Remains of John Boyse, Sermon 12
PSAL. 84, 10.
One day in thy courts is better then a thousand▪
THe most excellent thing in the world, is man, and the most excellent thing in man, is the soule, and the most excellent thing in the soule, is religion, and the most excellent thing in religion, is to seeke aPlacid… Parmensi… in loc.God here, that wee may see him hereafter, in whose most amiable dwellings, one day, sayth our Prophet…, is better then a thousand.
For by the Courts of God, in the iudgement of most, and best expositors, is here meant, either the Church militant, which is bApoc 12. 7.heauen on earth; or the Church t…umphant, which is heauen in heauen; and the least of time …pent, in either of them, is better then a thousand days, or moneths, or yeeres or ages elsewhere▪ to wit, as may bee supplied, by the verse following▪ in the tents of vngodlinesse.
Concerning the first; it is well obserued by cIn lo….Placidus Parmensis, and dAg…llius et Lorinus in loc.other, that this one day, is Christs day▪ which Abraham reioyced to see, Iob… ▪ 8. 56. The day of sul…ation and acceptable time. 2. Cor. 6. 2. eIohn. 1. 16.Wherein all of … hauehave receiued from his fulnesse, and grace for grace, the day which the Lord hath made, and all his Saints are glad in it. Psal. 118. 24. One houre, whereof among the faithfull in the true worship of God, is better in respect of profit, then a thousand in the market; better in respect of pleasure, then a thousand in the theater; better in respect of honour, then a thousand in the palaces of Princes.
For profit, our euidence is cleare. 1. Tim. 6. 6. Godlines is great gaine, that is, gaine of great things, as Caietan, or greater gaine, so Theophilact, or the greatest, and enough gaine, so Caluin, as if the Blessed Apostle should hauehave sayd, gai…e, and more then gayne, riches, and better then riches; as when the Scripture would difference, the true liuing God, from dumbe and dead Idols, it calleth a fPsal. …5 3. Malac. 1. 11.great God, and a great King aboue all gods: So speaking of godlinesse (which is the riches of the soule,) termes it great riches, heauenly riches, in…stim able riches, vnchangeable riches, euerlasting riches.
For to spend our time well, is the best husbandry, saith Seneca; to giuegive to the poore, the best vsury, sayth Augustine; to co…et spirituall giftes, hereby to winne soules, is the best auarice, saith gCom. in Abac▪ 2. 9Hierome; hPro. 23. 23.to buy the truth, is the best bargaine, sayth Solomon▪ to bee rich in good workes, is the best opulencie, saith Paul 1. Tim. 6. 18. Other gaines, are not without their inconueniences, and incommodities, as hauing in them, an emptinesse, and neuer enough, as Bernard told his brethren, nec ver… s…t, … vestr… but godlinesse afforde… … way contentation, either in d…ed, or desire.
In deed, as hauing pr…mia reposita, and pr…posita, i1. Tim. 4. ….the promises both of the life present, and of that which is to come, the blessings of the right hand, and of the left hand, Prouerb. 3. 16. kPsal. 34. 10.The Lyons doe lacke, and suffer hunger, sayth our Prophet: But they that feare the Lord, shall want no manner of thing that is good: The couetous that goe about like roaring Lyons, seeking whom they may deuoure, by their oppression, and cruelty, sometime misse their prey, yea, the more they hauehave, the greater is their hunger and thirst, after the thinges of this world; The lDan. Chron pag. 174.Chronicle reportes of Peirce Gaueston, that the more he was inriched; the worse was his estate: But they who seeke the Lord, (which is vntounto those that serue him, all in all things;) hauehave their m1. King. 17.meale so multiplyed in the barrell, and n2. King. 4.oyle in the cruse, that they want no manner of thing that is good, habent omnia, q…ia habent habentem omnia.
