out of his holy Hill we must come and pray vnto him Then they came vnto him c. What the Apostles here did in their persons that wee must do if we want any thing in our owne nay whether we want any thing or no it is our duty for to do it and the prayers of the righteous they are of no small force or efficacie with God to obtaine a blessing from him euery one of them is as a forcible Engine to open Heauen gates and to draw downe a blessing vpon the head of him that sent it vp So S. Bernard telles vs out of that place of the Gospell Luk. 18. concerning the poore Publican Dum non auderet oculos ad Coelos eleuare Luk. 18.10 ipsum Coelum potuit ad se inclinare saith hee Whilst the Publican durst not lift vp his eyes in his prayers vnto heauen such was the force of his prayers with God aboue as that hee bowed the heauens and made them descend downe vnto his prayers But yet by the way it were not amisse for to aske the question What prayers are these that are of such power efficacie with the Lord it is not euery one that is forged in his name Math. 7.21 so our Sauiour Christ himselfe telles vs Math. 7. Non omnis qui dicit Domine Domine not euery one that saith vnto me Lord Lord shall enter into the Kingdome of heauen much lesse euery time that he saith it shall haue his request But before our prayers we must prepare our selues to pray by serious meditation Meditatio docet quid desit oratio ne desit obtinet saith Saint Bernard by meditation we learne to know what is wanting vnto vs and by prayer we obtaine that it shall not be wanting That shewes which is the right way that we must walke this teacheth vs how to walke when we haue found the path By meditation wee know the dangers and the perils that hang ouer our heads and by prayer we auoyd them all and escape away scot-free And yet before we can come to meditate aright our heart it must be framed aright for it and that must bee by an earnest and hearty repentance for our sinnes which is Magna spongia as Saint Augustine calles it the great Spunge that wipes them all away out of the fight of the Lord. And herein lies an especiall duty of the Priest if he shall be required thereunto to know how dangerous the sinne is that a man is tainted withall not to flatter his patient in his sinne but to let him know the true weight and danger of it that so he may throughly repent him of his sin and learne to returne to God againe For as S. Cyprian speakes Imperitus est medicus c. he is an vnskilfull Physition saith hee and a worse Surgeon a great deale who seeing of a putrified sore will handle it gently and suffer the corruption to remaine in it still and so by his foolish pitie ouerthrowes his patient whilst he is afraid to apply either his cauteries or his searing medicines Aperiendum est vulnus secandum saith he the wound must be searched launced and the bottome of it felt let the patient in the meane time rage and rosre yet when hee is recouered hee will giue him thankes for his cruell loue Those that sow pillowes vnder mens elbowes and take away repentance for their sins make men beleeue their sinnes are but motes when the weight is so great that God himselfe is forced to groane vnder the burthen of them Amos 2. they doe as much as in them lies shut vp the gate of all true repentance so that whilst with the false Prophets they cry Pax pax non est pax peace peace when there is nothing lesse then peace to be expected whilst they promise a false peace vnto the sinner the hope of eternall peace is vtterly lost from them But in this case there are many vnskilfull euen of the great ones amongst vs who know not what to answere to a distressed wight that shall craue their aduise and helpe but the fault for the most part it lies in themselues Nemo nos interrogat so few there are that craue the aduice of their Teacher as that the case of Conscience lies quite neglected some one or two perhaps when they lye in a cold sweate they send for a Preacher and then hee must giue them a little Opiate Diuinitie that may skinne but not heale or helpe the fore a whit Let vs repent our selues whilst wee are lusty and strong and then wee shall feeele the fruite of it when we lye sicke and weake vpon our beddes And for this same late repentance is S. Augustines note Poenitentiaquae à moriente tantum petitur timeo ne ipsa moriatur he is afraid it will bee dead as soone if not sooner then the partie that lies sicke But true repentance it is the meanes to right meditation and right meditation to hearty prayer and without hearty prayer it is but in vaine to come vnto the Lord and yet againe it is but in vaine for vs to repent vnlesse withall we proceed to feruency of prayer Caine sorrowed for his sinnes when hee confessed his sinnes were so great as God could