Clavis mystica a key opening divers difficult and mysterious texts of Holy Scripture; handled in seventy sermons, preached at solemn and most celebrious assemblies, upon speciall occasions, in England and France. By Daniel Featley, D.D.

THE SEASONING OF ALL SPIRITUALL SACRIFICES: OR The Salters Text. A Sermon preached before the Company of the Salters at S. Maries Church in Bread-street. THE FIFTEENTH SERMON.

MARKE 9.49.

For every one shall bee salted with fire, and every sacrifice shall bee sal∣ted with salt.

Right Honourable, Right Worshipfull, &c.

THat I may not entertaine your religious attention with a cold or unseasonable discourse, I have made choice of a text, wherein I finde both fire and salt; fire to heat it, and salt to season it. And if any parcell of Scripture may be appropriated to any of the Worshipfull Societies or Companies of this Honourable City, certainly you may challenge a peculiar interest in this. For here is both salt and salting (from whence you take your name) both of men & sacrifices. The best of all crea∣tures on earth are men, and the best of all gifts of men are sacrifices, & both are made savory and acceptable to God by seasoning; they with fire, these with salt. In relation to the former, me thinks as Christ said to Andrew and Peter,a 1.1 Follow me & I will make you fishers of men; so I heare the holy spirit

say to mee, Observe this text well and apply it, and I will make thee a sal∣ter of men; for every man must bee salted with fire, and, as it followeth, Eve∣ry sacrifice must bee salted with salt.b 1.2 With all thine offerings thou shalt offer salt, saith Moses from God: Every sacrifice shall bee salted with salt, saith Christ from Moses; whose drift in this place is somewhat obscure, because the sense is covered under the vaile of an Allegory, which wee cannot draw without looking up higher into the chapter, and touching upon the prece∣dent verses. Wherein our Lord threatneth unquenchable fire, and an im∣mortall worme to all that for want of the fire of zeale grow cold in religion; and for lacke of the salt of grace putrefie in their sins. If, saith he, that per∣son or thing that causes thee to offend, either in want of courage for God, or of zeale and Christian resolution against thy bosome sinnes and naturall corruptions, bee as deare to thee as thine eye, or as necessary as thy right hand, part with them thou must; if it be an eye, plucke it out; if an hand, cut it off, and cast it away from thee; better see thy selfe in heaven with one eye, than to see thy selfe in hell with both; better hoppe into life with one legge, than runne to eternall death with both; better without a right hand to bee set with the sheepe at Gods right hand, than having a right hand to bee set at Gods left hand, and afterwards with both thine hands bee bound to bee cast into hell fire,c 1.3 where the worme never dyeth, and the fire is not quenched, and againe, and a third time, where the worme never dyeth, and the fire is not quenched. At the mention whereof, it being the burthen of his dolefull Sonnet, our Saviour perceiving the eares of his auditors to tingle, in the words of my text hee yeeldeth a reason of that his so smart and bi∣ting admonition, saying, For every one shall be salted, &c. and withall hee sheweth them a meanes to escape that unquenchable fire which they so much dreaded, and to kill the immortall worme which even now began to bite them. The meanes to escape the one, is to bee salted here with fire; and the meanes to kill the other, is to be salted here with salt; for salt pre∣serveth from that putrefaction which breedeth that worme. He who now is salted with the fire of zeale, or heart-burning sorrow for his sinnes, shall never hereafter bee salted with the fire of hell: this fire will keepe out that, asd 1.4 Jupiters fire drove out Phaetons: and hee who macerateth here his fleshly members with the salt of Gods uncorrupt word, and the cleansing grace of his spirit, shall never putrefie in his sinnes, nor feele the torment of the never dying worme.

The Philosophers make three partitions, as it were, in the soule of man: the first they call the reasonable, or seate of judgement; the second, the i∣rascible, or seat of affections; the third, the concupiscible, or the seat of de∣sires and lusts. In the reasonable part they who knew nothing of the fall of man, and originall corruption, find little amisse; but in the concupiscible they note 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, something like superfluous moisture inclining to luxury; in the irascible, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, or 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, something like cold or rawnesse enclining to feare: behold in my text a remedy for both; fire for the one, and salt for the other. And that wee may not lose a sparke of this holy fire, or a graine of this salt so soveraigne, let us in a more exact division observe,

• 1 Two kindes of seasoning:

• ...
  • 1 With fire:
  • 2 With salt.
• 2 Two sorts of things to bee seasoned:
  • 1 Men without limitation, Every:
  • 2 Sacrifices without exception, All.

