Be thou faithfull, &c.

I beginne with the first part, our service: And good reason our service should goe be­fore the Reward to our service. Therefore first we are to be faithfull. Be thou faithfull un­to Death, &c.

And I will proceed according to the or­der of nature, and consider first the substance of faithfulnesse, and then the continuance. And then I shall tell you by this word faith­fulnesse, wee are not to understand that habit of the soule, whereby wee apprehend, and lay hold upon the mercy and favour of God in our regeneration, and first conversion, which the scripture cals faith, and whereby wee beleeue, and yeeld assent unto all the articles of our Christian doctrine, which is the roote and fountaine of all Christian du­ties. But we are to conceiue it of that faith­fulnesse which springs as an effect or fruite from that roote, and includes a iust discharge of those duties which God requires at our hands: As also an vniversall obedience to all [Page 4]his Commandements. You know that wee are all Stewards unto the great Lord of hea­ven, and sent into the earth to trafficke and negotiate with those talents which hee hath committed to every one of us in our severall places. Now saith Saint Paul in the 1. Cor. 4. that it is required in a Steward, that hee bee found faithfull, that is iustly, and honestly to husband, and dispense those things that are intrusted to his charge, according to the will and pleasure of his Lord and Master.

Now the maine rule that must direct us in the guiding and governing of all our purpo­ses, behaviours, and actions must bee the glory of God; Hee hath created all things for his owne sake saith Salomon, Prov. 16. that is, for his owne glory. This is the tribute that he requires of every man, this must arise unto him out of every action; Wee are not our owne saith the Apostle, wee are bought with a price, 1. Cor. 6.20. therefore glorifie God in your bodies and in your soules. The whole man must bee faithfull in giving God his glory; the thoughts that we thinke they must bee re­ligiously, and faithfully conceived to the ho­nour of God. I will giue thankes unto God secretly amongst the faithfull, saith the Psal­mist, Psal. 111.1. And yet not onely in our thoughts secretly, but in our words openly, in the congregation, as it followeth in the end of the same verse.

And as we must bee faithfull in glorifying him in our thoughts and words, so likewise in our deeds; the light whereof must so shine before men, that they seeing our good works may glorifie God our Father which is in Heaven.

And note what a strict course the Lord hath taken for the gathering up of this tribute of his glory out of every thing. He will call us to a reckoning for our secretest cogitations: Inquisition shall bee made into our very thoughts. If you speake but a word that doth not some way or other tend to his glory, tis an idle word, and we must account for idle words in the day of iudgement; if then wee doe a deed that aimes not at this end, shall we thinke not to bee questioned for it? Wee must all appeare before the iudgement seate of the Lord, to giue an account of those things that we haue done in the body. There­fore our body and our soule, our thoughts, words and deeds, must all bee ordered, and husbanded so faithfully and iustly, that God may haue his due, his Honour, and his Glo­ry by it. And if wee haue beene faithfull in a little, hee will make us Rulers over much, Math. 25.23. And by way of commendation tell us, It is well done good and faithfull servants, and then bid us enter into our Masters ioy, where wee shall haue a Crowne of life, if wee haue discharged our duety as much [Page 6]as in us lyes, and beene obedient and faithfull unto Death. And that is my second part, the continuance, extent or measure of our thank­fulnes, [...] which hath a twofold mea­ning, and may yeeld us matter of instruction both wayes. For first, [...] is unto death, and then it signifies such a service, and such faithfulnesse, as will not shrinke at any affliction, or prosecution whatsoever, but goes on couragiously, and resolutely if need be to the laying downe of our life, and con­tinues faithfull even unto death. Secondly, [...] signifies untill death, and then it be­tookens such a service, and such an obedience as continues all our life long, never failes of the discharge of 'its duty as long as we haue a day to liue, but continues, and goes on from day to day, from yeare to yeare, as long as we haue any being, even untill death.

First then our duty must be strong, substan­tiall, well wrought, and close woven, and such as will not shrinke, neither with the water of affliction, nor with the fire of persecution, nor be shaken with the winde of temptation, but indure all extremities, even death it selfe. We must be faithfull unto death: And then it must hang upon the same threed that our life doth, and both must runne on together, and as long as the one lasteth so long must the other, and our service must be faithfull untill death.

