we lack but also whatsoever we can rationally ask of him who is no niggard of his favours and while the blind man askes his sight we may conceive he askes as much as his life too for a blind man is like a visible death to all other men and a sensible one unto himself since he can feele misery on all sides but see comfort no way to which purpose see Tobias Cap. 5. ver 12. and heare Saint Ambrose Uti tristes sunt c. As the day without Sun-shine is but sad and the nights without Moone-light not so pleasing so is the life of man deprived of the light of his body his eyes for they the Sunne and Moone are as it were the eyes of the world and without their lustre the heavens themselevs do suffer a deformity of blindnesse And S. Austine upon this place saies Tota igitur vita c. Our whole lifes exercise therefore is but to cure this eye of the heart to this end hath Almighty God instituted all the holy Mysteries to this end is the word of God preached to this end tend all Ecclesiastical exhortations c. Let us therefore all cry out O Lord give us the light of Grace to see the turpitude of sinne the vilitie of concupiscence the exilitie of pleasure the atrocity of hell fire the beauty of virtue the happinesse of Paradise the eternity of Glory Amen 42. No marvel our Saviour gave so speedy a reward to so strong a Faith the cause taken once away the effect must needs cease the cause of this corporall blindnesse was spirituall coecity the blind-mans infidelity which taken away by Faith he enjoyes immediately his corporall sight and so hath the effect gone upon surcease of the cause nor need we scruple to make this exposition when our Saviour saies in expresse termes This mans Faith was his cure for if so then Infidelity was his disease 43. We cannot read this story without being moved to imitate the gratitude of the blind man in giving thankes for the benefit received as we shall be forward enough to imitate his importunity in calling to God for help in our necessities and what was his gratitude his following our Saviour magnifying and praysing of him as also did all the people that were witnesse to the benefit received that we would our selves thus testifie our own gratitudes thus get all the world to help us expresse our thanks for such benefits as they all see we receive daily and hourly from almighty God since we have an assurance if we goe as farre with him as this blind man did to his passion to his Cross to his death to his grave he will raise us with him to a new life of grace here and to an eternall life of Glory in the next world The Application 1. AS it was this blind mans Faith that made him corporally whole so was it his love and charity that made him spiritually sound that did shake off the Fetters of his affection to sinne and kept him by that meanes from all adversitie while it fastned him to the purchaser of all prosperity our Lord and Saviour Iesus Christ 2. It was indeed his Charity that made him leave all other company to follow Jesus and to magnifie his Deity by proclaiming his mercy in having delivered him from misery And whither did he follow him To Hierusalem to his Passion to his Death to his Sepulcher 3. O lively Faith that did not die in this poor man when Jesus dying for him left even his Apostles tottering in their Faith O burning Charity that like a flaming lamp hung ore the Sepulcher of Jesus dead and buried Adoring then and magnifying the Divinity which never did forsake the sacred corps of Christs Humanity though his living soul had left his dead body in the grave O admirable way to shake off the shackles of sinne and to keep us free from all adversitie thus firmely to believe thus ardently to love and so to follow Jesus from his grave into his glory O for this purpose well adapted Gospel of Faith to an Epistle of Charity O well adjusted Prayer as above to both On the first Sunday of Advent The Prayer called the Collect. ROwse up we beseech thee O Lord thy power and come away that from the emiâ—ent dangers of our sinnes thou protecting we may deserve to be freed and thou delivering us we may be saved Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen So end all Prayers The Prayer called the Secret MAy these Sacrifices O Lord by their powerfull vertue bring us cleansed and more pure unto their purifying fountain The Prayer called the Post-Communion LEt us receive O Lord thy mercy in the midst of thy Temple that we may prepare for the future solemnities of our reparation with congruous homages On the second Sunday of Advent The Prayer ROwse up our hearts O Lord towards preparing the wayes of thy onely begotten Sonne that by his coming amongst us we may deserve to serve thee with purified Souls The Secret VOuchsafe O Lord to be appeased by our humble Prayers and Offerings and whereas we have no title of merit succour us with thine own supplyes The Post-Communion BEing filled with the food of Spirituall Almes we humbly beseech thee O Lord that by the participation of this Mystery thou wilt teach us to contemn Earthly and to love Heavenly things On the Third Sunday of Advent The Prayer LEnd we beseech thee O Lord thine ear unto our Prayer and enlighten the darknesse of our minde with the Grace thy Visitation The Secret MAy the sacrifice O Lord of our Devotion be continually offered up both to perform the precepts of this sacred Mystery and admirably in us to produce thy saving work The Post-Communion VVEe implore O Lord thy clemency that these Divine helps may expiatâ— our sinnes and prepare us to the future solemnities On the fourth Sunday of Advent The Prayer O Lord we beseech thee raise up thy power and with thy mighty vertue come away to our succour that by the help of thy Grace what our sins retard the indulgence of thy propitiation may accelerate The Secret ORdain O Lord we beseech thee being by these present sacrifices appeased that they may avail to our Devotion and Salvation also The Post-Communion HAving received thy bounties we beseech thee O Lord that by frequentation of thy Mystery the effect of our salvation may increase On Sunday within the Octaves of the Nativity The Prayer OMnipotent Sempiternall God direct our actions in thy good pleasure that in the name of thy beloved Son we may deserve to abound in good Works The Secret GRant we beseech thee Omnipotent God that the offering which we have made in the eyes of thy majesty may obtain us the grace of holy Devotion and bring unto us the effect of a blessed Eternity The Post-Communion BY the operation of this Mystery may O Lord our sins be purged and our just desires be accomplished On Sunday within the
present good any longer in hope of we know not yet what future happinesse in our celestials therefore to shew the constancy of her charity in doing good holy Church begs it as a grace to day that she may not onely persevere in good works but further do them exactly and purely in honour of Gods holy Name least what may seem good in man's eye prove bad in the sight of his heavenly Majesty Say now the prayer above and see if it be not sutable to this application The Gospel Mat â—8 23 c. 23 Therefore is the Kingdom of Heaven likened to a man being a King that would make an account with his Servants 24 And when he began to make the account there was one presented unto him that owed him ten thousand talents 25 And not having whence to repay it his Lord commanded that he should be sold and his Wife and his Children and all that he had and it to be repayed 26 But that Steward falling down before him said Have patience towards me and I will repay thee all 27 And the Lord of that Servant moved with pity dismissed him and forgave him the debt 28 And when that Servant was gone forth he found one of his fellow-servants that did ow him a hundred pence and laying hands upon him throtled him saying Repay that thou owest 29 And his fellow servant falling down besought him saying Have patience towards me and I will repay thee all 30 And he would not but went his way and cast him into Prison till he repayed the debt 31 And his fellow servants seeing what was done were very sorry and they came and told their Lord all that was done 32 Then his Lord called him and said unto him Thou ungraciouâ— Servant I forgave thee all the debt because thou besoughtest me and oughtest not thou therefore also to have mercy upon thy fellow servant even as I had mercy upon thee 33 And his Lord being angry delivered him to the Tormentours untill he had repaid all the debt 34 So also shall my heavenly Father do to you if you forgive not every one his Brother from your hearts The Explication 23. THe sense of this verse is that look what this Parable reports to be done here between Debtour and Creditour on Earth the same will be done in Heaven between God and his Creatures wherefore not so much the Kingdom of Heaven as the course of it is here described in this Parable 24. By the number of ten thousand talents of money owing from the Servant to the Master is here assigned a certain for an uncertain Debt or indeed a finite for an infinite namely a mortal sin against Almighty God which how ever finite in the act is infinite in the malice because committed against an infinite Goodnesse So that by deadly sin a man becomes debtour to God and stands bound to repay him all the Gifts Virtues and Graces infused into his Soul by holy Baptisme and squandered away by any one deadly sin so the debt is of the treasure of Heaven the grace of the holy Ghost spent by a sinner which God trusted him with and which by sin he hath wasted 25. By this command to sell the non-solvent debtour as also his wife children and all the goods he hath is intimated that for any one mortal sin a man and all that is dear unto him is confiscate to Almighty God and ought to be sold to be cast into eternal pains and so though this be nothing towards repayment of the debt yet since he had sold grace Heaven God and all for sin now by right God should sell his sin body soul and all to the devil though still his goodnesse as long as man lives reserves a place for repentance such as in the following verse we find Note here the particularizing to sell wife and children adds nothing to the mystery more then to show man looseth himself and all that is dear unto him by sin 26. Alas what can poor man afford towards the repayment of so great a treasure when 't is wasted by him Hence the text sayes true nature cannot make good a debt of grace But yet if the creature do humbly prostrate it self at the feet of the Creatour and acknowledge with sorrow the fault oâ— incurring so great a debt and beg of God grace to make good what nature cannot then God his goodnesse is so great thaâ— he gives such a sorrowing soul so great a help of grace as makes him able to pay the debt to recover what he lost for so may the debtour have again as much as he had spent to repay thâ— Creditour since God the creditour accounts himself repaid for sin by his servants recovering grace which they had lost for the very truth is God cannot lose by any creature and he esteems so much of a creatures cooperation with his holy grace that in such a case he reckons his own gifts to man as a repayment of mans debt to him 27. This verse proves the former to be explicated in a right sense so it needs no more enlargement 28. This verse besides the ingratitude it showes in man to God not forgiving his brother Gods image as himself was forgiven so again it showes the narrownesse of mans heart and the largenesse of Gods one forgiving an infinite debt being but asked so to do the other not remitting a petty one by any entreaty whatsoever 29. Strange that we cannot kneel with humble heart to God but he relents and yet to man no bow of knee or heart prevailes Note here patience or forbearance of the debt was truly and properly demanded upon promise and just hope of payment after a while because it is not out of mans power to pay man what is due unto him though 't is impossible we can hope to make even scores with God unlesse he rather remit then demand the debt So the patience asked by the servant of his Lord was rather an artifice to gain time hoping by intervention of Friends rather to get the debt remitted then that there was any likelihood of this servants payment of it what fair promises so ever he made in the instant of his being pressed because that was a debt from a creature to God but this is onely a debt between man and man so here to delay was not to delude or elude the debt and considering it was asked of him for a little summ who had before obtained remission of an infinite great one truly the debt ought by all means to have been forborn if not forgiven 30. Here we see how true it is that the rigour of the law is highest injury This man did but use the rigour of the law yet he had before a pattern set him oâ— mercy from his master and therefore that ought to have moved him to show some favour at least and to forbear rigour But by this we are advertised how unchristian a thing it is in us to beg absolution for
