all those that favour the good of Jsrael more especially settle and inlarge his blessings upon you and your posterity that you may all do worthily in Ephratah and be famous in Bethlehem that you may be on earth instruments of his glory to the good of his Church so shall you be vessels of glory in the kingdome of heaven The which is his daily prayer who is Worthy Sir Yours ever in the Lord to be commanded THEOPH WODENOTE PErhaps some Reader may account prophane Descants from Records as are here humane But yet all wise men know how Humane story Vs'd by Divines tend much unto Gods glory And holy wisdome sweetly does extract A blessed use of each true famed fact As Rich men use in hospitality He first invites thee to this century Somewhat the better that prepare he might And satiate thy purer appetite Whose course of study I so fully know That for this Humane Century he can shew Of Sacred Story Chiliad-observation To gratifie at full all expectation And if unbias'd hearts these entertaiâ—e Hermes next time a Star will shine againe And out of holy Writ communicate His rich Select's in his Sequestred state And though an Olive doe begin the feast A Pearle at last shall helpe all to digest P. M. YOu that wed eHistories and from them draw out Only the Vulgar and the common Rout Of Observations mend your Pens by this Write by this Copy you can't write amisse Each Author here speakes his owne mind and we Receive their writings now for Prophecy For our sad Times they so exactly hit As if they first had seen them and then writ If th' Records Pagan were these Descants shall Bptize them all make them Canonicall P. M. NEW DESCANTS UPON OLD RECORDS IT was the complaint of the Emperour Adrian when he lay a dying Many Physitians have destroyed the Emperour a Their contrary conceipts Xiphilinus in Adriano and different directions he meant had hastened his death and cut him off before his time There are so many Censurers and Correctors of our not sick but sound Religion approved by the sacred Scriptures and attested by the blood of many faithfull Martyrs There are so many Reformers and Rectifiers of all ages sexes and degrees of all professions and trades that take upon them to order our Church according to their severall crooked imaginations that they have reduced all things in it to a Chaos and confusion and defaced and spoiled one of the most compleat Churches if not the principall both for doctrine and discipline now extant in the Christian world II. IF Timotheus had not been we had not had such musique but if Phrynes Timotheus his Teacher had not been we had not had Timotheus saith Aristotle (b) Meta. lib. 2. c. 1. If as he Musick we consider these times of Mourning we may as truly but with detestation say If there had not been discontented people abroad we had not heard of so great contentions and tumults suffered such plunderings and oppressions seene so many wounds and murthers but if there had not been such and such Schismaticall Priests like violent winds moving and troubling the brains of the people and inciting them to Rebellion we had not had such discontented people The people would have been peaceable and tractable as heretofore had not some false Prophets been as bellowes and brands of Insurrection had not seditious Oratours been as Drummers in a Campe and as Trumpetters sounding to a battell III. ANtisthenes the Philosopher being asked What a Feast was Answered That it was an occasion of much surfeiting and many other disorders If you make a question now what our Spirituall Feasts the best liked and most applauded Sermons are They are shiftings and juglings for a wrong Cause they are traducings of the KING and slanderings of the Foot-steps of Gods Anointed They are the countenancers and promoters of Civill Warre contrary to the doctrine of the Scriptures and dictate of Religion and Conscience They are Alarums to stir up Sedition Rebellion Atheisme They are Invectives against all Learning and Loyaltie They are casters out of one Devill by another abolishers of Idolatry by Sacriledge They are the gall of bitternesse and the bond of Iniquity IV. THe Lord Ellesmor the Lord Chancellour of this Realme a great lover of mercy whose memoriall is still blessed was heard to professe as I have read that if he had beene a Preacher this should have been his Text A righteous man regardeth the life of his beast (c) Prov. 12.10 The Propheticall Incendiaries of the late fearfull unnaturall War how far were they from this disposition how far from thoughts and bowels of mercies how far from a desire to preach mercies when it was a common course with them by Vipcrine glosses to eate out the bowels of a mercifull Text when nothing was more usuall amongst them then with stony hearts and brazen faces to alledge the words of the Scripture against the meaning then to wrong and wring the Scripture till it bled but they would mis-construe and misapply it one way or other to stir and incite men to the shedding of blood Arme arme Fight fight Bloud bloud Kill these Cavaliers these Popish Pagans were still with them deductions from their Texts V. CAmbyses demanding of his Counsellors Whether he might not marry his sister by the Law of the Land They answered They found no Law that allowed a brother to marry his sister but one that permitted the King of