THE CHRISTIANS COMFORT. IN A SERMON APPOINted for the Cross, but Preached in S. PAUL'S CHURCH on Candlemas day, 1623. By Thomas Myriell, Rector of S. Stevens in Walbrooke LONDON. 1. joh. 4.4. Greater is he that is with us, than he that is in this world. Nec plus ad deijciendum potest terrena poena, quàm ad erigendum tutela divina, Cyprian. LONDON, Printed by G. P. for john White, and are to be sold at his Shop in little Britain, at the sign of the holy Lamb, near unto Aldersgate street. 1623. TO THE RIHGT HONOURABLE PETER Proby, Lord Mayor of LONDON, Mr. john Hodges, and Sir Humphrey Hanford, Knight, the two Sheriffs of the said City: And to the rest of the right Worshipful Knights and Aldermen; the Master, Wardens and Assistants of the right Worshipful Company of the Grocers, my singular good Patroness, all health and happiness in this world, and that that is to come. Right Honourable, Right Worshipful, etc. IT was a solemn Law among the Persians, that whensoever their King went abroad, such as met him, must salute him with some gift, such as their state and condition best supplied them withal. The equity of this Law, I suppose, arose from hence, that seeing the King is the common Father and Protector of the Country, every man should strive by the donation of some thing, to show his thankfulness unto him, for that unspeakable benefit. It fell out on a time, that Artaxerxes, surnamed Mnemon, a famous King of the Persians, being to travel abroad, was in his way ready to meet one Sinaetas, a poor, but honest subject, when he was fare from home, and so vnprouided of his gift; Which he perceiving, and being loath to be found slacker than others in his duty, ran immediately to the river Cyrus, and joining both his hands together, catched up a quantity of water, which he brought and presented to the King. Which done, the King very graciously accepted it, and highly praising the man's honesty for it, commanded forthwith his Eunuches to take the water out of his palms, and put it in a golden Vial to keep. This Story somewhat fits my case: You are to me next under God and his Majesty, the means of my temporal welfare and maintenance; you gave me freely my Living where I feed spiritually, and am fed temporally, besides many other courtesies from time to time received. For all which favours, I have nothing to retribute back unto you, but with Sinaetas, to bring you a little water, not from the river Cyrus, but from the Fountain of Life, the Well of living waters, the holy Word of God. And in this kind I have sundry times been officious towards you, but it was never put up in a Vial till now, but as water in the hand, by drops shed and spilt again on the ground. This I have presumed to put up myself, not without the request and desire of many others, that there might remain hereafter some evidence of thankful acknowledgement on my part, for your many favours. Accept it therefore, I beseech you, and take it kindly, as coming from him, whose mind is willing to express himself towards you in the most thankful manner. And I desire you to read it without prejudice and partiality, as it was uttered by me in all plainness and sincerity. I doubt not, but such will find content in it, who have learned to judge of a Preacher, not by stooping so low, as to measure him by outward popularity, but by looking into him, and weighing him by selfe-sufficiency. In which hope, I rest, and for this time humbly take leave, praying the God of all mercy, to direct all your endevorus to his glory, and the flourishing welfare of the whole Company. Feb. 24. 1622. Yours in all the services of love and duty, THOMAS MYRIELL. THE CHRISTIANS COMFORT. Text. 2. Chron. 15.2. The Lord is with you, while ye be with him; and if ye seek him, he will be found of you; but if ye forsake him, he will forsake you. IF it were lawful to assimilate heavenly verities to earthly fictions, I would compare my Text to the three Graces. For the parts of it are naturally three, as is their number a Pausan. Baetic. lib. 9 Senec. de Benef. lib. 1. cap. 3. and as they hold together hand in hand, so do these depend each on other: and as their site and place is so ordered, that for one turning from you, you have two looking towards you; just so it is here. And lastly, as they two first look towards you, before the third turn from you; so here, two parts first behold us kindly: The Lord is with you, while ye be with him; and if ye seek him, he will be found of you. And the third turns from us indeed, but not till we turn from it; If ye forsake him, he will forsake you. A Text highly to be valued, for the Author who speaks it, Azariah a famous Prophet; for the auditors who heard it, King Asa, and all juda and Benjamin; for the occasion that procured it, a great deliverance from an unspeakable danger: and principally for the matter contained in it, being such as may comfort the weak, terrify the wicked, stay the wavering, and stir up the backward, to draw near unto God by repentance, and amendment of life. It is divided to my hand: The parts three, but each admitting several partitions, as we shall hear; the first in these words, The Lord is with you, while ye be with him. Wherein consider 2. things. 1. The comfort. 2. The condition. The comfort, Dominus vobiscum: The Lord is with you. The condition, Si fueritis▪ cum eo: while ye are with him. For the first. This sweet saying Dominus vobiscum, may be taken as a Prayer, or as a promise. As a Prayer, and then it shows the Pastor his hearty desire for the good of men; for a promise, and then it cheers up the people to the fervent service of God. The first way it is ancient and general. Ancient, an ordinary salutation in the jewish Church, Ruth 2.4. jud. 6.12. * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Such as among us, GOD save you, or GOD speed: not deserving to be termed, Short cuts, or shred, as the great Cutter of our Church b T. C. lib. 1. pag. 138. hath unmannerly termed them; but hearty and pithy expressions of our unfeigned charity one towards another. General again it is: for it was used in the Church, in Cyprian c Vid. Boy● par. 1. , and Tertullians' time, in the Liturgy of S. james and Chrysostome, etc. and continued in the Church to this very day. Consisting of few words indeed, but including abundant matter; Insomuch as d joh. Trit. in Dam. Petrus Damianus is reported to have written a whole book of it, entitled, Dominus vobiscum. Take it as a promise, and so we must in this place, if we take it aright, and then it is the Prophet's Alarm to encourage the hearts of the people against their enemies, and may serve to cheer up all the faithful against the malice of the whole world. For, Si Deus nobiscum, quis contranos? Rom. 8. 31. If God be with us, who can be against us? and as Cyprian, e Cyp. de orat. Dom. Quis ei de seculo metus est, cui Deus in seculo tutor est? What needs he fear the malice of the world, who hath God his protector in the midst of the world? To proceed aright, consider in this defence the author who, and the manner how he defends. The Author, Dominus, The Lord. A name too great to be clasped in the marrow palm of our apprehension. Est enim hoc Dei cognomen, saith Tertullian f Tert. Apol. cap. 34. For this name Sir, is God's Surname. And if Dominus, quasi dans munus, Lord, from Lordly liberality; who deserves the name but he, qui dat esse, & escam, who gives life and living to man and beast? If possession make a Lord, Heaven and earth, and all Kingdoms are his; If power, he can with a breath make & unmake ten thousand worlds; If multitude of servants, this Lord of Hosts hath his armies in heaven, earth and hell; If valiant soldiers, he hath millions of millions that have died for him; insomuch as if some are not mistaken g Pet. de Natal. , there is never a day in the year but may challenge eight or nine thousand Martyrs, who have died in their Master's quarrel. Finally, the enjoying of his own will, Psal. 135.6. working all things after his own counsel, Ephes. 