many years could not approach notwithstanding the affection and good will of his faithfull subjects you see the glorious Charles the great Monarch of England in possession of his own Kingdomes and with him peace and quietness for the good of the persecuted Church that after a silence of persecution where she was not seen by the eyes of her afflicted Children she may enjoy the silence of prosperity in all godliness But that great favour of our God is not regarded by many of this Kingdom who so envy its happiness that they seek with their unquiet minde to ruine it they are divided from the rest of their brethren when as they may be united together to the glory of the great God of heaven the God of union the advancing of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ and salvation of their souls Perhaps there are many present that will be offended at my discourse but I will have them know that my intention is not to please some nor offend any for it is onely to shew you what I with orthodox Learned men conceive by the Scripture and Antiquity to be true therefore I exhort you all in the Name of the Almighty God whom you adore and fear that you hear me with attention humility and charity and above all if there be any in this Congregation that are contentious I desire them to hear me without partiality and prejudice that I with the grace of our blessed Saviour may remove the spirit of contention which our grand Apostle Paul blameth in the Corinthians for in the 16 ver speaking to the contentious he saith if they would remain in that humour if any man seem to be contentious we have no such custome neither the Churches of God after which he reproves the Corinthians for their irregularities by which they did prophane the Lords Supper and caused divisions in the Church saying I praise you not that you come together not for the better but for the worse for when you come together in the Church I hear that there be divisions among you which last words I have chosen to entertain you with by the special assistance of the blessed Spirit but that you may have a clear intelligence of them I shall divide my Text into two parts where in the first I shall speak of the divisions and in the second part I shall shew you the causes and ocasions of them as you may see in my Text I hear that there be divisions among you The first part If oppression be a monster with many heads so is division which you cannot look upon without fear and horrour in Kingdomes Families and Churches for you know that there is a civil or political division which ruineth all things in Kingdomes Cities and Villages for by that division Kingdomes are destroyed men slain Virgins defloured women abused children corrupted Cities everted Villages ruined houses by fire consumed Palaces demolished and the most pleasant dwellings wasted nay more then that Emperours and glorious Kings dethroniz'd so that nothing but desolation and ruine appears before our eyes as you your selves lately have seen in this Kingdom but this monster of division is not satisfied to spoil the glorious Kingdomes of the earth it reacheth further unto private families to confound them for there is a domestical division which everteth all oeconomical order and government and procreates confusion and disorder in families for in that fatal division the Father is against the Son the Son against the Father the mother against the daughter the daughter against the mother the husband hates his wife and the wife despiseth her husband nay you see that monster of division go up and down in the house to the ruine and destruction of all things in families for in that division Parents neglect their children with their employments and spend all that they have by profusion and carelesness But me thinks I see this monster of division go yet further and by a damnable presumption endeavour to enter into the Church of God to spoil and defile it me thinks it prevaileth so far that the Church seems rather a chaos or confusion then a distinct fabrick and if that Ecclesiastical monster be not stayed that it go no further it will spoil and ruine the sacred house of the Almighty God which the Apostle Paul did well know for hearing of the Ecclesiastical diuision among the Corinthians he writes unto them to extinguish it saying I hear that there be divisions among you I hear saith the Apostle not by a special revelation as if God should have revealed him that which the Corinthians would not have him know but by letters or rather by some that came from Corinth who informed S. Paul of the disorders of the Corinthians and so writing unto them saith I hear that there be divisions among you as he had told them in the 2. verse of the first Chapter concerning their contentions about Paul Apollo and Cephas it hath bean declared unto me that there are contentions among you But for a clear intelligence of the Ecclesiastical division of which the Apostle here speaks you must observe that it is vel circa doctrinam vel circa disciplinam vel circa ceremonias Either about the doctrine or about the discipline or about ceremonies where the Ecclesiastical division about the doctrine is that by which the true principles fundamental points of Religion are everted which is such a pernicious division that from thence comes her pestilent daughter heresie the division about discipline is that by which the Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction established for the correction of Christian sinners and preservation of the Church is destroyed which is that division which most shamefully brings forth licentiousness the Ecclesiastical division about Ceremonies is that by which the rights of the Church observed in the outward service of God are most irreverently despised and abolished which is a division from which cometh schisme which the Apostle speaks of when he saith I hear that there be divisions among you for the word of my Text in the Original is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 schismes which nevertheless may be extended to the division about doctrine and discipline by which the Church is rent as well as by that of Ceremonies and much more Indeed all these divisions were to be found among the Corinthians for among them some there were who would corrupt the doctrine by their erroneous opinions some among the Corinthians did condemn the marriage not as if it were instituted by a wicked God or by the devil as Simon and Saturninus said but as a thing somerhing impure which was not fit for a Christian whose life was to be every way most pure which obliged the Corinthians to write unto the Apostle Paul to have his judgement about it which was that marriage was lawfull for every man as you may see in the 7. Chapter of our Epistle nay honourable in all and the bed undefiled some among the Corinthians being infected with the Sadduces
not know which way to turn our selves so in the matter which I have now in hand I do not know whether I shall speak or keep silence me thinks that S. John tels me that I must stay to contemplate the great wonders that are seen in heaven at the opening of the seventh seal it seems that I must keep silence because the sacred Angels do not speak themselves and dare not sound their trumpets lest they should hinder the great agitations of heaven which appear in this silence indeed I could speak at the opening of the first second third and fourth seals of the book in which is written within and on the back-side the great mystery of our redemption the conservation of the Church and the punishment of prophane and wicked men for at the opening of these seals there was no silence kept as you may evidently see in the 6. Chapter the beasts be Angels or Evangelists as some learned men will have it crying Come and see I could break silence at the opening of the fifth seal because you may easily perceive that there was no silence at the opening of it hearing under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the Word of God crying with a loud voice and saying How long O Lord holy and true dost thou not judge and avenge our bloud Moreover I could speak at the opening of the sixth seal for at the opening of it a great noise was heard behold there was an earthquake which learns us that we must not keep silence but at the opening of the seventh seal I do not see how I may speak for at the opening of that seal there was silence I am at a stand not knowing which is best for me to do whether to speak or keep silence but seeing that I came to this place to inform you about that heavenly silence I must break it and implore the assistance not of angels nor of men but of our blessed Saviour who hath prevailed to open the book and loose the seven seals thereof for you know that the Lion of the tribe of Judah is he that can give me leave to speak in this silence which S. John speaks of saying there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour which are the words that I have chosen to entertain you with by the special assistance of the blessed Spirit but for a clear intelligence of them I shall divide my text into two parts where in the first part I shall speak of the silence which was kept in heaven in these words there was silence in heaven and in the second part I will shew you the duration of it about the space of half an hour The first Part. To know well the silence which S. John speaks of we must first enter into the place where it was kept heaven