The first part: Of PEACE.

SPeciosum nomen pacis est, saith Hi­lary: The name of Peace is speci­ous, yea it is pretious. For God, the fountaine of all goodnesse, is in sun­dry places of Scripture stiled.Rom. 15.33. 1. Cor. 14.33. & passim. The God of Peace. Christ, the author of our hopes and happinesse, in the ninth of Isaiah, Isaiah 9.6. is called the Prince of Peace. The Gospell, which is the glad-tidings of good things,Rom. 10.15. Rom. 1.16. and the power of God to saluation, in the sixt to the Ephesians, is intituled,Ephes. 6.15. The Gospell of Peace. Peace, it makes the sweetest Hymne that the Angels could sing at our Sauiours birth, Gloria in altissimis, Luke 1.14. Glory be to God in the highest heauens, Peace vpon earth. The richest legacy our Saui­our could bequeath to his Church, at the time of his death,Ioh. 14.27. Pacem relin­quo vobis, My peace I leaue with you, my peace I giue you. Yea so ample and excellent is this orna­ment, that the Hebrewes vnder the [Page 6] name of Peace, doe comprehend all prosperity and felicity whatsoeuer; and not vnfitly, if wee consider it in the seuerall branches.

Some diuide it into tvvo parts, some into three.I will not stand to shew how some dicotomise▪ some tricotomise this Peace. I like the distinction of a foure-fold Peace, because by it I shall the better vnfold this orna­ment. And that is, Pax superna, in­terna, externa, aeterna: The Peace of Reconciliation, of Consolation, of Association, of eternall Saluation, & these foure are like foure links of a Chain, all inseperably knit together.

The Peace of Reconciliation, is the Peace between God and man. This is the foundation of all true comforts, and the head of the foun­taine, whence all the other kindes of Peace doe spring. When Adam did eate the forbidden fruite hee lost his fauour and Peace with God,Et Deum & pa­cem perdidit. August. and his flying from the face of God was an euident argument of the breach of that Peace.

This was a miserable condition; for better it were to be at varience with all the world, then to be at oddes with God. Horrendum est: Heb. 10.31. It is a fearefull thing, saith the Apostle, to fall into the hands of the liuing God. And no meruaile,Deut. 4.24. for hee is a consuming fire; yea, he is able to cast both soule and body into hell for euer.Mat. 10.28.

By how much therefore this warre and varience is wofull, by so much more is the reconciliation comfortable. Therefore the Lord doth not onely ingeminate the ioy of this newes, Esay. 40.1. saying, Comfort you, comfort you my people. But bids his seruants bring forth this Cordiall,Ver. 2. and speake to the heart of Hierusalem, and cry vnto her, that her warfare is ended. As it was ioy­full newes to Pharaohs butler,Gen. 40.13. that the King his masters fauour should be recouered, and himselfe restored to his office: So must it needes be a singular comfort to all the chil­dren [Page 8] of God, that he is reconciled to them, and they restored to that happy estate which they lost in A­dam: So that I may say of this kinde of Peace; Speciosum nomen Pacis est. The name of Peace is specious, 'tis precious.

Now this Peace of reconciliation, brings in the next linke, the peace of Conscience, which I call the peace of Consolation: For when this happy newes is brought home to the heart, that Gods iustice is sa­tisfied, and his wrath pacifyed; then haue we Peace and ioy in the holy-Ghost.Rom. 14.17.

There is no misery comparable to the sting of Conscience; A woun­ded spirit who can beare? 1. Pro. 18.14. When one shall be restlesse, like the raging Sea, tossed with the billowes of despaire, as Esau speakes of an vnreconciled sinner:Esa. 57.20. When hee shall haue the Furies with their whippes and tor­ches vexing him, as Suetonius writes of Nero: Sueton. in vit. Nero cap, 34. when he shall feele a bur­den [Page 9] vpon his Soule euen heauier then Aetna, as the holy Historian speakes of Cayne: Gen. 4.13. If then Christ Ie­sus shall bring this distressed soule into his wine-celler of comfort, and spread ouer it the banner of his com­passion, as it is Cant. 2.4. Then, as the babe sprang in the wombe of E­lizabeth at the salutation of the bles­sed Virgin:Luke 1.41. So shall the humbled heart, vpon the apprehension of this comfort, euen leape for ioy. Yea, so comfortable is this peace of Con­science,Aug. de Genes. ad Lit. 2.8. that Saint Austin calles it the soules Paradice: And Salomon, speaking of it, saith,Pro. 15.15. A good Conscience is a continuall feast. So that I may likewise conclude concerning it, Spe­ciosum nomen Pacis est. The name of this Peace is specious and pre­cious.

The third kinde of Peace, which I call the peace of Association, is that ciuill peace which is betweene man and man. And this also is a conse­quent of the former.1. Ioh. 4.20. For as Saint [Page 10] Iohn saith, he that loues God, will also loue his brother; So he that is at Peace with God, and with his owne Soule, will surely be at Peace with men. This Peace is excellent; and therefore almighty God, when he will giue a great testimony of his louing fauour to Dauid, 1. Chro. 22.9. tels him that his sonne shall be a man of Peace. And when hee will manifest his re­spect to the melting heart of Iosiah, 2. Reg. 22.20. he promiseth him that hee shall goe to his graue in Peace.

The passages of Scripture vr­ging this, are aboundant and vehe­ment. As that in the twelfth to the Romanes. Rom. 12.18. If it be possible, and as much as in you is, haue Peace with all men. If it seeme [...], impossible, in re­gard of others, yet [...], doe you your best indeauour to haue Peace. And what a vehement adiu­ration is that in the second to the Philippians? Phil. 2.1. If there be any consolati­on in Christ, any comfort in Charity, any fellowship of the spirit, any com­passion [Page 11] and mercy, embrace Peace and vnity.

But as wee haue done in the for­mer, so let vs see the beauty of this blessing by her contraries, Warres and Contention. For,Nazianz. de Pace. Quantum sit pacis bonum ex ipsa seditione conspici­tur. What is warre and contention, but a deuouring fire, which con­sumes the house of Millo, Shechem, Iudg. 9.15. & the Cedars of Libanus? For by it, Nation is destroyed of Nation, and City of City,2. Chro. 15.6. as one house is set on fire by another: Therefore al­beit Salomon saith;Eccles. 3 8. There is a time for warre, and a time for Peace, yet are warres to be shunned as the bane of this blessing. As nature hath pro­uided no euacuation of blood but in case of extremitie, so warres are not to be taken in hand but in case of necessity,August. Epist. 205. Peace should be voluntary, Warre necessa­ry. according to that of Saint Austin, Pacem habere debet voluntas, bellum necessitas. Those therefore that will attempt neede­lesse warres, let them prosper like [Page 12] Ahab at Ramoth Gilead, 1. Reg 22.34. 2. Reg. 19.35. and Rab­shekah against Hierusalem. Let it be vnto them as it was to those Roman hot-spurs Flaminius, Plutarchus. Minutius, and Varro; who smarted for their teme­rity in this case. Those that come in hostile manner, with their kniues ingrauen,As it vvas at the intended inuasion▪ 1588 To cut the throats of the En­glish Hereticks, let them see a coyne stampt (as a memoriall of their disa­strous enterprize) with the forme of a Nauy, and that inscription, Venit, iuit, fuit: It came, it went away, it came to iust nothing. Surely no man knowes thorowly the benefit of Peace, but hee that hath seene the dolefull face of warre. He that had heard the clattering of Armour, the ratling of Trumpets, the thundring of Canons, the cries of the wounded, the groanes of the dying, and seene the fyring of Temples, the deflow­ring of Virgins, the rapes of Ma­trons, the murdering of infants, the vastation of fields, and spoyling of houses, could not but say with sor­row, [Page 13] En quò discordia ciues perduxit miseros! Virgil, Eclog. 1. Behold the dolefull issue of our discord; and acknowledge, that the name of Peace is pretious. Hee that hath read that lamentable E­pistle of the ancient Britaines, inscri­bed,Apud Gildam. page 14. Aegitio ter consult gemitus Brita­norum; to Aegitius thrice Consul, the sighes of the Britaines. Hee that could behold how many noble fami­lies, how many famous cities, how many glorious Monarchies haue beene brought to their periods by warres, by contention; would con­fesse ingenuously, that Peace is a great blessing.Horace. O fortunati minium bona si sua norint-Angli. But alas, wee sit vnder our vines,The holy Hi­storian speakes of this as of a great blessing 1. Reg. 4.25. and vnder our fig-trees, yea, we enioy abundant blessings in Peace, yet are we not so happy as to see our happinesse; yea we are growne, through our plenty of Peace, to dis-esteeme it, as the In­dians doe their fragrant woods in fires, who by much vse are weary of them, and as the Israelites did Manna, [Page 14] who by reason of their plenty did loath it.

Well, let contentious spirits be transported as they will; the sonnes of Peace, shall say with the Psalmist, Ecce quàm bonum & quàm iucundum, Psal. 133.1. Behold how good and pleasant a thing it is, brethren to dwel together at vnity. See, 'tis both bonum, and iucundum, Horace. A man the th marke most plainely hits, that to his pro­fit pleasure fits. Psal. 34.14. it is good and pleasant: Et omne tulit punctum, qui miscuit vtile dulci. Would a man see good daies? He must lay the foundation thereof in Peace. Peace, it is the mother of plenty and prosperity, according to that in the 147, Psalme; He setteth Peace within thy borders, and satisfieth thee with the flowre of wheate: And that in the 122.Psal. 122.7. Let Peace be within thy walls, and prosperity within thy Pala­ces. Where Peace is planted in the borders, there is the flowre of wheat, and when it is entertained within the walles, prosperity takes vp her habitation within the Palaces. Health is not more beneficiall to [Page 15] the naturall body, then Peace to the politicke. Plutarch said well,Plutarch. Reipub. gerenda praecept. Those Hiues are in best case where the Bees make most noyse, but those common­wealths are in best state, where least noyse and tumult is. Peace, it is the nurse of Piety; by it religion thriues, and the Church flourishes; As we reade in the ninth of the Acts: Act. 9.31. Then had the Churches rest, and multiplied. Yea it is not onely the mother of prosperity, and nurse of Piety, but euen the glory and crowne of Chri­stianity;Ephes 43. when the vnity of spirit is so kept in the bonds of Peace, that Christians are (like those happy con­uerts in the primitiue Church) [...],Acts. 4.32. as it were one Soule in so many bodies. Illic mandauit Deus benedictionem. There the Lord promised his blessing,Psal. 133.3. and life for euermore. Non in commotione Dominus: God was neyther in the blustring windes, the boystrous earth-quake, nor the furious fire;1. Reg. 19.11.12. But when the still and soft voice [Page 16] comes, there the Lord is, according to that of the Apostle, Brethren liue in Peace, and the God of Peace shall be with you. 2. Cor. 13.2. Cor. 13.11. Therefore I may also say of this kinde of Peace, Spe­ciosum nomen Pacis est. The name of this Peace is precious.

The fourth and last kinde of Peace, is Peace eternall, which also followeth the other; For hee that hath not Peace on earth, shall ney­ther haue peace nor place in Hea­uen. As the first was Pax regis, so this is Pax regni; As that was Pax gratiae, so this is Pax gloriae, that was peace with Heauen, this peace in Heauen: That was peace of grace, this is peace of glory.

Cassiodorus in Psal. 36.This Cassiodore describes ne­gatiuely, Vbi nihil aduersum nihil con­trarium, which admits no aduersity, no crosse or calamity; for the ser­uants of God haue all teares wiped from their eyes.Reuel. 7.17. There is a meruai­lous difference betwixt our present and future condition. Wee are here [Page 17] like sea-faring men, incountred with many contrary windes; Neuer did any sayle so prosperously in the O­cean of this present world, but some­times hee hath met with the stormes of discontent: But there is sinus ma­ris, & sinus matris; the port and ha­uen of constant happinesse. The ex­cellency of this peace, the Scrip­tures set not forth positiuely, but in Alegoryes, and no meruaile: For neyther eye hath seene,1. Cor. 2.9. nor eare hath heard, nor can it enter into the hearts of men, what the Saints and seruants of God shall enioy in hea­uen. Saint Austin knowes not whe­ther he should call it,August de Ciuit. Dei. 19. 11. Pax in aeterna vita, or aeterna vita in Pace: peace in eternall life, or eternall life in peace. And no meruaile, for if he had been furnished with the tongues of men and Angels, he could neuer haue ex­pressed the excellency of it: Tam spe­ [...]iosum nomen pacis est; the name of this Peace is so specious, so precious.

The second part: Of the Peace-maker.

I Might further obserue the excel­lency of Peace and Vnity, as be­ing founded in the blessed Trinity, three persons and one God. But I come to speake of the Peace-maker, whose honour it is, that Peace is the worke of the blessed Trinity.

2. Cor. 5.19.First, the Apostle saith, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himselfe.Psal. 85.8. He speakes peace to the soules of his seruants,Psal. 46.10. causeth warres to cease, and planteth peace in their borders.Leuit. 26.6 Therefore is hee called the God of Peace; yea the name of his house is Peace, for his dwelling is at Salem, that is, peace, Psal. 76.2.

Rom. 5.1.Christ Iesus also is a blessed Peace-maker. For we haue peace with God through our Lord Iesus Christ. Eph. 2.14. Yea hee is called our peace it selfe, because peace is Praecipuum opus vni­geniti, Chrysostom▪ the especiall worke of the Sonne of God. [...]. Col. 1.20.

He set at peace, by the blood of [Page 19] his crosse, all things in earth and heauen. In which words wee haue both the price and bounds of this peace; the price, it was per sangui­nem crucis, it cost him his deerest heart blood, and for the bounds, they are of a large extent, he recon­ciled all things in heauen and earth: He brake downe a double partition wall, and reconciled man vnto man, and both vnto God; and therefore is he stiled the prince of Peace.

The holy-Ghost is a blessed Peace-maker: for Peace is one of those excellent fruits of the Spirit mentioned Gal 5.22. Hee calmes a threefold warre in the soules of men, that is, of the perturbations against reason, the flesh against the spirit, and the terror of Conscience wrest­ling with the wrath of God. And therefore is hee called effectiuè, Augustin. the Comforter. Now as the blessed Tri­nity, the Father, Sonne, and holy-Ghost, are Peace-makers, so are all the children of God, but diuersly.

Some employ themselues in ma­king peace betweene God and man. So did Moses stand in the gappe, and by his humble supplications, stayed the Cannons of Gods wrathfull in­dignation from playing vpon the Israelites: Psal. 106.23, So Noah by his sacrifice procured a couenant of Peace, at the hands of the Lord, and stopt the fountaines of the deepe,Gen. 8.21. and the flood-gates of heauen, that the earth should no more be made a fish-poole by the invndation of wa­ters.

Some are for the peace of Con­science, who hauing a tongue of the learned,Esa. 50.4. doe minister a word to him that is wearie. These come like No­ahs Doue with the Oliue-branch,Genes. 8.11. like the pittifull Samaritan, with the oyle of gladnesse,Luk. 10, 34. and the balmes of mercy. Quàm speciosi! Oh how beautifull are the feete of them that bring glad tidings of Peace?Rom. 10.15.

Some are employed in out-ward and ciuill peace. So was Moses when [Page 21] he indeauoured to take vp the quar­rell betweene the two Hebrewes. Exod. 2.13. So was Abraham when hee preuented the strife betweene himselfe and Lot, Gen. 13.8. and stayed it betweene their ser­uants. And so are those worthy Mo­narches, who establish peace in their owne territories, and compound controuersies betweene neighbour-Nations. Thus as there are diuers kinds of Peace, so are there of Peace-makers, and I may say of them all in our Sauiours words, Blessed are the Peace-makers. And so I come to the third part, which is the vniting of Peace-making and Blessednesse together.

The third part.

HEre I might first say the Peace-makers are blessed, Quoniam fi­lij deo vocabuntur, because they shall be called the children of God; but that were to gleane before the har­uest.

I may deriue an argument from [Page 22] the excellency of Peace. If peace be such a gratious ornament, such a singular blessing, I may well con­clude thereupon, that the Peace-ma­ker is blessed. For in this the Axiom holds,Aristot. 1. poster. cap. 2. Propter quod vnum quod (que) ta­le, illud magis tale est: The temple be­ing an excellent worke,Psal. 74.5. they were renowned that builded it: So Peace being a singular blessing, they must needes be thrise blessed that make it. As God is glorified in the excellent frame & structure of the heauens,Psal. 19.1. be­cause his wisedom, power & goodnes shine therein most resplendently: So is the Peace-maker much honou­red in this excellent worke of Peace, because such goodnesse and blessed­nesse are knit to the same insepa­rably.

The peace-maker is blessed in the very act of peace; as he is esteemed a blessed man, that quencheth some violent fire:1. Sam. 25.32. And therefore Dauid blessed Abigail for staying his hand from the stroake of violence vpon [Page 33] churlish Nabal, saying; Blessed be thou, who hast kept mee this day from shedding of bloud.

The peace-makers are blessed in their fame,Eccles. 7.1. which is like a precious oyntment:Plutar. in Alci­biad. Erat in ore Graecis (saith Plutarch) it came into a prouerbe for the honour of Nicias, that Peri­cles kindled the warres, but Nicias quencht them. How did the Poets sing of the Spiders making their webs in harnesse in the dayes of Nu­ma Pompilius? And how doe stories ring of the shutting vp of Ianus Temple dore, and keeping warre vn­der locke and key, in the dayes of Augustus Caesar? And the holy Hi­storian, which sets forth Salomon fa­mous for his wealth,2 Chro. 9.27. who made Sil­uer as plentifull as stones in the street, and for his wisedome, in that he had a heart like the sands of the sea shore;1 Reg. 4.26. yet makes him in nothing more glorious then this, that he was a King of peace, and so a liuely type of Christ the Prince of peace. As [Page 34] Tully said of Caesar, Plutarch, de v­tilet. cap. ab hoste. that in erecting Pompeyes statue, hee had set vp his owne: so hee that hath beene the instrument of peace to others, pro­cureth peace to his owne soule. I may say with the Psalmist, marke the end of this man, for it is peace, yea, it is peace that shall neuer end.

Thus haue I hitherto shewed that the Peace-makers are blessed. But the life of all that, depends princi­pally vpon Application.

The first part: The word of connection [...], For.

ONe would haue thought, it had been enough to heare from the mouth of our blessed Sauiour posi­tiuely, Blessed are the Peace-makers. For if Pythagoras his ipse dixit, was such a stickler amongst his schol­lers, how much more should our Sauiours be amongst his follow­ers?1. Ioh. 5.6. If we receiue the testimony of men (saith Saint Iohn) the testimo­ny of God is greater. Loe, here is the testimony of him who is both God and man, and therfore the grea­test that may be, and consequently to be carefully regarded. It is law­full to lay the opinions and positi­ons of men in the balance of exami­nation,Ratio cum ra­tione. that Reason may be poysed and pondered with Reason, as Saint Austin saith. But this honor should be euer giuen to the word of Christ, that we should say with the Centurion, Mar. 8.3. Speake the word onely. And when Christ hath spokē the word, we shold [Page 59] rest in it, & waite vpon it. Yet hath it pleas'd our blessed Sauior, for our fur­ther instruction & comfort, to adde to his cōfortable assertion a pithy reason.

Euery one hath his [...], eyther sound or seeming reason for his acti­ons and opinions, Etiam si cum ratio; ne insaniat, he will rather shew him­selfe sencelesse, then seeme vnreaso­nable. Thus hee that cast his mo­ney into the Sea, did it, because they were malae cupiditates; of whom one said well, Ego dubito, Lactan. lib. 3. ca. 13. vtrumne sanus an demens fuerit, I doubt whether the man were mad or in his right wits, for the euill was not in the mo­ney, but the minde of the possessor. The Epicure hath his [...], of voluptu­ousnesse,1. Cor. 15.32. Let vs eate and drinke for to morrow we shall dye; whereas his inference should haue beene that of Esaiah to Hezekiah, Esa. 38.7. Set thine house in an order, for thou must dye. Adam after his fall, had his [...] of hypocri­sie,Gen. 3.10. I heard thy voice in the Garden (saith he) therefore I was afraide. He [Page 60] might as well haue complained of the light, because he had sore eyes; for the feare that shaked Adam like a feuer, was from within him, namely his sinfull condition.

