and the same operation Tres sunt in trinitate non statu sed ordine non essentia sed forma non potestate sed specie unus status essentiae potestatis quia sunt unus Deus There bee three persons in the Trinity not in state and condition but in order not in essence but in forme not in power but in kinde for there is one and the same state of essence and power because these three persons bee but one God But to leave this The persons of the Trinity are here distinguished they are sanctified of God the Father and reserved unto Iesus Christ The persons of the Father and the Sonne are discerned as in all other places Pater quasi fons exuberans filius ut rivus defluens ille ut Sol hic ut radius ille ut os hic ut vox procedens nonautem separantur sicut nec rivus a fonte nec radius a Sole nec vox abore quia aqua fontis est in Rivo solis lumen in radio oris virtus in voce The Father as the fountaine abounding the Sonne as the river flowing he as the Sunne this as the beame hee as the mouth this as the voice proceeding they are not separated as neither the river is separated from the fountaine nor the beame from the Sunne nor the voyce from the mouth for the water in the fountaine is in the river as the light of the Sunne is in the beame and the vertue of the mouth in the voyce The distinction of the persons obscurely delivered in the Old Testament in the New is made clearer than the noone-day For at the Baptisme of Christ the Sonne was seene The holy Ghost descended like a Dove Againe Christ bade them Baptise In the name of the Father and of the Sonne and of the holy Ghost Againe Mat. 3. 16. this was Pauls farewell to the Churches The grace of our Lord Iesus the love of God and the fellowship of the holy Ghost be with you c. Mat. 28. 19. Againe Saint Iohn saith That there are three that beare witnessein Sanctification not available without preservation heaven the Father the Word and the Holy Ghost and these three are one Also the place Luk. 1. 35. The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee and the power of the highest shall overshadow thee therefore also that holy thing that shall be borne of thee shall be called the Sonne of God doth 1 Iohn 5. 7 8. sufficiently prove the Trinity which places the Confession of Belgia quoted against Iewes Mahomitans Marcion Mans Sabellius Samositanus c. The third title of honour here given unto the Elect is reservation that they are reserved unto Christ Iesus that is as St. Peter saith They are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation All former blessings without this is to small purpose 1 Pet. 1. 15. in that God not onely calleth us but sanctifieth us and not only so neither but also reserveth us in Christ Iesus This maketh Luke 6. 38. up the measure of our joy till the Bushell runne over So Paul told the Corinthians that God had called them and would confirme 1 Cor. 1. 8. them unto the end that they may bee blamelesse in the day of Lord Iesus This is the Anchor of our hope as the Sun at noone day as the Moone in the Full that God preserveth us for ever He that keepeth Israel doth neither slumber nor sleepe the Lord is thy keeper the Psal 121. 4 5. Lord is thy defence upon thy right hand the Sunne shall not burne thee by day nor the Moone by night He that keepeth a sicke man sleepeth but he that keepeth us never sleepeth his eyes are alwaies open day and night like the gates of the new Ierusalem Apoc. 20. Christ giveth this reason why his sheepe doe not perish My sheepe saith hee heare my voyce and they follow me and I give unto them eternall life and they shall never perish neither shall any man pluck Iohn 10. 27 28. them out of my hand Our life is like a Ship in the Sea beaten with winde tossed with waves turmoyled with all kind of troubles and were it not that Christ is in this Ship we were like to sinke nor with Peter into the Sea but with Iudas into hell And this point is most notably handled by Master Calvin who affirmeth that Gods providence is over all the parts of our life we cannot Calvin libro 1. cap. 17. Instit. saith he take heat nor cold without danger by heat wee may surfeit and by colde catch an ague if wee mount up an horse In lapsu unius pedis periclitatur tota vita in the sliding of one foot is the danger of our life if wee enter into a Ship we are but an inch from death if we walke in the streets so many tiles so many deaths hang over our heads walk into the Forrests or Fields so many beasts so many enemies that conspire our destruction shut thy selfe in a Garden there a Serpent may kill thee Latet anguis in herbis And to recapitulate all this Bibulus a noble Romane riding thorough the streets in great pompe a tile fell from the house and strooke him so deepe into the head that it killed him Pope Adrian drinking at a Fountaine was choked with a flye Anacreon the Poet was choked with the graine of a Grape Gregory the 13. was suddenly strangled with a rheume and it is said of Plato that he dyed in a Gods providence watcheth over all especially his dreame and of Publius Crassus that hee dyed laughing Into these dangers might wee have fallen if God had not preserved us Marvellous is the providence of God in our lives Iob in his misery saw the want of it and therefore wished saying Oh that I were as in times past when God preserved me when his light shined upon Iob. 29. 2 3 4 5 6. my head and when by his light I walked through the darkenesse as I was in the dayes of my youth when Gods providence was upon my Tabernacle when the Almighty was with me and my children round about me when I washed my pathes with butter and when the rocke powred me out Rivers of Oyle c. In all the parts of our life God miraculously preserveth us miraculously doth he preserve us in our conception and therefore saith the just man Thou hast powred me out like milke turned me to Curds like Cheese thou hast cloathed mee with skinne and flesh and joyned mee together with bones and sinewes thou hast given me life and grace and thy visitation hath preserved my spirit Miraculously did hee nourish us in our Mothers wombe Psal 8. 2. miraculously nine moneths preserved hee us miraculously did he deliver us out of the wombe of our Mother for at our birth Psal 34. not onely women but Angels did assist us miraculously God keepeth us in our youth For CHRIST speaking
life and grace and thy visitation hath preserved my spirit For these causes ought wee to keep our selves in the Love of God These among many are reasons most sorcible to keep our selves in the Love of God How our God is to bee loved our Saviour sheweth Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart with all thy soule and with all thy mind But first wee must love Mat. 22 37. him with all our heart that is with all our affections joying and delighting in none but in him For he loves not God that delights in any thing more than God as Augustine saith truly Minus te amat qui aliquid tecum amat quod non propter te amat He loves thee not who loves any thing with thee which he loves Aug. not for thee 2. Wee must love him with all our soule induring rather a separation of the soule from the body than that our soule should bee separated from God who is the Soule of the soule and the comsort both of soule and body How we are to love God 3. Wee must love him with all our mind so that our cogitations must bee fixed upon him and ruled by him his Word should direct our reason our reason rule our wills that so wee may say with the Apostle wee live not but God doth live within us Our chiefest care should bee how to performe this duty to God how to love him as the Church said I am full of love I am sicke of love All owe this duty to God but few pay it or if they Cant. 5. 8. doe it is with crackt money not currant in Gods Exchequer for our love to God is cold yea plaine dead and that appeareth in the breach of the first Table wee are bankrupts both in piety towards God and charity towards men we love the world and our pleasures more than God wee worshippe not God in Spirit and in truth wee sweare and blaspheme the name of God wee prophane and pollute the Sabbaths of God wee come seldome to the house of God how can wee say that we love God The Love of God standeth in the keeping of his Commandements So saith our Saviour Hee that hath my Commandements Iohn 14. 21 23 24. and keepeth them is he that loves mee And againe If any man love me hee will keep my Word and my Father will love him and wee will come unto him and dwell with him And againe Hee that loveth mee not keepeth not my words c. Hee speaketh positively and privatively The blessed and undivided Trinity will dwell with that man who loveth God truely but till wee serve God in holinesse and righteousnesse till wee pray diligently heare his Word attentively receive the Sacraments penitently keepe the Sabbaths religiously use his name reverently let us be ashamed to say that wee love God Nam Regnum Dei non est in verbis 1 Cor. 4. 20. sed in virtute The Kingdome of God is not in word but in power Many Christians are mutilated and lame either they want an eare and cannot heare God or they want a tongue and cannot praise God or they want an heart and cannot love God These Atheists are a disgrace to Religion a Moth in the garment of the Church Monsters in nature Divels in shape of men as Christ said of Iudas hollow trees not holy trees these men are reprived till the last Sessions a gibbet is built in hell for them and all the gold in the world cannot purchase their pardon this is durus sermo sed verus sermo an hard saying but a true saying Wee talke of the love of men and say Charity is waxed cold but as touching the Love of God there is altum silentium not a word wee are like unslaked lime hot in the water cold in the Sunne as the stone of Thracia which burneth in the river but is quenched with hot oyle wee are pennie-wise and pound-foolish like the Pharises which did tithe Mint and Rew and all manner Luk. 11. 42. of hearbes and passed over judgement and the Love of God And yet if we loved God an ell where wee love him an inch it were but due debt O it is a most honorable thing to bee a lover of God! it was one of Abrahams greatest titles of honour to bee called the friend The hope of eternall life makes Gods precepts seeme easy of God it is a most blessed thing to bee a lover of God They that love the Lord shall be as the Sunne that riseth in his strength And it is a most miserable thing not to love God for Maranatha Anathema to them that love not the Lord Iesus Therefore as Paul prayed for the Thessalonians that God would guide their hearts in his Love and this Iudg. 5. 31. 1 Cor. 16. ought to bee thy prayer and my prayer and all our prayers that God would guide our hearts in his Love And God guide our hearts in his Love evermore THE FOVRE AND THIRTIETH SERMON VERS XXI Looking for the mercy of our Lord Iesus Christ unto eternall Life The hope of eternall life makes Gods precepts seem easie YEE have heard before that Iude gave the Saints many precepts now to mitigate the rigour of those precepts hee biddeth them looke for eternall life as if hee should say If it bee grievous to remember the words of the Lord to heare it to get faith to pray to keep themselves in the Love of God if nature if flesh and bloud wil hardly take out these lessons yet comfort your selves with the hope of eternall life there will bee an end of all troubles Salomon hath told you this long agoe saying Surely there is an end and thy hope shall not bee cut off Prov. 23. 18. all teares shall bee wiped from your eyes and yee shall bee filled with perfect joy after this iron world there is a golden world Esa 25. 8. there is a better life prepared for them in Gods house there are many dwellings as Christ said In my Fathers house there bee many mansions the time of refreshing will come as Peter said Act. Iohn 14. 1. 3. 19. And this is all joy and there is no joy but this I will give you Luk. 10. 19 20. power saith our Saviour to his disciples to treade on serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy and nothing shall hurt you Neverthelesse in this rejoice not but rather rejoice because your names are written in Heaven Let not the rich man rejoice in his riches nor the Hope of reward makes all labours light wiseman in his wisdom nor the strong man in his strength as Ieremy speaketh but let us rejoice that our names are written in heaven Shal the souldier in the wars the mariner in the boistrous Ier. 9. waves the husbandman in the cloddy lands the prentice in a hard service undergoe great paines in hope and shal not we For what
he proceeds to the other three Attributes viz. Majesty Dominion and Power and sheweth what it is first to ascribe Majesty to God that it is to acknowledge his Majesty and Greatnesse in all his Workes and reprooves our dulnesse that admire onely his Miracles when all his Workes declare his Majestie Many regard not his Miracles nor signes of his wrath He proceeds to the fifth namely Dominion and sheweth that to consist in that authority whereby he commands in all Kingdomes Places Persons and he distinguisheth these into three kinds viz. his kingdome of 1 Power 2 Grace 3 Glory and describes them But insisteth in his Kingdome of Grace within us and reprooves our rebellions and trecheries that yeeld subjection to sinne and Satan and set up our owne wills and lusts to beare rule in us and so make a mocke of Christs Kingdome and that wee ought to subject as the Angels and doe his will as they most willingly speedily and faithfully And to this end to have our soules and bodies purified that hee may dwell and rule in us He proceeds to the sixth and lost Attribute of Power and sheweth that this consisteth in that he doth whatsoever he pleaseth in all places and persons being present in all places by his power though not in body and that this is an ascribing Power to him to depend upon his Power and to trust to his Strength being all-sufficient after that hee observeth all the sixe Attributes to belong to the whole Trinity and that for ever Lastly hee sheweth the divers significations of Amen and therewith how powerfull a conclusion it is in all prayers implying in it faith and zeale in him that prayeth Laus Deo The Analysis of the Epistle of Saint IVDE The Epistle hath five parts 1 Saluation in it three 1 The person saluting described by three 1 His name IVDE 2 His calling a Servant of Iesus Christ 3 His kindred or alliance the brother of Iames. 2 The persons saluted and they are all that are called and sanctified of God the Father reserved to Iesus Christ Verse 1. 3 The matter of the salutation wherein he wisheth to them three things Verse 2. 1 Mercy 2 Peace 3 Love 2 Exordium or entrance wherein he expresseth his purpose in this Epistle which was to write to them concerning salvation and here he testifies 1 His love to them by his kinde compellation Beloved 2 His desire and earnest endeavour to further them in the way of salvation in that he gave all diligence to write of the common salvation 3 Proposition the maine meanes to further you in the way of salvation Verse 3. The maintenance of the true Faith Not acquired by the power of Nature But given once to the Saints 4 Illustration and enforcement by Exhortation Verse 3. that contend earnestly for the maintenance of faith and use motives 1 In respect of God giving because given to the Saints and to neglect it is to neglect Gods grace giving meanes of salvation 2 In respect of some wicked Apostates whom hee describes 1 Generally by their Verse 4. 1 Subtilty crept in 2 Sinne turne the grace of God into wantonnesse and deny God 3 Iudgement ordained of old to this condemnation Admonishing them to whom hee writ to take heede both of their sinne and iudgement by the examples of the Israelites both their Sinne unbeliefe Iudgement destruction Verse 5. Angels both their Sinne pride Iudgement everlasting chaines c. Vers 6. Sodomites and Gomorrheans both their Sinne uncleannesse Iudgement eternall fire Ver. 7 2 Particularly calling them dreamers and describe 1 Their sinnes ranged into two heads 1 Vncleannesse defile the flesh 2 Rebellion in two things 1 Despising Government Verse 8. 2 Railing on This latter aggravated V. 9 10 He parallels them by their patternes Verse 11. Cain for envy Balaam for counselling to vncleannes Corah for contempt of government Hee sets them out by godly resemblances Verse 12. 1 Spots in regard of their defiling staining 2 Dry Clouds Barren Trees in respect of hypocrisie Verse 13. 3 Raging foming waves in respect of their pride and vaine glory 4 Wandring Starres in respect of their errour and ignorance 2 Iudgement the blacknesse of darknesse for ever this hee confirmes out of the prophesie of Enoch wherein two things 1 Prophet by two 1 His name Enoch 2 Order of descent from Adam the seventh from Adam Verse 14. 2 Prophesie the matter of it Verse 14 15. 3 Their properties Verse 16. 1 Murmuring 2 Repining 3 Licenciousnesse 4 Boasting 5 Flattery Direction for maintenance of true faith in three things 1 How to avoid these impious Apostates which draw from the faith which is 1 By remembring the predictions of the Apostles that forewarned of such Mockers and lustfull livers Verse 17 18. 2 Observing their practice answerable to the Apostles prediction making sects being not spirituall but carnall Verse 19. 2 How to preserve themselves in the faith and this by foure meanes Verse 20 21. 1 Mutuall edification 2 Zealous and spirituall invocation 3 Keeping themselves in the love of God 4 Constant expectation of eternall life by the mercy and meanes of our Lord Iesus Christ 3 How to preserve others in the faith 1 The weake by compassion Verse 22. 2 The obstinate by feare Verse 23. 5 Conclusion with prayer and praise to God wherein hee insinuates 1 What they are to expect and desire at Gods hand and their ground because he is able being Verse 24 25. 1 To keepe 2 To present blamelesse c. 1 Onely wise 2 And Sauiour 2 What is to be ascribed to him 1. Glory 2 Maiesty 3 Dominion AN EXPOSITION VPON THE whole Epistle of Saint Iude. VERSE 1. The Author and Pen-man of this Epistle Iude the servant of Iesus Christ c. BEfore I enter upon the handling of this Epistle I will speake briefly first of the Author 2. of the Penman 3. of the Argument 4. of the Occasion of this Epistle For I cannot dilate at large as Salomon did of trees from the Cedar to the Isop nor as Pliny did of beasts frō the Elephant to the Pismeire nor as Lactantius did of Fishes from the Whale to the Lamprey And first for the Author of this booke it is the holy Ghost For all Scripture is given by inspiration from God and Prophecie came 1 Tim. 3 16. 2. Pet. 1. 20. Luke 1. not in old time by the Will of man but holy men spake as they were moved by the spirit of God and it was God that spake by the mouth of all his Prophets which have been since the World began And as he directed the tongues of Holy men to speake and therfore saith our Saviour It is not yee that speake but the spirit of my father in you so he directed Mat. 10. 20. their pens to write so that it was not they that wrote but the holy Ghost by them By this therefore it evidently appeareth of what reverent account this Epistle ought for
or Life or death Whether they be things present or things to come even all are yours and yee are Christs and Christ 1 Cor. 3. 21 22 23. Psal 112. 6 7. 9. Gods an elegant Climax or gradation For he riseth by steppes Such a like figure 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is 2 Cor. 6. 9. 10. Obiter now that peace and plentie are so farre given unto the Church as is profitable for it and expedient for the setting out of Gods glory The Church sometime eateth ashes as bread and mingleth her drinke with weeping she is as a Pelicane in the wildernesse and like an Owle that is in the desart She is as a Sparrow that sitteth alone upon the house top and her enemies revile her all the day long Sometime she is eaten up like a Sheep and scattered among the Heathen she is sold for nought and made a rebuke Psal 44. 9. 11 12. rebuked of her neighbours laughed to scorne and derided of all Nay sometime she is smitten into the place of Dragons and covered with the shadow of death The Church is oftentimes more hurt by plentie than penurie according to the voice in Constantines dayes Hodie venenum effusum est in Ecclesiam this day is poison powred into the Hierom. Church The Church when it came to Christian Princes to be defended Major erat divitiis virtutibus minor Againe God putteth off her sackcloath and girdeth her with gladnesse He giveth her beauty for ashes and rich apparell instead of sackcloath Psal 30. 12. Esa 61. 3. as he seeth it expedient Non audit ad voluntatem ut audiat ad salutem THE FIFTH SERMON VERS II. And Love bee multiplied Gods love the cause of all good THe third and last blessing which the Apostle here prayeth for is Love which of some learned men is thought to bee the cause of Mercie and Peace For Mercy and Peace are the fruits of Love Love is the fountaine Mercie and Peace the water that floweth from the fountaine Love is as the mother Mercy and Peace as her daughters Love as the cause Mercy and Peace as the effects yea Love is the cause of al blessings as I may say the cause of it selfe yea Causa causarum the cause of causes or Causa causae the cause of the cause or Causa causati the cause of the thing caused God is mercifull because he loveth us and hee loveth us because hee loveth us Eligit quia diligit ideo diligit quia diligit thee hath chosen us because hee loveth us Aug. and therefore hee loveth us because hee loveth us No reason can bee rendred of the love of God but the love of God Let us not buzze too neere the candle with the flye Farsalla lest we burne Let us not soare too high with the Eagle lest wee melt let us not wade too deep with the Elephant lest we drown Let us not bee curious in these things It is enough that Moses setteth downe Love to bee the cause of all blessings So God turned Balaams curse into a blessing unto Israel The cause Moses affirmeth to bee Gods love saying Because the Lord thy God Deut. 23. 5. loved thee So Moses telleth Israel that God did set his Love upon them and did chuse them not because they were more in number than any people For they were the fewest of all people but Because hee loved them Iude here prayeth for it as a most excellent blessing without which all is nothing For as Deut. 7. 7 8. wee say In triviis Hee is poore whom God hateth so hee is rich and happy whom God loveth his favour is as the dew of the Gods love abundant unmeasurable immutable morning as the shadow in the heate and as an haven to them that are tossed as the Cities of refuge to them that are pursued In thy presence saith David is fulnesse of ioy That is where God loveth and favoureth there is perfect felicitie Iohn calleth all men to behold the love of God Behold what love the Father hath shewed us that we should be called the Sonnes of God behold his love that hee calleth us his servants and behold a 1 Iohn 3. 1. 2 Cor. 6. Ephes 2. greater love in that hee calleth us his Sonnes and yet behold a greater love that he calleth us his heyres and coheyres with Christ and yet behold a greater love in an higher degree that he calleth us his Mother Brethren and Sisters but behold the greatest love of all that he calleth us his Spouse or Wife to note that he loveth us with all loves with the masters love as Abraham loved Eleazar with the friends love as David loved Ionathan with the Childes love as Ruth loved Naomi with the Gen. 15. 1 Sam. 16. Ruth 1. Gen 29. husbands love as Iacob loved Rachel What heart of stone is not moved with this love Nati sumus è silice nutriti lacte ferino This love of God is gratuitall free partly because it floweth from his grace and goodnesse and partly because he loveth not for his owne but for our good And it is unmeasurable therefore saith the Apostle Herein is love not that wee loved God but that hee 1 Iohn 4. 10. loved us and sent his Sonne to be a reconciliation for our sinnes greater love could not the Father shew than to send his Sonne out of his owne bosome and greater love could not the Sonne shew than to die for his enemies Yea this love of his it is immutable and constant For whom he loveth he loveth to the end hereupon the Apostle calleth God love God is love saith he and not only love for there are many properties and attributes in God as Truth Mercie Iustice Power Eternitie Novit omnia ut veritas tuetur ut salus Iohn 13. 1 Iohn 4. 16. sedat ut aequitas dominatur ut majestas operatur ut potentia manet ut aeternitas he knoweth all things as veritie defendeth all things as health and salvation appeaseth all things as equitie ruleth all things as Majestie worketh all things as omnipotencie and abideth and remaineth as eternitie God is not made of love only as wood of trees as a fountaine of water as a plaister of Balme but all these attributes are in the Lord equally But because God delighteth in love and he reposeth a great part of his glory in love therfore is he described by that attribute of Love by this attribute the Evangelist describeth him God so loved the Iohn 3. 16. Cap. 10. 16. 1 Iohn 4. 18. World that he gave his only begotten Sonne c. And by this attribute the beloved disciple describeth him saying God is love and hee that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God and God in him By this attribute David describeth him As a Father hath compassion on his children so hath the Lord compassion on them that love him And againe The loving Psal 103. 13. 17. kindnesse of the
