Deus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 If I Depart I will send the comforter vnto you Iohn 16.7 Christ is risen from the deade 1 Cor 15 4 I am tormented in this flame Luk 16 pray continually 1 Thes 5 17 He was broken for or. sinÌ„es Esay 53 5 He shall be calle d the sonÌ„e of God luk 1 35 * And I saw 7 goulden Candlestickes in the midst of the 7 candles iâ— one like vnto the sonne of man clothed w th A garment down to the foot girt about the paps w th A goulden girdle This is etarnall life to know thee to be the true god Iohn 17 3 SEVEN GOVLDEN Candlestickes Houlding The Seauen Greatest lights of Christian Religion Shewing vnto all men what they should beleeue how they ought to walke in this life that they may attayne vnto eternall life By GR WILLIAMS Doctor of Divinity p 36â—9 with thee is the well of life in thy light we shall see light 1624 Printed for Nathaniell Butter Delaram scupâ— THE CONTENTS OF the whole BOOKE 1 The Misery of Man Rom. 6.23 The summe whereof was preached At Pauls Crosse 2 The Knowledge of God Exod. 34.6.7 The summe whereof was preached Before the King at Greene-wich 3 The Incarnation of the Word Ioh. 1.14 The summe whereof was preached At S. Maries in Cambridge 4 The Passion of the Messias Luk. 24.46 5 The Resurrection of Christ Matth. 28.5.6 The summe whereof was preached VVithin the Cathedrall Church of S. Paul 6 The Ascention of our Sauiour and the Donation of the Holy Ghost Ephes 4.5 The summe whereof was preached At S. Maries in Cambridge 7 The duty of Christians 1 Thess 5.28 The summe whereof was preached Before the King at Theobalds TO THE RIGHT HONOVRABLE AND truly Religious PHILIP HERBERT Earle of Montgomery Baron of Sherland and Knight of the most Honourable Order of the Garter and to the most Vertuous and Zealously Religious Lady the La. SVSAN his most deere and louing Wife and to those fiue blessed branches their most sweet gracious and hopefull children the Lord Charles Herbert the Lady Anna-Sophia Herbert Mr. Philip Herbert Mr. William Herbert and Mr. Iames Herbert all grace and happinesse in this life and eternall blessednesse in the life to come RIGHT HONOVRABLE TO you seauen I dedicate these seauen Golden Candlestickes and to whom should I dedicate the same but to you for in your house and by your light I haue composed them and God hath blessed you not onely in making you great through the fauour of Mutable men but especially in making you good through the immutable grace and fauour of himselfe which changeth not and which hath planted his feare in your hearts and diffused those graces into your soules that doe infalliby accompany saluation and make you to shine as you doe for the sincerity of your profession in the truth of the Gospell and the vprightnesse of your hearts which haue bin euer seene void of all double courtly dealing amongst a crooked and peruerse generation whereof I had almost said the greatest part is either basely filled with hypocriticall flattery or most pittifully blinded with idololatricall impiety and as a sure pledge of his pure loue vnto your Honours he hath giuen vnto you such an inestimable gift so many so sweet and so gracefull children which for all good parts and endowments of nature and for infallible signes of grace I dare boldly say it and I may the rather say it because rather then any other I doe more experimentally know it God hath annointed aboue their fellowes * Especially that worthily beloued child my LORD CHARLES HERBERT of whom for h s admired towardnesse I could truly say more then any that know him not would easily beleeue that neither you nor all yours can be sufficiently thankefull vnto God for them so great a blessing it is to haue so many so many such Oliue-branches round about your Table And therfore as God hath blessed your Honors and made you great lights to shine for godly zeale in this wicked declining world and to be patternes of true piety vnto others round about you So I doe assure my selfe you will not disdaine to accept and peruse these my labours which as a small expression of my vnfained thankefulnesse for those manifold testimonies of your loue and fauours vnto me farre I confesse beyond my deserts I doe most syncerely dedicate vnto your Honours for whose compleate happinesse my witnesse is in Heauen that since first I belonged vnto you I haue daily prayed vpon my bended knees and I doe vnfainedly acknowledge that you deserue more from me then I can performe and haue performed more vnto me then I can any wayes deserue from you And therefore I presumed to dedicate these Treatises vnto your Honours not to shelter them from any stormes of maleuolent tongues but to publish that thankefulnesse vnto the world which my heart euer acknowledgeth to be due vnto you For I know it is fit that whosoeuer publisheth any thing vnfit should beare the whole burthen of his owne fault and whosoeuer ventureth to appeare in print must expect the common lot of all Writers to be variously censured of various dispositions Some as Nebuzaradan burnt the Temple Greg. Cur. past 3. p. c. 20. Nazian in pacif 2. but kept the gold will be content to take the matter and yet blame the Author others will reade it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not to better themselues but to censure others In all these I would neuer desire Patrone to defend mee nor feare enemy to depraue me for what is good will defend it selfe and to flatter those whose pennes are silent and their tongues alwayes babling to condemne others in what they cannot mend themselues were impiety and to feare them imbecility for to please all is vnpossible and to indeauour it is folly And therefore I hope you will receiue them as I tender them They be not vnbeseeming to be knowne by the greatest Monarches for they containe not the smoaking fume of humane reasonings nor the meandrian windings of Controuersiall subtilties but the purest lights of all Christian Religion for I saw that as the Athenians were euer desirous of nouelties so to satisfie this Criticke age affecting nothing so well as quiddities too many men haue addrest their mindes to disputable Controuersies and I found though with griefe that the Aduersaries on either side and especially the Pontificials as if there were not Controuersies enough in Religion doe often forge tenents out of their owne braynes and impute them each one against the other and so each Aduersary striues to make the other say what indeed he abhorres to thinke whereby it happeneth that a great part of disputations being about imaginarie Controuersies is but like a skirmishing in the ayre which seemeth furious but striketh no man and is vainely spent to no purpose but to increase Schisme and to inuolue themselues within the thickets of inextricable
himself incomprehensible coessentiall and coequall vnto his father what therefore should hee merit or wherein could he be dignified by his Incarnation more then he was before his Incarnation Gloria eius augeri non potuit nothing could be added vnto his glorie or if it could his loue to vs could not be so great for then it might bee sayd hee did it not onely for our sake but also for his owne sake that himselfe might thereby be the more dignified and exalted but seeing he was so high before that he could not bee higher so great that hee could not greater and so good that he could not be better it is most certainly apparant that he descended from the height of his dignitie vnto the very depth of humilitie to be made flesh onely for our sake and therefore wee may well say that greater loue then this cannot be that he which is the highest chiefest euerlasting God should descend and be made the Sonne of Man that wee might be made the sonnes of the immortall GOD through him How Satan hath euer laboured more to obscure the truth concerning the person of Christ then any other point of doctrine whatsoeuer Secondly we may from hence see both the subtiltie and the cruelty of Satans dealing for he knoweth that this is the greatest benefit that euer man receiued from God the giuing of this Word to be made Flesh this his eternall Sonne to be made man Quia in creatione dedit te tibi Deus Because in thy creation hee did but giue thy being vnto thee but in this his Incarnation hee gaue himselfe vnto thee and therefore Satan would faine obscure this benefit either by debasing the person and perswading vs to beleeue that he was not so excellent as hee was i. e. not a God or if a God not so high not so excellent as his Father was or else by corrupting the action and suggesting vnto vs that hee did not all for our sakes onely but chiefly for his owne merit as if he were ambitious of vaine-glory which is blasphemy to thinke that he might thereby get him a name aboue all other names And this is his vsuall practise to seeke alwayes at the chiefest to corrupt the greatest points and to ouerthrow the strongest pillars of Christian religion Math. 4.3 for he tempted Christ himselfe and would faine haue ouercome him for hee knew that if the Captaine were once conquered then all the Souldiers would soone be vanquished if the Shepheard were once smitten then all the sheepe would be scattered and so since the comming of Christ he stirred vp more and greater heresies concerning Christ either his person or his offices then he did concerning any other point of Christian Religion for as there is no point so great so waighty no point more comfortable then this concerning the person of our Redeemer because this is eternall life to know him to be the true and eternall God Iohn 17.3 So Satan did neuer bestow more paines about any point to ouer-throw it and corrupt it then he did about this same as they that are but meanely read in the Ecclesiasticall stories and counsels may easily perceiue And therefore I haue euer thought no paines too great no discourses too long no time mispent that is spent to discusse this truth and to dispell those cloudes of errours that doe seeke to obscure the dignity and excellency of the person of the Sonne of God Quia bonum est esse hic For it is good to dwell on this Rocke and here to build vs Tabernacles as Peter saith Iuvat vsque morari Thirdly How maliciously Hereticks haue denyed the Godhead of Christ we may from hence see the peruersnesse of wicked Heretickes for that it is not enough for them to offend God but they will deny him to be a God and as the Athiests will be wicked 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the highest degree by serching so farre into God as to say at last there is no God so will they search so farre into the nature of the Sonne of God that they deny him to be a God vntill the vengeance of God doth make them see their abhominable sinnes and therefore we should all take heed that the God of this world doe not so blinde our eyes as to make vs to deny God our Sauiour Fourthly How thankefull we ought to be vnto God for the giuing of the Word to be made flesh wee may from hence consider how thankefull wee ought to be and yet how vnthankefull we are to God for here wee see that more then this he could not doe for man for the highest God to be made man yea a man of sorrowes as I shall by his helpe in my Treatise of his Passion shew vnto you that we might be made the sonnes of God and the heires of ioy and yet we seldome or neuer set this great benefit before our eyes to be thankefull to God for the same for if we did how could we finde in our hearts with the sight of this goodnesse to heape vp such horrible wickednesse as we doe against his Maiestie to blaspheme his name to abuse his Word to dispise his seruants and to be to euery good worke reprobate O beloued remember what our Sauiour saith If you loue me keepe my Commandements Iohn 14.15 and if you be thankefull to God for this his great loue to you to be vilified and made flesh and made of no reputation for you offend not his Maiestie and render not vnto him euill for good and hatred for his good will And so much touching the excellency of the person that was made flesh he that was the true and eternall God co-essentiall and co-equall vnto his Father CHAP. VI. Of the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The word here shewed by the Euangelist to expresse the person that was incarnate and what it signifieth and why the Euangelist vseth it SEcondly hauing seene the excellency of the person that was made flesh we are now to consider the Word here vsed to declare that person 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Word touching which I will onely discusse these three points 1. What 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifieth 2. Why Christ is tearmed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 3. Why the Euangelist saith here The Word was made flesh rather then the Sonne of God was made flesh What 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifieth First some say that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifieth reason and that the Sonne is therefore called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Reason because as reason is most inward with vs so is the Sonne with the Father as Saint Basil and Nazianzen say or because he maketh vs obedient to yeeld vnto reason as Origen saith others will haue 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to signifie definition because Christ defineth and expresseth the whole nature of his Father Heb 1.3 he being the brightnesse of his glory and the ingrauen forme of his person as Nazianzen and
