THe Text it self is a Christning-Sermon , and a Funeral-Sermon , and a Sermon at a Consecration , and a Sermon at the Canonization of himself that makes it . This Thief , whose words they are , is Baptized in his blood ; there 's his Christning : He dyes in that profession ; there 's his Funeral : His Diocess is his Cross , and he takes care of his soul , who is crucified with him , and to him he is a Bishop ; there 's his Consecration : and he is translated to heaven ; there 's his Canonization . We have sometimes mention in Moses his book of Exodus , according to the Romane Translation , Operis Plumarii , of a kind of subtle and various workmanship , imployed upon the Tabernacle , for which it is hard to finde a proper word now ; we translate it sometimes Embroidery , sometimes Needle-work , sometimes otherwise . It is evident enough , that it was Opus variegatum , a work compact of divers pieces , curiously inlaid , and varied for the making up of some figure , some representation : and likelyest to be that which in sumptuous buildings , we use to call now Mosaick work : for that very word originally signifies , to vary , to mingle , to diversifie . As the Tabernacle of God was , so the Scriptures of God are of this Mosaick work : The body of the Scriptures hath in it limbs taken from other bodies ; and in the word of God , are the words of other men , other authors , inlaid & inserted . But , this work is onely where the Holy Ghost is the Workman : It is not for man to insert , to inlay other words into the word of God . It is a gross piece of Mosaick work , to insert whole Apocryphal books into the Scriptures . It is a sacrilegious defacing of this Mosaick work , to take out of Moses Tables , such a stone as the second Commandment ; and to take out of the Lords Prayer , such a stone as is the foundation-stone , the reason of the prayer , Quia Tuum , For thine is the kingdom , &c. It is a counterfeit piece of Mosaick work , when having made up a body of their Canon-Law , of the raggs and fragments torne from the body of the Fathers , they attribute to every particular sentence in that book , not that authority which that sentence had in that Father from whom it is taken , but that authority which the Canonization ( as they call it ) of that sentence gives it ; by which Canonization , and placing it in that book , it is made equal to the word of God . Thesaurus Catholicus . It is a strange piece of Mosaick work , when one of their greatest authors pretending to present a body of proofs , for all controverted points , from the Scriptures , and Councels , and Fathers ( for , he makes no mention in his promise of the Mothers of the Church ) doth yet fill up that body with sentences from women , and obtrude to us the Revelations of Brigid , and of Katherine , and such She-fathers as those . But when the Holy Ghost is the workman , in the true Scriptures , we have a glorious sight of this Mosaick , this various , this mingled work ; where the words of the Serpent in seducing our first parents , The words of Balaams Ass in instructing the rider himself , The words of prophane Poets , in the writings and use of the Apostle , The words of Caiaphas prophesying that it was expedient that one should dye for all , The words of the Divel himself ( Jesus I know , and Paul I know ) And here in this text , the words of a Thief executed for the breach of the Law ; do all concur to the making up of the Scriptures , of the word of God .

Now , though these words were not spoken at this time , when we do but begin to celebrate by a poor and weak imitation , the fasting of our Saviour Jesus Christ , but were spoken at the day of the crucifying of the Lord of life and glory ; yet as I would be loath to think , that you never fast but in Lent , so I would be loath to think that you never fulfill the sufferings of Christ Jesus in your flesh , but upon Goodfriday , never meditate upon the passion , but upon that day . As the Church celebrates an Advent , a preparation to the Incarnation of Christ , to his coming in the flesh , in humiliation : so may this humiliation of ours in the text , be an Advent , a preparation to his Resurrection , and coming in glory : And , as the whole life of Christ was a passion , so should the whole life ( especially the humiliation ) of a Christian , be a continual meditation upon that . Christ began with some drops of blood in his infancy , in his Circumcision ; though he drowned the sins of all mankinde , in those several channels of Blood , which the whips , and nailes , and spear , cut out of his body in the day of his passion . So though the effects of his passion be to be presented more fully to you , at the day of his passion , yet it is not unseasonable now , to contemplate thus far the working of it upon this condemned wretch , whose words this text is , Division . as to consider in them , First , the infallibility , and the dispatch of the grace of God upon them , whom his gracious purpose hath ordained to salvation : how powerfully he works ; how instantly they obey . This condemned person who had been a thief , execrable amongst men , and a blasphemer , execrating God , was suddainly a Convertite , suddainly a Confessor , suddainly a Martyr , suddainly a Doctor to preach to others . In a second consideration , we shall see what doctrine he preaches ; not curiosities , not unrevealed Mysteries , not Matter of State , nor of wit , nor of carnal delight , but onely the fear of God : Nonne times Deum ? And for a third part , we shall see his Auditory , the Church that he preached to : he contented himself with a small Parish ; he had most care of their souls , that needed him most : he applies himself to the conversion of his fellow-Thief . He works upon those sins which he knew to have been in himself . And he works upon him by all these steps : First , Nonne Tu ? howsoever the rest do revile Christ , because they stay behinde , and look for a temporal Messias , to make this life sweet , and glorious unto them ; yet what 's that to thee ? thou art to have no part in it ; howsoever they be , art not thou affected ? Nonne Tu times ? If the bitterness of thy torment cannot let thee love , though thy stomach will not come down to kiss the rod and embrace correction , yet Nonne Tu times ? Doth it not imprint a fear in thee ? Nonne times Deum ? Though the Law have done the worst upon thee , Witnesses , Advocates , Judges , Executioners can put thee in no more fear ; yet , Nonne times Deum ? Fearest not thou God ? who hath another Tribunal , another execution for thee ; especially when thou knowest thy condemnation , and such a condemnation ; Eandem , the same condemnation ; And that this condemnation is not imminent , but now upon thee : when thou art now under the same condemnation , fearest thou not God ?

