Remains of John Boyse, Sermon 2
ESAY 41. 14.
Feare not worme Iacob, &c.
CHrist is Alpha and Omega, Reu. 1. 8. As Esay speakes in this Chap. at the 4. verse, the first and the last: and that vntounto vsus, as well as in himselfe, being yesterday and to day, and the same for euer. Heb. 13. 8. And therefore the Church allots a proper Scripture for eueryevery Sunday throughout the whole yeare; begins and ends her deuout seruice with the comming of Christ. For the first sentence declared in the Gospell appointed for the first Sunday, is, behold thy King commeth vntounto thee. And the conclusion of the last Gospell on the last Sunday, this of a truth is the same Prophet that should come into the world: which occasioned a… est expositio … in Ecclesia▪ proposi… ab … in …, …. …. 1608.Petrus Machado to terme this order, annulus Christianus, as it were the Christians round or ring.
So the Church in obseruing this high and holy time, makes the birth of our Lord, and appurtenances of the same, the first and the last obiect of all her solemne deuotions, other holy dayes in deed come between the feasts of his Natiuity, Circumcision, and Epiphany, but all of them are called Christmas, dedicated onelyonly to Christs honour, and the reason (as bIoh Raulin. Ser 2. …e beatis Innocentibus.some coniecture) why Saint Stephen, and Saint Iohn, and the blessed Innocents are mentioned aboue the rest of the Saints, is to shew that Christ came into the world to saue men of all sorts, of whatsoeuer degree; the Chiualrie represented by Saint Stephen a resolute Knight and warriour in the Lords battaile: The Clergie represented by S. Iohn stiled the Diuine: The Commonaltie or Infantrie, represented by the children Herod slew. Or intimating that Christ was borne for men of eueryevery seueral age, for men of perfect strength, as Saint Stephen: For old men on their Crouches, as Saint Iohn, who liued after Christ was dead, as Hierom reports in his life, 68. yeeres, being (as cAnnal. …om. 1. An. 99 fol. 749.Baronius avoweth) at his dying houre 106. yeeres old: Lastly, for Infants in their Cradles, as the blessed Innocents. dPet. de palud Ser. a… B. Innocentibus. idem Feru… ser. de Ioh. Euang.Or it may bee these Saints are honourably remembred at Christmas rather then other, because Christ saith, if any will follow me, let him forsake himselfe & take vp his Crosse, Mat. 16. 24. The seruant is not greater then his Master; if they hauehave persecuted me, they will persecute you also, Ioh. 15. 20. Now eSer. de Innocent. idem Ian… vt alii in Math. 2.Bernard & other Doctours say there bee 3. kinds of suffering or martyrdome in Christs cause; The 1. In will & in act, as that of Saint Stephen, the 2. In will, but not in act, as that of Saint Iohn: the third in act but not in will, as that of the Bethelemitish Innocents. And so Christ, as it is sayd, Cant. 5. 10. Is white▪ and ruddy, the chiefest among ten thousand: as one fLudolphus de vita Christs. part. 1. cap. 13featly, but I censure not hovv featly, Candidus in Iohanne, rubicundus in Stephano, electus ex millibus in Innocentibus.
This Scripture then is chosen aptly for a Christmas Sunday, promising that in type, which wee now see performed in truth, namely that Christ our Lord is the deliuerer of Sion out of her Captiuity, the Comforter, abettor, strength, helper, in a word, the redeemer of his people, from the hands of all their enemies, & from the bands of all her sinnes. In this verse (which is Capitulum Capitis, as it were the Chapters abridgment) two points are to be considered especially.
1. The weaknesse of the Church in respect of her selfe, as being a worme, and as a dead man.
2. The strength of the Church in respect of her Sauiour, saying, feare not, I will helpe thee: this I hauehave sayd, and this I will hauehave done, being powerfull and able; because the Lord, pittifull and willing, because thy redeemer, faithfull and true, because the holy one of Israel.
