A SERMON PREACHED AT St. MARIES IN OXFORD THE 17. DAY OF NOvember 1602. in defence of the Festivities of the Church of England and namely that of her Maiesties Coronation By IOHN HOVVSON DOCTOR OF Divinitie one of her Highnes Chaplaines and Vicechancellour of the Vniversitie of Oxforde AT OXFORD Printed by Joseph Barnes and are to be sold in Fleet-streete at the signe of the Turkes head by Iohn Barnes 1602. TO THE RIGHT HONORAble my very especial good Lord THOMAS Baron of Buckhurst Lorde high Treasurer of England one of the LL. of her Maiesties most honorable Privie Councell Knight of the honorable Order of the Garter and Chauncellour of the Vniversitie Of Oxford RIght Honorable the day now vsually solemnized to the honour of God and memory of those blessings wherewith hee hath enriched this land in particular and his Church in generall by the godly and religious government of her excellent Maiestie was with the first celebrated as we take it in this her most loyall and Christian Vniversitie of Oxford notwithout the example of former times wherein the like hath beene practised to some of her Maiesties predecessors though with different ceremonie in a different religion Since which time it having taken progresse togither with Gods manifold blessings enlargement both in place and ceremonies testifying the loyall harts and duetifull loving affection of her subiects both to her royall person sincere religion and most blessed government as also their harty thankefulnes vnto God for them it hath beene oppugned by the Preistes Iesuites the enemies of her gracious peace and happie prosperitie whether with greater malice or ignorance I cannot well determine VVherefore being called to the celebration of this most happy festiuity by the nature of my office which by your Lordships appointment though vnworthily I susteine I thought it a part both of my duety to God and loyalty to my soveraigne Mistres to vndergoe the defence of the festivities of our Church which haue their adversaries at home among vs as of the celebration of the day of her most blessed inauguration into this kingdome which hath found some maligners both at home and abroad to dedicate the same to your Honor as my chiefest Patrone vnder her Highnes not presuming to present her sacred Maiestie with so meane and simple a service so in al humility I take my leave From Christ-church Novem. 29. An. Dom. 1602. Your Honors in all service IOHN HOVVSON Vicecan Oxon. This is the day which the Lord hath made we will reioice and be glad in it PSAL. 118.24 THis Psalme is a Psalme of thanksgiving which David song vnto God when hee was first invested into his kingdome 2. King 6. and translated the Arke of the Lord from the house of Obed Edom 2. King 6. with melody and musicke and greate festivitie in which he not only exhorteth all mē in a generalitie to praise God in specialitie both Iewes and Gentiles such as were after the spirit borne of the seed of Abraham and detested Idolatrie as Abraham did but actually bringeth in himselfe ver 17. ver 17. ver 24. ver 26. the people in this verse and the Priests in the 26. verse glorifying God for these great blessings The king both privately alone and publikely in the cōgregation prepareth himselfe to this thanksgiving acknowledging Gods iustice in humbling him his mercy in preserving him in the daies of Saule who sought his life and his bounty in investing him into his kingdom saying ver 22. ver 22. The stone which the builders refused is now become the head stone in the corner I who was reiected by Saule and his princes am now inaugurated into the kingdome Which though it be here an historical confession Mat. 5. Act. 2.1 Pet. 2. is notwithstanding a prophetical revelation of the kingdome of Christ Matth. 5. Act. 2.1 Pet. 2. The people provoked by their kings example answere him ver 23. This is the Lords doing and it is wonderfull in our eies And exhort one another to the celebration of that day in which God had wroughte that wonder in investing and crowning him against whom so many so great men so long time had conspired saying This is the day which the Lord hath made wee will reioice and be glad in it and then doe pray for the continuance and long life of their prince and his prosperity O domine da salutem ô domine da prosperitatem O Lord giue health giue salvation O Lord giue prosperitie vnto our king Finally the Priests seeing this harmonie and consent in the people ver 26. blesse them for it wish them good lucke acknowledge that great light and blessing to be given of God and exhorte them to that publike