nay more since this Son of God sic exananivit semetipsum hath so humbled himselt as to be born of a Virgin that we might be born again and live and with God and in Heaven and for ever doubtless it is high time and opportune time at this set time for no less then Angels to turn Coristers and to say and sing this sacred Song Glory be to God on high Peace upon Earth Goodwil towards man A LESSON FOR Souldiers Luke 3.14 The Souldiers likewise demanded of him saying And what shall we do and he said unto them Do violence to man accuse no man falsly and be content with your wages THese words are occasioned upon a Sermon newly Preached The Preacher is John the Baptist His Hearers are of divers dispositions the effect they are all astonished The Baptist threatens death the people enquire how to save life No sooner saith John The ax is laid to the root of the tree but as soon the people fear to be made fuel for the fire Lo after a Law-Sermon follows a Gospel-Demand We will never seek after Christ till Moses hath found us out It is Moses must lanch the sore before Christ will cure the wound let me welcome then a Boanerges as much as a Barnabas and by this demand rest ensured How Law-preaching makes me sensible of my sins Though the love of God and merits of Christ save yet the justice of God and judgement preached fits me for a Saviour It is true how Christ by his blood hath purchased for us a Kingdom it is as true how the Law is School-master and leads us unto Christ Till I meet with this guide I shall neither have eye to see with nor tongue to enquire for a Saviour After the Law be home applied and powerfully preached presently the whole man seeks every where for a Deliverer Such a Sermon was Peters Acts 2. and then in vers 37. they cry What shall we do Such a Sermon is this of our Baptists and in three companies the cry goes Aud what shall we do O! when the Law preached makes me sensible of my sore then I seek for a plaister He that preaches to the people God is nothing else but all love shall be sure in the end to meet with his justice Sugar plumbs are more destructive to the stomach then sharp sauce and a discreet Cook will send up to the table salt to rellish the fresh dishes Such a Caterer is this of our Saviours he sends up meat and mustard and while threatens the torments of Hell-fire tells the people how to escape the fire of Hell generally in a Sermon particularly in a Catechism And that I note is the people Demand and the Baptist Answers Lo the willinguess of the one and the readiness of the other the Souldiers are alarm'd out of sin and now they are in march for Sion they are awaked out of the bed of carnal security and they cry for the dug of Divine Doctrine That is a gracious forenoon Sermon produces such an afternoon Catechism it assures how the Catechuminists loath not Manna but long for the sincere milk of the Word But that again I call to minde is how the Souldiers propound and the Preacher resolves Thus like new hatch birds they gape till the old one disgorge into them They cry says the Text and is it not high time for them to cry who have made so many so long to cry Well when God in a Sermon speaks home to the Conscience it will make thee ask ere thou be asked an say Master what shall we do This was the cry of the people of the Publicans and now that they have begun to cry the Souldiers cannot hold their tongues Good example does much prevail with rude and robust natures As the fierce beast by long waking is made tame so our savage dispositions are made pliable by a long and loud peal of Gods judgements sounding in our ears But I much marvel not that these Souldiers are thus terrified and demand What must we do They had hewed down so many with their swords that now afraid to be cut in pieces with the ax Gods judgements When a guilty Conscence hath a weeping eye and a crying tongue for salvation though his sword hath been diâ—d with the blood of innocents yet there is hopes how his soul may be rinsed clean from sin with the blood of our lord Jesus And thus I proceed from the Demand to the Determination from the quid faciemus what shall we do to the quid faciendum Do violence to no man accuse no man falsly and be content with your wages Here are short Lessons but long a taking out little said much implyed In thre lines Souldiers are taught their whole duty to man We will give them three years to take out their Lesson and to do what here they are willed to do But this Tripertite Maudat seems to infer the Souldiers propenseness to the breach of this advice as also That he is a right bred Souldier who squares his life by this Law Model me out such a company and in a fight they will not fear to dye When my life is led according to Gods golden Rule then