TIIE VIRGINIAN PLANTATION.
BY your favours, I had somc place amongst you, bcforc: but now I am an advcnturcr; if hot fo VmGL'L, yct f,,r VmG'.t; for evcry man that prints, adventures. For thc preaching of this Sermon, I was but undL.r your invitation; my timc was mine own, and my mcditations min. own: and I had bcen cxcusable towards you, if I had turncd that tient and those meditations fo God's service in any othcr place. But fir thc printing of this Sermon, I ara hot only undcr your invitation, but undcr your comnmndmcnt; for, aftcr it was 1,reaehcd, it was hot mine, bt)'ours: and thcrcforc, if I gave it at first, I do but restore it now. Thc first was an act of love; this, of justice; both which virtucs Almighty God evcrmorc promote, and cxalt in ail your procecdings. Amen. Your humble servant in Christ Jesus,
Aoes i. 8. But ye shall reeelve power, after that the Holy Ghost is corne upon you, and ye shail be witnesses unto me boflt in Jerusalem, aud in ail Judea, and in Samari» and unto the uttermost part of the earth. T11.a are reckoned in this book, twenty-two serinons of the apostles; and yet the book is hot called the preaching, but the practice, not the words, but the Acts of the Apostles: and the acts of the apostles were to convey that naine of Christ Jesus, and to propagate his Gospel, over all the world: beloved, you are actors upon the saine stage too: the uttermost parts of the earth are your scene act over the acts of the apostles; be you a light to the Gentiles, that sit in darkness; be you content to carry him over these seas, who dried up one Red Sea, for his first people, and hath poured out another Red Sea, his own blood, for them and us. ,Vhen man was fallen, God clothed him; ruade him a leather garment; there God descended to one occupation; when the time of man's redemption was corne, then God, as it were, to bouse him, became a carpenter's son; there God descended to another occupation. 'aturally, without doubt, man would bave been his own tailor, and his own carpenter; something in these two kinds man would hare done of himself, though he had had no pattern from God: but in preserring man who was fallen, to this redemption, by which he was to be raised, in preserving nmn from perishing in the flood, God descended to a third occupation, to be his shipwright, to gire him the model of a ship, an ark, and so to be the author of that, which man himself in likelihood, would never bave thought of, a means to pass from nation to nation. 'ow, as God taught us to make clothes, hot only fo clothe ourselves, but to clothe him in his poor and naked members here; as God taught us fo build houses, hot to bouse ourselves, but to house him, in erecfing churches, fo his glory: so God taught us to make ships, hot to transport ourselves, but to transport him, That we we hace received VOL. 'VI. Q
OEoÇ PREACnED TO TUE VlRGINIAN COMPANYo witnesses nto Mm, both in Jerusalm, and »S'amaria, and.unto the.uttermost parts of the earth. As I speak now principlly to them xvho aro concerned in this plantation of Virginia, ye thero may be divers in this congr gation, who, though they have no interest in this plantation, ye they may bave benefit and edification, by fla which they hear me say, so Christ spoke the words of this text, principally o the apostles, who were presen and questioned him a his recension, but they are in their just extension, and due accommodation, appliable to our present occasion of meeting here: as Christ himself is alpha, and omega, these words which he spoke in the east, belong to us, 'ho are to glorify him in the wes; Tkat re harin9 receied oweç afler tkot the Holy Ghot i corne po» , miyht be ritnee nto him, both in Jerualem, and in all Judea, and i Samaria, and nnto the nttermost part the earth. The firs word of the text is the cardinal word, the word, the hinge, upon whieh the -hole text turns; the the but, that all the rest shoos at. Firs i is an exclusive word; something the apostles had required, whieh might no ho had; hot that; and it is an ineluslve word; something Christ was pleased to afford to the apostles, whieh they thought hot of; hot that, hot that whieh you beat upon, but, but yet, something else, mething better than that, you shall have. That whieh this but, exeludes, is that which the apostles express in the verse immediately before the texL A temporal ki»ydom; ilt thou retore «gain. tke kinydom, of Israel? o; hOt a temporal kingdom; let hot the riches and commodities of this world, be in your contemplation in your adventures. Or, because they ask more, wilt thou now restore that hot yet: if I will give you riches, and commodities of this world, yet if I do it hot at firs if I do it hot yet, be hot you discouraged; you shall hot We that, that is hot God's first intention; and though that be in God's intention, to give it you hereaher, you shall hot bave it yet; that is the exclusive pa; but; there enters the inclusive, ]Mu shall receire yower, after that the oly Ghost you, and you shall be witnes«s unto me, both in Jerusalem, and i»
