there to his son is good with fasting and with alms and righteousnesse A little with righteousnesse is better then much with unrighteousnesse It is better to give alms then to lay up gold 9. For alms doth deliver from death and shall purge away all sin Those that exercise alms and righteousnesse shall be filled with life Here in the Greek copy alms and righteousnesse are exegetically put the one to expound the other but in the Hebrew there is but one word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for them both that being the word in that language for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hence in the Syriack Translation of the New Testament 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is rendred by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Iustitia and so in the Arabick Hence Mat. 6. 1. for Take heed that you do not your alms before men as we reade it the vulgar Latine and some Greek Copies have Attendite ne justitiam vestram faciatis coram hominibus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Namely as the word charity with us though in the larger sense it signifies our whole duty both to God and man is restrained to signifie our liberality to the poor so is the word Righteousnesse in the Orientall Languages If Righteousnesse therefore signifie Beneficence and Bounty then is the righteous according to this notion the bountifull man or as we speak the charitable And that it is so taken in my Text both the generall scope of the Psalm and the connexion with the words before and after is proof sufficient for before goes this A good man sheweth favour and lendeth he will guide his affairs with judgement Surely he shall not be moved for ever Then come the words of my Text The righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance After it follows this He hath dispersed he hath given to the poor his righteousnesse remaineth for ever which S. Paul alledgeth 2 Cor. 9. to promote their collection for the poor Saints at Jerusalem For illustration of this and our further information it will not be amisse I hope to commend to your observation some other places of Scripture where the word righteous is thus taken as namely Psal. 37. 21. The wicked borroweth and payeth not again but the righteous sheweth mercy and giveth Again Psal. 25. 26. I have been young and now am old yet have I not seen the righteous for saken nor his seed begging their bread He is ever mercifull and lendeth and his seed is blessed Here the righteous is the mercifull and bountifull to whom namely this blessing that his seed shall not want is proper and peculiar The same use is Prov. 10. 2. Treasures of wickednesse profit nothing but righteousnesse delivereth from death The same is repeated again cap. 11. 4. Riches profit not in the day of wrath but righteousnesse delivereth from death Where righteousnesse to be taken for alms is apparent out of Tobit 12. where it is so applied and rendred namely Alms doth deliver from death I could adde also another place Prov. 21. 28. but these shall be sufficient Hence appears their error who conceive of the nature of Alms as of an arbitrary thing which they may do if they will or not do without sin as that which carries no obligation with it but is left freely to every mans discretion And this makes some contend so much to have the Priests maintenance granted to be eleemosynary that so they might be at liberty to give something or nothing as they listed But if that were so yet if Alms be Iustitia in the Hebrew tongue and the language which our Saviour spake If our Saviour call'd them Iustitia when he mentioned them who dare affirm then that Iustitia implies no obligation or that a man may leave it undone without sinne So much for the subject The Righteous The next is the Praedicate shall be in everlasting remembrance In remembrance I said with God and men with God in the life to come and this life Let us consider the first The world to come It is certain that at the day of Judgement we shall receive our doom according to our works of charity and mercy and that of all the works that a Christian man hath done these alone have that peculiar priviledge to bee then brought in expresse remembrance before God Come ye blessed of my Father inherit the Kingdome prepared for you from the foundation of the world For I was an hungred and ye gave me meat I was thirsty and ye gave me drink I was a stranger and ye took me in naked and ye clothed me I was sick and ye visited me I was in prison and ye came unto me c. For asmuch as ye have done thus unto the least of these my brethren ye have done it unto me Matth. 25. What doth my Text say The righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance God remembers our good deeds when he rewards them as he doth our prayers when he hears them If to remember then be to reward an everlasting reward is an everlasting remembrance 'T is remarkable that this priviledge which the works of Bounty and Mercy shall have at the day of Judgement was not unknown to the Jews themselves for so we read in the Chaldee Paraphrast upon Ecclesiastes Futurum est ut Dominus mundi dicat omnibus justis ante se constitutis Vade gusta cum gaudio panem tuum ut statutum est pro pane quem dedisti pauperibus obscuris qui esuriebant bibe corde bono vinum quod repositum est tibi in horto Eden id est Paradiso pro vino quod miseuisti pauperibus obscuris qui sitiebant quia ecce modò accepta sunt opera tua bona coram Domino The reason of this prelation of works of mercy at that great day is because all we can expect at the hands of our heavenly Father is meerly of his mercy and bounty we can hope for nothing but mercy without mercy we are undone according to that of Nehemiah in his last Chap. Remember me ô Lord concerning this and spare me according to the greatnesse of thy mercy Now in those that are to be partakers of mercy the divine wisdome requires this congruity that they may be such as have been ready to shew mercy unto others judging them altogether unworthy of mercy at his hands who have afforded no mercy to their brethren for so the Scripture tels us that they shall have judgement without mercy that have shewn no mercy The tenour of our Petition for forgivenesse of sins in the Lords Prayer runs with this condition As we forgive them that trespasse against us And who can reade without trembling the Parable of the unmercifull servant in the Gospel to whom his Lord revoked the Debt he meant to have forgiven him because he shewed no mercy to his fellow-servant who owed him a far lesse Debt Shouldst thou not saith he have shewed compassion to thy fellow-servant as I shewed compassion unto thee
