in pursuit of their Loue De vera virgiaitate it is Saint Basils Similie And why not seeing for the most part they are the worse for their louing and wee are sure for ours to bee the better But I must leaue the enlarging of these things to your owne priuate Meditations You may remember I told you that though the Person onely is here exprest yet things are also included so farre as they haue reference to this person we must respect euerie Creature as it is Gods and grieue at the abuse of the meanest of them But our speciall regard must be vnto those things that worke or witnesse this spirituall Loue. Worke it as Gods word and his Sacraments these things wee must haue in a singular regard by reason of the heauenly power which they haue to worke Loue the more we vse them the more it will appeare wee desire to Loue. As these things worke Loue so there are other things that testifie it our praysing of God our praying vnto God our readinesse to please God though we suffer for it the more wee are exercised in these things the more it will appeare we are in Loue. But though God kindle Loue in vs by his Creatures yet must we not loue him for them for that were Amor Concupiscentiae but wee must by them be led to loue him and that is Amor amicitiae Mea tibi oblata non prosunt saith Saint Bernard sine me nec tua mihi sine te though we come to know God by his Creatures yet must our Loue immediately fixe on him As those things which haue reference are included so are those things excluded which haue no reference and whatsoeuer things which doe not lead to him draw from him of all which this must bee kept as a a rule Pereant qui quae inter deum nos dissidium volunt wee must haue nothing to do with whatsoeuer will separate betweene God and vs. You haue heard what the Person is Confess l. 8. and what it is to Loue him When Saint Austin put these two together hee fell into that humble admiration O Lord who am I That thou shouldest command me to Loue thee And verily a man may well wonder Hath not God Angels Archangels Cherubins Seraphins to loue him And what grace is it then for him to stoope so low as man Yea and whereas the best abilitie of man is too base to bee employed in his seruice hee doth this honour as to stoope to the meanest of our abilities hee commands our Dust and Ashes this wormes meate our vilde selues to Loue him that is to be as it were consorts with him for amor nescit inaequalitatem therefore God doth as it were deifie that which hee doth so farre honour â—sal 8.4 When Dauid looked vpon the interest which God hath giuen vs in his Creatures when he put all things in subiection vnder our feete the beasts of the field the fishes of the sea c. he breaketh out into Quid est homo Lord what is man that thou art mindfull of him Or the Sonne of man that thou so regardest him What an admiration then should arise in vs when we see what an interest God hath giuen vs in himselfe Especially seeing he hath no neede of vs and all the gaine is ours can wee forbeare with amazednesse and wonderment to vtter the same words O Lord what is man Nay out of the sense of euerie mans owne interest to say Lord what a man am I that thou shouldest be so mindfull of mee And what a Sonne of man am I that thou shouldest so regard me Dauid when he describeth the temporall blessednesse which he wisheth to Israel Psal 144. concludeth Happie is that people that is in such a case but he addeth to our purpose yea Happie are the people whose God is the Lord The prerogatiue that Man hath aboue other creatures yea that the Christian hath aboue all other Nations should make vs set it at a higher rate then commonly we doe A word of the day and so I end This is All Saints Day and it is Loue that doth characterize a Saint for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Basil in Psal 44 Nyssen de Anima Resurrect yea 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 we haue in Earth a Communion of Saints in Faith Hope and Charitie but in Heauen there is no Communion but only in Charitie Faith and Hope are done away Nay in Earth our Communion with God standeth properly in Charitie for there can bee no mutualnesse betweene God and Vs but only in that and to bee mutuall is a propertie of Charitie as I told you at the entrance of this Sermon Wee beleeue in God but God doth not beleeue in vs wee hope in God God doth not hope in vs but if Man loue God God loueth him againe and therefore Loue is the proper vertue of Saints it is that which both in Earth and Heauen doth knit vs vnto God Psâ—l 18. What shall we say then to these thing seeing Charitie beginneth a Saint on Earth and consummateth him in Heauen I will vow with King Dauid I will loue thee my Lord my strength c. And that I may performe this Vow I will pray with Saint Austin Lord so inspire my heart that I may seeke thee seeking may find thee and finding may loue thee ANd grant O Lord thy Grace vnto vs all so to exercise our selues in this Loue that we may haue the honour to bee thy friends both in Earth and Heauen AMEN The fifth Sermon MATT. 22. VERSE 39. Thou shalt loue thy Neighbour THere are two Persons exprest in my Text on whom wee must bestow our Loue. First The Lord our God and Secondly our Neighbour I spake last of the former of these persons It followeth that I now speake of the later so farre as I am occasioned by these words Thou shalt loue thy Neighbour Wherein it will appeare that Loue is not only due to God but also to his seruants as many as can returne Loue for Loue that is all Rationall Creatures so farre as God hath conioyned vs we must not seuer our selues for euerie creature loues his like Amitie is inseperable from societie at least it should be For my fuller vnfolding and your better vnderstanding of these wordes I will therein distinctly consider first â—o whom then what is due The Person is called a Neighbour that which is due to him is Loue. But farther in the person we must see first that in him there is found the ground of that Loue I will discouer it when I haue opened the Name Secondly that euery man hath his interest in this ground the text pointeth out this when in a reference to euery man it calleth the person Thy Neighbour As this must be obserued in the person so in the Dutie we must obserue that we that haue the interest must performe the Dutie this interest belongeth to euery man and so doth the
vnto the comparison if then the question be whether of the two wee loue more to whether of them wee will sticke in a case where both cannot bee held or vpon which of them wee will fall foule when it is not possible for vs to keepe in with both if then wee can with Moses esteeme the reproach of Christ greater riches then the treasures of Egypt wee conforme our selues to Christs first rule 〈◊〉 11 26. If when God calleth Heb. 11.8 wee can with Abraham forsake our countrey and our Fathers house though it bee to goe to a Countrey which wee know not wee conforme our selues vnto his second rule And if we can bee as resolute as Leui was Deut. 33. who said vnto his father and his mother I haue not seene them neither did he acknowledge his brethren nor know his owne children that he might keepe the word and obserue the Commandement of God euen that Commandement which is deliuered else-where Deut. 13 If thy Brother the sonne of thy mother or thy sonne or thy Daughter or the wife of thy bosome or thy friend which is as thine owne soule entice thee to Idolatry thy eye must not pitty him thou must not conceale him thou shalt surely kill him and let thine owne hands be first vpon him if thou canst I say bee so resolute then doest thou conforme thy selfe vnto Christs third Rule The examples which hitherto I haue alleaged shew onely what must be a Christian mans obseruance of Christs rules quoad sua suos so farre as concernes a mans goods or his friends but Christs rules goe a step farther Luke 14.26 for they mention a mans owne life also and tell vs how little wee must set by that in comparison of our loue of God Christ knew well that Satan hath a shrewd temptation to stumble thee when thou hast profited so farre as tua and tuos and that is to trie thee how well thou dost loue God quoad te Iob. 2.4 in comparison of thine owne person skin for skin and all that euer a man hath will he giue for his life affinitie consanguinitie amitie farewell all so our life may bee preserued but our loue of God must ouercome this temptation also and wee must take in this case Saint Paul for an example who being disswaded from going to Hierusalem because bonds and imprisonment did expect him there made this answere What doe you weeping and breaking my heart Acts 21.13 I am contented not onely to be bound but also to die for the name of the Lord Iesus A great resolution and yet not so great as our loue of God requireth of vs. For though dying seeme to be a bitter work yet to die for the name of Christ addeth much sweetnes vnto it and why it maketh a plain martyrdome and of that S. Paul hath giuen this definition that it is nothing else but dissolut esse cum Christo To be dissolued doth litle content nature but what would a man rather desire then to be with Christ for to be with him is to be as he is that is most happy so that hitherto loue is not come to its height for a man may so far loue God and loue God for himselfe because his own good goeth pari passu with the loue of God Moses went farther Blot me out of the book of life rather then thou shouldst not make good thy word to Israel a strange wish and that of a thing impossible for it is impossible that any child of God should be excluded from eternal life so that he may seeme to haue wished rashly and vainly but this CoÌ„mandement wil excuse him as it will S. Pauls like wish when I come to speak of the loue of our neighbour this Commandement containeth the best Commentary on his words for they import no more but his absolute loue of God so absolute that were there no Heauen where with his loue should be rewarded yea though Hell were the place wherein notwithstanding his loue of God he should be eternally tormented yet would he not withhold Gods due he would loue God with all his heart And indeed so high must wee ascend in loue if wee will ascend to that pitch which is contained in this Commandement though our loue shall haue a reward a most plentifull reward and wee may after the example of Christ and the Saints looke vpon it and encourage our selues with the hope of it yet that must not be the first motiue of our dutie God may challenge it without a reward and wee must acknowledge it to be a iust debt Thus if we loue God we loue him as we ought that is we loue him aboue all things and wee loue him for himselfe for that must needs follow when wee loue him for no other thing no not for our owne sakes but are willing to hazard all euen our selues and all for the loue of him From this measure when wee depart wee doe offend against our loue of God how much more if wee loue those things which are contrarie to him and can bee contented that others offend him or are so gracelesse as to offend him our selues But I must draw toward an end The last point which I obserued in my text was the reason why this is called the Great Commandement I need giue you no other reason then the doctrine which you haue heard concerning our loue of God for you haue heard enough to perswade you that the Commandement is very great yet I will point at some few reasons The Commandement then is Great first in regard of the Obiect for what can be greater then the Lord our God secondly in regard of the Act for it maketh our neerest approach vnto God both in Vnion and Communion with him Thirdly in regard of the Qualitie it is the sweetest commander of all our abilities Fourthly in regard of the Soueraigntie it giueth law to the whole man Fiftly in regard of the Efficacie it worketh the greatest effects Sixtly in regard of the Commoditie it hath the most precious promises Finally in regard of the Continuance it out-liueth all other graces for Charitie neuer faileth 1. Cor. 13.8 other graces doe not out-liue this mortall life No wonder then if S. 〈◊〉 call it a Supereminent way and in a comparison preferreth it before all gifts not only of Edification but of Adoption also 1. Cor. 13. And what is the vse of all this but to make vs see how little wee performe of this Commandement and how little cause wee haue to boast of the best that we doe therein Who is he that can denie that his abâ—lities are diuided and that he loueth more things then God yea most things more then God and those not only idle but euill things also And if wee cannot excuse our Diuision much lesse our Remissenesse the dayes are come which Christ foretold and the Charitie euen of the Church is growne key-cold yea euery one is come to
the onely reason why I must loue my selfe And this will lead vs to another note Christ saith that wee must loue our neighbour as our selfe but not for our selfe that were amor concupiscentiae but ours must bee amor amicitiae hee that loueth for himselfe ceaseth to loue 2. Cor. 12. if he cannot and when he doth not speed of his owne benefit but hee that can say with Saint Paul Quaero vos non vestra will say with him Idem I will loue you though the more I loue the lesse I am beloued Such loue is a stable loue like that of Booz towards Ruth whereof Naomi said the man will not be at rest vntill he hath finished the matter But yet obserue that though a man must loue his neighbour rather for his neighbours sake then for his owne that loueth him yet must hee not doe it so much for his neighbours sake as for Gods towards whom hee must bend all his neighbours loue as being the vpshot of humane felicitie This which I haue obserued in thesi or in generall concerning our neighbour must bee applyed in hypothesi and fitted to euery degree of neighbours Though they be knit together by naturall or ciuill obligations which yeeld reason of lower degrees of loue yet must not Christians rest there they must improue their loue vntil they haue brought it as high as this measure of grace Parents loue their children Gouernours those that are commited to their charge Citizens Friends loue each the other but whatsoeuer else causeth this loue wee loue them not as our selues except first hauing qualified our selues with the loue of God we qualifie them therewith also It is a question whether As bee a note of similitude or equality so that it is enough to loue our neighbour with such a loue as wee loue our selues though not with so great A needlesse question if Christs words bee vnderstood as I haue opened them If you take them in the first sense as the measure of our mutuall loue is dictated by the light of Nature there can be no doubt but the measure must be equall for how can I suppose my selfe in another mans state and him in mine and in reason deale any iot worse with him then I would haue him leale with me if the case were altered to scant the measure if it were but in the least graine is plaine philautie or corrupt loue of a mans selfe Take the measure in that sense which is dictated by Grace and that will admit no inequalitie of loue for should I loue the loue of God in any man lesse then I doe in my selfe that would sauour of enuy at the least if not implerie for I should haue an euill eye when God is good yea I should not as I ought take comfort in the highest aduancement of the honour of God The Scripture teacheth vs to doe farre otherwise A new Commandement giue I vnto you saith Christ that you loue one another as I haue loued you that you also loue one another Ioh 13. Now you know how Christ loued vs and gaue himselfe for vs forgetting as it were all the content that hee tooke in his owne Holines and Happines that he might promote ours Saint Iohn applies it to vs 1. Ioh. 3. Hereby perceiue we the loue of God because hee laid downe his life for vs and we ought to lay downe our liues for the Brethren Take an instance in Saint Paul Phil. 2. If I be offered vpon the sacrifice and seruice of your faith that is in working and increasing it I ioy and reioyce with you all for the same cause also doe you ioy and reioyce with mee Or if this instance doe not satisfie because that Saint Pauls death which hee wished was a martyrdome and though hee preferred the loue of the Brethren before his corporall life yet therein he manifested the greater loue to God for higher in his loue to God during this life a man cannot ascend then willingly to bee a Martyr to to seale Gods truth with his bloud and confirme the faith of the Church Rom 9. S. Paul hath another of a higher straine concerning the loue of our neighbour which be vtterth with a sad Preface testifying that hee is earnest and well aduised I say the truth in Christ I lie not my Conscience also bearing me witnesse in the Holy Ghost that I haue great heauines and continuall sorrow in my heart for I could wish that my selfe were accursed from Christ for my Brethren my Kinsmen according to the flesh Diuine brotherly Loue how dost thou transport the Apostle to whom Hell is not terrible nor the losse of Heauen grieuous so the Israelites might escape the one and obtaine the other And did hee not then loue them more then himselfe But might hee doe it and may wee imitate him herein Surely hee might without any offence to God testifie his wish because hee doth not contradict Gods decree which will not haue Holinesse vnhappie but supposing there were a posibility that a man hauing no sinne might bee subiected to those torments hee meanes that he could be contented to vndergoe euen the torments of Hell so the Israelites might haue the grace to belieue in Christ and to haue such a minde is no sinne but it bringeth Charitie to the highest pitch to which it can possibly be raised in a Creature Neither is there any reason why we may not imitate him herein seeing what was vertuous in him cannot be vicious in another man But indeed it is not to bee expected that our Charitie will euer fall into so heauenly an Ecstasis it is well if we come so farre as to loue our neighbour as our selfe although it is not improbably obserud by some vpon those passages which before I cited out of Saint Iohn that the Law which biddeth vs loue our Neighbour as our selfe could not teach perfect Charity because the Iewes being vnder age were not capable of so profound a doctrine and therefore Christ vnder the new Testament goeth farther with the Church being of ripe age and would haue Christians loue their neighbours more then themselves this is a new or Euangelicall Sicut Which being true Aquinas his conceipt followed by many Romanists must needs be false who teacheth that it is against nature moralitie and Charitie for a man to loue his neighbour more then himselfe except happily wee will distinguish betweene the inward affection and the outward action of Charitie the inward affection must be equall to all at least as great as to our selues but in outward action because it is impossible for vs to doe this good vnto all we must dispense it as farre as our abilitie will reach proportioning our indeauour according to the number and strictnesse of obligations whereby wee stand bound to persons for so is Pauls rule Galath 6. While we haue time let vs doe good to all men especially to those that are of the Houshold of faith and in
one thing more which I may not omit concerning the nature of Charitie and that is the Constancie thereof Loue is strong as death Iealousie is cruell as the graue Cant. chap 8. the coles thereof are coles of fire which hath a most vehement flame many waters cannot quench Loue neither can the flouds drowne it if a man would giue all the substance of his house for Loue it would be contemned Abhorret vera Charitas omnia distrahentia pereat qui inter nos dissidium volunt Wee must not bee like little children that loue to day and hate to morrow nec ita amare ut aliquando osuri manente bonitate non exigente superiore lege aut patriae aut religionis I haue competently opened vnto you the nature of Charitie But you must obserue that whereas there are two things in it the qualitie and the exercise thereof Bernard it is not the qualitie but the exercise that commeth vnder the commandement Vbicunque in Scriptura dilectio requiritur non tam extgitur dilectio affectus quam Charitas operis Gal. 5. Deut. 10. the qualitie is the gift of God for hee is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Charitatis efficax it is hee that maketh men to bee of one minde and circumciseth mens hearts that they may loue and Charitie is the fruit of the Spirit And the Spirit doth worke it in our hearts not only by mouing without qualifying them as Peter Lumbard erroniously thought hee improueth our Charitie too farre but the Loue of God is powred abroad into our hearts by the holy Spirit Expla 11 ad Carth. substantialis Charitas dat accidentalem as S. Bernard speaketh God which is Charitie giueth vnto man the gift of Charitie But when we haue receiued the gift of God wee must employ it wee must not receiue the grace of God in vaine As in nature so in grace wee haue our abilities for action and the Parable will tell vs what will bee our doome if wee hide our Talent But the Commandement is affirmatiue and therefore tenet semper but not ad semper wee must neuer be without a louing disposition yet are we not bound to manifest it but as occasion shal be offered vs. Yet must we take heed that we neither will nor do ought that is contrary vnto Charity You haue heard What is giuen in charge you must now heare to Whom this charge is giuen Thou shalt loue and this Thou is Israel so wee read in Moses Hearken O Israel Thou shalt loue Deut. 6. It is giuen then to the regenerate for Israel is a name of the Church of those that were in couenant with God and had in their flesh the seale thereof Without the Church is the Kingdome of Satan and where Satan raigneth there Satanisme that is hatred is there can bee no true Charitie Iohn 13.35 Christ telleth vs it is the badge of his followers By this shall all men know that you are my Disciples Cant 2 4. if yee loue one another In the Canticles it is called the Banner of the Church now you know that the Banner keepeth euery Souldier to his owne station and so strengtheneth the whole by euery ones good order And wee neuer breake our ranke in the Church militant and hazard the whole by our disorder but wee doe it through want of Charitie What is spoken to the whole Church euery member must take it to himselfe and vnderstand himselfe in the word Thou Saint Paul hath taught vs that hatred and Charitie distinguish carnall and spirituall men 1. Cor. 3. by Charitie Saint Iohn telleth vs it is knowne that wee are borne of God 1. Ioh. 3.10 Sola Charitas diuidit inter filios Regniaeterni Austin de Trinit silios perditionis saith Austin wee haue no assurance that wee shall bee Saints in heauen except wee entertaine the Communion of Saints on earth if in this life wee delight in hatred after this life wee shall bee ranged with those which are hatefull But whose charge is this who is hee that commands Thou shalt loue surely it is Gods charge hee layeth this commandement vpon his Church Doe you heare it and not wonder at it God is a Soueraigne Lord hee may giue what Lawes please him vnto the Creatures which hee hath made yet see how gracious hee is hee will lay no other charge vpon his Church then that which may bee performed by loue then which kind of command nihil facilius nihil foelicius none can bee more easie Chap. 38. c. none can be more happy nothing more easie for what difficultie can there bee in Loue If God should come vpon a man as he did vpon Iob and presse him to reueale all the secrets of the Creation and prouidence much more if hee should bid him open the mysteries of the Kingdome of Heauen hee might answere Alas Lord I am an ignorant man If hee should bid him build such a Temple as Salomons was and furnish it with so many instruments and ornaments of gold and of other precious stuffe hee might say alas Lord I am a poore man If hee should bid him goe and roote out all Infidels from the face of the earth hee might answere alas Lord I am a weake man And so to many like commandements hee might plead some excuse But when God saith Thou shalt loue no man hath any excuse to plead but the malignitie of his owne nature yea no man comes to Heauen that did not loue though many poore ignorant weak ones c. come there A poore man may loue as well as a rich an ignorant as a wise a weake as a strong especially seeing though Charitie consists of beneficentia aswell as beneuolentia good deeds aswell as good will yet there is a dispensation allowed for want of good deeds ◠Cor. 8. if a man haue a good will For hee is accepted according to that which hee hath not according to that which hee hath not So that although God hath dispensed his temporall blessings vnequally yet the spirituall he will haue common vnto all I meane those which are the Graces of Adoption amongst which Charitie is a chiefe one and by it though there be otherwise great distance betweene man and man yea the Creator and his Creature yet may they easily bee brought together Neither is Loue onely an easie worke in it selfe but also it doth facilitate other things our doing our suffering both are made easie by Charitie Let a man attempt any thing whereunto hee hath no minde and it groweth presently tedious but Loue takes away all bitternesse of paine It was a painfull life that Iacob liued vnder Laban as he sheweth in Genes Gen 29 vers 20. 31. yet the seauen yeares that hee serued for Rachel seemed to him but a few dayes for the loue that hee had vnto her The like we may obserue in all sorts of men that are affected with any kind of
can that haue then to entertaine God Iohn 14. If any Man loue me saith Christ my Father will loue him and we will come vnto him and make our abode with him and where Gods and Christs abode is there is the Kingdome of Heauen euen righteousnesse peace and ioy of the Holy Ghost The third is the Soule and whether doth the desire thereof runne but vnto God Psal 84. and where will it rest but only in him My soule longeth euen fainteth for the Courts of the Lord my heart and my flesh crieth out for the liuing God Blessed are they that dwell in thy house The sensitiue Soule that is on attendant vpon the Will what greater happinesse can it haue then to feed vpon the crummes that fall from that Table where God suppeth in the reasonable soule of man whereat nothing is serued but the bread the water the fruit the foode of life The last abilitie is our Strength Psal 84. and Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee O Lord they goe from strength to strength but whither Ibid. That euery one may appeare before God in Sion Dauid therefore had rather be a doore keeper in Gods House then to dwell in the tents of vngodlinesse and he giueth the reason for God giueth good wages to his seruants Ibid. The Lord is a Sunne and a shield hee will giue grace and glorie and no good thing will he withhold from them that walke vprightly Yea whereas in the seruice of others we cannot vse our strength but we weare it out It is not so in the seruice of God hee satisfieth thy mouth with good things Psal 103. so that thy youth is renewed like the Eagles Euen the youthes shall faint and be wearie and the young men shall vtterly fall But they that wait vpon the Lord shall renew their strength they shall mount vp their wings as Eagles they shall runne and not be wearie and they shall walke and not faint Isay 40. The longer a man serueth God the more able he will be to serue him So then that a man may loue himselfe he must loue God and hee that doth not loue God cannot Loue himselfe because by Loue he hath communion with God wherein standeth his happinesse and of this happinesse he doth defraud himselfe so farre as he commeth short in his Loue of God And indeed this is no small difference betweene God and the diuell The diuell in shew biddeth vs Loue our selues doe all for our selues and wee are so simple as to beleeue him and thinke that we doe so whereas the euent proues we doe all for him and to our owne ruine for he is the plaine Image of Vsurers who liue by the sweate of other mens browes and cunningly grow rich by vndoing others with a seeming reliefe But as for God his precepts bid vs renounce our selues giue our selues wholly vnto him but in the conclusion hee hath nothing we haue all According to the answere which the Father of the prodigall made to his murmuring eldest sonne who expostulated thus with him Loc these many yeeres doe I serue thee neither transgressed I at any time thy Commandements and yet thou neuer gauest me a Kid that I might make merrie with my friends Sonne said the Father thou art euer with me and all that I haue is thine Much more is this true of our heauenly Father who doth not desire to keepe vs busily and well employed for his owne thrift but for ours it is for our comfort and not for his owne Be not sad therefore O Christian Soule if he that made thee wholy will so wholy be beloued of thee as if he had left thee nothing wherewith to sollace by selfe for thou dost neuer loue thy selfe better neither euer shalt thou take greater content in thy selfe then when thou louest God with all thy heart with all thy soule with all thy mind and with all thy strength Thus at length we haue found out the second measure the measure of that Loue of our neighbour which is prescribed by Grace a man is here bid by louing God to loue himselfe that so louing himselfe he may know how to Loue his neighbour Because he that doth not Loue God cannot loue himselfe and so by consequent cannot Loue his neighbour Loue being so sanctified it is true which the Schooles haue Regula est prius regulato se prius quis diligere debet quam proximum Seeing then such is the Measure wherewith wee must Loue our selues we must keepe the Loue of our neighbour within the bounds of the Loue of God We must loue in him the loue of God if he haue it Psal 16. Mine eyes saith Dauid are vpon such as are faithfull in the land my delight is in thy Saints and such as excell in vertue and else-where describing a man that shall dwell in Gods Tabernacle and ascend into his holy Hill he saith Psal 15. that it is he in whose eyes a vile person is contemned but hee honoureth them that feare the Lord. When one told Christ that his mother and brethren stood without desiring to speake with him he answered and said to him that told it who is my mother And who are my brethren And stretch out his hand towards his Disciples saying Behold my mother and my brethren for whosoeuer shall doe the will of my father which is in Heauen he is my brother my sister and my mother If wee cannot loue our neighbour for that he is not yet seasoned with the Loue of God wee must loue him that hee may be so seasoned for so did Christ loue man not for that hee was but for that hee might bee the son of God Acts 28. and heyre of Heauen as himselfe was And Saint Paul when vpon a Sermon Agrippa told him thou hast almost perswaded me to bee a Christian I would saith hee that not onely thou but also all that heare me this day 1. Epistle 1. were both almost and altogether such as I am excepting these bonds And Saint Iohn That which wee haue seene and heard declare wee vnto you that ye also may haue fellowship with vs and our fellowship may be with the father and with his sonne Iesus Christ For this cause would not Saint Paul haue the beleiuing wife forsake the belieuing husband 1. Cor. 7. and Christ so loues his Spouse because all faire c. in the Canticles You see then that if we loue our neighbour wee must loue him propter Deum in regard of the loue of God And why because you must not loue your selues otherwise De Doct Christ lib. 1. cap. 22. Whereupon Saint Austin giueth this good note Siteipsum non propter teipsum diligere debes sed propter Deum non succenseat homo sieum diligas propter Deum If I make the loue of God the onely reason why I loue my neighbour my neighbour hath no cause to bee offended with me because I must make it