SR. CLVI.] PnEAClIED TO TIIE VIRGIN'IAN CO,IPAX"t'. Judea, and in ç'amaria, and unto tte uttermo,t larts of the earth. In whieh second part, we shall pass by these steps;,S'Ulereniet JS'liritua, the Holy Ghost shall corne upon you, tho Spirit shall witness te your spirit, and reetify your conscience; and then, by that, you shall receivo power;. new power besides tho power you have frein the state, and that power shall enable you, te be witnesses of Christ, that is, te nmko his doctrine the more eredible, by your testimony, when you conferre yourselves te him, and de as he did; and this witness you dmll bear, this eonformity you shall declare, first in 2erusalem, in this eity; and in 2udca, in all the parts of the kingdom; aud in Samaria, even amongst them who are departed frein the truc wor,hip of God, the papists; and te tho uttermost part of the,arth, '.te tloso poor seuls, te whom)'ou are eontinually seuding. Summarily, if frein the Holy Ghost you haro agood testimony in your own conscience, you shall be witnesses for Christ, that is, as he did, you shall giv¢ satisfaction te ail, te the ¢ity, te tho eouutry, te the calumniating adversary, and the naturals of tho place, te whom)'ou shall present both spiritual and temporal benefit. Ad se you have the model of the whole frame, and of the partitions; we proeeed new te the furnishing of the particular l'O0lllS. First then, this fir-t word, bu, excludes a temporal kingdom; tho apostles had filled themselves with an expeetation, with an ambition of if; but that was net intended them. If was no wonder, thnt womaa could eoneeive such an expectation, and such an ambition, as te have ber two ons sit at Chrisfs righthmxd, and at hi- left, in his kingdom , wheu the apostles expeeted such kingdom, as might afford them houours aud prefermcut upon earth, llore than once they were in that disputation, in whieh Christ deprehended them, ll'hicl of them shoulel be the reaest it lffs t'indora . l%ithcr hath the bishop of Reine, anything, wherein ho may se properly eall himsdt' apostolical, as this errer of the apostes, this their infirmity, that he is evermore too conversant upon tlxo coatemplation of temporal kingdores. They did it all the way, when Christ was with them, and new af his la-t rstep, C'um actu asc«ndisset', when Christ was Matt. xx. 21. MatL xviii. 1. a Athanazius. Q2
8 PREACIIED TO TtlE VIRGINIAN (O.'MPAN,'. [SEP.. CLVI. hot asccnding, ut in part ascended, when one foet was upon the earth, alld the other in the clou! that took him up, tbey ask now, Vi]t thou at this time,.restore the kingdom ] women their husands, and men theh" fathe, and friends, pon their torture, at their last gasp, and nmke their death-bed a rk to make them stretch and increase jointres, and poions, and[legaeies, and sign hednles and codicils, with their hand, when his hand that presents them, is ready to close his eyes, that should si them: and when they are upon the wing for heaven, men tic lead to their feet, and when they are laying hand fast upon Abraham's bosom, they nmst pull their hand out of his boom again, to obey importunities of men, and si their papers: so underminable is the love of this world, whieh determines every minute. God, as he is three persons, bath three kingdoms; here is Ranum potentAv, The kinydom power; and this we attribute to the Father; it is power ald providence: there is Re9num ylorioe, The ki»adom OE ylory; this we attribute to the Son aud to his purchase; for he is the king that shall say, Corne ye blessed my Fatker,inerit the kinydom prepared foryou.fi'om tkebundation of the u'orld'. And then between these three h Reynum gratia,, The kin9dom of 9race, nd this we attribu fo the Holy Ghost; he takes theln, whom the king of power, Almighty G, hath rescued from the Gentiles, and as the kingof grace, He yirea them the kno,eledye the nff/ste the kinydom OE GoEE that is, OEfitture 9lory', by sanetifying them with his graee, in his ehureh. The two first kingdoms are in this world, but yet neither of them are of this world; beeause both they refer to the kingdom of glory. The kingdom of the Father, whieh is the providence of God, does but preserve us; the kingdom of the Holy Ghost, whieh is the graee of God, does but prepare us the kingdom of the Son, whieh is the glory of God; and that is in heaven. And therefore, though good llien, this world the way to that kingdom, yet this kingdom is hot of ts world, Christ himself': though the apostles thmselves, as good a hoel as they were bred in, eould never take out that le,on, yet that lesson Christ gives, and repeats fo all, You seek a temporal kingdom, but, sa3 the text, stop there, a kingdom you must hot bave. [att. xv. 34. [ark iv, 1!. « John x. 36.
