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The Treaſures of the Sea.
A SERMON TO THE MARINERS UPON
DEUT. XXXIII. xviii, xix. And of Zabulun, he ſaid, Rejoice Zabu
lun in thy Ports, and Iſſachar in thy Tents. They ſhall call the people unto the mountain, there they ſhall offer Sacrifices of Righte
ouſneſs: For they ſhall ſuck of the abun dance of the Seas, and of Treaſures hid in the Sand.
Terra parùm fuerat: Terris adjecimus undas; Fortunae varias auximus arte vias.
LONDON, Printed for Robert Kettlewell, at the Hand and Scepter over againſt S. Dunſtans Church in Fleet ſtreet. M DC LXXXIII.
William Harrington's (that famous and ſucceſsful Engineer) reKatherine, ſunk unfortunately in the Downs, many fathoms under Water. The good man therefore haviz. 14000 l. and upwards, was wil
SOme Philoſophers tell us, That all the great and goodlieſt Natures diſ
But it is theſe Virtues, that make all us eſpecially, who have the Happineſs to live under your Lordſhips care, to ſtudy all poſ
THis Diſcourſe is due to you, upon the account of your favours to Mr. Harrington: And therefore as he was pleas'd to make me the Orator of his thanks to God, ſo am I alſo the Meſſenger of his thanks to You. I am a great Ad
YOur many favours oblige me, and your high Concerns in the Admiralty, encourage me humbly to offer this Diſcourſe, ſuch as it is, at Your Lordſhips feet. I can ſay little of its ſuitableneſs to a Perſon of your great Quality, and leſs of its Worth: But if your Lordſhip ſhall pleaſe to accept of theſe Proluſions, I will hereafter endeavour ſomething more worthly your Lordſhips notice, that I may at once give teſtimony of
my thankfulneſs for the favours already received, and demonſtrate how much I am,
THE daily Experience I have of your Zeal to Religion, your Loyalty to the Govern
DEUT. XXXIII. xviii, xix. And of
Zabulunhe ſaid, rejoiceZabulunin thy going out, andIſſacharin thy Tents.They ſhall call the people unto the mountain, there they ſhall offer Sacrifices of Righteouſneſs: For they ſhall ſuch of the abundance of the Seas, and of Treaſures hid in the Sand.
Neptune is of a more tractaJuno, the Air) will but let him alone, never fails to be favourable to the concerns of the World. So that Tertullian, though in the commendations of other things plentiful enough of words, yet in the praiſe of Water, flows with an Eloquence worthy himſelf and the ſubject, telling us that it is the ancienteſt of all the Elements, and that none of them has ſo many Patronages of Nature, ſo many Priviledges of Grace, ſo many ſolemnities of Diſcipline, nor any ſo highly advanced in the myſteries of Religion. De Bapt. Thales aſſerts it the principle of all things; and later Chymiſts aſthe Spirti of God moved upon the waters, Gen. 1. 2. giving motion to the fluid MoMarius Victor,
Et ſacer extenſis impedens Spiritus undis Altrices animabat aquas, dans ſemina rerum.
And agreeable hereunto the Stoicks made this Element the food of the Stars, as judging it the part of a MoIſa. 3. 1. may not only prove the diſſolution of the little, but alſo of the greater World.
All Nations from the obſervation of its cleanſing quaPlatoniſts have not only made it Purgative here, but Cathartick hereafter, ſend
—Aliis ſub gurgite vaſto Infectum eluitur ſcelus.