death is as welcome to me as life I will in special take notice what is the will of God in this time of my earthly Pilgrimage lest my farewel be far worse then my first beginning But come when we carry righteously towards man it is probable we will be religous towards God And it is at this end of Divine Direction that our Baptist starts his discourse Viz. Do violence to no man Viz. Accuse no man falsly Viz. Be content with your wages By this it seems Gods Word gives no warrant to him who hath the longest sword to take the greatest plunder nor yet for him who hath the longest weapon to have too long a tongue nor yet for him who hath marched all day to turn Mntineer next morning A right bred Souldier will rest content with that pay which is allotted for him wil not forge a lye to hurt his neighbour nor yet when the drawn sword is in his hand will harm the innocent Here are three Lessons for Souldiers and the first manacles their hands the second their tongues the third staves them off other mens goods while gives them no more but what they work for and to speak no more but truth he is a gallant Souldier whose hand is tied to good behaviour and Doth violence to no man who can keep his tongue within his teeth and Accuse no man falsly who quiets himself with his means and is Content with his wages Your being Content with your wages asserts how you are no Mutineers and gains you the love of your Leaders Your Accusing no man falsly assures how you have the fear of God and keep his ninth Commandment Your withdrawing your selves from Doing violence to any man shews an heroick spirit and such an one whose religious will over-rules your
with my eye spiritual much more While I see without I may be blinde within and spy a world of wonders in this great World and yet not see that World of wickedness in this little World O Lord open the eye of my understanding lest while I look and see the way to thy Church I miss of thy Kingdom yet lest I miss I will look ad Sinistram at my Corrosives ad Dextram at my Cordials At my Corrosives my crosses in this life seeming hindrances in my spiritual Pilgrimage but sanctified pricking spurs pressing me unto the prize of my high calling O God my God twenty years current have those lasted and hadst not thou put strength into my anckle bones long since with Gad and Reuben I had sat me down on this side Jordan And now I turn ad Dextram to the right hand of thy gracious favours high cordials in the upshor of long distempers O heaviness hath endured a long Winter night but joy is come in the morning a Plerophoria a full sea of Peace and plenzy O my God as Adversity did nor quire deject me so let not Prosperity puff me up Now that I am in part restored to my Means let not my Means make me forget my Maker Beleive it he who sets his heart on Earth shall never inherit Heaven Now I am out of the bryars Lord let not the pleasant Pageants withdraw my eyes God sent afflictions to wean me from the World these contentments are proffered to try whether I love God more then the World I may look at them and not lose my way if I love them and inordinately I am at a loss and for ever And therefore once more I will look about me lest suppressed by Adversity or surprized by Prosperity Now this is done I will up and on and having little time and far to go and many by-paths in my passage I will look unto my ways There is but one way and yet it is here said I will look unto my ways Christ is the way via recta via tuta all other ways are viae deviae by-ways and yet this way Christ is cut into two pathes is viam Divinitatis Humanitat is The first step into the Heavenly way is per Christi Incarnationem the second is per Christi Divinitatem The hand that leads into these two which run into one is Amor Dei the love of God For God so loved the world that be sent his Son the second Person and therefore God born of a Virgin and therefore made man Now this is made my way to Heaven efficienter à Deo instrument aliter per sidem and this way is by Christs Godhead Manhood whilest the Godbead dwels in him bodily And now the two Natures being joyned together in one Person and that by an Hypostatical union this considered that one way may admit of a plural without prejudice to the single singular way I mean to him who is the Way the Truth and the Life But as all that go to Heaven must look unto this way Christ cut into two pathes so I must look unto my waies ways for Plurality mine for Propriety How different are these two waies the way Christ and my waies that is the way of Life this the way of Death Have I not need now to look about me Miss of that fist and I am out of the way to Heaven walk in this other and I march a full career to Hell and yet I am never in hopes to