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.

FOURE ROWES OF PRECIOUS STONES. A Rehearsall Sermon preached in Saint Maries Church at Oxford, Anno 1610. THE XXXV. SERMON.

EXOD. 28.15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21.

15. And thou shalt make the breast-plate of judgement with cunning worke.

16. Foure square shall it be, being doubled.

17. And thou shalt set in it settings of stones, even foure rowes of stones: the order shall be this, a Rubie, a Topaze, and an Emrald, in the first rowe.

18. And in the second row thou shalt set a Carbuncle, a Saphir, and a Dia∣mond.

19. And in the third row a Turkeise, and an Agate, and an Amethist.

20. And in the fourth row a Beril, and an Onyx, and a Jasper: and they shall be set in gold in their inclosings or imbosments, Hebrew, fillings.

21. And the stones shall bee with the names of the children of Israel, twelve, according to their names, like the engravings of a signet, every one with his name shall they be, according to the twelve Tribes.

Right Worshipfull, &c.

QUintiliana 1.1 instructing parents how to lay the ground-co∣lours of vertues in the soft mindes of tender infants, and acquaint them with the rudiments of learning, adviseth, Eburneas literarum formas iis in lusum offerre, To give them the letters of the Alphabet fairely drawne, painted or carved in ivory, gold, or the like solid and delectable matter, to play withall, that by their sports, as it were, unawares those simple formes might be imprinted in their memories, whereby we expresse all the notions of our mind in writing: even so it pleased our heavenly Fa∣ther, in the infancy and nonage of his Church, to winne her love with many

glorious shewes of rites and ceremonies, as it were costly babies, represen∣ting the body of her husband Christ Jesus: and to the end she might with greater delight, quasi per lusum, get by heart the principles of saving know∣ledge, and easilier spell the letters of the Gospel, he vouchsafed to worke them in embroidered silkes, and engrave them in gold, silver, and such pre∣cious treasure as fill the rowes in my text. Thus much concerning the le∣gall Hieroglyphicks we learne by St. Paul, who in his Epistles to the Gala∣thians, Corinthians, and Hebrewes, expounding divers types and stories of the old law spiritually, satis ostendit caetera quo{que} ejusdem esse intelligentiae,b 1.2 tea∣cheth us plainly that the rest are of the same nature, and admit of the like in∣terpretation. And hereto S.c 1.3 Origen fitteth the words spoken to the Spouse in the Canticles, Faciemus tibi similitudines auri, cum puncturis argenti, we will make thee golden resemblances of true things, cum* 1.4 puncturis argenti, id est, scintillis quibusdam spiritualis intelligentiae. According to which allusive interpretation of that allegorizing Writer, the gold it selfe of the Altar was but a similitude of the true gold,d 1.5 profered by our Saviour to the Angell of Laodicea, and the precious stones named in my text are but similitudes of that precious stone to which St.e 1.6 Peter pointeth, Behold, I lay in Sion a chiefe corner stone, elect, precious: whereupon St.f 1.7 Jerome sweetly inferres, that all the Jewels mentioned in my text are to bee sold by the wise Christian Merchant, to buy that 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, pearle of great price mentioned in theg 1.8 Gospel; Omnes istae gemmae Prophetarum & Apostolorum sunt, quae comparatione Christi venduntur in Evangelio, ut ematur preciocissima Margarita.

h 1.9Sardonychas, Smaragd', Adamantas, Jaspidas, uno Portat in articulo stella, Severe, tuus.

O Severus, thou settest out thy mistresse most richly, with every joint in her fingers laden with Jewels, Rubies, Emralds, Jaspers, and Diamonds: but pardon me if I beleeve there are more gemmes of art in thy verses, than of nature on her fingers.

Multas in digitis, plures in carmine gemmas Invenies: inde est haec puto culta manus.

Behold here in Aarons breast-plate all those and many more precious stones, in all twelve, bearing the name of the twelve Patriarkes, set in ou∣ches of gold, and tied to the golden rings of the Ephod, a sacred vestment which Aaron and his successours were to put on before they gave judge∣ment, when the people asked counsell of God. So much of the pectorall is cleerely set downe in this booke: but that Aarons breast-plate of judge∣ment was a perfect astrolab is but Abenezra his fantasie without judgement, refuted by Tostatus. Likewise, that together with the names of the Patri∣arkes there was engraven in every stone the name of some Starre or Angel, ut confirmaretur memoria tribus apud Deum, is but a muddie talmuddie tra∣dition, implying ridiculously and impiously, that God needeth or useth the helps of artificiall memorie.i 1.10 Josephus telleth us a faire tale (and Baronius

graceth his annals with it) of an unusuall and marvellous lightning of some of these gemmes, which clearly foreshewed victory to the people when they asked counsell of God by the Ephod, before they went into warre: a strange kinde of propheticall illumination, not by the irradiation of the Spirit into their mindes, but by the scintillation and lustre of stones to the eye. But the Scriptures silence in a matter of such note, and Josephus his owne confessi∣on, that for the space of two hundred yeares before his time there was no such new kind of soothsaying (not by the aspect of the heavens, but of the Priests breast, not by twinckling starres, but by sparkling stones) giveth us just cause to suspect the truth of this narration; and much more of an ap∣pendix thereunto which we find in Suidas and Epiphanius, that the Dia∣mond in the second row of stones, as it cleerely foreshewed victorie by the extraordinary glare of it; so it portended bloody slaughter by suddenly turning into a red colour, and finall desolation by changing into blacke. For in the booke of Judges we have the manner of Gods revealing future e∣vents to the Priests when they had on the linnen Ephod, set downe not by mute signes, but by created voyce; and therefore St.l 1.11 Austine accounteth the former relation to be a meere fable: Fabulantur quidam lapidem fuisse, cujus color, sive ad prospera, sive ad adversa, mutaretur. Howbeit, sith them 1.12 Author of the booke of wisedome affirmeth, that the glorie, or, as others translate, the memorable acts of the patriarches were engraven in the foure rowes of stones, whether in the choyce of these jewels, respect were not had to such as fittest resembled by their beautie or vertue something me∣morable concerning the Patriarch, or his posteritie whose name it bare, I determine not absolutely on either side. First, because neither the Jewish nor the Christian Interpreters agree in the reckoning of the stones, or the order of the Patriarches names engraven in them. The Thargum of Jerusa∣lem and the Chaldee Paraphrase expresse them after this manner:

Upon the	1 Sardine,	was graven	1 Reuben,	Sonnes of Leah.
2 Topaze,	2 Simeon,
3 Smaragd,	3 Levi,
4 Chalcedonie,	4 Judah,
5 Saphir,	5 Issachar,
6 Sardonyx,	6 Zabulon,
7 Hyacinth,	7 Dan,	Of Bilhah Rachels maid.
8 Chrysoprase,	8 Napthali,
9 Amethyst,	9 Gad,	Of Zilpha Leahs maid.
10 Chrysolite,	10 Asher,
11 Beryll,	11 Joseph,	Of Rachel.
12 Jasper,	12 Benjamin.

Others differ in translation of the stones, and conceive the names of the Patriarches to have beene graven in them according to the order of nature; according to which after Judah they place Dan, and then Napthali after

Gad, then Asher after Issachar, then Zabulon, then Joseph and Ben∣jamin.

The Author of the vulgar translation, which the Councell of Trent defineth to be authenticall, thus ranketh the stones in the foure rowes:

• In the first,
  • 1 Sardius.
  • 2 Topazius.
  • 3 Smaragdus.
• In the second,
  • 4 Carbunculus.
  • 5 Saphirus.
  • 6 Jaspis.
• In the third,
  • 7 Ligyrius.
  • 8 Achates.
  • 9 Amethystus.
• In the fourth,
  • 10 Chrysolitus.
  • 11 Onychinus.
  • 12 Beryllus.

The Kings Translatours thus:

• In the first,
  • 1 Sardius.
  • 2 Topaze.
  • 3 Carbuncle.
• In the second,
  • 4 Emrald.
  • 5 Saphire.
  • 6 Diamond.
• In the third,
  • 7 Alygure.
  • 8 Agate.
  • 9 Amethyst.
• In the fourth,
  • 10 Beryll.
  • 11 Onyx.
  • 12 Jasper.

Secondly, because Aben Ezra a great Rabbin ingenuously confesseth, that there is no certainty to be had of these stones and their distinction: be∣cause Gehon interpreteth them Kirtsono at his pleasure; neither is there ex∣tant any tradition in their Cabala concerning them: yet because wee may have undoubted certainty of most of them, either from their names in the Hebrew or Chaldee, as of the Saphir, Turkeys, and Jasper; or from their etymologies, or by comparing them with the twelve precious stones men∣tioned in the Apocalyps: and because the rowes and stones in them may serve for places and Images in artificiall memory, to imprint more firmely in our mind some remarkable story of the Patriarchs, whose names were engraven in them, I will observe some congruities between them.

1 The first precious stone is the Sardius, Sardonix, or Rubinus, in He∣brew Odem, ab Adam, signifying red earth, in English a Rubie; and the first sonne of Jacob, whose name by the consent of all was engraven in it, was Reuben. Behold Reuben in a Rubie. And as their names, so their qualities agree: a Rubie is an orient jewell, and Reuben is called then 1.13 excellency of dignity: yet the goodliest and most glorious Rubie, saitho 1.14 Ystella, nubecu∣lâ quâdam offunditur, is over-shadowed with some cloud: so was Reubens glory, as it followeth ver. 4. Thou shalt not be excellent, because thou wentest up to thy fathers bed. A Rubie in Latine is called Carneolus, in Greeke 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, quasi 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, because it is of the colour of flesh: and did not Reuben deserve the name of Carneolus, when hee had carnall society with his fa∣thers Concubine?

2 The second stone is the Topaze; so the Seventy, Saint Jerome, Jose∣phus, Junius, and all the Transl••tours of note whom I have seen, render the Hebrew 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉: to whose authority I adde a conjecture out ofp 1.15 Strabo,

where he maketh mention of a precious stone found in the Island called O∣phias, neere the Easterne Aethiopia, now called the countrey of the Abys∣sens. This jewell he calleth 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, from the great search made for it, even by the Kings of Egypt, who, as he there saith, hired great mul∣titudes to seeke for it in all places of the Island; and that after they found store of them, the Island changed his name, and was called Topazium: which testimony of this Heathen Historiographer is somewhat confir∣med by the words ofq 1.16 Job, Non aequabitur ei Topazius Aethiopiae; Hebr. Phitdah cush. The Topaze is a Gemme (as the Naturalists describe it) in the day time between a greene and yellow, but in the night of a fiery co∣lour, which well resembleth the fieryr 1.17 rage of Simeon, the second sonne of Jacob, whose name was engraven in it.

3 The third stone is an Emrald, in the Chaldee is Smaragden, in the Arabick Zamrad, in Greeke 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, in Latine Smaragdus, in Hebrew 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 derived from Baraq,* 1.18 signifying to lighten, because this stone resem∣bleth lightning out of a thicke cloud; or, as Buxtorfius affirmeth, à fulgo∣re, from the lustre of it, which more delighteth the eye than the splendour of any other precious stones, because it is a perfect greene stone, and doth not dazle the eye as others, but comforteth it rather.s 1.19 Borrhaeus writeth of it, that it is a great cooler and preserver of chastity: hee reporteth also (I know not how truly) that being worne upon the finger of an uncleane person, in flagrante crimine fractus legitur, it brake suddenly, as a Venice glasse with poyson. Which may put us in mind, as of the speciall act oft 1.20 Levi (whose name was engraven in this stone) mentioned in revenging his sisters rape upon the Sechemites, so in generall of chastity, of all men best becomming the Levites. Moreover, in that an Emrald glasse-like representeth the shape of all things before it, and therefore Nero, asu 1.21 Pliny writeth, beheld all Pa∣geants and Fencers prizes through his Emrald, we may take occasion to re∣member St. Peters exhortation to Pastors, who are the Levites of the Go∣spel, to be* 1.22 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, samplars to their flocke, and in their lives to re∣present the perfect shapes of all vertues.

4 The fourth stone, according to Junius, is a Chrysoprasus or Chryso∣lite, in Hebrew Nophek, from 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 to blow or breathe, because, asx 1.23 Rueus writeth, this Gemme hath a singular vertue in helping the breathing parts, and curing those that are short breathed; but the Radicals in 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 are not the same with those in Naphach; in the one the last Radicall is Cheth 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, in the other it is Caph 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, and therefore I rather render the word with the Geneva Translatours, and Josephus, andy 1.24 Munster, the Carbuncle; because the Se∣venty render it 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, and St.z 1.25 Jerome, excellently learned in the Hebrew, Carbunculus. This Gemme is of a red colour, glowing like a coale, with a streake of milke drawne circle-wise about it, (as the expert Naturalists de∣scribe it) which well agreeth with that we reade of Judah,a 1.26 whose name was engraven in this stone; Hee washeth his garments in the bloud of the grape, his eyes shall be red with wine, and his teeth white with milke. Moreover, it is prophesied of Judah, that hee should give the law to his brethren, and make them take up and beare his yoake: and Rueus observeth out of Ari∣stotle, concerning the Carbuncle, quod solus possit figuram suam aliis Gemmis imprimere, that the Carbuncle alone, if he be put by other pre∣cious

stones, imprints his colour and forme in them.

5. The fifth stone is a Saphir, which retaines his name for ought appea∣reth in all languages, in Latine Saphirus, in Greeke 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, in Hebrew 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 from 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, to number or write, because this gemme is the aptest of any to be engraven on; and it is a tradition amongst the Jewes, that the stones in which God wrote the Commandements were Saphirs. The Saphirs of the richest kinde are of an azure colour, like that Serpent to whichb 1.27 Dan is com∣pared (whose name was ingraven in this stone) Dan shall be a Serpent by the way, a Snake by the path. Dioscorides saith, the Saphir is a speciall cordiall, which may have some reference to the haughty courage ofc 1.28 Dan: of whom it is also prophesied, Dan shalld 1.29 judge his people. And in the vision ofe 1.30 Eze∣kiel, The likenesse of the Throne of judgement is said to bee as the appearance of a Saphir stone.

6. The sixth stone, according to the author of the vulgar Latine, which all Papists hold for authenticall, is Jaspis, the Jasper stone; but this is an apparent errour: for it is confessed on all sides, that in all the foure rankes the stones were severall, as likewise were the twelve Patriarchs, whose names were engraven in them: but the Jasper is the last stone in the fourth row, in the Hebrew Jasphe: Therefore the third stone in the second row cannot be the Jasper. What stone then was it? in all probability the Dia∣mond, as the Seventy and Josephus render it, and Aben Ezra andf 1.31 Buxtor∣fius prove it from the Hebrew etymology, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 from 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, the word in the Hebrew signifieth a stone that is stronger than all other, and will break them in pieces. In this stone was the name of Naphthali written, who was so named byg 1.32 Rachel, because shee got the upper hand of her sister: With great wrastlings have I wrastled with my sister, and I have prevailed, and shee called his name Naphthali. Moreover, wee reade a prophesie in the land ofh 1.33 Naphthali, that the people which sate in darknesse should see a great light, which wasi 1.34 fulfilled in our Saviours preaching there: now what fitter jewell in the world to prefigure and shew forth this wonderfull great light than the Diamond, which is incomparably the brightest of all precious stones?

Thus I might parallel the twelve stones, and the twelve Patriarchs; but to avoid saciety, and meet with your expectation, I leave that taske, and observe onely for the present, that the names of the twelve Patriarchs, which were engraven at large in these jewells shining on the breast-plate of Aaron, were engraven againe in a lesser character in the two Onyx stones on his shoulder; which is both a warrant for, and an embleme of my pre∣sent work, which must be a repetition and contraction of those precious do∣ctrines, which before you saw expressed by the foure Preachers in divers methods and stiles, as it were in divers rowes, with the point of divers Dia∣monds. It is very probable also, that the selfe same stones, as Saintk 1.35 Je∣rome observeth, deck'd the crowne of the King of Tyre, and are laid in the foundation of the heavenly Jerusalem: which may teach us, that precious doctrines and observations, like so many jewells, may be againe and againe presented to your spirituall view. Were I to vindicate this exercise from the often repeated cavells against repetitions, I would answer them as Mar∣tial doth those who carped at him for handling the same subject twice, and falling upon like conceits:

l 1.36Lascivos leporum cursus, lususque leonum, Quod major nobis charta minorque gerit: Et bis idem facimus: nimium si, Stella, videtur Hoc tibi; bis leporem tu quoque pone mihi.

