A Key Opening Mysterious Texts of Scripture, Collection of sermons 3 · Sermon 32 · Part 1
THE FIRST BORDER: OR, THE PASSION SERMON.
The firſt preſented the Spouſe with a Border of gold, with Studs of ſilver, wrought upon the text, Zech. 13.7. Awake, O ſword, againſt my ſhepheard, and againſt the man that is my fellow, ſaith the Lord of hoſtes: ſmite the ſhepheard, and the ſheepe ſhall be ſcattered. And thus he put it on:
ILlius Doctoris libentiùs audio vocem (ſaith devout Bernard) non qui ſibi plauſum, ſed qui mihi planctum movet. The firſt Sermon preached on good Friday by maſter Warberton now Dean of Wels, abridged.Me thinkes whileſt you are here aſſembled to celebrate the memorie of our Lords death, I ſee a great concourſe as it were to a funerall Sermon; I ſhall therefore intreat you, Right Honourable, Right Worſhipfull, &c. to prepare rather your hearts to be wounded, than your eares to be tickled; and at this time to lay aſide all expectation either of Art or Learning, and yeeld your ſelves wholly to religious Paſsion.
It is the obſervation of St. Auſtine and Gregorie, that the foure beaſts mentioned by St. John, myſtically repreſent the foure maine acts of Chriſt,aApoc. 4.7. or workes of mans redemption.
His
1 Incarnation.
2 Paſsion.
3 Reſurrection.
4 Aſcenſion.
For at his Incarnation he tooke our nature upon him, and was found in ſhape as a Man: In his paſsion as a Bullocke he was ſlaine for ſacrifice: In his reſurrection he was a Lion: In his aſcenſion as an Eagle. We here conſider him as a Bullock ſacrified upon the altar of the Croſſe. Which as it is the greateſt myſtery that ever was revealed to the world: ſo the Pen-men of the holy Ghoſt have bin moſt laboriouſly employed to publiſh it in all ages; figuring it in the Law, foretelling it in the Propheſies of the Old Teſtament, and repreſenting it moſt lively in the hiſtory of the Goſpell. I have to doe with a Propheſie ſomewhat darke before the light of the Goſpell ſhone upon it: Awake, O ſword, &c. which words in the Prophet are a Proſopopaeia made by God, or an Apoſtrophe to his ſword to whet it ſelfe, and be ſtirred up againſt a man of meane condition in the eſtimate of the world, A ſhepheard: yet in ſome relation to himſelfe, my ſhepheard: of a ſtrange compoſition and quality, a man that is my fellow: and it extendeth to the ſmiting of this ſhepheard, and ſcattering his whole flocke. The parts are two,
1 The Speaker, the Lord of hoſtes.
2 The ſpeech. Wherein obſerve,
1 Direction; O ſword.
2 Matter. Wherein,
1 Incitation. Wherein,
1 The act, Awake.
2 The object; deſcribed by
1 His office; ſhepheard.
2 Perſon; which is my fellow.
2 Commiſsion. Wherein,
1 The act; ſmite.
2 The effect; the ſheep ſhalbe ſcattered.
Firſt we are to ſpeake of the Speaker, the Lord of hoſtes.
The Lord of hoſtes is a name of power, and ſoundeth like a thunder; his Generall is Death, his great Captaines Plague, Famine, and the Sword, his Arſenall the whole world, and all creatures in heaven, earth and hell his Souldiers, ever ready preſſed to fight his battailes. Quantus Deus Dominus exercituum (ſaith St. Bernard) cui inſervit univerſa creatura? OnelyOnly rebellious man ſtandeth out in ſuch defiance to his Maker, that the creatures which were ordained to be under his dominion, are often awaked, and ſummoned to be armed for his deſtruction.
