Banner Matth. 16. 24. If any man wil follow me let him forsake himself and take up his crosse and follow me Saint Paul saies to Timothy All that will live godly in Christ Iesus must suffer persecution We are Christians and our lives begins baptismate fluminis consecrated in the waters of affliction goes on baptismate flaminis confirmed in the fire of affliction and oftentimes ends baptismate sanguinis waft on Rivers of blood covers our Hearse with a scarlet die towards Heaven and that for these causes First thereby God proves us whether we be constant and true and manifests to others our sincerity they are a touchstone of tryall to examine whether we be pure or reprobate gold The Eagle tries her young ones whether they be bastards by making them look at the Sun so God tries us by the heat of tribulation As Gideon's Souldiers were proved at the water so we at the waters of affliction Faith that before was but fained will then vanish into smoak like Sodom's apples guilded hypocrisie into vapours but true Faith set upon the file will be more resplendent Hope more certain Zeal more blazing Charity more perfect Secondly afflictions are a means to wean us from the world and win us unto God as Mirrhe and Aloes to lay on the paps of worldly pleasures to make us flie to Christ a Pharaoh to pursue us out of Egypt unto Canaan they are a rod of God to turn our Rivers of delight when we are bewitched with them into blood they are a worm to make our Manna stink when we lust after it This brought the prodigall Son to his Father the Israelites from Captivity the diseased unto Christ Is the Arke taken and the glory of Israel departed then the House of Ely will begin to think upon God Is David banished unto Gath then happy are they that are but dore-keepers in the house of God or the sparrowes that may build their nests there Is Israel led into captivity then will the daughters of Jerusalem hang up their Harps upon the willowes when they remember thee O Sion Is any afflicted then surely they will pray Thirdly afflictions are medicinall restoratives by which sinners may be awaked to recover their health by repentance they are the launcing knife in the Phlebotomie of the soul to wound us that neither the Plethora or ranknesse of blood honour riches preferment pleasure choak and stifle the spirit nor the Cacochymia or pestilent humours of sin as covetousnesse pride intemperance bring us into the Hectick feavour or incurable disease of hardnesse of heart rebellion or sin against the holy Ghost They are a rod to scourge us in a Lethargy As Physicians in a Lethargy use to burn the hair of the patient and smoak it into his nostrills so afflictions burn vanities and darling pleasures which are but as excrements and casts them as dung into our nostrills They are preparative potions to repentance pills of contrition purgations of naturall corruptions vomits of sin tents to search our wounds scarrifications to draw out ill humours And though no afflictions be pleasant for the present yet afterwards they are cordialls of comfort restauratives of grace Thus God taught Miriam by leprosy to leave her murmuring he awakened Jonah out of sleep by casting him into the Sea he cured Zacharie of his infidelity by striking him with dumbnesse delivered Saul from his evill course by blindnesse David from pride by the plague cured him of adultery by killing the child Blessed is the man whom the Lord thus correcteth Fourthly as afflictions are restauratives for maladies by-past so they are preservatives and antidores to prevent the evill to come As a man whose blood is consumed in a lingring feavour is not so apt to take the pestilence so neither a man afflicted to be puffed up with pride or burn with lust he need not fear the swelling of that Carbuncle They are salt to hinder us from putrefaction a stormie winde to save our standing pools from corruption a fiery Cherubim to keep us out of the forbidden paradise of sin As the golden hair was to Nisus a safeguard from his enemies so the crosse of affliction armes from the flesh the world and the devill As is said in the Fable of Achilles so far as he was dipped in the water so far he was unpiercible by any weapon so far as we are plunged in the waters of Marah our spirituall enemies have lesse power over us God sent an Angell of Satan to buffet Paul not so much for any evill he had done as to prevent sin for the time to come lest through the abundance of revelations he should be exalted above measure If God inflict upon us malum poenae the evill of punishment it is to prevent malum culpae the evill of sin Fiftly by afflictions we are prepared and polished for Heaven that as the one scale of tribulation presses us down the other of grace may mount us up Our Oyle of grace is a quintessence that must be extracted by fire our cordiall waters of comfort by distillation our Grapes squeazed in the Wine-presse of sorrow our Wheat flayled in the threshing-floor of tribulation our Flowre grinded between the milstones of pressure We are Gold that must be purified