1.11. and all this without intermission, or intercision, Psal. 10.16 proves him sufficiently, not only a Lord, but the only Lord. And this is the reason that many famous Emperors refused it, as too high a name. Augustus' Imperij formator, saith Tertullian h Tert-Apolo, cap. 34. ne Dominum quidem dicise volebat. Augustus' the founder of the Roman Empire (for his father Caesar was but Metator, rather than Imperator i Oros. lib. 7. cap. 2. the chalker of it out, than the setter of it up) This great man would not be called Lord. And of the same mind was Alexander Severus k Lamprid. in Alex. , and others. And no Emperor affected it till Domitian came, who was so likorish of transcendent highness, that he called himself God too. Dominus & Deus noster Domitianus k Suet. in Dominion. etc. A true forerunner of his successor the Pope, who in the Extravagants l Extra. joh. 22. cap. Cum inter. in glos. , (and well it deserves to be put there) is styled Dominus Deus noster Papa; Our Lord God the Pope. Yet what these men unlawfully usurp, others lawfully receive from him, even by his own gift. For he that said, Ego dixi, Dij estis, Psal. 82.6. I have said ye are Gods; deriving his own title to the great Ones of the world, hath also said, Ego dixi Domini estis, I have allowed you dominion & Lordship in my stead, And, Dicam planè Imperatorem Dominum, saith Tertullian m Tert. Apol. cap. 34. , sed more communi. I will call the Emperor Lord, but in the common phrase, when I am not constrained thereby to prejudice the honour of my Lord God. And therefore there is no such reason, that our Reformers should except against the reverend Prelates of the Church, for accepting the name of Lord, bequeathed unto them by religious devotion. For in two things they go before other men; in dignity and gravity: and in two things they must be respected of us, in honour and reverence. For which cause authority divine and humane hath given them two titles, Lord and Father; Lord, to show their dignity; Father, to express their gravity. Art not thou my Lord Elias, saith good Obadiah? 1. King. 18.7. O my Father, my Father, saith Elizeus of the same, 2. King. 2.12. Neither need they fear St. Peter his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, 1. Pet. 5.3. seeing they make a spiritual Hierarchy, not a temporal Tyranny: or to use S. Aug. his phrase n Aug. de civet. lib. 19 cap. 14. ; seeing they Lord it, non dominandi superbia: sed officio consulendi, rather by the rule of good counsel, than the love of sovereignty; and show themselves Fathers, non principandi superbia: sed providendi misericordia o Aug. ibid. , not so much in a proud commanding, as in a provident mildness. And as Leo p Leo Epist. 84. cap. 1. , Cum plus agat cohortatio, quàm commotio, plus charitas, quàm potestas: They do more by exhortation of the mouth, than coercition of the hand: and compassion, not compulsion, is their chiefest attendant. But see how we are fall'n from heaven to earth! Return we to our great Lord again, and let us hear him speaking and pleading unto us, Malac. 1.6. Si Dominus ego sum, ubi timor? If I be a Lord, where is my fear? Certainly a Lord bears relation to a servant, & a servant's badge is fear. He hath been to us a Father and a Lord too: if we will not love him as Sons, yet at least let us fear him as servants; Especially considering, his service procures both dignity and commodity. Honour and profit, the two great baits of humane affections attend upon it. Honour it brings, Deo seruire, regnare est: to serve God, is to reign as a King: and Philo q Phil. lib. de regno. , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 To serve God, is better not only then liberty or freedom, but a Kingdom or Sovereignty. And so commodity it brings too: for by serving this Lord, we are saved from all enemies. Augustine r Aug. de eivit. Dei, lib. 19 cap. 15. well notes, Seruus comes à seruando, a servant, from being preserved; because, Quiiure belli possent occidi, a victoribus seruabantur. Such as by right of war might have been slain, by the mercy of their Conquerors were kept alive. So it was a mutual pact Serua & serviam, Preserve thou me, & I will be thy servant. And is not this our case? or is it our case, & shall it not be our duty? Let us hear Zachary, & he wiltel us, That we being delivered from our enemies, Luk. 1.74. might serve him in righteousness and holiness all the days of our life. O then, why do we not humbly serve this great LORD, but proudly strive against him? what intolerable impudence is it for men to use him as they do? Some give him the lie, by unbelief; others the stab, by swearing & blaspheming; many give him the Bravado, by an audacious contradicting his settled truth; and some the flout, by laughing at the miseries of his Church. Is this to make ourselves his servants, to account him as a Lord?. who dares use his Master so? Who will say to th● King, Thou art wicked? & to Princes, Ye are ? job 34.18. Oh how much less should they say it to him, who accepteth not the person of Princes, nor regardeth the rich more than the poor! S. Peter 1. Pet. 2.18 bids servants obey their Masters, though they be froward, much more if they be mild. How then should we be pliant to this great Lord, considering he is ever merciful and kind, or as it is in my text, Nobiscum; ever with us to help and secure us? And this is the second thing in this Promise, the manner how he defends us, viz. by being with us. Is with you. It is true, that God is with all men, and that in all places, and at all times: but he is especially with his Children and servants, and ever for some good, for some singular comfort. For as in beaven our happiness is to be with him; so on earth our welfare is, that he is with us. And God is with us in two respects. 1. For our spiritual, 2. for our temporal estates. For our spiritual estates, St. August. s Aug. de verb. Apost. serm. 16. observes, God is with 〈◊〉 4. ways; 1▪ he is with us, ut praedestineret nos, for our predestination to life. 2 He is with us, ut vocaret nos, at and in our vocation on to grace. 3. He is with us, ut iustificaret nos, at and for our justification from sin 4. He is with us, ut glorificaret nos, for our glorification in heaven▪ He predestinated us before we were ourselves; he called us, when we were departed from ourselves; he justified us when we were sinful, & he glorified us, when we were mortal. More he could not add, to raise us to royal happiness; less he could not do, to preserve us from real misery. Upon this Paul shouts in a triumph; Rom. 8.31. If God be with us, who can ●e against us? or if against us, how can he overcome us? Man (he is an inferior enemy) cannot bring us to death, for God hath predestinated us to life. The world (that is an exterior enemy) cannot allure us from God, for God hath called us to himself. The flesh (that is an interior enemy) cannot drive us to sin, for God hath justified us by Christ. The Devil (he is a superior enemy) cannot damn us in hell, for God hath glorified us in heaven. Nemo nos laedit, nisi qui Deum vincit, saith Ansel. t Ans. in Rom. 8.31. we are in good case, our souls are safe, no man can hurt us, but he which can overcome even God himself. Secondly, for our temporal estates, God is with us there too; and that either to defend us in time of adversity, as God was with joseph in the prison, Gen. 39.21. or to advance us in time of prosperity, as God was with David in saul's Court; 1. Sam. 16.18. or generally to prosper with happy success all our actions, and to incline unto us all men's affections, as God was with john Baptist, Luk. 1.66. Take it how you will, every one of these ways God was with King Asa, as Azariah heretels him. First, ●●d was with him to prosper his handy work, for he built fenced Cities in juda, and the land had rest and peace, 2 Chron. 14.6 Secondly, he not only defended him against an invincible army, such as I think was never heard of in the world before, an host of a thousand thousand men; but advanced him & enriched him with their spoils, whilst he sacked, and ransacked their glorious tents, and carried away innumerable spoils into his own Country. Thus the Lord was with him, and be prospered accordingly. Would any man be happy in his labour? Let him go to work 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 As Peter laboured all night and caught nothing, because Christ was not with him, Luk. 5.5. so many sweat and toil, and strive in the sea of this world, and catch nothing, because God is not with them. If God be with thee, every thing shall go well with thee; yea, if God be with thee, it matters not what, nor where thou be: wert thou with Samson environed with an army of Philistines, if the Lord be with thee, thou shalt destroy them all. Wert thou with the three children in an hot fiery furnace, if the Lord be with thee, thou shalt come out unsinged. Wert thou with jonas in the Whale's belly, if the Lord be with thee, thou shalt be cast safe on the land again. Wert thou with Daniel in the Lion's den, if the Lord be with thee, thou shalt not be touched. Wert thou with Paul and Barnabas in chains in the dark dungeon, if the Lord be with thee, thou shalt be set at liberty. Wert thou with john in the Cauldron of scalding oil, if God be with thee, thou shalt come out unhurt. What will not God's presence do for us? To what will it not advance us? Esther was raised from a captive to a Queen, for God was with her, Est. 5.2. David promoted a pedo ad sceptrum, from the sheephook to the Sceptre, for God was with him, Psal. 78.71. joseph set up from a prisoner at the bar, to a Magistrate on the bench, for God was with him, Gen. 41.43. Elizeus changed, ab ar atore, in orator am, from a Ploughman, to a Preacher, for God was with him, 1. King. 19.20. The Apostles were made, ex piscatoribus, Episcopi, of fishermen, fishers of men, for God was with them; Mat. 4.19. Finally, as Philosophy told Seneca u Senec. Epist. 