A Key Opening Mysterious Texts of Scripture, Collection of sermons 6 · Sermon 68
CHRISTIAN BROTHER-HOOD. A Sermon preached on the ſecond Sunday in Lent. THE LXVIII. SERMON.
ACTS 2.37.
And they ſaid to Peter and the reſt of the Apoſtles; Men and brethren.
MAny of the ancients write, that S. Luke was an excellent limmer, and drew the bleſſed Virgin to the life: how true it is that he tooke the picture of the mother of God, I know not (for the firſt relaters were Apocryphall writers) but ſure I am, in this text as a table hee ſetteth forth the children of God in their colours, and deſcribeth them by their proper marks: which are three;
1. In the eare.
2. In the heart.
3. In the hand.
1. The eare-marke is carefull attention, when they heard.
2. The heart-marke is deepe compunction, they were pricked in heart.
3. The hand-marke is ſollicitous action, Men and brethren, what ſhall we doe?
Wee have already viewed the eares of theſe converts, and found them bored thorow for the perpetuall ſervice of God, and hung with the jewels of the Goſpel: next we ſearched into their hearts, and found them pierced with ſorrow for being ſome way acceſſarie (at leaſt by conſent) to the death of the Lord of life: and now wee are to looke to their hands, and ſee what they will doe, or rather what they will not bee willing to doe, to make their peace with God, and waſh away the guilt of ſpilling his Sonnes bloud.
Men and brethren, what ſhall we doe? Ye heare (men and brethren) in this cloſe of the verſe
1. A courteous compellation, which ſavoureth of
1. Humanity, Men. Now they hold the Apoſtles men, Ver. 13.whom a little before they eſteemed no better of than drunken beaſts.
2. Charity, Brethren. Not aliens from the Common-wealth of Iſrael, not ſtrangers.
2. An important queſtion, which is a queſtion of
1. Feare, What ſhall we doe to eſcape the wrath to come for that we have done?
2. Care, What ſhall we doe to make ſome part of amends for our crimſon ſinne, in ſhedding the bloud of that righteous and holy One?
3. Piety, What ſhall we doe that we may reape benefit by his death, whom ignorantly we ſlew with wicked hands?
Thus have I chalked unto you the way of my preſent and future diſcourſes upon this Scripture, wherein I intreat your attention and devotion to goe along with mee, that I and you may firſt know in the ſpeculative part what wee are to doe, and then in the practicke doe what wee know to be neceſſary for the obtaining the remiſſion of our ſins.
Men. Is there not a Pleonaſmus or redundancy in the words Men and Brethren? Is not this appellative men rather a burthen than an ornament to the ſentence? Are there any brethren that are not men? Yes, if we will beleeve the Legend of Saint Francis: for he found a new alliance and brotherhood amongſt beaſts, ordinarily ſaluting them in this manner when he met them, Brother Oxe, brother Beare, brother Wolfe (and it is marvell that the chronicles of his life related not that ſome of them reſaluted him againe by the title of brother Aſſe for his labour.) But this is a note beneath Gammoth, and a degree below lowlineſſe it ſelfe: for humility will admit none to be of her kinred and brotherhood, that beare not the image of God our Father. The beaſts of the field are indeed fellow-creatures with us, but they are our juments and ſervants, no way our brethren. Was then the word men added to intimate that ſuch is the inhumanity or unmanlineſſe of many, that a man may meet with many brethren by bloud, by alliance, by profeſſion, by country, who yet deſerve not the ſtile of men, becauſe brethren without all humanity, and ſo no men: without heart or courage, and ſo no men: effeminate in their ſpeech, habit, carriage, trim and dreſſe, and ſo no men? Neither can this be the meaning of the words. For the Jewes were not now in a Satyricall veine, but like men that had been newly let bloud by a deep inciſion, they ſpeake faintly, and in an humble manner beſeech their Phyſicians to preſcribe what they muſt doe to recover their health. We are therefore to underſtand that in the originall there is no pleonaſme, nor bitter ſarcaſme, but an elegancie and an emphaſis in our tongue: there is but one name for men of the better ſort & inferiour ranke: but in greeke there are two, foreign the word here uſed, and foreign, and they differ as much as ayre and earth, or chriſtall and glaſſe, or pearle and ſtone: for foreign ſignifieth an ordinary man of the vulgar ſort, but foreign a man of parts, a man of worth, a man of note, a man full of humanity, pity, and compaſſion: and herein they ſecretly couch an argument, to induce the Apoſtles to take ſome care of their ſoules; as if they ſhould ſay, Though ye are men of God, yet ye are men as we are: the divine graces in you bereave you not of humane paſſions. Suffer then not men as you are to be caſt away, bring not the bloud of this righteous man upon us, pity us in this our perplexity, pray to God for us, adviſe us what we are to doe, ſtretch a hand of charity to us, to plucke us out of the chops of Sathan, and flames of hell fire.
