death is to him the day-breake of eternall brightnesse Vpon his last Bed his blessed soule shall finde that fresh-bleeding Fountaine for sinne and for vncleannesse set wide open vnto it by the hand of Faith ready now at its departure to raze out the last sinfull staine It may confidently in the Name of Christ cast it selfe into the open armes enlarged bowels and dearest embracements of the Father of all mercies It may feele the glorious presence of the sweetest Comforter presenting vnto it a foretaste of Heauenly ioyes It shall haue the last sweetnesse and triumphant truth of all the promises of life able to confront and confound the vtmost rage and very Powder-plot of all the powers of darknesse made good vnto it A mighty guard of blessed Angels shal attend vpon it waiting with longing and ioy to beare it triumphantly into the bosome of Abraham His bodie shall goe into the graue as into a chamber of rest and bed of Downe sweetly perfumed vnto it by the sacred body of the Sonne of God lying in the Graue locked there full fast with the barres of the earth and fenced with the omnipotent Arme of God as a rich Iewell in a Casket of gold vntill the Resurrection of the iust And then after their ioyfullest meeting and glorious re-vnion they shall both bee for euer filled with all those vnmixed pleasures blessed immortalities crowned ioyes which the dwelling place of God the glory of Heauen and the inexhausted fountaine of all blisse Iehouah himselfe blessed for euer can affoord Now let the scornefullest opposite to the power of godlinesse tell me in cold blood whether that honorable wretch or this honest man bee more truely noble and happy For the second So naturall saith Hooker is the vnion of Religion with iustice that we may boldly deeme there is neither where both are not For how should they be vnfainedly iust whom Religion doth not cause to be such or they religious which are not found such by the proofe of their iust actions If they which imploy their labour and trauaile about the publike administration of Iustice follow it onely as a Trade with vnquench able and vnconscionable thirst of gaine being 〈◊〉 in heart perswaded that Iustice is Gods owne Worke and themselues his Agents in the businesse the sentence of right Gods owne verdict and themselues his Priests to deliuer it for malities of iustice do but serue to smother right and that which was necessarily ordained for the common good is through shamefull abuse made the cause of common misery Full well did this learned man perceiue and rightly apprehend that the purity and power of Religion alone doth truely honour all Honours dignifie all dignities actuate with acceptation and life all morall vertues and endowments of art sweeten all gouernment strengthen all States settle fast all Imperiall Crownes vpon Princes heads That it is no humorous conceite but a matter of sound consequence that all either personall duties or imployments of State are by so much the better performed by how much the men are more religious from whose abilities the same proceed That when Heauen is made too much to stoope to Earth Piety to Policy Publike good to priuate ends there authoritie is embittered inferiours plagued and too often Law and Iustice turned into Wormewood and rapine He truly intimates what a deale of hurt is done what a world of mischiefe is many times wrought insensibly and vnobseruedly when a wicked wit and wide conscience weld the sword of authoritie For it is easie and ordinary for a man so mounted by legall sleights putting foule businesses into faire language and by a dissembled pretence of deeper reach to compasse his owne ends either for promotion of iniquity or oppression of innocency especially sith he knowes himselfe backt with that Principle in Policy It is not safe to question or reuerse transactions of State though tainted perhaps with some impressions of miscarriage error And that it is holden a Solaecisme in State-wisdome and vnseemely for priuate innocency to contest too busily with passages of publike Tribunals These things I thus discourse and declare vnto your Lordship to represent vnto you the vanity of that honour which is not directly and sincerely subordinate to the Honour of God at the best it is but a breath and yet not able to blow so much as one cold blast vpon vngodly great Ones when being suddenly carried from their stately and sumptuous dwellings they shall bee cast into vnquenchable flames To let you see the excellencie and worth of those happy wayes to which it hath pleased the Lord of Heauen out of his speciall mercy to bend the eye of your Noble minde and that you may know what it is alone hath had power and the prerogatiue and shall for euer in whomsoeuer takes Gods part to make you both more truely Honourable in your Selfe and more faithfully seruiceable to our King and State both to cast a Diuiner lustre vpon your personal vertues and to make your managing of publike businesses many times most vnworthily swayed awry by that foule fiend Faction partialitie and priuate ends worthy conscionable and iust For which euery honest eye in our countrey that lookes vpon you blesseth you and shall mourne most bitterly for your absence from amongst vs when you shall be gloriously gathered to your Fathers So let all that truely loue the Lord Iesus His blessed Gospell and Seruants bee as the Sunne when he goeth foorth in his might and at last full sweetly set in the boundlesse Ocean of immortall blisse In these wayes of life my Noble Lord which in the sence and censure of Truth it selfe are wayes of pleasure and paths of sweetest peace it is the infinite desire of my heart and drift of this Treatise I now offer into your Honours hands that you would still aduance forward and doe more nobly still That you would improoue to the vtmost the height of your excellent Vnderstanding to a further and more full comprehension of the Mysterie of Christ which though it bee a Sealed Booke to the sharpest sight of the most piercing humane wisedome yet reueales to euery truely humble spirituall eye the rich and Royall treasures of all true sweetnesse contentment and peace That you would hold it your greatest honour and happinesse as it is indeed to grow still in fruitfulnesse in euery good Worke in feruency in spirit in puritie in Heauenly-mindednesse in precise walking c. with singular watchfulnesse and the more punctuall and frequent search and perusall of your spirituall state both because the depths and delusions of Satan are most intricate and infinite and because Not many noble c. 1. Cor. 1. 25. That you would hold on in that valiantnesse for the Truth and all good causes which ordinarily gathers vigour and puissance proportionably to the swelling fury of all aduersarie either mortall or infernall powers Euer patiently passing by with generous magnanimitie and braue
