Remains of John Boyse, Sermon 11
PSAL. 42. 9.
One deepe calleth another.
AS the Scriptures excell other writings in verity, so the Psalmes, other Scriptures in variety; and in the whole booke, you shall hardly find any one sentence, that admits so many sweete constructions, as this our present text; The which is so profound, that as one deep surge, (saith aIn loc.Augustine) so one deepe sense, calleth another, according to my shallow iudgment, I hauehave diued into the most of them, and the best of them, euermore desirous, in an argument of this nature, rather to follow, then lead; for as the spiders web is not the better, because wouen out of her owne breast, so the bees hony, neuer the worse, for that gathered out of many flowers; It was one of the wishes of Augustine, that hee might hauehave seene S. Paul in the Pulpit: If you will hauehave but a little patience, you may heare diuers of the most ancient Fathers, and other great lights, in the Churches firmament, matchlesse for their learning, and spotlesse for their life, preach vntounto you this day.
First, Abysse, or gulfe, signifieth in holy language, great afflictions, as Ezechiel. 26. 19. and Ionas 2. 5. The plainest exposition then in the iudgement of Bucer, Caluin, Agellius, Acer…ensis, Estius, and bA insworth. Fabritius. Dr. Incognitus Musculus Omnes in loc.other interpreters, as well Pontifician, as Protestant, is briefly this; The troubles of Dauid, were so many for their number, and so grieuous for their nature, that as in swelling seas, one waue walloweth and tumbleth vponupon another: euen so one tentation, and affliction followed and occasioned another, without intermission, vntill all kindes of stormes, had gone ouer his head: in this Hymne▪ at the third verse he doth auow, that his teares were his meate day and night, and Psalme 69. 1. Saue mee, O God, for the waters are come in, euen vntounto my soule, I sticke fast in the myre, where no ground is; and Psal. 130. 1. Out of the deepe hauehave I called vntounto thee, O Lord.
Now then, in that Dauid, a good man, and a good Magistrate, had cPsal. 40. 15. et 1…4 4.innumerable crosses, which had almost drowned and ouerwhelmed his soule, we learne, that dIob. 5. 17.Blessed is the man whom God correcteth, for whom the Lord loueth, hee chasteneth, Heb. 12. 6. As some simples are made, by art, medicinable; which are by nature poysonable: so the fiery tryals of Peter, 1. Pet. 4. 12. and the watrie troubles of Dauid, here mentioned, in nature destructiue, by grace become preseruatiue; For the God of our gladnesse, and comfort saith, Esay 43. 2. When thou passest through the waters, I will bee with thee, and when thou walkest in the mids of the fire, thou shalt not be burnt, neither shall the flame kindle vponupon thee, whatsoeuer storme doth arise, feare not, I am as an eEsay. 32. 2.hiding place from the windes, and a refuge for the tempest; O warme Iacob, feare not, I will helpe thee, saith the Lord, and thy redeemer the Holy one of Israel. Esay 41. 14. I can doe this, because the Lord; I will doe this, because thy redeemer; I shall doe this, because the Holy one of Israel. And so God being with vsus, affliction is good for vsus, and as fLoc. …om. de Cruce.Martin Luther, Crux est theologia nostra sincerissima: When all is done, tribulation is the plainest, and most sincere diuinity;
It is an obseruation in Court, that a Prince learnes no Gentle-man like quality so well, as good horse-man ship; and the reason hereof, is euident, because, when hee commeth into the fence-schoole, his master will spare him, and when he commeth into the dancing-schoole, his teacher will humour him, and when hee commeth into the Tennis-court, his play-fellow will fauour him; And when hee commeth into the Chappell, his diuines also will often flatter him, and gEze. 13 1….sow pillowes vnderunder his elbowes▪ But in riding, If he looke not vntounto himselfe, and sit fast, his horse will not forbeare him: and so (beloued) albeit, our friends, our children, and seruants vse to dissemble, speaking good of euill, and euill of good; Yet honest Dr. Crosse, will euer deale plainly with vsus, and make vsus vnderstand our selues, and our sinnes.