Gode 1.5 had respect unto Abel and his sacrifice; first to Abel, and then to his offering: hee accepteth not the man for his sacrifice, but the sacrifice for the mans sake. First therefore of men and their salting with fire; and af∣ter of sacrifices and their salting with salt.

Every one shall bee salted with fire. Saintf 1.6 Jerome was much taken with this speech of our Saviour: it is, saith he, an admirable saying; That which is seasoned with salt is preserved from corruption of vermine; that which is sal∣ted with fire loseth some of the substance; with both the sacrifices of the old Law were seasoned: such a sacrifice in the Gospell is hee, who cleansing his body and soule from vice, by love consecrateth himselfe to God; who then it not onely sprinkled with salt, but also consumed with fire, when not onely the contagion of sinne is driven away, but also all delight of this present life is ta∣ken away; and wee sigh with our whole soule after our future conversation, which shall bee with God and his Angels in heaven. It is newes to heare of salting of men, especially with fire: an uncouth expression, yet used by our Saviour to strike a deeper impression into the mindes of his hearers: and verily the Metaphor is not so hard and strained, as the duty required is harsh and difficult to our nature. It went much against flesh and blood to heare of plucking out an eye, or cutting off an hand or foot, yet that is nothing in comparison to salting with fire: salt draweth out the corrupt blood, and superfluous moisture out of flesh, but fire taketh away much of the substance thereof, if not all. For the fattest and best parts of all sacrifices were devoured by the flame, of such things as were offered to God by fire. If such a salting bee requisite, wee must then not onely part with an eye, or a hand, or a foot, but even with heart, and head, and whole body to be burned for the testimony of the Gospell; if so the case stand that either we must leave our body behind us, or wee leave Christ. Such a salting is here prescribed by our high Priest, as draweth out not onely corrupt moisture, but consumeth much of the flesh also, yea sometimes all; (that is) not one∣ly bereaveth us of superfluous vanities, and sinfull pleasures, but even of our chiefe comforts of life it selfe, our friends, our estates, our honours, yea sometimes our very bodies. So hot is this fire, so quicke is this salt. Those that are redeemed by Christs blood, must thinke nothing too deare for him who paid so deare for them: rather than forfeit their faith, and renounce the truth, they must willingly lay all at stake for his sake, who pawned not onely his humane body and soule, but after a sort his divine per∣son also, to satisfie the justice of God for us.

Every one. How farre this Every one extends, and what this salting with fire signifieth, the best Interpreters, ancient and latter, are not fully agreed.

Some restraine every one to the reprobate only, and by fire understand hell-fire: others to the elect onely, and by fire understand the fire of Gods spi∣rit, or grace, burning out, as it were, and consuming our naturall corrupti∣ons. They who stand for the former interpretation, conceive that Christ in these words yeeldeth a reason why hee said that hell-fire shall never bee quenched;* 1.7 for every one (that is say they) of the damned in hell shall bee salted with that fire; the fire shall be to their bodies as salt is to flesh, which keepeth it from putrefying.

O cruell mercy of hellish flames: O saving destruction: O preservation worse than perdition: O fire eternally de∣vouring, and yet preserving its owne fuell: O punishment bringing con∣tinuall torments to the damned, and continuing their bodies and soules in it! It is worse than death to be kept alive to eternall pains: it is worse than perdition to bee saved for ever in these flames, to bee ever scorched and never consumed, that is, to bee ever dying and never dye.

Here, as Saintg 1.8 Austine acutely observeth, wee can never bee sayd properly dying, but either alive or dead; for to the moment of giving up the ghost, wee are alive, and af∣ter that dead; whereas on the contrary, the damned in hell can never bee said to bee alive or dead, but continually dying: not dead, because they have most quicke sense of paine; not alive, because they are in the pangs of the second death.

