The Seraphims Wings to Raise Us Unto Heaven, Sermon 2 – Title page 3
THE SECOND SERMON.
PSAL. 45. 5.
Good lucke hauehave thou with thine honour, ride on, for the word of truth, and meekeneſſe, and righteouſneſſe.
CHriſt is the end of the Law (ſaith the Apoſtle) yea and of the figures, and of the Ceremonies: towards him they all looke, from him they receiue their accompliſhment and perfection. He is the Moſes that ſhewes vsus the true God, and teacheth vsus his Law: He is the Ioſhua that deſtroyeth our enemies, and brings vsus vntounto Canaan: He the Dauid, that ſmote Goliah: He the Solomon, that built a temple, a temple (I ſay) not made with hands, but eternall in the heauens. Where then ſhall I go for the meaning of theſe words? but to that vniuerſall center, of eueryevery line within this ſacred volume? Non recedamus à lapide angulari (ſaith Auſtin) There is no departing from the corner ſtone, vnleſſe we meane to looſe our way. Chriſt is the landmark, and boundary of this and other propheſies; what though Dauid write vntounto the King, or ſpeake of his ſonne? It is the beloued Sonne of God, that lyeth in the boſome of the Father, that is the ſubiect of his prediction: Thus doth one wheele, run within another, as in the viſion of Ezechiel, Chriſt in Solomon, and grace in Chriſt: for what the Apoſtles ſaw in the fleſh, the Prophets behold in the ſpirit, and if euer Dauid were the pen of another, mooued by the holy Ghoſt, and ſet a worke by the finger of that eternall Maieſtie, to write, and ſpeake, not after the will of man, but after the will of God, it is now: whilſt vnderunder the ſhadow of termes indefinit, he proclaimes honour, and felicitie, with the flouriſhing increaſe of triumphant exaltation to the Lord, and to his annointed: and that for his words ſake, that Euangelicall word, the word of the Goſpell.
Good lucke hauehave thou with thine honour, ride on, for the word of truth, and of meekneſſe, and of righteouſneſſe.
Referre my Text to Solomon, you hauehave a bene diction, referre it vntounto Chriſt, you hauehave a prediction; it wiſheth well to Solomon, and there it is Oratio: it ſpeaketh well of Chriſt, and there it is Oraculum: Not ſhewing what he would hauehave done, but what ſhould be done, by the rod of his power, and the ſcepter of his Dominion. Good lucke hauehave thou with thine honour: What then do you obſerue in the land-ſcope of theſe words: But the dew of Hermon, lying vponupon the hill of Sion, honour attended with felicitie, the promiſe of felicitie, as the dew of Hermon: the ſublimitie of honour as the hill of Sion.
Good lucke hauehave thou with thine honour, Or rather if you pleaſe a golden branch, on the top of Libanus, the flower and the leafe thereof, is honour; the fruite and ſweetneſſe, is felicitie: Good lucke hauehave thou with thine honour.
The expanſion, and ſtretching forth, is encreaſe.
Ride on with thine honour.
The roote and body, is foreign a word of truth.
Good lucke hauehave thou with thine honour, ride on, for the word of truth, and of meekneſſe, and of righteouſneſſe.
O the bleſſed foundation, whereon the Apoſtle builds gold, and ſiluer, and precious ſtones, honour and felicitie, with the ioyfull ſucceſſion of victorious power, and royall ſoueraignty. It is a word of truth, and confirmes his promiſes, it is a word of meekeneſſe, and prayeth for his enemies, it is a word of righteouſneſſe, and iuſtifies his ſeruants. Hee was crowned with honour in the worke of our redemption, he was aduanced to ride on, for the conſummation of our glorie. There we find his patience, here we find his perſeuerance, eueryevery where the oyle of ioy, and of gladneſſe: whereupon ſaith Bernard, Nemo ſaluus, quanto minus ſaluator. There is none can be ſaued, much leſſe a Sauiour, without the conſtancie of perſeuerance. Good lucke hauehave thou with thine honour, and ride on:
Good lucke hauehave thou with thine honour, and begin what thou haſt to do.