there was silence in heaven but as that place is something obscure by reason of its several acceptions we must observe that here by heaven is not understood the air which the Scripture calls heaven Gen. 8.2 the place of generation of many imperfect mixt bodies ice dew clouds rain hail blazing stars and other moist and siery impressions as if these productions should cease in its breast or the air should rest from its agitation neither is it understood by heaven the skie that shining and bright heaven adorned with an insinite number of glorious stars as if there were a cessation of the motion of those shining bodies nor is it meant the supream or highest heaven the place of habitation of the sacred angels and blessed souls which the Scripture calls the third heaven 2 Cor. 12.2 as if there should be a suspension of the heavenly actions of the Citizens of that glorious palace nor is heaven to be understood in this place of the triumphant Church a glorious part of the mysticall body of our dear Saviour which sometimes the Scripture calls heaven Eph. 1.10 Col. 1.20 as if these glorious natures should cease to render their Hallelujahs and Thanks-givings unto the Almighty God who is set upon his throne of majesty and glory For here we must understand by heaven the militant Church upon the earth as it clearly appears by the preceding Chapter where you hear an angel cry with a loud voice to the four angels which did represent the four illustrious kingdoms of the earth with their Monarchs or the devils to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea saying hurt not the earth neither the sea nor the trees till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads after which S. John beheld a great multitude of men who were to suffer martyrdom for Christ and wash their robes white in the bloud of the Lamb nay whom Christ was to lead unto the living and eternal fountains of waters and immediately after the Church of God admires the great mystery of our redemption in Christ for which she suffereth for it followeth and when he had opened the seventh seal there was silence in heaven and indeed the Scripture calls not seldome the militant Church heaven as you may see Dan. 8.10 where it is said that the little horn which did represent the power of a Potent but wicked King intra extra Ecclesiam within and without the Church waxed great even to the host of heaven that is the militant Church so in the Revelation 12. chapter 4. verse we reade that the great red dragon the devil with his well affected creatures by his fraudulent allurements drew with his tail the antichrist that follows the devils steps the third part of the stars of heaven that is the great persons of the militant Church which are eminent in learning humane wisdom nobility and riches and in my text there was silence in heaven the militant Church which obligeth me to tell you that there are three considerations for which the militant Church is called heaven First because the birth of the militant Church is from heaven for she is born of God 1 Joh. 5.1 and so I may say with S. John I saw the holy city the militant Church coming down from God out of heaven She is so called because the inheritance thereof is an inheritance of heaven and therefore it is called the inheritance of the Saints Col. 1.12 The militant Church is called heaven because her conversation is in heaven as the great Apostle tels us Phil. 3.20 and so our blessed Saviour calls often his visible Church the kingdom of heaven which agrees with our assertion of that word heaven the militant Church of which it is spoken when S. John saith there was silence in heaven But having seen the place where silence was kept the militant Church let us now consider the silence and give me leave to make a reslection upon it Silence brethren which the Hebrews call 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 cheresh and the Greek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 if we consider it in general is nothing else but a
the flesh is the onely King who did eat at the table of mens redemption Christ is he alone who hath troden the wine-press Isa 63.3 I have troden saith our Saviour speaking of that he was certainly to perform the winepress alone and of the people there was none with me Christ is he alone who hath been consecrated by afflictions for our salvation Heb. 5.9 For Christ being consecrated through sufferings became the authour of eternal salvation unto all those that obey him and there is no other name under heaven given amongst men whereby we must be saved but this of Jesus Christ who saith My meat is to do the will of him that sent me and to finish his work Conclusion and Application Now brethren to conclude let us consider the great work of our Redemption which our Lord and Saviour performed from the birth of his sacred person to his death upon the Cross where he saith It is finished that we may abstain from sin and run after righteousness let us look upon the divine wisedom that found a way to punish our sins and with all save men by it nay more then that a way where the Physician took Physick for his Patient to cure him of all his spiritual diseases that we may never cease to praise the Lord our God whom we adore ler us admire here the tender affection of our dear Saviour who being offended as well as his Father notwithstanding the reconciliation of men with their God and him through his bloud that we may exclaim with the Apostle that neither death nor life nor angels nor principalities nor powers nor height nor depth nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Jesus Christ Moreover let us consider in the work of our Redemption the union of heaven and earth which our sins had broke and you shall see that the sacred angels descend from heaven to protect help and comfort us against our enemies and eminent dangers which beset us in this corrupted world being now ministring spirits for them who shall be heirs of salvation Heb. 1.14 But to admire yet more the great benefits of the incomparable work of our Redemption consider seriously what we were by our sins before the decretal resolution of God to save men by Christ examine what we are now by nature the slaves of the Prince of darkness the sons of this corrupted world and the children of death and eternal damnation our condition was as it is by nature worse then Lots in Sodom then Israels in Egypt then Sampsons among the Philistins then the Jews in Babylon and the Prophets and Apostles in the obscure prisons for we were under the power of the god of this wotld bound with chains of obscurity and tyed fast to the infernal pillory for our eternal shame if Christ had not come to destroy him that had the power of death that is the devil Moreover let us learn here that although Christ is alone in this great work of our Redemption yet in the general enterprise of doing the will of God every one according to his condition is sent from him to do his will Kings and Princes have their work from God to do for as S. Paul saith Rom. 13. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Princes are the Ministers of God for good they must kiss the eternal Son of God the Lord of lords and King of kings they must lay down at his feet their Sceptre and Diadem that their kingdoms may continue longer under them nay more then that they must administer all things for his glory all the kings of the world being under Christ the King of kings which the great Monarch of England most piously acknowledgeth by the Church when she saith that his Majesty is next and immediately under God and his Christ in his Dominions supreme Governour The subordinate Magistrates have also their work from God to perform they ought to do all things according to equity and minister justice without partiality and weigh with deliberation the considerable matters which they have in hand lest too much rashness in the execution of them should embroyl them and the people with ruine and confusion or some other fatal accidents All the Spiritual Guides and Ecclesiastical Superiours have a work from God to do which must be their meat they must consider that all things ought to be done decently and in order in the Church of God and that they must not do things to please their fancies or the common sort of people but our God and Christ our Redeemer who did seek onely the glory of his Father that sent him the nurses of piety and learning ought to apply their understandings for the work that they have to perform that they may finde some means to advance and promote the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ and keep the Church of God from schism licentiousness and heresie all the Ministers have a work from God which they must accomplish for we are embassadours for Christ who hath given unto us the ministery of reconciliation 2 Cor. 5.18 which is a work of a sublime excellence where we feed our selves with divine meat when we give others the sincere milk of the word of God But further you know that all Christians have a work from God to do for they are sent from him to seek after the meat of obedience unto the word of God that they may live soberly and religiously before him and by a Christian conversation inflame the hearts of others to the glory of his holy Name Lastly all men and women have their work from God to accomplish in their vocation and family as well the greatest and richest as the least and poorest of all as well the Nobility as others their inferiours for to all the intelligent but mortal creatures the time is precious and given for a pious exercise it must not be employed about drunkenness but soberness not about the profanation of the sacred Name of God but its holy celebration nor about idleness but watchfulness Let us then brethren forsake our covetous desires let us not run after the impetuons blast of this world the time which we have employed for our covetousness pride and vanity ought to oblige us to redeem it and to lay aside the sin which doth so easily beset us in this corrupted world pursuing with patience the race that is set before us and looking unto Jesus the authour and finisher of our faith who saith My meat is to do the will of him that sent me and to finish his work Amen FINIS