Lord indureth for ever and ever upon them that feare him c. This made Paul to say Who shall separate me from the Love exceeds all other vertues love of God shall tribulation or anguish or persecution or famine or nakednesse or perill or sword 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 nor any other creature shall be able to separate Rom. 8. 35. 37 38. us from the love of God which is in Christ Iesus our Lord. Malitia nostra finem habet Our malice hath an end but Gods love hath not our malice is finite but his love infinite As a drop of water to the whole Sea so are our sinnes in regard of the love of God his love is so great as it cannot be measured so much as it cannot be numbred so precious that it cannot be valued so large and long that it cannot be ended the bredth and length the height and depth of his love all the tongues of men and of Angels cannot utter As Iude wisheth unto them the love of God so hee wisheth them also mutuall love whereby we love one another he meaneth both these loves in this place Mutuall Love is a chiefe and principall vertue Faith and Love the one with God and the other with men be as the roote and the branch as the mother and the daughter as the foundation and pillars of all Christian building the end of all is Love the end of the first table is the Love of God the end of the second table is the love of man so saith the Apostle The end of the Commandements is Love out of a pure heart out of a good conscience and 1 Tim. 1. 5. Gal. 5. 22. Exod. 16. Iudg. 6. out of a faith unfained Paul reckoning up the fruits of the Spirit nameth Loue first as the Gentleman-usher to goe before all For as Manna excelled all bread as Aarons rod did eate up all the rods of the sorcerers as Gedeons sword passed all the swords of the Madianites so love passeth all other vertues all our debts should stand in love Owe nothing to any man but this that yee love Rom. 13. 8. Num. 14. Iohn 2. one another our debtes were sooner paid and our executors but smally troubled if this were of this debt wee cannot bee discharged so long as we live The journey of the Israelites was ended in forty yeares Herods Temple was finished in six and forty 1 Iohn 4. 7 8. 16. yeares Noahs Arke was perfected in an hundred and twentie yeares but this debt is never ended Let us therefore love one another For love commeth of God and every one that loveth is borne of God and knoweth God he that loveth not knoweth not God but he that dwelleth in Love dwelleth in God and God in him S. Peter naming 2 Pet. 1. 5. 7. many vertues maketh up the measure and ends in Love Ioine saith he vertue with your faith and with vertue knowledge and with knowledge temperance and with temperance patience and with patience godlinesse and with godlinesse brotherly kindnesse Love This vertue above all is as the hoope or faggot bond that keepeth all close Therefore let me exhort you with the Apostle Above all Col. 3. 14. things put on love which is the bond of perfectnesse As the Sunne giveth light to all planets as salt seasoneth all meates as the Moone ruleth over the Sea and all moist bodies as the rod of the tribe of Levi passed in honour all other tribes So love passeth Little love to be found on earth all qualities in men therefore let us follow after Love and let us not give over till we have overtaken her Love is as the apple-tree of Persia which buddeth and blossometh and beareth fruit every moneth Now abideth faith hope and Numb 17. 1 Cor. 14. 1. 1 Cor. 13. love but the chiefe of these is love It lasteth longer like a pillar of salt it reacheth further it profiteth more among men Faith flieth up to heaven Love is occupied below on earth Faith wrastleth above with the promises of God Love is busied in good workes as Faith is with God Paul prayeth for it in respect of the scantnesse and excellency of it For Charitas laudatur alget Aug. de eivitate Dei lib. 14. c. 7. yet diligi non potest Deus sine proximo nec proximus sine Deo qui proximum amare negligit Deum diligere nescit England is as the Land of Canaan wee have corne cattell flesh Psal 65. 11. Iudg. 1. 1 Sam. 13 1 Reg. 8. fish wooll cloath our vallies stand thicke with corne we have plenty of all things but of Love that is scant As in the dayes of Debora there was neither speare nor shield As in Saul his daies there was no Smith as in the dayes of Salomon there was no Manna to be found so in our dayes little or no Love When I behold the state of many townes me thinke I see Bulls Beares Lions Tigâ—es Wolves shut up as it were in an iron cage biting tearing renting and devouring one another view all Courts Assises Sessions Leets Law-dayes and you shall see there is no difference betwixt us and the Corinthians but they went to law under Infidels and wee under Christians 1 Cor. 6. Gal. 5. 15. We forget Pauls Caveat If yee bite and devoure one another take heed yee be not devoured one of another If there be an hundred men in a towne scarce two love together as they should We are divided into three companies like Labans sheep some white some blacke some speckled some Protestants some Papists some Neuters Nay even among Protestants there is hard agreement But God I hope will make us friends in heaven where al injuries shall be forgotten where are those noble pair of lovers David and Ionathan Who had but one soule Eusebius and Pamphilus Martyrs 1 Sam. 18. who had but one name Pilades and Orestes who had but one life Ruth 1. the one being dead the other died also Ruth and Naomi who had but one grave Basill and Nazianzen of whom it is said Anima una erat inclusa in duobus corporibus one soule was included in two bodies Mariage maketh two bodies one but love maketh two soules one yea many soules many bodies but one If an hundred love together it is but one heart as it is said of them of the primative Church That they had but one heart and one soule If a man hath an hundred friends that man is become as an hundred Act. 4. 32. men Nam amicus alter idem a friend is a second selfe Charitas Chrysost est res augmentativa There was a day when Herod and Pilate were made friends but that day I feare with many will never bee they are like the stone Asbestos found in Arcadia being once kindled is never
quenched once angry never pleased The Heathens We must love as God doth without desert were wont to say of themen of the primitive Church Ecce ut invicem se diligunt behold how they love one another they knew Christians by that badge but we may say quoth one Ecce Zaneh ut invicem se oderunt behold how they hate one another oppresse one another not Christians but Wolves Lions Leopards Divels nay worse for one Lion eateth not another and the Divels strive not amongst themselves but maintaine their kingdome Let Tygers and Beares and Leopards teare one another Let Scythians and Cannibals eat one another who Mat. 12. know not God nor good humanitie Let them bee without naturall affections but let us love one another and let the Apostle his precept be our practise Be of one minde one suffer with another 2 Tim. 3. 3. love as brethren bee pittifull bee courteous not rendring evill for evill nor rebuke for rebuke but contrariwise blesse knowing that yee are thereunto 1 Pet. 3. 8 9. called that yee should bee heires of blessing But yee will say such and such men deserve no kindnesse nor love at our hands I but see what Christ deserveth his eyes blinded his face smitten his hands nailed his feete pierced his heart thrust through with a speare how ought wee then to love one another Beloved saith the Apostle if God so loved us wee ought to love one another In no quality doe wee resemble God 1 Iohn 4. 11. more than in this Love God the Father is Love God the Son is Love God the holy Ghost is Love God the Father in Love gave his Sonne God the Sonne in Love gave himselfe God the Iohn 3. 16. cap. 10. 16. holy Ghost in Love applyeth all this unto us Charitas Dei diffusa in corda nostra per spiritum But note here what love Iude praying for a true Christian love framed by knowledge for among theeves murderers Drunkards ther is a kind of Love First therefore the love of Atheists is condemned which come from profit or from pleasure which love men as the dog doth the bone but this love proceedeth not Excorde puro from a pure heart therefore to be condemned Secondly the love of Gamesters Drunkards and Pot-companions is here condemned For to glosse play eate drinke game bee no good workes therefore this is not to love wee call it good fellowship but such good fellowes will go to the good fellow the Divell if they repent not Thirdly all carnall love is here condemned For love in man may bee a vice aswell as a grace it is a vice when it is set upon a wrong object or is disordered and that three wayes First when wee love things unlawfull as sinne Secondly when wee love things lawfull but too much as the world Thirdly when love is turned into lust and so it is the mother of fornication adultery incest and such like But if wee will have our love a grace it must be a Christian Our love must be truly Christian Graces must be dayly increased love we must love one another in the Lord for the Lord this love is the badge of Christs disciples By this shall all men know that you are my disciples indeed if yee love one another as I have loved you To this S. Peter exhorteth Above all things have fervent love among your selves for love shall cover a multitude of sinnes Non expiando non veniam Iohn 13. 1 Pet. 4. promerendo sed fraternè condonando non vindicando non diffamando not by purging or satisfying for sinnes not by deserving pardon and binding God to forgive sinnes but by brotherly forgiving trespasses not revenging our selves not defaming others Here also is condemned the love of Papists In cathedra unitatis Deus posuit doctrinam veritatis In the chaire of unity God hath put the doctrine of verity they agree as the false Prophets did not in the Lord but against the Lord they make adoe of their councell of Trident and how they agree in all meetings Alas a few buckrome Bishops of Italy conspired together but thirtie eight Bishops in all not like the councell of Nice where were three hundred and eighteene or of Arimine where were sixe hundred Bishops Nor like the Councell of Constance where were foure Patriarks twenty nine Cardinals two hundred threescore and ten Bishops forty seven Archbishops five hundred threescore and foure Abbots and Doctors at the deposing of Benedict the third But let our love bee as it should bee Christian love Let us love as brethren and then the God of Love and Peace shall bee with us and so much for this love that Saint Iude prayeth for But before I shut up this heavenly doctrine note that the Apostle wisheth an increase of Mercy Peace and Love he would have these things to be multiplyed Mercy Peace and Love be multiplied unto you in that he wisheth a multiplication of these Graces he sheweth that there is no perfection of vertues in this life for there is a double grace of God A Restraining and A Receiving Grace The one to keepe us from sinne the other to increase all vertues in us for in all vertues wee creepe like Snayles wee glide like Wormes wee goe like the Messenger of evill newes but in all vices wee runne like Hazael or the Roe of the field we flie like Doves wee grow like the Lily in a night Paul therefore exclaimed The Law is Spiritual but I Carnall sold under sinne for Rom. 7. 14 15. I allow not that which I doe for what I would that doe I not but what I hate that doe I. Whereupon Saint Augustine saith Impii volunt valent peccare pii volunt sed non valent benè agere quia nequiunt quod desiderant the wicked are willing and able to sinne the August godly are willing but not able to doe well because they cannot doe that which they desire to doe This made this holy Father Never perfect till wee come to Glory to pray Domine dominetur carni anima animae ratio rationi gratia c. Lord let the Soule rule the Flesh Reason the Soule Grace Reason subdue me to thy will inwardly outwardly sharpen my tongue more and more to sound forth thy praises illuminate my mind more and more to see thee inlarge my heart more and more to beleeve in thee c. For we comprehend not the Mercy Peace and Love of God in any measure Beatitude nostra tribus gradibus perficitur in hac vita per spem fidem quotidie crescentem post hanc vitam cum anima Dei praesentia fruetur post extremum judicium cum anima corpore glorificabimur Our happinesse is perfected in three degrees in this life by Faith and Hope increasing and growing daily after this life when the Soule shall enjoy the presence of God after the last Iudgement when as in Body and
man hath made to be esteemed but the bloud of Christ was so precious that as a Father saith Tanti quid valet what is Aug. of equall price with it The least drop of Christs bloud was of such value in regard of the person that it was able to redeeme tenne thousand worlds but lesse than Christs bloud could not redeeme one Soule And there were divers and sundry effusions of his bloud The first bloud he shed was at his Circumcision when hee was but De passione Dom. cap. 36. eight dayes old which S. Bernard cals Maturum martyrium a timely martyrdome to which end hee further addeth Vix natus est Coeli gloria Coeli divitiae deliciae dulcis Iesus ecce recenti ortui crucis dolor copulatur Scarce was sweet Iesus come into the world who was the Glory the Riches the Delight of Heaven but he underwent the painefulnesse of the Crosse The second effusion of bloud was in his Agony whereof Saint Bernard speaketh thus Ecce quam rubicundus quam totus rubicundus Behold how red and how wholly red hee is For Saint Luke affirmeth that his sweat was like Drops of bloud trickling downe to the ground The third effusion was at his whipping O cum quanta quantitate put as illum sanctissimum sanguinem è conscisso corpore flagellato distillassein terram Oh in what abundance thinke yee did the most sacred bloud of his powre downe from his torne and scourged body even to the ground The fourth effusion of bloud was when the crowne of thornes was despightfully clapt upon his head Nec hicputo defuisse rivos sanguinis saith Bernard nor can I thinke that at this time there wanted rivers of bloud The fifth and last effusion of bloud was upon the Crosse where his Hands and Feete and Side were pierced Quis unquaÌ„ tam gravia tam pudenda passus fuit who was ever thus cruelly Bern. and shamefully handled Contendunt passio charitas illa ut plus ardeat ista ut plus rubeat his passion and love did strive together that that it may be hotter this that it may bee the redder O suavissime universorum Domine c. O blessed Iesus the most gracious Lord and Saviour of all thy chosen how can I render thee As Christ gave himselfe for us so should we give our selves to him sufficient thankes For thy garment is dipt in bloud and the chastisement of my peace hath beene upon thee from the beginning of thy dayes unto thy death yea and after thy death Thus Christs bloud was often shed to redeeme us Heare this you that Apoc. 19. 13. make so small account of your soules and learne to esteeme them at a greater price Heare this you that are so carelesse of your sinnes and learne to shunne them as Hell heare wee this all of us and learne to be more thankefull to Christ for his benefits Persius wept when he saw a Toade and being asked why he wept hee answered that hee bewailed his ingratitude who served not the Lord that had made him a Man and not a Toade Christs face was buffeted his eyes were blinded his hands nayled his feet pierced his side launched that wee may give our eyes hands feet heart to Christ in his service that as wee have given our members weapons of unrighteousnesse unto sin so Rom. 6. 13. we should give our selves unto God as they that are alive from the dead and give our members as weapons of righteousnesse unto God Finely saith one O stulti cur Satanae in membris vestris servitis O yee fooles Why serve ye Satan in your members Ille non creavit non redemit non sanctificat nos non pascit nos hee hath not created us not redeemed not sanctified us nor feedeth us Quae haec insania Christum relinquere à quo omnia bona Diabolo servire qui est homicida what madnesse is this to leave Christ from whom we receive all good and to serve the Divell who is a murtherer Iohn 8. 44. Stultum est servire Diabolo qui nullo placatur obsequio It is a foolish thing to serve the Divell whom no obedience no service will content But the wicked shall one day curse these members that have served the Divell Vae vobis inquient pedes maledicti qui per gressus saltus illicitos me ad infernum traxistis woe to you shall Greg. they say cursed feet which by unlawfull leaping and dancing have drawne me to Hell Vae vobis manus rapaces woe to you ravenous hands Vae tibi cor maledictum woe to thee cursed heart which seldome or never thoughtest of God O cursed tongue which hath uttered so many obscene and filthy words O cursed eye which never sheddest teare for thy sinne and therefore many thousand yeares shalt thou weepe and no man shall pitty thee God challengeth both heart and body My sonne give mee thy heart Whereupon one descanteth very finely fili mi Mat. 22. 13. per creationem fili mi per redemptionem da mihi cor tuum per dilectionem Pro. 23. Holcot devotionem My Sonne by Creation my Sonne by Redemption give mee thy heart by Love and devotion And the same Author compareth Christ to a Falcon and hee saith thus Falconi volanticor datur pro mercede to the flying Falcon the heart of the Fowle shee taketh is given her for her reward this Falcon is Christ Ipse volavit de Coelo in uterum hee flew from Heaven into the Wombe of the Virgin out of the Wombe into the Manger out of the Manger into the World from the Christs passions ought to move us to dutifulnesse and thankefulnesse World unto the Crosse from the Crosse into the Grave from the Grave to Heaven againe Ergo cor vendicat pro praeda therefore hee challengeth â—hy heart for his prey And Saint Chrysostome that golden-mouthed Doctor bringeth in Christ thus speaking Ego propter vos factus sum homo propter vos ligatus propter Chrysost vos in patibulo mortuus ecce precium sanguinis quod pro vobis dedi ubi est ergo servitus vestra pro tanto pretio for your sakes I became man for your sakes was I bound for your sakes dyed I upon the Crosse Behold the price of bloud that I payed for you where is therefore your service and dutie for such a price your service to him that gave himselfe for you that hee might redeeme you Vide quid pro te patior vide dolorem cum Angelus venit de coelis ad consolandum vide clavos quibus confodior ad te clamo qui pro te morior See what I suffer for thy sake see my sorrow which was so great that an Angel from heaven was made to come to comfort mee See the nailes wherewith I was pierced and thrust through I crie to thee which died for thee c. A most elegant Prosopopeia What heart of flint
us unto an holy calling Not according to our workes but according to his owne purpose and grace which was given us through Christ Iesus before the World was It is true of all men that Christ said of his disciples non vos me elegistis yee have not chosen mee but I have chosen you yea God so preventeth us with his grace that hee findeth nothing past or to come whereby God chose us and bee reconciled unto us For who hath given unto him first that is provoked him by his good workes A lively example wee have in these two brethren Esau and Iacob both twinnes both inclosed in one wombe yet hee rejected the one and chose the other Non ex operibus not by workes but by him that calleth Deus coronat opera Rom. 9. 11. sua non merita nostra God crowneth his gifts not our merits Cui daret justus judex coronâ—â—â— nisi cui dedisset pater misericors indebitam gratiam To whom should the just Iudge give the crowne but unto whom the Father of Mercy giveth undeserved Grace And he addeth Ne dicas ideo electus sum quia credebam Aug. tract 86. in Iob. si enim credebas jam cum elegeras non ipse te sic judicium esset penos lutum non penes figulum Doe not say I am elected because I did beleeve for if thou diddest beleeve thou haddest now chosen him and not hee thee and so the Iudgement had beene in the power of the clay and not of the potter But heare what Christ saith Yee have not chosen mee but I have chosen you I say therefore with Saint Ambrose Iustitia nostra magis constat remissione peccatorum quam perfectione virtutum our righteousnesse consisteth more in the remission of our sinnes than in the perfection of our vertues Even as David declareth the blessednesse of the man unto whom God imputeth righteousnesse without workes saying Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven and whose Psal 32. 1 2. sin is covered blessed is the man to whom the Lord imputeth no sinne One Father saith thus when wee were not God made us when wee were sinners hee Iustified us when we were in prison hee freed us when wee were mortall hee glorified us Another Rom. 5. 1. Luke 4. 18. Rom. 8. 30. Father saith God by his Wisedome hath foreknowne us by his Gospell hee calleth us by his Faith hee justifieth us by his Iustice hee damneth us by his Grace he saveth us So that all is of his meere goodnesse and no cause to expostulate with God His Iudgements are just but yet secret Secret things saith Deut. 29. 29. Moses belong to the Lord our God but the things revealed belong unto Five signes of Election two internall us But if the Heavens declare the glory of God let us speake to his glory Secreta Dei sunt adoranda non scrutanda Secret things are to bee adored not searched It is not good to eate too Prov. 25. 27. much Hony so to search their owne glory is not glory It is reported of Augustine that being about to write his bookes of the Trinity hee was taught by a childe who laded the Sea into a little spoone to whom Augustine said that hee laboured in vaine for his little spoone could not containe the Sea To whom the child replied that his little Wisedome his shallow braine could not containe the depth of the Trinity But you will say how shall wee know our election that wee may bee comforted against all the assaults of Satan that wee may say with the sweet singer of Israel Though I should walke through the valley of the shadow of death I will feare no evill for thou art Psal 23. with mee thy rod and thy staffe shall comfort mee And with Paul I 2 Tim. 4. 6 7. 8 have fought a good fight I have kept the Faith I have finished my course from hence forward there is laid up for mee a crowne of glory which the Lord will give mee at that day and not to mee onely but unto all them also that love his appearing I answere that no man can bee deceived in the state of his election but hee that deceiveth himselfe for wee may know whether wee stand in the state of Grace or no. Danaeus maketh Danaeus in Isagog five signes of election As the comming of the Swallow is a signe of the Spring as the putting forth of the figge-tree is a signe of Summer as the whitenesse of the region is a signe of Harvest So there bee many undoubted signes of our election 1 The first is the inward testimony of Gods Spirit the seale and earnest-penny of our Salvation For it is God that hath Sealed us and hath given us the Earnest of his Spirit in our 2 Cor. 1. 22. hearts The Apostle compareth the Word to a writing the Spirit to a seale that ratifieth all Clamat in nobis Abba the same Rom. 8. 16. Gal. 4. 6. Luke 11. 11. Spirit beareth witnesse to our Spirit that wee are the children of God And because wee are Sonnes God hath sent the Spirit of his Sonne into your hearts which cryeth Abba Father And if God be our Father how can wee doubt of our inheritance If wee aske Fish he will not give us a Serpent If Heaven he will not give us Hell 2 The second signe is our faith which is knowne by the effects as the Eagle by her feathers as the tree of Life by the fruits of it Thus Paul bade the Corinths try their faith Prove your selves whether yee are in the Faith examine your selves c. Qui 2 Cor. 13. 5. credit salvabitur he that beleeveth shall bee saved and this faith may be knowne to us if wee will search our selves Christ asked Mar. 16. 16. Iohn 8. the woman taken in Adultery where her accusers were So aske thy heart where thy sinnes are and if thou doest beleeve it will say with the woman that they are all gone Qui enim credit transit Three externall signes of Election a morte ad vitam Hee that beleeveth in him is passed from death to life for all that are borne of God overcommeth the World And this is the victory that overcommeth the World even our Faith Iohn 3. 1 Iohn 5. 4. Hereupon Paul triumpheth over Death Hell Hunger Cold Nakednesse Perill Sword and concludeth That neither Death nor Life nor Angels nor Principalities nor Power nor Things present nor Things to come nor Height nor Depth nor any other Creature Rom. 8. 38 39. shall bee able to separate us from the Love of God which is in Christ Iesus our Lord. 3 The third signe is the conformity of our will to Gods will to love that which God loveth and to hate that which God hateth therefore wee pray that Gods will may bee done on Earth as it is in Heaven He that doth the will of God shall abide Mat. 6. for ever