Ride on with thine honour: and finiſh what thou haſt began. It is thy promiſe that doth bind thee, and thy word that doth excite thee, a word of truth that ſhewes vsus thy precepts, a word of meekneſſe that forgiues our iniquities, a word of righteouſneſſe that purifies the conſcience.
Good lucke hauehave thou with thine honour, ride on, for the word of truth, and of meekneſſe, and of righteouſneſſe.
Theſe are the drops of raine from aboue, which I deſire may fall gently into yourſoules, as into a fleece of wooll, with facilitie of patience, and humilitie of deuotion. Good lucke hauehave you in hearing, good lucke hauehave I in ſpeaking, from him that rideth on the circle of the heauens, and is now drawne throughout the whole world on the foure Euangeliſts, that triumphant chariot, the chariot of the Goſpell. And ſo I begin with my firſt obſeruation, and take the Omen of my text, Fortunam Domini cantare & nobile regnum. foreign Good lucke hauehave thou with thine honour. That inſcription of foreign or good fortune, which Demoſthenes bare on his ſhield, Chriſt bore in his cradle, and the ſtarre that ſhined at his birth, was auſpicious through the whole courſe of his life, it brought him to honour, it kept him in honour, and made him triumph gloriouſly, ouer the whole power of the enemie, for what is the magnificence of humane greatneſſe, without the aſſurance of diuine goodneſſe, but (as Saluianus notes) Sine medulla corpus, as fleſh with our life, or bones without marrow: Many refuſe to be great, none to be fortunate. Marke the ſpeech of Baiazet the fourth, when his ſonne was taken captiue, and one of his chiefeſt Cities ranſackt by the enemie, he enuies the condition of a heard, and his diſcontent breakes forth as lightning. O happie ſheepe heard; that haſt neither Orthobules nor Sebaſtia to looſe. And therefore I the leſſe maruell what Saint Auſtin notes among the Romanes, that when they built temples on to their Images, and deified their ſeuerall powers, they all giuegive place to Felicitie as Queene and Empreſſe among the gods of the Nations, and Idols of the heathen: for it is the dew of heauenly grace and coeleſtiall benediction, that muſt crowne and eſtabliſh not onelyonly the labours, and deſignes, of mans wit, and humane inuention: but the higheſt aduancements, and greateſt preferments wee can ſuſtaine. You may compare it to that ſiluer cup, which Ioſeph put into the mouth of Beniamins ſacke, all the ſonnes of Iacob returned laden from Aegypt, with come and money in their ſacks: onelyonly Beniamin had the cup, as a ſingular pledge of his brothers fauour. And though many reioyce for the corne and the wine, and the oyle that hath increaſt, yet this grace cup, whether you terme it ſcyphum gratiae a cup of grace, with Ambroſe, ore calicem benedictionis, a cup of bleſſing, with the Apoſtle, this ſiluer cup, this grace cup, is ſtill kept for Beniamin, the ſonnes of God, and the children of his right hand, that grow and flouriſh, vnderunder the wing and ſhadow of his protection. Great was the honour of Chriſt, in regard of his threefold vnction, he was annointed as a Prophet, and ſpake as neuer man did; he was annointed as a Prieſt, and layd the holo cauſt of his bodie vponupon the altar of his croſſe: he was annointed as a King, and now ſits regnant on the hill of Sion, the houſe of Iacob, the throne of Dauid, hauing receiued all power, both in heauen and earth by donation from the Father. Yea ſaith Bernard, Pretioſi magis panni ſaluatoris: The robes of Kings, are not to be compared with the raggs of Chriſt: nor the throne of Princes, with the croſſe of our Sauiour. There is more honour in the nayles of his croſſe, then in the pearles of their crownes, that mannage the ſcepters of diuers Nations, and mighty kingdomes. But whether his arme be full of ſtrength, or his lippes be full of grace, or his ſoule be full of knowledge, or his fleſh be full of glorie, the ground is taken from the Prophet, Quia Deus in eternum benedixit: Becauſe God hath bleſſed him for euer. Full of grace are thy lippes, becauſe God hath bleſſed thee for euer. And therefore let vsus beſeech our heauenly Father, as the daughter of Caleb did her earthly father, that he would giuegive vntounto vsus, the ſprings aboue, as well as the ſprings beneath, that irriguum inferius, of humane grace, and temporall happineſſe: that irriguum ſuperius, of diuine grace, and ſpirituall bleſſedneſſe: wreſtling with God as Iacob with the Angell, till he bleſſe vsus, and make a vnion of that double character, Traiano melior, Auguſto foelicior: the vertue of Traian, with the fortune of Auguſtus, Non te demittam niſi benedixeris, I will not let thee go except thou bleſſe me. Yet let me not confine the honour of Chriſt, to any particulars, when he was lifted on a throne, the whole Temple was full of his glorie, and if wee deſire to comprehend with all Saints what is the