ὉΒΆΣΑÎΟΣ ΤΣ ἈΛΗΘΕΊΑΣ OR THE TOUCH-STONE OF TRUTH WHEREIN VERITY by Scripture and Antiquity is plainly confirmed and ERROUR confuted Delivered in certain SERMONS Preached in English by JAMES Le FRANC B.D. and Minister of the French Church in Norwich 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Origen cont Cels lib. 1. Qui veritatem occultat qui mendacium prodit uterque reus est ille quia prodesse non vult Iste quia nocere desiderat August lib. de Agon Christian Ephes 4.25 Putting away lying let every man speak truth CAMBRIDGE Printed by John Field Printer to the University 1662. TO THE Right Honourable and truly Noble HORATIO Lord TOWNSHEND Baron of Linn Regis Lord Lieutenant of the County of Norfolk c. All Prosperity and Peace My Lord HAving not long since undertook to vindicate the eminent and glorious Church of England from the Errors and Superstitions of the Church of Rome to blot out the false aspersions which the Enemies of the Church and Nation put upon the Liturgy and Rights which she observes in the publick and sacred Worship of God I could not choose among the Nobility of this Countrey a fitter Person then your Honour to patronise that Work I know though unknown to you the rare qualities and commendable vertues of your Honour they being scattered abroad by your glorious fame I am not ignorant what a Noble and Loyal Subject the Great though Exiled Monarch of England had in your most generous Person when all things were in confusion amongst us and Subjects rebellious to their King I have often heard that the Sequestred Clergy found a Protection and Refuge under your eminent goodness as your Ancestours as well as your Honourable Person received with all affection strangers nay all those that were faithfull to his Majesty our Gracious Monarch whom God preserve were welcome to your Honour Your Lordship was not afraid to venture both life and Estate to serve so excellent and incomparable a Prince because it was your glory nay more then that the glorious fame of your merits tels me that your care was to preserve the Church as well as the State you did strengthen the afflicted members of the Church of England that they might keep close to their Mother and now the chiefest of your Lordships Enterprises clearly appears to be the bringing of the discontented people of this Nation to a better understanding that they may be united with those that do sincerely honour the King and acknowledge their mother the Church of England under the government of their pious and most reverend Bishops pardon me then my Lord if I have assumed the boldness to present your Honour with a Vindication of the Church our Mother whom to protect was your great ambition from the errours and superstitions of the Church of Rome where I have had my Education for as I am not the first who have adventured a Dedication to so Noble a Person to whom the Authour is unknown so I thought I might do this and perhaps without offence to your Lordship seeing the incomparable goodness of your most Honourable Person assures me of your kinde acceptance and makes me confident that you will not reject a stranger who wisheth you all prosperity and happiness and further demands that favour to be My Lord Your Honours most humble Servant James Le Franc. A Preparatory Advertisement to the READER Courteous Reader WHen I made these Sermons I had no thought to print them not onely because I am a stranger and not well vers'd in the English tongue but because I did judge them not worthy to appear to the publick seeing that my young capacity is but weak and not fit to appear to the eyes of so ingenious and learned a Nation but the urgent request of some of my friends and specially the calumny which some enemies of the truth cast upon the first Sermon which is in vindication of the Church of England from the errours and superstitions of the Church of Rome prevailed so much upon me that I could not but give them to the Press Indeed having such enemies that openly and secretly vilifie my Ministry by reason of that Sermon which I gave to bring the contentious to union I cannot but vindicate my self from their false aspersions for I had no other intention in the Preaching of it then to take away the errours of the common people to bring them to a better understanding and make them leave their blinde and proud leaders that they may come to their mother the Church of England which their divisions had spoiled and most shamefully defiled As for the other Sermons which I caused with the first to be printed by the request of my friends I give them to inform not the learned men but the common people that they may see the spiritual silence by which the sons of God cease from the works of the Prince of darkness the reall presence of Christ in the holy Sacrament against the Transubstantiation of the Church of Rome and Consubstantiation of the Lutherans the spiritual reign of our Saviour against the Millenaries Monarchical Kingdom and the Celestial meat of God that they may seriously consider the great mystery of our Redemption by which their and our sins are blotted out through the precious bloud of Jesus Christ And if any contentious man will critically question or enviously quarrel at my undertaking be you Courteous Reader so far my Advocate as to plead in my behalf that it is not my ambition to be exposed publick to the world being of a mean capacity but to be accepted of my friends and especially as much as lay in my power to procure some good to the Church and Nation of England which I am so much engaged to I know that in this present conjuncture of time the matter treated of in the Sermons I give you is necessary to be known and specially the first which I hope will make many confess their errours that caused divisions in the most eminent Church of England whom I wish to stand for ever safe upon the ground and foundation of the Apostles Christ our blessed Lord and Saviour James Le Franc. S. Pauls Reproof OR A Vindication of the Church of England from the Errours and Superstitions of the Church of Rome Delivered in a Sermon preached at Great S. Peters Church in Norwich 1 COR. 11.18 I hear that there be divisions among you WHen I did consider the hard usages and tedious alterations of this Nation where all things were in confusion the right being perverted injustice erected and the Church persecuted I could not but lament such a deplorable condition but when I look upon that happy change which gives a new face unto this people and brings all things to its order I must sincerely confess that it is Gods admirable work for brethren you see that which to me and many others seemed impossible you see our gracious Prince set upon his Throne which his Majesty by the space of
vegetative sensitive reasonable and intelligent creatures for we know that the God of heaven and earth gives life to all these creatures and that the natural life dependeth of him as of the God of nature but it is so called because God by the life of his grace liveth in his children that they may live unto him and conform themselves to his sacred Will for the regenerated know that by that life we die to sin and live to righteousness always tending towards the mark for the price of the high calling of God Moreover the life of grace is such an advantage to the regenerated Christian that by it the image of our God which we by our sins have desiled is restored in our corrupted nature and therefore the Scripture shews us that the life of grace is nothing else but the new creature and the new man I wish that I could speak with the tongue of Angels to express in some kinde that celestial and spiritual life which the Saints enjoy in our Saviour for I am sure that you would be ravished with admiration in the very hearing of that sacred life yet I desire that you give place to my weakness excuse my infirmities and suffer me to exhort you to run after it with all the sincerity of your hearts But before forsake the world and its lusts for it is impossible to live with Christ while we live the life of this corrupted world let then every one of us pull down the Idols which we have erected upon our hearts to the profanation of the Name of the Almighty God and confusion of our immortal souls you that are covetous let me perswade you to remove Mammon from your affections that you may offer an agreeable sacrifice unto God and come to the life of grace consider that riches continue not long with us for you know that sometimes the sea that unconstant Element takes by violence all ours and that which we had from others as great Merchants by experience may inform you and sometimes a sickness will consume our