The first thing then is , the powerfulness and the dispatch of the grace of God in the conversion of them , who are ordained unto it . In Judas , the Devil entred into him when Christ gave him the Sop ; Part. I. Gratia . but the Devil had put the treason in his heart before . The tentation had an Inchoation , and it had a Meditation , and it had a Consummation . In Saint Paul , in his conversion , God wrought upon him all at once , without any discontinuance ; He took him at as much disadvantage for grace to work , upon as could be ; breathing threatnings and slaughters against the disciples , and provided with Commissions for that persecution . But suddainly there came a light , and suddainly a stroke that humbled him , and suddainly a voice , and suddainly a hand that led him to Damascus . After God had laid hold upon him , he never gave him over , till he had accomplished his purpose in him .

Whether this grace , which God presents so , be resistible or no , whether man be not perverse enough to resist this grace , why should any perverse or ungracious man dispute ? Hath any man felt a tentation so strong upon himself , but that he could have given another man reason enough to have kept him from yeilding to that tentation ? Hath any man felt the grace of God work so upon him at any time , as that he hath concurred fully , intirely with that grace , without any resistance , any slackness ? Now fashions in men , make us doubt new manners ; and new terms in Divinity were ever suspicious in the Church of God , that new Doctrines were hid under them . Resistibility , and Irresistibility of grace , which is every Artificers wearing now , was a stuff that our Fathers wore not , a language that pure antiquity spake not . They knew Gods ordinary proceeding . They knew his Common Law , and they knew his Chancery . They knew his chief Justice Moses , that denounced his Judgements upon transgressors of the Law ; and they knew his Chancellor Christ Jesus , into whose hands he had put all Judgements , to mitigate the rigor and condemnation of the Law . They knew Gods law , and his Chancery : But for Gods prerogative , what he could do of his absolute power , they knew Gods pleasure , Nolumus disputari : It should scarce be disputed of in Schools , much less serv'd in every popular pulpit to curious and itching ears ; least of all made table-talke , and houshold-discourse . Christ promises to come to the door , and to knock at the door , and to stand at the door , and to enter if any man open ; Revel. 3. but he does not say , he will break open the door : it was not his pleasure to express such an earnestness , such an Irresistibility in his grace , so . Let us cheerfully rely upon that ; His purpose shall not be frustrated ; his ends shall not be prevented ; his ways shall not be precluded : But the depth of the goodness of God , how much good God can do for man ; yea the depth of the illness of man , how much ill man can do against God , are such seas , as , if it be not impossible , at least it is impertinent , to go about to sound them .

Now , what God hath done , Fac. and will do for the most haynous offenders , we consider in this man : First , as he was execrable to men , a Thief ; and then , as he execrated God , a Blasphemer . Now this Thief is ordinarily taken , and so , in all probability , likely to have been a bloody thiefe , a Murderer : for , for theft onely , their laws did not provide so severe an execution as hanging upon the Cross . We finde that Judas , who was a thief , made it a law upon himself , by executing himself , to hang a thief ; but it was not the ordinary justice of that countrey . First , then , he had been an enemy to the well-being of mankinde , by injuring the possession , and the propriety , which men have justly in their goods , as he was a thief ; and he had been an enemy to the very being of mankinde , if he were a Murderer .