he lost his own life for that purpose And that this was the last time of our Saviours going to this City of Hierusalem in observation of their Paschall solemnity all the four Evangelists agree Saint John onely adding this circumstance Chap. 11. ver 54. that Jesus came now from the City Ephrem privately to this Feast having fled thither for fear of the Jewes after he had raised Lazarus from death to life a little before and was much envied and sought after to punish not to reward him for his said goodness Now some Expositours will have it that from this very instant of Christ foretelling his Apostles he should die and rise again Judas gave his first way to the temptation of covetousness which moved him to betray his Master for Mony since he did believe the first part of his death but gave no credit to his last of Rising again and so concluded when once his Master was dead all the little treasure of the common purse would fall to his share that feared no account to be exacted from a dead man by his Resurrection nor is this conjecture improbable But to the letter of the Text we shall not doe amisse to observe the phrase our Saviour useth saying here Behold we goe up and indeed the word Ascend or goe up alludes deeply to the mystery of the prediction as above of Christ his passion for by ascending voluntarily now to this Feast he shewed he was as voluntarily to ascend within few dayes out of this City up the Mount Calvary to his Passion Again the Temple of Hierusalem was upon the highest part of the Town and contiguous if not continuous to the Mount Sion which over-looked the City and so by Analogie the heavenly Hierusalem is called Sion besides he now said we ascend as shewing with what alacrity he resolved to rise up the ascending Mount when he was upon the Cross to triumph over Sin Death the Devill and Hell for as Saint Chrysostome sayes well By his voluntary death he shewed himself to be God as well as Man since though to be able to die argued he was man yet to be willing to die shewed he was more than man But see how he was not content to tell them in generall termes of his future Death and Passion and that it should be consummated as was written by the Prophets unlesse he had farther told them what particular death he was to die saying as followes 32. For he shall be delivered to the Gentiles as he was when Pilate and Herod substitutes of the Roman Empire set upon him as Judges and condemned him after many mockeries scourgings and revilings even to the Death of the Crosse but because the proper place to enlarge upon this subject will be when the Passion is dilated upon here we shall say no more of it than that 33. He foretells the Glory of his Resurrection shall recompence the ignominy of his death and this hony of his rising he gave them a taste off thereby to sweeten the gall of his Passion nor shall we now adde more here than that as Christ used the prediction of his Death as a meanes of comfort to his Apostles in hope of his future Resurrection so we must make affliction sorrow grief persecution and death it self for love of God sweet unto us in hope we shall rise from death to glory and from our corruption to incorruptibility as our Saviour did 34. No marvell they understood not these words nor the things they meant for our Saviour did not then intend they should understand them but then only told them what they should hereafter know by experience and remembring they had been foretold as much should not be dismayed but hope they should by the integrity of the prediction including the joy of his Resurrection be eased of their affliction at his Death and Passion Then therefore he gave them the cordiall of comfort and they were after to feel this effect thâ—reof when it should have a comfortable operation in them which actually it had as soon as he arose from his grave and did appear alive again amongst them all according as he now foretold them he was to doe 35. There is some difficulty in the true meaning of this verse in regard Saint Matthew chap. 20. ver 19. and Saint Mark in his tenth chap. ver 46. both of them say this blinde man was cured by our Saviour as he went out of Jericho whereas Saint Luke here tells us it was done as Jesus went into Jericho again Saint Luke and Saint Mark make mention onely of one blinde man restored to his sight and yet Saint Matthew speaking of the same time and place tells us of two blind then and there cured by Jesus as he passed by them and heard them both in the same words as the other two Evangelists say one onely they called on him for cure saying Iesus son of David have mercy on me on us saith Saint Matthew but for reconciliation of these two different relations by the Evangelists we must recurre to our accustomed observation that Saint Matthew generally under takes to write the Story of our Saviours life most methodically and therefore since he from the verse 29. above cited to the verse 33. ending his said twentieth Chapter continues his Story in the plurall number we are to presume there were two blind men cured though here S. Luke mentions but one and though Saint Mark name that one to be Bartimaeus the sonne of Timaeus so called as Bartholomaeus is called the son of Tholomaeus Bar in Hebrew importing Son hence therefore we are to conclude there is no contradiction in the relation though it be more amply and intirely made by Saint Matthew than by the other Evangelists and as for the differing circumstances of the Miracle being done as Saint Luke here saith when our Saviour went into Iericho happily one of the Two was then cured and the other namely Bartimaeus when our Saviour came out again Saint Matthew and Saint Mark may relate the Story as perfected by a double cure in the exit of our Saviour from Iericho which S. Luke began with a single one in his entrance thither as if it were a continuation of one and the same cure exercised upon two severall persons one at the entrance the other at the exit of the City and so the circumstantialls of the cure make nâ— diversity therein all being but a restitution of sight to the blinde but whither Christ were going or coming restoring sight to one or two it makes no great matter the Miracle being of the same nature and equally shewing Christ to be God and all Evangelists agreeing they both believed alike and both petitioned in the same stile if there were two of them in fine as silence is no disproof nor contradiction to what another positively affirmeth so Saint Matthews positive affirmation stands good without any constradiction by the silence of Saint Mark and S. Luke to part of the Story
what else we are here to note is that Jesus came from Ephrem to Iericho and from Iericho went to Hierusalem where he prepared himself to his Passion by praying in the Temple at the Paschall solemnity mentioned as above in the first verse of this Gospell and though there we gave other reasons why our Saviour said we ascend to Hierusalem yet here we may adde this one more that although while he went out of Ephrem his wayes from thence to Iericho being two leagues and an half were all levell and even ground yet from Iericho to Ierusalem there were seven long leagues all hils and dales as mountainous wayes use to be and therefore are called ascendings because they take their denomination from their most difficult passages however there be much descending ground gone over between all hills as for the name of Iericho it is derived either from the Hebrew word Jareach signifying the Moon because that City was built horned as the quartered Moon or else from reach which signifieth odour or sweetness because Iericho is famous for the best of Balsames in and about it and Saint Gregory in his twelfth Homily upon the Gospells alludes to the cure done at Iericho upon the Blinde taking this name in the first derivation from the Hebrew and saying The Moon is an Hiâ—roglyphick of defect in nature because it is ever changeable and various Therefore saith Saint Gregory while our Saviour comes to Jericho the blind mans defect in nature is cured because when the Divinity put on the defect of our flesh man-kind received the sight which it had lost for whence God suffered humane infirmities thence man was raised to divine perfections And Origen upon this place makes a pious allusion of this blind man importing the blindness of all humane nature then cured thereof When Christ with his Apostles comes to lead them from their naturall Jericho or defect into the heavenly Hierusalem where they shall have a supernaturall perfection added to their naturall Vision and by that supernaturall addition shall see God face to face and seeing him shall become like unto him and by this likenesse to God become perfectly cured of all their naturall defects Thus piously we see the holy Fathers make advantages to our Souls out of every passage of holy Scripture by applying the letter thereof in a spirituall sence unto us and why may not we hence presume to adde this cure alludes in the other sense of Iericho reporting to odour as to the Apostles and the blind man cured following Jesus from Iericho to his passion according to what the Spowse in the Canticles sayes We shall runne after him in the odour of his sweetnesse Since the holy will and pleasure of our Saviour was to take this Balsamick passage through Iericho to serve as a sweet perfume upon the Carian-mountaine of Calvary that so the stanch of sinne might not surpasse the fragraâ—t odours of grace rayning down showers of our Saviours pretious bloud from the odoriferous tree of the holy Crosse and from the more holy fruit hanging thereon 36. 37. It seemes this blind man was not deafe that could hear the murmur of the talking multitude some going rudely before and others following our Saviour from Ephrem to Jerico all discoursing of his works and wonders in so great a lowdnesse that the blind man asked what the matter was what great company was approaching which were heard before they were at hand and being told it was Jesus of Nazereth who came thus accompanied 38. He cryed out immediately Jesu Sonne of David have mercy on me by the Sonne of David meaning the Messias whose office followed the nature of his name for Messias imports mercy towards the miserable and hearing it was Iesus of whom he had heard such wonders and by whom such miracles were done he concluded presently this was the Messias marked out by the Prophets saying of him then when he shall come the eyes of the blind shall be opened Isaias Chapter 35. Vers 5. 39. By this it seemes some of the people were before our Saviour as we said above Vers 36. talking of him and these people either unwilling to be interrupted in their own discourse or that Christ should be stopt in his way by this poor man and so they hindered from something they expected from our Saviour either in Iericho or Ierusalem whither he was going and this company with him they rebuked the blind man both for the noyse he made and for the doubt they had least by his importunity he might stop Iesus in his march as indeed it happened for the rebuked man went on calling still to Jesus for help and the more he was bid hold his peace the lowder he cryed out Iesus the Sonne of David have have mercy on me A good example for us to follow and not let the interposition of any creatures hinder us from our approach to God no nor any rebuke for well doing deterre us from continuing to doe well Thus S. Augustine expounds this place and S. Hilary hath these words upon it Faith when forbidden is more increased and therefore in dangers it is secured and in security it is indangered 40 Strange to see how upon the standing of Iesus the Expositors doe descant S. Hierome sayes his standing in the litterall sence was because the blind should not follow him in that heat of zeale they were in when no reprehension was able to make them desist to cry for help least they might thereby fall in to the ditches or stumble at the uneven waies about Iericho S. Gregory gives the Symbolicall sence thus That by this standing was argued his Divinity for saith he Passing betokens man persisting betokens God Origen saies his standing mystically signified the permanence of the benefit received the sight restored to continue not for a time and then he to be blind againe S. Augustine saith anagogically thus Iesus stood to signifie that the temporary Faith of his Incarnation prepares to the understanding things eternall and so Jesus stood as Eternall and as bequeather of Eternall sight of God in glory in recompense of this blind mans Faith who now believed in his Deity And indeed had it not been that our saviour intended something mysticall he neither needed to have stood nor called but could have cured the party with his sole will or pleasure but he stood for the reasons as above and came neare to aske him 41. What he would have thereby to give the blind man occasion to expresse his Faith and confidence in him the more as also because he knew the people had forbid the man to trouble him and he therefore called him to shew God holds not our importunity in good things any way troublesome unto him Our Saviour asked what he would have not that he was ignorant but that he would declare his knowledge of our infirmities excuseeh us not from the confessing of them nevertheless as also to shew God is not onely ready to give us what
