thither yet let our hearts ascend up if our soule be as yet bound and fastned within this mortall prison at the least let our faith flie up to those delicious places and there rest and stay untill our soules be perfectly pure cleane and white that one day both in body and soule wee may contemplate Gods divine Majestie and sing eternally with the holy Angels Holy holy is the Lord God of hosts for evermore AMEN O Most bountifull God and most mercifull King wee thy servants and children here prostrate and humbled before the high and holy tribunall of thy sacred and soveraigne Majestie doe ingenuously confesse that we are not worthy to lift up our eyes or our hands towards heaven to call upon thee in our necessities for our sinnes are raised over our heads like terrible mountaines which seeme to threaten and defie thy judgements from the top of their presumptuous impudencie Iniquity hath made our soules as black as firebrands and the transgression of thy divine commaundements hath made our consciences more red then scarlet in a word forgetting thee we haue forgotten our selues and remember but as a dreame our beginning derived from heaven Wherefore O good Iesus O sweet Saviour of our bodies and soules kindle in our hearts the fire of thy divine love and let it be a candle to our feete and a light unto our pathes that wee may safely escape out of these terrible downefalls which threaten unto us death and condemnation wash our soules in the precious blood issuing from thy wounds make them by thy favour whiter then snow and then washed wooll we cannot enter into thy Tabernacle before wee be cleansed of our faults graunt then unto us by thy mercy one onely drop of this large and vast ocean of thy great compassions wash our roabes in the blood of the Lambe that wee may be made worthy to follow him whither soever he goeth Change our eyes into two lively fountaines of penitent teares which may become a Iordane of griefe and displeasure for having beene so wicked before thy face within the which wee may dip our selues seaven times yea seaventy times seaven times that we may be delivered of the spirituall leprosie of sinne which makes us so foule and ugly in thy sight and presence And after thou hast pulled off from us the old man and cloathed us with the new which is with justice and holinesse when thou hast given us the wedding garment then we shall sit down with Abraham Isaac and Iacob at the delicate feast which thou hast prepared for us and the which must be kept upon the mountaine of the heavenly Sion where wee shall see thee face to face where we shall be ravished in this contemplation and shall bee quite exchanged and transformed into the extasie of this ravishment Amen The third way to Sion THE CROVVNE OF PEACE AND CONCORD MATH 5.9 Blessed are the Peacemakers for they shall be called the children of God WHen two Kings to decide some quarrell are ready to take Armes they first of all enkindle the fire of warre in their subjects hearts through all their Dominions then all is in trouble combustion and disorder and all newes are sorrowfull and lamentable on the one side you may see desolate Parents poore olde men leaning on the brim of their graves considering with eyes overflowing with teares their deare children whom for the greatnes and multiplicity of their cruell wounds they can scarcely know On the other side you are frighted by the lamentable complaints by the loude cries and pitifull lamentations of the bewayling widowes over the dead bodies of their dearely beloved husbands In a word there is nothing but fire blood and slaughter to be seene so that one may properly say That Warre the mother of all mischiefe is as it were a feast celebrated to the honour of death to whom are continually offered up many pitifull and bloody sacrifices which she exactly keepes in the grave But when some great Prince of earthly Monarch undertaketh to agree them his Embassadors are every where received with open armes bone fires and triumphall arches erected in token of that joy and contentment which they receive by their mediation for peace according to that saying of the Lord Blessed are the feete of those that bring tidings of peace Rom. 10.16 Iesus Christ here continueth his Sermon to his Disciples where in a continued order hee sheweth them the perfection of blessednesse he maketh them scale the heavens by eight degrees which they must ascend here on earth And having spoken formerly of six hee commeth now to the seaventh saying Blessed are the Peacemakers for they shall be called the children of God Which words by Gods assistance wee will divide into two principall parts 1. the proposition 2. the reason of it the proposition concerneth the Peacemakers and their felicity the reason of this beatitude is to be called the children of God Now for our better understanding of these words let us handle them all severally and let us for a while leave this concrete word Peace-maker and so come to his abstract to wit peace the which is diversly defined according to the severall sorts and degrees of it For there is the peace of the body which is a just temperature of the parts There is a peace of the irreasonable soule which is an inordinate rest of the appetite The is a peace of the reasonable soule which is a moderated consent of the action and understanding There is a peace of the soule and body which is a well governed life and the health of the living creature There is a peace of mortall man which is a well ordered obedience in faith under the government of the eternall and divine law There is a peace of the house which consisteth in a just concord of the domesticall both in commanding and obeying There is a peace of the Cite which is a concord among the Citizens There is a peace of the heavenly Citie which is a well governed Societie wholly and eternally to enjoy God There is a peace of men which is a mutuall concord And againe there is a peace of all things which is a perfect tranquillity of order now order is nothing else but a true disposition giving to every thing his true ranke and place The Hebrew word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 shalom representeth unto us exceeding well her Essence for it signifieth a happy successe of all things in God Where we may note that every word hath his weight and inestimable value For first it is a successe and not a hazard which is happy and not unlucky of all and not of something onely in God and not in the world The Grecians call it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quiet sweet gracious as deserving that name 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by excellencie because there is nothing in the world to bee compared to the excellencie of a publick and particular rest and tranquillity The Latines call it Pax quasi pacata because
mercifull for they shall obtaine mercie We reade words like unto these Luke 6.36 Be yee mercifull as your Father is mercifull And againe after forgive and it shall be forgiven unto you give and it shall be given unto you And Eccl. 4. Be mercifull to the Orphans be unto them a father and to their mothers a husband and then yee shall be the obedient sonnes of the most high who will yet more liberally distribute unto you his great mercie And Pro. 11. The soule that doth good shall be exceedingly filled and replenished It is a principle flowing from our nature that we must not doe to another what we would not have done to our selves from which principle is derived that golden sentence of Christ Luk. 6. With what measure you mete it shall be againe measured unto you And Iames 2. Condemnation without mercie shall fall on them that have not used mercie and mercie is glorified against condemnation Blessed then are the mercifull for they shall obtaine mercie In which words by Gods assistance which wee to this end implore wee will consider 1. Who be these mercifull And 2. The reason why they are termed blessed And first let us heare the sacred voyce of the eternall Sonne of God the Redeemer of our soules saying in the first part of our Text Blessed are the mercifull as if he had said O how great and altogether incomparable and incomprehensible are the favours blessings and graces laid up for them that shall practise the works of mercie they shall be Citizens of heaven the Angels companions and shall eternally enjoy and possesse in heaven those beatitudes which eye hath not seene eare hath not heard and that are not entred into the heart of man and this is the recompence that God hath prepared for them which practise mercie Now that we may the better know the definition of this word Mercifull which is the concrete or conjoyned we will first consider it in its abstract as the Philosophers speake to wit Mercie which is commonly defined to be A hearty griefe or a sorrow for anothers miserie whom we assist and helpe with all our power The object of it is the miserie and affliction of other which makes her produce these gracious and pittifull effects because shee is unable to behold the sore without applying the remedie God being one cannot suffer any kinde of division there be no qualities nor accidents in him but all things are essentiall in him the Scripture to represent him unto us doth describe him all justice and all mercie so by reason of the fore-going maxime wee cannot say that mercie is one of his parts seeing that being one hee is indivisible but wee will more properly say that he is Mercie it selfe and therefore the faithfull that shall bee mercifull that shall practise the works of charity of clemencie and meekenesse may undoubtedly beleeve that they are the sonnes of the most high who hath communicated unto them a ray or sparke of his infinite grace and mercie that so they may thereby resplend and shine with the same light with their heavenly Father tread upon his steps and be made like him as much as may be Be mercifull saith Iesus Christ as your heavenly Father is mercifull Luke 6.36 Mercie said an ancient Doctor est fidei ornamentum it is the ornament of faith for faith sheweth her selfe by her fruits which are pious and charitable works and as trees are never so faire to behold as when they are loaden and covered with fruits so faith never appeareth so glorious as when she is adorned and crowned with the sweet and delightfull fruites of mercie Hee called it againe salutis domicilium the retreate and lodging of salvation because that when sinners shall be called to give account of their actions before God when God shall aske them the reason of their administration as that Lord in the Gospell then the shortest and safest remedie is to flye to his mercie and to aske him forgivenesse Salomon that wise King counselleth us to make a carcanet of mercie to put it about our necke and that in this habit and ornament wee shall make the accesse of heaven free to our selves finding grace before God and men and indeed it is one of the most