come into the way Christ till I take a survey of my own waies my thoughts words and works This is a large task and this a lazy generation Much is to be done and all to be left undone portends a fearful doom O Jacob why layest thou thy head upon a stone O Jonah why sleepest thou in the howl of the ship O ye Disciples can ye not watch one hour O! the sluggish blankets of carnal security have lull'd Gods dearest sons asleep when the Philistines have been ready to fall upon them The Disciples let Christ be taken from them O let not your selves be taken from Christ He that sleeps in sin is sensless and whilest he is a sinner he looks not to his waies he casts not an eye to Christ nor Christ to him but mark what 's said I will look to my waies Is it not high time when surround in the rotten bogs of Whoredom and Bloodshed It hath been the hard hap of the Elect to tread awry and ere aware to step into the Red-sea of blood by the misleading of the old Man in the Womans habit Here are ways to be lookt at not walkt in See them and shun them they are dangerous by-waies leading to Hell leading from Heaven Their names are these The Vnclean Spirits Round Relapse into sin That beaten Tract Covetousness which is Idolatry That way which went of late too night the Royal Palace Rebellion and Regicide Hold of Hell-gars Despair the shadowed Grove Hypocrisie The barren Mount Presumption The new Reformers Road Sacriledge These have been common high-waies leading to Hell Death and the Devil and now the late walkers in them though disguized with the vizard of seeming Saintship are discovered But there are other more covert waies I must look to if ever I look to go to Heaven And in special that way or walk in which my corrupt heart meets with first Motions to sin Assent to sin A will to sin A seduced judgement to approve of sin in the secret of my soul Look to these waies and root out all thou meetest and fear not thou the wide road of thy conversation Smother sin in that way the entrance into the womb of thy heart and the work is done neither needest thou fear but that is the way to life everlasting But the Prophets Possessive my my waies makes him owner of these high-waies saith the Lord My waies are not your waies This Mine and Thine makes or mars Mans waies have in them nought of God Gods waies have in them nought of man While I look unto my waies I see a super plus of sins While at Gods the way to be disburthened of my sin To conclude I will look unto my ways through that looking glass the Law so I shall see I am a sinner I will look O Lord unto thy waies which thy sacred Testament points me out to ensure me of a Saintship And now O Lord lead me in thy way that so I may possess my soul in peace Lord give me grace to look unto my ways that so I may escape that death death eternal MERCY beyond MEASURE Psal 58. part of vers 1. Lord thou art become gracious unto thy Land THe people of God are returned from bondage and they sing a Psalm of Thanksgiving all Israel have been Captives and this their deliverance is of the Lords doings What the arm of man conoot the finger of God can bring to pass In the low ebb of Misery he can buoy up to a full
not have freed us Hadst thou not been our God thou wouldst not have done this for us We have experienced thy power as the Lord and none do come in competition we have found thy favour as our God and it is thy superlative mercy is solely to be magnified Let us weep for that we have sinned against so good a God let us joy in the Lord for that relieved by the arm of the Lord our God Of late we were in Babylon now in Sion servants to slaves now servants only to God and the King praised be God it is thou whom we do serve though of late O Lord our God other Lords besides thee have ruled us He that takes upon him to rule without God is sure to be punished by the Devil Let me tell you an Usurper on Earth is a Free-holder in Hell and though he make us suffers for the present he in all likelihood is to be tormented to Eternity But what a madness is this to strive to rule a multitude when thou canst not rule one to seek for soveraignty over men when thy usurped power makes thee a slave to the Devil It is the most unseemly sight for Peasants to personate Princes and for Princes to stand at the Bar when Peasants sit on the bench We have seen the time and God be blessed over-lived the time and though long inslaved at length relieved Yet to humble us and give God thanks we do confess to our late grief and now joy how O Lord our God other Lords besides thee have ruled us THE ANGELS ANTHEME Luke 2.14 Glory be to God in the highest peace upon earth goodwil to man THe occasion of this Antheme is Christs Birthdome the Messenger is an Angel his Message to the