both a God and his diuine prouidence x Arist 1. de ani Aristotle commends Anaxagoras because he taught that there was an immixt and most simple vnderstanding which knew all things this is God The Platonists cal'd him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because he is the Beholder of all things whatsouer Orpheus confessed that there was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 One begotten of himselfe by whom all things were made and this is God and yet we haue fooles amongst vs. which in their harts say there is no God The second weed is Papisme a weed that ouerspreads our Bed for euil weeds euer grow apace it is like Lotos which Homer speaks of he that tasts it is bewitched with the sweetnesse thereof like the companions of Vlisses for doth not Papistrie dispense with all licentiousnesse and hath not the whore of Babilon y Reuel 17.4 a golden Cup in her hand with which she makes drunken the inhabitants of the earth and yet this weed must grow still who plucks it vp it is cropt sometimes I confesse and the leaues are cut off but as long as the root is quick both leaues and branches will encrease and multiply like the Heads of Hydra Vpon this weed breeds the Grashopper the Canker-worme the Caterpillar and the Palmer-worme which make our Vines wast and pill the barke off our figge-trees I meane those z Reuel 9 7.8 Locustes spoken of by Iohn the Diuine comming out of the smoake of the bottomlesse pit whose forme is like vnto horses prepared for battell and on their heads as it were ermines of gold their faces like vnto the faces of men their haire like the haire of women their teeth like Lyons In a word the whole Swarme of Iesuites and Seminaries Romish Alastores Euill spirits which must not be driuen away with Dauids Harpe but Elijahs sword These make profession of Religion yet are their actions died in blood they vow voluntarie pouertie yet ayme at crownes and are euer medling in matters of State they seeme humane and as tender-hearted as women Oh there is their aequiuocation but their Teeth are Lyon-like their disseignes violent their stratagems cruell These Iebusites liue amongst vs and are prickes in our sides they haue euer yet beene forgers of I reason and euen now no doubt they are hammering some mischiefe and yet must they still gall vs I what remedie can be found Plucke downe the Cages of these vncleane birdes and giue the law liberty to punish their harbourers without any respect of persons then see if these Locustes doe not quickly vanish away like smoake and flie to their smokie dungeon The third weede is Simonisme the roote whereof was first set by Simon Magus a Act. 18.18 who offered Peter mony for the gift of the holy Ghost and at this day it is watered by Bels Priests and Baals Prophets such as make their profession a meere Mechanicke Trade or Occupation and their Ministerie a Ladder onely to climbe to preferments Mercenaries no true Pastors Creepers in through the window no true Preachers you shall know them by their workes for they seeke their owne and not Christes they feede vpon the fat of the flocke and cloath themselues with the wooll but suffer the sheepe to starue for want of foode They be like vnto the b Strab. Geog. lib. 15. Astomi of whom Strabo writes which people haue no mouthes but onely a certaine hole in steede thereof whereby they receaue the sweet sent of flowers which is their sustenance So these Simonistes haue no mouthes to shew forth the praise of God but onely a tongue-lesse hole by which they sucke vp the sweetnesse of Church-liuings purchased by briberie at Steeple-faire Well it was not so from the beginning for Aarons c Exod. 28.34 robe round about the skirtes was hung with golden bels and Pomgranates the first betokening Doctrine d Mal. 2.7 the second Hospitalitie to signifie that the Priests lips should preserue Knowledge and his mouth should be a siluer bell to call the people to Gods tabernacle likewise his dore must be euer open to the harbourlesse and his bread continually cast vpon the waters Sed motos praestat componere fluctus I must speake as e Pli. lib. 35.8 Timantes painted Polyphemus onely shewing you the thumb of these Monsters thereby you may proportionate their whole bodies and as f Aug. Ep. 48. S. Augustine said of the Tares Totus mundus in maligno positus est propter Zizania quae sunt per totum mundum So may I say of these three weedes Atheisme Papisme and Simonisme by them our bed of Spices is almost spoiled Secondly the Garden shut vp is the Church Inuisible of this Salomon thus speaketh g Cant. 4.12 My sister my spouse is as a Garden enclosed as a Spring shut vp and a Fountaine sealed vp Which inuisible Church is the Catholicke Societie of the faithfull elected and chosen to eternall life and it is said to be inuisible because it is onely of the Elect who are