But to you, my beloved and much reverenced brethren, I alledge for my apology the example not onely of the Gentiles atm 1.37 Antiochia, who besought the Apostles to preach unto them the same words the next Sabbath: and of Saintn 1.38 Paul, whom it grieved not to write to the Philippians the same things: but also of our Saviour Christ, who in his prayero 1.39 repeated the third time the same words; and John 17. often quavereth upon that sweete close, I in them, and they in mee; and, that they may be one, as thou and I are one. It isp 1.40 not once plowing, but the often breaking up of the earth which maketh it fruitfull; nor is it the incident, but the reflected beame of the Sunne that giveth the greatest heate: in which consideration, they who have performed this great taske before mee, might receive great warmth of comfort, because the light of heavenly doctrine incident upon their me∣mories, like the beames of the Sunne upon glasse or other polite bodies, were reverberated from them per radium reflexum, and thereby received greater vertue: but now the same cast backe from my fluid and waterish memory per radium refractum, cannot but lose much of their light and grace. The brighter the colour is, the more duskie the shadow must needs be; the perfecter the discourse, the more imperfect and difficult the epito∣mie: for in all such the thronging the parts is the wronging the whole, and contraction can be no better than detraction. Had these learned Sermons been like Vines, that runne into many superfluous stemmes, I might con∣ceive some hope by pruning them, to effect that for which Saint Jerome commendeth the Athenian Oratours,q 1.41 Ut eloquentiae torcularia, non verbo∣rum pampinis, sed sensuum quasi uvarum expressionibus redundarent: but these were rather like the rowes of precious stones in my Text. Now concer∣ning such, the rule of the Jewellers is, If there be any graine, cloud, or specke in a gemme, which cannot bee ground out without sensible abating the stone, not to meddle with it, because the losse in the matter being so precious, cannot be recompenced with any beauty that art can give.

The first of them, for the faire blossomes of eloquence in it, and the Au∣thors flourishing stile, deserveth the name of terra florida in America.

The second, for the happy plenty of all things in it, the name of the for∣tunatae Insulae.

Reddit ubi cererem tellus inarata quotannis, & imputata floret usque vinea: Germinat, & nunquam fallentis termes olivae, suamque pulla ficus ornat arborem.

Or rather ofr 1.42 Tocape in Pliny, wherein under a faire palme tree you may see an olive, under an olive a figge-tree, under a figge-tree a vine, under a vine

corne, under corne all maner of wholsome herbes, all growing in one yeer; so that if as it was demanded of Porus, how he would be dealt withall, it were of me how I would have an argument handled in a Sermon; my answer should be the same with that Indian king Porus, Regio more; in eo enim insunt omnia.* 1.43

The third I know no better country to compare unto, than terra de La∣bradorâ in the west Indies, in regard of the accurate and elaborate compo∣sition.

The fourth may be fitly termed Promontorium bonae spei,* 1.44 not so much in respect of the hopefull parts of the speaker, as the subject of his discourse, which was the promise of our Saviour, I will ease you. This indeed is Caput bonae spei, the only Cape of good hope.

If these allusions seem defective, and not so apposite; as before I searched the land, so now I will the sea for fitter, and the fittest of all seem to mee to be these foure seas:

• 1. Rubrum,
• 2. Orientale.
• 3. Mediterraneum.
• 4. Pacificum.

The first, because it ran all upon the bloudy passion of our Saviour, I liken to the read sea.

The second I compare to the orientall Ocean, not onely in respect of the immensity of matter in it, depth of the authors judgment, and rare pearles of wit and art; but especially, because

Extulit Oceano caput aureus igniferum sol.

because out of this Easterne Ocean we saw the Sun of righteousnes, Christ Jesus arising.

The third, because it interveyned between the former & the latter sea, and passed through the whole continent in a manner of Divinity, I call the Mediterranean or mid-land sea.

The fourth, for the equall current of it, but especially for the subject and matter, resembleth mare del zur, commonly called Pacificum: for his whole discourse tended to this, that though the life of a Christian be a sea, yet that it is so calmed by Christs promise, I will ease you, that to every childe of God in the end it proves mare pacificum. My peace I give unto you,* 1.45 be not trou∣bled, nor feare; Et si vultis accipere, these judicious and methodicall Ser∣mons, foure in number, are the foure rowes in Aarons breast-plate of judge∣ment, the jewels are their precious doctrines, the imbossments of gold, in which these jewels were set, were their texts of Scripture: Sed ubi spiritua∣lis tabernaculis 1.46 Bezaliel, qui pretiosas divini dogmatis gemmas exculperet fi∣deliter, adornaret sapienter, adjiceret gratiam, splendorem, venustatem? I know not how it comes to passe, that as sometimes in Israel, though there were much metall, yet no Smith; so at this time in this famous University, though we have store of jewels, yet there is none who will professe him∣self in this kind a Jeweller. If the true reason hereof be the difficulty & dan∣ger of this work, wherein we fish as it were with a golden hook, Cujus jactu∣ra nullâ piscium capturâ compensari potest: then have all sorts of auditors great reason favourably to interpret their best endeavours, who for their sake not only undertake so great a taske, but hazzard so great a losse. If the Rehearser acquit himself never so well, what can he expect for all his pains

but the bare commendation of a good memory? but if he faile, not only his memory, but his judgement and discretion also are called in question. In which consideration, when authority first laid hands on mee, I drew backe with all my might, till the command for repeating being repeated againe and againe, in the end the power of authority more prevailed with mee, than the sense of mine owne infirmity; Adamas ferrum à magnete tractum ad se rapit vehementiùs, though the iron, as Agricola observeth, is drawn power∣fully by the load-stone; yet if a diamond be in place, the load-stone loseth his force.

Artificiall memory, ast 1.47 Cornificius saith, consisteth of images and places. We need not goe farre for them, we have them both in my Text, places, Ver. 17. Thou shalt set it full of places for stones; & images most resplendent in the Verses following: and very happy were I, if as here I have the names, so I had the naturall effects attributed to some of these jewels: for,

• 1. The Agat keepeth a man moist, saith Dioscorides.
• 2. The Beril sharpeneth the wit, saith Ystella.
• 3. The Carbuncle infuseth spirits, saith Barraeus.
• 4. The Chrysolite helpeth the breathing parts, saith Rueus.
• 5. The Emrald is good for the sight and memory, saith Vincentius.
• 6. The Onyx strengtheneth the whole body, saith Albertus.
• 7. The Saphir freeth a man from wrath and envie, saith Tostatus.

but I perswade my self, that many of these authors, when they wrote these things, had an Amethyst on their fingers, the last jewell in the third row, in Hebrew called המלחא, from מלח.u 1.48 Amethystus lapis pretiosus, sic dictus, quòd gestantibus eum somnia inducit, and therefore leaving such incredulous relations to* 1.49 Rabbinicall and Philosophicall legends, in a warrantable

Scripture phrase I will pray to Almighty God, to touch my tongue with a coale mentioned by thex 1.50 Prophet Esay, which S. Jerome interpreteth a Carbuncle, that I may enflame the hearts of this great assembly with a zeale of his glory, and both now, & whensoever I am to speak to the edi∣fication of his people; so to furnish mee with materialls, and assist mee in laying them, that upon the true foundation Christ Jesus, I may build not hay and stubble, but gold, silver, and precious stones, such as shine in my Text; which I divide according to the foure rowes into foure parts.

THE FIRST ROW.

And in the first row a Ruby, a Topaze, and an Emrald.

WHether the Ruby fit not the modesty of the Speaker; the Topaze, quae sola gemmarum limam sentit, his limate and polished stile; the Emrald the fresh and green verdour of his sentences, I leave to your lear∣ned censures: sure I am, the green and ruddy stones, some of them genera∣ted in the red sea, lively set forth the green wounds and bloudy passion of the worlds Redeemer, the subject of his discourse. The Ruby hath a perfect colour of flesh, whence it is called in Latine Carneolus; but with a lustre and

resplendency farre above the nature of flesh. What fitter embleme of the rayes of divine majesty shining in the flesh of our Saviour? which was the argument of the Preachers first part. This Ruby nubeculâ quâdam offunde∣batur (as the naturall) to wit, in his passion, and then changed colour, and re∣sembled the other two gems, death displaying its colours in his flesh, which he suffered to pay the wages of sinne for us; which was the scope of his lat∣ter observations. The imbossment of gold, in which these gems of divine doctrine were set, was his Text taken out of

JOHN 11.50.

It is expedient for us, that one man should dye for the people.* 1.51

BEhold, I bring you a prophesie, but of no Prophet; I present you lying ma∣lice speaking truth, unwittingly, unwillingly, and savage cruelty provi∣ding a salve to cure the wounds of all mankind. Out of one fountain bit∣ter and sweet, out of one field tares and wheat, out of one mouth proceeds cursing and blessing. Behold an ambitious simoniacall Priest of the Romane constituti∣on, and that but for a yeer, vaunt over him that is a Priest for ever after the or∣der of Melchizedek. Behold bloudy Caiphas consulting, nay determining to put Christ to death, not for any fault of his, but because it was profitable to the Priests (it is expedient for us): yet doth hee colour his bloud-thirsty appetite with a varnish of common good: If wee let him alone, all men will beleeve in him, and beleeving him to be a God, will advance him to be a King, & the Ro∣mans will come & take away this place and our Nation. He is but one man, what is the bloud of one man to the quiet of a publike state? Melius est ut pereat unus, quàm unitas, let one man dye, that the whole Nation perish not. This is Caiphas his meaning: vouchsafe we a look to it, before we consider the mean∣ing of a much better spirit. Solomon his Lilly is most beautifull among thornes. The Rose, sayes Plutarch, is never so fragrant, as when it is planted by the Nettle: the doctrine of the Holy Ghost seemeth never more excellent, than when it is compared with the doctrine of Divels. It is expedient he should dye, he saith not it is just or lawfull: Bonum commodis non honestate metitur. Caiphas profit is become the rule of justice; in whose hands now it is not only to judge according to the rule of law, but to over-rule the law also. In imitation of whom I verily thinke it was, that Clemens the fifth being demanded how the Templer Knights might be cut off, made this answer, Si non licet per viam ju∣stitiae, licet saltem per viam expedientiae.

But if it be profitable, to whom, cui bono? to whom is it so? to us: now hee speakes like himselfe. To S. Paul all things were lawfull, yet many things did not seem expedient: to Caiphas that is expedient which is not lawfull. But shall a just innocent man, a Prophet, nay more than hee that was more than a Prophet, lose his life for nothing but your commodity? the answer is, that though he be all these, yet in a manner he is but unus, one man, and we are many; better it were that he suffer a mischiefe, than we an inconvenience; therefore be his quality what it may be, let him dye.

Ne saevi magne Sacerdos:

Let not the high Priest be angry; will nothing but his death appease you? You have a guard, keep him sure, manacle his hands, fetter his feet, only spare his life, bring not his bloud upon your head. Tush, it is for our profit, His bloud

be upon us. Thus crudelitas vertitur in voluptatem, & jam occidere homi∣nem juvat, it was meat & drink to them to spill the bloud of Christ Jesus; and being pleased to consider him but as a man, they trampled on him as a worme and no man.* 1.52 Behold here in another sense Caiphas a bloudy Ruby; yet, as the Rubies about Egypt aureâ bracteâ sublinuntur, so hath he gold foyle Scripture in his mouth, the words of the Holy Ghost, who not only out of the mouth of babes and sucklings will have his praise, out of the mouth of asses and brute beasts will have his power to be knowne; but also out of the mouth of reprobates and incarnate divels will have the same truth in the same words confirmed, which holy Prophets, and the holy Spirit, by which they spake, would have revealed. For not onely holy men (as the Prea∣cher observed) but sometimes also unholy men speake as they are moved by the Holy Ghost: Agit Spiritus Dei, & per bonos, & per malos, & per scientes, & per nescientes quod agendum novit, & statuit; but in a different manner. The Holy Ghost so touched the hearts of holy Prophets, that their hearts endi∣ting this matter of Christs passion, their tongues became the pen of ready writers: but on the contrary, as Caiphas did honour God with his lips, while his heart was farre from him; so (saith Saint Chrysostome) the Spirit of God touched his lips, but came not neere his heart. (It is expedient.) In the exposition of Caiphas, the meaning is, it is good for us pretending common good, to kill Jesus; but the sense of the Holy Ghost is, that the precious death of our Saviour would be expedient for us, and his alone bloud once shed for his people an all-sufficient ransome for their soules.

Expedient it was, and behoovefull in the first place, that he who should sa∣tisfie for sinne (the wages whereof is death) should bee a man subject to death. Secondly, that he should dye. Thirdly, inasmuch as with respect to his people he became a man subject to death; so that hee should in the end lay downe his life for the people. Fourthly, that he should be sufficient by his alone death to satis∣fie in their behalfe, for whom he dyed. Lastly, we must enquire whether the pro∣fit of his passion be such as extendeth to our selves, or not; we shall find it doth: for so are the words of the Text, It is expedient for us.

Expedient it was that the Saviour of man should be a man, Ecce homo, be∣hold he is so: for comming to save man, suscepit naturam quam judicavit sal∣vandam, he became in all things, sinne only excepted, like unto us. It was fit it should be so; for if the Deity had opposed it selfe, non tam ratio quàm potestas Diabolum vicisset, what mystery had there bin for God to vanquish the Divell? how should the Scripture have bin fulfilled, The seed of the woman shall breake the Serpents head? yet there is an experiment be∣yond all this,

Experiar Deus hic discrimine aperto an sit mortalis,

saith the spirituall Lycaon; if hee carry about with him 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, a body subject to dissolution, doubtlesse hee is a man. Thus therefore that hee might shew himselfe a man, it was expedient that hee should die. Is this thy reward, O sweet Saviour, for stouping thine infinite majesty so low as to become earth, and thirty three yeeres to converse amongst

us, must thou dye? It must bee so, yet not for any necessity of justice in respect of himselfe; for never Lambe more innocent: nor of con∣straint; for at the very time of his apprehension, when hee had lesse than twelve Apostles, hee had more than twelve Legions of Angels at his becke; at the breath of his mouth, the majesty of his counte∣nance, the force of those his words, I am hee, a whole troupe of his persecuters fell backwards: but it must bee so, because the determi∣nation of the Trinity, and the conformity of his owne will thereunto will have it so: Oblatus est quia voluit (saith the Prophet:) I lay down my life (saith himselfe:) Yea, Caiphas said as much in effect, It is meet, not that one should be put to death, but that he should dye: Mori infirmi∣tatis est, sic mori virtutis infinitae. There wanted not other meanes to redeeme man, but 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, it was meet, that by the death of the Sonne of God wee should bee redeemed:

Sanguine quaerendi reditus animâque litandum.