is not offended in him Why then O thou incredulous Iew wilt thou not receiue thy Sauiour is it because he came poore without any shew of worldly pompe why that should make all men the rather to imbrace him and the more thankefully to acknowledge him because that he which might haue come in Maiestie Cum caelestibus Attended on by Angels would come in pouerty and haue his bed made cum iumentis among the beasts that perish that so by his comming poore we might be all made rich through him and therefore O Iew I doe aduice thee that as thy Fathers accomplished the decree of God in condemning him so doe thou according to the will of God in beleeuing on him and thou shalt be happy for he that beleeueth in him shall neuer perish To whom with the Father and the Holy Spirit be ascribed all Honour Thankes and Praise both now and for euermore Amen A Prayer O Eternall God who as in all things else so more especially in giuing thy dearest Sonne co-eternall coequall and co-essentiall vnto thy selfe to be made flesh subiect to our humane frailties and in all things like vnto vs sinne onely excepted hast shewed thy goodnesse and thy loue to man to be like thy selfe infinite and incomprehensible we most humbly beseech thee to giue vs grace to know thee and whom thou hast sent Iesus Christ to be the onely true God whom to know is eternall life through the said Iesus Christ our Lord. Amen IEHOVAE LIBERATORI FINIS The Fourth Golden Candlesticke HOLDING The Fourth greatest Light of Christian RELIGION Of the Passion of the MESSIAS LVKE 24.46 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And thus it behoued Christ to suffer YOu haue heard dearely beloued how miserably man is distressed by sinne The coherence of this Treatise with the former Treatises how he may be releeued onely by the Mercy of God and how this reliefe is applied vnto vs by the Incarnate Word for he is the true Samaritan that doth helpe the wounded man he is the blessed Angell that doth stirre the poole of Bethesda and giue vertue vnto the water to heale our sores to helpe our soules But alas this Angell as yet is but descended and the waters are not troubled and this Samaritan is but alighted and the poore semi-dead Traueller is not set vp vpon his horse to be carryed towards his Inne that is hee hath not yet entred into the waters of tribulations to saue our soules from drowning in Hell neither hath he put our sinnes vpon his backe that we being freed from the burthen might walke on towards Heauen this resteth yet behind and this Tragedie is yet vnheard and therefore though he much humbled himselfe by his Incarnation yet is that nothing it is but the beginning of sorrowes in respect of his sore and bitter Passion For to redeeme our soules from sinne the deepe waters must enter into his soule and all our sinnes must be laid vpon his backe and for our sinnes It behoueth Christ to suffer Hic labor hoc opus est And this is that which we are now to treat of Thus it behoued Christ to suffer CHAP. I. Of the manifold vse and commodities that we reape by the continuall meditation of the sufferings of Christ Three things that mooue attention THere be three speciall things that doe vse to moue attention 1. An eloquent Author 2. An important matter 3. A compendious breuity And all these three doe here ioyne and meete together in this Text of Scripture For First the Author of these words is Christ Luk. 11.49 First the Author of these words is Iesus Christ the wisedome of God Wisedome it selfe so incomprehensibly wise that all men wondred at the gracious words that proceeded out of his mouth Secondly the summe of these words is the Tragedy of Iesus Christ Secondly the matter is the Tragedie of himselfe the laborious life and the dolorous death of the Sonne of God the chiefest Tragedy of all Tragedies for the Catastrophe hereof hath the effusion of bloud and the mourning not onely of the Sufferer or Parents and Friends but of Heauen and Earth and all the whole world farre more dolefull then the mourning of Hadadrimmon in Valley of Mâ—gyddo The Actors of this Tragedy are Kings Vice-Royes Dukes Scribes Pharises High-Priests Elders of the people The Actors of this Tragedy the Apostles themselues and others all great Christ the King of Kings Herod the great King Pilate the Vice-Roy Annas and Cayphas high Priests Peter and Iudas great Apostles and those that were mute as the Sun the Earth the Stones the Vaile of the Temple and the very Graues did by apparant signes most dolefully bewayle the nefarious death of the Son of God yea more the Angels mourned and the Diuels trembled to behold the same The Theater on which it was acted was Ierusalem The Theater was Ierusalem the very midst and heart of the earth as some imagine according to that saying of the Psalmist Operatus est deus salutem in medio terrae GOD hath wrought saluation in the midst of the Earth Heere is the place where it was acted Hic hic mors vita duello Conflixere mirando Here life and death did striue for victory and here the beholders were men of all Nations Hebrewes Greekes and Romans and the time was their most solemne feast wherein all did â—eete to eate their Paschall Lambe And therefore if there be any Theame that may challenge our eares to lysten and our hearts to meditate vpon the same it is this for this is one of those things that was once done that it might be thought of for euer that it might be had in euerlasting remembrance And the continuall meditation thereof is 1. Acceptable vnto Christ 2. Profitable for vs. For First The continuall meditation of Christs passion what it doth if the rod of Moses which wrought so many miracles in Aegypt and the Manna which fed the children of Israel 40. yeares in the Wildernesse and the Booke of the Law which was deliuered vnto Moses vpon Mount Sinai were to be preserued in the Arke First It is most acceptable vnto Christ as testimonies of Gods loue throughout all generations how much more should we keepe the remembrance of the Crosse of Christ of the Body and Bloud of Christ and of the glad tidings of saluation which we haue by the death of Christ in the Church of God for euermore Our Sauiour gaue but two Sacraments vnto his Church and one of them is chiefely instituted to this end for a remembrance of his suffering for as often as you eate this Bread and drinke this Cup Luc. 22. you shew the Lords death vntill he come 1 Cor. 11.1 And the remembrance of Christs death saith Saint Chrysostome Est beneficij maximi recordatio Chrys hom 8. in Matth. caputque diuinae erga nos charitatis Is the commemoration of the greatest benefit that euer we receiued
thee in his Name and for his sake to forgiue vs all our sinnes to accept his death as a plenary satisfaction to acquit vs from euerlasting death and to giue vs thy grace that for this and all other thy louing sauours vnto vs we may be truely thankefull and most dutifully obedient to please thee and to praise thy blessed Name for euer and euer through Iesus Christ our Lord. Amen IEHOVAE LIBERATORI FINIS The Fift Golden Candlesticke HOLDING The Fift greatest Light of Christian RELIGION Of the Resurrection of CHRIST MATH 28.4.5.6 And for feare of him the Keepers did shake and became as dead men And the Angell answered and said vnto the Women feare not you for I know that you seeke Iesus which was crucified He is not here for he is risen as hee said come see the place where the Lord lay OVR blessed Lord God The coherence of this Treatise with the former and louing Father out of his excellent prouidence and secret loue to Man hath so tempered all the accidents and whole course of mans life with such proportion and equall counterpoyse that euer and anon ioyes and sorrowes are mixt together as wee may easily see in our blessed Sauiour for vpon Mount Thabor he was transfigured in glory Math. 17.2 that his face did shine as the Sunne and vpon Mount Caluary he was disfigured in sorrow that confusion went ouer his face and that in him there was neither forme nor beauty and vpon Mount Oliuet euen now Esay 53.2 Luke 22.43 Verse 44. an Angell comforting him and by and by an agony affrighting him so vpon the Crosse euen now he cries as destitute of all helpe My God my God why hast thou forsaken me yet by and by after as assured of comfort he saith O my Father into thy hands I commend my spirit Math. 27.46 Euen so it is with vs all Nocte pluit tota Luke 23.46 redeunt spectacula mane Heauinesse may indure for a night but ioy commeth in the morning To day we may be sicke at the point to die to morrow wee may be restored to life againe to night in prison and in distresse to morrow at liberty and aduanced to dignitie And this we see plaine in my Text for the last day was a day of cloudes and darkenesse a day of griefe and sorrow for the passion and suffering of the Sonne of God But behold this day is a day of ioy and gladnesse a day of Iubile for the most glorious resurrection of this Omnipotent Son of God for as it behoued him to suffer for our sinnes as you heard so it behoued him to rise againe for our iustification saith the Apostle And so this Angell testifieth that he did Rom. 4.25 He is not here but is risen as he saide Come see the place where the Lord lay And In these words we may obserue The diuision of the Text. 1. The persons here mentioned 2. The action of each person plainely expressed First The Persons mentioned are especially of three sorts 1. Keepers 2. Women 3. Angels Secondly The actions expressed are 1. Of the Keepers watching Christ 2. Of the Women seeking Christ 3. Of the Angell 1. Terrifying the former 2. Comforting the latter And from all this we may see these three things 1. The malice of the Iewes 2. The deuotion of the Women 3. The Office of the Angels And the maine summe of all is The Resurrection of Christ PART I. CHAP. Of the malice of the Iewes against our Sauiour Christ FIRST The malice of the Iewes against our Sauiour Christ is seene in that they did not onely spitefully oppose themselues against him throughout all his life and most vniustly deliuer him to a most shamefull death but also maliciously watched him in his graue that he might not rise to shew the right property of the wicked not onely to throw the righteous downe but also to keepe them downe and to trample them still vnder feete and to hire the Watchmen to belie both themselues and his Disciples that the truth of his Resurrection might not be knowne and beleeued for our saluation O miseri quae tanta insania ciues O wretched men that you are what is your rage as strong as death nay stronger then death and longer then death For the man is dead and he is buried And yet Vos excandescitis ira Your rage is implacable you set armed Souldiers to watch and ward ouer this dead harmelesse man And so we finde what the Scripture saith of the wicked to be true in you Malicia eorum excaecauit eos Wisedome 2.21 Your malice and your wickednesse haue blinded your eyes Nay but this deceiuer said saith some of them That after three dayes I will rise againe A deceiuer indeede Sed pius seductor How wicked men are deceiued But of them onely that deceiue themselues either First By relying too much on his mercy and not thinking of his iustice or Secondly By fearing too much his iustice and forgetting all his mercy or Thirdly By not beleeuing his power either to saue the penitent beleeuers in him or to punish the wicked contemners of him for of all these and the like the Prophet saith The Lord will deceiue you that is suffer you to deceiue your selues He will make his Arrowes drunken in bloud Deut. 32.42 and hee will cause his Sword to goe through your sides But them that truly trust in him he will neuer deceiue nor suffer them to be deceiued in him For our Fathers hoped in him Psal 22.4 and were not confounded But what if you had seene him rise againe what would you haue done would you haue beleeued in him no surely for you know he rose his Disciples testifies it to your faces and your owne Souldiers sayes it and you are faine to hyre them to say the contrary What then would you haue done would you haue crucified againe the Lord of life Yes no doubt such is the malice of the wicked that the death of the godly decies repetita placebit is neuer often enough inflicted O therefore good Lord thou King of Heauen Giue me any head saue the head of a Serpent and any malice saue the malice of an enemy For death it selfe cannot hide me from these but they will rage and rayle on my very Ghost And so much for the malice of the Iewes Part. 2 PART II. CHAP. I. Of the number and the names of these Women that came to seeke our Sauiour Christ in his Sepulcher SEcondly The deuotion of the Women is here commended in that they are said to come early while it was yet darke to seeke Iesus Iohn 20.1 for to imbalme him And for the better vnderstanding of this point these three especiall things must bee considered 1. Their number 2. Their names 3. Their action First Saint Mathew here seemes to say they were two Why three Women went together vnto the Sepulcher Mary Magdalen and the other