fell from Angels to Divels For their sinne of Apostacy was great it cryed to God for vengeance The Lord Iesus noteth this Apostacy in them to shew that their sinne was not by creation but by wilfull corruption Hereupon saith our Saviour to the Iewes You are of your father the divell and the lusts of your father doe yee he abode not in the truth It followeth then that Iohn 8 44. he was once in the truth and that he was not created evill This Apostacy in some case joyned with wilfulnesse and malice is not to be prayed for So saith Saint Iohn the Disciple whom Iesus loved If any man see his brother sin a sinne that is not unto death let him aske and he shall give life for them that sinne not to death There 1 Iohn 5. 16. is a sinne unto death I say not that thou shouldst pray for it Some Apostacies cannot be renewed For it is impossible that they which have been once lightned and have tasted of the heavenly gift and were Heb. 6. 4 5 6. made partakers of the holy Ghost and have tasted of the good Word of God and of the powers of the world to come If they fall away should be renewed by repentance seeing they crucifie againe to themselves the Sonne of God and make a mocke of him For certainely they that are Apostataes and sinne against the Holy Ghost hate Christ crucifie and mocke him but to their owne destruction and therefore fall into desperation and cannot repent Indeed there is no sin but by repentance may be forgiven but they that sinne against the Holy Ghost which some affirme to be Apostasia aut negatio Christi Apostacy or the denying of Christ it shall not be forgiven â—â—â—lla in Luc. 12. 10. Quia directè obviant principio per quod fit remissio peccatorum because they are directly and plainely opposite and contrary to that whereby remission of sinnes is obtained that is unto repentance And this is the cause saith Augustine why God hath redeemed men and not Angels for that they sinned 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from within and of themselves maliciously and rebelliously man sinned 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from without and by provocation And this is Christs death saves only men not Angels the cause saith Augustine why Moses wrote nothing of the fall of Angels he named not their wound because he would not name their medicine Sed hominis vulnus medicinam narravit but he hath shewed man his wound and medicine also for that Aug. lib. de mirab Script cap. 2. God would restore him againe Humanam ergo naturam non Angelicam sumpsit Christus quoth Athanasius therefore he tooke the nature of man not the nature of Angels according to that of Athanasius the Apostle He in no sort tooke the Angels but hee tooke the seed of Abraham Quia Angeli per se defecerunt à Deo because the Angels of themselves fell from God Therefore the promise of the Messiah was made onely to man not to Angels The grace of GOD that Tit. 2. 11. bringeth salvation to all men hath appeared Grace saveth men not Angels For these Angels that fell have no benefit by Christs death he came not to save them for their sinnes are not pardonable But the cause of mercy I leave to God onely the father of mercies These are but conjectures of Augustine and Athanasius In the meane time Dorbels reasons are too weake to prove that men shall bee punished in hell more deeply than these Angels that fell His first reason is Quia Deus nunquam pro illis passus est ut pro nobis that God never suffered so much for them as for us His second reason is Quia Angeli pro uno tantum peccato puniuntur nos saepe deliquimus the Angels fell by one sinne only man by many sinnes hee offendeth oft His third reason is Quia daemones sunt spiritus tantum nos autem corpore anima peccamus that the bad Angels the Divels be spirits onely but men have both bodies and spirits But these reasons are vanishing as the untimely dew unsavoury as the white of an egge brittle as the webbe of a spider Hee spake as Phormio spake before Hannibal Rem magis delirantem nunquam legi I never read a more doating thing But to proceed my meaning is not that all Apostacy is sinne against the Holy Ghost for every Apostacy is not uncurable every fall of man is not damnable as the fall of Angels yet it is dangerous for he that settetb his hand to the plough and looketh back Luke 9. 62. is not fit for the Kingdome of God And Christ said to the sicke man Behold thou art made whole sinne no more lest a worse thing happen unto Iohn 5. 14. thee Thus all Apostacy is dangerous though not damnable for if damnable what shall become of the godly themselves for they often fall from the Lord slide backe and decrease in the graces of God They keepe not their first estate which was the sinne of the Angels Ephesus lost her first love but I would our Church were like it for Ephesus hated the evil wee hate the good Apoc. 2. 4. they examined the false Apostles wee examine none they suffered Luke 12. 45. persecution we persecute others we smite our fellow servants Iulian the Christian is become Iulian the Apostata and Simon Peter is become Simon Magus Ioseph is become Pharoah grapes are turned into thornes figs into thistles Lambes into Lions and Doves There must be a perpetuall growth in grace and goodnesse into Serpents We are fallen from our first love every day lesse and lesse zealous lesse and lesse loving lesse and lesse religious than heretofore we have been Memento Anglia memento Norfolcia unde excideris Remember England remember Norfolke whence thou art fallen Revertere revertere Returne returne saith the Lord Ier. 3. 14. for I am your Lord and will bring you to Sion Let us follow the counsell of the Wise man In the morning sow thy seed and in the evening Eccles 11. 6. let not thine hand rest that is increase in goodnesse doe good in Gal. 6. 6. thy youth doe good in thine age yea doe good at all times be not weary of sowing be not weary of working the seed-time is nothing the harvest is all in all To doe good in youth is nothing to doe well in middle age is nothing but to continue in old age to the last gaspe is piety indeed When a righteous man saith the Prophet turneth away from his righteousnesse and committeth Ezech. 18. 26. iniquity he shall even dye for the same hee shall even die for his iniquity that he hath committed aswell may we drowne in the Havens mouth as in the middest of the boisterous Sea aswell may wee fall through the peevishnesse of age as through the lusts and concupiscence of youth Of many it may be
Tim 3. Mar. 10. Iohn 8. Iudg. 3. Iudg 15. words and in workes this is both to have a shew of godlinesse the power of godlines this is to have both leaves fruit this is to be a true child of Abraham We read of the strength of Shamgar who slew six hundred men with an Oxe goad of Samson who slew a whole Army of the Philistines with a jaw bone of David who smote down a Giant with a pibble stone of Hercules 1 Sam. 17. who overcame a Lion and a Beare and threw downe the birds of Stinphalida and put downe an Amazon a mighty warrior and cut off the head of Hydra but as Lactantius said Lib. 1. cap. 9. these are nothing hee is a stronger man who overcommeth his wrath than hee that overcommeth a Lion he that treadeth under his desires than hee that casteth downe Birds and ravenous fowles he that suppresseth his lust than he that suppresseth the Amazons Hercules for all his strength was a slave to Omphale and sate spinning in a womans attire at her feete with a Rocke and a Distaffe He that is slow to anger is better than a mighty man and hee that ruleth his owne minde is better than hee that winneth a Prov. 16. 32. Citie We are desirous to know the state of our Salvation our Election and Glorification Let us then beginne where God beginneth at the renouncing of our lusts For the grace of God that bringeth Salvation to all men teacheth us to deny ungodlinesse and Tit. 2. 12. worldly lusts None can looke for the blessed hope but they that have denyed ungodlinesse worldly lusts None can say There is layd up for mee a crowne of righteousnesse but such as can say I have fought a good fight except they have striven against 2 Tim. 4. 7. their lusts Election is a thing revealed by steps As therefore it is madnesse to a man that climbeth a ladder to labour to set his foot at the first step on the highest step of the Ladder but to beginne at the lowest and so goe to the highest Paul maketh these steps Vocation Iustification Sanctification Glorification Rom. 8. so that if I would come to Glorification the highest step and is in Heaven with God then must I beginne at the lowest step But to prosecute this worthy point farther If I be called of God then am I justified if justified then am I sanctified if sanctified now then shall I be glorified hereafter Paul saith There is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Iesus Yea but who Rom. 8. are those Which walke not after the flesh but after the Spirit So then if I would know whether I be in Christ Iesus or no I must looke how I walke how I tame the flesh and the lusts of it If I finde that God in mercy hath wrought in me a change a hatred of sinne a love of vertue a zeale to his Gospell a care of his Glory a quenching of my lusts and concupiscence then is the conclusion inferred I am in Christ Iesus I am elected Thus wee If no sanctification no assurance of glorification make our election sure to our selves as the Apostle counselleth us Make your election and calling sure by good works it is known to God before the foundations of the World were laid but it is knowne to us by the effect of it so that still our rule holdeth Rom. 8. 2. 2 Pet. 1. 10. If we will know whether wee bee elected to live in Heaven with God we must ever looke how we lead our lives in earth with men Wee must give all diligence joyne vertue godly manners with our Faith and with Vertue Knowledge and with Knowledge 2 Pet. 1. 5 6 7 8. Temperance and with Temperance Patience and with Patience Godlinesse with Godlinesse Brotherly kindnesse and with Brotherly kindnesse Love For if these things be among us and abound they will make that wee shall not bee idle nor unfruitfull in the knewledge of our Lord Iesus Christ If these things bee then are wee happy if God hath changed us from carelesse to careful men and women from drinking riot whoredome prophanenesse to holinesse of life then are wee Gods then Heaven is ours Now live like a Christian among men and ever live like a Saint among the Angels of Heaven But now live in sinne in lusts and pleasures follow the flesh and then rot in the reward of it goe to the Divell and his angels the end of these thing is death I pray you Rom. 6. therefore as you love your life with God another day and assurance of it to your soules in this world Give your bodies a living sacrifice holy and acceptable to God and fashion not your selves according Rom. 12. 1 2. to this World but bee yee changed by the renewing of your minde and whatsoever things are true whatsoever things are honest whatsoever things are just whosoever things are pure whatsoever things pertaine to Phil. 4. 8. love whatsoever things are of good report if there be any vertue or if there bee any praise thinke on these things This desire is the fruit of our life and there is not in the world a better portion This we have chosen and in this we will dwell untill the fulnesse of time that we shall say in our course Nunc dimittis Lord now let thy servant depart in peace These shall assure us that we are the Lords cared Luk. 2. for heere and elected else-where to live with him for ever THE THIRTIETH SERMON VERS XIX These are makers of Sects naturall men having not the Spirit Sectaries cause division in the Church AS before in the former verse he called them Mockers walkâ—ng after their owne ungodly lusts so here he calleth them Sectaries not keeping the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace not remembring that there is Ephes 4. 3 4. but one body one Spirit one faith one God and Father over all which is above all and in us all But these Sectaries set Altar against Altar and cut in sunder Christs seamelesse coate they divide Christ Such were the Corinthians one said I am Pauls another I am Apollos a third I am Cephas a fourth I am Christs Is Christ divided This dividing of Christ 1 Cor. 1. 12. is a signe that men are carnall unregenerate so reasoneth the Apostle Yee are carnall for whereas there is among you envying and 1 Cor. 3. 3 5. strife and divisions are yee not carnall and walke as men Who is Paul And who is Apollos but ministers by whom yee beleeved There was a rough Altar in Ierusalem to note the imperfection of the law and there was but one Altar to note the unity of the Church Well Exod. 27. said Ierome Meum propositum est antiquos legere singula probare tenere Iorome quae bona sunt à fide Ecclesiae Catholicae non recedere My purpose is to
have done vertuously but thou Pro. 31. 29. surmountest them all As Christ commended Iohn Baptist above all Nazarites saying There is no greater Prophet than Iohn among them Luk. 7. 28. that are begotten of women And the Lord Moses above all Prophets So Iude commendeth Faith above al vertues All precious stones Deut. 34. are good yet none like the Topaze all flowres are faire yet none Iob 28. like the Lily most trees bring fruit but none like the Apple-tree Faith purifies our hearts and makes our actions and persons holy of Persia or the Tree of life which bare twelve manner of fruits and gave fruit every moneth Many vertues are excellent and further our salvation yet none like faith Iustice giveth every man his owne temperancy restraineth lusts fortitude beareth Apoc. 22. 2. 1 Iohn 5. 4. all labour and toile prudence guideth our actions but faith overcommeth the world so doe not other vertues faith is like the three 2 Sam. 23. worthies of David who brake thorow the whole host and drew water of the Well of Bethlem Ionathan and his armour-bearer 1 Sam. 19. slew twenty men Shamgar with an Oxe goade slew six hundred Iudg. 3. 31. Iudg. 15. Philistines Samson with the jaw-bone of an Asse slew a thousand men thus these men brake thorow an whole host and faith overcommeth the whole world In this faith Paul insulted over heaven and earth men and Angels I am perswaded saith Paul that neither life nor death nor Angels nor principalities nor powers nor Rom. 8. 38. things present nor things to come nor height nor depth nor any other creature shall bee able to separate me from the Love of God which is in Christ Iesus our Lord. And againe he saith I know whom I have beleeved and I am perswaded that hee is able to keep that which I have committed unto him meaning himselfe against that day It is called Holy yea most Holy for all our works are polluted and receive their holinesse from faith and faith from Christ who is the object of it As the Sunne giveth light to all Planets as salt seasoneth all meates so Faith seasoneth all works for in themselves they are polluted For who can say I have made my heart cleane I am cleane from sinne For as the holy man of god saith Hee found no stedfastnesse Pro. 20. 9. Iob 4. 18 19. in his servants and laid folly upon his Angels how much more in them that dwell in houses of Clay whose foundation is the dust which shall bee destroyed before the moth And againe he maketh this demand and saith What is man that he should be cleane And hee that is borne of a Woman that hee should be just Wee are all as a menstruous cloth Cap. 15. 14. as an uncleane thing we all doe fade like a leafe and our iniquities like the wind haue taken us away only Faith purifieth our hearts To come neerer fidem sanctissimam vocat ratione objecti hee Act. 15. 9. calleth it most holy Faith by reason of the object Deum enim trinum unum respicit it respecteth three and one three in Persons one in Essence Morall vertues they are occupied about humane objects and things created as liberality about giving of good things temperance about meate drinke fleshly lusts leachery c. Fortitude in suffring adversity therefore they cannot be called most holy vertues Againe it is called most holy Faith in respect of the efficient cause thereof that is to say the Holy Ghost For the Holy Ghost bestoweth upon us all good things love joy peace long 1 Cor. 12 Gal. 5. 22. suffering gentlenesse goodnesse Faith meeknesse temperance all these and all the rest are the gifts and graces of the Holy Ghost Now because the Authour is holy his Works his gifts and graces bee holy Nil nisi sanctum à sancto spiritu prodire potest If no holines no Faith Nothing can come from the holy Spirit but that which is holy Aug. Learne here to judge of the works of the elder World their almes their prayer their love what love could there be without faith and what faith could there bee among them without the doctrine of God Faith commeth by hearing and hearing by the Word of God But did they fast often Wee seldome or never Did they Rom. 10. 14. give almes and doe we live unto our selves are our right hands dryed up with Ieroboams Did they pray in the night wee scarce in the day Did they love one another agree together and doe wee sue and sting one another like the Serpents of Sinai O brethren they shall rise in judgement against us as Christ said of the Ninivites Except our righteousnesse our prayers our love exceed theirs wee shall not enter into Heaven our faith is Mat. 11. not most holy no nor holy nay no faith at all And by the way note that hee calleth faith holy not unholy unjust unchaste drunken faith such as the world braggeth of in these dayes the dead faith that Saint Iames inveigheth against so earnestly All lewd men boast of faith but I will say to them as Iames said O stende mihi fidem per opera Shew me thy faith by thy workes shew mee it by thy zeale thy piety thy truth thy chastity thy mercy with our faith let us joyne vertue The Israelites cryed Templum Domini templum Domini the Temple of 2 Pet. 1. 5. the Lord the Temple of the Lord the Pharisees cryed The Baptisme of Iohn the Baptisme of Iohn the Iewes cried We have Abraham to our Father the Scribes cried We have Moses to our Doctor the Ephesians cryed Great is Diana of the Ephesians but Ieremy bade the Israelites amend their wayes and their works Ier. 7. 4. Iohn bade the Pharisees bring forth fruits of Repentance Christ bade the Iewes doe the Workes of Abraham He told the Scribes Luk. 3. 8. Iohn 8. Iohn 5. Ephes 4. 20. that Moses would condemne them and Paul told the Ephesians that they had not so learned Christ and so say we to these men that boast of faith I will reason with them as Ieremy did with the people Will yee steale murder and commit adultery and sweare falsly Ier. 7. 9 10. and burne incense unto Baal and walke after other gods whom yee know not and come and stand before mee in this house whereupon my Name is called even so will we sweare lye raile slander and say that we beleeve Was Gods house a denne for theeves is faith become a cloake for theeves whoremongers lyers swearers usurers Idolaters blasphemers drunkards pot-companions c I say of this faith as Saint Iames said of Wisedome This wisedome descendeth not from above but is earthly sensuall and divelish so Iam. 3. 5. this faith is not from above but is earthly sensuall and divelish For faith sheweth it selfe in good workes and can no more be separated from it
gods may not understand that you like roguish robbing rascals are here sayling Alas wee tumble out our prayers as a Beares whelpe they are like arrowes without heads that cannot pierce like swords without edge that cannot cut they be too blunt to obtaine any thing of God they have no wings to mount up to heaven We aske and receive not because wee aske amisse We do either postulare non postulanda we aske things that Iam. 4. 3. Bern. are not to bee asked or else when wee aske them wee pray not in the holy Ghost Oh that all men knew this that all England had learned that not all prayers but spirituall prayers are accepted of God! but wee are ignorant and will be ignorant still filthy and will bee Apoc. 22. 11. filthy still But let us amend this fault learne at last to pray for prayer is good so that it be a true reflexion of the soule from the feeling of Gods mercies and our owne wants God hath promised us all good things under his hand and seale but yet with a condition so that wee pray truly and aske them as we should The Lord is neere to all them that call upon him yea unto all such as call upon Psal 145. 18. him faithfully For many carry prayer in their mouthes as meÌ„ carry fire in a flint and perfume in a pomander the one without heate the other without smell so they carry prayer without all devotion verball vocall prayers can obtaine nothing of God When yee stretch out your hands I will hide mine eyes from you saith God and though yee make many prayers I will not heare THE THREE AND THIRTIETH SERMON VERS XXI And keep your selves in the Love of God c. Faith prayer and love have mutuall relation FRom faith he came unto prayer froÌ„ prayer he commeth now to love bie est enim aurea catena for this is a goldeÌ„ chaine every linke is one within another these three goe together like the three Angels that came to Lot like the three graces that are Gen. 19. inseparable or like the three Worthies who brake thorow the host of the Philistins Faith begetteth 2 Sam. 23. prayer and prayer strengtheneth the faith and neither of these can stand without love prayer and love be as the two mighty rivers named in Genesis Pishon and Gihon and faith as the garden of Eden out of which they flow or the sea into which they runne and where all of them jointly doe end their course Love is a chiefe a principall vertue Faith and Love the one with God the other with men bee as the roote and the branch as the mother and the daughter as the foundation and pillars of all Christian buildings the end of all is Love the end of the first table the Love of God the end of the second the love of man so saith the Holy Ghost The end of the Commandement is Love out of a pure heart out 1 Tim. 1. 15. of a good conscience and out of a faith not fained Whatsoever precept or commandement is in the Scripture it hath relation to Love For be that loveth another fulfilleth the Law Christianity is where the Rom. 13. Spirit is and where the Spirit is there is Love For God is Love Love the most excellent of all vertues and he that dwelleth in Love dwelleth in God and God in him Austen saith that a man may have baptisme and yet bee wicked prophecy and yet be wicked take the Sacrament of the body and Aug. Hom. 15. bloud of the Lord and yet be wicked be named a Christian and yet bee wicked Habere Sacramenta ista omnia malus esse potest habere autem charitatem malus esse non potest He may have all these Sacraments and yet be wicked but if he have Love hee cannot be wicked Paul reckoning up the fruits of the Spirit he nameth Love first as the Gentleman-Vsher to goe before them all The fruites of the Spirit saith hee is Love joy peace c. For as Manna Gal. 5. 22. Exod. 16. Exod. 3. Iudg. excelled all bread as Aarons rod did eate up the rods of the sorcerers as Gedeons sword passed all the swords of the Madianites so Love passeth all other vertues All our bebts should stand in Love so saith the Apostle Owe nothing to any man but this Rom. 13. 8. that yee love one another Our debts were soone paid and our Executors should bee soone discharged if this were of this debt we can never be discharged so long as we live The journey of Israel was ended in forty yeeres Herods temple was built finished in six forty yeeres Noahs Arke was perfited in an 120. yeeres but this debt is never ended Beloved saith S. Iohn let us love one another for Love commeth of God every one that loveth is borne of God knowith God but hee that loveth not knoweth not God for God is Love S. Peter naming many vertues maketh up the measure and ends in love Ioyne saith he vertue with your faith with vertâ—e knowledge 2 Pet. 1. 5 6 7. with knowledge temperance and with temperance patience and with patience godlinesse and with godlinesse brotherly kindnesse and with brotherly kindnesse Love This vertue above all others is as the hoope or fagot-band that keepeth all close therefore saith the Apostle Above all things put on Love which is the bond of perfection Col. 3. 14. As the Sunne giveth light to all Planets as salt seasoneth all meates as the Moone ruleth over the Sea and all moist bodies as the rod of the Tribe of Levi passed in honour all other tribes so Love passeth all qualities among men Though I spake 1 Cor. 13. 1 2 3. with the tongues of men and Angels and have no love I am as sounding brasse or a tinckling Cymball and though I bad the gift of Prophecy and knew all secrets and all knowledge yea if I had all faith so that I could remove mountaines and had no love it profiteth me nothing and though I feed the poore with all my goods and though I give my body that I be burned and have not Love it profiteth me nothing For this cause hee willeth the Ephesians to follow the truth in Love Moses did wish that Ephes 4. 13. Numb 11. 29. all the Lords people could prophesie and That the Lord would put his Spirit upon them Saint Paul did wish that all men were like himselfe in purity and that all did speake strange languages but rather that 1 Cor. 7. 7. 1 Cor. 14. 5. Aug. they prophesied Saint Augustine wished that all would remember Love and brings this reason Sola est enim quae vincit omnia sine qua nil valent omnia and ubique fuerit trahit ad se omnia For onely Love overcommeth all things and without Love all things Love is every where very cold are nothing