41. , Bonus vir fine Deo nemo est. No man can be good without God. So Christianity tells us, Beatus vir sine Deo nemo est. No man can be prosperous without God. And therefore let this Dominus nobiscum, be our Panchrestum, a medicine for all maladies; when we come to preach, let Dominus nobiscum take up the text; when you come to hear, let Dominus vobiscum prepare your attention; when you go forth, let Dominus vobiscum be your vadè meoum, and inseparable associate; when you part with your friends and servants to sea, say Dominus vobiscum, for a Pilot to waft them. To conclude, as St. Augustine x Aug. ad Valer. Epist. 77. said of his Deo gratius, Thanks be to God; so I of my Dominus vobiscum, The Lord be with you. Hoc nec dici brevius, nec audiri laetius, nec intelligi grandius, nec agi fructuosius potest. This thing is such, that nothing can be said more briefly, nothing heard more gladly, nothing understood more largely, nothing done more fruitfully. O but, say some, how shall I gain him? how shall I be made partaker of this rich treasure? My text tells you in the next words, Dominus vobiscum, si fueritis cum eo: The Lord is with you, if you be with him; and that is the second member of this first part. If you be with him. If we be with him. Why how can that be? God is in heaven, we on the earth, Eceles. 5.2. How can earth fly up into heaven to be with God? True, therefore God comes down from heaven to dwell with earth, Psal. 113.6. though his dwelling be in heaven, yet he humbleth himself to behold the things in heaven and in earth. What is meant by beholding, but dwelling? by heaven & earth, but a righteous man? saith Augustine y August in Psal. 112. , who is Heaven propter spiritus libertatem, for the liberty of the spirit; and earth, propter corporis seruitutem, for the servitude of the body. Now he with whom God dwells, is certainly with God; and so we are with him, because he is with us. More plainly, two ways a man is said to be with God, in intellectu & affectu, in the understanding and judgement; and with the will & affections. In our understanding, when we know him; in our affectinos, when we love him. But both these must go together, to be perfectly with God, Non enim potes saith S. Bernard z Bernard. aut amare quem non noverit, aut habere quem non amaveris, Thou canst: not either love him whom thou dost not know, or enjoy him whom thou dost not love. First , we are with him, if we know him; and from him, if we know him not. Not that we can perfectly know him, and therefore cannot perfectly be with him. That we cannot perfectly know him, the sharpest wits have confessed. Trismegistus among other titles called him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is, as Lactantius a Lo●● de ira Dei, lib. 8. cap. 11. expounds it, Tantus, ut ab bomine not possit aut verbis enarrari, aut sensibus astimari, So great that he can neither be expressed in words, nor conceived in thought. And as August. b Aug. lib. de cog. ver. vit. & de verb. Dom. serm. 38. sweetly, The best part of our knowledge is, rather to know what he is not, than what he is. For as a curious Statue or form is composed & brought into perfection by hewing and cutting something still from it, not by adding any thing unto it: so this great Lord is known of us, by denying him such and such like things as are common to the creatures, and by ●●●ing away humane conceits from him, wher●●e go about to conceive what he is. But though we know him not wholly as he is in himself, yet we may & must know him holily as he is in his Word. For as the King is known what he is by his Laws, so God is perceived who he is by his Will; neither is any man so fare from God, as he which knows not his Word and Commandment. And thus two sorts of men are severed from God; the ignorant, and the erroneous. The ignorant; for such are not with God, they are they know not where; God dwells in light, but the ignorant man is in darkness, and therefore he is said to grope, Act. 17.27. In this case were all we before Christ came, and all Heathens thence now unto whom Christ is not yet come. They are not in this world with God, but they are with the god of this world. And the god of this world is the Devil in the world to come, who shall punish them for not knowing the true God that made them. Ignorance, whether there it be a sin, as in such as might know, or a punishment of sin, as in such as could not know, it is in both, not iusta excusatio, but c 〈◊〉. ad Sixt. Epist. 105. iusta damnatio; no just excusal at the bar of God's judgement, but a just refusal from the joys of Heaven. And as bad or worse is the erroneous man: For he wilfully goes out of the way, when the hand points him to the true path. He is not with God, for God is truth, and he is run madding with the many-headed monster, Error. How many by a perverseness of judgement, think they are with Christ, when they be with Antichrist? that suppose they be with the Church of God, when they are with the Synagogue of Satan? that imagine they be with jesus, when they are with the jesuits? that hope they are in the gates of heaven, when they be in the mouth of hell? Sulpitius Severus d in vit. S. Martin. lib. 1. tells a story, That near the City where S. Martin sat, there was a religious place much frequented, on it an Altar built, at it much devotion used, because as was thought, certain Martyrs there had suffered for the name of Christ. S. Martin being troubled that he knew not what Martyrs they were, after he had abstained for a while from the place, at time convenient he repaired thither, and fell a praying to God, that he would declare who and what Martyrs these were, whose renown had so famoused that frequent place. At last, there starts out a ghost of a ghastly and grisly aspect, and tells him his name and his condition, Latronem se fuisse ob scelera percussum, That he was no Saint, but a sinner, not of the company of Martyrs, but murderers; cùm illos gloria, se poena retineret, seeing they were in glory and happiness, he in pain and torment. Thus this credulous people thought they were with God, or some Saint, when they were with the Devil and a Thief. May we not justly think our Romanish Samaritans in the same danger, who worship they know not what? That think by their devotion they do service to heaven, when. it may be, their Saint to whom they be devoted, is in hell. And then as their Canus e Lib. 5. cap. 5. quae. 5. con. 3. tells them, Nihil refert Diabolum colas, an hominem condemnatum, It is all one, to worship the devil & a damned soul. I will not lay this to their charge, though some of their own mistrust it, nor will I say they worship some thief, though Antichrist be the greatest thief in the world, robbing God of his honour, Christ of his office, the Church of the Scripture, Christ's Saints of their lives: but thus much I say, they are not where they say they are, for they are in error & blindness, when they boast they be in light and verity. And this is so much more in excusable, by how much they shut their eyes against the light, and like the jews put from them the words of eternal life, Act. 13.46. For the learned; though they cannot but see many of their errors, yet as Pliny f Plin. lib. 5. cap. 1. said of some such like, Ignor antiae pudore mentiri non piget; being ashamed to be found ignorant, they are not afraid to lie. And for the unlearned, the jesuitical blind obedience hath made them bold to refuse all light of most holy truth; insomuch as they will neither be with God that made them, nor their Country that bred them, nor the Church that begat them, nor their friends that are near them, nor their Sovereign that protects them. But for ourselves: seeing God is with us by preaching, let us be with him by practice; no place of the world, where God shines so bright as in England; no place of England, like London; no place of London, like this; this is Bethel, the House of God; here have you the choicest wits, the gravest heads, the sharpest judgements, continually emptying themselves unto you, that whosoever comes in among you, may truly fall down in admiration, and say, Now verily God is in you indeed. 1. Corinth. 