SERMON CLI.
PIE.4CHED.4T TtlE TEMPLE. Esr i'. 16. Go and assemble ail thc.ews that are found in Shushan, and ast ye for me, and eat net, ner drink in three days, day ner night: I aise, and my maids will fast likewise; and se also I will go in te the king, which is net according te the law: And if I perish, I perish. Nxa" te the eternal and co-essential word of God, Christ Jesus, the written word of God, the Scripturcs concern us most; and therefore nêxt te the person of Christ, and his offices, the dovil bath troubled the church with most questions about the certainty of Scriptures, and the canon thereof. It was late, belote the spirit of God settled and established an unanime, and general consent in his church, for the accepting of this Book of Esther: for, net only the holy Bishop Melito (who defended the Christians by an apology te the emperor) removed this book frein thc camn of the Scripture, one hundred and fifty years after Christ, but Athanasius also, three hundred and ferry years after Christ, refused it too: yea, Gregory Nazianzen (though he deser;'ed, and had the style and title of Theologus, tho divine; and though he came te clearer times, living alnmst four hundred years after Christ) did net yet submit himself te an acceptation of thls book. But a long time there hath been no doubt of it; and it is certainly part of thut Scrlpture which is profitable te teach, te reprove, te correct, and te instruct in righteousness . Te which purpose, wo shall sec what is afforded us in this history of this heroical woman, Esthor; what she did in a perplexed aud scrupulous case, whên an evident danger appeared, and an evident law was against hcr action; and frein thence consider, what every Christian seul ought te de, when it is surprised and overtaken with any such scruples or diftàculties te the conscience. For Esther in particular, this was hot case. She being wife te the king, Haman, who had great power with the king, had got from him an edict, for the dcstruction of ail ber people the Jews. XVhen this was intimated te ber by Mordeeai, who pre- 2 Tire. iii. 16.
. c,.L] Pc H P. senteà te hot conscience, net on]y an irreligious forsaking of (Iod, if she forbore te mediate and use her interest in the king for the saving of hers, and God's people; but an unnatural and unprovident forsaking of herself, because ber danger was in'oh'ed in theirs; and that she herself being of that nation, could net be sale in ber person, though in the king's bouse, if that edict were executed, thongh she had net then se ordinary access te the king, as formerly she had had: yea, though there were a law in ber way, that she might net corne till she was cal]ed, yet she takes the resolution te go, she puts off all passion, and all particular respects, she consecrates the whole action te (od: and having in a rectified and well infomed conscience fonnd it acceptable te him, she neglects both that particular law, That none might have access te the king nncalled, and that general law, That every nmn is bound te preserve himself; and she exposes hersolf te an imminet, and (for any thing she knew) an unescapable danger of death: Ij" Ieris, ferisl. For the esse of all our memories, we shall prox'ide best, by contracting all, which we are te handle, te these two parts Esther's preparation, and Esther's resolution: how she disposed hcelf, how she resoh-cd: what her consultation was, xvhat hcr execntion was te be. Her preparation is an humiliation; and there, first she prepares, that that glory which God shonld recoin'e, by that humiliation, should be general; ail the peoplo should be taught, and provoked to glorify Goal; l'ade coyreya, Go, and assembl ail. Secondly, The act which they were to do, vas to fast, Jejate: and thirdly, It was a limited fast, Tributs diebt«s, Eat wt, wr dri& in tltre days, and tIre yIts: and thcn, this fast of theirs, was with relation, and respect to ber, Jefimate stqer me, Fast yjbr me. But yet so, as she would not receive au ease by.their affliction; put them to do it for ber, and she do nothing for herself; Eyo cure ancillus; I and t 9 maids will fast too: and similiter, liA'ewise, that is, as exactly as they shall. And so far extends ber preparation: ber resolution derives itself into two branches. First, That she will break an human and positive law, lt.qrediar cotra lyem, I will o it, tlottyl if b# hot a«ordiy to t/d law; and socondly, She neglects even tho law of nature, the law of self-preservation,,$'i peream leram.
rBEACHED AT THE, TEMPLE. [SEIt. CLI. To enter into the first pa, the sembling of thc people; though the occasion and purpose here were religious, yet the sembling of them was a civil act, an act of jurisdiction and authority. Almost ail states bave multiplied laws against assemblies of people, by private authority, though upon pretences of religious occasions. All conventicles, all semblies, nust bave this character, this impression upon them, that they be legitima, lawful: and, legitima sola ut, uw abent aut6oritatem principis, only those are lawful which are madc by the authority of the state. opergebatur ifamia &ibiade, quod in domo facere ,ysVria dicebatur. There went an ill report of him, beeausc ho had sacrifices, and other worships of the gods, at home in his o house: and this vas hOt imput to him, as a hismatieM thing, or an aet of different religion from the state, but an act of disaffeetion to the state, and of sedition. In times of perseeution, when no exereise of true religion is admitted, these private meetlngs may hOt be denied to be lawftfl: as for bodily sustenanee, if a mail eould no otherwise avoid starving, sehoolmen, and the euists, resolve truly, that it were no sM so much meat as would preserve life; so, those souls, whieh without that, must neeesrily starve, may steal their spiritual foed in eorners, and private meetings: but if we will steal either of these foeds, temporal or spirituM, beeause that nleat whieh we my bave, is hot so dressed, so dished, so saueed, so served in, as we would bave it; but accompanied with some other eercmonies than are aeeaMe to out taste; is is an inexcusable theR, and these are pernieious eonventieles. XVhen that law was ruade by Darius t, that no man for thiy days should ask any thing of or man, but only of the king; though it were a law that had M1 eireumstanees make it no law, yet Daniel took no oceaslon by this, to induee any new manner of worshipping of God; he k no more company with him to affront the law, or exasperate the magistrate; only he dld as he had used to do before; and he did hot disise, nor conel that whieh he did, but he set open his windows, and prayed in chamber. But in these private eonventieles, where they wiH hot live voto aperto, that is, pray , that they would be oentent fo
SEB. CLIo] IREACHED AT THE TEMPLE. 73 be heard what they pray for; as the Jews in those Christian countries, where thcy are allowed their synagogues, pray against Edom, and Edomites by naine, but they mean (as appears in their privte catechisms) by Edom, and Edomites, the Christian church, and Chr]stian magistracy; so when these men pray in their conventicles, for the confusion, and footing out of idolatry and antichrist they intead by their idolatry, a cross in baptism and by their antichrist, a man in surplice; and hot only the persons, but the authority that admits this idolatry, and this antichristianism. As vapours and winds shut up in vaul, engender carthquaes; so these particular spirits in their vaultprayers, and cellar-service, shake the pillars of state and church. Dom«s ea, domus orationis; and omus orationis, domus nwa: 3Iy oue is te ouse prayer, says God; and the hou of prayer must his house. The centurion, of whom Christ testified, That le had hot foud o yreat raira eren in Israel'; thought hot himself worthy, that Christ should conte under his roof and the men think no roef, but theirs, fit for OErist; no, hot the roof of his own house, the chureh: for I speak hot of thooe meetings, where the blessed children of God join in the bouse, to worship God in the saine manner, as is ordained ia tho ehuoeh, or in manner agreeable to that: such religiom meetgs these, God will give blessiug to; but when such meetings are in opposition, and detestation of chureh-sen*ice, though their purpose, which eome thither, do not always intend sedition, yet they may eily think, that none of those disciples is so ill natural logician, but tiret he cornes quiekly to this conclusion, that if those exercioes be necessary fo their salvation, that stato that denies them those exercises deals unjustly with them: and when peoplo are brought to that disaffection, it is noE alwys in their power that bught them together so far, to settle them or hold them from going farther. In th ee weh wo have in hand, of Esther and 5Ioeeai's assembling all the Jews in Shusan, whieh w tho principal eity of Persia, where the residence of the princes was, (Persepolis was a metropolin city too; but only for the treasure, and for the sepulehres dE their kings; but the court was at Shusan.) If when they had becn t Matt. 1o.
