The Third Part from John Baptists Nativity, Part 1
THE THIRD PART FROM S. IOHN BAPTISTS NATIVITIE TO the last Holy-day in the whole yeere.
DEDICATED VNTOUNTO THE RIGHT RELIGIOVS AND REsolute Doctor, MATTHEVV SVTCLIFFE, Deane of Exeter.
By IOHN BOYS, Doctor of Diuinitie.
HIERONYMVS EPIST. AD RIPARIVM.
Honoramus seruos, vt honor seruorum redundet ad Dominum.
AT LONDON Imprinted for VVilliam Aspley. 1615.
S. IOHN BAPTISTS DAY.
The Epistle.
ESAY 40. 1.
Be of good cheere, my people; O yee Prophets, comfort my people, saith your God, &c.
THe Sermons of Isaiah are for the greater part so Gospel-like, that (as aProaem. com. in Esa. & epist. Paulin. tom. 3. fol. 9. Non prophetiam videtur texere, sed Euangelium.Hierome notes) he seemes to be rather an Euangelist, or Apostle, then a Prophet: for he speakes of Christs bCap. 7. 14.conception, as if he had been taught by the glorious Angel who brought the first annunciation of it vntounto the blessed Virgine his mother: of Christs cCap. 9. 6.birth, as if with olde Simeon he had lulled him in his armes: of Christs death and dCap. 53. vers 3. 4. 5. 6.passion, as if with the beloued disciple Iohn, he had stood by the crosse when he was crucified: of Christs eCap. 53. vers. 8resurrection, as if with all the faithfull Apostles he had been present vponupon mount Oliuet, where the Lord vsed a cloud as his heauenly Chariot to conuey him out of the world to his father.
The text now read is a prophecie concerning the comming of Christ in the fMusculus, Hyperius, Caluin in loc.flesh, and the comming of Christ in the flesh is the gLuke 2. 25.consolation of Israel, and comfort of Hierusalem; and this comfort the h2. Cor. 1. 3.God of all comfort will hauehave proclaimed vntounto Hierusalems heart, by the mouth of all his Preachers, as namely his Prophets, his Apostles, his Prodromus or Harbinger, Iohn the Baptist a iTertullian cont Marcian. lib. 4. cap. 33. Cyril. cat. 3. August. de Io. Baptist. ser. 1.midling betweene the Prophets and Apostles.
1. By the Prophets, Comfort my people O ye Prophets, comfort my people. &c. verse 1. 2.
2. By Iohn the Baptist. A voyce cried in the wildernes, prepare the way of the Lord, &c. verse 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.
3. By the Apostles, Goe vp vntounto the high hill (O Sion) thou that bringest good tydings, &c. verse 9. 10. 11.
Comfort my people] in this commission obserue first Gods bounty, then his Prophets duty. You may behold the riches of Gods mercy toward his afflicted people. 1. In raysing vp Prophets vntounto them in their captiuity, when as otherwise they might hauehave complained with the Psalmist, O kPsal. 74. 1. 10.God, wherefore art thou absent from vsus so long, and why is thy wrath so kindled against the sheepe of thy pasture? we see not our tokens, there is not one Prophet more, no not one is there among vsus that vnderstandeth any more.
2. lCaluinFor that he sent not one or two, but many: the number is plurall, comfort ye, speake ye, mPsalm. 68. 11.the Lord giuing his word, great was the number of the Preachers.
