but he gives but an ill account that he is a man of God, and a son of the Spirit. Spend not your time in that which profits not; for your labour and your health, your time and your studies are very valuable; and it is a thousand pities to see a diligent and a hopeful person spend himself in gathering cockle-shells and little pebbles, in telling sands upon the shores, and making garlands of useless daisies. Study that which is profitable, that which will make you useful to churches and commonwealths, that which will make you desirable and wise. Only I shall add this to you, that in learning there are variety of things as well as in religion there is mint and cummin, and there are the weighty things of the law; so there are studies more and less useful, and every thing that is useful will be required in its time: and I may in this also use the words of our blessed Saviour, 'these things ought you to look after, and not to leave the other unregarded.' But your great care is to be in the things of God and of religion, in holiness and true wisdom, remembering the saying of Origen P, that the knowledge that arises from goodness is θειότερόν τι πάσης ἀποδείξεως, 'something that is more certain and more divine than all demonstration,' than all other learnings of the world. 3. That's no good religion that disturbs government, or shakes a foundation of public peace. Kings and bishops are the foundations and the great principles of unity, of peace, and government; like Rachel and Leah they build up the house of Israel: and those blind Samsons that shake these pillars, intend to pull the house down. "My son, fear God and the king," saith Solomon, "and meddle not with them that are given to change." That is not truth that loves changes; and the new-nothings of heretical and schismatical preachers are infinitely far from the blessings of truth. In the holy language 'truth' hath a mysterious name, n, emet; it consists of three letters, the first, and the last, and the middlemost of the Hebrew letters; implying to us that truth is first, and will be last, and it is the same all the way, and combines and unites all extremes it ties all ends together. Truth is lasting, and ever full of blessing for the Jews observe that those letters which signify truth, are both in the figure and the number quadrate, firm and cubical; these signify a foundation, and an abode for ever. Whereas on the other side, the word which in Hebrew signifies a lie,', secher, is made of letters whose numbers are imperfect, and their figure pointed and voluble; to signify that a lie hath no foundation. And this very observation will give good light in our questions and disputes: and I give my instance in episcopal government, which hath been of so lasting an abode, of so long a blessing, hath its firmament by the principles of christianity, hath been blessed by the issues of that stabiliment; it hath for sixteen hundred years combined with. monarchy, and hath been taught by the Spirit which hath so long P [vid. Contra Celsum, lib. i. § 2.-tom. i. p. 320.] [Prov. xxiv. 21.] dwelt in God's church, and hath now (according to the promise of Jesus, that says 'the gates of hell shall never prevail against the church') been restored amongst us by a heap of miracles; and as it went away, so now it is returned again in the hand of monarchy, and in the bosom of our fundamental laws. Now that doctrine must needs be suspected of error, and an intolerable lie, that speaks against this truth, which hath had so long a testimony from God, and from the wisdom and experience of so many ages, of all our ancestors, and all our laws. When the Spirit of God wrote in Greek, Christ is called A and 2; if He had spoken Hebrew, He had been called and n, that is, no, emet, He is truth, the same yesterday and to-day and for ever and whoever opposes this holy sanction which Christ's spirit hath sanctified, His word hath warranted, His blessings have endeared, His promises have ratified, and His church hath always kept; he fights against this nps, emet, and secher is his portion; his lot is a lie, his portion is there where holiness can never dwell. And now to conclude, to you fathers and brethren, you who are or intend to be of the clergy; you see here the best compendium of your studies, the best abbreviature of your labours, the truest method of wisdom, and the infallible, the only way of judging concerning the disputes and questions in christendom. It is not by reading multitudes of books, but by studying the truth of God: it is not by laborious commentaries of the doctors that you can finish your work, but by the expositions of the Spirit of God: it is not by the rules of metaphysics, but by the proportions of holiness: and when all books are read, and all arguments examined, and all authorities alleged, nothing can be found to be true that is unholy. Give yourselves to reading, to exhortation, and to doctrine,' saith S. Paul'. 'Read' all good books you can; but 'exhortation' unto good life is the best instrument, and the best teacher of true 'doctrine,' of that which is 'according to godliness.' And let me tell you this; the great learning of the fathers was more owing to their piety than to their skill; more to God than to themselves and to this purpose is that excellent ejaculation of S. Chrysostom, with which I will conclude, "O blessed and happy men, whose names are in the book of life, from whom the devils fled, and heretics did fear them, who (by holiness) have stopped the mouths of them that spake perverse things! But I, like David, will cry out, Where are Thy loving-kindnesses which have been ever of old? where is the blessed quiret of bishops and doctors, who shined like lights in the world, and contained the word of life? Dulce est meminisse, their very memory is pleasant. Where is that Evodius, the sweet savour of the church, the successor and imitator [1 Tim. iv. 13.] Lib. de consummat. sæculi inter opera Ephrem Syri. [tom. iii. p. 309 D. -fol. Rom. 1598.] : of the holy apostles? where is Ignatius, in whom God dwelt? where is S. Dionysius the areopagite, that bird of paradise, that celestial eagle"? where is Hippolytus, that good man, avùp xpησtòs, that gentle sweet person? where is great S. Basil, a man almost equal to the apostles? where is Athanasius, rich in virtue? where is Gregory Nyssen, that great divine*? and Ephrem the great Syrian, that stirred up the sluggish, and awakened the sleepers, and comforted the afflicted, and brought the young men to discipline; the looking-glass of the religious, the captain of the penitents, the destruction of heresies, the receptacle of graces, the habitation of the holy Ghost?" These were the men that prevailed against error, because they lived according to truth and whoever shall oppose you and the truth you walk by, may better be confuted by your lives than by your disputations. Let your adversaries have no evil thing to say of you,' and then you will best silence them. For all heresies and false doctrines are but like Myron's counterfeit cow, it deceived none but beasts; and these can cozen none but the wicked and the negligent, them that love a lie, and live according to it. But if ye become 'burning and shining lights; if ye 'do not detain the truth in unrighteousness; if ye walk in light' and 'live in the spirit;' your doctrines will be true, and that truth will prevail. But if ye live wickedly and scandalously, every little schismatic shall put you to shame, and draw disciples after him, and abuse your flocks, and feed them with colocynths and hemlock, and place heresy in the chairs appointed for your religion. I pray God give you all grace to follow this wisdom, to study this learning, to labour for the understanding of godliness; so your time and your studies, your persons and your labours, will be holy and useful, sanctified and blessed, beneficial to men and pleasing to God, through Him who is the Wisdom of the Father,' who is made' to all that love Him wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: to whom with the Father, &c. "['Ubi D. A. volucris cœli ?'] ['Ubi Gregorius alter, theologus, et invictus Christi miles; et qui commune cum ipso nomen habet alius?'] Re [Plin. Nat. hist., xxxiv. 19. specting this wonderful work of art, there appears to have been a legend that it had actually deceived one of the same species; a calf, it was said, approached it to take suck. This gave rise to a number of laudatory epigrams upon it, some of them of great simplicity and beauty. It was alleged that it deceived not beasts only, but men ; sic proxima bucula mugit, Sic vitulus sitiens ubera nostra petit. Miraris quod fallo gregem? gregis ipse magister Another writer goes farther; Τὴν χαλκὴν Ηρη ποτὲ πόρτιν ἰδοῦσα, Μύρωνος Menag., poemata, p. 172. 12mo. Amst. 1687. There are many other epigrams on the Demetrius, Tullius Geminus, Julian, and subject, by Ausonius; and in the An thology, by Evenus, Antipater, Leonidas, Dioscorides.] |