pretious stones and that is fit to beautifie and adorne the crowne of perfection it selfe Wee will therefore compare it to the Oppall stone Irius which represents the same colours that appeare in the Raine-bowe so the mercifull makes all sorts of graces and blessings to shine upon his forehead and to appeare in his actions this Oppall stone Irius is greene red and white the greene colour represents unto us that Hope which we have to finde grace before the soveraigne Iudge of our soules and bodies The red colour represents unto us the pure blood of Christ shed upon the Crosse to obtaine this grace for us she also denoteth unto us the rednesse of our sinnes according to the Prophets phrase Though our sinnes were as red as scarlet they shall be made as white as snowe Isa 1.18 and the white colour figureth unto us the divine justice covered and overcome by the whitenesse of his mercie as it is noted in the Rainebow that his white colour covereth and exceedeth the red if faire weather be to follow They marke besides that this Oppall easeth the paines and labours of women with childe so mercie lighteneth much the miserie and griefe of the afflicted We will here make no difficulty to use in this place the fabulous inventions of the Poets following the example of Salomon who tooke of Hiram though a Pagan all the wood and stones needfull for the building of the temple They usually describe Mercury the messenger of the imaginary Gods with a wand in his hand composed of hornes of plenty wreathed with serpents they also give him wings with which he with incredible celerity flyes whether soever he is sent In this fable wee see a remarkable morall which is that it is a symbole of the Mercifull who quickly and without delay takes pitie of the miserie of others according to this axiome no lesse common then true Bis dat qui cito dat he giveth twice that giveth speedily Secondly he lives in all plenty and abundance because that God blesseth him in all his goods as the Psalmist speaketh Hee hath given largely to the poore his righteousnesse remaineth for ever his horne shall be exalted in glory and he shall have whereof to lend all the dayes of his life Psal 112.9 The serpent useth once a yeare to cast off his skinne to assume another that thereby he may be more healthfull and faire so those who are mercifull leave and cast off their wealth and substance in favour of them that need it that so they may appeare faire in the eye of the most high give your almes and all things shall bee cleane vnto you putting off the old man But that we may walke in the sacred pathes of the holy
puffed up with the winde of ambition and that is not infected with covetousnesse who laugheth at wrongs and careth not for revenge who goeth boldly every where and feareth nothing for he that is deepely in Gods favour should be afraid of nothing in a word a quiet and peaceable soule studieth and busieth her selfe about nothing but to love serue and honour her God shee is alwayes betweene love and feare love to please him feare of offending him a feare I say filiall but not seruile When I thinke upon this peace and tranquillity of the minde and soule I am like the needle of a Compasse that alwayes turnes towards the North of my desires towards my Iesus my Saviour and my God which is the excellentest and perfectest patterne of peace and mildnesse that I am able to chuse or propose in this behalfe and matter I am saith he by the mouth of the Prophet Isaiah the meeke Lambe he is brought as a Lambe to the slaughter and as a dumbe Sheepe before her shearers and hee opened not his mouth Isaiah 53.7 It is a thing very frequently and commonly knowne that the Panther smelleth so sweet that all other beasts come to smell to her Our sweet Iesus is represented by her both by her name and effects for in Greeke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifieth all as God was defined by Plato Iesus Christ breathes forth so sweet and fragrant a smell that it embalmeth the faithfulls soules so speaketh the Spouse in the Canticles The name of my beloved is like oyle shed therefore have the young maydens loved thee so dearely by these maydens wee must understand the virgins of sinne those that have not knowne iniquity that love peace and seeke after it after hee goeth on Chap 4.11 Thy lips O my Spouse drop as the hony combe hony and milke are under thy tongue and the smell of thy garments is like the smell of Lebanon Wee should passe too often over the same steps and path if we should here againe speake of the admirable and inimitable mildnesse and tranquillity of our good Master and Saviour Iesus Christ whose birth preacheth unto us humility his life peace and his death compassion Let us then strive to imitate him as much as wee can possible in our youth being very humble in our viril age peaceable and in our old age pitifull and in all the course of our life milde bountifull and loving following Davids counsell Love peace and seeke it for God with a favourable and gracious eye beholds him that is studious of peace and he heareth his most humble prayers in the time of his affliction Psalm 34.16 Behold great and divine profits faire and admirable rewards and recompences that the faithfull get by seeking after peace with God and by having procured all the meanes of agreement with their neighbours both in things that concerne them and in things needfull to the union and concord of all our brethren Let us now heare that gracious and favourable voyce shewing unto us the profit and recompence which wee must without doubt expect for having beene peacemakers it is Iesus Christ himselfe who is not a man that hee should lye nor the Sonne of man that he should repent when he saith in our text Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the children of God He doth not onely say they shall be blessed after their death but they are so already because that he makes them know in their soules the delight he takes in it and the goods which they shall receive which is eternall peace Blessed then are the feete of those that bring tidings of peace Isaiah 52.7 This particle For sheweth the reason of their blessednesse and not the cause for if all the peacemakers were the children of God by consequence many Turkes and Pagans should be such because they are peacemakers But the tree must be first good before it can beare good fruit so wee must first be the children of God before wee can be true peacemakers for those that are peacemakers not being the children of God have already received their reward that is they have received the praise and applause of the world which they were peacemakers to obtaine but all that is nothing but a maske and false apparition of that true peace which God recommendeth unto us In this reason of Christs why the peacemakers shall be called the children of God wee must note and obserue a double Hebraisme the one in the word Children the other in the verbe they shall be called vocabuntur The first Hebraisme is in the word Filij Children which in the holy tongue signifieth conformee and like as Math. 5.44.45 Love your enemies blesse them that curse you doe good to them that hate you and pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you that ye may be the children that is like to your Father which is in heaven The other Hebraisme is in the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in Hebrew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Kara that is erunt or vocabuntur they shall be called which is turned erunt they shall be where of wee have an example Genes 21.12 God speaking to Abraham saith In Isaac shall thy seede be called that is shall thy seede be Of which words Saint Paul is an irreprehensible interpreter Rom. 9.7.8 Neither because they are the seede of Abraham are they all children but in Isaac shall thy seede be called that is they which are the children of the flesh these are not the children of God but the children of the promise are counted for the seed The Prophet Isaiah 36.7 useth the same phrase My house shall be called an house of prayer for all people And Saint Luke interpreting these words chap. 19.46 saith It is written My house is the house of prayer but ye have made it a denne of theeves and indeede this word shall be called seemeth to mee much more emphaticall and comprehending more then the word to be onely because this to be called est in rerum natura is in the nature of the things and besides that it is knowne and published of every man therefore Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall not onely be the children of God but also shall be knowne and acknowledged for such even by their greatest enemies who before thought them to be foolish and pusillanimous but then they shall be forced to confesse that they are the true children of God and to speake like the wicked Wisedome the 5. Chap. Then saith she shall the just appeare in safety before the face of them that have tormented him and that shall have rejected his labours who seeing him shall be seased with horrible feare and shall bee frighted to see him beyond their expectation saved then changing their opinions sighing for griefe shall be in their hearts they will say among themselues Behold this is he of whom sometimes we laughed and made proverbs of dishonour We fooles thought his life madnesse and his death