ceremoniall service of God which was vsed in those times ver 27. Binde your sacrifices with cordes even to the hornes of the altar These words which I haue read vnto you for my text haue bin heretofore applied by the fathers of the church sometimes to the celebration of the Nativity sometimes to the celebration of the resurrectiō of Christ as wel they may be this Psalme being figuratiuely and spiritually applied to him as appeareth by manie places of scripture but I am to take it this day litterally of the inthronising of David being the day consecrated to the glory of God for the inauguration of our blessed Soveraigne into this kingdome In which words I obserue the institution of a festival day and therein First the occasion of the Institution which are Gods blessings extraordinary cowched vnder these words This is the day which the Lord hath made Secondly the author of the Institution king David Thirdly the End or vse of it wherin I note an external ioy Exaltemus Let vs reioice and an internal Laetemur in ea let vs be glad in it First for the Institution and occasion of it 1. Part. Institution It is certaine that al daies were first made and created by God hee made the first day and the second and the third the seaventh and placed in the firmament a great light namelie the sunne which by his presence or absence without al respect distinguisheth daies from nights and one day from another Neverthelesse though God be the auctor of thē al yet hee hath put a difference and distinction betweene them and is said more especially to haue made one then another more especially the Sabboth and holy-day then the ordinary day appointed for labour Propter opera privilegiat a quae fecit in eis for certaine excellent and priviledged workes which he hath done in it And this is noted by the wise sonne of Sirach Cap. 33. Who graunting a distinction of daies but demaunding a reason of it putteth this question Eccles 33. VVhy doth one day excell another seeing the light of the daies of the yeare that is the life of them comes of the sunne he maketh this answer The knowledge of the Lord hath
practise no disloialtie speake no disloialty thinke no disloialty no not in thy least thought in thy secret chamber for besides that the fowles of the aire will bewraie it and the clowdes of thy discontented countenance discover it as I told you of late there is ever a progresse in sinne it neuer stands stil it stands not at one stay but passeth secretly from evill thoughts to ill wordes and from ill words to fowle actions and then it is ripe and calleth for his punishment And surelie God is verie iealous of the honour of Princes and least we should in anie sorte despise them and bee disobedient vnto them because wee be all made of one mould of the earth as the daies of the yeare of one sunne in the firmament and therefore are all pares in esse naturae equall one to another in nature that there might be a difference in esse merali in civile being God honoreth Princes with his owne name so that they are called Gods and Gods annointed and the sonnes of the most high he calleth them by his owne name and furnisheth them with divine and supernatural qualities 1 Prov 16 For there is divinatio in labijs regis divination in the lips of the king Prov. 16. so that they do often foresee forespeake 1 Sam. 10 and foretell things to come and it is noted in the first kings that ever God instituted for as soone as Samuell powred the viol of oile vpon Saule he was changed into another man and the spirit of God falling vpon him hee did prophecie among the Prophets and as soone as David was annointed by Samuell the scripture saith Directus est spiritus domini in David à die illa deinceps 1. Sam 16 1. Sam. 16. The spirite of the Lorde came vpon David from that daie forwardes and when Caiphas who was the high Priest sitting in the Consistorie saide Expedit quod vnus moriatur pro populo It is expedient that one should die for the people he said not that of himselfe saith the text sed cum erat pōtifex ill us anni prophetavit but in that he was the high Priest that yeare he did prophecie Secondly there is a certaine depth in the hart of a king 2 Prov. 25. VVhich none can seeke out even higher then the heaven deeper then the earth Prov. 25. Thirdly they haue gifts of healing incureable diseases 3 which are miraculous and aboue nature so that when Vespasian was seene to performe such a cure the people cōcluded he should be Emperour as Tacitus notes Tacitus Fourthly 4 they haue power absolute without limitation accountable only to God for their actions Fifthly