An exposition of the dominical epistles and gospels used in our English liturgie throughout the whole yeare together with a reason why the church did chuse the same / by Iohn Boys ... ; the winter part from the first Aduentuall Sunday to Lent.

The Epistle. PHILIP. 4.4.

Reioyce in the Lord alwaies: againe, I say reioyce.

A Text of reioycing against the time of reioycing: whereby the Church intimates how wee should spend our Christmas ensuing; not in gluttonie and drun∣kennesse, in chamb••ring and wantonnesse▪ doing the di∣uel more seruice in the twelue daies, then in al the twelue moneths: but rather q in Psalmes and hymnes and spiri∣tuall songs, making melodie in our hearts vnto the Lord: I say the Church allotting this scripture for this Sunday, teacheth vs how this holy Time should be well imploied, not in vnholinesse and mad meriments among Lords of misrule: but in good offices of religion, as it becomes the seruants of him who is the God of order: obseruing this festiuall in honour of Iesus, not Iacchus; alway praising our heauenly Father, in louing vs so well as to send his Sonne to saue his seruants: and lest we should erre in our spirituall reuels, obserue in this Epistle both

• The Matter Of our ioy.
• The Manner Of our ioy.
• The matter and obiect of our ioy: reioyce in the Lord.
• The manner: how Long; alway reioyce.
• The manner: how Much; againe and againe reioyce.

It is an old rule in r Philosophie, and it is true in Diui∣nity, y^t affections of the mind, as, anger, feare, delight, &c. are in their own nature neither absolutely good, nor sim∣ply euill, but either good or bad, as their obiect is good or bad. As for exāple, to be angry or not angry, is indiffe∣rent: Be a••grie, and sin not, saith s Paul; there is a good an∣ger. Whosoeuer is angrie with his brother vnaduisedly (saith

t Christ) is in danger of iudgement; there is a bad anger. So Matth. 10.28. Feare not them that kill the body, and are not able to kill the soule: but rather feare him which is able to destroy both soule and body in hell. So likewise to reioyce, or not to reioyce, in it selfe is neither absolutely dis∣gracefull, nor altogether commendable: we may not re∣ioyce in the toyes of the world, in frowardnes, or doing euill, faith u Salomon: Non in vitijs, non in diuitijs, saith x Bernard: y Woe bee to you that thus laugh, for yee shall waile and weepe▪ but wee may delight in the Lord, saith Dauid. Reioyce in Christ, saith Mary: then our ioy is good, when as our ioyes obiect is good, yea God; as Paul here; Reioyce in the Lord.

As sorrow is a straitning of the heart, for some ill: so ioy the dilating of the heart for some good, either in pos∣session or expectation. Now Christ is our chiefe good; as being author of all grace in this life, and all glorie in the next: and z therefore we must chiefly reioyce in him, and in other things only for him: in him, as the donor of euery good and perfect gift: for him, that is, according to his will: as the phrase is vsed, 1. Cor. 7.39. If her hus∣band be dead▪ s••ee is at libertie to marrie with whom shee will, only in the Lord.

So then we may reioyce in other things; for the Lord as in the Lord: we may reioyce in our selues, as being the Lords; and in other, because they reioyce in the Lord. Psal. 16.3. All my delight is vpon the Saints that are in the earth, and vpon such as excell in vertue: So likewise wee may reioice with the a wife of our youth, and disport our selues in good companie: we may make Christmas pies, and Haruest dinners: in a word, reioice in euery thing which may further our spirituall reioycing in the Lord. But b whether wee eate or drinke, or whatsoeuer we doe else, all must be done to the honor and glorie of God. Reioyce in the Lord alwaies: and againe I say, reioyce.

Yea but Christ, Mat. 5.4. Blessed are they that mourne: Luk. 6.21. Blessed are they that weep. c This reioycing is

not contrarie to that mourning: for such as mourne are blessed in being comforted: and comforted by reioycing in the Lord. Reioyce, saith d Christ, in that day and bee glad, when any shall hate you for my sake: the which his Apostles accordingly fulfilled, Act. 5.41. They departed from the Councell reioycing, that they were counted worthie to suffer rebuke for his Name: that Christ would vse them as his e buckler: and Rom. 5.3. Wee reioyce in tribulations. The Father of mercies and God of all con∣solation comforteth vs in al our afflictions: f As the suffe∣rings of Christ abound in vs, so our consolation aboun∣deth through Christ. g He doth appoint comfort to such as mourne in Sion: hee doth giue beautie for ashes, oyle of ioy for sorrow, the garment of gladnesse for the spirit of heauinesse: so that a martyr when he is most mourne∣full, is mirthfull: he speakes of his tormentor, as h Socra∣tes of Anitus; and i Petus of Nero the Tyrant, Occidere me potest, laedere verò non potest: He may well kill me, but he shall neuer ill me. Nihil crus sentit in neruo, cùm manus est in coelo, saith k Tertullian: Euery cut is a wide mouth to praise Christ, as the Martyr l Romanus sweetly:

Tot ecce laudant ora quot sunt vulnera. Grates tibi ô praefecte magnas debeo, Quòd multa pandens ora, iam Christum loquor.

