the law of the Lord thy God and the Kings law let him haue iudgement without delay whether it be to death or banishment or confiscation of goods or imprisonment THese words that I haue read vnto you are the close of a Commission granted by Artashasht King of Persia at that time also King of the holy Land vnto Ezra a religious Priest and learned Scribe of the Iewes This Commission consisteth of manie branches the last commands the creating of Iudges in the Territorie of Iewrie concerning whom it is expressed How they ought to be qualified and Whereunto they are authorised Their quality is set downe vers 25. their authority is the argument of my Text a great authoritie because it is of the Sword the King giues this power that biddes them giue Iudgement But that their power may be as good as it is great they must vse it against malefactors so saith the King against them that will not doe the law and against them they must vse it so that first they frustrate not the end of the law A iudgement vnseasonable is vnprofitable they must therefore giue iudgement without delay Secondly they must not sway the indifferencie of the law to haue respect of persons in iudgement is not good they must then giue iudgement against whomsoeuer whomsoeuer will not doe the law But there are lawes diuine and humane the Iudges must proceede against the violaters of both against them that will not do Gods law against them that will not do the Kings law but with two cautions they must take heed that the God be the God of Ezra the true God they must no maintaine false religion and they must not forbeare to giue iudgement against them that violate the kings lawes though he be a king of Persis a false religion doth not hinder him from being a lawfull Soueraigne the Iudge must not foster seedes of rebellion They that violate the lawes of that God of this king the Iudge must draw his sword against them But how farre may he draw it and how deepe must he strike with it Surely so farre as the Magistrate is Gods instrument for the peoples weale so farre may he be his instrument for their woe His prouidence reacheth to their liues liuings and libertie so farre may his vengeance reach also thus farre he may draw his sword But he must giue no deeper wound therewith to offenders than offenders giue to the law the degrees of punishment must answer the degrees of offences some must dye some be fined some restrayned euery one as he deserues You see the substance of this Scripture withal conceiue that theron we must consider of these two points The power the vse of the sword the vse two-fold lawfull full I speak to them that haue vnderstanding therfore need I touch these particulars but briefly but that I touch them not vnprofitably I beseech you in the feare of God to iudge what I say And first some may demand why being to speake in the name of God vnto Iudges sent from a Christian king I remember vnto them the instruction of a king indeede but a heathen king such an author as may much lessen your regard of the matter It may but not except it be mistaken For besides that it is correspondent to the like in Moses and the Prophets Ezra acknowledgeth in the next verse that this Commission was indited by diuine inspiration God put it into the heart of the King And were it not so yet it is of no small moment to heare reason concord with religion The vse of this power is the more obseruable when it is enioyned by the pen not onely of God but also of man yea the lesse likely a Heathen King is to write it the more faulty a Christian Iudge if he set light by it Heare then what is your power it is to giue iudgement But iudgement is either of Discretion or Iurisdiction the first is common to all the second belongs but to a few all may discerne right from wrong but all may not right them that suffer or correct them that doe wrong He that takes the sword vngiuen shall perish with the sword as Christ told Peter Mat. 26. and told it him when hee was too busie with his sword it is not giuen to euery man And it is well that it is not giuen our affections do with such a false light delude our iudgements that where there are scarce moates we see great beames in other mens eyes but beames in our owne are so insensible Matth. 