A Great Prince is falne in Israel; 2 Sam. 3.38. 1 Sam. 4.21. Zach. 11.2. Aust. de Pas. the ioy of the Christian world is deceased, Ichabod, the glory of Israel is departed: Howle ye poore Firre Trees, your Cedar is fallen, Lachrimis non verbis, miserationibus non orationibus opus est.

I know it is contrary to the grounds of Art, presently, at the first entrance, to hoise vp sayles in such a sea of la­mentation and sorrow: But miserie obserues no rules of Oratory, and therefore without any further Proeme, wee should all take vp that Elegy of Dauid, 2 Sam. 1. 2 Sam. 1. O noble Israel, he is slaine vpon thy high places! Tell it not in Gath, nor publish it in Ascalon, least the daughters of the vncir­cumcised reioyce. O ye Mountaines of Gilboa, vpon yee be neither dew nor raine, there the shield of the mighty was cast downe: Ionathan was lonely and pleasant in his life, swift as an Eagle, strong as a Lyon: ye sonnes of Israel weepe for Ionathan, which clothed you in Scarlet, with pleasures, and hanged ornaments of Gold vpon your apparell. All of you of what condition soeuer, heare with silence what you feele with sorrow, the very thunderbolt of heauen. I will smite the Shepheard, and the sheepe of the flocke shall be scattered.

[Page 4] Take vp a lamentation, Ierem. sayth the Lord to the Prophet, A lamentation such as was not in the daies of our fathers. A­las, no lamentation will sit our losse, a deluge of teares is little enough to beare the arke of our sorrow. Austin is sayd to weepe a shoure of teares, Ambrose a flood of tears; but you will tell me, Doct. Swale Rhetorie intur Patres: I am sure Ieremy wished for a fountaine of teares, and my sorrowing & louing brother hath brought you a Saboath dayes iour­ney towards this Fountaine, him I follow with paces of lamentation and loue, and with as faithfull as sorrowfull obseruance, to his memory, for whom we are comman­ded to continue these our last accomplishments of at­tendance: we shall both endeuor to teach you that last lesson of our Sauiour, Weepe not for me, but weepe for your selues. I haue at this time setled the foundation of my meditations vpon the farewell of Christ to his Disciples. A prophecy found in Zachary 400. yeeres before it was vsed heere; Zach 13.7. Mark. 14.28. Ioh. 16.27 repeated in Matthew, in Mark, and Iohn, in all these places prophecying of the death of the lord of life. Hypocrisie is a true Pharisie, but griefe is a bad Scribe, expect neither order nor matter, sorrow hath deuided such shares among vs, the scattered sheepe and flocke of this fold, that our soules are euen deuided within vs.

The words themselues, without any descant, be words of amazement and astonishment, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheepe of the flocke shall be scattered. Rom. 1.16 Ier. 23.29. Heb. 4.12. Eph. 6.17. Euery word of the Lord is a power, a fire, a hammer, a Pyoner, to ouer­throw strong holds, a sword to deuide the reynes and the marrow. But this an extraordinary word, it is the alarum to a battel, the voice of a Trumpet, an Earthquake, shak­ing the Pillars of the Earth, I will smite the shepheard, and the sheep shall be scattered. I will smite, vox furoris & do­loris, [Page 3]sayth a Glosse, the voyce of fury in God, Gloss. Bern. Leu. 27. Deut. 28. Reu. 3.19. the voyce of misery to man. It had beene more milde, if, as in Leui­ticus, I will punish: or in Deuteronomy, I will correct: or in the Reuelation, I will chastise. But who is able to beare his blow? who is able to stand before him if he be angry? by the least of his blowes wee are cut downe, dryed vp, and withered.

I will smite the Shepheard, not the sheepe of his Pasture, not the Ewes great with yong, not the Lambes of the Fold: if the sheepe onely had bin smitten, Psalme. Dauids prayer had serued; how long wilt thou proceed in anger against the sheep of this pasture? But the stroke is greater, more grieuous, it is falne vpon the shepheard, the guider, the glory, the Prince of the people: I will smite the shepheard.

And the sheepe shall be scattered: his poore followers haue no better phrase then the sheepe of his flocke, silly, simple, innocent creatures: Wolues haue dens, Foxes holes, Birds of the heauen nests; but Sheepe wander out of the way in the wildernesse, Errant in montibus agni, they haue no Citie to dwell in. If the seruants of our Sa­uiour had no more misery then they may collect out of the condition and consideration of being called sheep, it is much. Poore creatures, when they are strongest toge­ther they haue no meanes to withstand the incursions & inuasions of the Wolues; but the Text stirreth vp more sense of sorrow: The sheepe shall be scattered.

Be scattered: it were, as if they were scattered & consu­med: Be dispersed, it is as if they were destroyed, Lorinus. Psal. 119. di-sper­dere is bis-perdere: they shal be, as Dauid speaketh, either gone astray, like the sheep that perished, or as Christ spe­keth, as sheepe prouided for the slaughter. Scattered they must be: I wil smite the shepherd, & the stocke shalbe seat­tered.

Diuisio. The parts are two: Part. 1 first, the death of the Shepheard: se­condly, the dispersion of the sheepe. The death of the shep­heard, plainely in these words, I will smite the Shepheard: wherein, because I will not trouble you with vnnecessary fractions: Looke vpon, first, The person smiting, I will smite: secondly, The person smitten, I will smite the Shep­heard. Secondly, in the dispersion of the sheepe, in these words, and the sheepe shall be scattered, obserue, first, the denomination of Christs Seruants, The sheepe: secondly, the desolation of these sheep, The sheep shall be scattered.

I will smite. Nazian­zen. Non nisi coact us percuitis, saith Nazianzen, it is neither the Nature nor pleasure of God to be smi­ting. Abaddon, Apolluon, be the names of Sathan in the Reuelation: Reuelat. but the Lord is a gratious God and mercifull, slow to anger, and of great kindnesse, & repenteth him of the euill. Gloss. Ord. Ioel 2. Exod. 34.6. Benignus affectu, misericors effectu, saith the Glosse vpon the second of Ioel: Moses in the thundring and light­ning heard no other attributes vpon the Mount: Dauid in his sorrowes acknowledged no other: Ionas in the bel­ly of the Whale, & bottome of hel, among all the waues and surges, remembreth no other: Ioel in his day of darkenesse, and blacknesse, repeateth no other affections of the Lord, Ioel 2. but these, the Lord is gracious and mercifull, slow to anger, and of great kindnesse, & repenteth him of the euil. Psal. 145. The Psalmist giues God these titles, the Lord is strong and patient, there is hony in the Lyon, sweetnesse in strength, he is not onely strong and patient, but strong in patience, he doth foreslow his vials, and forbeare his ven­geance, till the cart-roapes of sinne doe hurry downe his iudgements. It may be he will vpon long expectation cut away the lappe of our garment, as Dauid did by Saul, but it is a rare example, that hee proceedeth againstany, as [Page 7]Satans motion was against Iob, to stretch out his hand, Iob 1.11. August. & touch all that he had. There were foure ages of the Iewes, in all foure the people continued sinfull: the iudgements expected were fearefull. In the first age of the Patriarkes, he promised a blessing to their posteritie: in the second age, of Iudges, he setled their Common-wealth and Po­licy in the third age, of Kings, he built them a Citie to dwell in: in the fourth, of Prophets, he built them a tem­ple to pray in: hee might haue blasted them in their Spring, but he suffereth them to come to their Autumne; nay further, hee endured them till their owne loosenesse brought them to the fall of the leafe.