SEI. CLVI.] I'ItEAClIED TO TIIE YIIIGINIAN CO.MPANY. Bcloved in him, whosc ]ingdom, and Gospel you scck to advauce, in this plantation, out Lord and Saviour Christ Jesus, if you scek to establish a temporal ]ngdom there, you are hot recti6ed, if you seek to ho kmgs in either acceptation of the word; fo ho ingsignifies liberty and independency, and supremy, to be under no man, and to be a king signifies ahundance, and Omnsciency, to need no man. If those that go'ern there, would cstablish such government, as hould hot depend upon this, or if those that go thither, proposo to flienlse]ves au cxemptlon front laws, to lire at their liberty, this is to be kings, to divest a]leglance, to be under no man: and if thoso that adventure thither, propose to themselves prescrit bene6t, and profit, a udden wy to he rich and an abundance of ail desh'ab]o commodities from thence, this is to be ttcient of themselves, and to eed no man: nd to be under no man and to need no thon, are the two acceptations of beiug kings. Vhom liberty drws to go, or prescnt profit draws fo adventm'e, arc uot yet in thc riht way. O, if you could once briug a catechism to be as good ware amongst thcm as a bugle, as a knife, as a hatehet: O, if you would bc as ady to hearlen at thc rcturn of a ship, how many Indiaus were convertcd to Christ Jesus, as what trees, or drug«, or dyes that ship had brought, then you were in your rlght way, and hot till then; libey and abundance, are characte of kingdoms, and a kingdom is excluded in the text; the apostlcs were hot to look for it, in their emlloymcnt, nor you in this your platation. At lcast Christ expresses himself thtas far, in thls answer, that if hc would give them a ldngdom, he would hot gi-e it them yct. They ask him, llï/t tot or this rime restore the dom? and ho answers, [t la hot for!lo fo know the times: whgtsocvcr God will do, man must hot appoint him his rime. Tho apostles thought of a hingdom presently afier Christ's departurc; the coming of the IIoly Ghost, who led them into all truths, soon dclivered them of tiret error. Other men in favour of the Jews, iuterpreting ail thc prophecies, which are of a spiritual kigdom, the kingdom of thc Gospel, (into which, tho Jews shall bc admitted) in a literal sense, haro thought that tho Jews shall have, hot ouly a temporal hingdom in the salnc place, in Jerusalem again, but because they find that kingdom which is promised, (that is thc kingdom of thc Gospel) to be expressed in large phrases, and in an abundant manner, applying ail that largcness to a temporal kingdom, they think that the Jews shail bave such a kingdom, as shall svallow and annihilate ail other kingdoms, and be the sole empire and monarchy of the world. After this, very great men in the church upon these words, Of one thousand years after.the resurrection , bave imagined a temporal kingdom of the saints of God hero upon earth, before they entered the joys of heaven: and St. Augustine himself B, had at first seine declinations towards that opinion, though he dispute powerfully against it, after: that there should be,çabbatislnus in terris; that as the world was to last six thousand years in troubles, there should be a seventh thousand in such joys as this world could give. And some others, who bave avoided both the temporal kingdom imagined by the apostles, presently after the ascension, and tho imperial kingdom of the Jews, belote the resurreetion, and tho earnal kingdom of the Chiliasts, thi Millennarians, after tho resurrection, though they speak of no kingdom, but the truc kingdom, the kingdom of glory, yet they err as mueh in assigning a certain rime when that kingdom shall begin, when the end of this wofld, when the resurrection, when the judgment shall be. Non est estrum osse tempora, says Christ to his apostles then; and lest it might be thought, that they might know these things, when tho Holy Ghost came upon them, Christ denies that he himself knew that, as man; and as man, Christ knew more, than ever the apostles knew. XVhatsoever therefore Christ intended to his apostles here, he would hot give it presently, on adhuc, he would hot bind himself fo a certain rime, 2on est estrurn noss tem¥ora, It belonss hot to us to know God's time. Beloved, use godly means, and give God his leisure. You cannot beget a son, and tell the nmther, I will bave this son born within rive months; nor, when he is born, say, you will bave him past danger of wardship within rive years. S'ou cannot sow your corn to-day, and sav it shall be above ground to-morrow, and in my barri next wcek. How soon the best husbandman Rev. xx. B De Civitat. Dei, xx. 7.
sowcd the best secd, in the best ground; God cast thc plmiso of a Messias, as the seed of all, in pamdise In sereine mttli«ri6 The seed o th oman sall braise the serent head; and yet this plant was four thousand years after belote it appeared; this Messias four thousand years belote he came. God showed the ground where that shod ow, two thoumnd years aftcr tho promise; in Abrahas family; In sereine tuo, Ia ty seed all aticns saH be blesse& God hedged in this grod almost one thousand ycars after that; in Micah's time, Et tu BetMem, Tou BM«m salt be te lace; and God watered that, and weeded that, refreshed that dry expectation, with a succession of prophcts; and yet it was so long belote this expectation of nations, this Mcssias came. So Goal promised the Jews a kingdom, in Jacob's propheey to Judea, Tbat the sceptre shouM ot dpar from Ms tribe'. In two hundred years more, he says no more of it; then he ordains oeme institutions for their king, -hen they should have one . And then it 'as four hnndred years after tbat, before they had a.king. God meant from the first bout, to people the whole eah; and God eould bave nmde men of clay, as fast they made brieks of clay in E'pt; but he ben un two, and when they had been multiplying and replenisbing tho earth one thousaud six hundred years, the flo washcd ail that away, and God xs almost to begin again upon eight persons; and thcy bave se-ed to people earth and heaven toe; be hot you discouraged, if the promises which you bave ruade to yourselves, or to others, be hot o sn discharged; though you sec hot your money, though you. sec hot your men, though a fld, a flood of blood haro broken iu un them, be hot discouraged. Great creatures fie long in the womb; lions are littercd pcrfect, but bear whdps licked uuto their shape; actions which kings undertake, are cast in a motdd; they bave their perfection quickly; actions of private men, and private purses, require more hammering, and more iag to their perfection. Only let your principal end be the propation of tho glorious Gospel, and though there ho an exclusive in the text, G does hot promise you a kingdom, esse, and abundance in all things, and that which ho docs intend to you, he does hot promise prescntly, yet thcre is an Gen. xix. 10. o Deut. xv 14.
