of Christ that he was suffred to leane on Christs bosome when he was at Supper He his brother and Peter were permitted to see Christs Transfiguration on Mount Tabor and they three were taken from the rest to behold his Agony in the Garden Wherefore the Mother of John dreaming that Christ should bee a temporall King presuming so much upon the love which shee saw in Christ towards her children boldly asked That they might have the greatest honour viz. one to sit at the right hand and the other at the left in his Kingdome Yet though this is noted by Saint Matthew to be the Mothers desire Saint Marke relating the same story Chap. 10. 35. saith That it was the desire of Iames and Iohn for which the other Disciples disdained them two to shew that it was their ambition to solicite their Mother to make such a petition which Gospell though it touched Saint Iohn who then lived and had the perusall thereof never denyed it nor took it il but approved that the other two Evangelists to be true so sincere simple and without all art of flattery or rhetorical amplification was all their writings that they do not spare Christ himselfe whom they adore and acknowledge to bee their God and Saviour but shew the infirmities of his flesh as he was a man as his hunger and thirst his being weary and how hee wept his passions of feare anger love c. therefore much lesse would they favour the Apostles or themselves And last of all Christ upon the Crosse to expresse the great love that hee bare this Apostle called the blessed Virgin his Mother and him her sonne And from that day to her death she lived with him Presently after the feast of Pentecost when hee with the rest had received the holy Ghost he with Peter was cast into prison for healing the cripple Acts 4. And a while after he with Peter was sent by the Apostles to preach the Word of God in Samaria Act. 8. Foure yeares after the death of the Virgin Mary he was present at the Apostolicall Councell in Jerusalem Now Iames his brother who was called the elder was beheaded two yeares before for this Councell was celebrated in the presence of Iames the younger Peter Iohn Paul and Barnabas c. about sixteen yeares after the Resurrection of Christ and fourteen after the Conversion of Paul Gal. 2. Act. 15. After the death of Paul he governed the Churches of Asia minor where he wrote his Gospell And in the 86. year of his age being cast into a vessell of boyling oyle and comming out unhurt by the command of Domitian the Emperour he was banished into the I le of Pathmos where he wrote his Revelation to the seven Churches in Asia It is related of him that hee turned certain peeces of wood into gold and stones by the sea side into Margrits to satisfie the desire of two whom he perswaded to renounce their riches and after they repenting that for worldly treasure they had lost heaven changed them into the same substance againe That he raised up a widow and a young man from death to life That he drunke poyson and it hurt him not and raised up two to life which had drunk the same before and that he called a young man to repentance that was captaine of theeves After the death of Domitian he came to Ephesus whâ—re as Saint Austin relates he caused his grave to be made and in the presence of divers went in alive and being no sooner in and to their seeming dead they covered him which kind of Rest saith he was rather tearmed a sleepe than death for that the earth of the grave bubbleth or boyleth up after the manner of a Well by reason of John resting therein and breathing a signe of his slumbering therein And thus he dyed when hee was as some relate an hundred and twenty years old others say ninety nine and some ninetie one the truth of all which I leave to the diligâ—nt search of the learned and conclude with the prayer for the day saying Mercifull Lord I beseech thee to cast the bright beames of light upon thy Church that it being lightned by the doctrine of thy blessed Apostle and Evangelist Saint Iohn may attaine to thy everlasting Gifts through Jesus Christ my Lord Amen Saint Peters day HAving made a briefe relation of the lives and deaths of the foure Evangelists who writ the Gospell of our Lord and Saviour Now I should set forth the glorious lustre of those Stars which were equall and some before them in the order of Apostleship The first in order is Simon whose surname was Peter the son of Iona of Bethsaida in Galilee The order of his precedency is noted by three Evangelists in four places where all the Apostles are nominated viz. Matth. 10. Mark 3. Luke 6. and Act. 1. But whether he were the first that was called to be an Apostle or no I cannot certainly determine for though Saint Matthew and Marke make relation that hee with his brother Andrew were first called yet Saint Iohn affirmes that two of Iohn's disciples followed Christ of which one was Andrew who went and told his brother Simon that he had found the Messias But whether he were first or second that was called to the Apostleship I leave to the learned The Evangelists make more mention of him than of any one Apostle besides as first they shew that Christ comming to his house healed his wives mother of a fever Then they shew how ready he was to walke on the sea at the command of Christ and yet because of a little tempest his strong courage failed him and he ready to sincke Then againe his noble confession that hee made of Christ for which Christ so highly commended him but presently after they shew his carnall feare for which Christ checked him Then they shew Christs love to him in making choise of him and the two sonnes of Zebedeus to be spectators of his glorious transfiguration and bitter agony in the Garden and in the first they say hee spake hee knew not what being overcome with joy and in the second they shew his carelesnesse for which Christ checked him by name because hee could not watch one houre Then they shew how inquisitive he was to aske questions how oft shall I forgive my brother in one place dost thou wash my feet in another and what shall this man doe in a third c. And last of al before his PassioÌ„ they declare his strong resolution Though all men foâ—sake thee yet will not I. And yet presently after they shew how basely hee denied his Lord Christ All the particular relations that the Evangelists make of this Apostle are so many that it would make a little volume to make rehearâ—all of them And I have intended brevitâ— Therefore will I make a short story of his life after the Passion of Christ as it is related in the Acts and other Authors After the