It is the most vile and base condition of man, that when as God hath no other Fountaine then the fountaine of Grace in Zachary, Zach. 4. nor other riches then the riches of his mercy in the Psalmes, nor other bowels then the bowels of compassion, and that the vnlimited extent of his gra­cious affection is beyond all imaginable proportions, yet notwithstanding, man will vnsheath Gods sword, & will violently force him to his armory, to put on his habergi­on and brigandine, as Esay speaketh; to whet his sword, [...] 59.1 [...]. to bend his Bow, and to prouide him deadly weapons, to or­daine his arrowes against them that persecute him, as the Psalmist threatneth, Psal. 7.13. that Heauen shall afford milli­ons of Angels; Hell, legions of wicked spirits; Orbs, and Arches of Heauen, Stars to fight in their order; Elemen­tary regions, Haile, Frost, Snowe, Stormes, Tempests, Mildew, Blastings: and the earth his great artillery-yard, to send out Lice, Mice, Flyes, Wormes, the very Nissets, Palmerwormes, Locusts, Caterpillers, Cankerwormes, small creatures, yet great armies, as he calleth them in Ioel: hereby causing Iordan to runne backe, Ioel 2.25. his mercy [Page 8]to retire, yea, constrayning him to alter his owne desire and nature, and tenor of speech, as in this place, I will smite; & not onely so, but as before, they cause the stroke, so afterwards they neglect the stroke, Pliny. as if the iudgements of God were like to those Bruta fulmina among the Ro­manes, which, because they fell vpon the beastes, neuer came to obseruation. So wicked and beastly men neuer obserue, neither why hee striketh, nor who it is that striketh. A father hath no ioy in the continuall chiding or scourging, or cursing of his sonne, nay, his very bowels yearne within him for sorrow, his affection can be no lesse, Prou. 31.1. then of the mother of Lemuel, O my sonne, O the son of my wombe, O the sonne of my desires. The compassion of the Lord can be no lesse, whose mercies be aboue all his works: yet, if a man will not turne, he will whet his sword, and bend his bow: Chrysost. in Psal. 7. acerbitatem poenae gladius, celeritatem designat arcus, saith Chrysostome: In vaine doe any attri­bute the inuentions of swords to the Lacedemonians, Plin. lib. 7. Nat. Histor. Ludolph. or of bowes, to the Scrythians, God hath prepared them, eius sunt arma, cuius sunt verba, ego percutiam.

Obseruation. First The obseruation collected from the words I will smite, is this, that in all iudgements we ought truly to iudge of the true author: he that being asked his name by Moses, an­swered, I am that I am; Exod. 3.14 he it is that afterwards threatens, I will bring famine; I will bring the sword; I will bring the pestilence. In the ten plagues of Egipt; in the beginning of them his words be, In this thou shalt know that I am the Lord, Exod. 7.17 Exod. 15.3 I will smite. He is a man of War, in the same booke: Nay, the Lord of hosts and armies, often called in his own booke: Murraine of cattell is called his hand; Pestilence his sword; Exod. 9.3. 1 Chro. 21 Psal. 91. sicknesses his arrowes; his bow hangeth in the cloud; his sword is euer in his hand; his axes & hammers [Page 9]be in readines; he it is that doth hurt and shoot, & wound and strike, and spoile and ouerturne. Hom. Odys. He is not Iupiter in­ermis, as one thought, but as another spake, his weapons be innumerable, & his hands vnresistable. The religious Saints of God acknowledged this; Dauid shal speake for all. O Lord, thy anger, thy heauy displeasure, Psal. 38. thy arrowes sticke fast in me, thy hand presseth downe sore. The rebelli­ous children of Israel acknowledged this when Ierusalem as we finde in the old Testament, had bin 7. times assai­led; by Shishak King of Egipt in Rehoboams dayes; 1 Kin. 14. 2 Chro. 25 23. Isa. 7.1. 2 Kin. 18. 2 Chro. 33 2 Kin. 33. 2 Kin. 25. by Ioas King of Israel in Amaziahs time; by Rezin King of Aram in the raigne of Ahaz; by Zenacherib King of Ashur in the time of Hezekias; by the captaines of the Assyrians, who tooke Manasses captiue; by Pharaoh Necho, that car­ried away Iehoas prisoner; lastly, by the Chaldeans, who burnt the Temple, and defaced the Citie: and that they had enemies round about them; on the East the Moabits Ammorites, Assyrians; on the west side, the Philistines; on the North the Syrians, on the South the Aegiptians, Ara­bians, and Idumeans, all most infestuous to them, yet still cry out in their vexations vnto God; thou hast couered vs with wrath, thou hast made vs the off-scouring of the people. Nay, superstitious heathens haue acknowledged this: Lam. 2.43 Exo. 8.19. the Enchanters, that the plague of Lice was the finger of God: Tiberius, that Thunder was the power of God: Homer, that the plague was the arrow of God: Hip. in prog. Hypocra­tes, that a great plague among them, was a punishment sent from God. Nay, blasphemous reprobates haue con­fessed this; for the damned, at what time the storme fell vpon them in the Reuelation, they blasphemed God, Reu. 16.24. because of that plague of Haile.

Ʋse. A doctrine to confute those that put the iudgements [Page 10]of God farre from themselues, by putting them far from the true author of them, God himselfe. Naturall & beastly men, who make naturall causes the reasons of supernatu­rall euents, who to the wantonnesse of wit, adde wicked­nesse of will, Psal. 73 9. and belike to those spoke of in the Psalmes, that talke presumptuously, and set their mouth against Heauen, making the power of God to be circumscribed by the power of reason, who, because they beleeue no more then they see, and feare no more then they feele, they goe no further then the presence, neuer goe into the priuy-chamber of Gods iudgements, second causes must remoue it from the first author. But I aske, as the Apostle doth, O thou man, who art thou that disputest with God? or rather, who art thou that deniest the prerogatiue of God? seeing he hath sayd, I doe strike; I will smite.

Applic. In this our incomparable losse (of which though I shall neuer thinke or speake without an indiuidual companion, sorrow, & sorrow attended with the vtmost remembrance and reuerence limited vnder heauen) I may vrge this one part of my Text vnto them who neuer looking vp to heauens vnresistable stroke, doe complaine that eyther the want of care, or skill in the Phisitians, shipwrackt all our hope in that blessed Arke the Prince.

I stand not heere to dawbe, with vntempered Morter, neither to feare, nor flatter any; I doe beleeue that they were both sorrowfull beholders, and faithfull helpers, so far as Art, Vigilance, and diligence, could extend. But when ego percutiam is once proclaimed, no Phisitian can cure Asa his legs, or lay a plaister vnto Fzekias botch, or cure the Shunamites child, crying, my head. No balme in Gilead can help the feuers, dropsies or bloody issues, which Christ healed, though the patient Patients bestowal they [Page 11]haue vpon those honorable instruments; for so the son of Syrach calleth Phisitians. And therefore as those, in the Prophet cryed, a Conspiracie, a Conspiracie; so these, Poyson, Poyson: How probable soeuer that may be; let them looke vnto the poyson of their owne soules, the onely infection that brought this heauy affliction vpon vs. And whatsoeuer second causes there might be, let vs leaue the consideration thereof to them, to whom they belong: and let vs (which doth only concerne our selues) with feare and reuerence, and humilitie, confesse it was Gods hand, Greg. Mar. lib. 1. as both Gregorie confesseth vpon the affli­ction of Iob, & Ambrose before him of all such punish­ments: Cum Diabolus vulnerat, Domini sunt sagittae: Whatsoeuer the second causes be, yet the supreme rule of all is in Gods hand.