But it is of infinite advantage to us, that we may be waſht by a more eaſie and purifying Sacrament, when the ſtains of our Nature and the Errours of our Lives are cleanſed by the Waters of Baptiſm, through which ſo many graces of God deſcend upon us as in a ſhower, according to the Prophetick Doctrine of that Ocean of Scripture, and Labyrinth of the Myſteries of God, Ezek. 36. 25. Then will I ſprinkle clean water upon you, and ye ſhall be clean: from all your filthineſs and from all your Idols will I cleanſe you. Which though we ſhould interpret with the Jews, to ſignifie an abundance of TemAug. de doct. Chr. c. 34. we underſtand it of thoſe many graces, which ſhall, as it were, diſtil through the Holy Font upon the Chriſtian Church, it will much more ennoble this fruitCant. 4. 15. is call'd a well of living waters. And truly the ſame Prophet has made uſe of this Symbol, Ezek. 47. to denote the whole fate of the Chruch, from a beginning ſo ſmall and inconſidehave dominion from Sea to Sea,
and from the River unto the ends of the Earth, Pſal. 72. 8. But S. Gregory underſtands it of the different degrees and progreſſes of Chriſtian life, waſhing firſt the feet and Epithumetick Organs, and then growing by de
But it is time, after ſo long a Voyage, to make for the Havens of Zabulun, to ſurvey the ſtrength of her Ports, and the Riches brought in by the Sea, which were ſo conſiderable, that they were eſteemed a re
We will therefore begin with the Hiſtory of theſe two Tribes from the Benediction and Jacob, and then proceed to con
1. Rejoyce, O Zabulun, &c. Gen. 49. 13. Zabulun ſhall dwell at the Haven of the Sea, and he ſhall be for an Haven of Ships, and his border ſhall be unto Zidon. So that though he was but the tenth Son, yet is he preferNazareth of that Tribe. And therefore he has a prerogative, the firſt, which the Holy Text mentions given to man, (viz. a Dominion over the Fiſh of the Sea, Gen. 1. 28.) And accordingly his portion was allotted in the Agrarian Laws of Joſhua, Joſh. 19. 10, 11. And indeed in ſuch a place too, where his NeighTyrians and Zidonians, pretended to a chief Admiralty in the Sea, as the firſt Inventors of Navigation. For though a man would think Adam could not well
Noah, who by divine diGopher, againſt the general inundation.
Afterwards, ſeveral Nations pretended to be the AuPhoenicians put in the faireſt, who as they are accounted the Authors of Arithmetick and Aſtronomy, ſo alſo of Navigation, whence is that of Tibullus:
Prima ratem ventis credere docta Tyrus.
They were the firſt that took the obſervation of the North Star, in ſuppliment to the Naval myſtery. But Herodotus complains, that theſe Phoenicians, who came with Cadmus into Greece, as they civilized the people, by their Sciences and Literature, ſo they exceedingly debauGreeks call them Phoenicians, but the Hebrews Canaanites. Their Country is the Sea-coaſt of Syria and Tyrus, the maritime Metropolis thereof bordering upon the Tribe of Zabulun, whoſe Trade and Commerce was ſo great and remarkable in the days of Ezekiel, that two whole Chapters are ſpent in the deſcription of her vaſtneſs, and judgments. Ezek. 26 & 27. She is there
Baſhan Oak, the Hatches of Ivory, the Waſte-cloths, Vanes, Flaggs and Pendants of Purple and Scarlet. The common Mariners were the Zidonians, and Inhabitants of Arvad, their Calkers were the Antients of Gebal, and their Pilots the WiſeTyrus. Near unto ſuch ingenious and thriving Neighbours was the lot of Zabulun. But they had alſo HaGalilee, Capharnaum, Bethſaida and Tiberias, where probably they took in the Oyl, the Wine and Corn of their Brother Iſſachar. So adDeborah, we read of thoſe of Zabulun to handle the Pen of the Writer, Judg. 5. 14. And it might not be improper they ſhould handle the Pen of the Law, who were to be the Trumpeters of the Goſpel.
2. And Iſſachar, &c. The Text gives a character of Iſſachar, like that which the Poets uſually give of the firſt and beſt men of the World, that is, that he finding a rich Soil, was content to labour for his liZabulun, which ſeem ſtrangely to break the ſquare of his Portion and Inheritance. And though the Heraldry of the ninth Son of Jacob, promiſe no great effects either in Arts or Arms, yet in the Wars of Saul and David, 1 Chron. 12. 32. the children of Iſſachar were aſſembled for David, under the command of two hundred Captains of their own Tribe, who were
men that had underſtanding of the times, to know what Iſrael ought to do. To teach us that the wiſeſt men do not always deſcend from Kings, from Prieſts, or from Con
We might add hereunto, that the Countries of Zabulun and Iſſachar have been the Cradles of many great and deſerving Princes, as well as the ſcenes of glorious actions. But, to omit all other how conſiderable ſoever, let us caſt our eyes upon our Saviour, who honour'd Nazareth with his conception, Mount Tabor with his Transfiguration, Capharnaum and the Sea-Coaſts of Galilee with his Doctrine, his Miracles, his Converſation; and vouchſafed from thence alſo to chuſe his Diſciples, to call the people out of the valley of the ſhadow of Death, unto the Mountain of light and life, to offer the SacriWherefore rejoice, Zabulun, &c.