Me thinkes I ſhould paſſe this note in ſo Chriſtian an auditory, and not ſtand to prove that we ought to be men, not like beaſts without reaſon, not like monſters without all bowels, without naturall affection and compaſſion: yet were many that call themſelves brethren men, could they grind the faces of the poore as they doe? could they not only tondere, but deglubere, not only ſheare, but flea Chriſts ſheep? were they men, would they uſe men like beaſts? would they make themſelves beaſts, and expreſſe the condition of the worſt of beaſts, by returning with the dogge to their vomit, and with the ſow to their wallowing in the mire? are they men, who take greateſt delight in drowning their reaſon, and extinguiſhing that light of underſtanding in them which maketh them men? are they men? have they hearts of fleſh? have they eyes conſiſting of an aqueous humour, who ſuffer men made after Gods image to pine away before their eyes for want of a crumme of their ſtore, a graine of their magazine, a drop of their ocean, a mite of their treaſury, a cluſter of grapes of their vintage, a gleaning of their harveſt? are they men, that never remember the affliction of Joſeph, that never thinke of the beſieged in Rochel, of the perſecuted in Bohemia and the Palatinate, and almoſt all parts of Germany, as good men as themſelves, and better Chriſtians, who endure either the violence of oppreſſion, or the ſhame of infamy, or the ſervitude of captivity, or the inſolency of tiranny, or the griping of famine, or the terrours of ſundry kinds of death? It grieved the Oratour to proclaime foreign, O my friends, there is no true friend among you: but it much more grieveth thoſe that are to give an account of your ſoules, to be enforced to complaine, Men and brethren, there are few men or brethren among you, but few that deſerve the name of men, and fewer of
Brethren. They call the Apoſtles brethren, either in a kind of correſpondency of courteſie, becauſe the Apoſtles ſo ſtiled them before (Men and brethren, Ver. 29.let mee freely ſpeake unto you of the Patriarch David) or to inſinuate themſelves into their love; foreign quaſi foreign, co-uterini, ſprigs iſſuing out of the ſame root, men iſſuing out of the ſame wombe,
1. Either of fleſh, as brothers that have the ſame mother.
2. Or of the Church, as all that are new borne in it.
3. Or of the earth, as all men.
Some who delight more in the ſound of words than ſoundneſſe of matter, make their cimbals thus tinckle in our eares: There are brethren (ſay they) of three ſorts, either by race, as all of the ſame linage: or by place, as all of the ſame country or city: or by grace, as all of the ſame religion. But I like better of St.aCont. Helvid. c. 7. Scriptura divina dicit fratres, 1. naturâ, 2. gente, 3. cognatione, 4 affectu: quod poſtremum dividitur in ſpirituale & commune: ſpirituale, quo omnes Chriſtiani fratres vocantur; commune, quo omnes homines ex uno patre nati pari inter ſe germanitate conjunguntur. Jeromes diſtinction of brethren: 1. by nature or bloud: 2. by cognation or affinity: 3. by nation or country: 4. by love & affection: 1. common, to all men, the ſons of Adam our father: 2. ſpeciall, to all Chriſtians, the ſons of the ſame mother the Church.