But while I am thus informing others, my owne soule becomes a sceptick, and questions thus: Could God forget to be gratious? would he in displeasure so smite Him, that was our ioy & hope? Yes, that he might more fully settle our hope vpon the true obiect, God himselfe. But would he, so smite as to take him away in the Sunne-shine of his time? yes, that he might bestow farre greater brightnesse vpon him. Alas, he was in the flower and splendor of his youth: he was lesse taynted, lesse blemished. His death was the vndoing of many his poore seruants: but God is able to prouide for them better then he could: Psal. 37. Let them trust in the Lord, and verily they shall be fed. He was taken away in this solemne expectation of Nuptiall-ioy and triumph: He is gone to greater ioy, to the Marriage of the Lambe; to those ioyes, triumphs, Angels Quire & Songs, to which no burden, nor no end belongs. He was taken away, as it were somewhat sodainly, and vnexpectedly; yet not so [Page 12]sodainely as the fiery enemies of God and the King enten­ded in that furious sulphureous plot to haue blowne him vp: 2 King. 23. neither so sodainely as Iosias the dearling of God, who had no more warning then while an arrow made a doore in his breast for Death. 2 Chro. 35.20. But our Iosias was taken a­way in a seasonable, comfortable visitation, when he was full of beautie, full of glory, full of pietie, full of Religion, full of admiration, full of lamentation. Beloued, in a word, as the Apostle speaketh; Comfort your selues, one another, with these words: Iob 1. Ionas 2. The Lord gaue him, and the Lord hath taken him: and as Ionas Marriners acknowledge; Thou O Lord hast done as it pleased thee.

(As it followeth) Thou hast smitten the Shepheard.

Cir. 2 To haue smit a Wolfe, deuouring the sheepe, had bin mercy; to haue smitten one sheepe of the fold had bin iudgement with mercy, but to smite the shepheard may seeme iudgement and fury. In this houre & time of mour­ning, now we sit as in the shadow of death; it is fitter for you to feed on the tree of life, then on the tree of know­ledge, & therefore I desire to confine my speech only vp­on meditation; but the word shepheard leades me forth further then I thought, besides the waters of comfort. A shepheard was the first tradesman; though the second son of all the children of Adam; Gen. 4.2. and after Abel many shep­heards were in neer attendance vpon God. Cypri. serm. de Nat. Chri. Saint Cyprian hath collected them, and hath the Catalogue of them. Abel Pastor outum fuit, fuerunt et Patriarchae pastores, su­arum tandem familiarum principes; Pastor fuit Moses; Pastor Dauid, &c.

In the beginning after the creation, in the olde Testa­ment, God chose shepherds to be his seruants. In the be­ginning of the time of redemption, in the new Testament, [Page 13]Christ chose fishers to be his disciples: shepherds haue a solitary life; fishermen a watry life. In shepherds the anci­ents haue hierogkiphically obserued contemplation, in fishermen lamentation. A shepherds life, saith Philo, Phil. lib. 1. de vit. Mois. is praeludium ad regnum; of which phrase Homer and other Grecians haue made vse: and the old Testament hath none of more esteeme then shepherds. Moses, that kept Iethro his sheepe; Iacob, that kept Labans sheepe; Ioseph was sent to Iacobs sheepe; Amos a Prophet, taken from the heard; Moses a Priest and Prophet, from the sheepe; Dauid, the Lords souldier, and whoeuer had such victo­ries as Dauid? taken from the fold; Elias, the Lords Seer, and you know what the spirit of Elias was, yet he taken from the cattell. But more then this, God the Father is called a shepherd in the Psalmes; Psal. 80.1. Ioh. 10.11. O thou shepherd of Isra­ell, thou that leadest Ioseph like a sheepe. God the Son doth name himselfe a shepheard in the Gospell: God the holy Spirit, is named a shepheard in Peter; 1 Pet. 2. the Shepheard and Bishop of our soules. I haue lead you so farre, onely to shew in what honor the name, function, person of shep­heards haue beene: you may the more wonder at the words percutiam Pastorē. Abel the first shepherd may be slaughtered; but this shepherd, by excellencie called the shepherd, he that is bonus Pastor, magnus pastor, Princeps Pastorum. Formosi pecoris custos, &c. He that was white and ruddy, the fairest of ten thousand; full of grace were his lips; spetiosus suae filijs hominum: he whose head was fine as gold, whose lockes were curled, who had cheekes as a bed of spices, lips like lillies, hands as rings of Crysolites, legges as pillars of marble, whose countenance was as Lebanon, whose mouth as sweete things; who was wholly delectable: O my God; is he striken? yes, and smitten with such a deadly blow, [Page 14]that the Axeliree of heauen could not haue born it. Esay cal­led him, vir dolorum, and Ieremy expresseth his inexpres­sible griefe, dolor non sicut dolor, neuer sorrow like his sorrow. Sorrow followed him from his birth to his buri­all. In his birth persecuted by Tyrants; in his life tempted by diuels; at his death apprehended by Traytors; scourg­ed & spitte vpon by souldiers; vile fied more then a mur­therer; crucified with Theeues; a Crosse, the curse of the Law, to beare him, and he to beare all the sinnes of the world; his most blessed body to be mangled and goared, his soule to drinke vp sorrow, & thus to giue vp the ghost. Pastor, Pellican. Christus, dilectus filius, Populi, Doctor, super hunc excitantur persecutorum manus: vpon Christ, who was pri­mogenitus, nay, vnigenitus, the beloued son, the Doctor of his people, the Shepheard of his sheepe, the Lambe of God, the Lyon of Iuda, the expresse Character of his Fa­ther, the light of the Gentiles, glory of his people Israel; the hands of his persecutors are lifted vp, and fall downe with this heauy, heauy blow.

Obser. 2 The obseruation hence is, that the great height of sinnes, bring downe so heauy weight of iudgements, as that God will not spare his owne onely one, his deare one, his faire one, his Son Christ Iesus. I say no more in this, but what Aqui­nas gathereth from that of Esay, Aquin. in Esay. Propt [...]r scelus populi mei percussi eum: for sin he was smitten, who had no sin; and the blow was so heauy that the mountaines trembled.

Not onely was Christ taken away for sin, but in fierce­nesse of Gods wrath, hee often giues the world such a shocke and stroke that it reeles, and almost ouerwhelmes, with the dart of vengeance that strikes into the heart of a kingdome, by taking away the chosen seruants of God, the chosen shepheards of the world, such as are Kings & [Page 15] Princes, who as Christ communicated of mans miserie, so these participate of Gods Maiestie: & yet in his furie he will smite these. Witnesse Iosias the dearling of God, the apple of his eye, the signet on his right hand; Prophe­cied of three hundred yeeres before his birth: lamented among the posteritie of the Iewes after his death: yet Io­sias must be smitten; Iosias, Eccle. 49. whose remembrance is like the perfume that is made by the Apothecary, sweet as hony in all mouthes, and as musicke at a banquet of wine; he that was a patterne of reformation to all succeeding Princes: yet Iosias must be smitten; he that destroyed the idolatrous Priests, & monuments of Baal, the Sunne, Moone, Planets with all their high Places, or Valleyes, or Groues, or Al­tars, or Vessels, and cut downe, burnt to ashes, beate to powder, threw into the brooke, and left no signe of them: yet Iosias must be smitten: 2 King. 23. 2 Chro. 35 Iosias whose Epipoheneme and acclamation was; like vnto him was no King before him; whose Elegy and Lamentation was such as neuer the like before or after him; all singing men and singing women lament him to his day, and neuer the like mourning as that of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddo; yet Iosias must be smitten. Non similis, for his honorable reforma­tion: Non similis, for his memorable lamentation, yet the right hand of the Almighty spared not Iosias. In the Chronicles of all the Kings, from Saul to Zedekiah, con­taining fourteene generations and forty Kings, there was not one that gaue or tooke the like example of perfecti­on. For as among the bad, Rehoboam did ill, Ieroboam worse, Omri worse then he, Ahab worse then all; so on the contrary, though Asa did right in the eyes of the lord, 1 King. [...]. & his son Iehoshaphat walked in the wayes of Asa his father. Amasiah did vprightly in the sight of the Lord, 1 King. 22 and Aza­riah [Page 16]his son did according to all that his father Amasiah did. 2 King. 14 2 King. 15 Dauid was a man after Gods owne heart, & Salomon his sonne for his wisedome, honor, riches and happines, exceeded his father Dauid, 1 King. 10 yet euery one of these had some scarre, some blots, some blemishes, an eclipticke line ranne through each of their Zodiackes; onely Iosias is without any noted spot or wrinckle; like him was no king before him. What then was the reason that this Rose of the garland must be blasted; the diamond of the Crowne be darkened; the Paragon of all the Kings of Israel and Iudah must be smitten; that percutiam, the word of my Text, serued his execution so violently vpon Iosias? Why would he that breaketh the bow, Psalme. knappeth the speare in sunder, & casteth the arrowes in the fire, I say, why would he let the Archers shoot at King Iosias? 1 King. 22 It was the voyce of the King of Aram to his Captaines, concerning wicked King Ahab, fight ye neither against great nor small, but a­gainst the King; but that the Lord should direct that fa­tall arrow to be the death of his darling Iosias, this arrow strikes vs with admiration. I cannot but beare part with those mourners in Megiddo; Alas for this great day, Alas for that good Prince, Alas that Iosias is smitten.