seven times in the Furnace before we be carryed into the Sanctuary Trees that must be pruned before they bring forth any fruit living Stones that must be polished and hammered before they be brought into the heavenly Ierusalem So that to a Christian all his whole life is as it were a threshing death is the fan to winnow the pure wheat from the chaffe that we may be gathered into the heavenly Granary where no unclean thing shall enter Well then if every Christian must feel the sting of these fiery Serpents before he come at Canaan learn we to make account of them not murmur mutter wonder at them In this vale of tears we must look to be fed with the bread of affliction to drink the bitter water gall wormwood and eat the soure grape of sorrow Shall the heavens mourn the clouds shed their tears the earth tremble the fruits be blasted the sea rage the creatures groan for our sins and we not sympathize with them Shall the Prophets and Apostles go through the fire the Martyrs have their robes dyed in scarlet our Saviour sweat water and blood conflict with hell Satan death and we go to heaven in a bed of roses tread on carpets ride still in triumph upon the wings of pleasure True it is in former times we enjoyed Halcyon daies of peace sitting under our own Vines and Fig-trees singing the song of Sion and tuning our own harps in a melodious harmony having no Townes but Salems no men but friends if we had gone into the fields we should have seen no spears but standing corn have heard no drums but tabrets no out-cries but harvest-homes had no years but of Jubilee no daies but of rejoycing But now of a long
true Orthographie and charactering of his cares the Comma's Colons and Periods if any there be of his passions The second unfolds his Casuum discrimina a thousand diversities of dangers accidents varied with divers Cases with Genders of sorrow ingendring numberlesse declining that which is good and inclining to that which is evill The third displaies his misconstruction of Charity in not Concording and agreeing with equalls in not Governing his Inferiours in not submitting to the government of Superiours And what is the last but an Accenting of his griefes by severall pricks in the flesh and Scanning of things upon the fingers of human reason to tickle the ear of fancy and affection What is his Rhetorick but a Poyson cooked in a painted dish each Trope a translation from Purity to Corruption each Climax climbes up by degrees of renued griefe each Auxesis augments and each Hyperbole makes up the height of his hardship What is his Logick but an art of Reasoning to inform Reason of the losse of Reason each Predicament a Ladder of human frailty declaring the Substance of his body of death the Quantity and Quality of his sin in what Relation he stands to the Devill Hell and the Grave the guilt of every Action the sting of every Passion ubi quando Where When in what manner and Habit every sin was committed Demonstrating by causes and proving by Induction his destruction His Musick is a Modulation made up of diversity of maladies in place of melodies his birth by Originall sin sounds Base by Actuall Treble worse unconstant never keepes Tenour his life is a Cliffe his might a Minim his wit but a Crochet his wisdome a Quillet his glory but a Quaver Lord what is Man His Arithmetick deciphers the numberlesse number of his necessities adding subtracting dividing multiplying measuring all things by the rule of Golden number roules in a Circle and ends in a Cypher His Physick serves to seek out the symptomes of his sicknesse the brain conceives frenzies madnesse vertigoes in the brain the Eye sees three hundred diseases in the sight of the eye the Ear can hear of a Parotis or impostumated inflammation in the ear the tongue can tell of an Angina or Argurangina a Quincie or silver-Quincie in the throat which ties the tongue-strings The Hand can feel a Chiragra or Gout of bribery in the hand the Sinews are sensible of convulsions of worldly cares the Bowells of Tympanies or swellings of pride the Heart of a Cardialgia or carnall fear the whole Man of a noli me tangere impatience of admonition Thus Man is become the Anatomie of Misery and the Misery of Anatomy and yet his greatest misery is that he cannot help his misery making the whole World a Pesthouse the Earth an Aceldama or field of blood and the Sea a Golgotha or place of Sculs Thus what Man is in his body The next what in his Soul First What in regard of misery of losses Secondly What in regard of misery of crosses In regard of misery of losses the soul of Man hath lost blessings internall externall eternall Internall the perfect Image of the Creator the perfect knowledge of the Creature God Christ holinesse in heart uprightnesse in life union betwixt God and the soul which is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the very soul of the soul Lost blessings externall not Rivers of Milk Wine Oyle Mountaines of Gold Silver Diamonds not a world of Crownes Scepters Diadems these were but Blanks but the Prize in