me Christ in the Gospell Feare not little flocke it is your fathers pleasure to giue you a Kingdome Luke 12.32 As the Text doth amplifie the place from the meanenesse 1 Reg. 8. so doth it the gift from the greatnesse thereof I will fill fill this house with that glory The phrase is allusiue to Gods typicall presence in the former Temple for therein rested the Cloud and it filled all the house all that part of the house which was called the holy place When the second Temple was built there was no such thing God was pleased to reserue it for the truth that he that is the fulnesse of all should fill that Temple And indeede God was neuer more there than when hee was there in Christ if euer hee was then an Oracle to his Church I adde out of Ezechiel cap. 43.12 that by his presence omnis circuitus Templi was made sanctum sanctorum For ought we reade Christ neuer came into that place of the Temple which was called sanctum or sanctum sanctorum the holy place or holiest of holies but this he did being borne that holy thing Luke 1. Dan. 9. and anointed the most holy he made all places of the Temple where he came holy yea and most holy he filled them with the glory of his person and the glory of his function The truth I say filled euen the worst part of the Temple which the type did not But I shall meete with this point in the next Sermon wherefore I will dwell no longer now vpon it This historicall sense which I haue hitherto opened doth present vnto vs a mysticall which I may not neglect God doth not delight in materiall houses built with timber and stone the Temple was but a type of the Church Christs house are you saith St. Paul to the Hebrewes cap. 3. and to the Ephesians cap. 2. he tels vs of the foundation the corner stone Saint Peter 1 Epist 2. sheweth vs that we as liuing stones comming vnto the precious stone Christ make vp a house vnto God So that whatsoeuer blessing is contained in this text belongeth vnto vs and vnto the Temple but in reference vnto vs. A thing to be obserued because the world hath alwaies beene shallow-witted in looking into these intentions of God they haue rested on the types without due reflection vpon themselues whereas God therein would only helpe our memorie and condescend to our infirmitie and that vpon a Principle which preuaileth much with vs which is this Sense is the best informer of our reason and solliciter of our will And did wee make as good vse of it in things belonging to God and our soule as wee doe in things pertaining to the world and concerning our naturall life Christ should not haue beene occasioned to vtter that sentence The children of this world are wiser in their generation than the children of light Well then let vs gather some few such morals as this text will yeelde The first is That where Christ commeth hee bringeth a blessing Iacob did so to Laban Ioseph to Pharaoh Daniel to Nebuchadnezzar There is not a good man that maketh not the place whither he commeth the better for him How much more the chiefe of Saints our Sauiour Christ the very type of him 1 Chro. 13. I meane the Arke made Obed Edoms house to prosper If the shadow wrought so much what good may we expect from the substance it selfe The second morall is That God in Christ taketh vpon him to bee the glorie of the house so that where Christ is there the glorie is The Church of Rome is plentifull in earthly ornaments of their Church and wee are carefull that the Word of God should dwell richly in ours it were well if both were ioyned together I wish we had more of their ornaments and they had more of Christs truth But if they must bee kept asunder through the malice of the Diuell our case is better that haue fewer ornaments and more truth than theirs that haue lesse truth and more ornament For CHRIST is properly the glory of a Church where hee is though it bee in the wildernesse there is glory and there is no glory where he is not though the temple be as goodly as Salomons The third is the particle this this house containes the comfort of poor soules For though in the sense of our meanenesse we haue all reason to say Lord I am not worthy that thou shouldest come vnder the roofe of my house yet saith the Lord Esay 66. Heauen is my throne and the Earth is my footestoole where is the house that yee build vnto me and where is the place of my rest hath not my hand made all these things saith the Lord But to this man will I looke euen to him that is poore and of a contrite spirit and trembleth at my Word And it was the very life of Kings Dauids penitentiall prayer Psal 51. A broken and contrite heart O Lord wilt not thou despise Wherefore I conclude this point with the exhortation of St. Iames Let the brother of low degree reioyce in that he is exalted bee hee neuer so meane a house Christ will not disdaine euen in his glory to come vnto him he will come and bring his glory with him The fourth is That hee will not only bring his glory but fill that house But it is as the soule filleth the body euery part according to his proportion some part is filled as the head some as the hand some as the feete so that euery house may bee full and yet one house containe more than another As it is most behoofefull for vs so doth Christ dispence his grace vnto vs. But this filling may be vnderstood eyther inhaerenter or immanenter in Christ or transeunter and redundanter to vs that is eyther that he which commeth into the house is full of glory or else that the house whereinto hee commeth is by him transformed into glory Take a simile from the Sunne the beames of the Sunne doe fill the ayre and the firmament but you easily perceiue that they doe it in a different fashion they fill the ayre but so that the ayre altereth not in nature but continueth the same onely it is the place wherein the beames of the Sun do appeare But as for the firmament the Sunne sendeth his beames into that so that it maketh many a light body of it many a starre and St. Paul telleth vs 1 Cor. 15.41 that they differ each from the other in glory Christ doth fill our house both waies if you looke to our Iustification he brings glory to vs as the Sunne doth the light vnto the aire the brightnesse whereof doth grace the ayre yet it remaines inherently still in the beames and is not transfused into the substance of the ayre Euen so Christs righteousnesse passeth not out of his person and yet it is the ornament of our person it is inherent in him it is imputed to vs
into the Congregation of Israel vnto the third generation Cap. 3. The Booke of Wisedome amplyfieth this point the children of Adulterers shall not come to perfection and the seed of the vnrighteous bed shall be rooted out the like you may read Eccl. 23. but because those Bookes are Apochryphall Cap. 31. ◠here what IOB saith of Adulterie It is a sinne to be condemned it will deuour vnto destruction and it would root out all my posteritie And no wonder that GOD dealeth so with Bastards for which of vs if he haue Land entailed entailes it otherwise then vpon heires lawfully begotten If we thinke Bastards vnworthy to inherite our Lands here on Earth shall GOD thinke them worthy to be heires of the Kingdome of Heauen I will not condemne all Bastards to Hell I know IEPHTA found fauour with GOD and so no doubt haue many others but that commeth to passe by GODS extraordinarie mercie ordinarie Promise we haue none that they shall doe well Yea obserue and you shall find that they seldome keepe a meane if good verie good and if they be bad they are verie bad and parents of such children haue reason rather to feare the worst then hope the best for though GOD at after-hand doth often pardon sinnes yet before-hand he giues no encouragement to sinners You that are the Penitent take this to heart your second match being plaine Adulterie the children borne in such wedlocke must needs be bastards and being Bastards they are not the holy seed yea they are a seed that is cursed so cursed for your fault that as much as in you lyeth you strip them of all blessings on Earth and in Heauen they are fauoured by the Law neither of God nor men And so great wrong done to them should goe to your verie heart you haue sinned against your children not onely against your owne body And let this suffice concerning the doctrine that is in the Prophets Sermon I come now to the exhortation which he deduceth therefrom The exhortation is double according to the double respect which we owe. The first is to our selues keepe your selues in your Spirit or take heed to your Spirit We must take care of our whole man the outward and inward for touching the outward the Apostles rule is 1 Thes 4.4 1 Cor. 3. 1 Cor. 6. We must keepe our vessels in honour we may not defile the Temples of God We may not take the Members of Christ and make them the Members of an Harlot we must be chast propter carnem Christi as IGNATIVS speaketh because we are bone of Christs bone and flesh of his flesh But as we must take care of our bodyes so must we much more take care of our soules for it is in vaine to keepe the body chast and to retaine an adulterous heart for an adulterous heart though it be peccatum sine teste it hath no man to witnesse it yet is it peccatum Athanasius God will doome it for sinne Yea if a man stop not lust in his heart Math. 15. he will not be master of it in his body for ex abundantia cordis out of the aboundance of the heart the mouth speaketh out of that commeth Adulteries and Fornications But qui adinngit Spiritui adimit carni the better the Soule is the better will the body be therefore is temperance properly called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a keeping of a man in his right wits because so long as a man hath his wits about him he is master of his lusts but no sooner hath Dalilah brought that Sampson asleepe but the Philistims will be vpon him and depriue him of his strength he will be ouertaken with this lustfull Epilepsie and prophane the Temple of the Lord. But to open this point a little farther we must obserue that as we haue sensuall and reasonable faculties so it was Gods pleasure that those actions which are Elicitae or come naturally from the sensuall faculties should also be imperatae ordered and limited by the rationall therefore is the rationall facultie called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the guid and gouernour of our life and he deserues not the name of a man whose sense is not subiect vnto reason But the Spirit doth not onely note the reasonable soule but in an argument concerning the CHVRCH it meaneth that Soule as it is regenerated by Grace and then it putteth vs in mind that the care of our Soules must be more then reasonable it must be spirituall and not onely the best wit of man which is corrupt as appeares in the vnchast chastitie of the Heathen but the sanctifying Grace of God must set bounds to our lusts which will suffer them to passe no farther then they are allowed by Gods Law A man is an excellent creature if he be but a man if he keepe his reasonable Spirit how much more excellent would a Christian man be if he could continue a Christian and preserue in himselfe the Spirit of Grace I may not omit the word keepe it willeth vs to set a watch because we are apt to run riot whether the Spirit signifie Reason or Grace we must watch If reason we must watch that we admit not into our imaginations nor suffer our wits to discourse vpon lustfull fancies we liue in the middest of temptations and none are more insinuating then those that are pleasurable we must take heed therefore that our reason be not betwitched by them they will cunningly euchant vs and transforme vs into beasts before we are aware wherefore we must keepe a watch ouer our Reason and not onely ouer Reason but ouer Grace also that we grieue not the Holy Spirit that we quench him not that we doe not dispite him Ephes 4.30 ◠Thes 5.19 for the Holy Spirit of discipline will not abide in a Soule that is disposed vnto sinne Adspicis vt veniant ad candida tect a columbae the doue-like spirit delighteth to dwell in doue-like persons himselfe being chast in those that are chast Wherefore we must keepe our spirits that for our vnchastitie the Spirit of God forsake vs not You haue the first branch of the exhortation the second followeth This biddeth vs be carefull of that respect which we owe vnto our mate Let no man deale treacherously with his wife A wife a little before my Text is called a mans companion and the wife of his couenant Now you know that fraud in fellowship is abominable especially if that fellowship be established by couenant as wedsocke is and no fellowship vpon straiter couenants then wedlocke for therein there is a double couenant pactum hominis and pactum Dei the persons contracting doe plight their faith each to other that is pactum hominis Then God he commeth in as a partie to knit the knot and will haue this mutuall stipulation made in his sight and in his name so that both stand bound to God not onely to themselues neuer to loose this knot till death them
King Dauid contracted himselfe sinne which hee inherited from his Parents Iesus saued King Dauid from them both this was his spirituall saluation Ecclus cap. 47. But he had a corporall also God was with him in all his warres and bare downe his enemies before him Hee played with Lions as Kids and with Beares as with Lambes Hee slue the Giant Goliah subdued the Philistines and all the bordering Nations whereupon the people sung those words Psal 21. The King shall reioyce in thee O Lord how exceeding glad shall he be of thy saluation In the case of King Dauid wee must ioyne all three significations First The person of Iesus Secondly The spirituall redemption Thirdly the corporall deliuerance This obserued touching the saluation we must now consider what is meant by Ioy. Ioy I told you is a comfortable sense betweene reasonable and vnreasonable creatures this is a speciall difference that though both partake of blessings from God yet a true sense of them none haue but those that are reasonable pleasure animals may haue but ioy they cannot haue for ioy is an affection of a reasonable soule And reason hath taught naturall men not to receiue good but to be affected answerably to the good which we receiue In things that belong to our naturall life euery man giueth proofe hereof if a man bee hunger-starued what comfort will he expresse if one shall bring him sustenance He that shall be eased when he is tortured with paine how merrie will hee bee And how will his heart dance for ioy that should be receiued againe into the Kings fauour after some great disgrace Whatsoeuer our worldly distresse is we cannot choose but manifest our content when wee obtaine a release Whereby we may easily gather that ioy and good should goe together they doe so in God they should doe so in all that partake the Image of God as hee so they should ioy in that which is good A second thing that we must marke is that according to the good must the ioy be as great as manifold As great heauenly things call for greater ioy then earthly and those things that concerne our eternall life must yeeld vs more comfort then those things that belong vnto our temporall This discouers a great defect in the Worlds ioy if our hungry bodies be sed wee ioy God daily feedeth our soules with his Word and we ioy not if our bodies of sicke be made whole we ioy but who ioyeth in that medicine that restoreth his soule from death to life Who ioyeth in the recouerie of Gods fauour That would bee almost beside himselfe for ioy if hee might bee vouchsafed but a little fauour from a mortall King So farre are worldly men from equalling their ioy vnto the worth of good that the greater good can haue no share while the lesser taketh vp all their ioy yea that whereunto the Scripture hath in a manner appropriated ioy findeth little entertainment in our affections and that is the Gospell and Christ the substance thereof whose attendant the Angels the Prophets the Apostles in the Old in the new Testament make to be the affection of ioy In their Sermons you shall find ioy and saluation coupled together they make the newes of saluation not only gaudium magnum a great ioy but also gaudium solum the only ioy Luke 2. and that with an absit God forbid that I reioyce but in the Crosse of Christ Gal. 6. How much to blame then are wee that are so farre from making it solum our only ioy that wee are not come so farre as to make it magnum matter of any extraordinary ioy Yea in the most it findeth nullum no affection of ioy at all What shall I say then Those things which God hath conioyned let no man put asunder least at the Iudgement day ioy and we be put asunder when we shall wish but wish in vaine that God would ioyne vs together As ioy must bee as great as the good we haue so must it bee also as manifold A manifold good must not bee entertained with a single ioy I haue shewed that saluation is threefold and so a threefold good Dauid was a Prophet and had Reuelations of the Incarnation of Christ that hee should be borne of his Seed that he should be the Sauiour of the World and he ioyed in this saluation in this blessed contemplation of the Kingdome of Christ hee could not with Abraham see that day but hee must needs reioyce As the fore-sight of Christs Incarnation wrought in him ioy so could he not reape the fruit thereof to his owne redemption but he must ioy also the participation of it cannot but bring pleasure which wee cannot but with great pleasure behold therefore no doubt but King Dauids soule did sing his Daughters Magnificat and his Spirit reioyced in God his Sauiour Neither did his temporall deliuerance passe vnsaluted by this affection witnesse the eighteenth Psalme which is nothing else but an amplification of the ioy which hee tooke therein According to this good example should we learne to multiply our ioy as God multiplyeth his saluation Certainly the Church meant wee should doe so when it multiplyed the Feasts which in the old phrase of the Church are called gaudium gaudie dayes not so much from the corporall refection as from the spirituall exultation it meant we should ioyne ioy and saluation together spirituall ioy with spirituall saluation But the corporall hath almost worne out the spirituall ioy so much more doth the comfort of our bodies carrie vs away then the comfort of our soules But all this while we are not come vnto King Dauids Prayer the first branch of his Prayer that concerneth this ioy of saluation His Prayer is as I said for Restitution restore hee that prayeth so giueth vs to vnderstand two things that he feeleth a want and that hee remembreth what is the supply thereof both good signes of grace We hold it a signe of grace in regard of things temporall those poore and sicke that are in neâ—d and paine we hold worthy of compassion when we heare there lamentable complaints but Vagrants that euen in the Prison being loaden with irons naked and halfe starued can be frollicke and glorie in their misery we hold as vnworthy of our pitie as they haue little feeling of their owne bad case Apply this now vnto our soules and see the difference betweene men and men and iudge thereby what regard they deserue to find at the hands of God How many bee there that want this ioy of saluation in whom notwithstanding there appeareth little sense that they haue of such want Surely they doe liue as if eternall saluation did nothing concerne them such are all prophane persons that say Let vs eat let vs drinke to morrow we shall die Quibus anima data eft pro sale ne putrescerent which make no more account of their soule then of a preseruatiue that keepeth their bodies from turning into
