Foure sermons preached at the court vpon seuerall occasions, by the late reuerend and learned diuine, Doctor Senhouse, L. Bishop of Carlile Senhouse, Richard, d. 1626. This text is an enriched version of the TCP digital transcription A11918 of text S117131 in the English Short Title Catalog (STC 22230). Textual changes and metadata enrichments aim at making the text more computationally tractable, easier to read, and suitable for network-based collaborative curation by amateur and professional end users from many walks of life. The text has been tokenized and linguistically annotated with MorphAdorner. The annotation includes standard spellings that support the display of a text in a standardized format that preserves archaic forms ('loveth', 'seekest'). Textual changes aim at restoring the text the author or stationer meant to publish. This text has not been fully proofread Approx. 179 KB of XML-encoded text transcribed from 74 1-bit group-IV TIFF page images. EarlyPrint Project Evanston,IL, Notre Dame, IN, St. Louis, MO 2018 A11918 STC 22230 ESTC S117131 99852346 99852346 17662 2240911256

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 Early English books online. (EEBO-TCP ; phase 2, no. A11918) Transcribed from: (Early English Books Online ; image set 17662) Images scanned from microfilm: (Early English books, 1475-1640 ; 1257:10) Foure sermons preached at the court vpon seuerall occasions, by the late reuerend and learned diuine, Doctor Senhouse, L. Bishop of Carlile Senhouse, Richard, d. 1626. Blechynden, Thomas. [6], 141, [3] p. Printed [by Humphrey Lownes] for R. Dawlman, at the signe of the Bible neere the great Conduit in Fleet-streete, London : 1627. Editor's preface signed: Thomas Blechynden. Printer's name from STC. The last leaf is blank. Reproduction of the original in the Bodleian Library. eng eebo Foure sermons preached at the court vpon seuerall occasions, by the late reuerend and learned diuine, Doctor Senhouse, L. Bishop of Carlile. Senhouse, Richard, 1627 148 33000 481 0 0 0 0 0 145.76 F The rate of 145.76 defects per 10,000 words puts this text in the F category of texts with 100 or more defects per 10,000 words. 2011-05 Assigned for keying and markup 2011-05 Keyed and coded from ProQuest page images 2011-06 Sampled and proofread 2011-06 Text and markup reviewed and edited 2012-05 Batch review (QC) and XML conversion

FOVRE SERMONS PREACHED AT THE COVRT VPON seuerall occasions , BY THE LATE REVEREND AND LEARNED DIVINE , DOCTOR SENHOVSE , L. Bishop of Carlile .

AVSPICANTE DEO

LONDON , Printed for R. Dawlman , at the Signe of the Bible neere the great Conduit in Fleetstreete . 1627.

A iust defence of the late L. Bish. of Carliles honour , sent to the iudicious Reader .

THose ancient Fathers , on whom came daily a a 2. Cor. ●1 . 28 . the care of all the Churches , seeme no way better to perfect , no way so wel to perpetuate that vniuersall care , as by wakening mens consciences with their quills , b b Vid. T. Liv. l. 5. c. 47. whose watchings saued the Capitoll , and c c 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . Clem. Alex. l. 1. strom . Euangelizo manu & scriptione , &c. 1. Rainold . l. de Rom. eccles. idol . Antipater cala mo vociferans Cael. l. 19. c. ●5 . speaking with their pennes vnto the whole Church ; by causing their sanctified Labours , trauell , like so many holy pilgrims , to the liuing after their death , and in obedience to our Sauiours command , d d Mark . 16 . 1● . Goe , euen thus vpon their very hands , into all the world to preach the Gospel ; that so by a strange kinde of midwifrie , they may assist at the new birth of many thousand soules they neuer knew , giue a spirituall deliuerance to many members of the Church they neuer saw , after their owne bodies are gone downe with hope into the chambers of the graue , & those tabernacles of flesh resolued into sacred dust ; dust that lies expecting glory . Now that this religious intention of spreading himself into a Catholique good , and communicating the diffusiue blessings of God , and great measures of his Grace vnto posteritie , liued in the late Lord Bishop of Carlile , Doctor Senhouse that was — I am vnto you an vnworthy witnesse , and yet a witnesse ; who presume not to giue any other attribute to that neuer sufficiently honoured Name , all attributes that can fall from my dwarft expression , falling beneath those transcendent parts , those vnparalleld gifts , those accumulated heapes of worth , which lodg'd in Doctor Senhouse ; to whose d d Vir calamo potens & virilis eloquentiae Hieronymus . Verul . hist. vit. & mort . l. 1. masculine and soule-begetting discourses , I had the happinesse of many yeeres accesses ; and in his later times heard him often to my comfort professe , and I neuer heard him but to my comfort , that his Lectures on King Dauids first and second Psalmes , were by himselfe ( for who else could doe it ? ) perfected for the presse ; that so what was his Maiesties in the dutie of his originall seruice , f f 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . Clem. Alex. l. 1. Strom. those children of his soules best strength , might now , when it ceaseth to be with him after the manner of men , inherit the fauour of kissing that great Masters sacred hand , and liuing in his Royall heart too , and in the harts of other Christians . And therefore being casually enformed by a friend , that some Sermons of his Lordships , had more than seene the Presse , were ready to be preached againe to as many as would g g Prou. 23.23 . buy the truth ; h h Cyprianus quotidie Tertullianum legeret , notario Paulo dicens , da magistrum . Hieron . cat . vir . illust. Saint Cyprian call'd not oftner for his learned-strong-phras'd i i Tertullianus homo doctissimus — haereticorum errores fortiter contriuit . Trith . l. de script . ecclesiast. Tertullian , than I enquired with diligence , for this my iudicious Christian Gamaliel ; at whose reuerent feete I often sate , and learned to speake by silence ; and now began to comfort that losse with this fresh hope , that as k k Dixit Chrysostomus se concionare nosse , quod D. Paulum quotidie manu versaret . Keck . eccles. rhet . l. 2. c. 3. S. Chrysostome attained to an admired excellency of preaching , by hauing the great Doctor of the Gentiles , blessed Paul , alwayes in his hand ; so I might improue that gift to a conscionable discharge of my duty , by laying the laborious workes of this l l Saluianus totius orbis Christiani magister . Rittershus . vit. Saluian . Master-Preacher , a Preacher that had m m 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . Greg. Nazianz. ep. 140 Romani vocabant Proaresium 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . Cressol . theat . rhet . l. 1. c 9. a royaltie of speech , and commanded all mens attentions , euer before mine eyes . But when I opened this booke with that reuerence which belonged vnto his name , and read with greedinesse a line , a leafe , or two , and more ; I found the order of his worke so inuerted , the periods in some places so vnperfected , the sense by those periods so disioynted , the Greeke here and there where the sense was good , so negligently , that I doe not say ignorantly , corrupted , and the entire frame so stript of those accessions vpon the by , which would haue giuen much satisfaction to this learned age , the more learned , because he once was in it ; that whereas n n Basil . Mag , ep. 1. Saint Basil knew Nazianzenes Epistles , as men know the children of their friends , by their likenesse to their fathers ; these seemed in many things so vnlike that Reuerend Father , whose name they beare , that at the first sight I hardly knew them to bee his . But when I viewed once , and againe o o 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . Basil . Mag. ep. 41. these images of his soule , though in some places too much shadowed , in some places much defaced , in many places set to a false light ; yet my memorie perswaded mine eyes , that they were copies drawne from his originals . And least , induced by the like reasons , you might suspect them to be some spurious supposititious pieces christened with his Name , to giue them a fairer entertainement in the world and your good opinion ; I craued so much leaue from Authoritie , as to prefixe this Epistle , and to let you know they are indeed his ; but so his , as a man that 's rob'd and wounded , & hath his tongue taken out , is himselfe : For first , they want that which could best speake them his , that which next the efficacious cooperating of GODS Spirit with his owne , was the soule of euery Sermon , the strong and powerfull elocution of his diuiner Tongue ; and this they must for euer want . Next , they are wounded many wayes ; wounded gramatically in the words , wounded logically in the methode , and wounded intellectually in the sense ; wounds which might easily haue been cured by his owne prescripts . Lastly , they are rob'd of those many rich apparellings , with which they might haue been compleately furnisht too , out of his owne Wardrope , and shall be supplyed in the next Impression , and those wounds some way healed by him , who hauing , with much difficultie , obtained his owne Originals of these foure Sermons , will study nothing more in them , than the glory of his mercifull GOD , the seruice of his Catholique Church , the honour of his Reuerend friend , and the satisfaction of his iudicious Reader .

Thomas Blechynden .
Revel. 2. vers. 10. the last words .

And J will give thee a Crowne of life .

OF all other things a gift the sweetest , of all gifts a Crowne the greatest , of all Crownes the Crown of life the dearest : So as this Text comming thus with a Gift , and that gift a Crowne , and that Crowne a Crowne of life , without any curiosities of forme , the verie bare materials heere , may well now make it welcome , yea thrice welcome , as pregnant here with so many choise particulars , of Gift , of Crowne , of Life : And I will give thee a Crowne of life .

To make it yet more welcome to you , the Text ( if you please ) might be christned 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , and accordingly be reduced unto these three heads : 1. The royall excellencie of the gift , A Crowne of life . 2. The singular supremacie of the giver , I ; I will give it . 3. The requisite qualitie of the receiver , Thee : Thou that art faithfull unto death , to thee will I give the Crowne of life . But as beside the loaden Waines , we see the single eares of corne to be also gleaned ; and in broken meat , the verie fragments are also to be gathered up , that nothing be lost : as in pure gold the very fylings off are weighed , and in a chaine every little linke , everie particular pearle is precious ; So everie the least word herein , being dogmatically full , as Basil elsewhere speakes , so loaden here with spirituall graine , and food , and treasure , that ( as Austin sayes of the 87. Psalme , Paucitie in words , and ponderosity in sentences ) everie word herein hath it weight in the ballance of the Sanctuary , and so , so manie words so manie worthie considerations , like those sheepe in the Canticles , none being barren amongst them . Wee 'l fancie now no other order of the words , but only follow on the words in this their owne order ; and first of the first here , And : And I will give thee a Crowne of life .

And. As St. Bartholmew is by Dionysius quoted to have said of Divinity , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , & magnam esse & minimam , that it was both great & little ; so this same And here , though little in the sentence , yet great in sense : me thinkes , like that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in St. Iames , the Helme , which though it bee small , yet turneth about the whole ship : as a droppe , a pearle indeede , and yet a chaine of pearle too , connecting here together mans duety , Be faithfull , and Gods bounty , I will give thee . As if on these two , officium & beneficium , hung all the Law and the Prophets , as Gregory spake elegantly of Christ , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , that he ioyned heaven and earth together as with a bridge ; this And here being a coniunction of both , standing here like Iacobs ladder upon the earth , Be ye faithfull ; and the toppe of it reaching up to heaven , The Crowne of life . Or as hee wittily called the circle of the Moone Isthmus , an Iland twixt eternity and generation : this little And here , like a little Iland , on the one hand bordering upon the Church militant , on the other upon the Church triumphant , conioyning here to mans Christian practice of being faithfull , Christs gracious And of promise , And I will giue thee a Crowne of life .

That as vaine is their presumption , who putting asunder these whom God hath thus ioyned together , thus handfast , as I may speake ; as if this here were an entire proposition , and not in composition : that which here is true in compounded sense , they catch hold of in sense divided ; and so as when Severian once said to Serapion , If Serapion dye a Christian , Christ was not made man ; Serapion thereupon accused him for saying absolutely , Christ was not made man . That which here is propounded conditionally , they presume vpon absolutely , and so make reckoning to goe up to heaven in some whirl-wind ; or as passengers at Sea , bee brought to the haven even sleeping : to winne heaven without working , to be crown'd without striving , laying claime to this obligation , without looking ever to its condition ; not so well advised as the tempting Lawyer , Master , what shall I doe to inherite eternall life ? But as the Lillies clothed without spinning , & the fowles fed without sowing , they will be saved without doing , crowned without caring ; as if this And here like Dagons hand , might bee cut off upon the threshold , omitted in the entrance : so desperate is their deiection , who murmure as in Malachy , It is in vaine to serve God , and what profit is it that wee have kept his Commandements ? Why yes , as Paul spake in another case , much every way : Ye shall not serve God for nought ; not a cup of cold water given shall lose his reward : God is not unfaithfull , that your workes of faith and labour , of love and patience , of hope should bee frustrate . Then bee not weary of well doing , seeing in due season ye shall reap if ye faint not , but be abounding alwaies in the worke of the Lord , forasmuch as you know , your labour is not in vaine in the Lord : As God said to Cain , If thou doe well , shalt thou not bee accepted ? Doe well and have well , doe this and live , beleeve and be saved , be religious and reigne , be faithfull and be crowned : And I will give thee a Crowne of life .

A gracious covenant sure ; but as when the Prophet told Ahab of victory , By whom , said hee , by whom is this to bee made good unto us ? Why 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , as they wont to say . As the Tragedians in their arduent issues , were feine to fetch a god out of the engine , and to present him non in scaena sed in sublimi : and t is naturall , yee know , for men in misery and extremity to looke up , not to Court or Capitoll , but to Heaven and call God to witnesse ; and familiar was it with the Ancients , and so with Christ to pray in mountaines and high places , as having their helpe from on high . And if I list insert the Friers narration of Miters like Bishops heads comming downe with haile and raine , how-ever the relation were ridiculous , his application were religious , Non est potestas nisi à Deo : Non est cujus vis , This is not every mans , not any mans part to act ; not Popes for all his keyes , or picklocks rather : but his that hath the keyes of David , opening and no man shutting ; his , who is Prince of the Kings of the earth , by whom Kings reigne ; I that am Alpha and Omega , the first and the last ; I , I will give it : Emphatically , I , ay , and exclusively I too , I and I onely will give it . As those lillies for Armes of the Christian King , and oyle for his Coronation , are voyced to have come downe from Heaven ; and our Kings titles in spight of Bartholdus , runne graciously Dei gratiâ ; and of all other Kings , good Kings , are by the very Heathen Homer , stiled as comming downe from Iupiter ; everie good gift and everie perfect , having being from above , & comming downe from the Father of lights , as S. Iames sayes . Christ , sayes Ierome , who as father of lights , cald his Disciples the light of the world , and is there cald Father of lights , sayes Fulgentius , and in Esay everlasting Father , He , he it is shal give it . Worldly men ( as Luther said well ) à tempore habent quae habent , nihil ab aeternitate vultus Dei , as their affections are set all on temporal things , so make they account to have all their turnes served ; not from any light of Gods countenance , but countenance of the time : and so Time-servers as they are , as Tertullian of old taxed the Gentils , majori formidine Caesarem observatis quàm Iovem , that they were more observant of Caesar than Iupiter ; not divisum imperium , they doe not so much as divide with God , but are Caesars by whole sale , in religion , in reverence , in sense , in soule ; soule and bodie and all Caesars : and so say as hee of his Patron , Ille mihi semper Deus ; or as shee in Hosea , ascribe all to lovers and friends , making flesh their arme ; or as t is the Philosophers character , to expect all from themselves : they boast themselves , as in Amos , of getting by their owne strength , and with their owne arme , of cunning to carve for themselves , and to deale themselves a good game , to hammer out their own happinesse ; like the Spider , climbing by thred of her own weaving , with Motto accordingly , Mihi soli debeo ; in their audit standing only indebted to themselves , sacrificing to their owne nets , and burning incense to their owne yarne ; Idolaters ●o all of secondary causes , and doe not say in their hearts , It is the Lord . Yea but this is the Lords doing : as David spake , Whom have wee in heaven but him ? and none in the earth to bee desired with him . And what tenure so happy as this of a good Christian ? which how-ever it enter per virgam , yet it holds in capite ; holds of him who giveth more abundantly than other Lords take . That , as Ecclesiastes saies , unto the place from whence the rivers come , thither they returne again ; unto him from whom this Crowne comes ought it alwaies to reflect againe ; like the Doves , who at every graine they picke , looke upward , as giving thankes : And as Tertullian notes , that when wee pray , Thy Kingdome come , Illi deputamus , quod ab illo expectamus , wee expresse that of him , which wee expect from him ; a Kingdome , a Crowne . For if , as Bernard said , Totum me debeo pro me facto , man owes God his whole selfe for creating him ; what does he owe him then for this his crowning ? If as P. Martyr wrote once to Queene Elizabeth , Kings be doubly bound to serve God ; both as they are men , and as they are Kings : If the obligation so be doubled in regard of the livelihood of earthly kingdomes , how is it then multiplyed in reference to this Crowne of life ? Then what will yee render unto the Lord for all his benefits towards you , but take the cup of salvation , and call upon the Name of the Lord ? In solemnities under the Law , they wont to take the cup & drinke , in token of thanksgiving ; other cups ( no doubt ) will anon bee stirring enough , even flagons of wine in this day of our King , as Hosea spake ; but take ye the cup of thanksgiving unto him , who giveth this Crowne of life , And I will give thee a Crowne of life .