length, and the bredth, the height, and the depth thereof, wee muſt take the wings of the morning, and flie to the vttermoſt parts of the earth, the height reacheth vp to the clouds, the depth pearceth below the center, the length ſtretcheth from one generation to another, the bredth extends from the riuer to the ſea, and from the ſea to the worlds end. But that which is here chiefly entended is militarie, and Thriambeuticall, like that of Knighthood and chiualry, got (as if it were) in the field, by the ſtrength of his arme, and the power of his owne right hand, the triumphant honour of his glorious victorie ouer death, hell, world, and the diuell. When he was lifted from the earth, and drew all things vntounto him, when he entred the ſtrong mans houſe, and tooke away his priſoners, and ſmote Goliah, with his owne ſword, and deliuered the prey from the iawes of the enemie: when he deſtroyed the kingdome of Satan, and bare away thoſe gates of braſſe vponupon his ſhoulders, and trode the wine-preſſe, and came victoriouſly from Edom, with his garments red from Bozrah, leauing this encouragement to all poſteritie foreign be of good cheere, (my friends) I hauehave ouercome the world. Beloued Chriſtians that ſtand in the Courts of Ieruſalem, to behold the faire beautie of the Lord, and to admire his glorie: What greater honour then to ſmite his enemies on the cheeke bone, and to drowne Pharoh and his chariots in the ſea? To caſt the Dragon and his Angels into the bottomleſſe pit of Cimmerian darkneſſe, and euerlaſting deſtruction? To ſaue Iſrael, to paſſe Iordan with the ſtaffe of his croſſe, to redeeme Sion, and with a few drops of bloud to purge the whole earth, and to binde vp the fractures thereof. Yea ſaith that good Biſhop of Nazianzum, foreign as runnet curdles milke, ſo doth the bloud of Chriſt vnite and conioyne, and cement, and coagulate (as it were) the whole companie of Gods elect, in one fellowſhip and communion, to the praiſe of the glorie of his grace. This is it that doth magnifie the Lord, that heauen is not able to containe him: before the triumph of his croſſe, he might hauehave bene held in a ſtable or a manger: but now heauen muſt be enlarged, and the gates thereof ſet wide open for the entrance of his glorie. Lift vp your heads, ô ye gates, and be ye lift vp, ô yee euerlaſting doores, and the King of glorie ſhall come in. Who is able to expreſſe the wonderful celebrity of his magnificent greatneſſe? There is a voyce heard, and the Saints of God are conuerted by the trumpet of his word; to come forth and behold the ſolemne coronation of his victorious maieſtie. Egredimini filiae Sion, Come forth ye daughters of Sion, and behold King Solomon in his crowne, It was a crowne, though it were of thornes, when hee made the croſſe his throne, and a reed his ſcepter; Egredimini filiae Sion, Come forth yee daughters of Sion, and behold King Solomon in his crowne. O let not thoſe dead flies of Iewiſh infidelitie corrupt the ſweetneſſe of this pretious ointment, or taint the ſauour of his incomparable glorie. Muſed blaſphemie (ſaith Bernard) theſe dead flies are blaſphemous obloquies of heathens and infidels, that ſtumble at the weakeneſſe of his fleſh, and are ſcandalized with the humilitie of his paſſion, that tread vnderunder foot the bloud of his croſſe, and inſult ouer the miſerie of his voluntarie ſufferings, much like Tiberius in Sueton, Qui Germanici facta eleuabat, that ſnarled at the greatneſſe of Germanicus, and traduced his noble acts as vaine and friuolous: Whereas wee know Chriſts honour is great in our ſaluation, and that whatſoeuer he endured was but diſpenſatiue, as when one man goes downe into a pit, that he may helpe another out, or a Phyſition taſts a potion, that he may temper it for the ſick: by the greatnes of his louelove, and the bowels of his compaſſion. What then ſhall I ſay, but as the Apoſtle doth, our vncomely parts hauehave more comelineſſe on: neither are wee aſhamed of our God, though he were crucified, that was his glorie, and will be our felicitie. O Lord if thy ſhame bee glorious, what is thy glory? How ſhall wee be aduanced by the ſtrength of thy power, that are ſo dignified by the weakeneſſe of thy ſufferings? It is the honour of Chriſt to ſaue vsus: let it be the honour of Chriſtians to ſerue him. Yea and (as Baſil ſpeakes) foreign the very top and crowne of our glorie and reioycing. When the wiſe men brought myrrhe, they knew hee ſhould die like a man; but when they brought incenſe, they knew he was to be honoured as a God. Take heed then (I beſeech you) leſt at any time the weakneſſe of his manhood aboliſh that honour which is due vntounto his Godhead. If yet it be obſcure, hee will proceed and ride on, by the declaration of his power, and the amplification of his kingdome: which is the ſecond thing that is here promiſed of our Sauiour: foreign Ride on, for the word of truth.