2. They ſhall call the people, &c. From this prophe
1. That the ſureſt foundation to lay the hopes of a fuMoſes, we find that great Conductor of Gods people
Deut. 6. 18. Thou ſhalt do that which is right and good in the ſight of the Lord, that it may be well with thee, and that thou maieſt go in and poſſeſs the good Land, which the Lord ſware unto thy Fathers. It is this Song, which ſo often exerciſes the harp of David. Pſal. 34. 9. O fear the Lord, O ye his Saints: For there is no want to them that fear him. And after all his experience and obſervaPſal. 37. 25. I have been young, and now am old, yet never ſaw I the righteous forſaken, nor his ſeed begging their bread. The wiſeſt of men tells us, Prov. 10. 27. The fear of the Lord prolongeth life. And it is very obſervable what Epiphanius remarks conTerah, the Father of Abraham, taught the people a falſe Religion to make Images of Clay and worſhip them, and concerning him it was firſt ſaid, Gen. 11. 28. And Haran died before his father Terah, in the Land of his Nativity. Pointing out to us that it was the Impiety of men, which brought all the evils inPaul plainly tells us, 1 Tim. 4. 8. Godlineſs is profitable unto all things, having the promiſe of this life, and that which is to come. This doctrine he had receiv'd from the fountain of truth, as it is now recorded, Mat. 6. 33. But ſeek ye firſt the Kingdom of God, and his Righteouſneſs, and all theſe things ſhall be added unto you. In ſhort, then it was piety that carried Joſeph to all the honours of Egypt, that gave victory to David, and riches to Sol
that brought the wicked Head of Holofernes into the lap of Judith, and threw Eſther into the emc.
But there are two vices oppoſite to a well grounded and ſolid piety, and conſequently to a firm and well eſtabliſht proſperity, and thoſe are a too rapacious Ava
1. Avarice. Job tells us there are thoſe, that build their houſes as a Moth, Job 27. 18. And how does it build? Eaſie obſervation ſhews, that this little creature harbour'd in ſome piece of Cloth, gnaws perpetually to cover himſelf, till his greedineſs has devoured the walls of his houſe, and ſo he diſcovers his own naHab. 2. 9, 10, 11. Wo to him that covets an evil covetouſneſs to his houſe, that he may ſet his Neſt on high, that he may be delivered from the power of evil. Thou haſt conſulted ſhame to thine houſe, by cutting off many people, and haſt ſinned againſt thy Soul. For the ſtone ſhall cry out of the Wall, and the Beam out of the Timber ſhall anſwer it. So that inſtead of ſuckJob of, (Job 38. 22. Haſt thou entred into the treaſures of the Snow?) And of which one of the Fathers makes a very uſeful Moral, telling us, that the Treaſures of the Snow are Wordly Riches, which covetous men rake together, as children do Snow, which in their folly they roll into heaps, with no little pains and hazards of their health, efforming them into Horſes, Giants, Houſes, fanſying ſtrength, uſefulneſs and ſafety in theſe more feeble works of their feeble hands; but the next ſhowre waBut as for the man that feareth the Lord, that delighteth greatly in his commandment, bleſſed is he. His ſeed ſhall be mighty upon earth; the generation of the upright ſhall be bleſſed. Wealth and Riches ſhall be in his Houſe, and his Righteouſneſs endureth for ever. Pſalm 112. 1, 2, 3.
2. An overhaſty ambition. Have you ever ſeen a bubble riſe in a moment, and take a dance or two in the lap of the Wave, his Mother, and then burſt aſunder, and immediately ſhrink again into his firſt principles?
