Praelium praemium THE CHRISTIANS WARRE and rewarde A SERMON PREACHED before the Kings Maiestie at VVhitehall the 3. of May. 1608. BY DANIELL PRICE Master of Arts of Exeter Colledge and Chapleyn in ordinarie to the PRINCE Vincenti dabitur OXFORD Printed by Ioseph Barnes 1608. TO THE MOST REVEREND FATHER IN GOD THE LORD Arch-bishop of Canterburie his Grace Primat and Metrapolitan of all England one of his Maiesties most Honorable priuie Counsel the right worthy Chauncelour of the famous Vniuersitie of Oxford MOst reverend religious rightly honourable so small a present for so great a Patrone is not tollerable by the rule of proportion especiallie when so great weaknesse lyeth open to the eie of so great worthinesse My apprehension at the first conceited mee so strongly that I designed this to aternal oblivion resolved that it shoulde haue dyed and beene buried in the place it first breathed but fearing lest an action of presumption would bee commenced against mee for burying so poore an Orphan in so princely a place as the Kings Chappel I adventured to lay it in the graue of the presse wrapping it in these sheetes as in a Syndon mantling it on a sable letter as in a hearse and yet after foure aates pressing to death it revived and is crept to present it selfe vnto your Grace presuming that as you affoorded it gratious attention at the preaching so you will affoord it gratious acception in the printing If there bee anie thing worthy Patronadge in it or in mee I humbly prostrate it reioycing much I may tender any observāce vnto him whom his roiall Maiestie the gracious Queene my Princely Master the noblest Personadges the greatest schollers both the Vniversities the Church Commō wealth arts and schooles doe for his studies conferences labours imploymēts acknowledge reverence and preferre to the Confluence of all honour I must confesse it had manie verie honorable friends who desired after the preaching to bee acquainted with it but I was then doubtful whether I should publish it or no somtimes dissolving it sometimes resolving for it til now at length I haue adventured to let it see the sunne It is the first tender of my dutie and the first dedication frō our Vniversity Presse since the time your Grace was pleased to entertaine the protection of vs. The Lord preserue your Grace to continue for manie and manie yeeres that the Church may long enioie so worthie a Piller the Common wealth so wise a Counseller and this famous Vniversity so honourable a Chauncellour Exeter Coll. this 19. of June 1608. Your Graces in all humble dutie DANIELL PRICE The Text. Revel 2.26 He that overcommeth keepeth my works to the ende to him will I giue power over nations THE whole booke of God writtē by his finger deliuered by his power inspired by his spirit and revealed by his will is as Cassiodore obserueth Schola coelest is eruditio vitalis auditorium veritatis disciplina singularis profitable to teach to instruct to reproue to correct that the man of God may be perfect in al good works whatsoeuer is contained in this booke God hath reuealed to man 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is become 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 secretum relatum nay not only relatum but revelatum The whole booke from Genesis to the Reuelation is the Genesis of a Revelation here beginneth the Exodus the end termination complement accomplishment of the Reuelation Iob may conceaue Secreta Dei Iob. 11.6 Daniel may obserue abscondita Dei Dan. 2.22 The Apostle may discerne profunda Dei 1. Cor. 2.10 And Paule wrapped vp to the thirde heauens may heare arcana Dei 2. Cor. 12.4 But now secreta profunda arcana abscondita be revelata The Aenigma is disclosed the knot vnloosed the mysteries interpreted the vaile remoued all things reuealed he that was vailed in the flesh is reuealed in the spirit and in this booke is the manifestation of our God of his will of the Lambe and of his life of the spirit and of his truth of his seales trumpets angels viols thunders lightnings threatnings iudgements of heauē hel the earth the sea consumption destruction dissolution desolation and final consumation of the world Jf the whole Scripture may bee called the Librarie of the holy Ghost then this is the Closet of that librarie if the Lanthorne of Jsrael then this is the light of that Lanthorne if the Alphabet of God then this is then of that Alphabet this is the ende of his booke who is the beginning and the end the last of his book who is the first and the last the Ω of his booke who is α and Ω the Amen of his booke who is yea and Amen The holyest place not more worthily called sanctum sanctorum or the Iubile Sabbatum sabbatorum or the Canticles Cantica Canticorum or Empireum Coelū Coelorum I say not more truely called so then this Revelatio Revelationum the Compendium and Epitome of all the works wonders secrets depths and misteries of God so that as a father well speaketh of the whole scripture Hugo I may also in particular speake of this Apocalips pascit miraculis oraculis figuris verbis mysterijs Greg. Morall And as Manna as Gregory obserueth habet omne delectamentum omnis saporis suauitatem so I may speake of this booke of the Reuelation which is the hid Manna kept long in the Arke inter arcana and now manifested among Reuelata O then come and see and see heare and taste how good and sweete this Manna is it wil giue to euerie man his gust rellish if yee be ignorant here yee may be instructed if weak heare yee may be strengthned if feareful here ye may be hartened if fighting here yee may be comforted if triumphing here yee maie be crowned and more thē this here is the greatest blessing pronounced that ever was to anie booke Blessed is