thy prayer be heard to offer something unto him either for relief of the poor the Widow the Orphan and distressed one or the maintenance of his service and worship If God will be with me saith Iacob Gen. 28. and keep me in this way that I go and will give me bread to eat and raiment to put on c. Then shall the Lord be my God and this stone which I have set for a pillar shall be Gods house and of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto thee See the use of vowing by such as came to pray in Gods House Eccles. 5. 4. If thou commest before God in any of these ways thou shalt not come empty-handed But send not thy prayer single and alone the prayer with Alms is the prayer God loveth Hear what himself saith Psal. 50. 14. Offer unto God thanksgiving Alms is an Offering of Thanksgiving and pay thy vows unto the most High So call upon me in the day of trouble and I will deliver thee and thou shalt glorifie me Now I come to the second thing I propounded The power and efficacy which Prayer and Alms have with God Thy prayers and thine alms saith the Angel are come up for a memoriall or are had in remembrance in the sight of God God is said to remember our prayers when he grants them our Alms and good deeds when he rewards them or in a word when he answers either of them with a blessing as on the contrary he is said to remember iniquity when he sends some judgement for it So God is said to remember Hanna when he heard her prayer for a Son 1 Sam. 1. 19. and Nehemiah speaking cap. 5. 19. of his deeds of mercy and bounty shewed unto his poor brethren returned from captivity says Think upon me or remember me ô my God for good according to all that I have done for this people Thus were Cornelius his prayers and alms remembred Prayers therefore and alms be they performed as they should be are powerfull and approved means to obtain a blessing at the hands of God To speak first of prayer What is it that prayer hath not obtain'd It hath shut and opened heaven see the story of Eliah It hath made the Sun and Moon to stand still reade the book of Ioshua It is the key that openeth all Gods treasures and blessings both spirituall and corporall for spirituall blessings Cornelius we see obtained thereby illumination and instruction in Gods saving truth And S. Iames saith If any man lack wisdome let him ask of God who giveth to all men liberally and it shall be given him Ephraim in the 31. of Ieremy prays for converting grace Turn thou me ô Lord and I shall be turned To whom God presently replies Is Ephraim my dear Son Is he a pleasant Childe For since I spake against him I doe earnestly remember him still Therefore my bowels are troubled for him I will surely have mercy on him saith the Lord. Prayer obtains remission of sins I said saith David Psal. 32. I will confesse my transgressions unto the Lord and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin For this shall every one that is godly pray unto thee in a time when thou maist be found Prayer also obtaineth corporall blessings When heaven was shut and it rained not Eliah prayed for rain and it rained Hannah prayed for a Son and she conceived If we be sick saith S. Iames cap. 5. The prayer of faith shall heal the sick Nehemiah prayed that he might finde favour in the sight of King Artaxerxes and found it Chap. 2. 4. But some man wil say If prayer have such power and efficacy how comes it to passe that many even godly men oft pray and yet speed not I answer There are divers causes thereof Either we pray not as we ought or we are not disposed as we ought to be when we pray We pray not as we ought either when we pray not heartily or not constantly For God regards not formall and superficiall prayer but prayer that comes from the heart and loves to be importuned before he grant as our Saviour tels us in the parable of the woman and the unjust Judge whom though at first he would not hear yet importunity made him doe her justice Or secondly we rely not upon God as we ought when we pray but trust more to second means to our wit to our friends or the like then to him And this seems to be that wavering in prayer S. Iames speaks of when he bids us pray in faith without wavering Chap. 1. that is without reeling from God to rest upon second means but as with our mouth we pray to him so should our hearts rely upon him to give us what we ask we often pray to God for fashion but indeed we look to speed by others and so God takes himself mocked and then no marvell if he hears us not If it were our own case we would not listen to such suiters Or thirdly we pray and speed not when we make not Gods glory the end of what we ask Ye ask saith S. Iames and receive not because ye ask amisse that ye might consume it upon your lusts Or fourthly we may ask something that crosseth the rule of Divine providence and justice and then also we must not look to speed David prayed for the life of his childe by Bathsheba Vriahs Wife but was not heard because it stood not with the rule of Divine justice that so scandalous a sin which made the Enemies of God to blaspheme should not have an exemplary punishment In like manner sundry times when the children of Israel rebelled against the Lord and murmured against Moses and Aaron their Governors Moses poured forth very earnest prayers to God for removing his judgements from off the people but God would not hear him because their sins were scandalous and committed with so high a hand that it could not stand with the rule of his justice not to inflict punishment for them Again sometimes and that too often we are indisposed for God to grant our request as first when some sin unrepented of lies at the door and keeps Gods blessing out Psal 66. 18. If I regard saith David iniquity in my heart the Lord will not hear me And his Son Solomon observed it Prov. 28. 9. where he says He that turneth away his eare from hearing the Law even his prayer shall be abomination So God would not hear Ioshua praying for the Israelites when they fled before the men of Ai because of Achans Sacriledge Get thee up saith God why liest thou thus upon thy face Israel hath sinned for they have taken of the accursed thing that is the thing that cursed were those that medled therewith Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their Enemies because they were accursed Neither will I be with you any more except ye put the accursed thing from among you Or lastly
Gloriam tibi tribuo which I think is the better So also in this Chapter Luke 2. 38. it is said of Anna 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Deo laudes gratiasque agebat So Heb. 13. 15. By him therefore that is by Christ let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually that is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the fruit of our lips confessing to his Name By all which it is evident that to praise and give glory unto God whether by praise at large or prayer and thanksgiving in speciall is nothing else as I have said but to confesse and acknowledge his peerlesse Majesty over all and in all which the Scripture cals his glory And if ever there were a work of God wherein all these peerlesse Prerogatives of Power Wisdome and Goodnesse all together appeared in the highest degree it was undoubtedly in this wonderfull work of the Incarnation of the Son of God for mans redemption well therefore might the heavenly Host sing Gloria in excelsis Deo The Power the Wisdom and Goodnesse of the glorious God be acknowledged by the holy Angels and all the Host of heaven for ever and ever This is the meaning of the Doxology Come we now to the gratulation which contains the cause thereof glory be to God on high for ô factum benè ô happy news there is peace on earth good-will towards men One and the same thing two ways expressed for it is an Apposition or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the latter words declaring the meaning of the former Peace on earth that is good-will towards men 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ' Ev for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to wit in imitation of the Hebrew construction where 