The Good Samaritan, Part 21
And brought him to an Inn. Text. ]
foreign. From the Hiſtory it will follow then,
Doct. That Inns are of good uſe for honeſt refection of Travellers.
Rahab was a Victualler and the ſpies there had lodging, Ioſh. 2.2, 3. See Luk. 2.7. Act. 28.15. 3. Iohn 5.
Reaſon. For iniquity abounding and the love of many waxing every day more cold then other, requires ſtill their continuance or rather their increaſe. Time was when every goodmans houſe was an Inn, 2 King. 4.8, 9. Iob 31.32. 1 King. 17 Iudg. 19.20. And of later time the poore Traveller was ſure to find in every Towne of note, two Inns at leaſt to be refreſhed at. The Manner-houſe and the Parſonage-houſe: But in theſe dayes (when men are rather known by their houſes, then their houſes by the men) the Lord and Maſter flying and carrying with him a peece of the Church alſo; the Manner-houſe comes to be without drinke, and the Parſonage-houſe without malt, and then what followes, but the poore Traveller muſt to the Inne or Ale-houſe, or lye in the ſtreetes?
Vſe 1 Such as are Victualers ſhould not ſimply be condemned, nor theſe places of reſort abſolutely ſuppreſſed; but rather care had for their well ordering, and that ſuch be licenced as are we…l governed themſelves, and of good report; herein our Lawes and State have worthily provided. True it is, ſuch as kept Victualing in former times were infamous: by reaſon of the great reſort unto their houſes, it was generally held, ſuch could not be honeſt; in which reſpect and no other (as is thought by ſome) Rahab was called, foreign, an harlot, Iam. 2.25. But that word in the moſt native ſignification ſignifies (not an Inkeeper, but) a harlot that ſels her chaſtity and proſtitutes her body for gaine; therfore moſt like it is, that before her converſion ſhe was not only a Victualer, or Innekeeper, but a notorious Strumpet, that foreign the Harlot pub…ikely knowne and noted ſo to be in all Iericho. And it is ſaid (though Apocripha) a Victualer cannot be without ſin, i. e. hardly; for did they not ſometimes chop away a good conſcience for mony, and bid drunkenneſſe welcome, they could hardly pay their Rents, and yet the Profeſſion it ſelfe is not to be annihilated, nor all condemned that are of the Profeſſion. For my owne part I do not doubt, but Inns and Ale-houſes will affoord ſome ſoules for Heaven at the laſt day.
Vſe 2 Let me in the next place give a caveat that none abuſe this doctrine to licentiouſneſſe; for albeit there is good uſe of Inns for refreſhing of the wearied travellour, yet there is little uſe of them for the Townſ-man and home-dweller. Neceſſity requires there ſhould be ſome, and a a competent number, eſpecially where are great through-fares: but it is exceſſe and drunkenneſſe that cauſeth ſo mighty an increaſe, that like Hidraes head, when one is cut off more ariſeth in the roome; the Philoſopher did ſometime ſay that where there be many Phyſitians, there be many diſeaſes: So where are many Victualing houſes uſually there are many drunkards, in which reſpect authority had done worthily to reſtrain many, deſtroying the neſts that thoſe birds may not with their breed taint the country.
In the Myſtery, Eſt enim ſtabulum Eccleſia, que in itmere mundi laſſatos, & ſarc…nis de lictorum defeſſos ſuſcipit venientes, ubi depoſi…e onere peccatorii viator laſſus reficitur, & refectus ſalubri paſcua reparatur, Ch…yſ in loc Ita Auguſt. Tom. 1 cont Pelagianos Hypo. l 3. Mat. 5.the Inn is the Church Catholik, into which our Saviour brings thoſe he meanes to ſave. But firſt conſider we, the Church is like unto an Inne, and that in theſe reſpects.
Firſt, An Inne is a place licenced or made to be ſo: It is not an Inne as it is a houſe; So the Church it is ſelected and called from the reſt of the world, it is licenced by God to have the Word and Sacraments, Numb. 23.9. Ioh. 15.19. Mat. 10.5. Rom. 3.2. & 9.4. 1 Tim. 3.15. Pſ. 147.19, 20.
