as to neglect it as the carnall worldling and some so wilfully wicked that they reiect it as the obdurate sinner and some so giuen to Numeration Addition Multiplication and Diuision of and among Sauiours and Sauiouresses that this saluation is not an abstract but a distract they make a subtraction and fraction almost a cipher of it And ipsa si cubiat Salus seruare prorsus non potest hanc familiam may be said of them which obserue lying vanities and forsake their owne mercy For Saluation is the Lords and saluation it selfe O Hierusalem Hierusalem how oft would I and yee would not no more then a Towre of saluation saueth straglers The fourth obseruation Turris salutum Wisedome hath built her house and hewen her seuen Pillars Nay wisedome was built a house and in the incarnation assumed humanitie the Temple of Deitie so called by himselfe Towre and Temple both Metaphors designing him that is both strong and holy the seuen Pillars are septem lumina septem cornua seuen spirits the spirit not by measure Man is a sensitiue creature and hath nothing in intellectu quod non prius in sensu and therefore GOD as the Parent that lispeth to teach the Infant stoopeth to our infirmities as in the Sacraments which are visible words so in the figures and mysticall allegories of the Law 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and in the parables and metaphors of the Gospell spirituall things are put in sensible habites that wee may see at least his hinder parts and may tast how sweet the Lord is that Christ may bee euidently set forth and as it were among vs crucified and we may at once both heare and see and handle the Word of life To sensuall Man nothing more sensible and palyne nothing more piercing and powerfull nothing more pleasing and insinuating nothing more setling and memorable nothing more accommodate to common vse then heauenly things in borrowed liueries of metaphoricall speech whereby wee may finde monitors and instructers in and from all our affaires and not at Church alone but in our houses yea our houses and Churches themselues may preach edification as that word as this text are witnesses For our houses are say some our Castles I am sure Castles and Towres are houses spacious and specious houses for the honour of the King and for the house of the Kingdome This migdol is magdil magnificans a magnificent house such hee hath built the World a publike house and common hall to all mankind naturally where heauen is the roofe the various clouds versatilia laquearia the Sunne the day light the Moone and Starres night-lamps the seuerall regions seuerall roomes the beames of his chambers are laid in the waters the earth the floore the sea a mote the surface of the earth an embroydered carpet the fruits prouision riuers woods sands desarts and other partition of Countries partition-walls winds raynes meteors wild-beasts and creatures are game for bodie and mind the tamer beasts fishes fowles naturall slaues and houshold-seruants the worlds riches are lauta supellex our houshold furniture He hath made Thee also an house a magnificent house and wee dwell in houses of clay but materiam superauit opus This bodie is a naturall house to the soule the armes and legs as out houses the bellie breast and head as three courts of this goodly Palace the bellie or lower court as offices the breast as the hall great-chamber presence chappell where the heart receiues and performes her seruices the head or third court is a naturall Towre of this Palace mounted on a Mount another Citie in this Citie of Man a Capitoll at least a Senate-house or Councell-chamber a Microcosme of the Microcosme a Heauen to this litle Earth and abridgement both of the greater and lesse Worlds This house is fearfully and wonderfully made where euery Roome is animated liuing moouing and both roome to receiue and officer to act and performe all things seeth those that come to see it heareth the hearers and speaketh to the speakers But as the Fox deales with the Badger defiling his new-built house and making him to forsake it so hath the Deuill breathed his venom and left his filthy Foxie Harpie-excrements in vs that now it is become the Palace of the strong man armed but a stronger then he hath come and become a Towre of saluation and by taking the infirmities repayred the ruines and breaches of this house caused by the fall and rebuilt it on himselfe for the habitation of God by the Spirit Hee made himselfe a Towre to make vs a Temple and spirituall house of liuing stones to offer sacrifices to God acceptable by Iesus Christ and hee made himselfe a Temple to make vs Towres against which the gates of a contrarie Towre the force and Forts of Hell should not preuaile And though some part of this Towre must haue a fall yet is it for an euerlasting reparation and wee know saith Saint Paul that if our earthly house of this Tabernacle bee dissolued wee haue a building of God a house not made with hands eternall in the Heauens A house now