that garrulity taints and spoyles all religion whatsoever and powreth a mans heart out in vanity of words unless he put the bridle of reason and modesty upon his lips to keep his tongue in order Religion therefore is diversely taken either for the worship of God and so the first step to it is faith for He that cometh to God must first beleeve Hebr. c. 11. v. 6. Next religion extends it selfe to the observance of the Law and so it addes good workes to Faith Thirdly it is called the profession of Faith as Christianity is the profession of the Law of Christ lastly by religion is understood taking vowes to such a particular rule of a religious order as Saint Benedicts Saint Francis Saint Bernards or the like now loquacity is contrary to all these senses first as daring to speak idly rather then to heare the word of God and his worship wel inculcated unto us next because oftentimes great talkers are violators of the Law of God by detraction from others or from their own integrity speaking sometimes contrary to their own thoughts and so truly seducing their owne hearts Thirdly because Christians in the primitive Church were noted by refraining from the garrulity of the Gentiles Lastly because garrulity is diametrically opposite to religious silence a perfection much aymed at by all religious orders so in these senses Saint Iames inveighs against much talking or loquacity 27. The Apostle here makes a very fit allusion to the Jewish impure Ceremonial and the Gentiles sordid and multifarious religion of adoring many Gods when speaking of Christian religion he cals it a cleane or pure one in respect of the former that were indeed the one vaine and uncleane the other superstitious and injurious nay further he seemes prophetically to allude unto the impure and prophane religion of the Gnosticks and Carpocratians who by their incestuous cohabitations defiled the name of the pure Christian Religion forbidding such abominable commixtures under the pretext of love and charity to one another not much unlike the family of love now extant and that such there were in those dayes Eusebius witnesseth Lib. 4. Cap. 7. And who can tell whether the Apostle his foreseeing eye being the successor of Christ Jesus in his Episcopall Sea at Ierusalem did not also allude unto the Heresie of Luther professing that vowes of chastiâ—y were unlawful as contrary to the instinct of nature that propends to increase and multiply individuals of mankinde or the humane species which is a meere impure pretext of nature against the rule of grace setting apart some Ministers of God from the uncleane commixture of creatures whose primary end is multiplication whereas these of Gods Ministers are unity and simplicity of adoring one only God by the pure and one onely true religion which taketh root in one onely God and his one only Sacred Son Christ Jesus who consequently could be authour but of one onely truth or religion serving that one onely God whose onely Sonne he was and consisting neither in the impurity of the Jewish ceremoniall rites or Law nor in the multiplicity of the Pagans Sacrifices to their many gods nor in the sordid fictions of of lustful Heretikes nor in the Saracen or Turkish adoration now of Lucifer now of Mahomet for their guide or god but in the pure simple chaste and divine religion of Christ Jesus radicated in the workes of charity and mercy in the love of one onely God and of all the people in the world whom we are to esteeme our neighbors and them to love as we doe our selves being according to their better part their soules Images of God as well as we our selves which religion the Apostle contracts into these few markes of visiting Orphans and Widdowes and of keeping our consciences cleane from the ordure of this world or filth of humane conversation by conversing altogether with Almighty God or his holy Ministers set apart from ordinary humane commerce and these workes he cals cleane and pure because they are not mixed with any corrupt ends of sordid lucre or gaine since no man can expect preferment or profit from such desolate creatures as commonly Orphans and Widdowes are so that the care of them must usually proceed from pure charity and mercy and this the Apostle cals pure religion as shewing we love man purely for Gods sake not for our own which was then more necessary to be inculcated as being indeed a new distinctive signe of Acts proceeding from the instinct of God himselfe since they were unheard of before among men who aimed onely at selfe-interest in all their proceedings whence many were converted by seeing the mutual charity that was among Christians and in them to all other persons of what profession or religion soever so the Apostle here insisteth rather upon the external then the internal Acts of Religion the works of mercy to man rather then those of direct duty to God and yet from hence Heretikes take occasion to blame religious vowes and inclosure as if they were acts of a false religion because not extending to take outward care of Orphans and Widdowes temporal fortunes not regarding what followes for the compleating our Religion namely to keep our selves unspotted from the world untainted by the contagion thereof according to the mark Saint John gives of Saints Apocal. 14. v. 5. They are without spot before the throne of God whence this Apostle seeing it hard to be without spot in this contaminating world incites us at least to endeavor by the purity of our intentions to render our religion pure from all spot of this bespattering world and for this reason mans heart is made broad and open upward close and narrow downward to shew all the touch we have of earthly or worldly things must be but as in a point where there is allowed no latitude but that our affections to God and heavenly things may open wide and be large as we please or can open our hearts thereunto The Application 1. SAint Iames in this Epistle makes three divisions of his speech unto us The first is to tell us that our Faith must be Operative not Idle and he spends the foure first verses of this Epistle in shewing the futility of Faith alone without good workes now because the workes of Faith are full of difficulties and in regard men usually undertake not hard attempts but for hope of reward therefore the Apostle closeth his recommends of working Faith with the Hope of Beatitude attending it saying this man meaning the working believer shall be blessed in his Deed. Nor is this link of Hope fixt now to our Faith without designe of Holy Church in regard this being Regation week wherein we are to aske of our Saviour all we can desire at his farewel from us upon Thursday next when he is to ascend to heaven the service of this Sunday which flames through all the serial dayes between this and Ascension must point us out what we are to be at all
calls upon the Abysse in fine this is a reason above all reason but that which being increate it self creates the reasons of men and Angels as short of it self as finite things are short of infinite as creatures are short of their Creatour The Apostle ends this verse with an extatical admiration of Gods incomprehensible Judgments and investigable wayes that is to say the counsels means works and reasons of his providence who alone can cull Good out of evil as he doth convincing all Nations of incredulity that thence he may make one the motive for his mercy towards the other as was said above 34. How are we lost in our judgments when we see the wicked prosper and the just afflicted when we value humane abilities which in sight of God are follies because we do not know the sense the mind of God in these his permissions nor how contemptible a thing the wisest man under the cope of heaven is in the sight of God of whom Zeno said well that the pastime or sport of God was man as if God made but a Tennis ball of man or of the wisdome of men tossing him up and down at pleasure to the wonderment of us poor mortalls Whence the Abysse of humane misery calls upon the Abysse of Divine mercy and as S. Augustine saith the Abyss of humane ignorance calls upon the Abyss of the Divine knowledge or science How well then doth the Apostle say who knowes the mind of God or who was ever of his Counsel that is as Isaias said Chap. 40. v. 13. who ever gave him counsel or who did he ever make acquainted with such counsel as he gave himself in all internall and external operations whence no man must dare to ask why leaving the Jewes he turned to the Gentiles or the like 35. This place is remarkable for it is not asked who ever gave God any thing but who hath first given him any thing which before he had not received from him that so he might be able to make God his debtour truly no man and for this reason S. Paul sayes well what have you that you have not received and if you have received it why do you glory as if it had not been received by you but were your own Yet such is God Almighty his mercy to mankind that even this impossibility in man to make God his debtour by giving him any thing that was not his own before doth not hinder man of the honour to have God a debtour to him But then we must understand this saying safely and take heed we make not God our debtour for any gift or loan of ours to him but meerly for his own promises to us and those his promises though he were graciously pleased to make them voluntarily unto us yet he binds himself by vertue of his own promise to be our debtour for the performance of his words unto us to which purpose St. Augustine spake home in these words upon this place of the Apostle Serm. 16. Pay unto us what thou doest owe us because we have done what thou hast bid us to do though even what we have done were thy deed too because thou didst help us to do it 36. And for further proof of this doctrine the Apostle proceeds saying of him by him in him are all things that is to say not onely the essence or beeing of every thing but also the operations thereof since the operations of creatures are likewise creatures too as well as the things themselves that do operate and so both have equal dependance on Almighty God so that all things are of him as of their first maker by him as by their directour disposer and perfectour in him as in vertue of his assistance they are made do operate and are conserved But St. Augustine and with him the torrent of Fathers observe that what is said to be of God is appropriated to the Father what by God is attributed to the Son and what in God is reporting to the holy Ghost that so to the whole sacred and undivided Trinity we may refer the honour and glory of all beeing and operation of creatures insomuch that even from the Apostles time the close of prayer was