Blessed are they that die for the Lord, because they re∣ioyce in the Lord. No losse, no crosse can interrupt our spirituall ioy: for as it followeth in the text to be consi∣dered, it must be continuall, alway reioyce. The Christian must keepe Christmas all his life, though not in his hall, yet in his heart: alwaies in his minde, albeit not alway with his mouth.

It is a true rule deliuered in the schoole, that Gods af∣firmatiue lawes, m obligant semper, sed non ad semper: ad semper velle, but not ad semper agere; requiring disposition perpetuall, and practise so often as occasion is offered. Holy, iust, valiant men are they who can whensoeuer they will, and will whensoeuer they ought, execute what

their seuerall perfections import. There is a time for all things, and therefore seuerall duties ought to be dischar∣ged in seuerall seasons. He that saith heere reioyce alway, saith in another place, n pray continually, and in all things giue thankes: and therefore we need not alwai••s actually pray, nor actually giue thankes: not actually reioyce, in word and outward gesture, but as opportunitie shall re∣quire. If then as time, neuer a better time, then this holy time: neuer greater cause to o shout out for ioy, then now, for that our King comes vnto vs: it is our bounden dutie alwaies intentionally; b••t at this time with Psalms and songs actually. No sinne, no sorrow must hinder our spirituall reioycing. For in all our aduersitie God is euen at hand; p not onely nigh in his Maiestie, q though doubtlesse he be not farre from euery one of vs, but also nigh in his mercie. Psal. 145.18. The Lord is nigh vnto all them that call vpon him. A r very present helpe in trouble. Yea the Lords second comming is at s hand, when as hee shall iudge and reuenge our cause; rewar∣ding vs with eternall happinesse, and punishing our ad∣uersaries with euerlasting fire: and therefore reioyce al∣waies in all things: I say, reioyce in the Lord: for wee cannot alway reioyce in the things of this life. t The world passeth away, and the lust thereof, but Christ is euermore the same: the beginning and end of all other things, himselfe without either beginning or end. If then our ioyes obiect be God, it may be continuall: but if fixed on earthly things, exposed to manifold changes and chances; it must necessarily be mutable. u Gaudium in materia conuertibili mutari necesse sit re muta••â. So that as the x Poet truly: Gaudia principium nostrisunt saep•• do∣loris. y Euen in laughing the heart is sorrowfull, and the end of mirth is heauines. The world is a sea of glasse, A∣pocal 4.6. z brittle as glasse, tumultuous as the sea: but hee that reioyceth in the Lord, is like a mount Sion which standeth fast for euer. If then any desire to re∣ioyce alway, let him reioyce in the Lord.

And againe I say, reioyc••.] The b troubl••s of this life a••e so great, and our patience so little, that Paul doubleth his exhortation c to presse the duty, and expresse our dul∣nesse: and indeed our reioicing cannot be continued, ex∣cept it be multiplied againe and againe: reioice there∣fore for mercies already receiued, and againe reioice for mercies hereafter promised. For receiued grace: first, for thy creation: Almighty God might haue made thee a dull asse, a venemous serpent, an vgly t••ade; whereas he created thee according to his own image and similitude, as it were diuinitatis epitome. For the world is Gods book, and man is Index of that booke, or a commentary vpon that text: reioice therefore in the Lord, & say with d Da∣uid; What is man that thou art so mindfull of him, or the Son of man, that thou shouldest visit him? Thou hast crowned him with worship and glory: thou makest him to haue dominion of the works of thy hands, and thou hast put all things in subie∣ction vnder his feete, as a ladder whereby men might as∣cend to the consideration of thy greatnes and goodnes.

For thy preseruation, he might haue denied thee sight, as he did to Bartimeus, or made thee deafe or dumbe, or a cripple, as we reade of many in the Gospell, and daily see many crying and dying in our streets. If the Lord of hosts had not bin thy guard, all other creatures his soul∣diers would haue banded themselues against thee; fire would haue deuoured thee, water would haue drowned thee, mother earth would open and swallow thee quick; e the stone out of the wall, the beame out of the timber would fight against thee: but f he hath giuen his Angels charge ouer thee, to keepe thee in all thy waies: he doth defend thee vnder his wings, & g blesse thy going forth, and thy comming home; blesse the fruit of thy body, the fruit of thy ground, the fruit of thy cattell; euery way so blesse thee, that thou maiest alway reioice in the Lord.