poison from the sweetest flowers But Bees draw Honey out of driest bowers I meane from bitterest things the honey flie Doth sucke much sweet Spiders in Roses lie Therefore though prying criticks prate their sill And thinke by envious words good deeds to spill And Momus-like to mocke to flout and jeere At me with envie ' cause I doe appeare In simple plainnesse yet I hope to be By wise Mecoenas lik't who out of me Though in my selfe I barren am and bare Will araw delicious and delightfull fare But what need I to feare detractors bent To none of those I hope I shall be sent Because my Authour will not have me prest In any print but what his Pen hath drest Except he be inforced thereunto Then what he would not that he must needs doe For he thinkes me unworthy to be showne To none but such as are ingenious knowne Cause as a Nosegay for his private use From famous Gardens he did me produce To give sweet sent and beautifie each part Of this rough worke and his affected heart And therefore if in Print you doe me see Blame not my Authour nor put fault in me The Pourtraiture of a Pious Man BEhold a Godly man that hath in heart True saving Faith Also in ev'ry part Of his affections is true and sincere Voide of hypocrisie and slavish feare From out his mouth doth gracious words proceed His eyes doe chiefly heav'nly objects heed His hands discharge his stewardships reckoning right His feet to walke in godly waies delight Heâ—'s mindfull of his death therefore his daies He takes account of how and in what waies He spends his time least that his godly light Should faintly blaze or be extinguisht quite And people doe delight to see his waies So full of good deeds to Gods glorious praise Yet is he humble for the good that he Doth doe he knowes to be a Gift most free Of Gods meere love and therefore doth despise The world the flesh and devill so the prize Of heav'nly blisse hâ— gaines that 's the Reward God gives the Saints for he doth most regard The pensive heart whose hope in Heav'n doth rest Thus is the man that 's truely Godly blest A preparatory prayer O Holy and everliving Lord God Infinite in Essence Glorious in Majesty terrible in Judgement and wonderfull in all thy waies how dare I a worme and no man of shallow judgment dull invention and brain-sick wit being as an Aery meteor in respect of those glorious starres men full-growne deepe judgements quicke inventions and ripe wits presume to write or speake of such holy mysteries in such unusuall tearmes as I here take in hand Certainely I must acknowledge it is thy onely worke in me and nothing in my unlearned selfe that hath induced me to undertake such a hard taske Therefore as thou hast thus graciously begun this worke in me so I hope and pray thou wilt magnifie thy power in my weakenesse and so strengthen and enable mee in the performance hereof that those who are more learned seeing and perusing this imperfect worke of mine may be induced to enforâ—e all their knowledge and skill to frame a more excellent worke to the praise of thy Name the â—difying of thy Church and salvation and consolation of thy chosen O Lord I pray Thee pardon and forgive aswell the errors and faults that I have committed in this Booke as all the grievous sinnes I have heretofore committed against thee from time to time in thought word and deed Give me I humbly beseech thee a true sight and feeling of them that the consideration therof may drive me to a serious hearty and timely Repentance for them O Lord increase my faith make it lively and operative in good workes for that purpose perfect thy love in me and my love to thy members make me now and ever thankefull for all blessings spirituall and temporall continually bestowed upon me and that for Jesus Christ his sake thy onely Sonne my alone Saviour to whome with Thee holy Father and thy blessed Spirit three Persons and one God be ascribed and given as most due is by me and all creatures all honour glory praise adoration obedience and thankesgiving from everlasting to everlasting Amen Let the words of my mouth and the Meditations of my heart be now and ever acceptable in thy sight O Lord my strength and my Redeemer Salomons Temple The figure of the Heauens and Elements 10 The first moveable Heavene 9 The Christaâ—ine Heaven 8 Leo * 4 ♋ Cancer * ♊ Gemini * 2 ♉ taurus * 1 ♈ Aries * 12 ♓ Pisâ—e * 11 â™’ Aqâ—*ar 10 ♑ Capri * 9 â™ Sagita * 8 â™ Scorp * 7 ♎ libra * 6 â™ virgo * 5 7 ♄ Saturne could and dry malevolent Lead 6 ♃ Iupiter hott and moyst Benevolent Tynne 5 ♂ Mars hott and dry Malevolent Iron 4 ☉ The sonne hott and dry Benevolent Gould 3 ♀ Venus Could and moist Benevolent copper 2 ☿ Mercury such as he is ioyned with Quick silver 1 ☾ The Moone could and moist Benevolent silver EARTH A generall Survey of this Annuall World THis insuing discourse may not unfitly bee compared unto the Temple of the Lord which King Solomon builded and would very well beseem the head and hand of such a workeman for finishing thereof for if he that was wisest that ever was or shall be did not disdaine to write of Trees from the Cedar in Lebanon to the Hisop on the wal would never