74 raACv AT 'H Er.. [Sa. CLé. assembled, and their desperate case presented to them, that an edict of general massacre was going out against them, was it not more likely (judging humanly, and by comprison of like cases) that they would bave turned to take arms, rather than to fast and pray for their dcliverance: how good soever their pretence (and perchance purpose) be, that assemble people, and discontent them, the bridle, the stern, is no longer in their hands; but there arise unexpected storms, of which, if they were hot authors in their purpose, yet they are the occasioners . In Esther's case, the proceeding was sale enough; for they were called to sec, that the queen herself llad undcrtaken their deliverance, their deliverance was very likely to be effected; and therefore it became them to assist ber purpose xvith their devotion, expressed first in ïasting. Fasting is hOt a mere hunlan imposition, as sortie have calulnniated it to be: the commandments of it are ïrequent from Goal to his people, and the practice of it even amongst the Ninevites, upon Jonah's preaching, is expressed to be rigid and sex-etc, Let neither raan or beast taste any thing, nor feed, nor drink water, but let man and beast put on sackdotk, and cry miyhtily unto God', ]t is truc, that they round often that their fasts did no good; but when they expostulate it with C, od, Wherefore bave we fasted, and thou seest it hot, cee hare punisked ourselres, and thou reyardest it hOP; they reeeived a direct answer from God, Behold, in tke days of your fast you seek your own will, and require all your debts; when ye fasted and uourned, did ge fast.unto me? To place therefore any part of our l'ighteousness, or to dignify the act of fasting, with the naine of merit or satisfaction, did then, and will ahvays corrupt and airer the nature of a truc and acceptable fast: and therefore we detest the definition of a fast in the Roman church, Abstlnentia secundum formam eccl«sice, intuitu satis faci«ndi, pro pewatls, et aceuirendi vitum crternum; That fasting is a satisfaction for sins, and an acquisition of lire everlasting. But since the reason of fasting remains, the practice must remain still: for when Christ excused his apostles for hot fasfing, as tho disciples of John Baptist, and as the pharisees did,
ER. LI. 1 ]RE&CHED AT THE TEMPLE. 75 ho did no say tht faating is taken away; but ho sEid, The brideffroom was ot taken awa; but ne slould be taken away and they shouldfastL Vhen occasions press us, fting is required at out hand: @fo ajuntum, My flesh is my beast; ia 6'hrlstus, and Christ is the way I ara to go; Nonne cibariaf«odeti detra- am'? If i be too wanton, shall no I withdraw some of the provender Et faine domem, quem ferre non possum, If I canno govern him, shall I hot endeavour to tame him And therefore, though by ron of former abes, it be a slippery doctrine, the practice of fasting, (for scarce any man purs himself to much fasting, bug he is ready to tcll God of it, with the pharisee, Ifast twice a week: and from tlieromds praise of it, Jejuuium on est *irtus, ed yradus ad virtttem, That though fasting be hOt a virtue, yet it is the way to virtue; we corne a step farther with Chrysostom, It coro virtutum, oetremum sortitur jadum, That though fasting be the last of virtues (except Chrysostom mean by eoetremum, the first) yet it is one; yet £7tctoEcate robis j, junium Fast with a holy purpose; and it is a holy tion. As you are bid to ct our bread po t],e watts, for many days «fier you hallfind it again'; so also cast your fasting upon tho waters, look for no particular reward of it, and God shall gi-e you a bencfit l>y it in the whole course of your liv. But thejejunate, fasting itoelf, bath hot so much opposition as the tribt diebu, that it must be thr days; the certain days and the limiting of the rime, that is it that offends. All men, will say that fasting is nccessary to ail men; but hot this proportion, and this measure to ail men alike. Th¢y are content with that of Augustine, Ego in eeageHcis et atolicis literis totoque; instrume,to +wro reeoletu, video prwcet+m esse juM-um, As oKcn as I consider the Gospel, e-ery whe I find commandments for fasting; but they will bave the rest t: Quibtu diebus oortet, aut wn oportet jejunare, prweeptum Domid apostolorum fwn ideo d,nitum,Upon what days wo should fast, says ho, I ee no commandment of Chri or tho apostles: and it is true, there is no express commandment for it; but thero is an express commandment to hear tho church. In tho Old Testament God
6 PREACIIED AT THE TEMPLE. tSERo CLIc gave express commandment, dejejuniis stat;ris; certain fixed and anniver8ary fasts: Te teth tesame mt sall be a o/y conzotion nto you, et aiyetfs anhnas zeatras, ye ÆaN umle your souk; and erery erso tat doth ot that, that saine day, shall eren 6e eut o" from is eole". The disease whieh they had is hereditary to us; concupiscences in the flesh, and eMdness in tho service of God: and though it may be truc, that the ehurch eannot know my partieular infirmities, nor the rime when they pre me; yet as no physicien for the body ean prescribc me a reeeipt against a fever, and bid me take it such a day, beeause percbanee et tbat day I sball have no fever; yet he ean preseribe me certain rules and reeeipts, which if I take af his rimes, I shall be tbe safer all the year: so out spirituel physicien, the chureh, fllough she cannot know when my body needs this partieular physic of fasting, yet she knows that by observing tlle timo which she preseribes, I shall always be in the better spirituel heahh. As soen as tlle chuoeh was oettled, fasts were settled too: wheu in the Primitive ehurch they xed ceain rimes for #ring orders, and making ministers, they appointed fasts af thoso rimes; when they fixed cerin rimes for solemn baptism, ( they did Easter and SVhitsuntide) they appointed fts then too; and so the)-did in their lemn and public penanees. So aloe when Cbristians inereased in number, and that therefore,besides the Sabbath-day, they used to eall them to ehureh, and to give the sacrement upon other days toe; as soon as XVednesday and Friday were appointed for that purpooe, for the sacrement, they were appointed to be fasted too. And therefore when St. Cyril says, Vis tibi osUndan, quale junare deb junium Jejuna ab omni peccato. Shall I tell you what ft God loeks for at your hands, fatfrom tin; yet this is hot ail the fasting that he exaets, (though it be indeed the effeet and eomplishment of aH) but ho adds, An ideo hoc dicimua, We say hot this, ys he, beeause we would give libey, Habemu, enim 9uadragedmum, et 9uartum, et,extum hebdomade diem 9uibu,,olniter jçum, We bave a fixed Lent to ft in, and wo bave Vednesdays and Fridays fixed to fast in. In ail times, G's people h fixed and limited fasts, besides these fts whieh were enjoined upon emergent t t LeVa x. 27.
