of his merit for hee satisfied Gods wrath and fulfilled Gods law so that he deserved both discharge from Hell and the ioyes of heaven but if we looke to the same as it is imparted to us so it is a gift of free mercy bestowed upon us Two things then wee must heed that we set not our eyes upon the dignity of our owne person or merit of our owne worke but cloth our selves with Christs person that wee may have an interest in his meritorious worke Let us set Christ alwayes before us and his spirit shall be at our right hand so that wee shall not slide so that our heart may be glad and our tongue reioyce our flesh also may rest in hope for in due time he will shew us the pathes of life in whose presence is fulnesse of ioy and at his right hand pleasures for evermore We see three persons in God and three vertues of a man Man is as it were the center of all blessings that come from every of the three persons in God and God must be the center wherein must end all the three vertues of man As the holy Ghost helpeth us to pray the Father his affected to us in love Iesus Christ vouch safeth us his mercy so must our faith be in God our love toward God and our hope for the mercy of God These be the uttermost of our revelations of God this is the scope of our contemplation of God and this contemplation must suffice us yea this reflexed sight will enable us to a direct sight If we inure our selves to behold Gods vailed face of grace during our mortalitie we shall against the day of our immortality sharpen our sight to endure his revealed face of glory And herein we have King David to resolve us I will behold saith he thy presence in righteousnesse and when I awake after thy likenesse I shall be satisfied with it O Incomprehensible Trinitie and indivisible Vnity that hast revealed thy selfe to us in these graces whereby thou makest a spirituall house of us vouchsafe that by helpe from thee and hope in thee we may so profit and persevere in our most holy faith which shines in that interchangeable love that is betweene our God and us that in due time and in thy kingdome we may see thee face to face and with thy blessed Angels and Saints for ever sing Holy holy holy Lord God of hoasts And that from our mouth as this earth is now so heaven hereafter may be full of thy glory To him that is able to keepe you that you fall not and to present you fault lesse before the presence of his glory with ioy to God onely wise our Saviour be glory maiesty dominion and power both now and for ever Amen A SERMON PREACHED AT SAINT CROSSE NEARE WINCHESTER MATTH 15.21 22 23. And Iesus went thence and departed into the Coasts of Tyre and Sidon And behold a Woman of Canaan came out of the same Coasts and cryed unto Him saying Have mercy on me O Lord thou Sonne of David my Daughter is grie vously vexed with a Devill But He answered her not a word And His Disciples came and besought Him saying send her away for she cryeth after us THat the Kingdome of God should be taken away from the Iewes and given unto the Gentiles our Saviour Christ while Hee was on the Earth taught often times both in word and deed Of such deeds this History is one which is the Argument of my Text. Of which there is to be considered the occasion and the matter the occasion is double given by the Iewes taken by Christ The matter representeth two excellent vertues the one in Christ the other in a Woman of Canaan Of which vertues we are to consider the conflict and the successe The conflict shewes how both Christ and the Woman did by degrees arise the Woman in her importunate faith in Christ Christ in his profitable delay to helpe her and the successe shewes how both vertues proved to Christs great glory and the Womans great comfort The Womans faith would not be said nay and at last it sped well not onely to her Daughters recovery but also to the high commendations of her faith Christ shewes that what He deferres He doth not deny but then yeelds when it is most fit both for Him and also for us This is the substance of the History Let us resume the parts and first the Occasion the occasion which I told you is first given then taken Given by the lewes Christ had Preached long amongst them and wrought many Miracles but they were little the better either in their Faith or in their Life though they were His owne yet His owne received Him not Christ therefore went thence to teach us that though Christ be a constant observer of His promise yet is He a free Disposer of His Grace He breakes with none and He is bound to none if we set light by His guifts we shall be quickly rid of Him The Scripture hath divers examples and Similies to this purpose The example of Israel when God left Shiloh where God had planted His Arke which Ieremy observes Ier. 17.3 Chap. 17. The example of Iudah where God built His Temple Rev. 2. and 3. chapters which Ezechiel observes The example of the Church in Asia of which Saint Iohn in the second and third of the Revelation The similitude of the Vine Esay 5.4 Esay 5. What could J have done saith God for it that I have not done but seeing that which I planted a generous Vine brings forth no better then wild Grapes I will breake down the wall and leave it to the wild Beasts c. The similitude of the Fig-Tree in the Gospell which