Christ, which God had cursed to confusion, terram sacerrimam, in the Plautine sense! Such are those, that are undertaken against the scourge of Christendom, the creature of Mahomet, that Turkish Magog.

Such are those, that the Defender of the Christian Faith hath been justly provoked to undertake against that Romish Usurper; Peter's successor in nothing, bat in denying his Master. The inclemency of the late Pope labouring to forestall him in his just throne; and the absurd pragmatical impudence of the present, in that gross prohibition of a favourable and natural oath, for his Majesty's security, in a sort countenancing rebellion against his person; beside those shameless libels of his factors, to the scorn of God's Anointed; have seemed to usurp Samuel's message, l'ade, percute, demolire. To omit private motives; P. Urban, in that his zealous Oration to the Council of Cleremont, used no one reason to persuade the world to draw their sword against the Turks, which might not justly he urged to Christian Princes, to scale the walls of Rome. Doth he speak of the Saracens profaning of Jerusalem? we parallel the shameful profanations of the spiritual Jerusalem: their heathenism was never so idolatrous, Doth he speak of abusing the sepulchre of Christ? we parallel them with the abusing of his sacred body. Doth he speak of the cruelty of those savages? we also may say of them, Effunditur sanguis Christianus, Christi sanguine redemptus, &c. neither need I fear to say with Junius, that in this they are trucis truciores.

But I know what difference there is betwixt a preacher and a herald. Our title is Evangelizantes pacem: and though the sword of the hand doth well; yet it is the sword of the mouth, that must slay that Man of Sin. Yet this I dare say, that if, in the cause of God and his Church, this war should be undertaken, Holiness should be written upon our horses' bridles; and, as we shall enter with fewer crosses upon our breasts than those honest soldiers into their holy war, so both our cause should be more holy, and we should return with fewer crosses on our backs.

But I meddle not with this. There is a war, that we cannot shake off: not with the person, but the corruptions of that foul Church: we have long waged it. God had never any quarrel upon earth, if this be not his. Our blessed forefathers have shed their blood in this field, and are glorious: let us stir up our Christian courage to this service. Upon our horses' heads shall be written holiness; upon ours, glory and immortality.

2. But take these horses and bells altered, as fits better, by this writing, from themselves: what God writes is done: Write this man childless; therefore he must be so. Joel doth not so well comment upon this place, Break your ploughshares into swords, and your scythes into spears, Joel iii. 10. as Micah. iv. 3, They shall break their swords into mattocks, and their spears into scythes; mattocks and scythes the instruments of profit, one for the commodities above the earth, the other for those under it: which, as I take it, would not be so strictly restrained to the very time of

Christ's coming, when there was an universal peace on earth, and the temple of Janus was shut: as Cyril, Chrysostom, Eusebius, Jerome, understand it: rather it is a prophecy of that outward and during peace under the Gospel, which all the true professors of it should maintain with themselves.

All nations, though fierce and stern of disposition, yet, if they once stoop sincerely to the Gospel, shall compose themselves to a sweet accordance, and employ their united strength to the service of God. But how is this fulfilled? Some in all ages have run forth into fury, and troubled the common peace. It is true, but these are blanks; such, as upon whom God hath not written Holiness. It is no hoping, that all horses shall be bridled, or all bridles written on. As grace, so peace, is not in such sort universal, that all should incline to it, on all conditions. There are some,

Oh, peace-haters: it is as possible to tame a wasp, as to incline them to peace. Such are the wilful Romanists of our time, (to omit schisms,) which will rather mingle heaven and earth together, than remit one gainful error. But, whatever become of these Mamzers, which do thus exclude themselves from the congregation of God, it were happy, if all the true and acknowledged sons of the Church would admit the inscription of a holy peace.

Alas, why do we, that are brethren, fall out for our change of suits by the way? and make those quarrels deadly, which deserve not to be quarrels? Oh, that some blessed Dove would being an Olive of peace into the Ark of God! Who is so fit for this glorious service, as our gracious peacemaker? Nemo me impunè lacesset, is a good posy; but, Beati pacifici, is a better. Let the vicegerent of him, which is the Prince of Peace, as he was made for the peace of the walls and prosperity of the gates of Sion, be that Angelus pacis; Isaiah xxxiii. 7. Let his wisdom and sweet moderation proceed to allay all these unkindly storms of the Church, that we may live to see that happy greeting of the psalmist, Righteousness and Peace have kissed each other.

