Works of Joseph Hall, Dedication 45
TO MY MVCH HONOVRED, AND RIGHT WORSHIPFVLL FRIEND, SIR Henrie Yeluerton KNIGHT, ATTVRNEY GENERALL TO HIS Maieſtie.
RIGHT WORSHIPFVLL,
IT is not out of any ſatietie, that I change from the old Teſtament to the new; Theſe two, as they are the Breſts of the Church, ſo th…y yeeld Milke equally wholſome, equally pleaſant vntounto able Nurſelings. Herein J thought good to hauehave reſpect vntounto my Reader, in whoſe ſtrength there may be difference. That other Breſt perhaps, doth not let downe this nouriſhing liquour, ſo freely, ſo eaſily: Euen ſo ſmall a variety …freſ…eth a weake Infant; Neither will there perhaps want ſome pal…tes▪ which wil finde a more quick & pleaſing reliſh in this freſher ſuſtenāce▪ theſe I thought good to pleaſe with a taſte, ere they come to ſate themſelues with a full Meale of this diuine nouriſhment; in emulation of the good Scribe, that brings forth both olde and new. If it pleaſe God to inable my life and opportunities, I hope at laſt, to preſent his Church, with the laſt ſeruice of the Hiſtorie of either Page: wherein my Joy, and my Crowne ſhall bee the edification of many. Jn the meane time, I dedicate this part vntounto your Name, whom J hauehave ſo much cauſe to obſerue, and honour. The bleſsing of that God (whoſe Church you hauehave euer made your chiefe Client) bee ſtill vponupon your head, and that honorable Societie which reioyces in ſo worthy a Leader. To it, and your ſelfe, J ſhall be euer (as I hauehave cauſe) humbly and vnfainedly deuoted
IOS: HALL.
Contemplations. THE ANGELL AND ZACHARIE.
WHen things are at the worſt, then God beginnes a change: The ſtate of the Iewiſh Church was extremly corrupted, immediately before the newes of the Goſpell; yet, as bad as it was, not onelyonly the Prieſthood, but the courſes of attendance continued, euen from Dauids time till Chriſts: It is a deſperately depraued condition of a Church, where no good orders are left: Iudea paſſed many troubles, many alterations, yet this orderly combination endured aboue an eleuen hundred yeares: A ſetled good will not eaſily be defeated, but in the change of perſons will remayne vnchanged, and if it be forced to giuegive way, leaues memorable footſteps behinde it: If Dauid fore-ſaw the perpetuation of this holy Ordinance, how much did he reioyce in the knowledge of it? who would not bee glad to doe good, on condition, that it may ſo long out-liue him?
The ſucceſſiue turnes of the Legall miniſtration held on in a Line neuer interrupted: Euen in a forlorne and miſerable Church, there may bee a perſonall ſucceſſion: How little were the Iewes better for this, when they had loſt the Vrim and Thummim, ſinceritie of Doctrine and Manners? This ſtayed with them euen whiles they and their Sonnes crucified Chriſt; What is more ordinary, than wicked Sonnes of holy Parents? It is the ſucceſſion of Truth and Holineſſe, that makes or inſtitutes a Church, what euer become of the perſons: Neuer times were ſo barren, as not to yeeld ſome good: The greateſt dearth affoords ſome few good Eares to the Gleaners: Chriſt would not hauehave come into the World, but hee would hauehave ſome faithfull to entertayne him: Hee; that had the diſpoſing of all times and men, would caſt ſome holy ones into his owne times: There had bin no equalitie, that all ſhould either ouer-run, or follow him, and none attend him. Zachary and Elizabeth are iuſt; both of Aarons bloud, and Iohn Baptiſt of theirs: whence ſhould an holy Seede ſpring, if not of the Loynes of Leui? It is not in the power of Parents to traduce Holineſſe to their Children: It is the bleſſing of God, that feoffes them in the vertues of their Parents, as they feoffe them in their ſinnes: There is no certaintie, but there is likelyhood, of an holy Generation, when the Parents are ſuch: Elizabeth was iuſt, as well as Zachary, that the fore-runner of a Sauiour might bee holy on both ſides: If the ſtocke and the griffe bee not both good, there is much danger of the fruit: It is an happy match, when the Husband and the Wife are one, not only in themſelues, but in God, not more in fleſh, than in the ſpirit: Grace makes no difference of ſexes, rather the weaker carries away the more honour, becauſe it hath had leſſe helps: It is eaſie to obſerue, that the New Teſtament affordeth more ſtore of good women, than the old: Elizabeth led the ring of this mercy, whoſe barrenneſſe ended in a miraculous fruit both of her body, and of her time.