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 verbs which signifie 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the nown signifying 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 are construed with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in Greek and accordingly both the Septuagint and New Testament expresse the same But the Vulgar Interpreter reads here Pax in terris hominibus bonae voluntatis as if the Greek were 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as now all our Copies constantly read and I beleeve ever did yet Beza seems here to favour the Vulgar Latine expounding Homines bonae voluntatis of those whom God wils well to to wit of the Elect to whom this Peace by Christ belongeth and from the conveniency of this sense inclines to beleeve that the Greek anciently read so quoting to this end Irenaeus Origen and Chrysostome as he saith in divers places But he trusted too much the Latine Translation of Chrysostome for the Greek Chrysostome hath no such matter but both in those places Beza points to and in divers others reads constantly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as our Copies doe And so I make no question Irenaeus and Origen did too in the Greek Originals if we had them to look into But the Latine Translators thought not fit to alter the words of the Hymne so ordinarily sung in the Liturgy and so expressed it in Latine as the Latine Church used And for the meaning I beleeve the Vulgar Latine aim'd at no other sense then what the Greek implies namely that this Peace was no earthly peace but the peace of Gods good-will to man referring the Genitive Case voluntatis not to hominibus but to pax Pax in terris what pax Pax bonae voluntatis hominibus That which makes me think so is because Origen and his Translator in the place Beza quotes for this reading expresly expounds it so And so there will not be a pin to choose save that the Greek expresseth this sense by way of Apposition more naturally the Latine by way of Rection somwhat harshly and yet perhaps the Translatour thought lesse ambiguously Well then this peace on earth is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Gods good-will or favour to men and Gods 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is the peace on earth the Angels gratulate namely the reconciliation of God to men in Christ For by reason of Sin heaven and earth God and man were till now at enmity but by Christ this enmity is taken away and man by the forgivenesse of his sin restored unto peace and favour with God And as by this Nativity God and man became one Person so by this conjunction Heaven and earth Angels and men become one Fellowship one City and Kingdome of God the Kingdome of Satan that Prince of the powers of the Aire who by reason of sin had captivated and brought under his service the whole Earth and thereby held the same at open war and enmity with Heaven being now by degrees to be destroyed and rooted out And this is that admirable mystery of our Redemption by Christ which the Angelicall Host here gratulates by the name of Peace on earth and good-will towards men And that we may not doubt but we have hit the meaning that this peace on earth is Gods good-will to men and therefore expounded by it besides that in the Old Testament peace is often taken for Gods favour and mercy to men as in that of Isay 54. 10. The mountains shall depart and the hils be removed but my kindnesse shall not depart from thee neither shall the Covenant of my peace be removed saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee So if we examine the Use thereof in the New Testament we shall finde it in speciall applied to this our Reconciliation to God in Christ by remission of sin S. Peter to Cornelius Act. 10. describes the Gospel thus The word which God sent to the children of Israel preaching peace by Iesus Christ. And S. Paul Col. 1. It pleased God the Father that in Christ all fulnesse should dwell And having made peace through the bloud of his Crosse by him to reconcile all things unto himself What can be plainer then this The same as I take it he means Eph. 2. when he tels us That Christ came to preach peace both to those that were afarre off and to them that were nigh that is both to Jew and Gentile But what peace namely that through him we both might have accesse by one Spirit unto the Father Hence the Gospel is called the Gospel of peace and God so often in the New Testament the God of peace that is of reconcilement and favour and the Euangelicall salutation is Grace mercy and peace from God our Father and Iesus Christ our Lord. The meaning of this Angelicall gratulation being thus cleared let us see now what may be learned and observed therefrom Where my first Observation shall be this S. Peter tels Cornelius That to Christ give all the Prophets witnesse that through his name whosoever beleeveth in him shall receive remission of sins Our Saviour after his Resurrection expounding the Scriptures to his Apostles sayes the same Luke 24. 47. Thus it is written saith he and thus it behoved Christ to suffer
and to rise from the dead the third day and that remission of sins should be preached in his Name among the Nations But where is this publication of remission of sins by Christ written for in those formall words we shall hardly finde it Let us take here the Angels key and we shall for they tell us that peace on earth is this good-will towards men Now do not the Prophets speak of some peace on earth which Messiah should bring with him when he comes yes surely well then let us look for this publication of remission of sins under that name and we shall finde it Isay 9. 6. Vnto us a Childe is born unto us a Son is given and the government shall be upon his shoulder and his name shall be called Wonderfull Counsellor the mighty God the Father of eternity the Prince of peace that is of peace not between men and men but between God and men and of the increase of his government and peace shall be no end Isay 52. 7. How beautifull upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings that publisheth peace that bringeth good tidings of good that publisheth salvation that saith unto Zion Thy God reigneth which place S. Paul Rom. 10. 15. interprets of the publication of the Gospel of Christ. Esay 53. 5. The chastisement of our peace was upon him that is he suffered for the remission of our sins Is. 57. 19. quoted by S. Paul to the Ephesians Chap. 2. Peace to him that is afarre off and to him that is near saith the Lord and I will heal him Ezek. 34. 24 25. I the Lord will be their God and my servant David King Messiah a Prince among them And I will make a Covenant of peace with them So Chap. 37. 26. Hag. 2. 9. The glory of this latter house shall be greater then of the former saith the Lord of Hosts and in this place will I give peace saith the Lord of Hosts Zech. 9. 10. Shout ô daughter of Ierusalem behold thy King commeth unto thee and he shall speak peace unto the Heathen and his Dominion shall be from Sea to Sea and from the River unto the end of the earth Thus much of the Use to be made of the Angels expression in this heavenly Carol Now I shall propound to your consideration another and that taken from the argument it self namely that if Almighty God our heavenly Father be so graciously disposed to us-ward as to be reconciled unto us by forgiving us our trespasses then ought we semblably to be reconciled to our brethren and forgive them their trespasses when they have wronged or offended us Leo Serm. 6. de Nativit Natalis Domini natalis est pacis ergo singuli fideles offerant Patri pacificorum concordiam filiorum The Illation is good we have the authority of the Apostle S. Iohn to back it 1 Ioh. 4. 