7. as if they were not so much as moates And as wee apprehend so would wee proceed Our strength would be the law of vnrighteousnesse Wisd 2. and as Tacitus well notes Malice the more vniust it is the more violent How many Cains would there start vp in the world that would kill their owne brother Abel onely because his deedes were good and theirs euill And if some would not be so vnnaturall yet would they be so vnreasonable as Simeon Leni of whom their own father pronounced Cursed be their wrath for it was fierce and their rage for it was cruell Genesis 48. we are so partiall and impotent when we haue the law in our owne hands and may satisfie our own lusts that wee will proceede without cause or at least aboue measure God knowing this vnbridlednesse of our nature hath laid this charge vpon all priuate men Auenge not your selues but giue place towrath for vengeance is mine and I will repay saith the Lord Rom. 13. Whatsoeuer therefore they pretend of the lawes of honour that apologize for Duels in a ciuill in a Christian common weale they should be reputed no better and it were good if they did fare no better than murderers they would not be so common if they were branded with their true name and had their iust reward Priuate men may not reuenge But who may It is only his right that is the Law-giuer or theirs that hold from him to recompence euery man according to his deeds Gods law is Deut. 19. that when two striue together they shall stand before the Lord euen before the Iudges where the Iudges are there the Lord is Psal 82.1 God standeth in the assembly of Gods he iudgeth among Gods the Apostle therefore calleth them the Ministers of God Rom. 13. So that a Iudge doth not only represent the person of a King but is in part with him the Deputie of God When the burden was too heauie for Moses God assisted him with the Seuentie but marke how he inaugurated them He took of the Spirit of Moses and conferred it on the Seuentie intimating his immediate presence and concurrence with them Wherefore what Shecaniah spake to Ezra cap. 10. when he lamented the disordered liues of the Iewes that must I say vnto you Arise for the matter belongeth vnto you bee of good comfort yea and courage too for this age moues more than teares and do it Giue
good vse of your indulgence as to be ashamed and reclaimed Wherefore as St. Iude obserues you must saue some with feare and plucke them out of the fire wherein they would burne themselues you must compell them to learn and obey the law of the God of Ezra the true God whereupon followeth also the next point which is they will the more easily be brought to doe the Kings law Of obseruing lawes in generall I need say no more than I haue but the iniquity of the times wills mee to remember you that lawes must bee obeyed though they be the lawes of the King of Persia this is the second caution The Proctors of Rome though they dare not flatly deny it yet so sophystically handle it that what with subiecting the scepter of Kings to the command of Popes and exempting of such persons and cases as seeme good vnto him they vndermine what they would seeme to yeeld and the most they grant is no more nor no longer than their Holy Father doth that 's too much or hereafter will allow them If hee will abrogate all they must acknowledge none no lawes of a King of Persia a King that is not of their religion Others haue learnedly and sufficiently shaken their grounds and my Text is an argument of no small force to resolue the consciences of such as doubt whether a different religion doth euacuate the power of a lawfull Soueraigne It doth not though it be a false religion how much more when it is the true and the King our King commands onely for the God of Ezra the true God and enioynes no other worship of him than according to his owne lawes the vndoubted register whereof is the sacred Word of God Wherefore you must bee as the earth mentioned in the Reuelation cap. 12. and swallow all those waters that the dragon casts forth to drowne the woman you must crush these seedes of rebellion which ayme at nothing but the ouerthrow of true Religion And how must you crush it euen by punishment And so I come to the second worke of iudgement from the precept to the sanction which containes the second limitation of the power Wherein I obserue first how farre the Magistrate may draw his sword Looke how farre his prouidence doth reach so farre may his vengeance reach also The reward of sinne is death eternall death to violate Gods Lawes or the Kings is no lesse than sinne it should therefore be reuenged with eternall death But behold here vnspeakeable mercie God would haue vs iudged here by men that we be not condemned hereafter by him This is the proper end of the keyes and the sword of the power that is in the Prince and the Pastor The occasion draweth mee to speake of the Sword yet let me giue you this Item touching the Keyes that malefactors must remember that for euerie of their offences challengable by the Law of man they owe a repentance vnto God and the greater their offence the deeper should be their repentance Which I the rather note because there are too many of them that scarce giue glorie vnto God when they suffer by the Law and if they escape make no conscience at all of their sin as if how soeuer they speed at the iudgement seat of men they were not to take heed that they be not cast at the barre of God which the first Councell of Nice well corrected when imitating Gods law without preiudice to the ciuill sword it appointed sundrie yeares penance according to the grieuousnesse of sinne Sed pristino rigori non sumus pares the Liturgie of our Church saith that it were to bee wished but the