here we acknowledge thankfullnesse to God for mercies and make new purposes and resolutions of obedience we arme our selues with new vowes Now this calls all those notions back to your mind that I delivered before It is called therefore the Eucharist because all Gods mercies are here summed up in the memoriall of them in this blessed Sacrament And here we give God thanks not for one mercy but for all and for the Fountaine and Foundation of all Therefore the Apostle calls it the Cup of blessing that is the Cup of Thankfullnesse Our blessed Saviour gave that ground to the Eucharist for you know that he did breake the bread with giving of Thanks to shew to us sayth Chrysostome how we should carry our selves how we should behave and demeane our selves in receiving these blessed mysteries how we should receive these Mysteries from the hand of that gracious goodnesse that fountaine of mercy that gives them with thankfullnesse receive them so as Christ gave them he gave them with thankfullnesse And here we have occasion of excitement for blessing God for the pardon of sin and of blessing God for giving Christ for giving not onely Christ to be with us but to die for us and not onely so but giving us this memoriall of it in which is the summing up of all mercy So you see here is the summing up of all Therefore let us joyne all these together and when we come to the Lords Table remember this Prayer Take away all iniquity and receive us graciously so will we render the Calves of our Lips So much of the first consideration We looke upon the duty of thankfullnesse as it is set downe in literall termes So much for this time SERMON VI. Hosea 14.2 So will we render the Calves of our lips THE Word of God as it is well stored with variety of figures and elegancy of Speech so it doth not abound with any more then with metaphors For a metaphor is as a Glasse in which we see by reflexion that duty which in the literall precept comes to our understanding in a more familiar manner So while we have any precept commended to us in both formes of Speech there is a double benefit to us In the literall forme God shewes us the duty and in the metaphoricall forme he shewes us the beauties and delight that is to be found in those precepts that he gives us Therefore you may observe that there is hardly any duty of piety in all the Scripture but in one place or other it is commended to us in metaphoricall words For the grace of faith the Apostle St. John tells us in Revel 3. I counsell thee sayth Christ to the Church of Laodicea that thou buy of me Gold tryed in the fire faith is set out in that metaphor For the grace of meeknesse and innocency St. Peter shewes us the way 1 Pet. 2. As new Borne Babes desire the sincere Milke of the word that ye may grow thereby Simplicity and innocency is commended to us in that metaphor For the grace of perseverance St. Paul tells us in Heb. 12. Let us run with patience the race that is set before us Perseverance goes on till it come to the end of the race it is commended to us in that metaphor For the grace of repentance the Prophet Joel sets it downe Rend your hearts and not your Garments For Prayer David Let it come before thee as incense And for the work and duty of Thankfullnesse the Prophet Hosea in this place which is one of the harshest metaphors that we meet with in all the Scriptures As for Prayer to be resembled to incense there is a great deale of reason that is obvious to any eye there is a Holy breath a Celestiall smoake that goes out of fervent Prayer as incense from the Altar that ascends up to God Prayer hath an ascending faculty as incense hath But for the work of prayse and thanksgiving to be set out under the metaphor of the Calves of the lips it may seeme at the first view a metaphor far fetched but that there is no title in the Word of God but that it is added upon speciall worth and reason Therefore it will be worth our labour as before I shewed the nature of the duty of thankfullnesse as farr as it concernes the literall part so now to look upon it in the Glasse of this metaphor We will give the Calves of our lips I told you there were 3. things that I would consider in this last part of this Scripture First what the Duty is that the Prophet aimes at to which he would excite them when he adds this to the former Prayer Take away iniquity and receive us graciously so will we give the Calves of our lips That is so will we blesse and praise and magnifie thy name According to this acception I spake of it in the Fore-noone I told you this duty was added the memoriall of it to commend to them the remembrance of somewhat in generall to mind them De vovendo De solvendo Of the Vowing of Thankfullnesse Of the Payment of Thankfullnesse The prophet hereby would engage them he makes them to give a pledge a Hostage to God that if he would be gracious to them they would not be unmindfull of their Covenant againe but returne praise and thanks The things he would remember them of in perticular are these First That Thankfullnesse is due to God for all his mercies Secondly that it is due to God especially for spirituall mercies for pardon of sin Take away iniquity and then we will praise thee Thirdly that thanks and praise must goe hand in hand together There is no Prayer that we offer to God that must exclude Thankfullnesse First he teacheth them to pray Take away iniquity and then to add so will we give thee prayse and glory Then Lastly that thankfullnesse is the best close of Prayer Prayer is that that opens to all other duties and thankfullnesse is that that shuts up prayer These were the things observed in the first part in the Forenoone Now the second thing that I considered in it was to look upon this duty of thankfullnesse as it is expressed in this metaphor And in the third place to come to the connexion in this Particle So or Then These are the two things I am now to speake of The first is to looke upon the metaphor for there is a great deale of matter couched in that if I mistake not my selfe Therefore I will examine it in these two things What is the ground the foundation upon which this metaphor is pitched that he should rather choose this then any other Secondly what is the reason why the Prophet rather expresseth the duty of Thankfullnesse in a metaphor then in literall termes The first is this what are the grounds upon which this metaphor is built or whence is it derived The Calves of our lips There are two words it might have beene varied either way For the
they who are in such a case Now hence ariseth the scruple Why David a man of so heavenly a temper and of so good a judgement in things which concern salvation that he is said to be A man after Gods own heart 1 Sam. 13.14 should place felicitie in these temporalls Devout S. Paul who of all others came nearest to Davids spirit had these outward things in no better esteem then as drosse Phil. 3.8 or dung and our blessed Saviour in his first Sermon Matth. 5. thought good to begin the chain of happinesse from povertie and to second it from hunger and to continue it from suffering persecution Non dixit BEATL DIVITES sed BEATI PAâ—PERES as S. Ambrose observeth In this I say is the scruple That Christ should begin blessâ—dnesse from povertie and David place it in abundance that things earthly should be as drosse to Paul and as happinesse to David This scruple wrought so farre with some Interpreters that they conceived it to be a defective or imperfect sentence and that the Psalmist uttered it in the person of a worldly man like that of Solomon Eccles 2.24 There is nothing better for a man then to eat and drink c. Therefore to take off the suspicion of a paradox they interpose Dixerunt BEATUM dixerunt POPULUM CUI HAEC SUNT Men usually say HAPPY ARE THE PEOPLE IN SUCH A CASE But we need not flee to this refuge It is neither a defective nor a paradox but a full and true proposition agreeable both to the tenour of other Scriptures and also to the analogie of faith For first the Psalmist speaks not here as in other places of the happinesse of a man but of the happinesse of a people it is not Beatus homo but Beatus populus In some other places where he treats of the happinesse of a man he circumscribes it alwayes with things spirituall a Psal 32.2 Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth no sinne and in whose spirit there is no guile b Psal I 12.1 Blessed is the man that feareth the LORD c Psal 40.4 Blessed is that man that maketh the Lord his trust and the d Psal 65.4 84.5 128.1 like Here otherwise seeing he speaks of the happinesse of a people he might use more libertie to take in these out wardaccomplishments as having a nearer relation to the happinesse of a Nation or Kingdome then abstractively of a Christian Howsoever Aristotle affirms in the 7th of his Politicks that there is the same happinesse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of a single man and of a whole citie Yet there is a great deal of difference which he being not instructed in Christianity could not observe Look as on the one side the being of a State or Nation as a collective bodie is not so ordered to immortalitie nor by consequence to happinesse as the being of a man so on the other the concurrence of temporall good things is in no wise so essentiall or requisite to the happinesse of a man as to the being and wâ—ll-being and so to the happinesse of a State or people Experience tells us that a man may be happy without children a State cannot be so without people a private man may keep his hold of happinesse though poore and afflicted in the world a State is onely then happy when 't is flourishing and prosperous abounding with peace plentie people and other civill accessions Men are the walls for strength women the nurseries for encrease children the pledges of perpetuity money as the vitall breath peace as the naturall heat plentie as the radicall moisture religious and just government as the form or soul of a bodie politick Upon this ground the Psalmist well knowing how conducing these outward things are to popular happinesse he casts them all into the definition his present argument being the happinesse of a people In the second place admit he had spake here of the happinesse of a man or a Christian yet he mentions not these temporalls either as the all or the onely or the chief of happinesse but as the concomitants and accessories They have not an essentiall influx or ingredience into it but a secondarie and accidentall respect they have in these two considerations First they are ornamenta as garnishings which give a glosse and lustre to virtue and make it more splendid The Moralists say well that they are as shadows to a picture or garments to a comely personage Now as in these the shadowing makes not the colour of a picture truly better but onely seem better and appear more fresh and orient and as garments do indeed adorn the body now in the state of corruption whereas if man had stood in his integritie they had been uselesse for ornament as well as for necessity So likewise these outward things although in themselves they have nothing of true happinesse yet because they render it more beauteous and gracefull as the state of vertue now stands in respect of our converse with men we may well reckon them without prejudice to vertue inter ornamenta Then secondly they are adminicula