A Century of Sermons, Sermon 4
THE FOURTH SERMON UPON The Transfiguration.
LUKE ix. 33.
And it came to paſs as they departed from him, Peter ſaid unto Jeſus, Maſter, it is good for us to be here; and let us make three Tabernacles, one for thee, and one for Moſes, and one for Elias: not knowing what he ſaid.
UPon my entrance into the handling of this beautiful miracle of the Transfiguration we found Chriſt at Prayer, and he continued in that exerciſe by himſelf alone, for he needed not to have his Petition recommended to his Father by any other mouth, by any Interceſſor in Heaven or Earth. He indeed prays for every mans wants, but in all the Goſpel throughout no man prays for him.Contra. Ep. Parm. lib. 2. c. 8. Pro quo nullus interpellat, ſed ipſe pro omnibus, hic unicus, veruſque mediator eſt, ſays St. Auſtin. He in whoſe behalf no man ſollicits the Father to bleſs him, and he whoſe Lips bleſs every man, this is the true and only Mediator of Mankind. But though we found Chriſt at Prayer, yet we did not find his Apoſtles waking to ſay Amen. If God be for us, who can be againſt us? Rom. viii. 31. I anſwer the Apoſtle, though God be for us all, a man may be his own Enemy, and fight againſt himſelf. Chriſt was occupied in Prayer: Who could be againſt Peter when his Maſter was on his ſide? But Peter ſlept while his Maſter prayed, therein he was againſt himſelf. Thrice our Saviour roſe from Prayer in the Garden, and found him ſleeping, therefore the watchful Cock was a ſign unto him ſoon after that he had denied his Maſter thrice. So, to lay this upon our own building, if the three Diſciples, whom Chriſt took with him to Mount Thabor, had imployed their time in watchfulneſs, and Religion as their Maſter did, doubtleſs the Lord had guided their underſtanding in the right way; but becauſe they laid them down to reſt when they ſhould have prayed, and did not lift up their hands as an Evening Sacrifice, therefore the Lord ſent upon them the Spirit of ſlumber, Rom. xi. 8. foreign, an imagination as dark as the darkneſs of Egypt, in which they could diſcern nothing, foreign as Aquila reads it, Iſa. xxix. 10. a ſtrong drowzineſs which is in the manner of a Lethargy, a Spirit of error and ſtupidity. Loe what words do come from Peter in my Text, let him ſhake himſelf as Samſon did when he came out of ſleep, and he ſhall find that the Spirit of the Lord was gone from him. He did not watch and pray, that he might not fall into error, therefore he ſlept and fell into error that he might pray to come out of it. Becauſe his tongue was tied when it ought to ſpeak, therefore when he began to ſpeak he knew not what he ſaid.
And that ſhall appear unto you both this day, and once again God willing upon this whole Verſe which I have read. At this preſent I have bounded my meditations to go but half way, It came to paſs as they departed from him, Peter ſaid unto Jeſus, Maſter it is good for us to be here. All this matter muſt not be drawn into an heap, but into this order: 1. What came to paſs, which cauſed Peter to ſpeak now, when he had been ſilent before. Why Moſes and Elias were taking their leave, and he would have retained them. It came to paſs as they departed from him Peter ſaid. 2. To whom he did direct his ſpeech; not to his fellow ſervants Moſes and Elias, but to his Maſter, Peter ſaid unto Jeſus, Maſter. 3. That his Diſciple went about to teach his Maſter in the words following, Maſter it is good for us to be here. Thoſe being the words of eſpecial uſe to ſpend our time upon, I will enlarge my ſelf to ſhew that they contain three things to be well allowed, and ſix things to be doubted of, that I may not ſay condemned: 1. At the firſt bluſh that he ſaw Chriſt in glory he ſaid it was bonum, he was excellently delighted with it, for the glory of the Goſpel is no affrighting thing, but a delectable object. 2. He ſaid true, it was bonum nobis, good for us, for God doth ſhew his glory for us, and for our ſatisfaction. 3. It is as true, that it is very good to be continually preſent with his glory, and never part from it; O it is the beſt of all goods to enter into the joy of our Maſter. Thus far he built upon a Rock, his foundation is infallible. In the reſt he builds upon the ſands, yet to cenſure the errors of ſo great an Apoſtle with modeſty, I will contrive all that is objected againſt him into ſix queſtions: 1. An bonum non videre mortem? Whether it were good for us not to ſee death? 2. An bonum non affligi? If it be good to remain in pleaſure, and not be afflicted? 3. An bonum ſit in terrâ manere? Whether it could be good to dwell always upon the earth? 4. An bonum ſit quod paucis ſolummodo bonum? Whether that can be a true good, which is reſtrained to few? Bonum nobis, if it were not enlarged beyond thoſe that were preſent. 5. An bonum conſiſtit in aſpectu humanitatis? Whether it could be the ſupreme good of man to behold the Humane Nature of Chriſt only beautified, without the revelation of his divine glory. 6. An bonum ſit Chriſtum non crucifigi? If it could be good for them that Chriſt ſhould entrench himſelf in Mount Tabor; and never go to Mount Calvary to be crucified. Theſe are the parts of the Text, not one to be ſpared. They ſhall not trouble you with length, though they do with multitude.