iniquitie of the times that it is not to be hoped Secondly seeing your power should touch men with a losse temporall to keepe them from a losse eternall you see what wrong you doe them when you suffer them to spend their dayes in loosenesse and in a moment as Iob speaketh though from their beds they goe quicke down into hell how much better were it for them if with one hand or one eye they might goe into heauen than hauing both to bee cast into hell O then let the righteous rebuke them yea smite them rather than that your precious balmes should breake their heads yea slay their soules spare nothing that is temporall so you may preserue them from the paine which is eternall You see how farre you may draw the sword But when you strike your strokes must bee proportionable to their sinnes but the proportion must not be Arithmeticall but Geometricall they must be secundum merita but not aequalia meritis you may punish intra but not vltra medum so doth God who notwithstanding doth punish in number weight and measure Semper aliquid detrahit de poenae atrocitate as Nazianzene speaketh 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he doth temper mercie with iudgement In the hand of the Lord there is a cup the wine thereof is red and it is full mixt whereof though his children offending drinke yet only the incorrigible wicked drinke the dregs thereof And the same Father writing to the Emperours Deputie reckoning vp his vertues demands this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 what shall I say of your clemencie 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 here you decline something but he addes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I cannot much blame you you haue God for your patterne who in Hosea speakes thus of himselfe How shall I giue thee vp O Ephraim how shall I deliuer thee O Israel how shall I make thee as Admah how shall I set thee as Seboim my heart is turned within mee my repentings are rouled together I will not execute the fiercenesse of my wrath c. You must wisely then temper iudgement and mercie but so that mercie doe not hinder iudgement and yet that of the two mercie reioyce against iudgement And thus haue you heard what a Iudge may and must doe he may take the sword and must vse it against malefactors but with the conditions of the vse and limitations of the power specified in my text The conditions are two he must vse it timely and indifferently the limitations also two he must extend it to all transgressions of both Tables and intend it according to their transgressions And the end of all must bee by a temporall punishment to saue the wicked from eternall paine or if that will not bee that the blood of all cursing Shimei's and factious Ioabs and irreligious Abiathars also may bee vpon their head and the head of their seed but vpon Dauid our Dauid vpon his house and vpon his throne vpon this whole Church and Common weale may bee peace for euer from the Lord. MOst mighty most mercifull Lord who to preserue sincere pietie and secure peace in the Church and Common weale hast put the sword into the hands of mortall men and for the vse thereof hast aduanced them aboue their Brethren we humbly beseech thee so to sanctifie them with thy grace whom
is longed for also when it is wanting in our nature By the Fall amongst other endowments this was lost Psal 62. â— The Sonnes of men are become vanity the sonnes of noble men are but a lie God then beholding them must needs finde wanting what in the Creation hee bestowed vpon them and what hee findeth wanting that he desireth may be recouered Behold how hee sheweth himselfe as a Father that might deale with vs as a Iudge what hee might exact hee desireth and desireth as a Father the supply of that the want whereof hee might punish as a Iudge hee taketh more delight to see vs recouered mercifully then iustly to perish in our sinnes The words must not be vnderstood exclusiuely Hee desireth Truth in the inward parts as if he desired it not also in the outward The inward is his Peculiar a closet whereinto none can enter but himselfe and as his residence is specially there so doth his eye principally looke into that wee may not thinke that the Holinesse that will content the Creature will content the Creator also when we go about to reforme wee must goe as deepe as Gods eye goeth and not thinke that all is well vntill all is well there But when we are prouided for that Mat. 5.29 wee must Let our light shine also before men the outward parts must haue Truth in them also God that is the Author of societies loues the bands of them also and by commanding the obseruation and commending the obseruers testifieth his good will towards them to the confusion of all Equiuocaters that diuorce the Inwards from the Outwards and care not how much fraud they vse outwardly while they please themselues with a counterfeit truth inwardly Wee must entertaine both such a truth in the Inward parts as manifesteth it selfe