When Dauid numbred the people, the people dyed, they suffered for his sinne, 1 Chro. 21 plectuntur Achiui; and Dauid cryeth, What haue they done? it is euen I that haue sinned, Is it not I that haue commanded to number the people? but these sheepe what haue they done? O Lord my God, I be­seech thee, let thine hand be on me, and on my fathers house, and not on thy people for their destruction. There the people were plagued for the offence of the Prince, but heere the Prince is smitten for the offence of the people.

I finde especially two causes why Iosias was smitten. [Page 17]First, for the sinnes of the time: The first cause of the death of Iosias. the sinnes of those dayes I collect out of Zephany, to be strange and horride. In the front of the Prophecie you may see that he prophesied in the dayes of Iosias: Zeph. 1.1. in the second verse of that Chapter there is a fearefull destruction pronounced; such as in so few wordes, is not to be found in all the Prophets. It is a generall obseruation, that where we heare some strange desolation threatned, there is some strange abhomination committed. Obserue both here: first the desolation thret­ned; I will surely destroy all things from the Land, Zeph. 1.1.2 saith the Lord: I will destroy man and beast; I will destroy the fowles of the heauen, and the fishes of the sea, and ruines shall be to the wicked, and I will cut off man from the land, saith the Lord, &c. It is so terrible, as if that in the Psalm were fulfilled, Destructions are come to a perpetuall end: Psalm. 9. a deluge and Cataclisme, a deuastation & desolation vnspea­kable. The greatest plagues that euer came on the world were either the particular, in the Iudgements on Egipt; or the generall, in the drowning of the World. In Egipt, beside [...] flyes, and lice, and frogs, and darknesse, there was the killing of the first-borne, Murraine of Beasts, death of Fishes, by the water turned into bloud; but I find no where that their fowle of heauen were destroyed: In the drow­ning of the World, all mankinde was not destroyed, eight Soules were preserued, and although the beasts of the field, and fowles of the ayre perished, yet I can no way collect the destruction of the fishes; those watry creatures kept their Colonyes. In Egipt, beasts and fishes were de­stroyed, not the fowles: In the floud, beasts and fowles, not the fishes; but in this, Man and Beast, Fish and Fowle, all things threatned to be destroyed from the earth. Secondly therefore consider the abhomination commit­ted [Page 18]in those times; you may at first sight collect them out of the following verses. In the 4. verse, Zeph. 1.4.1. there was a remnant of Baall in the land, resembling our Papists. Se­condly, Priests and Chemarims, fit parallels to our Priests and Iesuits. Verse 5 Thirdly, in the 5. verse, there were some that sware by the Lord, and sware by Malcham, equalling the false-harted, halfe hollow-harted Hipocrites of two Reli­gions in these dayes. Verse 6 Fourthly, in the 6. verse, some that turned backe from the Lord, like to our Ephraimitall A­postaticall reuolters. Fiftly, some that sought not the Lord, nor inquired after him, shadowing the Atheists of our land. Verse 8 Sixtly, in the 8. verse, such as were cloathed with strange apparell, the characters of the guls and gallants of our dayes. Verse 9 In the 9. verse, some that daunced vpon the threshold so proudly; the note of the quaint Crane-paced Courtiers of this time. Lastly, those that filled houses by cruelty and deceit; the brand of the sinfull and couetous Citizens of this Citie. Now measure with the cubit of the Sanctuary, whether desolation be not fitted to abho­mination. Runne to and fro through the streete of that Chapter, and see, and heare, and feare, and tremble: Sinnes were the cause of that threatned destruction, sinnes were the Cart-ropes, Engines, Pioners, the Earth­quakes, Whirlewindes, Thunderbolts, finall downefall and funerall, and deuastation of that State.

In the time of the Iudges, Iudg. 20.44. the Lord almost extingui­shed the Tribe of Beniamin, eighteen thousand at one time. 1 King [...]2. In the time of the Kings ten Tribes fell from Isra­ell. But this misery is more; Roote and Branch, head and tayle, as the Prophet sore-told, Man, Beast, Fish, and fowle are destroyed. For sinnes he doth stretch out his hand vpon Iudah, and vpon all the inhabitants of Ierusalem: [Page 19]for sinnes he doth worry the Sheepe, and smite the Shep­heard. This is the first reason why Iosias is smitten.

The se­cond cause of smiting Iosias.The second reason that Iosias was smitten, was, that hee might not see the misery threatned to be brought vpon Israell; his eyes should not see that euill. Euill must come but not in the dayes of Iosias. The word of the Lord is good, (saith Hezekias) onely let peace be in my dayes. The Israelites must be bond-slaues in the land of Egipt, Genesis. but not till the Patriarkes sleepe in peace. Tenne Tribes shall be diuided from the twelue, yet Salomons eyes shall first be shut. Ierusalem shall be destroyed, but not till they who mourne in Zyon be marked. Ezek. 9.4. Al Italy grieuously troubled, but Ambrose must first be at rest. Africa shal be spoiled, but not till Austine decease. Germany was di­stracted, but Luther first must peaceably & honourably be buryed. England was persecuted and fiered, but bles­sed King Edward must first be receiued into Abrahams bosome. God reserueth his iust & determinate plagues, and stayeth his Vyals till his appointed times. All the States of the World haue their Criticall dayes, and Cli­mactericall yeeres, beginnings, setled stations, declina­tions, and dissolutions at Gods appointment.

It was a speech that commands admiration from vs, that God should say to Lot, Get thee hence; I can doe nothing till thou art gone hence. Was the power of God limited by himselfe? he did actiuely limit his power, it was not passiuely limitted by Lot; God did limit his wil; Genesis. or rather, both were determinated, then limited or termi­nated. It exceedes our thoughts that he in so fauourable a Compassion will forbeare, for his loue to some parti­cular Seruant, the great wrath he hath laid vp in store [Page 20]for a Nation. Gen. 39 5. Gen. 30.27. He doth not onely blesse Potiphar for Ioseph, and Laban for Iacob, but hold his hand, stay his Vials, for­beare his vengeance vpon Israel for Iosias sake; holy and reuerend be his name for euer.

I haue numbred and weighed the words hastily, and in the Scales of sighes and sorrow; let vs see what measure of them commeth to our share. Ʋse. And first, was sinne the cause of smiting the Shepheard? Indeede, Sinne is the ouerthrow of Iudgement, the staine of Conscience, the roote of all peruersitie, infection of all actions & affections: but is it so harmefull to vs, so hatefull to him, that is, the all-seeing, all-being, all-pure and sacred Maiestie, that not onely his owne Sonne, blessed for euer and euer, was smitten, Esay. propter scelus populi, as Esay speaketh; but also those excellent, and choise, and blessed Instruments of his glory, Kings and Princes, are often-times taken away for the sins of the people? Let vs all then looke into the Calender of these dayes, wee haue seene, and found, and felt their effects; and let vs obserue whether the sinnes of this Land, and especially this Citie and Court, be not equall to any of any Land: see whether the sins now be culpable, or damnable, winckt at onely by the eyes of men, or crying in the eares of Heauen. You shall finde them to be aspiring, mounting, towring sinnes: Sinnes of the highest eleuation; and those sins now committed, which in times past durst not be named. Men like women, wo­men like Diuels, common; to salute and stab, kisse and be­tray, common; cheating, whoring, drinking, swearing as common as breathing.