this Lottery lost was his lot of inheritance in Heaven communion with Saints and Angells in that inheritance that never fails Lost blessings eternall the glory of a Crown and a Crown of glory the blessed Vision and the vision of Blisse of the Trinity in Unity and Unity in Trinity Secondly what the Soul of Man is in regard of the misery of Crosses crossed with the stain of sin crossed with the pain of sin the stain of sin the Mind is stuffed with vanity the Understanding is darkened with ignorance the Will stiffned with stubbornesse hence the Soul is defiled with lust polluted with filthinesse outraged with passions over carried with affections pined with envy overcharged with gluttony surfetted with drunkennesse boyled with revenge transported with rage The pain of sin consists in consciousnesse of horrour of Conscience and sense of a reprobate sense This horrour meets a man in the dark and makes him leap in the night and makes him quake in his sleeps and makes him start in every corner and makes him think every Bush a Man every Man a Devill every Devill a messenger to fetch him quick to Hell By this Theodorick saw the face of a Man in the mouth of a Fish Nessus heard the noise of Murder in the voice of Birds Saunders run distracted over the Irish Mountains This made Cain wander Saul stab himselfe Judas hang himselfe Arius empty his bowells at the Stool Latomus cry desperately he was damned Julian confesse that he was conquered makes Man the Lord of all slave to all Lord what is Man Thus this Generall what degenerate Man is in this life the next what degenerate Man unregenerate is in his death Come to his Bed-side and see how darts of calamity dart him Stiches aches cramps feavours obstructions rheume flegme chollick stone winde as so many tempests and whirlwindes attempt him View his body sweating his members trembling the head shooting the face waxing pale the nose black the neather jaw-bone hanging down the eye-strings breaking the tongue faultring the breath shortning the throat ratling at every gasp the heart-strings cracking Thus strugling in comes Death Hells Purveyor to summon the Soul to Hell Reason accuses the Devill endites Memory gives evidence Conscience condemnes damned Spirits flutter like flies to catch this Spirit flying O then with what stentorious cries would it pierce the Clouds if it had a voyce to cry Help Eyes that were as quick-sighted in vanities as Lynceus and see for some comfort help Ears late organs of melody and hearken for some comfort help tongue that was my Suada-Orator or Demostenes perswade Satan affright Death flatter Hell and tell my soul some comfort Help Feet that were my wings of swiftnesse and quickly fetch some comfort help hands that were my Sword and Buckler quiet my conscience stop hells mouth banish Satan and minister me some comfort Alas the Eyes are closed up the Ears deaf the Tongue speechlesse the Feet lame the Hands dead not able to remove the slime that stops the breath and Man that was even now a Body and Soul is a stinking Carcase without Soul Lord what is Man Thus Death is displayed Next what degenerate Man is after death A man of Death fewell of Hell fire lashed with Satyrs wounded with Scorpions scourged with Furies sting'd with Dragons gnawen with Vipers still rowling the Stone of sorrow with Sisyphus turning the restlesse Wheel with Ixion hungring and thirsting freezing and burning with Tantalus burning with heat freezing with cold
all things Omniscient to know all things infinite in Wisdome to contrive in Mercy to dispose in Bounty to bestow He only that is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the maker of all things He only 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is the giver of all things It was the dream of Avicen that Angells by the power of God did make the Heavens the Heavens the inferiour Bodies But he was a Turk and his Doctrine in this relishes more the Alcaron than the Evangelists As unsound is that Sentence of the Master of the Sentences That God could communicate to the Creature the power of Creation For Creation is a production of a thing out of nothing to make a thing of nothing an act of Omnipotency Omnipotency an incommunicable Attribute of God as incommunicable as that Attribute of giving every good and perfect gift to be attributed to none but Him that made all things for Man Gen. 1. 