The libertine hath his [...] of se­curity;Rom. 6.15. We may sinne, because we are not vnder the Law, but vnder Grace. But Saint Paul hath taught vs a bet­ter consequent in the second to Ti­tus. Tit. 2.11. The grace of God, which bringeth saluation vnto all men, teacheth vs to deny vngodlinesse and worldly lusts, and to haue our conuersation soberly, and righteously, and godly in this pre­sent world. Our disputer too, hath his presumptuous [...],Disput. pag. 7. Lactan. lib. 2. cap. 12. We may not kneele when we receiue the Sacrament, for that gesture would argue an inferi­ority on our parts to Christ. May not I say of him in Lactantius words, Hic profectè rationem non asserit, sed euer­tit: This man is no supporter, but a supplanter of reason. For surely his reason is neerer to blasphemy a­gainst Christ, then we are in equality [Page 61] to Christ. Thus humane reasons are, many times, like the Commets, not fixed in any orbe of truth; and like pictures, which a farre off seeme very faire, but at hand are very course. But our Sauiours reasons are like himselfe, sound, diuine, hea­uenly.

The second part: The aduancement of the Peace-makers.

AND such is the waighty rea­son here vsed, The Peace-makers are blessed, for they are the children of God, And this indeede is a great ad­uancement.Stromat. lib. 2. For as Clemens Alex­andrinus, concurring with Plato, saith, It is vera beatitudo, true blessed­nesse to be like God, which is the case of all Gods children, who haue that image restamped vpon them, which was defaced in Adam.

When Esau found that his bro­ther had preuented him, and got the blessing from him, hee wept hit­terly, and said,Gen. 27.38. Hast thou but one bles­sing? [Page 62] Blesse me, euen me also my father: but the aged & indulgent father, who would gladly haue heaped innume­rable blessings vpon his best affected sonne, had already conferred vpon Iacob the spirituall blessing not to be reuoked. And therefore albeit he had a temporall blessing for him, The fatnesse of the Earth, Ver. 39, and the dew of Heauen: yet the same, being no way comparable to the spirituall, he will not vouchsafe it the name of a blessing. But behold, we haue here, not the blessing of Esau, but of Ia­cob; not a temporall and earthly, but a spirituall and heauenly, yea, that which as farre exceedes all earthly blessings, as the heauens are aboue the earth. And this onely the God of heauen dispenseth.

Dan. 2.48. Nebuchadnezzar may make Da­niel a great man, giue him many and great gifts, and make him gouer­nour ouer the whole prouince of Ba­bel; Gen. 41.42.43 Daniel the second. Pharaoh may set Ioseph ouer all the land of Egypt, [Page 63] put his ring vpon his hand, array him in garments of fine linnen, put a golden chayne about his necke, set him vpon his second Chariot, and cause the people to bow vnto him, Gen 41. Ahashuerosh may cloath Mordecai in royall apparell,Hest. 6.8. set the crowne royall vpon his head, and cause him to ride on his owne horse through the streetes of the Citty, Hester 6:Hest. 6.11. Thus shall it be done to the man, whom the kings of the earth will honour. But to make vs the children of God, to giue vs hea­uen for our inheritance, to aduance vs to the Throne with Christ, and to inuest vs with the crowne of glo­ry, it is onely in his power who is the King of Kings: and this indeede is the transcendent aduancement. If it was esteemed a great fauour, that Christ called his disciples friends:Ioh. 15.15. how great is this honour, that God vouchsafes to call vs his sonnes, his children?

God hath diuers sonnes, he hath [Page 64] a sonne aeterna generatione, By eternall ge­neration. his onely begotten Sonne Christ Iesus, Iohn 1. He hath sonnes potenti creatione, By creation. for so the Angels are called Iob. 1. Dig­nitatis participatione, By partaking his dignity. for so kings are stiled Psal. 82. Publica professione, By publike pro­fession. For so the sonnes of Sheth are intituled, Gen. 6. Gratiosa adoptione, By adoption. For so all the faithfull are called in sundry pla­ces of Scripture. It is true (as Saint Austin saith) Nemo in filijs Dei similis filio Dei: Aug. in Psal. 88 Amongst all the sonnes of God,Heb. 1.3. none is like the onely begot­ten Sonne, who is the brightnesse of the glory, and the ingrauen forme of his person; Yet is this our sonne­ship by adoption, exceeding admi­rable and comfortable.

It is admirable in diuers respects, First it is not forth of any desert, which amongst men is the ordinary ground of Adoption, as Saint Austin saith,Aug. in Ioh. tract. 2. Homines voluntate faciunt quod natura non potuerunt. Mens wills sup­ply where nature fayles; for hauing no children of their owne, they [Page 65] adopt some others;Quoniam sini­stra fortuna mihi filios eri­puit. Sueton. So did Augustus Caesar Tiberius, Pharaohs daughter Moses, Mordecai Hester; and many others, whom diuine and humane stories doe mention. But there was no such necessary ground of our a­doption. For albeit wee wanted a Father, yet God wanted no sonnes, no children. He had the elect An­gels vpon whom he might haue con­ferred his fauours; hee had his onely begotten sonne,Colos. 1.13. the sonne of his loue, concerning whom hee hath more then once proclaymed from heauen,Mat. 3.17. Mat. 17.5. This is my welbeloued Sonne in whom I am well pleased. So that I may say in Saint Bernards words, Profecto haec est indulgentia non indi­gentia: Surely this proceeded forth of Gods indulgence, not indigence; It was not any defect in God, that caused him to adopt vs his chil­dren.

Secondly our adoption is yet more admirable, in that it is foun­ded in Christ. For wee were prede­stinated [Page 66] to the adoption of children by Christ Iesus.Eph. 1.5. And albeit the heauenly inheritance did anciently belong to vs, as being prepared for vs from the foundation of the world;Mat. 25.34. Yet, as Esau sold his birth­right, which the law of nature had cast vpon him, so wee in Adams a­tayndor, did forfeit our inheritance, which God had prepared for vs: But when the fulnesse of time came, God sent his Sonne that hee might redeeme vs, and wee might receiue the adoption of sonnes. Gal. 4.5.

In such a case as this, men can­not brooke riualitie, or copartner­ship, no more then the world can in­dure two Sunnes: Yet Christ Iesus, who was the onely Sonne of God,Qui vnicus na­tus est vnus ma­nere noluit. Aug. in Ioh. trac. 2. would not remaine so; here was mi­ra dignatio, a wonderfull fauour. Yea, hee that was the Sonne of God, be­came the sonne of man,Aug. in Psal. 53 that we the sonnes of men, might become the sonnes of God; here was mira mu­tatio, a wonderfull change. Yea, that [Page 67] which was yet more strange,Aug. de verb. Dom. Serm. 27. Emit sibi fratres sanguine suo, as the same father saith; It pleased him to pur­chase brethren, and that at no lesse a price then his precious blood. So, that which might in all likelyhood haue beene a powerfull barre, be­came an effectuall bond of our adop­tion.

Thirdly, this our adoption was yet more admirable, in respect of our vncapablenesse of this fauour, this honour. For although adopti­on be gratiosa admissio ad participan­dam haereditatem, euen a free and gratious admittance to the partici­pation of an inheritance, as the Schole-man saith: Yet commonly,Aquinas. 3 ae. q. 23. men in this act haue an eye to some worth in the person whom they a­dopt. But as Dauid said to Saul, 1. Sam. 18.18. Who am I, and what is my fathers house, that I should be sonne in law to the King? So may I say, who were we, and what were our merits, that God should vouchsafe to take vs for his [Page 68] children? Wee might confesse in­genuously with the prodigall childe,Luke 15.19. Wee are not worthy to bee called thy sonnes; and supplycate humbly with him, make vs as one of thy hyred seruants, vouchsafe vs euen the least measure of thy fauour, and it is more then wee can expect, then wee can deserue, To see this honour done by some great Monarch to a poore beggar, must needes be won­derfull in the eyes of the beholders; yet that comes exceedingly too short in proportion & comparison of our adoption by almighty God. For what proportion, what compari­son betweene heauen and earth, God and man? Yea, if our condition had beene base and ignoble onely, and not sinfull also, it had beene lesse strange: But we, being by birth and conception wretched sinners,Psal. 51.5. Rom. 5.10. enemies to God, and by nature the children of wrath,Ephes. 2.3. to make vs the children of God, is an vnspeakeable fauour, and deserues that [...] [Page 69] in the fift to the Romanes, Rom. 5.8. God sets forth his loue. Sarah spake eagerly and angerly concerning Ishmael, Gen. 21.10. This sonne of the bond-woman shall not be heire with my sonne. And might not God haue said as roundly and reso­lutely concerning vs, These bond­slaues of sinne and Sathan shall not be heyres with my Sonne? But such is the goodnes of our gratious God, that he deales with vs like the father of the Prodigall childe, of whom Saint Ambrose Ambros. in Luke 15. saith, Filius timet con­uitium, pater adornat conuiuium. The sonne feares a sharpe check, but the father prouides a dainty feast. For hee, not onely pardons our in­dignities,Psal. 103.3.4. but crownes vs with mer­cy and louing kindnesse.

Fourthly, this our adoption is admirable in the latitude of ad­uancement; as Saint Paul presseth it most soundly and sweetely in the eight to the Romanes; Rom. 8.17. If we be chil­dren, wee are also heyres, heyres of God, and ioynt heyres with Iesus [Page 70] Christ.Chrys. in Rom. Hom. 14. Here Chrysostome obserues three notable passages of honour, e­uery one arising by degrees aboue a­nother. For first, where as one may be a childe and yet not be an heyre, we are not onely children but heyres al­so. Secondly, wee are not heyres to any mortall man, though neuer so potent, but heyres to the immortall and omnipotent God. Thirdly, we are not basely associated in this our inheritance, we are co-heyres annex­ed to Iesus Christ, then which there can be no greater honour. For when our Sauiour will propose the grea­test aduancement that may be, to them who haue done worthily in the spirituall warfare,Reuel. 3.21. it is this, To him that ouercommeth will I giue to sit with me on my Throne, as I haue ouer­come and sit with my father on his Throne.

In regard therefore of the ad­uancement which attends our adop­tion,Psal. 1.12. well might Saint Iohn say, De­dit eis potestatem, as the vulgar latine [Page 71] hath it, To them hee gaue power to be made the sonnes of God:Greg. super Ezech. hom. 6. and Gregory thereupon, Quid hac pote­state altius? Quid hac altitudine sub­limus? Well might he call it [...], a prerogatiue or dignitie,Iansen Conc. Cap. 1. as Ianse­nus well interprets the word: For it is the greatest prerogatiue that hea­uen and earth doe yeelde. If it were the highest ambition of that great conqueror to be esteemed Iouis filius, Alexander, the sonne of Iupiter. what an honour is it to be called the children of Iehouah, the great God of heauen and earth? Well might that Apostle say,1. Ioh. 3.1. Behold what manner of loue the father hath bestowed vpon vs, that we should be called the sonnes of God. Surely this great aduance­ment deserues an Ecce to vsher it for demonstration, Behold; and a Qualem charitatem to follow it for admiration, What manner of loue the father hath bestowed vpon vs.Ioh. 3.16. For here is that Sic Deus dilexit mun­dum: So God loued the world; and this Sic is like that Sicut in the La­mentations [Page 72] of Ieremy, Lamen. 1.12. it cannot be paralleld.Psal. 8.4. What is man, O Lord, that thou art so mindefull of him? What are the sonnes of men that thou shouldst so visit them, so honour them.

Now as this aduancement is ve­ry admirable, so is it very comfor­table: yea, here is a confluence of all comforts belonging to it. It were a tedious, nay, an impossible taske to recount them all; I will mention a few, yet so, that by a cluster or two of Grapes,Numb. 13.24. you may iudge of the riches of Canaan. Hence it is, that the children of God are freed from the spirit of bondage,Rom. 8.15. and receiue the spirit of Adoption, whereby they cry Abba father; Mat. 7. they haue both accesse and audience before the throne of grace. Hence it is that they enioy the especiall prouidence of almighty God;Mat. 6. for their heauen­ly father careth for them. Fathers lay vp for their children,2 Cor. 12.14. saith Paul, and how meruailous (saith Dauid) is the goodnesse which the Lord hath [Page 73] laid vp for his children,Psal. 31.19. euen before the sonnes of men? And no mer­uaile,Rom. 8.32. for hee that spared not his owne sonne, but gaue him for vs all to death, how should hee not with him giue vs all things that are good? Are the children of God in want? the Lord is ready to relieue them; rather then they shall lacke, the sto­ny rocke shall yeelde them water,Num. 19.11. the heauens shall raigne downe Quailes and Manna in abundance.Exod. 16.13. The poore Widow shall relieue Eli­as, 1 Reg. cap. 17. & 19. the Angell from heauen shall fur­nish him, and the rauenous Rauens shall feede him: Thus all the crea­tures shall be seruiceable to the chil­dren of God, and the earth, the aire, the heauens shall be store-houses for them. Are they in danger or di­stresse?Psal. 34.7. the Angels become their gard, and doe pitch their tents about them. Are they not all ministring spirits to the children of God,Heb. 1.14. that are heires of saluation? Are they sicke? The Lord will make their [Page 72] [...] [Page 75] [...] [Page 74] bed in their sicknesse.Psal. 41.3. Are they a­lone? the father will come and dwell with them.Iohn 14.23. Are they in sorrow and heauinesse? behold, their heauenly Father is the father of mercies,2 Cor. 1.3. & the God of all consolation. Haue they a iourney, a progresse to vndertake? the Lord will be their fidus Achates, as he was to Iacob in his iourney to Mesopotamia, Gen. 28.15. he will be with them whither soeuer they goe. But why goe I about to number those com­forts that are numberlesse? Or why doe I confine my speech to the things of this life? Neither eye hath seene, nor eare heard, nor can it en­ter into the heart of man to con­ceiue what God hath prepared for his children in the life to come. There is that kingdome that cannot be shaken,Heb. 12.28. [...]. Mat. 25.34. Heb. 11.10. which is the ancient in­heritance. There is that City whose builder and founder is God, that glorious City which the Angel mea­sured with a golden reede,Reuel. 21.15. into which they are infranchised. There is that [Page 75] blessed society, innumerable Angels,Heb. 12.22. the spirits of iust and holy men, and Iesus Christ the mediatour of the new couenant, to whom they are ioyned.

There are those [...],1 Pet. 5.4. those thrones and crownes of glo­ry, that shall neuer fade. Yea, there the sonnes of God shall shine like the Sunne in the kingdome of their father. In a word,Mat. 13.43. from this Adop­tion it is, that the children of God haue an interest in all the comforts, and all the creatures that heauen and earth doe yeelde; according to Saint Pauls epiphoneme, whether it be Paul, or Apollos, or Cephus, or the world, or life, or death,1 Cor. 3.23. or things pre­sent or things to come, they are all yours, because you are Christs and Christ is Gods.

Behold here the admirable and comfortable aduancement of Gods children: And therein behold the blessed condition of the Peace-ma­ker; who is so estranged from the [Page 76] world; that he doth not in some de­gree desire aduancement? and who is so voide of iudgement, that hee doth not preferre this honour be­fore the greatest aduancement in the world?Aug. in Psa. 84. Habetis patrem, habetis patriam, habetis patrimonium, saith Saint Austin. If you be the sonnes of peace, you are the children of God, you haue a louing father, a rich inheritance, a goodly patrimo­nie.

When the Apostle Peter speakes of this, he breakes forth into this vehement acclamation, Blessed be God, 1 Pet. 1.3. euen the father of our Lord Iesus Christ, who hath begotten vs againe, to an inheritance incorruptible and vnde­filed, that fadeth not away, but is reser­ued for vs in the heauens.

Giue me leaue now to make some Application of what I haue deliue­red, and so I will finish this maine point. And first, I hope that this dis­course hath not beene heard of you without comfort. We hold it a great [Page 77] cause of ioy to be the children of No­bles, and to be admitted into the fa­uour of Princes, and surely they are great temporall blessings, that men may lawfully reioyce in. But let me say vnto you in our Sauiours words, Reioyce not in this, Luke 10.20. but rather reioyce because your names are written in hea­uen: let it be your ioy that you are the children of God, and in fauour with the King of Kings, as the Apo­stle saith, Reioyce in the Lord, Phil. 4.4. and againe I say reioyce.

Againe, are wee the children of God? farre be it from vs to vnder­value the glorious inheritance of the Saints of God in life. Farre be it from vs to dis-esteeme it, like that carnall Cardinall,Cardinall of Bourbon. who said he would not giue his part in Paris for his part in Paradise. Let vs not be like profane Esau, who for the satisfying of his appetite lost his birth-right.Heb. 12.16. But ra­ther let vs say resolutely, with Na­both, 1 Reg. 21.3. God forbid that I should make a­way the inheritance of my fathers. So, [Page 78] God forbid, that for all the vaine and transitory profits and plea­sures vpon earth, we should depriue our selues of those riuers of plea­sures, which the Saints of God doe enioy in heauen. Bernard saith truely of the best things of this present life, possessa onerant, amata inquinant, amissa cruciant. The possession of them bur­dens vs, the loue of them defiles vs, and the losse of them vexes vs: And the time will come, when either the day of death, or the day of iudge­ment shall swallow them all vp, as the Ocean doth the riuers. For the glory of this world passeth away like a shadow. 1 Cor. 7.31.

Againe, are wee the children of God? then let vs indeauour that our carriage and comportment may answere this dignity. It becomes not the children of Nobles to be conuer­sant in base actions. And how vnfit is it for the children of God to be­come like the Indian drudges? to be taken vp with the corruptions of [Page 79] this euill world, and to haue their affections in caeno, when they should be in caelo? Our Sauiour hath taught vs better in the fift of Matthew, Let your light so shine before men, Mat. 5.16. that they may see your good workes, and glorifie your father which is in hea­uen.

To conclude, Let vs, as the Apo­stle Peter exhorts,2 Peter 1.10. Rom. 8.16. study to make our election sure by good workes; Let vs get the euidence of our adoption sealed vp to our soules and consciences by the spirit of God. Then let the earth tot­ter, and her pillars tremble vnder her; let the sea roare euen to asto­nishment; let the heauens burne to dissolution, and the elements with vehement heate be consumed, this our adoption shall be our comfort on earth, and our crowne in heauen for euer more.

The third part: The appropriation of this aduancement.

BVt what, is this Adoption tyed onely to the ornament of Peace? Surely no:Gal 3.26. For Saint Paul saith, You are all the sonnes of God by faith in Christ Iesus. And Saint Austin in lar­geth the meanes,Per gratiā, per fidem, per sacra­mentum, per san­guinem Christi. De verb. Dom. ser. 63. saying, We are the sonnes of God by grace, by faith, by the Sacrament, by the blood of Christ. Euery faithfull Christian is made one with Christ, whereby he becomes the childe of God; He hath the image of God stamped vpon him. And as our natural birth makes vs the children of our earthly pa­rents: so our supernaturall and new birth makes vs the children of our heauenly father.