It may bee, some good thing is wanting in their estate, but happily not good for them; it was good for Naaman that he was a leper, good for Dauid, that hee was in trouble; good for Bartimeus, that he was blind, as a nurse knowes what is best for her infant, so God our heauenly Matth … ▪ ….Father, knowes what is best for vsus his children▪ If he giuegive the subs…iue saluation, hee will afford like wise the ad…ectiue things▪ necessary for this life. Mat. 6 33. Caetera ad jeintur …, If hee giuegive his Son for vsus, how shall hee not with him giuegive vsus all things also. Rom 8. … ▪
Howsoe…er, godlinesse affordes contentation in respect of the desire, because godly men, If they hauehave not estat… according to their minds, they wil hauehave mindes according to their estates, hauing nothing, and yet possessing all things. 2. Cor. 6. 10. The couetous is only poore, and the content is only rich, pLaurenti… Pis… Euang. Parado….omnia famulantur famulanti Deo: The seruant of God, is Lord of all; as qIohn 8. 6.Christ sayd, If the so…e make you free, then are you free indeed, so (deare Christians) If godlinesse make you rich, then are yee rich indeed, a great deale more rich, then they which of their corne, and wine, and oyle, hauehave full encroase: the Pompous Prelate, who sayd hee would not loose his part in rChristians ta…ke. page. 686.Paris, for his part in Paradise, nay Leo the 10. who got so much, and in the Holy sea, spent so much of S. Peters inheritance, that sHist lib. 14 iGuicciardine writes in his history▪ Whereas other were Popes, no longer then they liued, he was sayd to be Pope many yeeres after hee was dead: was not so rich as Martine Luther, a poore preacher, who professeth of himselfe, that of all faults, hee was euer least subiect to the dirty sin of euil coueting.
If any then aske the question in the third of Malac: 14. what profit is it to serue God? answere is made by the father of lies in this truely; Iob. 1. 9. doth Iob serue God, for nought, hath hee not made an hedge about him and about all that he hath on eueryevery side? the like may be sayed of eueryevery man which is vpright and feares God, is he not rich and his godlines gaine? being blessed in his field, blessed in his fold, blessed in his corne, blessed in his cattle, tPsal 128. 5.loe thus shall the man be blessed that f…areth the Lord: On the contrarie, sinnes are termed by Saint Paul, uEphes. 5. 11.vnprofitable, works of darknes, what fruite had ye (saith he to the xRom. 6. 21.Romans) in those things wherof ye are now ashamed, & he doth answere himselfe in the same place, the wages of sin is death; bad worke, sad wages.
But our Sauiours question in the 16 of S. Matthew, puts this matter out of all question; what shall a man gayne though he winne the whole world and loose his owne soule? put the whole world into one ballance, and thy soule into the other, and thou shalt vnderstand that the saying of thy soule is better in it sefe, and much more better vntounto thy selfe, then all the world; yea more worth, then as many worldes, as there be men in the world, thy soule is better in it selfe; for all the things of the world, are vanities of vanities; yIohn. 2. 17.M…ndus transit, et concupiscentia eius; The pomps of the world, and the world it selfe, is mutable, but the soule is an immortall, and heauenly substance, zGen 2. 7.breathed into thee by God, and if thou dwell in his Courts, and continue faithfull in his seruice to death, it shalbe blessed euerlastingly.
And to thy selfe, it ought to bee more precious then all the treasures of Empires, for according to the …ules of charity, that ought to bee dearest vntounto thee, which is neerest vntounto thee; but nothing, as diuine Plato said, is so much thy selfe, as thy soule: The sauing whereof, is the principall, and mayne businesse, and all other affayres, are to bee respected, or reiected, as they more or lesse tend to the furthering of this one most important employment.
If therefore thou louelove thy profit, desire to dwell in the Courts of the Lord, for the Church, as Iohn Baptist shewes thee, is Christ; and Christ aIohn 1. 6.is the way to God, and godlinesse is great gaine, by which is obteyned, an b1. Pet 1. 4.inheritance, which is immortall, vndefiled, and neuer fading away; granted in our election, promised in our vocation, assured in our iustification, actually possessed of vsus in our glorification.
2 One day spent in the Courts of the Lord, is better then a thousand in the tentes of vngodlinesse, in respect of pleasure.
An old disciple of Christ, being asked the cause, why he was euer such a merry man, answered, When I was a yong man, I studied how to liue well, and when I was an old man, I studied how to dye well; and so desiring to seeke God in his kingdome of grace, and hoping to see him in his kingdome of glory, one day to me was better then a thousand vntounto those, who cWisd. 5. 7.weary themselues in the wayes of wickednesse, and destruction. Doe ye desire to please your eare? no musicke is comparable to the Gospels harmony, that is, dLuke 2. 10.newes of great ioy, that eEs. 40. 1.comforts Hierusalem at the very heart.