not Visible to men but onely to God h 2. Tim. 2.19 for he alone knoweth who are his The Papists vtterly distaste this distinction of visible and inuisible and yet they themselues confirme it saying i Inter relig Caes cap. 9. Ecclesia quatenus constat membris talibus quae secundum charitatem viuunt Sanctorum est tantum eatenùs spiritualis inuisibilis The Church as it consisteth of such members which liue after the rule of Charitie is onely of the Saints and is so farre forth spirituall and inuisible To this also their owne decrees giue consent k Dec. P. 3. dist 2. cap. 9. Societas corporis membrorum Christi est Ecclesia in praedestinatis The societie of the body and the members of Christ is the Church consisting of the praedestinate This Garden then is like the garden of Eden which was kept by a Cherub l Gen. 3.24 shaking a fierie sword This Cherub is Christ who suffereth no vncleane thing to enter into it neither whatsoeuer worketh abomination or lies but they which are written in the book of life In the olde Paradise grew two principall trees m Gen. 3.22 the tree of Life and n Gen. 2 17. the tree of Knowledge the like are in this garden For o Ioh. 3.15 whosoeuer beleeueth in Christ shall not perish but haue eternall life here is the tree of Life p Ioh. 17.3 And this is life eternall that they know thee to be the onely very God and whom thou hast sent Iesus Christ Here is the tree of Knowledge And as Eden was watered with q Gen. 2. foure Riuers Pishon Gihon Hiddekel and Perath so hath this enclosed Garden the Church inuisible foure waters of comfort namely Election Vocation Iustification and Glorification r Rom. 8.29.30 for whom God hath praedestinate to be made like the Image of his Sonne them also he calls whom he calls
with two eies the first being like a Doues eie washt with milke the second like a flame of fire Mercy and Iustice according to whose seuerall viewes he made two Decrees the one of Election the other of Reprobation which two resemble the two streames that issue from the throne of God k Dan. 7.10 the one being all fire the other l Reuel 22.1 Water of life m Ephes 1.4 Rom. 9.16 Election is the decree of God whereby on his owne free will he hath ordained certaine men to saluation without any fore-sight of their good workes to the praise and glory of his grace n Rom. 9.21 Reprobation is Gods decree whereby according to the most free and iust purpose of his will he hath determined to reiect certaine men vnto eternall destruction to the praise of his iustice These decrees are built vpon two seuerall foundations o Rom. 11.32 Adams sinne is the ground of Reprobation of Election p Heb. 5.5 Christ Iesus is the foundation called of his Father from all eternitie to performe the office of a Mediatour that in him all those which should be saued might be chosen as then he was predestinate to be the Reconciliation betwixt God and mankinde so likewise there was preordained a Mariage or vniting of the two Natures Diuine and Humane Secondly the Bridegrome he is willing for he confesseth as much by the mouth of the Psalmist saying q Psal 40. In the volume of the booke it is written that I should fulfill thy will O my God I am content to do it thy law is within my heart Euer since the making of this decree God the Sonne and his spouse the Church like a paire of Turtle Doues haue loued and wooed each other as appeareth by those sweet passions with which this Song is full fraught and yet from the time that he was first promised till the fulnesse of time when he was conceiued r Cant. 2.9 He euer stoode behinde the wall looking through the windowes and appearing through the grates These windowes were the Sacraments Circumcision and the Paschal Lambe these Grates the Tabernacle of Moses and the Priesthood of Aaron all of them principall Types and figures of the Messiah s Cant. 2.3 Thus for a long time the Church vnder his shadow onely had delight and his fruite was sweet vnto her mouth But at length she growes loue-sicke and cries t Cant. 2.5 Stay me with flagons and comfort me with Apples for I am sicke of Loue. u Cant. 1.1 Let him kisse me with the kisses of his mouth for his loue is better then wine As if she should haue said how long will he appeare vnto me onely in types and figures when shall mine eies see the Saluation of God which he hath prepared to be a light to the Gentiles and the glory of the people Israel x Cant. 4.16 Let my beloued come into his garden and eate his pleasant fruite Let the word be made flesh and dwell amongst vs. Our Sauiour therefore y Cant. 4.9 whose heart from the beginning she had wounded with one of her eies and a chaine of her necke Because he would not suffer her to pine away and languish with expectation answeres her saying I am come into my garden my sister my spouse As if he should haue said the Contract of Marriage