inclusive too; not that, but, but something equivalent at let, Eut ye hall receive ower, after that tke Holy Gkost i cone on you, and ye shall be witnses unto e, both in Jeralem, and in Judea, and in maria, and unto te uttermost rts the eart. 'ow our Saviour Christ does not say to these men, since you are so impounate you shaH bave no kingdom; now nor never; it is not yet [ But, he does not say, you shall hve no kingdom, nor anything else; it is hot that; but the impounity of beggars, sometimes draws us to such froward answer, for this importunity, I wi]l never give you anything. Our pattern was not so froward; he gave them not that, but as good as that. Sanuel was sent to superinduct king upon Sau], to anoint new king . He thought his commission had been determined in Eliab, 'urely t]Hs is the Lord's anointed. But the Lord said, not he; nor the next, Aminadab; nor the next, Shammah; nor none of the next seven; but; but yet there is one in the field, keeping sheep, anoint him; David is he. St. Paul prayed earnest]y, and frequently, tobe discharged of tht timulus carnis: God says no; not that; but Gratia mea stcit, Thou sha]t bave grace to overcome the temptation, though the temptation remain. God says to you, 'o kingdom, not eaoe, not abundance; ny nothing at all yet; the plantation sha]l not di charge the charges, not defray itself yet; but yct already, now at first, it sha]l conduce to great uscs; it shall redeen many wretch from the jaws of dcafl, from thc hands of the executioner, npon whom, per«hance a small fault or perc}lancc a first fault, or pcrchnce fault hearti]y and sincere]y repentcd, perehance no fau]t, but malice, had otherwise cast a present, and ignominio death. It shall sveep your streets, and wash your doors, fm id]e persons, and the children of idle persons, and emp]oy them: and truly, if the whole country were but sueh Bridewel], to force idle persons to wor], it had good use. But it is alread not only spleen, to drain the ill humours of the body, but liver, to breed good b]ood; a]ready the emp]oaent breeds mariners; already the place gives essays, nay freights of merchantab]e commodities; ahady it is a mark for the en', and for the ambition of our enemies; I speak but of our doctriual, 1 Sain, xvi. l.
hot national enmnie; as they are papists, they are rry we have thi country; and surely, twenty lectures in marrer of eontro vers, do hot o mueh vex them, as one ship that goes, and trenghens that plantation. either ean I reeommend it to you by any better rhetorie, than their malice. They would gladly bave it, and therefore let us be ghd to hold it. Thus then this text proceeds, and gathers upon you. Ail that you would bave by this plantation, you shall hot havc; God binds hot hitnself to measures; all that you shall bave,)u bave hot yet; God biuds tot himself to timcs, but somethiug you shall bave; uay, you bave alrcady, some great things; and of those that in the text i, Te 11o/(/oat hall corne u]»on you. We find te Holy Ghost to bave corne upon men, four times this boek. First, upotl the apostles at Pcntëcost . Then, whel the whole eongregation was in prayer for the imprisoument of l'cter and John t». Again, when l'eter preached in Cornelius's house, the l[ol Ghost Jëll tq,on all them th«t heard And fourthly, when St. Paul laid his hands upon them, who had been formerly baptized at Ephesus ts. At the three latter time8, it lu evident that the Holy Ghost fell upon whole aud promiv euous congregations, and uot upon the apostles only: and in the first, at Pettecoet, thc eontrary is not evident; nay, the fathers, for tho most part, that haudlc that, eoueur in that, that tho lloly Ghost fell then upon thc w]lole cougregation, inen and wolneu. Tho Holv Ghost fell upou Peter hefore he preaehed, and it fell upon the hearers when he pt,ached, and it bath fallen npon every one of them, W]lO bave found motions in tlemselves, to prq)agate the Gospel of Christ Jesus by this nleans. Thc Son of God did hOt abhor the Virgin's wonlb, when ho would ho ruade mau; when he was man, he did hOt dizain to ride upon an ass into Jerusalem: the third persou of the Trinity, the Holy Ghost is as humble as the second, he refuses rcMculum, no conveyance, no doer of entrance into you; whether the examplo and precedent of other gd men, or a probable imagination of fiture profit, or a willingness to coneur fo the vexation of the enemy, what collateral respect soever drew thee t Acts ii. I. t* Ac iv. 31. * Aets x. 4. »s Acts x. 8.