made in this sort Glory be to the Father Son and Holy Ghost and by the Councill of Nice was added thereunto as it was in the beginning and now and ever world without end Amen For though here be ground of distinguishing Persons yet there is none of dividing essences or natures and therefore the Apostle telling us here of our obligation to the Blessed Trinity concludes saying not to them but to him be glory for ever that is to the one only undivided God who is neverthelesse distinguished into three several Persons Father Son and Holy Ghost A very apt close for the Epistle on Trinity Sunday The Application 1. WE have hinted in the Illustration above at the deep design of holy Church in closing up the grand work of humane Redemption and the Octave of the holy Ghost with a Feast made sacred to the B. Trinity wherein our Faith seems to be chiefly and wholly exercised because there is nothing so hard in Christian doctrine as to believe the Trinity of the sacred Triunity Now we may presume to affirm further that albeit from Pentecost to Advent the main aym of Christian duty be the exercise of charity in producing frequent acts thereof neverthelesse it was fitting to begin the practice of charity with an act of Faith to shew the difference between our love of God on Earth and our love of him in Heaven for there Faith shall cease that Love may increase and be alone the Totall duty of the Blessed but here Faith must increase least Love decrease in us Hence it was not onely fit that this our first act of charity to day should be to God but that it should be also accompanied with the strongest act of Faith imaginable which is this we now produce in making profession we believe God to be Trine and One. 2. Now not to break the order of the service that I mean of charity the main imploy of every Christian between this and the holy time of Advent see how by way of commemoration at least of the first Sunday after Pentecost we have regard to such another Prayer and such another Gospel whereunto I have added here the Epistle also though not read in open service as do mainly point at charity so shall we see in their perusal anon when these proper to the day are done 3. And lastly least this Act of Charity we are now to exercise should be defective being an act of love to God alone without relation to our neighbour see how we are taught to perfect it as well with an act of hope as with an act of Faith since the main scope of holy Churches prayer to day is to declare so strong a Hope in her believing and in her loving God that she puts it as a hopeful
our course according to that Providence since it is most certain that God Almighty never intends our ruine by the miseries he permits to fall upon us but rather our salvation if we bear them with conformity to his holy will But we must find the prayer adapted to this present Epistle and Gospel too else we fail of our design You will have anon the literall sense of both expounded but we must now prosecute our further aim of making it appear this prayer is as it were an abstract of them both In which holy Church would teach us how to cast our selves upon the providence of God with a perfect resignation to his divine will as who should say O God we know thou hast environed mankind with a world of internall and externall evils yet thou that art omnipotent canst remove those evils or things which are hurtfull out of our way and canst afford us all that is good and beneficiall to us since we doubt not but thy goodnesse hath a desire to save each of us and consequently hast so disposed of us in thy saving Providence as notwithstanding all the evils that environ us thy will of saving us shall not be frustrated No not maugre all the internall evils mentioned in the Epistle of our own flesh and bloud propending us to perpetuall sinne nor all the externall evils mentioned in the Gospel of ravenous wolves of false prophets who under colour of saving our souls seek to swallow them up into the mouth of hell For as against our internall evils we find helps in the Epistle domestick easie helps such as S. Paul is almost ashamed to name our own flesh and bloud captivated onely to the rule of reason and grace in like manner we find helps in the Gospel against our externall evils false prophets or teachers when we are in the Gospel taught how to distinguish them from true and safe guides by looking into their lives and works which are compared there to fruits of trees that is if their lives be good we may safely follow them if bad we must avoid them And certainly as we have no internall enemy greater then our own flesh and bloud ill regulated so we have no externall greater then false prophets ill teachers since the Lay-mens lives ought to be squared unto the lives of their spirituall leaders and when any of these are false guides it is like the corruption of the best thing which alwayes is the worst corruption O how fitly then doth holy Church to day reflecting on these internall and externall enemies or evils mind Almighty God in this prayer of that his never-failing providence when to secure us that it be not frustrated in us she bids us deprecate all those evils that may indanger it and beg all those helps that may conduce unto it Say then beloved this prayer with this relation to the Epistle and Gospel both which it sweetly summes up unto you and say it with such a fervour of spirit as it self imports that is beseeching God to looke upon us as lost souls amidst so many dangers as he hath placed us in unlesse he use his own omnipotent power to make good in us his saving Providence For then God hears best when we pray with most earnestnesse and when we cast our selves wholly upon his care and Providence which can never be frustrated The Epistle Rom. 6. v. 19. c. 19 I speak a humane thing because of the infirmity of your flesh For as you have exhibited your members to serve uncleannesse and iniquity unto iniquitie So now exhibit your members to serve justice unto sanctification 20 For when you were servants of sinne you were free to justice 21 What fruit therefore had you then in those things for which now you are ashamed for the end of them is death 22 But now being made free from sinne and become servants to God you have your fruit unto sanctification but the end life everlasting 23 For the stipends of sin death But the grace of God life everlasting in Christ Jesus our Lord. The Explication 19. St. Paul calls it well a humane thing or motive when he moves us to piety by the argument of requiring no more care in us to serve God then we used to serve our selves And as by iniquity he understands all sinne so by justice he understands all virtue which doth sanctifie us 20. That is to say by making sinne your master you had cast off all the yoke of duty you ow to justice the mistresse under whom you ought to serve God So free to justice means slavery to injustice in this place which is a very ill freedome indeed 21. 'T is clear enough we reap no fruit from sinne but shame and death 22. As clear it is that when we renounce the bondage we were in to sinne we then become servants to God and have for the present fruit of our service sanctity and for the future an eternall and blissfull life 23. That is to say the naturall and due reward of sin is death but life eternall is not so due to Saints because it is a huge grace of God that they obtain heaven when they have done all they can to gain it And in this place the Apostle calls it grace or a reward given to virtue by the singular favour and mercy of God And he calls this grace life everlasting because under the notion of life he includes all that is good and happy and because he will confront it with death which is the reward of sinne to make it more gratefull by being compared to so ungratefull an opposite as death is unto life The Application 1. IT is evident S. Paul in this place speaks to the Lay-people amongst the Romans not to the Church-men for he requires a farre greater perfection of them then of the Layity to whom he indulgeth here as much as humane frailty can expect when he makes the Infirmity of their flesh the strength of his argument to perswade them to the fruits of the spirit their sanctification by the works of charity For without charity there can be no saintity 2. As therefore all sins whatsoever are reduced to the works of the flesh so all virtues are reduced to the works of charity which is the spirit of God working in us counter to the flesh that still producing slavery shame death and damnation this freedome confidence life everlasting and salvation 3. Now in regard Almighty God hath made no flesh at all of his spirituall counsels and in regard we see his wisdome hath so ordained that the life of man is a perpetuall warfare between the spirit and the flesh as this Epistle tells us from the first to the last of it and lastly in regard he hath provided us one sole Chieftain sufficient to quell all the enemies of the flesh his holy grace his love his charity which alone is able to secure souls from all the assaults of their triple enemies the world the flesh and
Ghost is made manifest who is the Authour of all supernatural gifts The profit whereunto these gifts are given is rather to the Church then to him that receives them for gratuite graces ever avail the Church but not so him who receives them as miracles may be wrought by a sinner who doth not profit by them perhaps at all yet the Church doth 8. By the word of wisdome is understood the power to explicate deep mysteries of Faith as of the B. Trinity Incarnation praedestination or the like By the word of knowledge or science is understood the power to direct mens actions or manners that they be rational at least Thus S. Augustine lib. 12. Trinit cap. 14. 15. distinguisheth between wisdome and science or knowledge 9. By Faith here is not understood that act of Theological vertue which is common to all Christians but an act of particular confidence in God whereby it is believed he will by vertue of that our confidence work a miracle being asked so to do by such a Faith as is able to remove mountains Others understand by Faith here a deep understanding inabling to contemplate and explicate the mysteries of Faith 10. By miracles here are understood those which are extraordinary and are exercised not onely upon the body but even on the soules of men such as was that of S. Peter upon Ananias and Saphyra commanding them to dye By discretion of spirits is meant when God gives one man the grace to see into the very thoughts and intentions of others to know when an action is done by a good or evil spirit by God or the devil a gift to be begged by ghostly Fathers and conducing to their conduct of soules These gifts S. Hilarion was noted to have By interpretation of languages is understood a special gift frequent in the primitive Church whereby men illuminated for that end did give the true sense of Scripture and of those who being ignorant yet had the gift of Tongues and to spake more then themselves well understood but were by Interpretâ—rs expounded 11. Namely as that Spirit as the holy Ghost pleaseth The Application 1. St. Paul in this Epistle first puts the Corinthians and â—n them all other Christians in mind of the horrid Nothing that they were before their conversion from Gentilisme to Christianity And his aym in this is that as nothing was more abominable to the Gentiles then the name of Jesus Christ so nothing ought to be more reverential to Christians then that most sacred and most saving name insomuch as S. Paul concludes it is an Apostacy from God a relapse to Gentilisme not onely to use irreverence to the name of Jesus but to conceive we have any other life or being then what is purchac'd in that sweetest name 2. Notwithstanding true it is we have life often given us by the holy Ghost the special giver indeed of holy grace which is the â—ife and being of a Christian and hence it is S. Paul had no sooner inamoured the Corinthians on the Name of Jesus then he falls instantly upon the gifts of the holy Ghost sent from his heavenly Father and from his sacred Son our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ to multiply on us the mercies of Almighty God as if to have been once redeemed by Christ had not satisfied his infinite goodnesse without he had also made this Redemption copious