10. God saith he so loved us that he sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins What follows Beloved saith he if God so loved us we ought to love end another So I say if God be so gracious to forgive and be reconciled to us we ought as it were to eccho this his loving kindnesse and to forgive and be reconciled one to another This congruity and semblablenesse of our actions and affections one towards another with Gods favour and mercy towards us is the Rule and Reason not only of this but of many other duties he requires at our hands Thus the Jews were every seventh year to manumise their servants as an act of congruity and thankfulnesse to God who had delivered them when they were servants out of the land of Egypt and house of bondage They were bidden to use a stranger kindly because themselves had been strangers and God when they were oppressed had been compassionate and kinde towards them and redeemed them from their thraldome Likewise we reade in the Gospel Luk. 8. 36. Be ye mercifull as your heavenly Father is mercifull And Matth. 5. Blessed are the mercifull for they shall obtain mercy In a word God hath revealed he will shew mercy to none but such as appear before him with this congruity Iames 2. 13. He shall have judgement without mercy that sheweth no mercy and therefore the tenor of our sentence at the last judgement runs Come ye blessed and be partakers of mercy because ye have shewed it But Goe ye cursed without all mercy into Hell fire because ye have shewed no mercy Thus we see how God requires this congruity in generall and as for the particular of reconcilement and forgiving our brother it is written in capitall letters and urged in such sort as it might not unfitly be termed the Livery of Christianity In so much that if we consider it duly it cannot but breed astonishment that the evidence and necessity should be so apparent and the practice among those who look for the benefit of Christ and call upon his Name so little regarded when as I dare boldly pronounce there is no remission of sins to be looked for at the hands of God without it An invincible argument whereof is That our Saviour himself in the prayer he hath taught his Church hath put in a barre against asking it but upon this condition Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive them that trespasse against us If we ask not with this disposition there is no promise that any such prayer shall be heard nay our Saviour tels us in plain terms it shall not If saith he you forgive not men their trespasses no more will your heavenly Father forgive you your trespasses How then can any man whose heart is fraught with malice and meditates revenge against his brother hear this and not tremble Is it not a fearfull thing for a man to carry in his own bosome not only an evidence that his sins are unpardoned but a barre too that he cannot ask the forgivenesse of them Let no man deceive himself Etsi enim multis bonis conscientiis abundemus saith S. Chrysostome reconciliatione tamen contemptâ nullum possumus promereri solatium As the fifth Commandement is called by the Apostle the first Commandement of promise so is this petition for forgivenesse of sins the only petition with condition and such a condition too as our Saviour dwels upon and enforces when he had delivered this form of prayer to his Disciples For he passes by all the rest of the petitions and singles out this alone to comment upon as that wherein the chiefest moment lay and without which all our prayer would be uneffectuall and to no purpose A further confirmation of which we have in that parable of Servus nequam Matth. 18. whom his Lord being moved with compassion when he besought him forgave a debt of ten thousand Talents But he finding one of his fellow-servants which ought him an hundred pence though he fell at his feet and besought him yet would not hear him but cast him into prison
Then his Lord was wroth and said O thou wicked servant shouldst not thou have had compassion on thy fellow servant even as I had pity upon thee And he delivered him unto the tormentors till he should pay all that was due to him The Application is terrible So likewise saith our Saviour shall my heavenly Father doe unto you if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses We are this Servus nequam if when our heavenly Father forgives us thousands of Talents we stand with our brethren for an hundred pence There is no proportion between the offences wherewith we offend God and the offences wherewith our brother offends us And therefore we have no excuse hath our brother wronged us never so often never so much never so hainously For whatsoever it be or how unworthy or undeserved soever our sin our ingratitude to Almighty God is and hath been infinitely greater even much more then ten thousand Talents surpasse an hundred pence To these two testimonies adde a third and that also as the former out of our blessed Saviours own mouth Mat. 5. If thou bring saith he thy gift to the Altar and there remember that thy brother hath ought against thee leave there thy gift before the Altar and goe thy way First be reconciled to thy brother and then come and offer thy gift 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the word whereby the Septuagint constantly render that which the Law cals Corban and the Gospel concurres with them Mar. 7. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Now Corban in the Law is in speciall used for those offerings which were made for atonement of Sin as the Burnt-offering Sin-offering Trespasse-offering and Peace-offering call'd Offerings by Fire or Sacrifices So that this precept of our Saviours here is the same in effect with the former when thou commest to offer an offering unto God for an atonement of thy sin Go thy stay first and be reconciled unto thy brother for without this thy sin shall not be forgiven thee I shall not need tell you that now in the Gospel Christ is the Sacrifice is the gift which a Christian by faith offers unto God for the propitiation of his sin and that this sacrifice is commemorated sealed and communicated unto us in the blessed Sacrament of the Lords Supper whereby it will easily appear how this precept of our Saviours uttered after the style of the legall worship is appliable to the Euangelicall Hence in the ancient Church when they assembled to celebrate this Sacrament the Deacon was wont to proclaim 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ne quis contra aliquem Let no man have ought against his brother And then 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Salute one another with an holy kisse which accordingly they did first the Bishop and Clergy then the Laity the men apart by themselves and the women by themselves and this was a profession of friendship and reconciliation and therefore called Osculum pacis the kisse of peace In after-times the Priest gave this kisse of peace unto the Deacon and he to the chief of the Congregation and so it was given from one to another In stead of which at length was