the ordinarie passage vnto this These are the Contents of the words But you must take notice of the Inference also remembred by the first word Therefore That will informe vs that the Euidence of Blessednesse in the Life to come depends vpon the Euidence of Blessednesse in this present Life He that is Blessed here shall bee Blessed hereafter and hee shall neuer bee Blessed hereafter that is not Blessed here And so haue I shewed you whereof you shall heare Come wee then to the Text and first to the Contents thereof wherein wee must first see what is Common to the good and the bad at their Entrance into the World to come and that is Iudgement By Iudgement the Chaldee Paraphrast vnderstands the Generall Assizes that shall be kept at the end of this World and he is in his Interpretation followed by most Diuines Ancient and Moderne This being the meaning of this Word the Persons here mentioned Righteous and Vngodly must be vnderstood to appeare as well in their Bodies as their Soules There is a Iudgement that passeth before vpon them wherein their Bodies are seuered from their Soules but that Iudgement is priuate and particular whereas this is publike and generall and though they agree for the most part in the Substance yet in the Solemnitie they differ much and the latter doth much improue the former whether you respect the Glorie of the Iudge or the Doome of the Iudged This being resolued that the Iudgement is that which shall be at the last day We must here obserue how the Holy Ghost speaketh very accurately in these words He saith not the Vngodly and Sinners shall not be Iudged but the Vngodly shall not Stand in the Iudgement nor Sinners in the Congregation of the Righteous And so the words haue in them Aliquid Commune which they imply and Aliquid Proprium which they expresse It is Common to all the persons here mentioned Good and Bad to be Iudged but Proper to the Bad not to Stand in Iudgement It is Common to Good and Bad to come vnto Iudgement as commom as to rise from the dead Saint Paul who Acts 24. saith there shall be a Resurrection of the iust and vniust saith distinctly 2. Cor. 5. that we shall all appeare before the Iudgement seate of Christ to receiue according to that which euery man hath done in his Bodie be it good or ill Daniel in the twelfth of his Prophesie teacheth the verie same 〈◊〉 2. Many of those that sleepe in the dust shall rise some to euerlasting Life and some to euerlasting shame The verie same also wee learne of the Preacher in his twelfth Chapter 〈◊〉 14. God shall bring euery worke into Iudgement and euerie secret thing whether it be good or whether it be euill The point is so cleare that it is made an Article of our Faith so that I shall not need to adde any more proofe Here note That wheras God is an absolute Lord most wise most holy most mightie so that he knoweth all and detests all sinne and may deale with Sinners at his pleasure yet hee will haue all the World see that he receiues none into Heauen nor sends any vnto Hell but the ground of his doing is iust for he sentenceth both in Iudgement so that there can bee no exception taken not by malice it selfe vnto his proceeding Both good and bad passe by Iudgement to their state And let this suffice concerning that which is Common vnto Good and Bad in the Entrance into the World to come I come now to that which is Proper And here I must begin with Venerable Bedes Rule Intellectus est per Opposita We must conceiue that what is denied to the Vngodly is granted to the Righteous so that these concise words must be resolued into more and so some not vnfitly supply in the first Branch of this sentence a word that is found in the last to make it cleere wherefore they read thus The Vngodly shall not stand in the Iudgement of the Righteous that is the Vngodly shall not stand in that Iudgement wherein the Righteous shall stand Let vs then consider these Propositions asunder first that which is exprest then that which is implyed The exprest Proposition is The Vngodly shall not stand in Iudgement Standing in is opposed to both Shrinking from and Sinking vnder Iudgement so that if the Vngodly shall not stand it followeth they will Shrinke from and Sinke vnder it And indeed the Holy Ghost obserues both when God ariseth vnto Iudgement the wicked will first trie their heeles but when they will not serue then they grow heartlesse and despaire of Helpe But to open these Branches a little more fully Flight is the first attempt of the Vngodly at the Day of Iudgement they are forced vnto it from within and from without from the horrour of their owne conscience and from the terrour of the Iudge Touching Conscience it is an vndeniable truth that where there is sense of Guilt there is distresse of Feare see it in our Grand-father Adam no sooner had hee eaten of the forbidden fruit and his eyes were opened thereby but hee tooke couert and when hee was questioned hee gaue God this reason for his flying I saw that I was naked Neither was it his case only Gen. 3. it is hereditarie to all his ofspring Salomon hath put it in a Prouerbe Poou 28. The wicked flie when no man pursueth them God hath put it into his Law where the Israelites are threatned that if they breake Gods Couenant one part of their punishment shall be amazednesse of Heart Leu. 26. and such a fearefulnesse as that they shall flie at the shaking of a Leafe An Example we haue in Foelix Acts 24. who trembled when Saint Paul did but preach of Righteousnesse and Iudgement to come As the Guilt of Conscience so likewise the terrour of the Iudge will make the wicked to flie When God gaue his Law he gaue it with that terrour that the people gaue backe and stood afarre off yea Moses himselfe confesseth as Saint Paul reports that he was greatly afraid Heb. 12. And how much more thinke you shall the wicked be afraid when Christ shall come in the Glorie of his Father with all his Angels with the dreadfull sound of the Trumpet and all the World burning round about him certainly it cannot but strike such a terrour as shall make the wicked betake themselues to their heeles Christ in the Gospell describing the Last Day saith Luke 21.26 That Men shall be at their wits ends for feare and expectation of the euils to come they shall call to the Rockes to hide them to the Mountaines to fall vpon them Saint Iohn repeates the very same reckoning Kings great men rich men mightie men bond free the voice of euery one of them shall be this The great Day of the Lambs wrath is come and who shall be able for to stand Reuel 6. Put these
but it is also a word which the Prophets doe vse in foretelling the miracles of Christ for he was amongst other things to open the mouthes of the Dumbe and in the Gospell working such a cure hee vseth the word Ephata 〈…〉 be thou opened loosing the tongue by the eare But we must vnderstand that in the corporall cure there was an intimation of the spirituall and indeede Christ had neuer come into the world to cure the corporall had it not beene thereby to bring vs to an higher conceite of him that he was the Physitian of our soules and came to enable them to speake the language of Canaan And this is the opening of the lippes which King Dauid here desires This is a great worke great in regard of the difficultie that is in the thing 〈◊〉 6 or the inabilitie that is in vs. There is a difficultie in the thing for we cannot praise God farther then we know him but how little a portion is heard of him 〈…〉 We may speake much saith the sonne of Syracke yet come short when we glorifie the Lord exalt him as much as wee can for euen yet will he sarre exceede and when you exalt him put forth all your strength and be not wearie for you can neuer goe farre enough There are yet hid greater things then these be Psal 14â— 13 for we haue seene but a few of his workes Dauid in few words tels vs that his praise is aboue Heauen and earth that is the conclusion which he sets downe after he had summoned all creatures to praise the Lord. Seeing God then is aboue all praise it is certaine that he cannot bee worthily praised of vs by reason of the difficultie of the worke But were there lesse difficultie in that yet is there great inabilitie in vs inabilitie from our Affections inabilitie from our Conscience From our Affections there are two preualent ones that hinder vs in this worke first Spes Lucri secondly Metus periculi the wages of iniquitie will hire a Balaam a Iudas ro curse Gods people the subiect of Gods praise and though he be the top of Gods praise to betray the Sauiour of the world how many in all Ages haue beene so farre bewitch with worldly honour and profit Haue fallen downe and worshipped the Idoll of mens fancies and blasphemed God and his truth The hopc of gaine is a great tongue tie The feare of danger is a greater the verie Apostles themselues fot a time felt the strength thereof and after their time it made many Renegadoes and Apostata's Iob 2.4 Skin for skinne and all that a man hath will he giue for his life he will redeeme that though it be with cursing of God himselfe the world hath had had too many spectacles of such feare of danger But if we can master both these vnruly Affections yet will the conscience of sinne be a bridle to our tongues it will make vs silent In Leuit. c 13. or put vs to silence Cyril of Alexandria moralizing those words of Moses that he that is a Leaper shall haue his mouth couered saith that he which is in the leaprosie of sinne hath lost all authoritie of speaking for how should he teach another that hath not taught himselfe Comment in Nazian Psal 137.3 And Nicètas to this purpose wittily allegorizeth those words of the Psalme How shall we sing the Lords song in a strange land A sinner is truely a stranger and hee that is in the state of sinne is farther from God then Babylon from Hierusalem therefore doth his conscience tell him that he is in no case to make melodie to the Lord. Certainely Chap. 6. Esay when in a vision he heard the Seraphins sing the Lords song Holy Holy Lord God of Hoasts heauen and earth are full of thy glorie was thereby put in mind of the fault of his owne lippes and the lippes of the Iewes which made him crie out Woe is me that am a man of polluted lippes and dwell in the middest of a people of polluted lippes neither was he quiet vntill a Seraphin touched his lippes with a coale from the Altar But put the case some man may be so foole-hardie that though he be a sinner yet will he not be silent he shall bee put to silence the vncleane spirit gaue glorie vnro Christ when he said I know thee who thou art the Holy one of God But Iesus rebuked him saying hold thy peace Marke 2. and Saint Paul refused the testimonie of a spirit of diuination Acts 16. though hee spake honourably of him and of his followers these men are the seruants of the most high God which shew vnto vs the way of saluation yet did hee command him out of the Damsell and suffered him to speake no more Neither is this checke giuen onely to wicked spirits but euen vnto euerie wicked man saith God What hast thou to doe to declare my statutes Psal 50. or that thou shouldest take my Couenant in thy mouth seeing thou hatest instruction Eccles 15.9 and hast cast my words behind thee Praise is not comely in the mouth of a sinner for he that is vnholy doth defile that which is holy Hagga 2.82 therefore no man may presume to touch sacred things with prophane hands nor with a prophane tongue to speake sacred words By this time you perceiue that the shewing forth of the praises of God is a great worke and whether wee looke vpon the difficultie that is in the thing or the inabilitie that is in man Dauid had reason to pray Aperilabia open my lippe But to whom doth he pray To the Lord Lord open thou my Lippes And he hath a good ground to pray so Proueth 16 1. Solomon teacheth that the preparation of the heart is from man but the answere of the tongue is from the Lord he is the key-keeper of our mouth if he shut no body can open and if he open no body can shut â—â—â—d 4. God tels Moses that this is his power Who maketh mans mouth or who maketh the dumbe haue not I the Lord And verily were it no more but our naturall speech that we desire wee must seeke it of him Acts 17 2â— in whom onely we liue moue and haue our being and who in the person of Zacharie sheweth Luke 1 that hee giueth and taketh away euen that speech at his pleasure How much more must we accompt him to be the fountaine of our supernaturall speech Certainely Christ giueth the glorie thereof vnto him 〈◊〉 50. Actâ— 2 the Lord saith he hath giuen me the tongue of the learned and it was from God that the fierie tongues descended vpon the Apostles Psal 8.2 and inabled them to speake it is God that out of the mouthes of babes and sucklings hath perfected praise Men may be otherwise satis loquaces of eloquent of free speech who when they come to the seruice of God seeme to be
sight of the eye is the sight of the whole bodie but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in possession it was neuer Basil lib â— de Baptismo Aug de Ciuit Deiliâ— 20 cap. 10. Leo de anniuersaria assumptione Serm. 3. no more then the whole bodie could euer see Wee must not then confound the Hierarchicall and the Mysticall Priesthood no more then we may the externall and the internall Kingdome each must keepe within his bounds And as we must in our priuate be religious as Priests in seruing God so wee must not without a lawfull calling and a mans lawfull calling is not as Anabaptists dreame his owne conceited abilitie but a Mission and Commission from lawfull Superiours without such a Calling I say we may not intermeddle with Pastorall Functions Finally the publike Kings and Priests must neither of them abuse these titles neither of them must wrest this place The Romanists are carefull to remember Kings that they play not Priests they amplifie Vzziahs example that was stricken with Leprosie for being so presumptuous I would they did aswell remember Christs speech whose Vicar the Pope claymes to be Iohn 18.36 Luke 12.14 My kingdome is not of this world and that Man who made me a Iudge to diuide inheritances they would not so often being Priests vsurpe vpon the sword But let them take heed Christ told Saint Peter Math. 26.52 and they will find it one day true The Priest that medleth with the sword shall perish by the sword the Kings ouer whom the Pope hath long tyrannized shall one day worke his ruine And thus much of the Eminencie of the Churches state I come now to the Sanctitie of their persons Israel shall be an holy nation and indeed Kings who are Priests such as you haue heard described how can they chuse but bee Holy especially seeing the persons that communicate in those titles are the First-borne Exod. 13. for the First-borne by the Law were holy to the Lord. And what is the oyle wherewith they were anointed Exod 30. Cap. 2 Cap. 1 18. but oleum sanctitatis holy oyle what are their persons but Temples of the Holy Ghost Ieremie calleth them Gods first-fruits and Saint Iames telleth vs that all Christians are a kind of first-fruits to God 2 Cor. 11.2 Ephes 5 27. The Church is by the Apostle said to be a chast virgin without spot or wrinkle in the Reuelation the Spouse is clothed in fine white linnen Reuel 19 8. Esay 26. which is the righteousnesse of Saints in the Prophet she is called The land of righteousnesse finally in our Creed the holy Catholike Church â—sal 101. King Dauid required vertue in his seruants He that walketh in a perfect way he shall serue mee how much more God To whom the Psalmist speaketh thus Lord who shall dwell in thy Tabernacle who shall abide vpon thy holy hill God answereth Hee that leadeth an vncorrupt life c. But what is Holinesse Origen will teach vs the holinesse of a man must be conceiued as the holinesse of a beast a vessell a vestment now those things were separated from prophane vses and dedicated to sacred so must a man be first seperated from earth and earthly things he must not set his affections vpon them though he be in the world Col. 3.2 Iohn 17. yet hee must not be of the world hee must not loue the world nor the things in the world the lust of the flesh the lust of the eyes and the pride of life 1. Iohn 2.15 Ephes 5.11 he must haue no fellowship with the vnfruitfull workes of darknesse This is his separation the first branch of Holinesse The second is Dedication his life must be deuoted vnto God Christianitie is an imitation of the Diuine Nature a reducing of himselfe to the Image of God in which he was created 2. Pet. 1. Ephes 4. 1. Pet. 2. to righteousnesse and holines of truth a shewing forth of the vertues of him that hath called vs into his maruellous light If a man professe himselfe to be a Painter and take vpon him to make the picture of a King and mis-shape him doth hee not deserue iust blame yes surely for hee occasioneth strangers to thinke meanly of the Kings person because of his ill fauoured portraiture and shall a Christian escape punishment whose life is to be a visible representation of Christ if Infidels blaspheme Christ while they iudge of him according to his counterfeit hee shall not Wherefore faciamus de terra coelum faith Saint Chrysostome In Matth. 12. Tem. 2 p. 332. let vs represent Heauen in earth let vs so liue as that men may say that God is in vs of a truth Let our light so shine before men that they may see our good workes and glorisie our Father which is in Heauen Holinesse is the true characterizing qualitie of a Christian it distinguisheth betweene the faithfull Iust Martyr ad Diognâ—t p. â—97 〈◊〉 in Apolog. p. 61. and infidell they differ not in place in apparell in diet c. but in charitie in pietie in obedience in patience in euery Christian vertue whatsoeuer shew a man make if he want these vertues he is but like the Iuglers Ape which being attired like a reasonable creature and dancing curiously to his Masters instrument deceiued the people of Alexandria vntill one espying the fraud threw a few Dates vpon the Stage which the Ape no sooner espied but he tore all his vizard and fell to bis victuals to the scorne of his Master which gaue occasion to the Prouerbe An Ape is an Ape though hee bee clad neuer so gaily Nyssen applies it vnto men that call themselues Christians professe that they know God Tom. 2. de professione Christiana and that their hope is in Heauen but no sooner doth any vanitie come in their way but their heart doth betray where there treasure is but let them remember the Prouerbe It is a snare for a man to deuoure that which is holy Origen applies it to the sacriledge that a man committeth that vowed himselfe in Baptisme to the Lord and giueth himselfe vnto the World I conclude this point with Gods words in the Law Lenit 11.44 Math. 5 4â— Be yee holy for I am holy and with Christs words in the Gospell Bee yee perfect as your Father in Heauen is perfect sinne must not raigne in our mortall bodies because we are an holy Nation You see how the Good which God offereth to Israel is specified you must next heare how it is amplified that appeares in the words Eritis mihi As the Proprietarie is so doth the value of a thing rise hee addeth to the worth at least to the esteeme thereof though man only to the esteeme yet God also to the worth for hee can proportion the creatures worth answerable to his esteeme he whose glorie shineth in the heauens and handie worke in the firmament doth declare his glorie much more in the
may be to Gods image before he can deserue to be glorious The last thing required vnto glory is that the solid and eminent Good be also resplendent A worthy man must be as a well-drawn Picture set in bono lâ—mine neyther will bee regarded except they bee placed there where their worth may be discerned For in regard of glorie Idem est non esse non apparere A hidden treasure and wisedoine concealed are both alike saith Salomon Ecclus 41.14 they lose their praise and glory the Kinsmen of Christ out of this principle set vpon him There is no man that doth any thing in secret and himselfe seeketh to be knowne openly The Greekes call honestie 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because it calleth all men to it The Hebrewes call it tab because it is beautifull and pleasant and maketh all in loue with it most languages call worthy personages Lights because the lustre of their vertue is the pleasing obiect of euery mans eye Wherefore our Sauiour biddeth vs Matth. 5. Let our light so shine before men that they may see our good workes and glorifie our Father which is in heauen I haue hitherto opened vnto you the nature of Glorie I haue shewed you what and how many things are requisite thereunto But where shall we finde it what is the first or rather proper subiect of it Surely God cap. 33. wee learne it in Exodus Moses desired to see Gods glory God made his goodnesse to passe before him as if his goodnesse and glory were synonyma's certainely they are inseparable His goodnesse is solid it is his very nature who is called Iohoua and is that which he is Secondly his goodnesse is eminent for whatsoeuer is good is predicated of him in abstracto wisedome truth righteousnesse holinesse Iames 1 Psal 8.19.104.45 c. and abstract names note absolute perfections Finally his goodnesse is most resplendent therefore St. Iames calleth him the father of lights Dauid hath made many Psalmes in acknowledgement hereof For this cause doth the Scripture often times vse the name of Glory when it meaneth God The Iewes in the Old Testament are blamed by the Prophets for neglecting for forsaking their glory that is God And St. Peter in the New Testament 2 Pet. 1.17 speaking of the testimonie which God the Father gaue vnto our Sauiour Christ in the Mount saith Hee heard a voyce from the magnificent Glory Glory then is originally in God but by deriuation it is communicated from him vnto others Angels Princes Luke 2. 2 Pet. 2. both are called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the Scripture But to none doth this title so truely belong as vnto Christ St. Paul Heb. 1. cals him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The brightnesse of his fathers glory When he was to come into the world Esay saith cap. 40. The glory of the Lord should be reuealed and biddeth Ierusalem bee bright because her glory is risen and in the person of Eliakim speaking of Christ cap. 60. he shall bee a glorious Throne saith he vnto them and they shall hang vpon him all the glory of his fathers house Cap. 6. Behold saith Zacharie the man whose name is the Branch 1 Tim. 3.16 he shall come out of his place he shall build a temple and he shall beare the glory Finally seeing our Sauiour is God manifest in the flesh hee deserues well that praise which is giuen him in the Churches hymne Thou art the King of glory O Christ But whereas Gods glory doth shine vnto vs in the face of Christ we must enquire what manner of glory it is for in God there is a two-fold glory as you may gather out of the fore-cited place of Exod. cap. 33. compared with cap. 34. a glory of his iustice and a glory of his mercy the solemne and publicke manifesting of eyther of them I meane his iustice or his mercie is manifesting of his glory Touching his iustice we haue an excellent place in Esay in a vision God shewed himselfe in the Temple Esay 6.3 enuironed with the Saraphims who cryed Holy holy holy Lord God of hosts heauen and earth are full of thy glory this was the glory of his iustice for verse 9. he denounceth the sentence of induration against the Iewes the like manifestation wee finde in Moses Numb 14. As I liue saith the Lord all the earth shall bee filled with the glory of the Lord but it is the glory of his iustice for immediately hee doth doome all those Israelites that had not hearkned to his voyce saying Surely they shall not see that Land which I sware vnto their fathers to giue them There is another branch of Gods glory I called it the glory of his mercie it was figured partly by the Cloud and partly by the Arke The Cloud was a type of Gods milde appearance for it was seated not betweene Seraphims fiery Angels messengers and instruments of wrath but betweene the Cherubims which had the shape of men louely and meeke men Adde hereunto that it rested vpon the Arke the couering whereof was called the mercie seate Eyther of these was called the glory of the Lord The Cloud often in Moses the Arke in that known storie of the destruction of Elie's sonnes at what time the Arke being taken by the Philistines 1 Sam. 3. Heb. 9. Psal 27. Ier. 14. 17. Elie's daughter called her childe Ichabod the glory is gone For attending vpon these two were the Cherubims called Cherubims of glorie and for containing them the Temple was called the habitation and throne of Gods glory But all these were types the truth of them was Christ Hee was the truth of the Cloud in his flesh did God so appeare that he might be endured by the sight of men and he appeared for those vses whereunto the Cloud was designed for direction and protection you may gather it out of Esay cap. 4. and St. Paul speaketh plainely 1 Cer. 1.24 that Christ came into the world as the wisedome and the power of God As Christ was the truth of the Cloud so was hee of the Mercie-seate St. Paul Rom. 3.25 cals him by the very name of it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 God accepteth vs in him By him we come with boldnesse to the throne of grace and finde mercy in the time of neede Heb. 4.16 The Angels that attended him were not Seraphims but Cherubims they appeared in the shape of men and whensoeuer they appeared they came to bring comfort Christ then did in his person manifest Gods mercifull glory which is the glorie meant in this Text. Wherefore I will conclude this point with the words of the Euangelist Iohn 1. The Word was made flesh and dwelt amongst vs and we saw his glory as the glory of the only begotten Son of God full of grace and â—â—ll of truth I haue sufficiently opened vnto you that which is conferred wee must now see whereon The text saith it was the house the Prophet meaneth the
be otherwise minded will they nil they they shall one day finde that they haue no exemption from them Thus saith the Lord is our warrant regard not our persons regard that Lord whose Embassadors wee are receiue the words wee speake so long as we speake his Words not as the words of men but as the Word of God Finally couple Thus saith with the Lord of Hosts The Lord of Hosts noteth Gods Power Thus he saith noteth his Will Our soules shall finde little rest on Gods Power if it be not sure of his Will for God can doe many things which he will not doe though he cannot will any thing which he cannot doe Luke 3.8 God could raise vp Children vnto Abraham of stones but hee would not but the many miracles which he hath wrought shew that hee can doe what he will The coupling then of these words Thus saith the Lord of Hosts imports Gods willing power and powerfull will which amount vnto an authority fit to build our Faith vpon and to giue law vnto our Conuersation I haue sufficiently shewed you What the warrant is wee must now in few words see Why it is repeated so often For I dare say you shall not finde any passage in the Scripture where Thus saith the Lord is so often read in so few lines The reason is the weightinesse of the matter whereunto it is annext Mortall Princes vse not to signe Bils the contents whereof are triuiall matters many things are done by vertue of their Authority whereunto their signature is not vsed Euen so ordinary matters passe in the Word of God without nay speciall vrging of his Authority when that is prefixt the point is of great regard and if it be often ingeminated it giueth vs to vnderstand that we must take speciall notice of euery clause of it What must wee gather here then but the weightinesse of euery branch of this Text And indeede if you haue not forgotten what hath been obserued on euery part thereof you will easily confesse that there is not one of them which is not so weighty as to deserue Thus saith the Lord of Hosts Was not the shaking of Heauen and Earth the shaking of all Nations a weighty point and therefore deserued it not to be signed with Thus saith the Lord of Hosts If the shaking did deserue this signature much more did the Comming of the desire of all Nations especially seeing he came to fill the Temple with glory and as it deserued so it was signed with Thus saith the Lord of Hosts If the giuing of Glory were a matter of great moment what shall wee say of the degree of Glory Surely it required a great ability so great as we would hardly haue beleeued had we not bin heartened by Thus saith the Lord of Hosts and it must proceed from so great bounty as may be testified by the same Thus saith the Lord of Hosts Finally the peace wherein we possesse whatsoeuer good is contained in Christs presence doth so passe mans vnderstanding that to establish his heart in the beliefe thereof he needes this signature Thus saith the Lord of Hosts At length to conclude You haue heard in the former Sermons What in this Whom you must beleeue you must not separate Whom from What that which we must beleeue doth no doubt most pleasantly affect vs because it is our good but he whom we must beleeue doth most firmely secure vs because he is the Author of that good As then when wee gather fruit from a tree we doe not fixe our eyes onely vpon the boughes from whence we immediately gather it but also thinke vpon the roote which feeds those boughes and maketh them to bee fruitfull so in our religious meditations we must couple the Author with the Matter of blessings that God may be glorified as well as our soules are benefited If we say with Saint Paul I know whom I haue beleeued then we shall be secure that he will safe-keepe whatsoeuer any of vs committeth vnto him hee will keepe our soules keep our bodies and all that which himselfe hath bestowed vpon them Grace and Peace Christ will keepe them vntill his day his second day the day wherein the great and the little world shall receiue their last shaking Then shall the desire of all Nations which at first came in Humility returne againe in Glory hee shall returne to fill his House his Church with glory conformable to his owne Glory Then hee will open vnto vs all his treasures of siluer and gold and therewith adorne his Spouse which being Triumphant shall infinitely exceed her selfe as she was Militant Then shall our Peace come to the full and none shall be able to take our blessednesse from vs because none shall be able to separate betweene vs and Christ They shall not if we build our Faith vpon Gods reuealed Will vpon his Almighty Power vpon my Text Thus saith the Lord of Hosts Now let vs that are a handfull of his Host while we are militant so giue glory vnto the Lord of Hosts that we may hereafter bee triumphant and hauing palmes in our hands and crownes on our heads with harpes and tongues wee may sound and sing ioyntly and cheerfully Halleluiah Praise ye the Lord and with the whole Host of the Kingdome of Heauen saying Holy Holy Holy Lord God of Hosts Heauen and Earth are full of thy Glory Amen יהוה A SERMON PREACHED Vpon the ANNVNTIATION day LVKE 2.28 Haile thou that art highly fauoured the Lord is with thee Blessed art thou among women THis is a part of the Gospell appointed for this day and this day goeth commonly for the Annuntiation day whether the day haue his right place in the Calender I leaue to be disputed by Chronologers what is meant by the Annuntiation is an argument fitter for Diuines certainly for the Pulpit the third part of this Chapter treats thereof and it is conceiued in forme of a Dialogue In the Dialogue there are two speakers the Angell Gabriel the Virgin Mary and each of them maketh two speeches the Angell to the Virgin and the Virgin to the Angell The Angell in his first congratulates the Virgin whom hee informeth from God that she shall bee the mother of Iesus Christ Good newes but strange strange that a Virgin should be a mother this Virgin the mother of that Childe The Virgin thought so nay she said so whereupon the Angell addeth his second speech importing that though the thing be wonderfull yet the meanes are powerfull these must be thought vpon as well as that and she must resolue that nothing shall hinder it because it is the Holy Spirit that will doe it So spake the Angell The Virgin replies vnto him to his first speech shewing her willingnesse to vnderstand the message which hee brought that is gathered out of her question Quomâ—do c. to his second shewing her readinesse to obey so soone as shee vnderstood it that appeares in her submission Ecce c.