First then of the couragiousnesse of our ser­vice [Page 7]that it must not shrinke at any thing, no not at death it selfe. Omne majus continet in se minus, that every lesser thing is conteyned in the greater, is a ground, and principle in na­ture, which every man knowes. If then our service must be faithfull unto death which is extremum malorum, the greatest of evills, then it must bee faithfull unto persecution, impri­sonment, losse of goods, disgraces and repro­ches, which are but lesser evills, even petty, and slight afflictions as the Apostle calleth them. My sonne sayth Solomon when thou entrest into the house of the Lord, prepare thy Soule for temptations: and our Saviour in the 10. of Matthew sayes, if any man will fol­low me, and be my Disciple, let him take up his Crosse, and follow me, let him deny him­selfe, not make dainty of any thing he hath, no not of his life. He that will save his life shall lose it, and hee that desires to have a Crowne of life, must bee faithfull unto death.

The way to Heaven is not paved with the pleasures of this world, nor strow'd with the flowers of humane delights, but through ma­ny tribulations wee must enter into the king­dome of Heaven, sayth Saint Paul in the 14. Acts 22. And our Saviour which is our head, he hath led the way and trod the path before us, and first wore the crowne of Thornes, be­fore he put on his Crowne of glory, hee first [Page 8]served his Father faithfully unto death, and then was rewarded with a Crowne of life. No sooner doe we enter our selves into the service of God, and put on us the livery of him that is the Father of lights, but presently the whole kingdome of darkenesse is up in armes against us, the Prince whereof leads the battaile, and he warrs against us with all the temptations that his malice can suggest. And not content with his owne strength, hee stirs up the world against us, [...]ur Saviour tels his Disciples, because you are not of the world, therefore the world will hate you; and this hatred it will shew by defaming our Credit, spoyling us of our goods, persecuting of our bodies, yea & sometimes by taking away our liues too. Nay further, this subtill adversa­rie of ours like a politicke Statist, will not onely warre against us with open hostilitie, but he will stirr up enemies within our owne gates, and kindle a fire in our owne house, and raise up this traiterous and rebellious flesh of ours, which we nourish in our owne bosomes like a false brother to seduce, and entrap us; this flesh perplexeth us with feares, enveigles us with hopes, allures us with baites, distracts us with cares, and torments us with paines, and vseth a thousand sleights, and fetches to make us betray our Christian profession, and revolt from that God to whom in our bap­tisme we swore our alleageance to be his con­stant [Page 9]souldiers, to fight under his banner, and to doe him faithfull service in spight of the world, the flesh, and the Devill, or all extre­mities that can betide us, whether they are the miseries of nature, the frownes of fortune, yea or the losse of life, even unto death it selfe. This is the vow, this is the profession, and this is the promise that wee haue made in baptisme: And wee haue it sealed and confir­med with the signe of the Crosse, the sacred signiture, and character whereof stands im­printed in our foreheads to testifie to the world, that we haue made such a vow to hea­ven, and to encourage us to confront any enemy being armed with an In hoc signo vin­ces, and to convince us of cowardise if wee shrinke or draw backe. Our life is a Warfare, and what should a coward doe in the warres that cannot endure the aking of a finger, is hee fit to bee the souldier of that Captaine that entred not into life, but by the gates of death? Our Countrie is in heaven, and the world is but our pilgrimage, and therefore they are much deceived, saith Saint Augustine, Qui quaerunt vitam in regione mortis, that seeke for life and pleasure in this region of miserie, and death. A heathen man could say, Non est delicata res vincere. Seneca. heere is no Pa­radise, noe heaven on earth, but in the safety of a good conscience. Our time of raigning [Page 10]and triumphing is reserved for us in heaven, this is a time of duety and service, and such service as must bee couragious, and not shrinke at any thing, but continue constant, and faithfull unto death. And here let us des­cend every man into his owne heart, and try, & examine our selues how we stand affected to the performance of this duety, whether we could bee content to bee Gods faithfull ser­vants, and sticke close to him though it were to the losse of goods, or our reputation, or our friends, or our life it selfe, and be faithfull unto death; And I doubt not, but that wee haue presumption enough to flatter our selues so farre, as to beleeue, and professe, and per­haps to bragge, and vaunt that wee are ready to follow our Captaine Christ Iesus whither soever hee goes, though it were to the shed­ding of our bloods, the spending of our liues even unto death. I make no question but that wee beleeue this of our selues, and wee would make the world beleeue so too. But what saies Saint Iames? shew me thy faith by thy workes, let the world see our profession by our actions, and let our vaunts bee made good by a reall, and actuall performance. Wheras if a man may be bold to iudge of the tree by the fruite, and to guesse at the faithful­nesse of the heart by the action of the out­ward man, and by those things which are [Page 11]daily presented to our eyes, I thinke wee should haue much to doe to perswade any ad­vised, and considerate man, that our faithful­nesse is such as would endure all extremities. And that wee would faithfully follow our Captaine if [...]ed were unto death. Why the very censure of lewd, and reprobate persons is enough to flout us out of our Christian profession, and we would faine doe God that faithfull service which our owne conscience tels us we owe him, but that wee are afraid we shall fall into disgrace with the world, and that men will account us over precise, and too religious. This is but a slight paine, and far enough from the heart (a man would thinke) and yet even this as slight as it is, kils the faithfulnesse of many stout Christians by their owne report, and makes them revolt from their captaine and turne renegadoes, I will not say turne Turke, but which is worse, cary a Turkes heart under a Christians live­ry. Neither hath this beene the cowardli­nesse of the cursed multitude onely, but even of professed leaders and eminent comman­ders, even the Scribes and Pharisees, we may see it in the twelfth of Iohn. There their con­sciences were so plainely convinced by the power of Christs doctrine, and miracles that their hearts could not chuse but tell them that he was the Messias; yet saies the Text, they [Page 12]could not beleeue in him, nor make professi­on of him for their reputation sake; because they loved the praise of men more then the praise of God, verse 42.43. Nay, a farre lesse matter then this scarres us from our faithful­nesse. Let our Saviour come for faithfulnes, and call us to his service, not into the field to venter our liues, but into the Church where is no danger of life or limme (except we are afraid perhaps of breaking our knees, but we will take order against that well enough, and therefore wee will bee sure not to bow them) Let him I say but call for our faithfulnesse and service at Church, and wee haue our sports to follow, our proiects to contriue, our visits to make, our Mistresses to court, and they their dresses and faces to order, and compose for all the day after; any thing shall serue turne to divert us from his service, and to deny him that faithfulnesse which wee are bound to performe unto him, what ever came of it, though it were to the loosing of our liues, for the duety that is here inioyned is faithfulnesse unto death; Bee thou faithfull unto death. I haue done with [...], unto death. I come now unto [...] untill death. And then it puts us in mind of the constancie of our dutie, that it must last and continue as long as our life doth; the Spirit of God hath ioyned them both together, let none of us [Page 13]be so hardy as to venter and sunder them, but let them run on both together in Gods name, and as farre as our life goes, so farre let our faithfulnesse even untill death comes. In the affaires of this life it is a shame for a man to beginne an enterprise and not to goe thorow with it, every man points at him with his fin­ger, derides, and geeres him; this man began to build, and was not able to finish it.