after three yeares husbandry continuing barren the Owner thereof commanded to be cut downe The similitude of the Shepheard who when He could do no good with His Flocke brake both His Staves the Staffe of Beauty and the Staffe of Bandes He left them to stray and to be slaine The Apostles Rule is short qui stat videat ne cadat If we presume upon Templum Domini Templum Domini as did the Iewes we shall find that God will not sticke to profane His Temple by forsaking it if we do not sticke to prophane that Temple by defiling it We have no priviledge to breake with God and yet to be bold that God will not breake with us He will not begin to forsake us but if we go from Him He will not much desire to continue with us Christ went thence but whither did He go unto the parts of Tyre and Sidon The lewes gave the occasion Christ taketh it to go from the Iewes to the Gentiles to relate the infidelity of the Iew by the faith of the Gentile For what He said elsewhere woe be to thee Chorazin woe be to thee Bethsaida for if the miracles that have beene done in thee had beene done in Tyre and Sidon they would have
stickes not to say Regis admirabilem gloriam effecit splendidiorem he was a King admirable for his vertues but more admirable for his repentance as it was a stranger sight to see a King of Ninive come downe from his Throne clothed in sackcloth and sit in ashes then King Solomon sitting upon his Throne and speaking parables unto the Queene of Saba Behold then whom God chose to be a Patriarch to whom he gave a name like one of the great ones like that of Abraham he entered into a Covenant with Abraham and he entred into a covenant with David he sware to Abraham and he sware to David and he sware unto David as unto Abraham concerning his issue The fruit of his body Children are called fruit of their Parents body to note that they are only fathers of their flesh they have another namely God which is father of their spirits Saint Paul teacheth it and the use of it Heb. 12. Heb. 12.9 And this checkes their opinion that will have soules propagated no lesse than bodies I will not trouble you with such an unnecessary dispute Rather this I note that whereas every mans first desire is immortality because hee cannot in this world attaine it hee offereth supply thereof by his posterity This phrase then promiseth solatium immortalitatis a kind of immortality Our mortall part the Sonne of Syrach doth excellently set forth Chr. 30.4 A man that hath issue though he die yet he is as though hee were not dead for hee hath left one behind him that is like him Jn his life he saw him and had joy in him and hee was not sorry in his death neither was hee ashamed before his enemies And why he left behind him an avenger against his enemies and one that should shew favour to his friends Good cause therefore why another Psalme of degrees tels us that Children are an inheritance of the Lord and the fruit of the wombe is his reward As are the arrowes in the hand of the strong man so are the children of the youth Blessed is the man that hath his quiver full of them Surely for a King to have his quiver empty is no small curse God himselfe hath spoken it Ier. 22.30 O earth earth earth heare the word of the Lord. Thus saith the Lord write this man and that man was Iechonias the King write him I say destitute of Children a man that shall not prosper in his dayes and what is that but that he shall be cursed he addes the reason for there shall be no man of his seed that shall sit upon the Throne of David or beare rule any more in Judah Esa 38.14 King Ezekiah when he was but threatned it confesseth thus he chattered like a swallow mourned like a Dove And what said Abraham O Lord God what wilt thou give me seeing I goe childlesse and loe the servant of mine house shall bee mine heire Happie then was David and so every one of Davids ranke is happy that hath a fruitfull Vine and Olive branches round about his Table Of whom we may truly say Vno avulso non deficit alter Aureus et simili frondescit virga metallo But marke the King was busie to build Gods house and see how God answers him promising the building of â—â—e Kings house God requites a building with a builâ—ing There is a very apt allusion in the word upon which the sonne of Syrach also playes when he saith that â—hildren and the building of a City make a perpetuall â—â—me how much more if they be a royall off-spring that â—e destined to sit upon a Throne And God promiseth â—avid sons for this honourable end To sit upon his Throne It appeares among the buildings of Solomon and in the Chronicles of other Monarchs that the King had a seciall publike seat wherein he was placed when he possessed himselfe of his kingdome and afterwards sate as in his proper seate the Scripture cals it solium Regni as if a kingdome and the Throne were inseparable So that this phrase doth signifie insigne Regni an essentiall an incommunicable rite of a Kingdome This seate is incommunicable the Altar and the Throne saith one are â—â—th proper the Altar to God the Throne to the King The pride of usurping the Throne will as hardly be brooâ—ed by a Soveraigne on earth as the usurping of the Altar will be borne by the Lord of heaven Therefore Pharaoh though he did highly advance