evangelist or the Prophet Isaias spake now in the Baptists name and let all flesh that is every man see not onely with the eyes of his Soul or understanding but with those of his Body the Salvation of God namely the Messias God and Man our Saviour Iesus Christ either in his Person living in the Sacrament of the Altar or on his Throne of Judgement at the latter day or as he is now in the midst of you that doe not take notice of him see I tell you I am his forerunner sent before him to point him out unto you and that done to recede that you may not longer be diverted from looking towards himself by deceiving your selves as you doe to think I am the Messias No I must be diminished cut off and set out of your way though upon another seeming pretence namely Herodias her malice to me for speaking against her unlawfull Marriage age but indeed to give way that Christ may be exalted in yours and in all the worlds esteeme as it is fit and absolutely necessary it should be according as I tell you Iohn 3. ver 30. He must encrease and I be diminished Note though now as these
the Old than to the New Law Thirdly because in that state they were in they did want the fruit of Adoption because when they dyed Just yet they could not partake of Heaven the now immediate reward of such blessed Soules as they were in regard Christ had not opened the gates thereof to mortalls by his first entring into Heaven as was fit he should since all others were to follow upon his Title not upon their own Lastly because Christ by exempting us from the servitude of the Old Law gave us the right of claime to the Spirit of Adoption which was that of the New Law taught by Christ and affirmed by the holy Ghost 6. This Verse clearly shewes the truth of the Doctrine above delivered since to declare we were partakers of the Divine Filiation God sent us the Spirit of his Son Divine the holy Ghost as who should say it is a true signe we are partakers of the Divine Nature because we have the Divine Spirit in us though this Spirit doth rather shew we are the Sons of God than make us such as the Signe shews the thing to be there where the Signe of the thing is for indeed we are the Children of God by the merits of Christ his passion since the true Adoptive cause the root of our filiation is the Son of God his Incarnation for thence we become God because God became Man so the grace of the holy Ghost or his Spirit abounding in us is rather the signe than the cause of our Adoption or filiation since our adoption is by Christ and the proof thereof is by his holy Spirit abiding in us not that this spirit of the holy Ghost is an empty signe but that besides the signe it is of our filiation to God it is also the same God with the Father and the Son really and truly sanctifying of us and uniting himself unto us by his holy Grace as well as he unites us to the actuall participation of our Saviours Passion at the same instant when he gives us his Grace and thereby teacheth us to cry Abba Father that is to say O Heavenly Father look upon us as thy Children being made so by the passion of thy Son and declared to be so by the coming of the holy Ghost amongst us into our hearts inabling them with a loud pious affection though sometimes their lips move not to cry unto thee in that filiall voice which ever opens the ears of thy mercy towards us and makes thee often ask us as thou didst silent Moses thus internally and silently crying to thee What doe you cry unto me for Exod. 14. ver 15. my dearest Children what doe you want it is but ask and have 7. Here is a Graecisme or Greek transition from the Second person to the Third as who should say what I speak of you O Galatians adopted as above the like I say of all third Persons even any Gentile so adopted that be he of what Nation he will if he can truly cry Abba Father he is not a Servant but a Sonne of God and if a Sonne he is an Heir also by God that is by Christ who is the Son of God O happy Children of this Heavenly Father who makes all his issue equall Heires and leaves not younger children to the mercy of their Elder brothers for their Patrimony but gives all his whole estate in Heavenly Glory and by that himself for their Patrimony whence Saint Austine sayes well Thou hast created us O Lord to and for thy self and our heart is at no rest untill it have the happinesse to rest in thee nothing lesse than thy self can satiate us and this satiety we enjoy when thy glory appears in us and placeth us in thee The Application 1. LEarn all ye Monarchs of the Times to know this Text forbids you Lord it here as if you were not under Age. The Kingdomes you command you then usurp when you deny obedience to the Church Christ is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords he is the Father of all Christians who hath made no servant Tutour to command us but his Sacred Spouse the holy Church so long as here we live 2. Learn all ye proudest men to stoop to the degree of little ones again now you behold your ancient God become a Child of Man to make you Men children of Almighty God 3. Learn ye that glory to write man to Nature to be but Babes yet to Grace let not Christ remain alone an Infant be every Christian at the least an Innocent to keep him company while holy Church recounts his Cradle-dayes And Prayes that as children unable to doe manly acts our selves we may be directed in the pleasure of our Heavenly Father by doing nothing but in the Name of his onely Sonne who knowes best what will please him and make us deserve well at his Holy Hands by abounding in good Works The Gospel LUKE 2. ver 33. c. 33. ANd his Father and Mother were marvelling upon those things which were spoken concerning him 34. And Simeon blessed him and said to Mary his Mother Behold this is set unto the ruine and unto the resurrection of many in Israel and for a signe which shall be contradicted 35. And thine own soul shall a sword pierce that out of many hearts cogitations may be revealed 36. And there was Anne a prophetesse the daughter of Phanuel of the Tribe of Aser she was far stricken in dayes and had lived with a Husband seven years from her Virginity 37. And she was a widdow untill eighty and four years who departed not from the Temple by fasting and prayers serving night and day 38. And she at the same hour suddenly coming in Confessed to our Lord and spake of him to all that expected the redemption of Israel 39. And after they had wholly done all things according to the Law of our Lord they returned into Galilee into their City Nazareth 40. And the Child grew and waxed strong full of wisdom and the grace of God was in him The Explication 33. NOte here Saint Ioseph is not called Christ his Father as Nurses husbands are called Foster-fathers to the children whom their wives give suck unto though they never did beget those children but further and yet more really because Jesus was the true and naturall Child of the Blessed Virgin Mary being joyned in reall Wedlock with Saint Ioseph though she never did accompany her husband in the Marriage bed so his paternity was more than nutritious and yet less than naturall because Jesus was onely the Son of Ioseph marryed to the Virgin Mary but never having knowledge of her Body and therefore he is called the putative or esteemed Father of Christ for all he never did beget him meerly because his wife did truly bear him and was his naturall Mother though by a meanes supernaturall to wit the over-shadowing of the holy Ghost These his Parents are here said to be marvelling not that they were perhaps
to supplant their neighbour and to reâ—r their own monuments upon anothers ruine As for pardoning it was esteemed folly by them who thought revenge the sweetest thing in nature and as for our Lord God they so little knew him that his pardoning nature was no motive to their vindicative dispositions which yet Christians that know God and beleeve that in his sacred Son he hath pardoned the offences of the whole world cannot pretend but must as taught by him or pardon others or not hope for pardon of their own sins 14. But above all that is to say it sufficeth not for a Christian to forgive an enemy but he must also love him too for Charity is the band of perfection not onely the life of every Vertue but the link that chaineth them together and binds them all up in one bundle to make a present of them to Almighty God as of so many particulars necessary to make one accomplisht Soul nay not only binding up all vertues together in one man but also uniting all men together as making so many members to integrate one Mysticall Body of Christ his holy Church so that no one Vertue can subsist alone without the help of another to support it For instance modesty is lost unless patience help to bear it self modestly against those who are injurious againe Patience cannot subsist without Humility inabling us to bear patiently the proud comportment of others and their provocations to impatience and the like is of all Vertues whatsoever for we shall find no one can stand alone without it lean upon another but this is singular in Charity that she is not necessary as a particular support to any single Vertue but is further the common Soul or life unto them all insomuch that without Charity there can be no Vertue at all in any Soul For as Saint Paul sayes 1 Cor. 13. If I have Faith to remove Mountaines if I speak with the tongues of Angels and have no Charity I am become as sounding Brass and a tinkling Cymbâ—ll making a noise but no Harmony nor Musick in the hearing of Almighty God and here the same Apostle calls Charity the band of all Vertues thereby to shew us we are but loose Christians unless tyed up together in the Band of Charity whereby we are made to love God above all things and our neighbour as our selves and in so doing are by this Band of perfection rendred perfect Christians Chosen holy and Beloved children of Christ Iesus 15. Out of this mutuall love followes an effect of peace which is here recommendeâ— to us in no less degree than it was in our Saviours own heart even that similitudinarily not identically which Christ had with the Jewes when on the Cross he besought his Father to be at peace with his enemies that peace and no less the Apost e desires should exult he would say abound in our hearts too his meaning is we should rather recede from our own rights than seek to recover them by losing the peace and quiet of our minde or then be at variance with any body whatsoever to which purpose Cardinall Bellarmine had an excellent axiome which he was known by saying often upon occasions of disputes or oddes between party and party One ounce of Peace is worth a whole pound of Victory and this Cardinall was not alone of this opinion for Saint Austine sure taught it him in his twelfth Sermon upon this verse of the Apostle where he speaks thus I will not have with whom to strive it is much more desireable to have no enemy than to overcome him But the Apostles sense in this place is yet deeper for he so recommends peace unto us as he leaves it for the commandant in our Hearts the ruler of them and of all our actions indeed the crown of them besides as who should say what ere you doe see it be peaceably done see you may after it is past say you have thereby made no breach of peace either in your own or your neighbours minde but that you goe towards God hand in hand with all the world rather following them who siâ— not than by breaking from them though upon your own perhaps better designe cause a disturbance amongst others And indeed if we be at any time necessitated to a war the Christian and reall end thereof being peace argues how much this Vertue is requisite to abound in every pious Soul And eace is here called Christ his Vertue because it was the speciall gift he brought from Heaven when the Angel told us his nativity brought Glory to God above and peace to men of good mindes upon earth Luke 2 ver 1â— and at his parting he left it himself as a legacy amongst us saying immediately before his ascension up to Heaven John 14. ver 27. My peace I leave with you my peace I give to you and for this reason the Apostle sayes We are all called by Christ in one Body that is made up peaceable members one with another of his own sacred and Mysticall Body the holy Church Bee therefore thankfull is the close of this Verse to shew it is a benefit infinitely obliging Christians to receive by Grace so admirable a gift as peace amongst us that are made up by nature of many contradictions not onely externall but internall also though there want not thâ—t instead of thankfull expound this place as to import being gracious or pleasing to each other for so are all peaceable men acceptable to everybody wheresoever they come and truly however the Rhemists translate it Thankfull yet the expositours especially Saint Heirome incline to think gracious to be the more genuine sense of the Apostle in this place 16. True it is by the Word of Christ is here meant as well the written as the preached Word of God but in regard ignorant persons are more apt to misconstrue than rightly to understand the written Word therefore holy Church is sparing to give leave to read the Bible and liberall to advise us to hear it Preached or explicated by the Priests But if it please God we have it once expounded unto us that we may understand it in a safe and sound sense then not to read it will be a fault whereas till then to read it may prove a danger to us and in very truth one reason why I have undertaken to set forth this book was to give the Lay-people a little liberty in reading at least all the Epistles and Gospels throughout the Sundayes of the year when they were laid open to them in a safe sense such as might nay must needs edisie and can no wayes offend or cause dangers to the reader so to read and possesse themselves of thus much Scripture as is here delivered in the flux of a year unto then must needs be highly commendable and hugely profitable unto every one that reads and makes it their study indeed their Prayer from one end of the year to the other for so shall they have
in this Verse and the next there is no promise made of a penny which was the just reward of a whole dayes labour but onely of what was just proportionable to the time and merit of their pains which argues for the doctrine of merit asserted by the Catholiques denyed by Hereticks who cannot endure to hear of merit in any but in Christ Nor is there any in men as due to what like men corrupted they doe though to what they doe as more than men that is as elevated above the pitch or reach of nature by grace wee doe allow them merit but still so as this merit receives value from Christ's Passion not from Humane actions onely and consequently Christ merits in them or they in Christ but not in themselves or of themseves 5. This verse puts us in mind that God hath more sollicitude to call us to him than we have of going our selves 6. Here we find an addition of a whole daies idlenesse whereas before there was onely some little loytering objected to those that were called as we heard ver 3. above The reason is that this eleventh houre is the last which can be allowed to losse for at the twelfth Judgement begins and therefore those now called were told they had lost all their former time and were bid go for one hour at least labour to save their soules The former calls we may understand made to the Iewes This latter to the Gentles Origen takes Adam to signifie them called at the first hour Paul to signifie them called at the latter hour 7. Hear the reason given by these last called why they came no sooner because no man did sooner hire them and to this excuse the rationall master makes no reply as not willing to blame where there was no fault and certainely there is none in those who come not before God calls them for it is impossible any corrupted nature should look towards heaven were it not that Gods holy grace propends than that way To these therefore it was onely said well goe now at last that I doe call you imploy this last hour to Gods honour and glory where observe nothing is promised not that these shall need feare to receive no reward but that they shall humbly acknowledge the little they can doe in so short a time as this life affords us is not worthy so great a reward as heaven and that thence Gods infinite goodnesse may appear the more giving to the least minute of holy labour an everlasting crown of glory for our rewards a gallant incouragement indeed to all noble soules and enough to give noble thoughts and hopes to the most abject spirits 8. By evening is here meant the day of doome by the Bayliffe Origen understands S. Michael or the Angels guardian of each soule summoning men to this latter Judgement and leaving them to receive the publike reward or punishment as formerly they had done the private but better is Christ understood to be the Bayliffe here of his heavenly Father paying each soule the hire of his labours though some conceive the holy Ghost may be the rewarder as he is by his grace given the Caller and Imployer of Soules in the Vineyard or Church of Christ The reason why the penny is here called a reward is because a reward is not a thing given answerable to time or paines but to merit and therefore the distribution of this reward is said to begin first with those who were last called because the grace whereby the Apostles and Gentiles were made servants of God and Labourers in Christs Vineyard was infinitely more valuable than that whereby the Iewes were called and consequently no marvell if in an houres time it caused more merit in Christians than in all the ages before it had caused among the Iewes 9. There was but a penny promised the first comers and the last receiveing as much were in that regard preferred and made as it were the first because they received equall reward for unequall labour but since all reward was gratuite as respecting the party rewarded no marvell the rewarder gave his bounties as he pleased though he would vouchsafe them the title of rewards 10 11 12. The greatest difficulty we have here is to explicate what is meant by murmur in that sence of the parable which makes the last to be saved soules for those who understand them out-casts from glory will not scruple to say the damned soules live not onely in eternal murmur but in open mutiny and rebellion against Almighty God for saving the Blessed and not them too but we may piously acquiesce here to Suarez and Vasquez their interpretation of murmur in the last blessed to see the first so strangely above their merits rewarded not that this admiring murmur is the least repining but the most extatick admiration of the infinite goodnesse of Almighty God first in saving any Iewes at all since they had butchered his sacred Sonne next in giving an endelesse crown of Glory to an instantaneous time of labour in the Gentiles This I say we shall rather give to those renowned men for a plausible exposition of this hard place than contrast with them the solidity thereof unlesse a better could be found out By the burden of the day and the beates we may here understand the long time w th the Iewes groaned under the dark law of Nature or tormenting Law of Moses from Adam to Christ which was the duration of the Iewish Synagogue and the hot persecution the Iewes groaned under not onely when the Romanes first sack'd Ierusalem and destroyed it with the greatest number of the Jewish nation but while the subjection of the Iewes lasts even to the worlds end they being the scorne of men for ever in a just revenge of their scorning the most beautifull among the Sonnes of men CHRIST JESUS 13 14. These two verses shew that first there was no injustice done to him who had the just reward of his labours which he contracted for next a contracted bragaine with one hinders not an ultroneous reward to another if a man please to bestow his bounty upon those who never laboured to deserve it since it is free for any man to dispose of his own as best pleaseth himself 15. This is a friendly expostulation of the Master with the Servants who needed not have given other reason for his will but his own pleasure and though here he give no other yet it is a vouchsafing in him to give that since the murmur was unjust where no injustice was done and indeed this place shewes how truely S. Austine saies That when God rewards man he crownes his own not the workes of men 16. According to the first sense of this parable explicated as above The last first are the blessed not onely called but chosen and these are in number few and the first last are the damned not chosen but called onely and for not answering the expectation of their calling are damned and
Corn wants no inward cause of prospering but is outwardly hindred by being choaked or kept down with over growing bryars and thorns that hinder the rising thereof Now though our Saviour best knew how to explicate his own meaning and hath declared that by these Thornes he means Riches which prick the Soules of those that possesse them in their rising up to acts of love towards God and so force them down again to the love of earthly things yet Saint Gregory found this exposition so beyond his expectation of this Text that he admiring sayes If he had thus expounded it the world would not have believed him to attinge the true sense thereof as being possessed what they handle and hugge dayly sn their armes their wealth and riches cannot prick nor gall them yet now our Saviour sayes they doe so we must believe it and truly so it is for what more ordinary than to see the high and mighty men of the world mighty I mean in wealth abject and lowe in their growth upwards to Heaven to see them still pricking down their rising Souls and under the title of riches we may here understand honours pleasures pastimes of the vain licentious and idle people of the world whose own conscience tells them they doe ill in following such courses as yet they will not leave 8. 15. By the good ground is here understood a tender Conscience which makes a Religion of each action and so hearing Gods Word first labours to understand it then puts in execution the Doctrine thereof and thereby brings forth fruits of all sorts of Vertue and good Works nay brings forth indeed an hundred fold or more according to the proportion and measure of grace received from Almighty God but we are here to observe the reduplicative speech of a good and a very good heart that is to say a heart illuminated with Faith but working by Charity or as Albertus will have it Good by being free from Sin very good by being in all things conformabled to the Will of God or as Saint Bonaventure sayes Good by verity or rectitude in the understanding very good by rectitude in the affections or as Saint Augustine will have it Good by loving our neighbour as our selves very good by loving God above all things saying and they properly retaine the Word as the Blessed Virgin did and bring forth the fruit thereof in patience that is by bearing with unperturbed minds the perturbations of this world And though S. Luke do not mention the quantities of fruits produced yet S. Matthew chap. 13 ver 23. speaks of the Thirty fold the sixty fold and the hundred fold fruit of those who hear the Word of God as they ought to doe meaning it makes some good men others better others best of all according to the respective measures of dispositions in their Souls answerable to their severall proportions of Grace and co-operations therewith or if we will have these three-fold quantities all in one Soul then say we bring forth Thirty when we think well Sixty when we speak well an hundred fold when we do well or when we begin to be vertuous profit therein and at last attain to the perfection of vertue till we arrive at the top of all Vertues or when we observe not onely Gods Commandements but his Counsells too and at last his transcendent charity being ready to die his Martyrs in requitall of his dying our Saviour and so make degrees and steps in our own hearts up to Heaven as the Royall Prophet sayes he did Psal 83. Making Ascents in his heart by rising up towards Heaven from Vertue to Vertue The Application 1. THis Parable shewes how many wayes we may labour in vain by sowing the grounds we have plowed up and be still in danger lest the Devill reap what we have sown namely that beside the way When for company sake we goe to Church not for Devotion But to see and to be seen rather than to hear the VVord of God 2. That on the Rock when out of fear of Parents anger or the punishments of Magistrates we are forced to Church and hearing there the VVord must needs with open hearts receive it in being of it self sâ— forceable as to peirce the very stones but then because we hear it by compulsion every difficulty nature frames against Grace shuts up our hearts again and will not let it in to take good rooting there 3. That on the thorny ground when rich men hear the VVord of God for custome or for curiosity to recreate and not to edifie to censure rather than conâ—orm to what they hear No marvell thâ—n if to prevent the danger of our going to the Devills Chappell even in the Church of God Our holy Mother pray to Day as above for the best seeds-mans protection against so many dangers hoping by so praying to render our hearts such as the Gospell closeth with to Day On QUINQUAGESIMA Sunday The Antiphon LUKE 18. ver 40. ANd Jesus staying commanded the blinde man to be brought unto him what wilt thou that I do to thee O Lord that I may see and Jesus said to him Look up thy Faith hath made thee safe and he forthwith did see and followed magnifying God Vers Let my prayer c. Resp Even as Incense c. The Prayer O Lord we beseech thee hear clemently our Prayers and being loosened from the fetters of our sins keep us from all adversity The Illustration NO marvell if many of my friends told me here the common place of this Prayer would not easily be made particularly proper to our design of a sweet connexion between that prayer and the other parts of this days service for see in the Epistle charity in the Gospel faith insisted on whereas in the Prayer neither of these vertues are mentioned What remedy truly none but by applying mystically to our selves that now which was actually done when our Saviour lived and by remembring that as the propagation of faith amongst Infidels was the chief work of Christ so the conservation and augmentation of charity is the chief thing Christians have to doe for as Faith was the Basis or foundation of the Church whilest it was a building so charity must bee the covering and top thereof now it is built What wonder then while the Gospel tells us how Christ confirmed in his Disciples by the miracle upon the blinde the faith of his Deity That the Epistle exhorts us who need not God be praised any confirmation of our faith to an augmentation of our charity by seeing it laid to day before us in such lively colours as S. Paul hath drawn it in so that whilest holy Church tells us what Christ then did towrds the Jews by introducing faith among them with miracles we that now need no miracles should doe towards him by acts of love to the divine goodness that is to say labour to shew our loves to him as he did to beget faith in them but what
that humanity is but a creature his meaning therefore must be that with our corporall eyes we can onely see the Deity as tralucent and shining through the face of Christ or through his humane nature but yet with our souls eyes that is with her faculties of understanding we see even the sacred Deitie and with our wills we love him as the beginning and end of all our hopes as our chief and infinite goodness and when the Apostle sayes he shall know God in heaven as he is there known by God his meaning is onely that we shall see God perfectly and not in part onely as he doth know us perfectly by knowing the integrity of all the causes concurring to our making and the infallibility of all the effects of our each operation or motion not that therefore our knowledge of God shall be equally perfect with his of us for such knowledge would argue identity and not onely similitude of knowledge whereas here there is no identicall but onely a similitudinary knowledge asserted 13. We must note that Iraeneus Tertullian and others understood by the word now that the Apostle meant now that we are in this perfect knowledge that is in heaven Faith Hope Charity shall remain but this were to contradict all that hath been said before of Faith ceasing when vision comes of hope decaying when Fruition affords all that can be hoped for so those Fathers must be explicated to mean by faith all firm assured and undoubted science such as onely consisted in vision and by hope all incessant adhesion to the infinite goodness of God above all things else beloved which adhesion they called fruition and yet though this qualifie their sense to bee neerer the Apostles than an asserting that faith and hope remain in heaven formally as charity doth yet this comes short of S. Pauls meaning by the word now in this life not in heaven for his main scope was to prove to the Corinthians that charity was the chief of all other vertues faith hope and charity but the chiefest and greatest of these is charity and not so much boasted gift of tongues and therefore as to them he sayes Now there are three Theologicall vertues faith hope and charitie but the greatest of these is charity not your vain faith which is not acquainted with love nor your idle hope which fixeth your expectation of help from creatures nay though your faith be pure and your hope in God alone yet charity is greater than these vertues and shall remain in heaven when the other two Theological vertues cease however now they are all three together here the most excellent indeed of all other gifts or vertues however you esteem more that of tongues which I see you prefer fondly before any other gifts of God To conclude the Apostle resolves charity to bee above all other vertues as the fire is the chief of Elements gold the principall of metals the Sun the best of Planets the Empyreal the highest of heavens and the Seraphins the top-gallant of Angels so is charity the chief the principal the best the highest and the most gallant of all vertues whatsoever The Application 1. SInce the first operation of Adams soul was an act of love to his Creator because he see him to bee infinitely more amiable than all the lovely creatures he had made him master of Therefore every child of Adam doth even in that degenerate if his first reasonable operation be not also an act of love to God Nature as well as grace teaching the giver ought to be beloved far above the gift he gives 2. Hence it is that in Regeneration we are bound to make our first act a profession of our faith and love to the divine Majesty so solemn that it is accompanied with an abrenuntiation of all love to creatures namely those that tempt us most the World the Flesh and the Divel with all his Pomps and vanities And this because originall sin had fetterd our affections and tyed them to a dotage on the creatures so as to love these above the Creatour of them and us 3. Now because this indebit love to creatures is the fetter that fastens us to sin making us affect it even when we doe not commit it actually and because for sin wee are lyable to all adversity therefore S. Paul by tying a true-lovers-knot of perfect love and charity to God within our hearts would loosen the fetters of our love to creatures that fasten us to sin and by this art would keep us free from all adversitie no effect remaining longer than the cause thereof remains Whence it is that whilest Saint Paul so passionately recommendeth charity in this Epistle as the onely remedie against adversitie We properly pray as above The Gospel LUKE 18. ver 31 c. 31. ANd Jesus took the twelve and said to them Behold we goe up to Hierusalem and all things shall be consummate which were written by the Prophets of the Son of man 32. For he shall be delivered to the Gentiles and shall be mocked and scourged and spit upon 33. And after they have scourged him they will kill him and the third day he shall rise again 34. And they understood none of these things and this word was hid from them and they understood not the things that were said 35. And it came to passe when he drew nigh to Jericho a certain blind man sat by the way begging 36. And when he heard the multitude passing by he asked what this should be 37. And they told him Jesus of Nazareth passed by 38 And he cryed saying Jesus son of David have mercy upon me 39. And they that went before rebuked him that he should hold his peace But he cryed much more son of David have mercy upon me 40. And Jesus standing commanded him to be brought unto him and when he was come neer he asked him 41. Saying what wilt thou that I doe to thee but he said Lord that I may see 42. And Jesus said unto him Doe thou see thy faith hath made thee whole 43. And forthwith he saw and followed him magnifying God And all the people as they saw it gave praise to God The Explication 31. OUr Saviour being now neer the time wherein he was pleased to be sacrificed for mans redemption took with him in this his last ascending to the grand feast of the Jewes their Paschall solemnity all his twelve Apostles and lest they should be surprised by his sudden death which they knew not to be at hand as himself did he forewarnes them of it nay for their further comfort he tells them his death was fore-told long before by the holy Prophets but with this consolatory clause of his rising again after he was dead to prove thereby it was God redeemed us when God and Man dyed for us and such was the Messias such was he who now foretold them this of himself to prepare their patience against his passion to secure their Faith though
