in pursuit of their Loue De vera virgiaitate it is Saint Basils Similie And why not seeing for the most part they are the worse for their louing and wee are sure for ours to bee the better But I must leaue the enlarging of these things to your owne priuate Meditations You may remember I told you that though the Person onely is here exprest yet things are also included so farre as they haue reference to this person we must respect euerie Creature as it is Gods and grieue at the abuse of the meanest of them But our speciall regard must be vnto those things that worke or witnesse this spirituall Loue. Worke it as Gods word and his Sacraments these things wee must haue in a singular regard by reason of the heauenly power which they haue to worke Loue the more we vse them the more it will appeare wee desire to Loue. As these things worke Loue so there are other things that testifie it our praysing of God our praying vnto God our readinesse to please God though we suffer for it the more wee are exercised in these things the more it will appeare we are in Loue. But though God kindle Loue in vs by his Creatures yet must we not loue him for them for that were Amor Concupiscentiae but wee must by them be led to loue him and that is Amor amicitiae Mea tibi oblata non prosunt saith Saint Bernard sine me nec tua mihi sine te though we come to know God by his Creatures yet must our Loue immediately fixe on him As those things which haue reference are included so are those things excluded which haue no reference and whatsoeuer things which doe not lead to him draw from him of all which this must bee kept as a a rule Pereant qui quae inter deum nos dissidium volunt wee must haue nothing to do with whatsoeuer will separate betweene God and vs. You haue heard what the Person is Confess l. 8. and what it is to Loue him When Saint Austin put these two together hee fell into that humble admiration O Lord who am I That thou shouldest command me to Loue thee And verily a man may well wonder Hath not God Angels Archangels Cherubins Seraphins to loue him And what grace is it then for him to stoope so low as man Yea and whereas the best abilitie of man is too base to bee employed in his seruice hee doth this honour as to stoope to the meanest of our abilities hee commands our Dust and Ashes this wormes meate our vilde selues to Loue him that is to be as it were consorts with him for amor nescit inaequalitatem therefore God doth as it were deifie that which hee doth so farre honour â—sal 8.4 When Dauid looked vpon the interest which God hath giuen vs in his Creatures when he put all things in subiection vnder our feete the beasts of the field the fishes of the sea c. he breaketh out into Quid est homo Lord what is man that thou art mindfull of him Or the Sonne of man that thou so regardest him What an admiration then should arise in vs when we see what an interest God hath giuen vs in himselfe Especially seeing he hath no neede of vs and all the gaine is ours can wee forbeare with amazednesse and wonderment to vtter the same words O Lord what is man Nay out of the sense of euerie mans owne interest to say Lord what a man am I that thou shouldest be so mindfull of mee And what a Sonne of man am I that thou shouldest so regard me Dauid when he describeth the temporall blessednesse which he wisheth to Israel Psal 144. concludeth Happie is that people that is in such a case but he addeth to our purpose yea Happie are the people whose God is the Lord The prerogatiue that Man hath aboue other creatures yea that the Christian hath aboue all other Nations should make vs set it at a higher rate then commonly we doe A word of the day and so I end This is All Saints Day and it is Loue that doth characterize a Saint for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Basil in Psal 44 Nyssen de Anima Resurrect yea 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 we haue in Earth a Communion of Saints in Faith Hope and Charitie but in Heauen there is no Communion but only in Charitie Faith and Hope are done away Nay in Earth our Communion with God standeth properly in Charitie for there can bee no mutualnesse betweene God and Vs but only in that and to bee mutuall is a propertie of Charitie as I told you at the entrance of this Sermon Wee beleeue in God but God doth not beleeue in vs wee hope in God God doth not hope in vs but if Man loue God God loueth him againe and therefore Loue is the proper vertue of Saints it is that which both in Earth and Heauen doth knit vs vnto God Psâ—l 18. What shall we say then to these thing seeing Charitie beginneth a Saint on Earth and consummateth him in Heauen I will vow with King Dauid I will loue thee my Lord my strength c. And that I may performe this Vow I will pray with Saint Austin Lord so inspire my heart that I may seeke thee seeking may find thee and finding may loue thee ANd grant O Lord thy Grace vnto vs all so to exercise our selues in this Loue that we may haue the honour to bee thy friends both in Earth and Heauen AMEN The fifth Sermon MATT. 22. VERSE 39. Thou shalt loue thy Neighbour THere are two Persons exprest in my Text on whom wee must bestow our Loue. First The Lord our God and Secondly our Neighbour I spake last of the former of these persons It followeth that I now speake of the later so farre as I am occasioned by these words Thou shalt loue thy Neighbour Wherein it will appeare that Loue is not only due to God but also to his seruants as many as can returne Loue for Loue that is all Rationall Creatures so farre as God hath conioyned vs we must not seuer our selues for euerie creature loues his like Amitie is inseperable from societie at least it should be For my fuller vnfolding and your better vnderstanding of these wordes I will therein distinctly consider first â—o whom then what is due The Person is called a Neighbour that which is due to him is Loue. But farther in the person we must see first that in him there is found the ground of that Loue I will discouer it when I haue opened the Name Secondly that euery man hath his interest in this ground the text pointeth out this when in a reference to euery man it calleth the person Thy Neighbour As this must be obserued in the person so in the Dutie we must obserue that we that haue the interest must performe the Dutie this interest belongeth to euery man and so doth the
Or I might carrie you along through all those branches which were toucht when I opened those words Thou shalt loue I told you then that Loue beginneth in Vnion of the persons it commeth on to Communion first in good will and then in good deeds and this euery one that loueth doth labour to expresse both in soule and bodie for it must be syncere But because I haue exprest diuers kinds and degrees of neighbourhood I cannot better teach you what it is to loue your neighbour then to perswade you to entertaine each kind of neighbourhood and that according to its degree Is any man thy neighbour in place be as occasion serueth his Helpe his Comforter otherwise God will not account that thou louest him Non prodest si nos continet vna domus separat diuersa voluntas plus attendit Deus vnitatem animi quam loci 〈◊〉 any moreouer thy neighbour in bloud let him find how much nature is more potent then Law and let Consanguinitie double the heat of thy affections to wards him Doest thou apprehend that all Mankind is made after the Image of God Let thy humanitie towards strangers testifie the reuerence which thou bearest to thy Maker Iob 3◠Let not the stranger lodge in the street but open thy doores vnto Trauellers Neighbourhood in place doth but supply neighbourhood in bloud therefore if we respect that which is the sample much more must we respect this which is the sampler Art thou aduanced to an higher degree of neighbourhood in that thou art a member of the Church thy good offices must be multiplyed accordingly and thou must promote the Communion of Saints with much more zeale then the societie of men here thou must shew how farre Grace goeth beyond Nature Is man thy friend Dilige eum in Dec loue him because alreadie he stands in good tearmes with God Is he thy enemie Dilige eum propter Deum loue him for Gods sake and after Gods example he maketh his Sunne to shine and his raine to fall vpon the iust and vniust thankfull vnthankfull therefore If thy enemie hunger Rom. 12. Mat. 5. Prou. 16. giue him meat if he thirst giue him drinke and so heape coles of fire on his head If thy enemie be a member of the Church remember hee is but like a part of thy bodie out of ioynt though it be painfull yet how tenderly doest thou handle it and neuer leaue vntill thou hast set it in ioynt againe Euen so shouldest thou vse thy brother neuer leaue vntill thou hast brought him to yeeld thee as much content as he hath wrought thee woe Is hee without the Church that doth afflict thee Looke not vpon him but vpon the Deuill that prouoketh him poure out thy malice against the Deuill for this is a lawfull enmitie Gen 3. vpon that ancient ground ponam immicitias but pitie the man let him find in thee the comfort of a Neighbour Thou canst not better ouercome the Deuill then by such loue of thine enemies A man cannot so many wayes afflict thee but thou must be as many wayes charitable vnto him as Christ teacheth in the fift of Matthew verse 44. In a word Amor nescit inimicum and this euery Christian man must shew or else he will betray that he is no liuing member in the mysticall Bodie of Christ for how doth he liue therein that is either senselesse or Satanicall his owne bodie will refute him 1. 〈◊〉 As we must loue our Neighbours in the Church Militant so must we loue also our Neighbours of the Church Triumphant we must reuerence the presence of the Angels that are about vs and not misdemeane our selues before them nor grieue them in their Ministerie wee must thankfully commemorate the liues of the Saints departed and bee carefull to resemble them in their vertues But wee must not with the Church of Rome racke our loue towards either Angels or Saints and honour them farther then we haue warant much lesse derogate from God or Christ in our honouring them As for Christ it is not hard to conceiue how wee must Loue him his Names will guide vs. The Church is his Spouse shee must Loue him with a chast Loue the Church is his Bodie shee must Loue him with an obedient Loue He is our Brother we must loue him with a Naturall Loue the diuersitie of his titles will teach vs how to diuersifie our Loue for hee beareth no title which wee must not entertaine with an answerable Loue. In all that you haue heard you may perceiue that there are diuers kind of persons that challeng our Loue but Christ calleth neuer a one of them by his proper name but comprehendeth them all vnder one name Neighbour other names would haue imported some personall respects teaching vs two things first that our loue must bee without respect of persons we may not loue because a man is rich wife or Honourable nor for any other worldly respect these bee the motiues that sway with Publicans and Sinners with carnall men but these are base respects in the eyes of Christian men Especially seeing God that hath made men vnequall in these hath made them equall in better things Yea and these which are so vnequally distributed are therefore so distributed that they might giue the fitter opportunitie for the exercise of our Loue. Looke vpon thy Bodie it is made of the foure Elements whereof one is cold another is hot one is moyst another is drie Doth the hot abhorre the cold or the moyst the drie No rather they impart their qualities to them and out of so louing neighbourhood commeth this goodly fabricke of mans bodie which would soone be dissolued if this louing neighbourhood should faile The whole frame of the world is preserued by the louing association that is betweene vnequall creatures so the great world the little world both doe teach vs how due our Loue is vnto neighbourhood only in regard of neighbourhood The second thing that wee must obserue is that wee must take the scantling of our Loue from the kind and degree of neighbourhood But of that I shall speake more when I come to the measure only now obserue that as I told you when I spake of the Loue of the Lord our God that Loue must not only extend to his person but to those things that belong vnto him so must we conceiue also of the Loue of our Neighbour Whereupon are grounded those Lawes Thou shalt not see thy Neighbours Oxe nor his Asse going astray sinking vnder his burden lying in a ditch but thou shalt bring him home ease him lift him out In a word whatsoeuer thing concerneth our Neighbour in any kind or degree of neighbourhood wee must testifie the acknowledgment of our reference to him in carefully procuring the welfare of that thing You haue heard the Dutie But who must performe it Surely whosoeuer hath the interest is he thy Neighbour why then thou must loue him But the Law
plaine hee was without the loue of his Neighbour because hee came to tempt Christ and therefore Christ striketh directly at his fault and sheweth him that there is a second Commandement beside the first euen such a one as without which the first cannot consist for there can bee no true Loue of God which is not accompanied with the loue of our Neighbour 1 Ioh. 4.20 Hee that loueth not his neighbour whom hee doth see how can hee loue God whom hee doth not see So that Christ doth answere not onely fully but abundantly The word Second doth moreouer teach vs that these Commandements are not Co-ordinata but Sub-ordinata the doe not goe hand in hand but one doth attend the other and there is good reason why because the one doth flow from the other To open this a little more fully This Commandement hath a secondarinesse in nature and a secondarinesse in worthinesse A secondarinesse in nature for wee cannot loue the fountaine of Loue but wee must loue the streames that flow from it the same nature that teacheth Children to loue their Parents teacheth them to loue one another Abraham thought so Gen. 3. when hee perswaded Lot not to contend vpon this ground for wee are Brethren and Moses vpon the same ground would haue reconciled two Israelites that were at variance when hee reproued him that was iniurious thus you are Brethren The secondarinesse is as plaine in the resemblance of the Body Acts â— for the members that are respectiue of the Head should not in reason bee ill affected betweene themselues the sense which they deriue from the Head maketh them effectually feeling of each others state and Christians cannot bee senslesse of any part which is in Christs body except they haue lost the sense of their coniunction with Christ their Head Finally the liuing stones that are in the Spirituall Temple doe as willingly embrace and hold fast each the other as they doe gladly entertaine the fountaine of their vnion which is the holy Ghost whatsoeuer motiue there is that perswadeth vs in the first place to loue the Lord our God doth perswade vs in the second place for to loue our Neighbour because our Neighbour and wee doe pertake thereof so that the loue of our Neighbour is a second Commandement to bee obeyed not arbitrarily but necessarily because the same nature teacheth vs in the second place to loue our neighbour which taught vs in the first place to loue God Another secondarinesse there is and that is of worthinesse for though our Neighbour deserue to bee beloued yet is his worthinesse but secondarie And why Such is his Goodnesse God is good a se his goodnesse springeth from himselfe but our Neighbours goodnesse is a Deo hee hath it from the gift of God God is good perse Goodnesse is his very nature but our neighbour is good only in Deo so farre as hee hath communion with God Finally God is good propter se there is no end of his goodnesse but his owne glory but our neighbours goodnesse is ad Deum it aymes at something beyond it selfe and that is at God and vnion with him So that this must passe for an vndoubted and grounded truth that as the reason why wee must loue our Neighbour must bee Goodnesse so that Goodnesse must bee conceiued to bee but in a secondary degree And as the effect doth respect his efficient so must the loue of our Neighbour respect the loue of God because no man can loue his neighbour orderly that doth not first loue God Yea as hee concludeth soundly that hath the principles whence his conclusion must issue euer in his eye and obserueth their direct influence into the Conclusion euen so a man can neuer erre in the loue of his neighbour that guideth himselfe by his loue of God for Quod primum est in vnoquoque genere est mensura reliquorum In a word wee must neuer loue our neighbour but in a double intention a primarie which looketh vpon God a secundarie which looketh vpon our Neighbour and beholdeth God in him This Rule is of speciall vse to make our loue regular whereof wee haue an excellent example in the Macedonians to whom Saint Paul beareth witnesse that they gaue themselues first to the Lord â— â—or 8 5. and then to the Apostles according to the will of God wee must not bee content to know this will doe our neighbour good but see that it agree with the first Table which doth qualifie the second It is true that as in naturall knowledge so also in the affection of Loue wee begin a prioribus sensui wee first apprehend the lineaments of a liuing body and then discerne therein the effects of a soule and last of all come to know the Soule it selfe euen so in the course of nature wee first take notice of our neighbour and the inducements to loue him then we apprehend some higher cause that worketh these inducements and last of all wee acknowledge that that cause is most louely whereupon Saint Austin Tract in Ioh. Diligendo proximum purgas oculum ad diligendum Deum But yet as in naturall knowledge when by going backward wee are come to that which is first in nature wee make that our guide to vnderstand distinctly what before we knew but confusedly euen so though the imperfect loue of our neighbour doth draw vs to a knowledge of our loue of God yet when wee haue attained that wee must take the true taste of our affections from thence and that must correct the corrupt relish which otherwise would be in our Loue for it fareth with our spirituall taste as it doth with our corporall if either bee possest with any quality whatsoeuer it receiueth will seeme answerable according to the Maxime in Philosophie Intus apparens excludit alienum Againe this order of first and second doth teach vs that wee must first giue to God and our Neighbour our Loue before any other gift for all other will easily follow if this goe before and they are all of no value if they flow not from this it is not possible we should doe any other seruice if wee yeeld not this and if it were possible yet wee should doe it in vaine Therefore wee must repute this first and second Commandement the foundations of pietie before wee set our selues to doe our dutie wee must loue God if we will serue him and if we will serue our Neghbour we must first loue him To conclude this point out of all which you haue heard you may learne the truth of that which Saint Austin hath Lib. 15. d. ciuit Dei câ—p 22. Ipse amor ordinatè amandus est Loue it selfe must be loued orderly and if Order bee requisite in the exercise of euery vertue much more in Charitie which is the root of vertues in somuch that where there is no Order there can bee no Charitie Austm ibid. because this Order is nothing else but that Quo
benè amatur quod amandum est vt sit in nobis virtus qua bene viuitur so that hee liueth iustly and holily which passeth a true iudgement vpon the obiects of Loue and such a one is hee onely that hath his Charitie well ordered for hee nec vtitur fruendis nec fruitur vtendis hee doth not mis-applie his Loue. But where is he In Cant. cap 2. vers 4. Nunc confusam in plerisque inordinatam licet videre Charitatem it is Gregorie Nyssens complaint and this inordinatenesse began very early Saint Iude telleth vs of the Angels that they kept not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 their Originall which is in effect they did not obserue the subordination of these Commandements they would haue no dependencie vpon God and so shut him out of their Loue Adam did no better who being made after the Image of God affected another likenesse and so cast off the first of these two Commandements The children of God that coupled themselues with the daughters of men were most infamous for this disorder of their Charitie And who is not guiltie of it where bee the Parents that begin not their loue at their Children and care for no more of the loue of God then may stand with their thriuing for them Saint Paul insinuates as much concerning man and wife when hee telleth vs that the vnmarried care for those things which belong vnto the Lord but the marryed take care for those things wherein they may please each the other as if that were ordinarily their principall care And how seruants forget their loue of God while they seeke to please their masters you may perceiue in euery shop where apprentises are inured to lying false-swearing deceiuing and all to aduance their masters commodity It were infinite to runne ouer all degrees of persons but if you list to doe it you shall finde that all their Charitie is out of order for want of this Order and that they place the precedencie of their loue amisse And it were well if men went no farther then to preferre Man before God there is as much disorder in our loue of Things yea the disorder in the loue of Persons groweth from the disorderly loue of Things O ciues ciues quaerenda pecuniaprimum est Virtus post nummos Prophane men thinke that gaine is the best godlinesse and couetous men will sell euen their soules for a morsell of bread Esau sold his birth-right for a messe of pottage yea Iudas sold our Sauiour Christ for thirtie pieces of siluer De doâ—â— Christ 〈◊〉 1 cap 23. Saint Austin distinguishing things telleth vs that some are supra aboue vs as God some intra within vs as our owne soules and selues some iuxta euen with vs as our neighbours some infra below vs as the world and worldly things wee may adde some contra our deadly enemies as are the Diuell and the powers of darknesse Of these Loue is due to God aboue vs to our Selues to our Neighbours wee finde them all three in the Commandement of Loue but we finde not there those things which are below vs much lesse those things which are opposite to vs. And yet when we come to consider what Order the world keepeth in Loue we shall finde that these two which God neuer thought worthy of our Loue haue the greatest share therein and wee haue no leasure to loue the other so great is our loue to these at least our forwardnesse in the loue of these maketh vs backward in the loue of the other our meate our money our pleasure our profit that were by the Creation subiected vnto vs are become masters of our affections yea the cursed serpent can so charme them that wee will denie him nothing and men like a generation of vipers doe his will as if the Diuell were their Father so farreis Charitie disordered The more reason haue we to listen to this Method of Lone which is here taught by our Sauiour Christ and thinke that there is more in these two words First and Second then wee did happly apprehend Certainly the knowledge of them is of great consequence for it is the true rule of vertue and the obseruance of them is of great difficultie for our corrupt nature can hardly be brought vnto it wherfore we must imprint deeply in our mindes that which wee haue heard and pray God that wee may haue grace to doe what we are taught LOrd wee confesse that our Loue hither to hath beene peruerse and that nothing can rectifie it but thy Spirit Wee beseech thee that hee may so informe our iudgement and reforme our affections that we consecrate the first fruits of our Charitie vnto thee and that thou mayest haue the precedencie therein But let not our Charitie rest there but descending from thee let it light on those to whom thou directest it yet so that but for thee and in thee we may loue nothing beside thee So shall wee bee thy beloued if wee bee such Louers and bee admitted into the blessed societie of those whom thou hast honoured with the name of thy friends in the Kingdome of Heauen The seuenth Sermon MATT. 22. VERSE 37. Thou shalt loue the Lord thy God with all thy heart with all thy soule and with all thy strength This is the first and great Commandement IN bestowing our Charitie wee must obserue an Order and a Measure an Order because concerning it we find in this Text a First and Second commandement a Measure because of the two Commandements the one is great the other is but like vnto it Hauing the last Lords day opened the Order it followeth that this day the Measure be opened vnto you For entrance hereunto wee must take these two Rules First though Charitie bee a common due to God and our Neighbour yet must they not both bee serued by the same Measure and why the Persons are vnequall God is infinite our Neighbour is finite and wee may not dispense equall portions to vnequall persons The second Rule is That the Order layeth the foundation of the Measure and therefore is the Order correspondent vnto the Measure hee that hath the praecedencie in must haue the praeheminence of our Charity and whom wee must loue last wee must loue least God is first in Order therefore must hee haue the greatest measure thou must loue him with all thy heart all thy minde c. thy Neighbour is but second therefore hee must haue a lesser measure thou must loue him as thy selfe The time will not suffice me so farre as is meete to handle both these Measures wherefore I will confine my paines to the former and that is exprest in these words all thy heart minde soule If wee must loue the Lord our God with all these then wee must loue him perfectly but that perfection is no other then the perfection of a man for thou must loue him with heart mind and soule so that we haue two points to handle first the
loue of God The abundance of their ioy and their deepe pouertie abounded to the riches of their liberalitie for to their power I beare them record saith Saint Paul and beyond their power were they willing of themselues such must be our disposition The rather because all diuision of our abilities is a plaine abandoning of the loue of God for no man can serue two masters as Christ telleth vs if he loue the one he will hate the other two loues if one be good and the other bad 〈◊〉 Medâ—tat cap. 5. cannot stand together Take an example or two The sonnes of God that is those that did loue God fell in loue with the daughters of men what issue had they Giants 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 such as fought against God The Samaritans worshipped both the God of Israel and the Assyrians Idols and they were the most deadly enemies of Ierusalem Neuer haue you seene an hereticke that is a person that professeth partly the truth and partly errour but he turneth a bloudy persecutor of the Truth and he that loueth God and the World out of his loue to the World will doe the greatest dishonour hee can to God This is the reason why God will haue All or None Ananias and Saphira were stricken with suddaine death for with-holding a part of that whole substance which they freely vowed to God and which had it not beene for their vow they might haue disposed at their pleasure And if the embeseling of so small a matter due vpon no other ground then vpon a free Vow receiued so heauâ—e a doome of how much sorer punishment shal we be worthy if we with-hold our better things which vpon a more necessarie vow are due vnto God As for the Remisnesse that also is followed with a curse for cursed is he that doth the worke of the Lord negligently Iere. 4â— 10 Reuel 3.16 and Christ will spue out of his mouth all those that are but luke warme that are neither hot nor cold God loueth none but zealously cheerefull Louers and lesse then an entire dedication of all our faculties will not please him But mistake not all other things besides God are not excluded from our Loue if they were how should we loue our Neighbour whom notwithstanding in this Text wee are commanded to loue Wherefore for the farther vnderstanding of this Intirenesse of our loue of God wee must not take other things Oppositè but Compositè we must exclude nothing from our loue that doth not enter into competition with God and oppose it selfe against the loue of God Secondly if there bee any thing that may be beloued ioyntly with God it must not be taken as Coordinatum but Subordinatum it must not share equally with God but keepe its distance and receiue our loue by a reflexion from God Excellent is that which Saint Austine hath to this purpose Totum quicquid aliud diligendum venerit in mentem illuc rapiatur quo totius dilectionis impetus currit and Minus te amat Domine qui tecum aliquid amat quod propter te non amat Thirdly vpon this Inequalitie must our loue ground an vnequall estimate of things and we must loue God aboue all appretiatiuè we must account all in comparison of God to be but as dung to be verie losse Finally according to the estimate must the heat of our affection bee wee must loue God aboue all intensiuè also wee must loue other things as fit to be vsed not fit to be enioyed yea we must vse all the world as if we vsed it not but we must loue God as him whome wee would not onely vse but enioy also yea so enioy that we may bee able to say with King Dauid Psal 73. Whom haue I in heauen but thee and there is none on earth that I desire with thee My flesh and my heart faileth but God is the strength of my heart and my portion for euer when wee attaine hereunto though wee loue other things beside God yet wee loue God as wee ought for we will as Salomon biddeth vs thinke vpon him in all our wayes But I may not forget that though I seeme to haue said much of our loue of God yet there is a limitation exprest in the Text though All bee required yet no other All then that which can bee performed by man for it is all thy heart thy minde thy strength c. wee may not expect that wee should bee able to loue God according to his owne worth but wee must loue him to the vttermost of our power Onely God can loue God as hee is worthie so the Father loueth the Sonne the Sonne the Father and the holy Ghost both but a finite creature can haue but a finite vertue which can beare no proportion vnto God who is infinite as also is his goodnesse which is all one with himselfe This serueth to checke all pride which thinketh that by louing it can demerit God well may hee vouchsafe to accept our poore endeauors but the best come short of deseruing ought at Gods hands especially when the heart minde c. though they bee called ours yet are they nothing but his gifts as before you haue heard and so are all their endowments namely this of Loue. And if wee cannot merit by loue much lesse can wee supererogate in louing for who can giue God more then is due that learneth by this Text that All is due vnto God Praetererogate haply we may in some indifferent thing which God leaueth to our choyce although that choyce also must bee guided by the generall end whereat all our actions must ayme and the abilitie which wee haue receiued of God whereof if we imploy not the one to the other well may God bee indulgent to our weaknesse in choosing certainly it deserueth no commendation But as for the Act of louing so farre is it off that wee can supererogate any thing that wee cannot so much as praetererogate a iot therein I haue opened the Measure wherewith wee must loue the Lord our God the perfection the degree thereof but I doubt I haue not done it so popularly and plainly as that euery one doth conceiue mee and can try his owne loue by that which hee hath heard and discerne when it is come to this straine I will therefore propose from the mouth of our Sauiour Christ certaine plaine Rules which are for the capacitie of the meanest hearer which if he apply vnto himselfe he may thereby guesse at the pitch of his loue The first is He that loueth father mother wife children c. Mat. 10. Mat. 19 20. Luc. 14.26 more then me is not worthy of me The second Hee that forsaketh not father mother wife children c. The third Hee that hateth not father mother wife children c. hee cannot be my Disciple There bee many things and persons as you heard before which we are allowed to loue but we must loue them onely vntill they come
can that haue then to entertaine God Iohn 14. If any Man loue me saith Christ my Father will loue him and we will come vnto him and make our abode with him and where Gods and Christs abode is there is the Kingdome of Heauen euen righteousnesse peace and ioy of the Holy Ghost The third is the Soule and whether doth the desire thereof runne but vnto God Psal 84. and where will it rest but only in him My soule longeth euen fainteth for the Courts of the Lord my heart and my flesh crieth out for the liuing God Blessed are they that dwell in thy house The sensitiue Soule that is on attendant vpon the Will what greater happinesse can it haue then to feed vpon the crummes that fall from that Table where God suppeth in the reasonable soule of man whereat nothing is serued but the bread the water the fruit the foode of life The last abilitie is our Strength Psal 84. and Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee O Lord they goe from strength to strength but whither Ibid. That euery one may appeare before God in Sion Dauid therefore had rather be a doore keeper in Gods House then to dwell in the tents of vngodlinesse and he giueth the reason for God giueth good wages to his seruants Ibid. The Lord is a Sunne and a shield hee will giue grace and glorie and no good thing will he withhold from them that walke vprightly Yea whereas in the seruice of others we cannot vse our strength but we weare it out It is not so in the seruice of God hee satisfieth thy mouth with good things Psal 103. so that thy youth is renewed like the Eagles Euen the youthes shall faint and be wearie and the young men shall vtterly fall But they that wait vpon the Lord shall renew their strength they shall mount vp their wings as Eagles they shall runne and not be wearie and they shall walke and not faint Isay 40. The longer a man serueth God the more able he will be to serue him So then that a man may loue himselfe he must loue God and hee that doth not loue God cannot Loue himselfe because by Loue he hath communion with God wherein standeth his happinesse and of this happinesse he doth defraud himselfe so farre as he commeth short in his Loue of God And indeed this is no small difference betweene God and the diuell The diuell in shew biddeth vs Loue our selues doe all for our selues and wee are so simple as to beleeue him and thinke that we doe so whereas the euent proues we doe all for him and to our owne ruine for he is the plaine Image of Vsurers who liue by the sweate of other mens browes and cunningly grow rich by vndoing others with a seeming reliefe But as for God his precepts bid vs renounce our selues giue our selues wholly vnto him but in the conclusion hee hath nothing we haue all According to the answere which the Father of the prodigall made to his murmuring eldest sonne who expostulated thus with him Loc these many yeeres doe I serue thee neither transgressed I at any time thy Commandements and yet thou neuer gauest me a Kid that I might make merrie with my friends Sonne said the Father thou art euer with me and all that I haue is thine Much more is this true of our heauenly Father who doth not desire to keepe vs busily and well employed for his owne thrift but for ours it is for our comfort and not for his owne Be not sad therefore O Christian Soule if he that made thee wholy will so wholy be beloued of thee as if he had left thee nothing wherewith to sollace by selfe for thou dost neuer loue thy selfe better neither euer shalt thou take greater content in thy selfe then when thou louest God with all thy heart with all thy soule with all thy mind and with all thy strength Thus at length we haue found out the second measure the measure of that Loue of our neighbour which is prescribed by Grace a man is here bid by louing God to loue himselfe that so louing himselfe he may know how to Loue his neighbour Because he that doth not Loue God cannot loue himselfe and so by consequent cannot Loue his neighbour Loue being so sanctified it is true which the Schooles haue Regula est prius regulato se prius quis diligere debet quam proximum Seeing then such is the Measure wherewith wee must Loue our selues we must keepe the Loue of our neighbour within the bounds of the Loue of God We must loue in him the loue of God if he haue it Psal 16. Mine eyes saith Dauid are vpon such as are faithfull in the land my delight is in thy Saints and such as excell in vertue and else-where describing a man that shall dwell in Gods Tabernacle and ascend into his holy Hill he saith Psal 15. that it is he in whose eyes a vile person is contemned but hee honoureth them that feare the Lord. When one told Christ that his mother and brethren stood without desiring to speake with him he answered and said to him that told it who is my mother And who are my brethren And stretch out his hand towards his Disciples saying Behold my mother and my brethren for whosoeuer shall doe the will of my father which is in Heauen he is my brother my sister and my mother If wee cannot loue our neighbour for that he is not yet seasoned with the Loue of God wee must loue him that hee may be so seasoned for so did Christ loue man not for that hee was but for that hee might bee the son of God Acts 28. and heyre of Heauen as himselfe was And Saint Paul when vpon a Sermon Agrippa told him thou hast almost perswaded me to bee a Christian I would saith hee that not onely thou but also all that heare me this day 1. Epistle 1. were both almost and altogether such as I am excepting these bonds And Saint Iohn That which wee haue seene and heard declare wee vnto you that ye also may haue fellowship with vs and our fellowship may be with the father and with his sonne Iesus Christ For this cause would not Saint Paul haue the beleiuing wife forsake the belieuing husband 1. Cor. 7. and Christ so loues his Spouse because all faire c. in the Canticles You see then that if we loue our neighbour wee must loue him propter Deum in regard of the loue of God And why because you must not loue your selues otherwise De Doct Christ lib. 1. cap. 22. Whereupon Saint Austin giueth this good note Siteipsum non propter teipsum diligere debes sed propter Deum non succenseat homo sieum diligas propter Deum If I make the loue of God the onely reason why I loue my neighbour my neighbour hath no cause to bee offended with me because I must make it