ERo CL|.] PREACHED AT THE TEMPLE° dangers, as this of Esther. In which there is barder circumsuce thu this, that it wss a fst limit to ceriu for it is, u»te ro »e, Fst you for me. Au these words my seem to give me colour, some countenance to the doetrine of the omn church, tht the merits of one ma may be applied nother; which dtrine is the foudtloa of indulgences, and the fuel of puratory: iu whieh they go so far as to sy, Tht one man may fee an ttorney fo satisçy d for him he pure nother mau to ft, or do other wom-ks of mortification for him : and he that does for his client,,ça»quinem pro sanyuine C'rlsto reddit, He p) Christ his blood again, and gives him much he receired from him; and more, eum sibi debitorero cit, he brings God into his debt, and may turn that debt upon whom he will; and God must pe off so mueh of the other man's score, fo whom ho inten if. T}ley go beyoud this too; that satisfaction may be mado God, even hy ourselves after out death: as they say, 'hen they h brought Maximilian the emperor to that mortification, that he command upon his deat}lbed, flat his body shou}d be whipped after ho was dead; that purpose of his, though it were hot executed, was a satisfaction of the justice of God. And (as error ean find no place to stop at) they go yet farther, wheu they extend this power of satisfaction even to hell itself, by authorizing thom fables, that a dead man which appeared, and raid he was damned, was by this flagellation, by his friend's whipping of himself in his behalf, brought to repentanco in hel], and so to faith in he]l, and so to sals'ation in hell. But in the words of Esther hcro is no intimation of this heresy; when Queen Esther appoints others to fast for ber, sho knew sho could no moto bo thc better for their fasting, than sho could ho the leaner, or in the better hea}th for it; but becauso she was to bave benefit by tho submquent t, by their pyers, sho provokea them fo that, by which their prayers might be tho more ceptable and effectua}, that is, to fting. And m because the whole action was for ber, and ber gd succe in that enterprise, they are in that sense propefly said to haro fed for ber: that this jeju»ate uer , the word is, gnalai , uer me, in my n Grether. sa
ealf, is no more ut croie pro,ne, ray for me; and so St. ierome trans]ates these wor, orate pro me, pray for me. And terefore, since prayers is te way which God bath given us to batter heaven, whether ficta anu Denm oramns, e viro 9atam ei«cimus", whether we besiege God with our prayers, in these publie congregations, or whether we westle with him hand to hand in our chambers, in the battle of a troubled conoeience, let us lire soberly and modetely; and in bello, and in duello, here in the congregatlon, and at home in out private eolluetations, we hall be thc likelier to prevail 5th God; for though we reeeiro assistance from the rayer of others, that must not make us lazy in our behalt; which is Estheçs ]ast preparation, she bids all the people fast for her, that is, for the good suceess of ber good purposes; but hOt the people alone, »he znd ber o mai w fast likewise. Qui cit te sine te, non salvabit te sine te, is a saying of St. Augustine, never toe often repeated; and God and his church are of one mlnd; for the church that did baptize thee without thy asking, will hot fast for thee, nor pray for thee, without thou tst and pray for thyself. As in spiritual things, charity begins with ourselves, and I ara bound to wish my own salvation, rather than any other man's; so I ara bound to tst to my making sure of my salvation, by that which 1 do myself, rather than by that which I procure others to do for me. Dorons Dei, dorons orationis; we have inestimable profit by the publie prayers of thc church, the house of God; but as there is Deus, et domus ej, so there must be Ego, et domtts mea, I and y bouse u'ill serve the Lord . I also and my taids will fast likewise, says Esther, in ber great enterprise; for, that which the original expresses here, by gnalai, for me, the Chaldee paraphrase expresses by gnimmi, with me: she was as well fo fast as they. It was a great confidcnce in that priest that comfoed St. Augustinds mother, Fini non Totest, ut fllius istarum lachrymarum reat, It is impossible that the son, for whom so good a mother bath poed out so devout tears, should perish at last; it was a confidence which no man may take to himself, to go to heaven by that water, the tears of other men; but tu et domue tua, do thou and thy bouse * Ter. Joh. t.
s«ve te Lord; teach thine o eyes te weep, tne own bvdy te fulfil the sufferings of Christ; thine o appetite te fast, thine own beart, and tine own tone te pmy. Corne and psicipate of the devotions of te church; but yet also in thy chapel of case, in thine own bed-chamber, provide tat tyself and thy scrvant, ail thy senses, and ail ty fulties, may also fast and pray; and se with relious confidence as Esther did, aout ali thy other worldly busineses and undeakins. This was ber preparation. er dcvotion at to branches; she was te transress a positive law, a law oï te ate; and she nelected te law of nature itselï, in exposing eelf te that danger. How far hum laws de bind the oenscience, how far they lay such an obligation upon us, as that, if we transgress them, we de net only incur the penty, but sin towards G, hath been perplexed question in all times, and in a places. But how dive soever their opinions be, in that, they all agree in this, that no law, which bath all tho essential parts of a law, (for lavs against God, laws beyond the power of him that pretends te make them, are no laws) no law can be se merely a human law, but there is in it divine part. There is ia every lnmmn law, part of the law of God, which is obedienco te the superiot'. That man cannot bind tho conscience, because he cannet judge the conscience, ner ho eannot absolve the conscience, may be a goed argument; but in laws ruade by that wer vhich is ordained by God, man binds net, but God himself: and then you must be subject, net bause of wrath, but because of conscience. Though then the matter and bject of the law, that which the law comman, or prohibits, may ho an indifferent action, yet in all these, God bath his part; and there is a ceain divine ul, and spark of G's power, whtch goes through all laws, and inanimates them. In aH the canons of tho churcb, Goal bath his voice, t omnia ordineat; that all things be donc decently, and in order; se the canon that ordahs that, is frein Goal; in ail the other lws he bath his voice too, ut iè et tran- çuillè eieatur, that we may lire peaceably, and religiously, and se those laws are frein Goal: and in aH, of all ws, this voice of his unds evidently, OEui re»itit ordiationi, he that resists his eosion, his lieutenaney, his authority, in law-makers ap-
80 VEACHED AT THe TEMPLe. [Se. CLI. ponted b hhn, resss himselî. There fs no ls ths is merel hmusn bu onl « m»r» the 1 in out flesh, which rebels ssns rhe lsw n out mind snd this is rebelliou, tyranny, no lwfuI government. In all true laws Goal bath interest; and the observing of them in that respect, as ruade by his authorlty, is an act of worship and obedience to him; and the tmnsgressing of them, with tht relation, that is, a resisting or undervaluiug of that authority, is certaiuly sin. How then was Esther's act exempt from this for shc weut directly against a dioect law, that none hould corne to te kin.q tncall«d. SVhensoever divers laws concur and meet together, that law which cornes from the superior magistrate, and is lu the nature of the thing commanded, highest too, that lav must prcvail. If two laws lie upon me, and it be impoible to obey both, I must obey that which cornes immeliate]y from the greatest power, and imposes the greatcst duty. Here met lu her, the fixed and permanent law, of promoting God'8 glory, and a new law of the king, to augment his greatness and majesty, hy this retireduess, and denying of ordinary access to his person. God's law, for his glory, which is infinite and unsearehable, and the kiug's law, for his eme, (of which she knows the reasou, and the seopc) were in the balance together; if this law of the king had been of aything naturaily and essentially evil in itsclf, no circumstance could bave ddivered ber ri'oto sin, if she had donc agaiust it. Thouh the law were but concerniug au iudiflrent action, and of no great imposante, yet because God's authoritv is in evcry just law, if she could hot have been satisfied in her conscience, that that law mlght adroit an exception, and a dispcnsation in hcr case, fle had sinned in breaking it. But when she proceeded hot upon any prccipitation, upon any siugular or seditious spirit, wheu she debated the matter temperately with a dispassioned man, 5Iordeeai; when she round a reservation even in the body of the law, that if the king held up his sceptre, the law beeame no law to that party, when she might justly think herself out of the law, which" was (as Josephus delivers it) Ut emo ex do»esti«is accederet, That none of his servants should corne iuto his presente uncalled; she was then eome to that, which ouly eau excuse and justify the breaking of auy law, that is, a probable,