14.25. Secondly, men are with God in affection, and by no affection so much as by love; the soul is rather where it loveth, than where it liveth. And so that soul which loveth God, is wholly with him in heaven, whilst the body is on earth. It is true that Augustine g Aug. de ciu. Dei, lib. 14. cap. 7. notes, that Recta voluntas, is bonus amor, an upright will is a good love, and love is the Master of the affections, yea the sum of them, for they are all reduced to that; for love, when it longs for the thing loved, cupiditas est, is then desire; and when it hath the thing it love's, laetitia est, it is then joy; On the contrary, when it flies from the thing it affects not, timor est, than it is fear; & when it feels the thing it desires not, tristitia est, it is sadness. Thus all the affections desire, joy, fear, & grief, are included in love. So then, if we love God, we will desire to enjoy him, saying, Cupio dissolui et esse cum Christo, Phil. 1.23. I desire to be dissolved, and to be with Christ. And having enjoyed him, we will rejoice to keep him, saying, Psal. 4.6. Lord, lift up the light of thy countenance upon me. This is more joy to men, then wicked men have, when their corn and Wine and oil is increased. And having so kept him we will fear to lose him, crying, Psal. 27.9. Hid not thy face from me: put not thy servant away in displeasure. And feeling him leave us, we will grieve at his absence, with this lamentation, Psal. 22.9. My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Thus then by love we are with God: charity is a bond, yea the bond of perfection, which linketh us to God, and God to us; we are with him, if we love him; from him, if we love him not; and love him we cannot, if we love any thing before him, any thing beside him, any thing beyond him. We love something before him, when we prefer any thing to him; we love something beside him, when we join any thing with him; we love something beyond him, when we joy more in it, then in him. Therefore Augustine h Aug. de doct. Christ. lib. 1. cap. 22. expounds the precept, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God, with all thy heart, with all thy soul, with all thy strength, of supereminent and overflowing love; si quid aliud diligendum venerit in animum, illuc rapiatur, quo totius dilectionis impetuss currit: That if any other thing offers itself to be loved of us, it should be carried along, and made to run together with us to the love of God. This is spiritually to be with him in soul in this world, that soul and body may be eternally with him in the World to come. O then, the misery of uncharitable sinners! who are so hardhearted that they care not for God, neither is God in all their thoughts, Psal. 13. That say unto God, Depart from us, for we regard not the knowledge of thy Laws, job 22.17. Among which is the ambitious man that dotes upon Courtlike preferment; the proud man, that pursues glorious titles & vain applause; the luxurious man, that sets the flesh before the Spirit; the inconstant man, that changes his religion with the time; But principally the covetous man, who is only with his money, & makes that his God, and whose heavy bags, and crammed chest presseth down his soul, even as low as hell itself. I read in the life of Saint Anthony of Milan i Alfonso Villegas in vita. , a late Saint of the Pope's coining, That he preaching at a rich man's funeral on this text, Where your treasure is, there will your heart be, added in the end, This text is fulfilled in this covetous man, who making his money his treasure, had his heart stolen away from Almighty God. Certain persons presently going to his Chest to open it, found there his heart, as fresh as if it had been newly taken out of a man's breast. I press no man in this company to believe this, but I presume, many men in this company will moralise this, having hearts not mounting to God by the love of heaven; but glued to the earth by love of money, who when they have done all, can get but Simon Magus his portion; they and their money must perish together. Take heed then, Be with God in your desires and affection, and he will be with you in his benediction and blessing. Thus having finished the handling of this first part: Come we to the second, yet not forgetting to pray Dominus nobiscum in this also; It must not leave us even to the end. And if ye seek him, he will be found of you, etc. And this comes by way of answer to a secret question, which some might make. You say, God is with us, if we be with him; & with him we be, if we know him and love him: But how shall we come to know him, that we may come to love him, and so be with him? The answer is, By seeking him: If ye seek him, he will be found of you. In this please you to consider 2. things. First, The work. 2. The wages. The work, To seek God. The wages, The finding of him. The first intending to the last, and the last inviting to the first. For our promise of finding him, inviteth us to the work of seeking him. For the first, to seek God: It is true, that in this world we are all at a loss: for having all sinned, we are deprived of the glory of God, Rom. 3.23. It came to pass with Adam, as with a griping Usurer, who extorting more than is due, loseth principal and interest both: for Adam, by struing to know more than was allowed him, lost that knowledge which before was granted him; and so became ignorant of God, and ignorant of himself. For as a man that is in the dark, cannot see any thing, no not himself: So Adam's heirs being borne in sin, which is the thickest darkness, are ignorant, and see not either God their Creator, or themselves his creatures. Hence it is, that there is continual seeking up and down in the world; so that if a question were made, what all the men in the world do; it might be answered in a word, Quaerunt, they are busy in seeking: somewhat we want, somewhat we would have, though when we have it, we are not contented with it, until we find that which is able to satisfy us, that is, God himself. A te Domine sumus, et irrequietum est cor nostrum, donec revertamur ad te, saith S. Augustine k August. confess. lib. , From thee (O Lord) we be, and our hearts are never at quiet, till we be with thee again. Now for the finding this blessed God, which will make an end of all our seeking, sundry things are necessary to know, which if they be not understood, may occasion us to lose all our labour. For, three ways, saith Bernard, l Beruard in Cant. ser. 75. men may be frustrated in seeking, Cùm non in tempore quaerunt, aut nen sicut oportet, vel non ubi oportet. Either if men seek not in due time, or secondly, in a right manner, or thirdly, in a fit place. For the first, We must seek him in due time, Isa. 55.6. Seek the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is nigh. Signifiying, that Erit proculdubio cùm inveniri non poterit, m Bernard, ut supra. There will be a time, when he cannot be found, & that is, when this life is ended. Now is the acceptable time, now is the day of salvation, 2. Cor. 6.1. Thou mayst put it off, if thou wilt, Et expectato salutem in medio Gehennae, quae facta est in medio terrae, Bern. ibid. and wait for salvation in the midst of hell, which was wrought for thee in the midst of the earth. When this life hath an end, than our seeking hath an end; and if we find not here, we shall be sure to miss hereafter. It is neither Hell, nor Purgatory, nor the Grave that can put us in any hope of finding God. Here if we miss, we miss for ever. O poor seduced Romanists, why should you think to find God in Purgatory, when yet the wisest men of the Church could never find that there is any Purgatory? When Chrisostome n Chrys. con. 2. de Lazar. tells you, So long as we are here, we have excellent hope, but being once gone; non est postea situm in nobis poenitere, neque commissa dilüere; It is not in our power afterwards to gain repentance, or to wash away sin. No Purgatory can then purge us: Cypryan. ad Deme●r. When Cyprian tells you, Hîc vita aut amittitur aut tenetur, Here life and happiness is either got or lost. When Epiphanius o Epipha. count. haeres. lib. 2. To. 1. hares. 59 tells you; After this life is ended, Impletum est tempus, certamen perfectum evacuatum est stadium, et coronae datae sunt; The time is fulfilled, the combat ended, the race is run, and the crowns given. When Augustine p Aug. ad Mac. Epist. 54. tells you, Of amendment of manners, there is no place but in this life; For this life being ended, Quisque id habebit, quod in hâc sibi conquisivit, Every man shall have that, which he hath gained in this life. Seek not, expect not, hope not for God when thou art dead, if thou caredst not to find him when thou wert alive. And as we must seek him only in this life, so must we seek him early in this life, Isa. 21.12. The morning comes, and also the night; if you will seek, seek. If ever you mean to be doing, begin betimes. Imitate the holy women, Mar. 16.1. who sought Christ early, betimes in the morning. Bee stirring in the prime of thy youth; give God the may den head of thy life: there is no reason Satan should have the flower of our days, & God the bran; that were to offer the halt & blind, and lame on his altar, if we begin not to seek him, till we have given over seeking all things else; yea, it is just, that he in his age should never find him, who in his youth would never seek him. Thus then, learn first to seek him in due time. Secondly, remember also to seek him in the right place. And where is that, saith Greg. q Greg. Moral. lib. 18. cap. 15. but In sinu matris Ecclesiae, in the bosom of our mother the Church. Marry Magdalen sought him in his grave, but S. August. r August. de temp. ser. 133. reproves her, Quid quaeris in tumulo, quam adorare debes in coelo? why seekest thou him in the grave below, whom thou shouldest adore in the heavens above? joseph and Mary sought him in the crowd, and among their kindred; but S. Bernard demands, Quomodo, o bone jesus, inter cognatos meos te inveniam, qui inter tuos minimè es inventus? How, O sweet jesus, shall I find thee among my secular acquaintance, when thou wert not found among thine own natural kinsmen? The Papists seek him in their Images & Crucifixes; But the Scripture teacheth them, Christ which is the Author of verity, cannot be found in an Image, which is a teacher of lies, Haba. 2.18. And who can think, the work of man can contain therein the Maker of man; or that that which is not quickened with life in itself, can hold Life itself that quickeneth all things? If any man say, Lo here is Christ, or lo he is there, believe him not. Math, 24.23. Come therefore to the Scriptures preached in the Church, there shall you find him, and the Church too. For in a sweet and harmonious manner, we find the Scriptures in the Church, and the Church in the Scriptures: we find the Scriptures in the Church; for to her are committed the Oracles of God, Rom. 3.2. And for this, she is the ground & pillar of truth, 1. Tim. 3.15. And in the Scriptures we find the Church, & with the Church, Christ: Else would not Augustine f August. ad. Bonif. Epist. 