light, which is Christ, and in this supernatural light, which is grace, we may see all these, and all other beams of light, which may bring us to thee, and him, and that blessed spirit which proceeds from both. Amen.

SERMON CXVIII.

PREACHED AT ST. PAUL'S ON MIDSUMMER DAY, 1622.

JOHN i. 8.

He was not that light, but was sent to bear witness of that light.

Or him, who was this light, which John Baptist is here denied to be, I spoke out of these words, and out of this place, the first time that I ascended to it, upon the great Epiphany, (as the first church used to call it) the manifestation of Christ Jesus in the flesh, Christmas day; I reserved the rest of the text, which concerns John Baptist himself, and his office, for this day, in which the church celebrates his memory, who, though he were not that light, was sent to bear witness of that light.

We shall make our parts but two, testem, and testimonium, the person, and the office; first, who the witness is, and then what he witnesses. In the first, we shall consider first, the dignity, the fitness of the person, implied in the first word of this part of our text, but; he was not that light; that is true, but yet he was something towards it; he was nothing considered with Christ, but he was much considered with any other man. And then we shall see his title to his office, missus est, as he was fit in himself, so he was sent by him that had power to give commission; and from these two, in which we shall determine our first part, the consideration of his person, we shall descend to the other, his office; and therein stop but upon two steps neither; first, why any testimony was required to so clear a thing as light, and such a light, that light; and then, what kind of testimony John

Baptist did give to that light. So have you the design, and frame of our building, and the several partitions, the rooms; pass we now to a more particular survey, and furnishing of them.

The first branch of the first part, is the idoneus, that he was fit to be a witness. If we should insist upon the nobility of his race, his father and mother, (his father a priest, and his mother also descended of Aaron) and, as all nations have some notes and marks of nobility, merchandise, or arms, or letters, amongst the Jews, priesthood was that, the priesthood ennobled men'; in all well-polished states, cæteris paribus, if they were not otherwise defective, they have ever thought it fittest to employ persons of good families, and of noble extraction, as well because, in likelihood they had had the best education, from their parents, and the best knowledge of things that concern the public, by having had their conversation with the best, and most intelligent persons; as also, because they have for the most part, more to lose than inferior persons have, and therefore are likelier to be careful and vigilant in their employment; and again, because they draw a better respect from those to whom they are employed, (which is of great importance in such negotiations, to send persons acceptable to them to whom they are sent) and yet, do not lie so open to the temptations and corruptions of their ministers, as men of needy fortunes, and obscure extractions do.

This fitness John Baptist had, he was of a good family and extraction. It adds to him, that as he had a noble, he had a miraculous birth; for, to be born of a virgin, is but a degree more, than to be born of a barren woman. A birth, which only of all others the church celebrates; for, though we find the days of the martyrs still called, Natalitia martyrum, their birth-days, yet that is always intended of the days of their death; only in John Baptist it is intended literally, of his natural birth; for, his spiritual birth, his martyrdom, is remembered by another name, Decollatio Joannis, John Baptist's beheading. If we should enlarge all concerning him, as infinitely, as infinite authors have done, or contract all as summarily, as Christ hath done, (Amongst those that are born of women, there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist) yet we should find that St. Augustine had

done all this before, Non est quod illi adjiciat homo, cui Deus contulit totum3, What man can add more, where God said all, and he hath said of John Baptist, Spiritu sancto replebitur, He shall be filled with the Holy Ghost.

Two things especially make a man a competent witness: first, that he have in himself a knowledge of the thing that he testifies; else he is an incompetent witness: and then, that he have a good estimation in others, that he be reputed an honest man; else he is an unprofitable witness. If he be ignorant, he says truth, but by chance; if he be dishonest, and say truth, it is but upon design, and not for the truth's sake; for, if those circumstances did not lead him, he would not say truth. John Baptist had both, knowledge and estimation.

