It is glory and happineffe enough,for the Angels in glory to behold the face of God always. Hail and fnow, formy winds and vapours, the dragons, and all deeps, mountains, and all hils, fruitfull trees, and all cedars, beafts and cattel, creeping things, and feathered fouls, Kings of the earth, and all people, yong men & maids,old men and children, all Querifters in this great temple of the world, and this is the matter and argument of their fong, falus fehuva, falvation is of God: for their being is derived from him, their fupportation is borrowed of him, their operation is guided by him, their whole addreffe is directed to him. The Angels that kept not their first eftate of glory, man that kept not his firft eftate of innocency, could not lofe, could not forfeit their exiftence and being, their happy being, they might, they did forfeit, he preferveth the Devils and the reprobate, and he maketh them inmortall, that he may be glorious in his just punishment of them. But especially, he is the falvation of his elect, so St. Paul; Tim.4 10 We trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, efpecially of thofe that believe. Reaf. 1. 2 3 He is the faviour of all men by univerfall providence, but of them that believe by fingular and especiall grace. And that is the falvation here meant, our preservation in this life, our fanctification for a better life, our glorification in heaven is of the Lord Because the Kingdome is his, and none hath power to make us Kings but he, whofe Kingdome ruleth over all, and falvation maketh us Kings. Becaufe falvation is a work of power, and none can give it, but he who is able to put all our enemies under our feet, and none but God can do this. Dr. -Because falvation is a work of glory, of glory to him that worketh it, of glory to them upon whom it is wrought, for he maketh his Saints glorious by deliverance, and the faved do ferve him, and glorifie him in earth and in heaven. Thefe three we afcribe to him in our Lords prayer, for thine is the Kingdome, the power and glory. Sal Salvation is a work of mercy, and David faith. Apud te eft mifericordia,with thee is mercy, and God hath committed the difpenfation of mercy to no creature, it is one of the glories of his Crown, and prerogatives of his fupréam Diadem, onely his fon, who thought it no robbery to be equall with him, hath the difpenfation of his mercies. This teacheth us where to feek and finde falvation, God faith, feek ye my face. Nous 507 We are wife enough in our queft of temporall, either protection or preferment,to obferve which is the way to the fountain of honour, and to direct our obfervance that way, let us not be wife for this life, and fools for the life to come. With men on earth there be fome small brooks of a present life, but apud te eft fons vite, with thee is the well of life, and the brooks and cifterns that we feek after, do dérive themselves! from this fountain. Thefe brooks doe often change their channell, for men have their breath in their noftrils, they die and their thoughts perish, but God is the fame, and his years do not fail. And our Saviours method, that he teacheth his Difciples is; feek je first the Kingdome of God, and the righteoufneffe thereof, and then all these things fhall be cast upon you. This alfo ferveth to ftir us up to a godly life, for that hath se zi the promifes of this life,and of the life to come. David putteth us in good comfort: For the Lord God is a Son Pfal.84.11. and fhield: the Lord will give grace and glory, no good thing will he with-hold from them that live uprightly: and the Apoftle faith: For the eyes of the Lord are open to the righteous, and his ears are 1Pet.3.12. open to their prayers, but the face of the Lord is against them that do evill. And who is he that wil harm you, if you be followers of that which Verse 13. is good? Let the wicked take root in the earth, and fpread his boughs never fo far, God hath not denyed him this, yet his face is a gainst him, and though the Sun fhineth on him for a time, and the early and later rain do make him growand flourish:yet Dddd 2 Our our Saviour will tell us, that Every plant which his heavenly father hath not planted shall be rooted out. Ufe 3. This ferveth to reprove the doctrine and faith of the Church of Rome, who teach that God hath committed to his Son the difpenfation of Justice, but to his fons mother the difpenfation of mercy, which opinion was no fooner afoot, but they turned Domine into Domina, Lord into Lady, and fo in the Church of Rome the Virgin Mary, hath more Devotoes vowed to her fervice then Chrift hath: the hath more temples dedicated to her honour, then Chrift, and far more miracles afcribed to her, then to Chrift. Yea, they fhame not in print to tell the world,that the hath faved fome from hell, whom her fon had condemned thether, and the hath releafed many from hell whom her fon had already fent thither. I onely alleage against them the plain words of our SaviJob.17.2. our. Thou haft given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternall life,to as many as thou hast gived him. Therefore beware of the leaven of the Scribes and Pharifees, the poisonous doctrines of the Church of Rome, which take falvation out of the hands of God, and afcribe the donation. thereof to creatures. This was wont to be called Idolatry in the fermons and writings of the learned, to invocate the Virgin Mary, as they do in their Rofaries and Letanies of the holy Virgin Mother of mercy, Gate of heaven, our falvation, fhe that hath bruifed the head of the ferpent. They make their vulgar Latine Bible fay fo. There be two Pfalters both printed in Paris in French, and fet forth with the approbation of the Sorbonne, one called St. Bonaventures Pfalter, in which wherefoever God is named for Dominus, they have put Domina, printed in Anno 1601. The other Pfalter is digefted into fifteen demands, printed the fame year with the fame approbation, wherein the Virgin Mary Mary is called the firft caufe of our falvation, the finder out of grace, and putteth her before Chrift, even in gloria. Gloria Virgini Maria, & Jefu Chrifto. What think you? doth that Church with the falvation of of any man in good earnest, that fwerveth us from the God of our falvation, and directeth us to feek it from a creature? Yet this is the religion which is now grown in fashion with many in these donbtfull and giddy times, which as it robs God of one of his higheft prerogatives, and doth diveft him of his power of falvation: fo the profeffours thereof will finde it a thief in their things temporall, for in ordine ad Deum, the Church will engroffe all, the Apoftles of that Church wil not be content,till all be laid at their feet. Let me commend to you the Kings Majefties confeflion of his faith, published in Latine, and in English, directed to all Chriftian Kings, in this perticular, his words are. For the blessed Virgine Mary, I yield her that which the Angel Gabriel, pronounced of her, that she is blessed amongst women; and that which the prophecyed of her self in her Canticum; that all generations fhall call her bleffed: I remember her as the mother of Chrift, whom of, our Saviour took bis fles, and so the mother of God fince the divinity and humanity of Christ are infeparable, and I freely confeffe, that he is in glory both above Angels and men, ker own Son, that is, both God and man onely excepted. But I dare not: mock her, and blafpheme God, calling her not onely Diva, but Dea, praying her to commend and controul her Son, who is her God and her Saviour, You fee what opinion his Majefty hath of the Doctrine and: practife of Rome, in this point, he doth call it mocking of her, and blafpheming of God, to afcribe falvation to her, or to feek it from her. I hope you have lived too long in the light of the Gofpel, to be taken with any of these baits,and to be befooled with any c of thefe inchantments of palpable herefie. I hope if an Angel from heaven should come and teach you this doctrine, to feek your falvation any where elfe but from God, you would Dddd 3 anfwer Nh 6.8. anfwer him, as Nehemiah did answer Sanballat. There is nothing as those fateft, but thou feigneft it out of thine own heart. I Cor.10. Beloved, let all that love Jefus Chrift, and his holy truth, joyn as one man against popery, and feek to the light of the Word whil'ft it fhineth upon us, that we may not lofe the way of falvation, which that Word revealeth. Popery robbeth the Church of this Word, and putteth this candle under a bufhell, it fendeth us the wrong way for falvation, and like the blind Aramites, it leadeth them into the midit of Samaria, even putteth them into the hands of their enemies. God did much for this land when he gave us this light, let not our unthankfulneffe to him, or our peevish waiwardneffe amongst our felves, or our evill and unworthy conversations forfeit this light, or remove our candlestick. So long as we know where our falvation is fetled, and who hath it in keeping for us, fo long as we look that way, and direct all our obedience and worship, our thanks and prayle that way, we are fafe: for, Bleffed is the people that be in fuch a cafe: bleffed is the people, whofe God is the Lord: for ipfe eft qui dat falutem. 2 Ground of their hope: The Lord is my strength. This comfort fupporterh in afflictions, and this is that which is our ability, of which the Apoftle faith. But God is faithfull, who will not fuffer you to be tempted above 13. that je are able: for what are we able? furely of our felves, to nothing that is good for us: the name of man ever fince the fall of man, hath been a name of impotency and weaknesse. ·Ceafe ye from man, whofe breath is in his noftrils, for wherein is be to be accompted of? Hai.2.12. 1 Sam, 1.9. Pfal.71.10 Dost. Chrift hath told us: fine me nihil poteftis facere. For by ftrength fhall no man prevail. I will go go in the ftrength of the Lord God, and I will make mention of thy righteouf effe, even of thine nely. -- The words of my text are Doctrinall: The Lord is the ftrength of his Church. Confider |