Awake, O ſword. As all the creatures are Gods ſouldiers, ſo when hee imployeth them againſt man they are called his ſwords. The wicked is ſaid to be hishPſal. 17.13. ſword, and thei1 Chron. 21.27. peſtilence alſo. When the Lord is pleaſed to execute his wrath, he never wanteth inſtruments or meanes: he hath a ſword for Saul, and an oake for Abſalom, and a roape for Achitophel, and a gibbet for Haman, and a worme for Herod: and thus for the generall.
The particular intent of the Spirit leadeth mee to another conſideration, viz. that of this great blow here threatned to the ſhepheard, God himſelfe is the Author: Deus erat qui paſtorem percuti jubebat (ſaith Maldonat) & quod per alium facit ipſe facit. Yea, but God never awaketh his ſword to ſmite but for ſinne, and in this ſhepheard there was no ſinne of his owne, the ſword therefore lies ſleeping in the ſcabbard, and muſt now bee ſummoned to awake.
Awake, O ſword; Chereb gnuri. To the act of mercy wee are all apt to importune God with clamours, Up Lord: but to the act of juſtice if we ſhould provoke him, who were able to ſtand before him? To this he is enforced, after a ſort; to provoke himſelfe. Wherein obſerve, firſt his unwillingneſſe to ſtrike, till he is provoked his ſword ſleepeth: ſecondly his haſt and reſolution to ſtrike when he is provoked, in that he will awake his ſword.
He who is here ſtiled Lord of hoſtes, is elſewhere named the Father of mercy; and by his attributes ſet downe in Exod. 34. ver. 6, 7. it appeareth that he is nine to two more inclineable to mercy than to juſtice. But becauſe from this hope of mercy many are apt to promiſe themſelves impunity, putting ever from them the evill day, I hold it more needfull at this preſent to ſhew his haſte and readineſſe to execute vengeance upon ſuch who preſume too farre upon his long ſuffering and goodneſſe. There is a generation of men deſcribed by David in the 10. Pſalme, ver. 11. that ſay in their heart, God hath forgotten: he hideth his face, he will never ſee it. And by Solomon, kEccleſ. 8.11.Becauſe ſentence againſt their evill workes is not executed ſpeedily, therefore their heart is fully ſet in them to doe evill. Ut ſit magna tamen certè lenta ira deorum eſt.
To theſe St. Peter hath anſwered long agoe,l2 Pet. 3.9. The Lord is not ſlacke (as ſome men count ſlackneſſe) but is long ſuffering to us-ward, (that is, the Elect) whoſe converſion he graciouſly expecteth. When their number is accompliſhed, and the ſinnes of the Reprobate which now looke white ſhall turne yellow and grow full ripe, he will awake his ſword to wound the heads of his enemies, and his ſtay in the meane time is but to fetch his arme the further backe, that be may give the ſorer ſtroke; and to draw his arrow to the head, that hee may wound the deeper. For this cauſe the ancient heathen attributed to God leaden feet, but iron hands; quia tarditatem vindictae gravitate compenſat. mTacit. annal. l. 1. In Haterium ſtatim invectus eſt, at Scaurum, cui implacabiltus iraſcebatur, ſilentio tranſmiſit.Tacitus noteth it of Tiberius Caeſar, that being diſpleaſed with Q. Haterius and Scaurus, but not equally, he fell foule preſently upon Haterius, with whom hee was leſſe angry, but ſaid not a word to Scaurus for the preſent, againſt whom he conceived irreconcileable haired: ſo God when he is a little offended at ſome ſlips of the godly, hee awaketh his ſword preſently, but layes it downe againe after hee hath ſmote gently with it;nBernard. in Cant. Ser. 42. Hic punit ut illic pareat, & ſupra omnem miſerationem eſt ira iſta: but to the wicked hee giveth line enough, that they may play with the hooke, and ſwallow it deepe downe with the baite; Hic punit ut illic ſeviat, & ſupra omnem iram eſt miſeratio iſta. But praiſed be the Lord of hoſtes, who to ranſome us hath found a man to wreake his wrath, and turne his ſword upon, his ſhepheard. It is noted ofoXiphilin. in vit. Trajan. Trajane, that he would cut his richest robes in pieces to make rags for his ſouldiers wounds: I ſhall now propoſe unto you a man, that to bind up your bleeding wounds, hath ſuffered himſelfe to be cut in pieces under the furie of this waking ſword. Awake, O ſword