the fall feare is inseparable from sinne and the very best abhorre Gods presence being priuie to their losse of his resemblance Adam is the first patterne and after Adam we reade of manie others So that Highly fauoured or freely beloued must stand between Haile and The Lord is with thee otherwise they will neuer come together Esay could not giue his Woe is mee for I am a man of polluted lips Esay 6. and dwell in the middest of a people of polluted lips mine eyes haue seene the Lord of glory till that the Seraphin was sent with a coale from the Altar and touched his lips in token that his sinne was remoued and hee become 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Dan. 10. neither could Daniel indure the presence of the Angell till he was heartened by this message that hee was Vir desideriorum one in whom God did take delight and the best of vs will say as St. Peter Goe from mee Lord for I am a sinfull man Luke 5.8 except the Lord himselfe be pleased to hearten vs and say to vs as Christ to St. Peter Feare not or as God to Moses and Noah Thou hast found grace in mine eyes As we must obserue the Order of the words so must wee also the Distance of these persons the distance betweene the Lord and his Handmaiden and then the combination will seeme strange Strange it is that persons so distant should come together but most happy it is that they doe because the perfection of the one can yeeld so good supply to the imperfection of the other Gods Maiesty honoureth the basenesse of his Handmaiden his might strengtheneth her weaknesse Non sumita vel diuinae ignarus magnitudinis vel humanae fragilitatis vt non magnum putem 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith Nazianzene and the Psalmist Blessed is hee whom thou choosest to come neare thee he shall dwell in thy courts and shall be satisfied with the pleasures of thy house euen of thy holy Temple Psal 65. But the Angell saith not Thou art with the Lord but The Lord is with thee it were much better you would thinke for vs to be with him than for him to bee with vs for man to ascend to heauen than for God to come downe to the earth True it is that it maketh more for our happinesse to ascend to God but it doth more argue Gods loue that he descendeth to vs to ascend is our aduancement but to descend is a debasement of God yea the Psalmist saith That God doth humble himselfe whensoeuer being so high hee vouchsafeth from heauen but to behold the things on earth Adde hereunto that the Lord must needes come to vs before wee can come to him because his comming to vs is the giuing of that ability by which wee doe afterward ascend to him so that the Angell being to giue the Virgin a proofe of Gods loue towards her could giue her no better than these words containe Hom. 3. super missus est Angelus The Lord is with thee But Deus vbi◠aqualiter totus est per suam simplicem essentiam as St. Bernard speaketh and speaketh fully and truly of the presence of God Were there no other text of Scripture that did testifie the immensity of Gods essence as there are many Iob 11. Esay 66. Psal 139. Dominus tecum is strong enough to refute Vorstius his erroneous conceit mistaking certaine passages of Scripture and thereupon limiting Gods essentiall presence within the circle of heauen and admitting onely an efficiency to proceed from him so low as the earth But this Dominus tecum will not indure that for you must vnderstand that whereas the name Lord is common to all three persons in the Trinity as we learne in Athanasius Creed the Fathers vsually vnderstand here the second person which was to be incarnate in the Virgins wombe her wombe was to bee the Temple of the liuing God Quem totus mundus capere non poterat acceptura erat quasi in angustum cubiculum vterisui so that the Lord was necessarily to be euen in his Essence with her that was in his essence to come from her otherwise she could not be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the mother of our Lord as Elizabeth doth call her Luke 1. The Lord is with thee they are words mysticall and import a maine Article of Faith euen the conception of our Sauiour Christ which could not be without the presence of his Essence And yet the presence of the Essence alone sufficeth not to the conception because the Essence is euery where that presence is necessary there must be acknowledged also an Efficiency proceeding therefrom euen such an efficiency as is arbitrary for God worketh according as it pleaseth him In the case of the conception the efficiency is singular and the Virgins wombe is the only place where God did euer manifest it and so wee must acknowledge it But the Virgin did conceiue Christ not onely Corpore but etiam Corde the first was Singular but the second is Common for St. Paul telleth vs that we may also conceiue Christ though not in our wombe yet in our soule My little children of whom I trauell againe till Iesus Christ be formed in you Gal. 4.19 and St. Peter telleth vs of the seed of this conception The immortall seed of the Word of God 1. Pet. 1.23 And indeed we could not be called Christians were it not that we partake of Christ 2. Cor. 13.5 Know you not saith St. Paul that Iesus Christ is in you except you bee reprobates So that The Lord is with thee may be spoken to euery one of vs though not in regard of Christs Incarnation in our bodies yet of his Vnion vnto our soules Yea therefore was hee conceiued by the Virgin corporally that spiritually he might be conceiued of euery one of vs and so become indeed Immanuel The Lord with vs. And what shall we say to these things surely with an ancient Father Gratia Dei non potuit gratiùs cōmendari quà m vt ipse vnicùs Dei Filius in se incommunicabiliter manens indueret hominem spem dilectionis suae daret hominibus homine medi◠this is the most sweete comfort wherewith God anciently vsed to sustaine his children each in particular Gen. 26. Iosh cap. 1. cap. 3. and the whole Church in generall Esay 41. Reuel 1. yea Christ left this comfort for his farewell to his Disciples Lo I am with you to the worlds end Matth. 28. And no maruell for as when God is angry he departs from vs so when out of fauour he commeth to vs it is the prognostication of some good that is then towards vs so followeth it in my Text next to Dominus tecum commeth Benedicta The presence of the Arke brought a blessing vpon Obed-Edoms house how much more must a blessing follow wheresoeuer the truth of the type commeth I meane the Lord himselfe the Spouse in the Canticles confesseth that when her beloued
the Lord and wee must with him answer for our selues I will take the cup of saluation and praise the name of the Lord vnto this end is this Sacrament called the Eucharist Thus Christ conscerateth the Elements But why what good came to the elements by consecration surely much good for they are made the body and the bloud of Christ so saith Iesus This is my body this is my blood The interpretation of these words is much controuerted and it is much disputed What change of the Elements the wordes of Christ did make for that Christ changed the bread when he consecrated it wee make no doubt Whereas then there are three things in bread and wine 1. the name 2. the vse and 3. the substance wee confesse a change in the two first but deny it in the third First wee confesse a change in the name directed by St. Austines rule Ad Bonisaâ— ep 23. Because of a similitude Sacraments commonly beare the names of the things themselues the Sacrament of Christs body is after a sort the body of Christ and the Sacrament of Christ blood is after a sort the blood of Christ Of St. Aducrsus Iudaeos Austins opinion in our case was Tertullian Christ saith hee calleth bread his body And Cyprian the signifying elements and the thing signified De â—nctione Chrismatis are caded by the same name Our Sauiour saith Theodoret changed the names and called the signe by the name of his body Ambrose Chrysostome Ambros de Sacraments l. 5. c. 4. Chrysost ad 〈◊〉 sarios â—â—â—nachos and others might bee alledged to this purpose Secondly wee acknowledge a change in the vse of the Elements for there must be some ground for which the signes may beare the names of the things themselues and that is The vertue the power the operation of the flesh and bloud of Christ beeing mystically vnited to the signes doe in a wonderfull sort manifest these things by the signes through the operation of the Holy Ghost This we learne of St. Cyprian De â—nctione Chrismatis to the Element once sanctified not now their own nature giueth the effect but the diuine vertue worketh in them more mightily the truth is present with the signe and the spirit with the Sacrament De Sacramentis l. 4. c. 4. so that the worthinesse of the grace appeareth by the efficiency of the thing Ambrose also If there be so great strength in the word of the Lord Iesus that all things beganne to be when they were not how much more shall it bee of force that the mysticall Elements should bee the same they were before and yet be changed into another thing Theodoret. The signes which are seene Christ hath honoured with the names of his body and blood not changing the nature but adding grace vnto nature Thus farre wee goe in acknowledging a change of the Elements by consecration farther we goe not wee acknowledge no change in the substance of the nature of the Elements De Sacramentis l. 4. c. 3. and herein we are guided by the Fathers also Ambrose Thou camst to the Altar and sawest the Sacraments thereon and wondredst at the very ereature De Coena Domini and yet it is a solemne and a knowne creature Cyprian After consecration the Element is deliuered from the name of bread and reputed worthy to bee called the body of the Lord notwithstanding the nature of the bread still remaines Ad Coesarios Monacbos Chrysostome The substantiall bread and cup sanctified with a solemne blessing is profitable for the life and safegard of the whole man To proue this the Fathers vse to parallel the Sacrament and the Person of Christ De ieiunio 7. mensis in their disputes against Eutyches Gelasius As the bread and wine after consecration are changed and altered into the body and blood of Christ Dialogo secundo so is the humane nature of Christ changed into his diuine Theodoret hath the same parallel and so hath St. Austine as hee is cited de Consecratione distinctione secunda Hoc est quod dico Now a generall Councell not onely particular Fathers haue resolued that both natures continue in Christs person vnaltered so doe their properties so doe their actions only this honour the diuine doth to the humane nature that as it hath associated it into one person so doth it manifest her properties by it and performe her actions Euen so is it in the Sacrament the heauenly the earthly thing are both vnited to make one Sacrament but each keepeth vnaltered its owne nature properties and actions onely the heauenly doth worke by the earthly and doth not ordinarily without it manifest its operation If in the person of Christ there was no alteration of the diuine nature though the Scripture say the word was made flesh much lesse may we dreame of any alteration in the earthly part of the Sacrament though it be said the bread is the body and the wine is the blood of Christ Out of this distinction of changing of the Elements you may perceiue that Christs consecration was effectuall though not effectuall to Transubstantiation For in a sacramentall argument both substances must remaine and by reason of the mysticall vnion Disparats may be affirmed the one of the other without absurditie Whether the sacramentall vnion doe require moreouer a Consubstantiation may also here be disputed for some vrge it out of these words But their answer is briefly this The earthly and the heauenly thing may bee conioyned really though not locally And as they may be conioyned so they may bee receiued seeing the proper Exhibiter of the heauenly is the Holy Spirit and the Receiuer is our faith Our faith may ascend to Christ in heauen and the Spirit beeing infinite may vnite vs vnto Christ though we be as low as the earth Whereas then the words may haue their truth without any recourse to a miracle or contradicting any other Article of faith or forcing strange senses vpon other passages of Scripture we content our selues with this mysticall relatiue vnion and forbeare all other vnnecessary speculations Although we must needs confesse that the words make more for Consubstantiation than they make for Transubstantiation We confesse then that in the Sacrament there is the body and blood of Christ and that three manner of waies though we admit neyther of the two false waies Transubstantiation and Consubstantiation First in regard of the signe for it was not chosen for it selfe but with reference to Christ Secondly in regard of the resemblance it doth most fitly set forth the efficacy that is in Christ the strengthning the cheering efficacie you heard before out of the 104th Psalme that those properties are in bread and wine Strength is eyther increased or recouered and cheerefulnesse followeth eyther vpon the recouered or increased strength wee are Babes and must grow in Christ we are Souldiers and lose blood in his quarrell we must finde that which
that should trouble vs Therefore let vs keepe our eyes on him and we shall bee vndauntedly patient of any disgrace or danger that wee must passe in performing our charge Againe though we bee naturally proud and thinke our selues worthy of high preferment and sufficient for great employment yet when wee are called to these supernaturall Acts we are farre from being ambitious yea we are plaine incredulous that euer such things can be done by vs or that we are fit to be vsed in doing them wee can then plead our imperfections the imperfections of our head the imperfections of our heart it is strange then to see how vile we will be in our own eies and be glad that any one should haue the honour of this seruice rather than our selues we see this truth in Moses Ieremie and others But this is a mis-placing of our eyes Christ taketh them off from this contemplation and placeth them vpon himselfe Behold I am with you it is my spirit my wisedome my grace that produceth these heauenly effects I doe you the honour to make you my Instruments but I will be the principall Agent regard not your weaknesse but my power and doubt not but that I will doe by you whatsoeuer I shall giue you in charge Let this be your encouragement Christ would neuer send vs to baptize with water but hee meaneth to baptize with the holy Ghost hee will neuer send vs to dispence bread and wine but hee will bee present to giue vnto beleeuers his body and blood if he send vs to binde and loose on earth himselfe will binde and loose in heauen finally the foolishnesse of Preaching which he vttereth by our mouths himselfe doth accompany with a demonstration of his Spirit Ecce Behold this Behold how I am with you how I cooperate with you The last particular which I obserued is contained in the last word Amen and this must second Ecce Behold So soone as euer our eyes are vpon the right obiect and wee see what shelter what succour wee haue who doth support vs who doth worke by vs we must fall to our Amen we must vndoubtedly beleeue the truth of Christs promise and heartily desire the accomplishment thereof the word Amen implieth both and we must say Amen both waies Christ doth promise I am with you I will not leaue you nor forsake you whensoeuer or whithersoeuer you goe in my seruice we must answer Amen Lord I am assured it will be so I am sure it will be so also when thou sayst Loe I am with you by you to giue light to them that sit in darkenesse and in the shadow of death and guide their feete into the way of Peace And seeing what thou Lord sayst shall bee what is my desire but that it should bee Da Domine quod iubes inbe quod vis Lord be thou with me and I care not what charge thou dost impose vpon me thou biddest me goe into all the world Amen so bee it I will goe thou promisest to be with me wheresoeuer I goe Amen so be it Thus should Ecce Behold set a-work Amen and Amen So be it should euer attend this Ecce Behold I haue done with my Text and with the particulars which I pointed out therein lay those particulars together and see how many things there are to be obserued by you that are to enter into Holy Orders Here you may see that the Originall of your calling is from Christ that Christ calleth you to bee his Embassadours the errand whereupon you are sent is the gathering of Gods children into his Church Hee trusteth you with the seales of his Couenant his Sacraments He maketh your mouthes his Oracles vnto the people his presence maketh your persons secure and sacred whether hee bee pleased that you be Patients or Agents his presence shall make you conquerours vnder the Crosse and conuerters of sinnefull men And this hee will doe by you and those that shall bee honoured with the like calling vntill the number of the Elect are fulfilled and we all meete comfortably after our seruice is happily ended to raigne with him for euer in his Kingdome of Glory HEe that giueth you this Charge grant you this Comfort and make you so behold it that you may say Amen vnto it Amen Amen IHS A SERMON PREACHED AT A VISITATION At BATHE ZACHARY 11. vers 7. And I tooke vnto me two staues the one I called Beautie and the other I called Bands and I fed the flocke THis Chapter containes the last and worst destruction of the Iewes the manner and the cause is contained herein The Manner is most wofull for it is Libellus Repudij God will haue no more to doe with them and they were to be Lo-gnammi no longer the peculiar people of God no degree of person was to bee exempted from this plague neyther were they euer to recouer their state againe Of so wofull a manner the cause was most iust Curati noluerunt curari God gaue the Iewes ouer Pastors and People to a totall to a finall desolation because in their day the last of their dayes they would not know they did not regard those things that belonged vnto their peace What those things were for the most for the best part wee are taught in these words that now I haue read vnto you The whole text is a Parable wherein a ghostly shepheard is resembled to a bodily and the care of the one is represented in the others care This is the summe of the whole text But more distinctly In moralizing the Parable wee are to make two enquiries first Who it is that speaketh these words secondly What that is which he meaneth by this speech By laying together the parts of this Chapter you shall finde that he that speaketh is our Sauiour Christ it is he that saith I tooke to my selfe two slaues c. As it is he that speaketh so that which hee speaketh concerneth himselfe the contents of his words are his owne exemplarie pastorall care In opening this care the text will teach vs 1. how hee did furnish himself sutably to his calling 2. how he did employ his furniture to the good of his charge His furniture was Authority and Ability Authority noted by the staues for Padum insigne Pastoris a Shepheard is designed by his crooke and the crooke is an embleme of Authoritie Authority is not enough he hath Abilitie also his Ability is noted by the propertie of the staues The properties are two and so the abilitie groweth to be twofold the first is noted by Beauty by which is meant Veritas Euangelica a Shepheards skill in the couenant of Grace the second is noted by Bands whereby is noted Charitas Christiana the Shepheards care of the Churches peace With these doth the Shepheard furnish himselfe so hee saith I tooke vnto my selfe I tooke he receiued this furniture from his Father so I gather out of the fourth verse and what hee tooke therewith he qualified himselfe
make vs see how much better he is then we dreame of him Looke vpon the fore-cited places the wicked thinke that God is like vnto them Mal. 3. What saith GOD there I will reproue thee and set thy sinne before thee So likewise in Malachy they thought that GOD fauoured men the more the worse they liued but GOD tels them that in the day when he made vp his Iewels they should returne and see the difference betweene them that feare God Math. 25. and them that feared him not And the vnthriftie seruant was refuted before his face for his Master gaue to the thriftie seruants each what he had gayned vpon his Masters goods But as GOD doth thus refute affirmatiue blasphemies so may you perceiue in the verie same places that the Blasphemer doth defraud himselfe of that which GOD proues to be his perfection and leaues him to be more vile then he thinketh GOD to be So likewise what gayneth the negatiue Blasphemer but this that he putteth himselfe out of the protection of those Attributes whereof he would but cannot rob GOD. GOD will euer haue an vnderstanding eye though not to watch ouer him but to enquire into him he will haue a hand of power not to relieue but to plague him and he will neuer cease to be prouident but the Blasphemer shall neuer be the better for it What shall we say then to these things Surely considering our duty considering our danger we must thinke better vpon and take more care to fulfill that Petition of the Lords Prayer Hallowed be thy Name That we may performe our dutie that we may auoid the danger let vs all and you especially that are the Penitent daily ioyne with the Angels 〈…〉 and beare a part in their Hymne singing Holy Holy Holy Lord God of Hosts Heauen and Earth are full of thy glorie For shall not mortall man adore that Name which is so reuerenced by Cherubins and Seraphins It is his honor to be admitted to it and a horrible contempt if he doe it not yea doe the contrarie The kind of blasphemie is not here exprest neither doe I thinke it sit to enquire into it seeing the Holy Ghost is silent such sinnes are better concealed then reuealed therefore doe not I publish this Blasphemers sinne And I wish you not to be inquisitiue after it Our concupiscence is like tinder it will quickly take fire especially the catching fire of Hell St Paul hath a good rule Such things should not so much as be named amongst Christians Yea blasphemie was so detested of old that whereas it had a name yet they did expresse it by an Antiphrasis and vsed the word blessing in stead of cursing I would our tast of words were as good as theirs was I haue done with the proper blasphemie Tract 27. in Ioh. I come now to speake a word of the occasionall Here take St Austins rule Rarò inueniuntur qui blasphemant lingua multi qui vita few haue gone so farre as this Penitent who hath properly and directly blasphemed GOD. But there are more then a good many that haue obliquely and occasionally blasphemed yea and doe daily euen all those whose conuersation is not answerable to their profession For they without the CHVRCH who heare vs professe that we are the children of GOD and haue for our guid the Word of GOD when then they see vs doe that which common reason doth condemne as wicked they conclude Like children like â—ather like liues like Lawes they open their mouthes against GOD and against his holy Word Wherefore we must by well-doing stop the mouthes of gaine-sayers and let our light so shine besore men that they may see our good workes and glorifie our Pather which is in Heauen or else we shall goe for occasionall Blasphemers as did Dauid and also did the Iewes 2 Sam. 12. Rom. 2. And let this suffice for the sinne I come now to the punishment And here we must see first What it is and then On whom it is inflicted The punishment is set downe here first in generall he shall beare his sinne By sinne is meant punishment the Holy Ghost by so speaking intimates the knot that in Iustice should be betweene them none should be punished but for sinne and no sinne should be vnpunished Which is also true when this word signisieth a Sacrifice for the originall of a Sacrifice was sinne and sinne in the Old Testament was not expiated but by a Sacrifice As you must obserue these two things in the word sinne so are there two like things a ceremoniall and a morall in those words he shall beare his sinne for thereby in this place the Holy Ghost signifieth that a Blasphemer may not redeeme himselfe from punishment by any ceremoniall Sacrifice the Law hath prouided no Sacrifice for so crying a sinne whereas pettie sinners might be ransomed by Sacrifice a Blasphemer may not so vnburden himselfe he must beare his owne sinne Num. 15. for Blasphemie is one of those sinnes which are committed with a high hand As the phrase doth debarre the Blasphemer of this ceremoniall reliefe so doth it put him ouer to the Ciuill Magistrate and yeelds a good morall Note which is that we must vnburden the State vpon the malefactor for sinne committed by one that is a member of the Common-weale by reason of the Communion that is betweene the parts of the politique Body maketh all the Body guiltie Nouel Constiâ— 77. if it be haynous which Iustinian the Emperour obserued well in his Preface to the Law which he made against this sinne for this sinne saith he doth God send Famine Pestilence the Sword vpon a Common-weale neither can it put off the guilt and preuent the punishment but by laying them vpon the malefactor making him to beare his owne sinne lest they also beare a part of it A good remembrance for Magistrates to quicken their iustice in such cases and teach them that they cannot be mercifull to a Blasphemer except they will be cruell to their Countrey But I shall touch at this point againe before I end and therefore I will goe on The Punishment is not onely set downe in generall but in speciall also the speciall punishment is two-fold First It is Ecclesiasticall for the malefactor must be carried out of the Tents so GOD commanded a little before my Text and in the end of this Chapter it was so practised And when in the Holy Land they dwelt in Cities in stead of Tents which they vsed in the Wildernesse they obserued the same course for they cast Blasphemers out of the Citie as appeares in the storie of Naboth 1 King 21. and of St Stephen Act. 7. who were calumniated for Blasphemers 1 Tim 1.20 Now this was a kind of Excommunication and so vile persons were cast out De Malâ—die c. Statuimus to note that they were vnworthy not onely to liue but euen to dye also amongst the people of GOD
should rise againe The last point of this Text remaines which is the correspondencie betweene the rising and the fall which I told you consists in three points First Peter was soone downe and soone vp the same night that he was wounded he was healed and cured the same night that he fell sicke many perish through their procrastination and their case becommeth desperate before they enter into consideration thereof no sooner did the cocke crow CHRIST turne and looke but Peter came to himselfe But what doe we doe What vse doe we make of the time giuen vs to repent How little doth aduersitie prosperitie words stripes preuaile with vs We are so farre from repenting quickly that we doe not repent at leasure And what is the reason We doe not make vse of good meanes whilst GOD doth grant them vs The Cocke did crow and Peter did remember CHRIST turned and lookt Peter went out and wept bitterly he did not receiue the grace of GOD in vaine It were to be wisht that we did herein resemble him and not frustrate either the outward or the inward Meanes Esay 47. But the Minister may complaine I haue laboured in vaine I haue spent my strength in vaine Yea GOD himselfe may complaine Rom. 10. All the day long haue I stretcht forth my hand vnto an vnbeleeuing and gaine saying Nation Or if we are not so gracelesse as to neglect the two former correspondencies certainly it is a hard thing to find the man that is like to St Peter in the third and proportioneth his Repentance to his Offence Great faults should not be a little sorrowed for but we should afflict our soules for sinne as much as we haue solaced them therewith Certainly St Peter did so Yea Clemens Romanus obserueth that St Peter euerie night about the crowing of the Cocke did rise and pray with teares vntill the morning If he did lament so vncessantly in whom inward pietie did not faile but onely the outward constancie was shaken what should we doe that sinne so willingly and with so high a hand We should better obserue and obserue more dayes of Humiliation then most of vs doe Bitter teares if euer are now most seasonable not onely the compunction for our owne sinnes but compassion also towards the distracted Churches woefull calamitie doth importune vs for them We make grieuous lamentation for a friend if his soule be departed from his body but who is much troubled for himselfe when GOD by sinne is driuen from his soule If but a neighbours House or some small Village be laid wast by casualtie of fire as many as heare of it are moued with compassion and readily afford some succour But how many Townes yea Countreys Members of the Orthodoxe Church are exhausted and made desolate by famine sicknesse the attendants vpon the blood-thirstinesse of the Sword and there are few Samaritans that haue any Bowels All like the Priest and the Leuite passe by yea and passe ouer these troubles as if they did nothing concerne them but onely to administer Table-talke or fill vp the wast of their idle times I will onely remember you of GODS censure of such stupiditie And I pray GOD it may make vs all more sensible of our owne and of the Churches case In the day of the Iewes calamitie did the Lord God of Hosts call to weeping and to mourning to baldnesse and to girding with Sack-cloth and behold ioy and gladnesse slaying Oxen and killing Sheepe eating flesh and drinking wine Let vs eat and drinke for to morrow we shall dye So said those senslesse wretches But it was renealed in mine eares saith the Prophet Esay by the Lord of Hosts Esay 22. surely this iniquitie shall not be purged from you till you dye saith the Lord God of Hosts He said it to them and in them to vs happie are we if other mens harmes make vs beware But I conclude This Text is an example and an example is the easiest doctrine for apprehension and most powerfull in operation so that if we doe not learne it there is something amisse in our head and there is something amisse in our heart if we be not the better for it Wherefore let vs all turne to him and humbly beseech him that we may be made mindfull of our frailtie and set in a good course of our penitencie that we may be as apt to rise as we are to fall and iudge our selues as seuerely as we gracelesly offend our God So may God accept our teares clense our soules and make vs all as he did repenting Peter his faithfull seruants in this world and glorious Saints in the world to come A SERMON PREACHED AT GREENWICH MATTHEW 3. VERSE 16 17. 16 And Iesus when hee was baptized went vp straight way out of the water and loe the Heauens were opened vnto him and hee saw the Spirit of God descending like a Doue and lighting vpon him 17 And loe a voyce from Heauen saying This is my beloued Sonne in whom I am well pleased IN this dayes Gospel our Sauiour CHRIST taught Nicodemus Ioh. 3. that Except a man be borne againe or from aboue he cannot see he cannot enter into the Kingdome of Heauen and St. Iohn the Apostle teacheth how a man may know whether he be so borne againe or no. He that beleeueth that Iesus is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Christ or Anointed of the Lord is borne of God Now a fairer proofe of that Article or a more sufficient warrant for our saith therein the whole Bible doth not yeeld then that which was deliuered at the Baptisme of CHRIST and is contained in those words that now I haue read vnto you For here you must my Text doth will you so behold GOD the FATHER anointing Iesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power as St. Peter speaketh Acts 10. And see with all how wel the Text fitteth the time for this is Trinitie Sunday and what is the Text but a report of the cleare the comfortable presence concurrence of the blessed Trinity in Sacring Iesus to be the Christ Here is Pater in voce Filius in carne Spiritus Sanctus in columba the Sonne in our nature receiues the Vnction the Holy Ghost in the shape of a Doue becomes the Vnction and the Father in a voyce from Heauen beareth witnesse to the grace that floweth from that Vnction In this great worke euery Person beareth his part But more distinctly in this Sacring of Iesus wee may learne from my Text First What were the circumstances Secondly What was the substance of it The circumstances were two First the Time when Iesus was baptized Secondly the Place without the water or vpon the Riuers side for Iesus came straight way out of the water and loe c. In the substance we shall see first Quis who it was that was Sacred it was euen the same Person that was baptized the Sonne of GOD in the nature of man it was Iesus Secondly