May not I then say of the Peace-maker, as Saint Paul of the Iewes? What is then the preferment of the Iew? So,Rom. 3.1. what is the aduantage and aduancement of the Peace-maker? [Page 81] Yes, and answer with him in the same place: much euery way. Though Iesse had eight sonnes, yet was Dauid onely the Lords darling: Though Christ had twelue Disciples, yet was Iohn the Dis­ciple whom Iesus loued: Though all Iacobs children were deare vnto him, yet was Bemamin the son of his right hand: So may I say, that howsoeuer all the faithfull are the children of God, and consequently blessed, yet the Peace-makers haue that honour in a more especial kinde, because they doe in a more liuely manner resemble almighty God, in that which is most excellent. For as amongst the diuine attributes, some of them are quoad nos, more excellent then others, as namely those of mercy and peace, which are the sanctuarie to a distres­sed sinner; so all those, who doe in a more especiall manner come neerest to God in the same, are [...] by a kinde of eminency called the chil­dren of God: For as Bernard saith, Deus, Deus pacis, Bern. ergo pacifici filij Dei [Page 82] iure optimo vocantur. God is the God of peace, and therefore those who are Peace-makers, are the children of God by especiall right. Though the body of man consist of diuers humours, yet the denomination of the constitution is from that which is most predomi­nate: So, though the children of God be indued with many vertues, yet are they denominated from that which is most excellent, and that is Peace. For there is an emphasis in the word [...], they. 2 Sam. 23. They are like Dauids worthies amongst his souldiers, who excelled them in prowes;1 Sam. 10.23. & like Saul amongst the Israelites, higher then the rest by the head. Though all Iudea be the Lords, yet the Lord loues the gates of Sion more then all the dwellings of Iacob. Psal. 87.2: So, albeit he hath many chil­dren, yet his sons of Peace are dearest to him. And as Iacob bequeathing to euery of his sonnes a blessing, yet be­stowed one portion vpō Ioseph aboue his brethren:Gen. 48.22. Euen so the God of Ia­cob, though he haue blessings for all [Page 83] his children, yet those that are Peace-makers are blessed aboue others. As one Starre excels another in glory, so doe the sons of Peace exceede all that shine in the firmament of the Chuch: And hereafter whē others shal shine as the brightnes of the firmament, they shal shine as the Stars for euer & euer.

Againe, to this question: Is our A­doption tyed onely to this ornament of Peace? I may answere further. Al­beit it is not only tyed to that, yet is it so tyed to that, that wheresoeuer the one is wanting, the other cannot be enioyed. A man cannot be the childe of God, quantum vis polleat virtutibus, Gregor. pastor. part. 3. admon. 23. though he were qualified with many other vertues, except he be of a peace­able disposition: he that is not filius pacis, the sonne of peace,Non per venitur ad vocabulum beati, nisi per nomen pacifici. Aug. de temp. 169. must needes be filius mortis, filius maledictionis, the sonne of death & malediction. Where there is an emptinesse of peace, there is a barrennesse of grace, and the ver­tues, how specious soeuer they be, are but commets: But wheresoeuer peace [Page 84] is, there are the children of God, yea they shall be called the children of God: And so I come to the fourth and last point of this Aduancement, the pro­mulgation or publication of it.

The fourth part: The promulgation of this aduancement.

ANd here a doubt meets vs, which may seeme to ecclipse all the for­mer comforts. For as one sayes, multa videntur & non sunt▪ so, multa vocantur & non sunt: As many things seeme which are not, so many are called that are not, as Ireneus said to Marcus the Gnosticke, Iren. li. 1. ca. 10. Vocem solùm habes, virtu­tem verò ipsius ignoras: Thou hast the name, but thou knowest not the ver­tue of it. Thus the Church of Sardis, in the third of the Reuelation, Reuel 3.1 [...] had a name that she liued, when she was dead. And the Church of Laodicea, in the same Chapter,Vers. 17. said she was rich and wanted nothing, whereas shee was poore, and miserable, and naked. And did not the Iewes ordinary ostentatiō [Page 85] carry these titles before it, The seede of Abraham, the Temple of the Lord? yes, and that without any iust cause, God knowes: For they had degenerated from Abraham, & polluted the Tem­ple. Thus the Romanists at this day, doe ingrosse to themselues the names of Catholikes, and wheresoeuer they meete with the name of the Church, they are ready,Aelian. var. hist. like franticke Thrasyl­lus, to arrest it for their owne.

But, qui vocantur & non sunt, Aug. in 1. Epi. Ioh. tract. 4. quid illis prodest nomen, vbires non est, saith Saint Austin? What good shall the name doe them, when that which the name imports, is wanting to them? surely none at all. What benefit was it to the impure Nouations, that forth of their swelling pride, they tooke to themselues the name of Puritans, as Eusebius writes?Euseb. hist. eccle. lib. 6. cap. 42. And what auaileth it some to arrogate to themselues the names of brethren, the people of God, & the like, except we might see them humble, and the children of peace? Antiochus who breathed out nothing [Page 86] but tyranny and cruelty against the Church of God, was honoured with that title Epiphanes, The illustrious. whereas he better deserued, and so was called by some, Antiochus Epinianes, rathet Antiochus the furious then the famous: so was Absolon called his Fathers peace; whereas he was indeede his Fathers griefe and disgrace. And doth not the Bishop of Rome stile himselfe servus seruorum Dei, whilest he endeauours to be Dominus dominantium? Surely that humble title, and his vnlimited power agree as ill together,Plutar. in vita Demost. as Demo­sthenes short breath and long periods. The changing of their names at their entring into the Popedome,Vt si homo ante malefacius fue­rit, Bonifacius appelletur, si ru­sticus Vrbanus, si improbus In­nocentius, &c. Pol. Virgil. de in­uent. lib. 4. ca. 10 intended by them for ornament, is iustly cen­sured as ridiculous, by Polidore Virgil. For if there be mutatio nominis, non ho­minis, a change of the name, but not of the man (onely there is a Wolfe cased in a Lambes skin) nothing can be more idle or ridiculous. Glorious titles without ground are meere va­nities; like the Apothecaries gally­pots, [Page 87] quorum tituli remedia habent pyxi­des venenum, Lactant. which hauing without the name of some excellent preserua­tiue, within are either empty, or hold some deadly aconite.

If Nomen be not rei notamen (as Saint Austin deriues the word;Aug. de Gen. ad liter cap. 6.) If we be called the children of God, and be not so, what haue we gained thereby? sure­ly we doe onely embrace a shadow.

All this is true, and yet behold here is not the least glimpse or sparke of comfort taken from the Peace-ma­kers. For this phrase, they shall be cal­led, noteth here, not a meere and bare denomination, but a demonstration of a true denomination; the words import more then simply to be: they import thus much, that is, the Peace-makers shall not onely be the chil­dren of God, to their exceeding com­fort: but they shall also be published so to be, to their endlesse honour.

Now for the manifestation hereof, I will parallel these words with other passages of Scripture where the same [Page 88] Phrase is thus vsed. And I will onely pitch vpon one chapter, that is, the first of Luke. In the 76. verse it is said of Iohn Baptist, that he should be called the Prophet of the most high. And was he not so? Yes euen by the attestation of our Sauiour Christ he was a Pro­phet,Mat. 11.9. & more then a Prophet. Againe the Virgin Mary in the 48. verse saith, From henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. And that this is not a bare title conferred vpon her, the womans acclamation can witnesse in the elea­uenth of Luke: Luke 11.27. Blessed is the womb that bare thee, and the Pappes which thou hast sucked. Yea she shall be honoured as the most blessed amongst women to the end of the world. Againe in the 35. verse the Angel Gabriel saith, that Christ shall be called the Son of God. And that Christ was so,Mat. 16.16. Peter confes­sed worthily in the time of his life; the Centurion witnessed notably at the time of his death:Mat. 26.54. And Saint Paul saith,Rom. 1.4. that by his resurrection he was mightily declared to be the Sonne of [Page 89] God. Thus as Iohn Baptist was called a Prophet, the Virgin Mary was called blessed, and Christ was called the Sonne of God, that is, they not onely were so, but were acknowledged and published so to be: So shall the Peace­makers be called the children of God. For he that will not suffer a hayre to fall from the head of his seruants without his diuine prouidence, will not suffer their graces & endowments to vanish and perish in silence. Albeit they may be compassed about for a time with the clowds of obscurity, yet shall their worth breake forth like the light,Psal. 37.6. and be published to the world with a clowde of witnesses.Heb. 12.1. Thus did the diuine prouidence dispose most fitly of our Sauiors passion; both for the Time, Place, and manner of his Death. For the Time and Place,The Passouer. It was at the great festiuitie held at Hie­rusalem, which yeelded a confluence of many nations to that City, which was then the onely Metropolis of Religion thorow the world: And for [Page 90] the manner of it likewise: For he was lifted vp,Ioh. 3.14. like the brasen Serpent, vpon a high crosse vpon a conspicuous Mountaine,In Praefatione ad librum de septem verbis. & that with all his parts stretched out seuerally, as Bellarmine hath lately & largely shewed. The in­scription also was in Hebrew, Greeke, and Latine, that by the Crosse, the Time, the Place, the Nations and Languages, the happie newes of our redemption, by the death and pas­sion of Iesus Christ, might be dis­pearsed, as it were by many riuers, throughout the world. Our Sauiours malitious aduersaries sought to pre­uent his resurrection;Mat. 27.63.66. by rowling a stone to the mouth of the Sepulchre, by setting a watch ouer the stone, and a seale ouer the watch; And when they found their indeuours therein to be frustrate, they sought by sub­orning and hiring the souldiers, to suppresse the notice thereof. But their subordinat free concealment, became an especiall meanes of publication of his glorious triumph ouer death.Mat. 28.15.

Iobs admirable patience, in his vn­parelled afflictions, could not be con­fined to his house, though he was left alone and desolate, but shall be publi­shed to all posterities; and the fame thereof shall out-last the vast Pyrami­des of Egypt: the names of their buil­ders are long since buried in obliuion (a iust guerdon for such a worke of vanity) but there shal alwaies be some,Plin. lib. 26 that shall to his honour, remember the patience of Iob. Iam. 5.11. Moses might in­treate the Lord secretly, in that passi­onate and compassionate speech, aut dimitte hanc noxam, Exod 32.32. Lord either par­don this sinne, or else blot mee out of the booke that thou hast written. But his zeale to Gods glory, & loue to his people shall be preached on the house top, and be carryed vpon the wings of fame from one generation to another. As our Sauiour said of the woman that poured the costly oyntment vp­on his head. Wheresoeuer this Gospell shall be preached in the whole world, Mat. 26.13. [Page 92] this also which she hath done, shall be spo­ken of, for a memoriall of her. As the o­dour of the oyntment filled the house;Ioh. 12.3. Eccles. 7.3. so shall the odour of her fame, like a good oyntment, fill the house of the world, euen till the worlds end.

Psal. 112.6.Loe thus, in memoria aeterna erit iustus, the Peace-makers shal be had in euer­lasting remembrance, and be called the children of God. Neither shal they neede to be the Trumpetors of their owne merits and actions, it shall be done abundantly by others.

The Sonnes of Peace shall call them so,Mat. 11.19. For Wisedome shall be iustified of her children. Yea, which is strange, not onely the Sons of Peace, but euen the Sons of perdition shall call them so. Dearely beloued (saith Saint Iohn) Now are we the Sons of God, 1 Ioh. 3.1.2 though the world know vs not: Intimating, that there will be a time, when this faex mundi, the wicked of the world shall be forced to acknowledge the blessed condition of Gods children. When they shall take vp that dolefull com­plaint: [Page 93] This is the man whom we some­times had in derision; Sap 5.4. and accounted his life madnesse, and his death without ho­nour: but now is he numbred amongst the children of God, and his Lot amongst the Saints. And thus we see in the history of the Euangelists, that our Sauiours innocency, piety, charity was ac­knowledged & published by Heauen and Earth, God and Men, Strangers and Acquaintance, Friends and Foes, Angels and Diuels, and if they should haue held their peace, the stones in the streete would haue proclaymed it. Lastly,Luk. 19.40. Christ Iesus the Prince of Peace shall call them so. When hee conuersed with men in the dayes of his infirmi­ty, he was not ashamed to call them bre­thren: Nor yet in his glorified estate,Heb. 2.11. after his resurrection; when hee sent that comfortable message by the de­uout woman to his Disciples.Ioh. 20.17. Goe to my brethren, and say vnto them, I ascend to my Father & your Father, to my God and your God; Words as full of comfort, as the Ocean of waters. My brethren, a [Page 94] louing appellation; my Father and your Father, a blessed vnion in a hap­pie correlation; I ascend, and to what end,Ioh. 14.2. but to prepare them Mansions in the heauenly habitation? But behold, the consummation of all consolation shall be at the end of the world, when the Sonne of God, imbracing the sons of Peace in the armes of his mercy, shall say in the presence and audience of men and Angels, Come ye blessed of my father, Mat. 25.34. possesse the inheritance of the kingdome prepared for you from the foundations of the world.

By this time, I hope you see that the Peace-makers are blessed; For all these streames of comfort, that I haue discouered, doe fall into the Ocean of this blessednesse, and this blessednesse is the crowne of the Peace-maker. I will contract all my building into a little modell, and so conclude. The Peace-makers (you see) are blessed, and they are blessed in this great ad­uancement, They are the children of God; adopted, not forth of any de­fect, [Page 95] but forth of his bounty and mer­cy they are adopted by Iesus Christ, they are adopted from a base and wretched condition, they are adop­ted to a glorious inheritance in hea­uen. These sonnes of Peace are sin­gled out in a most especiall manner. They are like the Sunne in the firma­ment the eye in the Head, and the heart in the Body, the noblest and worthiest of all the children of God, And this their worth shall bee pub­lished to the world. It shall be pub­lished by the sonnes of Peace, by the sons of perdition, by the Son of God himselfe. Thus, as the Laurell was to the Roman Emperors both Munimen­tum & Ornamentum, a Defence against danger, and an Ornament of honour: So shall this Oliua Pacis be to the chil­dren of God. Quanta est huius pacis re­tributio (saith S. Austin, August. de [...]emp Ser. 169.) haereditatem possidere cum Christo, substantiam patris habere cum filio, caelesti regno participare cum Domino. And what can your hearts desire more then this? To be [Page 96] the children of God, and the best af­fected of his children, heyres of Grace and Glory, co-heyres annexed with Iesus Christ, partakers of that vnspeakeable happinesse which shall be honourably published on earth, & enioyed eternally in the heauens? Therefore to conclude, let mee say to you with Chrysostom, Chrys. in Psal. 34. Quaerite Pacem, vt inueniatis premiū, Seek Peace & fol­low after it, that you may haue the re­ward of Peace-makers;Psal. 34. Chrys. ibid. Pulsate ianuam Pacis, knock at the gate of Peace, till it be opened to you. So shall the same be to you a doore and passage into Heauen; which mercy the God of Peace and Mercy grant vs, for his Sonne our Sauiour Christs sake, to whom with the holy-Ghost, three persons and one immortall God, be ascribed all Honour, and Glory, Might, Maiesty, and Dominion, now and for euer more Amen.

The first part: The opening of the WOVND.

The second part: The searching of the WOVND.

HEre now (beloued) I could be contented to take my station, and to stay my hand from searching this wound any further: But because there is some controuer­sie concerning the same amongst the spirituall Physitians, to whom the cure or care thereof doth belong, I hold it expedient, either in reconci­ling, or confuting the differences of opinions, to relieue those who may be subiect to doubting, and to satis­fie if it be possible, euen those which are possest with the spirit of contra­diction: by manifesting, that as I haue laid the foundation of my po­sitiue doctrine, vpon the vnmouea­ble rocke of the holy Scriptures, so [Page 149] [...] [Page 148] [...] [Page 149] I haue the consent of the learned of all sorts, who doe build with mee vpon the same foundation; so that onely singularity shall haue occasion to dissent.

There are about this matter but two points controuerted, the one is touching the description, the other the remission of this sinne. Concer­ning the first, some make finall im­penitency to be the sinne against the holy Ghost; but those that so doe, are confuted by themselues; for they hold the sinne against the holy Ghost to be pardonable, so that con­sequently, if finall impenitency be the sinne against the holy Ghost, finall impenitency should be pardo­nable: which absurdity euery sensi­ble man must needes be ashamed of.

But Bellarmine himselfeBellam. de poenitent. lib. 2. cap. 16. hath diuers arguments for the confutati­on of this errour, which I will briefe­ly repeate.

[Page 150]1. The sinne against the holy Ghost is properly blasphemie, but finall impenitency is not blasphe­mie; therefore finall impenitency is not the sinne against the holy Ghost.

2. Finall impenitency is not committed till death, but the sinne against the holy Ghost is committed before death: therefore finall impe­nitency is not the sinne against the holy Ghost; The minor proposition is euident, for our Sauiour charged the Pharisees with this sinne, who were then liuing, and for any thing we know, liued long after.

Further, Paul speaking of this sinne in the sixt to the Hebrewes, saith, it is impossible that they which haue committed the same should be renewed by repentance. In which words the Apostle speaketh of those that are aliue, else should he affirme that the dead cannot be renewed by repentance, which speech were idle [Page 151] and much vnbeseeming so great an Apostle. Againe, whereas Saint Iohn saith, there is a sin vnto death, I say not that thou shouldst pray for it; 1 Ioh. 5.16. he speaks of liuing men. And where­as some thinke he speakes of the dead, the Text is directly against them. For he saith, he that knoweth his brother to sinne a sinne not vnto death, &c. in which words hee ad­mitteth that a man may see and know when the sinne is committed, and therefore he speaketh not of fi­nall impenitencie, which cannot be knowne till after a mans death, and hardly then also. Moreouer if hee spake of the sinnes of those that are dead, hee should not say, He that knowes his brother to sinne; but he that knowes his brother to haue sinned.

Thus Bellarmine hauing confuted that opinion concerning finall im­penitency, and affirmed truely,Circumstantia quaedam, quae in omni peccato re­periri potest. that the same is but circumstantia quaedam, a certaine circumstance, which may be [Page 152] found in euery particular sinne: he de­fineth the sinne against the holy Ghost in the same manner as I haue handled it, calling it a malicious op­position against the manifest and knowne truth;Athanasius. Chrysostome. Basil. Hilarie. Ambrose. Hierome. Anselme. Richardus de S. Vict. Theophylact. Beda. Pacianus. which definition he confirmeth by the common consent of ancient writersCommuni con­sensu veterum. Bellarm, ibid., to whose reasons and authorities were they not very pithy and pregnant, I might annexe sundryLudolphus de vita Christi. par. 1. cap. 73. P. Lumb. lib. 2. Dist. 43. D. Dionys. Carthus. in Mat. 12. Titleman in Mat. 12. Gagnaus. Catharinus & Alphons. Salme­ron super Heb. 6. others. But that which he alleadgeth may very well satisfie any reasonable man.

Now for the other point, name­ly that this sinne is irremissible, I will by Gods grace proue it directly by the Scriptures. And because the same is a circumstance somewhat more subiect to controuersie, I will annexe the testimonies and reasons of diuers Papists both ancient and moderne. Yea I trust I shall make it euident, that, touching this point, there is indeede no such difference, but that which may be reconciled by [Page 153] a distinction allowed on all parts, if men will lay by the humours of con­tradiction and contention.

First, the three Euangelists which mention this sinne, doe absolutely deny remission to him that com­mits it. Saint Luke saith plainely,Luk. 12.10. It shall not be forgiuen him. Saint Marke more expresly,Mark. 3.29. He shall neuer haue forgiuenesse, but shall be guilty of eternall damnation. Yea the vulgar Latine hath it, of an euerlasting sinne. Aeterni delicti. Saint Matthew yet more vehement­ly,Mat. 12.32. it shall not be forgiuen him, ei­ther in this world, or in the world to come. May I not here vse Saint Au­gustines words in another case,Aug. Epi. 59. Quid hoc euidentius, quid apertius, quid ex­pressius? What speeches could be vttered more euident, more appa­rent, more vehement, then these? I cannot but wonder, that any man should shut his eies against the cleare light of such an euident truth, or open his mouth to contradict it. [Page 152] [...] [Page 153] [...] [Page 154] Yea, that any should dare to assay the breaking of such a threefold cord, as when the holy Ghost saith, It shall not be forgiuen, to affirme, yes it shall be forgiuen. When he saith, it shall neuer haue forgiuenesse, to a­uough yes it shall haue forgiuenesse, though hardly: And when he saith, neither in this world, nor in the world to come, to say presumptuously, yes, either in this world or in the world to come. If this be tollerable, what truth is there so certaine or sacred, but it shall be subiect to contradicti­on? Let vs compare this place with another, though much inferiour in the vehemencie of negation. It is said in the ninth of Marke, thatMark. 9.44. the fire of hell neuer goeth out; and why may not one by the like exposition say, yes, it will goe out, but yet hardly, which were happy newes for Diues, and other damned spirits; And a good supporting of Origens old errour, who held, that hell should [Page 155] be destroyed, and all the damned after a certaine number of yeeres be saued. But indeede such licentious expositions are vtterly vnlawfull, and doe paralell Sathans deniall of the Lords words, in the second and third of Genesis,Gen. 2.17. Gen. 3.4. you shall surely die, you shall not die at all.