common practise of the devill when he cannot tempt to open sin to flatter by pretence of sanctity and so to draw us into the trap of selfe-conceit and dangerous vaine glory thus he in vaine attempted Jesus Christ thus he deludes the soules that he tempts to sin by telling them they are Predestinated to be sav'd and cannot finally be damn'd do what they will the least humility is remedy to this vaine glorious disease Thou shalt not tempt thy Lord thy God our Saviours way to kill that devill of vaine glory Saint Paul hath such another Hee that thinks he stands let him beware he fall not Religious feare and trembling is the firmest footing to hold us fast upon the highest Pinnacles of Grace 3. The latter end of all Temptation shewes the Temptors aime the ruine of the tempted soule This is designed under faire pretexts such as doe tickle natures appetite Riches pleasure honour and command but see the choaking Hooke arm'd with alluring baites behold Idolatry coucht under Gratitude It seemes a reasonable homage to adore the giver of so great a gift as all the wealth and pleasure of the world but 't is a huge injustice to receive them from the hands of an usurper who hath as little power to give as we to take the stolen gift And mark how this usurper then pretends to give when the right Owner takes away by a command of Abstinence Christ came not here to raigne but to bestow on us a Crown of glory to rob us then of heaven the devill proffers us the scum thereof the rubbige swept away from thence and cast into the common shoare the sinke of nature Earth O how sordid earth appeares when I behold the beauty of the heavens thus holy David thus we ought to say and more with Jesus bid the fiend avant so shall we by religious adoration of Almighty God accompany'd with holy Poverty this time of Lent forbear to covet riches and by them to Idolize unto the devill adde then these good workes to the Fast they will accomplish So shall we render our selves the Purified soules we pray to be by fasting On the second Sunday in Lent The Antiphon 2 Cor. 17. v. 9 c. THe vision which thou hast seene thou shalt tell to none untill the Sonne of man doe rise from death Vers To Angels God hath c. Resp That in all thy wayes c. The Prayer O God who doest behold us voyd of all strength guard us we beseech thee exteriorly and interiorly that we may be defended from all corporall adversities and purified from evill cogitations of our soules The Illustration THe last Sundayes Prayer laid our Lenten Fast for the chiefe ground of all the Prayers in Lent This fixed on that ground lookes to the end of the aforesaid Fast our purification of the whole creature which we are and so confessing here first that we are void of all strength to guard our selves we begge of Almighty God a guard both for the exterior and interior man that thus our bodies being outwardly defended from all corporall adversities particularly sicknesse to tempt us from our Fast our soules may be purified from all inward evills of filthy cogitations and this with regard to what Saint Leo told us last Sunday was required for the integrity of a Fast namely to withdraw our minds from sinne lest in vaine we did else take meat from our mouths and hence we shall finde little excuse by what casuists tell us the end of the precept is no precept to us though the meanes to that end be of absolute command for example in this present case they say t is no breach of our Lenten Fast to commit a sinne in Lent though we are commanded to use the meanes of fasting to the end we may avoid sinne and so render our selves the purified creatures which holy Church intends by this forty dayes Fast to make us for truly casuists in this may seeme to favour us but yet upon reflection it is no favour because sinne being at all times prohibited under strict command we never sinne mortally but we breake some precept of Almighty God greater then this of the Church by any other kind of mortall sinning which at all times is forbid us and then much more strictly when we are actually under a wholesome cure for sinne the holy Fast of Lent so it will not be to render soules scrupulous but religious to tell them that sinnes are aggravated at least when committed at that time we are commanded to take Physick for preventing sinne as now when holy Church injoynes a Fast expressely for that purpose But to our maine designe let us see how this dayes Prayer suits to the Epistle and Gospell of the day as well as to the season of Lent why truly very well to the former because this Lenten Fasting is one of the Apostolicall precepts mentioned here by Saint Paul to the Thessalonians and in regard Fasting is one of the best of remedies against that carnall sinne which this dayes Epistle dehorteth from as also it is the best step to that walk recommended to us from vertue to vertue that we may by abounding more and more therein please God by the fulfilling of his holy will which is as Saint Paul to day calls it our Sanctification and that particularly by the gift of chastity of purity both in body and soule which altogether comes home even to the letter and full sense of this dayes Prayer nor is the Gospell of the Transfiguration read to day for any other end then to mind us of being spiritually transfigured from Polluted to Chaste bodies from Sinful to Sainted Soules for so shall we appeare to our Saviours eye with faces shining like the Sunne and bodies pure as the whitest Snow as himselfe appeared on Mount-Tabor to his Apostles and as the expositors conceive Moses and Elias did appear so too thus to shew we cannot by our vertuous lives approach neer to God without being Transfigured to the world and made mirrours of admiration to men and Angels and such indeed ought to be our Lenten Fasters How exactly then is this dayes Prayer set to the other service of the day when by saying it in order to performe our Lenten Fasts it brings forth in us the effect of Sanctification which the Epistle aimes at and that of our Transfiguration from Sinners to Saints which the Gospell points unto The Epistle 1 ad Thes c. 4. v. 1 c. 1. For the rest therefore Brethren we desire and beseech you in our Lord Iesus that as you have received of us how you ought to walk and to please God as also you do walk that you abound more 2. For you know what precepts I have given to you by our Lord Iesus 3. For this is the will of God your Sanctification that you abstaine from Fornication 4. That every one may know to possesse his vessell in Sanctification and honour 5. Not in the Passion of lust
as also the Gentiles that know not God 6. And that no man over-goe nor circumvent his brother in businesse because our Lord is revenger of all these things as we have foretold you and have testified 7. For God hath not called us into uncleannesse but into Sanctification The Explication 1. THe Apostle fitly vseth the word walk insteed of live in this and most places since it is not a posture suitable to the present life for Christians to stand still we remember our Saviour rebuked those that did it Matth. 20. v. 6. Saying why stand ye here the whole day idle as if to stand still were to be idle and loyter so the posture of a good Christian is and ought to be walking moving going on from vertue to vertue Psal 38. untill at last he arrive to the rewarder and source of all vertues God himselfe for by bidding us to walk so as thereby we may please God and abound more and more we are bid to accumulate vertues upon vertues so long as we live in this vicious world and that we may know how to doe this the Apostle bids that we follow his rule for this purpose framed to our hands as it was to the Thessalonians since what he writ to them was with intention it should be handed over from age to age even to us and to those that should live in the very last of times 2. His meaning is that he gave them this rule of perfection by Authority Commission or inspiration from our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and this rule was not to tell them onely what he had observed in our Saviour to this purpose making himselfe an example of perfection to us all but also what by inspiration of the holy Ghost himselfe as an Apostle intrusted with the care and charge of soules had upon occasion found expedient to prescribe unto them and this Authority as it was given to the Apostles so it descendeth from them unto their successors the Fathers and rulers of Soules especially the governing party of the Church the Pope and Bishops thereof 3. By the will of God is not here understood that will which is commonly called the will of his Beneplacitum or holy pleasure to doe himselfe what he pleaseth but the will of his signe mark or token what he would have us to doe and that not in generall for so his will is we should have perfect and universall Sanctity in all our actions but in particular he points out here for us the Sanctification of chastity so we may see by all the following verses as who should say God was particularly pleased to point out his Signall will unto us that the vertue which is most suitable to his infinite simplicity and purity namely chastity should be aimed at by all Christians that even those who were marryed people should by tempering their carnall passions and desires partake in some measure of this divine vertue and those who were not marryed should have an expresse prohibition from the foule impurity of Fornication since it seemes the Apostle forbids it here not onely under the generall rule the prohibition thereof in the commandements but with a specially preamble that he doth by name forbid this sinne as having it specially declared unto him that it was the signall will of God he should doe so 4. This place is commonly understood as prescribing a rule of moderation to marryed people that they so use the lawfull bed of pleasure as they forget not to Sanctifie themselves even by and in the use thereof remembring God hath elevated that corporal communication so much coveted and delighted in by Flesh and Bloud that he hath raised the wonted civill contract of marriage to be now a more holy thing even a Sacrament or conduite-pipe of his holy grace into the Soules of such people as make religious and not lustfull use thereof for of the latter we see sad examples in the seven husbands of Sara snatched from her bed because they marryed her purely for lust not for any limited or regulated love and so againe by a pious abstinence upon fasts or feasts from corporall knowledge of each other specially when marryed Christians receive the Sacrament they use their vessels in Sanctification of themselves and honour of God thereby for reverence to whose blessed Body and holy Sacraments they abstaine from their otherwise lawfull pleasures yet there is a deeper and more universall application aimed at by the Apostle in this place even to all Christians whatsoever married or single since though to marryed persons their mutually betrothed bodies to one another are their vessels properly here specified yet to single persons by their vessels are meant their single bodies which containe their soules within them as so many precious liquors in the sight and to the Palat of Almighty God who is jealous lest any of that liquour should be drawne out and given to creatures that is lest by following the impulse of sense they should poure out the affections of their soules upon their own corporall pleasures or the delight of any other body whatsoever for pure respect to the creature and not so stand upon their guard as not to part with the least drop of their soules affections either to themselves or any others which are all due to Almighty God for this is to possesse each one his owne vessell as Rom. 6 v. 19. Saint Paul adviseth and to possesse it in Sanctification of himselfe by acts of love to the divine Majesty and in honour of Almighty God by so doing and contrary to this counsell doe all those who make their bodies possesse that is to say command their Soules whereas the soul is to possesse her body in this sense of commanding it as finally she shall doe in the kingdome of heaven and as at first Adams soul did even here on earth 5. This verse prosecutes the sence of the former by representing unto us the bestiality it is in Christians to proceed like Gentiles who are called a people that is no people because they are more like beasts then men and such the Apostle accounts Christians who follow the passions of lust the full swinge of their carnall desires without any religious limit thereof even when carnall pleasure is lawfull because to doe thus is as if we knew no God for whose sake we were to refraine our inordinate appetites not onely in carnall pleasures but in those meats drinkes or companies that propend us thereunto 6. In this place the Apostles sense lyes lyable to a very easie mistake and the words sound as if he did leap from the Subject of lust to that of fraud deceipt or injury but indeed he prosecutes his former sense in this whole Epistle So he must here be understood by businesse to forbid Adultery as above he hath forbidden Fornication not to overgo is here meant literally forbidding any man to goe over his neighbours marriage bed and thereby defraud him of his due which is to have
bred up and not far from Capernaum where he wrought his most Miracles high to shew heaven is hugely elevated from earth and that as in heaven the glory of God shall be so in Thabor the glory of Christ was manifested to those who were like the Elect amongst many chosen singled out for eternal happiness in the next and for testimonies here of Christ his Deity shining through the cloud of his humanity as the next verse describeth 2. His Transfiguration consisted not in the change of his humane shape nor in his giving his body all the gifts of glorified bodies in heaven impassibility agility subtility clarity but in shewing to the Apostles the last onely of these gifts and that so far forth as their weak eyes were capable of which clarity Christ was fain to suppress whilest he lived here that he might be seen and conversed with by all men for else it was at all times due to him as all the other gifts of glorified bodies were by reason of his Divinity united to his humanity Note though there be special mention made of a change in his face onely shining like the Sun and his garments become white as snow yet this clarity or glory was general over all his blessed body and as the brightness of the Sun in his face was a type of his Deity so the whiteness of his garments did represent the purity of his humanity and withal it shewed us how the grace and glory of God renders our Souls as white as snow and by that means transfigures the Saints from their Aethiopian blackness of sin into so many garments of whitest lillies as it were bedecking the body of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ 3. These two were summoned as Witnesses to testifie that whatsoever the Law or Prophets said of Christ should be verified Moses standing for the first Elias for the second as also to reward them for their forty days Fast which each had undergone the one to be worthy thereby to receive the Laws the other to ascend the Mount Horeb and farther yet because he would take away the doubt which people had that he was Moses or Elias or some other Prophet and again lest Moses should appear to have been injured when Christ did abrogate the ancient Law as also lest Elias should be valued equal to Almighty God in glory which some conceived of him finâ—lly to shew he had full power of life and death to call Moses dead thither and to summon Elias alive from the place where he was kept till his second coming To both of whom Christ communicated a splendor something like indeed to that of his own garments white as snow that so they might be more worthy of the honour done them to confer and talk with him but far inferior to the whiteness of his own 4. All Expositors say this was a speech of a man half beside himself drunk as it were with the present glut of contentment and not forecasting future things besides that it was impertinent to build Tabernacles for those whom he saw in glory as also it was to fix Christ upon earth and in Thabor who came to purchase heaven for all the world by his passion which by his remaining here had been prevented and to hope for heaven before himself had laboured to deserve it or to think eternal Beatitude consisted in the glory of Christs humanity and not in the beholding of his Deity which here they did not see 5. The interposition of this Cloud upon this speech argues a check given to the speaker thereof by depriving him of that alluring sight which he knew not how to make right use of but not separating them from a due distance both to see and hear whence they fell as S. Luke sayes into a present fear yet this Cloud was clear to shew the difference betwixt the Old Law and the New That being delivered to Moses in a dark cloud This avow'd to be delivered by Christ before Moses Elias and these three Apostles in a clear resplendent Cloud out of which was heard the voyce of God the Father saying This is my beloved Son c. Some think Moses and Elias were gone before this voyce was heard lest the Apostles might doubt to which of the three it was spoken but since they were to be both eye and ear-witnesses too 't is probable they might see to whom the address was made and questionless God did make this testimony such as could not be lyable to doubt since he was pleased to have these Witnesses of the thing as he made them saying Hear him that is Hear my beloved Son for from his mouth not from the mouth of Moses and Elias shall proceed all Truth and Salvation to Mankind The reason why this command of hearing him was not added when he was stiled by the like voyce from heaven to be Son to the same Father at his Baptism was because then he was onely shewed to be the Messias whom men before conceived the Baptist to have been But here he is in presence of Moses and Elias preferred in point of Doctrine before them as if all they had said or done was but to prefigure him but that what he sayes reports to none beside himself as having vigour in it to make him known to be the Illuminator of all the former Prophets and so of himself the true Doctor of Nations and Law-maker thereunto whence he for his own sake is to be heard others for respect onely to him and there was reason to say Hear him that comes to abrogate the Old and to make a New Law to dye for the sins of his people in such excess of ignominy as he and Moses did but now talk of to rise from the dead himself and thereby to impower all men to rise again after they are dead to the Judgement Seat where those that till then believe it not shall finde there is a Hell and those who are believers shall know there is a Purgatory and a Limbus Patrum since Moses was from the latter summoned hither to this Mystery of Transfiguration which was exhibited as an undoubted testimony of the Truths that were preached by him whom we were then commanded to hear and consequently to believe 6. They feared at the shrilness of the voyce though sweet at the loss of the sight they had before of Moses and Elias whom they might suspect were sent away to fulminate vengeance from God upon the people who had abused his beloved Son and hence fearing they fell upon their faces to shew they were themselves ready to adore him 7. And Jesus pitying the fright they were in came presently to comfort them and raise them up again from the posture of their prostration thereby to shew we cannot sooner humble our selves to God then he is ready to raise a comfort in us 8. The reason why they then see none but Jesus was because now all things were given up to his cure no more rigorous Law
was to terrifie the people the sweet Law of grace was to be their guide he alone their comfort so that to him they were to stand firme in all distresses of him to receive all reliefes and by him to be brought finally to the eternity of that heavenly glory which here the Apostles had but a transient glimmering of thereby to shew this is not a time or place for comforts but rather for afflictions and that lest we should be dejected by being alwayes in affliction we may hope for the intervening comfort now and then of mysticall Transfigurations by which we shall for a short time take content in the service of God but they passing away againe are to leave us unto the trials of new afflictions till by frequent conformities of our wills to the pleasure of Almighty God we be rewarded with eternall glory for our patient enduring the many Eclypses we found here of heavenly comforts in our Soules by the interposition of earthly tribulations 9. By bidding them tell this vision to no body he forbids their speaking of it not onely to the people but even to the rest of the Apostles lest it might trouble them not to have been present at it and by his resurrection all men would be easily made beleeve he was God who if they had been told it before would have doubted thereof especially when they see him dead and buried so to speak of this Testimony of his Deity before his resurrection were labour lost but by this injoyning silence of his glory and propalation of his death and passion Christ gave us an admirable example to conceale our own praises and to be content with publication of pressures and infirmities since none can have any infamy so great to him as was the ignominy of the Crosse to Christ wherein we see he gloryed whilest he suppressed the fame of his glory till he had suffered the ignominy of his most opprobrious death hence Saint Paul forbids himselfe all other glory then in that of the Crosse of Christ a good lesson for all good Christians to learne and practice to be perfect in The Application 1. SInce there is a day made specially sacred to the Mystery of the Transfiguration the sixth of August when that Feast is celebrated we cannot expect to have this mystery looked on to day so directly as that the Prayer should litterally relate to it suffice it then to find it mystically proper to the Prayer 2. And thus it will be proper enough since we are taught the Transfiguration was at least a transient vision beatificall such as Saint Peter held to be a kinde of Heaven where he was content to build a Tabernacle of aboad and look how unable we are to be chaste so are we in our selves void of all strength to goe to Heaven and have need of a world of guards both interior and exterior to preserve us from the corporall adversities or sins that keep us thence or from the spirituall sins of evill thoughts that shut up Heaven Gates against us 3. To conclude since nothing makes our way securer into Heaven then to carry a Pure Soule in a Chaste body we being taught the cleane of heart are therefore blessed because they shall see God for this cause the Gospel of the transfiguration was very fitly joyned to the Epistle of chastity because the Chaste Body is that Transient Heaven upon Earth which is most delightfull to a pure Soule And as Chastity Transfigures us into a similitude of God whom we shall then live like unto when we see him and therefore like unto him because we see him that we may by the vertue of chastity joyned to our holy Fast be Transfigured into a similitude of his Divine Majesty We pray with holy Church as above On the third Sunday in Lent The Antiphon Luke 11. v. 27. A Certaine woman of the multitude lifting up her voyce said blessed is the wombe that bare thee and the Paps that gave thee Suck But Iesus saith to her yea rather blessed are they that heare the word of God and keep it Vers To his Angells c. Resp That in all c. The Prayer WE beseech thee Almighty God looke downe on the desires of thy humble people and extend the right hand of thy Majesty in our defence The Illustration IF any be to seek here what is meant by the desires we beseech God to looke downe upon of his humble people 't is but casting back an eye to what was declared in the first Sundays Prayer of Lent to be the end of this holy fast and finding it thereto be our purification we shal soon conclude that selfe same end is still and ought ever to be our desires all the Lent long because the continuation of the Fasting Medium argues our constant desire of arriving at the end to which it drives our being Purified by that meanes So thus we see the Torrent of our holy Fast runs never the lesse slowly on because it makes not a noyse in our eares rather it growes the deeper by how much lesse we heare thereof for shallow waters are those that tell us of the stones they fall upon but deep ones silently goe by nor is the stile of humble people any common place but hugely proper to this time of Lent which drawes the whole Christian world upon their knees and not content to have them low as earth while they Fasting watch and pray did in a manner bury them below the earth when on Ashwednesday they were all Sprinkled o're with holy Ashes as if they were not worthy longer to be the upper earth that had so proudly rebelled against Almighty God but must lye lower now and hope by falling downe to rise againe and truly if we reflect upon the words of this Prayer they are exact termes of a most humble Soule who dares not say she hath a will to fast on still and to be purified but onely tels Almighty God 't is her desire and hopes this humble expression will make it be his holy will she shall obtaine her desires because his onely looking on it as she humbly prayes to day he will is able to effect it But lest we forget to shew the Prayer suits as well to the Epistle and Gospell as to the time of Lent we must remember no termes could more directly exhaust them both then what this Prayer is couched in For how can we be followers else of Almighty God as Saint Paul exhorts us to be with the Ephesians unlesse we shew our selves to have learned the lesson of the Son of God without book Learne of me that am meeke and humble of heart which lesson this dayes Prayer repeats when holy Church cals us the humble people of Almighty God and meeknesse ever goes with humility hand in hand so having set our first step right into the track of this Epistle we need not fear the missing of our way for true humility hath root in love and will not stumble
Apostle sayes of it in termes namely to lye with their Mother in Law or Fathers wife which it seemes some one or more among the Corinthians did so openly practise that they even defended the fact or at least would not be reclaimed from it whence the Apostle orders them to be excommunicated and given as he saith v. 5. corporally over to Satan that so by this punishment their Soules may be reclaimed from that filthy sinne and saved Wherefore it is of this notorious vice by name and of all other whatsoever sort of sinnes the Apostle speakes here under the name of leaven which he would have the Corinthians to purge to cast out from amongst them for he had told them in the immediate Verse before how the least of Leaven would spoil a whole Batch of bread giving it a disrelishing taste and for this cause it was commanded in the old Law that when the Pascal Lamb was killed it should be eaten with bread purer and sweeter then ordinary such as was made without any leaven in it at all to give it the least disrelish to the taste and this Bread was by a special and proper name called Azymes which signifies unleavened bread and to this the Apostle alludes when he exhorts the Corinthians to purge out of their consciences all sin whatsoever as he insinuated when he wished them to cast out of their society by excommunication any one that should be scandalous in his life as it seems this both Adulterer and Fornicator was that kept his Mother in Law for his Concubine a sin the very Gentiles did abominate The literal Sence therefore of the Verse is exhorting the Corinthians and in them all us Christians that since our Pascal Lamb Christ Jesus is immolated sacrificed upon the Altar of the Cross for the sins of the people they and we also should remember as the Legal Pasche was to be eaten with pure and unleavened bread so the Spiritual Pasche Christ Iesus was at this Feast of Easter to be received with pure consciences clean Souls such as by Contrition Confession and Satisfaction had been purged from the old leaven of sin and more made a Spiritual Azyme or unleavened bread fit to be eaten with this Pascal Lamb this Blessed Sacrament that was now by special command of Holy Church to be received with a Christian Piety exceeding in all degrees that of the Ceremonial Law upon the onely Umbratil or Figurative Exhibition of this real Substance and Truth Besides it is worthy our remark in this place that all the Neophytes of the Primitive Church were brought in White Garments on the first Saturday after Easter to be Baptized and at the putting off their White Garments were to receive an Agnus Dei from the Bishop which was to hang about their necks down upon their Breasts in Testimony of an inward Purity of Conscience put upon their Souls at the casting off their outward Garments which were onely Figures of this Internal Candor of Conscience to this also alludes the Chrysome put upon the heads of those that are Baptized and the Candle given into their hands representing the Light of Grace to be their guides to Heaven whose Souls are pure and clean from sin Note that what we now call Pasche was originally called the Passover because it was a legal Lamb yearly commanded to be killed and eaten in memory of their preservations who had their Posts and Thresholds of their Doors sprinkled with the Blood of a Lamb as we read Exod. 12. v. 11. for a mark to shew the Angel whose houses he was to pass by or over without killing the First-born therein whereas else he was to spare none that had not the Blood of a Lamb upon their doors so by Allegory we now call Christ our Pascal Lamb because his Blood was shed to preserve from the Angel of darkness his Ireful Sword the First-born of Grace that is the Christians or the true Believers in Jesus Christ 8. And hence the Apostle in this next Verse exhorts the Corinthians and in them all Christians to make a Solemn Feast of Joy all this Paschal time that is all their life time for the seven Days of this Feast signifie all the days of our life and to feed now not upon old Leaven that is not upon pristin Infidelity And least hence it should be thought Faith alone were enough for a Christian to be saved by the Apostle addes we must not onely believe right which is to cast off the old Leaven of Infidelity but further we must do good Works and so cast off the Leaven of malice and wickedness also by taking in their places the Azymes the unleavened bread of good Works of Sincerity in our Actions of verity in our Words as the Badges of upright Christians that neither we dissemble with God nor with our Neighbour in thought word or deed but as we have vowed in Holy Baptism we shall make it good all the days of our life that so we renounce the World Flesh and the Devil and will be Loyal to our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ loving him above all things as our heavenly Spouse and loving our Neighbour with all other Creatures but for his sake and in order to heavenly Conversation with Almighty God both in this world and in the next The Application 1. THe Expositors upon this Holy Text tell us it pointeth at our present Obligation to Celebrate the Feast of Easter by now Confessing and receiving the Blessed Sacrament that beeing purged thus from the old Leaven from the sinful Creatures we were formerly we may become the Saints we ought to be hence forward For though before our Saviour suffered for our sins he did converse with sinners yet now that he is risen from his Grave he hath not taken any sinner with him from the dead how then can living sinners hope to keep him company and how without him can we hope to live 2. O happy Christians in our Rising Christ who hath destroyed Death and given us a double Life by his once onely dying a Life of Grace to that we had of Nature so though we cannot hope to keep him company by living as to Nature which propends to sin and so to death yet we may hope by living as to Grace which leads to Vertue and so to everlasting Life to keep him company for all Eternity yes this may be our hope if with St. Paul each one of us can say I live now not I but Christ he lives in me 3. And thus no doubt it will be too if we can either keep what we have got in Lent the Magazine of Vertues requisite to Sanctifie that Fast and make us fitting for the present Feast or if we can but wish we had those Vertues and that we were able yet to make amends as yet we may for not acquiring them when they were easier to be had then now by reason of that Season more acceptable So good so gracious is Almighty God