is the swiftnesse of the flight The Eagle flieth very high Prou. 23. Ier 49. whereupon many Prouerbs are grounded in Scripture And this high flight intimateth that the Israelites were carried aboue the reach of their enemies so that they could neither hinder nor hurt them Not that they were lifted vp in the aire but they were as safe as if they had beene because saith the Psalmist thou hast made the Lord the most high thy habitation Psal 91 â— there shall no euill befall thee Certainly the Cloud interposed betweene the Israelites and Egyptians would not suffer them to take any harme And indeed the children of God are very secure except it bee for their good their enemies shall neuer haue their will of them no more then the Egyptians had of the Israelites As the Eagle flieth high so doth hee flie swift also the Scripture groundeth many similies hereupon Iob 9.1 Sam. 1. and giueth vs to vnderstand that from the time that the Egyptians let the Israelites goe which was â—o soone as Moses had performed all the miracles intended of God for plaguing the Egyptians the Israelites had a very quicke passage And indeed it is a wonder that sixe hundred thousand men besides women and children and a rabble of strangers should in one night be readie and get out of their enemies land and that with all their impediments of stuffe and cattle and flockes Neither was it a lesse wonder that in one night they should all passe through the Red Sea and standing on the shoare the next morning see that all their enemies were destroyed Certainly they that made such speed were carried vpon Eagles wings it was a diuine power that conueyed them And how quickly doth God change the face of the world when he is pleased to worke a great deliuerance The Church of Christians is not herein inseriour to the Church of the Israelites For as the Israelites had a Dragon so Pharaoh is called Ezek. 29. from whom they fled euen so haue the Christians Reuel 12. And Eagles wings are there giuen to the woman the type of the Christian Church to slie into the wildernesse as the Israelites vpon Eagles wings were carried into their wildernesse So like is God alwayes to himselfe and the Church alwayes prouided for a like I may not forget the order of these words that worke which was first done is first commemorated and that which was last done is commemorated in the last place And why though God for sinne doth otherwise punish the wicked yet in this world he doth it commonly that hee may free his Church But I toucht at this before therefore I will passe it ouer and come to the end of both workes God brought them to himselfe And this is a greater blessing then that he carried them on Eagles wings that shewed a deliuerance from euill this a bestowing of good The Eagle doth sometimes carrie her young ones only from a dangerous vnto a safer nest sometimes shee rouseth them out of their sloth and directs them where they may find their prey Euen so dealeth God with his children hee freeth them from danger Luke 1. and bringeth them to comfort Hee bringeth them to himselfe to his seruice saith the one Chaldie Paraphrase to the doctrine of his Law saith another and indeed we are deliuered from our enemies that wee may serue God and liue according to his Lawes If there were no more in it it is a great comfort so to be imployed But there is more in it I told you that the end was a Couenant of wedlocke so that to my selfe is as much as to be appropriated vnto me and to be my Spouse to bee the Mother of my children and beare inheritors of the Kingdome of Heauen Any way to come neere God is a great honour but to come so neere and become so deare is more grace then mans heart can conceiue or his tongue vtter But the two next Sermons will bee spent for the most part in amplifying this therefore I will speake no more of it at this time You haue heard of both the workes One point remayneth which I will touch in a word Both these workes are vndeniable the proofe is Vos vidistis I appeale to your eyes whether I speake not a truth and your fresh experience doth iustifie my words Rationall proofes satisfie much but not so much as sensitiue therefore the intuitiue knowledge that Angels haue is farre more excellent then our discursiue and what is our hope but that our faith shall be turned into sight Neither doth sight worke so vpon our head only but vpon our heart also Segnius irritant animos dimissa per aures Quam quae sunt oculis commissa fidelibus had God done these things and they had only heard of them they would haue beene moued with them much lesse the more vndoubted their knowledge the more strong should their affections be Finally obserue that Vos vidistis you haue seene is referred not only to the worke of Mercie but also to that of Iustice wherein God doth condescend to an affection that is predominant in vs. It doth adde not a little to the content we take in our better estate if we see withall our enemies brought into our worser Psal 58. When the righteous seeth the vengeance he will reioyce and wash his feet in the bloud of the wicked Mal. 1. Your eyes saith God to the Iewes shall see the desolation of Edom and you shall say the Lord will be magnified from the border of Israel Luke 16. Lazarus in Abrahams bosome to his greater comfort seeth Diues burning in Hell Esay 66. And after the last judgement the Saints shall goe forth and see the carcasses of them that haue transgrest against God This doth not commend 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but allowes congratulating of Gods iudgements To conclude These two workes serue to worke two affections which sway much in the ordering of our life Feare and Loue. In the worke of Iustice you see that God is almightie there is no striuing with him hee that will not relent with repentance shall bee grinded with his vengeance In the worke of Mercie you see that God is bountifull Let vs not bee vnthankfull but let vs repay Loue with Loue. In a word seeing euery day God doth present such spectacles before our eyes God grant wee bee not like the Israelites of whom Moses complayneth that they were as if they had no eyes RAther he giue vs grace to make such vse of our eyes in beholding his workes that his Feare and his Loue may euer liue in our hearts So may hee euer manifest his Iustice for vs his Goodnesse to vs vntill hauing deliuered vs from all our enemies here on earth hee bring vs to himselfe to liue with him blessed for euer in Heauen AMEN The third Sermon EXODVS 19. VERS 5 6. Now therefore if yee will obey my voice indeed and keepe my Couenant then shall yee
promise Let vs come then to it The first Obseruation that I made vpon the reference of If and Then was this We may not exspect what God doth offer except we performe what God requires In conceiuing the mysterie of our Redemption we must obserue a double method of God the one according to which he resolu'd on it the other according to which he was pleased to communicate it If you looke vnto the first method that was first in Gods intention which was last in his execution he resolued first vpon the End to manifest his Mercie and Iustice in sauing a certaine number out of the Masse of perdition and leauing others to perish therein through their owne default and he made choice of and proportioned such meanes as in his wisedome might seeme fitest to compasse this End If we denie this we make Gods prouidence more indiscreete then is vsually that of well aduised men for in all their deliberations they begin at the end and according to the rule of wisedome Finis praescribit speciem mensuram mediorum they dispose all things answerable thereunto But as when men haue done their deliberations and giue order for their worke they prescribe first the meanes in their order and by those meanes will haue such as they imploy to compasse those Ends euen so doth God setting men in time on the way to their saluation wherevpon he was eternally resolued lead them first to the meanes without which it is not his pleasure they should euer come vnto their happie End These two methods must not be confounded the method of publishing the Gospell with the method of Gods making the first Decree thereof The Decree of sauing men did not runne the same way with the Decree of bringing men to saluation I would not obserue this darke point vnto you but that our English Anabaptists are become plaine Arminians as their Pamphlets shew which they scatter abroad to corrupt the people The ground of the errour of both as the learned may perceiue in ripping vp their discourses is the confounding of these different Decrees and Methods when they studie the mysterie of our saluation But let vs come to plaine matter God from the beginning though he were Lord of all and might at his pleasure giue Law to any yet hath he proceeded with his reasonable creatures by way of Couenant now a Couenant consisteth of mutuall stipulation or promise Gods to Vs and ours to God so runneth the Law Hoc fac viues to doe Gods will was to be our promise and Gods promise was to giue vs life so runneth the the Gospell Crede saluus eris we must yeeld Faith vnto God and God will bestow saluation vpon vs It is the first thing children learne in their Catechisme as they are taught that by Baptisme they are made children of God members of Christ and heires of the Kingdome of heauen so likewise are they taught that by their suerties they haue vowed to renounce the diuell and all his workes the pompe and vanities of this wicked world to beleeue the Articles of the Creed and keepe Gods holy Commandements There is then a mutuall conditioning betweene God and man man with God so Iacob Genes 28. which is generally to be obserued in all votiue Prayers God with man here and elswhere Deut. 28. And yet we may not mistake for there is great odds betweene these Conditionings for when God conditioneth with man hee asketh nothing but what was due to him before all the obedience wee can performe is due by our natiue allegeance the allegeance which a Creature oweth to his Creatour but we in our conditioning with God may not desire ought of God which he hath not first promised for no Creature may carue to himselfe hee must be contented with that which God will vouchsafe him and whatsoeuer he offers vnto vs is such as whereunto we haue otherwise no right Adde hereunto that we may bee sure of God that what he offers he will performe for with God there is no variablenesse nor shadow of change Scio cui crediderim Iam. 1. But he cannot bee so sure of vs Omnis homo mendax we neuer abide stedfast in our Couenant But Gods conditioning with vs I must open vnto you a little more fully Know then that though what God requires wee must performe yet performe it out of our owne strength we cannot originall sinne hath dâ—â—inabled vs and by adding actuall vnto it wee are made lesse able though in regard of their natural gifts there is inequalitie betweene men yet a bono caelesti omnes aequè auersi nisi discriminet gratia God requires that we should heare his voice 1 Cor. 2.14 beleeue in him but a naturall man cannot perceiue the things of God yea hee will winke with his eyes and stop his eares least â—ee should see and heare returne and bee saued God requires that we keepe his Couenant 〈◊〉 8. but the wisedome of the flesh is enmitie against God it is not it cannot be subiect to his Law Yea so impotently are we giuen to spirituall fornication that though God graciously wooe Vs yet gracelesly we reiect him Thereis no remedie then but the condition which God requires on our part must remaine vnperformed except he giue vs grace wherewith to performe it he must giue vs supernaturall power to performe this supernaturall worke 1. Cor 47 Quis te discernit Quid habes quod non accepisti He biddeth vs heare his voice beleeue in him whereas faith is his gift he must purifie our hearts by faith He biddeth vs keepe his Couenant and loue him but Charitie is a fruit of the Spirit Acts 1â— and this fire must be kindled from heauen God must circumcise our hearts and make vs keepe his lawes Dat non tantum nouas reuelationes sâ—d bonas voluntates for no man can come to the Sonne except the Father draw him Ex nolente faciens volentem as saith Saint Austin But if God giue that which we must giue to God how is the worke ours Surely thus though God giue the abilitie yet hee will haue vs make vse of it vse the eye of faith which he doth illighten and so obey his voice vse the Charitie wherewith he doth seasen our hearts and set our affections vpon him let it be our chiefest care to hold fast vnto him if we doe so we shall be reputed performers of the condition for grace doth not take away the libertie of our will though it giues new qualities working vpon it not onely Physically but morally also Yet here againe remember that we need a second grace that we may make vse of the first for our vnderstanding though enlightned may bee circumuented with Sophistrie and our will may bee transported with vanitie euen after God hath sanctified it though otherwise the Will doth tend naturally to good when it is sanctified as the vnderstanding to truth It is cleare in Adam and Eues case
carried towards heauen and heauenly things while our thoughts doe so stoope wee approach that fire of which Saint Iames speakes that it setteth the tongue on fire and wee may well say that the whole frame of nature is set on fire thereby so set on fire that it is melted so melted that it is dissolued There is a threefold band 1. betweene GOD and Man 2. betweene superiours and inferiours 3. betweene those that are equals In those that come neare this fire they are melted all there continueth no communion betweene God and vs for want of piâ—tie no communion betweene superiours and inferiours neyther respects the other as it ought nor any commerce between equals each doth endeauour to deuour the other But to open this a little plainer From our bodie naturall wee must learne what an euill this melting is in the bodie politicke In the bodie naturall if a ioynt bee dissolued wee finde a double euill the part groweth weake in it selfe and troublessome to the neighbour parts as you may see in an arme out of ioynt it is weake it selfe and a burthen vnto the next part whereupon it resteth beeing not able to sustaine it selfe the same falleth out in the policique melting Men through disorder grow weake themselues and they are troublesome to others weake they are though their lusts bee strong because that strength is not of the man who should bee a reasonable creature but it is of a beast of the sensuall part of a man Hee that rideth a fierce horse let the horse keepe what pace hee will so long as the rider commandes him by the bridle wee say hee rides strongly but if the horse get the bit in his mouth and runne away the faster his pace the weaker the rider because hee cannot checke him Our affections are as that fierce horse and our reason should bee as a strong bridle stirre they neuer so much if reason commaund wee are strong but if reason haue no power and they runne loose then certainely the more violent they are the weaker are wee Wee speake significantly when wee say that a man transported by his passions is an impotent man and wee therein imitate the phrase of GOD himselfe who by the Prophet reproouing Iudah for her vnsatiable spirituall fornication saith How weake is thy heart Drunkards and murtherers adulterers and all kinde of dissolute liuers thinke themselues very stronge because they haue their full forthe in sinne but let them not deceiue themselues they are melted they are dissolued this is but a weakenesse they haue lost that strength not onely wherewith God created them vnto vertue but euen that strength wherewith humane policie doth strengthen them vnto ciuill societie they are vnprofitable therefore But that is not all the euill A member out of ioynt is not only vnseruiceable it selfe but also painefull to the other partes And whosoeuer groweth disordered as hee weakeneth himselfe so is hee mischieuous to others adulterers to other mens wiues murtherers to their persons robbers to their goods slanderers to their good name it is the condition of all sins they disorder policies That which I obserue vnto Iudges herein is that they should not onely take notice of the facts vpon which they sit Iudges but to stirre vp in themselues the zeale of iustice should diligently consider these two things which cleaue vnto euery such fact the weakenesse and the annoyance of the malefactour hee is not what hee should bee seruiceable to the State and what hee should not bee hee is mischieuous vnto others So much is implyed when hee is said to bee dissolued But let vs see of whom this melting or dissoluing is affirmed The earth and all the inhabitants thereof are dissolued Some take these words according to the figure 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and resolue them thus All the inhabitants of the earth are dissolued as if the melting and dissoluing did concerne onely the persons yea and point out also such persons as are apt to bee dissolued namely those that haue their thoughts and affections grouelling vpon the earth We haue a distinction in Saint Paul of the two ADAMS The first was of earth earthly the second was the Lord from Heauen as is the earthly so are they that are earthly and as is the heauenly so are they that are heauenly 1. Corinth 15. they are so in this that the earthly is easily dissolued but the heauenly is not if wee did set our affections on things aboue and not on things below if wee had our conuersation in Heauen and would bee though in the world yet not of it wee neede not feare melting wee should not bee dissolued but while wee grow more like the old Adam than the new while wee set our affections on things below and sauour onely the things of earth no wonder if wee melt if wee bee dissolued The Admonition for vs all is to keepe vs to the example of CHRIST yea to let CHRIST liue in vs let our hearts bee possessed with the loue of Heauen and Heauenly things so shall wee not proue melting or disordered members of the State But the words may bee taken as they lye in my Text and the dissoluing may bee applyed no lesse to the earth than to the inhabitants thereof both may bee dissolued both may melt But then wee must obserue a distinction There is a penall and there is a sinnefull melting the earth is subiect to a penall but the sinnefull is that whereunto men onely are subiect and being subiect thereunto cause the earth to bee subiect to the other A fruitfull land may become barren and a healthy Countrey become contagious yea a Countrey that is like the Garden of GOD as Sodome was may become a salt a dead Sea as Sodome is which is the penall melting or dissoluing thereof But this befalleth not except the people sinne and the crye of their sinne come vp vnto God Maledicta terra propter te hath a constant truth there is neuer any penall melting where a sinnefull melting hath not gone before The Vse that I would make hereof is That when wee see plagues wee should thereby bee put in minde of sinnes the Magistrate should bestirre himselfe thereabout especially hee should inquire after crying sinnes GOD taught this lesson to Ioshua when the Israelites fled before the men of Ai Ioshua rent his clothes and fell to his prayers and so did others with him a good worke you would thinke in such a case to deprecate the wrath of GOD but GOD telleth Ioshua that he should intend another worke Vp saith hee what makest thou here Israel hath sinned therefore they cannot stand before their enemies Goe thou and correct that sinne and that sinne was but the sinne of one how much more must hee doe it if as in the Text All the inhabitants bee dissolued The more sinners the more speed must the Magistrate make and there can be no more than All. But All may bee vnderstood eyther of singula
hath liued a thousand yeares for he is readie for God and the longest time of our Pilgrimage if it be Methusalems age it can but make vs readie I will then enquire not how many dayes I haue spent but how much I haue profited profited in the waies of God And I haue profited so farre as to acknowledge that of my selfe I am but an vnprofitable seruant what I should I cannot doe but I doe that which I should not so that if I guesse at my readinesse by mine owne worth I am most vnreadie But I haue another valuation by my being in Christ my faith is stedfast in him my Hope hath cast an anchor in Heauen I feare not Gods iudgement against which my faith doth hearten mee I expect a Kingdome which my Hope doth promise mee And as for my loue though the world doth wooe me and my flesh doth often yeild to dally there with yet hath it none to whom it is deuoted with whom it is contented in comparison of God And what greater readinesse can I desire my Audit is made my arrerage paid I haue a Quietus est why doe I feare to come to my triall Nay the bargaine is made Heauen is purchased for mee I haue the Conueyance why doe I stay from taking possession Am I so senslesse as to affect the worse that am offered the better shall I dote vpon this house of clay my youth maketh it seeme better then clay though indeed it is no better a glased pitcher notwithstanding the lustre is but a pitcher and the verdure of youth is but a glosse set vpon a lumpe of earth cunningly wrought by the hand of the Potter age that weareth that glosse will discouer this clay And why should I murmure at God that is pleased to let me see quickly what in time I must needs see That I am brickle Neither am I onely brickle but the world is fraile also and all the things of this life whatsoeuer they promise they performe no perpetuitie to me Seing then sooner or later the world must leaue me and I must leaue the world let me leaue it rather sooner then later the lesse acquaintance the lesse griefe at the parting and indeed the longer I liue the more vnwilling shall I be to dye Now peraduenture I leaue behind me a father and a mother and leaue griefe vnto them for the losse of a child but I cannot so feelingly grieue as they when I depart from my parents because loue descendeth more then it ascendeth If I liue I may marrie and marriage doubleth the bitternesse of death when they that of two became one by death of one are made two againe And if God blesse me with posteritie how much more vnwilling shall I bee to die How hardly shall I indure to be rent from mine owne bowels I say nothing to the common infirmitie of Age which seemeth to haue appropriated vnto it selfe couetousnesse and who knoweth not how hardly the loue of money and death consort together But these are the weakest holdfasts that the world hath on me there are much stronger the hookes of sinne which where they catch so fasten euen vpon the Will which is in it selfe most free that it maketh men desire rather to bee slaues vnto Pharoah so they may feed on the flesh pots of Aegypt then to endure the difficult passage into Canaan though when they come there they shall be Princes of a land which floweth with milke and honie God then that knoweth what may alter me and of readie make me vnreadie dealeth more mercifully with me hee preuenteh that euill that might stay me from him and hauing prepared me calleth me vnto him Lord all seasons are in thy hand and thou hast appointed vnto me this season I blesse thee for it I submit my selfe to it if I bee ripe in thy Iudgement gather me though in mine owne Iudgement I am greene And thou which feest that although I now stand yet I may fall least I fall take me whilst I stand It doth not grieue me I am most willing to change earth for heauen to haue those windowes of my senses all broken downe that my Soule may be at libertie hauing no agent for the world to sollicite me from God I shall more freely more fully giue my selfe vnto him my vnderstanding to know him my heart to loue him and more shall I learne in one daies sight of God then in many thousand yeares I could haue gathered out of the Glasse of the world or Riddle of the Scripture And how base spectators are men on earth in comparison of the Saints in heauen who shall witnesse my seruice and behold my glorie Doe I loue my Parents I goe to better my best Father is in heauen and my best Mother is Hierusalem aboue the ioy that I foretaste for seeing them maketh me insensible of the heauie farewell I take of these I am not moued with their wealth which they haue stored vp for me and the land which they haue purchased is as nothing in mine eyes I shall haue a more induring substance a lot is fallen vnto me in a more pleasant place I haue a more goodly Heritage And why The Lord is the portion of mine Inheritance and of my cup the Lord maintaines my lot Lord then teach me so to number my daies that I may measure them by righteousnesse and let me so interpret this thy summons by death as a warning to take shelter before a storme Hasten me on by grace that I be not long on my way to heauen and in my way lest I decline shorten more and more my passage so shall I be as willing in this morning of my age as I should be in the euening thereof to change my state and come to thee to passe from earth to heauen * ⎠* The old Mans Meditation PSALME 91. VER 16. With long life will J satisfie him and shew him my saluation EVerie man if a child of God is a double man and so leadeth a double life and longeth for a double good a corporall a spirituall that hee may hold out long in regard of the life of nature and withall be ponest of the life of grace Thus doubly happie would euerie one be but it is not the portion of euerie one Many haue shortned either the one life or the other if they haue liued vnto God their dayes in the world haue beene but few and of those which haue liued many dayes in the world how few of them haue they liued to God O my Soule then how blest art thou whom God hath blessed both wayes Blest thee in thy naturall life thou art growne till thou art ripe blest thee in thy spirituall life thy eyes haue seene the saluation of God The greatest blessing that God bestoweth vpon earth he hath bestowed on thee thou hast experienced the truth of the Apostles speech Pietie hath the promise of this life and of that which is to come For this life God
other Fathers tell vs that the particle vt noteth not Causam but Consecutionem not the end but the euent of sin I called it a supernaturall Euent An Euent is that which followeth vpon a former thing Accidentally though naturally it cannot flow from it Sinne is destructiue of good and therefore cannot aduance the Prayse of God wee see it in euery particular for what are they but breaches of that Law in the performance where of standeth Gods honour But what neede I vse any proofe I the last Sabaoth day shewed you that Impiety is one of the Natural properties of sinne It cannot be expected then that so great a good should naturally spring therfrom as is the the Praise of God Therefore though old impure Hereticks and the latter Familists that turne the grace of God into wantonnesse that vse Christian Liberty as a cloake of their Maliciousnesse that hold let vs doe ill that good may come thereof blaspheme Gods holy Truth Row 3.8 and their Condemnation is iust no man may pretend a good intent for his doing ill nor compasse a good end by ill meanes except he meane to goe for a Libertine But though Gods Prayse doe not naturally flow from sinne and so be the proper end thereof yet an Euent it may bee and follow thereupon But this Euent cannot be Naturall for the Creature that is mutable may ruine it selfe of it selfe and of it selfe dishonor God but hauing ruined it selfe and dishonored him it cannot of it selfe repaire either its owne state or His honour it is onely God can doe this this is a worke of diuine prouidence it doth exercise al the Branches therof Gods Wisdome to contriue it Gods Goodnes to affect it and finally it cannot be effected without his power The mixture of the Law and the Gospell is such a secret of Gods wisdome as could neuer haue entred into the heart of a creature that the fall of man should be foelix culpa produce a more glorious raising of him who could euer haue dreamd or to keepe my selfe to my text may not we all stand amazed when we read that such a son as Solomon should be born of Bathsheba with whom K. Dauid had committed so foule an offence But as we must admire Gods wisdome in such works so must we much more his goodnes that testifieth his loue to sinfull man in being willing that his wisdome shall yeeld such remedy to mans distresse But God is pleased to let the world see in the freedom of his loue quod dare non dignis res mage digna Deo such goodnes can be found no where out of God Finally the power of God shined herein which was to encounter with so many difficulties we hold God omnipotēt because he made heauen earth of nothing but the Fathers hold that the restitution is a greater worke then the creation if the former need an omnipotent power much more the later The reason is because as there was nothing to help so there was nothing to hinder in the creation but in the restitution God was encountred ab intra ab extra frō within and from without From within by his own Iustice he was faine to ouermaster it with his Mercy from without by the powers of darknes who stroue to keep possession of man yea by mans own peruersenes who is too willingly a slaue to sin Satan Gene. 50. but of Satans Temptation we may vse the words of Ioseph to his Brethren Vos cogitastis malè Deus autem bene Ye thought euill against vs but God meant it vnto good and concerning our owne peruersenes wee may vse the words of the Psalme As a Father pitieth his Children Psal 103. so the Lord pitieth vs marke the reason for he knoweth our frailty he remembreth that we are but dust It is God only God that can cause such Euents And miserable were the state of the world if he did not cause them for else the Church had long since come to nothing How quickly had Adam dissolued the Couenant and when God had restored it by such a supernaturall Euent the Sonnes of God dissolued it againe God was faine to redouble the Euentin Noah in his posterity it fayled the third time and a third time was God faine to renew the Euent in Abraham And thus hath it gon on in all ages of the world God hath bin faine to shew that the Infidelity of Man cannot euacuate the fidelity of God that hee will be true though all the world be liars Rom. 3.4 2. Cor. 4.6 that hee can draw light out of darkenesse when darkenesse hath extinguished Light Such is his Omniscient Wisedome and Omnipotent Goodnesse The ground of all which proceeding is the freedome of Gods loue that had no Cause without him when it first began it is continued by no Cause besides himselfe for those duties the performance whereof doe seeme to entertaine Gods Loue what are they but the influences of his free Grace Wherefore I conclude with Saint Bernard Maior est Dei pietas quam quaeuis iniquitas or rather with Gods own words Ego Deus et non mutor I am the Lord which change not Malac. 3.6 therefore you Sonnes of Iacob are not consumed it is of the Lords morcy that we are not consumed Iament 3 2◠because his Compassions faile not they are renewed euery morning great is thy faithfulnesse the same God that told Noah Gen. 8. I will not againe curse the ground for Mans sake and giueth this for a reason for the Imagination of Mans Heart is euill from his youth doth implie that we must seeke for the cause of this strange Euent not on Earth but in Heauen wee must hold it to bee not an Earthly but an Heauenly Euent and so to be not Naturall but Supernaturall as at first I told you And this refutes all Manichees who dreame of two Gods a Good and a Bad and will haue the Good only to intermeddle with things that are good and the Bad with the things that are bad but here we may learne that there is but one God and that one God is good though good yet intermedling with that which is bad intermedling with it out of bad to draw that which is good and so to make it matter of his Glory for Malum non quâ malum sed quâ ordinatum as Saint Austin teacheth cedit in Gloriam Dei In Enchyr. And so haue I opened vnto you the meaning of this Text so farre as I finde it in this Psalme that is in Hypothesi applied to King Dauids Case And there is no doubt but King Dauid in speaking of them had an Eye to himselfe and in reference to himselfe did penitentially vtter them But Saint Paul hath taught vs in the Epistle to the Romans to turne this Hypothesis into a Thesis Chap. 3. and apply this Text to the whole Church And indeed if you remember that I told you