No escaping the stroake of the Angel, but by sprinkling the Lambes life bloud: no meanes to returne from exile, till the death of the high Priest. Must hee dye then? and are the Scriptures so strait in this point? O death, how bitter is thy remembrance? witnesse our Saviour: Si fieri potest, transeat hic calix; but sith for the reasons before named that was neither possible nor expedient, sith dye hee must, what death doth the Holy Ghost thinke to bee most expedient? If hee may not yeeld to nature, as a ripe apple falleth from the tree, but must be plucked thence, there are deaths no lesse honourable than violent: shall he dye an honourable death? No, hee must bee reckoned among the malefactors, and dye a shame∣full death. In shamefull deaths there is a kind of 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, rid him quickly out of his paine: Misericordiae genus est citò occidere. No, that was not expedient, Feri ut se sentiat mori, it was expedient that hee should dye a te∣dious and most painfull death, wherein a tract of lingering misery and la∣sting torment was to bee endured: What death is that? I need not ampli∣fie; even by the testimony of the Holy Ghost the death of the Crosse was for the torture most grievous, for the shame most infamous: He humbled him∣selfe, and became obedient unto death. Could his humility goe on one step further? Yes, one step, even to the death of the Crosse, that is a death beyond death; the utmost and highest of all punishments, saith Ulpian: Having in it the extent of torture, saith Apuleius: The quintessence of cruelty, saith the Roman Oratour. It is not amisse to know the manner of the execution of this death. First, after sentence given, the prisoner was whipped, then forced to carry his Crosse to the place of execution, there in the most tender and sinewie parts of the body nailed to the Crosse, then lifted up into the ayre, there with cruell mercy for a long while preserved alive; after all this, when cruelty was satisfied with bloud, for the close of all, his joynts were broken, and his soule beat out of his body. This was part of his paine; I say part, I cannot expresse the whole, the shame was much more: Infoelix Lignum, saith Seneca truly,

and unhappy: for untill this time the curse of God was upon him that was hanged. It is a trespasse to bind, 'tis wickednes to beat, it is murder to kill: Quid dicam in crucem tollere? Look we to the originall, it was first devised by Tarquinius, as the most infamous punishment of all, against such as laid violent hands upon themselves. Look we to the use of it, they accounted it a slaves, nay a dogs death; for in memory that the Dogge slept when the Geese defended the Capitoll, every yeer in great solemnity they carried a Goose in triumph, softly laid upon a rich carpet, and a Dogge hanging upon a crosse. Looke wee to the concomitancy, Non solent suspensi lugeri, saith the Civilian, no teare was wont to be shed for such as were crucified. And was it expedient that our Savi∣our should dye this death? It was expedient, that the prophesie of Esay might be verified, We saw him made as the basest of men; and of David, A scorne of men, and the out-cast of the people; and of himselfe, They shall deliver him to the Gentiles, to mock, scourge, and crucifie him. These were prophe∣sies that it should be so; yet we want a prophesie that saith, It is expedient: That we doe not, Oportet filium hominis exaltari, ut Moses extulit Serpentem; for that Serpent, lifted up to cure all that looked upon it, was an embleme of Christ. Thus himselfe, who was a high Priest for ever, did prophesie of himselfe, being now both priest and sacrifice. It was expedient that he should dye, & thus dye: to be forsaken of his friends, falsly accused by his enemies, to be sold like a slave, mocked like a foole, spit upon like a made man, whipt like a theefe, crucified like a traitour; make up a misery, that the sun shamed, the earth trem∣bled to behold it: yet it was expedient, it must be done, God hath said it. Mee thinkes, I heare our Saviour say in this baptisme of bloud, as he said in his bap∣tisme of water, Thus it becommeth us to fulfill all righteousnes, and thus it became him, for whom, & by whom are all things, to consecrate the Prince of our salvation through afflictions. The prophesies had said it, it should be so, and it was expedient that he to whom they pointed should fulfill them, that so in fulness of truth he might take his leave of the crosse, and say, Consum∣matum est, those things which were written of mee have an end.

All this while we see not the reason why he should be thus tormented: Goe to Pilate, his answer will be, I am innocent of the bloud of this man: Enquire you of the Scribes and Pharisees, their answer will be, We have a law, and by this law he must dye, because he made himselfe the Son of God. This was no fault, he was so, and therefore without robbery or blasphemy might both think and declare himselfe to be so. Goe wee further, from popular Pilate and the cruell Jewes to God himselfe, and though we be but dust and ashes, for the knowledge of this truth presume we to aske, Cur fecisti filio sic? How may it stand with thy justice that he should dye, in whom there was found no fault wor∣thy death, nay no fault at all? the unswer is, Expedit mori pro populo: yet, O Lord, wilt thou slay the righteous with the wicked? nay, which is more, wilt thou slay the righteous, and spare the wicked? nay, which is yet more, wilt thou slay the righteous for the wicked? shall not the Judge of all the world doe right? God cannot chuse but do right, the wages of sin is death; though he have not sinned, the people have. If the principall debtour cannot pay, the surety must; if the prisoner dare not appeare, the baile must: Christ was the surety, the baile of the people, and so God might permit his justice against sin, to take hold on him, and hee must dye for the people, if he will not have the people dye.

It being knowne that he dyed for the people, it is worth the while to know who these people were, for whom he dyed. Caiphas had respect to the Jewes on¦ly, and their temporall good; but the Holy Ghost intended the spirituall good of the Jewes primarily, though not of them alone: but of the people also through the world. But is it possible, that of all people he should dye for the Jewes? Ab ipsis, & pro ipsis? these were they that spit upon him, whipped him, smote him on the face, crowned him with thornes, tare him with nailes; these were they, who in the act of his bitter passion, when his soule bereft of all comfort, laden with the sinne of all the world, and fiercenesse of his Fathers wrath, enforced from him that speech, than which the world never heard a more lamentable, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken mee? then in stead of comfort they reviled him, If thou be the Son of God, come downe from the crosse, all this notwithstanding though they persecuted him, hee loved them; though they cryed Away with him, he dyed for them, & at his death prayed for them: Father, forgive, and pleaded for them, they know not what they doe; and wept for them, offering supplications in their behalfe with prayers & strong cries. Greater love than this can no man shew, to lay downe his life for his friend: yet thou, O blessed Saviour, art a patterne of greater love, laying downe thy life for this people whilest they were thine enemies; but not for this peo∣ple only, (the Holy Ghost so speakes) O Lord, we were thine enemies as well as they, and whilest we were thine enemies, we were reconciled to God the Father by the precious death of thee his Son. For the Scripture setteth forth his love to us, that whilest we were yet sinners he dyed for us.

He for us, alone for us all: the same spirit which set before him expedit mo∣ri, did sweeten the brim of that sowre cup with this promise, that when hee should make his soule an offering for sin, hee should see his seed: that as the whole earth was planted, so it might be redeemed by one bloud; as by one of∣fence condemnation seized upon all, so by the justification of one, the bene∣fit might redound unto all to the justification of life. And this bloud thirsty Caiphas unwittingly intimated, saying, Expedit unum mori pro populo.

If one, and he then dead could do thus much, what can he not do now, now that he liveth for ever? He trod the wine-presse alone, neither is there salvation in any other. S. Stephen was stoned, S. Paul beheaded, Nunquid pro nobis? No, it cost more than so, it is done to their hands, there is one, who by the ob∣lation of himselfe alone once offered, hath made a perfect and sufficient sa∣crifice for the sins of the whole world.

And that whilest it is a world: for our Saviour, that stood in the gap betwixt Gods wrath & us, catching the blow in his own body, hath by his bloud purcha∣sed an eternal redemption; every one that beleeveth in him shal not perish, but have life everlasting. In the number of which beleevers if we be, then is the fruit of his meritorious passion extended to us, we may challenge our inte∣rest therein; and in our persons the Prophet speaketh, He bare our infirmities and carried our sorrowes, he was wounded for our transgressions, the cha∣stisement of our peace was upon him, and by his stripes are we healed.

Which great benefit, as it is our bounden duty to remember at all times, so this time, this day Vivaciorem animi sensum, & puriorem mentis exigit intuitum, recursus temporis, & textus lectionis, as S. Leo speaketh, The an∣nuall recourse of the day, and this text fitted to it, calleth to our minde the

worke wrought, & the means by which it was wrought on this day: to him a day of wrath, of darknesse, of blacknesse, & heavie vengeance; but to us a good day, a good Friday, a day of deliverance & freedome, a day of jubilee and tri∣umph. For as on this day by the power of his Crosse were we delivered from the sting of sin, and tyranny of Satan, so that whereas we might for ever have sung that mournfull Elegy, O wretched men that we are, who shal deliver us from death & hell? we are now enabled to insult over both, O death, where is thy sting? O hell, where is thy victory? Which victory of our Saviour, and ours through him so dearly purchased, when we call to mind, let us consider withall, that as the cause of this conflict on his part was his love to us; so on our parts it was the hainousness of our sinne, not otherwise to be expiated than by his death. And as the first ought to raise us up to give annuall, daily, & continuall thankes to him, who did and suffered so much for us; so the second should withhold us, & keep us back from sin: that since our Saviour dyed for our sin, we should dye to sin, & rather dye than sin. This bloud once shed is good to us; Expedit nobis, if to faith in that bloud we joyn a life beseeming Christianity: but if by our crying sins & trespasses we crucifie him againe, we make even that bloud, which of it selfe speaketh for us better things than the bloud of Abel, in stead of pardon to cry for vengeance against us.

Let us therfore looke up to him the author and finisher of our salvation, be∣seeching him, who with the bloud of his passion clave rockes & stones asunder, with the same bloud, which is not yet nor ever will be dry, to mollifie and soften our hard hearts, that seriously considering the hainousnesse of our sins, which put him to death, and his unexpressible & unconceivable love, that for us he would dye the death, even the death of the Crosse; we may in token of our thankfulness endeavour to offer up our soules and bodies as a reasonable sacrifice to him that offered himselfe a sacrifice for us, and now sitteth at the right hand of God; to this end, that where he our Redeemer is, there wee his people and dearest purchase may be for ever.

THE SECOND ROW.

And in the second row thou shalt set a Carbuncle, a Saphir, and a Diamond.

THat the second Speaker, that sweet singer of Israel, whose ditty was, A∣wake, & sing ye that sleep in dust, made (according to my Text) a row, or Canticum graduum, a Psalme of ascents or degrees, I cannot but even in a du∣ty of thankfulnesse acknowledge, for the help of memory I received from it: had not he made a row, that is, digested & disposed his matter in excellent order, I should never have bin able to present to you the jewels set in this row, which are all (as you see) most orient. Of all red stones the Carbuncle, of all blew the Saphir,* 1.53 of all simply the Diamond hath been ever held in highest esteem: Maximum in rebus humanis pretium adamas habet, non tan∣tum inter gemmas.* 1.54 Carbunculus (saith S. Jerome) videtur mihi sermo doctri∣nae, qui fugato errore tenebrarum illuminat corda credentium, hic est quem u∣nus de Seraphim tulit farcipe comprehensum ad Esayae labra purganda. Whe∣ther this second Preacher (in S. Pauls phrase a Prophet) his tongue were not

touched with such a coale, I referre my selfe to your hearts and consciences, Nonne ardebat cor vestrûm in vobis, cùm exponeret vobis Scripturas? The se∣cond jewel was a Saphir, according to the Hebrew derivation from Sepher, a booke, wherein we may reade both the doctrine and graces of the second Speaker:

Hic lapis (ut perhibent) educit corpore vinctos,

saith Vincentius; and was not his doctrine a Jayle-delivery of all deaths pri∣soners? It is a constant tradition among the Rabbins, that the tables of stone,* 1.55 wherein the ten Commandements were written with the finger of God, were of Saphir. For although Pliny affirmeth,* 1.56 that the Saphir is a stone alto∣gether unfit for sculpture, yet this can be no just exception against this tra∣dition, sith the engraving of the ten Commandements was done by the fin∣ger of God above nature. Moreover, it is cleare out of this Text, that the name of one of the Patriarchs was written in the Saphir. Such a Saphir was the second Speaker, having the Lawes of God imprinted in his heart. The third jewell is a Diamond, in Hebrew called Jahalom, because it breaketh all o∣ther stones; in Greek Adamas, that is, unconquerable, because it can neither be broken by the hammer, nor consumed in the fire: nay, the fire (saith Ze∣nocrates) hath not so much power as to stain the colour, much lesse impeach the substance of this stone. Call to mind among the vertues of a Magistrate, conspicuous in this divine Oratour, his unconquerable courage & unstained integrity, and the comparison is already made. Pliny reporteth, Adamantem sideritem alio Adamante perforari: thinke you not, that if a man could have a heart as hard as the Adamant, this Adamant, pointed with sacred eloquence, could breake it and make it contrite? Lastly, Pliny addeth, that the Dia∣mond is a soveraign remedy against poyson, Et ideò regibus charissimus, iis∣que paucis cognitus, in high esteem with Princes: if, as our gracious Sove∣raigne hath, so all Christian Princes had such Diamonds as this; if such Preachers were their eare-rings, they should be free from the danger of all poysoned and hereticall doctrine.

If as the stones placed in the second row agree with the gifts of the Spea∣ker, so they sort as well with the doctrines of his Text, I am sure you wil all say, that this second order of stones is not out of order. A most remarkable story of the Carbuncle we have, that cast in the fire among live coals, it see∣meth to have no grace in it; but quench the other coals with water, & it shi∣neth more gloriously in the ashes than ever before: so our Saviour in the brunt of his passion, while he was heat by the fire-brands of hell, Scribes & Phari∣sees, Jewes & Romans, seemed to be dead, and lose all his colour & beauty, nay, was indeed dead according to his humane nature (his soule being seve∣red from his body:) but after the consummation of his passion, and the ex∣tinction of the fiery rage of his persecuters with his bloud, in his resurrecti∣on he shewed himself a most glorious Carbuncle, shining in majesty, & burn∣ing in love. After his resurrection, in the day of his ascension, hee taketh pos∣session of his throne in heaven, which,* 1.57 in Ezekiel is said to bee like a Saphir stone, & now sitting at the right hand of God the Father, having conquered sin, death, & hell, & made all his enemies his footstoole, he is become the only true orient Diamond in the world: whether you take the name from the Greek ἄδαμασ, ab ά & δαμαω, or the Hebrew םלהי from םלה, being invin∣cible

himselfe, and overcomming all adverse power, breaking his obstinate enemies in pieces, like a potters vessell, with a rod of iron.

The embossment of gold, in which these gems of divine doctrine were set, was his Text taken out of

* 1.58 ESAY 26.19.

Thy dead men shall live together, with my body shall they rise: awake and sing yee that dwell in dust; for the dew is as the dew of herbes, and the earth shall cast up her dead.

IT would aske the labour of an houre to settle this one only member, I finde such a Babel of tongues at odds about so few words. * 1.59Whereas we reade ter∣ra projiciet, or ejiciet, the earth shall cast up or bring forth, as it doth her herbs and winter prisoners, Junius hath, Dejecisti in terram, Castalio, terram demoliris, the Seventy, Terra cadet, S. Jerome, Dejicies in terram, the Chal∣dee paraphrase, Trades in infernum: and for mortuos, in Hebrew* 1.60 Rephaim, from a word signifying to cure, per antiphrasin the Seventy reade 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, the wicked or ungodly; S. Jerome, Gigantes, stout and robustious against God. But to set you in a right and inoffensive way, I reduce almost an infinity of distracti∣ons to two heads. For all of them either speak of the resurrection of the dead in∣definitely, which they doe that say, Terra ejiciet, to wit, postquam in terram dejecisti. For the earth cannot cast up that it hath not: and, Manium terram demoliris; or of the destruction of the wicked, one only species of the dead, which the Seventy call impios, others Giants, mighty to transgresse; both senses, as the Northern and Southern rivers running from contrary points meet in the Oce∣an; so these from sundry and discrepant conceits run into one common place of the generall resurrection, save that the latter adde a straine to the former of Gods vengeance, and wrath prepared for the wicked.

* 1.61Thus having set the letters of my Text together, & accorded the words, it re∣maineth that their scope and intent be freed from question. There is not one of the learned Scribes, old or new, Jew or Christian, whose spirit and pen hath not fallen upon one of these two senses (viz.) that the Prophet either speaketh of the resurrection of the dead at the last day, or of the restitution and enlargement of the people from their present straights: in which (say they) calamity is a kind of death, captivity as the grave, Gods people as the seed in the ground, Gods grace and favour as the comfortable dew, to revive and restore them to their wonted being. Of these two companies some goe after the literall grammaticall sense, lending not so much as the cast of their eye toward the allegory, as Strigelius, Clarius, Brentius: Others on the other side of the banke standing for the sha∣dowed resurrection, are not so peremptory; but si quis aliter sentire mavult, per me liber hoc faciat: and Calvin himself in his commentary layes out as it were a lot, as well for the true as the typicall resurrection: Falluntur Christiani, qui ad extremum judicium restringunt, Prophetatotum Christi regnum ab ini∣tio ad finem usque complectitur. Aquinas equally joyneth them both; Hìc est propositio resurrectionis, vel corporalis in die novissimo, vel à miseriâ capti∣vitatis. To conclude then, as in the 37. chapter of Ezekiel the resurrection of the dead is brought in as an argument by God himselfe, to ascertaine the people of their delivery from thraldome; an argument à majore ad minus: Can he raise and revive the dead? and can he not much more restore the distressed? yet I will

be bold to say, that the proper resurrection of the dead, without the vaile of a me∣taphor in the hardest construction that can be made of the words, is either the scope of the Prophet, or his proofe, his intent or his argument, his maine and principal conclusion, or his strongest principle to demonstrate his conclusion. And M^r. Gualter giveth a good reason why all other comforts are sealed up with this doctrine and promise of the universall resurrection, Quòd nulla alia sit certa & solida consolatio, because all other calmes are temporary, fluxe and mutable, from which there are recidivations and relapses into subsequent stormes. By this time I am secure, that no mist of an allegory can so trouble or dimme your eyes, but that you clearly behold in the true glasse of my Text a faire and un∣doubted image of the resurrection of the dead; which being the proper subject of this feast, I hope I have sufficiently warranted the choice of my theame, and so I proceed to the explication.