our choyce that we pitch vpon a good guide wherein the Scripture bids vs take heed of two Rockes the one is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the other is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 we must neither our selues forge a Religion neither receiue any that is forged by others for guiding of our conscience as we must not be without Law so must we take heed what Law we vse And indeed we may vse none safely but The Law of God in such cases Lanes 4.12 that of the Apostle is true There is but one Lawgiuer no Law but his bindes vnto that for performance whereof we may securely expect that he will performe what in the Couenant for his part hee hath promised vnto vs. Many commendations wee read in prophane Writers of the the Lawes of Solon Lycurgus Zaleuchus and others but these must all be as imperfect as the Law-giuers whether we respect the Precepts or the Sanctions none comprehending exactly the Dutie of Man and therefore not being able to set Man in the way to the attaining of his Soueraigne Good This is peculiar to the Law of God But what is meant by the Law of God Surely the Law deliuered by Moses whereof the Prophets were but Interpreters and their Interpretation shewes the largenesse of the Text namely That the Gospell is included in the Law for the Decalogue cloathed with the Ceremonies what is it but Implicitum Euangelium The substance of the Gospell which is Saluation by Repentance and Faith in Christ And so must we vnderstand not onely Moses his commendations of the Law Deut. 4. but King Dauids also Psal 19. and 119 the truth whereof cannot be acknowledged if the Law and the Gospell be taken Oppositè and not Compositè if we oppose the one to the other and doe not by the one put comfort into the other Certainely in this place we must so vnderstand the Law because it is made the Way to Blisse And marke that here One Law of God is opposed vnto the three degrees of Sinne The Counsell of the wicked The way of Sinners and The Seat of the Scorners one to three to giue vs to vnderstand that what those three promise is performed in this One no true Counsell but in this Law no good Course but that whereinto wee are set by this Law and if we will be Doctors and despise the folly of others we must sit in Moses Chaire we must professe no other but the Law of God And thus much of that Whereunto we must be dedicated Let vs uow see How Wee must first receiue it in the Inward Man the word vsed by the Psalmist is Chephetz which signifies Voluntatem and Voluptatem and notes where and what entertainment wee must first giue vnto The Law Where in our Will so we finde in the tenour of the Couenant This shall be my Couenant Iere. 31.33 which I will make with the House of Israel saith the Lord I will write my Lawes in their Hearts c. God will not haue a seruile Dedication hee will not bee serued by compulsion and therefore those that serue him are called Psal 110. A willing People Neither can the seruice be reasonable wherein the Will is wanting for the Actions are not counted ours wherein the Will hath no part seeing it is by vertue of the Will that a Man is Dominus actionum suarum a free Agent neither is any Action free but that which is done willingly though we cannot partake of the Law but by our Vnderstanding yet is the principall obiect of the Law our Will for Theologia is Scientia not Theoretica but Practica wee learne not the Law for to know it but to doe it Adde hereunto that Inclinatio voluntatis is Inclinatio totius suppositi it is not without cause that God requires the Will seeing the Will hath power to sway the whole Man especially if the Will be Chephetz ioyned with Delight for so God doth require the Heart hee will haue it seasoned with Loue Deut. 6.5 Thou shalt loue the Lord thy God with all thy heart and Loue is the fulfilling of the Law King Dauid opens this Delight 1. Tim. 1.5 Psal 19. when he tels vs that the Law was sweeter than Honey and the Honey-combe the meaning of it is we must not be mercenarie but the pleasure we take in it must-be the cause why we entertaine it And marke the phrase His delight is in the Law Multi habent Legem in Corde sed non Cor in Lege saith Hugo de S. Victore Many treasure vp the Law in their hearts that doe not solace their hearts in the Law they only know it these also delight in it Saint Austin obserues a Distinction betweene In Lege and Sub Lege Qui est in Lege secundum Legem agit He whose heart is in the Law followes the direction of the Law Qui est sub Lege à Lege agitur he whose heart is vnder the Law Rom. 7.22 entertaines it rather of constraint then with a willing minde but wee must Delight in the Law of God in the Inward man as the Apostle speaketh For as ground is fruitfull not by receiuing but by liking of the seed Euen so man becomes not Religious by knowing but by affecting of the Law Amor est virtus Vniens by Loue doth a man become one with the Law yea himselfe is turned into a liuing Law for men are alwayes busie about that wherein they take Delight and the Law being receiued into the inwaâ—d man will ouer-spread the whole man which is implyed in the next branch He meditates on that Law To Meditate on the Law is First to ruminate on the Scripture and sound the depth of it for the Law is deliuered in few words wherein there are contained great Riches of sense which by Meditation we must worke out Christ hath giuen vs a patterne Mat. 5. Where he vnwraps the sense of seuerall Commandements of Murder of Adulterie of Diuorce In the sixth of Saint Iohn how much matter doth he draw out of the Storie of Manna And what mysteries doth Saint Paul in the Epistle to the Hebrewes find in the Ceremonies of Moses This is the first branch of Meditating the vnfolding of the Riches of that sense which God hath treasured vp in his Law This is the worke of our vnderstanding But the vnderstanding doth but prepare matter for the Affections There is a second branch therefore of Meditating which is the seasoning of our Affections with that which we know And as the vnderstanding prepares matter for the Affections so what vse of our Affections but to quicken our Actions Therfore as a man which takes into his mouth a morsell of good meate chewes it and by chewing doth discouer the sweetnesse and kindly nourishment that is in it and hauing rellisht it swallowes it downe and by meane conueiances disperseth it into euerie part of his body that euery part may be made more vigorous and Actiue thereby So
the bloud of the Paschall Lambe was sprinkled vpon the doore posts to direct the punishing Angell not to mistake an Israelite for an Aegyptian And before the Babilonian Captiuitie God sent a Man with a Pen and Inkehorne to marke in the forehead those that should escape the Destruction wrought by the Caldeans and in the Reuelation the Seale of God is set vpon his Chosen that they be not wrapt in the Generall desolation So must we assure our selues Chap. 3.16 that God Knowes all His by name and there is a Booke of Remembrance of them before him as Malachie speaketh he will neuer misdeeme Wheate for Chaffe nor mistake a Sheepe for a Goate But the Scripture doth branch this Distinction and God doth distinguish His Contra and Supra Alios 〈◊〉 2 1◠Contra hee doth oppose them vnto others Wee learne it of the Apostle Others are without God without Christ without Hope Strangers from Gods Couenant Aliens from His Common-weale but they that are His haue God for their Father Christ for their Sauiour the Holy Ghost for their Comforter eternall Life for their Hope 2. Pet. 1.4 〈◊〉 2 1◠they haue pretious promises made vnto them and they are of the Houshold of God and Fellow Citizens with the Saints Neither doth God only thus oppose them to others but preferre them before others We learne this of Moses Exod. 19. though all the World be His yet they are His peculiar His treasure elswhere they are called his Inheritance his First borne his Image Kings Priests all tearmes of preheminence and note their prerogatiue aboue all others So doth God Distinguish His. And as he doth distinguish them so doth he also regard them and that in two points Contemplatione and Dilectione First Contemplatione His Eye is vpon his Canaan from the beginning of the yeare to the end thereof Deut. 11. The walls of Ierusalem are euer in his sight his Eyes are vpon the Righteous his eares are open to their Prayers they find grace in his eyes and his delight is to be with them they are a Seale vpon His right Hand and a Signet vpon His Arme finally they are the very Apple of his Eye If you reade the Song of Salomon you shall see this gracious Contemplation of God set forth at large where the Beloued doth confesse that he receiues a Loue-wound from this Contemplation And indeed the Righteous Lord loueth righteousnesse Psal 11.7 as his eyes doe behold the thing that is right and God doth therefore take delight to behold his Church that hee may vse that as a meanes for to draw from him the Arguments of his Loue Loue being the end of his Contemplation King Dauid doth excellently set this forth Psal 132. Where bringing in God testifying that he hath chosen Sion for his resting place for euer and that there he delights to dwell he goes on reckoning vp the Blessings that he will powre vpon the King and his Subiects the Priests and the People the poore and the rich and Deut. 11. where God professeth that his Eye is alwayes vpon the Land the End is expressed to giue them seasonable raine and make their Land fruit full for his Loue is Beneuolentia non latens he delighteth in the prosperitie of His Seruants The very same is meant by those Titles which God giues himselfe of Father Sauiour Husband the Fathers eye is vpon his Child to prouide that is fit for it the Husbands eye vpon his Wife to communicate both his Honour and his Wealth vnto her the Sauiour lookes vpon his Charge that hee may looke to it and not suffer any thing to annoy it and that he may procure the welfare of it This reall Loue makes good that which before I obserued that Gods Power concurres with his Wisdome and this speciall Knowledge is not Speculatiue but Practicke Gods Children feele most gracious effects thereof and neuer more liuely effects then at the Day of Iudgement whereof this Text especially is meant Well then The wicked in this World haue no Wisdome to discerne the Godly at least their Wayes though they obserue their Persons and the Power that they haue they bend against them in regard of their wayes you may see this excellently set forth in the Booke of Wisdome Cap. 2. But what need the righteous care They may say with the Apostle that they are though vnknowne yet knowne they are knowne to God 2. Cor. 6. ◠and God Power is their support and this makes a full amends for their worldly ignoblenesse that they are so Heauenly Noble and shall appeare such at the Generall Iudgement And so haue I opened the first speciall Act of Gods Iudiciall Prouidence which workes vpon the wayes of the Godly Let vs now see the second How the same speciall Prouidence workes vpon the wayes of the wicked The way of the wicked shall perish here you must supply the word Lord for he is the Person that doth destroy them And marke what he doth destroy Not the Person but the Way Quà m clementer saith Saint Hierome He seemes to gather Gods Mercie out of it in that Non perit impius sed impietas And indeed were it meant of this Life it were a great Mercy because that Sinne is not abolisht here but Grace succeeds and that is a Blessed Destruction But the Connexion of this Verse to the former shewes that this is meant of the life to come and then you shall find that the Destruction is wofull and it stands in two points as their Wayes doe import two things the Act of Sinne and the Fruit of that Act. The Act of sinne shall cease wherein they take pleasure for in Hell though there bee Sinners yet is there no Sinning the Corruption remaynes in their Persons the Guilt in their Consciences the one to make them fewell for the flames of Hell that they may neuer goe out the other to feed the Worme that shall neuer die but the terrour of the Iudge shall bee so great whose hand they shall feele in the fire and the Euidence of the euill of sinne shall be so apparent in the Worme of their Conscience that they shall not dare any more to fall to the act of sinne and so they shall be vtterly depriued of the pleasure they tooke therein That shall perish A second thing that shall perish is the worldly Fruit of their sinning which is Honour Wealth Friends and such like Saint Iames calls it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Iames 1.11 Esay chap. 5. speakes it plainly Hell hath enlarged her selfe and opened her mouth without measure and their Glorie and their multitude and their pompe and he that reioyceth shall descend into it That for which they take all their wicked paines and wherein they took their wicked delight That shall Faile Faile Totally and Finally Totally the Glution shall not haue so much as a drop of water left to comfort him In this Life there is a kind of Mixture in
one thing more which I may not omit concerning the nature of Charitie and that is the Constancie thereof Loue is strong as death Iealousie is cruell as the graue Cant. chap 8. the coles thereof are coles of fire which hath a most vehement flame many waters cannot quench Loue neither can the flouds drowne it if a man would giue all the substance of his house for Loue it would be contemned Abhorret vera Charitas omnia distrahentia pereat qui inter nos dissidium volunt Wee must not bee like little children that loue to day and hate to morrow nec ita amare ut aliquando osuri manente bonitate non exigente superiore lege aut patriae aut religionis I haue competently opened vnto you the nature of Charitie But you must obserue that whereas there are two things in it the qualitie and the exercise thereof Bernard it is not the qualitie but the exercise that commeth vnder the commandement Vbicunque in Scriptura dilectio requiritur non tam extgitur dilectio affectus quam Charitas operis Gal. 5. Deut. 10. the qualitie is the gift of God for hee is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Charitatis efficax it is hee that maketh men to bee of one minde and circumciseth mens hearts that they may loue and Charitie is the fruit of the Spirit And the Spirit doth worke it in our hearts not only by mouing without qualifying them as Peter Lumbard erroniously thought hee improueth our Charitie too farre but the Loue of God is powred abroad into our hearts by the holy Spirit Expla 11 ad Carth. substantialis Charitas dat accidentalem as S. Bernard speaketh God which is Charitie giueth vnto man the gift of Charitie But when we haue receiued the gift of God wee must employ it wee must not receiue the grace of God in vaine As in nature so in grace wee haue our abilities for action and the Parable will tell vs what will bee our doome if wee hide our Talent But the Commandement is affirmatiue and therefore tenet semper but not ad semper wee must neuer be without a louing disposition yet are we not bound to manifest it but as occasion shal be offered vs. Yet must we take heed that we neither will nor do ought that is contrary vnto Charity You haue heard What is giuen in charge you must now heare to Whom this charge is giuen Thou shalt loue and this Thou is Israel so wee read in Moses Hearken O Israel Thou shalt loue Deut. 6. It is giuen then to the regenerate for Israel is a name of the Church of those that were in couenant with God and had in their flesh the seale thereof Without the Church is the Kingdome of Satan and where Satan raigneth there Satanisme that is hatred is there can bee no true Charitie Iohn 13.35 Christ telleth vs it is the badge of his followers By this shall all men know that you are my Disciples Cant 2 4. if yee loue one another In the Canticles it is called the Banner of the Church now you know that the Banner keepeth euery Souldier to his owne station and so strengtheneth the whole by euery ones good order And wee neuer breake our ranke in the Church militant and hazard the whole by our disorder but wee doe it through want of Charitie What is spoken to the whole Church euery member must take it to himselfe and vnderstand himselfe in the word Thou Saint Paul hath taught vs that hatred and Charitie distinguish carnall and spirituall men 1. Cor. 3. by Charitie Saint Iohn telleth vs it is knowne that wee are borne of God 1. Ioh. 3.10 Sola Charitas diuidit inter filios Regniaeterni Austin de Trinit silios perditionis saith Austin wee haue no assurance that wee shall bee Saints in heauen except wee entertaine the Communion of Saints on earth if in this life wee delight in hatred after this life wee shall bee ranged with those which are hatefull But whose charge is this who is hee that commands Thou shalt loue surely it is Gods charge hee layeth this commandement vpon his Church Doe you heare it and not wonder at it God is a Soueraigne Lord hee may giue what Lawes please him vnto the Creatures which hee hath made yet see how gracious hee is hee will lay no other charge vpon his Church then that which may bee performed by loue then which kind of command nihil facilius nihil foelicius none can bee more easie Chap. 38. c. none can be more happy nothing more easie for what difficultie can there bee in Loue If God should come vpon a man as he did vpon Iob and presse him to reueale all the secrets of the Creation and prouidence much more if hee should bid him open the mysteries of the Kingdome of Heauen hee might answere Alas Lord I am an ignorant man If hee should bid him build such a Temple as Salomons was and furnish it with so many instruments and ornaments of gold and of other precious stuffe hee might say alas Lord I am a poore man If hee should bid him goe and roote out all Infidels from the face of the earth hee might answere alas Lord I am a weake man And so to many like commandements hee might plead some excuse But when God saith Thou shalt loue no man hath any excuse to plead but the malignitie of his owne nature yea no man comes to Heauen that did not loue though many poore ignorant weak ones c. come there A poore man may loue as well as a rich an ignorant as a wise a weake as a strong especially seeing though Charitie consists of beneficentia aswell as beneuolentia good deeds aswell as good will yet there is a dispensation allowed for want of good deeds ◠Cor. 8. if a man haue a good will For hee is accepted according to that which hee hath not according to that which hee hath not So that although God hath dispensed his temporall blessings vnequally yet the spirituall he will haue common vnto all I meane those which are the Graces of Adoption amongst which Charitie is a chiefe one and by it though there be otherwise great distance betweene man and man yea the Creator and his Creature yet may they easily bee brought together Neither is Loue onely an easie worke in it selfe but also it doth facilitate other things our doing our suffering both are made easie by Charitie Let a man attempt any thing whereunto hee hath no minde and it groweth presently tedious but Loue takes away all bitternesse of paine It was a painfull life that Iacob liued vnder Laban as he sheweth in Genes Gen 29 vers 20. 31. yet the seauen yeares that hee serued for Rachel seemed to him but a few dayes for the loue that hee had vnto her The like we may obserue in all sorts of men that are affected with any kind of
profit or pleasure how doth the couetous man toyle himselfe out of the Loue of money the ambitious out of the Loue of honour the faulconer the Huntsman out of Loue of their sports Guesse by them how cheerefully wee would bee doing good if wee were prepossessed with Loue for Loue sweetens all paines yea guesse by Lust what Loue can doe that goeth vpon much surer grounds Loue doth not onely facilitate our doing but our suffering also out of loue to their wiues and children what hunger what thirst what wounds doe Souldiers endure But beyond all goe the sufferings of the Martyrs of whose wonderfull patience and constancie therein you can giue no other reason but Loue They loued not their liues vnto death Gal. 5. because they did loue to keepe Gods commandements I begin now to vnderstand S. Paul against Loue there is no Law for though there were no Law yet he that loueth would readily obey hee needs no other obligation 1. Ioh. 5. â— to whom to doe his dutie is a very pleasure I now begin to vnderstand Saint Iohn The commandements of God are not grieuous for griese and loue cannot stand together it is rather a griefe not to doe that which our soule doth loue You see then that God could not prouide an easier commandement for vs then Thou shalt loue And could he haue prouided a happier No verily for though amor bee sui praemium it carrieth contentednesse in the very nature of it yet as if that would not satisfie all the requisites vnto felicitie are distinctly ascribed vnto it Whereof the first is freedome of Spirit hee in whom Charitie is hath exchanged the spirit of bondage for the spirit of Adoption then which there cannot bee a more ingenuous a more free spirit So that whereas no obedience pleaseth God but that which is voluntarie it is Charitie that maketh vs such seruants as God requireth A second requisite vnto felicitie is store or plenty of prouision and what better purueyer can we haue then Charitie Looke how farre it extendeth so farre it enritcheth for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 looke how many friends so many supplies wee haue of our wants and if all men were true friends Hom. 5. adps â—ul Astiâ—ch no man could want that which another man hath The last requisite is securitie and there it no guard to the guard of Loue for by Charitie it commeth to passe as Chrysostome wittily obserueth that one man is as many men as he hath friends whether you respect acquisitionem bonorum or depulsionem malorum so many paire of eyes to watch for him so many paire of hands to defend him so many paire of feete to trauell for him so many heads to aduise tongues to speake hearts to encourage and what better munition would a man desire God commends Charitie when he vouchsafed to heare Iob for his friends and in the 41 Psalme shewes that nothing is more detestable then treachery in friendship Would time permit me I should shew you that there is nothing like vnto Charitie that doth proue a man to be a man and turne a man into a God Some guesse that Homo hath his name from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to note that hee is a sociable Creature but it is out of question that Ratio and Oratio were giuen him for this purpose that men might haue communion one with another Take Charitie out of his tongue what is it but an vnruly euill as Saint Iames calleth it full of deadly poyson a world of wickednesse a firebrand of hell that is able to set the world on fire Take Charitie out of the reason of a man then that will proue true which God told Noah The frame of the thoughts of the heart of man are onely euil and that of Ieremie The heart of man is deceitfull aboue all things and desperately wicked So that you may seeke a man and not find him in a man if Charitie be away But season him with Charitie and then shall you see the excellencie of a man his tongue will be a tree of life and the issues of life will come out of his heart as Salomon teacheth in his Prouerbs I told you that Charitie doth also turne a man into a God for God is Charitie and hee that dwelleth in Charitie dwelleth in God and God in him Therefore Christ commending Charitie giueth this reason that wee may be like vnto our Father in Heauen It is not without cause then that Saint Iames calleth it the royall Law of liberty and Saint Paul the supereminent way Other gifts saith Saint Austin are giuen by the Spirit but without Charitie they become vnprofitable Vbi Charitas est quid potest obesse Vbi non est quid potest prodesse In God it was Charitie that set the rest of his Attributes on worke when he made when hee redeemed the world and our abilities will all bee idle except they bee set on worke by Loue and if Loue stirre all will come plentifully from man as they doe from God Finally as Charitas is omnium hominum so omnium horarum locorum nunquam nusquam excluditur Which cannot be said of any other affection there is no man that may not loue and that at all times and in all places Wherefore God hath laid this fundamentall Law Dilige then which there is no more excellent gift and it is the immediate ground of Pietie the roote of all morall vertues and Theologicall also as hereafter you shall heare and heare that hoc vnum necessarium LEt vs now beseech the God of Loue so to sweeten our nature with his holy spirit of Loue that being rooted and grounded in this fundament all Law all our workes may be done in Loue. AMEN The third Sermon MATT. 22. VERSE 37. With all thy Heart and with all thy Soule and with all thy Mind OVt of those first words of this Verse Thou shalt Loue you haue beene taught What it is to Loue and who it is that is bound to obserue this vertue We must now come on and see in the next place what is the seate of Loue and in my Text we find that it is pointed out in three words the Heart Cap. 12. Cap. 10. the Soule the Mind Moses Deuter. 6. and out of him S. Marke and Saint Luke adde a fourth which is Strength The words may be taken confusedly or distinctly Confusedly and so they will teach vs onely in grosse the seate of Loue. Distinctly and so they will shew vs that these parts which are the seate of Loue are ordinate and subordinate Ordinate ad intra as Loue must be within vs and ordinate ad extra as Loue must bee employed without vs. Subordinate for one of the parts is imperatiue or definitiue the other are Imperatae definitae And out of altogether wee shall learne that Charitie is a Catholike and transcendent vertue I purpose to handle these words both wayes as they are taken confusedly and as they
deum est ipse Deus Bernard Basilâ—n Psal 46. there is enough in God to make him louely and why 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 good and louely are reciprocall that which is louely is good and that which is good is louely whereupon is grounded that Maxime in Philosophie Bonum est quod omnia appetunt Reason hath no better marke to guesse at that which is good then the propension of all men for to attaine it Now looke vpon the Name the Lord God and see whether you doe not find that good in it which doth challenge Loue. Begin with Dominus ou heard that he was goodnesse it selfe if a man doe loue that which is good how can he but loue goodnesse Nay if wee loue the streames with what loue must we embrace the Fountaine If we Loue that good which is dependent how much more that which is independent Seeing there is a possibilitie for vs to bee defrauded of that which is dependent but of that which is independent we cannot be defrauded Yet see the common folly of men Iere. 2.13 they forsake the fountaine of liuing waters and digge vnto them Cisterns that can hold no water If 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 deserue Loue how much more 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 You heard before that what God is he is it to the full Creatures haue but drops or beames and who would leaue the Fountaine to rest contented with a drop And when he might enioy the whole body of the Sunne to solace himselfe in a single beame And yet such folly there is in the world and he that thinketh Gods gifts louely though they are but single in a Creature how little is hee affected with the louelinesse of his Creator Wee cannot denie that good is the obiect of our Loue therefore where there is the greatest good thither wee should bend the greatest of our Loue dost thou loue Wisedome Colos 2.3 All the treasures of wisdedome are hid in him dost thou loue Holinesse It is to him that the Angels sing Holy holy holy Esay 6.3 Psal 24.1 Psal 16.11 doest thou loue Wealth The earth is the Lords and all that therein is doest thou loue Pleasure In his presence is fulnesse of ioy and at his right hand are pleasures for euermore Finally doest thou loue Power and Honour He is the Lord of hosts he is the King of glorie euen a King of Kings and Lord of Lords Adde hereunto that what he is whether 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he is it Onely he is it Eternally both which are strong Motiues vnto Loue for we vse to loue that which is not common as that which is common by reason of the familiarnesse of it groweth vile in our eyes now such good as is in God is no where else to be found As we loue those good things which are not common so we loue them the more the more they are lasting because our desire would neuer bee defrauded of that wherein it taketh content this good is more lasting then our desire the good of euerie Creature is as mutable as the Creature is yea more because it differeth from the nature of the Creature but this good being all one with the nature of God it is as lasting as is his nature It is no maruell then that euerie Creature eluding our desire which is carried vnto good doth as it were with a reall voice put vs off when we dote vpon it and by experience say to vs Non ego sum bonum tuum it is not I that am thy good which is to be sought after and after all our painefull enquirie wee are driuen to Saint Austins resolution Fecisti nos Domine propter te irrequietum est cor nostrum dones requiescat in te so great is the capacitie of mans desire that nothing can fill it but onely the Lord and his soule must needs remaine empire that doth not make the Lord the obiect of his Loue. You see that there is much worth in the Lord and great cause why hee should be beloued there wanteth not worth also in God in euery of the three persons in Trinity Had we eyes to looke vpon them ad intra as they are in the blessed Trinitie we might easily perceiue it but there is no proportion betweene our eyes and that light therefore we will forbeare to behold the dazeling brightnes Only of this we may be sure that euery person is most louely because euery of them loueth the other the Scripture speaketh it plainly the Father loueth the Sonne the Sonne loueth the Father and the holy Ghost is the loue of them both Now what they loue is lonely indeed because their iudgement is most vpright and their desire most Holy But wee will not sound that bottomlesse depth let vs looke vpon these persons as they manifest themselues ad extra and see how louely they are Hee that is a Father in the Trinitie doth manifest himselfe as a Father to the Sonnes of men the Scripture doth often remember his tender bowels he shutteth them not vp no not against them that are Prodigals a Father and a Mother on earth may forsake may forget their Children but our Father in Heauen cannot forget hee will not forsake his And is not such a Father louely God the Sonne doth manifest himselfe to the world as a Sonne hee vseth all his credit with his Father to worke not onely the remission of mans sins which he expiated with his bloud but also the aduancement of their Persons whom hee vouchsafeth to bee his Spouse by taking man so neere vnto himselfe hee bringeth him neere to God also and maketh them Children that were Seruants intitles them to Heauen that deserue to burne as firebrands in hell And is not such a Sonne louely The holy Ghost doth manifest himselfe as the holy Ghost quickning man and sanctifying him testifying by these effects that hee is a Spirit of life to him euen of such a life as maketh him a sacred Person hee maketh him a liuing Temple a fit habitation for himselfe that he may bee an Oracle of God within him and kindle the fire vpon the Altar of his Heart wherewith onely hee can offer acceptable Sacrifices vnto God And is not this holy Spirit louely All three Persons are most louely if the consideration goe no farther then that which I haue exprest But how great an accesse will bee made vnto their louelines if you draw through euery one of them that ground of louelines which before wee found in the name Lord for the Father is Lord the Sonne Lord and the holy Ghost Lord as we are truely taught in Athanasius his Creed euery one of them is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 good of himselfe and all-good and by this accesse we must in our meditations improue their louelines But I haue dwelt long enough vpon meritum dignitatis the desert of loue that is included in their owne worth I told you that in
the Text wee sound another merit and that is meritum dignationis the interest therein vouchsafed vs. Were there none but meritum dignitatis there were ground enough of our loue but this meritum dignationis the interest that we haue doth quicken vs to take notice of the worth that is in the thing Euery man naturally loueth that which is his owne and if the thing bee good it doth him the more good to looke vpon it Let a man walke in a faire Meadow it pleaseth him but it will please him much more if it bee his owne his eye will be more curious in prying into euery part and euery thing will please him the better so it is in a Corne field in an Orchard in a House if they bee good the more they are ours the more contentedly doe they affect vs for this word meum is suauissima amor is illecebra it is as good as an amatorie potion Then marke put tuus to Dominus and if so bee the Lord be louely how much more louely should hee bee in our eyes if hee bee our Lord and doth appropriate that infinite good that hee hath vnto vs hee holdeth of none but of himselfe and who would not ioy to bee owner of that good which is independent Hee is whatsoeuer heart can desire and who can but reioyce in hauing him in hauing of whom wee can want nothing Put tuus to Deus and see how it doth improue the motiue of loue there also Had wee nothing to doe with so tender hearted a Father so sweet natured a Sonne so gracious a Comforter as is the holy Spirit we could not but loue them if we did know them But when wee doe heare that these bowels of the Father doe yearne vpon vs that wee are the Spouse whom the Sonne of God doth wooe and that the holy Ghost vouchsafeth to make his Temple of vs how can wee bee but loue-sicke how can our Hearts choose but melt and our Affections gaspe and bray like the Hart after those Persons which haue in them so strong so manifold persuasions to loue But alas wee that in regard of our carnall loue are easily transported by any seeming good are altogether senslesse when wee are sollicited by our spirituall good so senslesse that God is passionate in his Prophets when hee doth taxe our more then bruitishnesse herein Isay 1. Hearken O heauen heare O earth for the Lord hath spoken I haue nourished and brought vp children and they haue rebelled against mee the oxe knoweth his owner and the asse his masters crib but Israel doth not know my people doth not consider Ier. 3. Can a mayd forget her ornaments or a bride her attire yet hath my people forgotten me dayes without number Wee doe loue our corporall benefactors at least while they are doing vs good but our spirituall benefactor wee forget euen while hee is doing vs good for when is hee not doing it wee cannot looke vpon our soules our bodies our state but wee see the perpetuall influence of his goodnesse and yet Tuus worketh little here and though God vouchsafe vs a great interest yet are wee little moued therewith Wee can loue a man in whom there are so many defects to allay the regard of his goodnesse and from whom we may receiue as much wrong as fauour how much more should we loue God in whom there is no defect and from whom thou canst receiue nothing but good I haue shewed you the reason of loue which is included in the name it followeth that I now come on to the dutie that is required and that is Loue. Wherein we are first to obserue that God speaketh not vnto vs as vnto seruants but as vnto friends hee would not haue vs in his seruice expresse a spirit of seruitude in feare but of adoption in loue hee would not bee feared as a Lord but loued as a Father O derint dum metuant is a Tyrants voyce God will haue all his seruants ingenuous hee will haue our seruice as naturall as is our allegiance Wherein the King of Heauen giueth a good patterne to all Kings and Gouernours in earth Though God hath qualified vs many wayes to doe him seruice yet doth hee in this word diliges Loue shew what hee doth principally respect and his eyes are vpon nothing so much as our Loue not on our wit our wealth our honour c. yea all other things are valued according to our Loue and without Loue they are nothing worth And why Loue is that which setteth all a worke for he that loueth will keepe Gods commandements hee will doe no euill But wee may not forget that seeing this Loue hath for its obiect him that is so farre aboue vs wee must not seuer it from Reuerence which must qualisie the loue which we owe to our Superiors in expressing our affection wee must not forget our distance yea and our feare in regard of our flesh may bee seruile to awe it and keepe it downe though it must bee also filiall in regard of the spirit to keepe it in heart I should now if the time would giue leaue shew you how those things that are required in loue must be applyed vnto this obiect The first propertie of Loue is Vnion and we should endeauor to become one with the Lord to bee transformed into him and as neere as a Creature can partake of his Creator partake of the diuine nature Wee should desire Vnion also with God with God the Father by Adoption with God the Sonne by a spirituall Wedlocke with God the holy Ghost by entertaining him as his Temple wee should so grow one with all three persons From this Vnion our Loue should come on to a Communion Communion in that infinite good which you heard is in the Lord for though Vnion bee a great aduancement of our Nature yet doth our comfort stand in the Communion neither did God euer intend the Vnion but for the Communion As wee must haue Communion with the Lord so with God also as Children wee must communicate in the inheritance of our Father as a Spouse in the honour and state of a Bride-groome as the Temple in the ornaments and endowments thereof Yea in this Communion there must appeare Beneuolentia Benesicentia there must appeare an intercourse of good will and good deeds betweene the Lord God and vs otherwise wee doe not loue as wee should This is not all the seate of Loue must be exercised also the Heart for the loue of God must bee free God doth not respect forced Loue. The Minde God will bee knowne before hee is loued and hee will haue them that loue him to meditate vpon him hee will not regard an vndiscreete Loue. Thy Soule must bee exercised if thou dost not long after him earnestly and take sweet content in him thou dost not loue Finally thy Courage must bee employed thou must bee as resolute to compasse this spirituall Vnion and Communion as carnall wooers are