The Lord calleth elsewhere Iacob gPsal. 35. 4.his chosen, Israel his possession, hPsal. 114. 2.Iuda his Sanctuary, Israel his dominion, an iExod. 19. 6.holy Nation, a Kingdome of Priests, an holy tree, springing of an holy root, a people peculiar to himselfe, enclosed as it were from the Commons of the whole world. But heere considering their present affection and miserable condition vnderunder Captiuity, hee takes a lCaluin in loc.better course with them in omitting these glorious titles, and comparing them vntounto wormes and men that are dead: for this he shewes more;
That he greatly cares for them, although they seeme most abiect in the worlds eye. Feare not I am with thee, be not affrayd: I am thy God, I will strengthen thee, and helpe thee, and sustaine thee, with the right hand of my iustice. Howsoeuer now thou beest nothing, yet I wil so succour thee, that all the men of thy strife shall be confounded, ashamed, perish, and come themselues to nothing. Behold I will make thee a roller, and a new threshing instrument hauing teeth, and so thou shalt thresh the mountaines, and grind them to powder, and make the hills as chaffe.
A word spoken in his place, saith Salomon, is like aples of gold, with pictures of siluer: He therefore which is set apart for the gathering together of the Saints, and the worke of the ministrie, must (as St. Paul exhorts) diuide the word of truth aright. He must, as the Baptist in preparing way for his Lord, mLuke. 3. 5.exalt the vallyes and make the mountaines low. Men are made mountaines two wayes, either assuming too much vntounto themselues out of their owne merit, or else presuming too much vponupon Gods mercy: and on the contrarie men are vallyes, in contemplating their great faults, and little faith, humbled in their sin, and in their suffering for sin; And therefore the man of God ought to digg downe Mountaines by denouncing Iudgments, and to raise vallyes by pronouncing mercy. He must, as Ambrose sayd, bee like a Bee, applying the I awes sting to the proud in heart, but the Gospells honie to the poore in Spirit.
It is written in the nDeut. 19 4.Law, that if a man goeth vntounto the wood with his neighbour to hew wood, and his hand strikes with the axe to cut downe the tree: If the head slip from the helme and hit his neighbour that he dye, the same shall flie to one of the Cities appoynted for refuge and liue; Such as handle the word indiscreetly without any distinction of times, or places, or persons, or circumstances of sin: makes the head of the axe (saith oPastoral. part. …. cap. 10.Gregorie the great) to fly from the helme, and so they kill vnaduisedly their bretheren. And these pLuther. in Cal. 6. 2.ghostly Fathers vse Christians, as the Iewes did Christ hanging on the Crosse, when his thirstie soule called for some comfortable potion, they gaue him gall and vineger to drinke. The word of God must dwell in vsus plenteously, but in all wisdome, Col. 3. 16. We must heare it in all wisdome, read it in all wisdome, meditate on it in all wisdome, speake of it in all wisdome, especially preach of it in all wisdome, not only in some but in all wisdom. For all is litle enough, considering the Lord will not hold him guiltlesse that taketh his name in vaine.
By Iacob (yee which are verst in the Bible know well) is ment the qNic de Lyra in loc.seed of Iacob, all Gods people descended from his loynes, heere called a worme: And as Tremellius and our old English translations, a little worme, in respect of their rHyperi…. Caluin. Michael. de Palati….abiect estate first in Egypt, and afterward in Babylon, a silly worme. In quo (saith sGaspar San… in loc.one▪) nihil est quod quis aut amet aut metuat. So the next clause doth expound this in the iudgment of tin loc.Caluine, yee dead men of Israel, in such a wretched and base slauerie, that ye resemble men which are dead: euen past all hope to be restored and raised againe to your former glory. Gods people were not dead indeed, but as it were dead to many purposes vnderunder their Captiuity: They did not lead vitam vitalem, a liuely life, being as Socrates and u Plato sayd of marriners, neither among the deadv in Axiocho. nor yet among the liuing; And (as Saint Paul of a Widdow spending her dayes in pleasure) dead while they liue. For so the Scripture speaking Hyperbolically calls those dead who liue in extreame perils, and deepe dangers: as Psalm. 116. 3. The snares of death compassed me round about, and the paines of hell gat hold vponupon me: and Psalm. 86. 13. Thou Lord hast deliuered my Soule, that is, my person and life, from the nethermost hell, euen the pit of the dead, or the graue. So the Prophet Ezechiel entreating of this argument in his 37. Chapter compares the men of Israel vnderunder bondage, to drie bones in the mids of a field. These bones are of the house of Israel, behold they say, our bones are dryed, and our hope is gone, and wee are cut off a… branches from the tree. Therefore Prophecie vntounto them, and say: Thus saith the Lord God, behold my people, I will open your graues, and cause you to come vp out of your Sepulchres and bring you into the Land of Israel againe. As there is a spirituall resurrection from sin, and an eternall resurrection a… the last day from the graue: So likewise a temporall resurrection from affliction in this world. So the Lawyers terme those ciuilly dead, which are banished out of their Country. There is between Exilium and Exitium so little difference, that it sounds well enouge in a Latine eare, to call such as are condemned to perpetuall Exile, xSancti… in loc.Capite damnatos, men appoynted to dye.