have thought it any disparagement to and for ought I know did write of all the works of God from the base Centre of this earthly Tabernâ—cle to the highest Mansion of the heavenly Spheares For I doe ingenuously confesse and humbly acknowledge that this worke rather requires the skilfull Pensill of a rare Apelles to draw to the life or the learned quill of an eloquent Cicero to demonstrate to the full than my unworthy illiterate Pen or dul invention to describe Yet having by Gods enablement upon my weak endevours framed this rare structure in my minde I could not rest satisfied till I had writ what I had so rudely formed And so I have beene bold to compare it to King Solomons Temple for as in that rare Fabrick there were three courts the Outward Middle and Sanctum Sanctorum so likewise in this worke I doe observe three kindes or Species of Meditations The first as the outward Court are Meditations of the foure seasons of the Yeare the foure Elements and their effects The second as the middle Temple are Meditations of the seven Planets on those dayes that commemorate the meritorious workes of our Saviour Christ And the third as Sanctum Sanctorum are Meditations of the starry Christalline and first moving heaven on divers festivall dayes in the yeare Now as in Solomons Temple there was a porch or gate where being entred you might discerne the spaciousnesse of the outward court and the decent behaviour of the people attending upon the royall High Priest
such like should all have been comprehended under that fearfull Chaos and so the Earth as it were opened should have sent forth such sulphur'd smoke furious flames and fearfull thunder as should by their diabolicall doomesday have destroyed and defaced in the twinkling of an eye not only our then living Princes and people but even our insensible Monuments reserved for future ages And so not only we but the memory of us and ours should have beene thus extinguished in an instant O Lord what wonderfull distractions and dismall confusion would have beene then in the Land when they who alone could set order in such a time were all on the sudden swept away when the blame of so horrible a Massacre should have beene laid upon the most zealous professors of the truth when the Popes Buls should have been fixed upon the Gates of our chiefest Cities exposing the lives and estates of all that had not the mark of the Beast in their forehead to spoile ruine and destruction How would Atheists Papists Banckrupts and all kind of male-contents have made havock of all things how would they have triumphed in the downefall and danced in the ashes of the Church and Common-wealth How soone would they have turned this most flourishing Island into a desert Our ancient River the river Thames into the dead Sea our land into Acheldama a field of blood our strongest Towers and most magnificent buildings into a Babel of confusion our chiefe Cities into Golgotha's places of dead mens sculs Cursed bee the wrath of all traiterous Papists for it was fierce and their rage for it was cruell nay monstrous and prodigious to cut off the root and all the branches at one blow to remove and overthrow the foundation of Religion and Policy with one lift to offer up the royall stem and the flower of all the Nobility and Gentry the Lords Spirituall and Temporall the Bishops Earles Barons Judges Knights and Burgesses as a Holocaust or whole burnt offering to the Moloch of Rome O let it not be told in Gath nor published in Askalon lest the Heathen and Infidels abhor the name of our Nation that bred up such Vipers or blaspheme the holy profession of Christians for their sakes Or if the report of such a crying or rather thundring sinne cannot but be heard to the uttermost parts of the Earth let the authors and actors be descried to be no true beleevers but Hereticks and Miscreants no servants of Christ but factors for Antichrist and let the Turks Mores and Indians and all Pagans together with seduced Papists in the world know that thou O Lord whom we worship in spirit and truth didst miraculously detect and graciously prevent this bloody design intrapping the wicked devisers in the work of their own hands and taking the Incendiary in his own traine The waters saw thee O God the waters saw and swelled against the proud Spanish Fleet the winds saw thee O God the windes saw thee and furiously blustered at it and both windes and Seas obeyed thee in dissipating and overwhelming it in the narrow Seas And now the fire and Powder saw thee O God and it flew in the eyes and faces of them that would have put out all the eyes of this Island and defaced the whole beauty of this Kingdome for ever Death received the word and destruction observed Law confusion it selfe kept order in blowing up their estates and carrying up their quarters and fixing them for a terror to all Iesuited traitors over that house and in the very place which they would have with Gunpowder sent up all the principall Members of our body Politique every eye may now see that dreadfull judgement denounced in thy Word fallen upon the eyes that waited for the destruction of our Church and Commonwealth The young Ravens of the valley peck at them and the fowles of heaven have eaten them Thus hast thou hitherto fought for thine anointed and thy dearest Spouse and thou art still the same God with whom there are Issues even out of death it selfe Wherefore we beseech thee set our affiance in Thee and fashion our love more and more unto thee imprint the memory of this wonderfull deliverance in our hearts and the hearts of our seed with the point of a Diamond that the children that are yet unborn may in succeeding ages praise thee for it Give us a sight and sence of our crimson and skarlet sinnes that brought us so nâ—ere even to the brink of so bloody a destruction and utter desolation and