that feared the Lord spake often one to another and the Lord hearkened and heard it and there was a booke of remembrance written before him for them that feared the Lord and thought vpon his name And that the bad pathes of men are also recorded Vers 4. wee read Deut 3. where God hauing reckoned vp diuers enormous sinnes speaketh passionately thus Is not this laid vp in store with mee and sealed vp amongst my treasures he alludeth to the manner of Kings whose Records were kept in their Treasure-houses as you may gather out of Ezra Cap. 5.17 where the Roles are said to bee kept where the treasures were laid vp in Babylon The vse of this note is made by the Wise man Cap. 1. Beware of murmuring which is vnprofitable refraine from backbiting we may adde from all manner of sin for there is no word so secret that shall goe for nought yea inquisition shall be made into the very thoughts of the vngodly God keepeth an exact Record of all These two acts of Gods Prouidence refute two Athiesticall Positions The first is their Tush Iob. 22.13.14 God seeth not is there vnderstanding in the Highest Eliphaz in Iob expresseth it most elegantly How doth God know can hee iudge through the darke clouds thicke clouds are a couering to him that hee seeth not hee walketh in the circuit of Heauen so would they put out but cannot that al-seeing Eye which they blaspheme The second Position refuted is Tush God careth not suppose that he seeth yet he careth not for the things below he leaueth euery man to shift for himselfe and they think that the memory of their liues doth not out-liue their breath they feare no reckoning so they blaspheme Gods all-recording Hand we shall doe well by acknowledgement of these two branches of Gods Prouidence to auoid these two rockes whereat many old I feare me new Atheists also doe dayly suffer shipwracke Hauing thus farre opened vnto you what is implyed in my Text I come now to open that which is exprest therein I told you it is Indulgence and touching it I obserued first the suit that is made for it wherin you may see that Dauid doth make the branches of his petition answerable to the branches of Gods Prouidence The first branch thereof is God seeth all and answerably to that doth King Dauid pray that God would hide his face and no maruell for God is a God of pure eyes Cap. 1.13 as Habakuk speaketh and can abide no iniquity therefore in whomsoeuer there is the conscience of sinne there must needs arise feare and shame when such a party is presented before God feare for his eyes are as flames of fire and sinners are but as dry stubble Moses in a penitentiall representation of the calamity of the Israelites in the Wildernesse Psal 90.8 Cap. 16.17.18 layeth this for the ground of it Thou hast set our iniquities before thee our secret sinnes in the light of thy countenance and in Ieremy thus speaketh the God of Israel Mine eyes are vpon all their wayes they are not hid from my face neither is their iniquity hid from mine eyes what followeth I will recompence their iniquity and their sinne double because they haue defiled my land c. reade the like Amos Cap. 8. Vers 7. The Lord hath sworne by the excellencie of Iacob c. And the Imprecation against Iudas is fearefull Psal 109.14 Let the iniquitie of his fathers bee remembred of the Lord c. As feare so also shame ariseth wee learne it of the same Prophet Ieremy by whom the Lord saith thus vnto Israel Cap. 2.22 Vers 26. Thy sinne is marked before mee c. hee addeth As the thiefe is ashamed when hee is found so is the house of Israel ashamed And indeed shame is an inseparable companion of the conscience of sin when it is arraigned before a Iudge wee see how Malefactors hang downe their heads and Children blush when they are taken in a fault seeing then there is such feare such shame that ariseth from our guiltinesse appearing before Gods eyes we cannot wonder that K. Dauid in his first desire doth deprecate the first act of Gods Prouidence and would haue him hide is face that so hee might stand boldly and cheerefully before God His second desire respects the second act of Gods Prouidence Deus notat omnia God keepeth a Record of all Dauid therefore desireth that God would raze his booke To open this desire wee must obserue that in the Scripture there is mention made of foure bookes which keepe the Records of finne The first is Gods Memory that is the most exact booke all things with all their circumstances are precisely set downe therein it is the expresse Image of his Omnisciencie of that booke I haue said enough before Lest the truth of that booke should be questioned God hath prouided three other bookes that are without exception which will iustifie his Record against the most wrangling sinner The first is our owne Conscience which shall accuse or excuse in the day when God shall iudge the secrets of men by Iesus Christ It is of this booke that Ieremy speaketh Rom. 2.16 The sinne of Iuda is written with a pen of iron Cap. 17.1 and with the point of a diamond it is grauen vpon the table of their heart by the Heart meaning the Conscience 1 〈◊〉 3.20 21. as Saint Iohn doth where withall he aduertiseth vs that this record in our bosome beareth witnesse to the record that is in Heauen If saith he our heart condemne vs God is greater then our heart and knoweth all things but God is not contented with one witnesse he hath a second and him without exception also that is our Bodies and Soules they euerie one retaine the staine of sinne when the act is past and gone and from this staine euery part and power receiues a new name our throates are called open sepulchres 〈◊〉 2.13 〈◊〉 2. 〈◊〉 ◠〈◊〉 30.3 〈◊〉 18. our lips poysonous Aspes our eyes are said to bee full of adulterie our hands bloudie our feete mischieuous our vnderstanding darknesse our Will peruersnesse finally our affections nothing else but impuritie A sinfull man is a spirituall Lazar and the leprosie wherwith he shall appeare will vndeniably proue what a life he hath led To these two God adds yet a third witnesse and that is a third Record The creatures which we abuse in sinning shall beare witnesse when wee are challenged for our sinne Cap. 17.1 The hornes of the altar saith Ieremit shall beare ingrauen the sinne of Israel The stones shall erie out of the wall and the beame out of the timber shall answere it Cap. 2.11 Cap. 5.3 saith Habakkuk your Gold and siluer is cankered saith Saint Iames and the rust of them shall witnesse against you nothing that we abuse be it meate drinke apparell goods or lands but retaines a stampe of our abuse it is
there is neuer a particle that I haue insisted vpon that is not fit to augment the grieuousnesse of the iudgement the iudgement which casteth a sinner out of the presence of God I should here take leaue of this point but that I cannot leaue out a good note of Cassiodores Cuius faciem timet eius faciem inuocat a strange thing two verses before he prayed Hide thy face c. and here he prayeth Cast me not out from thy presence hath the King forgot doth he contradict himselfe by no meanes marke his words and see a difference in the things wherof he speaketh Russinus the same difference which before I obserued out of Ruffinus when hee prayeth Hide thy face he limited his petition to his sinnes but here hee commeth to speake of his person and conceiueth a contrarie prayer Hide not thy face from me we must euer pray that our selues may be still in Gods gracious eye and we must pray also that his reuengefull eye be neuer on our sinnes I haue done describing the first punishment which is the Reiection I come now to the second which is the Depriuation And here wee must obserue first whereof we are depriued of the holy spirit and what is that that which maketh all Saints All Saints day this very day is a sacred memoriall of the gift If I said no more you might reasonably conceiue it but it is sit I speake more happily you will vnderstand the day better The Holy spirit as I told you is Gods Liuerie his Cognizance Iohn 14.16 none haue it but they that are his Christ tels vs so I will pray the Father and hee shall giue you another Comforter euen the spirit of Truth whom the World cannot receiue because it seeth him not neither knoweth him but yee know him for he dwelleth in you and shall be in you But to what end there are two principall vses of the Holy spirits inhabitation he is vnto vs the Oracle of God leading vnto all truth without whom we cannot perceiue the things of God yea they will be foolishnesse vnto vs but if we haue him 1 Ioh. cap. â— 1. Cor. 2. wee haue an vnction that will teach vs all things yea we can search the deepe things of God King Dauid had him in a double sort an Ordinarie vnuailing his eyes that hee might see the wonderfull things of Gods Law an Extraordinarie illightning him to fore-tell secrets of the Kingdome of Christ which were then yet to come The Chaldee Paraphrase and many of the Fathers vnderstand the holy spirit in this later sense for the Spirit of prophesie That is true which they say but it is not enough King Dauid had also the spirit of adoption and he doth not forget that in his prayer against depriuation Yea he must be thought principally to ayme at that for by the other gift wee may serue God on earth but without this we shall neuer goe to Heauen for so saith Christ Mat. 7.24 Many shall say in the last day haue we not prophecied in thy Name but they shall be answered depart from me you workers of iniquitie I know you not Therefore no doubt but King Dauid had an eye to that oracle which wrought in him a sauing faith and did as wee must feare to be depriued of that As the Holy spirit is an heauenly oracle in our Heads so in our Hearts it is an heauenly fire God who instituted sacrifices to be offered by the Church would haue them offered with no other fire but that which should be sent by him from Heauen yea the vsing of strange fire was capitall as appeares by the storie of Nadab and Abthu That type doth informe vs of a greater truth it teacheth vs wherewith spirituall sacrifices must be offered vnto God The first sacrifice spirituall must be a patterne to all the rest Christ by his eternall Spirit offered himselfe vnto God wherewith his propitiatorie therewith must our Eucharisticals be offered Saint Iude speaketh it plainely we must pray in the Holy Ghost The gift you see what it is but you doe not yet fully see what is the worth of it that I gathered out of tuus it is not onely a holy spirit but also the spirit of Gods holinesse or Gods holy spirit Our soule in vs is a spirit and we loue it so well that Sathan said not vntruely skinne for skin and all that euer a man hath will he giue for his life the Angels are yet better spirits 2 Pet cap. 2. higher in dignitie then Men their titles as Saint Peter affirmes confirme it Psal 103. and the Psalmist saith that they exceede in Power and we haue reason to respect them because they pitch their Tents about vs Psal 91. yea God hath giuen a charge vnto them ouer vs to carrie vs in their hands that we dash not our feete against a stone But there is a spirit beyond both these euen the spirit of spirits without whom the former cannot bee and from whom they receiue whatsoeuer good they haue hee is the fountaine of being and wel-being to them both If wee loue our owne soules and the safegard of Angels be deare vnto vs how should we loue Gods holy spirit that is so farre beyond them in infinitenesse of power and excellencie of being yea without whom they cannot be nor stirre without his command The phrase doth not onely import that the Spirit is Gods but also that it is the spirit of that which is most desireable in God that is his Holinesse which doth much improue the gift when the liuerie that it giueth vs and whereby he would haue vs knowne to be his doth make vs partakers of this Diuine attribute wherein to resemble him should bee the highest ambition of a reasonable soule But I will not wade farther in vnfolding the gift what hath beene said is able to make vs sensible of their losse that are depriued thereof especially when I shall haue added thereunto the Manner of losing which I called a depriuation The word is rendered vulgarly take not away But this taking away hath two remarkable things in it it is a taking backe of that which was giuen and a leauing vs not so much as any relique of the gift In regard of the first some render it Ne recipiaâ— take not home againe in regard of the other Ne spolies strip mee not altogether so the Arabicke I will touch a little at both of them First at the Taking backe Hee that loseth what good he had is much more sensible of the losse then if hee neuer had it hee that was borne sickly and hath a long time languished in a disease is not so much pained as hee that being healthy and strong is shaken with a feauer or tortured with some ache Pouerty and disgrace are more bitter heart-breakes to them that haue liued in plenty and honour then they can bee to him who was neuer of better condition then a begger or
when two or three are gathered together in my name I am a mongst them Wee pray that wee may receiue grace and when wee haue receiued grace what temaineth but that we giue glorieâ— and wee shall giue glorie as we receiued grace imperfectly here on earth because our grace is imperfect but when our grace is perfect then shall wee giue glorie perfectly to God in the Kingdome of Heauen and of that glory which is giuen in the Church Triumphant doe many of the Fathers vnderstand this place Finally marke a blessed accord betweene Gods acceptance and mans thankfulnesse it is an vncomfortable thing to serue and not to be regarded but if any thing will encourage it is this Math. 25. that we shall heare Euge serue bone well done seruant faithfull and true enter into thy Masters ioy Wherefore let vs hearten our selues that God will accept and knowing that let vs doe our best to please I am come to the end of of my Text and withall to the end of the Psalme but God forbid your profit should end with my paines S. Austin thought that euery man should sing ouer this Psalme euery day and act a penitent as King Dauid did And indeed which of vs may presume better of himselfe then King Dauid had cause and who may not desire if he be so bad to speed as well as King Dauid did Hee began at Miserere fell as low in his humiliation as a mortall man can doe but you see how hee endeth his humiliation was not so low but his exaltation was as high and his ioy proued as great as euer his sorrow was It is a witty obseruation which Saint Ambrose hath hee maketh this Psalme a Psalme of Iubile hee gathers his note from the number In the Septuagint which most of the Ancients follow this is accounted the fiftieth Psalme therefore doth that Father parallel it to the fiftieth yeare The fiftieth yeare was the yeare of Iubile to the Israelites wherein all debts were released bondslaues were set at liberty and hee that had sold it was repossest againe of his Inheritance And doth not that befall a man spiritually if he be penitent which the Israelites enioyed corporally yea verily He that was by sinne a slaue vnto Sathan by repentance is mad a free-man of God vpon our repentance are all our debt-obligations cancelled which wee haue either inherited or contracted Finally it returnes vs againe to Paradise out of which wee were cast for sinne a blessed comfort of Repentance and therfore a blessed vse may we make of this Psalme the Contents whereof is this vertue of Repentance And what can I wish you yea and my selfe also but that from the misery of sinners wee may ascend to to the glory of Saints and WEe thy humble Seruants beseech thee our Lord Iesu Christ Hieroms Prayer that thou wilt be indulgent to our grieuous sinnes and grant that being humbled by true contrition of heart and hauing mortified all our corrupt lusts we may be prepared as an acceptable Holocaust vn to thee and with the Angels sing for euer Haleluiah Haleluiah So the Arabiâ— ends this Psalme Haleluiah in the Kingdome of Heauen 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 NINE SERMONS On the two and twentith CHAPTER of the Gospell according to S. MATHEW The 34 35 36 37 38 39 40. VERSES BY The Right Reuerend Father in God ARTHVRE LAKE late Bishop of that See LONDON Printed by W. S. for Nathaniel Butter 1629. NINE SERMONS ON THE TWO AND TWENTITH Chapter of the Gospell according to Saint MATTHEW the 34 35 36 37 38 39 40. VERSES THE TEXT 34. But when the Pharisees had heard that Iesus had put the Sadduces to silence they were gathered together 35. Then one of them which was a Lawyer asked him a Question tempting him and saying 36. Master What is the great Commandement 37. Iesus said vnto him Thou shalt Loue the Lord thy God with all thy Heart and with all thy Soule and with all thy Minde c. The first Sermon NO sooner had I ended the Doctrine of Repentance which I set before you in the example of King Dauid but it came into my mind that the next way to perswade any man to follow it was to teach him how he might best bee acquainted with his owne state For though it be true that euery man that knoweth himselfe to bee guiltie doth not repent yet it is as true that no man doth repent except he know himselfe to bee guiltie Now the Apostles rule is Rom 7 verâ—â— Iam. 1. ver 23. that The knowledge of Sinne commeth by the Law the Law is a looking glasse wherein we may see what manner of Persons we are Whereupon I resolued to make the Law my next Text. Not that Law which was proper to the Iewes and was abolished by the Crosse of Christ the Ceremoniall and Politique But that Law which is common to all the World and shall neuer haue an end I meane the Morall Law which is contained in the ten Commandements And indeed they are the great store-house of cases of Conscience If euer a man be desirous to make a through inquirie into himselfe and giue vp against himselfe a true verdict they will set his Sinne most clearely before his eyes and lay it most powerfully to his charge They will But not so well except a man be first prepared you must first learne a lesson that containeth the Beginning and the Ending of the Decalogue and that is Charitie all the ten Commandements spring from this roote and this is the fruit that we must reape from them all they begin from and they end in Charitie this Charitie is the Argument of those words that now I haue read vnto you and the Text is nothing but a Preparatiue to the ten Commandements Let vs come then to it The whole doth containe a Conference betweene our Sauiour Christ and a Pharisee wherein it was to appeare whether of the two had more skill in Gods Law In breaking it vp I will consider the Occasion and the Argument The Occasion as giuen was Christs conquest of the Sadduces he had put them to silence as taken was the malice of the Pharisees they were so vexed therewith that they no sooner heard it but Conuenerunt they conspired to set vpon Christ this was the occasion Thus farre the Pharisee goeth I meane to goe no farther at this time in vnfolding the Text I will begin then with the occasion first as it was giuen Christ in a dispute had foyled the Sadduces the Text saith Hee had put the Sadduces to silence Here we must learne first what these Sadduces were they were a Sect sprung vp amongst the Iewes I will briefely relate their originall as the Hebrew storie hath it Antigonus Sochaeus not long after the dayes of Nehemiah was the chiefe Rabbin in the great Synagogue at Ierusalem Drusius de tribus sectis Iudaeorum who grauely instructing his Disciples is said amongst other words to
speaketh properly to them that are vnder the Law and so Thou an Israelite and teacheth vs which are the Israel of God In this word Christ taxeth the Pharisees glosse who straightened the extent of neighbourhood Matth. 5. as appeared by the Addition they made to the Law Thou shalt loue thy Neighbour and hate thine Enemies they confined neighbourhood to their owne sect at least to their owne Nation And wee see at this day the Iewes mention not Christians without reproch no more then Papists doe Protestants But a Christian must know that in Iesus Christ there is neither Iew nor Gentile Coloss 3.11 Grecian nor Barbarian male nor female bond nor free Saint Austin hath a conuicting reason De Doctrina Christiana c. 30. which is that otherwise there would bee some persons with whom we might commit adulterie whose goods wee might steale whose bodies we might murder without any sinne against them which is absurde The case of the Canaanite was extraordinarie Austin tract in Iohannis cap. 15. we may not match our affections with Gods precepts as if they were alike lawfull Wherefore let vs beare fruit answerable to the seed which God hath sowen in our hearts and though our nature bee prone to satanisme and hatred for this charitie is a straine aboue nature and knowne only to those of the Church yet let vs mortifie it and subdue it to the Law of God Let vs not define whom we must loue other wise then we are taught of God let vs not thinke we loue as many as we should if we exclude any from our loue for our loue must be the fulfilling of the Law therefore it is impossible for vs in regard of any man whatsoeuer to performe the Law which bindeth vs to him without Loue. NOw therefore the God of Loue season all our hearts so with Loue that Hatred being cleane rooted out we may all be of one minde of one heart and out of the sweet sense and comfort hereof we may all say and sing Ecce quam bonum Behold how good and ioyfull a thing it is for brethren to dwell together in vnitie The sixth Sermon MATT. 22. VERSE 37 38 39. Thou shalt Loue the Lord thy God with all thy Heart and with all thy Soule and with all thy Mind This is the first and great Commandement And the second is like vnto it Thou shalt Loue thy neighbour as thy selfe THe last point which I opened vpon this Text taught vs vpon whom we must bestow our Charitie we learned that we must bestow it vpon The Lord our God and our neighbour vpon these persons and vpon those things that haue reference vnto them must it bee bestowed Therefore though the Commandement seeme in nature to bee but one for it is onely Loue yet Christ breaketh it into two and these two vnequall As it must be bestowed on them so in bestowing it we must obserue an Order and a Measure both are plainely prescribed in the Text. The Order for here is a Frist and a Second commandement mencioned The Measure for here is mentioned the great commandement and a commandement that is onely like it We are willed to loue first The Lord our God secondly Our neighbour this is the Order And we are willed to loue the Lord our God with all our heart soule and mind c. and our neighbour as our selues this is the Measure Order then and Measue are to be obserued in the bestowing of our Charitie And indeed without Order and Measure no worke hath either Beautie or Perpetuitie looke vpon the frame of heauen and earth were not the parts thereof so well ordered had not each of them his limits it could neither be so goodly nor so lasting a Creature want of Order would blemish the goodlinesse and want of Measure would shorten the lastingnesse thereof Euen so is it in Charitie inuert the Order alter the Measure required therein by the Law wee doe foulely deforme it and all societie grounded thereon bee it heauenly or earthly will quickly bee disolued This time will not suffice for the opening of both wherefore I will now onely handle the Order and reserue the Measure for some other time Touching then the Order that is to be obserued in Charitie wee must know that it is twofold there is Ordo ad intra and ordo ad extra an order in the generation of it or the working of it into our soules and an order in the employment of it as we expresse it in our liues Of the first Order you heard when I opened vnto you the seate of Charitie and shewed you that it is either Primitiue or Deriuatiue it must begin at the Heart and from thence spread it selfe into the Soule the mind the strength With that Order we haue nothing to doe now my Text leadeth me to speake of the second Order the Order of employment the bestowing of it vpon others after we are seasoned with it our selues To come then to this Order to vnderstand it we must take this Rule Scire quid facere debeamus nescire ordinem faciendt perfecta scientia non est moralitie requireth that we not onely know what we ought to doe but also in what order otherwise the knowledge of our dutie is imperfect therefore imperfect because it will be indiscreete discretion being that which doth distinguish and digest the parts of De Cinit Dei lib 5 cap. 22. and points in our dutie So that take away Order vertue will presently degeâ—erate into vice especially if we admit that definition of Saint Austine short but true Vâ—rtus est ordo amoris vertue is nothing else but the well ordering of our Charitie Wherefore the Order of Gods precepts must not bee passed ouer vnregarded because therefore doth God keepe an order in commanding to intimate vnto vs what order we must keepe in our liuing Whatsoeuer is good may be beloued well or ill well if you obserue the order and if you neglect it then you loue it ill But let vs come closer to the Text. Here we find a first and a second Commandement It is doubted by some whether they are rightly so called seeing that which concerneth our Neighbour was first deliuered Leuit. 19. vers 18. and therefore deliuered on mount Sinai Leuit. 27.34 Comp. numb 10 ver 11 12 with Deâ—â—r 1 6 vide Deut. 2 1â— and that which concerneth the Lord our God was deliuered afterward Deutro 6. vers 50. and therefore deliuered in the land of Moab Deutr. 1.5 The distance of times wherein they were deliuered was thirtie eight yeeres But we must not insist vpon these words as referring to the times wherein Moses deliuered the Commandements but as expounding their sense as they are a Summe of the Decalogue and point out the principall duties prescribed therein Now because the Decalogue was engrauen in two Tables and the briefe of the first was our dutie toward God therefore is that called the first Commandement