Other, instead of dead men, of Israel, read few men of Israel, as our new Bibles in the margine, so the Septuagints and their translator, Israel parvulus, little Israel, and Procopius in his commentarie, Perpaucus Israel, as being in this aduersitie, litle for number, and lesse in account, despised Israel as the translation, Hen. 8.
Thus I hauehave deliuered vntounto you the plaine story, but for as much as all the faithfull are the Sonnes of Abraham, and true Iacobins, as Augustine sayd, more Israel then Israel it selfe, the yHieron Haymo. Hugo Cardinal Dionys. & arthus. Glossa Ordinaria. Caluin. Pellican.most and best expositors, aswell ancient as moderne, extend this not onelyonly to the sonnes of Iacob according to the flesh, but also to the seed of Iacob according to the spirit, that is, to the Church of Christ afflicted and persecuted vnderunder Antichrist in zBorrhaius in loc.in spirituall Babylon:
And so these times hauehave made a large Commentarie vponupon this text: For Iacob is a worme troden vnderunder foot in Italie, troden vnderunder foot in Spaine, troden vnderunder foot in France, troden vnderunder foot in Austria, troden vnderunder foot in Poland, troden vnderunder foot in Germanie, Persecuted by the red Dragons might and malice throughout the Wildernesse of the whole world, and the friends of Iacob are but louing wormes, a few men, and they by the designes of Antichrist, & his bloody ministers the Iesuits, appoynted to dye, for Christs sake killed all the day long.
This Scripture then is a parallell vntounto that, Cant. 2. 2. Like a Lillie among the thornes, so is my louelove among the Daughters: and to that Ecclesiastes. 9. 14. There was a little City and few men in it, & a great King came against, and compassed it about, and built forts against it. And to that of our blessed Sauiour in the Gospell, affirming that his Church is a little flocke in the mids of Wolues.
Now that which is sayd in generall of Christs whole body mysticall, is verified in particular of eueryevery member, as eueryevery sliuer of a bone is bone: So eueryevery sonne of Iacob, eueryevery true beleeuer baptized into Christ is a worme, and as a man that is dead. A worme not in respect of his humane condition onelyonly, Iohn. 23. 6. Man is a worme, euen the Sonne of man but a worme, aIob. 17. 14.saying to corruption thou art my Father, and to the worme thou art my Mother and my Sister. But in respect of his Christian estate much more being vilified and accounted in the worlds esteeme, bPsal. 22. 6.a worme and no man, a scorne of men, and outcast of the people: yea the filth of the world, and off-scouring of all things, 1. Cor. 4. 13. His soule quoth Dauid is filled with the contemptuous reproofe of the rich. To good Men and Angels an obiect of pittie: To bad Men and Angels an obiect of enuie: To both a gazing stocke. Bernard. Ser. …1. Inter paruos sermones. And with the despightfullnesse of the proud, a gazing stocke to Men and Angels, infaelicitatis tabula, Calamitatis fabula, the Map of miserie, the table talke, yea tabret, as Iob speakes vntounto the wicked. Yee beleeue this, I know, because ye daily see this; not in the tents of Kedar onelyonly, but in the high streets of Hierusalem also: the greater doubt is how the Christian is sayd here to bee Dead.
For the better vnderstanding whereof, obserue that spirituall death in Iacob, is threefold; to witt.
A Death, of
Sinne; For how shall we that are dead to sin, liue therein, Rom. 6. 2.
The Law; Through the Law, I am dead to the law, Gal. 2. 19. That is, saith Luther, against that accusing & condemning Law, I hauehave an other law which is Grace, & Libertie: which accuseth the accusing, and condemneth the condemning Law.
The world,
Actiue; Whereby the world is dead vntounto Iacob, renoūcing the pompes thereof, and accounting all things losse to winne Christ.