Sheepherds the news glad tidings to all people the Choristers a multitude of heavenly Souldiers their Angelical Carrol Glory be to God in the highest peace upon earth goodwil toward man Christ is born and Christs Brithdom and the Angels Antheme divulge the great love of the great God to mean man For God sent his Son from Heaven to Earth he came from Heaven he came to Earth he became man to make us all men was born of a Virgin O blessed Birthdom whose birth gives life to many millions O Divine condescention Our Christ came to live with men that we men might live with God He assmes our nature to make peace betwixt the Creator and the Creature nay more he took upon him life natural that so he might free us all from death eternal He lived to dye that we might not dye but live His Birth is the forerunner of all our benefits and therefore in honor of that Day Christs Birthday Angels sing a Gloria Patri they sing the Antheme in three parts In Alto. In Alto glory be to God in the highest In Basso In Basso Peace upon earth In Medio In Medio Goodwil towards men The Singers are the Angels the Ditty Glory Peace Goodwil the Tune in Alto Basso Medio behold Glory ascends on high Peace possesses the earth Goodwil pursues each soul And thus Heaven Earth and Man bear all parts in this Song God in Heaven Man on Earth and the Earth from whence Man came each do here bear their part apparent while glory is given to God Peace to the Earth goodwil to Man What soul is not ravished with this sacred Ditty sung by Angels sung on Christs Brithday sung for joy That our Redemption drew nigh A Song to be sung in Triple time which as Musicians know allows of two Minnims down and one onely up And is not here one up Glory be to God on high And two down Peace be upon earth And two down Good-will towards man These are Heavens Waits and being come to the doors of us Mortals they double their strokes and having honored God God takes it for no dishonor in a redoubled note for them to express their love to us Thus shall be done to them whom the King means to honor Well let Angels be our Samplers and let us learn by them to us to give back again to God praise and glory praise for our Creation glory for our Redemption Let God have the glory for making our peace with him yea glory to God in the highest for affording us peace one with another peace within ourselves and for that hope we have of that Peace which passeth all understanding And as thus we give glory to God for this peace proclaimed so glory be to God for his goodwil to man we may possess our souls in peace for we have the good will of God we had enslaved our selves to sin and Satan It is Gods good will to free us from Hell and the Devil The Prince of darkness is rooted and our peace is purchased not onely peace for us who are earth but the goodwil of God to all mankinde on earth But though the Greek Fathers interpret these words of Gods goodwil to man yet the Latine Fathers thus translate this Antheme Peace be upon earth to men of goodwil As if men could never be at peace with God the Father whilest he bears ill will to his neighbour He is quite out of tune who is not in charity neither will God afford him peace that affords not his neighbour love As love is the fulfilling of the Law so the large and the long and the brief and the semi-brief in this sacred Sonnet An ill will d man is a wicked man and while he lives at odds with men can never have hopes of peace with God But the twofold Exposition of the Greeks and Latines the one expounding this Antheme of Gods goodwill to us the other of ours to God and all mankinde This proclaims How Heaven and Earth are agreed God loves us and we love him and we all one another He us before we were we him in time He loved us before we loved him we love him after his love to us hath mollified our stony hearts But how comes this good agreement none were more at odds then God and man O! the reconcilement is made by the Birth of Christ a Birth predicted by the Sibbels foretold by the Prophets and confessed by all Christians Christ Harbinger came before our Saviour came quickly afeter When nigh at hand the cry went Advenit advenit advenit advenit He comes he comes he comes he comes to us in utero Virginis in the womb of a Virgin O rate generation Adam was neigher of man nor woman Eve from a man but no woman Our Saviour is born of a woman begot of no man he is born man and Mary made the Mother of God For the Word was made flesh Joh. 1.14 and all this that we who are more flesh then Spirit might by the Spirit of Christ become less carnal and more spiritual And now since Christ is come to save us us his enemies such enemies as made a combination with the World Flesh and Devil against the Father Son and Holy Ghost