1. Nature made Jacob and Eſau brethren.
2. Affinity our Lord and James brethren.
3. Nation or country Peter and the Jewes brethren.
4. Affection and obligation
1. Spirituall, all Chriſtians,
2. Carnall and common, all men brethren.
Thus the ſignifications of brother in Scripture, like the circles made by a ſtone caſt into the water, not only multiply, but much enlarge themſelves: the firſt is a narrow circle about the ſtone, the next fetcheth a bigger compaſſe, the third a greater & more capacious than it, the fourth ſo large that it toucheth the bankes of the river: in like manner, the firſt ſignification of brethren is confined to one houſe, nay to one bed and wombe, the ſecond extendeth it ſelfe to all of one family or linage, the third to the whole nation or country, the fourth and laſt to the utmoſt bounds of the earth. No name ſo frequently occurreth in Scripture as this of brethren, no love more often enforced than brotherly. We need not goe farre for emblemes thereof,bPlut. de amor. fratr. Plutarch hath found many in our body: for wee have two eyes, two eares, two noſtrills, two hands, two feet, which are, as hee termeth them, foreign, brethren and twinne members, formed out of like matter, being of one ſhape, one bigneſſe, and ſerving to one and the ſelfe ſame uſe. Nature her ſelfe kindleth the fire of brotherly love in our hearts, and God by the blaſts of his Spirit, and the breath of his Miniſters bloweth it continually: yet in many it waxeth cold, and in ſome it ſeemeth to bee quite extinguiſhed. Saint Paul prayed that the PhilippianscPhil. 1.9. love might abound more and more. Hee exhorteth the Hebrewes, Let brotherly dHeb. 13.1.love continue: but we need now-adaies to caſt our exhortation into a new mold, and ſay, Let brotherly love begin in you. For were it begun, ſo many quarrells, ſo many factions, ſo many ſects, ſo many broiles, ſo many law-ſuites would not be begun as we ſee every day, ſet on foot. Did we looke upon the badge of our livery, which is mutualleJohn 13.35. By this all men ſhall know that ye are my diſciples, if ye love one anther. love, we would cry ſhame of our ſelves for that which we ſee and heare every day, ſuch out-cries, ſuch railing, ſuch curſing, ſuch threatning, ſuch banding opprobrious ſpeeches, ſuch challenges into the field, and ſpilling the bloud of thoſe for whom Chriſt ſhed his moſt precious bloud. Is it not ſtrange that they ſhould fall foule one upon another, who have bin both waſhed in the ſame laver of regeneration? that they ſhould thirſt after one anothers bloud, who drinke of the ſame cup of benediction? that they ſhould lift their hands up one againſt another, for whom Chriſt ſpread his hands upon the croſſe? Let there be no fGen. 13.8.falling out between mee and thee (ſaith Abraham to Lot) for wee are brethren. Let mee preſſe you further, & touch you neerer to the quick▪ Let there be no ſtrife among you; for you are members one of another: nay, which is more, Yee are all members of Chriſt Jeſus. What? members of Chriſt, and ſpurne one at another? members of Chriſt, and buffet one another? members of Chriſt, and ſupplant one another? members of Chriſt, and devoure one another? members of Chriſt, and deſtroy one another? It is true as Plutarch obſerveth, that the neerer the tye is the fouler the breach. As bodies that are but glewed together, if they be ſevered or rent aſunder, they may be glewed as faſt as ever they were; but corpora continua, as fleſh and ſinewes, if any cut or rupture be made in them, they cannot bee ſo joyned together againe, but a ſcarre will remaine: ſo thoſe who are onelyonly glewed together by ſome civill reſpects, may fall out and fall in againe, without any great impeachment to their reputation or former friendſhip; but they who are tied together by nerves and ſinewes of naturall or ſpirituall obligation, and made one fleſh or ſpirit together, if there fall any breach between them, it cannot be ſo fairely made up, but that like the putting a new peece of cloth into an old garment, the going about to piece or reconcile them maketh the rent worſe. WhengCic. famil. ep. l. 9. Noli pati litig…re fratres, & judiciis turpi…us conflictari. Tully underſtood of a ſuit in law commenced between Quintus and M. Fabius, hee earneſtly wrote to Papirius to take up the matter:gCic. famil. ep. l. 9. Noli pati litig…re fratres, & judiciis turpi…us conflictari. Suffer not (ſaith hee) brethren to implead one another. For though ſuits about title of lands ſeem to be the faireſt of any, yet even theſe are foule among brethren: wherefore (my beloved brethren) let us
1. Prevent all occaſions of difference: let there be no tindar of malice in our hearts ready to take fire upon the flying of the leaſt ſparke into it: let us ſo root and ground our ſelves in love, that no ſmall offence may ſtirre us: let us endeavour by all friendly offices ſo to endeare our ſelves to our brethren, and ſo faſten all naturall and civill ties by religious obligations, that we alwaies keep thehEpheſ. 4.3. unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
2. If it cannot be but that offences will come and diſtract us, if the Divell or his agents caſt a fire-brand among us, let us all runne preſently to quench it: let us imitate wiſe Mariners, who as ſoone as they ſpie a leake ſpring in the ſhip, ſtop it with all ſpeed, before it grow wider, and endanger the drowning of the veſſell.