One writes of Venice, feated in the Sea, that it is, impossibile in impossibili: So God embrodereth one blessing vponupon another, and aboue all, that we can Imagine, sweetly disposeth of trouble, for our comfort▪ Saepe facit opus, quod non est suum, vt ita faciat opus quod est suum, He chideth vsus a little, which is not his property; that in Fine, hee may shew mercy, which is most agreeable to his nature. Doe wee professe our selues patients, vnderunder our earthly Physitians, and shall wee hinder the working of bitter pils, giuen by our heauenly, who knowes what is best for vsus? As pride doth breed sores of salues: So God on the contrary, makes salues of sores; and therefore let vsus fing with our Prophet, in this Psalme, Why art thou so vexed, O my soule, and why art thou so disquieted within me; O put thy trust in God, for I will yet thanke him, which is the helpe of my countenance, and my God; Hitherto concerning the plaine construction of our text, I come now to the mystical interpretation▪ which are many.
Hierome vponupon the place, and Leo the great, Ser. 9. de pass. dom: Vnderstand this of the profound mysteries, in the Bible; saying, the depth of the old Testament, calles vp the depth of the new Testament; the old cals to the new, saith Hugo Cardinalis, ad sui complementum For Christ came not to destroy the Law, but to fulfill it. Mat. 5. 17. and the new calls vntounto the old, ad testimoniu…, to witnesse for it, according to that of Christ. Iohn 5. 39. Search the Scriptures, for they beare witnesse of me▪ The old Testament, is the graue, wherein as hIn Matth.Origine sayd, the new Testament is buried, the old being, as Zeno sayd of Logicke, like the fist shut, and …e new, like Rhetoricke, as the hand open; the old being nothing else, but a type of the new, and the new nothing else but a trueth of the old. The whole, saith iProlog. in Psal. tract. 1.Iacobus de Valentia, consists of one Syllogisme; the Law and the Prophets, are the Maior; all that Christ did, and sayd, the Minor; the writings of the blessed Euangelists, and Apostles, inferre the conclusion; or the kIdem. ibid.Gospell is hidden in the Law, like the conclusion in the premises. But albeit the Scriptures be deepe, yet (as lPraf in lib. moral cap. 4.Gregory speakes) it is a riuer, wherein the little lambe may wade, so well as the great Elephant swimme; it is the rolle of a booke, spread abroad and written within and without Ezec. 2. 9. 10. In some places it is rolled vp, from the most searching wits; in other spread abroad, to the capacities of the most simple, Testamentum est testatio mentis. Gods word therefore being his Testament, reueales as much of his will, as is to bee knowen. mChurch of Eng: Hom reading of Script. part 1.In it wee may find the Father from whom, and the Son by whom, and the holy Ghost, in whom are all things, and therefore should bee much in our handes, in our eyes, in our eares, in our mouthes, but most of all in our hearts, as nHom. vbi supra.Fulgentius saith, it affordes enough, abundantly for men to eate, and children to sucke: oMyst. Theol. cap 5.Maximus compares it to a man; The old Testament resembling the body, and the new Testament the soule, or the letter of the Prophets, is the body, and the meaning is the soule: and as the mortall part of man is seene, but that which is immortall vnseene; So the letter of the Scriptures is plaine, but the spirit in some places inuolued, and not easily discerned, One deepe calling vponupon another deepe.
pAmbo in locS. Augustine, and Hugo de S. Vict: vnderstand it thus, the depth of Gods knowledge, findeth out the depth of mans heart, for the Lord searcheth vsus out, he knoweth our downe-sitting, and our vprising; hee is about our paths, and about our bed, and spieth out all our wayes, and vnderstandeth all our thoughts long before. Psal 139.