For thy redemption, at this festiuall especially; consi∣der with h Bernard, Quis est qui venit, vnde, quò, ad quid, quando, quâ: meditate on Gods vnspeakable loue, who

sent his Sonne, his first begotten, onely begotten Sonne, whom he loued as himselfe. The very i character and brightnes of his glory to deliuer vs his seruants, vnduti∣full as vnprofitable, from the hands of all our enemies. If thou hast any feeling of these mysteries, any faith, be it so small as a graine of mustard seed, euermore reioice in the Lord.

For thy sanctification also: many men in a reprobate sense doe not call vpon God; cannot call vpon God. Whereas he hath giuen thee grace to pray with the con∣gregation publikely, with thine owne family priuatly, with thy selfe secretly; giuing thee grace to feele thy sinnes, and to be sorie for the same: reioice for these good benefits in possession; and againe reioice for those mer∣cies of God in expectation; for that k most excellent and et••rnall weight of glory, which he hath l laid vp, and in that day will giue to such as loue his appearing. Let vs euermore reioice in this m hope, saying with n Haba∣cuk, I will reioice in the Lord, I will ioy in the God of my sal∣uation.

Faith is the mother of our reioicing in the Lord: for Christ dwelleth in our hearts by o faith, and faith is by p hearing of the word: spirituall ioy then is increased by reading, hearing, meditating on holy Scriptures. q I haue spoken vnto you these things, that my ioy might rem••••ne in you: Luke 24.32. Did not our hearts burne within vs while he talked with vs, and opened vnto vs the Scriptures?

It is increased also by good life. For as sin doth r grieue the spirit, so good workes on the contrary cheere the soule. Prouerbs 21.15. It is ioy to the iust to doe iudgement. s Here the Gospell and Epistle parallell; for the way of the Lord is prepared especially by faith and repentance. Now poenitens de peccato dolet; & de dolore gaudet: He that is a good man sorroweth in his sinnes, and reioiceth in his sorrow; and that he may doe this, he must reioice in the Lord: wherefore be not carefull for that which is worldly, but make your patient mind knowne vnto men,

and let your petitions bee manifest vnto God. And the peace of God which passeth all vnderstanding, keepe your hearts and minds through Christ, giuing you many ioyes in this life, to the end; and in the next, his eternall ioy, without end. Amen.

Notes

• q

  Colos. 3.16.
• r

  Arist. Ethic. lib. 2. cap. 5.
• s

  Ephes. 4.26.
• t

  Matth. 5.22.
• u

  Prov. ••.14.
• x

  Ser. de nimiâ fallacia praesen∣tis vitae, sol. 3••9
• y

  Luk. 6.26.
• z

  Zanchius in Philip. 3.1. ex Graecorum scho∣lijs.
• a

  Ecclesiast. 9.9.
• b

  1. Cor. 10.31.
• c

  The••p••ylact. & Marlorat. ex Brent. in loc.
• d

  Luc. 6.23.
• e

  Bernard. de considerat. lib. 2.
• f

  2. Cor. 1.5.
• g

  Esay 61.3.
• h

  Plato in Ap••∣log. Socratis. & Epictet. Enc••ei∣rid. cap. vlt.
• i

  Xiphilin. in vi∣ta Neronis.
• k

  In lib. ad Mar∣tyr.
• l

  Prudentius Peristephan. hymn. 10.
• m

  Thomas 12. ••. quaest. 71. art. 5. ad. 3.11.
• n

  1. Thes. 5.17.
• o

  Zachar. 9.9.
• p

  Aquin. in loc.
• q

  Acts 17.••7.
• r

  Psal. 46.1.
• s

  1. Pet. 4.7.
• t

  1. Iohn 2.17.
• u

  Bernard serm. de nimia fali•• cia praesentis vite.
• x

  Ouid. de pont••, lib. 4.
• y

  Prou. 14.1••.
• z

  Bullinger ••on. 24. in Apocal.
• a

  Psal. 125.1.
• b

  T••eop••••lact, in loc.
• c

  Marlora••. in loc.
• d

  Psalm. 8.
• e

  Habacuk ••.11
• f

  Psal. 91.11.
• g

  Deut. 28.6.
• h

  Ser. 1. de Ad∣uentu.
• i

  Heb. 1.3.
• k

  2. Cor. 4.17.
• l

  2. Tim. 4.8.
• m

  Rom. 12.12.
• n

  Cap. 3.18.
• o

  Ephes. 3.17.
• p

  Rom. 10.17.
• q

  Iohn 15.11.
• r

  Ephes. 4.30.
• s

  Postil. mai••∣res cum gloss••s & figuru in epist. Dom. 3. Aduent.