fruitefull trees and all Cedars beastes and all cattell creeping thinges and feathered fowles Kings of the earth and all people Princes and all Iudges of the world young men and maidens old men and children to praise the name of the Lord for if euer now we may say Blessed be the eyes that see the things that we see so royall learned and religious a King so noble worthy gracious a Prince the kingly father so happy so excellent the princely Sonne so rarely vertuous so obedient though I will not say as those heathen did of the Apostles gods haue descended to vs in the likenesse of men yet I will with the heathen Historian confesse Xenophon 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Prince is an Image of God which title is the most glorious chaplet coronet frontlet tablet bracelet of a Christian Prince Aug. de Temp. At the Feast of the Natiuity wee are taught to bee borne againe at the Feast of Easter to rise againe at the Feast of Whitsontide to pray for the spirit at this Feast of Trinitie to receiue the spirit and by this great and solemne long wished-for Feast of this CREATION wee are taught to pray for the creating of new hearts good soules religious spirits honest consciences And howsoeuer the head of my Text serueth only for the Prince the CREATION yet the body of my Text serueth for all people it is the renouation of the mind Create in me a new heart I haue prouided this messenger to send vp to heauen for new souls an ambassadour quicke of speed faithfull for trust happy for successe whom neither the tediousnesse of the time nor difficulty of the passage can hinder but as a chariot of fire will presently be lifted vp into the presence of the Almighty to seeke his assistaÌ„ce It is the messenger that Ezekias vsed to haue the charter of his dares renued Esay 38.3 2. Kings 4.32 Math. 5.7 that Elisha vsed to haue the Sunamites childes soule renued that the sicke of the palsey vsed to haue his hands and feete renued and that Dauid vsed to haue his heart renued It is prayer the language of heauen the tongue of Canaan Austin in Soliloq the speech of Zyon the musick of Ierusalem the harmony of sinners the melody of Saints It is that fire which being kindled by the spirit of God in the Temple of the soule will euer burne vpon the Altar of the heart and euer ascend from the censor of the Tongue till thou hast obtayned of God the petition of Dauid Create in me a new cleane pure vndefiled vncorrupted heart Diuisio I will onely insist vpon these two parts first the greatnesse of his suite Duae partes no purgation or clensing or curing or recouering or quickning but a new creating Create in mee Secondly the greatnes of his sore sorrow not his hand or foot or eye or head only ill affected but his heart the best member the Metropolis of his soule Create in mee a new heart And of these briefly praying as Saint Austin did on the like occasion Deus faciet hunc textum tam commodum quam accommodatum God make this text so commodious for our soules as accommodated for these our times And first for the Creation Prima pars Hosiod Ouid. Plato vide Phillip Mornay lib. 10 de vera Religione Tull de Nat. Deor. The Creation is the Genesis of the booke of God the first Act in Nature as Heathens confesse the first ouerture of Gods power as Diuines witnesse a worke so wonderfull that the Atheist inquireth of Plato quae ferramenta qui vectes quae mollitiones quae machinae tanti operis fuerunt what were the Engins posts machinations pullyes leauers pillers scaffolds of so great and wonderfull a worke Who can imagine that so many things diuerse in quality immense in quantity high in sublimity deepe in profundity could euer bee made that so many sinews and ioynts and connexions and con-catenations should bee so orderly disposed in that great Fabrique Nasci to be borne is a wonder a body though little to bee so framed the ioynts to mooue so actiuely the sinews to stirre so nimbly sences to vtter force so sharply the lungs to breath so powerfully Iob. it drew Iob into admiration and to aske who hath framed thee in the wombe but to bee Created a world so massy so mighty vnlesse man looke with the eyes of Grace through the windowes of Nature hee cannot as a naturall man perceiue it but Moyses taught it Plato Moses Atticus Gen. 1. Plato learned it and though the Atheist do not beleeue it yet in the first of Genesis in the Capitall Characters of Heauen and Earth it is described and some vnder-take to free Aristotle from denying the Creation though his workes do much oppugne it hee being as ambitious to ouer-come all other opinions as his Scholler Alexander to conquer other Nations