SF, ll. CLI. PREACHED AT THE TEMPLE° i hot certain assurance, contracted nJ«, in a rectified conscicnce, that if this present case, which makes us break this had bee knowu and considered whe the law was ruade, he that ruade the law would have ruade provision for this case. sumingof pardon, when the law is broken; no dispensafion gi'cn bcforehand to break it, can settle the conscience nor ny other way, tlmn declmtion well grouuded, that that particulr case w nevcr intended to lmve bee composed in that lw, nor the reason and purpose thereof. So, whcn the conscience of Esthcr s, and so when the conscience of nny particular Christian, is ater due consideration of the matter, corne to a religious and temperate assurance, that ho may brcak any law; his assurance must be groundcd upon this, that if that law were now fo be made, that case which he hath lnsently in hand, would hot be included by him that ruade that law, in that law; otherwise to violate a law, either bause, being but a hunmn law, I think I ara discharged, payiug the penalty; or, because 1 have good means to the king, 1 may presume of a pardon in ail cases, where my privile works any other way, than, as we ha-e said, (that is, that out case is hot intended in that law) it had been in Esther, it should be in us a sin to transgress any law, though of a law-nature, and of an indiftrent action. But upon those circumstanees which we mentioned belote, Esther might see, that that law admitted some exceptions, and that no exception was likclier than this, that the king for his majestical reservedness, would be content to receive information of such dishonour done to his queen, and to ber God; she might justly think that that law, intended only for the king's ease, or his state, reached hot to ber pern, who was his wit, nor to ber case, which was the dest»uction of ail that profesd her religion. It was then no sin in her to go in to the king, though hot according to the law; but she may em to bave sinned, in exposing herself to so certain a danger as that law inflieted; with such a resolution,,Tpeream,eream, Iflerish, lrish. How far a man may lawfully, and with a goed conscience, forke himself, and expose himself fo danger, is a point of too much largeness, and intricacy, and perplexity to handle now: the general stream VOl.. Vl. G
82 PREACflED AT THE TEMPLE. tSER. CLIof casuists runs thus, that a private man may lawfully expose himself to certain danger, for the preserving of the magistrate, or of a superior person; and that reason might have justified Esther's enterprise, if ber ruin might bave saved ber country; but in ber case, if she had perished, they were likely to perish too. But she is safer than in that; for first, she had hope out of the words of the law, out of the dignity of ber place, out of the justice of the king, out of the preparation which she had ruade by prayer; which prayer, Josephus (either out of tradition, or out of conjecture and likelihood) records to bave been, that God would make both ber language and ber beauty acceptable to the king that day: out of ail these, she had hope of good success; and howsoever if she failed of ber purpose, she vas under two laws, of which it was necessary to obey that which concerned the glory of God. And therefore Daniel's confidence, and Daniel's words became ber well, Beho[d, our God is able to deliver n,e, and he will delizer me; but if he will hot, I n, ust ot for,ake his honour, or abandon his serzice: and therefore,,i peream, peream, 1.t'l eri,h, I peri,h. It is not always a Christian resolution,,S'i peream, peream, to say, If I perish, I peri,h: I care not whether I perish, or no: to adroit, to invite, to tempt temptations, and occasions of sin, and so to put ourselves to the hazard of a spiritual perishing; to give tire to concupiscencies with licentious meditations, either of sinful pleasures past, or of that which we bave then in out purpose and pursuit; to fuel this tire with meats of curiosity, and provocation; to blow this tire with lascivious discourses and letters, and protestations, this admits no such condition, si pereas, if thou perish; but periistl, filOU art perished already; thou didst then perish, when thou didst so desperately cast thyself into the danger of perishing. And as he that casts himself from a steeple, doth not break his neck till he touch the ground; but yet he is truly said to bave killed himself, when he threw himself towards the ground: so in those preparations, and invitations to sin, we perish, belote we perish, belote we commit the act, the sin itself: we perished then, when we opened ourselves to the danger of the sin; so also, if a man will wring out, hot the club out of Hercules" hands, but the sword out of God's hands; il' a man will usurç uon Godes jurisdiction, and become a magistrate to himelf, and revenge is own arrels, and in an inordinate defence of imginary ono, exçose himself to danger in duel, with a 'i Feream, eream, fil f eris, ] FerieZ, tt is not oy true, if he perish, he peshes; if he perish tempoHy, he perishes sI, iritually too, and goes out of the world loaded th tt, and with all ]ris other sins; but itis also true, that if he perish hot, he perishes he cornes back loaded both with the temporal, and with the spiritual death, both with the blood, and with the damnation of tht man, who perished suddey, and without repentance, by his sword. To contract thi and conclude ail, if a man hve nothing in his contemplation, but dignity, and high place; if ho haro net virtue, and ligion, and a conscience of having deseed well of his eount, and tho love of God and gy men, for his sustent tion and assurance, but only te tower up after dignity, a wk after a prey, and think that ho may boldly my, as an impomiblo supposition,,i peream, peream, If lperish, I peris; as though if were impossible he should perish; he shall be subjee te that defi8ion of the king of Babylon, Q«omodo cecidisti, How ar tou Jàllet frein heaen, 0 Luc, thou son of the morningY how art thou cast dou'n te the ground, that didst cast lots upon the But that providen and rdigious seul, which proeeeds in all ber enterprises as Esther did in ber preparations, which first ealls an assembly of all her countrymen, that is, them of the household of tho faithful, the eongregation of Chfist's ehurch, and the communion of saints, and cornes te partieipate the benefit of publie prayers in his house, in eonvenient rimes; and then doth tho saine in ber own bouse, within doers, she, and ber maidg that is, she and all her sense8 and faeties;this seul may also eomo te Esthofs resolution, te go lute the king, though it bo net aceording te the law; though that law be, that neither forniear, ner adulterer, ner wanton, ner thief, ner drkard, ner eoveu ner oxtortioner, ner railer, shall have aeeess into the kinom of heavon, yot this ul thus ppared shall foel a eomfortable rance, that this law w me for servants, and net for son ner tbr tho spouso of Christ, his church, and the ving mombers I v. 12.