Yea but soft and faire , lest our gratitude fore-run the gift ; this may seeme to smell of Court indeede , to give thankes for that we yet have not : Is there any such haste of performing thankfulnesse present , for that benefit which is onely promised in the future , I will give thee ? Every promise that 's made is not kept de facto , ay , and de jure too ; Licet plura polliceri , quàm praestare possis , is the Politiques rule : promise does not ever beget performance ; as Livie said of Hanniball , that hee never stood to his promise , but when t' was for his profit . Pollicitis dives quilibet esse potest ; even the poorest may promise ; or if you will , it wants not authority to say , Great men make promises , & mean men keep them : promises being things which tye the multitude , which great Ones , as lightly , as Sampson did the withes , can knap asunder ; Words of good breeding , say they , promises in complement , as they call it , being no obligations . And as Antigonus was called Doson , in the future , as being ever about to give , never giving : how many Dosons know we to feede their prisoners of promise with future promises , as Ephraim with winde ? Alchymists , whose promises are gold , payment but drosse ; putting off , as the tricke is , either with improbable reversions , or promises of promises , or as their promises are most of them resembled to the Devills omnia dabo , the most of them imaginary and delusory ; whilst their patients , like that man of many yeeres infirmity in the Gospell , fainting by the poole and none to put him in , lye languishing at hopes Hospitall ; like a hungry man dreaming of meat , and when hee awaketh his soule is empty ; like men in a swoune , cheered with some holy water , they revive onely to be-weary their eyes with further expectation , and to witnesse the fallibility of promise . As that , mee thinkes , he may passe for a wise man in his generation , who said , Were the world indebted to him for praise , he would quit it for the moyty , on condition it might bee paid him aforehand ; and ye say , A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush : Nihil putant utile nisi quod manibus teneri potest , as Lactantius spake ; counting nothing profitable that is not present : Blanda praesentia , as Hilary spake , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , as Nyssen , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , as Philo ; Men set the garland all on things present , listning more to sense about things present , than to faith about things to come ; so accustomed to the common fallacy of putting more into premises , than is commonly found in the conclusion : as that wee will hardly take even Gods word without a pawne ; as he well exclaimed , O caecos animos , Christo diffidimus omnes , Cum tamen inveniat praedo vel ipse fidem .

How-ever it fare so in mens promises , of little trust farther than sight , their decrees upon new importunities cancelled , their determinations upon new resanctions inconstant , their promises upon new considerations ebbing into emptinesse , as easily changed as when a tune is changed upon an instrument of musique ; changing oftner than Laban changed Iacobs wages ; as Tertullian spake of the Peacock , all in changeable colours , as often chang'd as moved : Italians all , as Aeneas Sylvius said of Italy , Novitate quadam nihil habet stabile , so mutable , they have nothing stable , promise nor other . Besides , as hee well observed , wee can hardly without offence , put great Ones in mind of their promises ; yet 't is a boldnesse God likes well enough , to presse him with his promises ; that hath God said it , and shall hee not doe it ? hath he spoken it , and hath he not accomplisht it ? Many devices , saies Salomon , are in a mans heart , but the counsell of the Lord shall stand : the things exhibited to us by God , as wealth , health , honour , may fade and faile ; but the things thus promised us by him shall never faile . As Ioshua reason'd , Nothing hath failed of all the good things which the Lord your God promised you ; nothing hath failed , neither shall faile . So this is no vaine word concerning you . As old Sarah laughed at hearing of childe-bearing , no doubt , the carnall infidelity of such as never tasted of any powers of the world to come , laugh now in their sleeves , to heare talk thus of Crowns to be given to silly men . But as Paul speaks , we know whom we have beleeved ; and future here if it be , so certaine it is , a man may lay his life on 't , that hee who said it , will doe it , will give it : And I will give thee a Crowne of life .

Will give thee . Why then if there be anie thing freer than gift , let the impudent Papist here stand up with his debitum ut donum : Eternall life ( sayes their Andradius ) not so much a gratuitie of liberalitie from God , as a due to good workes ; heaven being as due to good workes , as hell to ill , as sillily sayes Andradius , Coster , and the Rhemists : or if yet they want some , fetch they in Bellarmines tower , his Babell of merits , Paradisum ex merito , &c. sayes he , even Paradise being to be purchased by merit . Opera bona mercatura regni coelestis , are his owne words ; as if by good workes a man might chaffer for heaven , and buy this Crowne : who as they dare trade and barter about sale of worldly kingdomes , so venture they to truck and traffick about sale of heavenly Crownes too , having coined a money of merit to buy it with . Non solùm ex merito Christi , sed etiam ex merito suo ; so Bellarmine . As when musk is mingled with amber-grease , as Gomezius thinks , he subtilly compoundeth them : So farre from counting it thus a gift , as that Vega , a Clerke of theirs , durst insolently say , Gratis non accipiam , That this Crown which cost the Martyrs so much , he would not take it of free gift , not bee beholding to God for bestowing it , not accept of it if it cost him nought . And so Coster , Noluit Christus , &c. that Christ would not have this Crowne given us gratis , sed meritis nostris : as hee in Xenophon said , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , they counting so this Crowne rather for a bootie than a gift . Yea but sayes Hesychius , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , Heaven is not so the wage of servants workes , but the bounty of their Masters gift ; who is no Merchant , said Philonius well ; Donator non venditor , as Philo : Beneficia dedit non vendidit , sayes Bernard , Gods good turnes they are given not sold , and this kingdom not partum , but paratum , a kingdome not purchased by us , but prepared for us , Matth. 25. And all that shall thus be crowned , filii divini beneficii , as Austin calls them , children of the divine kindnesse : by grace saved through faith , & that not of your selves , it is the gift of God , as Paul evidently speaketh . The worth of this Crowne being so infinitely above all price of humane performance , that saies Anselmus , Si homo mille annis serviret , &c. Suppose a man should serve God zealously a thousand yeeres here , yet should hee not thereby deservedly merit to bee one halfe day in heaven : And ; Et si millies moriamur , &c. saies Chrysostome , Though wee should dye a thousand deaths , and doe all vertuous exploits , all would be of no condignity to this Crowne : those being onely waies to the Kingdome , not causes of reigning ; meanes by , but not causes why : though secundùm opera , yet not propter opera ; So Gregory : though propter promissum , yet not propter commissum ; So Anstin : not factum , but pactum . And if the excellency of Iacob was not worthy the least of Gods mercies shewed him , Genes. 32. well may the house of Iacob now confesse , Non dignitate nostrâ , sed dignitate tuâ . And not to dwell longer in the plaine , take the adversaries that cold comfort from Austin for conclusion ; Never shall they come in the heavenly Ierusalem , who doe not from their hearts professe , that the comming thither is not proprij operis , but Domini muneris ; not by their owne behaviour , but Gods favour : Non meritis operantis , but miseratione donantis , Not by the merits of the worker , but by the mercy of the giver , crowning his owne gift , not our workes ; saving us , not out of merit , but with mercy and compassions , as David speaketh . That whatsoever base spirits of delusion , creeping into houses , and leading captive silly women , whisper unto others ; say ye of this Crowne , as Rahel did of children , Give mee it , or else I die : Without this Crowne bee given us , wee are but dead men ; that , as spake the woman Iohn 4. Sir , give mee this water , Lord , give us this Crowne of life .

In spight of insolency and error both , give it then hee will ; but to whom trow ye ? The covenant here runnes not with a Noverint universi , to All , All ; but Omnibus Christi fidelibus , To thee , thou faithfull soule , to thee will I give it : not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , as Aristotle well handles giving , not hand over head , at random , at all adventures ; like those men , who , as hee spake , projiciunt magis quàm dant , rather throw away than give ; and , Perdere sciunt , donare nesciunt , They know how to lose , but not how to give ; as he said of Alexander , that hee would have given away Cyprus for a song , Phoenicia for a verse ; like Herods halfe kingdome : nay that head which was worth more than his whole kingdome , given away for a gig , a daunce ; and so their gifts , so ill placed , procure more hatred than love . And as the Iewes wittily use to say , looke what is so given , t is written in the Harts horne , so mew'd , cast every yeere , as that ever and anon yee may goe seeke it ; and so nothing that brands many men with more indiscretion , than the ill disposing of their gifts . God here gives not so , by chance but choice ; and this Crowne of life the Lord hath promised to them that love him , saith St. Iames , them that love his appearing , saies S. Paul , to be given them for whom it is prepared , Matth. 20. Not as they spake of Gedeons brethren , Every one like the children of a King ; Not every one , but some choise ones , heires of that kingdome , as St. Iames calls them ; Heads destinated to the Diadem , as Tertullian . 'T is true , God makes his Sunne to rise on the evill too , and sendeth raine on the uniust also , so that by these outward things , who knoweth whether hee bee worthy love or hatred ? But as Abraham , though hee gave gifts to the sons of his concubines , Gen. 25. yet all his goods ( reads one translation , all he had reade we now ) the heritage gave he to his Isaac , in whom the covenant was established , the sonne of promise ; So if God often , even unto those bastard children gives secular things , common gifts ; yet the Inheritance , this Crowne gives hee onely to them , who after the manner of Isaac are children of promise , as Paul speakes : to you his Isaacs , his Laughters , in whom he takes pleasure . Wee fooles ( say they in the fift of Wisedome ) wee fooles thought his life madnesse , and his end without honour ; but how is he counted among the children of God , and his portion among the Saints ? Thou that not onely ( as Ecclesiasticus said ) being iust , art one better than a thousand others ; not onely as the people said of David , worth ten thousands of us ; but as Philo spake , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , equivalent not onely to a number , but a whole nation of us . Thou not only a Professor , but a Protector of religion ; Thou not onely faithfull , but a Defender of the Faith ; Thou that art valiant for the truth , as was written upon the sword of Charles the Great , Decem praeceptorum custos Carolus , Charles keeper of the ten Commandements : Thou man of his desires , to thee will hee give this Crowne of life .

Give thee ? What ? some great gift sure : for though the hide-bound world neither does , nor can give things without her owne circle , & so pent within the spheare of her owne scant activity , is faine to give here a crab , and there a crum , and when shee drops a pearle , a golden apple , or so , that 's precious : Consider but well the hard opening of the shell , weigh all circumstances , and they will be found but as the Physitians drugges , which they call 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 gifts , and yet we pay deare for them . Well , if they be penni-worths , sure they are not gifts ; yet this giver Habet quod det , & dat nemo largiùs : as the Scripture speaks of Araunah , as a King gave hee unto the King ; this gives like a King , not under a Crowne , gives here to a King , a Crowne ; 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 indeed . Not that every crowne is straight-way commendable ; there being voluptuous crownes of Roses , as in Wisedome ; a crowne of pride , to which a woe belongeth , Esay 28. So Dragons & Beasts crownes in the Revelation ; and so Corona vitiosa , ruinosa , and the rest , as the Poets Crownes of Laurell and Ivie , Crownes little better than the weedes which wrapt about Ionahs head , trash of no value . Yea Crownes not onely so by resemblance , but reall ; and of that rank , than which this world below hath nothing higher ; yet such as that some , even the owners , who might bee bold with their owne , themselves have said , They that knew but the troubles of their cares , would not stoope to take up their Crownes : as Canutus set his Crowne upon the Crucifix , Crownes having their crosses , thistles in their armes , and thorns in their sides ; even Christs royall title ( note some ) having beene set upon the Crosse , as much as to say , Kings have their crosses , yea & losses too ; & if Popes , worst Comets to Kings , may prevaile , their hard deaths too , that being a principle of their detestable doctrine , Crueltie to Crownes . Yea but as Iesus said , that his Kingdome was not of this world , this is none of these Crownes , but a Crowne where death hath no claime , A Crowne of life . As hee that bearing three crownes , added well the word , Quarta perennis erit , that the fourth would be for ever ; what-ever become eyther of those criminall , or counterfeit , or kingly crownes , Quarta perennis , this Crowne will last for ever , A Crowne , or as the other Translation not amisse , The Crowne of life . Whither at last being now come , as Nyssen once , being to speake of those words , Our Father which art in heaven , wisht himselfe wings , wherewith to mount and flye a pitch proportionable to the height of the matter in hand ; how could I wish now some winged speech , to soare according to the sublimitie of the matter ? And yet even then too , as Chrysostome spake , Sermo non valet exprimere , experimento opus est , Speech would not reach that excellency of it , which cannot be expressed but by experience ; fitter to be beleeved , than possible to be discoursed , sayes Prosper : So exceeding an eternall weight of glory , as neyther Rhetorician can discourse , nor Geometrician measure , nor Arithmetician number . The beautie of Absolon , to it but deformitie ; the strength of Sampson , to it but infirmitie ; the age of Methusalem , to it but mortalitie : All the mirth here , to that but pensivenesse ; all pleasure here , to that but heavinesse ; all sweetnesse here , to that but bitternesse : The verie Crown of reioycing , the Crowne of life . All the splendors here , and they are many : not as that cluster which the spies brought , but only as huskes as it were of those grapes of Canaan : as Ioseph cast chaffe downe the river , to let the Nations know of their abundance of graine ; onely as chaffe to that abundant harvest growing in the land of promise , the Crowne of life . Then not to trespasse further upon your patience , I only tender unto your consideration this your owne Day , as some short comment upon this lasting Crown : That as it hath ever beene the guise of godly men , from the beholding of worldly things to beget heavenly thoughts ; to turne the sight of every solemnitie into a Schoole of Divinitie ; and from things they see here downward , to make a prospect upward : As when Fulgentius saw the Nobility assembled at Rome , the sight of the glittering of that Court mounted his meditation to the thought of a higher Court , the heauenly Ierusalem . From the hearing of musique , hee is now with God , who is said to have entred upon the meditation of the holy harmony in heaven : And upon sight of soft clothing in Kings houses , mee thinks wee should be led to thinke of that white clothing in the Revelation , and robe of righteousnesse : And from your owne Crowning , thinke of this Crown of life ; there will be much learned , especially that which is the principall drift of the Text here , to fortifie against tribulations and oppositions for Christs cause . As David tells of crowning with favour as with a shield ; this very Crowne may serve you as a shield against all assaults , the assurance of this Crowne a Supersedeas against all feare . Cùm voles omnium rerum oblivisci , cogita Caesarem , could Seneca say , Would thou forget all other things , thinke then of Caesar ; but as a Christian wouldst thou forget all worldly combrances , Cogita Coronam , thinke on this Crowne : and whatsoever the duresse bee , it will bee but light , if you ballance it with this weight of glory . Exultans regno , insultans mundo : Ascend but now into consideration of this Crowne , and from thence , as from some high mountaine , you will soone behold all these things here below , as little things , of little value , petty things , not worth your care , much lesse your feare . Whilest as the shepheard crown'd with flowres and herbes , fighting with the basiliske , could not be hurt by reason of the preservative in his garland ; You shall tread upon the basilisk & the aspe , & they shall have no power to hurt you , if you make use of the preservatives in this Crowne : For , man , hast thou losse here ? thou shalt have a gift there . Hast thou contempt here ? thou shalt have a Crowne there . Hast thou death here ? thou shalt have life there ; And I will give thee a Crowne of life .

Which Crowne of life , after your good fight fought in this life , the Lord Iesus give you for his mercies sake : To whom with the Father and the holy Ghost be ascribed , &c.

Laus Deo .
GALAT. 4.16 .

Am J therefore become your enemie , because I tell you the truth ?

AN Argument unadvisedly chosen , ( will some wise one at first hearing say ) to undertake to treate of Truth , the telling wherof , your very Text aforehand tells you , procures enmity ; as if wittingly you meant to run upon some rocke of distaste & displeasure . But as Paul spake , perswaded better things of you , according to the Preachers counsell , without observing those windes , come I now to sow , and without those cloudes to reape ; and so I may prove true to the Text : shunne not though the Text prove true to me , for telling truth to undergoe enmity , Am I therefore become your enemy ? &c.

As if holy Paul according to the tenour of the context here , had zealously thus expostulated with that people : I have bestow'd labour upon you , as in the 11. vers . I have preached the Gospell unto you , as in the 13. vers . I have heretofore beene welcome unto you for my Ministeries sake , received of you as an Angell of God , in the 14. vers . Your very eies not more precious unto you , as in the 15. vers . And having given no cause ( I wote of ) why your good wills should now be alienated from mee , unlesse it bee for seeking to reclaime you from erroneous doctrines of weake and beggarly rudiments , and freely and truely putting you in minde of the things that belong to your salvation ; if that be the cause , what an unworthy part is it to maligne him that hath beene so mindefull of you , to trouble him that hath beene so true to you , to repay truth with enmity , to render enmity for telling truth ?

Am I therefore your enemie ? &c.