estate nay sometimes the negligence or bad conscience of our debitours will deprive us of all our revenues and make us poor and miserable but suppose that all your goods remain with you all your lives time at last they must leave you although you will not leave them for at death you carry nothing with you but a winding-sheet in the grave and a good or bad conscience before the tribunal of God You that are voluptuous leave your sensual pleasures that hinder you to come to the life of grace Consider that the pleasures of this world pass as soon as they appear unto us you enjoy them for some moments onely and that with grief after their possession for you know that sorrow inseparably follows the sensual pleasures of this world those beauties which captivate our affections are mortal and changeable and vanish at the least sickness but we are blinded by the fatal and irreligious Cupid which holds us fast with his voluptuous chains which we must break to turn our faces to the eternal beauty which is unchangeable and full of purity and holiness that we may enjoy the celestial pleasures with the spiritual life which we have in Christ you that are ambitious leave your worldly honours and pull down your pride and with humility desire of God through Jesus Christ the life of grace that you may live with our blessed Saviour let every sinner pluck his sins out of his own heart that he may be able to receive the celestial impressions upon it to die unto sin and live unto righteousness But observe that if the Saints or faithfull live with Christ in this world they reign also with him for it is onely in the gracious kingdom of Jesus Christ that we live the life of grace and it is true enough nay no Christian can deny that the Saints reign here with Christ for in his kingdom the Saints have power over their sinfull flesh when before their coming into it the flesh had power over them which obliges the grand Apostle S. Paul Rom. 6.12 to say let not sin reign therefore in your mortal bodies that you should obey it in the lusts thereof in that kingdom of Christ we have power over the prince of darkness the god of this world for in that kingdom we have him under our feet all that he can do is to howl and cry but not hurt nor offend for in all the assaults which the devil presents unto the regenerated Subjects of our Saviour in the kingdom of Christ they obtain the victory through him who suffered for their sins and destroyed for them that power which Satan had over them in that kingdom of our Lord we have also power over this corrupted world when before it had an Empire over us you are no more subjects nor slaves of its corruptible treasures vanishing honours and sensual pleasures for if you possess some honours enjoy some pleasures and have riches you apply not your hearts unto them and so you possess them as possessing them not Moreover Consider what advantage we have in that spiritual kingdom of Christ for reigning with him we are in some kinde mundi Domim the Lords of the world because we have a spiritual right to all the creatures of God for as the Apostle saith 1 Cor. 3.21 all things are yours but I say a spiritual right to distinguish it from that which we call natural and civil right which men have to that which they legally possess for we must take heed of this errour which makes an universall confusion whereever it prevaileth Now give me leave to tell you that it is by faith that we here reign with Christ and that it is by hope by charity and by patience with all the rest of the Christian vertues for you know that they defend and hold us fast against our enemies so that we prevail against them in our afflictions and calamities even in our death Leave then the Millenaries with the earthly opinion of their worldly kingdom let them possess the earth if they will as for us we must look up to heaven to give there all our meditations while we live upon the earth we must leave the earthly kingdoms to the Alexanders and Gaesars and seek after the spiritual kingdom of Christ for it is impossible to come into the Celestial Palace of our God if we have not been in the gracious kingdom of our Saviour then let us all look now for that kingdom and keep there all our life time that having lived and reigned with Christ in grace we may hereafter live and reign with him in glory Amen To the truly Noble and Religious Gentlewoman M. rs TAMISEN BROOK Grace Happiness and Peace Madam IF I were ignorant of your great Piety and Charity many hundred Families would make me know it you and your most worthy Family is always at work for the poor members of our blessed Saviour you are another
and ambition did alienate our first Parents from God so pride and ambition makes a division between the Church and her children for you shall often see the children of the Church to be so ambitious that they will esteem themselves above their mother and indeed there is no schismatick much more an heretick but is ambitious and so the Shoolmen speak when they say that a Schismatick is one who retaining the fundamental points of Religion rends impudently the Church by reason of some Rights and Ceremonies which his ambition approves not of but me thinks that the next daughter of hell is envy which seems sad by reason of the union which she fears in this Kingdom for envy loves nothing but division because that vice and immoderate affection of our soul will never permit us to like what is done by those that we do not like or to consent unto these things which we had no hand to in their Institution for in the injunction of such things we are perswaded by that fatal passion that our advantage is hindred or diminished but behold there is another which is covered with a very black garment where you can discern nothing and that is ignorance which cannot inform us of the nature of those things which are imposed upon us by our Superiours for Ignorance makes us esteem the circumstances and garments of Religion to be of as high a nature as the body and substance thereof and by that means we cannot agree nor receive the circumstantial things which our Superiours impose upon us for the good order of the Christian Church but further give me leave to let another monstrous daughter of hell appear with the others that we may eschew the fatal effects thereof in the knowledge of her nature and that is obstinacy which is not content to cause division but will countenance it for obstinacy as every one knows will always have us to defend that which we once have maintained and blame that which we once have declaimed against although we know not any reason for it and so the obstinate men will remain in their errours and entertain division Now if you consider the causes of our divisions without partiality you will confess with me that Pride Envy Ignorance and Obstinacy were those monsters which would not permit as now will not yet suffer the fomenters of division to adhere to those things which their Superiours imposed upon them for otherwise I do verily beleeve that they had not embroyled this Nation with such a cruel war neither had they upon their pretended occasions so violently persecuted the Church for these things which many who agree in the substance of Religion with their mother the Church contended about are harmless and cannot offend moderate and prudent men for not any of the authours of the division of this Kingdom I hope will blame the moderation of the first Reformers of the Church of England who seriously examined the Church of Rome in its Doctrine Discipline and Worship to reject the Errours and Heresies of the Doctrine the Tyranny and oppression of the Discipline and the Superstitions of the Worship and retain that which the Church of Rome had from the Christian Primitive Church nay more then that they took a way the abuse of things indifferent in their nature and reduced them to a lawfull use But for all that some contentious like those that were in Corinth of whom the Apostle speaks when he saith I hear that there be divisions among you would not be satisfied they blamed many things that could be easily passed by as now many of their imitatours do for the white colour of the garments of the Church of England offend their sight they say that these garments are superstitiously used in the Church of Rome as if in the Church of Rome the Clergy regular secular did not use garments of several other colours as well as white nay more then that those that know the Church of Rome as I have reason to know it having lived among them in their communion 23 or 24 years are not ignorant that she makes use of all sorts of colours so that if we would not use any of those she makes use of we should go all naked so we should prove very fit to be among the Adamites but as S. Jerome saith very well against Pelagius what enmity is it against God if the Bishop Priest and Deacon do go in white vestments when they are to officiate Moreover they will not admit the singing of the Creed nor many pious Songs when other Protestants beyond the Sea whom the contentious approve of sing the Lords Prayer in their temple as the Dutch Churches and those of Hesson or the ten Commandments with that which we call the Song of Simeon as our French Reformed Churches and others do and if they tell me that the Church of England cannot produce any passage of Scripture for the singing of the Creed c. I answer that it is not necessary for circumstantial things and that our Protestants