Thy dead shall live, with my body shall they rise, awake and sing,* 1.62 &c. Yee see how many members there are in the body of my Text; yet in resolution and in issue they are all but one: It is a totum similare. As the whole water of the sea is but water, and yet every drop of the sea is water too; so the whole bulke and shocke of my Text is the resurrection, and yet every part and parcell thereof is the resurrection also: for marke the words,

Vivent, resurgent, evigilabunt, cantabunt, germinabunt, projicientur. mortui, cadaver, pulvis, habitatores pulveris, herbae, inferi seu manes.

What is this in the whole composition, what in every limb & joynt apari, but the ecchoing and resounding from one to the other the doctrine of the resurrection?

To omit (besides all these which have their tabernacle in the sun, and are evi∣dent and apert professions thereof) many secret & minerall arguments couch∣ed in the bowels and bosome of my Text, which shall be extracted in their due time. Bees are not so like Bees, but that there are individuall differences be∣tween them; neither are the members of my Text so like, but that they may bee distinguished. Thus then by way of objection and answer you may perceive their distinction and order, as also the maine scope to which they tend.

Doth any object, Nihil est post mortem, death is an utter extinction? It is answered, not so: for thy dead shall live. Doth he goe on and say, they may live in their spirits, which never dye; but what for their bodies? It is answered, With my body shall they rise. Rise, doe you say? but by what authority? what shall be the instrument and meanes thereof? The shrill sound of the last Trump awaking them out of their sleep, and the voice of God, Awake yee that dwell in dust. Awake they may and rise, but to no lesse wretchednesse and misery than be∣fore: Answer, They shall awake and sing; it shall be a triumphant and joyfull resurrection. Yea, but shew us any signe thereof, and we will beleeve it: Answer, Thy dew is the dew of herbs; nature hath printed this truth in every garden thou walkest in. Lastly, if they say the earth hath devoured our bodies, how shall we then arise? It is answered, Terra projiciet, the earth shall bee driven to dis∣gorge and cast them up againe.

There are degrees and ascents in my Text: 1. Vivent may be in soule; but 2. Resurgent must be in body. 3. Evigilabunt may be to sorrow; but 4. Canta∣bunt must be to joy. 5. Ros herbarum is but a light from nature; but 6. Terra projiciet is an act of irrisistible compulsory power. The first is the fundamen∣tall

proposition, and sheweth the entity, what is and shall be, Vivent mor∣tui. The second is exposition, and sheweth the manner, Resurgent. The third is confirmation, and sheweth the efficiency, Evigilabunt. The fourth is congratula∣tion, and sheweth the quality, Cantabunt. The fifth is illustration, and sheweth the probability, Ros herbarum. The sixth and last is conclusion, and sheweth the necessity, Terra projiciet. There is a time of gathering, and a time of scatte∣ring. These sixe, either members or remarkable points and joynts of my Text, hitherto severed, sith the Prophet hath construed together, I will reduce to three combinations, and so handle them. The

• 1. Vivent and resurgent.
• 2. Evigilate and cantate.
• 3. Ros tuus and terra projiciet.

The first combination or conjugation is Vivent and Resurgent. There is a difference between them; the former is partiall & incompleat, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were alive (as is proved by our Saviours argument: Deus non est Deus mortuorum, sed viventium) when their bodies were not living; the lat∣ter is totall and absolute, and addeth the life of the body to the life of the soule. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 is of that whereof before there was 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 they shal live therfore & rise, but who? Mortui, the dead; the dead is the common genus & sagena, that com∣prehends all sorts good and bad: Moritur pariter doctus & indoctus, in hoc tertio we all agree. In the first and archetypall world, when one man was as nine men, had nine mens ages, yet the end & period of all their acts is, Et mor∣tuus est: and whatsoever the chronicles of the Kings of Judah and Israel omit besides, they omit not this, Et dormivit cum patribus. Death is that Syncope or Elision, that cutteth not out letters or leaves, but lives; and which not Gram∣mar, but nature shall cause us to understand:

—Mors ultima linea rerum,

our whole life being but linea circumducta rediens ad idem punctum, à pul∣vere ad pulverem, the assured period and full point after all other points, pawses, sections and intersections, changes and vicissitudes of this mortall life: after all our eatings and drinkings the symbolum or shot that must be paid, the centre, to which our corruptible body, which presseth downe the soule, doth by its weight and pronenesse forcibly tend.

Mortui. Consider once for all the subject of this clause, and all the proposition, & how it climbeth; first mortui: secondly, cadaver: thirdly, pulvis: fourthly, ha∣bitatores pulveris: fifthly, inferi and manes; free Denizons among the dead, such as might say to corruption, thou art our father; and to wormes & dust, yee are our brothers and sisters. Yet these dead carkasses, carrion, dust, inve∣terate dust, netherlanders, shall live and rise: Non obstat potentiae Dei diu∣turna putredo, walke but a pace or two backward, yee shall find a negative to this affirmative, the dead shall not live. Is there yea and nay in the Holy Ghost? Yea, and both true. For elucidation whereof take the rule of Brentius in his Nominibus, meum & tuum ••ita est tota vis concionis: Thy dead shall rise, that is, the Lords dead, either mortui propter Dominum, as Martyrs; or in Domino, as all beleevers; or quorum tota vita martyrium, whether they live or dye they are the Lords: Interfecti mei in some readings, in the genuine cadaver meum, the dead being, or which are my body, and then by collection,

as Junius well observeth, cadavera mea quoque, all the bodies of my Saints, which are as it were mine, because they belong to my mysticall body. Now then when it was said Mortui non resurgent, Mortui was put simply, and with∣out addition, as Hyperius saith: but in these propositions mortui vivent, ca∣daver resurget, you have a specificall difference, not omnes mortui, but tui, that is, Gods: cadaver, non omne, sed meum, that is, Christs: opposite where∣unto are mortui Satanae, & cadaver Antichristi. Hence commeth that seeming antilogie, or contradictio linguarum, strife of tongues, Resurgent, non re∣surgent, they shall, they shall not rise. But shall not all live, and rise againe? Doubtlesse they shall, the righteous in a right and reall acception: their life is a life indeed, vitall, immortall, Angelicall, nourished at the tree and foun∣taine of life, animated and perpetuated from the Lord of life, and they rise as the morning Sunne fairer and fairer, to a glorious, joyfull, incorruptible, and celestiall resurrection. Non sic impii, non sic, they live, or rather dye a death, and that the second, and that second a thousand fold; or rather they live a life, a terme without terme, of beeing and not being, corrupting and not ceasing, burning and not consuming: Ignis eorum non interit, they shall never be able to extinguish their fire, nor their fire them; absumit ut servet, servat ut cru∣ciet, the Salamanders of hell fire are kept in torment and vexation for ever∣more: and they rise, ut lapsu graviore ruant; as Jezebel was mounted to the window to be cast downe to the dogs: as Herod to his throne, for a more wofull and spectable ruine: as Lucifer, or rather Tenebrifer (as Bernard calleth him) to the side of the mountaine, for a more astonishable confusion. Our Saviour knits up both in two words: Some shall rise to the resurrection of life, there is the true vivent & resurgent; some to the resurrection of condemnation, there is the opposite.

The second combination is Evigilate & cantate: yee shall observe in this and divers other passages in this Prophet divers interlocutions, prosopopeia's, and changing of persons. First, here the Prophet speaketh to God, or God to Christ, Thy dead shall live: Secondly, Christ to his Father, With my body shall they rise: Thirdly, here is Gods apostrophe to the dead, Awake and sing: Fourthly, the answer of the dead to God, Ros tuus, that is, quem tu irrorasti; or Gods apo∣strophe to his Church, Ros tuus, id est, qui super te cadet, O Ecclesia mea: Last of all, as it were the chorus and consent of all, Terra projiciet.

Awake and sing are Gods alarum to the dead; habitatores pulveris, the houshold and meniall to dust. Now what voice, but the voice of God shall I say, like a Trumpet, or the roaring of a Lion, or the sound of many waters, or a clap or crack of thunder (all come too short) were able to enforme and actuate dust and rubble to audience? Loquor ad Dominum might they say with Abra∣ham, cùm sim pulvis & cinis? Howsoever pulvis & cinis in synthesi may doe it, I am sure pulvis & cinis in analysi cannot. Wee attempt not to rowze up those that are in a dead sleep without loud cries, but is any man so mad as to spend his voice, though a stentorian, and rend his throat against deafe rockes? Behold, God doth more than this by that powerfull instrument of his glorious Word, that gladius delphicus, that is more than Moses rod, wherewith hee wrought wonders: more than Jacobs staffe, wherewith hee prospered: more than Judah's scep∣ter, wherewith hee governed: more than Joseph's cup, wherewith hee

divined: I say, by that powerfull instrument, by which hee said Fiant to hea∣ven and earth, and they were created; Effata to deafe eares, and they were ope∣ned: Tace to the raging of the sea, and it was stilled: Obmutesce to the crying Divell, & he was silenced: Exi foras to the dead carkasses, & they came forth; by that doth he say to these dead and moultred in the earth, Awake and sing.

Awake: but with what eyes to behold the light of heaven? when the windowes of their bodies have bin long since shut downe, their chrystall glasses of nature broken, their seers sunke into the holes of their head, clay dwelleth in their ta∣bernacles, and rottennesse in their circles, and the scorne of the Idoll in Baruch is fallen upon them, They cannot wipe the dust from their eyes.

And sing. How shall they sing in a strange land? what be their instruments to sing to? where is their living harpe, and well tuned cymball? is it hung upon the willowes of Babylon, or rather tyed to the roofe of their mouth? where are their songs of praise and thanksgiving, which they sang in the land of the li∣ving?

—Olim ego longas Cantando memini solitum consumere noctes; Nunc oblita mihi tot carmina.

We are now laid in the land of forgetfulnesse, we have taken up and made our beds in the darke, our mouth is filled with gravell, and the slime of the pit sticketh in our throats: all this notwithstanding, they that are in their tombes & graves shall heare the voice of the Son of man, & earth, earth, earth in Je∣remy winnowed and boulted by death into the smallest dust, shall be effigiated and shaped anew into living men; Et ex his vermiculis & pulvere, saith Saint Bernard, instaurabuntur muri coelistis Jerusalem.

Before I end this second combination, I remember that I noted unto you two things: first, the efficiency in the exuscitation, Awake; where forget not in the meane while to reserve for a latter meditation, that death by the phrase of my Text is a sleep: secondly, the quality; for sith they are willed to sing, that imports a joyfull resurrection: Musica in luctu importuna, and it must be a most joyfull resurrection, when such as shall partake thereof not only 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 (so the Seventy) but 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 (Aquilas) and 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 (Symmachus) and 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 (Theodotian.) Agreeable hereunto is that of our Saviour, Lift up your heads, for your redemption draweth nigh. And here once more to the wicked we send libellum repudii: Non est vobis pars, ne{que} sors, yee may not consort with us in our blessed harmony, the voices of Ashdod and Canaan cannot tune together: to you belongeth, plangent tribus terrae, & tribulabitur ibi for∣tis, your singing shall be turned to sighing, your Tabrets & Shaumes into ever∣lasting beatings and hammerings on the anviles of your breast, your showting into howling and yelling, your clapping of hands into gnashing of teeth, your praising into blaspheming & cursing, & all your rejoycing shall be as the mour∣ning of Hadradrimmon in the valley of Megiddo; yea much more than of Hadradrimmon, because in the valley of Hinnon, is the lake and fornace of endlesse disconsolation. This Prophet shall conclude, Behold my servants shall rejoyce, and ye shall be ashamed: my servants shall sing for joy of heart, and ye shall cry for sorrow, and howle for vexation of mind.

The third combination is, Ros tuus & terra projiciet, which giveth a double

proofe of the former doctrine: the one as it were of course, nature and common sense teacheth; the other of force, the creature must and shall accomplish it. Ter∣ra projiciet, that is, saith Rabbie David, Thou (O God) shalt command it. The learned in their Commentaries distinguish these proofes by a discrepancy of words, Elicere proper to the dew, and projicere fatall to the earth: the dew gently allureth, and calleth forth the herbes; so doth the Word & Spirit of God sweetly and easily bring up (may I say) these embryo's of death. But say that the earth withhold them, opposing her lockes and barres, and pleading perhaps the prescription of hundreds or thousands of yeeres, there is then place for projiciet, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, angry and impatient though she be, reddet, non sua, she must cast them up, as the stomach a surfeit, and a woman an abortive fruit. See how God hath furnished us with all sorts of arguments: if Liber foederis will not serve, wee may reade in the booke of nature, or rather Bibliotheca librorum, described with a text hand, in faire and capitall letters, the resurrection of the dead. In∣terroga jumenta, saith Job: Interroga olera, saith my Prophet: Considera Lilia agri, saith our Saviour: looke into the fields, or sit still in your gardens, every one under his owne vine, and behold the growth of the plants and flowers, how after the cold of Winter, when the deadnesse of the yeere had blotted and blurred as it were the face of the earth, and the print of nature seemeth to bee quite razed out; yet (as Esay speaketh of the Oake and Elme) there is a sub∣stance in them, and by the comfort of the vernall sun-shine, and fatnesse of the clouds dropping on them, they garnish and cover the earth againe, as with the carpets of Egypt, and clothe it as with a Josephs coate, with all the variety of colours nature can invent. Nature is full of such demonstrations; I could bring you a band of creatures to strengthen this point. The bird of Arabia that riseth out of her owne ashes, the insecta animalia that spend the Winter season in a sha∣dow of death, the seed that lyeth and dyeth in the earth, our sleepings and a∣wakings, nights and dayes, winters and summers, autumnes and springs; but I leave them all, and cleave to the resemblance in my Text, Thy dew is as the dew of herbes; but when this dew and soft distillation is too weake to worke this effect, God hath a torrent and floud to doe it: Terra ejiciet, & contermina terrae, the sea that is married to the earth & lyeth in her armes & bosome. He shall say to the sea, Give; and to the earth, Restore, and all creatures in them, and in all the world besides that have devoured and swallowed the flesh of his chosen, when that day commeth, shall find that they have eaten morsels like aspes, and dranke a draught of deadly poyson, too strong and hard of digestion for their over weak stomachs. I end with the words of this Prophet, chapt. 66. Quis audivit unquam tale? quis vidit huic simile? nunquid parturiet terra in die unâ? & tota gens parietur simul? at this day it shall be so.

Saphirus aureis punctis collucet, the best kind of Saphir,* 1.63 saith the Natu∣ralist, hath something like points of gold in it: Such were these we now handled; give mee leave to use the Speakers phrase, though not in his sense, spare mee to recapitulate, or rather from recapitulation: for what have I done else all this while?

Mee thinkes the sixe parts of this Text are like the six cities of refuge,* 1.64 to which those that had slain, shall I say? nay, rather those that are slain may flye, to save shall I say? nay, but to recover and restore their lives: and they are all like the wheeles in Ezekiels vision, Rota in rotâ: or as the celestiall

Spheres one in the other, all moving alike to the same purpose: all striving for an Article of faith, one of the twelve flowers in the garland of our Creed, one of the twelve stones in the foundation of the holy City. I remember in the inhe∣ritance of Judah, among the rest there fell to their share sex civitates, & villae earum. Is there any such a desart so barren, so hopelesse, so waste, as death and the grave, desertion of life and beeing, when milke forsaketh the breasts, mar∣row the bones, bloud the veines, spirit the arteries, and the soule the body? yet when you are brought to this desart of desarts, you shall find sex civitates, & villas earum, six maine and eminent proofes of the resurrection, with as many lesse, like suburbs, granges, and appertinent villages. For first, Mortui vivent is a maine argument, grounded upon the Word and Promise, like civitas; but mortui tui is civitas & villa, a maine with an appendant argument drawne from the propriety that God hath in us. Secondly, Cadaver resurget is civitas, but cadaver meum is civitas & villa, a maine argument, with an appendant drawn from the society between the head & the members: he that raised Christ shall quicken us. Thirdly, Awake & sing are civitates, main arguments drawn from the command & power of God, who saith, Returne ye sons of Adam, and they return; but that the nature of the phrase should import a sleep, & no death, no privation of speech, but 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 pythagoricam, for a while, till God loosen the strings of the tongue, and put breath into the organ againe, these are civi∣tates & villae earum. Yet further, by Montanus his collection, pulvis & ha∣bitatores pulveris are villae, appendant arguments, the one from the matter of our creation, when we are at the worst we are but dust, from which our creation was, and why may not from thence our recreation be? the other from the terme of our abode, habitatio; which (saith he) is not of those that take up their man∣sion or long home, but of sojourners and factours, who continue for a while in forraine countries till they have dispatched their affaires. Adde lastly to all these the map of the whole earth, in every leafe of grasse describing the truth of this doctrine:

—inscripti nomine vitae nascuntur flores—

with those insufferable passions, pangs, and angariations, which the common mother to us all is put unto, till shee be rid of us, as the Whale of Jonas.