also helps and adjuments as hand-maids to pietie without which vertue is impotent Were a man all soul vertue alone were sufficient it is enough by it self for the happinesse of the mind but being partly bodie and enjoying corporall societie with others he stands in need of things corporall to keep vertue in exercise Want clippes the wings of vertue that a man cannot feed the hungry or cloth the naked or enlarge himself to the good of others on the other side this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as the Philosophers term it sets vertue at libertie and gives it scope to be operative As fire the more aire fewell you give it the more it diffuseth it self so the more health peace plentie friends or authoritie we have the more power freedome and advantage we have to do vertuously Put now all these together the reason is evident vvhy the Prophet David here placeth this happinesse in the things vvhich are vvorse because they are serviceable to the things vvhich are better Hovvsoever he reserves the mention of the better till aftervvard Yet he vvould give us to understand that even these inferiour things are the good blenssigs of God and such blessings as being put together make up one part of the happinesse of a people It is true of popular happinesse as well as personall It is not one single good but the aggregation or affluence of many In the twenty eighth of Deuteronomie where Moses describes the blessednesse promised to the Israelites he reckons up all sorts of outward blessings and agreeable to those is the conflux of these in this Psalme The blessing of the house and of the citie That there be no leading into captivitie and no complaining in the streets The blessings of the basket and of the store That the garners may be filled with plentie The blessings of the
fruit of the bodie That the children may be as young plants The blessings of the field That the sheep may bring forth thousands and the oxen be strong to labour The blessings of going out and coming in That they may be delivered from the hand of strange children and saved out of great waters Here is briefly the compound of the many simples which make up this case or condition of a peoples happinesse And surely if by these particulars it be defined we may boldly say The condition is our own and men may pronounce of us as truly as of any Nation that we have been for a long time a happy people Our deliverances from strange children have been great and miraculous and our land it hath been a Goshen a lightsome land whereas the darknesse of discomfort hath rested upon other Nations The blessings of the citie and field of the basket and of the store have grown upon us in such abundance that many men have surfetted of plentie Our land hath been as an Eden and garden of the Lord for fruitfulnesse as a Salem for peace whereas other kingdomes do yet grone under the pressures of sword and famine Besides these if there be any blessing which the Scripture mentions in other places Peace in the walls Plentie in the palaces Traffick in the ports or Salvation in the gates if any part of happinesse which it speaks of in this Psalme for plantings or buildings or reapings or storings or peoplings we have had them all in as much fulnesse as any part of the world and in more then most onely there is one particular may be questioned or rather cannot be denied That amidst the very throng of all these blessings there are some murmurings and complainings in our streets But it need not seem strange to us because it is not new in the world In the stories of all ages we meet with it That men used to complain of their times to be evil when indeed themselves made them so I may be bold to say There was cause in respect of sinne then as well as now especially with godly men who are so good themselves that it is no marvell if they thought times a little evil to be extremely bad as alwayes sinne swells to the eye of grace But if we speak of outward pressures and calamities I am certain there is not cause now as then for the riches of the Kingdome were never so great the peace of the Kingdome never so constant the state of it for all things never so prosperous Onely we must give leave to the world to be like it self As long as ambition or covetousnesse are in the world men of such spirits will cry out The times are bad even when they are best because they in their own bad sense still desire to be better As nothing is enough so nothing is pleasing to a restlesse mind An insatiable appetite is alwayes impatient and because impatient querulous Yet this is not the sole reason for besides this humour of appetite the very corruption of our nature leads us hereunto To be weary of the present It is the joynt observation both of Divines and Moralists as of Salvian Quintilian Tacitus and others who agree as near almost in words as in opinion Quòd usitatum est mentis humanae vitium illa magìs semper velle qua desunt vetera quidem in laude praesentiain fastidio ponere Our own experience will tell us as much if we will take pains to observe it How through the pravity of our own dispositions whatsoever is present proves burdensome whether it be good or bad Salvian in his third De Gubernatione sets forth this humour to the life That men of all times were displeased with all times Si aestus est saith he de ariditate causamur si fluvia de inundatione conquerimur si infoecundior annus est accusamus sterilitatem si foecundior vilitatem So winter and summer are both alike distastfull to impatient men In scarcity things are too dear in plentie too cheap povertie pincheth and abundance nauseates If there be a little too much drought they cry out of a famine if a showre or two extraordinary they are affraid of a deluge You shall heare in good times Quid nobis cum Davide and in bad Antigonum effodio as we reade of the Israelites That even when God himself was pleased to order their civill affairs they were not contented but still repined as well when they had manna as when they wanted it The reason is as the Greek Historian notes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 But I hope we Christians are of a better temper It beseems not us of all others to be so injurious to God who hath singled us out to be a happy people It beseems us not to be so unthankfull to our Sovereigne under whom we enjoy these blessings Howsoever it ought to be in the first place acknowledged that the originall of all our happinesse is from heaven yet it must be confest withall that the chrystall pipe through which blessings are conveyed unto us is his government Our peace is from his wisdome our plentie from our peace our prosperitie from our plenty our safetie our very life our whatsoever good of this nature it is by Gods providence wrapt up in his welfare whose precious life as the Oratour speaks is Vita quaedam publica the very breath of our nostrils perfumed with multitude of comforts â—ma 4.20 What then remains but that our thankfulnesse should result from all to make our happinesse complete that so both receiving what we desire and retributing what we ow we may give cause unto all Kingdomes to lengthen this acclamation and to say Happy both Prince and people which are in such a case So I have done with the first generall part of the text the path of Prosperitie answerable to the civill respect of the day I now proceed to the second the path of Pietie answerable to the Religious respect Yea happy It 's the best wine to the last though all men be not of this opinion You shall hardly bring a worldly man to think so The world is willing enough to misconster the order of the words and to give the prioritie to Civill happinesse as if it were first in dignitie because 't is first named they like it better to hear of the Cui sic then the Cui Dominus To prevent this follie the Psalmist interposeth a caution in this corrective particle Yea Happy It hath the force of a revocation whereby he seems to retract what went before not simply and absolutely but in a certain degree lest worldly men should wrest it to a misinterpretation It is not an absolute revocation but a comparative it doth not simply deny that there is some part of popular happinesse in these outward things but it preferres the spiritualls before them Yea that is Yea more or Yea rather like that of Christ in the Gospel When one in the
companie blessed the wombe that bare him Lek 11.28 he presently replies Yea rather blessed are they that hear the word of God and keep it In like manner the Prophet David having first premised the inferiour part and outside of an happy condition fearing lest any should of purpose mistake his meaning and hearing the first proposition should either there set up their rest and not at all take in the second or if take it in yet do it preposterously and give it the precedence before the second according to the worlds order virtus post nummos In this respect he puts in the clause of revocation whereby he shews that these outward things though named first yet they are not to be reputed first The particle Yea removes them to the second place it tacitly transposeth the order and the path of piety which was locally after it placeth virtually before 'T is as if he had said Did I call them happy who are in such a case Nay miserable are they if they be onely in such a case The temporall part cannot make them so without the spirituall Admit the windows of the visible heaven were opened and all outward blessings powred down upon us admit we did perfectly enjoy whatsoever the vastnesse of the earth contains in it tell me What will it profit to gain all and to lose God If the earth be bestowed upon us and not heaven or the materiall heaven be opened and not the beatificall or the whole world made ours and God not ours we do not arrive at happinesse All that is in the first proposition is nothing unlesse this be added Yea happy are the people which have the LORD for their God You see in this part there is aliquid quod eminet something which is transcendent Therefore I will enquire into two particulars see both what it is that transcends and what is the manner of propounding of it The manner of propounding it is as I said corrective or by way of revocation the summe whereof is thus much That temporalls without spiritualls in what aboundance soever we possesse them cannot make us truly happy They cannot make happy because they cannot make good They may denominate a man to be rich or great or honourable but not to be virtuous Nay Seneca carrieth it a little further Non modò non faciunt bonum fed nec divitem They are so farre from making a man good that they make him not truly rich because they encrease desire and riches consist in contentation Not he that hath little but he that desires more is poor nor he that hath much but he that wants nothing is rich Yea and we may go further then Seneca They are so farre from making good that they often make evill if they be not sanctified they possesse the heart with vile affections fill it full of carnall and sinfull desires Wheras there are foure good mothers which bring forth ill daughters prosperitie is one Truth begets hatred securitie danger familiaritie contempt prosperitie pride and forgetfulnesse of God In this I might well make a stop but there is one degree more They are so farre from making good that they do not bring good but many