50. have said; In sanctis Libris, ubi manifestatur dominus jesus, ibi et eius Ecclesia declaratur, In the holy Books, where our Lord Christ is manifest, there is also declared his holy Church. Come then to the Church, if you desire to find Christ. When joseph & Mary had lost him, after three days labour, at last they found him in the Temple, Luke 2.46. There is his Seat, and there he is still, in medio Dictorum, in the midst of his Ministers, to aid them in preaching, yea, and in medio Discipulorum, in the midst of his Disciples, to hear them in praying. It is well noted by Rabanus, Amat medium Mediator Dei et hominum. The Mediator of God and man, love's the middle part always. When he was borne, he was in medio iumentorum, in the midst of the beasts; when he was twelve years old, he was in medio Doctorum, in the midst of the Doctors; when he taught, he stood in medio Discipulorum, in the midst of his Disciples; when he died, he was in medio Latronum, in the midst of the Thiefs: Now he is in heaven, he is in medio Angelorum, in the midst of his Angels; and yet also in medio Christianorum, in the midst of us Christians, according to that, Math. 18.20. Wheresoever two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them. To this house then let us come: For where should we sinned one, but in his own house? And therefore Cant. 1.7. when the Church demanded of Christ, Vbi pascis, ubi cubas in meridie? Where dost thou feed, where dost thou lie at noonday? she received this answer, If thou knowest not, follow the footsteps of the flocks to the tents of the Shepherds. That is, saith t Hugo Card. in Cant. 1.7. Hugo Cardinalis, Attend opera et affectus Eclesiasticorum conventuum; Look upon the actions & affections or the Church assemblies; Or as u Lyra ad loc. Cant. 17. Lyra, Abi post vestigia fidelium ad sedes Doctorum: Fellow the footsteps of the faithful, to the seats of the Doctors: As if he had said, Go to the Preachers which teach, & the faithful that hear, there thou shalt quickly & easily find me. Thirdly, as we must seek him in due time, and place fitting, so also in a right manner. And this is all in all: For though one keep his Quando, and his Vbi, and observe not his Sicut oportet, if he keep time and place, and not the right manner, he is never the better. Now this Sicut, comprehends sundry other adverbs, that must be observed in seeking God. First, Cast, purely and chastely. Seek God for himself, not for sinister causes, and by-respects. jesum propter jesum, seek JESUS for salvation by JESUS: x Aug. de verb. Dom. serm. 49. Quisquis à Deo praeter Deum aliquid quaerit, non castè Deum quaerit: Whosoever seeks any thing of God, but God himself, seeks him not chastely, nor purely. If a woman love her husband because he is rich, her love is not chaste: for how would she doc if he were made poor? If she cleave to him for his riches, Non maritum amat, sed aurum mariti, August. ut suprà She love's not him, but his gold. So he which seeks God for promotion, for profit, for any thing save only for himself, seeks him not right. This, saith Bernard, y Bern. in Psal. Qui habitat. ser. is singular grace, singular perfection, Non modò nil sperare nisi ab eo, sed nil quaerere nisi eum: Not only to expect nothing but from him, but also to seek nothing but even him. Secondly, Veraciter, truly, not fictitiously and hypocritically. It is his promise, Deut. 4.29. Thou shalt find the Lord, if thou seek him with thy whole heart, and with all thy soul: otherwise, we have no assurance to find him. When we seek but in show, we shall find but in show. Thirdly, ferventer, zealously & earnestly: not superficially and perfunctoriously, as if we were indifferent whether we found him or not: but as Salomons Scholars seeks for wisdom, Prou. 2.4. Seeking him as for silver, & searching for him, as for hid treasure. Or as Samson sought drink, judg. 15.18. If thou give me no water, I die for thirst. So Augustine cried z August. confess. , Quicquid dare mihi vult Dominus meus, auferat totum, et se mihi det; Whatever my Lord will be pleased to give me, let him take all again, and give me himself. Fourthly, Perseveranter, with perseverance and continuance, Psal. 105. Seek the Lord and his strength, seek his face evermore. For when we have found him for one thing, yet may we miss him for another thing. Therefore S. Augustine a August. in Psal. 104. saith, Our seeking for God, signifieth our loving of God. Now love must continue and increase, et amore crescente, inquisitio crescatinuenti: And as our love increaseth, so our seeking of him (though we have found him) must increase too. And surely if our hearts be surely set on him, we shall have little mind on any thing else. Plutarch b Plut. Moral. T●. 2. pag. 116. tells how Nicias a Painter, was so pleased with his own work, that he forgot many times his meats, & would ask his servants whether he had dined that day. So if our hearts be well fixed on God beauty, we shall mind nothing so much as enquiry after him. And as Zacheus having found Christ, presently gave away half his wealth at one dash, Luk. 19.8. as if now he had meant never to regard the world; so when we have found God, we shall little regard any thing else, save only to keep and retain him in our souls. Fiftly, unicè, we must seek and inquire for him, and him alone; Non aliud tanquam illum, non aliud praeter illum, non aliud post illum, saith Bernard c Bern. ser. 2 de alt. & bass. cord. , not any thing as him, not any thing beside him, not any thing after him. As jacob said when he heard of his son joseph, I have enough, etc. So when we have found Christ our spiritual joseph, we should both think and say, I have enough, I desire no more: For Auare, saith Augustin d Aug. de verb. Apost. serm. 16. Quid tibi sufficit, si non sufficit Deus? Covetous wrecth! what will serve thy turn, if God be not enough for thee? Therefore a● the East gate in Ezekiels' temple, was ever shut, and must never be opened, because God went once thorough it, Ezek. 24.2. So the heart of a Christian should be shut to all other objects whatsoever, and be left open only to Almighty God. And as they writ of the Clitorian Well e Vitr. lib. 8 cap. 3. Ouid. Metam. : Clitorio quicunque sitim de fonte lauârit, Vina fugit, gaudetque meris abstemius undis. Whosoever drank of that fountain, could never abide to drink wine after it: so we having tasted of the blessed waters of life flowing from God himself, we should never desire nor thirst after the wines of fleshly delights, but cheerfully rejoice & say as the Church, Introduxit mè Rex in cellaria suâ Cant. 1.4. The King hath brought me into his Wine-cellar; we will be glad and rejoice in thee, we will remember thy love more than wine. Thus he that seeks God, shall be sure to find. But one thing we must not forget to remember, that we can never seek him, unless he first of all find us; for of ourselves we have no power, nor will to look after him, until he hath moved us, and roused us up to it. As all seeking is vain, unless we seek him? so all seeking of him is in vain, unless he find us. Bernard f Bern. de dilig. Deo. doubted not to say, Nemo, Domine, te quaerere valet, nisi qui prius invenerit: No man, O Lord, can seek thee, but he who hath first found thee. Wouldst thou be found of us? Then first do thou find us. Potes quaeri et inveniri, non tamen prae veniri: Thou mayst be sought and found of us, but not till thou hast sought and found out us thyself David Psal. 88.13. said, He would prevent God with his prayer; but God must first prevent David with his Spirit: he is first to every man, no man first to him. And surely hence it is, that there be so few that truly seek God; many that seek the world and themselves: some that seek they know not what. Either men hear not the voice of God speaking unto them, but suffocate and choke up the good motions of the Spirit, or else give ear to the voice of the world, harkening rather to the Merchants of janus, saying, Quaerenda pecunia primùm est: Seek money before virtue, rather than to the Ministers of JESUS, speaking, Quaerite primùm Regnum Dei, Math. 6.33. Seek ye first the Kingdom of God. Never City, never Church had more exhortation to seek God then this; and yet, O how few do practise it aright! Pliny g Plin. lib. 14. in Prooem. saith, There are some trees which are called Arbores indociles, quae in alienas non commeant terras: indocible trees, that will be taught to grow no where, but where they were first bred. Do not think me blind, if I tell you I see many walking in the Garden of this City like trees, that are indocible to any thing save to the course they have been bred in, trading for money, and seeking for gain. For the purchase of heaven, by expense of earthly pelf; this Merchandise we cannot teach them, though we labour it never so much. This they think is an unprofitable study, they desire not to be conversant in it. The common search is, Quis ostendet no bis bona? Psal. 4.6. Whither shall we go for a good bargain? where shall we find a good purchase? And it were infinite to reckon up other seekers, who greedily pursue every man his proper delight. Only God among them left out, and either not sought for at all, or else in the last place, when we are able to seek nothing else. And yet if we should spend all our life in seeking out several delights, peradventure all would prove but infructuosus labour, Aug. ad Lar. Epist. 82. unprofitable pain: or if we should find them, all would be but fallax suavitas, deceitful sweetness, like S. john's book, Reu. 10.9. sweet as honey in the mouth, & bitter as gall in the belly. Only God is worth the finding; only, God will not frustrate our seeking; so is his promise: So our Text tells us, If ye seek him, he will be found of you. And this is the second point, The wages. We have heard what is the work, to seek God; now are we come to the wages, The finding of him. He will be found of you. There is nothing so acceptable to a man, as not to be frustrate in his hope & expectation. Multos expertus sum, qui fallere volunt, saith Augustine i Aug. conf. lib. 10. cap. 23. qui autem falli neminem: I have had trial of many that would deceive, but never of any that would be deceived. Nothing so welcome to a seeker, as to find; but to find God, is to a Christian more pleasing, then when the Mariner finds the shore, the Marchantrich wares, the labourer his hire, the Traveller his journey's end. For God is the Centre to which all hearts move, and when they are come to him, they rest as being fully satisfied. Now there is 2. degrees of finding God; One in this life, the other in the life to come: In this world he is found per fidem, by faith; in the other world, per speciem, by sight: In this world we find him by faith: for, credere, invenisse est, Bern. k Bern. in Cant. ser. 76. To believe, is to have found him; but this gives us not full content, therefore we seek him still; I am quip illum invenit fides, sed adhuc illum quaerit spes, saith Aug. i Aug. in Psal. 104. Faith hath found him here, but hope looks to find him better hereafter: And love doth both these, Charitas et invenit eum per sidem, et eum quaer it habere per speciem: Charity hath both found him here by faith, and yet further seeks for him by sight. And though he dwells in an inaccessible light, whither no man can enter, 1. Tim. 6.16. yet faith prieth and presseth in unto him, in his most secret closet of glory: yea, Quid non invenit fides? saith Bernard. m Bern. in Cant. ser. 76. What will not faith find out? Attingit inaccessa, deprehendit ignota, etc. It reacheth to things inaccessible, it finds out things unutterable, comprehends things unmeasurable, apprehends things unapproachable; yea, it encloseth within the large bosom of it, even Eternity itself. The benefits which faith gains by finding God in this life, are two. 1. Remission of sins. 2. Imputation of righteousness. First, remission of sins, for it translates a man from Moses to the Messiah; from the Law condemning, to the Gospel's absolving. Zacharias was stricken dumb, when Christ was to be borne, Luk. 1.20. in token that the Law was to besilent when the Gospel should be preached. And as the woman's accusers brought her to Christ, and afterwards dropped away and left none but them two alone, john 8.9. Remansit magna miseria & magnamisericordia, saith August. n Aug. in Psal. There remained no body, but misery and mercy together: So when the Law hath schooled us with the rod of terror, it at last brings us to Christ, the Prince of Peace, & there we find our iniquities forgiven, and our consciences at quiet. So also it gains us imputation of righteousness: For Christ which dwells in our hearts by faith, Eph. 3.17. communicates his gifts and graces where he dwells. So that what is his, is ours, that is, righteousness; as once what was ours, was made his, that is, sin. And surely, saith Bernard, o Bern. Epist. 190. This righteousness, is Tutior donata, quàm innata: Moore safe when it is given us, then saving when it is wrought by us: because, this may have glory, but not before God. No, Ea Deum perfecta, & omnimoda gloriatio est in Deo, saith S. Basil, p Basil. se●, de humilit. That is perfect & sound glorying in the sight of God, when a man feels himself destitute of true righteousness, and expects alone by faith to receive righteousness from God. Thus we find him by faith in this world. Secondly, hope finds him by sight in the world to come: and this is truly to find him, because than we shall enjoy him; he shall be with us, and in us, yea, all in all, 1. Cor. 15.28. What is all in all? saith S. Aug. q Aug. de verb. Apost. serm. 16. quicksands quid hic quaerebas, quic quid hic promagno habebas, ipse tibi erit: Whatsoever here thou hast sought after, whatsoever here thou hast admired and pursued, that shall God be there unto thee. What? was it meat & drink thou hungredst after? Why, Erit tibi cibus & potus: God shall be meat and drink unto thee: was it glory and preferment thou gapedst after? God shall be that unto thee too. It may be thou wert covetous, and couldst not be satisfied with money? Auare▪ quid tibi sufficit, si Deus ipse non sufficit? O covetous wretch! what will be enough for thee, if having found God, thou yet findest thyself empty? Hear we are at the Centre; here, at the Wellhead; here we may drink, & fill all the empty corners of our heart, which could never be satisfied in this world before. If this will not encourage us to seek him, what will? Thus much is certain: If we seek him not to find him, we forsake him & lose him. And that is the thing which he threatens us, in the next words: If ye forsake him, he will forsake you. Hitherto we have been alured with sweet promises, now he comes to severe menacing: And it is worth the noting; here are two alluring promises, for one terrifying threat. Two for one, and those in the first place; which shows how mild, how gracious our God is; and how unwilling to use justice, if mercy would prevail. In this third member, consider culpa & poena: the fin, and the penalty; The sin, to forsake God; The penalty, to be forsaken of God. If ye forsake him. For the first, Forsaking of God: One would think, that man, the Prince of understanding and reason, should never be so subject to blindness and error, as to forsake God, which is the very soul of bliss, and bliss of the soul. I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life, saith Christ, joh. 14.16. Whither wouldst thou go, saith Aug? r Aug. hom. 34. inter. 50. Christ is the Truth, where wouldst thou tarry? He is the Life, by what path wouldst thou trace? He is the Way. Doth any man think to gain life by running from it? Hugo Card. in Mat. 24. saith Hugo Card. Yet such is the madness of man since the Fall, that he hath no mind to draw near to God; but as Adam hide himself in the thickest of Paradise from the knowledge of God: so his heirs desire to conceal themselves in the mists and foggynes of carnal delights, from the God of knowledge. As sore eyes desire not to behold the Sun: so a guilty conscience hath no mind to draw near to God, but rather Cain-like to departed from the presence of the Lord, Gen. 4.16 into the Land of Nod, the land of banishment, to live in perpetual exile from all grace and goodness. And this would all men do, were there not appointed of God, Ministers to call upon us, the Word whereby to call, and a Church whereinto to call us; that we may find God for grace here, and glory hereafter. Although indeed, no sin be comparable to this, that the creature should fall away & departed from the Creator. Isa. 1.4. Hear the Prophets, They have forsaken the Lord, they have provoked the Holy one of Israel to anger, they have gone backward. And jer. 2.19. It is an evil thing and a bitter, that thou hast forsaken the Lord thy God, and that his fear is not in thee. And S. Peter, 2. Pet. 2.21. It had been better not to have known the Word of Truth, then having tasted of it, to fall away into error. And therefore Aquinas s saith, Aquin. 