Selected quad for the lemma: life_n
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A57743
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Saint Peters general petition to our Saviour, for himself and his fellow sufferers
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Rowland, John, 1606-1660.
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1661
(1661)
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Wing R2071; ESTC R20575
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15,283
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26
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SAINT PETERS General Petition to our SAVIOUR For Himself and his fellow Sufferers LONDON Printed by Peter Lillierap in the year 1661. To the KINGS Most Excellent Majesty CHARLES THE SECOND By the Grace of God of Great Brittain France and Ireland KING c. SIR THis Sermon I present your Majesty with was not intended by me for the Press but for the Pulpit where many Imperfections of it might have past with the time of its delivery Sed eundum quà via patet Trees that grow amongst Rocks must be shrubs because they thrust out their branches onely as the Rocks will give them leave Vt monstrent se enecari I have been now above 30 years upon your publick service standing by custome upon your Catalogue of preferments and I hope I shall not stay till all be preferred as the Countrey man did waiting to see the River run away that he might go over Rusticus ex pectat dum defluat amnis at ille Labitur atque labetur in omne volubilis aevum Your Majesties most humble and obedient Subject JOHN ROWLAND Rector of Foots-Cray in Kent MATTH 19.27 Then answered Peter and said unto him Behold we have forsaken all and followed thee What shall we have therefore THe words are an Answer and a Question The Answer Behold we have forsaken all and followed thee The Question What shall we have therefore The Answer is the ground and Reason of his following Petition Behold We have forsaken all and followed Thee The Question is the Petition it self What shall we have therefore The Text may be called St. Peter his General Petition to our Saviour for himself and his fellow sufferers Wherein there are four things chiefly to be considered First That the Answer was made to Christ for something he had said before Then answered Peter and said unto him Secondly The Person that made the answer and that was S. Peter Then answered Peter and said Thirdly The Answer it self which is the ground and Reason of his following Petition Behold we have forsaken all and followed Thee Lastly The Question which hath the nature of a Petition and seems to desire a speedy answer because they had forsaken all for his sake What shall we have therefore Of these in their Order And first that the answer was made to Christ for something which he had said before An answer cannot be well understood whether it be pertinent or not unless we first know what was said before to which the answer was made wherefore we must have recourse to the occasion contained in the precedent History as it is recorded by S. Matthew S. Mark and S. Luke S. Matthew saith at the 16 vers of this 19 chap. that one came to Christ to know what he should do that he might have eternal life and at the 20. and 22. vers that he was a young man S. Luke at the 18 chap. 18. vers calls him a Ruler S. Mark 10. chap. 17. vers sets down the manner of his comming and his behaviour That he came running very earnestly And delivered his Petition very humbly for he kneeled and the form of his Petition was very ceremonious for he said Good Master what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life vers 16. He was no Saduce for he believed the immortality of the soul and a resurrection of the body to eternal life which some of our new Lights have denied and published in Print that the soul dieth with the body Nor was he that Lawyer we read of Luke 10.25 who preferred the same Petition tempting Christ and saying Master what shall I do to inherite eternall life But he was in some points a Pharisee because he thought a man might keep the Law and do some good thing whereby he might deserve and obtain eternal life Our Saviour therefore opposeth an other question to his and seems to correct the formality of his Petition v. 17. Why callest thou me good there is none good but one that is God As if he had said a man cannot do any thing of himself that is good by which he may merit eternal life but when he hath done all the good he can he must wholely cast himself upon the mercies of God in Christ But our Saviour not staying for his answer prevents him by way of anticipation because he knew wherein the strength of his confidence lay namely in the Covenant of Works do this and live and though he require Faith in all that will be saved yet he brings this man to the Test of the Law saying If thou wilt enter into Life keep the Commandements vers 17. He supposing because of his political and external performances towards men that none could pose him there askes which of the Commandements as if it were all one to him by which he should be tried Like a young Schollar who hath learned his Lesson by wrote and thinks he understands it all when he knows not one word of it as he should know Our Saviour therefore repeats the Commandments to him vers 18. Thou shalt do no murder Thou shalt not commit adultery Thou shalt not steal Thou shalt not bear false witness Honour thy Father and thy Mother And lastly he adds the complement of them all Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thy self From hence some erroniously strive to establish the Doctrine of Works or else they say the Law was given in vain But there are many good uses of the Law though we are not able to keep it First it serves to teach us what the will of God is Secondly It is a glass to shew us our deformities and so is our school-master to bring us unto Christ Thirdly To keep us under obedience that we do not as too many lately have done abuse our Christian Liberty and pretend our Faith when our works are abominable to the publick scandal of our Christian Profession But the young man thought if this were all to keep the Commandments that were an easie matter for he replied all these have I kept from my youth what lack I yet But hence it is evident that he supposed there wanted something and that his civil performance of the Commandments could not assure him of everlasting life He had bent the Rule to the square of his own actions and thought they agreed very exactly but our Saviour sets the Rule right again us it should be and as he hath expounded it Matth. 5. where he shews that God requires both the outward and inward conformity of the whole man to the keeping of the law and then he tries this young mans actions by the Rule and there appears a vast difference betwixt them Wherefore Jesus saith unto him as we find it Luke 18.22 ver Yet lackest thou one thing If thou wilt be perfect go and sell thâ—â— thâ—â— haâ— and give to the poor and thou shalt have Treasure in heaven and take up thy Cross saith S. Mark and come and follow me Our Saviour was now