I begin with the occaſion which moved Peter to ſpeak, it was the departure of the two Witneſſes, Factum eſt cum illi diſcederent ab eo dixit. He was ever prompt to ſpeak; and now he could not hold, when thoſe two, the moſt heroical Prophets that ever had lived did now come from another world, and were returning again to their own place. What eye could be ſatisfied with looking upon ſuch men who did live upon earth rather like the Sons of God than the Sons of men? Go not yet is the phraſe of civility to any Friend, whoſe preſence is welcom; as you know the Father of the Levites Concubine urged the Levite to ſtay from night to night, Be content, and tary this night alſo? I pray thee, and let thine heart be merry, Judg. xix 6. Then who could do leſs than interpoſe when ſuch ſtrangers as theſe did begin to turn their backs, Moſes and Elias, that they ſhould never depart.Terent. Adelph. Nae illiuſmodi jam nobis magna civium penuria eſt. There is ever ſuch a ſcarcity of excellent perſonages in the world, that we may do well to ſeek all means to keep them when we have them. Sure we muſt attribute it to a ſympathy; and I know not what inſtinct to call it in Abraham to the love of rare perſons, that when he knew not the Angels to be Angels, Gen. xviii. 3.but mortal paſſengers, yet upon the firſt ſight of them he entreated, and bowed himſelf down to the ground, that they would turn into his Tent, and reſt under his Roof. This is my opinion alſo of Cleophas, and the other Diſciple, who knew nothing by our Saviour, but that he was a wayfaring man, as themſelves were, yet they could not let him go, but they conſtrained him to ſtay with them at Emmaus, Luk. xxiv. 29.and to go no further. But this importunity of Peter was more like to Eliſha's affection, who was even fond of the company of his Maſter Elias. When the Sons of the Prophets had ſaid unto him, Knoweſt thou not that the Lord will take thy Maſter from thy head this day? He hung upon Elias whereſoever he went, and when he would have ſhaken him off twice or thrice, he ſwears two Oaths as deep as could be taken,2 King. ii. 4. As the Lord liveth, and as thy ſoul liveth I will not leave thee. There is a Darius in Herodotus that proteſted, if he were to chooſe, he had rather have ten faithful Subjects, ſuch as his faithful ſervant Megabyzus was, than be poſſeſſor of the whole Monarchy of Greece; as if one excellent Spirit were as valuable as a Kingdom. And there is a Darius in holy Scripture, to whom Daniel was as dear as ever was Megabyzus to the other; he did juſtly deem that Daniels life was the fortune and felicity of his Empire, againſt whom when the Grandees of Perſia had conſpired to caſt him into the Den of Lions,Dan. vi. 14. the King laboured until the going down of the Sun to deliver him. Happy times ſhould thoſe be, if two ſuch Heroes at once ſhould be upon the face of the earth as Moſes and Elias, Virgil. Aenead. 8.Si duo praeterea tales Idaea tuliſſet terra viros, ſays he. Then was the Church a Coronet ſtuck thick with Jewels, when it had twelve Apoſtles at once. But when the Sun had paſſed through thoſe twelve Signs, and they were taken from among us, ſuch an age did never ſuccceed them, but Emulations and Hereſies roſe up, a poiſon which was rank ever ſince in the Church unto theſe days.
Though the worth of St. Ambroſe alone might ſeem to be enough to hold up virtue and goodneſs in any one part of the world, yet O how he deplores the deceaſe of Paulinus, as if half the happineſs of that Country round about were buried in his Grave. (Beloved) pray to God every day to raiſe up a good Generation in our times, and when you have them, magnifie God, and deſire his mercy to continue them. If Moſes and Elias be departing, ſpeak as Peter did, that you may be heard. When ſuch are taken away I will leave you Davids Song to ſing; a ſad ditty God knows, Pſa. xii. 1. Help Lord, for the Godly man ceaſeth, for the faithful fail from among the children of men. Neither was Peter more inſtant to retain theſe two Prophets upon earth, than the good Chriſtians in a little while were inſtant with God to retain Peter, when his life was at the laſt extremity: for when Herod had impriſoned him, and the Angel ſet him free, at the time of midnight Peter found his friends at prayer for his deliverance, Act. xii. 5. Yet I enforce not this, as if Peters zeal in the inſtance of my Text did not miſs the mark, the ſpirits of the Bleſſed are purified from this contagion of the world below, and are at reſt from their labours, and therefore their reſidence is not to be required upon earth: neither ſhall incorruption be obtruded hither to inherit corruption. The wiſe Poet had learnt, that the happy Ghoſts of his Elyſium were no company for mortals; no not Anchyſes to be embraced by his own …on; Ter conatus ibi collo dare brachia circum, ter fruſtra comprenſa manus effugit imago. Only the formality of his deſire is laudable, and as right as can be to be imitated, that we are to labour by interceſſions, and ſupplications, that ſuch excellent Worthies as God ſends among us may not be taken away, for whenſoever they go it may be timely to them, it muſt be untimely to us. But for the materiality of this deſire, to retain thoſe perſons Moſes and Elias, the miſtake ſhall be diſcover'd in due order, but this ſhall ſuffice for the occaſion, which made this Apoſtle ſpeak, It came to paſs as they departed from him, &c.