in, if now thou art in, thy principal respect hc the lory of God, that occasion, whatsoever it was, was vehiculum,S'piritu ancti, that,vas the petard, that broke open thy iron gate, that was tho chariot, by which he entered into thee, and now he is fallen upon thee, if thou do hot depose, (lay aside all consideration of profit for ever, never to look for return) no hot vepove, (leave out tho consideration of profit for a time) (for that, and religion may well consist together,)but if thou do but postpose the consideration of temporal gain, and study first tlle advancement of the Gospel of Christ Jesus, file Holy Ghost iv fallen upon you, for by that, you reeeive power, says the text. There is a power rooted in nature, and . power rooted in grace; . power issuing from the law of nations, and a power growing out of the Gospel. In the law of nature and nationv, . land never inhabited, by any, or utterly derelicted and immemorially abandoned by the former inhabitants, beeomev theirs that will possess it. So also iv it, if the inhabitants do hot in some measure fill the land, so as the land may bring forth her inerease for the use of men: for as a man doev hOt become proprietary of the sea, becauve he hath two or three boats, fishing in it, so neither does a man beeome lord of a main eontincnt, beeause he hath two or three cottagev in the skirts thereof. That rule which passes through ail municipal laws in particular states, lutereat reipublicoE tt quia re sua bene «tatur, The atate must take order, that erery mau b?l, rore that «'hiclt he bath,for the best adrantaye of that state, passes also through the lav of nations, whieh iv to ail the vorld, as the municipal law is to . partieular state, lttereat raundo, The chole corld, all manZ'ind must tae care, that all places be improred, as far as raay be, to the best adrdntage of manZ-iud in general. Again if the land be peopled, and eultivated by the people, and that land produce in abundanee such rhino, for want whereof their neighbours, or others (being not enemies) perish, the law of nations may justify some force, in seeking, by permutation, of othcr eommodities which tlley need, to corne to some of thcirs. Many cases may be put, when hot only commerce, and trade, but plantations in lands, hot formerly out own, may be lawfid. And for that, acc(pistis potestatem, you have yotu" commission, your patents jour charters, your seal from
SER° CLVI.] I'REACHD "/'O "/'H IRGLNIAN COIPANYo 5 him, upou whose acts, any private subject in civil matters, may safely rely. But then, Acciietis otetatem, hall eoeire ower, mys the text; you shall, when the Holy Ghost is corne upon you; that is, when the instinct, thc influence, the motions of thc Holy Ghost enablcs your conienee te say, that your principal end is net gain, ner glory, but te gain seuls te the glory of God, this als the great seal, this justifies justice itself, this authorises authority, and gives power te strenh itself. Let the conscience be upright, and then seals, and patents, and commissiens arc wings; they assist him te fly the faster; let the conscience be lame, and distorted, and he that goes upon seals, and latents, and commissions, goes upon weak and feeble crutches. Vhen the Holy Ghost is corne upon you, your conscience rectified, you shall bave power, n new power out of that; Vhat te de that follows, te be htnesses unto Christ. Inïamy is one of the highest punishments that the law inflicts upon man; for it lies upon him even aïter death: infamy is the worst punishment, and intestability, (te be ruade intestable) is ont of the deepest wounds of infamy; and then the worst degree of intestability, is net te be believed, net te be aoEitted te be a witness of any other: he is inusable that cannot make 3 testament, net gi-e his o goods and he intestable that ean reeeive nothing by the toEtament of another he is intestable, in whose bchalf no testimony may be accepted; but he is the most miserably intestable of ail, the most detestably intestable, lhat discredits another man by speaking well of him, and makes him the mo suspicious, by his commendations. Christian in profession, that is net a Christian in life, is intestable se, he dioeredits Christ, and hardens others against hinL John Baptist was more mn a prophet, bae he was a witne of Christ; and he was 3 witne, becau he w like him, he did as he did, he led a holy and a religious lire; se he was a witness. That eat and glorious naine of maa, is but 3 witness. St. Stephen was proto-martyr, Christ's first witness, because he was the that did as he did, that put on his eolours, that unk of his cup, that was baptized with his baptism, vith his o'n blood: se he was a witness. Te be witnesses for Christ, is te be like Christ; te conform yoursdves te Christ; and they in the xt, and