he prayeth to God for them herein imitating his good and blessed Master Iesus Christ saying Lord impute not this sinne unto them As wee read Acts 7.60 If Moses in the precedent examples hath bin seene something too much desirous of revenge we may also reade that many times he hath forgiven those that had offended him yea and hath mediated and prayed to God for them least hee should have revenged them David having received innumerable offences and wrongs of Saul notwithstanding finding him wearie in the Cave having him in his bed at his discretion he forgave him all the injuries and harmes he had made him suffer saying only The Lord is a just Iudge that will avenge mee of mine enemies and will render unto me after the integrity of my heart The Apostles indeed suffered themselues to be carried away by this sweet desire and appetite of revenge when they would make fire fall from heaven upon that Towne that had offended them but it was because they were fraile and weake men like us when they fell into their faults and errours but they were soone rectified and raised up againe by the grace of the holy Ghost so that at length when any gave them injuries they rendered none againe they were whipped and stoned they were cast into prison and yet they blessed and prayed for them that did it and sought by all meanes to Preach the Gospell unto them and to shew them the way of salvation these second examples wee must follow that we may appeare to be the children of God Disciples of Christ and imitatours of his Apostles This noble and godly action of forgiving our enemies we must practise first if we desire that God shall acknowledge us for his children we must strive to be like him who is the fountaine of forgivenesse who is meekenesse and curtesie it selfe and nothing but mercie Secondly wee must pardon others if wee desire that God shall forgive us since that is conditionall which wee aske him Lord forgive us our trespasses as we forgive them that trespasse against us Now if we doe not forgive men their trespasses no more will our heavenly Father forgive us Math. 6.15 For with the same measure that we mete it shall be also measured unto us againe And that which must the more oblige us to put off the infected and poysonsome coate of cruelty and revenge since it is an abomination to God which he hath prohibited us in so many places of Scripture as Proverb 20.22 Say not thou I will recompence evill but waite upon the Lord and hee shall save thee And Rom. 12.19 Dearely beloved avenge not your selues but give place unto wrath for it is written Vengeance is mine I will repay saith the Lord if then thy enemie be hungrie give him to eate if hee be thirstie give him drinke for in so doing thou shalt heape burning coales upon his head And Ecclus 28. The Lord will be avenged of him that revengeth himselfe and hee will keepe carefully his faults for him forgive thy neighbour his misdeedes and when thou shalt pray thy sinnes shall he forgiven thee Shall man keepe his wrath against man and aske to be cured by the Lord he will not take pitie of man like to himselfe and will aske pardon of his sinnes since he that is but flesh keepeth his wrath and asketh forgivenesse to God who shall obliterate and blot out his sinnes It is a common saying and proverb There is nothing so sweet as revenge but for my part I cannot perceive this sweetnesse unlesse it bee compared to a well scowred blade of a sword that pierceth and passeth through easily but at the same time taketh away our lives as the Bees that leave their sting where they strike and with it their life Animasque in vulnere ponunt so when we revenge our selues we leave the sting of our wrath in the wounds of our enemie but wee doe not consider so blinde are we that withall we thereby wound our soules to death Heliodorus tells us of one that said That death would be sweet and welcome to him if he knew that his enemie should also die and of another iealous woman that cryed out O how delightfull would death be to mee if I could fall dead upon the dead bodie of my rivall Plutarch saith very well That of all the wild beasts there is none so savage and cruell as a man that hath the liberty and power to execute his revenge But if wee consider it diligently we shall see that this impatience and not to be able to beare an injurie is a great infirmitie and weakenesse but as noble hearts and generous and magnanimous soules doe scorne and despise wrongs so doe they also forgive and forget all kindes of revenge Pericles of all the actions of his life esteemed this the most remarkable that hee had never revenged himselfe for any wrong done unto him And Phocion being put to death unjustly feeling the effects of that mortall Hemlock to bring him neare to the last period of his life recommended nothing so much to his sonne as this that he should forget the memorie of this offence and that he should never seeke to be revenged for it that in medling with it he would stay the gods from taking in hand the justice of his cause who would questionlesse revenge him of this offence Let us use the same Doctrine though comming from the prophane mouth of a Papan they are neverthelesse of infallible truth as a Diamond looseth nothing of his value though it be in the dirt let us then practise it and let us remember that whilest we desire to punish our enemies wee doe them a great favour and are reveng'd of our selues for the offence which they have done unto us which would deserue a farre more rigorous labour if wee left it to God but hee seeing that wee will neither referre it to his justice nor to his commaundements nor to his promises being unwilling to endure a companion in any of his works hee suffereth us to try our uttermost which is most commonly the cause of our ruine Let us then breake off this discourse which would never end if wee should punctually follow it and let us remember that revenge is our Masters owne dish which none can touch without incurring his indignation And let us imitating our heavenly Father forgive our enemies for if hee should take revenge of all the offences which wee at every moment commit against his sacred Majestie hee would then reduce us to that nothing from whence we came or would inflict upon us eternall paines and punishments since the least offence committed against an infinite goodnesse deserveth an infinite paine and torment Let us then follow Saint Lukes admonition Be mercifull as your heavenly Father is mercifull and presently after wee shall heare that blessed recompence which we shall receive for it to wit Blessed are the mercifull for they shall obtaine mercie Wee have already shewed how God recompenseth
Church is naturally denoted and figured unto us By the holy place whereunto came onely the Levites and those which ministred at the Sacrifices are signified unto us the Ministers of the word of God who are chosen and put a part in his Church to be Heraulds and Embassadours of his holy will offering the ordinary Sacrifices of prayer and thanksgiving which are his delectable and well accepted service By the Sanctum Sanctorum or the most holy place is truly figured unto us Heaven for as the high Priest entred not into that place before he had first purified washed himselfe according to the Divine ordinance so the faithfull cannot enter into heaven untill hee hath first divested sinne and be covered with the cloake of Iustice holinesse and innocencie therfore Iesus Christ himselfe declareth the same thing unto us with his owne sacred mouth saying Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see GOD. The Prophet David expresseth exceeding well the same words in the 15. Psalme saying Lord who shall abide in thy Tabernacle who shall dwell in thy holy hill he that walketh uprightly and worketh righteousnesse and speaketh the truth in his heart And in the 24. Psalme Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord and who shall stand in his holy place hee that hath cleane hands and a pure heart who hath not lifted up his soule unto vanity nor sworne deceitfully Hee shall receive the blessing from the Lord and righteousnesse from the God of his salvation And in the 33. Chap. of Isaiah ver 14. Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire who amongst us shall dwell with everlasting burnings He that walketh righteously and speaketh uprightly he that despiseth the gaine of oppressions that shaketh his hands from receiving of bribes that stoppeth his eares from hearing of blood and shutteth his eyes from seeing evill He shall dwell on high his place of defence shall be the munitions of rockes bread shall be given him his waters shall be sure His eyes shall see the King in his beauty they shall behold the land that is very farre off O what admirable places how many faire and rare promises doe all these Prophets make to the faithfull who shall keepe his heart from sinne and his hands from iniquity and Iesus Christ himselfe commeth after to confirme their testimonie and to ratifie their words saying in this place Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see GOD. Words very energetically and significant as if hee had said Dearely beloved the onely and perfect way to possesse all happinesse all pleasures and all the advantages that you can wish and in a word to enjoy eternall felicity to contemplate face to face Gods divine Majestie wherein consisteth the fulnesse of happinesse and all contentment following the serpents example to cast off the olde skinne that is to pull off the olde coate of sinne infected with the leprosie of iniquity to fly and eschew evill to embrace good to hate vice and perfectly to love vertue which is the true way to heaven to the possession of heavenly graces and in a word to the fulnesse and perfection of all true happinesse Blessed are then the pure in heart for they shall see God Now to enter into a more particular explication of these words we will divide them into two principall parts and will consider 1. who are the pure in heart And secondly the cause why they are blessed The royall Prophet David in the 15. Psalme describeth perfectly unto us those that are pure in heart They are those saith hee that lye not and who live uprightly they who backbite not with their tongues nor doe evill to their neighbours and in whose eyes a vile person is contemned but they honour them that feare the Lord they that sweare to their owne hurt and change not they that put not out their money to usurie nor take bribes or reward against the innocent This is a very faire true and ample description of the Righteous man who hath a pure heart that is who hath his conscience pure and just and who lives in integrity justice and innocencie For this word heart is not here to be understood or taken for the materiall carnall heart placed in our breasts which is the fountaine and beginning of life the first living the last dying in man but for the soule that keepeth there her ordinary Sessions as we commonly say that is corne by showing onely the sacks that hold it there is the Kings Treasure by shewing onely the Exchequer Chamber where it is kept the place containing being called and taken by the name of the thing contained so must we understand a pure heart to bee taken for the conscience which therein makes her residence Where at the first sight we finde a thing very remarkable and worthy our consideration that to wit that sinne being as it were a black and venomous Inke or an infect d and corrupted poyson as soone as it comes neare our hearts the seate of our soules it defileth infecteth and makes them so stinking that God cannot endure them before his face so much abhorreth he the very sent and smell of sin and so much the very object of iniquity is noysome and troublesome to him Now Iesus Christ knowing that man brought into the world from his mothers wombe with life the cause of death that is originall sinne cursed sinne a disastrous blade or stalke which like the wilde and evill plants casteth continually forth so many young sprigges which doth so people and store the field of our soules that in the end in stead of a Garden of Eden where God tooke pleasure to walke in stead of a delightfull River where the Angels bathed it be comes a hideous and dreadfull wildernesse where the devils and wicked spirits keepe their Sabaths and criminall Assises and Sessions a filthy sinke where wicked and impious men like Hogges continually wallowe And therefore Iesus Christ I say to bring his Apostles to perfection and to put them and all the faithfull in the way to heaven he exhorts them to keepe their hearts pure cleane and naked from all sinne filthinesse and iniquity to extirpate the thistles bryers from the fields of their soules to plow and till it carefully with the share and harrow of contrition and repentance for their sinnes In a word to make it aground fit and fruitfull to receive the holy seed of the word of life and to make it beare fruites to immortality and eternall life As men would bee curious to sweepe and cleanse a house wherein a King resolues for a while to be resident and may justly accuse him of imprudence and impudence who having advice and notice of his comming would not make hast to perfume it to adorne and enrich it with the fairest furniture to embellish it with all the rarities and most pretious jewels they could recover So alas the hearts of the faithfull are nothing else but the house of God
