An Exposition of the Last Psalme Part 2

Or (as [cc]_Martine Luther_ interprets it) praise G.o.d _in his sanctuarie_, that is, _for his sanctuarie_, for [cd]shewing his word vnto _Iacob_, his statutes and ordinances vnto _Israel_, for his adoption, and his couenants, and his promises, and his seruice, Rom.

9. 4. O praise the Lord for his [ce]true Church established for the present among the Iewes, and hereafter in the fulnesse of time to be const.i.tuted among Christians vntill the worlds end. For this clause may bee construed of the mysticall heauen and temple, so well as of the materiall heauen and temple. The good man (I meane the true Christian) is not only G.o.ds [cf]house, but also G.o.ds [cg]temple, yea, G.o.ds heauen, as [ch]_Augustine_ expounds the words of Christ, _Our father which art in heauen_, that is, in holy men of heuenly conuersation, in whose sanctified hearts hee dwelleth as in his [ci]sanctuarie. _Archimedes_ in his conference with _Hiero_ said, _Giue me a place where I may stand out of the world, and I will moue the whole earth_. In like manner, he that will bee reputed a Saint, and so take vpon him to remoue men earthly minded from their worldinesse, must himselfe at the least haue one foote out of the world, seeking (as the blessed [ck]Apostle speakes) the things aboue, that [cl]other may see his good workes, and glorifie G.o.d which is in Heauen, that is (according to the true soule of our text) _praise G.o.d in his Saints_ which are his sacrarie, his sanctuarie, his house, his heauen.

[Sidenote cc: _In loc._]

[Sidenote cd: _Psal. 147. 19._]

[Sidenote ce: _Christ. Corn. in loc._]

[Sidenote cf: _Heb. 3. 6._]

[Sidenote cg: _1. Cor. 3. 16_]

[Sidenote ch: _Lib. 2. de ser. dom. in mont._]

[Sidenote ci: _Bellarm. & Corn. in loc. vel hoc dicit de populo, vel de vita sancta Chrysost. Basil. in loc._]

[Sidenote ck: _Coloss. 3. 1._]

[Sidenote cl: _Mat. 5. 16._]

Heere then all the three diuers lines (_praise G.o.d in his Saints, praise G.o.d in his sanct.i.tie, praise G.o.d in his sanctuarie_) meet in one centrie; namely, G.o.d is to be praised in his sanctuarie for his sanct.i.tie conferred vpon his Saints, whereby they shined as [cm]lights in this heauen on earth, and shine like [cn]starres in that heauen of heauen. If I were not (according to the text and the time) foreward to prosecute the Gunpowder men, as the more dangerous enemies of G.o.d and his Gospell, I might vpon this ground take vp the bucklers against idle _Nouelists_, vtterly condemning the _festiuals of holie Saints_, established in our Church by good order of law. Their princ.i.p.al obiection is taken out of _Pauls_ Epistle to the Galathians, chap. 4.

verse 10. _Yee obserue dayes and monethes, and times and yeares, I am afraid of you, lest I haue bestowed vpon you labour in vaine._ To which answere is made, that there is a [co]foure-fold obseruation of {Naturall.

{Politicall.

daies {Ecclesiasticall.

{Superst.i.tious.

Of all which onely the superst.i.tious is condemned, as _Aretius_ and _Illiricus_, and [cp]other Protestant Diuines vpon the place. Now the superst.i.tious obseruation is either _Iudaicall_ or _Idolatricall_; it is apparant that _Paul_ meant the first hereof especially, [cq]because the Galathians after they were conuerted vnto Christ, were seduced by false teachers vnto the ceremonies of the Iewes, as concerning the Sabbaths & the new Moones, and the like, the which were figures of Christ and had their end in him.[cr] _Are yee so foolish, that hauing begun in the spirit, yee would now be made perfit by the flesh?_ As for _Idolatricall_ obseruing of times, it is granted easily that the _Pagans_ (in dedicating feasts vnto false G.o.ds, and in making [cs]differences of daies dismall and fortunate, either by curious arts, or by particular fansies, or popular obseruations) are worthily reputed superst.i.tious. And the [ct]_Papists_ also (solemnizing holie daies of the Saints in their Churches with idolatrous worshipping of the creatures, and their Images: and out of their Churches with Epicurelike belly-cheere, reuelling, & idlenesse) _turn againe to the beggarly rudiments and fashions of the world_: But the festiuals of England (celebrated according to the doctrine and Iniunctions of our Church) are verie farre from these and all other kindes of superst.i.tion. [cu]For then is G.o.d truly worshipped in the publike congregation, I say the true G.o.d is truly praised in his true Saints; on our holie daies the sacraments are rightly ministred, the Scriptures are fruitfully read, the Word is faithfully preached; all which are maine meanes to withdraw men not only from superst.i.tion and idolatrie, but also from all sortes of error and impietie whatsoeuer.