evils and inconveniences They bring not the good of contentment but infinite distractions they are aureae compedes as S. Bernard speaks fetters or manicles which entangle the soul that it cannot attend upon better things Nor the good of freedome they do enthrall the soul to that which is worse then it self and it cannot be apprehended how a thing worse then our selves can make us happy Lastly not the good of safetie for they oftentimes expose us to dangers Multos sua felicitas stravit as Gregorie speaks Many men their lives had been longer if their riches had been lesse their happinesse made them miserable consolationes factae sunt desolationes as S. Bernard again Upon these grounds the Psalmist had very good reason to sequester them from true happinesse and by this corrective particle to reduce them to the second place though he set them in the first He knew very well that they are burdens shares impediments to piety as often as furtherances He knew them to be vain and transitory things Prov. 23.5 that we cannot hold They make themselves wings as Solomon speaks They are onely the moveables of happinesse Bractealis felicitas as Seneca 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Nazianzen What 's that S. Austin seems to translate it felicitas fallax a fabulous and personate felicitie Nay not onely fallax but falsa fictitious spurious deceitfull which leaves the soul empty when it most fills it that being most true which the same Father adds felicitas fallax major infelicitas falsa felicitas vera miseria Therefore that I may shut up this point let this be the use of it We must learn from hence to regulate our judgements according to the wisdome of the Spirit revealed in the word And that we may do if we keep to Gods method and set every thing in the due place where God hath seated it Now the Scripture constantly doth give the inferiour place to these temporall things If to come after be inferiour it sets them there Seek first the kingdome of God c. Matth. 6.33 If to be below be inferiour it placeth them there Set your affection on things above c. Coloss 3.2 Even gold and silver the best of these things they are seated under the feet of men and the whole world under the feet of a Christian Rev. 12.1 to teach us to despise it Lastly if to be on the left hand be inferiour the Scripture reckons them there too they are called the blessings of the left hand to teach us to give them the same place in our affections In one sense we may put them on the right by using them to God's glorie but in love and esteem they must be on the left S. Hierome illustrates it by this similitude As flax when it is on the distaffe it is on the left hand but when it is spunne into yarn and put on the spindle it is on the right so temporall things in themselves when first we receive them they are as flax on the distaffe all this while on the left hand but spinne them forth and use them to God's glorie they are as yarn on the spindle transposed to the right Thus we must learn to order them to the right hand onely for use to the left for valuation Otherwise if we pervert God's order and put them on the right it is to be feared they will set us on the left at the day of judgement if we elevate them above they will keep us below and make us come after if we set them before The highest place they can have is to be seconds to pietie here holy David placeth them though he mentions pietie last yet he giveth it the precedence in this word of revocation Yea happie that is Yea first yea more
religion is the Vinculum unionis which makes these mutuall interests intercurrent and couples them together it follows as the upshot of all That the chief and choicest part of Nationall happinesse consists in the puritie of God's worship in the enjoying of God's ordinances in the free passage of the Gospel that is in the truth and integritie of religion In this alone there are all sweets all beauties all blisses all glories It is as the ark of God to Israel and as the golden candlestick to the Churches the elevating principle which advanceth a Christian Nation above the heathen and the reformed Churches above other Christian Nations and this Iland in which we live I may say without arrogancie above all There is no Nation in the world which hath had the condition of religion so pure and prosperous as we for almost these hundred yeares It 's true if God calls us to account we cannot say that we have answered our opportunities we find not wherein to boast of our righteousnesse for vve are a sinfull people vvhose lives for the most part of us are as much vvorse as our means and professions better then in other places It is true also that of later yeares the love of religion in most hath grovvn cold and the puritie by some hath been stained and corrupted and I vvill not novv discusse vvhere the fault hath been the rather because it is every mans endeavour to remove it from himself Onely I will adde thus much That wheresoever the fault is there is no man hath shewed himself more forward to reform it then the King himself But Princes cannot alwayes attain their ends according to their liking because they see with other eyes and execute with other hands then their own And if we should cast the faults of men upon authoritie we should do wrong I fear to those who do not deserve it for even this very yeare notwithstanding the reformation of corruptions hath been with so much zeal and diligence endeavoured yet the end is not attained Nay in some respects it is so farre set back that to my understanding the state of religion hath never been worse since the first reformation then this present yeare in respect first of the greatnesse of our distractions which have divided us all one from another then of the multitude of sects and sectaries which cry indeed as the Jews before them Templum Domini but with a worse addition ut Templum Domini diruatur Lastly in respect of the many dishonours done to the service of God with so much scorn and scandall to religion that in forein parts they question whether all this time we had any No doubt all this is come upon us for our sinnes let us remove them and then God will blesse our studie of reformation But yet in the mean time let us remember that message which the good Bishop sent to Epiphanius Domine sol ad occasum descendit Our sun-shine is but yet declining it may come to set if we now begin to disgust this greatest blessing of religion which God hath bestowed upon us Let us learn to regard it more to love it better to blesse God for it and for his government who upholds it a Prince so devout and religious in his own person that if all were like him we should have a Kingdome of Saints In this respect we may use Velleius his words of his Majestie Cùm sit imperio Maximus exemplo Major est The lustre of his pietie surpasseth the lustre of his empire If therefore that of Synesius be true That men generally affect to write after the copies which are set by their Princes it behoves us all both to take out the lesson and to blesse God for the copie And moreover as this day puts us in mind let us all send up our most affectionate prayers that his Throne may be established by Righteousnesse his Crown exalted with Honour his Scepter be for power like Moses rod for flourishing like Aaron's that his happy reigne may in himself outlive us all and in his posteritie be perpetuated to all generations that succeeding ages may confesse Surely God hath been favourable unto this land and hath not dealt so with any Nation O how happy are the people that are in such a case Yea how happy are the people which have the Lord for their God! FINIS SERMON I. Hosea 14.2 Take with you words and turne to the Lord say unto him take away all iniquitie and receive us gratiously so will we render the calues of our lips THis Text is able to make a dumb man eloquent to set open the doore of utterance to the most illiterate tongue If there be any one among us that labours of Moses imperfection who confessed of himselfe that he was slow of Tongue and impotent for eloquence let him read this Text and it will teach him to speake If there be any among us that have put on Davids resolution to keepe silence even from good words let him read againe this Scripture only and he shall finde a way to the passage of Speech The Prophet here in this place takes on him the Office and function of a Schoole-Master having learned the Art of speaking the heavenly art of speech himselfe he labours to train up others to the knowledge of the same Art and I shal not think much to be his scholler at this time and to presse these words a little further then the Prophet intended them He gives them only as a rule of direction to the people how to pray to God but they may serve as a rule of direction to Ministers how to speak to the people and indeed if this go before the other will the better a great deale follow That you may with speed turne to God it becomes us to turne to you we must call upon you that you would please to call upon him wee must first open our mouthes to you that you would open yours before the Throne of grace And indeed I must needs confesse that I have been too long silent from this Theame of repentance considering what the times are Our dangers are great our carelesnes is as great no man goes about to labour to meet God I can hold no longer and when I look upon this Scripture methinkes I may take Elihu's speech into my mouth Behold I am full of matter and the Spirit within me constraineth me My belly is as new wine which hath no vent it is ready to burst like new bottles I will now speake and keepe silence no longer Me thinkes I heare the Prophet behind me calling upon me as Moses to Aaron Vp hast thee get thee to the congregation the plague is begun and they are all asleepe and there is no man that spreads his Armes and no man that lifts up his voyce to God Speake to them and speake to the purpose I speake home call upon them to Take to themselves words and to returne to the Lord and