not forgiue them And Iudas when he cryed out I haue sinned in betraying the innocent bloud but yet they had neither of them grace to aske forgiuenesse for their sinnes which had they done heartily and as they ought I am fully perswaded they should haue found pardon for their great offences Repentance it is the Supersedeas that dischargeth all bonds of sinne and Prayer it is the bucket by which wee draw grace from the everlasting fountaine Let vs continue drawing then till we may assure our selues we haue a good measure of grace within vs and neuer leaue him who is able to adde more to him that hath the greatest aboundance of it in him Let vs flye vnto the Lord by prayer and since our many sinnes like so many fierce Samsons haue not sticked to murther the Lyon of the Tribe of Iudah let our repentant teares and humble prayers like so many Bees come and sucke the hony at the flowers of his passion let them ascend vp early in the morning like incense into his nostrils and close the afternoone againe like an euening sacrifice then shall we truly come vnto the Lord and as we ought to do then shall they awaken him though hee bee fast asleepe and obtaine a blessing for vs that offered them vp Then they came vnto him and awaked him saying Master Master This Title of Master here will deserue a little pause you call me Lord and Master saith our Sauiour in the thirteenth of Saint Iohns Gospell Ioh. 13.13 and you doe well for so I am Is not hee Master of them who is Lord and Master of Nature it selfe vnto whom all things both in heauen aboue and in earth beneath doe willingly obey He is Master
heare of Gods presence let vs not like our Grand-father Adam in Paradice flye from the sight of him for it is his loue which makes him draw neere to vs Noli fugero Adam sayes S. Cyprian doe not sayes he oh man flye from thy maker he is nothing else but God with vs be not afraid or terrified at the newes of him for he is with vs in the flesh hee is with vs also in the vnity of the spirit so that he cannot choose but loue vs eternally Let not the sight of our sins so vtterly dismay vs as that we shal think there is no more place left for grace to remaine for as S. Paul tels vs that where sinne aboundes Rom. 5.20 there grace aboundes much more Rom. 5. and Saint Barnard shewes vs the meanes how Christ and the sinner doe meete in one Cor sayes he est in peccatore anima in corde mens in anima fi 〈◊〉 in monte Christus in fide In euery sinner there is a heart in the heart there is a soule in the soule there is a mind in the mind there is faith in faith there is Christ and this is that sayes he that the Apostle shewes when he sayes that Christ dwels in your hearts by faith Eph. 3.17 Ephes 3. When our Sauiours to furious Disciples Iames and Iohn wold haue had fire from heauen to consume the company Luk. 9. Lord wilt thou that we cōmand fire from heauen to consume them there Luke 9.54 as Elias did What was his answer Yee know not of what spirit yee bee they cost him more then so to confound them all in an instant he had much rather bring them home vnto him in loue then destroy them in his anger our Sauiour is of a more milde and quiet spirit then his Disciples are of for they sought the destruction of their neighbours but God he seekes the conuersion of sinners When God shewed himselfe vnto Elias in the mount there passed before him thunder and lightning and storme and wind but God was in none of them all but in the stil voice he delights to be mercifull and is loath to take reuenge euen of those that are his enemies he is slow to take his bow in hand more loath to bend it loather yet to draw it loather of all to let flye at his enemies Esay 1. Ah Esay 1.24 I wil ease me of mine enemies and auenge mee of mine aduersaries as though he were so loath to do it as that it should not be done if the controuersie by any other meanes could be decided If he be then so kinde vnto his enemies no maruaile at all if hee speake friendly vnto such as are his friends Let vs goe ouer to the other side of the lake But yet he is not more ready to aske then they are ready for to obey which is our fourth part their Obedience they lanched forth Let vs goe ouer vnto the other side of the lake and they lanched forth In the 11. of Saint Iohns Gospell Ioh. 11.11 when our Sauiour puts vp his request vnto his Disciples to goe and raise his friend Lazarus from the dead they refuse to goe with him Lord if hee sleepe hee shall doe well say they but then they had not learned their obedience fully but now they were like vnto the Centurions seruant in the 8. of Mathew he can no sooner say go Math. 8.9 but they go come but they come doe this but they do it no sooner in the ship and sayes vnto them let vs go ouer to the other side but