as hee is righteous yea perfect as hee is perfect For wee must bee followers of God as deare children and walke in Love as he loved Ephes 6. us So much for Gods Love towards us And now to speake of our love to God and that the love whereby wee love God is a worke of Gods Love whereby hee loves man Causa diligendi Deum Deus est modus sine modo The Bern cause that wee love God is God himselfe the measure without measure And Saint Iohn saith We loved him because hee loved us first For our love springs out of his as the rivers from the Sea 1 Iohn 4. 19. his Love drawing our hearts to him as the Loadstone doth iron to it or as the Sardius doth wood our love answering to his Love as an Eccho to a mans voice and as one candle doth light another so the consideration of his Love to us doth cause a reflexion of our love to him And there bee many reasons to move us to keep our selves in the Love of God The first is his Commandement Thou shalt Deut. 6. 5. Deut. 10. 12. love the Lord thy God And againe What doth the Lord thy God require of thee but to feare and love him This our Saviour calleth The great Commandement The Commander is great the Object is great the use of the duty is great and their reward is great that take care to doe it and though there were no other reason to move us to love God but his bare Commandement yet were that reason strong enough to bind us the power of a King the authority of a Father the place of a master requireth obedience of a subject child and servant but God is our King our Father and Master and therefore his bare command is sufficient to bind us to love We must love God because he commands it and equity requires it him A second reason to move us to keep our selves in the Love of God is in regard of equity For seeing Almighty God doth love us it is a matter of equity that wee should requite love with love againe For though wee cannot love him as wee ought and as hee loveth us yet must wee love for ours is an ascending his a descending love and love descending is more naturall more fervent and vehement than love ascending as wee see in parents who love their children better then their children love them besides God loved us when wee were his enemies Ephes 2. Aug. Durus est animus qui si dilectionem nolebat impendere nolet rependere His heart is oke not flesh but flint that though hee will not beginne to love yet finding love will shew no love God doth love us out of his Love hee sent his Sonne his onely Sonne the Sonne of his Love into the world to save us hee giveth for us the earely and latter raine and reserveth Ier. 5. for us the appointed weekes of harvest yeerely Hee anointeth our head with oyle and our cuppe runneth over wee should bee Psal 23. 5. very unjust and injurious unto our selves if wee will not love him For all things worke for the best to them that love God Rom. 8. 28. Thirdly Commodity should move us to keepe our selves in the Love of God For first by this Love our faith produceth those good duties which wee owe unto God For faith is as one hand receiving love as the other giving For Faith worketh by Gal. 5. 6. Love And as Augustine saith Our life and all our conversation is named of our love Nec faciunt bonos vel malos mores nisi boni vel mali amores which being good or bad make our manners to bee thereafter such as our love is such is our life an holy Love an holy life an earthly love an earthly life if a mans love bee set on God his life must needs bee good and though this bee certaine That a man is justified by Faith yet this is as certaine that the life of a man is justified by love Rom. 3. Againe by the Love of God wee may know in what estate wee are in Saint Augustine saith Duas Civitates duo faciunt amores Aug. in Psal 64. Hierusalem facit amor Dei Babyloniam amor saeculi Interroget ergo se quisque quid amat inveniet unde sit Civis Two loves make two Citties the Love of God maketh Ierusalem the love of the world Babylon therefore let every man but examine himselfe what hee loves and hee shall see in what estate hee is and to what City hee belongs As a man by looking upon a diall may know the motion of the Sunne in heaven so by looking upon the thing hee loveth hee may know in what estate hee standeth whether hee belong to Babylon or Ierusalem to Hell or Heaven to God or the Divell Againe the Love of God ingenders in us the love of the We must love God because duty requires it godly for God for as hee that loves the Father cannot but love his children and as hee that loves his friend will not misvse his picture so hee that truly loves God will love Gods children which are the lively pictures of God this love is comfortable because it assureth us that wee are Christs disciples and by this wee know that wee are translated from death to Ioh. 13. 1 Iohn 3. 14. life Againe from the Love of God ariseth much grace and goodnesse as much water from one spring Non habet viriditatem ramus boni operis nisi manserit in radice charitatis Good works wither except they bee nourished by this Love As the love of mony is the root and nourisher of all evill so the Love of God is the mother and nurse of all good of all pious offices to God and Christian duties to man To conclude this point the Love of God is as strong as death for as death doth kill the body so our love to God doth mortify our love to the world and dispels rancour wrath malice and as the rising of the Sunne doth chase away the darkenesse of the night so the Love of God doth drive away the inordinate love of worldly vanities and thus yee see the utility of the Love of God 4. Wee ought to keep our selves in the Love of God because hee is our gtacious Father and of his owne good will begate he us through the Word of truth Now if a child must love his father Iam. 1. 18. of whom hee hath received a part of his body how much more ought wee to love God qui animam suam infundendo creavit creando infudit of whom hee hath received his soule and unto whose goodnesse hee stands obliged both for soule and body Hereupon saith Iob Thine hands have made mee and fashioned mee Iob 10. 8 11 11. wholly round about thou hast cloathed mee with skinne and flesh and joined mee with bones and sinewes Thou hast given mee
Ioram fell to idolatry Hilary did beleeve the Church rather hidde for hee could not see it flourishing and he said that the mountaines the woods the prisons and the whirlepooles were safer than the temples for these are his owne words Montes lucus carceres voragines sunt tutiores quà m templa Arrianisme so prevailed at that time Hierome said Ingemuit totus mundus Arrianum se esse miratus est That 〈◊〉 the whole world wept and wondred that it was become an Arrian Peters little ship was now indangered the windes tost her the waves beat her on the sides little hope but was at the point of sinking but at the last the Lord did arise commanded the winds and the tempest ceased and a calme succeeded and all the Bishops which were exiled were called home againe then Aegypt received his Athanasius triumphing then France embraced Hilary returning from warre then was Antioch gladde at the returne of Chrysostome and Italy threw off her mourning garments at the returne of Eusebius I know that Canus calleth these speeches hyperbolicall of Hilary and Hierome but that is but his hyperbolicall lye This is the common Inne wherein the Papists lodge most of our objections but I reason thus Eadem est ratio totius quae est singulornus membrorum At singula membra possunt cadere Ergo totum corpus The same reason is of the whole which is of every particular member But every particular member may fall The Pope may erre Therefore the whole body The epistles of the Bishops were corrected by Councels provinciall and the Provinciall Councels by the generall and the former generall Councels by those that came afterward saith Augustine Ecclesiam Dei finaliter errare nego that the Church of Aug. lib. 2. de Baptism 1. Iohn 3. God can finally erre I deny for hee that is of God sinneth not and Christ telleth us that there shall arise false Christs and false prophets and shall shew great signes and wonders so that if it were possible they should deceive the very elect if it were possible but unpossible that they should finally be deceived Here the great question is decided Num Papa potest in fide deficere whether the Pope can faile in faith because hee is the whole Church Virtualiter To this wee object Pope Iohn the 22. That hee erred because hee affirmed and held that the soules of the righteous did not see God till the day of judgement which heresy of his was condemned at Paris with the blast of trumpers and we say that Câ—lestine erred when hee held that marriage was dissolved if either of them meaning the man or wife fell into heresy and Gregory when writing to Augustine of Canterbury he said that the husband might marry another wife Si mulier non possit debitum maâ—iâ—o reddere Saint Ambrose in a certaine Sermon of his dicit Petrum fidem sum perdidisse saith Ambr. ser 47. that Saint Peter lost his faith If Peter failed certenly his successors may faile To these Canus answereth that Iohn the 22. and the rest erred personally not judicially to Ambrose his speech hee saith Fides capitur pro fidelitate that faith is there taken for fidelity illam ergo non fidem amisit it was that hee lost namely his fidelity not his faith and he further addeth Papam haeredem esse Petri privilegiorum non culparum that the Pope was the heire of Peters priviledges not of his offences To conclude with Canus all come to this point Bishops Fathers Councels The Popes Legates in Councels may erre for Christ prayed not for Peters Legates but for Peter himselfe quoth the Cardinall of Ture Immo Papam errare posse sed moribus yea the Pope may erre but yet in manners not in faith yea the Pope may erre in faith personaliter non judicialiter personally not judicially quoad factum non quoad fidem as touching facts not as touching faith as Sixtus 4. which taught Catherinam Senensem stigmata non habuisse where hee erred as touching the history not as touching faith and they all affirme that the Pope may erre in his gallery not in his Consistory which is a monstrous answere as though Christ had prayed for the place the walles not for the person as if faith were in the walles not in the heart But if the Pope dye in an heresy though never holden in his Consistory as Iohn the two and twentieth did let them tell mee in what state hee dieth Corde creditur ad justitiam With Rom. 10. the heart man beleeveth unto righteousnesse shall they give The Papists distinctions how the Pope may erre and not erre nice and frivolous us such drosse for gold such chaffe for corne suth lees for wine Shall they build such stubble upon the foundation Ignis probabit the fire shall trie it Let God and man judge of this answere 1 Cor. 3. THE NINE AND THIRTIETH SERMON VERS XXIIII And to present you faultlesse before the presence of his glory with ioy Wee must bee presented blamelesse before God THis is the second thing hee prayeth for as touching this life that God shall present them faultlesse Wee shall bee pure and perfect without fault without spot or wrinkle Nam nil Apot. 21. 27. immundum intrabit c. No uncleane thing shall passe thorow the gates of the new Ierusalem To this end God hath elected us before the foundation of the World That wee should bee holy Ephes 1. 4. and without blame before him in love Hitherto tendeth Pauls prayer Now the very God of Peace sanctifie you throughout and I pray God that your whole spirit soule and body 1 Thess 5. 23. may bee kept blamelesse untill the comming of our Lord Iesus Christ Wee are said to be faultlesse blamelesse and without spot not that wee are without sinne but because God imputes not our sinnes unto us So Saint Paul would have a Bishop sine crimine without fault non dicit sine peccate hee doth not say without sinne for no man is sine peccato without fault though many be sine crimine without offensive fault and yet sine peccate sumus wee are without sinne without fault quia non imputatur nothis because it is not imputed to us Whereupon David Blessed is Psal 32. 2. the man to whom the Lord imputeth not sinne If therefore the Papists should cry all the day long and all their life long Beatus qui Wee are righteous by imputation of Christs righteousnesse timet Deum Blessed is he that feareth God Beatus qui miseretur pauperibus Blessed is hee that considereth the poore and needie Beatus qui operatur justitiam Blessed is he that worketh righteousnesse Beatus qui loquitur verè Blessed is he that speaketh truly for Psal 112. 1. Psal 42. 1. Psal 119. Esa 33. 15. he shall dwell on high his defence shal be the munitions of the rockes bread shall bee given him
So Christ doth regenerate and sanctifie us by the vertue of his Spirit quo homo Deus est as he is man and God not as he is man alone or as he is God alone and yet he doth not transferre his essence into us and therefore Osiander is much deceived The place of Paul quoted by him helpeth him nothing for we are the righteousnesse 2 Cor. 5. 21. of Christ ut ille fuit peccatum pro nobis as he was sinne for us but sinne was not really in Christ no more is Christs righteousnesse really in us but onely imputatively faith as the hand applyeth it unto us and flyeth into heaven and there maketh us partakers of his Sanctity Our faith wrastleth with God in heaven our charity wrastleth with men here below on earth both of them are exercised neither idle nor unfruitfull and therefore the Apostle joyneth Faith in Christ and love toward Col. 1. 4. all Saints together O Brethren how many bee there that can tell a smooth tale of Christ and yet cannot speak one wise word of Iustification and Sanctification and yet Peter requireth it of all Hence am I to derive an exhortation to all men to holinesse and sanctification seeing that Rahabs house was knowne by a Ios ◠Iudg. 11. Mat. 26. 2 Reg. 9. red thread and the Ephramites by lisping and Peter by speaking and Iehu by driving his Chariot So Christians are knowne by sanctification Every child of God is sanctified Secundum plus aut minus either more or lesse But first let me speake of the diverse acceptions of the word ne inpingamus ubi non est lapis lest we stumble where there is no stone 1. It is taken for that which is pure and perfect and cleane Levit. 19. 2. So God alone is said to be holy 2. It is taken for that which is lawfull as 1 Cor. 7. 14. The unbeleeving husband is sanctified by the wife and the unbeleeving wife is sanctified by the Husband else were your children uncleane but now they are holy 3. For that which is separated and set apart from common uses and reserved to sacred and holy uses Thus in the Law those things were called holy and sanctified which were taken from the common use of the people and set apart for the use and service of God as the Oyle Shew bread first fruits vessels of the Tabernacle In this sense the Priests were called holy because they were separate from the common life of men to serve in the Tabernacle Thus the people of Israel separated from the rest of the Nations were called by Moses a sanctified people to the Lord and by Ieremy a thing hallowed to the Lord. 4. For that which is consecrated to a godly and holy use Wee must bee holy because God is holy In which respect it is opposite to prophanenesse So the Temple was holy Ieremy was sanctified that is consecrated to be a Prophet So Christ sanctified himselfe that is dedicated himselfe to be a sacrifice for the sinnes of the world 5. It is taken for purity of body and minde as 2 Cor. 7. 5. So it is taken here And that wee should bee holy that is pure both in body and in minde it is the will and commandement of God Would you know his will and doe it that thou maist enter into heaven For not every one that saith Lord Lord shall enter into heaven but hee that doth the will of my Father which is in heaven then be holy For Mat. 7. 21. this is the will of God even your holinesse 1 Thes 4. 3. There be many reasons to move us to Sanctification to Holinesse whereof one is often used drawne from the person of God our Father that children must resemble their Father else are they Bastards rather than sonnes So reasoneth God Ye shall be holy for I the Lord your God am holy repeated by Peter As hee Levit. 19. 2. which hath called you is holy so be ye holy in all manner of conversation because it is written Be ye holy for I am holy All that is in God our Father is holy all that pertaineth to Gods name is holy Holy is his name His person is holy Hereupon the Seraphins cryed Luke 1. 49. one unto another and said Holy holy holy is the Lord of Hosts the whole world is full of his glory his workes are holy So saith David Esay 6. 3. The Lord is righteous in all his wayes and holy in all his Workes His Iudgements are holy O my God saith the Prophet in his distresse Psal 45. 17. I cryed by day but thou hearest not and by night but have no audience but thou art holy c. His Temple or House is holy so Psal 22. 1 2. saith Paul The Temple of God is holy which ye are His Mountaine is holy and therfore called A holy Mountaine His Kingdome is 1 Cor. 3. 17. holy for no uncleane thing shall enter his Kingdome neither whatsoever Psal 15. worketh abomination or lyes Therefore we must be holy if wee Apoc. 21. 27. looke to live with God Extra sunt Canes without bee dogges prophane and polluted persons Apoc. 22. 15. The same reason holdeth for holinesse that doth for mercy clemency love meeknesse and all other attributes of the Lord. Let mee reason as the Scripture reasoneth God is mercifull therefore wee must bee mercifull God forgiveth his enemies therefore we must forgive So reasoneth Christ himselfe Love your enemies blesse them that curse you doe good to them that hate you and pray for them that hurt you and persecute you that you may bee the Children of your Father which is in Heaven God is love therefore we must love So reasoneth Saint Iohn Beloved let us love one another 1 Iohn 4. 7 8. for love commeth of God and every one that loveth is born of God and knoweth God he that loveth not knoweth not God for God is love God is meek therfore we must be meek Learn of me saith Christ for I am meek c. So God is holy therefore we must be holy Mat. 11. 29. Another reason is taken from the end of our Redemption urged Holinesse the end of our Redemption without it wee shall not see God by the Apostle saying The grace of God that bringeth salvation to all men hath appeared and teacheth us that we should deny ungodlinesse and worldly lusts and that wee should live soberly righteously and holily in this present world Hath Christ sweat water and blood hath his heart beene molten like waxe his strength dryed up Tit. 2. 11 12. Psal 22. 14 15. like a potsheard hath his tongue cloven to his iawes and brought to the dust of the earth that wee should be wantons O caecas hominum mentes O pectora caeca nati sumus è silice nutriti lacte ferino O blinde mindes of men O blind hearts wee are borne of a flint-stone and nourished