Bibulus, who ſwelling in his triumphant Chariot, was kill'd by the accidental fall of a Tileſtone before he could reach the Capitol. Or in the great Favourite Sejanus, whom the ſame day ſaw attended by the Senate, and torn to pieces by the people. Or in the Sacred Hiſtory, where we find Abſalom impatient of the long and (as ſeem'd to him) more than humane age of his Father, and thereupon ſets all his engins at work to bring the Crown upon his own head: But the event was only, that having by a reſtleſs ambition diſturbed the Court of his aged Fa
Put all into this L'envoy, and it amounts to this, That fortunes raiſed upon unjuſt ambitions, or covetous exactions, are as houſes built upon ſands, which waſh away with every ſtorm, ſcarce leaving behind them the name of their ruins, while exemplar pieties found their proſperities upon Rocks, which no winds, nor rains can move from their place. And the reaſon of it is, Becauſe Religion puts us under the protection of God, without whoſe bleſſing nothing is ſafe, nothing is ſucceſsful. WhereAnd they ſhall ſuck the abundance of the Seas, and Treaſures, &c.
Why is it then that we ſee ſo many fruitleſs, ſo maArarat, and then open her unfathomable Womb, as if ſhe meant to diſcloſe the EnDiogenes Laertius reports of Prias of Priene, who being at Sea in a ſtorm with ſome wicked PaſOrpheus, (c.) to make Religion the firſt, and laſt, and all our cares, that we may be preſerved from all dangers, or ſecur'd in them by the Divine Protection; or rather that of a more Divine Poet, Pſal. 91. 2, 3, 4. I will ſay of the Lord, he is my refuge and my fortreſs; my God in him will I truſt. Surely he ſhall deliver thee from the ſnare of the Fowler, and from the noiſome peſtilence. He ſhall cover thee with his Feathers, and under his Wings ſhalt thou truſt, his truth ſhall be thy Shield and Buckler. Thou ſhalt not be afraid for the terrour by night, nor for the Arrow that flies by day; nor for the peſtilence that walks in darkneſs, nor for the deſtruction that waſtes at noon day. A thouſand ſhall fall at thy ſide, and ten thouſand at thy right hand, but it ſhall not come nigh thee. For he ſhall give his Angels charge over thee to keep thee in all thy ways, v. 11. His favour is the beſt policy and firmeſt Inſurance.
But there are thoſe (and particularly S. Ambroſe de bendict. Patriarch.) who have more advantageouſly, and more worthy a Prophetick Spirit, diſcourſt this ſubject, referring the Doctrine to Chriſt and his Apoſtles, and telling us that out of Zabulun Chriſt ſent them to call the people to the Mountain, &c. (i. e.) to the Church, who ſuckt the abundance of the Seas, and Treaſures hid in the Sand, when the bounty of Kings, convert
1. We obſerve what improbable Inſtruments, in the eyes of men, God choſe to call his people to the Mountain: He fetches no Diſciples out of the Schools
Phariſees; he ſends not to the Walls or Porches of Athens, but calls a few Fiſherman to give Laws and Religion to all the Nations, and all the Ages of the World: Of which Origen cont. Celſ. l. 1. gives the reaJews, and baffle the learning of the Greeks, what can we ſay elſe, but that the Prophecy of Jeremy is fulfilled? Jer. 16. 16. I will ſend for many Fiſhers, and they ſhall fiſh them; and the call of Chriſt become effectual to the Salvation of the World, Mat. 4. 19. Follow me, and I will make ye Fiſhers of men. All which S. Paul very well expreſſes 1 Cor. 2. 4, 5. My ſpeech was not in the enticing words of mans wiſdom, but in demonſtration of the Spirit and of power: That your faith ſhould not ſtand in the wiſdom of men, but in the power of God. Go then, buſy Stateſman, lay the uncemented bulk of thy future deſigns upon the totZabulun (weak indeed in the eyes of men, but what can be weak that is ſupported by the Arm of God?) built his Church to continue the admiration and glory of all the world till time ſhall be no more. It was he alone that could ſtrengthen the moſt abject perſons in the World to go through all the oppoſitions of humane wit, or ſtrength, or malice, to drive the Oracles from their Stools, and the falſe Gods from their Temples, placing in their rooms the Doctrine and Croſs of Jeſus. It was he that by the preaching of theſe ſilly Orators united together people of Nations ſo diſtant, of natures ſo unlike, of manners ſo different, and in Religion ſo diſagreeing, to ſerve him for ever in the Communion of the Catholick Church, giving ſome Apoſtles, and ſome Prophets, and ſome Evangeliſts, and ſome Paſtors and Teachers; for the perfecting of the Saints, for the work of the Miniſtry, for the edifying of the body of Chriſt: Till we all come in the unity of Faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God unto a perfect man, unto the meaſure of the ſtature of the fulneſs of Chriſt. Eph. 4. 11, 12, 13. Why then do the Heathen rage, and why do the people imagine a vain thing? The Kings of the Earth ſtood up, and the Rulers took counſel together againſt the Lord, and againſt his anointed. Yet for all this have I ſet my King upon my Holy Hill of Sion. Pſ. 2. O unfathomable abyſs of the Divine Wiſdom and Power! that out of the mouths of Babes and Sucklings haſt ordained ſtrength, that thou mighteſt ſtill the Enemy and Avenger; that by ſuch contemptible means haſt daſht to pieces the ſtrength and polity of the World, like a Potters Veſſel, to advance the trophies of thy on, and to ſhew us that nothing is too weak to accompliſh the ends of God.