[Sidenote cm: _Philip 2. 15._]

[Sidenote cn: _Dan. 12. 3._]

[Sidenote co: _Illiric. in Galat. 4._]

[Sidenote cp: _See Sir Christop. Heydons answer to Mr. Chambers, pag. 368. and how the fathers answere this. Bellarmin. de sanct.

Cultu, cap. 10._]

[Sidenote cq: _English glosse._]

[Sidenote cr: _Galat. 3. 3._]

[Sidenote cs: _See Ambrose in Galat. 4. & August. epist. 119.

cap. 7._]

[Sidenote ct: _Dr. Fulke in Galat. 4. 10._]

[Sidenote cu: _See Dr. Whitgifts defence of his answere to the admonit. fol. 538. 539._]

Yea, but the words of the Commandement are, _sixe daies shalt thou labour_: _Ergo_, there should be no holie day besides the Lords day.

[cx]Protestant Diuines answere that the clause (_sixe daies shalt thou labour_) is a permission, or a remission of G.o.ds right, who might chalenge to himselfe all our time for his worke, and not a restraint for any man from seruing of G.o.d on any day. For the Iewes beside the Sabbath had diuers other feasts; as _Easter_, _the feast of vnleauened bread_, _the feast of first fruits_, _Whitsuntide_, _the feast of blowing Trumpets_, _the feast of Tabernacles_; all which (as we reade Leuiticus 23) they kept by G.o.ds appointment holie, notwithstanding these words of the law, _sixe daies shalt thou labour_. And so the Christian Church in all ages hath vpon iust occasions separated some weeke daies vnto the praising of the Lord, and rest from labour. Ioel 2. 15. _Blow the trumpet in Sion, sanctifie a fast, call a solemne a.s.semblie._ [cy]Daies of publike fasting for some great iudgement, daies of publike reioycing for some great benefit, are not vnlawfull, but exceeding commendable, yea necessarie. Whosoeuer doubts of the Churches libertie herein, or of the practise of this libertie, may peruse the ninth chapter of _Ester_, in which it will appeare, that G.o.ds people by the commandement of _Mordecai_, did euery yeare solemnize and keepe holy the fourteenth and fifteenth day of the moneth _Adar_, in remembrance of their great deliuerie from the Treason of _Haman_. Vpon these grounds the last euer renouned Parliament enacted, That wee should for euer spend the prime part of this present fifth of Nouember in praying and praising the Lord, for his vnspeakable goodnesse in deliuering our King, Queene, Prince and States of this realme from that h.e.l.lish, horrible, b.l.o.o.d.y, barbarous intended ma.s.sacre by Gunpowder. Now that I may for my part execute the will of the Parliament (sparing the _Nouelists_, and referring such as desire to bee further satisfied in this argument of holy dayes, vnto the iudicious writings of my most honoured and honourable maister, _Archbishop Whitgift_, in the [cz]defence of his answere to the Admonition) I proceede in the text, _praise him in his n.o.ble acts, praise him according to his excellent greatnesse_.

[Sidenote cx: _B. Babington in 4. com. Caluins Cat. Dr. Whitgift vbi supra fol. 542. & 553. six daies thou maiest labour._]

[Sidenote cy: _Perkins aur. Cat. cap. 23._]

[Sidenote cz: _From pag. 538. to 555._]

[da]Some reade _Laudate eum in [db]virtutibus eius_, praise him in his _powers_: [dc]other _ob fort.i.tudinem eius_, praise him in his _power_; and according to these two diuerse translations, I find two different expositions; one construing it of G.o.ds glorious [dd]Angels, and the other applying it to G.o.ds glorious acts: For the first it is euident in holy writ, that there bee certaine distinctions and degrees of Angels in the quier of Heauen, there be _Seraphins_, Esay 6. 2. _Cherubins_, Gen.