Saint Austin groundeth that saying of his multi intra lupi extra oues many are within the Church that are indeed wolues though they be in sheepes clothing and many are without the Church that are indeed sheepe though they appeare in wolues clothing Hee meaneth it of Gods purpose which is to permit many Christians to turne Apostataes and to reclaime many Infidels and make them Christians you see that Iudas of an Apostle became a Traytor and Saint Paul of a Persecutor became an Apostle Here commeth in a strange enlargement of our Neighbourhood for it comprehendeth euen enemies also the same person whose malice maketh him carrie himselfe towards thee as an enemie must in regard of his possibilitie of comming to the state of grace be reputed by thee to be a neighbour Were not we enemies not only strangers when Christ came to seeke vs and holy men conuerted vs All enmitie must giue place where God sheweth mercie And if malice of an Infidell doe not exclude him from being thy neighbour much lesse doth a faithfull man cease to bee a neighbour vnto thee if happily hee grow to be malitious against thee for thou that persecutes Christ in him Thus you haue heard the first degree of Diuine neighbourhood The second is betweene Men and Angels for they are our neighbours they are inhabitants of Sion whether we are brought when we are made Christians Heb. 12. they are of the same nature with vs though not in regard of our bodies yet in regard of our soules and they partake of the same holy Spirit Heb 1. Psal 39. Psal 91. Matth. 18. yea they are ministring spirits for all their sakes that shall be heires of saluation they pitch their tents about vs they carrie vs in their hands Christ in the Gospel cals them our Angels all which are markes of neighbourhood Touching the Saints departed there can bee no question for though they are aduanced to greater perfection yet the condition of neighbourhood is not altered they can no more cease to be our neighbour then they can cease to bee members of Christ or children of God or liuing stones in the Temple whereof wee are a part There is a third degree of neighbour-hood Diuine and that is betweene vs and Christ the Fathers Greeke and Latine meditating vpon the parable of the Samaritane which is in the tenth of Luke acknowledge Christ to be our neighbour And verily whatsoeuer other sense may bee fastned vpon that parable 1. Ioh 1. c. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Math. 1. it is certaine that our Sauiour Christ came so neere vs in his manhood that he may well goe for our neighbour hee pitcht his tents amongst vs he became Immanuel God with vs he became bone of our bone and flesh of our flesh Yea there is no kind of relation requisite vnto neighbour-hood that is not found in Christ hee is the Lord of his Church the Husband the Father the Brother Ioh. 13. Eph 5. â—sar 8. Rom. 15. Ioh. 15. the Friend c. No doubt then but if any hee must needs bee our Neighbour And in him our neighbourhood is brought vnto her highest pitch for higher it cannot goe and not exceed the pitch of a Creature whereas it is onely the reasonable Creature that commeth vnder this name of Neighbour It may now bee questioned whether any bee excluded from our neighbourhood seeing wee haue taken vp all the Inhabitants both of heauen and earth whereto I answere that no reasonable Creatures may be excluded by vs but those onely that are either in Hell or of Hell In Hell as Diues and the rest that burne there Of Hell as the Prince of darknes that ruleth in the Ayre and his Angels not one of these are capable of diuine neighbour-hood Not those in Hell as Abraham telleth Diues there is a great gulfe betweene Luke 1â— no intercourse betweene them and the Saints And for the other though there bee two much neerenesse in place betweene them and men on earth yet there should bee no commerce because they are vnder a definitiue doome and so all hope of ueighbour-hood cut off betweene them and vs. There is a third sort of persons that are excluded from diuine though not from humane neigh-bourhood those whom the Scripture calleth sinners against the holy Ghost men that sinne vnto death as Saint Iohn speaketh But because these are hardly discerned except they turne plaine Apostata's wee must not bee hastie to put any in that ranke Our zealous Spirits in this age haue beene too forward in such separations it were much better for vs to acknowledge many that are not to be our spirituall Neighbours then to denie any that are And so haue I set you out the bounds of neighbour-hood both humane and diuine The second point that I obserued in the Person is the ground of the dutie the dutie is Loue and there is a ground of loue in the Person take the neighbourhood which way you will Looke first vpon the humane neighbour-hood the first degree of it is neighbour-hood in place the first motiue that drew men together was auxilium solatium that they might mutually helpe one another and each sweeten the trouble of anothers life hereupon arose the Prouerbe better is a Neighbour at hand then a Brother a farre off so that here we find a faire a ground of Loue. But in the degree of Consanguinitie wee finde that which is fairer for it hath in it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 naturall affection which moueth of it selfe when there is nothing else to moue it Yea many things that are apt to worke the contrary disposition cannot remoue this as you may obserue in Parents and Children and Kinsmen whose nature hath not degenerated they cannot choose but loue euen when there are many prouocations to hate Take one example for all Dauids compassion towards his rebellious sonne Absalon Yea extend wee consanguinitie as farre as the Scriptures haue taught vs to extend it wee shall finde ground for the like extent of our Loue. Strangers to our knowledge must not bee strangers to our loue because they beare in that bloud of Adam which is common to them with vs the Image of God which is the greatest thing that wee are to glory of as wee are men And seeing we all hold it of the same Lord our common reference vnto him doth require our mutuall respect no lesse then doth that common endowment which wee receiue from him I am sure by this time you doe not doubt but there is a faire ground of loue in humane neighbour-hood you shall finde yet fairer in that which is diuine follow it by the degrees The first degree I told you was that which is betweene men in the Church militant there is no part of our Catechisme that doth not teach vs a ground of loue in this neighbour-hood You cannot say your Creed but therein you professe the Communion of Saints and therein many grounds of loue
You begin the Lords Prayer with Our Father and so professe that euery member of the Church and you are Children of one heauenly Father wherein you acknowledge in euery member a ground of loue Throughout the second Table of the Commandements our neighbour is enioyned to loue vs which iniunction to performe hee hauing taken vpon him in his baptisme we cannot looke on him but wee see ground why wee should loue him for then wee looke on the man that hath vowed vnto God that hee will loue vs. And if wee looke on him as he partakes in the Sacrament of the Eucharist then wee see another ground why wee should loue him for then we behold him as professing that hee doth loue vs in testimony whereof the Saints were wont to begin this Sacrament with a mutuall holy kisse in lue whereof the supersticious kissing of the Pax succeeded in the Romish Church You see then that if so bee the sociablenesse which is naturall requireth loue that of grace requireth it much more What shall wee say to them that are without the Church that persecute the Church is there any ground of loue in them yea the wickednesse of man cannot euacuate the right of Nature much lesse of Grace they are our neighbours whether they will or no by Nature because they are men and so are they also by Grace because they may bee Christian men so that wee cannot say to them in neither respect what haue wee to doe with you Therefore in the same person wee must distinguish betweene his ill affection towards vs and his neighbour-hood which God vouchsafeth him and not let the malice of the one intercept the sight of the louelinesse that is in the other And if so bee wee may not forget that spirituall Louelines which is only in hope as it is in Infidels much lesse may we forget that Louelinesse which is indeed in those which are Christians these haue in them most vndoubted grounds of Loue. The next degree of Diuine neighbourhood is betweene vs and the Church Triumphant Angels and Saints wee cannot doubt of their Louelinesse if wee know wherein their neighbourhood consisteth I shewed it you before and further they really testifie their Loue toward vs the Saints in praying for the Church in generall the Angels in being ministring spirits for the good of the Church Heb. 1. But here wee must take heed that wee inlarge not this bounderie too farre for men that haue made little account of Saints on Earth haue made too much of them when they haue beene departed this life and to Angels they haue attributed more then euer God bestowed vpon them Wee for the auoyding of their errours must confine our thoughts within the iust bounds of their Louelinesse The third degree of neighbourhood is that which is betweene the Church and our Sauiour Christ and here wee find the fullest ground of Louelinessâ— that euer was or will be created the Church saith truly in the Canticles totus est desiderabilis view him from top to toe C. 5.16 you shall find nothing in him that doth not shew him to bee a most louely neighbour peruse all his fore specified references towards his Church there is not the least of them that doth not challenge the loue thereof And now that wee haue gone ouer all you see a good reason why the word that is vsed by Moses Reang signifieth not only a neighbour but also a friend for euery one that is a neighbour is by the vertue of his neighbourhood to be accounted as our friend Secondly that all persons must bee considered as they are in God and Christ and not as in themselues otherwise wee shall misdeeme them for any communion which a man hath with God and Christ cannot but seeme vnto vs an apparant right that he hath to be accounted our neighbour and our friend But he that appeareth vnto vs as deuoid of both these communions hee cannot seeme vnto vs to bee our neighbour and therefore not our friend A third thing that I noted in the person whom we must loue is euery mans interest in him for the Law speaking to euery man saith He is thy Neighbour therefore thou must not looke vpon him only with thy direct sight but with a reflected also Let vs runne ouer the degrees of Neighbourhood againe and see how euery of them doth concerne euery one of vs. The first degree of humane neighbourhood is neighbourhood in place that was instituted as I told you Propter auxilium solatium and God knoweth there is no man that doth not stand in need of both and it is not Gods will that any should bee excluded from either but euery man hath an interest of helpe and prosit from him that is his neighbour in place therefore we must euery man take care to yeild and expect to receiue whatsoeuer helpe or comfort he hath in himselfe or is in any other these gifts must bee mutuall they must bee interchangeable a neighbour must doe for thee as well as be a receiuer from thee therefore doth God call the neighbour thine The next degree of humane neighbourhood is that of bloud wherein men are brought neerer one vnto another then they can bee by any politique Lawes because of a neerer interest which doth combine them the interest of nature For euery man hath his nature and being in or from those of his bloud the father hath his being in his sonne the sonne hath his being from his father a brother hath his being in a brother an vncle in a nephew And so betweene all other degrees there is an interest of being which one hath in anoher more or lesse as the degrees are more or lesse remote Whence it is that politique neighbourhood respecteth no man but out of deliberate reason it is quickened by hope of receiuing like kindnesse when time shall serue but neighbours in bloud respect each other out of an inborne affection for it is naturall to euery man to affect himselfe and his owne being without any farther consideration and consequently he cannot but affect another in whom he beholds his being to be preserued as well as in himselfe or from whom he conceiues his being to haue proceeded Hence it is that Parents loue their children and children their Parents and a brother loues a brother and an vncle his nephew euen where they looke for no retribution Come wee on to the third degree of neighbourhood which superaddeth another ground of loue and by consequent increase of interest This third degree goeth beyond that of bloud as the Lawes of men doe limit Consanguinitie but yet in true iudgement Consanguinitie hath no stricter limits then the nature of man because all men are made of one blood and so in true iudgement euery man must thinke that hee hath in euery man an interest of his naturall being and vpon this ground a man in whom nature is not degenerate will loue another man and doe for him be he
neuer so strange vnto him and though there be no hope to bee recompenced by him vpon this ground a Christian will loue and relieue a poore Turke But setting aside this iust extension of Consanguinitie that wee are all made of one bloud we are all neighbours also in that wee are all made by one God and after one Image of that God whence ariseth another ground of loue similitude in our nature we all resemble God and in our originall we all come from God and hence comes increase of that interest which wee haue one in another the father thinkes the bond of his naturall affection towards his childe to bee strengthened if his childe be like vnto him especially if he be like in that which is the greatest honour of the father so doth a brother thinke of a brother that is like him and generally similitude is conceiued to giue vnto those men betwixt whom it is an interest each in the other therefore men cannot in reason acknowledge that reference vnto God wherein they all meet they cannot conceiue how they all partake of the same Image of God which is their greatest honour as they are men but withall they must confesse a mutuall interest which hereby they haue one in another Let vs passe on from the Humane to the Diuine Neighbourhood see what interest we find there The more grounds of Loue the more interest Now here is grace added to nature Children we are all of the same Father in Heauen and not by many Descents as in humane Consanguinitie we fetch our pedigree from Adam but immediatly for we are all made children by the same Baptisme so is our Consanguinitie collaterall in the first degree And can we then denie a mutuall interest that are Fratres Germani Brother-Germans Let vs looke vpon one another as wee are in Christ our Sauiour wee are incorporated into him and so members one of another and therefore we cannot haue lesse interest one in another then the Eye hath in the Eare or the Eare in the Hand or the Hand in the Foot each hath need of the other and they may claime right each in the others abilitie Like interest will arise out of our being Temples of the Holy Ghost the liuing stones that make vp that building doe mutually support themselues Et fortitudo omnium tota esb singulorum they are made mutually necessary by the manner of their compacting Neither haue we a religious interest only in those that are alreadie in the Church but also in those that may bee What interest in re wee haue of them that be within we haue of them that be without in spe they may be Christians and so become profitable helpes vnto vs in the mysticall bodie of Christ in regard of this hopefull interest may they iustly claime our Loue and our paines to worke their Conuersion The second degree of Diuine Neighbourhood is betweene vs and the Saints and Angels in the Church Triumphant who continuing still to be members of the Church must needs with all continue vnto vs the interest which we haue had in them Therefore the Angels call themselues our fellow seruants And it goeth inter piè credibilia Reuel vltâ— that the Saints doe pray for vs at least in generall The last degree is the neighbourhood with Christ I need not proue vnto you that we haue an interest in him and he in vs. Wee call him our Lord our Sauiour our Brother and hee as many wayes calleth vs his his Bodie his Spouse his Church these mutuall appropriations dâ—e necessarily inferre mutuall interest Thus haue wee found the extent of neighbourhood in euery part of this extent we haue found a ground of Loue and there is not a parcell of this ground which doth not concerne euery of vs a man would thinke that the case being such our owne propension would produce the dutie and that there needed no such Commandement as Thou shalt Loue. But yet the Commandement is no more then necessary for what degree of neighbourhood is there which is not infested with hatred Neighbours in place how doe they enuie Tradesmen in Townes and inhabitants in the Countrie if their Lands lie neare quarrell euery where and seeke to ruine and destroy not only to vexe and disquiet each other as if that which was instituted for succour and comfort did yeild the best opportunitie for malice and rage to worke on As for neighbourhood in bloud Rom 1. how soone did Cain make that vnnaturall reply euen to God himselfe Am I the keeper of my Brother C ham discouered his fathers nakednesse The Apostle doth tell vs of Infidels that were without naturall affection and euery smatterer in Histories can giue examples thereof and iustifie that Prouerbe Rara est concordia fratrum Come to the more remote Consanguinitie which is moreouer graced with the Image of God few haue taken notice thereof strangers haue beene thought a sit subiect to prey on and men haue shed their bloud without remorce Matth. 10.21 And fareth it better with Christians Doth not Christs prophesie proue true The brother shall deliuer vp the brether to death and the father the child and the children shall rise vp against their parents and cause them to be put to death I neede not instance in particular persons for what Nation is there round about vs wherein there are not many lamentable spectacles of Ciuill warres and vnchristian throat-cutting The world is euery where full of Nabals and Samaritans As for Infidels rob them and reproch them we doe but who doth labour their Conuersion and seeke of enemies to make them friends and of strangers to make them fellow-citizens with the Saints But it may bee we respect the Church Triumphant more No euen here also our vncharitablenesse appeares for we grieue the Angels which are witnesses of our carriage and liue cleane contrarie to the good examples which the blessed Saints haue left vnto vs. Finally the world is growne so profane as that men tread vnder their feet the Sonne of God they account the bloud of the Couenant wherewith they were sanctified an vnholy thing Who can make any better construction of those blasphemies which come from foule mouthes when they call the sacred wounds and bloud and bodie of Christ to witnesse their impurities Seeing then there is so little Charitie towards our Neighbour take neighbourhood howsoeuer you will you see there is great need of this Commandement Thou shalt loue thy Neighbour But what is it to loue Gal 6. Ephes 4 I might tell you in few words Let not eueryman seeke that which is his owne but that which is anothers I might branch it into these two points first a man must bee carefull to doe no hurt and secondly doe all the good he can for his Neighbour and in doing good he must be as kind in aduersitie to weepe with them that weepe Iames 5. 1. Iohn 3. as in prosperitie to reioyce with them that reioyce
and our duetie toward our neighbour being an abridgement of the second Table it is therefore called the second Commandement Where by the way you may take notice that those Iewes erre who breaking the ten Commandements into two fiues thinke there were siue grauen vpon either Table whereupon it would follow that the first Commandement which commandeth our dutie towards our neighbor was ioyned with those Commandements which enioyne our duetie toward God which cannot stand with this first and second of my Text. Hauing found in regard of what Scripture these Commandements are called First and Second Let vs now see how well the matter contained in them doth deserue these names And here we shall find that this Order is very naturall for as in their being so in being the obiects of our Loue these persons are to goe the one before the other God before our Neighbour God hath the first right vnto our Loue and then our Neighbour But let vs looke into the Commandements a sunder The loue of God is termed the first Commandement and it is two wayes first Ordine naturae dignitatis whether you looke to the originall of the Louelinesse or to the worthynes that is therein You cannot denie the Lord our God to bee the originall of louelinesse if you remember what I obserued vnto you on the name of Lord God and our Lord God not a branch of these obseruations which doth not strongly proue this primacie of Loue but I chuse rather to represent it vnto you by two or three familiar Similes The first is of Consanguinitie Brethren loue each the other but their Loue is not immediate it passeth vnto them by their Parents in whome they both meete and there groweth the roote of their loue take away that dependencie which they haue thereon and brotherly affection will presently wither Euen so it is betweene vs and our neighbour Loue we must and why Because we are sonnes of the same Father Malachi pointeth out this ground Haue we not all one father Chap 2. 〈◊〉 10 Wherefore doth any man wrong his brother You see here is a faire ground of Primacie There is as faire in our body wherein our members haue a fellow feeling each of the others case and they bestirre themselues for their mutuall comfort but whence commeth this but from the Head where is the fountaine of sense and motion The members haue no vertue for which they are not beholding to the Head The Church is a body whose Head is Christ and Christ is the fountaine of fellow-feeling whereof if he doe not communicate an influence we shall be absurd if we seeke it in the body yea we shall seeke it in vaine Take a third Simily of an House or a Temple these buildings hane a foundation whereupon the whole pile is reard the parts support the one the other but it is the foundation the corner stone that knitteth them that holdeth them all together you ruine the house if you loose the foundation And the Temple of God which we are or the Communion of Saints wherein we liue where shall wee find the sinnewey bands of it but in the Spirit of Christ wherof we all drinke which foundeth vs all on him I might amplifie this point by the title of Creator which belongeth vnto God which cannot bee acknowledged but it will enforce his right to the first fruites of our loue from whom our being taketh beginning In order of nature then it is cleare that our first loue belongs to God Now I will make it as cleare that in Order of worthinesse it belongeth to him also Loue is an affection of our Will our Will naturally is carried vnto good where then wee find apparently the preeminencie of good thither must the precedencie of our loue deseruedly bend now the preeminencie of Good is out of all question in God he is so good that Christ telleth vs there is none good but he Matth. 19.17 When I opened the name of the Lord our God I fell vpon this point and I said enough to cleare it wherefore I will now be the more briefe I will onely point out three grounds the least of which doth argue God to be worthy of our first loue if that which we loue be good First God is good ase he hath no other originall of his goodnesse but himselfe and this no other can bee but God Others as they haue their being so haue they their goodnesse from him Enerie good and euerie perfect gift commeth from him 〈◊〉 1.17 which is himselfe the Father of lights As God is good ase so hee is perse good by nature yea Goodnesse is his Nature In all Creatures Nature and Goodnesse I speake of morall goodnesse are two distinct things so that Goodnesse may bee separated from the nature and be recouered by it againe Angels by Creation had and lost it it was Adams case but hee recouered it againe both of them were like the Moone betweene whose brightnesse and Bodie there is no such vnion but that they may admit a separation as appeares in the Eclipse but Goodnesse and God are as Light and the Sunne one so essentiall to the other that they cannot bee seuered except they cease to bee A seeming Eclipse there is of the Sunne but that seemeth to vs which indeed is not euen so though God neuer cease to bee good yet may flesh and blood conceiue worse of him but it is onely a carnall conceipt Iam 1.17 for in Gods goodnesse there is no variablenesse nor shadow of change Thirdly God is good propterse he hath no end of his goodnesse without himselfe other things haue their goodnesse giuen them for a farther end their goodnesse is not onely for their perfection but for their vnion to some other to this they tend and are restlesse till they attaine this but Gods goodnesse is absolute it is its owne end and beside it selfe it needeth nothing as appeard before the Creation while it enioyed it selfe and it is no necessary but an arbitrary Graciousnes out of which God vouchsafeth to entertaine communion with his Creatures If then the most worthy good doe iustly challenge our first loue then certainly our first loue is vndenyable due vnto God whose Goodnesse hath this threefold preheminence whereupon it will follow that we are bound first to loue the Lord our God and the commandement that enioyneth this is for good reason called the first But though the first yet not the onely Victor Antiochenus hath a good note Primum eò magis vocat vt secundum quoque quod a primo diuelli non debet commodiùs inferri queat The Pharisee moued his question concerning the Great Commandement Christ telleth him there are more Great Commandements then one and therefore beginneth with the first that hee might the more fitly teach him the second a second inseparable from the first This second it did concerne the Pharisee to know for whatsoeuer his loue was to wards God it is
perfection of that Loue wherewith wee must loue the Lord our God secondly the degree of that perfection wherhence will arise a third point and that is the iust reason why this first Commandement is called great I begin with the perfection In the question of vertue Diuines require a double perfection one partium the other graduum there is a perfection of the parts in man which must bee seasoned with the virtue and the vertue in those parts must arise vnto it's full pitch This Text requireth both these perfections in Charitie the perfection of the parts of man are intimated in the enumeration of the heart minde soule strength vnto these all our inward and outward abilities may bee reduced so that there is no power nor part of man that must not bee qualified with the loue of God But of this perfection I haue spoken when I shewed you the Seat of Loue I made it plaine vnto you that there was to be in our Charitie a perfection of parts That with which wee haue now to doe is the perfection of degrees the Text will tell vs that it is not enough for euery of those parts to haue the loue of God in them they must also be wholy taken vp therewith and this perfection is noted by the word All which is added to Heart Minde Soule Strength Let vs come then to it A Commandement is the sooner admitted if the reasonablenesse of the ground thereof be first discouered I will therefore first discouer the ground vpon the reasonablesse whereof this great Measure is required The ground is twofold there is one in God and another in Vs. The ground that is found in God is taken from the preface of this Text as Moses hath deliuered it and Saint Marke hath repeated it the preface is Hearken O Israel the Lord thy God is but One but One therefore the intire Obiect of our Loue he will not giue this his glorie vnto any other neither will he indure any Corriuall herein the beginning the middle and the end of this Obiect is only He that is Alpha and Omega first and last Had we many Lord-Gods then might wee haue many obiects of our Loue the Obiect can no more bee multipliced then he can Take all the parts of his Title asunder and you shall sind Onenes and Intirenes therein He is first called Lord which importeth the fountaine of Being and Goodnesse which doth accompanie the same Now there is no other fountaine but He for as he is that which he is so are are all things of him yea and in him also no one shareth with him herein As he is the only fountaine of Being of all being so is he of Goodnesse Math. 1◠17. of whatsoeuer thing is good Our Sauiour telleth vs there is none good but he and Moses that all which he made and he made all was exceeding good Gen. 1. Euery good and perfect gift commeth from him and if from him then it is in him be it honestum iucundum or vtile so that we can seeke nothing without him Iames 1.17 which wee may not find in him and find it much more eminently Neither can we forsake any thing for him but in hauing him wee shall haue more then an abundant amends for as he is One so he is All Aug. Manual cap. 33. all good is contained in this One Lord bonorum totum totaliter diligendum wee can doe no lesse then bee wholy his that doth vouchsafe to be wholy ours As for the name God which I told you importeth the three Persons what euery one is called that he is Only and Graciously Call no man Father on earth saith Christ for you haue but one Father euen your Father which is in Heauen Math. 23 9. and he is a most louing Father no such tender bowels to bee found no not in most naturall and indulgent Parents As for the second person which is God the Sonne he is Vnicus Vnicè dilectus an only Sonne only begotten most dearely Beloued we can find no meanes of our being adopted being accepted but in him and by him Iesus is not diuided how often doth hee proclaime it in Isay Beside mee there is no Sauiour Isey 43. neither is Christ diuided he is the only Prophet that can acquaint vs with the counsels of God the only Priest whose sacrifice can pacifie God finally the only King that can subdue all the enemies of the Church and make it partaker of his Kingdome Neither is the third person lesse Vnus Omnia the Apostle telleth vs that there is but one Spirit and he deriueth all graces from him 1. Cor 11. be they graces of Adoption or graces of edification hee worketh all and hee workes in all he is our Leader our Comforter our Sanctifier our Supporter Ours I say for which is the last note in the name whether it bee Lord or God that is One they are that which they are vnto vs vnto vs haue they appropriated their Onenesse for they are to no other what they are to the Church and the Church as heretofore I haue told you is meant by Thou and to the Church they communicate their All all the treasures of their common and seuerall Good so farre as the Church is capable thereof I suppose that if you haue well heeded what I haue said you will acknowledge that there is a faire ground in the Lord our God why hee should challenge all our loue Let vs come now and looke vpon our selues and see what ground thereof we can find there When the question was moued vnto Christ whether the Iewes ought to pay tribute vnto Caesar or not hee called for the Coine and asked whose image and superscription it bare and when they answered him Caesars he replyed Giue vnto Caesar those things which are Caesars but he addeth to our purpose that vpon the same ground they must giue vnto God those things which are Gods If the image and superscription were a iust ground why Coine should be paid vnto Caesar where Gods Image is found there is as good a reason that that should be rendred vnto him Now Gods Image is found in vs by Nature for we were made according to his Image so that all which we receiue from him we owe vnto him by the Law of Creation A second way is Gods Image in vs by Grace for our Regeneration is but a second Creation wherein we are reformed vnto that Image according to which God at first created vs. All then is due vnto God a second time by the Law of our Redemption so that whether we looke vpon our heart our minde our soule or strength it may well be demanded of vs Quid habes quod non accepisti What hast thou which thou hast not receiued and if we haue receiued it all the exaction is but reasonable Si totum exigit à te qui totum fecit refecit te surely Saint Paul thought so when he willeth
vnto the comparison if then the question be whether of the two wee loue more to whether of them wee will sticke in a case where both cannot bee held or vpon which of them wee will fall foule when it is not possible for vs to keepe in with both if then wee can with Moses esteeme the reproach of Christ greater riches then the treasures of Egypt wee conforme our selues to Christs first rule 〈◊〉 11 26. If when God calleth Heb. 11.8 wee can with Abraham forsake our countrey and our Fathers house though it bee to goe to a Countrey which wee know not wee conforme our selues vnto his second rule And if we can bee as resolute as Leui was Deut. 33. who said vnto his father and his mother I haue not seene them neither did he acknowledge his brethren nor know his owne children that he might keepe the word and obserue the Commandement of God euen that Commandement which is deliuered else-where Deut. 13 If thy Brother the sonne of thy mother or thy sonne or thy Daughter or the wife of thy bosome or thy friend which is as thine owne soule entice thee to Idolatry thy eye must not pitty him thou must not conceale him thou shalt surely kill him and let thine owne hands be first vpon him if thou canst I say bee so resolute then doest thou conforme thy selfe vnto Christs third Rule The examples which hitherto I haue alleaged shew onely what must be a Christian mans obseruance of Christs rules quoad sua suos so farre as concernes a mans goods or his friends but Christs rules goe a step farther Luke 14.26 for they mention a mans owne life also and tell vs how little wee must set by that in comparison of our loue of God Christ knew well that Satan hath a shrewd temptation to stumble thee when thou hast profited so farre as tua and tuos and that is to trie thee how well thou dost loue God quoad te Iob. 2.4 in comparison of thine owne person skin for skin and all that euer a man hath will he giue for his life affinitie consanguinitie amitie farewell all so our life may bee preserued but our loue of God must ouercome this temptation also and wee must take in this case Saint Paul for an example who being disswaded from going to Hierusalem because bonds and imprisonment did expect him there made this answere What doe you weeping and breaking my heart Acts 21.13 I am contented not onely to be bound but also to die for the name of the Lord Iesus A great resolution and yet not so great as our loue of God requireth of vs. For though dying seeme to be a bitter work yet to die for the name of Christ addeth much sweetnes vnto it and why it maketh a plain martyrdome and of that S. Paul hath giuen this definition that it is nothing else but dissolut esse cum Christo To be dissolued doth litle content nature but what would a man rather desire then to be with Christ for to be with him is to be as he is that is most happy so that hitherto loue is not come to its height for a man may so far loue God and loue God for himselfe because his own good goeth pari passu with the loue of God Moses went farther Blot me out of the book of life rather then thou shouldst not make good thy word to Israel a strange wish and that of a thing impossible for it is impossible that any child of God should be excluded from eternal life so that he may seeme to haue wished rashly and vainly but this CoÌ„mandement wil excuse him as it will S. Pauls like wish when I come to speak of the loue of our neighbour this Commandement containeth the best Commentary on his words for they import no more but his absolute loue of God so absolute that were there no Heauen where with his loue should be rewarded yea though Hell were the place wherein notwithstanding his loue of God he should be eternally tormented yet would he not withhold Gods due he would loue God with all his heart And indeed so high must wee ascend in loue if wee will ascend to that pitch which is contained in this Commandement though our loue shall haue a reward a most plentifull reward and wee may after the example of Christ and the Saints looke vpon it and encourage our selues with the hope of it yet that must not be the first motiue of our dutie God may challenge it without a reward and wee must acknowledge it to be a iust debt Thus if we loue God we loue him as we ought that is we loue him aboue all things and wee loue him for himselfe for that must needs follow when wee loue him for no other thing no not for our owne sakes but are willing to hazard all euen our selues and all for the loue of him From this measure when wee depart wee doe offend against our loue of God how much more if wee loue those things which are contrarie to him and can bee contented that others offend him or are so gracelesse as to offend him our selues But I must draw toward an end The last point which I obserued in my text was the reason why this is called the Great Commandement I need giue you no other reason then the doctrine which you haue heard concerning our loue of God for you haue heard enough to perswade you that the Commandement is very great yet I will point at some few reasons The Commandement then is Great first in regard of the Obiect for what can be greater then the Lord our God secondly in regard of the Act for it maketh our neerest approach vnto God both in Vnion and Communion with him Thirdly in regard of the Qualitie it is the sweetest commander of all our abilities Fourthly in regard of the Soueraigntie it giueth law to the whole man Fiftly in regard of the Efficacie it worketh the greatest effects Sixtly in regard of the Commoditie it hath the most precious promises Finally in regard of the Continuance it out-liueth all other graces for Charitie neuer faileth 1. Cor. 13.8 other graces doe not out-liue this mortall life No wonder then if S. 〈◊〉 call it a Supereminent way and in a comparison preferreth it before all gifts not only of Edification but of Adoption also 1. Cor. 13. And what is the vse of all this but to make vs see how little wee performe of this Commandement and how little cause wee haue to boast of the best that we doe therein Who is he that can denie that his abâ—lities are diuided and that he loueth more things then God yea most things more then God and those not only idle but euill things also And if wee cannot excuse our Diuision much lesse our Remissenesse the dayes are come which Christ foretold and the Charitie euen of the Church is growne key-cold yea euery one is come to
