A Key Opening Mysterious Texts of Scripture, Collection of sermons 6 · Sermon 64
THE SYMBOLE OF THE SPIRIT. THE LXIV. SERMON.
ACTS 2.2.
And ſuddenly there came a ſound from heaven as of a ruſhing mighty wind, and it filled all the houſe where they were ſitting.
SAint Luke in the precedent verſe giveth us the name, & in this the ground of the ſolemne feaſt we are now come to celebrate, with ſuch religious rites as our Church hath preſcribed, according to the preſidents of the firſt and beſt ages. The name is foreign, the feaſt of the fiftieth day from Eaſter; the ground thereof the miraculous apparition, and (if I may ſo ſpeake) the Epiphany of the holy Spirit in the ſound of a mighty ruſhing wind, & the light of fiery cloven tongues ſhining on the heads of the Apoſtles, who ſtayed at Jeruſalem, according to our Lords command, in expectation of the promiſe of the holy Ghoſt, which was fulfilled then in their eyes, and now in our eares, and I hope alſo in our hearts. After God the Father had manifeſted himſelfe by the worlds creation, and the workes of nature, and God the Sonne by his incarnation, and the workes of grace; it was moſt convenient, that in the third place the third perſon ſhould manifeſt himſelfe, as he did this day by viſible deſcenſion, and workes of wonder. Before in the third of Matthew at the Epiphany of our Saviour, the Spirit appeared in the likeneſſe of a dove; but here (as yee heare) in the ſimilitude of fiery cloven tongues, to teach us, that we ought to be like doves, without gall in proſecution of injury done to our ſelves; but like Seraphins, all fire, in vindicating Gods honour. This morall interpretation SaintaGreg. tert. paſ. Omnes quos implet, & columbae ſimplicitate manſuetos, & igne zeli ardentes exhibet. Et ib. Intus arſit ignibus amoris, & foras accenſus eſt zelo ſeveritatis: cauſam populi apud Deum lachrymis, cauſam Dei apud populum gladiis allegabat, &c. Gregory makes of theſe myſticall apparitions: All whom the ſpirit fills he maketh meeke by the ſimplicity of doves, and yet burning with the fire of zeale. Juſt of this temper was Moſes, who took ſomewhat of the dove from the ſpirit, and ſomewhat of the fire. For being warme within with the fire of love, and kindling without with the zeale of ſeverity, he pleaded the cauſe of the people before God with teares, but the cauſe of God before the people with ſwords. Sed ſufficit diei ſuum opus, ſufficient for the day will be the worke thereof: ſufficient for this audience will be the interpretation of the ſound: the myſticall expoſition of the wind which filled the houſe where the Apoſtles ſate, will fill up this time. And leſt my meditations upon this wind ſhould paſſe away like wind, I will faſten upon two points of ſpeciall obſervation,
1. The object vehement, the ſound of a mighty ruſhing wind.
2. The effect correſpondent, filled the whole houſe.
Each part is accompanied with circumſtances:
1. With the circumſtance of
1. The manner, ſuddenly.
2. The ſourſe or terminus à quo, from heaven.
2. With the circumſtance of
1. The place, the houſe where:
2. The perſons, they:
3. Their poſture, were ſitting.
1. Hearken ſuddenly, there came on the ſudden.
2. To what? a ſound.
3. From whence? from heaven.
4. What manner of ſound? as of a mighty ruſhing wind.
5. Where? filling the roome where they were ſitting.
That ſuddenly when they were all quiet there ſhould come a ſound or noiſe, and that from heaven, and that ſuch a vehement ſound as of a mighty ruſhing wind, and that it ſhould fill the whole roome where they were, and no place elſe, ſeemes to mee a kind of ſequence of miracles. Every word in this Text is like a cocke, which being turned, yeeldeth abundance of the water of life, of which we ſhall taſte hereafter.
I obſerve firſt in generall, that the Spirit preſented himſelfe both to the eyes and to the eares of the Apoſtles: to the eares, in a noiſe like a trumpet to proclaime him: to the eyes, in the ſhape of tongues like lights to ſhew him.