you, arc to be witnesses of Christ in Jerusalem, and in ail Judca, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost parts of the eart|l. St. Ilierome notes that John Iaptist was hot bid to bear witness in Jerusalem, in the city, but in the wilderness; he, and none but he: therewerebut few mcn to vtness to there and those few that were, came thither with a good disposition to be wrought upon there; and there were few witnesses to oppose John's testimony, few temptations, few worldly allurements, few worldly businesses. One was enough for the wilderness; but for Jerusalem, for the city, where all the excuses in the Gospel do always meet, thcy bave bought commodities, and they must utter them, theyhave purchased lands, and they nmst state them, they bave married wives, and they must study them, to the city, to Jerusalem, Christ sends all his apostles, and all little enough. He bath sent a great nmny apostles, preachers, to this city; more than to any other, that I know. Religious persons as they call them, cloistered friars are hot sent to the city; by their first canons, they should hot preach abroad: but for those who are to do that service, there are more in this city, than in others, for there are more parish churches here than in others. Now, beloved, if in this city, you bave taken away a great part of the revenue of tho preacher, to yourselves, take thus much of his labour upon yourselves too, as to preach to one another by a holy and exemplar lire, and a religious conversation. Let those of the city, who bave interest in the government of this plantation, be witnesses of Christ who is truth itself, to all other governors of companies in all truc and just proceedings: that as Christ said to them who thought themselves greatest, l:,'.rCelt you become as tlffs little child, so we may say to the governors of the greatest companies, Except you proceed with the integrity, with the justice, with the clearness, of your little sister, this plantation, you do hOt follow good example. This is to bear witness of Christ in Jerusalem, in the city, to be examples of truth, and justice, and clearness, to others, in, and of this eity. The apostles were to do this in Judea too, their service lay in the country as well as in the city. Birds that are kept in cages mav learn some notes, xvhich they should never have sung in tho woods or fields; but yet they ma)- forget thelr natural notes too.
Preachers that bind themselves a|ways to cities and courts, and great auditories, may ]earn new notes; they may become occasional preachers, an make the emergent affairs of the time theic text, and the humours of the hearers their Bible; but thev may ]ose tbeir natura] notes, both tbe simplicity, and the boldness that helongs to the preaching of the Gospel: hoth their powec upon low under»tandings to raise them, and upon high affection to humble them. They may think that their errand is but fo knock at the door, fo delight the car, and hot to search the bouse, to ransack the conscience. Christ left the ninety-and-nine for one sheep; populous cities are for the most part best provided; remoter parts necd out labour more, and we should hot make such differences. Yeoman, and labourer, and spinster, are distinctions upon earth; in the earth, in the grave there is no distinction. The ngel that shall call us out of that dust, will hot stand to survey, who lies naked, who in a coflàn, who in wood who tu lead, who in a fine, who in a coarser sheet; in that one day of the resurrection, there is hot a forcnoon for lords fo fise first, and an afternoon for meaner persons to fise Efter. Christ xvas hot whipped to save beggars, and crowned with thorns to saxe kings: he died, he suffered all, for ail; and we whose bearing witness of him, is fo do, as he did, nmst confer out labom's upon all, upoa Jerusalem, and upon Judea too, upon the city, and upon the country too. 'ou, wllo are his witllesses to0, must do so too; preach in your just actions, as to the city, to the country too. ot tO tseal up t|le secrets, and the mysteries of your busiuess within the bosom of merchants, and exclude ail others: to uourish an iucompatibility betweeu merchants and gentlemen; that merchants shall say to them in reproach, You bave played the gentlemen, and tbey tu equal reproach, You have played the mercbaut; but as merchants grow up into worshipful familles, and worslaipfid familles let fall branches amongst merchants agaiu, so for this particu]ar plantation, you may consider city and country fo be one body, aud as you give example of a just government to other companies in the city, (that is, your bearing witness in Jerusalem,) so you may be content fo give reasons of your proceedings, sud accouut of moneys levied, over the country, for that is your bearing witness in Judea.