that lithernesse which God taxeth in Malachi yee say Behold what a wearinesse it is Cap. 1. Whether our loue bee put to Doe or to Suffer it is quickly tired it quickly giueth ouer and how should he euer yeeld all that doth repine if but a part of his Heart Minde Soule or Strength be imployed in the loue of God I report mee for the truth hereof to euery mans conscience and because the time biddeth me end I desire euerie man to keepe a scrutinie hereof in his owne bosome DOmine imperfectum nostrum vident oculi tui vtinam nos videamus Lord thou that searehest and triest vs knowest how little loue of thee there is in the best of vs kindle this heauenly fire in all our hearts and let the flame thereof take all the powers of our soules and parts of our bodies And seeing it is not prayse worthy barely to loue thee cast vs into a spirituall trance that being strangers vnto all things of this life wee may with indefatigable constancie aspire vnto thee August Soliloq cap 19. Amo te Deus meus magisque semper amare cupio c. accendar totus vt te totum diligam be restlesse till wee are fully by loue ioyned vnto thee Yea let vs put off our selues and with a happie alteration bee wholly transformed into the loue of thee Or if wee cannot but loue other things besides thee Let the loue of them attend our loue of thee the more we loue thee let vs desire to loue thee the more till all on fire like the Seraphins who in this loue are said to come neerest vnto thee we may as wee are here enioyned loue thee the Great All of Holinesse and Happinesse with this manifold but meane All of ours all our Heart all our Minde all our Soule and all our Strength The eighth Sermon MATT. 22. VERSE 39. And the second is like vnto it Thou shalt loue thy Neighbour as thy selfe IN bestowing our Charitie wee must vse a Measure and this Measure varies as doe the Persons vpon whom we must bestow it they are vnequall therefore they must not bee equally beloued The Text therefore doth assigne vnto each his proportion to God his and his vnto our Neighbour Of Gods I spake last It followeth that I now speake of our Neighbours It is exprest in these words that now I haue read vnto you Yet doth it not take vp all the Verse for that we must loue our Neighbour and that the loue of him is the Argument of a second Commandement I haue heretofore shewed you But there remaine two points vntoucht of which the first is the limitation and the second the comparison of this Loue. The Limitation is in these words as thy selfe the comparison in these The second Commandement is like the first But to breake it vp somewhat more distinctly I will obserue in the limitation that there is one thing implied We must loue our selues and there is another thing exprest the loue of our selues must guide vs in the loue of our Neighbour So likewise in the Comparison I will shew you first that there is no equalitie because the Commandements are but like and yet notwithstanding because they are like they haue a good Correspondencie the Second to the First These bee the particulars which I meane God willing to open vnto you briefely and in their order I pray God I may doe it so effectually that we may all learne to keepe our neighbourly charitie within the prescribed bounds and so loue one another that our mutuall loue may testifie to the world that we all haue the loue of God I come now to the limitation Whereof before I open the particulars I cannot omit to touch at a good obseruation of Saint Basils hee tels vs that the Loue of God is not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 exclusiue of all others but it admits the loue of others as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as helping to fill vp the the measure thereof so that it haue dependencie thereon Before you heard that we must loue God with all our Heart Mind Soule and Strength you would thinke that because God challengeth all no other may partake of our Loue but it appeares to be otherwise for that we are here willed to loue our Neighbour and our selues The reconciliation is this all must be deuoted to God but it must be employed as pleaseth him and it pleaseth him that wee bestow it there wheresoeuer hee vouchsafeth to impart himselfe I will shew it you in a plaine Similitude Light is the onely obiect of our eye for our eye was made to see the light but light is not onely in the body of the Sunne or Moone or Starres but by beames it doth insinuate it selfe into all these lower creatures and presents it selfe in that great varietie of colours wherewith this lower world is beautified in seeing them wee see the light and delighting in them we take pleasure in the light from whom they haue their gracefulnesse Euen so God is the proper obiect of our Loue and his goodnesse must draw our abilities vnto it and it is able to satisfie them to the fall though they to the full can neuer possibly comprehend it So that out of the nature of God wee need not seeke for any other obiect of our Loue. But because God is pleased to communicate himselfe vnto his Creatures and frame the reasonable of them according to his Image he would haue our Loue to attend this communicating of himselfe and be bestowed on them whom he doth so grace And this our so louing of others detracts nothing from that All which is due vnto God because we doe it by his direction and our Loue doth still reflect vpon him and in louing them we loue him as you shall heare an on more at large But let vs come to the particulars whereof the first is that which is implyed in the Limitation and that is The loue of our selues for if we must loue our neighbour as our selues then vndoubtedly wee must loue our selues It might haue beene thought that Christ in setting downe the obiect of our Loue had left vs cleane out as if wee were not to loue our selues but that we may yea must loue our selues it is cleare because the Loue of our selues is made the measure of that Loue which wee must yeeld to our Neighbours Though this be cleare yet is there a great difficultie in the Commandement I meane not of practise though that will appeare hard to flesh and bloud when it is expounded but of vnderstanding it for how doth Christ command vs to loue our Neighbour as our Selfe whereas How we must loue our selues he seemeth not to teach at all He seemeth not and indeed some thinke that he doth not And why A man is taught by nature Wherein and How to loue himselfe Nature hath taught vs to wish and procure our selues all good at least whatsoeuer we thinke to bee good and whatsoeuer
the onely reason why I must loue my selfe And this will lead vs to another note Christ saith that wee must loue our neighbour as our selfe but not for our selfe that were amor concupiscentiae but ours must bee amor amicitiae hee that loueth for himselfe ceaseth to loue 2. Cor. 12. if he cannot and when he doth not speed of his owne benefit but hee that can say with Saint Paul Quaero vos non vestra will say with him Idem I will loue you though the more I loue the lesse I am beloued Such loue is a stable loue like that of Booz towards Ruth whereof Naomi said the man will not be at rest vntill he hath finished the matter But yet obserue that though a man must loue his neighbour rather for his neighbours sake then for his owne that loueth him yet must hee not doe it so much for his neighbours sake as for Gods towards whom hee must bend all his neighbours loue as being the vpshot of humane felicitie This which I haue obserued in thesi or in generall concerning our neighbour must bee applyed in hypothesi and fitted to euery degree of neighbours Though they be knit together by naturall or ciuill obligations which yeeld reason of lower degrees of loue yet must not Christians rest there they must improue their loue vntil they haue brought it as high as this measure of grace Parents loue their children Gouernours those that are commited to their charge Citizens Friends loue each the other but whatsoeuer else causeth this loue wee loue them not as our selues except first hauing qualified our selues with the loue of God we qualifie them therewith also It is a question whether As bee a note of similitude or equality so that it is enough to loue our neighbour with such a loue as wee loue our selues though not with so great A needlesse question if Christs words bee vnderstood as I haue opened them If you take them in the first sense as the measure of our mutuall loue is dictated by the light of Nature there can be no doubt but the measure must be equall for how can I suppose my selfe in another mans state and him in mine and in reason deale any iot worse with him then I would haue him leale with me if the case were altered to scant the measure if it were but in the least graine is plaine philautie or corrupt loue of a mans selfe Take the measure in that sense which is dictated by Grace and that will admit no inequalitie of loue for should I loue the loue of God in any man lesse then I doe in my selfe that would sauour of enuy at the least if not implerie for I should haue an euill eye when God is good yea I should not as I ought take comfort in the highest aduancement of the honour of God The Scripture teacheth vs to doe farre otherwise A new Commandement giue I vnto you saith Christ that you loue one another as I haue loued you that you also loue one another Ioh 13. Now you know how Christ loued vs and gaue himselfe for vs forgetting as it were all the content that hee tooke in his owne Holines and Happines that he might promote ours Saint Iohn applies it to vs 1. Ioh. 3. Hereby perceiue we the loue of God because hee laid downe his life for vs and we ought to lay downe our liues for the Brethren Take an instance in Saint Paul Phil. 2. If I be offered vpon the sacrifice and seruice of your faith that is in working and increasing it I ioy and reioyce with you all for the same cause also doe you ioy and reioyce with mee Or if this instance doe not satisfie because that Saint Pauls death which hee wished was a martyrdome and though hee preferred the loue of the Brethren before his corporall life yet therein he manifested the greater loue to God for higher in his loue to God during this life a man cannot ascend then willingly to bee a Martyr to to seale Gods truth with his bloud and confirme the faith of the Church Rom 9. S. Paul hath another of a higher straine concerning the loue of our neighbour which be vtterth with a sad Preface testifying that hee is earnest and well aduised I say the truth in Christ I lie not my Conscience also bearing me witnesse in the Holy Ghost that I haue great heauines and continuall sorrow in my heart for I could wish that my selfe were accursed from Christ for my Brethren my Kinsmen according to the flesh Diuine brotherly Loue how dost thou transport the Apostle to whom Hell is not terrible nor the losse of Heauen grieuous so the Israelites might escape the one and obtaine the other And did hee not then loue them more then himselfe But might hee doe it and may wee imitate him herein Surely hee might without any offence to God testifie his wish because hee doth not contradict Gods decree which will not haue Holinesse vnhappie but supposing there were a posibility that a man hauing no sinne might bee subiected to those torments hee meanes that he could be contented to vndergoe euen the torments of Hell so the Israelites might haue the grace to belieue in Christ and to haue such a minde is no sinne but it bringeth Charitie to the highest pitch to which it can possibly be raised in a Creature Neither is there any reason why we may not imitate him herein seeing what was vertuous in him cannot be vicious in another man But indeed it is not to bee expected that our Charitie will euer fall into so heauenly an Ecstasis it is well if we come so farre as to loue our neighbour as our selfe although it is not improbably obserud by some vpon those passages which before I cited out of Saint Iohn that the Law which biddeth vs loue our Neighbour as our selfe could not teach perfect Charity because the Iewes being vnder age were not capable of so profound a doctrine and therefore Christ vnder the new Testament goeth farther with the Church being of ripe age and would haue Christians loue their neighbours more then themselves this is a new or Euangelicall Sicut Which being true Aquinas his conceipt followed by many Romanists must needs be false who teacheth that it is against nature moralitie and Charitie for a man to loue his neighbour more then himselfe except happily wee will distinguish betweene the inward affection and the outward action of Charitie the inward affection must be equall to all at least as great as to our selues but in outward action because it is impossible for vs to doe this good vnto all we must dispense it as farre as our abilitie will reach proportioning our indeauour according to the number and strictnesse of obligations whereby wee stand bound to persons for so is Pauls rule Galath 6. While we haue time let vs doe good to all men especially to those that are of the Houshold of faith and in
this respect wee may loue our selues more then others But to shut vp this point with some few obseruations The first is That seeing our Loue towards our neighbour must bee such as you haue heard you see how little brotherly and neighbourly Charitie there is in the world there bee few that obserue the Measure prescribed by Nature scarse any dreame of that which is prescribed by Grace Secondly you see that the loue of our neighbour must not bee mercinarie as for the most part the worlds is for who is hired to loue himselfe Or who seeketh for any other reward of that affection but only the loue of himselfe The Loue of our neighbour should be as free yea it should be cloathed with all the properties which before I specified First Sinceritie secondly Realitie thirdly Tendernesse and fourthly Constancie Thirdly you see that we must not loue our neighbour either in peccato or ad peccatum we must neither cherish any man in sinne neither may we tempt him to commit it And why We must not so loue our selues Qui amat iniquitatem odit animam suam such an affection is not Loue but hatred deadly hatred which leadeth vnto eternall death Fourthly and lastly you see that as we must bridle our selues and our lusts least we sinne and afflict our Soules if we haue sinned so must wee deale with our Neighbor also hold in as many as we can though against their wils to preuent their sinning And if they haue fallen we may not suffer their wounds to fester though we put them to smart and paine yet must we endeauour their reformation De Trinit S. Austins rule is worth our obseruing Potest odium blandire charitas saeuire radicem inspice attende verba illa blanditur vt decipiat Psal 141. haec saeuit vt corrigat Let the righteous smite me it shall be a kindnes let him reproue me it shall be a excellent oyle which shall not breake my head Christ doth so chastise his Church and God those whom he reputes children and not bastards Heb. 12. But enough of the limitation A word or two of the comparison and so I end I told you it is not a comparison of equalitie because this second Commandement is but like the first And indeed how should there bee equalitie in the Loues when there is so much inequalitie in the Persons But Christ putteth it out of all doubt in the Gospell when he telleth vs that We must forsake yea hate father mother brother sister yea euen our owne selues and liues if they come in competition with our Loue of Christ and the Gospell which is all one with the Loue of God Though there be no equalitie betweene the Loues yet there is a good Correspondencie for the second Commandement is like the first it floweth from it and beareth the very Image of it so like that Saint Iohn concludeth that He that doth not loue his brother whom hee hath seene 1 Iob 3. neuer loued God whom he hath not seene It is the best way to know whether a man be a counterfeit in his obseruance of the first Commandement by trying how he keepeth the second But take notice of three or foure points wherein the likenesse standeth First in Obiecto for a man in his Neighbour must loue nothing but God Secondly in Subiecto for this Loue must take vp all the powers of man as the Loue of God did though with a subordination And it makes the straitest knot straiter then either consanguinitie or affinitie or any other kind of societie Thirdly in Fructu a double fruit for it bringeth forth all the duties of the second Table as the Loue of God did the duties of the first It bringeth them forth most readily most cheerefully for what will hee sticke at that Loues Mat. 25. And it reapeth the very same fruit which the former did which is eternall life When I was an hungred yee fed me saith our Sauiour come yee blessed possesse the kingdome c. Fourthly in Duratione It lasteth as long as the other doth that is it is euerlasting for Charitie neuer fals away no more then doth the communion of Saints I omit other resemblances onely this I note concerning both Charities that they must be begun in this life Gal 5. otherwise wee shall neuer haue them in the life to come for it is a fruit of the Spirit after this life God giueth not his spirit therefore he giueth not Charitie from hence men carrie the Spirit and with it Charitie in hell there can be no charitie because none carrie the spirit thither I conclude The Ecclesiasticall storie reporteth that S. Iohn the Euangelist the beloued Disciple and chiefe Doctor of Loue as appeares by his Epistles when he grew so old that hee was caried to Church and could Preach no longer vsed to say nothing at all Church meetings to them that came to him but onely Filioli diligite inuicem Children Loue one another Children loue one another and being asked why he reiterated it he said Quia preceptum Domini est sisolum fiat sufficit Hier. in Epist ad Gal. there needed no other lesson to keepe all things well Sure I am there is no lesson more needfull in these bloudy in these malitious dayes and therefore insteed of a longer conclusion I will vse to you and I pray God I vse it not in vaine a Tautalogie or sacred ingemination not much vnlike vnto that of S. Iohn Loue your neighbors as your selues Loue your neighbors as your selues Loue your neighbors as your selues This Grace God graunt vs all for the publike good of Christendome and the priuate of euerie Societie through Iesus Christ To whom with the Father c. The ninth Sermon MATT. 22. VERSE 39. Vpon these two depend all the Law and the Prophets IN our inquiries wee desire to know not only what is true but also vpon what ground we may acknowledge it to be so neither are our doubts fully satisfied except we be informed of both Therefore our Sauiour Christ that vouchsafed an answere to the Pharisees question so answereth that he leaues no place for farther dispute for what he affirmed that hee confirmes he proues soundly that the Loue of God and our Neighbour so described as you haue heard deserue to bee accounted the Great Commandement and the proofe is contained in these words that now I haue read vnto you The summe of it is this That which is the briefe of the Bible may well goe for the great Comandement but the loue of God and our Neighbour are such a briefe therefore there is no question but they may iustly challenge that title of preheminence and we must acknowledge what Christ saith in Saint Marke that there are none greater then these But to open the Text a little more fully wee will consider therein first seuerally the parts of the Bible which are the Law and the Prophets and the contents of those
temporall of eternall So then you see that the second part of the Bible is but a practicke Commentarie vpon the first the Prophets vpon the Law The Prophets apply the Law to the peoples liues and pronounce them accordingly And thus much of the parts of the Bible what they are and what they meane I come now to the Contents and the Contents are the two Commandements of Loue. But these two Commandements may be considered as Speciall or as Generall Commandements As Speciall so they require only the act of Loue. As Generall so they signifie the habit thereof as it is the Nurserie of many other vertuous acts To make you vnderstand this wee must obserue that a morall Vertue hath two Acts the one is called Actus elicitus or its proper worke the other Actus imperatus the worke which is at its command I will shew it you by a familiar Similitude The Sunne hath a proper worke which is to shine or giue light vnto the World and it hath a worke of command also for it maketh the earth to bring forth fruit which is done by vertue of an influence of the Sunne into the earth Euen so Loue hath a proper worke which is to bee kindly affected to the Person beloued but besides this it hath a worke of command it layeth a charge vpon all the Powers and Abilities that wee haue to bee seruiceable to him whom wee loue For example If I loue God my Loue will command my feet to goe to his House my knees to bow in his presence my mouth to speake of his prayses and to pray vnto him finally whatsoeuer is within me without me belonging to me shall bee deuoted to him and doe nothing that displeaseth him Take a taste of this also in the loue of our Neighbour Doe I loue him then surely if I see him naked I will command my Wardrobe to clothe him doe I see him hungrie and thirstie I will command my victuals to feed him and I will command my selfe to visit him if hee be sicke or in prison by the command of Loue my counsell my countenance my house my purse all shall bee at the command of my Neighbour Finally these workes reach vnto not only all vertuous acts but also to the acts of our vocation for they must be seasoned with Charitie as appeares in the positiue Lawes When then I say that these two Commandements are the contents of the Bible you must comprehend more vnder them then the proper worke of Loue Christ meaneth also the other worke the worke of command if both these workes be ioyned together they will make vp the contents of the Bible I haue opened vnto you the two maine branches of my Text as they are considered seuerally I told you wee must consider them ioyntly also And here first we are to see how these two Commandements can so be inlarged as to bee the contents of the whole Bible wee will see it first in regard of the Law The Law I told you is either Naturall or Positiue these Commandements are the contents of either of them though in a different manner The truth of this appeares in three points I will shew them in both kinds of Law First in the Law of Nature First Charitie is the Seed of all that kind of Law it springeth as naturally from it as a spreading Tree doth from his root witnesse the ten Commandements which I told you are the exactest draught that euer was made of the Law of Nature there is neuer a branch of the first Table that doth not arise from the Loue of God we will haue no other Gods because we loue God intirely wee will make no Images because we loue God holily we will not take Gods Name in vaine because we loue God reuerently Finally wee will keepe the Sabbath because wee loue God sociably in the Communion of Saints and celestially as hauing here no dwelling place but looking for one to come As for the second Table Rom. 13. Saint Paul hath made the obseruation to our hand where hauing particularized many he summeth vp all in this generall Rule If there be any other Commandement it is comprehended in this Iohn 13. Thou shalt loue thy Neighbour as thy selfe Concerning both Tables Christs rule is short If you loue me keepe my Commandements and what a company of duties doth Saint Paul deriue out of Loue 1. Cor. 13. Whence you may learne also that not only so much as is in the letter but whatsoeuer else is in the sense of the ten Commandements springeth from Loue of which sort Saint Paul there specifieth sundrie particulars Secondly as all Morall duties spring from Charitie so must the marke whereat we principally aime in doing them be Charitie we see that all plants which haue their influence from Heauen looke vp to Heauen againe as hee that loueth God will haue no other Gods besides him so a man must haue no other Gods besides him only for this end that he may loue him If he be moued by any other end profit pleasure or whatsoeuer else hee doth not keepe the first Commandement no more doth he keepe the second that maketh no Idoll nor the third that taketh not Gods Name in vaine nor the fourth that keepeth the Sabbath except they doe these things in reference to their loue of God The second Table requireth the same Rule He that honoureth his Father or his Mother that doth no murder that doth not commit adulterie that doth not steale c. shall not passe for not guiltie at the Barre of God except his purpose were to testifie in his obedience the loue that he beareth to his Neighbour A third Reason why Loue is said to bee the contents of the Moral Law or the Morall Law is said to hang vpon it is because without Loue that Law can neuer bee vnderstood Loue giues a cleere sight as it were to the vnderstanding Origen applying it selfe to any particular Commandement concerning our dutie to God or our Neighbour because it must haue no straiter nor wider bonds then Loue setteth vnto it Yea if a man bee once inflamed with Loue the Spirit of Grace will be aiding vnto him and helpe him to vnderstand the Law aright Whereas they which are without Loue and the Spirit that doth accompany it haue many carnall scruples and suspitions which perplex their iudgement and straighten the measure of their obedience The second Law is Positiue and Loue is the contents of that also though as I told you somewhat in a different manner For Positiue Lawes be they Ceremoniall or Politique which are grounded vpon things indifferent spring indeed from Charitie but not immediatly as doth the Law of Nature the Wisdome of the Lawgiuer commeth betweene and considers how farre they may be remembrances of and furtherances to Charitie the Ceremoniall to the loue wee beare God the Politique to the loue we beare to our Neighbour But though Wisdome come betweene yet must not that Wisdome
that you loue Rom. 13. Chrysost Col. 3. v. 14. 1. Cor. 16.14 which is a debt that semper soluitur nunquam persoluitur Aboue all things let vs seeke after Charitte and let all our things be done in Loue. Yea let vs fall in loue with Loue that so wee may grow therein vntill wee come where it shall be so consummate as that all our life shall be spent in Loue in louing God with all our heart with all our minde with all our soule with all our strength and louing our Neighbour as our selfe THE CONCLVSION OF THE FORMER ARGVMENT DELIVERED IN a Sermon on the twelfth of Saint Marke Verses 32 33 34. And the Scribe said vnto him Well Master thou hast said the truth for there is one God and there is none other but hee And to loue him with all the heart and withall the vnderstanding and with all the soule and with all the strengh and to loue his Neighbour as himselfe is more then all whole burns offerings and Sacrifices And when Iesus saw that hee answered discreetly hee said vnto him thou art not farre from the Kingdome of God And no man after that durst aske him any question OVr Sauiour Christ in the conference which hee had with the Pharisee about the great Commandement Matthew 22. had to doe with a Question and a Questionist The question was good the Questionist was a Tempter therefore he fully yea abundantly resolued the question but he put the Questionist cleane besides his purpose and marred the plâ—t of the Pharisees For they thought either to disgrace or endanger him disgrace him if he were silent or if he did answere to endanger him to those that were of a contrarie opinion But Christ handles the matter so that they sped of neither of these ends for he answeres that they might not disgrace him for ignorance but answers so that he cleane defeats their malice This being but insinuated in Saint Matthew is fully opened by Saint Marke therefore at length to put an end to the Doctrine of the great Commandement whereupon I haue dwelt long I haue chosen these words as the fittest close of that Argument I purpose God willing briefly and plainly to vnfold them vnto you Therein then wee are to obserue Christs discretion in answering and the confusion of his aduersaries by his answere The first point is gathered out of the whole bodie of Christs speech the second out of the euent thereof More distinctly The discretion appeares in that Christ answeres not only secundum veritatem truly but also ad hominem hee fitteth his answere to the Questionist Answeres out of his owne Principles so that he cannot denie it and discouers his sinne that he may be stung with it Touching the confusion of the aduersaries that is double as they were of two sorts For one moued the question the rest plotted it both are confounded but not both alike The confusion of the Questionist is comfortable two wayes comfortable First in regard of his ingenuitie for hee doth acknowledge openly what Christ answeres yea and iustifieth it soundly though with the disgrace of his companions Secondly in regard of the clemencie with which our Sauiour entertaines it First he tooke notice of it he saw that hee answered discreetly Secondly hee encouraged it for hee told the Questionist that hee was not farre from the Kingdome of God Thus was the Questionist confounded His Complices also were confounded but their confusion was damnable for they had no more to say they asked him no more questions not because they were euer a whit the better for our Sauiours answere but because they durst not Their malice was ouer-awed they durst not play the Serpents any longer and set vpon Christ with craft and temptation but from this day forward they turned Lions and put him to a cruell death This is the summe of this Scripture the particulars whereof I will runne ouer againe I pray God it may proue for our instruction and edification First then of Christs Discretion it is gathered out of the bodie of his answere which containes not only a truth but truth fitted to the Questionist fitted two wayes First because it workes vpon his owne Principles for Christ keepeth himselfe to the words of the Law and maketh Moses giue the Scribe an answere Now the Scribe was a Doctor of the Law and Moses authoritie was sacred with him Adde hereunto Christs answere was the Scribes owne Tenent as appeares Luke the tenth Where Christ mouing the question another Scribe answereth the very same words of the Law So that he could not denie Christs answere except hee would contradict himselfe The like discretion in working vpon the Aduersaries Principles doth Christ vse in his dispute with the Sadducees about the Resurrection They are said to haue receiued only the siue Bookes of Moses and out of those Bookes doth Christ make good that Article of Faith Saint Paul imitates Christ arguing against both Iew and Gentile Against the Iewes in the Epistle to the Hebrewes where you may perceiue that he taketh most of his grounds out of the Law Against the Gentiles in the Acts Chap. 14 17. where he seeketh no farther then the Creation and the Prouidence to conuict them of Idolatrie The Fathers in the Primitiue Church tooke the verie same course as appeares by Iustin Martyrs Apologies to the Roman Emperours and his Dialogue with Trypho the Iew. The like might be shewed out of Origen Irenie Tertullian Eusebius and others whether they deale with Infidels or Heretickes they presse them still with their owne principles And so must wee for so shall we conclude most euidently against them and if any way this is most likely to preuaile with them A second branch of Christs Discretion is this that his Answere stings the conscience of the Questionist it layeth his sinne open before his eyes For he was a Tempter and to tempt is a worke of Satan which hath his name from hatred So that Christs answere doth vnmaske the Questionist and shew that although the title of a Pharisee and a Scribe the one for Holinesse the other for Knowledge seeme to make neere approches vnto God yet in that he is a Tempter he will be found farre from him if he be measured by the great Commandement the tenour whereof is nothing but Loue. And such a manner of teaching which closely conueys a good admonition to the heart when it seemes onely to informe the head is verie discreet and hath many worthy precedents But enough of Christ Discretion let vs come now to the Confusion of his aduersaries and first to the comfortable confusion of the Scribe which moued the question wherein wee are first to see his ingenuitie double ingenuitie For first he acknowledgeth that Christ had answered right Well Master thou hast said the truth He acknowledgeth it I say which is not onely to know but to confesse openly what a man doth know Yea he confesseth it before his fellowes at
he is entitled he hath none except he partake of the same grace that was in the Patriarke These two must concurre they cannot bee seuered without danger danger not to the Couenant for God will be true though all the World be lyars Rom 3 4. but vnto so many as were gracelesse Iewes although they vaunted that they were Abrahams seede yet were they neuer to come into Abrahams bosome Wherefore seeing the Iewes did diuorce these things which God would haue conioyned Saint Iohn aduiseth them to correct this errour and to begin to tread Abrahams steps least otherwise they be nothing the better for being Abrahams sonnes So then the Baptists exhortation hath two parts the first teacheth what these Iewes ought to intend the second vpon what they may not stand That which they ought to intend is Penitencie that whervpon they may not stand is their Pedigree at this time only of the former That which the Iewes ought to intend is exprest in these words Bring forth therfore fruits worthy of repentance wherin we are to obserue first the Inference then the Argument The Inference S. Iohn gathereth this counsell out of his former reproofe and wisheth them to take a better course because they were in so bad a case this is the force of the particle therefore In the argument we haue the workes and an answerablenesse that must be betweene them the workes are two Gods and mans God giueth Repentance which man must imploy in bringing forth fruites The answerablenesse is Mans worke must keepe good correspondencie with Gods Men must bring forth fruites such as are worthy of repentance Of these points briefly and in their order I begin with the Inference Although in the fits and heate of our passions it seeme otherwise yet is it a grounded truth that there is no man except he be giuen ouer to a reprobate sense which doth not naturally abhor to be either wicked or a wretch You may perceiue it by his iudgement in cold bloud And â—o peccanti oâ—endere mala suâ— vitia si non excidero inhibeho Seneca Epist 40 certainely reason doth acknowledge this to be so true that Seneca thought one of the best meanes to reclaime a man that goeth a stray was to set his case before him though I shall little please saith hee yet I will bee bold to let him that erreth know his fault for it is likely that thereupon if hee doe not presently turne Tunc melius proteruns coriqimus c Greâ— Mag in astor yet hee will at least make a stand Gregorie the great a better Authour speaketh in the voice of Religion we cannot take a better course to reclaime vntoward natures then if wee shew them how ill they doe when they suppose they doe well and turne their vaine glorie into a profitable shame The holy Ghost master both of reason and Religion is the guide vnto them both For in the Scriptures wee find that the Prophets seldome shew what God requires before they haue shewed the Iewes what they want they preface the doctrine of that which they should be with a former doctrine of that which they were the instances are euerie where to bee found I will alleadge some few God himselfe when he dealeth with Adam after his fall beginneth with Where art thou The fathers Commentarie is not vnfit Non modo vbi loci sed vbi conditionis God demandeth of him not onely in what place but in what case he was Surely their Commentary is made probable by Adams answere for Adam doth answere as well in what case I was naked as in what place he was I hid my selfe Wisedome in the first of the Prouerbes dealeth thus plainely with men How long yee simple ones will yee loue simplicitie and yee scorners delight in scorning Our Sauiour Christ vseth the same method in his Epistle vnto the Church of Laodicea 〈◊〉 3. Thou art wretched and miserable and poore and blind and naked Thus they all set before their eyes with whom they deale as Saint Iohn Baptist doth their poore and wofull case But they rest not therein but proceed from the reproose vnto the remedy as S. Iohn Baptist doth least other wise they should seeme rather to reproach then to reproue to insult vpon them rather then to correct them Nemo prudens punti quod peccatum sit sed ne peccetur It is not so much as good Policie much lesse Pietie to punish because men haue offended they should rather prouide by punishments that they offend no more and therfore are chastisments called corrections because they are not so much afflictions for as preuentions from committing sinne Now reproofes are Verball punishments therefore they must imitate them so shew a disease as that withall they prescribe the cure thereof 1. Sam 2.6 imitating God who as Anno speaketh killeth and maketh aliue againe Certainely he which asked Adam where are thou Relieued him againe with the seed of the woman shall bruise the Serpents head and Wisedome that began with How long will yee fooles delight in folly c. concludeth with Turne you at my reproofe I will powre out of my spirit vpon you I will make knowne my words vnto you And our Sauiour Christ least he should seeme to vpbraid the Laodiceans offereth them a present supplie of gold of rayment of eye-salue Rnuel 3. of whatsoeuer they did want Certainely if so be we adde the meanes how they may recouer whom we reproue we are most likely to speed of their amendment for the remedie prescribed is an euidence that the reproofe proceeded from Loue and the reprehender may say with S. Paul 1. Cor 4 I wrote not these things to shame you but as my beloued I warne you and Loue is so necessarie in reproofe that Saint Austin is of opinion That no man should reproue except he first strictly examine his conscience whether hee doe it out of Loue I adde that this Loue must bee made euident by the care that we shew of the reproueds good The reason is plaine for although the inborne principles before specified I meane our naturall desire of goodnesse and happinesse make vs capable in our worst case of good counsell yet whether the counsell that is giuen vs be for our good wee argue oftner from the person then from the things and our iealousie of the person is a preiudice to his words and stoppeth vs from deliberating vpon the truth of his reproofe whereas on the contrarie side the Loue of the person doth open our eares and be his words neuer so tart they sinke downe into our soule and our most stubbourne affections are contented to bee wrought by them Let the righteous reproue me saith the Psalmist and it shall be a precious balme and Saint Austin Loue me and say what thou wilt let it appeare that they meane our good and it shall not grieue vs if we be blamed so much as wee deserue I note this the