benè amatur quod amandum est vt sit in nobis virtus qua bene viuitur so that hee liueth iustly and holily which passeth a true iudgement vpon the obiects of Loue and such a one is hee onely that hath his Charitie well ordered for hee nec vtitur fruendis nec fruitur vtendis hee doth not mis-applie his Loue. But where is he In Cant. cap 2. vers 4. Nunc confusam in plerisque inordinatam licet videre Charitatem it is Gregorie Nyssens complaint and this inordinatenesse began very early Saint Iude telleth vs of the Angels that they kept not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 their Originall which is in effect they did not obserue the subordination of these Commandements they would haue no dependencie vpon God and so shut him out of their Loue Adam did no better who being made after the Image of God affected another likenesse and so cast off the first of these two Commandements The children of God that coupled themselues with the daughters of men were most infamous for this disorder of their Charitie And who is not guiltie of it where bee the Parents that begin not their loue at their Children and care for no more of the loue of God then may stand with their thriuing for them Saint Paul insinuates as much concerning man and wife when hee telleth vs that the vnmarried care for those things which belong vnto the Lord but the marryed take care for those things wherein they may please each the other as if that were ordinarily their principall care And how seruants forget their loue of God while they seeke to please their masters you may perceiue in euery shop where apprentises are inured to lying false-swearing deceiuing and all to aduance their masters commodity It were infinite to runne ouer all degrees of persons but if you list to doe it you shall finde that all their Charitie is out of order for want of this Order and that they place the precedencie of their loue amisse And it were well if men went no farther then to preferre Man before God there is as much disorder in our loue of Things yea the disorder in the loue of Persons groweth from the disorderly loue of Things O ciues ciues quaerenda pecuniaprimum est Virtus post nummos Prophane men thinke that gaine is the best godlinesse and couetous men will sell euen their soules for a morsell of bread Esau sold his birth-right for a messe of pottage yea Iudas sold our Sauiour Christ for thirtie pieces of siluer De doâ—â— Christ 〈◊〉 1 cap 23. Saint Austin distinguishing things telleth vs that some are supra aboue vs as God some intra within vs as our owne soules and selues some iuxta euen with vs as our neighbours some infra below vs as the world and worldly things wee may adde some contra our deadly enemies as are the Diuell and the powers of darknesse Of these Loue is due to God aboue vs to our Selues to our Neighbours wee finde them all three in the Commandement of Loue but we finde not there those things which are below vs much lesse those things which are opposite to vs. And yet when we come to consider what Order the world keepeth in Loue we shall finde that these two which God neuer thought worthy of our Loue haue the greatest share therein and wee haue no leasure to loue the other so great is our loue to these at least our forwardnesse in the loue of these maketh vs backward in the loue of the other our meate our money our pleasure our profit that were by the Creation subiected vnto vs are become masters of our affections yea the cursed serpent can so charme them that wee will denie him nothing and men like a generation of vipers doe his will as if the Diuell were their Father so farreis Charitie disordered The more reason haue we to listen to this Method of Lone which is here taught by our Sauiour Christ and thinke that there is more in these two words First and Second then wee did happly apprehend Certainly the knowledge of them is of great consequence for it is the true rule of vertue and the obseruance of them is of great difficultie for our corrupt nature can hardly be brought vnto it wherfore we must imprint deeply in our mindes that which wee haue heard and pray God that wee may haue grace to doe what we are taught LOrd wee confesse that our Loue hither to hath beene peruerse and that nothing can rectifie it but thy Spirit Wee beseech thee that hee may so informe our iudgement and reforme our affections that we consecrate the first fruits of our Charitie vnto thee and that thou mayest haue the precedencie therein But let not our Charitie rest there but descending from thee let it light on those to whom thou directest it yet so that but for thee and in thee we may loue nothing beside thee So shall wee bee thy beloued if wee bee such Louers and bee admitted into the blessed societie of those whom thou hast honoured with the name of thy friends in the Kingdome of Heauen The seuenth Sermon MATT. 22. VERSE 37. Thou shalt loue the Lord thy God with all thy heart with all thy soule and with all thy strength This is the first and great Commandement IN bestowing our Charitie wee must obserue an Order and a Measure an Order because concerning it we find in this Text a First and Second commandement a Measure because of the two Commandements the one is great the other is but like vnto it Hauing the last Lords day opened the Order it followeth that this day the Measure be opened vnto you For entrance hereunto wee must take these two Rules First though Charitie bee a common due to God and our Neighbour yet must they not both bee serued by the same Measure and why the Persons are vnequall God is infinite our Neighbour is finite and wee may not dispense equall portions to vnequall persons The second Rule is That the Order layeth the foundation of the Measure and therefore is the Order correspondent vnto the Measure hee that hath the praecedencie in must haue the praeheminence of our Charity and whom wee must loue last wee must loue least God is first in Order therefore must hee haue the greatest measure thou must loue him with all thy heart all thy minde c. thy Neighbour is but second therefore hee must haue a lesser measure thou must loue him as thy selfe The time will not suffice me so farre as is meete to handle both these Measures wherefore I will confine my paines to the former and that is exprest in these words all thy heart minde soule If wee must loue the Lord our God with all these then wee must loue him perfectly but that perfection is no other then the perfection of a man for thou must loue him with heart mind and soule so that we haue two points to handle first the
the Corinthians to glorifie God with their bodies and with their soules hee addeth this reason for they are Gods Well then wee haue found faire grounds of this Measure for if God be such and such to Vs as you haue heard the only louely thing and all that can be beloued and we are all his and all that we haue is due vnto him both by Nature and by Grace then ought wee with All to expresse our loue towards him But what is it to loue him with All Surely it is to loue him sine Diuisione sine Remissione none of our abilities must bee diuided none of them must be slacke in doing of this worke First of the Diuision We must not diuide our Heart that is as the Scripture speaketh haue a heart and a heart a heart for God and a heart for the world will that which God willeth and fulfill the will of his enemies also as if we would keepe good correspondencie with both we must alwayes will the same thing and our will must conforme it selfe only vnto Gods if it doe not we doe not loue God with all our heart because our heart is diuided As our Heart must not bee diuided no more must our Minde wee must not bee 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 double minded vnstable in our resolution wee must not be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 like Meteors hanging in the ayre betweene Heauen and Earth or as Elias told the Israelites halt betweene two betweene God and Baal make all Religions indifferent and thinke that we may aswell partake of the Table of Deuils as of the Table of the Lord and like waues of the Sea be tossed vp and downe with euery blast of vaine doctrine but wee must captiuate our wits wholy vnto Gods Wisdome and bee so resolute in abiding by his truth that if an Angell from Heauen should bring vs any other doctrine then that which we haue receiued from God that Angell must bee accursed If our faith in God bee not so fixt our Minde is diuided wee doe not loue God with all our Minde As we must take care that these Reasonable faculties be not diuided so must we take care also of the Vnreasonable of our Soule that is the Concupiscible facultie I told you that hath two works the one to long after that which we would haue the other to delight in it when we haue it neither of these should bee diuided and why they must both attend the Will we may not long for that which we may not will neither may we delight in that for which we may not long If wee long for more things then we doe will non benè currimus we take not the right way to blisse we fall into by-pathes and if we delight in more then wee should long for non benè quiescimus wee take vp our rest where we shall find no rest we haue a diuided Soule wee doe not loue God with all our Soule as we should The other Vnreasonable facultie is noted by our strength they call it the Irascible facultie and it is that Courage wherewith we encounter those difficulties which either crosse our Longings or interrupt our Delighting this must not be diuided for this must attend the Soule the Longing the Delighting thereof it must bend all its force to further that that so it may be both constant in longing and perseuerant in delighting It must not be like Metius Suffetius that wicked Neutrall looke on and be readie to fauour the strongest side much lesse must it take part with the aduerse if our Courage be thus diuided wee doe not loue God with all our strength for we should imitate King Dauid to whom the Scripture beareth witnesse that when hee offered he offered to God with all his strength 8. Chron. 29.2 and so did he with all his strength daunce before the Arke whatsoeuer abilitie we haue we should imploy it to the best aduancement of the loue of God 2. Sam. 6.14 You haue heard the first impediment of louing God with all our heart c. I told you of another which is Remisnesse or slacknesse and this followeth necessarily vpon the other for as a riuer that runneth strong in one channell will haue a more weake current if it bee diuided vpon that principle Vis vnita fortior so fareth it with our abilitie Pluribus intentus minor est ad singula sensus a man cannot diuide and intend either his heart or his mind or his soule or his strength as he ought Touching this Remisnesse in the seruice and loue of God take a Similitude from Musicke He that playeth vpon an Instrument may strike euerie string b◠doe it negligently or weakely Psal 81.92.149 150. and so impaire much of the sweetnesse of the Musicke therefore in the Psalmes those Leuites that were the Musitians are called vpon not onely to sing and to play but to sing lustily and with a good courage and to praise God vpon the loud Cymbals and vpon the high sounding Cymbals Hath God care of Instruments Speaketh he not it rather for our soules To intimate their deuotion to God Psal 108 8. Psal 103.1 Surely King Dauid thought so when he said Awake Harpe and Lute I my selfe will awake right early and doth not more often call vpon his Instrument then vpon himselfe to praise and serue God Praise the Lord O my Soule and all that is within me praise his holy name So that it is not enough to giue euerie part vnto God except euerie part do its best to Loue. I might carie you through all the parts and shew you what is the Remisnesse of them Of the Heart which is a willing-nillingnesse or a nilling-willingnesse of the Mind which is a wauing doubtfulnesse of the Soule if the longing be faint and the Delighting haue in it Acediam or a loathing of the strength if it sinke or shrinke If any of our abilities bee thus impaired then is there a Remisnesse in them which hindreth our louing God with all our Heart But I chuse rather to point it out in a generalitie by two Markes one of which the Scripture setteth vpon the thing beloued the other vpon true Louers The thing beloued is said to be Sweeter then Honie and the Honie-combe more to be desired then gold then much sine gold more precious then pearles and most costly stones finally nothing desireable is comparable to it If wee doe not conceiue so of the obiect of Loue The Lord our God there is apparent Remisnesse in our Loue. The marke set vpon the true Louers is Psal 63.1 Psal 42.1 Cant. 2 5. they compare themselues to parcht ground which gapeth after the raine to a chased Hart that brayeth after the water brookes to those which are Loue-sicke If we find not such a passion in our selues then is there likewise a Remisnesse in our Loue Read Psal 84. that which was the commendation of the Macedonians must be affected by all Christians in the
loue of God The abundance of their ioy and their deepe pouertie abounded to the riches of their liberalitie for to their power I beare them record saith Saint Paul and beyond their power were they willing of themselues such must be our disposition The rather because all diuision of our abilities is a plaine abandoning of the loue of God for no man can serue two masters as Christ telleth vs if he loue the one he will hate the other two loues if one be good and the other bad 〈◊〉 Medâ—tat cap. 5. cannot stand together Take an example or two The sonnes of God that is those that did loue God fell in loue with the daughters of men what issue had they Giants 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 such as fought against God The Samaritans worshipped both the God of Israel and the Assyrians Idols and they were the most deadly enemies of Ierusalem Neuer haue you seene an hereticke that is a person that professeth partly the truth and partly errour but he turneth a bloudy persecutor of the Truth and he that loueth God and the World out of his loue to the World will doe the greatest dishonour hee can to God This is the reason why God will haue All or None Ananias and Saphira were stricken with suddaine death for with-holding a part of that whole substance which they freely vowed to God and which had it not beene for their vow they might haue disposed at their pleasure And if the embeseling of so small a matter due vpon no other ground then vpon a free Vow receiued so heauâ—e a doome of how much sorer punishment shal we be worthy if we with-hold our better things which vpon a more necessarie vow are due vnto God As for the Remisnesse that also is followed with a curse for cursed is he that doth the worke of the Lord negligently Iere. 4â— 10 Reuel 3.16 and Christ will spue out of his mouth all those that are but luke warme that are neither hot nor cold God loueth none but zealously cheerefull Louers and lesse then an entire dedication of all our faculties will not please him But mistake not all other things besides God are not excluded from our Loue if they were how should we loue our Neighbour whom notwithstanding in this Text wee are commanded to loue Wherefore for the farther vnderstanding of this Intirenesse of our loue of God wee must not take other things Oppositè but Compositè we must exclude nothing from our loue that doth not enter into competition with God and oppose it selfe against the loue of God Secondly if there bee any thing that may be beloued ioyntly with God it must not be taken as Coordinatum but Subordinatum it must not share equally with God but keepe its distance and receiue our loue by a reflexion from God Excellent is that which Saint Austine hath to this purpose Totum quicquid aliud diligendum venerit in mentem illuc rapiatur quo totius dilectionis impetus currit and Minus te amat Domine qui tecum aliquid amat quod propter te non amat Thirdly vpon this Inequalitie must our loue ground an vnequall estimate of things and we must loue God aboue all appretiatiuè we must account all in comparison of God to be but as dung to be verie losse Finally according to the estimate must the heat of our affection bee wee must loue God aboue all intensiuè also wee must loue other things as fit to be vsed not fit to be enioyed yea we must vse all the world as if we vsed it not but we must loue God as him whome wee would not onely vse but enioy also yea so enioy that we may bee able to say with King Dauid Psal 73. Whom haue I in heauen but thee and there is none on earth that I desire with thee My flesh and my heart faileth but God is the strength of my heart and my portion for euer when wee attaine hereunto though wee loue other things beside God yet wee loue God as wee ought for we will as Salomon biddeth vs thinke vpon him in all our wayes But I may not forget that though I seeme to haue said much of our loue of God yet there is a limitation exprest in the Text though All bee required yet no other All then that which can bee performed by man for it is all thy heart thy minde thy strength c. wee may not expect that wee should bee able to loue God according to his owne worth but wee must loue him to the vttermost of our power Onely God can loue God as hee is worthie so the Father loueth the Sonne the Sonne the Father and the holy Ghost both but a finite creature can haue but a finite vertue which can beare no proportion vnto God who is infinite as also is his goodnesse which is all one with himselfe This serueth to checke all pride which thinketh that by louing it can demerit God well may hee vouchsafe to accept our poore endeauors but the best come short of deseruing ought at Gods hands especially when the heart minde c. though they bee called ours yet are they nothing but his gifts as before you haue heard and so are all their endowments namely this of Loue. And if wee cannot merit by loue much lesse can wee supererogate in louing for who can giue God more then is due that learneth by this Text that All is due vnto God Praetererogate haply we may in some indifferent thing which God leaueth to our choyce although that choyce also must bee guided by the generall end whereat all our actions must ayme and the abilitie which wee haue receiued of God whereof if we imploy not the one to the other well may God bee indulgent to our weaknesse in choosing certainly it deserueth no commendation But as for the Act of louing so farre is it off that wee can supererogate any thing that wee cannot so much as praetererogate a iot therein I haue opened the Measure wherewith wee must loue the Lord our God the perfection the degree thereof but I doubt I haue not done it so popularly and plainly as that euery one doth conceiue mee and can try his owne loue by that which hee hath heard and discerne when it is come to this straine I will therefore propose from the mouth of our Sauiour Christ certaine plaine Rules which are for the capacitie of the meanest hearer which if he apply vnto himselfe he may thereby guesse at the pitch of his loue The first is He that loueth father mother wife children c. Mat. 10. Mat. 19 20. Luc. 14.26 more then me is not worthy of me The second Hee that forsaketh not father mother wife children c. The third Hee that hateth not father mother wife children c. hee cannot be my Disciple There bee many things and persons as you heard before which we are allowed to loue but we must loue them onely vntill they come
temporall of eternall So then you see that the second part of the Bible is but a practicke Commentarie vpon the first the Prophets vpon the Law The Prophets apply the Law to the peoples liues and pronounce them accordingly And thus much of the parts of the Bible what they are and what they meane I come now to the Contents and the Contents are the two Commandements of Loue. But these two Commandements may be considered as Speciall or as Generall Commandements As Speciall so they require only the act of Loue. As Generall so they signifie the habit thereof as it is the Nurserie of many other vertuous acts To make you vnderstand this wee must obserue that a morall Vertue hath two Acts the one is called Actus elicitus or its proper worke the other Actus imperatus the worke which is at its command I will shew it you by a familiar Similitude The Sunne hath a proper worke which is to shine or giue light vnto the World and it hath a worke of command also for it maketh the earth to bring forth fruit which is done by vertue of an influence of the Sunne into the earth Euen so Loue hath a proper worke which is to bee kindly affected to the Person beloued but besides this it hath a worke of command it layeth a charge vpon all the Powers and Abilities that wee haue to bee seruiceable to him whom wee loue For example If I loue God my Loue will command my feet to goe to his House my knees to bow in his presence my mouth to speake of his prayses and to pray vnto him finally whatsoeuer is within me without me belonging to me shall bee deuoted to him and doe nothing that displeaseth him Take a taste of this also in the loue of our Neighbour Doe I loue him then surely if I see him naked I will command my Wardrobe to clothe him doe I see him hungrie and thirstie I will command my victuals to feed him and I will command my selfe to visit him if hee be sicke or in prison by the command of Loue my counsell my countenance my house my purse all shall bee at the command of my Neighbour Finally these workes reach vnto not only all vertuous acts but also to the acts of our vocation for they must be seasoned with Charitie as appeares in the positiue Lawes When then I say that these two Commandements are the contents of the Bible you must comprehend more vnder them then the proper worke of Loue Christ meaneth also the other worke the worke of command if both these workes be ioyned together they will make vp the contents of the Bible I haue opened vnto you the two maine branches of my Text as they are considered seuerally I told you wee must consider them ioyntly also And here first we are to see how these two Commandements can so be inlarged as to bee the contents of the whole Bible wee will see it first in regard of the Law The Law I told you is either Naturall or Positiue these Commandements are the contents of either of them though in a different manner The truth of this appeares in three points I will shew them in both kinds of Law First in the Law of Nature First Charitie is the Seed of all that kind of Law it springeth as naturally from it as a spreading Tree doth from his root witnesse the ten Commandements which I told you are the exactest draught that euer was made of the Law of Nature there is neuer a branch of the first Table that doth not arise from the Loue of God we will haue no other Gods because we loue God intirely wee will make no Images because we loue God holily we will not take Gods Name in vaine because we loue God reuerently Finally wee will keepe the Sabbath because wee loue God sociably in the Communion of Saints and celestially as hauing here no dwelling place but looking for one to come As for the second Table Rom. 13. Saint Paul hath made the obseruation to our hand where hauing particularized many he summeth vp all in this generall Rule If there be any other Commandement it is comprehended in this Iohn 13. Thou shalt loue thy Neighbour as thy selfe Concerning both Tables Christs rule is short If you loue me keepe my Commandements and what a company of duties doth Saint Paul deriue out of Loue 1. Cor. 13. Whence you may learne also that not only so much as is in the letter but whatsoeuer else is in the sense of the ten Commandements springeth from Loue of which sort Saint Paul there specifieth sundrie particulars Secondly as all Morall duties spring from Charitie so must the marke whereat we principally aime in doing them be Charitie we see that all plants which haue their influence from Heauen looke vp to Heauen againe as hee that loueth God will haue no other Gods besides him so a man must haue no other Gods besides him only for this end that he may loue him If he be moued by any other end profit pleasure or whatsoeuer else hee doth not keepe the first Commandement no more doth he keepe the second that maketh no Idoll nor the third that taketh not Gods Name in vaine nor the fourth that keepeth the Sabbath except they doe these things in reference to their loue of God The second Table requireth the same Rule He that honoureth his Father or his Mother that doth no murder that doth not commit adulterie that doth not steale c. shall not passe for not guiltie at the Barre of God except his purpose were to testifie in his obedience the loue that he beareth to his Neighbour A third Reason why Loue is said to bee the contents of the Moral Law or the Morall Law is said to hang vpon it is because without Loue that Law can neuer bee vnderstood Loue giues a cleere sight as it were to the vnderstanding Origen applying it selfe to any particular Commandement concerning our dutie to God or our Neighbour because it must haue no straiter nor wider bonds then Loue setteth vnto it Yea if a man bee once inflamed with Loue the Spirit of Grace will be aiding vnto him and helpe him to vnderstand the Law aright Whereas they which are without Loue and the Spirit that doth accompany it haue many carnall scruples and suspitions which perplex their iudgement and straighten the measure of their obedience The second Law is Positiue and Loue is the contents of that also though as I told you somewhat in a different manner For Positiue Lawes be they Ceremoniall or Politique which are grounded vpon things indifferent spring indeed from Charitie but not immediatly as doth the Law of Nature the Wisdome of the Lawgiuer commeth betweene and considers how farre they may be remembrances of and furtherances to Charitie the Ceremoniall to the loue wee beare God the Politique to the loue we beare to our Neighbour But though Wisdome come betweene yet must not that Wisdome
what these two Commandements enioyned vs is by Christ fulfilled for vs. Saint Pauls wordes sound that way Rom. 8. That which was impossible for the Law by reason of the weaknesse of our flesh God sending his Sonne in the similitude of sinfull flesh and for sin condemed sin in the flesh Math. 5.17 Rom 10.4 Gal. 3 2â— that the righteousnesse of the Law might be fulfilled in vs and Christ saith I came not to abolish the Law but to fulfill it and he is the end of the Law and the Law a Pedagogue to Christ But Hilarie hath a good Rule Sensus dictorum sumendus est ex causis dicendorum Christs words are an Answere and therefore must bee vnderstood sutably to the Question Now the Question was touching that which was enioyned vs therefore the Answere is not to bee thought to extend farther And doubtlesse the Questionist thought nothing of the Gospell for how should hee thinke vpon that whereof he had no knowledge Wherefore in contracting of those parts wee must include no more then that dutie which is enioyned vs by the Law as it is contradistinct to the Gospell and all that is contained herein Yea Saint Austin was conceited that not only God did worke the Law and the Prophets out of this ground but that the very Heathen also wrought all their allowable Moralitie and Policie out of it Neither is there any point of this kinde in Christian Religion which may not bee fetched out of Heathen Writers Not that any one of them hath all the Rules but that there is no Rule which may not bee found in some one of them I except alwayes the Rules of the Gospell Whereupon it followeth that Reason it selfe acknowledgeth the truth of all those Rules I will not be so confident as to affirme that the Heathens did euer acknowledge all that I haue opened on these two Commandements a glimpse they had of most of it the writings of Plato Seneca others doe testifie as much the fragments of the twelue Tables which are the foundation of the Ciuill Law and the bodie thereof testifie how farre Reason hath gone But I hasten to an end You haue heard a Lesson which is recommended vnto vs in Christs Answere I told you it is a briefe of the Bible the whole is no more in effect then Loue God aboue all things and thy Neighbour as thy selfe a short lesson you would thinke but it is a very hard one whether you respect the proper worke of Loue or the workes which it commands The reason is partly in our Ignorance which doth not easily learne our dutie and partly in our Concupiscence which hinders vs from doing that which we know from these two impediments no meere man euer was free De perfect Iustit ad Coelest 1. Cor 13. since the fall of Adam neither is it likely any man shall bee vntill the end of the World Wherefore Saint Austin is of opinion that our intire obedience is reserued for our state in Heauen When that which is perfect is come then shall that which is imperfect be done away Saint Paul speaketh it of Charitie which shall not be abolished in Heauen but consummated where wee shall loue God though not quantum diligibilis in se yet quantum ab homine and our Neighbour as our selfe But Saint Austin giueth a good Rule why these Commandements were giuen I am ante praecipitur quia non recte curritur si quo currendum nescitur quomodo autem sciretur si nullis praeceptis ostenderetur Therefore wee must vnderstand the Commandements aright wee are wayfaring men and these Lawes trace out the way which we must goe to Heauen Wee I meane as many as are faithfull For to vs is the Law giuen and some steps must we make herein euery day that wee may bee the forwarder to our iournies end So all our worke should proceed from it and the Loue of God should order our life especially with that we should be principally affected and coldly with other things in comparison of that 1. Cor. 7. v. 31. Vse the world as if we vsed it not If a man bee perplext in his deliberation how hee should carrie himselfe because the profound disputes of Moralitie exceed his capacitie let him hearken to the good counsell of an ancient Father Noli per multa tre nec discendi terreat te ramorum diffusio radicem tene de magnitudine arboris noli cogitare A man may rid himselfe of much trouble in resoluing his conscience what to doe if hee season his Heart well with the Loue of God and of his Neighbour I meane not that he should refuse other helpes if hee may haue them but the more hee hath of this the lesse he will need other 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that makes vs obey out of feare this out of goodnesse The Papists abuse this Text for they say this is one of the directories of the Church whereby shee may supply her Traditions but it warrants no supply of the Morall Law much lesse of Articles of Faith though if it be reasonably vsed it may extend to positiue Lawes Lastly seeing all hang on these two Commandements none can crie nesciebam I knew not what to doe But I draw to an end In the Hebrew Bibles the first Characters of these two Commandements are extraordinary great whether by the appointment of Esdras when he digested the Bible or by the Authours of the Mazoreth when they set downe the various lections I will not dispute of this wee may bee sure that whosoeuer was the Authour hee meant we should take notice of these as most remarkable Commandements Not such notice as the Iewes take who write them in schedules and weare and reade them as Amulets to keepe from them all euill which superstition diuers Christians did imitate in Saint Hieromes dayes hanging about their neckes little Gospels In Matth. c â—â— But that Father saith well that caskets and closets may hold our Bibles and be neuer the better for them they are the better for Scripture who lay it vp in their hearts and this God meant the Iewes should dâ—e when he bade them bind his Lawes as frontlets about their heads Deut. 6. and bracelets about their armes hee would haue them in all their wayes thinke vpon them and be euer exercising themselues in them and not to vse the ceremonie only forgetting the substance And I pray God these Commandements may be such frontlets on our eyes as God meant and not such as the Iewes vsed Charitie is the end of the Law the fulfilling of the Law 1 Tim 1.5 Rom 13.10 Col. 3.14 as Saint Paul speakes in imitation of Christ the bond of perfection the way of life yea the superexcellent way all these commendations the Scripture giueth it But beyond all commendations goeth that which Christ giueth it in my text Vpon it hang all the Law and the Prophets Wherefore owe nothing to any but this