the glorious throne of his beloved Sonne and the tabernacle which the holy Ghost hath chosen for his habitation where is then that heart of stone that soule so base and obstinately resolved to bee lost that knowing the happy and most honourable arrivall of the great King of Kings of the three divine persons of the ineffable and incomprehensible Trinity and trine-unity doth not sweepe and cleanse the house of his heart and doth not purifie it from all dirt and filthinesse who I say will not adorne it with the richest treasures and with the rich ornaments that holinesse justice and innocencie abundantly affords purposely to receive with honour and reverence so magnificent a King who promiseth us to come unto us when hee saith in the 14. Chap. of Saint Iohn If a man love me he will keepe my words and my Father will love him and we will come in unto him and make our abode with him Our good Master Jesus Christ the Saviour of our soules teacheth us in the 22. Chap. of Sai t Mathew how much and how dearely purenesse is acceptaâ—le before him saying That the Kingdome of heaven is like a certaine King which made a marriage for his sonne and having invited many the banquetting roome was filled and the King himselfe being come in to see the guests hee there sawe a man which had not a wedding garment and said unto him Friend how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment And hee was speechlesse Then said the King to the servants bind him hand and foote and cast him into utter darknesse where shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth for many are called but fewe are chosen Can we desire a more lively representation or an example more formall to shew us that God delighteth in the sincerity and purenesse of our soules and contrariwise that he abhorreth and detesteth the filthinesse of sinne the inke and coales of iniquiry which blacks and defiles our consciences for it is impossible ever to tast of the dainty and delicious Viands served at the Lambs wedding at the sumptuous and magnificent feast of the onely Sonne of the great King of Kings before we have left off our working dayes cloathes the infected and stinking coate or our naturall corruption to put on the white roabe of holinesse purity and amendment of life and to use the very words of Scripture Colos 3. Wee must cast off the old man with his deedes and put on the new man which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him And Ephes 4. concerning the former conversation Cast off the old man which is corrupted according to the deceitfull lusts of his heart and be renewed in the spirit of your minde and put on the new man which like unto God is created in righteousnesse and true holinesse And in Rom. 6.6 Our old man is crucified with Christ that the body of sinne might be destroyed that henceforth wee should serue sinne no more but walke before him in renovation and newnesse of life The clearest waters are alwayes the best and therefore commonly see that the excellentest springs are derived from the rockes and fetch'd from the highest hills because that the water distilling through many narrow passages and strait places the farther it goes the more it is purified the most subtill and clearest springs seeke the highest places as approaching nearer to the nature of the ayre whose nature and propriety is still to ascend And contrariwise you may observe and marke that the thick and heavie waters are alwayes filthy and stinking and are conserved in pitts and deepe sinkes as participating of the nature of the earth and therefore are fit for nothing but to breed serpents and Frogges whereof some kill us by their mortall venome and the other trouble us with their unsufferable croaking These cleare and pure waters doe lively prefigure and set forth unto us the faithfull servant of the Lord who hath purified and as it were distilled himselfe at the fire of the love of God thereby to leave off what was earthly ponderous and troublesome in him as hatred ambition sensuality and vaine glory purposely to soare aloft and to elevate himselfe to the holy mountaine of Syon towards heaven which is the center whither the circumference of his desires designes and thoughts tendeth These black and muddy waters may expresse and set forth hell unto us where there is nothing but horrible darknesse and fearefull obscurity where that old serpent is iustly banished for his deserts and where the damned gastly and frightfull soules doe nothing else but vexe themselves and curse But to apply it to the subject of our text these stinking and corrupted waters may very fitly be compared to the wicked and to the men of this world who have Woolfes or Lyons hearts under the shape and forme of men who wallowe like Hogges in the mire and dirt of carnall security who runne not after pietie and vertue but remaine fast chained and bound to sensualitie and vice casting all their affections on the earth whereof their body is made and composed never ayming nor levelling their thoughts at heaven whence their soule had their originall True serpents in malice hatred and envie that with mortall venome infect the Lillies and Roses of the best consciences Frogges in prating and slandering that never open their mouthes but to utter unsufferable blasphemies oathes lyes and detractions Take yet this farther conceit upon the purity of the heart to wit that as the eyes ore-vayled with clowds or with cataracts and webbs cannot clearely discerne the objects or colours which are exposed before them because their faculty is prevented and hindered by the interposition of these obstacles which are placed betweene the object and the sight whereas contrariwise good sound and well disposed eyes as are these of Eagles who though soaring in the highest clowds doe neverthelesse see very plainely in the thickest bushes in the remotest furrowes of the farre distant fields and which is most admirable is that her sight is so strong and powerfull that contrary to the nature and practise of other living creatures she can steddily behold and contemplate the Sunne without winking at all yea when shee is nearest him and standing on the highest branch of a tree planted on the top of the loftiest mountaine Now to appropriate this to our matter wee say That hee whose heart is incombred with the things of this world whose soule is ore-vayled with ambition with the clowds of vanity and vaine glory whose conscience is obscured and darkned with hatred envie and malice can never contemplate God nor see his face which is all the consolation all the joy and in a word the true center of our happinesse the fulnesse of all our felicity and the greatest delights which the faithfull can wish or desire But those that shall be carefull and diligent to keepe their soules pure and cleane from the filthinesse of sinne those like Eagles indeede alwaves soaring
that hath this hope in him purifieth himselfe even as hee is pure And in the 22. chap. of the Revel His servants shall serue him and they shall see his face The infinite greatnesse of this divine promise whose performance is infallible makes us skip and leape for joy charmeth our senses and ravisheth our mindes for it seemeth altogether impossible that living tombes mortall carcasses the prey of death and the foode of wormes should ever aspire so high as to pretend to see and view that felicity which is better described by silence and admiration then by any other description for they are things which eye hath not seene eare hath not heard and that are not entred into the heart of man which God hath prepared for them that love him 1. Cor. 2.9 But the children of Israel did not pitch the Tabernacle in Ierusalem before they had cleansed the mountaine of Sion of those enemies that were opposite to their rest So wee must not settle our selues in the contemplation of the divine Tabernacle before we have cleared some places of Scripture that seeme to forbid us entrance In the 33. Chap. of Exod. ver 20. God saith to Moses Thou canst not see my face for there shall no man see me and live And in the 1. chap. of Saint Iohn No man hath seene God at any time And in the 1. Epist of the Cor. chap. 13. ver 12. Now we see through a glasse darkely And in the 28. chap. of Iob God is hidden from all living eyes In a word there are many other places to confirme this which will be too long to rehearse Wee with one consent said That God is invisible which seemeth to be opposite and contrary to the promise made unto us in our Text Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God Neverthelesse to reconcile them together for the holy Ghost is never contrary to himselfe wee say that the places before alledged are so to bee understood that whilest man is in this mortall prison in this valley of teares so obscure and darke whilest like an Owle he delighteth in the night of sinne his eyes can no way endure the least beames of the Sunne of righteousnesse for God being an infinite Spirit cannot be seene by a finite body but when we shall leave off this mortall prison of our bodies our soules then perfectly enlightened by the heavenly grace shall be endued with that knowledge and faculty that they shall openly contemplate their Creator and their God as Saint Paul saith 1. Cor. 13. Chap. Now wee see through a glasse darkely but then wee shall see him face to face This word See God is much controverted among Divines which be of two severall opinions whereof the one holdeth That soules delivered of this corporall vayle cannot see Gods face for two reasons the first is that God being a spirituall Essence infinite incomprehensible cannot bee seene by a finite creature without implying contradiction for then the containing to wit the blessed soule should bee greater then the contained that is God which is absurd by this axiome that the object is contained by the visuall faculty As if a man placed in the midst of the earth or of the sea looking round about a great distance off as farre as his sight could reach could not for all that