brought in that foolish ceremony still used among the Romanists for the Priest to send a little guilded or painted Table with a Crucifix or some Saints picture thereon to be kissed of every one in the Church before they receive the Holy Bread which they call the kissing of the Pax. So oftentimes profitable and usefull Ceremonies degenerate into toyes and superstitions Our Church though she useth no ceremony retains the substance when the Priest in his exhortation to the Communicants saith If any of you be in malice or envy or any other grievous crime bewail your sins and come not to this holy Table and by the Rubrick the Priest if he know any such is to turn them back unlesse they will be reconciled Lastly the necessity of this duty is testified by that pious and generally received custome amongst Christians to exhort those that are dying to forgive all the world that so themselves may finde mercy and forgivenesse at the hands of God Is it needfull at the hour of death and not as needfull in the time of our health Is there no forgivenesse to be expected at the hands of God without it when we are dying and is there while we are living No certainly All times are alike here and there is no time wherein God will forgive us unlesse we forgive our brother What then remains but that we do every day as we would do if we were to die the next It is a blessed disposition to have a becalmed heart to those who have wronged us and not to let the Sun go down upon our wrath To be able to come before God with confidence and say Lord forgive us our trespasses as we forgive them that trespasse against us MAT. 7. 21. Not every one that saith unto me Lord Lord shall enter into the Kingdome of heaven but he that doth the will of my Father which is in heaven THere are three sorts of men in the world some which call not Christ their Lord as Turks Jews and Infidels some which call him Lord as all Christians but not all in like manner for there are two sorts of them some which call him Lord and that is all others which both call him Lord and doe the will of his Father the administration whereof is committed to him The first of those three sorts those who do not so much as call Christ their Lord it is plain they cannot be saved for there is no other name to be saved by but the name of Christ onely For the second sort those who call Christ their Lord that is are Christians and professe to beleeve in Christ and hope to be saved by him and yet do no works of obedience unto God though such as these may think themselves in a good estate yet our Saviour here expresly excludes them from entring into the Kingdome of heaven But the third sort which doe not onely call Christ their Lord but doe the will of his Father these are the onely true Christians for these there is hope but for none other Not every one saith our Saviour that saith unto me Lord Lord c. Our Saviour foresaw there would be among those who beleeved on his Name such as should think their faith sufficient and that as for works they might be excused having him for their Lord and Captain of their salvation who himself had both undergone the punishment due for their sins and fulfilled that obedience which they should have done So that now there remained nothing on their part for to obtain salvation but to trust and rely upon him without any endeavour at all to please God by works as being now become unusefull to salvation If ever there were a time when Christians thus deceived themselves that time is now as both our practice sheweth plainly by a generall
prayer for the house of Onesiphorus for like good service done to the Offices of Gods House The Lord saith he grant unto him that he may finde mercy of the Lord in that day that is the day of Judgement which is Tempus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 when every one shall receive according to his work The controversie therefore between the Romanists and us is not whether there be a reward promised unto our works we know the Scripture both of the Old and New Testament is full of testimonies that way and encourageth us to work in hope of the reward laid up for us We know that in keeping of Gods Commandements there is great reward Psa. 19. 11. And that unto him that soweth in righteousnesse shall be a sure reward Prov. 11. 18. We know our Saviour saith Mat. 5. 12. Blessed are ye when men revile and persecute you for great is your reward in heaven Also that he that receiveth a Prophet in the name of a Prophet shall receive a Prophets reward And whosoever shall give a cup of gold water only to one of his little ones in the name of a Disciple shall not lose his reward Mat. 10. Again we read Luk. 6. 35. Love your enemies Do good and lend and your reward shall be great and ye shall be the children of the Highest we know also what S. Iohn saith 2 Ep. v. 8. Look to your selves that ye lose not those things which ye have wrought but that ye may receive a full reward But the Question is Whence this Reward commeth whether from the worth or worthinesse of the work as a debt of Justice due thereto or from Gods mercy as a recompence freely bestowed out of Gods gracious bounty and not in justice due to the worth of the work it self Which Question me thinks Nehemiah here in my Text may determine when he saith Remember me ô Lord for my good deeds according to thy great mercy And the Prophet Hosea Chap. 10. 12. when he biddeth us Sow to our selves in righteousnesse and reap in mercy And S. Paul Rom. 6. 23. where though he saith that the wages of sin is death yet when he comes to eternall life he changeth his style But saith he eternall life is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the gracious gift of God through Iesus Christ. For as for our works they are imperfect and whatsoever they were we owed them to him in whom we live and have our being whether there were any reward or not promised for them Neither do we hereby any whit detract from that Axiome That God rewardeth every man according to his work For still the question remaineth the very same Whether there may not be as wel merces gratiae as merces justitiae that is Whether God may not judge a man according to his works when he sits upon the Throne of Grace as well as when he sits upon his Throne of Justice And we think here that the Prophet David hath fully cleared the case in that one sentence Psa. 62. 12. With thee ô Lord is mercy for thou rewardest every one according to his work Nay more then this we deny not but in some sense this reward may be said to proceed of Justice For howsoever originally and in it self we hold it commeth from Gods free bounty and mercy who might have required the work of us without all promise of reward for as I said we are his creatures and owe our being unto him yet in regard he hath covenanted with us and tied himself by his word and promise to conferte such a reward the reward now in a sort proveth to be an Act of Justice namely of Iustitia promissi on Gods part not of merit on ours Even as in forgiving our sins which in it self all men know to be an Act of Mercy he is said to be Faithfull and Iust 1 Ioh. 1. 