the same childe was first cause of pain so he is cause of comfort the like of Christ dying and rising again Sixthly both joys are excessive Great whereas they take away all sense of Sorrow So here the Passion of Christ is in this Parable supposed to be the labour or travail of the Apostles dolorous as a womans in childe-bearing and his Resurrection is supposed to be as the Birth of a Son to them after so hard a labour as they were in whilest all the world jeered and scorned them for hoping after so impossible a comfort as it was thought when the Apostle calls it a scandal to the Jews and to the Gentiles a folly St. Augustine is so acute upon this place as to say Christ compared the Apostles sorrow for his Passion to the pains of a woman in labour of a Boy and not of a Girl because those are the greatest labours of women and again he makes a special remark that the Text saith here the Mother forgets her pains not because a Boy is born but a man one that is to be the Support and Prop of her house when her self can no longer live for saith St. Augustine Christ was as it were born by his Resurrection to the World not as a Childe but as a Man conquering Death winning eternal Glory to himself and to all his Posterity to all Saints of Heaven who are the Children of his Grace 22. This Verse applies all the rest by way of Repetition to the Senses as above while it tells the Apostles this shall be their Case about him this their Grief at his Death this their Joy at his Resurrection like the travail and comfort of a woman first in labour then delivered of a Son But when he adds this Close That their joy no man shall take from them he means neither in this world nor in the next for such shall be their joy to see Christ risen who was dead that even the menace of Death to themselvcs shall be comfortable out of their assurance to share with Christ in the joy of his Resurrection if they partake with him in the pains of Death by dying for his sake Whence St. Paul boasting said who shall part us from the Love of God Nakedness the Sword Persecution Rom. 8.35 No no the love of Christ and hope of Heaven are comforts above all afflictions whatsoever whence we reade of the Apostles that they went rejoycing from the bench of the Iudges because they were held worthy to suffer contumely for the name of Iesus Act. 5.41 And this to shew that no man could takâ— away that joy which God gave them as the Text above hath told us The Application 1. IT is worthy our observation that amongst so many passages as were between Christ and his Apostles after his Resurrection this days Gospel is taken out of Saint Iohn Evangelist his Story of our Saviours Actions reporting what he said to his Apostles immediately before his Death For we see the Expositors upon the first Verse of this Gospel tell us all that is here said alludes to the Death Passion and Resurrection of our Lord as well as to his Ascension and to the coming of the Holy Ghost Then certainly our Mother Church reads us this Lesson to day with intention to draw from us such like Acts of Faith as our Saviour desired the Apostles should make when he told them he was shortly to dye and shortly to rise again 2. And since this Parable aims at raising consolation in the Apostles hearts out of the disconsolate Death and Passion of their Lord and Master by vertue of the Faith they had in his future Resurrection after his Death Assuredly it is now our parts that are Christians to make the Cross of Christ our chief content the Death of our Saviour the onely hope we have to live and his Resurrection the ground of our Faith that by vertue of his Blessed and Incorrupted Body risen from his Grave our corrupted flesh and blood shall rise again and be made partakers of those heavenly Joys which he hath prepared for all that do firmly believe in him and live according to the Rules of Christian belief 3. Note that amongst those Rules a Principal one is read unto us this day of believing firmly that all the sorrows this world can afford us are not able to rob us of the future joys prepared for us in Heaven if from erring Infidels we become right believing Christians and live according to the light of Truth The Faith of Jesus Christ that is if we do such Actions in Vertue of that Faith as We pray to day we may do say then the Prayer and see how pat it is to this Doctrine of the Church On the fourth Sunday after Easter The Antiphon Joh. 16. v. 5. I Go to him that sent me but because I have spoken these things unto you sorrow hath filled your hearts Alleluja Vers Tarry with us O Lord Alleluja Resp For night draweth on Alleluja The Prayer O God who makest the mindes of thy faithful to be of one accord grant unto thy people that they may love what thou commandest and desire what thou doest promise that amongst worldly varieties there we may fix our hearts where are true joys The Illustration O Beloved what a Prayer is here what an elevated language doth the holy Ghost speak in to day behold hold a whole Sermon in a few lines what preacher needeth other Text then this Prayer to dilate upon even till the day of Judgement shall I speak a big word upon this Prayer be it but with us as this day we pray and we are even with God himself at our journeys end and why should we despair thereof since in vain we are bid to pray for this if it were not by Prayer to be obtained beg it then beloved on your often bended knees beg it earnestly fervently heartily and doubt not but it will be granted for God doth not feed us with fond hopes of what he will not grant if we so a k it as we ought But stay how comes it that with so much plenty of Spirit we finde to day so little seeming connexion with the Epistle and Gospel which yet I am confident will prove both as it were eminentially contained in this admirable Prayer And first observe how suitable it is for holy Church to pray thus when we are now in the time that Jesus Christ prepared his Apostles to be content to leave him or at least that he should leave them How often did he command them resignation on all occasions to the will of Almighty God was not this the very form of his Prayer Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven Matth. 6.10 Hence the Church begs to day that we who believe in Christ may live all of one minde and since it is morally impossible so many men should be consenting all in one therefore we see the prayer gives that to God saying it is he
must make that to be which we beg he must gives us grace since we are all one in Faith to be all of one minde in the operations of that belief which works by charity that knows not thine and mine but gives all to God and takes onely from his Holy Hand what he pleaseth to give back again Next we pray that we may love what God commands which in this case was to the Apostles that they might love to leave our Blessed Lord for so God had commanded That they might desire what he promised which was the coming of the holy Ghost That amongst worldly varieties there they might fix their hearts where onely true joys are to be had O! what a taking off their mindes was this even from himself whose departure was one of the worldly varieties he would not have to trouble them but that they should upon the loss of the happiness they had in his society fix their hearts on a greater happiness who but the holy Ghost could make this good upon the joys of heaven which are true joys indeed and this also shews we are still sliding down the Channel of the Resurrection too in this Prayer as hath been said Blessed God! how good art thou to man who hast made him a happiness greater then the company of thy sacred Son whom yet we know is God and man too the reason was his Humanity here did shade his Divinity but in heaven his Deity shall outshine his Humanity and so make us love man in him for Gods sake whereas here the Apostles did love God but for Christs sake as he was man and therefore this Prayer as it speaks the Apostles parts bids them fix their hearts upon true joys indeed those onely that are in heaven being greater then any they could have in the society of Jesus Christ himself so long as he was upon earth not that his Glory was less here then in heaven but that man is less capable to see God on earth then he shall be to see and enjoy him too when he comes to heaven and therefore hee ought not to fix his heart upon any content whatsoever upon earth but still to keep it moving towards a greater and a truer Joy And thus having made way for the Application of this Prayer unto our selves by seeing how in the Apostles sence we ought to say it let us close with our accustomed Application of it to the Epistle and Gospel of the day or rather of them both unto it which are as it were eminentially contained therein And first there is nothing so cleer as that it is a gift of God to make us thus resigned hence the Epistle breaks out into that acknowledgement saying every good and perfect gift is from above descending from the Father of Lights with whom there is no transmutation nor shadowing of alteration and who by his own sacred word hath ingrafted in us a filiation that makes us be a beginning of his creature that is willing by our resignation to be made through his holy Grace his better creature then by nature we are And so in brief to be those Saints which St. Iames in his Epistle sets before our eyes and consequently those which the Apostles were when our Saviour had prepared them for his departure from them and told them they were not inquisitive enough after the heavenly joys whilest they doted too much upon his Humane presence after he had made them believe it was expedient even for themselves that he left them and that the holy Ghost came to them in his stead to all those purposes that are recited in the Gospel following and to all which purposes we shall finde this Prayer availing us if in this sence we say it often and thereby take as in a little Cordial the whole substance of the Epistle and Gospel of this day The Epistle Iac. 1. v. 17 c. 17 Every best gift and every perfect gift is from above descending from the Father of Lights with whom is no transmutation nor shadowing of alteration 18 Voluntarily he bath begotten us by the word of Truth that we may be some beginning of his creature 19 You know my deerest Brethren And let every man be swift to hear but slow to speak and slow to anger 20 For the anger of man worketh not the justice of God 21 For the which thing casting away all uncleanness and abundance of malice in meekness receive the engraffed Word which is able to save your Souls The Explication 17. IT is prodigiously strange to see how much the Apostle here speaks in Little under these two terms of best gift and perfect gift for though the simple and literal meaning be that all which is good amongst men is given them from God and all which is bad amongst them comes from the Devil and from their own concupiscence yet there is a far deeper sence couched also here and first under best gift is understood not onely the goodness of the thing given but the excellent good will of the giver and even that being as good as the gift adds much to the value thereof for indeed as man hath nothing of his own to give so he hath no will of his own nor desire to give any thing that is good but even that good will is Gods and comes from God inspiring man to do good unto his neighbour but the sence is yet deeper by the reduplication of perfection upon the goodness of the donation or giving and of the gift given as who should say Gods gifts are not onely goodness in themselves by being communications of his infinite goodness to us but they are also most perfect both as their intrinsecal goodness makes them so and as their extrinsecal operations and effects do make us so likewise unto whom they are given since the end for which they are given is that man by means thereof may be perfect as Christ was perfect again many men give oftentimes that which obligeth others and yet is not either perfect in it self or properly their own to give neither of which can be wanting when God is the donation the gift the perfection and all that can be imaginable to render a gift or the donation of it good and perfect best indeed and most absolutely accomplished Again by all gifts are here understood those of Nature Grace and Glory whereof each is from God so immediately as none of them can flow from any other fountain since he is Natura naturans as Divines call him and we Natura naturata he is the Fountain Origin and first Principle of all Natures he is a simple and perfect Nature in and of himself so fecund or fertil as he is able to branch himself out into an infinity of other Natures which yet shall all be as distinct from his own Divine Nature as Creatures are from their Creator and from one another too But the very truth is the Apostle here reports to the two latter sorts of gifts namely
alone damning without redemption for he that beleeveth not shall be condemned Mar. c. 16. v. 16. 10. Againe he shall argue them of Iustice that is hee shall accuse them of injustice shewing to the Jewes all their ceremoniall rites and Lawes did not render them just nor would all the morall vertues of the Gentiles that were infidels justifie them in the sight of God because none could render them just there but Jesus Christ who for that purpose went to his Father to tell him these onely shalt thou justifie who beleeve aright in me who renounce the ceremoniall Law of the Jewes the humane Law of the Gentiles and follow the divine Law that I have left them who alone have redeemed them and can alone save those that keep my Law that can make them truly just in the sight of men and Angels and of God himselfe it is very pretty what Saint Bernard saith of these words Ser. 12. The Holy Ghost doth argue the world of sinne because it dissembles of Justice which it doth not rightly order while it attributes the same to man not to God of Judgement which it usurpes while it judgeth rashly not onely of it selfe but of others too 11. Lastly he shal argue the world of Judgement is diversely understood by some that the Holy Ghost shal shew the world made a false judgement of Christ his Miracles holding them to be witchcrafts or workes of the devil by others that he shal argue men of sloath to be overcome by the wounded and conquered devil for want of diligence to resist him by others of cousenage to put their hopes in the devil who himselfe is damned and can save no man by others and those best of all that the Holy Ghost shal argue men of Judgement in shewing them how justly they deserve damnation who follow for their guides the damned devil and all his wayes and workes and this when he shal make the Apostles cast out devils out of the visible Temples where they were as Idols adored for God and out of the invisible Temples the soules of men whom they had possessed both by their foule persons presence and by the guilt of enormious sinne cast out by Sacramental grace of holy pennance 12. Christ here alludes to the mysteries of Faith the conversion of the Gentiles the foundation of the Churches and Government thereof by his Vicar by the Bishops and Priests in a Hierarchical way all which he left to be the product of the holy Ghost and things deeper then for novices to be able at first to dive into in whose eyes the carnal and ceremonial Rights of the Jewish Churches or Synagogues rather were too fresh as yet and their souls were not sufficiently illuminated to attend to higher matters and those altogether spiritual whence we may gather that even the Apostles had by the coming of the holy Ghost new lights and did daily increase in the knowledge of the mysteries of Faith and Religion according to that of the Proverbs Cap. 4. v. 18. The ways of the just are like light shining and increasing to high noon day whence the Primitive Church is compared to be quasi aurora consurgens like the dawning of the day Cant. 6.9 and proceeding brighter and brighter daily till she come to the brightness of the latter day when all her Saints shall enter like so many noon-time Suns into the kingdom of Heaven 13. When for the reasons above he shall come who is the spirit of Truth he shall teach you all Truth that you are capable off and that is fit you should know to guide your own and others souls to Heaven For he shall not speak of himself but what he shall hear since t is not what he alone says but what my Father and I say too that he shall tell you so all he says shall be as we all three determine nor shall he speak as men do out of their fancy no but just as I have taught you before and as my Father and I will have him tell you hereafter not as fables but as undoubted Truths which are of eternal Verity so look how Christ said his doctrine was not his own but his Fathers that sent him in like manner the truth which the holy Ghost shall teach is not his own onely but joyntly the Fathers and the Sons from whom he doth proceed and from whom he was sent And he shall tell you things to come by this is understood the Apostles were to have the Spirit of Prophesie as Actor 11. v. 18 20. v. 19 21. v. 11. we may read nor is St. Johns Apocalypse other then a continued Prophesie from one end to the other Nor was it requisite Christ his Apostles should be inferiourly gifted to any of the Ministers of God in the old Law and this gave great comfort and encouragement to the Apostles since naturally men desire to know future things by future things also venerable Bede understandeth things of Heaven of Grace and of Glory as who should say the Apostles shall not be onely able to guide you here but to set you safe into a blessed Eternity and future Kingdom that shall never end 14. He shall glorifie me when he shall confirm the world in the belief of my being the Messias expected God and man the Saviour of the World He shall receive of mine for he shall proceed from my Father and me and receive the Divine Essence one and the same in all the three Persons of the Trinity and consequently his Will shall be mine his Science mine his Doctrine mine where note the Text doth not say he shall receive me but of mine because he is a distinct Person from the Son and though he receive not the filiation by his procession he receives the Essence of the Son so that is to receive of him and yet not him nor to be him And thus he gave compleat content to the Apostles seeing they did passionately love him to tell them the Comforter he was to send them should supply his absence by teaching them as he had done by loving them as he did since he received his doctrine from him and his affection too The Application 1. THe whole scource of this Gospel is to beget belief in the Apostles that our Saviours departure from them was for their good and that the Primary effect of the coming of the holy Ghost was to beat down the sin of Infidelity as who should say it were the sin of sins not to believe in Jesus Christ and not to obey all his commands in vertue of that belief 2. What should then be the Practice of us Christians at this time but to use all means possible to fortifie our Faith as the greatest Bulwork against all sin whatsoever and indeed what is it else but a kinde of Infidelity not to do according as we are taught by the rules of Faith that is not to make all our actions tend to the sole will and pleasure of Almighty God since if
thing in our own names that is as good Christians for that name we take of Christ nor doe we aske otherwise then in his name if we goe to our Prayers and tell the heavenly Father we come as from his Sacred Sonne to prefer such a request as he bid us make much like the Embassage that is made by the Embassadors person but understood to be the business of the King that sends him so by this way of asking we can desire nothing but what Christ himselfe doth wish we had and consequently we aske it very properly in his name it being answerable to his will But the most genuine of all these is the second way by that of Christ his merits for what we aske thus is not given to us onely by way of grace but it is granted by way of Justice since it was merited unto us by Christ dying for us and wishing it unto us and for this reason we end all our Prayers with the close through our Lord Iesus Christ Amen The last remark we are to make is upon those words he shall grant unto you that is to say what e're we ask as above shall be granted how comes it then to pass we ask so often and so many things and goe without them for all this asking the reason is that affirmative promises are commonly conditionall so if we aske without performing the conditions required on our part we cannot wonder that we faile and the conditions requisite to Prayer on our part must be those five above enumerated humility reverence confidence fervour and perseverance whereunto if we adde resignation we doe but secure our Petition the more by making Gods will ours when ours is his where these are exactly performed and the name of Christ rightly used there we cannot feare to faile while it is said he shall give you what ere you thus ask imports as well he shall give it a third person for whom you ask it as if you did ask it for your selfe and indeed if the defect be not on the third persons part we shall sooner obtaine what we aske for others then what we aske for our selves because it is a greater charity to pray for others and especially for our enemies then for our selves since they may want our help but we can never lose our owne reward by helping them 24. Because hitherto you have relyed wholly upon me and have not asked any thing of my Father in my name and indeed having asked of me â—ather as of man then of God you have in a manner asked nothing because you asked not of him who was all things but when I am gone ask as above and you shall receive what ere you so do ask and ask that your joy may be compleat As who should say you will begin to be glad when I shall be risen but if you ask my Father any thing in my name after I am gone then you shall receive all things that you want and have your joys compleated here by Grace and in Heaven by Glory both which I have purchased for you 25. This Verse shews what he spake now was before his Passion and so it was Proverbial Parabolical or Enigmatical unto them but the time would come after his resurrection when he for fourty days together would speak plainly what now they heard of but obscurely and that when he was Ascended the Holy Ghost should come and by a purer language by the tongues of fire should speak all Love all Light all Clarity all Truth unto them and then they should be capable of much more then now they are yet there want not who think Christ by this place alludes to his displaying of his Fathers Glory in the kingdom of Heaven where they shall see all things cleerly as they are even God himself and shall therefore become like God because they shall see him face to face as he is 26. The day he means here is when he shall be gone from them and ascended up to Heaven and then saith he I do not tell you that I will pray to my Father in your behalf first because the holy Ghost shall come and by his Inspirations and holy Grace you shall make your own petitions so effectually in my name that I shall need no more to intercede for you or because I shall not need ask as I did when I was upon the Earth by way of suffering for you but by way of exhibition of what I have suffered Thus one of the Fathers will have it that Christ did onely pray for us on Earth and that now in Heaven he prays no more but onely shews his sacred Wounds to his heavenly Father though Cornelius a Lapide here concludes the better opinion is that really and truly he doth there pray for us as was explicated Rom. 8. v. 34. by the said Cornelius but after another manner then here he did where he both prayed and suffered too and there he praies without suffering So the true Sence of this place is that he doth not tell them he will pray for them though he means to do it and actually doth it too as often as desired but that if he did not pray they should not need his prayer both because he had sufficiently purchased to them the love of his heavenly Father for his voluntary vouchsafing towards them and because the holy Gbost was to finish the remainder of our salvation by his Supplies and Magazines of Holy Graces and in truth what Christ once obtained for us by his Passion we losing the benefit of it by our sin are to attribute the recovery thereof to the special act of the holy Ghost not coming once onely down as to the Apostles to confirm them in grace but millions of times descending upon us by the influence of his holy Gifts and so as often saving us by the recovery of grace as we make our selves guilty of damnation by relapse of sinne 27 See how this Verse in terms tells them his Father needs not now be prayed unto by him for them since he hath already purchased unto them abundantly his Fathers love and so made him soft to all they can desire by their own prayer and the reason why he so loves them is because they loved Jesus Christ and believed he was his heavenly Fathers Son and come out from him to them but if any ask why God loving us as here it is said he doth for his Sons sake doth not give us all we want without our asking but requires our humble and frequent Prayer The Reasons are many first because it is suitable to the Majesty of God that all his Creatures do adore him and Prayer is the best kinde of adoration next because it acknowledgeth our totall and necessary dependance on him and our Indigence and his Liberality Thirdly the Dignity of the things we ask requires on our parts a frequent expression of our esteem thereof namely Grace and Glory not so cheap as to be given gratis
however purchased once by Christ for us but we losing our right to them by sin cannot too often petition for their recovery Lastly because by Prayer we exercise the noblest Acts of Vertue Faith Hope and Charity the first believing God can do all things the next hoping he will do all we can desire the last loving him as a Father of whom we ask all supplyes both for our selves and others as to his own adopted sons 28. Here our Saviour alludes not onely to his temporal generation by his heavenly Fathers commanding him into the Womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary but to his eternal Generation also whereby he was from the beginning begotten coeternal and coequal God to his heavenly Father so that as his coming into this world was his going as we may say out of his Fathers bosom to seek lost man in the Wilderness of our Earth in like manner his leaving this world was his return with man found in his sacred Person into the same paternal bosom which he came out of 29. This argues he had answered now home to all their doubts and interrogatories by telling them he was the Son of God who came from him to them and was to return from them to him again this was cleer naked and simple Truth no Proverb no Riddle no Parable at all unto them 30. Now that thou hast by this Answer told us cleerly what thy meaning was by a while we should see thee and again a while after and we should not see thee again and this not as asked by us but as onely revolved in our thoughts whereunto thou hast now answered compleatly and while thou doest answer to the thought thou doest convince us thou art from God and comest out from him since he onely can come into and search all the corners of our hearts where thou hast been and found we would but durst not at first ask thee what thy meaning was by that Riddle of a while you shall and after a while you shall not see me because I go to my Father in this therefore we believe thou art God that thou needest not be asked to tell us what we think what we wish or would have since without asking thou canst tell us all and give us more then we can receive this alone were there no other would suffice for argument sufficient to prove thou comest so from God as thou art also God thy self The Application 1. NO marvel this Gospel insists so much upon ordering the Apostles whom to pray unto and how to pray since it is pointed out for Rogation that is to say for Praying week and since it is also appointed for concluding the Doctrine of Faith in the Resurrection and Deity of Jesus Christ by beginning the practice of our Hope which is best exercised in our Prayer For however all the forty days between the Resurrection and Ascension were dedicated by our Saviour to settle the Apostles and others in a right belief of Christian Doctrine yet we never till now did hear the Apostles declare the work was done and that they were satisfied and settled in their Faith of Christ his being truly the Son of God which yet they now profess in plain tearms saying Now thou speakest plainly this we believe that thou camest forth from God and art his eternal Son that did become man wert born hast suffered and dyed for our sins art risen from the dead art to ascend too unto thy heavenly Father and art thence to send us the holy Ghost to be our continual Comforter Teacher and Governour 2. Say then beloved since the work of Faith is finished by their own confession who were so hard of belief what remain but that we proceed to the next thing required of a Christian which is to Hope for the promises made by Jesus Christ in whom we have so much reason now fitmly to believe and since Hope as was said above is best exercised by Prayer let us now make it our whole imployment from this day forward until the coming of the holy Ghost to pray in such sort as by our best Master we are here directed that is to say to pray in his Name and how we shall do that the Expositors above have told us excellently well and that at large so t is but looking back to know it 3. To conclude since all our Prayer must be accompanied with Faith as Saint James hath taught us Cap. 1. saying If any man want for example wisdom and the like is of all other exigences let him ask it of God but let him ask in Faith not any ways faultering since I say this Gospel mentions Faith with Prayer See now beloved whether the Church to day do not most properly begg this Faith concomitant to her Hope or Prayer when calling upon God as the Fountain whence all good proceeds she prays as above That first her understanding may be rectified which is the work of Faith residing there and that next her Will may be ready to do what Faith and Reason dictate to be done and this by the gift of Hope infused for perfection of the Will by captivating it to Reason elevated by the gift of Faith as our Christian Doctrine tels us On Sunday within the Octaves of Ascension The Antiphon Joh. 16. v. 4. I Have spoken these things unto you that when the hour shall come you may remember them for that I spake them unto you Alleluja Vers Our Lord in Heaven Alleluja Resp Hath prepared his Seat Alleluja The Prayer OMnipotent Eternal God grant us ever to have our wills devoted and our hearts sincerely bent unto the service of thy Divine Majesty The Illustration NO marvel if the river of the Resurrection end in the speer of a Fountain rising upward through the Conduite pipe of our Blessed Lords Ascension and follow him to Heavens gates since we see waters how low soever they fall will mount again as high as their first Fountain is thus Jesus being the Head-spring of all Devotion carries our lumpish souls along with him as high as Heaven now he is seated there Hence Holy Church to day requires that though our Saviour hath left us we do not yet leave him but follow him how high soever he goes and how follow him with a forcible speer of Piety such as may shew his will and ours are one whilest our hearts are sincerely bent unto his service even as the Blessed Spirits are that sing perpetual Hymns of Praise to his heavenly Majesty and lest we fail of doing this see how to day we pray that we may do it beseeching God to grant our wills may be devoted and our heaâ—ts sincerely bent to the service of his Divine Majesty O! could we but reflect upon the Obligations we have indeed to serve him with sincere hearts we should never swerve from doing this under a thousand fond presumptions of our serving God whilest yet we seek nothing but our own wills and not his service nor is there any