he that readeth Revel 1. he that heareth and he that vnderstandeth and hee that keepeth the words of this booke Out of this book out of that Manna of this booke haue J chosen this portion of scripture as a portion of meate in due season which if you wil staye till J haue prepared it for you J will present it to bee panem nostrum hodiernum or rather panem nostrum quotidianum He that overcometh and keepeth my workes to the end to him wil I giue power ouer nations what subiect more sit for Heroicall spirits then an encitement to chiualtrie nay what subiect maie speake of a fitter subiect before a most royal King then of a kingdome Beholde both these in this Hee that ouercometh c. Hee that ouercometh here a christian is made a conquerour and keepeth my woorks to the end hereof a Conquerour he is made a Continuer J wil giue him power ouer nations hereof a Continuer he is made a king He that ouercometh here hee is approued a Christian and keepeth my woorkes
might prone out of the word kill that he is not the head but the headsman of the Church For out of the word eate we maie conclude him to bee the mouth I maie saie as Cato spake to Lentulus Dicam cos falli qui te negant habere os I saie they are much deceiued who denie him to haue a mouth and a fowle one to Euen such a mouth as vttereth blasphemies Whose lips haue the poisō of Aspes Whose tongue is sharpned like a Serpents Whose teeth be like to Lions teeth And whose throat is an open sepulchre Yea a deuouring Sheol hel it selfe Thus he is the mouth Now that he is not so much the head as the headsman of the Church may be proued by those manie stratagems engines tortures burnings broylings rackings dilaniating murthering massacring wherby the Pope hath made the Church the shame shambles of the worlde as maie be seene by the manifolde floods of warm reaking gore blood that he hath shed and by the soules of the Martyrs crying vnder the Alter How long Lord Iesus Bellarmine and Baronius in this are like to those wicked Iudges founde in a diuerse tale the one out of kill the other out of eate making him their head and therfore they well deseruing by him to bee rewarded the one by beeing his butcher the other his cooke I could proceed further in the discribing of this child of the deuil and father of darknes whose religion is rebellion whose planters are supplāters whose professors be Traitors whose oracles bee lyes whose miracles bee strawes But J come to my Text. Jn that potestes data wee must consider another 2 fold power power in hoc seculo power in futuro That the Saints of God shal enioie power ouer nations In hoc seculo as the Glosse interpreteth in finali Iudicio as Lyra readeth In vtroque as Austin testifieth Gloss Lyra. Austin Hugo Hierom. In this life to come super motus Carnales saith Hugo in this life to come super thronos iudicātes tribus Israell saith Hierome So that here and hence in this life and that to come in earth and in heauen Doct. The Saints shal be sure to receiue power ouer Nations the Doctrine is this that the Saints of God shal receiue in this in God in the life to cōe with God more true glory and honour and power then euer any Monarch had vpon the earth I need not to proue this the verie text promiseth to giue power ouer nations This power Christ calleth a kingdome Luk. 12. Math. calleth it an heauenlie Mat. 21.24 Luke a blessed kingdome Luk. 14.15 Peter an eternal kingdome 2. Pet. 1.11 because you shal not thinke it a kingdome without a Crowne C. hath promised a Crowne yea an immarcessible Crowne 1. Pet. 5.4 and to the inestimable price hee hath added glorie a Crowne of glorie Esay 28.5 and to this glorie hee hath added Righteousnes a Crowne of righteousnes 2. Tim. 4.8 and to this righteousnesse hee hath added life a Crowne of life Revel 2.10 Vse The vse of this doctrine is to enflame the soules of the godlie and to stir them vp to the seeking of this kingdome All the world cannot afforde more riches honour pleasure glorie power and confluence of ioieful comfort then this kingdome O then striue resist wrestle run the race fight the finish the course that you maie ouercome My most gratious soueraigne let it not be offensiue that I haue beeene so bould in a time of such gratious and glorious peace to moue this assembly to fight especially seeing the Gospel is a Gospel of peace we that preach that Gospel are bound to the peace by S. Paul Seeing I haue begun to speake 1. Tim. 3.3 O let not my Lord the king be now angry God hath chosen and apointed and anointed your Maiestie to fight his battels hee hath giuen you the head of Salomon the hart of Dauid hand of Gedeon to make you able to ouercome Hee hath already giuen you power ouer nations in the vāquishing of Heresie Poperie Idolatrie He hath enabled your highnesse in this high woorke to establish true religion in one kingdome to confirme it in a nother to found it in on to finde it in a nother to plant it in the oue to water it in the other and at the length to ioine both in on so that male diut sum is become bene coniunctū O let these kingdomes neuer knowe that fallacie a bene coniunctis ad male diuisa Those that God hath ioined to gether let no man put a sander If euer the Lord verified that prophecy of Esekiell Faciam eos ingentem vnam hee hath now surely they are one and noe more two peoples neither deuided any more so that your Maiestie may saie with Caesar veni vidi vici but J hope your Maiestie will rather speak with a more Christian Caesar then he was Carolus Quintus whose woords were vidi veni at Deus vicit by him you liue moue breath haue being to be a King and Conquerour For if euer God ouercame for any or ever any ouer came by God your Maiestie maie glorie in it as much as euer