Next I obſerve, that as there were two ſacred ſignes of Chriſts body,
1. Bread,
2. Wine.
ſo there are two ſymboles, and (if I may ſo ſpeake) ſacraments of the Spirit:
1. Wind,
2. Fire.
Behold the correſpondency between them; the ſpirit is of a nobler and more celeſtiall nature than a body: in like manner, the elements of wind and fire come neerer the nature of heaven than bread and wine, which are of a more materiall and earthly nature. And as the elements ſort with the myſteries they repreſent, ſo alſo with our ſenſes to which they are preſented. For the groſſer and more materiall elements, bread and wine, are exhibited to our groſſer and more carnall ſenſes, the taſte and touch: but the ſubtiler and leſſe materiall, wind and fire, to our ſubtiler and more ſpirituall ſenſes, the eyes and eares. Of the holy formes of bread and wine, their ſignificancie and efficacy, I have heretofore diſcourſed at large; at this preſent by the aſſiſtance of the holy Spirit I will ſpend my breath upon the ſacred wind in my Text; and hereafter, when God ſhall touch my tongue with a fiery coale from his Altar, explicate the myſtery of the fiery cloven tongues.
After the nature and number of the ſymboles, their order in the third place commeth to be conſidered: firſt, the Apoſtles heare a ſound, and then they ſee the fiery cloven tongues. And anſwerable hereunto in the fourth verſe we reade, that they were filled with the holy Ghoſt, and then they began to ſpeake with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. For bMat. 12.34.out of the abundance of the heart the mouth ſpeaketh. With the cRom. 10.10.heart man beleeveth unto righteouſneſſe, and then with the tongue he confeſſeth unto ſalvation. My dPſal. 45.1.heart (ſaith David) is enditing a good matter, and my tongue is the pen of a ready writer: firſt the heart enditeth, and then the tongue writeth. They who ſtay not at Jeruſalem till they are endued with power from above, and receive the promiſe of the Father, but preſently will open their mouthes, and try to looſen the ſtrings of their fiery tongues; I meane, they who continue not in the ſchooles of the Prophets, till they have learned the languages and arts, and have uſed the ordinary meanes to obtaine the gifts and graces of the holy Spirit, and yet will open their mouthes in the Pulpit, and exerciſe the gift of their tongues, doe but fill the eares of their auditors with a ſound, and their zealous fiery cloven tongues ſerve but to put fire, and make a rent in the Church of God. The organ pipes muſt bee filled with wind before the inſtrument give any ſound: our mouthes, lips, and tongues are the inſtruments and organs of God, and before they are filled with the wind in my Text, they cannot ſound out foreign, his wonderous workes, whereof this is one, as followeth:
And ſuddenly, foreign. Every circumſtance, like graines in gold ſcales, addeth to the weight.eOecumen. in Act. c. 2 foreign. Oecumenicus conceiveth that this ſound came on the ſudden to ſcare the Apoſtles, and out of feare or amazement to draw them together. And indeed this ſudden noiſe in this upper roome, the Apoſtles ſitting ſtill, and there being no wind abroad ſtirring, ſeemeth not leſſe ſtrange than the ſudden calme after Chriſt rebuked the fMat. 8.26.wind and the ſea. Windes are not raiſed to the height on the ſudden, but grow more and more bluſtering by degrees: this became bluſtering on the ſudden, and, which is more ſtrange, it was foreign, quaſi foreign, from foreign privative, and foreign, appareo, without any cauſe appearing. To heare a thunder clap in ſummer, when we ſee a blacke cloud overcaſting the whole skie; or a report, where we know there is a canon mounted, no way amazeth us: but to heare thundering in a cleere ſun-ſhine, when there is no cloud to be ſeen in all the skie; or the report like that of a canon, where there is no peece of ordnance; or a ſudden light in a darke roome, without lamp, candle, torch, or fire, ſomewhat affrighteth and amazeth us: ſo it was here, a noiſe is heard as of a mighty ruſhing wind, yet no wind; or if a wind, a wind created of nothing, without any cauſe or prejacent matter. There is a great controverſie among the Philoſophers about the cauſes of winds. Some, as Democritus imagined, that many atomes, that is, ſuch ſmall bodies and motes as wee ſee in the beames of the Sunne meeting together, and ſtriving for place, ſtirred the aire, and thereby made winds: others, as Agrippa, that the evill ſpirits ruling in the aire, as they raiſe tempeſts, ſo alſo they cauſe winds. Ariſtotle endeavoureth to demonſtrate that the riſing up of dry exhalations from the earth generateth the winds, which ſo long rage as the matter continueth, after that faileth the wind lies. The Divines reſolve withgPſal. 135.7. David, that God draweth them out of his hidden treaſures. To which our Saviour ſeemeth to have reference: The hJohn 3.8.wind bloweth where it liſteth, and thou heareſt the ſound thereof, but knoweſt not whence it commeth, that is, originally:
There came a ſound. Some will have this ſound to bee an eccho, or a ſound at ſecond hand, becauſe ſo it will bee a fitter embleme of the Apoſtles preaching to the people, and ours to you. For firſt, the ſound of the Goſpel comes from God to us, and then it rebounds from us to you: but the word in the originall is not foreign, an eccho, but foreign, a ſound: beſides, the eccho comes by reverberation from below, but this ſound came from above.