84 raF.e»[F-D ^T WHF. WEIV.F-. [SF.n. C:.:. thereof; and she may boldly say,,S'i peream, peream; It is ali o»e though I perish; or as it is in the original, Vecasher '7, qtomodocunque peream; Whether I pcrish in my estimation and opinion with men, whether I perisll in my fortunes, honour, or health, quomodocunque, it is all one; I[earen and earth shall pass away, but Gocrs word skall not pass; and we bave both that ,rord of God, whieh shMl never have end, and that ,rord of God whieh never had begi»ning. IIis Vord, as it is his promise, his Seriptures and his Vord, as it is himself: Christ Jesus for out assuranee and seeurity, tlmt that law of denying sinners' aeeess, and turning his fee ri'oto them, is not a perpetual, not an irrevoeable law; but that that himself says, bclongs to us: For a little wkile kare I.forsaken tkee, but witk yreat coml»assion will I yather tkee; for a,monent in ffne anyer I hid ny.face fron tkee,.for a little season, but with ererlastitçq nercy ha:e I kad compassion on thee, saith the Lord Christ, thy Redee:ner. How riotously and voluptuously soever I hve surfeited upon sin heretofore, yet if I fast that fast now; how disobedient soever I bave been to my superiors heretofore, yet if I apply myself to a eonseionable humility to them now; howsoever, if I bave negleeted neeessary duties in myself, or negleeted them in my family, that either I lmve not been eareful to give good example, or not eareful that they should do aeeording to my example, (and by the way, it is not only the lnaster of a bouse that hath the eharge of a family, but every person, every servant in the bouse, that bath a body and a soul, bath a bouse, and a family to look to, and to answer for) yet if I beeome eareful now, that both I, I lnyself, and my wholo bouse, ail my family shall serve the Lord; if I be thus prepared, thus disposed, thus matured, thus melloxved, thus suppled, thus entendered, to the adnfitting of any impressions from the hand of my God; though there seem to be a general law spread over ail, an universal war, an universal famine, an universal pestilence over the whole nation, yet I shall come either to an assurance, that though there fMI so many thousands on this and on that hand, it shall hot reach me; etsl pereant, though others perish, I shall hot perish; or to this assurance, Siyerean, peream, If I perish b)" tbe good pleasure of (od, I shall be well content to "'1, md in whatsoever.
perish so; and to this also, Etsi yeream, non pereo, Though I perish, I do hot perish; though I die, I do hOt die; but as that piece of money which was but the money of a poor man, being given in subsidy, becomes a part of the royal exchequer: so this body, which is but the body of a sinful nmn, being giren in subsidy, as a contribution to the glory of my God, in the grave, becomes a part of God's exchequer,; and when he opens it, ho shall issue out this money, that is, manifest it again clothcd in his glory: that body which in me was but a piece of copper mouey, he shall make a talent of gohl; and which in me was but a grain of wheat buried in the earth, he shall multiply into many ears, not of the saine wheat, but of angels" food; the angels shall feed and rejoice at my resurrection, when they shall sec in my soul, to bave all that they bave, and in my body, to bave that that they have hot.
DEt'TEnOr¢O.l't" xii. 80. Take heed fo thyself, that thou be hot snared by following them after they be destroyed from belote thee; and that thou inquire hot after their gods saying, llow did these nations serve thcir gods? even so will I do like- VCH I consider our ascension in this lire, (that which David speaks of, 1Vo sall ascend into te ill of te Lordm?) I sec the prophet adds there, as another manner of expressing the saine thing, nd who sall stand in tkat holy place? Quis ascendet, et uis stab# A nlan does hOt aseend, exeept he stand. And such an ascension (an ascension without n redeseent) Moses provides for here. First, they should aseend to an abolishing of all idolatry; alld then they shou]d staud in that state, persevere in that station, and perpctuate that ascension to themselves, by shutting themselves up against alv new re-entries of that idolatry Psahn xxiv. 0.
8 I:'REA.CflED AT LINCOLN'S [NNo [SER, CL|[o which had been once happily banished from amongst them. The inchoation of this ascension, that step which is happily ruade in the abolishing of idolatry, is in the beginning of this chapter; Yo shall «tterly destroy all the places, (which is a vehement gradation and heightening of the commandment:) it is a destruction, hot a faint discontinuing of ido]atry, but destruction: it is utter destruction, hOt a defacing, hot a deferring of idolatry; and it is the utter destruction of the very place, hOt a seizing the riches of the place, hOt a slight correction of the abuses of the place, but the place itself, and (as is there expressed) ail tho place, hot to leave the devil one chapel wherein the nations had served theirlgods. And the Holy Ghost proceeds in the next verse with this particular vehemency, You si}all orerti}row their altars, break tlwir pillars, burn their yroves, hew down their imEqes, and destroy their names. But ail this is but the inehoation of this aseension, the first step iu abolishing idolatry: the eonsummation of it is, in standing there; and that is in this text, Take heed to thyself, &c. The words are an inhibition, and the persons are ail they to whom God bath extended his favours, so far as to deliver them from idolatry, formerly practised amongst them, and to bring them to the sincere worsbip of his naine. And for such persons we need hOt go far, tbr we ourselves are they. God bath given us such a deliverance heretofore in the reformation of religion; so far we are ascended, and so the inhibition lies upon us, that we slide hot back again. It bath two parts; l. The main matter of the inhibition, that we be hOt snared by idolatcrs, after they bave been destroyed from before us. And secondly, two partieular dangers whereby we nmy be snared: first, by following them: take heed you be hot snared by them; and then by an over-curious inquiring into their religion, Eniulre hot after their 9ods, &c. And through the flrst, the matter of the inhibition, we shall pass by these steps, 1. That there is no security; there is still danger, though the idolater be destroyed. And secondly, that there is therefore n diligence to be required, Take heed to tliyself. And then thirdly, that the danger from which this diligence must deliver us is a snare; Take heed lest thou bs snared. And for the branches of the second part, the snare of following them; the snare of inquiring into their opinions; it shll let incumber you to bave them opened then, when we corne to handle them; first we pass through the first In that, tho first bnch is, that there is no surity, though the enemy be deroyed. And there we are consider first, what amounts to a destruction, what is called a destruction in this case; God had pmised the children of Israel. that ho would give ail the inhabitants of the land of promise into their hands; that he would abolish them, deroy them, and (as own phre is) ut t]wm off . G performs all his promises; SVas this performed to them did God deroy them a]l truly it was very nmch that God did in this behalf. He got great victori for them, and by strange means. One anel was ble to destroy for them almost two lmndred thousand Assyrians one ight in Sennacherib's army . This was real execution by the hands of one, who having commission, had tly power to do it, an ngel. But he prevailed for them too in another case, only by n apparition of angeS, when thcre was no blow sttcken, when Elisha's servant w mountains full of boxes and chariots of tire . He çrevailed for them by creatures of a much lower r:nk, and weak in their nature, by hornets. He promises tlat he would send bon, ets belote them , nd they should drive out the inhabitants of the land. He pvails for them by creatures of a lower tank thau they, by creatures without lire, by stones. The Lord discomfitcd them by great sn fm heavcn lle prevailed by tht 'hich is no creature, no subsistence, sound onl)ç the Lord thundered with a t thunder upon the Philistines, and discomfitcd them . He toek a lowcr way than this, he cmployed nothing, aud yet did the work, hy imprinting terror in their heats, Fire o" you shall cass a hudred, ad lower than that; he wrought hot upon their minds, but upon their senses. He smote a whole army with blindness'. And he went thrther yet; he did notng at aH upon them, and yet vrought Iris purpose only by version; when Saul pursued i Exo xfi.3. 2 K x. 3. 2 Kin . 16. » Exod. xfi. 28. « Josh. x. 10. 7 I Saut. vii. 10. 2 Kingm vi.! 7. e I Sain. x. 27.