3. 24. _Thrones, Dominions, Princ.i.p.alities, and Powers_, Colloss. 1. 16.

in all which and for all which G.o.d is to be praised, as being his [de]ministring spirits for the good of such as shall be heires of saluation; as long as wee serue G.o.d, all these serue vs, euen the Cherubins, and Seraphins, Angels, and Archangels. I say, so long as we serue the Lord, these pages of his honour and parts of his courts attend vs, and pitch their tents about vs: a doctrine very profitable, very comfortable, yet for as much as I hold it lesse pertinent to the present occasion I thus ouerpa.s.se it, and hast to that other exposition interpreting these words (as our Church readeth) of G.o.ds _n.o.ble acts_.

[Sidenote da: _Vulgar Latine Castalio._]

[Sidenote db: _Pagnin._ In fort.i.tudinibus.]

[Sidenote dc: _Vatablus Munster._]

[Sidenote dd: _Turrecremat. & Raynerius in loc._]

[Sidenote de: _Heb. 1. 14._]

Now the workes of G.o.d are of two sorts, _ad intra_ & _ad extra_: some be confined within himselfe, other extended towards vs: works of the sacred Trinitie within it selfe (as that the Father begets, and the Sonne is begotten, and the holy Ghost proceeds from both) are wonderfull acts of such an high nature that it is our dutie rather simply to adore, then subtilly to explore them: all his acts extended toward vs are summarilie reduced vnto two, namely the works of creation and redemption. [df]The worke of creation is attributed in the Ma.s.se of the matter to G.o.d the Father, in the disposition of the forme to G.o.d the Sonne, in the preseruation of both to G.o.d the holy Ghost. So likewise that of redemption, in election vnto G.o.d the Father, in the consummation vnto G.o.d the Sonne, in the application vnto the holy Ghost, all which are very _n.o.ble acts_, and G.o.d is to be praised in them _according to his excellent greatnesse_. The worke of creation is so mightie, that none could bring it to pa.s.se but the Father almightie: that G.o.d should haue nothing but nothing, whereof, wherewith, whereby to build this high, huge, goodly, faire frame; is a principle which nature cannot teach, and Philosophie will not beleeue. The worke of redemption is of farre greater might and mercy, for the making of the world was (if I may so speke) onely lip-labour vnto G.o.d, _he spake the word and it was done, he commanded and it stood fast_, Psalm. 33. 9. but Christ in redeeming the world said many words, and did many wonders, and suffered also many wounds. It is true that the least ake of his least finger is _infiniti meriti, sed non definiti meriti_, that is of an infinite merit, yet not that determined ransome for the sinnes of the whole world. It cost him more to redeeme soules, [dg]_he dyed for our sinnes and rose againe for our iustification_, hee suffered for vs and that death, and that a violent death, and of all violent deaths the most accursed death on the Crosse.

[Sidenote df: _Aduancement of learning lib. 2. pag. 116._]

[Sidenote dg: _Rom. 4. 25._]

The worke of sanctification is a n.o.ble act also, for euery man if you rightly consider his making is a wonder, I am saith our [dh]Prophet fearfully and wonderfully made: but a good man if you consider his new making is a wonderfull wonder, as [di]_Paul_ speakes _a spectacle to men and Angels_, as the vulgar Latine runnes in the 68. Psalme, at the last verse, _mirabilis deus in sanctis_, O G.o.d wonderfull art thou in thy Saints.

[Sidenote dh: _Psalm. 139. 13._]

[Sidenote di: _1. Cor. 4. 9._]

But _Dauid_ [dk]here meaneth especially the valiant acts of G.o.d in gouerning & garding his people from their enemies, [dl]O come hither and behold the workes of G.o.d, how wonderfull hee is in his doing toward the Children of men, he turned the sea into drye land so that his people went on foot thorough the middest of the sea, the [dm]waters were a wall vnto them on the right hand and on their left; but the waues of the Sea returned and couered the chariots and hors.e.m.e.n euen all the hoast of _Pharaoh_ that pursued them. Almighty G.o.d raigned hailstones out of heauen vpon the cursed Amorites at Bethoran, and they were more ([dn]saith the text) that dyed with the haile, then they whom the Children of Israell slew with the sword. And when Duke _Iosua_ prayed, _Sunne stay thou in Gibeon, & thou Moone in the valey of Aialon_: _the Sunne abode and the Moone stood still vntill the people auenged themselues vpon their enemies_. When _Zenacherib_ and his innumerous hoast came to fight against _Hezekiah_ King of Iuda, G.o.ds Angell in one night slew an hundred eighty and fiue thousand a.s.syrians. 2. Kings 19.