15 qud quad 19 Aetneum Aetnaeum 41 num nun◠124 seeing being 196 prestare praestare 438 Hillarius Hilarius 690 Psal pag. 695 Blando Blanda And some other mis-quotations which for want of the copie I cannot directly amend The first golden Candlesticke HOLDING The first greatest light of Christian RELIGION Of the misery of MAN ROMANS 6.23 The reward of sinne is death EVery man saith holy Iob is borne to labour 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 yea necessitie enioyneth all mortall men to labour saith Euripides and euery labourer is induced saith Hugo Cardinalis to performe his worke with alacritie vpon the assured hope of iust reward and therefore the law required that no man should detaine the hyre of the Labourer vntill the morning but as soone as euer hee had done his worke Leuit. 19.13 to pay him his wages because as our Sauiour saith the Labourer is worthy of his hyre and we finde that according as the payment is Luc. 10.7 good or bad so are the Labourers willing or vnwilling to doe their worke for good and present payment makes a painefull and a cheerefull agent Now here the Apostle setteth downe a worke performed and the wages thereof not onely iustly deserued but also presently discharged the reward of sinne is death and in what day thou sinnest Gen. 2.17 in that day thou shalt die the death saith the Lord few words but full of matter Sinne and Death the two most common things vpon the face of the earth for all men sinned except Christ himselfe and all men died except Enoch and Elias and yet two of the most lamentable and most fearefull things in the world for what is more lamentable then sinne or what is more terrible then death Iudges 15.4.5 and yet as Sampsons Foxes were tyed together by the tayles and carried firebrands betwixt them to destroy all the Corne of the Philistimes so here sinne and death are indissolubly linked together with vnquenchable firebrands betwixt them to deuoure all the whole race of mankinde for the reward of sinne is death But I must seuer them for a time to examine these murtherers of men that all wee may hate them if we cannot shunne them and therefore according to the number of the words of this text The diuision of the Text. stipendium peccati mors I desire you to obserue the parts of this tragedie three words three parts 1 the worke performed Sinne. 2 the payment rendred Death 3 the equitie shewed the wages of sin is death All which well considered will shew vnto vs all the most wofull state and the manifold miseries of poore distressed miserable man CHAP. I. Of Originall sinne The first Part. and how the same is deriued from the Parents vnto the Children Of the worke that is done i. e. Sinne. HEre you see sinne is the roote of death and death is the fruit of sinne Sower must be the roote when the fruit doth proue so bitter and sinne must needes bee execrable when as death is a thing so lamentable and therfore sinne makes me quake to thinke of it and death should make you tremble to consider of it because death is the wages of sinne And sinne is either 1 originall Sinne is twofold 2 actuall the first is traduced vnto vs from Adam the second is daily committed by our selues For the first In what day thou eatest of the tree of knowledge of good and euill thou shalt die the death saith the Lord vnto Adam but you may eate Gen. 2.17 and you shall not die at all saith the Diuell vnto Euah she beleeued the Diuell and the man obayed his wife and so both would needes eate and therefore God cannot be true or else man must needes die and he must iustly die because he did vniustly eate i. Of Originall sinne Rom. 5.12 Here was the sinne committed by one and from him it was deriued vnto all for by one man sinne entred into the world and sinne went ouer all and spread it selfe like that far-spreading tree which Olympias dreamt shee bare or like a vile gangrene ouer all the face of the whole earth and corrupted all the race of mankinde for it is a schoole-point most infallible that Adam now stood not as a priuate person or as one particular man but as the roote of all the branches and as bearing in his person the nature of all mankinde And therefore if he had stood we had all stood Heb. 7.9 but as Abraham paying tythes Leui paid tythes in Abraham so Adam sinning we haue all sinned in Adam Et omnes peccauimus in isto vno homine quia omnes eramus iste vnus homo And wee haue all sinned in that one man because we all were that one man saith Saint Augustine And so both himselfe and wee all The dammage that we receiue by Adams fall is two-fold 1. A depriuation of all goodnesse doe by this fact of Adam receiue a double dammage 1. A depriuation of all our originall goodnesse the image of God in vs and the loue of God towards vs and therefore if at the losse of earthly treasures we shew our selues so much grieued O then how should our soules for the amission of such heauenly graces be continually perplexed vntill wee see the same once againe restored 2. An habituall naturall pronenesse to all kinde of wickednesse 1. A pronesse to all wickednesse and to commit sinne euen with greedinesse In respect of the first we are altogether vnable to doe any good for who can bring a cleane thing out of that which is vncleane how can wee being voide of grace bring forth any fruits of goodnesse and In respect of the second wee are naturally inclined to all kinde of euill like a stone tumbling downe a hill that can neuer stay it selfe vntill it come to the bottome So Medea saith Video meliora proboque deteriora sequor Though I see the good yet am I naturally driuen to doe that which is euill for our whole nature being defiled we are wholly inclined to fall from one wickednesse vnto another as the Psalmist speaketh And in respect of both these wee are said to bee conceiued in sinne borne in iniquiitie destitute of grace void of goodnesse nothing but flesh full of corruption children of darkenesse sonnes of wrath heyres of damnation slaues of death for the reward of sinne is death But here it may be questioned and it is not easily to be resolued how originall corruption is traduced from the Parents into the Children The question is not of the verity of the matter for it is plaine Ezech. 18. that our Fathers haue eaten sowre grapes and the childrens teeth are set on edge and euery one may truely say with the Prophet Psal 51.5 in sinne my Mother hath conceiued me but it is of the Mystery of the manner Iohn 3.9 as Nicodemus said to Christ how can these things be for How originall sinne
as hee which beleeueth in Christ as sayth the Apostle and prouideth not for his familie hath denied the faith and is worse then an Infidell and as he which professeth Christian Religion and with his knowledge and Faith and Baptisme hath no good maners no holinesse of life and conuersation which may expresse the liuelihood of this doctrine but hath onely a certaine shew of Religion hauing denied the power thereof is farte worse then an Infidell so is he which sinneth wittingly through knowledge by so much worse then he is which sinneth through ignorance as an inexcusable sinne is worse then that which hath a iust excuse And so Saint Isidore sayth Jsidorus de summo bono l 2. that tanto maius peccatum esse cognoscitur quanto maior qui peccat habetur according to the quality of the offender so is the qualitie of the offence Criminostor culpa est vbi honestior status the greater the man is which sinneth the greater is the sinne which he committeth for as Plato sayth that ignorantia potentum robustorumque hominum hostilis atque teterrima res est the ignorance of great and mighty men is a most vile and hatefull thing Why the sins of great men of eminent place are the greatest sins because it may bee very hurtfull vnto many so may we say that the sinnes of great men and of those that are in place and authoritie are exceedingly sinnefull and doe deserue the greater condemnation not onely because their sinnes are exemplarie sinnes as the old verse sayth Regis ad exemplum totus componitur orbis and as the prouerbe is like Priest like People Matth. 6.23 but also because in them is required the more eminent vertue wee should bee the light of the world and the great men should be the defenders of the distressed and the helpers of the needy and therefore Si lumen quod in te est tenebrae sunt ipsae tenebrae quatae erunt If thou which shouldest be at patterne of all vertue committest sinne how great is thy sin and if they which should be Patrons of the poore Preachers become robbers of the Church and they which should be Releeuers of the needy become oppressors of their neighbours how intollerable is that cruelty Surely though these things should be but small sinnes in others yet in vs they are horrible transgressions Chrysost hom 24 in c. 7. Matth. Quia impossibile omnino nobis est ad ignorantiae praesidium aliquando confugere Because it is vnpossible for vs to finde any excuse for our selues And therefore though Gentlemen and Courtiers Citizens and worldlings doe leade their liues in lewdnesse and turne the graces of God into wantonnesse and thinke it no great sinnes but either the infirmities of their youth or but the custome of their times yet in vs that are the Preachers of Gods Word or in those that are the Gouernours of the people the least sinne or mis-cariage of our selues which perhaps alijs ignoscitur nobis imputatur is but a veniall sinne in others and shall be pardoned will be found a haynous sinne in vs for which we shall be surely punished Bern. l. 2. de consid ad Eugen. for so Saint Bernard saith Inter seculares nugae nugae sunt in ore sacerdotis sunt blasphemiae Triffles are but triffles among secular men but in the mouth of the Priests triffles proue to be blasphemies and therfore the wise man saith that the meane and the simple man shall obtaine mercy Wis 6.6 when the wise and the mighty shall be mightily punished CHAP. VI. How euery sinne and the least sinne of euery one bringeth death YOu haue heard the diuersity of sinners and the inequality of sinnes and therfore I might now proceed vnto the second part which is the reward of sinne but that I may not forget to obserue that the Apostle saith indefinitely the reward of sinne is death to teach vs these three speciall lessons 1. That euery One sinne brings death 2. That the sinne of euery one brings death 3. That the least sin of any one brings death for First He sayth the reward of sinne is death not of sinnes That any one sinne is sufficient to bring death vnto the Sinner 1 Sam. 17. 