But Bellarmine De Poenitent. lib. 2. c. 16. would expound the speaches of the Euangelists by certaine places in Mathew and Iere­my. In the nineteenth of Mathew Mat. 19.24.26. our Sauiour saith, It is easier for a Camell to goe through the eye of a needle, then for a rich man to enter into the king­dome of heauen. In which words saith he, our Sauiour seemes plainely to exclude rich men from saluation, yet he addes, that which is impossible to men, is possible to God. Ier. 13.32. And in the thirteenth of Ieremie, hee saith, that the Iewes can no more be changed, then the blacke-Moore can change his skinne, or the Leopard his spots, and yet doth hee in many places af­ter [Page 156] that, exhort and call them to re­pentance.

To these place I answere, first in generall, that they are not like; for though in similitudes and com­parisons, extensiue speeches are sometimes vsed, to note a difficultie by an impossibilityAs Mat. 24.35. compared with Luke 16.17., yet in a simple negation it is not so. And further to the places in particular. First, those words in the nineteenth of Mathew may be taken for a direct and simple negatiue, being truely expounded? for our Sauiour in the tenth of Saint Marke Mark. 10.24., doth thus qualifie the ri­gour of them: It is hard for them that trust in riches, to enter into heauen. So that a man may truely say, it is impossible for a man so besotted with his riches and deuoted to his wealth, that he makes it the especiall obiect of his loue, the center of his hope, the fort of his confidence, to enter into the kingdome of heauen. Second­ly, I denie not, but, as it is possible, [Page 157] respecting the absolute omnipoten­cy of Almighty God, to saue such a rich man; so is there no defect in God, for sauing of him that sinnes against the holy-Ghost: but the im­possibility ariseth from the sinner himselfe.For so some take the word. [...], some, [...]. Let the bunch on the Camels backe be taken away, and he may goe into the gate at Hieru­salem, called the needles eye: let the gable rope be vntwisted, and you may put it through the eye of a nee­dle: So let the rich man like Zacheus giue some part of his goods to the poore, and make restitution where he hath wronged, and he may come to heauen: And let him that hath blas­phemed repent and beleeue, and hee shall surely be saued.

Concerning the words in Ieremy, we must obserue a rule of Scripture, which SaintAug. collat. cum Donat. c. 20. Augustine and Bellar­mine himselfe obserueth:Bellarm. de Eccle. militante. lib. 3. cap. 16. Namely, that sometimes those things are spo­ken indefinitely of all, which pro­perly [Page 158] and directly doe belong to a partCompare Ezeck. 3.7. with 9.4. Gal. 3.1. with. 6.1. onely. It is written in the twelfth of Iohn, Ioh. 12.39. Though he had done many miracles there, yet they beleeued not in him. Here a man would thinke, that none of the Iewes beleeued in Christ; yet verse 42. It is said that many of the rulers beleeued in him. When our Sauiour at his passion prayeth thus, Father forgiue them for they know not what they doe. This could not be spoken of euery indi­uiduall man, which had a hand in his execution, but onely of some; for it is euident, that diuerse of them most desperately, euen against their con­science did oppose themselues against Christ: and so might the Lord speake indefinitely of the Iewes, that they were like the black-More euen altogether incorrigible, when as some of them, notwithstanding were capable of Repentance and Pardon. Againe, if it were granted, that the Lord counted all the Iewes [Page 159] vnrecouerable, must it needes be that his sending to perswade them to repentance, doth therefore crosse his censure? Who knowes not that it is vsuall with God, to send his Pro­phets and Preachers, to call them to repentance, of whom hee hath said expresly before, that they will notIere. 7.27. Ezek. 2.4.5. repent, and yet he sent to them that so they might be without excuse?

Secondly, as the Euangelists doe plainely teach the impossibility of pardon for this sinne: So doth Saint Paul in this Epistle vse many and waighty Arguments to con­firme the same, which I will briefly contract into one.

• He that cannot possibly be renewed by Repentance.
  Heb. 6.4.6.
• He that falls quite away.
  Heb. 10.26.29.
• He that cannot haue any benefit by Christs sacrifice.
• He that dies without mercy.
• He that must certainly look for a fearefull iudgement.

Cannot be par­doned & saued.

But hee that sinnes against the holy Ghost, cannot be renewed by Repentance, He fals quite away, hee cannot haue any benefit by Christs sacri­fice, he dies without mercy, hee must certainely looke for a fearefull iudg­ment, and violent fire: therefore hee that sinnes against the holy Ghost, cannot be pardoned and saued.

To these places Bellarmine and the Rhemists doe answere, that where­as the Apostle saith, hee cannot be renewed by Repentance, and there re­maines no more sacrifice for sinne, he is thus to be vnderstood, hee cannot haue the benefit of a second Bap­tisme. To whom I answere: First, Bel­larmine and the Rhemists do without all warrant or reason confound Bap­tisme and Repentance, and the sacri­fice of Christ; And, if Baptisme and Repentance bee confounded, why should not also the other doctrines mentioned with the same? So that [Page 161] Repentance. Faith, Baptisme, the resurrection, and the last iudgement shall be all one. But let these men who are so violent without any ar­guments, and so confident vpon onely the bare words of two or three of the Fathers expounding this place, let them consider what others of the ancient Fathers haue written, and what euen these haue affirmed concerning this sinne in other pla­ces. The ingenuitie of Arias Mon­tanus Arius Monta. in Heb. 6. a learned Papist is much to be commended, who saith most truely, that it is an extreame racking of the word Repentance, when it is here without cause transferred to another sence. Againe, if it were granted that the Apostle in the sixt to the He­brewes, denieth a second Baptisme when he speakes of Repentance, be­cause they are mentioned together in the same place, and haue some affinity and correspondence: yet how doth it follow that in this [Page 162] Chapter he should haue relation to Baptisme? When as the same is neither directly mentioned, nor by any necessary consequent implied or intimated? Lastly, suppose the Apostles words were so to be taken, as that he should therein denie se­cond Baptisme to the sinner, doth not the same imply a deniall of par­don? For why should he deny them a second Baptisme, but to teach them, that the meanes and instru­mentall causes of Repentance and reconciliation being denied, the effect cannot be granted? But the truth is, as euery single eye may perceiue, that the Apostle hath in those places vtterly excluded those that sinne against the holy Ghost, both from the meanes, and fruit of repentance.

Thirdly, Saint Iohn 1 Iohn. 5.16. speaking of this sinne; cals it a sinne vnto death, meaning such a sinne as yeelds death without remedy or recouery, as the [Page 163] phrase being an Hebraisme doth ne­cessarily import, and Chrysostome doth truely expoundChrys. in psal. 49 Vt in lege quaedam fuêre immedicabilia, &c. it. Yea Al­phonsus Salmeron Alph. Salmer. in 1. Ep. Ioh. di­spu. 32., one of the Fa­thers and founders of the Iesuites, cals it a sinne to death, quia suapte na­tura, tendit ad mortem animae: because it doth naturally tend to the death of the soule. Againe, the Apostle for­bids vs to pray for such a sinner. Now if prayer, which should be the meanes to worke Repentance in men, and to procure remission for them at the hands of God, may not be afforded them, is there any hope that such should be pardoned? To this Bellarmine answers, that the A­postle doth not directly forbid vs to pray for such, but onely doth not in­courage or perswade vs, because the suite is very hard to be obtained. And to him I reply, that first the desperatenesse of the disease being to death, may imply a reason of deny­ing the medicine of prayer to ob­taine [Page 164] life.1 Iohn 5. Secondly, the coherence of the words, with the words prece­dent, doe euict them to be a direct prohibition. For whereas before hee had taught,Vers. 14. that if we aske any thing ac­cording to Gods will, we shall be heard, he presently addeth these words, as a Caueat, that wee pray not for him that sinneth vnto death, because that such a prayer is not according to Gods will. Thirdly, if Saint Iohn had noted onely a difficultie, not an impossibilitie of obtaining our de­sires, should he not haue perswaded vs to be the more earnest and im­portunate in prayer, rather then to haue discouraged vs? When our Sauiour saithMat. 7.14. that the way is narrow, and the gate is strait that leadeth vnto life, would you not make him absurd in saying, I say not that you shall enter that way: or indiscreet in discou­raging men, by denying them hope of entrance? Doth he not better in perswading vs, striue therefore ear­nestly [Page 165] to enter into that straight Luk. 13.24. [...]. gate: and so, if the matter had beene sub­iect to difficultie, and not to impos­sibilitie, doubtlesse Saint Iohn would haue exhorted vs, euen to striue migh­tily [...]. Rom. 15.20. by prayers to God for the re­mission of that sinne, as Saint Paul speakes, Rom. 15.30. Lastly, that it is a direct prohibition, diuers both ancient Fathers, and Papists also doe directly auouch. AsTertul de pu­dic. cap. 19. Tertullian Aug. ser. Do­mini in Monte. lib 1. Au­gustine, Hier. cited by P. Lumberd. Hierome, Sixtus Quin­tus orat. habit. in consistor. de mor­te. Henr 3 Sixtus Quintus, F [...]rus. in 1. Ioh. 5. Ferus, Didac. de la vega. in Psal. 6. poenitent Con. 5. and diuers others. Didacus de la Vega, and di­uers others. Yea, Catharinus Catharin in 1. Epist. Ioh. cap. 5., in my iudgement, hath written very iudiciously concerning both this place and the point in hand. Some (saith he) haue made this place obscure, supposing that to be absurd which in­deede hath no absurditie in it (mea­ning that prayer should be denyed to some kinde of sinners.) But this comes to passe by reason of a certaine old and vulgar opinion, namely, that no such outragious, or diuilish sinne could [Page 164] [...] [Page 165] [...] [Page 166] be found, which of it selfe was inexpi­able.

Thus hauing proued by the au­thoritie of sacred Scriptures that this sinne is irremissible, and answe­red such obiections as haue bin made against my proofe, I might al­so confirme the same by many testi­monies of the ancientTertul de pu­dicitia. cap. 2. Cyprian. lib. 3. Iustin ad Qui­rin. cap. 28. Chry. in psa. 49. Hieron. Ep. 22. ad Marcel. Aug. expos. Epist. ad Rom. inchoat. Origen, &c. Fathers, be­sides those which haue already beene produced, but I haste to that point which I haue euer affected, and in the beginning promised and pro­pounded, namely, the reconciling of diuersity in opinion.

It is a distinction of theGerson. pars 2. compend. Theo. log. de septem. vitijs capital. Negatiuè. Priuatiuè. Contrariè. Schoole­men, a sinne may be called irremis­sible, three manner of wayes, nega­tiuely, priuatiuely, contrarily. Nega­tiuely, which can no way be pardo­ned, as the sinnes of the reprobate Angels. Priuatiuely, when the sinne by congruence of merit deserues to be punished, though by congruity of Gods mercy it may be pardoned, [Page 167] of which nature is euery ordinary mortall sinne. Contrarily, when the sinne hath a disposition contrary to pardon and remission, and such is the sinne against the holy Ghost: For it doth directly resist and reiect the grace of God, as Bellarmine confes­sethDirectè resi­stet & repudiet gratiam Dei. Bell. de poenit. lib 2. cap. 17.. It hardneth the heart, so that those which commit this sinne, are vsu­ally giuen ouer to a reprobate sense, and forsaken of God, as Iudas was, so that they cannot repent, as Anselme Ita quod non possint poenitere. Anselm. in Mat. 12. affir­meth. Yea it hardneth a mans heart like a stone, so that he cannot be helped by the prayers of the Church, as P. Lum­bord P. Lumb. lib. 2. dist. 43. b. reporteth. Bonauenture Bonauent. in 2▪ sent. dist. 43. quaest. 1. Potestatem & dispositionem poenitentiae pri­uat. Ibid. quaest. 2 cals it a sinne to death, because it taketh away the disposition of receiuing life, which consisteth in the imbracing of repentance. Yea, if it be strictly ta­ken and considered (saith hee) it de­priueth men both of the power and disposition of repentance, so that there is left neither inclination nor habili­tie to repent. And therefore as [Page 168] Catharinus Cathar. in Heb. 6. & [...]. E­pist Ioh. doth acknowledge this sinne to be vnpardonable, so doth Sixtus Quintus Sixt. Quint. vbi supra., and yeeldes the same reason that others doe, saying, By reason of mens impenitency, this sinne becomes absolutely and simply vnpar­donable. And Gerson Vbi supra. saith, that in this respect it can by no meanes be remitted: Yea, that finall impeni­tency doth certainely cleaue to this blasphemous Apostasie, Dionysius plainely affirmethDionys. & Hug. Card. in Mat. 12., and yeelds two reasons for it. Yea Hugo Cardinalis giues eight reasons of this impossi­bilitie of pardon. Stella Nunquam de facto remittitur, quanquam possit remitti. Stella. in Luk. 12. and Ianse­nius Non negat re­missionis possibi­litatem sed euen­tum. Iansen. Concord. Cap. 49. indeede, being willing to say as much as they can for the power and possibilitie of pardon for this sinne, are constrained to confesse, that actually, and indeede, it is neuer re­mitted, although there be some possibili­tie, that it may be remitted. Alas that is a poore possibility that is neuer re­duced into act. Such possibilities are but idle Chimeraes, euen ridiculous [Page 169] conceits. There is a similitude vsed by diuers, yea by some who seeme to contradict the vnpardonablenesse of this sinne, which similitude doth indeede expresse it, with the rea­son and manner of it, and it is this.

As the man which is sicke,Ludolph de vi­ta Christi. par. 1. cap. 73. Bonauent. in 2. sent. distin 43. quaest. 2. Gerson vbi supr. Greg. de Valent. disp. lib. 1. qu. 4. punct. 3. Bellarm. de poen. lib. 2. cap. 17. if he be in that case that he can neither take foode nor Physicke, may rightly be said to be vncurable; so he that is infected with the sicknesse of this sinne, being through his impeni­tencie vncapable of Gods mercy, and Christs merits, may truely be said to be vnpardonable. The me­dicine and meanes of recouery is nei­ther weake nor wanting to him that hath grace to apply it; but he that wants this grace is wanting to him­selfe. God doth not worke alwaies to the vttermost extent of his migh­ty power,Phil. 3.21. whereby he is able to sub­due all things to himselfe, but distri­buteth, or denyeth to euery man so [Page 170] as seemes best to his diuine wisdome; and workes (as it is in the Philoso­phicall Axiome) according to the capacitie of the patient, making men desirous of saluation where hee doth grant it, and capable of grace where he doth impart it. In which sense it is said, our Sauiour could not doe ma­ny workes amongst his Countrimen, be­cause of their vnbeliefe. Marke 6.5.

Tis true, as Chrysostome saith,Chrys. in Gen. Hom. 19. there is no sinne so great, that it can ouercome Gods mercy, if we repent and aske par­don in due time; but if a man haue no power to repent, then God hath no will to pardon. The Lords hand is not shortened, that he cannot helpe, but mans heart is hardened that he can­not repent, and this makes the sinne vnpardonable; so that the question is not of Gods power and mans will, but of mans power and Gods will.

There is no man that hath more iudiciously decided this controuer­sie thenBeda in Mar. 3 Beda andLudolph. de vita Christi. par. 1. cap. 73. Ludolphus, with [Page 171] whose words, being consonant to the truth, and concluding what I haue at large deliuered, I will conclude: The spirit of blasphemie shall not be forgiuen a man, Sicut nunquam ad remissionem ita nunquam ad poenitentiam per­uenturus est. not because remission is denied him if he repent, but because that such a blas­phemer, through his iust desert, as he can neuer obtaine remission, so can he neuer come to repentance. And so much for the searching of the wound.

The third part: The binding vp the WOVND.

IT remaineth now in the third and last place, that I binde vp the wound, with Application, not with hope to cure it; which if I should promise, I might be like those Lawy­ers, who for their fees doe vndertake mens causes though they know them to bee vnconscionable, and [Page 172] those Phisitians and Surgeons, who take in hand the cure of those pati­ents, whose sores and sicknesse they know be incurable. I may say of this sinne as Ieremie saith of Babylon.Ier. 51.9. We would haue cured Babylon, but she could not be cured: forsake her, and let vs goe euery one into his owne Coun­trey. This sinne cannot possibly be cured, therefore let euery one in the feare of God haue care that he may auoide it.

The Apostle speaking of this sinne to the Hebrewes, saith,Heb. 6.9. Con­fidemus de vobis meliora delectissimi; and so doe I say to you, beloued, I hope better things of you all, and such as belong to saluation. For were your hearts possest with this sinne, you could haue small delight in this sa­cred assembly, and holy exercise. Now although there be no place of application for cure, yet is there for matter of confutation, of admoniti­on, & of consolation. Of confutation [Page 173] against errour, of admonition against security, of cōsolatiō against despaire.

For first, those mercilesse men the NouatiansSo called of Nouatus their ringleader. Euseb. hist. Eccl. lib. 6. cap. 42. Ambros. de poe­nit lib. 1. cap. 9. Hieron. ad Mar­cel. de blasph. in 55. are hereby confuted, who held euery grosse sinne com­mitted by a Christian to be the sinne against the holy Ghost: and there­fore, how seriously penitent soeuer any one was after such a sinne (though of infirmitie) yet they ac­counted his repentance to be fruit­lesse, and vncapable of the mercy of God.Socrates. lib. 1. cap. 7. So that whereas diuers in the primitiue Church fell into Ido­latrie through feare of most horrible tortures prepared for Christians; Albeit they did afterward excee­dingly bewaile their miserable con­dition, yet would they not yeelde them the priuiledges of the Church, nor ioyne with them in the parti­cipation of the blessed Sacraments.

[...]. Euseb. hist. Eccl. lib. 6. cap. 42. Epiphan. Tom [...] ­haeres. 59.These were the men which through swelling pride did take to themselues the name of Puritanes▪ [Page 174] But the very matter of their doctrine (as Epiphaneus truely saith) doth proue them to be impure.

Against these men as diuers of the auncient Fathers haue written very substantially: So euen the tor­rent of the sacred1 Ioh. 7.8. Iam. 3.2. Ezek. 18.22. Mat. 11.28. Scriptures (which conuince all men of sinne, and offer pardon to euery true penitent) doth vtterly condemne them. A­mongst other things, that iust and ingenious reproofe of that renow­med Emperour Constantine to Acesi­us a Nouatian Bishop is worthy of remembrance. When the good Em­perour did aske this proud Bishop, why he did seperate himselfe from the Communion of the faithfull, his answere being, because they had fal­len in the persecution of Decius, Con­stantine replyed,Socrat. l. 1. c. 7. Erige tibi scalam A­cesi, & ad coelum solus ascende. Set thee vp a Ladder O Acesius, where­by thou mayest clime to heauen a­lone. Iustly taxing thereby his pride, [Page 175] and truely shewing, that if his opi­nion were true, no man could come to heauen, because no man is free from sinne. Saint Augustine saith,Aug. Hom. 27. some obiected against him, That he opened a gappe to sinne, when he offe­red a heauen of safety to euery repentant sinner, but most iniuriously; For if almighty God be so gracious, that to a man vnfainedly forsaking his sinnes, and seruing God with an vp­right heart, Non solum veniam pro­mittit sed coronam, graunts not one­ly the remission of sinne, but the reward of a Crowne, as Cypryan Cyprian de laps. Serm. 5. speaketh: Why should men be so austere and strict, as to shut vp the bowels of compassion to the serious penitent?