of the World to them all Venite benedicti come yee blessed of my Father inherit the kingdome Mat. 25. 34. prepared for you and therefore as the Hart desireth the water-brookes so long their Soules after God their Soules after God yea after the living God and they cry day and night Come Lord Jesus come quickely Thou which art our Lord by right of creation by right of redemption by right of gubernation Apoc. 22. by right of preservation Come come away quickely and crown us with glory receive us into thy kingdome where is Gaudium sine fine sine metu finis Ioy without end without feare of end Thus much of the Persons saluted their vocation sanctification and reservation to Iesus Christ THE FOVRTH SERMON VERS II. Mercie unto you and Peace and Love c. Mercy Peace and Love from Father Sonne holy Ghost I Am now come to the Salutation wherein the Apostle wisheth and prayeth for three things 1 Mercy 2 Peace 3 Love Three things more excellent than Mat. 2. the three gifts which the Wisemen bestowed on Christ Gold Frankincense 2 Sam. 23. and Myrrh three things more puissant to overthrow the Divell than the three mighty men that were in the hoast of Israel to overthrow the Philistines and to fetch water out of the well of Bethelem that David longed for three things more comely than the three things that Salomon commended that is a Lion Prov. 30. among beasts a Gray-hound and a Goat Mercy which is the first thing here wished for is ascribed to God the Creator Peace which is the second to Christ the 2 Cor. 1. 3. Ephes 2. 14. Rom. 5. 5. Reconciler Love which is the third to the holy Ghost the Comforter For God hee is called The Father of Mercies Christ is called Our Peace and the holy Ghost Love The Apostle therefore in saying Mercy Peace and Love be multiplied is as if he should have said The God of Mercy forgive you your sinnes the God of Peace give you Peace that passeth all understanding and the God of Love grant that your Love may abound more and more that yee may bee rooted and grounded in Love And yet all this proceedeth from one and the same person Generall and speciall Mercies of God for albeit Mercy be ascribed to the Father Peace to the Sonne and Love to the holy Ghost Creation to the Father Redemption to the Sonne and Sanctification to the holy Ghost yet all these create redeeme and sanctifie For wee worship one God in Trinity and Trinity in Vnity wee confound neither the persons nor yet their worke Mercie be unto you Mercy in God is not passive but active Non quoad affectum sed quoad effectum No suffering with us in our wants but succouring us in them Mercy is here taken for grace and the meere favour of God The Apostle therefore in wishing Mercy Peace and Love to the Saints teacheth us Quales esse debent Christianorum salutationes nos literis nostris epistolis honorem opulentiam salutem longam vitam amicis optamus Iudas verò misericordiam pacem charitatem dona coelestia his tribus Ecclesia opus est aliter actum esset And first hee beginneth with Mercie For instead of Grace used by the Apostle Paul in sundry of his Epistles Iude heere nameth Mercy which is all one Mercy and Grace is that whereby all good is conveyed to us therefore an excellent blessing to bee prayed for and this Grace and Mercy of God is fourefold 1 Generall 2 Speciall 3 Temporall 4 Eternall The generall Grace and Mercy of God are those graces and mercies that hee bestoweth upon all men Hence is it that hee causeth the Sun to shine upon good and bad and his Raine to fall upon the just and unjust For there bee some good things which God giveth indifferently both to the good bad as Riches Honour Strength Beautie Health c. And there be some good things which God giveth onely to the good and not to the wicked as saving Faith saving Grace a new Heart a right Spirit peace of Conscience joy in the holy Ghost eternall Life And there are some evill things whereof the good taste as well as the bad as Sickenesse Sorrow Weakenesse of body Imprisonment Famine Sword losse of Friends c. And there are some evill things which God layeth upon the wicked and not upon the good as intolerable horror of conscience desperation Psal 104. 17 18. damnation c. This generall Grace and Mercy of God is over all his cratures the Fowles of the Aire the Fishes in the Psal 145. 9. Sea the beasts of the Fields His Mercie is over all his Workes His speciall Mercy is that whereby hee succoureth his elect This was the Mercy of God that preserved Lot from the burning of Sodome Daniel from the devouring jawes of the hungrie Gen. 19. Lions David from the cruelty of Saul and the Israelites Dan. 6. from the firy Furnace This is that Grace and Mercy which the child of God above all things desireth Lord lift thou up Psal 4. the light of thy countenance upon us His temporall Mercie is that whereby hee spareth sinners and standeth at their doores expecting and waiting their conversion Temporall and eternall Mercies Hereupon one descanteth very finely saying When vaine pleasure biddeth us to sell God and be gone his Mercy and Grace will not so part with us when we are lost in our selves his Mercy and Grace findeth us out when wee lye long in our sinnes his Mercy and Grace raiseth us up when wee come unto him his Mercy and Grace receiveth us when wee come not his Mercy and Grace draweth us when we repent his Mercy and Grace pardoneth us when wee repent not his Mercy and Grace waiteth our repentance The eternall Mercy and Grace of God is that which concerneth our everlasting Salvation this is that Mercy and Grace principally wished for By Grace wee are saved through Faith not of Ephes 2. our selves for it is the gift of God This word Mercy or Grace teacheth us to looke up unto God not unto our selves if wee looke to bee saved wee choose not the Lord but he us Vt salus esset penes figulum non penes lutum Aug. Paul ascriberh all to Grace and Mercy By the Grace of God saith hee I am that I am and his Grace which is in me was not in vaine and thus he taught the Romanes At this present there is a remnant through the election of Grace and if it bee of Grace it is no more of Workes or Rom. 11. 5 6. else Grace were no more Grace but if it bee of Workes it is no more Grace or else were worke no more worke an invincible Argument Peter letteth the Iewes see Terminum a quo terminum ad quem pervenerunt their state under the Law and under Grace Hee hath called you saith
of their cruell affections are called by the name of beasts but Christ by his Spirit shal so reforme them and work in them such mutuall peace and unity that they shall bee as Lambes favouring and loving one another and cast away all their cruell affections And againe the Prophet speaking of the Kingdome of Christ saith They shall breake their swords into mattocks and their speares into sithes Nation shall not lift up a sword against Nation neither Mich. 4. 3 4. shall they learne to fight any more but they shall sit every man under his Peace both good and pleasant Vine and under his Fig-tree and none shall make them afraid meaning that peace and unity shall flourish among them and division and dissention shall be utterly banished Our God is the God of peace the Divell on the contrary is Heb. 13. 20. the Author of all dissention it was he that caused division between Abimelech and the men of Sichem Hee was a murtherer Ind. 9. 23. from the beginning But God is the Author of peace Litigiosi Iohn 6. 44. ergo non sunt ex Deo Contentious persons therefore are not of God For God is not the author of confusion but of peace Peace is one fruit of the Spirit so saith the Apostle The fruits of the Spirit 1 Cor. 14. 33. are love joy peace c. but no peace no Spirit of God Paul is not earnester in any thing than in moving men to imbrace peace Writing to the Philippians he saith thus If there be any Phil. 2. 1 2. consolation in Christ if any comfort of Love if any fellowship of the Spirit if any compassion and mercy fulfill my joy that ye be like minded having the same love being of one accord and of one judgement that nothing bee done through contention or vaine-glory c. And againe I pray Phil. 4. 2. Evodias and beseech Syntiches that they bee of one accord in the Lord. This was Christs Ave and Vale ever Peace I leave with you my peace I give unto you Dulce nomen pacis res ipsa tum jucunda tum salutaris the very name of peace is sweet and comfortable the fruit and effect thereof pleasant and profitable Innumeris potior triumphis more to bee desired than innumerable Triumphes This blessed peace is the language of heaven the Angels brought it from heaven Glory in the highest heavens to God in earth peace towards Luke 2. men good will This is the Legacy which Christ bequeathed to his Disciples Pacem meam do vobis My peace I give unto Iohn 20. 19. you this was the usuall salutation of the Iewes Shenim Vbenim peace be unto you this is one of those speciall blessings which all the Apostles in all their salutations pray for Grace bee with you and peace this David commendeth O quà m bonum quà m Gal. 1. 9. jucundum O how good and pleasant a thing it is for Brethren to dwell together in unity it is not bonum non jucundum good Psal 133. 1. and not pleasant or jucundum non bonum pleasant and not good but bonum jucundum good and pleasant There bee some things that be bona sed non jucunda good and not pleasant as patience and discipline some things be jucunda sed non bona pleasant but not good as voluptuousnesse carnall pleasure some things are nec bona nec jucunda neither good nor pleasant as envie worldly sorrow c. and there be some things bona iucunda which are both good and pleasant as peace honesty charity This peace Christ commendeth to his Disciples Have salt in your selves and have peace one with another this was a Mar. 13. peece of the blessing which God taught the high Priest that God would grant them his peace When GOD would have a Numb 6. 6. Temple builded for his worship he would not have it in Davids 2 Sam. 7. 5. time because it was troublesome and full of Warre but in the Contention cause of Destruction dayes of Salomon who is interpreted Rex pacis the King of Peace When Christ came into the World it was in the dayes of Augustus when the whole World was at Peace and Christ is the corner Luke 2. stone making peace among men Tale bonum est bonum pacis Aug. ut in rebus creatis nihil gratiosius soleat audiri nihil delectabilius concupisci nihil utilius possideri such and so great a good is the good of Peace that among al the things created nothing is heard of more acceptable nothing desired which is more delectable nothing possessed more profitable Peace is the sweetest harmony that ever sounded the strongest bond that ever united politicall bodies together the chiefest prop pillar preservative of common wealths Cum alii sunt pacem recipientes alii retinentes alii facientes when some embrace Peace others retaine it others make it Let us therefore Brethren Bee diligent to keepe the unity of the Ephes 4. 3 4 5. spirit in the bond of peace being one body and one spirit even as wee are called into one hope of our calling For there is but one Faith one Baptisme one God and Father over all which is above all through all and in us all For contention breedeth division and division is the mother of destruction here and ever hereafter here it impoverisheth us so saith the Apostle If yee barke one at another and bite one another yee shall at last bee devoured one of another the end of Gal. 5. 15. barking is biting the end of contention is consumption the end of dissention destruction This Christ layeth out by two similitudes saying Every Kingdome divided against it selfe shall be Mat. 12. 25. brought to nought and every Citie or House divided against it selfe cannot stand hereafter it damneth us For unto them that are contentious and disobey the truth and obey unrighteousnesse shall bee Indignation and Wrath Tribulation and Anguish c. Herein the Divels are wiser than Men Est Daemonum legio concors there is an agreement among Aug. the Divels In Mary Magdalen of seven in another of a whole leagion and Christ saith That if Sathan cast out Sathan hee is divided against himselfe and how shall his Kingdome indure The Divels Mat. 12. 26. Luke 11. 15. agree in mischiefe and they all obey one head to do a mischiefe Conyes are but small things yet joyning together they overthrow the Isles of Anaph Maiorica and Minorica The Cranes are not great but being conjoyned they beate the Pigmae Herrings are but little yet their forces being put together overturne a great ship Gnats are but small creatures yet many being united together drave backe Iulian the Apostata Rats are not great yet many of them together devoured Hatto of Moguncia Hist. tripart Our bodies stand of foure contrary Elements Fire Water Ayre Earth but because they are
No peace to the wicked in which we fall from the Lord of life One day in thy Courts saith David is better than a thousand other where I had rather be a doore keeper in the house of my God than to dwell in the tabernacles of wickednesse Sed impiis non est pax there is no peace unto the wicked their hearts never rest they are never quiet their sinne lyeth at the doores Esa 57. 20. Gen. 4. 7. alwayes dogging them and ever ready to pull out the very throat of their soules As good men have the first fruits of the Spirit and certaine tastes of heavenly joyes in this life So on the contrarie the wicked have certaine flashings of hell-flames on earth and are as the sea which alwayes rageth and never resteth And as the good man when he dyeth bequeatheth his body which is earthly to the earth and sinnes which are divellish unto the Divell and his goods that are worldly to the world and his soule that is heavenly to heaven So the wicked when he dyeth bequeatheth his goods to the world his body to the earth his soule to the Divell But some will say The wicked are merry and quiet none so merrry as they they sing like birds in May like Nightingales in a cleare night I must distinguish and say that some wicked are blockish and senselesse like swine their consciences are seared like dead flesh Mat. 7. 6. 1 Tim. 4. 2. others are desperate having an hell in their conscience trembling like Agag but yet both states damnable For is the fish that skippeth in the net or the bird that singeth in the snare or the prisoner that is merry in the iayle in any good case No 1 Sam. 13. 1 Thes 5. 3. Esa 9. 6. Ephes 2. 17. no Even so is it with the wicked when They crie peace peace sudden destruction shall come upon them as upon a Woman in travell But there is peace to the godly Peace shall come they shall rest in their beds c. Christ is their peace Pacem Evangelizavit iis qui prope iis qui procul he preached peace unto them that are neare and unto them that are afarre off To this end he died rose againe ascended into heaven the first was the lowest step of his humiliation in earth the second the highest steppe of his exaltation in earth the third the highest steppe of his glorification in heaven In the first he suffered in the second he conquered in the third he triumphed the first tooke away sinne and destroyed death and him that had the Lordship of Death The second brought Righteousnesse for he rose againe for our justification The third Heb. 2. 14. Rom. 4. 25. bringeth glory and all to this end to make peace between God and man Thirdly peace is taken for prosperitie and happy successe of all things as in the Psalme O pray for the peace of Ierusalem they shall Psal 122. 6. prosper that love thee peace be within thy walls and plenteousnesse be within thy palaces Peace and plentie are here Synonymies the one openeth the other he prayeth for plentifull peace or peaceable plentie God hath promised his Church this peace saying The Lord shall make thee plenteous in goods in the fruit of thy body in the Prosperitie is termed peace fruit of thy cattell in the fruite of thy ground the Lord shall open unto thee his good treasure even the Heaven to give raine unto thy land in due season and to blesse all the workes of thy hands thou shalt lend to many Deuter. 28. 11 12 13. nations and not borrow thy selfe The Lord shall make thee the head and not the taile thou shalt be above only not beneath c. Iacob blessing Iudas saith That he shall bind his Asse fole to the Vine his Asses colt to the best Vine he shall wash his garments in wine his Cloake with the Gen. 49. 11 12. blood of the grape that is he shall have all prosperitie and this prosperitie Iude wisheth unto them saying peace be multiplied upon you Esay prophecied of the wealth and abundance of the Church saying Thou shalt sucke the milke of the Gentiles and shalt Esa 60. 16 17. sucke the brests of Kings and thou shalt know that I the Lord am thy Saviour and thy redeemer the mightie one of Iacob For brasse I will bring gold and for Iron I will bring thee silver and for stones Iron I will also make thy government peace and thine exactors righteousnesse violence shall no more be heard in thee neither desolation nor destruction c. And God wisheth that his Church had hearkened to his commandements Then had thy prosperitie beene as the Flood and thy righteousnesse as the Waves of the Sea In six evils God would have delivered Esa 48. 18. Iob. 5. Psal 65. 11. Mal. 3. Iob. 1. Gen. 26. 1 Reg. 10. 27. it the clouds shall droppe fatnesse upon it God would open the windowes of heauen and powre downe a blessing with plenteousnesse God hath inriched the members of his Church in all ages as Iob in Huz Isaac in Gerar Salomon in Israel who had silver as stones Yea this peace and plentie is proper and peculiar to the Church onely to the godly the wicked have no right nor interest in the blessings of the earth For the elects sake God made Gen. 1. 1 Tim. 4. 8. Iohn 3. Mar. 13. Apo. 6. Rom. 8. the world For them he enriched it for them he redeemed it for their sakes he preserveth it for their sakes hee deferreth his comming to judge this world That the wicked enjoy ayre fire water let them thanke the godly who are coheires with Christ in all things the wicked are usurpers intruders into all Gods blessings they have no right to any furrow or foot of land The faithfull only are coheires with Christ in whose right they are invested into all the benefits of this life Thou art no more a servant but a Sonne saith Paul now if thou be a Sonne those art also the heyre of Gal. 4. 7. God through Christ As a bastard hath no inheritance among the legitimate Children So the wicked as bastards have no inheritance among the faithfull They may say of God and heaven as the tenne Tribes said of David and his Kingdome What portion have we in David we have no inheritance in the Sonne of Ishai So they have no portion in heaven no inheritance in the Sonne of God Christ Iesus they are Aliens from the commonwealth of Israel strangers from the Covenant and promise But the godly have right and interest in earth and heaven also In their elder brother Christ Iesus heaven is theirs heaven and earth is theirs land and sea are theirs yea all theirs men and Angels are subject unto them Prosperitie oft hurt to the Church All things are ours saith the Apostle whether it be Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the World
Soule wee shall be glorified and when as wee shall sing the songs of triumph such as none can understand save the hundred and forty foure thousand which are Apoc. 14. 3. brought from the Earth Let us therefore pray for grace to increase in us and say with Augustine Si quando steti per Dominum steti si quando cecidi per me cecidi c. If at any time I stood I stood by the Lord if at any time I fell I fell of my selfe his Grace did prevent me saving me from evils past preserving me from evils present and defending me from evils to come But I will follow this point no further but as Iude prayed that Mercy Grace and Love might be multiplied So shall I pray Mercy Peace and Love bee unto you Mercie from God the Father the Father of Mercies Peace from God the Sonne the Prince of Peace Love from God the holy Ghost the Love of the Father and the Sonne Mercy unto you releasing your sinnes Peace unto you quieting your consciences Love unto you joyning you to God and one unto another Now the very God of Mercy Peace and Love give you Mercy Peace and Love Amen THE SIXTH SERMON VERS III. Beloved when I gave c. Faith and Gods worship must be maintained HAving spoken of the Title or Inscription of this Epistle I am now come unto the second part thereof namely the Proposition which is a stirring of them up to maintaine the Faith worship and religion of God which was now at an ebbe like the Sea and eclipsed like the Sunne with false Apostles had shaken her leaves like a tree in winter Where note two things 1 That they must labour for Faith 2 The reasons why they must so labour The Reasons be three The first taken from the person of the Apostle The second from the person of God The third from the person of the Adversaries From the person of the Apostle three wayes From 1 His love 2 His paines 3 His mildnesse The second reason is taken from the person of God in that he gave this Faith where note three things The necessitie and excellencie of Faith That it is 1 His gift 2 Once given 3 Given to the Saints The last reason is taken from the Adversarie where note two things 1 The qualities 2 The end of the Adversarie But first for Faith all men must labour for it that they may say on their death-beds with Paul I have fought a good fight I 2 Tim. 7 8. have finished my course I have kept the faith from hence-forth there is laid up for me a Crowne of righteousnesse which the Lord the righteous Iudge will give me at that day and not to me onely but unto them also that love his appearing None can speake of a Crowne of glorie but he that can say that he hath kept the Faith For without Faith it is impossible to please God Wilt thou please God as Enoch did and Hebr. 11. 6. not grieve God like Israel then get faith Quod enim non est a fide peccatum est whatsoever is not of faith is sinne Paul describing 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Christiani the armour of a Christian compareth faith unto a shield all armour is necessarie but specially a shield Therefore saith the Apostle Above all things take the shield of faith Ephes 6. 17. wherewith we shall bee able to 〈◊〉 all â—he 〈…〉 of the wicked Where note that the Apostle contenteth not himselfe with a bare exhortation to stirre us up to labour for faith but with weighty reasons presseth his exhortation before and behind before comparatively preferring it before all other graces Above all behind simply declaring the vertue and efficacie of it Wherby yee shall bee able to quench c. By the first hee maketh way to his exhortation by the last he knocketh it downe fast even to the head as wee use for to say And the Apostle writing to Timothie willeth him to get faith 1 Tim. 1. 19. and a good conscience naming two fearefull examples One of Hymenaeus another of Alexander who had made shipwracke of faith and a good conscience And therefore Paul delivereth them up to Satan That they might learne not to blaspheme that is he did excommunicate them Faith is the vertue of all vertues As all rivers runne into the Sea so all vertues come of faith It giveth light to all vertues as the Sunne doth to all planets therefore the Apostle is so prolix in it Faith maketh us the sonnes of God else are we bastards illegitimate So many as received him to them gave he power to be the Hebr. 11. 4 5. Iohn 1. 12. Epist ad Adimanth Gen. 26. 2 Tim. 1 Cor. 4. 15. Gal. 4. Sonnes of God even to them that beleeve in his name Augustine distinguisheth of Sonnes that they are threefold sonnes by Nature so Esau was the sonne of Isaak sonnes by doctrine or imitation so Timothie was Pauls sonne so he begat the Corinths so hee travelled of Galatia Lastly sonnes by inspiration or faith so are we the sonnes of God Christ is the naturall wee the adopted sonnes of the Almightie The third is best for well is hee that hath God to his Father for the Sonne abideth in the house for Faith must be striven and laboured for ever Faith is the life of the soule as the soule is the life of the body Quod carni esca hoc animae fides what food is to the flesh the same is Faith to the soule quod cibus corpori hoc verbum spiritui what meat is to the body the same is the word to the Spirit Iohn 8. 35. To stirre us up to strive for this Faith the Holy Ghost adorneth it with many Epithetes he calleth it Rich faith 1 Pet. 1. Holy faith Iude vers 20. strong faith 1 pet 5. 8. a saving faith Ephes 2. 8. a pure faith Act. 15. 9. a precious faith 1 Pet. 1. 7. If their we regard riches strength holinesse salvation puritie let us maintaine Faith which hath all graces in it as Paradise had all fruites in it as Lapis Indicus hath all cures in it And note that they must contend strive for faith for all they are accursed that doe the worke of the Lord negligently and all Ier. 48. they shall be spued out of Gods mouth who are key-cold luke-warme and not fervent in the faith Most men therefore shall Apoc. 3. 15. goe unto the Divell and be vomited out of Gods mouth for they are Tepidi in Fide they care not what become of faith and religion so they may prosper in the world they say unto God Ioh 21. 14 15. Depart from us for we desire not the knowledge of thy wayes Who is the Almightie that we should serve him and what profit shall we have if we should pray unto him they say with Alexander Borgia Da mihi divitias caetera tolle tibi fidem spem charitatem