say That hee saw all the earth or all the sea Those of the second opinion answere to this first reason saying That the Creator may not be compared with the creatures that God is all in all and all and whole in every part that hee is one and consequently indivisible that all things in him are Essentiall and is not subject to division that whosoever seeth him seeth him totally The second reason of the first is that wee measure our soules by our bodies imagining that they shall have eyes with the which they shall be able to discerne and distinguish the present objects To which the others answere that indeede the soules in heaven shall have no corporall eyes like ours but that notwithstanding God will give them a seeing faculty by the which they shall perceive the present objects 2. When these soules shall be rejoyned and revnited to their bodies God having purified them from all vncleanenesse will make them like unto the glorious body of his Sonne Iesus Christ our Lord who saith Math. 22. That our bodies shall be as the Angels of God in heaven who alwayes behold the face of God Math. 18. that is that are alwayes in his presence and that see him perfectly in respect of themselues as much as it pleased God to permit but not perfectly in respect of God as he that seeth the Sunne may say that hee seeth it perfectly in respect of himselfe if his faculty be good and notwithstanding he cannot see him as he is because of the weakenesse of his eyes The second opinion which is more generally received holdeth that this word See is taken simply and absolutely for to Know and those that hold it say That Iesus Christ in our Text promiseth to the pure in heart a perfect knowledge of the divine goodnesse wherein consisteth the fulnesse of our felicity of our delights and content which they doe well proove by the 14. Chap. of Saint Iohn ver 7. If ye had knowne me ye should have knowne my Father also and from henceforth ye know him and have seene him where Christ sheweth to his Disciples that they have seene his Father because they have knowne him by so many miracles done before their eyes And in the 17. Chap. of the same Gospell This is life eternall that they might know thee the onely true God and Iesus Christ whom thou hast sent where it plainely appeareth that this word to know God is as much as to possesse life eternall And so from those two places joyned to our Text this conclusion followeth that To see God know God and have eternall life are the same thing As the Angels then see the face of God even so shall we also see it for that blessed sight is reserved for a recompence of our faith as Saint Iohn in his 1. Epist 3. Chap. When he shall appeare we shall be like him for we shall see him face to face Not that we must imagine that God hath any members although it be said that man is made in the image of God for that is thus to be understood that man hath beene created in perfect justice and innocencie after the example of God But by this face of God we must vnderstand with the Scripture the Church and the Fathers and namely Saint Augustine in his booke Decivit Dei the manifestation of his glory and a perfect knowledge of his wonderfull mercie which he will communicate unto vs. It is a hard question and difficult to handle Whether the Saints after the Resurrection shall see God with their corporall eyes after they be glorified so Iob saith In my flesh I see God there Iob prophesieth the
infamie and how is hee counted among the children of God and hath his portion among the Saints Blessed then are the peacemakers for they shall be called the children of God This word Childe of God is diversly taken in Scripture and according to the Hebrew phrase this word Sonne signifieth him that is vowed and ordained to any thing so we reade Saint Math. 9.15 The children of the Bridechamber that is those that are ordained for the wedding cannot mourne as long as the Bridegroome is with them And Saint Iohn 17.12 While I was with them in the world I kept them in thy name those that thou gavest me I have kept and none of them is lost but the Sonne of perdition that is he that was ordained to destruction but this kind of speech toucheth not our text But let us say that this word Sonne of God is comonly attributed in Scripture either to Iesus Christ and being the naturall Sonne of God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 consubstantiall and coeternall with his Father of the same will 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and same power with him being both true God and true man the divine nature neither confounding nor destroying the humane and the humanity not being mingled and changed into the Godhead both natures remaining entire and perfect make but one person He I say is called the Sonne of God by the acknowledgement and confession of the Father himselfe Math. 17.5 When Iesus Christ tooke with him Peter Iames and Iohn and brought them up into an high mountain and being transfigured before them they heard a voyce from heaven saying This is my beloved Sonne in whom I am well pleased heare him We read also the same words in the 3. Chap. 17. ver of the same Evangelist The Father and the Sonne sunt relata say the Philosophers are relatives that is are referred the one to the other for there is no Father but there must likewise be a Sonne whence I draw this conclusion That God the Father being such that is having that title and quality before the Creation of the world consequently Iesus Christ was before it also his generation then is immediatly from the Father as being begotten of him from all eternity by a way incomprehensible to us for In the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was God the same was in the beginning with God Iohn 1.1 And in the 1. Chap. to the Heb. ver 5. unto which of the Angels saith he at any time Thou art my Sonne this day have I begotten thee And againe I will be to him a Father and hee shall be to me a Sonne 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hee is not then called Sonne by adoption or for respects of love or for any consideration but onely because hee is begotten of the Father before the Creation of all things as wee reade Coloss 1.15 He is the Image of the inuisible God the first borne of every creature which is prooved againe out of the 1. Chap. of Saint Iohn ver 18. No man hath seene God at any time the onely begotten Sonne which is in the bosome of the Father hee hath declared him Vpon this place Hilarius li. 6. saith that Hoc nomine vnigeniti adoptio de trinitate excluditur natura magis asseritur By this word onely begotten adoption is excluded from the Trinitie and nature the more confirmed And Saint Chrysostome very subtilly Christum non eodem modo quo caeteri homines unigenitum dici nam caeteros quidem quod soli ex parentibus nati sint unigenitos dici Christum non solum quod solus ex patre sed etiam quod singulari ineffabili modo natus est unigenitum appellari Christ is not called the onely Sonne after the sort of other men who are called such because they are borne alone to their Parents now Christ is not called the onely Sonne in that respect alone that he is the onely naturall Sonne of his Father but also because he hath beene begotten by a speciall and ineffable way But whither doth the winde of our discourse carrie us why doe we touch this divine subject more worthy of admiration then capable of description wee shall more lively describe it by our silence then by our obscure representations Neverthelesse for satisfaction to our curiosity which is never contented with reason and that will not be contained within the limits of civility and modesty let us bring one onely comparison to give us some sparke of knowledge of this ineffable generation of the Sonne of God When a man seeth himselfe in a well polished glasse he presently seeth his image and the figure of himselfe having the same markes and motions with his which is caused by the reflection of the species within the eye and there is so great a relation betweene the species and the image that one cannot be taken away without annihilating the other and although both the sight and reason make us see that they are severall things truth also and experience makes us know that those two things subsist by one onely Essence and that both have but one and the same subsistance to wit that of the species opposite to the glasse So God from all Eternity contemplating his divine Essence made such a reflection upon his person that of this reflection hee produced and begot that eternall Wisedome which is the Saviour and Redeemer of our soules the sooner we can goe from this matter is our best for wee should be like them that will paint and represent the Sunne with a coale And indeede how should it be possible that we that are poore Owles and Batts should behold so great a light how should wee that are poore Pismires stirre so great mountaines We shall sooner put the whole sea in the palme of our hands then wee can any way comprehend this large and spatious ocean of the divine generation within the little compasse of our understanding Since then that we cannot ascend so high let us stop and stay our contemplation upon our selues where we shall have a more free accesse and continuing our first discourse let us remember that we may be called the children of God three wayes 1. First the Scripture maketh mention of the naturall generation of Christ individuall and incommunicable to any other but to him onely There is a filiation or not to speake barbarously with the Schoolemen the Scripture giveth this title of Sonne of God to the Angels and Princes of the earth which is a title of honour and affection as wee read Iob 1.6 Now there was a day when the sonnes of God that is the Angels came to present themselues before the Lord and Satan came also among them And Genes 6.4 When the sonnes of God came in unto the daughters of men The seaventy Interpreters by the sonnes of God here understand the Angels but Saint Augustine in the Citie of God by the sonnes of God understandeth the children of Seth which
