114

No cowardice to pray for peace.

VII.

SER M. pacifici, and from David's mouth Rogate pacem Jerusalem, which we are to make good against both these opposers, both the one and the other. Those that think it a cowardly, first, then those that think it an unlawful prayer.

And for the former; we know not what some men call 1 Sam. 16. courage and valour, but sure we are king David was one that 18. wanted neither, famous in Israel for his valour, and renowned 13; 17. 8. through the world for his victories, that made single combat

2 Sam. 8.

1 Chron.

28. 3.

with the giant, and dyed the Philistines in their own blood, that made war with a witness, and proved most victorious in it; yet he it is here, as great a sword-man, as stout a warrior as he was, that comes in upon Rogate pacem, and not only bids us pray, but prays also for peace himself. It is the conqueror's prayer. Again, with the poor, weak shepherds, that perhaps had no valour in them, there was a company of Lu. 2. 13. heavenly soldiers, saith St. Luke, and sure we are that they had valour and courage in them enough; yet their prayer was for peace too, Gloria in excelsis Deo, et pax in terris. It is votum militare, it comes from the mouths of soldiers themselves; they praise it, and pray for it, they sing of it, and wish it, where they wish any good; neither know they what better thing they should wish to men, than peace upon earth. So it is the soldier's prayer also, not the gown-man's alone, nor the weak man's prayer only, but the wise and the valiant and the stout man's too. And being so, we may be certain it is neither cowardice to pray for peace, nor courage to call for broils and troubles.

For what greater happiness can there be, than that it should be with us here on earth, as it is with the Angels in heaven? and with them it is all peace, as Nazianzen well observes from their prayer in the Gospel, pugnas et dissidia nescire Deum et Angelos, no broils, no brabbles in heaven, but all at quiet there, and all wishing for peace here. So that a kind of heaven there is upon earth, when there is peace upon earth; and justly are they blessed and rightly are they called the children of God that are, or shall be at any time, the procurers of it.

Not that it is unlawful to enter upon a war neither, (as

f τούτων δ ̓ οὐδὲν οὕτως ἴδιον, ὡς Naz. Orat. xii. Opp. i. 198. edit. 1630. τὸ ἄμαχόν τε καὶ ἀστασίαστον. S. Greg.

the Anabaptists hath sometimes fondly taught,) when nor peace nor right can otherwise be performed; but that in the midst of such troubles, our desires and ends be still for peace; that howsoever the sword may be put into the hand, yet that Rogate pacem, the prayer for peace, be never put out of the heart.

14.

And absque hoc I cannot tell what account men make of contentions and garboils and mischief done to the other. For if peace be God's blessing, as a chief of His blessings it is, we may reckon by that what contention, what no peace is: no less than the curse of God, than the rod of His wrath, as Isaiah termeth it, whereby men are scourged for their pride Is. 10. 5. and for their weariness of a peaceable and godly life. No, it is but a sport, says Abner, for men to go together by the 2 Sam. 2. ears; but he found it, as ye all find it, even in any breach of the peace whatsoever, a little sport in the beginning, but bitterness in the ending, not to fail. Whereupon we bring in king David's advice, both for the state in general, and for every one of you in particular; Pray for the peace;' seek her out wherever she is to be found; and if she hides herself, enquire after her; if she flies from you, give her not over yet, but follow her to the end, and when you have gotten her, you have got a blessing, the greatest blessing that this world can afford.

In regard whereof, those other men have but little to do, it seems, who are finding fault with the public prayers of the Church, when, according to the prophet's rule here, we pray for the continuance of our peace, and desire to be kept from battle and persecution. Nay, when we do as king David adviseth, and as St. Paul enjoineth, and must be blamed for that, I know not what to say to them. This I will say, we need not wonder at their other cavils, when these be so unchristian. " Pray for the peace of Jerusalem,' saith the prophet here: pray that you may live a peaceable and a godly life under your king, saith St. Paul. No; pray for no peace, 1 Tim. 2.2. pray not against any battle, saith our Puritan, directly against the text; and for so saying let us ever think what spirit governs the sect, we shall be sure to find that it is none

See L. Osiandri Epit. Hist. Eccles. iv. 935. Tubing. 1608; Seckend.

Hist. Luth. i. 177.

h See Hooker's E. P., v. 48.

VII.

116

Christians ought to pray for peace.

SER M. of the Spirit of peace. They are all for contentions and brabbles, both at home and abroad, and He every where against them, as we also ought to be; and let this be enough for the first point.

Joh. 14.

27.

Ps. 122. 6.

18.