It is the duty then of eueryevery Christian, especially tempted to sinne, to resolue with holy Ioseph, qGen 39. 9.How can I do this great wickednesse, and so sinne against God; Is there any thing so secret, that shall not be disclosed, If I commit it in the wood, shall not a bird of the aire cary the voice, & that which hath wings declare the matter? Ecclesiastes. 10. 20. If I sinne in the forrest, am I now to learne, that a beast hath spoken? Or if birdes and beasts happily should hold their peace, would not (as Christ sayd in the like case) the very stones cry? Luke 19. 40. If in my closet or study, shall not my bookes of deuotion, especially the Bible witnesse against mee? rIohn. 5. 45.There is one that accuseth you (quoth our Sauiour to the Iewes) euen Moses, that is, Moses law, the which as it was once spoken by God, so it dayly speakes in Gods cause, to God; Or if all these be silent, shall not the sinne it selfe, like the blood of Abel, cry for reuenge.
sDe vtil. ex …st. capiend.Plutarch aduiseth vsus so circumspectly, to demeane our selues, as if our enemies alway beheld vsus. tEpist. 11.Seneca counselleth vsus, to liue so well; as if Cato, Laelius, or some reuerend person of great wisedome, and account ouerlooked vsus. uInter dicta. sapient.Thales Milesius in the committing of any sinne, wished vsus when wee were alone, to bee afraid of our selues, and our owne conscience, which is instead of a thousand witnesses, a thousand Iuries, a thousand Iudges, te sine teste time, saith Ausonius. x1. Cor. 11. 10.S. Paul exhorts women to carry themselues in Gods house reuerently, because of the Angels obseruing their behauiour. But our text tels vsus yet a better way then all these, which is to remember alway that the depth of Gods science, calleth vntounto the depth of our conscience.
If any be deiected in his mind, for that hee cannot remember the good lessons hee dayly reads in bookes, and heares in sermons, let him bee comforted againe, because this one precept concerning Gods omni-presence, comprehends yFranc Arias de prasentia Dei. cap. 1.amnia media et remedia, all meanes and medicines for the curing of his sicke soule. If he beare still in mind, this one poynt, that all things are naked to Gods eye, Heb. 4. 13. Yea hell it selfe, Iob 26. 6. To his eye, which is all eye, Ten thousand times brighter then the Sunne, Ecclesiasticus 23. 19. He hath already commenced Doctor in Israel, and is a liuing, and a walking library, knowing so much as may serue for the well ordering of his whole life.
zApud▪ Estium in loc.Gregory the great, construeth our text thus, one iudgement of God calleth vp another, for his iudgements are a great depth, Psal. 36. 6. So deepe, that they be past finding out. Rom. 11. 33. When as therefore, for feare of Gods iudgement, we iudge our selues; one deepe occasioneth another, and that at the noyse of the water pipes, or cloudes, which are the preachers, exhorting vsus as S. Paul his Corinthians, If yee would iudge your selues, yee should not be iudged.
aIn loe.Arnobius, expoundeth it thus, one deepe, calleth another deepe; When Christ on earth, and in the nethermost hell also, called to God the Father, in the Highest Heauen: the strong crying of our Blessed Sauiour, vntounto God, with teares: Heb. 5. 7. Was a very deepe base; and Gods counter-verse was sung with an exceeding high voyce, from heauen of heauen, This is my beloued sonne, in whom I am well pleased. Mat. 3 17. One deepe calleth another deepe, when as truth flourished out of the earth, and righteousnesse looked downe from heauen: Psal. 85. 11.
bAmbo in loe.Hugo Cardinalis, and Lyra thus, Abyssus abyssum inuocat, that is, peccatum peccatum prouocat; As one deepe calleth another deepe: So one sinne prouoketh and calleth vp another sinne▪ Pride to maintaine her selfe, calleth vp Nigardise; Gluttony calleth vp Wantonnesse; Malice calls vp Murther; Vnthriftinesse calls vp in great ones, Oppression; In the poore theeuery: an vncleane thought calls vp vnsauoury wordes, and bad wordes corrupt good manners, and corruption in manners, breeds a custome in sin, and custome in sinne, brings men to sencelesnesse in sinne, such as giuegive themselues ouer, or sell themselues to commit iniquity, proceed from euill to worse. Ieremy 9. 3. and fall from one wickednesse to another, Psalme. 69. 28. First there is walking in the counsell of the vngodly, then standing in the way of sinners, last of all, sitting in the seate of the scornefull; Hee that blowes a feather into the ayre, or throwes a piece of paper into the riuer; knowes not where it will settle▪ So hee that begins with a sinne, knowes not when, or where it will end.