is not from hence In which Words are two Enthymems First Christs kingdom is not of this world Therefore may not his servants fight for it Secondly Temporal Kings have kingdoms of this world Therefore it is lawful for their subjects to fight for them If then the Fifth Monarchy-men will fight for Christs temporal kingdome against his command all subjects are authorized by him to fight against them in defence of those Kings and Princes whose subjects they are As for the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they insist upon But now my kingdom is not from hence it is but an ill consequence they would infer from it that therefore it shall be hereafter For 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 now is not onely an Adverb of time there but a stronger confirmation of what he had said before namely My Kingdome is not of this world The Papists would inforce the like conclusion to maintain their Purgatory and forgiveness of sins after this Life because our Saviour said Matth. 12. Whosoever speaketh a-against the holy Ghost it shall not be forgiven him neither in this world nor in the world to come Therefore say they some sins shall be forgiven in the world to come whereas they should conclude directly Therefore the sin against the holy Ghost shall never be forgiven Christ never promised his disciples any earthly kingdome But this is the promise that he hath promised us Even eternal life 1 John 2.25 S. Paul saith the same 2 Tim. 4.18 And the Lord will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom not unto any earthly kingdom See 2 Cor. 5.1 We know that if our earthly house of this Tabernacle were dissolved we have a building with God an house not made with hands eternal in the heavens Where then is this kingdom of Christ upon earth which the Millenaries so much contend for Fuerunt olim e Chiliastarum opinione magni in Ecclesia veri There have been formerly very learned men in the Church of their judgement but this Heresie hath been so fully confuted that there are very few now but the ignorant Rabble and some turbulent spirits who are their Leaders who will live quietly under no government that hold any such opinion It is not possible that such a temporal Monarchy of Christ can be that these men dream of but it must overthrow the Scripture For S. Paul exhorts that prayers be made for Kings 1 Tim. 2. And S. Peter saith we must obey and honour them 1 Pet. 2. And this is to be the Christians Rule so long as this world endâ—…eth Now the Fifth Monarchy-men under pretence of Christs temporal kingdome pray for the destruction and attempt the ruine of all Kings and Prince That I rather think this to be a cloak for their Rebellion then that they believe it to be true because they refuse to say the Lords Prayer whereof one Petition is Thy kingdom come I am confident that this Doctrine of theirs is that Eating Canker or Gangrene S. Paul condemns in Hymeneus and Philetus 2 Tim. 2. who concerning the Truth have erred saying that the Resurrection is past already and overthrow the faith of some For these say that their fifth Monarchy is begun already which is as they interpret it after the first Resurrection Secondly These are questionless the false Teachers S. Peter speaks of 2 Pet. 2. But there were false Prophets also among the People as there shall be false Teachers among you who privily shall bring in damnable Heresies even denying the Lord that bought them and shall bring upon themselves swift destruction swift destruction many of them have brought upon themselves They certainly deny the Lord that bought them who is the King of Heaven and Earth when they would have him to be an Earthly King and at the 10 vers he comes home to them but cheifly they who despsie Government presumpâ—uâ—us are they self-willed they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities S. Jude points at them ver 8. These filthy dreamers defile the flesh despite Dominions and speak evil of Dignities But I have done with them and come briefly to examine the Petition of S. Peter more nearly which S. Mark and St. Luke leave out as though there were no need for them to Petition him who had forsaken all to follow him But S. Matthew sets it down so that S. Peter continues his request in the Plurall Number as the ground of it was first layd He askes no more for himself then for the rest He doth not first draw up a Generall list of them all and then leave them out in the Reward it is not What shall I have but What shall we have therefore Secondly the Petition though it sound harsh at the first hearing yet it is very modest and humble For he doth not come to Indent with our Saviour before hand What shall we have and we will forsake all and follow thee if we may have the greatest commands and places about thee No but behold we have done that long since We have forsaken all and followed thee Thirdly he doth not prescribe as the sons of Zebedee did Mat. 20. Grant that we may sit one on thy right hand and the other on thy left in thy Kingdome But he commits that wholly to his Arbitrement Fourthly He saith not What shall we have presently But in the future Tencee What shall we have therefore 1 Also our blessed Saviour in his most gracious Answer to his Petition doth not finde fault either with the Form or the matter of it because it was so homely dressed 2 Nor doth he charge them with an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or will worship as perhaps some of his followers would have done who followed him onely for their own profit saying Who required this at your hands who bade you forsake all and follow him You might have staid at home and kept what you had 3. Nor doth he question them what they had forsaken for him as he might have done a few Nets and Angles and Fishing Boats or how far they had followed him in all matters to expect great Rewards for As if onely those who had forsaken great possessions as the young man had must look to be Considered No the widows mite is as well accepted with Christ as the greatest Treasure of the Rich a poor mans Life and Estate and Family are as dear to him as the Rich mans are 4 Nor doth he say You did it in hopes of a Reward For God always holds out a Reward to encourage us in our duty even eternall life So Christ told the young man if he would forsake all and follow him he should have Treasure in heaven as the young man called him Christ is a good Master indeed for no man ever followed him in vain 5 Nor doth he say as he might and did say Luke 17. You have done onely what was your Duty to do 6 Nor doth he put them to find out something as the manner of men is where some may seek long enough and be never the neer 7 Nor doth he turn them over to others to take care for them as Alexander would have done one of his souldiers untill the souldier told him that he had not served him by Proxy but in his own person 8 Nor doth he object the Insufficency of their performances but accepting the will for the deed He returns him a most Gracious speedy and fully satisfactory Answer for them all vers 28. Verily I say unto you that ye which have followed me in the Regeneration when the son of man shall sit on the Throne of his Glory ye also shall sit upon twelve Thrones Judgeing the twelve tribes of Israel And every one that hath forsaken Houses or Brethren or Sisters or Father or Mother or Wife or Children or Londs for my name fake shall receive an bundred fold and shall inherit everlasting life I conclude with my Text Then answered Peter and said unto him Behold we have forsaken all and followed thee What shall we have therefore THE END