Spirit of Servitude and Fear being onely a shadow of that Truth which was to come after it Lastly and most properly because he is the Author of all Truth whence Christ said of him Cap. 16. he shall teacb you all truth 27. See the infinite Dignity of the Apostolate and of their Successors the Prelates of Gods Church that they are joyned in testimony of Christ his Deity and of all the other mysteries of Faith even with the holy Ghost himself and yet the Hereticks so undervalue Church Authority as if it were onely Humane and Fallible whereas indeed it is Divine because supported by Divine Power promising it should be Infallible and it is as little derogatory to God his veracity to say that failing man supported by God cannot erre as it is to say God cannot erre in that he undertaketh so the Infallibility is radicated in God however by his gracious vouchsafing it is also attributed to man as exercising the ministery of God not otherwise C. 16. 1. Many take scandal here in diverse Sences but the best and genuine is that they be not offended at their persecutors when they shall finde them to oppose Gods holy Ordinances and Ministers and that for this reason they do not slacken in their Faith or Zeal as expecting God should being Good and Goodness it self defend them from evil while for his sake and for his Name they were doing well and executing his commands but should rather remember he had foretold them these things would happen and that if his heavenly Father permitted him who was actually God to be in his own sacred Person abused and persecuted to Death they should not being but men expect to have more regard shewed them by Gods enemies then was shewed to God himself but should rather conclude he suffered for them to give them example to suffer for him and for their own and others sins besides 2. The Synagogue imports either the Congregation of the Jewish people or the place wherein they were to observe their ceremonial Rites in serving God as now the word Church signifies the believers in Christ and the place where Christians assemble to attend the Divine Service so by being cast out of the Synagogue imports excommunicated as cast out of the Place or Society of men serving God for so odious were the Apostles to the Jews upon the account of Christ Jesus their Master that they were not esteemed worthy of the name or company of Gods people and Christ comforts them against this disgrace by making them the Heads of hiâ— Church who were not held worthy to be members of the Jewish Synagogue Further he tells them they shall have the honour to be as he was offered up a Sacrifice for the sins of the people by the Jews who are so obstinately blinde as to esteem they offer sacrifice to God for their own sins while they persecute the servants of Christ Jesus the Son of God nor doth our Saviour here onely foretel the personal persecution of the Apostles but that also of all Christians which was to continue till the worlds end and the causes of this persecution are many The first the Devils and his Ministers malice to see Saints prefer Gods Service before the respect even to the proud Princes amongst men the second the destruction of Idols by the erecting a worship to one onely God The third because it was presumed as false as it was new to preach a crucified man to be eternal God The fourth because Christians do not onely beat down the false Religions of the Jews and Gentiles but even reprehend the manners and proceedings of those who profess such false worship of God as the Jewes and Gentiles did exhibite The last because the Devil and his adherents perswaded the world that all the miseries of Famine Plague Warre and Death which befell mankinde were just punishments of God inflicted on them for letting Christian Religion be professed and this saith he they will do to you because 3. They neither know my Father nor me that is they will not know either of us for this is not an excusing but an accusing phrase of Christ so this ignorance was not alledged as extenuating but as aggravating their fault and our Saviour animates the Apostles to suffer these temporal Scorns with as much neglect as a Prince would do who coming singly to Town without any visible attendance or retinue after him should be refused entrance and kept out as a private person for instead of being angry he would comfort himself with the redouble honour it would be to him to have these people let him in with their excuses and apologies for the affront as soon as his train appeared to testifie what he was and such a Train of holy Saints every Christian ought to believe will follow him to make the world with shame cry him mercy for affronting him whom God himself esteems and loves 4. The reason why I tell you or foretel you rather these things is not to disanimate but to hearten you to suffer them with alacrity because I shall as surely help you out of these bryars as I have told you that you should fall into them for my sake and if you remember I foretold you this you shall need no other comfort in your afflictions for you know sufficiently who I am your Jesus your God and when I tell you I shall give you the honour of suffering for me be confident I shall not fail to attend you with a Crown of Glory for your Martyrdoms The Application 1. THe two first Verses of this Gospel run wholly upon the Hope our Saviour put his Apostles in for the coming of the holy Ghost and so do fitly now exhort us to the practice of that Vertue according as we have been taught we must between Ascension and Whitsuntide And what more comfortable exercise can we desire then to expect the holy Ghost to come and take possession of our hearts on Earth while Jesus is gone to take possession of our Mansion House in Heaven A happy and a hopeful parting from our Ascending Saviour when we are left in expectation of our Descending Saintifier 2. In the three next Verses our Blessed Lord tyes the strongest link of Charity that of dying for the Faith to this above of Hope so is the Gospel suitable to the Epistle of the day Just in this sort he welcom'd St. Paul to his conversion promising to shew him what he was to suffer for his holy Name O admirable spirit of Almighty God! making that to his Saints a ground of Hope which were to sinners the greatest Motive of despair How comes this to pass but onely as the Royal Prophet sayes Because thou eternal God hast singularly placed me in Hope that is to say hast made thy servants contemn this tempting world and life it self the sweetest thing on earth in expectation of an everlasting life or to use thy words divine meerly for the Hope of Israel 3. The last
The whole house was filled with this noise to shew all their hearts who were within should be filled with the Holy Ghost for thus the Text affirms immediately saying vers 4. and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost Note it is said they were Sitting both to shew the rest and quiet Gods holy Spirit bringeth with it and to shew that prayer of expectation and such this was is perhaps best when it is performed sitting thus S. Bernard a great Saint was noted to proceed in his deepest meditations 3. By parted tongues is here understood tongues divided amongst many not in themselues as commonly Painters make them thinking thereby to expresse the activity of fire rising up in many-pointed flames but the reasons why the Holy Ghost would have the forme of a tongue to declare his coming are many First because the Apostles were by this coming confirmed to be the Preachers of the Gospel and the proper instrument of a Preacher is his tongue So the gift of tongues was first expressed by the species of a tongue where we are to note this gift includes three properties the first the knowledge of languages the next the true signification of the words of different languages the third a volubility of tongue adapted to the several articulations requisite to several Languages and consequently a prudence to use all these in a right way The second reason is because a tongue hath a great affinity with a word as therefore the Holy Ghost was the Spirit of the VVord so he came in the species of a Tongue and as by the word of the mind is produced the voyce of the tongue so from the Divine word did proceed the Holy Ghost whence the Apostle 1 Cor. 12. vers 3. sayes no man can say Jesus but in the Holy Ghost The third as the tongue distinguisheth tastes so doth the Holy Ghost truths from falshoods heavenly from earthly things insomuch that St Paul tells us The Animal man doth not perceive the things of the Spirit 1 Cor. 4. Lastly because the tongue is both the best and worst instrument of man Proverb 12. Death and life are in the hand of the Tongue Prov. 16. It is in man to prepare his heart but the government of the tongue is from our Lord wherefore there was great reason to have the gift of the Holy Ghost to tame rule and sanctifie the tongues of men As for the tongues themselves whether they were true fire or true tongues is questioned yet resolved best that they were not truly fire but only fiery forms like unto tongues as some ayr condensed and made into that form and illuminated so as to seem fire but not to burn because it was to set upon the heads of those it fell upon Of their pyramidal form we give many reasons First to shew the Spirit of God only penetrates all deep and hard mysteries Secondly to shew it penetrated the very hearts of those it fell upon and made them cordially love Almighty God Thirdly it made them aspire from earth as high as heaven Fourthly that the very tongues of those who had this gift should penetrate the hearts of men to their conversion Lastly to shew it should give them the discretion of spirits that had this gift to distinguish betwixt good and bad inspirations in themselves or in those they were to direct spiritually And these tongues were rather fiery then of any other kind to shew God is all a flame of Love as Deut. 4.24 Thy God O Israel is a consuming fire And therefore as the Law of Moyses shewing Gods Will was given with the Circumstances of Thunder and Lightening so the Law of Christ now was to be confirmed by the holy Ghost with like signes to shew it was the Will of the same God abrogating the former and constituting this new Law Secondly as all the old Prophets were authorized by circumstance of fire Isaias his lips being touched with a coal of fire became as we read Chap. 6 ver 6. like fire and his words seemed all fiery too and Elias being carried up in a fiery Chariot into heaven 4 Reg. 2.11 and of Hieremias it is said from above he sent fire into mens bones and thereby instructed them Thren 2. v. 13. and Ezechiel foretelling of Christ his Chariot supported by four Cherubims of whom he sayes Chap. 1. v. 13. Their looks were like fire coales all which were but types of the more univocal fire that did accompany the election confirmation and conversation of the Apostles true Prophets of the new law foretellers of heavenly things Thirdly to shew Christ his law was a law of love of charity of coelestiall fire Fourthly to shew the effect of this love was to produce the fire of love divine in all Christian souls Fifthly to shew the spirit of God was searching as fire the most subtle worker and penetratour that is in nature The reason why these fiery tongues were said to sit in the singular number not plurall upon the Apostles was to shew that though the tongues were and must be many for each to have one yet the Spirit giving them was one and not many namely one onely God And this Spirit was rather expressed setting then otherwise to shew the constancy of Gods holy grace and gifts in those he pleaseth to bestow his speciall favours on and their ease and rest in the possession of that Spirit as also that the holy Ghost was to rest in the hearts of the Faithfull to the worlds end 4. They were all replenished whereas before they had received the grace of God now they had the plenitude thereof not all alike but some more some lesse according as was requisite to their callings No marvell then if the Apostles being full of grace and the gift of tongues they could not contain themselves but say The Things which we have seen and heard we cannot but speak nay so much they spake that some believed they were drunk with new wine and so it was indeed with the wine of the heavenly grape the holy Ghost not otherwise and as they were inforced to speak the praises of God by the irrefragable impulse of this holy Spirit so they spake to all purposes that is to the capacity and understandings of all hearers of what nation soever for they spake all kind of languages or tongues which some will understand as if each Apostle speaking a severall language among them all they had all languages others conceive that they speaking onely in their own Syro-Hebraean tongue all the several nations understood them as if their languages had been various as in this manner S. Vincentius Ferrerius preaching in Spanish was understood by severall nations as Italians French Flemish English c. each conceiving they heard him in their native tongue grounded in these words following v. 11. We hear them speaking in our tongues But the true sense is they did really and truly speak upon occasion all languages by the gift
of Tongues bestowed on them first because so sayes the text they spake in divers tongues Secondly because the miracle had been else wrought in the hearers not in the speakers Thirdly the gift or reall diversity of tongues was prophesied by Isaias chap. 28. In other tongues and in other lips will I speak unto this people therefore it must be fulfilled as was affirmed so to be by S. Paul 1 Cor. 14.21 I give my God thanks that I speak with the tongue of you all Besides Christ in S. Mark cap. 16. v. 17. did promise this gift saying They shall speak with new tongues Fourthly because so the Church hath ever taught us Fifthly else many miracles must concurre to one work as in the speaker and the hearer too Though this doth not deny but the Apostles might as well by one language speak intelligibly to all hearers of severall nations as S. Vincentius did To conclude as they were sent to all nations so assuredly they had the gift of all languages as also the B. Virgin S. Mary Magdalene and all the one hundred and twenty then present had the same gift yet so as they did not use it but as the holy Ghost inspired them to speak upon just occasions and then in such manner as was most excellent and best suiting to all purposes because the works of God are ever perfect Deut. 3â— 4 and this was such so that it is credible they never made use of this gift but to Gods honour and glory at least they ever surely aimed thereat how be it as humane creatures they might erre in some circumstantials of their actions as S. Paul reprehended some excesses in that kind especially in women speaking in Churches by this gift of tongues 5. This diversity of nations was there upon occasion of the legall Feast of the Jewish Pentecost as above whereunto great conflux of nations was usuall as Exod. 23.17 it was commanded but more then ordinary in Jerusalem it being the Metropolis or head City of the Jews and the seat of their chief Synagogue so by dwelling is here understood making some stay for a time onely not being constant Inhabitants By religious is understood only devout men not such as now by vowes receive that denomination though with all this confluxe of people was credibly now more then ordinary because God had so ordained it to celebrate the better this Christian Pentecost by the avowment of all nations witnessing the prodigious truth of this unparalleld miracle of the descent or coming of the Holy Ghost in way of fiery tongues 6. By the voyce is understood that of the sudden lowd wind drawing many to the place and that wherewith the Apostles spake which argued there was a grace more then ordinary accompanying their speech after this gift of tongues was bestowed on them so as the multitude of Nations representing the whole world in little assembled suddenly at this place and was strucken with admiration and indeed confusion of mind some thinking one thing some another some trembling to see Christ so glorified now in his Apostles and Friends who had by them been persecuted to death others not knowing what was the reason but inquiring in fine all severally strucken upon several conceits they made of the prodigy every one hearing ignorant men and strangers speak in their own language or tongue 7. This Verse shewes that was the main cause of their amazement seeing the Apostles who were Galilaeans men given more to study the Sword then the Word speak the different Languages of all other several Nations in the World 8. As by this Verse appeares they did 9. 10. 11. There were two Elams one in Persia the other in Media and probably Elamites of both were here There is little to be said of this enumeration of so many nations and people here assembled onely to observe many are specified to shew more indeed all were present that is to say some out of every Nation and though those of Jewry be named in the ninth verse and Jewes again in the eleventh yet it is to be understood the latter were the Jewes dispersed over all the world as well as those living in Judea and the Gentiles by nation Jews by profession who were therefore by another name called Proselytes Adventitious Jews But we are here to observe these Nations did not hear the Apostles speak as some said of them like drunkards nor any vain or idle things but onely the wonders of Almighty God such as the Prophets had foretold Christ taught and were never till now understood nor believed And probably they began here to preach the Incarnation the Nativity the Life and Death the Resurrection the Ascension of our Saviour the reason of this prodigious coming of the Holy Ghost as sent by Christ the mystery of the Blessed Trinity and all things else that were the main heads of Christian doctrine and otherwise appertaining to the splendour of the Church of Christ and to the abrogation of the Synagogue or Jewish Church The Application 1. THe Illustration upon the Prayer and the Explication of the Text render this Epistle so cleer that little more needs to be said then to mind the Christian Reader that as by our Saviours first coming to us God was really made Man so the coming of the Holy Ghost is with a desire to make man become in a manner God but with this difference amongst others that God so assumed humane Nature as he did no way desert nor lessen his own which was Divineâ— whereas Man to be Deified must relinquish and devest himself of his humanity at least of his humane addictions and affections and must call upon the Holy Ghost to create in him a new breast a new heart if not a new soul too 2. And really it seems to have been the chief aym of Jesus Christ to work upon the soules of men but in part onely that is to elevate their Reasons and to illuminate their Understandings by the gift and light of Faith leaving it to the Holy Ghost to perfect the same soules Wills by Charingâ— by adding the heat the Fire of Love to the Light of Faâ—◠〈◊〉 hence it is our Saviour said he came to send Fire into the world and what vvould he else thereby but that this fire should burn burn up he meant the old man with all his stubble of sin and consume even his affections unto vice by setting his heart wholly upon virtue upon goodnesse upon heaven upon glory upon blisful eternity upon Almighty God as amiable objects indeed whereas all things else are but like Foyles to the beauty and lovelinesse of these such as never satiate a soul which the Royal Prophet doth confesse saying I shall then and surely not till then be satiated when thy Glory shall appear 3. Hence it is we see the Apostles turn immediately from Leverets to Lyons from persons afraid of the Jews to look Princes in the Face maugre all their persecution from ignorant and illiterate
Gods transient works about his creatures now we come to the immanent actions of the Sacred Deity within its own Essence and these are operations so hidden from created knowledge as our best comportment will be with St. Paul rather to admire then search into them suffice it Christ who hath revealed this mystery hath proved himself to be God by his works amongst men and being God must needs be essential verity and so can neither be deceived nor deceive even when we take him upon greatest trust We must therefore follow him as Schollers do their masters before they understand them and we shall find as children do our understandings bettered by giving trust unto this heavenly Master and at the latter day we shall with the Blessed in heaven see as we have heard of this prodigious mystery that is we shall with our intellectual eyes behold the Triunity thereof which yet while we behold we cannot comprehend And indeed it is admirable to see how in the dark of this profound mystery we find light to illuminate the whole world whilest the light of Faith breakes out of this blessed cloud since in believing this one thing which we know not we are taught to know almost all things else that we believe as the Apostles in vertue of this belief were bid immediately to Go and teach all nations that is they were to go in the light of this Faith and teach all the world both it and all things else belonging to their soules salvation And how to teach them by first Baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost By the name we have the unity by the persons the Trinity of God taught unto us and that teacheth us all the rest which we are implicitely told in the close of this dayes prayer when we beg a firmnesse in the Faith of this mystery as the shield that must defend us against all adversity whatsoever by teaching us to bear off all the blowes of Infidelity after we see Faith to be an elevated reason which secures us Points of Religion are not therefore against reason because they are sometimes above it O what a seeing blindnesse is this when we believe of God what we do not know I can liken it to nothing more then to the means wherewith our Saviour cured the blind mans sight by putting dirt into his eyes just such is the darknesse of knowledge in this mystery to the light of Faith it brings into our souls To conclude since the report between the prayer and other parts of this dayes service is even literal we need no labour to make it appear suiting with our main design of this book shewing a harmony between them all The Epistle Rom. 11.33 c. 33 O the depth of the riches of the wisdome and of the knowledge of God! how incomprehensible are his judgements and his wayes unsearchable 34 For who hath known the mind of our Lord or who hath been his counsellour 35 Or who hath first given to him and retribution shall be made him 36 For of him and by him and in him are all things to him be glory for ever Amen The Explication 33. HEere we are first to note that height and depth how ever seeming to differ even in their natures as well as in their names are oftentimes taken both for one and the same notion as for example that which we in our climate call depth or profundity as relating to things below us to the Antipodes that same thing is height or altitude above them namely the Hemisphere or arch of the heavens under the earth to us which is over the earth to them and the arch of the heavens over our heads is as it were under the earth to them again if any of the Antipodes should from the footing he hath upon the earth fall with his head from us downward he would seem indeed to fall and yet that fall would be his rising up towards heaven and the like fall to them would our rising seem to be if from our footing we departed hence up towards heaven in like manner we call a deep Well high and a high Well deep So by depth of the riches of God is here understood the height thereof though for him that is all in all there is neither depth nor height however for want of better expression we use such terms wherefore the Apostle here under one terme expresseth both depth and height of Gods riches as who should say O deep height O high depth of the riches of Almighty God! And though St. Ambrose and S. Augustine so point this verse as they joyn the depth both to the wisdome and knowledge of God and in them make up the depth of his riches yet St. Chrysostome Origen and others following the Greek and Syriack pointings of this sentence seem to attinge the sense of this place more home distinguishing the sense and meaning it to be tripartite not single that is to say attributing the depth equally to the riches the wisdome and knowledge of God as it were three things equally high and equally deep beyond humane or Angelical understandings for first the riches here mentioned report to the infinite mercies of God insisted on by the Apostle saying in the two and twentieth verse God hath concluded all in incredulity that thence he might shew his mercy unto all by making the incredulity of the Jewes the cause of his mercy turning to the Gentiles and so converting them to the right Faith as also some Jews shall be converted by the exemplarity of the Gentiles becoming good Christians Secondly the three after questions in this Epistle shew these three are to be read distinct and so understood namely who knew the mind of God who was of his Counsel who first gave to him and it shall be restored And we are to note by riches the Apostle understands the mercies of God whereby he makes us rich in all gifts of grace and glory as appears Ephes 1. v. 7. where the Apostle sayes we receive mercy according to the riches of his grace The true and genuine meaning therefore of this place is O profound depth of the mercies wisdome and knowledge of God! of his mercy extended to all Nations of his wisdome making even the incredulity of the Infidels to be the motive to convert Nations of his knowledge penetrating all future present past and contingent things at once And indeed these three points are the scope of all the Apostle aymes at from the ninth to this eleventh Chapter to the Romans for it was a special design of God to send his Sacred Son poor and abject amongst the Jews who had he come in a splendid way would have been undoubtedly received by them but if we ask the reason why God would do this there is no better can be given then in brief O the depth of Gods riches and mercies of his wisdome and of his knowledge This is the Abysse that