Doe yee desire to please your taste? fPs. 34. 8.O taste and see how gracious the Lord is, it is hee that feedeth, and filleth eueryevery liuing thing, with his plenteousnesse, and his word is sweeter then hony, or the hony combe. Psal. 19. 10.
Doe ye desire to please your eye? what beauty like to that of Christ, as being gPs. 45. 3.fayrer then all the sonnes of men, or what beauty like to that of the Temple, for ou… of Sion hath God appeared, in perfit beauty, Psal. 50. 4.
That which Ouid sayd of one kind, may bee verified of eueryevery sort of worldly delight, breuis est et non vera voluptas, it is short, and not sound, Heb: 11. 25. The pleasures of sinnes, are but for a season; as the night doeth ouertake the day, and the day driue away the night, so worldly lusts, runne one after another, and the best of them all, endures not long; it is but a baite, and a bayt is but a bit, it may stay the stomacke for a while, but it is not able to giuegive full content; the eye, sayth hEccl 1. 8.Solomon, is not satisfied with seeing, nor the eare with hearing; the reioycing of hypocrites, is but a moment. Iob. 20. 5.
Againe worldly delights, are no true pleasures, but bitter sweets, hauing like the peacocke, faire feathers, but foule feete; or like the Meremayd, quoth Horace, Mulier formosa supernè desinet in turpem piscem; or like a tragedy, mirthfull in the Prologue, dolefull in the Epilogue: and therefore we should doe by pleasures, as great Princes doe by banquets, come and looke a little vponupon them, and turne away.
To speake more particularly, the lips of a strange woman, drop as an hony combe, (sayth iProu 5. 4.Solomon,) and her mouth is more soft then oyle, but the end of her is bitter as wormewood, and sharpe as a two edged sword, her feete goe downe to death, and her sleppes take hold on hell.
Lae…a venit Venus, tristis abire solet.
It may bee, that the beginnings of ryotus meetings, are good fellowship, and merriment; but kProu 14. 13.euen in laughing the heart is sorrowfull, and the end of such mirth, is heauinesse; it is like Ioabs kisse, attended with a secret stab, happily the gamester is pleased enough at play, but when he hath made away all, he is ready to make away himselfe also.
As for the pleasures of other sinnes, an enuious man is a murtherer to himselfe; a prodigall man, is a thiefe to himselfe; a proud man, a witch to himselfe; a couetous man, a deuil vntounto himselfe: for as the riuers of sweete waters, runne their course to dye in the salt sea, so the hony of all earthly pleasures, doe end in the gall of griefe.
On the contrary, the goodman and godly, lPsal. 1. 2.delights in the law of the Lord, and exerciseth himselfe therein day and night, hee serues God with mPsal. 100. 1.gladnesse; other it may bee, they hauehave legem in corde, they know the Law; but he, sayth nAnn…t. Elucid in Ps cap. 2.Hugo de victor: hath Cor in lege, his heart is set on the law to performe the workes thereof, and to him it is oProu. 21. 15.ioy to doe well, and his ioyes are solide, being ioyes of the soule, ioyes in the holy Ghost, whatsoeuer happeneth outwardly, his pPsal 112. 8.heart is established, and his mind setled, intus bene.
And his ioyes are permanent, qProu. 15. 15.a good conscience, being a continuall feast, a dayly Christmas, a standing Holiday; a ioy that rIohn 16. …2.no man or deuill, is able to take away, whatsoeuer he doeth, or suffereth, sRo…. 8. 28▪all things worke together for his good, he takes t2. Cor. 12. 10.pleasure in reproaches, in necessities, in anguish for Christs sake, when he is weake, then is hee strong, u2. Cor 4. 8.afflicted on eueryevery side, but not in distresse, death it selfe, which other account, the worst of all, is to him best of all, ipsa paenarum vltima mors Christiano, ludus est, as xHym 5 de Vincent Martyr.Prudentius sings of S. Vincent; and a Protestant Martyr being at the stake, in the middest of furious and outragious flames, cryed out, yFox Martyr. fol. 939.Behold yee Papists, yee looke for miracles, and here now yee may see a miracle, for in this fire, I feele no more payne, then if I were in a bed of downe, yea, it is to me, like a bed of roses.