open the eyes of the Seens of Israel that they may in this our day looke to those things that belong to our peace and prevent the danger and hinder the growth of that Romish weed which if it be not cut off by the execution of wholesome lawes in that kinde provided in time will overrunne the Garden of thy Spouse and destroy all her pleasant plants and flowers Stir them up seriously to consider that though the match by thy providence be taken out of the hand of the Traitors that the danger is not yet past but that they must follow the traine and search the lowest and darkest corners of the Vault and dig into the Barrels of Powder and finding that it was digged out of the rock and foundation of the Iesuits Trent faith that they ought to bend all their forces and by armes and lawes suppresse it and keepe out the grand enemy of the Truth and our peace that he never get footing in this Kingdome Let no such mysts of faire glosses and pretences be cast before their eyes but that they may cleerly see that the Bishop of Rome is the Engineer of these workes Iesuiticall doctrines and perswasions are the traine disloyall hearts the Vaults seditious councels practises the Powder and idolatrous blinde zeale is the fire that hath heretofore and is alwayes ready to set all Kingdomes and States professing the truth of the Gospell in a combustion Discover O Lord more and more the man of sin and make him seeme as odious to us as he is abominable in thy sight Alter their temper or spew them out of this kingdome who are neither hot nor cold among us O let the joyfull Mattens on our fifth of November and the dolefull even-song on theirs convince all enemies of the truth that thou mightily supportest the frame and fabrick of our Sion but hast pulled downe the floore and wilt in due time the wals of their Babylon So let thine enemies perish O Lord but let them that love thee be as the Bunne that goeth forth in his full strength Amen A description of the Aequator Or A Meditation on the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary AS opposite to the foregoing Rainbow you may behold the Aequinoctiall which I have placed as in the North side of this Court. Now the Reasons why I name this dayes commemoration a description of the Aequator are first because as the Aequator or Aequinoctiall is a line drawne in
exercised therein by all to expresse and make manifest our profession before men Secondly in invocation to God that it would please him to send downe into my heart the messenger of his love the Holy Ghost to assure me by manifest signes and tokens set down in his Word that Christ is formed in my soule that the Lord of life rules in the triangle of my heart that the Sonne of God is conceived in my minde that so beleeving the truth of this dayes commemoration and finding in my heart the operation of this heavenly work I may now as the year begin to spring and grow in all pious and commendable qualities to the praise and glory of God the comfort of others and endlesse salvation of my owne soule Amen THE SUNNE Or A Meditation on the Nativity of Christ THus though ruggedly having finished the outward Court of this beautifull Fabrick I should now begin to garnish the Inner or Middle Temple and therein display the laborious actions of the glorious High Priest But when I considered the curious carvings rare Imbroyderings and rich materialls fit for such a building I stood at a stand not daring further to proceed considering my owne poverty and insufficiencie for the performance thereof especially in the very entrance the splendor of this radiant Sunne did so dazle the eye of my understanding that I was resolved to rest my selfe in the door of this Tabernacle for I doe humbly acknowledge that I am not inriched with the pure gold of divine learning nor the fine silk of sweet eloquence but yet I praise God for it I am indued with some confused notions as unhew'd timber ragged expressions as Badgers skins and rough invention as Camels haire which were of some use in the Tabernacle as well as gold purple silke and fine linnen therefore having laid the foundation of this worke and reared it up to the first story I would not be accounted a foolish builder to leave off in the middle of my worke so though I have not such elegant expressions and learned divisions as the learned yet I will assay to make a course peece of worke thereof And though I have not such Eagles eyes as to behold the Divinity of this glorious Sunne yet being covered with the vaile of humanity my tender weak eyes may looke upon him and see him as on this day to arise in the firmament of his Church as the Sun of righteousnesse with healing under his wings for Salvation sprung from on high this day hath visitedus Now as the Sunne I will here write of him in those usuall names by which the Sun is called which will lively demonstrate the comparative nature of either if my dark expressions do not too much ecclipse their lustre The naturall Sun is called by foure names Sol Apollo Phoebus and Titan. First he is called Sol because he appeares alone All other lights vanish at his presence There is but one Sun in the Firmament so likewise Christ is the only begotten Sonne of God by eternall generation others are the sons of God by adoption He the holy one of God even holinesse it selfe in the abstract others are holy by donation in the concrete He the onely Saviour of mankinde no salvation but by him he the only intercessor and mediator between God and man excluding Saints and Angels He the light that came into the world without whom is darknesse In briefe he is the only King that governs defends protects the Saints the only Priest that offered himselfe a Sacrifice for the redemption of mankinde and the only Prophet that shewes the way of salvation to his chosen so equivalent to Sol. Secondly the naturall