presently in all obedience they lanch forth the vessell And they lanched forth This obedience of theirs is a triple twisted cord made of these three strands humility in the heart patience in the mouth and perseuerance in all good actions and of such a cord the wise man sayes Funiculus triplex c. a threefold cord is hardly broken and euery particular of these they learned of their Lord and maister for for the first humility in the heart Mat. 11.29 it is his owne speech in Math. 11. Discite à me quia mitis sum learne sayes he of me because I am meeke and humble in heart and yee shall finde rest vnto your soules for the second patience in the mouth it is the Prophet Esayes speech of him in his 53 Chapter Esay 53.7 Sicut ouis ad occisionem hee was brought as a Lambe vnto the slaughter and as a sheepe before his shearer so hee opened not his mouth and for the third perseuerance in goodnesse Phil. 2.8 it is the Apostles speech Phil. 2. Obediens fuit vsque ad mortē hee became obedient vnto death euen the death of the crosse who could desire more then he hath performed And this obedience as he had it here of his Apostles so doth he expect it also at the hands of euery one of vs that doe professe our selues retainers vnto him Humility Patience Perseuerance this is the best sacrifice and the most acceptable which wee can performe vnto him let vs all then study and indeuour ourselues in the feare of the Lord to learne this one lesson so if not in this world yet in the world to come we are sure we shall haue our reward a reward I say which shall continue with vs vnto all eternity the which God grant vs all Amen And so we haue finished the first verse here the second followes But as they sailed c. In which as I told you there is set downe the manner of the iourney and the accidents that befell them the manner of the iourney they sayled But as they sailed c. The manner of the Iourney I shall not neede to stand long vpon it it is knowne vnto all they sayled and besides their sayling they haue little other help to driue forward their moueable houses The prophane Historians in their Histories do ascribe both the inuention of shipping and the Art of Nauigation vnto one of themselues to Atlas Maurus and make him both the inuenter part perfecter of that secret Art but we which are Christians we rather depend vpon the Scripture and say that the vse of shipping and the Art of Nauigation they came both immediatly from God himselfe was first revealed vnto Noe in the forme of the Arke Gen. 6. as likewise the vse of the Load-stone Gen. 6.13 in these our later times hath bin by Gods especiall prouidence reuealed amongst vs without which the whole Ocean as daily now it is could not be made nauigable either vnto vs or any other people The benefit of it is great as we see daily by daily experience the transportati-of goods the commutation of marchandise with other nations the which is so necessary amongst men that Baldus the great Lawyer did not sticke to affirme the world would quickly be at an end if Marchandizing once should decay amongst vs and in Marchandizing the chiefest Trade we know is
awaked in which regard the Prophet Dauid as weary of his long sufferings willing to be releiued in his distresse he is faine to cry aloude and earnestly as it were to wake him out of the sleepe that he is in to come vnto his succour Psal 44.23 For thy sake are wee killed all the day long we are counted at sheepe for the slaughter therefore awake why sleepest thou ô Lord Arise c. An earnest admonisher we see and one that will not be silent hee doubles and trebles his speech Awake sleeepe not arise that if he were fast indeed yet his earnestnesse at the last would cause him to awake and to speake truth God for the most part seemeth for to sleepe that so he might be awaked by our earnest intreaties for God as Saint Augustine notes amet nimium vehementes is so delighted with our prayers as that many times hee does deny vs our suites that he might heare vs continue earnest in our prayers And againe if he should vpon euery motion that we make vnto him grant vs our requests his benefites at the last would come to bee contemned of vs we know it here an ordinary practise among men cito data cito vilescunt wee accompt it scarce worth the taking that is not twise worth the asking therefore before he grant vs hee would haue vs bee earnest with him in deed to awake him with our prayers if perchance hee should seeme to bee a sleepe But when we haue awaked him what then is there any redresse to bee had at his hand Why yes furely euen the same party that we mentioned euen now hee found it at his hands he was deliuered out of his distresse Saul the persecutor fals deadly vpon his owne sword both to the destruction of