I have ſomewhat to ſay in the ſecond part, but very briefly, that although Peter being ſcarce awake, took upon him now to teach, yet he confeſſeth that by true authority Chriſt was his teacher; for he ſaid unto Jeſus, Maſter: or if he had forgot it, the voice from Heaven in two verſes following would have put him in mind, This is my beloved Son, audite eum, hear him, he hath the words of eternal life, his own acknowledge it: Full of grace are his lips, the Prophets foretold. Never man ſpake like this man,Joh. vii. 46. thoſe Whelps the Phariſees ſent abroad to ſuck his blood, confeſſed it. This is the Maſter that cannot lie, that cannot lead us into error, hear him. You ſee it is fit to defer the iſſue of this point, what obedience we owe to his Maſter-ſhip, to hear him, till I come to ſpeak of the voice, which was heard from Heaven. Only I muſt tell you, the word which St. Peter uſeth is of good obſervation, and muſt not be neglected. St. Matthew and St. Mark are full of Hebraiſms, and they keep the word Rabbi; St. Luke ſpeaks more uſually in the flowers of the Greek Language, and Rabbi or Maſter with him is foreign. The force of it implies ſuperiority and regiment, qui rei cuipiam ſit praefectus, who is ſet over another to appoint him foreign,Polit. lib. 4. ca. 15. ſays Ariſtotle, that is, a Commonwealth hath need of many ſorts of Governors; ſo the Church hath need of many Rulers, to ſee that all things be done decently and in order; but there is one foreign, one who hath the preeminence in all things, the Maſter, who is over all, and above all, which is Jeſus Chriſt.
I mean not, as it is alleaged out of Bartholus, and ſome of the impudent Canoniſts, that Chriſt, as he was God and Man, was Lord of the whole World Monarchically, and Peter after him, and by Peters right the ſucceſſive Biſhops of Rome, by which fetch thoſe branded Flatterers entitle their Popes to the direct right of all the Kingdoms of the earth; indeed the Devil promiſed our Saviour all the Kingdoms of the World, and the glory of them, and ſince He refuſed it then, the ſame Devil by the mouth of thoſe Canoniſts profers it again, to try▪ though He will none of it himſelf, if ſome other in the name of a Vicegerent will take it for him. This is not the meaning of the word foreign, but that he is our Maſter in Heaven and Earth, the Head to which all the Body is fitly knit by joynts and bands, Coloſ. ii. 19. Joints and Bands; Beloved, neither of thoſe words is idle or ſuperfluous foreign commiſſurae, the joints are all thoſe bleſſings and benefits which are beſtowed upon us, and knit unto us, Chriſt by reciprocal gratitude: foreign, juncturae are all thoſe offices of Chriſtian charity which bind the Members one to another, all things which belong to the Communion of Saints, and hold us together under the Head, which nouriſheth us with his influence. Now it is a very ill disjunction which ſome make, to argue upon the two natures of Chriſt, according to whether he is our Maſter, and our Head: If you name the one or the other alone, you will confuſe your own Creed, and know not what to believe; for all the conditions belonging to a Head are in neither, but in both. Firſt it was fit the Church ſhould have ſuch an Head, which is agreeing and conformable to the Body, which is knit unto it; a ſpiritual Head and fleſhly Members are not conſonant to make an unity: Therefore Chriſt and his Church are ſaid to be like Man and Wife, which are one fleſh, Epheſ. v. 31. But the Head of the Church muſt be fit to nouriſh every part of the Body with ſpiritual bleſſings, and make it increaſe with the increaſe of God, this can come from none but the Divine and Infinite, who can give ſpiritual life alone, and quicken them which are dead in their ſins; this He can do as he is Magiſter Verbi, & Magiſter Spiritus; who but Chriſt is Maſter of the Word preacht? and who but the ſame Chriſt is Maſter of the Spirit, which gives power unto the Word? You ſee then it is no complemental Name which is given to Chriſt in courteſie, but a Title of due Royalty, and condign Authority, when we call him Maſter. Maſter, ſays Peter, it is good for us to be here.
Upon the ſame Bank of earth you may gather Flowers and Weeds; the Flowers are ſet by art in the Garden, the Weeds are the natural offspring. So in this ſame ſpeech which the Apoſtle uttered in a rapture of love and delight, here are good concluſions to be approved, and bad contents to be reprehended: but the errors ariſe naturally out of the words; the good concluſions are rather forc't than natural, yet they deſerve the precedency in my diſcourſe, and this is the begining, that when Peter ſtarted out of ſleep, and ſaw Chriſt in glory, it pleaſed him at the heart; bonum eſt, ſays he, this is good, and he never ſpake truer in his life. The braveſt Nations in the World, when they have been at the height of their Empire, have took more pride and delight in Theatrical Shews, and Magnificent Spectacles of Triumphs than in any other pomp; for the ſatisfaction of the eye, when it meets with a right object, is above any other pleaſure. But all other things in the world are Counterfeits to right Jewels in reſpect of the Object of Divine Glory, when the eye gets that to gaze upon, the Soul dilates it ſelf with ſuch greedineſs to be filled with it, that it would be infinite to receive it. O how amiable are thy dwellings thou Lord of Hoſts! Pſal. lxxxiv. David takes up his verſe, and goes no further to expreſs it, but leaves off with indefinite admiration. And Theodoret refuſed to comment upon thoſe words, non tam explicandus ſenſus, quam intimo ſenſu deguſtandus, the ſenſe and meaning of that Verſe is not to be expounded, but to be relliſhed and taſted by our affections. We have ſtoln a name from virtue, and called our Riches our Goods; but beware to ſteal from Heaven as Prometheus did, and to call the fruition of any thing upon earth good, if the delights of the earth could ſpeak, they would ſay unto you, why do you call us good? nothing is good but to dwell in the Tabernacle of the Moſt High. One day in thy Courts, ſays the Pſalmiſt, is better than a thouſand. The days of this Life are called Thouſands of days, the Life of Glory is called One day. Theſe are called Thouſands for the mutability, that's called One for the unchangeable eternity, ſays St. Auſtin. Howſoever it is true in this ſenſe, the ſhorteſt ſalutation of thoſe ſupernal joys is more ſatisfactory Canis ad Nilum, a touch and away, than the longeſt ſaciety of theſe tranſitory exhilarations. Two great Prophets riſe from the dead to repreſent the glory of the life to come, three living Diſciples, Peter eſpecially, are raviſht with it, ſi mortuis non credideris, ſaltem viventibus credas, either believe the dead or the living, which you will, it is a good thing to ſee Chriſt in the Majeſty of his glory.