in the Outward and giueth good content both to God and Man But marke God that desireth Truth in the inward parts commendeth not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he doth not bid vs root out our Affections but order them aright he calls not for stupidity but simplicitie he wills vs to flie all serpentine wiles but to entertaine a singlenesse of mind 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Cyril vnleauened affections are much set by of God and sincerity is a vertue that yeelds sweet sauour vnto him Finally our Repentance our Confidence must specially be seasoned with this vertue for vnto them is the Text specially applyed And let this suffice for the regard that is yeelded to Sincerity I come now to the meanes by which it may be had and that is by diuine instruction of our Heart The Heart is here meant by the hidden part which elsewhere is called the Hidden man of the Heart why it is called Hidden in some sort I told you before as also why it is called a Part and not Parts the entrall is single and it hath a couering as it appeareth in the anatomizing of our bodies But by the entrall is meant the Vnderstanding the thoughts whereof are knowne onely vnto God They that write of the Temple of Salomon doe many of them parallel it with our persons which are temples of the Holy Ghost as that was partly vncouered and partly couered so haue wee an Outward and an Inward man and as that part of the Temple which was couered was partly Sanctum and partly Sanctum Sanctorum so haue we in our Inward man a couert seate of our desires which must be holy as you haue hitherto heard and a couert seate of the rule of our desires which must be more holy and that is our Heart there doth God reside as in his most Holy place and from thence by our conscience giueth order to the whole course of our life This place or power must be furnished with Wisedome The Apostle doth teach vs to distinguish betweene the Wisedome of this world and the Wisedome of God whereof the former is seeming the latter is Wisedome indeed This Wisedome is nothing but that guiding knowledge wherewith the Conscience must be furnished our desires haue no reason of themselues that which they haue they haue by participation of the higher power which is therefore called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because it is the guide of the inferiour powers now you know the vertue of a guide is Wisedome take away Wisedome hee will bee but a bad guide a bad did I say nay a blinde guide for Wisedome is his Eye and you know what our Sauiour Christ saith Mat. 6.22 The light of the body is the Eye if therefore thine Eye be single the whole body shall be full of Light if thine Eye bee euill the whole body shall be full of darknesse This Wisedome is nothing else but those good and sound Principles of Direction which should giue order to our affections which of them should stirre when and how farre did not Wisedome giue this order out of a true iudgement past vpon the Obiect Feare would stirre where Hope is called for and we would Ioy where wee should Grieue but that each affection taketh his proper turne and obserueth its iust measure wee are beholding vnto Wisedome But whence is this Wisedome Iob 38.36 Iob moued the question who hath put Wisedome in the inward parts or who hath giuen vnderstanding to the heart hee answereth himselfe fully in the 28. Chapter and the summe of his Answere is that God is the giuer thereof The reason may be taken from the nature of Wisedome which is answerable to the name thereof C. 6. â— 23 so saith the Sonne of Syrach 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Wisedome is as the name thereof importeth and it is not reuealed vnto many Fuâ—lâ— Misâ— l. 1. c. 5. Now it hath its name from Tzaphah which signifieth to couer And indeed true Wisedome had a double Couering in the dayes of King Dauid a Couering of Ceremonies that darkened the things and a Couering of Infidelity that made most men incapable of them only God could remoue these Couerings cleare the Mysteries of Religion and giue men eyes for to discerne them not that God vseth not the ministery of men and by men informeth vs of our duties but they can goe no farther then the Outward man Ambros Cathedram habet in Coelo qui docet corda none but our Master which is in Heauen can open our hearts and worke these good instructions into our consciences This is the tenour of the Couenant of Grace Behold Ier. 31.32 the Day is come saith the Lord that I shall make a new Couenant with the House of Israel and with the House of Iuda I will put my Lawes into their inward parts and in their Hearts will I write them and so saith Saint Paul 2. Cor. 3.17 Ibid. v. 18 where the Spirit of the Lord is there is libertie libertie from both the Couerings so that Men with open face behold the glory of the Lord. And indeed who should repaire these guifts when they