is not indefinite because represented in a speciall signe the signe of a Doue this signe drawes our thoughts from plunging themselues into that infinite varietie of grace that was in CHRIST to contemplate that which beareth correspondency to a Doue In which contemplation we must keepe this rule to behold first Qualis Christus fuerit how CHRIST himselfe was qualified then Quales nos esse debeamus how wee as Christians must be conformable to him But let vs come to the speciall grace designed by the Doue Some obserue the neatnesse of that bird Aspicis vt ventant ad candida tecta Columbae Accipiat nullas sordida turris aues and they will haue the vertue here intimated to be Sanctity and indeed such an high Priest it behoued vs to haue as was holy harmelesse separate from sinners and higher then the Heauens the Angel at his birth calls him that holy thing Daniel the Holy of Holies his person his conuersation both were most pure hee was in nothing soild with the filth of sinne And what the Church must be we learne in our Creed where it is called the holy Catholique Church Holinesse beseemes Gods House for euer and from this 〈◊〉 haue wee the honour euen on earth to bee called Saints a Christian should not be an vneleane person neither should he delight in filthinesse Some looke vpon the sweete nature of the Doue which is louing and louely and indeede the name 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sounds that propertie the Doue is so called quasi 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 exceeding in loue St. Austin obserueth this propertie Tract 7. in 1. Epist Ioh De Columba demonstrata est charitas quae venit super Dominum quo nobis infunderetur the Doue was the Embleme of charity that was in CHRIST and from him streamed into vs And indeede greater charity could not be found in any then was in our Sauiour CHRIST who gaue his life for his friends yea for his Enemies and he commends no vertue more then charity vnto vs he prayeth that we may bee like to him therein and tells vs that by this shall all men know wee are his Disciples if we loue one another Ioh. 1â— Ioh. 13. the whole booke of Canticles is nothing but a commentary vpon this propertie wherein the name of Doue is more then once remembred But I will resolue this propertie of the Doue into two which will make way vnto some others The Doue is without Guile and without Gall a simple and harmelesse bird which figure two excellent properties of the Holy Ghost Sinceritie and Mercy the one a vertue of the Head the other of the Heart and they are opposed vnto the two maine properties of the Diuell who is noted to bee slie as a Serpent and cruell as a Lyon Our Sauiour CHRIST is especially recommended vnto vs in the Scripture as being farre from these hellish qualities That of the Head there was no guile found in his mouth Ioh. 14. Ioh. 18. Reuel 1. and no maruell for he was the Truth he came into the world to beare witnesse of the truth St. Iohn calls him the faithfull and the true witnesse the more blasphemous are they that draw any act or word of his to patronize or colour their impious Aequiuocations and mentall Reseruations we should conforme our selues vnto CHRIST bee true Nathaniels without simulation or dissimulation Satien cap. 1. Psal 15. be as good as our word though it bee our owne hinderance How farre then hath the World degenerated when Christians to excuse their owne fraud will fasten fraud on CHRIST Yet when I commend plaine dealing I doe not condemne discretion the good of the Serpent wee may haue though not the euill plaine dealing may well stand with Prudence and there is an innocent prouidence onely we must take heed that our tongues and our wits be not made snares and pitfalls but as CHRISTS word was not yea and nay but all the promises of God in him were yea and Amen so must our dealing not be fraudulent but sincere As CHRIST was without Guile so was hee without Gall so farre from taking offence when it was not giuen that when it was giuen he would not take it witnesse the checke which he gaue vnto his Disciples when they would haue had fire from Heauen to destroy the churlish Samaritans you know not saith he of what spirit you are Luke 9. the Sonne of Man came not to destroy Isay 42. but to saue mens liues Hee would not breake a bruised reede nor quench smoaking flaxe yea so tender were his Bowels that in the middest of his tortures vpon the Crosse Luke 23. hee forgaue hee prayed for his crucifying enemies It is this sweetnesse of CHRISTS nature that when the conscience of sinne holds backe doth encourage vs to come with boldnesse vnto the throne of Grace the Doue is not so free from Gall as our Sauiour is from reuengfull malice And what should a Christian be heare our Sauiour CHRIST Discite a mâ— quia mitis sum Matth. 12. Act. 8. Hebr. 13. we should imitate CHRIST in meeknesse we should not bee in the gall of bitternesse like Simon Magus neither should any roâ—te of bitternesse spring vp in vs Spiritus non generat accipitres sed columbas if so bee our nature be cruell it is signe it was neuer new moulded by the Spirit of grace Rom. 12 whose propertie it is not to bee ouer-come of euill but to ouer-come euill with good But here also marke that hee who forbids Crueltie doth not forbid Courage we may partake the good of the Lyon but not the euill It was and it is a grosse conceipt of Macheuilisme to thinke that these properties of the Doue to be without Guile and without Gall haue beene the baine of Christiandome while the Enemies thereof haue taken aduantage of their simplicitie to insnare them and of their pittie to deuoure them well may imprudent simplicitie and cowardly pittie disaduantage the prudent the couragious can neuer disaduantage nay sinceritie in the end ouercometh infidelitie and pittie triumphes ouer crueltie none euer dealt more plainely then CHRIST none was dealt withall more deceitful none vsed more pitie none was vsed more cruelly And what was the issue he prooued the wisedome of his Enemies plaine folly their fury turned vnto his greater glory Neither haue these properties prooued worse in Christians it were an easie matter to prooue it out of the Martyres story recorded both in the old and the New Testament Yea which maketh the opposit vices more odious neuer was there any craftie wit that was not vnto himselfe a snare nor cruell heart whose hands did not giue himselfe the deadliest woundes the Serpent the roaring Lyon that set vpon CHRIST what are they but monuments of the euill successe of their hellish qualities Wherefore though the world please it selfe in wilinesse and bloodinesse let it alwayes bee the care and comfort of a Christian
neuer to speake what he doth not meane nor to doe what he would not be done vnto I would it were so but GOD knoweth it is farre other wise euen with those that beare the name of Christians as if so be they were altogether ignorant that the Doue is included in the name of a Christian none are more fraudulent none are more cruell as they are euen amongst vs that are Orthodox in opinion It were too much if these things were onely in practise how intollerable is it when they are become Doctrinall and the Deuill hath so farre insinuated himselfe into mens heads and hearts as that a generation should rise vp who should teach such cases of Conscience as resolue men artificially to lye and meritoriously to shed blood making men put off not onely Christianity but euen humanity also The Christian world especially the Orthodox part thereof is in a desperate Paroxisme by this meanes if GOD bee not pleased to put to his helping hand certainely if euer the Deuill and Satan both names opposite to the Doue are now let loose the Serpent if euer hath now made way for for the Lion the bands of humane society were neuer so crackt if they be not quite dissolued and yet is sociablenesse a speciall property of the Doue but a property growne strange amongst Christians who by their degenerating malice haue brought the Church to bee a Doue indeed that is a bird subiect to oppression so the Hebrew word signifieth to such oppression that a man might well wish for the wings of a Doue to flye away into some Wildernesse where he might not see these vnnaturall Barbarismes or if that may not bee at least a man hath iust cause to wish for Gemitum Columbae the mourning of a Doue to bewaile the miseries of GODS Church And indeed the Spirit figured by the Doue is hee that worketh in the hearts of Christians sighes and groanes that cannot be exprest And I pray GOD he may worke such sighes and groanes in vs Psal 68. that though the Church now lye amongst the pot sheards and deformed shee may recouer againe the winges of a Doue couered with siluer and all her feathers bee as yealow gold Though these be profitable obseruations which you haue heard of the correspondency of the Holy Spirit to the Doue yet may I not forget a note which goeth farther and as I suppose is most naturall to the Text Columba docuit saith St. Austin Christum baptizaturum in Spiritu sancto the Doue did signifie that CHRIST would baptize with the Holy Ghost and that hee would communicate this power to none hee would transferre the ministry to men but reserue the efficacy of Baptisme to himselfe both while hee was on earth and as he now reigneth in Heauen For certainely the Sacring doeth note this his possession and dispensation of the Holy Ghost it is his Spirit and hee onely giueth it he sanctifieth the waters of Baptisme vnto their sacred vse and by his Spirit added vnto them doeth regenerate those that are members of his Church Hauing thus farre opened vnto you the visible signe what it was and what it meant I must now shew you Vnde whence this Doue came and that wee are taught in these words the Heauens were opened vnto him Much dispute there is how the Heauens were opened many thinke it superfluous to haue the Doue descend from an higher Stage then the Aire they hold it not likely the firmament should bee diuided to giue way vnto him but they little thinke of GODS power and the Maiestie that beseemeth this Sacring I make no doubt but that as GOD could so hee did make all creatures doe seruice vnto CHRIST hee that made the Sunne to stand to honour Iosuah and to honour Ezechias made it goe backe many degrees would hee not make those glorious bodies part a sunder to giue paslage to this Sacring Doue I suppose he would Especially seeing all acknowledge that it was a Doue newly created by the Omnipotent power of GOD and the Text saith not that Heauen but that the Heauens were opened vnto him Yet must wee not transferre the motion of the Doue to the Spirit who being euery where changeth not his place But GOD by that motion would giue vs to vnderstand that the grace of the Holy Ghost commeth downe from Heauen according to that of St. Iames euery good and perfect guift commeth from aboue euen from the Father of light with whom there is no variablenesse nor shadow of change not so much as of place himselfe vnchangeable breatheth where hee will Besides the phrase of opening the Heauens sheweth vs that onely by CHRIST Paradise aboue is opened and the commerce renued betweene Heauen and earth and as many as are baptized into CHRIST are really freed from that curse which was Symbolically sigured by our shutting out of Paradise below and the shutting vp thereof by placing the Cherubims at the entrance with a flaming branded sword Last of all the Text saith that the Heauens were opened to Christ but Chrysostome expounds it well Illi sed propter nos to him but for vs all the benefit that CHRIST reaped by his mediation and Inauguration was but to bee a well-head from whence Grace should streame into vs he had the honour we haue the good You haue heard whence the Doue commeth â—ib 3. Cap. 19. Cap. 11. Cap. 41. Caâ— 16. Numb 11. now shall you heare where it pitcht it lighted vpon Iesus Irenie obserues well this is the fulfilling of sundry Prophesies recorded in Isay The Spirit of the Lord shall rest vpon him I will put my Spirit vpon him the Spirit of the Lord is vpon me But obserue that it so came vpon him that it manifested it selfe by him so is the phrase elsewhere declared in the story of Gedeon Sampson Saul and others for after this Inauguration neuer any man spake as CHRIST spake and hee did those workes that neuer any man did But wee must not mistake the Holy Ghost did not now descend vpon Iesus as if he had him not before hee that was conceiued by the Holy Ghost could not be without him no not for a moment euen as he was the Sonne of Man Yea and of Grace of Sanctification it is out of all question that from the moment of his conception hee neuer increased therein Some question there is touching the Grace of Edification which in the Schooles is called Gratis data Some hold that he had the fulnesse thereof also when he was conceiued Cap. â— but the words of St. Luke makes it probable that though the man hood of CHRIST were so neere linckt vnto the well-head of the Spirit which is his God-head as by personall vnion yet the God-head did communicate the Grace of Edification vnto the man-hood by degrees as it was fit for him to manifest it and we may without impietie hold that some accession of such kinde of grace was made to the man-hood at his
repaire to him and none but he must be our Physitian He cureth but how Per auditum by the Eare. Wee haue two Rationall Senses and contentions haue beene made about their precedencie the bookes that are giuen vs to studie will easily resolue the doubt they are Gods workes and his words if the sight of his workes might haue recouered vs we should not haue needed the Preaching of his word but the infirmitie of the former is argued by the supply of the later and whatsoeuer Philosophie thinkes Diuinitie must hold that wee are beholding much more to our Eare then to our Eye for Sauing wisedome when I name the Eare I meane the bodily the Enthusiasts haue an Eare but it is onely for Gods spirit but we must haue an Eare for Gods ministers for ordinarily God dispenseth not the Comforter but by their ministerie Fead Iob. 33. And this is the highest commendation of sacred Orders and that which must worke the greatest reuerence of the people towards them for that God conueieth heauenly treasure by these earthen vessels 2. Cor. 4.7 and into their hands hath put the power of the Keyes yea to their tongues hath he in a maner tyed the efficacie of his word they bind and loose mens soules they open and shut vnto them the King dome of Heauen They doe it did I say rather God doth it by them so are we taught by my Text God must make Dauid to heare it is not enough that God send his word and great be the number of Preachers God must breath also with his spirit 1. Cor. 37. and when Paul hath planted and Apollo watered he must giue the increase Acts 16.14 if God doe not then open the Heart as hee did Lidia's we may be no better then Francis Spera whose bones being broken with the conscience of his sinne he could not be cured because the many exhortations that were giuen vnto him by the words of men could haue no entrance into his Heart there wanted there the spirit of grace therefore we must with Dauid begge that God would make vs heare But I hasten to the last point you haue heard who giues the Physicke you must heare what Hope there is that Dauids petition will succeed there appeareth good hope good hope in the phrase for it is not onely Supplicatorie but Assertorie I obserued the like vpon the former Verse I will not repeate it But there appeareth more hope in the contexture for there Dauid is confident that the medicine shall not bee applyed in vaine the bones that thou hast broken shall reioyce so it is in the Originall marke an excellent difference betweene Gods children and others Reprobates in such a case Optare possunt sperare non possunt they may wish themselues in a better case but they cannot hope for better but the children of God when their bodies are euen brought to the graue and their soules to the gates of hell yet will they trust in God and trust to see the louing kindnesse of God in the land of the liuing We doe not belieue that the Sunne hath lost his light though the skye be ouer-cast with clouds Read Psal 77. neither will we thinke that God hath forgotten to be gracious euen when hee layeth deadly strokes vpon vs. The Chaldee Paraphrase obserues not onely a Reall ioy of the broken bones but a Vocall also not onely shall our soules be comforted and our bodies with our soules but out of the sense hereof wee shall breake forth into the Praises of God we shall praise our God with ioyfull lips Finally marke the method the sorrow of the Inward man casteth the Outward into a Consumption so likewise the Outward shall partake of Consolation if so be Consolation by the Eare be distild into the Inward Caro vt Cor no lesse the flesh then the spirit being quickned shall reioyce in the liuing God I conclude all As we are all subiect vnto sinne so are we not free from the distresses of Conscience When we are put to it let vs heare what the Lord will say for he will speake peace vnto our soules if our sorrow be godly let vs not be without hope Blessed are they that mourne so for they shall be comforted let vs rest assured that though Wee sow in teares yet we shall reape in ioy the Lord will turne our captiuitie Psol 12â— he will sill our mouthes with laughter and our tongues with songs AMEN PSAL. 51. VERS 9. Hide thy face from my sinnes and blot out all mine iniquities THe remedie that King Dauid sought in this Penitentiall was answerable to his distresse That which distrest him was sinne whereof the onely remedie is grace The sinne as you haue oftentimes heard was two fold first that which himselfe committed and secondly that which hee inherited from his parents he seekes a remedy for both in Grace You haue heard that it yeeldeth a remedy for the sinne which himselfe committed for the Impietie thereof by Expiation and by Consolation for the Malignitie that is therein It followth that now you heare of the remedy which Grace doth yeeld to the sinne which he inherited from his parents that is a Natiue Euill we commonly call it Originall sinne Grace cureth this partly by Forgiuing and partly by Regenerating forgiuing of the sinne and regenerating of the sinner These two points are commonly knowne by the names the first of Iustification the second of Sanctification of Sanctification by regenerating our sinfull nature you shall heare in the next Verse on this Verse I must speake of Iustification from by Forgiuenesse of originall sinne To come to the breaking vp of the Text there is something therein implyed and something exprest that which is implyed is Gods Prouidence that which is exprest is Gods Indulgence of Gods Prouidence we haue here intimated two Acts his Eye seeth all things and all things are recorded by his Hand Did hee not See all things it were needlesse to pray Hide thy face and it were as needlesse to pray Blot out were not all things recorded by his Hand such prayers must needes presuppose those workes Besides this Prouidence of God so implyed the Text will teach vs the Indulgence of God which is here fairely exprest for the better vnderstanding whereof I will open vnto you first the suite that King Dauid maketh for it and then the possibilitie that there is of his obtaining it In the suite wee shall see how answerable his desire is vnto Gods worke Gods worke is to See and Record and his desire is that hee would not See hide thy face that he would cancell blot out But in the prayer we must more-ouer marke 1. to what 2. how farre he would haue his desire extend To what not to his person but to his sinnes hide thy face not from me but from my Sinnes blot out not mee but mine iniquities Hee restraineth then Gods acts to their proper obiect But hauing so restrained them he
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
a drudge Miserum est fuisse foelicem the memory of a better doubleth the misery of a worse estate it doth so corporally and it will doe so spiritually if euer we be put to the triall of it yea we shall find it will doe it so much the more by how much the touch of conscience is more tender then any other sense and the gift which we lose is infinitely more precious then any other gift The taking backe doth much amplifie the depriuation but how much more doth it amplifie that nothing is left behind Though the haruest be caried away yet if there be some gleaning behind though a Tree be cut downe yet if there bee a roote left in the ground though the Sunne goe downe yet if it be twilight these small remainders of greater goods are no small refreshings to a loser It doth a man some good to keepe some monuments of his better estate especially when they are pledges of some sparkle of good will towards vs continuing in him vpon whose iust displeasure we forfeited all As God in fauour giueth the holy spirit so in displeasure doth hee take him away and we cannot guesse better at the measure of his displeasure then by the measure of the depriuation If he take it but in part then mercy tempers iudgement but if he leaue no sparkles of grace that may be kindled again then we become Loruhama Hose 1. we are cleane shut out of the bowels of his compassion And this is that which King Dauids trembling conscience doth deprecate in these words Ne auferas Take not away I haue opened vnto you the nature of spirituall Reiection and Depriuation and I doubt not but by that which you haue heard you conceiue that they are grieuous iudgements but the bottomes of them are not sounded except we also take notice of the Consequents two wofull consequents The first if man be reiected of God as before you heard hee must looke for a cleane opposite condition hee loseth the place of Gods presence and whether shall he goe but euen to the pit of hell Hee loseth the state of that blessed place and hee shall fall into the state of the cursed God doth disgrace him dares any creature yeeld a good looke vnto him God layeth him open to danger and whose indignation then will not burne against him Whose hand will spare him vpon whom God layeth his heauie hand Guesse what will become of them that are reiected by the King of heauen by that which you see befall them who are reiected by Kings on earth The first consequent of reiestion is bad neither is the first consequent vpon depriuation better he that loseth the holy Spirit shall be possessed by an vncleane Spirit 1. Sam. 16. it was Sauls case the Text is plaine The Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul and an euill Spirit troubled him where God is not Satan will be Some would bee Neutrals in the World but indeed none are Man is either a Temple of God or a Synagogue of Satan yea and looke how much God taketh from vs of his Spirit so much wee shall be sure to haue of the vncleane Spirit as Darknesse taketh vp all the roome that is not filled with Light if we haue no portion of Gods Spirit those vncleane Spirits will possesse vs wholy A miserable exchange and yet is this the inâ—uitable consequent of depriuation You would thinke I had brought the iudgement to the height but I haue not there is another consequent a consequent worse then the former Omnis spes veniae tollitur so sayth Gregorie the Great the case is not only very bad but it is past all recouery and why Is a man reiected No other man may intercede for him See this in the case of a King How long saith God vnto Samuel wilt thou mourne for Saul seeing I haue reiected him from raigning ouer Israel See it in the case of a Kingdome I will cast you out of my sight saith God as I haue cast out all your brethren euen the whole seed of Ephraim he speaketh of the Kingdome of Iudah and therefore pray not thou Ieremie 1. Sam. 16. Ieremy 7. for this people neither lift vp crie nor Prayer for them neither make intercession to me for I will not heare thee A pittifull case a man may haue no Mediator if he be reiected How much more miserable is his case if he be depriued for then he cannot pray for himselfe it is Saint Pauls doctrine We know not what we should pray for as we ought but the Spirit maketh intercession for vs with groanes which cannot be vttered and he that searcheth the heart knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit because he maketh intercession for the Saints according to the will of God You see there is no Prayer can be made hopefully but must be endited by the Spirit and the Spirit prayeth in none but in those that are Saints therefore they that are depriued of the Spirit are depriued of the grace of Prayer as Zacharie also witnesseth which ioyneth them both together Zach. c. 12. When a man is brought to this case that hee hath no friend to stand vp for him and he cannot be a friend vnto himselfe how desperate is his case What remayneth then but that hee betake himselfe vnto a wretched course Surely Cain did so when hee was reiected hee became the Father of such Giants whom nothing could mend but the generall Deluge and what a life led Saul after hee was depriued So ill a life that his owne death could not make amends for it but many of his children were faine to be hanged vp long after to pacifie the wrath of God Yea the Parable of the vncleane Spirit witnesseth that they that haue beene in the state of grace and by reiection and depriuation are fallen from it are much worse vpon the relapse then euer they were before they first began to be good No wonder then that Dauid conceiued this deprecation against so fearefull iudgements Yea most gracious was God vnto him that gaue him time for to deprecate that put a distance inter meritum iudicium betweene his ill deseruing and Gods iust reuenge he deserued to be cast out but continued still in Gods presence he deserued to be depriued but he retayned still Gods holy Spirit See what good vse hee maketh of Gods patience while hee is in the presence hee preuenteth the casting out and preuenteth the taking away of the Spirit while yet the Spirit abode within him and his preuenting is nothing but deprecating And while we haue the like time we must vse no other meanes how long doth God forbeare vs when wee grieuously prouoke him Were we better aduised we would be more prouident and not ouer-slip the time allowed vs for deprecation lest to our endlesse griefe we find that when we are vnder these iudgements our state is past recouerie I should here end but I must speake a little of
indeed a repentant confession is in the Scripture called a giuing glory vnto God Finally these broken Spirit and heart are the Sacrifices which God calleth for for he is a Spirit and what can be more sutable vnto him then that which is spirituall therefore euer in the legall hee did ayme at the spirituall as you may gather out of the new Testament the Gospell is set forth in termes of the Law to preach is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to play the Priest Rom. 15.16 the people conuerted are called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Sacrifice and Oblation the skilfull handling of the Scriptures 2. Tim. 2.15 is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 rightly to diuide the Word yea Heb. 4. the Word it selfe is by Saint Paul said to bee sharper then any two edged sword or Sacrificers knife piercing euen to the diuiding asunder of the soule and the Spirit the whole passage is full of sacrificing phrases I may not omit one thing wee are called a spirituall Priesthood 1. Pet. 2 5. yea the whole body of the Church is so called a Priest must not bee without his Sacrifice and here are the Sacrifices which God will haue euery one offer euen euery lay man may offer these Sacrifices vnto God We may nay we must offer them but how will God accept them surely very well A broken and a contrite heart God will not despise Men vse to make little account of yea they make themselues sport with those that are broken hearted and of a contrite Spirit that mourne like doues and lament in the bitternesse of their soules Dauid complaineth in his Penitentials yea our Sauiour Christ himselfe in the 22. and other Psalmes that when they were humbled then they were derided And indeed in the iudgement of flesh and bloud these things seeme to be of no value they seeme to be contemptible but he that doth vse them shall finde that he shall neuer be confounded of God Ioel. 2 13. the reason wee haue in Ioel rent your hearts and not your garments c. for the Lord is gratious mercifull long suffering Esay 24. c. he will not breake a bruised reed nor quench smoking flaxe hee that would not despise Ahab in his humiliation nor Manasses will much lesse despise a Mary Magdalene a Saint Peter a Publican verily 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he will neuer set them at naught But the word hath in it a Litote more is meant then is exprest God is so farre from despising that he maketh great account thereof I told you that it is vouchsafed the double effect of Sacrifices First it yeeldeth a sweet smell vnto God Luke 15.7 for there is ioy in heauen for one sinner that repenteth yea more ioy then for ninety and nine that need not repentance and in the Prophet Esay 66. to this man will I looke euen to him that is poore and of a contrite Spirit C. 57. and trembleth at my Word Secondly it yeeldeth a smell of rest vnto man for so we read in Esay I dwell with him that is of a contrite and humble spirit to reuiue the spirit of the humble and te reuiue the heart of the contrite ones De interiore domo c. 37. Saint Bernard coupleth them both together Animam poenitentiae lachrymis afflictam Spiritus Paracletus libenter consolatur frequenter visitat ad veniae fiduciam plenè reformat Therefore let vs learne of Saint Austin this good lesson Aug. cont 5. Hereses quaeramus lapidem quo percutiatur incredulus percussus quassetur quassatus comminuatur comminutus in puluerem conuertatur conuersus in puluerem compluatur complutus seratur satus ferat fructum non quod igne absumatur sed quod in horreo condatur But I may not dwell longer hereon There are two other notes which I drew the one out of Gods desire of the other out of his delight in these Sacrifices I call them Paradoxes And so indeed they seeme to flesh and blood God requireth a broken a contrite heart and spirit as his Sacrifices then there is a certaine religious man-slaughter And so there is a man may holily kill himselfe breake his heart and crush his spirit as it were to dust Mat. 5.29 but this must be done not corporally but spiritually as elsewhere we are willed to plucke out our offending eyes and cut off our offending hands we must mortifie not our nature but the corruption that cleaueth to our nature such slaying God allowes for indeed it is a quickening life in sinne is death and the death of sinne is life The second Paradoxe is That we neuer please God better then when we please our selues least seeing God doth not despise a broken and a contrite heart for we are full of imperfections of which God would haue vs rid our selues therefore he is glad when he seeth vs play the good Husbands weeding our fields good Physitians purging of our corrupt humours carefull not to foster or fauour ought that may offend him or cause our owne ruine Now this we cannot doe without much disquieting and afflicting of our selues omnis medicina salutaris facit dolorem our corupt nature will repine at such alterations But to draw to an end What our Sauiour Christ said when he went to raise Lazarus this sicknesse is not vnto death that must wee conceiue of all those whom we see to haue broken and contrite hearts Mat. 17. rather as he that was to be dispossest was immediately before the diuell came out miserably torne and turmoyld and euen left for dead vntill Christ put out his hand and raised him vp safe and sound Euen so shall wee feele the greatest conflicts with sin when we are euen ready to be set free by grace Saint Austin setteth himselfe out for an excellent monument hereof in his Confessions Secondly seing God is delighted with this Sacrifice we are forbidden to despaire of our owne vnworthines as to presume of our righteousnes this Text doth warrant vs this comfort when in these fits wee seeme to be furthest from God God bringeth vs then nearest vnto himselfe for this pang is a fore-runner of health but senslesse sinners haue no part in this consolation Thirdly God in this morall seruice hath equalled the rich and the poore hee doth hereby take off their eyes from their worldly estate wherein they differ and sixeth them on that wherein they are equall In these Sacrifices the poore may bee as forward as the rich and if there bee any disaduantage it is on the rich mans side for he thinking that hee hath something to giue besides himselfe doth giue himselfe to God the lesse specially in this kind of seruice which rich men desire not to bee acquainted with God herein taketh downe their pride because he passeth by all their wealth and setteth his estimate vpon humiliation As for the poore that hath nothing to giue but himselfe God