3. For that he called not all his Prophets at once, but at sundry times according to the Churches exigence. Wherefore nMusculus, Caluin.some read not as our translation here, saith your God in the present; but in the future, will your God say: oGeneuaglosse.Signifying hereby that God will in all ages to come so prouide for his Church, as that it shall neuer be destitute of Prophets; and so we finde in holy Bible that he stirred vp Daniel, Haggai, Malachi, Zachariah, Ezra, Nehemiah, and other (vntill the comming of Christ himselfe the p1. Pet. 54.chiefe shepheard) who did alwayes exhort his people to be of good comfort, and to qRom. 4. 18.hope against hope, so Zacharias in his hymne; Blessed be the Lord God of Israel for he hath visited and redeemed his people, raysing vp the horne of saluation vntounto vsus, as he spake by the mouth of all his Prophets which hauehave beene since the world began. So S. Peter in his Sermon adpopulum, Acts 3. 24. All the Prophets from Samuel, and thence forth as many as hauehave spoken hauehave likewise foretold of these dayes; and to Cornelius, Acts 10. 43. To him all the Prophets giuegive witnesse, that through his name all that beleeue in him shall receiue remission of sinnes.
4. The rHyperius, Musculus.doubling and tripling of this charge to the Prophets (comfort ye, comfort ye, speake ye comfortably) expresseth as it were the very bowels of compassion in God, as if he could not endure that his people should suffer any more misery, giuing them also further assurance that he will euer be their God, euen in their greatest aduersity, when as they seeme to bee swallowed vp of death and desperation, and that they shall be still his Hierusalem and his people, your God will say comfort my people.
Concerning the Prophets office, God in this charge requireth on their part that they speake comfortably to his Hierusalems heart: Yet here you must obserue with sEcclesiast. 3. 1.Ecclesiastes, that there is a time for all things; a time for admonition, a time for reprehension, a time for consolation; a time tEsay 58. 1.to shew Gods people their transgression, and to the house of Iacob their sinnes; as well as a time to tell Hierusalem in distresse that her trauell is ended, and her iniquity pardoned; a time saith our Prophet uEsay 5.elsewhere, to denounce woe to such as iustify the wicked for a reward; a time to denounce woe to such as speake good of euill, and euill of good; a time to denounce woe to such as follow drunkennesse, and are strong to powre in strong drinke. And assuredly (beloued) the Prophets hauehave iust occasion in this age to cry out against such xAmos 6. 1.as are at ease in Sion, making (as yPhilip. 3. 19.Paul speakes) their belly their God, and their gullet their glory. For swinish, idle, base drunkennesse heretofore scorned as the beggers fault, is now reputed (among moe then a good many) not only the seruingmans complement, but also the gentlemans grace. God as hauing zEzech. 33. 11.no pleasure in the death of a sinner, but a longing desire to hauehave the coalcs of his wrath quenched with the teares of our repentance, commandeth his Prophets in the dayes of securitie, to sound out the threats of his seuerity, denouncing a woe before woe, that is a woe of instruction, before there come the woe of destruction. For albeit the aLuke 3. 9.axe be laid vntounto the root of the tree, yet shal it not be hewen downe so long as there is any hope of the fruites of amendment. Though there be bIonas. 3.yet but fortie dayes, and Nineue shall be destroyed, yet if Nineue proclaime a fast, and put on sackcloth from the greatest vntounto the least; the Lord will repent of the euill he sayed he would doe vntounto them, and turne away from his fierce wrath. As soone then as Hierusalem hath receiued at the Lords hand sufficient correction for all her sins, it is time to tell her that her trauayle is at an end, and that her offence is pardoned. After once the law hath humbled and terrified distressed consciences; after all her cPsalm. 42. 9.waues and stormes hauehave rent asunder troubled spirits, it is time to bring dEsay 61.glad tidings of saluation vntounto the poore, to bind vp the broken harted, to preach liberty to the Captiue, to comfort all that mourne in Syon, to giuegive beauty for ashes, and the garment of gladnesse for the spirit of heauinesse, among many, this one doubtlesse is the maine part in the Prophets office to comfort Hierusalem at the heart.