From out which woufe , of Scripture , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , some expert workman would quickly draw many curious threds , like to the Spouses lips in the Canticles , dropping as the hony combe , from every word distilling pearles of precious observation . As first from the person here maligned , I Paul , an Apostle , not of men , neither by man , but by Iesus Christ , and God the Father : Apostolus per Antonomasiam , I that laboured more aboundantly than they all ; Paul , whom to have seene in the Pulpit , was one of Austins three wishes , Constantissimus gratiae Praedicator , as he stiles him : yet hee thus become to be held an enemy , inferres the accustomed lot of best deserving men , enmity . Next from the quarrell , here , Therefore , for telling truth to be hated , irrationabiliter malignati , as he spake , the unreasonable dealings of malignant men : as in the second of Wisedome , He is not for our turne , hee checketh us for offending , professing to have the knowledge of God , &c. Therefore let us lye in waite for the righteous : Therefore let us examine him with rebukes : Therefore . Then from the change here come to passe , of formerly such a friend , thus to become , & held an enemy . The giddy inconstancy of the people , what a tickle tenure he holds by that hold of the multitude , Neutrum modò , mas modò vulgus : Hating here , whom heretofore they affected . As ere-while in the 14. of the Acts , prone to sacrifice to him , and by and by perswaded to stone him . But dismissing those Minims upon the by , and aiming onely at the maine truth here , to cleare that , chuse I hence now to present before you , onely these three essentially materiall meditations : The dignity of truth in it selfe : The indignity offred truth by others enmity : The enduring of that enmity by the tellers of truth : The high excellency of truth : The harsh entertainment of that excellency : The hearty enduring of that entertainment . For to naturalize these parts to the Text : As 't is an increpation 'gainst their bad dealing with truth , so de jure it magnifies verity . As 't is an interrogation , the keenest forme of assertion , so de facto it certifies their enmity . As 't is an expostulation pregnant with firme resolution , so de debito it ratifies his constancy : De jure truth deserveth better ; de facto it receiveth worse : De debito , for all that worse , we ought not to abandon that better , within these lists limiting what now is intended to be uttered . The spies that can try the whole land by one cluster , measure whole Hercules by a foot , discerne the whole web by the list , may save a labour , ease themselves and others by departing , as Pilate when hee had asked what is truth , went out : to the honest hearts remaining , remain these in order to be served in : A true valuation of truth in it selfe , & so what good entertainment it deserveth . The undervaluing of truth 'mongst men , and so what bad entertainment , enmity , it findeth . The due practice of the professors of truth , whom no such enmity discourageth from telling truth , Am I therefore become your enemy ? &c.

For the first then , the excellency of truth in it selfe , as we use to speake of the end , last in execution , first in intention ; Truth here in the Text , though last in situation , yet first in sense and substance : accordingly as Plato againe and againe gives truth the leading , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , &c. And hee , saies he , that will be happy in the end , ought to lay hold on truth in the beginning : The beginning of thy Word is truth , saies David . As 't is said , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , that of any work beginning , the forefront ought to be faire , like to that beautifull gate of the Temple . Enter wee first here upon the beautifull excellency of Truth , in Thesi for truth in generall , whether yee list conceive truth an adequation , a conformity of the thing and the understanding as some define ; or rather ( for it is here a telling of truth ) an adequation of speech to the thing : Truth being in the minde as in subjecto cognitivo , in speech as in signo repraesentativo , in the minde as knowing , in the mouth as manifesting , each way glorious things are spoken of Truth . Truth the meate of the minde , saies the Platonist , Animi cibus : Truth the sustenance of the soule , sayes Lactantius , Animae pabulum : Truth the spouse of the understanding , say others , Sponsa intellectus : Verity the virginity of the soule , as falshood the adultery . As hee ignorantly , but luckily said , they were called Mechanick Arts , because the understanding quodammodo in ijs moechatur , said he , because the understanding principally created for spirituall apprehensions , in those arts , leaving Truth , the Spouse of the understanding , adulterates , pollutes it selfe with corporall employments : not only Mechanicall Arts are such digressions besides truth ; but even the most liberall sciences & knowledges in the world , are but as pages , torch-bearers to truth , quae etsi non ducunt , conducunt ; the scope and conclusion of all true knowledge being Truth ; & the inquisition after that conclusion , keeping the candle burning , & the eies waking . And this is the unvaluable advantage , how-ever shallow men sleight it , which a Philosopher , a Student , a man conversing with his understanding , hath above other empty men of the world , that whilst those sensualists fondly stand courting other vaine beauties , some of them it may be naturall , many of them artificiall , most of them naught : the Intellectualist the whilst hath frequent and familiar addresses , approaches , acquaintance with beautifull Truth . So that of Truth we may say as did the Queene of Sheba of Salomon , Happy are thy men , happy are thy servants that stand continually before thee , and heare thy wisedome , learne thy Truth . But in Hypothesi , for this particular truth here about ceremonies , wrigled in againe among the Galatians , and whereunto they needes againe would bee in bondage , a carriage concentrique with relapses at this day into Papisticall superstitions , said Gualter of his time then , to bring it no neerer . Verily as Mirandula spake , Veritatem Philosophia quaerit , Theologia invenit , Religio possidet , that Truth was a thing which Philosophy sought , Divinity found , Religion possessed . Other truths there be , as Philosophicall truths , which may so be glittering , but they are these divine Truths that are the glorious . Truths there bee not worth the wetting of a mans finger for , much lesse the shedding of his bloud for them , as sundry rules in sciences , and curious arts , and mathematicall principles : Truth , the toughest maintaining whereof will never make a true Martyr , though ordinarily shall yee finde more obstinacy in maintaining those petty truths , than constancy in upholding weightier truths ; and here and there some Heliodor , yeelding rather to be cast out of his Bishoprick , than to call in his bookes , though but Aethiopicks , having not so much as colour of truth . And other sorts of truth there bee published , yet ought not to bee practised , veritates audiendae , non imitandae , as hee speakes ; as politick Theorems , he that will speedily thrive in such and such places , he must lye , flatter , dissemble , and do worse : truths which it may be some good man will trust , but never try ; and such like other truths , whereof a man may safely be ignorant , but not safely practicant ; that as Christ bid the Minstrels , Get you hence , hence with such truths : As Samuel said of Ishai's seven sonnes , The Lord hath chosen none of these truthes ; no , but as he defines Theologick truth to be the truth necessarie in the voyage to salvation , divine truth , saving truth , truth respectively to Religion ; yea this is that truth of Christians , incomparably fairer than Helen of the Grecians , as Austin spake , whilst as God himselfe is truth and everie man a lyar , so are all those other but as trash to his truth , who ( as one heroically spoke ) if hee were to be corporeal , would sure have Light for his bodie , and Truth for his soule ; and so as he is , hath he Truth as his Vsher going before his face , as in the Psalmist . And whereas of other divine attributes , some are especially ascribed to the Father , as omnipotencie ; some to the Sonne , as wisedome ; some to the holy Ghost , as goodnesse : Truth by the holy Spirit is peculiarly attributed to them all , Lord God of Truth , Iesus that Truth , the Spirit of Truth . Christ saith the cause of his comming , his errand into the world , was to beare witnesse unto the truth ; & the Spirit of truth , not onely so essentialiter , but doctrinaliter , leading into all truth ; his wayes truth , his workes truth , his word truth , all truth : who as fountaine of truth himselfe , favoureth also truth in others too , giving his placet to them that studie truth , Qui student veritati , placent ei : The Lords eyes are upon the truth , sayes Ieremy ; no tune more pleasing to God than truth . Then come on ye that say , Who will shew us any good ? Cui bono ? what good shall we get by this your painted pearle of truth , this treasure in a traunce , for all your letter of commendations of Truth , Quid mihi prodest cognoscere Veritatem , as in Austin ? Good ? Why say what is the good you would have ? Is it liberty ? O bona libertas ; why know the Truth , and the Truth shall make you free , Iohn 8. the Truth there not onely Veritas Christus , but Veritas Christi ; a Truth truely to be tearmed liberalis , not onely as liberall sciences , because they are worthy homine libero , but this also hominem liberat ; for where the Spirit of the Lord is , there is liberty ; and this is our liberty , that wee are subiect to that Verity , as Austin speaketh . Or is it safety you seeke ? The world 's wrong , the surest safety is not in subtilty ; no , Truth is the Kings Guard , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , sayes Salomon , Truth that which helpes to keep and preserve the King , Prov. 20. yea his Truth shall be your shield and buckler , as David speaketh . Is it comfort upon all occurrences you care for ? Why , it was Hezekiah's cordiall lying sicke , that he had walked before God in Truth ; Truth there not opposite onely falso but fucato ; when hypocrisie , pollicie , fraud , falshood , errour can minister no comfortable ingredient , in extremity , then faire fall Truth . Beyond the comforts here , is it heaven hereafter you would have hold of ? Why , remember who it is shall dwell in Gods Tabernacle , rest in his holy Mountaine , hee that speaketh the Truth in his heart : yea the blessed life it selfe is nothing else but gaudium de Veritate , saies Austin , a reioycing over Truth : liberty , safety , comfort , heaven , if all things bee worth any thing , Truth is worth them all : Truth 't is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , as in Plato , faire ; nor painter , nor statuary that can expresse like beauty to Truths , said Philemon : Truth 't is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , as in Esdras , strong ; strong above wine , women , king , stronger than all : Truth 't is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , as Clinias , lasting ; Truth abideth , & is strong for ever , said Zerobabel ; the lip of Truth shall be established for ever , said Salomon . That hence may even Nobles attend , how the Romane Pretor wont alwaies to weare upon his breast the image of Truth , as if the truest ensigne of Nobility were Truth . Hence may even Senators attend , how the Egyptian Iudges wore alwaies in a chaine about their neck , the picture of Truth ; and 't was Iethro's counsell to Moses , for Iudges over the people , to choose viros veraces , men of Truth , in quibus sit veritas ; nor could the high Priest give sentence without the blest-plate of iudgement on , wherein they put Veritatem , as if Truth were the very forme of iudgement , what ever the matter bee . Hence may even the valiant attend , how in that whole armour of God , Ephes. 6. Truth is there put the first peece of the Panoply , as if the principall obiect of valour were Truth , and that the prime care to have the loines girt about with Truth . O then , according to that excellent commendation Quintilian gives Vespasian , patientissimus veri , that he was most enduring , most suffering of Truth : Suffer yee now the word of exhortation unto Truth , ye shall have it tendred now in no meaner termes than Solomons , Buy the Truth ( 't is no Symonie ) and sell it not ; buy it of God by prayer , buy it of Bookes by reading , buy it of Orthodoxe men by hearing , buy it over & over , ye cannot over-buy it , Non Priamus tanti , &c. Truth being as wisedome , to be preferred before scepters and thrones , to be loved above health and beauty , precious stones not to bee compared unto it , gold but as gravell in respect of it , and silver to be counted but as clay before it , and hee to bee reckoned a wise Merchant that selleth all that he hath to buy it . I dare use Salomons phrase , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , the price is now in your hand , buy it : Sell it not neither for love , nor mony , nor policie , nor for no worldly payments , much lesse for promises : they sell the Truth ( said Lavater well ) who for worldly respects live in such places where there is no publick profession of the Truth . As Esau sold his birth-right for a messe of pottage ; and saies Salomon , Pro buccellâ panis deserit veritatem , for handfulls of barley and peeces of bread , for secular considerations they sell the Truth ; and by their leave , so doe they too , who living in places where the Truth is publickly professed , do Iudas-like yet stand ready pressed for pence , as much as in them lies to betray the Truth , or out of politique ends , to sell the Truth , selling under the marke of the Beast , as in the Revelation ; and for all their wisedome in their generation , selling , as unthrifts doe their lands , that which they never knew the worth of , Truth : and as the Satyrist spake , Vende animam lucro , selling their soules too in the bargaine and sale of truth . Having sold his Bible , which onely hee had then left : Now ( said Serapion ) have I sold that which taught me to sell all ; and hee that sells truth , sells that which teacheth to sell all to buy it ; and if a man could sell truth for all the gold of India , what would it profit to winne the world and lose the truth ? Sell it not , nay , but be ye established in the present truth , as St. Peter spake . And againe I say , be ye established in the present truth ; it is the present truth , and 't was the primitive Truth , when Purgatory was yet unkindled , and Indulgences yet unhatched , when Masse was yet unmoulded , and Transubstantiation yet unbaked , when Merits were yet unminted , and Sinnes veniall uninvented ; when Laycks of the cup were yet uncousened , and Ecclesiastiques unexempted : when Popes transcendent power was uncreated , and deposing of Kings yet undreamed of , before this Lerna lake of errors yet was congregated , before ever these fancies of Rome were rock'd in their cradles , was the present truth : And be yee established in it , not tottering and wavering to and fro , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , as they that are carried about with everie wind of doctrine , but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , speaks S. Peter there , firmly settled , established in the present truth : Truth being , as God spake of his commandement , not in heaven , that thou shouldst say , Who shall goe up for us to heaven , and bring it us , and cause us to heare it ? Neither is it beyond the sea , that thou shouldst say , Who shall goe over the sea for us , and bring it us , and cause us to heare it , that we may doe it ? No , but the truth is very neere us : As Salomon of the Turtle , so of truth ; The voice of truth is heard in our land . Set that truth as a seale upon your heart , and as a signet upon your arme , binde it for a signe upon your hand , and let it bee as frontlets betweene your eies ; be as tender over truth as the apple of your eie ; sooner let the Sunne wander from his course , than ye from truth . In our Letany we pray the Magistrates may have grace given them to maintaine truth . It was Christs praier for his , Ioh. 17. Sanctifie them with thy truth : and the God of truth confirme and keepe you in his so excellent truth ; Truths excellency . So have you the first part .

And can it then be , a thing so highly excellent as truth , should finde so harsh entertainment as enmitie ? Can so bright beames beget so blacke cloudes ? Yes , as Salomon tels of the price to get wisedome in the hand of a foole that hath no heart to it ; for all that true price of Truth , come we now to view how fooles misprise it , entertayning it with enmitie , Enemy for telling truth , That 's now the second part . Ergo inimicus ; an Ergo so incongruous , so inconsequent , as may well drive the hearer with Austin into admiration and amazement , why men indued with understanding , should be so sollicitously studious about courses of stars , flowings of sea , and more frothy things , and yet the whilst so retchlesse of Truth , neerlier concerning them ; and make him likewise passionately expostulate as Austin , Shall other vaine men vaunt themselves happie in imbracement of other beauties , and Christians slight the imbracing of beautifull Truth ? Shall they boast a happinesse in sitting downe to eate and drinke , and we not apprehend a blessednesse , in being fed and feasted with truth ? Shall they coenare fabulis , and wee not veritate ? Shall they crake of beds of roses and sweet odours , and Christians take no pleasure in the fragrant inspiration of truth ? Shall they tripudiate in musique , and Christians not triumph in the melody of truth ? Shall they delight in the light of the Sunne , and wee not delight in the light of Truth ? Shall so many love lightnesse , and any set so light by lovely truth , as thus to entertaine it with enmity ? Ergo inimicus ; A strange Ergo , yet not more strange than true , truth being so frequently haunted with hatred , as Calvin wrote to the Christian King , Evangelij genius , as opposition , the bad genius , as it were waiting upon the Gospell ; so enmity a familiar as it were , every where dogging truth . The saying , Veritas odium parit , not more familiar than the thing , though not a generall truth as in the Poet ; and yet Lactantius thinkes he spake it , qua si divino spiritu instinctus ; not so true of all , saies Ierome , yet too too true of too too many . Whilst as the beautifull Nymphes are said to have brought forth the ill favoured Fawnes and Satyrs ; so truth bringing forth hatred , or rather enmity ; like the Dragon in the Revelation , standing before the woman travelling , ready to devour what shee should bring forth . As in Genesis , The Lord said , is by & by encountred with The Serpent said , so is telling truth encountred thus with enmity . When Eliah told Ahab truth , Hast thou found mee , O mine enemy ? said hee ; the like was Micaiah's case with Ahab , the man of Gods case with Ieroboam , Iohn Baptists with Herod , St. Stevens with the Iewes ; so persecuted they the Prophets , thus entertaind they truth with enmitie : And as Ecclesiastes spake , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , That which hath been , is that which shall bee ; it hath beene so , and 't will be so , be it never so unreasonable that it should bee so : there is demonstrative reason upon reason , why it will bee so : There being three things ( saies Aristotle ) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , three things that breed enmity , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , ira , incommodatio , criminatio , displeasure , disprofit , discredit ; why in all these , truth being not for most mens turne , corrupt nature makes them thus turne enemies to the tellers of truth . First , Ira : as they write of some creatures to have the gall in the eare , fel in aure , the hearing of truth galls them ; as Peter told Simon Magus , Thou art in the gall of bitternesse : telling of truth puts them into the gall of bitternesse , angers them , nettles them . And as ulcerous men use to shrinke at the lightest touch , yea sometimes shreeke even at the very suspicion , the imagination of touching ; truth told touching , or seeming but to touch their sores , makes them take on like waspes , like the mad man , prickt to cure his sore , they flye upon the Chirurgion : Tange montes & fumigabunt ; the least touch of truth makes them fume and fret like the vapours of the thunder-bolt , which never linne working till they have vented themselves with terror ; they never leave brauling till they have exhaled their anger , vented their enmitie : Because truth telling wil not let them wallow so securely as otherwise they would , not suffer them to curd and settle on their lees , as the Prophet Zephany speakes , as they would : a quare impedit therfore so quarrels the truth , as that the tellers thereof are driven often to that Dilemma of Agathon , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , &c. If I please thee , I shal not tell the truth ; and if I tell the truth , I shall not please thee , but procure enmitie . Secondly , Incommodatio , truth telling is against their profit , preiudicial to their gainfull practice of lying and falshood : therefore say they of the truth teller , as they in the second of Wisedome spake of the righteous , He is not for our profit , he is contrary to our doing , therfore rebuke him ; Dunghill men , like Aesops Cocke , setting more by the Barley corne of profite , than the pearle of truth ; of the swinish race , Gergesens , willing rather to lack Christ , than lose the least commoditie . Thirdly , Criminatio , truth telling accuses them , endites them , arraigns them , condemnes them , brands them and their courses . As David couples Light & Truth together , Truth , like Light , being of a discovering nature , making things manifest . Therefore ( as S. Iohn spake ) men love darkenesse more than light , because their deedes are evill ; a darke shop being best for badde wares : therefore as theeves seeke to put out the candle , they would have the light Truth put out . A Scorner ( as Salomon sayes ) loving not one that reproveth him ; Truth reproving them , therfore reprove they the Truth . Tell one of your Politicians Papinian's truth , That that 's the best reason which makes most for Religion , that the best policy which makes most for Pietie ; why , this truth crossing his proiects and purposes , the teller may take his bill , and sit downe quickly , and write Enmitie . Tell a covetous man St. Pauls truth , That the love of monie is the roote of all evill , yee offer him losse , ye touch his free-hold , yee are a trespasser to his trade , an enemy . Tell the luxurious man that theorem of Truth , That temperance is the razor of superfluities , and the rule of necessaries ; and that this whole life ought to be a kind of Lent ; Away with your thred-bare Schollers posies ; ye bring us into the wildernesse to starve us , ye are an enemy . I will not procure more enemies by more instances ; suffice it , Nec in caeteris contrarium est videre : That if as Gideon once made proclamation in the audience of the people , Who so is timorous or faint-hearted , let him depart , so every one whose heart riseth against truth told , should depart , we should soon have more roome , auditories would soone bee thin , Vel duo , vel nemo . Light is good , but yet to bad eies , offensive . Honie is sweet , but yet to wounds , smarting ; truth is wholesome , but yet to most , distastfull : like that bloudy water , sweete and potable to Hebrewes , saies Iosephus , but sowre and would not downe with Egyptians . Then bee that schoole distinction true , that truth in the universall , sub ratione veri , cannot be hated , yet in the particular , sub ratione contrarij , so is it usually thus hated ; though no man can hate truth in universali , while it onely pleades it selfe , yet in particulari , when it comes thus to presse upon themselves : As the Friar wittily told the people that the truth he preach'd , was like holy water , which every one call a pace for , yet when it came to be cast on them , they would turne aside their face : even they that will call fast for Truth , cannot yet away to have it cast in their face ; even they that could like truth if it would onely shew it selfe , mislike it , when it comes thus to shew them themselves ; they that love truth lucentem , hate it thus redarguentem , saies Austin ; and so saies Ambrose , because no man would be reproved for erring ; therefore becomes hee enemy thus to truth reprehending . Veritas ideo semper invisa est , eo quod is qui peccat , vult habere liberum peccandi locum , saies Lactantius , Because every offender would have his full swindge without controule , therfore take they offence at truth : as hee that delicately composes himselfe to sleepe , prohibites all lowder noise , and procures some gentle murmure ; so loving to bee lulled in their security , some sweete Syren sounds they can away with , but this same shrill trumpet of Truth , away with that . So distempered , so ill dieted , so unadvised most men are , as readily to swallow flatteries , digest fables , concoct errors , and yet truth with them to be so hard of digestion , as thus to stomacke that , thus turne that into bitternesse , Enmity . That whereas we usually say , Bitter as gall , we might stronglier expresse it ( said Vega well ) by saying , Bitter as Truth . That as the Turke taunted some Christians at Constantinople , who said that they came thither to suffer for the Truth , That they needed not have come so farre for that , seeing had they but told the Truth at home , they should not have missed suffering for it : telling truth needes not travell farre for enmity ; enmity will encounter it at home , wheresoever . That as for all Christ bid woe to the man by whom the offence commeth , offences yet will come , so it shall surely be woe upon woe to him , by whom enmity comes upon truth , enmity will yet come upon it ; though this laurell of Truth will be bitter to them that bite it , bite at it yet men will ; though as Ignatius speakes , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , &c. to follow any that falls from Truth , be forfeiture of the Kingdome of heaven ; yet will men follow the foes of Truth , bandy against it , be enemies to telling Truth ; that as they use to say , Plaine dealing is a iewell , but hee that uses it dies a beggar : bee Truth never such a iewell , the teller may probably account aforehand , this way to be a loser by it ; let him never feed himselfe with vaine expectation , that the trade of truth telling is a plausible , insinuating , welcome , winning profession : An expectas ut Quintilianus ametur ? Let him rather count himselfe to be borne , as Ieremie , a contentious man , a man that striveth with the whole earth : as Luther said of preaching , Praedicare nihil aliud est , quàm derivare in se furorem , &c. That to preach ( preach home as hee used ) was nothing else but to stirre up the fury of Hell , Satan , World against a man ; so telling of truth to be a stirrer of rage , a signe which will be spoken against . Let never the truth teller dreame of comfits and sweet meates ; reckon he thus to eate his Passeover with sowre herbes , thus to bee fed with bitternesse , and filled as with wormwood , to have this wilde gourd Enmity shred into his pot . Never say , I had not thought it ; S. Peter hath fore-told it , The way of Truth shall bee evill spoken of ; and S. Paul here found it , enmity for telling Truth , Am I therefore become your enemy ? &c. So have you the first and second part .