This religious paire made no leſſe progreſſe in vertue, than in age, and yet their vertue could not make their beſt age fruitfull: Elizabeth was barren. A iuſt ſoule and a barren wombe may well agree together: Amongſt the Iewes barrenneſſe was not a defect only, but a reproach, yet while this good woman was fruitfull of holy obedience, ſhee was barren of children: as Iohn, which was miraculouſly conceiued by man, was a fi… fore-runner of him, that was conceiued by the Holy Ghoſt, ſo a barren Matron was meet to make way for a Virgin.
None, but a ſonne of Aaron, might offer incenſe to God in the Temple; and not eueryevery ſonne of Aaron, and not any one at all ſeaſons: God is a God of order, and hates confuſion no leſſe than irreligion: Albeit he hath not ſo ſtraitned himſelfe vnderunder the Goſpell, as to tie his ſeruice to perſons, or places, yet his choice is now no leſſe curious, becauſe it is more large: Hee allowes none, but the authoriſed; Hee authoriſeth none but the worthy. The Incenſe doth euer ſmell of the hand, that offers it; I doubt not but that perfume was ſweeter, which aſcended vp from the hand of a iuſt Zacharie: The ſacrifice of the wicked is abomination to God: There were courſes of miniſtration in the legall ſeruices: God neuer purpoſed to burthen any of his creatures with deuotion: How vaine is the ambition of any ſoule, that would loade it ſelfe with the vniuerſall charge of all men? How thankleſſe is their labour, that doe wilfully ouer-ſpend themſelues in their ordinarie vocations? As Zacharie had a courſe in Gods houſe, ſo hee carefully obſerued it; The fauour of theſe reſpites doubled his diligence: The more high and ſacred our calling is, the more dangerous is our neglect: It is our honour, that wee may be allowed to wait vponupon the God of heauen in theſe immediate ſeruices: Woe be to vsus, if we ſlacken thoſe duties, wherein God honours vsus more, than we can honour him.
Many ſonnes of Aaron, yea of the ſame familie, ſerued at once in the Temple, according to the varietie of imployments: To auoid all difference, they agreed by lot to aſſigne themſelues to the ſeuerall offices of each day; The lot of this day called Zacharie to offer Incenſe in the outer Temple: I doe not finde any preſcription they had from God of this particular manner of deſignement: Matters of good order in holy affaires may be ruled by the wiſe inſtitution of men, according to reaſon and expediencie.
It fell out well, that Zacharie was choſen by lot to this miniſtration, that Gods immediate hand might be ſeene in all the paſſages, that concerned his great Prophet, that as the perſon, ſo the occaſion might be of Gods owne chooſing: In lots and their ſeeming caſuall diſpoſition, God can giuegive a reaſon, though wee can giuegive none: Morning and Euening, twiſe a day their Law called them to offer Incenſe to God, that both parts of the day might be conſecrate to the maker of time: The outer Temple was the figure of the whole Church vponupon earth, like as the holy of holieſt repreſented heauen: Nothing can better reſemble our faithfull prayers, than ſweet perfume: Theſe, God lookes, that wee ſhould (all his Church ouer) ſend vp vntounto him Morning and Euening: The eleuations of our hearts ſhould be perpetuall, but if twiſe in the day we doe not preſent God with our ſolemne inuocations, we make the Goſpell leſſe officious, than the Law.
That the reſemblance of prayers and incenſe might be apparent, whiles the Prieſt ſends vp his incenſe within the Temple, the people muſt ſend vp their prayers without: Their breath and that incenſe, though remote in the firſt riſing, met, ere they went vp to heauen: The people might no more goe into the Holy place to offer vp the incenſe of prayers vntounto God, than Zacharie might goe into the Holy of holies: Whiles the partition wall ſtood betwixt Iewes and Gentiles, there were alſo partitions betwixt the Iewes, and themſelues: Now eueryevery man is a Prieſt vntounto God; EueryEvery man (ſince the veile was rent) prayes within the Temple▪ What are w… the b… ter for our greater freedome of acceſſe to God vnderunder the Goſpell, if wee doe not make vſe of our priuiledge?