with an high hand an hard heart and a whorish forehead such are idolaters blasphemers drunkards usurers adulterers robbers which say yet once more will I doe this or that sinne once more will I dallie one cup more will I have for God say they is patient and long suffering thus sin toucheth sinne but God will whet his sword and bend his bow and Psal 7. 11 12. then yee know what followes the blacke arrowes and instruments of death Paul sheweth a better end of grace than wantonnesse hee saith The grace of God that bringeth salvation to all men hath appeared Tit. 2. 11 12. and teacheth us to deny impietie and wicked worldly desires and to live soberly righteously and godly in this present world The goodnesse of God leadeth us to repentance honor health wealth long Rom. 2. 4. life taketh thee by the hand and leadeth thee to repentance as the Angell led Ezechiel into the Sanctuarie Noli peccare spe nam Bern. paenam dabis re sinne not in hope for thou shalt smart for it indeed It is as great a sinne to presume of grace and mercy as to despaire of grace and mercie for they that despaire may be raised up but such as presume are seldome saved He that heareth Deut. 29. 19. 20 21. the Words of this curse and blesseth himselfe in his heart saying I shall have peace although I walke in the stubbornesse of my heart thus adding drunkennesse to thirst The Lord will not be mercifull unto him but then the wrath of the Lord and his iealousie shall smoake against that man and every curse that is written in this booke shall light upon him and the Lord shall put out his name from under Heaven Therefore Paul in all his writings when he handleth the doctrine of grace and mercie he handleth it very warily as a man handleth gunpowder or quicke-silver lest they should turne it into wantonnesse As 1 Tim. 4. 10. We trust in the living God which is the Saviour of all men 1 Tim. 4. 10. Rom. 8. 1. especially of those that beleeve And Rom. 8. 1. Now there is no condemnation to them that are in Cerist Iesus which walke not after the flesh but after the spirit And Gal. 5. 24. They that are Christs have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts And 1 Pet. 2. 9. Yee are a chosen generation Gal. 5. 24. a royall priesthood an holy nation that yee should shew forth the vertues of him that hath called you out of darkenesse into his marveilous light God is a Saviour of all that is of all beleevers there is no condemnation so that we walke in the spirit we are Christs if we crucifie the flesh a royall priesthood if we shew forth the vertues of him that hath made us Kings and Priests Other wisdome hath no portion of the Spirit of God we have neither part nor fellowship in Iesus Christ Sumus in felle nequitiae wee are in gall of bitternesse Let us not then turne the grace of God into wantonnesse as Gods benefits and bounty oft make licentious and impious many do for the better God dealeth with them the worse they deale with him turning grace into wantonnesse and Christian libertie into carnall licentiousnesse not regarding the Apostles Counsell Brethren yee have beene called into libertie only use not your libertie as an occasion unto the flesh but by Love serve yee one another Gal. 5. 13. If God give us an inch wee take an ell and abuse his goodnesse God dealeth with us as a nurse doth with her Child he nourisheth and bringeth us up but wee deale with him as the Asses foale with her damme when she hath sucked her damme shee kicketh with her heele as the swallow doth with men she harboureth with us all summer and in winter departeth and leaveth nothing but dirt behind her Thus Moses complained of Israel Doe yee so reward the Lord O yee folish people and unwise Is not he thy father that hath bought thee he hath made thee and proportioned thee So Deut. 32. 6. Esau complaineth of Iuda I have nourished and brought up children but they have rebelled against me The oxe knoweth his owner and the Esa 1. 3. Asse his masters cribbe but Israel hath not knowne my people hath no understanding Ieremie reneweth the same complaint a little before the captivity They said not where is the Lord that brought us out of the land of Aegpyt that ledus thorough the wildernesse thorough a desart Ier. 2. 6. a wast land thorough a dry land and by the shadow of death by a land that no man passed thorough and where no man dwelt and againe O generation take heed to the word of the Lord have I beene as a wildernesse unto Israel or a land of darkenesse wherefore saith my people then wee are Lords we will come no more unto thee Can a maid forget her ornaments or a bride her attire Yet my people have forgotten me dayes without number The matter is more fully handled by Ezechiel Ieremie his mate and companion both before and in the captivity saying Thou hast not remembred the dayes of thy youth when thou wast naked and bare and wast polluted in thy blood Thus all the Prophets Ezech. 16. 22. with open mouth crie out against iniquitie The richer wee are the vainer wee are the higher wee are the prouder wee are the stronger wee are the crueller and the more quarrellous wee are the yonger the lascivier the more healthfull the more sinnefull and carelesse wee wound God with his owne weapon For hee that should have beene upright when hee waxed fat spurned with the Deut. 32. 15. heele thou are fat thou are grosse thou art laden with fat therefore hee forsooke God that made him and regarded not the strong God of his salvation We abuse every blessing of God wee are like Aesops snake that lay still in the frost but stung him that warmed her in his bosome so long as God keepeth us sicke and lame and poore we are in some order our eares are full of Sermons our lips full of prayers our hands full of almes our hearts full of holy meditations For when the outward man perisheth the inward man is renewed daily but if we come to health and wealth and strength we rage 2 Cor. 4. 16. like Giants we are like bad ground which the more sweet dewes it receiveth the more weeds it bringeth out And therefore wee Gods patience makes us presumptuous are neere unto cursing whose end is to be burned If God give some libertie and remission wee stretch it too farre if hee permit hawking and hunting we spend most of our dayes in it wee make an Hebr. 6. 8. occupation of play Because God permitteth us to eate and drinke and weare apparell wee eate till wee surfet and drinke till wee be drunken and attire our selves like peacocks like Geta the Emperor that was served
Cap. 21. 27. 1 Tim. 1. 17. Col. 1. 9. Iob. 14. Iob. 38. 36. Men and Angels Hee calleth all the starres by their names he hath put Wisedome in the reines and hath given to the heart understanding his Wisedome is infinite But let us see the certainty of his Iudgements for as the voice vanisheth but litera scripta manet So the damnation of the wicked is certaine his heart cannot endure nor his hands be strong that is hee shall never bee able to defend himselfe he shall be as drosse as brasse Ezech. 22. 14. 18 as tinne and iron and lead in the middest of the fornace as God shall melt them that is destroy them But to proceede orderly the decree of God hath two parts Election and Reprobation That some are elected appeareth by many testimonies of the Scripture Paul saith Whom hee hath predestinate them hath hee also called c. Moses willeth Israel to Remember the dayes of old when Deut. 32. 8. the most high God divided their inheritance when he separated the sonnes of Adam c. And Paul saith That God hath chosen us in him that is Christ before the foundation of the World Wherefore some are Ephes 1. 4. Rom. 9. 17. elected some not For he hath Mercie on whom he will and whom he will he hardeneth God hath made all things for his glory yea even the wicked for the day evill If any will goe further and say why will God be thus glorified The Apostle answereth him that hee will have mercy on him to whom hee will shew Mercy and he will have Rom. 9. 15. 18. compassion on him on whom he will have compassion And againe he hath mercy on whom he will and whom he will hee hardeneth hee doth as pleaseth him even as the Psalmist saith Our God is in Heaven he doth whatsoever hee will Christ giveth no other reason It is so O Psal 115. 3. Mat. 11. 26. Psal 39. 9. Father because thy good pleasure was such Obmutui quoth David quia tu Domine fecisti I became dumbe and opened not my mouth because thou diddest it But if any proud man go yet further and say Why will God have it so It is a proud question for either man or Angell and the Apostle answereth him O man who art thou that pleadest with God Shall the thing formed say Rom. 9. 20 21. to him that formed it why hast thou made mee thus hath not the Potter power of the clay to make of the same lumpe one vessell to honour and another to dishonour Inscrutabilia sunt Dei judicia and therefore the Apostle breaketh out saying O the deepenesse of the riches both of the Wisedome and Knowledge of God how unsearchable are his Iudgements Rom. 11. 33. 34. and his wayes past finding out for who hath knowne the minde of the Lord or who was his Counsellor I say with Augustine Cave praecipitium Take heed of a breake-neck With Iob lay thy hand Gods will most perfect his proceedings most iust oâ—â—y mouth With David meddle not with matters above thy reach Quae supra nos nihil ad nos What are above us pertaine not to us With Paul Sape adsobrietatem Presume not to understand above that which is meete to understand but that yee understand according to sobrietie Iob 39. 37. Psal 131. 1. Rom. 12. 3. Gods glory is above the Heavens wee may barke at it as Dogges doe against the Moone but we cannot pull it downe To speake more fully Gods will is a reason of all reasons it is the rule of all equitie Ideo vult quia vult Hee will because he will Eâ— ideo justum est quia vult and it is therefore just because hee will Tangere vis coelestes ignes liquesces wilt thou touch these Lipsius Heavenly fires thou shalt melt Scandere vis in providentiae montem wilt thou climbe up into the high mount of Gods Providence Cades thou shalt fall Natabis in abysso Dei wilt thou swimme in Gods bottomelesse waters Mergeris thou shalt be drowned Thou seest a little living creature the Flye buzzing about the Candle till shee bee burned So our minde waxeth wanton about Gods secrets till wee be overwhelmed The will of God is Causa causarum the cause of causes Cui licet quod libet nil libet nisi quid licet The Iudgements of God are August oftentimes secret hid but never unjust Let us learne Heavenly things by Earthly A man hath in his house vessels of Gold and of Clay for his use and pleasure That a Prince pardoneth one malefactor and punisheth another and yet justly That a Creditor exacteth tenne pounds of one Debtor and remitteth twenty pounds to another and yet in the one is but just in the other is mercifull So God damning some is just and saving other is mercifull and in neither cruell or unjust David compareth the judgements of God to a great Deepe saying Thy Iudgements are like a great Deepe wee cannot Psal 36. 6. wade in them Finely saith Augustine Tu homo expectas a me responsum ego sum homo itaque ambo dicentem audiamus O homo tu quis August ser 10. de verbis Apost es melior est fidelis ignorantia quam temeraria sententia Petrus negat Latro credit O altitudo quaeris turationem ego expavescam tu rationare ego mirabor tu disputas ego credam altitudinem video profundum non pervenio O altitudo Thou O man expectest an answere from me and I am a man as well as thou let us therefore both heare another speaking O man who art thou Faithfull Ignorance is better than a rash unadvised Sentence Peter denyeth the Theefe beleeveth O height thou demandest a reason of this I will feare and tremble thou reasonest I will wonder thou disputest I will beleeve I see a depth but I cannot come to the bottome O depth But we as though God had made us his fellowes as though wee were of privie Councell will rush into his Chaire and determine rashly of his Iudgements Some grant election but then they adde that it standeth upon our workes that godly are elected because they will bee holy but wee are elected that we God elects us of his free Grace may be holy not because we will be holy Holines is the 〈◊〉 or effect not the cause of election So saith Paul He hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the World that wee should bee holy and without blame before him in love who hath predestinate us to bee adopted Ephes 1. 4 5. through Iesus Christ unto himselfe according to the good pleasure of his Will As if Paul had said that he considered nothing without himselfe but therefore chose us because hee loved us no cause can bee rendred of our election but the Will of God Vocavit 2 Tim. 1. 9. nos Deus non secundum opera c. he hath called
his mercy is despised like a Prince that sendeth not his army against rebells before he hath sent his pardon and proclaimed it by an Herauld of armes like Tamberlaine who the first day set up his white tents and received all that came the next day blacke betokening the death of the rulers the third day red betokening the bloodshed of all So the Lord hath his white tents of mercy his blacke and red of iustice and iudgement if the one bee despised the other shal be felt hereupon saith Paul But thou after thy hardnesse Rom. 2. 5. and heart which cannot repent treasurest up unto thy selfe wrath against the day of wrath and declaration of the iust iudgement of God who will reward every man according to his works More particularly God delivered this people mercifully yea miraculously their shoulders from burdens and their fingers from making of bricke hee drew them out of a fiery oven like the three children he put off their sacke-cloth and girded them with gladnesse and compassed them about with songs of deliverance hee carried them on the Wings of Eagles He brought a vine out of Aegypt hee cast out the Heathen and planted them in Thou madest roome for it and diddest Dan. 2. Exod. 19. Psal 80. 9 10 11. cause it to take roote and it filled the land She stretched out her branches unto the sea and her boughs unto the river God separated them from all the Sonnes of Adam For the most high God who divided to the nations their inheritance kept them as the apple of his eye And as an Eagle stirreth up her nest fluttereth over her birds stretcheth out her wings taketh them and beareth them on her wings So the Deut. 32. 8. 11 12. Lord alone led Israel But for orders sake I will divide the mercies of God into three severall sections or times Their deliverance in Aegypt the first Their comming out of Aegypt the second Their deliverāce after they were come out the third the last For First for their deliverance in Aegypt first it was much that Gods judgements upon the Aegyptians God should love them being come of the Amorites and Hitites wallowing in their blood that he should love them and choose them for his people as Moses said The Lord your God did not set his love upon you nor chose you because yee were moe in number than Ezech. 16. 3. 6. Deut. 7 8 9. any people for yee were the fewest of all people but because the Lord loved you There was nothing in them why God should choose them for they were no more righteous than others and therefore saith Moses againe unto them Speake not thou in thy heart saying For my Cap. 9. 4 5. Cap. 32. 9 10 11 12. Exod. 1. righteousnesse hath the Lord brought me in to possesse this Land c. For thou shalt inherit this land not for thy righteousnesse or for thy upright heart but for the wickednesse of those nations c. Israel was Gods portion Iacob the lot of his inheritance hee found him in the land of the wildernesse in a wast and roring wildernesse he led him about he taught him and kept him as the apple of his eye As an Eagle stirreth up her nest fluttereth over her birds stretcheth out her wings taketh them and beareth them on her wings So the Lord alone led him and there was no strange God with him God multiplied them not by meanes but by miracle For from seventy soules they grew in few yeares to 600000. and which is more the more that they were kept down the more they prospered like to Camomill the more it is troden the more it groweth or to a Palme-tree the more it is pressed the further it spreadeth or to fire the more it is raked the more it burneth God gave them Moses and Aaron and Miriam Mich. 6. Psal 78. 44 45 46 47 48 49 50. and God plagued the Aegyptians for their sake and did marvelous things in the land of Aegypt even in the field of Zoan He turned their rivers into blood and their flouds that they could not drinke hee sent a swarme of flies among them which devoured them and frogges which destroyed them hee gave also their fruits unto the Caterpiller and their labour unto the grashopper he destroyed their vines with haile and their wild figge-trees with the hailestone he gave their cattell also to the haile and their flockes unto the thunderbolts hee cast upon them the furiousnesse of his anger indignation and wrath and vexation by the sending of evill Angels he made a way to his anger hee spared not their soule from death hee Act. 12. Exod. 8. 17. gave their life to the pestilence If it were much to eate up one man with lice what is it to eate up a whole land If it was much to Iohn 2. Exod. 7. 19. Gen. 19. 2 Reg. 6. turne water-pots into wine what was it to turne all the waters of Aegypt into blood If it was a great thing to smite a few Sodomites Aramites with blindnesse what was it to smite a whole land with darkenesse that no man could rise for three dayes So much for the benefits bestowed upon them in Aegypt Now let us see what he did for them in their deliverance out Exod. 10. Exod. 12. Gen. 50. 3. Ier. 31. 17. of Aegypt In their deliverance he smote al the first borne in Aegypt the chiefe of their strength passed by Israel And wheras there was a great cry in Aegypt like that for Iacob for whom was made a great and an exceeding sore lamentation and like that of Rachel who weeping for her children would not be comforted because they were not there was joy in the land of Goshen hee inclined the hearts of the Gods mercy to Israel after their deliverance out of Aegypt Aegyptians to doe them good and they received of them Iewels of silver and Iewels of gold hee strengthened them so that there was not one feeble person among them Aegypt was glad at their departing for the feare of them had fallen upon them All the Idolls of Aegypt fell downe at their departure even as all the oracles Psal 105. 38. of the world ceased at the comming of Christ even that at Delphos Dodo Delos God brought them as a vine out of Aegypt God did cast out the Heathen and planted them hee made Psal 80. 8 9. a roome for them and caused them to take roote and they filled the land 3. After their deliverance when the red sea was before them the Aegyptians behind them the mountaines on each side of them God made a ready passage for them And caused the sea to runne Exod. 14 21 22. backe by a strong East winde all the night and made the Sea dry land for the waters were divided and the children of Israel went thorough the middest of the Sea upon the dry ground but the Aegyptians pursuing them Psal 105.
contemner of the Word hath an evill and an uncircumcised eare the slanderer hath an evill a railing tongue the covetous man hath a devouring throat like a sepulchre the murtherer hath a bloudy hand the glutton hath an evill bellie the voluptuous man hath an evill a vaine foot like Hazael who ran like a wilde Roe the adulterer hath an evill a whorish uncleane heart but the envious man hath a Divellish eye But such eares shall have no mercy such tongues shall burne in Hell such throats shall be filled with gravell such hands shall wyther as did Ieroboams such eyes shall be darkened The Divell is the Father of envy hee envied Gods glory at the first and he envieth mans felicitie at the last Hemmingius divideth all affections into Corporall and Animall The poyson of envy make the heart unfit for grace The Mother of all corporall affections is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the love of a mans selfe now Primogenita her first borne daughter is Superbia pride her second daughter is Invidia Envy her third is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 covetousnesse all come from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which now reigneth in the world and like another Alexander hath conquered the same for men are lovers of their owne selves covetous boasters proud c. As Demosthenes being asked what was the first part of an orator what the second what the third Answered Action so if you aske me what is the first the second the third part of a vile man I must say Envy What is the cause of quarrels What raiseth slanders What multiplyeth suits Envy Invidia est arcus diaboli Envy is the bow of the divell detraction is the arrow she shooteth out of this bow envy is a fire raked up in the heart detraction is as the flame Wee all complaine of envy and say Anger is cruell wrath is raging but who can stand before envy and yet we are as Caine envious A mad dogge infuseth his venome into him whom he biteth so doth envy by the tongue it is the string and pulse of the soule we marvell why men are so vile why they are tainted with a mad dogge and what wisdome is in them If ye have bitter enoiing and strife in your hearts rejoyce not for this wisdome doth not descend Iam. 3. 14. from above but is earthly sensuall and divellish saith the Apostle Chrysostome exclaimeth against this envy thus O invidia pessima fera per te mors intravit in mundum tu occidisti Abelem vendidisti Gen. 3. Iosephum in Aegyptum fugasti Davidem decollasti Babtistam crucifixisti Christum O envy the worst of all wild beasts through thee death entred into the world thou hast killed Abel sold Ioseph into Aegypt persecuted David beheaded the Baptist and crucified Christ All mischiefes flow from envy as all light from the Sun and all water from the Sea Envy is a worke of the flesh a note of a Reprobate Envy blindeth a man Vt proximi bona videre non possit that he canot see his neighbours Gal. 5. Rom. 1. good for envy is like unto sore eyes that are offended at the light Envy overthroweth all love and charity amongst men for love envieth not 1 Cor. 13. Envy is contrary to God and all proceedings for God is so good a God that he can draw good out of evill but the envious they are so evill and mischievous that they can draw evill out of good But you give us but the hearing of this and God will one day give you but the hearing also you shall cry but he will not regard The envious man is his own tormentor you I speake boldly for that the cause is Gods for the manner it may exceed but for the matter I crave no pardon I have as good right to speake it as the Lord Chancellour hath to Zach. 7. carry the broad Seale of England kill this Cockatrice therefore in the egge before it be a serpent kill it in the heart before it breake out into action For even the wicked are not to be envied so saith the Psalmist Fret not thy selfe because of the wicked neither be thou envious for Psal 37. 1. the evill doers Leave him to God pray for him we must be like fishes which live in the salt Sea and yet are fresh so wee in an uncharitable world and yet be charitable though we be reviled yet we blesse though persecuted yet we suffer though evill 1 Cor. 4. 12 13. spoken of yet we pray though envyed and maliced yet we love And yet further observe with me that though envy is a most mischievous sin and is the cause of all the uprores of the world yet it is a thing of that nature that it indamageth and hurteth him most that hath it For this cause envy is compared to fire to a moth to a Bee for as the fire consumeth the matter that nourisheth it and the moth the garment thar breedeth it So doth envy him that envieth Invidus alterius rebus macrescit opimis The man whom envy doth possesse Doth pine at others wealth and good successe He thinketh his Neighbours Oxe fatter than his his neighbours pasture greener than his his Neighbours Corne better than his his Neighbours building stronger and gayer than his And as a Bee stinging a man loseth her sting and never can make hony after So the envious man loseth his labour and the grace of God Envy is to him that envieth as the rust to the iron as the Viper that eateth out the belly of her damme The envious man is as Sysiphus who rolling up a stone it reboundeth on him with a greater force Envy tormenteth the mind it wasteth the body it fretteth the heart it shortneth our daies and damneth our soules it setteth a man awork to backbite slander his Neighbour and to deny him all duties of humanity So then envy hatred and backbiting alwayes goe together as three cankers and evill sores that consume the body hurt the good name lessen the gifts and repine at the good of our brethren Basill compares envious men to Ravens that flye over sweet Gardens and at last seize upon a Carrion He likeneth them to Flies who passe over sound flesh and light upon a sore a galled place so the envious passe over all the rare graces that be in men but Cain prophane and grudgeth at Gods Sacrifice if there be any imperfection in them that they blaze abroad and cover it not they doe not with Sem and Iaphet spread a garment over their Fathers nakednesse I confesse that there is as little good to bee done on these men as most sinners for as a Gen. 9. Smith cannot worke but on hot Yron so a preacher can doe but little good but in a charitable minde Plutarch to teach men to hate envy calleth it sorcery because that through the poyson thereof it doth not onely fil the envious body with a naughty and hurtfull disposition