He rode on the cloud of his fleſh, when he came into the world, hee ſhall ride on the clouds of heauen, when he comes to iudgement: He rode on an Aſſe, the embleme of meekeneſſe, when he went to Ieruſalem, whether he do ſo in the hoſt, when he is carried aloft by ſacrificing Prieſts and ridiculous ſhauelings, bee ye Iudges. Iohn in the Apocalyps ſpeakes of a white horſe, the puritie of his righteouſneſſe, and of a red horſe, the ſeueritie of his iuſtice, he fits the one, in the long animitie of patience: he fits the other, in the execution of his vengeance. Sometimes he rides vponupon the Church, for ſhee is likened to a troope of horſes, in the chariots of Pharoh: ſometimes on the Cherubins, for there hee is aduanced by the excellencie of their knowledge. But if euer he ſate vponupon a colt, it was when the Diſciples ſpread their garments, that wee might be ſure he will not abide the skittiſh wildneſſe and vntamed peruerſneſſe of our depraued nature and coltiſh diſpoſitions: vnleſſe we cloath our ſoules with the pretious robes of diuine grace, and Apoſtolicall holineſſe. Yet in all this he neither rides backe, or round: backe with the Apoſtate, or round in the mill of profeſt wickedneſſe or reſolued impietie: or in the maze of inextricable thoughts, or confuſed diſtractions. His motion is directly progeſſiue, as a Giant in his courſe, or a Bridegroome from his chambers. foreign Ride on for the word of truth, till thy horſes get the hill, and thy Chariots bring ſaluation: nay till thou haſt placed the Kings daughter in a veſture of gold at thy right hand, and made her as a Queene Paramount, with the Sunne ouer her head, and the Moone vnderunder her feet, this is well implyed in the Chalde paraphraſe, foreign vponupon the throne of Maieſtie, and the horſes of thy kingdome: which the Septuagint reades, foreign, rule, and hauehave Dominion, be exalted and take vntounto thy ſelfe the royalties of a King. For it is not enough that Chriſt ſhould purchaſe an heritage with his bloud, vnleſſe he bring it vntounto glorie. The ſtone which Daniel ſaw cut without hands, did not onelyonly breake the image of gold, and of ſiluer, and of iron, and of clay: but prooued a great mountaine, and filled the earth with the immenſitie of its preſence. So is it with the power of Chriſt, hee muſt not onelyonly bruiſe the Nations of the earth with a rod of iron: or ſay with the Prophet, Iudah is my lawgiuer, Moab is my waſhpot, ouer Edom will I caſt my ſhoe, ouer the Philiſtims will I triumph: But hee muſt erect a kingdome of his owne, and ſpread his banner ouer it, till he make the beautie thereof as Carmel, and the glorie thereof as Lebanon. If he be riſen from death, he muſt aſcend on high, if he be gone on high, he muſt poure forth his Spirit, that he may direct and gouerne, protect and aduance his Church, aboue the crowne of pride and the malice of the aduerſarie, Praeclarè adminiſtrans quod facilè eſt adeptus, managing that with honour and dignitie which he got with power and facilitie. Theſe are the ſteppes and degrees of his royall pace and maieſticke proceſſion, whileſt hee comes leaping ouer the hils, and skipping ouer the mountaines, from mount Tabor, where he was transfigured to mount Caluarie, where hee was crucified from mount Caluarie, where he was crucified to mount Oliuet, where he was exalted from mount Oliuet, where he was exalted to mount