A word of application, and it shall be the explication, which some very lear∣ned Expositors give upon cadaver meum. Wee have hitherto taken it to be the word of Christ to his Father; they say rather it is the word of the Prophet to his brethren, as if in effect hee had said, I preach to you no other do∣ctrine than that I beleeve my selfe: I teach that the dead shall live, and I am assured that with my body shall they rise. In which sense it is a pa∣rallel to that Magna Charta, that great and memorable record which Job transmitteth to all posterity, I know my Redeemer liveth, and I my selfe shall see him with these eyes, and no other; concionantur profani homi∣nes, the fashion of these worldly men is to prate of the life of the righteous, as Balaam of their death, like men in a trance, without sense or affection after it. The food of the soule is unto them as Barzillai his bodily food was unto him, they eate it without any appetite or rellish: (Hath thy servant any taste in that he eateth, saith he to David?) and the comforts of the Gospel to them as mu∣sicke

to him: (Can I heare the voice of singing men or women?) They be∣hold Canaan from the Mount, and the goodnesse of God afarre off: my mean∣ing is, they can talke of cadavera aliorum, but minde not, or at least hope not for cadaver meum: Odi sapientem qui sibi non sapit; qui sibi nequam, cui bonus? Nequam, saith Saint Bernard, is as much as nequaquam: all that this man knoweth or doth is as much as nothing, sith it availeth not him∣selfe; his case is like that of Tantalus, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, as Plato saith, who hath apples at his lips, and water at his chinne, and yet pines for want. O unhappy man, goe to the prodigall childe, he came to his father with 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, and to that childe of the world, who came to our Saviour, Magister, dic fratri ut dividat mecum haereditatem, that is, suffer not a goodly inheri∣tance of a joyfull resurrection to be taken away by the violent, but thrust thou in for thy part among them, and when they shall say, corpora nostra, our bo∣dies shall rise, say thou with a fiduciall faith, cadaver meum, so shall my bo∣dy rise: and let every one that heareth mee this day say with the Prophet, Re∣member mee, O Lord, with the favour of thy people, and visit mee with thy salvation, that I may see the felicity of thy chosen, and rejoyce in the joy of thy people, and glory with thine inheritance.

THE THIRD ROW.

And in the third row a Turkeys, an Agate, and an Amethyst.

FEw there are but know the Turkeys, tanquam ungues digitosque su∣os, wearing it usually in the pale of their rings. An excellent pro∣perty it is said to have of changing colour with the sick party that weareth it, and thereby expressing a kinde of sympathy. Rueus a great Lapidary a∣verres upon his owne knowledge as much: I was acquainted (saith hee) with a man whose Turkeys suddenly upon his death changed colour,* 1.65 and fell in the price. The Agate is a gemme of divers colours, spots and lines, the con∣curse whereof is sometimes so happy, that it representeth the lineaments of men, beasts, and other naturall bodies:

Nunc formas rerum dans, nunc simulachra deorum.

Of all, that of Pyrrhus was held by him in greatest estimation, of others in admiration, wherein the lines and spots were so drawne by nature,* 1.66 that Apollo with the nine Muses and their severall instruments were conspicuous in it. As for the Amethyst, it is a gemme of a middle colour, between wine and vio∣lets, so named either because applyed to the navell it is a remedy against drunkennesse, ab 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 steretico & 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, or (as saith Pliny) quod ad vini colorem accedens priusquam degustet in violam desinat. Of this third ranke of stones this may suffice for the application to the third Speaker, and his doctrine: himself, touching the infirmities of the Clergy & Laity, so feelingly resem∣bled the Turkeys, which the Jewelists make the emblem of compassion. His Sermon, for the variety of good learning in it, was a curious Agat, & most like

that of Pyrrhus above mentioned, wherein the nine Muses were pour∣trayed: the parts thereof were like the Amethyst, parti-coloured, part∣ly like wine, partly like violets: like wine in his matter of confuta∣tion, strong and searching; like violets in his exhortation, sweet and comfortable. His description of Christs bloudy death was like wine, the bloud of the grape; but of the resurrection like violets, the first-fruits of the Spring.

The embossment of gold, wherein these gemmes of divine doctrine were set, was his Text taken out of

* 1.67APOC. 1.18.

I am he that liveth and was dead, and behold I am alive for evermore, Amen, and have the keyes of hell and of death.

THese words are a parcell of that booke, the reading whereof the ancient Church esteemed so profitable and needfull, that they en∣joyned all upon paine of excommunication to reade it once a yeere, between Easter and Whitsontide: Qui eam à Paschate ad Pentecosten non legerit, excommunicationis sententiam habeat. The words of my Text in speciall are verba pronuntiata verbi annuntiati, the words spoken of the word fore-spoken, the Sonne of God, who is so carefull not to breake the bruised reed, that hee seeketh to expectorate all feare out of the mindes of all true beleevers by the force of many arguments.

The first is drawne à potentiâ Dei, I am the Creatour and Judge of your persecuters; therefore feare them not.

The second à praerogativâ Christi, I am the first and the last, and will take notice of every one that hath been unjustly put to death, and make inquisition of bloud, from the bloud of the righteous Abel, to the bloud of the last Martyr that shall bee shed upon the earth, and will require it of them that have spilt it. I am the first: for, in principio erat Verbum; and I am the last, novissimus Adam, manifested in novissimis diebus, to come in novissimâ tubâ, and take account of novissimus quadrans; I am hee that liveth, &c.

Here omitting the vaine glosses and collections of some, who turne an history into a mystery, and apply ridiculously S. Johns falling before Christs feet, men∣tioned Ver. 17. to the kissing of the Popes Pantofle; and the description Pri∣mus & novissimus, the first and the last, to a Prelate or Pastour, who ought to be primus ad laborem, novissimus ad requiem, first at his labour, and last at his ease; I take these words with Saint Austine to bee Symbolum abbrevia∣tum, wherein wee are to observe,

• 1. The death:
• 2. The resurrection of Christ,
  • 1. Prefaced with a note of attention, Behold.
  • 2. Sealed with a note of certainty, Amen.
• 3. The fruits and issue of both,

• ...
  • 1. In us,
    • 1. Freedome from death.
    • 2. Assurance of life.
  • 2. In him, the power of the keyes,
    • ...1. Authoritativè.
    • ...2. Possessivè, I have.

I am alive, and I was dead. Et quando vixisti, bone Jesu? when didst thou live, sweet Jesu? from the time thou leftest thy Fathers bosome, and satest on thy mothers knee, jam extunc dura pati coepisti, saith Saint Bernard. Many a time have they fought against mee from my youth up may Israel, nay, the God of Israel say. And this some will have to be signified in the phrase, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, I was made dead, not strucke downe at one blow; that might have beene a favour: Quid dabis ut uno ictu mortem afferam filio? but hee was put to a tedious and lingring death: [Doctr. 1] Nay, Saint Gregory saith, Tota vita Christi crux fuit. The Sonne of God humbled himselfe; that is not enough, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, hee emptied himselfe, made himselfe of no reputation, and became Homo, & in homine infra hominem: nam flagellari ingenui non est, to bee scourged is no in∣genuous punishment. But it may bee the shame was lessened, because of his Crowne: What Crowne, I pray you? thornes platted upon his tem∣ples? O Regem, O Diadema, O King, O Crowne, saith Bernard: See, O yee daughters of Jerusalem, behold King Solomon with the Crowne wherewith his mother the Synagogue crowned him. But the worst is behinde, hee is condemned to dye: Why, what hath hee done? Is hee a disturber of the peace, who being scarce borne gave peace to all the world, who himselfe is the Prince of peace, and his word the Gospel of peace, and his messengers the Angels of peace, and his man∣date the same with that of Theodosius to Demophilus: Si tu pacem fu∣gis, ego te ab Ecclesiâ meâ fugere mando, If thou flyest peace, I com∣mand thee to get thee packing out of my Kingdome? Did hee bla∣spheme, because hee said, I am the Sonne of God? Si opera Dei facit, quid prohibet Filium Dei appellari? Was hee against the tradition of the Elders? onely against such as annihilated the Law of God, against such upon whom the name of blasphemy is written: such as are those of the Church of Rome. Traditio multis partibus superat Scripturas, saith Costerus: and Salvâ Ecclesiae traditione, non multùm refert etiamsi Scripturae aboleantur. Was hee a malefactour, of whom all the people witnessed, Rectè omnia fecit? All this notwithstanding hee is condem∣ned to dye, and to that death which the Holy Ghost speakes not of with∣out a gradation; Mortem autem crucis: nor the Heathen Oratour with∣out a Quid dicam in crucem tollere? Yet all this is but Joseph his coate torne with the teeth of wilde beasts: Vasculum Anaxarchi, non Anaxarchus. Wee heare of the outward man in agone, not the in∣ward man in agoniâ. I dare not set the paines of the damned, Gods

wrath, and Christs body in a ballance; Crux Christi statera est, saith Saint Bernard. I like in such points rather a Divine of the temper of the Lacedaemonians, In ea quibus fidit vix ingredientem, than an Athe∣nian, Supra vires audacem, liable to Archidamus his checke, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, Aut adde viribus, aut adime animo.

[Use 1] Is it so (Beloved?) was Christ dead indeed? here seemeth to be mat∣ter for them that are without, to scoffe at Christian Religion: Homi∣nem colitis, hominem Palaestinum & crucifixum adoratis pro Deo: and, Deus vester patibulo affixus est, say the Heathen, Yee worship a God who was put to death and crucified. Wee doe so, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, nay, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, it was necessary and expedient that hee should so dye: If the wheat corne dye not in the earth, it abideth alone; but if it dye, it bringeth forth much fruit: Gratias ago tritico quòd sic mori voluit & multi∣plicari. Wee say with Tertullian, Quòd Deo indignum est, nobis ex∣pedit: with Saint Jerome, Injuria Domini nostra gloria: and conclude with Saint Ambrose, Quanto major injuria, tanto major ei debetur gratia.

[Use 2] Was Christ dead? then was our old man crucified in him, and wee are dead to sinne: how then shall wee live therein? I have put off my clothes, saith the Spouse, how should I put them on? I have washed my feet, how should I defile them? To lay downe our sinnes, or put them off is not sufficient, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, they must bee mortified: and this is that death which Saint Leo saith is precious in the sight of God, cùm oc∣ciditur homo non terminatione sensuum, sed fine vitiorum.

Behold, I am alive for evermore. Of the divers significations of Ec∣ce two serve for our purpose; Ecce insultationis, and Ecce consolatio∣nis: Ecce insultationis, as behold hee commeth with the clouds, &c. Ecce consolationis, as behold the stone that the builders refused is be∣come the head of the corner. So here for the terrour of Infidels and Persecuters of Christs Church, and for the comfort of the faithfull an Ecce is prefixed: Behold, hee that was dead is alive. Behold the sweet flower of Jesse withered and defaced in his Passion, but re-flourishing a∣gaine in his resurrection, and in him is the blooming and springing of all that love his Name.

I am alive. Other doctrine, saith Tertullian, Christ preached per semet∣ipsum; but this of the resurrection in semetipso. Alive for ever. The Scripture speaketh of some that rose mortui, sed morituri. Christ so rose, ut nunquam cadere adjiciat, being risen from the dead hee dyeth no more, death hath no more power over him. Amen is a note of cer∣tainty, like Selah in the Psalmes, which (as a seale) is put by the finger of the Holy Ghost to the words of that God, who is Deus Amen, and whose promises are Yea and Amen.

[Doctr. 2] From this Amen and the former Ecce wee are taught, That the Holy Ghost laboureth to secure us and confirme us in the certainty of the do∣ctrine of the resurrection, knowing it to be the faith and patience of the Saints: Fiducia Christianorum resurrectio mortuorum, saith Tertul∣lian. If our hope were in this life onely, wee were of all men most miserable, saith Saint Paul. And the rather doth the Spirit ascertaine

this doctrine, because it hath many enemies, Atheists, Libertines, and sundry sorts of Heretickes besides. The Atheist thinketh there is no re∣surrection, because hee seeth no reason for it: to whom, though it were sufficient to answer with Gregory, Fides non habet meritum, ubi ratio humana praebet experimentum; and with Saint Ambrose, Credimus piscatoribus, non dialecticis: yet to reason a little with these unreasona∣ble men in the words of Saint Paul,* 1.68 Why seemeth it incredible unto you, that Christ should raise the dead? Is it not as easie to restore life, as to give it at the first? to raise man out of ashes, as to create him at first out of the dust? Considera autorem, & tolle dubitatio∣nem, saith Saint Austine. The Libertine would have no resurrection, that hee might still enjoy the pleasures of sinne, and sacrifice to his bel∣ly: but for him there is first a Text of counsell,* 1.69 Awake to live righte∣ously; and if that will not serve, a Text of judgement,* 1.70 Whose end is damnation, whose god is their belly. Of Heretickes that profes∣sedly oppugned the doctrine of the resurrection, some taught that there is no resurrection at all, as the Saduces; some that the resurrection was already past, as Hymineus and Philetus. Satan is a subtle Ser∣pent, and turneth divers wayes to get in his head. Before Christs death hee worked powerfully in the children of disobedience; in Judas to betray him, in the Pharisees to accuse him, in Pilate to condemne him: but after knowing that the time was come, that the Prince of the world was to bee cast out by the death of Christ, hee was much troubled, and la∣boured by all meanes to hinder Christs Passion: Utinam ne in nemore Pelio, hee wisheth there were no wood in all the world to make a Crosse of: hee workes remorse in Judas, giveth him a halter to hang himselfe: hee employes Pilates wife to send to her husband, to have no∣thing to doe with him. When hee was fast nailed to the Crosse, hee set∣teth the Jewes upon him, to see whether they could perswade him to de∣scend from thence. After this hee spreads abroad a rumour, that Si∣mon Cyreneus was crucified for him, or if hee were crucified, that it was but in appearance onely, and that hee was falsâ pendens in cruce Laureolus: and when his resurrection was so palpable, that it needed no other argument than the amazement of the watch, and Pilates letter to the Emperour, hee suborned a desperate rout to sweare, that his Disci∣ples stole him away by night. After all this hee stirred up certaine Heretickes, who taught, that albeit Christ were indeed risen, yet that wee were not to expect any future resurrection, because the resurrection was past already. But all these shall find, that there is a resurrection for them, to wit, Resurrectio ad condemnationem.* 1.71

[Use 1] Is it so, that Christ our head is risen? then shall wee his members rise also. For hee is primogenitus mortuorum, & primitiae dormien∣tium: the first fruits are carried already into the celestiall barne, and the whole crop shall follow. And this may bee a staffe of comfort to all drouping and fainting soules, ut tali exemplo animati, sub ictu passio∣nis, as Cyprian speaketh, non retrahant pedem, that they draw not backe, but courageously goe on forward to make a good profession, as being se∣cure, Christi milites, non perimi sed coronari, & bonam mortem esse

quae vitam non perimit, sed adimit ad tempus, restituendam in tem∣pore, duraturam sine tempore. This was Jobs comfort, I know my Redeemer liveth: and of other distressed ones, who would not bee deli∣vered that they might bee partakers of a better resurrection. An anci∣ent father giveth these words for a Christians Motto: Fero, taceo, spero; Fero meam crucem, ut ille suam: taceo, quia tu, Domine, fecisti: spero, quia utique fructus erit justo.

[Use 2] Is Christ risen from the dead? then wee that are his, are risen with him, at least in the first resurrection: if therefore yee are risen with Christ, seeke the things that are above, where Christ sitteth at the right hand of his Father.