they haue authoritie to blesse their dutifull and loyall subiects and they are blessed 5 authoritie to curse their subiects disobedient they are cursed with temporal curse as I could prooue both by reason and examples out of the scriptures if the time would permit And as God is iealous of their honour so much more of their safeties and therefore he sets a guarde of Angels about them He keepeth them as the apple of his eie Psal 17. He hides them vnder the shaddow of his wings he will not haue them touched Touch not my annointed Psalm 105. Everie touch with hart with hand with tongue is treason laesa maiestas the maiestie of the Prince is wounded by it and therfore David was sorrie at the hart when he cut but the lap of Saules garment 1. Sam. 24.6 Finally he revengeth their wrongs before his own treasons against thē before blasphemies against himselfe propter bonum vniversi for the good of mankind and more severely then his owne with temporal punishment If I should instaunce in these giftes and graces wherewithal God hath plentifully endowed her excellent maiestie and stand to amplifie the wonderful depth of the wisdome of her hart evidēt to her Coūsel in her most weightie affaires to her subiects generally in her divine speaches at every parliament to vs in particular in her excellent orations beyond admiration and imitation or this gifte of prophecie as I may call it whereby shee hath foreseene foretold and if I may so saie forespoken that which an ordinarie wisdome could not imagine or her manifold blessings on well deserving subiectes confirmed as it may seeme by God to them and their posterity if they walke in loialtie and true obedience or the supernatural cures of weake diseased people amounting to the number of three or foure hundred a yeare or the divine providēce of God in defending her as the apple of his eie from so many treasons conspiracies rebellions at home abroade it might be thought by some of the maligners of this festivity that I stand more vpon the praises of my earthly mistres then vpon the honor and glory of my heavenly Lorde and Master Wherfore leaving these things to your particular cōsideratiōs let vs conclude with that other part of St. Paules coūsel with honoring praising magnifying God the auctor and preserver of this great blessing because no ceremony was ever more acceptable to him then oblation and sacrifice and sacrificia legalia sacrifices of the Lawe be abrogated let vs offer to him our spiritual sacrifice First our almes the workes of mercie charity which is the oblation of our temporal substāce St. Paule calles it Hostiam acceptam placentem Deo a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing vnto God Phil. 4. Phil. 4. Secondly the humbling and mortifying of our bodies which is the oblation of our corporal substance Rom. 12. St. Paul calles it Rom. 12. Hostiam vinentem sāctam Deo placentem a living sacrifice holy and pleasing vnto God Thirdly our devotions in praising and magnifying God for this admirable blessing which is the oblation of our spiritual substance Heb. 13. and St. Paule calles it Heb. 13 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the sacrifice of praise and interpretes it the fruit of their lippes which confesse his name and Ose Ose the calues of our lippes and our Prophet Psal 26 Hostiam vociferationis and Lyra hostiam iubilationis that is the sacrifice of thankesgiving and ioy To conclude as her excellent Maiestie with the Prophet David in this Psal cries out in remembrāce of Gods benefites in his miraculous preserving her so many yeares from so many dangers Non moriar sed viuam I shal not die but liue vt narrē opera domini that I may declare the workes of the Lord. As we with the Priestes in this Psalme doe benedicere populo ex domo dei blesse the people of the house of God celebrating his benignity saying Deus dominus illuxit nobis God is our Lord and hath as this day illightened vs with the light of the Gospel and as it is in the olde translation doe constituere diem solennem in condensis so that the people of God come togither in densitate plebis as Lyra cals it in great abundance and vsque ad cernua altaris so that the Church is filled even to the doores So let al good subiects ioyne with this people in celebrating this day and sing Haec est dies quam fecit dominus exultemus latemur in ea This is the day which the Lord hath made let vs reioyce and be glad therein O domine da salutem O domine da prosperitatem O Lord send her salvation O Lord send her prosperity Non moriatur sed vivat let her not die but liue that shee may declare thy wonderous workes to many generations that wee solemnizing many of these daies to the glory of thy name and comfort and ioy of our owne harts may after this triumphing trivmph and reioyce with thee in body and soule in thy everlasting kingdome through Iesus Christ our Lord to whō with the Father and the holy Ghost be all power honour and glory both now and ever Amen FINIS