Againſt my ſhepheard. O magne Paſtor animarum (ſaith Bonaventure) paſce animam meam, & ut paſcatur meliùs fac ut ipſe paſcam. Chriſt is a mighty ſhepheard, but yet of a little flocke, which was firſt pent within the walls of Eden, and thence turned out, wandred on the earth till the flood, at the deluge tooke ſhip and landed in Armenia, from thence removed to Canaan, and from Cannaan to Egypt, and from Egypt backe againe towards Canaan, and after foure hundred yeeres ſtragling in a ſtrange land, wandred fortie yeares in the wilderneſſe, and at laſt was folded in Judaea. In all which croſsings, and turnings, and wandrings, he never ceaſed to feed and fodder them: to give us his ſubſtitutes, as well an example by his practice, as a rule by his precept, to feed, feed, and feed. Alimento, verbo, exemplo: quid eſt amas me? Niſi quaeris in Eccleſia non tua ſed mea, (ſaith St. Auſtine) niſi teſtimonium perhibeat conſcientia quod plus me ames quam tua, quam tuos, quam te, nequicquam ſuſcipias curam hanc. But if thy conſcience aſſure thee that thou loveſt Chriſt in ſuch ſort, then feed thou his flocke as well with integrity of life, as puritie of doctrine; learne as well facere dicenda, as dicere facienda; that is, as Saint Jerome aptly expreſſeth it, verba vertere in opera. Thou muſt have engraven on thy breaſt as well Thummim as Urim, and there muſt hang as well Pomegranates about thy garment as golden bells.
The Popiſh Writers ſay that a ſhepheard ſhould have three things, a ſcrip, a hooke, and a whiſtle; but for their owne parts they are ſo greedy on the ſcrip, and buſie with the hooke, that they forget the whiſtle, give over their ſtudie and preaching: ac ſi tum victuri eſſent ſine curâ cum pervenirent ad curam; making account that all their care is paſt when they are got into a cure. But the ſhepheard we ſpeake of was the good ſhepheard who fed his flocke day and night, and layd downe his life for it: he is the univerſall ſhepheard; & ita curat omnes oves ut ſingulas. He is here called Gods ſhepheard, becauſe his diſpenſation is from him, or becauſe he is the beloved of God, and that divine ſhepheard whichpCom. in Evan. Ardeus thus excellently deſcribeth, Educens è lacu miſeriae, conducens per viam gratiae, perducens ad paſcua gloriae: and ſhall the ſword of the Lord be againſt this ſhepheard? The caſe is different betweene him and David; there it was quid meruerunt oves? here it is quid meruit Paſtor? For he was candidus and rubicundus, candidus innocentiâ and rubicundus paſſione; ſine maculâ criminis, & ſine rugâ erroris. Had the ſword beene awaked againſt the wolfe it had beene mercy, againſt the ſheepe is had beene juſtice; but to awake againſt this good ſhepheard ſeemeth to bee hard meaſure. The caſe is reſolved by Daniel: The Meſſias ſhall be ſlaine, but not for himſelfe, God hath layd upon him the iniquity of us all. O ineffabilis myſterii diſpoſitio! peccat impius, & patitur juſtus: meretur malus, patitur bonus: quod committit homo ſuſtinet Deus. Here then you ſee the firſt and maine cauſe of the ſhepheards ſlaughter, your ſinnes. It is in vaine to ſhift it off on Judas or Pilat, and moſt impious to lay it upon the Lord of hoſtes. For ſolum peccatum homicida eſt: ſo that I may bring it home to the boſome of every one of you in the words of Nathan, Tu es homo, Thou art the man that haſt ſlaine this ſhepheard. O conſider this, yee that forget God; doe not ſo wickedly as to commit a ſecond murder upon this good ſhepheard, crucifie not againe the Lord of life: every reviling ſpeech to your neighbour is a whip on his ſide, every traducing of your ſuperiours a crowne of thornes to his head, every neglect of charity to his members new nailes to wound his hands and feet, every blaſphemous word a new ſpitting on his face, every oath a ſpeare to pierce his heart. But what moved him to become our ſurety and ſacrifice? No reaſon can be given but his will, Oblatus eſt quia voluit, He was offered becauſe hee would, hee would becauſe hee loved us: and to the end hee might the better undergoe his office, becauſe it became us to have ſuch an high Prieſt that had feeling of our wants and infirmities, he became man.