the Persians to doe as he list (d) Heredotus Our proud peevish Brownists impatient of Government sons of Belial a rebellious and obstinate people having necks as an iron sinew and brows of brasse cannot in all the Scriptures find any sound or seeming proofe for this their foule rebellion Neither can their false Prophets their chiefe Counsellours find out any such places for them but therefore they use in a wrong sense so to inlarge and amplifie the great benefit of our Christian liberty the which indeed is a freedome from all hellish slavish feare but not from a holy and sonne-like feare a freedome from the curse but not from the obedience of the Law that they have now made many simple people little seene in heavenly matters beleeve that the reines are pulled from Christians necks and they left to their owne dispositions that there is a liberty purchased for Christians to doe what every man liketh and to live under no obedience to Ecclesiasticall or Civill Governors VI. WHen Mahomet was now about to establish his abominable superstition wherein he had mingled the lawes and doctrines of Heathens of Jewes of false Christians and Hereticks with the illusions and inventions of his own braine he gave it forth for a maine principle how God at the first to Man-kind sent Moses after him Jesus Christ who were indued with the power to work miracles but men gave small heed to them Therefore he determined to send Mahomet a Warriour without Miracles that whom
HERMES-THEOLOGUS or New Descants upon OLD RECORDS Rom 2 22. thou that abhorrest Idols dost thou commit Sacriledge Rom. 10.12 The new Testament Gen. 17.9 The old Testament The Christian Math. â—6 24. The Iewe Isa. 29. 10. The Turke in Math. 24. 5. 24. The Pagan Psal 7 â— 11. Hermes Theologus OR A Divine MERCURIE Dispatcht with a grave Message OF NEW DESCANTS VPON OLD RECORDS No lesse delightfull in the best sense then truly usefull for these Times By THEOPH WODENOTE B. D. sometime fellow of Kings Colledge in CAMBRIDGE LONDON Printed for R. ROYSTON 1649. THE PREFACE To the Readers Readers THese insuing meditations so well fitted so pathetically penned and so rightly applied to the present temper of these unhappy times need no Preface to make way for them unto your friendly acceptance if there be in your breasts any true remaines of Conscience or candour nor yet any letters of commendation to ingratiate their Author into your good opinions they alone do fully declare him a Scribe instructed unto the Kingdome of God who like a good housholder as you may here find brings forth out of his Treasure things new and old But my reading them together with the consideration of him and his present condition gives occasion and I hope without offence to breathe forth the passions of a grieving spirit that melteth daily for the desolations of Christs Vineyard here amongst us by the violent and cruell ejection of those faithfull and skilfull husband-men whom he had inabled and imployed to dresse and till the same of which number this truely Reverend and Godly Author was one whose name and face perhaps is strange in these more publick and active parts of the Kingdome but that you may the better know him be pleased to understand that he is a man of Isaacs spirit one of God Almighties inward acquaintance that converseth oft in secret with him and hath skill to contemplate on things that are high And as most sutable to so Divine a worke he made choice of a private life with violence thereby unto his owne Iustre his true worth disdaining the affectation of popular applause or to make a noise in the world as many do whose fame is best a far off where themselves are least known he was planted long ago in a remote part of this Kingdome where for above thirty years being Batchelour in Divinity of Antient standing he hath continued acting the part of a faithfull Minister ruling his flock with great prudence and discretion and feeding them with the food of heaven which he most skilfully dressed and rightly divided confining and applying himself within his proper sphear unto his owne people amongst whom he was a burning and a shining light and they as they had cause did rejoyce in his light they sat under his Ministry with great content and his Doctrine was sweet unto them they were in his heart and he in theirs to live to die and go to heaven together But when they that act as if they were borne to breake in sunder what God hath joyned had set up their banners in those quarters and begun their new-found Reformation in those parts a most sorrowfull separation was quickly made between this Godly Pastor and his loving flock for he being throughly guilty of the scandals of these times scil of Learning piety wisdome Loyalty obedience honesty and such like and so not capable to be an Apostate from the Gospel he had taught was thought fit for that cause to be cast aside as a broken sheard or a thing of no use in these daies of new lights and revelations and so was suspended from his labours silenced from Preaching and Sequestred from his Living to the end that he and his flock as they had lived long most comfortably together might now at the last even perish and starve together he for want of Corporall food and they for want of Spirituall But behold from that evill of theirs good is sprung up to us from the darke