And after we have quenched and put out the trouble of our hearts vexation of our soules caused by the fire of sinne when wee shall have scattered those flames that destroy and devoure that union and concord which God hath so strictly commanded us to keepe then shall wee be called to that heavenly Ierusalem which is the Citie of peace and there shall wee enter into the possession of the inheritance promised to adopted children in Iesus Christ our Lord wee shall partake with him eternall blessednesse hee shall be our head in those divine sessions and we shall be his members wee shall shine as the Sun the holy Ghost shall enlighten us and the God of peace shall be for ever with us Amen O Soveraigne Monarch of heaven and earth that governest all things by thy providence which to us is altogether incomprehensible we thy most humble Subjects calling unto thee from the bottome of our soules beseech thee by the greatnesse of thy compassions that it may please thee to plant in our hearts a holy and perfect justice which taking deepe rootes therein may bring forth fruites of peace and concord which thou straightly recommendest unto us in thy holy word Make us perfectly just that we may love peace perfectly as being the daughter of justice enkindle O good God the fire of thy love in our hearts and soules that we may love our brethren even as thou hast loved us give us a spirit of gentlenes meekenes that we may fly eschew quarrels contentions not only in our selues but also when we shal see them kindled among our brethren make us knowe O good Saviour that those enmities and dissentions are the devils daughters who loves nothing but noyse and disorder and that peace and mildnesse are the daughters of divine justice which thou lovest dearely which wee must embrace and practise if we will be honoured with the title of thy children and not onely be called so but also to be indeed children of God and heires of eternall and blessed life to the which the Father Sonne and holy Ghost bring us Amen The fourth way to Sion 1. PETER 2. 17. Feare God and honour the King AS rayes or Sunne-beames follow and beare observance to the Sunne As all rivers runne to the Sea and as many lines end and terminate in their center so there are many wayes to bring us to the Paradise of God to Ierusalem above which is our heavenly and happy Country Neverthelesse wee must herein use the Maxime of the Mathematicians who hold that the shortest line â—s still the rightest also in all these different wayes of new Sion the shortest is the best and surest When God gave his Law to Moses upon the Mountaine of Sinay he divided it into ten commandements which are so many perfect wayes to conduct and bring us to heaven for IESVS CHRIST the sweet Saviour of our soules being himselfe descended from Heaven to shew and point us out this way hee drew a short Compendium and Abridgement of all these Ten Commandements of the Law and reduced them to two as wee shall finde it written in the 22. Chapter of St. Mathew where wee see him disputing against a Doctor of the Law who demanded of him which was the first and greatest Commaundement and Iesus answered him Thou shalt love God with all thy heart with all thy soule and with all thy minde which is the first and greatest commandement and the second is like unto it which is Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thy selfe and of these two Commaundements depend the whole Law and the Prophets as our Apostle Saint Peter in the imitation of his blessed Master Christ after hee had instructed and admonished his faithfull flocke in all their duties in the precedent verses of our Text hee drawes an abridgement of all which concerned their saluation when he said Feare God and honour the King 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In these words we have all the instructions which we must practise in our soules and bodies concerning those divine and humane duties which wee must convert and reduce into practise which wordes naturally divide themselues into two severall branches or heads to wit 1. the feare which wee ought to beare unto God and 2. The honour which wee must obserue and give to the King The sweetest and most pleasingst sacrifice which we can offer up unto the Lord Almighty is a heart replenished and fraughted with the feare of his holy name a minde trembling before his sacred Majestie and a soule terrified with the sublimity and greatnesse of his fearefull judgements as the royall Prophet affirmeth in Psal 2.11 Serue the Lord with feare and reioyce with trembling And againe Psal 2.7 I will come into thy house in the multitude of thy mercy and in thy feare will I worship towards thy holy Temple We can offer up no sacrifice so pleasing nor performe no action or duty so acceptable to God as when wee adore him in all feare and reverence him in all astonishment trembling which lively depaynteth and prefigureth his Greatnesse and Magnificence perfectly demonstrateth us our Duties and witnesseth our humility and obedience which is exceeding delightfull and pleasing to him That Romane Emperour perspicuously expressed and deciphered the excellent power and effects of this feare when he caried for his Motto and Devise Oderint dum metuant Let those hate me that will so they feare me shewing thereby what small account and esteeme hee made of the hatred and how dearely he prised and respected the feare which hee would have given and borne to him Morall Philosophers affirme and say That Love and feare are two fister germanes because the one is conjoyned to the other and both linked together produce one the same effects for still the Lover is in care and feare of the thing beloved whereas wee never feare to lose that which wee hate but that Which wee love dearely and cherish tenderly and both of these together produce the conseruation of their object But this distinction takes no place but here on earth among creatures and doth neither regard nor looke up towards Heaven to God the Creator For God is all Love but he can never be capable of alteration or defect as is that feare which he hath left and given unto man for his portion and inheritance So he which is possessed with a perfect feare to offend his God or to lose his favour he is linked and joyned to God with the Gordian knots of his love which are then wholly made indivisible and inseparable and the Love of God conjoyned with the feare of man cause the conservation of the soule and this it is where the Apostle Saint Peter tells us in our text Feare God By which word feare wee must not understand a cowardize a pusillanimity or any irregular passion which freezeth our blood in our veines which causeth our hearts to pant and beat with an incessant motion which calls and attracts
is as it were Iacobs Ladder whereby the Angels of divine consolations descend upon us on earth and our holy prayers and religious thoughts and meditations ascend unto Heaven This Ladder hath three principall steps As the feare of the Lord makes us ascend unto Iesus Christ which is our wisedome for through and by God he hath made us wisedome 1. Cor. 1.30 Iesus Christ leades us to God his Father and God receives and lodgeth us in Heaven and therefore we first feare him if ever we hope or thinke to enter into his favour This feare of God is the head spring and fountaine from whence wee draw and exhaust the sacred mysteries of our salvation and David tells us in formall and expresse termes That the feare of the Lord is the beginning of wisedome Psal 111.10 Thereby to teach us that all this knowledge and learning whereof men vaunt and glory is nothing else but pure folly if it derive not his Origen or beginning from the feare of the Lord. This feare is here taken for the principle of wisedome and Iesus Christ himselfe in many places of Scripture hath assumed and taken the title of Wisedome because he is the wisdome of the Father as wee reade in the former alledged Chapter of 1. Cor. 1.30 But in the book of Genes Chap. 31.42 He himselfe is by Moses called the feare of Isaac Except the God of my Father the God of Abraham and the feare of Isaac had beene with me thou hadst sent me away empty But here the best Interpreters by this feare of Isaac doe understand the second person of the Trinity Iesus Christ our Saviour who had not yet assumed and cloathed our humane nature and of whom Isaac was the true type and figure It is an excellent question of Saint Augustine in his Citie of God that is If this filiall feare after the death of the faithfull Children of the Lord remaine with them in Heaven yea or no Those who maintaine the contrary fortifie themselues from the Apostle Saint Iohn Chap. 4. ver 18. There is no feare in love but perfect love casteth out feare because feare hath torment and hee that feareth is not made perfect in love from whence they argue Where there is perfect Love there is no feare But among the Saints in Heaven there is perfect Love Therefore among the Saints in Heaven there is no feare And from the same place and passage of Saint Iohn they derive and draw another Argument thus All feare is accompanied with torment But in Heaven there is no torment Therefore in Heaven there is no feare They say moreover That this feare should then deprive them of their rest and repose and consequently that they could not enjoy a perfect felicity whiles they were troubled and tormented with any apprehension or feare Others answere That the Apostle Saint Iohn understands not to speake there of a chast and filiall but of a servile feare and to fortifie and support their opinion they alledge the Psal 19.9 The feare of the Lord is cleane enduring for ever And Saint Augustine expounding this sort of feare saith Non enim est timor exterrens à malo quod accidere potest sed tenens in bono quod amitti non potest This kinde of feare makes us not apprehend any evill which can befall us but makes us so to keepe fast good that wee may not lose it And afterwards he againe addeth Timoris Casti nomine ea voluntas significata est quo nos necesse erit nolle Peceare non solicitudine necessitatis sed tranquillitate charitatis He sayes that by this name of chast feare is signified the will whereby it is necessary that we will not sinne not for the care of necessity but for the tranquillity of Charity Hee then concludes that indeed Servile feare cannot enter into Heaven but onely the filiall and yet notwithstanding it must be after it hath lost the effects which it produceth in this present life to wit this naturall apprehension whereby shee feares that the soule falls from the State of Grace No no this feare in Heaven shall be but a perfect reverence honour and piety and a full and absolute devotion which wee shall beare to the service of GOD whereby every one seeing the divine Majestie shall profoundly and perfectly study to serue and honour him in all reverence And for this cause it is why the 70. Interpreters have turned Timorem Dei the feare of God into this Greek word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to wit Dei pietatem the piety which we beare to God and so it remaines true which the Prophet David had said long before The feare of the Lord is cleane enduring for ever In this Elementary world the feare of God is the most assured way to goe to celestiall Hierusalem Those who have not beene to a place if they foolishly rashly runne athwart fields they then runne a great hazard to goe astray and to lose themselues among woods or bryars or peradventure to fall into the hands of cruell and mercilesse theeves So those who will ascend to the top of the holy Mountaine of sacred Sion If they are not curbed and retained by the golden bridle of the feare of God If without wisedome or judgement they runne over craggie rockes full of thornes and bryars for such are the wayes to Sion Heaven without doubt they will fall into the errour of precipices or else they will serve for prey or fewell to eternall flames The feare of God is the pledge and seale of his love and favour the which hee placeth and planteth in the midst of our hearts when he will call us to him and conserue us to his service For he hath united and tyed us to him with the linkes and chaynes of his love in his owne house Hee for ever makes us his domesticall servants yea his heires and adoptive children and in this quality hee makes vs to enter into the inheritance of eternall life above in Heaven with Iesus Christ his only welbeloved Sonne who is our eldest Brother Neither are they phantastick imaginations or light presumptions which must make us beleeve these things for it is God himselfe which hath pronounced them by his Prophet Ieremy Chap. 22.39.40 I will give them one heart and one way that they may feare me for ever and I will make an everlasting covenant with them that I will not turne away from them to doe them good but I will put my feare into their hearts that they shall not depart from me The feare of the Lord takes place among the rarest presents and richest Iewels which the Holy Ghost discovereth to his Elect and it is the entry to the greatest which is wisedome it selfe for as Salomon saith truth The beginning of wisedome is the feare of God For when the Holy Ghost will operate in the heart of any man hee then stampes and markes him with his seale which is the feare of God and then conducts