29. Behold I have given you every herb every tree the fruit of every tree every beast of the field foul of the aire fish in the sea creeping thing upon the earth O curva in terris animae O fond souls like the poor lunatick man at Athens to presume upon that which is Gods prerogative Vermis crastinò moriturus a worm that must die to morrow Before God had given Man a Beeing by Creation he gave every thing for the Well-beeing of Man by his everlasting purpose Predestination Election Purpose to make Man in his own Image to make so many in number of men though not all their souls at once as Origen said as there are Angells fallen so many as the Angells that remain in purity say some so many as the Angells pure and impure say others how many uncertain and that 's the truth most certain By Predestination in which gift or chain of Gods mercies are three links First the decreeing of man to a supernaturall end Secondly the gift of eternall life which is the supernaturall end Thirdly the disposing of all saving means to this supernaturall end all effected in time yet ordained before all time By Election which is a culling and picking of some out of the masse of sin leaving others in the masse of corruption As a Jeweller purifies what Gold a man sifts what Wheat he pleases so God purifies the Elect his Gold sifts the Saints his Wheat for his Granarie passes by the rest for their sin I will not determine whether Originall or actuall sin nor deny them Christ in some sense whom the Father spared not but delivered up for all The reason why Christ was not effectuall for all was their infidelity and sin It is true as the School-men say Predestinatio nihil ponit in praedestinato Predestination is an act of meer mercy in God not of merit in man neither in regard of the Decree which was when he was nothing of the first infusion of Grace when he was worse than nothing in which God was the sole Agent man the Patient yet man is an Agent and operative in using of grace which he was a Patient in receiving of Whether God gives this grace to all indifferently I will not here question But to the purpose to whom he gives this grace in Christ he will give all And as God was a giver in intention before he made any thing so he was a bountifull giver in execution after he had made all things By Creation by Preservation to sustain the body by Vocation Justification Sanctification to adorn the soul here by Glorification to crown both body and soul hereafter By Creation making that of nothing which was neerest nothing the first matter of all as the Philosophers calls it Moses Tohu vebohu the Septuagints 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Poets a Chaos or rude masse of unpiled Matter out of which was made the starry Heavens to give light the azured Skye a Throne for the Clouds the Aire for birds to flie men and beasts to breath in the Earth paying her yearly revenue of herbs Plants flowers the Sea an unsteady Element for fishes made rather for use and wonder than pleasure All made by God all gifts given by him And as given by Creation so continued by Preservation garding of us by his immediate providence by Angells by Secondary causes By immediate Providence For as omnia fecit sic omnia fulcit that hand that made all things supported all things 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 his eye behold all things Spiritus intùs abit his Spirit that moved upon the waters moves every where in him all things live and move and have their being And as he gards us with his Providence so with his Angels whether with a good Angel to support us as a bad to tempt us whether every man have one ordinarily deputed whether from his Birth or from his Baptisme curious speculations more befitting the Schooles than the Pulpit I 'le not dispute My present Theme is to prove that it is God that gives that He in my Text that gave his Angells charge over his Son hath given his Angells charge over all for whom he hath given his Son and he hath given his Son for us all that they should take us up in their armes lest we dash our feet against stones And shall not He that gave his Angels as ministers his Cherubims as flames of fire give us an inheritance with the Angells and free us from eternall fire To his immediate Providence as he hath substituted the Angells so all Secondary causes the Heavens with motion light influence the Fire to refresh the Aire to cherish the Earth and Sea to nourish Food to feed Physick to cure Cloaths to cover these our bodies All these he gives us as Aquinas saies non propter defectum suae virtutis sed propter abundantiam suae bonitatis not that his power fails but that his mercy overflowes For he could feed us without food cure us without physick save us from cold without covering Neither is he only the giver of temporall things for the body but spirituall for the soul by Vocation either externall the Word preached Aaron's golden Bells ringing the Sacraments as nails of the Sanctuary or internall the Law by the Spirit hammering the Gospell softning Grace seasoning our Souls By Justification in forgiving our sins and imputing to us the merits of his Son By Sanctification as the Gold by filing so our Souls by purifying are made clean The Sun enlightens the dark Moon the Sun of Righteousnesse enlightens by his Spirit our dead members By Glorification non nostra merita sed sua dona coronans crowning not our merits but his own mercies These we touch briefly because in giving his Son he gave these 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 who is the giver of all And if God be the giver of all as Rivers receiving their Springs from the Sea return them to the Sea let all things give praise to the God of gods to the Lord of lords for his