Sion, where he liues and raignes for euer: till he deſcend and come downe to the vayle of Ioſaphat, with the voyce of an Archangell and trumpe of God, there to purge his floore, and to burne vp the chaffe with fire vnquenchable. But how doth Chriſt ride on, if we be at a ſtand, are not we his ſeed? are not we his members, the Magiſtrate his hand, armed with the ſword of Iuſtice, the Miniſter his foote, ſhod with the Goſpell of peace, yea and his eye enlightened with the beames of knowledge, and his tongue purged with coales from the altar? Nay we are all members of that bodie whereof Chriſt Ieſus is the head, and may not ſay with Iohn, Oportet illum creſcere, he muſt encreaſe, we muſt decreaſe: He muſt increaſe, that we may encreaſe, his encreaſe our increaſe, his righteouſneſſe our righteouſneſſe: and therefore let vsus ride on, and neuer ſtay till we come before the Lord in the hill of Sion; ſtanding waters gathere filth and ſtench: running brookes are ſweet and pleaſant. Abhorre the one, reſemble the other: till wee all meete and ioyne with that Chryſtall riuer, whoſe liuing waters iſſue from the throne of God, Apocalyps the laſt and the firſt. In the Law there was Cauda ſacrificij, and the Lord will not be pleaſed vnleſſe hee hauehave the rumpe as well as the fat of the burnt offering, which is a continuall proceeding in the works of holineſſe. When the kine bare the Arke towards Bethſhemeſh, which ſignifies the habitation of the Sunne, they lowed as they went, and yet they went on: we all beare the Arke of truth in our breaſts, and our way lyeth toward heauen the ſanctuary of God, and the bleſſed habitation of the Sonne of righteouſneſſe: well may wee low and groane vnderunder the burden of our croſſe, and the croſſe of our afflictions for theſe are the Symptomes of humane frailtie and naturall infirmities, but if we go not on, weare inferiour to theſe kine, and not to be compared with the vnreaſonable creature. There is a threefold proficiencie, which Saint Bernard commends vntounto vsus, vnderunder the ſimilitude of a kiſſe. The firſt is Oſculum pedis, the kiſſe of the foote, when the ſoule of man doth kiſſe the foote of Chriſt and lyeth proſtrate before him in humilitie and deuotion: the ſecond is Oſculum manus, a kiſſe of the hand, when the ſoule of man doth kiſſe the hand of Chriſt, and is taken vp by him, that he may exerciſe the works of charitie, and the deeds of merciemercy: the third is Oſculum oris, a kiſſe of the lippes, when the ſoule of man doth kiſſe the lippes of Chriſt, and enioy the ſweetneſſe of his preſence, by the inſpiration of his louelove, and the contemplation of his glorie, running daily forward in the ſauour of his ointments; Ille in plenitudine, nos in odore, as Saint Bernard, he in his fulneſſe of grace and merciemercy: we in the odor of life and ſafetie. Beloued, I could wiſh that nothing could ſtay the courſe of this proceeding: whether it bee actus diuturnitas, or obiecti difficultas, (as the Schooles diſtinguiſh) the hardneſſe and toughneſſe of the thing we are to doe, the irkeſomeneſſe and tediouſneſſe of the ſpace we are to endure. But that we haſten and ride on with chearefulneſſe and alacritie, to that which is ſet before vsus, Per ſaxa, per ignes, or rather as the Apoſtle notes, Through a good report, and an euill report, looking towards Chriſt the Author and finiſher of our redemption.
