and bucklers, and towers, but no sword, no material sword in the church's hand; Arma nostra preces et fletus 26; The church fought with nothing but prayers and tears. And as God delivered her from these perplexities, from perplexing the affairs of princes with her interest in their government: so he delivered her from any perplexities in her own government. No usurpation, no offer of any prince that attempted to invade or violate the true right of the church, no practice of any heretics, how subtile, how potent soever, though they equalled, though they exceeded the church in number, and in power (as at some times the Arians did) ever brought the church to a perplexity, or to an apprehension of any necessity, of yielding to sacrilegious princes, or to irreligious heretics in any point, to procure their peace, or to enjoy their rest, but still they kept the dignity of priesthood entire, and still they kept the truth of the Christian religion entire; no perplexity how they should subsist if they were so stiff, ever brought them to go less to any prevarications, or modifications, either in matter of religion towards heretics, or in the execution of their religious function towards sacrilegious usurpers. So God preserved the primitive church from perplexity; she was ever thankful and submissive towards her benefactors; she was ever erect and constant against usurpers. And this preservation from perplexity, we consider in the reformed church also. When the fulness of time was come, and that church which lay in the bowels of the putative church, the specious church, the Roman church, that is, those souls which groaned and panted after a reformation, were enabled by God to effect it; when the iniquity of Babylon was come to that height, that whereas at first they took of alms, afterwards Monachi emunt et nobiles vendunt, Monks bought, and lords sold, nay monasteries bought, and the crown sold; when they went so far, as to forge a donation of Constantine, by which they laid hold upon a great temporal state, and after that so much further, as to renounce the donation of Constantine, by which, for a long time, the Roman church claimed all their temporal state, St. Peter's patrimony, and so, at last came to say, that all the states of all Christian princes are held of the church, and really may be, and actually 27 Hieron. Ep. ad Demetr. 26 Ambrose. are forfeited to her, and may, at her pleasure, be re-assumed by her; when for the art and science of divinity itself, they had buried it in the darkness of the school, and wrapped up that that should save our souls, in those perplexed and inextricable clouds of school-divinity, and their school-divinity subject to such changes, as that a Jesuit professes, that in the compass but of thirty years, since Gregory de Valentia wrote, Vere dici possit, nocam quodammodo theologiam prognatam esse, We may truly say, that we have a new art of divinity risen amongst us; The divinity of these times, says he, is not in our church the same that it was thirty years since; since all parts of the Christian church were so incensed, both with their heresy, and their tyranny, as that the Greek church, which generally they would make the world believe, is absolutely as they are, is by some of their own authors 20 confessed to be more averse from them, and more bitter against them, than Luther or Calvin; since upon all these provocations, God was pleased to bring this church, the reformed church, not only to light, but to splendour, he hath preserved this church from perplexities. If they say, we are perplexed with differences of opinions amongst ourselves, let this satisfy them, that we do agree all, in all fundamental things: and that in things much nearer the foundation, than those in which our differences lie, they differ amongst themselves, with more acrimony and bitterness, than we do. If they think to perplex us with the fathers, we are ready to join that issue with them; where the fathers speak unanimously, dogmatically, in matters of faith, we are content to be tried by the fathers. If they think to perplex us with councils, we will go as far as they in the old ones, and as far as they for meeting in new councils, if they may be fully, that is, royally, imperially called, and equally proceeded in, and the resolutions grow and gathered there upon debatements, upon the place, and not brought thither upon commandment from Rome. If there be no way but force and arms, if they will admit no trial but that, God be blessed that keeps us from the necessity, but God be blessed also that he preserves us from perlexity, or not being able to defend his cause, if he call us 28 Tanner. in Aquin. p. 1. ad Lector. to that trial. And therefore let them never call it a perplexity in us, let them never say that we know not what to do, when we acknowledge the church of Rome to be truly a church for the pest-house is a house, and theirs is such a church; but the pesthouse is not the best air to live in, nor the Roman church the best church to die in. Thou hast preserved me from perplexities, may the primitive church say, and so may the reformed too, and so also may every particular soul say, which is a consideration, that from the beginning we proposed for every part, and are now come to it in this. When we were upon this consideration in our former part, we showed you, that no over-tender or timorous soul, might hide itself in a retired life, from the offices of society, but though every particular age bring a new sin with it, every complexion a new sin, every occupation a new sin, every friend a new sin, that must be loved for his sake, yet para te foro, thou art bound to come abroad, and trust upon God's hiding thee there from temptations, and so assure thyself that he will preserve thee from perplexities. Now, we consider in the school, perplexities, which are such only by misunderstanding; and perplexities, which are