The word Create Aquiuas in Scripture is taken by the Schoolemen Fathers diuersly pro prefectione ex nihilo In the Image of God he created man pro generatione ex propria substantia Gen. 1.27 These are the generations of the Heauen and the Earth as in Genesis Gen. 2.3 Pro renouatione as in Esay I will Create a new Heauen Esay 65.17 and a new Earth pro donorum Christus infusione as in the Ephesâ—â—ns Created by his spirit to good workes Ier. 31.22 pro filij Dei incarnatione as in Ieremy The Lord hath created a new thing a woman shall compasse a man And in this place pro regeneratione as some pro iustificatione as others Improperly it is vsed many wayes as either that in our Anniuersary Act and Commencement of the Vniuersities the Creation of our Doctors or as at this feast the word is vsed for the Royall inuestiture and Creation of the most noble Prince But to returne to our purpose Regeneration may fitly bee called a Creation In the one the other is shadowed In praedestination the huge and vast deepe the darke forme whereof can hardly be discerned In vocation the seperating of light from darknesse of knowledge from ignorance in the soule In iustification the Sunne is created the beames of grace begin to shine In glorification the new Adam is framed after the image of God and placed in the Paradise of immortality Dauid had tasted of these riuers of Paradise he had beene praedestinated called iustified but now these streames and currents were dryed vp his forme was in a chaos his sunne in a cloud folly had polluted his eyes filth had possessed his thoughts bloud had defiled his hands shame had couered his head sinne had prophaned his heart not onely no whole part in his body but no whole part in his soule no meanes to cure him to create him a new There was a time when he cryed out Concaluit cor et exardescit ignis my heart is hotte Psal 39.3 Aust in Psal and the
heart is dead or whose hand is vncleane it looseth all the soueraine properties Some of the Fathers haue deciphered the three Theologicall vertues of faith hope and charity by the three that attended Christ at the transfiguration on the Mount and at his agony in the garden Peter Iames and Iohn Peter by faith Iames by hope Iohn by loue If thou didst imagine thy selfe to haue all these three and hadst not the power of Prayer it were nothing Not to speake of the efficacie of hope or loue the wonders of faith be many to remoue mountaines to quench the fire to stay the windes to resist enemies Prayer hath all these it remooueth mountaines thy sinnes bee as Mountaines before the Throne of GOD it remooueth them further from thee then the East is from the West it quencheth fire if the fire of lust kindle within thee by Prayer thou mayest quench thee if the windy storme of any deiected desperat thought do blow within thee pray vp Lord let thy enemies bee scattered if the Diuell world and flesh set vpon thee yet by this thou shalt put to flight all infernall complices It opened and shut heauen it brought plenty and dearth drought and raine and will if thou bee acquainted with her be the sweetest companion that euer accompanied any on the face of the earth to say no more it will preferre thee and create thee heire apparant of the kingdome of Heauen The festiuity of the Creation now celebrated should infuse greater spirits into vs then heretofore such occasions of ioy to vs of happinesse for vs such triumphes applauses Iubilees as these do draw from vs gratulation and acclamation in that God hath not onely giuen his iudgements vnto the King but his righteousnesse to the Kings sonne 72.1 leauing such a hope for the young such a comfort for the old such happinesse for all such a young Ptolomey for studies and Libraries such a young Alexander for affecting martialisme and chiualrie such a yong Iosiah for religion piety This should stirre vs vp to acknowledgement of Gods mercies by his Highnesse and mooue vs to a spirituall ambition for our owne happinesse That as in such honorable state he is to be created PRINCE of so great place here on earth by his Purple robes Sword Signet Golden Staffe the earnests of his glorious and triumphant royalty in Heauen so seeing God hath Created vs Kings and Priests as Saint Iohn speaketh Reu. 1. we should desire the benefit of this spirituall Creation to put on the roabes of righteousnesse the sword of the spirit to receiue the staffe of protection to be placed as signets on Gods hand There was as Creation of a Prince in Scripture but it was the poorest and meanest that euer was The Prince his name is found in Esay Esay 9.6 The PRINCE of Peace and of his creation mention is made in