He knew, per scientiam infusam by infused knowledge; as he was a prophet; for so Christ testifies that he was. But all prophets knew not all things; therefore he was more than a prophet, which is also testified by Christ, in his behalf. More than any former prophet. And yet, the prophet Esay was (even in his prophecy) an Evangelist, his prophecy of Christ was so clear, so particular, as that it was rather gospel, and history, than prophecy. John Baptist was more than that; for, he did not only declare a present Christ, (in that, Esay may seem to come near him) but he was propheta prophetatus, a prophet that was prophesied of; even Esay himself bore witness of this witness ; A voice cried in the wilderness, Prepare the way of the Lord3. And the prophet Malachi bore witness of this witness too, Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me. So he hath the testimony of the first and last of the prophets; and of him too, who was the first and the last, the cause and the effect, the moving and fulfilling of all prophecy, of Christ himself, (This is he, of whom it is written',) and so he cites those words of Malachi concerning John Baptist. John Baptist then had this competency, by knowledge infused by God, declared in former prophecies, he knew the matter, which he was to testify. Which is so essential, so substantial a circumstance in matter of testimony, in what way soever we will be witnesses to God, as that

3 Augustine.

6 Mal. iii. 1.

5 Isaiah XL. 3.

Matt. xi. 9.

7 Matt. xi. 10.

no man is a competent witness for God, not in his preaching, not in his living, not in his dying, (though he be a witness in the highest sense, that is, a martyr) if he do not know, upon what ground, he says, or does, or suffers that, which he suffers, and does, and says. Howsoever he pretend the honour of God in his testimony, yet, if the thing be materially false, (false in itself, though true in his opinion) or formally false, (true in itself, but not known to be so, to him that testifies it) both ways he is an incompetent witness. And this takes away the honour of having been witnesses for Christ, and the consolation and style of martyrs, both from them, who, upon such evidence, as can give no assurance (that is, traditions of men) have grounded their faith in God, and from them, who take their light in corners, and conventicles, and not from the city set upon the top of a hill, the church of God. Those Roman priests who have given their lives, those Separatists which have taken a voluntary banishment, are not competent witnesses for the glory of God; for a witness must know; and Qui testatur de scientia, testetur de modo scientiæ, says the law, he that will prove anything by his own knowledge, must prove how he came by that knowledge; the Papist hath not the knowledge of his doctrine from any Scripture, the Separatist hath not the knowledge of his discipline from any precedent, any example in the Primitive church.

How far then is that wretched and sinful man, from giving any testimony or glory to Christ in his life, who never comes to the knowledge and consideration, why he was sent into this life? who is so far from doing his errand, that he knows not what his errand was; not whether he received any errand or no. But, as though that God, who for infinite millions of ages, delighted himself in himself, and was sufficient in himself, and yet at last did bestow six days' labour for the creation, and provision of man, as though that God, who when man was soured in the lump, poisoned in the fountain, withered in the root, in the loins of Adam, would then engage his Son, his beloved Son, his only Son, to be man, by a temporary life, and to be no man, by a violent and a shameful death, as though that God, who when he was pleased to come to a creation, might have left out thee, amongst privations, amongst nothings, or might have shut thee up, in the close prison, of a

bare being, and no more, (as he hath done earth and stones) or, if he would have given thee life, might have left thee a toad, or, if he would have given thee a human soul, might have left thee a heathen, without any knowledge of God, or, if he had afforded thee a religion, might have left thee a Jew, or, though he had made thee a Christian, might have left thee a Papist; as though that God that hath done so much more, in breeding thee in his true church, had done all this for nothing, thou passest through this world, like a flash, like a lightning, whose beginning or end nobody knows, like an ignis fatuus in the air, which does not only not give light for any use, but not so much as portend or signify anything; and thou passest out of the world, as thy hand passes out of a basin of water, which may be somewhat the fouler for thy washing in it, but retains no other impression of thy having been there; and so does the world for thy life in it. When God placed Adam in the world, he bade him fill it, and subdue it, and rule it; and when he placed him in paradise, he bade him dress, and keep paradise; and when he sent his children into the overflowing land of promise, he bade them fight, and destroy the idolaters; to everybody some task, some errand for his glory; and thou comest from him, into this world, as though he had said nothing unto thee, but Go and do as you see cause, go, and do as you see other men do.

Thou knowest not, that is, considerest not, what thou wast sent to do, what thou shouldest have done, but thou knowest much less, what thou hast done. The light of nature hath taught thee to hide thy sins from other men, and thou hast been so diligent in that, as that thou hast hid them from thyself, and canst not find them in thine own conscience, if at any time the Spirit of God would burn them up, or the blood of Christ Jesus wash them out; thou canst not find them out so, aš that a sermon or sacrament can work upon them. Perchance thou canst tell, when was the first time, or where was the first place, that thou didst commit such or such a sin; but as a man can remember when he began to spell, but not when he began to read perfectly, when he began to join his letters, but not when he began to write perfectly, so thou rememberest when thou wentest timorously and bashfully about sin, at first, and now