But if we ſhall ſearch into the Hiſtory of this ſort of men, we ſhall find them to have had the firſt hand in the greateſt tranſactions of the World, as if God had on purpoſe choſe always to make uſe of Fiſher-men to give the firſt motion to thoſe Wheels, that ſhould ſet all the reſt agoing. For if, as S. Baſil obſerves, (Baſ. Hexam.) Adam firſt exercis'd his faculties, where God gave him his firſt Dominion, he was firſt a Peter man, and the Sea the earlieſt Scene of Humane action. And yet the Jewiſh Traditions run far beyond this, telling us that God in the fifth day of the Creation form'd the Behemoth and Leviathan, and finding them too big for one Element, pickled up the one to be the food of the Elect in the time of the Meſſiah. And though this ſtory grounded upon that paſſage 2 Eſar. 6. 49. may ſeem to ſome a fable more ridiculous than the Whale of Lucian; yet if this mighty Whale, which no Element can contain, be but the Engliſh, that Jeſus Chriſt is the Son of God, and the Saviour of the World, that he is the Bread of Life, and the food of the Elect. Which may illuſtrate, or at leaſt enMat. 7. 10. If he ask a Fiſh, will he give him a Serpent?
Moſes was drawn out of the Waters, as his name imports, Exod. 2. 10. to lay the foundation of the Synagogne, which like his Ark built of Bulruſhes, BituIta nos piſciculi ſecundum
1. Let Infidels and Here
The Gentiles too owe much of their Religion, and much of their knowledge to the Hebber-men of Coos, who at one lucky draught brought up the famous Tripos, whoſe ternary of Feet denote the full perfection of knowApollo: So that while Janus keeps the Storks off from behind, and blindly peeps forward to future events, the God of Delphos gloHebrew Boy packt him from his Altars, and ſunk him in
Then it was that God ſent the true Fiſher-men, the Apoſtles, with the true Tripos and myſtery of the EterChryſoſtome obſerves, it was no obſtacle to their proceedings, that they were few or unlearned, or private perſons, or that they preacht auſtere and unwonted Doctrines, or that mankind was prepoſſeſt with old Laws and old Cuſtomes. But the previous grace of God took away all theſe hindrances, turning their infirmities into ſtrength, their ignorance into wiſdom, their ſtripes into joy, their impriſonments into liberty, and all their impediments to the advantages of Religion. Inſomuch that they daily converted mul
And now what more uſeful Application can we make of all this, than that which Syracides obſerves, Ecclus. 3. 19. Many are in high place, and of renown; but myſteries are revealed unto the meek. Their minds are the freeſt from the perBaſil in Praef. in Iſa. diſcourſing concerning the diverſities of gifts, tells us, that a mind ſtain'd with ſin, like an abuwhen they knew God, glorified him not as God, neither were thankful, but became vain in their imaginations, and their fooliſh heart was darken'd, Rom. 1. 21. Till by the meekneſs of the Goſpel, this Prodigal was brought to himſelf. And I am apt to think that ſome meek and humble Cottagers have better notions concerning God and his word, than any proud inflate PhiLuk. 10. 21. I thank thee, O Father, Lord of Heaven and Earth, that thou haſt hid theſe things from the wiſe and prudent, and revealed them unto Babes: Even ſo, Father, for ſo it ſeemed good in they ſight.