I know not whether I may vſe the words of Hierome, Per calcatum patrem ad vexillum crucis euola, Let thy children hang about thy necke, and thy wife entreat thee with diſheauilled haire, let thy father lie ſprawling in the way, and thy mother ſhew the breaſts that gaue thee ſucke, tread vponupon the wombe that bare thee, bee not mooued with the teares of her that lyeth in thy boſome, flie amayne to the ſtandard of the croſſe, and let nothing hold thee from the kiſſes of thy Sauiour, the ſpitituall embracings of thy ſweeteſt louelove Chriſt Ieſus. Perhaps yee will cry with the Diſciples, Durus eſt hic ſermo, this is a hard ſaying, and comes neare the apathie of Stoicks. Yet God knowes and my conſcience beares me witneſſe how I long for your perfection: that yee proceed in all vertue and godlineſſe of liuing: that yee ride on, hauing your loynes girt like the Sonne of man, whoſe paps were girt with a girdle of gold, that ye prooue, (as it is ſaid of Iob) Magni inter orientales, Great amongſt the inhabitants of the Eaſt: not the inhabitants of the Weſt, but the inhabitants of the Eaſt, what is that? but as the moralizing Father doth interpret, interchoros ſuperorum, among thoſe that ſhine and riſe as the ſtarres of the morning in the light of truth, and the beautie of holines. There is a fierie chariot where Elias ſate, the chariot of louelove and merciemercy, ride on there. There is a ſtately chariot where the Eunuch ſate, the chariot of contemplation and ſtudie, ride on there. As for the chariots of Pharaoh drawne with pride and vanitie, and thoſe wilde horſes of vnbridled paſſions and vntemperate furie, they are very dangerous, not to be kept with vsus, if any ſit there, it is worſe then if they were bound to Ixions wheele.
O my brethren, hauehave wee not the Church as an arke, or a throne? hauehave we not Chriſt as a guide or a ruler? hauehave we not the word of truth, and of meekneſſe, and of righteouſneſſe, as a teame to leade and draw vsus to euerlaſting bleſſedneſſe? HaueHave wee not the raignes of louelove, the bridle of peace, the ſcourge and the whip of gouernment and diſcipline, Cuius flagello exterminatur mundi iſtius princeps, At whoſe laſh the Prince of this world doth ſcud, and the vanities thereof are driuen quite away? Why do not wee aſcend and ride on here? foreign vponupon the word of truth, and of meekeneſſe, and of righteouſneſſe: for ſo many reade the text, or foreign for the word of truth, and of meekneſſe, and of righteouſneſſe, which is moſt genuine and agreeable to the originall, & ſo I paſſe to the ground of all that hath bene ſpoken, and that is foreign the word of truth, and of meekneſſe, and of righteouſneſſe.
It is not the aduenture, but the motiue, not the danger, but the reaſon that dignifies our actions. If we labour for the word of deceit and iniquitie, it will neither prooue honourable nor fortunate; the expedition of Chriſtians, is like that of Gideons ſouldiers, for the Lord, and for Gideon: for the word, and for Ieſus, for the maintenance of truth and the preſeruation of righteous dealing. What though we breake the pitchers of our bodies in the painfull conflict of this our ſpirituall warfare? There is no loſſe ſo we keepe our lamps burning, and make the light thereof ſhine as it were a candle in a darke place: did not Paul ſo? and the holy men of old? I could leade you to that noble armie of heauenly Martyrs, that waſh their garments in the bloud of the Lambe, and now ſtand about the throne of God with crownes on their heads and palmes in their hands. Though I know the encounter of my text, is not outward and temporall, but inward and ſpirituall: Yet let mee call to mind one exploit for the word of truth, when theſe generous Argonauts were tranſported to the Citie of the great King for the honour of God, and the libertie of his ſeruants. France, Germanie, Denmarke, Italie, with this our mother Iland ſent forth their ſtrength, and were mooued with zeale towards the houſe of God, and the place of his Sanctuarie. The greateſt Princes and moſt heroicall worthies of this European clime, engaged their liues, their perſons, their honors, their fortunes, to redeeme Sion & to recouer Ieruſalem from the miſerable bondage of Turkiſh ſlauerie. Beloued, the remembrance hereof is as fire within my bones, and I muſt needs recount with exceeding ioy and exultancie of ſpirit, how they rode on for the word of truth, as the Knights of Rhodes or of Malta, till their right hand ſhewed them terrible things, and neuer left before they had hewne the enemies of God in peeces, and crowned themſelues with honour and renowne. The ſtars from heauen in their order fought againſt that man of ſinne, and eueryevery Chriſtian tooke vp that ſong of Deborah, Thou haſt marched valiantly ô my ſoule, thou haſt marched valiantly, the Lord grant that we may ſtill preuaile againſt Amalek, by the inuiolable faith of Chriſtian Princes, that keepe the vnitie of the ſpirit in the bond of peace, and ride on daily for the word of truth, and of meekneſſe, and of righteouſneſſe.
