Two Sermons for the Direction for Christian Carriage, Dedication 2
TO THE RIGHT VVORSHIPFVLL Sir IOHN HOBART Knight, Eldest Sonne and Heire to the Right Honourable Sir HENRY HOBART, Lord Chiefe Iustice of the Common Pleaes.
RIGHT WORSHIPFVLL:
HAVING vponupon some enducements (how weightie I leaue to the censure of others; but such as to methen seemed not altogether vnsufficient) cōceiued a purpose of publishing the former Discourse, I thought it not amisse to annex this ensuing vntounto it, as meetly well suting with the Argument therein handled, and not vnfit therfore to second it. And remembring withall, that among other of those, whom I owe dutie and respect vntounto, I had not hitherto▪ remembred your selfe in this kinde, I checked my selfe for it, and resolued with my selfe not to rest longer guiltie of such neglect. I know I shall not need in many words to intreat your Worships kinde acceptance of it, either for mine owne sake, or for it selfe. The one I am bold to presume of vponupon experience of your wonted courteous vsage and professed respect of mee farre aboue my desert. The other the subiect Matter of it maketh mee confident of: Which what it is, either the bare Title, or Text it selfe will soone acquaint you withall: And both ioyntly together will (I hope) helpe sufficiently either to couer or to counteruaile, the rawnesse and rudenesse, or what euer other defects in my weake and vnworthy Manner of handling so singular a Subiect, may seeme any way to blemish the Worke. I was neuer furnished with any store of Rhetoricall lights: And am willing therefore the rather to embelish my writings with such borrowed helpes as my poore reading affordeth either out of holy or humane Writers: whose Speeches and Obseruations also, either as aExod. 12. 35. Philosophi siqua vera & fidei nostrae accommoda dixerunt, non solùm formidā da nō sum, sed ab eis etiam tanquam iniustis possessoribus in usū nostrum vendicanda. Sicut enim Aegyptij non solùm idola habebant quae populus Israeliticus detestaretur, sed & vasa, ornamenta & vestimenta, quae pepulus ille Aegypto exiens non autoritate propria sed Dei praecepto tanquam ad usum meliorem sibi clanculum vendicavit, ipsis Aegyptijs nescienter commodantibus ea quibus non benè utebantur. Sic doctrinae Gentiliam non simulata solùm & superstitiosa figmenta habent, quae fugere & detestari debemus, sed & liberales disciplinas veritatis usui aptiores, & quaedam morum praecepta utilissima continent, quae tanquam aurum & argentum, quod non ipsi instituerunt, sed de quibusdam veritatis divinae metallis quae ubique infusa est, eruerunt, & quo peruerse abutuntur, ad usum justum praedicandi Deum auferre ab eis Christianus debet. Aug. de doctr. Christ. l. 2. c. 40.Aegyptian Spoiles, or as bDeut. 21. 10-13. Typus sapientiae secularis. Quando Philosophos legimus, & veniunt in manus nostras libri sapientiae secularis, siquid in eis utile reperimus, ad nostrum dogma convertimus. Si quid super fluum de idolis, amore, cura secularium, radimus, calvitium inducimus, in unguium morem ferro acutissimo desecamus. Hieron. ad Damas. Vide & Sidon▪ ad Faustum, ep. 9. lib. 9.Canaanitish Captiues, either cNum. 31. 22, 23.hauing past the fire, and beene purged of their Heathenish drosse, or being trimmed and pared from their Paganish super fluities, may well and warrantably vponupon good ground euen from dSic Paulus Arae epigraphen usurpavit & Arati testimonium Act. 17. 23, 28. Sed & Menandri 1 Cor. 15. 33. Et Callimachi, an Epimenidis Tit. 1. 12. Extat & Epos Hexametron Iacob. 1. 17. Et Iambicum geminum 2 Pet. 2. 22. quod & poeticum spirat.the practise of Gods Spirit, be not onelyonly admitted into the Commonwealth of Israel, but applied also eExod. 35. 5.to the vse of the Sanctuarie and of Gods seruice therein. He that furnished fEsai. 45. 3, 4. Ezra 1. 2.Cyrus with treasure for the building of his Temple, did no doubt furnish them also with much light of knowledge and literature, euen for the benefit of his Church and Children. In this Discourse especially I hauehave studied to be plaine, and to apply the things therein deliuered to the present times, gMatth. 24. 37, 38, 39. Luk. 17. 36, 37.which our Sauiour himselfe seemeth to parallel with those that NOA liued in. The badnesse and loosenesse of them, all generally complaine of, hQuomodo Sen. de benef. l. 3. c. 1. De ingratis etiam ingrati queruntur; cùm interim hoc omnibꝰ haereat, quod omnibꝰ displicet.euen those that helpe to make them so bad as they are. And it were greatly to be wished, that men were on all hands as forward to put their helping hand to the furthering and effecting of a generall reformation, as iforeign. Greg. Naz. ad cives periclit.they are prone to complaine of the badnesse of them, and to murmure rather against others (those especially aboue) by whose meanes they deeme that they become so bad, when themselues are the whilst, it may be, therein as faultie