Sunne is called Apollo the God of wisdome knowledge and learning He that was famous in his time for Musick Physick Poetry and Divination so in like manner Christ is the eternall wisdome of the Father the fountain of al heavenly knowledge the true Physitian of the soule the good Samaritan that binds up the broken hearted heals the afflicted spirit and mollifies the hard dispositions of mans depraved nature frozen in sinne and wickednesse he that only can make the sad heart rejoyce and make mercy the disconsolate soul whose soule-ravishing parables answers and doctrines were such as never man spake of whose Prophesies and divinations not one jot or tittle shall fall to the ground without their accomplishment so the true Prophet and so divine Apollo Thirdly the naturall Sunne is called Phoebus the spring of light the discoverer of all things and the expeller of darknesse so Christ is the true light which enlightneth every man that commeth into the world of his fulnesse we all receive the light of grace he is the searcher of the heart the tryer of our spirits he knows our thoughts long before nothing is hid from his sight he shewes the vanity of the world the deceitfulnesse of riches the shame of pleasure the folly of sport the danger of greatnesse inconstancy of honour and strickt account to be given for all At his presence all the grosse darknesse of mans ignorance vanishes he is the fountaine of knowledge for all the light that all mankinde ever had have or shall have is but as a spark to this Sun or as a drop to this Ocean so like Phoebus And lastly the Sun is called Titan for his burning heat parching nature and revenging qualities which he takes upon Grasse and graine in the scorching Summer so Christ the Sunne of righteousnesse in the hot Summer of the last judgement when he shall appeare in the clouds with power and great glory shall take vengeance upon his enemies and ease him of his adversaries Then shall he speake unto them in his wrath and vex them in his hot displeasure Then when his wrath shall be kindled and wax hot he shall wound even Kings in the day of his fury with a Scepter of Iron and break them in peeces like a potters vessell Then shall his enemies look upon him whom they have pierced and be confounded with shame and consumed for feare of his heavy displeasure for who is able to abide and stand before that consuming fire so in this respect as I conceive agreeable to Titan. Now having taken a view of this glorious Sun behold him to arise in the rags of our nature out of the cloudy undefiled bed of the blessed Virgin in this briefe story By consent of all writers both Pagan Jewish and Christian Iesus whom we beleeve and confesse to be the true Christ was borne the twenty fifth day of December Anno Mundi 4021 in the end of the forty one yeare of the reigne of the Emperour Octavius Caesar surnamed Augustus which was fifteene yeares before his reigne ended and in the thirty fourth yeare of Herods reigne in Jewry when the three famous Monarchies of the Assyrians Persians and Grecians was past over and ended and the Romans were entred into the fourth which was greater than any of the rest
my teares to wash those thy wounds that bled for my sinnes and in a lively faith to touch the print of thy naâ—les and thrust my finger into the hole of thy side thereby to take reall and corporall possession of thee that I may with Thomas truly call thee My Lord and my God my dread and my love my surety and my ransome my sacrifice and my Priest my Advocate my Iudge my desire and my contentment the life of my hope here and the hope of my life hereafter Before I was thine for thy hands made and fashioned mee but sith thou hast offered thy selfe to be my pledge and thy blood for my ransome thou art truly mine My Lord and my God O let the speare which ran thee thorow fasten my heart to thy crosse let the nailes which printed thy flesh imprint thy love in my soule Let the thornes which pricked thy temples not suffer the teÌ„ples of my head to take any rest in sin let the vineger which was given thee melt my adamantine heart into sorrow let the Spunge which was offered thee on the Crosse wipe out all my debts out of thy fathers tables Let others go on forward if they please I will stay still at thy crosse and take no other lesson For I desire no other Pulpit then that tree no other Preacher then thy crucified body no other text then thy death and passion no other parts then thy wounds no other amplification then thy extension no other notes then thy marks no other points then thy nailes no other booke then thy opened side The first Adam did eat the fruit of the forbidden tree Therefore thou the second Adam hangedst upon a tree By his fall all mankinde was so sorely wounded that the whole head was sicke and the whole heart faint from the crowne of the head to the sole of the foot there was nothing but wounds and bruises and sores full of corruption therefore thy whole head was pained that whole heart wounded from the sole of thy foot which was gored with nailes to the crowne of thy head which was pricked with thornes there was nothing but cuts and stripes and markes and scars and sores and wounds in thy whole body Because our heads plotted and devised wickednesse on thy head was platted a crowne of thornes Because our eyes burned with lust thy eyes were bedewed with teares because wee belched out blasphemies against thy father thy face was spitted upon because our bodies have beene stretched wantonly upon our soft beds thy body was stretched upon the hard crosse O Lord our eares have offended thee by listning to wanton musick prophane speeches and songs therefore thou sufferedst in thine eares by hearing scoffes and blasphemous taunts we have offended in our smell by luxurious perfumes sweet odours therefore thou sufferedst in thy smell by the