In the workes of our Christian profession, the shame is greater, the danger infinite, and therefore Saint Paul befooles his Galathians when they fell from their faithfulnesse which once they professed, hee tells them they were bewitched, or else such a thing could never have befallen them. Gal. 3.1. O ye foolish Galathians who hath bewitched you, are yee so foolish as having begunne in the Spirit to end in the flesh? If a Man beginne a peece of worke, and leave it off in the middle, hee hath taken a good deale of paines to no other purpose, but to leave a Monument of his folly, and vanity to the world. Hee that hath received the common graces of God, and many good gifts of his Spirit, which have enabled him to doe much good and faithfull service, and then takes the grace of God and turnes it into wantonnesse, and smothers and quen­cheth the Spirit, comes neere unto dangerous symptomes of a more dangerous state. When [Page 14]a man is in a faire way to heaven, and hath some time walkt on religiouslly and faithful­ly, till hee hath come within some sence of his reward, & within some view of his Crowne by common enlightnings: then to turne out of the way; and Apostate into the broade way, what is it else but to tread in a path that without repentance will leade to destruction. And therefore it is said in the 6. Chap. of the Epistle to the Hebrewes, that it is impossible that they which were once enlightned and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost if they fall away, should bee renewed againe by repen­tance, seeing they crucifie to themselues the Sonne of God afresh, and put him to an open shame. Heere I could give you many exam­ples of revolters and backsliders, and shew you to what a height of impiety they have growne when once they have forsaken God and that goodnesse they have begun to pro­fesse, which for brevitie sake I will omit and conclude this poynt with the exhortation of the Apostle in the 3. to the Hebr. ver. 12.13. Take heed brethren least at any time there be in any of you an evill heart, and unfaithfull to depart away from the living God, but exhort one an other daily whilest it is yet called to day least any of you be hardned through the deceitfulnesse of sinne, for we are made parta­kers [Page 15]of Christ, if wee hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end, and my Text sayes, If wee continue faithfull untill death, the God of life and death will give us a Crowne of life. And thats my second ge­nerall part.

The Promise.

And heere every word yeelds matter of observation. I will begin with the first word Ego, and that is either taken eminenter by way of eminencie. And then tis I the God of heaven and earth that decke my selfe with light as with a garment, that make the clouds my chariots and ride upon the wings of the winde. I will give this Crowne.