and docible and so to instruct and civilise him to the service of God It still shewes him the eminent dangers wherein shee will ingulph precipitate him in offending his God but still with an indulgent intent to prevent and hinder him from it Pondus timor is est anchora cordis The burthen which feare caries with it is the hearts anchor to prevent that it bee not reversed and overblowne by the waves nor of all sides split and shipwrack'd by the violence and impetuosity of tempestuous passions which without intermission assayle and beat upon it But the mercy of the Lord saith David is from generation to generation upon all those who feare him In a word and so to draw to the conclusion of this part of the Text the two principall pillars of Christian Doctrine and the two firme and vnremoveable foundations thereof is Feare and Love which are the two proper meanes to containe the godly and to retaine the wicked in the observation of Gods Commandements The wicked by Feare the godly by Love as the Poet speakes but morally in a Christian sense and language Oderunt peccare mali formidine Poenae Oderunt peccare boni virtutis amore The wicked abhorre to offend for feare of punishment and the Godly will not be drawne to sinne because of their love of vertue But here fearing least I should runne astray and so lose and ingulph my selfe in this great and vast Ocean of the feare of God it makes mee rowe abord thereby to gaine the desired shore and so to treat and discourse of the second part of the Text which is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Honour the King The two noblest and most excellent offices which the Angels and blessed soules enjoy above in the triumphant Church are the vision of God and the ordinary action of glorifying and honouring God about the which they are eternally imployed and therefore the holy Ghost to fashion and dispose us here belowe in the militant Church to glorifie in time his sacred Majestie in heaven commandeth us in our text likewise to Honour the King as being the true Image and lively representation of that great King of glory of the Father of Eternitie of the mighty God of Hoasts Feare God saith hee and Honour the King Divine and altogether admirable words as being the summe and abridgement of all the duties which we ought to practise in this world both in body and soule both for the morall and spirituall life the performance whereof brings us to absolute perfection for if we feare God wee serve him and never offend him and in honouring the King besides the performance of our duty wee obey the Commaundement of God So these 2. commandements are so straightly link'd and joyned together that the breach of the one is the violation of the other for we cannot displease the King without offending God nor offend God without violating the Kings lawes Let us see what that chosen vessell saith in very earnest and pressing words Rom. 13.1 Let every soule be subject to the higher powers for there is no power but from God and all authority is given from the Lord which is the reason of the commandement followed presently with a threatning wherefore who so resisteth the power resisteth the ordinance of God and therefore incurres condemnation for the Prince beares not the sword in vaine seeing he is the servant and minister of God to punish evill doers therfore must ye be subject not onely for feare but also for conscience sake and therefore pay ye tribute because they are the ministers of God ordained to that end Give then unto every one his due tribute to whom tribute custome to whom custome feare to whom feare and honour to whom honour Before we enter into an exact and particular exposition of the words of our Text wee will examine the consequence of this commaundement and as those who desire to know the sweetnesse and goodnesse of water ascend to fetch it from the spring that wee may esteeme the more the excellencie and greatnesse of this commandement we must observe that this ordinance is not made by men either to flatter Kings for feare of their soveraigne authority but that it is Gods owne ordinance dictated unto our Apostle by the holy Ghost Which brings great matter of consolation to those who with zeale undertake the execution of it knowing that God loves those that feare him and blesseth those that are obedient to him And contrarily it must greatly terrifie the disobedient when they remember the infallible threatnings and the irrevocable sentence pronounced by Gods owne sacred mouth saying Cursed is hee that breakes the least of these commandements Math. 5.19 Cursed is hee that shall not be permanent in all the things written in the book of the law to doe them Deut. 27.26 We must againe note that the Commandements of God are like the Sciences which are more or lesse esteemed according to the nobility and excellencie of their object for as that affection and charity which we owe to our neighbour without comparison gives place to that extreame and infinite love which wee owe to our God and heavenly Father so the honour we are to beare to all men in generall is so much inferiour to that we owe the King as his dignity is elevated above that of other men and therefore you see that as soone as our Apostle commandeth us to feare God hee addeth presently Honour the King Shewing by that order that the honour and service due to the King immediatly followes that which wee owe to God and therefore a great servant of God of our times expounding these words saith after Tertullian That in the performance of these two precepts the Christian makes himselfe perfect both for the religious and morall life for in fearing God hee walkes through the pathes of justice holinesse and innocencie which leades in the end to eternall felicity And in honouring the King he observes his lawes and by those meanes buildeth up for himselfe a delightfull rest and an incomparable felicity But because it is to undertake to sayle over a boundlesse and bottomlesse Ocean if we should goe about to alledge here all the places which we might cite out of the Fathers and many others let us hearken to the holy Ghost in the most common places of Scripturel and imitating the Israelites we will onely take some few drops of water out of the land of Edow and shew onely the springs afarre off we will passe over quickly like the dogge of the river Nilus least some Crocodile thirsting after our innocencie should open his stinking mouth to accuse us as though our intention were other then tending to the service and glory of God which is the onely centre unto the which all the lines of our intentions immediatly tend and ayme Wee very easily learne the definition or description of this word to Honour in the 6. Chap of Esther when Ahashuerâ—sh asked Haman what should be done unto the
lids he seeth all his Kigdome he beholdeth all his subjects in a word hee hath eyes Eagles eyes which though soaring and flying in the highest clouds yet seeth clearely in the lowest places of the earth His eares are alwayes open to heare the cries and complaints of his subjects he delighteth in that pleasant harmony in that sweet consort and in those delightfull tones and Diapasons caused by the sweet union and concord of all his Provinces and Subjects Hee smelleth with an incredible content the delectable the delectable odours which embalme his spirits hee senteth with delight the perfumes proceeding from the vowes prayers and obedience which his faithfull subjects sweare to his service Hee tasteth what is good or evill what is sweet or bitter for the good and case of his people Hee himselfe feeleth hee sets his hand to the worke hee considereth what is hard and offensive to cut it off hee chooseth what is soft and easie to conserue it In a word the time would faile us sooner then our conceptions upon so royall a subject full of admirable considerations notwithstanding we will be contented onely with this As we see that all the members of the body take their nourishment and receive their sustenance by the mouth which sendeth the foode into the stomack as into a common storehouse thence to bee distributed according to every members neede from whence are first sent to the head by a very remarkable gratitude and acknowledgement the best and most subtill for the nourishment of the braine the seate of the understanding the spring of the senses and the cause of his subsistance so must the best and fairest of the Kingdome be reserved and dedicated to the Prince which is the head and first mover thereof The examples of it are yet now a dayes familiar that Kings and Princes give their particular possessions to their Subjects on condition of some yeerely acknowledgement which they are obliged to according to their agreement and conventions Againe there is no Kingdome in the world but hath beene sometimes conquered and consequently all the lands thereof are absolutely in the Conquerours hand to dispose of at his pleasure now it is the custome of a new and victorious Prince to bestowe them on whom he pleaseth alwayes reserving to himselfe some tribute or homage for it that the remembrance of his liberall favour may never be forgotten Againe we reade not that those which went to seeke new habitations did goe confusedly and disorderly and in equall authority but they went all under the colours and conduct of some chiefe which afterwards became the King and Prince of