stench of Golgotha our taste hath offended in gluttony and drunkennesse therefore thou sufferedst in thy taste by gall and vineger because our feet were swift to shed blood thy feet were nailed to the crosse because our hands were defiled thy hands were bathed in blood Because all parts of our bodies offended thou wast punished in all parts In thy temples with thornes on thy cheeks with buffets in thy joynts with straines in thy flesh with stripes Lastly because our hearts most grievously offended in unchaste malicious covetous ambitious thoughts desires and affections and piercing our selves with worldly cares therefore thou wast most grievously pained in thy heart which was run through with a speare If all the sufferings of Martyrs since the world began were put in one skale and thine in the other thy passion would beare them all downe for thou barest the full weight of thy Fathers heaviest hand Never were there sufferings like thy sufferings because never such a sufferer the torments being infinitely improved by the bearer Never sweat like thy sweat because never any had a burthen like thine Never teares like thy teares because shed for them who thirsted for thy blood Never torments like thy torments because never flâ—sh so pure and tender as thy flesh Never horror like thy horror being forsaken of thy father because never love like thy love of him nor sorow like thine because never sense and apprehension like thy sense and apprehension of the infinite displeasure of thy father for the sins of maÌ„kinde O my most bountifull Redeemer who bestowedst largely and wast bestowed liberally for me It concerneth mee to know how much I stood thee in for how should I estimate thy love if I cannot cast the totall of thy debt thou didst discharge for me But no heart can conceive what sorrow thou conceivedst no tongue can expresse what griefe thou didst expresse by thy bloody teares and these thy strong cryes when thou complain'dst that thy soule was heavie unto death and prayedst thy Father if it were possible to let this cup passe from thee I am appaled at thine agony I am astonished at thy feare I am amazed it thy patience I am ravished at thy love My heart riseth my veines swell my blood boyles within me against thy persecutors If it were in my power I would put them all to millions of torments I would inflict a thousand deaths upon Iudas that betrayed thee and Pilate that condemned thee and the envious Scribes and Pharisees that laid snares for thee and the perjured witnesses that gave false evidence against thee and that execrable rout that preferred a murtherer before thee the barbarous souldiers that spit upon thee and buffeted thee and the bloody executioners of the Iewâ—sh malice and Roman cruelty that banged nayled and goared thee But when I dive into thy bloody passion I finde my selfe as deepe in thy blood-shedding as they They were in that but instruments but I by my sins was a principall in the death of thee the Lord of life My sinnes by their tongues and hands did all this villany and outrage upon thee Their nailes and speares pierced but thy flesh but my sinnes pierced thy very soule My sins my sins O Lord by their hands crucified thee wherefore I condemne mine eyes to continuall teares my heart to perpetuall sighes and my thoughts to everlasting pensivenesse What shall I do to wash away the guilt of thy blood which alone can take away the guilt of my sins verily I should be utterly swallowed up in this gulfe but that the price of thy blood hath satisfied as for all other sinnes so for the guilt of spilling it selfe And now my anger and feare and trouble and anguish are all turned into joy and comfort and love and admiration of the infinite wisdome of thy Father in providing such a remedy and his justice in requiring such a satisfaction but most of all for all thine infinite love making so full a payment of the infinite debt of my sins What can I doe what can I suffer enough for thee gracious God to all the rest of thy blessings spirituall
thou cursedst and it withered without naturall affections bemoane thee as the stones that clave the veile that rent and the earth that quaked at thy Passion without wil voluntarily offer thee service the Foale to beare thee the Dove to manifest thee the Fish to discharge thee the Sunne to hide thy ignominy among men and here the Cloud to veile thee from mortall eye and transport thee into heaven O Lord my Redeemer how excellent is thy Name in all the world Thou makest the Light thy Garment the Angells thy Messengers the Aire thy race the Clouds thy Chariot and flyest upon the wings of the wind into heaven Thou art ascended up on high thou hast led Captivity captive In thy Passion thou wast Deaths death and killedst it In thy buriall thou wast the Graves grave and destroyedst Destruction And now in thy Ascension thou conqueredst Conquest it selfe and ledst Captivity captive and receivedst Gifts for men for the whole Church and every beleever O Lord bestow these Gifts liberally upon me that I may grow in grace and the knowledge and love of thee This day thou liftedst up thy body from the earth lift up my heart from it This day thou transportedst thy body to heaven transport my desires thither This day thou setledst thy self in thy Throne at the right hand of thy Father fix my thoughts and settle mine affections on thee in heaven and on heaven for thee Amen VENVS OR A Meditation on Whitsunday IN the old Testament I find that two several times fire descended from heaven upon sacrifices prepared for offrings of a sweet smelling savour unto the Lord. The first was when Manoah the father of Sampson at the commandement of the Angel offered a Kid upon a stone Then did he whose name is marvellous do wondrously and ascended in the flame up into heaven for the strengthning of Manoahs faith and for the