This indeed ought to bee so, but wee finde it otherwise; never more preaching of the resurrection, and never lesse fruit. For all seeke their owne, and none the things that are Jesus Christs. So that Bernards observation fitteth our time: Vides omnem Ecclesiasticum zelum fer∣vere pro solâ dignitate tuendâ, honori totum datur, sanctitati nihil: and againe, all men learned and unlearned presse to Ecclesiasticall cures, Tanquam sine curis quique victuri sint, cùm ad curas pervenerint. The Apostle telleth us, Qui Episcopatum desiderat, bonum opus desi∣derat: non dignitatem, saith Saint Jerome, sed laborem: non delicias, sed solicitudinem: non crescere fastidiis, sed decrescere humilitate: Nay, not onely opus, but onus also in Saint Bernards judgement, though perhaps some Atlas's may thinke they never have load enough. But are the Laity more excusable, who buy and sell the poore for shooes and gay apparrell, and strong drinke? to whom (mee thinkes) I heare the poore cry, Et vos vanitate peritis, & nos spoliis perimitis. How many are there of them, who ingrosse the Lords portion, and bestow hallowed things upon worse than vanity? Wee have a saying against them also out of the same Saint Bernard: De patrimonio crucis Christi non facitis codices in Ecclesiâ, sed pascitis pellices in thalamis; adornatis equos, phale∣rantes pectora, capita deaurantes. Is this our resurrection from sinne? Saint Paul giveth this lesson with a memento, Remember, saith hee, O Timothy, that Christ is raised from the dead. It is a truth as stable as the poles of Heaven, that wee shall have no part of the second resur∣rection to the life of glory, if wee have not a good part in the first to the life of grace.

And I have the keyes of Death and of Hell. They are well called keyes of Hell, because there are Inferorum portae mentioned in the six∣teenth chapter of Saint Matthew:* 1.72 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉. There are many opinions about these keyes; some will have them to bee two, Clavis cognitionis, and Clavis authoritatis: but Allensis and the Schoole∣men denie knowledge to bee a key, except in an improper speech, Quia requiritur ad usum clavis; and they doe well to denie it: for what key of knowledge had that Priest, of whom the Master of the Sentences ma∣keth mention, who baptized in nomine Patria, Filia, & Spiritua sancta? Bonaventure ingenuously confesseth, Quidam in Ecclesiâ habent clavem, quidam claviculam, quidam nullam. Neither doe they stand much upon it; for another of them saith, Dicit Doctor meus, & citat divum

Thomam, quòd quando Apostoli erant ordinati, Sacerdotes erant sine scientiâ. Yet Bernard in his Epistle ad Eugenium maketh knowledge one of the keyes, Claves vestras qui sanùm sapiunt, alteram in discreti∣one, alteram in potestate collocant. [Doctr. 3] The most received opinion of the re∣formed Churches is, That there is but one key in essence, and that is Ministerium Verbi. The Kingdome of God is compared to a house, the doore of this house is Christ,* 1.73 the key to open and shut this doore is the preaching of the Word: Wee are the savour of death unto death unto some, there is the power of binding; to others of life unto life, there is the power of loosing. Hee that refuseth mee, the word which I have spoken shall judge him, there is the power of binding; againe, The truth shall make you free, there is loosing. But how many soever the keyes bee, Christ hath them, Non solùm authoritativè, sed etiam pos∣sessivè. What meaneth then Bellarmine in his bookes de Romano Pon∣tifice to imply, that the keyes remaine in Christs hands onely at the va∣cancy of the Popedome? What a blasphemy is that of Cusanus, who saith, that potestas ligandi & solvendi non minor est in Ecclesiâ, quàm fuit in Christo? and that of Maldonatus, Christus Petro vices suas tradi∣dit, ipsamque clavem excellentiae, that key of David, which openeth, and no man shutteth? Or if hee have not this key so absolutely as Christ, yet beyond all comparison above other Bishops; they have the keyes of Heaven, sed quodam modo, and with an huc usque licet. Whereupon Petrus de palude observeth, that it was said of them, Quaecunque sol∣veritis in terrâ, erunt soluta in coelo: but of Saint Peter, Brunt solu∣ta in coelis. Pardon, I beseech you, the enlargement of this point; Blasphemiae dies haec est, Rabsakeh hath blasphemed the living God. The Pharisees and Scribes accounted it blasphemy to attribute forgive∣nesse of sinnes to any but God. I am hee that blotteth out thine ini∣quity, saith God by the Prophet Esay: Whereupon Saint Jerome com∣menting, saith, Solus peccata dimittit, qui pro peccatis mortuus est: and Saint Austine accordeth with him, Nemo tollit peccata, nisi so∣lus Deus; tollit autem dimittendo quae facta sunt, adjuvando ne fiant, & perducendo ad locum ubi fieri non possunt. What then doth the Minister upon confession and contrition? Hee pronounceth the penitent absolved; or to attribute the most unto him, hee absolveth the person in facie Ec∣clesiae, remitteth not the sinne absolutely before God. Saint Ambrose shall make up the reckoning: Verbum Dei dimittit peccata: Sacerdos est Judex, Sacerdos officium exhibet, sed nullius potestatis jura ex∣ercet.

[Use 1] 1. Hath Christ the keyes of death and hell? O then let us kisse the Sonne, lest hee bee angry, and so wee perish out of the right way.

[ 2] 2. Hath Christ the keyes of hell and death? if then wee belong to Christ, and follow his banner, let us not care what death or hell, man or divell can doe against us:

Transvectus vada Tartari, Pacatis redit inferis.

Jam nullus superest timor, Nil ultrà jacet inferos.

Jesus of Nazareth is returned from hell, not as Theseus and Hercu∣les, with a Crosse and a Flagge; but with principalities and powers chained before his triumphant chariot: he doth not now threaten death, as before, O mors, ero tua mors; but insulteth over it: O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? Thankes bee unto God, who hath given us victory, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Cui, &c.

THE FOURTH ROW.

And in the fourth row a Chrysolite, an Onyx, and a Jasper.

A Jasper is a mixt stone, consisting at least of two kinds of gemmes; and therefore may not unfitly decipher our Saviour, consisting of two natures, who by inviting all to come unto him, animi constan∣tiam promovet, comforteth fainting spirits; which (as Rueus saith) is the vertue of the Chrysolite: after his invitation promising to secure and rest all burthened and weary soules, hee proveth himselfe an O∣nyx, wherewith (as Nilus saith) the Nobles of Egypt made suppor∣ters for their beds. If wee admit the Beryll into this fourth ranke, be∣cause it is mentioned with the rest in the Apocalypse, and set here in the first place by Saint Jerome, Junius, Tostatus, and the Kings Tran∣slatours, wee shall lose nothing by the change: for the Beryll (as Abu∣lensis and others affirme) is of singu•••••• ••ertue to cure waterish and run∣ning eyes. True it very well may bee in the stone, but true I am sure i•• 〈◊〉〈◊〉 ••••e doctrine, which this stone (according to his ranke and my•••••• her division) standeth for. This promise of our Saviour, I will eas•• you, is the onely Beryll in the world, which can stay the water of their running eyes, who weep for, and sigh under the heavie bur∣then of sinne. Yee see this fourth order is not out of order, but sorteth well with the doctrine of the fourth Speaker; and doth it not as well sort with the parts of the Preacher? The Chrysolite is a so∣lid stone, not spangled or spotted with golden points, as other gems, but as it were gilt all over; which may well represent the solidity of his proofes, and uniformity of his whole discourse. The Onyx, a transparent gemme, resembleth the perspicuity of his stile; and the Ja∣sper, a stone full of veines, setteth before us the plenty of Scripture sentences, which (like little veines) were diffused through the whole body of his Sermon; and in respect of these we may more truly say of it, than To status of the Jasper, Quot venae, tot virtutes, so many veines, so many vertues.

The embossment of gold, wherein these gemmes of divine doctrine were set, was his Text, taken out of

* 1.74MATTH. 11.28.

Come unto mee all yee that are weary and heavie laden, and I will ease you.

MAn at the first was made a goodly creature, in the image of his Maker, having so neere neighbourhood with the eternall Majesty, that hee dwelt in God, and God in him: but by his woefull revolt hee deprived himselfe of that sweet contentment hee still should have enjoyed in God, and by his proud rebellion erected a Babel and partition wall, whereby hee debarred himselfe of the frui∣tion of him, whom to behold is the height of all that good, any crea∣ture can desire. But mans Creatour retaining his love to that which hee had made, though altogether blemished with that which wee had done, looked downe upon us with a compassionate eye of his tender mer∣cie, suffered us not (being desirous of the meanes of salvation) with boot∣lesse travells still to wander in darknesse, as strangers from the life of God: but sent from his bosome his word of truth, light into darknesse, who in the fulnesse of time offered by the light of his countenance to bring us againe to Gods inaccessible brightnesse, and by the vaile of his flesh not only to shelter us from the scorching flames of his Fathers fury (as the pillar of cloud did the Israelites from the heate of the Sun) but also by soliciting our peace, to de∣molish that partition wall which wee had raised against our selves, and to re∣unite us againe inseparably to him, from whom wee had rent and dissevered our selves, crying in the midst of you as you heare, Come unto mee, &c. The voice of God, and not of man, or rather of the eternall wisedome, which was God and man.

In these words, which I terme Ch••••sts Proclamation of grace and peace to all soule-sicke sinners, wee may note,

• 1. An invitation, Come unto mee.
• 2. The reward of our obedience, I will ease you.

In the first part note wee,

• 1. The party inviting, Christ.
• 2. The thing he adviseth to, Come.
• 3. The object to whom, Mee.
• 4. The parties that are envited singled out by their qualities, all that are weary and heavie laden.

In the second part note wee,

• 1. The party promising, I.
• 2. The reward it selfe, ease and rest, will ease you.

Here then you see,

• 1. Love inviting, Come.
• 2. Truth directing, To mee.
• 3. Necessity inciting, All that are weary.
• 4. Reward alluring, And I will ease you.
  • 1. Love inviteth, that we feare not to come.
  • 2. Truth directeth, that we erre not in comming.
  • 3. Necessity inciteth, that we slacke not to come.
  • 4. Reward sustaineth, that wee faint not in com∣ming.

[Doctr. 1] Come. Venite, fides exigitur, studium desideratur, saith Saint Am∣brose. Christ his proselytes life must not bee as his confidence in Esay, chapt. 30. in ease and quietnesse:* 1.75 for then Moab-like he will soone set∣tle on his lees, and have his taste remaining in him, Jerem. 48.11. The Caldean Sagda (as Solinus reporteth) by the spirit inclosed in it, riseth from the bottome of Euphrates, and so closely sticketh to the boards of the ships that passe that river, that without slivering of some part of the barke it cannot be severed; so sinne by the power of the evill spirit arising from the bottomlesse pit of perdition, adhereth so fast to us, that till our brittle Barkes of flesh be slivered off, this Sagda of sinne, can never be removed, but like Dejanira's poysoned shirt,

—Qua trahitur, trahit illa cutem.

And therefore this sore travell God hath allotted to all the sonnes of Adam, from the first time they become new borne babes in Christ, till they breath out their languishing soules into the hands of their Re∣deemer, to wrestle with their inbred corruptions, and to seeke to shake off the sinne which hangeth on so fast; that howsoever it cannot be al∣together dis-severed before wee are dissolved; yet it may not be a Re∣mora to our ships, much lesse get such strength as to over-rule us. How∣beit, because the flesh is weake, where the spirit is most ready, and the spirit it selfe is not so ready as it should be, because the faculties there∣of through the malignity of sinne are much imbezelled, God spareth not by frequent Scriptures to stirre us up to goe on, and traverse the way of his commandements: some to rowze us up from sleep, as, A∣wake thou that sleepest,* 1.76 and stand up from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light. Some to incite us to goe on forward when wee are rai∣sed,* 1.77 as, Follow peace and holinesse, without which no man shall see God. Some to encourage us that wee faint not, as, Bee not weary of well doing: for in due time yee shall reape if yee faint not. Once indeed it was said to the Israelites,* 1.78 Stand still, and behold the salva∣tion of God: but now, Come, behold, and stand not still, if you desire the salvation of God. Now no more sit still, as it was once said to the daughter of Babel; but arise and depart: for here is no resting place.

Jacob saw Angels ascending and descending, but none standing or sit∣ting on the ladder. There are many rounds in our Jacobs ladder, where∣by wee climbe to the Mount of God: Non debemus pigri remanere, non debemus superbi cadere, saith Saint Austine. Paul that honoura∣ble vessell of God, though hee laid so fast hold on Christ by faith, and was so knit to him by love, that hee challengeth all powers in heaven and earth to trie if they were able to separate him from the love of his Redeemer (Rom. 8. Ver. 35.) yet reckoning with himselfe as if hee had not comprehended him of whom hee was comprehended, hee for∣gat that which was behinde, and followed hard to the marke, for the price of the high calling of God in Jesus Christ. So true is that of Saint Bernard, Ubi incipis nolle fieri melior, ibi desinis esse bo∣nus.

[Use 1] Here then let us tracke out by the footsteps of our spirits motion, how forward wee are in the way of the Lord. If the longing desire of our heart bee unsatisfied, till wee enjoy againe our happy communion with God: if when God saith, Seeke yee my face, thy soule answer, Thy face, Lord, will I seeke: if when Christ soundeth his Venite, thy heart springing for joy resound Davids Ecce, Loe I come; and thy spirit so out-strip the slow motions of thy sluggish flesh, that with the Spouse in the Canticles thou desire to bee drawne after him; then bee thou assured, that this is the finger of God. For no man can come to Christ, but hee whom the Father draweth.

[ 2] But contrariwise, if when the World saith, Come, wee hearken to it, and for Hippomanes golden balls wee refuse to follow Christ: if when the Divell saith, Come, wee listen to his lure, and for his om∣nia tibi dabo, bow to his will: if when the flesh saith, Come, wee trudge to it, and for lascivious lulling in Dalila's lap, wee renounce him who calleth us to bee his Nazarites: these unsanctified affections blab out our inward corruptions, and wee shew our selves to bee the worlds darlings, the Divels pesants, and the fleshes slaves, not Christs sheep. For if it bee true, Omnis qui didicit venit, quisquis non venit, pro∣fectò non didicit, as Saint Austine rightly inferreth.

[Doctr. 2] Unto mee. Now followeth the happy terminus ad quem of our spi∣rituall motions: Satius est claudicare in viâ, quàm currere extra vi∣am; halting Jacob will sooner limpe to his journies end, than swift-footed Napthali posting speedily out of the way. Therefore, lest when God calleth us, wee should with Samuel runne to Eli, or linger our comming for feare of mistaking, the Way himselfe chalketh us out the path of salvation, saying, Come to mee. Foure sorts of men seeme to come to Christ, yet come not as they should: The first begin to come, but they fall short in their way; and these are Temporizers, who with Peter stand aloofe, and dare not come neere, lest by continu∣all conversation with him they might perhaps so alter their licentious lives, that in the high Priests Hall their speech might bewray them to bee Galileans. A second sort come, but in their comming wander out of the way, and these are mis-led Papists, who in a sottish modesty dare not presume to touch the hemme of Christ his garments; but must have

Saints to promote their suites. A third sort come, but a cleane con∣trary way, and these are meale-mouthed hypocrites, whose words seeme to bee sweetened with our Saviours breath, they are so savoury: but compare wee the forwardnesse of their lives in practice, to the for∣wardnesse of their tongues in profession, and if yee were as blinde as old Isaac, yee may discerne the voice of Jacob, but the hands of Esau. The fourth sort come, but they over-shoot the way, and these are Hu∣morists, who with Saint Peter in unadvised zeale over-runne them∣selves, and step before Christ; but bee not like unto these: for they want Saint Pauls ita currite for the levell of their way, and Christ his venite for the period of their race. Come unto mee, not to the Law, not to mans traditions, they will rather burthen you than ease you. Am∣bulare vis? ego sum via: falli non vis? ego sum veritas: mori non vis? ego sum vita: Accedit qui credit, Come unto mee in faith, and feare not; in hope, and doubt not; in confidence, and despaire not; in patience, and faint not.

[Use 1] Here then yee see, if yee will bee advised by the wonderfull Coun∣seller, that in the way of salvation yee are to seeke to no other guide to lead you than himselfe, in whom all the promises of GOD are Yea and Amen: for under heaven there is no other name given, whereby yee may bee saved, but the name of Jesus Christ. There is one God, one Mediatour betwixt God and man, the man Christ Jesus. Bee it knowne unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through his name is preached unto you forgivenesse of sinnes, and from all things from which by the Law of Moses yee could not bee justified, by him every one that commeth unto him is justified: for so himselfe promiseth, Come unto mee.