that land the which hee distributed according to the deserts or affection which hee bare to his souldiers So we reade Numb 34. Chapter that Eleazar and Ioshuah divided among the Israelites the land of Canaan which they had conquered by the sword and yet no mention is made that that valiant Captaine Ioshuah which had brought them into that land flowing with milk and honey reserved any portion thereof for his share for the which he had beene questionlesse blamed by the Israelites had they not sufficiently knowne that seeing hee had put them in possession of so large a territory they were at his command The Apostles had nothing and yet possessed all the riches of the faithfull of whom they were as Kings and Princes and therfore in signe of acknowledgement all the new Christians brought their goods to their feet Acts Chap. 5. for who would not despise all his wealth for love If a man should give all the substance of his house for love they would greatly contemne it saith Salomon Cantic 8.7 But what horrible ingratitude would that be in him that should doe otherwise seeing that paines care and unquietnesse follow commonly the Scepter and that there is no burthen so heavie as a Crowne and the reason hereof is manifest to wit that a private and particular man aymeth no further then to his houshold bufinesse but the King must embrace all the affaires of his Kingdome hee must care for all and provide for all which maketh Salust say That a great Empire is alwayes accompanied with great cares and troublesome labours and with much anxiety and vexation of minde Seleucus in Plutarke said That if men knew how troublesom a thing it is to governe a Kingdome they would scorne to reach and take up a Diadem from the ground this was the cause why Numa at the first refused the Kingdome offered unto him by the Romanes but in the end overcome by their importunity he accepted it with griefe saying That to raigne was greatly to serue the gods thinking to deserue much from them by taking upon him so heavie a burthen In a word let us say with Cassiodorus that Sub imperio boni principis omnium fortunae moresque proficiunt Vnder a good Princes government the goods of all encrease and their manners are augmented and enriched in civility Now as in a faire meadowe enamelled and beautified with a thousand different kindes of flowers one may finde Serpents Vipers and Toades which defile and infect by their mortall venome the rich and naturall Tapistry the beauty goodnesse and vertue of an infinite number of Simples and wholesome hearbs wherewith it is richly diapred So wee see to our griefe that in the bosome and middest of the fairest richest and most illustrious Kingdomes the corruption of the age aid the infection of vices are produced and propagated Some Ravens which goe about presaging and fore-telling their sinister and lamentable predictions who by their odious voyce to them at least that have good soules and generous hearts and affections cry out aloud That it is the facility weaknesse of men which hath brought in this ambition of mastering and governing the nations That it is more by usurpation then by election or by divine ordinance that they have taken the rule and Empire over Kingdomes and they alledge for proose of their saying that the first King that ever was in the world to wit Nimrod came to the Crowne by force and violence and not by the ordinance of God That all Empires for the most part were gotten by the sword by force of Armes by deceit by injustice by a foolish and desperate ambition that hath often covered the fields with slaughtered bodies and made them overflowe with blood when one Prince offended and angry with another sought to revenge himselfe with the lives of his miserable subjects That the establishing of Monarchs is simply humane alleging that of Saint Peter 1. Epistle 2. Chap. ver 13. Submit your selues unto all manner of ordinance of man for the Lords sake whether it be unto the King as unto the Superiour or unto Governours as unto them that are sent of him But these both ignorant malicious Loyolites and Anabaptists stop for the nonce their cares that they may not heare this lowd resounding voyce from heaven which convinceth them of malice and would recall them from
our blood from all parts of our bodies to come to assist and succour our heart which shutts and hoodwinkes our eyes against reason and imagineth that all objects whatsoever presented to us have all together conjured and conspired our ruine as those who fly from a battaile feare every bush which they see or meete with to be their enemies who purposely pursue them and runne every where to kill them Or else as those who are led to their executions and deathes whom feare doth so powerfully seize and surprise that by these passions and effects it in a manner deprives them of life before they think thereof the which wee can testifie and approve by many irrevocable precedents and examples No no It is not of this defect of judgement or of this cowardly apprehension and feare which our Apostle tells us of but it a holy just and commendable feare which we ought to have and retaine in bearing an admirable respect and honour to the Creator and conseruer of our bodies and soules As to feare and tremble before the terrible throne of his divine Iustice and by not rashly abusing of his favours and mercies so liberally so bountifully extended to us because his presence is a consuming fire which devoures and consumes to ashes all those who unreverently approach his sacred Throne his most holy hill as heretofore hee forbad the children of Israel not to approach mount Sinay because hee was there purposely to speake with his servant Moses But not to stay any longer on this point let us say with the Philosophers and Theologians that there is generally two sorts of feare that is to say Divine and Humane which againe subdivide themselues every one into three severall parts and branches The Humane feare compriseth and comprehendeth 1. The Naturall which hath wholly buried in her the senses all Philosophy and the strongest and most assured courage cannot hinder him from shutting his eyes at the suddaine surprise of a flash of lightning or at the feignednesse of a hand which unexpectedly approacheth our face or that we withdraw not or turne not our head from the sight of a fearefull precipice or that a suddaine crack or noyse doe not at first hearing terrifie or astonish us Primi illi motus non sunt hominis The first motions or terrours are not in our power 2. Corporall whereby wee naturally abhorre Death and feare to expose and cast our selues into danger 3. Mundane or worldly whereby we feare to lose our wealth honours and dignities but it is of neither of these sorts of feares which our Apostle speakes unto us but ondy of Divine feare which likewise streames foorth in three rivolets 1. Servile whereby we feare God for the apprehension we have of the infernall tortures and torments of Hell and this degree and sort of feare is not good of it selfe because it hath no good object nor is made or formed to a good end neverthelesse it is held and termed good because it conduceth to good 2. Initiant which lookes two wayes 1. towards the torments wee feare 2. towards the glory we desire and it is also termed enterwoven or mixt because it is composed both of a good and bad feare 3. Filiall which is the last and best sort of divine feare whereby we love God not only for our owne glory or for the apprehension of torments but for his goodnes excellency perfection and in a word for and in regard of himselfe Saint Bernard lively describes and pertinently represents those three sorts of feare 1. Ne cruciemur à gehenna 2. Ne exclusi à visione tam inestimabili gloria privemur 3. Replet animum sollicitudine ne deseratur à gratia Which is to say The first feare apprehends torments The second the privation of glory and the third wholly possesseth our hearts and mindes with care and anxiety as fearing not to lose Gods grace and favour The servile feare is attributed to the wicked The filiall to the good I meane to those who are the children of God The Initiant or intermixed is proper as well to the good as the bad and also it is the most frequent and generall Those three sorts of feare are so many wings which conduct elevate soare us up to heaven The Servile begins first which denounceth to sinners eternall death and damnation and that sharpe and sensible apprehension to be devoured with the flames of hell fire It opens him the gate to be sorrowfull for his offences which threaten to precipitate him in that unquenchable fire and afterwards entering into a firme and lively repentance for his former sinnes hee begins to conceive the future felicity and glory of Heaven for the love whereof hee partly resolues to forsake and abandon sinne as Salomon saith By the feare of the Lord men depart from evill Prov 16.6 Although neverthelesse that he doe it partly for feare of punishment which will infallibly follow him and afâ—er that it againe leades him into this perfect filiall feare whereby he so infinitely loves God that hee had rather dye then offend him in the least thing of the world so neerely he loves him so deerely he honoureth and adores him St. Augustine makes onely two sorts of feare to wit Filiall and Servile and makes them different in this That the Servile hath for object malum poenae the evill of punishment and the filiall malum culpae the evill of guiltinesse Illo timetur ne incidatur in tormentum supplicij isto ne amittatur gratia beneficij By the first wee feare the torments of hell fire By the second wee feare to lose the grace and favour of God It is this faire this sweet spirituall vertue which gives us admittance and entrance into the closet of God which openeth unto us the treasures of his favour and mercy and which makes us enter into the possession of life eternall For those who feare the Lord shall behold his face shall have prosperity and see good dayes saith the royall Prophet King David Psalm 34.11 It is this feare of the Lord which makes men prosper on earth as saith Salomon the Prince of wise men and the wisest of Princes The feare of the Lord prolongeth dayes but the yeares of the wicked shall be shortned Prov. 10.27 This wise King in all his afflictions and troubles had still his recourse to the feare of the Lord which was his fortresse his Sanctuary his comfort and consolation as wee shall read in the 14. Chap. of Proverbs In the feare of the Lord is strong confidence and his children shall have a place of refuge The feare of the Lord is a fountaine of life to depart from the snares of death He againe teacheth us that wealth is unprofitable yea prejudiciall to us without this salubrious this sacred feare of God that poverty is to be preferred before fading and perishable riches Better is a little with the feare of the Lord then great treasure and trouble therewith This feare of the Lord