how shall I now defile them I have found the smart of sin I have put off the garment of the old man the Serpents skin is now gone I am made partaker of the fleece of the Lamb there is another garment of the robe of Christs righteousnesse is drawne over me shall I take my old raggs againe shall I take that which I have put off I have bathed my feet my affections I have washed my hands in innocencie I have washed my heart in the laver of epentance with that laver that begot repentance the blood of shall I defile my selfe any more in the wayes and workes of sinne this is the language of repentance it leaves sinne to turne no more to it Here in a true convert differs from a formall Christian he will turne for a time when Gods hand presseth him when he is driven to an exigent and etremitie he will leave his sinne but as a man puts off his garments at night when he goes to bed to take them when he awakes He leaves sinne in the night of affliction and tribulation but when the storm 's over he takes it againe to himselfe Such Christ speakes of in the Gospell they are compared to dogs and to swine to dogs that returne to their vomit and to swine that returne to wallow in the myre scuh as the Apostle saith that having escaped the intanglements of the world are defiled again the second time Such a one was Lots Wife that turned from Sodome but looked back againe such a one was Demas that left the fellowship of the world and imbraced the fellowship of the Apostle but his resolution held not out after he left the fellowship of the Apostle and betooke himselfe to communion with the World But on the other side a true penitent doth not so after he hath tasted once of the sweetnes of grace after he hath gotten assurance of the pardon of sinne it begets in him such a detestation and hatred that though he fall into any of those sinnes that cost him the plowing up of his fallow ground and the breaking of his heart he would not change the comfort of his estate for the pleasures of all sinnes though they were not for a season but for eternitie repentance is a finall change so we see the phrase cleared repentance and prayer is a turning The Prophet saith Turne to the Lord that is turne your lips to him offer the sacrifice of praise and turne your hearts to him too offer the sacrifice of a contrite spirit so much for the meaning of the phrase I come to the second that is the Propositions that arise from this dutie of action The propositions are two that arise clearely The first Proposition is this that In publique calamities that are threatned or sent upon a Land there is no hope of having the judgement or punishment removed except there be a turning to God by prayer The Prophet saw the judgement and their miserie and he chalks out the meanes to prevent it The first meanes is this the turning to the Lord that is the summe of all there is no hope of removing the punishment except wee turne te God by prayer That is the first and that is the way that the Scripture chalks out to us in diverse places after a diverse manner It shewes it us sometimes by vertue of the precept God hath commanded us Call upon me in the day of trouble and I will deliver thee when trouble is nigh at hand when any affliction perplexeth thee when thou groanest under any calamitie loe God himselfe shewes thee the way and that is this Call upon me in the day of trouble that is pray to me turne to me by prayer that which he cals there Call upon me is here Turne to the Lord they are both phrases equivalent It is not only by precept but it is set out by promise the Scripture chalks out this by promise take one for all 2 Chren 7. That will suit with our occasion and this Scripture There God makes this promise If I shut heaven that there be no raine or if I command the locusts to devoure the Land or if I send the pestilence that it break forth If yet they shall turne to me and seeke my face and pray to me and forsake their evill wayes I will heare from Heaven and pardon their sins and heale their Land There could not be a more gracious promise nor a more ample promise it is not only in generall if that my judgements shall break forth on them for then it may be they would have wanted understanding to have applyed it in particular judgements therefore God instances in such and such judgements they may stand for all in time of famine and drought if there be no raine and if because there be no raine there is no plentie if they be not only in famine but pestilence he sets the meanes whereby he will be induced to withdraw these judgements If they seeke my face and turne to me and call upon my name and forsake their evill wayes There are all the particulars of dutie Then there are all the particulars of deliverance I will heare from Heaven and pardon their sinnes and heale their Land that is I will remove the judgements and not only so but take them to grace and favour so it is chalked out by promise as well as by precept Nay not only by promise but it is chalked out by Testimonie and experience take Davids experience for all for David was one that shewed more experience of the knowledge of Gods wayes then any other First there is the experience of his owne person 2 Sam. 22. When I was in distresse I called upon the Lord I cried to God and he heard me out of his holy Temple and my crie entred into his eares See David in distresse called upon the Lord and he heard him If we will not believe his experience for himselfe let us see it for others That he sets down in diverse psalines in generall words that The righteous crye and the Lord heares them and delivers them from all their troubles The order is this when the righteous are in trouble they crye to the Lord and he heares them and his hearing is his answer and his answer is deliverance out of trouble See yet if the generall will not serve if Davids experience will not serve see it in particular Saints Psal 34. This poore man cryed to the Lord. It is worth observing that David breakes out into such an abruption of phrase he named none before if he had spoken before of one of exceeding pietie and predicated this of him This pooro man wee might say as the Eunuch to Philip Doth the Prophet speake this of himselfe or of some other man but it is a phrase ordinarie in the Psalmes therefore take notice of it it is in another Psalme Her foundations are upon the holic hill a man would wonder who he speakes of but he knew wee must
any man should be ignorant he doth not reserve the knowledge as long as he doth the thing the thing shall be given then it is promised now in the meane time it is God that hath promised it it is God that gives it That is the first thing that the Apostle implies Then if we look to the manner of the conveyance it is in this word it is by promise it comes to us by deed by good deed good assurance There is no better deed then that that is written by the Finger of God and sealed to us by the blood of Christ The promise depends both upon the merit of Christ and upon the truth of God He lets us see therefore the conveyance in this word that though we cannot yet come to see the glory of the crown in the thing we may see it in the conveyance and promise As he that is the Heire apparent to any great matter but is not come to the possession though he cannot behold the inheritance as his owne with the eye of sence he may with the eye of reason if he cannot read it where it is Scituated he may in his deeds and conveyances It is all that the Saints had to shew for Heaven when they were on Earth they could see Heaven in the promise they could see and read it in the conveyance Abraham did see Christs day and he that sees Christs day of his first appearing by faith can see his second appearing The Apostle tells us Heb. 11. of all the Saints in the Old Testament though they inherited not the possession of the promises they saw them a far off in the tenure of the promises God deales with us as he did with Moses because he would not bring him to the Land of Canaan he carries him to the Mount and shews it him there he shews it in a Vision in the Vision and glasse of the promises before he translates us he shews us what Heaven is Indeed when we come to Heaven there we shall see from the Mount of Vision but here we may look from the Valley of Vision that we may know what the conveyance is whence it comes the Apostle adds this word The Crowne of life the Crowne promised Yet he tells us not where it is promised nor in what place of Scripture The Apostles were full of quotations yet sometimes they did forbeare them too It had been but an easie labour but yet it was needlesse being a promise of a thing so precious as indeed all the promises are precious promises as the Apostle speaks being a promise so precious he supposed that every man that was conversant in the word of God would be sure to treasure up these Scriptures of all Scripture promises and of all promises those that concerne Heaven are most precious A man that accounts the Book of God a Jewell the most precious of all the Jewells are these promises that concerne Heaven He supposed that every man would pluck these and treasure and lay them up in the Store-house of his heart that he may pick comfort from them in the time of need he names them not therefore that every man might get these It was needlesse in another respect too there is hardly any Booke in the whole Bible in which there are not promises of â—alvation It is the sum of both Testaments there are promises of the Crowne of life every where In the Psalmes oft times With thee is the Well of life In thy presence is fullnesse of joy and at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore When I awake I shall behold thy face in righteousnes You have it in the Book of the Proverbs oft repeated Length of dayes are in her right hand and in her left hand riches and glory You have it in the Prophets oft Those that are just shall shine as the stars of the Firmament in glory It dropt oft from the mouth of Christ and oft from the mouths and pens of the Apostles What need was there to point out any place where the promise was made when it is made in every place A man cannot open the Bible almost but he shall hit on it God would plant this foundation of faith in every part any man that is not conversant in reading the whole let him cast his eye on any part he shall meet with this there are frequent iterations of it it was renewed daily being the grand promise of the rest it was fit it should have many repetitions and many renovations There was no way it could be conveyed to us by any assurance but by promise even the least blessings there is no blessing that we look for in act but it is conveyed by promise If it be comfort to a distressed man that is oft repeated Come unto me all you that are weary and heavy laden and I will ease you If it be the promise of support and strength in sicknesse that is repeated He shall make all his bed in his sicknesse What say I more If there be promises of lesse blessings there must needs be of the greatest that that comprehends all in it the promise of glory the Crowne of life it is the course that God observes in Scripture he gives all by promise he gives it twice because he would be sure to give Heaven to us he gives Heaven in the PROMISE that is Heaven in hope and then in act that is in possession and fruition There is a great deale of reason if we look on our selves or on God First look on God it was fit he should give it by promise Partly for the better testification of his truth that he might appeare to be Deus verax a God of his word The truth of God could not appeare unlesse there were a word to make good and fullfill his gift and that could not be but by promise this glorious Attribute would fall to the ground but for that there might be some suppositions of him to be a God of infinit goodnesse and purity but we had not had experience of it but by promise And then for the demonstration of his wisdome that he would not give Heaven without advise and deliberation and not as we give rashly He took counsell the gift of glory is a work of counsell a work of counsell in the first ordaining Ephes 1. We are predestinate according to the Counsell and purpose of his will God doth all advisedly as he begins with counsell so he carries it along with counsell there is no better testimony of his wisdome then to give it first by promise he disposeth it by degrees that he may appeare to be a wise God he gives it by deliberation and therefore by promise Lastly for the better demonstration of his goodnesse that he might appeare to be Deus bonus Promise is a kind of debt he that gives a promise makes himselfe a Debtor Whereas we are all Debtors to God debtors to his justice in regard of our sins debtors to his love for