And, as this holds in matter of judgment, so of practice too. Do you see a loose and lawless man, wilful in his desires, unbridled in his affections, inordinate in his life, employing his wit to scoff at his Creator, caring for nothing but the worse part of himself? there is one of Zechariah's horses. When God's Spirit breathes upon the soul of this man, he is now another from himself: Holiness to the Lord is written upon his bells. This was done sometimes of old: Sanl was among the prophets; Solomon and Ma nasseh, great patterns of conversion; but rarely, in respect of the days of the Gospel. What should I speak of St. Paul? no ground would hold him; he runs, chafing and foaming from Jerusalem to Damascus: of his jailor? of Mary Magdalen? Behold whole troops of wild natures reclaimed; Eph. iv. Col. iii. Acts ii.

Who can despair, where God undertakes? Shew me never so violent and desperate a sinner, let him be as Job's wild ass in the

*Bellicosa pectora vertuntur in mansuetudinem Christianam. Jer. Sunia et Fritellæ.

Now

desert, or as Amos's horse that will run upon the rocks; Amos vi. 12: if God once take him in hand, thou shalt soon see that this horse is flesh and not spirit; and shalt sing Deborah's, Ungula ceciderunt; Jud. v. 22: or Joshua's, subnercabis; Jos. xi. 6. shalt thou see him stand quaking under the Almighty hand of God, so that he may write what he will in his bridle, yea in his skin. And if there be any such headstrong and resty steed here among us, let him know, that God will either break his stomach or his heart. Flagellum equo, saith Solomon: and if that will not serve, Collidam in te equum et equitem; Jer. li. 21.

But, alas, how rare are these examples of reclamation! Where is this power of the Gospel? Men continue beasts still; and, with that filthy Gryllus, plead for the privilege of their bestiality. The sins of men strive to outface the glory of the Gospel. What shall I say to this? If, after all these means, thou have no bridle, or thy bridle no inscription, it is a fearful doom of the apostle, If our gespel be hid, it is hid to them that perish.

IV. Thus much of the horses and bells. Now, from the Pots and Bowls, you shall see the degrees of the Church's PERFECTION: and see it, I beseech you, without weariness; with intention.

The Pots of the Temple were secthing vessels, for the use of sacrifice. These are the priests themselves here; for that there is a distinction made betwixt the pots of the Lord's house, and every pot in Jerusalem. The ordinary Jew was every pot; therefore the pots of the Lord's house must be his Ministers. These, under the Gospel, shall be of more honourable use; as the bowls before the altar: like as the altar of perfumes was more inward, and of higher respect. The pots were of shining brass: bowls, of gold; 1 Kings

vii. 50.

It is no brag to say, that the Ministry of the Gospel is more glorious than that of the Law: The least in the kingdom of heaven, saith Christ, is greater than John Baptist; Matth. xi. 11: the kingdom of heaven, that is, the Church; not as Austin, Jerome, Bede, expound it, of the third heaven; for Christ would make an opposition betwixt the Old and New Testament. The not unlearned jesuit Maldonat, while he taxeth us for prefering every Minister of the Gospel to John Baptist, mends the matter so well, that he verifies it of every person; Minimus quisque in Evangelio, that is qui Evangelium recipit, major est illo; not feeling how he buffets himself: for, if the least of those, that receive the Gospel; how much more the least of those, that preach it?

This is no arrogance. God would have every thing in the last Temple more glorious than in the first, which was figured by the outward frame, more glorious in Christ's time, than that of Solomon; as that was beyond the Tabernacle. This is a better Testament; Heb. vii. 22. That had the shadow, this is the substance; Heb. x. 1. Under this, is greater illumination: Effundam Spiritum meum, saith the prophet; before, some few drops distilled; now, a whole current of graces; effundam. If, therefore, John Baptist were greater than the sons of men, because they saw Christ to

come, he pointed at his coming; ours must needs be more glorious, because we see and point at him now come, and fully exhibited. We will not contest with the Levitical Priesthood, for cost of clothes, for price of vessels: let the Church of Rome emulate this. pomp; which cares not if she have golden vessels, though she have leaden priests; we envy it not: but, for inward graces, for learning, knowledge, power of teaching, there is no less difference, than betwixt the pots of the temple, and bowls of the altar. God says of them, in way of rejection, Non est mihi voluptas in vobis; Mal. i. 10. Hence the priesthood of the New Law is Levi refined; Mal. iii. 3. Et purgabit filios Levi; which Jerome not unlikely interprets of the Ministry of the Gospel: they are the sons of Levi, which signify Copulation; quia homines cum Deo copulant; but of Levi purged, and purged as gold: as much difference between them, as betwixt gold in the ore, and in the wedge. Hence is double honour challenged to the Evangelical Ministry, yea, and given. Ye received me, saith St. Paul, as an angel of God, yea as Christ Jesus; Gal. iv. 14. Hence the angel, of himself to John, I am thy fellow-servant. Woe be to them therefore, which spit in the faces of those, whom God hath honoured! It is God's second charge, this of his Prophets: His first is, Touch not mine Anointed; his second, Hurt not my Prophets. And, if one disgraceful word, spoken but by rude children to a Prophet of the Old Testament, cost so many throats; God be merciful to those dangerous and deadly affronts, that have been and are daily offered to the Prophets of the New!

