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A09757
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The pathway to perfection A sermon preached at Saint Maryes Spittle in London on VVednesday in Easter weeke. 1593. By Thomas Playfere, Doctor of Diuinitie.
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Playfere, Thomas, 1561?-1609.
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1597
(1597)
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STC 20021; ESTC S103577
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59,781
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129
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like a wheele O my God make them like a wheele sayes Dauid A wheele tilts vp behind and shootes downe before So the wicked are forward to all badnes and backward to all goodnes But the godly are like a Panther A Panther hath foure claws and no more on each hind foot but fiue clawes and no lesse on each fore foote So the godly though they bee weake to the worldward yet they are strong to Godward And setting the better foote before as wee say they Follow hard and run with might and maine most violently to lay holde on that hope which is set before them For there are two sortes of violent men Of the first sorte the Apostle sayes b. No extortioners or violeent men shal inherit the kingdom of heauen Of the second sort our sauior saies The kingdome of heauen suffereth violence and violent men lay hold on it Both are violent men but both are not violent to men For they offer violence to men these offer violence to God Therefore they doe not enter but these do enter into the kingdome of heauen For though God be not content that wee should offer violence to men yet he is well content that wee should offer violence to himselfe And that we should Followe hard and as Pyrats or theeues set vpon him if it be lawfull for me so to speake and by the force of faith spoile him and rob him of al his eternal treasures Therfore calling his church he sayth Arise my loue my faire one make hast and come away He that doth make account to come to GOD must make hast to come to God He must vse violence and Follow harde and come downe quickly with Zacheus and for speedines he must be like a Doe or a Roe vpon the mountaines of Bether Euen as those beastes in Ezechiel did run returne as lightning So must euery one who is enlightned with the spirit of God Followe as swiftlie as lightning which doth no soner flash down from heauen to the earth thē he must in affection mount vp from the earth to heauen And like as the Isralites were commanded to eate the passe ouer in hast Semblably all we which are true Isralites must girde vp the loines of our minds and Follow hard and run a pace redeeme the time that both the wrath of God may pas ouer vs and also the mercy of God may abide with vs. For God among other arguments of his mercy sayes thus Who hath giuen wings to the Ostridg The Ostridg neuer flies with his wings but onely a little lifts vp his body with them when he runs And in y e pinion of each wing he hath a sharp spur wherewith he pricketh his own self that he may run the faster So that God hath giuē wings vnto y e Ostridg not for the Ostridge but for vs. That we might thereby learne howe wee ought by all good meanes to quicken our dull disposition that wee may Followe harde euen as wee see the Ostridge eggeth his owne selfe forward with the flapping of his wings For they that wayte vpopn the Lord shall change their strength they shall lift vp their winges not onely as the Ostridge but also as the Eagle they shall I say lift vp their wings as the Eagle they shal run and not be faint they shall walke and not bee weary Euen as Pindarus writeth that King Therons coursers were such as wold neuer be wery of going l so shal these Follow still and neuer be weary of well doing But the most especiall thing to be considered heere is this that the Prophet sayes They which waight vpon the Lord shall change their strength Hee sayes not they shall loose their strength that whereas before they were strong now they shall be weake but they shall change their strength namelie the vse of their strength that whereas before they were strong and did follow hard to serue sinne nowe they shall be as strong shall Follow as hard to serue God For God only it is which can melt brasse out of a stone I wot wel there is a stone called Almacrasia which being molten becometh brasse But these words haue a far more hidden meaning To wit that God doth melt brasse out of a stone when he taketh the hart of a sinner which is as hard as a stone and melting it with the holy Ghost and with fire dooth afterward make it as tough as brasse This was seene in the conuersion of Paul For when Paul was made an Apostle thē a stone was made brasse He was as hard as any stone before his conuersion when he stoned Stephen Hee was as tough as any brasse after his conuersion when he did Follow so hard that no affliction could seperate him from the loue of Christ Which thing was prophecied of long before When the Patriarch Iacob sayd Beniamin shall be as a rauening Wolfe in the morning he shall deuoure the pray in the euening he shall deuide the spoile Paul was this Beniamin because he was of the tribe of Beniamin Paul was this rauening wolfe because he breathed out threatning and slaughter against the Disciples and was euen mad vpon them as a rauening Wolfe Paule in the morning deuoured the pray because in the beginning of his dayes he wasted and deuoured the Church of God as a pray Paul in the euening deuided the spoile because in the latter ende of his dayes he did Follow his calling hard and deuided the word of God aright of which the Psalmist saies I reioyce in thy word more then they which haue found a great spoile So that this is no losse of strength but onely a change of strength O blessed Beniamin O holy Apostle Thou hast now changed thy strength Yea by changing it thou hast much increased it For thou wert nothing so strong before as thou art now Nothing so strong before being a ston as thou art now being brasse Nothing so strong before being a rauening wolf as thou art now beeing a meeke lambe Nothing so strong before in the morning as thou art now in the euening Nothing so strong before when thou diddest deuoure the pray as thou art nowe when thou doest deuide the spoyle When no impediments no stumbling-blocks can stay thee but thou wilt needes Follow hard and runne ouer the whole world to deuide the spoyle among all Nations to preach the Gospell vnto all people So likewise Baruch was inflamed as the Hebrew word signifieth hee was I say inflamed to fortifie the wall of Ierusalem In mans bodie the arteries running along the veines and beating vpon them stir vp the blood and keepe it warme least otherwise by standing still it should congeale and waxe colde After the same manner in Baruch his heart there were liuely and quicke motions of the holy Ghost which did blowe coales and stirre vp the gift of GOD in him which did warme