mine eyes forcibly layd open to see mine eares to heare and so the rest of my body may be constrayned to produce some worke but the powers of my reasonable soule can neuer be constrayned I cannot be constrayned to iudge otherwise then my vnderstanding leads me nor to chuse that which my will refuseth therefore our vnderstanding and our will must be actors principall actors in this deceipt And so St Iames telleth vs Cap. 1. 1 Iohn â— that He that is tempted is bayted and led aside by his owne concupiscence St Iohn insinuates as much when he telleth vs that All that is in the world is the lust of the flesh the lust of the eyes and the pride of life as if there were no deceipt in the world were it not that we did fasten our concupiscence vpon it Rom. 7. Finally St Paul telleth vs in his owne case Peccatum decepit me that which deceiued me was mine owne sinne And indeed he that first instilled sinne into vs gaue vs the seed of his owne sinne The Diuels sinne was selfe-deceipt for when he fell there was nothing besides himselfe that might deceiue him and that cunning Huntsman is not contented to make vs a prey except he take vs in the cords of our owne sinne except we follow the counsels of our owne hearts and doe that which is right in our owne eyes to disobey GOD and leaue the path of life It were easie to illustrate this in all sorts of sinnes but I will keepe my selfe to this present occasion to the sinne of Schisme The Diuel attempts two things against the truth of Religion the first is Priuation the second Deprauation a declining vnto the left-hand or to the right to the left-hand by making men Atheists to the right-hand by making them Separatists he would that all should be fooles and say in their hearts that there is no GOD or that GOD is without Prouidence that GOD knoweth not or eareth not for the things of this world And if he cannot so stifle Religion he endeauoureth for to leauen it whom he cannot draw to the left hand he will endeauour to draw to the right he will by corrupting of good principles maketh them fall vpon many vngodly conclusions and vse zeale for GOD to estrange themselues from GOD. Wofull experience hath the Church had of such Paralogismes in the Iewes who vpon this ground opposed CHRIST in the Gentiles that tooke this for a ground to quarrell with the Iewes and the Separatists of this latter age wherof we haue had more then a good many in this Countrey haue stumbled at this stone lest they should serue GOD amisse they haue refused to serue GOD at all Nazianzen in his time though in another case yet sauouring of this sinne cryed out 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Orat. 40. O vnwarie warinesse ô imposture of the wicked-one that turneth Pietie into Impietie and ouercommeth reason by reason Who can consider this and not acknowledge the weaknesse of our nature This weakenesse may be resolued into our ouer-easie beleeuing and rash dis-beleeuing ouer-easie beleeuing of seducing Imposters that labour to instill their fancies into vs and rash dis-beleeuing of those whom GOD hath lawfully placed to rule ouer vs both which a man shall easily obserue in all Schismatiques But to acknowledge our naturall weakenesse is not sufficient the Apostle aduiseth vs to beware of it and indeed therefore is our naturall weaknesse remembred that it might stirre vs vp vnto spirituall carefulnesse not to doe that which we are prone to doe Let no man deceiue himselfe We must take heed of the occasions that from without offer to deceiue vs of Wolues in Sheepes clothing of an Angel of darkenesse turning himselfe into an Angel of light Try the spirits at St Iohn yea Try all things as St Paul willeth vs. 1 Iohn 4 1 Thes 5. â—1 In Iob we haue a prettie resemblance of the eare to the tast as the one doth try the meates which we are to take into our bodyes so should the other the words which we are to receiue into our soules But in vaine shall we try them if we doe not try our selues first for we must try them by our iudgement by our will Verum est index sui obliqui a peruerse iudgement cannot discerne truth from falsehood neither can an vntoward will make a right choyse when Good and Euill are presented vnto it he cannot choose but be deceiued by others that is first deceiued in himselfe wherefore seeing our iudgement and our will must be the rule by which we must try others our first care must be to set them straight our vnderstanding must be a good Logician our will a good Moralist if either be defectiue we deceiue our selues and we are verie apt to be deceiued by others It is a miserable thing for a man to be deceiued by others Platâ— in Crâ—tilâ— but to be deceiued by himselfe is most miserable cum Impostor â—e minimum quidem decedat we shall euer carrie about vs the Deceiuer in our bosoms and he shall haue that credit with vs as that we shall neuer so much as suspect his deceipt yea Sathan and the World shall euer haue their Agent with vs and make vs assacinates to destroy our selues Adde hereunto that this kind of deceipt makes vs vncapable of wholesome counsell for if our ignorance be onely priuatiue seldome doe we obstinate our selues against good instructions but if our reasonable powers be depraued and possest with qualities opposite vnto those which we should receiue there is much lesse hope of our amendment Intus apparens excludit alienum Nazianz. orat 1. selfe-deceipt is most refractorie and most hardly will he be brought backe into the way that being deceiued of himselfe wittingly and willingly went out of the way whereof this Penitent may be a liuely example vnto vs. And let this suffice concerning the Preseruatiue I come vnto the Restoratiue remedy wherein we are first to see the distemper of a Schismatique I told you it was a carnall selfe-conceipt First a selfe-conceipt the Schismatique thinkes himselfe wise GOD that indowed vs with the faculties of sense and reason gaue these faculties a double abilitie a direct and a reflected The direct is that whereby they receiue their obiect the reflect is that whereby they iudge of that receipt I will make it plaine to you by an example first of sense and then of reason Mine eye seeth a colour for example Greene hauing seene it it passeth a iudgement vpon the sight and knowes that is greene which it doth see the like may be obserued in hearing smelling tasting and the rest of the senses In like manner is it in our soule The vnderstanding apprehends some truth and hauing apprehended it it passeth a iudgement vpon it and knoweth that that is truth which it hath apprehended The like may be said of Good But we must marke here a difference betweene sense and reason as
pleasurably with sinne as it shall bee feeling when it is affected with all kind of woe This is our condition after death and such is the Iudgement where at we must appeare euen the first Iudgement Demie-Atheists though they would not hold an absolute imortalitie of their Soule yet for a time till the day of Resurrection they dreamt their Soules should bee as senslesse as their bodies but it was but the diuels Sophistrie to comfort the wicked with a Soules sleepe from the houre of death vntill the generall Assises of the world as hee did with hope of a generall pardon after some yeares of torment which made Origen to thinke that at length the diuels themselues should be released from paine But blessed Apostle I belieue thee I wil not flatter my self I do not more certainly expect death then I doe looke instantly thereupon to come before my Iudge I know that there is a Iudgement before a Iudgement a priuate before the publike I belieue as truly that euen now Diues burneth in Hell as that Lazarus is in Abrahams bosome and I doe no more doubt that Iudas went to his owne place then that the good thiefe was that day with Christ in Paradise no sooner doth the soule leaue the body but God doth dispose it to rest and paine O euer liuing God vnpartiall Iudge both of quicke and dead thy decree is past vpon my life for my arraignment I am here but a soiournour and yet accomptable for what so euer I doe here Let not this decree be vnknowne passe vnregarded of me if health if prosperitie promise a longer terme a carelesse life let me trie their perswasion by thy infallible word For there shall I learne that heauen and earth shall passe the greater how much more this litle heauen and earth of mine and that thy word onely endureth for euer Yea I see that all things come to an end but thy Commandement is exceeding broad and it is this Commandement that thou hast laid vpon my bodie and laid vpon my Soule a heauie Commandement that sounds nothing but that which is vnsauorie to flesh and bloud Death vnsauorie but Iudgement much more skin for skin and all that euer a man hath hee will giue for his life but life it selfe who would not part with that he might bee free from Iudgement My soule and body are loth to part but much more loth to appeare before thee it is grieuous to forgoe that which I loue but to feele that which I feare is much more grieuous if I die I want what I would haue but if I come to Iudgement then I must indure that which I abhorre death ends the pleasure which I take in life but Iudgement reckoneth for the inordinatnesse thereof And it is a double griefe to be so stripped to bee so tried but what shall I doe Thy word must stand and seeing it must stand let me not doubt let me not neglect let those two be euer before mine eyes let me vse this world as if I vsed it not seeing the fashion therof doth passe away and I change faster then it The little world hast thou proposed as a glasse wherin we may behold what will become of the great world both appeare subiect vnto Vanitie thou hast subiected both the frame of both must be dissolued so deepely is sinne rooted in either that nothing can extirpate it but the dissolution of the whole But the case of the greater world is better then that of the little that is dissolued but this must be arraigned also arraigned for it selfe arraigned for the great world also If that haue any euill it hath it from man man infected it and it is dissolued because of man but man for himselfe his owne sinne maketh himselfe and others mortall also good reason that he which hath baned the world so ruined the frame of all Gods creatures should account for it vnto the owner therof If a subiect trespasse against the King or his Image the Law doth challenge him it calleth for an amends and can the King of heauen and earth be wronged in his creatures be wronged in his owne Image and not challenge the offender No Lord there is great reason as for man to die that hath made all things mortall so for man to bee iudged that hath done it by sinne no reason that other things should suffer and he scape nay great reason why the blame of all should bee laid vpon him He deseruedly must be exposed to shame and blush for whatsoeuer himselfe hath deformed and what hee hath made to groane hee must sigh for it The maske must be plucked off where vnder in this life wee hide our selues and our sense must be rectified wherewith in this world wee excuse our selues we that would not iudge our selues must be iudged of the Lord. And his iudgement shall bee without respect of persons This Iudge standeth at the doore his Assizes are proclaimed no sooner are we quickned but wee are informed of death and Iudgement no sooner come we out four mothers wombe but we witnes our knowledge thereof euerie day of ourlife is a Citation day But as it wanteth not a date so it prefixeth not a day euerie one must dye once but the time of his death no man knoweth euerie man must be iudged no man knoweth how soone This vncertainety maketh death and Iudgement more terrible And it should make vs more watchfull watchfull for that which we are sure will come but when it will come wee are vnsure when it commeth it is fearefull but it commeth suddainely Did it concerne my temporall state I would take great care if the good-man of the house knew when the theife would come he would surely watch and not suffer his house to bee surprised And care wee more for our goods then for our selues For that which may be repaired then for that which being past hath no recouerie So senslesse are we so vsually are we ouer-taken Let it not be so with me O Lord let me euer meditate vpon Death and let me euer be prouided for Iudgement Before Sicknesse prouide Physicke and Righteousnesse before Iudgement A Meditation vpon Philippians 1. VERSE 21. Christ is to me life and death is to mee aduantage I Haue beene at Mount Sinai I haue heard the thunder I haue seene the lightning I haue felt the shaking thereof it hath put mee in mind of my mortalitie at it I haue learned what it is to bee arraigned before my Iudge Were there no other Hill I were in wofull case woe is mee if I haue no succour against death which I cannot auoid against iudgement which is so strict But blessed be God I haue a succour though God bring mee to Sinai in my passage out of Egypt yet is it not his pleasure that I should stay there the Cloud is risen and goeth before me I will vp I will follow it And see it bringeth me to another Hill it resteth me vpon Mount Sion I no sooner
hath liued a thousand yeares for he is readie for God and the longest time of our Pilgrimage if it be Methusalems age it can but make vs readie I will then enquire not how many dayes I haue spent but how much I haue profited profited in the waies of God And I haue profited so farre as to acknowledge that of my selfe I am but an vnprofitable seruant what I should I cannot doe but I doe that which I should not so that if I guesse at my readinesse by mine owne worth I am most vnreadie But I haue another valuation by my being in Christ my faith is stedfast in him my Hope hath cast an anchor in Heauen I feare not Gods iudgement against which my faith doth hearten mee I expect a Kingdome which my Hope doth promise mee And as for my loue though the world doth wooe me and my flesh doth often yeild to dally there with yet hath it none to whom it is deuoted with whom it is contented in comparison of God And what greater readinesse can I desire my Audit is made my arrerage paid I haue a Quietus est why doe I feare to come to my triall Nay the bargaine is made Heauen is purchased for mee I haue the Conueyance why doe I stay from taking possession Am I so senslesse as to affect the worse that am offered the better shall I dote vpon this house of clay my youth maketh it seeme better then clay though indeed it is no better a glased pitcher notwithstanding the lustre is but a pitcher and the verdure of youth is but a glosse set vpon a lumpe of earth cunningly wrought by the hand of the Potter age that weareth that glosse will discouer this clay And why should I murmure at God that is pleased to let me see quickly what in time I must needs see That I am brickle Neither am I onely brickle but the world is fraile also and all the things of this life whatsoeuer they promise they performe no perpetuitie to me Seing then sooner or later the world must leaue me and I must leaue the world let me leaue it rather sooner then later the lesse acquaintance the lesse griefe at the parting and indeed the longer I liue the more vnwilling shall I be to dye Now peraduenture I leaue behind me a father and a mother and leaue griefe vnto them for the losse of a child but I cannot so feelingly grieue as they when I depart from my parents because loue descendeth more then it ascendeth If I liue I may marrie and marriage doubleth the bitternesse of death when they that of two became one by death of one are made two againe And if God blesse me with posteritie how much more vnwilling shall I bee to die How hardly shall I indure to be rent from mine owne bowels I say nothing to the common infirmitie of Age which seemeth to haue appropriated vnto it selfe couetousnesse and who knoweth not how hardly the loue of money and death consort together But these are the weakest holdfasts that the world hath on me there are much stronger the hookes of sinne which where they catch so fasten euen vpon the Will which is in it selfe most free that it maketh men desire rather to bee slaues vnto Pharoah so they may feed on the flesh pots of Aegypt then to endure the difficult passage into Canaan though when they come there they shall be Princes of a land which floweth with milke and honie God then that knoweth what may alter me and of readie make me vnreadie dealeth more mercifully with me hee preuenteh that euill that might stay me from him and hauing prepared me calleth me vnto him Lord all seasons are in thy hand and thou hast appointed vnto me this season I blesse thee for it I submit my selfe to it if I bee ripe in thy Iudgement gather me though in mine owne Iudgement I am greene And thou which feest that although I now stand yet I may fall least I fall take me whilst I stand It doth not grieue me I am most willing to change earth for heauen to haue those windowes of my senses all broken downe that my Soule may be at libertie hauing no agent for the world to sollicite me from God I shall more freely more fully giue my selfe vnto him my vnderstanding to know him my heart to loue him and more shall I learne in one daies sight of God then in many thousand yeares I could haue gathered out of the Glasse of the world or Riddle of the Scripture And how base spectators are men on earth in comparison of the Saints in heauen who shall witnesse my seruice and behold my glorie Doe I loue my Parents I goe to better my best Father is in heauen and my best Mother is Hierusalem aboue the ioy that I foretaste for seeing them maketh me insensible of the heauie farewell I take of these I am not moued with their wealth which they haue stored vp for me and the land which they haue purchased is as nothing in mine eyes I shall haue a more induring substance a lot is fallen vnto me in a more pleasant place I haue a more goodly Heritage And why The Lord is the portion of mine Inheritance and of my cup the Lord maintaines my lot Lord then teach me so to number my daies that I may measure them by righteousnesse and let me so interpret this thy summons by death as a warning to take shelter before a storme Hasten me on by grace that I be not long on my way to heauen and in my way lest I decline shorten more and more my passage so shall I be as willing in this morning of my age as I should be in the euening thereof to change my state and come to thee to passe from earth to heauen * ⎠* The old Mans Meditation PSALME 91. VER 16. With long life will J satisfie him and shew him my saluation EVerie man if a child of God is a double man and so leadeth a double life and longeth for a double good a corporall a spirituall that hee may hold out long in regard of the life of nature and withall be ponest of the life of grace Thus doubly happie would euerie one be but it is not the portion of euerie one Many haue shortned either the one life or the other if they haue liued vnto God their dayes in the world haue beene but few and of those which haue liued many dayes in the world how few of them haue they liued to God O my Soule then how blest art thou whom God hath blessed both wayes Blest thee in thy naturall life thou art growne till thou art ripe blest thee in thy spirituall life thy eyes haue seene the saluation of God The greatest blessing that God bestoweth vpon earth he hath bestowed on thee thou hast experienced the truth of the Apostles speech Pietie hath the promise of this life and of that which is to come For this life God