O miserable life where life is continually dying; O more miserable death where death is eternally living!

Yea, but shall all be sal∣ted with this fire, the fire of hell? God forbid. Doth Christ say of this salt, not of the earth but of hell, that it is good? (ver. 50.) is this the meaning of his exhortation, have salt in you; that is, procure the salt of hell fire to keep you alive in the torments of eternall death, to preserve you to everlasting perdition? By no meanes.h 1.9 Maldonat therefore and Barradius, and all that are for this first interpretation are justly to bee blamed, because they had an eye to the antecedents, but not to the consequents of my text. On the other side, those who adhere to the second interpretation are not free from just exception, because they had an eye to the consequents, and not to the antecedents. For wee ought to give such an interpretation of these words as may hold good correspondence both with the antecedents and consequents, and either give light to both, or receive it from them. The elect, to whom these latter restraine the word All, have nothing to doe with the unquenchable fire of hell, mentioned ver. 48. neither have the re∣probate, to whom the former interpreters appropriate these words, any thing to doe with the good salt, ver. 50. yet both have to doe with some kinde of salting, and with some kinde of fire. For every one shall bee salted one way or other, either here with the fire of the spirit seasoning our nature and preserving it from corruption; or hereafter with the fire of hell. There is no meanes to escape the never dying worme of an evill conscience, but by having salt in us, nor to prevent the unquenchable fire of hell, but by fire from heaven, I meane, heart-burning sorrow for our sinnes:

Dolor est medicina doloris.

That we may not bee hereafter salted with the fire of hell, wee must be here salted with a threefold fire: of

• 1 The word:
• 2 The spirit:
• 3 Affliction, or persecution.

First, with the fire of the word: the word is a fire;i 1.10 Is not my word like a fire, saith the Lord? It hath the three properties of fire:

• 1 To give light:
• 2 To burne:
• 3 To search.

First, it giveth light; therefore Psal. 119. it is called a lanthorn to our steps, and a light to our paths. Secondly, it burneth,

• 1 In the eare:
• 2 In the mouth:
• 3 In the heart.

First, in the eare:k 1.11 Whosoever heareth my words, saith God, his eares shall tingle. Secondly it burneth in the mouth,l 1.12 I will make my words fire in the mouth. Thirdly, it burneth in the heart,m 1.13 Did not our heart burne within us when hee opened to us the scriptures?

Lastly, it searcheth, pierceth, and tryeth like fire, Then 1.14 word of God is mighty in operation, and sharper than a two-edged sword, &c.

Secondly, with the fire of the spirit; the spirit is a fire,o 1.15 You shall be bap∣tized with the holy Ghost and with fire. Water will wash out filthy spots and blots on the skinne onely; but fire is more powerfull, it will burne out rot∣ten flesh and corrupt matter under the skinne. This fire of the holy Ghost enlightneth the understanding with knowledge, enflameth the will and affe∣ctions with the love of God, and zeale for his glory, and purgeth out all our drossie corruptions.

Thirdly, with the fire of persecution and affliction. Persecution is cal∣led ap 1.16 fiery tryall; and all kinde of afflictions and temptations, wherewith Gods Saints are tryed, in Saint Austines judgement, are the fire whereof Saint Paul speaketh;q 1.17 He shall be saved, as it were through fire. And of a truth, whatsoever the meaning of that text bee, certaine it is that the purest vessels of Gods sanctuary, first in the Heathen, next in the Arrian, and last of all in the Antichristian persecution, have beene purified and made glorious like gold tryed in the fire. There is no torment can bee devised by man or divell whereof experiments have not beene made on the bodies of Christs mar∣tyrs: yet the greater part of them, especially in these later times, have beene offered to God by fire, as the Holocausts under the law. Bloody per∣secutors of Gods Saints, set on fire with hell, of all torments most employ∣ed the fiery, because they are most dreadfull to the eye of the beholders, most painefull to the body of the sufferers, and they leave nothing of the burned martyr, save ashes, which sometimes the adversaries ma••ice out∣lasting the flames of fire, cast into the river. And many of Gods servants in