nay not a house of precious Matter but of Earth nor that as God made it but as we haue marr'd it Ours sed male dum recitas incipit esse tuus no not worthy the name of a house but a Tabernacle and that not which may but which must be dissolued is alway in dissolution Wee haue a building of God a house not made with hands eternall in the Heauens for a Tabernacle a building for ours a building of God for earthly Heauenly for this in dissolution an eternall house and this is the supernaturall house of glorie Of this naturall house in the creation to omit that common Hall of the world of the diabolicall in the fall spirituall in grace supernaturall in glorie and of that diuine house or Towre of saluation which Christ made and was made for vs that symbolical house of Salomons Temple and Moses Tabernacle did giue instructions as also of that supercelestiall house into which that is into the true heauens Christ our high Priest is entred through the veile of his flesh to appeare in the presence of God for vs and to be an euerlasting House and Temple a super-supercelestiall house to vs. These three Courts of the Tabernacle represented the first Nature which must be mortified and cleansed as the Lauer and Altar signified the second Court the new man or state of grace in that was in this is the golden Lampe of Faith the shew-bread-table of charitie and the golden Altar of perfume before the veile the hope of the Saints now sauing and entring into that which is within the veile whither the fore-runner is for vs entred euen Iesus not into the Holies made with hands the figures of the true
the Gospel and liue yea and reigne enioy a threefold Kingdom all beyond names of time and one also beyond all space of place Awaken you rich men which listen after great purchases which make others poore yea which make your selues poore to make your selues rich which liue poore to die rich and buy some patch of the World with making your selues patches and the vilest things that you and the World haue Be no Pedlers be Royall Merchants three Kingdomes three Worlds giue mee a Chapman And lest out of your owne vse and guiltinesse yee suspect me of fraude see the proofe and goodnes of them The first of these is this Vniuerse a large Kingdome to which Great Alexander's would haue beene but a petie-petie principalitie not enough for a Peere of this Kingdome Off with thy Harpies-hands and fancie-frenzies Anabaptist wee remooue not the Land maâ—…es nor confound Proprieties Downe with thy Magnifico-mouse-births sententious Mountebanke wordie Paradoxicall Stoicke Simia quam similis turpissima bestia nobis Quid dignum tanto feret hic promissor hiatu He and he onely is rich free wise a King where 's his euidence hee hath dreamed of that which is indeed the Inheritance of grace not nature and therefore ours because Christ. the heire of all things is ours and therefore not ours in subuerting Proprietie because Christ came not to destroy the Law but to fulfill it and where were Thou shalt not steale if all had proprietie in all All things are yours saith S. Paul and you Christs and Christ GOD'S Inuert the Order and see your Pedigree and right All things are GOD'S and The Father hath loued the Sonne and giuen him all things God so loued the World that he gaue his Sonne and with him all things as appurtenances to the free-hold To vs a Sonne is giuen and to as many as receiue him he giueth power to be the Sonnes of GOD and therefore heires coheires euen as many as beleeue in his Name The Christian hath the Vniuerse but in an Vniuersall tenure which hee enioyeth thus his minde by contemplation his conscience in libertie his bodie in lawfull vse of what God sends q sanctified by the Word and Prayer his heart with contentednesse supplying all defects and fixing it selfe on God which is ours whatsoeuer else be wanting by whose onely will and prouidence other things are wanting and which giues himselfe before hee take away any thing and takes away other things that he might make vs capeable of himselfe This is Manna of all tasts we need not the flesh-pots of Egypt this is generous Wine what care I if I haue no troubled Ale this is delightsome light which hauing viewed I cannot I care not much for baser Obiects Christian libertie frees not from duties to doe what we list but giues a lust to do our duties and like the Sunne shines through Aire and Water without corrupting them and as the soule fils the bodily members not consuming but consummating and perfecting them it addeth Sanctitie dissolueth not Proprietie Once God is the Towre of his King and the World is the Towre-hill Court or Liberties and if hee bee our portion needs must it whereas the vngodly because he hath not God hath a Humane and Ciuill not a Spirituall right and his conscience is polluted in the vse of that which hee calleth his owne like Cain a Vagabond in his owne ground To the impure all things are impure The second World whereof this Towre of saluation makes thee King is