And here by the way (beloued) let me giue you a caueat. Forasmuch as this sinne doth depend vpon such difficult circumstances, the extraor­dinarie gift of discerning the spirits being1 Cor. 12.10. abolished, it is very hard [Page 176] without some rareSine rarissimis inspirationibus. Bez. de pass. dom. Hom. 28. inspiration, to discerne this sinne in others, and very dangerous to charge any with the same. Therefore, al­though you see some sinne very desperately, yet take heede, you step not hastily into Gods throne, but rather erect a tribunall in your owne hearts, and iudge your selues, as the Apostle exhorts,1 Cor. 11.31. doe not vn­aduisedly shoote forth the darts of your censures against others, nor vncharitably deny them the com­fort of your prayers. Caietans cha­ritable speech doth much affectCaietan. in Epist. 1 Iohn. me. Whereas Saint Iohn saith, If thou seest thy brother sinne a sinne to death, I say not that thou shouldest pray for him: Memini Bernardum, &c. I re­member saith he, that Bernard addes, & si non ores, gemas tamen, euen when thou mayest not pray for him, yet maist thou sigh for him. Fortassis gemitus tuus penetret, quò oratio non praesumit tendere. Happily thy sighes [Page 177] may haue accesse, where thou darest not send thy prayers. As for the No­uatians, onely the mistaking of di­uers places of Scripture misled them, which being freed from their erroneous exposition, doe nothing serue for the supporting of their mercilesse heresie.

Secondly, here is matter of ad­monition. For, seeing this sinne is so dreadfull, wee should be very carefull and fearefull, lest we fall in­to the same. Though it were a wound like Alexanders, of which the histo­rian saith, curatio vulneris grauior ip­so vulnere? The curing of the wound was more grieuous, then the wound it selfe: yet if there were any hope of cure, it were somewhat tolerable, but when all the balme in Gilead cannot cure it, it is most lamentable. It is a point of wisdome to preuent corpo­rall diseases that are mortall, and it is much more necessary to preuent the spirituall. And as for the better [Page 178] preuention of sicknesse, and preser­uation of health, diuers hurtfull meates are to be shunned, and cer­taine wholesome meanes to be vsed: so for the preuenting of this mortall disease, and preseruing the soule in spirituall health, diuers euill courses are to be carefully auoided, and di­uers Christian duties to be diligently practised.

When you are tempted by Sa­than or his instruments, consent not, if he thrust any euill temptations into your heads by conceit, as he did in­to the head of Christ Iesus:Mat. 4. let him neuer put it into your hearts by consent,Ioh. 13.2. Chrys. in Mat. hom. 67. as he did into the heart of Iudas. What madnesse is it (saith Chrysostome) to entertaine the temp­tations of the Diuell who seekes to torment thee, rather then the moti­ons of Christs spirit, who desires to saue thee? To receaue a sword at the hands of a Theefe to kill thee, and to refuse a Diadem at the hands [Page 179] of a King to crowne thee? Remem­ber that comfortable precept and promise, Resist the Diuell, Iam. 4.7. and he will flie from thee.

Take heede of the degrees of sinne, for they are dangerous; One sinne drawes on another, as one waue driues forward another; and as great waters arise of small heads, which doe breake downe bankes, and carry them away; such are the inundations of sinne, [...]. Inundauerunt. Sept. & vulgar. Hos. 4.2. when they breake out, and bloud toucheth bloud. It behooueth euery Christian therefore to take heede of the begin­ning of sinne, and to stop the course and current of the same, lest that it becomming violent, cast downe the banks of Gods threatnings, and car­ry him headlong to the sinne of all sinnes. Men doe not fall into dead­ly diseases but by degrees; neither doe they slip into this deadly sinne, but by diuers degrees doe fall into it, as Theodoret doth manifest in [Page 180] Iulian the Emperour,Theodoret. hist. lib. 3. cap. 3. who first bani­shed the feare of God, and at last, Pietate omnino spoliebatur, was vtterly bereft of Piety.

When a sinner giues way to his owne corruptions and Sathans temptations, hee becomes like the I­mage in Daniel Dan. 2.45., whose head was gold, his brest of siluer, his belly of brasse, his legs of iron, his feete of clay; thus doth he waxe worse and worse, till at last as a stone cut out of a mountaine without hands smote the image and brake it in peeces: So the iudgements of God, not created in the beginning by the hand of God, but cut out of the mountaine of mans transgressions, doth beate him in peeces like a potters vessell. For if our sinnes doe increase, and come one in the necke of another, like the messengers of Iob, our pu­nishments must needes follow like the plagues of Aegypt. Therefore Woe be to them (saith the Prophet) [Page 181] that Esa. 5.18. draw iniquity in the cords of vani­ty, and sinne as with cart-ropes. Cordes are twisted of many small threds which seuerally haue very small force, but vnited are very strong: and so it commeth to passe, that the threds of smaller sinnes being twist­ed by oft committing, and drawne out by long continuance, doe at last make this great gable of the sinne a­gainst the holy-Ghost, wherewith the sinners hands and feete being bound, He is cast into vtter darkenesse, where is nothing Mat. 22.13. but wayling and wee­ping and gnashing of teeth.

Be carefull to auoide the least sinne, lest the same be an introducti­on to greater. For as the Philistims came vpon Sampson and ouercame him, by diuers insinuations; first bound his hands, then platted his hayre, and at last shaued off his locks: So doe sinne and Sathan winde themselues in by diuers inferiour temptations, still proceeding and [Page 182] augmenting the same till the locks of grace be quite shaued off. As it is said of Ninus Victores, Iustin. 1. lib. 1 Quae (que) se­quentis victoriae causa fuit, euery vi­ctory was the means of another con­quest: So euery smaller suggestion of Sathan becomes an instrument of a greater temptation. Had king Da­uid at the first beene perswaded to murder Vriah hee would haue said, what murder Vriah, my loyall sub­iect, my faithfull seruant? God for­bid, not for the one halfe of my kingdome. Yet after that hee had sinned with Bathsheba, adultry made way to cruelty. Sinnes are like the sores of the body, which at first are but vitious humours, then tumours, after that impostumate, and at last become vncurable. So the sores of sinne waxe greater and greater,Mortem parit immortalem. Chrys. in Psal. 6. Bern. de aduent. Ser. 6. Et in Cant. Serm. 15. till they breede and bring eternall death. And therefore Bernard doth very fitly call sinne morbum animae, and mortem animae, The soules sick­nesse, [Page 183] and the soules death. Thus as robbers put some little villaine into the house which sets open the dores to all the theeues: And as warri­ors by a smaller breach doe get into the besieged City, and then doe rob, and kill, and burne, and vtterly spoile it; So doth the diuell get entrance and aduantage of men by some smaller sinne, and preuaileth more and more till hee hath battered the foundation of their faith, dispoyled them of the rich ornaments of grace, and become euen Lord of the Soule.

If at any time you be cast downe by the temptations of the diuell (as alas who can alwaies stand) let him not keepe you downe. That is good counsell of our Sauiour,Reu. 2.4. Remember whence thou art fallen, repent and a­mend. The prodigall childe is set forth a patterne to this purpose, whoLuke 15: Ver. 18.21. said (and did what he said) that hee would rise and goe to his father, con­fesse [Page 184] his sinnes and craue pardon for the same. Redeat homo per quotidiana lamenta, vnde corruit per vana delecta­menta Aug. de temp. Ser. 182., saith Saint Austin. Let a man returne by daily lamentations, to that from whence hee is fallen by vaine delectations. Repentance is the onely stay that holds vs from fal­ling into hell. Repent therefore and proportion your Repentance accor­ding to your sinnes, like Manasses, who hauing caused the streetes of Ierusalem to flow with blood, made the prison in Babylon to runne with teares.Cyprian de Laps. Ser. 5. Alto vulnere diligens medi­cina non desit (saith Cyprian,) a deepe wound must haue a diligent cure. Thus let euery sinner rayse vp him­selfe by true and vnfayned Repen­tance, lest his slippes of infirmity be­come the fall of Apostasie.

Take heede of backsliding, reci­duation in sinne is no lesse dange­rous then a relapse in sicknesse. The bone oft broken will hardly be set; [Page 185] The tree thats oft transplanted will scarcely prosper. Hath Christ wash­edReuel. 1.6. thee in his blood? Cured thee with his stripes,Esa. 53.5. and healed thee with his wounds? hath he paid thy debts, cancelled the bond vpon the crosse, and set thee vp being aCol. 2.13. bank­rupt in grace? Returne not with the swine to wallow in thy filthy sinnes, let not the diuell wound thee againe by fresh bleeding iniquities, runne not into debt hy new transgressions, Yea sinne no more lest a worse thing happenIoh. 5.14. to thee.

Thus all sinnes are carefully to be auoided, yet some are more espe­cially to be shunned as hauing a spice of this dangerous disease, the sinne against the holy Ghost, and some duties likewise are more especially to be practised as meanes and mithri­dates against that wofull euill. A­mongst many I will obserue some in both kindes.

It is dangerous to sinne against [Page 186] knowledge, and more dangerous yet to sinne against the checks of con­science, but most dangerous to sinne against the motions of Gods blessed spirit. It is dangerous madnesse for the pilot to shut his eyes against the starres that should guide him. And such is the case of all those, who wil­fully put out the light of knowledge, and regard not the checks of consci­ence. The Lord tels Israel in the se­cond of Hosea, I will stop thy way with thornes, and so doth hee set the stings of conscience to stay the sinner, if it be possible, from his wicked courses, and fearefull is the neglect thereof. For he that regards not the cry of his sinnes to his conscience, shall sure­ly haue them crying to heauen a­gainst him for vengeance.

Take heede of scorning or vilify­ing the blessed word of God, espe­cially the Gospell of Peace. When men shall be angry with the word,1 Reg. 22.8. as Ahab was with Michaiah, because [Page 187] it reproues their corruptions, it is with them as our Sauiour saith,Ioh. 3.19.20. They hate the light because their workes are euill: and it argues their deformities, that they cannot abide to looke into the glasseIam. 1.23. which discouers them. When men doe thus disesteeme and shunne the Gospell of Christ, it is a shrewd signe that the same is no pardon of theirs, but rather their in­ditement. There are some who haue scarce three sentences of Scrip­ture, yet of those they haue no further vse, but to apply them prophanely in the midst of their vaine exercises. Let such take heede: We say it is not safe to make sport with edge tooles; but I am sure it is dangerous to iest with Gods sacred ordinances.

Oppose not your selues against any worke of grace, that is eminent in any of Gods seruants, or made e­uident to your Consciences by the word or workes of God. This was [Page 188] the fearefull sinne of many of the Iewes, who though they beheld the diuine power shining in the words and workes of Christ; yet did they oppose themselues against him, char­ging him in a blasphemous manner, to cast out Diuels by the helpe of Belzebub the prince of Diuels. And such were those whom the blessed and milde Martyr Saint Stephen takes vp so roundly, calling them stiffe necked, of vncircumcised hearts.

Take heede of inconstancy and wauering in your holy profession, as some doeHeb. 10.39. which withdraw them­selues to perdition. The Apostle here warnes vs that wee cast not away our confidence; and reason, for by itEph 6.16. wee quench the fiery darts of the Diuel. We should not be like De­mosthenes, who in the middest of the battell cast away his buckler inscri­bed with golden lettersPlutar. in vita Demost. [...], that is, good fortune: But rather [Page 189] imitate that worthy Thebane Epa­minondas, who being ready to ex­pire in his tent, enquired whether the enemy had got his target which fell from him in receiuing of a dead­ly wound: But it being preserued and presented to him,Iustin. lib. 7. Veluti laborum suorum gloriae (que) socium osculatus est: Hee kist it as the associate in his la­bours, and the companion of his ho­nours. Some send away Religion for a time, thinking to take it vp againe at their pleasure, but such oft times proue like Noahs Rauen, they houer and flutter vp and downe, but hard­ly returne into the Arke of the Church. There haue beene diuers malecontents amongst vs, who haue had their excursions, and reuolted to popery, but let those who are wan­dring returne with speede to the bo­some of their mother,Non perdit vis­c [...]ra via mater Eclesia. August. Hom. 27. Who hath not lost the bowels of compassion, except they haue lost all sence of grace. Let those that are returned be seriously [Page 190] humbled for this their reuolt, as for a fearefull sinne, and blesse God for their conuersion, as for a great mer­cy. And let euery one take heede of inconstancy in his holy profession, lest he become like Ecebolius, Socrates lib. 3. cap. 11. who as Socrates saith changed with euery Emperor, like the weather cock with euery winde; and as he beganne so hee liued and died an vnconstant man. If therefore your cogitations be neuer so little declining, stop the course of them whilst you haue meanes to recouer your selues, and make such a league with Religion as Elizeus made with Elias; As the Lord liueth, and as thy Soule liueth I will not leaue thee.

Take heede of presumptuous sinnes; For who would aduenture to take deadly poyson, though hee had the best mithridate in the world? [...]. Gal. 6.1. If a Christian shall be suddenly surpri­sed by Sathan, before hee can be­thinke himselfe of the nature or dan­ger [Page 191] of the sinne,Sam. 11.2. as Dauid was, when he was insnared with the beauty of Bathsheba, hee is to be pittied: But when a man shall immediately vpon the temptation runne to the mercy of GodRom. 2.4., abuse his patience, and say presumptuously within himselfe, like him in the PsalmePsal. 10. Ver. 6.Ver. 12. Tush, I shall neuer be cast downe. Tush, God hath forgotten, he hideth away his face and will neuer see it, his case is very dangerous. Therefore did the Prophet Dauid pray so earnestlyPsal. 19.13., Lord keepe thy ser­uant from presumptuous sinnes, lest they get the dominion ouer me, so shall I be innocent from the great offence. Surely beloued, he that auoydeth sinnes of presumption shall neuer fall into this haynous sinne of Apostasie.

Especially take heede of Malice and hatred. Malice against men is dangerous, but if it bend it selfe a­gainst the God of heauen, his ser­uants, or his sacred truth, it is damna­ble and odious, for it is peccatum Dia­bolicum, [Page 192] the Diuels proper & especi­all sinne.Augustin. I cannot better compare a man in this case, then to mount Aet­na, which hath the fire boyling and burning within it, and breakes forth sometimes suddenly into furious flames: For so when the fire of this malice shall boyle and burne in the heart of a man, it will quickly breake forth into the flames of blasphemy, as it appeareth in the practise of the malicious Iewes.

Honour the word of God, espe­cially the Gospell of Christ,Phil. 2.16. as the word of life,Rom. 1.16. as the power of God to saluation. Esteeme it and reioyce in it, as the wise men did in the starre which led them to Christ,Mat. 2.10. When they saw the starre they reioyced with an exceeding great ioy. When you heare or reade it, doe it with all reuerence, and receiue it as1 Thes. 2.13. the word of God, which worketh in them that beleeue, and being grafted in youIam. 1.21. is able to saue your Soules. Whatsoeuer you learne [Page 193] forth of the word, if it be a knowne truth, doe not wilfully reiect it, but willingly imbrace it, though it crosse your profits or your pleasures neuer so much. If wee be weake yet in no case let vs be wilfull.

What good lessons soeuer you learne, be carefull to put them in practise; God lookes that euery ta­lent should be employed to his glo­ry. Therefore let not your know­ledge swimme idly in your braines, like the heauens in their bare reuo­lutions, much lesse in their malevo­lent coniunctions, but see that it be fruitfull in your liues, like the hea­uens in their sweet influences. I haue read of a Pyrat who taking a vessell that was for Douer, and falling to rifle her, happened vpon a Bible, which when hee opened to see what booke it was, he light suddenly vp­on that precept, Thou shalt not steale, whereupon his heart was striken with remorse: But one of his com­pany [Page 194] taking notice of the accident, said in a desperate manner, Where­fore came we to sea then? and so cast the Bible ouer the bord. This was a fearefull putting out the light of knowledge, and neglect of an extra­ordinary admonition, which the of­fender did exceedingly bewaile at his death.

Looke to the sinceritie of your hearts; for the heart is the fountaine, and therefore it is necessary that it be kept pure and vncorrupted. Sick­nesse seazeth easily and dangerously vpon corrupt bodies, but those which by sobrietie and temperance are kept sound, cannot be so quick­ly infected.Cum viritim Athenienses ae­groturent. Aeli: va. Histo. lib. 17 As Aelian writes of So­crates, who retained his health when the Athenians were euery man sicke. So hypocrisie lets in this sinne rea­dily, but sinceritie keepes it out as carefully. The Apostle therefore admonisheth fitly in the third to the Hebrewes, Heb. 12.13. Take heede that there be [Page 195] not in you an euill and vnfaithfull heart to depart from the liuing God. And in the twelfth to the Hebrewes Heb. 3.12. he ex­horts; Make straight steps to your feet, least that which is halting be turned out of the way: shewing that a false heart voide of sincerity drawes away from God, and halting hypocrisie leads vs out of the way of life. Therefore whatsoeuer we professe, let it be in sinceritie; for commonly where re­ligion begins in hypocrisie, it ends in apostasie.

Cherish the feare of God: An aw­full and humble spirit is a singular blessing. Saint Cyprian saith well, Timor innocentiae custos, Cyprian. Epist. 2. Feare is a good keeper of innocencie. And Salomon saith,Prou. 14.27. The feare of the Lord is a well­spring of life to auoide the snares of death. This deadly sinne cannot haue accesse to that heart, where the feare of God resideth. For as the vaines that haue narrow passages, doe hardly receiue poison: So where [Page 196] the passages of your soules are straightned with a reuerend awe of the maiestie of God, you can neuer be infected with the poison of this blasphemy, which is euer accompa­nied with haughty pride. Therefore I may say with Salomon, Prou. 28.14. Blessed is the man that feareth alwayes, but he that hardeneth his heart shall fall into euill.

Be carefull to entertaine the mo­tions of Gods blessed spirit: For how can you with hope and comfort knocke at the doore of mercy, if you will not heare the spirit of God knocking at the doore of your hearts? What true ioy can your hearts haue, when you grieue the spirit of God by sending him away? and what know you, if you send him away, whether he will euer re­turne to you againe?

When you haue entertained the good motions of Gods spirit, be carefull to cherish them. Behold how [Page 197] our Sauiour rowseth vp the Church of Sardis in the third of the Reuelati­on: Reuel. 3.2. Be awake and strengthen the things which remaine, that are ready to dye. The Lord cannot abide any losse in these rich Iewels: And therefore Saint Paul exhorts,1 Thes 5.19. quench not the spirit; as the holy fire which came from heauen was carefully preser­ued in the Temple: So must you see that in your soules, the temples of the holy Ghost, his heauenly gra­ces be carefully cherished. Yea the Lord lookes for an improuement of his graces, according to the Apo­stles exhortation; Grow in grace, 2 Pet. 3.18. and in the knowledge of our Lord and Sauiour Iesus Christ.

Lastly,Ephes. 6. get the spirit of prayer and supplication, which is the spe­ciall part of the Apostles compleat armour.Magnum oratio propugnaculum. Chrys. Idem de orando Deum. lib. 2. This is a mighty fortresse against the assaults of Sathan; yea it is (saith Chrysostome) the life and si­newes of our soules. Prayer is an [Page 198] especiall meanes to inlighten the vn­derstanding with knowledge, and to water the heart with grace. Eu­sebius Euseb. hist. Ec­cles. 5.5. shewes that the Christians by Prayer obtained fulmen aduersus ho­stis, imbrem ad refocillandum exerci­tum: lightning against the enemie, and raine to refresh the armie. So be carefull daily and duely to power forth your prayers to God, and you shall be fortified against this and other sinnes; you shall be furnished with grace and established with the Lords free spirit for euer.