he shot at rovers Zeal bended the Bow and drew the Arrow to the head Phinehas his heat of zeal contrary to the nature of heat stayed the Plague and cleansed the aire and by the fall of two prevented the fall of thousands on his right hand and ten thousands on his left David his zeal went through his bones like the fury of a hectick Feavour and brought him into a consumption Psal 119. 139. My zeal hath even consumed me because mine enemies have forgotten thy word Mine enemies have forgotten thy word VVhat would he have done if his friends if himselfe had forgot it Psal 69. 9. The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up that is wasted me consumed me made me a Scheleton or Anatomy Come on and see Jehu's zeal against Jezabel for the Lord of Hostes whose zeal though not true if it be commended consider what true zeal would be Esay's terrible Trumpet was tipped with zeal sounding a retreat to Idolatrous Judah and Jerusalem Jeremiah's zeal did boyl more fervently then the seething pot he spyed in the North against the sins of the people Our Saviour the perfect pattern of zeal though as meek as a Lambe in his own quarrell yet zeal made him as fierce as a Lion in Gods and that sparkling in words Woe to thee Bethsaida in deeds to Peter in private Get thee hehinde me Satan to the prophaners of the Temple in publick You have made my Temple a den of theeves Zeal metamorphosed Paul from a Persecutor to a Professor a Preacher a labourer in Christs Vineyard one that laboured more then them all a Martyr indeed sacrificing his body for the truth and if wishes would have prevailed Anathema pro populo his soul also Neither could this heat of zeal be kept within him but like the fire of Aetna it burst out to others Tit. 2. 14. Be zealous of good works Rom. 12. 11. Be fervent in spirit fervency of spirit is but zeal dressed in other attire All those emblems in St. John's vision of a zeal-commanding Saviour are but so many motives to zeal seven golden Candlesticks burning with Lamps of zeal a golden Girdle about his Papps this Girdle as that Ephes 6. is Zeal Truth and Zeal must go together These Papps are the two Testaments from whence all truth flowes upon which altar all zeal must be kindled His eyes are a flame of fire these eyes are Knowledge this flame of fire is Zeal knowledge and zeal must go together His feet like fine brasse burning in a furnace This brasse is stability and constancy this burning brasse is zeal zeal and constancy must kisse each other In his right hand seven stars These Stars are so many Lamps giving light to others for they that have given up their names to Christ in Baptism must be like John Baptist lucernae ardentes burning lights lights burning inwardly within themselves shining outwardly to others Christians must be zealous And that this our Christian zeal may be distinguished from an ignis erraâ—icus or wandring fire of opinion an ignis fulminaris or frensive fire of rebellion let us examine the ground of this truth for all zeal is grounded upon truth and all truth upon Christ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Truth Hence it is that Christians should be zealous because for this cause Tit. 2. 14. Christ gave himselfe for us that he might redeem unto himselfe a peculiar reople zealous of good works That Angel that appeared unto Moses in the burning bush to the Prophets in a pillar of fire as speaking from God to Man became 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 both God and Man that Man for the glory of God might be zealous He bought our salvation with pangs and blood and sweat that we zealous of piety and purity might work out our salvation with fear and trembling He sweat blood in the Garden he was beat with cords and whips fainted under the Crosse in the way was fastned to it with nails pierced with a spear assaulted by Satan Hell and all our sins at once that we might be covered with righteousnesse as with a roab and cloathed with zeal as a garment The Turks are zealous of their Mahomet the Sidonians of Bell and Dragon the Priests of Baal of their Idoll the Papists for their Reliques Crucifixes Images the Jesuits of their Ignatius Loyola each Sect of their own superstitions Then shal not Christians be zealous for Christ who zealous of our salvation gave himselfe for us that we might be zealous of good works Secondly Christians must be zealous because zeal is the life and soul of Christianity that which the Bellowes are to the forge zeal is to the Soul an inkindler of grace that which naturall heat is to the body zeal is to the spirit a preserver of Grace that which Heroicall vertue is to Morall vertues the same is zeal to all divine and heavenly vertues the perfection of grace Zeal is the quintessence of Graces distilled the marrow and life of Religion the height and hyperbole of Holinesse Faith without zeal is but historicall Charity without zeal is but hypocriticall Profession without zeal is but carnall Patience without zeal is but Stoicall Apathie Mercy without zeal is foolish