Godlinesse in eueryevery sickenesse, is a Physitian; in eueryevery contention, an aduocate in eueryevery doubt, a schoole-man; in all heauinesse, a Preacher; and a comforter vn…o whatsoeuer estate it commeth: it sayth as the blessed Apostles, peace bee to this house, Peace be to this man, Peace to this heart; which occasioned zClaudi… Aqu uaeria medit. in Psal. 118.one to say, that the life of a good christian, is a perpetuall Halleluiah.
In the duell of Essendon, (as we read in our English aDan. Chron. page 16.Chronicle,) betweene Canutus, and Edmund Ironside, for the prize of …he Kingdome of England, after long and equall combat, finding each others worth, and valour, they cast away their weapons, embraced and concluded a peace, putting on each others apparell, and armes, as a ceremony, to expresse the attonement of their minds as if they made transaction of their persons, one to the other, Canutus being Edmund, and Edmund Canutus.
Our iniquities had made a separation betweene God and vsus, Esay 59 2. And in this warre, as the Scripture speakes, God did fight against vsus, and we were his enemies; Now Christ our Make-peace, did end this quarrell, and that was by putting on our clothes, and by giuing vsus his clothes, he tooke vponupon him our flesh, and in his body did b1. Pet. 2. 24.beare our sinnes, and wee by faithes hand cRom. 13. 14.put on Christ, and the long robe of his righteousnes: so the Church sings, dCant. 6 2.I am my beloueds, and my welbeloued is mine; Christ and we being married, as S. Paul teacheth. Ephes. 5. are but one flesh, and as it were but one person in law; for Christ in taking our nature vponupon him, is flesh of our flesh, and bone of our bone, substantially; and we likewise by putting him on vsus, are flesh of his flesh, and bone of his bone, spiritually; so that our sinnes, are his sinnes, and his righteousnesse, our righteousnesse, Iere. 23▪ 6. The Lord our righteousnesse. Psal. 4. 1. O God which art my righteousnesse.
eRom. 5. 1.Being iustified then by faith, wee hauehave peace towards God, through our Lord Iesus Christ, and this peace is a pleasure, that passeth all vnderstanding; fDeut. 28. 65.sinne makes a trembling and heauy heart, but assurance that our sinnes are forgiuen in Christ, is the rest of our soule, making vsus like gLuke 16. 19.Diues, eueryevery day faring deliciously.
3 One day spent in the courts of the Lord, is better then a thousand in respect of honour.
hPlutarch in vita C…s.Caesar sayd, he had rather be the first in a countrey village, then the second in Rome, (though it were then esteemed the worlds Epitome,) but our Prophet desires, rather to bee a doore-keeper in Gods house, then to command in the tents of vngodlinesse, iWilcox in loc.of the meanest account in the one, then of highest honour in the other, as kCruci… apud Ver…. in loc.one glosseth it; I had rather be a Clauiger, a subiect, yea lAinsworth.abeict sitting at the very threshold, in the Courts of the Lord, then to be a steptrifer; Mahumet the great, or mBuchananSoliman the Magnificent, in the tents of infidelity.
So nHeb. 11. 25.Moses refused to be called the sonne of Pharaohs daughter, and chose rather to suffer aduersitie with Gods people: So Daniel esteemed the Lyons den better then Darius Pallace; So the three children aduentured to meete heauen, in the hell of a fiery furnace; so the renowned Emperour Theodosius, more reioyced in that hee was a member of the Church, then head of the State; So the blessed Saints, in the dayes of Queene Mary, desired rather to be pilgrimes among the reformed Churches, abroad, then Prelats in the kingdome of Antichrist at home. To serue God is perfit freedome, as diuine Plato determined iudiciously, Goodnesse is not in greatnesse, but on the contrary, Greatnesse is in goodnesse.