Duels c And was not the discouery and deliuerance from the Powder-plot that great astonishment of Men and Angels one of the most vnparalelled and mercifull Miracles that euer the Church of God tasted Is it not admirable in the eyes of all Christendome that the only Daughter of our King vnworthily hunted vp and downe like a Partridge in the Mountaines should with such Heroicall height of spirit passe thorow so many insupportable dangers difficulties and indignities impossible to be forced vpon Ladies by generous spirits and as impossible to bee borne and ouercome but by an inuincible spirit and that Shee and all her Royall little Ones should bee still safe in the golden Cabinet of Gods sweetest prouidence And to crowne all with a wonder of greatest astonishment doe not we all that are the Kings faithfullest Subiects almost feare still lest we be in a dreame that Prince Charles the Flowre of Christendome should returne home so To say no more Away then with all sowre melancholike causelesse sinfull discontent And Praise ye the Lord sing vnto the Lord a new song and his praise in the congregation of the Saints Let Israel reioyce in him that made him let the children of Zion be ioyfull in their King For the Lord taketh pleasure in his people Hee will beautifie the meeke with saluation Let the Saints be ioyfull in glory let them sing aloud vpon their beds In a word let vs of this Iland as we haue iust cause aboue all the Nations of the earth and aboue all Ages of the Church from the very first creation of it praise Iehoua most heartily infinitely and for euer 2. Neuer hit any in the teeth with deformity of bodie dulnesse of conceit weaknesse of wit poorenesse in outward state basenesse of birth c. For who makes thee to differ from another Either In naturall gifts as comelines of body beauty feature stature wit strength c. See Iob 10. 10 11. Psal. 139. 13 14 15. In ciuill endowments or any artificiall skill vntill it come euen vnto matters of Husbandry See Esay 28. 26. In outward things see Psalm 127. More particularly in preferment and promotion see Psal. 75. 6 7. In children 1. Sam. 1. 27. Psal. 127. 3. In a good wife see Prou. 19. 14. In spirituall things see Ezech. 16. In any thing thou canst name We are all framed of the same mold hewed out of the same Rocke made as it were of the same cloth the sheares as they say onely going betweene it is therefore onely the free loue and grace of God which makes all the difference Whereupon it was an excellent speech of the last French King as his Chronicler reports When I was borne there were a thousand other soules more borne what haue I done vnto God more then they It is his meere grace and mercie which doth often bind me more vnto his iustice for the faults of great men are neuer small Let none then I say ouer-looke disdaine or brow-beate their brethren by reason of any extraordinarinesse of gifts eminency of parts singularitie of Gods speciall fauour or indulgence towards him in any good thing which he denies to others Especially thy selfe being vouchsafed the mercy of conuersion neuer insolently and imperiously insult ouer those poore soules who are beside themselues in matter of saluation who like miserable drudges damne themselues in the Deuils slauery and suffer their corrupt nature to carrie them to any villanie lust or lewd course Alas our hearts should bleed within vs to behold so many about vs to imbrew their cruell hands in the bloud of their owne soules by their ignorance worldlinesse drunkennesse lust lying scoffing at profession hating to be reformed c. What heart except it be hewed out of the hardest rocke or hath suckt the brests of mercilesse Tygers but would yerne and weepe to see a man made of the same mold with himselfe wilfully as it were against the Ministery of the Word a thousand warnings and Gods many compassionate inuitations to cast himselfe body and soule into the endlesse easelesse and remedilesse miseries of Hell And the rather should we pittie and pray for such an one who followes the swinge of his owne heart to his owne euerlasting perdition because as I said before there went but the sheares betweene the matter whereof we were all made onely the free mercy goodnesse and grace of God makes the difference If he should giue vs ouer to the vnbridled current of our corrupt nature wee might be as bad and run riot into a world of wickednesse as well as he if the same God visit him in mercy he might become euery way as good or better then we 3. If the free loue of God bee the fountaine of all our good away then with that fained fore-sight of faith right vse of free-will good workes which should mooue God to elect before all eternitie and that Luciferian selfe-conceite of present merit fit monstrous broode of that Beast of Rome who opposeth and exalteth himselfe aboue all that is called God For workes meritorious fore-seene are equally opposite to Grace as workes meritorious really existing Here you must cal to mind those eight considerations which I opposed against that wicked Tenent of Merit which doth iustly merit neuer to taste of Gods free mercy From the second point in these words These are the generations of Noah whereas the fame and memoriall of all the Families vpon Earth besides lay buried and rotting in the gulfe of euerlasting obliuion as their bodies in the vniuersall graue of Waters the family of Noah a righteous and holy man is not onely preserued in safetie from the generall Deluge but his generations registred and renowned in the Booke of God and conueyed along towards the Lord Iesus as his Progenitors and precedent Royall Line I obserue this point Doct. Personall goodnesse is a good meanes to bring safety honour and many comfortable blessings vpon posteritie see Deut. 5. 