condition of that particular Parish the World in generall hath gained light we that are a far off had not been acquainted with his graces if we had not been befriended by his Afflictions the savour of his spices had never reached our sences at so great a distance his humility did so hinder had they not been thus bruised and beaten This grave and good man being accustomed all his daies to take paines in Gods Vineyard had not learn'd to stand idle nor can his Aged years be perswaded to it though he be knockt off from his holy calling He cannot sleep his gray haires can take no rest but near unto if not within the house of God though he be banish'd from the Temple yet he must looke towards it though charged to publish Christ no more in the Congregation nor to Preach any longer that name yet the word of truth being like fire within him his spirit cannot rest nor can he forbeare but the Presse must receive something of him if the Pulpit doth exclude him For indeed the fire of the Sanctuary in a pious soule can never be extinguish'd nor can he that doth Gods worke for Gods sake ever be discouraged with all that Earth or Hell can do the love of Christ is more powerfull with him to constraine unto then the threats of men or Devils can be to affright from I must worke saies such a one the workes of him that sent me while it is day the night of death will come when I cannot worke as long as I am in the world I must be a light therein and hold forth some light to it a necessity lies upon me so to do and woe unto me if I Preach not if I reprove not if I detect not the worlds sin one way or other scriptis saltem si non dictis by writing at least if not by Preaching I must discharge a good conscience else how shall I appeare before my Judge at the reckoning day These or such like are the inward discourses of an honest heart and these doubtlesse are the resolves of this Reverend man who hath here sent us from the Spirituall Garden of his soul a Taste of divine fruit which we hope is but an Essay to a larger Banquet but a glimpse of Ophir where Gold is of a rich mine where pretious Treasures are to be found And most worthy are these his Meditations our serious view and friendliest acceptation for the resemblance they have and bear which is in speciall to be noted with that forme and manner of speaking used by our Saviour sure the lookes and language of this Author plainly shew whose Disciple he is and of what spirit T is said of Christ that he taught the people by parables and without a parable spake he not unto them and may not the same be affirmed of this man that he teacheth us by Parables and without an History or Similitude he speaketh not yea as Christ took occasion from every thing that occurred to
greatest delights they may have secret heart-burnings and grievous vexations what God and themselves only know The Lord hath spoken it twice and therefore it must needs be plaine and peremptory that there is no peace to the wicked t Esay 48.22.57 21. Their lookes may be sometimes lively but their hearts are alwayes heavy LXXXV DIonysius Heracleotes a soure and severe defender of that Stoicall unfeelingness of passions being tormented in his reines cried out that all things were false which he had till then held and maintained of paine and griefe as that it might be easily borne and endured whatsoever it was for now he felt the contrary that paine pincheth and will be felt and is able to make the strongest stoope notwithstanding all plaisters of phylosophie and humane reasons A wounded conscience many no doubt thinke is not so hard to bear as some talke may easily be salved up by many outward carnall helps Feasting and merry company eating and drinking musick and gaming and things of like nature can easily smooth it over but if ever they feele it indeed they will assuredly confesse that all such medicines are nought worth against spiritual qualmes and that the horrour of a terrified conscience is an importable burthen no way to be asswaged but by the only mediation of Christ Jesus LXXXVI PHilip King of Macedon said that he was bound to the Athenian Oratours which reviled him because they were to him as fire to gold wind to corne file to rust soape to linnen because they were an occasion to make him the more vertuous and advised and enforced him all his life long both in his actions and words to prove them lyars I will therefore so live saith he that no man shall beleeve them that if I cannot bar the mouthes of the slanderers yet I may stop the eares of the hearers u Plutar. in his Apotheg There is hardly now a learned Orthodoxe and consciencious Divine amongst us that is not traduced for a Papist by a sort of sawcy schismaticall hungry cormorants that gape for our meanes how wisely shall we profit by their malitious reproach if thereupon we carry our selves every day to the end of our lives more virtuously then other having better consciences that whereas they speak evill of us as evill doers they may be ashamed that falsely accuse our good conversation in Christ w 1 Pet. 3.16 LXXXVII CRates having lost all by shipwrack go too fortune quoth he I know what thou meanest thou intendest only to call me to Phylosophie Thus he being a Pagan that knew not fortune from God And shall Christians no sooner begin to fall into misery but be at