9. namely of the faithfull performance of his promise for promise we know once made amongst honest men is accounted a due debt But this argues no more any worthinesse of equality in the work towards the obtaining of the reward then if a promise of a Kingdome were made to one if he should take up a straw it would follow thence that the lifting up of a straw were a labour of a work worth a Kingdome howsoever he that should so promise were bound to give it Thus was Moses carefull to put the children of Israel in minde touching the Land of Canaan which was a type of our eternall habitation in heaven that it was a Land of promise and not of merit which God gave them to possesse not for their righteousnesse or for their upright heart but that he might perform the word which he sware unto their Fathers Abraham Isant and Iaacob Whereupon the Levites in this book of Nehemiah say in their prayer to God Thou madest a Covenant with Abraham to give to his seed the Land of the Canaanites and hast performed thy word because thou art just that is true and faithfull in keeping thy promise Now because the Lord hath made a like promise of the Crown of life to them that love him S. Paul sticks not in like manner to attribute this also to Gods Justice Henceforth saith he 2 Tim. 4. 8. is laid up for me a crown of righteousnesse which the righteous Iudge shall give me at that day and not to me only but to all them that love his appearing Upon which S. Bernard most sweetly as he is wont Est ergo quam Paulus expectat corona Iustitiae sed justitiae Dei non suae Iustum quippe est ut reddat quod debet debet autem quod pollicitus est Lastly for the word merit It is not the name we so much scruple at as the thing wont now adays to be understood thereby otherwise we confesse the name might be admitted if taken in the large and more generall sense for any work having relation to a reward to follow it or whereby a reward is quocunque modo obtained In a word as the correlatum indifferent either to merces gratiae or justitiae For thus the Fathers used it and so might we have done still if some of us had not grown too proud and mistook it since we think it better and safer to disuse it even as Physitians are wont to prescribe their Patients recovered of some desperate disease not to use any more that meat or diet which they finde to have caused it And here give me leave to acquaint you with an Observation of a like alteration of speech and I suppose for the self-same cause happening under the old Testament namely of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 changed into 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Righteousnesse into that which findeth mercy for so the Septuagint and the new Testament with them render the Hebrew word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Iustitia not only when it is taken for beneficience or alms as in that Tongue it is the ordinary word in which use we are wont
therefore as none could be a Priest but of the Tribe of Levi so long there could be no Church but of that people whereof Levi was a Tribe A point of sacred Policy so to order the choice of Ministers as shall be most fit to uphold the present state of an established Church The other question we propounded was Why God chose Levi before any other Tribe And of this many reasons may be given As first for Moses sake whom God would honour by advancing the house of his Father to the highest pitch of dignity that mortall man could attain to for what greater honour then to be Embassadour of the Lord of Hosts to be admitted unto the inspection of his most secret mysteries to be Gods 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 his proper and peculiar portion Would God they either knew or beleeved this who think their house disgraced and their blood stained if any of their Kin become of the Clergy It was not so in Gods opinion no nor Moses his neither for had it been Levi of all Tribes should not have been Gods holy one The second Reason was the Nobility of this Tribe for Levi was enabled both generally as being the son of a lawfull Wife and not the son of an Handmaid and specially as being of kin to Moses the Prince of the Congregation In the first respect he was nobler then many of his brethren in the second more noble then any of them This example of Gods own choice of men for his holy Service if we would look unto we would not sin the sin of Ieroboam to make Priests almost of no other but of the lowest of the people I speak not only of the lowest for externall condition but of the lowest for the gifts of their minde for I know it is true which the Virgin hath in her Magnificat That God often puts down the mighty from their seats and exalteth them of low degree 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I know it is true that he often filleth the hungry with good things and the rich he sends empty away but we should know that whensoever we offer unto him he requireth the best thing in our hands and therefore for this worthy Calling we are to give unto him as far as may be the worthiest among the sons of men Another reason why God chose this Tribe afore other may be the smalnesse thereof being not above the sixtieth part of the people A number which God in his wisdome saw fit for that Church as being both sufficient for instructing the people and discharge of the duties of their order and not too great to live of Gods ordinary his Tithes and the other offerings of the Altar whereas the least of the other Tribes were as big as three of it But the last Reason and as it seems one of the chiefest is that which Moses intimates in the very verse following my Text speaking thus of Levi that he said unto his Father and to his Mother I have not seen them neither did he acknowledge his brethren nor knew his own children but observed Gods word and kept his Covenant In which words Moses alludes unto their forward zeal to avenge the Lord of the people which worshipped the golden Calf Exod. 32. where it is said that Moses stood in the gate of the camp and cried Whosoever is on the Lords side let him come unto me And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves unto him Then said Moses Thus saith the Lord God of Israel Put every man his sword by his side and go in and out from gate to gate throughout the Camp and slay every man his brother and every man his companion and every man his neighbour And the children of Levi did according to the word of Moses c. For Moses had said so it follows in the Text Consecrate your selves unto the Lord this day even every man upon his son and upon his brother that there may be given you ablessing this day This blessing here spoken of is our Urim and Thummim the blessing of Sacred Order So bountifully did God reward them who were so forward to be on his side when Moses called them that himself vouchsafed to call them unto his side for ever Whence first we may learn whom we are chiefly to preferre unto this holy Function namely those who are zealous for the Lord of Hosts who preferre the glory of God above all worldly respects whatsoever This got Phinehas the son of Eleazar the High Priesthood this got all the sons of Levi the guerdon of Urim and Thummim the blessing of holy Orders Secondly we may see by the advancement of this Tribe how mercifull our God is We know that Levi's fury did once as much offend him as his sons zeal now pleased him and yet for this one action he forgot the sin of their Father in the bloody slaughter of the Sichemites He remembred not the curse of Iacob Into their secret let not my soul come My glory be not thou joyned with their assembly Cursed be their wrath for it was fierce and their rage for it was cruell Gen. 49. 