to the Legall Sacrifice God did testifie it to the corporall Sion and Ierusalem by fire from heauen which consumed the Sacrifice but vnto the spirituall Sion and Ierusalem 1. Chron 7. he doth testifie it by the sensible comfort which by his Spirit he doth infuse into their soules while they are Militant and hee will testifie it more plentifully by the light of his countenance which shall shine vpon them when in the Church Triumphant they shall stand before his Throne Marke here a Correction of that which was said before you heard that Sacrifices and burnt offerings were neither required nor accepted here you find the contrarie And yet not the contrarie for there they bee refused in Casu in a Case wherein no sacrifice was allowed and they be also refused opposite if the Morall be not ioyned with the Ceremonial but here wee haue no such case no such opposition God did accept them vnder the Law as exercises of faith and he will accept the truth of them for euer for that is most agreeable vnto his nature a spirituall seruice to God which is a Spirit And let this suffice for King Dauids first vndertaking I come now to the second his vndertaking for the Kingdome The Kingdome is vnderstood in this word they it referreth to Sion and Ierusalem mentioned in the former verse they that haue the benefit are they that shal make the acknowledgement Before it was Ego the King spake in his owne person I will shew forth thy praise I will teach the wicked c. Now it is Illi my Kingdome Priest and people both shall be as religions as my selfe And indeed the Kingdome as well as the King ought to be thankfull vnto God when God is good to both Dauid vndertaketh for his Kingdome that it shall be very thankfull for they shall offer Bullocks A Bullocke is a faire Embleme of a spirituall Sacrihce for it fignifieth an heyfer that is come to the age of beng fruitfull or it commeth of Parah and yet it hath not borne the yoake nor beene put to any drudgery And such should euery one bee that serueth God he should be fruitfull and not seruile abounding in good workes but not be the slaue of sinne There are two other things to be obserued in this word first it was the fairest of Offirings Secondly it was the fittest for the Offerers Amongst the Sacrifices the fairer were the Beasts and of the beasts the fairest was the Bullocke God commanded no Sacrifice thet was greater then that S. Paul out of Hosea doth moralize this Sacrifice Heb. 13. Hos 19. calling it the Calues of our lippes for by Calues are these Bullocks meant We may adde that seing Bullockes were the greatest of Sacrifices we must thinke that nothing we haue is too good for God and we must make our Offerings of the best The Bullocke was not onely the fairest Offering but the fittetst for these Offerers you shall read Leutt. 3. that whether it were the whole Congregation or the Priest that had offended either of them was to reconcile himselfe to God by the oblation of a Bullocke and seeing they are meant in this place such a Sacrifice doth best beseeme them but that the propitiatorie is turned into a gratulatorie But to whom shall they be thankfull surely to him that doth deserue it to God they shall offer vpon his Altar he that fulfilleth the Desire hath iuterest in the Promise they shall confesse that it is He that doth good to Sion that it is He that butldeth the wals of Ierusalem Secondly note that he saieth not that they will offer vnto him but vpon his Altar the Altar that was erected by his appointment For though it be true that where the Altar was there was God yet it followeth not that where God is there is his Altar God is pleased to confine not onely the substance but the circumstance of our seruice also Deut. 12.33 hee would not bee worshipped euery where The Ceremoniall Altar is gon but the Morall thereof abideth where Christ is thither must we bend our seruice he is the Altar that halloweth our Sacrifice on him and by him must we present it vnto God Againe the Altar doth note that it is not enough for vs priuately to recount Gods blessings we must divulge them publikely though the Heathen had their priuate Altars yet God had none but in a publike place therfore the setuice must needs be publike that is done vpon the Altar Adde the Bullocke and the Altar together and then you shall find that this was Operaria gratitudo the hand should testifie the thankfulnesse of the heart and the Kingdome would be thankfull not in word onely but indeed also And indeed God doth good to Sion and buildeth vp the wals of Ierusalem that they may offer him such Sacrifice To conclude this poynt as Dauid in his owne Vow made Gods praise the vpshot of his promise so doth hee in the Vow of the People And indeed the Church must not desire prosperity otherwise then that God may haue the glory of it God made all things for himselfe and we must subordinate all things vnto him otherwise we substitute the Creature in stead of the Creator and cannot excuse our selues from Idolatry from which Dauid doth free his Kingdome in saying They shall