to the Legall Sacrifice God did testifie it to the corporall Sion and Ierusalem by fire from heauen which consumed the Sacrifice but vnto the spirituall Sion and Ierusalem 1. Chron 7. he doth testifie it by the sensible comfort which by his Spirit he doth infuse into their soules while they are Militant and hee will testifie it more plentifully by the light of his countenance which shall shine vpon them when in the Church Triumphant they shall stand before his Throne Marke here a Correction of that which was said before you heard that Sacrifices and burnt offerings were neither required nor accepted here you find the contrarie And yet not the contrarie for there they bee refused in Casu in a Case wherein no sacrifice was allowed and they be also refused opposite if the Morall be not ioyned with the Ceremonial but here wee haue no such case no such opposition God did accept them vnder the Law as exercises of faith and he will accept the truth of them for euer for that is most agreeable vnto his nature a spirituall seruice to God which is a Spirit And let this suffice for King Dauids first vndertaking I come now to the second his vndertaking for the Kingdome The Kingdome is vnderstood in this word they it referreth to Sion and Ierusalem mentioned in the former verse they that haue the benefit are they that shal make the acknowledgement Before it was Ego the King spake in his owne person I will shew forth thy praise I will teach the wicked c. Now it is Illi my Kingdome Priest and people both shall be as religions as my selfe And indeed the Kingdome as well as the King ought to be thankfull vnto God when God is good to both Dauid vndertaketh for his Kingdome that it shall be very thankfull for they shall offer Bullocks A Bullocke is a faire Embleme of a spirituall Sacrihce for it fignifieth an heyfer that is come to the age of beng fruitfull or it commeth of Parah and yet it hath not borne the yoake nor beene put to any drudgery And such should euery one bee that serueth God he should be fruitfull and not seruile abounding in good workes but not be the slaue of sinne There are two other things to be obserued in this word first it was the fairest of Offirings Secondly it was the fittest for the Offerers Amongst the Sacrifices the fairer were the Beasts and of the beasts the fairest was the Bullocke God commanded no Sacrifice thet was greater then that S. Paul out of Hosea doth moralize this Sacrifice Heb. 13. Hos 19. calling it the Calues of our lippes for by Calues are these Bullocks meant We may adde that seing Bullockes were the greatest of Sacrifices we must thinke that nothing we haue is too good for God and we must make our Offerings of the best The Bullocke was not onely the fairest Offering but the fittetst for these Offerers you shall read Leutt. 3. that whether it were the whole Congregation or the Priest that had offended either of them was to reconcile himselfe to God by the oblation of a Bullocke and seeing they are meant in this place such a Sacrifice doth best beseeme them but that the propitiatorie is turned into a gratulatorie But to whom shall they be thankfull surely to him that doth deserue it to God they shall offer vpon his Altar he that fulfilleth the Desire hath iuterest in the Promise they shall confesse that it is He that doth good to Sion that it is He that butldeth the wals of Ierusalem Secondly note that he saieth not that they will offer vnto him but vpon his Altar the Altar that was erected by his appointment For though it be true that where the Altar was there was God yet it followeth not that where God is there is his Altar God is pleased to confine not onely the substance but the circumstance of our seruice also Deut. 12.33 hee would not bee worshipped euery where The Ceremoniall Altar is gon but the Morall thereof abideth where Christ is thither must we bend our seruice he is the Altar that halloweth our Sacrifice on him and by him must we present it vnto God Againe the Altar doth note that it is not enough for vs priuately to recount Gods blessings we must divulge them publikely though the Heathen had their priuate Altars yet God had none but in a publike place therfore the setuice must needs be publike that is done vpon the Altar Adde the Bullocke and the Altar together and then you shall find that this was Operaria gratitudo the hand should testifie the thankfulnesse of the heart and the Kingdome would be thankfull not in word onely but indeed also And indeed God doth good to Sion and buildeth vp the wals of Ierusalem that they may offer him such Sacrifice To conclude this poynt as Dauid in his owne Vow made Gods praise the vpshot of his promise so doth hee in the Vow of the People And indeed the Church must not desire prosperity otherwise then that God may haue the glory of it God made all things for himselfe and we must subordinate all things vnto him otherwise we substitute the Creature in stead of the Creator and cannot excuse our selues from Idolatry from which Dauid doth free his Kingdome in saying They shall offer at Gods Altar You haue heard of Gods acceptance and the Kingdomes thankfulnesse that these things shall bee performed Dauid vndertakâ—th for both he vndertaketh to each of them for the other for marke how resolutely he speaketh Thou shalt be pleased They shall offer Vox fidei fiduciae hee beleeueth it assuredly and therefore doth confidently affirme it Neither can their be any doubt but if our seruice be the sacrifice of righteousnesse God will accept it for he will neuer refuse what himselfe commanded And it can as little be doubted that the Kingdome will bee thankfull if God doe it that good for it is a speciall effect of Grace to make vs so thankfull so that we may not doubt of either I haue sufficiently opened the Promise vnto you one thing remaineth the circumstance of time when this Promise shall take place it is exprest in this word Then which is set before either of the vndertakings Then shalt thou be pleased Theu shall they offer c. except God fulfill the Desire there is no hope of the Promise but the performance of the Promise will not be farre behind if the Desire bee fulfilled Touching the Ceremonie wee find it in the Dedication of the Temple when many thousands of Bullocks were offered 1. King 8. and God appearing vnto Solomon told him how well he was pleased therewith And touching the morall though in figuratiue termes yet it is fairely set downe Ezek. 20. and Malac 3. you haue it in a short sentence Psal 110. The people shall be willing in the day of thy power Math. 18.20 and the beauties of holinesse And Christ is as briefe
profit or pleasure how doth the couetous man toyle himselfe out of the Loue of money the ambitious out of the Loue of honour the faulconer the Huntsman out of Loue of their sports Guesse by them how cheerefully wee would bee doing good if wee were prepossessed with Loue for Loue sweetens all paines yea guesse by Lust what Loue can doe that goeth vpon much surer grounds Loue doth not onely facilitate our doing but our suffering also out of loue to their wiues and children what hunger what thirst what wounds doe Souldiers endure But beyond all goe the sufferings of the Martyrs of whose wonderfull patience and constancie therein you can giue no other reason but Loue They loued not their liues vnto death Gal. 5. because they did loue to keepe Gods commandements I begin now to vnderstand S. Paul against Loue there is no Law for though there were no Law yet he that loueth would readily obey hee needs no other obligation 1. Ioh. 5. â— to whom to doe his dutie is a very pleasure I now begin to vnderstand Saint Iohn The commandements of God are not grieuous for griese and loue cannot stand together it is rather a griefe not to doe that which our soule doth loue You see then that God could not prouide an easier commandement for vs then Thou shalt loue And could he haue prouided a happier No verily for though amor bee sui praemium it carrieth contentednesse in the very nature of it yet as if that would not satisfie all the requisites vnto felicitie are distinctly ascribed vnto it Whereof the first is freedome of Spirit hee in whom Charitie is hath exchanged the spirit of bondage for the spirit of Adoption then which there cannot bee a more ingenuous a more free spirit So that whereas no obedience pleaseth God but that which is voluntarie it is Charitie that maketh vs such seruants as God requireth A second requisite vnto felicitie is store or plenty of prouision and what better purueyer can we haue then Charitie Looke how farre it extendeth so farre it enritcheth for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 looke how many friends so many supplies wee haue of our wants and if all men were true friends Hom. 5. adps â—ul Astiâ—ch no man could want that which another man hath The last requisite is securitie and there it no guard to the guard of Loue for by Charitie it commeth to passe as Chrysostome wittily obserueth that one man is as many men as he hath friends whether you respect acquisitionem bonorum or depulsionem malorum so many paire of eyes to watch for him so many paire of hands to defend him so many paire of feete to trauell for him so many heads to aduise tongues to speake hearts to encourage and what better munition would a man desire God commends Charitie when he vouchsafed to heare Iob for his friends and in the 41 Psalme shewes that nothing is more detestable then treachery in friendship Would time permit me I should shew you that there is nothing like vnto Charitie that doth proue a man to be a man and turne a man into a God Some guesse that Homo hath his name from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to note that hee is a sociable Creature but it is out of question that Ratio and Oratio were giuen him for this purpose that men might haue communion one with another Take Charitie out of his tongue what is it but an vnruly euill as Saint Iames calleth it full of deadly poyson a world of wickednesse a firebrand of hell that is able to set the world on fire Take Charitie out of the reason of a man then that will proue true which God told Noah The frame of the thoughts of the heart of man are onely euil and that of Ieremie The heart of man is deceitfull aboue all things and desperately wicked So that you may seeke a man and not find him in a man if Charitie be away But season him with Charitie and then shall you see the excellencie of a man his tongue will be a tree of life and the issues of life will come out of his heart as Salomon teacheth in his Prouerbs I told you that Charitie doth also turne a man into a God for God is Charitie and hee that dwelleth in Charitie dwelleth in God and God in him Therefore Christ commending Charitie giueth this reason that wee may be like vnto our Father in Heauen It is not without cause then that Saint Iames calleth it the royall Law of liberty and Saint Paul the supereminent way Other gifts saith Saint Austin are giuen by the Spirit but without Charitie they become vnprofitable Vbi Charitas est quid potest obesse Vbi non est quid potest prodesse In God it was Charitie that set the rest of his Attributes on worke when he made when hee redeemed the world and our abilities will all bee idle except they bee set on worke by Loue and if Loue stirre all will come plentifully from man as they doe from God Finally as Charitas is omnium hominum so omnium horarum locorum nunquam nusquam excluditur Which cannot be said of any other affection there is no man that may not loue and that at all times and in all places Wherefore God hath laid this fundamentall Law Dilige then which there is no more excellent gift and it is the immediate ground of Pietie the roote of all morall vertues and Theologicall also as hereafter you shall heare and heare that hoc vnum necessarium LEt vs now beseech the God of Loue so to sweeten our nature with his holy spirit of Loue that being rooted and grounded in this fundament all Law all our workes may be done in Loue. AMEN The third Sermon MATT. 22. VERSE 37. With all thy Heart and with all thy Soule and with all thy Mind OVt of those first words of this Verse Thou shalt Loue you haue beene taught What it is to Loue and who it is that is bound to obserue this vertue We must now come on and see in the next place what is the seate of Loue and in my Text we find that it is pointed out in three words the Heart Cap. 12. Cap. 10. the Soule the Mind Moses Deuter. 6. and out of him S. Marke and Saint Luke adde a fourth which is Strength The words may be taken confusedly or distinctly Confusedly and so they will teach vs onely in grosse the seate of Loue. Distinctly and so they will shew vs that these parts which are the seate of Loue are ordinate and subordinate Ordinate ad intra as Loue must be within vs and ordinate ad extra as Loue must bee employed without vs. Subordinate for one of the parts is imperatiue or definitiue the other are Imperatae definitae And out of altogether wee shall learne that Charitie is a Catholike and transcendent vertue I purpose to handle these words both wayes as they are taken confusedly and as they
deum est ipse Deus Bernard Basilâ—n Psal 46. there is enough in God to make him louely and why 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 good and louely are reciprocall that which is louely is good and that which is good is louely whereupon is grounded that Maxime in Philosophie Bonum est quod omnia appetunt Reason hath no better marke to guesse at that which is good then the propension of all men for to attaine it Now looke vpon the Name the Lord God and see whether you doe not find that good in it which doth challenge Loue. Begin with Dominus ou heard that he was goodnesse it selfe if a man doe loue that which is good how can he but loue goodnesse Nay if wee loue the streames with what loue must we embrace the Fountaine If we Loue that good which is dependent how much more that which is independent Seeing there is a possibilitie for vs to bee defrauded of that which is dependent but of that which is independent we cannot be defrauded Yet see the common folly of men Iere. 2.13 they forsake the fountaine of liuing waters and digge vnto them Cisterns that can hold no water If 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 deserue Loue how much more 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 You heard before that what God is he is it to the full Creatures haue but drops or beames and who would leaue the Fountaine to rest contented with a drop And when he might enioy the whole body of the Sunne to solace himselfe in a single beame And yet such folly there is in the world and he that thinketh Gods gifts louely though they are but single in a Creature how little is hee affected with the louelinesse of his Creator Wee cannot denie that good is the obiect of our Loue therefore where there is the greatest good thither wee should bend the greatest of our Loue dost thou loue Wisedome Colos 2.3 All the treasures of wisdedome are hid in him dost thou loue Holinesse It is to him that the Angels sing Holy holy holy Esay 6.3 Psal 24.1 Psal 16.11 doest thou loue Wealth The earth is the Lords and all that therein is doest thou loue Pleasure In his presence is fulnesse of ioy and at his right hand are pleasures for euermore Finally doest thou loue Power and Honour He is the Lord of hosts he is the King of glorie euen a King of Kings and Lord of Lords Adde hereunto that what he is whether 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he is it Onely he is it Eternally both which are strong Motiues vnto Loue for we vse to loue that which is not common as that which is common by reason of the familiarnesse of it groweth vile in our eyes now such good as is in God is no where else to be found As we loue those good things which are not common so we loue them the more the more they are lasting because our desire would neuer bee defrauded of that wherein it taketh content this good is more lasting then our desire the good of euerie Creature is as mutable as the Creature is yea more because it differeth from the nature of the Creature but this good being all one with the nature of God it is as lasting as is his nature It is no maruell then that euerie Creature eluding our desire which is carried vnto good doth as it were with a reall voice put vs off when we dote vpon it and by experience say to vs Non ego sum bonum tuum it is not I that am thy good which is to be sought after and after all our painefull enquirie wee are driuen to Saint Austins resolution Fecisti nos Domine propter te irrequietum est cor nostrum dones requiescat in te so great is the capacitie of mans desire that nothing can fill it but onely the Lord and his soule must needs remaine empire that doth not make the Lord the obiect of his Loue. You see that there is much worth in the Lord and great cause why hee should be beloued there wanteth not worth also in God in euery of the three persons in Trinity Had we eyes to looke vpon them ad intra as they are in the blessed Trinitie we might easily perceiue it but there is no proportion betweene our eyes and that light therefore we will forbeare to behold the dazeling brightnes Only of this we may be sure that euery person is most louely because euery of them loueth the other the Scripture speaketh it plainly the Father loueth the Sonne the Sonne loueth the Father and the holy Ghost is the loue of them both Now what they loue is lonely indeed because their iudgement is most vpright and their desire most Holy But wee will not sound that bottomlesse depth let vs looke vpon these persons as they manifest themselues ad extra and see how louely they are Hee that is a Father in the Trinitie doth manifest himselfe as a Father to the Sonnes of men the Scripture doth often remember his tender bowels he shutteth them not vp no not against them that are Prodigals a Father and a Mother on earth may forsake may forget their Children but our Father in Heauen cannot forget hee will not forsake his And is not such a Father louely God the Sonne doth manifest himselfe to the world as a Sonne hee vseth all his credit with his Father to worke not onely the remission of mans sins which he expiated with his bloud but also the aduancement of their Persons whom hee vouchsafeth to bee his Spouse by taking man so neere vnto himselfe hee bringeth him neere to God also and maketh them Children that were Seruants intitles them to Heauen that deserue to burne as firebrands in hell And is not such a Sonne louely The holy Ghost doth manifest himselfe as the holy Ghost quickning man and sanctifying him testifying by these effects that hee is a Spirit of life to him euen of such a life as maketh him a sacred Person hee maketh him a liuing Temple a fit habitation for himselfe that he may bee an Oracle of God within him and kindle the fire vpon the Altar of his Heart wherewith onely hee can offer acceptable Sacrifices vnto God And is not this holy Spirit louely All three Persons are most louely if the consideration goe no farther then that which I haue exprest But how great an accesse will bee made vnto their louelines if you draw through euery one of them that ground of louelines which before wee found in the name Lord for the Father is Lord the Sonne Lord and the holy Ghost Lord as we are truely taught in Athanasius his Creed euery one of them is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 good of himselfe and all-good and by this accesse we must in our meditations improue their louelines But I haue dwelt long enough vpon meritum dignitatis the desert of loue that is included in their owne worth I told you that in
Dutie also if thy Neighbour then thou must Loue. But though all doe not so yet he to whom God speaketh in this Law must and that is Israel the members of the Church must not faile in this dutie Thou must loue thy Neighbour These particulars I hold worthy of obseruation in this text I will therefore enlarge them I pray God it may be done to our edification First then of the person He is called our Neighbour the word signifieth one that dwelleth by vs or is ioyned with vs but there is more in the word then is vulgarly conceiued I will distinctly shew you the extent thereof There is a double Neighbourhood First an humane Secondly a Diuine the humane is that which we apprehend by the light of reason the Diuine is that which we know not but by the inspiration of the Holy Ghost Such Neighbourhood there must bee because God hath ioyned vs in nature as we depend vpon Iehoua and in grace as wee are in couenant with the Lord our God Of the humane the first degree for it hath more degrees then one is that which first offereth it selfe to the common vnderstanding and that is Neighbourhood in place whether that place be the same Towne or Parish or Countrey or Allegiance all these haue a Neighbourhood betweene themselues and haue some bonds by which they are knit together because men are naturally sociable creatures and as the word Reang imports like sheepe of the same Pasture Adde hereunto that societie is inforced Quia non omnis fert omnia tellus this linketh Ilanders with the Continent by Leagues and Commerce The second degree is neerenesse in Bloud this Neighbourhood is betweene those that are of the same kindred And indeed this was the first Neighbourhood that euer was in the World for seuerall Families dwelt by themselues you may gather it out of Genesis the tenth where the roots of all Nations are set downe as likewise in other Historicall Bookes For what is an Ismaelite but one of the ofspring of Ismael an Edomite but one of the Posteritie of Edom that is Esau and an Israelite one that commeth from Israel that is Iacob Yea Affinitie in the first Age was not ordinarily contracted but betweene those of the same bloud when by remotenesse from the stocke it grew cold they warmed it againe by the helpe of Wedlocke But after that Nimrods arose those mightie Hunters that contented not themselues with their owne Dominions such as were the Gouernours of those foure famous Monarchies they subdued other Nations to themselues as likewise did they intermingle with other Nations whose multitudes could not be contained within their owne Territories here hence arose that mixt neighbourhood which we see in all the world a neighbourhood that seemeth rather of place then in bloud But howsoeuer they of the same bloud are distracted in place yet is there a naturall neighbourhood betweene them still The Lawes of men haue set bounds vnto Consanguinitie and beyond the tenth Degree they acknowledge none except it be in the succession of Monarchie or absolute Principalities wherein some Lawyers hold there is no limitation of Degrees But howsoeuer Policie alloweth limitation of Consanguinitie the Scripture doth not for Acts 17. Saint Paul teacheth the Athenians that of one Bloud God made all Mankind so that all men are the sonnes of Adam and they are all kinne The Apostle goeth a step farther in that place and out of a heathen Poet proueth that wee are all the ofspring of God and indeed in Adam wee were all made after Gods Image and so must needs haue Alliance betweene vs. It is true that when we looke vpon the seuerall generations in the world and the petie Dominions whole Nations seeme to be strangers one to another the Northerne to the Southerne the Easterne to the Westerne they of Europe to those of Asia both vnto them of Africa all three to them of the New world but if we acknowledge the root from whence we all spring Adam and God which is the Lord of all we must needs confesse that no man can be a stranger to vs because euery man is our bloud and communicateth with vs in the Image of God And if wee conceiue any man vnworthy to be accounted of our cognation let vs know that Rex coeli honoratur vel contemnitur in imagine sua not the dead Images of the Church of Rome but this liuing Image of the nature of Man The world is but like a great house wherein the family though but one must lodge disperst because so great or if you will a large Signiorie vnder which there are many Tenants but all of the same Homage and holding of the same Lord so that man can no more be a stranger vnto man then one tenant of the same Lordship can bee vnto another or one person may bee vnto another in the same family Thus farre our neighbourhood reacheth by the light of Reason for you may perceiue by the very text which I alleaged out of the Acts that for this third degree of neighbourhood there is an euidence in Reason which another Poet also confirmeth Hom. Odyss 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 All both strangers and poore are belonging vnto God Were there no other light but this of Reason we see that neighbourhood reacheth very farre But the Holy Ghost that by the Scripture hath inspired into vs a clerer light hath taught vs another kind of neighbourhood which I called Diuine and this is the neighbourhood of the Church and is betweene all them that belong thereunto For these persons haue all one Father in Heauen one Sauiour that died for them all one Comforter that dwelleth in them all they partake of the same Sacraments they are taught the same Gospel they are called to the same Kingdome there is not the least of these prerogatiues but communion therein is enough to make a neighbourhood And this neighbourhood also hath seuerall degrees The first is that which is betweene men on Earth whereof some are all alreadie of the mysticall Bodie they are incorporated into the Church are made members of Christ are quickened by the Spirit are profest children of the Kingdome of Heauen these wheresoeuer they liue they must needs be neighbours because they can liue no where out of the bodie the bodie I say of the Catholique Church Whose extent may bee ouer the face of the whole Earth but wheresoeuer it is it is but one as wee professe in the Creed one holy Catholique Church Though of men there be very many which are not in this Church and therefore may seeme not partakers of this Diuine Neighbourhood yet indeed they must not be excluded from it for what they are not they may be the commission of the Gospel sendeth the Ministers vnto all Goe teach all Nations and God would haue all men saued neither is there any respect of persons with God Iewes Gentiles Males Females bond free all are capable of the Gospel Whereupon
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
these good precedents they that are honoured to bee Gods messengers must learne that it beseemes Referendaries to keepe themselues to their instructions and deliuer so much as and no more then they haue receiued in charge But to speak a litle more distinctly to this point The message did consist of two branches First That which God required Secondly That which God offred Moses that did deliueral Gods Cōmandements deliuered both these branches he informed them of their dutie aswell as of Gods mercy and of Gods mercy no lesse then of their dutie And indeed both are requisite to be taught our dutie that wee doe not presume Gods mercie that we doe not despaire omit either and you may me the doctrine of Gods Couenant There is also committed vnto vs the Law and the Gospel the one to humble the other to comfort men we ought to conioyne both and you must be content to heare of your dutie aswell as of Gods mercie We preach them both to our people the Papists charge vs with taking from the doctrine of the Couenant but the bookes of our Confession the Articles and Catechismes and the booke of our Deuotion our publike Lyturgie and finally the Homilies which are appointed to be read vnto the people refute this slander But wee iustly charge them with adding to the doctrine of the Couenant the bookes Apochryphall and their vngrounded Traditions and wee remember them of that saying of Salomon Pro◠30 v. 6. adde not to Gods Word lest he reprooue thee and thou be found a liar And what wee haue censured in them are nothing else but the forgeries of mens braines which may not bee reputed the Oracles of God Therefore though we call vpon you dutifully to heare and receiue aswell what God requires as what hee promiseth yet as necessarily to saluation wee doe not wee should not call vpon you to heare more then he requires or to beleeue more then he promiseth But enough of Moses Fidelitie Let vs now see his Wisdome As hee dischargeth himselfe fully so doth hee discharge himselfe clearely also For he laid all that God commanded him before the faces of the Elders Nec incautis nec nescientibus ingeritur Lex Here first we meete with a strange phrase for can words bee laid before mens faces you would expect that the Text should haue said Moses spake that which God commanded in the eares of the people and here wee find their eares turned into eyes When the Holy Ghost meaneth euidence of speech it vseth to expresse it in such significant tearmes Saint Paul telling the Galathians of his perspicuous preaching the Gospell vnto them 〈◊〉 3. v 1. saith that Iesus Christ was described in their sight and crucified before them Although the Holy Ghost doe speake to some in Parables Mat 13. that in hearing they may heare and not vnderstand which he doth in punishment of their contempt of euident truth which hath beene laid before them Mat. 6. because as the Prouerbe is Pearles are not to bee cast vnto swine nor holy things vnto dogs yet to those that heare with a reuerent and an obedient eare Mat. 13. ◠11. Datum est nosse mysteria regnicoelorum the Parables are vnfolded the mysteries of the Kingdome of heauen are laid before their face To open this point a little better We must distinguish the Couenant of God from the Illustrations and Amplifications thereof The Couenant it selfe both Old and New is plainly deliuered whether you respect that which God requires or that which Godoffers aswel in this chapter as in other parts of the Bible But there are many Illustrations and Amplifications of either of these Typicall Mysticall darke and hard to be vnderstood which the people cannot vnderstand without an Interpreter ea which the Interpreter himselfe cannot vnderstand without manifold helpe helpe of Deuotion that Gods Spirit may inlighten him and helpe of Meditation painfully scanning and comparing the branches of the Text with other places finally helpe of Varietie of humane literature which giueth great light sometimes to the phrase sometimes to the matter in hand But aboue al in matters necessarie to saluation we follow Catholike Tradition This we say And yet the wrangling Romanists beare the World in hand that wee say there is no difficultie in the Scriptures and that for their guide wee referre the people only to their priuate Spirit which are grosse vntruths We encourage the people to read the Scripture and tell them that though there bee some depths therein wherein an Elephant may swimme yet there are some such shallowes wherein a Lambe may wade The simplest may meete there with all parts of their Catechisme the ten Commandements the Articles of their Creed the Lords Prayer the Sacraments These points containe the substance of the Couenant and they are plainly deliuered there And more then these are not necessarie to saluation Some may haue more some lesse vnderstanding of these according to their breeding yet all should vnderstand these And for this purpose did Moses and the Prophets Christ and his Apostles and the Fathers of the Primitiue Church commend vnto the people the reading of the Scriptures But we aduise them to leaue vnto the learned at least to learne of them to vnderstand those things that are vailed and soberly to edifie their pietie with these things which they shall find there vnuailed or laid before their faces I haue done with the deliuerie of the Message I come now to the Answere that is made thereunto And here we are to take notice first Who maketh it the whole Congregation The people answered But doe not you remember that the Message was deliuered to the Elders why then doe the People answere Surely because the Elders receiued it to deliuer it to the people and therefore not only the Elders but the people also were to make an answere Some are of opinion that the Elders were the representatiue bodie of all the people and that their consent was the consent of all and that all were bound by that which they did as in Parliaments the chosen Knights and Burgesses in Synods the chosen Proctors of the Clergie haue such obliging voices Which conceit the Romanists wrest so farre as therupon to make the tenents of the Elders of the Church the ground of the peoples faith to which purpose they also abuse the maxime of Cyprian Ecclesia est in Episcopo The Church subsisteth in the Bishop vbi non sunt Sacerdotes Ecclesia non est The same premises serue aswell to conclude for the Lyturgie in an vnknowne tongue and for their priuate Masse For if the people may beleeue because their Bishops beleeue they may aswell as indeed they doe serue God in the Priest and in the Priest they may communicate without any their priuitie to what hee doth or any their cooperation with him from which they are necessarily excluded by priuate Masses and vnknowne Prayers But the reason why the people are said to