From heaven. Lorinus and other Commentatours are of opinion, that heaven here, as in many other Texts of Scripture, is put for the aire: as God is ſaid toiGen. 7.11. open the windowes of heaven, and to raine fire and kGen. 19.24.brimſtone from heaven. But I ſee no reaſon why foreign here may not ſignifie the efficient cauſe, and heaven bee taken properly. For though the ſenſe of hearing judged it, that the ſound began but in the aire, yet it was there made without any apparent cauſe: and why may not this ſound be as well from heaven properly, as we reade of a voice from heaven, ſaying, lMat. 3.17.This is my well beloved Sonne in whom I am well pleaſed: and another voice from heaven, ſaying,mJohn 12.28. I have both glorified it (my name) and will glorifie it againe: and yet a third voice from heaven, ſaying, Bleſſed are the nRev. 14 13.dead which dye in the Lord? But what manner of ſound was this?
As of a ruſhing mighty wind, or rather a ruſhing blaſt. For in the originall it is foreign, not foreign, ruentis flatus, not venti. As our breath differeth from our ſpirit and breathing parts, ſo the ſpirit which the Apoſtles received, was not the holy Ghoſt himſelfe the third perſon, but ſome extraordinary gifts and graces of the ſpirit. Though Peter Lumbard the great Maſter of the ſentences ſeemed to encline to that opinion, that the Apoſtles received the very perſon of the holy Ghoſt; yet this conceit of his is pricked through with an obeliſque, and à magiſtro hic non tenetur by the later Schoolmen, who rightly diſtinguiſh between the ſubſtance of the ſpirit and the gifts. The infinite ſubſtance neither is nor can bee imparted to any creature, but the finite graces, whereof they were only capable. The Law & the Goſpel both came to the eares of men by a ſound, the one from Sinai, the other from Sion; that was delivered in thundering & lightening, with darkneſſe and an earth-quake, this in a ſound of a gale of wind, and in the likeneſſe of ſhining tongues, the Apoſtles ſitting ſtill, the place being filled, but not ſhooke with the blaſt. As in leſſons skilfully pricked, the muſicall notes anſwer to the matter of the ditty; ſo the manner of the publiſhing of the Law and Goſpel was correſpondent to the matter contained in them; that was proclaimed in a dreadfull manner, this in a comfortable. For the oRom. 4.15.Law worketh wrath, but the Goſpel peace: the Law feare, the Goſpel hope: the Law an obſcure, the Goſpel a more cleere and evident knowledge: according to that ſacred aphoriſme of Saint Ambroſe, Umbra in Lege, imago in Evangelio, veritas in coelo; there was a ſhadow in the Law, an image in the Goſpel, the truth it ſelfe in heaven. Moſes himſelfe quaked at the giving of the Law, but we reade not that the Apoſtles were terrified, but exceedingly comforted at the receiving of the Goſpel: as the roome was filled with the blaſt, ſo their hearts with joy.
And it filled the place where they were ſitting. The Apoſtles expected the fulfilling of Chriſts promiſe, and it is very likely that they were praying on their knees: yet they might be truly ſaid foreign, which our tranſlators render ſitting. For the word in the originall importeth only a ſettled abode, as it is taken in the verſe following, There appeared cloven tongues like fire, foreign, and it ſate upon each of them. Sitting (as the word is taken in our language) is a kind of poſture of mans body, which cannot be imagined either in fire, or tongues: the meaning therefore is no more, than it abode or reſted on them.
