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was so governed before the fathers met in the Nicene council; men did not hastily run to a general council. Theo. philus held a provincial council in Palestine; Palmas in Pontus; Irenæus in France; Bacchylus in Achaia; Origen against Berillus in Arabia. I omit many other national councils held in Africa, Asia, Greece, and Egypt, without any order from the bishop of Rome; which councils were godly, orthodox, and Christian. For bishops in those times upon the sudden, if any occasion had been offered, provided for the necessity of their churches by a domestic council, and sometimes craved aid from neighbouring bishops; so that they mutually helped one the other. Neither did bishops only believe, that the cause of religion belonged to them, but even princes too. For to pass over Nebuchadnezzar, who commanded upon pain of death, that the name of the God of Israel should not be blasphemed; to omit David, Solomon, Hezekiah, Josiah, who partly built, partly purged the temple of the Lord, Constantine the emperor put down idolatry without a council, and made a most severe edict, that it should be a capital crime to sacrifice to idols. Theodosius the emperor caused the temples of the heathen gods to be pulled to the very ground. Jovinian, so soon as he was created emperor, made his first law for the restoring of banished Christians. Justinian the emperor was wont to say, that he had no less care of Christian religion, than of his own life. When Joshua was made ruler of the people, he immediately received command concerning religion, and the worship of God. For princes are nursing fathers of the church, and keepers of both tables. Neither is there any greater cause that hath moved God to erect political states, than that always there might be some to maintain and preserve religion and piety.

37. Princes therefore now-a-days do more grievously offend, who indeed are called Christians, but sit idly, follow their pleasures, and patiently suffer impious worships and contempt of God; leaving all unto their bishops, whom they know to make but a mock of religion: as if the care of the church and of God's people, belonged not to them; or as if they were only pastors of sheep and oxen, as it were, to be careful of their bodies and neglect their souls. They remember not that they are God's servants, chosen on purpose to serve him. Hezekiah went not into his own house, before he saw God's temple purified. King David said, I will not give any sleep unto mine eyes, nor suffer mine

eye-lids to slumber, until I have found a place for the Lord, a tabernacle for the God of Jacob.

O that Christian princes would hear the voice of the Lord! Now, saith the Lord, understand O ye kings, and learn ye that are judges of the earth; I have said ye are gods; that is, men chosen by God to honour his name. Thou whom I have raised out of the dust, and placed in the highest degree of dignity and honour, and set thee over my people, when thou art so careful to build and adorn thine own house, dost thou think with thyself how thou canst contemn mine house? Or how dost thou pray daily, that thy kingdom may be confirmed to thee and thy posterity? Is it that my name may be contemned? That the gospel of my Christ may be put down? That my servants, for my sake, may be slain before thine eyes? That tyranny may be further spread, my people always deceived, and scandal confirmed by thee? Woe unto him by whom scandal cometh : Woe also unto him by whom it is confirmed. Thou abhorrest material blood: how much more the blood of souls? Thou rememberest what happened to Antiochus, Herod, and Julian. I will give thy kingdom to thine enemy, because thou hast sinned against me. I change times and seasons. I put down and raise up kings; that thou mayest understand, that I am the Most High; that I have power over the kingdom of men, and give it to whom I will. I bring low, and I exalt. I glorify them that glorify me, and put to shame those that despise me.

SERMONS.

ROMANS XIII.

Verse 12. The night is past, and the day is at hand; let us cast away the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.

THIS little portion of the Scripture has been often expounded and opened in your hearing, yet shall it not be unprofitable once again to treat thereof. For albeit the proportion and ground of matter be one, yet some difference may be in the manner of utterance.

*

The word of God is the water of life; the more you lave it forth, the fresher it runneth; it is the fire of God's glory, the more you blow it, the clearer it burneth; it is the corn of the Lord's field, the better you grind it, the more it yieldeth; it is the bread of heaven, the more it is broken and given forth, the more remaineth; it is the sword of the Spirit, the more it is scoured, the brighter it shineth. The voice of God cannot be unpleasant to their ears who are the children of God; the oftener they hear it, the more comfort they receive; they can never have overmuch, who never have enough.