beyond the sea whom the causers of division in this Kingdom do approve of cannot bring any passage of Scripture to prove the singing of the Lords Prayer and the ten Commandments But their contentious humour goes yet further for they will not have the people answer in the celebration of the Divine Service and they are offended at the repetitions which the Church of England makes use of but For the first I say that it is good according to the custome of the Church of England to joyn our selves with the Pastours in the Church as you did this day in the celebration of the Divine Service for it is nothing else but a sacred conceâ—t in imitation of that which the sacred Angels make use of in heaven in their praising of the Lord as you may see in Isa 6. and the Church of England is not the onely Church amongst the Reformed which makes use of answers in the celebration of the Divine Service for the Reformed Churches of Hungaria Transilvania and Lithuania as I am credibly informed make use of some answers in their Divine Service but I need not to pleade in that manner for if in that the Church of England should be alone among the Protestant Churches I would hold it lawfull because it is not against Scripture but rather conformable to it when the blessed spirits and sacred Angels cry or answer one to another Holy Holy Holy is the Lord of Hosts Concerning the repetitions of the Church let me tell you that they are as so many productions of a sacred and vehement affection like unto that of David Lord have mercy upon me Lord have mercy upon me and that of the Angels Holy Holy Holy indeed if the Church of England should make use of her repetitions by number as the Church of Rome doth so that by the repeating of so many times such a prayer she should think to merit something before God as the relaxation
shall leave to them by that you see how the Church of England differeth from the Church of Rome the Liturgy from the service of the Mass in its matter form and manner of its celebration But me thinks that I hear some of the factious say whatsoever you say there is something of the Mass in the Liturgy of the Church of England and much of the Breviary which is a Book different from that of the Mass to which I answer that there is nothing of the corrupted service of the Mass and if there be something in the Liturgy which is observed and said with the Mass and read in the Breviary I say that in is what is good and what was observed in the Christian Primitive Church leaving what was not good to the Church of Rome and her superstitious inventions Conclusion and Application Now let us conclude with Application and to remove the divisions which are now in the Land let us be of one minde and of one perswasion that we may see this Kingdom flourish in peace and truth for if divisions cause such disorders and confusions in States Families and Churches as you your selves by sad experience know you will confess with me that union cannot but bring peace and procreate good order unto them for union conserveth the kingdoms of the earth keeps families in awe and preserveth the Churches of God from schism licentiousness and heresie you know that the God of heaven is a God of union who hateth division which destroyeth his works of nature and that of his grace in which appeareth an admirable and inexplicable union for by the work of his grace our blessed Saviour united unto God those who were divided from him by their iniquities and by that gracious work earth is united with heaven and men with Angels Then let us all that are here present embrace that vertue and daughter of heaven union which leads us to the God of order all the sacred Scripture preacheth nothing else but union and as our Apostle Paul exhorteth unto it the Corinthians so do I exhort you all unto union and beseech you with him by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ that ye all speak the same things and that there be no divisions among you but that you be perfectly joyned together in the same minde and in the same judgement 1 Cor. 1.10 and do not tell me that your conscience cannot bear with those things which are imposed upon you for if you seriously consider the occasions of our fatal divisions you will finde them to be no sufficient occasions examine without partiality your reasons and I am sure that you will not finde any sufficient argument for your division for all that you can plead will appear to be under some of those monsters pride envy ignorance or obstinacy do not say in your selves I have so much spoken against these circumstantial things that I do not know how I shall submit my self again to these orders and injunctions for besides you have the commandment of an August Parliament which you must submit unto let me tell you that such considerations proceed from the devil the god of this world and the Prince of division who doth what he can to hinder the glorious union which we hope the great God of heaven will give unto this Nation to the glory of his great Name and the advancing of the spiritual kingdom of his Son Jesus Christ Let us repent brethren in the consideration of our sins which brought these disorders in this kingdom it is no shame before God and angels and men but rather a commendation and glory let men say what they will but regard not what they say obey God the King and the Church but let your obedience be sincere and without hypocrisie otherwise you keep the divisions in your hearts which will break out at the first occasion Consider these things with an impartial eye and I am sure that you will endeavour to banish out of this Nation that horrible and bloudy monster of division and that for the circumstances and the garments of Religion you will not embroil this glorious kingdom with new wars and spoil the Church of God to give way to all schismaticks and hereticks who arise from the ruine of the Church I could go yet further in the representation of the disorders which are caused by contentious persons but I will not any longer trespass on your patience for I will finish my discourse at this time desiring that the peace of God which passeth all understanding may keep your hearts and minde from schism licentiousness and heresie Amen TO THE Right Honourable and Vertuous THOMAS Lord RICHARDSON Baron of Cramond c. All happiness and Peace Right Honourable IF Presents ought to be worthy of those to whom we present them I must ingeniously confess that it is in vain for me to offer your Lordship any thing being deprived of that eminent capacity and indeed persons of quality and eminency as your Honour is must not expect such presents from their inferiours yet Noble Sir I hope you will receive that which I present here to your Lordship I confess it is something presumptuous in me to make use of your Name to ennoble my Sermon unto others but I am perswaded that the most excellent courtesie which shineth in your most noble Person will excuse a stranger nay will suffer me to present you with a heavenly silence where you may see the fatal Eclipse of the Church of God under the bloody persecutions of its enemies with her happiness and prosperity at the cessation of her afflictions but specially the great mystery of our redemption that procures unto angels and men a profound silence of admiration for I am not ignorant that your Lordship takes a singular pleasure at such celestial meditations your most vertuous person being perswaded that not onely the poor but the rich also are redeemed by the precious blood of Jesus Christ and obliged to give silence to all the sinfull motions of our corrupted nature and indeed your great charity towards the poor members of our blessed Saviour and singular affection to the Clergy is a sufficient token of that verity nay an example to draw others to the imitation of the noble daughter of heaven vertue and force the most profane to abandon vice that monstrous child of hell I could say much more of the singular vertues which nature and grace have adorned your Lordship with nay of your singular affection to the great Monarch of England and the Church but that would prove needless it being so manifest to all that therefore which I shall say for the present if you will grant me that liberty is that I am My Lord Your Honours most humble Servant James Le Franc. The Churches Spiritual Silence Delivered in a Sermon Preached at the Cathedral in Norwich REVEL 8.1 There was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour AS in difficult and obscure things we do