Whiles they were praying to God, hee ſees an Angell of God; as Gede…s Angell went vp in the ſmoke of the ſacrifice, ſo did Zacharies Angell (as it were) come downe in the fragrant ſmoke of his incenſe: It was euer great newes to ſee an Angell of God, but now more; becauſe God had long with-drawne from them all the meane… of his ſupernaturall reuelations: As this wicked people were ſtrangers to their God in their conuerſation, ſo was God growne a ſtranger to them in his apparitions; yet now, that the ſeaſon of the Goſpell approached, he viſited them with his Angels, before he viſited them by his Sonne: He ſends his Angell to men in the forme of man, before hee ſends his Sonne to take humane forme: The preſence of Angels is no noueltie, but their apparition; they are alwayes with vsus, but rarely ſeene, that wee may awfully reſpect their meſſages, when they are ſeene; In the meane time our faith may ſee them, though our ſenſes doe not; their aſſumed ſhapes doe not make them more preſent, but viſible.
There is an order in that heauenly Hierarchie, though wee know it not: This Angell, that appeared to Zacharie, was not with him in the ordinarie courſe of his attendances, but was purpoſely ſent from God with this meſſage: Why was an Angell ſent? and why this Angell? It had beene eaſie for him to hauehave raiſed vp the propheticall ſpirit of ſome Simeon to this prediction; the ſame Holy Ghoſt; which reuealed to that iuſt man, that he ſhould not ſee death, ere hee had ſeene the Meſſias, might hauehave as eaſily reuealed vntounto him the birth of the fore-runner of Chriſt, and by him to Zacharie: But God would hauehave this voice, which ſhould goe before his Sonne, come with a noyſe; Hee would hauehave it appeare to the world, that the harbinger of the Meſſiah ſhould bee conceiued by the maruellous power of that God, whoſe comming hee proclaimed: It was fit the firſt Herald of the Goſpell begin in wonder: The ſame Angell, that came to the bleſſed Virgin with the newes of Chriſts conception, came to Zacharie with the newes of Iohns, for the honour of him, that was the greateſt of them which were borne of women, and for his better reſemblance to him, which was the ſeede of the woman: Both had the Goſpell for their errand, one as the meſſenger of it, the other as the Author; Both are foretold by the ſame mouth.
When could it bee more fit for the Angell to appeare vntounto Zacharie, than when prayers and incenſe were offered by him? Where could hee more fitly appeare, than in the Temple? In what part of the Temple more fitly, than at the Altar of Incenſe? and where abouts rather, than on the right ſide of the Altar? Thoſe glorious ſpirits as they are alwayes with vsus, ſo moſt in our deuotions, and as in all places, ſo moſt of all in Gods houſe: They reioyce to be with vsus, whiles we are with God, as contrarily they turne their faces from vsus, when we goe about our ſinnes.
Hee that had wont to liue, and ſerue in the preſence of the maſter, was now aſtoniſhed at the preſence of the ſeruant; ſo much difference there is betwixt our faith, and our ſenſes, that the apprehenſion of the preſence of the God of ſpirits by faith goes downe ſweetely with vsus, whereas the ſenſible apprehenſion of an Angell diſmayes vsus; Holy Zacharie, that had wont to liue by faith, thought hee ſhould die, when his ſenſe began to bee ſet on worke; It was the weakneſſe of him, that ſerued at the Altar without horror, to bee daunted with the face of his fellow ſeruant: In vaine doe wee looke for ſuch Miniſters of God, as are without infirmities, when iuſt Zacharie was troubled in his deuotions with that, wherewith hee ſhould hauehave beene comforted: It was partly the ſuddenneſſe, and partly the glory of the apparition, that affrighted him: The good Angell was both apprehenſiue, and compaſſionate of Zacharies weakneſſe, and preſently incourages him with a cheerefull excitation: (Feare not ZACHARIAS.) The bleſſed ſpirits, though they doe not often vocally expreſſe it, doe pittie our humane frailties, and ſecretly ſuggeſt comfort vntounto vsus, when we perceiue it not: Good and euill Angels as they are contrarie in eſtate, ſo alſo in diſpoſition; The good deſire to take away feare, the euill to bring it: It is a fruit of that deadly enmitie, which is betwixt Sathan and vsus, that hee would, if hee might, kill vsus with terrour; whereas the good ſpirits affecting our reliefe and happineſſe, take no pleaſure in terrifying vsus, but labour altogether for our tranquilitie and cheerefulneſſe.