is in graine that hath the true stamp if love be wanting and there is no grace that shall ever carry the Crowne where love is not St. Paul makes it cleare 1 Cor. 13. Knowledge faith Almsâ—deeds suffering afflictionss are all nothing without love Though I have all knowledge and all faith that I could remove Mountaines though I spake with the tongue of men and Angels though I should give my body to be burned and feed the poore with my goods and have not love all is nothing There is no grace if love be wanting that câ—n have interest in the Crowne because there can be no truth of grace there can be no truth of faith no truth of obedience to God where love is wanting As all is wanting if love be wanting so â—very grace is present if love be present therefore in that the promise is made here to love it is made to all there is good reason of the variation That you may see the reason of it the Apostle St. Paul in 1 Cor. 2. when he quotes that place out of Isaiah 46. he varies the word being guided by the Spirit of God the word in Isaiah is Eye hath not seene nor â—are hath heard the things that God hath prepared for them that waite on him The Apostle quotes the place Eye hath not seene nor eare heard the things that God hath prepared for them that love him Implying that where there is love there is waiting where there is love there is all So though suffering be not mentioned suffering is there and every grace it is a larg expression Therefore that we may see it is large the number is varied there is an alteration of the number as well as of the grace He begins the Proposition in the Singular number Blessed is the man See the wisdome of the Apostle it should according to the tenure of the same number run thus He shall receive the Crowne of life which God hath promised to him that loves him No he varies the number and sayth That God hath promised to them that love him Least any that are not called to suffering should doubt of the Crowne they are blessed and shall receive the Crowne of life that suffer but God hath not called me to afflictions he sets a gap open of comfort for them here it is for them and for all that love him It is ordinary in Scripture to enlarge the promise Christ inlargeth the precept That which I say to one I say to all watch As he there inlargeth the precept so in another place he inlargeth the promise I pray not for these alone but for all that shall beleive in my name to the end of the World St. Paul follows it 2 Tim. 4. The Crowne of righteousnesse which the Lord the righteous Judge shall give me at that day I Paul shall have it but none else Yes not onely to me but to all that love him So St. James here varies in a heavenly straine he pronounceth Blessed is the man that endureth tribulation for when he is tried he shall receive the Crowne of life I he shall but none else yes not onely he but it is promised to all that love him It is no strait expression To draw all to a head you see the sum of it is thus much It sets downe the qualification of the person that shall be capable of the Crowne of glory here is the qualification he must be one that loves God It sets downe againe the qualification of that person that will stoutly and valiantly endure tribulations he must get abundance of the love of God in his heart If we suffer not if God lay it on us we shall never reigne and if we love not we will never suffer There is no promise of God but hath a qualification going along with it It is a great errour among us we are ready to catch at the promise but never to take notice of the qualification There is never a promise made but the person must be so and so qualified there is a condition goes along with the promise The condition is the qualification As if it be the promise of forgivenesse the qualification of the person is it is to those that are penitent that repent God never gave forgivenesse where there was not the work of repentance If it be the promise of Salvation there is the qualification of the person he must be a Beleiver faith comes in God never gives Salvation where he doth not first work faith to lay hold of it If it be the promise of glory there is a qualification too perseverance To those that continue in well doing there shall be glory and honour and immortality there shall be eternall life to them God never gave the Crowne of glory nor never will but where he gives the grace of perseverance to hold out here is the qualification If it be this Crowne that is here spoken of here is the qualification those that suffer tentation there is one those that love God there is the great qualification If therefore we look to have a true infallible interest in the promise let us look to get the propriety of the qualification If we be not persons qualified we have no interest in the promise Many men goe on in sin and still flatter themselves with hope in the promise presumptuous men talke of forgivenesse as familiarly as if it were written by the hand of God Impenitent men that forsake not sin talk of glory and Heaven and of inheriting the Crowne and hope for that it is a poore hope there is no qualification God never gave them a promise There can be no hope of Heaven where there is not a promise there can be no interest where there is not a promise God never gave a promise of forgivenesse to the impenitent to men that goe on in sin but that forsake them he never promised Heaven to the presumptuous man but to him that layes hold of it by faith If we will have interest in the promise we must get the qualification On the other side where there is this condition and qualification though our names be not written upon the promise yet the names of all that are so qualified are as good as written There is no promise but hath the names of all the persons that are so qualified graven on it not expresly but virtually If the promise be made to faith every beleiver is in that promise If it be a promise to repentance every penitents name is written there as if it were set there he hath an interest where there is a qualification there cannot be a missing of the promise Look for the qualification and for this qualification of love Those that love God It is true there are no limits or bounds set downe that is our great comfort it is not said those that love God much nor those that love God most but simply to those that love him to let us see that as much love shall have a
the full signification of it The first is the latitude or extent of the word in respect of the habits of grace From strength to strength that is from one habite of grace to another habite of grace that when we have attained the pitch if it were possible of any grace we should not content our selves with that there are other graces to be attained That as a man that will learne perfectly to read must goe through the whole list and Alphabet of Letters and none are to be excepted So he that will come to take out the whole lesson of Christianity must set out the whole lesson Sentences and Sillables the whole quire of grace and labour to come to a competent measure and perfection of habits in all When he hath got one he must not rest there but goe on from the habit of one grace to another Because all grace upon occasion brings glory to God And a Christian hath need in this World of every grace And every grace leads alike to the same excellency of glory and the same Blessing and Reward is stated upon it How ever it is true as Gregory Nazianzen sayth well some perticular graces are more proper to some perticular estates and ages of men Repentance is a grace more proper to them that are fallen and perseverance is a grace more proper to them that stand A man that is downe cannot be called to persevere he is not yet raised but a man that is up his proper grace that hath his footing already set in Christianity is to exhort him to persevere and to exhort the other to rise So Alms-deeds it is a grace that is more proper to him that is Rich and contentation to the Poore Call to a poore man for Alms he hath the Alms of Prayer not of releife it is not a grace so proper To carry it further Modestie and Sobriety they are graces proper to them that are young wisdome and gravity and discretion are graces proper to them that are in yeares that are old Thankfullnesse is a proper grace for him that abounds in prosperity and Patience is a proper grace for him that is in adversity So Nazienzen sayth well there are graces more proper and peculiar to certaine conditions of men But this hinders not but that every grace is needfull and necessary to all Because every man may be set in every estate he that stands now may fall he that hath plentifully and therefore may give Almes he may want and be called to contentation There is no Christian but he hath need of every grace because he may be set in every condition and estate therefore it is not enough to attaine some one grace and to neglect the other to mortifie some one Vice and fall into another that stands not with the nature of repentance to attaine to some one vertue with the contempt of another it stands not with the state of breathing after perfection For a man to subdue pride and keep covetousnesse or to subdue covetousnesse and keep envie and malice each of these make him equally abhominable to God For a man to attaine to the habit of charity and not to study the grace of repentance or to attaine to the grace of repentance and not to give accomplishment to it by the works of righteousnesse and obedience or to attaine to some degree of obedience and to neglect the graces of patience and meeknesse or the rest he will not at all come on to many degrees of strength There must be a connexion of all the habites of grace we must glorifie God by Charity as well as by faith by repentanâ—â— as well as by charity and by obedience as well as by repentance and by humblenesse of mind and patience as well as by obedience The graces are all lâ—â—cked together they make up one body or rather one soule of grace As the Apostle speaks of the mysticall ody of Christ Ephes 4. Collos 1. In whom the body fitly compact together so it growes up As all the severall Members of Christ knit by the same faith make one solid mâ—sticall body so all the graces together make up one quire There is one chaine of graces that are so necessarily lincked that as in the parts of the body take away one and you deforme the whole so breake one grace you mar the whole chaine Therefore the Scripture calls ever and anon that we be fruitfull in every good worke to labour to please God in all things we doe Whatsoever things are just what Must I stay there No whatsoever things are true whatsoever things are honest whatsoever things are pure whatsoever things are lovely Here is from strength to strength We must goe from justice to purity and from thence to honesty and so to lovelinesse and that is a good decorum in a Christians conversation The Apostle Peter expresly tells us of these junctures Add to knowledge temperance to temperance patience to patience godlinesse to godlinesse brotherly kindnesse to brotherly kindnesse love Here are now the severall paces and steps these are the habits of vertues it is all one as if he had said in the words of the Psalmist Add strength to strength virtue to virtue habite to habite He names them severally to shew that if it were possible to attaine the perfection of some one we must not stay there from habite to habite that is from strength to strength That is the first latitude Next to proceed from the habites to the acts of vertue habites are dry and cold if they shew not themselves in acts they may glorify God within but they cannot without further then they manifest themselves in action Therefore the next from strength to strength is from the habite to the act Admit a man attaine all the habites of grace named if those graces be perfect in respect of him they are not in respect of God action is the activity of those graces that glorifies God and brings the knowledge and improvement of them St. Austin observes in one place against the Heathens that Christian virtues far excell the mâ—rall virtues of the Heathen even by the very name they are called sayth he you call your virtues habits we call ours gifts you ascribe it to your selves and therefore you call them habits because you have them but we call them gifts because we receive them from God Every good gift is from above And indeed it was a very good argument that St. Austin used yet there is a third word may be taken that is better then both that is Practise For whither we consider them as habits or gifts they are not perfect till they come to action It is not the having but the husbanding of a grace that brings glory to God for a man to have the habit and not to put it in practise it is all one as a Talent in a Napkin Therefore the Scripture in severall places useth those two words promiscuously To him that hath shall be given and he shall