thy selfe lesse in quantitie then the former but greater in value for that was made with his Word Dixit facta sunt omnia but The Word himselfe was made a man for man dixit multa gessit mira saith Saint Bernard pertulit dura that hee might re-giue vs our selues And if a man be not sui compos what can the World benefit him any otherwise then the great Inheritance of a Foole Mad-man or Infant which being sui impotes are with all that they haue at other's disposition or what right hath he more then a slaue whose all is his Lords Others are Infants Fooles Madde and Slaues to the Deuil the World the Flesh the true Christian is Lord of himselfe though hee be a Slaue and is both King and Kingdome too in this Microcosme The Regions Climates of this World are his bodily members the Subiects euery particle of bodie and facultie of minde euery action and passion the Freedome is the wil freed the Law is Gods Word Reason is the Court Conscience Iudge the Affections Sheriffe and Iusticers to put in execution the externall Senses Officers Common-sence Clerke Phantasie Cryer Memorie Register the Court continuall in selfe-sessions And were it not for this selfe-authoritie whereby a man commandeth himselfe and doth good or bad willingly there were neither Vertue nor Vice in which respect the Slaue being the Lords Freeman willingly and for conscience is subiect to doe and suffer his Superiours wil as seruing the Lord and not man And hee that is thus King of himselfe is Lord of Fortune suis ea cuique fingitur moribus of Death it is but like Goliahs Sword his owne Executioner and killeth the remainder of death in vs of the Deuill who hath the power of death of the World whereof hee is God that his Concubine and of our Lusts the Bawdes the Traytors beeing exiled and executed the Deuill and the World haue no power Thus that Noble Armie of Martyrs did what they might and when by Gods countermand they might not doe they suffered and by willing suffering tormented their Tormenters and conquered their Conquerours O Noble Armie of Martyrs their names written in a second red shining brighter euery day the other in the dust that I descend no lower In all these things the Philosophers talke walke stalke it like a King in a Play but were 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as they called Saint Paul and mocked at the Mysteries of this State which they knew not And how then could they know that third Kingdome and World meerely supernaturall and supermundane it is not for Athenian Owles but Heauenly Eagles to face that Sunne and flye in such light The Reuersion is heere made sure by Faith and Christ leauing his pledge with vs his Spirit is gone thither with our pledge and in our nature hath taken possession Of which hauing said somewhat before heere we cannot say much saue onely that it is beyond what wee can say or thinke a World of Worlds in substance not subiect to alteration corruption passion motion in quantitie many dwelling places the walles twelue thousand furlongs in qualitie a Paradise faire shining delightsome the streets of pure Gold shining like vnto cleere Glasse a meere transcendent where all are Kings of all these three Worlds and the King of Kings shall dwell with them and bee
this the sweetest Saluation euen in the abstract yea superintellectuall saluation not a qualitie but supersubstantiall GOD himselfe which being beyond speech we will not lose our selues and your patience to speake of Onely this in the application If the Lord himselfe had not beene a Towre of saluation to his King when the Gowries and their complices this day rose vp against him how was his escape possible where honest Simplicitie was closed in the trap of guile where Nakednesse was assaulted with armed violence where one alone had so many doores made fast vpon him so many roomes betwixt him and possibilitie of helpe so many Traitors against one Innocent that is so many incarnate Deuills against one Man I know not what to doe said King Iehoshaphat but our eyes are toward thee and Dauid here When the flouds of Belial made me afraid the cords of Hell compassed me In my distresse I called vpon the Lord hee bowed the Heauens and came downe yea the heart of one set to kill him to be his helpe and bowed the necks of his enemies vnder him And Whom haue I in Heauen but thee and there is none on earth that I desire beside thee My flesh and my heart fayleth but God is the strength of my heart and my portion for euer He raysed of stones children to Abraham and said vnto him Feare not Abram I am thy shield and thine exceeding great reward His shield then which he vpon his knees there acknowledged and euery Tuesday since reviueth it in his weekly deuotions his reward since on an other Tuesday-intended treacherie the super superlatiue of treasons when King and Kingdome had the necke on the blocke Diuinatio in labijs Regis God gaue his King not onely a diuine spirit with Daniel to reade the mysticall writing but to reuerse it to reuerse