by sending his holy Spirit to re-redeem us by his graces from the relapses into sinne that render our first redemption fruitlesse unlesse it had been more copious yet by the multiplyed mercies of the holy Ghost applying the Passion of our Saviour to us by some new gift of grace bestowed upon us as often as we take religious breath into our bodies by calling on the Name of Jesus with an aweful reverence thereunto as befits all Christians to do and for this purpose it is S. Paul falls into the enumeration of the gratuite gifts of God the graces that are meerly gratis given not such as are usual and absolutely necessary for our sayntification or justification but such as rather serve to shew the multiplication of Gods holy Power and Mercies over us 3. Blessed God! how art thou perpetually out-doing thine own goodnesse by thy continual effusion of thy self upon our iniquity how art thou giving daily more and more manifestation and consequently much more admiration to the blessed Angels and Saints in heaven by multiplying thy mercies on us sinners here in earth whom all those happy spirits may give a thousand thousand times for lost when they see how we run after nothing but the sordid gain and pleasure of the world the sweets that poyson the contents that damne our soules and yet by the multiplication of thy mercies we are sweetly forc'd maugre the impulse of devil flesh and bloud to let go all our hold on the possessed shadowes of this world and to run after the promised substances of the next But how my God are we forc't to this by the manifestation of thy Power in the multiplication of thy mercies according as was said before in the Illustration Say now beloved the Prayer above and see if it be not excellently well adapted to this holy Text and to this application of the same unto our best improvement The Gospel Luke 18. v. 9. 9 And he said also to certain that trusted in themselves as just and despised others this parable 10 Two men went up into the Temple to pray the one a Pharisee and the other a Publicane 11 The Pharisee standing prayed thus with himself God I give thee thanks that I am not as the rest of men extortioners unjust advouterers as also this Publicane 12 I fast twice in a week I give Tythes of all that I possesse 13 And the Publicane standing afar off would not so much as lift up his eyes towards heaven but he knocked his breast saying God be merciful to me a sinner 14 I say to you this man went down to his house justified more then he because every one that exalteth himself shall be humbled and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted The Explication 9. 10. By a Pharisee is understood a proud by a Publicane an humble man in this place 11. By the word standing the pride of the Pharisee is insinuated With himself 't is true for he prayed neither with nor to God for his prayer is rather a vaunting of his own then a seeking of Gods glory And his insolence is great whilest he sayes he is not as other men as who should say all besides himself are sinners had he said as some other men there had been lesse arrogancy yet too much and out of this arrogancy he passeth a rash Judgement upon the Publicane whom he points out for a notorious sinner and insinuates himself to be just 12. By twice a Sabbath is understood twice a week as naming the principal day for the whole week By Tythes of all he possesseth he meanes not onely
ordinary but ultroneous Tythes of things he needed not to pay Tyâ—hes for This relates to what went before as vaunting himself to be the only chast the onely just man living chast as fasting which is the mother of chastity just as giving Tythes of all he had 13. The Publicane a true Type of humility standing his reverential distance from the Altar confessing him elf unworthy to come nearer to the place where the Pharisee proudly stood not daring to lift up his eyes to heaven where he had offended the whole Court the Saints and Angels whose inspirations he had contemned whose prayers defrauded God whose commands he had broken he knocks his breast his heart in token of sorrow and repentance for his sinnes By saying he is a sinner he confesseth his habit of sin by saying have mercy on me he doth not blame either fortune the world or the devil but himself meerly and layes all the load on his own shoulders as true penitents ought to do 14. More then he is as much as to say not absolutely but in respect of the Pharisee he was justified because the one humbled himself the other exalted himself Whence Optatus Milevitanus sayes well lib. 2. against the Donatists Better in some sort are the sinnes of an humble spirit then the pretended or boasted Innocency of an arrogant person The Application 1. THis whole Gospel is summ'd up in these few words of the Publican God be merciful to me a sinner For we see there is nothing else aym'd at in the whole Text but a condemnation of the Pharisees pride and a commendation of the Publicans humility or rather of his humble charity That is such a love as renounceth all proper merit and hath recourse to nothing but the mercy of Almighty God such a love as likes but dares not look to heaven such a love as hates all sin but hath no other hope of sayntity then from the mercy of God Almighty such a love as believes God hath power to save a soul but that he cannot manifest this Power without his mercy first appear because he cannot save a sinner unlesse he mercifully give him first leave to repent his sins 2. Thus we see beloved how charity goes shod with humility when in her journey she is handed on by Faith and Hope But that which to me is most admirable in this dayes service is to see the little end for which Almighty God is manifesting his power most of all by his mercy and how he is besought to multiply that mercy for the maâ—ifestation of his power both to men and Angels upon so small an account as making us pursue our own felicity onely that is to say the Promises he hath made unto us of much better gifts in the dayes of glory then he hath yet bestowed upon us in these our dayes of grace 3. Yes yes beloved our good God hath much to do with wicked sinners We may say with much more reason of mans salvation as the Romans did of erecting their Empire Tantae molis erat O what a huge attempt it was to set up the Roman Nation and to make them Monarchs of this world So if we look upon the final end of God Almighties exercised power and multiplyed mercies over us it is meerly to save his Christian people meerly to make them Monarchs of the next world eternal Emperours everlasting Triumphers over death sin devil and damnation after they had been slaves to them four thousand years together Nay so fond Almighty God is of his darling man that he is even content to bestow his utmost Power his extended omnipotency his multiplyed mercies on him to beget but a desire in him onely of his own felicity which consists in the promises of the next world not in the possessions of this Say then the Prayer above and see how it petitions onely this desire here to make us capable of all the joyes in heaven and of all the Treasures there On the eleventh Sunday after Pentecost The Antiphon Mark 7. v. 37. HE hath done all things well he hath caused the deaf to hear and the dumb to speak Vers Let my prayer c. Resp Even as Incense c. The Prayer ALmighty everlasting God who out of the abundance of thy pitty dost exceed as well the merits of thy suppliants as their desires pour out thy mercy upon us that thou mayst forgive what our conscience is afraid of and adde even what our prayer dares not presume to ask The Illustration HOw apposite is this admirable Prayer unto the Epistle and Gospel of this day which are nothing else but meer relations to the abundance of that pity whereby God doth exceed as well the merits as the desires of his suppliants and whereby he did pour out his mercy upon his people forgiving them what their own conscience was afraid of and adding what their prayer durst not presume to ask Say beloved was it not an abundance of pity that Christ gave us S. Paul and other Apostles to preach unto us the story of his life passion death and resurrection were not these works of his pity exceeding as well the merits as the desires of his suppliants when no mortal durst have desired so much misery to Christ because no man was able to deserve his God should suffer so much for him were not then the mercies of Heaven poured out upon us when our redemption was purchased at so deare a rate to Jesus Christ and was not St. Paul justly afraid something might lurk in his conscience unforgiven when he ends this dayes Epistle saying his having persecuted the Church of God made him unworthy to be called an Apostle and that since he was what he was by the grace of God he durst not presume to ask so great a favour O how literally is this whole Epistle exhausted in this excellent Prayer And what are the cures done upon the deaf and dumb related in the Gospel but an abundance of like pity in Jesus Christ but like excesse of his mercy poured out upon these diseased people what the amazement in the beholders of these miracles closing up the said Gospel but an acknowledgment that the guilt of their consciences made them afraid to be in the presence of so good a God and that the grant of the cure was a thing added freely by Christ as done in more ample manner then they durst presume to aske though with a faint desire and a fainter faith they had presented those diseased people to our Saviour to be cured Say now beloved was I rash in falling upon this bold attempt to shew a sympathy between the Prayers of holy Church and the preaching part of her Services Rather I am to ask God pardon that I did often doubt it was not true because I was many times too lazy to beat it out by way of meditation but now that I see the thing is certainly true I shall not be troubled if I fail at any time in so
he admires the art of Christs command to speak here under the precept of silence these are S. Augustines words lib. de consens Evang Our Lord by prohibiting would teach and inform us with how great fervour they upon whom he imposeth his commands ought to preach him when as those that were forbidden could not hold their peace No marvel then if the more they are thus forbid the more they preach his praises His commanding them to tell no body was rather for instruction then to have any reall force of a command upon the parties healed because the intent of this commanding silence was that when by Gods peculiar grace we are enabled to do any good or laudable action we should rather suppresse then spread it abroad lest thereby we be vaingloriously moved to arrogate unto our selves the praise of the action which is due to Almighty God as the principal agent while we are onely instrumental thereunto 37. They had indeed reason to wonder at his modesty who forbad it and at their gratitude who could not forbear to speak his praises that had done all things so well which he undertook as himself could not afterwards hinder them in a manner from well doing to publish his wondrous works It is a sign Christ did not effectively command them to silence since the more he bade them hold their peace the more they published his praises For indeed had it been his pleasure they should have been silent they would as little have spoken against his will even after the tongue was by him untyed as they could speak before he had untyed the same but to shew us even Gods temporal blessings have spiritual influences upon us therefore after their corporal cures these men became advanced in spirit in faith in hope in love of Almighty God as appeared by their frank uttering of his praises unto all the world and shewing in their doing well towards God that God had done all things well in them as this text expresseth when he had cured their infidelity of soules together with the diseases of their bodies The Application 1. SInce the Expositours upon this holy Text conclude the literal story of it mystically doth report to us and that the natural deafnesse in this man signifies the unnaturall deafnesse in us Christians to the Word of God to the whispers of the holy Ghost into our understandings to the knocks he gives of holy inspirations at our hearts whilest we deny to let him in we may very well fear it is worse with us Christians then it was with this