3. After the breach is made up, and the wound cloſed and healed, let us not rub upon the old ſore, according to the rule ofiCoel. Rodig. antiq. lect. l. 16. & 19. Pythagoras, Ignem gladio ne fodias, let us not rake into the aſhes or embers of the fire of contention lately put out. As we pray that God may caſt our ſinnes, ſo let us caſt our brothers treſpaſſes againſt us into thekMicah 7.19 bottome of the ſea. The Athenians (aslPlut. lib. de fraterno amo…e. Plutarch writeth) tooke one day from the monethmonth of May, and razed it out of all their Calenders, becauſe on that day Neptune and Minerva fell out one with another; even ſo let us Chriſtians much more bury thoſe daies in perpetuall oblivion, & ſtrike them out of our Almanacks, in which any bloudy fray or bitter contention hath fallen among us. For our Father is the God of peace: our Saviour is the Prince of peace: our Comforter is the Spirit of peace and love. God who is mJohn 4.8.love, and of his love hath begot us, loveth nothing more in the children of his love, than the mutuall love of his children one to another.nMat. 23.8. Ye are all brethren: love therefore as brethren, be pitifull, be courteous, not rendering evill for evill, nor railing for railing; but contrariwiſe o1 Pet 3.8, 9.bleſsing, knowing that yee are thereunto called, that yee ſhould inherit a bleſsing. As beames of the ſame ſunne, let us meet in the center of light: as rivelets of the ſame ſpring, joyne in the ſource of grace: as ſprigs on the ſame root, or twins on the ſame ſtalke, ſticke alwaies together. Such was the love of the Saints of God in old time, that their hearts were knit one to the other: yea, which is more, All the beleevers had but pActs 4.32. The multitude of them that beleeved, were of one heart, & of one ſoule.one heart. But ſuch love is not now to be found in our bookes, much leſſe in our converſations: we hardly beleeve there can be ſuch love in beleevers; we ſeem not to be of their race, wee ſeem rather to be deſcended many of us from Coelius, who could not be quiet if he were not in quarrells; who was angry if he were not provoked to anger: whoſe motto was, Dic aliquid, ut duo ſimus; Say or doe ſomething, that we may be two: or from Sylla, of whom Valerius Maximus writeth, that it was a great queſtion whether he or his malice firſt expired: for he died railing, and railed dying: or of Eteocles and Polynices, who as they warred all their life, ſo after a ſort they expreſſed their diſcord and diſſention after their death: for at their funerals the flame of the dead corpſes parted aſunder when they were burned. When the Son of man commeth, ſhall hee find qLuke 18.8.faith on the earth (ſaith our Saviour?) I feare we may demand rather, ſhall he find charity on the earth? All the true family of love may ſeem to be extinct: for the greater part of men, as if they had been baptized in the waters of ſtrife, from the font to their tomb-ſtone are in continuall frettings, vexings, quarrells, ſchiſme and faction. Turba gravis paci placidaeque inimica quieti.