we grow and a great deale of need because of these pitches that are set us Then it is not onely a necessary but an honourable thing It is observed of the Ancients for corporall stature and it is a good Opinion of them Homer alway brought in his Heroes his worthies he presented them in tall high stature Hector and Vlisses and Agamemnon these that were Prinâ—es men of renoune he made them come in tall stature Plinie sayth that tall stature used to be a portment fit for Princes Therefore Augustus is commended for that and Cornelius for the same and Procopius concerning Beresebius And the Scripture gives the same commendation of Joseph Gen. 39. Joseph was a goodly person And Saul was higher then all the people from the Shoulders upward And Herodotus observes that the Ethiopians use to choose their Kings of the highest stature And in Plutarch it is observed that the Lacedemonians set a Mulct upon one because he had married a little wife because they thought it would be a disparagement of the Princes that should be brought forth If they had so good respect to the stature of the outward man how goodly is it to be so spiritually to God For corporall stature sometimes is not an Ornament for if the mind be not answerable it is rather a disgrace and it may be beyond those proportions that are required in Decency of stature But we cannot exceed in the spirituall no measure can exceed Therefore if it be a thing so honourable and so lovely with men and of God he that is so comes neare the similitude of Christ and of God and is nearest the state of Tryumphants and most out of the millitant state he is most in Heaven and hath most of God in him Then I will shut up this point with the Exhortation of St. Jerome in one of his Epistles that we all take care as we grow in dayes and yeares so to grow in the knowledge of God in grace and virtue in the strength of virtue that it may be said of us as Paul saith of the Thessalonians that their faith did grow exceedingly and their love one towards another abounded That is to grow from strength to strength I have done with that There is a peice behind another generall part almost halfe the Text but it will not now beare a generall handling It is the rest of all it takes away the objection From strength to strength but when shall we rest When we appeare before God in Zion There is the time of remuneration and rest There are three passages remarkable I will but mention them The glorious place Zion And a glorious presence there They appeare before God in Zion And then Every one of them appeare I will but touch them breifly for there is a double signification of all these three First Zion hath a double signification in Scripture There is Zion in the Mount There is Zion in the Valley Though the low Zion be called Mount Zion in Scripture it is but a Valley to Heaven but there is spirituall Zion that is misticall that in the proper ordinary acception signifies the House of God below but in a more sublime acception the Church of God above the place of bliss The Lamb upon Mount Zion Revel 14. Heb. 12. We are come to an innumerable company of Angels to the Church of the first borne in Heaven to Mount Zion Mount Zion is taken for Heaven it selfe Then answerable to these two acceptions of Zion there is a double appearing before God mentioned The appearing before God in glory And the appearing in the Courts of his presence in the House of his worship below The appearing before God in the Mount of Vision when we shall see Face to face when we shall see as we are seene and know as we are knowne And the appearing before God in the Valley of Vision the Valley of tears the Church below That so oft as we present holy performances more especially when we come into his Courts and enter into the Gates of his presence The Church of God is the Chamber of his presence there we make our appearing St. Paul tells us of our appearing before God in the Mount of vision above not onely in that place We shall all apeare before the judgement seat of Christ but in Collos 3. When Christ who is our life shall appeare we shall appeare with him in glory The fruition of glory is called our appearing before God in glory Of the other David speaks when he complaines O when shall I come and appeare before God! It is the Speech of an Exile David was a banished man from the House of God he had not free accesse to repaire thither therefore that made his great complaint When shall I appeare That is when shall I enter into thy presence and tread in thy â—ourts It is worthy our consideration that we come to the Church especially to appeare before God we should take this consideration to make us come with reverence and preparednesse because we come into a glorious presence It should make us take heed how we behave our selves here in these places of Divine service because we are in the presence of God If we be convâ—rsant in Prayer we appeare in a speciall manner before God fall low before his Foot-stoole If we heare the word of God we appeare before his presence When we come to heare the word read or Preached we are at the foot of the Mount as the People received the Law When we repaire to the Table of the Lord we come in a speciall manner into Gods presence we appeare before him because Christ is present there he gives himselfe for food and God is present for he accepts us in Christ Therefore if we so fit our selves to come into the presence of a man that is better then our selves that we may come with sobriety and acceptation how should we fit our selves to come before God in these inferiour places of our appearing It is true we are alway present to him and he to us but his eye though it be alwayes upon us ours is not alwayes upon him but then our eyes are directed to him when we come into his Courts it is called therefore appearing before God Lastly there is the illation that knits both together in those two words Every one That is then every one There is one word that is a word of connexion and Then what time Then when we are growne to stature when we have gotten from one degree of strength to another We must not offer to come into Gods presence unlesse we bring the Wedding Garment some stature this cloathing of Vertue and grace When we come to appeare before him there will be an account taken of each mans strength how he hath profitted by each of these severall Ordinances of grace God will look that we give account of our proficiency by all the meanes of Salvation When we come to the House of God and to
Was it not enough to say as the eyes of Servants are to their Masters Why to the hands of their Masters and to the hands of her Mistresse Yes for very good reason First it is said to the hands of their Masters and the hands of her Mistresse as a testimony of their submission and subjection because it is the hand by which they governe it is the hand by which they correct therefore still the Servant keeps his eye upon the hand of his Master As Plantus sayth well it is by the hand that the Master orders and governes therefore the Servant hath his eye upon his hand It is a testimony of all reverence and a testimony of subjection and submission and humiliation A dutifull Servant dares not presume to look his Master in the face he keeps his eye onely upon his hands below Then it is a testimony of his hope it is a bountifull hand that the Master rewards with he keeps his eyes upon his hands thence he receives his reward Last of all it is a testimony of his obedience he looks to his hands he looks not that his Master should speake to him alway if it be but the pointing of the finger but the wagging of the hand if he know his Masters will he accounts that a Command A Servant must not alway stay so long till his Master give him a Command but any expression of his Master will serve the turne it stands for a Command for an injunction Therefore it is well observed by one of the Heathens and by another backward and forward that as Masters should be to their Servants so Servants to their Masters The Sâ—rvant must be to his Masters occasions and the Master to the Servants as Monosillables What meant he by it That if he be a good Servant he should not need to have many perswasions and entreaties but he should be as a Monosillable one word should be enough See it in higher matters that God might shew himselfe Lord of Lords the supreame Master though he gave some expressions of his will in larger Commands yet he gives the rest in a Monosillable Love it is the whole duty of a Christian we must be as Monosillables especially to God The Centurion said to his Servants to one goe and to another come both Monosillables in our Language The Master should be a Monosillable to the Servant and the Servant to the Master One sillable is enough to a good Servant nay a nod or an accent is enough if it be but the beckning of the hand To shew that a good Servant is of a docible disposition and tractable therefore it is said he looks to the hands of his Master to shew that he is ready he is at hand he is at his Elbow it is his joy and delight and glory that he may doe with chearfullnesse his Masters will therefore they look to the hands of their Masters for all these reasons it is said to the hands That is the second expression the eyes of Servants to the hands of their Masters In the third place it is not barely said As the eyes of Servants are to the hands of their Masters but it is added As the eyes of a Hand-maid are to her Mistresse Here is mention of both Sexes and both Governours Master and Mistresse Servants and Hand-maid What should be the reason To take away all scruples and to remove all doubts The one to shew this that there is obedience attendance and respect and observance and reverence due to all kind of