This ought to be performed plainely, painefully, powerfully: eCaluin.Plainly cry to her, and lift vp thy voice, for if the Prophet whisper only, this consolation happily might seeme doubtfull or weake, but all doubting is taken away, seeing it is to be deliuered freely with a loud voice: fMusculus.Painefully, comforting Hierusalem againe and againe, comfort ye, comfort ye, &c: gHyperius. Dan. Arcularius.Powerfully, for the Prophet ought to speake not only to Hierusalems eare, but also fully to her heart, that he may like a good Oratour relinquere aculeos in auditorum animis: hEcclesiastes 12. 11.the wordes of the wise are like goades and like nayles fastened by the masters of the assemblies, and the best way to fasten a nayle is to strike home, Gods word is an iIeremy 23. 29.hammer, and our exhortations are like nayles, and therefore we must often and earnestly strike home that we may pricke the hearts of our hearers, as Saint Peter did Acts 2. 37.
Or as kHierom, Vatablus, Caluin.other expound this clause, to speake to the heart of Hierusalem is in Scripture phrase nothing else but to speake that which is pleasing and acceptable. So Sychem the son of Hamor is said to speake to the heart of Dinah, Gen. 34. 3. Now the glad message to be preached vntounto Hierusalem is, that her trauaile is at an end, and her offence pardoned, for as Physitians in healing bodily diseases ordinarily remoue first the cause from whence they spring: euen so the Lord dealeth with vsus in curing our spirituall infirmities. The rods wherewith he beateth vsus proceed from our sinnes, hee must of necessitie therefore pardon them, ere his strokes can cease, so that remission of our sinnes is the ground of our comfort, that man and only that man is blessed lPsalm. 32. 1.whose vnrighteousnesse is forgiuen, and whose sinne is couered, he that trauayles with mischiefe conceiues sorrow, Psalme 7. 15. mEsay 57. 21.There is no peace to the wicked saith our God; a nSocrates.heathen Philosopher could say, that the best way to shunne sadnes is to liue well. I do latrie, stincking drunkennesse, and other sinnes are called by the Prophet oCap. 4. vers. 18. See Ribera. in loc.Hosea shame, because they bring with them alway confusion and shame: Hierusalems warfare was neuer at an end, till her sinnes on her part were repented, and on Gods part pardoned.
But how was her offence forgiuen? because she had receiued at the Lords hand double for all her sinnes: pMusculus.that is double grace for her double griefe. As Hierusalem had a double punishment, one in her soule, another in her body: so now she shall hauehave by Christ a double blessing, to wit, in this world collation of grace, and in the world to come possession of glory; or a double fauour, 1. in that her trauaile is ended: 2. for that her sinne is pardoned, or double, qVatablus, Arcularius.that is many benefits, a certaine number for an vncertaine, the suffrings of Christ are a sufficient propitiation for all her sinnes, and for the sins of the whole world, 1. Ioh. 2. 2. Yea where sinne abounded there grace superabounded, Rom. 5. 20.
rHierom, Hyperius, Castalion.Other hauehave construed it as our Church here translateth it, she hath receiued double, that is, sufficient correction for all her sinnes, insinuating that the Lord will afflict his people no more so long, nor so sharpely, because his louing kindnes hath ouercome his heauy displeasure. sCaluin.So the word double ought to be taken for enough or full, as it is vsed, Chap. 61. 7. Here then a question is moued, if Hierusalems iniquity were forgiuen, how did she receiue sufficient correction at the Lords hand for all her sinnes? If she were pardoned freely, what place could there be for satisfaction or satis-…assion, tMusculus in loc. Idem Caluin I…stit. lib. 3 cap. 4 §. 33.answere is made that this punishment was inflicted on Gods people not as a satisfaction for their offence, but as an exercise rather for their humiliation, and when almighty God had exercised them enough in the schoole of affliction, he commanded his Prophets againe and againe to comfort them at the very heart: and whereas it is obiecteed further that their sinne deserued an eternall punishment, ergo, this temporarie could not be sufficient correction, it is answered in a word that howsoeuer it was not in it selfe sufficient, yet vntounto God being pleased it was enough, albeit they deserued to be beaten with a great many moe stripes, yet those few blowes sufficed the Lord as uEsay 27. 8.smiting in measure, moderating his strokes as a xPsalm. 103. 13father who pitieth his children, in his very yAbacuc. 3. 2.wrath remembring mercy: so the ProphetzCap. 10. ver. 24 Ieremy desires the Lord to correct him in iudgement, aCaluin in Esai. 27. 8.that is in measure, that so the blowes might be proportionable to his infirmitie, not answerable to his iniquitie, God saith b1. Cor. 10. 13.Paul is faithfull, and will not suffer vsus to be tempted aboue that we are able to beare, cPsalm. 103. 14.for he knoweth whereof we are made, he remembreth that we are but dust, and therefore chastising vsus for our good, hee doth accept a little punishment for a sufficient correction.