Mark thoſe words, ſays Tertullian, with ſpecial note, quae fingendi non habent arbitrium, extemporary acclamations wherein a man hath no leiſure to invent diſſimulation, ſo out of the firſt pure paſſion of his mind, which could not be forged, St. Peter cried out when he ſaw the Glory of Chriſt, bonum eſt, it is good. We cry out of the times now adays, and the Age we live in, but the more unthankful we; for we do, or may live more happily by far under the New Teſtament, than the Jews did under the Old. Every viſion of Majeſtical glory did exceedingly terrifie the antient Iſraelites. Exod. xx. 18.When the Lord came down upon Mount Sinah with triumph, and with the ſound of the Trumpet, the people removed, and ſtood afar of, and durſt not come near it: now the Goſpel hath expelled this fear ſo far, that the Spectators did not ſhun the glory of Chriſt when they ſaw it, but deſired they might continue upon the place where it was for ever. Deus ſe magis amandum exhibet, quàm ſpectandum, ſays one upon it: God doth exhibit himſelf in the New Teſtament rather to be loved than to be dreaded, and doth not now intend our terror, but our comfort. The glory of the Goſpel is like Gods Rainbow in the Clouds, not only a beautiful, but a merciful Token, a Bow with the ſtring towards the earth, ſo that it is not prepared to ſhoot arrows againſt us. As Pliny ſaid to Trajan of his virtuous Conſort, nihil ſibi ex fortunâ tuâ niſi gaudium vendicat, ſo all that a Chriſtian challengeth for his own is the bleſſed Virgins ſolace, My ſpirit rejoyceth in God my Saviour. Beloved they forget that God is called the Father of mercies, and the God of all conſolations, they forget, that ſince Chriſt is come in the fleſh, the Dove is returned with the Olive branch of peace in his mouth, who fill the minds of men with melancholly deſperate doubts, and do oftner caſt before them black ſtones of condemnation, than white ſtones of abſolution. Chearfulneſs and a delightſom countenance becomes the Diſciples of Chriſt, howſoever the auſtere Phariſees cenſur'd our Saviour himſelf for a Winebibber and a Glutton, becauſe he was ſociable, and did not always lowr and pout after their hypocritical faſhion. St. Chryſoſtom neither lived with content to his own heart, nor gave content to other, becauſe he was untractable to all manner of joyful familiarity foreign;Socrates l. β. c γ. he was ſo earneſt for ſobriety, that he run into a Cynical auſterity. Some, not unfitly I think, contend ſo much that a Chriſtian is to deport himſelf in a ſweet conſolatory faſhion, that they underſtand Solomon to that meaning, Eccl. ix. 8. Eat thy bread with joy, and let thy garments be always white, as if none ſhould put on mournings for the Goſpel ſake, unleſs they wanted a good conſcience to rejoyce in Chriſt. Though the ſplendour of the Law was terrible, yet the glory of the New Teſtament is amiable: bonum eſt, ſays St. Peter; it is a good thing to ſee the Majeſty of our Saviour in perfect beauty.
Secondly, Thus far the Apoſtle gave a right judgment upon the viſion, and thus much further, that he ſaid it was bonum nobis, intended not ſo much for Chriſts exalted bravery, as for our good. When I began this Miracle, I cited a rule out of Damaſcen, and I repeat it again, foreign, the impulſive cauſe of all things that our Saviour did upon earth was the love which he did bear to the generation of men: yea the Lord hath made man the ſcope of all his other works in a ſubordinate way to his own glory: For man is made to ſerve the Lord, and the earth is made to ſerve and ſupply the uſe of man, and both ways man is made happy, and not God, ſays Lombard, Et quod accepit obſequium à creaturis, & quod impendit Deo, either to take homage from the Creature, or to do homage to the glory of God. 1 Cor. iii. 22.All things are ours ſays St. Paul, whether it be the world or life: whether it be the World as the Vaſſal of our ſervice, or Life eternal as the Crown of our ſervice. When our Saviour did exhibit himſelf in this rare feature at Mount Thabor, quorſum haec? was it not to catch our hearts, and affect them with the viſion? he did not preſent himſelf as Agrippa and Bernice did, Act. xxv. 23. foreign, with great pomp and eſtate to ſhew the regal luſtre of their Royalty: no the very Heathen were contented to ſay, that the ſupreme power of Heaven muſt be foreign, contented with himſelf, and needed no acceſſories to ſet forth his honour: as Caeſar ſpake in a lofty contempt to his mutinous Souldiers, an vos momenta, putatis ulla dediſſe mihi? ſo it would ſound better from Gods mouth, All the creatures upon earth cannot confer a ſcruple, or the leaſt moment to advance his excellency. Chriſt was not contemptible by being made humble, nor more renowned than he was before by appearing in Majeſty: Every way he is unobnoxious to the cenſure of man, becauſe every way he made himſelf fit for the good of man: and when he joyned both humility and glory in one act, both were for us. See his lowly modeſty when he rode upon an Aſs to Jeruſalem, ſee his triumphs of dignity at the ſame time in thoſe popular acclamations, Hoſanna to the Son of David, bleſſed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord. But all was to this end, that we might ſee and hear the honor of God, and the fruit of our own ſalvation: all the brightneſs which ſhin'd upon him in Mount Thabor was to enlighten our darkneſs. Bonum eſt nobis, ſays Peter, it is good for us.