cleaveth unto them as Naamans Ieprosie did to Gehezi and his seed for ever they are of the mind of Medius parasiteto Alexander who willed his Schollers ever to slander their enemies Nam si vulnus inquit sanaverint manet tamen cicatrix for although they have healed the wound the scarre of the slander abideth still So some will beleeve them they leave still a sting behind them they thinke much that we should say thus much and therefore call our Apologies railings Thus the Guisians accused the Protestants to have Loricas ferri non fidei Brest-plates of iron not of faith when as they klled three thousand in one Church at Vesse in the time of doctrine So the theeves of Sicilia accused the merchants and travellers that they rode cruelly armed when as they had all engines to rob men So Fimbria sued Scevola for that he received not his weapon deep enough Must their mouthes bee open to offend and not ours to defend O tempora ô mores What a world is this May they say all evill on their Ale-benches and we not defend our innocency The Lord cut off those lips Psal 12. That which I say of Papists I say of Atheists also Nam facti sumus speculum We are become a spectacle to men and Angels 1 Cor. 4. but let men and Angels and Divels Papists and Atheists say what they can so that they say truly The fourth and last sinne is Flattery in admiring mens persons they lift up and throw downe praise and dispraise they wonder at men as if they were Angels Illorum enim lingua venabilis their tongue is saleable they will say any thing for gaine make the Crow white and the Snow blacke but if wee give titles our Maker will destroy us Now to give titles is to change Iob. 22. 22. the name as to call a foole a wiseman to cloke the truth to flatter Flatterers worthily rewarded men For woe unto them that speake good of evill and evill of good which put darkenesse for light and light for darkenesse put bitter for sweet and sweet for sowre God blesseth plaine speaking Hee Esa 5. 20. Pro. 28. 23. that rebuketh a man shall finde more favour at length than he that flattereth with his tongue he that pertaineth to God will love such Salomon preferreth the wounds of a friend to the kisses of an enemy Open rebuke saith he is better then secret love the wounds of a lover are Pro. 27. 5 6. faithfull and the kisses of an enemy are pleasant that is they are flattering and seeme friendly David prayed God to cut off all flattering lips saying The Lord cut off all flattering lips and the tongue that speaketh proud things which have said With our tongue will wee Psal 12. 3. 4. prevaile our lips are our owne who is Lord over us And wee see this punishment verified in two notable rare examples the one in the Amalekite who came upon Saul and slew him and tooke the 2 Sam. 1. 8 10 15. crowne that was upon his head and the bracelet that was on his arme and brought it unto David because hee would currie favour with him and flatter him expecting hereby some preferment at his hands but David commanded one of his young men to fall upon him who smote him that hee dyed The other in Baanah and Rechab who slew Isboseth the sonne of Saul and brought his head unto David to Hebron and said unto the King Behold 2 Sam. 4. 8 9 10 11 12. the head of Isboseth Sauls sonne thine enemie who sought after thy life and the Lord hath avenged the Lord my King this day of Saul and of his seed Thus they went about to flatter him and hoping for some preferment for that they did But David said unto them As the Lord liveth who hath delivered my soule from all adversitie when one told mee that Saul was dead thinking that hee had brought good tydings I tooke him and slew him how much more when wicked men have slaine a righteous person in his owne house and upon his bed shall I not now therefore require his bloud at your hands and take you from the Earth And David commanded his young men and they slew them and hanged them up over the poole in Hebron Let all flatterers speed so let all Sycophants eate the fruit of their hands and bee filled with their owne inventions Liquescant ut limax let them melt away like a snaile Let them be powred out like water that runneth apace and bee like the untimely fruit of a woman and let them not see the Sunne and or ever their pots bee made hot with thornes so let indignation vexe them as a thing that is raw God punisheth flatterers yea and them that heare them also listen to them Thus Ahab lost the victory at Ramoth Gilead thus Rehoboam lost his Kingdome thus Herod lost his life This should 1 Reg. 22. 2 Chro. 10. 10. Act. 12. make all men give God the glory lest wee bee proud of those things that are not ours Are wee praised for Learning for Wisedome Patience Liberality House-keeping Give God the glory say as Paul said who hath separated thee to wit from 1 Cor. 4. 7. other men and preferred thee and what hast thou that thou hast not received and if thou hast received it why rejoycest thou as though Flattery a base and slavish sinne thou haddest not received it Consider that the purpose of these flatterers is their profit it is an old proverbe Qui nescit dissimulare nescit vivere hee that knoweth not how to dissemble knoweth not how to live but change the letter e into o and it is true Qui nescit dissimulare adulari mentiri noscit vivere he that knoweth not to dissemble flatter lye hee knoweth how to live Coggers Psal 55. 23. Foysters Flatterers shall not prosper These Flatterers are worse than Crowes for they prey upon the dead these upon the living The child of God must speake as God speaketh God speaketh to the heart he lanceth the conscience and woundeth the spirit he speaketh plainely to draw men to Repentance but a Flatterer is a weather-cocke his tongue is set to sale his heart is at the will of others Aiunt aijt negant negat if they affirme any thing he affirmeth it too if they deny any thing hee denieth it also Aliud stans aliud sedens loquitur hee speaketh one thing and another thing sitting as Tully said of Catiline they study to please men not God they cannot say with Paul Wee speake not as they that please men but God which trieth our hearts they have their reward 1 Thess 2. 4. How often have we being in company heard religion railed on Popery extolled vertue condemned vice commended the good defamed yet either held our tongues or yeelded to that for feare to offend the great ones But we must not please men for then wee cannot please God
that their truth in their dealings their religion in swearing their zeale in serving their false gods far exceeds ours But let us shake off every thing that presseth downe and the sin that hangeth on so fast and strive to exceed them I must confesse that the best men have their faults they have their lusts the best oke hath sap the best gold hath his drosse the best oyle his some and the best tree his barke but yet there is a difference betweene an Oake that hath some sap and some heart withall and that which is all sap betwixt smoking flaxe that never flameth and Iuniper coales which smoke and yet burne also betwixt men that are sicke and men that are dead betwixt them that have some faults and them that yeeld to all faults The wicked man mocketh at judgement the mouth of the wicked swalloweth up iniquity There is difference betweene eating and swallowing Prov. 19. 28. such a distinction the Apostle maketh Neverthelesse though we walke in the flesh yet we warre not after the flesh though we 2 Cor. 10. 3. fall we doe not lye by it like the Elephant habitat peccatum sed non regnat sinne dwelleth in us but it raigneth not bellat sed non Rom. 6. 12. debellat it warres but it winnes not all are sicke in sinne but all are not dead in sinne all live in the flesh but sowe not to the Ephes 2. 1. Gal. 6. 8. flesh we all hold out our profession in many infirmities Who can say My heart is cleane There is a difference between blasted trees Prov. 20. and barren trees And yet S. Iude condemneth not nature utterly as though there were no goodnesse in it for many excellent things are done by the light and instinct of nature though not availeable to salvation For as the heate of the Sunne is not ever there where the light is as under the North pole so the sanctification Naturall men were generally illuminated though not sanctified of the Spirit is not ever where the illumination is Naturall men are illuminated but not sanctified by the Spirit Hence it commeth that they have found out many arts and sciences and have spoken rarely yea above Christians Emere vendere instituit Bacchus Bacchus taught men to buy and sell Ceres to sow Corne when as before men were fed with acornes the Assyrians found out letters for before that time men could neither write nor read Eurialus and Hiperbius taught men to build houses whereas before they lodged in the dennes caves of the earth Socrates called philosophy from heaven and placed it in Cities for before that time men wandred up and downe in the wildernesse after the manner of beasts Cecrops taught men to build townes for before men lived disjoined and severed one from another the Aegyptians found out weaving for before men went naked Ericthonius of Athens found out silver for before there was nothing but chopping and changing Aesculapius invented physicke for before men died suddenly of many diseases yea the very beasts by nature excell many men the Elephant seemeth to understand the mother tongue and to have a kind of religion to adore the Sunne-rising a kind of humanity as to reduce the wanderer a kind of obedience as to know the Prince the very Lion is gentle to that beast that humbleth himselfe he is gentler to women then men and praieth not on an infant except in great extremity of hunger he killeth the Lionesse having had copulation with the Leopard Sabinus his dog held up the dead corps of his Master in Tyber and Bucephalus ate no meate after the death of Alexander These things are not found in al men Oh brethren we walke as naturall men as carnall worldly fleshly men voide of Gods Spirit therefore the Scripture compareth good men spirituall men to pearles and precious stones to signify tantam esse horum raritatem quanta est gemmarum that there is as great a rarity and scarcenesse of them as of precious stones and that as common stones exceed in number precious stones so naturall men exceed spirituall men Salomon saith Stultorum numerum Eccles 1. 4. esse infinitum The number of fooles to bee numberlesse and Paul faith All seeke their owne and not that which appertaines to the Lord Iesus none understandeth from the least of them to the Phil. 3. 11. greatest of them every one is given to covetousnesse and from the Prophet even unto the Priest all deale falsely and as the Prophet speaketh Mens hands are defiled with bloud and their fingers Ier. 6. 12. Esay 59. 3 4 5. with iniquity their lippes speake lies and their tongues murmure forth iniquity no man calleth for Iustice no man contendeth for truth they trust in vanity and speake vaine things they conceive mischiefe and bring forth iniquity they hatch Cockatrice egges and weave the spiders webbe hee that eateth of their egges dieth and that which is troden upon breaketh out into a Serpent The Law of God is called Deut. 5. 33. the way of our life men are willed to walke in all the wayes that Love makes al things easy God hath commanded them that they may live habet haec via duo in sese difficultatem suavitatē saith one in this way there be two things hardnesse and sweetnesse hardnesse by reason of our nature and sweetnesse by reason of grace that which is hard by nature is sweetned by grace hereupon Christ saith that his yoke Mat. 11. is sweet eò quòd jugum est grave est in that it is a yoke it is grievous but sweet by reason of grace for as the bush burned with fire and was not consumed with fire because God was in the bush so our heavy yoke is made light because the Lord is in it who helpeth Exod. 30. us with his grace to beare it For grace stirreth up the love of God in our hearts which maketh the yoke of his commandements easy For nothing is grievous unto love love swalloweth all difficulties Why doe hunters fowlers fishers take such intolerable paines It is because they love the sport pernoctant venatores in nive hunters doe watch all the night in the snow such is their love to their game What maketh the mother to watch many nights to give the child sucke with great paine to take such toile in the washing keeping attending and in the education of it but love Can a mother forget her child She cannot The Esay 49. 15. interrogation implieth a negation What meane the beasts and fowles to spare meate from their owne mouthes and to put it into the mouth of their young What maketh the Pelicane to feed her yong birds with her blood but love So the love of God maketh the precepts of God seeme easy to us Non est arduum orare legere meditare jejunare It is no hard matter for us to pray to read to meditate to fast because the
heart knoweth what is the meaning of the Spirit for hee maketh requests for the Saints according to the Will of God The fire which God would have continually to burne upon his Altar came out from the Lord. Levit. 9. 24. If sacrifices were offered up with any other fire the fire was counted strange and the sacrifices no whit acceptable but abominable Cap. 10. 1 c. to the Lord. The Heavenly fire whereby our spirituall sacrifices of prayer must be offered up is that holy Spirit which commeth out from God we must therefore pray in the Spirit yea all good gifts proceede from the Spirit so saith the Apostle The manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit 1 Cor. 12 7 8 9 10 11. withall for to one is given by the Spirit the word of Wisedome to another the word of Knowledge by the same Spirit to another is given Faith by the same Spirit to another the gift of healing by the same Spirit to another operations of great workes to another Prophecy to another discerning of spirits and to another diversity of tongues to another interpretation of tongues and all these worketh even the selfe-same Spirit distributing to every man severally as hee will So Christ told his Apostles that they spake not but the Spirit of his Father It is not you saith he that speake but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you Paul compareth the Spirit of God to a tree that like the Tree of life yeeldeth all graces The fruit of the Spirit Ephes 1. 18. is Love Ioy Peace Long-suffering Gentlenesse Goodnesse Faith Meeknesse Temperance against such there is no Law for they are under the Spirit of grace The Antithesis is betweene the flesh and the Spirit Paul calleth it the Spirit of Wisdome And Esay nameth it The Spirit of Wisdome Counsell Power Strength Because all these are the effects of it for Bezaliel Esay 11. 2. Exod. 31. 3. and Aholiab had their knowledge from Gods Spirit in the works of brasse and silver how much more have we in heavenly things There is no Art no cunning no science but from the Spirit even in the most wicked If you say Quid Spiritui Sancto impys What have the wicked to doe with the Spirit I can answere it thus The wicked have the spirit of illumination as had Achitophel 2 Sam. 16. Mat. 18. Act. 23. and Iudas and Tertullus but not the Spirit of Sanctification and adoption It is said of all the Iudges and Kings The Holy Ghost the Author of all excellent gifts in any that the Spirit of God came upon them so it is said that the Spirit of God came upon Gedeon so it is said of Saul that the Spirit of the Lord should come upon him and he should prophesy and of David that the Spirit of the Lord came upon him from that day forward Iudg. 6. 34. 1 Sam. 10. 6. 1 Sam. 10. 13. Al the rare excellent things of God are judged by the Spirit The naturall wise man perceiveth not the things that are of the Spirit of God But he that is spirituall judgeth all things It is Gods Spirit that frameth all our actions and works and all good things 1 Cor. 14. 15. in us Hitherto tendeth the ceremony used in the Law that in the sacrifices things without life were consecrated with oyle which thing had a double reference first to Christ to note that hee was anointed with the gifts of the Spirit to performe his three offices for so we read The Spirit of the Lord God is upon mee therefore hath the Lord anointed mee a. And againe Thou hast loved Esay 61. 1. Heb. 1. 9. righteousnesse and hated iniquity wherefore God even thy God hath anointed thee with the oyle of gladnesse above thy fellowes Secondly it had reference unto us to note that all our duties are accepted of God as they are wrought in us by the Spirit but nothing no not prayer is accepted otherwise then it is a worke of the Spirit and commeth from his motion For this purpose note what the Prophet saith in the person of God to Ierusalem I will powre upon them the Spirit of supplications He calleth the gift of prayer the Spirit Zach. 12. 10. of supplications because it is Gods Spirit which worketh in us this gift and maketh us to call upon God but more directly is this point proved by that phrase which Saint Iude here useth praying in the Holy Ghost And this yet farther confirmed in that it is said The Spirit in our hearts crieth Abba Father And Paul layeth downe this point first Affirmatively saying The Spirit helpeth Gal. 4. 6. Rom. 8. 16 27. our infirmities and maketh intercession for us then Negatively Wee know not what to pray yet must wee not thinke that the Holy Ghost doth indeed pray for us as Christ doth or as one of us doth for another For then should the Holy Ghost bee our Mediator which was one of Arrius his heresies but the meaning is that the Holy Ghost stirreth us up to pray and putteth life into our dead and dull spirits to make our prayers fervent Well then prayer is a gift of the Spirit not common to all but proper and peculiar to Gods elect who have the Spirit of God if no man can say that Iesus is the Lord but by the Holy Ghost Surely no 1 Cor. 12. 3. man can pray and call upon God but by the Spirit of God Let us then labour for Gods sanctifying Spirit and having it Let us goe along with him and follow his motions powring forth those prayers which he suggesteth unto us and let us take heed that we grieve not the Holy Spirit of God which is done by quenching the good motions thereof through our carelesnes or by Ephes 4. 36. 1 Thess 5. 19. resisting the Spirit through our rebellion But yet note further that howsoever prayer is attributed to the Spirit yet it is a worke of the whole Trinity the Holy Trinity hath a hand in this holy exercise of prayer The holy Ghost The whole Trinity concurres in prayer frameth our requests the Son offreth them to his Father the Father accepteth them thus framed and offered up For the works of the Trinity are invisible yet distinguished so that unto the Father is ascribed the originall beginning of all actions Ille agit Hebr. 11. a se per Filium Spiritum he worketh of himselfe by the Son and the Spirit to the Sonne is ascribed the disposing of the action Iob. 26. 7 8 9. from the Father by the Spirit to the Holy Ghost is attributed the consummating and as it were perfecting of things seeing he worketh from the Father and the Sonne Pater agit ase Filius per se Spiritus Sanctus à Patre Filio The Father worketh by himselfe 1 Cor. 12. 11. the Sonne by him the Holy Ghost from the
another Nay one man is a Woolfe unto another Nay one man is a Divell unto another we are not now Christians but Woolves Leopards Lions Divels Nay worse for one Lion eateth not another and the divels strive not among themselves but maintaine one anothers kingdome Let Tygers and Beares and Leopards teare one another Let Scythians and Canibals eate one another who know not God nor good humanity but are without all naturall affection But let us love as brethren bee pittifull be courteous not rendring evill for evill nor rebuke for rebuke but contrariwise blesse knowing that wee are thereunto called that wee should bee heires of blessing and if enemies will not be pacified recommend the cause to God till wee meete in Heaven where all injury shall be forgotten and in the meane while I beseech you as Saint Paul did the Saints of Corinth I beseech you I say by the name of our Lord 1 Cor. 1. 10. Iesus Christ that yee all speake one thing and that there bee no discension among you but that yee bee knit together in one minde and in one judgement and whatsoever things are true whatsoever things are honest whatsoever things are just whatsoever things are pure whatsoever Phil. 4. 8. things pertaine to love c. thinke on these things and the God of Love and Peace shall bee with you and the Lord increase your love and make 1 Thess 3. 12. it abound more and more one towards another Christs commandement is all love his Spouse is all loving and Iohn will preach nothing but love and wee must follow after love and above all have fervent love among our selves for that shall cover a multitude of sinnes But marke that the love whereunto Saint Iude exhorteth is called the love of God and keep your selves in the love of God so that not all love is commended but such love onely As is Holy Iust True Constant For first our love must bee Holy love it is for God and not against God under God and not above God for hee loves not God that loves not his neighbour with God whom hee loves not for God and hee that loves his neighbour more than God is unworthy of God and makes his neighbour to be his God Secondly Our love must bee just wee must not love one another in evill but in good and for good Pacem cum hominibus bellum cum vitijs wee must have peace with men warre with their vices We must love their persons but hate their manners if they Foure properties of the Love of God be evill Thirdly our love must bee true Love Wee 〈…〉 and in tongue but in worke and in truth Nemo potest 〈…〉 â—â—â—hn 3. 18. hominis nist primitus fuerit amicus ipsius veritatis 〈…〉 August be a true lover of man unlesse first he be a lover of th◠〈…〉 must love one another not for their riches honours greatnesse but for themselves their good must bee sought not their goods Weâ— must not love one another as dogges doe bones for the flesh that is on them or as men doe trees for their fruit but wee must love them for themselves for this that they are men but especially for that they are vertuous and good men Lastly our love one towards another must bee constant with some friends are like flowers no longer regarded then whiles they are fresh Many mens love is like the harlots love who love while there is lucre and when gifts goe hence their love goes hence they are like the puttocks in the fable that followed the old wife bearing tripes to the market but forsooke her home-ward when her tripes were sold En ego non paucis quondam munitus amicis c. A man shall be loved in prosperity but in adversity as rats forsake an house when it is ready to fall and as lice forsake a mans head when he is dying so his lovers and his friends will forsake him Thus our love should be holy just true constant this is true Christian love wherein men should keep themselves For among murtherers theeves and drunkards there is a kind of love but not the Love that Iude would here to bee among us First therefore the love of Atheists is condemned which comes from profit or from pleasure It is not Charitas ex corde puro Love out of a pure heart Love and good works must goe together 1 Tim. 1. 5. to gloze eate play drinke game bee no good workes therefore this is not love wee call it good fellowship but such good fellowes will goe to the good-fellow the Divell if they repent not For if wee sinne willingly after that wee have received the Hebr. 10. 26 27. knowledge of the truth there remaineth no more sacrifice for sinnes but a fearefull looking for judgement There is a carnall love but ours must bee a spirituall love such as was among the Colossians of whose Col. 1. 8. love Paul speaketh Who hath also certified us of your love which yee have by the Spirit There is a worldly love and there is an heavenly Love and knowledge giveth life to this love without it Love is as a dead picture Lovers glorious the name is honorable the praise of it is from the rising of the Sunne unto the going downe of the Sunne One saith that love is like hony in bitter broth and sugar in sowre wine it is like unto the Sun unto the world a candle unto the house a light for our journey a line for our life and a rule for our reprehensions Si diligis fac quicquid vis If Calvin in Iohn Aug. thou beest in love doe what thou wilt speake or bee silent exhort or rebuke call or cry so it bee in love all is well Yet it must be a godly love an holy charity but it is impossible to have it with all some are so wicked If thou canst have Most love for lucre sake the favour and love of men with the favour and Love of God take it it is precious but if thou canst not have the favour and Psal 133. 1. love of men but with the disfavour and dislike of God let it go For certenly The amity of the World is enmity with God Wee must Iam. 4. 4. love men in the Lord God for himselfe man for God Diligendus est Deus propter se homo propter Deum I may compare the love of Atheists to the agreement that is among a kennell of hounds who sleep together play together hunt merrily together but if a man hurle a bone they grinne snatch and bite one another So Atheists agree together till some matter come of private gaine but then there is grinning biting fighting one with another for the best of them is as a brier and Mich. 7. 4. the most righteous of them is sharper then a thorne hedge for from the least of them to the greatest of them every one is given to covetousnesse and Ier.