this land, as well as in other parts, in the memory of our fathers have been salted with this fire; call you it whether you please, either the fire of martyr∣dome, or martyrdome of fire. And howsoever this fire in the dayes of Queen Mary was quenched especially by the blood of the slaine for the testimony of Jesus Christ, as the fire in the city of ther 1.18Astapani (as Livie observeth) when no water could lave it our, was extinguished with the blood of the ci∣tizens: yet wee know not but that it may bee kindled againe, unlesse wee blow out the coales of wrath against us with the breath of our prayers, or dead them with our teares. Admit that that fire should never bee kindled a∣gaine, yet God hath many other fires to salt us withall, burning feavers, fie∣ry serpents, thunder and lightning, heart-burning griefes and sorrowes, losse of dearest friends, wracke of our estates, infamy, disgrace, vexations, oppres∣sions, indignation at the prosperity of the wicked, terrors of conscience, and spirituall derelictions. And God grant that either by the fire of the Word, or of the Spirit, or seasonable afflictions, our fleshly corruptions may bee so burned out in this life, that wee bee not salted hereafter with the fire of hell; which burneth, but lighteth not; scorcheth, but yet consumeth not; worketh without end both upon soule and body, yet maketh an end of neither. O that they who are frozen in their sins were somtimes singed and thawed with the consideration of this infernall and eternall fire! If they did but minde it, they could not but feare it; and if they feared it, they would in time seeke meanes to escape it; and if they sought them in time, they might find them in my text. And so I passe from the salting of men with fire, to the seasoning of sacrifices with salt.

Every sacrifice shall bee salted with salt. There was nothing butt 1.19 death and barrennesse in the waters of Jericho till Elisha cast salt in the springs. In these waters Saintu 1.20 Isidore descryeth a type of our naturall estate, wherein we were dead in sinnes, and barren of good workes, till the true Elisha, Christ Jesus, cast salt in the springs, I meane, our hearts, whence are the issues of life. Salt hath three most knowne properties;

• 1 To powder:
• 2 To season:
• 3 To cleanse.

It powdereth flesh, and keepeth it from putrefaction: it seasoneth meats and drinkes: and it cleanseth wounds, fretting and eating out the corrupt matter in them. And answerable hereunto there are three effects of the word mixed with faith;

• 1 It powdereth the heart:
• 2 It seasoneth the speech:
• 3 It cleanseth the sores of wounded consciences.

Materiall salt is not more necessary in our houses, than this spirituall salt in the house of God; for without it no taste of goodnesse, no relish of ho∣linesse, no sapour pleasing to God. In some sacrifices of the old law, flesh, in some wine, in some oyle, in some meale; but in all and with all salt was

offered. These sacrifices were not onely shadowes of the body, which was Christs sacrifice on the crosse; but also types of our spirituall sacrifices: the meat offerings of our almes deeds, whereby wee feed the hungry; the drink offerings of our penitent teares; the peace offerings of our praise and thanks∣giving; the heave offerings of our elevated desires and affections; the whole burnt offering or holocaust of martyrdome for the testimony of the Gospel. And as the legall sacrifices were seasoned with salt, and consumed with fire; so all our spirituall sacrifices must bee seasoned with the salt of discretion, and consumed with the fire of zeale. And because the zeale is in the man, and the discretion is seene in his offering, it is said, Every man shall bee salted with fire, and every sacrifice shall bee salted with salt. To begin with the holo∣caust, or whole burnt-offering. When a servant of Christ overcommeth the violence of fire by his faith, and remaines as unmoved in the torment thereof, as thex 1.21 stake at which hee is burnt: in this sacrifice salt is most ne∣cessary, I meane, the salt of spirituall wisedome and religious discretion. For a man must not offer himselfe to the mercilesse flames; but being adjud∣ged to them, and by the secular arme brought to them, patiently and cheer∣fully suffer them, rather than deny the Lord that bought him. No man must seale the truth of the Gospell with his blood, unlesse hee bee called in as a witnesse, and required to depose: and then hee must not onely depose in a free profession of his faith, but also deposite his life for the further confirma∣tion of his Christian profession. He that is called to suffer, must in the first place consider for what he suffereth; for all are not blessed that suffer, but those thaty 1.22 suffer for righteousnesse. Blessed, indeed most blessed are they that are persecuted for righteousnesse sake; not those who are executed as ma∣lefactors, for murder, felony, blasphemy, schisme, obstinacy or fancy. None dyeth a Martyr but hee who dyeth for the faith by which the just li∣veth. If a Jew bee scourged to death for the abrogated rites of the cere∣moniall law: or a Jesuited Papist hanged, drawne, and quartered, according to the penall statutes of this kingdome, for treason against the Prince, in the Popes quarrell: or if an Anabaptist bee burned to ashes for his fanaticall and fantasticall revelations; hee dyeth the Popes, or his owne Martyr, not Christs. His suffering, asz 1.23 Cyprian the blessed Martyr determineth the point against all heretickes, is, Poena perfidiae, non corona fidei, a punishment for his heresie or perfidiousnesse, not a crowne of faith or a wreath of glory.