they make them vsurpers of Christs office And howsoeuer their Schooles qualifie the matter their Liturgies cannot be freed from this imputation And the notions of the vulgar vnderstanding and the affections of their heart in their practicke deuotion are framed according to their Liturgie not according to their Schooles the more reason haue we to censure the abuse Moses at Mount Sinai Aaron in the Tabernacle may be typicall Mediatours but there is no true one either in Earth or Heauen but only our Sauiour Iesus Christ None of Redemption as the Papists confesse neither any of Intercession as we moreouer hold and hold it with the Primitiue Church But I here end my Text and with my Text this whole Chapter Only I will giue you one generall obseruation vpon it which may not bee neglected This whole Chapter is but an Exordium to the next Chapter shall I say or to the whole Law indeed to the whole Law but immediatly to the next Chapter Now in this Exordium I would haue you obserue how God playeth the skilfull Oratour and performeth all things which the best rules in Rhetoricke require in an Exordium The rules require that an Orator should Captare beneuolentiam worke himselfe into the good liking of his Auditors And why because if they like not the man they will not much care for the matter And doth not God this at the fourth Verse Doth he not set forth his well deseruings of them in ouerthrowing their euemies in setting them free And what may better giue God an interest in their loue then the experiment that hee had giuen them of his reall loue The next rule of Rhetorike is Reddere Auditores dociles to bring them that alreadie affect the man to bee desirous to bee informed of the matter And how is that done by shewing how much the matter concerneth them how beneficiall it will bee to them For men gladly heare of their owne good and the greater the good the more gladly doe they heare of it See how excellently God playeth this part of the Orator at the fift and sixt Verses how significantly hee setteth forth the benefit which they shall reape by their obedience shewing them what a rate hee will set vpon them what an approach they shall make to him how sacred how blessed their state shall bee which is so much the more to be esteemed in that they shall haue it as a Prerogatiue none shall haue it but they And who will not bee curiously inquisitiue after such a matter and heare them gladly that bring such good tydings The third point of Rhetoricke is Auditores attentos reddere to rowse his Auditory make them shake off all dulnesse and drowsinesse that no part of the speech slip by or passe vnweighed This is done by setting before vs the danger that may ouertake vs and the respect that must be vsed by vs. And God omitteth not this point of Rhetoricke all the rest of the charge is spent hereabout It serueth to quicken and quallifie the Israelites as beseemed that heauenly Sermon which they were to heare from the mouth of God Chrysoil Hitherto tend their Preparation which you heard of heretofore and the humiliation wrought by the Harbingers of God whereof you haue heard this day What shall I say now to you but only this The same Sermon that was preached to Israel is to be preached now to vs for we are now the Israel of God therefore vnto vs belongeth this Oratorie of God Yea God hath deserued better of vs then euer he did of Israel for we enioy the truth whereof they had but the Type We haue reason then to affect him Yea and to affect also that which is deliuered by him for it containeth our soueraigne good our blessed communion with God And those spurres of attention must worke vpon vs no lesse then vpon them Because though wee be not called to the Parliament we must come to the Assizes the Assizes is much more dreadfull then was the Parliament Finally though wee were not at those Espousals we shall be at the mariage feast It concerneth vs therefore to prouide our wedding garment In a word will we nill we we are parties to this Couenant though not as it was vailed yet as it was vnuailed Therefore not one of the Articles must passe vs vnregarded because enquirie will be made after our conformitie vnto euery one of them GOd grant that we may so set God and our owne good before our eyes that we may willingly open our eares and gladly apply our hearts to heare him and heare of it that what we shall learne at the foot of Mount Sinai may make vs more fit to climbe to the top of Mount Sion Heb. 12. So shall we be incorporated into the blessed Societie that dwelleth there while wee liue here and hereafter hauing our Harps sing there a new Song before the Throne before the foure Beasts and the Elders Reuel 14. which none can learne but the 144000. which are redeemed from the Earth AMEN FIVE SERMONS PREACHED in Saint Maries in OXFORD Vpon Luke 3. Verse 7 8 9. BY The Right Reuerend Father in God ARTHVRE LAKE the late L. Bishop of Bath and Wells LONDON Printed by W. STANSBY for Nathaniel Butter 1629. FIVE SERMONS PREACHED AT Saint Maries in OXFORD The first Sermon LVKE 3. VERS 7.8.9 7. Then said he to the people that were come bee Baptised of him O generation of Vipers who hath forewarned you to flee from the wrath to come THis Chapter is the second Lesson appointed for this Morning Prayer the Argument whereof is nothing else but a storie of Saint Iohn Baptists seruice what paines he tooke and what successe he had his paines were great his successe diuers To say nothing of them with whom hee preuailed nothing at all such as were they that despised the counsell of God against themselues being not baptised of him Luke 7. This Chapter sheweth that betweene them with whom hee preuailed there was no small odds for some were sincere some hypocrites Saint Iohn vseth them accordingly For he instructeth the sincere mildly but his Sermon against hypocrites it very sharpe you haue it in my Text my Text is Saint Iohns reproofe of those Iewes which came dissemblingly to his Baptisme More distinctly to open it consider Whom hee reproueth and How The persons were many a multitude and they seeme well disposed whether you respect their Paines or their pretence Their paines they came out they tooke a iourney from home to come vnto him and the pretence of their iourney cannot be disliked for they came to be baptised Such were the persons But how dealeth Saint Iohn Baptist with them Surely notwithstanding their great number and their faire shew hee doth not spare to tell them that they were in worse case then they thought and must take a better course then hitherto they had For their Case whereas there are but two heads whereunto we reduce all Euill
that this Text may be applyed vnto Christians for euen of them also more then a good many arâ—â— â—nted with this Ignorance with this Arrogance they maime the truth in contenting themselues with outward Characters little caring for the inward which principally make a Christian and how many doe enter their names into Gods Book in Heauen before euer they looke whether they haue a counterpart thereof written by the finger of the Holy Ghost in their soules And what wonder if this Ignorance breed Arrogancie and they that think better of themselues then they should think worse then they should of others But let vs take care to be sure of our Resemblance before wee crake of our alliance let vs find in our selues Faith and Charitie Abrahams vertues and then hope well that wee are Abrahams children let vs so hope well of our selues that we despaire not of others Gods hands are not tyed his power hath no bounds they that seeme to be of least hope may proue more worthy then our selues But whether we looke vpon our selues or others if we find that of stones we are become the children of Abraham let vs magnisie God according to his mercie which we shall the better doe if wee call to mind what we were and what we are how senslesse we were how litle feeling we had of Gods either words or workes how brutishly wee adored the basest of the creatures Neither were wee only so senslesse but we were most worthlesse also poore soules indeed spirituall Lazars not worth the looking after but with contempt And as we had litle so it was litle wee could doe wee could doe no good either in glorifying God or edifying the Church or increasing our owne comfort wee were as barren to these things as very stones But see now these stones doe liue our hearts are sensible of the influence of Heauen and wee adore only him that liueth for euer hee with a liberall hand hath inriched vs and wee with a cheerefull heart fructifie vnto him wee cannot turne our eyes vpon our selues but wee behold his mercies and wee present before his sacred eyes our most humble duties Thus should we magnifie our God that hath done so great things for vs for vs I say that are the Ofspring of them that were sometimes very stones I end with Saint Bernards Caution Bernard de Scâ—la claust pag. 1253. God indeed can raise of stones children vnto Abraham as sometimes he did Saint Paul yet must we not tempt God and neglecting what is to be done on our part presume that Gods hand will worke all wee must reade the Scripture meditate therein Seeke knocke pray and then we shall find grace the windowes of Heauen will bee opened vnto vs and the hand of God will new mould vs he will mollifie whatsoeuer is stonie in vs and supply whatsoeuer worth we lacke what God can doe that he will doe if we be in any part stones hee will make vs euen in that part also Children of Abraham and if Children then Heires Heires annexed with Iesus Christ. GOd by his grace make vs all Abrahams Sonnes and giue vs all grace to walks Abrahams steps that wee may all finally meete in Abrahams besome Amen The fifth Sermon LVKE 3. VERSE 9. And now also is the Axe laide vnto the roote of the trees euerie tree therefore which bringeth not foorth good fruite is hewen downe and cast into the fire SAint Iohn Baptist preaching to the vnbeleeuing Iewes shewed them that they were sicke both at head and heart and therefore applied fit remedies to either part Hauing before in your hearing ended the first remedy that is applied to the Heart I began the last time I spake out of this place to intreat of the second remedy which is applied vnto their head Their head was sicke of Ignorance and Arrogancie both double I haue spoken of their Ignorance and the first branch of their Arrogancie their appropriating Abrahams family vnto themselues there remaineth yet one branch of the Text that which checketh their second pride their conumpt of God They did contemne God in that they set light by the Iudgements that were denounced from him marke their ground they thought they had such interest in Abraham that for his sake God would spare them and his wrath should neuer seize on them But they heare from the Baptist that they are not so in the Couenant but they may be blotted out and if they haue not some worth of their owne besides that of their Parent they must looke for an imminent totall finall eradication for Now is the Axe laide to the roote of the trees c. These words are a Parable and therefore they haue a Morall For a Parable is a Comparison of things spirituall vnto corporall wherein the things corporall and spirituall doe mutually giue light each vnto other the spirituall doe guide vs in the setting bounds vnto the corporall and the corporall doe helpe vs to vnderstand the secrets of the spirituall seeing then the spirituall is the key that must vnlocke the corporall sense we can say little to the corporall vntill we haue found out the spirituall But where shall we find it It is not here wee must looke it else where We haue it for a good part in Saint Iohn cap. 15. where Christ speaketh thus I am a Vine you are branches my father is an Husbandman Cap. â— euerie branch in me that beareth not fruit is taken away and cast into the fire Esay is more full and expresse to my Text The vineyard of the Lord of Hosts is the house of Israel and Iuda is his pleasant plant hee looked for iudgement and behold oppression for righteousnesse and behold a crie therefore hath the Lord of Hâ—sts reuealed this in mine eare many houses shall be desolate faire â—nd goodly houses left without inhabitants yea hell hath enlarged it selfe the mouth thereof is opened without measure their glorie their multitude their pompe euerie one that reioyceth shall descend into it According to this MoÌ„rall if we breake vp the Parable wee must obserue the Persons therein contained and the Iudgement that is denounced the persons are two God compared to a husbandman surueying his Orchard the Iewes compared vnto Trees of the Orchard Trees planted therein to beare good fruites Of the Iudgement we haue here the Cause and the Parts The cause is the Iewes not liuing sutably to their incorporation which is represented by a Tree not bearing good fruites The parts are two first the Iewes are depriued of that blessed estate wherein they stood the Axe is put to the roote and by the roote they are cut vp so the Parable doth resemble it Secondly they are exposed to the miserie which they deserued they are cast into the fire A fruitlesse tree burning in the fire is the Embleme of a sinner tormented in hell If you lay these two parts together they are a totall a finall desolation for kill the roote kill the whole
and giue the world a good testimonie that we are the subiects of the Prince of peace I will set God before mine eyes and I will try how mine eyes can behold God and if I finde that mine eye delights to behold him that his countenance puts gladnesse into my heart when I doe behold him I am sure we are at Peace For were wee not eyther I haue no eyes and doe not see him or when I doe I shall be confounded with the sight of him I will open mine eares and I will heare God in his Word and if when I heare him the Law of his mouth is sweeter vnto mee than hony and the hony combe I know we are at peace were we not I must needs be like Adam heare and fly And if in the dayes of my mortality I can attaine this Peace of Perfection I doubt not but in the dayes of my immortality I shall attaine vnto that higher peace the peace of Retribution all teares shall be wiped from mine eyes all sickenesse from my body all blindnesse from my vnderstanding all vntowardlinesse from my will This ciuill discord of the flesh and the spirit and that greater betweene my conscience and God how much more these lesser discords that are between me and other men shall fully cease and be abolished for euer the Prince of Peace shall consummate my peace And so haue you those two titles of Christ which shew that we must vnderstand spiritually those two former titles which you heard before doe royally belong vnto him I should now farther shew you that the Scripture giues Christ many names because one or few cannot fully expresse him or at least we cannot fully sound the depth of that name when it is giuen vnto him The name of Iesus is a rich name and so is the name of Christ the vsuall names by which our Sauiour was called but the riches of those names are vnfoulded vnto vs in these particular titles and wee must take these as Commentaries vpon those for as it is in the eleuenth of this Prophecie The spirit which rested vpon Christ was manifold how manifold the holy Ghost doth there describe in abstracto but here to like purpose he speaketh of Christ in concreto The time will not suffer me to parallel these and the like places this is our Rule That as our nature delights in variety so there is a variety in Christ to giue full content vnto our nature and wee must not lightly passe by any one of his titles seeing euery one of them promiseth so much good vnto vs. O Lord that being my Lord art pleased to be my Father such a Father as that I neede not feare that I shall euer be an Orphan and hast prouided me an inheritance that shal be as lasting as my selfe that when all other fayle mee shall bee enioyed by mee an inheritance most comfortable because therein consists my Perfection and thy Retribution the Retribution of glory wherewith thou dost crowne the Perfection of grace grant that I neuer want that piety which I owe vnto my Father that charity which I owe vnto my Brethren Let my heart goe where my best treasure is and let that peace which passeth all vnderstanding haue the vpper hand in me Let me feele it let me practise it so in heart that I may haue the fulnesse of both sense and practice of it in the Kingdome of Heauen Amen THE SIXTH SERMON Of the increase of his Gouernment and Peace there shall bee no end vpon the Throne of Dauid and vpon his Kingdome to order it and to establish it c. IN Christ whom the Prophet describeth here vnto vs I obserued a double excellencie one of his Person and another of his State The first I haue already handled I come now to the second the excellencie of the State Which stands in a boundlesse growth of the Kingdome and a constant policie of the King that is the effect wherof this is the cause But more particularly in the effect obserue that there is a growth the Prophet calleth it an increase a growth of the gouernment and a growth of the peace both partake of the same increase And the increase of both is boundlesse there is no end of it no bounds of place it ouerspreadeth all no bounds of time it endureth for euer the word beareth both Of this effect or boundlesse growth of the Kingdome the cause is the constant policie of the King Which consisteth in the exercise of his two roy all indowments of his wisedome Hee shall order and to order is nothing else but to employ that wisedome which Christ hath as a wonderfull Counsellour of his power He shall support and to support what is it but to employ his power the power that he hath as he is a mighty God hee employeth them both his wisedome his power But they may bee employed eyther well or ill according as the rule is by which they proceed Christ employeth them well his rule is good it is iudgement and iustice he cals all to an account and measures to all as they are found vpon their triall This is the policie And herein he is constant he continueth it without ceasing from henceforth euen for euer So that of the euerlasting effect there is an euerlasting cause You see what is the summe or substance of this second excellencie but that you may see it better let vs runne ouer the parts briefly and in their order And first we are to obserue how answerable the excellencie of the state is to the excellencie of the person one goeth not without the other Christus naturalis will haue Christum mysticum conformable vnto him the body to the head Where he vouchsafeth an vnion of persons he vouchsafeth a communion also in the dignity of the persons It appeares in the name he is called Christ which is annoynted with oyle of gladnesse and we are called Christians we partake of the same oyle His name is but an oyntment poured out as it is in the Canticles Cap. 1.3 poured out like that precious oyle vpon Aarons head which ranne downe to the skirts of his garment Cap. 60. All Christs garments and the Church in Esay is compared to a garment smell of Myrrhe Aloes and Cassia as it is Psalme 45. This is taught by diuers Similies Of the wiues communicating in her husbands honour and wealth The branches partaking of the fatnesse and sweetnesse of the roote The members deriuing of sense and motion from the head So that our King is not like the bramble that receiueth all good and yeelds none to the state but hee is like the Fig-tree the Vine the Oliue they that pertaine to him are all the better for him they are conformable to him if he haue an excellencie they shall haue one also A good patterne for mortall Kings and Gouernours who should herein imitate the King of Heauen that as when a man seeth an excellent work he ghesseth that the
nothing is still prone to returne to nothing especially being wrought vpon by the Diuell and the World you will not so much wonder that the children of Israels garments did not cleane weare out in their forty yeares passage through the Wildernesse as that the garment of Regeneration which we receiue in Baptisme weareth not out all the daies of our pilgrimage in this world But we must not mistake stability doth not exempt vs from stormes yea stormes that may shake our house and peraduenture vntile some part thereof and breake some boughes off from our tree but the foundation the roote are immoueable the house the tree shall neuer fall And this is the vttermost of that stability which we must expect in this world The gates of hell shall not preuaile Valere poterunt non poterunt praeualere We shall experience that they had might but not might enough to ruine vs they may giue vs wounds but none that are vncurable they may bruise our heele but shall not be able to breake our head we are so farre established in this world and in the world to come wee shall be established farther euen so farre as to be free from all stormes and all wounds we shall not be at all moued You heare how Christ doth stablish how he doth order But these things may bee done eyther well or ill Many make orders which are not good and support their people in doing euill it is not so with this King in doing both hee followeth a good rule Iudgement and Iustice I will not trouble you with the diuers significations of much lesse with the manifold commentaries vpon these words I suppose the fairest to bee that which points out the two especiall acts of a King which are the calling of his people to an account of their liues that is Iudgement and to proceede in their trials by an euen rule that is Iustice Euery man is required to haue a care of his life and to be respectiue of the society wherein hee liues A Romane Emperour in the Preface of his Institutions makes this abridgement of ciuill conuersation A man must honestè viuere not doe ought disgracefull to his owne person that is not enough hee must bee carefull of others also alterum non laedere that he worst not another mans state while he would better his own yea he must suum cuique tribuere so liue that euery man be the better for him This is the duty of a Subiect and the King looks that he shall performe it to this end he keepes an Assizes and executeth Iudgement It fareth with the body politicke as it doth with the body naturall in the body naturall if the humours keepe their proportion wee shall haue our health no sooner doe they swarue from it but they begin a disease which maketh way to putrefaction and so to dissolution wherefore we apply physicke to reduce them againe into a due temper euen so while good Lawes sway our carriage towards our selues towards our neighbours each man doth well the Common-weale doth prosper but no sooner doth the subiect breake these bands but a ciuill putrefaction entreth which maketh way to the ruine of a State wherein euery particular mans wel-fare is hazzarded with the whole the remedy whereof is the worke of Iudgement Iudgement then is a fit remedy but it must bee attended with iustice also not the Kings affections but his lawes must moderate his iudgement and the medicine must bee fitted to the disease otherwise if the Scales of iustice doe not first weigh the merits of the cause the iudgement will as much disquiet the State as discontent the parties iudged If you put these words together to order and to stablish with iudgement and iustice each requires both ordering is not perfect without iudgment and iustice nor stablishing perfect except both concurre for stablishing is nothing but a perpetuating of good order Therefore to set the subiects right the King must vse iudgement guided by iustice and that he may keepe them in that state he must perseuere in so doing These words as you see haue an euident truth in a Common-weale and from thence are they borrowed but to note a higher truth which concernes the Church whereof Christ is King And here we must obserue an improuement of the vertues vpon which Christ will passe his iudgement Honestè viuere is not only to liue as beseemes ciuill men but as beseemeth Saints children of God expressing his image members of Christ leading his life and temples of the holy Ghost bearing in our foreheads Holinesse to the Lord. And as for alterum non laedere it is not enough for vs not to defraud others we must loue our very enemies blesse them that curse vs doe good to them that hate and persecute vs. Finally our suum cuique tribuere must be to deny our selues our friends our life when we will testifie our duty to God yea to lay down our liues also for the Brethren after the example of Christ So dear must their welfare be vnto vs. As that which comes into iudgement is so improued so is the iudgement it selfe also for Christs iudgement is without preiudice without partiality nothing can be concealed no person can be exempted he will bring all both persons and things secret and open before his iudgement seate all bookes shall then bee opened and the secrets of all hearts reuealed he will iudge them all But his iudgement is ordered by iustice and this iustice is of a higher straine than ciuill iustice can be for the iustice is Euangelicall wherein God through Christ doth so question vs as that he tenders withall a pardon vnto vs and is as ready to forgiue as to discouer our faults Not only to forgiue them but also to amend vs it sufficeth not Christ graciously to clense vs from the guilt of sinne hee also giueth vs a new heart and createth an ingenuous spirit within vs by which wee may bee held in from sinning With such iudgement and with such iustice doth Christ order and stablish his Church And here must wee marke a notable difference betweene this King of heauen and Kings on earth earthly Kings neyther giue minds vnto their subiects to obserue their Lawes neyther is it lawfull for them in all cases to exempt their subiects from the stroke of iustice when they haue offended But our King can doe both hee can rectifie our conuersation and when we haue sinned he can comfort our distressed consciences Last of all in vsing this rule whereby he directs and supports his State this King is constant he doth it incessantly from henceforth and for euer As the growth hath an eternity so must the cause thereof which is the Kings policie haue an eternity also For there could be no eternity in the effect were there not an eternity in the cause especially in effects which are alwaies in fieri and not in facto such as is this It is in the mystical body as it is in
Iewes were pricked at the heart when St. Peter preached vnto them Acts 2.37 and as perplexed in conscience cried out Men and Brethren what shall we doe before they receiued the comfort of the Gospell Saint Paul was stricken downe to the ground from Heauen before he was conuerted The Goaler came trembling to him and Silas Acts 16. Esay 67. before he was baptized It is a broken and contrite heart that must make vs capable of grace neyther will the filiall feare enter except way bee made by the seruile This may bee the reason why the holy Ghost by whose power the Apostles were to conuert the world Acts 2. Cap. 4. came vpon them at first in fire and with a mighty winde and a second time with an earth-quake which shaked all the house wherein they were It shewes how their Ministry should shake the hearts and consciences of the World for in omnes terras exiuit sonus eorum Besides this spirituall Luke 12. the Nations had a corporall shaking I came saith Christ to send a sword into the World No sooner had he begunne the Gospel but wee see how the Herodians the Sadducees the Pharisees bestirre themselues against him and against all the Apostles The Apostles intimate as much when in their prayer they repeat those words of the Psalme Psal 2. Acts 4.25 Why doe the Heathen so furiously rage together and the People imagine a vaine thing the Kings of the earth stand vp and the Rulers take counsell against the Lord and against his anointed And how furious was the Dragon against the Woman Reu. 12. because shee had borne a Man childe I will not trouble you to reckon vp the Heathenish or Hereticall Persecutions of the Primitiue Church Gen. 3. Ponam inimicitias I will put enmity betweene the Woman and the Serpent and betweene their seedes is the true ground of this shaking and it holdeth in all ages No sooner is the vanity of Oracles of Idols and of false worship discouered and deserted but the Diuell in reuenge of his quarrell will set Nation against Nation Family against Family Kindred against Kindred and a mans enemies shall be those of his owne houshold Wee haue wofull proofe of it in this age the bloody warres which haue beene and are in these westerne parts whence haue they sprung Gal. 3.1 but from Christs comming amongst vs in the truth of his Gospell which St. Paul to the the Galathians termeth a second forming of Christ in vs and as it were a crucifying of him before vs. But the enuious man that sowed tares cannot bee contented that hee should bee so ouer-topped with good eares of corne therefore there will follow a shaking I haue sufficiently shewed you that both Worlds were shaken but I may not forget a difference which is between their shaking though both are rowsed and giue their attendance at the first comming of Christ yet the great world doth it only effectu it serues to the honour thereof but not knowing what it doth But the little World attends also affectu it is sensible of that which it doth And indeed the shaking of the great World is only to worke a sensible shaking in the little World Which as it is wont to be wrought in other cases as when vpon the sight of Eclypses and blazing Starres men are affrighted and prognosticate vnto themselues Famines Pestilences Waâ—res Confusion of States which is likewise done by them vpon the sight of Earth-quakes So God would haue it also in this case he would that men should be obseruant and feeling of his extraordinary Workes wrought vpon the Heauens and the Earth in honour and testimony of his comming into the world who is the Sauiour of the world I haue done with the shaking I will onely giue you an obseruation or two vpon it and so passe on to the Time The first is St. Chrysostomes Hom. 14. in Mat. c. 14 Hom. 1. ad Rom. God when hee doth any great Worke in the world non solet subrepere stealeth not vpon the World but giueth signification before hand So did he before he brought on the Floud before hee deliuered his People out of Egypt before he gaue the Iewes ouer vnto the Babylonian captiuity We cannot reade those Stories but we must needes finde in them Gods palpable harbingers So that if men be surprised it is not because men are not forewarned but because they will take no warning The old World though the Arke was building before their face yet were they eating and drinking marrying and giuing in marriage till the floud came Though Moses told Pharaoh what euill God would bring vpon him yet did Pharaoh still harden his heart and the Iewes mocked the Prophets that early and late told them of their captiuity neyther would they beleeue it vntill they were past recouery 2 Cor. 4. 3. If our Gospell be hid saith St. Paul it is hid vnto those whose eyes the God of this world hath blinded that they should not beleeue Acts 26 2â— for as hee told Agrippa the things which they preached were not done in a corner As the corporall Sunne doth not rise without a dawning of the day so Christ came not into the world without some prognostication thereof Iewes and Gentiles that doe not beleeue are without all excuse because God hath so plainely shaken both the Worlds Neyther shall we haue ought to pleade for our selues if we neglect or forsake the Truth which God hath brought vnto vs because he hath accompanied it with so wonderfull deliuerances and comforts vs in honour of it with so many diuers blessings God hath vouchsafed many wayes to premonish vs let vs take heede that wee dis-regard him not The second Obseruation is this Mat. 5.18 No Creature can hinder the performance of Gods will Heauen and Earth shall passe rather than one iot of his word shall be vndone Wee neede not feare any opposition on the worlds part notwithstanding it is the common feare of worldly men because all the world is in Gods power hee can shake and shiuer it at his pleasure Of this God doth often put his People in minde by the Prophets and biddeth them bee bold thereupon And wee may say Si Deus nobiscum quis Rom. 8.31 yea and quid too contra nos Quid Is it the great World God can shake Heauen and Earth the Sea and the dry Land Quis Is it man God can shake him also hee can shake all Nations therefore we neede not feare what eyther World can doe vnto vs. And thus much of the manner of the Preparation I come now briefly to shew you the time thereof When a man heares of such great matters hee will be inquisitiue after this circumstance he will desire to know how often how soone And the holy Ghost doth here resolue both those questions How often Nazianz. orat 37. p. 607. â—rat 21. p. 388 if you aske he answers Yet