this World passeth away and All these things must be dissolued and how should the little World euer come to a stand when the Great World makes away so that wee must prouide for another place Wee must nay euery man doth will he nill he he doth for his Life is but a Way he is euery day euery houre euery moment onward somewhat toward Heauen or Hell But the Way notes not only a Course but a setled Course There are many startings aside both of Good and Bad the best many times slep aside into by-paths but that is not Via eorum the Iust mans way for he commeth to himselfe againe and with greater alacritie returnes to his Religious Course And the wicked out of fashion or fancie doe oftentimes trie the right way but that is not Via eorum it is not the wicked mans way for he quickly distastes it and takes againe his former Roade therefore the Scripture doth not by the Way vnderstand that which we doe by sits but that which wee doe constantly and wherein wee perseuere So then it is Common to all men to go a Way and hold a setled Course but yet the Course which all take is not the same the Text will tell you that though a Way bee Common yet not the same Way Here are two mentioned The Righteous mans Way which I told you is a righteous way and the Way of the wicked which I told you is a wicked Way The Scripture doth mention a Straight and a Crooked a Narrow and a Broad Way the way of the Eagle and the way of the Serpent a way vpward and a way downeward a way to Life and a way to Death the way of God and the way of the Diuell the Straight Narrow Eagles Way the way vpward to Life which is Gods way that is the way of the Righteous or the righteous Way the Crooked Broad Serpentine Way the way downeward to Death which is the way of the Diuell that is the Way of the wicked or the wicked Way I neede say no more of these Wayes that heretofore haue said so much of the difference betweene Good and Bad men It shal suffice to haue added thus much vpon occasion of this word Way and the â—arietie thereof specified in this Verse Let vs come on then to the Iudiciall Prouidence that worketh vpon these Wayes And here I told you there is also some thing Common and some thing Proper both these Wayes are wrought vpon by the prouident Wisdome and Power of God he Discernes them hee Rewards them both were there no other proofe the triuiall Verse confirmes it Entèr Praesentèr Deus est vbique Potentèr His Eyes behold all the wayes of Men and his Eye lids trie them all that which is applyed to Baltazzar Mene Mene Tekel Vpharsin Dan 5. concernes euery one more or lesse Dauid hath made the 139. Psalme in describing this Generall Eye and Hand of God and the Sonne of Syrach hath excellently exprest it Chap. 23. and we shall really denie God and be plaine Manichees if we did exempt any thing from him and not subiect all things to his Iudiciall Power T is true that some things he permits vnto the Creatures but it is neither an ignorant nor an negligent Permission he knowes whereabout they goe and holds the bridle in his owne hand most maiestically doth God in Esay let Zenacharib vnderstand as much Chap. 37 in an answer that he giues vnto that insolent Message I know thine abode and thy going out and thy comming in and thy rage against me because thy rage against me and thy tumult is come vp into mine eares therefore will I put my hooke in thy Nose and my bridle in thy Lips and turne thee backe the way by which thou camest But I need not enlarge this point of Gods Generall Iudiciall Prouidence for it will be farther confirmed by the particular branches thereof If these particulars be true the Generall cannot bee denied because the Generall is included in the Particular Though then it bee Common to both Wayes that they come vnder Gods Iudiciall Prouidence yet come they not vnder it both alike it workes vpon either after a speciall manner first vpon the way of the Iust Nouit Deus The Lord knoweth that Way The Knowledge of God here meant being not Generall but Speciall we must enquire what manner of Knowledge this is I cannot better informe you then by paralleling Gods speciall Knowledge of Man with Mans speciall Knowledge of God for Hee which knowes God is also knowne of him 1. Cor. 8. Et qui ignorat ignorabitur 1. Cor. 14.38 Now the speciall Knowledge that Man must haue of God stands in two points in Distinguendo Colendo he must first learne to distinguish God from all others and that Contra and and Supra he must oppose him to all that seemes but is not God hee must not thinke him like vnto Idols that haue eyes and see not eares and heare not hands and handle not c. For hee must beleeue that God is priuie to the Wayes of men and disposeth all things at his Pleasure As we must thus oppose God to those which seeme but are not Gods so must we preferre him also before all to whom that name is communicable bee they Angels or Men for though there bee some thing like in both yet doth God infinitely exceed in that wherein he is like This is the first branch of our knowledge which stands in Deo Distinguendo in distinguishing God from all others The second branch stands in Deo Colendo in our Carriage towards God and that also consists of two branches Contemplation and Dilection our Eye must euer bee on him our Heart must euer be towards him Psal 27 4. One thing haue I desired of the Lord saith King Dauid and that will I still require that I may dwell in the House of the Lord all the dayes of my life to behold the faire Beautie of the Lord and to visit his holy Temple and how busie is the Eye of the Spouse in the Canticles in viewing her Beloued from top to toe As the Beautie of God drawes the Eye of Man continually to behold it so being beheld 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a man cannot behold it but he must fall in loue with it It was wittily replyed by an Ancient Father Saint Basil as it is thought vnto Iulian the Apostata when hee wrote vpon an Apologie of Christian Religion presented vnto him 〈…〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Certainly it is impossible for him that knowes God as a Christian ought not to thinke hee is bound to loue him in the highest degree with all his Mind with all his Soule with all his Heart with all his Strength as the Law speakes This being the speciall Knowledge that we must haue of God we must obserue that Gods speciall Knowledge of Vs is answerable hereunto He Knowes His first Distinguendo as in the departure out of Aegypt
a passing of our bounds Our lusts are apt to range and exceed God sets bounds vnto them by his Law hee would hold them in but it will not be we are Sonnes of Belial we will beare no yoake we breake Gods bands and cast his cordes from vs. Psal 2. The first euill of sinne is it maketh a lawles man and who doth not know that liueth in a society what an vnhappie libertie the lawles haue But why will man be lawles forsooth he thinkes that the more hee hath his will the more hee shall compasse his owne ends he thinks so but it proues not so that appeares in the next name of sinne that is Chata 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and noteth a shooting cleane besides the Marke When wee become Masterles the vpshot of our endeauour is to mistake euill for good and reape woe where wee looked for rest The wicked Wisd 5. confesse this truth and all Histories are but Chronicles of it they testifie that lawlesse men haue finally missed of that whereat they aymed yea that they haue therein bin deceiued most wherein they seemed vnto themselues to haue succeeded best And doth not this Name of Sinne then argue a sinner to be a Wretch But that which is the height of Euill in Sinne is noted in the third word Gnaon Peruersenesse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And indeed Sin is nothing but the peruerting of a Creature God made the Great and the little World to set forth his owne Glorie but sinne turneth both to his dishonour God made the little World to be Lord ouer the great and Sinne turneth the Lord into the Seruant and the Seruant into the Lord God made Man a Consort for Angels Sin doth range Man with the Feinds of Hell Finally God made Man after his owne Image Sin doth change him into the Image of the Diuell most wretched peruersnesse Now seeing this threefold Euill is found in sinne as the Names thereof giue vs to vnderstand we cannot doubt but Sinne doth make a Miserable Man hee that is infected with it will confesse it though he be a King Certainely King Dauid doth He was at this time a King a victorious a glorious King obeyed by many Nations abounding in al kind of worldly prosperity Add thereunto that same gracious Entaile of his Crowne sent vnto him from God 2. Sam. 7. the verie crowne of blessings But see being stung with the Conscience of Sinne hee is sensible of none of these neither doth hee finde Comfort in any of them notwithstanding all these he confesseth himselfe a Wretch Wherein wee may obserue by the way the difference betweene the iudgement of flesh and blood and of a Child of God concerning that which maketh Happie the one placeth it in the Things of this life the other in the Peace of God And indeede so long as it is not well betweene God and vs all the World can giue vs no Content the consciousnes of sinne if we haue as feeling hearts as King Dauid had feeling the mischieuous nature of sinne wee will account our selues but Wretches and wee will with him fall to our Miserere mei Haue Mercie vpon me c. which is the second part of my Text. The Correlatiue of Miserie is Mercy as there were no neede of Mercy were there no Misery so because there is Miserie there is a remedie prouided for it and that is Mercy The Verbe doth properly signifie Be gracious to mee Grace is free loue so teacheth Saint Austin Non est gratia vllo modo si non sit omni modo gratuita that fauour deserueth not the name of Grace that can be either merited or requited But yet there are two sorts of this Grace one Quae datur non merenti another Quae datur immerenti The first was the Grace of Creation it proceeded from the free Goodnes of God for there was no possibilitie of Mans Deseruing before hee had his Being therefore was his Being a guift of Grace The second is the Grace of Redemption this proceeds also from Gods free Goodnesse this was vouchsafed to Man when he deserued the contrary he deserued eternall Death but God vouchsafed him eternall Life This speciall kind of Grace is called Mercy Therefore considering the Argument the Translator did not amisse in restrayning the amplitude of the words and rendring it Haue Mercy for Euangelicall Grace is Mercy and it is such Grace that is meant in this place But this Mercy is considered either in Affectu or Effectu as it is in God or as it manifests it selfe vpon Man The Remedy of Misery is Mercie but that Mercy must containe not only a Gracious disposition towards man but a powerfull operation vpon him God must be well affected so as that Mans state also may be altered In Miseries plea for Mercie these two cannot be seuered without Impietie or Blasphemie 1. Blasphemie for Sin Compassion are incōpatible if the one be not conceiued as the remouer of the other but he doth not so conceiue them that looks only to the Affection looketh not also for the Action of Mercy therefore he blasphemes the Author thereof Secondly there is Impietie in it for it argueth that a Man would be free from Gods displeasure but he would not part with that which offends his pure eyes Hee loueth to be a sinner And this is plaine Impietie But what are the effects of Mercy euen as many as are the euills of Sin In sin then there are two Euills the Guilt and the Corruption thereof the Guilt is resembled to a Debt 〈◊〉 1◠indeed it is a plaine Debt a double Debt for in euery sinne that wee commit we grow in arrerages vnto God in regard of the duty which wee owe him and God growes in Arrerages vnto vs in regard of the punishment that is due vnto vs. Now of these debts God keepeth a Booke all our misdeeds are recorded before him 〈◊〉 5. and of these Bookes there is mention made in the Reuel where the Soone of Man is represented vpon his Tribunall iudging all the World according to those things that are found in the Bookes that are open before him As in regard of the Guilt Sinnes are compared to Debt so in regard of the Corruption they are compared vnto Staines Staines of all sorts to Froth to Foame to Scumme to Drosse to Mire to all sorts of diseases and impurities of the flesh And indeed how can they bee other seeing they are the insection that wee receiue from the vncleane Spirit This being briefly obserued Let vs now consider of Dauids Prayer his Prayer for the Affection and Operation of Mercy First for the Affection in these Words Miserere Haue Mercy The Affection is the Roote from whence springs the Operation wee learne it in another Psalme Psal 80. Cause thy face to shine and we shall be saued therefore he doth well to make sure of that first because no hope of the other if hee speede not
other Fathers tell vs that the particle vt noteth not Causam but Consecutionem not the end but the euent of sin I called it a supernaturall Euent An Euent is that which followeth vpon a former thing Accidentally though naturally it cannot flow from it Sinne is destructiue of good and therefore cannot aduance the Prayse of God wee see it in euery particular for what are they but breaches of that Law in the performance where of standeth Gods honour But what neede I vse any proofe I the last Sabaoth day shewed you that Impiety is one of the Natural properties of sinne It cannot be expected then that so great a good should naturally spring therfrom as is the the Praise of God Therefore though old impure Hereticks and the latter Familists that turne the grace of God into wantonnesse that vse Christian Liberty as a cloake of their Maliciousnesse that hold let vs doe ill that good may come thereof blaspheme Gods holy Truth Row 3.8 and their Condemnation is iust no man may pretend a good intent for his doing ill nor compasse a good end by ill meanes except he meane to goe for a Libertine But though Gods Prayse doe not naturally flow from sinne and so be the proper end thereof yet an Euent it may bee and follow thereupon But this Euent cannot be Naturall for the Creature that is mutable may ruine it selfe of it selfe and of it selfe dishonor God but hauing ruined it selfe and dishonored him it cannot of it selfe repaire either its owne state or His honour it is onely God can doe this this is a worke of diuine prouidence it doth exercise al the Branches therof Gods Wisdome to contriue it Gods Goodnes to affect it and finally it cannot be effected without his power The mixture of the Law and the Gospell is such a secret of Gods wisdome as could neuer haue entred into the heart of a creature that the fall of man should be foelix culpa produce a more glorious raising of him who could euer haue dreamd or to keepe my selfe to my text may not we all stand amazed when we read that such a son as Solomon should be born of Bathsheba with whom K. Dauid had committed so foule an offence But as we must admire Gods wisdome in such works so must we much more his goodnes that testifieth his loue to sinfull man in being willing that his wisdome shall yeeld such remedy to mans distresse But God is pleased to let the world see in the freedom of his loue quod dare non dignis res mage digna Deo such goodnes can be found no where out of God Finally the power of God shined herein which was to encounter with so many difficulties we hold God omnipotēt because he made heauen earth of nothing but the Fathers hold that the restitution is a greater worke then the creation if the former need an omnipotent power much more the later The reason is because as there was nothing to help so there was nothing to hinder in the creation but in the restitution God was encountred ab intra ab extra frō within and from without From within by his own Iustice he was faine to ouermaster it with his Mercy from without by the powers of darknes who stroue to keep possession of man yea by mans own peruersenes who is too willingly a slaue to sin Satan Gene. 50. but of Satans Temptation we may vse the words of Ioseph to his Brethren Vos cogitastis malè Deus autem bene Ye thought euill against vs but God meant it vnto good and concerning our owne peruersenes wee may vse the words of the Psalme As a Father pitieth his Children Psal 103. so the Lord pitieth vs marke the reason for he knoweth our frailty he remembreth that we are but dust It is God only God that can cause such Euents And miserable were the state of the world if he did not cause them for else the Church had long since come to nothing How quickly had Adam dissolued the Couenant and when God had restored it by such a supernaturall Euent the Sonnes of God dissolued it againe God was faine to redouble the Euentin Noah in his posterity it fayled the third time and a third time was God faine to renew the Euent in Abraham And thus hath it gon on in all ages of the world God hath bin faine to shew that the Infidelity of Man cannot euacuate the fidelity of God that hee will be true though all the world be liars Rom. 3.4 2. Cor. 4.6 that hee can draw light out of darkenesse when darkenesse hath extinguished Light Such is his Omniscient Wisedome and Omnipotent Goodnesse The ground of all which proceeding is the freedome of Gods loue that had no Cause without him when it first began it is continued by no Cause besides himselfe for those duties the performance whereof doe seeme to entertaine Gods Loue what are they but the influences of his free Grace Wherefore I conclude with Saint Bernard Maior est Dei pietas quam quaeuis iniquitas or rather with Gods own words Ego Deus et non mutor I am the Lord which change not Malac. 3.6 therefore you Sonnes of Iacob are not consumed it is of the Lords morcy that we are not consumed Iament 3 2◠because his Compassions faile not they are renewed euery morning great is thy faithfulnesse the same God that told Noah Gen. 8. I will not againe curse the ground for Mans sake and giueth this for a reason for the Imagination of Mans Heart is euill from his youth doth implie that we must seeke for the cause of this strange Euent not on Earth but in Heauen wee must hold it to bee not an Earthly but an Heauenly Euent and so to be not Naturall but Supernaturall as at first I told you And this refutes all Manichees who dreame of two Gods a Good and a Bad and will haue the Good only to intermeddle with things that are good and the Bad with the things that are bad but here we may learne that there is but one God and that one God is good though good yet intermedling with that which is bad intermedling with it out of bad to draw that which is good and so to make it matter of his Glory for Malum non quâ malum sed quâ ordinatum as Saint Austin teacheth cedit in Gloriam Dei In Enchyr. And so haue I opened vnto you the meaning of this Text so farre as I finde it in this Psalme that is in Hypothesi applied to King Dauids Case And there is no doubt but King Dauid in speaking of them had an Eye to himselfe and in reference to himselfe did penitentially vtter them But Saint Paul hath taught vs in the Epistle to the Romans to turne this Hypothesis into a Thesis Chap. 3. and apply this Text to the whole Church And indeed if you remember that I told you
of Death secluded from the Liuing Skin for skin and all that euer a man hath he will giue for his Life though it be but his naturall Life which is temporall how much more would be giue for his better Life if hee knew it I meane his spirituall Life which is Eternall If it bee a thing desireable to hold our soule in our body how much more desireable is it to enioy God in our soule Especially seeing the soule may bee in the body and afflict it with hearts griefe but no soule enioyeth God that is not filled with vnspeakeable ioy But Life is not the vttermost of our desire we are by nature sociable and solitarines is a kind of Death it is so if we be only excluded from the societie of men Psal 42. Psal â—4 how much more if we be debarred the Communion of Saints King Dauids Psalmes shew how passionate he was when hee was debarred the visible Communion by banishment how much more passionate thinke you was he when he apprehended his exclusion from the inuisible through the deadlinesse of his sinne These things out of the Moralized Ceremonies must we set before vs as the Motiues vnto this Petition Purge me wash me me that haue lost the comfortable presence of my God the life of my soule and haue contracted the contagion of Death by my sinne and for this contagion am vnworthy to haue accesse vnto thy House in the companie of thy Saints the loue of that life maketh me abhorre the state of this Death the desire that I haue to that societie maketh this spirituall excommunication tedious vnto me and giue mee no rest breake my silence make me importune thee O God with Purge mee Wash mee expiate this impurity that hath so wofully distressed me These two words Purge and Wash looke to two parts of the Ceremony Vos 18.19 In the aforenamed 19. of Numbers you shall sinde that hee that had touched the dead was first sprinkled with the holy water and then was to haue his whole body bathed incleane water These two acts Ceremoniall looke to the two parts of spirituall Purification In Sin there are two things the Guilt and the Corruption the taking away of the Guilt was signified by the aspersion or sprinkling of holy water and the Corruption by washing in cleane water God that hath giuen his Law for vs to obey hath added a Sanction vnto it to hold vs in that wee should not dare to transgresse for feare of wrath and ordained that a deformity should accompany sinne and make it more odious vnto vs out of the loue that we beare to our selues When wee enter into consideration of our sinne the first thing that we should apprehend is the Guilt the danger that we stand in to God ward wee should set him before vs as a seuere Iudge armed with vengeance ready to lay on vs deadly strokes this should make vs breake into the first Petition Purge mee O Lord free me from Guilt let mee stand on good termes with my God But when wee haue made our peace with him and all is safe from without self-selfe-loue religious selfe-loue must make vs looke home suruey our selues fixe our eyes vpon our soules and take care to remedy the blemishes thereof Deformity in our outward man wee cannot endure I would we could endure it as little in our inward wee desire the exactest proportion the fairest complexion and where Nature faileth wee helpe it by Art and thinke no paines too great no cost too deare that is bestowed that way Our better part deserueth the greater regard by how much wee should desire more to recommend our selues to the eyes of God and Angels then to the eyes of mortall men yea to the eyes of our owne soules rather then to the eyes of our bodyes for that these are truer Iudges and Iudges of the best things Certainly King Dauid thought so who knowing that sinne carrieth with it not only a guilt but a staine also prayed no lesse Wash me then Purge me free mee O God both from staine and guilt But the Consequence must not be forgotten the staine and the guilt themselues desire this fauour were there no euill beyond them how much more when as I shewed you in the Ceremonie they are necessarily accompanied with an Excommunication so that purge me and wash me must imply a desire of restitution also a restitution into the Church and into the Communion of Saints a blessing that followed vpon King Dauids person being purified from his guilt and staine and King Dauid must bee thought to haue correspondently to the Law aymed at that blessing And let this suffice touching that for which King Dauid prayeth I come now to consider the Person of whom hee beggeth it in his Prayer The Person is God for it is to him to whom hee directs the whole Psalme And indeed none but God can doe this that hee prayeth for for who can free from guilt but hee to whom a sinner stands obliged by his guilt hee that set the Sanction to the Law must quit vs from the danger that is due from that Sanction and who is that but God And as God onely can purge the guilt so hee onely can wash away the staine hee onely that made vs can new make vs and hee reformeth man to his Image that first made him after his Image This is the worke only of God But see here is a limitation of Gods power hee would haue God to purge him but doe it with Hysop as if without Hysop hee could not doe it shall I say God forbid hee can doe more then wee can conceiue they are too presumptuous that set such bounds vnto God Faustus Socin that is a most absolute Lord no doubt hee might haue saued vs otherwise then he did This wee may boldly say hee would not doe it without Hysop and his will is that which doth menage his power what he hath freely decreed out of his good will that hee bringeth to passe by his vnresistable power Hee spake the word and made vs but he was pleased that the redeeming of vs should cost him more paines hee would vse the helpe of Hysop Hysop is literally vnderstood in the Ceremonie so wee finde it in that often cited 19. of Numbers but spiritually by Hysop the Fathers vnderstand Christ and make a correspondencie betweene him and that herbe in two respects in regard of the smalnes of the herbe and in regard of the vertue thereof the smalnes representing Christs Humility that vouchsafed to take vpon him the forme of a seruant the vertue noting Christs efficacie for as that Herbe worketh vpon our Inwards De doctr Chrisâ— lib. 2. c. 16. so saith Saint Austin doth Christ worke vpon the Inward man Hysop worketh principally vpon the lungs say the Fathers which are the bellowes of our body and are an excellent Embleme of Pride and it was Pride wherby we lifted our selues vp against God that Christ came
regard of those that must obserue the Law all are not equall and Christ himselfe telleth vs that there are Mandata minima Matth. 5. Wherefore the doubt had a good ground but the Scribe knowing that the Law had three maine Heads the Morall the Politique the Ceremoniall and that from euery of the heads sprang manifold branches moreouer supposing that Christ was illetterd Matth. 13.54 and not seene in these studies thought that it was the onely way by such a Question either to disgrace his knowledge if he could not suddainely lay together the varietie of Commandements and out of an aduised comparison passe a true iudgement and so they should lessen his reputation with the people Or if he did answere to the Question and clearely expresse himselfe then hee should set those that held the contrarie tenant against him and so at least wise they should doe him some mischiefe which was the vp-shot of a Tempter And to that â—nd hee doth not onely Socratically mooue this question hoping for an ironicall conclusion and to put a scorne vpon Christ but politickly also hoping to distract his Auditors and raise him vp many aduersaries But foolish man that he was he looked onely vpon Christs out-side of his inside hee knew nothing Had he knowne who Christ was he would neuer haue made such an aduenture Hee that gaue the Law vnderstood the Law to the full and hee knew the degrees of obseruance which prescribed them vnto men the euent proued it and the Tempters successe was farre other then hee exspected as hereafter you shall heare There is one note more De magno mandato quaerit saith Chrysostome qui minimum non impleuit Matth. 23. the Scribes and Pharisees did vse to bind heauie burdens and lay them upon other mens shoulders which they would not lift at with the least of their fingers ambitious of profound knowledge but carelesse of any degree of true pietie Wee haue many such that busie their wits in the most learned Inquiries of Gods Predestination of the day of Iudgement of the mysteries in the Reuelation of Chronologie Genealogie sacred Antiquities and in the meane time soaring in these contemplations aloft take no heede vnto their steps but are spectacles to the world of no small Morall infirmities Wherefore Chrysostome aduiseth well Quaerat de maiore Iustitia qui impleuit minorem let vs practise our lessons as wee learne them and not paine our wits in studying a greater vntill wee haue brought our Hearts to obey a lesser commandement otherwise we shall bee but like the Alchimists that all their life are making of Gold and goe to their graues starke beggers You haue heard both of the questionist and the question and how well the question fitteth the questionist the temptation representeth the tempter Examples are not vnfitly compared vnto looking Glasses wherin we may behold as well what to eschue as what to follow in this we haue found little to be followed much to be eschewed GOd graunt we may make the right vse of it and that we doe not in our liues shew our selues to be either Scribes or Pharisees either counterseitly holy orignorantly learned But let our inside be no worse then our out-side and let vs presume of no more then we are sure is good either in our life or learning Finally let vs in simplicitie of heart become the Disciples of Christ and let our ghostly edification be the end of our enquires So shall we be free from the iust censure that was deserued by this questionist and that for this question a question otherwise good but tainted by the ill meaning of so bad a questionist The second Sermon MATT. 22. VERSE 37. Iesus said vnto him Thou shalt Loue c. THese words containe an answere to a question the question was mooued by a Lawyer the answere thereunto is shaped by our Sauiour Christ Hauing heretofore vnfolded the Question it followeth that I now come on and vnfold the answere vnto you wherein first wee must obserue that Christ doth vouchsafe an answere vnto a tempter Iesus said vnto him to him who before is said to haue come to tempt Christ Secondly we must see what the answere is which Christ doth vouchsafe it is such as doth fully yea abundantly resolue the question and which withall doth discreetly and powerfully defeate the malice of the questionist this later point is implied but the former is expressed in the Text. At this time I will meddle onely with the Answere to the question I will shew you the particulars contained therein and handle as many as the time will permit In the Text we doe find that Christ doth fully yea abundantly resolue the doubt for he not onely affirmeth which is the great Commandement in these words Thou shalt loue the Lord thy God with all thy Heart c. but hee confirmeth it also in these words On these two Commandements depend the Law and the Prophets To resolue the Question fully doth not content he doth resolue it abundantly also hee teacheth the Pharisee more then he did aske he asked but after one Commandement Christ teacheth him two as well that which enioyneth the Loue of our Neighbour as that which enioyneth the Loue of God hee giueth an Answere with a vantage but this vantage proueth in the end a disaduantage to the Pharisee as hereafter you shall heare But more distinctly to breake vp that which Christ affirmeth to be the great Commandement We find that therein God inioyneth Loue thou shalt Loue. As he doth enioyne it so he teacheth where it must bee seated and on whom we must bestow it It must bee seated in the inwardman the Heart the Soule the Mind And it must be bestowed vpon the Lord our God and our Neighbour Neither is it enough to bestow it on them except in bestowing it we obserue an Order and a Measure An Order for we must first loue God and then our Neighbour Therefore in my Text is that called the first and this the second Commandement A measure for we must loue God more then our Neighbour God with all our Heart Soule and Mind this first saith the Text is the Great Commandement But we must loue our neighbour only as our selues therfore doth the Text tell vs that this 2 nd is not equall it is only like to the first CoÌ„mandement Let vs come to the particulars whereof the first was this Christ doth vouchsafe an Answere and that to him whom he knew to be a Tempter Though the person deserue to be reproued to bee reiected yet Christ beareth with him and doth not refuse to satisfie his demand Wonder not at it long before he dealt no worse with the Arch-tempter in the 4. of S. Mathew you shal find that he replied vnto him euen a third time And in so doing taught vs that wee must not bee ashamed to auouch Gods truth though it be to the Diuell himselfe nay we haue a more comfortable note included herein