3. Yet once again I will ſpeak, that the Apoſtle did ſpeak the very truth in a third Point, it was good to be continually preſent with Chriſts glory, and never part from it, Bonum eſt eſſe hic; there is no mutation in perfect joy, but an abiding for ever. We cannot change for the better to go from the beatifical preſence of God, how could Peter chooſe but deſire to hold him to that when he had begun to taſte of it? I have read in ſome obſolete ſtories of Lazarus who was raiſed to life after he had been dead four days, and ſome others of the like kind, that their ſoul had ſeen a little of the happineſs of the life to come, and being brought again into the body by the word of Chriſt, they were never ſeen to laugh or ſmile, either becauſe they knew better than others that there was no true joy upon earth, or becauſe they were melancholy to have their happineſs interrupted. My ſoul longeth, and fainteth for the Courts of the Lord, ſays David, Pſal. lxxxiv. 2. If he could faint with deſire to obtain that which he had never ſeen, how might this Diſciple faint and languiſh to leave that which he had ſeen.Luke 2.37. Old Anna the Widow departed not out of the Temple of God day nor night; which is as much in effect as if St. Luke had ſaid, Whatſoever place is called by Gods name deſerves our frequent company, and I ſay unto you of this houſe, where now we are, which is called by his name, Bonum eſt nos eſſe hic, it is good for us to be here. St. Chryſoſtome tells me of ſome great Princes in his time that deſired upon their death-bed to be buried in the Porch of the Church, that although they were taken away from being preſent at the holy Service, which they were wont to love, yet their bodies even in the Grave might as it were be door-keepers for ever in the houſe of God. De aſcenſ. Dom. Serm. 4I will conclude this general part with Bernards words, Quid aliud videtur bonum, quam in bonis animam demorari, quandoquidem adhuc corpus non poteſt? What is good for a man, but that his ſoul ſhould abide and perſevere in good meditations, and good works, ſince there is no good place of continuance upon earth to receive his body.
You have the flower of St. Peters Speech bolted out, but there is more bran remaining in ſix Concluſions that follow, which I propound by way of queſtion; and thus firſt, An bonum ſit Chriſtum non crucifigi? If it could be good for them that Chriſt ſhould entrench himſelf in Mount Thabor, and never go to Jeruſalem to be crucified. Lord grant us not our own wiſhes when we deſire evil unto our ſelves; for this Apoſtle unwittingly deſired as much miſchief to fall upon his own head as the Devil could wiſh. Peter was well ſtrucken in years, his perſon of grave authority, his affections full of well-meaning love to Chriſt, therefore this was but one of three times that he made bold to reſiſt his Maſters paſſion, and diſſwade it, Mat. xvi. 22. Be propitious unto thy ſelf Lord, thou ſhalt not be killed by the Scribes and High Prieſts: At another time he cut off Malchus ear in the Garden to ſave his Saviour. And though he durſt not openly dehort him now (for he was check'd before, and called Satan for that fault) yet the ſame meaning is cloſely conveyed in theſe words, Maſter it is good for us to be here. What ſhould I ſay? It was not his opinion alone, but it ſeems all his brethren were of the ſame mind, they knew not the Scriptures, and thought the Church might do well enough though Chriſt did never die upon the Croſs; for when Peter alone did ſpeak in this cauſe, St. Mark ſays Chriſt turned about, and looked upon all his Diſciples, Mar. viii. 33. And then rebuked Peter, Get thee behind me Satan. Peter gives him the title of Maſter if he would ſtay there and not die; but St. Paul ſhews, that even by death he won himſelf the Maſterſhip, Col. 2.18. He is the firſt-born from the dead, that in all things he might have the pre-eminence. His deceived Servants thought that it was inglorious for him to die, whereas it was an honour to the Lamb of God to be brought unto that Altar, So it behaved Chriſt to ſuffer, and to enter into his glory. I have met with one who delivered his opinion very eloquently, how fit it was for our Saviour to remove from this place where his Diſciple would have fixed him. Says He, this is not the Mount where our Lord muſt end his days, but the fatal Calvary. His face ſhall not ſhine with light, but be diſgraced with Spittle, and ſmeared with bloud. His Garments ſhall not be white to honour him, but in ſcorn and deriſion. He ſhall not ſtand between Moſes and Elias, but hang between two Thieves. Thou Peter ſhalt not think it good to be with him, but run away and deny him. The Father ſhall not call unto him from heaven, Thou art my well-beloved Son, but the Son ſhall cry out that he is forſaken of the Father. There ſhall not be a bright cloud over the place, but darkneſs over the face of the earth. Finally, no other Tabernacle ſhall be built for him, but a Croſs of malediction.