such in the true nature of the thing. Those of the first kind, perplexities in a misunderstanding, should fall upon no man; perplexities of the second kind, in the nature of the thing itself, can fall upon no man. Of the first kind, this is an example, a man swears to conceal all his friend's secrets, and he tells him of a treasonable purpose against the state; either way he must offend; against his oath if he reveal it, or against his allegiance, if he do not. This is no perplexity; for in a right understanding he must know, that such an oath binds not. Of the second kind there was an example in Origen, who must, by the commandment of the persecutor, either offer sacrifice to an idol, or prostitute his body to an abominable abuse with another man. Which should he do? Neither. God gives a man an issue in such cases, by death; Et vitam potius finire debet quam maculare, He is bound to give his life, rather than to stain his life. This timorous soul then fears where no fear is. He would hide himself, he is loath to come into the world, because he thinks he must needs sin. He 30 Augustine. needs not. Is there a necessity laid upon him, that he must die as rich as the richest of his profession, and that he cannot do without sin? That he must leave his wife such a jointure, and nis children such portions, and all that he cannot do without sin? first, all that he may do without sin: we have seen in all professions honest men die as rich, as dishonest. If thou do not, he that hath said, There is no man that hath left wife or children for my sake, but shall hare a hundred fold here, and everlasting life", (which is a blessed codicil to a will that was abundant before) will also say, there is no man that hath left wife and children poor for my sake, but I will enlarge my providence upon them even in this life, and my glory in the next : and this was our second part, considered in the church and in ourselves, Thou shalt preserve, &c. There remains yet a third part, that as God hides us from temptations, that they reach us not; or preserves us from intricacies, and perplexities, so that they hurt us not; so if they do, yet he compasses us with a joyful deliverance, (as our former) or with songs of deliverance, as this translation hath it, that is, imprints in us a holy certitude, a fair assurance, that he will never forsake us; and this voice we may hear from the church first, and then from every particular soul ; for, to both, (as we have told you all the way) do all the parts of this psalm appertain. As it is an exaltation of God's indignation, when he is said to compass by way of siege, (so Jerusalem complains, He hath builded against me, he hath compassed me with gall and travail, he hath hedged me about, that I cannot get out; so God threatens, I will camp against thee round about, and I will lay siege against thee") for this intimates such a displeasure of God, as that he does not only leave us succourless, joyless, comfortless in ourselves, but cuts off those supplies which might relieve us; he compasses us, he besieges us, he camps round about us, that no relief can enter; so when his love and mercy is expressed in this phrase, that he compasses us, it signifies both an entire mercy, that no enemy shall break in in any part, whilst he doth compass us, and a permanent and durable mercy, that as no force of the enemy, so no weariness in himself, shall make him discontinue his watches, or his guard over us, but that he will compass us still. 31 Mark x. 29. 32 Lament. iii. 5. 33 Isaiah xxxix. 3. Thy faithfulness is round about thee, says David to God"; that is our first comfort, that God compasses himself with his own faithfulness, that is, is never unmindful of his own promises, and purposes; and then, he is round about our habitations"; God compasses himself with his own faithfulness, and then, he compasses us with himself: that as Satan told God one day after another, Circuivi terram, et perambulari eam, I have compassed the earth, and walked round, but could never say that he had broke into Job's quarter, for he found the impossibility in that, The Lord had made a hedge about him, where note that God's first care is of the man; and the soul is the man; first a hedge about him, and then, about his house, and about all that he had, on every side; so day after day we shall find arguments to establish our hearts in hope, that the Lord hath compassed us, and nothing shall break in so, as to take us from him: but God shall say to us, as to his former people, Leva in circuitu oculos tuos, Lift up thine eyes round about, and behold, (which is one great comfort, that he enables us to see and to know our enemies, to discern a temptation to be a temptation) Omnes isti congregati sunt, All these gather themselves together, and come to thee, (which is another assistance, that when we see our enemies multiply, and that there is none that fighteth for us, but only thou O God, we make a more present recourse to him) but, Vivo ego dicit Dominis, As I live saith the Lord, velut ornamento vestieris, thou shalt surely clothe thee with them all as with an ornament, and bind them on thee as a bride doth; (which is the fulness of the mercy, that as in another place, he promises his children, panis vester sunt, your enemies shall be your bread, you shall feed upon your enemies; so here he makes our enemies, even our spiritual enemies, our clothes, and more than that, our jewels, our ornaments, we shall be the stronger, the warmer, the richer, by tribulations, and temptations, having overcome them, as we shall, if the Lord compass us, if he continue his watchfulness over us) and that David says here, first in the church's behalf. God from the beginning carried a wall about his church, in that assurance, Porta inferi, The gates of hell shall not prevail 34 Psalm LXXxxix. 8. 36 Job. i. 8. 35 Psalm LXXviii. 28. 37 Isaiah XLIX. 18. 38 Numb. xiv. 9. |