Esay Chap 3. Say vnto the righteous man it shall goe well with him so true is this that this word Ashre doth therefore signifie Happinesse because Happinesse is annext to Holinesse Moreouer wee must note that this word is plurall so is it euer read in the Originall the Holy Ghost intimating thereby that as a man is compounded of soule and bodie a bodie of many parts a soule of many faculties that which must make happie must containe a manifold Blessing which must giue content to euerie Part and Power and withall checking the vaine either definitions of Philosophers or elections of Men which haue recommended vnto vs or haue addicted themselues vnto a maimed Blessednesse But more of that anon when I shall open the nature of Blessednesse By the way I may not omit to obserue how in this Reward the Holy Ghost doth refute the vulgar opinion For vulgarly men are of their opinion 〈◊〉 3.14 whom Malachi speakes of who account it a vaine thing to serue God and say what profit is there in walking humbly before Him we account the proud blessed and they that set light by God are lifted vp and in the Booke of Wisdome the vngodly say Chap. 5 4. They accounted the righteous mans life madnesse and his end without honour the Apostle telleth vs that Christians seeme in this life 〈◊〉 15.15 to be of all men most miserable the vnthriftie seruant did not sticke to challenge his Lord to his face that hee was a hard man and gathered where hee hath not scattered reaped where hee had not sowen Matth. 25.24 So farre are worldly men from thinking that the Children of God are encouraged by any Reward to be constant in performing of their Vow that they hold them most miserable because they keepe the same Read Esay 53. vers 1 2. c. But in the afore-cited places you shall finde an Answer to their Exceptions and they are sufficiently answered where they are brought in so blaspheming But you will not wonder at their errour if I open vnto you the ground thereof Wee must obserue then that they frame vnto themselues false Notions of Blessednesse and according vnto them doe they iudge of euerie mans state For Example hee that placeth Happinesse in Riches what wonder if he hold all poore men to be wretches and if any make his Belly his God will hee not thinke basely of Daniel Dan. 1. and the three children that liue with water and pulse Marke the forecited places and you shall finde that euerie one of these made his owne choyce the measure of his Iudgement and contemned all others that were not like vnto himselfe Wherefore that we be not lead away with their errour and that wee may be as wee ought affected towards our Reward it is behoofefull that we better vnderstand the nature of Blessednesse All men naturally desire to bee blessed and hee were a monster and not a man that were contented to bee a wretch but that which in common wee all desire when we come to determine most doe mistake Not to tire you with the enumeration of mistakes in this kinde De Ciuit Dei lib. 19. c. 1 whereof Varro as Saint Austin reports made a long Catalogue In few words Blessednesse is the enioying of the Soueraigne Good What the Soueraigne Good is wee must iudge by these two Characters it must be Optimum and Maximum it must bee the best that can be and the most complete if it be not the best it will not sistere appetitum we shall not leaue shifting of it it will neuer giue vs content wee will euer be longing vntill wee light vpon that beyond which there is nothing that wee may long for And if it bee not Maximum the most complete it will not implere appetitum wee shall not be satisfied therewith we shall be hungring and thirsting still though we desire no other thing yet of that thing wherein wee take content wee shall still desire more and more vntill our vessell is filled vntill we haue as much as wee are capable of Now these two Characters of the Soueraigne Good belong onely vnto God He by the verie Heathen is stiled Optimus Maximus and the Scripture that tels vs There is none good but God only and that He only is Almightie doth confirme vnto him these attributes as also doth that title of his Shaddai All-sufficient and therefore as the Apostle speakes 2. Timoth. ◠15. only Blessed Whereupon wee may conclude that hee only is our Soueraigne Good for if by enioying of himselfe hee make himselfe blessed hee must needs bee the Fountaine of Blessednesse to all others And indeed Saint Austin expresseth this religiously vnto God Confess lib. 2.5.1 Fecistinos Domine ad te inquietum est cor nostrum donec requiescat inte Whom haue I in heauen O Lord but thee and there is nothing on Earth which I desire with thee my flesh and my heart faileth but God is the strength of my heart and my portion for euer Psal 73. Blessed are they that dwell in thy house they will be still praysing thee Psal 84. But God is Essentia simplex of an vncompounded nature the nature of man is many wayes compounded how then can this single nature satisfie our compound Especially seeing before you heard that it is a manifold good that must make a happie man We must helpe our selues with a Schoole distinction A good may be manifold either Formaliter or Eminenter in Kind or in Vertue As for Example there is a vegetable Soule in a Plant there is a sensitiue Soule in a Beast the Soule of Man hath not these in their kind yet hath hee them in Vertue for the reasonable Soule is endued with faculties which in his Body performe both vegetation and Sense a man hath an Eye and an Eare a Hand and a Foote to see to heare to worke to goe an Angell hath none of these Formaliter according to their kind yet hath he them all Eminenter his nature is such as hath the Vertue of seeing hearing mouing and doing and that in a more excellent sort then man is capable of Euen so the single nature of God may giue full content to the manifold capacities of man seeing no created good proceedes from God which is not eminently in him for there is no Effect that is not an Image of the Efficient though created Effects are Images of the vncreated Efficient no otherwise then if wee consider them defecated or purged from those imperfections whereunto the condition of a Creature a mortall Creature doth subiect them seuer them and then whatsoeuer good they haue is an Image of that which is in God Whereupon it followeth that if any sense of our Body or power of our Soule find any good in the creature it shall enioy the same though in a more eminent sort if it enioy the Creator Hauing found the Soueraigne Good It followes that we now see how
not vnsitly distinguish the Remedie as we did the Disease the broken bones were vnderstood Properly and Figuratiuely Properly for the languishing of the body Figuratiuely for the languishing of the soule this being the cause whereof that is the Effect or that being as it were the redundancy of this Seeing then the Medicine must be of the same extent with the disease we must finde in it a Comfort for the Soule and a Comfort for the Body the Comfort of the soule noted by Ioy and the Comfort of the body noted by Gladnesse so that the whole Comfort must make vp Iubilum which as Gregorie the great noteth in his Moralls is such a chearefulnesse as taking roote in the soule doth manifest it selfe in the body and the light of the Countenance doth argue the peace that is in the Conscience But Saint Austin vpon the Gospell of Saint Iohn hath taught vs to distinguish of Ioy there is Gandium veritatis and vanitatis a true and a false ioy Ioy of it selfe is nothing else but the Content that euery part of our body and power of our soule taketh in the obiect that was made for to please it as the Eye hath ioy in colours the Eare in sounds the Palate in meates c. if these bee proportioned to the temper of the sense so fareth it with the powers of our soule but sinne hath distempered vs within and without and we can rellish no better then we can discerne wee doe as ill rellish true Ioy and Sorrow as wee doe distinguish Good and Euill therefore that we mistake not our Cure we must take heed that we doe not mistake Ioy and Gladnesse Gaudium vanitatis for Gaudium veritatis false for true Ioy that you may distinguish the one from the other I will shew you three markes wherby they may be discerned true ioy is first purum it is affected with nothing but that which is good that which is euil should properly be the obiect of sorow therfore all that delight in drunkennesse adultery blasphemie or any other sinne though they seeme to haue Ioy yet indeed it is no true Ioy for it is 〈◊〉 7.6 Chap. 20.12 13 14. â—â—ke 6.25 but as the Crackling of thornes as Salomon speaketh or as Iob like poyson sweete in the mouth that killeth so soone as euer it commeth into the maw of such Christ saith in the Gospell Woe be to you that reioyce for you shall weepe The second marke of true Ioy is that it is Solidum it spendeth not it selfe vpon toyes but vpon that which is of worth Wee obserue it as a difference betweene children and those that are of riper eares that children value things as they affect those that are of riper discretion value them as they are a child will preferre an apple before a iewell and we sinile at it but how many of vs doe more glory in fantasticall fashions then we doe in the greatest vertues but we shall bee driuen in the end to write vpon them Vanity of vanity all is but vanity yea those toyes will helpe to breake our bones for they will proue vexation of spirit and why they want the second property of Ioy there is no solidnesse in them The third property of true Ioy is that it is perpetuum it resteth not vpon that which is transitory which may be taken from vs or we from it that is a deceitfull Ioy the rich man was told so Luk. 12.19 who said vnto his soule Soule be merry eate and drinke thou hast goods for many yeeres but hee heard Thou foole this night shall they take thy soule from thee and then whose shall these things be Luke 12.33 wherefore wee must prouide our selues bagges which waxe not old a treasure in Heauen that fadeth not where no thiefe approacheth neither moth corrupteth where such treasures are there let our hearts bee also But all this while I haue but distinguished true Ioy from false I haue not shewed you what this medicinall Ioy is Lib. 1. Cons Est gaudium saith Saint Austin quod non datur impijs sed ijs qui te gratis colunt there is a Ioy whereof the wicked neuer partake it belongeth only to them that are thy faithfull seruants and what is that horum gaudium tu ipse es they haue no Ioy but thee and they thinke their liues most blessed when they ioy in thee and for thee But how can a man that is a sinfull man come to haue God for his Ioy surely in Christ and by Christ so saith the Angel to the Shepheards Luke 2.10 11. Behold I bring you tidings of great Ioy which shall be vnto all people for vnto you is borne a Sauiour which is the Lord Christ. In the Prophet Esay Cap. 61.1 2 3. Christ speaketh thus The Spirit of the Lord is vpon me because hee hath anointed me to preach good tidings vnto the meeke hee hath sent mee to bind vp the broken hearted to proclaime liberty to the captiues to giue vnto them that mourne in Sion beauty for ashes the oyle of ioy for mourning c. Cap. 9.3 And elsewhere speaking of Christs birth They shall ioy before thee according to the ioy in haruest and as men reioyce when they diuide the spoile And indeed hee that knoweth the case of one hunger-starued and bound in fetters like a slaue cannot deny but the newes of liberty the newes of plenty must needs bee good newes ioyfull newes vnto him and such is the newes of Saluation by Christ when we heare Son be of good cheere Mat. 9.2 thy sins are forgiuen thee when Christs spirit beareth witnesse to our spirit that we are the children of God wee must needs embrace these blessings with exceeding Ioy as in Samaria there was great Ioy so will there be in any City where this Saluation commeth to sinfull men You haue heard what is the Disease and what is the Cure you must heare whence it commeth not from Earth but from Heauen It is vsuall with too many when the worme of Conscience biteth them and they smart from that inuisible sting to sort themselues with iouiall company by them to driue away melancholly and to charme this Serpent with variety of sensuall delights but little doe they thinke that these are Medici nihili Chap. 13.4 Physitians of no worth as Iob speaketh and that when they returne to themselues againe and looke againe into themselues they shall find that the worme hath crept in farther and biteth more smartly the sting gets faster hold and paineth more grieuously and no maruell for may a man expect to be cured by that which caused his disease or shall he not rather be the worse the more he applieth that Physicke Esay 45.7 Deut. 32.39 there is none but God that can create Light and darknesse Good and Euill that can wound and heale kill and make aliue againe therefore if in so desperate a case we desire to haue recouerie wee must
inlargeth their worke vpon that obiect to the vtter most he excepts no sin but would haue them all pluckt vp by the rootes Hide thy face from my sinnes blot out all mine iniquities This is King Dauids suite a hard suite you may oubt whether it can be granted you may doubt whether such indulgence may stand with the Diuine Prouidence how he that seeth all can hide his face from any thing and how he can blot out any thing that keepeth a record of all I must therefore in the last place shew you the possibilitie which King Dauid hath of obtayning his desire shew you that such Indulgence doth not preiudice Gods Prouidence and Gods Prouidence not hinder such Indulgence You haue the particulars which are contained in this Text which I will now farther vnfold I pray God it may be to our edification But before I enter vpon the particulars I must giue some light vnto the phrases which are darke because figuratiue and may mis-guide if they bee taken as they sound Whereas then here is mention made of a Face wee may not conceiue that God hath a body made of flesh and bloud they were long since condemned for hereticks that did so grossely mistake the Scripture God in such phrases by a resemblance informeth vs as far as we are capable of his incomparable Essence Consider then the vse of our face it is the instrument of knowledge therein are the senses placed of seeing hearing smelling c. but yet though they appeare there we must not impute the sense vnto the body but vnto the soule that quickens the body Philosophie teacheth that Anima est quae videt quae audit c. and there is sensible proofe of it when the soule is departed from the body though there be an eye left and an eare yet there is neither seeing nor hearing whereupon it followeth that the vertue of seeing and hearing is in the soule these are the faculties of a spirit so that God may haue them though hee haue properly no face hee may haue that which is signified by the face the power of discerning things A second vse that is made of the face is that it serueth for a looking-glasse wherein to behold our affections this vse followeth vpon the former for that which wee apprehend outwardly by our senses doth inwardly content or discontent the euidence of either you may reade in our countenance if it content we looke vpon it cheerefully and turne from it wrathfully if it discontent hereupon it commeth to passe that the face is vsed to note sometimes Gods fauour and sometimes his anger according as that which is presented before him doth please or else displease Out of both these vses of the face applyed vnto God we must learne that there is no perfection in man which is not in God that beflowed it vpon man but wee must conceiue it in God as it beseemeth God according to the vncompoundednesse and infinitenesse of his nature The second phrase of blotting out which presupposeth a Booke wherein things are written is also a phrase borrowed from men whose brittle memory maketh them haue recourse to such helpes least otherwise many of their affaires should either be forgotten by them or denyed by others the Booke supplies both these defects and what is entred there serueth our owne memory and resolueth the doubts of others we haue proofe hereof in our Oeconomicks no good husband which taketh not this course at home and in the Politicks there is no well aduised State that is without a Register and maketh not vse of Annals and Iournals To apply this God is Master of his house the Church the world is his Kingdome wherein hee reignes wee may happily thinke that though hee seeth all yet he may forget much to refute so vaine a dreame the Scripture doth remember his Booke not meaning that his memory wanteth a helpe but that it is as firme as ours is with such a helpe yea much more firme for our helpes are as much subiect to casualty as our selues are but Gods booke is nothing but himselfe and himselfe is no more lasting then is his record we must therfore sublime our thoughts when wee thinke of Gods Booke and fancy nothing which is not Diuine But I leaue the phrase and come to the matter I told you that Gods prouidence intimated by these two phrases consisteth of these two acts the first is Omnia nouit hee hath an vbiquitary Eye all things as Saint Paul speaketh are naked before his eyes Elihu in Iob Heb. 4.13 Iob. 34.21.22 his eyes are vpon the wayes of man and hee seeeth all his goings there is no darkenesse nor shadow of death where the workers of iniquity may hide themselues Psal 139. King Dauid hath made a whole Psalme wherein hee sheweth how vaine a thing it is for a man to seeke a hiding place from God Ecclus. 23.19 The sonne of Syrach in few words The eyes of the Lord are ten thousand times brighter then the Sun beholding all the wayes of men and considering the most secret parts he knew all things ere euer they were created and when they were created hee looked vpon them Cap. 30.1 therefore doth God in Esay cry out against them that take counsell but not of him and that couer with a couering but not of his spirit and it is not without cause obserued as a great folly in our first father Adam that hee thought a thicket of trees would hide him from God The same discase is inherited by his posterity wee may gather it out of the phrase â—om 1â— 12 〈◊〉 3. â—0 Iob. 24.15 16. wherein the holy Ghost describes sinnes calling them workes of darkenesse because as Christ telleth vs Qui male agit odit lucem adulterers and theiues choose darkenesse when they will fulfill their lusts and they that are drunken saith the Apostle are drunken in the night but silly wretches while they thinke no eye seeth them the eyes of God are vpon them 〈◊〉 23.19 Psal 39.12 and hee is priuy to their most inward thoughts for night is to him as the day and darkenesse is as the cleare light This is the first worke of Prouidence Omnia nouit hee knoweth all things The second is Omnia notat he maketh a record of all things that is implied in the Book Psal 139.16 Dan. 7.10 〈◊〉 20 12. 〈◊〉 20.12 cap. 3.5 Often mention is made therof in the Psalms in Daniel in Ezekiel in the Reuelation and the Platonists Mundus intelligibilis and Idaeaes seeme to import the very same but that which I principally obserue is that God doth not see things as if they did not concerne him but as Salomon speaketh his eye-lids try the sonnes of men and hee pondereth all their pathes yea hee doth make a record of them whether they bee good or bad Vers 16. Of the good you haue an excellent place Malach. Chap. 3. when the Atheist had blasphemed then they