6 7. Nay he turned the very curse of Iacob into a blessing By dividing them in Iacob and scattering them in Israel Here mercy and Truth met both together and Justice and Peace kissed each other Lastly here God verified his own description of himself That though he be a jealous God and visits the sins of the father upon the children unto the third and fourth generation yet he is also a mercifull God and shews mercy even unto the thousandth generation of them that love him and keep his Commandements And thus have you seen why of Levi Moses said this Blessing And of Levi he said Now I come to the description of this blessed Tribe in these words Gods holy one Let thy Vrim and thy Thummim be with thy holy one How is Levi here called Holy how is this Title given to him above the rest of his Brethren Are not all the Lords people holy certainly whatsoever is meant hereby it is something more specially belonging to Levi then to any other Tribe Which that we may the better finde we must take notice of a threefold holinesse Essentiall Habituall Relative Essentiall holinesse is the holinesse of God all one with God himself and this is a glorious holinesse Who saith Moses is like unto thee ô Lord among the Gods who is like unto thee glorious in holinesse Exo. 15 11. Habituall I call an inherent holinesse such as is the holinesse of righteous men integrity of life or righteous holinesse whereof Abraham Iob David and all the Patriarchs are called Saints and holy men This is that which the Greeks call 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Latines Sanctimonia Relative holinesse I define a speciall relation or relation of peculiarity which a thing hath unto God either in regard of propriety of possession or speciality of presence that which is holy after this manner the Greeks
the use of the things themselves Vrim is Light and Illumination Thummim Integrity and Perfection By Vrim the Jews were ascertained of the counsell and will of God By Thummim of his favour and good will towards them All this agrees to Christ both in himself and in regard of us In himself his brest is full of Vrim full of Light and Understanding in him dwell all the treasures of Wisdome and Knowledge as S. Paul saith He is the Wisdome of the Father by which the world it self was made His heart is also endowed with Thummim with all kind of Perfections He was conceived without Originall sin lived without Actuall sin fulfilled the whole Law of God which is the Law of Thummim the Law of all Perfection Thus to Christ himself agrees both Vrim and Thummim and so it doth also in regard of us for he is an Vrim and Thummim both to us and for us To us he is Vrim a light which enlightneth every one which commeth unto the world He is the light which shone in darknesse but the darknesse could not comprehend it He was that light by which the people as it is said in Matthew 4. which sate in darknesse saw great light And of this Light Iohn came to bear witnesse that all might beleeve in him Ioh. 1. In summe Christ is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Patris the Word and Oracle of his Father by whom we know and learn the Fathers will for so S. Iohn saith cap. 1. No man hath seen God at any time but the Son who is in the bosome of the Father he hath revealed him unto us Neither is Christ only an Vrim but also a Thummim to us For as by Thummim the Jews were ascertained of Gods favour toward them in accepting their Sacrifice so by Christ comming in the flesh is revealed the unspeakable mercy of God to mankind in that he would accept his Sacrifice once offered for the expiation of the sins of the whole world This is that Good-will toward men which the Angels sung of assoon as he was born Glory be to God on high peace on earth and good-will towards men Yea glory be to God on high for this peace on earth and for this good will towards men Thus we see Christ an Vrim and Thummim to us now let us see how he is the same for us and that is when his wisdome and righteousnesse is made ours by imputation So his Vrim becomes our Vrim his Thummim our Thummim that is his wisdome is made ours his righteousnesse and favour with God made ours for this is my welbeloved Son said a voice from heaven in whom I am well pleased In brief S. Paul comprehends both these together where he saith Christ Iesus is made unto us Wisdome Sanctification and Redemption And so Lord let thy Vrim and thy Thummim be with thy holy one And thus much for the speciall consideration of this Vrim and Thummim both personally and typically Now I come unto the generall meaning thereof as it concerns not the High Priest only but the whole Tribe of Levi for this is the blessing of that whole Tribe And in this large respect the meaning cannot be proper for so it belongs unto the High Priest to have Vrim and Thummim nor typicall because the Priests only and not the under Levites were types of Christ but the sense must be analogicall signifying some endowments common to all Levites which resemble the Vrim and Thummim upon the brest of the High Priest Now what these are the words themselves import namely Light of understanding knowledge this is their Vrim and Integrity of life this is their Thummim The first makes them Doctores the second Ductores populi He that wants either of these two wants the true ornament of Priesthood the right character of a Levit. For though these endowments may well beseem all the Tribes of Israel yet Moses specially prays for them in Levi because by him they were to come to all the rest and the want of them in him could not but redound to all the rest It a populus sicut sacerdos the Priest cannot erre but he causeth others to erre also the Priest cannot sin but he causeth others to sin also And this is it that Malachi saith from the Lord unto the Priests of his time Ye are gone out of the way and have caused many to fall by the Law But the Levites of old saith the same Prophet The Law of Truth was in their mouth and iniquity was not found in their lips they walked with God in peace and equity and turned many from iniquity Here you see when the Levites erre the people erre also when the Levites walk in equity the people are turned from iniquity The Ministers of Christ must be Lux mundi the light of the world Vos estis lux mundi ye are the light of the world ye are the worlds Vrim saith Christ unto his Apostles for the lips of the Priest should preserve knowledge and they should learn the Law at hâ—s mouth This light of knowledge this teaching knowledge is the Vrim of every Levite and therefore Christ when he inspired his Apostles with knowledge of heavenly mysteries he sent a new Vrim from above even fiery tongues tongues of Vrim from heaven He sent no fiery heads but fiery tongues for it is not sufficient for a Levite to have his head full of Vrim unlesse his tongue be a candle to shew it unto others There came indeed no Thummim from heaven as there came an Vrim for though the Apostles were secured from errors they were not freed from sin And yet we who are Levites must have such a Thummim as may be gotten upon earth for S. Paul bid Titus in all things to shew himself an example of good works and this is a Thummim of Integrity But besides this Thummim the Ministers of the Gospel have received from God more especially another Thummim like unto that which was proper to the High Priest namely the power of binding and loosing which is as it were a power of Oracle to declare unto the people the remission of their sins by the acceptance of Christs Sacrifice And this directly answers to Thummim in the first sense ACTS 5. 3 4 5. 3. But Peter said Ananias Why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the holy Ghost and to purloin of the price of the Land 4. Whiles it remained was it not thine own and after it was sold was it not in thy power why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart Thou hast not lied unto men but unto God 5. And Ananias hearing these words fell down and gave up c. IN the 110. Psalm where our Saviour is Prophetically described in the person of a King advanced to the Throne of Divine Majesty glorious and victorious The Lord said unto my Lord Sit thou on my right hand till I make thine enemies thy footstool