Ieremie The Lord hath CREATED a new Thing on the earth Ier. 31.22 it was new indeed as Augustine confessed a saeculo non est auditum Aug. de Temp. neuer since the beginning of the world was the like newes heard and Bernard stood at an amazement at this Creation Bernard de Jncarnat there was Lux non lucem verbum infans aqua sitiens panis esuriens At that creation there was a light not shining the word an infant not speaking the water of life thirsting the bread of life hungring God himselfe descending and the Creator Created if I may so speake A body hast thou Created saith the Psalmist a body without sinne to endure the suffrings for sinne and to vndergoe all the torments that the vnbounded inuention of hell could deuise This was a new thing Nouum et omnium nouitatum nouitas supereminens Jerome saith Ierome such and so merueilous miraculous extraordinary a nouelty as the world of worlds cannot yeeld the like president Let the Sibills speak of their new Rutilans Sydus Aug. de Ciuit. Dei the Astronomers of their new starres in Cygno Serpentario let the Imaginaries find out a new Vtopia the Cosmographers their new-found America let Pancirolla write whole volumes De nouis Repertis and Mercurius Gallobelgicus the worlds Post-master for newes supply newes euery yere yet no like newes to this no Creation since the first Creation of the world like to this the Court then to like in a poore Inne the stable to be the bed-chamber the cratch the Royall pallat VVinter and Hunger to attend and yet the VVisemen to offer Angels to honour Shepheards to sing of him Oracles then to cease Deuils then to tremble this was a New a strange Creation To Zebedees children Christ answered Ye cannot be baptized with the Baptisme wherewith I must bee baptized so I may say wee would be loath to bee CREATED in that order that he was CREATED But let it be our morning and euening prayer that we may be created according to his likenesse that as he of God became man so we of men may become the sonnes of God Delay not it is daungerous presume not it is perillous Dauid sought it and found it vnlesse thou seeke it with heartie prayer thou maist seeke it and not find it Austin Huic fit misericordia tibi non fit iniuria though he shewed great mercie to Dauid and will not to thee he doth thee no iniurie Take heed least impenitencie cause him to prooue a wrath-reuenging God and let no man continue in sinne that grace may abound Reprobates Deuils can do no more if any do so he may sleepe his euerlasting sleepe of sinne neuer be warned neuer be wakened more God may say to thee as he said to the Disciples and pronounce that sentence against thee for thy sleepe of the soule as he did to them for the sleepe of the bodie For henceforth sleepe and take thy rest till thy eyes sinke into the holes of thy head I will neuer come nor send nor call nor waken thee the night shall compasse thee and the pit shall shut her mouth vpon thee In our Church Lyturgie which is in these daies like to Christ crucified between two there is a most comfortable promise drawne from Scripture At what time soeuer a sinner doth repent of his sinnes from the bottome of his heart God will put away all his wickednesse out of his remembrance thereupon many take their pleasure and glut themselues with sinne referre all good thoughts till the last houre neuer put their hands into their bosome to see how leaprous they be their mouthes continue to bee the vents to breath forth the putrified sauour of their soule their eyes the windowes their eares the doores of destruction their vnderstandings flaues to their willes their wils common curtizans of pollution their memories the table-booke of their corruptions O miserable and fearefull state of such If any at any time in any case had reason to crie with Dauid these haue Create in me a new heart And so much
THE CREATION OF THE PRINCE A Sermon Preached in the Colledge of VVestminster on Trinity Sunday the day before the Creation of the most Illustrious PRINCE of Wales By DANIELL PRICE Chapleine in Ordinary and then in attendance on the PRINCE AT LONDON Printed by G. Eld for Roger Iackson dwelling neere Fleete Conduict 1610. To the right Honourable Lord worthy the confluence of all honorable happinesse ROBERT Earle of Salisbury Lord high Treasurer of England one of the Oracles of his Maiesties most Honourable Priuie Counsaile Knight of the tres-noble order of the Garter MOST HONOVRABLE most Wise most Worthy Lord it is the second time I present a testimony of my most humble obseruance to your honour The beames of that splendor of goodnesse in you haue shined vpon many sonnes of those two Sisters