Ioseph added Only in the Kings Throne will I bee above thee As it is incommunicable to others so is it essentiall to a King In regard whereof Saint Peter calls Kings 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 supereminent supereminent in the Throne But wherein stands this supereminency surely in state and power In regard of the state it is called solium gloriae 1 Sam. 2.8 Pro. 20.8 and in regard of the power solum judicij These two must not be severed A King must in state ascend above all that hee may be the more respected when he doth command God himselfe that did often shew himselfe as a King did shew himselfe in that Majestie that hee alloweth unto Kings The places be knowne in Ezechiel Daniel Revelation I need not quote them But solium is therefore gloriae because judicij The state is to countenance the power it must not be only a Throne of glory but of judgment too Nazianzene hath an apt description of Kings they are persons saith hee 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 They are not be without a paire of scales in their hands in imitation of God of whom the Psalmist saith Thou sittest iâ— the Throne that judgest righteously And such a Throne indeed was King Davids At Ierusalem are Thrones for Judgment even the Throne of the house of David In such a Throne should the sons of David sit they were to 〈◊〉 but God would set them there It is superfluous for me to remember you that Promotion commeth neither from the East nor from the West 〈◊〉 from the North nor from the South It is God that take downe one and setteth up another Which is evident by the Prophesies of alterations in the most eminent Monarchiâ— of the world As for the Anabaptists that admit no Soveraigne title in a Christian Common-weale upon a falâ— ground that it is a fruit of Adams fall which ceased us on the Redemption by Christ it is enough to touâ— their ignorance not distinguishing between Directâ—â—â— and Coercive power The later is made necessary by sin the former is as naturall as sociablenesse is to man Tâ—â— Romanists detest Anabaptisme but they cherish a mâ—sterie of iniquity that may not be indured by this peculiar of God I will set them For in their Pontificale Remanum they insert such clauses as have within late yeere given occasion of Rebellion in this land Rebellion justified at the Barre upon this ground that the King is 〈◊〉 King till he be anointed In that booke as it is reformâ— by the
Councell of Trent in the Tract De benediction◠〈◊〉 coronatione Regis to the Bishop that performes that Ceremony the Presentee speakes thus Reverendissime â—â—ter postulat sancta mater Ecclesia ut praesentem egregiâ— militem ad dignitatem regiam sublevetis And after 〈◊〉 King begins his Oath thus Ego Deo annuente futâ—â— Rex And what is this but a devise whereby the Pâ—â— usurped upon the Emperour and encroacheth by Metropolitans upon other Kings feigning an interregâ—â— which in an he editary kingdome is questionlesse reâ—ugnant to the fundamentall lawes of all Nations Therâ—â—re against them and all others Psa 89.18 wee hold that of the 〈◊〉 line Our shield belongeth unto the Lord Our King 〈◊〉 the holy one of Israel hee holds of him and none â—ther the King doth sit but God doth set him And sets him for ever The succession is perpetuall â—ome restraine this untill Christs comming according to â—hat speech of Iacob The Scepter shall not depart from Iuâ—ah nor the Lawgiver from between his feete untill Shiâ—ah come Some continue it unto the end of the World â—ccording to these words of the Psalme so long as the Sunne and Moone endureth They are easily reconâ—iled Distinguish the Prophesie from the Promise the Promise speakes of that which might be the prophesie â—f that which would be If IERVSALEM had â—nowne those things that belonged to her Peace the enemies â—ad not cast a banke about her the Romans had not destroyâ—d her that Throne should have continued as the dayes of â—eaven But Iacobs prophesie meaneth that for want of perâ—rmance of the Covenant Ierusalem should faile when Philoh came yea and before that the tabernacle of Daâ—id should be ruinous The ground of that prophesie is â—t downe Psal 49. Psa 40.11 Many thinke that their houses shall conâ—â—nue for ever from generation to generation and call their â—ands after their names But when man is in honour he â—oth not understand and so becomes as the beasts that perish â—nnes interrupt their continuance for ever Wherefore â—ccording to that in Deuteronomy Deut. c. 29. v. 19. If any when he heareth â—he wordes of this curse blesse himselfe in his heart saying 〈◊〉 shall have peace although J walke according to the stubâ—ornnesse of mine heart thus adding drunkennesse unto thirst â—e Lord will not bee mercifull unto that man but the wrath 〈◊〉 the Lord and his Jealousie shall smoake against him and every curse that is written in this booke shall light vpon him â—â—d the Lord shall put out his name from under heaven The succession then is perpetuall but the promise the of is conditionall the Condition is the keeping of Gods Covenant And so wee come from the absolute part of the promise to the qualified which must not be several It was the error of the Kings and Priests of Iudah and Israel excepting against the prophesies and