Thus have I peeled the barke, let us now ſucke the juice: we have viewed the engraving on the outſide of the cup, let us now drinke the celeſtiall liquor, and relliſh the ſpirituall meaning couched under the letter. The later Commentatours for the moſt part (like Apothecaries boyes) gather the broad leaves and white flowers that are found on the top of the water; but the ancient (like skilfull Indians) dive deep to the bottome, and from thence take up pearles.
1. They obſerve that God uſeth ſignes to ſtrike our ſenſes, thereby to ſtirre us up, that we may give more heed to that which he then fore-warneth us of, or at the preſent worketh in us. Of ſignes in Scripture wee find three ſorts:
1. Irae, of Gods anger, as extraordinary earth-quakes, fire and brimſtone falling from heaven, and other prodigious events.
2. Potentiae, of his power, or rather omnipotency, as miracles.
3. Gratiae, of grace and favour, and theſe were
1. Significantia tantum, ſuch as ſignified, or prefigured grace only, as types.
2. Obſignantia, ſuch as ſeale unto us, and actually exhibit grace, as ſacraments.
The firſt ſort are praeter naturam, the ſecond contra naturam, the third ſupra naturam.
The ſignes here were tranſeunt only, as the burningpExod. 3.2. buſh, & theqMat. 3.16. dove in the likeneſſe whereof the ſpirit deſcended; and therefore could not be ſacraments in the proper acception of the word: yet are they to be reduced to the third kind of ſignes, ſigna gratiae. Strange accidents for the moſt part fore-ſhew ſtrange events: and as many ſignes are miraculous, ſo many miracles are ſignificant. In Sicilie the ſea water began to ſweeten a little before the depoſing the cruell tyrant rPlin. nat. hiſt. l. 2. c. 97. Eo die quo pulſus eſt Dionyſius regno, mare dulceſcebat in portu.Dionyſius: in like manner Domitian dreamed that he ſaw a head of gold riſe up upon the nape of his necke, which fore-ſhewed that a better head of that Monarchy ſhould ſucceed him. Before the civill war between Caeſar & Pompey, there were ſeen twoſPlin. l. 2. nat. hiſt. c. 83. In agro Mutinenſi duo montes inter ſe concurrebant crepitu maximo aſſultantes. mountaines running one at the other in the field of Mutina; and to ſhew that Caeſar ſhould have the better at the beginning of the warre, there grew in the Capitoll on the ſudden a laurell tree at the foot of his ſtatue. Before the deſtruction of Jeruſalem, there was ſeen a ſtarre in the skie like tJoſeph. de bel. Jud. l. 7. c. 12. Supra civitatem ſtetit ſydus ſimile gladio, & per annum perſeveravit.a drawne ſword, perpendicularly hanging over the City. And not to build upon the ſandy foundation of humane Hiſtories, the ſacred Story affordeth the like. Before the true bread deſcended from heaven, Manna rained from heaven upon the Iſraelites. The water iſſuing out of the rocke that was ſtrucke, fore-ſhewed the fountaine for ſinne and uncleanneſſe, which was opened, when the ſide of Chriſt the true rocke was ſtruck and pierced by the ſpeare of the ſouldier: the drowning of Pharaoh and all his hoſt in the red ſea, the deſtruction of the Divell and all our ghoſtly enemies in the bloud of our Redeemer: the going backe of the Sunne in the diall of Ahaz, the ſetting backe the finger in the diall of Hezekiahs life: the appearing of a new ſtarre to the Sages, the riſing of a new light in the world, to lighten the Gentiles, and to be the glory of the people Iſrael: the eclipſe of the Sunne at Chriſts death, the obſcuration of the divine majeſty in the Sonne of God for a time: the great draught of fiſh which Saint Peter tooke after Chriſts reſurrection, the happy ſucceſſe of him and the reſt of the Apoſtles, who were fiſhers of men, and caught many thouſands at one draught in the net of the Goſpel. There fell ſcales from S. Pauls eyes, before God drew from the eyes of his underſtanding the filme of ignorance and blind zeale: and here, before the Apoſtles were filled with the holy Ghoſt, and ſpake with divers tongues, the roome where they aboad was filled with a mighty ruſhing wind, and there appeared in the aire fiery cloven tongues.
But what did the ſuddenneſſe of it betoken?