29. Exod. 20. 6. Psal. 37. 26. Prou. 20. 7. and 11. 21. Psal. 112. 1 3. Act. 2. 39. Reas. 1. Parents professing Religion in truth make conscience of praying for their children before they haue them as did Isaac Hannah When they are quicke in the wombe as did Rebeckah When they are borne as did Zachariah In the whole course of their life as did Iob At their death as did Isaack And prayers we know are for the purchasing of all fauour at the hands of God either for our selues or others the most vndoubted soueraigne meanes we can possibly vse 2. Godly Parents doe infinitely more desire to see the true feare of God planted in their childrens hearts then if it were possible the Imperiall Diadem of the whole Earth set vpon their heads And therefore their principall care is and the Crowne of their greatest ioy would bee by good example religious education daily instruction louing admonitions seasonable reproofes restraint from wicked company the
furious and filthy proiects in outward acts and vpon obiects abroad their abominable desires rebounding as it were with an impetuous and vnsatisfied rage vpon their heated and enuenomed passions act and execute any kinde of villany vpon the inuisible forge of a cursed contemplation It is strange to consider how many who carry a counterfeit heauen in their outward behauiour should harbour such execrable hells in their hearts 3. Let not passe such a golden opportunitie for thy spirituall good without some sweet comfortable conference with thy God in secret Call and cry out towards Heauen for some speciall Graces by which thou mayest bee most inabled to glorifie God most and to keepe in thy brest a chearefull and heauenly spirit as for precious and incomparable iewels to be purchased with the losse of ten thousand Worlds but not to bee parted with for as many Worlds as thou hast haires vpon thy head Begge with greatest earnestnesse and extraordinarie intention of spirit mortifying grace and spirituall strength for the crushing and conquering of those speciall lusts and vnruly passions that most hant thee and hurt the peace of thy conscience Let a sorrowfull suruay of all thy sinnes draw from thee some hearty groane and feruent eiaculations for mercy and pardon or a summary view of Gods blessings and fauours towards thee fill thy heart with many ioyfull lowly and most thankfull thoughts c. Thus or in the like manner let some part of thy solitarie time be sure to be seasoned with holy musings and talke with God IV. Concerning company I aduise I. That thou neuer cast thy selfe into wicked company or presse amongst the profane especially vpon choice voluntarily and delightfully and abide no longer with them at any time vpon any occasion then thou hast sound warrant and a calling thereunto It is vncomely and incompatible with good conscience it is not for the honour or comfort of Gods children to keepe company or familiarly conuerse with gracelesse men In which point to preuent misconceits and mistakings consider there is a double fellowship 1. Common cold and more generall In treading bargayning buying selling saluting eating and drinking together and in other passages of humanity and entercourse of ciuill society to which charity nature necessity or the exigents of our generall or particular calling doe warrantably lead vs. 2. Speciall deare intimate In consultations and counsels about matters of speciall secrecy greatest weight and highest consequence In spirituall refreshments religious conferences prayer marriage all manner of neerest engagements In a free vnreserued communication of their soules mutuall exchange of the thoughts of their hearts faithfull reuelations of the spirituall state of their consciences one vnto another and in such like blissefull pangs and passages of Christian loue and ardent sanctified affection The former of these the Christian must of necessitie entertaine and exercise sometimes with the men of this world except he will goe out of the world 1. Cor. 5. 10. But the second fellowship is the Saints peculiar The Christian is bound out by the Booke of God the Law of heauen vpon his alleageance to his Lord and Soueraigne and by the common Charter of Gods children from conuersing with delightfull intimatenesse and from the exchange and exercise of those speciall passages of dearest acquaintance with profane men children of darkenesse and enemies of God For these and the like reasons 1. He thereby incurres a double hazard The one of infection with sinne the other of infliction of punishment 1. He that toucheth Pitch saith the Wise man shall be defiled therewith and hee that hath fellowship with a proud man shall be like vnto him Can a man take fire in his bosome and his clothes not be burnt Can a man goe vpon hot coales and his feete not be burnt Prou. 6. 