St. Paul in these words stirred up the Romans, and awaked them out of the slumber of death, that they might behold the clear light of the gospel, and know the time of their visitation, and shake off the works of darkness, and apparel themselves with the righteousness of Christ our Saviour.

But before I proceed further to declare that which is to be spoken at this present, let us turn our hearts to God, even the Father of lights, that it may please him to open the eyes of our understanding, and to direct all our doings. to his glory, &c.

JEWELL.

* Draw it out, or pour it forth.
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In worldly business, it is reckoned a great point of wisdom to do things in due time, and to choose the fittest season to speak or to hold silence, to buy or to sell, to build or to pull down. Solomon therefore said, Eccles. iii. To all things there is an appointed time, and a time to every purpose under the heaven. Whoso does not weigh the season, and take his convenient time, he is unwise, and defeats himself, and bewrays his folly.

But of all wisdom this is the greatest, that a man lift up his eyes to the throne of God's mercy, and know the time of his blessing, and direct his life to the service of God, as he warneth, Eccles. v. Make no tarrying to turn unto the Lord, and put not off from day to day; for suddenly shall the wrath of the Lord break forth, and in thy security thou shalt be destroyed. If the good man of the house were wise, if he knew at what hour the thief would come, he would surely watch, and stand in readiness, and not suffer his house to be digged through.

Of this wisdom, in taking the advantage of time, spake the prophet David, Psal. xciv. This day, if you hear his voice, harden not your hearts. Foreslow* not the time, lose not this good occasion, hear his voice now, this day. Of this wisdom spake St. Paul, 2 Cor. vi. We, as workers together, beseech you, that ye receive not the grace of God in vain. For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee. Behold now the accepted time, behold now the day of salvation.

Whoso knoweth not this time, is not wise. Of this blindness and heaviness of the people, God complaineth in many places of the prophets. In the eighth chapter of Jeremiah, Even the stork in the air knoweth her appointed times; and the turtle, and the crane, and the swallow, observe the time of their coming; but my people knoweth not the judgment of the Lord.

Of this their blindness and folly, our Saviour reproved Jerusalem, Luke xix. Oh! if thou hadst, even now at the least in this thy day, known those things which belong unto thy peace; but now are they hid from thine eyes. For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side, and shall make thee even with the ground, and thy children which are within thee; and they shall not

* Delay.

leave in thee a stone upon a stone, because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation.

Therefore the apostle calls upon the Romans, tells them that the sun is up, and the day open, and warns them not to lose the season; For now, even now, saith he, it is time to rise.

That we may the better discern the light, let us behold the darkness of that time which was before.-The whole world was divided into the people of the Jews and the heathens; and besides these there were no other people; the heathens were forsaken of God, the Jews were his chosen people.

The heathens worshipped the works of their own hands, and gave the glory of God unto creatures which are not God. They went after-idols even as they were led; they had many gods, according to the number of their cities; they delivered up themselves to all manner of filthiness. God gave them over to follow their lusts. The fathers among them slew their own children, and offered them up in sacrifice to devils. So strongly did the prince of darkness possess them; they had not the ark of the testimony; they lived without prophets, or covenant, or Christ, or God; they lived without hope, or light, or comfort. In such a night, and such a darkness, lay the heathen.

The Jews, God's chosen people, they were also bereft of knowledge; there was no prophet left among them, nor any to teach them the will of the Lord. The law perished from the priest, and counsel from the ancient; light was turned into darkness, and judgment into wormwood; they were bitter and grievous to the poor; they slew the prophets which were sent unto them; they forsook the fountain of living waters, and followed Baal and Ashtaroth. Like people, like priests; from the sole of the foot unto the head, there was nothing whole in them. Of them God spake by the prophets, Mal. i. I have no pleasure in you, neither will I accept an offering at your hand. Of them he said, Isa. i. When you shall stretch out your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you; and though you make many prayers, I will not hear you. In such a darkness lay the Jews, in such a darkness lay the gentiles. All had sinned; they were all corrupt and abominable in their ways; they were the children of wrath and the vessels of destruction. So were they wrapt in the cloud of ignorance, and covered

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