desire as if he meant that he would not any longer be flesh and bloud hee would be rid of that which is the nurserie of sinne which slakes his life in grace and disheartens his hope of glorie And it is likely King Dauid did not call onely for subuention against guilt contracted but preuention that he might contract no more he looketh backward and forward and it beseemeth vs all to pray against originall sinne 〈◊〉 7. O wretch that I am who shall deliuer me from this body of sinne Finally as Bloud signifieth not onely Sinne but the punishment thereof also Gene. 4. so much the Prayer be vnderstood to deprecate not onely sinne but the punishment also Dauid heard ringing in his eares Caines doome Maledictus because thou hast shed bloud therefore thou art accursed the doome against murder Gene. 9. which God denounced by Noah thundered in his eare 2 〈◊〉 12. He that sheddeth mans bloud by man shall his bloud be shed againe he could not forget that dreadfull voice which Nathan vttered vnto him The sword shall neuer depart from thy house and out of sense of all these as if he were euen presently ready to perish fall vpon this supplication Deliuer his Penitertials doe shew what deepe impression the terrour of Gods iudgements made vpon his soule and also vpon his body and no wonder if he that so felt them did pray to bee released from them But marke how he Prayeth first how discreetly then how zealously Very discreetly for he maketh choice of a person that can and will deliuer Can for he is Deus salutis it is his proper title to be a Sauiour In creatures you may find vanitie that will delude you or infirmitie that will faile you euen of Kings themselues it is said that their breath is in their nostrels and that they are not saued themselues by their much strength Dauid himselfe who so often deliuered Ismel and was attended with so many Worthies yet could hee not expect saluation from himselfe the Prophet Ieremies rule is peremptorie Chap. 17. Cursed is hee that maketh flesh his arme c. We must therefore resolue that saluation belongeth vnto the Lord especially when wee speake of spirituall saluation such as that is wherewith wee haue now to doe which standeth in the remission of sinnes the peace of conscience and freedome from death for who can remit sinnes but God onely And except he iustifie vs how should we haue the peace of conscience God vseth Ministers to worke these effects but they flow from grace not inherent in them but assistant to them and so they are the effects of Gods hand And to him also belongeth the issues of death for as it is his iustice that inflicteth it so except he release none can free from it But marke the phrase the God of saluation 1 Iohn 1â— is it not a periphrasis of the name of Iesus And then behold a mysterie sanguis liberat a sanguine the bloud of Iesus clenseth from all sinne and so deliuereth vs from bloud bloud whereof we are guiltie and rising againe he receiued the keyes both of death and hell and so can deliuer vs from the bloud whereunto wee are endangered As Dauid is discreet in seeking to a person that can so is he also discreet in seeking to a person that will deliuer for he calleth vpon him not only as a God of saluation but as a God of His saluation God is a God of saluation as he is the Sauiour of all men but no man can cal him the God of his saluation except he bee a faithfull man so that there are two remarkable things in the Pronoune for it is verbum faederis Euangelici fi et specâ—â—lis Dauid sheweth thereby that he is in Couenant with God euen in the Couenant of grace for no man can vse that word except he bee in so blessed a state no man can call God His except God haue appropriated himselfe vnto him and appropriate himseâ—fe he doth not but by the words of the Couenant Ero Deus tuus I will be thy God And when God doth so appropriate himself we must keepe the â—itle of the Conenant in our Prayers and direct our words vnto him as he is ours this is the exercise of a speciall saith and it is the greatest comfort of our prayer it is most likely that he shall speede that hath so neere reference vnto God he that can will helpe And marke that though he were put to the conflict yet was hee not without Armour of proofe he saw whence saluation might be had and commeth with boldnesse to the Throne of grace more doe conflict with the horrour of conscience and terrours of death then preuaile against them to conflict is common vnto all sinners but to preuaile is the prerogatâ—ue of the children of God the God ossaluation doth ease doth vnburden onely those that can truely say he is the God of their saluation Dauid prayed Discreetly and he prayed zealously also for marke how he doubles the word O God thou God Nota in repititione magnum corâ—â—â— affectum saith Gregorie such ingemminations proceed not but from ardent affections they importune God and they will take no deniall And indeede God doth not like cold suitors for that betrayech cold defires which in one that is at Gods mercie hath grieuously offended lyeth open vnto the sharpest wrath can find no fauour can promise it selfe no mercie we must therefore wrestle with God as â—acob did replie as the woman of Canaan did treble our petition as did Saint Paul if we meane that our Prayers shall pierce the cloudes climbe vp into the Heauens and enter into the eares of God Neither sacrifice nor frankincense were offered without fire vpon the one Altar or the other no more must any Prayer come from vs which is not warmed by zeale quickning it and giuing it speedie wings to flie from earth to heauen and make our words a liuely representation of those desires that are conceiued in our hearts And let this suffice for Dauids spirituall Pange I come now to the Deuotion the argument whereof is the righteousnesse of God But there is a double righteousnesse of God the one is legall the other Euangelicall The legall is that which dealeth with men according to their workes the Euangelicall is that which dealeth with men according to their faith the latter is here meant and not the former from the former a sinner can expect nothing but condemnation because this is the tenour of it Cursea is he that abideth not in cuerie point of the Law to dâ—e it from the later we may expect saluation because it stands in the renussion of sinnes therefore wee must ioyne Libera that is gone before with Iuditâ—a and so you will find that it is Iustitta liberans it is such Iustice a freeth vs from Iustice and therefore Symachus translates it not amisle Misericordia this Iustice is nothing but plaine Mercie mercie
will not despise that in the word there is a Litote there is more meant then is exprest for the Holy Ghost meaneth that this morall seruice doth speed of both the effects of Sacrifices it yeeldeth a sweet sauour vnto God and he doth gratiously accept it it proueth a sauour of rest into man and his soule doth feele the comfort of it Finally out of the maine branches of the text wee will draw two Paradoxes First A broken and contrite heart are Gods Sacrifices therfore this is a Religious man-slaughter Secondly God doth not despise a broken and a contrite heart therefore God is neuer better pleased with vs then when we are least pleased with our selues You heare whereof I shall speake that you may learne to serue God truely by that which shall bee spoken listen to it diligently and with a religious eare Before I fall vpon the particulars I may not omit to shew you the coherence of this verse to the former the former did shew of how little worth Ceremoniall worship is this sheweth the great worth of the morall And well is this clause added vnto that for it is not enough to know what we must not doe in Gods seruice our chiefe care must be to know what we must doe what good will it doe mee to know that Turkes Iewes Infidels worship they know not what they know not how it must be my comfort to know the true God to know how to worship him as I ought The ground is cleare Negatiues are but to attend Affirmatiues and God doth not reward the forbearance of euill but the doing of Good forbearance doth hold backe the impediments that would hinder vs in our way but wee must not only auoid them but also goe the right way if wee will come to our iourneys end In a word our abilities are bestowed vpon vs not only to decline euill but also to doe good But to the Text. The first thing that I obserued was wherin morall seruice stands it stands in the humiliation of the inward man the inward man is here pointed out by two names the spirit and the heart How these words differ all are not agreed vpon a former verse I haue said something of them but in this place I thinke they note one and the selfe same reasonable soule as it vndergoeth a diuers consideration It hath a prerogatiue aboue the soule of a beast in that it can subsist though it be seuered from the body and so it commeth neere vnto the nature of Angels and with them communicateth in the name of Spirit which is a substance endued with vnderstanding and will But besides this separate Being it hath another which you may call coniunct it inhabiteth in and manifesteth it selfe by the body quickning and guiding our senses and our affections hence it is denominated from the body from the principall parts wherein it doth reside from none so often and so aptly as from the Heart which is the the principall seate thereof Neither is it without cause that the reasonable soule is remembred vnder both these names the Holy Ghost thereby giuing vs to vnderstand that whether we consider the powers of the soule inorganically as vnder the name of Spirit or else Organically as vnder the name of Heart either way considered they must be humbled wee must humble no lesse the superiour then the inferiour faculties of our soule for sinne hath infected both A second thing that wee must marke is that in our seruice God calleth not for Nostra but Nos not our Goods but our selues and to this end did hee command the people to put their hands vpon the Sacrifices to signifie whom it did represent and to accompany the Offering of the sacrifice with a zealous deuotion to testifie that themselues were to haue a feeling of that for which the beast was offered And indeed it was fit that he should offer himselfe that had offended that hee might feare to offend when hee saw that hee must smart if a beast onely should die and the paine there of might rid a sinner of his guilt few would forbeare sinne if any thing make them feare it is this that they must beare the burden of sinne themselues Secondly as wee must offer our selues so that which of our selues wee must offer is the better part our Spirit our Heart In all the Legall Sacrifices God reserued the Inwards to himselfe his meaning was to point out the parts which he desireth in vs hee desireth our Inwards they must be presented in our Sacrifice 1 Tim. 4.8 the Apostles rule is bodily exercise profiteth litle certainly very litle of it selfe it hath all his commendations from the Heart and the Spirit But there are two distinct reasons why these parts are principally required in morall seruice the first is because they are freest from hypocrisie Ier. 3.10 God cannot endure that we should turne vnto him in mendacio dissemblingly Now Simulation and Dissimulation are manifest in our body for we can personate therein whom we will we may so bee mask't as that no body shal know who we are but in the inward man we are our selues wee can there seeme no better nor no worse then we are there doth God behold vs and hee doth iudge of vs thereby A Second reason is the preualencie of those parts they haue the greatest hand in our sinne and must beare the greatest part in our repentance other parts and powers partake of sinne but by contagion which they contract by their attendance vpon the Spirit and the Heart attend then they must in repentance but the principall penitents must be the Heart and the Spirit vpon whom they attend But enough of the parts which must bee humbled Let vs now come to the humiliation of those parts they must be broken they must be contrite Betweene these wordes there is no great difference for Contrition is a breaking very small and the breaking here meant is a shiuering the English to shiuer commeth from the Hebrew here vsed which is Shauar and you know that to shiuer a thing is to breake it all to pieces Or if you will put a difference betweene the wordes then the first may note the beginning and the other the consummating of this humiliation as you know a thing may be first grosse bruised and that is breaking and then it may bee pounded all to pouder and that is the contrition of it But how doe these words agree with the former by the Heart and the Spirit you vnderstood the reasonable soule and hath the soule any parts can that bee turned into dust Surely no therefore these words are figuratiue they are resemblances borrowed from corporall things which doe most liuely set before vs the humiliation that is spirituall But it is a question whence these wordes are borrowed some fetch them from husbandry some from masonry either of them hath a faire ground in the Scripture They that fetch it from Husbandry for Ieremie and Hosea speake of
part of the commaundement there is perfectio viatoris and comprehensoris Perfectio comprehensoris the perfection of a man when hee commeth to heauen will bee this saith Saint Austin Non concupiscet hee will not there couet at all couet any thing against the prescript of Gods Law But wee may not exspect to haue that perfection in this life because God is pleased euen in his best Children to continue here Luctam inter spiritum carnem a conflict betweene the flesh and the spirit Onely in Baptisme hee taketh away reatum Concupiscentis and regnum Concupiscentiae those that are regenerated are not guiltie because sinfull Concupiscence is or stirreth in them neither doth Concupiscence continue her soueraigntie ouer them So that God vnto their perfection in the Church militant requires onely of his Children vt post Concupiscentias ne eant that they take no care for the flesh to sulfill the lusts thereof Rom 13 14. Rom 8. v. 1. And there is no Condemnation to them that are in Christ Iesus that walke not after the flesh but after the spirit which is Saint Pauls conclusion vpon the conflict described Rom. 7. and he shewes plainely that hee would haue it vnderstood of the New and Old mans Conflict not of reason and sensualitie as the Arminians And can men performe so much as in the Apostles words is required The Romanists say they can but they say it vntruely For this contention of the spirit and the flesh is not duellum but Bellum it is not a single combat but a plaine warre And you know there is great ods betweene these for in a single combat a man is to ward but one and bee hath but one to wound But in the warre in a pitch't battaile Singuli pugnant contra omnes omnes contra singulos euerie man must take care of all his enemies that are in the field For there is not one of them but may giue him a wound eminus or cominus either buckling with him or striking him from aloofe So that when he gardeth his head from one another may smite him at the heart when he maketh all sure before he may be smitten behind or he may be pierced in the sides As hee is thus encumbred in the defensiue so is he in the offensiue also he may not thinke himselfe safe so long as any one of his enemies doth liue Behold here a liuely Image of the militant Souldiers of Christ they haue not to doe with one but with many enemies the flesh the world the diuell And these haue vnder them many desperate Souldiers The flesh as many as wee haue senses and affections parts of our bodies and powers of our Soules The world as many as there are creatures And the diuell is a Prince of many legions Wee must withstand them all and that at all times and not onely withstand them but also stand against them at all times wee must looke to be set vpon by them and we must set vpon them A very hard taske Pluribus intentus minor est ad singula sensus saith the prouerb and the more our strength is distracted by many the lesse must it needs be against any one Were I onely to defend my eye happily I might make my part good against the lust thereof but at the same instant that I turne them away least they behold vanitie I am assaulted with an itching in my eare that is exposed to flatterie Put the case I bestirre my selfe so well that I keepe the enemie out of both those inlets he will giue mee a fall by my tongue he will cast some firie Dart into that it shall be set on fire of Hell as Saint Iames speaketh to slander to blaspheme Iames 3.6 to speake some idle or euill words Neither are my hands secure at the very same time from being sollicited with briberie or vnto bloudshed It were infinite to goe ouer all the powers of my Soule all the parts of my body they are all at once and euer in the same danger and must all at once and euer be put vnto the same labour both defensiue and offensiue Adde hereunto three great disaduantages of the spirituall warfare aboue the corporall for in the corporall warfare as there are many enemies so those against whom they come being many distract them that they cannot all fall vpon one but in the spirituall warre it is not so all our spirituall foes at one time may set vpon euerie one of vs yea they neuer goe a sunder for our flesh euer ioyneth with the world and the diuell with them both The second disaduantage is that whereas open hostilitie in earthly warfare is not alwayes accompanied with treacherie in the spirituall it is For our selues hold secret intelligence with and yeeld assistance to our ghostly enemies we betray vnto them a propension that we haue to be conquered And when the battle ioynes our members become weapons of vnrighteousnesse and with our owne lusts wee fight against our owne soules The third disaduantage is that in earthly warfare when the souldiers come to execution they spare none and they goe vpon a good principle shall I spare his bloud that will be euer ready to spill mine 1. Sam. 15. Reg. 20. Saul in sparing Agag and Ahab who spared Benhadad were taxed and punished for their foolish pittie But of this foolish pittie there appeares too much in our spirituall warfare for if God bring the world vnder vs yea and our flesh too we are afraid to be hard hearted to either of them wee hold it too much spiritualtie to crucifie the world and wee hold it too much inhumanitie to crucifie our owne flesh And by reason of this indulgence euen when they are foyled they are still in heart still in hope to recouer the masterie and bring vs vnder againe This being the condition of sinfull man the Schoolemen hold that no man in the state of grace is of sufficient strength to ouer come all sin though they adde that there is no one sinne which hee may not ouercome they speake of actuall sinnes and they speake truely if they bee vnderstood of that which a man may doe For if a man be tempted vnto any sinne if hee pray vnto God for grace and make vse of that grace which God doth giue him hee may with-hold his consent and choose whether he will act it and if he doe consent and act it hee is without all excuse Tertullian hath a prettie simile when two striue oftentimes the one ouercommeth the other not because the conquerour was the stronger but because he that is conquered was the more cowardly and such cowards the best of men doe proue very often in their spirituall war are But it is in vaine to dispute what may be done by grace against all sin or any one sin otherwise then to shew al mens frailty For the least of the two was neuer so done as that any man can truely boast of perfectio