27 28. Neither can any familiarly and intimately conuerse with a profane man but he shall be corrupted There is a strange attractiue and imperious power in ill company to empoyson and peruert euen the best dispositions 1. By holding familiar correspondence with lewd companions there first steales vpon a man a secret and insensible dislike of his former sober courses Hee begins within himselfe to censure and renounce his former wayes of innocency and harmelesse conuersation as too restrayning and distastfull to the ordinary liberty of youth and common frailty of flesh and blood and as too much dissweetned and straitned with vnnecessary strictnesse and abridgement 2. Secondly there slyly insinuates into his heart a pleasing approbation and delightfull assent to the sensuall courses and sinfull pleasures of his lewd companions 3. Thirdly there followes a resolued and habituall change of affections and conuersation a transformation into the manners and conditions of those with whom he doth so familiarly conuerse 4. Fourthly he growes ill-affected and disconceited towards good men and godly exercises because in their prophane boysterous and furious conuenticles of good-fellowship hee heares them dayly rayled vpon iested at belyed and slandered and not a man amongst them to take their parts and to stand on Gods side And therefore by little and little hee himselfe is also transformed into a scoffing Ishmael a breathing-Deuill and so becomes at last as much the child of hell as any of that gracelesse company and damned crew Thus and by such steps and degrees as these many many times especially in the Uniuersities and Innes of Court of good nature honest disposition and perhaps religious education are by little and little caught and fearefully corrupted and at length brought to horrible and vtter confusion both of reputation and outward state both of soule and body by the infectious villanies of lewd and naughty companions But ordinarily Gods children are not in such danger from notorious sinners and from men of such desperate and reprobate conuersation For who in his right wits will runne vpon a man which he cleerely sees hath the plague sore running vpon him What Christian in his right minde spiritually hauing any feare of God in his heart life in his soule or tendernesse in his conscience will delightfully thrust himselfe into the company of swearers drunkards scorners filthy talkers prophane iesters or any fellowes of such infamous ranke especially sith the soule is a thousand times more capable of the contagion of sin then the body of any infectious disease The hurt which the Christian doth take in this regard is most from meerely ciuill men as such as onely professe in forme who being more tolerable and plausible comp anons and yet disacquainted with the great Mystery of Godlinesse vnseasoned with the power of inward sanctification and vnpractised in the wayes of sincerity doe secretly and insensibly infuse if not a notorious infection with some scandalous sinne yet many times a fearefull defection from zeale forwardnesse and feruencie in the wayes and seruices of God Throw a blazing fire-brand into the snow or raine and its brightnesse and heate will bee quickly put out
of a compleate Christian 1. Honestie 2. Vprightnesse 3. Pietie And they receiue much excellency and lustre from a circumstance of time In his generations which were many and mainly corrupt Without any further vnfolding my Texts coherence and dependance vpon either precedent or following parts for Historicall passages are plainer and doe not euer exact the length and labour of such an exact resolution as other Scriptures doe I collect from the first point wherein I finde Gods free grace to bee the prime and principall cause of Noahs preseruation this Note Doct. The free grace and fauour of God is the first moouer and fountaine of all our good Consider for this purpose such places as these Ier. 31. 3. Hos. 14. 4. Deut. 7. 7 8. Rom. 9. 11 12 13. Ioh. 3. 16. Ios. 24. 2 3. Ephes. 1. 5. And it must needs bee so For it is vtterly impossible that any finite cause created power or any thing out of Himselfe should primarily mooue and incline the eternall immutable increated omnipotent will of God The true originall and prime motiue of all gracious bountifull expressions and effusions of loue vpon His Elect is His 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 His merum beneplacitum The good pleasure of His will And therefore to hold that election to life is made vpon foresight of faith good workes the right vse of free-will or any created motiue is not only false and wicked but also an ignorant and absurd Tenent To say no more at this time it robs God of his All-sufficiencie making Him goe out of Himselfe looking to this or that in the creature vpon which His will may bee determined to elect The Schoole-men tho otherwise a rotten generation of Diuines yet are right in this 1. That distinction which I learne from my Master in his heauenly Sermons published since his death doth leade vnto aright and truely inlighten this Head-spring of all our good 1. Some actions of Gods loue vnto vs saith he are so in Christ that they are wholly suspended on Him and His merits are the onely procuring cause of them For example Forgiuenesse of sinnes is an action of Gods loue vnto vs and yet this wholly depends vpon Christ and his merits so that His precious Blood must either procure this mercy for vs from God else they will neuer bee forgiuen and this and the like loue of God is both in Christ and for Christ. 2. There are some other actions of Gods loue which arise meerely and onely out of the absolute will of God without any concurrence of Christs merits As the eternall purpose of God whereby Hee hath determined to chuse some men to saluation this is an action of Gods loue meerely rising out of His absolute will without Christs merits For Christ is a Mediatour and all his merits are the effects of his loue not the cause of it And yet this loue though it be not for Christ yet is it in Christ Ephes. 3. 11. According to the eternall purpose which hee wrought in Christ Iesus our Lord that is in regard of the execution of it for euen this eternall purpose and all the actions of Gods loue which arise from his absolute Will are effected and brought to passe in and through Christ. 