There was not more feare in the face, than comfort in the ſpeech; Thy prayer is heard▪ No Angell could hauehave told him better newes; Our deſires are vttered in our prayers: What can we wiſh, but to hauehave what we would? Many good ſuites had Zachary made, and amongſt the reſt for a ſonne: Doubtleſſe it was now ſome ſpace of yeares, ſince he made that requeſt: For he was now ſtricken in age, and had ceaſed to hope; yet had God laid it vp all the while, and when hee thinkes not of it, brings it forth to effect: Thus doth the merciemercy of our God deale with his patient, and faithfull ſuppliants: In the …uout of their exſpectation he many times holds them off, and when they lea… thinke of it, and hauehave forgotten their owne ſuite, hee graciouſly condeſcends: Delay of effect may not diſcourage our faith; It may bee God hath long granted, ere wee ſhall know of his grant. Many a father repents him of his fruitfulneſſe, and hath ſuch ſonnes, as he wiſhes vnborne: But to hauehave ſo gracious, and happie a ſonne as the Angell foretold, could not bee leſſe comfort, than honour to the age of Zacharie: The proofe of children makes them either the bleſſings, or croſſes of their parents: To heare what his ſonne ſhould bee before he was; to heare that hee ſhould hauehave ſuch a ſonne; A ſonne, whoſe birth ſhould concerne the ioy of many; A ſonne, that ſhould be great in the ſight of the Lord, A ſonne, that ſhould bee ſacred to God, filled with God, beneficiall to man; An harbinger to him, that was God and man, was newes enough to preuent the Angell, and to take away that tongue with amaſement, which was after loſt with incredulity.
The ſpeech was ſo good, that it ſound not a ſudden beliefe: This good newes ſurpriſed Zacharie; If the intelligence had taken leiſure, that his thoughts might hauehave had time to debate the matter, hee had eaſily apprehended the infinite power of him that had promiſed; the patterne of Abraham and Sara; and would ſoone hauehave concluded the appearance of the Angell more miraculous than his prediction: Whereas now, like a man maskered with the ſtrangeneſſe of that he ſaw and heard, hee miſdoubts the meſſage, and askes: How ſhall I know? Nature was on his ſide, and alledged the impoſſibility of the euent, both from age and barrenneſſe; Supernaturall tidings at the firſt hearing aſtoniſh the heart, and are entertained with doubts by thoſe, which vponupon further acquaintance giuegive them the beſt wel-come.
The weake apprehenſions of our imperfect faith are not ſo much to be cenſured, as pittied: It is a ſure way for the heart, to bee preuented with the aſſurance of the omnipotent power of God, to whom nothing is impoſſible: ſo ſhall the hardeſt points of faith goe downe eaſily with vsus: If the eye of our mind looke vpward, it ſhall meete with nothing to auert, or interrupt it; but if right forward, or downeward, or round about, eueryevery thing is a blocke in our way.
There is a difference betwixt deſire of aſſurance, and vnbeliefe, wee cannot bee too carefull to raiſe vp to our ſelues arguments to ſettle our faith; although it ſhould be no faith, if it had no feete to ſtand vponupon, but diſcurſiue: In matters of faith, if reaſons may bee brought for the conuiction of the gaine-ſayers, it is well; if they bee helpes, they cannot be grounds of our beliefe: In the moſt faithfull heart there are ſome ſparkes of infidelity; ſo to belieue, that we ſhould hauehave no doubt at all, is ſcarſe incident into fleſh and bloud: It is a great perfection, if wee hauehave attained to ouercome our doubts. What did miſ-leade Zacharie, but that, which vſes to guide others, Reaſon? (I am old, and my wife is of great age,) As if yeares, and drie loynes could be any let to him, which is able of very ſtones to raiſe vp children vntounto Abraham: Faith and reaſon hauehave their limits; where reaſon ends, faith begins; and if reaſon will be encroching vponupon the bounds of faith, ſhe is ſtreight taken captiue by infidelity: Wee are not fit to follow Chriſt, if wee hauehave not denied our ſelues; and the chiefe peece of our ſelues is our reaſon; Wee muſt yeeld God able to doe that, which we … comprehend, and we muſt … that by … faith; which is diſcl… med by reaſon; Hagar muſt be driuen out of doores, that Sara may rule alone.