Another sacrifice of the whole man, is when a devout Christian giveth up his members as servants unto righteousnesse, and his whole body as a li∣vinga 1.24 sacrifice unto God: in this likewise the salt of spirituall wisdome and discretion is most requisite. For wee must so devote our selves to the ser∣vice of God, that we altogether forget not our duty to man: we must so fol∣low the things that are above, that we neglect not our affaires below, quit not our calling on earth, much lesse in aspiring to angelicall perfection, cast our selves down beneath Heathens and Infidels, by casting away all care of provision for ourb 1.25 family. There was never any sect had a more plausible pretext for their heresie than the Euchites, who nothing but praied continu∣ally: yet because they distinguished not between time and season, mis-under∣standing the precept of the Apostle,c 1.26 pray continually; which requireth that we pray upon every occasion, and at all seasons, that is, fit houres for prayer,

not simply, at all times which are allotted us by God ford 1.27 every purpose un∣der heaven; but especially because they jusled out all other duties of piety and Christian charity for it, they were themselves by the ancient Fathers driven out of the Church, and deservedly excommunicated, whoe 1.28 commu∣nicated nothing to the publicke, but were all for their private devotion.

Undoubtedly, as when the fattest and best of the sacrifice was consumed, the Priests might take the rest for their use; so after wee have given God the flower and best of our time, the rest wee may, nay wee must employ in the workes of our speciall calling for our owne and others behoofe.

Next to the sacrifice of the whole man is the sacrifice of the hidden man, of the heart, I meane,f 1.29 a broken spirit, and contrite heart. In this sacrifice the salt of discretion is as necessary as in the former. For even godly sor∣row must not exceed, the rivers of Paradise must bee kept within their bankes. A man may pricke his heart for his sinne, nay wound it, but hee must not kill it. Hee may dive deepe into the waters of Mara, but not stay so long under the water till hee bee drowned. Hee that hath grievously wronged Gods justice by presumption, let him take heede that hee doe not more wrong his mercy by desperation: his sinnes can be but finite, but Gods mercy, and Christs merits are infinite.

There remaines yet two other sacrifices, the sacrifice of the tongue, and the sacrifice of the hand, Prayer, and Almes-deeds: Prayers are tearmedg 1.30 Vituli labiorum, the Calves of the lippes; and Almes-deeds are graced with the title ofh 1.31 sacrifices by the Apostle; and Saint Austine yeeldeth a good reason for it; because God accepteth these pro sacrificiis, or prae sacrificiis, for, or before all sacrifices. With both these salt must bee offered, the salt of discretion with the one, and of admonition with the other: spirituall wisedome must guide both the lifting up of our hands to God, and the stretching them out to our brethren.