calls upon the Abysse in fine this is a reason above all reason but that which being increate it self creates the reasons of men and Angels as short of it self as finite things are short of infinite as creatures are short of their Creatour The Apostle ends this verse with an extatical admiration of Gods incomprehensible Judgments and investigable wayes that is to say the counsels means works and reasons of his providence who alone can cull Good out of evil as he doth convincing all Nations of incredulity that thence he may make one the motive for his mercy towards the other as was said above 34. How are we lost in our judgments when we see the wicked prosper and the just afflicted when we value humane abilities which in sight of God are follies because we do not know the sense the mind of God in these his permissions nor how contemptible a thing the wisest man under the cope of heaven is in the sight of God of whom Zeno said well that the pastime or sport of God was man as if God made but a Tennis ball of man or of the wisdome of men tossing him up and down at pleasure to the wonderment of us poor mortalls Whence the Abysse of humane misery calls upon the Abysse of Divine mercy and as S. Augustine saith the Abyss of humane ignorance calls upon the Abyss of the Divine knowledge or science How well then doth the Apostle say who knowes the mind of God or who was ever of his Counsel that is as Isaias said Chap. 40. v. 13. who ever gave him counsel or who did he ever make acquainted with such counsel as he gave himself in all internall and external operations whence no man must dare to ask why leaving the Jewes he turned to the Gentiles or the like 35. This place is remarkable for it is not asked who ever gave God any thing but who hath first given him any thing which before he had not received from him that so he might be able to make God his debtour truly no man and for this reason S. Paul sayes well what have you that you have not received and if you have received it why do you glory as if it had not been received by you but were your own Yet such is God Almighty his mercy to mankind that even this impossibility in man to make God his debtour by giving him any thing that was not his own before doth not hinder man of the honour to have God a debtour to him But then we must understand this saying safely and take heed we make not God our debtour for any gift or loan of ours to him but meerly for his own promises to us and those his promises though he were graciously pleased to make them voluntarily unto us yet he binds himself by vertue of his own promise to be our debtour for the performance of his words unto us to which purpose St. Augustine spake home in these words upon this place of the Apostle Serm. 16. Pay unto us what thou doest owe us because we have done what thou hast bid us to do though even what we have done were thy deed too because thou didst help us to do it 36. And for further proof of this doctrine the Apostle proceeds saying of him by him in him are all things that is to say not onely the essence or beeing of every thing but also the operations thereof since the operations of creatures are likewise creatures too as well as the things themselves that do operate and so both have equal dependance on Almighty God so that all things are of him as of their first maker by him as by their directour disposer and perfectour in him as in vertue of his assistance they are made do operate and are conserved But St. Augustine and with him the torrent of Fathers observe that what is said to be of God is appropriated to the Father what by God is attributed to the Son and what in God is reporting to the holy Ghost that so to the whole sacred and undivided Trinity we may refer the honour and glory of all beeing and operation of creatures insomuch that even from the Apostles time the close of prayer was made in this sort Glory be to the Father Son and Holy Ghost and by the Councill of Nice was added thereunto as it was in the beginning and now and ever world without end Amen For though here be ground of distinguishing Persons yet there is none of dividing essences or natures and therefore the Apostle telling us here of our obligation to the Blessed Trinity concludes saying not to them but to him be glory for ever that is to the one only undivided God who is neverthelesse distinguished into three several Persons Father Son and Holy Ghost A very apt close for the Epistle on Trinity Sunday The Application 1. WE have hinted in the Illustration above at the deep design of holy Church in closing up the grand work of humane Redemption and the Octave of the holy Ghost with a Feast made sacred to the B. Trinity wherein our Faith seems to be chiefly and wholly exercised because there is nothing so hard in Christian doctrine as to believe the Trinity of the sacred Triunity Now we may presume to affirm further that albeit from Pentecost to Advent the main aym of Christian duty be the exercise of charity in producing frequent acts thereof neverthelesse it was fitting to begin the practice of charity with an act of Faith to shew the difference between our love of God on Earth and our love of him in Heaven for there Faith shall cease that Love may increase and be alone the Totall duty of the Blessed but here Faith must increase least Love decrease in us Hence it was not onely fit that this our first act of charity to day should be to God but that it should be also accompanied with the strongest act of Faith imaginable which is this we now produce in making profession we believe God to be Trine and One. 2. Now not to break the order of the service that I mean of charity the main imploy of every Christian between this and the holy time of Advent see how by way of commemoration at least of the first Sunday after Pentecost we have regard to such another Prayer and such another Gospel whereunto I have added here the Epistle also though not read in open service as do mainly point at charity so shall we see in their perusal anon when these proper to the day are done 3. And lastly least this Act of Charity we are now to exercise should be defective being an act of love to God alone without relation to our neighbour see how we are taught to perfect it as well with an act of hope as with an act of Faith since the main scope of holy Churches prayer to day is to declare so strong a Hope in her believing and in her loving God that she puts it as a hopeful
shield before her against all Adversity whatsoever to be firm in her belief of the most Blessed and undivided Trinity Say then the Prayer above and see how well it suits unto this doctrine thereupon The Gospel Matth. 28. v. 18. c. 18 And Jesus coming neer spake to them saying All power is given to me in heaven and earth 19 Going therefore teach ye all nations Baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the holy Ghost 20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you and behold I am with you all dayes even to the consummation of the world The Explication 18. THe Evangelist in this Chapter recounts the apparition of Jesus in Galilee to a great number of Disciples and friends as well as unto the Apostles amongst them who were now so far fled from Jerusalem where formerly they had seen him after he arose from his grave and so confirmed them in the truth of this mystery that though in the precedent verse St. Matthew sayes some of them doubted of this truth that Christ was risen yet the meaning is not that any of the Apostles doubted thereof but some others to whom Christ had never appeared before as now he did to confirm the truth of his resurrection And Jesus coming neer not to those doubting persons but to his Apostles saying as this dayes Gospel begins All power c. But we are to observe though S. Matthew seems in this chapter to conjoyn the power of Mission given by Christ to his Apostles unto this story of his Apparition to them and above three thousand more in Galilee since he resolved to end his Gospel in this eight and twentieth chapter and write no more yet the very truth is those words were not spoken by Christ consequently to this apparition but afterwards upon the Mount Olivet when at his Ascension he gave the Apostles Mission over all the world for his valediction or last farewell unto them and in testimony that this was an Act of high Jurisdiction he tells them at the same time All power is given unto him both in heaven and earth so they need not doubt but he that gave them this Mission to all Nations this commission to preach unto them and to Baptize them had ample authority for his so doing and would by his grace from heaven second their labours over all the earth and make them fruitful to the final salvation of all Nations which was a convincing testimony of his being plenipotentiary between God and man or having plenitude of power both in heaven and earth But we are further here to note that this plenitude of power was not now so given to Christ as if he had not had it before for the Word was no sooner Incarnate then this power was begun in him though he was not pleased to mention the accomplishment or perfection thereof untill by his death and passion he had merited the same and therefore suiting to him not onely as he was God but as he was man the Messias or Saviour of the world and to him alone for to no man else was the amplitude of this power competent nay the very participation thereof is above all merit of any pure humane creature however to Christ the fulnesse of it was but due by reason of his being one person with God who as Creatour of heaven and earth had consequently full power over them both so as he could by the Ministery of his Apostles preaching subject unto himself all the Nations of the earth as stooping to the power of his Faith and Doctrine and afterwards in heaven reward this their Faith this their subjection to Christian discipline with crowns of eternal glory to shew he was chief commandant in heaven also having purchased the same by his bitter death and passion and so being able to make eternally happy in this his glorious Kingdom whosoever he pleased 19. We are here to observe when Christ bids go it is not nay it cannot be in the power of any mortal man to forbid the Ministers of Christ from going to convert nations So this Mission is Divine not humane and gives Commission to execute Gods Lawes maugre all mens prohibitions Go saith he to shew us labour pains travel diligence are the marks of those who preach the word of God nor is this labour limited to any one time or place but extends it self to all times to all nations Go sayes our Saviour teach all nations nay he adds therefore go that is to say Go because I send you that have all power both in heaven and earth go teach ye all nations as I have taught you Whence it followes the command of learning was imposed upon the people while the precept of teaching was laid upon the Apostles and their successours for in these latter it is indeed that Christ after said he would be with them unto the end of the world that is in assisting their Successours he would be with them And very great reason it is that an obligation of hearing should fall upon the people when a command of preaching was imposed on the Priest for a Schollar is acorrelative to a Master as a Son is to a Father since no man can be an actual master unless he have an actual Schollar nor can any man be a father that hath not a child And that it was a command given with an obligation to be put in present execution see how Christ tyes himself to an actual assistance thereof even to the worlds end And as he bids them go and teach all nations the principles of Christian doctrine namely those of the Catholick Church so he bids them Baptize all those whom they instruct and teach in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost to shew them the true mark of a Christian is his belief in the Blessed Trinity which is one onely God and three Divine Persons distinct each from other called Father Son and holy Ghost Nor can there be indeed a more succinct method of this deep mystery then is here expressed when the command of Baptizing in the name and not in the names shewes the unity of God and denyes the plurality of Divine nature or essence and yet the specifying of the Father Son and Holy Ghost shewes the Blessed Trinity which is in that sacred unity Whence we see the word Trinity doth import a Triunity or an Unity of nature in a Trinity of persons whence our Saviour saying by the mouth of his Apostle 1 Epist Joh. c. 5. There are three that bear testimony in heaven the Father the Son and Holy Ghost adds immediately and these Three are all one that is to say these distinct persons are one indistinct and undivided nature essence deity so as though there be three divine persons yet is there but one onely God And no marvel if upon Trinity Sunday both the Epistle and Gospel report unto this sacred mystery for it
is indeed the highest article of our Faith the first and main principle of Christian Religion But to conclude this doctrine 20. See how the beginning of this verse tells besides this mystery what the Apostles were commanded to teach the world namely to do all whatsoever Christ commanded them to deliver as the Will of God that is to say as well to do good works as to believe aright and to professe that Faith which was preached unto them and how ever Luther and Calvin pretend the Church of Christ and the right administration of the Sacraments thereof and of the divine Services had failed for many hundred of years together before they arrogated to themselves a kind of new Apostolate forsooth yet it is from hence confidently asserted by the unanimous consent of all Catholick Doctours and Divines that there neither hath been hitherto nor ever shall be hereafter till the day of doom which is the consummation or end of the world any failure in the Church of Christ nor in Christ his perpetual assistance and presence with his ever visible Church insomuch that he is ever visibly present in his perpetual visible rulers of the Church and invisibly in his continual-assisting grace and hence it is evidently proved that albeit no successours of the Apostles had those ample prerogatives which they enjoyed yet their Ministery is so the same that the Apostles was as Christ is said even to perpetuate the Apostles in their successours and his presence with them in his presence with their followers and in his assisting them as constantly as he did assist their predecessours though perhaps not as amply nor as efficaciously at all times For how else can it be true that Christ said to his Apostles he would send them another Comforter that should assist them eternally not in their persons but in their successours to the worlds end For the same are the gifts of Christ and of the Holy Ghost as far forth as they are both one and the same God Nay more Christ is even visibly remaining with the Ministers of his Church in the holy Eucharist or B. Sacrament of the Altar his blessed body and bloud being exposed perpetually to the receiving and adoration of the people more he is visibly with us in his Priests who are his visible instruments to administer the Sacraments and offer sacrifice unto the sacred Deity for though the Priest be the instrumental yet Christ is the chief and principal Priest himself it being proper to him to be both Sacrifice and Sacrificant so as in seeing the accidents of bodies we are said consequently to see the things whose accidents we see in like manner by seeing the Sacramental species we may be said to see the Sacrament the body and bloud of Christ whose accidents they are after consecration though the same species before were the accidents of bread and wine To conclude we may as truly say Christ is visibly with his Church to the worlds end as we may say a mans soul is visibly in his body that is to say perceptibly so long as a man lives and hath motion for look what the soul is to the body the same Christ is to his Church so that as the soul is the bodies natural life Christ is the supernatural life of the soul believing in him and making her self by that belief a member of his Church for as the soul makes the body move so Christ makes his Church to do according to that of S. Paul Philipp 2. he worketh all in all according to the purpose of his own holy will and again he it is that gives a will to do good and a power to put that will in execution and to perfect by him what was undertaken for him as being to his honour and glory The Application 1. IT is no marvel that to day we hear inculcated to us an explicite act of Faith in the Front and body of this Gospel while Hope and Charity are onely recommended to us in the close thereof and that but implicitely neither notwithstanding as our design of piety is laid in this work Charity is the chief vertue to be practis'd from this day untill Advent This is I say no marvel the very name of the day requiring this preference to Faith and the nature of the Feast inforcing it besides for since the proper object of Love is Goodnesse seen or understood and since the Blessed Trinity is not here seen at all but by the light of Faith therefore all the understanding we can have of it on Earth is first to believe and next to love it according as the Gospel intimates where Jesus by the vertue of Plenipotentiality given him both in heaven and earth sends his Apostles first to Teach the whole world the mystery of the B. Trinity by Baptizing all Nations in the name of the Father Son and holy Ghost and thereby obliging them to believe explicitely these Three distinct Persons are all but one simple and single God whereas he bids the said Apostles here at least but implicitely to hope in and to love the sacred Trinity in as much as he commands their Teaching all Nations to observe all his Commandments whatsoever which yet are not observeable but for pure love of the commander and for pure hope of his recompencing our obedience unto his commands Who so reads the Gospel will soon see this to be the whole scope thereof 2. What then remaines for further application but that by an actual confessing this true Faith we actually glorifie the eternal Trinity and that in the Power of each Divine Persons sacred Majesty namely in the Power of the Father creating us in the Power of the Son redeeming us in the Power of the Holy Ghost sayntifying of us we adore the Unity of these Three Persons Deity since none but God can create none but God can redeem and none but God can sayntifie a soul 3. O Happy Christians who by firmly believing this to be their obligation to the sacred Trinity can neither want motive enough for Love of God nor ground enough for Hope that by this Act of Faith they shall be defended from all Adversity since the true victrix over all our enemies is as St. John tells us 1 Ep. c. 5. our Faith which overcomes the world and consequently all Adversity Say now the Prayer above and see how patt it is to what we here are taught On the first Sunday after Pentecost The Antiphon Luk. 6.37 JVdge not that you be not judged for in what Judgement you Judge you shall be Judged saith our Lord. Vers Let my prayer O Lord be directed Resp Even as Incense before thee The Prayer O God the strength of those that hope in thee be propitiously present to our prayers and because without thee mortal infirmity is of no ability grant the assistance of thy grace that in doing what thou dost command we may please thee both in will and work The Illustration ALbeit this Sunday is
up sitting at this feast into the great presence-chamber of the sacred Trinity the Empyreall heaven and after his Ascension his servants the Apostles went round about the world to invite more and to tell them the great supper of glory was now ready for all that would go to it such way as thâ—se inviters would lead them namely in the high rode of professing and observing the faith and law of Christ 18. By all excusing themselves is here literally understood the Jewish nation whose eye was no further bent upon religion then as they expected a Messias that should make them all rich so grosly they understood the heavenly riches promised by the Messias as they believed them to be temporall estates And therefore here the first excuse is made by plea of necessity to looke after worldly wealth represented by the purchased village which was said to be newly bought by him that was content to sell the kingdom of heaven for a patch of earth But Saint Gregory hom 36. in Evang. notes the ill manners of this civility when the excusant sayes I pray thee have me excused for he calls it pride in the action though it seems humility in the voyce because he disdained heaven and preferred earth 19. The second excuse insists upon an other notable addiction of the Jewes to worldly wealth namely their huge great stocks they gloried in upon their grounds which we read Abraham Isaack Jacob and Job abounded in and which were looked on as the greatest blessings God could give so in regard of earthly stocks of Cattle they contemned the greater stock of Glory in the next world But St. Gregory in the place last cited will have these five yoak of oxen allude to our five senses distracting us from all heavenly objects 20. St. Gregory cited as above understands this place of carnall sinne the greatest impediment between a soul and glory of all others for here the excuser askes no pardon but boldly sayes he cannot come it seems he that could not wish he were able was wholly unable as well as he was absolutely unwilling while he did not say he would come another time as the former excuses might import but absolutely professed he could not come he had sure as little will as power and therefore he might have added he neither could nor would Though others more favourably say this place alludes onely to the excessive use of the lawfull marriage-bed which then is used in excesse when it is made a pretence to hinder us from the service of Almighty God And S. Ambrose expresseth much to this sense in few words saying The love of earthly things is like a birdlime upon the spirituall wings of our souls hindring her flight up to heaven But S. Augustine applies these three excuses to the three things that include all sorts of worldly pelf concupiscence of the flesh concupiscence of the eye and pride of life The first excuse reports to the pride that man had to see himself Lord of a Mannour The second to concupiscence of the eye to see a rich stock of cattell cover his grounds The third to concupiscence of the flesh that made this his excuse from going to heaven as if he did not hope for greater pleasure there and indeed riches and pleasure are the chief impediments mortalls have between them and eternall blisse 21. This place of the Parable alludes to Christ speaking of himself as servant to his heavenly Father and telling him the Rich men of the Jewes were all so transported with the love of the world as they gave no ear to the invitation of the eternal word calling them to everlasting rest and glory and that then his Father bid him apply himself to the poorer sort of Jewes which to effect was done when S. Matthew Chap. 21. 31. sayes to the Pharisees Scribes Doctours and high Priests rejecting Christ The Publicanes and whores shall go before you in the Kingdome of God as also the last shall be first and the first the last Others think this verified in the choyce Christ made of Fisher-men for his Apostles and of other poor Mechanicks rather then of Scribes and Pharisees as 1 Cor. 1.27 God chose the infirm things of this world to confound all the strength thereof and fooles to confound wise men and this to encourage the most contemptible creatures on the earth to aym at as great riches as heaven can afford if they live according to the rule and law of Christ 22. And here our Saviour urgeth his heavenly Father since all the poor people amongst the Jewes are not able to fill up the Court of heaven that as yet there may be more invited and then he went aside from the Jewes to the Samaritans and Gentiles converting them and so inviting of them to his heavenly Glory which is the Supper here spoken of 23. But we are here to note that Christ looked upon these Gentiles in respect of his beloved people the Jewes as he would do upon men that have no poor beeings in Townes or Villages but are forced to shelter themselves under the banks on high wayes and to covet the loane of hedges for their shelter from winds and weather and therefore being himself after his resurrection to ascend to heaven he sent his Apostles over all the world to find out such poor Gentiles as these who in respect of the Jewes were not held worthy in Gods sight to be esteemed as Masters of Townes Villages or houses but were like vagabonds yet these not filling heaven neither see how he makes provision for relapsed Christians also as men equally miserable with such vagabonds and those he will have by Ecclesiastical censures nay by penal lawes to be even compelled or forced to return to their belief again which yet is not a course used to any but revolted Christians such as once were in the lap of the true Church by holy Baptisme and they indeed as having once been children and Subjects of the mother Church of Christ may upon revolt be compelled back again whereas Pagans Jewes or Infidels cannot be thus forced by penal lawes but must in a sweet way be gained to a right belief through perswasion not compulsion 24. This verse is onely the excluding those from eternal glory who being invited to it will not leave temporal riches and pleasures to purchase the Kingdome of heaven but willingly wallow in the mire of worldly wealth rather then they will leave that to enjoy eternal felicity and glory The Application 1. AS this Gospel in the sense of the Expositours alludes to the Blessed Sacrament whose Feast is now flowing so is it fit we should observe therein such lessons as we are bound to learn and put in execution for our more worthy receiving which we may for brevity sake reduce to two the one a reverential awe or holy fear of unworthinesse the other a fervent act of love and charity because in this Sacrament is not onely the body and bloud of
that is be full fraighted as she could possibly sail and then we might hope she would enter safe into the harbour of eternal rest when the labours of her militant state would be converted into the repose of her state Triumphant 8. 9. 10. Onely Peter of all the rest astonished as they were at the miracle expressed himself more then others did thereat fell immediately at our Saviours feet to adore that power which had wrought this miracle and for this his singular Faith and humiliation see him exalted and made head of all the Church to shew we cannot out do Almighty God in goodnesse his rewards are never short but alwayes above our works And 't is worth observing that S. Peter here desires Jesus to go from him because he is a sinner and doeth not deserve the honour of his presence A high expression of humility in him and of his reverence to the person of his Lord as if he had rather lose the honour of Christ his presence then so great a Majesty should be dishonoured by so unworthy company as his and all the rest that were as the ninth verse sayes all astonished at the greatnesse of the miracle in such an unexpected draught of Fish whom our Saviour comforts up in the tenth verse and bids Peter cast off his fear because he should be from that time a fisher of men of soules which he should bring in as great shoales to heaven as these fishes came to his net 11. What marvel they left all to follow so good so great a Master who did not alter but exalt their trade by innobling their draught which was formerly food onely for mens tables but henceforward they should take Fish that should be served up to the table of the King of heaven of God himself The Application 1. THe sum of this Gospel is the demonstration of our Saviours charity to his Apostles and of his like love to all the world by their Ministry whom he professeth here to make Fishers of men converters of soules by their teaching and preaching according as himself instructed them in that art by his own Sermon to them and to the multitude that followed him So we are not here to seek for charity where so high an act of love is exercised that of saving soules by preaching to them the word of God 2. But what we are to observe here is that the Apostles left all they had in the world to follow Christ and to seek after souls so that hence we see Church men especially Pastours and missionary Priests who by office have the care of soules lye upon them are to renounce all other cares or thoughts whatsoever are to divest themselves of all worldly cloggs or interest and to dedicate themselves wholly and solely to their Pastoral Functions 3. Neverthelesse they are not to rob the world of their suffrages prayers and sacrifices for in them they are still to have a memory of the whole world and to beseech God that he will blesse and prosper every private condition every peculiar state and all the general ranks and orders of the Universe that it may be in each with every one and through the whole as God in his Goodnesse and Wisdome hath ordained with Kings as best is for their Majesties with States as most conducing to their safety with subjects as befits them best and that so Temporalities may be ordered by Almighty God himself as the Spirituality be not interrupted nor molested but that all Church-men may be free to pray to preach to sacrifice and give the Sacraments to all as though the world would never be in order if the Church-men were disordered or not allowed peace and tranquillity in their devotions Sure this must be the meaning of the Text when it is the petition of the Prayer to day On the fifth Sunday after Pentecost The Antiphon Matth. 5.24 IF thou offer thy gift at the Altar and shalt remember that thy Brother hath ought against thee leave there thy gift before the Altar and go first to be reconciled to thy Brother and then coming thou shalt offer thy gift Vers Let my prayer O Lord c. Resp Even as Incense c. The Prayer O God who hast prepared invisible good things for them that love thee infuse into our hearts the desire of thy love that loving thee in all things and above them all we may attain unto thy promises which surpasse even all our own desires The Illustration SEe see beloved how little those that professe to love God ought to set their affections on creatures when by this Prayer they are told the good they ought to aym at is as invisible to them here as God himself is to our corporal eyes though in that God are contained all things that are good and worthy of our love See how because we cannot naturally love that which we see not we are bid to beg it as a boon of God that we may at least desire to love him and that this desire may be by him infused into our hearts so that loving God in all we do see and above all we can imagine we may thereby hope to attain unto the fruition of that Invisible good we see not which yet we are created to enjoy and which is so great as it surmounteth all our own most vaste desires A gallant and an easie way to heaven by onely loving what is onely worthy of our love the Invisible God who is the Authour and giver of all that can be good visible or invisible And since we may easily loose the hopes we have of attaining our spiritual good we are by this Prayer taught to love nothing visible that may indanger us to loose the invisible treasure which is hoarded up for us that is not to love any thing visible but as it relates to what is invisible namely to Almighty God and as thereby we may honour and glorifie God by loving it which rule can never be observed by loving creatures but even equally to their Creatour and yet commonly we love them and dote upon them much more God help us whereas if we follow the rule of this Prayer we shall not onely cure that disease in us but further attain to the height of perfection and sanctity which consisteth in loving God above all things and all things else for his sake not for their own respects since we cannot lawfully so much as love our selves but onely in order to God O admirable solidity of devotion O admirable profundity of spirit in the prayers of holy Church Let us now see how this Prayer is adapted to the Epistle and Gospel Excellently well to both For what is the Epistle else but a rule of perfection which this Prayer begs we may observe what else is the Gospel but a rule of more perfection in us Christians then ever God required at the hands of his chosen people the Jewes and what is this Prayer but a petition of the highest perfection and