Secondly, An Inne ſtands in ſome open place and is obvious to all paſſengers: It hath a ſigne alſo (uſually) if it be an Inn: So here the Church is a high hill, and in generall the Croſſe of Chriſt is the ſigne, Ioh. 16. or the burning buſh Exod. 5. In particular this Inn is to be knowne by the Profeſſion of the truth and adminiſtration of all eſſentials neceſſary to Salvation, Act. 2.42. Iſa. 2.2. And in this reſpect it is ſaid to be viſible and like a houſe ſet upon a hill: Viſible I ſay Potentiâ, though not alwaies Actu, ſimply in it ſelfe viſible, though in ſome other reſpect to us inviſible: An Inne cannot be diſcerned in a great miſt or darke night; nor by a blind man: ſo in time of perſecution (as when the Church was ſaine to flye into the wilderneſſe) or when men have through feare or anger weekned their ſight,Rev. 12 14. Iſa 26.20. Jt is not diſcerned by us: So Eliah could not ſee a Church, when God had 7000. there.
Thirdly, It is like unto an Inne, it being both ſpatious and ſpecious; It is large and faire, ſo uſually Innes are,Cant. 6 4, 10. 1 ſal 122 3. Cant. 4.4, 7. Numb. 24.5. the uttermoſt parts of the earth are given Chriſt for his poſſeſſion, (whence it is called Catholicke) And the beauties of holineſſe; though to looke on the outward face of it, It may ſay as Naomi of her ſelfe, call me no more beautifull, &c. Ruth. 1 20.
Fourthly; as an Inne is an houſe well furniſhed with all proviſion fitting to entertaine all gueſts and paſſenges; ſo is the Church, Iſa. 25. & 55.1, here is wine, milke, bread, water, oxen and fatlings killed, &c.
Fiftly; an Inne is a place of ſafety; ſo is the Church, Iſa. 4.5, 6. Zach. 12.3. Mat. 16. here is a ſhadow and ſweet refuge againſt all dangers.
Sixtly, it is a place of great reſort, multitudes frequent it, as they do an Inne: Jſa. 2 3.therefore it is ſaid to be a Generall Aſſembly. Heb. 12. And there are many which ſhall come from the Eaſt and West, Math. 8. and ſit downe with Abraham, &c.
Seventhly; there are in an Inne of all ſorts; All company comes in: Noble, ignoble, high, low, good and bad; ſo in the Church, Gal. 3.28. Acts. 2.5. & 10.11. Math. 13. Rev. 7 9 there is in it a mixt company all ſorts included.
Eightly; in an Inne there are many diſtinct offices, 1 Cor. 9.19.and all for ſervice: ſo in the Church, 1 Cor. 12.28, 29. Rom. 12.6. 1 Pet. 4.14. Epheſ. 4.7, 11. Yea, Kings and Queenes are nurcing Fathers and nurcing mothers. Every one muſt ſerve the common good of the Church,Iſa. 40.23. Mark. 10.43. and endeavour its peace; Pſal. 122.6.
Ninethly; Diſordered perſons may by no meanes be tollerated in an Inne; no more in the Church, ſee Deut. 23.17. 1. Cor. 5.1, 2. Epheſ. 5.3, 5. Math. 18.17.
Tenthly and laſtly, (not to inſiſt on more Particulars) Travellers leave their Inne in as good eſtate, yea ſomewhat better then they found it, ſo ſhould we the Church after our deceaſe. Acts. 20.28, 29. 2 Tim. 4.5, 6.
Vſe If the Church be as an Inne, why are we backward to reſort unto it? having travelled the whole weeke before in the workes of our particular Callings, me thinks we ſhould be willing when the Lords day comes to take up our Inne for reſt. The kingly Prophet David longed for this place, Pſ. 84.2. Yea the remembrance of that reſt put life into him, when by reaſon of his travell he was at the point of fainting, v. 5.6, 7.
And why preferre we a blind alehouſe, before ſo ſpatious and faire an Inne? what noble ſpirit doth thus? eſpecially conſidering the good entertainement may here be had, read Iſa. 55.1, 2, 3. there is the beſt proviſion and beſt uſage.
Doct. Secondly obſerve, Whom Chriſt meanes to ſave, he brings into the Church. See Acts. 2.47. The Lord added to the Church daily ſuch as ſhould be ſaved. So Epheſ. 5.23. Chriſt is ſaid to be the Saviour of his body; Now the Church is the body of Chriſt, therefore none are ſaved but the Church, (i.e.) none but ſuch as are joyned to Chriſt, and become members of his body.
This was figured by Noahs Arke: All that were preſerved were within it;Gen. 7.23. 1 Pet. 3.20, 21. As for thoſe without, no gold could buy their preſervation, no holes hide them, no hilles helpe them, nothing in the world, nor the world it ſelfe could ſave them: And it was ſignified to us by the covenant made betwixt Rahab and the ſpies; all within her houſe ſhould be preſerved, but thoſe without, (though her owne kindred,) ſhould periſh. Ioſh. 2.18.