A great Lord, conuicted of treason against his Soueraigne, hath his blood attaynted; himselfe, and his posterity disgentred, vntill they be restored in blood. Adam in Paradise, commi…ted high treason against the King of heauen, and earth, and in him all of vsus hauehave sinned, and so by consequent, our blood is attainted, till it be restored againe by Christ, oApoc. 1. 5.who loued vsus, and washed vsus from our sins in his blood; As good Queene pDaniel in Edward 1.Elinor sucked the venome out of the wound, giuen her husband, Edward the first, by an Assassine, with a poysoned weapon: So Christ our husband, hath expelled the poyson out of our woundes, inflicted by the deuill, our aduersary, who was a murtherer from the beginning; eueryevery christian then as hauing his woundes healed and his blood purged, is a gentleman, and the best christian, is the best gentleman; according to the qAct. 17. 11.scripture, teaching vsus, that the men of Berea, who receiued the word with all readinesse, were more noble, then they of Thessalonica: The burgesses of Gods city, bee not of base Linage, but truly Noble; For by their second birth, all of them are the rRom. 8. 14.sonnes of God; and the Church is their sGal 4. 26.Mother, and Christ their tHeb. 2. 7.Brother, and the Holy Ghost, their uIoh 2. 27.Tntor, Angels their attendants, Heb. 1. 14. all other creatures, their subiects. Psal. 8. 6. The whole world their Inne, 1. Pet. 2. 11. and heauen their Home. Iohn. 14. 2.
Fauours of Princes serue sometime, more for the benefit of those that giuegive them, then for the profit of those that receiue them, and the best honour an earthly Prince can conferre vponupon his chiefe fauorite, is to make him a Viceroy in some part of his Empire; but Christ which is the xPsal …4. 7.King of glory, maketh all his followers, Kings vntounto God his father, Apoc 1. 6. Kings, because God reigneth in vsus, and because through his sanctifying grace, we hauehave dominion ouer our concupiscenses, not suffering sinne to yRom 6. 12.reigne in our mortall bodies; and we are not only Viceroyes ouer one prouince, but in this respect, Lords ouer the whole world, zRom. …. 37.more then conquerours, a great deale greater then William the Conquerour, or Alexander the great, or the great Turke: for whereas they conquered, in many yeres, a few parts of the world: Hee that is borne of God, ouercommeth in one houre, with one act, all the pompe of the world, and all the power of hell also. It is but Caesars Veni, vidi vici, this is the victory that ouercommeth the world, euen our faith. 1. Iohn 5. 4.
The difference betweene the christians honour, and the worldlings honour, is very plaine; The kings daughter is all glorious within, Psal. 45. 14. But the worldlings, is all glorious without: now the aEthic. lib. 1.Phylosopher hath taught truly, That ciuill honour, is not in the power of the person honored, but in the power of the person honouring; and therefore the worldlings glory, depending vponupon the breath of vaine men, and possession of vaine matters, is altogether vncertaine; But the Christians dignity, which is within, hauing done b2 Chron. 24. 15.good in Israel, and toward God, and his house, cannot be taken away, but it flourisheth and remaineth for euer. Psal. 112. 9.
For conclusion of all: I say to you all in briefe, that this Doctrine should encourage vsus, diligently to visit the Temple, which is Gods house, the Palace, where his Holinesse more specially resides; Heretofore Hierusalems Temple, was instar parochiae, sayth cDe Orig. Templ cap 4.Hospinian, as a great parish; So now, eueryevery Parochiall Church, is instar templl, where God is to be worshipped, in the publique congregation; and dutifully to honour his anoynted Kings, and Princes, which are the chiefe gouernours of his house; and reuerently to respect his Clergie, Bishops, Pastors, and Curates, which are the d1. Cor. 4. 1.disposers of his secrets, and stewards of his house, and cheerefully to delight in his Saints; which are the domesticall, and ordinary seruants of his house, and eagerly to hunger and thirst after his Sacred word, and blessed Sacraments, which are the foode of his house, and to put on holinesse, and righteousnesse, which are the hangings, and ornaments of his house; But aboue all, euen with all our heart, soule, mind; to louelove the Lord Iesus, which is the founder and foundation of this house; that after we hauehave soiourned in his earthly tabernacle, wee may rest vponupon his heauenly mountaine, where wee shall be abundantly satisfied with the pleasures of his house: For as eSer. 47. in Cant.Bernard sweetly, si sic bonus es sequentibus te, qualis futurus es consequentibus? If thou Lord be so good vntounto those that seeke thee, what wilt thou be vntounto such as find thee? doubtlesse, one day spent in the kingdome of glory, surpasseth a thousand in the kingdome of grace.