the devil therefore holy Church as strucken with an admiration at the wonder of it to see souls saved upon so huge an odds as three such enemies to one poor man or three millions to one rather considering every one of these three principall enemies have millions of instruments to damn a soul by and not knowing what else to attribute this unto then to the admirable Providence of Almighty God who hath so contrived that those whom he hath chosen to be his amongst the multitudes of men shall make their very dangers their security their very sinfull flesh the instrument of their saintity and salvation by the sole helping hand of charity Therefore I say it is the Churches prayer gives this prodigious work to the sole Providence of Almighty God and begs that by this never-failing Providence all lets to our salvation may be taken away and all helps possible afforded thereunto The Gospel Matt. 7. v. 15. c. 15 Take ye great heed of false prophets which come to you in the clothing of sheep but inwardly are ravening wolves 16 By their fruits you shall know them Do men gather grapes of thorns or figs of thistles 17 Even so every good tree yieldeth good fruits and the evil tree yieldeth evil fruits 18. A good tree cannot yield evil fruits neither an evil tree yield good fruits 19 Every tree that yieldeth not good fruit shall be cut down and shall be cast into fire 20 Therefore by their fruits you shall know them 21 Not every one that saith unto me Lord Lord shall enter into the Kingdome of heaven but he that doth the will of my Father which is in heaven he shall enter into the Kingdome of heaven The Explication 15. BY false prophets are here understood any that undertake to teach or preach false doctrine By their coming unto us is understood they are not sent lawfully but pretend mission By the clothing of sheep is meant their false pretence of sanctity liberty of conscience expounding Scripture and the like whereas they inwardly are wolves that devour souls under pretext of saving them 16. Their fruits are commonly licentiousnesse of life obstinate heresie schisme from the true Church These the thorns of their pretended vines the thistles of their pretended fig-trees 17. That is to say a true prophet or teacher teacheth good doctrine and leads a good life a false teacheth bad lessons and liveth lewdly too 18. This is parabolically spoken in order to the will of man and so holds not ever but for the most part unlesse taken in the compounded sense that is a good will whilest it remains good cannot produce evil fruit though it may cease to be good and then produce evil 19. What is here said in the future tense is in the third chapter of S. Matthew spoken by the Greek Text in the Present tense as who should say every tree that yields not good fruit is presently cut down and cast into the fire as if it had cut it selfe downe and cast it selfe into the guilt of hell fire by mortall sinne And it is onely Gods infinite mercy that whilest we yield bad fruit whilest we sinne mortally we are not presently damned for so we deserve to be And in the same third chapter the hatchet is said to be placed at the root of the tree to cut it instantly down meaning Christ is come whose Law is ready to passe upon us whose sentence is ready to be pronounced upon every mortall sinne for then we are spiritually dead and after death judgement is instantly ready nay our own guilty consciences do even immediately pronounce our sentence of damnation unlesse God give us grace to repent and amend by producing good fruits again 20. If they live well and do good workes you may know they are true teachers if not they are false ones 21. See the modesty of our Saviour Christ who rather names his Fathers will then his own although they are alwayes both one and the same God and both equally produce the same effect of salvation if equally observed and obeyed But to the first part of this verse 't is not every one that calls upon God or undertakes to preach his word that is saved no he must bring forth the good fruit above required and what is that good fruit the will of God he must square himself and his actions thereunto and then he shall be saved by crying onely or knocking at heaven gates nay wee need not cry nor knock at all if we bring a key to open the doore if we have cast our own inordinate wills into the form of the will of God and so made unto our selves a key to open heaven gates withall to enter whensoever we die The Application 1. AS in the Epistle above Saint Paul bid the Laymen beware of their greatest internall enemies or evils their own flesh so in this Gospell Saint Matthew bids the same Lay-people take great heed of their most dangerous externall enemies the false Prophets meaning false Teachers and Preachers of Gods holy Word We are therefore as in the Illustration was observed by this dayes doctrine armed against all enemies whatsoever internall or externall by the prudence of holy Church collecting at once all the motives that may be to increase our love and charity to Almighty God in shewing us how his infinite Providence hath secured our way to Heaven by pointing out every danger that we can encounter in the way 2. And as the Lay-man hath no better guides to heaven then those that preach and teach the Word of God unto him that catechise and instruct him in the Principles of Christian Doctrine that offer sacrifice to God for him and administer the Sacraments of God unto him because with these guides it is he trusts his very soul so in regard there are that doe usurp this office of Prophets of Teachers and Preachers to the very bane poyson perdition and damnation of souls it was hugely necessary the divine Providence should arme us against this worst of evils by giving us a rule to know these impudent usurpers by these false Prophets from the true ones which knowledge we shall have by looking on the fruits of one and the other them that bring good fruit we are to follow them that bring forth bad to flie 3. Now because holy Church hath not made the Lay-man absolutely Judge in this particular therefore while her Doctours preaching on this Text give all the signes of true and false Prophets she contents her selfe the Lay-men have recourse to God Almighties Providence herein and that they onely follow those who make their works answerable to their Doctrine who doe as well as teach the will of God For as they onely are true lovers of him who keep his Commandements so such onely are to be the Lay-mens guides And to the end they may have such and may be freed from others They pray to day this may be an act of God Almighties speciall Providence over them
person of another man so he cannot mean himself when he sayes the Lord but must needs mean the Bailiffes real master did praise his own Bailiffe of iniquity that is did commend the invention or manner of the cheat not the cheat it self and said that the children of this world used more wisdome and prudence in their worldly wayes then the children of light This may put us in mind how ill it is that we study more to damne then to save our soules 9. This verse cleares the sense of the former to be spoken in the name of the master to the Bailiffe for here Christ having told us that masters sense now makes profession to speak in his own name in these words I say unto you give almes do good deeds unto the poor with your Mammon of iniquity your treasures for by vertue of these almes the poor may plead your admittance into heaven and obtain by their intercession that your almes may cover a multitude of your sins So this is a parable speaking properly to rich men of this world who are not true Lords of their own estates but owe them to God and have the portions of the poor in their hands and own all their treasure but as Lords of iniquity as heapers up of wealth which they have cheated the poor of and when they pay them not by Almes they lye lyable to the like censure of this Bailiffe to render account for they are such to God The Application 1. THis Gospel being wholly Parabolical we are at the greater liberty to make our applications thereof according as we can best avail our selves by it further then what by the Illustration and Explication above is already done First therefore albeit this Parable aymes directly at rectifying the inordinate excesses of Rich men who abuse the trust God hath reposed in them of relieving the poor when they lavish away their estates vainly and do not by their charities pay the poor mens Portions which are included in the rich mens revenues yet we may very properly here mind the Priests of Gods holy Church that as they are indeed the chief Bailiffes of their heavenly Master trusted with more of his Estate and Treasure then all the world besides namely the receiving and distributing his holy graces the livelyhoods of their own and other mens soules so when they waste these Treasures either by their own idle mispending them or by their undue dispensing them to others especially by palliating the sins of the people and flattering them with needlesse dispensations from their Christian duties never valid but when really necessary then are they most properly such ill Bailiffes as this Gospel specifies 2. Secondly in regard there is no Lay-man free from the Bailifship of a huge though lesser trust also reposed in him by Almighty God of all those rich graces vertues and gifts which are bestowed upon us in holy Baptisme therefore every Lay-man as well as the Priest may piously fear he playes this ill Bailiffes part and that chiefly out of this root his giving way to unjust thoughts such as propend him to unrighteous actions by not being rejected but disputed with untill the temptation of sordid gain or pleasure overcome him and make him unjustly act that which at first was but unrightly thought 3. Now this evil holy Church hopes to amend in us by prayer adapted to the Bailifship we are intrusted with absolutely of our own soules and partly of our neighbours too in point of edification to him at least whereby we are charitably to contribute also to his salvation which we shall then perform in act if our thoughts be first set upon the doing it Thus we see how the debt we owe of charity to our neighbour puts us in mind of the greater debt we owe thereof unto our selves and to Almighty God And by this charity it is we are best able to perform what we this day Pray for with holy Church that by alwayes thinking thus charitably right we may do uprightly we may live spiritually to that good God without whom we have neither spiritual nor yet corporal Beeing On the ninth Sunday after Pentecost The Antiphon Luk. 19.46 FOr it is written that my house is the house of prayer to all Nations but you have made it a den of theeves And he was daily teaching in the Temple Vers Let my prayer O Lord c. Resp Even as Incense c. The Prayer LEt the eares of thy mercy O Lord be open to the prayers of thy suppliants and to the end thou mayst grant the things desired to those that ask make them ask such things as to thee are pleasing The Illustration BLessed Jesu that the holy Ghost should teach us perfection of prayer in a language arguing imperfection in Almighty God mutation from his not bearing to the opening of his mercifull ears to the prayers of his Suppliants Whereas his eyes being alwayes open to see our actions his cars cannot be shut from our petitions since we can as little speak what he doth not hear as we can do what he doth not see It is not therefore because he at any time hears us not but that we deserve not to be heard sometimes even when we pretend to pray that we are taught to beg his open ears to our petitions and that if we will hope to be heard we must ask such things as are pleasing to his Divine Majestie rather then what is desired by us wherefore we were taught by our Saviour himself to pray that the will of God might be done in earth as it is in heaven which in effect though in other terms we pray to day when we begg that to the end God may grant what we desire he will make us ask such things as are pleasing to his Divine Majestie Yes beloved this is the full scope and sense of the prayer above and by this we see 't is one and the same spirit that now dictates the form of prayer to holy Church which our blessed Saviour had when in the garden he gave us the most excellent method of praying called to this very day our Lords prayer onely this we find peculiar now that all prayers of holy Church are so set after the stile of our Lords prayer which alone includes all the requests we are able to make that they are adapted to peculiar emergencies and do specially relate unto the present service of the day As for example the prayer above now doth unto the Epistle and Gospel of the Masse in regard they both mind us of the severe punishments inflicted both upon the Gentiles and the Jews who in their prayers runne after their own inventions and made their sacrifices which should appease the wrath of God to be the highest provocations of his fury as the Idolaters fornicatours and murmurers did whereof S. Paul here minds the Christian Corinthians who it seems were also inclined to make idols of their own desires rather then to adore in true
spirit the living God or seek his holy will as also S. Luke in the Gospel tells us the whole city of Jerusalem was ill addicted wherein were not onely slain twenty three thousand persons at the sacking thereof by the Romans but even in the destruction of that city the whole nation of the Jews was dispersed and overthrown for persecuting Jesus Christ because he came not to them according to their own desire according as they had fancied to themselves the Messias should come in power and glory in riches and abundance the very thought of which iniquity in the Jews made Jesus weep as S. Luke tells us so soon as he saw the most splendid and opulent city of the whole universe near to her destruction for want of following such instruction as we have in this dayes prayer for want of conformity to the will of God for want of desiring and asking those things that were pleasing to the Divine Majesty And to shew how short they were of using this form of prayer we see he went immediately to the Temple and chased out those from thence who made the house of prayer a den of thieves of such as under colour to sell necessaries for the sacrifices of the Temple sold their God himself for hope of sordid gain who therefore were called thieves as robbing God of his honour even in that place which was sacred to his service by seeking more their own profit then his glory in that place Say now beloved was it not fit the Church should make her prayer to day in the stile above when all the service of the day runnes upon examples of severest punishments upon those whose prayer was of another tenour and is it not most behooffull we should pray in this sort since these figures are professedly made mention of for our examples that whilest we hear of them we may beware their case become not ours Assuredly it is And this being declared I make account our souls are well armed because well warned resolved heartily to pray in this manner least for not so praying we be punished as those formerly in this kind defective were The Epistle 1 Cor. 10. v. 6. c. 6 And these things were done in a figure of us that we be not coveting evil things as they also coveted 7 Neither become ye idolaters as certain of them as it is written The people sate down to eat and drink and rose up to play 8 Neither let us fornicate as certain of them did fornicate and there fell in one day three and twenty thousand 9 Neither let us tempt Christ as some of them tempted and perished by the serpents 10 Neither do you murmure as certain of them murmured and perished by the destroyer 11 And all these things chanced to them in figure but they are written to our correction upon whom the end of the world are come 12 Therefore he that thinketh himself to stand let him take heed lest he fall 13 Let not tentation apprehend you but humane and God is faithful who will not suffer you to be tempted above that which you are able but will make also with tentation issue that you may be able to sustain The Explication 6. O How much are Christians obliged to Almighty God who hath laid before them the punishments of his own elect people the children of Israel not onely for a figure but an example also unto them that by the punishments inflicted on the Hebrews we Christians might beware and avoid such sinnes as we see God did not pardon in his own chosen people but punished them severely 7. When they erected themselves an idol of a golden calf and adored it and afterwards like the Egyptians and Gentiles made great feasts wherein they wanted not excesses at their tables and then rose to their wanton sports and dancings as if they would thereby honour their Idoll Which profanenesse was punished by Moyses commanding his Levites to kill at once three and twenty thousand of them And this S. Paul inculcates to the Corinthians and to all dissolute Christians to day For as the Corinthians had certain dedications of thousands of virgins to Venus who were defloured under pretended honour to her so this was a fit example of S. Paul to them and may be to all our wanton youth God help them 8. Here S. Paul alludes to the abomirable idolatry that was committted to Bel-phcor that is unto Priapus with the daughters of Moab abused in honour of this horrid Idol-god which was punished as above is noted in the glosse upon the former verse where the like punishment was inflicted upon the idolaters to the calf as is here mentioned upon the fornicatours onely that there were mentioned twenty four thousand Numb 25. v. 5. here onely twenty three thousand So the Apostle speaks with the least not that he contradicts the other place of Scripture since the greater number includes the lesser though the lesser doth not exclude the greater 9. Here the Apostle calls tempting distrusting in Christ as it seems some of the Corinthians did who doubted of his resurrection for where in the Old Testament we read Num. 25.5 the children of Israel are said to murmure against the Lord S. Paul here applies this to Christ and calls it tempting of him in the Corinthians as in that figure the Israelites did who perished by fiery serpents Num. 21. v. 6. not that they were fiery but because the effect of their sting was as hot as fire and seemd to burn the people that were stung or bitten by them 10. Their perishing was partly being swallowed up alive by the earth partly being burned with fire from heaven or smitten with the sword of the Angel called in this verse the destroyer and conceived by the best Interpreters to be S. Michael the leader of the people and the giver of the Law unto them in the mount Sinai and in that the figure of our Saviour Jesus Christ And indeed Gods punishments were frequent and very severe upon the sinne of murmure against his Divine Majesty 11. That is all things here specified not absolutely all that are written in the whole ancient law for however many things were there figurative yet there were also many things not figurative but had their own end in themselves without relation to any thing that was to follow And here the word figure is not taken strictly so as to mean allegory or mystery but rather indeed for example since in that sense S. Paul applies it to us in the Corinthians as appears by his following words that they were written for our correction reprehension or admonition By the ends of the world in this place is understood the coming of the Messias whose time is often called the last hour both in the Old and the New Testament this hour is to be measured from the birth of our Saviour till his coming to judgement because to millions of souls it hath been already their last hour and will be to many
Ghost is made manifest who is the Authour of all supernatural gifts The profit whereunto these gifts are given is rather to the Church then to him that receives them for gratuite graces ever avail the Church but not so him who receives them as miracles may be wrought by a sinner who doth not profit by them perhaps at all yet the Church doth 8. By the word of wisdome is understood the power to explicate deep mysteries of Faith as of the B. Trinity Incarnation praedestination or the like By the word of knowledge or science is understood the power to direct mens actions or manners that they be rational at least Thus S. Augustine lib. 12. Trinit cap. 14. 15. distinguisheth between wisdome and science or knowledge 9. By Faith here is not understood that act of Theological vertue which is common to all Christians but an act of particular confidence in God whereby it is believed he will by vertue of that our confidence work a miracle being asked so to do by such a Faith as is able to remove mountains Others understand by Faith here a deep understanding inabling to contemplate and explicate the mysteries of Faith 10. By miracles here are understood those which are extraordinary and are exercised not onely upon the body but even on the soules of men such as was that of S. Peter upon Ananias and Saphyra commanding them to dye By discretion of spirits is meant when God gives one man the grace to see into the very thoughts and intentions of others to know when an action is done by a good or evil spirit by God or the devil a gift to be begged by ghostly Fathers and conducing to their conduct of soules These gifts S. Hilarion was noted to have By interpretation of languages is understood a special gift frequent in the primitive Church whereby men illuminated for that end did give the true sense of Scripture and of those who being ignorant yet had the gift of Tongues and to spake more then themselves well understood but were by Interpretâ—rs expounded 11. Namely as that Spirit as the holy Ghost pleaseth The Application 1. St. Paul in this Epistle first puts the Corinthians and â—n them all other Christians in mind of the horrid Nothing that they were before their conversion from Gentilisme to Christianity And his aym in this is that as nothing was more abominable to the Gentiles then the name of Jesus Christ so nothing ought to be more reverential to Christians then that most sacred and most saving name insomuch as S. Paul concludes it is an Apostacy from God a relapse to Gentilisme not onely to use irreverence to the name of Jesus but to conceive we have any other life or being then what is purchac'd in that sweetest name 2. Notwithstanding true it is we have life often given us by the holy Ghost the special giver indeed of holy grace which is the â—ife and being of a Christian and hence it is S. Paul had no sooner inamoured the Corinthians on the Name of Jesus then he falls instantly upon the gifts of the holy Ghost sent from his heavenly Father and from his sacred Son our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ to multiply on us the mercies of Almighty God as if to have been once redeemed by Christ had not satisfied his infinite goodnesse without he had also made this Redemption copious by sending his holy Spirit to re-redeem us by his graces from the relapses into sinne that render our first redemption fruitlesse unlesse it had been more copious yet by the multiplyed mercies of the holy Ghost applying the Passion of our Saviour to us by some new gift of grace bestowed upon us as often as we take religious breath into our bodies by calling on the Name of Jesus with an aweful reverence thereunto as befits all Christians to do and for this purpose it is S. Paul falls into the enumeration of the gratuite gifts of God the graces that are meerly gratis given not such as are usual and absolutely necessary for our sayntification or justification but such as rather serve to shew the multiplication of Gods holy Power and Mercies over us 3. Blessed God! how art thou perpetually out-doing thine own goodnesse by thy continual effusion of thy self upon our iniquity how art thou giving daily more and more manifestation and consequently much more admiration to the blessed Angels and Saints in heaven by multiplying thy mercies on us sinners here in earth whom all those happy spirits may give a thousand thousand times for lost when they see how we run after nothing but the sordid gain and pleasure of the world the sweets that poyson the contents that damne our soules and yet by the multiplication of thy mercies we are sweetly forc'd maugre the impulse of devil flesh and bloud to let go all our hold on the possessed shadowes of this world and to run after the promised substances of the next But how my God are we forc't to this by the manifestation of thy Power in the multiplication of thy mercies according as was said before in the Illustration Say now beloved the Prayer above and see if it be not excellently well adapted to this holy Text and to this application of the same unto our best improvement The Gospel Luke 18. v. 9. 9 And he said also to certain that trusted in themselves as just and despised others this parable 10 Two men went up into the Temple to pray the one a Pharisee and the other a Publicane 11 The Pharisee standing prayed thus with himself God I give thee thanks that I am not as the rest of men extortioners unjust advouterers as also this Publicane 12 I fast twice in a week I give Tythes of all that I possesse 13 And the Publicane standing afar off would not so much as lift up his eyes towards heaven but he knocked his breast saying God be merciful to me a sinner 14 I say to you this man went down to his house justified more then he because every one that exalteth himself shall be humbled and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted The Explication 9. 10. By a Pharisee is understood a proud by a Publicane an humble man in this place 11. By the word standing the pride of the Pharisee is insinuated With himself 't is true for he prayed neither with nor to God for his prayer is rather a vaunting of his own then a seeking of Gods glory And his insolence is great whilest he sayes he is not as other men as who should say all besides himself are sinners had he said as some other men there had been lesse arrogancy yet too much and out of this arrogancy he passeth a rash Judgement upon the Publicane whom he points out for a notorious sinner and insinuates himself to be just 12. By twice a Sabbath is understood twice a week as naming the principal day for the whole week By Tythes of all he possesseth he meanes not onely
ordinary but ultroneous Tythes of things he needed not to pay Tyâ—hes for This relates to what went before as vaunting himself to be the only chast the onely just man living chast as fasting which is the mother of chastity just as giving Tythes of all he had 13. The Publicane a true Type of humility standing his reverential distance from the Altar confessing him elf unworthy to come nearer to the place where the Pharisee proudly stood not daring to lift up his eyes to heaven where he had offended the whole Court the Saints and Angels whose inspirations he had contemned whose prayers defrauded God whose commands he had broken he knocks his breast his heart in token of sorrow and repentance for his sinnes By saying he is a sinner he confesseth his habit of sin by saying have mercy on me he doth not blame either fortune the world or the devil but himself meerly and layes all the load on his own shoulders as true penitents ought to do 14. More then he is as much as to say not absolutely but in respect of the Pharisee he was justified because the one humbled himself the other exalted himself Whence Optatus Milevitanus sayes well lib. 2. against the Donatists Better in some sort are the sinnes of an humble spirit then the pretended or boasted Innocency of an arrogant person The Application 1. THis whole Gospel is summ'd up in these few words of the Publican God be merciful to me a sinner For we see there is nothing else aym'd at in the whole Text but a condemnation of the Pharisees pride and a commendation of the Publicans humility or rather of his humble charity That is such a love as renounceth all proper merit and hath recourse to nothing but the mercy of Almighty God such a love as likes but dares not look to heaven such a love as hates all sin but hath no other hope of sayntity then from the mercy of God Almighty such a love as believes God hath power to save a soul but that he cannot manifest this Power without his mercy first appear because he cannot save a sinner unlesse he mercifully give him first leave to repent his sins 2. Thus we see beloved how charity goes shod with humility when in her journey she is handed on by Faith and Hope But that which to me is most admirable in this dayes service is to see the little end for which Almighty God is manifesting his power most of all by his mercy and how he is besought to multiply that mercy for the maâ—ifestation of his power both to men and Angels upon so small an account as making us pursue our own felicity onely that is to say the Promises he hath made unto us of much better gifts in the dayes of glory then he hath yet bestowed upon us in these our dayes of grace 3. Yes yes beloved our good God hath much to do with wicked sinners We may say with much more reason of mans salvation as the Romans did of erecting their Empire Tantae molis erat O what a huge attempt it was to set up the Roman Nation and to make them Monarchs of this world So if we look upon the final end of God Almighties exercised power and multiplyed mercies over us it is meerly to save his Christian people meerly to make them Monarchs of the next world eternal Emperours everlasting Triumphers over death sin devil and damnation after they had been slaves to them four thousand years together Nay so fond Almighty God is of his darling man that he is even content to bestow his utmost Power his extended omnipotency his multiplyed mercies on him to beget but a desire in him onely of his own felicity which consists in the promises of the next world not in the possessions of this Say then the Prayer above and see how it petitions onely this desire here to make us capable of all the joyes in heaven and of all the Treasures there On the eleventh Sunday after Pentecost The Antiphon Mark 7. v. 37. HE hath done all things well he hath caused the deaf to hear and the dumb to speak Vers Let my prayer c. Resp Even as Incense c. The Prayer ALmighty everlasting God who out of the abundance of thy pitty dost exceed as well the merits of thy suppliants as their desires pour out thy mercy upon us that thou mayst forgive what our conscience is afraid of and adde even what our prayer dares not presume to ask The Illustration HOw apposite is this admirable Prayer unto the Epistle and Gospel of this day which are nothing else but meer relations to the abundance of that pity whereby God doth exceed as well the merits as the desires of his suppliants and whereby he did pour out his mercy upon his people forgiving them what their own conscience was afraid of and adding what their prayer durst not presume to ask Say beloved was it not an abundance of pity that Christ gave us S. Paul and other Apostles to preach unto us the story of his life passion death and resurrection were not these works of his pity exceeding as well the merits as the desires of his suppliants when no mortal durst have desired so much misery to Christ because no man was able to deserve his God should suffer so much for him were not then the mercies of Heaven poured out upon us when our redemption was purchased at so deare a rate to Jesus Christ and was not St. Paul justly afraid something might lurk in his conscience unforgiven when he ends this dayes Epistle saying his having persecuted the Church of God made him unworthy to be called an Apostle and that since he was what he was by the grace of God he durst not presume to ask so great a favour O how literally is this whole Epistle exhausted in this excellent Prayer And what are the cures done upon the deaf and dumb related in the Gospel but an abundance of like pity in Jesus Christ but like excesse of his mercy poured out upon these diseased people what the amazement in the beholders of these miracles closing up the said Gospel but an acknowledgment that the guilt of their consciences made them afraid to be in the presence of so good a God and that the grant of the cure was a thing added freely by Christ as done in more ample manner then they durst presume to aske though with a faint desire and a fainter faith they had presented those diseased people to our Saviour to be cured Say now beloved was I rash in falling upon this bold attempt to shew a sympathy between the Prayers of holy Church and the preaching part of her Services Rather I am to ask God pardon that I did often doubt it was not true because I was many times too lazy to beat it out by way of meditation but now that I see the thing is certainly true I shall not be troubled if I fail at any time in so