rather because I wish that all Ministers would herein follow Saint Iohn Baptist and neither smother sinne which is no farther hated then it is knowne nor yet neglect Christian wisedome to winne a sinner who seldome distasteth the Law if it be seasoned with the Gospell neither murmureth at the reproofe if it doe not degenerate into a reproach If any thing will reclaime it is the prescribing of a good course coupled with the description of a sinners bad case Eccles 12 1â— so the words of the wise will proue as goades and as nailes fastned by the Masters of the assemblies which are giuen from one shepheard they will hasten vs speedily and couple vs most firmly vnto the Church and our Sauiour Christ And thus much of the Inference I come now to the Argument of the words where of the first branch was the Workes they are two the first is Gods Hee giues repentance Though the Author be not exprest yet is he necessarily to bee vnderstood the Apostle is cleare for it 2. Tim. 4. The seruant of God must meekely instruct those that are contrarie minded trying if God at any time will grant them repentance and were not the Text so plaine the nature of the Worke putteth it out of all doubt for what is repentance but the Soules rising from death to life and no man euer quickned his owne soule hee must leaue that to God for euer the same God that made man after his Image must repaire his Image in man and therefore in the Psalme and in the Apostle it is plainely called a Creation But because the Authour is not exprest in my Text I forbeare further to speake of him and come vnto the Worke his Worke is Repentance The Grecians according to Lactantius speake better and more significantly that vse the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Lactan. Lib 7. then the Latines that vse Paenitentia Tertullian before him writing against Marcion presseth the significancie of the Greeke word and because words doe lead vs to the vnderstanding of things we will a little looke into the word it may happily make vs to sound the things much better 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 commeth from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doth signifie properly the first facultie of the reasonable soule but by a Trope it is vsed oftentimes to note the whole whereupon 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifieth a change of the mind signifieth a change either of the vnderstanding or ioyntly of the will also The vnderstanding of man is the first moouer in the whole course of his life because nothing is desired which is vnknowne our Appetite and our Will stirre not except they be informed of some thing which may occasion their stirring and informed they can not bee but by the vnderstanding Now the vnderstanding for want either of light or care doth very often mistake and then the Will that taketh all vpon trust must needs goe astray and we are called to a reuiew of our wayes Mens recitit se ab insania and vpon after thoughts alter our iudgements or as Lactantius speaketh in the place before cited after a fit of madnesse wee come to our wits againe This is the first kind of of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or changing of our mind But vse hath obtained and the practise of the Scripture which is the best Commentarie vpon the words to take 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in thesecond sense for the changing of the whole reasonable Soule and then it is compounded of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the change of vnderstanding and of the will Inclinatio â—oluntatis st inclinatio totius su posits 〈◊〉 intell 〈◊〉 totâ—â—â—uppositi in 〈◊〉 and indeed seldome doe they goe asunder for as it is true that whither the will bends thither the whole man inclines so it is as true that our vnderstanding cannot be resolued but it carieth vs with it which way so euer either of them incline they vsually earie the whole man though in a different manner the will by compulsion and the vnderstanding by perswasion so that we may not restraine this change to the one facultie but extend it also to the other by them to the whole man Adbiâ—ent penitentiam in bonis factiâ— saâ—â— citius â—er 〈◊〉 delinquunt quà m recte faciunt But Tertullian doth giue vs a good obseruation telling vs that the Heathen or those that are without the Church often change their mind and doe repent but it is of their good deeds of their temperancie truth liberalitie fidelitie and more vsually doe they change from better to worse then from worse to better He obserueth it of them that are without the Church I would it neuer had beene or now were not also true of them that are within the Church how many Iewes haue vncircumcised themselues and how many haue vnchristianed theÌ„selues that were sometimes members of the Church How many doe dayly returne like Dogges to their vomit and like Swine to their wallowing in the myre yea how few are there of vs that doe not oftner sorrow for some thing which we haue done well then for many things which we haue done ill vnto whom I must remember that of Saint Peter It were better neuer to haue knowne the way of righteousnesse then after we haue entred it to turne from it 2 Epist cap. 2. Tertullian giueth the reason for they saith hee that repent of their Repentance towards God by how much they shall bee more acceptable to the diuell to whom they come by so much they shall bee more odious vnto God from whom they goe Wherfore we must adde one clause more to the definition of Repentance and not onely hold it to be a change of the mind but as Nazianzene and Theophylact 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Naz. Iamb Non est simplex mutatio animi sed mutatio in meliorem sententiam Rom. 12. Repentance is not onely a change of man but a change from worse to better Saint Paul openeth the change very plainely fashion not saith hee yourselues like vnto this present world but be yee changed by the renewing of your mind wherein he sheweth vs that as in sinne so in Repentance there is a whence and a whither Sinne is an auersion from God and a conuersion to the world so likewise Repentance must shake off the world and imbrace God Nazianzene setteth it forth in a very fit resemblance Orat. 40. comparing the Soule of a man to a paire of writing tables out of which must be wathed whatsoeuer was written with sinne and insteed thereof must be entred the writing of grace both these are necessarie in Repentance God hath dedicated both parts in his owne Repentance for as when he repentech of the euill intended against vs he doth not onely giue ouer to hate vs but also doth imbrace vs with Loue euen so when wee repent of our sinnes against God wee
vpon his shouldeas And indeede our Faith in him must begin at that which was endured by him and therein must wee imitate him and write Cedendo vincimus The Church neuer triumphed so much ouer the world as when it did most resolutely sustaine the bloudy malice of the world The last thing that is to be noted on these words is the exchanging of the yoke mentioned before and rod of the oppressor which lay vpon the shoulders of the People into this Royalty and Gouernment which lyeth vpon the shoulders of the King Great odds there was betweene the People and the King the enemies had to do with the People they imposed their persecutions as a yoke vpon them but when they come to deale with the King this yoke is turned into a gouernment The same God that commanded light to shine out of darkenesse so altered the Crosse of Christ that it became to him the Chaire of Triumph And this is the cause why Princes weare it in their Crownes in token that they are subiect to it and why it was of old set vp where triumphall Arches were wont to stand that the world might haue so many witnesses as it were of the Triumph of it Which superstition at length abused and therefore haue they in many places iustly been abolished though the originall of the erection of those Crosses deserued rather praise than blame But we may not omit to obserue the seeming Contradiction that is in the Prophets words At first it is said The Gouernment shall be vpon his shoulders as if hee did beare it afterward it is said that Hee shall sit vpon the Throne and the Kingdome as if it did beare him The reconciliation is easie The body politicke is like the body naturall the foundation of it stands vppermost the head stands aboue the feete and a man would thinke that the feet did beare the head but indeede the head beareth the feete For were it not for the influence of sense and motion which the head deriues vnto the feete the feete could not sustaine themselues much lesse could they beare the body Wee see it in a dead palsie that intercepts the intercourse of the spirits betweene the head and feet We haue another Simile also of our Soules and our Bodies We would think that our Body did containe our Soule but indeed it is the Soule that containes the Body For no sooner doth the Soule part from the Body but the heterogeneous parts fall asunder and this goodly frame commeth to nothing Euen so fareth it betweene the Prince and the People he seemeth to rest vpon the people as the head vpon the body but indeed the people doe rest vpon him and therefore in Greek a King is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quasi 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a phrase borrowed from a Building whereunto the Common-wealth is compared and whereof the King is said to be the Foundation For a wise King as it is Wisd 6. is the vpholding of the People and King Dauid Psal 75. The earth and all the inhabitants thereof are dissolued I beare vp the Pillars thereof And indeede the parts of euery State were they not vnited and supported by the Soueraignty of the Prince would sooner moulder and come to nought than doe the parts of our Naturall body when it wants a soule for there is not so much nor so eager naturall ambition and coueteousnesse in the elements whereof our bodies consist whereby they striue to gaine the one vpon the other and to tyrannize the one ouer the other vntill the one hath wrought the others bane as there is ciuill both ambition and coueteousnesse in the Members of euery State whereby the one striueth to get the vpperhand of the other and each man would denour his brother Ephraim against Manasses and Manasses against Ephraim and both against Iuda as the Prophet speaketh in this Chapter vntill the Kindome of Israel be layd waste Whereas then in euery State there are rich and poore that the rich doe not deuoure the poore crafty and simple that the crafty doe not circumuent the simple strong and weak that the strong doe not offer violence to the weake the reason is There is a King Rege incolumimens omnibus vna The King maintaines the Concord By him it commeth to passe that euery man sitteth quietly vnder his own vine and dwelleth safely vnder his owne roofe Mutiners and Murmurers are therefore iustly to be abhorred who speake euill of Authority and would withdraw their necks from obedience vpon this ground That superiours liue by the sweat of the inferiours browes being themselues deuoyd of care Their quarrell is like that which in Menius Agrippaes Apologue the outward members of the body had against the stomacke They complained of his lazinesse and their owne painfulnesse and therfore conspired to starue him and ease themselues They euen discouered their folly for soone after the hands began to faint and the leggs to faulter and the whole body to pine Then they perceiued that the stomacke which they condemned as lazie laboured for them and that they were beholding to the labour of the stomacke that themselues had any strength to labour So is it in the body politicke though the State of the Prince is supported by the Commons yet the spring of the Commons wealth is the prouidence of the Prince and soone would these streames dye if that fountaine were dammed vp It is so in a ciuill state but in the spirituall state it is much more so If a mortall Prince bee so beneficiall vnto a temporall State much more is the immortall King of heauen and earth beneficiall to the state of his Church sustaining and supporting the same That which you haue heard of mortall Princes sheweth rather what they should doe than what vsually they doe But this immortall King doth what he should hee is not so much aduanced aboue his people as his people are eased by him He beareth them vp on his wings as an Eagle doth her yongue ones as it is Deut. 32. but more amply Esay 36. his care his prouidence and the efficacie thereof are most aptly most significantly set downe there But because of this we shall speake more hereafter when wee come to entreate of his excellent managing of his State wee will pursue that Point no further nor trouble you further at this time O Lord who art high in place and great in care in thy Person and by vertue of thy bitter Passion exercising thy prouidence which guides and supports the whole frame of and euery member in thy Church Lord wee beseech thee to guide vs that wee bee not mis-led and that wee faile not to sustaine vs. So shall we neuer repine at thy sitting vpon vs thy Kingdome seeing wee rest more vpon thee that art our King And euer good Lord so rule vs from Heauen that wee may rest on thee in Earth So shall wee beeing translated from Earth vnto Heauen fully rest and reigne with thee
it is not vnlikely that the names Deus and Diues come from thence But it is not expedient that God alwaies bestow wealth vpon vs the fatnesse of the earth doth make vs lesse thinke vpon the dew of heauen the content wee take in things earthly doth make vs lesse minde those things that are heauenly wherefore God keepeth vs to a shorter diet in things corporal that we might rellish things spirituall the better To passe here from the outside of the preface to the inside thereof wee must obserue that the holy Ghost meaneth also by these words to correct a carnall conceit of the Iewes they were much troubled for that they wanted gold and siluer wherewith to make a house for God as if he stood in need of or did primarily respect those things whereas it is not gold and siluer which God requires of men but that which was signified by these mettals And who can tell whether God did not destitute them of these things corporall that their hearts might bee set more ardently vpon those things that were answerable vnto them vpon the things spirituall Certainely Christs purpose was so to raise their thoughts the phrase in the originall seemes to import it For whereas we reade the siluer is mine and the gold is mine the Hebrew word forword is mihi est argentum mihi est aurum I haue gold I haue siluer the words giue the Iewes to vnderstand that there are more kindes of gold and siluer than they dreamt of that there are heauenly mettals whereof Gods house must consist Learne it of St. Paul 1 Cor. 3.11 Other foundation can no man lay than that which is layd Iesus Christ vpon this if any man build gold or siluer his worke will abide What gold or siluer doth he meane that which is digged out of the mine St. Peter 1 Pet. 1.19 denieth that saying Wee are not redeemed with corruptible things as gold and siluer but with the precious blood of Iesus Christ It must bee gold then sutable to the foundation and that is spirituall such as heauenly Ierusalem is built of all whose streets are pure gold Reu. 21. and such as the children of God are made of who as the Apostle 2. Tim. 2. tels vs are vessels of gold In comparison of these heauenly those earthly mettals are but vile as Iob c. 28. Salomon Pro. 3. teach at large Wisd 7. and the Wiseman hath comprehended it in few words I did not compare vnto wisedome any stone of inestimable price because all gold in respect of her is as a little sand and all siluer shall be accompted as clay before her What then doth the holy Ghost mean by these phrases Surely because wee cannot apprehend things heauenly but as they are represented in things earthly hee speaketh 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in a language familiar to men but would haue vs vnderstand him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in a sense beseeming God As then these mettals are things highly esteemed by men so must wee thinke that those are not of meane value which God bestoweth vpon vs in Christ they are as gold and siluer there can bee no better And see how Gods prouidence hath disposed of words to worke in vs the deeper impression of things for whereas there is a double valuation of things the one as they are considered in se in themselues the other as they are considered ad nos as wee respect them here are both valuations If a thing bee considered in it selfe so wee value it according to the puritie thereof and as it is freest from drosse and that purity is intimated by the Hebrew name of gold zahabh which is as much as mundum and therefore it is applied to the northren winde that cleareth the skie and to oyle that is most bright and pure Ad nos if things bee considered so are they valued as they most affect vs and this affection is noted by the name of siluer which is Ceseph and hath its name from desire because all men doe desire it So that whether you consider Christ in himselfe or vnto vs you see by these words that he is very valuable valuable for the purity of his nature as gold and for our affection towards him valuable also because desireable as siluer Finally to shut vp this note marke that mihi argentum mihi aurum I haue siluer I haue gold this phrase doth restraine these things vnto Christ as if they were not to bee found in any other besides him Come to mee saith Christ to the Church of Laodicea Reuel 3.18 and buy gold tryed in the fire c. taxing whatsoeuer they had besides as beggerie and pouertie To the same sense though vnder another resemblance speaketh Christ in Esay cap. 55. Wherefore doe yee spend your money for that which is not bread and your labour for that which satisfieth not hearken diligently vnto me and eate you that which is good and let your soule delight it selfe in fatnesse As then God vnder the name of gold doth giue vs to vnderstand that he hath treasured vp all purity and perfection in Christ so by the name of siluer doth he call for all our desires and command them to be placed vpon Christ And let this suffice touching the preface the outside and the infide thereof I come now to the comparison whereunto that preface is prefixt and the contents hereof open Christs will what he will doe as in the preface you had his power what he could doe Now the comparison may be eyther of fabricke to fabricke or furniture to furniture If we compare the fabricks then certainely Zorobabels Temple came short of Salomons you may gather it from these foure inequalities The first is of the Architects the plot of Salomons Temple was drawn by God himselfe he inspired it into Dauid by the holy Ghost 1 Chron. 2◠and hee committed it vnto Salomon the wisest Prince that euer was in the world and best able to conceiue it to say nothing of the instruments or workemen that were employed to execute it The second Temple had no other Architect prescribing the forme but Cyrus Esra 6. who deliuered it by charter vnto Zorobabel and it was performed by no extraordinary workemen The second inequalitie is in the number of the labourers 1 Kings 5.14 15 16. Salomon employed well-nigh two hundred thousand which is more than three times as many as returned from the Babylonian captiuity Adde hereunto that they laboured at least seuen yeares vncessantly about the building of Salomons Temple the second Temple was not so long in building ibid. if you except the intermissions which were caused by their Aduersaries though there were fewer workemen vpon it A third inequalitie appeares in the dimensions for Cyrus scanted much the measure that was vsed by King Salomon And vpon this ground it was that Herod willing to get the good will of the Iewes vndertooke the enlarging of the Temple to equall it to the first as