their wits end shall not they perceive the end of Gods afflicting them that he doth it to instruct them the better to know him themselves and the world to know him whom they have so often offended and turne unto him by true repentance to know their mortall and fraile nature that weareth and wasteth away with outward crosses to know the mutability of the world and the deceitfulnesse of the world shall not they consider that when they are judged they are chastened by the Lord that they should not be condemned with the world x 1 Cor. 11 32. LXXXVIII I Read how Phydius was apt for all practises could turne his hand to any trade could shew his cunning as well in any other mettall or matter as in brasse This cannot all doe neither is it fit for all to do Let every man abide in the same calling wherein he was called y 1 Cor. 7.10 Study to be quiet and to do your owne businesse saith the Apostle z 1 Thes 4 11. It is not fit for men to meddle in other mens trades neither shall we likely find such another Phideas but howsoever a true Christian though he cannot fashion his hand to every trade yet should learne to frame his heart to every estate he should know how to rise and how to fall how to want and how to abound he should be able to swimme in prosperity without pride and to suffer in adversity without peevishnesse humbly and thankfully imbracing whatsoever favour the Lord sendeth him and kissing whatsoever cross he laieth on his back LXXXIX IN the Olympian combatings set forth and solemnized in the honour of Sathan they only woare the Crowne who overcame by doing harme to others they which struck the greatest blow went away with the prize but in our spirituall conflicts not they which strike but these which bear the greatest stroake shall go away with the reward they rather are Crowned who win the victory by suffering wrong of others suffering is the way to glory Blessed are they which suffer persecution for righteousnesse sake for theirs is the kingdome of heaven for as they suffer here with Christ so they shall raigne hereafter with Christ Blessed are ye when men shall revile you and persecute you and shall say all manner of evill against you falsely for my sake Rejoyce and be exceeding glad for great is your reward in heaven For so persecuted they the Prophets that were before you a Mat. 5.10 11 12. XC WHat a bitter and cruell wrong was that offered to Mauritius the Emperour when his ungratefull subject and servant Phocas slew before his face his Wife and five Children And yet were not his thoughts so much upon the Adversary to be vexed as upon the righteous God to be humbled And yet spake he not one word to the enemy no not in such a woefull case b Abbas Urs 158. but considering weighing his own sins continued still crying till the sword sundred his head from his body just art thou O Lord and just are thy judgements Why then do we of inferiour places so many degrees behind Mauritius in these times of persecution so earnestly looke to the heavines and grievousnes of the wrongs offered why then do we so passionately presse the unkindnesse and injustice of the outward agents and instruments why do we not rather looke up as we ought to him that sitteth at the sterne and guideth all particulars why do we not rather recount and ponder how many wayes we our selves have offended God and our neighbours for which we may justly suffer why do we not rather consider that it commeth not upon us without our deserts because God is just nor will it be without our profit because God is good XCI EXceeding is the love of earthly heathenish mothers to children when Agrippena Neroes mother being with child with him was after great consultation seriously fore-told by Astrologers that her son should be Emperour but when he was advanced should kill his mother let me be slaine saith shee so he may raigne and much more no doubt is the love being better ordered by Gods word of true Christian parents but ô how infinite is Gods love to his adopted sons and daughters Can a woman forget her sucking child saith the Lord by the
Prophet Isaiah c Isay 49.15 that she should not have compassion on the son of her wombe as though it were a thing even impossible that any thing should be able to master or kill that affection she were to be reckoned as a monster amongst women that should want it but suppose any should for it may be yet the Lord for all that cannot forget any of his whom making him their God he hath made his servants yet will not yet cannot the Lord forget the poorest soul in the world that trusteth in him and therefore be not faithlesse whosoever thou be if thou be his but faithfull and therefore cast all thy care thou troubled soul ever upon the Lord for he careth for thee XCII IT is not Kingly quoth Antigonus the King to a poore man begging a small matter but a dram of silver It is not for Kings to give trifles but to give royally like themselves How bountifull then must we needs think is the King of Kings with whom no King is to be compared who hath all treasure in his owne hands and whose treasury can never be drawne dry who hath in his hands all the goods and blessings both of this life which is present and of that which is to come How rich is he in mercies how abundant in kindnesses How large is his love giving more things and more plentifully