Suddenly. The Fathers read three lectures upon this circumſtance, teaching that the motions and operations of the Spirit are
1. Speedy,
2. Free,
3. Come and gone in an inſtant.
The firſt is read us by St. Ambroſe, Spiritus neſcit tarda molimina, the Spirit is quicke in operation. As the lightening paſſeth in an inſtant from Eaſt to Weſt, becauſe it findeth no reſiſtance; ſo the worke of grace in the heart is ſuddenly done, eſpecially for the reaſon given by St. Auſtine, Becauſe no hard heart can repell or refuſe it: for the firſt worke of grace is to take away the ſtone out of the heart; which being taken away, it preſently receiveth the Spirits impreſſions. Who more averſe from the Chriſtian faith than St. Paul? yet in an inſtant by a viſion from heaven he is changed from perſecuting Saul to preaching Paul. At one Sermon of St. Peter many thouſand ſoules were gained. And in Diocleſians time, after the edict ſet up in the market place for the utter extirpation of the Chriſtian Religion, the whole world on the ſudden turned Chriſtian. When God knocketh by effectuall grace, the iron gates of the hardeſt heart flie open on the ſudden.
The ſecond leſſon is read by St. Gregorie, That grace is free, and not procured by any merit of ours. Here was no matter of this winde, nor naturall cauſe of this ſound; no more can there be aſſigned any meritorious cauſe in us of ſupernaturall grace. Who can cauſe the ſunne to riſe, or the wind to blow, or the deaw to fall? much leſſe can any procure by his merits either the beames of the ſunne of righteouſneſſe to ſhine, or the gales of the ſpirit to blow, or the deaw of grace to fall upon him. Therefore the Synod at Dioſpolis condemnes them for Heretickes, who affirmed Gratiam Dei ſecundum merita hominum dari; that the grace of God is given according to mans merits. And the Synod at Arauſica pronounced an Anathema againſt ſuch as teach, that man beginneth, and God perfects: Whoſoever (ſay they) teach, that to him that asketh, ſeeketh, & knocketh, &c.uConcil. Arauſic. c. 6. Si quis ſine gratiâ Dei credentibus, volentibus, pulſantibus, &c. grace is given, and not that by the infuſion and inſpiration of the holy Spirit this is wrought in us, that we beleeve, aske, or knocke, gain-ſayeth the Apoſtle demanding, what haſt thou that thou haſt not received?
The third leſſon is Origens, That good motions are as ſuddenly gone as they come. The Spouſe in the Canticles on the ſudden findeth her husband, & on the ſudden loſeth him; which I call God to witneſſe (ſaithxOrig. in Cant. Conſpicit Sponſa Sponſum, qui conſpectus ſtatim abſceſsit, & frequenter hoc in toto carmine facit, quod niſi quis patiatur non poteſt intelligere: ſaepe, Deus eſt teſtis, Sponſum mihi adventate conſpexi, & mecum eſſe, & ſubitò recedentem invenire non potui. Origen) I my ſelfe have ſenſible experience in my meditations upon this book. And who of us in his private devotions findeth not the like? Sometimes in our divine conceptions, contemplations, and prayers, we are as it were on float, ſometimes on the ſudden at an ebbe; ſometimes wee are carried with full ſaile, ſometimes we ſticke as it were in the haven. The uſe we are to make hereof is, when we heare the gales of the Spirit riſe, to hoiſe up our ſailes; to liſten to the ſound when we firſt heare it, becauſe it will be ſoon blown over; to cheriſh the ſparkes of grace, becauſe if they be not cheriſhed, they will ſoone dye.
There came a ſound. Death entred in at the windowes, that is, the eyes (ſaith Origen) but life at the eares.zGal. 1.8. For the juſt ſhall live by faith, and faith commeth by hearing. The ſound is not without the wind; for the Spirit ordinarily accompanieth the preaching of the Word: neither is the wind without the ſound. Away then with Anabaptiſticall Enthuſtiaſts, try the ſpirits whether they be of God or no by the Word of God: To the yEſay 8.20.Law and to the teſtimony (ſaith the Prophet Eſay) If they ſpeake not according to this word, it is becauſe there is no light in them: And if we (ſaith the Apoſtle) or an Angel from heaven preach unto you any other Goſpel than what ye have received, that is, (ſaith St.*Aug. contr. lit. Petil. l. 3. c. 6. Praeterquam quod in Scripturis legalibus, & Evangelicis accepiſtis, Anathema ſit. Auſtine) than what is contained in the Propheticall and Apoſtolicall writings, let him be accurſed.