as any, than to mourne for, and repent of their owne excesses. The whole Citie, wee say, would soone be faire, if eueryevery one would but sweepe before his owne doore. And the whole estate would be soone reformed, if each one would but doe his part, kforeign. Aedibus in proprijs quae prava aut recta gerantur. Hemer. Odyss. δ'. Et ex Homere Socrates teste Gellio noct. Attic. l. 14. c. 7. Diogen. teste Laert. & Plut. de Valet. tuend. Domum redeamus. Cic, de clar. orat.looke home to himselfe, and set seriously vponupon the amendment of that one, whom it concerneth him most to looke after. This it nearely concerneth vsus all to doe, that if the Citie remaine foule still, while others doe not the like, yet the filth that is the cause of it, be not found before our doores: But those more specially, whose good example may helpe to draw many others on, as being more eminent than ordinary, either for place or parentage. In this ranke it hath pleased God to range your Worship; whose religious cariage therefore shall not onelyonly benefit your selfe, but may pricke▪on and encourage others, both at home and abroad: And for the furtherance of you therein, hath he vouch safed to furnish you with sundrie singular helpes aboue many others. To omit all other, your Honourable Fathers *foreign. Greg. Naz. de Basil.Example may goe for all, whose Life and Actions generally approued and admired, may be a liuely Precedent for your direction and imitation herein, especially liuing constantly and continually (lPlus tibi & viva vox, & convictus, quàm oratio proderit, In rem praesentē venias oportet. Primum quia homines amplius oculis quàm auribus credimus. Deinde quia longū est iter per praecepta; breve & efficax per exempla. Zenonem Cleanthes non expressisset, si eum tantummodo audisset: Vitae ejus interfuit, secreta perspexit, observavit illum, utrum ex formula sua viveret. Plus Plato ex moribus, quàm ex verbis Socratis traxit. Et magnos viros non schola Epicuri, sed contubernium fecit. Sen. epist. 60. a matter of no small consequence) with him, and so hauing it daily in your eye. Goe on therefore, Worthy Sir, I beseech you, hauing so rare a Paterne before you, to imitate him that goeth in and out before you, as you doe before others (the Archer giueth not ouer shooting and leuelling at the marke, though he neuer come, it may be, to hit the white; and it shall be mDemosthenē imitemur, quid. n. aliud n…s agimus? aut quid aliud optainꝰ? at non assequimur. Cic. de clar. orat. foreign. Greg. Naz. de Basil.your Honour there to imitate, where it is *A quo vinci etiā laus est, haud probrum: uti Accius.no disgrace to come short:) in fashioning your life and courses to the Rules of Gods will and word, and in helping to support the practise and profession of pietie, which through the iniquitie of times surrounded with a maine floud of prophanenesse, like enough to bring in, if it hold on, some second Deluge, seemeth in a manner to be cleane ouer set, and in danger to be borne downe. I am not ignorant, what priuie nips, yea and open pointings at (as the times are; and it is no new thing neither; it was euen so also nIam illud quale, quam sanctū, quod si quis ex nobilibꝰ ad Deum converti ceperit, statim honorē nobilitatis amittit? aut quantus in Christiano populo honor Christiē, ubi religio ignobilem facit? Statim enim ut quis melior esse tentaverit, deterioris abjectione calcatur: ac per hoc mali esse coguntur, ne viles habeātur. Itaque si honoratior quispiam religioni se applicuerit, illicò honoratus esse desistit; ubi mutaverit vestem, mutat protinus dignitatem; si fuerit sublimis, fit despicabilis: si fuerit splendidissimus, fit vilissimus: si fuerit totus honoris, fit totus iniuria. Perversa sunt enim, & in diversum cuncta mutata. Si bonus est quispiam, quasimalus spernitur; si est malus, quasi bom… honeratur. Salvian. de provid. l. 4. c. 4.long since) men of your ranke especially, must make account to expose themselues vntounto, if they will shew themselues religious, and fauourers of that which yet we all generally professe. But herein shall you shew your Christian courage with NOA, whose Example this weake Worke representeth vntounto you, if you shall for Gods sake contemne and set light by those things that make many, no doubt, forbeare to countenance that which inwardly they cannot but like and allow of; and the greater reward shall you for the same receiue at his hands. Now the same our gratious God strengthen and confirme you in all goodnesse, encrease in you his graces, oforeign. Theophylact. epist. 26.preserue you from all euill ones, protect you against pforeign. Idem epist. 7. & 10.all euils, as well corporall as spirituall, and bring both you and yours qRom. 6. 22. 2 Thess. 2. 13. Apoc. 20. 6.by true holinesse and sincere sanctification in his due time to full happinesse and eternall saluation. Amen.
Your Worships in all Christian seruice, THOMAS GATAKER.