3. Here is matter of consolation for euery penitent heart; because Repentance is a most certaine super­sedeas, and euidence of freedome from this fearefull sinne, which if you haue obtained, though you haue wounded spirits, as Salomon Prou. 18.14. speakes; though your soules were subiect to a thousand Vlcers, as Chry­sostome Paulus eos cu­rauit qui sexcen­ta vlcera habe­bant, Chrys. in Philip. Hom. 4. saith, yet may I say of your sinnes as our Sauiour said of Laza­rus [Page 199] sicknesse,Iohn 11. they are not vnto death. For if they were, your hearts would be like the Anuile in beating backe the hammer of repentance. Onely this sinne doth distinguish betweene the sinnes of the elect and the repro­bate. There is no other into which the childe of God may not fall, but into this hee cannot. As the Lord said to Abimelech, Gen. 20.6. I kept thee that thou shouldest not sinne: So may I say truely, The Lord keepes all his seruants that they cannot fall into this sinne. Their spirituall building may by diuers temptations be sore shaken and battered, but the same can neuer be vtterly demolished, be­cause they haue laid their foundati­on vpon the vnmoueable rocke. Are there any here that would gladly be assured in their soules, that they are free from this sinne (as I know by ample experience, that tender hearts are apt to entertaine troublesome feares) hearken then vnto me, and I [Page 200] will giue you in a few words a most infallible direction for your assu­rance. Examine your selues, and search your hearts, if you haue faith to beleeue Gods promises, Repen­tance to bewaile your sinnes, assure your selues you are free, you are farre from the committing of this sinne against the holy Ghost. The force of faith our Sauiour shewes in the fift of Iohn, with a double asse­ueration for confirmation thereof.Iohn 5.25. Verily, verily I say vnto you, He that heareth my word, and beleeueth in him that sent me, hath euerlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation. August. in Psal. 205. Oppugnat dia­bolus▪ non ex­pugnat. He that gets the fort of faith shall be safe, as Saint Augustine saith; Sathan may assault him, he can neuer sub­due him. The woman with the bloudy issue may be a comfortable instance in this respect.Mark. 5.33. She came trembling, and said, If I may but touch the hem of his garment I shall be safe. It is good when the heart speaks [Page 201] rather then the tongue. But what said she? If I may but touch, a weake action, the hemme of his gar­ment, the remotest part, with a trem­bling hand, a feeble apprehension, yet saies shee, If I may doe this I shall be whole. So be you assured, that if you can lay hold vpon Christ Iesus, with the hand of a true faith, though it be feeble, vertue shall come forth of his wounds to cure the wounds of your soules, and the bloudy issue of your sinnes. When the man in the GospellMarke 9. brought vnto Christ his sonne possessed with a dumbe spirit, whom the Disciples could not cast out, he besought him thus, If thou canst doe any thing, Vers. 22. helpe vs, and haue compassion vpon vs. To whom our Sauiour answered, If thou canst beleeue, Vers. 23. all things are possible to him that beleeueth. If thou canst saith the poore man; nay, if thou canst saith our blessed Sauiour. If the man haue beliefe in Christ, then [Page 202] Christ hath reliefe for the man, and so may I say to you, beloued; If you haue grace to beleeue, then haue you not so sinned against grace and mercie, but that the Lord hath plen­tifull redemption for you in store. Christ Iesus himselfe cals you, the Church exhorts you, the spirit of God inuites you, to take the pardon for your sinnes and the pawne of your inheritance. The spirit and the spouse saith come, and let him that hea­reth say come, and let him that is a thirst come, and let whosoeuer will take of the water of life Reuel. 22.17. freely. Behold here is that Aqua coelestis, that whosoeuer tasteth of, hee shall neuer thirst any more; here is that Aqua Iohn 4.14. vitae, which whosoeuer takes and drinke he shall neuer see death, Yea though he were dead, yet shall it restore him to Iohn 11.25. life. Therfore I may say to euery Christi­an beleeuer, as our Sauior said to the woman os Canaan,Mat. 15.28. O woman great is thy faith; be it vnto thee as thou desirest.

But for as much as diuers delude themselues with a vaine conceit of that Faith they haue not, and others are dismaide because they doubt of their Faith which sometimes they feele not, therfore I must further ex­hort euery one of you to trie your hearts and examine your liues con­cerning your repentance. For that gracious promise shall euer be found yea and Amen. That hee which is soundly and seriously penitent, so that he turne away from his euill waies, hee shall not die but liue. Ezek. 18.22. Yea for the as­surance of this, you haue the Lords oath,Ezek. 33.11. As I liue saith the Lord, I de­light not in the death of a sinner.

Psal. 51.15. The sacrifices of God are a trou­bled spirit, a broken and a contrite heart, the Lord will not despise; It is [...] not a sacrifice, but sacrifices, because it is instar omnium, in stead of all, as Tremelius truely saith: Which when­soeuer we offer vp, the Lord smels a sauour of mercie and compassion, [Page 204] as he smelled a sauour of rest in the sacrifice ofGen. 8.21. Noah. O bring then this sacrifice to the Lords sacred Altar, and behold you shall alwaies finde the doore of his mercie open to receiue you, and the armes of his compassion stretched out to imbrace you, as the prodigall childe found at his returne, of whom Saint Am­brose saith, filius timet conuitium, pater adornat conuiuium. The sonne feared some sharpe reproofe, but the fa­ther prepared a dainty banquet. When Nathan reproued Dauid for his2 Sam. 24.10 sinnes, it is said that Dauids heart did scourge him: A fit Meta­phor to expresse the nature of Re­pentance, which is flagellum peccati, euen the scourge of sinne, which is flagellum animae, the scourge of the Soule. Doe your hearts smart and smite you, and are your Soules trou­bled for your sinnes? bee not dis­maide: For as the Angell troubled the Poole of Bethesda, for the curing [Page 205] of the diseased: So Gods blessed spi­rit of compunction hath beene with you and troubled your soules for your cure and consolation. To con­clude therefore, if all that I haue now spoken hath wrought in you an indignation and dislike of your selues, and a detestation and loathing of your sinnes, with an earnest and a resolute purpose to banish and a­bandon them: Then dare I be bold to pronounce that you are free from this sinne against the holy Ghost, yea, the God of heauen hath thereby sealed you a pardon for all your sinnes; Though they were as crimson, they shall be made white as snow, though they were red as skarlet, they shall be as white as Wooll. Which mer­cie that we may obtaine, let vs hum­ble our selues in Prayer.

The Harmonie.

AS skilfull Physitians doe so com­mixe their medicines, that whilst they comfort the stomacke, they may not inflame the Liuer; And as good builders will haue care, that in raising one part of the house, they doe not cast downe another: so doth worthy Nehemiah, (a singular pat­terne of piety and wisedome) in these his Petitions. For whilest he prepa­reth a cordiall anodyne, Remember me, O my God, concerning this, least the same might puffe him vp, hee mixeth with it this corroding pla­ster, Pardon me according to thy great mercy. Whilest he raiseth the Fort of his confidence, in the expectation of a blessed reward, he laies the foun­dation thereof vpon an humble con­ceit. Thus must we vnite our ver­tues in a golden chaine,2 Pet. 1.5. as Saint Pe­ter exhorteth, and see that our acti­ons [Page 214] doe symbolize, like the elements in compounded bodies, as the Phy­losopher speaketh. I may truely say of these two Petitions, that here is in them concordia discors; Yet like different ingrediences, they make a soueraigne medicine, like discordant notes in Musicke, they yeelde an excellent harmony, and consort with Dauids ditty in the hundreth and first Psalme,Psal. 101.1. I will sing of mercy and iudgement, to thee O Lord will I sing. For here is a straine of mercy, and a straine of iudgement, and both sung to the Lord. To come with the first straine alone, Remember mee, would suppose too much presump­tion; to come with the other onely Pardon mee, might argue a totall neg­lect of a Christian conuersation; but being both vnited they are like sweete flowers bound vp together, and yeelde a delicate smell, they are like the present carried by Iacobs Sonnes into Aegypt,Gen. 43.11. they finde gra­cious [Page 215] acceptance. Me [...] [...]re in dan­ger (saith Saint Augustine) sperando, Aug. Tract. 33. in Iohan. & desperando. Some fall by presump­tion, and some are cast downe by desperation; but here is a preser­uatiue against both that Scylla and Charybdis. It is Sathans vsuall pra­ctise, hauing himselfe passed through great extreames (as being cast down from heauen to hell, and changed from a glorious Angell to a dam­ned spirit) still to be labouring men to extreames,Zeph. 1.12. If hee cannot make them frozen in their dregges, like the Israelites, hee will seeke to pos­sesse them with too fierie spirits, as he did the Disciples,Luke 9.54. hee will either seduce men by precisenesse, euen to needelesse contention, or induce them to prophanenesse in a wicked conuersation; either worke them to loose behauior with the filthy Li­bertine, or to vaine ostentation with the vaunting Pharisee. But there is a golden meane to be kept betweene [Page 216] these extreames, and happy is hee, who with worthy Nehemiah can finde it. He that will saile safely, must aswell looke to the balase of his Ship, as to his sailes; Faith and Hope are the sayles, Feare and Re­uerence the balase of the soule. Faith hoiseth vp saile, and maketh forth for the prize, and price of the high calling, Phil. 3.14. calling for her reward, Remember me, O my God, concerning this; Feare and Reuerence doe moderate her pace, lest she dash a­gainst the rockes of presumption, and cryeth, Pardon me according to thy great mercy. Thus shall you see all Gods seruants sayling towards the hauen of eternall blisse, of whom Saint Paul is a notable president;Rom. 7.25. In my minde I serue the law of God, but in my flesh the law of sinne In my minde I serue the law of God, here commeth in, Remember me, O my God, concer­ning this. But in my flesh the law of sinne, here commeth in, Pardon me [Page 217] according to thy great mercy. As the vnregenerate man, being totally transported to vanitie and iniquitie, hath nothing to say but onely par­don me; so the most sanctified ser­uants of God, so long as they carry about this masse of corruption, ha­uing a double motion, like the lower spheares, the one of grace, the other of nature, as they haue some thing to aske reward for, so haue they something to craue pardon for. If therefore at any time your mindes be deiected with a sence of your frailties, get the testimony of a good conscience, that you haue seriously and sincerely inclined your selues to the seruice of God, so may you say with comfort, Remember me, O my God, concerning this: and if with the Swanne you begin to swell, in view­ing the feathers of your imperfect perfections, cast downe your eyes vpon the blacke feete of your many infirmities, and that shall make you [Page 218] say in humilitie, Pardon me according to thy great mercy. This, if you be the Lords seruants, will be the mixture of your actions; this, if you come into the Lords Court, must be the tenour of your Petitions.

The Precedencie.

AGaine, as these Petitions doe yeeld an excellent harmony, so must we note their natural Preceden­cy: First, Remember me, then pardon me. For euery one should indeuour a restraint of sinne, before the reme­dy, and propound to himselfe a re­ward of piety, before a pardon for infirmitie. We must first affect by our desires, and effect by our inde­uours, that which may imbolden vs to say, Remember me, O my God, concerning this; and then, wherein our fraile indeauours come too short of the marke, we may oppor­tunely supplicate the eternall Ma­iestie, [Page 219] with the Petition following, Pardon me according to thy great mer­cie. This is Saint Iohns method for holy conuersation, My little Babes, 1 Ioh. 2.1. these things I write vnto you that you sinne not: but if any man sinne, we haue an Aduocate, Iesus Christ the righteous. Here the first and fundamentall care of a Christian, must be to auoide the sinne, and onely after the surpri­zall, must he looke towards the Mer­cy seate, and haue recourse to the gracious Aduocate Christ Iesus. The carefull Physition wil rather vse pre­seruing antidotes to preuent a dis­ease, then healing medicines to cure it; the industrious sailer will rather indeuour to keepe the water out of the Ship, then labour to pumpe it out: So the discreet Christian must rather preuent the committing of an offence, then craue pardon for the committing of it, as Cato the Censor said of Aulus Albinus in Aulus Gel­lius, Aul Gell. noct. Att. lib. 11. ca. 8 he must rather forth of his indu­stry [Page 220] expect a reward with worthy Nehemiah, then forth of his negli­gence looke for an indulgence with the vnthrifty seruant,Mat. 25. Salomons coun­sell to a surety is fit for a sinner, If thou haue stricken hands with a stran­ger, Prou. 6.1. and art insnared, make haste to de­liuer thy selfe, but his method of safety is more notable,Pro. 17.18. Touch not the hand, become not surety for another. If sinne and Sathan haue ensnared thee, then free thy selfe by Repen­tance, but if thou be free, auoide the snare by preuention.Eccles. 21.2. First flye from sinne as from a Serpent, as the Sonne of Syrach exhorteth, but if thou hast taken this Serpent into thy hand, rest not till like Moses Serpent it be tur­ned into a rod againe, to scourge thy soule with remorse; But first (I say) flye from it,Pro. 14.27. That the feare of the Lord may be a well spring of life, to auoide the snares of death. Thus was A­dam fore-warned, that he might be fore-armed, not for cure, but for [Page 221] preuention. For hee had before his fall onely that commination as a de­fensitiue,Genes. 2.17. In the day that thou eatest thereof, thou shalt dye the death, and not till after his fall that consolation;Genes. 3.15. The seede of the woman shall bruise the head of the Serpent. Which maketh me to disclaime that conceit of lear­ned Zanchius, who supposeth, that Adam was cast into a sleepe,De oper. Dei. De creat. homi­nis. lib. 1. cap. 1. that so he might be informed concerning the spirituall marriage of Christ and his Church. For this had beene to discouer the remedy, before a sense of the miserie, and to offer an oc­casion of precipitation, rather then a meanes of preuention. The good Souldier, when he goeth into the field, hath his minde vpon wea­pons, not vpon wounds, and pro­poundeth to himselfe a reward of victorie by the hand of his Generall, rather then the benefit of cure by the hand of his Surgeon: so saith Saint Augustine, August. hom. 27. inter. 50. hostem praesentem [Page 222] euade; So doth Saint Paul, Ephes. 6. most amply and excellently stirre vp euery one that will be a Souldier in Christs Campe,Ephes. 6.11.17 to take vnto him the whole armour of God, to resist the Diuell, and to withstand his assaults, and so to manage the combate, that hee meditate nothing but the con­quest. It is one of Sathans especiall stratagems, to delude poore sinners with a preposterous course, perswa­ding them lo lift vp their eyes to the hand of mercy, to imbolden them to sinne, when they should behold the arme of Iustice, to preuent the offence. And, in truth, it is the worlds generall errour, whereby millions of Christians doe betray their soules into the hands of the Di­uell; whilest the fore-conceipt of re­mission is made by them a plaster of presumption; their accompt of impunitie is a path to impietie, and the hope of a pardon hindereth them from the expectation of a reward. [Page 223] For when they are tempted, Atten­dunt ad misericordiam, Aug. in Psa. 100 non timent iudi­ciam. They doe not consider what danger they incurre by yeelding, and what benefit they might haue by victory, but presently they think vpon Gods mercy; and they esteeme their sinnes, as Lot said of Zoar, Genes. 19.20. Is not this a little one, and my soule shall liue. They say with Naaman, euen before they come into the house of Rimmon, God be mercifull vnto me concerning this. 2 Reg. 5.18. Thus doe they looke vp to the brasen Serpent, before their soules haue beene stung with the fiery Serpent, and they adde presumption to their transgres­sion.

To conclude this point. Behold here, and detest the odious, and pre­posterous course of the Romanists, who giue Absolution vpon intended villanies, and grant pardons and in­dulgences for paines due to future sinnes. What is this (I pray you) [Page 224] but to open a gate and a gappe to all abhomination, and to giue poore soules free passage to hell? And ob­serue, I beseech you, this safe and sauing method; when you are temp­ted to sinne, set before you the wrath of God, which is like a fla­ming fire, and remember, that tri­bulation and anguish shall be vpon eue­ry soule that sinneth. Rom. 2.9. When you are drowsie in Gods seruice, thinke vp­on the blessed recompence of re­ward,Rom. 2.10. and consider that to them, Who by continuance in well-doing seeke glory, and honour, and immortalitie, shall be euerlasting life, that the one may be a happy retentiue from vice, the other a powerfull motiue to ver­tue. And be you assured of this, that he which will not apply the plaster of grace to preuent sinne, shall with more difficulty obtaine the salue of mercy to cure it; he that hath not indeuoured to bring something into the Lords Exchequer for his re­ward, [Page 225] shall hardly finde fauour in his Court of Requests, for the ob­taining of a pardon. And so much for the Connexion of these words.

The Subiect.