What can we say, but with the woman of Tekoah, Serva, ó rex! We bless God, that we may bemoan ourselves to the tender and indulgent ears of a gracious sovereign, sensible of these spiritual wrongs; who yet, we know, may well answer us with Jacob's question, An loco Dei ego sum? It grieves me to think and say of ourselves, that, for a great part of this, Perditio tua ex te. Woe to those corrupted sons of Eli, which, through their insufficiency and unconscionableness, have poured' contempt on their own faces! That proud fugitive Campian could say, Ministris illorum nihil vilius, &c. as falsely as spitefully. Let heaven and earth witness, whether any nation in the world can afford so learned, so glorious a Clergy. But yet, among so many Pots of the Temple, it is no marvel, if some be dry for want of liquor; others, rusty for want of use; others, full of liquor without meat; others, so full of meat that they want liquor. Let the Lord's Anointed, whose example and encouragements have raised even this divine learning to this excellent perfection, by his gracious countenance dispel contempt from the professors of it, and by his effectual endeavours remove the causes of this contempt.

But as every Christian under the Gospel is a Priest and Prophet, let the people be these pots; or the offerings of the people. That shall be, in respect of the Frequence or Fragrance, according to the double acception of that particle of comparison, p, as the bowls; for number or quality.

1. For the Frequence. A few seething pots served the sacrifice; but bowls they used many: what for the use of the altar of incense, what for the receiving of the blood of the sacrifice, Solomon made a hundred of gold. Now then, saith God, in the days of the Gospel, there shall be such store of oblations to God, that the number of the pots shall equalize the number of the bowls of the altar: not unlike, because of the following words; Every pot in Jerusalem shall be fain to be employed to the sacrifices.

This frequence then, is either of the Officers, or Offerings; Persons, or Acts.

For the Persons; they were few, in comparison, under the Law. All Palestine, which coinprehends all their officers, except some few proselytes, was but, as Jerome which was a lieger there reckons it, 160 miles long from Dan to Beersheba, and 46 miles broad from Joppa to Bethlehem. Now the partition wall is broken down, all nations under heaven yield frank offerers to the altar of God. There was no offering then, but at Jerusalem: now, Jerusalem is every where. So much therefore as the world is wider than Judea, so much as Christendom is larger than the walls of the Temple; so many more Officers hath the Gospel than the Law. And, it were well, if there were as many, as they seem. If but as many

as all the world over offer their presence to God's service on God's day (leave those that spend it in the stews and taverns, to him whom they serve) were true offerers, how rich would the altar be,. and the temple how glorious! But, alas, if God will be served with mouths full of oaths, curses, bitterness, with heads full of wine, with eyes full of lust, with hands full of blood, with backs full of pride, with paunches full of gluttony, with souls and lives full of horrible sins; he may have offerers as many as men: else, as Isaiah, relicta est in urbe solitudo; a few pots will hold our sacrifices: and what is this, but, through our wilful disobedience, to cross him, which hath said, that in this day the pots of the temple shall be as the bowls of the altar.

The Act or commodity is Offerings; whether Outward, or Inward.

The Outward fulfilled in those large endowments of the Church, by our devout and bountiful predecessors. What liberal revenues, rich maintenances, were then put into, mort-main, the dead-hand of the Church! Laws were fain to restrain the bounty of those contributions, the grounds whereof I examine not, instead of Moses's proclamation, Nequis facito deinceps opus ad oblationem Sanctuarii, satis enim est, adeoque superest; Exod. xxxvi. 6. Then mons Domini, mons pinguis: but now, the Church may cry with the prophet, My leanness, my leanness. For shame, why should sacrilege crowd in with religion? why should our better knowledge find us less conscionable? O injurious zeal of those men, which think the Church cannot be holy enough, unless she beg! It hath been said of old, That religion bred wealth, and the daughter eat up the mother: I know not, if the daughter devoured the mother; I am sure these men would devour both daughter and mother; men of