2 Sam. 20 9. Sueton. in vit Caesar One is inough if there were no more For as one leake in a shippe is sufficient to sinke it and one vaynes bleeding is inough to let out all the vitall spirits and one wound may kill Golias and Amasa as well as 23 did Caesar So one proud disdainefull thought may cast Lucifer out of Heauen one Apple may cast Adam out of Paradise and one sinne may bring death vpon any one of the sonnes of Adam And therefore seeing the puritie of God can abide no sinne and his iustice will so seuerely punish euery sinne Gen. 3.24 we should not giue way to any sinne for though we keepe the royall Law James 2.10 yet if we fail but in any one point we are guilty of all not that he which committeth any one sin committeh all sinnes but that he is as guilty of death by that one sinne as if hee had committed all sinnes and God can as easily spie out one sinne in man though he had no more as well as he could spie out one man amongst his guests which had not on his wedding garment Matth. 22.12 Secondly as One sinne so the sinne of any one brings death That the sin of any one man be he great or small brings death Gal. 3.10 Jerem 22 24. for cursed is euery one whosoeuer he be that continueth not in all things that are written in the Booke of the Law for to doe them saith the Lord and the soule which sinneth that soule shall die saith the Prophet and Coniah if he offend though he were as the Signet on Gods right hand yet will God cut him off saith the Lord. But what haue not Kings and Princes Lords and Ladies great men Knights and rich men haue not they any priuiledge to haue their pleasures nor any prerogatiue to commit any sinne must they haue no more liberty then the poorest peasant Yes that they haue for when the meane men cannot offend but presently they shall be reprooued and it may be punished whereby many times they are brought to repentance and are themselues cleansed and haue their sinnes pardoned the great men The dangerous estate of Great men because many of vs dare not reproue them for feare to offend them and so to be offended by them may goe on in their sinnes without controulement they may doe it without feare though with the more danger for though it be true of a poore fearefull Preacher dat veniam coruis vexat censura columbas that he dares not reprooue these mighty men yet with God there is no respect of persons but Veniam laeso numine nullus habet If Moses the Prince of Gods people
me for to Waite till God deliuereth me And fetch my prison'd Soule from hence to liue at libertie IEHOVAE LIBERATORI FINIS The Second golden Candlesticke HOLDING The second greatest light of Christian RELIGION Of the Knowledge of GOD. EXODVS 34.6.7 Iehouah Iehouah Strong Mercifull and Gracious slow to anger and abundant in goodnesse and trueth Reseruing mercy for thousands forgiuing iniquitie and transgression and sinne and that will by no meanes cleare the guiltie visiting the iniquitie of the fathers vpon the children and vpon the childrens children vnto the third and fourth generation YOu haue heard in my former Treatise the poore and miserable estate of distressed Man The coherence of this with the former Treatise how lamentable hee made himselfe by Sinne I am now to shew you a poole of Bethesda wherein if wee can but bathe our selues wee shall bee made perfectly whole and most comfortably deliuered from all diseases Iohn 5.2 and therefore I beseech you let this Panchrestum this medicine for all maladies be diligently acquired bee most carefully applied to euery sickned soule You shal finde it in Ierusalem i. e. in the Church of God and no where else for extra Ecclesiam non est salus no saluation is out of the Church and you shall finde it by the Sheepe-market i. e. in the place where the sheepe of Christ and children of God doe finde all prouision for their soules that is the Holy Heauenly Scripture and there if you looke you shall finde a porch ample enough for you to enter into this Bethesda in these words which I haue read vnto you The Lord the Lord God or else Iehoua Iehoua Strong Mercifull and Gracious long-suffering and abundant in goodnesse and trueth c. And I hope you will giue the more diligent heede vnto my words Quia speciosi pedes Euangelizantium pacem because as the Pro. Esay sayth the feete of theÌ„ that bring tydings of good things are most welcome vnto vs Esay 52.7 and as the Angell sayd vnto the Shepheards Luke 2.10 I bring you tydings of great ioy which shall be vnto all people For I am now to preach and to expound that gracious Sermon vnto you here which God himselfe hath Preached heretofore vnto Moses in Mount Sinay and it containes the whole discription of Almighty God so farre forth as himselfe thought it fit Chrysost varior loc in Matth. Hom. 9. to reueale himselfe at this time vnto his people and therefore Excutite pigritiam quia non est res leuis quam audituri estis I doe must humbly craue your attention and most diligent obseruation of these things for I thinke that you can neither heart nor reade a sweeter text if God giue me grace to handle it well It is large indeed I must confesse and my allotted time is short and it is as difficult to contract much into a little as to inlarge a little into much yet seeing I cannot speake all that I would I will by Gods helpe speake a little of all as I may The Occasion of these words The occasion hereof is playne enough in this precedent Chapter Moses desired to see God God tells him he cannot because it is as naturall vnto him to be inuisible as to be a God and therefore Saint Iohn sayth Iohn 4.12 no man hath seene God at any time yet to satisfie Moses so much as was fit for his happinesse God sayth that he should see his backe-parts that is hee should vnderstand so much concerning God as the weake vnderstanding of Man could possibly comprehend for hee saw nothing at all after any visible manner but onely heard this voyce describing God and we must know that God hath nâ—ither forepart nor backepart that can be seene with any mortall eyes and therefore this phrase of seeing Gods backeparts is onely vsed quoad captum nostrum after a humane manner and it importeth thus much in effect thou shalt see that is thou shalt vnderstand or see with thine eyes of knowledge my backeparts That God is not to be seene with any materiall eyes that is so much concerning me as thy weake apprehension shall be able to comprehend For First That God is no otherwise to bee seene then with the spirituall eyes of our Faith and vnderstanding it appeareth playne because Moses here saw no visible thing but onely heard a voyce So when God appeared to Elias 1 Kings 19.11.12 there passed before the Lord a mighty strong winde but the Lord was not in the Wind then an Earthquake but the Lord was not in the Earthquake and then came a still soft Voice and the Lord was in the Voyce and so when he deliuered the Law he sayth Ye saw no similitude saue a voyce therefore as God sheweth himselfe none otherwise then by a voyce so he can be seene none otherwise then by the spirituall eyes of our vnderstanding Secondly That by the backeparts of God is vnderstood By the backe-parts of God is vnderstood so much knowledge of God as we are able to comprehend so much knowledge of God as our weake apprehension can conceiue it is apparant in this place for Moses neither saw nor heard any other thing but onely this voyce proclayming these words that I haue read vnto you and therefore this is all one as if the voyce had sayd vnto him this is all that thou canst vnderstand of me that I am such and such a one as I shew vnto thee It is true indeed that I am so glorious to excellent so ineffable and so incomprehensible in my selfe that if I should shew thee my Maiestie and fully declare vnto thee mine excellencie what I am thou wert not able to comprehend it and therefore humano more loqui to speak vnto thee as a man that thou mayest the better vnderstand how farre thou mayest know me I would haue thee to looke vpon a Man and to consider how much more glorie and excellencie shineth in his face then in his backe-partes euen so thou must vnderstand that all this which I shew vnto thee concerning my selfe in comparison of what I am in the excellency of my Maiestie That we can conceiue but the least part of Gods excellencie is but as the back-parts of a man in comparison of his face and fore-parts So farre short is this that thou canst know of me to what I am and yet this least part of my excellency is so much as thou or any man breathing vpon the face of the earth is able to comprehend And therefore the meaning of this phrase to see the backe-parts of God is nothing else but the reuealing of himselfe vnto Moses so farre as Moses was able to comprehend that is a little but not neere all his properties for to be incomprehensible is as proper to God as to be Inuisible Secundum essentiam incognitus secundum maiestatem immensus His Maiestie is immeasurable Thalas apud Paulinum
of themselues but as Dauid was much moued when he saw the people smitten for his sinnes 2 Sam. 2â— 17 and as Iacob halted when the Angell smote him on the thigh Gen. 32.31 so are we many times more grieued to see and more affraid to heare that our Children and the fruits of our loynes shall be punished then our selues And therefore seeing that fearefull curse of the Prophet To serue God is the greatest good that wee can doe vnto our Children Let the iniquity of his Father be had in remembrance and let not the sinne of his Mother be done away doth light so heauily vpon the Children of the wicked it should teach all Parents that loue their Children To feare the Lord and to striue more to get Gods blessing rather then the greatest patrimony vnto our Children for they may assure themselues that as the old verse saith De male quaesitis vix gaudet tertius haeres If they haue inlarged their substance by wicked meanes it will be the onely meanes to cut off all their posterity as may be seene in Saul Achab Ieroboam and the like but the blessing of the Lord perpetuateth the same And therefore as some for the loue that they beare vnto their Children will giue themselues vnto the Diuell by committing all sinnes in oppressing others to inrich them so let vs if we loue our Children cease to sinne for this will free our selues from woe and bring the best blessing vnto them and Secondly It should teach all Children to be humbled and to pray to God with our lyturgy saying Remember not Lord our offences nor the offences of our Fore-fathers but spare vs good Lord spare thy people and giue vs thy grace and forgiue vs all our sinnes through Iesus Christ our Lord Amen And thus I haue shewed thee O man Quid sit optimum What is the chiefest good and what we may learne concerning God that he is an Omnipotent eternall being good vnto all specially vnto his Saints and iust vnto sinners And now Quid nisi vota supersunt What remaineth but to apply all this vnto our soules to beleeue in him to loue him and to feare him and to prayse his name his blessed name for euermore for it is a good thing to sing prayses vnto our God yea and it becommeth well the iust to be thankefull Psal vlt. Verse vlt. And therefore prayse thou the Lord O my soule and all that is within me prayse his holy name and let euery thing that hath breath prayse the Lord through Iesus Christ our Lord. Amen Amen A Prayer O Eternall God whom to know as thou art is vnpossible as thou hast reuealed in thy Word eternall life wee most humbly beseech thee to open the eyes of our vnderstanding that wee may see thee at all times in all places and in all our actions and giue vs O Lord thy heauenly grace that seeing thee wee may loue thee with all our hearts feare thy power extoll thy goodnesse and admire thy iustice to preserue vs from all sinnes and to retaine vs in thy wayes to thine eternall glory and to our endlesse comfort Amen IEHOVAE LIBERATORI FINIS The Third Golden Candlesticke HOLDING The Third greatest Light of Christian RELIGION Of the Incarnation of the WORD IOHN 1.14 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And the Word was made Flesh I Haue described in my formost Treatise O Theophilus The coherence of this Treatise with the former Treatises O dearely beloued of God the miserable estate of that poore man that was eiected out of Paradise and left halfe dead