3. Wee may take an estimate of the absolute and infinite frankenesse of this vnconceiueable loue of God to his which reacheth from euerlasting to euerlasting by looking vpon that goodly faire sweete amiable creature described Ezechiel 16. In the beginning of the Chapter shee lies most filthy and foule tumbling in her owne blood pittied by no eye abhorred of all which loathsomnesse should rather haue begot loathing then loue auersion and hate then affection and liking yet God Himselfe doth there professe out of a melting pang and ouer-flowing abundance of His free grace that that time was vnto Him the time of loue Hee spred his skirt ouer her and couered her nakednesse In a word after she was dressed and adorned with Gods most skilfull mercifull hand she became a most louely thing First washed with water cleansed from blood anointed with oyle then cloathed with broidered worke shod with Badgers skinne girded about with fine linnen couered with silke decked with ornaments of siluer and gold with bracelets vpon her hands a chaine on her necke a iewell on her forehead earerings in her eares and a beautifull Crowne vpon her head fedde with fine flower honie and oyle so that she became exceeding beautifull and renowned through the whole World for her perfect comelinesse euen mine owne comelinesse which I put vpon her saith the Lord God Uses 1. All praise then is due vnto Iehoua the Author of all our good the Fountaine of all our blisse the Well-spring of immortalitie and life whereby we liue and moue and haue our being our naturall being the beeing of our outward state our gracious being the euerlastingnesse of our glorious state Were the holiest heart vpon earth enlarged to the vast comprehension of this great Worlds widenesse nay made capable of all the glorious and magnificent Hallelu-iahs and hearty praises offered to Iehoua both by all the militant and Triumphant Church yet would it come infinitely short of sufficiently magnifying admiring and adoring the inexplicable mysterie and bottomles depth of this free independant mercy and loue of God the Fountaine and first Moouer of all our good We may and are bound to blesse God for all the meanes instruments and second causes whereby it pleaseth God to conferre and conuey good things vnto vs but we must rest principally with lowliest thoughts of most humble and heartiest praisefulnesse at the Well-head of all our welfare Iehoua blessed for euer Wee receiue a great deale of comfort and refreshment from the Moone and Starres but wee must chiefly thanke the Sunne from the greater Riuers also but the maine Sea is the Fountaine Angels Ministers and Men may pleasure vs but Iehoua is the principall Let vs then imitate those Lights of Heauen and Riuers of the Earth do all the good wee can with those good things God hath giuen vs by his instruments and then reflect backe towards and returne all the glory and praise vnto the Sunne of righteousnesse and Sea of our saluation The beames of the Moone and Starres returne as farre-backe to glorifie the face of the Sunne which gaue them their beauty as they can possibly vntill they be reflected or determine by necessarie expiration the Sunnes eiaculatorie power being finite Let vs semblably euer send backe to Gods owne glorious Selfe the honour of all His gifts by a fruitfull improouement of them in setting forth His glory and by continuall feruent eiaculations of praise to the vtmost possibilitie of our gracious hearts And here I cannot hold but must needs most iustly complaine of the hatefull intolerable vnthankefulnesse of vs in this Kingdome the happiest people vnder the Cope of Heauen had we hearts enlarged to conceiue aright of Gods extraordinary loue and such miraculous mercies
as neuer Nation enioyed Walke ouer the World Peruse the whole face of the Earth from East to West from North to South which is aboue one and twenty thousand miles about both wayes and from one side of Heauen to another thou shalt not finde such another illightned Goshen as this Iland wherein we dwell Of sixe parts of the Earth fiue are not Christian and in Christendome what other part is so free from the reigne of Popery the rage of Schisme or the destroying Sword Or where besides doth the Gospell shine with such glory truth and peace Or in what nooke of the World are there so many faithfull Soules who cry vnto God day and night against the abominations of the times for the preseruation of the Gospell that Gods Name may bee gloriously hallowed His Kingdome come His will bee done in euery place and themselues serue him with truth of heart And yet we are too ready if wee haue not the height of our desires and our wils to the ful in stead of patience teares and prayers which best become the Saints to embitter all other blessings and to discouer most horrible vnthankefulnesse for them by repining grumbling and discontent I am sure by not reioycing as we ought in euery good thing which the Lord our God hath giuen vnto vs and by not improouing the extraordinarinesse of His mercies to our more glorious seruice of Him and more humbly and precisely walking before Him Giue me leaue therefore in short to reuiue and refresh your memories with representation of some generall heads onely of those innumerable speciall fauours with which Gods mercifull hand hath crowned this Kingdome for the stirring vp and enlarging our hearts to the entertainment and exercise of this most necessarie and most neglected dutie of praising Iehoua And here wee of this Nation may a great deale more iustly and rightly say then the French Chronicler in the Preface to his Story That we haue liued in a time of Miracles our Posteritie will hardly beleeue the wonders done in our dayes Was it not a miraculous mercy that such a glorious noone tide of the Gospell as wee haue enioyed all our life long should spring out of the darkest mid-night of damned Popery which vnhappily seized vpon the face of this Kingdome in the time of Queene Marie especially watched extraordinarily and most strongly guarded by all the policie of hell and power of the Pepe