it yea to inuert it vpon themselues to recouer vs before we were sicke and to burie them in their owne vault Turris salutum hee is a Towre of saluations magnificans salutes which wee before obserued out of a two-fold translation to bee both priuation and habit Great deliuerance and great prosperitie giueth he to his King And first for Deliuerance I was cast vpon thee from the wombe thou art my God from my mothers belly saith Dauid Euen before his deliuerance thence a Towre of deliuerance was he to his King stronger then the royall Palace where the Queene at supper was assaulted sclopeto in pectus intentato her Secretarie taken from her presence and in the next roome slaine crying Iustitia justitia her Majestie made meane-while a prisoner Had not this Towre protected how could that tendernesse haue escaped abortion and our hopes had beene dead before they were born Following broiles in his minoritie murthered his Father imprisoned deposed chased away his Mother exposed her friends to spoile and in a little space consumed two Regents or Protectors of his nearest bloud his Vncle and Grand-father and when all these Strong sunke vnder that waight how could Weaknesse and Infancie escape had not Hee giuen great deliuerance As himselfe in the wombe escaped who is our Head so his Kingdom then in the wombe to him and not come to the birth hardly escaped abortion Anno 1588. A great and diuine deliuerance if euer any when such a Fleet of so long and ample preparations that it was surnamed Inuincible with such purposed Land-forces from the neighbour Belgian shoare amiddest such opportunities as the League abroad and our wants almost of Aire and Water and till the enemie supplied of fire when those vasa iniquitatis bellantia were freighted with instruments of crueltie and manned with a people whose Progenitours had giuen experience of vnmanning and almost vnpeopling a World where our goods liberties consciences liues all were in danger then did God arise and his enemies were scattered This Armada venit vidit Fugit He put a hooke in the nose and a bridle in the lips of the Land-Armie and made the Starres in their courses fight against Sisera the brute Elements against that brutum fulmen of Rome and designes of his adherents They neither came into any Citie of this Kingdom to shoot an Arrow nor came before it with Shield nor cast a banke against it by the way that he came nay by way-lesse wayes did the Enemie returne nay how few returned to tell their owne miseries The Virgin the daughter of Zion laughed and in this place in the greatest congregation honoured the Towre of our saluation I cannot forget the memorable Apophthegme of his Maiestie then sensible of that deliuerance that had the Enemie preuayled hee could looke for none other benefit from him then what Polyphemus promised Vlysses scilicet vt caeteris deuoratis postremus deglutirerur Was not his Maiestie deliuered in all the manifold deliuerances of Queene ELIZABETH from bloudy conspiracies which taking effect could not but bring all things in those times into combustion and miserable confusion and must haue wounded him through her side For what fidelitie could be expected from Traitors or right from them whom Religion had made contrarie to right to Religion The Italian and Spanish invasions of Ireland the insurrections and costly rebellions of the Irish then did in their euent as by the present calmes and quiet possession appeareth proclaime great deliuerance for his King And is not be a Towre of saluation for his King if wee compare him with States and Fates abroad The Turkish Moone twise eclipsed in a short space and once put out in obscure darknesse Moscouia it selfe made a Moone in manifold chances and changes Poland in invading invaded Sweden and Denmarke in the North and since Italie and France in the South Germanie and Bohemia in the East filled with warres tumours and rumours of warres whiles wee are compassed with Songs of deliuerance Step but ouer the Threshold and see two great Henries bleeding vnder the hands of base butchers where were many helpers against one traitor in the middest of his campe one in the middest of his best Citie the other both in the middest of their strength and compare it with two Gowries men of honourable birth and place that I mention no other aide hauing the King alone in their owne house secluded from all seeming possible helpe and let his enemies be Iudges whether GOD himselfe gaue not great deliuerance to his King O August blessed bee thou among moneths famous for the flight and fight with the Elements of the Armada Anno 1588. famous for this our secular Iubilee let thy fift day bee the quintessence of dayes let it be written in Gold that had neere beene written in Bloud as the Ladie of dayes and let this holy Act bee acted in this holy Theatre many-many anniuersaries And thou Princesse of the weeke Tuesday as Ignatius calleth the Lords-day Queene of dayes and the birth-day of the World be thou happie for