Masters from Servants whither of superiour or of inferiour Servants Apprentices think they may contemne and despise their Masters if they be poore men No if they be set in that relation they are their Governours and of what sort or quality soever they be there is respect to be given to them Look as it is in the other relation of Parentage the Scripture is carefull not onely to preserve the honour of the Father but because the Mother is more subject to be contemned and despised therefore it takes care to preserve the honour of the Mother of the weaker Sex therefore twise for once of honour to the Father we read of honour to the Mother And as it takes order to give respect to the Master so to the Mistresse they must have respect let them be of what sex or state and condition soever that are set over you Then the other is doubled Servant and Hand-maid to shew that it is the duty of all Servants to doe this of whar sex or age soever whether they be those that are bound or hixed whether they be old or young their eyes must be towards their Masters not onely their eyes but their hearts Not with eye-service as the Apostle sayth Pleasing men but for conscience serving the Lord. See it is a point of Conscience for Servants to be dutifull to their Masters I am glad I have the point in hand I have oft desir'd to have an opportunity It is your Scripture now I pray think of it you that are in that condition It is a point of Conscience for Servants to give respect to their Masters in serving them they serve the Lord as Serving the Lord sayth the Apostle not with eye-service but with the service of the heart they must serve them with the heart as well as with the eye the heart must not entertaine a hard surmise or make an ill construction they must not think evill of their Masters They serve the Lord. There is very good reason for it because Servants they are not their â—â—â—ne he that doth eyther bind himselfe to another or put himselfe to the jurisdiction of another 〈◊〉 the time be it more or lesse he is not his owne he parâ— with himselfe while that relation holds There is nothing of Servants that is their owne their Tongues are not their owne they may not speake what they list but what is acceptable to God Their hands are not their owne they may not doe what they list but their Masters pleasure their feet are not their owne they may not gad whither they list but where their Masters send them Their eyes are not their owne they may not looke as they list there may be wrong and dâ—â—obedience in the looks and God will reveng such things They have given the interest of all their strength into the hands of their Masters you must be Servants for Conscience sake Take notice of it because this piece of the Aeconomicall body is wholly out of frame every man almost complaines and there is just cause It is a very rare and hard thing to find a conscionable Servant Servants have gotten now the Reines on their owne necks they have cast off the yoake There is no man that hath a Servant but he must look to have halfe a Master They doe not remember that they are not their owne they will not onely be their owne but the chiefe their Tongues shall be their owne and their eyes
to receive their direction We must not prescribe God leave God to his way though we see things improbable God can work it out we must leave him to his wisedome he will bring things to passe we must not put trust in meanes and rules but leave God to his prescriptions Lastly good Servants beare their Masters name and not onely apply themselves to the Commands of their Master but to the desires of their Master They alway consider themselves to be in that condition that they look to give an account Good Servants they are not onely tender of their Masters temporall goods but of their Masters safety A good Servant will venture his life for his Master especially in a good cause O then let us goe and be like minded put all these together and by the consideration of these things provoke our selves to the faithfull obedience and service that belongs to God Let us mold our selves with these resolutions If we be Servants for shame for shame doe somewhat that belongs to Servants Let us not be content to equall the Coppie but labour to exceed it not onely to say As the eyes of Servants so our eyes but as the eyes of Children to their Parents so are our eyes to God As the eyes of Subjects are to their Prince so are our eyes on God and as the eyes of Sheep are fixed upon the Shepheard so are our eyes on God As the eyes of Creatures are upon their Creator and the eyes of the redeemed upon their Saviour so our eyes are fixed upon the Lord our God In all these relations we will not onely labour to equall the duty but to exceed it and not so onely but more So I have done with the first thing the paralell wherein David endeavours to match the Coppy he had propounded As the eyes of Servants are towards their Masters so are our eyes on the Lord our God And the reason of every word Now the last thing is the date and duration Vntill he have mercy on us There are but two words they are not long in pronunciation but they are very long in signification They are so long that they reach to perpetuity both wayes For first there is no end of Gods mercy that is one word And then there must be no period set of our duty and waiting Vntill he have mercy on us That word seems to be as long as the other Indeed it is true in it selfe it is not long because God is not long in shewing mercy he is quick if we should wait upon him onely till he shew mercy we should wait now and no longer we should cease presently for he shews mercy alwayes No but it is to be continued by many enlargements therefore briefly the sum of both words is this In one word the word mercy David sets downe the scope at which every Christian aimes after the glory of God in shooting up all those Arrows of love and obedience and feare that he sends up to God the end and aime of all is this that he may attaine mercy he looks up to God for mercy Mercy that is of a larg signification we can beg nothing of God which is not mercy If a man be disconsolate he looks to God for comfort If there be a doubtfull heart that looks up to God for resolution If there be a blind heart that looks for illumination of a wavering heart that looks for stablishing all these are mercies because they are all given in mercy Every good thing is a mercy because it is given in mercy If a man be in persecution peace is a mercy If he be in trouble of Conscience ease is a mercy If he be in anguish if he be in any exigent deliverance is a mercy If he be in pangs of Conscience quiet is a mercy All is mercy he that waits on God for mercy waits for every good thing Secondly the other word Vntill shews us thus much what the period is that a Christian sets himselfe in the line of obedience It hath the same period that Donec untill untill he shews mercy Shall we think that David did meane to wait on God untill he had mercy and then to fix his eyes upon the Earth againe No much more then therefore know that the word Donec in Scripture doth not alway signifie a determinate time but an infinite time untill signifies eternity in two places One in the Gospell Joseph knew not Mary untill shee had brought forth her first Borne Son not then nor after because shee continued alway a Virgin But more plainly in Psal 110. The Lord said to my Lord sit on my right hand untill I make thine enemies thy Foot-stoole Doe you think that Christ shall sit at Gods right hand no longer then till all things be subdued in the end of the World and that then he shall give over his session and his Kingdome cease God forbid but untill is for ever So here Our eyes wait on the Lord till he have mercy on us Not as we should make a cessation then when God hath shewed mercy But as St. Chrysostome very well he speaks not onely for a short time as long as God shews mercy but for all times What doe I take Chrysostome heare David expound himselfe Psal 62. My throat is dry my heart is weary mine eyes faile with waiting He looked on God so long till his eyes failed and he gives not over then he waits still A Christian must wait alwayes upon God So that word hath both an inclusive and an exclusive force So shall our eyes wait on the Lord untill he shew mercy That is if he doe shew mercy we will wait or if he doe not If he send it speedily or if he doe not still God is to be waited on We now if God doe not send mercy we will wait on him with contentation or if he doe shew mercy we will wait on him with acknowledgement If God delay mercy we will wait with patience if he speedily send mercy we will wait on him with thankfullnesse we will wait on him till then and much more after Vntill that is I will wait on him then and now and alway we will never end this work So the point is this Aâ— true Christian must not let goe his hold his hope his confidence he breaks not off his Service he breaks not off waiting upon God though God deferre to shew mercie He waits on God in his owne occasions though God suspend and seeme to absent himselfe He waits in all the occasions of the Church If God correct he waits that things may be better if God send blessings he still waits on him that God may continue the mercies Here is the point a Christian must not give over waiting on God especially in cases of extreamity When we come to beg any mercy spirituall or temporall of God if God bestow it on us then we are said to wait till then because then we obtaine our desire we wait for
hoped then to have made an end of these Meditations Then I considered that as I began this Feast with speaking of Mysteries so there could not be a better Subject chosen for the sealing up of the same And this Text that I have chosen now will answer that first Scripture for indeed it is much at one for it shews that the Mysteries of the Gospell are worthy not onely of the study of Apostles but of Angells Therefore it is that I have now made choise of this Scripture to be the accomplishment and fullfilling of that first dayes Indeed they were very far fetched however they have a good dependence in this Chapter of Peter yet they might have as good connexion to those words of Paul That I should make knowne the Mysteries of the Gospell sayth St. Paul that is the Text I began with and these words added to that make it full and compleat That I should make knowne the Mysteries of the Gospell which things the Angells desire to looke into It is a Scripture that hath some difficulty in it and will be well worth our study especially since it speaks of Angells and agrees with the solemnity that is past in a better and nearer nature then the former The first Text told us of the Christians Christmas this Text goes further and tells us how it is observed by the Angells themselves That seeing it is the birth of Christ that administers joy to the Angells it is the common theame of both let us now see in these words the common studie and inspection and speculation of both That the incarnation of Christ it was to be the rejoycing of the faithfull our blessed Saviour shews in John 8. Abraham desired to see my day and saw it and rejoyced That it was the common study of the Prophets St. Peter shews it here The Prophets enquired after it that it was the common study of the Apostles St. Paul tells us I desire to know nothing but Jesus