A voyce cried in the wildernes] all the dMatth. 3. 3. Mark. 1. 3. Luk. 3. 4. Ioan. 1. 23.foure Euangelists expound this of Iohn the Baptist, how fitly, see Gospell on the fourth Sunday in Aduent. The summary pith of the proclamation verse 6. 7. 8. is in briefe eMelanc. in Ioan. 1. See D. Abbots sermon at the funerall of Thomas Earle of Dorset. pag. 2.this, our selues are mortall, it is good therefore that we should hauehave something else to rest our soules vponupon: we consist of flesh, and that is like vntounto the grasse, and if we should imagine other men to be better then our selues, and so put our trust in fPsalm. 146. 2.Princes, yet are they but as we are: for all flesh is grasse, and all the grace thereof is as the flower of the field: Wherefore let vsus embrace the mercy which is offred by the sonne of God, the Sauiour of the world, the redeemer of mankind, the great shepheard of our soules, he shall gather the lambes together with his arme, and cary them in his bosome, &c.
All flesh is grasse, and the grace, that is, the best of all flesh (as g1. Epist. 1. 24.Peter expoundes it) all the glory of man, as wisedome, valour, industry, iudgement, all is like grasse: hCaluin.for the drift of the text sheweth euidently that Esay speakes not of the outward man only, but also comprehends the gifts of the minde whereby men are beautified aboue other, iArcularius in loc.intelligit totum hominem, & quicquid in rebus humanis illustre: all men are corruptible like grasse, and the most gracefull among all men are like the flower of the field, the which happily whilest it flourisheth is more glorious kMatth. 6. 29.then Salomon in all his royaltie, but the flower of the field being deuoured at a trice by the beast of the field, becommeth in a few houres a stinking excrement. I could here compasse you about with a very great cloud of witnesses: the witty Poet lPlin. nat. hist. lib. 7. cap. 7.Anacre…n was in a moment choaked with the kernell of a raysen, and mIdem.Fabius a graue Senatour in drinking milke was strangled with an haire: the famous Emperour nIbid. Matth. Paris in Ric. 1.Fredericke Barbarossa going for Palestina to recouer the holy land out of the hands of the Saracens (a seruice which hee thought acceptable to Christ and for effecting whereof he left his friends and countrey) was by the way as he passed suddenly drowned in the riuer Sapheth. When oSr. Ric. Barckley, discourse of felicity lib. 5. pag. 450.Harrald King of Denmarke made warre vponupon Harquinus, and was ready to ioyne battell, a dart was seene in the ayre flying this way and that way, as though it sought vponupon whom to rest, and when all men stood wondering what would become of this strange matter, eueryevery man fearing himselfe; at the last the dart fell vponupon Harquinus head & slew him. The French King pPhilip. Com mi. hist. lib. 8. cap. 18.Charles the 8. as he was beholding tenisse players, among other talke he said that he hoped to doe nothing hereafter that should offend God: which words were no sooner out of his mouth but he fell downe speechles, and languishing a few houres he died in the same place. A popish priest called qEox Mart. fol. 1731.Nighting all in the dayes of Queene Mary, Parson of Croudall in Kent, as he was boasting in the pulpit of the Popes absolution and by reason of it of his own purenes, most fearefully fell downe and dyed instantly. The Pope (though he doth exalt himselfe aboue all that is called God) perisheth notwithstanding as a man, and hereupon at his inauguration the rWalsingham in Hen. 5. pag. 444 Idem▪ Paradinus in sym▪ bol. pag. 126.master of the Ceremonies vsed to burne an handfull of flaxe before him, as in solemne procession he passed by, saying with a loud voyce, ecce pater sancte sic transit gloria mundi. I conclude this argument in sIn Psalm. 5. poeniten. vers. 4.Gregories glosse, man is like to grasse, quia per natiuitatem viret in carne, per iuuentutem c…ndescit in flore, per mortem aret in puluere, by his birth he is greene in his flesh, by his youth he is white in his blossome, by his death he is withered in the dust.