2. They ſhall offer the Sacrifices of Righteouſneſs: S. Chryſoſtome recounts ten Sacrifices, not enjoined by Law, but ſuch as become the Evangelical Grace. The firſt is that Spiritual and Myſtical gift, mentioned by S. Paul, Eph. 5. 1. Be ye followers of God, as dear Children, and walk in love as Chriſt alſo hath loved us, and given himſelf for us, an offering, and a Sacrifice to God for a ſweet ſmelling ſavour. The ſecond is the blood of the Martyrs, or the virtues and holy life of the mortified.
I beſeech you therefore, Brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye preſent your Bodies a living Sacrifice, boly and acceptable to God, which is your reaſonable ſervice. The third that of Prayer, Pſal. 141. 2. Let my Prayer be ſet forth before thee, as Incenſe, and the lifting up of my hands, as the evening Sacrifice. The fourth is the pleaPſal. 116. 17. The fifth is Juſtice, which the noble Prophet calls upon the peoIſa. 1. 17. Ceaſe to do evil, learn to do well, ſeek judgement. The ſixth, Alms and mercy, according to S. James c. 1. 27. Pure Religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, to viſit the Orphans and Widows in their affliction. The ſeventh is the Jubile and exulation in the Victories and Glories of Chriſt, as the Prophet ſpeaks Iſa. 26. 1, 2. In that day ſhall this Song be ſung in the Land of Judah, We have a ſtrong City: Salvation will God appoint for walls and bulwarks. Open the Gates, that the righteous Nation, which keepeth the truth, may enter in. Then it is that Zabulun ſhall rejoice: Then ſhall he ſuck of the abundance of the Seas, and treaſures hid in the Sand. Then ſhall the Daughter of Tyre be there with a gift, even the rich among the people. Inſtead of thy Fathers thou ſhalt have Children, whom thou mayeſt make Princes in all Lands. And we will remember the name of the Lord from generation to generation, and all the people ſhall give him thanks world without end, Pſ. 45. The eight is the Sacrifice of an humble and contrite Spirit, which however deſpicable in the eyes of men is more acceptable to God than a thouſand Holocauſts. The ninth is the preaching of the Goſpel, whereof S. Paul ſo often glories, and particularly Rom 15 16. exults in the Grace of God, by which he was called to be a miniſter of Jeſus Chriſt to the Gentiles, miniſtring the Goſpel of
God, that the ſacrificing up of the Gentiles might be acceptable to God, being ſanctified by the Holy Ghoſt. Happy S. Paul, who with thy fiery Tongue didſt burn ſo many reaſonable Sacrifices to God! Happy S. Chryſoſtome too in this Sacrifice, who firſt offering to God the Calves of thy Golden Lips, didſt afterward preſent ſo many wilHolocauſts of Converts unto the Eternal Majeſty! Happy the Gentiles in a Doctor to preach the myſteries of the Eternal Word, to convert Nations, to convince Hereticks, to reduce wanderers, and bring all men into the paths of Salvation! And thou once happy City of Conſtantine! while thou didſt cheriſh the moſt eloquent of men, who ſanctified all the Learning of the Grecians by the Holineſs of his mouth, and offer'd to God ſo maGlory be given to God, the Father of our Lord Jeſus Chriſt, who gaveſt ſuch gifts unto men. May there riſe in every generation ſuch perſons as may imitate their Sanctity, Zeal and Induſtry, and being bleſſed by thy goodneſs, may bring many Souls to thee, and mainPaul, Phil. 4. 18. I received the things that were ſent, an odour of a ſweet ſmell, a Sacrifice acceptable to God.
But the firſt is that alone which can make the reſt acceptable before God, and without which the Prayers of the moſt devout, the blood of the Martyrs, the alms of the moſt Charitable, and the Religion of all mankind were ineffectual to their Salvation. It is by this SacriOrigen, who urges this great High Prieſt to have offer'd himſelf not for man only, but to have taſted death Orig. in Evang. Joh. And which S. Paul ſeems highly to favour in that famous place of Col. 1. 19, 20. For it pleaſed the Father, that in him ſhould all fulneſs dwell, and (having made peace through the Blood of his Croſs) by him to reconcile all things unto himſelf; by him, I ſay, whether they be things in Earth or things in Heaven. If this be ſo, we need not break the Glaſſes of Galiloeo; the ſpots may be waſhed out of the Sun, and total nature ſanctified unto God that made it. However this may be, it is ſafeſt for us to attend to Holy Scriptures telling us, Heb. 9. that the Son of God offer'd, through the Eternal Spirit, this Sacrifice upon the Croſs, to purge our Conſciences from dead works to ſerve the living God: And he is not now enter'd into the holy places made with hands, but into heaven it ſelf now to appear in the preſence of God for us. Which is to ſay in effect that Chriſt offered himſelf a Sacrifice upon the Croſs, which beFor then muſt he often have ſuffer'd ſince the foundation of the World, Heb. 9 25. But being aſcended into Heaven, he there repreſents and exhibits to the Father the great effective Sacrifice (which he offer'd on the Croſs) to eternal and never failing purpoſes.