REmember me. When almighty God appeared, and spake to the Israelites vpon mount Sinai, as we reade in the twentieth of Exodus, Exod. 10.19. they being not able to indure that manifestation of his Maiesty, desired the ministery of man. The same in­firmity which changed the ministe­ry, changed also the stile of the Al­mighty, according to that in the sixt to the Romanes, I speake to you after the manner of men, Rom. 6.19. because of the weakenesse of your flesh. As the Nurse speaketh to her little Babes in an In­fants language, so doth almighty God speake to vs, not hauing so much regard to strict proprietie, as [Page 226] our shallow capacity, vsing such phrases as this, of his forgetting, cal­ling to his remembrance, and the like, infinite places throughout the passages of sacred Scripture: of which kinde of speeches Chrysostome saith well, If we consider the eternall Maiestie, indignum fuisset hoc verbum: this speech had beene vnfit, but if we remember our infirmity, Apposite est dictum, it was spoken very fitly. The works of God are incompre­hensible, therefore the holy Ghost speaketh to vs of earthly matters in humane phrases, wherewith wee are acquainted, to acquaint vs with hea­uenly, from which we are estranged. It is enough that the patient receiue cure, though he conceiue not the property of euery ingredience in his medicine; If we be made partakers of the influence of grace, it is well for vs, though we know not the na­ture of euery diuine constellation; If God doe so remember vs, that he [Page 227] doe vs good, let him expresse it in what phrase he will, let him effect it by what meanes he will: wee must acknowledge his wisdome, and re­ioyce in his fauour. Men, when they remember their friends, will doe them good, God when he doth his friends good, is said to remem­ber them. For as in the worke of creation, there went with Gods dixit his benedixit, and with his ordinauit his ornauit, so in the administration of all things with his remembrance, there goeth a Recompense, and with his regard a Reward. But what? is obliuion incident to that all-seeing and all-searching spirit, who is able, euen vno actu, in one instant, to take exact and perfect notice of euery obiect, action, and cogitation in the world? Hath God forgotten to be gracious? must he be put in minde of his seruants, that Nehemiah here saith, Remember me? Nothing lesse; for though a woman should forget the [Page 228] childe of her wombe, (which is so vn­naturall, that it is almost impossible,) yet will not God forget his children. Esay 49.15. If all kindenesse and compassion were lost in Women, Men and Angels, yet might it be found in our graci­ous God.Plini hist. nat. lib. 7. cap. 24. Cyrus in Plinie is famous for his strength of memory, being able to call all his Souldiers by their names; but what is that to the ex­act and infinite memory of almigh­ty God,Psal. 147.4. Who telleth the number of the Starres, and calleth them all by their names? This faculty euen in Angels, compared with God, is but as a Star, in Man as a Candle to the glorious Sunne. Yea, what proposition is there betweene things finite and in­finite? When King Assuerus could not sleepe, he caused the Chroni­cles to be turned ouer, where hee found the good seruice of Mar­dochai recorded,Hest 6.1. and hee rewarded it.Psol 121. Behold, hee that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor fleepe. He [Page 229] keepeth a Register,Malach. 3.16. and a booke of Remembrance is written before him, for them that feare the Lord. And in this Chronicle, all our good seruice, euen euery action of obedi­ence is recorded, that it may be re­warded. When men are carefull to remember any thing, they vse to put some ring, or some such other thing vpon their finger, or by some such other meanes to reuiue and relieue the memory: so the Lord doth graue his children vpon the palmes of his hands, Esa. 49.16. that hee may not forget them. And in this sence doth Cassio­dorus expound that place in the eight of the Canticles,Cant. 8.6. Set me as a seale vp­on thy heart, & a signet vpon thine arme. Behold, such actions and attributes are ascribed to almighty God, not that he needes any thing to assist his infinite memory, but all this is to in­lighten our shallow conceipt, and to help our great infirmitie;Phil. 4.6. and there­fore whereas S. Paul biddeth vs in all [Page 230] things make knowne our case to God: S. Augustine Aug. Epist. 121. by way of explicatiō, saith, Non Deo, sed nobis, Not so much to in­forme God concerning our wants, as to confirme our selues in expectation of a supply. Thus the remembrance of Gods carefull remembrance must yeeld vs comfort, and the medita­tion of his gracious fauour, should be a check to our diffidence, a prop to our confidence, and a motiue to obedience. Doth God graue vs vpon his hands, set vs as a seale vpon his heart, and a signet vpon his arme, and yet we doubt whether hee doth remember vs? Doth God take no­tice of the Israelites grieuances in Aegypt?Exod. 3.9. Doth he looke vpon them through the pillar of fire;Exod. 14.24. and whilst they are marching, is marshalling their affaires, making the sea a Gal­lery, and the clowdie pillar a Cano­pie vnto them, and yet wee doubt whether he doth regard vs? How iustly doe we incur that waighty re­proofe [Page 231] of the Disciples,Mat. 6.30.8.26 O yee of little faith? How worthily doe wee de­serue to be stiled with the Israelites, A faithlesse generation? Psal. 78.9. But let vs looke vp to the eye of Gods proui­dence, and the hand of his prote­ction; let the Remembrance of his care be the Center of our Confi­dence, and let vs euermore cast forth the holy Anchor of our constant hope in this faire hauen. If we be like the wounded man by the high way side, whom neither Priest nor Leuite regarded,Luke 10. like poore Lazarus at the rich mans gate,Luke 16. whom no man remembred, or like the lame man at the poole of Bethesda, whom no man relieued; Yet let vs remember,Iohn 5. that Christ Iesus is our gracious remem­brancer in heauen.Luk. 23.42, 43 Lord remember me when thou commest into thy king­dome, saith the penitent Theefe; This day thou shalt be with me in Paradise, saith our blessed Sauiour. Behold, he that had not one word of defence [Page 232] for himselfe, or rebuke for his ene­mies, hath a comfortable answere for a distressed Soule. When Laza­rus was sicke, as we reade in the ele­uenth of Iohn, Ioh. 11.3. his sisters sent to our Sauiour this message, Behold he whom thou louest is sicke; Aug. in Ioan. Tract. 49. Non dixerunt veni (saith S. Augustine) amanti tantummo­do nunciandum fuit: They needed not to desire his presence, or craue reliefe, it was sufficient to relate their wants, because Christ loued Laza­rus. Iude verse 21. Let vs keepe our selues in the loue of God, as Saint Iude exhorteth, then let our prayers be our messengers to heauen, and we shall finde that wee are not forgotten. If we be not pre­sently relieued, let vs not feare that we are vtterly neglected, distulit sana­re vt posset resuscitare (as Saint Au­gustine saith) Christ deferred to restore Lazarus to health, because hee ment to raise him vp from death. Gods su­spending of his present fauour, is commonly the preparing of a greater [Page 233] blessing; O tarry the Lords leasure then, waite patiently with Noah: so shall your prayers, sent forth of a sanctified heart, return from heauen with a comfortable eccho vnto your souls, like Noahs Doue with an oliue branch into the Arke.Iob. 1. Doth Iob serue God for naught? saith Sathan, why no, nor shall any else. Let vs bring in our bills into his Court, and wee shall receiue present pay: Christ hath it ready in his hand; Be­hold (saith he) I come shortly, Reuel. 22.12. and my reward is with me, to giue euery one ac­cording to his workes. Bellarmine in his fift booke De iustificatione and eight Chapter, picketh a needelesse quarrell against Caluin: Negare vide­tur operandum esse intuitu mercedis. Caluin (saith hee) seemeth to deny that the view of reward should stirre vs vp to good workes, but this is a most iniurious imputation: For Cal­uin onely denieth, that the view of the reward should be our principall [Page 234] motiue to good workes, which is most true. For the glory of God must be the primum mobile of our o­bedience. The sanctified Christian would serue God (though not so chearefully) albeit no reward were promised, though none were pro­pounded. As light substances by a certaine naturall property doe as­cend, whereas ponderous doe de­scend; so the seruants of God being made partakers of the diuine nature (as Saint Peter speaketh) haue as it were,2. Pet. 1.4. a naturall inclination to di­uine actions.Rom. 8.14. Those that are ledde by the spirit of God, can runne the way of Gods commandements. Psal. 116.32. Quantò purius & coelo vicinius elementum, tanto magis obedit motui coeli. The purer and neerer to the heauens the Element is, the more doth it incline to the motion of the heauens: So the nearer we come to the nature of God, the more propens­ly are wee inclined to the motions of his blessed spirit. If our sanctification were as totall as it is vniuersall, wee needed not so much as the Cords of Hos. 11.4. [Page 235] men, euen the bands of loue to leade vs, much lesse the thunder-bolts of Gods iudgements to terrifie vs; but the same being onely in part, though in euery part, we haue need of Gods two spurres, Promises and Threat­nings, to excite vs. Further, may it please you to obserue, that (Whatso­euer our condition be) it is not vnlawfull in the actions of obedience, whilest wee seeke the aduancement of Gods glory, to haue an eye to our owne e­ternall comfort: As here Nehemiah whilest he remembreth God in sin­cere obedience, desireth God to re­member him by a gracious recom­pense: For diuers subordinate cau­ses may concurre with the principall as so many entertayses with the maine posts, in supporting the house. Moses that excellent seruant of God looked to the recompence of the reward. Heb. 11.24. Saint Paul proposed to himselfe,2. Tim. 4. The Crowne of righteousnesse. Yea our blessed Sauiour had an eye to the [Page 236] glory that was set before him. Heb. 12.2. How much more then had wee neede of the view of reward, that the same may be as a hand to winde vp the plummets, and to continue the mo­tion of our obedience.Qui arat, arat vt metat; qui pugnat, pugnat vt vincat, &c. Chrysost. op. im­perf. hom. 42. 1. Cor. 9.10. Chrysostome saith very well to this purpose, allu­ding to Saint Pauls words, There­fore doe we sow that we may reape, fight that we may conquer, and conquer that we may be crowned.

Thus is it lawfull both at the end and entrance of our workes to ex­pect and call for our reward, at the hands of our gracious God, to whom we haue tendred our seruice, as here Nehemiah doth, saying. Remember me, O my God.

The Obiect.

Psal. 123.O My God] Behold, as the eyes of seruants looke to the hands of their Masters, so doe the faithfull looke vp to the Lords hand of direction, and [Page 237] benediction.Exod. 29. The Cherubins still doe cast their eyes vpon the Mercy seate, and their Elogium is,Psal. 103. ye Angels that doe his will: Yea, Christ himselfe pro­fesseth that hee came not to doe his owne will, but the will of God, and to finish his worke. Thus sanctified men,Iohn 4. & 6. the glorious Angels, and the most blessed Sonne of God, doe all teach vs to tender our seruice to God, and to consecrate our actions to his glo­ry. As the heauens in their circular course returne to the same point, where they beganne. As created sub­stances resolue into their materiam primam, out of which they were fra­med, and as the riuers returne, pay­ing tribute to the Ocean, whence they receiued their streames: so all our gracious actions must beginne in God, and end in him; as they flow from the Fountaine of his Grace, so must they fall into the O­cean of his glory, according to the A­postles conclusion in the eleuenth to [Page 238] the Romans,Rom. 11. vlt. Of him, and through him, and for him are all things: to him be glo­ry for euer, Amen.

The Lord is the soules Center (without whom shee is like Noahs Doue without rest) and his glory must be the vltimus terminus of our cogitations and actions.Mat. 5.16. Therefore must our light shine before men, that they may see our good workes, and glorifie our heauenly Father. So shall he who is the Creator and Center of the Soule, be also the rewarder of the same, honouring vs whilest we ho­nour him.

All our seruice is lost, which with the Pharisees wee tender onely to men, but that shall obtaine an im­mortall reward which is consecrated to God, who will answere our hum­ble Petition with that gracious re­muneration,Mat. 25.23. Euge bone serue, Well done thou good and faithfull seruant, enter into thy masters ioy. The due consideration of this, maketh [Page 239] Nehemiah stand forth, and offer his Petition to the Lord, not timerously quasi Elephanto stipem, Sueton. in vita Aug. Caesaris. Cap. 53. as Augustus Caesar said, but with singular confi­dence, claimes an especiall interest in Gods fauour, saying not onely, O God, but O my God. But may I not take vp Saint Pauls demaund;Rom. 3.29. Is God the God of the Iewes onely? Is he onely Nehemiahs God? Will hee ingrosse Gods fauour to himselfe alone? Chry­sostome answereth this very well,Chrys. in Genes. Hom. 39. The seruants of God (saith he) speake thus, Non concludentes eius Dominium, sed a­morem amensum declarantes: They doe not hereby confine Gods boundlesse soueraignty, but rather expresse his ex­ceeding loue and mercy. This is the v­suall tenour of Saint Pauls gratula­tions throughout his Epistles,Rom. 1.8. 1 Cor. 1.4. Phil. 1.3. I thanke my God. By which affixe he plainely sheweth, that his hope is firmely fixt in God. Thus doth Da­uid in many places, but especially in the two and twentieth Psalme, where [Page 240] he doth ingeminate the Phrase, as it were doubling his files, crying out, My God, Psal. 22.1. My God, why hast thou forsa­ken me? Chrys. vbi supr. Yea, thus all the seruants of God, as Chrysostome saith, doe forth of their zealous affection appropriate God to themselues; and reason. For though all the world be the Lords vassals, yet is he the God of the faith­full in a three-folde speciall respect, as the Schoole-man saith.Aquin. super Rom. 1. 1 First, secun­dum specialem curam, Secondly, se­cundum specialem cultum, Thirdly, secundum speciale praemium. Secundum specialem curam, In respect of his e­speciall care and prouidence,Psal. 34.15. For the eyes of the Lord are vpon the righ­teous, and his eares are open vnto their prayers. Genes. 19. When fire and brimstone turned Sodome and Gomorrah into ashes, the Lord deliuered righteous Lot.Exod. 9.23. When the dreadfull fire & haile did burne and batter Aegipt in the land of Goshen, in the habitation of Israel there was no hayle. When the [Page 241] general deluge made the world a fish-poole,Gen. 6.8. Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. Loe, thus shall the man be blest whom God will fauour. 2 Secun­dum specialem cultum, In respect of their especiall homage and religious seruice they doe to God.August. Retract. lib. 1. cap. 13. For Reli­gio, (as Saint Augustine, after Lactan­tius retracting his owne etymon, saith) is a religando, because it is the bond of that mutuall league betwixt God and Man, I will be their God, Ierem. 31.1. and they shall be my people. In this sence God is called the God of Abra­ham, and the God of Israel; God choo­seth to himselfe the man that is godly. As for the wicked,Psal. 4.3. and workers of iniquity, who make their chests their Temples, their backs their Altars, their bellies their Gods, that they may sacrifice vnto the same their Pride, their Couetousnesse and Lux­ury, the Lord will professe concer­ning them.Mat. 7.23. Depart from me I know ye not. Secundum speciale praemium, 3 In [Page 242] respect of his especiall reward; for so he saith to Abraham, of whom he had made an especiall choyse, Ego sum merces tua admodum ampla, Genes. 15.1. I am thy exceeding great reward. Well might the Lord call his reward mul­tam & valdè multam, Chrysost. in Gen. hom. 36. exceeding much and many, as Chrysostome saith:Psal. 34.10. For they that feare God want nothing that is good. Whether it be Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the World, or Life, or Death▪ Whether it be things present, 1 Cor. 3.22.23 or things to come, they are all yours, because you are Christs, and Christ is Gods. Seeing then that God is the God of the faithfull, in these especiall respects, let euery faithfull Christian in especiall man­ner apply God to himselfe, and say with Thomas in the twenti­eth of Iohn, Iohn 20.28. My Lord and my God. This particular application the Ro­manists cannot abide, they count it vaine presumption, and why? be­cause men of all sorts, though very [Page 243] different in conuersation, will ap­propriate God to themselues, when some of them must needes be decei­ued. Their argument is like this, Fooles and mad men may be decei­ued in apparant truths, therefore wise and iudicious may. The Fran­tique Athenian was ready to arrest for his owne euery ship that arriued, therfore no sober minded Merchant knew his owne. If our expectation of reward were grounded vpon me­rits, as the Papists is, we might iustly stagger as they doe,Nemo absque re­uelatione certò scire potest se habere vera me­rita. Bellar. de Iustific. lib. 5. cap. 7. (for Bellarmine confesseth, that no man without espe­ciall reuelation, can be sure that he hath true merits:) but for as much as our hope hath her dependance vpon Gods mercy, and Christs merits, we may without wauering approach be­fore the throne of grace, Rom. 8. and cry Abba Father. Surely I should the lesse meruaile at this Romish doctrine,Bellarm de Pur­gat. lib. 2. cap. 4. if Bellarmine and other Papists did not teach, that the soules in Purgatory [Page 244] haue an infallible certainty of their sal­uation. Rhem. Annot. in Apoc. 14. For, admitting a Purgatory, no probable, no possible reason can be giuen, how they should come by this certainty, except they be more beholding for the same to the infer­nall spirits, then they haue beene to their wretched teachers. But lea­uing them to their vanities, let vs finde by a diligent scrutiny, that we haue the spirit of God witnessing with our spirits, Rom. 8.16. that we are the sonnes of God, as the Apostle speaketh. For then may we say with Saint Augu­stine, Augustin. Psal. 32. Dicat anima mea, Deus meus es tu, qui dicit animae meae salus tua sum. Seeing that God saith to my soule: I am thy saluation, let my soule reflect vpon God againe, and say thou art my God. Seeing that Christ hath made vs a plaster of his precious bloud, let vs apply the same to our wounded soules; seeing he hath procured our pardon, let vs get it vnder the great seale of his blessed Spirit; This is [Page 245] his will, who hauing giuen vs the le­gacy of eternall life by his last Testa­ment, would haue the same seueral­ly transcribed by the preaching of the word, and particularly sealed to vs by the blessed Sacrament. Be­leeue me my brethren, It is no con­fused apprehension of Gods mercy, that can yeelde any sound comfort. But as when Elizeus applyed his eyes to the childes eyes, his hands to his hands, 2 Reg. 4. and his mouth to his mouth, then the childe reuiued. So the particular applicati­on of Christs merits hath life in it, it reuiueth our dead soules, and re­lieueth our daunted spirits. Hence we haue the benefits of protection, of benediction, of consolation; Christ Iesus sendeth that message to vs, Goe to my brethren, and say vnto them, Ioh. 20.17. I send to my Father and to your Fa­ther, to my God and to your God. We make our boast of God all the day long. Psal. 44.9. Yea, hence it is that wee approach with boldnesse into his glorious pre­sence, [Page 246] calling for the reward of our obedience with Nehemiah; Remember me, O my God, concerning this.

The Motiue.

COncerning this] That is in the hypothesis, concerning the ob­seruation and sanctification of the Sabbath, a matter of singular mo­ment, a duetie of great necessitie. The foure Commandements of the first Table are most diuine, like the foure streames in Paradise, whereof this is the last, but not the least, like Ioseph, who being the youngest, pro­uided for his elder brethren. For so is this present fourth Commande­ment a meanes of the better obser­uation of the three precedent. It standeth betweene the two tables, like the sensus communis, betweene the externall and internall senses, and is seruiceable to both. I may truely say, that where the Sabbath [Page 247] is not sanctified, there is neither a sound Religion, nor a Christian con­uersation to be expected. How God esteemeth the strict sanctification of the Sabbath, may appeare by the exact deliuery of the Commande­ment. For he hath fenced it about like mount Sinai,Exod. 19.12. with her markes and bounds at the deliuery of the law, that no prophanenesse might approach neare vnto it. First, by his watch-word, Remember; Second­ly, by his bountie, Sixe dayes thou shalt labour, and doe all that thou hast to doe. Thirdly, by his soueraigne­ty, It is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God. Fourthly, by the latitude, Thou, thy Sonne, thy Daughter, thy Man-seruant, thy Maide-seruant, the Stranger that is within thy gates, must sanctifie it. Fiftly, by his example, The Lord rested the seauenth day. Lastly, by his benediction, He bles­sed and sanctified it. The sixe markes are like the sixe water-pots in the [Page 248] second of Iohn, Fill them vp to the brimme with a holy obseruation, then draw out and carry to the Ma­ster of the Feast, euen to Iesus Christ, the Lord of the new Sabbath. Re­member, I say, to sanctifie the Lords Sabbath, and then may you say with confidence, Remember me, O my God, concerning this. Yea, the same shall be vnto you a pledge of the eternall Sabbath in the Kingdome of hea­uen, which shall be a day without euening, and shall yeelde you rest without labour, and ioy without ending.

When Almighty God had made the heauens and earth, hee placed Men and Angels in the same as his Tennants, to bring him in the rent of obedience: And though wee be much impouerished in our spirituall estate, and the graces of God con­fiscate through Adams fall, we must euery one of vs bring in something to the Lords Exchequer, like the Is­raelites [Page 249] to the Tabernacle, of which we may say, Remember me, O my God, concerning this. Genes. 22. When Abraham went to sacrifice Isaac vpon mount Moriah; When Moses forsooke the pompe of Pharaohs Court to sustaine affliction with Gods people;Heb. 11. 1 Reg. 18. When Obadiah hid and relieued the Lords Prophets; When Iob Iob 31. caused the loynes of the poore to blesse him; When Mary Magdalen washed our Sauiours feete,Luke 7. and wipte them with the haires of her head, euery one of these had whereof he might say, Re­member me, O my God, concerning this. Yea,Mat. 10.42. he that giues but a cup of cold wa­ter for Christs sake, may looke for his reward: Behold what comfort shi­neth from hence to you Fathers and Brethren, who haue spent your strength in the seruice of God, and the conuersion of sinners,Dan. 12.3. great is your reward in heauen; You shall shine as Starres in the firmament for euer and euer.

What shall become of those vile wretches, who haue deuoted them­selues to all villanies, and euen sold themselues to worke wickednesse? These may conclude the acting of their wicked designes, withoutSo Tremel. doth well tran­slate [...] Prou. 1.11. impunè. dread or danger of punishment, as it is in the first of the Prouerbs; but assured­ly all their foule acts must be remem­bred, and their impieties punished. As the Prayers and Almes of Corne­lius did pearce the heauens for a bles­sed reward,Acts 10.4. so the pride and luxury of Sodome did cry out thither for a dreadfull reuenge.Gen. 18.20. Aswell the stony hearted men that scoft at Christ, as the tender hearted women that wept for him, aswell those that buffetted him, as those that embalmed him, aswell he that spat in his face, as shee that powred the boxe of oyntment on his head, shall be remembred, the one indeede to their endlesse honor, the other to their perpetuall shame and contempt. Yea, those that with [Page 251] the vnfruitfull seruant haue hid their talents:Mat. 25.25. those that haue beene such niggards vnto their owne soules, that they haue not prepared some accep­table seruice to present the Lord withall, whereof they might say, Re­member me, O my God, concerning this, euen concerning this they shall be remembred; For the Lord shall say of them, take and binde that vnpro­fitable seruant, and cast him into vtter darkenesse; hee shall say to them as Abraham said to Diues; Luke 16. Sonne remem­ber that thou hast in thy life time recei­ued thy pleasure; Now ne guttam, August. qui ne micam; Thou which wouldest not giue one crumme of bread to relieue poore Lazarus, shalt not haue one drop of water to coole thy tongue. Many there are who by carnall proiects, as building and purchasing for their posteritie, thinke to make their hou­ses famous, and their memories e­ternall, as Dauid well obserueth.Psal. 49.11. These are like Nero, of whom the [Page 252] Historian saith;Sueton. in vita Neron. cap. 55. Erat ei aeternitatis perpetuae (que) famae cupido, sed inconsulta; He did affect eternall fame, but he tooke no wise course to effect it. It is like Dauids censure in the thirteenth Verse of that Psalme, This their way vttereth their foolishnesse. And no meruaile, for God dealeth with them as the Ephesians dealt with Erostra­tus, who would be famous by bur­ning the Temple of Diana; As they enacted a law, that no man should speake of Erostratus; so almighty God enacteth a law of obliuion against these carnall minded men, their memoriall perisheth for euer. This land did once so ouer-flow with charity to the Church, that the statute of Mortmaine came in, like the Riuers Euphrates and Tigris to Babylon, Ita Iunius in Ge­nes. 2. Solini er­rorem corrigens. to preuent the rankenesse of the soyle. But there came a time, when that statute repealed was, like Nilus set at liberty for the watering of Aegypt. Though bleare-eyed Leah [Page 253] be more fruitfull then beautifull Rachel, Superstition commonly more sumptuous then true Religi­on? yet if you consider the Hospi­tals, Grammer Schooles, our ad­mirable Library, our Colledges buil­ded, enlarged, and augmented with indowments, and other workes of charitie, since the light of the Go­spell, blessed be God, we may well say that Gedeons fleece hath beene watered aswell as his floore.Iudg. 6. Our age hath yeelded gracious Dorcases, who haue beene full of good workes and almes-deedes: Acts 9. and worthy Cen­turions, who haue loued our nation, Luk. 7. and builded vs Synagogues. All these instruments of Gods glory may come with comfort into the Lords Exchequer, and for euery one of their worthy acts, may say, Remem­ber me, O my God, concerning this. Though some, perhaps, will be rea­dy to mutter forth with Iudas, Iohn 12.4. quor­sum haec profusio? What needeth this [Page 254] waste? Yet others, I trust, will say with Iacob, Genes. 17. sit vp and eate of my ve­nison, that thy soule may blesse me. Sure­ly our soules shall euer blesse these worthies; both present and succee­ding ages shall eternize their memo­rable acts, so long as the Gospell is preached here amongst vs, which (I trust shall be so long as the world standeth.Mat. 26.13.) This which they haue done shall be spoken for a memoriall of them; as our Sauiour said concerning the Woman with the boxe of ointment. Their name is like a good ointment (as Salomon saith) the sweete perfume whereof, when they are gone forth of the roome of this present world, shall be fresh and redolent, euen to the children yet vnborne. Yea, when timber, stones, and bookes shall all be worne and dissolued, the bookes of heauen shall be opened, Reuel. 20.12. where all their monuments of charity are writ­ten in a most indeleble Character, and shall be recompenced with an [Page 255] vnualuable reward, euen an eternall crowne of glory.