deaf and dumb Infidel or Jew for he no sooner received his natural speech and hearing then he and all that did behold the miracle broke out into the praising God into the commending of our Saviour saying He hath done all things well he hath made the deaf to hear and the dumb to speak 2. O beloved how often is it for want if not of Faith at least of active charity quite otherwise with too too many Christians who instead of praising and glorifying God become like stocks and stones of whom the Royal Prophet sayes They have mouthes and speak not they have cares and hear not Such indeed are those who in confession will pretend sincerity and commit a sacriledge by revealing many sins and yet concealing one or other which renders all the rest unpardoned as well as that concealed how ere they seem to go away with absolution Such again they are who hearing the Name of God revil'd by some blaspheming miscreant will either seem not to have heard the blasphemy or else not dare to reprehend it as they should for every Christian is a champion of our blessed Lord and ought to bid defiance unto all that dare abuse his holy name 3. Since therefore it is by the abundance of pity on us that God hath called us to be not onely Christians but Catholicks which was an act of highest Grace we have reason so long as we are in this his high esteem to beseech him to pour out his farther mercy on us and to forgive us this our wilfull deafnesse this our stubborn dumbnesse which our conscience hath cause indeed to be afraid of and that he will adde besides more favour to us then we dare presume to ask considering how often and how grievously we have offended his heavenly Majesty Yes beloved sure enough it was for some at least thus deaf thus dumb amongst us that holy Church to teach us the practise of charity makes all her children Pray to day as above in consequence to what the Preachers are to say upon this holy Text by way of application to us all On the twelfth Sunday after Pentecost The Antiphon Luk. 10.30 A Certain man went down from Hierusalem to Jericho and fell among thieves who also spoyled him and giving him wounds went away leaving him half dead Vers Let my prayer c. Resp Even as Incense c. The Prayer OMnipotent and most merciful God from whose bounty it proceedeth that of thy faithful people thou art worthily and laudably served grant unto us we beseech thee that we may run unto thy promises without offence The Illustration WHo doth not feel this Prayer to ravish with delight when we therein are minded that it is a far greater preferment to serve Almighty God then it can be to have the title of the best and greatest Masters in the world If for no other respect at least for this alone that whomsoever God doth entertain into his service himself indeed becomes a servant unto him and payes him so bountiful wages as if he were rather ambitious to purchase then to accept of his service and further seems even to contract with him to do the work himself in case the servant be not able to perform it although besides the bounty of this present stipend that he gives he also adds vast promises of further indeed of eternal and infinite reward Nor do I say this gratis here for every title of it is avouched in the prayer above when we acknowledge it proceedeth from the bounty of our most merciful God that he is worthily and laudably served of his faithful people and when in lieu thereof we beg that we may run unto his further promises besides his bounteous wages here without offence by so worthily so laudably serving of him in this world as not to loose the future promises of an infinite reward in heaven And what is that to be no more his servants but his heires O gallant servitude indeed O Princely Master Stay here a while beloved do not overslip this advantageous pause I shall beseech you make ere you go on Be it on this That it proceedeth from the bounty of our heavenly Master we earthly creatures do worthily and laudably serve him and are faithful to his service What bounty else is this but his abundant grace first to enable us to endeavour next if we fail of performance to make the service worthy though and
so we must live rather content to die poor then seek to live rich after God will have us die beggars Note it is onely excesse of care or anxious solicitude that we are forbidden not ordinary diligence in our occasions 33. By first is here understood chiefly or principally so that we are allowed a secondary care of our temporals though our main imploy and study must be to get heaven for that is the Kingdome of God By Gods justice is here understood those virtues and good deeds that render us just in the sight of God and so capable of that heaven we are in the first place to seek since it was the end for which we were first created By those things which shall be given us besides are understood things of lesse moment and consequently which ought to take up lesse of our care such as are meat clothes and other temporalls The Application 1. GOd and Mammon are not so here declared to be the two masters meant who cannot be both served at once but that we may also take the spirit and the flesh for these two masters and this the rather because so the Gospel is more literally suting the Epistle and besides S. Matthew in the following verses of this present Text doth aim directly at the service we pretend unto the flesh when we neglect our souls to provide for our bodies 2. And see how to prevent this poor pretext our charity is led to day by Providence to shew us that we cannot any way pretend to corporall duty for excusing us from our spirituall obligations since God Almighties Providence is here brought in to furnish us with all things necessary for the body and so to ease us of that care and to send us about our main and onely businesse our secking in the first place the kingdome of heaven and the justice thereof by the works of charity such as in the Epistle above are enumerated and assuring us all things wanting else shall be provided us by his Providence who never relinquisheth the just man nor permits his seed to seek their bread so if neither for our selves nor for our posterity we need to interrupt our spiritual duties or to renounce our service to our souls for any tie we have to serve our bodies we have no pretence then left at all for our so doing 3. Yet least we be withdrawn from the saving works of charity by the hurtfull ones of the flesh which humane frailty would easily incline us to therefore we are taught upon the reading of this holy Text To pray as above alwayes for the help of Christ his perpetuall propitiation by the cordiall of his passion to relieve our fainting charity withall in her march to heaven On the fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost The Antiphon Luk. 7. v. 16. A Great Prophet is risen amongst us and because God hath visited his people c. Vers Let my Prayer O Lord c. Resp Even as Incense c. The Prayer LEt thy continued mercy O Lord both cleanse and defend thy Church and because without thee it cannot stand securely be it alwayes governed by thy bounty The Illustration WE heard in the exposition of the last Sundayes prayer that the perpetuall propitiation there begged was the continuation of our Saviours passion to be our continuall help in all occasions and now that to day we beg to have the mercy of our Lord continued to his Church we seem but to repeat the same prayer again in a varied phrase But if we cast our eyes upon the Epistle and Gospel here below and observe how the Expositours upon them apply the same as declaring all the office of Priestly function and telling us what should be the duty of the people thereupon we shall soon perceive as well a difference in the substance as in the phrase or language of these two prayers That alluding to the immediate influence of the passion into us by the personall help which our Saviour affords in the grace he gives us to repent us of our sinnes which relating to himself is fitly called his perpetuall propitiation but reporting to the mediate helps we have from our Saviour by the mediation of his Ministers the Doctours Teachers Preachers and Priests of holy Church it is rather stiled his continued mercy towards us because it was his mercy that moved him to supply his own personall presence amongst us by the mediation of the Priests whom in his place he left by means of catechising preaching and administration of the Sacraments to continue his mercy towards us and by the continuation thereof to cleanse and defend his holy Church cleansed indeed by participation of the Sacraments defended by the communication of the Priests their functions sacrifices and prayers in her behalf and yet our holy mother closeth up this Sundayes prayer with an immediate addresse again unto the fountain it self when she concludes affirming it is as well his bounty as his mercy that she subsisteth by when she professeth she cannot stand securely unlesse she be alwayes governed by his bounty that is to say by his holy grace derived unto us through the hands of his Ministers the Priests of holy Church so that this prayer instructs us whence our helps do flow and by what hands they are conveyed to us And requisite it is that we do pray in this sort to day when the Epistle runs all upon the Priests office to the people and their putting in practice the Christian doctrine taught them by the Priest all which is neatly couched under the spirituality wherewith the Epistle tells us both are rendred compleat as signifying neither the Master nor the Schollar must sow fleshly seeds since both must live by spirituall fruits And for the Gospel we hear the Fathers of the Church avouch it to be a parable alluding to the death of sinne and life of grace which is coincident with what the Epistle taught us of sowing spirituall seeds that might bring forth fruits of grace of Christ not fleshly which produce nothing at all but corruption and death Since then we have this prayer adjusted to the sense of the Expositours upon the other parts of this dayes service we make good our designe as hitherto we did in some one of the latitudes in the preface of this work allowable unto this mysticall Theologie The Epistle Galat. 5. and 6. Chap. Chap. 5. v. 26. If we live in the spirit in the spirit also let us walk let us not be made desirous of vain-glory provoking one another envying one another Chap. 6. v. 1. Brethren if a man be preoccupied in any fault you that are spirituall instruct such a one in the spirit of lenitie considering thine own self lest thou also be tempted 2 Bear ye one anothers burthens and so you shall fulfill the Law of Christ 3 For if any man esteem himself to be something where as he is nothing he seduceth himself 4 But let every one prove his own work and so in