[Sidenote dk: _Placid. Parmen and the english Com. dedicated to M. Herlakinden._]

[Sidenote dl: _Psalm. 66. 4._]

[Sidenote dm: _Exod. 14. 29._]

[Sidenote dn: _Iosua 10._]

And vndoubtedly (beloued) there is no nation vnder the cope of Heauen hath had greater occasion to praise G.o.d in this kind then England, the preseruation of the most ill.u.s.trious princesse the Lady _Elizabeth_ vnder the fiery triall of her vnkind sister Queene _Marie_ was a _n.o.ble act_, and the seminary of much happinesse vnto this kingdome for many yeares after, and so much the more n.o.ble because _Philip_ King of Spaine hath often confessed that he spared her life (when wildy _Winchester_ and bloodie _Bonner_ had brought her into the snare) not out of any pietie or pittie, but onely out of policie. Her exaltation to the Crowne was another _n.o.ble act_, so n.o.ble that some [do]Popish Prelats in their enuie burst a sunder and dyed for very griefe of heart. Well might that good Lady sing and say with the blessed Virgine, _He that is mightie hath magnified me, and holy is his name, he hath put downe the mightie from their seat and hath exalted the humble and meeke_: her flourishing in health, wealth, and G.o.dlinesse, more then 44. yeares (in despite of all her foes abroad, at home, schismaticall, hereticall, open, intestine) was another _n.o.ble act_: for after once the Bull of Pope _Pius Quintus_ had roared, and his fat Calues had begunne to bellow in this Island: there pa.s.sed neuer a yeare, neuer a moneth, neuer a weeke (I thinke I might say) neuer a day, neuer an houre, but some mischiefe was intended either against her person or her people: the resisting of the rebellion in the Northerne parts of England, was _a n.o.ble act_: the discouering and so consequently the defeating of _Campians_ treason _a n.o.ble act_: of _Parris_ treason _a n.o.ble act_: of the _Lupus Lopus_ his treason, _a n.o.ble act_: of _Squires_ treason, _a n.o.ble act_. Her glorious victories against her fell and insolent enemies the _Spaniards_ in _Ireland_, in _Flanders_, in _France_, in their owne dominions of _Portugal_, _Indies_, and _Spaine_ were _n.o.ble acts_. It was a wonder of wonders, that a _Mayden Queene_ should at one time be both a staffe to _Flanders_, and a stay to _France_, a terror to _Pope_, a mirror to _Turke_, feared abroad, loued at home, Mistresse of the Sea, wonder of the world. Shee might truely bee called a _Prince of Peace_, for shee was Crowned in Peace, shee liued in Peace, she dyed in Peace, she was buried in Peace: and when shee had slept with her Fathers, it was another _n.o.ble act_ of the Lord to send vs in the midst of all our feare so learned, so meeke, so pious a Prince as King _Iames_, in such exceeding sweet peace, that neuer a sword was drawn, happily neuer a word spoken against him. All these were _n.o.ble acts_, and ought to be had in a perpetuall remembrance. But of all other n.o.ble preseruations, _Our deliuerance from that intended mercilesse and matchlesse Ma.s.sacre both in fact and fiction, the fifth of Nouember, in the yeare 1605._ is most _n.o.blie n.o.ble_. King _Iames_ on this day might haue said with King [dp]_Dauid_, _O Lord which art my rocke and my fortresse, thou hast giuen me the necks of mine enemies, that I might destroy them that hate me, that I might breake them as small as the dust of the earth, and tread them flat as the clay of the streete_. [dq]_O giue thankes vnto the Lord, for he is gracious, and his mercy endureth for euer. Let Israel now confesse that he is gracious, and that his mercy endureth for euer. Let the house of Aaron now confesse that his mercy endureth for euer. Yea let all such as feare the Lord now confesse that his mercy endureth for euer._ All the Congregations of the Saints in the whole world, haue good cause to thanke G.o.d our strength and deliuerer.

_Scotland_ hath good cause, for if _England_ had been but a _Tuesday breakefast_, a.s.suredly _Scotland_ should haue been but a _Fridaies drinking_, one morsell as it were for the greedy deuourer. The Churches in _France_ relieued often by vs, haue good cause to reioyce with vs.

Our neighbours of _Holland_ haue good cause to triumphe as they doe, for if our house had been set on fire, their house being the next would haue been quickly pulled downe. The Churches in _Germanie_, _Denmarke_, _Hungarie_, _Geneua_ likewise haue good cause to _praise G.o.d in this n.o.ble act according to his excellent greatnesse_.

[Sidenote do: _See M. Foxe Martyr. in fine._]

[Sidenote dp: _2. Sam. 22. 41._]