not question being fully perswaded of your Affection towards me which I shall ever acknowledge and highly esteem remaining unto death Sir Your Worships most humble and obliged Servant James Le Franc. Christ's and the Saints Reign OR The Millenaries Confuted Delivered in a Sermon Preached at S. Andrews in Norwich REV. 20.4 And they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years IF any matter hath ever required attention I am perswaded that you will confess that this doth require it for the learned Interpreters have so variously expounded it that it is difficult to determine our selves upon this Subject Indeed I had not medled with it if I had not perceived the errour of some of the common people which follow some blinde leaders whose ambition is to extoll themselves and break asunder the Church of God to have some followers for amongst the Sectaries you see so many of them blinded by their ignorance that they will rather choose a worldly reign then a Spiritual Kingdom earth for heaven and temporal delights for eternal pleasures but leaving them for a while upon their earthly Throne give me leave to tell you that this Chapter contains three principal parts The first of which regards the space of a thousand years under which Christ with his Saints shall reign upon the earth The second includes the short time in which Satan after the expiration of the thousand years shall be loosed out of his prison from whence you may consider what will be the condition of the world when in that time you shall see it embroiled with dissentions wars and seductions as you may see by the 8. and 9. ver of our Chapter The third part teacheth us the general Judgement of the Universe where the wicked shall be condemned to eternal punishment and the godly declared the heirs of eternal felicity and glory But as our Text is under the first part of our Chapter let me tell you that S. John in the beginning of it brings in an angel which is Christ coming down from heaven having the key of the bottomless pit with a great chain in his hand to binde with it the dragon which is the devil Satan a thousand years shut him up into the bottomless pit with a seal upon him to stay his power and hinder his tyrannical Empire over the humane kinde that he may deceive the nations no more where in the golden age of Satans chaining you may consider the condition of the faithfull and godly men and see their conquests triumphs and victories over their enemies in their very punishments death for the promulgation of the Gospel and the advancing of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ for in the 4. ver the beloved Disciple of our Saviour S. John saith that he saw thrones and they that is the Martyrs sate upon them and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus and for the word of God which had not worshipped the Antichristian beast neither his image nor bad received his mark upon their foreheads or in their hands adding and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years which are the words which I have chosen to entertain you with by the special assistance of the blessed Spirit but for a clear intelligence of them I shall divide my Text into two parts where in the first I shall speak of the life and reign of the Saints with Christ in these words and they lived and reigned with Christ and in the second part I shall shew you the duration of it a thousand years and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years The first Part. If we consider the holy Scripture we may evidently see that our Saviour hath onely two several Kingdoms the one providential which is that universal Soveraignty by which Christ manageth the affairs of all the whole world both in heaven and earth the other spiritual which is that royal but celestial authority which he exerciseth over his people the elect which is that kingdom in which the Saints or faithfull live and reign with Christ as you may see in Revel 5.10 where it is said that Christ hath made us unto our God kings and priests that we may reign on the earth or and we shall reign on the earth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and that in a spiritual manner so in Rom. 5.12 we reade that if by one mans offence death reigneth by one much more they which receive abundance of grace shall reign in life by one Jesus Christ and in our Text and they lived and reigned with Christ Which makes me wonder at the Chiliasts or Millenaries opinion which gives our Saviour in this place of Scripture as in many others a third Kingdom which they call Monarchical wherein Christ when he enters upon it will govern as earthly Monarchs do universally over the world in a visible and earthly glory and splendour which is the personal reign which they give to our blessed Lord and which I observe to be diversly understood by its assertors For the Jews perswade themselves that at the possession of that Kingdom Jerusalem shall be most splendidly reedified with the Temple which according to them will be the third Sacrifices offered unto the God of Israel Marriages amongst themselves most gloriously celebrated and all prosperity and happiness without any molestation or hindrance of their enemies enjoyed so that they understand that reign of Jesus Christ both carnal and spiritual Some ancient Doctours of the Christian Primitive Church as Justin dialog contra Tryphon Lactantius ille Firmianus Tertullian against Marcion lib. 2. and others were of that opinion that the Monarchical Kingdom of Jesus Christ should be administred in a spiritual manner without any bloudy sacrifice or libation without marriages or sensual pleasures for as Justin Martyr after his discourse about the day of judgement which he calls 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith to Trypho the Jew at that time we shall immolate true and spiritual sacrifices and offer praises and thanks-givings unto our God without any bloudy sacrifice upon an altar Some hereticks as Cerinthius and Apollinaris understood that Monarchical Kingdom of Jesus Christ in a fleshly manner saying that the Saints should reign with Christ upon the earth in all manner of voluptuous pleasures gulae luxuriae of gluttony and wantonness which perhaps may be the sense of some of our Sectaries although they pretend to interpret it of a visible and earthly Monarchy without any fleshly and sinfull volupty as one Archer a London-Divine expresseth it But I will not stay so long upon that Monarchical Kingdom for we do not know such a kingdom in the holy Scripture attributed unto Christ nor to the Saints although you reade in my Text and they lived and reigned with Christ and indeed it is evident that the Scripture denies it for we read S. Joh. 18.36 that Christ said to Pilate my Kingdom is not of this world nor
from hence which manifestly contradicts the Chiliasts or Millenaries opinion for if Christ as they say will govern at that time as earthly Monarchs do in a worldly visible and earthly glory how is his kingdom not of this world Moreover if there were such a kingdom given to our Saviour we should have heard in the Scripture of a third personal coming of Jesus Christ which we do not for the Scripture makes onely mention of two personal comings of our blessed Saviour where the first is his coming in humane weakness to make us strong against our powerfull enemies the devil the flesh and the world the second his coming in majesty and glory to give judgement to the quick and dead after their resurrection and we confess in our Creed that from thence that is heaven where Christ now is he shall come to judge the quick and the dead which is confirmed by the Athanasian and Nicene Creed to whith we must keep close as being the saith which was once delivered to the Saints And if some Millenaries will not understand that Monarchical kingdom of our Saviour personally then that kingdom fals of it self for Christ now reigneth by his Spirit in the hearts of his regenerated Subjects as they will confess with us and they reign with him for as our Text saith and they lived and reigned with Christ But further that Monarchical Kingdom of Christ cannot stand without two general corporal resurrections the one of those Saints which were dead before that personal coming of Christ at which he shall take the administration of his Monarchical kingdom the other at the end of the world at his sinal coming to judgement as they themselves acknowledge which is a thing that the Scripture makes no mention of for the Word of God makes onely mention of one general corporal resurrection at the end of the world as you may see Job 19.25 where it is said by that most patient Patriarch I know that my Redeemer liveth and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth and though after my skin worms destroy this body yet in my flesh shall I see God nay Martha as you reade S. Joh. 11.24 confesseth to Christ that her brother shal rise again in the resurrection of the last day and not at the day of the administration of Christs Monarchical kingdom and you know that S. Paul 1 Cor. 15.52 saith that in a moment in the twinkling of an eye we shall rise at the last Trumpet and so in our Creed we confess the refurrection and not the resurrections of the flesh and that will not serve the Millinaries to say that in our Chapter in the 5. ver it appears clearly that there are two general resurrections of the flesh when we hear of a first resurrection which insinuates a second one for that first resurrection which is mentioned there is the resurrection not of the body but of the soul from the death of sin to the life of grace as S. Aust did well observe I know that some take that first resurrection for the glorious happiness of the soul by which she alone passeth by the death of the body into eternal life and that by the preceding words of the 1. verse which are but the rest of the dead that is the wicked and reprobate lived not again c. because they experimented in hell the first death and damnation which is of the soul alone which obligeth S. John to say in regard of the Saints departed who are opposed to the wicked this is the first resurrection and blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection on such the second death hath no power for those that live with Christ in heaven in regard of their souls onely shall live with him eternally in regard of both bodies and