the houre of the Crosse was not yet come Put Houre and Crosse together and then this word will yeeld another note which is that though the time of the Crosse be bitter yet it is but short the story of the Gospell shewes that it was quickly past ouer within the space of a day was all the bitternesse thereof ouercome And as the Crosse of Christ so that of Christians is not lasting St. Paul calleth them momentany afflictions 2. Cor. 5. King Dauid telleth vs that heauinesse may endure for a night but ioy will come in the morning Psal 30. and that the rod of the wicked shall not rest vpon the lot of the righteous Psal 125. But enough of the Time wee shall insist longer vpon the Cup and therein behold the nature of the Crosse Here then are two words Calix and Iste a Cup and this Cup. Touching the Cup I will not trouble you with the diuers coniectures concerning the originall of this phrase I will deliuer that which is fairely grounded on the Scripture Esay 63.8 Reuel 19. Psal 75.8 Obserue then that Gods wrath is compared to a wine-presse and the effects of that wrath vnto the wine strained out in the Psalme it is called red wine elsewhere deadly wine wine that is able to make men drunke sicke mad not corporally but mentally it surchargeth their wits and bereaueth them of all heart that drinke it This wine of Gods wrath is meant by the Cup. But it noteth withall that as calamities come from God so hee apportions to euery man his part hee giueth him to drinke as much as hee thinketh fit Of this Cup you may reade in the 25. of Ieremy where the Prophet is willed to send it from Nation to Nation and the contents of each of their Cups or rather draughts out of the Cup are foretold by that Prophet and by others in whom wee read their seuerall desolations But wee haue not now to doe with the Cup in generall but with this Cup the Cup whereof Christ was to drinke which was indeede an extraordinary Cup you will confesse it if I doe but touch at the quantity and quality of the liquor Touching the Quantity the Fathers obserue two kindes of ingredients the Principall and the Accessory The Principall are Malum Culpae and Malum Poenae Sinne and Woe the Sinne of Adam a ranke roote from whence haue sprung many branches all full laden with euill fruit and that of diuers kindes of diuers growths These Sinnes with their plenty and variety take vp a great roome in the Cup. And what Sinne doth not fill Woe may for Woe is the inseparable companion of Sinne God is offended with it and if God be offended then must the Sinner looke to bee afflicted the affliction due vnto vs is in one word called Death death temporall death eternall the seuering of the soule from the body of both from God and if from God then no lesse from blisse than from grace To say nothing of the Harbingers of corporall death that set forward our mortality and the companions of spirituall death that aggrauate our misery All these ingredients being put into the Cup if yet any thing be wanting the Accessories added vnto these Principals will make full measure I will mention onely two the treason of Iudas and the vnnaturalnesse of the Iewes Of Iudas there is a passionate complaint in one of the Psalmes where he is typed out in Achitophel Had it beene anenemy that had done me this wrong I could haue borne it but it was thou mysamiliar friend with whom I did eate of whom I tooke counsell It is a miserable thing to be betrayed but most miserable to bee betrayed by a friend a Lord by his Seruant a Master by his Disciple Christ by an Apostle Put this then into the Cup. And besides this the vnnaturalnesse of the Iewes Rom. 14. they were Christs kindred according to the flesh and Christ did vouchsafe to be the Minister of the Circumcision he preached his Sermons to them and amongst them did he work his Miracles he termed all the world but dogs in comparison of them and to seeke them whom hee compareth to lost sheepe hee was contonted to come downe from Heauen And see how they reward his kindnesse nothing will satisfie them but his bloud and that spilt in the most painfull in the most shamefull fashion And as if that were not enough they make a blasphemous and desperate prayer that the guilt of it might cleaue to them and theirs certainly this addeth not a little to the Cuppe By this time I thinke we haue measured out a very large draught neither is it possible to conceiue a larger But as the draught is great in regard of the quantity so in regard of the qualitie it was very bitter we must then obserue that this wine of Gods wrath is eyther merum or dilutum sheere or allayed Others that in this world haue had their cups haue had them more or lesse allayed neuer was any mans Crosse without some comfort if he were afflicted in soule hee had some ease in bodie if his honour failed yet his wealth abode or if both failed yet he found some friend to pitie him at lest he had some refreshing of meat or sleepe some way or other was his torture mitigated neuer did any man in this world drinke of this red wine vnmixt but our Sauiour Christ comfort from without hee had none for all forsooke him and he had as little in himselfe his body was tortured from top to toe by the Iewes and his soule was exagitated by the fiends of Hell As for his Godhead though the Hypostaticall vnion was not dissolued yet was the comfortable influence thereof into the manhood suspended for a time By all this put together wee may conclude that it was Vinum merum there was no allay of that bitternesse that was put into the Cup though it were poured in in great abundance Adde hereunto that Christ was not ignorant nor insensible of this great and bitter Cup not to know what we are to doe not to haue sense to feele what we doe is such stupiditie as may not be moued with such a Cup but if the eye of the vnderstanding be cleere to behold it and the heart be tender to feele it then will it moue with a witnesse Now none euer matched our Sauiour Christ in sapientia charitate in a piercing iudgement and a feeling nature and therefore the deeper impression did the apprehension of this Cup make in him I haue a Baptisme saith he Luke 12. wherewith I must be baptized quomodo coarctor and how am I grieued vntill it be past But the Euangelists doe open his sense thereof more distinctly they shew how it affected his head vpon the foretaste he beganne 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to bee amazed how it affected his heart he began 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to droope to faint how it affected all his soule 〈◊〉
〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it was all ouercast with a heauinesse to death finally how it affected his body it made it sweat great drops of blood Put these together and you haue a faire commentary vpon that one word wherewith S. Luke doth expresse Christs sense calling it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an Agonie or a sharpe conflict And indeed wee must confesse that there was much extraordinary in Christs Crosse and that it was such a draught as none could take but he And by this wee must obserue in the Cup and Christs sense thereof first that God would haue copiosam redemptionem not onely in regard of the person suffering which was both God and Man and therefore could to a little suffering adde an infinite worth but also in regard of the sufferings themselues which God would haue to be as great as the person of Christ was capable of And he would not haue it seeme strange vnto vs if we be put to a fiery tryall seeing God was pleased so farre to exercise the patience of his owne deare Sonne after his example we must be contented to take not only Calicem but Calicem hune to drinke not only of a Cup but of a very bitter Cup also as many in the primitiue Church and later ages haue done Secondly in the liuelinesse of Christs sense wee are taught quanti steterit salus nostra with how great heauinesse and horror Christ vndertooke and went through the redemption of our soules the more he felt of that the more are wee indebted to his loue and should detest our sinne yea wee must learne of Christs sorrow to sorrow our selues for our selues and by his heauinesse how to bee heauie when we haue offended God But enough of the Crosse Let vs come now to the wish of Nature It is exprest in two words transeat aufer let it passe take it away The words import that the Cup was making towards him and indeed the word houre sheweth that this was the time of taking it now death the reward of sinne temporall death fast clasped with eternall came to require due satisfaction to bee made to God Christ doth not denie that this is iust therefore let it goe on but yet transeat let it goe besides me let not me be the partie on whom it seizeth But how can that bee seeing Christ stood out as the surety of mankinde the execution must come out vpon him that hath vndertaken the debt if then God let his iudgements ire goe forth certainely they will not transire passe by the person of Christ for they are right arming Thunderbolts as the Wiseman calleth them Therefore Christ addeth a second word aufer though of themselues they would seize on me yet be thou pleased to take them from me let thy hand stay them which will not stay themselues But to leaue the words and come to the things that are obseruable in the Wish It is an inborne principle of nature for euery liuing thing to desire his preseruation and abhor destruction but this principle should be more liuing in the Sonnes of men who know that God made not death Wisd 1. and that it is the wages of sinne Rom. 5. Ambros Theophylact. in bunc locum because it is vnnaturall because it is penall it may bee feared it must bee deprecated we put off nature if our nature bee not so affected Especially if it be Calix iste such a Cup as Christs an extraordinary Cup wee may not only deprecate it but ingeminate our deprecation as Christ three times prayed the same words and St. Paul did the like against the buffettings of Sathan But we must marke that though all things were foreseene by Christ and resolued vpon yet it pleased God that hee should permit euery power of his soule to doe and suffer what was naturall vnto it Chrysostome and thereby declare vnto the world that he was a true Man Sermone 1. de Sancto Andrea Yea St. Ambrose and St. Bernard obserue that it was much more glorious for Christ to doe so than to haue done the contrarie that not only the passion of his bodie but the affection of his heart also might make for vs that whom his death quickned them his trembling might confirme his heauinesse glad his drooping cheere and his disquiet set at rest Theophylact obserueth that Christs Wish is a good warning to vs that wee doe not cast our selues into temptation 〈◊〉 de passione Christi St. Cyprian giueth the reason Quis non timeat si timet ille quem omnia timent he prefaceth his words with a passionate Meditation and they are foolishly hardy that presume of more than is exprest in the Wish of Christ And the Wish is not onely Admonitory but Consolatorie also It is no small comfort that it is lawful for vs to expresse our Wishes though they be contrary to Gods will yea his knowne will for so was Christs The more rigid is their Diuinity that are so zealous for Grace that they abolish Nature and will haue a Christian man forget to be a man But though this Wish may be common to Christ and vs yet is there as great difference betweene it as it riseth in vs and as it rose in him It rose in him neuer but according to the prescript of reason his reason was neuer preuented by his affection sicut quando voluit factus est homo as he was not incarnate but when hee was willing so onely when hee was willing did his affections stirre within him Nihil coactum in Christo Damascen lib. 3 Orthod sid cap. 20. the obiects could not worke his affections but when he saw it fit therefore shall you reade in the Gospell that Christ troubled himselfe when he groaned in spirit Iohn 11. But as for our affections they out-step our discretion and wee are transported with them before we are aduised which maketh vs retract them with our after wits Secondly Christs affections when they stirred neuer passed those bounds which were set them by reason but ours will not so be bridled seldome are we moued but we eyther ouer reach or come short of that which wee ought to doe Therefore our affections and Christs are fitly resembled to two Vials of cleane water whereof the one hath a muddy residence the other hath no residence at all stirre the water that is in the Viall without residence and though you trouble it yet you shall not see any foulenesse in it but no sooner is that Viall that had the residence stirred but the mudde mingleth with the water euen so our affections are tainted with concupiscence from which conception by the Holy Ghost did free our Sauiour Christ You haue heard the Wish of Nature and heard how it is bent against the Crosse But there is one point which may not be omitted Christs modesty in expressing this for it is but a conditionall Wish Christ limiteth it with If If it possible let this Cup passe Things are
word doth encourage them to dye for who would be troubled when he is called to lay his wearied bones at rest But as the word hath that encouragement so hath it a better also and which doth comfort more For notwithstanding the rest expected yet the parting of soule and bodie is irkesome the rather because we see that this sweet companion our body must vndergoe so different a condition from the soule The soule goeth to Abrahams bosome there to be feasted with the foode of Angels but the body must turne to dust and become the foode of wormes And who can endure this surely he that remembers that it is but for a moment the body doth but sleepe it shall awake againe and awake to be of the same condition with the soule for so much we are taught in the next word which is Primitiae first fruits aequiualent to the Resurrection a phrase well befitting the season To vnderstand it we must obserue that in the Law there were two kinds of first fruits One generall consisting of the first of all the Holy Lands increase Leuit. 23. Verse 10. 17. and those might bee offered at any time of the yeare another speciall that was restraind to certaine seasons Easter and Whitsontide The first season was Easter day for the Passouer was slain vpon Good friday the day whereon Christ dyed the next was to bee a holy Conuocation wherein Christ continued in the Graue and the day following was the sheaff of first Fruits to be presented to the Lord and that was the first day of the weake the very day wherein Christ rose from the dead So that this word Primitiae is vere significant and shewes how the Truth did answer the Type Christs Resurrection was meant by that first fruits Hauing found the originall of the phrase let vs now rip it vp and inquire into the meaning of it and then we shall finde that it intimates two things Christs Prerogatiue and our Communion First of Christs prerogatiue Though the Resurrection belong to Christ and them that slept yet first to Christ first dignitate causatione some adde tempore also but I leaue it to bee disputed by the learned that may passe inter piè credibilia but these two are articles of faith for doubtlesse Christ had it in a greater measure and the measure that we haue we haue it from him First of the digintie Vnumquodque recipitur ad modum recipientis as was Christs capacitie so was his participation his capacitie was infinitely beyond ours his participation must be answerable The capacitie may bee conceiued by his Vnction and his Vnion Our Mysticall vnion comes farre short of his Hypostaticall and the vnction of him the Head farre exceeds the droppes that distill therefrom into euery one of vs that is but a Member when he rose his glorie was without all comparison The best of men is but a Starre of what magnitude soeuer hee bee but Christ is as the Sunne at the presence whereof the glory of all starres vanisheth Therefore is hee Reshith Biccure the first fruite of first fruits as the Law speakes eyther word notes an eminencie the first alluding to his title The Head the other to his title of First borne how much more eminent then is he when both are ioyned together This is his first Prerogatiue intimated by his being The first fruits But as he is Primus dignitate so is he causatione also Scrm. 10. de Pasâ—h for he caused his owne and is the cause of our Resurrection His owne St. Bernard so differenceth him from others Reliqui suscitantur solus Christus resurrexit Well may others be raised Christ only rose hee only by himselfe could conquer death Therfore though the word be passiue yet must it be vnderstood actiuely Christ was so raised that he raised himselfe and that not onely merito but efficacia also as the Godhead graced the manhood to merit it so was the manhood inabled by the Godhead to atchieue it But Christ rose though in se yet pro alijs in his owne person for our good that are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 his purchase by death 1 Pet. 2.9 This is meant in the Law of First fruits when God telleth the Israelites they shall be presented to make you accepted and therefore as hee was the cause of his owne so is he the cause of ours also Primum in vnoquoquegenere est causa reliquorum God hath giuen eternall life but this life is in the Sonne He that hath the Sonne hath this life and he that hath not the Sonne hath not this life Ioh. 1.5 for he only is the quickning Spirit and hath the keyes of death and hell But Causa is eyther aequiuoca or vniuoca Christ is Causa Resurrectionis in both senses he is Causa aequiuoca euen to the wicked for he is iudge and therefore shall summon all in the Graue his Angels shall gather as well tares as wheate and the goats as well as the sheep shall he call before him Yea hee shall not only cause their rising but their incorruptibilitie also for it is by his Almighty power that they shall bee supported to endure their torment This causation only is not here meant but causatio vniuoca also for he is Primitiae faciens primitias what himselfe hath he makes others to enioy and therefore Theophylact obserues well Primitiae ad sequentes respectum habent these first fruits haue respect to others as if one of many should beginne to doe that wherein he is afterward to be followed by others And this appeares in our Communion Communion in name and in the condition answerable to the name In name For as Christ so wee are called Primitiae so speakes Ieremy cap. 2. v. 3 Israel was holinesse to the Lord and the first fruits of his encrease and S. Iames cap. 1. v. 18. Of his owne will begot hee vs that we should bee a kinde of first fruits of his Creatures and Reuel 14. These are redeemed from among men being the first fruits of God and the Lambe Hee is not so then the first fruits as if we were left to prophane vses for though in comparison of vs Christ is the First fruits yet in comparison of the world we also are so esteemed Leuit. 23. and therefore there is a second First fruites mentioned in the Law which was offered at Whitsontide and represented the Church to whom the Law was giuen and vpon whom was poured the Holy Ghost But as we communicate in name 1 Cor. 15. so doe wee also in the condition answerable to the name for Christus est Typus Christianorum As wee haue borne the image of the earthly Adam so shall we of the heauenly also To open this Point a little farther Christus is Typus victoriae vitae There bee two things wherein the first fruits doe warrant vs communion with him Victorie and Life Victorie ouer all ouer enemies they shall all be subdued no