instead of purifying our intentions of honouring as we ought to do one onely God when even under that pretence by the contagion of factious doctrine we Idolize to as many devils as mislead us in the wayes of faction and division For prevention whereof holy Church fitly prayes as above that our intentions may be purified by the unity thereof by intending Gods honour only in those services that are pretended done for Gods sake and not our own interest On the eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost The Antiphon Matth. 9. v. 7. THe sick then of the palsie took up his bed in which he lay magnifying God and all the people which beheld it gave praise to God Vers Let my prayer c. Resp Even as Incense c. The Prayer LEt O Lord the operation of thy mercy direct our hearts because without thee wee cannot please thee The Illustration IF any man doubt what is meant by the operation of our Lords mercy mentioned in this prayer S. Paul in the first verse of this daies Epistle will tell him it is the actual grace of God which the Apostle alwayes gives thanks for as being the cause of the Corinthians conversion of their being enriched in all things appertaining to Christian religion so as to want nothing but the revelation of Christ in glory whom already they beheld in grace as also of their perseverance without crime till the day of doom in that belief unto which by this grace they had been called This is the summ of the Epistle and undoubtedly this is the sense of the prayer begging that as by the operation of Christ his mercy the Corinthians became Christians so we that are by the same meanes of the same profession may by the same help have our hearts directed by the operation of our Saviours mercy towards us by the encrease of his grace within us And indeed that encrease is also properly the operation of his mercy too for the first gift thereof was rather the exhibition then the operation of his holy grace and yet to us it seems like an operation of it too within his own bowels and so as we said above the exhibition of it in our eyes is as the effect of his mercie upon himself but the encrease thereof is the operation of it upon us to whom it is exhibited so by the exhibition of this grace we become children of God and by the encrease thereof we grow to be his champions to live his Saints and die his Martyrs rather then renounce the Faith of Christ Thus we see the first clause of this Prayer hath exhausted the whole Epistle of the day Now that the Gospel should be by the close thereof exhausted too would seem strange if already stranger mysteries had not appeared in the mysterious prayers of holy Church And certain it was for the depth of their spirit that S. Gregory the great collects them all together into a book intituled of Sacraments that is to say of Mysteries as in the preface of this book was hinted not that the stile of Churches prayers is other then plain and easie but that the depth of their meaning is prodigious We have examples in the simple stile of Thomas à Kempis authour of the following of Christ the plainest and the deepest book that ever was written next to holy Writ the fullest of common places and yet the most home to every mans particular that reads it So it is with the Churches prayers they are in words simple and facil but in sense such as the deepest understanding may not be able to sound the bottome of them For instance see how the whole story of the Gospel is wound off by the onely close of this daies prayer if yet the former clause thereof were not appropriable thereunto For what imports the pressing into Jesus presence of the paralytick and those who from the houses top did drop him down into the room where Jesus was when they found not entrance any other way but an infinite faith they had of being cured by the least touch of his sacred person and this to satisfie our selves with the letter of the story not recurring as we might to the mystery thereof What I say means this passage else then a remonstrance of this paralyticks faith in Jesus Christ And who doth not see the close of this prayer excellently well allude to faith since we read that without faith it is impossible to please God Heb. 11.6 Do not we Christians then implicitely beg if not the gift which we have already at least the encrease of faith when we end this prayer with confessing We cannot without God please his Divine Majestie that is to say as without the gift of faith we can be no Christians at all so without the encrease thereof through the operation of Christ his mercy in us we cannot become good Christians such as by works of charity still encrease our faith in Jesus Christ and by that encrease deserve with the paralytick as well the remission of our sins as the cure of corporal diseases since without such remission we cannot please Almighty God and without him no such remission can be had that is without his mercy operate first upon him to pardon us and then upon us when pardoned to offend no more not that this operation of Gods mercy upon himself is any new act but ever is ever was and will be one and the same act in him seeming new to us by the new effects it produceth in us So every way is it an undoubted truth that without him we can no wayes please him And thus do we still adjust the prayers of holy Church unto the other service of the day The Epistle 1 Cor. 1. v. 4. 4 I give thanks to my God alwayes for you for the grace of God that is given you in Christ Jesus 5 That in all things you may be rich in him in all utterance and in all knowledge 6 As the testimony of Christ is confirmed in you 7 So that nothing is wanting to you in any grace expecting the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ 8 Who also will confirm you unto the end without crime in the day of the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ The Explication 4. IN these words S. Paul gives thanks to God incessant for the grace of Christ which was given to the Corinthians who thereby were made Christians An excellent lesson and ought to be frequently practised by us to acknowledge that our perseverance is a continuation of our vocation to Christianity 5. In all things appertaining to your religion Rich in him rich by him that doth enrich you every hour by preserving you in the same vocation he hath called you unto In all utterance in all your words whereby is preached this faith In all knowledge in all true spiritual understanding the doctrine of Christ as who should say I thank God that hath by mine and by Apollo's preaching afforded you all understanding and true sense
contracted through the frailtie of humane nature when Christ our Lord came to shew mercy and give pardon not onely to his own chosen people the Jewes but even to all the Gentiles to all sinners how enormous soever Tell me now beloved is it not with reason Saint Gregory calls the prayers of holy Church Sacraments Mysteries when they are set to the same tune that the mysterious Scripture sings unto the people out of the Preachers mouthes for such we may account the Expositours of holy Writ to be And what marvell if we finde the Antiphon leading the tune to the prayer to point at the latter of these two women rather then at the former since we have heard this was a Gentile that a Jew For hence we that are Gentiles are taught to pray peculiarly for pardon of our owne sinnes moved thereunto especially by the benignitie of our Lord who though he first called the Jew yet he first converted the Gentile because as this Antiphon tells us the Gentiles faith was stronger then the Jews and therefore the obstinate Jew shall not be converted till the latter day when we are to have onely one shepheard and one fold of sheep one Christian Church made up both of Jews and Gentiles and for that reason we do not distinguish in the prayer between them because as it is now onely our prayer to God so hereafter it will be theirs as well as ours without putting the Church to the trouble of a new prayer upon that occasion of increasing the number of her children And assuredly that happy time will come with the greater increase if we with fervour say this prayer in the mean time first for the amâ—ndment of our own lives and for the perfecting our selves as in this dayes Epistle Saint Paul exhorteth us and next for the conversion of the stiff necked Jews prefigured to day in the after reviving of Jairus his daughter from death to life though Christ went first about that worâ— when he had before cured the woman of her twelve years issue of bloud first indeed calling the Jew but last converting him as was said above And for further reason of applying this prayer thus to the other service of the day I remit the pious Christian to the Expositours upon the 20.21.22 verses of the following Gospell Suffice it here is enough to shew that the connexion of parts in holy Churches services hath not been wanting hitherto in some measure or other and out of that little I am able to find I doubt not but deeper souls more habituated to meditation then I am will retrive much more The Epistle Philip. 3. v. 17. c. 4. v. 1. c. Chap. 3.17 Be ye followers of me Brethren and observe them that walk so as you have our form 18 For many walk whom often I told you of and now weeping also I tell you the enemies of the Crosse of Christ 19 Whos 's end is destruction whose God is the belly and their glorie in their confusion which mind worldly things 20 But our conversation is in heaven whence also we exspect the Saviour our Lord Jesus Christ 21 Who will reform the body of our humilitie configured to the body of his glory according to the operation whereby also he is able to subdue all things to himself Chap. 1. Therefore my dearest brethren and most desired my joy and my crown so stand in our Lord my dearest 2 Euodia I desire and Syntiche I beseech to be of one mind in our Lord. 3 Yea and I beseech thee my sincere companion help those women that have laboured with me in the Gospell with Clement and the rest my coadjutours whose names are in the book of life The Explication 17. BE not onely followers of my words but of my actions for so he means by bidding them walk live as they do who follow the form of his Apostolical life and actions Happy instructions for the Priests to do themselves as they exhort others to do and in this shew they are truly ministers of the new not of the old law whence Christ bid the people hear believe and obey but not to do as they did themselves that Mat. 23.4 laid huge burdens on their neighbours shoulders and would not carry the least burden on their own Happy sheep that had now shepherds who would not onely let them out into the pastures but defend them from the wolves by loosing their lives rather then expose their sheep to danger as S. Paul did who in persecution gave his flock a pattern of constancy even to the death rather then he would not follow to a tittle his own form whereby he had taught them born in peace and persecution how to serve God 18. This verse again argues the Apostle reports to good life as well as to doctrine when he tells them here many live contrary to the rule he had framed for them for though they beleeve rightly yet they live they walke awry they keep not the direct path of perfection but follow wayes of their own invention and are to those so fondly wedded that rather then leave their own brainsick imaginations they will even deny what no reason can doubt of These are Schismaticks and Sectaries of whom the Apostle often warned the faithfull and now with teares in his eyes moves the Philippians to beware of them again and tells them they are so far from being Christians that they are enemies to Christ for so he means here by the Crosse of Christ And why his enemies Because they mangle his doctrine in pieces believing what they list thereof and rejecting what they please Of this sort were in those dayes Simon Magus who said Christ himself went off from the Crosse and onely left his picture hanging there and Cerinthus who would needs separate Jesus from Christ and teach that Jesus did indeed truly die and rise again from the dead but that Christ was impassible and so went off from the Crosse leaving Jesus there to die Thus while they invent foolish pieties they become blasphemously impious whence it was Saint Paul said 1 Cor. 2.2 He knew nothing but Jesus Christ and him crucified to shew the fondnesse of those who would separate Jesus from Christ and deny Christ to have suffered at all whence he calls these the enemies not of Jesus nor of Christ but of the Crosse of Christ that is such as deny Christ to have been really and truely crucified For beating down of which the Church brought up the use of crucifixes erected in all places And those also who make such simple imaginations the ground of Libertinisme Saint Paul calls enemies to the Crosse of Christ those who teach austeritie of life and mortification to be needlesse under pretence that Jesus hath suffered all punishment due for sinne and so pâ—ofesse it a kinde of injurie and prejudice to our Saviours passion for any man since that time to use mortification 19. But see the Apostles judgement of such Sectaries while he sayes