parted them a sunder he hath disposed by them the times the solemne feasts some of them he hath put among the daies to number some of them hath he chosen sanctified exalted vnto feastes that is some are festival as the Passeouer Pentecost feast of Tabernacles c. and some are numerall the first or second of this or that moneth For God hath dealt with daies as with men for mē are al of the ground and Adam was created out of the earth but the Lord hath distinguished thē by great knowledge made their waies reputations diverse some of them hath he blessed and exalted as kinges and princes some of them he hath sanctified and appropriated to himselfe as Prophets and Priestes but some hee hath cursed and brought lowe and put them in meane estate and place of base calling Now the meanes which God vseth in advancing some daies before their fellowes which are made of the same mettal and substance with them is some excellent worke some admirable blessing performed in them sometimes generally to al mankind sometimes specially to these or these nations And according to the generality or speciality is the quantity of them and according to the nature conditiō of the blessing or benefite is the quality of them For some are such Quae tota per vniver sum orbē frequentas ecclesia which the whole church throughout the whole world doth frequent some are vsed in this country in that kingdome Some are festiuitates magnae high festival daies and some are called the lower feastes That general admirable benefit which was done to al mākind by the creatiō of man the whole world for mās sake is offered perpetually to the memory of al mankind by the institutiō of the Sabboth which although the heathen in truth scorned Iuvenal Sa. 14. as appeareth Iuuenal Sat. 14. Quidam sortiti metuentem Sabbata patrem c. yet the whole world ought now and no doubt in the beginning even before Moses law did obserue it being a part of the decalog and consequenly in some sort of the law of nature it selfe And therefore that of Iob 3.4 Iob. 3.4 Chrysost Dies ille vertatur intenebras non requirat eam Deus de super St. Chrysostome interpreteth Let not God make an holy-day of it Non diem illam tanquam suam vendicet dominus let not the Lord account it as his day learned interpreters vpon that place observe Antiquos patres in lege naturae forte etiam Iobum Sabbatizasse That the auncient fathers vnder the Law of nature and peradventure Iob himselfe observed the Sabboth That general and admirable benefite of our redemption which was sufficient for the whole world but efficient to al the elect of God as it ought so it hath beene time out of mind celebrated in the feasts of the Conception Nativity Circūcision Passion Resurrection and Ascension of Christ by the whole Church of God dispersed farre and neere over the face of the earth to the honor of God with praiers and thankesgiving for the special benefits particularly called to minde and acknowledged vppon those solemne daies Wherefore Erasmus did not onely absurdly Erasmus when he vilified those feasts and falsely when he said Nullus veterum facit vllam festi mentionem No ancient writer maketh mention of any feast though cunningly he season it with Quantum memini As far as I remember but he did amisse also in assigning the reason of the Institution of our Sunday or Dominical day saying Diem dominicū probabili causa maiores nostros festum esse voluisse vt populus conveniret ad audiendum sermonem Evangelij That our forefathers were willing to haue the Lords day a feast for a probable or reasonable cause that the people might assemble togither to heare the word of the gospel preached For that is not the onely end or chiefe end of the Institution of the Lords day much lesse of other feastes seeing God is not onely or chiefely worshipped Evangelici sermonis auditu by hearing the word preached sed latria cultu in praising and magnifying lauding God in the memory of his manifold blessings Seeing latria or the worshippe of God consisteth especially in praying and thanksgiving and is a vertue morall not intellectual Therfore to despise as manie do or neglect as most do cultum latria and gad vp downe to heare the word preached as they