then either we doe ask or think If any man lack wisdome or any other good gift let him aske of God which giveth to all men liberally which giveth not sparingly though the smallest gift be more then we are worthy of but liberally and reproacheth no man and it shall be given him Jam. 1.5 XCIII CEsar purposing to passe into Africk though the rough surges of the raging seas were against him cheared up the Master of the Ship and bade him be confident to hoyse up sayles and commit himself to the fury of the storm because he carryed him that was so mighty a Monarch and yet had he rebuked the violent winds or the unruly waters never so much they would never have yeelded him the least obedience How much rather should a Christian not be dismayed but Magnanimous to whom Christ hath said Be of good cheere I have overcome the world (d) Ioh. 16.33 I have already won the field and obtained the victory for you O how should a Christian be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might (e) Ephes 6.10 against all assaults of tyrants all temptations of Satan to whom God hath said (f) Heb. 13.5 that he will never leave him nor forsake him neither in wealth nor want neither in life nor death O how should a Christian be incouraged against all dangers either of body or soul in whom God dwelleth and he in God 1 Joh. 4.15 XCIV IT was not a slight and superficial but solid though short advice of the Philosopher Menedemus to Antigonus the sonne of King Demetrius that he should remember he was a Kings sonne thinking that a sufficient motive to keepe him from all base behaviour And how could he well conclude otherwise For doth it become Princes so to descend as to follow the conditions of Pesants should not they seek to demean themselves in all their carriages according to their high places O Christian man what art thou Know thy calling and consider the blessed state of Christian profession Thou art the sonne of God thou hast his Spirit the earnest peny the pawn the pledge the inunction the cry of his Spirit But by what meanes Through faith In whom and by whose merits In Christ For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Iesus (g) Gal. 3.26 And shall we not therefore scorne and hate sin so unfit for our estates and so unseemly for the children of God And shall we not therefore abstaine from immoderate mourning for worldly losses too base and meane for our calling XCV A King of France hearing the King of Spaines titles at large rehearsed as that he was King of Castile King of Portugal King of Naples King of the Sicilies and many other Dominions opposed to every one of them severally and to all of them joyntly but onely this that he was King of France he made account that France was more excellent then Spaine and all the rest annexed Kingdomes A true Christian in the poorest estate if you weigh him with the richest worldling is as France was by him conceived and compared with Spaine though not so great in title yet greater in truth though not so good in outward shew yet better in inward substance Thou hast put gladnesse in mine heart saith David more then in the time that their corne and wine increased (h) Psal 4.7 As much as to say thy favour O Lord hath brought me more true and sound joy then others take or can take in this that their revenues and incomes do abound XCVI SEleucus comming back with a company of armed men to Babylon from whence he was expelled as he made haste into the City stumbled and wrested his foot His friends moved at it heaved up the stone at the which he tooke his hurt and finding under it a ring in which was engraven the forme of an anchor supposing it to portend captivity but Seleucus understood it otherwise that the anchor which they thought to signifie captivity did certainely portend and promise conquest and security Be courageous my friends saith he for this ground whereon we now tread as aliens and exiles we shall undoubtedly possesse as heires and owners Wicked men if any crosses befall them they begin to sinke down under the burden their hearts faile them they conceive and take things in the worst sense but the children of God being assured upon better grounds then Seleucus make no other account but are resolute and confident that neither good can happen to the evill nor evill to the good being changed by the blessing of God that all things of what sort soever by one meanes or other shall in the end without peradventure worke together for the best unto them XCVII ECebolius a Sophister of Constantinople before Julian was Emperour demeaned himself as an earnest Christian both for belief and life under Julian he became a cruell Apostate and Panym and persecutor and after Julian was dead he would be a Christian againe but his owne conscience at last accusing him for his dissembling for altering his faith religion and manners according to the time he cast himself flat upon the ground before the Church-gate as the people should passe and cryed Tread on me that am unsavoury salt O how many in these times have been on all sides as the sides still prevailed who though they cast not themselves down at the Church door as he did for the people to tread upon yet have need presently to cast themselves down in the inner temple of their hearts before God with hearty repentance and humble confession lest if they