Twenty-Five Sermons, Title page – Imprimatur
TWENTY FIVE SERMONS
BY THE Right Reverend FATHER in GOD, RALPH BROWNRIG, LATE LORD BISHOP OF EXETER.
Published by WILLIAM MARTYN, M. A. Sometimes Preacher at the ROLLS.
The Second Volume.
LONDON, Printed by Tho: Roycroft, for Iohn Martyn, and Iames Allestry, and are to be sold at the Bell in St. Paul's Church-yard, M DC LXIV.
THE R: REVEREND FATHER IN GOD, RALPH BROWNRIG LORD BP OF EXETER▪ who dyed aged 67. Dec. 7. 1659
Lo here a Prelate, in whom Light, & Heate
Learning & Zeale, Meeknesse, & Courage met,
In Gods cause, & ye: Kings, our Brownrige was
A Boanerges, though a Barnabas
W: Faithorne sculp:
TO THE Most Reverend Father in God, GILBERT, By Divine Providence, LORD ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY, HIS GRACE, Primate of all England, and Metropolitan, And One of His MAJESTIES most HONOURABLE PRIVY COUNCIL.
May it please Your GRACE,
THIS is the Second Volume of that most Renowned Prelat's Sermons, Dr. Ralph Brownrig, sometimes Lord Bishop of Exeter.
The First, I had the Happiness and Honour to present to my Dread, and Dearest Soveraign, King Charles the Second; Who was graciously pleased to condescend so low, as to receive it from me into His most Sacred Hands, while I was upon my knees before Him.
This Second, I take the boldness to tender to Your Graces Acceptation; being confident, (with an assurance that disdains to hope) that as the Former from that High and Mighty Monarch, the Father of the Country, so this Latter from You, the Great Metropolitan, and Father of the Church, will find a most ready, and welcome Entertainment.
That, I styled the Sword of Goliah; by the help whereof (through the Blessing of Him, who is the Captain of our Salvation) the Christian Souldier may prove truly victorious and triumphant over that great Goliah of Hell, and all his accursed Agents and Adherents.
This, I will call the Dagger of Ehud. For as that, Judg. iii. let the dirt out of the belly of Eglon; so will this, (if skilfully wielded, and with resolution, and courage) that filthy Corruption (Satanae Excrementum) out of the Heart, with which it naturally abounds, as the Sea with Mire and Dirt.
To Your Grace then, I humbly solicite, I may present, both the Person, and the Sermons of that good, and great Bishop. His Person to Your Memory; His Sermons to Your Eye, and Perusal.
For the Person, who was the Composer, I may not, I must not, pass over in silence; something I must say of Him: Not that thereby I can add so much as the least dram of real worth to Him; no more, then a curious Picture can Beauty, to that Face which it represents: But that thereby (according to my narrow measure) I may set forth, and declare to others that which was before. Which, whilst I shall endeavour to do, I beseech Your Grace, that that of Plinius Secundus to his Antoninus may be remembred; Pictores pulchram, absolutamque faciem, raro nisi in pejus effingunt; An exact face is very seldom drawn, but with great disadvantage; much more, when a Bungler hath it in hand.
His Lordship was one of a sweet nature, of a lovely disposition, of a pleasing off ability in his carriage, and conversation. He was endowed with a sharp wit, a quick apprehension, a strong mind, a piercing judgment, a faithful memory, and milder affections then ordinary.
By Industry, and Art, every Faculty of his Soul was furnish'd, and fill'd with those Ornaments and Qualities, of which they were naturally capable, even to a very great perfection.
He was admirable for the Profoundness, and Variety of his Knowledge; and enabled with such an universal Wisdom, as that he was thought worthy Employment, not onelyonly in Affairs of State; but in the Direction, and Guidance of the House of God, which is the Church of the living God, the Pillar and Ground of the Truth.
And yet, These had been nothing (not any of them, not all of them) if there had not been the Salt of Grace to have seasoned them, and the Life of Faith to have animated them. Without this, all those his other Accomplishments had been but as gay, and gorgeous Attire upon a leprous Body; as Iewels, and Bracelets upon a putrid, rotten Carkass. Oh his Religion, his Holiness! this was farr the fairest, and most orient Flower in the Garland of all his other Excellencies; and incomparably above all his Greatness, had he been advanced even to Desert, to the highest Pinacle of Church-Preferment, and Honour. For, what ever Prophane, and Worldly-wise men may think, without all Controversie, one Grain of Grace is infinitely more precious, and worthful, then the whole Earth, though turned into a Globe of Gold, or Center of Diamond. And yet, this Reverend Prelat, now in Glory, was inrich'd with a very great Proportion of it, even to Admiration.