The man. The Hebrewes have foure ſeverall words for a man, Adam, Enoſh, Iſh, Geber; Adam ſignifying red earth, Enoſh, a man of ſorrow, Iſh, a man of a noble ſpirit, Geber, a ſtrong man; wee have found a man here in all theſe ſenſes. Adam, earth as wee; Enoſh, a man of ſorrowes; Iſh, a man of a noble ſpirit, to encounter all the powers of darkeneſſe; Geber, a ſtrong man, ſtronger than hee in theqMat. 12.29. Goſpell, which firſt poſſeſſed the houſe. Behold the man, ſaith Pilat: but a man of ſorrow, ſaith Eſay: nay, a worme and no man, ſaith David: nay leſſe reſiſting than a worme; for a worme if it bee trod upon will turne againe: but this man went like a lambe to the ſlaughter: or, if hee may rightly be termed a worme, certainely a ſilke-worme, ſpinning us a precious web of righteouſneſſe out of his owne bowels: yet this worme and no man is Iſh, one of noble ſpirit; and Geber, a valiant man: yea, ſuch an one as is Gods fellow.
My fellow. For in him the Godhead dwelleth bodily, and in him all the Saints are compleat: he is the brightneſſe of his Fathers glory, and the engraven forme of his perſon.
—ipſe paterni
Pectoris effigies, lumen que a lumine vero.
Semper cum patre, ſemper de patre, ſemper in patre, ſemper apud patrem, ſemper quod pater, ſaith Fulgentius: ex ipſo, cum ipſo, hoc quod ipſe, ſaith Saint Auſtine: who being in the forme of God thought it not rPhil. 2.6.robberie to bee equall with God; and therefore God calleth him here his fellow. Such a one i… became him to be, that was to encounter principalities, to come upon the ſtrong man (whereby is meant the Divell) and binde him, and ſpoile his goods; to grapple with the great King of feare, Death; to ſay to hell and the grave, Effata; to ſwallow up the ſwallower of all things, to deſtroy deſtruction, and to lead captivitie captive, and to returne with glory from thence unde negant quenquam redire.
Againe, my fellow, yet a man; creator matris, creatus ex matre, ſaith Saint Auſtine: ipſum ſanguinem quem pro matre obtulit, ante de ſanguine matris accepit, ſaith Emiſſenus. Hee that was the brightneſſe of his Father, and ſuch a brightneſſe as no man could behold and live, hath now a traverſe drawne over his glorie: the word is made fleſh, ſepoſitâ non depoſitâ majeſtate, ſaith Emiſſenus: naturam ſuſcipiendo noſtram, non amittendo ſuam, ſaith Saint Auſtine: ad terrena deſcendit, & coeleſtia non deſeruit, hic affuit, & inde non defuit: and ſo be became Emmanuel, God with us, perfect God, and perfect man: man to receive ſupplications from man, God to deliver them to God: man to ſuffer for man, God to ſatisfie God. Apparuit medius (ſaith Saint Auſtine) inter mortales peccatores, & immortalem juſtum mortalis juſtus; mortalis cum hominibus, juſtus cum Deo: ne vel in utroque ſimilis longè eſſet à Deo, aut in utroque diſſimilis longè eſſet ab hominibus. To conclude this point, Gods fellow to offer an infinite ſacrifice for all mankinde, and a man that he might be himſelfe the ſacrifice killed by the ſword which is now awaked to ſmite him.