sympathy Hope without zeal is but impudency Love without zeal but lechery VVisdome without zeal but folly Martyrdome without zeal but murder These two reasons of the Poynt we have but poynted at because zeal is a Grace that is grounded upon reason yet in the heart practicall therefore we omit any further reason and come to Application First inquiring what true zeal is Secondly the severall kindes of zeal Zeal is defined by the Philosopher to be a mixture of anger and love when we are angry at the party or thing that injures that which we love These two affections as fire and oyle met together in Moses he loved God hated Idolatry therefore he was angry at that Idoll that was enmity against God Antient Divines have described it to be a mixt affection of griefe and anger flowing from love Griefe is an affection of the heart that wounds the soul for some present evill thus Jeremie mournes for the misery of the daughter of Sion Anger is mixed of sadnesse and a desire of revenge Esau was sad for the losse of his Birthright his heart boyled with revenge against his supplanting Brother These were the territories the Antients tyed zeal to who all shot near yet missed the mark for true zeaâ— neither consists in hatred nor love nor sorrow nor a desire of revenge alone a channell too narrow for zeal to run in which like Nilus overflowes the whole soul the higher the fruitfuller But true zeal either consists in a mixture of all the affections or is a high and heroicall pitch of any affection that makes Heaven suffer violence A high rapture of spirituall joy is zeal that like St. Paul rapes us up into the third Heaven The Scheme in Paul's Rhetorick was zeal when he said Rejoyce in the
him was nothing made Coloss 1. 16. All things were created by him and for him For him in his Mysticall not in his Personall capacity As God â—e had no use of terrestriall things as Man now he is impassible immortall in Heaven therefore not in his own Person but in the person of his Saints what is done to them he acknowledges don to himself all the world all things in the world are given for the use of his Saints All things to use the Philosophers distinction that are bona animi goods of the mind bond corporis goods of the body bona fortunae goods offortune All things as Divines say internall in the soul externall of both body and soul eternall for the saving welfare of both All things as Aquinas saies upon this place quae cedant in nostrum bonum that may turn to our good divinae personae ad fruendum to behold the vision of the Trinity have communion with Saints and Angells commerce with Men comfort with and from all the Creatures All things as cur Saviour saies 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whereof we have need Matth. 6. and Him we will follow as the best Interpreter So then we may conclude with the Apostle 1 Cor. 3. 21. All things are ours and God with Christ hath given all things to us all If every man might be his own Interpreter how sweet and heavenly would this Doctrine be the Drunkard would swim in Rivers of Wine the Whoremonger would have more Dalilah's than the Turkish Grand Sultan or Solomon had the Glutton would receive his daily tribute of delicates from Earth Sea and Aire the Tyrant would make the Earth an Aceldama or field of blood the Sea a Golgotha or place of sculs the Covetous man would make the world his Counting-house each Iland a Closet of his Treasury the Pope and each ambitious Roman Prelate would number their Crowns and Scepters by their Beads But look again before thou feed thy soul with this fools Paradise it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with Christ If thou hast Christ thou shalt have all things if thou hast not Christ thou hast nothing but that which thou possessest is not thine own not thine own by a Spirituall right though thine own by a Civill right All things were lost by the first Adam restored by Christ the second Adam who Heb. 1. 2. is heir of all and only they that have Christ are heirs and joynt heirs with Christ of all Rom. 8. 17. So then he may be a spirituall usurper that is a civill lawfull possessour possessour either jure gentium by the Law of Nations and that by Conquest as the Israelites subdued Canaan or jure civili by the Civill Law so we possesse things given by the bounty of others got with the sweat of our own brows appropriated unto us by buying exchanging falling upon us by descent death of friends honours given as the reward of vertue Some would have this Civill right to be derived to all by Creation not to be lost by Degeneration God that feeds the Storks cloaths the Lillies will much more feed and cloath his nobler Creatures for whose sake the Storks and Lillies were created Some say they were given in and by Christ to all He that delivered up his Son for all delivered up all things with his Son for all The Turks Infidells Impious that have not Christ are not debarred of these lesser benefits that come by Christ Some give this Civill right onely to the visible members of the Church he that is baptized into Christ hath onely the benefit of this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 all things that come by Christ Which of these opinions is the truth I will not determine that onely the Faithfull have spirituall claim to this All in the Text it is confessed by all they onely can say and pray 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Give us our daily bread For what is it to have spirituall right but to have the Spirit turning all things to their comfort and increase of glory Rom. 8. 