confirmation of the truth of his promise The other was when Eliah for confirmation of the true religion and extirpation of idolatry called for fire from Heaven which consumed the sacrifice and licked up the water in the Trench round about the Altar Then did the Lord manifest himself to be the only God that all superstitions and will-worship is the invention of mans braine And in the New Testament I reade that as on this day the Holy Ghost the third person in the blessed Trinity descended from heaven and sate upon the heads of 120 men and women assembled and prepared as a sacrifice acceptable to God with unity charity and devotâ—on in the likenesse of cloven fiery tongues then did God the Sonne worke wonderfully in performing his promise by sending his dejected Disciples a holy Comforter by whose comming besides the internall joy and incredible alacrity and exultation of minde they received also fortitude and audacity to goe forth into the world They received the gift of tongues enabling them to converse and deale with all sorts of people They received wisdome and learning with most powerfull illumination in highest mysteries whereby to preach to teach and convince their adversaries They received the gift of prophesie to foretell things to come together with the power of working signes and miracles whereby the whole world remained astonied and for a taste or earnest penny of that which should ensue concerning the infinite increase of that little congregation they saw 3000 of their adversaries converted to them in one day by a Sermon of S. Peter But all the parâ—iculars of this story is so divinely performed by M. Austin that in his work as in a glasse I perceive my gifts of learning and devotion are as farre inferiour to his as the frothy filthy and carnall love in Venus is inferiour to the holy Spirit of Gods love Yet because I have oft found in Scripture that the Lord is pleased for the illumination of mans dark understanding to speake of himselfe as of a man attributing to himselfe eyes nose mouth armes hands feet c. And affections also as anger zeale joy love c. whereas these qualities are not properly in God for he is voide of corporeall habit being of an infinite and incomprehensible essence Therefore I was so presumptuously bold as in my former expressions to demonstrate the meritorious actions of our blessed Saviour by those forenamed Planets so in this day to write of this blessed spirit of Gods love as it hath correspondency with mans but finding my ability to be insufficient for such a work I conclude with the prayer for the day in these words Incomprehensible Spirit the third person in the blessâ—d and glorious Trinity who after the Father had manifested himselfe to the world in the works of creation and the sonne in the works of Redemption finished in the flesh diddest manifest thy selfe on this day in a wonderfull manner by the sound of a â—ushing winde and the light of fiery tongues manifest thy self most powerfully and gloriously in the universall Church by enlarging her bounds and making up her breaches by hallowing her assemblies and furnishing her Pastors and knitting the hearts of all her members in true love the bond of perfection perfect the work of sanctification in thine elect manifest thy selfe also gloriously this day declare thy gifts in the tongues of thy Preachers and eares of the hearers and the hearts of all the congregation Direct the mouthes of thy Preachers that they may skilfully sow the seed and open the eares and mollifie the hearts of the hearers that they may receive it profitably bring forth the fruits of the Spirit abundantly which are love joy peace long suffering gentlenesse goodnesse faith meeknesse temperance c. O eternall and infinite Holy Ghost the love of the Father and the Sonne who diddest descend upon our Saviour in the likenesse of a Dove without Gall purge out of my conscience all gall of malice and bitternesse and grant that with meeknesse I may receive the ingrafted word which is able to save my soule O holiest Spirit eternall breath of the Father and the Sonne and former of the word in the womb who camest with a sound come downe upon me in the sound of thy word preached though not in extraordinary gifts of Prophesie tongues and he ling yet in the ordinary graces of faith hope and charity the spirit of supplication and prayer of wisdome and spirituall understanding of power and ghostly comfort O heavenly Spirit proceeding from the Father and the Sonne who descendedst from Hâ—aven like a mighty rushing winde throw me downe to the ground inhumility and prostrate my heart soule before thee Bâ—at downe all strong holds of 〈…〉 nall maginati 〈…〉 and worldly thoughts resisting thy grace chase away all clouds of error out of my understanding cleare my wil from all fogs of noisome desires coole and refresh me in the heat of persecution fill the sailes of my affections and drive me speedily into the faire haven where I would be O divine fire burning continually