For its ſake, and by its power, for it is the onelyonly prop that beares vp the thrones of Princes, and makes their crownes flouriſh.
Ferrum tuetur Principes, melius fides, The munition of armes doth well, the armes of faith doe better: Whereupon ſaid Neſtorius the Biſhop to Theodoſius the Emperour in the ſeauenth booke of Socrates, Tuin profligandis, &c. Do thou ſee Gentiliſme and impietie, do not annoy the Church and wee will ſee violence and hoſtilitie do not hurt thee: agreeable to that of Solomon, merciemercy and truth preſerue the King, and his throne is eſtabliſh by iuſtice. I will not argue the tranſlation, yet let me tell you the originall is foreign not for the word of truth, and of meekeneſſe, and of righteouſneſſe: but for the word of truth, and the meekenes of righteouſneſſe, for the word of truth there is the Law, for the meekneſſe of righteouſneſſe there is the Goſpell. The one as the Court of Iuſtice, the other as the Court of Chancery, that qualifies and mittigates the rigor of the former; yet what is the word of truth, but the word of Chriſt? Hee is truth, and in him are the figures verified, what is the meekneſſe of righteouſneſſe, but the meekneſſe of Chriſt? He is righteouſneſſe, and in him we are all iuſtified: though he be true and iuſt, it is not without the ſpirit of clemencie, and of meekneſſe; that ye know is inſeparable from a Lambe, and muſt needs adhere to the Lambe of God, which taketh away the ſinnes of the world. If hee that walkt in the midſt of the golden candleſtickes, had eyes like fire, the head and the haire were as ſnow, or as wooll. It was not wine alone, nor oyle alone, which that good Samaritane poured into the hurt of the wounded, neither was God in the fire, nor in the earthquake, nor in the wind, that brake the rocks and tare the mountaines; but in the ſtill and ſoft voyce which is more powerfull then all the force of Periclean lightning, and Pannicall execrations. I remember in Plutarch, a conſpiracie betweene the Winde and the Sunne, which ſhould take away the trauellers cloake: firſt, the winde blowes cold and ſharpe, and makes him gather it cloſe, and hold it faſter: at length the Sunne pierceth with the ſubtle heate of his melting beames: This makes him caſt away both cloake and coate. So that is often done, by the mild inſinuation of louelove and gentleneſſe, which the bluſtering winds of terrible threats can neuer bring to paſſe: How then do they recede from conformitie with our Sauiour, in life and doctrine, that ſpeake ſtones, and hauehave words as ſharpe as arrowes, that euer ſtand on the top of mount Horeb, and breath nothing but thunder and lightning, iudgement without merciemercy to their afflicted brethren? well may they hauehave the word of truth, they hauehave not the meeknes of righteouſnes, & yet the Prophet ioynes them both, & Chriſt rides on for both, and with both, for we are not come to the mount that might not be toucht, nor to the blackneſſe and darkneſſe of a tempest, where Moſes ſaid, I feare, I quake: but to mount Sion, the Citie of the liuing God, and to that coeleſtiall Ieruſalem, and to God the Iudge of all, and to the ſpirits of iuſt and perfect men, and to Chriſt the mediator that rideth on for the word of truth, and of meekneſſe, and of righteouſneſſe.