Passiue; Whereby Iacob is dead to the world, which hateth and persecuteth him for Christs sake.
The summe of all is, that a Christian is dead to sin, and aliue to God. Dead to sin, (as Iudicious Melancthon) in respect of sinnes imputation and efficacie. In respect of imputation, for albeit some reliques of old Adam remaine in the new man, yet as the Scripture speakes, all his cPsal. 85. 2.offences are couered, dRom 8. 1.there is no condemnatiō vntounto them which are in Christ. God sees none iniquity in Iacob▪ no transgression in Israel, Num. 23. 21. As for sinnes efficacie, whereas the motions of sin in an vnregenerate man, hauehave force to bring forth fruit vntounto death, Rom. 7. 5. He that is borne of God sinneth not, 1 Iohn. 3. 9. As being a patient, rather then an agent in sin, saith Bernard▪ or as ein Rom. 6.Primasius, he doth not liue to sin, but to Christ who dyed for his sin. Thus I liue quoth Paul, Gal. 2. 20. Yet not I now, but Christ liueth in mee; Christ himselfe is the life which I now liue: In this regard he and I are both one quoth Luther vpō that place; this seemes a very strang manner of speaking, I liue, I liue not: I am dead, I am not dead: I am a sinner, I am not a sinner: I liue not now as▪ Paul, but Paul is dead; who is it then that doth liue? the Christian; our corrupt estate subiect to sin, and concupiscence, is called the old man: But our person reformed in and by Christ is the new man: Augustine pithily, Christianus est quod ammodo duplex, eueryevery single Christiā susteyneth a double person, as Hector Pintus vponupon our text, duplex est in me ego, one I that liues according to the flesh, and another I that liues according to the spirit. As the penitent wanton in St. Ambrose, (who courted by his old louelove, Cur non respicis, ego sum?) answered, sed ego non sum ego: Though you be still the same woman, I am become another man: I liue indeed in the flesh, but not through the flesh, or according to the flesh, for I am Crucified vntounto the world, and the world is Crucified vntounto mee; The truth, is I liue by faith in the Sonne of God, I am grafted into Christ, and fCaluin. institut lib. 4. c. 15. sect. 5. Idem Caietan et Melanct. in B…m▪ 65.the graft doth liue not of it selfe by the sap of the stocke. Wee are twigges, and Christ is the tree, without him wee can doe nothing, Iohn. 15. 5. But in him, and through him all things, Philip. 4. 13.
Thus a Christian is dead to sinne, dead to the law, dead to the world actiuely: the which exposition is entertained of many learned interpreters: but that Iacob is passiuely dead vntounto the world, as being hated & persecuted of the world, (as the blessed Apostle speakes of himselfe) for Christs glory dying daily, is the fitter, and as I think the fuller glosse, comming neerer home to the point, and to the pith of the matter, intended heere by the spirit. And so, by this place you may learne the meaning of another hard phrase, 1. Cor. 15. 2… Baptized for dead, that is, afflicted and reputed as dead. I know there bee diuerse readings and interpretations of that text, but vponupon an exact inquirie yee shall vnderstand this to be most agreeable to the words, & to the scope of Saint Paules argument▪ To the words because Baptisme is vsed elsewhere for affliction, as Luk. 12. 50. I must be Baptized with a Baptisme, and how am I grieued till it bee ended, and Math. 20. 22 Mark. 10. 38. Ye know not what ye aske (quoth our blessed Sauiour) to his ambitious Disciples harkening after earthly preferment in his Kingdome. Yee must first drinke of the Cup, that I must drinke of: and be baptized with the Baptisme, that I am baptized with; that is, in the iudgment of Theophilact, Euthymius, Ardens, and many more learned Diuines; Ye must of necessity beare the Crosse, before ye can weare the Crowne: ye must enter into my Kingdome through many tribulations.
As for the scope Saint Paul in the words immediately following, shewes that by baptized hee meant afflicted, why are we Christians in Ieopardie eueryevery houre? If I hauehave fought with Beasts at Ephesus after the manner of men, what aduantageth it me, if the Dead rise not againe. Wherefore should Iacob and Israel indure so many losses and crosses, fightings without, and terrours within, troden vnderunder foote like wormes, and reputed as dead men in this world, were there not another world where they shall hauehave fulnesse of Ioyes, and pleasures at Gods right hand for euermore?