that the blood of those blessed Martyrs should bring forth since such a world of Gods sincere worship and so many thousands of gracious Soules who are alreadie crowned with euerlasting blisse That Queene Elizabeth that matchlesse Princesse and Pearle of the World should in those fierie times bee preserued in safetie as a sweete harmelesse Lambe amidst so many mercilesse Romish Wolues who implacably thirsted for her precious life Was it not a wonder that the sacred hand of that selfe-same crowned blessed Lady next vnder Gods Almightie One should in despite of all the Powers of Darknesse and Popish rage raise our true Religion as it were by miracle from the dead a thing which the World so little hoped to see that euen they which beheld it done scarcely beleeued their owne senses at the first beholding That afterward the Siluer line of her much-honoured life should be hid in the endless maze of Gods bottomlesse mercies from the fierce assaults of so many Popish Bulls such a prodigious varietie of murdrous complotments against her sacred Person and all those desperate Assasins of Rome who all her life long hunted full greedily after her Virgin blood And was not our deliuerance in Eightie eight a Miracle when the Sea fought for vs and her proud waues enlarged themselues to swallow vp quick their prouder burden There was a day as many of vs may remember which the Papists called The long-lookt-for Day the Day which should pay for all They meant the Day when Queene Elizabeth should die About which their false prophets were so confident and hopefull that they expected vpon the blood of that Day to haue built their Idolatrous Babel againe For they would needs foretell that it would bee a bloody Day By the vncertaintie of the next Heire said one of them in the late Queenes dayes our Countrie is in the most dreadfull and desperate case in the greatest miserie and most dangerous termes that euer it was since or before the Conquest and farre worse then any Countrie of Christendome by the certainty of most bloody ciuil and forren warres all our wealth and felicitie whatsoeuer depending vpon a few vncertaine dayes of Queene Elizabeths life Clouds of blood saith another hang in the Aire which at the death of Queene Elizabeth will dissolue and raine downe vpon England which then is expected as a prey to the ambition of neighbour-Nations I am sure the false prophet spake to this sense And what comes of all this when the Day came God euen wrought a miracle of mercy for the comfort of this Kingdome and further confusion of such tellers and foretellers of lyes For the Sunne set and no night followed the same mercifull hand at the same time crowned Queene Elizabeth with immortall glory and set the earthly Crowne of this Kingdome vpon King Iames his head without sheading so much as one drop of blood And was it not a miraculous mercy to haue such a King after such a Queene who hath alreadie next vnder that mighty God by whom Kings reigne continued the Gospell vnto vs and preserued vs from the destroying Sword now full twenty yeeres And what do you thinke were twenty yeeres Peace and the enioyment of the Gospell worth were it to be bought Who hath ennobled this Kingdome for euer by his excellent Writings in the cause of Religion against Antichrist which would haue created a great deale of honour to a priuate man minding nothing else How illustrious then doe they make our King The child vnborne will blesse King Iames for his premonition to all the Princes and free States of Christendome and that Royall Remonstrance against the rotten and pestilent Oration of the French Cardinal to the vtter and triumphant ouerthrow of it penned in that stile that none can possibly reach but a learned King his Golden pen hath giuen such a blow to that beast of Rome that hee will neuer be able to stand vpon his foure legs againe hee hath shot out of his Royall bow such keene arrowes taken out of the quiuer of Gods Booke which will hang in the sides of that skarlet Whore and make her laâ—…e as long as she liues Did hee not seale vs an Instrument of his hand as it were to testifie his inuincible cleauing to the Truth which he hath so excellently and vnanswerably defended with his Pen the same day hee gaue the Noble Princesse a second Elizabeth to the Palatine Hath he not most happily and seasonably stopped the hasty torrent of the Arminian Sect the domineering rage of bloody
streines of wit so preualent in mens affections so impatient of contradiction so raging against any talke of reformation and sheltered vnder the wings of good fellowship that the Minister which meddles with them shall twenty to one be ipsofacto a ranke Puritane Against the rest I haue vpon other occasions discharged the Ordnance of Antiquity Heare at this time what the Fathers say against Healthing Ambrose powers out himselfe in a mighty torrent of sacred eloquence with much power and holy indignation against the Healthers of his time as you may see in diuers Chapters of his booke de Helia iniuniâ—… his 13. Chapter is intituled De Potu ad equales calices Of drinking Healths In the 18 Chapter he brings them in thus in their swaggering humour Let vs drinke say they to the health of the Emperour and whosoeuer pledgeth not his health let him be obnoxious and guiltie in point of deuotion Highest prophanenesse Hatefull impietie Shall an honest sober man and faithfull subiect who loues the King dearelier then his owne hearts blood and would willingly both out of courage and conscience powre it out if need required for the preseruation of his person besides Prayer for him in the House of God and in his family makes conscience also of solliciting the Throne of Grace ordinarily twice or thrise a day in priuate with heartinesse and feruency for chiefest and choisest blessings vpon his soule body gouernement posteritie c. and if any conuenient and discontented thought offer it selfe repells it as a diabolicall temptation I say Shall such an one onely because he dares not giue his name by reuelling to that cursed catalogue of carnall condemned workes Gal. 5. 