But the apostles' diocese is enlarged, farther than Jerusalem, farther than.Judea, they are carried into Samari; bear witess " me i,?tmaria. Belored, when I hare remembered you, who the Sanmritans were, men that had not renounced God, bnt mingled other gods with him, men that had hot burnt the law of God, but ruade traditions of men equal to it, you wiH easily gue to whom I apply the naine of Samaritans now. A Jesuit hath told us, (an ill intelligeneer I eonfes but even Iris intelligencer, the devil himself, says truc sometimes) Maldoe nate says, Tho Samaritans were odious to the Jews, un the same grounds as heretics and sehismaties to us; and they, we knov were odious to them for mingling false gods, and fal worships with the truc. And if that be the character of Samv ritan, we know who are the Samaritan who tho heretics, who the sehismatics of out rimes. In the highest reproach to Christ, the Jews said, fimaritanu« es e &vmonium habes, Thou ar a fimarit«n and as a deril. In out just detestation ofthese men, we justly fasten both those upon them. For as they delight in lie and fill the world with weekly rumours, D«'monium habent, They have devil, 9uia menda es et ater ejus '. As they mdtiply assassinations upon princes, and massacres upon people, dwmonium haben, they have devil, quia hom&ida ab initio: as they toss, and tumble, aud dispose kingdom dwmoni-um habent, they have a devil, omnia ha'c dabo, was the devil's eompliment]: but they milagle truths and falselloods together in religion, as thcy earry the Word of God, and the traditions of men, in an even balance, Samaritani sunt, they are Samaritans. At first Christ forbale his apostles to go into any city of the Samaritans: after, they did preach in many of them . Bear witness first in Jerusalera, and in Jude3»; give good satisfaction especially to thooe of the household of the faithful, in the city and country, but yet satisfy even those Samaritns too. They would be satisfied, what miracles you work in Virgini3; and what people you have converted to the Chfistin f3ith, there. If we eould as esily eau »atural effeets miracles, or casual aeeidents miracles, or magical illusions mir]e as they do, to ]« Jo vin. 44. ]7 $Iatt. iv. 1o. « Iatt. x. 5. « Ac . 25.
make miraculous drawing of a tooth, a miraculous cutting of a corn, or, as Justus Baronius says, when he was eonverted to theln, that he "c-as miraeulously eured of the eholie, by stooping to kiss tho pope's foot, if we would pile up miracles so fast, as Pope John XXII. did in the eanonization of Aquinas, Tot miracukt con.fcit, quot determlnarit questione, He wrought as many miracles, as he resolved questions, we might find miracles too. It truth, their greatest miracle fo me, is, that they find men to belicve their miracles. If they rely upon miracles, they imply a confession that they induee new doctrines; that that is old and received, needs no miracles; if they require miracles, because, though that be aneient doctrine, itis newly brought into those parts, we have the confession of their Jesuit, Acost,, That they do no miracle in thtxse Indies, and he assigns very good reasons, why they are hot necessary, nor tobe expeeted there. But yet bear xvitness to these Smaaaritans, in the other point; labour to give them satisfaction in fle other point of their charge, what heathens you have converted to the faith, which is that which is itcuded in the next, which is the la.st branch, l'ou are go be u'ituesses u»to me both i» Je, rusait», and b all J.udea, and in,S'amarla, and unto tlw zttermost larts of th ear. Literally, tho apostles were tobe such witnesses for Christ: werc they so. did tho apostles in person, preaeh the Gospel, over ail the word. I know that itis not hard fo multiply places of the fathers, in confirmation of that opinion, that the apostles did actually, and personally preach fle Gospel in ail nations, in their life. Christ says, The Gosloel of tle kingdom shall be tgreached i ail tle corld°; and there he tells the apostles, that they hall sea something donc, after that; Therefore they shall lire toit. So he says to them,)'ot shall be brouyht before rulers and bi»ys fo» my sab'; but the Gospel must first be published anaong ail nations: in one evangelist there is the commission; l"reacl i my naine fo all nations . And in another, the execution of this commission, And tbey u'ent and reached ereryu.here . And after the apstle certifies, and returns the execution of
O-0 PRE,C|IED TO TI|E VlRGI.IAN COMPANY. this commission, The Gospd i corne, and brinyeth.fortl.fruit fo ail the worldt': and upn those, and sueh places, have some of thc fathers been pleased to gronnd their |iteral exposition, of an aetual and personal preaehing of the apostles over all the world. But had they dreamed of this world whieh hath been diseovered since, into which, we dispute with perplexity, and intricacy enough, hov any mon came at first, or how any beasts, especially sneh beasts as mon were hOt like|y to earry, they would noyer bave doubted to bave admitted a figure, in that, The GosId,cas 2reac]ed to all tte world; for when Augustus's deeree went out, Tat ail te world ould be ta,red ts, the deeree and the tax went hot eertainly into the Vest Indies; when St. Paul says, That their faitl was.oke, of tl, rou.qhout the t'hole corld te, and that Their obedience was corne abroad unto all mon t, surely tho Vest Indies had not heard of the faith and the obedienco of the Romans. But as in Moses's rime, they ealled the Mediterranean Sea, tho Great Sea, beeause it was the greatest that those mon had thon seen, so in tho apostles" time, they called that, all the world, which was known and traded in thon; and in ail that, they preached the Gospel. So that as Christ, when ho said to the apostles, I ara with you, unto the end of the t'orldt eould not intend that of them in person, beeause they did not last fo tho end of the world, but in a succession of apostolie mon, so when ho says, the apostles should preach him to all the world, it is of tho succession to. Those of out profession that go, you, that send them who go, do ail an apostolieal function. Vhat action soever, hath in tho first intention thereof, a purpose to propagate the Gospel of Christ Jesus, that is an apostolieal action. Belote the end of the world corne, belote this mortality shall put on immortality, before the ereaturo shall bo delivered of the bondage of corruption under which if groans t', belote tho martyrs under the altar shall be sileneed, belote ail things shall be subdued to Christ, his kingdom perfeeted, and tho last enemy death destroyed; the Gospel must be preached fo those mon to whom ye send; to ail mon; further