cap. 4. by St. Paul Rom. 11. and he hath his name from Oyle Yea and what was his Crosse but the Oliue presse of Gethsemane that so strained him the true Oliue that his name became Oleum effusum Cant. 1. and the drops of Oyle that streamed from Christ haue anael'd many millions of men made Christians Iohn 18. Christ tooke delight to walke in this Garden intimating thereby that it was his delight so to be pressed with the Crosse But there is a third thing which we must marke in this place in Gethsemane he withdrew himselfe from his Disciples when he gaue himselfe to Prayer that he might more freely poure forth his soule vnto God hee retired himselfe from all company of men And indeed retirednesse is most fit for passionate and affectionate Prayers Many things may beseeme vs in priuate which in publicke are not fit the teares of the eyes the sobs of our tongues the beating of our breasts the interruptions of our affections the prostration of our persons the villifying of our selues expostulations with God and such like many of these modesty will stifle in company or they may be abused to vaine glory but priuacie taketh away all hope of the one as it giueth vs scope to bee free in the other Therefore Christ here by example teacheth that whereof in St. Matthew cap. 6. v. 5. he giueth a rule To pray in priuate to pray in our closet And many holy men haue not only practised Aug. Bern Anselm Heb. 10. but recorded also their soliloquies and priuate conferences that haue passed betweene God and their soules But this is not to be abused to the preiudice of the Communion of Saints or publicke Prayers they must be obserued St. Paul blameth them that neglected the Assemblies these priuate Deuotions must bee added ouer and aboue the publicke Christ that vsed these did not forbear the other no more must wee The last thing that I will note vpon this Cricumstance is that Christus separatus est in oratione qui separatus est in passione Christ associated none with him in this offertory Prayer more than he did in his propitiatory Sacrifice or Suffering vpon the Crosse he bids the Disciples pray for themselues he neuer bids them pray for him the glory of the Redemption is so wholly his that hee suffered none to haue the least share therein with him And so haue I vnfolded the Circumstances vnto you let vs now come to the Substance of the Prayer Wherein we must first see to whom it is directed And we finde that the person is the Father and indeed he ordained the Crosse and therefore there is reason that a prayer concerning the Crosse should be made vnto him Iewes and Gentiles wicked men and Angels had a hand in it but it was but a secondarie hand the primarie was Gods they did no more than was determined by him And God that determined it determined it as a Father out of the heart of a Father did hee ordaine it and hee did mannage it with a Fathers hand Had God beene as bowellesse as Adam was gracelesse the fall of man had beene as desperate as was the fall of Angels but God forgat not to be a Father when Adam forgat to be a Childe therefore out of his Fatherly affection did he prouide this recouerie of his lost childe he prouided that his only begotten Sonne should dye that his adopted sonnes might liue Neyther did he only ordaine it out of a Fathers heart but mannaged it also with a Fathers hand he included nothing in the ransome of the adopted Sonnes that tended not to the glory of the onely begotten Sonne neyther was Christ euer so handled by God as that God did not shew himselfe a Father vnto Christ We haue our afflictions and happely we acknowledge they come from God but that is not enough the Heathen did so much as many as acknowledge diuine prouidence acknowledge that from it commeth light and darkenesse peace and warre prosperity and aduersity But our Afflictions haue this proper name of the Crosse and when wee enquire after the Authour of them we must behold God in the person of a Father with this title must we sweeten his sowre prouidence Are wee left to the will of our enemies yet he that holdeth the bridle is a Father and they can doe no more than he will permit yea to him belong the issues of death and he will suffer no child to be tempted aboue his strength Doth God chastise vs himselfe as what childe is there whom the Father chastiseth not and by chastisement shewes that hee taketh him not for a bastard but for a sonne then paululum supplieij satis est patri his mercy will reioyce ouer his iudgement 1 Sam. 7. Heb. 12. he couenanted so with Dauid in the Old Testament and in the New Testament he warranteth as much by S. Paul Wherefore whensoeuer wee pray against the Crosse let vs not forget to pray vnto God as our Father As we must put vpon God the person of a Father when we pray to him so must wee not come to him but with the behauiour of a Childe Certainly Christ did not The behauiour of a Childe is Reuerence and Reuerence is a vertue compounded ex timore amore of awe and loue Christ expressed both these affections his Awe in an humiliation and in a compellation his Loue His Humiliation was the prostrating of his bodie He fell vpon the earth saith my Text St. Luke He fell vpon his knees St. Matthew He fell vpon his face all agree that he was humble very humble Humilitatem mentis habitu carnis ostendit the posture of his body made sensible the lowlinesse of his soule The distance betweene the Creatour and the Creature is so great that it may well beseeme the most glorious Angell in Heauen to fall downe low before his footestoole certainely the 24. Reu. 5. Elders cast downe not onely their Crownes but themselues also before his throne where they attend And if the distance of a Creature from his Creatour call for such behauiour what behauiour must a sinner vse when he appeareth before his iudge what humiliation of Body must true contrition of heart expresse must we not shew that we are vnworthy to looke to Heauen most worthy to bee reputed no better than vilenesse The Sonne of God in the forme of Man had but sinne imputed and yet we see here how thereupon he is humbled and how then should we villifie our selues in whom sinne is inherent We alwaies owe lowlinesse but wee should striue to intend it most when wee haue most neede to deprecate Gods wrath the greater need wee haue of mercie the more shew should wee make of our humilitie How doth this checke the stiffenesse of our knees the loftinesse of our lookes the inflexiblenesse of our bodies if we be richer if we be greater than others we thinke we may be more familiar shall I say nay more vnmannerly
into the lowest part of the earth not onely to the earth the lowest part of the world but euen to the lowest part of the earth for wee say in our Creed He descended into Hell he tooke his rising from the lowest place to ascend into the highest And herein doth Christ reade a good Lecture to vs hee teacheth vs that Humility is the way to glory and the more we are humbled the more wee shall be exalted Adam and Angels were both ambitious both did desire to climbe but they mistooke their rising and so in climbing tooke grieuous falls If wee would climbe without a fall wee must learne to climbe of Christ so shall wee bee sure to tread the steppes of Iacobs Ladder which from earth will reach as high as heauen I may not omit to obserue that the Apostle speakes significantly when hee saith that He that ascended is the same also that descended Non ascendit alius licet aliter Nestorius was condemned for an Hereticke who distracted Christs two natures and made of them two persons but as it is Gods truth so it is our great comfort that the person is but one and these are the workes of one and the selfe same person they both concerne the same person in the nature which hee tooke from vs Hee that was humbled is the same person that was exalted And so will God deale with vs crowne no other person than him that doth conflict and in the depth of our Humiliation euery one of vs may say with Iob Chapt. 19. Though after my skinne wormes destroy this body yet in my flesh I shall see God Non alius Sed aliter though the same person of Christ ascended which descended yet hee ascended otherwise than hee descended for hee descended Metaphysically ascended Physically hee descended not by changing of place but of state the Godhead that is infinite could change no place but it could exinnanite it selfe and become of a worse condition than it was But in the Ascension the person changed place the manhood remoued from earth to heauen hee that in his Incarnation being onely God became man in his Ascension went into heauen God and man hee that to make way to his passion suspended the influence of his Godhead into his Manhood did in his Ascension permit the one to indowe the other so far as a Creature was capable of the influence of his Creatour And wee shall ascend though not other men yet otherwise than wee descend wee descended morally but wee shall ascend physically in our descending wee put on other affections than before wee had wee exchange our naturall pride for Christian humility but in our Ascension wee shall change our place remoue out of this wildernesse into Canaan from earth to Heauen and the same God that is pleased here for a time to make vs sowe in teares will then yeeld vs a plentifull haruest which wee shall reape in ioy wee shall then see the fulnesse of his loue towards vs which too vsually wee misdeeme by reason of the Crosse which hardly can wee conceiue that it can stand with his good will towards vs Castigo te non quod odio habeam sed quod amem is a proposition more true than euident the combination is so strange that it is no wonder if we be hard of beleefe but God will then cleare it and we shall confesse we had no reason to discredit it One Note more and so an end Before you heard of Grace now you see that grace is a spoile a spoile taken from that enemy that tyrannized ouer vs and this is no small improuement of grace Before you heard that grace did fill vs but now you see that wee were captiues and the condition of captiues is to endure hunger nakednesse all kinde of miserie and how welcome is that grace that fils such empty persons Before you heard that this grace was a gift but here you finde that Christ payed dearely for it the more it cost him the more precious should it bee in our eyes What shall I say then to you but wish you to couple this third Sermon with the first that you may bee more feeling of the loue of God in Christ O Lord that wouldest descend before thou diddest ascend grant that wee may make our way through Humility to Glory giue vs grace to consummate thy Triumph by manfully resisting and conquering of Sathan Let vs not feare to tread on him whom thou hast disarmed yea enrich vs wee beseech thee with the spoyles which thou hast taken from him and make vs euer willing and deuout captiues of thine Let it neuer grieue vs to serue thee who hast so mercifully saued vs Let vs now ascend in heart whither we hope to ascend in place and so prepare vs on earth by a holy conuersation that wee may partake with Christ of a happy condition in the kingdome of Heauen Amen IHS A SERMON PREACHED IN WESTMINSTER BEfore his Matie the Lords and others of the vpper House of Parliament at the opening of the Fast Iulie 2. 1625. 1 KINGS cap. 8. vers 37 38 39 40. If there bee in the Land famine if there bee pestilence blasting mildew locust if there bee Caterpillers if the enemie besiege them in the Lund of their Cities Whatsoeuer plague whatsoeuer sickenesse there be What prayer and supplication soeuer bee made by any man or by all thy people Israel which shall know euery man the plague of his own heart and spread forth his hands towards this House Then heare thou in Heauen thy dwelling place and forgiue and doe and giue to euery man according to his wayes whose heart thou knowest For thou euen thou onely knowest the hearts of all the children of men That they may feare thee all the daies that they liue in the Land which thou gauest to our Fathers THese words are a Clause of that Prayer wherewith King Salomon did dedicate the Temple and expresse that vse thereof which commeth very neare our present case Our case is twofold we suffer from Gods wrath wee are suppliants to Gods mercy And lo two like cases are presented in these words the case of Sufferers verse 37. and in the three next verses the case of Suppliants But more distinctly to rip vp the Text We will consider therein first the manner of the deliuerie and secondly the matter that is deliuered The Manner it is a Prayer the words are conceiued in that forme In the Matter we shall see 1. Whom these words concerne and 2. Wherein they doe concerne them Those whom they concerne are the inhabitants of Canaan the children of Israel the People of God this you may gather out of the 37. and 38. Verses And they concerne them in two maine Points for they shew first that they may vnderlye the heauie hand of God secondly that they must then haue recourse vnto the Throne of Grace The heauie hand of God is here set downe first definitely it may afflict Israel eyther only in
and so doe King Dauids Penitentialls God commands wicked seruants to bee beaten Deut. 28. I will conclude thi◠point with two short admonitions one out of the Prophet Heare the rod and who sends it Micah 6. the other is out of the Psalme As the eye of a seruant looketh to the hand of his master and the eye of a mayden to the hand of her mistresse euen so our eyes looke vnto the Lord our God vntill he haue mercie vpon vs Psal 123. Other ceremonies were vsed by Penitents in the Old Testament and in the New especially who were wont to humble themselues vsque ad inuidiam coeli as ancient Writers doe Hyperbolize but with no ill meaning they did so farre afflict themselues for sinne that the very Saints in Heauen might enuie their deepe Humiliation But tantae seneritati non sumus pares those patternes are too austere for these dissolute times onely let mee obserue this vnto you that Repentance must be an Holocaust all our inward our outward senses should concurre to testifie our godly sorrow for sinne wee should suffer not one of them to take rest themselues or giue rest to God By this you may perceiue that Penitentiall Deuotion is an excellent Vertue but not so common as the world thinketh The last thing that I noted vpon this Deuotion is that it must be performed by euery one in particular and by the whole Congregation in generall for the same remedy serueth both the publike must take the same course which euery priuate man doth and euery priuate man must take the same course that the publicke doth The reason is because the Church is corpus Homogeneum and therfore eadem est ratio partis totius in the peformance of those religious dueties no man must thinke himselfe too good to humble himselfe neyther must any man thinke himselfe vnworthy to appeare before the Throne of grace In our priuate occasions wee must come by our selues and wee must ioyne with the publicke when the publicke wounds call vs thereunto as now we do and we haue comfortable Precedents for that which we doe in the Prophet Ioel and Ionas Behold how good and ioyfull a thing it is for brethren to dwell together in vnitie can neuer be more comfortably sung than at these religious meetings when as one man with one voyce and heart we present our deuotions before God I doubt not but as hopefully as humbly It is true that God in Ezechiel cap. 14. threatneth that if Noah Daniel and Iob were in Ierusalem as I liue saith the Lord God they shall deliuer neyther sonne nor daughter they shall but deliuer their owne soules by their righteousnesse when I send but a pestilence into the land how much more when I send my foure plagues The like is threatned in Ieremy cap. 15. But we must obserue that then God was risen from the Mercy Seat and in punishment of their many contempts had giuen the Iewes ouer to their owne hearts Iust But God be thanked this Assembly sheweth that we haue not so far forsaken God neyther hath God who hath put these things into the mind of the King and State so forsaken vs but wee may hope for Acceptance Which is the next part of my text What Israel performeth that will God accept for hee is as mercifull as iust Blessed are they that mourne saith Christ for they shall bee comforted Matth. 5. for Christ came to heale those that were broken in heart Luke 4. You aske saith St. Iames cap. 4. and haue not hee addeth a reason because yee aske amisse but if you aske aright then Christs rule is true Aske and ye shall haue seeke and ye shall find knocke and it shall be opened vnto you Mat. 7. He that shall confesse to Gods name and turne from his sins shall finde Acceptance with God for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the teares of repentance are not only not displeasing but pleasing to God as incense But Gods acceptance consisteth of two Acts the first is God will giue accesse vnto their Prayers Heare in heauen his dwelling place The prayers were to be made towards the Arke but God heareth in Heauen And what is the cause of this change why God should not heare there whither we direct our prayers Surely we must ascend from the Type to the Truth that is but a manduction to this It was a maine errour of the Iewes to diuorce them and haue in most esteeme the least part rest in the Type passing ouer the Truth Heauen is the place of Gods habitation only because the place of his manifestation The Septuagint render the words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a place fitted for God to distinguish it from the Church below which is but a place a fitting The Chaldee rendreth it domum Maiestatis a maiesticall house And surely the place of Gods dwelling is locus amplus et angustus a large a stately Palace adorned with holines glory And when wee thinke vpon God wee must not conceiue of his state by things below but by things aboue the earth is but as a point vnto the visible heauens much more in comparison of the Heauen of Heauens and they though they are the goodliest place created yet are they not a worthy habitation for the infinite maiestie of God onely he vouchsafeth there most to manifest himselfe The Church that is resembled to heauen and called Gods dwelling place must be remembred hereby that God must not dwell therein or in any member thereof angustè or sordidè We must inlarge our hearts to receiue God and purifie them that they may somewhat beseeme the Residentiary therein which is God Finally it is no small fauour that God doth vouchsafe to heare that beeing in heauen hee doth vouchsafe to heare vs that are on earth for sometimes hee hideth himselfe as it were with a Cloud Lam. 3. so that our prayers cannot haue accesse vnto him and our sinnes separate between him and vs and he is as if he heard not not that the eare of iealousie heareth not all things but he is not pleased to giue a gracious signification that hee doth heare But the spirituall clamor of the contrite expressed from the secret closet of the inward man hath the power of a loud voyce and piercing which can enter the heauens and approach acceptably vnto God God will not onely heare and giue accesse to the Prayers of the penitent but redresse their sufferings also Quando non geniculationibus nostris jeiunationibus etiam siccitates sunt depulsae saith Tertullian what calamitie was there euer which wee haue not diuerted by our penitent deuotion The Prayer of a righteous man auaileth much if it be feruent Iames 5. But God doth redresse the sufferings of Israel orderly first he redresseth the cause which is sinne and then the effect which is woe He will forgiue and then He will doe and giue neyther may a sinner looke for peace except he first speede of mercie
these prerogatiues and therfore it preacheth vnto vs that which Canaan preached to Israel Amendment of life and constancy therein The second Motiue which the place doth yeeld is the tenure thereof God saith Salomon gaue it to our fathers they held in franck Almoigne and God telleth vs in the Psalme that hee gaue it them to this end that they might keep his statutes and obserue his Lawes And should not men bee dutifull vnto God when God is so liberall vnto men Wee may thinke haply that this doth not concerne vs because we came otherwise by our Lands If we thinke so wee plod too much vpon the second causes but we must know that whether we come by them by purchase or by gift we are beholding vnto Gods blessings for the mony wherewith wee purchase and for their good will which bestow it on vs and the same God that could haue hindred vs of both can strip vs of both at his pleasure But to shut vp the matter of my Text. You see the end of Gods plagues and of his mercy They doe sollicit vs to returne in time This doth call vpon vs not to bee weary of well-doing Wherefore let vs entertaine Gods chastisements prudently let vs not contemne them because they are fearefull and the contempt of this temporall will but procure vs eternall wrath at least in this life God may rise from smaller vnto greater plagues Nor let vs despaire because God is mercifull yea he hath shewed a great deale of mercy in that multi corriguntur in paucis in presenting before vs some few mens harmes hee bids vs all beware and what should our praier be but Domine ne in supplicijs nostrie alios erudiamus Let not vs by thy heauy hand bee made examples to others cum liceat nobis aliorum cruciatibus emendari whereas if wee haue grace other mens corrections may be our instructions To you of this assembly let me say boldly That the greater we are in place and power the greater share should we haue in this worke of Repentance by our example we should teach the people compunction for sin correction of life the two most preuailing folliciters of Gods mercy and preseruers of a State God forbid that it should be with vs as it was with Israel Ier. 5. Amos 6. that God should find the great men more sons of Belial than the meaner sort it would be a shrewd prognostication of very euill dayes to come This day promiseth better things I pray God the continuance be answerable and that we repent not that wee haue resolued to repent but that euery day sinne may more and more dye in vs and grace liue more and more if we do so we may be sure that though for a time we sow in teares yet in due time wee shall reape in ioy Nothing remaineth now that I haue for your greater edifications opened and applied the pious assertions that are contained in my text but that wee should returne it againe into that forme wherein King Salomon conceiued it and make it our common petition vnto God LOrd there is great feare of a famine the pestilence hath entred already far vpon vs by the enemies of thy truth and our peace we are forced to prepare for war we knowing euery man the plague of his owne heart cast our selues downe before thy Throne of Mercy deprecating thy wrath and supplicating for grace beseeching thee to take off thy heauie hand from vs and fight for vs against our enemies because without thee vaine is all the strength of man Heare thou in heauen thy dwelling place forgiue do and giue to euery man of vs according to his waies Thou which only knowest the hearts of all men that we may fear thee all the dayes which we liue in this good Land which thou hast giuen to our fathers And bee vouch safed after this life to attend thy Throne with thy blessed Saints in the Kingdome of Heauen Amen יהוה TWO SERMONS PREACHED in WELLS at the Ordination of MINISTERS THE FIRST SERMON MATTH 28. Vers 18 19 20. All power is giuen vnto mee in Heauen and in Earth Goe ye therefore and teach all Nations baptizing them in the Name of the Father and of the Sonne and of the Holy Ghost Teaching them to obserue all things whatsoeuer I haue commanded you And lo I am with you alway euen vnto the end of the world Amen THese words contain one of the last solemne acts which our Sauiour Christ performed immediately before he ascended into Heauen and that was his sending of his Apostles to conuert the world In this act our Sauiour Christ doth informe them first of his owne right to send All power is giuen me both in Heauen and in Earth then of the errant whereupon they were to be sent Goe yee therefore and teach all Nations baptizing them c. But more distinctly About Christs right our first enquiry must be of what sort the power here mentioned is and wee shall finde that it is heauenly and my Text will teach vs that this heauenly power of Christ is lawfull because giuen vnto him and full because in it selfe vnlimited it is All power and extendeth to euery place it worketh both in Heauen and Earth Vpon this power of Christ is grounded the Apostles Embassage that must you gather out of the Illatiue Therefore In the Apostles embassage or errant we will consider their common charge and comfort In the charge we shall see 1. What they must doe they must Goe Ite 2. To whom they are sent and whereabout They are sent farre and wide Goe yee to all Nations That which they must doe is to winne them vnto Christ teach them or as the Originall hath it make them Disciples If they preuaile with any if any entertaine the Gospell then they are to consecrate their persons vnto God Baptize them in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost and to worke their obedience wholly conformable to euery one of those precepts which themselues had receiued from Christ Teach them to doe all things whatsoeuer I haue commanded you This is their common charge Their common comfort standeth in the powerfull and perpetuall assistance of Christ Assistance He is with them and this presence is powerfull for he that is present is Ego I that haue all power both in Heauen and Earth and it is perpetuall Hee is with them alwayes vnto the worlds end Alwayes without intermission vnto the worlds end therefore not onely with their owne persons but also with their successors Vpon this common comfort they must all fixe their eyes Ecce Behold it and their faithfull prayer must hopefully expect it so much is meant by the close of all Amen These bee the particulars which offer themselues in this Text to our consideration I will God willing speake of so many of them as the time will permit Consider you what I say and the Lord giue you a right vnderstanding in
I will giue them Luke 4.6 notwithstanding he is but an Vsurper Neither is Antichrist any better who sitteth in the Temple of God and carrieth himselfe as God 2. Thos 2. taking vpon him that power ouer the consciences of the people which Christ neuer gaue him the particulars are many you may meete with them in the Casuists and in the Controuersie Writers I will not trouble you with them Our Sauiour Christs power is iust For it was giuen vnto him But when First in his Incarnation for no sooner did he become man but he was annointed with the Holy Ghost and with Power therefore the Angels that brought the newes of his Birth to the Shepheards said that to them was borne a Sauiour which was the Lord Christ No sooner did the Sonne of God become man but hee was inuested with this power the eternall purpose of God and Prophesies of him began to be fulfilled the Godhead communicated to the manhood this power not changing the manhood into God but honouring it with an Association in his workes the manhood is of counsell with the Godhead in his gouernment and Christ from the time of his Conception wrought as God and man who before wrought onely as God Of this gift speaketh the Psalmist Thou art my Sonne this day haue I begotten thee aske of mee and I will giue thee the Heathen for thine Inheritance c. Psal 2. and in Daniel chapt 7. one like the sonne of man is brought vnto the Ancient of dayes and to him was giuen a kingdome c. But though this gift were bestowed at Christs Conception yet was the execution thereof for the most part suspended vntill his Resurrection some glympses he gaue of it and shewed his glory in his Miracles but for the most part he appeared in the forme of a seruant and his Humiliation was requisite that he might goe through with his Passion his power though it were not idle before yet was the carriage of it veiled and therefore acknowledged but by a few But after his Resurrection God gaue him this power manifestly and the world was made to see it clearly for Christ did then not onely cloath his person with Maiestie but shewed himselfe wonderfull in the gouernement of his people Therefore the time of the gift is by the Holy Ghost limited to the Resurrection and declared to be a reward of his Passion so saith the Psalme Thou hast made him a little lower than the Angels that thou mightst crowne him with glory and honour Psal 8. St. Paul applyeth it vnto Christ Heb. 2. Rom. 14 and tells elsewhere that Christ dyed and rose againe that hee might be Lord both of quicke and dead The same he teacheth the Ephesians and the Colossians Cap. 1. Cap. 2. but especially the Philippians Christ being in the forme of God took vpon him the forme of a seruant and did exinanite himselfe and became subiect to death euen the death of the Crosse therefore God exalted him and gaue him a Name aboue all Names c. This gift or manner of giuing is properly meant in this place the gift of power in reward of Christs merit for by this merit did he enter into his Glory and into his Kingdome And from this must Ministers deriue their power which Christ hath right to conferre vpon them not onely by the gift of his Conception but also by the reward of his Passion As Christs power is lawfull so is it full also for hee hath all power a plenary power The word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doth note sometimes a passiue power sometimes an actiue a passiue power as in those words of the Gospell to them that receiued Christ hee gaue 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 power to bee the sonnes of God Iohn 1.12 actiue when Christ sent his Disciples hee gaue them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 power ouer vncleane spirits Matth. 10.1 that is to cast them out According to this double acception of the word is the fulnesse of Christs power diuersly expounded Some say it is full passiuely before Christs Resurrection Christ was obeyed but per nolentes by those that serued him against their will and so hee was serued but to halfes but afterward hee gathered Populum spontaneum an ingenuous willing people Psal 110. a people that should serue him readily not with a mixt will halting between two or between willing and nilling but with all their heart and cheerfully not like luke warme Laodiceans for the Kingdome of Heauen suffereth violence and the violent take it Matth. 11. This is the Interpretation of some true in it selfe though not so proper to my Text. Therefore we must vnderstand it of an actiue power that power which by allusion out of the Prophets words is specified in the Reuelation Cap. 3. He hath the Key of Dauid that shutteth and no man openeth openeth and no man shutteth he hath both Keyes of the Church Clauem Scientiae and Clauem Potestatis the Key of Doctrine and the Key of Discipline hee giueth all men their Talents and calleth them to an account for the vse of them It is he that separateth the Sheepe from the Goates and from his mouth proceedeth as well Goe ye cursed as Come ye blessed But if you will haue it to the full it is comprehended in those three offices whereunto Christ was annointed he was annointed to be a Prophet a Priest and a King all by an Excellency all Heauenly and what power is there belonging vnto spirituall gouernment which is not reduced vnto these three And they were all three in him without exception without restriction and so he had all power or as I told you a power vnlimited in it selfe And yet marke the phrase it is omnis Potestas not Omnipotentia though in Christ as he is God there is Omnipotency yet that power which hee hath as Mediatour is of a middle size it is greater than any Creature hath Angell or Man but yet not so great as is the infinite Power of God that extends ad omnia possibilia to all that possible may bee But the power which God hath giuen to the Mediatour is proportioned not to scientiae simplicis intelligentiae but visionis it extends as farre as the Decree which God made before all times of all that shall be done in due time especially concerning the Church it hath an hand in mannaging all that Prouidence and mannaging it in an heauenly manner As the power is vnlimited in it selfe so it extends to all places Hee hath all power in Heauen and in Earth Heauen and Earth are the extreame parts of the world and in the Creed are vsually put for the whole but in the Argument we haue in hand we must restraine it to the Church which consisteth of two parts one Triumphant in Heauen the other Militant on Earth Christ hath power in both for both make vp his body and he hath reconciled both vnto God In Earth he giueth men Grace in Heauen he giueth