cLuke 3. 20.Herod happily began with a little dalliance, but afterward, he committed incest; and that darling sinne, caused him to adde yet this aboue all the rest of his faults, to shut vp Iohn in prison. And so d2. Sam. 12.Dania glutted with a large meale, lusted after Bath saba; and that fire did rage, till hee had committed vncleannesse with her, and for the couering of that foule fact, hee murthered his faithfull seruant, Vriah; and for the compassing of that murther, hee did endanger a great part of his Royall army, and so by binding many sinnes together, exceedingly scandalized his people.
This may teach vsus to fly sinne, as a serpent, for sinne was a serpent, before there was any serpent; and of all sinne none so dangerous, as that thou art loath to call a sin; that one deepe, calleth after it a great many deeps: Other faults, are like a rebellious multitude, in a State, which wanting an head, doe small hurt; this sinne is their head; cut it off, and thou shalt see the rest instantly dispersed, as fearefull rebels, hearing their leaders head hath kissed the blocke.
The Chaldee, translateth here, the higher deepe, calleth the lower deepe: So great sinnes, euermore draw with them a multitude of lesser offences; As for example; Conetousnesse, a Grandame in Babylon, a mother sinne, e1. Tim. 6. 10.S. Paul termeth it, the roote of all euill, for as the roote giues nourishment to the whole tree, so disordinate louelove of money, doth administer occasions and meanes, for eueryevery kind of sinne, against God, our neighbours, and our selues, the Prouerbe is, Shew me a lyar, and I wil shew thee a thiefe: But shew me a muck-worme, whose heart is set on riches, and I will shew thee many villaines in one, such a vermine, as is worse then an Infidel, and but little better then a Iesuit: Cardinal Cusanus sayd, the world is Deus explicatus, So the couetous wretch is Diabolus explicatus, a displayed deuill, a deuill in his colours, Effodiuntur opes irritamenta malorum, Hee that is nimble to digge and diue for gold, into the nethermost hell, as occasion offereth it selfe, will ascend as fast vntounto the top of Babel, and height of all impiety, for thus, One deepe calleth another deepe.
Bernard ser: 4. de assumption. B. Mariae, with other, as Bellarmin and Estius, in their annotations, vponupon the place, report and expound it thus; the depth of Gods mercy, calls vntounto the depth of mans misery, Magna miseria, superbus homo (quoth fDe catech …. cap. 4.Augustine,) sed maior misericordia humilis Deus, As sinne doth abound, so grace superabounds. Rom: 5. 20.
Our sinnes are great for their multitude, moe then the haires on our head, or gManasse… player.sand in the sea; great for their magnitude, being iniurious to God, our neighbours, our selues, all other creatures, and that which is more wonderful, in some respect, offending the very damned in hell fire, whose tortures encrease, as the sinnes of such increase, which hauehave beene corrupted by their filthy communication, and vngodly conuersation; our sinnes will appeare to be greater, if we consider a little, these fiue poynts.
1. The basenesse of the Person offending, a thing of nothing, Psal. 144. 4. whose bodies originall, is dirt. Gen. 2. 7. and end, dust. Gen. 3. 19. Whose soule by sinne, is lesse then nothing, for it is a lesser euill, not to be, then to sinne; a great deale better for the reprobate, neuer to hauehave bin, then to be damned. Mat. 26. 24.
2 The worthinesse of the Person offended, infinite in greatnesse▪ infinite in goodnesse, and so consequently there can be no greater folly, then for vile man, which is nothing of his owne, to displease God, which is, Being it selfe.