And as Chriſt is pleas'd to repreſent to his Father that great Sacrifice as a means of atonement and expiation for all mankind, and with ſpecial purpoſes for all the elect, all that ſerve him in holineſs: So he has appointed that the ſame miniſtry ſhall be done on Earth too, in our manner, and according to our promotion. And therefore he choſe firſt the Fiſher-men of Galilee to offer the Sacri
And as the Holy Prieſts do in a Sacramental manner preſent to God the Sacrifice of the Croſs by being ImiAmen, they join in the Act of him that miniſters, and
Mincha purum, ſpoken of by the Prophet Malachi 1. 11. From the riſing of the Sun, even unto the going down of the ſame, my name ſhall be great among the Gentiles, and in every place Incenſe ſhall be offer'd unto my name, and a pure offerring; For my name ſhall be great among the Heathen, ſaith the Lord of Hoſts. Wherefore let us all exult in that myſtical expreſſion of the Son of Barachiah, Zech. 9. 17. How great is his goodneſs, and how great is his beauty? Corn ſhall make the young men cheerful, and new Wine the Maidens.
3. They ſhall ſuck of the abundance of the Seas, and of Treaſures, &c.
Thoſe (as hath been noted before) how ſtudy myſtical ſenſes of Holy Scripture, refer all this to the Doctrine of Chriſt and the calling of his Apoſtles: For in theſe parts he was not only much converſant himſelf, but alſo choſe many of his Diſciples and Followers, who though in their own perſons they did not ſuck of the abundance of the Seas, or treaſures of the Sand, (i. e.) the Riches and Emoluments of the two Elements; yet they did in the Body which they built, and in the perſons of their SucIſa. 60. 4, 5. Lift up thine eyes round about, and ſee; all they gather themſelves together, they come to thee: thy Sons ſhall come from far, and thy daughters ſhall be nurſed at thy ſide. Then thou ſhalt ſee, and flow together, and thine heart ſhall fear and be enlarged; becauſe the abundance of the Sea ſhall be converted unto thee, the forces of the Gentiles ſhall come unto thee. As if he had ſaid, Look about thee, little flock; fear not: All this ſtrength, theſe Arms, this wealth of Sea and Land, all this Wit, Learning, Arts and Sciences, and whatever thou beholdeſt now, ſo obſtinately ſet againſt thee, ſhall all come in and proſtrate themſelves at thy feet, for thy defence, ſupport and ornament: For as the ſame Prophet, chap. 49. 22, 23. Behold I will lift up mine hand to the Gentiles, and ſet up my Standard to the people, ſaith the Lord, and they ſhall bring my Sons in their Arms, and thy Daughters ſhall be carried upon their ſhoulders. And Kings ſhall be thy nurſing-fathers, and Queens thy nurſing-mothers: They ſhall bow down to thee with their face toward the Earth, and lick up the duſt of thy feet, and thou ſhalt know that I am the Lord: For they ſhall not be aſhamed that wait for me. Hap
There is alſo another ſenſe of theſe words, which, though far more remote, is yet of greateſt advantage to Zabulun and Iſſachar, and indeed unto us all; and that is, Chriſt himſelf ſhall the moſt happily accompliſh this beſuck the abundance of the Seas, and treaſures bid in the Sand, when the laſt to meet their King in the air, to be with the Lord for ever. 1 Theſſ. 4. 17. For
Olympus, hide themſelves in clouds and darkneſs; yet in this, God diſpoMoſaical, and more fully by the Evangelical Word. In Nature there is not a flower, a grain, a plant, which preaches not this Homily; and Art, its great Imitatrix, will drive old Proteus through a thouſand forms, and when they pleaſe, bring the Prodigal back again home to his Fathers houſe, and fix him there in the embraces of