made steward of Gods house a disposer of the secrets of the Kingdome of God an Oecumaenicall both Steward and Disposer Et ad haec quis idoneus No man that is not qualified by grace and by grace not only called but inabled thereunto as St. Paul was that was not only an Apostle but had also Apostolicall gifts But I said I would haue an eye to this present occasion wherefore I will enlarge this point as fitteth the present Auditorie The grace of a Minister is eyther inherent or assistant the first giueth Abilitie the second Authoritie by grace inherent hee vnderstandeth the Scripture by grace assistant hee hath power to retaine and remit sinne Of these two graces both are requisite to the being as it were of a Pastor there should be a sufficiencie in him vnto whom authoritie is giuen and hands should not be imposed on them which haue not a competencie of gifts And yet it falleth out too often that through the ambition of ignorant men and ouer-facilitie of those that haue power to lay on hands many weake yea wicked ones are honoured with that sacred calling whereunto themselues are no meane dishonour who in regard of the grace of inherence cannot say with St. Paul by the grace of God I am that I am inward grace in this kinde they haue plainely none I would they would redeeme this shame and not liue to bee scandalls of our Church But the sinne of such doth not impeach their power they are true though they are not fit Ministers Which must bee considered by those which factiously refuse or scrupulously forbeare to be Sheepe vnder such Shepheards or to communicate with them in sacred things although hee come short in regard of grace inherent yet God is not wanting to him in regard of grace assistant whether he dispence the Sacraments according to Gods ordinance or present according to the ordinance of the Church the peoples deuotion vnto God And let this suffice touching St. Paules Endowment I come now to his Employment And here I told you first that St. Paul did not neglect Gods gifts Gods grace bestowed vpon him was not in vaine Vaine is eyther emptie or idle emptie is that which hath a shew but no substance idle is that whose efficacie is not answerable to its abilitie The grace that St. Paul had was neither way vaine for he had Gods spirit indeed not in shew onely and his deeds did beare witnesse that Gods spirit was in him In this place the Apostle meaneth not so much emptinesse as idlenesse for though whatsoeuer is emptie must needs be idle yet whatsoeuer is idle is not emptie otherwise there could be no sinne of negligence whereof notwithstanding there is too much in the world Negligence of both kinde of graces of the grace of Adoption which is common to all the Church for how many be there whose vnderstanding God illightneth with the knowledge of the truth that neuer make vse of it in ordering of their liues but liue as if they knew neyther Creede nor ten Commandements how many good motions doth God kindle in the hearts of many a man who notwithstanding liueth frozen as it were in the dregs of his owne impure lusts and those good motions set him not a whit forwarder towards heauen Nay as water that hath beene warmed is apt to bee bound faster with the frost so after-lusts are the more violent by reason of former good motions But this is a foule neglect of Gods good gifts Wherfore let me remember you all in the Apostles words to follow his good example not to receiue the grace of God in vaine St. Paul did not the more grace he had the better he liued and so must we if there be light in vs it must shine forth from vs and they must feele the heat of our inward zeale that conuerse with vs outwardly in the world In a word wee must all walke in that spirit by which wee liue they that boast of Gods gifts let them shew the effects of them for I haue chosen you saith Christ that you may goe and beare fruit Gods grace that makes vs other men must make vs also profitable men As none of the Church must neglect the grace of Adoption so must not the Ministers neglect their grace of Edification they must not hide their talent consult with flesh and blood bee disobedient to the heauenly visions they must 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 stirre vp the grace of God blow off the ashes that would ouer-cast it sound the trumpet and giue timely Alarums be instant in season and out of season being salt wee must euer be seasoners of the world being light we must euer be dispelling the darkenesse of men being Architects wee must euer be building of Gods house being Husbandmen wee must euer bee labouring in Gods field finally being Shepheards we must euer be attending on Christs flocke so was St. Paul so must we Otherwise Gods grace is bestowed on vs in vaine our conscience cannot yeeld vs this good testimonie which St. Paul giueth here vnto himselfe it will rather challenge vs of our neglect and the grieuousnesse of our neglect will bee answerable to the gifts which wee receiue from God And God knowes there is too much of this neglect of our calling in many at whose hands God will require the blood of many perishing soules But I will dwell no longer vpon this first branch of St. Paules employment St. Paul did not neglect the gifts of God but vnto his vse of them there concurred more workers than one he doth specifie them and the preheminencie of eyther of them The workers are two St. Paul and Gods grace And here I must put you in minde that though in our first conuersion we are only passiue yet being conuerted we become actiue also God onely maketh vs new men but being new he will haue vs make vse of our new vnderstanding and our new will and our new affections he will haue vs vse them all And it were grosse for vs to neglect our selues when God hath giuen vs abilities which we may employ yea honoured vs so farre as to enable vs to work out our saluation and walke the waies that leade vnto eternall life neither doth hee euer deserue to come there that will not set forward that way And yet many such wretches haue you that leaue themselues to be carried to heauen by God while they giue themselues ouer-securely to fulfill their owne wicked lusts that hope well of God but themselues doe no good at all And as there bee such carelesse Christians so are there carelesse Ministers also who presuming vpon dabitur in illa hora do all things extempore preach pray and what not as if premeditation and studie did not concerne them but the spirit of God would alwaies supply them and giue them an extraordinarie abilitie But this is grosse presumption and dangerous also euen the high way vnto Enthusiasme Anabaptisme and all those mischieuous Sects the
banes not of Learning only but of Religion also St. Paul is one worker but there is another also which is Gods grace God doth not endow vs and then leaue vs to our free will if hee did so our endowing grace would quickly perish or doe nothing therefore hee giues a second grace to the operant he addes a cooperant That must worke also The reason is euident whether you cast your eies vpon the common workes of pietie or else vpon the speciall workes of the Ministrie See it first in the speciall workes of Pietie If our vnderstanding and our heart be left in their pure naturals the one will neuer perceiue the other wil neuer sauour the things that are of God therefore must the one be lightned the other must bee purged by grace otherwise they will neuer comprehend their obiect they will neuer bee able to doe any supernaturall worke How much lesse will they bee able to doe it their naturals being corrupted as by sinne they are But before in the endowment we found a man indued with grace and here we finde mention made of grace againe wherefore wee must obserue that God vouchsafeth a man a double grace an habituall and an actuall a grace that giueth him abilitie and a grace that setteth his abilitie on worke Touching habituall grace that is true which St. Basil hath De Spiritu sancte c. 26. it is semper presens but not semper operans it may be in vs and yet be idle he expresseth it by a similitude of the eye sight wherewith a man may see oftner than he doth see De Natura gratia c. 26. St. Austin vseth that simile more fully to our purpose vt oculus corporis etiam plenissimè sanus nisi candore lucis adiutus non potest cernere c. as the sharpest eye-sight can discerne nothing except it haue the help of outward light no more can a man perfectly iustified liue well except he be holpen from aboue with the light of the eternall Iustice Neither is this cooperation of grace a transeunt but a permanent Act so the same Father teacheth Sicut Aer praesente lumine non factus est lucidus sed fit quia si factus esset non fieret sed etiam absente lumine lucidus maneret sic home Deo sibi praesente illuminatur absente autem continuo tenebratur Gods grace in man is like the light of the Ayre the one steeds our bodily eye so long as it is maintained by a perpetuall influence of the Sunne and the other steeds our soules so long as it is excited and helped by the holy spirit and grace will be as vnfruitfull without this helpe of the Spirit as the light of the ayre will be fading if you intercept the influence of the Sunne So that a mans soule must be like vnto the Land of Canaan vpon which the eyes of the Lord were from the beginning of the yeare to the ending to giue it the former and the later raine Deut. 11. our sufficiencie and our efficiencie must be both from God Neyther is this second grace needfull only for the work of Pietie but for the workes of the Ministrie also the Lampes that burne in the Temple must continually bee fedde with oyle St. Paul though hee calleth vs Labourers yet he calleth vs 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 there is another Labourer with vs. And indeed as Moses told God If thou wilt not goe with vs send vs not hence so vncomfortable were the worke of the Ministrie were it not for Christs promise Lo I am with you vntill the worlds end if he did not hold the starres in his hand they would quickly become wandring quickly become falling stars Besides our selues therfore we must acknowledge another Worker Hauing found the two workers wee must now see what was eyther of their preheminencie First the preheminencie of St. Paul He laboured more than all the word all must be vnderstood not collectiuely but distributiuely He was not so arrogant as to equall himselfe to the whole either Church or Ministrie but to any one he might wel equall himselfe he might well affirme that not any one did equall him in labour But it is a question whom he meaneth by All whether only false Apostles or also true There is no doubt but he went beyond all the false Apostles if he went beyond the true And he went beyond the true it is euident if you consider the circuit of his trauell which is described Rom. 15. and in the Acts especially if you adde that he planted Churches wheresoeuer he came and enlarged the Kingdome of Christ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as himselfe speaketh Adde hereunto his many Epistles sent to so many remote places and persons so profoundly opening the mysteries of saluation and resoluing the hardest knots thereof But aboue all things take notice of the two Supporters of his paines with which no man euer bore himselfe out more resolutely they are the prouerbiall Sustine Abstine How did he despise all profit all pleasure that would take no salary for his paines but laboured with his owne hands that hee might make the Gospell of Christ free that when he might lead about a Wife a Sister as Cephas and the other Apostles did made himselfe an Eunuch for the Kingdome of heauen You see what his Abstine was or despising of profit and pleasure As for his Sustine enduring of afflictions that was no lesse remarkeable reade but the eleuenth of the second to the Corinths there we finde them collected to our hands and what kinde of Affliction is there which wee doe not finde there if you reade it you will say he was a manifold Martyr I cannot dwell longer vpon this point only this I obserue though no man can suffer or abstaine more than he should or labour beyond his dutie supererrogations of any of those kindes are Popish dreames as they expound them yet may one man goe farre beyond another and some there are which are Miracula hominum they may rather be admired than imitated And such was St. Paul Neither was he such a Pastor only but such a Christian also and indeed his Sustine and Abstine must be referred to his grace of Adoption though they did attend his grace of Edification But if that will not suffice see how he did buffet his bodie and keep it vnder lest while he preached to others himselfe should become a reprobate 1 Cor. 9. when he was buffeted with the messenger of Sathan 2 Cor. 12. hee neuer left importuning Christ with his prayers till Christ answered him My grace is sufficient for thee my strength is made perfect in weakenesse his constant care was to keepe an inoffensiue conscience towards God and men Acts 26. But aboue all places reade and exemplifie those two memorable descriptions of a true religious heart striuing against sinne Rom. 7. and making towards heauen Phil. 3. you cannot better see his Pietie and learne to bring your owne to
that we should bow before him the knees of our hearts no lesse then the knees of our bodies when we lift vp our hands vnto GOD we should lift vp our Soules also and our eyes should not behold Heauen but our faith should pierce vnto the Throne of GOD. Finally there is no Ceremoniall Law which should not attend some Morall as the shadow doth the body or the body should the soule the Sonne of SYRACH hath made a whole Chapter that teacheth this Lesson But the Iewes put a sunder what GOD had conioyned Cap. 35 they shewed much zeale for the Ceremoniall but were carelesse of the Morall Law expressed much submission of their bodyes but little deuotion of their Soules and drew neere with their lips but their hearts were farre from God Of this GOD complaineth ESAY 1. and doth passionately vary tearmes to expresse his dislike thereof they solemnized their Feasts and offered Sacrifices and assembled themselues in his House Esay 1 But what saith GOD To what purpose is the multitude of your Sacrifices Who required your presence to tread in my Courts I hate your solemne Feasts The cause of all is Your hands are full of blood In the last of ESAY GOD is much sharper He that killeth an oxe is as if he slew a man Cap. 66. he that sacrificeth a lambe as if he cut off a dogs necke he that offereth an oblation is as if he offered swines blood he that burneth Incense as if he blessed an Idol Marke the Reason They haue chosen their owne wayes and their soule delighted in their owne abominations You see then that in seruing GOD we may offend him grieuously if we seuer those things which he hath coupled for our seruice then will be plaine hypocrisie and Hypocrifie is by a Prouerbe noted to be double iniquitie And iustly is it so noted for therein we do first Interpretatiuè deny that GOD is the Searcher of the heart in that we doe not approue our heart to him Secondly we doe expresly preferre the Diuell before GOD in that we giue the better part I meane our Soule to the Diuell and reserue onely the worser part that is our bodyes for GOD. This should all that present themselues in GODS House seriously thinke on especially you that make shew of a solemne Penitent but such a shew as betrayeth that there is no broken heart within you nor contrite spirit seeing there appeareth so little euidence thereof in the outward man Be you assured that so repenting for sinne you doe but add vnto your sinne you are a transgressor of the Law in regard of your Separation of the Ceremoniall from the Morall Law But there is an other transgression of the Law which is the direct and immediate violation of the Morall part thereof This is the greater sinne and doth more apparently deserue such a name for the former though it be a sinne yet it is a cloaked sinne it maketh some faire shew in the eyes of men how vgly soeuer it is in the eyes of GOD but this walketh vnmasked and appeareth as it is Secondly the former is Malum quia prohibitum euill vpon no other ground but because by a positiue Law it is forbidden it is onely extrinsically euil the other is prohibitum quia malum by no meanes to be done though there were no positiue Law that did forbid it the euill thereof is intrinsicall for it is the violation of the Image of GOD according to which man was made and according to which he should liue In the particular Case that concernes this Penitent GOD that gaue a rationall facultie vnto the soule of man whereby he should order the sensitiue in the vse thereof would haue a man shew himselfe to be better then a beast And how doth a man differ from a beast that hath vnbridled lusts and neglect not onely sacred wedlocke but the degrees of Affinitie and Consanguinitie within which GOD and Nature require that his lusts be stinted This should you that are the Penetent seriously thinke on and measure the grieuousnesse of your sinne by this these things as well the transgression of the Morall as the seperation thereof from the Ceremoniall But the grieuousnesse of sinne is argued not only from what is done but also from the doing of the same Aliud est peccare aliud peccatum facere saith St AVGVSTINE It is one thing to sinne another thing to be giuen ouer to sinne and his distinction is not idle for it is grounded not onely vpon St IOHNS phrase 1 Iohn 3. but also vpon St IAMES his gradation Men are first inticed by their lusts Cap. 1. then lust conceaueth and brings forth sinne and sinne being perfected brings forth death and this perfecting of sinne is properly the doing of sinne All men sinne but they that haue grace take heed of doing sinne feare and shame are both shaken off by those that goe so farre they endeauour not so much as to hide their sinnes Of these Iewes our Psalme saith They sate they spake they ran they wrought euill they consented one with another and were professors of a wicked life And little better is the case of this Penitent who for many yeeres hath openly in the eyes of the world notwithstanding the clamor of many that iustly did detest it liued in abominable Incest which doth much aggrauate his sinne There is a third Aggrauation in my Text taken from the Person that doth commit the sinne Thou hast done these things And the circumstance of the Person doth much improue the foulenesse of a fault No man should sinne against GOD but they that are most bound should forbeare most Now the Iewes had a double Obligation one by Nature the other by the Couenant They were GODS Creatures and GOD vouchsafed to contract with them Not to performe the dutie which we owe especially when we haue solemnly vowed it maketh vs guiltie in a high degree And euerie one within the Church if he doe sinne is so farre guiltie his Vow in Baptisme will presse him no lesse then the Condition of his Nature And this must you that are the Penitent ponder in your Soule that you may answerably hereunto feele the burden of your sinne I doe not amplifie these things without Cause they must be the rather marked because the deeper the Iewe was in guilt the greater was GODS Patience Notwithstanding their double offence their Seperation and Transgression their double Obligation of Nature and Vow their double sinning in that they did not onely act but professe sin yet did GOD hold his peace he proceeded not against them but with great Patience GODS Patience is noted by his Silence the word signifieth to be deafe and dumbe and putteth vs in mind of a double voyce a voyce of sinne and a voyce of Iudgement That sinnes haue a Voyce you may read Gen. 4. where ABELS blood doth cry and in the Storie of Sodome Gen. 18. the voyce of whose sin came vp to
vpon whom this Law was made blasphemed but in his rage as appeares yet he dyed for it Wonder not at GODS seueritie he measureth no more to himselfe then he doth to Parents Exod. 21 to Magistrates He that curseth his father and his mother the parents of his flesh must be vsed so and shall not he be vsed so much more that curseth the Father of his Spirit He that speaketh euill of the Ruler of the people must be vsed so and shall not he that speaketh euill of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords The comparison maketh Quicunque in GODS case to be most iust To which root we shall refer your Blasphemie that are the penitent I know not in charitie we hope the best we hope that it commeth from a mixture of grosse ignorance and vnruly passions for these doe rayse euill thoughts and murmurings That it doth so let it appeare in your repentance St Paul in conscience of his Fall by ignorance gaue himselfe no better a title when he had occasion to mention it then Maximus peccatorum the most grieuous of sinners euen when he lead a most holy life he could not forget his fall in the hight of GODS grace And of St Peter the Ecclesiasticall Storie reports that at the crowing of the Cocke the Remembrancer of his Fall euerie night during his life he did wash his bed and water his couch with his penitent teares GOD make you so mindfull and so sorrowfull otherwise you will betray that your Blasphemie sprang from malice and then be sure that the same GOD that commanded such seueritie to be executed here on earth will himselfe execute much greater vpon all those which through irrepentance goe to Hell Yea haply he may euen in this world make you a Spectacle of a forlorne wretch to the terrour of others as he did Sennacherib Hercdot â—â—b 8. vpon whose Statua there is this Inscription 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Let euerie one that looketh vpon me learne to be godly Such a Spectacle I say may he make you if by often recounting and bewayling of this crying sin you doe not quench the fire of his wrath and preuent his iudgements For God will not hold him guiltlesse that taketh his Name in vaine The last point is that it must be done without all indulgence Moriendo morietur he shall surely dye surely be stoned We may not with Eue turne surely into ne fortè lest the Diuel worke vpon vs and we prouoke GOD as Saul did in Agags case and Ahab in Benadads You haue heard the Law A word of those to whom it was giuen and so I end In the entrance of my Text you find that it was giuen to the Israelites the Israelites were the people of GOD and surely it concernes them if any to be most zealous of his glorie who is their Glorie But did it concerne them onely Then it is dissolued because their Common-weale is at an end Take therefore a Rule That if a Law which in the institution thereof was Nationall to the Iewes in the equitie of it be Oecumenicall euerie Christian nation is bound to giue it a Reuiuor though they may varie the punishment as they find it expedient for their State And indeed this hath receiued such a reuiuor in most Christian States Iustinian the Emperour of Constantinopâ—e made it capitall The wise Gothes inflicted an hundred stripes for it and in disgrace shaued the delinquents head and beard and imprisoned him during life Fredericke the Emperour cut out the tongue of all that offended in this kind St Lewis of France caused their tongue to be bored with a hot Iron wishing that his owne tongue might be so vsed if euer he did blaspheme Philip of Vuloys caused their lips to be slit And touching our owne State I haue nothing to say in excuse thereof for that it hath all this while left this sinne onely to Ecclesiasticall censure and hath not prouided some corporall punishment for it but that of Solon who being demanded why he made no Law against Parricide answered that he thought none in his Common-weale would euer be so impious to commit it So I thinke our State thought there would neuer rise such lewd persons amongst vs But seeing there doe it is high time we had some sharpe occasionall Statute to represse them If holy Iob were so carefull to sacrifice for and sanctifie his sonnes ne fortè lest peraduenture they had sinned with what zeale should we be stirred vp when we see the fact is most apparent I conclude Let all Blasphemie be put out of all our mouthes yea and hearts also and let vs pray GOD to set a watch before our lips and keepe the doore of our mouthes that his grace may rule in our hearts that he may be our feare and his prayse may be our talke that praysing him here on Earth we may be admitted into the number of his Saints which with heart and voyce prayse him for euermore in Heauen A penitent Prayer for a Blasphemer MOST Sacred and most dread Almightie Euerlasting God to whom the Angels continually doe cry Holy holy holy Lord God of Hoasts the glorie of whose admirable and comfortable wisedome reacheth from one end of the world to another mightily and sweetly ordereth all things J the vnworthiest of men the most grieuous of sinners humbly sorrowfully prostrating my deiected disconsolate both soule and body before thy holy eyes pray that the sighes and groanes of a broken and contrite heart may not be excluded from thine offended eares Lord J haue beene deepe in the gall of bitternesse and in the bond of iniquitie Sathan hath filled my heart therewith and out of the aboundance thereof my tongue hath sent forth many flashes euen of the fire of Hell as a brood of the Serpent J haue set my mouth against Heauen J haue blasphemed the holy the reuerend Name of my God and vilified his vnchangeable vnchallengable Prouidence Haddest thou dealt with me as I deserued fire and brimstone from Heauen should haue consumed me or the Earth should haue gaped and swallowed me downe quicke into the pit of Hell J deserued to be made a spectacle of thy iust vengeance that gracelesse wretches seeing my iudgement might feare my offence J confesse this ô Lord J confesse it vnfainedly penitently but woe is me if J haue no more to confesse but these my euill deserts Thy long-suffering towards me putteth me in better hope yea this medicinall confusion whereunto thou now puttest me puts me in good hope that thou hast not forgotten to be mercifull vnto me neither hast thou shut vp thy tender mercie in displeasure Lord J doe not despise this goodnesse of thine that leads me to repentance that workes in me remorce of conscience And from that penitent Blasphemer that proued a most worthy Apostle from his mouth doe J take vnto my selfe that saying worthy of all men to be receiued That Iesus Christ came into the world to saue