considering that spirituall plagues are much more heauie than corporall and we should in our humiliation ioyne our cryes with those soules vnder the Altar that were slaine for the Word of God and the Testimony which they held saying How long O Lord holy and true doest thou not iudge and auenge our bloud on them that dwell in the earth Reuel 6.10 The Vse of all this first part of my Text that is the case of Sufferers is this That we know not God to halues God describeth himselfe to be Iust as well as Mercifull Exod. 34. and the sonne of Syrach tells vs Ecclus 5. that God is as mighty to punish as to saue therefore we must not look vpon onely Gods Mercy but vpon his Iustice also which is so palpable in the plagues And yet must wee not so plod vpon Gods Iustice as not to carry our eye from thence to his Mercy for as in the first case exprest in my Text we haue seene the Church suffering from Gods wrath so now in her second case we must behold her as a Suppliant hauing recourse vnto the Throne of grace And here first wee must obserue That though God for sinne be pleased to humble his Church yet doth hee afford her a meanes of reliefe whereby shee may come out of her greatest distresse And why God is not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not a Destroyer but a Sauiour of his Church he doth not punish her but to recouer her as anon you shall heare more at large But though the Church be subiect to no more calamities than she hath remedy for yet of her manifold distresses the remedy is but one Penitent Deuotion is the onely remedy of all distresses And this Deuotion is here called by two names Prayer and Supplication The words in the Originall are fitted to the argument the first is Tephillah which is such a prayer as a prisoner maketh to him before whom hee is arraigned you may interpret it by those words in Iob cap. 9. I will make supplication to my Iudge And indeed a Penitent must so come to God as if he came to the Barre hee must suppose himselfe to bee an indited person And being such the second word will teach him what his plea must be euen a Psalme of Mercy for so Techinnah signifieth hee must come vnto God with Haue mercy vpon mee O God after thy great mercy Psal 51. and hee must pray with Daniel cap. 9. O Lord righteousnesse belongeth vnto thee but vnto vs confusion of faces In the Primitiue Church they had stationary dayes Tertullian saith their name is borrowed from warfare and Christians vpon that day putting on the whole armour of God did stand vpon their guardes against powers and principalities Serm. 36. and spirituall wickednesses in heauenly places St. Ambrose more plainly saith stationes vocantur Ieiunia quòd flentes ieiunantes in ijs inimicos repellamus These were the weekly fasting dayes Wednesdayes and Fridayes whereon Christians repaired to the Church and therein quasifactâmanu like an Armie with spirituall weapons of fasting and praying weeping and lamenting of their sinnes they put to flight all their ghostly enemies and remoued all the heauie pressures of the Church We keepe the dayes but haue lost the truevse of them It is much to bee wisht that they were restored againe and that thereon we did as our Fore-fathers were wont plye God in these sinnefull and wofull times especially with Tephillah and Techinnah the Prayers of guilty ones and Supplications for the mercy of God But more fully to rip vp this Deuotion so farre as wee are led by my Text obserue that it consisteth of two acts one inward and another outward The inward is a liuely sense of the Penitents euill case and an expression of his deuotion out of that sense Euery one of them must know the plagues of his owne heart Where first obserue that the plagues inflicted are corporall but the sense required is spirituall And why the originall of sinne is in the soule whereunto the body concurres but as a pliable instrument therefore God would haue the body serue by his smart to awaken the soule make it apprehensiue of Gods displeasure and tremble at his iudgements The word which we doe render plague doth signifie a wound now in the heart there may be a wound of sinne or a wound for sinne The wound of sinne 1. Pet. 2. is that which sinne giueth to the soule St. Peter tels vs that our sinfull lusts fight against the soule and in fighting giue the soule many a stabbe the sonne of Syrach expresseth this excellently All iniquity is as a two-edged sword the wounds whereof cannot bee healed Ecclus 21. And what meane we else when we say that sinne is mortall but that it giueth mortall wounds Besides this wound of sinne there is a wound for sinne you know that when a man in fight hath receiued a wound the Chirurgion must come with his instrument and search that wound scoure it and put the wounded man to a second paine euen so when wee haue wounded our soules with sinne wee must wound them a second time for finne if wee meane to be deuoutly penitent wee must be prickt at the heart we must rent our hearts we must breake our stonie hearts wee must melt our hearts we must poure forth our soules our spirit must be wounded within vs and our heart must be desolate This is that which God commanded the Iewes Leuit. 16.31 when hee bid them afflict their soules in the day of their solemne Fast This is that godly sorrow which St. Paul 2. Cor. 7.10 speaketh of sorrow not to be repented of Animae amaritudo est anima poenitentiae this vexing of our soules is the very soule of repentance As a penitent man hath these two wounds so he must know them but wee come very short of this all this mortall life of ours is nothing else but a masse of plagues full of temptations Iohn 7. and trauelleth with vanity of vanities and vexation of spirit Psal 38. all the sonnes of Adam doe daily suffer from the wrath of God in some thing or other and euerie one of vs may say as Augustus the Emperour sometimes said that he sitteth inter lachrymas suspiria betweene sighings and teares Certainly as the Christian world now standeth wee are encompast with lamentable spectacles both abroad and at home But many men are so hardened that they feele not their owne disease much lesse others yea so farre they are from feeling the ordinary plagues of man that they doe not feele the extraordinary ones wherewith God doth rowze sinnefull men Wherefore we must hold it for one of the gifts of grace wherewith God doth endue his children that they recouer againe the sense of godly sorrow And wee may well conclude that hee that is senslesse is gracelesse and they which haue no sense beare the heauiest plague The word doth carry with it not
cutting off those branches which were past recouery This is true will the Romanist confesse of all particular Churches the Church of Rome is more that is the very trunke of the Tree it is more than a branch the other Churches may faile she cannot faile she and she only hath a priuiledge from erring from falling from the truth deriued from St. Peter But I told you when I brake vp the Text that the charge and comfort were common to all the Apostles St. Crprians Rule is true the Apostles were sent Pari consertio potestatis honoris Cypr. de simplicit clericorum And that their successors are all equall herein is cleere because both charge and comfort are common to them all vntill the worlds end Were there no other Text in the Bible this is plaine enough to refute the vanitie of their priuiledge Doth not Christ here speake to all the Apostles yea and their Successors too as themselues confesse and promise to bee with them to the worlds end and yet wee see that many Apostolicall Churches haue long since failed They might saith a Romanist but we cannot read St. Paul to the Romans and read there that St. Paul doth not onely repute them but a Branch of the Church grafted in the old stocke Rom. 11. but biddeth them Not to bee high minded but feare for they are not so grafted in but they may bee broken off againe no lesse than the Iewes if they giue God the same cause Nay St. Paul goeth farther and insinuateth to the Thessalonians 2. Thes 2. that the Romans will fall away their Bishop be the man of sinne who shall sit in the Temple and vndermine the Orthodoxe Faith But I will trouble you no farther with this point onely obserue two errors of the Romanists One that they appropriate to themselues the common Promises made vnto the whole Church the second that they vnderstand them absolutely whereas they are meant conditionally This difference they would haue vs obserue between the promises made to the old Testament and the new In the old Testament they say that God promised indeed a perpetuall Residence but it was if the Iewes performed their obedience And they say true in it the Promised of Gods being with the King with the Priest with the Nation all were made vpon such a condition Take for example the storie of Iosua in the first chapter God promised he would not leaue him nor forsake him yet wee see that not many Chapters afterwards hee did forsake him offended with Achans sacriledge But obserue that this condition is not alwayes exprest in the Promise it is vnderstood then when it is not exprest It is no better with the new Testament the forecited Chapter of the Romanes confirmes this truth and the euent hath proued it true For though touching the Elect it is true that God will preserue them and it is true absolutely that God will euer haue a Church wherein those Elect shall bee yet no man nor congregation must vnderstand the Promises of God made vnto them but with condition of their performance of that which God requires If they doe they doe but vainely flatter themselues and wofull experience will make them spectacles to the world of this vaine presumption To conclude this point The Apostles had a Charge and a Comfort the comfort was to encourage them to performe their charge and the one must not goe without the other and as the Apostles so we must entertain them St. Chrysostome biddeth vs take notice that Christ mentioneth the End of the world that hee may thereby hearten his Disciples and preserue them preserue them from being besotted with any worldly hopes seeing they are transitorie and must haue an end they haue nothing in them for obtaining whereof they should forgoe their calling And as for the Crosse which they are to suffer they should not bee troubled with that that also must haue an End wherefore doing their dutie Christ would haue them minde that Prouerbe Non si male nunc olim sic erit this world shall not last euer yea this worlds comming to an end bringeth vs to a world that shall haue no end Persecuters and Vnbeleeuers shall find another world wherein stript of all their earthly comforts they shall haue miserie without end and the faithfull seruants of Christ they also shall come to another world where they shall enioy the reward of their paines a blessed life for euermore So that the End is not only an End of consumption but of consummation also both to good and bad Whereupon followeth another Note that the word donec vntill doth not meane that after the end of the world Christ wil be no longer with vs that sense of the world condemned by St. Hierome writing against Heluidius in the case of the Mother of Christs Virginitie must also receiue the same sense here Christ shall bee with the Church then but in another manner than now not modo mediatorio as mediating to God for vs for then God shall bee all in all but he shall be with vs as he is with the Angels that are confirmed in grace the enioying of his blessed presence shall be no small part of our eternall happinesse I haue opened vnto you the Charge and the Comfort that are exprest in my Text Two points remaine to be touched very briefly The first is contained in the word Loe which telleth vs whereon wee must place the eyes of our minde Wee are apt to busie them about disheartning obiects and plod vpon the difficultie of our charge and our own disabilitie and thereupon to shrincke backe and be vnwilling to bee employed in such seruices of God we can with the cowardly Israelites obiect the sonnes of Anak in comparison of whom we are but grashoppers the high wals which we can neuer scale and so giue ouer our iourney our warfare But God taketh off our eyes from these bugbeares that so affright vs and biddeth vs looke vpon him Ego vobiscum I am with you If God be with vs who can be against vs Rom 8.3 hee can cowardize all the hearts of our enemies and can curbe all their fiercenesse and can crush all their might nay he can turne a Laban or an Esau that deadly hate vs at least into seeming friends so farre as to salute to entreat vs kindly euen then when we expect they will doe vs mischiefe He can doe more turne euen Saul into a Paul make him a conuert when hee is hot in persecution Finally he can make his Sampson-like conquer more dying by the hands of the enemie than when hee liued to encounter them Whensoeuer God putteth vs vpon any hot seruice Ecce looke vpon this let this bee in our eye it wil suffer no feare to dismay vs. For seeing it is not our strength that must withstand them but Gods power sustaining vs and there is no proportion betweene the power of a Creator and all the Creatures what is there
First Gods Worke Deus fecit God made the time a Day Secondly Mans Acknowledgement Haec est dies the Church doth Kalender it for a high day As we must learne thus discreetly to distinguish times so we must also learne to solemnize them Religiously In performance whereof the text will teach vs What we must doe and How That which wee must doe is reduced to two Heads wee must take full comfort in such a Day we must reioyce and be glad in it Reioyce with our bodies Bee glad in our soules both bodie and soule must expresse a comfortable sense Neither must wee only take comfort in it but pray also for the happie continuance of it for the continuance Saue Lord we may be depriued of it for the happie continuance of it Prosper Lord it may be in vaine bestowed on vs. These be the things that must bee done But How that is When and by whom When Now at the verie same time that Wee haue ioyed in the Day must Wee also bee praying for the continuance thereof And whom doth the Psalmist meane by We Looke vnto the beginning of the Psalme and you shall find the parties thus specified Israel the House of Aaron all that feare the Lord the Common-weale the Church the Cleargie the Laitie all whom the Day concernes must take notice thereof and expresse this dutie thereon You see the summe of this Scripture which I will now God willing enlarge farther and apply vnto our present occasion But before I enter vpon the particulars I may not forget to let you vnderstand that this Psalme hath a double sense an Historicall and a Mysticall the Historicall concernes King Dauid and the Kingdome of Israel the Mysticall toucheth Christ and his Church The Mysticall hath warrant from the Gospell wherein Christ doth apply some branches of this Psalme vnto himselfe the the Historicall is cleare in the Bookes of Samuel which intreat of the aduancement of King Dauid If we follow the Mysticall then the Day here remembred is Easter day or the Day of Christs Resurrection and that was a Day indeed the Sunne of Righteousnesse then shone forth in great strength and brought life and immortalitie to life But if we follow the Historicall sense then was the Day here remembred the Day of K. Dauids succession vnto Saul a verie Festiuall Day to Israel though not so high a Feast as is our Easter day The Fathers Commentaries runne most vpon the first sense our occasion is better fitted with the latter wherefore without preiudice to the former we will insist thereon leauing the Mysticall we will insist only vpon the Historicall sense of these words The first point therein is the discreet distinguishing of Times All times are not alike there are nights and there are dayes the time here specified is a Day Saint Basils Rule must guide vs in vnderstanding this word he tels vs that when the Holy Ghost speaketh of a Day in this and many other places wee must not plod vpon the course of the Sunne but looke vnto the occurrents of the time the occurents are of two sorts prosperous or aduerse the former is vsually called Day and the later Night We haue not then to doe with a Naturall but a Metaphoricall Day But Metaphors haue their reasonable grounds and because they are Implicitae Similitudines close couched resemblances we must vnwrap them that wee may see the resonablenesse that is in the vse of them If we doe this in our present Metaphor the reason will be apparent why a prosperous state is tearmed a Day For a Day is caused by the Sunne rising who by his beames sendeth to the earth Light and Heate Light by which all things are discerned and may bee distinguished and Heate by which they are quickened and cherished Euen so in a prosperous State there is something that answereth to the Sunne and that is a good King and well may the King bee tearmed a Sunne in the Common-Weâ—le as the Sunne is tearmed a King in the midst of the Planets A good King then like the Sunne ouer-spreads the Common-Weale with Light and Heate Light all things doe appeare in their right hue flatterâ—e or tyrannie doth not blanch or beare out falshood as truth and good as euill euery one beareth his proper name and is reputed no better then he is which is no small Blessing of a State if we take notice of that which is occurrent in euerie Historie That the best men haue beene branded as the vilest and the vilest haue beene commended for Worthies so farre hath darknesse ouercast the iudgement of the World seeke no farther then the storie of Christ and his Apostles the Scribes and the Pharisees As a good King doth remedie this perueâ—snesse of iudgement by a truer light so doth hee by a vegetable heate put heart into those that deserue well and further their well fare it is no small blessing you may gather it out of the 72. Psalme where the cheareful face as it were of the State doth speake the comfortable influence of a good King you may amplifie this point by that difference which in the 104. Psalme you finde betweene a day and a night The night is a time wherein the sauage beasts doe range abroad men retire and appeare not but in the day men goe freely abroad to their labour and the sauage beasts retire euen so in the time of an ill gouerned Common-Weale all sorts of beastly men as filthy as Swine as greedie as Wolues as cruell as Tigres as deceitfull as the Crocodile these and such like riot and controule and without shame satisfie their lust and then it is dangerous to be iust to be mercifull But the countenance of a good King chaseth such vermine away and none vnlike vnto him find Grace with him or appeare before him the 101. Psalme hath no other argument but this very point and Solomon hath exprest it in seuerall Prouerbs This blessing of Light and Heat of distinguishing and cherishing the good from and aboue the bad springs from a good King if hee bee only a Head of the Common-Weale many Heathen Kingdomes enioyed such Dayes vnder their Augustus Traians Adrians and the like But if the King be also a member of the Church a King of Israel as King Dauid was then doth he yeild vnto his State another Day vnto the Ciuill hee addes a Spirituall Day for as Constantine said well A good King is Episcopus ad extra Ecclesiam as the Pastors are ad intra though he may not administer sacred things yet must hee command them to be administred to bee administred sincerely that no Errours or Heresies dimme the heauenly Light and to be entertained reuerently that the people may feele the sweet inflaence of Grace Epistola ad Bonifacium hee maketh Lawes for the promulgation of the sauing truth of God as Saint Austine teacheth and by wholsome Discipline brings the people to be aswell religious as loyall no lesse dutifull children of God