betweene Ierusalem and Iericho betwixt Heauen and Hell being already excluded out of Heauen but not fully thrust and intruded into Hell and in my next Treatise I haue shewed vnto thee a poole of Bethesda John 5.2 and brought vnto thee a good Samaritan that is onely able and willing to heale all thy maladies but as yet thou wantest an Angel to stirre the Waters and this good Samaritan hath not alighted and therefore I must now shew you how to apply the salue vnto the sore and how the Angel of the Couenant Iesus Christ alighted and descended from the throne of his Maiestie which is his horse for he â—ideth vpon the Heauens Psal 68.4 as vpon an horse to releeue this poore distressed and afflicted man And this by Gods helpe I shall doe out of these words The Word was made flesh for here is the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Esay 7.14 the salue laid vnto the sore here is Emmanuel God with vs the blessed God which I haue described in my last Treatise vnited and made one with vs which in my first Tract I haue shewed to be so miserably afflicted and therefore we may now reioyce and be assured of our health and saluation because the Word is made flesh CHAP. I. Of the excellency of the Knowledge of Iesus Christ God hath fixed many impressions of his goodnesse in the creatures WHosoeuer will religiously and seriously obserue those manifold impressions of the Diuine goodnesse which the Lord God hath not slightly planted in the natures of all liuing creatures for a short space to be preached but hath also indelibly fixed in the memory of all ages most seriously to be considered he shall surely finde sufficient matter of reuerence loue and admiration but he shall be neuer able sufficiently to comprehend the excellency of so huge an Ocean of goodnesse within the straight and narrow compasse of his vnderstanding This were but with Saint Augustines Boy to empty the Ocean Sea with an Oyster-shell into an hole and therefore the serious and continuall contemplation of such plentifull and farre-spread goodnesse of God did so inuade and fill the thoughts of that Kingly Prophet Dauid that being as it were rauished or wrapt in an extacie at the inexplicable expression and vnconceiueable consideration of the same hee breaketh forth into these heauenly acclamations saying O Iehoua In coelis est benignitas tua Psal 36.5.6.7 O Lord our Gouernour How excellent is thy Name in all the world thou that hast set thy glory aboue the Heauens thy faithfulnesse reacheth vnto the cloudes thy righteousnesse is like the strong mountaines Psal 147. thy iudgements are like the great deepe thou sauest O Lord both man and beast But I will not suffer my speech at this time to enter into that infinite Ocean of Gods goodnesse whereby he giueth food vnto all flesh feeding the young Rauens that call vpon him and whereby he adorneth the fields with all kinde of fruitfull trees and pleasant flowers and all flowers with sweet smels and delicate colours neither will I enter into any part or parcell of his excellent prouidence whereby he gouerneth the whole world by his wisedome sustaineth all things by his power and relieueth all things by his goodnesse for this is too large a field for me to post ouer in so short a space as is now allotted me to
this rather then they will leese their vayne and wanton pleasures So foolish are they and ignorant euen as it were beasts before him I haue read of Honorius a Roman Emperour that when one told him Rome was lost he was exceedingly grieued and cried alas alas for he supposed it was his henne so called which he exceedingly loued but when it was told him it was his Imperiall Citie Rome that was besieged by Alaricus and was now taken and lost then his spirits were reuiued that his losse was not so great as he imagined we may well thinke this to bee a simple and a childish disposition and yet our selues are worthie of the same condemnation for if we leese a little wealth a little pleasure a little vanitie things of themselues good for nothing because of themselues they can make nothing good and then as the prouerbe goeth that is too deere of a farthing which is good for nothing yet for these trifles wee will vex and fret weepe and wayle Zechar 12.11 and our mourning wil be Like the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddo but when we leese our soules in the desarts of sinne and when wee leese our God for sinne then with the Israelites wee sit downâ— to eate and drinke and rise vp to play Exod. 32.6 But seeing as the Emperor Seuerus sayd though wee bee all things and haue all things that the world can afford vs yet all things will auayle vs nothing without this thing because as I said before Christ is all things and all things without Christ are nothing seeing with Ixion they doe imbrace a cloud for Iuno a shadow for the body trash for treasure and a short momentarie dreame of pleasure in stead of the true and eternall rest which seeke their rest but not in Christ and seeing as hee sayth himselfe it is eternall life to know him with his father John 17.3 to bee the true and eternall God I will therefore craue your Christian patience and desire your carefull attention to hearken vnto the seuerall parts of this text and to retaine in your memories those chiefest obseruations that I shall collect from the same all I cannot and as I would I cannot I must ingeneously confesse it Nam mysterium singulariter mirabile mirabiliter singulare for it is a mysterie singularly wonderfull and wonderfully singular and indeede the mysterie of all mysteries and therefore Si profundum in profundo non reperiam humanam fragilitatem non diuinam potentiam confundo If I doe not handle the same as I ought to doe I shall but bewray mine owne humaine frailtie and no wayes impeach or disparage this diuine veritie And because as it is the first the greatest the chiefest and the comfortablest point of all Christian Religion so it hath beene and is and I feare euer will be most chiefely oppugned and depraued on all sides by all sorts of enemies and wicked Heretickes therefore as this mine introduction is somewhat large yet not to large either preparation or expectation for so great a matter as followeth after so you must giue mee leaue to insist the longer about it and not Myndus-like to suffer my porch to bee greater then my towne And if I shall seeme harsh in the prosecution and not giue full satisfaction vnto your desires and expectation you must know that they are poynts to informe the iudgement and apprehension and not to moue or to inflame the affection and therefore harder a great deale and more painefull for vs to handle them then to treat of any morall poynts of exhortation and though they be lesse delectable for the present yet are they farre more profitable for the future time especially vnto them that will most seriously consider them and most carefully remember them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And the Word was made flesh In which words as you may easily see the holy Euangelist setteth down the incarnation of this eternall Word and I for the fuller explanation of the same The whole treatise deuided into two parts must desire you to consider these two things 1. The summe and substance of this Words Incarnation 2. The chiefest cirumstances requisite for its explanation The 1. is heere fully expressed The 2. is from the other Euangelists plainely collected Touching the first here are three especiall things expressed 1. The thing that was made 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Word 2. The thing that it was made 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Flesh 3. The manner of his making 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it was made Or playner thus 1. Who was made 2. What it was made 3. How it was made the Word Flesh 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Not created not changed but made for the Word was made Flesh and of these by Gods helpe in order CHAP. II. Of the Trinitie of Persons in the Vnitie of Diuine Essence The first branch of the first part FIrst We must consider who was made 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Word was made for the vnderstanding of which point wee must know that the diuine Essence is onely one impartible and indiuisible For so the Scripture teacheth vs Deut. 6. c. 32. heare O Israel the Lord thy God is one God and therefore know you that I am God alone and besides mee there is none other sayth the Lord himselfe 1 Cor. 4.8 and so Saint Paul sayth wee know that there is none other God but one Athanas in Symbolo Secondly So the Fathers teach vs for though the Father is God and the Sonne is God and the Holy-Ghost is God yet are there not three Gods but one God sayth Athanasius and these three are one if you consider the Diuinitie and this one is three if you consider the proprietie Nazin orat 3. de Theol. Amb. de fide l. 1. c. 2. sayth Saint Gregorie Nazianzen and so sayth Saint Ambrose Saint Augustine Saint Hillarie and all the rest Thirdly So reason it selfe teacheth vs for God is summum cns the first and chiefest being as himselfe professâ—th I am that I am and we haue learned that of the prince of Philosophers that there cannot bee but one chiefest being Quia ens vnum conuertuntur because that being one are all one Secondly God is infinite and therefore but one because that which is infinite comprehendeth all things within the circle of it selfe Thirdly If there were more Gods then one Reason sheweth that there can be but one God then they must bee either all without beginning or one must proceede from other either by creation or generation that they should be all without beginning is impossible for then it must needs follow that there should be multa principia prima disparata in vna voluntate non conuenientia many first causes and vnequall beginnings that could neuer agree and be of the same minde and will and therefore to say they should bee all without beginnings is most absurd If one be from the
office of this Angell here expressed to serue Christ to affright the souldiers and to delight these women to teach them to direct them Reuel 4.8 and to preserue them in all their wayes for as they neuer cease to serue the Lord so they neuer cease to preserue the Saints vntill they cease to serue their God and therefore to vse Saints Bernards exhortation Quantum debet hoc verbum inferre reuerentiam afferre deuotionem conferre fiduciam How ought this doctrine to moue vs and worke in vs reuerence for their presence confidence for their custody and obedience vnto God for so great an argument of his beneuolence vnto man as to giue his Angels charge ouer vs Et quam cauté ambulandum and how warily ought we to walke seeing the Angels of God are euer present with vs when all the men of the world are absent from vs It is reported of a godly Virgin that being often sollicited by a gallant vnto vnlawfull lust at last she yeelded that if hee met her at such a place he should haue leaue to worke his pleasure with her both came to the place appointed and the place was full of people then the mayden told him that now if he pleased he might vse her as he would he answered that now for shame he durst not doe it in the sight of so many men and women then she replyed and thinkest thou that I dare doe that in the presence of God and his holy Angels which thou darest not doe in the sight of mortall men and I wish euery one of vs did so that is to be ashamed to doe those things in the sight of God and his holy Angels Psal 139.2 Velleius paterculus which we are afraid to doe in the presence of men for they alwayes see vs though wee see not them they are about our beds and about our pathes and spie out all our wayes and therefore as Marcus Drusus when one told him he could build him an house of such a forme as that no man might see what he did therein answered that hee liked better of such an Architector as could build his house so as that euery one passing by might plainely see what was done therein so I wish to God that euery one of vs would striue and labour so to liue as it becommeth vs to doe in the sight of God and of his blessed Angels And so we see the Resurrection of Christ fully and plainely shewed vs to the eternall praise and glory of God and to the endlesse ioy and happinesse of all Christians through the said Iesus Christ To whom with the Father and the Holy Spirit be ascribed all power and dominion both now and for euer Amen A Prayer O Blessed God which gauest thine onely Sonne Iesus Christ to suffer death for our sinnes to descend into Hell to destroy our enemies and to rise againe for our iustification and so to declare himselfe mightily to be the Sonne of God and the true Sauiour of all men We most humbly beseech thee to raise vs from the death of sinne from all our sinnes and to giue vs grace to beleeue in thee to be thankfull vnto thee and to serue thee in holinesse and righteousnesse all the dayes of our life that when we shall be laid to rest in our graues we may rest in assured hope to be raised vp by Christ to liue with him for euermore through the same Iesus Christ our Lord. Amen IEHOVAE LIBERATORI FINIS The Sixt Golden Candlesticke HOLDING The Sixt greatest Light of Christian RELIGION Of the Ascention of our SAVIOVR and of the Donation of the HOLY GHOST EPHES. 