as Iacob vvrastleth with manie great imperfections and spiritual aduersaries in this life he must as a faithful subiect or seruant of God keep the lawe of wrastling appointed vnto him to wit that he minde but one thing forget that which is behind and endeuour himselfe to that which is before followe hard toward the marke but when Israel hath once ouercome all his worldly ghostly enemies is become a perfect man in Christ seeth the Lord in the life to come then he shall as a beloued friend or child of God possesse that inheritance vvhich the father hath by his euerlasting testament written vvith the bloud of Christ Iesus appointed vnto him to wit euerlasting life eternal glory ioy in the holy Ghost the kingdome of heauen The prize of the high calling of God in Christ Iesus O happy happy man art thou and thrice happy man art thou whosoeuer thou art which vvith Iacob dost wrastle keep the law as a faithfull seruaunt for no other ende but only this that with Israel thou maist see God enioy the euerlasting testameÌ„t as a beloued son For when wee shall see God we shal see and what shal we see That which no mortall eye hath seene that we shall see VVe shall see our own selues sitting shining at the right hand of the throne of Maiestie VVe shal see all our deere friends which we haue not seene this many a day embracing vs welcomming vs into Christs kingdom VVee shall see all the noble armie of Martyrs of Apostles of Prophets of Patriarkes shouting day and night and singing out the praises of the lord VVe shall see all the inuincible hoast of Angels of Archangels of Principalities of Dominations reuerently attending vpon the king of glory VVee shall see the king himselfe Christ Iesus disparkling displaying those beames of beautie which are the heauens vvonder and all the Angels blisse If there were no we amongst vs one as faire as euer Absolon was who would not be glad to beholde him But suppose some one were tenne times as fayre as Absolon howe then would men looke gaze vpon him I but if another vvere a hundred times as faire as Absolon what a matter of admiration wold that make Put the case then some one should now step forth shâ—we himselfe a thousande times fayrer then euer Absolon was vvhat wondering what maruailing would there be amongst vs howe would our eyes bee dazeled how would our very mindes be amazed at this sight VVel al this is but a counterfeit but a shadow in respect of the bright-blazing beautie of our spirituall spouse For Christ Iesus is ten times fairer yea a hundred times fayrer yea a thousand times fayrer yea ten hundred thousand times fayrer then all the children of men So that if the whole beautie not onely of all men but euen of all this inferiour Globe were put together in one yet it would not be any way coÌ„parable not onely to Christs glorie but not so much as to the least glorified bodie in heauen And yet all this is but the outside of heauen all thys wee shall see with our bodily eye The inside and the insight is much more glorious For the least glorified body seeing innumerable Saints and Angels more highly exalted then he is hath his ioy doubled trebled beyond all measure multiplied when he coÌ„sidereth that he is loued vnspeakably more by all of them yea by euery one of them then hee can be by himselfe And therefore againe seeing himselfe so deere vnto them hee for his parte likewise as a hote burning coale is set on fire and inflamed with loue and the more he seeth any other excell him in glory the more doth he reioyce and is gladder of his glory then his owne But now when hee lifteth vp his eyes to the glorious Trinitie and seeth how the Father the Sonne and the holy Ghost doe eternally and perfectly loue and like and enioye one another in surpassing sweetnes and content then all his affections are swallowed vp in loue all his spirits are rauisht in delight all his desires are imparadized in pleasure In so much as if on the one side were layd the loue of Christ as he is man and of all the Saints and Angels among themselues and on the other side the loue which the least glorified body in heauen beholding the blessed Trinitie breatheth out to GOD this loue would without all comparison excell exceed that as far as light doth darknes or as heauen doth the earth VVherefore for man to see God for Iacob to be called Israel for him that hath bin a seruant to becom a sonne for him that hath kept the lawe to enioy the testament is the highest degree to perfection yea it is the very perfection of perfection it selfe The onely perfect life the onely hye honor the onely godly pleasure the only christian treasure The prize of the high calling of God in Christ Iesus Seeing then blessed brethren seeing wee fight not as they that beate the ayre but our rewarde is so great so exceeding great in heauen therefore as Iacob wrastled all the night long and neuer gaue ouer til about the breaking of the day he was called Israel so let vs wrastle all the night long of this life neuer giue ouer til the day breake the shadowes flye away and we come to the maruailous light sight of God And like as the same Iacob sayde to the Angell I will not let thee goe except thou blesse me euen so let euerie true Israelite say to Christ I tooke hold of him and left him not O Lord Iesus who would leaue thee or who would let thee goe or rather who would not hold thee fast which strengthenest him that holdeth thee fast and makest him perseuere that is strengthened and crownest him that perseuereth and makest him perfect that is crowned Therefore I will hold thee fast and will not let thee goe except thou blesse me that is indeede I will neuer let thee goe because thou doest neuer blesse but onely those that alwayes hold thee fast Holde fast then and Stand fast good beloued once againe I say Hold fast that which you haue that no man take your crowne from you Stand fast in that liberty whereby Christ hath made you free and be not any more entangled with the yoke of bondage But so runne so runne as yee may attayne As yee may attayne Howe is that Mary faithfully patiently constantly vnto the ende A shame it would be and a vile shame for vs if it should be sayd of vs not you doe runne well but you did runne well â—ye vpon it Hauing been hetherto brought vp in skarlet shall wee now embrace the dung Shall we be like those antickes or monsters which are halfe men and halfe beasts Shall wee be like Nabuchadnezzars image which had a head of gold and