I should now come from the civil peace, the peace of the state, to the religious peace, the peace of the Church; and the peace that we are to preserve, one Christian with another; but of that, there is somewhat more to be said than the time will now allow, which will force us to reserve it till, by God's grace, we have another.

Only for a conclusion at this time, let us ever and always remember that without peace abroad we shall never be in peace at home; and if the state has no quiet, we cannot choose but want that blessing ourselves. That therefore, being subjects under a blessed and a gracious and a peaceable king, we pray for the continuance of his peace, and for the prosperity of this Jerusalem, all our life long; that we join with Christ in His wish, pax in terris, and with David in his, pax in Jerusalem, and with St. Paul in his, 'peace with all men Rom. 12. as far as lies in us,'-that God would put it into our hearts, and into the hearts of all that profess His Name, so to affect His peace, that the prophet here may have his wish, that as the old Christians said, Orbis pacatus, there may be peace through the Christian world. Indeed such desires may speed or miss thereafter, as they meet with the sons of peace; but howsoever such good desires, such holy prayers, shall always return into our own bosoms, and the God of peace will never fail to reward them with peace and joy hereafter, that love righteousness and peace here. To which peace and joy He bring us, That hath prepared the same for us, even Christ our Lord and Saviour.

Tertull. Apologet. cap. xxx. p. 27. edit. 1664.

SERMON VIII.

IN FESTO PENTECOSTES, DURHAM, [MAY 20,] 1632.

Adjutorium nostrum in Nomine Domini.

ROMANS viii. 14.

Quicunque Spiritu Dei aguntur, ii sunt filii Dei.

For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, those are the sons of God.

[For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.]

THIS feast keep we holy to the sending of the Holy Ghost. And ever upon this feast somewhat we are to speak, and some text to choose that belongs to His sending; so does this. The Gospela ye heard refers to the promise of it, 'I will send Him;' the Epistleb to the performance of it. And He was sent upon the persons of the Apostles to remain with the Church for ever. This text, to the end of promise and performance both, that now God has sent Him, and come He is, He may have that honour done Him for which His coming and His sending was, That was to be our leader and our guide, that we may be led by the Spirit of God in this verse, that we might walk not after the conduct of the flesh but after the leading of the Spirit, in all the verses before. For Rom. 8. 1, first and last through this whole chapter, the Apostle still 12, 13, &c. sends us to the Spirit, to see whether we follow Him, or no; whether our walk lies after His guiding, or the guiding of some other; if after His, then to assure ourselves that we are right and that we keep this feast to some purpose, being

day.

John 14. 15. The Gospel for the

b

Acts 2. 1. The portion of Scripture appointed for the Epistle for the day.

118

Importance of the feast of Pentecost.

SER M. thereby brought unto a state of happiness, even the blessed

VIII.

state of the sons of God. But if not, if we choose to like better of some other guide to be led by than of Him (suppose it be of the world, or the flesh, or our own self-will, or any such leaders as they be,) then to make account we are wrong, and that we keep this feast of the Holy Ghost to no purpose at all, being by that means brought to a state of misery and death, even the miserable estate of the sons of wrath. So it runs here. 'If ye live after the flesh, ye shall surely die; but if by the Spirit ye mortify the flesh, ye shall Rom.8.13. surely live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, those are the sons of God.' Then as many as are not led by Him, whose sons are they? Sons of God they are none, and part of Christ's inheritance are they none, they are none of His sure; they long' to some other.

1

1 belong

By this now we come to know what the use of the Holy Ghost is, and what the use of His feast; that without Him, all our other feasts of the year are nothing, even all the rest, from the very first, the Incarnation, to the very last, the Ascension of Christ, though all honourable in themselves, yet never a one of them beneficial to us without this day, and this duty of the day, which we are to keep holy to the Holy Ghost. For in all these of Christ He made but the purchase only, He did but pay for this inheritance and state of sons delivered which we look for, He gave us no possession, nor livered2 us any seizin of it Himself, but reserved that for His Spirit, Who is the earnest, the investiture of our redemption, saith St. Paul, that as many as were led by Him might be brought into full fruition of it, invested to the state, and be made heirs with Christ, even the sons of the living God.

2 Cor. 1.

22; 5. 5.

Eph. 1.14.

3 should

So that upon the well or ill keeping, the good or bad use of this feast, depends our interest or our forfeit of all that went before. For that cause it would3 be the better heeded; and if we be willing to learn, this text will teach us.

In it I shall consider two general heads, (I.) the duty of the day, out of each aguntur, that is, the duty we owe to the Holy Ghost, to be led by Him; (II.) and then the fruit of it, out of Filii Dei, that doing our duty and being so led, we come to have assurance made us that we are the sons of God; two. And in the first I set forth these parts.

these