David with the mos vehemeuce of all, a messenger came and told him that the Philistiues had inraded his land, and then he gave over the pursui of David . eally great, adnfiraLly strange thiugs id God in the Lehalf of his children, for the destruction of his and their dolatrous euemies. ut yet were tey ever destroyed: to]ly destroyed they were hot; the Lord left some nations (ys the text there) without hastily driving them out; neither did he dcliver them into thc hands of Joshua. Te Jebusites dwell wit te cMldren « Benjamin it J«rusalem nto tMs day", (says that hdy story) and so did other nations with the other tribes in other places. The" were able (as we are told there) to put the Cauaauites to tribute, but not to drivc them out, to make penal laws against them, but hot to deliver the land of them. Now why did God do this We would hot ask this question, if God had hot told us, ut erudiret in ils Jertalem, that the enemy might be their schoolmaster, an,I war their catechism, that they nfight never think that they stood in no more need of God. Te Zord was witA Jucla, (ith the text) far with him, as that he drave out the inhabints of the mountain, but yet wod hot drive ont the inhabitants of the valley. Sometimes God does the greater work, and yet lcavcs some lesser things undone. God chooses his matter and his manner, and his measure, and his means, and his minutes: but yet God is truly and justly id to bave destroyed those idolatros enemies, in that he brought them so low, as that they could not give laws fo the children of Israel, nor force them to the idol trous worship of their gods, though some soettered idolaters did still lire amongst them. God could destroy yt«itfas in coElestibt«s, he could evacuate ail powers and principalities, he could anuihilate the devil, or he could put him out of commission, take from him the power of tempting or soliciting his servants. Though God bath hot donc it, yet he is properly said to bave destroyed him, beoee ho hath destroyed his kingdom. eat is swallow in ictory, saith St. Paul out of Hosea". 0 wre is t i says he. 'here is it Vhy, it is in thy bosom. It is at the heart of the greatest princes of the earth though they be gods, they die like men. 0.erore, wIere i, tAy rictory! says he there. XVhy, above the vietories, and trophies, and triumphs of all the eonquerors in the world. And yet the apostlo spoaks, (and justly) as if there wero no death in man, no sting bi death, no gra'e after death, beeausc to him who dies in the Lord, ail this is nothing; hOt he by death, but death in him is destro)-ed. And as it is of the cause of sin, the de-il; and of the eflbct of s}n, death; o is it of sin itse]f it is destroyed, and vet wo sin. He that is born of od, doth not commit sin so, as that sin shall ho intputed to ldm. Sill attd Satatt, and death are destroyed in us, beeause they ean do no harm to us. So the idolatrous nations were destroyed amoug.-t tle Israelites, beeau.se they eould hOt bring in an iuqui.-ition amongst them, and force them to their religion. And so idolatrv hath been de,troyed among.t us, destroyed so, as that it bath bccn deelared to be idolatry towarda God, and deelared to be complicated and wrapped up inseparably in treason towards the king and the state. Our sehoo|s and pu|pits hax'e destroye«l it, and our parliaments ha'o destroyed if. Our pulpits estab]ish thetu that stay st home and out laws aro able to la)" hol,1 Ul»On them that rutt from home, and return ill-afleted to their home. Let no man therefore murnmr st God's proeeedings, and say, if God had a mind to destroy idolatry, he would bave lêft no seed, or he would hot bave admitted sueh a rêpullulation, attd uch growth of that seed as he hath donc. Ood hath his own and bis owu wa)'s: ho destroyed tho nations from hefore thc Israelities; Christ hath destroyed sin. and Satan, and death, and bel|; and idolaters aniongst us, for God's greater g]ory, do remai]]. For stleh a destruction as should be absolutê, God never intended, God nex'er promi.ed for diat were to occasion, and to induee a eeurity. and remove all diligence: whieh is our seeonà braneh iii this first part (Cave tlbi) sec, take heed, &e. In the beginning of the world wo presume all things to have been produeed iii their best state; all was perfeet, and yet how 8ooa 3 decay! Ail was su]nlller, and yet how soon a fMI of the leaf! A fall in Paradise, hot of the leaf, but of the t,e itse|f, A«lam f.ll; a fall belote that. in hcavcn ]tself. augels fell: better
90 PREACHED AT LINCOLN'S INN. [SER. CLtto security than Adam, than angels had there, we cannot bave, we cannot look for here. And therefore there is danger still, still occasion of diligence, of consideration. The chewing of the cud was a distinctive mark of cleanness in the creatureS. The holy rumination, the daily consideration of his Christianity, is a good character of a Christian. Covet earnestly tlle best 9ift, says the apostle'; those to whom he writ had good gifts already, yet he exhorts them to a desire of better. And what doth he promise them. lTot the gift itself, but the way to it, I will show a more excellent way. There is still something more excellent than we bave yet attained to. Aron dlcit carisma,:ed viar 5. The best step, the best height in this world, is but the way to a better; and still we bave way before us to walk further in. Anatlema tro.fratribus ', was but once said; St. Paul once, and in a vehement, and inordinate zeal, and religious distemper said 80, That he could be cotent to be #eparated from Clri#t. Exi à ne Domine, was but once said, once St. Peter said, De:part from me, 0 Lord 7. The anathema, the exi but once; but the idveniat re.qnum, Lé$ ty Mn9dom corne, I hope is said more than once by every one of ns, every day; every day we receive, and yet every day we pray for that kingdom, nmre and more assurance of glory, by more and more increase of grace. For as there are bodily diseases, and spiritual di§eases too, proper to certain ages, (a young man and an old man are hOt ordinarily subject to the saine distempers, nor to the saine vices) so particular forms of religion have their indispositions, their ill inclinations too. Thou art bred in a reformed church, where the truth of Christ is sincerely preached, bless God for it; but even there thou mayest contract a pride, an opinion of purity, and uncharitably despise those who labour yet nnder their ignorances or superstitions; or thou mayest grow weary of thy manna, and smell after Egyptian onions again. It is hot enough that the state and the church bath destroyed idolatry so far as we said belote; still there are weeds, still there are seeds: and therefore Cave, tke heed. But yet it is but, take heed. It is hot take thou,ht. Aict hOt thyselï, deject hOt thyself with ominous presages, and prophetical melancholy, thy God will overthrow this religion, and destroy this work which his right hand hath been a hundred years in repairing, and scatter his corn which his right hand bath been a hundred years in purifying. Corne hot to say, it was but the passion and animosity of Luther, it was but the ambition and singu]arity of Calvin that induced this religion, and now that that is spent, the religion me]ts like show. Take no such thought, be hot afraid that the truth of God shall or can perish: it is hot, take thought, but it is much less, take arms. Men may h:tve false conceptions of preparations, and ways laid towards a re-entry of idolatry; and men may bave just and true reasons of, or religions indignation to see so bad and so insolent uses ruade of those favours which are ofl'ered to persons of that profession; but yet our inhibition is no further here, but to take heed, hot to take arms, hot to corne by violence, hot to slackmss of allegiance and obedience. ]t is but take heed, and but take heed to thyself. Pretend hot thon who art but a private man, to be an overseer of the publie, or a controller of him who (by way of coaction) is accountable to God only, and neither to any great of[icer at home, nor to the whole body of the People there, nor to any neighbour-prince or state abroad. Idolatry is destroyed, but)'et there is dager, hot to make thee take thought, to suspect God's power, or his will to sustain his cause; hot to take arms, as if the Lord of bosts needed rebels; but to take heed, to watch plots of circumventiou, and to heed to thyself, that is, to ail under thy charge, for thy danger is hot evide]t. It is a snare, laqueu», which is our |ast stop and step in this first part. Thcre is dan/er though the idolaters be thus destroyed. There is use of diligence, if there be danger, and the more, if this danger be a snare. Take heed that the idolater do hot kindle a rebellion; take heed that the ido]ater do hot so]icit an invasion; take heed of public and general dangers. These be caveats for princes; but take heed of a shake, take heed of a snare, this al»pertains to every private man. God studied plagues for Egypt, and they xvero strange plagues; but that is as great as any at liast, which David speaks of, Pluee la(lueOs, n t/w wlctl'ed God