[Doctr. 3] All. There was a time when the mercies of God were confined within the narrow precincts of Judea; but when the fulnesse of time was come, the Sonne of God and heire of all things brake downe the partition wall, and dispread his saving health among all Nations, teaching and admonishing every man to deny ungodlinesse, and em∣brace the Gospel. For the righteousnesse of God is made manifest by faith to all. There is no difference, but as all sinned in the first Adam, and deprived themselves of the glory of God, so redempti∣on is freely offered to all in the second Adam, that sinners should give all the glory to God: Ideo omnibus opem sanitatis obtulit, ut quicunque perierit mortis suae causam sibi ascribat, qui curari noluit, cùm remedium haberet, quò posset evadere, saith Sain Am∣brose: Say not then in thine heart, I am not the cause of my de∣struction, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, injurious blasphemy against so good a God, who so willingly holdeth out his golden Scepter of grace unto us, and so graciously inviteth all that are wearie to rest under the shadow of his mercie.

Funeris haud tibi causa fui per sidera juro.

As I live (saith the Lord) I desire not the death of a sinner: thy destructi∣on is from thy selfe, O Israel, but in mee is thy helpe. But if all are invited, why doe not all come? Some like the Israelites, filled with the garlike of Egypt, rellish not heavenly manna: others, like the Laodiceans, thinke they are rich enough, when indeed they are wretched, miserable, and poore. Whence it commeth to passe, that as of many multitudes in Sauls army onely a few bank∣rupt beggars came to David in the cave of Adullam; so none come to Christ but a few sinne-feeling Publicans, troubled Hannaes, weeping Maries, bed-rid Aeneases, leprous Naamans: in a word, none but such as are poore in spirit, and vexed in mind with enduring the heavie burden of sinne.

All that are weary and heavie laden. How heavie a burden sinne is, if any mans wounded conscience have not felt, hee may perceive it in the Angels, whom it pressed downe to hell; in Cain, whom it drove to despaire; in David, whom it so bruised, that he cryed out, it is a burden too heavie for me to beare: in our Saviour, from whom it wrung drops of bloud, only for taking our sinne upon him: Why then doe wee take so great paines to doe wickedly? why doe wee mumble Satans morsels, which will one day prove more bitter than the gall of Aspes, and more tormenting than the Vipers tongue? Are wee now speech∣lesse? can wee not now answer these demands? how then shall wee doe, when not onely our consciences shall accuse us, but God also, who is greater than our con∣science, shall condemne us? Issachars legacy was, that hee should bee an Asse couching between two burdens: Surely if hee were, hee might have been like Balaams Asse, to rebuke our forwardnesse; who load our selves with sinne, till with the woman in the Gospel we are so crooked, that we are not able to looke up to the hills from whence commeth our salvation. Saint Paul chose rather with his hands to cast out the tackling of the ship, than that being over-laden it should sinke: and shall not wee unlade our barkes of sinne, for feare that with Hymineus and Philetus wee make shipwracke of a good conscience? Ari∣stippus commanded his servants to cast away his gold in the street, quia tar∣dius irent segnes propter pondus: and shall not wee be content with Eliah, to leave our mantles behinde us, that we may with more expedition be carried to heaven in triumph? Virtutis via non capit magna onera portantes.

But why doe wee teach that sinne is a burden, sith so many goe bolt upright under it, and make it a passe-time? Onus non est quod cum voluprate feras, saith the Oratour. I answer, sinne is a burden not to every one at all times, but to a conscience feeling sinnes evill; Multa mala sunt intus, foras nemo tamen ea sentit, nisi qui graditur viam mandatorum Dei, saith Saint Austine; so long as the strong man ruleth the house, he possesseth all things in peace: grave in suo loco non gravitat, they who are dead in sinne feele no weight how great soever it be.

[Use 1] Here then let us view our naturall disposition: wee have, as Epiphanius saith, a wild figge-tree rooted in our hearts, which sprouteth out in our words, and sheweth the fruit thereof in our workes; if the fruit thereof seeme sweet unto us, if the grapes of Sodome delight our eyes, if the burden of sinne seeme not onely supportable to us, but also as an ornament to beautifie us; well may we like the Church of Sardis have a name that we live, but we are dead; we are in the gall of bitternesse, and the burden of sinne hath pressed us downe to the bottomlesse pit, which is now ready to shut her mouth upon us. O then let us cr••

out of the depth, abyssus abyssum invocet, let the depth of our misery implore the depth of his bottomlesse mercy, and behold the Angel of peace is at hand: for now, and never before, are we fit subjects for this good Samaritan to worke upon; Come unto mee all that are heavie laden. The Spirit of God is upon mee to preach health to those that are broken in heart, liberty to the cap∣tives, and to them that mourne beauty for ashes, and the garment of glad∣nesse for the spirit of heavinesse: whence you see, that none are admitted into Christs Hospitall but lame, sicke, and distressed wretches, for whom hee hath received grace above measure, that where sinne appeared above measure sin∣full, grace might appeare without measure pitifull. Wilt thou then have thy wounds healed? open them. Wilt thou that I raise thee up to heaven? deject thy selfe downe to hell: Ille laudabilior qui humilior, justior qui sibi abje∣ctior.

[Use 2] As this may serve to rebuke such Seers as labour not to discover the fil∣thinesse that lyeth in the skirts of Jerusalem, but sow pillowes under mens elbowes, and dawbe up with untempered mortar the breach of sinne in our soules; [Use 3] so may it lesson all hearers as patiently to abide the sharpe wine of the Law, as the supple oyle of the Gospel; as well the shepheards rod of correction, as his staffe of comfort: in a word, to endure Bezaliel and Aholiab to cut off the rough and ragged knobs, as they desire to be smooth timber in that building, wherein Christ Jesus is the corner-stone: poenitentia istius temporis dolor medicinalis est, poenitentia illius temporis dolor poenalis est; now our sor∣row for our sinnes will prove a repentance not to be repented of, then shall our sorrow be remedilesse, our repentance fruitlesse, our misery endlesse. Wherefore I say with Bernard, Illius Doctoris vocem libenter audio, qui non sibi plau∣sum, sed mihi planctum moveat: I like him that will set the worme of consci∣ence on gnawing, while there is time to choake it; rodat putredinem ut co∣dendo consumat, & ipse pariter consumatur. In the meane time let this bee our comfort, that God will not suffer the sting of conscience too much to tor∣ment us, but with the oyle of his grace will mitigate the rage of the paine, and heale the festred sore which it hath made, with the plaister of his owne bloud.

And I will ease you. Thus farre you have traversed the wildernesse of Sin, tired out in that desart, and languishing in that dry land and shadow of death: now behold gaudium in fine, sed sine fine. Happy your departure out of Egypt, and blessed your travell and obedience: you are now to drinke of the comforta∣ble waters that issue out of the spirituall rocke in Horeb, Christ Jesus, and to refresh your wearied limbes and tired soules therewith: I will ease you.

[Doctr. 4] I. Man cannot; for man is a sinner, and a sinner cannot be a Saviour: An∣gels cannot; for man in Angels nature cannot bee punished: God cannot; for he is impassible: Saints neither may nor can; for they need a Saviour: but I will. For I am man, and in your nature can dye; I am God, and by any infi∣nite merits can satisfie: and so by my means Gods mercy and justice may stand together, righteousnesse and peace may kisse each other. Thus that faith may looke out of the earth to embrace you, the day-springing from on high hath vi∣sited you. Thrice blessed then must poore hunger-bit and distressed soules bee, who have not a churlish Nabal with power wanting will, nor a King of Sama∣ria with will wanting power; but Elshaddai, a God all-sufficient, to relieve and satisfie them; and for his will, no Assuerus so ready to cheare up a dolefull

Hester, as he a drouping soule: no Joseph so ready to sustaine his father in famine and death, as he is ready with pitty to save a soule from death. No∣li fugere Adam quia nobiscum est Deus. Who shall lay any thing to our charge, sith it is God that doth justifie? Pleasant and sweet were the waters of Meribah to the thirstie Israelites, of Aenochore to Sampsons fainting spi∣rits, gratefull the newes of life to sicke Hezekiah; but our Saviours Epi∣phonema, thy sinnes are forgiven thee, goe in peace, is mel in ore, melos in aure, jubilum in corde. The strings of my tongue cannot be so loosened, that I may expresse the extasie of joy which every sin-burdened soule feeleth, whether in the body or out of the body shee cannot tell, in that by assurance of faith shee can say, My Justifier is with mee, who being Emmanuel, God with us, is also 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, man with God; one with God in will and power, and wholly for us in power and will.

[Use 1] Woe worth then all such as forsaking the fountaine of living water, dig to themselves broken pits of their owne merits, Saints intercession, and the Churches treasurie. Is there no balme in Gilead to cure us? no God in Israel to help us? Si verax Deus qui promittit, mendax uti{que} homo qui diffidit, saith St. Bernard. For I demand, Doe they distrust his power? All power is given him in heaven and in earth, Matth. 28.18. Doe they doubt his will? Be∣hold he saith, Come unto me (before we offer our selves) and I will ease you, not do my best, or endeavour: it is no presumption to beleeve Christ on his word, and rest on it with full assurance.

[Use 2] Againe, can none say but Christ, I will ease you? How hopelesse then is their travell, how endlesse their paine, who seeke for hearts-ease in any gar∣den but the Paradise of God, or hope for contentment in any transitorie object the world affordeth? To see Asses feed upon thistles for grapes, were enough to move the spleene of an Agelastus: they have a faire shew like flow∣ers, but pricke in the mouth. Alas, what anguish and horrour must there needs be

Cum domus interior gemitu misero{que} tumultu Miscetur.

when their consciences, like Sauls evill spirit, haunteth and vexeth them at the heart, when they brave it out in the face? and what is their foolish laugh∣ter among their boone associates, but the cracking of thornes under a pot, sud∣denly extinguished and turned into ashes and mourning? Well may they, like the heathenish Romans of old, have their gods of feare and terrour, but sure they can have none of ease, comfort or quiet. O let not our soule enter in∣to their secrets, but let our peace be still as it is in God, and the repose of our troubled conscience in our Saviours love, who was made a curse for us, that the blessing of Abraham might come upon us: let us enter into the Arke of our confidence, and the Spirit of Christ, like Noahs Dove, shall bring unto us an Olive branch, glad tidings of peace, and true signes of rest to our tempest-tossed consciences: let us draw neare to God, and he will draw neare to us: let us goe to Christ, and he will draw God neare unto us: let us goe unto him in feare and reverence, and he will embrace us; in faith and confi••ence, and he will receive us: though we have beene prodigall and runnagate children, he will receive us into his favour, he will reconcile us to his Father, he will salve our

wounds, hee will quiet our hearts, hee will mitigate our feare of death and destruction, and hee will imparadise us with himselfe in glorie everla∣sting.

The spirituall and morall interpretation of the Rehearsers text, with a conclusion of the whole.

THus have I now at length presented to your spirituall view the brest-plate of Aaron, decked richly with foure rowes of precious stones, set in bosses of gold. To the foure rowes I have compared the foure methodicall Sermons which yee have heard; the Jewels in the rowes both to the parts of the Speakers, and to their precious doctrine, the embossement of gold to their texts:a 1.79 now because as Cepasius in Tullie, post∣quam diu ex intimo artificio dixisset respicite, respicite, tandem respexit ipse: so it hath beene the manner of the Rehearsers, after they had fitly resem∣bled the Preachers, to make some resemblance of themselves and their of∣fice.

Sacra haec non aliter constant.

I intreat you, right worshipfull, men, fathers, and brethren, not to think that I have so far forgotten modesty, as to ranke my selfe with the meanest of the Jewels in these rowes, nor the texture of my discourse to the embosse∣ments of gold wherein they were set: yet not quite to change the allegory, I finde among the Lapidaries a stone which seemes to me a fit embleme of a Rehearser; it is no precious stone, though it be reckoned with them byb 1.80 Pliny and others, because at some times it representeth the colours of the rainebow, non ut in se habeat colores arcus coelestis, sed ut repercussu pa∣rietum illidat: the name of the stone is Iris: whereunto I may make bold to compare my selfe, because in some sort I have represented unto you the beautifull colours of these twelve precious stones, as the Iris doth the co∣lours of the Rainebow; non per inhaerentiam, sed per referentiam: and there∣fore I reflect all the lustre, splendour, and glorie of them, first, upon Al∣mighty God, next upon the Jewels (the Preachers) themselves. Pliny ma∣keth mention of a strangec 1.81 River in Spaine, wherein all the fish while they swim in it have a golden colour, but if you take them out of it, nothing at all differ in colour from other: in like manner, I doubt not but that many things seemed excellent and truely golden in the torrent of the Preachers elo∣quence, which, taken out thence, and exhibited to you in my rehearsall, seeme but ordinary. Howbeit, the whole blame hereof lieth not upon me, but a great part of it upon the very nature of this exercise, to which it isd 1.82essentiall to be defective. The Preachers were voyces like St. John Bap∣tist, the Rehearser is but the Eccho. Who ever expected of an Eccho to re∣peat the whole voyce, or entire speech? sufficient it is that it resound some of the last words, and them imperfectly: it implyeth a contradiction,

that a faire and goodly picture should be drawne at length in a short table:e 1.83 The shadow alwayes comes short of the body, the image of the face, imitation of nature. If I should have given due accents to each of their words and sentences, I should long agoe have lost my spirits; and I may truely say with St. Paul, though in another sense,f 1.84 What I have spared herein, for your sake have I spared as well as for mine owne, to ease you of much trouble; and now, after a very short explication and application of mine owne text, I will ease you of all.

g 1.85Josephus worketh with his wit a glorious allegorie upon Aarons gar∣ments: The Miter (saith he) represented the Heaven, the two Onyxes the Sunne and Moone, the foure colours in the embroidered Ephod the foure Ele∣ments, the Girdle the Ocean, the Bells and Pomegranates thundering and lightening in the aire, the foure rowes of stones the foure parts of the yeare, the twelve stones the twelve signes in the Zodiacke, or the twelve moneths in the yeare. St.h 1.86 Jerome taketh the foure rowes for the foure cardinall vertues, which, subdivided into their severall species, make up the full num∣ber of twelve. Although I dare not with Origen runne ryot in allegories, yet I make no question but that we ought to conceive of the Ephod, not as of a vestment onely covering the Priests breast, but as of a holy type or fi∣gure vailing under it many celestiall mysteries; and esteeme the stones set in these rowes upon the Ephod as precious, or rather more in their signification than they are in their nature. In which respect they may be termed, after a sort, so many glorious Sacraments, sith they are visible signes of invisible mysteries, which I am now to declare unto you. St. Paul in the Epistle to the Hebrewes proveth manifestly Aaron to be a type of Christ, his actions of Christs passion; whereunto we may adde his ornaments of Christs offices, Kingly, Priestly, and Propheticall. For he is our Hermes Trismegistus;* 1.87 Her∣mes, because he is the Interpreter and Declarer of Gods will; and Trismegi∣stus, that is, thrice greatest, because he is the greatest King, the greatest Priest, and the greatest Prophet that ever came into the world. The Mitre, Diadem-like, compassed, as Josephus writeth, with three circles like a triple Crowne, apparently seemeth to me to prefigure the Kingly office of our Saviour, whereby he sitteth gloriously in the heart of all the Elect, ruling them by the golden Scepter of his word; As evidently the front-plate of pure gold, engraven with holinesse to the Lord, and breast-plate with Urim and Thum∣mim, representeth Christs Priestly function; according to which he beareth the twelve Tribes, representing all his Elect before God for a remembrance, and presenteth their prayers, and them, and himselfe for them, to his Fa∣ther. For, that Thummim, that is, perfections, is an empresse becomming none but our Saviours breast, all Christians will easily grant; and that U∣rim, that is, lights, are an Embleme of the divine nature, Plato professeth, saying, Lumen est umbra Dei, & Deus est lumen luminis, Light is the sha∣dow of God, and God is the light of light it selfe. For, Christ his third of∣fice we need not goe farre to seeke it; for the Bells of Aaron sound out the preaching of the word, and the Pomegranates set before us the fruits there∣of, and both his entire Propheticke function. If there lie any mysterie hid in the numbers, we may conceive the foure rowes of shining stones answe∣rable to the foure Beasts in the Revelation, full of eyes, either prefigured by

foure Evangelists, or the foure orders in the Church Hierarchy, Apostles, Evangelists, Doctors, and Pastors: as for the twelve stones, doubtlesse they had some reference to the twelve Apostles; for in the 21. chapter of theh 1.88 Revelation, where these twelve precious stones are mentioned, it is said expresly, that in the wall there were twelve foundations garnished with all manner of precious stones, and in them the names of the twelve Apostles of the Lambe.