the Church and Common-wealth among whom I doe most ioyfully acknowledge my happinesse in obteyning an honourable promise by the mediation of My royall Maister the illustrious PRINCE The Widowe in the Gospell offered to the treasure a litle Money the Woman a little Oyle to her Sauiour Another in the Story a little water to his Soueraigne my little I offer to your honour is much lesse then theirs If this shall adde any life to my suite and procure any more fauour from your honour I shall acknowledge how you worthily imitate God him-selfe who rewardeth an houres worke with a dayes wages which God as hee hath already endowed you with the heart of Prudence so I hope he will euer-direct your Lordship with his hand of Prouidence that you may bee famous to posterity gratious to This Kingdome and glorious in His Kingdome this I wish this I pray for thus I rest Your honours in all dutifull obseruance DANIELL PRICE A Sermon preached in the Abbey of VVestminster on Trinity Sunday the day before the Creation of the illustrious and gratious Prince HENRY Prince of Wales Psal 51.10 Create in mee a new heart RIght Reuerend Right Honorable Worshipfull and Well-beloued They that haue wayed sinnes in the ballance of iniquitie haue found some to be more heauy then others by many degrees either in the Causality Albertus in Compend Theolog. as the Schooles speake as that sinne of Lucifer or in the generality as the sinne of Adam or in the deformity as the sinne of Iudas or in the difficulty of Pardoning as the sinne of Iulian These be sinnes of the highest eleuation towring and mounting vp to call for perpetuall desolation and branded with the blackest character that euer any sinnes were For other sinnes the auncient haue compared them to sundry beasts to shew the beastlinesse thereof Enuie to a Dogge Anger to a Woolfe Sloth to an Asse Auarice to a Hedghogge Gluttony to a Beare Luxurie to a Boare Some others haue described them by some diseases to manifest the fulsomnesse and loathsomnesse thereof Pride by an inflammation Luxurie by a Feauer Enuye by a Leprosie Anger by a Phrensie Sloth by a Lethargie Auarice by a Dropsie Superstition by the Plague and these bee common O too common euer since the sonnes of Adam receiued the tainture of bloud from the first offence of their first father But what commerce haue the Saints with sinnes there is no felowship betweene righteousnesse and vnrighteousnesse no communion betweene light and darknesse Gen. 25.22 1. Sam. 5 4. Math. 21.13 Reu. 12.7 1. Ioh. 3.9 and if one wombe cannot containe Iacob and Esau one house the Arke Dagon one Temple prayer merchandise one heauen Michael and the Dragon how shall one soule retaine polution and sanctification Saint Iohn testifying that he that is borne of God doth not sinne neither can he sinne because hee is borne of God Austin but Dauid hath confessed though a Saint a King qui habuit sanctitatem non solum vnctionis sed functionis that by his owne experience he found it that seauen times a day doth the righteous fall Epist 46. And herevpon Saint Hierom to reconcile these two places asketh the question Si iustus quomodo cadit si cadit quo modo iustus and answereth himselfe that he falleth by sinne riseth by grace falleth by his fault riseth by his faith or as another homo cadit non iustus Zanchius as a man hee offendeth but as a Christian man hee reconcileth himselfe to God and being borne of God sinneth not nay as Saint Iohn speaketh he not onely doth not sinne but he cannot sinne that is 1. Iohn 3.9 desperately without remorse they cannot sinne and presumptuously without feare they doe not sinne neither do nor can sinne desperately as Cain did presumptuously as Pharaoh did malitiously as Iudas did blasphemously as Iulian did for the seede of God remaineth in them Howsoeuer therefore the slips and slidings of the best seruants of God be registred that he that standeth may take heed least he fall yet no one of them hath falne finally totally And howsoeuer this sweete singer of Israell whose heauenly Antheme I haue chose for this solemne celebrity though his foote had almost slipt nay though hee had fallen and descended downe downe downe into the shadowes of death into the snares of death into the Chambers of death yet behold his sunne-rising as Orient as euer it was he is againe created to walke in righteousnesse and holinesse before God all the dayes of his life The word CREATED will be the summe of my succeeding discourse first thereby to remember those many that haue this day receiued holy order heere from that honourable Prelate Lord Bishop of Lintolne and most reuerend Father who most carefully