3 The weakenesse of the motiues, alluring vsus to sinne, a small interest of wealth, a little wantonnesse of the flesh, a Punctilio of honour, see notes vponupon Psal. 145.
4 The grieuousnesse of the punish ment, due to sin, both in the life present, and in that which is to come, for the torments of hell, in two respects, are termed infinite, to wit; In respect of their lasting, as being without end. In respect of their losse, as depriuing the damned of an infinite benefit, which is the sight of God for euer.
5 The greatnesse of the remedie, which is the precious blood of our Blessed Sauiour; who gaue himselfe for vsus, and with himselfe al things, Also, the depth of his mercies, ouerwhelmeth the depth of all our misdeedes and miseries, as being great for their number, euen multitudes of mercies, great for their quallity, riches of his goodnes Rom. 2. 4. Exceeding riches of his grace, Eph. 2. 17. Abundant kindnesse. Tit. 3. 4. 6. great for their continuance, being for euer, and euer. Psal. 103. 17. That is, as the doctors expound it, from euerlasting predestination, to euerlasting glorification, eueryevery way so great, that as S. Iohn says of his fulnesse, all of vsus hauehave receiued grace for grace; plentifull and abundant grace, blessings heaped one vponupon another, so freely, so fully, that if any perish, it is vndoubtedly, neglect in his duty, not any defect in Christs bounty.
To let passe all other interpretations, as being neither so pertinent, nor so profitable, let the time giuegive sence to the text, the deepe groanes of our deare brethren abroad, and at home, call vntounto the deepe bowels of our compassion, and pitty.
Beloued in the Lord, at this time, while wee sit vnderunder our vines at rest in our possessions, eating the fruits of our labours, and reaping that wee did sow, peace being within our walles, and plenteousnesse within our pallaces, at this time, while we refresh our selues; with the lambes of our fold, and calues of our stall, and sing to the sound of the viall; at this time, when our city gates are fast barred, and wee filled eueryevery day with the flower, and fatnesse of wheat; in a word, while there is no leading into captiuity, no complaining in our streets at home: Ioseph is afflicted, Israel and Iuda dwell in tents abroad; hEccles. 9. 14.There is a little city besieged, and a few men in it, and a great King is come against it, and a greater then any King in his swelling title, the Germaine Emperour, and the Pope, which is the greatest of all, as exalting himselfe aboue all that is called God; and I dare say with iIn Apoc. 7.Aretius, that these are three of the bad angels, hurting the earth, and the sea, mentioned, Apoc. 7. 1.
I beseech you therfore, by the mercies of God, take heed of the crime of Meroz, that ye may fly the curse of Meroz; fight the battayls of the Lord valiantly; take his part against the mighty Anakims, a mercilesse generation, drunken with blood of the Saints, all ye that are ready, for kPsal. 45. 5.good lucke hauehave yee with your honour, ride on, because of the word of trueth, of meekenesse, and righteousnesse; and let vsus who stay yet at home, fight on our knees, with push of prayer, One deepe calling vp another deepe.
The grieuous sicknesse of our friends at home, with other inconueniences, which I know you better conceiue, then I can expresse, together with the crying sinnes of our nation, administer occasion of one deepes calling vntounto another.
If thou hast but one teare, shedde it, if thy lIe…. 9. 1.head bee full of water, and thine eyes a fountaine of teares, powre them al out, yea powre out thy soule before the Lord, that his deepe mercies in his good time, may swallow vp all the Churches deepe miseries.
O Father of mercies, wee know that thou canst not deny thy selfe, and nothing is more thy selfe, then thy mercy which is aboue all thy workes: it is it wee want most, it is it wee craue most, it is it thou doest vse to giuegive most; hauehave mercy then vponupon vsus, according to the multitudes of thy louing kindnesses of old, that forthe dayes wherein wee hauehave suffered for euill, we may now from thy fulnesse receiue grace for grace.