And this apprehension , this account aforehand , as Darts fore-seen dint-lesse , and fore-warned fore-armed ; may passe as a preparative to the following point , The enduring of that enmitie for telling truth : that 's now the third and last part . The Apostle here , while hee thus increpates their enmitie for his telling them truth , intimates his owne resolution , so enduring that enmitie in behalfe of Truth . Non timuit vituperari , vel odio haberi , &c. said Anselme upon it ; Hee feared no mans ill will to him , so hee might manifest his good will to Truth : And so 't is also Ieroms inference hereupon , out of the 40. of Esay , Lift up thy voyce with strength , lift it up and be not affraid : for , as Esay spake againe , Who art thou , that thou shouldest feare a mortall man , and the sonne of man , which shall bee made as grasse , and forgettest the Lord thy maker ? so what art thou , that thou shouldest feare this enmitie , and forget the truth ? for though they shrewdly say , Qui vult dimitti à Domino , dicat illi veritatem , He that would be put from his Master , let him tell him truth ; yet is it to be said , Hee that would have God his good Master , must tell the truth . As he well compares Truth to Rebekah with her two twins : Brings truth telling thus forth the hate of men ? it brings forth withall the other twin , the love of God too ; that be it with the world , as they say , a cold occupation to tell the truth , a blessed occupation is it yet with God : how-ever flesh and bloud say , Master , pittie thy selfe , this enmitie shall not be unto thee ; and whatsoever witches children whisper to the contrarie . For , come on ( sayes the Temporist to the Truth-teller ) you are so keene of this truth-tell , you 'l marre all : wote you not what Pope Eugenius said , Hoc verum esse si ipse velit & non aliter , That this or that was true if his Holinesse , his Greatnesse would have it so , and not otherwise ? as if great Ones granted Warrants of Truth , as of the Peace ? Remember ye not , your owne book sayes , Time to be truest , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , as in Xenophon ; and Truth to be Times daughter , as in the Poet ? And why will any of you then , set the daughter at variance with the mother , and not rather handle the matter so , as the daughter Truth may ever be consonant to the mother Time ? yea , & conformable so with place too , every place being not for telling every truth ? for bee Truth ( as they say ) a Sergeant , yet places there bee exempted from that arrest , as well as other . Affirmatio veritatis obligat semper , sed non ad semper , sed pro loco & tempore , Truth telling hath it times and places , and Placentia a citie as well as Verona : Loquimini placentia , or if ye cannot fall to that fawning veine , as M. Bradford said of Massing and Preaching , that the Masse bites not men , nor makes them blush as preaching does ; cannot ye meddle onely with toothlesse truths , as Balak bid , Neither curse nor blesse at all ? serve in as in Iob , only the white of an egge without any taste at all ? Or if needes you must be tampring with Truth , cannot yee candy it over with a scepticall neutrality , or over-cast it with some cloudy obscurity , Verbis coopertis , as slily the Romanist ; either as the Pope plaies with two points about Christ and Marie , onely problematically not positively , betweene two to shift at pleasure ; or as Aristotle set forth his Acroamatickes , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ? How-ever you meete with them that tell you , that the Prophets and Apostles , & Christ himselfe propounded Truth naked , yet 't is none of the worst observations you shall meet with in Oleaster , The holy Prophets , especially to great Ones , to have spoken most an end in Parables ; and Iesus himselfe frequently to have spoken in Parables : that since people are so shie of the naked Truth , Truth might so bee presented in some disguise unto them . Take but the triviall instance ; be Truth as good diet as a Partridge , yet is it not to bee serv'd in raw , or feathers and all ; but cook'd and season'd , Sale prudentiae temperata ; at least bee so wise as to tarry till downe-right Truth bee demanded of you , and so drawne from you . No , hence Satan ; often is it said , Then Iesus answered and said , when yet none asked him , he answering then to the Truth speaking in his conscience . And as Fulgentius truely spake to king Trasimund , The silence that affirmeth not truth , confirmeth errour , and little to chuse between nilling to declare truth , & willing to deny it . And as Tertullian excellently , Nihil Veritas erubescit nisi solummodò abscondi , Truth blusheth at nothing more than to bee hidden ; Truth seeking no corners , nor ever yet could temporize ; nor more than the Moone staies her course in heaven , for the barking of dogs at it here on earth , forbeares for any such Enmity . But ( as saies Austin ) Though men bely the Moone in her defects , and revile the Starres , nicknaming them , Saturne , Iupiter , Mercury , and worse , Venus , the Starres yet continue their courses ; No crimination of heresie , no calumniation of schisme , no imputation of noveltie daunts the Truth , no nor disheartens the Pauls , the true Truth-tellers neither ; no virulent breath can staine such Starres ; but though the adversary write a booke against them , yet will they binde it as a Crowne unto them , as in Iob : though they revile them as they doe , the schoole of Satan , the heard of Antichrist , the reprobate congregation , loose Apostates , turkish Huguenots , worse than Infidels , prophane Hell-hounds , false Gospellers , yea Heretiques , from whose mouths even Truth it selfe proceeding , is not to bee entertained , said their Friar : yet shaking off those virulences , as Paul did the Viper , After the way which they call Heresie , will they tell the Truth ; remembring that terrible speech of Austins , Quicunque metu , &c. that whosoever for feare of any power hides Truth , provokes Gods wrath against himselfe , as one that feareth man more than God . It was Ieremies complaint in his time , that people then bent their tongues like bowes for lies ; but had no courage for the truth upon the earth , not valiant for the truth upon the earth , as now we reade it : nor want their iust complaints in that key ; The world-through , diminutae sunt veritates à filijs hominam , complained David . And the tale goes of Truth lying sicke , and like to die without confession , because no man could bee found that would be her Confessour ; too too many indeede every where slighting Truth , setting at nought so great salvation . Yet not after the wont of way-ward men , so to bemoane what wee want , as not to blesse God for what wee have ; chuse I rather hence to cheare up Truth , with the courage of her tellers now , and cannot but say , much like as Christ of the woman that powred the ointment on his head : Verily , wheresoever Truth shall be preached , the truth of many of this meridian to the Truth , is worthy to bee told for a memoriall of them ; 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , as S. Iohn speakes , how they have beene fellow-helpers to the Truth ; as in Athenagoras both 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , de veritate , by speaking of the truth unto the religious , and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , pro veritate , for the truth against the erroneous . And good luck have they with their glory , and ride on prosperously because of Truth , and let it never bee said that the adversaries ( those pioners , whose occupation is onely to undermine the truth ) like these Galatians here , bewitched them that they should not obey the Truth . Shall any of them bee stouter for fraudulent equivocations , lying miracles , false doctrines , than we for Gods Truth ? as Tertullian spake of Heretiques then , Apostatas postatas nostros gloriâ obligant , quia veritate non possunt ? Shall they prevaile more over ours with trickes , than we over theirs with Truth ? It hath beene said that our word True , comes ab Hetrusco , and Hetruria fondly hath been termed regio veritatis : And O that this region might not onely so be said , but ever be the region of Truth ; and as it was the first kingdome that universally embraced the truth of the Gospell , so to the last it may continue constant for the Truth . Never was there in the world title of more honour , than when God in the 8. of Zachary , said , Ierusalem shall bee called a city of truth ; No nor of more profit neither : for when Meroz shall be cursed , the inhabitants thereof bitterly cursed , because they came not to helpe the Lord ; blessed shall yee , all yee be that come to the help of Truth against the malignant : for doe not yee misdeeme your selves , as though there were no other place for this telling truth but the Pulpit , no other helpers of truth besides the Preachers , no other partakers of truth besides Prophets and Prophets sonnes . As God said of Corinth , I have much people in this citie : Truth hath much people , many friends in City , Court , Country ; yea even out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hath it strength to silence the enemy . Then what though you or you cannot do much for Truth ? doe your best for it ; and if there be a willing minde , it is accepted according to that a man hath , and not according to that hee hath not , as Paul speaketh . And O how learned Fulgentius praises yongue Donatus , that being set upon by the Arrians , though hee had not the skil to defend the Truth with his tongue , had yet a will to maintaine the Truth in his heart ; though he could not unloose all their cunning trickes , he could yet hold fast the conclusion , Truth : and hee that ( for hee could neither write nor reade ) could not Clerkly subscribe his name to Truths confession , could yet manly draw bloud of himselfe , wherewith to set his ma●k● do it ; And shee that for want of learning could not dispute Christs cause , could yee bee content to die for it ; and Were every haire of my head a man , I would burne them all , said a third , rather than go● from Truth . Nor conceive I any , either more powerfull opposition against the enemy to withstand him , or probable perswasion with the adversary to win him , than such undaunted resolution for the Truth . When Iustin Martyr , then a Platonist , heard the Christians ill spoken of , and yet saw them so constantly bent to endure any hardship for the truth of their cause , hee concluded with himselfe , that sure they could be no vicious voluptuous men . And who knoweth whether the constant keennesse of the professors of Truth , may gaine a good report to the Truth , even of them which yet are without the Truth ? or if not , as he that was to be burned with the booke of the Revelation by him , held himselfe happy to suffer martyrdome with such a marrow : happinesse will it be thus to suffer enmity for such a friend as Truth : Truth which is to be preferr'd even before friendship , as the very Heathen man could say , being never to be preiudiced by any such Enmity , but to continue Truths friends , who ever therefore become our enemies .

Am I therefore become your enemy ? &c.

Now the God of Truth , &c.

Laus Deo .
Acts 19. vers. 28. the latter part .

And cryed out , saying , Great is Diana of the Ephesians .

SEcurus licet Aeneam Rutulúmque , as he said ; A man may safely speake of Aeneas and Rutulus : Nulli gravis est percussus Achilles ; To heare of wounded Achilles galls no man now : and a tale of Troy troubles no man here . The Priest of Bethel , though he could not abide that Amos in his Prophecie should grate upon the house of Israel , yet if hee would flye away into the land of Iudah , and prophecie there , he was not against it . Though the Iewes could not endure , that Ieremy should meddle with the burden of Iudah and Ierusalem , yet if hee would prophecie against Edom , and Moab , and Ammon , and them a farre off , hee might for all them ; they felt no smart , no hurt done . According to which reckoning , this Text here , may now at manie hands probably promise it selfe a freer passage , a friendlier welcome ; as medling not , you see , with matters present now , or neerer home , but past and far off , matters of another Meridian , not only strictly Geometrically , but very sensibly aloofe from us , as farre as Asia ; nighing not Europaeans , but Ephesians ; not mentioning any our defects , but only their Diana , how they cryed out , saying , Great is Diana of the Ephesians .

Howbeit , amidst such diversitie , and indeed daintinesse of hearers , lest that rellishing so with some prove so distastefull to others , that , as dealt the Tribes with Rehoboam , What portion have we in David ? wee have no inheritance , no part in him ; and so they departed : so any now say , Wee have no portion , no share in that in hand ; it pertayning so peculiarly to Ephesians , we have no part in it , and so they depart . As Ionathan concluded with David , That if he cry'd to the boy , Behold , the arrowes are beyond thee ; he was then to be gone : the cry here being about Diana and Ephesians , Behold , the arrowes here are all beyond us , let us away ; Know they also , that as Nathan , though hee begun with a tale of two men and a sheepe , yet brought it about in the end to , Thou art the man ; This Text here , though about forreiners , may happely be brought to touch even upon Domesticks too : and though , as in Arrasse foulded up , little yet appeare to purpose , unfoulded it may reveale that , quod ad te pertinet obe ; not onely as Daniel said , My Lord , the dreame be to them that hate thee , and the interpretation thereof to thine enemies : the Discourse and Doctrine hereof may attach , not onely them that hate us , and the interpretation thereof light all upon our enemies , but partly reflect even upon our selves too : And as the Sunne , though it rise in the East , sets yet in the West ( and some have shrewdly ghessed as much of Religion too ) ; by that time the Text hath gone it circuit , it may come to set farre from where it rose ; Ephesus come neerer England , and Diana be brought home to our owne doores , and we also in our Dialect , bee many heard crying out , saying , Great is Diana of the Ephesians .

Which words , albeit in this their owne situation , not unlike some maze , which though spreading but to little quantity of ground , would yet require an houres treading ; yet to make roome for direct and distinct proceeding , wee may dilate the words , either into the manner and the matter . The manner , Crying out ; The matter , Great Diana ; or in as much as the matter here of their Cry is fabulous , into their prologue , and their fable . The prologue , They cry'd out : The fable , Great is Diana . Or who so list entitle their enterprise here , the birth of the mountaines , here 's the travell , They cry'd out ; and the birth delivered , Great Diana : Plainly , as the voice bid Esay cry , and he said , What shall I cry ? here 's the cry , and that which is cry'd , Great Diana . Then lend me but your silence , whilst I speake of their Cry , and your attention , whilst I declare their Diana . As Salomon said , that from the sight and consideration even of the field of the slothfull , and the vineyard of the man voide of understanding , hee received instruction , Instruunt non solùm docentes , sed & errantes : from the consideration of the carriage , even of these superstitious Idolatrous men , there will ( God willing ) instruction be derived , and their crying out then , call upon us now , and their Diana there , discover others devices else-where , concentrique with these of the Ephesians , crying out , saying , Great is Diana of the Ephesians .