oE PEeHED AT LI.eoL. IXX. [EI. Cl, ll. sall raln »ares =. And after, z][ena lauet, eir table sall ecome a snare bore tem ». And if God puuish out negligence of his former fx'our so far, to rain snares even ai our tab]cs, that ahnot ai eve" table that we cau corne to, xx'e shall meet some that would ensnare us. ]s hOt this caveat necesry in the rimes [ Take heed that thon be hot snared. David thouht he had carricd his complaint to the highest, when he said fo ]ris enemies, The/ comm«e " l«yi snare priri '. But now they do uot plot privily, bu avow their mischiefs, aud speak , as we date caree eonfess that we heard them: and that is a hrewd suare, when they date speak more then we date hear. II'iH a man hare taken u a snare from the earth, and hare take «otMtçq aith the prol,het. Siuee they have laid their snares, they will take some, and thou mayest be one: and therefore take heed of their snares. There is a mmre laid for thv son, a persua. 8iou to send him to foreign universities; they will say, hot to change his religion: for religio», let him do as he shall see cause; but there he shall be better taught, and better bred than at home. There is a snare laid for thv serx'ants: Vhat need they corne to ehurch, they have nothing to lose, who will indict them, who will persecute them [ And ye in due rime such servants may do the cause much goed as the toaster. There is a snare lfid fi»r thv wife: Iler religion, say they, dofl hot hinder her husbaud's preferment, why should she refuse to apply hcrself to them[ We have used to speak proverbially of a eurtainsermon, of a shrewd thing; but a eurtain-mass, a curtainrequiem, a snare in thy bed, a shake in thy bosom is somewhat worse. I kllOW hot what naine we may give to such a wonmn's husbaud; but I am sure such a wife hath committ adultery, spiritual adultery, and that with her husband's knowledge; call him what vou svill. There is a snare for thy sers'ant, tbr thv son, for thy wife, and for thy faine too; and how far oeevcr thou wea from it, they will have tlle vorld belies'e thou diedst a papist. If thv declination be towar profit, if thy bias turn that way, there is a snare in the likeness of a chain, of a jewel, a pension. If it be eiety and conversation, there may be a sna » Psalm . 6. » lalm Lxix. 21. o PsMm v. . Amos iii. 5
;EH. CLll..] IllEACIIED AT LIN'COLN'I IlgNo in meeting more good company at masses, than at thy parish church. If it be levity, and affectation of new thins, there may e a snare of things so new in that religion, as that this kindom never saxv them yet, hot then when this kiugdom was of that religion. For we hd received the reformation Lefore the council of Trent, and belote the growth of the Jesuits: and if we shou]d turn to them now, we shou]d be worse than we werc bcfore we received the refomtion and tire council of Trent and the Jesuitshave ruade that religion worse then it was; as St. ernard ys upon St. Paul's words, zVeither heiykt, o" d«ptk, ttor I/è, nor death, kall eparate u": Minime tame« dicit, ec no ipd. Th apostl doth hot ay, that we ourselves, and out own coneupisenee shall not eparate us from od. 8o though exeommunication hure hot, invions have hot, powder-plot hure hot; yet G know what those snare mav work upon us. In h«ueo,uo eonrekendamur, y David'L Now laqueu, is nare, a their malice intends it for u; and laqueu, i a halter, as our law intend it for them; and in laqueo uo, as if is theirs, le them bo taken. Our good and great od in his power and merey bath destroyed idolatry; but in hic wisdom he hath left exercice for our diligence in sanie danger, and that danger is a snare, nd therefore, Take heed thou be not snared. And so we bave donc with Oie first part. Out second part consists of two branches, of two vays of falling into this danger. First, by following them; and then, lff inquiring into their religion. For the first, the original word which we translate, following, is acareihem ', and if is only post eos, corne hot after them; which (if we were to reflect at ail, which we always avoid, upon public things) would aflbrd a good note for the pnblic, for the nlagistrate, Corne hot after theso idolaters, but be still beforehand with them. That which is proverbially said of particular bodies, will hold in a body politic, in any state. Qui medlcè miserè. That man bath no health, who is put fo sustain it, or repair it with eontinual physic. That state hafli no safety, that refers all to a defensive war, and to a reparation of brehes, then when they
PREACHED AT LLTCOLN B INN. [.. ». are ruade. That state will be subject to the other proverb, which Chrysostom foresaw: 3ledice cura teipsum ts. That state which hath been a physician to ail her neighbour states, let blood, and staunchcd blood in them, so as conduced best to their own health, may be put to employ ail her means npon herself, to repair and cure herself, if she f.oliow, that is (in this acceptation of the word) corne after her idolatrous enemies, and be not still belotehand with them. But that is hot out sphere, the public, the state; but yet states consist of families, and familles of private persons, and they are in out s?here, in our charge. And therefore we lay this inhibition upon ail that are masters of families, Take heed of being snared by following, by coming after them, in this sense. That because thou thinkest thou hast a power in thy wife, in thy children, in thy servants, and canst do what thou wilt with them at any time, therefore thou needest hot be so scrupulous at first, but mayest adroit any supplanters, any underminers into thy house, because they are good company, or because they bave relation to great persons. Corne hot to this, post eos, play hot that after-game, to put thyself to a necessity of taking so-e and unkind courses with xvife and children after; but be beforehand with such idolaters, prevent their snare. We lay this inhibition too upon every particular conscience. Coveto«ness is idol«tl, saith the apostle, and Quot vitia, rot idola, saith St. Hierome. As many habitual sins as we bave, so many idols bave we set up. True repentance destroys this idolatry, it is true, but then, Take heed of being snared, post ea, hy coming after them, by exposing thyself to dangers of relapses again, by consideration how easily thou madest thy peace last time with God. It was but a sigh, but a tear, but a bending of the knee, but a receiving of the sacrament, that went to it thcn. And post ea, when ail is done which was done before in the way of sin, all that is easily done over again, which was done in the way of remedy. Say hot so: for a merry heart, and a cheerful countenance, upon the testimony of a good conscience, is a better way to God than al1 the dejections of spirit, all the sure contritions, and sad remorses in the world. Thou art hot sure that thou shalt ge o far, as to uch a sadness as God requires for in, thou t» Lnke iv. 24.
mayest continue in thy presumption. Thou net sure that thou shIt go no rucher then God qures, in tht dness, it may flow out te desperation. Be beforelmnd with thy sln wtch the approches of those euemies for if thou build upon that y of coming after them upon presumption of mey, upon repentance, thou mayest be snred, and therefore take heed. And this is the sense of the phrase, as the originl will afford it, with idolters in the state, with underminers in thy house, with sins in thy seul, be stil] befbrdmnd, watch their dngerous cees. But St. Hierome, and the great stream of expositors that go with him, give another sense of the word, Ne imiteris, Be ot snared by followiny tem. And in that sense we are te take the word OV. Folo them ne then, that is, imitat them ne, neither in their severity and cruelty, ner in their levity and faci]ity, neither net in their severity, when they wiH apply all the capital and bloody penalties of the imperial laws (ruade against Arians, Manicheans, l'elagians, and Nestorians, hetics in the fundamenl points of religion, and with which Christ could net consist) te evcry man that denies any collateral and subdivid tradition of theirs; that if a man conceive a»y doubt of the doeam of purgatory, of the validity of indigence, of the latitude of a work of supererogation, he is as deep in the faggot here, and shall be as deep in hell hereafter, as if he denied the Trinity, or the incarnation and paion of Chri Jesus; when in a day's warning, and by the aring of one bul], it gws te be damnation te day, te believe as a man might bave believed yeerday, and have been saved, when they will aflbrd no salvation, but in that church which is discernible by certain and inseparable marks, which out countryman Saunders makes te be six, and Michad Medina extends te eleven, and Bdlarmine declares te be fifteen, and Bodius retches te a hundred, when they make evething heresy; and mther than lack a text for putting heoetics te death, will cept that false reading, oEreticum homfnem devita", which being spoken of avoiding, they wi needs interet of kling (for Erasmus cites a witness, who heard an ancient and grave divine. cite that place se, and te that ppom) foHow them net, de net s« Tit . 1o.