will not punish if we doe the second And indeed this being a Sermon of the Gospel supposeth vs to want the first good fruit and challengeth vs that we doe not supply the second The world is very busie in seeking out the cause why so many run heâ—dlong into Hell I doubt not but they which with sobrietie enter the Sanctuarie of God may discerne a higher ground of Gods Iudgements But let no wicked man deceiue himselfe if hee will take the paines but to studie himselfe he shall find that himselfe is the cause of his owne ruine wittingly and willingly refusing to beare that good fruit that should grow vpon such a tree as he is vouchsafed to be barren not only according to the Law but also to the Gospel and then what remaineth but if the cause bee found in him the Iudgement one day light on him And so from the Cause I come to the Iudgement whereof I told you there are two parts As our sinnes are compounded of Omissions and Commissions so is our Iudgement either priuatiue or positiue there is some good which we should doe but we doe not and therefore there is some good which we might haue whereof we misse there is some euill we should not doe but we doe it and therefore there is some euill which we might scape and yet we shall feele it the Omission goeth before the Commission in sinne so doth the priuatiue before the positiue part in Iudgement I begin therefore with the priuatiue figured by the laying of the axe vnto the root and cutting vp of the tree What is the axe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Nazian Tom. 1. pag. 633. saith Nazianzene hee answereth that which cutteth off an vncurable person though God hath done what was fit for his recouerte which you may expound by that of the Poet Cuncta prius tentanda sed immedicabile vnlnus Ense recidendum est When milder Physicke will doe no good we must come to searing and cutting off a rotten member After Gods complaint What could I haue done for my Vine which I haue not done the next newes we heare is the desolution of the Vine and the instrument of desolation is the Axe By the Axe some vnderstand Gods owne hand some the Armie of the Romans both say true for both did concurre Gods hand intelligibly and the Romans sensibly but if we parallel this place with that in Esay Chap. 14. it seemeth more proper to vnderstand the Romans here For the Axe is an instrument and the instrument is distinct from the efficient But howsoeuer the word giueth vs to vnderstand that God wanteth not meanes to execute his vengeance the Scripture obserueth varietie of them sometimes his Bow and Arrowes sometimes his Sword sometimes his Hammer but here his Axe as best fitting an Husbandman that hath to doe with barren trees the axe is laid to the root of such trees What is meant by the root there is some question To passe by the tropologicall interpretations of the word the literall is vnderstood by some to note Abraham by other some Christ And indeed Abraham is immediatly meant as you may gather out of Saint Paul Rom. 1â— If the root bee holy c. and hee is tearmed The Father of the faithfull but mediately Christ is meant who is the root of that root and therefore doth he make all the faithfull branches of himselfe who is their Vine But wherefore is the Axe layed to this root to cut it vp The Axe hath two vses the one to prune the other to cut vp if a tree beare not so much fruit as it should then it is enough to prune away the rotten the watrie branches but if it beare none then cut it vp for the tree that doth no good will doe a great deale of hurt it maketh the ground barren 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Luke 13.7 not only by taking vp the roome of a fruitfull tree but by hurting aboue ground and hurting vnder ground it keepeth off the comfortable Sunne from better plants that is the mischiefe that commeth from the barren trees boughes besides which there is another mischiefe that commeth from his roots for they sucke away the iuice that should feed better trees therefore must the Axe be put to them not only to the branch but also to the root Behold the Image of Gods lesser his greater Iudgments if our deuotion be cold God correcteth vs by restrayning our luxuriant affections and cutting off our wastfull lusts hee pincheth vs in things temporall that wee may haue the more appetite to things eternall but if our deuotion be none at all he will no longer indure vs to be the bane of others But wee must not mistake it is not meant that the root shall bee cut vp but the Tree shall bee cut from the root the fruitlesse branches should bee cut off from the cognation which they haue with Abraham Rami iudigni excidentur à cognatione Abrahae Theoph. Iohn 15. Abraham shall continue a root still you heard that proued in my last Sermon much more shall Christ continue a root without whom no tree can bee But the wicked shall take no root in them they shall not be partakers of these roots either sweetnesse or fatnesse they were trees planted in Gods Orchard the choicest of grounds the best manured on which the Husbandman bestoweth his greatest care but they are not suffered to abide there any longer To speake it plainly see what they were and iudge thereby what it is to bee cut off Rom 3.9 Ephes 3. Heb. 12. it is to be depriued of God our Father Christ our Sauiour the Holy Ghost our Comforter the protection of Angels the Communion of Saints the inheritance of heauen a wofull case to indure such losse And yet this is the losse which they endure which haue beene members of the Church and are cut off Infidels as well as Christians are shut out of Heauen yet they that had meanes shall bee more afflicted with the losse then they which neuer had meanes shall bee afflicted with the want of Heauen for Miserum est fuisse foelicem it is a double woe to haue beene happie Hee that is borne poore is not so sensible of pouertie as he that of rich is become poore neither is he so sensible of sicknesse that was neuer well as hee that hath long enioyed his health want is not so bitter as losse This we must consider as the chiefest part of the trees punishment which beareth not good fruit It is the chiefest but not the only part one mischiefe commeth not alone there is another part which is more feared before hand though when wee are in it it is lesse felt and yet the sense thereof must needs be very painfull the word importeth as much the word is fire The curious wits of the Schoolemen misled by their bad Geographie Deigne inferni ca usmodi fit vel in qua mundi vel terrae plaga suturuâ—
it hath neyther limits of place nor period of time The Hebrew word beareth both and so doth the Syriacke which Luke 1. is vsed in the same argument In the Hebrew Text the word Marbe hath contrary to the vsuall orthography Mem clausum for Mem apertum some impute it to the errour of the Scribes but the vniformity of all copies disproues that seeing it is not like that all should commit the same errour especially seeing they wrote not all out of one copy Whereupon the Diuines suppose that there is some mystery therein what the mystery is they are not agreed some would haue it to be but a circumstance a circumstance of the time when Christ should bee borne Mem vnderstood numerally signifieth 600. and about 600. yeares after this prophesie Christ was borne othersome not content with this circumstance seeke for a mystery in the substance of the description of Christ and here their iudgements vary also for some respect Christum naturalem and some Christum mysticum They that respect Christum naturalem suppose that the strangenesse of the character signifieth the strangenesse of Christs birth which was not to be after the ordinary course of man They that respect Christum mysticum obserue that the squarenesse of Mem pointeth out the foure quarters of the world and the closenesse of Mem the perpetuity of time for that you cannot see in the letter where it ends And if there bee any mysterie this is the likeliest for seeing this letter falleth out to be in those words wherein the Prophet speaketh de Christo mystico it is like the mysterie concerneth Christum mysticum and noteth the boundlesse increase thereof in place and time But to leaue this mysterie The phrase doth plainly obserue a difference between the Church in the Old Testament and the Church in the New that had bounds this hath none The bounds of the old Church were the limits of the holy Land which you may reade in Moses and in Iosuah the like difference is obserued in the old and in the new Ierusalem the old Ierusalem had wals but Zachary cap. 2. saith that the new should bee inhabited without wals And indeed here wee see the truth of the promise made to Abraham He is a Father of many Nations As in Sarahs name we saw the royalty of the King so in Abrahams the amplitude of the Kingdome We may likewise apply hereunto the story of Iacobs two sonnes Iuda a type of the King and Ioseph of the Kingdome his very name soundeth the increase thereof and Iacob describeth in his blessing this blessing of increaso But to come to the plaine cuidences In thy seed said God to Abraham shall all nations of the earth be blessed And Psalme 2. Aske of mee saith God to Christ and I will giue vnto thee all nations for thine inheritance and the vttermost parts of the earth for thy possession I omit the rest of the Prophets the Psalmes haue Texts enow All nations shall remember themselues and be turned to the Lord. reade Psalm 45.72.89 Come to the New Testament Many shall come from the East and from the west from the North and from the South saith Christ and shall sit downe with Abraham Isaac and Iacob in the Kingdome of Heauen Matth. 8. 13. He maketh the whole world the field wherein God soweth his seed and speaking of the end of the world he giueth vs the meaning of that Parable saying That the Gospell must be preached to all nations But most excellent is that Acts 2. where when the holy Ghost descended it pleased God that there should be of all nations vnder heauen some that should hear 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the wonderfull workes of God euery one in his owne languagne So that the Gospel was preached to all nations before the Apostles stirred from Ierusalem And who can tell whether they were not harbingers vnto the Apostles to prepare a people for Christ against their comming thither The place also in the Reuelation cap. 7. is very cleare where after the sealing of those that were Israelites Iohn saw a multitude of all nations which none could number triumphing as members of this Kingdome Finally St. Paul compares the circuit of the Sunne of righteousnesse Rom. 10. vnto the circuit of our corporall Sunne both compasse the world no place is hid from the light or heat of eyther of them You see it hath no bounds of place neyther hath it any bounds of time As it is the largest Monarchie that euer was for none of these foure notable ones euer tooke vp halfe so much ground so is it the most lasting also Iesus Christ yesterday to day and the same for euer You haue it in the type of Dauid and Saul whereof the Kingdome of the one was temporall but of the other eternall as it is 2 Sam. 7. The Angel repeateth the same promise Luke 1. The Psalmes doe often vrge it Psalme 45.72.89 So doe the Prophets Esay especially they all concurre in this that the Kingdome shall haue no end Christs words are short but they are full The gates of hell shall neuer preuaile against it And behold here another excellent difference between mortall Kingdomes and this heauenly Mortall Kingdomes are not lasting and while they last they continue not vniform they haue their clymactericall years and commonly determine within certaine periods The Politicians write of it Bodin by name and he out of others and the Stories are cleare that it is so Iustin hath calculated the three first but Slèidan all foure and wee see their beginning and their ending And as they are not lasting so while they last they continue not vniforme The Planters of great states are commonly Heroicall men but the Prouerb is Heroum filij noxae The Parents were neuer so beneficiall as the children are mischieuous oppressing by tyrannie or wasting by vanity worldly peace breedeth plenty plenty breedeth luxury and luxurie breedeth warre wherewith commeth ruine This being the condition of mortall Kingdomes how blessed is this Kingdome that is boundlesse in place and time both for gouernment and for peace If a man would choose himselfe an habitation would he not pitch there where he might haue the most commerce and the safest harbour See then our vanity that for the most part wrong our selues herein and preferre the world before the Church desire to bee of that corporation rather than this where wee haue lesse scope and more trouble doe wee rather choose to make our abode than where the bounds are wider and the peace is neuer interrupted I say there is more scope in the Church than in the world not only more lasting peace because though there bee few that shall bee saued yet those few are all at one But of those that perish it is true Quot capita tot sensus there are as many factions almost as persons they iarre as much between themselues as they doe with the godly and in that respect the godly may be said
they ascended and descended vpon him when God brought his first begotten into the world Heb. 1. that was done which he commanded Let all the Angels worship him Mat. 17. And what did the Saints Moses and Elias came to him in the Mount and conferred with him about his death many also rose out of their graues and appeared in the holy City There remaines onely the place where God dwels and those blessed Spirits that also was shaken more than once for more than once did it open as we reade in the Gospell and in the Acts. You doe not doubt by this time but that the vppermost Heauen was shaken which was shaken so many waies Onely that shaking was answerable to the subiect it was without all corruption Come we now to the second Heauen that also had a shaking a double shaking Mat. 2. there appeared a Starre that was neuer seene before at Christs Birth which drew the Wise-men to seeke out him that was borne King of the Iewes And at his death the goodliest Starre in the Firmament I meane the Sunne lost his light when the Moone was at full Which sight was so strange to the Philosophers at Athens that as the Story saith it drew from Denys the Areopagite that memorable saying Aut Deus naturae patitur aut mundi machina dissoluetur either the God of nature is ouercharged or is disposed to end the world Tertullian obserues that the Romanes did register this Eclypse in their Chronicle I say nothing of the renting of that Heauen too Acts 7.55 for the vppermost could not be opened without opening the second also that the Doue might descend that St. Stephens sight might ascend and see Christ standing at the right hand of God The third Heauen remaines that also was shaken for Christ commanded the windes and they were calme hee suffered not the ayre to transmit the Species but was inuisible yea hee commanded it not to giue breath and to giue breath to men as pleased him you finde it in the storie of those that came to apprehend him Iohn 19. Enough of the Heauens the first part of the great world Onely obserue Acts 2. ver 17 18 19 20. that that which out of Ioel St. Peter obserues was in part performed in this shaking of Heauen The second part of the great world is the Earth The Earth in the beginning was one confused Globe of Water and dry Land vpon Gods commandement these two Elements were separated and each appeared by it selfe as wee reade Genesis 1. As then they first were and as they now are so are they here mentioned and so wee must vnderstand them Touching their shaking I might in few wordes referre you to the Psalme Let the Sea roare and the fulnesse thereof Psal 98. let the Flouds clap their hands let the Hils bee ioyfull together before the Lord for he commeth to iudge the Earth c. But I will shew you some particulars out of the New Testament there shall you reade the Earth-quakes that were when Christ was in the flesh the cleauing of Rockes Mat. 27. the opening of Graues which made the Iewes returne from his Crosse knocking their breasts made the Centurion say Of a truth this was the Son of God put the Scribes and Pharisees and high Priests to their briberie Mat. 28. lest the Souldiers should bewray what they could not deny As for the Sea that apparently tooke notice of Christ when he wanted Tribute-money he commanded the Sea to supply him and it did by a Fish when Peter Iames and Iohn had laboured all night at Sea and caught nothing he commanded them to cast out their net and the fish came readily and filled it to their great astonishment at another time when their ship was ready to be drowned Christ did but rebuke the waues Mat. 〈◊〉 and presently there followed a great calme Thus apparently did the Sea acknowledge Christ come into the World But because the word that wee render dry Land doth properly signifie a Desert or Wildernesse it is not vnlikely but that these two words doe imply a parallel of that which fell out while Christ conuersed on Earth and that which was wrought at the deliuerance of Israel out of Egypt the Sea then diuided and gaue passage to the Children of Israel vpon dry Land it did more to Christ it became it selfe as dry Land he walked vpon it and made St. Feter to doe so also And as for the Wildernesse it was to Israel no Wildernesse no more was it to Christ they were amongst wilde beasts there and so was hee and neyther was annoyed the Wildernesse yeelded them plenty of food and in the Wildernesse did Christ multiply the Loaues and the Fishes so that after many thousands were fedde the remainder was much more than was the first prouision There remaines one part of the Earth which I haue not yet touched and that is Hell Hell holdeth fast all that come thereinto but it could not hold him when hee descended thither and while hee liued vpon Earth how did the Fiends confesse him obey him come and goe at his pleasure It is cleare then fully cleare that seeing shaking doth signifie an extraordinary manifestation of the Deity working by or on the Creature contrary to their vsuall course the great world and the parts thereof were shaken at the first comming of Christ Let vs see now how true this is of the little world the world of mankind here called all Nations which are distinguished into Iewes and Gentiles both had their shaking The Iewes their whole policie was dissolued I meane that which was peculiar to them whether Ecclesiasticall or Ciuill as Daniel foretold Dan 9. Heb. 12. Gen. 49.10 so St. Paul affirmes both receiued an end by the comming of Christ Iacobs prophecie was then fulfilled The Scepter departed from Iuda and the Law-giuer from between his seete that State was not only shaken but shiuered all to pieces As for other Nations they had their shaking a double shaking a spirituall and a corporall Spiritually their heads were shaken their iudgements were illightened and amazed that euer they should be so sottish as to worship stockes and stones â—say 2. cap. 8. the workes of mens hands yea the Diuels themselues vpon this they threw away their Idols and cursed their forged gods This abrenunciation doth Gregorie Nazianzene Orat. 37. and Austin de Ciuit. Dei vnderstand by this shaking To this shaking of their head wee must adde a shaking of their heart A contagious aire is not purged but by thundering and lightening and a corrupt conscience must feele the terrour of Mount Sinai before it can haue the comfort of Mount Sion The voyce wherein God spake to Elias was a soft voyce 1 Kings 19. but there went before it Fire Winde Earth-quake c. the Peace which you shall heare of hereafter comes not to the spirituall Temple of God without some terrour going before The
Iosephus reports The fourth and the last inequalitie stands in the materials vsed about the fabricke to say nothing of their qualities certainely those that were vsed about the first Temple did in quantity farre exceede those that were vsed about the second For what comparison could there be between the riches of poore captiue Iewes and of King Salomon that was the most glorious Monarch in the world 1 Chron. 22.14 2 Sam. 8. Adde hereunto the prouision that his father King Dauid made in his time a hundred thousand talents of gold and a thousand thousand talents of siluer and brasse and iron without weight besides what he gaue out of his owne peculium or priuate Treasurie for the former were dedicated out of the spoyles of kingdomes which he conquered three thousand talents of gold of the gold of Ophir and seuen thousand talents of refined siluer besides great abundance of all sorts of precious stones Whereunto adde the offering of the Fathers of Israel fiue thousand talents and ten thousand drammes of gold and of siluer ten thousand talents of brasse eight thousand talents and a hundred thousand talents of iron besides precious stones And put all this together and therewith increase Salomons wealth the totall will bee a summe of infinite value farre exceeding that wherewith Zorobabel was furnisht eyther by the Persian Kings or by his owne countrey-men yea although you adde what afterward was bestowed eyther by Alexander the great or his successours Kings of Syria and those of Egypt Neither will the additions of other benefactors no not that of Herod make vp the summe I dare say boldly that if all the Christian Kings of the West for so many yeares as the Temple was a building by Salomon should contribute their treasures they could not raise a summe answerable to that which was expended vpon the first Temple and reserue to themselues their Kingly ports as Dauid and Salomon did Neither neede wee out of the incredulitie of the summe as some learned doe question the signification of the word talent as if it signified a lesser summe than commonly it is taken for For to say nothing that it is the same Authour that wrote both the 22. and the 29. of the first of Chronicles and that it is not likely he would vary the sense keeping himselfe to the same word they doe not marke that Dauids offering was the spoyle of many Kingdomes that God promised that Salomon should bee the richest King in the world that the vessels of gold and siluer vsed in the Temple were many thousands as appeares by Iosephus and that there was great store of treasure layd vp there besides 2 Chro. 5. I neede say no more to proue that if we compare fabricke with fabricke we cannot finde therein the truth of these words of Haggai Let vs come then to the furniture that is eyther typicall or spirituall such parts of the furniture as were figures of diuine things and that by Gods owne ordinance were typicall Vpon Diana's Temple at Ephesus Apollo's at Delphi the Capitoline Temple at Rome and many other heathenish Temples there was much gold and siluer bestowed yea and precious stones also but they wanted a typicall relation and therein did the temples of the Iewes infinitely exceede them In these types if we compare Salomons temple with Zorobabels Galatinus Chrysost orat 3. aduersus Iudaos Zorobabels commeth farre short of Salomons The Iewes confesse that fiue eminent things were wanting in the later temple which were in the former 1. the Cloud wherein God resided betweene the Cherubims 2. the Arke with the contents therein whereon the Cloud rested 3. the fire kindled from heauen wherewith all their sacrifices were to be offered 4. the Vrim and Thummim on the breastplate of the high Priest by which hee was inabled to giue out diuine Oracles and ordinarily resolue the Iewes perplexing doubts in peace and warre the fifth was the spirit of prophecie wherewith God furnished diuers other persons whom he sent as messengers vnto the kings and people of Iuda and Israel Now these fiue were the chiefe of all the typicall furniture if Zorobabels temple came short in these fiue there can be no doubt but it was inferiour in types vnto that of Salomons temple What remaines then but that the greatnesse of the glorie here meant must consist in the spirituall and heauenly furniture of the later temple or else there was none at all And indeede it is that which wee finde there we finde Christ in person as in former sermons I haue shewed you and hee is the truth of all those types Of the Cloud for in him God dwelt visibly on earth Cyril l. 4. in Ioh. c. 2. 1 Pet. 2. Rom. 8. Ind. Of the Arke by him God shewed mercie vnto men Of the Fire for by his spirit all sacrifices must be offered that are acceptable vnto God Of the Vrim and Thummim for hee is the word the wisedome of God Finally of the spirit of prophecie for he is the Prophet that was to come into the world and the Reuelation of Iesus Christ is the spirit of prophecie Reuel 1. What shall I say of the table of shewbread Christ is the bread of life of the golden candlesticke Iohn 6. Iohn 1. Reu. 5.8 Christ is the light of the world of the altar of incense it is Christ that putteth sweet odours into the prayers of the Saints of the altar of burnt offerings Psalme 40. Heb. 10. Iohn 1.29 1 Iohn 1.7 sacrifice and offerings God did not desire but he opened Christ eare and gaue him a body hee was the Lambe of God that tooke away the sinnes of the world and his bloud cleanseth from all sinne And what comparison betweene this truth and those types certainely no more than betweene earth and heauen therefore when the truth appeared the type vanished Ier. 3.16.17 It must needs follow then that the glorie of the later temple must needs be greater than the glorie of the former Greater if we insist only vpon Christs apparition in the materiall temple of Zorobabel L. 3. Epist 11. De ciuit Dei l. 18. how much more if with the Fathers St. Ambrose and St. Austine wee enlarge it to the Christian Church in whom Christ abideth And indeed Zorobabels temple beeing voide of the types did represent the Christian Church as Salomons full of them did represent the Church of the Iewes and then marke what St. Paul saith if these two Churches be compared 2 Cor. 3. Euen that which was made glorious had no glory in this respect by reason of the glory that excelleth for if that which was done away was glorious much more that which remaineth is glorious that whole Chapter is a good commentarie vpon my text the Epistle to the Hebrewes is much fuller So then wee must reade and consider this text as directed vnto vs it concernes vs for wee are partakers of that glory And see how God dealeth both with
which are stampt vpon true being the one is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the other is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is a being from it selfe and so is being it selfe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is a being all that which hath being and so stands in neede of nothing besides it selfe All creatures as they are from God so are they no longer nor no otherwise than it pleaseth him and it pleaseth not him that any one creature should haue all the parts much lesse the degrees of all his perfections The King of heauen deales as kings on earth Kings on the earth reserue in themselues the fulnesse of regall poweâ— whereof they doe impart but some branches and those limited to their subordinate officers after the same manner doth the Lord dispence of his infinite power to Angels to Men to other Creatures Therefore the name Iehouah is by the Wise man truly called Gods incommunicable name it noteth that internall power in God which is found in no other and which giueth whatsoeuer power any other haue For from this inward proceeds an outward and hee that is Lord is also Lord of Hostes. It is not Gods pleasure that we should pry too farre into his inward power and if we would we cannot he directeth vs therefore to his outward which is more fitting to our capacitie and may sufficiently resolue vs that he is very powerfull though he were no more powerfull than as hee appeares in his creatures in regard of whom he is termed The Lord of Hostes Let vs leaue then his inward and come to his outward power In the second of Genesis Vers 1. where the Creation is recapitulated we finde mention but of one Host of God the Text is plaine God made heauen and earth and all the host thereof and yet it is vsuall in the Scripture to call God the Lord of hostes as if there were many Surely it is cleare that God made but one but Apostasie of that one hath made many First Apostasie in heauen hath made two hostes of spirits Reu. 12. Michael and his Angels the Dragon and his then an Apostasie in Paradise beganne the distinction of the seede of the woman Gen. 3. and the seede of the serpent and of mankinde part is fallen to the Dragon and part is preserued and cleaueth to Michael the truth whereof appeared presently in Abel and Cain and although Cain by murder of Abel killed and destroyed one of the hostes yet God renewed it againe in Seth and the Armies went on again in the Children of God and the children of men Gen. 4. A man would haue thought the stoud had swept away all the seed of the serpent but it reuiued againe in cursed Cham and the Citie of God and the Citie of Babel will bee and be opposite vntill the end of the world But touching these Apostasies the first of Angels the second of men we must hold this true rule Summonere se potuêrunt saeliettuti coelestâ— non potuêrunt se eximerâ— porestati diuinae they might defraud themselues of their blessed communion with God but free themselues from his power they could not God hath set his hooke in their nostrils and his bit in their mouthes so that they cannot stirre without nor beyond his leâ—ue It is plaine in the story of Iob cap. 1. and of Ahab 1 Reg. 22. But there is an effectiue and a permissiue power of God God is Lord of both hostes but he worketh in them differently his worke in Michaels host and the seede of the woman is properly effectiue For though sometimes to make them sensible of their frailtie and to make them cleaue faster vnto him he leaueth them for a time vnto themselues yet ordinarily the influence of his grace doth direct and support them vnto and in good workes and they sight his battels But as for the Dragons host and host of the Serpents broode Gods power in them is properly permissiue he leaueth them to their owne corrupt iudgements and affections to follow and to execute them but he doth not communicate in their corruptions eyther as author or abettor of the roote or fruite thereof Yet this soueraignty God hath ouer the most wicked that they cannot breake out according to their owne disposition but where and when God will and when they breake out by his leaue they stop when he checketh and giue ouer when he saith it is enough So that Gods permissiue power is alwaies accompanied with his effectiue which doth stint the wicked in their workes maugre their gracelessenesse and without their priuitie directs their endeauours to his ends so that euen then they fulfill his will when transgressing his commandements they seeme to be most contrary to his will And this is no small comfort to Michaels host and the host of the womans seede that the host of the Dragon and the broode of the Serpent must not be feared according to their own malice but according to Gods leaue And this is the reason why Christ taught vs to pray daily Lead vs not into temptation but deliuer vs from euill and this we doe or should meane when wee speake these or the like words Our Enemies cannot assaile vs except thou O Lord permit them and if thou O Lord assist vs they shall assault in vaine Seeing all the world is compared vnto Hostes howsoeuer wee apprehend confusion in the world yet may wee not thinke but that all things are well disposed because these Hostes are the Lords he is the common Generall and he directs the conflicts neyther are any put to try masteries but by his speciall appointment and for the accomplishment of his ends But it befalleth vs as it doth them which stand in the same leuell wherein two huge Armies are pitched they conceiue them to be a disordered multitude whom notwithstanding if they behold from a high hill they will discerne that they are artificially ranged they will see how euery one serueth vnder his owne colours Euen so wee which behold the state of the world with the eyes of flesh and bloud dimme by reason of the weakenesse of our iudgement and wickednesse of our affections thinke all things are out of tune bonis malè malis benè that the worse men are the better they fare and they fare the worse the better they are But we must ascend into the sanctuarie of God and iudge of occurrents by heauenly principles if we do so then we will confesse that no armie on earth can bee better marshalled than is the great armie of all creatures of heauen and earth yea and hell also and notwithstanding all apparencies to the contrarie queniam bonus mundum Rector temperat â—mnia rectè fieri ne dubites doubt not but that all is well and shall end well because God is Lord of Hostes Againe seeing God is Lord of Hostes wee must make no worse conclusion than the Centurion did in the Gospell when Christ promised to come to his house and cure his feruant