BER. CLVI.] ItEACHED TO T]|E VIRGINIAN COMPANY. ] and hastcn you this b]essed, this joyfu], this g]orious consummation of ail, and happy reuuion of ail bodies to their souls, by prcching the Gospel to those men. Preh to them doctrinally, preoeh to them prtically; enamour them with your justice, and ( far may consist with your security), your civi]ity; ut iuflame thcm with your godliness and your religion. ring them to ]ove and reverence the naine of that king, that seuds men to teh them the ways of civility in this world, but to fer and adore the naine of that King of kings that sends men fo teach thcm the mys of religion, for the next world. Those amongst you, that are old now, shall pa out of this world th this grcat conffort, that you eontributed to the beginning of that commonwealth, aud of that church, though they lire hOt to sec the growth thereof to perfection: Apollos watered, but Paul plautcd*t; he that beguu the work, was the eater man. And you that arc young uow, may lire to see the e]emy as mueh impcaehcd by that ple, and your friends, yea children, as well accommodated in that place, as any other. You shall bave ruade this island, whieh is but as the suburbs of the old wofld, a bridge, a galleD" fo the new; to join alI to that world that shl nec'er gmw old, the kingdom of heaven. You shall add persons fo this kingdom, and m the kingdom of heaveu, and add names thc books of out chmnieles, and to the book of lie. To d ail, as the orators whieh declaimed in the prescrite of the oman cmpcrors, in thcir panegyrics, took that way to make those empero sec, what thcy were bouud fo do, fo say in those public oratlons, that those emperors had donc so (çor that inercascd the love of the subject to the prince, to be so told, that he had done those grcat things, and theu it conveyed a counsel into thc prince to do them after), as their way w to procure thiugs to be done, by =ying they were done, so beloved I bave taken a contrary way: for when I, by way of exhortation, all this while bave seemed to tell you vhat should be done by you, I hae, iudeed, but to]d the congregation, what hath been done aloeady: neither do I speak to more a wheel that stoed still, but to keep the wheel in due motion; nor persuade you to bcgiu, but fo continue a good work; nor propoee foreign, but your I Cor. i. 6. "OL, YI, own examples, to do still, as you have done hithezoEo. For, for that, that which is especially in my contemplation, the conversion of the people, as I have received, so ] can give this testimony, that of those persons, who have sent in moneys, and concealed their names, the greatest part, almost all, have limited their devotion, and contribution upon that point, the propagation of religion, and the conversion of the people; for the bui]ding and beautifying of the house of God, and for the instruction and education of their young children. Christ Jesus himself is yesterday, and to-day, and the same for ever. In the advancing of his glory, be you so too, yesterday, and to-day, and the saine for ever, here; and hereafter, when time shall be no more, no more yesterday, no more to-day, yet for ever and ever, you shall enjoy that joy, and that glory, which no iii accident can attain to diminish, or eclipse it.
WE return to thee again, 0 God, with praise and prayer; as for all thy mercies from belote minutes began, to this minute, from out election to this present beam of sanctification which thou hast shed upon us now. And more particularly, that thou hast afforded us that great dignity, to be, this way, witnesses of thy Son Christ Jesus, and instruments of his glory. Look graciously and look powerfully upon this body, which thou hast been now some years in building and compacting together, this plantation. Look graclously upon the head of this body, our sovereign, and bless him with a good disposition to this work, and bless him for that disposition: look graciously upon them, who are as the brain of this body, those who, by his power and counsel, advise and assist in the government thereof; bless them with disposition to unity and concord, and bless them for that disposition: look graciously upon them who are as eyes of this body, those of the clergy, who have any interest therein: bless them with a disposition to preach there, to pray here, to exhort everywhere for the advancement thcreof, and bless them for that disposition. Bless thcm who are thc feet of this body, who go thither, and the hands of this body, who labour there, and them who are the heart of this body, ail that are heartily affected, and declare actual]y that heartiness to this action; bless them all with a cheerful disposition to that, and bless them for that diposition. Bless it so in this calm, that when the tempest cornes, it may ride it out safely bless if so with ïriends now, that it may stand against enemies hereafter; prepare thyselï a glorious harvest there, and give us leave fo be thy la]ourers, that so the num]er of thy saints ]eing t'ulfilled, we nay x'ith ]etter assuranco join in that prayer, Corne, Lord Je»us, con quic'ly, and so meet all in that kingdom whic]a the So of God bath purchased t'or us'with the inestimable price of his " incorruptible blood. To which g]ol'ious Son of God, &c. Amen.