cal it is not onely against the lawes of this land the statutes of our colledges but against the chiefe Institutiō of the Lords day Yet wel-fare the wisedome and discretion of our great grandfathers of blessed memory the saints of the primitiue Church who provided that vpon the festival daies the course of the Litargie the Gospell and Epistle the Homile or Sermon shoulde so bee ordered that all shoulde rende to the memorie of that blessing wherevnto that day was sanctified that so God might bee blessed and magnified for them Iuvenal Beloued Christians were any one of those excellēt fathers aliue what thinke you would he saie Quid diceret aut quid non faceret nay what would he not do if he should see the Synagogues of the Iews where Moses was read more frequented vpō the three solemne feasts of Easter Pentecost the Tabernacles then the temple of Ierusalem whither by the law al ought at those times to resorte to offer vp sacrifice vnto God If he should see Oratoria turned into Auditoria Churches into Schooles our people desiring rather to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 knowers then Seraphim hot zealous crying with the Angels holy holy holy Lord God of hoasts our Sabbothes and Festivities not spent nor anie part of them in cultu latriae in the divine seruice of God but in hearing an exercise as some call it where sometimes the houre is consumed Nihil dicendo in speaking neuer a wise word sometimes aliud dicendo in speaking from the daie from the season from the text and sometimes Male dicendo in speaking ill and slaundring their private governours or publike magistrates But I proceed Not only the forenamed feasts such like which are called by the Divines Solennes Solennes are instituted to the service of God and occasioned by some extraordinary blessing but other feasts there are which are called by Macrobius Satur. 1. ca 16. Imperativae by Vlpian and other Civilians Extraordinariae by certaine Canonists Repentinae which are particular to divers nations Vlpian celebrated to the memoriall of Gods particular blessings bestowed on them Such are they wherein great Kings Monarches haue either Lucis auspicia as the Civilians cal them the daie of their birth or Ortus imperij the beginning of their Raigne The one is the solemnization of their Nativity the other the inauguration into their kingdom such a one is this here mentioned in my text instituted to the honor of God for the great blessing that befel the
no special signification those two former were chaÌ„ged Quia vmbra erant futurorum because they were figures of thinges to come and when the truth came the figures did vanish It is moral that some time should be allowed to the service of God that we might remeÌ„ber his benefits magnifie his holy name to breake this law which is de iure diuino that is to dedicate no time to the service of God is worse then adultery worse theÌ„ murther but to breake the ceremonies of it which are de iure humano is not so great a sinne as murther or adultery which are of the second table de iure divino against the expresse law of God himselfe Nowe I come to the enemies of this Solemnity which now we celebrate of which since a right reverend learned brother of ours hath written very religiously D. Holland learnedly and largely I shal neede to say the lesse yet thus much briefely That Reynolds Sanders Stapleton and the rest of the rigide and salt humored Papists take exception especially against two points in this SoleÌ„nity the first is at the InstitutioÌ„ as if it were without auctority for that it is now amoÌ„g our solemnities we wil not deny the second against the manner of solemnizing it as though we preferred it before the feastes of our Sauiour Christ For the former that the magistrate hath had both auctority and practise of instituting holidaies vpon extraordinary occasioÌ„s of Gods blessings hath bin proved both by the examples vnder the Law and vnder the Gospel That the Iewes poterant quotidie instituere festiuitates quaruÌ„ obseruatio duraret singulis annis vel fieret solum semel Abulensiâ—… might daily institute holidaies the observation whereof might either continue every yeare or onely be held once is Abulensis assertion 1. Paral. cap. 16. q. 14. That they appointed annual you haue heard before vnder Mardacheus Nehemias Iudas Machabaeus that they augmented in ceremonies some yeare more then other the feasts appointed in the lawe 2 Esd 8â— appeareth both in Esdras time when the feast of Tabernacles was so royally solemnized that it is said Non feceruÌ„t à diebus Iosua filij Nun talia filii