knocked at the doore he left the sent of his sweet odours as a remembrance Cant. 5.4 But blessed is the Virgin and in being blessed she is a Patient shee becommeth not such but by meanes of some Agent this Agent may be either God or Man and so the Benediction bee either Reall or Verball Some vnderstand the Reall the Benediction of God some the Verball the Benediction of man the vse of the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 reacheth the former but the signification thereof imports the latter both may stand together And indeede the Verball Benediction is but an attendant vpon the Reall you may learne it of Balaam Num. 23. vers 8. vers 20. How shall Ieurse saith he where God hath not cursed How shall I detest where the Lord hath not detested Behold I haue receiued a commandement to blesse where he hath blessed and I cannot alter it Two things there are which the Verball Benediction must take heed of and wherein it must guide it selfe by the Reall it must bee sure that the person whom it blesseth doth partake of the Reall and being sure thereof it must proportion the Verball vnto the Reall The Fathers did not without good cause pen many Panegyricks in honour of the Saints and they penned them with those two Cautions and therefore might they without danger be pronounced euen in the Church to the edification of the people But the Golden Legend is too palpable an euidence of the latter Churches neglect of suiting their Verball Benediction to the Reall Benediction of God for how many haue they blessed whom God hath cursed and calendred for Saints such as it may bee feared are firebrands in hell And as for those which are Saints indeede how lauish are they in reporting what God neuer did eyther for them or to them the whole Legend being become nothing else but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Epiphanius speaketh a fardell of forged dreames Not to goe from our present instance of the blessed Virgin in whom if euer in any they haue disproportioned the Verball and the Reall Benediction We forget not Epiphanius his good rule 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Virgin must from our mouths receiue no lesse nor no more than her due The Church of Rome challengeth vs for giuing her lesse but they charge vs falsly for we most willingly goe as farre in our Verball as we haue any faire euidence that God hath gone in his Reall farther we doe not goe neyther indeede should we Epist 174. St. Bernard hath taught vs well Virgoregia falso non eget honore veris cumulata honorum titulis infulis dignitatum he giues a good reason Nam non est hoc virginem honorare sed honori detrahere Atheists are incouraged to eleuate the credit of the whole if they can iustly challenge the truth of any part of such stories Iob saith well Wee may not lye for God much lesse may wee lye for a Saint and yet the Legends of this blessed Virgin how are they fraught with officious lyes But I will not trouble you with farther discouery thereof who cannot forget their excesse in the publique Doctrine of her grace and glory whereof I gaue you a taste on the second branch of my Text. I come then to the last point which I meane to touch The Angell doth not onely say that the Virgin is blessed but also blessed in comparison the phrase is comparatiue Amongst other words this is one wherewith the Hebrewes which haue no formall comparatiue words vse to express the superlatiue degree Blessed amongst women is as much as Amost blessed woman as if the Angell should say Many daughters haue been blest but thou surmountest them all And indeed it is no great prerogatiue to be blest aboue many wretches but aboue many blessed ones to be blest is a blessing indeed The Angell therefore biddeth her obserue not onely the nature but the measure also of her estate Sarah was blessed and so was Rebecca Rahel likewise with Deborah Iael and many others but their blessing was nothing vnto hers for this phrase alludes to former prophesies Moses speaketh of a woman Gen. 3. whose seed should bruise the Serpents head but it was Haisha a speciall woman that he pointed at and that woman was this Virgin Esay speaketh of a Virgin that shall conceiue and beare a sonne whose name shall be called Immanuel Esay 7.14 but it is Hagnalma a speciall Virgin and that Virgin was this blessed Mary Ieremie saith The Lord will create a new thing in the earth and a woman shall compasse a man Geber an heroicall man and no woman bare such a sonne but this blessed Virgin Adde hereunto that which the Fathers generally obserue and Sedulius hath comprehended in two Verses Gaudia matris habens cum virginit at is honore Nec primam similem visa est nec habere secundam Neuer was the like woman before her neither euer shall the like come after her so true is it that she is and is to be acknowledged superlatiuely Blessed Farther comparison than betweene her and women the Holy Ghost is not pleased to make Others haue gone farther and lifted her higher than all Angels how truly I will not dispute I list not to be inquisitiue where the Holy Ghost is silent these things shall better be knowne when we meete in heauen That which onely I obserue vpon this point is that a Comparison sheweth the Eminency of a grace and is a most feeling motiue vnto Ioy thereby we are not onely put in minde of our good but of the greatnesse thereof Were there no baser creatures whereunto a man might compare himselfe he should lose much of that Ioy which ariseth out of the knowledge which hee hath that hee is a man were there not many out of the Church which are men we should not know how much honour our being in the Church addeth vnto vs in that wee are Christian men King Dauid maketh the 8. Psalme out of his feeling of the first comparison and to put vs in minde of the second the 147. Psalme concludes thus He hath not dealt so with euery Nation neither haue the Heathen knowledge of his Lawes Finally in comparison of our selues let vs remember a good obseruation of St. Austins Beatior Maria percipiendo fidem Cap. 3. de sancta Maria. quà m concipiendo carnem Christi his assertion is grounded vpon Christs owne words Luke 12. who when a certaine woman cryed out Luke 11.27 28. Blessed is the wombe that bare thee and the pappes that gaue thee sucke answered Nay blessed are they that heare the Word of God and keepe it And those else where hee calleth His mother his brethren and his kinred Matth. 12.49 where hee had both carnall and also spirituall cognation hee did value the spirituall more than the carnall The eminency of the blessed Virgin was this that shee did partake of both and therein she hath an eminency aboue vs but if we doe
of paines to fulfill Gods commands but so insolent so foolish are the most of men that they will haue their owne wils satisfie their owne lusts and rather than faile thereof they will breake Gods bonds and cast his cords from them And what Cup can be bitter enough to purge such peccant humours The last note that I gaue vpon the Text is the comparison betweene the Wish and the Will whereof I told you the one was conditionall the other absolute the one is but as it were a deliberation the other a resolution And indeed that difference we must hold when our Wishes and Gods Decrees are different neuer to present our desires but with a condition but to take heed of capitulating with God for that were to giue Law vnto the Law-giuer which should not be attempted and will not be endured But it is time to end Tract 104. Christ saith S. Austin being in the forme of a seruant might haue conceiued this prayer in silence but It a se voluit Patri exhibere peccatorem vt meminisset se nostrum esse doctorem he would so performe his deuotion as might make best for our instruction And Saint Chrysostome noteth herein an extraordinary instruction Sublimem admirabilis Philosophiae virtutem docet etiam Natur â abhorrente renuente Deum sequendum It is an high straine of Christian vertue that is taught vs in this patterne of Christ so farre to be masters of our naturall Affections that will they nil they we will doe what God doth bid vs. St. Cyprian telleth ys that we are not onely taught by Christ What to doe but How namely to imitate Christs offertory Prayer prostrating our selues humbly inuocating our Father reuerently and not presenting our desires otherwise than conditionally if we take this course we shall conclude with an absolute submission vnto the Will of God Certainly St. Bernard thought so for hee meditateth thus vpon my Text Noniam despero Domine Lord I am not out of heart now be my case neuer so bad Let my tribulation be irkesome vnto me and let me haue a comardly heart by nature let me be forward when I petition with Transeat Let this Cup passe take i◠from mee I haue learned of thee to betake my selfe not to a carnall but an heauenly comfort Not my Will but thy Will be done will hold in all murmuring and hearten all fainting of my soule These words then are exemplary words they informe vs what Christ did to direct vs what we must doe Christs example is without exception because hee was without sinne and is of good vse for vs because we may fall into the like case The like I say but not the same we may fall though not into a Propitiatory yet into a Probatory suffering It is sacriledge to affect the one the other is common to the whole Church When we fall into it if we take Christ for our patterne we shall finde him our patron also we shall finde that his draught hath left little bitternesse in ours and that which is left is much allayed When Christ made this Prayer an Angell from heauen comforted him and if wee conceiue the like prayers the Spirit of Christ will not faile to be a comforter to vs. Onely let vs ex non volito make volitum giue the vpper hand to Grace aboue Nature and we shall finde much ioy in affliction which will be vnto vs the pledge of a greater ioy which after our affliction wee shall enioy in the Kingdome of Heauen THis Grace he giue vnto vs that in this practice hath gone before vs that as his so by his our patient obedience may open vs a way vnto a blessed Inheritance IHS A SERMON PREACHED AT St. PETERS IN OXFORD Vpon EASTER DAY 1 COR. 15.20 Christ is risen from the dead and become the first fruits of them that slept ANd these words are a part of that first Hymne wherewith wee solemnize this Feast yea they containe a good and full Commentary vpon this dayes employment For this day is spent in historia Prophetia we therein renue Christs and foretaste our owne Resurrection that in the Seruice and this in the Sacrament These two Resurrections are inseparable therefore St. Paul willing to assure vs of the later doth first establish the Doctrine of the former and he doth it by Witnesses and by Reasons By Witnesses because a matter of fact and by Reasons because this fact is an Article of Faith For Articles of Faith are not only credenda but also credibilia though before they are reuealed we cannot diuine at them yet being reuealed we may argue fairely for them many times out of Nature but out of Scripture alwaies The Reasons here yeelded by the Apostle are of two sorts the first collects the Absurdities that presse all Gaine-sayers the second those Conueniences that must bee acknowledged by true Beleeuers This Scripture stand◠in the midst of these Reasons and is compounded of the conclusion of the former and foundation of the later The refutation of the Absurdities warrants this truth Christ is risen from the dead and the proofe of the Conueniences relyes vpon this ground Christ is become the first fruits of them that slept The Resurrection then from the dead is the maine point of this Text and the Text doth occasion vs to consider 1. what it is then how applyed What it is we cannot be ignorant if we know the termes wherein it is exprest these two termes Dead and Resurrection But when we haue found them wee must discreetly apply them for they haue different subiects Christ and those that slept they belong to both but vnto those by him for He is their first fruits These be the contents of this Scripture and of these shall I by Gods assistance and your Christian audience now speake briefly and in their order And first of the termes Death and Resurrection These termes are opposite therefore by the one wee must bee led to know the other and because death is first in nature I beginne at that All death if it bee antecedent to the Resurre ion is eyther in sinne or for sinne Death in sinne is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Orat. 7 as Nyssen defines it an inabilitie to doe good because we haue lost communion with God But communion with God simply wee cannot lose and be for without him nothing can subsist It is then communion in that which is his supreme perfection in wisedome and in holinesse the soule that is destitute of these that soule is dead for it can neyther taste nor see how good the Lord is whom notwithstanding so to know is euerlasting life and if it be so senslesse it must needes be liuelesse It is dead in sinne But as there is death in sinne so is there also for sinne and this is double eyther only the dissolution of soule and body or else a penall condition that followeth thereupon Touching the dissolution we must marke that as
finde wee haue not lighted vpon that which should giue vs content as we may gather out of the Preachers censure Vanitie of vanities and all is but vanity when wee come to grace there wee rest St. Austine giues the reason of it Fecisti nos Domine propter te irrequietum est cor nostrum donec requiescat in te and K. Dauid expresseth it most passionately Psal 73. Whom haue I in heauen but thee and there is none vpon earth that I desire besides thee my flesh and my heart faileth but God is the strength of my heart and my portion for euer And no wonder for nothing can giue constant content but that which is verum and summum bonum that which is good indeed and is our soueraigne good these are found only in God none finde them but they that partake of him Secondly the same grace that doth sistere appetitum doth also explere as it doth giue vs content in that we desire no other thing so of that only we may haue our fill Other things are not onely worse than that wee principally desire but they are lesse and we therefore doe loath them not because they are not good at all for they are the creatures of God and they are made for our vse but because they beare not proportion vnto our desire when we haue them we finde a great want of something else besides them let a man haue all the riches in the world all the honour yea all the wisedome they will not satisfie him yea let euery power haue his distinct obiect yet they will not satisfie him There is a common obiect that they all desire and which onely can fill them the desire of them all and that is Grace Grace is the fulnesse of God as the Apostle cals it Ephes 3.19 and the Prophesies of grace doe promise fulnesse Ieremie 21. God will not onely prepare a table for vs but our cup shall ouerflow Psal 23. here we hunger and thirst for a time but if grace be our portion we shall be satisfied and we shall be admitted to the tree of life and drinke our fill of the riuers of Gods pleasure But I told you that this which you haue heard is nothing else but a Periphrasis of the Spirit for the filling grace is nothing else but the Holy Ghost This day as we read Acts 2. when hee came he filled and filled not only with the Type but also with the Truth That you may vnderstand this you must obserue that as Christ our Passeouer was sacrificed iust at the time of the legall Passeouer and as he became the first fruits of them that stept rising that very day that the first fruits were offered euen so the Spirit was giuen vpon the very same day when God with his owne mouth pronounced the Law in the hearing of the People the mysterie whereof was this that man can neuer haue the benefit of the Law but by the grace of the Spirit iustifying him by faith and making him a new man But by the Spirit we must vnderstand not only the grace but the person also or else it will neuer fill For as the corne that is sowne is but a small graine but being watered with the dewe of Heauen and comforted with the Sunne it comes to a full eare euen so grace when it beginnes in man it is very scant there must bee some bodie to foster and cherish it that it may come to perfection and that is the Spirit And herein appeares a difference betweene Adam created and Adam restored Adam created was furnished with grace and being so furnished was left to himselfe whereupon he quickely became an vnthrift and brought to nought that portion which he receiued of his heauenly Father but being restored he is better prouided for hee hath the person of the Spirit bestowed vpon him as a liuing roote so that although hee haue his Winters and his Autumne he doth not alwaies spring nor is alwaies loaden with good fruit yet he hath life in the roote which will shute forth againe and he that seemes to be dead will reuiue and like corne that stockes better when it is nipt with frost will afterward beare the more fruit You haue heard the Gift what it is now heare of the Giuer and the Giuer is Christ Christ is the Giuer of the Spirit duplici iure originis meriti in that the Spirit doth proceede from him so he is said to bestow him because ordo ad extra is answerable vnto ordo ad intra He hath also a right by merit he deserued in doing the worke of a Redeemer to haue the bestowing of the Spirit in this later sense must wee vnderstand it in this place and of this sense in the next part of the text And here we must consider the difference betweene the Hebrew of the old Testament and the Greek of the new Accepit dona saith the Psalmist Dedit dona saith the Apostle They are easily reconciled if you marke Christs second power of giuing the Holy Ghost for Accepit quae daret accepit ex merito quae daret ex arbitrio therefore St. Austine saith well Vtroque verbo altero Prophetico Apostolico altero plenissimus sensus redditur The Apostles are the best Commentators vpon the Prophets and when we parallel texts that are found in both wee must not oppose the one to the other but expound the one by the other which we may safely doe because in vtroque est diuini sermonis auctoritas as the same Father speaketh Seeing then Christ receiueth what he giues receiues of his Father what he giues to vs these words must be vnderstood of Christ incarnate as God he could not receiue because he had all things wherefore if he receiue it must be as he became man so indeed he was Christus anointed and his name was as an oyntment poured out Cant. 1. the precious oyntment poured on his head ran downe vnto the very skirts of his cloathing hee was made the Sonne of righteousnesse and became the father of lights precious promises are giuen vnto vs by him and of his fulnesse we all receiue grace for grace Finally we must marke that though hee receiued as he was Incarnate yet he giues as he is God for though Accipere be meriti humani yet Dare is potestatis diuinae though in neither giuing nor taking wee must seuer the person yet must wee in eyther obserue which nature is principally respected As Christ is the giuer of the Spirit so doth he giue him discreetly and vniuersally discreetly for he giues 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hee keepes a measure in his giuing There is this difference betweene the Head and the Body of the Church the Head hath the Spirit without all measure but the members of the Body haue it in measure neither doth this argue any impotency in Christ the Giuer but his wisedome It is true that as it is in Christs power to giue or not
shepheard and high steward of Gods house appoints all vnder officers He sent the Apostles and by the Apostles others And this his sending is called here a Gift and well it may be so called for God might haue left vs in the dregges of our corrupt nature or after we are called suffer vs to relapse but hee is pleased to appoint meanes of our new birth and to recouer vs when we fall which wee may well call a Gift Secondly it is such a gift as men desire In the fift of Deuteronemie it appeares that when the Israclites had once heard God they desired to heare him no more they desired a Moses and God was pleased to yeelde to their desire and hath euer since fedde them by men Thirdly this dedit is not restrained only to the Apostles time for they had semen in speciem the Church hath still the same commandement and the same promise and must propagate these functions and what wee doe Christ doth by vs. Fourthly no man must take it before it s giuen no man must take this office before he is called seeing it is a power no man must vsurpe it without his leaue to whom God hath giuen all power especially seeing the sinewes of it are the assisting Spirit of whose presence no man may presume without imposition of hands for he breathes where he will not where we will Christ though hee bee gone from the Church doth not destitute his Church if the Church will follow his Ordinance Finally holy Orders are a Gift therefore not to be bought Symony is opposite to the nature of them Precio res nulla Deiconstat Tertul. apolog This generall Rule is specially true of holy Orders and therefore I thinke the Schooles call grace of Edification gratis datam I am sure these things must be freely receiued giuen I conclude when wee looke vpon holy Orders we must obserue two duties that are required Reuerence which is called for by the Author and Obedience by the vse ANd God grant that we may both Pastor and People so be affected to these meanes and so be wrought by them as that God may haue his glory and we may reape our good Amen THE THIRD SERMON EPHES. 4. Vers 8 9 10. Wherefore he saith when he ascended vp on high heled captiuitie captiue and gaue gifts to men Now that he ascended what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth He that descended is the same also that ascended vp farre aboue all Heauens that he might fill all things THE Church is but one and therefore the members thereof should liue at one two speciall reasons mouing hereunto the Apostle in the second part of this Chapter alledgeth the first of which is drawne from the meanes whereby the second from the end wherefore the Church is indued with manifold graces Of the meanes I haue begun heretofore to speak and told you that the meanes is Christ and touching Christ the Text doth teach what he did and what right he had to doe it Of these two points I haue handled the former at seuerall times I haue shewed you what Christ did it followeth that I now goe on and shew what right he had to doe it And the Apostle will shew vs that Christ did no more than he might he gathereth it from Christs ascension for that ascension was a deserued Triumph In a triumph as they which are read in stories doe know there were two obserueable things the person of the Conquerour was carried in state and the monuments of the Conquest did attend his chariot and were disposable at his pleasure behold these things in the Ascension of Christ first Exaltation of his person Hee ascended on high farre aboue all Heauens secondly the Attendants vpon his exalted person Hee led captiuity captiue and gaue gifts to men such was his Triumph And this Triumph was deserued for he was not exalted before he was humbled that hee ascended what was it but that hee first descended yea he ascended not so high but hee first descended as lowe as hee ascended farre aboue all Heauens so hee descended into the lower parts of the Earth The same person is the subiect of both He that ascended is the very same that descended These are the particulars whereof I shall God willing now speake briefly and in their order and first of the Exaltation of his person And the Exaltation was the ascending thereof on high Ille triumphato Capitolia ad alta Corintho Victor agit currus On high saith St. Hierome that is to an high place and state First to a place Localis Homo c. saith Fulgentius ad Thrasimundum Christ being man wheresoeuer he is he is in a place and St. Austin Tolle spatia corporibus non erunt Christ could not haue a body and that body not contained in a place whatsoeuer deuices the Vbiquitaries haue to colour their conceits of the illocality of Christs body by that rule of St. Austin and St. Austins rule is grounded vpon the nature of bodies they cannot auoide a contradiction Into a place then Christ ascended and it is behoofefull for vs so to thinke for as Christs Ascension was so shall ours be Christ speaketh it expresly Where I am Iohn 17. 1. Cor. 5. there saith Christ in his prayer I will that all that beleeue in me be also and St. Paul doth distinguish betweene our presence and absence from the Lord which could not be if Christs body were euery where Where the place is whereinto Christ ascended we may gather out of the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which doth often signifie Heauen God on high is as much as God in Heauen but St. Paul here puts it out of all doubt when hee saith he ascended farre aboue all Heauens meaning the visible Heauens and so pointing at the place which hee elsewhere calleth the third Heauen 2. Cor. 12. which is a place appointed to bee the receptacle of Saints What manner of place it is we need not curiously enquire wee should rather striue to come to the place of this wee may bee assured that being the place which God hath assigned wherein hee will haue Angels and men enioy blessednesse it must needes bee a blessed place it is resembled to Paradise wherein grow the trees and runne the waters of euerlasting life it was shadowed by the holy Land flowing with milke and honey it was represented to St. Iohn in that glorious heauenly Hierusalem that came downe from Heauen it is called Gods House Gods Sanctuary the City of God and the Kingdome of Heauen the pleasures thereof we finde touched in the 16. and in the 36. Psalmes This must be obserued concerning the place because it is the first steppe of felicitie this earth is the valley of teares and they that liue here are in condition answerable to the place mortall in a mortall place and Christ hauing put off his mortality was no longer to abide in a
for the shield of faith is able to quench all siery darts of the Deuill The Martyrs tryed it who neither were circumuented by the Serpent nor dismayed by the Lyon but ouercame by the bloud of the Lambe in that they loued not their liues vnto death and therefore with Crowns with Palms and Harpes they sing the triumphant song of Moses And we must all be resolued that as Ioshua when he had ouercome the Kings of Canaan brought them and made the Heads of Israel to set their feete vpon their neckes euen so Iesus that hath spoyled the powers of darknesse will haue his members with like confidence to insult vpon them Yea it is a part of that iust and glorious reuenge of Adams cowardise in his great strength hee yeelded himselfe a prey to Sathan when he had full power to withstand him to blot out that shame hee will haue the sonnes of Adam that are much weaker to encounter and trample on that mighty Hunter and serpentine Lyon And wee much neglect the honour that Christ would doe vs and the manifestation of that power which hee is pleased to vouchsafe vs if so be wee haue no testimony from our owne conscience that wee haue in our owne persons experience of this Triumph Tertullian hath a good rule that oftentimes men are foyled not because he that set on them was the stronger but they did not know or vse their owne strength that did resist It is the case of most men I neede no other proofe than their enormous falls the reason why they become Sathans prey is their cowardise or their negligence eyther they doe not at all resist or they pray not for assistance vnto God if they did they might confidently say with Saint Paul I can doe all through him that strengthneth me Philip. 4.16 and that is Christ But howsoeuer we faile in doing what we should this is sure that this conflict is no disproofe of the Triumph seeing the intent of it is to be a perpetuall euidence or rather an euident perpetuation thereof And so haue you the first attendant vpon the Triumphant Chariot The second is the disposing of the spoiles He gaue gifts and hee that rifled the strong man distributed whatsoeuer hee found in his House Touching the nature of the gifts I need not speake now former words of my Text occasioned mee to open them here onely you must marke originem and mensuram donorum though they were giuen often before yet tho dispensation depended vpon Christs Ascension Cap. 7. In Saint Iohn we reade that the Spirit was not giuen because Christ was not yet glorified And Acts 2. Saint Peter tels the Iewes that Christ being exalted poured forth the Spirit yea Christ himselfe Acts 1. when hee was readie to ascend biddeth his Disciples stay at Ierusalem vntill they were endued with power from aboue And no wonder that it depends vpon his Ascension seeing it is an effect of his Kingdome and his Kingdome began properly at his Ascension And as this is true of the Originall so is it also of the Measure of the gifts though hee gaue them before yet hee neuer gaue them in that measure whether you respect the number of persons that partake them or the degree of the gifts which were bestowed on them Saint Peter 2. Pet. 1. compares the gifts of the Prophets vnto a candle the Gospell vnto the day light a great oddes betweene the lights and as great oddes is there betweene the Spheares of their actiuity for it is no great roome that a candle can illighten be it neuer so great a candle and the Prophets went not out of the Holy Land ordinarily and that was but a corner of the world but the Sunne goeth out from one end of Heauen and the circuit thereof is vnto the end of it and there is nothing hid from the heate of it Psalme 19. euen so the Sunne of Righteousnesse shed his beames ouer all the world and Christ after his ascension made his Church Catholike euen wee that are assembled here are beholding for this our sacred assembly vnto the Ascension of Christ from thence it is that this light is come to vs. And as often as in our Creede we remember his ascension let vs thankfully remember that we owe this our spirituall condition vnto it And let this suffice for the opening of Christs Triumph My Text doth not onely tell vs of a Triumph but tells vs also that that Triumph was deserued Christ by vertue of his Hypostaticall Vnion was able to doe all that is specified in the Triumph to ascend in place and state to leade captiuity captiue and to giue gifts But hee would not attaine it onely by power hee would receiue it by merit and why hee stood out for man and therefore would obserue the Articles of that Couenant which God did enter into with him and the Couenant was Hoc fac viues Though Adam being created holy was immediately fit for Heauen yet God would not haue him come vnto Heauen but by vse of his Holinesse in obedience to God euen so Christ would fulfill all righteousnesse and vndergoe the Crosse in satisfaction for our sinne before hee would enter into Glory And wee must not deceiue our selues and dreame of any other course for though wee cannot equall Christs Crosse yet by mortification and tribulation wee must resemble it though wee cannot fulfill the Law yet must wee doe our vttermost endeauour And this course must bee vnto vs though not causa a merit as it was to Christ yet via regnandi the meanes vnto the Kingdome of Heauen without which no man shall euer haue accesse vnto the blessed presence of God But more distinctly Wee must marke that the Descension went before the Ascension and that the degree of the Ascension beares correspondencie to the degree of the Descension First the Descension goeth before the Ascension and it must needs doe so in Christ you will acknowledge it if you know what the Descension is The Descension is the incarnation and the passion of Christ in respect of these the Sonne of God is said to descend And indeede he fell below himselfe when he submitted himselfe to them by so much as a man is below God and so to bee vsed being a man is little answerable to the Maiesty of a God Had hee not thus descended hee could neuer haue ascended for whither should hee ascend that was in the forme of God and so as coaequall as coaeternall what state what place could hee bee aduanced vnto that as God was highest in both But his pleasure to descend made it possible for him to ascend it was possible for him to ascend in regard of that wherein hee did descend hee might glorifie his manhood in which hee was pleased to be humbled Secondly as the Descension must needes goe before the Ascension so doth the Ascension keepe good correspondency with the Descension Christ ascended high farre aboue all Heauens and hee descended lowe
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
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