Neuer were such varnishes put vpon rotten causes, or Lawes made such quirkes for mercenary wits; or goodnes so deformed, Iustice so guilty, Vertue so needy, Religion so [Page 21] scorned, or Whoredome so painted. In a word, to let passe the Couetousnesse of the rich, idlenesse of the poore, want of age, wantonnesse of youth, prophanenesse of all; I aske the honest Religious Soule that mourneth for the misery of Zyon. Is it not strange that after so long preaching of the Gospel, there should be such an inundation of Popery, this generation of Vipers seeming to multiply in our time, as the Arrians did encrease in the time of the anci­ent Fathers, who preached and wrote against them? Eze­kiels Prophecie may seeme fulfilled, the Idol of indigna­tion is among vs; there be some Ancient Idolaters, some idolatrous women, some idolatrous Priests in our Land. These be causes why our Iosias was smitten: our sinnes opened that Vena Basilica.

Secondly, would no other Sacrifice serue, but the death of Iosias? No. Zeph. 1.7.8 The former Prophet Zephany ma­keth it plaine, in his 1. Chapter 7. and 8 verses. The Lord hath prepared a Sacrifice, and in that day of the Lords Sa­crifice he will visit the Princes, and the Kings Children. No other sacrifice will serue but the branches of the O­liue tree, the blossomes of the Figge tree, the beautifull young Cedar, the glory of the Forrest, the beauty of the Garland, the Coronet of succession, the Patron of Religion, the ioy of the olde, hope of young, comfort of all. Nothing would serue but that precious Iewell, which Nature only shewed the world, and so put vp againe, that happy New Starre, new eye of Heauen, of whose station and influence while we argued, it went out againe. Nothing must serue but Iosias? Si sic in viridi, quid fiet in arido? what shall be­come of the negligent, ignorant, windy, emptie, shadowy Creatures, who liue to eate, and eate to play the Beasts? He was taken from the euill to come vpon such, to the [Page 22] ioy he enioyes: Hee is gone to rest with more tokens of Gods fauour then euer Iosias had, his precious Soule is bathed in the precious bloud of his blessed Sauiour; Pati­ence did here comfort him; Confidence did hence crowne him; annointed Cherub, blessed Angell, gracious Master, thou art now in glory, though wee poore scattered sheepe haue lost thee. Teares blind me, and sighes chooke, and here I cease; sorrow doth silence me.

Correct vs no more in thy fury O Lord, let not thine arrowes sticke so fast in vs, northy hand presse vs so down, lest we be consumed, and brought to nothing. Magnifie thy arme of Mercy, as thou hast exalted thine arme of Iudgement: and let neuer the like losse come vpon vs a­gaine, till thy Sonne our Sauiour come to vs againe. Amen.

WHen Elias was departing, the Whirlewinde mouing, the fiery Chariot mounting, and Eli­as in his transmigration, ne (que) inter viuos nec mortuos, (as Bias spake of Saylers) being not gone vp into the aire, as Moses on the Mount, or rapt vp into the third heauens for a time, as Saint Paul in his Vi­sion, but as Henoch before, so he vnder, the Law, caught vp into the heauens for euer. 2 King. 2.14. Elisha the Prophet lamen­teth Elias with the same wordes that afterwards Ioash the King lamented Elisha; 2 King. 13.14. O my father, my father, the Cha­riot of Israell, and the horse-men thereof. A lamentation sitting our losse, who haue lost our Father, our Maister, [Page 23]the Cedar of Lebanon, and Chariot of Israel.

In the 16. of Numbers, it was an heauy, Numb. 16.49. weighty iudge­ment, that in so small a time, so great a number as 14700 should die; Moses then cryeth out, as if with sorrow sha­king his head, & wringing his hands; There is wrath gone out from the Lord, the plague is begun. Wee will borrow the words of him, it is (miserable men that we are) I say, it is our case; Wrath is gone from the Lord, the plague is begun. Now is a time of mourning, of cloathing our selues in sacke cloth and ashes; nay, in dust and ashes, and in the shadow of death, that as we spent our first dayes in sinne, so wee may spend our last dayes in sorrow. Is not wrath come from the Lord, when our Lilly of the val­lyes is blasted; our Rose of the field is blemished? I say not that our Oliue branch is cut off, but the Doue with the Oliue branch is fled from vs.

We are the men whom Ieremy mentioneth in his La­mentations; we haue seene the affliction in the rod of in­dignation; the breath of our nosthrils, the blessed of the Lord, is taken from vs; our daunce is turned into mour­ning; and the crowne of our head is fallen: Lam 5.15. Woe vnto vs that euer we sinned; our heart is heauy, and our eyes are dimme, because this Mount of Zion shall be desolate. My Text doth epitomize what euer my sorrow can con­uince; The Shepherd is smitten, and the sheepe of the flocke shall be scattered.

I haue gathered so much dew of Meditation from the first part, as a day and night could yeeld my sorrowfull head and heart to receiue: that was our Maisters part; this next ours; The sheepe shall be scattered. In speaking whereof, as that wonder of misery, the vnhappy Mother in the besiege of Ierusalem, hauing eaten one part of her [Page 24]Childe, could not thinke of eating the other without vn­speakeable sorrow; so assure your selues, my sobs and throbs, and throwes will be many, before I am deliuered of this part, which will part vs all, the dispersion of the Sheepe. I will smite the Shepherd, and the sheepe shall be scattered.

The sheepe.] Silly, simple creatures, yet decent, inno­cent creatures, quietly feeding in the Field, hearing the voyce of the Shepherd, yet fearing their rauenous Ene­mies, though they be together, though they haue both a shepherd and a fold; but when they shal [be scattered] their case is more miserable, hauing no defence, no hope, no helpe, no safetie. Put both together, a shepheard, but he smitten; Sheepe, and they scattered, then you will say, this Text and our state is the same that the Proclamation was in the Army after the death of the King of Israel; Get euery man to his Citie, 1 King. 22. and euery man to his own coun­try: for the shepherd is smitten, and the sheepe shall be scat­tered. The parts be already opened: In this remainder of the former worke, these two particulars fall in sunder. First, the denomination of Christs seruants, sheepe. Se­condly, the dispersion of these sheepe: they shall be scat­tered. And first, for sheepe, they be creatures, neither noy­some nor fulsome. I will borrow but one authoritie for them, out of the list and limit of the Sanctuary:

In Sacrifices no creature so frequently offered; in the Sinne- offring, Peace- offring, Burnt- offring, Passe- ouer, Saboth offring, and especially in the daily offring; euery day they offered a Lambe at morning, Num. 28.9. Lorinus in 8 Act. Apost. and a Lambe at euening. Lorinus obserueth it out of Chrisostome, Euthi­mius, [Page 25]dustine, Origen, Cyrill and others, Aug. 4. tract. in Ioan. Orig. hom. 24. in Num. Chris. hom. 37 in Math. mact abant agnum iugis nostri sacrificij typum: And so not onely these, but Gaudentius, Paulinus, and Cyprian giue that common knowne reason, why a Lambe was so continually offered; namely, as a type of the offring of Christ, who in 28. seue­rall places of the Reuelation, is called the Lambe of God.