Great persons give great gifts: Alexander gave a talent to a begger, not considering what was fit for the other to receive, but for him to give. Heere God sprinkles Crownes now and then one, a few in an age all the world over, but in the next life he makes them all Kings, as it were showring and rayning Crownes from his glorious head, upon his glorified members.

Secondly heere is Ego exclusivè, I, by way of exclusion. And then it is I, and none but I, that give these Crownes.

This preferment, these Crownes come nei­ther from the East, nor from the West, nor from the South, but from God alone.

Tis not S. Peters keyes that can open the doore of that kingdome, nor unlocke the trea­sury where these Crownes are layd up, he keepes the key himselfe.

And if you will give me leave to slide from Spirituall to temporall Crownes, then I shall tell you that God is the disposer of them also. By me Kings reigne. Prou. 8.15. As was sayd of him by a wiser man then any of those that ever usur­ped that power.

And tis but a ridiculous intrusion extrá jurisdictionem jus dicere. To execute the power of a Iudge where a man hath no juris­diction; Or to give that which he hath not in his owne power to bestow, which is none of his. This is like the folly of the mad Athe­nian that tooke all the ships in the haven to be his owne, and so gave them away where hee pleas'd, as if he had beene the true and right Master of them: Or like the divell that tooke the Sonne of God into an exceeding high mountaine, and shewed him all the kingdomes of the world & the glory of them, proffering all unto him if he would fall downe and wor­ship [Page 17]him. When all those kingdomes, and Crownes were his Lords inheritance, and the donation of them his prerogative. And they hold them but by a false tenure that receive them from any other Donor. God is Iudge himselfe, hee putteth downe one, and setteth up an other himselfe, the word is not idle, hee doth it himselfe sayes the Psalmist. And for this crowne it is not to bee bought as Iulianus the Emperour bought the Roman Empire, nor to be sold as the Papall disposer of king­domes doth bargaine for it. But God him­selfe bestowes it. Hee needs no Vicar upon earth for that purpose. His hands are long enough to set the Crowne upon that head that must weare it: the words are plaine in my text, Ego Dabo. Dabo, and thats the next word which plainely shewes the manner how these Crownes are convey'd unto us, we have them not by a bargaine, or sale, but by a deed of gift. This Crowne is no purchase but a do­nation.

Wee may talke, or we may dreame, of me­riting, or earning this Crowne, but we should bee but poorely rewarded, if God should deale with us according to the proportion of our workes. Our workes at the best are stai­ned with the imperfections and blemishes of our corrupted nature; so that the most that we could hope for, was pardon for their de­fect. [Page 18]And for a Delinquent that should sue for his pardon to claime to sit in the throne with his Soveraigne, were a presumption so intollerable, that if wee should be guilty of it, heaven and earth would cry out shame upon us, and condemne us for idiots.

Ther's not a word in this part of my text, but will serue for an exception against that absurd claime by merit. Take Ego an offended God, and what is he bound to doe in iustice? take Dabo, and what more free and non meri­ted then gift? wee must strike out that word if wee meane to make any claime by merit. Take Tibi, and what is man but a guilty male­factor. There is such a gulfe of sinne, betwixt Ego and Tibi that nothing can passe betweene them by way of Iustice, but punishment and vengeance.

Or take man at the best, & he is but an offen­der reconciled to grace and favour, and recei­ved to mercy, so that every word cuts the throat of merit. Or take the word Coronam, & and who that hath the disposing of it, will set it upon the head of a Captaine? Or put the o­ther word to it, and make it Coronam vitae, and what an impudent demand were it for him to claime the Crowne of life, who all the world knowes hath deserved the shakles of death. They are bold attempters that dare adven­ture to breake downe all those barres; there [Page 19]is not a word here but is a fense good enough to keepe out all that would take possession of this Crowne by way of merit. For 'tis Ego dabo tibi. Tibi.

Tibi by way of Argument I haue handled already, but yet I will not let it goe untill I haue observed it to our comfort. Luther saies well, that there is a great deale of divinity in pronouns; giue me leaue to goe a little further, and to tell you that there is a great deale of comfort in pronouns too. Not onely strong divinitie to ground an argument, but strong consolation to comfort a weake spirit. Tibi is a word of singularity, and will con­tract Gods generall promises to every man in particular, if the fault bee not his owne. God Almighties promises are like a well made picture; though there bee an hundred in the roome in divers places and postures, yet the picture seemes to looke upon every one of them in particular, and wee cannot avoyd the aspect of it except wee turne our eyes aside.