that made the stout souldiers to bow their heads in humility the fruitlesse and barren Publican to bear the fruit of Charity and all the common people to cry out with an unanimous consent What shall we doe This is the Angell of the Lord sent as a Messenger before his face to prepare his wayes he that was borne after a supernatural manner lived an austere angelicall life clad in course and rough habite fed with spare diet And after one yeare in his ministerial office for testifying the truth to fulfill the wicked desires of a lewd struÌ„pet prompt by her bloody mother when hee was little more than one and thirty yeares of age by the commandement of cruel Herod was beheaded in the Tower of Macherus which was a Towne of Peraea beyond Jordan twenty miles from Jerusalem towards the East scituated on a high Mountain which Townes name being derived from Machera signifies a sword and Iohn dyed by a sword Thus was this light withdrawne this lampe extinguished and this star clouded But all this is so excellently performed by Mr. Austin that the lustre of his bright Sun hath eclipsed this my star which inforceth me to conclude as hee doth in the Collect of the Church saying Almighty God by whose providence thy servant Iohn Baptist was wonderfully borne and sent to prepare the way of thy Son our Saviour by preaching of Penance make me so to follow his doctrine and holy life that I may truly repent according to his preaching and after his example constantly speake the truth boldly rebuke vice and patiently suffer for the truths sake through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen On the Feast of Saint Matthew THe next light after the Baptist in the Evangelical firmament I place the first of the Evangelists for which it may be some of the upholders of the universall Bishops Soveraignty will cavill with me because I doe not set the prime Apostle S. Peter in the first place For though Saint Matthew was the first Writer yet it may bee said Saint Peter was the first Preacher after the Ascension of our Lord as is evident in the first and second of the Acts. And there hath been as glorious lights Preachers as Writers But yet for that the History of the Gospell is the foundation of all writing and preaching I will begin with Saint Matthew who wrote his Gospel before the other three as is evident by Revel 6. 1. For when Christ which is the Lamb there mentioned had opened the sealed doctrine of our redemption in the first yeare of his ministeriall office to the six and thirtieth yeare after his birth one of the foure Beasts which by interpretours is Matthew writes his Gospell in the Hebrew tongue and in the mighty stile of Gods thundring Spirit set out the same willing all Nations to come and see viz. approach and consider it About which time in accomplishment of the second verse Christ and his Apostles passe out and preach to all the testimony of the Gospell shooting the arrowes of zeale to pierce all godly hearts which is prefigured in him that sate on the white horse crowned with victory and triumphantly conquering and overcomming the world And that S. Matthew is one of the four beasts is evident for both Ezekiel in his first chapter and S. Iohn in his fourth makes mention that one of the beasts had a face like a man which by all interpreters is applyed to Matthew because hee begins his first face or leafe with the genealogie of Christ as he is man of the seed of David by the Virgin Mary And the Prophet Ezekiel writing in Hebrew to the Hebrewes saith the first face of one of the foure beasts was as the face of a man meaning S. Matthew wrote first in Hebrew But the Prophet S. John writing in Greeke to the Grecians saith the first beast had the face of a Lion meaning S. Marke who wrote first in Greek S. Matthew was the third whose Gospell when S. Iohn wrote his was translated out of Hebrew into Greek Another reason why S. Matthews Gospell is set first is because he being an Apostle was to give light and open the way to the rest as S. Iohns Gospell is set last because being an Apostle he might give authority and confirme the former two which were Disciples and writ their Gospell Saint Marke by the instruction and approbation of S. Peter and S. Luke by the authority of S. Paul Saint Matthew setting downe his owne story is so farre from flattery that he cals himselfe Matthew the Publican and tels how he was called to be an Apostle as he was sitting at the receipt of custome which text is excellently expounded in M. Austins divine Meditations And as some report it was in Caesarea Philippi where likewise Christ cured the woman afflicted with the bloody issue 12 yeares by the touch of the hemme of his garment It is likewise related that S. Matthew having writ his Gospel delivered it to Iames the Lords brother then Bishop of Jerusalem preached the Gospell in Aethiopia now called the Kingdome of Presbyter-Iohn and was entertained by the Eunuch Chamberlaine to the Quâ—ene Candace whereof there is mention in the Acts. He prevailed so much that Aeglippus the King of Aethiopia and his people came to baptisme But there reigned after him one Hyrtacus which hated the Apostle and commanded him to be runne through with a sword But some say he was runne through with a speare at Hierapolis in Parthia where he was honourably buried so that he did not only write the Testament of his Lord but for confirmation of the truth thereof sealed it with his blood What may be further writ concerning this blessed Apostle I leave to the learned and conclude with the prayer for the day as the Church hath set it in her Liturgy saying Almighty God which by thy blessed Sonne didst call Matthew from the receipt of custome to be an Apostle and Evangelist grant me grace to forsake all covetous desires and inordinate love of riches and to follow thy said son Jesus Christ who liveth and reigneth with thee and thy holy Spirit three persons and one God now and for ever Amen On S. Markes-day THe next fundamentall light that appeared in the Evangelicall Sphere was S. Marke as appeares in the third and fourth verses of the sixth of the Revelation For when the second Beast or Gospell began to invite men to the perusall thereof then there went out another horse which was red and power was given to him that sate theron to take peace from the earth and that they should kill one another and there was given unto him a great sword which is thus paraphrased At that time proceeded tyrannous and bloody magistrates sitting in the seat of tyranny to whom power was given to persecute Gods Saints on earth and to deprive them of peace by causing all men to kill them abusing so the sword of Justice that God had given them And this was