They cryed out . As David questioned the sea , What ailed thee , that thou fleddest ? and his soule , Why , art thou so disquieted ? Why , what ail'd them , what disquieted them , thus to cry out ? Why , this was the matter , Demetrius and his fellow craftsmen , Silver-smiths by occupation , made certaine siluer Temples , as our former Translation ; silver shrines , as this now calls them . Chrysostome thinkes they were a kinde of little coffers , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . Carthusian a kinde of gay little houses , with Diana's image enclosed in them . Other , Images representing & made like unto her Temple , either to be offered in that Temple there , Votiva Templa , as they call them ; or to be borne about with them whithersoever they went , as wont that Philosopher in Ammianus ; Thecas statuarum , certaine cases with her image in them , so sundry expound them . Beza criticking the word , thinkes they were peeces of coine , such as he saies himselfe hath seene , with the Ephesians Diana's image , and a representation of her Temple stamped on them . Temples , or Shrines , or Coffers , or Images , or Cases , or Coines , call them what you will , certaine Gewgawes they were , such as I would have resembled , to the Philistines coffer with the golden images of their Mice and Emerods in it , but that the Iesuite himselfe full properly resembles them to some images of their owne ; and withall records the praises of Bishop Eligius for his singular skill , in making such silver cases for Saints , which in any case are to be deckt up with gold and silver , and every precious thing , saies he ; Romish puppets , a kinne to these Ephesian bables , with Diana's picture in them , which they made and sold to such fond folkes , such silly people , strangers , or others that would buy them . Now holy Paul by his powerfull preaching there , alienating the minds of many people from those gods , no gods , made with hands ; the fellowes fore-seeing , that as their gaine ( of which wee shall after speake ) so their goddesse ( on which alone , their tongues run here in the Text ) their goddesse was in danger to be discountenanced by it , her temple to bee despised , and her magnificence to bee destroied , as that their revenew , so this their religion likely thereby to bee impaired and endammaged , assembled and angry thereat , they cryed out , Great is Diana .

As divine story tells of the Idoll Dagon , falling downe before the Arke of the Lord ; and Ecclesiasticall story , how at Christs comming into Egypt , all the Images there fell downe : so at the preaching of this Gospell then , Idolatry beginning to shake and stagger , as Epiphanius tells of Elisaeus , how at his birth in Gilgall , the golden Calfe in Selom , bellowing out so lowd , as that the noise was heard at Ierusalem , the priest interpreted it , that a Prophet was that day borne , who should breake in peeces their carved and moulten Images : so Pauls preaching battring thus , and crying downe the Idolls , they held it high time to take on , and bellow , and cry out thus for their Diana . So as out of this crying of theirs here , for the upholding of their Diana , as was said of old of her selfe , that she had three visages , tria virginis ora Dianae , so ( mee thinkes ) I see three heads hence appeare unto us . First , their Tendernesse in apprehending so their Diana's danger and disgrace ; they soone saw , yea fore-saw , and fore-cast it afore-hand . Secondly , their Earnestnesse in appearing for her ; no sooner heard they of her danger , but forthwith in her defence , they cry'd out . And thirdly , their Iointnesse in undertaking on her behalfe , in the whole heape of them , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , that 's the word in the whole croud and convocation of them . I do not finde one mute among them here , but all consonants , all crying out . Tendernesse in apprehending , Earnestnesse in appearing , Iointnesse in undertaking ; three dispositions of these Heathen , in regard of their goddesse and idolatry : which when wee shall have weighed comparatively with their defects , in many of us Christians , respectively to our God and Religion , this their tendernesse , that way upbraiding our insensiblenesse , their earnestnesse our remissenesse , their iointnesse our distractions . As Demosthenes wont to grieve if handy craftsmen were earlier up at worke than he ; and Pambo wept to see the naughty woman more busie and sollicitous to please lewd men , than hee himselfe was studious and diligent to please God ; if we have not foreheads of flint , and hearts as the neather milstone , it may make us both blush and grieve to see these Mechanickes here , more passionately and heartily affected toward their baggage Diana , than many of us are to the blessed Deity ; wee , being now so backward and cold for Gods true worship , and they all here so forward and keene for her idolatrous worship , as thus to cry out for it , saying , Great is Diana of the Ephesians .

For the first then , their Tendernesse here over their Idoll . How-ever Lorinus list say , Non minùs affabrè , &c. that Demetrius here compos'd his oration to them , as artificially as ever hee made shrine for her ; for ought I descry in it , with a little Rhetorique , lesse than many lay-Preacher puts into every period to the people ; he wrought so quickly and deepely upon them , that no sooner understood they by his speech , of any hazzard of harme to Diana , but with a quick eare to the touch of that string , out of a feeling apprehension , a tender resentment of it , they cry'd out . That though the harme ( if yee marke the context ) the harme here to Diana's goodly maiesty , was yet farre of , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , say the words before , Futurum , it was yet to come to passe , destrui incipiet , as some render it ; her destruction was yet to beginne , her harme , at the most , was but a hammering , her danger yet but a breeding in Embryone , as it were , and so might miscarry by some aborsment , or otherwise ebbe into emptinesse : yet see here , as Zebul said to Gaal , Thou seest the shadow of the mountaines as if they were men , thou art affraid of a shadow ; the very shadow of danger to their goddesse , they were very shie and sensible of , Atque omnes metuentes expendere casus . And as Eliah out of a little cloud arising , discern'd a great raine a comming ; whilst her danger was scarce yet in the clouds , in the vapours , but arising , they spied the storme a comming . As when Hanniball besieg'd Saguntum , a confederate citie with Rome , Sylius saies , he then beat upon the Capitoll at Rome , Et extremis pulsat Capitolia terris ; every rebuke that Pauls preaching gave to any Idoll , they thought it rapt at their Diana's doore : and so not lingring till Hanniball came to the gates indeed , not delaying till the dart came so neere , that it could not bee declin'd , not neglecting what they thought belong'd unto their peace , till as Demades said of the Athenians , they were driven to mourning gownes , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , as Homer loved to say : Wary were they before the wound . As the Bore being questioned why hee stood whetting his teeth so , whilst yet none assailed him , wisely answered , That it would be then too late to whet them when hee was to use them ; and therefore whetted them so before danger , that hee might have them ready in danger . As Demosthenes advised the Athenians , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , that they would not expect till evill came , but prevent it ; and to deale with their dangers , as men doe with serpents and vipers , of which though happely they never have beene stung or bitten , yet seeing any of them , they tarry not till it sting or bite , but before harme done , forth-with seek to kill it , to crush the Scorpion at the first appearance : So these here , wise in their generation , counting providence better than repentance , not waiting and gaping after event , the Schoole-master of fooles , as Fabius call'd it , not onely ante bellum auxilium , but even ante tubam tremor , affected with what was not yet effected , apprehensive aforehand of her danger , they cryed out : so tender were they over their Diana .

Now from them look we homeward , and make the prospect upon our selves , in parallel with this Heathenish ; feel wee now this Christian pulse , how it beats in aequiparant occurrences : Are we all thus tender over the glory of our God ? are wee all thus iealous for the Lord of Hosts ? are wee all thus apprehensive , thus feelingly forecasting against all such passages , as may at any time seeme to threaten any detriment to Gods cause , Religion ? Vtinam , mollissimum adverbium , call'd Scaliger it , Too soft an adverb for a Philosopher : yet soft as it is , Vtinam , I would Christians all had , and had had such softnesse on this side , such tendernesse over religion ; then had not that truculent enemy of Christianitie growne to that greatnesse through their dulnesse ; ignavia nostra magni , as hee avoucheth it , as having beene and still being many so farre from such tendernesse ; that have not wee rather that way , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , as the Spirit of God uses to call it , a kind of hoof as it were over many of our hearts ? Callum obductum , corneas fibras , brawny breasts , horny heart-strings ? hard and unsensible ? Pectus quoque robora fiunt . As Ducklings stoop and dive at any little stone throwne by a man at them , yet shrink not at the heavens great thunder : so many men are sensible enough , too sensible of any corporall danger to their person , but too unsensible of any spirituall danger to their profession . As Bernard complain'd , Patientiùs ferimus Christi jacturam , quàm nostram , Many of us are lesse sensible of Gods greatest losses , than of the least of our owne . That whereas Ambrose wont to wish , that if any troubles or harmes were to befall either Gods Church or him , they might rather of the two light upon him , and his house ; so they may save their owne stakes , gaine their owne ends , many reckon so little of it , that what David if hee forgot , wish'd his right hand might forget to play , many men forget and play it out of minde , let it stray out of their memory : The Arke of God which shee grieving for , call'd the glory of Israel . Many men now are verie tender over the chariots of their owne glorie , but have little feeling of the Arke of Gods glory . As he complain'd that Paralus , the sacred ship , was set a worke about triviall carriages ; Christian mens affections which should bee laid out about sacred spirituall affaires , most men squander and trifle them away about secular vanities . Multitudes of men , either so besotted with carnall sensuality , or so benumm'd with carelesse security , or so engrossed with covetous secularity , or so deaffed with the durdam of worldly vanity ; Nescio quid teneros fascinat , one thing or other so stupefying and deading all such tendernes in us ; many piping so many eies asleep , searing so many consciences , hardning so many through the deceitfulnesse of sinne , as that many men have little sense of any spirituall hazzards , no feeling on that side ; so deafe on that eare , that though not onely some Demetrius , but even a Mercurie , as they of Lycaonia call'd Paul , should call unto us about it , we many list not heare , but like the Smiths dog , whom neither noise of hammers by him , nor sparkes of fire flying about him , nor some lighting on him awaked . Many men lie still , as not moved , nothing affected , as being that way past feeling , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , as Paul speaketh ; as saying with the unsensible man in Salomon , They have stricken mee and I was not sicke , they have beaten mee and I felt it not : Or as Salomon tells of the simple one , who as a foole unto the stockes , and as a bird hasting to the snare , not knowing that he is in danger , followed the harlot till a dart stroke through his liver . Many men love to dally and foole with dangers , even spirituall dangers , the harlotry of sinne , sensualitie , schisme , superstition , prophanenesse , till the dart strike thorow the liver , the life of their Religion : whereas , as the Gospell speakes of the affectionate father , that whilst the distressed sonne was yet a great way off , he saw him and had compassion on him ; were men heartily affected to God and his cause , the optick glasse of that affection , would represent to their compassion , any distresses of religion , even a great way off , and the spectacles of love would make any troubles at any time towards Gods cause , seeme unto them not lesse , but happely greater , than in themselves they are : affection would breed circumspection , and the eare of iealousie would make them both heare and hearken too after the state and successe of it ; and a taste of the powers of the world to come , would make men discerne any spirituall poyson before they drinke it ; and a tender respect to religion , would cause them ever rather cast beyond than short of any danger concerning it : having their senses exercised , as Paul speakes , to discerne good and evill about it , would make men shun not onely the plague of any spirituall danger , but to bee shie even of every ragge that doth but touch upon it ; to have a godly iealousie over Gods whole cause , his Worship , his Church , his Children , and all the consequences of it . Non aliter ( saies Beza of Calvin ) non aliter in Ecclesias quantum vis remotas affectus , quàm si illas humeris gestaret , That he had no lesse tendernesse , no lesse feeling even of remote Churches , than if he had borne them on his owne shoulders : A right Scholler of St. Pauls , who had a tender care , even over all the Churches , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , as Isydor spake of him ; looking after nothing else but the good of Gods Church . Whereas now ( alas ) as Paul spake , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , occalluerunt obtusi sensus , mens spirituall senses are oft-ten so blunted , their mindes are so much hardned , that as they say in nature , that the softer touch is a signe of the better constitution ; mens hardnesse of feeling this way , bewraies their badnesse of constitution : Nay , as Philosophie saies , tactus fundamentum animae sensitivae . The very foundation of life to be feeling ; and so no feeling , no life , saies Aristotle . Mens want of spirituall feeling , argues their want of spirituall life ; as Paul speakes of the wanton widow , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , that they are many that way but dead , even whilst they live ; many so unapprehensive , so unaffected many , with what may trench upon God and his cause , that as some of the meanest creatures surpasse us in the outward touch , Praestat aranea tactu , so some of the worst of men , seeme so to goe beyond many of us in inward feeling ; that as Salomon sends the sluggard to the poore Pismire , to consider her waies and bee wise , we may many be sent a schooling to these silly Idolaters here , as being many lesse tender , lesse touched with many things that concerne our glorious God , than they here were with what concern'd but their paltry Diana , when they cry'd thus out , saying , Great is Diana of the Ephesians : So have yee the first particular , their Tendernesse .