persecuting the prophets which foretold the ruine of those kingdomes for the sinnes thereof they dreamt that the promise was onely absolute and so howsoever they liveâ— their state should endure for ever not remembring thâ— God exacted their duty as well as hee promised his mercy yea and limitted the performance of his mercy according to the continuance of their duty Although then Kings be Lords over their people 〈◊〉 are they subjects unto God They can bee no greatâ— then Adam of whom Saint Augustine Quamvis in mâ—â— do dominus positus est Adam c. though Adam were created Lord of the visible world yet by subjection unto a 〈◊〉 he was to recognize that hee held of a more soveraigne 〈◊〉 It is a fundamentall rule of reason that from whom 〈◊〉 have our being from him wee must receave a Law preportionable to our dependance on him be hee Godâ— man Kings from God and other men from Kings They that have beene of Phaeraohs mind and have saiâ—â— who is the Lord that I should heare him have tryed Saiâ—â— Bernards rule to be true Posse eos summovere se felicitâ—â— but not subducere se Potestati they may deprive themselâ—â— of the glory of God their throne in heaven but they canâ—â—â— exempt themselves from the soveraignty of God hee will 〈◊〉 his pleasure dispose their thrones here on earth There is a covenant then betweene God and the Kinâ— and it is two-fold I will be his Father and hee shall be 〈◊〉 sonne 2. Sam. 7.14 15 16. he shall build an house for my name and J will staâ—â— the throne of his kingdome So it is set downe 2. Sam. 〈◊〉 The Covenant respects David as a private person and as King as a private person hee is to be the sonne of God for Davids Covenant doth presuppose Abrahams bâ— addeth a regality unto it As a King hee is to build an house for God Hee must be custodious et Custos utriusque tabulae it was so in the Old Testament Psal 2.6 it must bee so in the New It is prophesied in the second psalme we are taught to petitionate by Saint Paul 1. Tim. 2.2 and Saint Augustine doth excellently expresse it Aliter servit Rex Deo quia homo aliter quia Rex As a man hee must conforme himselfe to the lawes of God as a King hee makes lawes for the service of God It is not enough for the King to obey it as the child of God as a King annoynted of God he must commaund it like to primum mobile which moveth it selfe and all inferior orbes with it So did the religious Kings of the Iewes and so did the religious Emperours of the Christians But where shall the King find whereunto hee is tyed by Covenant hee hath an authenticall Record the Record is Gods Testimonies they are tabulae foederis God testifieth his will in his word This appeareth by Moses in Deuteronomy where the King is enjoyned to describe the law Deu. 17.18 when he sitteth vpon his throne and the same charge is reiterated unto Ioshua Samuel giveth the like to Saul Josh 17. and David to Solomon Whereupon the booke of the Law was to be delivered the King at his Coronation You may see it in the Story of Ioash Psa 45. â— The Chaldee paraphase expounding those words of the Psalme the Qucene stood at the Kings right hand gives it this sense Stabit liber legis in latere dextrae tuae et exaraebitur in exemplare splendor tuus velut obrizo ophiritico It is memorable that is reported of Alphonsus King of Arragon that hee read over the Bible with the glosse foureteene times But this I moreover marke in the word Testimony that God speaketh like a King signifieth his pleasure without Rhetoricall perswasions or philosophicall demonstrations There are lumina Orationis in the sermons of the prophets which surpasse the Eloquence of all heathen men but the style of the Law runnes onely with a Teste Yea and simply Gods word requireth faith which is the Correlative of a Testimony Quare et
agree God in his mercy is equally neere to both and in his Iustice will deale indifferently with both Therefore the Jewes stories are the Gentiles types types not of Ceremoniall presignificancie but of morall correspondency by them they may judge in what termes their persons stand with God and what their deeds may expect at the hands of God The Iewer were as the Gentiles are Sacramentally sanctified yet they sinned and were plagued Alterius casus alterius cautela saith Gregory the Great lib 4. Epist 56. The Iewes harmes must make the Gentiles beware Therefore whatsoever he be Iew or Gentile that thinkes he stands let him take heed least he fall as the Apostle concludes in these words that now I have read unto you These words then are a conclusion springing from that proofe which the Apostle grounded upon the example of the Iewes Wherein it is cleare that Sacramentall sanctification doth neither exclude sin nor exempt from wrath For the betâ—er unfolding of which words we may observe in them these two points a mutability whereunto we are subject and a Vigilancy whereof we must take care The former requireth the later Wee must bee vigilant because we are mutable Mutable we are for he that thinketh he stands may fall Vigilant â—herfore we must be lest he that thinketh he stands doe â—all Iâ—t him that thinketh c. To begin with our mutability Pst 1.5 Our condition is according to our place this three fold so is that The first â—lace is â—eaven this as the