First for prayer. No unsavory prayers proceeding from a corrupt heart are pleasing to God; no words sound well in his eares but such as are conso∣nant to his word, and minister grace to the hearers. Let myi 1.32 prayer, saith the Psalmist, be directed to thee as incense; prayer must be directed, not suddenly throwne up, as it were at all adventures. Wisdome and intention must direct it, not to Saints and Angels, but to God. As it must be directed, and that to God; so in the third place it must be directed as incense from a burning cen∣ser, that is, a zealous heart; or, to use the phrase of my text, it must be sea∣soned with salt, the salt of discretion, and salted with fire, the fire of zeale. Is this to pray & praise God, to draw neare to him with our lips, when our hearts are farre from him? to lift up our eyes and hands to heaven when our mindes are on earthly things? is this to pray unto, or praise God, to vent out our unhallowed desires and indigested thoughts in broken words, without any premeditation, order, or connexion? No surely, this is not to offer to God Vitulos labiorum, the calves of our lippes, but labia vitulorum, the lippes of calves.

You heare how needfull salt is in the sacrifice of the tongue: as necessa∣ry it is in the sacrifice of the hands.k 1.33 Blessed is hee, saith the Kingly Pro∣phet, qui intelligit super egenum, who considereth the poore and needy; that is, first taketh notice of their condition and quality, and accordingly relieveth

them, lest otherwise hee contribute to idlenesse, and not to necessity. Some want worke to their will, others will to worke: some are impotent indeed, others are counterfeit: to the one a gift is an almes-deed, to the other the best almes is to give them a sharp admonition, or send them with their er∣rand to the House of correction. The Philosopher might say when he be∣stowed an almes upon a lewd rogue,l 1.34 Non homini dedised humanitati, Not to the man but to manhood; not to his person, but to his nature; not to his ill conditions, but to his miserable condition: but he that feareth God must take heed that he cast not seede upon accursed earth, lest it bring forth the fruits of Gomorrha; or it prove like the seed sowne bym 1.35 Cadmus, whence grew up on the sudden armed men, I meane an army of sturdy beggars, armed against us in the high-wayes. Hee must make a conscience both what he giveth, and out of what, and in what manner, and to what end. First, what; hee must not give the childrens bread to dogges: secondly, out of what; hee must not give to God of that which hee hath stollen from man, or got by any indirect courses, for this were to make God accessary to his stollen goods: thirdly, in what manner; manu serendum, non corbe, hee must cast seede out thriftily by the hand, not carelesly throw it out of the basket; he must so draw out that the spring of bounty be not exhausted: fourthly, to what end; to glorifie God, not to receive praise from men; to relieve want, not to maintaine vice. Though his left hand must not know what his right hand doth, yet his right eye must know and direct his right hand to poure the oyle into the wounds of the Samaritane, and not to spill it upon the sound flesh. As eye-salve laid to the foote profiteth not at all; and a plaster or poultess made for the feete, if it be applyed to the eye endangereth the sight: so bounty misplaced doth more hurt than good, benefacta malè loca∣ta, malefacta arbitror.

* 1.36I wish it were so in the ministring physicke for the soule, as it is in the physicke for the body, where the Physitian prescribeth, and the Apotheca∣ry ministreth: the Physitian maketh, or appointeth the making of the salve, and leaves it to the Apothecary to apply it. For of all texts this needes most warily to bee applyed, because there is in it both fire and salt; and fire if it bee layd close will scorch, and salt if it bee rubbed into a wound will make it smart. Howbeit the best is, that rule in corporall physicke holdeth also in this; Nulla medicamenta tam faciunt dolorem quam quae sunt salu∣taria, The more bitter the potion for the most part the more effectuall; and the more smarting the plaster the more wholesome. To apply therefore in a word. In the setting forth of any banquet or service, fire and salt must bee at hand; fire to dresse the meat, and salt to season it. Likewise in the sacrifices of the old law neither fire nor salt could bee wanting; salt to prepare the sa∣crifices for the altar, and fire to consume them upon it. Neither can there be any spirituall sacrifice, or evangelicall service acceptable unto God, with∣out the fire of zeale, and salt of discretion. Zealous discretion, and discreet zeale is a rare composition, not of art but of grace, which maketh both our persons and our offering agreeable unto God. No cold service, nor unsa∣vory dish is for his taste: without heate of zeale the sacrifice wee offer is the sacrifice of dead men; and without salt of discretion the sacrifice wee offer is a sacrifice of fooles. Prophanenesse and worldlinesse cold in the true wor∣ship