IRE.CllED AT L/.COI.N', INN. _SER. imitate them; be content to judge more charitaly of them. For those amonst them who are under an inviucile ignorance (becanse their superiors eep the Scviptures from them) od may be pleased to save y that revelation of his Son Christ Jcsus, which he hat aorded tcm in that church: howsoever, fltey vho hve had liht oflred to tem, and wi]çully resist it, nmst nccessarily perish. Follow them noL imittc them hot in tlmt oeverity, necessarily to damn ail who think not in ail thlngs as they do: uor follow them not bi that facility, to make their divinits, and the tenets of their clmrch, to wait npon temporal affitirs, and emergent occasions. The Anabaptist will delude the magistrate in an examination, or in any practice, because he tlfiuks no man ought to be a nmg]strate over him in things that have any rclation to spiritual cognizance, and treason iu alienat]n the subject from his allegiance must bc of spiritual cognizance. Vhere others are too strong for them, they may dignify thcir religion (so their Jesuit Ribadiueyr says) atd where they are too strong for others, they must profess it, though with arms (so their Jesuit Bellarmine argues it.) lu this planetary, in this trans]tory, in this occasioual religion, follow them not: we say in logic,,b'ubstantia no susclpit mayis et nius, Substantial and fundamental points of religion (and obedience to snperiors is amongst those) do hot ebb and flow; they bind all men, aud at ail times, and in ail cases, Induite Dominum Jesu, savs the apostle, Put ye on the Lord Jesus , and keep him on, put him not off again. Christ is hot only the stuff, but the garment ready made; he will not be translated and tumed, and put into new fashions, nor laid up in a wardrobe, but put on ail day, ail the days of our litb; though it tain, and tain blood; how foul soever any persution make the day, we must keep on that grment, the truc pmfeion of Christ Jesus; follow not these men in their severity, to exclude men from salvation in things that are not fundamental, nor in their faeility to disguise and prevaricate in things that are. The second danger, and out last branch of this part is, ln9uire ot afler their 9ods, &e. Ignorance excuses no man. Vhat is curioeity[ Qui scire vult tt oei«t , He that desires knowledge Rom. xiii. 14. s Augutine.
only that ho may know, or be known by others fo know; he who makes not the end of his knowledge the glory of God, he offcnds in curiosity, says that father; but that is ouly in the end. But in the way to knowlcdge there is curiosity too; in secking such things as man hath no faculty to compass, unrevealed mystcries; in seeking things, which if they may be c»mpassed, yet it is donc by indirect means, by invocation of spirits, by sorccry; in seeki||g things which may be fouud, and by good neans, but appcrtain not to our profession; ail thcse ways men ofîcnd in curiosity. It is so in us, in churchmen, si iambos serrem,,s, et mct'orum silram co».qe'imus , if we be over-vehcmently afl'ectcd or transported with poetry, or other secnlar lcarning. And thercfore St. l[ierom¢ is reported himself to have been whipped by an angel, who round him over-studious in some of Cicero's books. This is curiosity in us, and if is so in you, it when you have su- cicnt means of salvation preached fo you in that religion wherein yon were baptized, you inquire too much, too much trouble yourself witll the religion of those, ri'oto whose superstitions you are already by God's goodness rescued; remember that ho who dcsired to fill himself with the husks, was the prodigal. It was pldigality, and a dangerous expense of your contancy, to open yonrself to temptation, by an unnecessary inquiring into impertinent controversies. V% in our profession nmy end»race sccular lcarning, so far as it may conduce to the better discharge of out duties, in making the casier cntrance, and decpcr impression of dirine things in you: you may inïorm yotrsclves occasioually, whcn any scruple takes hold of you, of any point of thcir religion. But let your study ho rather to lire according to that rcligiot which you have, than fo inquire into that from which God hath dclivcred you; for that is the looking back of Lot's wife, and thc distcmpcr and distante of tlle childrcn of Isel, who remembered too ranch the Egyptian diet. If you will inquire whether anv of thc fathers of the primitive church did at any rime pray for any of the dead, you shall be told (and truly) that Augustine did, that Ambrose did: but you shall hOt so presently be told how they deprehended thcmselves in an infirmity, and collected and corrcctcd themsch'es ¢vcr whcn they were so praying. If you in- llierome. VOL, çl, Il
1REACHED AT LI/COLN'S INN. SER. CLII. quire whether any of them speak of purgatory, you shall easily find they do; but not so easily, in what sense; when they call the calamities of this life, or when they call the general conflagration of the world, purgatory. If you inquire after indulgences, you may find the naine frequent amongst them; but not so easily find when and how the relaxations of penances publicly enjoined, were called indulgences: nor how, nor when, indulgences came to be applied to souls departed. If thou inquire without a ndits inq«iredum, without a thorough inquisition (which is hot easy for any man who makes it not his whole study and profession) thon mayest corne to think holy men bave prayed for the dead, why may hot I. Holy men speak of purgatory and indulgences, why should I abhor the names or the things. And so thon mayest fall into the first snare, it bath been donc, therefore it nmy be donc; and into another after, if may be donc, therefore it must be donc: vhen thou art corne to think that some men are saved that bave donc if, thon wilt think that no man tan be saved except he do it: from making infirmities excusable necessary (which is the bondage the council of Trent hath laid upon the,vorld) to make problematical things, dogmatical; and matter of disputation, matter of faith; fo bring the mùversity into Smithfield, and heaps of arguments into piles of ragots. If thon inquire further than thy capacity enables thee, further than thy calling provokes thee; how do those nations serve their gods. thou mayest corne to say, as the text says, in the end, Even so will I do also. To end all, embrace fundamental, dogmaticM, evident divinity; that is expressed in c'edendis, in the things which we are to believe in the creed. And it begins with Gedo in Deum, Belief in God, and not in man, nor traditions of men. And it is expressed oetendis, in the things which we are to pray for in the Lord's Prayer; and that begins with,S'anctificettr nome tt«m, Itab lowed be tky «ame, hot the name of any. And it is expressed in a.aendis, in the things which we are fo do in the commandments; whereof the first table begins with that, Thon shalt kare no other.qods btt me. C, od is a monarch alone, hot a consul with a col league. And the second table begins with honour to parents, that is, to magistrates, to lawful authority. Bc therefore ahvays srR. cr.n.] vRa, cn.» er r.tcor.N's très. 99 far from disobeying lawfid authority, resist it hOt, ea]umniate it hot, suspect if hot; for there is a libelling in the car, and a libelling in the heart, though if eome hot to the tongue or hands, fo words, nor actions. If it be possible, saith the apostle, as muelt as in you lies, bave yeaee wit ail raen, with ail kind of men. Obedienee is the first eommandment of the second table, and that never destroys the first table, of which the flrst commandment is, Keep thyself, that is, those that belong to thee and thy house, entire and upright in the worship of the truc God, hot only hot fo adroit idols for gods, but hot to adroit idolatry in the worship of tho truc God.