not ouerflow But this spirituall fountaine haue it neuer so little of the water of life euen of that little some will runne ouer and the deriuatiue seates of Charitie will keepe some proportion to the Primatiue You see there is an order in these seates of Charitie ad intra as Charitie spreadeth it selfe within the Soule Looke vpon the words againe and you shall see that there is also ordo ad extra a good prouision made in these seates for the exercise of this vertue when it must bee employed without vs. For though it bee properly the Will that must loue yet must it loue discreetly and effectually And see here is not onely the electiue power seasoned with Charitie which is the Heart but the directiue also which is the Minde and the executiue which is the Soule and strength So that God giueth vs thereby to vnderstand that we must not onely loue but loue as wee ought hee will not haue our loue to bee either vndiscrete or idle Ignorance is no good mother of Loue of Lust it may bee and therfore the Poets faine Cupid blinde but God will haue vs know what wee loue And though men doe not alwayes loue so much as they know yet certainly he that knoweth little cannot loue much not loue as beseemeth Charitie which I told you is a reasonable Loue. As Loue must not bee ignorant no more must it bee idle God will haue the executiue faculties imployed the soule and the strength must attend the discretion of the mind and choyce of the will and endeauor to obtaine what the one doth direct vnto and the other choose If this bee done then is our Charity as ordinate in the exercise as it is in the spreading Besides the Doctrine of the Ordinatenesse of Charitie in regard of the seate thereof we must looke into the Subordinatenesse for of the seates one is Imperatiue and Definitiue the rest are Imperatae Definitae Charity is an elicite action of that power which is the natiue seate therof the Will it springeth properly from thence But it is an action of the other powers as they are commanded by the Will the Will layeth a commande vpon them all and that commande is Loue. The vnderstanding must Loue the Soule must Loue the Strength must Loue all of them by the commandement of a louing Will. The Will prepossest her sclfe with Loue doth not onely deriue her qualitie into them but command them also to employ the same And here must I lead you to obserue another point of the powers of our Mind Soule and Strength Their actions are indefinite our vnderstanding may muse vpon what it will and to what end it will if it be left vnto it selfe and if the Soule be left vnto it selfe it may long after and delight in what it will and so may our Strength pursue or repell But God is not pleased that they should bee left vnto themselues that they should worke at randome they are all subiected to the power of the Will The Will commandeth the Mind whereon to think what to studie to employ its discourse vpon that which her selfe doth Loue Lord saith Dauid what Loue haue I to thy Law All the day long is my studie in it And as for the Soule marke how that followeth the Will I haue loued saith Dauid the habitation of thy House Psal 26. and the place where thine Honour dwelleth Hereupon sprung that passion My Soule longeth euen fainteth for the Courts of the Lord. Psal 84. Neither is it lesse true of the Strength as it appeareth in the same Psalme they goe from strength to strength vntill euerie one of them appeareth before God in Sion Yea Charitie putteth sinne wes into them that Loue which make them as strong as Death which cannot bee conquered Can. 8. and like a flame of fire which cannot be quenched So that though the seate of Charitie be manifold yet is one of them a limiting power the other are limited the Will receiueth Charitte and maketh all the rest of the powers to frame themselues for the aduancement thereof it restraineth their rouing disposition and maketh them bend all their seruice thereunto Certainely in sensuall Loue it is too plaine carnall men draw their thoughts their desires their endeauours to that which they loue carnally It should be so with spirituall men also and no doubt hath beene in many seruants of God that haue liued in the world as if they were not of it their Will hath shewed a great power in commanding the powers of their Soule though they haue found some reluctancie Out of all gather this that Charitie is virtus Catholica a vertue that ouerspreadeth the whole man And no maruel for it is the Image of God and Gods Image was not limited to apart no lesse then the whole man was made after his Image Seeing then God is Charitie man must represent in euerie power a Charitie answerable vnto God In the Canticles wherein this vertue is liuely set forth Christ and his Church are not onely said to be each the Beloued of the other but each is called by the name of Loue Christ in the second the Church in the seuenth Chapter As if the Holy Ghost did meane wee should neuer leaue extending this vertue vntill we were as it were wholly transformed into it or vntill it did as vniuersally quallifie our Soule as our Soule doth quicken our body Of good qualities which are commended vnto vs there is a double perfection partium and graduum of the parts wherein they must subsist and of the degree whereunto they must arise Of the degree of Charitie I shall speake hereafter when I come to the measure the perfection here required is of the parts the Holy Ghost calleth here for euery part of man and will haue no part of him voide of Charitie This is agreed vpon by all and therefore I told you that it may well be called a Catholike vertue Much a doe there is in the Christian world whether are the truer Catholikes Wee or the Romanists and each side striueth to make good his claime euen vnto bloud Might this Catholike vertue which is out of controuersie preuaile in our liues the quarrell would be sooner determined and we should be better prouided against the common enemie But the more is the pitie malice maketh a way vnto malice the mutual malice that distracteth Christians vnto the deadly malice of the Turk that would destroy all Rom. 3. The description that Saint Paul maketh of an vnregenerate man doth fit too well many of those that goe for Regenerate Charitie that should of right haue all hath at all no part in them the poyson of Aspes is vnder their tongues their throte is an open sepulchre their feete are swift to shed bloud c. And their Inwards are worse then their Outwards whether you looke into the Head or into the Heart mischiefe and hatred possesse both Charitie can find place in neither
What Christ foretold hath fallen out in our age Matth. 24 1â— the Charitie of most men is growne verie cold which is a shrewd prognostication that spirituall death groweth a pace vpon the World at least vpon this our part thereof As Charitie is Virtus Catholica so is there a Transcendencie thereof For in that Charitie taketh vp all these powers as the seate thereof it taketh vp all the vertues that are incident to these powers I will passe by our Affections and our Senses ouer which it hath a full command as Anger feare c. hearing seeing c. I should wearie you if I should runne through all these and shew you the soueraigntie of Charitie ouer them all I will insist onely vpon Vertues whereof there are two sorts Morall and Theologicall All Morall vertues are reduced vnto foure which are called Cardinall first Prudence secondly Iustice thirdly Temperance fourthly Fortitude Not one of these is exempted from the soueraigntie of Charitie because their proper seate is not exempted The proper seate of Iustice is the Will the Ciuill Law doth define it thus Iustitia est constans perpetua voluntas ius suum cuique tribuendi if Iustice be in the Will and the Will as you haue heard be the seate of Charitie then must Charitie moderate Iustice without her sumum ius would be summa iniuria Law would be strained beyond Equitie As Charitie is at hand to temper Iustice in the Heart so is it at hand to temper Prudence in the Head it tempereth the Done with the Serpent and maketh them that are otherwise as wise as Serpents to be carefull that they be as innocent as Doues We are apt to be prudent for our selues and care not who is the worse for it here Charitie is at hand to tell vs that we must not suffer our wits to worke to the wrong of others That Prudence is no prudence which is not Charitable without Charitie we may be wily we cannot be wise Come to the Soule the seate of Temperance because of the Concupiscible facultie therof Charitie hath a hand here also for Temperance standeth in the moderating of our sensuall desires and delights and is not Charitie most preualent in this moderation which is as you heard heretofore so accoÌ„panied with a fellow feeling of other mens weale woe and is most sensible of our owne also and therefore is the sittest to prescribe our feasting dayes and our fasting dayes and to make vs seasonably either reioyce or mourne It is the best rule of Temperance And it may not be excluded from Fortitude it must teach vs what to dare and what to feare when wee bestow our courage aright when amisse Courage not directed thereby is no Fortitude many are mightie to hunt as Nimrod to drinke as those Iewes that are censured in Esay and to make their strength the Law of vnrighteousnesse as the Atheists in the Booke of Wisedome But this is not the strength of men but of beasts and so doth the Scripture set forth such men But the rule is id tantum possumus quod iure possumus righteousnesse must bee the Law of strength not strength of righteousnesse And before you haue heard that Righteousnesse is guided by Charitie and therefore Charitie doth giue Law vnto Fortitude also You see that Charitie is transâ—endent aboue the Morall vertues It is transcendent ouer the Theologicall also For though it bee one of them yet is it the chiefe one 1. Cor 13. learne it of Saint Paul Now abideth Faith Hope and Charitie euen these three but the greatest of these is Charitie Take them asunder and see the truth hereof see now transcendent it is aboue Faith But here we must distinguish inter Ortum and Vsum the originall and the vse of Faith Faith is not deriued from Charitie but Charitie from Faith for Charitie is Faiths first borue But it obtaineth this power ouer faith 1. Cor. 8. that Faith without Charitie edifieth not it is Loue that maketh our Faith intend its obiect For though Charitie haue its light from Faith yet Faith hath all its Heat from Charitie and light were it not for heate would not be actiue And therefore Saint Paul saith If I had all Faith so that I could moue Mountaines if I haue not Charitie it auaileth nothing But what needeth any better proofe then this that Charitie commandeth the Mind and Faith is the perfestion of the Mind for it captiuateth our wits vnto Gods wisedome and maketh vs build vndoubtedly vpon that which God affirmeth Faith then cannot but bee subiect vnto Charitie to whom our Mind is subiect And what shall we say of Hope that is a patient longing after that which is promised by Faith and so it partaketh somewhat of the Soule and somewhat of the strength whereof you heard before therefore must it needs follow their condition it must needs be at the command of Charitie And who would long for that which he doth not Loue or how could Hope be patient if Charitie did not keepe it in heart We haue found that it doth transcend Faith and Hope you would thinke it could goe no further but it can For Charitie doth transcend Charitie it selfe It hath a double Act a direct and a reflected the direct is that whereby it is carryed to embrace other things the reflected is that whereby it doth delight in its owne disposition And of this that wee continue in louing wee can giue no other reason but this that wee doe loue to loue and so doth Charitie become transcendent aboue Charitie that which is reflected aboue that which is direct So that Bernards rule is true Tanta est Virtus Charitatis vt si desit frustra habentur caetera si adsit rectè habentur omnia I haue discouered vnto you the seate of Charitie I haue shewed you a fourefold seate thereof the Heart the Soule the Minde the Strength there is not one of these foure but is a power of our Soule But hath Christ forgotten our Body hath it nothing to doe with Charity nor Charitie with it God forbid for wee are soctable in regard of our Bodies as well as our Soules and theresore must the one bee charitable as the other Wee must haue charitable eyes the Scripture condemneth an euill eye and in condemning an itching eare it commendeth Charitte to our eare and God that doth not endure a slanderous tongue doth teach vs how our tongues must be qualified So likewise doth he call for charitable hands when by the Prophet hee speaketh against bloudy ones And hath my Text forgotten to prouide for these No verily for what is necessarily included may not be thought to be omitted For what is the Body of it selfe it is but a dead Instrument and the Instrument followeth the motion of the chiefe Agent The Philosopher can tell vs that Anima est quae videt quae audit c. it is not thy body that seeth but thy soule by thy body and
so doth it heare and speake it performeth all its naturall actions And so doth it its Morall also more heauily in some then in other some by reason of the temper doth the body in morall actions follow the Soule but yet it followeth And this may be a good reason why God rememiâ—reth here the powers of our Soule and not the parts of our Body But there is a better and that is deliuered by S. Paul The Law is spirituall Christ layeth the ground of that God is a Spirit Ioh. 4. and hee that worshippeth him must worship him in spirit and in truth Now we are sure that there is no hypocrisie in our Charitie if the seate of it bee the powers of our Soule there may be if it bee the parts of our body witnesse the Pharisee to whom Christ not onely directs but fitteth his speech also who made some shew of Charitie to the world but his inwards were full of Hatred in the sight of God for hee was a Tempter And this doth Christ perstringe or strike at in pressing these words of the Law and shewes that God doth not esteeme the outward deede without the inward affection And the Lesson whch wee must all draw from the seate of Charity is this that our outwarid charitable conuersation must bee rooted in our like inward disposition I should now if time would giue leaue carry euery mans eye into his owne bosome there to take a view whether this vertue bee Catholique and Transcendent or no and if hee find any part vnpossest or not improued as farre as it should bee I should perswade him to see it presently amended Nay I should tell you from that which all the world seeth outwardly that few haue Charitie inwardly for if they had how could their eyes bee so full of Adulterie their eares so set open to entertaine slanders and vntruths their mouthes so ouer-flowe with blasphemie and ribaldrie their hands be so exercised with extortion and cruelty Certainely these things could not bee without if Charitie were within And if Charitie bee not a Catholique and Transcendent vertue in vs no hope that it is either Ordinate or Imperatiue these are perfections whereupon the other are raysed as on a foundation But I cannot stand to take this view and quicken your eare onely remember this that if Loue doe not Hatred will take vp this full Soule GOd that hath commanded this extent of Charitie giue vs eyes to see our want and grace whereby to supply the same that so this vertue may be excluded out of no power that hath right vnto them all and the parts of our Body may bee conformable to the powers of our Soule That so no power nor part may appeare deuoyd of Charitie whether in the eyes of God or man AMEN The fourth Sermon MATT. 22. VERSE 37. The Lord thy God THe Scripture that doth commaund Charitie doth withall teach Where it must be seated and vpon whom it must bee bestowed Where it must be seated you haue already heard you are next to heare vpon whom it must bee bestowed And here we find two kinds of persons both capable of our Charitie because they can returne Loue for Loue and it is the propertie of Loue to be mutuall Of these two persons the names are exprest the first is the Lord thy God the second is thy Neighbour But we must farther obserue What is included in these Names the Cause why they must be beloued and Who are excluded by them They are not capable of the Loue due to the Lord our God that come not vnder his name neither are they capable of the Loue due to our Neighbour that are not contained vnder his name Secondly though the Persons onely are named yet are there things also comprehended vnder the names euen such things as haue reference to the Persons and whatsoeuer things are opposite are excluded thereby Touching the first person onely shall I handle these points at this time First then of his name He is called the Lord our God euerie word hath some remarkable thing in it That which is here rendred Lord is in Moses Iehoua but the Septuagint partly because the Greeke tongue hath no Characters wherewith to expresse that word and partly because the signification of it cannot be fully exprest in any Language by any one word vse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as the fittest which they could light vpon the Euangelist doth follow them and so doe the vulgar translations But when you heare this word you must not vnderstand it in a popular but in a mysticall sense I will open the mystery vnto you It noteth then two things the one is absolute in God the other is relatiue to his creatures In God it noteth the prerogatiue of his nature which standeth in two things the singularitie and the eternitie thereof Touching the singularity When Moses asked God What is thy name Exod. 3 14. God answered him I am that I am The Scripture calleth him by diuers names sometimes True sometimes Iust sometimes Holy sometimes Mighty c. Wee must no otherwise conceiue of these Names then as being his very Nature Wee call him True and what is his Nature but Truth and Holinesse is his Nature whom wee call Holy the like must bee obserued in his other Attributes they are all his Nature and and therefore inseparable from him hee must cease to be before hee can cease to bee that which hee is properly called And herein hee differeth from his Creatures whose Vertues are a distinct thing from their Nature and therefore they may bee stript of them and yet continue themselues still a man may cease to be holy iust true and yet bee neuerthelesse a man The reason is plaine hee cannot say as God doth I am that I am his Attributes and his Nature are not all one But this singularitie of Gods Nature doth appeare specially in two compositions with the Attributes whereof none are capable but be The first of which is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. looke whatsoeuer perfection hee hath hee hath it of himselfe and is not beholding to any other for it hee is his owne Originall and therefore his is the perfection it selfe he that is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Good of himselfe is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Goodnesse it selfe the like may you say of the rest of the Attributes The second Composition is with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 all the treasures of wisedome are hid in him hee is Almighty Coloss 2 3. the fulnesse of all perfection is in him In regard of these Compositions it is Iude 15. that the Scripture vseth these Phrases God onely is wise Math. 19 17. 1 Timoth. 6 1â— there is none good but God God dwelleth in light which no man can attaine vnto And indeed no Creaâ—â—â—e hath any perfection which is not giuen it from aboue which commeth not downe from the Father of Lights and that perfection which
speaketh properly to them that are vnder the Law and so Thou an Israelite and teacheth vs which are the Israel of God In this word Christ taxeth the Pharisees glosse who straightened the extent of neighbourhood Matth. 5. as appeared by the Addition they made to the Law Thou shalt loue thy Neighbour and hate thine Enemies they confined neighbourhood to their owne sect at least to their owne Nation And wee see at this day the Iewes mention not Christians without reproch no more then Papists doe Protestants But a Christian must know that in Iesus Christ there is neither Iew nor Gentile Coloss 3.11 Grecian nor Barbarian male nor female bond nor free Saint Austin hath a conuicting reason De Doctrina Christiana c. 30. which is that otherwise there would bee some persons with whom we might commit adulterie whose goods wee might steale whose bodies we might murder without any sinne against them which is absurde The case of the Canaanite was extraordinarie Austin tract in Iohannis cap. 15. we may not match our affections with Gods precepts as if they were alike lawfull Wherefore let vs beare fruit answerable to the seed which God hath sowen in our hearts and though our nature bee prone to satanisme and hatred for this charitie is a straine aboue nature and knowne only to those of the Church yet let vs mortifie it and subdue it to the Law of God Let vs not define whom we must loue other wise then we are taught of God let vs not thinke we loue as many as we should if we exclude any from our loue for our loue must be the fulfilling of the Law therefore it is impossible for vs in regard of any man whatsoeuer to performe the Law which bindeth vs to him without Loue. NOw therefore the God of Loue season all our hearts so with Loue that Hatred being cleane rooted out we may all be of one minde of one heart and out of the sweet sense and comfort hereof we may all say and sing Ecce quam bonum Behold how good and ioyfull a thing it is for brethren to dwell together in vnitie The sixth Sermon MATT. 22. VERSE 37 38 39. Thou shalt Loue the Lord thy God with all thy Heart and with all thy Soule and with all thy Mind This is the first and great Commandement And the second is like vnto it Thou shalt Loue thy neighbour as thy selfe THe last point which I opened vpon this Text taught vs vpon whom we must bestow our Charitie we learned that we must bestow it vpon The Lord our God and our neighbour vpon these persons and vpon those things that haue reference vnto them must it bee bestowed Therefore though the Commandement seeme in nature to bee but one for it is onely Loue yet Christ breaketh it into two and these two vnequall As it must be bestowed on them so in bestowing it we must obserue an Order and a Measure both are plainely prescribed in the Text. The Order for here is a Frist and a Second commandement mencioned The Measure for here is mentioned the great commandement and a commandement that is onely like it We are willed to loue first The Lord our God secondly Our neighbour this is the Order And we are willed to loue the Lord our God with all our heart soule and mind c. and our neighbour as our selues this is the Measure Order then and Measue are to be obserued in the bestowing of our Charitie And indeed without Order and Measure no worke hath either Beautie or Perpetuitie looke vpon the frame of heauen and earth were not the parts thereof so well ordered had not each of them his limits it could neither be so goodly nor so lasting a Creature want of Order would blemish the goodlinesse and want of Measure would shorten the lastingnesse thereof Euen so is it in Charitie inuert the Order alter the Measure required therein by the Law wee doe foulely deforme it and all societie grounded thereon bee it heauenly or earthly will quickly bee disolued This time will not suffice for the opening of both wherefore I will now onely handle the Order and reserue the Measure for some other time Touching then the Order that is to be obserued in Charitie wee must know that it is twofold there is Ordo ad intra and ordo ad extra an order in the generation of it or the working of it into our soules and an order in the employment of it as we expresse it in our liues Of the first Order you heard when I opened vnto you the seate of Charitie and shewed you that it is either Primitiue or Deriuatiue it must begin at the Heart and from thence spread it selfe into the Soule the mind the strength With that Order we haue nothing to doe now my Text leadeth me to speake of the second Order the Order of employment the bestowing of it vpon others after we are seasoned with it our selues To come then to this Order to vnderstand it we must take this Rule Scire quid facere debeamus nescire ordinem faciendt perfecta scientia non est moralitie requireth that we not onely know what we ought to doe but also in what order otherwise the knowledge of our dutie is imperfect therefore imperfect because it will be indiscreete discretion being that which doth distinguish and digest the parts of De Cinit Dei lib 5 cap. 22. and points in our dutie So that take away Order vertue will presently degeâ—erate into vice especially if we admit that definition of Saint Austine short but true Vâ—rtus est ordo amoris vertue is nothing else but the well ordering of our Charitie Wherefore the Order of Gods precepts must not bee passed ouer vnregarded because therefore doth God keepe an order in commanding to intimate vnto vs what order we must keepe in our liuing Whatsoeuer is good may be beloued well or ill well if you obserue the order and if you neglect it then you loue it ill But let vs come closer to the Text. Here we find a first and a second Commandement It is doubted by some whether they are rightly so called seeing that which concerneth our Neighbour was first deliuered Leuit. 19. vers 18. and therefore deliuered on mount Sinai Leuit. 27.34 Comp. numb 10 ver 11 12 with Deâ—â—r 1 6 vide Deut. 2 1â— and that which concerneth the Lord our God was deliuered afterward Deutro 6. vers 50. and therefore deliuered in the land of Moab Deutr. 1.5 The distance of times wherein they were deliuered was thirtie eight yeeres But we must not insist vpon these words as referring to the times wherein Moses deliuered the Commandements but as expounding their sense as they are a Summe of the Decalogue and point out the principall duties prescribed therein Now because the Decalogue was engrauen in two Tables and the briefe of the first was our dutie toward God therefore is that called the first Commandement
Soueraigne Good in regard of Gods loue of vs which haue in vs no louelinesse at all Nay marke it biddeth vs tender our selues vnto him and what are we but as earthen vessels and what doth hee with vs hee maketh vs vessels of gold the peculiar treasure of the King of Heauen He biddeth vs obey but that hee may make vs Commanders wee must heare his voice keepe his Couenant these are markes of obedience but thereupon we shall be Kings and Priests those are markes of authoritie Finally hee biddeth vs apply our selues vnto him which doth beseeme a creature and hee will make vs like vnto himselfe like vnto our Creatour we shall be holy as he is holy Behold here then the bountie of God and folly of man the bountie of God who giueth though according to our capacitie yet not according to our deserts hee giueth as beseemeth himselfe according to the widensse of his owne Greatnesse and Goodnesse doth hee fill his creatures with his blessings especially Man and aboue all men these whom hee receiueth into the Church A man would haue thought that it had beene mercie enough in God in such a strange fashion to deliuer Israel out of Egypt to take such sharpe vengeance vpon their enemies to promise the Israelites that they should not bee subiect to the plagues of Egypt and that hee would bring them into a good land a land flowing with milke and honie a man would thinke I say that these blessings did more then deserue their best obedience and fidelitie and they could in reason desire no more but so to deale with them was not enough in the eye of Gods bountie he measureth vnto them with a more liberall hand and how often doth he giue vnto euery one of vs more not only then we deserue but also then we can desire especially concerning our spirituall state wherein hee is most bountifull to the meanest of his children As God exceeds in bountie so doe men in folly for their eares are open to none seldomer then vnto God to whom they are due neither are they false to any so much as vnto him Let the World or the Deuill or our owne flesh sollicit vs how attentiue how credulous are we how willingly doe we suffer our selues to bee deceiued to bee robbed by them but when God speaketh to vs whose word is truth who counselleth nothing but for our eternall good how heauie eared are we shall I say nay how rebellious Christ may complaine I haue laboured in vaine I haue spent my strength in vaine Esay 49. all the day long haue I stretched out my hands to an vnbeleiuing and a gainesaying nation Yet this is not the vttermost of our follies for in our falshood to God we are not only contented to be robbed by others but rather then wee will not haue our will to doe our selues mischiefe we will hire them that shall rob vs. God in Ezekiel obserueth it in the resemblance of the Israelues to a strange kind of Harlot for whereas vsually they are hired to be naught she did vse to hire her louers and prodigally to bestow vpon them the blessings which shee had receiued from God that with them shee might commit spirituall fornication against God so much more doth our sottishnesse esteeme our chiefest enemies then the author of our soueraigne good This folly first tooke place in Eue wherewith she infected Adam and from them both doe we all deriue it and there is none of vs which doth not vsually betray it witnesse the many good Sermons which we heare and whereby we profit little but runne madding after euery vanitie that woes vs and euery new corruption how suddenly doth it ouerspread most of vs I will dwell no longer vpon these primitiues obseruations I come to those which I deriued from them There are three vertues which are called Theologicall Faith Hope and Charitie of these three consisteth as it were the life of a Christian man now though they are all three giuen to a Christian at one time yet in nature one of them goeth before another This text will teach vs how we must order them Faith must haue the first place for wee must first heare Gods voice Hebâ—â— i. and to heare Gods voice is the worke of faith And indeed the Apostle telleth vs that Hee that commeth vnto God must beleeue and without faith it is impossible to please God Saint Austin therefore maketh Faith the foundation of our spirituall building we must begin our Pietie there There is in euery one of vs by nature a knowledge of God and so a kind of Pietie but this will not make a man Gods peculiar treasure but the limiting of our pietie to his voice and performing his Couenant for naturally men vanish in their discourse and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doth not please God The next Vertue must be Charitie for as heate springeth from light euen so doth Charitie from Faith Faith worketh by Charitie and as a man beleeues so will he loue Now Charitie is meant by keeping Gods Couenant that is the worke of Charitie But withall obserue that Faith and Charitie both goe before Hope for wee must heare Gods voice and keepe his Couenant before wee can looke to be his peculiar treasure which is the matter of our Hope if we doe not we shall be peruerse seruants hope vntowardly for Sine fide spes non habet firmamentum a man that doth not beleeue cannot hope how should a man hope for good from him whom he doth not belieue and Sine charitate spes non habet inuitamentum hee should not hope that doth not loue and loue is a strong incouragement vnto hope A very Heathen could say 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 â—lutarch they that are well bred hope not but vpon sound reason Saint Paul He◠〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Cap. 8. Cap. 5 Eccles 1. a better Author saith that Faith is the ground of things hoped for hee then that hopeth without faith hath an vngrounded hope The same Heathen Author saith that the hopes of a vertuous soule are genuine but if they be in a vitious soule they are but bastards Iob compares them vnto a Spidersweb the Booke of Wisdome varieth the resemblance of them with great cloquence Yee that feare the Lord trust in him Quaenam spes hypocritae what hope hath the hypocrite Seeing then that vice can bee no ground of hope it is not without cause that Saint Paul in his two Apologies which he maketh for himselfe the one to the High Priest Acts 24. the other to Agrippa Acts 26. layeth for the foundation of his hope his care to keepe a good conscience and indeed by how much the more a man loueth God the bolder may he be to trust in him When Faith and Charitie haue done their worke and yeilded their furtherance vnto Hope then commeth Hope in seasonably with her worke and maketh amends vnto them both by quickning both Faith and Charitie First it quickneth
viatoris I wil follow this point no farther By this time I doubt not but you conceiue that the Israelites in their answere were ouer confident they presumed too much of their abilitie Râ—m 8. especially of the extent thereof they did not know what was impossible to the Law by reason of the flesh And yet mistake not there is a vertue in this vice Neither is their confidence so blameable but there is something commendable in it When a father willeth something to be done by his child the child doth not so much consider what it can doe as what it would doe and therefore vndertaketh euen beyond its strength The father that seeth it doth not so much dislike the vanitie of the attempt as hee liketh the willingnesse to obey he delighteth in the good nature of his child and desires that his abilities may be answerable to his endeauours And in this sort did God take the answere of the Israelites as it appeares in the speech which he made to Moses when he presented the like words vnto him I haue heard saith he the voice of the words of this people they haue well sayed all that they haue spoken so he commends their confidence But to giue them to vnderstand that they vndertooke more then they were able to performe Deut. 5. God addeth a wish O that there were such an heart in them that they would feare mee and keepe my Commandements alwayes For nullius momentiest subitus affectus nisi accedat perseuerandi constantia As the parable of the two Sonnes Matth. 21. plainely sheweth God foresaw that all this profession of the Israelites was in them but a flash of a temporarie faith Psal 79. such as out of temptation appeares in most of vs. For if we be preuented with grace yea in many good things out of the light of nature we assent vnto the truth of Gods Law and our hearts incline to the good thereof Yea if we sit Iudges in other mens cases and are not transported with preiudice and acceptance of the persons we manifest this assent and inclination to the Law of God in generall in our dooming of other men but we doe not cast vp our owne accounts When our owne case commeth a foote and wee are exercised with any particular temptation then Gods wish is necessarie O that there were in them such a heart It is necessarie euen for those that haue beene so forward to say and that commendably All that the Lord hath commanded we will doe Let vs then know that the strictnesse of Gods charge serues onely to exercise our faith in Christ to inflame our loue towards God and to encourage our hope of perfection in heauen Multum ille in hac vita profecit qui quam longe sit a perfectione Iustitiae proficiende cognoscit But I draw to an end This answere did the Israelites make vnto the message that was sent from Mount Sinai what answere then must wee make vnto the message that commeth to vs from Mount Sion The yoke that Moses put vpon them was grave an heauie yoke Acts 15.10 Matth. 11.30 the yoke that Christ putteth vpon vs is suave an easie yoke The easier our charge the readier should be our acceptance it could not bee so commendable in them to vnder take beyond their abilitie as it will bee shamefull in vs if wee come short of them in expressing our forwardnesse to obey God For if their state were glorious ours doth much more exceed in glorie 2. Cor. 3. What remaineth then but that we oblige our selues chearefully to the Couenant of Grace and penitently bewaile our manifold defects in obseruing our obligation and that in our conflicts when wee are driuen to cry out O wretch that I am who shall deliuer mee c. Rom. 7 2â— wee answere Thankes be to God through Iesus Christ our Lord I conclude all with that passage in the Psalme Lord thou hast commanded that we should keepe thy precepts diligently and let Dauids wish bee euery one of ours Oh that my wayes were made so direct that I might keepe thy Statutes The seuenth Sermon EXODVS 19. VERS 9. And the Lord said vnto Moses Loe I come vnto thee in a thicke Cloud that the people may heare when I speake with thee and beleeue thee for euer YOu may remember that I brake this whole Chapter into two parts a mutuall stipulation that passed betweene God and the Israelites and a preparation of the parties for so great a worke as was the promulgation of the Law I haue spoken of the mutuall stipulation it followeth that I now come on to the preparation This preparation is first ordered then the parties being orderly prepared doe meet each other The order for Gods preparation is set downe in this verse for the Israelites in many Verses following Touching Gods preparation we must obserue first that hee will vouchsafe his presence at this great worke I come to thee Secondly touching Gods presence the Text will teach vs the Manner and the End The Manner is such as beseemeth the person and fitteth the businesse as it beseemeth the person so it is maiesticall as it fitteth the businesse so it is mysticall both are included in the thicke Cloud The End of Gods presence was partly to grace Moses who was to be the Law-giuer that the people may heare when I speake with thee and partly to dispose the people aright who were to receiue the Law that they may beleeue thee for euer These be the points and they are remarkeable therefore are they prefaced with a note of attention Loe which will also direct our application it is remarkeable that God was present it is remarkeable that his presence was full of maiestie and mysterie the countenance which God vouchsafeth Moses is remarkeable and remarkeable is that disposition towards Moses which God requires in Israel I beseech you therefore in the feare of God to marke these points diligently whilst I cleere them vnto you briefly and in their order I come God vouchsafeth his presence at the worke and is this strange Must this haue a Loe put vpon it Is it strange for God to doe that which hee cannot chuse but doe Acts 7.49 For hee filleth heauen and earth heauen is his throne the earth is his footstoole reade the 139 Psalme and see whether a man can be any where without the presence of God Hee beareth vp all things by the word of his power saith the Apostle therefore it is not strange that God should be present at this work who is euery where it is rather strange that God should be said to come to it as if he changed the place of his presence which he cannot doe because he is infinite Obserue therefore that though God be euerywhere alike in regard of his being yet in regard of his being manifest he is not euery where alike now it is not his being but his being manifest that is meant in this place therefore