Israel vsque ad diem illum 2. Esà 8. The children of Israell never did such things no not from the daies of Ioshua the sonne of Nun vnto that day and Iosias celebrated such a Passeover in the 18. yeare of his raigne when he had purged the TeÌ„ple of the Idols 4. Reg 2â— Quale non fuerat actum a temporibus Iudicum Israelit arum vsque ad Iosiam 4. Reg. 23. as had not beene from the times of the Iudges of Israel vnto Iosias That they appointed such as are called by the Civilians Repentina instituted for once vpon a suddeine occasion appeareth by David who while the Arke was in his house faciebat omnes dies solennes propter honorem Arca saltem ad observationem ceremoniaruÌ„ made every day a solemne day for the honour of the arke at the least concerning the observation of ceremonies Abulens and solemnised the daie of his inauguration into his kingdome in this Psal That the ChristiaÌ„ magistrate hath at least as much authority in constituting newe festivities and augmenting the olde as the Iewes had cannot with any probability be denied They not only appointed the feastes which concerne our redemption but the memorials of the Apostles some holy Martyres Constantine held a feast for ioy of the setling of the Gospel Christianity in his time Euseb lib. 1. de vita CoÌ„stantini Other Emperors celebrated auspicia lucis the day of their birth other Ortum imperij the beginning of their raigne other festiuitates repentinas suddeine feastes vpoÌ„ ioy for victorie over Gods enemies the Turkes and infidels Al which argue suficient auctority both for the institution and augmentation of this festivity Which although it had his original at the first froÌ„ that of St. Paule 1. Tim. 2. 1. Tim. 2. where he exhorteth supplications praiers thankesgivings intercessions to be made for kings for all that are in auctority Especially seeing we had attained to that end proposed by the Apostle namely by reason of her Maiesties raigne to haue liberty to leade a peaceable and quiet life in all godlines honesty Yet for asmuch as since that time it hath bin confirmed by the consent and approbation of the magistrate and by note in the Calender and by special praiers appointed for it I see no reason Caluino â—…irc l. 2. c. 18. but an high measure of malice only in Reynolds in his Caluine-Tâ—â—es to liken it to the encrease progresse of that Idolatrie mentioned in the 14. of Wisedome ver 14.15.16 Where the father made an image for his dead son and worshipped it as a God and ordained ceremonies and sacrafices which grewe to a custome in processe of time was made a law except peradventure he thinke that there is onely a progresse in sinne not in virtue as in their societies from slaunder to libelling a progresse in Idolatry as in their Churches from an Image to an Idol from an Idol to al heathenish ceremonies superstitioÌ„s but no progresse in true religion either inwardly from faith to faith froÌ„ grace to grace or outwardly from lesse to more worship from fewer to more devour and religious ceremonies which I haue observed before to haue beene the course of Gods Church both in the olde and new Testament To conclude this pointe If the particular Church of England had auctority in Queene Maries daies to appoint two solemne Anniversarie Masses to be yerely celebrated in St. Maries the one on the 18. of Februarie beeing the Nativity of Queene Marie the other on the first of October on which she was crowned at which Masses the whole Vniversity should bee present from the beginning to the end and there devoutly pray for the good estate of the King and the Queene and for the peace of this their graces Realme and moreover appointed two solemne processions vpon the same daies being matters of greater solemnity then now we vse in these our meetings I doubt not to affirme that the particular Church of England hath also auctority sufficient to institute if so it please the celebration of the Nativity and inauguration of her excellent Maiestie with publike sermons common praiers thankesgiving for her godly peaceable raigne the vnspeakeable blessing received by her the chosen instrument of God for our good The other accusation is against the manner of solemnizing it Saunders with ringing and bonfires and anthims and sermons and feastings not onely solemnely but solennissimè most solemnely as though it were preferred before Easter and Christmas the blessed memorials of our Saviour Christ But may it please you to vnderstand that one feast or holiday is said to be more solemne or greater then another for many causes Because wee abstaine more from worke in