any that breathed J maie saie that God ouercame more gloriously for you by a weake small vnimaginarie Charactericall armie then euer he did by the sun against the Aramits by the fier against the Sodomits by the starrs against the Cananits by the water against the Aegyptians or by the earth against the Murmerers hee ouercame more powerfully more miraculously for your highnesse in an army of letters by a Schedule schrole paper gūne of their owne making then euer be overcame for anie since the first daie of the world As hee hath ouercome for your Maiestie so hath hee apointed your Maiestie to ouercōe for him to ouercome and Conquer all the monsters you find in this king dome the Bethauen of Idolatrie the Gilgall of Heresie the houses of bribery the Churches of Symony the seats of iniustice and offices of oppression the possessions of sacriledge the professions of Athessme Matchavelisme Anabaptisme Barrowisme Paganisme Pa pisme And this shall be the victory whereby yee shal overcome even your faith your Maiestie is the defender of the faith O be an overcomer in this faith that so this land maie obey you your subiectes maie serue you your seruants may praie for you the whole world may honor you the Lord may reward you And there may neuer be wanting one of your roial seede to sit in holines and happines vpon the throne of these kingdomes vntil Christ Iesus come to iudgmēt Let al true Christian subiects saie Amen My Honourable Lordes yee oracles of our wisdome and Chariots of our Jsrael seeing I haue beene bold to speake vnto my Lord the King let mee finde fauour in your sight to shew you how you maie finde fauour in Gods sight Heauen is the hauen whether ye desire to come otherwise though now your state be
honorable it wil be most miserable To heauen if ye desire to come here ye must overcome yea you your selues my thrice Hon Lords must your selues endeuour to ouercome though worthilie you be imploied in the greatest state of the kingdome O forget not the state of the greatest kingdome though yee be Domint Terrae yet yee are but terra Demint though yee were the Lords of the whose world yet the whole world cannot ouercome for you Jt is only your faith this is the aime the scope the marke the armour the complement the weapon of your warfare the victorie of your combat euē your faith Not your wit wisdome honour followers not armies not navies be able to ouercome for you Not wit it is vertues wanton iudgments ouerthrow Not wiscom it is the peoples talke the statists opinion Not eloquence it is deceipts Councellour Hipocrisies advancer Not honour it is ennies obiect cares subiect Not friends they are but profits guard affections we thercockes Not armies they are wraths executioners deaths purseuants Not navies they are the Oceans wracke and the windes run awaies Not al the world and the power thereof for the victorie of that power is but the swords whetstone and cruelties want O thē remember the weapons of your warfare are not carnal but spiritual therefore take vnto you the whole Armour of God that yee maie bee able to resist in the euil daie hauing finished all things stand fast Yee haue latelie celebrated the festiuitie of S. Georges knights with manie laudable honourable and religious ceremonies Long maie yee so celebrate it to the glorie of your God ioie of your King honor of your nation and eternal perpetuitie of loue among your selues Might I presume I could shew your Honors another order of knighthood not an new order for I am sure it was the first that euer was in Christendome and in the scriptures heraldrie you maie finde it emblasoned by the proper armes robes motto Schutchion that belong to this order The order of S. Vincent it is the order of the Saint in my Text Vincenti the order of Saint Vincent But it is such an order that whosoeuer be knights of this order must first be knights of the bath they mustwash and bathe themselues as David did and then they shal be dubd and double knighted and then God who is the soveraigne of the order and Christ Iesus the Prince of Peace the President of the order and the holy spirit the Bishop of our soules and Prelate of the order and the Angels the guardians and heavenly heralds of that order shal bring forth the vnder robe purity the vpper robe righteousnes the Helmet salvation the sword the spirit the Eschouchion a white crosse in a bloody fielde vnder the Crosse a Serpent latent and a Lyon couchāt Death and hell ouer the Crosse a Crowne triumphant a lawrell slorant honour and power and the motto Vincenti dabitur And this is the most honorable order of knighthood he that is of this order of S. Vincent is not onlie a knight of the Bath but a knight of S. Michaell for he hath overcome the deuil and a knight of Saint George for he hath ouercome the olde Dragon and a knight of the Temple for he is the Temple of the holy Ghost and a knight of the holy Ghost for the holy spirit of God dwelleth in him O that yee were such knights such Conquerours I shoulde nowe returne againe vnto my Lorde the King to beseech his Maiestie to establish this order but who am I that should I presume so much I feare mee I haue already presumed to too much I wil goe to my heaunely Lord the King beseech him to establish it in you all that you may all ouercome be al rewarded that what at this time yee haue herd carefully you maie conceaue rightly beleeue faithful lie discerne fruitfullie and practise effectually that at the length you may receaue your reward in the Court of that celestial Citye the gates wherof bee of pearle the streets of gold the walls of pretious stones the Tēple God the light the lambe the Cheere ioye the exercise singing the Quire Angells the Hymne Haleluiah Amen Amen FINIS