2. secun. quaest. 12. a. 1. Though Apostasy be not infidelity properly, yet is it circumstantia aggranans eam, a circumstance aggravating it, and making it worse. And it must needs be so. For God is Summum Bonum, the nearer a man comes to God, the nearer he is to goodness▪ and the further a man departs from him, the further he is from goodness. Now as Ambr. t Ambr. in Psal. 118. ser. 15. Non interuallo locorum Deus relinquitur, sed pravitate morum: God is not forsaken by distance of place, but by lewdness of manners. And he forsakes God most, that is farthest from goodness. And yet for all this, though by the Word & Sacraments, men are drawn to God, many regard not to come at all, or else being once come, depart from him again; cleaving to another object, as the Prodigal to the Hogheard, Luk. 15.15. embracing vitreum, non verum Margaritum; a glistering vanity, in stead of celestial verity. Abulens●ad loc. The ways whereby men more particularly fall from God, are Four. First, as Tostatus well notes, de relinquendo legem Dei, by forsaking God's Law, that is, his service and worship established in the Church. By Religion we are Deoreligati, bound & tied unto God. Whereupon it is, that such as forsake Religion, saith Lactan. u Lact. Inst. lib. 4. cap. 4. are compared filijs abdicatis, aut seruis fugitivis, either to forlorn sons, or fugitive servants, whereof one seeks not to his father, nor the other to his Master. I trust there is no necessity that I should exhort you to constancy in Religion; you cannot but see, how infinitely God hath blessed this Land since the Gospel flourished: your bodies have felt it in case and pleasure; your souls tasted of it in grace and virtue; your estates grown fat by it, in plenty and abundance; your hearts been joyed with it, in peace and prosperity. Should we now fear a defection? What though some few straggling frogs have been catched in the net of a Popish Fisher? What is this to the See of our Church? What marvel, though some few seem to fall to the Popish religion, that were never of any before? Certainly, I presume of this place, this City, this Kingdom, that you would desire rather to perish out of the world, than that true Religion should perish out of the Church. And for our comfort, we have his Majesty for our pattern; who as his judgement and learning informs him against falsehood: so his affections & desires confirm him to the truth: That should Rome, and all Romanists come to him, and make it a request, to mingle their old dregs with our pure Water of life; as once they came to Valentinian, Amb. orat. de obit. Valen. to entreat for Templorumiura, sacerdotiorum prophana privilegia: The old ceremonies of Idolatrous Temples, profane privileges of their superstitious Priesthood: He would undoubtedly answer them, as that famous Valentinian did; Quod pius frater eripuit, quomodò à me putatis esse reddendum, quum in eo Religio laedatur & frater? That which my Brother King Edward the sixth, (let meadde my Sister too, Queen Elizabeth of famous memory) did take away, how would you have me to restore again, considering, that therein I should wrong Religion, & them too? Certainly, we should be very disloyal to his Majesty, if we should with a needless fear perplex ourselves with that, wherein we ought to believe him most firm and constant. What then, shall we be secure? No; but the more that Satan strives to supplant us, the firmer footing let us take. If Priests and jesuites swarm in houses, let us so much more devoutly flock together in Churches. If they seduce the wavering, let us confirm the weak. As they plod for Antichrist, let us take pains for Christ. Plut. x Plut. lib. de utilit. ab host. cap. tells us, that it is a wiseman's part to get commodity, even from an enemy. Let us strive to gain thus much from them, to double our diligence in the preaching and practising of Religion: and then we need not fear forsaking of God, by falling from Religion. Et revera cùm quaeque novitas ebullit, statim cernitur frumentorum gravitas, et levitas palearum. Vincent. contra Haeriss. It may be now is a time wherein God would discern between frumentorum gravitas, & levitas palearum, as Cyprian and Vincentius speak: the weight and flowrinesse of good corn, which he reserves for his Garner; and the lightness and unprofitableness of chaff, which he determines for hell fire. He that is faithful unto the death, shall be sure to enjoy the Crown of Life. Reu. 2.10. The second way whereby men forsake God, is, by forsaking his Ministry, in withdrawing their maintenance and Livelode from them. The Ministry is Seminarium Ecclesiae: The Church's seed-plot: destroy that, and farewell Religion. And destroyed it will be, if not cherished and maintained by sufficient means. O the damned sin of Sacrilege! how it strikes as the root of Religion, & aims at the Majesty of God himself! Lact. Inst. lib. 2. cap. 4. And therefore Lactantius notes, That God punished it among the Heathens, because (though he cared not for any injury done to an Idol, yet) he would make men afraid of withdrawing any thing from him, whom they in their blind judgement took for the true God. And this was usual. Lucan. — Quis enim laesos impunè putaret esse deos? Who ever saw the gods spoilt & rob, without condign punishment? And the maintenance of the Ministry is God's maintenance; because it serves for the upholding his immediate service and worship. It is true, Hugo Card. in Isa. 49.23. I grant, that Hugo Cardinalis notes, that the revenues of the Clergy is the Church's food, and when the Church was young like a child, it over-ate itself, and surfeited. But as surfeiting & diseases of oppletion must be cured with purging: so hath this course been taken, and our Church over-purged this way, that she is now on the other side in danger of a Consumption through too much evacuation. I know not how that same auri sacra fames; Virgil. or auri sacri fames hath grown into every man's stomach, that he thinks all is well gotten, which is pilfered from the Church. I know where I am, and to whom I speak. I suppose it is fare from the mind of this City to forsake God or Religion, by withdrawing the Ministerial maintenance. I know, you give much, and freely, to painful and laborious men. You love (I confess) our preaching, and will countenance it with your presence & purses; but give me leave, I beseech you, to tell, that there be in this City, who like not of us, because (though we preach, yet) we can work no Miracles. How is that? Because (in plain English) we cannot live now as our Predecessors did an hundred years ago, of twenty or thirty pounds a year; which to do, in my judgement, were no less than a Miracle. And these men can think it fit to raise the fee of every the meanest officer, and to tie the Minister to his old stint, as if his calling were not worth the upholding. Others there he, who are so far from giving any thing that is their own, that they withhold what is the Ministers own. Lastly, some, who had rather give it to any, than their own Pastor. I would there were more discretion on every side: I would not have it spoken of this City, as it was spoken of Sylla, b Plut. in Sylla. Multa eripiebat, donabat plura: He injuriously wrested many things from the right owners, and gave away prodigally much unto others; insomuch as it was a great question, Naturá ne contemptor hominum, an adulator fuerit? Whether naturally he were more a scorner or flatterer of men. It would much impeach the wisdom of this City, to be in this various humour, to offer injury to one, and show courtesy to another. I speak not in mine own behalf; I thank God; it is a part of my happiness, that my lot hath fall'n in such a place, as hitherto hath afforded me love and courtesy, not neglect and unkindness; and I wish it had been so with others also. But one thing I beseech you give me leave to inform you in: I am bound to wish well to the Church in general, but specially in this City, where I am like to live (for aught I know) and to spend my days; I would not conceal any thing which might do good. Miser est Imperator apud quem vera reticentur: as he said, That Prince, that State is in an evil case, from whom the truth is concealed. c jul. Capit. Gard. 3. You have here in this City, many that feed upon your bounty, who have Live, yea, charge of souls of their own abroad in the Country. Do you think you do well, to give entertainment to these men? When you take the next course to pull down Religion, and to make their people forsake God, as they have forsaken their people? Will you maintain a man in the neglect of his own charge? Can it be honesty for any man's wife, to love another woman's husband? Shall