From heaven. This circumſtance affordeth us a threefold doctrine:
1. That the Spirit hath a dependance on the Son, and proceedeth from him: for the Spirit deſcended not till after the Son aſcended, who both commanded his Diſciples to ſtay at Jeruſalem, and wait for the promiſe of the Father, which yee have aAct. 1.4.heard (ſaith he) from mee: and promiſed after his departure to ſend the bJohn 15.26. When the comforter is come, whom I will ſend unto you from the Father. Act. 1.5. Yee ſhall be baptized with the holy Ghoſt, not many dayes hence.ſpirit, and accordingly ſent him ten dayes after his aſcenſion with the ſound of a mighty wind in the likeneſſe of fiery cloven tongues.
2. That the Goſpel is of divine authority. As the Law came from heaven, ſo the Goſpel; and ſo long as we preach Gods word, ye ſtill heare ſonum de coelo, a ſound from heaven. ThuscLactan. inſtit. l. 3. c. 30. Ecce vox de coelo veritatem docens, & ſole ipſo clarius lumen oſtendens. Lactantius concludes in the end of his third booke of divine inſtitutions, How long ſhall we ſtay (ſaith he) till Socrates will know any thing, or Anaxagoras find light in darkneſſe, or Democritus draw up the truth from the bottome of a deep Well, or Empedocles enlarge the narrow pathes of his ſenſes, or Arceſilas and Carneades, according to their ſceptick doctrine, ſee, feele, or perceive any thing? Behold a voice from heaven teaching us the truth, and diſcovering unto us a light brighter than the ſunne.
3. That the doctrine of the Goſpel is not earthly, but of a heavenly nature, that it teacheth us to frame our lives to a heavenly converſation, that it mortifieth our fleſhly luſts, ſtifleth ambitious deſires, raiſeth our mind from the earth, and maketh us heavenly in our thoughts, heavenly in our affections, heavenly in our hopes and deſires. For albeit there are excellent morall and politicke precepts in it, directing us to manage our earthly affaires; yet the maine ſcope and principall end thereof is, to bring the Kingdome of heaven unto us by grace, and us into it by glory. This a meer ſound cannot doe: therefore it is added,
As of a ruſhing mighty wind. This blaſt or wind is a ſacred ſymbole of the Spirit, and there is ſuch a manifold reſemblance between them, that the ſame word, (in Hebrew foreign in Greeke foreign, in Latine ſpiritus) ſignifieth both: what ſo like as wind to the Spirit?
1. As the wind bloweth where itdJohn 3.8. liſteth, ſo the Spirit inſpireth whom he pleaſeth.
2. As wee feele the wind, and heare it, yet ſee it not; ſo wee heare of the Spirit in the word, and feele him in our hearts, yet ſee him not.
3. As breath commeth from the heat of our bowells; ſo the third perſon, as the Schooles determine, proceedeth from the heat of love in the Father and the Son.
4. As the wind purgeth the floore, and cleanſeth the aire, ſo the Spirit purifieth the heart.
5. As in a hot ſummers day nothing ſo refreſheth a traveller as a coole blaſt of wind; ſo in the heat of perſecutions, and heart burning ſorrow of afflictions, nothing ſo refreſheth the ſoule as the comfort of the Spirit, who is therefore ſtiled Paracletus, the Comforter.
6. As the wind in an inſtant blowes downe the ſtrongeſt towers and higheſt trees; ſo the Spirit overthrowes the ſtrongeſt holds of Sathan, and humbleth the haughtieſt ſpirit.
7. As the wind blowing upon a garden, carrieth a ſweet ſmell to all parts whither it goeth; ſo the Spirit bloweth upon, and openeth the flowers of Paradiſe, and diffuſeth the ſavour of life unto life through the whole Church.
8. As the wind driveth the ſhip through the waves of the ſea, & carrieth it to land; ſo the gales of Gods Spirit carrie us through the troubleſome waves of this world, and bring us into the haven where wee would bee. Cui cum Patre, & Filio ſit laus, &c.