which by my Fathers decree was from eternitie is now consummate by my Natiuitie In which Consummation three Circumstances may be considered First the publishing of the Banes by the Angell Gabriel thus speaking to the Virgin Mary z Luc. 1.28 Haile thou that art freely beloued the Lord is with thee blessed art thou among women and hauing thus saluted her he tells her that she shall conceiue and beare in her wombe a Sonne and call his name Iesus But how shall this be saith Mary seeing I know no man this she speakes saith Theophilact not doubting of the euent but enquiring the manner The Angell answeres her a Luc. 1.35 The holy Ghost shall come vpon thee and the vertue of the most high shall ouershadow thee Vide hic saith Cyprian cooperantem simplicem trinitatem Quae est virtus altissimi nisi Christus virtus sapientia patris c. See here the whole Trinitie are at worke together what is this vertue but Christ the vertue and wisedome of his Father of whom is this Vertue but of the most high Although then the Sonne alone was conceiued and incarnate yet both the Father and the Holy Ghost were present to sanctifie his conception which is the second circumstance and the manner of the Mariage He was not conceiued of the seede of Ioseph and Mary as Ebion dreamed but by the holy Spirit of the seede of Mary alone as may appeare by these testimonies b Gen. 3.15 The seede of the woman shall bruise the Serpents head Feare not Ioseph c Mat. 1.20 to take Mary for thy wife for that which is conceiued in her is of the holy Ghost A strange conception here is Aarons rod cut from the stem blossoming and a Virgin without a man conceiuing Christ was conceiued by the holy Ghost there is an argument of his Diuinitie and borne of a virgin there is a proofe of his humanitie so he is neither God only hauing an aierie body as Apelles the hereticke thought nor meere man as the d Epipha lib. 2. tom 2. haeres 69. Arrians surmised but God and Man vnited one Christ conceiued by the holy Ghost and borne of the Virgin Mary which natiuitie of Christ is the third circumstance and the very forme of the Marriage betwixt him and his Spouse the Church Our Sauiour out of the Virgins wombe came like a Bridegrome out of his chamber full of glory and yet in all humility e Philip. 2.6.7 For being in the forme of God and thinking it no roberie to be equall with God he made himselfe of no reputation tooke on him the forme of a seruant and was made like vnto men and was found in shape as a man This his lowlinesse appeareth further in the very choise of his Mother who was a poore Virgin betrothed vnto a Carpenter He was conceiued when she was a Virgin betrothed but hee was borne when she was a Virgin married because hee would honour both Single life and the marriage bed A Virgin she was to fulfill the Prophecie of Isaiah saying f Isai 7.14 A virgin shall conceiue and beare a Sonne Ante partum in partu post partum Virgo saith S. Ierome Before at the very instant and after her deliuerie a Virgin not past foureteene yeares of age as Augustine and Chrysostome writ Flos ipse in the flower of her youth she bore him who is the g Cant. 2.1 Rose of the field and the Lilly of the vallies A Virgin but yet very poore God euer lookes on the inside but the world on the out-side of a man Let
shal waxe cold And out of the first Epistle to the Corinthians i 1. Cor. 9.27 I do chastice my body lest when I haue preached to others I shuld be a Reprobate In making answer to these obiections let vs but obserue the true meaning of these words Righteousnesse Faith Loue and Reprobate and then this Gordian knot wil with ease be loosed First wheras the Prophet Ezechiel speaketh of the fall of a righteous man you must note that he meaneth such righteous persons as to the worlds eye rather seeme so to be then be so indeed thus S. Luke teacheth vs to expound it who where as other Euangelists write thus From him that hath not shall be taken away euen that which he hath hee saith k Luke 8.18 that which hee seemed to haue God taketh away his grace from him that hath it not but onely seemeth to haue it and giueth still to him that hath he then that is hypocritically righteous wee grant may fall away finally but he that is truely righteous and a Pillar in the Temple of God shall goe no more out Secondly Faith is either Viua or Mortua A liuely or a dead faith of the dead faith there may be made a shipwracke it was Iudas his case such a faith is a reed shaken with euery blast of winde it is a combustible substance like Timber hay and stubble the least flame of any fire will burne it but the Liuely faith which is euer accompained with a good Conscience like the Ship in which our Sauiour slept may be tost and shaken with wind and waues but neuer cast away neuer swallowed vp in any gulfe for it is a house built vpon the rocke no tempestuous