But let theſe Salamanders, which live perpetually in the fire of contention, take heed, leſt without ſpeedy repentance they be caſt into the lake which burneth with fire and brimſtone forever. IfrMat. 5.9. bleſſed are the peace-makers, for they ſhall be called the children of God; curſed are all make-bates, for they ſhall be called the children of the wicked one. If the fruits of ſJam. 3.18.righteouſneſſe are ſowne in peace of them that make peace, certainly the fruits of iniquity are ſowne in contention by them that ſtirre up ſtrife and contention. If they that ſow tPro. 6.16, 19. Theſe ſixe things doth the Lord hate, yea ſeven are abomination unto him: a falſe witneſſe that ſpeaketh lies, and he that ſoweth diſcord among brethren.diſcord among brethren are an abomination to the Lord, they that plant love and ſet concord are his chiefe delight. WhatuCic. tuſc. 1. Optimum non naſci, proximum quàm citiſſimè mori. Silenus ſpake of the life of man, The best thing was not to be borne, the next to dye as ſoone as might be, may bee fitly applyed to all quarrells and contentions among Chriſtian brethren; it is the happieſt thing of all that ſuch diſſentions never ſee light: the next is, if they ariſe and come into the Chriſtian world, that they dye ſuddenly after their birth; at the moſt let them be but like thoſe foreign, ſmall creatures Ariſtotle ſpeaketh of, whoſe life exceedeth not a ſummers day. Let not the *Epheſ. 4.26.ſun goe down upon our wrath. How can we long be at odds and diſtance, if we conſider that we are all brethren by both ſides? For as we call one God our Father, ſo we acknowledge one Church our Mother: wee have all ſucked the ſame breaſts, the Old and New Teſtaments: we are all bred up in the ſame ſchoole, the ſchoole of the croſſe: we are all fed at the ſame table, the Lords board: we are all incorporated into one ſociety, the communion of Saints; and made joynt-heires with our elder brother Chriſt Jeſus of one Kingdome in Heaven. If theſe and the like conſiderations cannot knit our hearts together in love, which is the bond of perfection, the Heathen ſhall riſe up in judgement and condemne us.xMart. epig. lib. 1. Si Lucane tibi, vel ſi tibi, Tulle, darentur, Qualia Ledaei fata Lacones habent, &c. Martial writeth of two brothers, between whom there was never any contention but this, who ſhould die one for the other:
Nobilis haec eſſet pietatis rixa duobus,
Quod pro fratre mori vellet uterque prior.
The ſpeech alſo of Pollux to Caſtor his brother is remarkable, yMart. epig. lib. 1.Vive tuo, frater, tempore, vive meo.
I cannot let paſſe Antiochus, who when he heard that his brother Seleuchus, who had been up in armes againſt him, died at Galata, commanded all the Court to mourne for him; but when afterwards hee was more certainly enformed that he was alive, and levied a great army againſt him, he commanded all his Commanders and chiefe Captaines to ſacrifice to their gods, & crown themſelves with garlands for joy that his brother was alive. But above all,zPlut. de fraterno amore. Euclid ſhewed in himſelfe the true ſymptomes of brotherly affection, who when his brother in his rage made a raſh vow, Let me not live if I be not revenged of my brother, Euclid turnes the ſpeech the contrary way, Nay, let me not live if I be not reconciled to my brother; let me not live if we be not made as good friends as ever before. Shall nature be ſtronger than grace? bonds of fleſh tie ſurer than the bonds of the ſpirit? one tie knit hearts together faſter than many? TheaCic. offic. l. 1. Oratour ſaith, Omnes omnium charitates patria complectitur; but we may ſay more truly, Omnes omnium charitates Chriſtus complectitur, all bonds of love, friendſhip, affinity and conſanguinity, all neerneſſe and dearneſſe, all that can make increaſe or continue love, is in Chriſt Jeſus, into whoſe ſpirit we are all baptized, into whoſe body we are incorporated, who in his love ſacrificed himſelfe to his Fathers juſtice for us, who giveth his body and bloud to us in this ſacrament to nouriſh Chriſtian love in us. For therefore we all eate of one bread, that we may be made one bread; therefore wee are made partakers of his naturall body, that wee may be all made one myſticall body, and all quickned with one ſpirit, that ſpirit which raiſed up our head Chriſt Jeſus from the dead. Cui, cum Patre, &c.