I hauehave done with Chriſt the ſubſtance, I come to Solomon the type, and yet what Solomon hauehave wee to mention, ſaue onelyonly the ſonne of Dauid, and the heire of peace, that is gone forth and rides on full of glorie, and honour, that he may ſpread the truth of Chriſt, as farre as the name of Chriſt, beyond the pillars of Hercules, and heale thoſe waters of Ierico, as with the ſalt of his moſt gracious ſpirit, and incontaminate holineſſe: enuying the glorie of Iouinian, Qui exercitum paganum fecit Chriſtianum, that made ſuch Romans very good Chriſtians; as hee found heatheniſh and giuen to Idols. Sure I am it is vponupon the word of truth, and of meekneſſe, and of power, and of righteouſneſſe, that ſacred chariot, I will not ſay of cardinall, but heroicall and Princely vertues; for they are the wings and the horſes that aduance and lift him vp aboue his fellowes, how can wee chooſe but wiſh him good lucke, and ſend our prayers after him?
Good lucke hauehave thou with thine honour, ride on, for the word of truth, and of meekneſſe, and of righteouſneſſe: there is little Beniamin their Ruler, the Princes of Iudah, the Princes of Zabulon.
Good lucke hauehave ye with your honor, &c. O ye heauens reſolue into ſhowers, and melt ye waters aboue the heauens into a dew of coeleſtiall benedictions, crowne him with the bleſſings of Iacob, and let all the gifts of the Patriarches deſcend on the top of him, that was ſeparated from his brethren from the vtmoſt bounds of theſe euerlaſting mountaines: ſay to him, as to Zabulon, reioyce in thy way, as to Iſachar, reioyce in thy tents: let him ſucke the abundance of the ſea, and giuegive him the treaſures that lie hid in the ſands, ô thou which ſitteſt aboue the water-floud, and treadeſt on the ſea as on drie land, couer him all the day long, and paue the waters with thy ſafetie; as the hils are about Hieruſalem, ſo let thy Angels ſtand about his perſon, bind vp all the winds, ſaue onelyonly Zephyrus, and let none bee found at his returne,
Praeter Iapyga:
I meane the ſweet gate of that Spirit, which moued firſt vponupon the waters; make the ſterne of his ſhip, as the arke of thy reſting place, and let that heauenly power which came in the ſimilitude of a Doue ſtand as an Eagle on the top of his maſt, whilſt all the world doth praiſe God, from the ground of the heart, and ſay, Bleſſed is he that enlargeth God, bleſſed is he that enlargeth Iſrael. As for thoſe which make it their honour to ſuffer with Chriſt, and to ride on in the courſe of ſpirituall warfare, that ſo they may aduance the word of truth, and of meekeneſſe, and of righteouſneſſe, what can they expect, but that God the Father of our Lord Ieſus Chriſt, ſhould bleſſe them with all their ſpirituall gifts of heauenly things in Chriſt, and make them as Ephraim and Manaſſes, the one ſignifies encreaſe, the other forgetfulneſſe, till they grow in the fauour of God, and forget the troubles of this miſerable life, they hauehave Chriſt and his fortune, nay Chriſt and his ſaluation, and muſt needs hauehave good lucke from the Author and fountaine of ioy and happineſſe. Ride on then (I beſeech you) toward the price of your heauenly calling, and remember that of Bernard, Incipit deficere, qui deſinit proficere. Hee begins to faile, that leaues to profit, let nothing ſtay your progreſſe vponupon the ſcale of Iacob, from the louelove of Chriſt, to the knowledge of Chriſt, from the knowledge of Chriſt, to the imitation of Chriſt, from the imitation of Chriſt, to that ſimilitude and conformitie which is promiſed with him in glorie. In Bethlem vileſcit, in Nazareth diteſcit, in Bethlem he is poore and little, in Nazareth he is greene and flouriſhing: but Hieruſalem is the place of ioy and comfort; Hieruſalem that is aboue, Hieruſalem that is the mother of vsus all: there we muſt ſeeke him, till wee be perfect, and receiue that ioyfull inuitation in the Goſpell. Venite benedicti, Come ye bleſſed of the Father, and receiue a kingdome, prouided for you from the foundation of the world, receiue a kingdome that is your honour, Come ye bleſſed, that's your good lucke, ſuch honour, ſuch good lucke, hauehave all that heare mee this day, euen for Ieſus Chriſt his ſake, to whom with the Father and the Spirit, be honor, and glory, power, and maieſtie, through all eternitie. Amen.
MVNDI PRECIVM: The vvorlds ranſome.
BERN. de Paſſ.
Per torcular crucis ad cellaria regis itur.
LONDON, Printed for ROBERT ALLOT.