For the name of Sheepe, Notatissima est dicendi forma, saith a Writer. In the 34. of Ezekiel the Prophets are 13. Buc. Ezek. 34. times called shepherds, and the People 21. times also cal­led sheepe: and in the last verse the Lord expresseth him­selfe thus; Ye my sheepe, ye the sheepe of my pasture are men, Ezek. 34.31 and I am your God, saith the Lord God. The 23. Psalme is plaine to this purpose, Lor. in Psal. a Psalme truely called Dauidis Bucolicon; there you haue shepherd, sheep, greene fields, still waters, wayes, pathes, vallyes, shadowes, yea, the rod and shepheards crooke. The Lord is my shepheard, Psal. 23. hee shall rest me in greene pastures, he leadeth me by the stil waters, bringeth me into the pathes of righteousnes, &c. The Chalde Paraphrase vnderstands this Psalme of Isra­els deliuerance out of Egypt. Cald. Par. Athanasius. Athanasius of their returne out of Babilon, here prophesied: some interpret this lea­ding, resting, guiding, feeding, to be the power of the Word, so Lyranus; some of the sacraments, so S. Austine; Lyranus. Aug in Ps. Athanas. some of the Ascension of Christ, so Nyssenus: Athanasius wisheth Marcellinus, when he did enter into considerati­on of the Lords gracious direction, & bountiful feeding, then thankefully to sing this Psalme. And Saint Ambrose much grieued in his time, Ambros lib. 5 de Sacra. cap. 3. that men not considering the blessing they receiued by being named the sheepe of Gods flocke, did so often heare, and so little regard the blessing of this Psalme. I leade you further then may seeme necessary in this Psalme, but it is the sweetest Pa­sture, [Page 26]and the aptest proofe in Scripture for my purpose.

Eli. Scho. Nazian. in Orat. 2. de Filio.A Scholiast vpon Nazianzen expoundeth those greene fields to be the Church, the grasse the Word, the waters the Sacraments, the Pastor God, the flocke the people, the rod and staffe instruction and correction: deni (que) as hee concludeth, Deum esse Pastorem, amissos reducentem, con­fractos obligantem, correptos corroborantem: God is that Shepherd, bringing backe the lost, as Paul; strengthe­ning the weake, as Peter; binding vp the broken in hart, as Matthew that followed him; Magdalen that annoin­ted him; the Theefe that confessed him. Gods sheepe, sometimes feeding, as in this Psalme; sometimes trauel­ling, as Iacobs flocke, sometimes suffering, as our Sauiour foretold, as sheepe appointed for the slaughter.

The sheepe in my Text be the Disciples; Matthew im­plieth so much; Ioh. 16.32. Marke expresseth it; but S. Iohn more plainly thus, yee shall be scattered, the speech being ap­propriated to the Disciples, whom in that Gospell he cal­leth his sheepe, his flocke, his fold: yet it is but pusillus grex, a little little flocke; little indeed, because so few, the number but twelue, as of Patriarkes and Prophets, as of the twelue Tribes of Israel, twelue fountaines of Elim; twelue foundations of Ierusalem, twelue signes of Hea­uen. They be Pauci, pauperes, pusilli, Poore sheep, poore silly soules, to be sent our among those rauenous blood­seeking blood-sucking Wolues.

It was the last Sermon that euer Christ preached on earth to his Disciples; it was as his farewell, the night be­fore he suffred: the last glimpse of a Candle is often most bright; the last glance and lustre of the Sunne somtimes most cleere. They should now haue expected some ioy­full newes; all their life before was sorrowfull, now they [Page 27]might looke for some Legacie, that Christ would haue blessed them, as old Iacob did. But our Sauiour, who had formerly told them there was no comfort for them in the world, because they were not of the world; that they were but as sheepe among Wolues, giueth them no o­ther title in his last Legacie but sheepe.

Obser. 1 Whence this obseruation ariseth, that the seruants of Christ ought to be cleane, quiet, simple, and peaceable in the world; for they are but sheepe. Origen. In sheepe saith Origen is de­scribed Cogitationum munditia; cleane, honest, sanctified cogitations ought to be in Christs seruants. In sheepe, saith Gregory, is obserued Actionum innocentia; Greg. righte­ous, religious, innocentactions ought to proceede from Christs sheepe. I could multiply and increase fathers & sonnes for the manifestation of this point, but this onely reason shall serue, Christ himselfe was such a sheepe, and therefore such ought we to be. He was not ouis, but tan­quam ouis, for he was agnus Dei, saith Lorinus. Lor. in Act. Ap. And ano­ther wondereth hereat, Hoc mirum est, Christum et agnum esse, et ouem esse, et pastorem esse. Christ indeede was so, and neuer any other so. Which is easily made plaine; for though wee should not speake without admiration, nor thinke without adoration of all the mysteries of our Re­demption: yet in the deepe well of this mysterie, euen hee that hath nothing to draw, may vnderstand it. As in the Kingly, Priestly, Propheticall offices of Christ, hee did communicate two of those offices to some, but neuer all the three to any. Melchisedech was a King and Priest not a Prophet: Moyses was a Priest and Prophet, as the Psalme speaketh, Moyses among his Priests, but was not a King: Dauid was a King and Prophet, but not a Priest. So the same Dauid was a shepheard, Psal. 78.72. and a sheep, Psal. 78.72 Psal. [Page 28]119.176. but he was neuer called a Lambe, Psal. 119.176. this name was neuer giuen to any but to our Sauiour, vntill the day of his Ascention, when he commanded Peter to feed his Lambes: and yet not they neither were called lambes in the same sense and meaning that our Sauiour was.

It is obserued, Gen. 49. in the Emblematicall blessings, that Iacob left his children, Iudah as a Lyon, Dan as a Serpent, Issachar an Asse, Nepthali a Hinde, &c. hee giueth none the motto tanquam ouis, none of them is called a sheep, or a lambe, and yet out of Iuda, whose Embleme was the Lyon, Christ came, who was both the Lyon & the Lambe.

Our Sauiour in the two Sacraments of Baptisme and the Lords supper, among other miracles, wrought these two: he blessed the fowles of heauen in Baptisme by the Doue that descended on him: hee blessed the beasts of the field in the Paschall lambe, at the last supper eaten by him. But the vnspeakable blessing whereby he hath bles­sed not onely his Disciples, Chrisost. and their successors, but all his seruants, is this, that they are his flocke, his fowle, his lambes, and his sheepe.

Ʋse. 1 Is it so then? be the seruants of Christ his sheepe? First then, how ought they to liue, an honest, simple, in­nocent life in these last and worst, and abominable dayes? Christ was the Lambe, and he hath left vs an example to follow his steps, 1 Pet. 2. as S. Peter exhorteth: but alas how farre are we from his example, from his steps? Passibus aequis none can follow him I confesse, were all the righteous spi­rits of the Patriarkes, Prophets, Apostles, Martyrs and Saints put together in one man, yet it were impossible to follow him with equal paces. I will not prescribe his misery, his pouerty to you; I know you will not follow it; you esteeme it a heauy yoke, his misery, his pouerty, was [Page 29]vnsupportable; he was Lord of all things, yet inioyed no­thing; he had not a house to be borne in, he borrowed a stable; not a bed to be laid in, he borrowed a cratch; not a vessell to drinke in, he borrowed a pitcher; not a roome to eate his passeouer in, he borrowed a parlour; not a graue to be layd in, he borrowed a sepulcher. Of these things you will aske me, as the Poet, quis legit, who can read these things? or rather as Esay, quis credit, in speaking of these who will beleeue our report? I doe not forbeare to presse the imitation of this: I prescribe his chastitie; he was the Virgin-Son of the Virgin-Mother, Aug. de Temp. imitate this. Cum Virginis filio non erit tua luxuria: Chastity becomes his sheepe. I prescribed his charitie; hee healed Malchus eare, though he drew vpon him; he saluted Iudas by the name of friend when he betrayed him; he prayed for his enemies when they crucified him. Cum charitatis authore non erit malitia tua: Charity becomes his sheepe. I pre­scribe his meekenesse and humility; all the practise of his life was humility, and his lesson was humility; Aug. de Temp. Learne of me to be humble and meeke. Cum humilitatis doctore non erit superbia tua; Humilitie becomes his sheepe.

It was not long before Christs death, that the Disciples did propose a strange question among themselues, striuing for prioritie: Marke 9. they disputed who should be the greatest among them. A wonder, that two such ambitious twinnes should be among the Disciples: I pray God there neuer hath beene any such question of contention and op­position among any of you. Sure I am, we were all growne proud, and placed our strength in the arme of flesh, and that for this and other sinnes, the Lord hath taken our sweete and blessed Master from vs.