aduised them of the dignity and duty of that function and who are now created anew and are to forsake all the world nay their owne selues as the Disciples did in the prime of the Church those Primitiues that would be no Possessiues Lorinus in 2. Act. Apost some left all they had others sold all others gaue all so these should so much neglect all things for Christes sake as that they were at the first created to the image of the earthly man earthly so now they should be created to the image of the Lord from heauen heauenly And secondly my choice of this Text was chiefly to solemnize this great Feast of the CREATION and inuestiture of my most gracious Lord and Maister the Prince to adde solemnity to which Feast Psal 148. were I as able as willing I would take the course that Dauid in 140. Psalme to call from the heauens the Angels and armies thereof Sunne Moone Starres heauens of heauens and the waters that be aboue the heauens I would descend from the orbes and arches and summon the ayre fire snow vapors and winds I would enter into the Ocean Psal 8. and raise the Dragons and all deepes fishes of the seas and all that passeth through the pathes of the seas I would warne a Conuocation of all the world and muster together mountains and all hilles
not haue placed with the Dogges of his sheepfold though these crauen gallants bee ready to abase and abuse this sacted Calling yet remember yee that Christ Iesus in his owne person hath dignified this profession and at this day there is no Prince in the Christian world but hath in him some part of a Priest besides that Christ Iesus hath in washing vs all from our sinnes made vs Kings and Priests to God his Father Reuel 1.5 Thinke vpon this dignity practise that duty and so the Lord be with you and with your spirits All of you my beloued heare the summe of all you that come to be either spectators or necessary attendants at this great solemnity of the CREATION powre forth your praiers First for the most gratious PRINCE who is to bee Created that hee may answer all those worthy expectations of him and bee as renowned as Solomon that preaching Prince or Constantine that praying Prince or Theodosius that religious Prince or our most Religious Gratious Zealous and miraculously-preserued Soueraigne who hath so happily by Peace blessed vs and so worthily by his Pen conquered his enemies And if for Nebuchadnetsar and Balshassar his sonne prayers were appointed to bee made when they were Heathens and oppressors much more now are prayers to be powred forth plentifully for our most sacred Soueraigne and his Princely Sonne that their daies may be as the daies of heauen that in their time the righteous may flourish and there may be aboundance of peace so long as the Sunne and Moone endureth that they may deliuer the poore when he cryeth the wearie also and him that hath no helper they may liue and vnto them may be giuen of the gold of Arabia their names may endure for euer among the posterities which shall be blessed by them and all the people shall praise them And for our selues let vs celebrate this happie Creation with a new Creation the Sunne renueth the Moone renueth the yeare renueth the spring renueth the morning renueth this very houre renueth Shall we continue old dull dead The Hart renueth strength the Swallow sight the Eagle youth yea the very Viper renueth and casteth his slough shall we be worse then the Viper Doe wee looke for new wonders and make our selues new prodigies Is the misery of the world such that men will not be renued or anew created vnlesse the course of the world be altered or the pillars of the earth mooued or the chambers of the deepe discouered must the Sea diuide as to Moses or Iordan flie backe as to Israel or the Sunne stand still as to Iosuah or goe backe as to Hezechiah or a voice be heard from heauen as to Paule The Lord doth vse ordinarie meanes the preaching of the Gospell but extraordinarily if it pierce thy soule thou art new Created God rather desireth bleeding hearts then itching eares If thou finde this word to be powerfull in thee and to moue in thy soule as Iohn Baptist leaped in his mothers wombe Take vp thy bed and rise and walke thou art healed thou art this day Created make much of that sweet Nightingale in the cage Christ goeth home with thee and will enter dwell with thee and thou shalt serue the Lord in righteousnesse and holinesse all the dayes of thy life practise this and pray for this and cry euery man vnto God Blessed be the Lord God of Israel who onely doth marueilous things and blessed be the name of his Maiestie for euer and euer And let all the people say AMEN FINIS