Job a man before all Letters, all Doctors, all Schools, cries out in a condition the moſt forlorn: I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that he ſhall ſtand at the latter day upon the earth; and though after my skin, worms deſtroy this body, yet in my fleſh ſhall I ſee God, whom I ſhall ſee for my ſelf, and mine eyes ſhall behold, and not another. Job 19. 25, 26, 27. The eternal Truth pronounced himſelf in the Law of Moſes, Exod. 3. 8. The God of Abraham, the God of Iſaac, and the God of Jacob; which himſelf interprets to ſignifie a relation to the Reſurrection, Mat. 22. In the Evangelical DiſpenſaMat. S. Joh. and S. Paul, our Saviour after his Reſurrection converſed forty days upon Earth, and was ſeen of five hundred people at once, to inThat he who is the firſt fruits of the dead will ſanctifie the whole lump. What Riches, what Pearls may we imagine ſhall then be found in the deep, what Treaſures, what Stones in the Sands to build up the great City, the Heavenly Jeruſalem? Come Lord Jeſus, come quickly; put an end to our ſins and miſeries: Let us enjoy our long expectations, call the Sea to deliver up her dead, and the Earth to ſet free her Priſoners, that we with all them that are departed in the true Faith and fear of thy moſt Holy Name, may have our perfect conſummation and bliſs, both in Body and Soul, by entring into the full fruition of the face and excellen
Now as we have given different ſenſes of the words, ſo ſhall we alſo in correſpondence thereunto make our Ap
1. The wonders and mighty works of God, which they behold, as the Pſalmiſt ſpeaks, They that go down to the Sea in Ships, and occupy their buſineſs in great waters: theſe ſee the works of the Lord, and his wonders in the deep. Pſal. 107. 23. The ſeveral climates, the different riſing and ſetting of Stars, the divers temperatures of the air, the various com
2. The dangers of Storms, of Rocks, of Shelves, of Sands, make your preſervations miraculous, and conſePacuvius gives us a deſcription of a Tempeſt, ſufficient to allay the courage of the moſt vali
—Inhorreſcit mare, Tenebrae conduplicantur, &c.
The Sea roars with horrour, the darkneſs becomes palpaZabulun, in thy Ports.
3. The great Profits and Emoluments which accrue from your employment is a third obligation to your Pieſuck the abundance of the Sea, and treaſures hid in the Sand. It is he that mingles the manners and wealth of all Natiſack the abundance of the deep, and Treaſures hid in the Sands.
4. The great Influence that good example has upon
Mat. 5. 16. Let your light ſo ſhine hefore men, that they may ſee your good works, and glorifie your father which is in heaven.
2. The ſecond of our Applications ſhall be to us all, but eſpecially to the true Zabulonites, that we learn highly to eſteem this Religion we profeſs: A Religion which has overcome ſo many difficulties, been confirm'd by ſuch Miracles, continued by ſuch a wonderful Providence through ſo many Ages: A Religion that glories in ſo mavortex in his Head, make now and then a fally out againſt this Truth; Is it reaſonable for this, think you, to waver in our Faith, or grow neglective of our duty? No; we have a Law deCor. 9. 2. that many may be provoſuck the abundance of the Seas, and treaſures hid in the Sand, (i. e.) the ſecrets of the Law, and Myſteries of the Goſpel.
3. Let us all prepare for that account we muſt give, when Chriſt ſhall ſeize the heritage and benediction of Zabulun and Iſſachar; when the Sea ſhall give up her dead, and the Earth reſtore the Bodies committed to her charge, that ſo whatever our condition is in this World, our Souls and Bodies may be happy in the next: For They that be wiſe ſhall outſhine the brightneſs of the Firmament, and they that turn many to righteouſneſs, as the Stars for ever and ever, Dan. 12. 3. And as S. John teaches, 1 Joh. 3. 2. Beloved, now are we the Sons of God, and it does not yet appear what we ſhall be: but we know that when he ſhall appear, we ſhall be like him: For we ſhall ſee him as he is. This is that viſion alone, which can terminate all our deſires in the enjoyment of that eſpreſence is fulneſs of joy, and at his right hand are pleaſures for evermore. Pſal. 16. 11.