Tibi, doth particularize and brings downe this Crowne upon every mans head. And indeed a particular word doth well for Coro­na. For 'tis a single head that must be ingirt with a Crowne. Regnum non patitur consortem, A Crowne cannot bee set upon the heads of two men at once, much lesse upon a many [Page 20]headded multitude. This Crowne will fit but a single head, 'tis Ego dabo tibi Coronam.

Corona. A Crowne is the highest honour and happinesse upon earth, 'tis a Circle that takes in all that the earth can afford. And therefore if wee will take a resemblance of the Saints glory from any thing in this world earth cannot yeeld a higher, then to call it a Crowne. He that weares the Crowne swayes and commands all within the orbe of his power. But the greatest Scepter-swayer that this world affords, is oftentimes overswayed and borne downe by his owne passions and infirmities. But when this Crowne shall be set upon our heads, ther's not the meanest vas­sayle but shall feele more content, in having dominion, and power, and free command over himselfe, then the greatest Monarch ever found, in being able to moue a whole Em­pire of subiects with the breath of his mouth. A Crowne is circular, when once you are in it, you may run round without end which caries it aboue the spheare of mortalitie, and makes it truely a Crowne of life, and that's my last word.

Corona vitae.

I know not whether a man may safely say that this passage of ours from earth to earth, from the wombe to the tombe bee a life or [Page 21]no. I thinke that which one said of men at sea, that he knew not whether they might be reckoned amongst the living or the dead, may be as well said of all that are a shoare; for he that now breaths with the greatest strength and freedome, may presently breath out his last spiramus, expiramus; our breath, like the doue of Noahs arke, goes out, and comes in, goes out and never returnes againe. Saint Paul saies, wee die daily. And our Saviour Christ that knew better how to tearme this naturall being of ours then wee our selues, sayes they are but dead men that carie others to Church. The dead bury the dead, Luk. 9. verse 60. Hee therefore that will thinke to find true contentment in a Crowne, must seeke it where no death is to bee found, here is nothing but sinning, therefore nothing but dying, in heaven nothing but obedience, and therefore nothing but life. There is Corona vitae, a Crowne that shall last for ever, and that's the tearme for which wee hold it. Tis not given to vs and our heires for ever, but to us and our owne persons for ever. And this doth distinguish it from all other gifts in the world. Men thinke to make thei [...] deeds, and grants immortall and to continue for ever, they are conveied to them, and their heir [...]s for ever. But the Prophet sayes in the 37. Psalme, that another takes possession of them [Page 22]and he sought them, and they were no where to bee found. Whereas this Ego in my text giues to this Tibi, this gratious master to his faithfull servant an immortall gift, a Crowne of life which shall make him liue for ever.

And now if wee ioyne all the words to­gether, Ego daho tibi Coronam vitae. Wee shall find that hee hath given us a gift in proporti­on, in weight, and measure so farre beyond our service, Rom. 8.18. that wee haue reason to confesse with Saint Paul, that our sufferings and faith­fulnesse is not worthy of the glory that shall be revealed vnto us, the Crowne of life that shall be bestowed upon us. And therefore we had need make a stand and cry out with the Prophet David. O Lord what is man that thou art so mindfull of him, Psal. 144.3. or the sonne of man that thou so regardest him. Had it not beene enough O Lord to make us little inferior to the Angels, but thou must giue us a kingdome, and crowne us with honour and glory, and such a kingdome, and such honour, and such glory, as shall haue no end. Though the Kings of the earth are crowned, and the Scripture call thē Gods; Yet they are but mortall Gods, and weare but corruptible crownes; and the time shall come that will lay these Gods, and these crownes low enough in the dust, and these Gods and these crownes shall bee turned into dust into nothing. But let this bee their [Page 23]comfort; as God hath loved them with an everlasting loue, so hee will crowne them hereafter with an everlasting Crowne; A Crowne of such mettle that the rust of time shall never eate into, not the continuance of eternity one for diminish the glory of it, it shall bee an incorruptible crowne. Death it selfe shall haue no power over it, it shall been Crowne of life. The Crowne shall be fitted to the head, and the head to the Crowne, an incorruptible Crowne upon an importall head. As our bodies and soules shall liue for ever, So our Crowne shall bee a crowne of life. Bee thou faithfull, &c.

Now the God that gaue us our being, en­able us to the performance of this duety, and incline our hearts to serue him continually without interruption, faithfully without dissi­mulation. Let our devotion be sincere, and then O Lord continue it untill death. And after that according to thy promise (and thou O God art iust in thy promises) crowne us with glory, and life to serue thee in thy kingdome for evermore. Now to God the Father, &c. Amen.