souls in the celestial Jerusalem but although this explication be true in it self yet you must observe that it is not proper in this place of Scripture which considers the wicked and godly men not as departed from this world but as living upon the earth and so S. John considers the wicked as dead in their sins and having part in the first spiritual death and the godly men as living by grace and having part in the first spiritual resurrection I could raise many more Arguments against the doctrine which the Millenaries hold concerning that Monarchical kingdom but I will not be tedious I shall pass by the three several assensions of Christ which they hold for we know no such thing in the Scripture I shall also omit the place which some Millenaries maintain besides heaven and hell where the souls of them are who shall rise to reign with Christ a thousand years for you know that the Scripture makes onely mention of two places after death the one of which saith S. Austin in his hypognost is according to the Catholick faith the kingdom of heaven and the other according to the same faith saith this Father and Doctour of the Christian Church is hell Etenim tertium locum penitus ignoramus for we are wholly ignorant of a third place which is confirmed in his Book de precat merit cap. 28. and insinuated in the 22. artic of the Church of England I will not trouble you with the several passages of Scripture which they bring to prove that Monarchical kingdom which they will have with Christ it is enough to tell you that they put a meerly literal construction upon the Prophesies and promises of Scripture which the holy Ghost intended to be spiritually understood for if the Prophets speak concerning the kingdom of Christ the re-edifying of the Jewish Cities the pomp and magnificence of restored Israel and their large priviledges they draw those things to a gross corporal and syllabical sense which the judgement of the whole Christian Church seconded by the event hath upon good ground ever construed not of the letter but of the spirit to shew the comfortable condition great advantage of the Evangelical Church under Christ manifested in the flesh which evidently teacheth us as I said before that Christ had onely two several kingdoms of which the one is providential and the other spiritual in which the Saints live and reign with Christ as you may see in my Text where S. John speaking of that kingdom saith and they lived and reigned with Christ But for a clear illustration of those kingdoms you must observe that the providential kingdom of Jesus Christ is his essential universal and natural kingdom which he administreth as God over all his creatures in Majesty and glory with his Father and the holy Ghost and obtaineth as the onely Son of his Father jure naturali which kingdom is mentioned in Daniel the Prophet 4.34 and 6.26 but the spiritual kingdom of Jesus Christ figured by the kingdom of Judah is the donative personal and oeconomical kingdom which the Son of God received from his Father as you may see in Psa 2.6 8. where
God having set his Son for our King upon his holy hill of Sion saith to him Ask of me and I shall give thee the Nations for thine inheritance and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession as having in any Countreys some that are to be saved as we see in Rev. 5.9 where it is said that Christ hath redeemed us unto God by his bloud out of every kindred tongue people and nation Moreover you may see the spiritual kingdom of Jesus Christ Dan. 2.44 where it is written that in the days of the Kings of the fourth divided Kingdom which was the Roman Empire the God of heaven shall set up a kingdom that is the spiritual kingdom of Christ which shall never be destroyed in which kingdom the Saints living a spiritual and celestial life reign with Christ for as you read in my Text which speaks of that kingdom and they lived and reigned with Christ But for a clear intelligence you must observe that the spiritual kingdom of Christ is distinguished into two wise by reason of its two several administrations into the kingdom of grace and the kingdom of glory where the kingdom of grace is the Soveraignty which Christ exerciseth in this world over the Elect governing his people by the Scepter of his holy Word and defending them against their enemies the devil the flesh and the world by the mighty vertue of his blessed Spirit which is that kingdom which S. John in chap. 3. ver 5. speaks of saying Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God and Rom. 14.17 the grand Apostle saith that the kingdom of God which is the kingdom of grace is not meat and drink but righteousness peace and joy in the holy Ghost the kingdom of glory is that Royal Government and Empire which Christ the King of kings most gloriously exerciseth over the triumphant members of his Church after this life and shall exercise for ever in his glorious Palace of heaven over the bodies and souls of all the blessed of his Father after the universal Resurrection which is that kingdom which is mentioned Mat. 8.11 when Christ saith that many shall come from the East and West and shall sit down with â—braham Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven and S. Mat. 26.29 when he saith I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Fathers kingdom But leaving the kingdom of glory give me leave to tell you that in our Text S. John speaks of the kingdom of grace when he saith and they lived and reigned with Christ for you may observe that here is described the happy condition of the militant Church all the time of the shutting up of Satan in which the faithfull will reign with Christ over the devil the flesh and the world overthrowing their enemies in their very death and most cruel tortures as you may observe by the words that precede my Text where S. John speaks of those that suffered for the word of God and for the witness of Jesus after which he addes and they lived and reigned c. Moreover the seditions battels and seductions which follow that happy condition of the Church as you may see in the 8. ver where it is said that Satan after the expiration of the thousand years shall go out to deceive the nations and gather them together to battel evidently shews that it is of the kingdom of grace which S. John speaks of which obligeth me to say and they lived that is the life of grace which is mentioned in Gal. 2.20 where the Apostle S. Paul saith I live that is the life of grace yet not I but Christ liveth in me and the life that is of grace that I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God and indeed it is onely in that gracious kingdom of Christ that we live that celestial and spiritual life for the life and kingdom of grace are inseparable he that liveth the life of grace reigneth with Christ and he that reigneth with Christ lives the life of grace and so S. John joyns them together saying and they lived and reigned with Christ And if you regard the Martyrs who died under Domitianus and other cruel Emperours enemies of the Church of God we may say and they with the rest of the Saints lived and reigned with Christ for the bloud of the Martyrs is the seed of the Church by which many come unto the saving knowledge of Christ to reign with him in his kingdom of grace and in regard of those Saints that are born of them we reade in the 6. verse and they in their seed shall reign with Christ where you may observe that here there is no mention of the Millenaries Monarchical kingdom and indeed without such a kingdom the Saints reign upon the Earth with Christ by grace they reign with him by faith by hope by patience and by all the rest of the Christian vertues then let us say and they lived and reign'd with Christ a thousand years which leads me to the second part of my Text The Second Part. That number 1000 is taken in Scripture definitely and indefinitely definitely for a certain limited number as you may see Judg. 15.15 and 1 King 3.4 indefinitely for a great but not limited number as you may see Dan. 5.1 where a 1000. lords signifie a great multitude of nobility and so a great but not limited number is designed by many thousands Rev. 5.11 according to which sence we shall take that number of a thousand years mentioned in our Text for S. John speaking of the time of Satans binding in which the Saints should reign with our Lord and Saviour with progress although not without affliction saith and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years and that is confirmed by the Royal Prophet Psa 90 4. where he saith that a thousand years are as yesterday in the sight of the Lord and after him S. Peter 2 Pet. 3.8 tels us that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years and a thousand years as one day to shew us that any long time whatsoever is as one day even as a moment before the Lord because the eternity of God admits no succession as the eternity of angels and men for in the eternity of God nothing is passed and nothing is to come all things are present unto him which is not to be found in the eternity of angels and souls of men where there is succession to be found and indeed to distinguish the eternity of God from that of angels and men which hath a beginning and no end Boeth lib. 5. de consol Philosoph saith that it is possessio totalis perfect a vitae sine termino a total and absolute possession of a life without any limit and so S. Austin lib. 1. de ver relig cap. 44.