And certainly , the sin of theft alone would be an execrable , a detestable sin to us all , but that it is true of us all , Si videbas furem , Psal. 50. currebas cum eo : we see that all men are theeves in their kindes , in their courses ; but yet we know , that we our selves are so too . We may have heard of Princes that have put down Stewes , and executed severe Lawes against Licentiousness ; but that may have been to bring all the Licentiousness of the City into the Court . We may have heard Sermons against Usury ; and this may have been , that they themselves might put out their money the better . We may cry out against Theft , that we may steale the safelier . For we steale our preferment , if we bring no labour , nor learning to the Service ; and we steale our Learning , if we forsake the Fountaines , and the Fathers , and the Schooles , and deale upon Rhapsoders , and Common placers , and Method-mongers . Let him that is without sin , cast the first stone ; let him that hath stolne nothing , apprehend the thief : rather , let him that hath done nothing but steale , apprehend the thief , and present himself there , where this thief found mercy , at the Crosse of Christ . Every man hath a sop in his mouth ; his own robberies will not let him complain of the theft of excessive Fees in all professions ; of the theft of preventing other mens merit with their money ; ( which is a robbing of others , and themselves too ; ) of the theft of stealing Affections , by unchaste sollicitations ; or of the great theft of stealing of Hearts from Princes , and Souls from God , by insinuations of Treason , and Superstition , in a corrupt Religion in every corner . No man dares complain of others thefts , because every man is felo de se ; not onely that himself hath stolne , but that he hath stolne away himself . Yea , he is Homicida sui , Tertul. a Murderer of himself . Omnis peccator homicida , Every sinner is a Murderer . Quaeris quem Occiderit ? doth he plead Not guilty , or doth he put me to prove whom he hath murdered ? Si quid ad Elogii ambitionem faciat , non inimicum , non extraneum , sed seipsum . It he think it an honor to him , let him know , it is not an enemy , it is not a stranger , that he hath murdered , but himself , and his own soul . And such a Thief , such a Murderer was this ; but not onely such , but a publick Malefactor too ; and so execrable to men : which is his first Indisposition .

Blaspemy . He had also execrated God ; he had reviled Christ . This Evangelist Saint Luke does not say so , that both the Theeves reviled Christ : but that acquits not this thiefe , that Saint Luke does not say 't , no more then it acquits them both , that S. John does not say , that either of them reviled Christ . And then both the other Evangelists , Saint Matthew and Saint Mark , charge them both with it . Mat. 27.4.3 . Mar. 15.32 . The same ( that is , those reviling words which others had used ) the theeves that were crucified cast in his teeth . And , they also that were crucified with him , reviled him . Athanasius in his Sermon Contra omnes haereses , Athanasius . makes no doubt of it : Duo Latrones ; altero execrante , altero dicente , quid execramur ? One Thief said to the other , Why doe we revile Christ ? Origen . so that de facto , he imputes it to them both ; both did it . Origen sayes , Conveniens est , inprimis ambos blasphemasse ; not onely that that is the most convenient Exposition , but that it was the most convenient way to God , for expressing Mercy , and Justice too , that both should have reviled him . Origen admits a conveniency in it . Chrysostome . Chrysostome implyes a necessity , Ne quis composito rem factam putaret : lest the world should think it a plot , and that this Thief had been well disposed and affected towards Christ before , therefore , sayes he , first he declares himself to be his enemy , in reviling him , and then was suddainly reconciled unto him . Hilarius . Hilary raises and builds a great point of Divinity upon it ; that since both the Theeves , of which one was elect to salvation , did upbraid Christ with the ignominy of the Crosse , Universis etiam fidelibus scandalum Crucis futurum ostendit : This shews , sayes he , that even the faithfull and elect servants of God , may be shak'd , and scandalized , and fall away for a time , in the time of persecution . He raises positive and literall Doctrine . And Theophylact raises mystical and figurative Doctrine out of it ; Theophylact. Duo latrones figura Gentilium & Judaeorum : both Jewes and Gentiles did reproach Christ , Sicut & primo ambo latrones improperabant , as at first both the Theeves that were crucified did . Hierom. S. Hierome inclines to admit a figure in S. Matthews words : and he saith , that S. Matthew imputes that to both , which was spoken by one : But S. Hierom had no use of a figure here ; for himselfe sayes , that Matthew , which imputes this to both ; and Luke , which imputes it to one , differ not : for , saith he , both reviled Christ at first ; and then , one , Visis miraculis credidit , upon the evidence of Christs Miracles , changed his mind , and believed in him . Onely S. Augustine is confident in it , that this Thief never reviled Christ ; but thinks , that that phrase of Matthew , and of Mark , Augustine . who impute it to both , is no more , but as if one should say , Rusticani insultant ; mean men , base men , do triumph over me : which , says he , might be said , if any one such person did so . Now , this might be true , if it had been said , Theeves and Malefactors reviled Christ : But , when it is expresly said , The Theeves that were crucified , I take it to be a way of deriving the greater comfort upon us , and the greater glory upon Christ , and the greater assurance upon the Prisoner , to leave him to the mercy of God , rather then to the wit of Man ; and rather to suffer Christ Jesus to pardon him , being guilty , then to dispute for his innocence . For , perchance , we shall lack an example of a notorious Blasphemer , and reviler of Christ , to be effectually converted to salvation ( of which example , considering how our times abound and overflow with this sin , we stand much in need ) except this thief be our example ; that though he were execrable to men , and execrated God , yet Christ Jesus took him into those bowels which he had ripp'd up , and into those wounds which he had opened wider by his execrations , and had mercy upon him , and buried him in them . And this was his second Indisposition .