of God, offereth a dead sacrifice; and idolatry and superstition hot in the false worship, offereth a foolish sacrifice; religion in the middle, being zealous in the true service of a God, offereth a holy, living, and reasonable sacrifice unto him; by zealous discretion pleasing God; and by discreet zeale men. Some offer unto God fire, but want salt, they are zealous with∣out discretion: some have salt, but want fire, they are discreet but without zeale. The Papists have fire, fervent zeale, but they want salt, direction from Gods word, and judgement to discerne betweene reasonable service and will-worship; and for want of this salt their devotions are tainted with much superstition. The conformable Protestant hath store of salt, whol∣some directions from Gods word to season his spirituall sacrifices, but doth hee not want fire? is hee as zealous for Christ as the other is for Anti-christ? doth hee contribute as freely to the pure worship of God, as the other doth to the garish service of the Masse? are his eyes as often fixed on Christ in heaven, as the others are on his crucifixe? doth hee keepe the Lords day as strictly as the other doth our Ladies, and other Saints? Al∣though the Papist hath no command for hallowing any day to Saints, es∣pecially such as wee finde in the Romane Kalendar: wee have both the command of God, and the injunctions of the Church to devote this dayn 1.37 wholly to the service of God; yet how many Clients on this day besiege your doores, when you and wee all should bee Clients onely unto God? Should God deale so with us in our portion of time on the weeke-dayes, as wee deale with him in his; should hee restraine the light of the sunne, and take away so many houres from every day in the weeke, as wee defaulk from his service on this day, what darkenesse, what out-cryes, what hor∣rour, what confusion would bee in all the world? Wheno 1.38 Cyrus was young, Sacas was appointed by his Grandfather to bee his moderatour, both in his diet, recreations, and all expence of time; but when hee grew riper in yeeres hee became a Sacas to himselfe, and tooke not so much li∣berty as Sacas would have given him. Where the law seemeth too laxe, there every man ought to bee a Sacas to himselfe, and for the health of his soule forbeare something that is permitted to the recreation of his body. Againe, those who are of the stricter and preciser sort have fire in their in∣vectives against Popery, in their reproofe of sinne, and their voluntary and extemporary devotions; but they want many a graine of salt, and there∣fore offer often times, with Nadab and Abihu, strange fire upon Gods altar: they distinguish not betweene Episcopall Hierarchy and Papall tyranny; superstitious rites and comely ceremonies; decent ornaments and meretrici∣ous painting of Christs spouse. They are alwayes Boanerges, and seldome or never Barnabasses; alwayes Sons of thunder, and seldome or never Sons of consolation. And when they are Sonnes of thunder, and cast forth their lightning, it is not like the lightning whereofp 1.39 Pliny writeth, which kil∣led Martia's childe in her wombe, but hurt not her at all; that is, destroy sinne in the conscience, but no way hurt the person in his reputation: but contrariwise, they blast the person, but kill not the sin. Their prayers are all fiery indeed, burning with zeale, and therein commendable; but for want of salt of discretion they make all things fuell for this sacred fire; like fire their devotion keeps within no bounds. As the ringing, so the praying now

adayes in request is all upon the changes, the round of a set forme is utterly despised; and as ringers in the changes, so these in their extemporary ori∣sons, goe up and downe, backward and forward, are often at a stand, use vaineq 1.40 repetitions prohibited by our Saviour, and by clashing phrases, as the A∣postle speaketh, maker 1.41 vaine janglings. Suffer, I beseech you, yet one word of exhortation, it shall bee but a Monosyllable, sal: we live in a mostt 1.42 corrupt age, and therefore never more need of salt than now, Et vos est is sal, you are the salt of the commonwealth, as wee of the Church, si sal infatuatus fuerit, if the salt grow unsavoury through the corruption of here∣sie, bribery, simony, or vitious living, quo salietur? wherewith shall it be sea∣soned? I hope it is not so, I pray God it bee never so, but that wee may bee alwayes like pure and wholsome salt, preserving our selves and others from corruption. The good will of him who appeared in the fiery bush, salt our persons with the fire of the Word, Spirit, and seasonable Affli∣ctions, and season our sacrifices with the salt of faith and discre∣tion, that God may have alwayes respect to us and our sacrifice for the merits of Christs infinite sacrifice offered on the Altar of the Crosse. To whom, &c.