Whether the grassewither, or that the flower fade away, yet the word of God endureth for euer] tCaluin.this repetition is added once more to bring all the glory of proud flesh vntounto nothing: it also conteineth an excellent comfort, namely that the Lord hauing humbled his seruants in aduersity forthwith affordes them matter of ioy, the grassewithers, but the word of the Lord (which is the ground of our consolation) endures for euer; it is (as Saint u1. Pet. 1. 23.Peter termeth it) an incorruptible seed, a liuing, yea euerliuing word. And that in xArcularius.two respects especiallie: 1. in respect of the giuer, as being the word of the yHeb. 10. 31.liuing God which z1. Tim. 6. 16.only hath immortalitie: 2. in respect of the receiuers, in that it bringeth all true beleeuers vntounto life which endures for euer, according to that of Peter vntounto Christ, aIohn 6. 68.thou hast the words of eternall life. bCaluin.Here then in a few words is comprehended the whole summe of the Gospell; it consists in acknowledging our owne misery, weakenes, and vanity, that being humbled enough in the consideration of our faultes and frailtie, we might hauehave recourse to Christ our only Sauiour, by whose grace we shal be wholy restored. Againe from hence we may learne to seeke true consolation and contentment no where but in eternity, the which is only to be found in God: all flesh is grasse, and the grace thereof as the floure of the field, the grasse withereth, and the flower fadeth away, there can be no stability in earth and earthly things, and therefore let vsus not set our affections on things below, but alway cColoss. 3. 2.seeke those things which are aboue, let our conuersation bee in heauen, and from thence let vsus looke for saluation. Philip. 3. 20.
Goe vp vntounto the high hill O Sion] this commission (as dThe translatours of our Church Bible in the contents of this Chapter. Et Arcularius in loc.some thinke) concernes especially the Apostles, in which obserue 1. How they must preach: 2. What they must preach. How▪ they must get vp into the high hill, eMusculus.euen so high that their exalted voyce may well bee heard, and accordingly we find that fRom. 10. 18.their sound went into all the earth, and their wordes vntounto the endes of the world. gCaluin.Here you may see that the dumbe Idols in the papacie boast of the name of the Church absurdly, for the Church (as being the h1. Tim. 3. 15.pillar of truth and iEsay 66. 11. 12, 13.mother of all the faithfull) is not taught of God that she should keepe her knowledge to her selfe, but that she should proclaime that vntounto other which she hath learned, and that earnestly with a free spirit, O thou preacher Hierusalem lift vp thy voyce without feare. Now the tenour of the doctrine to be published by the Apostles and their successours in the Church for euer is briefly this, that Christ Iesus is our God and Sauiour, behold your God, both able and willing to redeeme his people, able, for that he shall come with power, and a strong arme, who can measure the waters in his fist, and mete heauen with his spanne, and comprehend the dust of the earth in a measure, and weigh the mountaines in scales, and the hilles in a ballance: willing, for that he shall feede his flocke like an heardman, he shall gather the lambes together with his arme, and cary them in his bosome and shall intreat kindly those that beare yong.