our Saviour Jesus Christ but the Majesty and power of Almighty God indeed all the three persons of the B. Trinity so that to requite the love of him who made his Body be our food we are bound to come unto this Sacrament with acts of charity and to avoid the danger of unworthy receivers we are obliged to come unto it with all the fear and trembling we can that is to say by going first to confession and purging our conscience not onely from such sins as we are guilty of but even from inordinate affections to things that are not sin since we see in this Gospel those who had onely such affections were excluded from the Supper that was a Type of this holy Sacrament 2. Again since it was an act of the highest wisdome the second Person of the B. Trinity to contrive himself a Tabernacle in the soules of men wherein his infinite glory might take delight to dwell in hearts that had but a care to keep themselves in his good grace as the Priest sayes to day in holy office Wisdome hath built her self a House meaning amongst other senses Jesus Christ hath made himself a Tabernacle in humane soules that worthily receive the B. Sacrament it is but requisite we shew some zeal to his wisdome as well as to his Love namely that we bring with us to this heavenly banquet such a holy fear as may give testimony we aym at a reverence to his infinite wisdome while we shew a sign that we begin at least our selves to be wise by the best argument of humane wisdome holy fear according to that of Eccles 1. The beginning of wisdome is the fear of our Lord. 3. Nor will it be against the main scope of Christianity which is now continually to perfect charity in us while we joyn other vertues with our acts of love because though love must ever be included in all we say or do yet there is no vertue therefore to be excluded but any one or more may well go hand in hand with charity nay she indeed should never go alone being the Queen and Soveraign of all other vertues so they do but usher her where ere they go in her company as to day we are taught to lead our charity into the Church with a holy feare of our Lord. For which purpose we pray to day that we may come unto this holy Sacrament with equal fear with equal love and that for the reasons alledged in the Prayer as was said in the application of this dayes Epistle On the third Sunday after Pentecost The Antiphon Luk. 15.8 WHat woman if she have Ten groates if she have lost one groat doth she not light a Candle and sweep the house and search diligently untill she hath found it Vers Let my prayer O Lord be directed Resp Even as Incense before thee The Prayer O God who art the Protectour of those that hope in thee without whom nothing is valid nothing holy multiply we beseech thee over us thy mercy that thou being our ruler thou our guide we may so passe by the temporal goods of this world as not to loose the eternall of the next The Illustration SEe how in this excellent Prayer are summed up the contents of the Epistle and Gospel of the day how exactly do we in the beginning of this prayer observe the counsel given us in the Epistle humbling our selves under the mighty hand of God when we implore his protection over us confessing that without him nothing is valid nor holy in us and that we have no other title to his protection neither then his multiplyed mercies towards us upon which mercy we cast all our care all our hope and in confidence thereby to have him our ruler him our guide we commit our selves to the combat against all our enemies which we are to encounter in our passage through this alluring world beseeching his Divine Majesty that by our sober vigilancy over our own actions day and night accompanying his never failing conduct we may maugre opposition obtain the victory and receive the crown of Glory which this prayer petitions Behold it also as well adjusted to the Gospel For who doth not clearly see that whilest he shall not with the Publican hang upon our Saviours lips to hear his counsels and commands but runs his own wayes with the murmuring Pharisee he is presently a lost sheep and falls into sin if not to heresie as this parable imports and so in stead of onely passing by the pleasures of this world as the Prayer above adviseth he contrariwise dwelling on them in the swing of his own inordinate desires indangers his loosing heaven unlesse the good shepherd leave his flock in the desert by his being content for a time to see them want the comfort of his presâ—nce and consolation whilest he runs after his lost sheep and with much care finding him out brings him with joy back again to the Catholike Church if he were gone quite out of it or to Sacramental pennance if he were plunged into the mire of other grievous sins not schisme nor heresie But to come more home to our purpose whenâ—e is all this trouble to our Pastour but because the sheep do not with zeal and fervour say this prayer above do not hope in God but in themselves do not flye the roaring and the ranging lyon but run into his Jawes do not content themselves to feed in the pleasant pastures of holy conversation but run a hunting after the food of vain and worldly pleasures and consequently plunge themselves headlong into hell unlesse by the mercy of this heavenly shepherd they be reduced to an amendment of their lives and at last rewarded with eternal glory Whereunto it will hugely conduce to repeat this prayer often with such relation as we see it hath to the other parts of this dayes Service that so the sheep may do as the Pastour sayes This is the end of all preaching This the end of all prayer The Epistle 1 Pet. 5.6 c. 6 Be ye humbled therefore under the mighty hand of God that he may exalt you in the time of visitation 7 Casting all your carefulnesse upon him because he careth for you 8 Be sober and watch because your adversary the devill as a roaring lyon goeth about seeking whom he may devour 9 Whom resist ye strong in Faith knowing that the self same affliction is made to that your fraternity which is now in the world 10 But the God of all grace which hath called us unto his eternal glory in Christ Jesus he will perfect you having suffered a little and confirm and establish you 11 To him be Glory and Empire for ever and ever Amen The Explication 6. THis verse exhorts to resignation unto the Divine Will in all occasions especially of adversity No marvel the hand of God is here called mighâ—y when it is omnipotent See how we are wooed into our own felicity when we are exhorted to humility and
resignation as a meanes to our exaltation in the time of visitation which is to be understood when God shall think fit to look upon us with the eye of mercy 7. It were an injury to Gods goodnesse for us to cast about for that which God himself takes care for that is our soules good the care of that is his and our rule of that is by him laid unto us so in that affayre we have rather to do what is commanded already then to be solicitous about it as if it were not done And to be solicitous of Temporals is an unchristian care and therefore often forbidden in point of perfection however tolerated in regard of humane infirmity but moderate care is alwayes allowed Christians in order to Temporals when anxious solicitude is forbidden them by many texts of holy writ 8. Sobriety is the best companion of watchfulnesse and therefore both are recommended And because our watchfulnesse is to be perpetual therefore our sobriety must be so too but especially towards night when our hearts onely are to keep the watch whilest our senses are asleep and this because the devil is then most busie in temptations when men are least able to resist having as it were but their wish awake and their will asleep hence all spiritual men recommend temperance towards bed-time both in meat and drink hence the Completory begins alwayes with this very verse to put us in mind with what purity we ought to go to bed having our profest enemy alwayes awake and ready to devour us if he find us off our sober guard 9. Happy we that by the least resistance are sure of victory against this ravenous devil for maugre all his malice and all his power he cannot hurt us unlesse we yeeld our consents to his Temptations Here is added that we must stoutly resist him and believing too because so we get compleat victory for by resistance we overcome him by fortitude we bind him captive by Faith we take away all his armes and power that is by firm stout and constant Faith And again our resistance will have the more force because of what followes in this verse we never are left alone but have alwayes our fellow Souldiers to help us in this Fight against our enemy who never tempts us alone but all other good men at the same time and we have share in their greater resistance by adding what our weaknesse is able to do 10. This next verse comes yet more home to our comfort and assistance telling us besides the help of our fellow creatures we have the help of our omnipotent Creatour against this enemy of mankind the God of all grace who having called us to everlasting glory will not if we help our selves permit the devill to snatch us away into his kingdom of darknesse so that being designed for glory we cannot fear the want of grace for that is the seed and glory the fruit of Gods goodnesse in us O who seeing how much Christ suffered to purchase us patience would not gladly suffer this little we are told must be indured if we will hope for victory Let us therefore with the same zeal begin to suffer as we would desire the happy end of it which is assured victory and glory 11. This last verse minds us that the victory is Gods and the honour of it his though the reward by his mercy be our eternall glory too The Application WE have had hitherto the holy Ghost the sacred Trinity and the blessed Sacrament to help us on in our long journey between Pentecost and Advent which we are to march all upon the feet of Charity but now we must expect no more such speciall helps suffice it we have had last Sunday the corroborating repast whereof Elias his refreshment under the Tree in the desert was but a type or figure when yet he was told that little bread should inable him to his journeyes end although he had a great wâ—y to go after that before he came to the mount Horeb so beloved must our charity from this day forward march upon the late refreshment of the blessed Sacrament till we come in our annuall journey to the mount of Advent the mount of expectation the mount that leaves us on the top of the highest mystery of our redemption the Incarnation of our Lord God where his first stoop to earth was our first step to heaven 2. Now for as much as we shall in this march find charity sometimes handed on by other vertues as last Sunday most properly by holy fear sutable to her in so long a journey and through the many dangers which she was to meet withall in the desert of this world and because at other times she will be in a manner out of sight and carried on with the crowd of other vertues thronging about her to secure themselves by her and to be her guard as they are bound she being sovereign to them all we must not therefore think our design is ill laid and that our obligation ceaseth as to the practise of charity when in the holy Text other vertues are more visible then she for there want not good Divines who grounded on S. Paul his definition or description at least of this majestick vertue affirm there is indeed no other vertue but charity both because God himself is called charity and because in heaven all other vertues are refunded into her so that in these Divines opinions even Faith Hope Humility Patience Obedience and all other vertues whatsoever are but charity believing hoping submitting suffering obeying or the like as one and the self same man by the severall faculties of his soul by his severall senses and members of his body is doing those exercises that such faculties such senses and such members are necessary for Be these Divines right or wrong it boots not to our purpose more then thus to let us see all our actions are good or bad according as they partake or want of charity to give them life or to declare them dead 3. This premised see how humility resignation to Gods holy will sobriety vigilance and a strong faith bring charity along this first-dayes journey after the repast she had last Sunday as above And though the Text tell her she is to carry us through the ravenous Lions walk yet we see the close of this Epistle is that the God of all Grace the God of charity will secure us through these dangers for his own glory if we but love him and will cast our cares on him and will rely upon his multiplied mercies whereof we have dayly and hourely huge experience if we will make him our Ruler him our Guide and if we do not loose our charity to him our Creatour by wasting it away upon creatures unworthy of our love because we cannot grasp temporall felicities without hazard of loosing eternall happinesse Yes yes assuredly this ought to be our duty now Whilest to this very purpose holy Church prayes to day