Christ and him crucified that it is the common studie of Saints the same St. Paul saith Ephes 3. That ye may be able to comprehend with all Saints what is the height and breadth and length and depth c. Now that it is the common study of Angells St. Peter tells us after that he had mentioned the sufferings of Christ and the glory and the diseent of the Holy Ghost and the Preaching of the Apostles he closeth all up with this honourable conclusion Into these things the Angells desire to looke That I may the better therefore goe on with the resolution and full explication of these words I will reduce all that I am to say of them to these three parts that naturally rise out of the consideration of the words Qui Angeli Quae bona Quis radix desiderij Who are the Angells here spoken of whome the Apostle sayth They desire to looke into the Mysteries of the incarnation What those good things are that they desire to looke into And what is the root of this desire that carries them to this inspection These are the three things I shall consider First Qui Angeli who these Angels are Didimus Alexandrinus in his Commentarie upon this place it seems in his time they interpreted this place of the evill Spirits the evill Angels and Lorinus the Jesuite he goes about to shew so much out of Clemens Alexandrinus that Clemens not onely though I find not the place makes mention of the Interpretation but refutes them Therefore here now there is good occasion given to search well into the first thing to know who these Students are these that are the glorious beholders and Scrutators of this heavenly mystery that are the inspectors here spoken of these good Inquisitors to know what Angells they are Therefore briefly I will reduce it to these Propositions The first Negative that the place cannot possibly be understood of evill Angells of evill Spirits for these two reasons One reason is taken from the name and appellation of Angells Though the name be given sometimes in Scripture to the evill Spirits yet generally when it is applied to them there is some word of addition annexed whereby it may be knowne of whome the Scripture speaks The evill Angells the Angells of Satan the Angell of the bottomlesse Pit the Angells that kept not their first estate the Angells that sinned and the like Or if there be not some such clause of addition yet there is alway some circumstance of Interpretation that directs and points out who those Angells are when the Scripture calls those evill Spirits Angells as The Devill and his Angells Rev. 12. Know ye not that ye shall judge the Angells 1 Cor. Every one must needs be sure that this is meant of the evill Angells it cannot be meant of the good There is some circumstance alway in the Text that points it out when they are said to be Angells But for the holy Angells the blessed Spirits they are frequently and generally called so in Scripture for the most part if not alway when this word is simply met with it is appliable to good Angells And the reason is very evident because the name of Angell is a name of function by nature they are Spirits by Office they are Angells it is a name of Office and function and imployment since the name of Angell is a name of that holy Office and imployment that Gods puts them to and since the good Angells are onely put by God upon such imployments the evill Angells have onely his restraint and permission they have not his direction therefore the name of Angell cannot properly be applied to evill Spirits without abuse of the name Though they be Spirits as the good Angells are they are not Angells properly by nature they are spirits but by imployment Devills in malice Devills But the other as they are in nature Spirits so in imployment they are Angells Angells that is holy Angells because the name is generally applied to good Angells when there is no such addition that reason is sufficient That is one reason why it cannot be meant of evill Angells but that is not all Another reason is taken from the latitude and measure of the knowledge of Devils and evill Angells Though their knowledge be great of naturall things and much strengthened by experience yet for the Divine Mysteries of redemption their knowledge is altogether defective in it They are very cunning it is very likely in the Scriptures because they may have them ready to ensnare men but the saving Mysteries of the Gospell I make doubt whether they truely understand them I am confident the Devill did not understand the first Promise that was given so long before how the Seed of the Woman should breake the Serpents head before Christs Passion He was not sure that the Son of God should take our nature and that Christ was he till after the Resurrection their knowledge therefore in Divine Mysteries is very short and they care not to
that would take up almost the whole houre for a man to name the Authors that bring out variety of interpretations Therefore I will not trouble you with that I will not so much as gather them up together it will be but an unusefull point least I seeme to handle Commentaries and not the Text. I will onely touch at them in the last part as they come in my way and as they are usefull for the understanding of this Scripture Now we look to the second thing these good things there is no difficulty in the rest The desire here is an ardent desire the inspection is an accurate inspection to penetrate with a mans eyes so to looke as to look through to make a good inspection The Angells that are here spoken of I shewed to you and made it plaine that they are the good Angells there is no difficulty in any of these three words Well the onely difficulty is in this word Into which The word is Plurall yet all the Latine not onely Coppies and Translations of the Bible all but some that are later and there is no Writing of all the Latine Fathers excepting one or two that is Ireneus it is still read In quem in the Singular number Vpon whom So the Rhemists Translation reads it following the vulgar Latine they read On whome the Angells desire to looke We read Into which the Angells desire to looke Thereupon Gregory applies this Scripture to God himselfe that the object of the Angells inspection it is God understanding the three persons of the Sacred Trinity De deo c. sayth Gregory these things are uttered concerning God that it is upon him that the Angells desire to look Others apply it not to the three persons in the sacred Trinity but to the Holy Ghost in particular that there is so great glory such câ—equall and coessentiall glory of the Holy Ghost with the Father and the Son that the Angells desire to blesse their spirituall eyes with the continuall looking on it And indeed there is some probability for this reading for the Holy Ghost for the comming of the Holy Ghost is the immediate antecedent before the Text the Holy Ghost came downe from Heaven and then followes according to their reading Vpon whome the Angells desire to look Venerable Bede applies it by a way himselfe in particular he applies it in the Singular number but to the second person in Trinity Christ and Christ considered especially in his humane nature and the reason is somewhat probable because in the Verse before there is twice mention of Christ the Spirit of Christ and the Sufferings of Christ and then followes according to his reading Vpon whome the Angells desire to looke And if I should follow now this reading and take it in the Singular number and doe that injury and wrong to the Greeke Copy it would afford one or two very good points of instruction and the reading is not at all dissonant to the Articles of faith For certainly the Angells desire to look upon God and to behold the humane nature of Christ and to look upon the three persons in the sacred Trinity And if we should applie it to Christ it would afford a good point of Instruction whether we apply it to his humane nature or his divine If to his humane nature so the point is this that Christs humane nature at the right hand of God is made so glorious that the very Angells themselves as venerable Bede sayth not onely desire to fill their eyes with the glorious beams of his Divine nature but with that far transcendent excellency of glory wherewith his humane nature is cloathed They desire to see the glory of his humane nature It must needs argue a great deale of glory as much as it is capable of that is laid upon the humane nature of Christ more then on the Angelicall nature though it be not a Spirit that though in it selfe a body is not capable of so much glory as a Spirit yet the humane nature of Christ by reason of the hypostaticall union is capable of more glory then the Angells are And it must needs be a greater glory because the Angells desire to looke into it It is a point of great comfort to us to consider that our nature hath received already so much glory in Christ our head We know that our nature is capable of beatificall glory in the Members since it hath received already in such abundance in Christ our head it shall receive in an unspeakable manner there shall be a great deale of beatificall glory upon the Saints our nature in Christ is capable of glory already That is the first point if we apply it to the humane nature of Christ Againe if we apply it to the Divinity of Christ that the Angells look on Christ as God it affords us a point of Instruction that is this There is one essentiall beatitude of Angells and Saints in Heaven of men and Angells There is no essentiall difference in the beatitude of Saints and Angells Christ sayth in the Gospell we shall be like the Angells and be as they are What is the essentiall beatitude of Angells To look upon the Son of God Christ is as Basile speaks the delight of Angells And what is the beatitude of Saints To look upon the Son of God We know when we shall appeare we shall be like him for we shall see him as he is There is our happinesse in looking to Christ What is the beatitude essentiall of Angells Christ tells us Mat. 18. There Angells behold the face of your heavenly Father The face of God the beatificall Vision is their beatitude And what is the essentiall beatitude of the Saints Christ tells us Mat. 5.6 Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God Then here is no difference at all in the essentiall beatitude of the one and of the other Therefore the Scripture as in one place it calls Angells our fellow Servants Rev. 19. See thou doe it not for I am thy fellow Servant Angells are fellow Servants with Apostles and fellow Ministers and Ministers are fellow-Angells for so Ministers are called As they are called our fellow Servants so the Saints are their fellow Angells Heirs of the same Salvation Heb. 12. We are come to the first borne that are written in Heaven and to an innumerable company of Angells to enjoy the society of Angells we are fellow Heirs of the same Salvation there is the same-Heaven for both the same happinesse for both the same glory for both the same inheritance for both therefore the same happinesse because the same inheritance There is sayth St. Austin well one and the same inheritance of glory for them and us that is the Heavenly immortall inheritance sayth he sweetly Heaven is the inheritance of both which is as great to every one as to all and as great and full of Roome for many as to few Every one hath all Heaven that is all blisse all