4.8 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Wherefore he saith when hee ascended vp on high heeled captiuity captiue and gaue gifts vnto men AFter that the blessed Apostle Saint Paul had by many arguments proued vnto the Ephesians that they should earnestly studie The coherence of this verse with what goeth before and most carefully labour to preserue the vnity of the Church of Christ he seemeth in the seuenth verse to answer a certaine obiection that might bee made viz. seeing the graces the gifts and the offices which God hath bestowed vpon his Church are so many and so manifold so diuers and so vnequall some hauing many graces some but few some one gift and some another how can it be that this vnity can be so faithfully preserued therefore the Apostle sheweth that the diuersity and inequality of gifts is not onely no hinderance but is indeed a great furtherance to cherish and preserue the same First Because all these gifts do flow from the same fountaine Iesus Christ Secondly Because they are all giuen and imparted for the same end and purpose that is to gather together the Church of Christ into the vnity of faith The first reason he proueth out of this Prophesie of Dauid who speaking of the Messias triumphing ouer his enemies saith Thou art gone vp on high thou hast led captiuity captiue and receiued gifts for men And The second reason he confirmeth at large in the verses following where he sheweth that Christ gaue some Apostles and some Prophets and some Euangelists and some Pastors and Teachers and all to this end that is for the perfecting of the Saints for the worke of the Ministery for the edifying of the boâ—y of Christ till wee all come into the vnity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Sonne of God Two things contained in this verse And therefore we finde contained in this verse two speciall points First A confirmation of the Apostles alledged reason that all graces doe flow from Christ in these words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Wherefore he saith Secondly A Propheticall prediction of the Messias in these words When he ascended vp on high he led captiuitie captiue and gaue gifts vnto men That the Scripture is the best warrant for all Preachers For the first I meane not to stand long vpon it I will onely note this one thing that all we the Teachers of Gods people according to the example of this Apostle nay of Christ himselfe and of all Christs true Schollers should not teach any positiue point of doctrine vnlesse we can either directly or by necessary consequence proue and confirme the same out of the Sacred Scriptures for whatsoeuer hath not authority from the word of God Eadem facilitate refellitur qua probatur may as well be reiected as receiued Hieron in Matth. c. 23. saith Saint Hierom and whatsoeuer is therein contained it requires absolute faith without doubting because as Hugo Cardinalis saith Quicquid in sacris literis docetur veritas est sine fallacia quicquid praecipitur bonitas est sine malicia quicquid promittitur faelicitas est sine miseria Whatsoeuer is caught in the Scripture it is truth it selfe without fallacy whatsoeuer is commanded it is purely good without the commixtion of any euill and whatsoeuer is promised it is perfect felicitie without the least
but I will by Gods helpe be euer ready with all my heart to suffer any thing for the Name of Iesus Christ and for the least iot of his truth But I doe much reioyce in that assured confidence which I haue that your Lordship will herein as well as in all other points of true piety be an heauenly shining light and president vnto all other circumstant and succeeding Bishops and other Patrons whatsoeuer and to that end my prayers shall euer continue for your Lordship And for you my most worthy friend and neuer to be forgotten Benefactor Sir Iohn Wynne I must because I may truely say of you with the Poet Ego te intus in cute noui I am so intimately and inwardly acquainted with your very heart affections most earnestly pray to God for your long continuance amongst vs not onely because of your continuall loue and fauours vnto me and mine but especially to be as you haue beene hitherto the chiefest pillar of ciuill gouernment the best relieuer of our poore and needy and the most apparant patterne of all good workes of piety and charity in all these parts wherein you liue and you haue not lost your reward for God hath blessed you and your Lady with many blessed children all fearing God I said enough though I could truely say much more hereof such a comfort that not many men haue the like and God renueth your yeares as the Eagles and I hope yet will adde vnto your dayes as he did vnto the dayes of Ezechias and yet this is nothing Quia merces tua apud Deum in respect of that great reward which you shall haue of God because that by continuance in well doing you shall be sure to haue glory and honour and immortality and therefore most worthy Knight as I beare witnesse of this truth which I haue seene and know of your Religious heart fearing God full of good so I say vnto you as Christ saith vnto the Church of Smyrna Goe on in your course of godlinesse and be faithfull vnto the death and you shall haue the Crowne of life when the Lord shall say vnto you Euge serue bone Well done thou good and faithfull seruant enter thou into thy Masters ioy Amen Your Lordships and your Worships in all Christian seruice to be commanded GR. WILLIAMS To the Christian READER Deere and Christian Reader THe more grace any man receiueth from God the more thankefulnesse and seruice he oweth to God And I confesse God hath shewed me farre more then vsuall fauours which I assure my selfe he denyed to many farre more worthy of loue then I poore worme could any wayes thinke my selfe to be for he hath three times at least bestowed my life vpon me first in making me as he did all other men secondly in redeeming me as he doth all righteous men and thirdly in preseruing me from the hands of wicked men who though they gaue not any life vnto me yet induced by the malice of Hell and assisted by the subtilty of Satan did combine with a craftier cruelty then euer that I could finde the Arrian Bishops did against that innocent constant Athanasius to take away my feeble life for when the proud were risen vp against me Psal 86.14 and the congregation of naughty men had sought after my soule and compassed me on euery side Ecclus 51. so that there was no man to helpe me yet when I prayed vnto my God Vers 2. that he would not leaue me in the dayes of my trouble and in the time of the proud when I had none other help then did he awake as a Giant out of sleep and preserued my body from destruction Vers 3. he saued me from the mouth of the King of Lyons and according to the multitude of his mercies hee deliuered mee from the teeth of them that were ready to deuoure me and out of the hands of them that sought after my life Vers 7. yea he was so gracious vnto me that he left me not vntil mine eyes did see their desire vpon mine enemies not their destructiō which my soule desired they might neuer taste of and I pray God they desired the same themselues but their suppression so as they might neuer triumph in the miseries of Gods seruants nor trample the bloud of innocents vnder feet And therefore seeing God hath been so gracious vnto me I haue most constantly resolued by the assistance of his Spirit not onely to praise his Name for his goodnesse and to tell what he hath done for my soule but also to dedicate my whole life wholly to his seruice to despise the vanities of this life to abandon all the pleasures of this world to be carelesse of all earthly things * Quae possessa onerant amata inquinant amissa cruciant but what may make in ordine ad deum to helpe me the better to serue my God and with Iohn Baptist to consume my life in the preaching and penning of Gods Word and maugre all the malice of the proudest Prelates in the world to speake the truth as my conscience tels me though my wife and children should all begge and my body be burned for the same I will neuer count my life deare vnto me to spend it in his seruice that so often gaue it me And because I desired to doe that which I thought best for the edifying of Gods Church I haue applied my selfe to treate of these ensuing theames which doe containe the chiefest points and the most necessary grounds of all Christian Religion for besides my naturall inclination euer tending rather to pacification then contention I thinke we haue more neede of fundamentall instructions which are necessary for all men then of any controuersiall positions which may satisfie some men that perhaps desire rather to informe their iudgement then to reforme their manners And in the handling of them I haue intermingled the positiue declaration of the truth in a scholasticke forme with a forcible application of the same vnto our soules for the framing of our liues to make vse of what wee learne for I approue not so well the handling of Gods word with too slender inforcement of the same vnto our consciences as the schoolemen did their too much addicted followers vse to doe nor yet meerely to stand vpon exhortations with too slight expounding the most principle grounds of Religion which I feare to be the fault of too many amongst vs And therefore the one being but as a foundation without roofe and the other as a building on the sand or in the ayre vpon reeden pillars I haue euer adiudged it the best course to knit both together to make both a perfect buiding If I haue done well it is that which I desired but if I haue done slenderly it is that I could attaine vnto Aug. proaem l. 3. de Trinit And therefore I will be euer of that Fathers minde which in all his workes and