2. And might not Peter counſel him without offence againſt this ignominious death? No my Beloved: For it is not to be excuſed how he knew not the Scriptures, that this was the courſe appointed for the redemption of the world, the hungry could not eat their bread until it was broken: We could not quench our thirſt with the water of life till it was poured out of his wounds: We could not be healed of the ſting of death till the brazen Serpent was lifted up, Jonas muſt be caſt out of the belly of the Whale before he preach to the Ninivites. Chriſt muſt die and riſe again before the Diſciples be ſent to preach to all Nations. The lxx Pſalm hath this title, A remembrance to the chief Muſician, and the firſt words of the Pſalm are theſe, Haſte thee O Lord to deliver me, make haſte to help me O Lord. As who ſhould ſay, Thou that art the chief Muſician, unto whom all the Angels of heaven ſing their Alelujah, haſte thee to redeem us by thy precious bloud. Go up to thy Croſs and ſuffer, for it is time that thou have mercy upon us, yea the time is come. But you will ſay, Had it not been moſt barbarous in Peter according to the tenure of that Pſalm in the Expoſition which I have given to wiſh the death of Chriſt? Firſt, it might become his own Apoſtle that did tenderly love him neither to urge him, nor diſſwade him, but to ſay, The will of the Lord be done. Next I muſt tell you, it is no ſuch horrid thing as a weak Chriſtian may imagine, to have pray'd unto the Father, that his Son might die upon the Croſs for our Redemption, Even ſo Father, becauſe thou wilt have it. Yet this diſtinction muſt mollifie it, Intuitu noſtrae redemptionis, non ipſius cruciatus, ſays Lombard; Rejoycing for the benefit of our Salvation, but ſorrowing for the bitterneſs of his Paſſion; grieving for his ſorrows, but giving thanks with gladneſs for our own deliverance. Therefore in no wiſe did Peter give right counſel, when to decline the iſſue of that diſmal Paſſion, he ſaid, Maſter it is good, &c.
But Ne quicquam ſapit qui ſibi non ſapit? How ſhould he be a good Counſellor for his Maſter that was not wiſe for himſelf? For I ask in the next place, An bonum non videre mortem? If it could be good for Peter and the two Diſciples not to ſee death? No ſurely, there is a gain and advantage to be made by death, Phil. i. 21. Then when we languiſh, as we think, of our laſt ſickneſs, then we begin to call our ſins to remembrance, then we look over the Covenant of the Law, which we have ſo often broken, then we breath out our ſoul in Prayer, and fill our eyes and our heart with repentance, the ſenſe of imminent death takes away the ſting of death by contrition, and a moſt conſciencious examination of the days that are paſt, one hour well imployed about that time is better than a year in diebus illis, when we were remiſs and careleſs. Even Balaam the Sorcerer did perceive what Soveraign Phyſick of Salvation God did adminiſter to his Saints upon their ſick bed, and therefore he cries out, O let me die the death of the righteous. A righteous mans death is like the Cherubin ſtanding before the Garden of Eden, that with one blow lets him into Paradiſe; and would Peter ſtay in the Mountain, and want the beſt Schoolmaſter of Repentance and Mortification?
Beſides, it is a good thing to be weary of every thing, even of life it ſelf, till we come to heaven. I know a man may deſire to die out of frowardneſs. I praiſe not that. As Elias and Jonas were fretful becauſe they were croſs'd, and in that vexation of mind they deſired to die. This is rudeneſs and impatiency to deſire to die, becauſe they would not live as God would have them. But there is earning to get above the deſires of frail nature, and to deſire to put off the body that we may put on Chriſt.Pſal. 120.5. So Nazianzen begins an Epiſtle to Nyſſen out of Davids words, Hei mihi quia incolatus meus prolongatus eſt; Alaſs for me, that I ſee any more days upon earth, when I cannot ſee that we have kept that peace in the Church, which we have received from our Fore-fathers. And I forget not the Poetry of Theodore Beza, he lived ſo long till he had made Elegies upon the Funerals of all his learned Friends, at laſt he heard of a choice pair, Gualter and Lavater, that they were dead, to honour whoſe memory thus he begins: Semper ego infelix lugenda in funera fratrum vivam ſuperſtes omnibus? Shall I unhappy out-live all my Brethren to make Epitaphs upon them? He that ſees many days and nights ſees many calamities: And therefore one ſaid elegantly of John the Apoſtle, who out-lived all his fellows, but died not a Martyr as they did,Lorinus in Pſal. 120. that to live to ſuch an extreme old age was his Martyrdom. Longaevitas Johanni Martyriam quoddam fuit. Surely God multiplies the days of a good man oftentimes that he may pleaſe him the more by deſiring death. Do not deplore, with Micah of Mount Ephraim, that our falſe Gods are taken away, but that we are ſo long kept from the true God. Of this good deſire of diſſolution and departure Peter would deprive himſelf by affecting a phantaſtical kind of felicity in Mount Thabor, Maſter it is good, &c.