Now , for the speed and powerfull working of this Grace , Impetus . to his Conversion ; we must not insist long upon it , lest we be longer in expressing it , then it was in doing . We have no impression , no direction of the time , when his conversion was wrought . None of the Evangelists mention when nor how it was done : None , but this Evangelist , that it was done at all . But he mentions it in the clearest and safest demonstration of all ; that is , in the effects of his conversion , his desire to convert others . And therefore we may discerne , Impetum Gratiae , in impetu poenitentis : the force , the vehemence of Gods grace , in the vehemence of his zeale . Christ himself was silent , when this thief reviled him : and yet this thief comes presently to a zealous impatience , he cannot hear his companion revile . Christ had estated his Apostles in heaven ; he had given them Reversions of Judiciary places in heaven , twelve Seats , to judge the twelve Tribes : and yet Facit fides innocentes Latrones , facit perfidia Apostolos criminosos : Ambr. he infuses so much faith into this thief , as justifies him ; and leaves his Apostles so far to their infirmity , as endangers them . To the chief of these Apostles ( in some services ) to Peter himself , Jo. 13.36 . he sayes , Whither I go , thou canst not follow me now ; and to this thief he sayes , Hodie mecum eris , This day shalt thou be with me in Paradise . So soon did he bring this thief , Cui damnari ad tempus expedivit , Ambros . that had a good bargain of death , that scap'd by being condemned , and was the better , and longer liv'd for being hang'd ; ( for he was thereby , Collega Martyrii , and particeps Regni , Cyprian . partaker of Christs Martyrdome , and partner of his Kingdome ; he brought him so soon to that height of faith , that even in that low state upon the Cross , he prayed for a spiritual Kingdom : whereas the Apostles themselves , in that exaltation , when Christ was ascending , talk'd to him of a temporall Kingdome . He came to know those Wounds which were in Christs Body , Ambr. Non esse Christi , sed Latronis , & amare caepit ; then he began to love him perfectly , when he found his own wounds in the body of his Saviour . So he came to declare perfect faith , Gregory . in professing Christs innocence , This man hath done nothing ; and perfect Hope , in the Momento Mei , Remember me in thy Kingdome ; and perfect Charity , in this increpation and rebuking of his companion . August . He was , as S. Augustine sayes , Latro Laudabilis & miraculis ; such a thief as deserved praise , and afforded wonder : but the best is the last , that he was imitabilis ; that he hath done nothing , but that we may do so too , Idem . if we will apprehend that grace that he did . Assumamus vocem Latronis , si non volumus esse Latrones : If we will not steal our selves out of the number , Idem to whom God offers his saving grace . Ut sedeamus a dextris , pendeamus a dextris ; let us be content to suffer , but to suffer in the right . Suffering as Malefactors , is somewhat too much on the left hand ; though even that suffering do bring many to the right hand too . But suffering for Schisme in pretence of Zeal , suffering for Treason in pretence of Religion ; this is both to turn out of this world on the left hand , and to remain on that hand for ever after in the world to come . This thief hung on the right hand , and was suddenly made a Confessor for himself , a Martyr to witnesse for Christ , a Doctor to preach to his fellow . If the favour of a Prince can make a man a Doctor , per saltum , much more the mercy of Christ Jesus , which gives the Sufficiency as well as the Title : as he did in this Thief , this new Doctor , whose Doctrine it self is our next consideration .