The Joy of the English Church for the Coronation of Pious Prince James, Meditations on psalm · Part · Meditation 16
The 16. meditation.
Ver. 6. Pray for the peace of Hierusalem.] Now beginneth the second part of this Psalme, wherein the prophet exhorteth the Church of God to pray for the continuance of these so great benefits before rehearsed: Christians then are taught in all their praiers to remember to remē ber the prosperous state of Christs church, that their eie should not onelyonly be set vponupon their own priuate necessities, but to commend vntounto God that vniuersal bodie, whereof they are members.
1. Thus the Prophet saith, If I forget thee, O Ierusalem, let my right hand forget to play: if I doe not remember thee, let my tongue cleaue to the roofe of my mouth, if I preferre not Ierusalem to my cheife ioy: Psal. 137. 5. 6. So the prophet Isay encourageth Gods people to giuegive thankes for the Church of God: Reioyce with Ierusalem, and be glad with her, all ye that louelove her, reioyce for ioy with her, all ye that mourne for her, Isay, 66. 10.
2. Thus did the prophet Dauid remē ber the whole state of Israel in his praiers, Deliuer Israel O God out all his troubles, Psal. 25. 26. Thus the faithfull vsed to pray, O Lord I pray thee saue now; I pray thee now giuegive prosperitie, Psal. 118. 25.
3. Like as then, when Moses by Gods commandement made the tabernacle, eueryevery one brought according to his ability, some iewels of gold, some purple, some fine linnen, some rammes skins and badgers skins, &c. Exod. 35. 23. 24. So should eueryevery one helpe forward the peace and prosperitie of the Church: princes by their authoritie, ministers by encouraging and exhorting all men by their heartie praiers and desires. If such be the louelove of the saints to the Church, that they delight in the stones thereof, and hauehave pittie on the dust thereof, Psal. 102. 14. that is, forgot her not in her greatest affliction & humilitie: how much greater cause is there to beare affection to her in her beautie and prosperitie?
4. For in praying for the peace of the Church, we doe also pray for our selues, to whome that benefit of peace redoundeth: as it is in the Psalme, All nations shall blesse him, and be blessed in him, Psal. 72. 17. They which blessed the Prince in their praiers, did also in so doing procure a blessing to themselues. By the same reason the prophet mooueth the people to pray for the prosperitie of Babel: Seeke the prosperitie of the citie, whether I hauehave caused you to be caried away captiue, and pray vntounto the Lord for it: for in the peace thereof, shall you hauehave peace. Ier. 29. 7.
5. First then their securitie is here reprooued, that in their praiers, thinke to appropriate Gods fauour to themselues, onelyonly making mention of their owne wants,Against selfe-louelove in praier. Selfe-louelove. not regarding the necessities of the Church. Such was the Pharisies praier, that onelyonly boasted of his owne gifts, and gaue thanks for himselfe: he despised the poore Publican, whome he saw not farre off smiting and knocking vponupon his breast: charitie might hauehave mooued him, by his praiers to hauehave helped, whome he saw so to be perplexed, Luk. 18. This vaineglorious seruice and selfe louelove of this Pharisie, was nothing pleasing or acceptable vntounto God, no more is their praier, that onelyonly seeke their owne things, and are not touched with compassion toward the afflicted members of Christ, neither reioice in the welfare of Gods Church, but are tickled onelyonly with the ioy of their owne prosperitie.
Secondly, if they be worthie of reproofe, that are negligent in procuring the peace of their Church by their praiers, they are much more to be blamed, that are too diligent to disturbe the same by their vncharitable practises. What els can be thought of those, who hauehave stepped forth, and by their straunge nouelties and paradoxes corrupted the doctrine of the Church? and whereas Protestants were before of one iudgement and consent in religion, they hauehave distracted many,New doctrine a disturbing of the Church. and perswaded some to like and affect their singular conceits. This hauehave they aduentured to doe, not sowing their homely seede onelyonly in sermons, but dispersing the same in their writings, to the great offence of the Church of Christ. From this fountaine hauehave sprung forth these, and such other whirlepit points, and bubbles of new doctrine,Strange and vnsound positions maintained by some in the Church of England. that▪ Christ is not originally God: that the Scriptures are not the onelyonly meanes, concerning God of all that profitably we know: that they are not alone compleat to euerlasting felicitie: that the word of God cannot possibly assure vsus, that it is the word of God: that mans will is apt naturally without grace, to take or refuse any particular obiect whatsoeuer presented vntounto it, and so consequently to beleeue: that mens naturall workes, or to do… that, which nature telleth vsus (without grace) must needes be acceptable to God: that there are workes of supererrogation, that a man can doe now, and God approoue more then he cō mandeth: that to be preserued from all sinne in this life, is not vnpossible: that the Church of Rome (as it now standeth) is the familie of Christ: that idolatours, wicked heretikes are members of the visible Church: that there is in orders giuen an indeleble character: that they hauehave power to make Christ bodie, &c. that sacraments doe giuegive and conferre, grace, and are instruments of iustification: that they are as necessarie in their place, and no lesse required then beleefe it selfe: that the soules of infants dying without baptisme are damned: which must be the meaning of these words, the Church as much as in her lieth, by denying the meanes, doth cast away their soules. All which positions▪ with others, are both contrarie to the Scriptures, to the iudgement of protestant writers, and the most of them opposite to the articles of religion in the church of England established, and to the faith of the Church of Scotland, and of the kings Maiesties preface to the answer of the Apologicall epistle, as shall hereafter (if God will) elswhere be more at large declared: and hath beene alreadie by some English protestants sufficiently prooued: Yet thus hauehave some men beene bolde to teach and write, who, as some schismatikes and headstrong sectaries hauehave disturbed the peace of the Church one way, in externall matters which concerned the discipline of the Church, they hauehave troubled the Church another way, in opposing themselues by new quirkes and deuises to the soundnes of doctrine among Protestants alwaies professed. It is high time that our Elisha should cast salt into the springs to heale the bitter waters: and that our princely shepheard driue vsus altogether to greene pastures, that none be suffered to straggle by themselues and seeke their meate apart from the rest of the flocke:The 16. benefit, consent of doctrine. that as the Apostle saith, we may proceede by one rule, that we may minde one thing, Philip. 3. 17. Ambrose very well toucheth this point, Vinci illi facilè possunt, vel facilè vitari, quorum prima propositione omne consilium pectoris proditur: Ambrose prolog. de fid. orthodox.at vero hi, quibus multa nobiscum paria sunt, facilè possunt innoxias mentes fraudulenta societate percutere, dum malorum suorum virus per bona nostra defendunt, &c. They may easily be confuted, or auoided, which at the first dash, bewray all their counsaile: but they, which agree with vsus in many points, may easily deceiue simple mindes by their subtile secrecie, while they bolster out their poisonfull doctrine by some conformitie, &c.