quaerenda in hac vita what God is is a lesson for the life to come in this life it is enough for vs to learne what Gods will is A second mysterie in the Cloud is that it agreeth well with the reuelations of the Old Testament Gal. 4. for God appeared then in shadowes and figures there was a vaile cast ouer the Law which was figured in the vaile wherewith Moses couered his face 2. Cor. 3. So that though the Church in the Old Testament had much more knowledge then the rest of the world for they had sauing knowledge as appeareth Heb. 11. Yet he that is least in the Kingdome of God saith Christ is greater then Iohn Baptist notwithstanding that he was greater then any Prophet of the Old Testament A third mysterie is the condition of the Law Chap. 33. which in Deuteronomic is called a fierie Law very piercing and very scorching it enters farre in searching of a mans conscience it is a discerner of the thoughts I had neuer knowne Heb. 4.12 Rom. 7.7 saith Saint Paul that lust is sinne had not the Law said thou shalt not lust As the Law is piercing because fierie so is it scorching also it vexeth and tormenteth their consciences whom it findeth guiltie it is a burden too heauie for the best of vs to beare Acts 15. Saint Austine obserues well Breuis differentia Legis Euangelij timor amor although both these affections beseeme both Testaments and he that loueth must feare and he that feareth must loue yet Feare was preualent in the Old Testament and Loue is in the New We haue not saith Saint Paul receiued the spirit of bondage to feare Rom 8.15 which was the state of man vnder the Old Testament but we haue receiued the spirit of adoption whereby we cry Abba Father which is the libertie of the New Testament The same Apostle resembleth the different conditions of the Church vnder the two Testaments to the different conditions of a child when he is in nonage and when he is come to his full age Gal 4. while he is in his nonage though he be heire yet is he kept in awe and vnder a Pedagogue but when he commeth to full age his Father affords him a more chearefull countenance and more liberall maintenance Euen so vnder the Law the Church was kept vnder and scanted of grace but vnder the Gospel shee is more free and indued with a more plentifull measure of Gods holy Spirit Finally hereunto looketh the difference that Saint Paul maketh betweene Mount Sinai and Mount Sion Heb. 12. the terriblenesse of the one and the sweetnesse of the other I shall haue occasion to compare them before I come to the end of the Chapter By the mixture of the Cloud and of the Fire you may also conceiue a mixture of our knowledge of God as the light of the fire signifieth that he is in some good sort manifested vnto vs 1. Cor. 13 1◠so doth the Cloud signifie that out knowledge is very imperfect wee see but as through a glasse darkly that which we know not of God is much more then that which we doe know Let this suffice for the manner I come now to the End which is twofold for God came first to grace Moses whom he designed Lawgiuer to Israel or rather Referendarie of that Law which himselfe would giue vnto them And hee graced him two wayes First in comming to him and not vnto them so saith the Text I will come to thee Moses was vpon the hill the people in the bottome now the Cloud came downe but to the top of the hill not into the bottome wherein there was no small grace done to the person of Moses in the sight of all the people God vouchsafed his presence only to him and not to the people The second grace is yet greater that in the hearing of the people God would speake with him for it is not here said that God did speake with them But that wee mistake not this grace which is done to Moses and giue him more honour then hereby was by God intended towards him we must obserue that though here we find no mention of Gods speaking with the people but only of his speaking with Moses yet Deut. 5. verse 5. Moses himselfe saith that God talked also with them and here we reade that God so talked with Moses as that he talked in the hearing of the people When here wee reade of Gods talking with Moses only without any mention of Gods talking with the people hereby the Holy Ghost intends to honour him with the Mediatour ship of the Old Testament that honour which Saint Paul giueth him when hee saith The Law was giuen by Angels in the band of a Mediatour But where Moses saith Deut. 5. that God talked with the people there the Holy Ghost would teach vs that God intended the Law to the people And out of both places compared together it followeth that the Law was committed to Moses to the end that the people might receiue it from him not only as hee should deliuer it in the two Tables but also as he should report vnto them by word of mouth And because they were to receiue Gods Law as he should report it that they might be sure hee brought them nothing but that which hee receiued from God therefore God vttered the Law to him in their hearing Whatsoeuer commeth from a man as a meere man will hardly worke vpon the conscience because of that knowne principle Omnis homo mendax men haue their errors and their priuate ends therefore their proiects are entertained with iealousie that they mistake or intend their owne good but if a Law be once knowne to be Gods pleasure we readily submit because we know he is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hee can neither deceiue nor bee deceiued and hee hath absolute power to command Vpon this principle those famous Lawgiuers amongst the Heathen did make it their first labour to perswade their people that they had familiar colloquies with some diuine power by whom they were directed in their Law-giuing Minos with Iupiter Lycurgus with Apollo Numa with Aegeria c. Mahomet could neuer haue made his Alcoran so currant but by that notorious imposture of a Doue which had beene taught to come familiarly to his eare and which to the people hee pretended to bee the Holy Ghost Heretikes old and new haue had their Enthusiasticall guides Papisticall pretended apparitions and reuelations are much of this kind abuses of that sacred principle But to the point when God would establish the Canon both of the Old and New Testaments by two demonstrations hee shewed that they came from him the one of Miracle the other of Oracle So did hee establish that which the Church receiued by Moses First hee gaue him power to worke many Miracles which was a second proofe that he came from God for no man could doe
the Trumpet sounding in his eare Surgite mortui venite ad iudicium I will not stand to allegorize the two siluer Trumpets still sounded while the Sacrifice was burning at the Altar Verse 7. I will only bid you remember Saint Iudes note of Sodome and Gomorrah whose perpetuall burning God hath left as a remembrance of the euerlasting fire of Hell Some are yet more desperate and call for the Day of the Lord Let it come Let vs see it as you may read in the Prophets Foole hardie wretches that desire that which they will neuer be able to endure Luke 23.30 Vpon the first ouerture of it their hearts will faile them they will bee at their wits end they will call to the Hils and Rockes to couer them The Kings of the earth the great men the mightie men bond and free all sorts of men shall then crie out The great day of the Lambes wrath is come Reue. 6 1 Pet. 4.18 and who is able to stand And indeed If the righteous scarcely be saued where shall the wicked and vngodly appeare But to leaue them The last obseruation that I will giue vpon this dreadfull state shall be That wee are much bound vnto God that wee liue not vnder the Old Testament but vnder the New that God hath brought vs not vnto Mount Sinai but vnto Mount Sion Where God appeares in our nature and commeth meeke and in the forme of a seruant so sensible of our infirmities that hee cryeth not Esay 42.2 his voice is not heard in the street hee will not breake a bruised reed nor quench smoking flaxe He putteth vpon vs a light yoke and an easie burden his doctrine is a Gospel their feet are beautifull that bring it Esay 52 â— 7 this yeara is an yeare of Iubile his Trumpet soundeth nothing but deliuerance his Light is comfortable like the Sunne Psal 45.2 Cant. 5. v. 16 for he is the Sonne of Righteousnesse his lips are full of Grace his Mouth is most sweet In this Hill all things are louely there is nothing dreadfull at all And why God hath giuen vs the Spirit of Adoption which is the Spirit of Loue Rom 6 2. Tim 1. and of a sound minde so that wee can indure the very top of Mount Ston whereas they could not endure the bottome of Mount Sinai Time will not giue me leaue to pursue this comparison you may amplifie it out of Saint Paul 2. Cor. 3. Heb. 12. And if you will haue it to the full you must paralell the whole Oeconomic of the New Testament with that of the Old Only let me giue you this note for a farewell to this point That as the Patriarkes that were brought vnto Mount Sinai did beare themselues out vnder those terrors by casting their eyes forward vnto Mount Sion the place of comfort So wee lest we grow carnally secure during our abode at Mount Sion and surfet vpon the comforts thereof must cast our eyes backward vpon Mount Sinai and rowse our selues with the terrours thereof The solace of Sion is to none so pleasant as to him that commeth newly from Sinai their soules doe best rellish the Gospel whose consciences haue first sinarted from the Law or that haue beene exercised by that hopefull feare the point that commeth next to be handled in my text Hopefull feare then is the impression that was made on the Israelites by the dreadfull Harbingers of God First Feare Feare is argued from quaking For wee vsually say that men quake for feare And indeed what is quaking of the bodie but a consequent of feare in the soule For the spirits are conueyed by the arteries the sinewes and the veines into the outward parts to sustaine confirme them inable them to their functions and the vitall parts send them forth abundantly while themselues are secure But while we are or suppose our selues to be in any great danger all those forces repaire vnto and endeuour to safegard those principall inward fortresses especially the heart Whereupon the outward parts being vnfurnished fall as it were into a shaking Palsie and so Quaking is a consequent of feare But let vs fit this impression vnto the apparition and so you shall find that it followeth thereupon If there were nothing in these Harbingers but an Image of Gods Maiestie yet you shall not find in all the Bible that euer any man had any extraordinarie glimpse of Gods glory that did not vpon the apprehension thereof become as it were dead and giue himselfe ouer for a dead man Reade the storie of Gedeon and Maneah in the Booke of Iudges and of the Prophets whose inspirations were accompanied with Visions Ezechiel Daniel others the generall rule is Si te nouerim Domine me ipsum nouerim I shall neuer know how vile how fraile I am by any thing so well as by presenting my selfe before the glorious Maiestie of God Let vs descend to the second Image that is to bee beheld in these dreadfull Harbingers the Image of the Law and let vs see how that worketh feare The Image of the Precept I told you it is scarching and you cannot therewith search a man but you make him feare Aske Saint Paul he tried it and will tell you so he found by surueying himselfe That the Law was spirituall and hee was carnall and out of a sensible acknowledgement that his strength was nothing proportionable to the Law 〈◊〉 7. 〈◊〉 19. he brake out into those passionate words O wretch that I am who shall deliuer me from this bodie of death King Dauid surueyed the Law and the excellent properties of the Law but what is the vpshot of his meditation Euen this Who knoweth how oft he offendeth Lord cleanse me from my secret faults keepe thy seruant from presumptuous sinnes lest they haue dominion ouer me And verily no man can behold himselfe in that glasse and consider what manner of person he is but hee will bee driuen to that prayer in the last Penitentiall 〈◊〉 143 Enter not into iudgement with thy seruant O Lord for in thy sight shall no flesh liuing be iustified The Precept then maketh afraid And doth not the Sanction also Certainly it doth The Prophets that had a sight of God armed with vengeance against sinners how doe we find them affected and affrighted Câ—ap 6. Esay saw the Lord sitting vpon a Throne high and lifted vp his traine filled the Temple aboue it stood the six winged Seraphins c. it is a Vision of iudgement and it made Esay crie out Woe is me for I am vndone 〈◊〉 3.2.16 c. Habakuk had a Vision of the like argument which he describeth more at large and heare what was the effect When I heard it my belly trembled my lips quiuered at the voice rottennesse entred into my bones Psal 119 Dauid confesseth of himselfe My flesh trembleth for feare of thee O Lord and I am afraid of thy iudgements But you will say
must not onely cease for to hate him but beginne to Loue him also Secondly Christ founded both these partes in our Redemption for Hee dyed and rose againe Saint Paul telleth vs there is a morall in that mysterie it lessoneth vs to dye vnto sinne and to rise vnto righteousnesse finally the Sacrament of Baptisme which in the Scripture is called the Baptisme of repentance Symbolically preacheth both vnto vnto vs the dipping into the water and the taking out of the water what doth it figure but the drowning of sin and the recouering of a sinner The vse that wee must make hereof is that we must not onely desire to be rid of the vncleane spirit but also to be possest of the holy Ghost if wee doe not change one for the other we are not changed so fully as we ought to bee and we must feare his doome out of whom the vncleane spirit was cast in the Gospell whom because the holy Ghost succeeded not the foule spirit repossest the person with seuen worse then himselfe Matth. 12. and made the latter end of that man worse then his beginning And thus much of the nature of Repentance which is the first worke Gods worke which changeth vs from bad to good not onely cleansing sinne but also giuing grace I come now to the second worke which is mans worke in handling whereof we must consider the Order and the Nature of it A word of the order Gods worke goeth before mans man could neuer doe good if God did not first make him good as truely as the dew doth first fall from heauen before there can bee fatnesse in the earth Psal 1. euen so must Gods grace change man before any alteration will appeare in the conuersation of man the tree must be planted by the Riuers of waters Ephes 2.10 before it can bring forth her fruites and we must bee Gods workmanship created vnto good workes before we can walke in them Wee must not therefore take such pleasure in beholding the Tree bee it neuer so richly loaden with fruites as to forget the roote which yeeldeth the iuice without which the Tree could beare no fruit we must so regard mans worke that wee giue the precedencie alwayes to Gods and acknowledge this to bee the off spring of that but enough of the Order I come now to the Worke which is bearing of fruites That which is here called fruites Acts 26. is called workes whereby we gather that good workes are fruites and indeed onely good workes deserue this name for if Saint Austins definition bee true Fructus est quo quis cum gaudio fruitur That is fruit which a man may with comfort enioy how should sinne be reputed fruites Who can take any content in it Not the sinner himselfe for though it be sweete in his mouth as Iob speaketh yet when it commeth downe into his maw Iob 20. it turneth into gall of Aspes Deut 22. well doth Moses compare it to the fruites of Sodome and Gomorrah for as the Booke of Wisedome describeth that fruit faire on the out side but the in-side nothing else but cinders euen so the appearance of sinne is pleasant but the substance of it is very vnsauorie If onely our lustes should be iudges howsoeuer at first they taste it as fruit yet euen they also loath it if they bee long vsed to it but if they swallow it and find no offence in it as too often they doe yet when it commeth to our conscience and thither sooner or later it must come Saint Pauls question will then come seasonably Tom. 6.21 What fruit had yee then in those things whereof yee are now ashamed Sinnes then may not passe for fruits fruits properly so called this title belongeth only to good workes they are fruits indeed they may say as the Vine in the Iudgess They cheare God and Men Chap. 9. God taketh delight in them they are to him a sacrifice of a sweet smell yea hee taketh as much content in them as if he did feed vpon them we learne it in the fiftieth Psalme Thinkest thou saith God that I will eat Buls flesh and drinke the bloud of Goats Offer vnto God praise and call vpon his Name in denying the former he acknowledgeth the later to be his food not that God is the better for ought we doe but so is hee pleased for to honour our workes as the Angels that came to Abraham did partake of his meâ—te not to refresh themselues but to doe him honour As God accepts them for fruits so are they fruits vnto men also vnto others and vnto our selues but with this difference that whereas God was not the better for them men are other men by our good workes are either brought to goodnesse or confirmed therein and as for our selues wee grow thereby in grace and fauour with God and feele more comfortable ioy in our owne soules therefore well may good workes beare the name of fruits And I the very name of fruits distinguishing good workes from bad containeth a good motiue to doe well and forbeare sinne for Who would labour for nought and spend his strength in vaine being not to haue so much as his labour for his paine for he must write vpon his wages not only vanitie but also vexation of spirit And againe Who would bee wearie of well doing that knoweth his labour is not in vaine but that in good time he shall eate the fruit of his labours O well is hee and happie shall he be But wee must marke that our worke is called fruit and not flowers not but that the flower goeth before the fruit but it is the hope of the fruit that maketh the flower to bee esteemed and God counteth that flower little worth that neuer commeth to be fruit we see this in the parable of the seed where that ground only goeth for good in which the feed giueth not ouer vntill it be fit for the Barne and hee that puiteth his hand to the Plough saith Christ in the Gospel Luke 9 6â— and looketh backe is not fit for the Kingdome of Heauen I obserue this the rather because here we may see many faire flowers which in their youth shew good effects of their Gouernours care and paines who no sooner are set at libertie as too often they are before the flowers become fruit but they wither and faile neither Church nor Common-wealth nor themselues are the better for their breeding whom I would haue to carrie this Lesson with them That Goodnesse is not a flower it is fruit and they must aswell ripen as blossome otherwise it will appeare that God in them hath done his worke but they come short of their owne Neither is Goodnesse only called Fruit in the singular number but the word is plurall our worke is many workes wee must beare Fruits we must as the Apostle speaketh be fruitfull in all good workes Col 1.10 The soule of a man is but one but
sound that way also But Etymologies doe not alwayes yeild good grounds of Diuinitie It is well if there bee a correspondencie an equalitie is more then may bee hoped for betweene Gods worke and ours Which I obserue the rather because the Rhemish note findeth Sacisfactorie workes in this word forgetting their owne Dininitie which maketh Satisfaction attend penance but not the Sacrament of Baptisme But to leaue them and deliuer the truth concerning Repentance We must obserue that in sin there are two things the Guilt and the Act of sin the Guilt infinite the Act finite Nothing can worthily satisfie for the Guilt but only the pretious death of Iesus Christ his Bloud only is the propitiation for our sins But the Act is finite wherwith we sin so is the Act wherwith we repent between these Acts we shuld endeuour to shew an emulation so that looke what pleasure we tooke in sinne against God so much sorow should we expresse when wee returne againe vnto God hee that sinneth a great sinne must not thinke it enough to sorrow as hee doth for a small one Peter wept but bee wept bitterly because he had sinned grieuously and King Dauid wore out his eyes and watered his Couch with his teares sorrowing for those sinnes wherewith he had prouoked God But let vs draw this through both parts of Repentance Mul ò firmior est Fides Charitas quam repoint I â—enitâ—ntia Lactantius Vitque Deo gratior amore ardens pest culpam vita quà m securitate torpens innocentia Gregorius and see how the degree must appeare in them In the first of solemne Repentance the rule is If a man slip in his faith or loue of God and recouer he will cleaue faster vnto God and loue him mere ardently and he pleaseth God the better when his loue after a recouerie groweth zelous then when in innocencie it groweth lukewarme As in the bodie of a man if an arme or legge bee broken and bee well set againe it groweth the stronger Take an example from Saint Paul who as he was a bloudie persecutor so did hee proue a most painfull Apostle and most patient Martyr Saint Austines Confessions shew how erroneous in iudgement how dissolute in life he had beene but since the Apostles dayes neuer had the Church a better Bishop then was Saint Austin But if we should looke for this degree in this age we might happily seeke long but scarce find any parallel not but that there are euery where those that exceed them in sinne but of those that imitate them in Repentance we find none no Adulterers that so change as to become markable spectacles of Continencie no Oppressors that turne Deacons and minister out of their goods to the necessitie of the poore no Drunkards that pinch their bodies with Fasting and Abstinence He that hath not commited vnlawfull things may be bold to vse the lawfull blessings of God and notwithstanding performe acceptable workes of Pietie but hee that hath beene a Fornicator an Adulterer c. must goe as farre in abstaining from the contentments of this life which are otherwise allowed him as hee hath exceeded in the vse of them 〈…〉 But this Rule is growne too much out of date and we thinke that so we repent it matters not in what degree we repent and so we make a reall Confession that howsoeuer we doe turne to God yet wee are afraid to bee too farre estranged from our sinne Wherein God doth not obtaine so much of man as the Deuill doth For when a good man degenerateth hee keepeth no meane but commonly striueth to be the worst plunging himselfe most deeply into sinne and persecuting goodnesse and good men most bitterly It were to be wisht that our zeale that turne vnto God were no worse in the loue of goodnesse and the hatred of sinne But it is rather to bee wisht then hoped for The Reason of it lieth in our neglect of that degree which should be in the second kind of Repentance for if we did affect that we would bee more apt vnto this The Degree of the second kind of Repentance is when a mans outward life striueth to bee answerable to his inward calling It is strange to see how in worldly state euerie man striueth to liue futably to his ranke and is accounted base if he doe not so if of a Yeoman hee become a Gentleman of a Gentleman a Knight as his person is improued so will he improue his port also yea the excesses of all sorts of men shew that herein euery man goeth beyond his ranke in his house in his fare in his clothes But in our spirituall state it is nothing so for our house we can be contented to dwell in seeled houses when the Arke of God is vnder Tents and who doth endeuour that himselfe may be a Temple fit for God As for our Clothes they should be royall our Garments should euer be white the wedding Garment should neuer be off but we are so farre from couering our nakednesse with conuenient robes that it appeares not in the eyes of God as that we take no care to hide our filthinesse from men Certainly we doe not endeuour to be clothed with the righteousnesse of Saints Finally for our diet we that are called to the Table of the Lord and should be sustained with Angels food content our selues with Swines meate for what else are filthy lusts Wherein wee are so much worse then the prodigall childe in that he did desire them and no man gaue them to him we haue our sils his was desired of necessitie but our food is voluntarie In a word we are called to be sonnes of God our eye is seldome vpon our Father to see what beseemeth his Sonnes wee are called to be members of Christ but little doe wee care what beseemeth that Mysticall Bodie wee rather are in name then in deed either Children of God or Members of Christ I conclude this point with Nazianzens Admonition we may not counterfeit our puritie but haue it remarkable and illustrious wee must haue our soules perfectly died with grace Let vs walke worthy of that vocation whereunto we are called This lesson belongeth to them that are of age betweene whom and infants there is this difference that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Repentance which is Gods worke is enough for Infants but bring forth fruit belongeth to them that are of riper age If time be granted vnto vs after our Conuersion it is granted to the end that by our good Conuersation wee may set forth the vertues of him that hath called vs into his maruailous light And we should thinke it enough if not too much that we haue spent the time past in those lusts that are vnbeseeming Christians but wee may vse that saying of the Apostle Rom. 2.5 Know you not that the patience and long-suffering of God draweth you to Repentance but you after your hearts that cannot repent treasure vnto your selues wrath against the day
commeth from Edom and the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Thankesgiuing in the Reuelation But I draw to an end The conclusion of all my Text is this If at any time wee bee distressed and not relieued the fault is not in God it is in vs for our Deuotion is tired ouer-soone wee are all modicae fidei men of little faith and though the spirit be willing yet the flesh is weake and the weaknesse of the flesh preuaileth more then the willingnesse of the Spirit Wherefore we must all pray vnto God to giue vs the Spirit of Grace and Prayer ANd Lord we beseech thee helpe our vnbeliefe and increase our faith yea Lord pray thou that our faith faile not and the more thou doest exercise our patience the more earnest let vs be for thy deliuerance deliuerance from our corporall deliuerance from our spirituall foes that well ouercomming our Militancie here on earth we may bee Triumphant with the Saints in Heauen where wee shall turne our Prayers into Prayses and sing day and night honour prayse strength and power bee vnto him that sitteth vpon the Throne and to the Lambe for euermore AMEN SVNDRIE SERMONS DE TEMPORE PREACHED VPON SEVErall Occasions by the Right Reuerend Father in God ARTHVR LAKE D. of Diuinitie Lord Bishop of Bathe and Welles LONDON Printed by R. Young for N. BVTTER 1629. יהוה EIGHT SERMONS ON THE NINTH CHAPTER Of the Prophecie of ISAIAH ISAIAH 9. VERS 6 7. For vnto vs a Childe is borne vnto vs a Sonne is giuen and the gouernment shall be vpon his shoulders and his Name shall bee called The wonderfull Counsellour The mighty God The euerlasting Father The Prince of Peace Of the increase of his Gouernment and Peace there shall bee no end vpon the Throne of Dauid and vpon his Kingdome to order it and to establish it with Iudgement and Iustice from henceforth euen for euer The zeale of the Lord of Hosts shall performe this THis is the first Lesson appointed for this Morning Prayer and appointed fitly For the Argument well fits the Time We are now met to praise God for the Morning of the Church Zacharie Luke 1. doth so call the Birth of Christ saying The day spring that is the Morning from on high hath visited vs Yea Christ himselfe Reuel the last vers 16 doth call himselfe The bright Morning starre And verily his Birth was the most blessed Morning that euer the Church saw whether you respect the Night that went before or the Day that followed after it was the blessedest Morning that euer the Church saw The Night was long and darke a Night of want of warre so wee reade in the last of the former and the first verse of this chapter But the Day that followed was a cleare and lasting Day a Day of haruest a triumph Day so we are taught in the foure verses that goe immediately before my Text. A great alteration Who could worke it who could turne that night into this day what Sunne shone forth in so great strength In such a case man was like to moue such a doubt therefore the holy Ghost hath resolued it and his resolution of that doubt is my Text. Loe here is one that can vndertake that work who he is How excellent he is we are taught here and that in regard of his Person and of his State For of his Person here are the Natures wherein it subsisteth here is the People to whom it belongs It subsists in two Natures 1. The Nature of Man Hee is a Childe 2. The Nature of God Hee is the Sonne The Person subsisting in these two Natures belongeth vnto whom To Vs was hee borne he was giuen to Vs saith the Prophet Esay and Esay was a Iew. Christ then belongeth to the Iewes though the Iewes must not bee vnderstood according to the flesh but the spirit To these Iewes was he vouchsafed by taking and giuing Natus he tooke his nature from them and Datus what he tooke he with aduantage bestowed vpon them But of what degree was he amongst them here commeth in his State He was a King The Gouernment shall be vpon his shoulders The Gouernement that was Royall for verse 7. it is called The Throne The Kingdome of Dauid He shall sit vpon that and that is the Gouernment that shall bee layd vpon his shoulders And happy are the People that haue such a King You will confesse it if you consider his Excellencie The Excellencie both of his Person and of his State Of his Person that appeares in his endowments Of his State that appeares in his managing thereof The Endowments of his Person are Royall Reade his Titles He shall bee called and what he is called that he certainely is Hee shall be called by those names that expresse such vertues as most beseeme a King our King For a King ouer and aboue the Vertues which are common to him with his Subiects must haue more than ordinary Wisedome and Power And see this King is called for his Wisedome The wonderfull Counsellour for his Power The mighty God But mistake not his Kingdome it is not of this World He that is our King is The Father of Eternity that is Of the World to come And as his Kingdome is not of this World so is not the condition of his People worldly it is Peace and Peace is not the portion of this world but of that which is to come Our King is the Prince of this Peace You see how the Person is endowed and thereby how excellent the Person is There is an Excellencie in his State also it appeares in the Effect in the Cause The Effect for of this Kingdome there are no bounds and the felicitie of the Subiects is also boundlesse so saith the Text Of the increase of his Gouernment and Peace there shall be no end Such an Effect must haue an answerable Cause it hath Iustice and Iudgement are the Pollicie of this State with these as a wonderfull Counsellour he doth order as a mighty God he doth support his State And he doth it vncessantly From henceforth and for euer As the Effect so the Cause this is eternall therefore that These Truthes concerning Christs Person and State are not onely affirmed in the body of the Text but also assured in the close thereof Much you haue heard and yet no more than shall bee He that hath promised can doe it such is his Power Hee is the Lord of Hosts Nay hee cannot but doe it such is his Loue for his Loue is Zeale So concludes the Prophet The zeale of the Lord of Hosts shall performe this You haue heard the summe of this whole Text and therein see a most exquisite picture of our Sauiour Christ certainely it is the fullest the liueliest that euer the holy Ghost in so few words exprest in any part of the Old Testament For here Christ is not only drawne from top to toe but drawn also with those varieties that befell him from eternity to eternitie
for they that trust in the Lord are like vnto mount Sion which shall neuer be remoued LOrd guide vs by thy Counsell support vs by thy Power that wee be neyther circumuented nor quelled but by thy direction and protection we may escape both the craft and the force of all our Enemies So shall we euer glorifie thee as our admirable Counsellour and our most mighty God THE FIFTH SERMON The euerlasting Father the Prince of Peace THe Excellencie of Christs Person consists in the indowments thereof which are Regall but Spirituall That they are Regall appeares in his two first titles whereof I haue already spoken and that they are Spirituall it will appeare by the other two whereof I am now to speake Whereof the first sheweth that Christs Kingdome is not of this world He is the Father of eternity the second sheweth that the condition of his people is not worldly Christ is Prince of Peace To begin with the first In the Originall the first of these two titles is so exprest as I haue read it The Father of eternity And the words beare a double sense for either Aeternity is made the Attribute of the Father and so by an Hebraisme The Father of eternity is no more than the eternall or euerlasting Father so some Translations reade it or Aeternity may note that which is subiect to the Father and so the title imports that he is a Father of eternall things and so some Translations reade The Father of the world to come We need not to bee troubled with this variety for the words will beare eyther Translation and both these things concurre in the same person He that is the euerlasting Father is a Father of euerlasting things We will therefore handle both and first shew you that Christ is an euerlasting Father The phrase doth distinguish betweene our Father and our Father the Father of our flesh and the Father of our spirits of whom St. Paul speaketh Heb. 12. Of these two the first is Temporall the other is Aeternall that the first is but temporall wee may gather out of the fift of Genesis where are reckoned vp the longest liued Fathers that euer were in the world but of them all it is said that they begat children and then they dyed they left their children to the world And as they so their posterity come within the compasse of that of Iob Man that is borne of a Woman is but of a short time or as Dauid speakes His dayes are but a spanne long When he hath serued his course he goeth the way of all flesh and sleepes in his graue Neyther is he temporall only in regard that he must dye but also in regard that his affection is mutable Some parents destitute their children inforced by death but not a few put off the affection of Fathers euen in their life and they in that respect also may be termed but temporall Fathers Our Sauiour Christ speaking of the later times telleth vs that the Father shall rise against the Sonne as the Sonne against the Father Saint Paul speaking of former times Rom. 1. amongst other wicked ones reckoneth vp persons that were without naturall affection and it were an easie matter out of Histories to report that many haue dis-inherited many haue murdered many haue deuoured their own children so farre vnnaturall haue they beene In opposition vnto these two cases which apparantly conclude that the Parents of our flesh are temporall temporall in regard that they are mortall in their nature and temporall in that they are mutable in their affections our Sauiour Christ is termed an euerlasting Father death cannot take him from vs for euen in his death wherein notwithstanding his abode was so little that hee saw no corruption the hypostaticall Vnion which made him a father did not cease And as for his affection it is immutable Whom he loueth hee loueth vnto the end of the perpetuitie of his being excellent is that place Esay 63. Doubtlesse thou art our Father though Abraham be ignorant of vs and Israel acknowledge vs not Thou O Lord art our Father and our Redeemer thy name is from euerlasting And touching the perpetuity of his louing the Church there speaketh also Looke downe from heauen and behold from the habitation of thy holinesse and of thy glory where is thy zeale and thy strength the sounding of thy bowels and of thy mercy towards me 〈◊〉 9. â—â—al 27. are they restrained No they cannot bee restrained For as God in this Prophet speaketh elsewhere Can a Mother forget her child If she can yet will not I forget thee saith the Lord And King Dauid When my father and my mother forsooke me the Lord tooke me vp This is the reason why our Sauiour Christ in the Gospell biddeth vs Call none father vpon earth for that we haue but one father which is in heauen hee liueth when the other dye and when the other hateth he continueth his loue and therefore is deseruedly called the euerlasting Father Two good Lessons are implyed herein the one teaching Piety the other Charity We are taught Piety when we are taught that he whom we obey is our Father for if I be a Father saith the Lord where is mine honour Mal. 1. and Moses to Israel Deut. 32. Doest thou so reward the Lord O thou foolish people and vnwise is not he thy Father that made thee c. And as the very name of Father teacheth Piety so doth the name of Euerlasting teach it much more St. Paul argueth so Heb. 12. If so bee wee honoured the fathers of our flesh which are mortall as is our flesh how much more should we honour the father of our spirits which is immortall as is our spirits Great reason haue we to reuerence this Father that neuer ceaseth to be our Father that hath prouided that euen when we lose our fathers we should yet stil haue our Father haue him for our Father which is the Father of Orphanes It is no small comfort nor weake pillar of our faith that we neuer want a Father yea our double birth readeth vs this Lecture For as we come out of our mothers wombe by the help of our mortall Parents so to signifie that we haue immortall parents we are then borne againe in the Churches wombe Neither doth this title teach vs only Piety but Charity also charity one towards another For whereas our mortall parents extend their consanguinity and affinity but to a few this euerlasing father extends his vnto all Malachy worketh vpon this Haue we not all one Father Cap. 2. wherefore then do you iniury one to another The blood should neuer be cold seeing wee are all kinne in the first degree all brethren sonnes of one father euen of him that is here called the euerlasting father But how commeth Christ to be called father who otherwise is called our brother he being the sonne of God and God being his father as hee is ours If you respect the Communion of