offer at Gods Altar You haue heard of Gods acceptance and the Kingdomes thankfulnesse that these things shall bee performed Dauid vndertakâ—th for both he vndertaketh to each of them for the other for marke how resolutely he speaketh Thou shalt be pleased They shall offer Vox fidei fiduciae hee beleeueth it assuredly and therefore doth confidently affirme it Neither can their be any doubt but if our seruice be the sacrifice of righteousnesse God will accept it for he will neuer refuse what himselfe commanded And it can as little be doubted that the Kingdome will bee thankfull if God doe it that good for it is a speciall effect of Grace to make vs so thankfull so that we may not doubt of either I haue sufficiently opened the Promise vnto you one thing remaineth the circumstance of time when this Promise shall take place it is exprest in this word Then which is set before either of the vndertakings Then shalt thou be pleased Theu shall they offer c. except God fulfill the Desire there is no hope of the Promise but the performance of the Promise will not be farre behind if the Desire bee fulfilled Touching the Ceremonie wee find it in the Dedication of the Temple when many thousands of Bullocks were offered 1. King 8. and God appearing vnto Solomon told him how well he was pleased therewith And touching the morall though in figuratiue termes yet it is fairely set downe Ezek. 20. and Malac 3. you haue it in a short sentence Psal 110. The people shall be willing in the day of thy power Math. 18.20 and the beauties of holinesse And Christ is as briefe
of Grace doth it much more They put the Question to Christ and Christ giueth them an answere a cooling answere for he reproues their Zeale and disproues their Reason and he doth both in Word and Deed. He reproues in Deed for He turned about his gesture was angrie not only in Deed but also in Word and his Word commented vpon his Deed he checked them But to reproue and shew no cause is to hold the Hands but not to rectifie the Heart Christ doth not so hee will not only haue them forbeare but also to be perswaded that they ought so to doe Therefore he confuteth their Reason Their Reason was Elias his Example Christ telleth them that Example is misapplied you know not of what spirit yee are Euery mans temper must be according to his Calling you are called to bee my Apostles therefore must you take your temper from me and my temper is answerable to the ends of my Incarnation well might Elias answere his Name it signifieth the Power of God and he shewed Gods Power in taking vengeance he came to destroy mens liues but Iesus must answere his owne Name and his Name signifieth The Saluation of the Lord therefore is he become the Sonne of Man that he may Saue the liues of men So Christ refuteth their Reason in Words But not only in Words He doth it in Deeds also he that gaue them a good Rule giueth them a good Example He went vnto another Towne yea partly the Rule and partly the Example put these hot Disciples into a better moode for not Christ only but they also left that and went into another Towne You see the contents of this Scripture and withall that they may bee reduced vnto two Heads The Reuenge and the Censure Of the Reuenge there are two parts The Preuocation of the Samaritans and the Passion of the Apostles And in the Censure Christ first reproues and then disproues not only in Words but also in Deeds The particulars are many therefore you may not expect that I speake much of any one so much may suffice as will serue this present Occasion thereon to ground a sound Case of Conscience and thereby to stirre vp due thankes for our wonderfull Deliuerance To this end will I resume the points and touch at them briefly and in ther order And first at the Affliction The Samaritanes would not receiue him The persons that afflicted were Samaritans and the Samaritans were ancient enemies of the Iewes from the dayes of Rehoboam whose Kingdome was rent into two that of Israel whose Metropolis was Samaria and the other of Inda these Kingdomes were at oddes and in the Israelites did the first quarrell begin against the Iewes After the Israelites were carried away captiues by the Kings of Assyria and a Colonie mixt of many Nations succeeded in their roome the quarrell was inherited together with the Countrie It appeares immediately vpon the Iewes returne from the Babylonian captiuitie for then the Iewes would not admit the Samaritans to build the Temple with them because they held them for Gentiles and the Samaritans in reuenge did their worst to interrupt the building of the Temple and although to partake of the Iewes prosperitie they were contented to be reputed of their kindred yet in time of their aduersitie they disclaymed them and were Suiters vnto the Kings of Syria and Egypt that they might goe for Gentiles though indeed they were neither Iewes nor Gentiles but Mungrels mixt no lesse in Religion then in Nation taking somewhat of the Gentile and