I call it fantaſtical felicity, becauſe it ariſeth from the love of the fleſh, which thinks all is well enough when it is removed far enough from ſorrow and trouble; therefore I ask in the third place, An bonum ſit non effligi? If that condition of life be well choſen in this world which appears, as this did to Peter, to be exempted from all affliction? Solomon ſaid no, and he is to be believed, when he ſpeaks by the inſpiration of the Holy Ghoſt, Eccleſ. vii. 2. It is better to go to the houſe of mourning than to the houſe of feaſting; (thoſe were two diverſe things in his days; but now every houſe of mourning muſt be an houſe of feaſting and banqueting) but he adds, Sorrow is better than laughter, for by the ſadneſs of the countenance the heart is made better. What a petty Kingdom had this Apoſtle choſen for himſelf and his fellows? a Paradiſe, as he thought, without thorn or briar: no labour in it, no exerciſe, no adventuring for Chriſt, no profit for the Church, ſomewhat like Monaſtical Recluſes every one in his Tabernacle, and in ſuch places where there is leaſt ſtir there is the greateſt tentation. Is this the holy ground whereon he would ſet his feet and never depart? No, it was better for him when he walked unto his Maſter upon the waters of tribulation. Danger is the beſt Centinel in the world to make us watch our enemies. Fear is the beſt warning-bell to call us often to Prayer. Tribulation is the beſt Orator to perſwade us to humility. O Lord in trouble have they viſited thee, and they poured out a Prayer when thy chaſtiſing was upon them, Iſa. xxvi. 16. If any man be afflicted let him pray, ſays St. James, but if any man be not afflicted, let him faſt and pray, for he is in the greater danger.
Plato was requeſted to draw a book of Laws for the Commonwealth of the Cyrenians, he ſaid he would take time, and they asked him how long? He anſwered, Till ſome great calamity befall the City, for hitherto they had been ſo happy that no Law giver could appoint them ſuch Rules as were fit to govern them. And ſurely St. Austin was not of St. Peters mind, he would not have choſen to inhabit in a Mountain devoid of all miſery, for he had proved the world, and found it true, Mundus ille periculoſior eſt cum ſe allicit diligi, quàm cum ſecogit contemni. This world will bring more hurt about when it allures us to love it than when it vexeth us to hate it. A pretty Fable is that in the Moraliſt, of a man that ſought Pearls upon the Seaſhore at a low tide, he lighted upon many ſhells of good Pearl able to enrich him, and he ventured upon the Shelves for more and more, till the Tide came round about him, and he could not ſcape with his life: O, ſays he, I ſhould have learnt wiſdom of the God of Nature, who caſt theſe Gems looſely and regardleſly upon the Seaſhore, as things rather to be loſt than found. At laſt he beſought a fiſherman, who came that way, to take all his Pearls for his pains, and ſave his life in his Cockboat. As he was taken in an ambuſh of the Sea in the midſt of his good fortune, ſo miſchief arreſts the worldly man in the midſt of proſperity. When Peter was ſcourged by the High-Prieſts, when he was impriſoned by Herod, when he was under Nero in the Lions paw that devoured him, theſe were good times for the health of his ſoul, that as the outward man periſhed, the inward man might be renewed dayly. But to be in a brightſom pleaſant habitation; Grave eſt, moleſtum eſt, periculoſum eſt, ſays Gregory; It was dangerous, it was obnoxious to many inconveniences, which will appear yet further by the fourth queſtion, An bonum ſit in terrâ manere? Is there any reſt upon earth on which we may ſay, It is good, &c.
4. Where ſhall the Dove reſt his foot? If we would be contented with the preſent ſtate we enjoy, yet all things will change, and though all things ſhould remain as they are, and never change, yet we would never be contented. The Sea is a new Sea every Tide, the earth is a new earth every month, or every quarter at the longeſt diſtance, the ſame mutability whirls us about, and the things that we poſſeſs. Whether I be upon Sea or Land, upon Mount Tabor or upon Mount Hermon, I carry my ſelf about, and ſhall be weary of it, foreign, he was a Cynical Philoſopher indeed that ran over every kind of life as unſatiated with it, but it was not Philoſophy, but the ſtate of fleſh and bloud that taught it him. The City had no Recreation, The Country no Society, Studies of Arts were laborious. Navigation perilous, run over all the world and he would ask for ſomewhat which he wanted, what content then could Peter take in one Hill, though it were furniſh'd with a moſt deſirable Viſion? How quickly would it have cloy'd him to have been long there, like a Lark, hopping upon one turf of graſs? Though God prepare for us a new Heaven, and a new earth, yet he muſt give us a new heart likewiſe to delight in them forever. For it is not the object alone, but the diſpoſition of the ſoul which receives it, that muſt make us ſay, When I awake up after thy likeneſs I ſhall be ſatisfied with it.
The Poets ſet down this caſe of St. Peter in a pretty Fiction, that the Goddeſs Calypſo offered Ʋlyſſes her pleaſant Iſland to live there always, and to be immortal upon it. But her tentation would not take, he preferred to refuſe this offer, and return home to his own Country. Pleaſure is not a Goddeſs, but a Sorcereſs, which would offer us the like, Bonum eſt eſſe hic, this is a fair inheritance, were it not a gay thing if this were heaven, and you imparadiſed in this pleaſant ſeat for ever? O no ſays celeſtial love, go out my ſoul, go out, take the wings of the morning, fly away to thy Country above, the heavenly Jeruſalem, and then reſt for ever. Philip, that mighty Macedonian, feaſted many Wits at a Banquet, and he propounded a queſtion to be argued before him, What was the greateſt thing in Nature? After many Opinions one collected all that had been ſaid, and concluded, Neither was Philip himſelf the greateſt of all things,Lorinus in Pſal. 83.11. nor the Hill Olympus, nor the Sea of waters, nor the Sun in the Firmament, Sed cor quod res maximas deſpiceret; the greateſt of all things was an heart that deſpiſed the greateſt things which are in this world beneath. Unclog your affections from all contents of this miſerable life, if Tabor it ſelf tranſport you, the beſt part of the Militant Church where Chriſts glory ſhines, which by Gods mercy I am confident we enjoy, yet forget that, and yearn for the Church Triumphant. Be willing to bequeath the earth to the ſucceſſion that follows you, and your body to the ground, and your ſoul to God.