them Glory here he commandeth our seruice there he giueth vs our reward in Earth hee bindeth and looseth by his Ministers and what soeuer they binde or loose here himselfe doth ratifie in Heauen he reigneth in Heauen in glory and by his Spirit hee ruleth on Earth therefore the Angels and Saints adore him in Heauen no lesse than the faithfull doe here on Earth both are recapitulated in him as the Apostle speaketh hee is that Iacobs Ladder one end whereof reacheth to Heauen and the other to the Earth vpon him continually do the Angels ascend and descend vnto these two places Finally the Angels at his Birth congratulate both places Glory be to God on high that is in Heauen in earth peace good will towards men Luke 2. and the Apostle saith it is the fulnesse of Him that filleth all in all And thus much of Christs right or power to send Come we to the Errant he sends them on This is grounded vpon that power of Christ wherof you haue heard the Illatiue Therefore importeth as much And indeede a Kingly power hath good right to send Embassadors and the Dignity of the Embassador is answerable to the King from whom he commeth he that looketh vpon the persons of Ministers only will not much esteeme eyther them or their words but adde whose Ministers they are and that requireth reuerence to bee yeelded to their persons and obedience to their doctrine Especially if we consider that all those to whom they come are at his mercy from whom they come for he hath power ouer them all and such power hee must haue that sends so it is not a message sent by a King to a neighbour King but by a King to his Vassals the more are they to be respected and their words heeded But let vs come to their Charge Ite Goe yee They were not to abide still at Ierusalem after they were endued with power from aboue they were presently to be walking their names Apostles Angels Embassadors all sound a walking life But in the word take notice of two things First the Apostles doe not goe before they are sent it is the marke of a false Apostle to bee so forward Hebr. 5. No man should take vnto himselfe this honour except hee be called by those to whom Christ hath giuen authority It is an Anabaptisticall dreame that euery man may thrust himselfe into this worke as he findeth himselfe moued by the Spirit and it is an impious attempt of some vagrant Schollars that make vp a poore liuing by exercising this Function whereunto they were neuer ordered how farre are both these from that modesty which was in Moses in Ieremy and others who were so farre from going before they were called that they held backe when God would send them and pleaded their insufficiency so did Chrysostome Nazianzene other Lights of the Church And indeede Quis ad haec idoneus He is ouer well conceited of himselfe whosoeuer he be that doth not thinke it to be an ouer-weighty burden a burden that will crush the strongest shoulders if he beare it as he should Notwithstanding when God commeth to Quid statis hic otiosi Why stand you idle as many as are fit to worke wee must yeeld our paines and doe as well as wee can though wee cannot doe so well as wee should it is no lesse a fault to bee too backward than to bee too forward and yet there are many such whether because they thinke the calling vnworthy their gifts and below their birth or because they will not vndergoe the paines and danger that doth accompany the same men that will neuer bee Labourers except they be thrust into the Haruest thrust not by the Lord of the Haruest but by their owne necessities or aduantages A second Note in this word Ite is that wheras the world should come vnto God out of a sense of their owne want God is faine to send to them this word iustifieth that saying of God in the Prophet I am found of them that sought mee not I am made manifest to them that enquired not after mee Esay 65. Neuer would Adam haue returned to God if God had not sought him out and the sonnes of Adam would perish in their sinnes did not he seeke them likewise The Marriage Feast would hane no guests if the King did not onely inuite them but send his seruants also to call yea compell them Therefore this Ite should remember vs to magnifie the goodnesse of God which is so indulgent to vs carelesse men But let vs come to the particulars of the Charge and first see to Whom they are sent They haue a great Iourney to goe for they must goe to all Nations In the first Mission the Apostles were restrained to the lost sheepe of Israel and forbidden to goe into the way of the Gentiles or into a Citie of the Samaritanes that Commission is here recalled and the partition Wall is broken downe and their Circuit is enlarged they are taught that in Iesus Christ there is neyther Iewe nor Gentile Grecian nor Barbariaâ— bond nor free male nor female all are one in him as St. Paul saith and St. Peter warned by a Vision breakes out into this confession I perceiue of a truth that there is no respect of persons with God but in euery Nation hee that feareth God and worketh righteousnesse is accepted of him the Prophets foretold it should be so â—â—ay 2. 49. Psal 2. 71. and now the Apostles heare from Christ that they must make good those Prophesies their sound must goe out into all the world they must be the Light of the world or rather carry the Sunne of Righteousnesse round about the world and they must be the Salt of the earth that must season all mankinde which Christ sanctified in his person Rom. 10. compared with Psulmo 19. and though by others hee were called the Sonne of Dauid yet the name which hee commonly giueth himselfe is the Sonne of man And here see a difference between the Typicall and the true Redemption the Typicall extended to one Nation and Moses Law went no farther the true reacheth all mankinde and the Gospell must be carried as farre But here wee must take heede of a mistake the Nations are oftentimes opposed to the Iewes so wee finde it in the writings of the Prophets and Apostles But it is not so here for the Apostles are willed to preach vnto all Nations beginning at Ierusalem and so saith St. Paul To you ought the Gospell first to be preached but because you make your selues vnworthy of it loe we turne to the Gentiles And here also wee must not mistake for from the contempt of the Iew occasion was taken of preaching sooner to the Gentiles not simply of preaching to them had the Iewes entertained the Gospell the Apostles would haue spent more time with them and they spent the lesse time with them because they did not entertaine it The truth then is that all
Austine telleth vs called Sacramentum fidei the Sacrament of Faith A little more distinctly now to open this Forme you must take notice of these vsefull Obseruations First to baptize in the Name of the Father Sonne and the holy Ghost doth signifie to doe it by their warrant and commission for as God only is the fountaine of grace so none can appoint the meanes of conueying grace but only God This checketh the presumption of the Bishop of Rome in multiplying Sacraments and we must be warned to do nothing in Gods seruice without his warrant Secondly to baptize in Nomine is to baptize in the person of the Trinitie a Minister is a publicke person whatsoeuer he doth in the Church he doth it in anothers Name the parts of his Ministrie being two to administer 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to present the peoples deuotion to God or to minister 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to bring Gods message to the People hee should offer no other Prayers to God but such as the Church appointeth because he speaketh in her Name and so when he bringeth any thing from God he must remember that he doth represent his person to the Church This must warne vs to come with holinesse to performe sacred Acts because we sustaine the person of God the Leuites washt their hands and their feete and we must wash our selues in the blood of Christ Thirdly to baptize in nomine is to ascribe the efficacie of Baptisme to the Trinitie the Minister must remember himselfe to be onely an instrument as St. Peter confesseth when hee wrought the Miracle vpon the lame man Acts 3. Wee baptize with water but the gifts of the holy Ghost come from God Wherefore let vs giue the glory of whatsoeuer successe we haue in our Ministrie to the principall agent that is God Fourthly in Nomine Trinitatis is to baptize vnto their seruice and to dedicate vnto them the originall 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 notes as much And therfore the Ministration of Baptisme is accompanied with an Abrenunciation those that are baptised by themselues if they be of age or if children by their sureties renounce the Diuill and all his workes the pompes and vanities of the wicked world and all the sinfull lustes of the flesh then they deuote themselues vnto God to beleeue the Articles of the Creede and to liue according to the tenne Commandements To this end wee should baptize and we must put the people in minde of this morality and let not their thoughts dwell vpon the ceremonie as if when that were past all were done Finally inuocatur nomen Trinitatis super nos from the time that wee are baptized wee must acknowledge that the Lord is our God Hee hath made vs not wee our selues wee are his people and the sheepe of his Pasture or as the Apostle speaketh Wee are not our owne because wee are bought with a price wherefore we must glorifie God with our bodies and with our soules for they are his We that are Ministers then as we doe not baptize in our own name so must wee not denominate Disciples from our selues as the Corinthians some held of Paul some of Apollo some of Cephas we must teach them all to hold of the same Lord of him into whose Name they are baptized As the Baptizer so the Baptized should make vse of euery of these obseruations they must 1. beediscreet in not admitting more Sacraments than God sendeth 2. reuerence the Minister in regard of his person whom hee sustaines 3. giue the glory of the grace which they receiue vnto God 4. appropriate their seruice vnto him and 5. let him be their only Lord. One scruple there is about this Forme for in the Acts cap. 8. v. 16. it should seeme that some were baptized onely into Christ and some haue thought that the Apostles at pleasure did vary the Forme But the constant practice of the Church in all parts of the world retaining this Form permits vs not so to construe the words in the Acts The meaning seemeth rather to be this That those persons confessing their Faith in the Redemption wrought by Christ were baptised after the vsuall Forme Some difference there is also betweene the East and West Church for in the West Church the Minister speaketh thus to him that is baptized Ego baptizo te in the East Church thus Baptizetur iste but the difference is confest on both sides not to be materiall therefore I passe it ouer You see here none of those many Ceremonies which the Church hath multiplied whereof many are very ancient and might be continued if they had not beene corrupted by the Church of Rome especially Themselues hold them not to be of the essence but of the solemnitie of Baptisme they cannot they doe not deny but that wee keepe the essence intire of those things which belong to the solemnitie our Church hath retained so much as is thought fit for edification the rest it hath cut off not without cause and out of that libertie which euery Church hath in such things One thing I may not omit to remember you of that are to be ordered That these solemne words In the Name of the Father Son and holy Ghost are vsed in your Ordination and therefore what instructions I haue giuen vnto you vpon the Forme of Baptisme you may make vse of euery one of them when you meditate vpon your Ordination And I wish you so to doe Now lay together teach and baptize and then you see the Method of your Ministrie you must first catechise and bring your hearers to beleeue and then dedicate them vnto God because without faith it is impossible to please God Heb. 11. so St. Iohn baptized so baptized the Apostles and the rule is Non potest corpus Baptisma recipere sacramentale nisi Anima accipiat fidei veritatem Hieron and Baptisme saueth no man but Faith is that which maketh a man partaker of grace and this Faith doth not rest vpon the Water but vpon the Word Accedat Verbum ad Elementum fit Sacramentum non quia dicitur sed quia creditur But as Faith hath Necessitatem medij so Baptisme hath Necessitatem praecepti we may by no meanes neglect Baptisme if it may bee had and the contempt hazardeth saluation Except a man be borne againe of water and the holy Ghost bee cannot enter into the Kingdome of Heauen Iohn 3. But Faith in no case may be wanting Mistake not Tertullian and Nicetus vpon Nazianzen orat de Baptismo mis-construed these words and thought that Children except it were in extreame danger of death should not be baptized because they could not bee taught The Anabaptists out of this place and Marke 16. proue that no childe must bee baptized vntill he commeth to the yeares of discretion But they grosly mistake for Christ is here and in St. Marke to be vnderstood de adultis none without the Church were to be receiued in except they were first catechised and
aduersitie therefore as wee must praise God for the one so must wee pray against the other at the same time wee must doe both But who are they that must doe it the text hath no more but Wee but if you looke vnto the beginning of the Psalme you shall find a Commentarie vpon that word you shall find that this must be done vniuersally Israel must doe it The House of Aaron must doe it all must doe it that feare the Lord if all be the better for the Day the dutie of solemnizing the Day belongeth vnto all to the Ecclesiasticall to the Ciuill State both must acknowledge what they receiue both must acknowledge the Day whereon they did receiue it The Day wherein the blessed Sunne did arise vnto vs all the fruits of whose Raigne are this great calme from stormes of warre and plentifull publication of Gods sauing truth wee must all acknowledge both these blessings As we must all acknowledge them so must we all take full comfort in them we must not defraud the Day of our ioy seeing the day brings comfort vnto vs it brings comfort to our bodie and comfort to our soules therefore our bodies and soules must reioyce in it In it but not forgetting him that made it that is God As for the Day wee are most beholding to him so in him must we ioy most But our comfort must not make vs forget our danger danger from without danger from within danger from our owne vntowardlinesse danger from the maliciousnesse of our enemies this double danger must make vs seeke to him that made our Day that he would make it a perpetuall Day that hee would hinder whatsoeuer impediment we may iustly feare from our enemies and not suffer vs to be an impediment of our owne blisse I shut vp all with the very words of my text Our times are such as that we haue good cause to vse the first words This is the Day which the Lord hath made and if we must say this this must draw from vs that which followeth the religious solemnizing of the day we must exhort each the other and be perswaded by our mutuall exhortation to vow the expressing of our comfort Wee will reioyce and bee glad in it and deprecate whatsoeuer imminent danger with Saue Now wee beseech thee O Lord O Lord we beseech thee send vs now Prosperitie AMEN A SERMON PREACHED AT SAINT MARIES IN OXFORD ON THE fift of Nouember 1614. LVKE 9. VERS 53 54 55 56. 53. But they would not receiue him because his face was as though he would goe to Ierusalem 54. And when his Disciples Iames and Iohn saw it they said Lord wilt thou that wee command that fire come downe from Heauen and consume them euen as Elias did 55. But Iesus turned about and rebuked them and said yee know not of what spirit you are 56. For the Sonne of man is not come to destroy mens liues but to saue them Then they went to another Towne FAthers and Brethren Reuerend and Beloued in the Lord We solemnize this Day in a religious acknowledgement of the King and his Kingdomes our Church and Common-weales vnspeakable deliuerance from an vnmatchable Treason In furtherance of this common Pietie to refresh our memorie and quicken our deuotion I haue chosen this storie which containes an vnpartiall censure of an inordinate Zeale inordinate Zeale in two Apostles who are therefore vnpartially censured by our Sauiour Christ And this storie haue I the rather chosen at this time to speake of in this place because here is the hope of Church and Common Weale the Seed aswell of the Gentrie as of the Clergie And it is for such that the Factors of Rome doe trade to make Aduocates of the one and of the other Actours of their holy Fathers most barbarous Designes Wherefore it is very behoofull that they aboue others bee not only inured to detest but informed also vpon what ground they should detest such sauage such hellish counsels and attempts Now better informed they cannot bee then if they be furnished with sound rules of a good conscience which they may oppose to all deceitfull Romish ones wherewith the vnlearned are insnared and they peruerted that are vnstable The Romanists boast of their manifold studies of Diuinitie and indeed they haue manifold I would they were as good as they are many But their Cases of Conscience are that vpon which they principally relie and wherewith their Kingdome is most supported And no maruell for they are euen for the Lay-mans studie and their Power of the Keyes is chiefly managed by these Cases It is most true that all parts of their Diuinitie are full fraught with sophistrie but when we come to this part ouer and aboue what impietie what iniquitie what impuritie doe we find Others occasionally may vnder take other points I wish they would prouided alwayes that they doe it soundly discreetly considering what a precious what a tender thing a good Conscience is It is not euery mans skill aright to handle it But I haue now to doe with a point of Iniquitie with an vnlawfull reuenge of persons afflicted for Religion We haue here a Reuenge proposed by such afflicted persons and we haue Christs doome passed therevpon that such reuenge is vnlawfull See it in the Text. First the Affliction The Samaritans would not receiue Christ And this Affliction was for Religion Christ was not receiued because his face was as if he would goe to Ierusalem It was great inhumanitie not to entertaine a stranger but the reason improues it as high as Impietie if we therefore fare the worse at the hands of men because wee are well disposed to serue God Being so farre vrged Zeale cannot hold surely Iames and Iohn could not as was their name so were they Sonnes of Thunder were they called and the Exhalations they breath are very hot And yet marke though they are bold to propose yet are they not so bold as to resolue They propose their Desire their Reason Their desire is Fire a cruell weapon and they would not haue it spare a iot it must consume their enemies make a finall and a fearefull spectacle of these vngodly Samaritans A sharpe desire And yet they sticke not at it and why it is not singular they haue though not a Rule yet an Example for it Elias did so that is the reason He dealt so with the old Samaritans when they wronged him and shall these new Samaritans escape better that thus wrong Christ This they propose But they doe not resolue as if they were conscious to themselues that they may erre they submit their desire to God and to Christ They desire Fire consuming Fire but it is from Heauen they would haue no other then God would send Nay they would not haue that except Christ be pleased Master wilt thou if thou say Nay we haue done Behold Nature and Grace and how Grace doth stop the furie of Nature Grace doth somewhat but the Fountaine
into the Congregation of Israel vnto the third generation Cap. 3. The Booke of Wisedome amplyfieth this point the children of Adulterers shall not come to perfection and the seed of the vnrighteous bed shall be rooted out the like you may read Eccl. 23. but because those Bookes are Apochryphall Cap. 31. ◠here what IOB saith of Adulterie It is a sinne to be condemned it will deuour vnto destruction and it would root out all my posteritie And no wonder that GOD dealeth so with Bastards for which of vs if he haue Land entailed entailes it otherwise then vpon heires lawfully begotten If we thinke Bastards vnworthy to inherite our Lands here on Earth shall GOD thinke them worthy to be heires of the Kingdome of Heauen I will not condemne all Bastards to Hell I know IEPHTA found fauour with GOD and so no doubt haue many others but that commeth to passe by GODS extraordinarie mercie ordinarie Promise we haue none that they shall doe well Yea obserue and you shall find that they seldome keepe a meane if good verie good and if they be bad they are verie bad and parents of such children haue reason rather to feare the worst then hope the best for though GOD at after-hand doth often pardon sinnes yet before-hand he giues no encouragement to sinners You that are the Penitent take this to heart your second match being plaine Adulterie the children borne in such wedlocke must needs be bastards and being Bastards they are not the holy seed yea they are a seed that is cursed so cursed for your fault that as much as in you lyeth you strip them of all blessings on Earth and in Heauen they are fauoured by the Law neither of God nor men And so great wrong done to them should goe to your verie heart you haue sinned against your children not onely against your owne body And let this suffice concerning the doctrine that is in the Prophets Sermon I come now to the exhortation which he deduceth therefrom The exhortation is double according to the double respect which we owe. The first is to our selues keepe your selues in your Spirit or take heed to your Spirit We must take care of our whole man the outward and inward for touching the outward the Apostles rule is 1 Thes 4.4 1 Cor. 3. 1 Cor. 6. We must keepe our vessels in honour we may not defile the Temples of God We may not take the Members of Christ and make them the Members of an Harlot we must be chast propter carnem Christi as IGNATIVS speaketh because we are bone of Christs bone and flesh of his flesh But as we must take care of our bodyes so must we much more take care of our soules for it is in vaine to keepe the body chast and to retaine an adulterous heart for an adulterous heart though it be peccatum sine teste it hath no man to witnesse it yet is it peccatum Athanasius God will doome it for sinne Yea if a man stop not lust in his heart Math. 15. he will not be master of it in his body for ex abundantia cordis out of the aboundance of the heart the mouth speaketh out of that commeth Adulteries and Fornications But qui adinngit Spiritui adimit carni the better the Soule is the better will the body be therefore is temperance properly called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a keeping of a man in his right wits because so long as a man hath his wits about him he is master of his lusts but no sooner hath Dalilah brought that Sampson asleepe but the Philistims will be vpon him and depriue him of his strength he will be ouertaken with this lustfull Epilepsie and prophane the Temple of the Lord. But to open this point a little farther we must obserue that as we haue sensuall and reasonable faculties so it was Gods pleasure that those actions which are Elicitae or come naturally from the sensuall faculties should also be imperatae ordered and limited by the rationall therefore is the rationall facultie called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the guid and gouernour of our life and he deserues not the name of a man whose sense is not subiect vnto reason But the Spirit doth not onely note the reasonable soule but in an argument concerning the CHVRCH it meaneth that Soule as it is regenerated by Grace and then it putteth vs in mind that the care of our Soules must be more then reasonable it must be spirituall and not onely the best wit of man which is corrupt as appeares in the vnchast chastitie of the Heathen but the sanctifying Grace of God must set bounds to our lusts which will suffer them to passe no farther then they are allowed by Gods Law A man is an excellent creature if he be but a man if he keepe his reasonable Spirit how much more excellent would a Christian man be if he could continue a Christian and preserue in himselfe the Spirit of Grace I may not omit the word keepe it willeth vs to set a watch because we are apt to run riot whether the Spirit signifie Reason or Grace we must watch If reason we must watch that we admit not into our imaginations nor suffer our wits to discourse vpon lustfull fancies we liue in the middest of temptations and none are more insinuating then those that are pleasurable we must take heed therefore that our reason be not betwitched by them they will cunningly euchant vs and transforme vs into beasts before we are aware wherefore we must keepe a watch ouer our Reason and not onely ouer Reason but ouer Grace also that we grieue not the Holy Spirit that we quench him not that we doe not dispite him Ephes 4.30 ◠Thes 5.19 for the Holy Spirit of discipline will not abide in a Soule that is disposed vnto sinne Adspicis vt veniant ad candida tect a columbae the doue-like spirit delighteth to dwell in doue-like persons himselfe being chast in those that are chast Wherefore we must keepe our spirits that for our vnchastitie the Spirit of God forsake vs not You haue the first branch of the exhortation the second followeth This biddeth vs be carefull of that respect which we owe vnto our mate Let no man deale treacherously with his wife A wife a little before my Text is called a mans companion and the wife of his couenant Now you know that fraud in fellowship is abominable especially if that fellowship be established by couenant as wedsocke is and no fellowship vpon straiter couenants then wedlocke for therein there is a double couenant pactum hominis and pactum Dei the persons contracting doe plight their faith each to other that is pactum hominis Then God he commeth in as a partie to knit the knot and will haue this mutuall stipulation made in his sight and in his name so that both stand bound to God not onely to themselues neuer to loose this knot till death them
pleasure his owne guifts but they may not be drawne into example by vs to the preiudice of a well setled Ecclesiasticall policie the generall ordinance must hold except women that breake it can shew a dispensation Ordinarie Women-Prophets and Priests sprang vp amongst the Heathen with the corruption of Religion who as they had female Gods so had those Gods for their attendants suitable persons of their owne Sexe yea sometimes their He-Gods had She-Priests in the Poets tales you shall find enough of such trash The Heretickes receiued it from the Infidels corrupting holy orders as they did GODS sacred Truth and had their Prophetesses accompanying them yea the Petuzians ordained Episcopas and Presbiter as feminine both Bishops and Priests Licinius as Eusebius reports by a tyrannous Law forbad women to assemble in the CHVRCH with men and commanded them to haue their seuerall Congregations to make themselues Teachers of their owne Sexe but his Edict is censured for ridiculous and whether within the CHVRCH or without the CHVRCH the calling of women to this sacred function hath beene deemed a prophanation of holy orders The Councell of Carthage hath a short but a full Canon to this purpose Caum 98. Quamuis docta quamuis sancta admit a woman be neuer so learned neuer so holy yet non presumat she may not presume to meddle with a sacred function It is not to be hoped that any woman will euer be of so vnspotted a life as was the Virgine Marie nor so well acquainted with the mysteries of the Kingdome of Heauen yet shall you not find in all the life of CHRIST or after his death during the time which she liued with the Apostles that she intermedled with any part of pastorall function Whereupon St Bernard was bold to put off an imposture of a Priest that made the Virgines Image to speake vnto him when he entred into a CHVRCH to performe his deuotion with this wittie answer Your Ladiship hath forgotten that St PAVL forbids women to speake in the Church But if women be allowed to be onely Hearers in the seruice of Religion it may be thought they haue little to doe whereas indeed it is farre otherwise for not onely St PAVL in this Epistle sets them out other worke but Solomon also Prou. 21. hath read an exemplarie Lecture of good houswiferie vnto them in which chapter also they may find some libertie that they haue to teach for there Bathshâ—ba is brought in teaching and instructing her sonne Solomon and it may be gathered out of the second Epistle to Timothie that Timothy was bred vp in Religion by his mother Eunice and grand-mother Lois it being out of all question that women are so farre allowed to teach as to instruct them which vnder their husbands are committed to their charge But the Apostles interdict forbids them within doores in the presence of their husbands and likewise abroad in the companie of others especially if they be men to attempt any such thing If they doe it abroad they vsurpe vpon the Pastors function as within doores vpon their husbands for though the place where they meet be not properly a CHVRCH yet by reason of the vse whereunto they put it their meeting becomes a Conuenticle and such acts of a woman are in the eye of the Law derogatorie to the authoritie of the Pastors as in the eye of Reason to the authoritie of man vpon whom it is not lawfull for a woman to vsurpe as followeth in my Text. And indeed the generall Inhibition that forbids a woman to vsurpe authoritie ouer a man is the ground of this particular they must not be teachers but hearers for teaching carrieth with it a kind of authoritie But more distinctly to rip vp this generall rule which forbids women to vsurpe authoritie vpon men the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 imports two things authoritie and exemplaritie words that are authenticall are words of command and such as inferiors must exemplifie and the priuiledge of speaking such words belongs vnto man For whereas all authoritie is included in three heads Rex Propheta Sacerdos all three are setled in man man hath a kingly power in his House to giue order vnto all businesses which concerne the same and he is appointed a Prophet to his Family to informe them of the knowledge of GOD I know him saith GOD of ABRAHAM Gen. 18. that he will command his children and his houshold after him and they shall keepe the way of the Lord c. In the Law parents are commanded euerie one to teach his children and St PAVL 1 Cor. 14. requires women if they will learne any thing to aske their husbands at home which as it taxeth the ignorance of such men as are not able to teach so that they may be able it whets their industry to be more carefull to learne Finally a man is Sacerdos the sacrifice of prayer and thankes-giuing must be offered by him for his whole Family Iob 1. this did Iob practice day by day he sent for and fanctified his children and offered burnt offerings according to the number of them all This which is true in a priuate Family is much more true in a Common-weale which is but a multitude of Families and the authoritie in publike must be in persons of that sexe to which it belongeth in priuate If women intermeddle they doe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vsurpe vpon the authoritie that is proper to man and then what followes The Philosopher will tell you that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the rule of women is the baine of a Family no lesse then tyranny is the baine of a Common wealth the reason is plaine they haue more of the heart then the head and their affections out-step their discretion yea whereas in the head there is wit and wisedome women are commonly more wittie then wise for wisedome requires the pondering of circumstances but the forwardnesse of their affections will not suffer women to pause so long whereupon it followes that their resolutions are rash and wilfull which cannot prognosticate any good euents Cornelius Agrippa hath tried the best of his wits to aduance them in abilities aboue men but he doth so collude in handling the Argument that women may well feare a iudgement will be giuen against them if they come to the Barre furnished with no better euidence Happily some woman may be as wise as Abigail and some men as silly as Natal yet then neither doth man lose his prerogatiue nor woman acquire a title aboue him she may deale with him per viam consilij but not imperij counsell she may command him she may not In a word women are not to giue directions to men nor men to take their patternes from them the contrarie rather must preuaile both in priuate and publike especially in ecclesiasticall functions men are to giue women their directions and women are to take their patternes from men for so much the distinction that sorts them into
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