21. 1. Pet. 4. 3. nor conforme to the exorbitant riotous humours of the time lest he wound his conscience and weaken his power to pray for him bee questioned about his good intentions and well-wishing to the King And shall a swaggering Gallant empty many times of all reall worth and truly noble parts onely audacious enough to expose the crowned Maiesty of our earthly gods to cheapenesse and contempt by an vnhallowed tossing the venerable name of Soueraignty amongst his Cups and in stead of praying to which he is of a meere stranger and holds it Puritanicall prouokes daily and hourely and pulls downe all hee can Gods fierce wrath both vpon King and Kingdome by his swearing drinking lying whoring c. Hos. 4. 1 2. I say shall hee bee the Emperours onely friend Whereupon the good Father immediately after ironicaâ—…ly abominates such Bedlam folly Opiae deuotionis obsequium saith he A sweete peece of pious deuotion sure Paul teacheth vs another lesson 1. Tim. 2. 12. That wee should pray for the health and saluation of Kings And therefore it was a wise speech of a great man By your leaue I will pray for the Kings health and drinke for mine owne Great Basil also paints them out and the fashion of his times in his Sermon of Drunkennesse to this sence Then growing to the heate and height of their bouzing and banqueting there comes me out a young man not yet drunke and brings vpon his shoulders a vessell of cooled Wine and he the drawer withdrawne standing in the midst doth deriue and conuey through seuerall crooked pipes to all the good fellow guests equall measure of drinke and matter of drunkennesse This is a new kinde of measure saith he where there is no measure of their measure that by equalitie of their cups there be no grumbling amongst them nor one deceiue or circumuent another in drinking Learned Austin in his Sermons of auoiding drunkennes pursues this luxurious vanitie and swaggering excesse in many zealous passages amongst the rest mee thinks these should moue It is now come to this That at their feasts and banquetings they laugh at those which can drinke lesse and blush not to adiure men by vnfriendly friendship that they would take more drinke then is meete They blush not to swill oftentimes euen vntill they vomit and to drinke by measure without measure Greater cups are prouided They contend by a certaine law of drinking and hee that can ouercome gets praise by his horrible sinne Doe not adiure do not vrge thy friend to drinke but leaue him to himselfe to drinke as much as he please and if he will needes bee drunke let him alone perish and be not both damned Beloued brethren while I tell you these things I free mine owne soule before God Whosoeuer disdaines to heare mee and continues still in his hâ—…mour of drinking or to adiure and vrge others at their feasts shall be full dearely answerable both for himselfe and them at the day of Iudgement And because which is worse euen some men of the Church also which ought to forbidit euen they vrge others to drinke more then is expedient let them henceforward begin to amend themselues and reprooue others c. Aboue all let mee intreate this at your hands nay I adiure you by the dreadfull Day of Iudgement that as often as you mutually inuite one another you would abominate and abandon from your banquets as the very poyson of the deuill that filthy custome by which men are woont either willingly or enforcedly to drinke by great measure without measure c. But those passages which are more punctuall to my purpose are to bee found in the second Sermon wherein hee meetes with those ordinarie excuses which they who are conquered and conforme to the company and times are woont to pretend But they are woont to say saith hee Some great personage prest mee vnto it and vrged mee to drinke more and it was at the Kings banquet I could doe no other Austin answers Well saith he If it come to this that there it be said vnto thee Either drinke or die it were better thy sober body were slaine then thy soule be damned for drunkennesse Secondly saith hee This is but a friuolous and false pretence for Kings and great men because by the mercies of God they are Christians and wise and sober and feare God with all their heart if they see that out of conscience thou stands out resolutely against that drunken custome although they seeme to be angry with thee for an houre or so yet after they will haue thee in great admiration saying What adoe wee had with him And with what threats and terrours did we fright him and yet could not possibly separate him from sobriety For that God which sees that for thy loue to him thou wouldest not conforme to their drunken fashion will giue thee fauour euen in their eyes who seemed to perswade and presse thee to drinke more Take notice by the way lest any causelesly please himselfe in any of the fore-cited passages because hee vseth not to Health vntill he be starke drunke that not only those are to be esteemed drunkards say Diuines who depriue themselues of