soule and body and Dauid the distressed inioyes the Kingdome Daniel is made protector of the Kingdome and his accusers and enemies throwne into the Lyons den though he sleepe heere for a time amongst vs yet one day hee will awake againe and whereas all the time of his sleepe he hath plaid the Lambe bene patient in his reuenge yet when he shall awake he shall rouze himselfe like a Lion for to right himselfe of al his enemies which if it be not in this world yet in the world to come wee know it shall be to their greater condemnation Noah we know he slept a while and suffred the scoffes and abuses of his wicked sonne Cham but when he awaked what then then Maledictus Canaan then he pronounces a fearefull curse vpon him for his lewdnesse Gen. 9.25 Cursed bee Canaan seruant of seruants shal he be so I say if not in this world yet at the end of the world our Sauiour he shall curse his enemies with a terrible curse a curse of curses Ite mal dicti Mat. 25.41 Go yee cursed of my Father into euerlasting fire a terrible and a fearefull curse from which God keepe vs all But yet so he slept not here in this place his sleepe now it was a voluntary naturall sleepe But as they sayled hee fell a sleepe The reason of sleepe in naturall men it is yeelded by the Heathen Phylosophers and chiefly by Aristotle the eldest sonne of nature there are two causes saith hee of sleepe in man Fumus ascendens in cerebellum the ascending of the fumes and vapours vp out of our stomacke into our head and so surprizing of the braine or else Corporalis naturae fatigatio the ouerwearying of our body with labour and trauell both which were truely in our Sauiour and yet neither the cause of this sleepe of his he had them both truely in him because in deed hee was truely man but heere in this place as the Diuines teach he slept voluntary as being Lord and Commander of his Humane Nature As hee is then the Keeper of Israel the Creator and Preseruer of man-kind he cannot sleepe but as hee is a Man and himselfe made a creature sleepe was requisite and necessary for him But yet here I say hee slept voluntary he slept because hee would sleepe hee was Lord of his Nature and might commande it which is not in vs for many of vs oftentimes would sleepe but cannot and sometimes againe when wee would willingly watch our eies are most heauy and ouercharged with sleepe Illam noctem rex duxit in somnem saith the Text Ester 6. Ester 6.1 That night the King would faine haue slept but could not And againe the Disciples in the 26 of Matthew Mat. 26.43 they could not refraine from sleeping when they would haue watched and hee came and found them asleepe againe for their eyes were heauy But in Christ our Sauiour there was no such naturall imperfection in the Wildernesse as long as hee fasted so long it may bee credibily thought that hee watched also both which wee know to bee aboue the course of ordinary nature and in the sixt of Luke Luke 6.12 hee continued a whole night in prayer vnto his Father and yet wee do not reade that hee was ouercharged with heauinesse in the morning hee could sleepe when he list and hee could watch as long as hee list and yet no impediment vnto his body but heere hee sleepes voluntary that so he might giue way vnto a miracle But as they sayled hee fell a sleepe Mark 4.38 Saint Marke recording of this same Story tels vs that he did sleepe In puppi super ceruicale Hee was saith he in the hinder part of the Ship a sleepe vpon a pillow after his paines taking of Preaching the Gospell vpon the Land hee takes his reasonable rest in the ship vpon the water hee rested his head vpon a pillow not stretcht himselfe out at length vpon the Epicures bed of ease but onely laid himselfe downe that so he might bee vp againe vpon all occasions hee was like in this businesse vnto himselfe poore and wanting not hauing so much as a boulster of his owne to lay vnder his head but is faine to borrow the Marriners pillow so are his birth his life and death the one proportionable vnto the other and so much for this first Accident heere in the iourney Hee fell a sleepe The second followes And there came downe a storme of winde on the Lake What a storme of wind come downe on the Lake and Christ our Sauiour in the midst of it Credendumne est ea ventos fuisse audacia and is it possible that the winde should be so audicious as to disturbe either the Sea or the Ship in which the Lord both of heauen and earth was carried in that they should come violently rushing on and aske no leaue of their Lord and Maister Oh no but rather as it was in the tempest that Ionas was tossed in Iona 1.4 The Lord saith the Text there sent out a great winde into the Sea and there was a mighty tempest in the Sea so that the Ship was like to be broken So in