1 Smite the Shepheard. Hachharogneh, hacke him, hew him, butcher him. Now are the reines let looſe to all the powers of darkeneſſe, now is the ſword flying about the Shepheards eares, now have they power to hurrie him from Annas to Caiaphas, from Caiaphas to Pilat, from Pilat to Herod, from Herod againe to Pilat, and ſo to Calvarie; and in every paſſage appears a ſword that might cleave aſunder a heart of Adamant: yet the Lord of hoſtes ſaith ſtill
2 Smite him. Now hath Judas power to betray him, the Prieſts to convent him, the ſtanders by to buffet him, the officers to whip him, the people to deride him, Pilat to condemne him; and in every act appeares a ſword that might cleave in ſunder a heart of rocke: yet the Lord of hoſtes ſaith ſtill
3 Smite him. Now the thornes have power to goare him, the whip to laſh him, the nailes to faſten him, the ſpeare to pierce him, the Croſſe to extend him, the grave to ſwallow him; and in every one appeares a ſword that might cleave in ſunder a heart of ſteele: yet the Lord of hoſtes ſaith ſtill
4 Smite him. Let no part bee free from torment; not his head from pricking, nor his face from ſpitting, nor his fleſh from whipping, nor his pallat from vinegar, nor his hands and feet from piercing, nor his heart from the ſpeare: yet ſtill the Lord of hoſtes ſaith
5 Smite him. The torment of his body was but the body of his torment, the ſoule of his torment was his ſoules torment. Now his ſoule is troubled, ſaith John; nay, exceeding ſorrowfull, ſaith Marke; nay, heavie unto death, ſaith Matthew: all the ſtreames of bloud that iſſued from him on the Croſſe were nothing to his drops in the garden: thoſe were forced with outward violence, theſe were drained out with inward ſorrow. Sure (ſaith one) he was neare ſome fornace that melted him. Here was a blow that if he had not beene Gods fellow would have ſtrucke him downe to hell: yet the Lord of hoſtes ſaith
6 Smite him. The ſenſe of paine is not ſo grievous as the want of comfort. Here all comfort is with-held; the people deride him, and preferre a murderer before him: of his owne people and ſervants, one betrayeth him, another denies him, all forſake him: all this is nothing in compariſon. For friends are but earthly comforts, but that his Father from heaven ſhould forſake him, here is the ſword that cleaveth his heart, and maketh up the full meaſure of the blow.
In the very heat of his paſsion hee tooke no notice of any other torment but this onelyonly, that his God had forſaken him. It is wonderfull that never any Martyr brake forth into the like ſpeech, notwithſtanding all their exquiſite torments: but the reaſon is aſsigned by St. Auſtine, Martyres non eripuit, nunquid deſeruit?