somewhat of the Iew as appeares in the Samaritanismus described by Epiphanius as impious a Chaos as is the Turkes Alcoran These were the men that offered the indignitie vnto Christ Being so bad men they make the indignitie the worse though of it selfe it is bad enough Let vs see what it is It is a sinne compounded of Inhumanitie and Impietie there is inhumanitie in the fact but the reason doth improue it vnto Impietie The fact was they would not receiue Christ great inhumanitie not to receiue strangers especially for Samaritans who as Epiphanius reports receiued the fiue Bookes of Moses wherein Hospitalitie is taught both by Rule and by Example The example of Abraham and Lot are remarkable in Genesis who were 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Saint Paul willeth Christians to be Rom. 12. giuen to Hospitalitie Origen first and out of him Chrysostome obserue the significancie of the phrase which importeth that we should be so hospitable as not to stay till strangers seeke to vs but preuent them by our inuitation And indeed so did Abraham and so did Lot Neither had they only these Examples but the Law also Leuit. 19. Thou shalt not wrong a stranger but loue him as thy selfe Eumaenes in Homer presseth the reason of it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 all strangers are of Gods Family the whole World is his House vnder whom euery man holdeth but a small Territorie and although in regard of our owne Tenure they that haue another are strangers vnto vs yet are we all Tenants of the same Land-lord yea of the Houshold of the same great Master and therefore no man should esteeme another a stranger Surely our Sauiour Christ shewes Matth. 25. that this reason which Nature it selfe taught the Heathen is true also in Diuinitie in that Come yee blessed for when I was a stranger yee lodged me and Solomon to the same purpose He that giueth to the poore lendeth to the Lord. In Iambic But if this Reason goe too high Nazianzene hath another more plaine to reason 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 No man can denie harbour to others that thinketh vpon this that himselfe is a stranger hee hath his ground from Gods Law who therefore bids the Israelites bee good to strangers because themselues were strangers in Egypt Chap. 31. It was no small comfort vnto Iob that hee could say The stranger did not lodge in the street but I opened my house to him that went by the way â—il 5. de Heres I end this point with Saint Austines exhortation Disce Christiane sine discretione exhibere hospitalitatem ne fortè cui domum clauseris cui humanitatem negaueris ipse sit Deus Certainly he against whom the Samaritans shut their gates was Christ They were so farre from inuiting him that they would not be intreated by him If they had beene but as daintie as the Egyptians who held it an abomination to eat with the Hebrewes it had beene too much but not to receiue them vnder their roose was plainly against the Law of Nations It was so But haply they had some reason for their fact They alledge one And see Quomodo cum ratione insaniunt Christs face was as if he would goe to Ierusalem The fact was bad this reason maketh it worse Some doe thinke that the Samaritans did alwayes denie entertainment to the Iewes but it is most certaine that they did it when they
St Peter in for an instance but put him in vniustly because Apostasie is Christianitie dead at the root whereas in St Peter it was onely withered in the branch Others there are that shrinke the sinne euen among the Ancients some haue aduentured to excuse Peter from all fault and which is worse they excuse him by a Mentall reseruation or a secret euasion Non noui hominem quem Deum esse scio I doe not know him as a meere man so much his words vttered as they thinke import whereunto he supplyed in his mind for he is more euen the Sonne of the liuing God But certainly St Peter was no Aequiuocator and such Apologies can haue no Apologie St Hierome doth censure them roundly but truly They that so excuse Peter doe necessarily accuse CHRIST and make him a false Prophet when he told the denyall of Peter yea they accuse Peter himselfe as if he wept bitterly when he had no iust cause to doe so We may not lye for GOD much lesse for the Saints neither may we discredit GODS truth to salue their credit with officious lyes the Legends of Saints and the Liues of Popes are too often guiltie in this kind Wherefore let it stand for an vnchallengable truth Cribratus est Petrus Peter as CHRIST fore-told was winnowed and found though not to be Chaffe yet not to be without it He that walked on the Sea while it was calme and when the storme arose began to sinke set forth valiantly with CHRIST but when he was put to try his manhood Petrus non erat Petrus he could not endure the winds and the waues that beat vpon him the stone mouldred into sand But enough of St Peters denyall In him I told you we were to see our selues which that we may the better