Apostle calleth it Heb 12.28 is a kingdome that cannot be shaken therefore they that are standing â—illars there so Christ calls the Saints consummated â—e free from falling Apcc. 3.12 Zach. 12.8 Jn that day saith the prophet â—achary shall the Lord defend the Inhabitants of Ierusalem â—nd he that is feeble the word is a stumbler among you â—all be lâ—ke unto David and the house of David as the Anâ—ells as the Angell of God before them Now the Anâ—ells cannot fall The second place is Hell and that is a â—â—oale wherein sinners lye bound hand and foot in chains â—f darknesse and that without delivery they cannot be â—osed they cannot be raised their sentence is irrecoverable and their state unrecoverable Luk. 16 26. So Abraham tells â—ives Lu. 16. The third place is the earth the mid-way to the other two which partaketh of them both here â—â—en both stand and fall And no marveile for the best â—â—e sonnes of Adam aswell as of God partly flesh and partly spirit not only Saints but also sinners living in the Church not triumphant but militant And this Church is in the Canticles aptly resembled by the moone for shee hath her wexings and her wainings she cometh â—eerer and goeth further from the sunne the sunne of righteousnesse as Malachi calls Christ Mal 4.2 in the fourth of his prophesie So then this admonition is directed to 〈◊〉 that are pilgrims not to them that are at home to wayfaring men not to them that are at their journeys and and it is directed to us all Whosoever thinkes hee stands I said in my prosperity I shall never be removed thou Lord of thy goodnes hadst made my hill to stand so strong Psa 30 6. saith â—â—ing David Though all men bee offended Mat. 26.33 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 said Saint Peter unto Christ yet will I never bee offended Behold great security in King David and no lesse in Saint Peter yet when God hid his face the King confessed that hee was troubled Psa 30 3. and his trouble was a fall a great downe-fall as it appeareth verse 3. where he thanketh God that he had brought up his soule from beâ— and revived him from among them that did goe downe to the pit Christ did looke away from Saint Peter and he stumbled and fell too and that very low for hee denyed yea forswore his master so farre was he from standing to or dying for his master What can wee say the to these things If a King a King of Israel a King after God owne heart Gal. 2.9 if an Apostle one of those three 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Galathians 2. that seemed a pillar among the Apostles that was surnamed Cephas in prophesied his faith if such a King such an Apostle King Daâ—iâ— and Peter could not so stand but they fell who in the Common-weale who in the Church dare say I shall never be removed I will never be offended Surely the weaknesse must needs be in all that tempteth them thâ— are the very best of all He that thinks 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in fulness of sense he that seemes Now a man may seeme onely 〈◊〉 others or also to himselfe so that the sence is somewhâ—â— restrained by translating it he that thinks for he thâ— thinks he stands seemes onely to himselfe But it is 〈◊〉 done without cause If a man seeme to stand onely 〈◊〉 others 1. Cor. 2 11. no wonder if he fall No man knoweth the thing of a man save the spirit of man which is in him Easie there fore it is to be deceived in our judgement of another man Hypocrisie may vaile the greatest impiety Decâ—â— full workers saith Saint Paul transforme themselves iâ— the Apostles of Christ and no marvell for Satan 〈◊〉 selfe can be transformed into an angell of light But 〈◊〉 smothered is like a sicknesse palliated it will not be 〈◊〉 ere it breake out and breake out more violently Theâ— ample of Iudas the traytor Simon Magus the sorcerâ— Julian the Apostata are proofe enough that such standâ— will soone fall but for him to fall that seemeth to 〈◊〉 selfe to stand his case is more wofull and this admonâ—â— on the more behoofefull The Corinthians were too well conceited of their own stability therefore doth the Apostle presse them with a consideration of their mutability Hereupon the Translator regarding fitnesse rather â—hen fulnesse of sense expresseth the touch that the Apostle giveth at their pride by rendring it he that thinks He â—hat thinks he stands Standing and falling are words borrowed from things corporall to note those that are spirituall alluding both 〈◊〉 the comparison of Gods word to a way wherein we â—ust all walke In our walking there are enemies that would supplant us and according to our walking God will respect us if we be neither foiled of our enemies nor â—isallowed of God In both cases the Scripture saith we â—and stand against them and stand before him Of the â—â—rst Saint Paul protesteth unto Felix Act. 24.16 that he endeavourâ—â—d to have a conscience towards God and men 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which stumbleth not without offence And how far he â—ad obtained it he reporteth to King Agrippa Acts 26.21 for â—reaching repentance the Iewes tooke me in the Temple â—â—d would have killed me neverthelesse I obtained helpe 〈◊〉 God and stand to this day witnessing to great and small 〈◊〉 other things then those