5. I am ready to move the fifth queſtion (alas, when I conſider it, how unfit is the natural man for ſpiritual things?) An bonum ſit quod paucis ſolummodò eſt bonum? Whether we ſhould call that good which is appropriated to our ſelves, and not communicated to many? This is it for which Origen thinks that Satan ſtirred up Peter to utter theſe words, to entreat him to bleſs that little company upon Mount Taber with his preſence, and to leave all mankind without redemption. O too forgetful, Nimiumque oblite tuorum, both of the other nine Diſciples, and of all that people that ſate in darkneſs, and in the ſhadow of death. It was the moſt Jewiſh maliciouſneſs that the Jews had to challenge God that his mercies and bleſſings belonged to their Nation, and to no other Kingdom, but this contraction is far more unreaſonable to beſeech Chriſt to ſmother his glory in a private corner with Moſes and Elias, and three Apoſtles, as if theſe were the five wiſe Virgins enough to enter into the Marriage Chamber of the Bridegroom. If one member be honoured, all the members ſhall rejoyce with it, but when all the members of the body are honoured,1 Cor. 12.26 Auguſt in Pſal. 139. every member ſhall rejoyce much more. Tolle invidiam & tuum eſt quod habeo, tolle invidiam & meum eſt quod habes, ſays St. Auſtin; Be not you envious, and that which I have is yours: Let not me be envious, and that which you have is mine. A carnal man you ſee wiſheth his own happineſs with the conſequent infelicity of all the world beſide, let me oppoſe unto this the ſtupendious example of a regenerate man, that wiſhed his own damnation for the ſalvation of a great people. I could wiſh that my ſelf were accurſed from Chriſt for my brethren, my kinſmen according to the fleſh, Rom. ix. 3. Some have commented upon it, that Paul was unadviſed in thoſe words, and offended God. Nay (Beloved) the Holy Ghoſt cannot be unadviſed, by whoſe inſtinct he wrote, and he doth Preface in the beginning, I ſay the truth in Chriſt, I lie not. St. Chryſoſtom cannot ſpeak better than he did upon that verſe, Quia nos longè ſumus ab hâc dilectione Pauli, ideo intelligere ejus verba non poſſumus. We want ſo much of that love to our brethren,Paraeus in hunc locum. which Paul had to his, that we are not able to make a good conſtruction of his meaning. Yet I will direct you in a few words: Paul did not deſire to be ſeparated for his brethrens ſake from the charity and friendſhip of Chriſt, (for then he ſhould love man better than God) but from the felicity and ſweet fruit of that friendſhip. He would periſh for ever, not as Chriſts enemy, but as an offering for his Nation. He doth not deſire to be out of the love of Chriſt, but out of the Viſion of Chriſt. The converſion of an whole people, he thought, was more for Gods glory than the ſalvation of one man; therefore although Gods Election muſt ſtand, and that was impoſſible which he deſired, yet ſo long as he loved his brethren in God, and not againſt God, it was no exceſſive love. And that is the judgment of Calvin.
But to draw to the uſe of the Point, you ſee that perfect charity ſquints not at its own benefit with the great detriment of others; Bonum eſt nobis is bad divinity, and bad civility, it ſpoils Church and Commonwealth; that which is good to one, or to a few, will never thrive if it be not good for many. It is true, he is one of the fools of the world, that is not wiſe for himſelf, but he is one of Gods Reprobates, that is wiſe for none but for himſelf, Nequicquam ſapit qui non omnibus ſapit. When every man is his own end, all things will come to a bad end. Bleſſed were thoſe days, when every man thought himſelf rich and fortunate by the good ſucceſs of the publick wealth and glory. We want publick ſouls, we want them, I ſpeak it with compaſſion, there is no ſin or abuſe in the world that afflicts my thought ſo much. Every man thinks that he is a whole Commonwealth in his private Family. Omnes quae ſua ſunt quaerunt; All ſeek their own. Did St. Paul write it againſt us, or againſt the Philippians? Chap. ii. 21. Can the Publick be neglected and any mans Private be ſecure. It is all one whether the miſchief light upon him or his Poſterity. There are ſome, ſays Tully, Ep. ad Attic. lib. 1. c. 25.that think their own Gardens and Fiſhponds ſhall be ſafe when the Commonwealth is loſt. Doth he not call them fools by craft? Away with this bonum nobis, to intend our own good rather than the general, it was the greateſt error that St. Peter committed.
6. To the laſt queſtion briefly in a word, An bonum conſiſtit in aſpectu humanitatis Chriſti; Could it be the ſupreme good of man to behold the Humane Nature of Chriſt only beatified? Surely, the Humane Nature ſhining as light as the Sun was a rare object, that Peter could have been contented with that, and no more, for his part for ever, yet the reſolution of the School holds certain,Lyra. that bleſſedneſs conſiſts eſſentially in beholding the Divine Nature which is the fountain of all goodneſs, and power, and in the fruition thereof, accidentally it conſiſts in beholding Chriſts Humane Nature glorified, and in the conſequent delectation. Theſe things muſt not be enlarged now, becauſe I am prevented by the time. To God the Father, &c.