28. All things work for the good of them that love God all things to the confusion of them that love not God But how have spirituall men all things A right to all things not a possession of all things Thus Abraham had a right to Canaan because God had promised it though he possessed it not God if it were for their good would give them the fruition of all things An Orphant trusts his Guardian for his means a Patient his Physitian for his dyet and dare not thou trust God While thou art Militant here thou art under tuition and shalt not possesse all till thou be Triumphant We restrain a man in a Lethargy of his appetite of sleep and deny cold drink to one sick of a Feavour though he be owner of all in the house So does God the wise Physician of our Souls give us all things that we need but not all things that we lust To look back again at the words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He will give us all things with Christ O happy union Christ and his benefits are never severed He that gives Gold will much more give the Drosse He that gives Pearles will give Pebles He that gave Christ the Lord of life wil give all things convenient for life Heat may be separated from fire as in Nebuchandnezzar's Furnace light from the Sun as at our Saviour's Passion but no good thing can be separated from the Son of God he that hath the Son hath life And here me-thinks I see the noble Army of Martyrs that seemed to the World to have nothing to throw down the Gantlet of defiance and triumph that in Christ they have all things Armour of proof a strong Tower an invincible Fort a Rock of salvation that if Men Devills Leviathans Behemoths losses diseases torments swarm about them like the Flies of Aegypt this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 all things in Christ will make them sing under the whip at the stake in the flames make the patient laugh when the Spectatour weeps carry frail flesh singing and rejoycing through a world of bonds rods swords racks wheeles flames strapadoes break through torments armies tempests floods to Heaven shake off bonds fetters manacles and lead captivity captive And if all these things come by Christ O then let us get Christ himselfe which is the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the giver of all Men venture themselves on the angry Seas digg into the bowells of the Earth for Gold and Silver expose their bodies in Warrs to wounds scarrs skirmages massacres death for honour riches wealth empire dignity which without Christ are for substance but shadowes vapours Sodom's apples for continuance but bubbles blasts dreams and for true solace of the soul but like the Vipers conception whose momentary pleasure ends in murdering both body and soul What pain dammage and travail do the Alchymists sustain to gain the Philosophers Stone a thing doubtfull whether it be possible more doubtfull
pretious stones and then Peacock-like prides themselves in these which are but liveries of beasts scum of the earth badges of sin earnests of death and recognisants of hell thus jetting till death comes and sounds his trumpet in his ear O fool this night they will require thy soul of thee c. Fourthly this discovers the vanity of intemperate and voluptuous men that with Philoxenus studie only to relish dainties make their throats tunnells and their bellies barrells and shewes by their daily sacrifices their Oâ—gia Dâ—onysia and Bacchanalia that they are of that Epicure Sardinapalus his minde that was wont to say ventrem deorum esse maxâ—mâ—m that the belly was the greatest of the gods living thus till death arrest them and then they shall be arrayed with nothing but a shroud or winding-sheet have no dwelling place but the grave no house but a stinking coffin no servants and tenants but crawling worms have no allowance to give them but their own flesh which they shall feed upon till all be consumed and they made a fit Sceleton for death to read Anatomie's Lecture upon Consider again this was more particularly for the sins of Eli and his Sons Let those that attend upon God's Ordinances in this present age reflectupon this It must be acknowledg'd sure that the hand of God hath gone out against us more then against others of our rank at other times at least that God hath not restrained violence against us so as he did against those of our profession in the daies of old The portion of the Egyptian Priest that served the Ox the Ape and the Onyon escaped sale in the time of the famine Learned Junius in his Academia Cap. 4. saies that the Philistims spared the Schooles of the Prophers in their warrs with Israel and that the Phoenicians Chaldeans and Indians were tender over such places the Goths and Vandalls as barbarous as they were when they entered Italy scarce laid a sacriligious hand upon the Churches revenues Thus then did God restrain the spirit of Princes yet that God who in his own Law Levit. 