Dorcas full of good works your thoughts are always in heaven though you live upon the earth your words tend continually to union and peace and your great care is to work out your salvation with fear and trembling which is seen not onely in your private devotions but in the publick ones where I may say that you are a pious and godly example to all others of your Sex indeed the Church of England among all the daughters she did procreate there are few to be compared with you but if your humility will not accept of that expression permit me to make all the English world know that the Church never possessed a better one for every one knows that your house is a Temple and a little Church where Vows and Prayers are continually sent up to heaven for the preservation of the Church of England our mother and for our gracious Prince nay for the conversion of those that are distant from the true knowledge of our Saviour who came into the world to redeem us from our iniquities the redemption of men being our Saviours meat which I present you with as it was delivered by me in a Sermon which I hope you will accept being the meat which daily you and your worthy Family feed upon for I am not ignorant that it is your singular pleasure and delectation nay I am sure that it is so agreeable unto you that you will kindely receive it from him who is Madam Your most humble and obedient Servant James Le Franc. Christs Spiritual Meat Delivered in a Sermon Preached in English at the French Church in Norwich S. JOH 4.34 My meat is to do the will of him that sent me and to finish his work IT is common amongst men to extoll the persons of merit and reputation but if any amongst you hath ever esteemed a learned and most prudent wit that could upon any matter choose considerations fit for the instruction of his auditours and by the object of the sight and other external senses could with a marvellous industry and aptness awake the internal senses and lift up our understandings to the contemplation of the highest things let him now reflect upon our Master the eternal Wisedom of God the Father our great doctour Christ who is over all God blessed for ever let him say with me that there is none that ought to be parallel'd with him for if you consider the industry which Christ our Mediatour used when he was living upon the earth you will easily conclude that it was admirable for he ever made use of his Celestial Industry to promote his Fathers glory and mens salvation taking sometimes an occasion from their too great inclination which they had after the things of this world to draw them into the knowledge and inquisition of spiritual and eternal things of the heavenly Jerusalem as you may observe in the 6. Chapt. of S. John where Christ seeing the people carefull to seek after him for onely corruptible and common meat took occasion to discourse with them about the sacred bread of God and the spiritual manna which if any man eat of he shall live for ever Now let us follow Christ through Samaria to observe some things of his celestial actions and wonderfull works but seeing that Christ doth stay let us stay with him for I perceive that our Saviour is weary of his journey and forced to rest himself on Jacobs well but while he resteth himself there cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water Christ discourseth with her about the true and spiritual worship of God and takes occasion from the water to instruct her about the celestial fountain of living water which she tasted of with such pleasure that she leaving her waterpot went into the City to call her fellow-Citizens the Samaritans and invite them to the participation of that spiritual water which she had received from our blessed Saviour But while she thus runs to invite them the disciples of our Lord desire him to eat but Christ whose hunger was after the souls of men said unto them I have meat to eat that ye know not of which made them beleeve that while they were absent some body had brought him something to eat saying one to another hath any man brought him ought to eat but Christ that he might no longer keep them in suspence because it was given unto them to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven teaches them with sew but significant words a great and sublime mystery saying My meat is to do the will of him that sent me and to finish his work which are the words which I have chosen to entertain you with by the special assistance of the holy Ghost but for a clear intelligence of them I shall divide my Text into two parts where in the first I shall entertain you with the will and work of him that sent Christ and in the second part I shall shew you that that will and work of God is our Saviours meat My meat is to do the will of him that sent me and to finish his work The first Part. As the Philosophers place the moral vertues in two ranks where in the first the vertues are glorious and worthy to be loved of themselves as Justice and in the second rank worthy to be wished for the vertues of the first as Courage which is a sit vertue when justice ceaseth amongst men so the Schoolmen divide the attributes of God into two orders where in the first the attributes are incommunicable unto the creatures as Gods Immensity Independency and Unchangeableness for all the creatures of the Universe even the Angels are dependent changeable and limited natures but the attributes of the second order are said to be proportionably communicable in effectis analogis by the resemblance of the effects as Gods Wisdom Goodness and Will for you know that those attributes are ascribed unto Angels and given unto men and as God hath a will so have Angels and men as being the right of the intelligent creatures But here we shall not speak of Angels nor mens will but of Gods will My meat is to do the will of him that sent me for he that sent Christ is God the Father the Son and the holy Ghost according to the old Maxim of Divinity opera Dei ad extra sunt indivisa seu toti Trinitati Communia the outward operations of God are common to the whole Trinity so that you must observe that the Son the second Person of the blessed Trinity was sent as Mediatour for he was one of those blessed Persons who did consult about mens redemption nay more then that he was that sacred one who of his own free-will offered himself to be consecrated for the performance of that gracious work as you may see Heb. 10.5 6 7. Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not but a body hast thou prepared me in burnt-offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure then said I lo I come