So hauehave yee the first part of our Text explained, concerning the weaknesse of the Church in respect of her selfe: the second is the consideration of her strength in respect of her Sauiour: Who saith, feare not, I will helpe thee. The which is repeated often in this one Chapter, and that within the compasse of a few lines, not onelyonly to shew the dulnesse of our fraile flesh, needing in aduersitie, promise vponupon promise, so well as in prosperity, precept vponupon precept: But to set forth also the fulnesse of Gods infinite rich mercy, towards vsus vile Wormes. It is reported, Apo. 7. 2. That foure bad Angels had power to hurt the Earth and the Sea, when wee heare of their number, Foure, wee may feare; and when wee heare of their nature, bad Angells, wee may feare more. When we doe read of a datum est, power and authority giuen vntounto them of God to hurt, wee may feare most of all: But when wee finde their power limited that they must not hurt Gods seruants, wee need not feare at all.
I saith the Lord, whose power is I am, and stile, I will. Alas, man of himselfe is not able to doe any thing, hee liues and moues, and hath all his being in me: my grace sustaineth him, by which hee is whatsoeuer is his: He speakes optatiuely would to God, I will if God will; But I the Lord Indicatiuely, Imperatiuely, gMath. 8 3.I will, bee thou cleane, I will ease you, I will strengthen thee, I will helpe thee. I the Lord who make the hPsal. 114. 4.mountaines to skip like Rams, & the litle hills like young sheepe: I who measure the Waters with my iSo Aquila translat apud Hieron.little finger, and the Earth with three of my fingers, and the Heauens with my spanne, Esay. 40. 12. Before whom all the Nations of the world are but as a drop of the morning dew that falleth vponupon the ground, Wis. 11. 19. I that am k1 Cor. 15 28all in all, lHeb▪ 1 3.vpholding all things by my power. I the Lord against whom there is no wisedome, neither vnderstanding, nor counsell, Pro. 21. 30. No Wisedome of men, or Vnderstanding of deuills, or counsell of Angells is able to preuaile. No Wisedome in Heauenly things, or vnderstanding in Earthly things, or counsell in any thing against me. Neither is my will inferiour to my power, for I am thy Redeemer. I was borne for thee, I was circumcised for thee, I fulfilled all righteousnesse for thee; I dyed for thee, I rose againe for thee, what could I hauehave done more for thee, which I hauehave not done? I hauehave so loued thee that I gaue my selfe for thee, to bee both an offering, and a sacrifice of a sweet smelling sauour vntounto God for thee. I am mHeb. 1. 2.heire of all things, and I am thine nEsay. 9▪ 6.a childe borne vntounto thee, a Son-giuer vntounto thee. Feare not Iacob I am with thee, and with mee thou shalt hauehave all things also.
Doubt not of my promise, seeing I am the holy one of Israel. It is true that God is holy formaliter and effectiue, oBorrhaius in loc.holy in himselfe, and making other holy: see my Booke, Fol. 782.
But I Subscribe to their conceite: who by Sanctus, vnderstand verax et firmus in promissis, I am holy, that is, firme and faithfull in my promise: I am not as man that I should lye, neither as the Sonne of man that I should repent. Harke O Israel I hauehave made a couenant with thee, that I will bee thy God, and thou my people. I will not alter the thing that is gone out of my mouth, I will not shrinke from it, I can not deny my selfe, I keepe my promise for euer.
I begā this feast as you may remēber here with a Christmas carroll: and I purpose to conclude with a Christmas close. If God bee with vsus, who can bee against vsus: The world will bee against vsus, and the flesh against vsus, and the Deuill against vsus. pSt Bern.The world cryes, Ego deficiam; the flesh, Ego inficiam; the deuill, Ego interficiam. But it makes no matter so long as thy Redeemer cryeth, Ego reficiam. I am the beginning and the ending, which is, and which was, and which is to come. Was in thy Creation: Is in thy preseruation: and will boe in thy glorification. I who am alway the same in my povver, pleasure, promise, will bee with thee till the Worlds end: and then thou shalt be with me world without end: Feare not worme Iacob. I can do this because the Lord, I will do this because thy Redeemer, I shall do this because the holy one of Israel.