Yea but for all this Tendernesse over their goddesse , loth that any winde of danger should blow upon her , yet as Salust said once of the Romanes , Videmini intenta mala quasi fulmen , &c. that they then seem'd to deale about their imminent harmes , as men doe about the thunderbolt , every man willing it may not hit him , but no man going about to hinder it ; it may be , for all they so perceiv'd her danger , yet went they not about to prevent it . Yes , as hee wittily said , that all vehement affections , are ( as it were ) of a doubtfull sexe , having impotentiam muliebrem , but impetum virilem , with a womanish feeblenesse , a kinde of manly violence ; so together with that their soft , and as it were Feminine tendernesse , here 's also their stout and Masculine eagernesse on her behalfe , They cry'd out . Their Earnestnesse , that 's now the second particular propounded : For having once that resentment of their Diana's danger , they do not stand mute , no nor coldly call on , but Cry out , as if it were not enough to say so , unlesse they cry'd so , Exclamaverunt 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , as Phavorinus speakes of the roote of this word , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , that it is a crying with keennesse and earnestnesse , as the Scholiast speakes of that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , that cry , that great cry in the 18. of Genesis , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , that it intimates there their stoutnesse and boldnesse ; so these cryers here , furiosis vociferationibus ingeminantes , as some paraphrase , redouble it so with furious vociferations , that whereas within lesse than an houre , the sound of a Sermon here usually growes tedious ; the 34. verse here saies , that for about the space of two houres , there was a shout , crying , Great is Diana . St. Chrysostome well expresses it , Ita afficiebantur quasi vocibus cultum ejus reparaturi , That they were so transported with affection towards her , as to goe about with their very voices to uphold her honour , to carry the cause with voices , and to blow up all opposition against her with their very breath , They cry'd out . Yea out of more keennesse yet , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , as some copies here have it , discurrentes per civitatem , so Comestor ; running and even raving as it were , They cry'd out ; that though such tumultuous out-cries , the common resorts of rash unruly people , clamosi murmura vulgi , bee no patterne for Christian professors , amongst the things that Paul would have put away from us , Ephes. 4. this same 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , clamor , being one : yet as Iehu said , Come see my zeale for the Lord , see we but herein their zeale in their generation , and it will shame many of us in ours ; as Ierome said , Considerare pudet quantus fervor , quae cura , &c. that he was ashamed to thinke how sollicitous men are in secular things , and yet how sluggish in spirituall things ; Considerare pudet , may we likewise parallel it , it will make any spirituall minded man ashamed to think that these Heathen wretches , should bee so importunately clamorous and vocall in their cursed course , and many Christians so infatuatly dumbe and dull for their blessed profession : they so fierce all for their cause , and many of us so faint for ours ; they so stout , and many Christians so squeamish , as scarce to dare to owne Gods cause , having no courage for the truth , as Ieremie complained . No better many than those drie bones in Ezekiel , with sinnewes , and flesh , and skinne on them , but no breath , no life in them . But as Ierome said of spirituall things , Pigrâ quâdam dissimulatione negligimus , with a kinde of dull dissimulation , many slighting and lightly passing by any matter of religion , whilst these here so eagerly earne and cry out in maintenance of their superstition . Or if wee can shift , or set light by this one instance in them , meet wee may with parallels to the same purpose in many others ; not only in godly persons , who for Sions sake could not hold their tongues , and for Ierusalems sake could not rest , as in Esay ; & as Ierome to Heliodore , Licèt parvulus ex collo pendeat nepos , &c. forbearing neyther father , nor mother , nor kindred for Christs cause ; pittying not sonne , nor daughter , nor wife of their owne bosome , nor friend as their owne soule , but slaying them in Gods quarrell , Deut. 13. as when Levi said unto his father and to his mother , I have not seene him : neither did hee acknowledge his owne brethren , nor knew his owne children , out of observance to the Word and Covenant ; even naturall affections giving place to spirituall affections , as more predominant in them . As Nazianzene said , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , facillimus ferventissimus , & mansuetus pugnax , &c. the zeale of Gods cause making even the quietest of them keene , and the mildest of them eager and hote : as when the zeale of Gods house even eat up David ; and Paul readie not to be bound onely , but even to dye also for the Name of the Lord Iesus ; and Luther resolved to enter Wormes in the Name of Christ , were there as many Devils as there were tyles to cover the houses . As Calvin said , Ne decem quidem maria , &c. That it would not grieve him to saile over tenne Seas , about an uniforme draught for Religion : As Philo said , Vbi de religione , ibi quoque de vita agitur , holding even their verie lives to hold upon religion , serving God with all their might , as is commanded ; readie to run even thorow fire and water for their holy profession : Not onely in such , I say , but even in their owne mates and fellow Idolaters , pro aris & focis , they wont all to say , but aris before focis . Albinus put out of his Chariot his verie wife and children , to make roome there for the Vestall Virgins . In the sacking of Troy , Aeneas is said first to have exported 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , and then 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , to have carried forth his gods , even before his dearest father . And about the Oracle and Temple , who hath not heard of the hote warres of the Athenians ? Yea even in this their owne key and tune , for the worship of the golden Image in Daniel , the Herald cried with might and maine . The Chemarims in their sacrifices , cryed with loud voyces : the Idolatrous Priests of Baal cryed aloud , as if Baal had beene asleepe and needed waking , as Eliah mocked them ; the Frogs in Homer that with their noyse would not let the goddesse Pallas sleepe , croaked no louder . Because of the Calfe of Bethaven , the inhabitants of Samaria feared , yea the people thereof mourned over it , & the Priests for the glory thereof , because it departed from it , Hose. 10. fearing and mourning , and much adoo about their Idoll . Festinant , saies David in the 16. Psalm , They hasten after another God , very keen and quicke at that ; following Baalim , they are like a swift Dromedary , that runneth by his waies , saies Ieremy . Acceleraverunt , as that 16. Psalm mentioneth : Nay to another God they offer and give gifts , as others reade it there . Dotant reads Tremellius there , they doe so dote upon their Idolls , that they doe not receive from them , but give a dowry to them ; they offer and give gifts ; nothing so costly which they will not bestow upon them , nothing so hard which they will not endure for them : be it to burne and sacrifice their owne children to them , to make sonne or daughter goe through the fire to Moloch ; bee it to pluck off from wives , and sonnes , and daughters their golden earings in contribution to a Calfe . How ready of old they have beene to do it , divine Story tells you ; or if moderne practices may be more moving , looke upon the Turkes eagernesse in defending & propagating that their Law , Non disputando , sed pugnando , as Mahomet taught them ; their strict inquisition and severity towards neglecters of praiers , especially in time of their Lent , and their Friday services ; their Largesses and bounties to Christians converting to them , and all that other . Or if Christian instances may be more operative , looke upon the Romanists , in the iudgement of some excellent men , Similes hi planè illis , very like to these Ephesians . What cost cast they not away upon their Images ? what tedious pilgrimages doe they not trudge bare-foot to them ? what whippings , and watchings , and fastings endure they not ? Into what houses creepe they not , thereby to leade captive silly women ? what insolent priviledges challenge they not , the verie Concubines of their Priests to bee of Ecclesiasticall iurisdiction ? what regall supremacie undermine they not ? what moving miracles coine they not ? what Assasin have they not set on worke for their cause ? what stone have they not moved ? what earth have they not digged , even till hell beneath was moved to meete them ? If I may so usurp such holy words , hedging , gathering , planting , building : what could they have done more for their wilde vine , that they have not done unto it ? Per mare , per terras , per saxa , per ignes , tot volvere casus , tot adire labores ; as Christ spake of the Scribes and Pharisees compassing sea and land to make a Proselyte , one of their owne profession , Quae regio in terris tanti non plena laboris ? If there be any to whom the Syrens voice sounds sweete , hearken , their owne tongues shall testifie for them herein , their Iesuites owne expression shall evidence their earnestnesse . Campian in his Epistle to the honourable Counsellors of that renowned Queene Elizabeth , Quamdiu vel unus quispiam è nobis supererit , qui Tiburno vestro fruatur , &c. saies hee , That so long as there was any one Iesuite of them remaining to enioy Tiburne ; Fruatur , that 's his word , to weare a Tiburne Typpet , as plaine M. Latimer was wont to speake ; so long as there was one of them left for the Gallowes , torment and imprisonment , they had vow'd never to desist from endeavouring to draw us to that religion , Tantum relligio potuit suadere laborum . Their proverbiall saddle wont to bee set upon the English , were proofe apparent , how much our people wont to toile for that cause , and but summe up with Bishop Iewell , the heavie multitude of payments and perquisites , the Pope heretofore had out of this Land , & the Proverbe will be easily beleeved , & their keennesse for that cause , then notoriously manifested ; the very Geese for the Capitoll not more vigilant , more vocall . If we list not to look backward on others , looke we but downe now upon our selves present , how carefull , and crying , and keene wee are in worldly occurrences : If but a house bee on fire , there 's crying out , Stentor cry'd no louder : if but our childe , or brother , or friend miscarrie , there 's bleating , crying upon crying , Clamassent ut littus Hyla Hyla omne sonaret . As the sonne of Croesus , though formerly dumbe , is said yet to have cry'd out in his fathers danger ; we are not so dumbe , but that wee can finde tongue enough to cry out in many cases of our owne causes : 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , as he spake , boystrous and swelling passions , impetuous enough , obstreperous enough , loude enough in secular passages ; And shall then only we , and we onely in spirituall affaires , the matters of our God , even languish , be feeble & flaging often ? Ferventissimi in terrenis , frigidissimi in coelestibus ? Shal many of us , as in Ieremy , have tongues bent like Bowes for lyes , but not be valiant for the truth ? Shall false weights set the wheeles of so manie other tongues a going , and we not be readie to utter a word in due season for the truth ? 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , as Epiphanius phraseth it , free-mouth'd for the truth of the Gospell . Shall others drive , like Iehu , earnestly , and we , like the Egyptians with their wheeles off , heavily ? As t is observed of Iob , and his friends , that they had an ill cause in hand , but defended it craftily ; and Iob a good cause to defend , but handled it unadvisedly . Shall Turkes , shall Papists , shall Idolaters , shall Heathen sollicite their bad cause so earnestly ; and wee our good cause , our Gods cause so faintly ? Acriùs ad perniciem , quàm nos ad salutem ? As in that sea-tempest the prophane Mariners cry'd every man unto his God , whilst Ionah , the Lords Prophet , was gone downe into the sides of the ship , and lay fast asleepe . Shall prophane men , shall Papisticall men clamour so for their woodden or breaden gods ? and shall any of the houshold of Faith by any sluggishnesse seeme to preiudice and betray the cause of their great and glorious God ? As when Callidus once declared against Gallus with a faint and languishing voice : O , saies Tullie , Tu nisi fingeres , sic ageres ? Wouldst thou utter it so feebly if thou werst in earnest ? Mens faint appearing for Gods cause gives shrewd suspition that many do but feine ; their coldnesse for religion probably concludes they doe but counterfeit ; that being in tongue such mutes for the true , they are many in heart consonants to the false ; hardly would hee lend religion his bloud , who list not spare it so much as his breath ; hardly would he die for it , who will not so much as cry for it . For what though there bee a time , an evill time , when the prudent man shall keep silence , as in Amos ? yet even in those worst times , that time of great and universall corruption , They that feared the Lord , spake then every one to his neighbour , spake often one to another , and the Lord hearkned and heard it , Malach. 3. And even when the iniquity of the house of Israel and Iudah was so exceeding great , that the land was full of bloud , and the city of corrupt iudgement , yet even then Gods children mourn'd and cry'd for the abominations done in the midst thereof , Ezek. 9. and their sighes were then sollicitors for their affections . That what though such turbulent crying beseeme not true Christians ? have they not in secret the voice of weeping with David ? Have they not cry for cry ? the cry of praier which goeth through the clouds , and ceaseth not till it come nigh , and will not depart untill the most High have respect unto it ; even wrastling with God , and will not let him goe untill hee blesse his Church , his Cause , Religion . That as when Hannah powring out her soule before the Lord , spake in her heart , even when her voice was not heard ; and when Moses spake not a word vocally , yet said the Lord unto him , Wherefore cryest thou unto mee ? Wee may cry , and out-cry these even without crying out ; it being not with the true God , as hee said of the false , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , that hee was to bee wooed and wrought upon with noise & clamour : but even without this strong winde wee may appeare before God , as God himselfe appeared in the soft and still voice ; humbly begging a blessing upon religion . As Bodin spake well of obtaining , so for retaining religion , Non disputationibus , sed rogationibus , not so much by disputation as devotion ; not by vociferation , but praier ; as I heard of a good Bishop to spend foure houres a day in prayer to that purpose . I would we were all such cryers out ; otherwise be it never so true which is commented here , and wherewith cold professors are ready ever and anon to cloake themselves : That great is the difference betweene the distempered passion of some phantastique men , and the discreet zeale of sober men ; between turbulent fancy , and true sanctity ; betweene the winde of giddinesse , and the spirit of holinesse ; between the busling and noyse of those who are yet but about the doore of religion , and the moderation and stilnesse of those who are got within ; as Plutarch wittily spake of Philosophy . And many of the same Cryers out like Cyclops roring without his eye , attempting things with great tumult and no iudgement ; and many hot blouds having but cold discretion , and all that other , for all that bosome idoll of discretion ; unlesse our earnestnesse equalize , nay as Christ said , Except your righteousnesse exceed the righteousnesse of the Scribes and Pharisees , except our earnestnesse this way exceed the earnestnesse of these and those other like men ; Si non praestet fides , quod exhibuit infidelitas , as Ierom said , If faith make not us ( at least ) as forward and keen for Gods cause , as infidelitie here made them for theirs , Haec in sugillationem nostri dicta sint , as he spake , to our utter discredite and infamy be it said , They cryed out , saying : Great is Diana of the Ephesians . So have yee the second particular , their Earnestnesse .

Nor was this crying out here , the monology of some one odde one , no nor the impetuous passion , the furious salley of some few hot spurs amongst them ; but the cry of them all , none here excepted , a common crying out , as for a common cause , that their keennesse backt with consent : Their Ioyntnesse , that s now in this first part , the third and last particular . As all of them were called together about the danger , so all of them cryed together in the defence : the following verse seeming to second this observation of consent , where it saies 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , that for all the citie was then full of confusion , yet rush'd they into the common place with one assent , Vno animo : and though in the assembly out of order , some cry'd one thing , some another , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , yet to this point about Diana's defence , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , saies the 34. verse , Vox vna omnium , they cry'd all with one voyce , all in a tune ; especially these companions here in the Text , Clamaverunt vnanimiter , saies Comestor , A ioynt cry of the whole croud of them : Socios artis assumit socios tumultus , so Chrysostome : As many as were fellowes of that company , were also ioynt fellowes of that crying out . A frequent coniunction , as in these , so in other like people 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ; as David speakes in the 83. Psalme , vnanimiter simul , With one consent to consult together and bee confederate ; as in the seventh of this Booke , to run upon Steven with one assent ; as in the Chapter before this , to rise against Paul with one accord ; to say as in Salomon , Come with us , cast in thy lot amongst us , we will all have one purse ; agreeing like theeves in a Faire , all sharers : the congregation of the wicked like towe wrap'd together , saies Ecclesiasticus ; compact and sealed like the Leviathans scales in Iob , as they are resembled . As the Prophet Micah likens the wicked to briers ; and Nahum to thornes folded one in another , they clap and twine and enterweave themselves , as birds of a feather they frequently fly together ; and as in consort of communion ioyntly here cryed out . And shall such brethren in evill tune so like bells , and want but hanging ( as he said ? ) shall Sathans kingdome be at such agreement within it selfe that it may endure ? & shall Christians that professe one Lord , one Fath , one Baptisme , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , as in Paul , a threefold cord which a man would thinke could not easily bee broken : wee that have one word as one breath from one spirit , as Dionysius speakes ; wee that have the same temples and sacrifices , as the Athenians alledged ; wee that are espoused to one husband , as Paul spake of the Corinthians ; shall wee be so carnall as to have amongst us envying and strife and division , and one to say , I am of Paul , and another , I am of Apollo ; and like the divisions of Reuben , cause great thought of heart ? Shall these here have vnitatem contra vnitatem ? shall there be such conspiracy in error ? and shal there not be unitie in truth ? If ye eye and observe but this Booke of the Acts , yee shall finde the veine of those primitive Christians to run all along 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , chap. 1. & 2. & 4. ever and anon one accord , one assent to be specified in them ; and shal we , risen up in their stead , a worse generation , so run after the apple of discord , the ball of contention , and so agree like the Bricklayers at Babell ? that as division of tongues hindred the building then , so division of hearts hinder the building of Christianitie now . For , conferre with the Iew ; one of the maine scandals the Iewes take from Protestants , is their mutuall dissention ; which they interprete to proceed from want of unitie of truth in their foundation ; and so they thereby are startled and scared from the Gospell . Come neerer , what sayes the Papist to like purpose ? heare but one for all ( one of them is enough , unlesse they were better ) : heare but their Bartholdus ; What one of the Heretickes ( sayes hee ) preaches in the morning , another of them denies after dinner ; and what peace , what accord in that house ( sayes hee ) where the husband is a Calvinist , the wife a Lutheran , the serving-man an Oecolampadian , the maid Pittardicall , and the rest of the family Diabolicall ? So charitably their Bartholdus Pontanus . We could pay them in their owne coyne , by telling them , and that truely , that their white and blacke Friars differ as much in opinion as colour , and Harpe and Harrow as consonant as many of them . But I shall never hold recrimination for a remedie : this must I hold , ( as they say of Bees ) that stirre and strife among them is a signe their King is about to remove , to leave the Hive , and to be gone somewhere else : so strife and schisme in religion to be a signe , God eyther hath , or is about to leave that people . Boords ioyned make a Ship , dis-ioyned they cause shipwracke ; connexion of stones make a house , dissipation of them a ruine ; agreement of Christians builds up the spiritual Ierusalem , dissention of them puls it downe . The daughter of dissention is dissolution , said divine Nazianzene : and that which is divisible is corruptible , even Nature dictates : and every subdivision in cause of Religion , is a strong weapon in the hand of the contrary partie ; as hee upon the Councell of Trent wisely observed . The wisedome of Solon , when Athens was distracted into three factions , Diacriorum , Pedeorum , Paralorum , his civill wisedome could dictate unto him , to mingle himselfe with none of the sides , but to direct all his sayings and doings towards common concord . O that there were in Christian people such a wisedome , such a heart , as without siding to apply all their words and workes to the common good of Gods cause , Religion . As the Scripture speakes of David , that hee bowed the hearts of all the men of Iudah , even as the heart of one man ; that under our David all our hearts , as of one man , were bent and ioyned for Gods cause , for the Gospell : Then , as hee said , that shield ioyning to shield , helmet to helmet , man to man , was a sufficient wall . For to him that demanded why Sparta had no wals , the King shewed Citizens well armed and unanimous : in such unanimitie religion would both be impregnably wall'd on earth ; and as the petition of a whole Corporation ioyntly , uses to be more availeable , our prayer , our crying for it would be more effectuall in heaven ; and when all is said and done , as the learned Papinian said , Summa ratio est quae pro Religione facit , That that was the best reason which made most for Religion , our sweetest harmony would bee consent in Gods cause , our truest valour courage for the truth , our best constitution tendernesse over religion : That as Master Latimer in a Sermon before King Edward , made supplication , that they would contribute as bountifully towards the finding of schollers , to exercise the office of salvation , as they wont to bestow in pilgrimage , trentals , masses , pardons , purgatory matters , as he there expounds himselfe ; he desired no more , but that they would bestow so much godly , as they were wont to bestow ungodly : a reasonable petition , as he then call'd it ; so mee thinks , no reasonable man now can refuse to be intreated , to be once ( at least ) as tender , as earnest , as united for the holy cause , as these here were for the heathenish ; at the cheapest , to hold God as deare as they did Diana . Otherwise , as God in Esay rebukes Israel even from the verie oxe and asse ; and in Ieremie Iudah from the storke and turtle , and crane and swallow ; and Christ said , that the Queene of the South should rise in iudgement with that generation and condemn it : these verie Idolaters shall rebuke and rise in iudgement with this generation , and condemn it : and as Wisedome said , That the Eccho rebounding from the mountaines made the wicked to swoune ; the neglecters of the divine cause shall one day bee checked and confounded with the Eccho of this cry for Diana's cause , when they cryed thus out , saying : Great is Diana of the Ephesians .

Laus Deo .
It followeth ACTS 19.28 .

And cryed out , saying , Great is Diana of the Ephesians .

AS Pliny spake of that visage of Diana , Intrantes tristem , exeuntes exhilaratum putant , that to the commers in it seemed sad & pensive , but to the goers out looked blithe and cheerefull : so may I say of this Text of Diana , Intranti sterilis , exeunti foecundus , at first entrance might it seeme barren , but upon further examination proves so fruitfull , that like those sheepe in the Canticles , it bringeth out Twins ; the one holding the other by the heele , as in Genesis . The first that came out was the travell , They cryed out : That which now is to come forth , is the Babie ( the Brat , if you will ) Diana . The former was the Prologue , They cryed out ; and now followes the Fable , Great is Diana . The maner went before , They cryed out ; the matter now comes after , Great Diana . The 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 was , They cryed out , saying ; the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is , Great is Diana of the Ephesians .