and scorne from the World for thy profession which naturally much nettles a noble spirit doe crowne thy head and should fill thy heart with abundance of glory blessednesse and ioy If ye be reproched for the Name of Christ happy are yee saith Peter for the Spirit of Glory and of God resteth vpon you 1. Pet. 4. 14. Blessed are yee saith Christ himselfe when men shall reuile you and persecute you and shall say all manner of euill against you falsely for my sake reioyce and be exceeding glad Math. 5. 11. 12. Scurrilities and scoffes all spitefull speeches odious nick-names lying imputations cast vpon thee in this kind by tongues which cut like a sharpe rasor are in their due estimate and true account as so many honorable badges Let no cowardly Christian then decline them with wounding of his conscience of thy Christian magnanimitie and resolute standing on the Lords side and at the Throne of Christ will be certainely reputed as characters of speciall honour and remembrancers of thy worthy seruice whereby thou shalt appeare more acceptable and amiable in the eyes of Almightie God and all that glorious triumphant Church aboue 5. If thou rightly temper and well weigh euen thy sorest sorrow and the very bleeding of thy heart for sinne it should bee so farre from damping the lightsomnesse of thy spirit that it ought to open vnto thee a well-spring of purest ioy For the penitent melting of our affections and kindly mourning ouer Him whom we haue pierced with our sinnes argues infallibly and sweetely assures the presence and sanctifying power of the holy Spirit And what greater comfort or sweeter delight then that which ariseth from a well grounded euidence that the Fountaine of all comfort dwels in our soules Such teares as burst out of a heart opprest with griefe for sinne are like an April showre which though it wet a little yet it begets a great deale of sweetnesse in the herbes flowers and fruits of the earth As euen in laughing the heart of the wicked is sorrowfull so contrarily euen in such mourning the heart of the true penitent is lightsome and comfortable For habituall ioy may not onely consist with actuall sorrow and contrarily but also euen actuall ioy with actuall sorrow This is no strange thing in other cases when wee see a good man persecuted for a good cause stand to it nobly wee grieue for his troubles but reioyce in his resolution and vndauntednes As wee ought then to grieue bitterly for our sinnes so let vs reioyce immeasurably for such ingenuous grieuing Let vs lament heartily ouer him whom we haue wounded with our abominable lusts but let vs also bee infinitely glad at the very heart roote that they are all pardoned by the powring out of his blood Not the most exquisite quintessence and extraction of all manner of Musicke Sets or Consorts vocall or instrumentall can possibly conuey so delicious a touch and rellish to the outward eare of a man as a certificate brought from the Throne of mercy by the blessed Spirit sealed with Christs blood to the bruised heart and grieued soule of an humble sinner in the very depth of his sorrow 6. If thou be troubled with temptations and exercised euen with varietie of them heare the holy Ghost Count it all ioy when yee fall into diuers temptations To let other particulars passe From the very foulest and most griesly suggestions of Satan thou mayst collect this common glorious comfort That thou art none of his For as hee is wont to keepe vnconuerted men in as merry a moode and faire a calme of outward contentment and inward securitie as he can possibly retiring and reseruing his most fiery darts and hideous temptations vntill hee haue them at some dead lift and vnauoidable strait so all that are broke out of his hellish prison by the help of the holy Ghost he ordinarily pursues with deadly rage and all the powers of darknesse Hee hunts them in his fittest seasons like a Partridge in the Mountaines with troubles without and terrours within The lesse peace thou hast therefore from him the more pleasure mayst thou take in thine escape out of his clutches The more restlessely he followes thee with the fury and variety of his temptations the more sweetly and securely if thou wilt giue way to the counsell of the Prophets and the worke of â—…aith mayst thou repose thy wearied soule vpon the comfortable assurance of being certainly Gods 5. Euery one that hath part in Christs death is bound in conscience and bidden by the blessed Spirit to leade a most merry life euen to keepe a Feast a spirituall Holyday as it were from all seruile terrours slauish sadnesse vncomfortable deiections of spirit For euen Christour Passeouer is sacrificed for vs therefore let vs keepe the Feast 1. Cor. 5. 7. The sweetnesse and excellency of this Feast is notably set out and amplified by 1. the beautifull garments wee put on and weare when we are admitted vnto it 2. The matter and magnificent prouision 3. The musicke 4. The franke and bountifull entertainment and plenty 5. The extraordinarie pompe and princelinesse 1. For the first meditate ioyfully vpon that rich attire and those Royall attributes glorifying and crowning Christs blessed Spouse with most admirable and rauishing beauty Cant. 6. 10. Who is she that looketh forth as the morning faire as the Moone pure as the Sunne terrible as an army with Banners And know that all the essentiall glory and fairenesse which is to be found in the whole Church the Woman clothed with the Sunne as that of iustification and sanctification c. belongs to euery member thereof to euery faithfull Christian. As the morning 1. The morning springs out of the greatest darknesse the night is most darke as they say a little before day the illuminated soule arises out of the most darksome and damned graue of ignorance and sinne 2. The beauty of the morning is principally seene in her ruddinesse The soule that is newly deliuered out of the horror of Egyptian darknesse and hands of the hellish Pharaoh is all ruddy with passing thorow the red Sea of Christs blood that is the ground vpon which all its beauty and blessednesse is built 2. The glory of the morning after its first peeping in the East spreads fairer and fairer in all beauty and brightnesse vntill the mid-day and full illustration of the World Grace in the soule after the first plantation growes stronger and stronger shines fairer and fairer vntil it set in the bottomlesse Ocean of endlesse Glory See Prou. 4. 18. Faire as the Moone 1. The Moone receiues all her light and lustre from the Sunne all the graces holinesse inherent righteousnesse shining in a sanctified soule are the image and impressions of the Sunne of righteousnesse 2. The Moone hath some spots in her face but yet is a very beautifull creature by her borrowed light The Christian is somewhat blacke with the remnants of