Ʋse 2 Secondly, are ye sheep of one flocke? O then be of one [Page 30]minde, in vnity, amitie, vnanimitie: the places are fre­quent, where Christ his seruants are called members of one bodie, sheepe of one fold, branches of one Vine: how is it then that Caine will seeke to kill Abell, or Ismaell to iest at Isaac, 1 Ephes. 2 Ephes. Iohn. or Esau to hate Iacob, or Ioab to stab Amaga? Children, Brethren, dearely beloued, be the phrases of Saint Iohn to those that are Christs seruants.

It is well worth the obseruation, that one noteth vp­on our Church Lyturgie, in euery article of deuotion, that we come to performe in the Church, the salutation still is, Dearely beloued: a phrase vsed in the very begin­ning of the Communion, the administration of Baptis­me, the solemnizing of Marriage, at the buriall of the Dead, at the generall Commination: How shall your conscience beare you witnesse that the Church speaketh to you, as Dearely beloued, if there be an enuious, malici­ous, scandalous, slaunderous, pining, repining, vnchari­table spirit amongst you? Remember, branches must grow together, members agree together, sheep feede together.

Ʋse 3 Thirdly, is it so, that ye be Christs sheepe? then heare Christs voyce: it is one of the true notes of Christs true sheepe, Audiunt vocem meam, saith Christ: Audiunt & vo­cem mea: Audiunt, that is, a necessitie of hearing. Rom. 10.14. Matth. Psalm. 119. Faith commeth by hearing, knowledge commeth by hearing, comfort commeth by hearing: They that stop their eares, and wil not heare, are not Christs sheepe. Though thou be lame as Mephibosheth, or blinde for a time as Paul, or dumbe as Zachary, Mark. 9.25 yet thou mayst be in Christs fould: but if the deafe diuell haue possessed thee, if thou stop thy eares, thou art none of his flocke.

What ioy had Dauid in hearing but of going to Church? Psalme. It did me good, saith he, when I heard them say we [Page 31]will goe to Ierusalem. Audiunt vocem suam, not onely they must heare, but heare his voyce: therefore our Sauiour gaue a double caueat, quid, & quomodo: In Marke, Mark. 4.24. Luke 8.18. Take heed what ye heare, there is quid: in Luke, Take heed how ye heare, quomodo. If euer it were a time to set a watch at those open ports of our eares, these be the dayes; wherein some like the souldiours of Gastro, are armed with the aduersaries arguments, as they were with the enemies armour. Some coyning inuentions, of which saith Dauid, I haue hared inuentions; others with traditions, of which Christ forewarneth; others with infallible notes of season­ing the sense of Scripture; which notes, howsoeuer they seeme to haue warrant out of Vincentius Lirinensis; Vine. Lirin. yet of the three, he acknowledgeth that Heretikes haue claim­ed two of them, the Arrians vniuersalitie, and the Dona­tists antiquitie; and denies not but that the third may be challenged by inueterate heresies also: and I ad further, that the Diuels may pleade for it Consent, and not He­retikes onely; for Sathan is not diuided against Sathan: wherefore let not any voyce be here to be beleeued; but that one voyce, vnam regulam, Scripture, as worthily Vincentius in his 41 Chapter doth plainly deliuer. Vine. Lirin.

Fourthly, be ye all Christs seruants, Christ sheepe, by honest liuing, heartie louing, and diligent hearing. So much of the first part.

The second part.

Psalme. [The sheepe shall be scattered.] Dissipentur inimici, let his enemes be scattered: Quid meruere oues, what haue his poore sheep deserued? Misery enough to be such help­lesse creatures as sheepe; but scattered, Lorinus. disperdere is bis­perdere, this is a greater wane of misery; poore disciples, now they might sit sobbing day and night, breaking their breasts with beating, wearing their hands with wringing, [Page 32]their hearts aking with sighes, and their eyes streaming with sorrowes; bruised reeds the staffe of their comfort, ta­ken from them; the Children of the Bride chamber, mour­ning for the absence of the Bridegroome; Lambes sent out into the vast world among Wolues; poore soules, dis­couraged, discomforted creatures, hearing their woe, feeling their want; solitary are they now to be left, that had beene his dayly waiters, that had been the witnesses of his miracles: Looke vpon the Mother, the neere kinse­woman of our Sauiour, leading her two sons to be pre­ferred to our Sauiour his seruice; did they thinke of this scattering? Looke vpon his Disciples disputing for prioritie who should be greater; did they thinke of this scattering? Looke vpon those two Disciples in Luke, trauelling to Emaus, Luk. 24.13 how were they deiected, when they remembred this scattering? they trusted it had beene He that should haue deliuered Israel. All the life of his Disciples was a scattering, iourneying, troublesome life: they were stil in progresse; our Sauiour had no standing house, but heauen. He promised them in the Gospell, Matth. 19. Quando sedebit filius hominis, Bernard. vos sedebitis▪ But when did he sit, saith Bernard? He had no ease, no place to rest on. These his sorrowfull, and as it were forlorne followers, had heard Christ oft, that he was the light of the world, and the bread of life, that he had ouercome the world, yet shall they bescatte­red: It had beene enough to haue caused their hope to vanish like smoake, and their Faith to wither like grasse, & death to sting them to the death, Hell to triumph ouer them: but they were sheepe, therefore silent, they expostu­late not, but obediently and patiently heare their insu­ing miserie; The sheepe shall be scattered.

Obser. The obseruation collected from the world; scattered, is, [Page 33]that the seruants of Christ must be content to be seuered from their fellowes, and friends, and comforts whatsoeuer. One must be like a Pellican in the wildernesse, another like a Storcke in the desart, some like the Turtle on the house-top, others like Doues in the holes of the rockes, they cannot be together, but like grapes after a vintage, here one, there one. The indorsement of God to his Saints, is like that of S. Peter to the Iewes, 1 Pet. 1.2. To the strangers dispersed. These Apostles were dispersed, and translated into diuers countries, Peter into Antioch, Euseb. Iames to Ieru­salem, Iohn into Asia, Andrew into Scithia, Philip into Gallia, Bartholomew into Armenia, Mathew into Ethiopia, Thomas into India, Iude into Aegypt, and Simon Zelotes into Mesopotamia.

There was a dispersion, and dissolution, more horrid then this; for in this there was a blessing; but the scatte­ring (I meane) was of the Iewes, was a full measure of mi­sery, that when the Iewes had bin assailed oft, as may be found sixe times in the old Testament, at the length their vtter destruction, their finall downefall and funerall came vpon them; the desolation of their country, detestation of their Nation, abhorring of their Names, the scattering, fettering, consuming of their Citie, Temple, peace, pro­speritie, and of all blessings, sodainly ouer-tooke them.

Christ his Prophecy of them was fulfilled, Behold, your house shall be desolate vnto you: for neyther the aged for their gray-haires found reuerence, nor the suckling reliefe for his infant innocentage, nor Matrone, nor Priest nor Virgin, nor Senatour, for Modestie or order, Iudolph. found any pitie. But this is no such scattering.

There is dispersio tegumenti, Bern. and dispersio Tritici the winde scattereth the chaffe, the Husbandman scattereth [Page 34]the Wheate; the Wicked are the chaffe, as in the Psalmes &. Prophets frequently; Osca. Ier. Ezek. the Godly are the Wheate, sowen, reaped, threshed, ground to powder; yet howsoeuer scat­tered, Gods promise was still, Capillum de capite iusti non periturum; Psal. 1. nay, more, Quodcunque faciet, prospere faciet: he not onely careth for the bones, that the bones which he hath broken may reioyce; but the shadow of Peter shall re­couer the sicke; the handkercher of Paul deliuer the dis­eased; the Cloake of Elias diuide the Waters; and the Bones of Elizeus reuiue the dead: and as Saint Paul spake by his experience: 2 Cor. As vnknowne yet knowne; as dying, yet behold we liue; as chastened, yet behold not killed; as sorrowing, and yet reioycing; as poore, and yet making many rich; as hauing nothing, and yet enioying al things: in a word, as scattered, yet comforted.