Hence was it, that the Apoſtles were willed to ſtay divers yeares in ſome places, preaching to them the Goſpell, for that God had many ſoules to ſave, who by theſe meanes were to be brought within the compaſſe of the net, Acts. 18.10.
Reaſon. And no marvell; Luk. 1 33.For Chriſt reigneth onelyonly in the Church of God, Micha 4.7. without the Church the Divell ruleth; The inceſtuous perſon being caſt out of the Church of Corinth, was delivered up to Sathan, 1 Cor. 5.5. ſo was Hymeneus and Alexander, 1 Tim. 1.20.
Vſe 1 This firſt makes againſt Univerſall Election and ſalvation (which was Origens error) but that doctrine plucks up the pale and incloſure, and layes all common to the wilderneſſe, and is full of all abſurdities.
Vſe 2 It ſerves next to diſcover to us the miſerable condition of ſuch, as either are not brought within the pale of the Church (as Pagans and Infidels) or elſe being once within the pale keepe not within, but get out againe.
Some wilfully skip over, as Familiſts, Browniſts, Anabaptiſts and ſuch like: Theſe with Cain leave the preſence of God, and fly into the land of Nod, a receptacle for fugitives, Gen 4.16. And is a withdrawing to perdition, Heb. 10.25, 39. And of theſe we may ſay as 1 Iohn. 2.19. They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had beene of us, they would (no doubt) have continued with us: but they went out that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us.
Others are caſt out of the Church, and juſtly excommunicated by reaſon of their evill deeds (as 1 Cor. 5.5.) which ſentence is the fearfulleſt that by man can be inflicted: Other ſentences condemne us in our bodies, goods, or liberties; but this declares us to be of the community of the ungodly, and ejects us out of the ſociety of the faithfull: Yea ſo long as we remaine obdurate, it doth not onelyonly caſt us out of the Church militant on earth, but out of the Church triumphant in Heaven, Mat. 16.19. and therefore to be feared above any other ſentence if deſerved juſtly.
A man indeed may be caſt out by ſuch as are uſurpers in the Church (ſo ſome Popes have excommunicated Princes) and ſometimes for well doing, not for ill: as Iohn 9.35. Our Saviour armeth his Diſciples againſt ſuch thunderbolts, Iohn 16.2. futurum erat (ſaith Saint Austin) ut foras emitterentur cum illo ab eis qui eſſe nolint in illo, qui non poſſent eſſe ſine illo. It ſhould come to paſſe that they ſhould be caſt out with him, by them, who would not be in him, nay by them that could not be without him. In this we ſhould not grieve but rejoyce, ſeeing we are members of his body, and made partakers of his ſufferings.
Vſe 3 Next, it would be worth the while, if we would examin whither we are within the Church, and true members of it: This we may know by the agreement which is betwixt us and it: As is the mother, ſo is the daughter, as is the head, ſuch are the members of it.
The Church (you know) is holy and Catholike: So if thou beeſt a true member of this Church, Holy is thy Chriſtian name and Catholike thy Sir-name: Holy thou muſt be, in it ſhall dwell nothing unholy or that doth deſi…e, and thy obedience muſt be to the whole Law of God; which only prooves thee to be a good Catholike.
I know that as the mothers, 1 King. 3. pleaded for the living child, ſaying it is mine, and it is mine; ſo the children now plead for the mother, whither the Church of England or the Church of Rome be the true Church, and in which of theſe, ſalvation is probably to be found is … hot diſpute betwixt us and Papiſts: but ſo fully and learnedly determined by that moſt reverend Father in God the Lord Arch-Biſhop of Canterbury in his conference with Fiſher, that no more remaines to be ſaid of that point.
Vſe 4 Bleſſe we God that we are within the pale of the Church. Noah deſired for his ſon Iaphet when he bleſt him, but this, that God would perſwade him to dwell in the tents of Se…: this place is like that houſe of perfumes wherin the Virgins were kept many daies, and purified before they came into Ahaſverus his preſence, Eſt. 2. there ſo often it is called, the kingdome of Heaven, becauſe it is the Gate of Heaven and inlet therunto; we being in it, made fit for Heaven through the Word and Prayer.
And let us bleſſe God for that we are brought out from within the pale of the preſent Romiſh Church, and delivered out of the belly of it as Ionas was out of the belly of the whale; in which Church though there be a poſſibility of ſalvation (for ſome) yet no faire probability as is in the Church wherein we live: Surely God is willing to ſave us who hath hether brought us: Why hath he done all this for us (as the wife of Manoah ſaid to him) Iudg. 13.23. if he were purpoſed to ſtay us? Happy we if we knew what belonged to our peace in this our day.