which Saint Iames condemnes yet Christ blameth their vnderstanding because it did not guide their heart aright wherein hee implyes that they are ill aduised and that they would not haue done it i◠they had better considered of it by which it appeares that Estis is taken for Esse debetis you are is put for you ought to be for they were not what they should be That will appeare better in Christs more distinct Reproofe The Sonne of man is not come to destroy but to saue mens liues which words may haue a threefold sense The first is to distinguish Iesus from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 each answereth his name The one destroyeth the other saueth The Apostles must not turne the Sauiour into a destroyer that is to parallel Christ and the the Deuill And this sense is implyed in the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which are Coniugates with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 A second sense there is wherein this phrase distinguisheth betweene Christs first and second Comming and sheweth that though 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Christ shall come for to destroy when he commeth to iudgement yet 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hee was not alreadie come but to saue Therefore they were not to confound these two Commings and to doe Acts of the later at his first Comming when he commeth not only to giue himselfe for men but expects their repentance also The last sense is an opposition of Christ to Elias each is to answere his Name Elias his name signifieth The power of God and indeed all the time of his Ministerie what was it but a manifestation of Gods wrathfull power in executing vengeance vpon sinners his words his deeds runne all that way But Christs Name was Iesus and Iesus is a Sauiour God hath not sent his Sonne to condemne but to saue the world and it is a true saying That he came into the world to saue sinners Therefore as King Dauid answered the sonnes of Zeruia when they would haue had him slay Shimei 2. Sam. 19. because he cursed the Lords Anointed What haue I to doe with you yee sonnes of Zeruia that yee should this day bee vnto me as Satan Shall there any man die this day in Israel So doth Christ coole his Apostles and shew that their desire must be correspondent to the end of his Incarnation Yea the very phrase Filius Hominis imports a tendernesse in Christ Chap. 2. Saint Paul obserues it in the Hebrewes He became man that he might be a mercifull High Priest And this sweetnesse of his nature and mildnesse of his spirit was signified both by the title of a Lambe which was giuen him at his death and the shape of a Doue which lighted on him at his Baptisme And indeed what likelihood that hee would burne a Towne of the Samaritans for not receiuing him that prayed for Hierusalem euen when the Iewes were readie to crucifie him yea Father forgiue them was his reuenge when they scoffed him hanging on the Crosse Christ that came to saue all sorts of people was pleased to suffer wrong of them all that so none should thinke they deserued better then other There were then but three sorts of people in the world two extremes Iewes and Gentiles and one composed of them both Samaritans The Iewes and Gentiles euill intreated him at Hierusalem the Samaritans vpon his way thither Christ was bitter to none of them but let them all haue proofe of the meeknesse of his spirit though his Disciples were not so Peter was busie with his sword at Hierusalem and Iames and Iohn are desirous to haue fire at Samaria But as at Hierusalem hee shewed Peter so here at Samaria hee sheweth Iames and Iohn the errour of their zeale and learneth them this lesson which Nazianzene hath in his Tetrasticks 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Most sweet is this assertion of Christ and it is the chiefest comfort of our soules for if thou Lord marke what is done amisse O Lord who shall abide it Surely if our Master were as apt to smite as his seruants Chrysost de Anathemate our Lord as his Ambassadours if Christs Anathemaes were as quicke as mens what would become of the world what combustions what destruction should we see But God bethanked it is not so And wee shall doe well to learne of him especially Pastors must learne to be like the great shepheard of our soules Christ doth not only disproue in Words but in Deeds also They went vnto another Village Hee taught his Disciples before so to doe If they persecute you in one Citie flie to another The Precept wrought not In Tetrast he giueth them a Patterne Facile est verbis philosophari doce me vitae tuae exemplo for as Nazianzene 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And indeed whereas Christ was not ignorant before hee sent how the Samaritans would vse him yet was hee pleased to haue a repulse that he might teach his Disciples how to beare it for Christs life no lesse then his doctrine was a Gospel and hee instructed no lesse by his Deeds then he did by his Words and he taught no lesson more then he did Patience But I haue stood long enough in opening the meaning of this text Let me come now to the principall vse which I intend to make of it which is twofold The first is to ground thereon a good resolution of conscience The second to stirre vs vp vnto thankfulnesse for our wonderfull deliue rance For the Case of Conscience we must obserue That generous minds vndertake not detestable facts except their Conscience first be poysoned Secondly that the Diuell is not contented that we sinne in Passion for so in cold bloud wee might retract and take a better course hee desireth therefore that we may be wicked habitually so he shall be sure to haue vs his at all times and that wee will neuer sticke at the most hellish attempts For if the conscience be once so seasoned that it will take euill for good and good for euill the Angell of darknesse rule therein transformed into an Angell of light this false light will so possesse our vnderstanding that the most hellish darknesse of our affections shall neuer be discerned by vs yea the worse wee are the better wee shall please our selues for euery man resteth secure in the testimonie of his owne conscience and he questioneth no farther then to resolue that The Gunpowder Traitors before they were deliuerered of that Monster had scruples whether it were lawfull They consult their Ghostly Fathers for it is a common rule Histiaeus vestem consuit quam induit Aristagoras as the Persian in Herodotus speaketh of the Samianes reuolt no treacherie without a Priests head who worketh notwithstanding by other mens hands they are put out of all doubt that such attempts are so farre from being sinfull that they are meritorious If any man doubt that this is their doctrine let him
hath bestowed vpon thee length of dayes thy time is not reckoned by nights but by dayes And some men that liue long all their life long neuer see the Sunne their time is night it is an vncomfortable time No sense hath his contenting obiect they are all couered with darknesse yea and if it be a waking night insteed of contenting euerie sense is haunted with discontenting obiects Such nights doe many liue in this world which haue presented vnto them many eye-soares and at whose eares doe enter many heart-breake sounds whose perfumes are the damps of loath-some prisons whose bed is little case whose sustenance is the bread and water of affliction whose robes are fetters and manicles finally whose consorts are wretches no lesse forlorne then themselues Such a night how many liue yea of what length are such nights of theirs But Lord thou hast vouchsafed my life to bee a Day the Sun is vp to me and I haue the pleasure of beholding the light my eye wanteth not content my eare hath her pleasures and euerie sense is cherished according to his kind I haue not beene pinched with famine I haue not been consumed with sicknesse theeues haue not spoyled me I haue not beene exposed to the tyrannie of malice my life hath beene a day yea many dayes for my prosperitie hath not beene like the good day of an Aguish man which hath been succeeded with painfull fits but euerie day hath beene a day the Sunne hath not set the clouds haue not ouer-cast the Sunne so that all my whole life seemeth to haue beene but one day But there are Winter dayes and Summer dayes short and long It had beene well if my life had onely beene a day though that had beene but a Winters day at least manie Winter dayes But to haue my day yea my dayes and haue them at length how much better doth it make my state In a Winter day as the Sunne stayeth not long so it warmeth not much but in a Summer day the longer it staieth the more it warmeth then my length of daies are attended with the warmth of daies and to haue both length and warmth what more can a man desire for this life Yes a man would haue the stinting of them hee would not haue them end vntill himselfe say enough And so farre hath Gods mercie gone with me he hath satisfied me I neuer had my appetite satisfied more to the full with the most delicate meates then my heart is sariat with my daies It is enough Lord now let me die But I forget thou hast done much for me in my naturall life how much more hast thou done for me in my spirituall My spirituall life also hath beene a Day it hath beene I say a day and no night The Soule hath a night no lesse then the bodie and much heauier is the night of the soule then that of the bodie the darknesse is more vncomfortable the terrors thereof are more intollerable How vncomfortable is it for a man who naturally desireth to be happie to be ignorant both where hee must seeke it and how he must come at it and so to wander all the daies of his life in vanitie And did he walke onely in Vanitie the discomfort were not small for it is no small discomfort still to hope and yet still to haue his hope faile But for a man to haue vexation of spirit added vnto vanitie whereas we abhorre nothing more then miserie out of the guilt of conscience to be harrowed with the fore-runners of eternall miserie how intollerable is this How vncomfortable how tedious is this spirituall night Or rather how desireable how comfortable is that day which hath freed me from that night I was in it I was borne borne in it for Lord no man commeth out of his mothers wombe but he is borne in the night and the day doth not dawne to him vntill he is new-borne out of the Churches wombe Therefore doe the ancients fidy call Baptisme 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 illumination because then he that commaunded light to shine out of darknesse doth shine vnto vs in the face of Iesus Christ and we are translated out of darknesse into his marueilous light It is my blessing that I am light in the Lord made light not light of my selfe but illightned by him Lord if thou hadst not illightned me I could neuer haue seene thou that restoredst his sight that was borne blind corporally hast wrought a greater miracle in restoring my sight that was borne blind spiritually Let others boast in whole or in part of the strength of nature I doe I wil confesse that the eyes of my mind are a gift of grace these eyes that see that which I see and cannot but be blest in seeing it in seeing Gods saluation a blessed sight that discouers that obiect How glad was Abraham when he saw the Ramme which was an exchange for Isaac his sonne How glad was Hagar when shee saw the fountaine wherewith shee refreshed both her selfe and her babe And were they glad at the sight of these things How glad then should I be that see a Lambe the Lambe of God that offereth himselfe to be a ransome for me How glad should I bee that see the Well the well of liuing waters which onely can quench my thirst Isaacs danger was nothing to mine well might his soule for a time bee parted from his bodie both were to goe to a blessed rest but my danger was that soule and bodie both must haue burned euerlastingly in hell Hagars thirst was nothing to my thirst shee trauelled in the hot sands and I in the middest of many tyring sinnes no corporall paine can so spend our spirits as the conflicts doe of a troubled soule How willingly then doe I behold the Lambe Behold the water Euen the Lambe and water that are my Iesus Many saluations there are but no saluations of God but in him there is no name vnder heauen giuen by which we may be saued but onely the name of Iesus he is indeed a Diuine Sauiour the highest degree of saluation is placed in him Let others make their peace by other meanes I will be ransommed onely by this Lambe let others quench their thirst in puddle streames I will drinke at this well this saluation of God which God hath made me see For Lord thou hast not dealt with me as thou diddest with Moses to whom thou shewedst from mount Nebo the land of Canaan but sufferedst him not to enter in what thou hast shewed me thou bestowest vpon me and hee that hath eyes to behold thy saluation by seeing doth enioy the same It is not so true in Nature as in Grace Intellectus fit omnia certainely this is euerlasting life euen to know thee to be the onely God and whom thou hast sent our Sauiour Iesus Christ for by beholding with open face this thy saluation we are changed into the same Image from saluation to saluation by the spirit of Christ O
sweete of our welfare how can we but thinke that so secure a lâ—fe must needs be a blessed life But if our Spring bee not onely not blasted but also beare all kind of fruit all goe well with vs and we haue the world at will blessed in the field and blessed at home blessed in our cattell and blessed in our corne blessed in all where to we put our hand how can wee but deeme our selues possest of a blessed state But hauing is not enough though we hold all this securely yet is it comfortable vse that is the Soule of sensuall blessednesse if this quicken that bodie then is a man a naturall man then is as blessed as he would be When his eyes can behold the glorie of his wealth his eares be tickled with the flatterie of musicke and the musicke of flatterie his nostrels breath in the fragrancie of his Paradises and perfumes of his precious oyntments while his pallat can taste and distinguish the delicacies of Apicean Cookerie finally while euerie sense is courted with his fawning obiect and nature hath not giuen ouer to delight in such courtings but holds her selfe more blessed in so partaking then in hauing of such worldly goods when such a state is befallen a man then is heâ— come to the highest degree of that prosperitie which the world can afford And being in it little sense hath he of ought besides it for hardly will it giue leasure to the Soule to thinke that there is any other welfare then that which is enioyed by the dodie And how should it think that this is brickle if it neuer feele it crazed How should it loath that which neuer gaue it any discontent Finally how should it bee willing to bid that farewell wherein all its well-fare doth consist How then should Diues cloathed in purple and fine linnen and faring deliciously euerie day thinke of death and not thinke with horrour that commeth to make so vnwelcome a separation a separation betweene such louing friends that take such mutuall content each in the other and wherof each seemeth with an inuiolable league to haue deuoted it selfe vnto the other Pâ—reant qui inter nos dissidium volunt saith flesh and bloud euill betide them that will breake this true loue knot And who can doe this but death And how should he bee willing to heare of death that knoweth that death will doe this Death will giue the lie vnto our goods and proue they are not substance but a shadow death will turne our calme into a storm and tosse the ship that lay still our wealth which wee haue treasured it will bequeath to others and it will lodge vs in the graue long before we desire to be at our iournies end A natural maÌ„ knoweth this is so but yet he taketh no delight to make this the subiect of his thoughts the feeling of this truth when it falleth out is bitter enough Why should hee taste the potion thinketh he before he is sicke And lengthen his miserie by making himselfe miserable before his time The prognostication of such weather doth more afflict then the weather it selfe and feare torments more then paine More is he distressed that forefeeth then he that feeleth miserie for feare and fore-sight are the tortures of the Soule whereas death and the harbingers thereof fasten their afflictions onely vpon the bodie And much more sensible is the soule then the bodie can be Seeing this is the euill of worldly weale and the ease our corrupt nature taketh in it maketh vs more to distaste the loyâ—â—s of heauen mixe I beseech thee O Lord my peace with warâ—â—â— let me neuer be a secure Owner of my worldly goods Yea Lord let them appeare as they are transitorie and vncertaine that I may neuer repute them to bee my goods Let theeues strip mee let crosses distresse mee though I lose yet I shall gaine and prosper best when I doe not prosper Death that must come shall neuer bee vnwelcome nay the remembrance of it shall bee my greatest comfort it shall neuer find me but willing to leaue what I neuer did enioy and happie shall I account that hower that shall take mee out of the world when it taketh the world from me because wee neuer were at one and therefore shall not feare to bee at ods the world is crucified to me and I to the world Death shall haue no paines in parting our association which shall find vs before hand parted in affection let death bee bitter vnto others to me it shall be sweete and I will prepare my selfe by timely thinking on it so shall I neuer bee vncomfortably surprised by it FINIS