The first name that euer was giuen, the name Adam, was a name of scattering: Aug. in Ioan. it contaynes, saith Austine, in foure Letters, the foure Parts of the World, East, West, North, South; yet the Lord promiseth to gather toge­ther the scattered flocke of Israel, from the East, West, North, and South.

Ʋse. I haue ended my weake & weather-beaten Mediatations vpon this Text. Application must begin where Meditation ends When our Sauiour entered into the Synagogue vp­on the Saboth day, Luke 4.18. hee opened the Booke vpon those wordes of Esay, The spirit of the Lord is vpon mee, he hath sent me, that I should heale the broken hearted, &c. And he shut the Booke, and said, this day is this Scripture fulfil­led in your eares: Beloued, if euer Scripture were fulfilled in your eares; if euer Scripture made your hearts to ake, and your eares to tingle, this is the day, this the Text: if euer any Scripture did take downe the crest of Pride, and [Page 35]abate the edge of Reuenge, to moue you throughly to leaue and loath the World, this is it: I will smite the shep­heard, and the sheepe shall be scattered.

Oh, why is there not a generall thaw through-out all mankinde? why in this debashed Ayre doe not all thing ex­pire, seeing Time lookes vpon vs with watry eyes, dishe­ueld lockes, and heauie dismall lookes; now that the Sunne is gone out of our Firnament, the ioy, the beau­tie, the glory of Israel is departed?

Applic. Honourable, Worshipfull, worthy Gentlemen, who ei­ther in the greatnesse of your Offices, or in the neerenesse of your attendance, liued vnder the Branches of our Princely Cedar: to you this is a dissolution, not a dispersion; disperdere is not perdere with you, you onely returne to your owne Families to drinke of your owne Vines; and to eate vnder your owne fig-trees; yet remember hereafter, as the wise Egyptians did bestow more on their Tombes then Houses, so hereafter dispose of more time for consi­deration of death, then of prouision for the things of this life: Let mortalitie be your meditation, you are but earth; your best cloaths, earth, wormes made them; your best fed bodies, earth, wormes must eate them. You may say, Vidimus stellam, we haue seene his Starre, and vidimus gloriam, we haue seene his glory; you saw it rising and setting, you will now beleeue, that that GOD who hath called Princes Gods; he, qui homines coelestibus aequat, hath made Princes but men; quia sceptra ligonibus aequat. You haue serued (and therein your posteritie may reioyce) the most religious, gracious, holy, chaste; vertuous, valerous Prince of his growth, that euer the Christian world enioyed, yet you see HEE is departed: season therefore this lumpe of luggage, all worldly [Page 36]thoughts with the remembrance of death. Embrace all holy acts of religion; Psalm. 37. keepe innocencie, and doe that which is iust, and seeke peace, for this shall bring a man ioy at the last. You are all of you I hope, to serue another Prince, I doubt not you are in Check-roll already; mistake me not, I meane no other Prince then the Prince of Peace, spoke of in Esay; I meane no other Roll, but his booke of life: Reioyce in this, Esa 9 6. that your names be written in the booke of life; that seruice is heritage: instead of your white staues, you shall haue Palmes in your hands, and your enter­tainment will be, Good seruants and faithfull, you haue beene faithfull in a little, I will make you rulers ouer much, enter into your Masters ioy. This ioy the Lord in mercy, in his due time, graunt vnto you.

You of the middle sort, whose wound is not mortall, and yet are ready to sinke vnder the burthen of this sorrow, as hauing lost the most incomparable Prince, that euer the World had: you that setled your thoughts, and hoping to haue seene him the Head ouer many Nations, haue said to your soules, vnder the shadow of his wings we shall be safe; here wil we dwell for euer. Let your dare-bought ex­perience teach you the lesson that Dauid, a great Prince, gaue to his People; Psal. 146. Trust not in Princes, for they be sons of men, there is no health in them, their breath departeth, and euery one of them returneth to his earth. Chri [...]. Si dicen­dum sit aliquid mirabil [...], saith a Father, If a man may speake any thing worthy of the greatest admiration, it is this, Trust not in Princes, they themselues are not in safe­ty; their sublimitie is but sublunary; they are within the verge; the Earth hath prouided an Auello for euery of them to be laid in: yeeld them faithfulnes and obedience, but settle not in them your faith and confidence. Yeelde [Page 37]them duty, tribute, yea, your goods and liues, but withall remember, Psalm. 146. Blessed is the man that puts his trust in the Lord, and hath the God of lacob for his refuge: liue honest, holy, religious liues, but a while; the end is at hand, we shal all meete in aequalitie with our blessed Maister in glory.

You poore soules, the poore silly sheepe of his flocke, who was wont to giue you meate in due season; you that like those in Ierusalem doe arise, and cry in the night, Lament. 3. and in the beginning of the watch poure out your harts like water, & lift your eyes to heauen, for your selues, your wiues, and children: Take the counsell of Dauid; Trust in the Lord, Psalm. [...]7. and being good, commit thy waies vnto the Lord; waite pa­tiently vpon the Lord, hope in him, and he shall bring it to passe: Trust in the Lord, and verily thou shalt be fed. Heare Dauids example, I haue been young (saith he) but now am old, yet I neuer saw the righteous forsaken, nor their seede begging their bread. Honesty is the best patrimonie, leaue but a good report of an honest life behinde you, and your Children then haue sufficient Legacies.

All of you, beloued, that are in this valley of teares to heare mee this day, repent you of your former liues, turne from the wickednesse of your wayes, or else yee may feare a more fearefull scattering.

The outrage of apparell, surquedry in meate, choise of new oathes, new exchange of sins, & the sluce of vengeance that hell hath opened, Since the yee [...]. [...]. haue brought many fearefull scat­terings among vs within these few yeeres: the death of nine Counsellers of State, sixteene Bishops of the Church, fifteene Iudges of the Law, & in one yeere, in this one Ci­tie, thirty seauen thousand three hundred & two, stroken with the Plague of Pestilence, Lady Ma­ry Lady Sop [...]ia. and which is more then al this, three of his Maiesties Children, the hope & ioy to all [Page 38]true hearted Subiects, Prince Henry, who dyed in the nineteenth yeere of his his age, the 6. of No­uember, 1612 and was hono­rably buri­ed at West­minster, the 7. day of December following. is taken away from among vs: & which equals all other losses, Isaac is offered, Ichabod, our glory, is departed, Prince Henry is deceased, whom if euer any of vs in his most obseruant reposed thoughts shall for­get, let his right hand rot, and forget her cunning, and the harpe of his Tongue hang vp for euer in the roofe of his mouth.

O God, how hast thou plagued vs, as Lament 2.22. Ieremy complai­ned euen in the solempne day? In that Moneth thou once gauest vs Queene Elizaheth, to take away Prince Henry? In that Moneth thou gauest vs Noble Prince Charles, the succeeding Charlemaine, in that Moneth to take away his blessed Brother? In the Moneth thou didst preserue vs from that furious sulphureous plot of our enemies, in the same Moneth are wee, to our great sorrowes, insulted on by our Enemies? Hadst thou not left vs a remnant, we had ben like to Sodome and Gomorh. Wherefore good Lord looke downe from Heauen, behold and visit vs, looke vpon that Vine thy right hand hath planted; blesse the roote and branches of the Royall remnant: let the light of thy Countenance shine euer in the Sunne, and Moone and Stars of this Firmament; let neuer be wanting one of this race to sit vpon the Brittish Throne, till the Sunne hath runne his last race, and the world hath finished his last course. Say thou Amen, thou faithfull witnesse of Heauen, to the pray­ers of vs poore, wretched, afflicted, miserable soules: Say Amen thou Truth, and witnesse of thy Fa­ther, to our Petitions that come not out of fained lips; and let Heauen and Earth seale it, and say, Amen, Amen.