By this time I know you expect the fulneſſe of the blow; vox faucibus haeret, it is death, the ignominious death of the Croſſe. Vexed he was before his death, tortured in his death, wounded after his death; hic ſalus patitur, fortitudo infirmatur, vita moritur. Now the Angels ſtand amazed at the blow, the earth trembles, the ſtones are cleft, and the vaile of the Temple rends, and the people ſmite their breaſts: now are blackes hung all about the galleries of heaven; the Sunne hath put on a darke vaile, inſomuch that a Philoſopher, as farre from his hearſe as from his faith, takes notice of this great Gods funerall. And to make up the companie of true mourners, the grave ſendeth forth her dead, and corpſe ariſe and enter into the holy Citie: now is his hearſe ſet without the gate, that they that are without, even dogs, may ſee him, and make ſongs of him; and leſt any ſhould be ignorant whoſe hearſe it was, his title is ſet up in Hebrew, Greeke and Latine. O tell it not in Gath, publiſh it not in Askelon, leſt the uncircumciſed rejoyce to ſee the glory of Iſrael obſcured: nunc, nunc vires exprime dolor, ſolitum flendi vincito morem. If it be true, that the Hebrewes have no word for eyes but what ſerves for ſprings, it ſeemeth that all the eyes the holy Language ſpeaketh of, ſhould be like ſprings, wherewith they ſhould bewaile him whom they have pierced: yet there is better uſe of this than to lament. O conſider this and rejoyce; weepe for him, but rejoyce for your ſelves. When the glittering ſword in the hand of the Lord was lift up, and his arme ſtretched out utterly to deſtroy you, this Shepheard ſteppeth in, and ſtandeth betweene, and in his owne body receiveth the blow that was aimed at you. O conſider you this, for whom the Shepheard hath ſuffered ſuch things. Firſt, acknowledge with reverence the ſingular juſtice of God, that could not be ſatisfied but with ſuch a ranſome. Secondly, acknowledge with deteſtation the hideouſneſſe of your ſinnes, that deſerved ſo great a ranſome. Thirdly, acknowledge the uneffable love of this bleſſed ſhepheard that payd this great ranſome.
On the other ſide, conſider this and tremble, yee that forget God; yee have no intereſt in this Shepheards death: looke to your ſelves in time, antequam exeat ira apprehendite diſciplinam, oſculamini filium. The Shepheard is ſmiten, if you looke to it in time it may be for you; if not, a worſe diſaſter remaineth for you than befell theſe ſheepe: you ſhall be confounded, they were but ſcattered.
The ſheepe ſhall be ſcattered. This Propheſie hath ſpeciall relation to their temporall flight, but it extendeth alſo to their amazement and ſtaggering at the heavineſſe of the blow. They truſted that it had beene hee that ſhould have redeemed Iſrael; but now through his blow they are fallen from their truſt.
The Sunne labours in the eclipſe, no ray appeares, hee cannot bee diſcerned to be the Sonne of God, all candles were quite blowne out this night, unleſſe it were, as Allenſis affirmeth, that of Virgin waxe; and whether it had any light in it I cannot ſay, certainely the ſword went through her heart too. But diſperguntur tantum, non deſtruuntur oves, theſe ſheepe ſhortly met againe, and ſuffered much with great conſtancie for their ſhepheard. Peter and Andrew were crucified, James beheaded, the other James brained with a Fullers club, all martyred ſave John; yet in all theſe deathes they were more than conquerours: ſanguis Martyrum ſemen Evangelii, the bloud they ſpilt was as oyle to feed the lampes of the Church, or as dew to fatten her ſoyle. Let no man therefore be deterred at the mention of the Croſſe; it is like the man in armour that appeared to Joſuah, who ſeemed dreadfull at the firſt, but in the end proved a friend. O bone Jeſu, ubicunque fueris, in praeſepi, in horto, in cruce, in ſepulchro, non curo, modo te inveniam; O ſweet Jeſu, whereſoever thou art, in the manger, in the garden, in the croſſe, in the ſepulchre, I care not what befalls me, ſo I may finde thee.
Thus have I preſented unto you the gift which the firſt Speaker tendered to the Spouſe of Chriſt, a border of gold, with ſtuds of ſilver: nothing remaines but that I worke an embleme of the giver in his gift. Every embleme conſiſteth of an image and a motto; the Image ſhall be Sulpitius, the motto Tullies teſtimonie of him in his booke De claris oratoribus. Maximè grandis, &, ut it a dicam, tragicus Orator; incitata & volubilis, nec redundans tamen oratio; vox magna & ſuavis, geſtus venuſtus; he was a loftie, and, if I may ſo ſpeake, a tragicall Oratour; his ſpeech was full and fluent, yet not redundant; his voyce great and ſweet, his geſture comely.