The authoritie of the reporter, makes way for beliefe in things, which are otherwiſe hard to paſſe; although in the matters of God, we ſhould not ſo much care, who ſpeakes, as what is ſpoken, and from whom: The Angell tels his name, place, office, vnasked, that Zacharie might no… thinke any newes impoſſible, that was brought him by an heauenly meſſenger: Euen where there is no vſe of language, the ſpirits are diſtinguiſhed by names, and each knowes his owne appellation, and others▪ Hee that gaue leaue vntounto man his image, to giuegive names vntounto all his viſible and inferiour creatures, did himſelfe put names vntounto the ſpirituall; and as their name is, ſo are they mighty and glorious: But leſt Zacharie ſhould no leſſe doubt of the ſtile of the meſſenger, than of the errand it ſelfe: He is at once both confirmed, and puniſhed with dumbneſſe: That tongue, which mooued the doubt, muſt be tied vp: He ſhall aske no more queſtions for fortie weekes, becauſe he asked this one diſtruſtfully.
Neither did Zacharie loſe his tongue for the time, but his eares alſo, he was not only mute, but deafe; For otherwiſe, when they came to aske his allowance for the name of his Sonne, they needed not to hauehave demanded it by ſignes, but by words: God will not paſſe ouer ſlight offences, and thoſe which may plead the moſt colourable pretences in his beſt children, without a ſenſible checke: It is not our holy intireneſſe with God, that can beare vsus out in the leaſt ſinne; yea rather the more acquaintance we hauehave with his Maieſtie, the more ſure we are of correction, when we offend: This may procure vsus more fauour in our wel-doing, not leſſe iuſtice in euill.
ZACHARIE ſtaied, and the people waited; whether ſome longer diſcourſe betwixt the Angell and him, than needed to be recorded, or whether aſtoniſhment at the apparition and newes, with-held him; I inquire not; the multitude thought him long, yet though they could but ſee a farre off, they would not depart, till hee returned to bleſſe them: Their patient attendance without, ſhames vsus, that are hardly perſwaded to attend within, whiles both our ſenſes are imployed in our diuine ſeruices, and wee are admitted to be coagents with our Miniſters.
At laſt Zacharie comes out ſpeechleſſe, and more amazes them with his preſence, than with his delay. The eyes of the multitude, that were not worthy to ſee his viſion, yet ſee the ſignes of his viſion, that the world might be put into the exſpectation of ſome extraordinarie ſequell: God makes way for his voice, by ſilence; His ſpeech could not hauehave ſaid ſo much, as his dumbneſſe: Zacharie would faine hauehave ſpoken, and could not; with vsus too many are dumbe, and need not: Negligence, Feare, Partialitie ſtop the mouthes of many, which ſhall once ſay, Woe to mee, becauſe I held my peace. His hand ſpeakes that, which he cannot with his tongue, and he makes them by ſignes to vnderſtand that, which they might reade in his face; Thoſe powers we hauehave, we muſt vſe: But though he hauehave ceaſed to ſpeake, yet he ceaſed not to miniſter; Hee takes not this dumbneſſe for a diſmiſſion, but ſtayes out the eight daies of his courſe, as one, that knew the eyes, and hands, and heart would be accepted of that God, which had bereaued him of his tongue: We may not ſtreight take occaſions of withdrawing our ſelues from the publike ſeruices of our God, much leſſe vnderunder the Goſpell: The Law, which ſtood much vponupon bodily perfection, diſpenſed with age for attendance. The Goſpell, which is all for the ſoule, regards thoſe inward powers, which whiles they are vigorous, exclude all excuſes of our miniſtration.