that be accounted lawful among us, which Scriptures, Counsels, Fathers, Canons, Papists, Brownists, and all the world condemns? O be advised in your charity! Spoil not so excellent a work in the manner of doing. There are enough will attend you, as sufficient as these. Think hereon, I beseech you, and the Lord give you understanding in all things. The third way whereby men forsake God, is, By unthankfulness. For that vice denies God, and withdraws man's heart from the Lord: Peremptoriares est ingratitudo, hostis gratiae, inimica salutis, saith Bern. Bern. ser. 3. de sept. pan. d Ingratitude is a kill sin, an enemy to grace, a foe to salvation. Yea it is a parching & a nipping wind, drying up the fountain of mercy & compassion. It utterly separates God and man asunder: for by it we run from him, as the Prodigal from his father, and he departs from us, as the life from the dying limbs. It were a shame that we should be charged with this sin, who of all people should be farthest from it. And yet we must confess, we have ill requited the Lord for his mercies. It is not long, since it pleased him to open the windows of Heaven, and to send us abundance of Corn: which, when it should have moved thankfulness; it procured murmuring and complaining on all sides. Since, we see, how the Lord hath withdrawn his hand, chastened us with penury; as appears (among many other sensible arguments) by the infinite number of Poor, swarming in the streets; for whom, had not some good order been taken by the Lord Maior and the grave Senators of the City; men should not have quietly passed one by another. So we have long enjoyed a happy Peace, which is indeed, the greatest mercy that Heaven can communicate to earth: And yet may we not hear some weary of ease, and wishing for War? War, the firebrand of the world, the enemy of content, and bane of hearts-ease. Whereby, Nobilitas cum plebe perit, Lucan. latéque vagatur Ensis, & ànullo revocatum est pectore ferrum. Ruins & destructions come upon all states of men. Let me tell you a story; It is of Henry, that famous, but unfortunate Emperor He, Oath. Friside gest. Fred. lib. 1. cap. in his young years coming into Saxony, observing the strength and largeness of that Country; vauntingly and vainly said, He wondered, that in so large a Continent as was his Empire, none could be found to rebel, against whom he might exercise his prowess and valour. It was not long, before he had objects enough to try his strength upon: for the Pope excommunicating him, his Subjects fell away from him, & his son rose up in arms against him, and misery and beggary was his end. Take heed, be not weary of Peace; Mala vota sunt, saith August. optare habere quem oderis, ut esse possit quem vincas: Aug. de Ciu. Dei, lib. 4. cap. 15. It is bad wishing another to be thine adversary, in hope thereby to make thyself a conqueror. The fourth way, whereby men forsake God, is, by profaneness, when they fall to embrace the world, and suck the fulsome sweet pleasures of it; a Greg. in Euang. hom. 15. As if it were possible, Et hîc gaudere cum seculo, et illic regnare cum Christo: Here, to revel it with the world, and hereafter to reign with Christ. Such was Demas, who forsook Paul's company, and Christ's service, to embrace this present world, 2. Tim. 4.10. These men are compared to Lot's wife, who being fetched out by the Angels from Sodom, looked back, and was turned into a Pillar of Salt, Gen. 19.26. Saint Augustine saith, Aug. de Ciu. lib. 16. cap. 30. She was turned into a Pillar of Salt, to season all others by her example, that they look not back to the Sodom of this world, when they have been called from thence by the Ministers, God's Angels. But S. Peter compareth profane men to worse things, viz. to Dogs and Swine: For they verify the Proverb, The Dog is returned to his vomit, and the Sow that was washed, to her wallowing in the mire, 2. Peter 2.22. Men in Baptism are washed & made clean, and in associating themselves to the congregation, nequitiam de qua malè saciati fuerant, confitendo proijciunt, faith S. Gregory: Greg. Past. cur. par. 3. adm. 31. they vnloade their stomaches of sin by hearty confession; but falling afterwards to profaneness, they resume their old filth and garbage, and defile themselves in the dirt of iniquity. A very beastly course, and much to be detested. Wherefore, let us take heed of this, it doubles our damnation; and much better it had been for us not to have known the truth, then having known it, to run into error. No comfort, but all misery gained this way; for by forsaking God, he forsakes us. And that is the punishment. He will forsake you. No misery under heaven, nor under earth neither, should we go as low as hell, to this, that God should forsake us. If wealth, preferment, honour, life, or whatsoever else should forsake us, it were no great matter, God is more than all these; and so long as he is with us, we cannot be but well. When the Heathens judged the Christians unhappy foe suffering poverty, spoil, banishment, etc. S. Augustine answers, Hoc sanè miserrimum esset, Aug. de ciu. Dei, lib. 1. cap. 14. si aliquò duci potuerunt, ubi Deum suum non invenirent: Now surely their case were miserable, if they could be carried any whither where they might not find their God. But so long as God is with them, they cannot be unhappy. O but when God is gone from a man, his case is most wretched; for then every thing becomes his enemy, yea, his Master and conqueror. A hair in ones milk, may be our bane, as it was with that Senator; a fly in the air may choke us, as it was with Pope Adrian. Naucler urspergens. And what is less than these, if there be any thing, may do more than these, if it were possible, when God hath forsaken us, and withdrawn his saving health from us. What shall I say? men and Angels cannot express the horror and misery which they are open to, whom God hath forsaken. Sec here God's justice, how he punisheth in analogo! There is beauty and comeliness in all his works; his very justice shines gloriously, in the exercise of it. He forsakes such as forsake him: So he proportions his punishment to the sin. See it in others: Pharaoh slew the Male children of the Israelites; therefore his firstborn must dye, Exod. 12.29. He drowned them in the green river: God destroys him in the red Sea. The Sodomites burn with unnatural lust; Ergo, they must be burned with supernatural fire, Gen. 19.24. Adonibezek cuts off the thumbs and toes of 70. Kings; Ergo, judah must cut off his for it in the end, judg. 1.6. David kills Vriah with the edge of the sword; Ergo, the sword must never departed from his house, 2. Sam. 12.10. jezabel shed Naboths' blood by dogged men; Ergo, her blood in the same place, must be licked up of dogs, 2. King. 9.36. Dives would not give Lazarus a crumb of bred; Ergo, Lazarus must not give him a drop of water, Luke 16.25. julian, & Foelix his companion, speak disdainfully of Christ, and misuse his sacred Ornaments; One said of the Church vessels, En, qualibus vasis ministratur Mariae Filio: See what vessels Mary's Son is served in. He that vented this, presently vents all his blood at his mouth, & dies. The other pisseth against the Communion Table: he therefore could never piss more, but void his excrements at his mouth. Theod. hist. Eccl. lib. 3. cap. 12.13. One in Cyprians time denied Christ, he is therefore presently stricken dumb: Cipr. de laps. Poena inde caepit, unde caepit et crimen, saith Cpyrian There began his torment, where began his sin. And unworthy was that mouth ever after to open, which had ever used itself to deny Christ. Infinite examples are extant for this point: Let us fear God and honour him, and then we need fear nothing else: every thing shall prosper with us. Again note here, that if God forsake us, it is, Aug. ser. 22. de temp. because we first forsake him. This Augustine firmly resolves on, and would have every man believe, Quia Deus nunquam deserit hominem, nisi priùs ab homine deseratur: God never forsakes man, till man hath first forsaken him. See his longanimity! Shall wed begin with him? Shall we provoke him to anger? Are we stronger than he? As yet he hath not forsaken us. Nay, he hath declared himself to be more with us, then with any nation beside. When war and discord, famine and sword, plague and mortality hath been round about us, yet we have been in safety, fare from the reach and contagion of any. What remaineth, but that we remember every man to come nearer unto him: Ecce, qui elongant, se à te peribunt. Psal. 73.27. Behold, they which go far away from thee, shall perish. Let us draw near him in grace, so shall we draw near him in glory. Still let us recount the Text, He is with us, if we be with him. He grant that we may be with him in knowledge, in love; and then he will be with us in his protection on earth, and in felicity in Heaven. Unto which he vouchsafe to bring us in his appointed time, for jesus Christ his sake; To whom with the Father, etc. FINIS.