You have heard the mysticall interpretation; lend I beseech you an eare to the morall.

1. First, these glorious vestments and ornaments of Aaron set forth un∣to us the dignity of the Priests office:i 1.89 and if the ministration of the letter were glorious, shall not the ministration of the Spirit be much more? Yes, how dark and vile soever our calling seemeth to the eyes of the world, it shall one day appeare most glorious, when they that turne many untok 1.90 righteousnesse shall shine as starres in the firmament for evermore.

Here I cannot conceale from you, thatl 1.91 Cappo one of the Popes Botchers taketh measure of Aarons garments, to make massing vestments by: as be∣fore him Durand hath done in his booke intituled rationale divinorum, where he saith, Noster Pontifex habet pro feminalibus sandalia, pro lineâ al∣bam, pro balieo cingulum, pro podere tunicam, pro Ephod stolam, pro rationa∣li pallium, pro cidari mitram, pro lamina crucem: just; but where is the causible? in Latine casula, sic dicta, quasi parva casa, saith hee, because it closeth the Priest round as it were with a wall, having a hole for him to put out his head, like a Lover, to let out smoake, signifying, that the Priest ought to be like a little cottage with a chimney in it, heated with the fire of zeale, sending up hot fumes of devotion, and letting them out with his breath at the LOVER of his mouth. But I will not put them to so hard a taske, as to pa∣rallel each of their vestments with Aarons: all that I shall say to them for the present is this, That the neerer they prove their vestments to come to Aarons ornaments, the more ceremoniall and typicall they prove them; and consequently, more unfit to be retained now by Christians, if the Apostles argument drawne from them 1.92 vanishing of the shadow at the presence of the body be of any force: therefore let the observation of Cappo passe with a note of plumbea falsitas, not aurea veritas, wherewith he graceth it.

2. My second observation is, that God both first beginneth with the breast, and appointeth also the most glorious and precious ornaments for it:n 1.93 The garments shall be these; thou shalt make a breast-plate, an Ephod, &c. after followeth the mitre, to the making whereof blew silke onely and fine twi∣ned linnen is required, with a plate of gold on it; but for the breast-plate, cloth of gold wrought about with divers colours, plates of gold, and foure rankes of the richest jewells in all the treasury of nature are appointed: all this, as we may piously conceive, to signifie, that God best esteemeth the breast and heart, and not the head: Myo 1.94 sonne, give mee thy heart. Our heavenly Father preferreth enflamed affections above enlightened thoughts: he can∣not bee received or entertained in our narrow understanding, yet will heep 1.95 dwell in our hearts by faith, if we enlarge them by love. Cecidit Lucifer, Se∣raphim stant aeternâ incommutabilitate, & incommutabili aeternitate, the An∣gels which had their names from light fell like lightening from heaven; but

the ministring spirits, which are by interpretation burning fire, hold yet their place and ranke in the Court of God. Let ambitious spirits seeke to shine in Aarons mitre, or at least to be caracter'd in the Onyx stones on his shoulders: my hearts desire was, and ever shall be to be engraven in one of the jewells upon the breast-plate, to hang with the beloved Disciple upon the bosome of my Saviour.

3. Thirdly, I observe yet again, that the names of the twelve tribes, which were before written in the Onyx stones upon the shoulders of Aaron, are here engraven againe in the rowes of jewels hanging neere his heart: which, as it representeth Christ his both supporting and affecting his chosen; sup∣porting them on his shoulders, & affecting them in his heart: so it teacheth all the Ministers of the Gospel to beare the names of Gods people committed to their charge, not onely upon their shoulders, by supporting their infirmity; but also upon their hearts, Ver. 29. by entirely affecting them above o∣thers; and above all things Gods glory in the salvation of their soules. Ifq 1.96thou love me, saith Christ, feed my sheep; if you desire that Christ should beare you on his heart before his Father, beare you the names of his Tribes (his chosen) on your hearts before him.

4. Fourthly, you may easily discerne, that the stones, as they are of sun∣dry kindes, and of different value, so they are set in divers rowes, 1. 2. 3. 4. which illustrateth unto us the divers measures of grace given to beleevers in this life, and their different degrees of glory in the life to come. All the stones that were placed on Aarons breast-plate were Urim and Thummim, that is, resplendent and perfect jewells; yet all were not equall: some were richer and above others in value, as those in the second row; even so all the elect are deare to our Saviour, yet some are dearer than others: he entirely affected all the Apostles, yet Saint John, whor 1.97 leaned upon his breast, was neerer to him than any of the other: all the Jewels were set in gold in their embossements, yet one was set above another; in like maner all the faithfull shall shine as starres in the firmament, yet some shall be set in a higher sphere than others: for as the Apostle teacheth us, there iss 1.98 one glory of the Sunne, and another of the Moone, and another of the Starres; for one Starre differeth from another in glory, and so shall be the resurrection of the dead.

5. Fifthly, looke yee yet neerer upon these shining stones, and yee shall finde, that they will not onely delight and lighten the eyes of your under∣standing; but also heate and enflame your devout affections. They are as twelve precious bookes, wherein you may reade many excellent lessons printed with indeleble characters. You see cleerly here the names of each of the Tribes in severall engraven; let your marginall note be, God hath from all eternity decreed a certaine number of Elect to bee saved, and hee hath written their names in severall in the booke of life.

6. Sixthly, observe that the names of the Tribes are not written in pa∣per, nor carved in wood, but engraven in solid and precious stones with the point of a Diamond, never to be razed out: let your interlineary glosse be, None of those whose names are written in the book of life can be stricken out. For there is no blotting, interlining, nor variae lectiones in that booke; stars there are, but no obeliskes: the Elect therefore though they may fall grie∣vously and dangerously, yet not totally nor finally.

Stella cadens non est stella, cometa fuit.

Were you, beloved, but embossed or enammeled in the ring upon our Savi∣ours finger, you were safe enough; for no man can plucke any thing out of our Saviours hand: but now that you are engraven as signets on our Savi∣ours heart, what can be your feare? what may be your joy?

Is it so? doth our high Priest set us on his heart? and shall not wee set our heart on him? shall we esteem any thing too deare for him, who estee∣meth us so deare unto him? Hee who once upon the Crosse shed his heart bloud for us, still beareth us upon his heart, and esteemeth of us as Cornelia did of her Gracchi, and presenteth us as it were in her words to his Father, Haec sunt ornamenta mea, these be my jewels.

Doth he make such reckoning of us? and is it our desire he should doe so? then for the love of our Redeemer let us not so dishonour him, as to fill the rowes of his breast-plate with glasse in stead of jewels; let us not make him present to his Father either counterfeit stones through our hypocrisie, or dusky through earthlinesse and worldly corruption; let us rub, scowre, and brighten the good graces of God in us, that they may shine in us, & we may be such as our Saviour esteemeth us to be, that is, orient and glorious jewels.

The summe of all is this: Yee have heard of foure rowes of precious stones set in bosses of gold upon Aarons breast-plate; and by the foure rowes you understand the foure well ordered & methodicall Sermons by me rehearsed: by the jewels, either the eminent parts of the Preachers, or their precious doctrines: by the embossments of gold, in which these precious gems of di∣vine doctrine were set, their texts: nothing remaineth but that the breast-plate being made, you put it on; and as Aaron did, beare it on your hearts. By wearing & bearing it there, you shall receive vertue from it, and in some sort participate of the nature of these jewels; in modesty of the Ruby, in chasti∣ty of the Emrald, in purity of the Onyx, in temperance of the Amethyst, in ardent love of the Carbuncle, in invincible constancy of the Adamant, in sa∣crificing your dearest hearts bloud and affections to Christ, & in passion for him (if you be called thereunto) of the Hematite. You shall gloriously beau∣tifie the brest-plate of our Aaron, who hath put on his glorious apparrell, and sacred robes, and is entred into the Sanctum Sanctorum in heaven, and at this time beareth our names on his breast for a remembrance before God his fa∣ther; and long it shall not be ere he come from thence, and all eyes shallt 1.99 see him, and all kindreds of the earth shall mourne before him: then shall he say to us, Lift up your heads, looke upon my breast, reade every one your name engraven in a rich jewell. You were faithfull unto death: therefore see here now I give you a crowne of life; behold in it for every Christian vertue a jewel, for every penitent teare Chrystall & Pearle, for every green & blew wound or stripe endured for me an Emrald and a Saphir, for every drop of bloud shed for the Gospel a Ruby and an Hematite: weare this for my sake, and reigne with mee for evermore, Cui, &c.

Notes

• a 1.1

  Institut. orat. lib. 1. cap. 1.
• b 1.2

  Hieron. ep. ad Fabiol.
• c 1.3

  In Cant. hom. 1.
• * 1.4

  With certain points, rayes, notes, or spar∣kles of spiritu∣all meaning.
• d 1.5

  Apoc. 3.18. I counsell thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou maist be rich.
• e 1.6

  1 Pet. 2.6.
• f 1.7

  Jer. in Ezek. de gemmis coro. Reg. Tyr. 28.13.
• g 1.8

  Mat. 13.46.
• h 1.9

  Mart. ep. l. 5.
• i 1.10

  Antiq. Judaic. l. 3. c. 9. Per du∣odecimas gem∣mas quas in pe∣cto•••••• ••ontifex insu•••••• 〈◊〉〈◊〉 in bello ••••••tori∣am Deus pro∣nunciare sole∣bat. Nam pri∣usquam exerci∣tus se moveret, tantus fulgor ex iis emicabat, ut toti populo facilè innotesceret adesle Deum, opem{que} iis esse allaturum.
• l 1.11

  Qu. 117. in Exod.
• m 1.12

  Ca. 18. v. 24.
• n 1.13

  Gen. 49.3.
• o 1.14

  Comment. in Exod.
• p 1.15

  Geogr. l. 6.
• q 1.16

  Job 28.19. The Topaze of Aethiopia shall not equall it.
• r 1.17

  Gen. 49.6, 7. Jud. 9.2.
• * 1.18

  Barqueth.
• s 1.19

  Comment. in Exod.
• t 1.20

  Gen. 34.27.
• u 1.21

  Nat. hist. l. 36. c. 5. Gladi∣atorum pugnas spect••bat Sma∣ragdo.
• * 1.22

  1. Pet. 5.3.
• x 1.23

  De Gem.
• y 1.24

  Diction Heb. ex rad. David. ••imhi.
• z 1.25

  Ezek 28.13.
• a 1.26

  Gen. 49.11, 12.
• b 1.27

  Gen. 49.17.
• c 1.28

  Deut. 33.22. Dan is as a Lions whelp.
• d 1.29

  Gen. 49.16.
• e 1.30

  Cap. 1. V. 26.
• f 1.31

  Jahalom A∣damas lapis pretiosus sic dictus, quòd pertundit ac confringit om∣nes alios lapi∣des, ut notat Aben Ezra. Exod. 28.18.
• g 1.32

  Gen. 30.8.
• h 1.33

  Esay 9.1.
• i 1.34

  Matth. 4.15, 16.
• k 1.35

  Ep. 28. Ezek. 28.13.
• l 1.36

  Mart. epigr. lib. 1.
• m 1.37

  Act. 13.42.
• n 1.38

  Philip. 3.1.
• o 1.39

  Mat. 26.44.
• p 1.40

  Cic. de orat. l. 1. Subacto o∣pus est solo nec novato dun∣taxat, sed & iterato.
• q 1.41

  Ep. ad Ru∣stic.
• r 1.42

  Nat. hist. l. 18. Ubi pal∣mae praegrandi subditur olea, huic ficus, fico punica, illi vitis, sub vite seritur frumentum, mox legumen, deinde olus, omnia eodem anno.
• * 1.43

  Allus. ad No∣men sec con∣cionat. Angl. King.
• * 1.44

  Cape of good hope.
• * 1.45

  The still sea.
• s 1.46

  Vincent. Le∣rin. advers. haer.
• t 1.47

  Lib. 3. Rhet. ad Heren. Constat artifi∣ciosa memoria ex locis & imaginibus.
• u 1.48

  Buxtorf. epit. radic. heb. From a word signify∣ing to dreame, because they that weare it are much sub∣ject to dream∣ing.
• * 1.49

  Aben Ezra in Exod. 28.19.
• x 1.50

  Esay 6.6, 7. Then flew one of the Sera∣phims unto me, having a coale in his hand, and he laid it upon my tongue.
• * 1.51

  The first Ser∣mon preached on Good-friday by Master Oz∣borstone Stu∣dent of Christ-Church.
• * 1.52

  Ystel. in Exod.
• * 1.53

  Plin. nat. hist. l. 37.
• * 1.54

  Comment. in Esay.
• * 1.55

  Bellar. l. 2. de Verb. Dei.
• * 1.56

  Nat. hist. l. 37.
• * 1.57

  Chap. 1. V. 26.
• * 1.58

  A Sermon preached by Doctor John King then Dean of Christ-Church, and Vicechancellor of the Universi∣ty of Oxford, afterwards Lord Bishop of London, upon Easter day in Saint Peters Church in Ox∣ford.
• * 1.59

  Variae lectio∣nes.
• * 1.60

  〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉
• * 1.61

  Sense twofold.
• * 1.62

  Analysis Tex∣tus, partium ordo & divi∣sio.
• * 1.63

  The recapitu∣lation with ad∣dition of ap∣pendant argu∣ments.
• * 1.64

  Deut. 19.
• * 1.65

  Rueus de gem. Ego novi quendam quo mortuo Tur∣cois apparuit obscurior.
• * 1.66

  Plin. l. 37. c. 1. In Pyrrhi A∣chate novem Musae & Apol∣lo citharam te∣nens specta∣bantur, non ar∣te, sed sponte naturae ita di∣scurrentibus maculis, ut Mulis quoque singulis sua redderentur insignia.
• * 1.67

  A Sermon preached on Easter Mon∣day by Master Dunster, fel∣low of Magda∣len Colledge, and Proctor of the University of Oxford.
• * 1.68

  Acts 26.8.
• * 1.69

  1 Cor. 15.34.
• * 1.70

  Phil. 3.19.
• * 1.71

  John 5.29.
• * 1.72

  Matth. 16.18.
• * 1.73

  John 10.7.
• * 1.74

  A Sermon preached on Easter Tues∣day by Master Bates fellow of Trinity Col∣ledge, after∣wards Parson of S Clements, and Prebend of Westminster.
• * 1.75

  Ver. 15.
• * 1.76

  Ephes. 5.14.
• * 1.77

  Hebr. 12.14.
• * 1.78

  Galat. 6.9.
• a 1.79

  Orat. pro Cluent.
• b 1.80

  Plin. l. 37. c. 9.
• c 1.81

  Nat. hist. l. 2. c. 105. Pluvius in Hispania est, qui omnes au∣rei coloris ostendit pisces, nihil extra il∣lam aquam cae∣teris differentes
• d 1.82

  Mat. 3.3.
• e 1.83

  Quintil. in∣stit. orat. l. 10. c. 2. Quicquid alteri simile est, necesse est ut sit minus eo quod imitatur, ut umbra corpore imago facie, & actus histrio∣num veris affe∣ctibus: necesse est ut semper sit posterior qui sequitur.
• f 1.84

  2 Cor. 2.10.
• g 1.85

  Joseph. antiq. Jud. l. 3. c. 8.
• h 1.86

  Ep. 128. Quatuor or∣dines quatuor puto esse virtu∣tes, Prudenti∣am Fortitudi∣nem, Justitiam, Temperantiam &c.
• * 1.87

  Mercurius Termaximus.
• h 1.88

  Apoc. 21.14.
• i 1.89

  2 Cor. 3.7, 8.
• k 1.90

  Dan. 12.3.
• l 1.91

  In Exo. c. 28.
• m 1.92

  Heb. 10.1.
• n 1.93

  Exod. 28.4.
• o 1.94

  Pro. 23.26.
• p 1.95

  Eph. 3.17.
• q 1.96

  John 21.15.
• r 1.97

  John 21.20.
• s 1.98

  1 Cor. 15.41.
• t 1.99

  Apoc. 1.7.