many times subdued and after they be committed they bee not often itterated I speake not of the ineuitable lustings of the flesh against the spirit which no strength of grace in the best men was euer able in this life to suppresse but I speake of outward enormities that are sometimes committed through the infirmities of the Saints for so Saint Augustine speaking of Noas sinne sayth Aliquando fuit ebrius sed non ebrosius Idem de peccat merit remiss l. 2. c 10. that he was once drunke indeed but he was no drunkard quia vt actus virtutis because as one act of vertue makes not a vertuous man so one act of sinne in a Saint makes him not wholly vicious sayth the Philosopher But those that plot for iniquitie and imagine mischiefe vpon their beds those that neuer seeke to resist but euer to kindle the sinders of sinne that follow after drunkennesse and hunt for opportunities and like Salomons strumpet will come foorth to meete sinne and reioyce when they find it and commit it with greedinesse I dare not not say they sinne of infirmity but I rather feare that they are in the gall of bitternesse and in the bond of iniquitie Acts 8.23 Esay 5 â—2 And therefore though they that are mighty to drinke Wine the common swearers and blasphemers of Gods sacred name the lasciuious talkers and all leaude liuers doe pretend infirmities to excuse their sinnes yet may they truely feare that these spirits of infirmities are no humane but hellish spirits wherewith they are like the woman in the Gospell Luke 13.11 most lamentably possessed Malicious sinnes haue two violent properties Fourthly For sinnes committed of malice it is obserued that they haue two violent and bitter properties 1. Wilfull 2. Spitefull First They be wilfull sinners and they doe commit their sinnes with resolute wilfulnesse i. e. with an absolute will and with a full consent for otherwise euery sinne is voluntarie or else it cannot be iniquitie Zanch. de peccat actuali li. 1. Thes 1. pag. 101. Acts meerely violent are no sinnes for those actions quae mouentur a principio extrinseco which are outwardly compelled by violence and are meerely violent without any consent of the will as if a man were dragged by force into the idols temple or a woman forced to adultery and she no wayes yeelding consent of will either before the deed or in the doing thereof wee say these things cannot bee sinnes because they are outwardly compelled by force and not inwardly moued by the will voluntati vis inferri non potest and no outward force can worke vpon the inward will Jdem ibid. but all those actions quae mouentur a principio intrinseco which proceed from within and are done with any maner of consent of will must needs bee sinnes if they be such acts as are contrarie to Gods will because they are voluntary though not wholly yet in part in respect of the flesh though not in respect of the spirit But this sinne that I am to speake of which is done of malice is not onely voluntarie In some respect but wholly in all respects with all greedinesse committed and without any maner of vnwillingnesse effected so as Satan doth no sooner tempt them to sinne but they doe as readily attempt to commit the sinne for as the godly are desirous to serue God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not by constraint but willingly Examples of most wilfull sinners so doe malicious sinners perpetrate their sinnes not through any great constraint but with all willingnesse And we haue almost infinite examples of this kind the Sodomites would not be diswaded by any meanes Gen. 19.8.9 from seeking to offer violence vnto the Angels of God but still obstinately and maliciously persisted vntill they were wearied and the Prophet Dauid reporteth of the courtiers of Saul that they said our tongues are our owne and we will speake who is Lord ouer vs Psal 12.4 So the Israelites in the dayes of Ieremie being most earnestly intreated by Gods seruants to walke in the good way which is the commandements of God did most wilfully answere Ieremie 6.16 Wee will not walke therein and so are all those amongst vs that notwithstanding all the earnest admonitions of the preachers and the sweet motions of Gods Spirit that doth often times knocke and call at the doore of their hearts for amendment the infallible testimony of their owne soules and consciences that doe assure them they should not doe as they doe yet will they commit all vncleannesse all prophanes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 euen with all greedinesse But they may assure themselues How fearefull is the state of wilfull sinners Deut. 29.19 that their state is very dangerous for hee that heareth the curse of the Law and yet blesseth himselfe in his sinnes and will still confidently and wilfully goe one in his wickednesse the Lord will not be mercifull vnto that man sayth Moses neither shall the iniquitie Esay 22. of such a sinner be pardoned sayth Esayas quia in his nulla est excusatio infirmitatis sed culpa voluntatis because such sinners can pleade no excuse either of ignorance or impotencie sayth Anselmus Anselmus in heb c. 6. and therefore the Lord is mightily prouoked and most highly offended with all such wilfull resolute sinners Secondly The malicious sinners are likewise spightfull sinners Heb. 6. Examples of spitefull sinners 2. Chron. vlt. 16. i. e. such as doe despight the spirit of Grace and doe make but a mocke of Christ and of all Christian Religion Such sinners were those Iewes that mocked the messengers of God and despised his words and misused his Prophets vntill the wrath of the Lord arose against his people so as there was no remedie such sinners were those stiffe-necked Iewes who though they were not able to resist the spirit to speake in Saint Stephen yet with their stones they stopped his mouth and as he sayth did alwayes resist that spirit Acts 8. to worke in themselues 2. Tim. 4.15 Such a sinner was Alexander the Copper-smith who did not onely distaste but also withstand yea vehemently withstand the Preaching of the word of God Such were Iulian the Apostata Libanius the Sophister Pope Iulius the third and the like who scorned Christ and scoffed at all Christians and such are those in our dayes whosoeuer they be and wheresoeuer they are which not onely wilfully sinne but also most lewdly and prophanely make a mocke of Religion and with Serapion scoffe at all Preachers and either wickedly hinder the free passage of the Gospell or else secretly trample it vnder their feete And therefore being thus growne to the height of sinne to sit in the seat of the scornefull Psal 1.1 The fearefull state of spightfull sinners 1. John 5 16. and with Achab to set and to sell themselues to commit wickednesse presumptuously
and that indeede we were preserued to that end that we might serue him as Zacharias telles vs That wee were deliuered from our enemies that wee might serue the Lord in holinesse and righteousnesse all the dayes of our life Wee ought to endeauour what lyeth in vs to serue this Lord and we should the more ioyfully doe it because as Philo saith Philo in l. de Regno 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 To serue the Lord is not onely better then liberty but also more excellent then all Soueraignty And Hugo de prato setteth downe three especiall reasons to perswade all men to serue the Lord. Hugo de prato ser 6. de temp 1. Because we owe our seruice vnto God 2. That we may obtaine a good reward from God 3. That we may escape the punishment of them that neglect to serue God for Three speciall reasons to perswade vs to serue God First The Lord hath made vs redeemed vs preserued vs inriched vs with all that we haue and therefore What reward shal we render vnto the Lord for all the benefits that he hath done vnto vs vnlesse we will be contented to take the Cuppe of saluation and to call vpon the name of the Lord and so dedicate our selues wholly to the praysing and glorifying of his name Secondly if we will serue him we shall be sure to haue in this life his grace to guide vs his Angels to guard vs his holy Spirit to comfort vs and whatsoeuer he knoweth to be needfull for vs and in the life to come wee shall haue eternall happinesse wee shall haue the Crowne of euerlasting glory Thirdly if we will not serue him but say Nolumus hunc regnare super nos We will not haue him to be our Lord and Master but wee will serue our selues and the lusts of our owne flesh then you must know what he will say to such Those mine enemies that would not serue me bring them hither and slay them before me nay if you will despise my Statutes and abhorre my iudgements so that you will not doe all my Commandements I also will doe this vnto you I will euen appoint ouer you terror consumption and the burning ague that shall consume the eyes and cause sorrow of heart and you shall sow your seede in vaine Leuit. 26.15.16.17 and I will set my face against you hee manes here in this life and at the last dreadfull day they shall be bound hand and foote and cast into that lake which burneth with fire and brimstone for euermore There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth And therefore to discharge our duty to attaine vnto eternall felicitie and to escape this endlesse miserie let vs serue the Lord with feare and reioyce vnto him with reuerence And blessed are all they that serue him Psal 2.11 And so much for the first Part What God is or of the Essence of God PART II. Of the Nature of God Part. 2. or what manner of God he is CHAP. I. Of the power of God and how many sorts of Aduersaries there be which doe oppose the Truth of this Doctrine of the power of God YOu haue heard what God is IEHOVA that is an Eternall being in himselfe and a giuer of being vnto all the things that doe subsist and now we are diligently to consider The nature of God or what manner of God he is for I find that God doth here expresse himselfe vnto Moses by three especiall attributes 1. His Power to make vs beleeue in him 2. His Goodnesse to make vs loue him 3. His Iustice to make vs feare him 3. excellent points to bee throughly knowne to be euer learnt neuer to be forgotten for The first attribute of God i. e. His Power First the Doctrine of Gods Power is the very Anchor of our Faith and the foundation of all Christian Religion for hence proceede all Heresies because the Heretickes know not the Scriptures nor the Power of God and hence proceeds all Faith because we beleeue with the blessed Virgin Stella in Luc. c. 1. p. 36. b Quia potens est that God is able to doe all these things which Reason is not able to comprehend and therefore here immediately after Iehoua he addeth E L Jeron tom 3. p. 95. in ep ad Marell which the Septuagint turned and translated 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 GOD and Aquila searching into the Etymologie of the word interprets it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is Strong saith Saint Hierome and so Zanchius euery where Tremelius and some other Latine versions and the old English Translation reads it strong How needfull is the Doctrine of the Power of God Psal 62.11 and so in Lege credendi in the Symbole of our Beliefe as soone as euer he sheweth himselfe to be he sheweth himselfe to be Almighty and so the Prophet Dauid saith God spake once and twice I haue also heard the same that Power belongeth vnto God And surely this Doctrine of GODS Power is so vsefull for all Christians and so necessary for the vnderstandâ—ng of the Scriptures that among all the Attributes of God this deserueth first to be discussed because there is almost no page of Scripture Zanch. de nat Dei l. 3. c. 1. wherein there is not some mention made of the Power of God and the ignorance or not rightly vnderstanding of this Truth is the cause of so many Infidels and Heretickes in the world and therefore I must craue leaue to insist a little vpon this point of Doctrine of the Power of God And for Method sake I will diuide my whole discourse of this point into these foure heads 1 I will set downe the number Foure points handled touching the Power of God and the qualitie of the Aduersaries of this Truth 2 I will explaine this point and shew wherein and how farre this Power of God extendeth 3 I will sufficiently confirme the truth hereof and answere to whatsoeuer is or can be said against it 4 I will briefly shew the vsefull application of the whole Doctrine For the first the Aduersaries of this Truth which doe either exceedingly erre or be mightily deceiued are almost infinite but I may reduce the chiefest of them into these foure sorts whereof two by impayring and denying his Power doe vnto him the greatest wrong that is Foure sorts of men doe erre about the Truth of this Doctrine of the Power of God 1. The Infidels that will not beleeue in him 2. The desperate men that will not hope in him Because they thinke he cannot do those things which in very deed are most facile and easie for him to doe And the other two by mis-vnderstanding the extent of his Power doe not shew much lesse indignitie vnto God then the former and they are 1. The Vbiquitaries of Germany 2. The Pontificials of Rome Which say hee can doe those things which indeed are agreeable neither to the Power nor to the Truth of