gust can ouer-turne it It is a well of liuing water springing vp to euerlasting life he that drinkes of it shall neuer thirst againe l Ioh. 5.24 For hee that beleeueth is already passed from death to life he is made a Pillar in the house of God and shall no more goe out Thirdly as there is a dead faith so there is a Counterfait Loue the one being the roote the other the branch therefore where there is such a faith charitie there must needs waxe cold m Cant. 8.7 but true Loue by much water cannot be quenched neither can the floods drowne it n 1 Cor. 13.8 It doth neuer fall away o Caus 33. dist 2. cap. 8. In quocunque fuerit haec charitas radix illi erit arescere non potest in whom soeuer this charitie is it shall be a roote vnto him hee cannot wither but euer flourish like a greene Oliue tree in the court of Gods Temple neuer to be transplanted neuer to goe out any more Fourthly this word Reprobate vsually in the Scriptures signifieth such a one as is p Iud. vers 4. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 before of old ordained to condeÌ„nation reiected or reproued of God But sometimes it is taken in another sence and is all one with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is it reproued q 1. Cor. 9.27 or reprobate to men and so doth S. Paul vse it when hee saith I chastice my body lest when I haue preached to others I should be a Reprobate In this speech the Apostle doth not feare lest God should cast him away or finally reiect him for he professeth the contrary saying r Rom. 8.38.39 for I am perswaded that neither death nor life nor Angels nor Principalities nor Powers nor things present nor things to come nor height nor depth shall be able to seperate vs from the loue of God which is in Christ Iesus our Lord. But his meaning is this lest if hee preached one thing and practised an other hee might be reproued and reproached of men No s Aug. de cor grat cap. 7. he that is Elect and whose faith worketh by loue either neuer falleth at all or if he doe hee is reuiued and raised vp againe before this life be ended for hee that is a Pillar in the Temple of God shall goe no more out Him that ouercommeth will I make a Pillar c. Vpon this Pillar Christ promiseth to write three Names The Name of God the Name of new Ierusalem and his owne new Name And I will write vpon him the Name of my God t Pro. 22.1 A good name saith Salomon is to be chosen aboue great riches it is better then a good oyntment it fatteth the bones What honor was it for Moses to be called Gods Seruant and for Dauid to be adorned with this Title a man after Gods owne heart Publius Scipio did reckon his name Africanus amongst his greatest glories And Paulus Aemelius thought himselfe well satisfied for his paines and seruice in the wars because the Romanes gaue him the name of Macedonius u Catal. glor mâ—nd part 11. consid 23. Honor decus est habere pulchruÌ„ nomen saith Cassanaeus it an honour and glory to haue a faire name and therefore Socrates wished that parents would giue their 〈◊〉 significant and wel-sounding names Such a name 〈◊〉 our Sauiour promise to write vpon them that perâ—â—â—â—e in goodnesse saying I will write vpon him the name of 〈◊〉 God God hath diuers names in the Scripture some being deriued from his substance other from his properties as he is a Being of himselfe and an aeternall Essence hee is called Iehoua of Haia to Be as he is mightie El as holy Cadoseh as all-sufficient Schaddai but his principall name is Iehoua a name of such holinesse that the Chaldaeans as Reuchlinus saith to auoid prophanation would not write it but expressed it in their Bookes by certaine prickes and the Iewes blinded with a superstitious conceit in stead thereof vsed Tetragrammaton Adonai and Elohim this name so holy shall be grauen vpon them that be pillars in Gods Temple Whereby Christ signifieth that God will be their Iehoua and they shall be his Israel x Apoc. â—1 7 hee will be their God and they shall be his people This name is y Apoc. 7.2 that Seale wherewith the seruants of God are marked in their fore-heads which who so hath no hellish z Apoc. 9.4 Locust can hurt him this name is like the a Exod. 12.13 strokes of blood vpon the postes of the Israelites houses no plague nor destruction shall light vpon them that beare it this name is like vnto the b Ioshua 2.18 Corde of red thread in Rahabs window it preserues them that haue it from the Sword in the day of Vengeance The Letters of his name Iehoua are by the Iewish Rabbins called Literae flatus literae quietis Breathing resting letters Wherby thus much may be collected First as God is a spirit so he is the sole Father and giuer of life he will raise vp the Elect at the last day in incorruption clothing them with immortalitie and bestowing vpon them life aeternall Secondly there is no way to finde Rest but in