Quo modo how this Sacring was performed it was performed Signo visibili verbo audibili with a visible signe and an audible word The Signe commeth first in the Text we are told what it was and what it ment It was the shape of a Doue and by it was ment the Spirit of God But touching this Signe wee learne here moreouer Vnde and Quo Whence it came where it pitcht whence the Heauens were opened vnto him and the Spirit of God descended where it pitcht the Spirit that descended lighted on Iesus You see what was the Visible signe A visible signe of it selfe is but a dumbe shew it may amaze it cannot instruct therefore it must bee illustrated and it is here illustrated by an audible word the word is called Vox de Caelo a voyce from Heauen and it was fit it should be so for from whence came the vision from thence was the Reuelation for to come the vision was from Heauen therefore the Reuelation thereof also But this is not all that we learne here concerning the word goe on and you shall finde Cuius and de quo who it is that vttereth it and of whom He that vttereth it is not exprest but fairely implied in Filius meus my Sonne Iesus could not be the Sonne but of GOD the Father therefore is it GOD the FATHER that speaketh the word And the word that he speaketh concerneth Iesus it teacheth vs first What he is to God the Father and secondly What he doth for vs. He is neere because the Sonne and deare because his beloued Sonne adde to both the Article 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that Sonne that beloued Sonne and then he will prooue neere and deare indeed From him that is so great with God we may not exspect small matters that which hee doth is answerable to that which hee is he doth that which neuer any other person could doe he propitiateth GODS wrath and by him we finde grace in the eyes of GOD These blessings of IESVS are contained in the last words In whom I am well pleased There is one Point more All this commendations that is giuen vnto IESVS referreth to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 This this person that is in the middest of you that maketh so little shew and is so little regarded is hee whom I so esteeme and vpon whom depends your soueraigne good I will not you may not for his Humilitie defraud him of his Glory You haue seene a glimpse of the Sacring of Christ though I should not yet the Text would require you to entertaine it with your best regard for the visible signe the audible word both are prefaced with a particle of attention Loe loe the Heauens were opened Loe a voyce from Heauen the word doth summon your eyes your eares to behold to attend these holy Mysteries And I pray GOD so to sanctifie your eyes and your eares that while I take a sunder this Text and shew it you more fully in the parts the blessed Trinitie may vouchsafe by them to instill into you some fructifying drops of our blessed Sauiours heauenly Vnction Amongst the particulars where-into I resolued the Text the first was the circumstance of Time when CHRIST was baptized CHRIST was baptized before he was Sacred hee was receiued into the new Couenant by Baptisme before hee became a dispenser thereof And the Church neuer thought it fit to swarue from so good a Patterne and conferre Holy Orders vpon any that was not first incorporated into the Church Yea it hath alwayes gon for a grounded truth that it is Baptisme that maketh a man capable of other Holy rites and that being vnbaptized he is vncapable of them Secondly the circumstance of Time doth notifie the kinde of grace that was figured in the descension of the Doue he descended not in but after the Act of Baptisme Had hee descended in the Act it might haue beene thought that onely Gratia gratum faciens the grace of regeneration or sanctification had beene represented by the Doue but descending after some farther kind of grace is more ouer intimated What that grace was let vs breifely inquire Some fetch hence the Originall of Confirmation and suppose that Christ the Head confirmed himselfe here vnto his Body the Church So that as in the Church Baptizati recipiunt spiritum sanctum they that are first baptized are after confirmed so CHRIST would be confirmed after hee was baptized There is no doubt but the Right of confirmation is Apostolicall notwithstanding the friuolous exceptions that by some are taken to it and it may passe inter pie credibilia that CHRIST did vouchsafe in his owne person to sanctifie that as hee did many other sacred rites of the Church But yet it may not be denied that ouer and aboue here is ment another kind of grace a grace that is not common to euery member of the Church as the grace of confirmation is but peculiar vnto a publique Person such as CHRIST was now called to be And therefore I call it Sacring grace such a kind of grace seemeth to be intimated by the circumstance of Time The second circumstance is that of Place the Place was where CHRIST stood after he came out of the water that was the banke of Iordan which St. Iohn calleth Bethabara the very name doth containe a Monument of the children of Israels first passage there into the land of Canaan and then the Place is not without a Mysterie the choice thereof giueth vs to vnderstand that the Historie of Iosua was performed in Iesus that the waters of Baptisme were become a passage from earth to Heauen from the condition of Nature to the condition of Grace and that euen while wee liue in this vaile of miserie we are thereby enrolled among the Saints Adde hereunto that Bethabara was now a place of great concourse Hierusalem Iudaea all the Regions about Iordan and all sorts of men resorted thither to be baptized of Iohn and it was meete that so great a worke as CHRISTS Sacring should be performed in a great assembly Yea all the remarkeable manifestations of our Sauiour his Miracles his Sermons his Death c. are noted to haue beene publike they were not as St. Paul obserues to King Agrippa done in a corner the vnbeleeuing Iew or other that doubts or disputes of their truth is by the circumstance of Place conuicted to doe it out of affected ignorance And let this suffice for the circumstance I come to the substance of the Sacring where first wee must see who it is that was sacred Wee finde that it was the same Person that was baptized the Sonne of God clothed with the nature of man Where note that Iesus had two Abilities an Actiue a Passiue one to giue another to receiue the Spirit hee that was able for to giue was contented 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 according to the diuine dispensation and humble condition whereunto for our sakes hee submitted himselfe to receiue the Spirit And indeed
Inauguration though it did not then make him but declare him to bee the King the Priest the Prophet of his Church But a little farther to enlarge this point distinguish Signum and Signatum In regard of the Signe the Holy Ghost came now vpon Iesus that he might point him out to St. Iohn Baptist for had not the Doue pitcht vpon IESVS the voyce from Heauen might haue beene misapplied but the signe put it out of all question who was meant If you looke to the thing signified then doeth St. Ierome giue a most comfortable note The Holy Ghost lighted vpon Iesus that he might inure himselfe more familiarly then before to dwell with the sonnes of men and make them new creatures for as St. Austin thinketh CHRIST did now vouchsafe to prefigure his Church wherein those that are baptized receiue the Holy Ghost and CHRIST receiued the Spirit aboue measure that of his fulnesse wee might all receiue grace for grace which S. Iohn seemeth to confirme when he saith that he descended and stayed vpon him in the signe vntill the word was spoken but in the grace vntill the worlds end Vntill the Worlds end shall CHRIST be those Oliue trees in Zacharie which feed the lights that burne in the house of GOD for he was anointed not onely Prae but Pro consortibus suis not onely aboue but also for his Church And although in the members of the Church grace may ebbe and flow yet in CHRIST is it alwayes constant and at the full Finally note the improouement of CHRISTS honour it was great when the Heauens opened and the Angels ascended and descended vpon him but when the Heauens opened and the Holy Ghost descended vpon him then was his honour much more great I haue done with the Visible signe and come now to the Audible Word The signe had beene but a dumbe shew without the Word for those signes that are sacred doe not signifie Natura sua by their owne nature but Diuino Instituto by diuine Institution and who knows it but hee that commands it and by his Word informes vs of his purpose Therefore GOD neuer appoints any Visible signe but hee addeth an audible word as appeares in Sacrifices and Sacraments which had precepts and promises annext shewing their vse and effects This light added to those shadowes did guide men to see their reference and correspondency the neglect whereof caused the carnall Iew and causeth the superstitious Papist to maime the mysteries of Religion and feed vpon beggerly rudiments and emptie ceremonies If wee will bee truely and fully religious wee must ioyne both and let both worke in their order our thorough edification But marke that the signe was from Heauen and so is the word from Heauen also and GOD is Author of both of the Vision and of the Reuelation no man may presume to be farther of GODS counsell then he is admitted or to fasten commentaries vpon his Texts without his instruction I should tire you and my selfe if I should shew you how Iewes and Christians haue lost themselues in such presumptuous contemplations But I rather chuse to impart vnto you the correspondency of the Gospel to the Law At the giuing of the Law there was Vox de coelo a voyce heard from Heauen so is there also at the deliuery of the Gospel that did containe a breife of the Law and this of the Gospel But there was moreouer this difference betweene the voyces the first was the voyce of Sinai the second the voyce of Sion De Baptismo Christs the first was a dreadfull but the second was a still voyce St. Cyprian concerning this second voyce mooueth this question Was there euer heard such a voyce before Whereunto the answere is ready certainely neuer so sweet so gracious a voyce you will confesse it when I haue shewed you whose and of whom the voyce was It was the voyce of GOD the FATHER Hoc non ego dico saith St. In c. 3. Lucae Ambrose when thou hearest these words This is my welbeloued Sonne c. know that it is not I who speake them to thee neither hath any man spoken them no nor GOD by an Angel or an Archangel Sed ab ipso Patre vox caelo demissa significauâ—t it is the FATHER himselfe that by a voyce doth notifie this vnto thee The Father I say for suppose by the Ministry of an Angel the voyce were framed yet certainely it was vttered in the Person of the FATHER Matth. 11. the Text doeth plainely intimate it in the words My Sonne But our Sauiour CHRIST doeth elsewhere confirme it with an vndeniable reason No man knoweth the Sonne but the Father and to St. Peter affirming Thou art Christ the Sonne of the liuing God Matth. 16. hee replieth Flesh and blood hath not reuealed this vnto thee but my Father which is in Heauen Many testimonies went before concerning CHRIST of the Wisemen of the Shepheards of the Angels but none euer came neere this if we receiue the testimony of men of creatures the Testimony of GOD of the Creator is much greater What shall I say then to these things but onely exhort you in the Apostles words Heb. 12. See that you refuse not him that speaketh for if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth much more shall not we escape if we turne away from him that speaketh from Heauen especially when he vttereth so comfortable and gracious words as are those Thou art my Sonne Some difference there is betweene the Euangelists in relating the words some making GOD to speake vnto Christ some to the Hearers concerning CHRIST but the reconciliation is easie for euen when GOD bends his words to CHRIST his meaning is not to informe CHRIST of that which he already knoweth but to instruct vs in that which it is fit for vs to know as CHRIST elsewhere and in another case obserues This voyce came not because of mee but for your sakes so S. Austin doth well reconcile the Euangelists Iohn 12. But let vs come to the contents of the voyce Decensensu Euangâ—â—â—â— Iâ—b 2. cap. 4. That which the FATHER speaketh is concerning his Sonne he tells vs What hee is to Him what he doeth for vs first what he is to Him Filius and Dilectus his Sonne D. Baptis Christ â— and his Beloued Duo grata vocabula saith St. Cyprian two most contenting words specially if you adde the article to either of them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 this Sonne is more then an ordinary Sonne and this Beloued is more then ordinarily beloued Tertullian de Trinit Looke vpon the words a sunder first the Sonne Christ was the Sonne of God two wayes considered Principalitas nominis Filij est in Spiritu Domini qui descendit the chiefe reason why Christ was called the Senne of God is because hee is God of God Light of Light begotten of his Father before all worlds but Sequela Nominis istius est in
was the Embleme of the acceptable yeere Luke 4. it testified that GOD was now 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and that men had now communion with him againe But here are two rules that must bee obserued first that these wordes in whom I am well pleased must bee vnderstood exclusiuely Act. 3. CHRIST is the onely Mediatour neither is there any other Name vnder Heauen giuen by which we may be saued but onely the Name of IESVS so that he which hath the Sonne hath life 1 Iohn 3. and hee which hath not the Sonne hath not life CHRIST will yeeld this glory to none other Secondly that GOD is immediatly well pleased with CHRIST but mediatly with vs If we doe not so vnderstand the words wee haue but little comfort in them wherefore we must bee assured that we are made accepted in Gods beloued that the Church is now called Hephzibah My delight is in her saith the LORD By the Sonne Esay 62.4 wee haue all accesse vnto the Father through the Holy Ghost Finally all this is to be vnderstood of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hic this Person which seemeth so meane appeares in the forme of a Seruant yet hee is Filius meus my Sonne my beloued in whom I am well pleased GOD is not ashamed of his SONNE humbling himselfe in our nature neither doth he loue him the lesse And why his obedience was voluntary it was to doe his FATHERS will it was to doe vs good much lesse should we be ashamed for whose sake he became so humble yea God forbid that we should reioyce but in the Crosse of Christ if Hic and Meus sort so well in GODS iudgment they must agree much more in ours But to draw to an end In this Text there is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a true Epiphanie And indeed the Church reades my Text but out of St. Luke vpon the Epiphanie day on which the Tradition holds that he was Baptized and this great manifestation of GOD was made vnto the world wherein all things are Augusta maiestati Christi congrua very solemne very heauenly no where is the Mystery of the Trinitie which is the first foundation of true Religion nor the comfortable actions thereof which is the foundation of Christian Religion so ioyntly so vndeniably reuealed The Mystery of the Trinitie is incomprehensible vnutterable Ego nescio saith St. Hilarie I professe my ignorance of it yet will I comfort my selfe the Angels know it not the world cannot comprehend it the Apostles neuer reuealed it cesset ergo dolor querelarum let not men murmurre or complaine that this secret is hidden from them let it suffice them to know that there is a Trinitie in Vnitie let them neuer inquire how it is for they will inquire in vaine Naztanzene giueth the reason 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 While I would contemplate the Vnitie my thoughts are daâ—led by the Trinitie and while I goe about to distinguish the Trinitie I am presently cast vpon the Vnitie the one doeth call my thoughts vpon the other And what wonder that a man should bee so puzled For Quo intellectu Deum capiat homo 3. Austin qui intellectum suum quo vult capere nondum capit How should he bee able to comprehend the Trinitie that comprehends not yet his reasonable Soule the onely helpe which hee hath wherewith to comprehend it and is indeede the best resemblance of it That which I haue said concerning the Trinitie is a good rule of sobrietie to hold in curious wits that will prie too farre into these diuine Mysteries And yet Epiphanius doeth well checke the incredulitie of Sabellius Non credis tres personas diuinae Essentiae doest thou not beleeue the Trinitie in Vnitie Comitare Iohanem ad Iordanem attend Iohn Baptist to the riuer Iordan there thou shalt finde them all three And indeed here the Trinitie is brought in some sort within the compasse of our conceipt for it is not set foorth as it is In se but ad Nos not simply as the foundation of true Religion but as the foundation of Christian Religion as euery Person contributes towardes our Saluation When such an Obiect is presented the word of attention is pressed seasonably and reasonably it is prest to the eye and prest to the eare these reasonable senses are summoned with reuerence and confidence to behold to attend these sacred Mysteries To behold them as they are deliuered in the Historie for euen the Historie it selfe being rare is able to allure our reasonable senses Did it nothing otherwise concerne him who would not willingly yea greedily heare the voyce of GOD the FATHER see the Holy Ghost in the shape of a Doue and see the SONNE of GOD so humbling himselfe in the nature of man How much more should we desire it when there is not onely Miraculum but Mysterium in it euen one of the greatest Mysteries of godlinesse The Heauens are opened that is a Miracle but they are opened for Vs the Holy Ghost descends in a Doue but the Doue is but an Embleme of the holinesse that must be in Vs that is the Mysterie the SONNE of GOD here appeares to bee the Sonne of Man that is a Miracle but he appeares to Sanctifie the waters for the regeneration of man that is a Mysterie when the Miracles present these Mysteries doe they not deserue a Loe deserue that the eye the eare both should be taken vp by which thou mayest be made partaker of them O but thou wilt say I would trauell farther then Iordan to see such a sight might my eye see the Heauens opened might my eare heare GOD speake from Heauen might I bee so happy as to come to such an Inauguration of my Sauiour my eye should not be satisfied with seeing nor my eare with hearing Heare what S. Ambrose answereth to such an obiection EisdeÌ„ sacramentis res iam agitur quibus tunc gesta est nisi quod gratia pleniore the life of that Mysterie continueth stil though it be not cloathed with the same Miracle then was the Trinitie seene with carnall eyes whom now we contemplate with the eyes of Faith Dominicâ— 6. post Pentecost Yea St. Ambrose is bold to say that greater grace is offered vnto vs then to them that were present at the Baptisme of CHRIST for vnto them as being incredulous GOD perswaded Faith by corporall signes but in vs that are the faithfull hee worketh grace spiritually And it is greater grace so to behold GOD as the faithfull doe then as doe those that are vnfaithfull so that the Loe doeth no lesse concerne vs then it did them Yea it concernes vs much more our eyes should dayly be lifted vp Heauen and behold how the grace of Sanctification descends from thence into vs and to behold how the benefit of Adoption is dayly offered vs our eares should be opened vnto Heauen The Holy Ghost commeth to vs but who seeth him GOD professeth that he accepteth
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
this word imports is That the sinnes which we entertaine for friends shall suddenly turne to be our foes they shall appeare as an Army furnished with the instruments of Death So we learne of St PETER Brethren I beseech you 1 Pet. 2 11. as strangers and pilgrimes abstaine from fleshly lusts which fight against the soule We thinke that by them we sight against GOD but GOD is impenitrable the arrowes that we shoot rebound backe and wound our selues And no maruell for sinne is the sting of death and we cannot commit sinne but we receine that sting and when GOD shall come against vs as Iâ—HV against IEZEâ—EL and call who is on my side who Our owne sinnes 2 King 9. as her Eunuches shall stand out and at his command cast vs downe to be trampled vnder feet and to be made meat for Dogges to be insulted vpon by the Fiends of Hell and to be gnawne on by Death But where shall this martialling be Surely in our owne bosome in our owne conscience that shall then be a true and a cleare glasse representing our sinnes and representing them armed against vs. And this shall adde much to our miserie it shall not be then with vs as it is in this world here we behold our naturall face in a glasse Iames 1. and by and by goe away and forget what manner of person we were but this glasse shall still be before vs and our eye shall still be on it And why It is nothing but the worme that neuer dyeth we can no more be rid of it then we can be rid of our soule the Conscience is an essentiall power of the Soule and this worme by an irreuocable decree is made a perpetuall companion of a guiltie Conscience the wicked shall carrie it with them from the Iudgement-Seat and shall keepe it with them so long as they shall burne in the flames of Hell This is a powerfull Motiue and should worke in you that are guiltie a care to disarme so powerfull an Enemie to plucke out the sting before the wound be vncurable so many sinnes as remaine vnrepented of are as so many treacherous Souldiers howsoeuer they doe now speake friendly to you yet when they are least feared they will giue deadly strokes you shall feare them when you shall haue no remedy against them What I say to you I say vnto all nay GOD himselfe saith it in the close of this Psalme Heare this all ye that forget God Iewes and Gentiles whatsoeuer you be if you be adulterers drunkards vsurers blasphemers any way wicked liuers Consider this saith GOD least I suddenly take you away and there be none to helpe you for if we be guiltie of such sinnes and encourage our selues in them by base conceipts of GOD GOD will not faile to reproue vs and marshall such wickednesse before vs to conuict vs thereof and confound vs therewith God giue vs all timely repentance that we may preuent so fearefull a vengance Amen Πάντοτε δόξα Θηῶ. A SERMON PREACHED AT St ANDREWES IN WELLS A WOMAN DOING PENANCE FOR INCEST GALATH. 6. VERSE 1. Brethren if a man be ouertaken in a fault you which are spirituall restore such a one in the spirit of meekenesse considering thy selfe lest thou also be tempted WE are all compounded of the Old and New man and euerie one feeles the solicitations of both These solicitations exercise both our head and our heart our head to discerne betweene them our heart to make a good choyce vpon a right iudgement And that we make such a choyce it should appeare in our works they should argue the death of concupiscence and the life of grace in that we beare fruit not to the Flesh but to the Spirit Now the fruit of the Spirit is either pietie or charitie it testifieth that our selues are carefull to be good and being good we are not vnrespectiue of others Not of them that are good for it keeps vs from being ambitiously insolent not of them that are bad for it makes vs compassionately mercifull The exercise of this last branch of charitie the opening of our tender bowels towards such as offend is the Argument of these words which I haue now read vnto you Here we haue Offendors described and Compassion enioyned Offendors not of all sorts but such as ought to be the subiect of Compassion Offendors that are ouertaken in a fault we are enioyned to shew Compassion to these to restore them in the spirit of meekenesse And touching this Compassion we are moreouer taught First who must shew it and secondly what must moue them therunto They that must shew it are here called Brethren and spirituall each name importeth a reference they haue vnto the Offendor the first a reference of their persons they are their Allies and therefore may not shut their bowels against them the second of their guifts the better they are the more good they must doe such are the persons that must shew compassion And they must be moued thereunto out of an apprehension of the common danger danger is common to all Thou mayst likewise be tempted and no man must be vnobseruant hereof he must consider his owne selfe So haue you the contents of this Text which I meane now farther to enlarge as this spectacle doth occasion and shall be most behoofefull for vs all I begin first at the description that is here made of an Offendor where you shall see first his fault and then the cause thereof The fault is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a fall a fall taken by stumbling The fall is not corporall but morall yet by a corporall you may vnderstand a morall fall for he that falleth in regard of the sight of his body commeth lower and withall ordinarily taketh a bruise euen so is it in a morall fall GOD by Creation made a man dominum socium If you looke to this visible world he made him dominum as it appeareth Genes 1. where Soueraigntie is giuen ouer the Beasts Birds Fishes and euerie other Creature made for the vse of man But if you looke to the inuisible world then was he to be Socius a confort with the Angels in the blessed state of Heauen Yea in this Microcosme the Fabricke of the nature of man which is as it were an Epitome of these two other worlds the better part had the guidance of and commanded ouer the worse the Soule ruled the Body But so soone as man sinned he came downe domintos became servus and these base creatures began to tyrannize ouer vs who were ordained their Lords hence goods meats drinkes and other corruptible things are become Idols and we fall downe and worship them and what will not a man doe transported by the vanity of this world As for the societie we had with Angels the blessed Angels of Heauen we haue lost that and are become the Serpents brood not onely Beasts but also Diuels Finally Earth hath gotten the vpper hand of Heauen the Body of the
Soule and we serue euery one his seuerall Lusts so that though we consist of a Soule and a Body yet the Scripture calleth vs carnall as if so be we had no Spirits In our worldly state euerie man laboureth to range himselfe with the best and we account them base that being of noble blood affect not the companie of their equals but in our spirituall state we are not sensible hereof we are not ambitious but base euerie one stoopes below himself and loues to grouell rather then stand vpright we loue comming downe But this comming downe is not all the euill of our fall it is accompanied with a bruise our nature by it doth not onely become more base but more feeble also for euerie sinne giueth a wound it impayreth grace in euerie power our vnderstanding groweth more dimme our will more impotent and our affections lesse capable of controwle Sinnes are like rebels that not onely reuolt but also keep castle against their Soueraigne whence they are not easily remoued euerie mans experience yeelds profe hereof and warrants this truth that sin doth not onely disgrace but also disable a sinner But sinnes are not all equall and therefore produce not all equall effects the Stoicks paradoxe is long since condemned and whether we looke to that wherein we sinne our dutie to GOD or our Neighbor or that wherewith we sinne I meane the degrees of our wills that concurre in our acts we shall find great odds and confesse that one sinne is greater then another and that all fals are not alike whether we look to the disgrace of the person or the weakning of our nature Not to goe from my Text or rather from this present occasion Incontinencie hath diuers degrees Fornication Adulterie Incest all communicate in Incontinencie but so that Adulterie is worse then Fornication and Incest worse then Adulterie Fornication violateth the good order that should be betweene single persons through vnruly Lusts Adulterie addeth thereunto a confusion of Families and taketh away the distinction of Heires and Inheritance but Incest moreouer abolisheth the reuerence which is ingraued by nature to forbid that persons whom nature hath made so neere should one vncouer the others shame as speaketh the Law and not onely that but adds that for such incontinencie the Land did spue out the Canaanites Leuit. 18. So that when you come to consider your fall you must consider not onely the nature but also the degree of it and your repentance must be answerable vnto your fall looke how farre you haue debased your selfe so farre must you be humbled and be afflicted with sorrow as deeply as you haue wounded your selfe with sinne Thus much you are taught in that your sinne is a fall But it must farther be learned whence these fals come and we find in the Text the occasions and causes of them The occasions are implyed in the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifieth a stumbling at some thing that lyeth in our way we are apt to fall by nature because we are mutable but we doe not commonly fall except some occasion be giuen And the world is full of occasions The Diuell hath euerie where his stumbling blocks he knoweth whether our corrupt nature bendeth and worketh accordingly he hath a wedge of gold for couetous ACHAN a crowne for ambitious AESOLON a DINA for SHECHEM finally he knoweth what will worke our affections and our dispositions with that he plyeth and with that he wooeth our consent to sinne and these things the Scripture cals stumbling blocks and are the occasions of fals We all walke in the middest of them and are to take good heed vnto them but yet so that we doe not conceiue otherwise of them then they are strong motiues they are but they are but motiues perswade they may compell they cannot therefore they are not enough to giue a fall except the true cause be added to the occasion and we may not so dwell on the occasion as not to looke forward to the true cause we may otherwise blame others while we should be blaming of our selues and we are too apt to excuse our selues by making others guilty of our faults But we must passe on from the occasion to the cause and the cause will tell vs who doth most deserue the blame The cause appeareth in these words If a man be ouertaken whereon St HIEROME giueth a good note Praeuentio dici non potest cum quid praemeditatò fit so that this phrase importeth a difference of sinners whereof some fall through malice some through frailtie Through malice they fall in whom the principles of conscience are corrupt who wittingly and willingly commit sinne with greedinesse neither before the fact feeling any reluctancy neither after the fact conceiuing any sorrow Esay 5. these account euill good and good euill light darknesse and darknesse light sweet sower and sower sweet these are not within the compasse of my Text for they are not ouertaken This phrase reacheth onely those which sinne Dum aut latet veritas aut compellit infirmitas as BEDE speaketh either they are sophistically circumuented or vnawares transported and so take a fall We should weigh the validitie of the perswasions and bethinke our selues what we doe before we set our selues a doing we should enquire what GODS Law doth forbid or allow before we giue or withhold our assent But our affections vsually outstep our discretion and bring either false or rash intelligence whereupon we yeeld and slip verie often dum latet veritas for want of making diligentenquirie but more often dum vincit infirmitas while we are too indulgent to our affections And indeed howsoeuer in errors of Faith and mistakes of truth those that are without the Church or being within are not Orthodoxe Rom. 1. become vaine in their ratiocination as the Apostle speeketh and their ignorance is apparantly the child of negligence Yet in the default of manners and breach of the morall Law we haue little colour of ignorance all the blame lyeth vpon the impotencie of our affections the thiefe the drunkard the lyer the blasphemer all must yeeld that they knew what they should doe but obeyed their corrupt lusts in doing the contrarie And no other plea hath this incestuous person though her tongue should be silent yet her teares doe speake that this is her plea for the sacrifice of her broken and contrite heart sacrificed for that which she hath done testifieth that she knoweth well that she hath done amisse but did it being ouertaken for sorrow after a fact is the iudgement that the penitent passeth vpon his own fact in weeping for it she doth condemne it Our lesson is that we must be watchfull ouer occasions lest by them we become causes of our owne fall and if we sinne GOD grant vs grace to sorrow lest otherwise as we displease so we dispise GOD Such despisers are not to be accounted in the number of those that are ouertaken and so they