doe I will obserue vnto you three kinds of denyers The first are those that professe themselues to be worse then they are such were the Libellatici that signed their denyall with their owne hand the Traditores that with their owne hand in token that they did deny deliuered vp the Scriptures and the Thurificantes that redeemed their liues by sacrifising to Idols with whom we may range many of our Trauellors who being sound in iudgment prouide for their securitie by conforming themselues to such Religion as they find currant in the places where they come A second kind of denyers are those which are worse then they professe themselues to be of whom the Apostle speaketh they haue a shew of godlinesse but deny the powre thereof I will giue you a tast of them How many be there that hold the Articles of CHRISTS Incarnation and Passion whose faith if you doe measure by their liues you cannot belieue that they doe belieue For did they hold CHRISTS to be their Sauiour and his death the ransome of their sinne would they so much profane these sacred Mysteries as with the mention of them to obligege themselues not onely when they talke idlely but when they vngodly auerre or congratulate their ribaldry and their villanie then which impietie there is nothing more common We hold that we haue Communion with CHRIST that we are Members of his Body and Temples of his Spirit but how many doe indeed deny that which they would seeme to hold For did they not could they indure to make the Members of CHRIST the Members of an Harlot And turne the Temple of his Spirit into a verie Stew Yet so doe all impure and vnchast liuers though they thus farre professe that they know CHRIST yet doe they deny him in their workes If euerie man would goe to shrift to his owne Conscience and make his Catechisme the rule of his Confession I doubt not but his heart would often smite him at his own Barre by his own Verdict he would be found a manifold denyer There is a third kind of denyers that neither professe themselues good neither haue any goodnesse in them this was wont to be a disease of vagrant and base persons but now many descended of good parentage and whose breeding hath been of the best sort are growne sicke thereof they are called yea and they glorie to be knowne by the fearfull Names of Roaring Boyes and the Damned Crew The Land groaneth vnder their Atheisme for the repressing whereof an Inquisition were mercifull Iustice they sucke out the heart blood of all Religion and make Sacraments and sacred things the familiar subiect of their hellish recâ—eations Amongst other abuses it were to be wisht that the State would take this crying one into most serious consideration For it is to be feared that our indulgence toward such incarnate Fiends doth prouoke and will plucke downe GODS heauie vengeance vpon the whole State I told you that in St Peter we might behold our selues behold what we are and I thinke by this time you see that many of vs are much worse then St Peter was for of the three kind of denyers whereof there are too many in the world we find St Peter in the first and the first if they be compared doth plainly appeare to be the least Therefore we may well acknowledge our selues to be worse though we cannot deny that he was bad He was bad it is plaine in his Fall which as I haue shewed you was a sore fall Sore if there were nothing more in it then the denyall of CHRIST but there was more the Text doth aggrauate the Fall two wayes First in that it was taken so soone Before the cocke crew that is not many houres after he was fore-warned fore-armed Fore-warned for CHRIST told him what would befall him that his performance would come short of his promise that he would be so farre from dying for CHRIST that he would flatly deny him Neither did he onely so fore-warne him but fore-arme him also he gaue him Viaticum militiae spiritualis the Sacrament of his Body and Blood which being the Monuments of CHRISTS Passion are the best hearthings against the Crosse Secondly he had CHRISTS consolatorie speech Be of good comfort I haue ouer-come the world Lastly he saw his exemplarie patience the Captaine taught the Souldier how he should be resolute in this spirituall warre But notwithstanding all these behold Peter denyed CHRIST and denyed him very quickly more quickly then he should haue done if he had neither beene fore-warned nor fore-armed You haue not heard all this first aggrauation For St Peter was not put vpon the Racke neither was he so much as questioned by a Magistrate they were but Scrui Ancillae certaine drudges or base persons that did question him and these extnguisht all the vigour and courage that before appeared in him This was quickly indeed he fell very quickly that vpon so small a temptation and hauing so good prouision did deny CHRIST What shall we say to it Surely man is a mutable Creature as he was made of Nothing so would he turne to Nothing againe neither doe we hast so fast to Nothing naturall