25. 22. gave the Levites a speciall priviledge of redeeming lands sold by themselves at any time when other tribes were limited to a set time hath not stayed the raging of these waves but that the Churches Patrimony is sold to others without redemption We must acknowledge that God's wrath whether for our personall sins or the sins of our Predecessors or for the sins of the people joyntly hath taken hold of us Zach. 1. 5. that the Lord hath devised a device against us hath watched upon the evill and hath brought it upon us For under the whole heaven hath not been done as hath been done unto Ierusalem Dan. 9. 14. Let us not flatter our selves presumptuously the punishment answers the sin as the wax the seal and as the moulds own the figure and let us own both Yet let none think now that this confession will give advantage to the adversary they may take where none is given They may say let the Lord be glorified by their own confession we offend not though we devoure and dishonour them because they have sinned against the Lord the habitation of justice Ier. 50. 7. But they shall finde at last that to forsake the Levite is a sin that it is a bitter thing to help forward affliction when God is but a little displeased that Ierusalem will be a cup of trembling and a burdensome stone to every one that cries but down with it Wo to thee O Ashur the rod of Gods wrath the stasse in thine hand is Gods indignation for our correction to purifie us the sons of Levi from our drosse For It is the Lord that does it So we passe from the Revelation to the Acceptation And he said it is the Lord. But how did Eli know that it was the Lord Partly by the man of God partly by Samuel's dream or vision for he knew that the Lord had called the Child It is a heathenish tradition that no dreams that relate to publick concernment are to be credited that proceed not from Princes as Macrobius stories it upon Somnium Scipionis Hence Nestor in Homer proclaims in the Grecian Councill that credit is to be given to Agamemâ—on concerning the marshalling of his Army because he was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Generall or ruler of the people which otherwise should have been sieighted But Ely was better instructed who knew in part though not so fully as was afterwards revealed Ioel. 2. 28. that God would poure his spirit upon all flesh and their sons and daughters should prophecy their old men should dream dreams and their young men should see visions Therefore Ely willingly submitted saying It is the Lord. Lord by Creation all things were made by him Ioh. 1. 3. Lord by Donation All power is gâ—ven me in heaven and in earth Matth. 28. 18. Lord by Redemption for we are bought with a price 1 Cor. 6. 20. Lord by Conquest By death he destroyed him that had the power of death the devill Heb. 2. 14. Lord by Marriage I am my beloveds and my beloved is mine Cant. 6. 3. Lord by way of excellency depending on no creature Lord of Lords Lord not only of goods body life but of soul and spirit Lord not for a season but for ever an eternall Lord a Lord that cannot 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 abuse his authority but is Jehovah zedeck Jehovah our righteousnesse Ier. 23. 6. A Lord that doth what he pleaseth Let him do what seemeth him good So we passe from his confession to his submission Let him do what seemeth him good Peter Martyr makes a scruple whether these words proceeded from a penitent soul or no saying they might come from an evill and hypocriticall minde though God who is only 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a searcher of the heart knowes this yet he concludes probabile est illum resipuisse non tamen necessarium it is probable that he repented but not necessary Gregory is of opinion that this answer is no true signe of his humiliation but rather of his hardnesse of heart and reprobation and endeavours to confirm it by three reasons First saies he we finde not that after this he either repented or corrected his sons Secondly because he seemes to be willing rather to incur the heavy displeasure of God then by severe and condigne punishment to offend his children Thirdly because he seemes rather presumptuously and disorderly to trust to the mercy of God than by serious repentance and selfe-denyall to go in the way of God It is the Lord let him do what seemeth him good Si Dominus ubi timor If it be the Lord saies he where is his fear where are his prayers where his tears where his groans we read of none Haec oratio non culpam agnoscentis non dei misericordiam implorantis sed animum despondentis iram provocantis This speech is not of one imploring Gods mercy