so administred are that which the Scripture calleth temptation which though naturally they light vpon the outward man yet doe they formally aime at the inward man Examples you haue in the two principall temptations registred in the Scripture that of the first Adam Gen. 3. and that of the second Adam Math. 4. in both which you may behold the Serpents engines which were arguments and occasions which more or lesse are practised in all temptations and learne vs all this caueat to haue an eye to our vnderstanding and our will how they are wrought by how they entertaine these either arguments or occasions But of temptations there are two sorts as they proceed from two different Authors which aime at different ends The one Author is GOD the other is the Diuel each vseth a temptation but the common distinctions vsed by the Fathers shew how vnlike their ends are For the ones temptation is probationis the other is seductionis we owe a dutie to GOD GOD in tempting doth but discouer our performance of it the Diuel he laboureth to peruert vs and corrupt whatsoeuer inclination to obedience there is in vs. Examples are verie frequent that open this distinction I will instance but in one GOD called vpon Abraham to sacrifice his sonne Isaack the end of that commandement is reuealed plainly by the Angel shewing that GOD would haue the world to see that Abraham held nothing so deere vnto him which he would not yeeld readily vnto GOD The Diuel he tempted vnto the same worke as it appeares in those that offered their children vnto Molos but he did it to make men no lesse impious against GOD then vnnaturall to their owne children so that looke what difference there is between etheriall and elementall heat whereof the one is vegetiue the other destructiue when it lighteth vpon hearbes and plants the same is there betweene the exploratiue and seductiue temptation when it lighteth vpon the wits and wils of men St Paul Ephes 4. cals the seductiue by significant names 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but the exploratiue is resembled to the Touchstone to the pounding of Spices the breaking of the boxe that containes sweet Oyntments the fire that tryeth Gold But we haue not now to doe with seduction but with probation it appeares in the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which I told you was the note of difference whereby St Iames doth restraine this temptation to that which maketh tryed men But of this there are two kinds for GOD tryeth by prosperitie or aduersitie when our worldly state is at best we are euen then put to the Touchstone and GOD tryeth what manner of persons we are the storie of Salomon is a cleere proofe but we haue not to doe with this temptation neither Our temptation is that which bringeth a rich-man low it is the temptation of aduersitie St Peter calleth it a fierie tryall St Paul Hebr. 12. brancheth it into two parts shame and the Crosse whereof the one disgraceth our person the other strips vs of our goods and life these both befell CHRIST and they are the portion of Christians We haue examples enough Hebr. 11. but we will not fall vpon the common place onely these things I will briefly note First that when we are in aduersitie we must not thinke that GOD delights in affliction but in probation were it not to proue his children he would not lay the Crosse vpon them Secondly this proofe doth not presuppose his ignorance but mans GOD knew what would be in vs before euer he made vs but we are not so well as we should be knowne to our selues much lesse to others lest we or they should be deceiued GOD bringeth to light the secrets of our heart and maketh vs reueale them in our eyes when they are sollicited by Adulterie in our eares when they are sollicited by vaine-glorie in our hands when they are sollicited by briberie finally in euerie part of our body yea and of our soule too he maketh vs reueale to others or our selues what lurketh in the deceitfull and intricate laberinth of our hearts Thirdly GOD will not be deceiued by painted sepulchers neither will he receiue counterfeits into Heauen he doth therefore timely vnmaske them here on earth and shew whether euerie man appeare in his owne likenesse whether he be a Meteor or a true Starre whether he be fruit of Sodome or of Paradice whether he be an Angel of light indeed or onely by a metamorphosis this is implied in the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ecel 27. and this is the end for which GOD tryeth vasa figuli probat fornax et homines iustos tentatio tribulationis our temptation is nothing else but the bringing of vs to the Touchstone This is the note of difference which must be coupled with the temptation that we may haue the proper obiect of Christian patience But the obiect is not enough without the subiect come we then to that the subiect is man Blessed is the man the word in English may reach all men and indeed patience is a vertue that is required in all and all sorts of men are in other passages of Scripture exhorted thereunto Euerie man must be salted with this fire and euerie sacrifice seasoned with this salt Marke 9. St Ambrose hath a good Simile drawne out of this word Salt which is that salt is no more requisite to keepe flesh from putrefaction then tribulation is to keepe man from sinne and a man must cease to be a member of CHRIST that will not in a persecution be conformable vnto him seeing this is an vndoubted rule that thornes grow not more naturally from the ground to make Adam eat his corporall bread in the sweat of his browes then calamities spring from earthly men to make the children of GOD to eat their spirituall bread in the bitternesse of their soules Nullus sieri potest Abel quem Cain malitia non persequatur St Paul hath a generall rule Gal. 4. speaking of Ismael and Isaack As he that was borne after the flesh persecuted him that was borne after the spirit so is it now yea it will be so euen till the worlds end But my purpose is not to extend St Iames his word beyond his meaning as he hath limited the Text so will I the Commentarie the word by which he notes the subiect is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which notes no common man but one of more then ordinarie place and worth it is more then 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as in Hebrew Ish is more then Adam for Ish and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doe often note a great or a noble personage and that here the word is so to be taken it is plaine for it is a relatiue that calleth backe to the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is in the tenth verse This man here is he which before was called the rich-man rich not in a vulgar sense but in the language of the Holy Ghost who by Rich vnderstandeth Noble
vs in his beloued SONNE but who heareth him No bee we neuer so often summoned our eyes our eares are slumbring are wandring and I presume not though I wish I might that what I haue spoken will awaken and fixe them Wherefore let vs turne both vnto him that opened the eyes of the blind and eares of the deafe that he would vnuaile both our eyes and our eares that these Mysteries be not presented to vs in vaine but that the Heauens bee now so open to our Faith that hereafter they may bee opened to our persons that the Doue would make vs such Doues that we may flie with peace into the Arke of God that he which is the Sonne and Beloued would make vs beloued sonnes of God that hauing our sinnes purged our persons accepted we may haue an endlesse Communion in Glory with the Holy Spirit that affoordeth vs this Communion in Grace A SERMON PREACHED AT WHITE-HALL 1 IOHN 3. VERS 20 21. 20 For if our heart condemne vs God is greater then our heart and knoweth all things 21 Beloued if our heart condemne vs not then haue we confidence to wards God AND verily this Scripture deserues well to be looked into at this time For we are at length awakened out of our dead sleepe in carnall securitie GODS Iudgements haue rowsed vs and we purpose GOD willing publickely and penitently to deprecate GODS fierce wrath prouoked by our crying innes GOD grant we may do it acceptably â—nd effectually But that cannot be except we first keepe a Scrutinie we throughly suruay euerie man his owne selfe this is the truest Preface vnto and best preparation for a Penitentiall Fast He that can vnflatteringly present himselfe before the vnpartiall eyes of his owne soule and the most holy eyes of GOD he whose heart is of that temper that it can receiue those religious impressions which such a sight will worke he and he onely hath made the first and the hardest step that must be troden by a penitent man My purpose is and it is the scope of my Text to guid our feet into that step and aduise vs to grow more familiarly acquainted with that whereunto the most of men desire to be verie strangers I meane our Consciences Conscience in my Text is called by the name of heart and our heart importeth as much as the Conscience of a Christian Touching this my Text doth teach vs what is her worke it is to censure or to sentence vs this you may gather out of the whole body of my Text. But in so dealing she proceeds not alike with all And why She findeth not all alike Some are and they are censured as guilâ—ie persons they haue a Conscience that condemneth them Other-some are not guiltie and they haue a Conscience which condemneth not The difference of the persons maketh a difference of her Worke. Vpon this Difference St Iohn groundeth an Inference He argueth from our Heart vnto GOD and giueth vs to vnderstand That as we deale when we reckon with our selues so will GOD deale when he calleth vs to an Account The worke of GOD and our Heart are in this case alike Alike they are but yet they are vnequall and that in two respects First of Power secondly of Knowledge I will a little supply the words so you will perceiue that St Iohn speaketh as much in two comparatiue Maximes Our heart is great and indeed it can doe much in this Little world of ours and yet it is no match for GOD God is greater then our Heart he can doe whatsoeuer he will both in Heauen and earth This is the first Maxime Our Heart knoweth much of that which is in vs it is euer of our Priuie Councell but yet that much commeth short of all it is God onely that knoweth all things euen those things that are hid in the obscurest darkenesse This is the second Maxime See now what S. Iohn worketh out of these two Maximes First concerning persons that are guiltie If our euill Conscience that is lesse in power and more shallow in knowledge doe notwithstanding condemne vs How shall not God condemne vs who is both Omnipotent and Omniscient Secondly concerning those that are guiltlesse If a man vpon due scrutinie can giue himselfe a Quietus est certainely that man may come with boldnesse vnto the Throne of Grace S. Iohn expresseth the Inference in these words If our Heart condemne vs not then haue wee confidence towards God But whom doeth all this concerne which we haue spoken of Conscience Surely the members of the Church they are meant by this name Beloued they must know that the workes and fruites which proceed from these workes doe concerne them neither haue they any priuiledge By this short modell you may conceiue the substance of my Text and apprehend vpon what I meane to insist GOD so blesse mee in speaking and you in hearing that whensoeuer wee are put vpon the triall God and our Heart may bee comfortable to vs seeing we are assured by my Text that they will deale very plainely with vs. The first particular was the name whereby Conscience is here called and that is Heart Vnder this name Heart the Scripture comprehendeth three things the Will the Conscience and the Affections sometimes the Holy Ghost intendeth all three by the word at other times some one in this place it vnderstandeth that one of them which is called Conscience And there is reason why that is called by the name of Heart The heart of man is his Morall Treasurie CHRIST teacheth it in St. Cap. 1â— Matthew A good man out of the good treasurie of his heart bringeth foorth good things and an euill man out of the euill treasurie of his heart bringeth foorth euill things whatsoeuer our conuersation is be it good or bad the roote of it is there and from thence as Salomon speaketh proceede life and death Prow 4. Now where the fountaine is of our morall Actions there GOD is pleased should bee the seate of morall Directions and Corrections too that no motion of the heart should farther be yeelded vnto then might stand with the fore-hand Counsell or after-hand content of the Conscience GOD would not haue vs seeke farre for these things either vp to Heauen or downe to hell or passe the Sea's they are neere vs in vs yea a very part a principall part of vs. And by whom will a man bee ordered in these things if not by himselfe and to whom could GOD more mercifully commend him then to himselfe This mercifull care cutteth off those poore excuses and vaine Apologies which men might make if GOD had not chosen so sit a Seate for Conscience But wee must farther obserue that the Conscience is furnished with two Powers a Directorie and a Iudicatorie it hath in it morall Principles whereby to guide men which is the Law written in our Heart whereby wee discerne good and euill the learned call it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is nothing else but practique
GODS not onely all-seeing Psal 13â— but also fore-seeing Eye GOD himselfe answereth the question in Ieremie concerning mans Heart Who can search that intricate and wicked labyrinth I the Lord. The LORD onely is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the searcher of the Heart and we are much better knowne to him then we are to our selues This Inequalitie being obserued marke now the Apostles Inference Is our Heart condemne vs God is greater then our Heart and knoweth all things If we regard the Iudge in our bosome how much more must wee regard the Iudge of Heauen and earth if we stand in awe of the knowledge which wee haue of our selues how much more must wee reuerence the piercing eye of GOD Nay if Cain and Iudas and such other wretches were so distressed and perplexed when they were but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 onely condemned by themselues and it is so fearefull a thing for wickednesse to bee condemned by its owne Testimonie Wisd â—â— How will they bee at their wits end when they shall bee 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 arraigned before CHRIST comming in the glory of his FATHER and all his holy Angels with him when the Bookes shall be opened and the lury giue euidence vnto the Iudge according to those things that are written in those Bookes The miserie must needes be answerable and it is fit that our feare bee answerable to the miserie Certainely it is the drift of the Apostle to worke an Affection in vs sutable to the obiect that he setteth before vs. And we shall doe well to make that vse of it vse of the Inference which he maketh arguing from a condemning Conscience vnto a Condemning God whom no Iudge can equall in Omnipotencie no Iury in Omnisciencie My Text intreateth not onely of a Condemning but also of an Absoluing Conscience and it maketh a comfortable Inference thereupon And here we are first to obserue the absolute comfort of a good Conscience that from thence we may ascend vnto the Comparatiue The absolute is Boldnesse boldnesse in Iudgement for so you must vnderstand it sutably to the Argument The word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 freedome of speech A guiltie man is tongue tied as you may perceiue in the Parable of the Marriage Feast the man that wanted a wedding garment was no sooner asked Friend how camest thou in hither but he was euen speechlesse The eloquentest man will become mute out of the guilt of his Conscience It is no small comfort that a seruant can vtter his owne defence in the presence of his Lord. The Syriacke Paraphrase rendreth the word by Reuelationem faciei a guiltie man hangeth downe his head hee hideth his face so the Scripture describeth Cain And indeed confusion is inseparable from guilt The Philosopher can tell vs that Blushing in children is nothing but the vaile of Consciousnesse and men that doe not easily blush supply that defect by hiding their face But Innocencie needeth no such couert it shameth not to bee seene the cheerefulnesse of the countenance doeth speake vnto the world the guiltlesnesse of the Conscience St. â— Corinth 1. Paul calleth this boldnesse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Gloriation because it is the onely thing wherein a man may glory yea and ioy too for A good Conscience is a continuall feast Preâ— 25. Whatsoeuer mans state is in this world he can neuer be defrauded of this glorious ioy Hee that hath a good Conscience hath more comfort vnder the Crosse then hee that hath an ill Conscience can finde in the middest of all his pleasures for Conscientiam malam non sanat preconium laudantis nec bonam vulnerat conuitiantis opprobrium This is the generall comfort and therefore it is found aswell in the Iudgement of the Heart as of God But from the absolute consideration hereof let vs come to the Comparatiue If we feele this boldnesse in the inward Iudgement we shall feele it much more in the outward if the imperfect verdict of our owne Heart so cheere vs what cheere shall wee conceiue out of the perfect verdict of GOD But the boldnesse that we haue to God-ward doeth appeare specially in three things First in Prayer in that a good Heart bringeth vs to GOD Hebr. 10. in full assurance of Faith and the answere of a good Conscience maketh intercession for vs to God 1 Pet. 3. Secondly at the day of Iudgement when a man of good Conscience will not feare the wicked nor bee troubled hee standeth confident like a Lyon while the other flie A good Conscience is that same Oyle which the wise Virgines had to trimme their Lampes when they met the Bridegroome which made them stand with boldnesse before the Sonne of man Thirdly in Heauen when they shall appeare before the Throne of GOD there to attend with Angels and Saints Blessed are the pure in heart saith CHRIST for they shall see God Argue then thus If it bee comfort to behold GOD by Faith what comfort will it be to behold him by sight If it bee comfort to finde a Quietus est when we call our selues to an account what comfort will it bee to receiue our discharge from GOD if it be comfort to mee to talke familiarly with my owne Soule what comfort will it be for me to talke familiarly with GOD We must argue from the one to the other as from a finite vnto an infinite thing and so conclude the greatnesse of the one from the little taste that we haue of the other To draw towards an end The scope of this Scripture is to teach vs what vse we must make of our Conscience We should consult it before we set our selues about any morall worke and assure our selues that it is a more faithfull Counseller then are our lusts they draw vs whither themselues incline and what themselues abhorre from that they withdraw vs but the Conscience will deale most faithfully with vs it will diswade vs from nothing but that which is euill and perswade vs to nothing but that which is good And happy were wee if we would make it our guide Naturall men were lesse vnhappy if they did so for they would lesse offend GOD and should bee lesse punished Christian men were much more happy for their guide would teach them more to please GOD that they might bee more blest But if this doe not mooue vs let vs feare the aggrauating of sinne the more meanes the more guilt the more guilt the more stripes And what vse will a man make of other meanes that neglecteth this domesticke that sitteth so close to him as his owne Heart And yet see I report mee to euery mans owne Conscience whether he bee ruled lesse by aime then hee is by his owne Heart Our Conscience is furnished both with the Law and with the Gospel and how could we so enormously violate either if we would hearken vnto her if we would suffer her to direct our actions But this is rather to bee wished then
Lord that art pleased I should liue I blesse thee for that my time hath not beene night but day euen Summers daies long and warme cheerefull and fruitfull But the day of my Soule hath beene much better then the day of my bodie seeing the Sunne of righteousnesse hath also risen vnto me who hath so illighned me that hee hath discouered thy saluation to me That saluation which freeth me from all I feare and supplieth vnto me all that I want my eyes are vpon both yea my selfe is possest of both And what couldest thou haue done for me Lord which thou hast not done that hast blest me so corporally that hast blest me so spiritually I haue no more to expect in this life and therefore I willingly surrender it to thee this long-liued bodie this spirituall-liued soule Hoping that both shall turne their length into eternitie and their daies shall bee yet much more cleare and much more warme where God is the Sun and both light and heat are such as proceed from that Sunne A Meditation vpon Psalme 39. VERSES 12 13. 12. Heare my prayer O Lord and giue eare vnto my erie hold not thy peace at my teares for I am a stranger with thee and a soiourner as all my fathers were 13. O spare me that I may recouer my strength before J goâ— hence and be no more seene O Lord I am mortall I see it I feele it but it is thou that hast cleared mine eyes and quickned my sense which otherwise are to dimme and dull to read or acknowledge what notwithstanding I beare engrauen in capitall letters and the condition of my nature maketh palpable Yea so are my senses taken vp with other obiects and so little am I willing to know that whereof if I be not willingly blind I cannot be ignorant that except thou hadst rowsed me and thy afflicting hand stung me I should certainely haue beene both deafe and dumbe I should not haue heard thee neither shouldest thou haue heard from me But Lord the bitter Potion that I haue taken from thy hand hath wrought thus farre as to make mee confesse that it is too hard to be digested by me if thou doe not delay it I must needs perish by it Yet Lord I know that it is not the end whereat thou aymest thou meanest not to take me out but weane me from the world This vse if I make of thy rod thou wilt quickly giue ouer to lay on stripes I haue made this vse I now doe better know my selfe I liued before as if I were not onely in but also of the world I vsed not the things of this world but enioyed them rather Now I find that I haue here no abiding place I am but a soiourner a Tenement I haue here but no free-hold the goods that I haue I account them not mine otherwise then by loane and therefore am as readie to leaue them as I haue an vncertaine title to them And if I am but a soiourner in this place I must needs be a stranger to the personnes little commerce with them little affection towards them haue I. And why should I haue more seeing they will haue little with me and beare little towards mee I am crucified to the world and the world is crucified to me Weedes grow neere the corne and corne neere the weeds but yet the neerenesse is not without a strangnesse for neither doe their rootes sucke the same iuice in the ground neither aboue ground doe their stalkes beare the same fruit euen so thy children O Lord that cohabit with the children of this world neither inwardly nor outwardly liue by nor walke with the same spirit which the worldlings haue My roote is in heauen and my fruit heauenly I am transplanted from the wild Oliue into the true and grow no more in the fields but in the Paradise of God Neither is this my single condition I haue it common with my Fathers I am their heire and their inheritance is descended vnto me what they were not I desire not to be neither would I be more inward with the world then they desired to be Happily flesh and bloud may suppose that it hath a greater interest in things of this life and neerer cognation with the men of this world but it is a supposall of flesh and bloud I make it not the Iudge of my state neither according to it do I esteeme my selfe I haue better Parentage and better can I proue my Pedigree I acknowledge none for my fathers that had their portion in this life from them I descended that vsed the world as if they vsed it not and walked with thee with those Pilgrims I professe my selfe a Pilgrim and my life but the life of a way-faring man that is on his way to the Holy land Therefore as they so I desire not to bee surcharged with earthly things neither to surfeit on the vanities of this life I desire to liue but it is that I may keepe on my way to haue the things of this life but no farther then they are necessarie for my iournie I haue enough if I haue enough to doe this Measure vnto me so much and so temper my crosse that I may not come short of this I desire not to be immortall in a state of mortalitie farre be that from the heart of thy seruant onely let me not bee dis-inabled to my iournie so long as I am fit to walke therein and to walke towards thee Forbeare to sowre my life and make bitter my daies I would serue thee cheerefully I would serue thee couragiously deiect me not enfeeble me not let not thy heauie hand ouerwhelme me with heauinesse of heart neither let thy punishing hand enfeeble my fainting spirits It is not long I desire to liue neither is it continuall ease that I affect I know that the later is not safe too much ease is the bane of pietie and more haue gone to heauen from the Racke then from their Downe-bed And as for the former it is against the Decree thou hast made our daies but a span long and the time of our pilgrimage is but a moment scarce worthie the name of time What then is my desire That of this little thou shouldest affoord me a little a little breathing before I breath out my last Let me be a while what before long I must cease to bee a vigorous Pilgrim let me walke strongly that before long shall not be able to walke at all let me foretaste heauen on earth and trie me with the vse of earth how much I preferre heauen before it If thou continually affright my conscience with the horror of sinne if thou daily for sinne afflict my bodie if thou put no end to the malice of men and if thou cloud the state of thy seruant with incessant disgrace how shall I so forlorne a wretch so distressed a caitife not be ouer-whelmed with dispaire and proue restiue in my way How shall I inwardly or outwardly
ranke the ranke of men such as are Epicures yea vnto the ranke of diuels such as are profest Atheists this Land swarmeth with too many of them they are not ashamed so gracelesse are they yea so senslesse that they do not tremble to name themselues the damned Crue such vallies would be filled vp if it might be by discipline they should bee reclaimed if not by the sword they should be cut off lest they proue bottomlesse gulfes and swallow vp the whole Land it is to be feared if thâ—y bee long tolerated God will pursue with vengeance the whole Land for their blaphemies Besides these you shall find some serpentine waies S. Iohn calleth them crooked waies the waies of subtill foxes that wilily circumuent yong ones and simple ones and strippe them of their goods of their lands they would be set straight and that craft which preuailes elsewhere should not serue when they are pierced into by the direct eye of a Iudge Finally you shall find ruffe waies the waies of scandalous persons that are exemplarily ill and make many weake ones to fall they must bee made smooth if their hearts cannot be altered yet their deeds must be bridled that they cause not others to offend such are the corrupters of youth by gaming by drinking other loose liuing In a word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 you must apply your measure to them and spare no obliquitie that is in any of them then shall the way of all the people be via librata as Esay speakes of the way of righteous men it shall bee straight or leuell There is one thing more which I may not omit This word is neuer read but plurall the reason therof may be manifold the worst is worth your marking If you look vpon the persons on whom a Iudge workes they are good or bad he must withhold iustice from neither of them and iustice requires that one haue proemium the other poenam each receiue according as he deserues and iudgment is not full except both parties haue their due so saith the Law The Iudge shall iustifie the righteous and condemne the wicked You may not violate this Combination There is another Combination in the Rule by which you iudge and that is of commutatine and distributiue Iustice you haue two Barres one for nisiprius and the other for criminall Causes my text requires that the measure be euen at both Barres Adde hereunto that you are Custodes vtriusque Tabulae and must haue a care as well that God bee serued as the Common Weale keeping your selfe to the discreet limitation which Constantine the Emperour set vnto himselfe leauing Episcopatum ad intra vnto vs I meane the defining of sacred things and taking vnto your selues no more but Episcopatum ad extra the compulsiue commanding of those that are refractarie vnto the good Ordinances appointed by the publicke authoritie of the Church that so the slanders of the Romanists may be refuted and yet that duetie that you owe to Gods Church bee discharged You must take care of this second Combination There is a third also that lookes to your owne persons here must bee a Combination of your head and your heart you must iudge not onely rectum but rectè that the sentence bee vpright depends vpon you skill but it is your heart that maketh it a vertuous sensentence And surely the Holy Ghost meaneth something when in the sixteenth of Deuteronomie it is said Thoushalt follow Iustice Iustice hee meaneth the Iustice of the head and the heart Yea seeing you are not onely Magistrates but Christian Magistrates there must bee in your sentence not onely Equitie but Pietie your Religion must raise your morall vertues vnto an heauenly pitch and what you doe you must doe in Faith and to the Glorie of God This is the last Combination and for you the best the former two doe rather benefit others I conclude this Point with a wish that you would imitate Iob who when hee came to the Tribunall reports of himselfe that hee put on righteousnesse and it couered him iudgement and it was a robe and a crowne vnto him Iob 29. And I pray God that righteousnesse may goe before you and set your steppes in the way And thus much of the manner of dealing It followeth now that we come vnto the Reasons which are two The first is the reason of assembling the people or calling an Assizes there is great reason for that for there is much amisse The earth and all the inhabitants are dissolued Were wee immutable though wee should neede directiue yet of correctiue instice wee should haue no neede A Parliament were enough to set vs in a good way it would bee superfluous to examine our wayes at an Assizes but our condition was mutable in Paradise it is much more so now It appeares in that wee may bee dissolued or as the word in the originall is melted But there are two kinde of meltings according as the parts of the bodie melted are of two sorts homogeneous or heterogeneous If homogeneous as gold and siluer then though they melt yet do they not loose their holdfast cast gold into the fire melt it will but so that in running the parts doe hold fast together But if the parts bee heterogeneous then not onely the whole melteth but the parts fall asunder and are loosed the one from the other The melting whereto wee are subiect is of the later sort and therefore the Interpreter intending the meaning rather than the signification of the word translates it are dissolued that is so melted as that one part hangs not to another But let vs looke a little farther into this kinde of melting As in our bodie naturall so in the bodie politicke melting groweth from some outward heate which extracteth the inward and so dis-inableth the parts which were strengthned thereby to hold together There is a fire of charitie and iustice by which the societie of men is fostered and cherished so long as they hold wee hold together and when they faile wee fall asunder now they faile not except they bee extracted extracted by a fire and that is the fire of Hell the Diuell that could not endure that blessed societie that we enioyed in Paradise with God with Angels each with the other but loosed all the bands and set vs at oddes cannot endure so much as the continuance of ciuill societies but hee is still at his forge and is blowing of his coales and wee are too apt to come neare his fire the fire of concupiscence which is a melting fire Saint Austine fitly on this place moueth the question and answers it himselfe Si defluxit terra vnde defluxit nisi à peccatis hee addeth cupiditate superiorum roboratur quasi liquescit cupiditate inferiorum if wee will finde out the true cause of melting wee must finde it in sinne And sinne what is it but the inclination of our heart vnto these base and earthly things which should bee