In survay wherof , lest the discourse of this matter of their cry prove now as confused as did that maner of their crying , when it fill'd the whole city with confusion , as followeth here , I chuse againe , in correspondence to Diana's triformitie , diva triformis , as she is called , to cast these three wordes here 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , ( if that word bee not here unacceptable ) into these three inquisitions : first , to make inquiry what this same partie , for whom all this clamor and stirre here was ; what shee was in her selfe , why , Diana . Secondly , to examine what she was here to others , why , Great ; Great Diana . And thirdly , who these here were that had this great conceit of her , why , Ephesians , Great Diana of the Ephesians . So as Isidore spake once of the Serpent , Tot dolores , quot colores : so many parts here , so many prevarications : That what hee Christianly spake , Tantus , tantum , pro tantillis , we may invert and turne it here , Tantilla , tanta , apud tantos ; that one so contemptible as Diana , in the estimate of men so understanding as Ephesians , should mount to such valuation as greatnesse , wil proue proportionate to Romish parallels , matter of more wonder than worth , more worthie of our scorning than their crying Great is Diana of the Ephesians .

First then , Diana , for whom all this adoe here was , what was shee ? Quid tanto dignum hiatu ? Why , to begin withall , none of the more worthy gender , but feminine she was , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , haec Diana , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , as thrise in the context here for surenesse ; not god , but goddesse . As if , as we use to say , that sinnes like losses , come huddle , by doublets ; and as Tertullian said of Venus and Bacchus , lust and drunkennesse , Duo ista Daemonia conspirata & conjurata , that them two Devils went ever in the couples : so it were not divellish enough for Heathenish Idolatry to multiply number of gods , unlesse it vary gender too ; not incongruitie enough , according to the Serpents Grammar , Deum pluraliter declinare , as Damianus speakes , to decline God plurally , Eritis sicut Dij , unlesse it thus decline him femally too , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , Dea , Diana . That whereas they say , Wit whither wilt thou ? we may say of them , Wickednesse whither wilt thou ? from evill to worse , from gods to goddesses . A frequent falsification amongst those Heathen then : Nor is it yet altogether antiquated , nor quite worne out amongst Romanists now , whilst howsoever Bellarmine , and so Binius , like drowning men , that catch hold of any reed or rush to helpe them , set downe that as a pregnant difference betweene Heathenish Idols and Romish Images , That the Heathen thus represented feminine gods , quales dij , nec sunt , nec esse possunt , ( sayes Bellarmine ) gods of such kind as neyther are , nor ever can be . As if there could bee some gods in time which be not yet . For all that their masculine profession , looke but into their feminine practise , and then see and say , whether the shoo which Histiaeus made , Aristogaras doth not weare ; whether Diana's buskin will not somewhat fit their Deities ; whether as of old Aricinus Lacus was called Speculum Dianae : so this Text of Diana may not in some sort be called Speculum Romae ; whether as their owne Lorinus resembles Diana's shrines here , to the Images of their Lauretto Chappell there , there be not some resemblance , some affinity betwixt these and them : whether , as a great Light of these late times calls the religion that stands in force by the Councell of Trent , the great and famous Italian Diana ; Italian Rome tast not still of this same cask of Diana : whether , as Bernard taxd the singers in his time , Muliebre , non virile , that they sung womanish , their profession fancy not the feminin , leane not much thus towards Diana : witnes their divine Ladie , she for whom the mighty hath done great things , their Queen of Heaven , the blessed Virgin , a Heavenly Saint sure , metamorphised to a goddesse ; yet so , that whereas Campian praised Wenceslaus , that hee caus'd not Minerva , but Maria to bee adored : for all their adoring , they have often seemed rather to have turned Maria to Minerva . To shew but a peece for a patterne ; looke but upon the Story of their Fryar Allen , betrothed to the blessed Virgin , and thereto a Ring made of a lock of her own haire , and much more ribaldry than modesty may mention in this presence , and then say ingeniously , whether yee thinke they speake of holy Mary , or not rather of some Heathenish Minerva : of a Minerva born of their owne brain , rather than the blessed Mary . And to that ribaldry of some of them , annex that blasphemy of other of them that way too : When Christ saying , Esay 63. I have troden the winepresse alone , and of all people , there was no man with mee : True Lord , say some of them , there was then no man with thee , but there was a woman : Not good that man should bee alone , as they sport with the Scripture , but a helpe with him : Maria adjutrix nostrae redemptionis , so their Benhardinus ; Advocata , so Antonius . Advocatum habemus , saies S. Iohn ; Advocatam , say they : Vnus Mediator , saies S. Paul ; Mediatrix , sing they : Dominus illuminator , saies Salomon ; illuminatrix , say they : Deus auxiliator , saies Esay ; auxiliatrix , say they . Not without some smell of this same garlick mortar , not without a spice , a tang this way of Diana . The Diuinity of their femall pope silly Ione , the strange , but true parallel to this feminine Deity of Diana : Thus not to touch more of that pitch , their Ordo meritricum , founded by Tisceranus the Minorit , their new set up Iesuitrices , &c. without raveling of the worst , wind I it up with Erasmus , Blandientes sexui foemineo , &c. Whether it be as they pretend in praying to the Virgin Mary , that they conceiue of Christ as a strict and seuere Iudge , but of the Virgin as a milde and gentle advocat : ( As if some other could bee more tender over us , than hee that dy'd for us . ) Or which I rather beleeue , purposely to insinuat with the credulous sex , so to devour widowes houses , to leade captive simple women , or serpent-like to vent tentations by the woman , to read many riddles by plowing with those heiffers , or to worke their sinister ends by the weaker vessell ; or whatsoever the Romish meaning be : that which Iustin Martyr mislik'd in Homers Poetry 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , being exemplified in their practice , verie womanish are they , verie free and forward have they long time bin , thus to magnifie , yea for a need thus to deifie their Diana's . That as he once bid his hearers take heed of the Zuinglians heaven , seeing there they had set Hercules with his club ; a man has reason to bee shy both of the Ethnicall and Pontificiall heaven , wherein the distaff bears such sway : That whereas their Martinus said , Se non optare sibi coelum in quo Lutherus esset , that Martin would not wish for that Heaven wherein Luther was : so I never wish to bee of that religion here , nor goe to that heaven hereafter , wherein such Diana's , goddesses are . In the kingdome of God I shall see Abraham , Isaac , Iacob , the glorious company of the Apostles , the goodly fellowship of the Prophets , the noble army of Martyrs , but shall see no goddesses , none of these Diana's there . Then let others thus wander after their owne inventions , imaginary goddesses , but , as David spake 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , let us adhere , hold fast unto our iealous God : for bee the gods of the Heathen good-fellowes , as he said , the true God is a iealous God , & will not share his glory with another . In the Booke of Kings the Seventy , for Dea reade 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , for goddesse abomination : let that mother of harlots have in her hand a cup full of abominations and fornication , as in the Revelation ; but take wee the cup of salvation ( with David ) and call upon the Name of the Lord , knowing , we cannot drinke the cup of the Lord , and the cup of Divells , as Paul speaketh . Let us tremble before the Maiesty of that glorious God , that hath his way in the whirlwinde , at whose reproofe the pillars of heaven tremble and quake , whilst others trifle thus with their devised Deities : Let us say with David , Great is the Lord , and greatly to be praised , whilst others cry thus Great Diana : Great is Diana of the Ephesians .

As a femall , so a woman , this Diana was ; but what manner of woman might shee be ? It were not worth the beating of the bush , to range through all the woods and groves of the Heathen , to bolt out all their Diana's upon every high hill , and under every green tree . Dianae plures , saies Tully , Diana's divers there were . A man may wink and choose of them , it matters not which of them it was ; all of them were nought . He that has little to doe , let him but turne Pausanias , hee shall finde there a litter , a whole kennell of them ; Diana the huntresse , Diana the midwife , and the rest of that multitude there : But among the whole beavie of their Diana's , Vna notissima , one famous , one above all the rest : of whom Ierom , and others interpret this , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , multimammiam they call her , a kind of nurse of things ; Ephesia mammis multis & verubus exstructa , wrote Foelix ; vberibus exstructa , as Lypsius happily help'd it : Well , and what was the same goodly one ? The Sampsaei in Epiphanius worshipt two women as goddesses , because they were of the blessed seed , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , but was Diana so ? no , by their own records , come of a cursed race , a bastard daughter between Iupiter the adulterer , as themselves stile him , and Latona the drab , Pellex , as I finde her stiled : the seed so of the adulterer and the whore , an honest genealogy sure . At the best hand 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , as Clemens spake of all their gods , serva vitiorum , shee was some chambermaide to vice , some light huswife , or so , or else lighter than so : in naked truth , sine veste Diana , strip her but of fond fables , and for all the image comming downe from Iupiter , as they fable here in the 35. verse , wee shall then finde her , non Iovis , sed Phydiae , as one said of Minerva ; Diana , not so of Latona , but some Lapidary , some stone or stock ; as good blocks as she , lying on the back of the fire , warming a man or roasting meat , as in Esay , or boyling Diagoras his turneps , inutile lignum maluit esse deum , or els som vain stone made by the hand of antiquitie , as Wisdome mentions ; happely as good stone trampled and troden under feet , nay yet lower , to bee even nothing : Idolum nihil est , an Idoll being nothing in the world , as Paul speaketh . Great Diana come downe to this ? a block or a blank nothing ? Such a birth of the mountaines prove a mouse ? Such a clamour about a Diana of clouts ? Such a deale of doo about nothing ? All this bruit and no fruit ? All this crying and no wool ? I deny not , but ( as Ignatius mentions ) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , mysteria clamoris , misteries there be to be cry'd aloud and spare not ; the voyce to be lifted up like a trumpet , as in Esay ; to bee preached upon the house tops , as in the Gospell ; and we that are the Lords Remembrancers not to keep silence , for Sions sake not to hold our tongues , and for Ierusalems sake not to rest . Et vae mihi , quia tacui , as Esay : Wo unto me , because I have held my peace , alas , will one day come to be the cry of many men , for not crying now ; when not crying out in sly discretion now , shall make many howle in deepe damnation then ; when in bitterness of soule they shall wish ( too late ) they had beene borne dumb , rather than in Gods cause not to have cryed out : Yet were it but for this one instance about Diana here alone , I shall hardly ever credit popular out-cryes ; As soone shall I measure wisedome by the acre , as worth by noise , or piety by passion , or holinesse by eagernesse , or religion by multitude , or truth by crying : This I perceive being customary with men conscious of defects , to betake themselves to clamor , as the lame man to his horse : This the custome of pleasure , concupiscence , and the like , with intensive clamours to importune their desires , as Philo saies ; yea , even in religious affaires , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , as hee said : This the custome thus to make out-cryes their greatest defences , as the Margeant there well noteth . Were such exclamation demonstration , would crying so carry the cause , Protestancy might hang her harps upon the willowes , the Romanists would quickly have the day ; who ( as Christ spake of vaine and superstitious repetitions in praying ) thinke to bee heard for their much babling , they looke to bee beleeved for their much bawling : so frequent in their false hallows , that as hee said of Aquin , that that dumbe oxe should bellow so loud , that all the world should heare it : The world rings all of the bellowing of their bulls , the thunder of their excommunications , the clamour of their importunities , Tot tintinnabula dicas , tubas atque aera fatigant ; as having that mouth which no adversary is able to resist , as they boast themselves . But why boast yee so of popular concurrence , and keennesse , and crying ? Nostrae virgines , nostri seniculi , all nostri if Campian may only reckon ; Too too many indeed , the more is the pity , for that cause crying out . As if we knew not this , that little matters are often thus managed with great motions : Are there not vaine trifles sollicited thus with vehement endeavours ? doe not the drones , though they make neither hony nor wax , make yet more noyse than the bees ? doe not many thus dive deepe , and bring up nought but shells ? may not the greater Quire be the worse singers , as Zeno said ? may not multitude of associats demonstrate a Heretique , rather than a Catholique , as Ierom spake ? may not the multitude perish that are borne in vaine , as said the Lord to Esdras ? why , it may bee but a reed shaken with the winde , and yet many goe out to see it : it may be but a calfe , and yet people mourne over it , and kisse it , as in Hosea : it may bee but iugling and imposture , and yet the cry goe Miracles , Miracles : the cry may favour not Christ , but Barrabbas : it may bee but a despicable Diana , and yet there be crying thus out for it : Great is Diana . But as concerning them that were puffed up , Paul cared not to know 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , not their speech , but their power ( as hee said ) not vociferationes , but rationes , not clamorem , but vigorem . Brethren , bee we never carried away with the Adversaries importunity , or keennesse , or crying ; but consider wee the cause . Strong crying is but a weake proofe , and like water , often thus bears up light things , and lets the weightie sinke : Then weake is hee , who ( as light things upon the face of waters , non eunt , sed feruntur ) goes not of himselfe , but as he is carried away by others . If one of their Mountebanks cry Balme , thou wilt try it , I trow , before thou trust ; and then the balme of Gilead , Religion , wilt thou take it up upon a rash trust ? perish upon credit ? be captivated with any their quacksalvers crying ? Nay , saith St Austine well , let never these words bee heard amongst us ; I say , or thou sayest , but looke what the Lord saith . As God saies in the 8. of Esay , when they shall say unto you , Enquire at the soothsayers ; should not a people enquire at their God ? will you encline to their crying , or will you not enquire at Gods saying ? Yes , speake Lord , thy servant heareth , as Samuel said : otherwise , cry who they will , and what they will , To the law and to the testimony : if they speake not according to that word , there is no light in them . A decree may come out from them , as of old in Tertullian , None to be consecrated god without the Senats approbation : but as the true God , though men approve him not , is yet a proofe unto himselfe , so these false gods , though never so cry'd up , and approu'd of men , are not yet to bee acknowledged : That though Israel play the harlot , yet let not Iudah sinne ; such cries of others must not call us after , nor may we follow multitudes so to evill . Though hundreds cry Baal , call thou upon the Lord with Eliah : though others serve the gods of the Amorites , thou and thy house serve the Lord with Iosuah : defie thou all strange gods , though all Ephesus deifie Diana , crying : Great is Diana of the Ephesians .