Tis true, the profit, pleasure, honour of a good christian, is better a thousand times, then all the treasures, and iollities of the wicked; yet so long as wee dwell in houses of clay, clothed with flesh and blood, in this valley of teares, euer and anon wee shall hauehave troubles on eueryevery side, f2. Cor 7. ….fightings without, and terrours within, and through gActs. 14. 22.many tribulations wee must enter into the Kingdome of God; but when once wee shall arriue there, all teares shall be wiped from our eyes, all cares from our hearts; assoone as we shall enter into the vpper Courts of the Lord, we shall hauehave hPsal. 16. 12.fulnesse of ioyes, and pleasures at his right hand for euermore. This one day, iIn loc. et de liber… arbitri… lib. 3 cap. vlt. idem Hugo Cardinal et Dr Incognitu…, in loc.sayth Augustine, is the day of eternity, which is alway the same one, and no more: for the heauenly Hierusalem hath no need of the Sunne, neither of the Moone to shine, because God and the Lambe are the light of it. Apoc. 21. 23. and in his light, all the children of light enioy that day; which is euerlasting without any night, or end.
And now most gracious Soueraigne, vponupon bowed knees, I beseech your Highnesse, by the mercies of God; suffer a few wordes of exhortation, as you hauehave most christianly heard a great many poynts of doctrine.
… Kings are stiled Gods, and their houses should be like Churches, as kVita Constant.Eusebius writes of Constantines Court, eueryevery chamber a chappell, eueryevery person a Priest, l1. Pet. 2. 5.offering vp spirituall sacrifices, acceptable to God.
Aboue all, I most humbly beg of your Maiestie, to continue your studiousnesse of peace, that howsoeuer, you mainteyne iust and honourable warres abroad, yet mPsal. 122 7peace may be within your walles at home, which is the greatest gaine, pleasure, honour, of all Christian Courts, and Kingdomes.
The deuill is the authour of confusion, and schisme, but the Lord is the n1. Cor. 14. 33.God of order, and oHeb. 7. 2.King of peace, he vnited heauen and earth (two diuerse diuided parts of the vniuerse) and made them both one world; he vnited sea and land (two diuerse deuided elements,) and made them both one globe, he vnited soule and body (two diuerse diuided substances,) and made both one man; he vnited Iewes, and Gentiles, (two diuerse people) and made them both one Church; hee vnited Adam and Eua, (two diuerse diuided sexes,) and made them both in marriage, but one flesh; and that which is yet more wonderfull, he vnited God and man, (two diuerse diuided natures,) and made them both one Christ.
As the Lord therefore sayd to pExod. 25. 40.Moses, In the Lords Name, giuegive mee leaue to speake to you; (Most high and mighty Prince,) fac secundum exemplar, Imitate God as his deare Sonne, and seruant; qMachiauel.diuide et impera, sauours too much of the serpent, rEphes. 2. 11.vtra que fecit vnum, is our comfort.
Your great grandfather King Henry the 7▪ vnited the Roses; and that was an happy worke: Your renowned Father, vnited the kingdomes, and that was a more happy worke; But if your selfe (borne for all greatnesse) shall vnite the different factions, and fractions, about some points in religion, and make your people, from Dan to Bershe-ba, speake the same thing, and pronounce the same; sIudg. 12. 6.Shiboleth, it will vndoubtedly proue the most happy worke of all.
As your blessed marriage, began with a league of peace, so wee pray night and day, that your issue may bee children of peace, your Nobles, and men of Councell, Princes of peace▪ your Clergie, studients and messengers of peace▪ your Iudges and Iustices, gardians of peace; your Commons and people, followers of peace; all of vsus in our seuerall offices, and orders, honouring the God of peace; and aduancing his Gospell, which is glad tidings of peace; wee may take vp euermore, the wordes of my text, One day spent in the Courts, and countreyes of our Lord, King Charles, is better then a thousand, else. where.