be abundantly true because as Hugo saith In sacra Scriptura non solum bonitas est quod praecipitur faelicitas quod promittitur sed etiam veritas est quod dicitur Whatsoeuer is said in the holy Scripture 2 Cor. 1.20 it is absolutely true without any errour and the promises of God are as sure as if they were already performed for he is yea and Amen i. e. True in himselfe true in his workes and true in all his words And this Truth of the Lord indureth for euer for He will not alter the thing that is gone out of his mouth neither will he suffer his Truth to faile But when we forget both him and our selues Luke 1.72 he will still be mindfull of his promise and remember his holy couenant And therefore seeing that as the Light is so excellent a thing the first-borne of all visible Creatures and the very comfort of euery afflicted heart that dispelleth all darkenesse discouereth all things and the procreatiue cause of all Creatures so is this Truth of God What we ought to doe of that transcendent excellency as that it is the best guide of our liues and the sole meanes to saue our soules It should teach vs First Comparare veritatem To purchase this Truth and to get the same vnto our selues by any meanes First to spare no cost to get that Truth Matth. It is that Treasure â—id in the field to gaine which the wise Merchant sold all that euer he had no labour is too great no cost is too deare to gaine this Truth Multa tulit fecitque puer sudauit alsit Horat. And as another saith Ardua quamuis sit via non metuit virtus inuicta laborem If the Gentiles did toyle and moyle and sweat and spare no paines to get a little measure of humane learning which did almost nothing else but puffe them vp with pride what paines ought we to take to search and seeke for this Diuine Truth which is onely able to saue our soules Secondly Retinere veritateÌ„ to let passe this truth Secondly to hazard all we haue in defence of this Truth when once we haue attained vnto the same by no meanes but to keepe it and to retaine it vnto death for so Salomon saith Buy the truth but sell it not i. e. when you haue gotten it part not from it and this is no small taske Non minor est virtus quam quaerere parta tueri But it is as difficult a thing to retaine it as it is to finde it for seeing the truth is like the light and the light is many times obscured with cloudes and darkenesse so the truth is opposed by errour and ignorance it is enuied and hated by the sonnes of men and as Tertullian saith it hath beene euer seene Juellus in Apol. ex Tertul. Apolloget Veritatem in terris peregrinam agere inter ignotos facile calumniatores inuenire That the truth was entertained on earth but as a Pilgrime and a Stranger that easily findeth enemies in euery place and scarce friends in any place and so the Booke of God and the story of times doth make it plaine how the Professors of this Truth were alwayes persecuted and the Truth it selfe sought to be suppressed by the sonnes of darkenesse Moses and Aaron were withstood by Pharaoh and resisted by Iannes and Iambres and the rest of the Sorcerers of Egypt The Prophets were so vehemently and so generally persecuted by the Iewes that Saint Stephen asketh them Acts 7.52 Which of the Prophets haue not your Fathers persecuted and Christ himselfe which was borne to this end Vt testimonium perhiberet veritati That he might beare witnesse vnto the Truth John 18.37 was resisted vnto death and so all the Martyres and faithfull witnesses of this eternall Truth can beare witnesse what they suffered in the defence of Truth What is needfull for vs if we would retain the Truth And therefore if we would retaine the truth wee haue need of Patience we haue need of Courage and of a constant Resolution neuer to suffer this Heauenly Truth to bee taken from vs vntill our selues be taken out of this wretched life Let vs lay before vs the examples of the Patriarkes and Prophets of Christ himselfe of his holy Apostles and of all his blessed Martyres which thought not their liues too deare to defend this Truth let vs not be degenerate children of such worthy Progenitors as transmitted this Truth vnto vs with the losse of their liues That Truth at last will euer preuaile And though wee haue neede of Patience to suffer much in the defence of Truth yet wee may be confident that Truth will preuaile and get the victory for as no darkenesse can so swallow vp the light but that in its appointed time it will gloriously returne againe so no power of darknesse can so suppresse the Truth but at last it will appeare as the cleare day Because as the nature of errour is such Cokus de iure regis Eoclesiastico that although none be to withstand it yet as the smoake at last it will vanish of it selfe so the nature of Truth is such that although neuer so many doe oppugne it yet at last it will preuaile as Zorobabel saith and as the Comicke saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Time will bring out the Truth into Light at last And therefore seeing the Truth is of that inuincible power that although it may be obscured yea for a time with Christ himselfe be buried yet it cannot be extinguished nor remain perpetually intombed but that the time will come wherein nothing is hid which shall not be reuealed nothing is couered which shall not be manifested We should arme our selues with confidence and sure trust in God which according to his Truth will at last bring all Truth to light and saue all them that put their trust in him But here me thinkes I heare some saying they would willingly spend their liues in defence of Truth if they could tell what were Truth for now there are so many Religions so many Professions and so many diuersities of Opinions in the world that it is farre easier for them to spend their life then to find out what is Truth I answere that as Claudian saith Saepe mihi dubiam traxit sententia mentem curarent superi terras an nullus inesset rector He was much distracted and knew not what to resolue whether there was a Diuine prouidence or not because when he saw the most admirable course of things he said Claud. l. 1. in Ruff. Tunc omnia rebar consilio firmata Dei He thought it was vnpossible that that could proceed but from a superiour cause but on the other side when as the Prophet Dauid saith He saw the wicked in such prosperity and the Righteous hang downe their heads like a Bull-rush yea and hâ—nged many times like the wicked sonnes of euill doers
haue giuen them vnto Iayes and Parrats Secondly we should know that the practise of Christianity is the onely argument to prooue vs true Christians by this Christ proued himselfe to be the Messias Practise onely proueth vs Christians for it is most true which Iouinian said of the Arrians and Orthodoxall Bishops I cannot iudge of your knowledge disputations but I can easily discerne your lines and conuersations Thirdly wee should remember that our actions are the best arguments Sozom. l. 7. A good life conuerteth others Basil l. de 40. Mart. and the most vnanswerable Syllogismes to conuert infidels Sozomenus tells vs that the godly life of a poore captiue woman moued a King and many others to become Christians and Iulian writing to Arsatius saith that Christiana religio propter Christianorum erga omnes cuiusuis religionis beneficentiam propagata est the piety and the charity of Christians did wonderfully cause the Christan Religion to increase Euseb l. 9. c. ◠and Maximinus said hee could not choose but wonder to see how sedulous the Christians were in doing good The bitter fruites of a bad life Whereas on the other side the lewd life of those that professe Christ doth bring forth many sower and bitter fruits First It dishonoureth God more then any other thing First it dishonoureth God his name is blasphemed through them among the Gentiles which beleeue not God and therefore God saith why takest thou my Lawes in thy mouth whereas thou hatest to be reformed Secondly It proueth them to be no Christians Secondly it proueth such liuers no christians because the profession of Christianity is a profession of works not of words Thirdly It hindereth the vnsetled mindes to imbrace Christianity for when they see men like Tusser that wrote well of husbandrie but was himselfe the worst husband that liued Thirdly It hindereth others to become Christians or like Erasmus Ruffian that carried by the one side a good bottle of sack and by the other side a faire guilded Testament such as will heare much and talke more of Religion and doe none of the works of God how shall not this diswade the vnstable hearts from euer imbracing of Christianitie It is reported that Lynacrus reading the Sermon of Christ in the Mount and considering the conuersation of men in the world said either this is not Gods Gospell or wee are not Gods people and I pray God that the faire-seeming-shewes of hypocritical professors and their most vile and abhominable actions bee not the cause to kindle Gods fearefull indignation against vs all And therefore beloued brethren let vs consider the Author of our profession Iesus Christ who went about doing goood let vs consider his holy Apostles Act. 10.38 and all our blessed Ancestors how sedulous they were in the practise of Religion wherby they haue gained a good report became glorious in the sight of God and men and let vs imitate them herein to doe good as they haue done and in all things to ioyne practise vnto our knowledge All men not sit for all purposes Secondly We may obserue from hence that as these women were fit messengers to tell the Disciples that Christ was risen but not to preach the same vnto the world so many men are sufficient for inferiour places and to preach the shallower points of Diuinity points of morality and popular exhortations but are not fit Ducere in altum to lanch foorth into the deepe and to treat of the higher mysticall points of Diuinity for as it is said of Dauids Worthies 2 Sam. 23.19 that they reached not vnto the first three so it may be said of vs all that many men may receiue a measure of Gods graces and yet not attaine vnto the measure of many others God giueth not the like measure of graces vnto all men because God doth not giue the same measure of graces vnto all but as in humane gifts wee finde that some had their memory so good that to their last times they could repeat whole orations some that in their yonger yeares had their iudgement so profound that they could determine the hardest questions Matth. 25.15 so in the deliuery of the Diuine talents whereby Theophilact vnderstandeth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 spirituall graces some haue fiue 2. King 2.9 some haue two some but one to note vnto vs that God granteth not only a superiority vnto some aboue their brethren in an higher kinde of a different grace but also in a greater measure of the same grace as the Spirit was doubled on Elisha if not in respect of his Master Eliah as some think not yet surely in respect of the other succeeding Prophets Dan. 1.20 in the Schoole of Nebuchadnezzars in chanters though they were all no doubt exceeding great Clerkes 1 Cor. 14.18 yet Daniel Shadrach Meshach and Abednego were found to be ten times better then the rest and among these Daniel sleeping was found wiser then his fellowes waking so in the New Testament Iohn Baptist was a Prophet and more then a Prophet and Saint Paul spake languages more then all the rest of the Apostles God expecteth not the like fruits from all men and therefore God doth not require all his seruants nay he will not haue them all to aduenture or seeke to bring forth the like measure of fruit for hee was not angry with the slothfull seruant because that one talent had not gained ten talents but because he hid his masters money and had gained nothing at all Thirdly We may obserue from hence That we ought to follow Christ and not to goe before him that as Christ went before these Women and his Disciples into Galilee and they all followed after him So we should suffer Christ to goe before vs in all our wayes and not to runne our selues before him where perhaps he neuer went nor will goe for it is the property of a Disciple to follow after and not precede or goe before his master and therefore we must not goe into those places where Christ went not nor dispute of those points which Christ taught not for this is to goe before him and not to follow him Fourthly We may obserue from hence That we must passe from all worldly vanities before we can inioy spirituall blessings that as Christ passed from death to life and from this world into Heauen so must we before we come to Christ passe from our deadnesse in sin vnto the life of grace and from the vanities of this worldly life vnto a spirituall and a heauenly conuersation for as there was no possession of the Land of Canaan vntill there was a transmigration of the red Sea out of the land of Egypt so we can haue no fruition of Gods presence vntill we haue relinquished and passed ouer all the Egyptian vanities of this life in our desires and affections at the least And thus you haue heard the