And all you who heare me at this day, let my counsell be acceptable vnto you; get something, for which the Lord may remember you, and the remembrance whereof may be a comfort to you at the houre of death, prouide with Ioseph in the time of plenty against the day of scarsity;Iohn 9. the night commeth when no man can worke. Be of Vlysses minde in Euripides,Eurip. in Hecu­ba. [...]; Let me see my tombe honoured whilest I am aliue. Rom 12.1. 2 Cor. 9.7. God loues a liuing sacrifice, and a cheare­full giuer. Thinke with Titus Vespa­an you haue lost that day, wherein you haue not done some good. O what a blessed houre shall that be, wherein your soules shall expire with Hezekias words, I beseech thee, O Lord, Esay 38.3. remember how I haue walked before thee in truth, and with a perfect heart, and haue done that which is good [Page 256] in thy sight? Then may you say with Deborah, Iudg. 5.21. O my soule, thou hast marched valiantly. Yea, then may you say with Dauid, Psal. 116.7. returne vnto thy rest, O my soule, for the Lord hath rewarded thee. Death is the worlds strict doore-kee­per, and will see, that as you brought nothing into the world, 1 Tim. 6.7. so you shall car­ry forth nothing againe. Yet can he not hinder you from that happi­nesse which the Oracle of heauen hath proclaimed,Reuel. 14.13. Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord, they rest from their labours, and their workes follow them. Consider I beseech you, that onely your good workes, will be your companions to heauen, They shall be your honour in life, your com­fort in death, and your crowne at the last Resurrection: And so much for the first Petition.

The second Petition. 1. The matter of it.

PLutarch and diuers other Histo­rians report of Manlius Torqua­tus, that when his sonne Manlius, Plutarch in vita Quint. Faebij. Max. contrary to his Edict, had valiantly encountred, and slaine an enemie, he first crowned him for his valour, and then beheaded him for his diso­bedience. So standeth the case be­tweene God and vs; whilest he seeth something in vs which may be re­warded, he findeth something also which deserueth to be punished. As Saint Augustine saith,Aug. in psal. 100 Nisi Deus per misericordiam parceret, non inueniret quos per iustitiam coronaret: Except God should spare vs in mercy, he should finde none whom he might crowne in iustice. This maketh Nehemiah, when he hath cryed out, Remember me, O my God, concerning this, to adde this next Petition, And pardon mee [Page 258] according to thy great mercy. Desiring not to be Rewarded with young Manlius in strictnesse of iustice, but as Dauid prayeth,Psal. 103.4. to be crowned with mercy and louing kindnesse. If thou dost well shalt thou not be accepted, Genes. 4.7. saith the Lord to Kain? Or as Tre­melius translateth it, Nònne erit re­missio, shalt thou not be pardoned? The Hebrew word yeeldeth both signifi­cations, [...] the present text doth chal­lenge both; For Gods Remission and his Remuneration, like Mercy and Truth must meete together, Psal. 85.10. like Righteousnesse and Peace they must kisse each other. According to that of Am­brose, Ambros. lib. 7. in Luc. Arbiter omnium dedit & pietati praemium, & infirmitati remedium, The Iudge of all the world hath prouided both a reward for piety, and a remedy for infirmity. Thus Daniel commeth into the Lords Court, where hauing deepely deplored the Israelites mise­ry, and earnestly implored the Lords mercy, hee knitteth vp his Petition [Page 259] in this manner:Dan 9.18. We doe not present our supplications before thee (O God) for our owne righteousnesse, but for thy great tender mercies. Thus Iob da­reth not stand to his tryall at the barre of Gods Iustice,Iob 9.15. but will call for a Psalme of mercy, and will sup­plicate his iudge. Infinite are the places, throughout the passages of sacred Scripture, where the most sanctified seruants of God doe con­fesse their infirmities, disclaime their merits, and appeale to Gods mercies; and reason. For as S. Augustine saith, Woe to the most laudable life of men, if it be examined in strictnesse of iustice. Suppose (beloued) we be not con­scious to our selues of any grosse sinnes; that wee haue neyther the crying sinnes of the Sodomites, Genes. 18. nor the crimson sinnes of the Israelites, Esa. 1. Act. 8. nor the bitter sinnes of Simon Magus; Yet a­las many are the infirmities of our soules, many the deformities of our liues, yea many are our secret sinnes. [Page 260] In our best actions we scatter many imperfections, and still we faile, ey­ther in the end, the matter, or man­ner, or measure of our obedience. So that if our best actions should come to a strict tryall, Lord, how ignorant would our knowledge be found? How froward our pati­ence? How superficiall our Repen­tance? How proud our Humility? How wauering our Hope? How fraile our Faith? How cruell our Mercies? Wee may well say with Dauid, Psal. 130.3. If thou, O Lord, be extreame to marke what is done amisse, who can be able to stand? Vtique illud quis nul­lus est, Chrys. in ps. 130. saith Chrysostome, Surely, that who, is no body at all. Iob indeede in the vehemency of passion desireth to dispute his case with God;Iob. 23.4. but vp­on cold blood God biddeth him gyrd vp his loynes, and arme himselfe with arguments. Iob. 40.2. For he knoweth that Iob is not able to answere one of a thousand, but must come into the [Page 261] Lords Court of Requests with this Petition. Pardon me according to thy great mercy.

Pardon me] The Hebrew word Vecusah; being deriued of Casah, [...] of [...] to hide, doth very well expresse the manner and nature of our pardon. For according to the vse of the word in the sacred Scriptures, it may haue reference eyther to Gods eye or his Act; His Eye, and then it noteth his conniuence, like that in the seauen­teenth of the Acts. [...].Act. 17.30. God winked at. His Act, and then it implyeth the couering of our sinnes, with the mantle of Christs merits;Psal. 32.1. and both import an absolute par­don, without relation, to merit, pu­nishment, or satisfaction; and in­deede it is as oposite to them, as the two tropicks are to another, as con­trary as Fire is to Water. This Pardon is expressed in the Scripture with great variety of the like phrases. Sometime God is said to passe by our [Page 262] sinnes, Amos 8. To put them away, Esa 44. To cast them into the Sea, Mich. 7. To forget them, Ierem. 31. Not to mention them, Ezech 18. To wash them away, Psalm. 51. To cast them behinde his backe, Esay 38. To couer them, Psal. 32. and to pardon them, as it is here, and in many other pla­ces. Thus God passeth by our sinnes, as though he saw them not. Putteth them away, that they hurt vs not. Casteth them into the Sea, that they drowne vs not. Forgetteth them, so that hee punisheth them not. Doth not mention them, as though they were not: washeth them away, that they defile vs not: Casteth them be­hinde his backe, as though hee regar­ded them not: Couers them, that they appeare not, and pardons them that they condemne vs not. Behold here an absolute pardon, for our singular consolation, and the Papists extreme confusion: For they depend vpon a ridiculous pardon of the sinne with [Page 263] reseruation of the punishment, wherein they would make God an hypocrite like themselues, with their mentall reseruation: To whom I may say in Daniels words to Nebu­chadnezzar; Dan. 4.16. Let the dreame be to them that hate thee, and the interpreta­tion thereof to thine enemies: so let this pardon be to all trecherous and in­cendiary Papists, and the reseruation of punishment to them who are ene­mies to the grace of God, and our gracious Soueraigne. Miserable, O miserable were our condition, if our pardon were not absolute; For as one bad humour left vnpurged may be the death of the body, one small cranny vnstopped may be the drow­ning of the shippe: so the least sinne vnpardoned must needes be the death, and drowning both of soule and body in the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone for euer. But blessed be God,Colos. 2.14. we know that Christ Iesus hath fully satisfied the iustice of [Page 264] God, Reuel. 1.5. cancelled the bond of our debts, and washed vs in his precious blood. Hee was condemned that we might be iustified, hee was punished that we might be pardoned,Bern. in Cant. Serm. 22. Non gut­ta, sed vnda sanguina largitèr per quin (que) partes corporis emanauit, as Bernard saith; There flowed out of fiue parts of his body, not droppes, but euen streames of blood, that with him might be plen­teous redemption, and he might re­deeme Israel from all his sinnes. Auant therefore to the Merchants of Rome with their stained Merits, their super­arrogant workes of supererogation, their blasphemous satisfactions to God. What needeth there a miserere, where there is a mereri? What neede is there of mercy, where there is me­rit? A man may fitly say of these men, as Bernard speaketh of the boa­sting Pharisee,Bern Annunci. Domini, Serm. 3. Nimirum plenus est, nec habet in eo gratia Dei locum, surely these men are so full of their merits, that they haue no roome for Gods mercy.

Againe, how miserable is the con­dition of those men, who doe daily run through as many grosse sins, as there are signes in the Zodiacke, yet haue no power to finde remorse, or seeke for remission? and those who in stead of this humble Petition, Pardon me according to thy great mer­cy, do take vp Kaines desperate com­plaint, My Sinne is greater then can be pardoned. Farre,Gene. 4.13. O farre be it from vs, thus to abuse Gods mercy. Let vs be truely penitent for our sinnes, and then let vs put vp our Petition, and craue pardon for the same, yea let vs neuer be quiet, till wee haue our quietus est, Psal. 39.8. euen a generall ac­quittance for all our transgressions. And here againe I must briefly ad­uertise you, that you must resume the former compellation to this Pe­tition, Pardon me, O my God. It is o­dious to God, and dangerous to men, to seeke for Romish indulgen­ces; it is impious to thinke that wee [Page 264] [...] [Page 265] [...] [Page 266] may appeale from God to the Vir­gin Mary for mercy. Bernardino de Busto. It is blasphe­mous to affirme, that Christ hath imparted to his Mother the disposing of mercy, and reserued to himselfe onely the dispensing of Iustice,Gabriel Biel in Canone Missae. as certaine Papists teach. Hee that re­wardeth vs, must also pardon vs, ac­cording to that of Esay, Esa 43.25. I, euen I, doe put away, doe put away thy iniquities; Here that I, so redoubled, is empha­ticall, and exclusiue, as it is in the eleuenth Verse, I, euen I, am the Lord. I, euen I, as if he should say, I, and none but I. We indeede by preach­ing of the word may draw your par­dons, but God in mercy must grant them, and by his spirit must seale them,2 Sam. 12.13. according to Nathans words; Dominus transtulit, the Lord hath put away thy sinne.

Giue me leaue in a word or two, to passe from the act to the person, Pardon me. Me; here the comfort is more ample and excellent in the [Page 267] originall, then in our translation, and no maruaile, for no translati­on can keepe a proportion quoad pondus with the originall, the He­brew which we translate me, [...] is gna­lai, vpon me, or ouer me, as if hee should say, let thy pardon protect me, and let thy mercy be spred ouer me, like the glorious Canopie of heauen. Let it be like the clowdie pillar, which was as a vaile and co­uering to the children of Israel. So that Nehemiah craueth here a pro­tecting Pardon, both a protection and a Pardon, and the Lord grant­eth them both in one Patent; It is like Dauids wordes in the fift Psalme, For thou Lord wilt blesse the righteous, Psal. 5.13. and with fauour wilt compasse him as with a shield. Here also the Hebrew fountaine runnes fuller of diuine comfort then the English streame, for the Hebrew word signifieth to compasse with a crowne. [...] Thus with Gods pardon there goeth his pro­tection, [Page 268] with this protection, his crowne and benediction, & all these comforts doe flowe from the foun­taine of his mercy, as it followeth; Pardon me according to thy great mercy.

The manner.

VVHen I come to speake of the mercy of God, I enter into a Labyrinth without end, and diue into an Ocean without bot­tome; It fareth with mee as with the traueller, who hath farre to goe and little time to spend, but let mee craue your patience, and I will hast to the end of my iourney. The word Kesed here translated mercy, plus est quam [...], [...] S. Pagn. è Rab. Kimchi. saith a learned Lin­guist, it is more then naturall loue, which you know runneth with a strong current; Therefore when you heare of Gods tender mercies, thinke vpon the affection of a ten­der hearted mother, and remember yet, that the mercy of God doth as farre surmount the same, as the re­splendent [Page 269] Sunne exceedeth the lit­tle sparke of fire in brightnesse. No man hath seene God at any time, yet hath he manifested himselfe vn­to vs by his Sonne incarnate,Bern. in Cant. Serm. 61. Per cu­ius vulnera patebant viscera, through whose side wounded with the speare, you might behold the bowels of compas­sion wounded with loue.

Gods mercy seldome goeth a­lone, but vsually it hath some epi­thet annexed to it; as here it is cal­led his great mercy. Rab, & quantita­tis & qualitatis est, say the Hebrews, [...] so that it comprehendeth all whatsoe­uer hath excellency in quality, or amplitude in quantity. [...] It is Kerob casdeka, secundum multitudinem, accor­ding to thy many mercies, as diuers doe translate it, or secundum magnitu­dinem, according to thy great mercy, as here we reade it, and neither a­misse. For as the Hebrew word, so Gods mercy haue both the discreete and continued quantity. When Iacob [Page 268] [...] [Page 269] [...] [Page 270] had got the blessing of Isaack, as we reade, Genes. 27. Esau said to his Fa­ther in the anguish of spirit, Hast thou but one blessing, blesse me, euen me also my Father: Yet the good old man, though an indulgent father, had but one that was worthy the name of a blessing. But happy are wee, our heauenly Father is not so penurious. He hath more then one mercy, he is [...].1 Cor. 1.3. The Father of Mercies; Ephes. 2.4. Exod. 20.6. Psal. 51.1. and the God of all consolation; He is rich in mercy. He hath mercy for thousands. He hath a multitude of mer­cies. It would aske much time to ma­nifest this, through the whole mine of sacred Scripture; I will onely bound my speech within a few rich veynes of Ore, in the Psalmes. In the 59. Psalme you shall finde Gods pre­uenting mercy; In the 23. his follow­ing mercy; In the 40. Psalme his tender mercy; In the 119. his reui­uing mercy; In the 26. his redeeming mercy; In the 6. Psalme his healing [Page 271] mercy; In the 86. his confirming mer­cy; In the 103. his crowning mercy. If I should spend many houres in re­compting the particular mercies of God, and had thatThat yeeld­ed seauen Ec­choes. Heptaphon of O­lympus, yea the tongue of men and Angels, you might say vnto me vp­on the close of my speech with the Queene of Sheba,1 Reg. 10. Thou hast not told vs the one halfe. Behold, so abun­dant are the mercies of our God, and therefore, poore sinners neede not come to this blessed fountaine, like the people to the poole of Be­thesda, one at once, but be they as many as the starres in the firma­ment, or the sands on the sea-shore, let them approch together to the Mercy-seate and they shall finde, that God hath in readinesse a mercy for euery misery, as it were a present salue for euery sore. The Lord kee­peth a continuall Iubilee; his Court of Chancery standeth alwaies open; his euer-flowing and ouer-flowing [Page 272] fountaine,Zach. 13.1. is still set open for sinne and for vncleannesse. Where the spi­rit and the Spouse say come, Reuel. 22.17. and let him that is a thirst come, and let whoso­euer will come, and take of the water of life freely.

Againe, as Gods mercies are ma­ny in the discreete, so are they great in the continued quantity: Yea they are exceeding great, 1 Sam. 24.14. Gods mercy (as one saith well) hath all the dimensions.Psal. 36.5. Thy mercy, O God, reach­eth vnto the heauens; there is the height of his mercy.Psal. 86.13. Great is thy mer­cy, and thou hast deliuered my soule from the lowest hell, there is the depth of his mercy.Psal. 104.24. The earth is full of thy goodnesse, there is the breadth of his mercy.Psal. 98.4. All the ends of the world haue seene the saluation of our God, there is the length of his mercy. Yea, the mercy of God is transcendent, and beyond all dimension, and no more possible to be comprehended by vs, then the heauens to be compassed [Page 273] with our spanne. Therefore when Saint Paul doth pray, that the Ephe­sians may know the loue of Christ, ac­cording to these dimensions, he ad­deth, which passeth knowledge. Ephes. 3.18.19. Though God be excellent in all his workes, yet is his glory most emi­nent in his mercy. His punishing rod is of Iuory; Psal. 2.9. Exod. 25.17. but his Mercy-seate of pure Gold. Gods mercy must needes be great, which extendeth it selfe in some sort, euen to hell and to the damned.Rom. 11.22. First in his patience towards the vessels of wrath, waiting for their conuersion, till he be pressed as it were a cart vnder sheaues. Amos 2.13. Secondly in his indulgence in punishing a sinner. For whereas ex se materiam sumit mi­serendi, (as Bernard saith.) He taketh occasion, onely forth of his owne good­nesse, to shew mercy: yet no mans sinne is punished without his iust de­merits. Thirdly, euen to the dam­ned in hell, there is a priuatiue mer­cy extended, quoad intensionem, [...] [Page 276] wound, except you will be like de­sperate Porus, Iustin. lib. 12. who would not suffer his wounds to be drest. We reade in in the sixe and fortieth of Ezechiel, that they which went into the Tem­ple at one dore, were comman­ded to goe forth at another. It is no improbable coniecture, that they might not turne their faces from the Mercy-seate. That is an excellent speech of Augustines, or rather An­selmes. Aug. Medit. 38. Etsi Domine, ego commisi vn­de me damnare potes, tu tamen non amisisti vnde me saluare potes: O bles­sed Lord, though I haue committed those transgressions, for which thou maiest condemne me: yet thou hast not lost those compassions, by which thou maiest saue me. Psal. 130.1. Out of the deepe haue I called vnto thee, O Lord, saith Dauid; Abys­sus abyssum inuocat, saith Bernard; One deepe calleth vpon another, O let the deepe of misery, call vpon the deepe of mercy. If your soules were in such a straight, that you saw hell opening [Page 277] her mouth vpon you, like the red Sea before the Israelites; the damned spirits pursuing you behinde, like the Aegyptians; on the right hand, and on the left a thousand dreads and dangers, yet would I say vnto you in Moses words, stand still, Exod. 14. and behold the saluation of the Lord: For he that putteth his trust in the Lord, Psal. 32.10. mercy im­braceth him on euery side.

This mercy of God is like the Sanctuary to the legall offendour, like Mount Ararat to Noahs tossed Arke, like Noahs hand to his weary Doue; like Assuerus golden Scepter to the happy petitioner. O come then, and with Queene Hester touch the top of this Scepter, so shall you be receiued with her into the Kings presence, yea into the Kingdome of heauen; where all your petitions shall be turned into gratulations, your prayers into praises, and your Elegies into Hallelujaes; which mer­cy the God of all mercies grant vs [Page 278] euen for Iesus Christ his sake, our alone Sauiour and Redeemer, to whom with the Father, and the ho­ly Ghost, three persons and one im­mortall God, all honour, power, praise, Maiestie, and Dominion be rendred, and ascribed by all the ser­uants of God in heauen, and in earth; this day and for euer. Amen. AMEN.