despising of others be cropped and withered and these I can tell you will quite spoil a garden where many good flowers grow If after this manner we be affected then are we humbled If not we are not sufficiently taken down all our service is hypocrisie nor will our devotions be accepted of that all-seeing Majesty who resisteth the proud but giveth grace to the humble GEN. 3. 13 14 15. 13. And the Lord God said unto the woman What is this that thou hast done And the woman said The Serpent beguiled me and I did eat 14. And the Lord God said unto the Serpent Because thou hast done this thou art cursed above all cattell and above every beast of the field upon thy belly shalt thou go and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life 15. And I will put enmity between thee and the woman and between thy seed and her seed it shall bruise thy head and thou shalt bruise his heel THE Story whereof the words I have read are part is so well known to all that it would be needless to spend time in any long preface thereof Who knows not the story of Adams fall who hath not heard of the sin of Eve our Mother If there were no Scripture yet the unsampled irregularity of our whole nature which all the time of our life runs counter to all order and right reason the wofull misery of our condition being a scene of sorrow without any rest or contentment This might breed some generall suspition that Ab initio non fuit ita but that he who made us Lords of his creatures made us not so worthlesse and vile as now we are but that some common Father to us all had drunken some strange and devillish poyson wherewith the whole race is infected This poyson saith the Scripture was the breach of Gods commandement in Paradise by eating of the forbidden fruit for which Adam being called to an account by the great Judge and laying the fault upon the woman which God had given him for an helper God vouchsafes as ye hear in my Text to examine the Woman saying What is this that thou hast done And she answers The Serpent beguiled me and I did eat These words contain in them two parts First Gods Inquisition accusing Secondly the womans Confession excusing her fact The first in the first words And the Lord said unto the woman c. The second in the last words And the woman said The Serpent c. For the first words which God speaks being considered absolutely are an indictment for some crime as they are interrogative they are an inquisition concerning the same and therefore I call them an Inquisition accusing So the second are a Confession as the woman says I have eaten but with an excuse when she says The Serpent beguiled me and therefore I call them a Confession excusing In the Inquisition are two things to be considered First the Author and Person who makes it which is the Lord God himself So saith my Text And the Lord God said unto the woman Secondly the Inquisition it self What is this that thou hast done In the Person who comes and makes this Inquest being the Lord God himself we may observe and behold his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 his wonderfull goodnesse and unspeakable love to mankinde which here reveals it self in four most remarkable circumstances First in his forbearance And the Lord said When said the Lord namely not till Adam had accused her she who was first in the sin was last questioned for the same and that too because her husband had appealed her God knew and observed well enough the first degree and every progresse of her sin he needed no information from another yet as though he were loth to take notice thereof as though he were loth to finde her guilty yea as though he were loth to denounce the punishment which his Justice required he comes not against her untill now and that as though he were unwilling to come at all If we look back into the story we shall yet finde a further confirmation thereof How long did God hold his hand before he stripped the woman especially of that glorious beauty of her integrity and made her with opened eies to see her shamefull nakednesse She had at the first onset of her conference with the Serpent sinned a sin of unbeleef of God and yet God spared her In the progresse she sinned more in her proud ambition of being like to God himself and to be wise above what was given her and God yet spared her She sinned when she coveted and longed once to eat of the forbidden fruit when it began to seem more pleasing and desirable unto her then obedience to Gods Commandement and God yet spared her At last she takes and eats thereof and so came to the heighth and consummation of her sin and yet behold and see the clemency and longanimity of our good God he paused yet a while untill she had given unto her husband also and then and not till then he opened their eyes to see their wofull misery A lesson first to us men if so be we think the example of God worthy our imitation to bear long with our brother as God bears with us to admonish him as it is in the Gospel the first second and third time before we use him like an Heathen or a Publican to forgive him seven times yea as Christ says to Peter if he repent and ask forgivenesse seventy times seven times Secondly this may be a cordiall of spirituall comfort unto us sinners though we make a shift to keep our selves from the execution of sin yet we finde our hearts full of sinfull thoughts ungodly desires and unclean lusts and such like sinfull motions from the infirmity of our flesh which notwithstanding we cannot ever expell or be rid of yet let us hope that God out of his mercy will bear with our weaknesse and passe by our infirmities who bore with the sin of our first Parents untill it came to execution The second circumstance is the temper of his Justice in that he vouchsafes first to enquire of the offence and examine the fact before he gives sentence or proceeds to execution The like example we have Gen. 11. where it is said The Lord came down to see the City and Tower which the children of men had builded afore he would confound their language or scatter them abroad from that ambitious Babel upon the face of the earth Again Gen. 18. the Lord says I will go down and see whether they of Sodâ—me have done altogether according to the cry of it which is come unto me and if not I will know He from whom no secrets are hid he that formed the heart of man and knows all the works we do he that trieth and searcheth the heart and reins even he will first examine the fact will first hear what miserable man can say for himself before his sentence shall