the vice of a persecuter which was in none but himself though more may be attributed to his doing as much in a lesse time as the rest did in longer space being he was last called With me that is laboureth with me and not as the Heretickes translate the grace which is with me or in me I not laboring my self but relying on the past labours of Christ thus vainly they but the holy Church understands the Apostle to mean his joynt labour with the grace of God The Application 1. St. Paul in this Epistle recapitulates the arguments by which he brought the Corinthians to believe the hardest point of Faith that then was agitated the resurrection of our Saviour for it was upon preaching that doctrine this Apostle was chiefly persecuted and for defence whereof he suffered martyrdome 2. But as we see this Epistle in the beginning requires that charity accompany the faith of this great mystery so in the close thereof humility attends on charity while S. Paul first calls himself an abortive and the least of the Apostles more one not worthy of that celebrated Name nor daring to ascribe unto himself the fruits of any his greatest labours but attributing all to the grace of God effectually operating in him all those things whereunto he thought himself did very poorly cooperate Thus must faith and humility accompany our charity in her now long march to Advent in all her way to Judgement it self 3. What can be the result of this mystery other then that which naturally followes the unexpected proof of the least expected and most unbelieved thing in all the world the Resurrection of our Saviour A joy no doubt ineffable in those that were his friends and had no hand in any of his sufferings and a confusion on the other side in all that had contributed unto his death a sorrow and a fear if not a deep despair indeed that their sinne of Deicide was sure enough unpardonable So should it be with us beloved who although we cannot kill our Christ again yet do attempt to crucifie him by the very least of many mortall sinnes that we commit against his heavenly Majesty notwithstanding our own conscience tells us we doe therein worse then ever did the Jewes for they pretended zeal in all they did whereas we know we sinne for want of zeal for want of love to him who died for love of us What remedy but that which holy Church to day hath found when we hear the Preachers tell us of the frights and feares the sadnesse and confusion of the Jewes in such a case that then We pray not onely as we did on Sunday last to have Gods mercy multiplyed but even powred out upon us as his precious bloud was powred upon the Jewes that by such a showre of mercy the sinnes our conscience fears may be pardoned and the favours we dare not aske may be granted for the reasons given in the preamble of the Prayer and in the end of the Illustration above The Gospel Mark c. 7. v. 31. 31 And again going out of the coasts of Tyre he came by Sidon to the sea of Galilee through the middest of the coast of Decapolis 32 And they bring to him one deaf and dumb and they besought him that he would impose his hands upon him 33 And taking him from the multitude apart he put his fingers into his eares and spitting touched his tongue 34 And looking up unto heaven he groaned and said to him Epheta which is be opened 35 And immediately his ears were opened and the string of his tongue was loosened and he spake right 36 And he commanded them not to tell any body but how much he commanded them so much the more a great deal did they publish it 37 And so much the more did they wonder saying He hath done all things well he hath made both the deaf to hear and the dumb to speak The Explication 31. THis literall narration of Christ going from coast to coast and by the Sea side alludeth to the change which grace maketh in those who follow the calling of Almighty God that they must leave their former customes and go by new coasts even rough and dangerous seas of persecution up mountains of dangers and difficulties to enjoy the quiet of a good conscience 32. By deaf understand mystically those who will not obey the commands of God and holy Church by dumbe those who will not praise Almighty God in their actions nor in their thoughts but like mutes spend their time in silencing Gods praises They ask him to lay his hands on them because they had experience he did use to cure the diseased by that means 33. He tooke him apart because this corporall cure alludes to the conversion of the soul and the best means of conversion to God is an aversion from the world a retyring from evill company By his fingers put into the deaf mans eares understand the holy Ghost opening the infidels understanding and making him believe the word of God when he hears it Besides the holy Ghost is often intimated by the finger of God as Ex. 8.19 alibi By spitting here is meant Christ his wetting his own finger with his own spittle so notes the Greek Text not that he did spit into the dumb mans mouth And Christ his spittle is not an unfit cure of dumbnesse since by the moisture of the tongue speech is much perfected and aridity is an impediment to speech Thus even God works miracles by the aptest instruments in nature for them 34. By his looking to heaven we are minded that from thence comes all the power we have to heare the word of God and to speak his praise By his groaning he showes how God seems to lament the miseries of those souls which are infected with the contagion of sin By his saying Epheta be thou open to the deaf ear he shewes himself to be God as curing by command 35. No marvel God commanding the cure was done but by his speaking right we are told the cure was perfectly done and not palliated And indeed then it is most evident Gods operation is perfect in us when it brings us from wrong to right from sick to sound but mystically when from sinners we are brought to be right perfected Saints and surely needs must he speak right whom God had cured of his dumbnesse Though some will have it hence that this man was not quite dumb but had onely a stammering in his speech or a weaknesse in that organ not suffering him to speak plain but to babble as children do that first learn to speak Yet by right speaking may here be well understood the cured mans speaking perfectly the praises of God and rightly glorifying his Divine Majesty thereby 36. The word command here is not to be taken strictly or arguing a precept but rather a request so there was no sin in breaking it but rather as S. Augustine insinuates a virtue and that obedience too for
passion to us perpetually our humane mortality would fail in all her works of charity Whence it is holy Church to ripen her charity and to preserve it for eternity begs in the Prayer above that it may by the perpetual propitiation of Christ that is to say by the continual application of his Passion to us in the sacrifices and Sacraments of holy Church be withdrawn from hurtful things and directed to those which are saving The Gospel Matt. 6. v. 24. 24 No man can serve two Masters for either he will hate the one and love the other or he will sustain the one and contemn the other You cannot serve God and Mammon 25 Therefore I say unto you be not careful for your life what you shall eat neither for your body what rayment you shall put on is not the life more then the meat and the body more then the rayment 26 Behold the fowles in the ayr that they sowe not neither reap they nor gather into barns and your heavenly Father feedeth them are not you much more of price then they 27 And which of you by his caring can adde to his stature one cubit 28 And for rayment why are you careful consider the Lillies of the field how they grow they labour not neither do they spin 29 But I say unto you that neither Solomon in all his glory was arrayed as one of these 30 And if the grasse of the field which to day is and to morrow is cast into the oven God doth so clothe how much more you O ye of very small faith 31 Be not careful therefore saying what shall we eat or what shall we drink or wherewith shall we be covered 32 For all these things the heathen doth seek after for your Father knoweth that you need all these things 33 Seek therefore first the Kingdome of Heaven and all these things shall be given you besides The Explication 24. BY serving is here understood loving and obeying out of love not serving for hire since so we may serve many masters By can is meant can easily So the text intimates onely a huge difficulty not an absolute impossibility That this is the sense the following words prove of hate and love Now the next words of sustaining at least argue a possibility though with difficulty for to sustain or bear argues a power thereof The last words of this verse you cannot serve God and Mammon are taken strictly for loving and obeying so thus the Apostle sayes God and riches are incompatible masters 25. By careful is here understood anxious or solicitous for your life is understood your soul because by that we live and we are not to be anxious for our soules sake what we eat because it doth not eat to keep it self alive but onely the body The like anxiety is forbidden even for the body too how it shall be attired The following words are Christ his argument from the lesse to the greater as who should say I who have created your souls out of nothing will not fail to give you meat to conserve them and the body in union and health which is to shew us we shall not want his lesse favour that have had his greater so if he give our bodies life and health it is not likely he will deny us clothing for our bodies unlesse we fall to be anxiously solicitous how to clothe our selves which anxiety is here forbidden and we are counselled to rely upon Gods providence herein 26. The same naturall argument flows in all the six following verses But it is here worthy observation that Christ rather instances in birds then beasts to shew us that as they live in the air off from the earth for most part so man should have his thoughts in heaven and not in earth and should expect his food rather from heavenly providence then from earthly solicitude 27. And as such solicitude were vain so is it to care what we eat or how long we protract our lives by curiosity of diet And this example of a cubit is not improperly brought in to shew us that as the due proportion of a man is to be as square or broad when his arms are stretched out as he is long from head to foot so a soul well proportioned must be solid in virtue and constant in the pursuit thereof 28 29. As the former verses argued to cast off care of meats so these two next argue in like manner against anxiety in clothing exemplyfying in the delicate attire of Lillies and of Solomon who by art the ape of nature had made his attire to be decked with Lillies of most curious needlework to shew the robes of grace or nuptiall garments of our souls should be as fragrant and as pure in Gods sight as Lillies are in ours and if they be but so it imports not how our bodies are attired 30. By adding the low similitude of the grasses beauty after that high and rich one of the Lillie and Solomons garments Christ augments the reason we have to confide in Gods providence towards the meanest of persons since he is not wanting to adorn the grasse as he doth By grasse is here understood all plants at least such as make fuell for ovens for else in vain had he spoken of putting grasse into the oven if it had not been that after these fine green plants of the field were cut down and lost the splendour of their growing state and served now for nothing but fuell to fire he had not intended to shew us that if God were so carefull for so small a thing as grasse and little green plants growing to adorn them as he doth he would be much more carefull to cloth us with attire sufficient for this life whom he intends to invest in robes of glory for all eternity By the close of this verse rebuking our very small faith is not understood our want of belief in God but our want of trust or confidence rather that he whom we believe to be so infinitely great and good can and will have care of our least necessities 31. He well subsumes to close his argument that after all these examples of his solicitude for the meanest creatures he will not be carelesse of us if we confide in him as we ought to do for our due supplies both in meat and clothing 32. This is an excellent argument against the anxiety above that it is common to heathens and therefore no way proper to Christians who since they know God sees their wants they ought to referre the supply thereof to his omniscience as God to his love as father to his power as King of heaven and earth so if he see and supply not he is pleased we shall suffer want and therefore in vain we seek to have that else where which God pleaseth to abridge us of rather in this case we must be content as the grasse to lose our lustre then covet to enjoy it when it is designed for feuell to the fire
bade her weep no more 14. See how soon the promised comforts of God arrive immediately as he said to her weep not he stopt the hearse and bade the dead corps arise Elias Eliseus and others did pray to raise the dead Christ to shew he was God raised this young man by command and not by prayer Yet observe he touched the hearse no marvel upon the touch of Christ who was life everlasting as being God that temporall life should be restored to the dead body that he touched this he did as naturally as a red hot iron burneth straw So did his flesh united to the Word give life to a carcasse by virtue of that hypostaticall union 15. His sitting up and beginning to speak were indeed true signes of his reviving yet Christ was pleased to take him by the hand and thereby lift him from the hearse and lead him to his mother to shew that he was so humble as he would not onely oblige but even serve his servants Nor is it any wonder that Christ the King of Heaven and Earth should perform the office of a Courtier by his civility to the noble person of this sad widdow whom he had graced and comforted by that act of his power 16. Note this miracle was a kind of Parable importing the spirituall death of souls by sinne and the reviving of the soul again by grace though here the widdowes tears were the motive for Christ to reward her by the restoring her son to life and withall many souls doubtlesse from the death of infidelitie to the life of Christianitie upon the sight of so celebrated a miracle That they were all struck with fear what wonder for their guiltie conscience might make them doubt he who could raise the dead could kill the living as easily if he list but seeing he did not so or rather lest he should do so they blessed God and said for magnifying here importeth glorifying of him he had pleased to visit his people by sending them a great Prophet for as yet they understood Christ to be no more and that he was such this very act made them believe and some doubtlesse concluded he was the long expected Messias whom they called by the name of the great Prophet for distinction sake Note the glosse observes three resuscitations from death to be made by Christ the first that of the daughter of the Archi-synagogue and that by private prayer in her fathers house none being by the second this of the onely sonne of the widdow whom he raised in publick by a word of command and by a touch of his hand the third was that of Lazarus whom with a perplexitie of prayer and tears he raised and with loud crying out Lazarus come forth as if he were undone if he had him not alive again The first of these signifies souls dead by mortall sinne of thought and those therefore were more easily raised by private prayer the second signifies those dead by mortall sin of words those are yet with more difficultie raised by command the third yet more hardly by importune prayer tears and cries to heaven as signifying those souls which are dead by mortall sinne of deed and that reiterated or habituall unto them The Application 1. ALl Expositours agree this miracle of raising the dead by a touch of our Saviours holy hand is a mere figure of his raising souls from the death of mortall sinne to the life of grace by the finger of the holy Ghost by the gift of his holy grace his holy Law which cannot touch a soul but it must needs enliven it See the explication of the last verse in the Gospel for more to this purpose 2. And who can now forbid us piously to thinke this onely sonne of the distressed widdow represents the soul of some one faithfull believer dead yet for want of charitie and revived by the tears and prayers of his tender mother the holy Catholick Church at whose intercession and in contemplation of her tears our Saviour Jesus Christ sends down the holy Ghost to touch the Coffin of this sinners heart with the finger of his grace with the gift the flame of Love and so reviving him first internally then gives him by the hands of the Priest who is Christs Vicar in point of absolution into the lap of his mother externally to live again that is to say admitted to the Sacraments and declared to be a living member as before his death of mortall sinne during which time he was not capable of any Sacrament at all as to the effect the grace thereof 3. To conclude as reason teaches every man to beware of his own danger by seeing another perish in going such a way before him thus holy Church knowing her Priests and people are many wayes liable to the snares of the common enemy and perceiving it is often by the prayers of those that stand they are raised again who fall and that this raising is a continuall mercy of Almighty God gratis given even when most earnestly implored and that the continuation of this gratuite gift is the onely means by which even all the children of the Church do not fall all at once into the death of deadly sinne but are many of them while others fall inabled to stand securely on their living legs of charitie and are governed thereby in every step they make to glory Therefore I say we are to day bid pray as above that this charitie this bountie of our Lord may govern us in all our wayes and that we may have the cleansing and the defending mercy of God continued over us lest that failing us we here fall out of grace and thereby faile of glory in the world to come On the sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost The Antiphon Luk. 14.10 WHen thou shalt be called to a marriage sit in the lowest place that he who did invite thee may say unto thee friend ascend up higher and so it shall be a glory unto thee before them that sit there Vers Let my prayer c. Resp Even as Incense c. The Prayer LEt thy grace we beseech thee O Lord alwaies go before and follow us and make us continually intent unto good works The Illustration WHat may seem as common in this Prayer to all persons times and places must not hinder it to be a very particular and apposite petition to this present time wherein it is by holy Church put up unto Almighty God purity cannot approach Tell me beloved now what single-souled devotion can compare with this that being common is peculiar unto each particular in such a sort as it there were no more but one man left in all the world even into his particular necessity would run the whole contents of all these common prayers which are not therefore lesse adapted unto every one because they are the prayers of all the world besides but rather we are sure our selves had need to say them when every man alive doth find himself concerned
that the Princes Armies were the hostes in this verse mentioned who after they had sackt did burn the City of Jerusalem 8 This verse alludes to the turning a way Gods face from the Jews his chosen people and casting his eye upon the Gentiles which signifies the transmigration from the Jewish Synagogue to the Church of Christ from the old Law to the new And he sayes truly dinner was ready indeed because Christ was then crucified and yet after that his resurrection ascension and coming of the Holy Ghost the stiffe-necked Jewes would nor be made believe in him so then the Apostles were sent from the unworthy Jewes to the Gentiles 9. Into the high wayes into all the nooks and turnings of the whole world into all Nations with Commission to make no such distinction as formerly God made between Jew and Gentile but to preach and teach the Word of God to all in general and to every one in particular of what Nation soever to every creature of the whole world Mark 16. v. 15. 10. This verse alludes to the performance of this Commission when holy Church sayes in honour of the Apostles Rom. 10.18 The sound of their lips went into every Nation and even to the worlds end their words were heard inviting as they were commanded bad and good that is not denying as Reformists do but that true faith may consist with evill manners that bad men may be yet true Christians or which is all one that in the Church of Christ there are sinners as well as Saints who are not therefore secluded the Church because they are of evil life but are still exhorted to mend By the marriage being filled with guests understand here the Church of Christ was full of true believers of all Nations whatsoever 11. This verse points at the day of Judgement which is the last day of the nuptial feast of Jesus Christ when God coming to view his guests brought into the Church out of all Nations shall espy one wanting his wedding garment wanting his robe of innocence and sanctity of life wrought by charity in his soul and rendring his faith meritorious in the sight of God by the good works of his charity By this one is literally and eminently here meant the reprobated Jew who at the day of Judgment shall be more confounded then any other Nation whatsoever so here is not had regard to faith as distinguished from charity since the onely obstinate Jew is understood to have no faith at all how ever he come thither to receive his doom with others that are then to be judged but his reprobation shall be signal and remarkable when he shall be as it were the onely man picked out to be thrust into the pit of hell Though by one man mentioned here is also signified that at the day of Judgment there shall not one be permitted to enter into the Kingdome of heaven who hath not on him the wedding garment of sanctifying charity hence each one ought to have a great care lest he be the one singled out to eternal perdition since in that vaste multitude not one can hope to lie hid from the sight of the Judge 12. By being dumb is here understood not being able to alleadge any excuse why he should not be damned Yet even in this inexcusable delinquency the text by the word friend out of the King mouth expresseth it is purely our own faults we are not saved for God on his part is our friend and so calls us when we obstinately persist in professing enmity to his Divine Majesty 13. By the Waiters here we may not unfitly understand the divels who wait indeed to snatch away as many soules to hell as they can By the binding his hands and feet is understood the cessation of all future action and place is then onely left for passion for enduring endlesse torments The darknesse of hell is therefore called utter darknesse because there is neither light of reason nor of grace nor place left in the damned to be saved by any meanes Though S. Gregory calls it outward darknesse which is more after the Latine text because it is a darknesse added to the darknesse of the heart and soul wherein the damned creature lived which as contradistinguished to that of hell S. Gregory calls inward darknesse where no light of grace did shine within the soul 14. This is a fearful conclusion for whereas the parable speaks but of one rejected this verse intimates very few are saved that is though many are called into the lap of the Church yet but few are placed in the bosome of Christ and there rewarded with eternal glory namely those onely who by good works and godly life added to their faith have according to S. Peters counsel made certain their vocation and election too 2 Pet. 1.10 certain indeed to God but not so to their knowledge who at most can have but a certain hope thereof so long as they live The Application 1. THe Parable of this Gospel seems nothing else but a deeper inculcation to us of the doctrine delivered above in this dayes Epistle inviting us to an innocency of life in this Paradise of grace by inviting us to a saintity of a far better life in the Paradise of glory 2. For what are all these excuses pretended here against our going to heaven but that which the Epistle forbids a meer practise of lying both to God and man So the Prophet had reason to say Iniquity gave her self the lye by pretending excuses from her bounden duty which ought to be nothing else but the serving God and the saving of her soul thereby What is the laying hands on Gods servants and murdering those that invite us to heaven but the Anger and giving place to the devil both forbidden in the Epistle what our stealing away the grace of our soules by the hands of sin which was a treasure given us to work out both our own and our neighbours salvation also by but a plain practise of the prohibited Theft in the last verse of the Epistle with making the theft a sacriledge to boot by robbing God of his glory and of his Saints whilest we concur to their damnation whom Jesus sayntified by his bitter death and passion 3. What then remaines but that as these falsities passions malices thefts are meerly the devices of the devil the multiplicity of his invented adversities to disturb the quiet of our minds and bodies by that they may not be free to serve God with a prompt obedience to his commands his meer bolts indeed to shut us for ever out of our best Paradise of glory so the Church by the practise of veracity patience goodnesse and honesty bids us work counter to the devil And for this purpose prayes to day that God will by the bolt of his efficacious grace shut out the devill with all his adversities from our soules and bodies that so by a tranquillity of serving God in the Paradise of grace in
this life our charity may enter into a security of enjoying him in the Paradise of glory in the life to come On the twentieth Sunday after Pentecost The Antiphon John 4.52 BVt the father knew that it was the same hour in the which Jesus said thy son liveth and he believed and his whole house Vers Let my prayer c. Resp Even as Incense c. The Prayer VVE beseech thee O Lord thou being pacify'd grant unto thy faithful pardon and peace that they may be both clean from all offences and serve thee with secured soules The Illustration WHat is remarkable in this Prayer is the filial language of it to the heavenly Father of whom we beg first that he will please to be pacified for the offences of his children next that he will not onely pardon the said offences but further grant unto us the highest of all favours his blessed peace the same which surpasseth all understanding as we have heard formerly and the reason why we are not content with pardon unlesse we have also the peace of conscience to boot that which is never struck up between God and man without a kisse of love the close of this prayer tells us because as by pardon we are cleansed from all offences so by peace we are made able to serve his Divine Majesty with secured souls And of what are we secured of his undoubted reconciliation to us by the kisse of love which sealed a happy peace between us Blessed JESU how fond the holy Ghost is of us that inspires aged men to demean themselves in their devotions like little children sitting in the laps of their loving parents For such is the language of this prayer even as in a word or two we said to God Almighty Kisse and be friends for without a kisse of love it is impossible to hope for peace of conscience to serve God with souls secured that we are in his favour But that this glosse may appear to be as congruous to the other service of the day as to the prayer above see how by S. Paul the holy Ghost speaks to us to day as to little children bidding us walk warily and be wise redeeming lost time and wisely now leave to run after the rattles of our own inventions and learn to understand what is the will of God to forbear the riotous company of sinners and to converse with Saints those that are not glutted with the wine of worldly pleasures but filled with the grace of the holy Spirit which makes them never speak in other language then in psalmes hymnes or spiritual canticles sung in their hearts to our Lord God or then in some thankesgiving to him in the name of Jesus Christ that hath made us subject to one another without any other fear then of our Lord and Saviour from whom we are confident to obtain pardon of our sins testified with a pledge of peace given us by a kisse of love as often as we shall like dutiful children demand it And if we take the Gospel in that mysticall sense wherein the Expositours do explicate the parable thereof we shall find this glosse we have made to be hugely suitable thereunto For the Expositours will have the soul of man to be the Lord or little King who demands of her father Christ the great King of heaven cure of a sick son a depraved will and imployes all the senses as so many servants sent to beg this cure when the soul renounces the world the flesh and the devil in holy baptisme and is by that Sacrament as by a touch of the virtue of our Saviour cured of her ague her inordinate desires and appetites and this at the seventh hour that is to say by the seven-fold healing Spirit of the holy Ghost we shall then see this prayer is penned in a language speaking though in other tearmâ— the very sense of this Gospel too For what doth the pardon begged in the prayer allude unto but original sin remitted by holy baptisme and actual sin forgiven by the Sacrament of penance and to the pledge of peace sealed with the kisse of love when by the Sacrament of the holy Eucharist we see our selves not onely set as it were like darlings in the lap of Christ but even the blessed Trinity delighted to dwell in our hearts cleansed as above from all offence and serving God with secured soules that then all is well between us and our heavenly Father when in testimony thereof his Divine Majestie makes our soul here his temporal throne that we may hope to have his bosome our eternal tabernacle in the world to come And thus we see how particularly this Prayer is grounded on the other service of the day what ever common place of piety it seems to be to those that will not study the special mysterie thereof The Epistle Ephes 5. v. 15. 15 See therefore brethren how you walk warily not as unwise but as wise 16 Redeeming the time because the dayes are evil 17 Therefore become not unwise but understanding what is the will of God 18 And be not drunk with wine wherein is riotousnesse but be filled with the Spirit 19 Speaking to your selves in Psalms and hymns and spirituall canticles chaunting and singing in your hearts to our Lord. 20 Giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God the Father 21 Subject one to another in the fear of Christ. The Explication 15. THe Apostle here speaks to the Ephesians out of the abundance of his care when he bids them see how they walked as if the least trip in them now they had so clear a day so bright a sun-shine to walk in as is that of the Gospel were unsufferable in regard the word of God was like a lanthorn to their footing Psal 118.105 shewing them where they might fix everystep securely and walk converse warily as if they were to render an account not onely for every idle action but for every idle word Mat. 12.36 since they had the honour to be instructed by Jesus Christ the wisdome of the eternal Father how to lead their lives here so religiously wary as that they need not fear to live eternally happy in the next world And not to do this S. Paul here tels them is folly and they that do so are not wise but fools to wast away that precious time in idlenesse which was given them to work out their salvation in with fear and trembling lest by loosing any part of the time allotted them for this end they might by sudden death be prevented in that very losse of time they made and so with the foolish virgins be shut out of heaven as not ready nor fit to enter in when the Bridegroom comes by with whom or never they must be admitted in 16. And that the Apostle in the verse above intimated their regard to a good use of time in their conversations this verse restifies bidding them not onely have a care to