the naturall sense there is in the body but it is from the head intercept the insluence of the head and you extinguish the sense of the body And as it fareth with the body in regard of sense so doth it in regard of motion also The like appeares in the spirits that haue their original from the heart in the bloud that streameth from the veines In the great world you haue many like spectacles the Sun and the Light the Streames and the Fountaine the Rootes and the Trees euery one of these you may perceiue endure not if the effect be seuered from the cause How much lesse may wee expect any enduring in those spirituall effects did they not receiue continuance from this spirituall cause It is our comfort that considering there is a mutability in vs this mutability preuaileth not because of the Kings constant influence vpon vs. Wee sinne and recouer we are in danger and escape neyther our inward weakenesse nor our enemies outward mightinesse destroy Gods gifts in vs or so hinder their increase but that they become Catholick for all which we are beholding to the constant policie of the King who neuer faileth to support vs but continueth ours vnto the end But the Prophet speaketh of this policie as if it began when hee spake these words Christ was not borne till some hundreds of yeares after The answer is easie you had it before The efficacie of Christs birth wrought long before he was borne not only in the time of this Prophet but euen from the time of Adams fall A scruple there ariseth how these words can be true that our King shall so rule for euer seeing a time shall come as the Apostle teacheth 1 Cor. 15 when he shall giue vp his Kingdome to his Father The answer is if wee respect the Kingdome of Grace That as the effect shall not cease increasing till it become boundlesse that is haue attained all his parts and degrees so the cause shall worke till the consummation of that effect till all enemies be put downe and wee are throughly perfected And in this sense both cause and effect are termed endlesse because they shall continue till the worlds end If you extend it to the Kingdome of Glory it hath an eternity also though not of Restauration but of Conseruation though he shall cease restoring of vs further when we are fully restored yet shall hee neuer cease preseruing vs because wee can no longer be than wee are preserued You haue heard the constant Policie of the King wherein standeth the second branch of the Excellency of the State what remaineth but that if wee were affected with the growth and desired to bee partakers of it wee submit our selues vnto the cause thereof the Policie of the King that we yeeld our disorderly selues to be set in order by him and repose our weake selues to be supported on him who will prescribe no Lawes of order but those that spring from Iustice that spirituall Iustice which will abide the tryall at Gods barre and worke the highest kinde of righteousnesse in our liues Neyther doth he only prescribe it but possesse vs of it also and lest it should faile he supports it in vs his Iudgements are as watchfull ouer vs as his Iustice they rectifie vs when wee breake order and bridle vs that wee doe not breake it And this he doth vncessantly by bringing vs from growth to growth in the state of grace and prescruing vs in this growth in the state of glory Hee will bee vnto vs a lasting blessed cause that there may be in vs no end of that blessed effect O Lord I am out of order and I am very weake thon art that Counsellour that knowest how to set mee right againe and that Almighty God which onely canst sustaine me Lord rule me by thy lustice and by thy Iudgements bridle me that I may bee conformable to the holy members of thy Church and euer continue conformable vnto them Let thy worke neuer cease in mee so shall I neuer cease to bee thy Subiect if thy Policie faile me not I shall euery day grow on to the fulnesse ef grace and shall therehence proceede to the eternity of glory Which I beseech thee to grant vnto mee that art the fountaine both of Grace and Glory THE EIGHTH SERMON The zeale of the Lord of Hosts shall performe this THese are the last words of that Text whereof you haue heard often but haue not yet heard all The whole Text was diuided into a Doctrine and a Warrant The Doctrine deliuered the Substance and Excellency of Christs Person and State both which I haue at sundry times so far vnfolded as the time would giue leaue it were tedious now to repeat were it onely the heads whereof I haue distinctly spoken In stead of that repetition I only recommend vnto you the laying together the parts and therehence the gathering of a description of the Catholicke Church Which what is it but a Kingdome such as I haue described growing in grace without stint of Place or term of Time vnder and by meanes of such a Person as being God and Man is called to be the King thereof royally endowed with Wisedome and Power eternall to worke an eternall good both which he employes ordering and stablishing by Iustice and Iudgement the disorderly and feeble members of his Church and that without intermission vntill he hath brought them to the fulnesse both of grace and glory More than this in the nature of that Catholicke Church which we beleeue in the Creede there is not neyther is there any thing more that we would desire to bee therein So that we may take this Text as a full Commentary thereupon and to our comfort vnderstand the riches that are treasured vp in that Article But to leaue the Doctrine and come to the Warrant The Doctrine containeth a large Promise the Warrant sheweth that it shall be performed and sheweth this by renewing those impediments that may crosse the performance thereof The impediments that stay a man from being as good as his word are of two sorts they proceede ab extra or ab intra from without or from within From without wee may bee ouer-ruled from within wee may change our minde Neyther of these can hinder God hee cannot bee ouer-ruled for he is the Lord of Hosts hee cannot vary in himselfe because of the greatnesse of his loue which is termed zeale So that the remouall of these two impediments from God are the principall argument of these words Let vs looke into them That Gods Word shall stand That his Counsell is immutable yea That heauen and earth shall passe and yet his Word neuer passe are Maximes in the Scripture and therfore haue 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 credibility enough in themselues but yet so farre doth the holy Ghost condescend to the weakenesse of our Faith as to point vnto these grounds which will content euen reason it selfe Reason when it questioneth the word of
any man it bethinketh it selfe whether hee can if he would or whether hee would if he can if it can cleare these two then it resteth secure but if it cannot bee satisfied in eyther or both it doubts and distrusts Now in both these doth the holy Ghost here satisfie vs touching Gods Word in that it maketh God of a mighty power so that none can resist his will he is the Lord of Hosts and of a stedfast will which is inseparable from so high a degree of Loue as is zeale Touching the first of these Pillars that support Gods Word I obserue vpon this phrase The Lord of Hosts that there is in God a double Power an internall noted by Iehouah and an externall noted by the Hosts The first is coessentiall to the nature of God and is as infinite as God is But though this Power be yet it is not apparant and it is that which is apparant that must satisfie vs therefore God hath manifested his power as it were in his creatures which come within our reach and whereof wee haue daily experience these are all termed Gods Host We look vpon them and consider nothing farther in them than what they are according to their kind the Sun we take to be a Star that ruleth the day and the Moone a Starre which ruleth the night wee thinke the Aire was made for our breath and the Earth to beare vs fruits finally what Creature is there from which wee expect not some such seruice The seruice they doe vs wee take notice of and our eye is vpon it but it is not vpon that seruice which they doe vnto God though it should be vpon that principally and it is that which is intimated by this word Hosts So that as Christ is set forth to be a King so also that he wanteth not an Armie all the world is his armie there is no creature in heauen and earth that fighteth not vnder his banner And this title is very ancient for euen in the second of Genesis when the world was made the whole receiued this name it was called an Host And God did before hand giue man to vnderstand that it was good for him to obserue his allegeance otherwise there was no possibility of escaping seeing he was enuironed with the souldiers of God As likewise that he need not feare if he did well because he had so great a guard These two Lessons should we reade in in this title of the Creatures which may also be applyed to correct their errour that suppose a confusion in the affaires of this world Gods prouidence so ordereth all things that they neuer cease to be a well martialled Armie True it is we cannot perceiue it as long as we stand in the leuell of the world but if we ascend into Gods Mount and from out of his Sanctuary behold the occurrents of this life we shall see how euery creature marcheth vnder his colours and euery one keepeth his ranke Another thing that wee must marke is that at first there was but one Armie for we reade Tzebaam Genesis 2. but after the Fall then we read Tzeboath that one is become two euer since God pronounced Ponam inimicitias Michael and his Angels haue contended with the Dragon and his Angels and two Armies haue beene on foote in the field But though they be two and two so opposite yet is their Generall but one for my Text maketh but one Lord of Hosts The reason is cleare The wicked may subducere se felicitati but they cannot subducere se potestati diuinae though like Rebels they march against their Generall yet doth this Generall not only retaine his right vnto them but also his power and authority ouer them he hath his bridle in their nostrils and but when he will and no farther than he will can they stirre or preuaile And this hand wherewith God so ordereth and stinteth their malice is a iust ground why he is termed The Lord of Hosts And fitly in this place doth he receiue this title because mention is before made of difficulties which sprang from the enemies of the Church by which it might seeme vnlikely that the Church being brought so low should euer recouer it selfe so well But all of them are not to be regarded seeing he that promiseth is The Lord of Hosts The word Hosts may also be referred only to the Church which though it be but one Catholicke one yet hath it many particulars parts of that whole one So that as all the Romane Souldiers of the Empire were but one Army in relation to one Emperour whose they all were and by whom they were alike commanded though in regard of the particular Generals by whom they were conducted in seuerall parts of the world they were named seuerall Armies Euen so doth the Scripture speake of the Church sometimes as of one sometimes as of more Armies as of one Reuel 12. as of many Psalme 110. or Psalme 48. In the Leuiticall seruice it vseth the very word Tzaba and the Apostles continue that metaphor speaking of the spirituall seruice of God And if you so restraine the word Hosts then is this branch of the warrant very apt also for it implies a reason of the Churches growth and of Christs employing his royall endowments in ordering and stablishing thereof And why euery Church is his Host and what doth a Generall more delight in than the perfection of his Armie the double perfection as it is both militant and triumphant by grace and glory You haue heard the first branch of the warrant the second branch is the remouall of the second impediment to wit The changeablenesse of Gods will he can no more vary in himselfe than he can be resisted from without and why this Lord of Hosts hath zeale and zeale is the height of Loue which Loue if once it possesse the will it maketh it an vnchangeable will Zeale is an affection proper vnto men who ouer and aboue their will whose obiect good is and to which belongeth the choyce thereof haue two attendants thereon the concupiscible and the irascible part whereof the first is that which moueth towards the obiect the other encountreth whatsoeuer difficulties hinder our attaining or enioying of it when these two come to a height they become zeale for zeale is compounded of them both The nature of it seemes to be described in the eighth of the Canticles where the Church desireth to be set as a seale Set mee as a seale vpon thy heart as a seale vpon thine arme for loue is strong as death iealousie is cruell as the graue the coales thereof are coales of fire which hath a most vehement flame Many waters cannot quench loue neyther can the flouds drowne it If a man would giue all the substance of his house for loue it would vtterly bâ— contemned This affection being properly in man is by the holy Ghost ascribed vnto God but not ratione affectus but effectus and in reference to that
the fall feare is inseparable from sinne and the very best abhorre Gods presence being priuie to their losse of his resemblance Adam is the first patterne and after Adam we reade of manie others So that Highly fauoured or freely beloued must stand between Haile and The Lord is with thee otherwise they will neuer come together Esay could not giue his Woe is mee for I am a man of polluted lips Esay 6. and dwell in the middest of a people of polluted lips mine eyes haue seene the Lord of glory till that the Seraphin was sent with a coale from the Altar and touched his lips in token that his sinne was remoued and hee become 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Dan. 10. neither could Daniel indure the presence of the Angell till he was heartened by this message that hee was Vir desideriorum one in whom God did take delight and the best of vs will say as St. Peter Goe from mee Lord for I am a sinfull man Luke 5.8 except the Lord himselfe be pleased to hearten vs and say to vs as Christ to St. Peter Feare not or as God to Moses and Noah Thou hast found grace in mine eyes As we must obserue the Order of the words so must wee also the Distance of these persons the distance betweene the Lord and his Handmaiden and then the combination will seeme strange Strange it is that persons so distant should come together but most happy it is that they doe because the perfection of the one can yeeld so good supply to the imperfection of the other Gods Maiesty honoureth the basenesse of his Handmaiden his might strengtheneth her weaknesse Non sumita vel diuinae ignarus magnitudinis vel humanae fragilitatis vt non magnum putem 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith Nazianzene and the Psalmist Blessed is hee whom thou choosest to come neare thee he shall dwell in thy courts and shall be satisfied with the pleasures of thy house euen of thy holy Temple Psal 65. But the Angell saith not Thou art with the Lord but The Lord is with thee it were much better you would thinke for vs to be with him than for him to bee with vs for man to ascend to heauen than for God to come downe to the earth True it is that it maketh more for our happinesse to ascend to God but it doth more argue Gods loue that he descendeth to vs to ascend is our aduancement but to descend is a debasement of God yea the Psalmist saith That God doth humble himselfe whensoeuer being so high hee vouchsafeth from heauen but to behold the things on earth Adde hereunto that the Lord must needes come to vs before wee can come to him because his comming to vs is the giuing of that ability by which wee doe afterward ascend to him so that the Angell being to giue the Virgin a proofe of Gods loue towards her could giue her no better than these words containe Hom. 3. super missus est Angelus The Lord is with thee But Deus vbi◠aqualiter totus est per suam simplicem essentiam as St. Bernard speaketh and speaketh fully and truly of the presence of God Were there no other text of Scripture that did testifie the immensity of Gods essence as there are many Iob 11. Esay 66. Psal 139. Dominus tecum is strong enough to refute Vorstius his erroneous conceit mistaking certaine passages of Scripture and thereupon limiting Gods essentiall presence within the circle of heauen and admitting onely an efficiency to proceed from him so low as the earth But this Dominus tecum will not indure that for you must vnderstand that whereas the name Lord is common to all three persons in the Trinity as we learne in Athanasius Creed the Fathers vsually vnderstand here the second person which was to be incarnate in the Virgins wombe her wombe was to bee the Temple of the liuing God Quem totus mundus capere non poterat acceptura erat quasi in angustum cubiculum vterisui so that the Lord was necessarily to be euen in his Essence with her that was in his essence to come from her otherwise she could not be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the mother of our Lord as Elizabeth doth call her Luke 1. The Lord is with thee they are words mysticall and import a maine Article of Faith euen the conception of our Sauiour Christ which could not be without the presence of his Essence And yet the presence of the Essence alone sufficeth not to the conception because the Essence is euery where that presence is necessary there must be acknowledged also an Efficiency proceeding therefrom euen such an efficiency as is arbitrary for God worketh according as it pleaseth him In the case of the conception the efficiency is singular and the Virgins wombe is the only place where God did euer manifest it and so wee must acknowledge it But the Virgin did conceiue Christ not onely Corpore but etiam Corde the first was Singular but the second is Common for St. Paul telleth vs that we may also conceiue Christ though not in our wombe yet in our soule My little children of whom I trauell againe till Iesus Christ be formed in you Gal. 4.19 and St. Peter telleth vs of the seed of this conception The immortall seed of the Word of God 1. Pet. 1.23 And indeed we could not be called Christians were it not that we partake of Christ 2. Cor. 13.5 Know you not saith St. Paul that Iesus Christ is in you except you bee reprobates So that The Lord is with thee may be spoken to euery one of vs though not in regard of Christs Incarnation in our bodies yet of his Vnion vnto our soules Yea therefore was hee conceiued by the Virgin corporally that spiritually he might be conceiued of euery one of vs and so become indeed Immanuel The Lord with vs. And what shall we say to these things surely with an ancient Father Gratia Dei non potuit gratiùs cōmendari quà m vt ipse vnicùs Dei Filius in se incommunicabiliter manens indueret hominem spem dilectionis suae daret hominibus homine medi◠this is the most sweete comfort wherewith God anciently vsed to sustaine his children each in particular Gen. 26. Iosh cap. 1. cap. 3. and the whole Church in generall Esay 41. Reuel 1. yea Christ left this comfort for his farewell to his Disciples Lo I am with you to the worlds end Matth. 28. And no maruell for as when God is angry he departs from vs so when out of fauour he commeth to vs it is the prognostication of some good that is then towards vs so followeth it in my Text next to Dominus tecum commeth Benedicta The presence of the Arke brought a blessing vpon Obed-Edoms house how much more must a blessing follow wheresoeuer the truth of the type commeth I meane the Lord himselfe the Spouse in the Canticles confesseth that when her beloued
not to them or stoppes their eares that they heare it not But this doeth rather suspend the worke then alter the nature of their Conscience it doeth not make it a not-condemning Conscience of a condemning one How many theiues and murderers are very frolicke not only when they act their wickednesse but when they are in the Gaile when they are brought to the Barre yea when they are casting off the Gallowes But wise men that see them in this humour censure it for vnreasonable stupiditie and desperatenesse they hold it not to be comfortable securitie No more is that which wee see in sinners who while they drinke in iniquitie with greedinesse haue stonie hearts and brasen foreheads If in the dayes of grace wee make vnto our selues the dayes of Iudgement and sift our selues vnpartially according vnto GODS word before we bee tried at GODS Barre and finde our selues discharged with a not guiltie and an Euge Serue bone well done seruant faithfull and true enter into thy Masters ioy this is indeed a not-condemning Conscience The second Rocke is that many confound a tender Conscience with a guiltie Conscience and plod more vpon the Heart of a man then they doe vpon the Heart of a Christian man they consider not the prerogatiue that the Elect haue by being in CHRIST into whom when they were ingrafted they were iustified from all sinne So that though afterwards they may become damnable through their fall yet damned they cannot be because their repentance and saith cannot bee in vaine neither must they measure the trueth of their state by their sense GOD is pleased often times to humble his children by suspending the sense of their state but he doeth not alter their state because his guifts are without Repentance and vpon their teares sighes and prayers wherewith GOD is pleased to be importuned he restoreth vnto them the sense of their state againe their eyes are opened to see that their obligation is cancelled and the booke crost wherein all their debtes were entred and that the blood of Christ hath cleansed them from all sinne You haue heard many things concerning Conscience all which though they bee of good regard yet they containe not all that which wee must heede For the worke of Conscience is rather Praeiudicium then Iudicium it is but a reall Prophecie informing vs how GOD will hereafter deale with vs. Therefore Saint Iohn carrieth our thoughts from our Hearts vnto God and will haue vs expect from GOD what wee finde in our owne Hearts And indeed our Heart is nothing else but GODS Apostle whose message is the Iudgement to come St. Ieromes Trumpet that sounded still in his eares Surgite mortui venite ad iudicium Besides our inward we haue an outward Iudge besides the present there is a future Iudgement And verily it is a wonder that any man should doubt of a future Iudgement that hath a Conscience seeing the vse of the Conscience is to forewarne vs of it the Iudgement in our bosome must bee vnto vs a Remembrancer of another Iudgement that is to come and wee must the rather be mooued with the former because of the reference it hath vnto the latter Reference nay Resemblance which is more for in the present Iudgement wee haue a liuely representation of the Iudgement to come GOD will deale with vs no otherwise then our Heart doâ—th the Iury at his Barre will exhibite no other presentment neither shall wee heare any other Sentence from that Iudge the Booke of GODS Prouidence will agree with the Booke of our Conscience and the Doome of our Conscience shall be ratified by GODS Doome And this representatiue qualitie that is in our Conscience must make vs the more to regard the absolute qualitie thereof For though it bee much to feele the force of Conscience without this Reference yet is it much more if the Reference bee included in our feeling thereof it will make vs more carefull to prepare our selues for GOD when wee are remembred so to doe by our owne Heart God then and our Heart agree in one worke their worke is like Like it is but not equall you may perceiue it in St. Iohns Inference that hee maketh according to the difference of the worke of Conscience One worke of the Conscience is to condemne thereupon St. Iohn maketh an Inference If our Heart condemne vs God is greater then our Heart and knoweth all things Wherein appeares a double inequalitie The first is of Authoritie Our Heart is great it is King in this little world of ours for it doeth season all that commeth from vs our workes are good or euill so farre as our Conscience is a partie to them they are good if she be good and if she be euill they are euill The inclination of the Heart is the inclination of the whole man so that no power of the soule or part of the body will hold backe if our Heart or Conscience doe set forward Our Heart then is great great within the Spheare of this little World But God is greater then our Heart who commandeth both ours and the great World GOD is said to be greater not so much in regard of his Eminencie aboue vs as his Soueraignetie ouer vs in which sense the Psalme saith that our God is a great God and a great King aboue all Gods And indeed Power belongeth onely vnto him Creatuâ—es are tearmed Powers rather Propter Ministerium then Dominium they can doe nothing beyond the influence they haue from GOD But GODS power is absolute and the Sentence hee pronounceth vnresistable whereas he can checke the sentence which our Heart pronounceth But to fit this point of Gods power to that which wee said before of the power of our Heart GODS power doeth season all the afflictions that come vpon vs and the apprehension that they come from him maketh them much more grieuous then they would be in themselues Secondly if GOD bee bent against vs no creature will stand for vs. You see wherein standeth the first inequalitie betweene GOD and our Heart The second Inequalitie standeth in Omnisciencie It is true that our Heart knoweth much 1 Corinth 2. and as the Apostle saith No man knoweth the things in man but the Spirit of man But that is as true which Salomon saith Prou. 20. The spirit of man is as the candle of the Lord searching the inward parts of man it is but a Candle and that is a dimme light a Candle of the Lord and that is a Ministeriall light Two wayes is our knowledge dimme through Ignâ—rance and self-Selfe-loue Ignorance is the cause that we cannot know our selues if wee would Selfe-loue is the cause that we will not know our selues so well as we can therefore Dauid prayed and wee must pray Ab occultis munda me domine O Lord cleanse me from my secret faults As for GOD his eyes are ten thousand times brighter then the Sunne Eccles 23. Dauid hath made a whole Psalme of
the Corinthians to glorifie God with their bodies and with their soules hee addeth this reason for they are Gods Well then wee haue found faire grounds of this Measure for if God be such and such to Vs as you haue heard the only louely thing and all that can be beloued and we are all his and all that we haue is due vnto him both by Nature and by Grace then ought wee with All to expresse our loue towards him But what is it to loue him with All Surely it is to loue him sine Diuisione sine Remissione none of our abilities must bee diuided none of them must be slacke in doing of this worke First of the Diuision We must not diuide our Heart that is as the Scripture speaketh haue a heart and a heart a heart for God and a heart for the world will that which God willeth and fulfill the will of his enemies also as if we would keepe good correspondencie with both we must alwayes will the same thing and our will must conforme it selfe only vnto Gods if it doe not we doe not loue God with all our heart because our heart is diuided As our Heart must not bee diuided no more must our Minde wee must not bee 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 double minded vnstable in our resolution wee must not be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 like Meteors hanging in the ayre betweene Heauen and Earth or as Elias told the Israelites halt betweene two betweene God and Baal make all Religions indifferent and thinke that we may aswell partake of the Table of Deuils as of the Table of the Lord and like waues of the Sea be tossed vp and downe with euery blast of vaine doctrine but wee must captiuate our wits wholy vnto Gods Wisdome and bee so resolute in abiding by his truth that if an Angell from Heauen should bring vs any other doctrine then that which we haue receiued from God that Angell must bee accursed If our faith in God bee not so fixt our Minde is diuided wee doe not loue God with all our Minde As we must take care that these Reasonable faculties be not diuided so must we take care also of the Vnreasonable of our Soule that is the Concupiscible facultie I told you that hath two works the one to long after that which we would haue the other to delight in it when we haue it neither of these should bee diuided and why they must both attend the Will we may not long for that which we may not will neither may we delight in that for which we may not long If wee long for more things then we doe will non benè currimus we take not the right way to blisse we fall into by-pathes and if we delight in more then wee should long for non benè quiescimus wee take vp our rest where we shall find no rest we haue a diuided Soule wee doe not loue God with all our Soule as we should The other Vnreasonable facultie is noted by our strength they call it the Irascible facultie and it is that Courage wherewith we encounter those difficulties which either crosse our Longings or interrupt our Delighting this must not be diuided for this must attend the Soule the Longing the Delighting thereof it must bend all its force to further that that so it may be both constant in longing and perseuerant in delighting It must not be like Metius Suffetius that wicked Neutrall looke on and be readie to fauour the strongest side much lesse must it take part with the aduerse if our Courage be thus diuided wee doe not loue God with all our strength for we should imitate King Dauid to whom the Scripture beareth witnesse that when hee offered he offered to God with all his strength 8. Chron. 29.2 and so did he with all his strength daunce before the Arke whatsoeuer abilitie we haue we should imploy it to the best aduancement of the loue of God 2. Sam. 6.14 You haue heard the first impediment of louing God with all our heart c. I told you of another which is Remisnesse or slacknesse and this followeth necessarily vpon the other for as a riuer that runneth strong in one channell will haue a more weake current if it bee diuided vpon that principle Vis vnita fortior so fareth it with our abilitie Pluribus intentus minor est ad singula sensus a man cannot diuide and intend either his heart or his mind or his soule or his strength as he ought Touching this Remisnesse in the seruice and loue of God take a Similitude from Musicke He that playeth vpon an Instrument may strike euerie string b◠doe it negligently or weakely Psal 81.92.149 150. and so impaire much of the sweetnesse of the Musicke therefore in the Psalmes those Leuites that were the Musitians are called vpon not onely to sing and to play but to sing lustily and with a good courage and to praise God vpon the loud Cymbals and vpon the high sounding Cymbals Hath God care of Instruments Speaketh he not it rather for our soules To intimate their deuotion to God Psal 108 8. Psal 103.1 Surely King Dauid thought so when he said Awake Harpe and Lute I my selfe will awake right early and doth not more often call vpon his Instrument then vpon himselfe to praise and serue God Praise the Lord O my Soule and all that is within me praise his holy name So that it is not enough to giue euerie part vnto God except euerie part do its best to Loue. I might carie you through all the parts and shew you what is the Remisnesse of them Of the Heart which is a willing-nillingnesse or a nilling-willingnesse of the Mind which is a wauing doubtfulnesse of the Soule if the longing be faint and the Delighting haue in it Acediam or a loathing of the strength if it sinke or shrinke If any of our abilities bee thus impaired then is there a Remisnesse in them which hindreth our louing God with all our Heart But I chuse rather to point it out in a generalitie by two Markes one of which the Scripture setteth vpon the thing beloued the other vpon true Louers The thing beloued is said to be Sweeter then Honie and the Honie-combe more to be desired then gold then much sine gold more precious then pearles and most costly stones finally nothing desireable is comparable to it If wee doe not conceiue so of the obiect of Loue The Lord our God there is apparent Remisnesse in our Loue. The marke set vpon the true Louers is Psal 63.1 Psal 42.1 Cant. 2 5. they compare themselues to parcht ground which gapeth after the raine to a chased Hart that brayeth after the water brookes to those which are Loue-sicke If we find not such a passion in our selues then is there likewise a Remisnesse in our Loue Read Psal 84. that which was the commendation of the Macedonians must be affected by all Christians in the
rather because I wish that all Ministers would herein follow Saint Iohn Baptist and neither smother sinne which is no farther hated then it is knowne nor yet neglect Christian wisedome to winne a sinner who seldome distasteth the Law if it be seasoned with the Gospell neither murmureth at the reproofe if it doe not degenerate into a reproach If any thing will reclaime it is the prescribing of a good course coupled with the description of a sinners bad case Eccles 12 1â— so the words of the wise will proue as goades and as nailes fastned by the Masters of the assemblies which are giuen from one shepheard they will hasten vs speedily and couple vs most firmly vnto the Church and our Sauiour Christ And thus much of the Inference I come now to the Argument of the words where of the first branch was the Workes they are two the first is Gods Hee giues repentance Though the Author be not exprest yet is he necessarily to bee vnderstood the Apostle is cleare for it 2. Tim. 4. The seruant of God must meekely instruct those that are contrarie minded trying if God at any time will grant them repentance and were not the Text so plaine the nature of the Worke putteth it out of all doubt for what is repentance but the Soules rising from death to life and no man euer quickned his owne soule hee must leaue that to God for euer the same God that made man after his Image must repaire his Image in man and therefore in the Psalme and in the Apostle it is plainely called a Creation But because the Authour is not exprest in my Text I forbeare further to speake of him and come vnto the Worke his Worke is Repentance The Grecians according to Lactantius speake better and more significantly that vse the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Lactan. Lib 7. then the Latines that vse Paenitentia Tertullian before him writing against Marcion presseth the significancie of the Greeke word and because words doe lead vs to the vnderstanding of things we will a little looke into the word it may happily make vs to sound the things much better 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 commeth from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doth signifie properly the first facultie of the reasonable soule but by a Trope it is vsed oftentimes to note the whole whereupon 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifieth a change of the mind signifieth a change either of the vnderstanding or ioyntly of the will also The vnderstanding of man is the first moouer in the whole course of his life because nothing is desired which is vnknowne our Appetite and our Will stirre not except they be informed of some thing which may occasion their stirring and informed they can not bee but by the vnderstanding Now the vnderstanding for want either of light or care doth very often mistake and then the Will that taketh all vpon trust must needs goe astray and we are called to a reuiew of our wayes Mens recitit se ab insania and vpon after thoughts alter our iudgements or as Lactantius speaketh in the place before cited after a fit of madnesse wee come to our wits againe This is the first kind of of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or changing of our mind But vse hath obtained and the practise of the Scripture which is the best Commentarie vpon the words to take 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in thesecond sense for the changing of the whole reasonable Soule and then it is compounded of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the change of vnderstanding and of the will Inclinatio â—oluntatis st inclinatio totius su posits 〈◊〉 intell 〈◊〉 totâ—â—â—uppositi in 〈◊〉 and indeed seldome doe they goe asunder for as it is true that whither the will bends thither the whole man inclines so it is as true that our vnderstanding cannot be resolued but it carieth vs with it which way so euer either of them incline they vsually earie the whole man though in a different manner the will by compulsion and the vnderstanding by perswasion so that we may not restraine this change to the one facultie but extend it also to the other by them to the whole man Adbiâ—ent penitentiam in bonis factiâ— saâ—â— citius â—er 〈◊〉 delinquunt quà m recte faciunt But Tertullian doth giue vs a good obseruation telling vs that the Heathen or those that are without the Church often change their mind and doe repent but it is of their good deeds of their temperancie truth liberalitie fidelitie and more vsually doe they change from better to worse then from worse to better He obserueth it of them that are without the Church I would it neuer had beene or now were not also true of them that are within the Church how many Iewes haue vncircumcised themselues and how many haue vnchristianed theÌ„selues that were sometimes members of the Church How many doe dayly returne like Dogges to their vomit and like Swine to their wallowing in the myre yea how few are there of vs that doe not oftner sorrow for some thing which we haue done well then for many things which we haue done ill vnto whom I must remember that of Saint Peter It were better neuer to haue knowne the way of righteousnesse then after we haue entred it to turne from it 2 Epist cap. 2. Tertullian giueth the reason for they saith hee that repent of their Repentance towards God by how much they shall bee more acceptable to the diuell to whom they come by so much they shall bee more odious vnto God from whom they goe Wherfore we must adde one clause more to the definition of Repentance and not onely hold it to be a change of the mind but as Nazianzene and Theophylact 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Naz. Iamb Non est simplex mutatio animi sed mutatio in meliorem sententiam Rom. 12. Repentance is not onely a change of man but a change from worse to better Saint Paul openeth the change very plainely fashion not saith hee yourselues like vnto this present world but be yee changed by the renewing of your mind wherein he sheweth vs that as in sinne so in Repentance there is a whence and a whither Sinne is an auersion from God and a conuersion to the world so likewise Repentance must shake off the world and imbrace God Nazianzene setteth it forth in a very fit resemblance Orat. 40. comparing the Soule of a man to a paire of writing tables out of which must be wathed whatsoeuer was written with sinne and insteed thereof must be entred the writing of grace both these are necessarie in Repentance God hath dedicated both parts in his owne Repentance for as when he repentech of the euill intended against vs he doth not onely giue ouer to hate vs but also doth imbrace vs with Loue euen so when wee repent of our sinnes against God wee