6. 13. their love is nothing else but a mony love Come with us say they we will lay wait for bloud and lye privily for the innocent without a Prov. 1. 11 12 13 14. cause Wee will swallow them up alive like the grave even whole as those that goe downe into the pit wee shall find all precious riches and fill our houses with spoile cast in thy lot amongst us wee will have all one purse Atheists love their brethren as Flies love the pot as Dionysius loved his bottles so long as there is any meate in the pot the Flie loves and Dionysius loved his bottles when they were full but hurled them away when they were empty so wee play with our friends Iob said when I washed my pathes with butter when the rocke Iob 29. 6 8. powred mee out rivers of oyle the yong men saw mee and hid themselves and the aged arose and stood up but now they that are yonger than I mocke Iob 30. 1. mee yea and they whose Fathers I have refused to set with the dogges of my flockes But let us no longer love from the teeth outward but from the heart inward we speake faire as Cain did to Abel wee give good words as Iacobs Sonnes did to the Sichemites we salute Gen. 4. Gen. 35. men as Ioab did Abner we shead Crocodiles teares as Ismael did to Godoliah wee kisse one another with Iudas but with no true 2 Sam. 3. Ier. 41. Mat. 26. love all is but Court-holy water This made David to complaine saying Surely mine enemy did not defame me for I could have borne it neither did my adversary exalt himselfe against me for I would have hid Psal 55. 12 13 14. me from him but it was thou ô man my companion and my familiar wee delighted in consulting together and went into the house of God as companions and againe If he come to see me hee speaketh lies for pretending love and good will unto mee he desireth my destruction Psal 41. 6. in his heart We love men for profit Voluntatis duo sunt calcaria There bee two spurres of the will honesty and utility but utility profit is the stronger spurre we should carry holy Love religious love towards our parents delectable love towards our neighbours The love of Papists is also condemned In cathedra unitatis Deus posuit doctrinam veritatis God hath placed the doctrine of verity Vnity without verity is nothing but conspiracy in the chaire of unity unity without verity is but conspiracy for so it is called their brotherhood is in evill as Iacob said of Simeon and Levi they consent against the Gospell as the high Priests did against Christ they have neither unity nor verity they agree Esay 8. 12. Gen. 49. 5. Act. 4. 27. as the false prophets did not in the Lord but against the Lord they make adoe of their Councell of Trident and how they agree in all meetings Alas a few buckeram Bishops of Italy conspired together but thirty eight Bishops in all not like the Councell of Nice wherein were 318. Bishops or that of Arimine where were 600. Bishops nor like the Councell of Constance where were 4. Patriarches 29. Cardinals 47. Archbishops 270. Bishops 564. Abbots and Doctors at the deposing of Benedict the third But to leave all this Keep your selves in the Love of God And first of Gods Love towards us next of our love towards God but in speaking of the Love of God to us I shall enter into a labyrinth without end into a sea without bottome For his Love is so much as there is no affection in nature no proportion in the whole world hath been found fit to expresse it the height of heaven above the earth the distance of the East from the West the affection of Fathers towards their childrē of mothers towards the fruit of their wombe of nurses towards their sucklings of Eagles towards their yong ones of hennes towards their chickens all these are but the shadowes of Gods Love Love in God is in the abstract it is not in him as in us by accident and participation but by essence only And God hath an immanent Love in him whereby he loveth himselfe by the necessity of his owne nature and hath a transient love flowing from him whereby hee loveth his creatures some more and some lesse according to the liberty of his owne will He hath a generall Love to all For all are his creatures and the workemanship of his hands but hee hath a speciall Love to some as unto his Elect and chosen and his Love towards them is both Temporary and Sempiternall Temporarie Sustentando Regendo Conservando By Sustaining Ruling Preserving Sempiternall gloriam dando in giving them eternall glory and the more holy men are the more hee loveth them wherupon Saint Augustine doth excellently observe that God loved the humanity of Christ more than any man because hee was full of August Tract in Iohn Iob. 1. 14. grace and truth Yea Gods Love hath all the dimensions Thy mercy ô God reacheth unto the Heavens there is the height of his Love Great is thy goodnesse and thou hast delivered my soule from the Psal 36. 5. Psal 86. 13. Psal 104. 24. nethermost Hell There is the depth of his love The earth is full of thy goodnesse saith David there is the breadth of his Love All the No love to be compared to Gods love ends of the world have seene the salvation of God There is the length of his Love Yea Gods Love is transcendent it can no more bee measured then yee can measure the water with your fist For Psal 104. 24. Psal 98. 4. Esa 40. what love shall I compare unto his Love The love of a woman It is great indeed but yet the love of Ionathan to David was greater than it Thy love to mee was wonderfull yea passing the love of 2 Sam. 1. 26. women The love of a mother Here is a greater degree than in the former but yet this love is not so certaine and infallible as Gods Love Can a woman forget her child and not have compassion of Esa 49. 15. the sonne of her wombe If they should forget as some may bee and some have been so unnaturall yet will not I forget thee saith God to his disconsolate and afflicted Sion For as none can be compared to God so no love can be compared to his Love as Ieremy spake literally of his owne griefe but typically of Christ Was there ever griefe as my griefe So may I say of Gods Love Was there Lament 1. 12. ever love like his Love No no his Love passeth all understanding Let us then labour to obtaine and retaine this Love of God and keep our selves in his Love which we shall doe if wee conforme our wills to his will and labour to bee like him to be holy as hee is holy mercifull as hee is mercifull righteous
art wrought of the good Spirit so Paul ascribed the rising and the standing of the Philippians to God I am perswaded saith Paul that he that hath begunne this good Phil. 1. 6. worke in you will performe it untill the day of Christ Iesus And writing to the Corinthians hee saith That God shall confirme them to the end that they may be blamelesse in the day of our Lord Iesus Christ 1 Cor. 1. 8. To that end Christ prayed for the Apostles saying Holy Father Iohn 17. 11 12 15. keepe them in thy name even them whome thou hast given mee that they may bee one as wee are while I was with them in the world I kept them in thy name those that thou gavest me have I kept I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world but that thou keepe them from evill If then the Papists should use these words tenne thousand times Stand fast againe Continue tenne thousand times would I retort upon them that wee cannot stand fast wee cannot continue but by God We flye not with our owne wings we swimme not in our owne barke not nature but grace not man but God doth all in the worke of salvation Wee stand not of our selves in our owne strength but in God Leviores sumus vanitate Wee Psal 62. are lighter then vanity it selfe If God kept us not wee should fall every day every houre every moment so great are our temptations Quomodo stabit debilis inter tot fortes homines How can a weake man stand betweene so many strong men homuncio inter tot fortes Gigantes a litle dwarfe between so many strong Giants â—ndus inter tot armatos a naked man betweene so many armed men Caecus inter tot laqueos a blind man between so many snares Viator inter tot fures a traveller betweene so many theeves Mortalis inter tot immortales immundos spiritus a mortall man betweene so many immortall and uncleane spirits For wee wrastle Ephes 6. 12. not against flesh and blood that is principally and chiefely for our most mortall enemies are more than flesh and blood more in number greater in power craftier in their wiles or longer continuance more envious malicious cruell as namely against principalities against powers and against the worldly governours the Princes of the darkenesse of this world against spirituall wickednesses which are in the high places Hee cals them Principalities because they have great rule and dominion not so much over other Our enemies many and powerfull Divels as over wicked men and calls them Powers to shew that their principality is not a meere titular matter but is armed with power so as they are able to doe great matters He cals them worldly governours to shew over whom the Divell hath government not over the elect but over the world the reprobates of the world He cals them spirituall wickednesse to declare their nature that they are spirits and that they bee evill and malicious the words in the originall signify spirituals of wickednesse or spirits of wickednesse that is most monstrous wicked spirits these are they against whom wee warre and fight how can wee stand against them of our selves Nam illi sunt astuti nos fatui they are crafty wee are foolish illi fortes nos debiles they strong wee weake illi experti nos inexperti they expert wee unexpert illi vigilantes nos somnolenti they watching wee sleepy illi spiritus nos caro they Ephes 6. 14. 1 Pet. 5. 8. Apoc. 12. cap. 10. Luk. 11. Iohn 12. 1 Cor. 4. spirit we flesh the armour therefore is called the Armour of God not our armour but his The Divell is ever described mighty and wee weake to this end hee is called Leo rugiens a roaring Lion Draco volans a flying Dragon 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that old serpent homo fortis a strong man princeps mundi the prince of the world Deus mundi the God of the world it is therefore the miraculous grace of God that hee killeth not our soules every houre for God would have us to live both lives the naturall and supernaturall As concerning the naturall life from the soule the naturall powers of understanding will and perceiving flow as touching the supernaturall from grace prayer thankesgiving zeale love repentance mortification doe proceed and this is called The life of God if God withdraw his grace wee fall presently even the best men Peter a notable Apostle yet fell Ephes 4. 18. Mat. 26. Ier. 2. 14. for all his brags at the voice of a girle Ieremy a worthy Prophet yet grew desperate hee that foyled our first parents standing Gen. 3. upon legges of brasse would soone foyle us standing upon legges of clay it is as great a matter to resist temptations being moved unto it as for dry wood and flaxe to resist fire being put to it it is supernaturall in the one so is it in the other for us to resist sinne therefore pray as Christ said Watch and pray Mat. 26. 41. that yee enter not into temptation The fish is not more taken in the nette nor the bird in the snare than wee of the Divell soone hee Iohn 13. 2. entred into the heart of Iudas soone he filled Ananias his heart quickly he tempted David to number the people and quickly Act. 5. will hee overthrow us unlesse God keepe vs that wee fall not But to make further use of this doctrine S. Iude here intimateth unto us that of our selves wee are ready to fall our building by nature is upon the sand not upon the rocke our shields and swords are of blotting paper not of steele our wings like Icarus are of waxe All which I speake to humble the pride of None can presume of his owne strength but must fly to Prayer flesh and blood that no flesh rejoyce in Gods presence To which end Paul applieth his speech Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed that hee fall not Adam fell in Paradise Iudas in the schoole of our Saviour the Angels from heaven and doe wee thinke to stand of our selves No no. Doest thou trust in 1 Cor. 10. 12. Gen. 3. Mat. 27. 2 Pet. 2. 4. 1 Reg. 11. Iudg. 15. thy wisdome None was ever wiser than Salomon yet was he deceived Doest thou trust in thy strength None was ever stronger than Samson yet was hee vanquished doest thou trust in thy stablenesse and constancy None more stable more constant than Peter yet hee fell For hee that said unto Christ I will dye with Mat. 26. thee before I deny thee denied him thrice and every time more fearefully than other Doest thou trust in thy riches None richer than the Epulo and yet hee is in hell in torments God saith unto Luk. 16. all Let not the rich man glory in his riches nor the wiseman in his wisdome nor the strong man in his strength O pray to God for
the highest degree as God complaineth I have nourished and brought up Children but they have rebelled against mee The Oxe doth know his owner the Asse his masters crib but Israel Esa 1. 2 3 4. hath not knowne my people hath not understood We are a sinfull nation a people loden with iniquity a seed of the wicked corrupt children We have forsaken the Lord and provoked the Holy one of Israel to anger We professe to serve God but in works wee deny God we have a shew of godlines but inwardly wee deny the power of it our profession Tit. 1. 16. 2 Tim. 3. is like the apples and grapes of Sodom faire to the sight but if you touch them they vanish to smoke so all our profession standeth in words not in works as Iames said Ostende mihi fidem per opera Shew mee thy faith by thy works so Ostende Iam. 2. mihi regnum Dei per subjectionem tuam Shew mee the Kingdome of God by thy subjection by thy obedience which is due to his Word apply thy heart to keepe his statutes alwayes unto the end Bee not deceived God will not thus bee mocked in fine wee shall receive the reward of Rebels Quid dicta audiam cùm facta videam What should I heare words when I should see deeds as Moses said to Israeel laying out their severall rebellions So might I lay out the rebellions of England 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 egge and bird all naught our Fathers naught and wee also our Fathers have forsaken God and kept not his Law and we have Notorious sinners Satans subjects done worse than our Fathers and walke every one after the stubbornesse of his heart As well may wee spit on Christ Iesus buffet and beate him with a reed and cry with the mockers Haile King of the Iewes as kneele in the Church and say Thy Kingdome come Lord and yet in our deeds promote the kingdome of Satan disobey and not receive the Word which is the power of God Rom. 1. 16. to salvation to every one that beleeveth Therefore hee so highly extolleth it saying The weapons of our warfare are not carnall but mighty through God to cast downe holdes casting downe the imaginations 2 Cor. 10. 5. and every high thing that is exalted against the knowledge of God and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ Wee pray to be like the Angels we must strive then to come neere Mat. 6. them in obedience Three properties are noted in the Angels Obediunt Libentissimè Citissimè Fidelissimè most Willingly Speedily Faithfully They are willing to obey and so wee read that one Angell with speed killed an hundred fourescore and five thousand of the Assyrians in one night We must be like Angels if we looke Esa 37. to live with Angels they praise God day and night so must we Esa 6. But it may bee said of most of us that which Vivaldus said of Corasius Erat foris Cato intus Noro he was a Cato without a Nero within foris Angelus intus Diabolus an Angell without a Divell within foris Agnus intus Lupus a Lambe without a Wolfe within Deum ore laudabat corde factis negabat hee praised God with his mouth but denied him in heart in deeds tales sunt mancipia Diaboli such are the slaves of Satan God doth not raigne as a King in them his grace hath no dominion over them they are in the snare of the Divell and are taken of him at his will In this sence Christ called the Iewes the sonnes of the Divell Yee are of your father the Divell and the lusts of your father will yee doe so 2 Tim. 2. 26. Iohn 8. 44. 1 Iohn 2. 14. Iohn saith in the contrary I write unto you babes because yee have knowne the father Impij servi sunt tot daemoniorum quot vitiorum the wicked are the servants of so many divels as they have sinnes and transgressions it is the divell that hath dominion over them not God by his grace As there is in the body a palsy that striketh the one halfe and an Apoplexy that striketh the whole body so there is in our soules a spirituall palsy if not an Apoplexy our understanding is not lightned with the doctrine of God and our will is not enflamed with the Love of God to doe his will as it becommeth us Hereupon Saint Augustine crieth out Augusta foeda est domus Aug. animae meae Straight and filthy is the house of my soule but when thou commest vnto it ô Lord it shall bee enlarged and mundified of thee it is ruinous Lord repaire and amend it it is filthy Lord clense it and wash it there be many things in this Christ will dwell and raigne in a pure soule house of my soule which may offend thy sacred eyes but who shall purge it and purify it or unto whom shall I cry but unto thee Ab ocultis meis purga me Clense mee from my secret sinnes Let this bee our prayer and pray with that spirit wherewith Augustine prayed it and no doubt God will heare thee and have a Kingdom in thy soule This testimony is true the Heavens have sealed unto it and the living God hath spoken it of the children of men and blessed are wee if wee beleeve it there is more happinesse in one day of Gods service and under his Dominion then in ten thousand dayes of vanity in which Satan hath dominion and wee fall from the Lord of life The sixth and last attribute is Power wherein the excellent praise of God consisteth which is the ability in God to do what hee listeth like unto the former attributes but not all one with them haec enim magis conjungi quà m confundi velim I had rather conjoine these things than confound them as Calvin said in another case Of this power speaketh David O Lord my God thou art Psal 104. 1. exceeding great thou art clothed with glory and Majesty And of this power speaketh Esay Who hath measured the waters in his fist and counted Heaven with a spanne and comprehended the dust of the earth in Esa 40. 12. a measure and weighted the mountaines in a weight and the hilles in a balance And of this power of God speaketh Salomon Who hath Prov. 30. 4. ascended up to Heaven or descended Who hath gathered the Wind in his fist Who hath bound the Waters in a garment Who hath established all the ends of the world What is his Name or his Sonnes Name if thou canst tell And in respect of this power Christ said Ecce vobiscum sum Behold I am with you to the end of the world whereupon Mat. 28. 20. Aug. Augustine finely Iturus erat Christus ad dextram Patris per mortem praesentia Corporali In regard of his Corporall presence he was by death to goe to the right hand of his Father and in regard of his
and concludeth his Epistle with it Grace bee with you Amen for wee must not doubt of Gods promises but beleeve stedfastly That all the promises of God are in Amen diversly used in Scripture Christ yea and are in him AMEN Againe this word Amen teacheth us to desire earnestly 2 Tim. 4. 22. and fervently the thing wee pray for For the prayer of the righteous availeth much if it bee fervent David was fervent in his Iam. 9. 16. Psal 106. 48. prayer Blessed bee the Lord God of Israel for ever and ever and let all the people say Amen And verily this word Amen noteth our desire our earnest fervent desire to bee heard and to obtaine it is in effect thus much O Lord thus bee it unto mee what my tongue or soule have begged give it me grant it me Amen Amen So Lord even so Lord. FINIS THE TABLE OF THE Sermons upon Saint IVDE Points handled Serm. 1. THe holy Ghost the Author of all Scripture Fol. 1. Two Iudases 1 Iscariot 2 Brother of Iames 1 Some Scriptures doubted of 2 A threefold office of the Church concerning Scripture 3 Honourable titles given the wicked why 4 Stormes should not discourage the godly ibid. Three sorts of servants ibid. Gods service most happy 5 Gods service perfect freedome ibid. Brings all good to us 6 All other service vile or dangerous 7 Mans dignity in three things 8 Priviledges of Gods servants ibid. Pope abuseth the title of servant 9 Servants must imitate their Master obey him 10 Gods servants rewarded ibid. Servants may not Lord it over the rest of the Family 11 Godly profession brings more glory than honourable alliance 12 13. Sermon 2. VOcation the first step to Salvation 15 Before calling wee are children of wrath not capable of Christ 16 The happinesse of having the Gospell 17 Vocation Externall Internall Invitation Admission 17 18 Externall calling unprofitable without internall 18 The efficacie of Gods Word in the ministery thereof 19 Vocation diverse in respect of time and place 20 None called for desert ibid. Sanctification followes vocation 21 God as he beginne will finish till he glorifie ibid. Sanctification three-fold Imputed unto us Wrought in us Wrought by us 22 Difference of righteousnesse of Iustification and Sanctification 23 Papisticall doctrine tends to licentiousnes ours to holinesse ibid. Faith and Workes joyned in the person justified in the act of justification 24 Sermon 3. CHrists Priesthood two parts Redemption Intercession 26 Redemption hath two parts Reconciliation and Sanctification ibid. Reconciliation consists in two points Remission of sinnes and imputation of Christs righteousnesse 27 Iustification what it is ibid. Adoption what it is ibid. Benefits of Adoption and Iustification 27 Sanctification consists in mortification and vivification 28 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hath his beginning godly sorrow his companion the Spirituall combat ibid. Sanctification but in part as our knowledge ibid. Divers acceptions of holinesse 29 Wee must bee holy because God is holy 30 Wee must bee holy because it is the end of our Redemption 31 Without holinesse no salvation ibid. Wee must bee holy because called Saints ibid. All our holinesse is from God 32 The persons of the Trinity distinguished 33 Preservation in the state of Grace the chiefest blessing 34 Gods providence preserves in all accidents of life 35 God frees from all afflictions 36 God preserves his Scriptures and Saints 37 Gods preservation of soule and spirituall estate most gracious 38 39 Sermon 4. MErcie Peace and Love three most excellent gifts 40 How these three flow from the Trinity ibid. How mercy in God 41 A rule for Christian salutations ibid. Mercy fourefold ibid. Generall mercies bestowed on all ibid. Speciall mercies on the elect ibid. The long suffering of God 42 The greatest mercy concernes salvation ibid. Our election is of Mercy ibid. Gods abundant mercy in Christ 43 Mercy seven-fold ibid. All that wee have is of mercy ibid. Misericordia communis peccantium portus ibid. Peace three-fold 44 Peace the ornament of the Church and signe of Christs Kingdome ibid. God the Author of Peace 45 A commendation of peace ibid. Contention cause of destruction 46 Vnion makes powerfull ibid. True peace to bee sought and imbraced 47 Righteousnesse cause of peace ibid. Peace of Conscience passeth all understanding 48 Prosperity profiteth not without peace of Conscience ibid. The wicked have no peace 49 Christ dyed rose ascended to perfect our peace ibid. Peace is used for outward prosperitie 50 All priviledges spirituall and temporall belong to the godly ibid. Yet sometime God withholds outward blessings 51 Sermon 5. God loves the fountaine of mercy peace and all good things 52 Gods love is most abundant immeasurable immutable unspeakeable 53 How God is said to be love ibid. Love of man to man the most excellent vertue 54 No Love to man without the love of God 55 True love rare among men 56 That love which is truely Christian must be embraced all other abandoned 57 Not sufficient to have grace but there must be a desire of increase till we come to glory 58 Sermon 6. FAith the most necessarie and excellent vertue 61 Sonnes three-fold by Nature by Doctrine by Adoption or Inspiration 62 Faith set out by it's attributes that wee might labour for it 63 Many carelesse to get Faith or maintaine it ibid. Faith must bee maintained to the death 64 A foure-fold fight and flight of Ministers ibid. The zeale of Idolaters and Heretickes for false religion should make us to be zealous for Gods truth 65 Divers degrees of zeale ibid. God lookes to the truth of our zeale not the heate 66 God accepts according to that a man hath if in truth ibid. Love ought to bee shewed in all our instructions and reprehensions 67 What love required in Ministers to their people ibid. Wee must be zealous in the matter of Religion and industrious for our soules 68 Salvation ought to be our onely ayme to have it assured to our selves and propagated to others 69 Many more regard humane writings yea vaine pamphlets than Scriptures 70 All men ought to labour to get assurance of salvation 71 Salvation common in three respects ibid. As salvation is common so the Church Catholicke 72 Writing the most safe meanes to performe God truth ibid. Traditions bring errors to the Church 73 Exhortation powerfull urged in meekenesse 74 The Minister must exhort and the people suffer the Word of exhortation 75 Sermon 7. GOds truth must bee maintained 76 Faith the gift of God a fruit of the Spirit ibid. Divers acceptions of Faith 77 Divers excellent attributes of saving Faith ibid. Faith a worke of the Trinity 78 The meanes to beget Faith outwardly the Ministery of the Word inwardly the operation of the Spirit 79 True Faith in few in all ages ibid. True Religion most ancient and Scriptures before all other writings 80 As God is immutable so his truth and Religion ibid. Though types and shadowes vanish truth and