Why , but what if Diana were never so base in her selfe ? yet might shee thus passe for great with others , Great Diana : that is now the second part . As Theognis to his purpose spake once to Diana , Tibi parvum , mihi magnum , though it be little to thee , t is great to mee : though so deficient and feeble in her selfe , as not able to defend her owne house from firing , burnt when shee was a gossipping at Alexanders birth ; a great Temple yet must she have : Magnificentiae admiratio , said Plinie of it , One of the 7. wonders of the world , 425. foote long , 220. foot broad , &c. no lesse would fit her greatnesse . They never mention her here but with addition of greatnesse , her magnificence , the great goddesse , &c. As he spake of Molon the dwarf , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , quantillus quantus ? so little in her selfe , yet thus great to others ; Great Diana . So true is that of Tacitus , Satis clarus est apud timentem quisquis timetur , There is none so meane , but is mighty to him that stands in awe of him ; not only the Stork , but the very stock , a king to the frogs so long as they feare it ; in no case more evidently true , than in this of Idolatry , wherein men overawde themselves , not onely with the worst of the rationall ranke , deos facitis criminocissimos quosque , as Tertullian told them ; making gods of the most ungodly men , and left many honester men in hell ( saies hee ) than those they hoysted up to Heaven , worshipping even Devills , as the Revelation mentioneth . No , nor onely with the meanest in the heard sensitive , Mise as the Musorits , serpents as the Ophits , sheepe as the Saits , goates as the Mendesii , &c. volucresque ferasque posuere deos : not only deifying Erigone , but lest the wench should bee sad for lack of her dogge , placing her very dogge in heaven too , as hee well twitted Iupiter : nor yet onely with the vilest of the troupe vegetable , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , as in Iustin Martyr , worshipping even trees ; but beneath the lowest degree of life , worshipping inferiour degrees of nature , & art , Idols of gold , silver , brasse , stone , wood , as in the Revelation : ready to say to a tree , Thou art my father , and to a stone , Thou hast begotten me , as in Ieremy : to aske counsell at their stocks , and their staff declareth unto them , as in Hosea : to hew downe wood , and with some of it to bake , and with some of it to rost , and of the residue to make a god , and bow to it , as in Esay : and say , Deliver mee , for thou art my god , &c. as that it made Lactantius wondring , question the madnes of it , Quae amentia , &c. What madnes it was for men to feign that , which afterwards they would feare , or to feare that which formerly they had feigned , vsque adeone times quod tu facis ipse timendum ? like little children , starting at those visages , which they themselves black'd and besmear'd ; magnifying thus that which themselves knew of how meane ingredients it was made . Lapides lapidum cultores , as Rupertus spake : Things which had they sense , would magnifie the men that made them , saies Lactantius : for men to bee so senslesse , as thus to magnifie those things , surely they that make them are like unto them , and so are all they that put their trust in them . Et qui , quaeso , eorum non miserearis , as Athanasius spake ; Lord , how pitifully miserable are they , whose eyes are thus shut up , as Esay speakes , as not to see that the stock is a doctrine of vanity , as Ieremie speakes ? but thus to magnifie idols , to cry out thus , Great Diana . And as this woodnesse lived thus among the heathen , would it had likewise dyed among the heathen too ; and that what Tertullian bewail'd , Gentes agimus sub nomine Christi , None under the name of Christ thus playd the heathen ; that Painters and Bakers did not yet also furnish them with gods , Et Faber & Pistor mille dedere deos : That as of old Plato gaue Dionysius that for a privie token , that looke which of his Epistles hee begun with Deus singular , he should take that to bee serious ; but Dij pluralll , that to bee but light and trifling . As the multiplicity of idoll-mock-gods amongst the heathen , so the pontificiall plurality of Images , call them what they will , makes mee often thinke many of them are not in earnest , but onely in ieast with religion , and have those puppets rather as play-fellowes , than as patrons , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , in dijs ludentes , seipsos ludificantes , as Clemens spake , dallying with their gods , but deluding themselves ; for let both their Leeches salve over their actuall practices with speculative plaisters , let their Sophisters mince the matter into nice differences , betweene Idola and Imagines , imagines and prototypa , propter imaginem , and coram imagine , simulachrum and in simulachro , Propriè and Impropriè , Analogicè and Reductivè , Absolutè and Respectivè , intention instrumentall and finall , and all that other ; let them say with them in the second of Ieremy , We are not polluted : Yet if they make not onely a creature , but even the image of a creature , partaker both of the power and worship of God ; if they worship God misconceived , and offer up and worship a breaden Christ ; if to the blessed Virgin they pray , and weepe , and crave , and beg even to the remission of sinnes ; if they call upon their canoniz'd Saints both in private and publique prayer ; if they set images in their Churches , not onely ut conformemus , sed ut colamus , as their own Catechisme dictats : let the persons cleare themselves as they may , I meddle not with their persons ; all the water in Tyber will not cleanse such principles from pollution this way , seeing a man cannot partake , no not of the least circumstance of Idolatry , but it is ( at least ) pollution unto him . And whether I plung into the depth of the sea , or shallower near the shore , the drowning in both places is death vnto me : that as where the river is dangerous , a wise man will never walk so neare the brinke as hee may ; Idolatrie that gulfe deep as hell , he that is wise unto salvation will not approach , no , not neare the confines of it : But ( as Saint Iude bids ) Hate even the garment spotted with the flesh ; hee will be shy even of the least rag , the least relique of it . Ignorant is hee that does not know , and ungratefull hee that does not acknowledge to the glory of God , the comfort of his Church , & the renowne of this government , that whatever by-ditches or curtian lakes there bee , the streame of our people now , the streame runs cleare , not maddy'd with any filth of this heathenish harlotry . And yet to presse the detestation of it , the discourse being both proponenda and inculcanda , as Tertullian spake about it , every where to bee urged , the inclination to it being so naturall , the evasion out of it so inextricable , the continuing in it so intolerable . When they chose new gods , then was warre in the gates , Iudges 5. and not a speare or shield seen among forty thousand of them : they had then no heart to resist the enemy . Offring to another god their sorrowes shall be multiplied , saies the 16. Psalm . Babylon is fallen , is fallen , said the Angel ; a double fal for idolatrous Balylon . They have fallen culpably , and they shall fall penally . If a man would know the next way to hell , why surely along by Diana's doore , Heathenish Idolatry : Idolaters not inheriting the kingdome of God , as S. Paul witnesseth : That unlesse thou beest of his mind , who had rather have his part in Paris than Paradise ; unlesse of their clan in Esay , who make covenant with death , and with hell are at agreement ; unlesse of their race , who run headlong to destruction ; goe now a whoring thus after Idols , if thou darest : with more safetie mightest thou imbrace a firebrand ; everie Idoll being the Idoll of indignation , as in Ezekiell : And woe unto him that saith unto the wood , Arise , and to the dumbestone Rise up , as in Habakuk . They are cursed in Deuteronomy that make any graven or molten Image , and put it in a secret place : And the time will come when they too will curse their gods , as in Esay , when the Idolater , as one said of Iulian , shall burne in hell with that same wood and stone hee adoreth here . Call then unto thy Saints , if any will answere , and to which of thy goddesses wilt thou turne for helpe ? Nay , behold all that are of the fellowship therof shall all of them be coufounded , as Esay speaketh . But yee that have not so learned Christ , to whom there is none other God but one , as Paul to the Corinthians ; Anglia regnum Dei , as was said of old , not Dianae ; with Paul I charge you , before that God , and before the Lord Iesus Christ , that ye never presume thus to provoke the Lord to iealousie , but ever persever , persist to cast away all such heathenish trash , to say unto it , Apage , egredere , Away , get thee hence , as in Esay : no heartie repentance being possible , with any affection to Idolatry , as it is there wel noted . Here wee meete now frequently , and professe our selves penitents ; but heare me , If thou , whosoever thou art , beest not in a rigid opposition to all Idolatry , ( to say no worse ) thou art in a remote indisposition to repentance : and better thou werest out of this place than in it ; for what agreement hath any Temple of God with Idols ? Into such counsell never let your soules come ; let never your glorie ioyne with such assemblies ; never change wee our honour for that which doth not profite : minde we the great God , and we shal not thus magnifie any other ; say we with Zorobabel , Truth 's great , whilst they say Great Diana ; Great is Diana of the Ephesians .

But as one well divided Idolatry , into Idolatry of opinion , and Idolatry of manners ; though these Diana's of opinion most of us ( God be thanked ) abandon , yet the Diana's of maners many of us abound with : every one with bowed knee worshipping the Idoll of his owne concupiscence , and adoring the Image of his owne lust , as Cyprian complained . Chrysostome sayes the Heathen made vicious affections gods we make even our vices our gods , that which every man loveth most , that being his god . He that prefers Lust before God , makes lust his god , and so of the rest . Sua cuique Deus fit dira cupido : As Tertullian discourses well all sinnes to be in Idolatry , and Idolatry to be in everie sinne ; everie mans minion sinne being his Idoll , everie mans darling desire his Diana : For though thou doe not with the Heathen sacrifice Oxen to it , yet offerest thou to it thine owne soule for sacrifice . Excellently sayes Chrisostome ; Though thou doest not adore it , yet doest thou obey it ; though thou doest not carue its image , yet doest thou submit to its inticements , making it thy deare Diana , and thy selfe an idolater in manners : as they say of Antipherus , Ante se idolum sui , that whither soever he went , he thought his owne image went before him : reflecting all upon our selues ; idolaters either of our owne commoditie , covetousnesse , as S. Paul sayes , being idolatry , or idolaters of our owne sensualitie , whose god is their belly , Philipians the 3. or idolaters of our owne pride , to the setting out of which Idoll , goe gold , and silver , and blew silke and purple , as in Ieremy ; or of other manifest works of the flesh , amongst which Paul reckons idolatry ; or more close idolaters of our credit , as one spake well , or idolaters of our discretion , or idolaters of our abilities , idolum in nobis ipsis excitantes , as he spake ; setting vp an idoll in our hearts , as in Ezekiel . Idolaters of ceremony , as one calls Courtiers : idolaters of others greatnesse ; hoping to bee made by them , as they speake , they become such or such a great ones creature , as they say , nec tam praesentes alibi cognoscere divos . And in the winding vp , what comes all this and that idolatry too ? why surely as 't is well noted , that this same 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , plurality of gods , first came from fluctuation of mind , the vnsettled mind seeking god after god , and finding none to rest in , but adding drunkennesse to thirst , as Moses spake . As fluctuation of minde so bred it , so what does it breed now but fluctuation of minde ? all these vaine idols of our idle vanities affoording our minds no true content , sweet rest , no sound satisfaction ; in them we labouring for that which satisfieth not , as Esay sayes . He that loveth silver , saith Salomon ; and so with all other idols : He that loveth silver , shall not be satisfied with it , Eccles. 5. onely to behold Gods face in righteousnesse , that satisfieth : I shal be satisfied with thine image , sayes Dauid ; not so with all those idols : There is satisfaction in the pleasure of thine house , as Dauid speakes ; there is not so in any those idols : Tu satis es nobis & sine te nihil est : that wouldst thou haue true tranquility and peace of mind ? why then returne O my soule vnto thy rest , the Lord . The very letters in Iehovah are all quiescent : thy heart was made for the true God ; nor can it quiet be , untill it rest in him : he onely being centrum quietativum , the center of the soule , wherein alone it findeth rest . The heart , a little member , that will not serue a Kite for a meale , as one spake , and yet asmuch as the Kite flyes over , all the world will not serue it : as little as it is , nothing lesse than God can suffice it . The great God can fill it , so can no great Diana , Great is Diana of the Ephesians .

Great ? happely great in the eyes of some silly people , who if they see any thing gay , t is streight with them great : If a man , as Saint Iames speakes , come in with a gold ring or gay clothing , Great is too little for him in the mouth of gazing men , who though he be not optimus , they 'le make him maximus , if they cannot make him good , they 'le make him great : No but these fellowes here were not every body , but Ephesians , the infection of Idolatry being so smittle , that as the former verse mentions , all Asia , and the world worshipping her , Diana had got footing in most Nations ; a fountaine had she in Sicilie , a haven in Sardinia , a wood in Venetia , an oracle in Apabia , temples in Eubaea , Achaia , Archadia , and more than is meete here to name : but above all , the famous temple at Ephesus ; as that he that would see Diana in her holy-day cloth , finde her in her court-dressings , her fairest equipage and caparisons , hee must looke for her among Ephesians , Great Diana of Ephesians : that s the last part . Ephsians ? why what were they ? why no obscure Rusticks , but of the famous City Ephesus , that light of Asia , as it is called , the metropolis of Asia minor , whither all those parts then frequently resorted , either for Religions sake , as having there the Temple , or for busines , as being then the Metropolis , or for study , as being then the Vniversity , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , saies Philostratus of it , abounding with Philosophers , Orators , and the like , Pythagoras , Parmenides , Democritus , and the rest , renowned for choise men and much wisedome , saies Philostratus : Insomuch , that Suidas telling how the prophane Graecians wont to cousen the simple people , by either banishing or killing the statuary , and then giving out , as herein the context , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , that the image came downe from Iupiter 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , saies Suidas there , with an Emphasis , the trick deceived the very Ephesians : men so intelligent as not likely to be so deluded . And yet for all that learning , skil & abilities , behold here Ephesus even a stews of Idolatry , above all other their vitiosity , behold here how the witchcraft of Idolatry so besots and befooles them , otherwise wise in their generation , as all of them , as followes in the context to cry , town clark and all to say , Great Diana . That as they in S. Prosper boasted the meliority of the wits of those times , beyond the ancient ; wherefore boast any people so of their wits , and learning , and abilities , as if these were immunities from erring ? whereas , in truth , that position condemn'd at Paris , That the better naturalls must of necessity have the greater grace , is so farre from truth , as that oftentimes men trusting and transported with those their good parts , as they call them , undervalue grace , and so those their parts so abused , prove rather unto them as presse-money to impiety : Auctoramentum maioris infidelitatis , as he well phraseth it ; and their wisedome Culpae suasoria , as Ambrose speaketh ; that though , as Paul spake , If any other man thinketh that hee hath whereof hee might trust in the flesh , much more I : if any people may now boast abilities , we more ; yet let not that secure us from falling into errour , but watch and pray , that we enter not into temptation , that we be not overcome of evill , that wee never cry with Ephesians , Great Diana .

That not to wander out of the way , besides and beyond that Idolatrous inclination of Ephesians in generall , crying out in the context ; these crying Ephesians here in the Text , had a more particular interest in her , that made her thus great to them ; a certaine thing called gaine : for though in the sound of their cry they mention onely Diana , yet in the cause of their cry , the verses mixes other ingredients of their trade , yea , the spirit by order of enumeration , seemes to point that out , for the prime and principall motive in their crying . The feare of losing their commings in , caus'd them so to cry out , & made them so cry Great Diana . As Logicians well canvasse the causes , the procatarcticall cause of their cry was , forsooth , Piety , the proegumenall cause was commodity ; their portion , as themselves calld it , their profit . In the cry Diana bears all the name , but in the cryers there was a falfe aime , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , againe and again in the context here , our wealth , and our portion ; looking so through the spectacles of selfe interest , this made her shew so great to them , made them cry Great Diana . Like Lap-wings crying aloof from their nest , the cry runs upon their goddesse , but the nest lay in their gaine ; as they made shrines for Diana , so making skreekes of Diana too , stauking to their ends of gaine , under the shadow of their goddesse ; these craftsmen , were their crafts masters , dolus in idolo , pretending godlinesse , intending gaine , they did bestow divinity on that which brought commodity : they gain'd greatly by Diana , therefore cryd they , Great is Diana . So true is that Tertullian spake of the heathen , Non licet deos nosse gratis , &c. they made a gaine of their gods , that though their gods were nought , they did not serve them for nought . Idolatry being not gratuita , saies hee , not serving God for god a mercy , but captatrix , saies Rhenanus , lying at catch for commodity : so common is that of Epictetus , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , ubi utilitas , ibi pietas , it is the profit that keeps up the piety : so well said the heathen man deos quisque sibi utiles cudit , men love to coyn themselves commodious gods ; with them in the 44. of Ieremy , to incense to the Queen of heaven for plenties sake , to measure Religion by the belly , to magnifie thus that whereby their portion is made fat and their meate plenteous , as the Prophet speaketh . That whereas besides that Tenet of the Fathers , Idolatry to have come first from the devill , as Clemens saies , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , as Epiphanius ; 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , as Synesius call him , as reioycing in Idols . Some hold griefe to have beene the first founder of Idols , Idolum Idodynin , as Fulgentius fetches it from Syrophanes : and others hold feare to have founded , Primus in orbe deos fecit timor : and I encline to thinke they first sprung from flattery . It may probably bee thought , gainefull interest was the first founder of them , especially among the Romanists : Qui Pietatem quaestum , Religionem praedam , existimant , as Aventinus spoke of them , They count gaine Godlinesse , and make Religion their prey , making thus shew of Religion , when their aime is revenew ; with these silvet smiths here , forging most of their gaine thus upon the anvile of Diana . For in this hast to passe by their sophisticall gaines by the Lady of the lake , and the like , and worse ; in passage cast but your eye upon their doctrinall Diana's ; their Diana of purgatory , doe ye any think , they thinke it a point of truth , or not only thus of traffique and profit ? Purgatory pickpurse having fire to no other end , save onely to make their pot boile , and their kitchins smooke : so their Diana of confession , as they abuse it , is it not become the engine , whereby ( as is well noted ) they first dive into mens consciences and counsells , and afterwards into their purses and estates by absolution ? Their Diana's of indulgences , are they ( trow ye ) mistresses of piety , or are they not matters of the market-house , plaine penny worths rather ? I would not weary you with their foule waies , nor sully this presence with any foule relations , howbeit foule : most foule was that blasphemy of their Caiphas to his Cardinall , that that same fable of Christ had beene very profitable to him ; much more be their owne devises never so fabulous , yet so long as they are commodious , all is well may yee thinke . That as Ambrose spake of Beniamins sack , sacco soluto apparuit argentum , that when the sack was loosed the silver appeared , resolve much of their Theology , into that whereof t is constituted , and silver will appeare , commodity will be found to be the chiefe element of constitution : and that because unlesse their Diana's bee held up , their commodities would downe ; therfore cry they thus , Great Diana .

And O that none of this Ephesian leaven were now to bee found here amongst our selves also , who as it is reprehended in Homer , that mingling gods with men , hee spake great things of the men , but meane things of the gods , wee most of us so mingle religion with worldly ends , as that there is in us such a great deale of the one , but so little of the other , that as t is said of the Scythians , that they once smootherd their gods with earth , many of us seeme almost to have smootherd our godlinesse with our worldlinesse , retaining onely 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , as Paul speakes , not the power of godlinesse , but onely the forme thereof , to further our other purposes : much like the fellow , who vowing to Mercury halfe of what he found , finding almonds , presented onely the shells upon the altar ; If we affoord God a shell in Religion , it is to get the kirnells to our selves , following Christ more for his bread than his doctrine ; in our thoughts putting panem nostrum , before nomen tuum ; making pretence of piety , pandar to profit , lending little to Religion but such offices as may broke for our other ends , such passages as may bee factors for our profit , shuffling in Religion , onely to deale our selves a winning game , making professing of Religion only profits stirrop to get up by , making shew of serving God onely to serve our owne turnes . As the winde changing , the weather altereth ; upon any alteration ready to turne , and returne , and overturne , as may best serve our turne , to make our market , under some mask of devotion ; eying thus commodity , though crying thus Diana .

But be not deceived , God is not mocked . As let never interest , no not of life make you leane to false worship , so let never end of gaine , make you feigne either false or true worship : for what s the hope of the Hypocrite , though he hath gained ? To cry thus Diana , Religion , and in the mean time to care only for commodity , & commings in , will one day make all that gaine , as gravell in thy mouth , as the Prophet Micah spake : that which is gathred of the hire of an harlot , shall return to the wages of an harlot , that thus falsly gotten , shall be as fowly gone : that though with Paul , yee wil put on faith as a brestplate , yet never put yee on Religion as a cloak , but say we sincerely , Great is the mystery of godliness , whilst these sophistically cry , Great is Diana of the Ephesians .

Yea , for conclusion , this same Ephesus of all other ( as t is noted ) especially shadowing forth the Church of the Gentils ; All yee that heare mee this day , at parting now looke well upon these Ephesians , and what see you them here ? why Idolatrous . Look forward into the Revelation : why religious . Look down upon them at this day , and what see you them now ? why mahumetically miserable : And seeing it so in them , reflect the sight homeward upon our selves , who had a time likewise of Idolatry , have a time likewise of sincerity , pray we , we never have a time likewise of misery , that it never come to passe with England , which was threatned and performed to Ephesus , I will come against thee shortly , and remove thy Candlesticke out of his place , except thou amend : yea , Amend your lives for the Kingdome of God is at hand : &c.

FINIS .