believe the touch of his vertue was sufficient unless he added thereunto the touch of his person so he pressed him to go personally to his son 48. Be the opinion of the Lord what it will concerning Christ his power whether as Doctour or as God that he did his cures certain it is Christ his meaning was to bring men by the fame of his works to believe in his Deity and therefore he replies to this Lord as if he must have signes and wonders done to work belief into him Note that signes and wonders thus differ the first are properly done in and by nature gently operating as curing diseases which need not any power above nature the second is commonly miraculous and is therefore done by a power exceeding natures force of this sort is raising the dead So by wonders here are understood miracles and all little enough to make the Jews believe 49. It seems by this reply the Lord shewed himself to be rather of the Jewish then of the Samaritan that is of the Gentiles race for you see he believes in no virtual but will have an actual touch to cure his son lest he die for want of such a touch and no Nation so hard of belief as the Jewish 50. O strange clemency in our Saviour he rebukes no more but by yielding to humane infirmity confirms this Lord in the belief of his Deity for the more he doubted of Christ his power to be able at a distance to cure his son the more he must admire to see it done at the same distance and the more he admires at the thing done the better he thinks of the power doing it and the stronger is his faith in him that gives testimony of such a power Lo by this art our Saviour converts this Infidel by doing at a distance what the other thought was impossible so to be done whereupon our Saviour sayes to him Go thy son liveth that is as much as to say he is cured and shall live Now though this Lord did not sufficiently believe in Christ his distantial operative virtue yet he nothing doubted of his presential veracity but firmly believed what he said or promised here would undoubtedly be verified and made good there where his son was Hence the Text sayes he believed and went to enjoy the hopes of his belief by finding him well for the words of our Saviour were not onely affirmative or enunciative but operative too that is did effect the thing they declared to be done and this effect the Lord did confidently believe So by this means Christ wrought two miracles one in curing the corporal sickness of the son the other in curing the spiritual disease of the father his infidelity and it may not be wide of the sense to say the later cure prevailed to obtein the first for it seems the child proved well just at the time the father did believe he should find him so when he came home 51. 52. These two verses seem to tell us onely for they import little else besides this remarkable sign of Gods goodnesse to prevent the father in the satisfaction he expected by ordaining his servants should meet him and give him the certainty thereof and thereby the reward of his belief soone then he did expect it which was not before he had seen his son well at home but now he finds it is true ere he gate unto his house much lesse unto his son for it seems they were come the day before from home since they told him he was yesterday recovered to meet their master with this gladsome tidings of his sons recovery Yes indeed God is so good he rather anticipates then protracts his servants rewards when they do well 53. The reason why the exact hour of the childs recovery was enquired after by the father was to satisfie his family as well as himself that this was a miraculous and not a natural cure since the child lying at the point of death was proved to recover just at the instant wherein our Saviour said he lived or which is here all one that he was well for it was proper enough to speak this later by the former words since the father had told our Saviour his son began to dye was actually agonizing or dying whereupon Christ told him he did live as who should say there was not in him any danger of death And since this danger was prevented by the virtue onely of a word out of our Saviours mouth spoken at that minute when it was doubted whether he were dead or alive so dangerous a case he was in those who heard of this prodigious alteration upon the meer and sole prolation of a word were immediately converted and became as faithful believers in our Saviours Deity as their Lord and Master was so every way is it true that God his works are absolutely perfect Deut. 32. v. 4. since here we see by the force of one onely word of God the father son and all the family became of Jewes good Christians and doubtlesse so continued and so dyed having the same their converter who was their Saviour and who questionlesse converted them to save them all To conclude if we will understand this story mystically we may conceive this Lord to be the soul of man called little King as being allied to the King of heaven his sick son to be his depraved will his servants his corporeal senses his ague his inordinate appetites or desires This soul sick as above is cured by Christ in holy baptisme and made of a petty King of an heir to the world a great King indeed an heir to the Kingdome of heaven her cure is said to be perfected at the seventh hour because the number seven is a type of the Sabbath or day of rest or of the seven-fold healing Spirit of God the Holy Ghost conveyed into our soules by the seven Sacraments while in them his holy grace is bestowed on us or of the number seven divided into three and four betokening the mystery of the sacred Trinity dispersed into and reigning over all the four corners of the world East West North and South The Application 1. SInce the story of this Gospel is all parabolical and concludes that in recompence of this Lords faith his sick son was cured and his whole family with himself was converted to the faith of Christ we that have already the happinesse to be of this faith are taught yet by this parable how to perfect it upon all occasions by producing frequent and deeper acts thereof then as yet we have done For here in this Lord we see three degrees of Faith the first that faint one when he besought our Saviour to come to his house and cure his son the second that stronger one when after Christ had bid him go for that his son was well then he believed the touch of his power was equal to that of his person and the third that strongest of all which made him go
their end is destruction And that you may know he means the Libertines above mentioned he tells you they are such whose God is their belly who worship Dagon not Jesus Christ who delight in venery and gluttony But see the sequel of such worldlings their glory sayes the Apostle is their confusion it shall fare with them as with their God Dagon it did 1 King 5.4 whose head and hands fell from him upon the approach of the Ark brought by the Philistaeans into the Temple of their God Dagon while the people rested themselves leaving this broken-God nothing but the trunk of his body to shew that the preservation of his sordid parts were rather a confusion then a glory to them whilest the instruments of glory the head and the hands betokening glorious resolutions and heroick actions were destroyed And indeed what so contemptible so uselesse as a man without hands or head so while Dagon was thus preserved he had reserved onely his infamy to be his future glory and this in token the Libertines that are his Adorers can expect no other end then what is infamous as this Let therefore such miscreants fear to come near the Christian Ark the Tabernacle of the holy Altar lest they be in the sight of God at least regarded but as Dagons ignominious Statue before the Ark. 20. See how farre S. Paul is removed from those sordid those earthly cogitations when he tells you his conversation is in heaven his thoughts are fixed on Almighty God and by this means teacheth us that ours should be so too the form or rule of Christianity being to meditate heavenly not earthly things and to hope for no good but what descends from heaven upon us whence we may expect to see our Saviour Jesus Christ coming to bring us at the latter day the superabundant reward of all our dayes spent here in a holy conversation 21. And see the manner how he will impart this reward declared in these words that follow by reforming the body of our humility when our abject vile and contemptible bodies shall become beautifull noble and glorious in the sight of God by having them reformed transfigured into another accidentall not essentiall form but remaining shaped as now they are they shall of corruptible become incorruptible of passible impassible of earthly celestiall of lumpish agile of dark lightsome and thus reformed or transfigured they shall be configured conformed also to the body of Christ his gloâ—y as who should say they shall be like or conformable to the glorious body of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ So immensely doth he love man that in requitall of the humane nature which he took of us we shall take as it were divine nature from him while our bodies shall by heavenly glory be like to that of Christ which hath its splendour not as ours from a created but as his from an increated glory by the irradiation of his divinity through the cloud of our humanity there being no personall difference in Christ between God and man however his two natures differ as much as the creature doth from the Creatour And how this ineffable alteration is made the Apostle tells us in the close of this verse namely by that operation of Christ whereby he is able to subdue all things to himself Happy subjection to that power which glories to exalt what it is able to subdue and yet loseth not the glory of subduing death while it gives eternall life to our dead bodies and glory to our corruption Cap. 4. v. 1. It is indeed an apt rise he takes to incourage the Philippians in this fourth chapter to stand firm to his principles to his rules of good life which in the former chapter he sayes he framed for them when for their so doing they shall have the reward as above No marvell he calls them his dearest when he professeth they are his joy his crown the fruits of his labours which God will reward with the joyes of heaven and with a crown of glory which shall have in it a precious stone of speciall beauty for every soul he hath converted And by this we see besides the essentiall Beatitude which consists in seeing God those that are the means of others souls salvation shall have an accidentall glory given them as a particular reward due unto them not onely for every soul they have been a means to save but also for every good deed wrought by those souls who have followed the examples of Gods Saints but how that accidentall glory differs from the essentiall is hard to say the words we allow the things we know not See how he inculcates here perseverance in good works Stand persist continue my dearest sayes the Apostle as you have begun and then you make your selves and me happy indeed since it is the end that crowns the work so to begin well little avails without you persevere in well-doing unto the end 2. These were two remarkably famous women among the Philippians for saintity of life and for exhorting of people to the same by their good examples so the Apostle takes speciall notice of them thereby to incourage them to go on and others to follow their footsteps and lest their difference in the wayes of piety and devotion might make a division of minds in them he exhorts them to be of one mind to direct their devotions to one end of Gods glory onely for that is to be of one mind in our Lord not to affect singularity but solidity of devotion they being otherwise free enough from faction or discord of mind though some impertinently inferre hence they were at variance 3. It is left by Expositours uncertain who this dear companion was though all concurre he was some holy man whom also S. Paul here exhorts as he did holy women before but sure enough it is not his wife though some hereticks will have it so yet without all ground since the Apostle in another place professeth he was not married but commends those who remained single as himself was Neither doth it follow that women in those dayes did preach the Gospel as well as men though here the Apostle sayes Euodia and Syntiche did labour with him in the Gospel did suffer for their faith for their belief in Jesus Christ and for following the doctrine of the Gospel and did incourage all others to do the like by harbouring the Apostles and by relieving those Christians that were in want O that the Ladies of these dayes would give Priests occasion by following the examples of these two Ladies to record their holy memories as the Apostle hath done those of these two pious women Clement here mentioned is the same who was the fourth Pope succeeding Cletus who had Linus for his predecessour that was S. Peters immediate successour The close of this Epistle is liable to misconstruction some make it the ground of their errour saying that those who are once in grace can never fall from thence and
so have their names written in the book of life are predestinate and cannot choose but be saved But this is farre from the genuine sense of the Apostle who had before so much inculcated perseverance in good works as in this Epistle we have heard his meaning therefore must be that those who by Baptisme are first adopted children of God and by a holy life preserve their favour in the sight of God are at last written in the book of glory as at first they were in the book of grace as who should say he did exhort them that were first innocents to be at last Saints and so deserve to be finally inrolled Commanders of the heavenly Militia after they had been once listed souldiers of the militant Church of Christ The Application 1. THe doctrine of sincerity last Sunday inculcated is this day prosecuted by S. Paul to the Philippians and lest they should misunderstand him he tells them plainly he requires as sincere a Christianity in them as they found to be in himself while he makes his own rule of life their pattern and example to follow him by and doth not fear to fright them from their onely nominall Christianity by declaring those to be enemies to the Crosse of Christ who do not really sincerely take up the same and carry it as well as they pretend to do it who have not their conversation in heaven while they presume to hope their bodies shall go thither though their souls be wallowing here in the mire of flesh and bloud Finally lest they should be deterr'd from following S. Pauls Rule out of a despair of arriving to his perfection in Christianity which in those dayes was and still should be Synonyma with saintity he exhorts them at least to follow the examples of the two virtuous Matrones here set before their eyes Euodia and Syntiche as also those of his sincere companion though not an Apostle and of the rest of his Coadjutors in the propagation of the faith of Christ 2. Yes yes beloved 't is a holy sincerity that now our charity must bring along with her to her journeys end and therefore no marvell 't is two dayes together inculcated by holy Church nor can there be a greater sincerity then that to day before our eyes that of the Primitive Church and consequently that is it we should endeavour now to have indeed and not to fain for as we glory to be Christian Catholicks so we should endeavour to be as sincerely such as they from whom we are descended 3. And for as much as holy Church knows rightly well there is no saintity on earth free from iniquity no sincerity that is not waited on by some hypocrisie or other therefore while she preacheth perfection she prudently prayes for absolution especially now that she draws to the close of her annuall piety now that she brings her charity towards her journeys end lest vanity runne away with part of her holy labours For that is the safest step to saintity which tramples on iniquity treads it under foot those stand firmest in the grace of God that are alwayes begging new favours by asking pardon for old offences and they shew sincerity of their love to God who desire to cancell all their obligations to the devil who are not content with pardon for their guilt of sinne unlesse they may be loosened from the bands thereof from their affections unto sinne And for as much as charity is taught to march out of the field of this life with such a sincerity with such a sincere desire of saintity Therefore holy Church brings her towards her journeyes end now praying for it as above The Gospel Mat. 9. v. 18. c. 18 As he was speaking this unto them behold a certain Governour approched and adored him saying Lord my daughter is even now dead but come lay thy hand upon her and she shall live 19 And Jesus rising up followed him and his disciples 20 And behold a woman which was troubled with an issue of bloud twelve years came behind him and touched the hemme of his garment 21 For she said within her self If I shall touch onely his garment I shall be safe 22 But Jesus turning and seeing her said have a good heart daughter thy faith hath made thee safe And the woman became whole from that hour 23 And when Jesus was come into the house of the Governour and saw minstrels and the multitude keeping a stirre he said 24 Depart for the wench is not dead but sleepeth And they laughed him to scorn 25 And when the multitude was put forth he entred in and held her hand and the maid arose 26 And this bruit went forth into all that countrey The Explication 18. THat is as he was giving a reason why his disciples did not fast so rigorously as those of John the Baptist did and as also the Pharisees were wont to do which were onely voluntary and not legall fasts Then came in this Governour who was a chief officer in the Synagogue called Jairus which signifies Illuminatour or teacher of the people By Adoration is here literally meant falling at Christs feet which yet he did not do before news was brought him by his servants that now his daughter was dead lo then he believes firmly and in testimony thereof prostrates himself and in the very manner of his language saying now my daughter is dead he blames his not believing and asking help sooner but to make amends for his not hoping Christ could cure his sick daughter he invites him to go home and revive her though she now were dead not that he doubted but his power at a distance would suffice but that he had heard Christ was accustomed to touch those whom he healed in Capharnaam and this was on the sea coast of Galilee not farre from the same town famous for Christ his miracles 19. That this is the genuine sense of the verse above is gathered the rather from Christ his going immediately to undertake the cure even after the same manner namely by a touch of his sacred hand for we do not hear any rebuke given to Jairus for want of Faith but Christ resting satisfied his belief was full resolved to give him full satisfaction to his Faith and hope by reviving as was desired his dead daughter taking his disciples as witnesses to this his gracious condescending and working this miracle Yet this notwithstanding the Centurions Faith was above this of Jairus who onely asked a word saying Mat. 8.8 speak the word onely and held himself not worthy the honour of Christ his entring his house 20 21. 22. Note this woman was a Gentile and it wants not mystery to have the twelve yeares of her diseases continuation upon her here made mention of in regard it alludes to the twelve years age of Jairus daughter whom Christ was going to raise from death to life and thereby gives us to understand Christ by his ordaining to do those two miracles at
proceeded by an Act of mutuall love between the Father and the Sonne but all confesse his procession to be from both while it is from the Father by the Sonne 14. True it is by the passion of our Saviour we are redeemed but if we ask what it is to be redeemed we cannot expresse it better then here the Apostle doth by calling it remission of sinnes for as by sinne we were made slaves to the devil so by remission thereof which we obtain by Christ his passion we are made children of God and are thus redeemed from the captivity of the devil not unlike to men freed from prison by their creditours remitting unto them their debts for which they clapt them up but we are in a more liberall way redeemed from the prison of hell that was our inheritance when Christ not we payes the debt and so it is most freely remitted to us since we neither did nor could pay it our selves The Application 1. BLessed S. Paul we have thee now in half a word the Colossians were as dear to thee as the Ephesians the Romans and all thy other Converts what thou didst write to one upon the news of their conversion by thy preaching thou dost in other terms but in the same spirit write to all the rest Again we know our holy mother the Church reads thy ancient lessons every day anew to us that we her children may be Christian Catholicks like thy happy Converts And to that purpose she brings our charity to day with thy Epistle home to her annuall journeys end as the best usher to lead her to this lifes end also and to the entrance into everlasting life that of eternall happinesse and glory 2. See how to day our holy Mother sets us all a preaching to our selves to this effect while she doth make us pray to God that he will raise up our affections to our own salvations Why Blessed Jesu is it come to that must we be courted to our own felicity can we be lesse then willing to be sav'd I dare not say it but I doubt it much And therefore holy Church I see petitions it lest we should vainly think we had advanced farre when God Almighty knows the many years that passe upon our heads are like so many labours lost and therefore at the end of every year 't is piety to think we do but then begin to wish we were but willing to be sav'd yet we must wish it faithfully sincerely earnestly and we must pray withall that God will graciously please to raise our wish to the perfection of a will at last that if we value not our selves we will not undervalue God Almighty who looks upon us as the apples of his eyes as the fruits of all his labours in creating preserving and governing the world and us in redeeming and saintifying of us for no other end but to save us at the last and that at so easie a rate as can be possible our onely cooperating with him to that happy end our onely being willing be should work in us that saintity we cannot work in our selves without him 3. To conclude the many books of controversie in the point of merit may be summ'd up all in this petition of the Churches Prayer to day so deep so copious so facund and so fecund withall is the spirit of the Holy Ghost couch'd in those teaching Prayers What is it else we say defending merit but that we must cooperate to our salvation but that the more we do cooperate the greater Saints we are but that the improvement we make of one grace procures us another greater then the former but that we so take in hand the work of our salvation as we do not think it is nor can be any work of ours but must be still the work of God in us though by us too whose onely part is to be pulling down the greater remedies of his Piety towards us by improving his lesser and to be drawing from him grace upon grace so fast untill by means thereof we render our selves a fruit of the work divine as ripe as grace can make us here ready then to be transplanted into heaven where yet the sunne of glory will mature us more so farre indeed as we shall never fear to be corrupted but shall hang upon the tree of everlasting life an ornament to the celestiall Paradise Say now the Prayer above and see how home it is to this construction in it self to this instruction of us by it if we say it in the sense above The Gospel Matth. 24.15 15 Therefore when you shall see the Abomination of desolation which was spoken of by Daniel the Prophet standing in the holy place he that readeth let him understand 16 Then they that are in Jewry let them flee to the mountains 17 And he that is on the house top let him not come down to take any thing out of his house 18 And he that is in the field let him not go back to take his coat 19 And wo to them that are with child and that give suck in those dayes 20 But pray that your flight be not in winter nor on the Sabboth 21 For there shall be then great tribulation such as hath not been from the beginning of the world untill now neither shall be 22 And unlesse those dayes had been shortened no flesh should be saved but for the Elect the dayes shall be shortned 23 Then if any man shall say unto you Lo here is Christ or there do not believe him 24 For there shall arise false Christs and false Prophets and shall shew great signes and wonders so that the Elect also if it be possible may be induced into errour 25 Lo I have foretold you 26 If therefore they shall say unto you Behold he is in the desert go ye not out behold in the closets believe it not 27 For as lightening cometh out of the East and appeareth even to the West so shall the Advent of the Son of man be 28 Wheresoever the body is thither shall the Eagles also be gathered together 29 And immediately after the tribulation of those dayes the Sun shall be darkened and the Moon shall not give her light and the Starres shall fall from heaven and the powers of heaven shall be moved 30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven and then shall all tribes of the earth bewaile and they shall see the Son of man comeing in the clouds of heaven with much power and majestie 31 And he shall send his Angels with a Trumpet and a great voyce and they shall gather together his Elect from the four winds from the furthest parts of heaven even to the ends thereof 32 And of the fig-tree learn a Parable when now the bough thereof is tender and the leaves come forth you know that Summer is nigh 33 So you also when you shall see these things know ye that it is nigh even at the
son of Goriah each of these strove to be reputed the Messias to these therefore and their flatterers this verse alludes for these would be called Christ as the true Messias was 24. See how this verse verifies the sense of the former for of these and such like men even of Arch-hereticks in future times also our Saviour speaks here and such were David George and John of Leyden King of the Anabaptists proclaiming himself to be Christ and sending about his twelve Apostles till he was taken in Westphalia and burnt alive for his abominable heresie The signes here mentioned shall be those of witchcraft and other cheats to delude the Faithful people as Simon Magus by these arts cheated Nero and other Romans till by S. Peters intercession he was brought down from the high pitch of his artificial wings and dashed his feet in pieces to shew Gods Saints are above the devils instruments since by St. Peters prayer he was made unable to go who by fraud pretended a power to flye When he sayes by these arts the Elect shall if possible erre he meanes it is not possible morally speaking that when God pleaseth to assist his chosen people any fraud of the devil himself can delude them though in a physical sense there is no impossibility thereof since even grace notwithstanding men have physical power to sin yet supposing God have predestinated any to salvation then that may stand with infallibility by supposition which absolutely speaking would not do so Note the Reformers fondly obtrude this practise to us by exposing the B. Sacrament to adoration since therein we expose onely an invisible Deity whereas here our Saviour beats down the exposing any visible God in mans shape any to be Christ but himself and that he left himself thus to be adored till the worlds end we have it avouched from the Apostles who did practise and preach this duty to be done to the B. Sacrament 25. He means his prediction to after ages as well as that to the Jewes of their impostures so this warning serves us to beware of heresies and their divulgers 26. Christ here alludes to Simon Gerasenus son of Goriah who went into the desert and mountains raising forces under a pretence he would as the Messias vindicate the injuries done to the Jewes by the Romans the like did Eleazar above menâ—ioned and John leaders of the Zelotes onely they pretended in caves and vaults and chambers to supply the open worships due unto them in Churches and this with promise to restore them as by the Messias they did hope to be restored and thought their Captaines to be indeed Messias 27. No the true Messias comes not thus couched but his coming shall be as visible as undoubted as the lightening breaking in the East and seen even to the West here indeed he alludes to his second coming in the latter day when the world shall be all on fire from East to West 28. This he likens to be as sudden upon men as the Eagle is upon her prey and though some think he onely means the noble Eagles that feed not on dead food but on living yet his words incline to the vulturine Eagle which Aristotle mentions and tells us he feeds on dead bodies and discovering them by the smell is as soon upon them as if he see them presently Christ seemeth to humble himself to this sort of Eagles both in regard of his own body which was dead to purchase mans life and in regard it suites better with our corruption which at the latter day is the prey of this Eagle Christ Jesus who comes as fiercely upon all mankind then corrupted in their graves when summoned to Judgment as the Eagle doth upon his prey that lives by carrion to shew us there is then no hope of mercy if we prove corrupted carrion but we must be delivered over as a prey to the devouring Eagle meaning the Judge converting corruptible into incorruptible flesh their unsavoury bodies into sweet incense to burn and never be consumed nor tormented before his sacred Deity 29. See how he falls from the particular devastation of the Jewes to the general destruction of the whole world telling us hence forward the signes of this as he did before the signs of the other favouring in a sort the errour of the Apostles who did believe by his speech the day of Judgement should follow immediately after the destruction of Jerusalem though indeed he speaks thus to terrifie men from sin who after it may immediately fear Judgment and to shew that what to us is long a coming to God is ever present so he falls out of the one into the other as if they were both linked together The Sun shall be darkened by which he meanes there shall be prodigious Eclipses before this dismal day and strange interpositions of vapours to shew the dark effect of the child of darknesse sin The Moon having no light but from the Sun can give none when the Suns light is not seen The Starres shall seem to fall but cannot do so for each one is bigger then the earth yet what with comets playing in the ayr what with the dazzeling of our eyes in that circumstance the starres shall seem to fall upon us Mystically understand by Sun Moon and Starres failing here the fall of greater and lesser lights in holy Church by the terrour of the persecution of Antichrist at this time by the virtues of the heavens being moved understand their usual influence into the creatures of the earth to be disturbed yet some others think the very Angels the movers of the heavens and so called their virtues shall be as it were afraid they do fail in their offices seeing the usual course of nature inverted which may seem even to discompose their constant and unmoveable natures not that indeed it shall be so with them but onely it may seeâ— so to us 30. This sign all allow to be the Crosse of Christ which for three causes shall then appear first to shew Christ came to the glory of being Judge over all the world by his former ignominy upon the Crosse secondly to shew he was truly crucified on the Crosse for all mens redemption and therefore brings it now to confound those who were ungrateful for such a benefit especially the Jewes thirdly to shew that all who were religious worshippers of him and of his holy Crosse should now march under the banner of it into the Kingdome of heaven whence it is probable the very self-same Crosse that Christ dyed upon shall be then made up and placed there a thing not harder then for the dead to rise By the bewailing of all tribes understand that some of all tribes shall be in a bewailing case for their ineviâ—able misery then laid before their eyes By the son of man is understood Christ Jesus himself coming after his sacred banner is displayed in the clouds for three reasons first to moderate the infinite splendour of his glory