In short, He was a wonder to all, who had the happiness to know him, for his insight into all kinds of Learning, both Ancient, and Modern; of Positive, Textual, Controverse, Case-Divinity: But above all, for his being sanctified with an Experimental Inspection into the Particularities of that heavenly Science of Saving Souls.
Now (may it please Your Grace) these Sermons being the Compositions of so Learned, so Religious, so Wise a Person, they cannot but be most worthy Your Graces Patronage, and the Worlds highest. Esteem, and Valuation.
They are Sermons, which deliver the Word in the Purity of it, without those humane Inventions, which might adulterate it; without that spiritual Treason of wit and fancy, or of Heresy and Contradiction, which (to use the Expression of a Learned Bishop) is wont to stamp the private Image and Superscription of a man upon Gods own Coyn, and to torture the Scripture to confess that which was never in it.
Sermons, that carry Authority with them; and so, able (by the Power of the most High) to humble the Imaginations, to non-plus fleshly Reasonings, and to subdue all things to the Obedience of Christ: God having stampt upon his Lordship more then ordinary Characters of Divinity; and (as it were) more glistring sparkles and degrees of Majesty, then upon many others; that so with greater power he might publish the Secrets of Heaven, and with more unresistableness and glory execute that highest Office of the Lords Embassadour.
Sermons, fraught with spiritual Prudence, with Christian, Religious Wisdom; (and such the World never had more need of.) How exactly are they accommodated to every mans temper? How wisely are the Lightnings of the Gospel, mingled with the Thunderings of the Law? Uses of Comfort, with those of Confusion? Cordials of Compassion, with Corrosives of Terrour? So that the Weak cannot be offended, nor the Mighty exasperated, nor the Beginners discouraged, nor those who are without affrighted from coming in, and entring upon, the Path that is called Holy. Which wisdom, his Lordship neither received from flesh and blood, nor yet learned of men; but had it inspired from above, From the Father of Lights.
All which, I cannot but apprehend as very great Encouragements of me to this Dedication; and as sufficient Grounds to build my Confidence upon, that these Sermons will find Acceptance with Your Grace; though (like precious Iewels from a Paralytick) they are tendred by a weak, and trembling hand.
The good will of Him, who dwelt in the Bush, make Your Aarons Rod to bud, nay to flourish more and more, to the Glory of his great Name, to the Advancement of the blessed Truth, to the Maintenance of the Honour of the Priesthood, to the furtherance of Your own everlasting Salvation. This is the earnest Prayer of him, who is,
SIR, Your GRACES Most humbly Devoted Servant, WILL. MARTYN.
A TABLE of the SERMONS.
Two Sermons preached upon Christmas-Day.
I. SErmon on 1 Tim. iii. 16. Page 3
II. Sermon on Galat. iv. 4, 5. 21
Seven Sermons upon the History of our Saviour's Transfiguration.
I. Sermon on St. Luk. ix. 28. 41
II. Sermon on St. Luk. ix. 29. 53
III. Sermon on St. Luk. ix. 30, 31. 65
IV. Sermon on St. Luk. ix. 31, 32. 79
V. Sermon on St. Luk. ix. 33. 93
VI. Sermon on St. Matth. xvii. 5. 111
VII. Sermon on St. Matth. xvii. 6, 7, 8, 9. 133
A Sermon on Ioel ii. 13. 153
A Sermon on Ioel ii. 14. 175
A Sermon on Psal. lxxviii. 34, 35, 36, 37. 197
A Sermon on Isai. xxvi. 9. 217
A Sermon on Habbak. iii. 17, 18. 237
Two Sermons preached upon Easter-Day
I. Sermon on Iob xix. 25, 26, 27. 253
II. Sermon on Rom. viii. 11. 273
A Sermon upon Whit-Sunday, on 2 King. ii. 9. 295
A Sermon on St. Luke xxi. 34. 309.
A Sermon on Gen. iv. 3, 4, 5. 327
A Sermon on Psal. xix. 12, 13 345
A Sermon on St. Iames i. 22. 361
A Sermon on Philipp. i. 27. 379
A Sermon to the Clergy on 1 Corinth. xiv. 1. 395
A Sermon on the first Epistle of St. Iohn v. 3. 411
A Funeral Sermon on 1 King. xix. 4. 427
Imprimatur.
Geo. Stradling S. T. P. Rev. in Christo Pat. D. Gilb. Archiep. Cant. à Sac. Dom. Ex AEd. Lambeth. Octob 29. 1663.