Notes

• a 1.1

  Matth. 4.19.
• b 1.2

  Lev. 2.13. E∣very obla••ion of the meat offering shalt thou season with salt, neither shalt thou suffer the covenant of thy God to bee lacking from thy meat offering.
• c 1.3

  ver. 44.46.48.
• d 1.4

  Ovid. Met. l. 2. Saevis compes∣cuit ignibus ig∣nes.
• e 1.5

  Gen. 4.4.
• f 1.6

  Hieron. in hunc locum. Mire di∣ctum est, &c. ille verè victi∣ma domini est, qui corpus & a∣nimam a vitus emundando, Deo per amo∣rem consecra∣tur, nec sale aspergitur, sed igne consu∣mitur, quando non peccati tan∣tum contagio pellitur, sed & praesentis vitae delectatio tolli∣tur, & futurae conversationi totā mente sus∣piratur.
• * 1.7

  Ver. 48.
• g 1.8

  Aug. de civit. Dei, l 13. c. 11. Ibi non erunt homines an∣te mor∣tem, ne{que} post mortem, sed semper in mor∣te, at{que} per hoc nunquam vi∣ventes, nun∣quam mortui, sed sine fine morientes.
• h 1.9

  In hunc locum.
• i 1.10

  Jer. 23.29.
• k 1.11

  1 Sam. 3.11.
• l 1.12

  Jerem. 5.14.
• m 1.13

  Luk. 24.32.
• n 1.14

  Heb. 4.12.
• o 1.15

  Act. 1.5.
• p 1.16

  1 Pet. 4.12.
• q 1.17

  1 Cor. 3.15.
• r 1.18

  Liv. decad 3. l. 8 Bruson. facet. & exempl. l. 1.
• t 1.19

  2 King. 2.14.
• u 1.20

  Isidor. Pelus. ep. 16. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉.
• x 1.21

  Godwin in Archiep Cant. Cranmerus flammâ saevien∣te, erectis in coelum oculis, Domine suscipe spiritum meum exclamavit, & corpore tam immotus persti∣tit quam palus cui alligatus est.
• y 1.22

  Mat. 5.10.
• z 1.23

  Ep. 1. Si oc∣cisi extra eccle∣siam fuerint, corona fidei non est, sed po∣tius poena per∣fidiae.
• a 1.24

  Rom. 12.1.
• b 1.25

  1 Tim. 5.8. If any provide not for his owne, and especially those of his house, or kin∣red, hee hath de∣nied the faith, and is worse than an Infidell.
• c 1.26

  1 Thes. 5.17.
• d 1.27

  Eccl. 3.1.
• e 1.28

  Epiph haeres. Massal & Eu∣chi••. & Aug. de haeres. ad quod vult Deum.
• f 1.29

  Psal. 51.17.
• g 1.30

  Hos. 14.2. Render the calves of your lips.
• h 1.31

  Heb. 13.16. To doe good and communicate for∣get not, for with such scarifices God is well pleased.
• i 1.32

  Psal. 141.2.
• k 1.33

  Psal. 41.1.
• l 1.34

  Plutarch. apoph.
• m 1.35

  Ovid. Met l. 3. Vipereos den∣tes populi in∣crementa futu∣ri, &c. Crescit∣que seges clype∣ata virorum.
• * 1.36

  The application.
• n 1.37

  Homily of the time and place of prayer.
• o 1.38

  Xen Cyr. paed. l. 2.
• p 1.39

  Plin. nat. hist. c. 51. l. 2. Martia gravida icta partu exanima∣to vixit.
• q 1.40

  Mat. 6.7.
• r 1.41

  1 Tim. 1.6.
• t 1.42

  Juven. sat. 1. Et quando ube∣rior vitiorum copia! quando major avaritiae patuit sinus, &c Nil erit ulteri∣us quod nostris moribus addat Posteritas.