The Whole Works of the Right Rev. Edward Reynolds, Lord Bishop of Norwich

(for certainly the great sufferings of our princes have had a
strong causality upon our distractions; it can never be well
with the body, while it is ill with the head :) and you have
hereby blasted the projects and attempts of any, whose am-
bition might animate them to awaken old, or kindle new,
flames amongst us. If, together with this noble act of jus-
tice and of loyalty, you proceed to secure the interest of
Jesus Christ, by establishing the true reformed religion, and
orthodox, learned, and painful ministry, pure worship, and
the omer of godliness, suppressing and putting to shame all
profane practices, whereby the wrath of the Lord may be
kindled against us; you shall thereby greatly blast the de-
sires of evil and licentious men; and comfort the hearts,
and give evidence of the answer of God to the prayers of

good men. Which that you may be enabled and assisted to

power of divine grace, is the most earnest prayer

do by the

May 5, 1660.

Your Honours' most humbly devoted

in the Lord,

EDWARD REYNOLDS.

Text:-But unto you that fear my name, shall the Sun of Righteous-

ness arise, &c.

The text presents six particulars.

I. The discriminating grace of God between a remnant that feared his

name, and the body of a corrupt people, 251–255.

II. That the holiest men want healing, 255.

III. The Author of this healing is the Sun of Righteousness, 257.

IV. The means by which Christ heals. His rising denotes his incarna-

tion, 258; manifestation in spirit and power; rousing men out of

ignorance and security; his heavenly conduct and direction, 258.

His light consists in his heavenly doctrine, and in the influence of

his Spirit, 259. His wings are his word and ordinances; any illus-

trious providence, 259; his more immediate servants; his own holy

Spirit.

V. The subject of this healing; they that fear his name, 261.

VI. Effects and consequences of this healing: courage unto duty; growth

in grace; and victory over enemies, 262.

From the metaphor, which represents Christ as light, let us infer the

freeness and fulness of his grace; the dependence of the Church

upon his fulness, 263; and the conjunction between the righteous-

ness of Christ and his healing, 264.

Application of the subject, to the Parliament, 264, &c.

SERMON XX. (page 271.)

THE MEANS AND METHOD OF HEALING IN THE CHURCH.

2 Chron. vii. 13, 14. If I shut up heaven, &c.

These words contain three particulars.

I. A supposition of judgements; which light not upon a people casu-

ally; and are various in their nature, 273–277.

II. A direction unto duties, 278, whereby judgements may be removed :

humiliation, 281; prayer, 289; reconciliation, 290; conversion, 290.

III. A gracious promise of mercy, 291.

SERMON XXI. (page 295.)

THE LORD'S PROPERTY IN HIS REDEEMED PEOPLE.

Ye are

not your own; for ye are bought with a price: therefore, glorify, &c.

The text implies three particulars.

I. We are not our own: we are God's. We hold nothing by original

propriety, 298; but by derivative, 299.

A man acts, as if he were his own, when he makes his reason his supreme

rule, 301; or makes his own will, his chief law, 304; or makes his

own interest, his ultimate end, 304; or his own performances, his

chief ground of hope, 305.

II. God hath bought us with a price. This purchase implies our pre-

vious alienation from God, voluntarily and penally, 307.

Christ claims his people by right of his divine nature, 308; and by his

mediatorship, 309. The right of Christ is founded on his authority

and power, 309. He has purchased us, by way of ransom, 310; and

of acquisition, 312.

III. Let us glorify God, 342, by adoring this mystery, 313; by admiring
the severity of divine justice, and by applying to ourselves the com-
fort of so precious a doctrine, 374.

SERMON XXII. (page 322.) 316

- DIVINE EFFICACY WITHOUT HUMAN POWER. Zech. iv. 6. This

is the word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel, &c.

I. Great care of the Lord to remove the discouragements of his servants,
322-327.

II. The means of God's encouragements in his word, 327, which is

1 true, authoritative, 327, and efficacious, 328.

III. The vehiculum of that word, is Christ, 330.

IV. The subject of the encouragement is Zerubbabel; who shows, in a

type, that magistrates should build the Church, by the aid of God's

word, 332, 335.

V. The matter of the comfort is the Spirit of God, 335-338.

Particular application, to the House of Commons.

SERMON XXIII. (page 343.)

PREACHING OF CHRIST.

To the Reverend my dearly beloved Brethren, the Dean, Pre-
bendaries, and the rest of the Clergy, of the Cathedral
Church and City of Norwich.

REVEREND AND BELOVED BRETHREN,

EVER since the preaching of this plain sermon, I have
been importuned 'quotidiano convicio' (if I may use the
orator's expression) to make it publick. I have, at last,
suffered myself to be overcome by the persuasions of my

* Quintilian.

friends. My chief end therein hath been, that I might
provoke my younger brethren to make it the main design of
their ministry, to render the Lord Jesus, his divine person,
his sacred offices, his heavenly doctrine, his blessed ex-
ample, his spiritual graces, the fellowship of his sufferings,
(Philip. iii. 8, 10) the power of his resurrection, the ex-
cellency of his knowledge, the unsearchable riches of his
love, (Eph. iii. 8, 18, 19.) and all the mysteries of his
kingdom, amiable in the eyes of their hearers; as it was
foretold of him, that he should be the Desire of all nations,
(Hag. ii. 7.) the Chiefest of ten thousand and altogether
lovely (Cant. v. 10, 16.) That, in preaching the Law, they
may lead men to Christ for mercy to pardon the transgres-
sions, and for grace to obey the commands of it:-That,
in preaching the Gospel, they may direct men unto Christ
for faith, to believe the promises of the covenant; for he is
the author of our faith; (Hebr. xii. 2) for hope, to wait for
the fulfilling of them; for he is unto us the Hope of glory;
(Col. i. 27.) and for love to inflame that purity and holiness,
which they are intended to kindle in us; for "the love of
Christ constraineth us." (2 Cor. v. 14.) That by the awe
and dread of the name of Christ, in whose stead they speak
(2 Cor. v. 20); and unto whom, as the "chief Shepherd"
of the sheep (1 Pet. v. 4) they must give an account, (Heb.
xiii. 17), they may be deterred from all those ways of pas-
sion, ostentation, and vanity, whereby men are sometimes
transported to preach themselves rather than Christ, and the
conceptions of their own heart rather than his counsel (Jer.
xxiii. 16, 22, 26); and thereby provoke the people (1 Sam.
ii. 17) to abhor the offering of the Lord. I have taken the
liberty of dedicating it unto you, that I might thereby tes
tify the love and honour I owe your persons, the value I set
upon your learned and pious labours, and the real thanks
which I return unto you, for the great love which you have
expressed towards my person, and assistance which you
have afforded me in mine attendance on the service of that
diocess. And, I hope, it will not be grievous unto you, or
offensive unto any, if, after the example of the ancient
bishops in the primitive and purer ages of the Church, who
were wont to sit with their clergy, and preside in an eccle-

siastical senate, I shall, in matters of weight and difficulty,

entreat the advice and assistance of you, who are Pres-
byteri urbis,' in order to the more safe, judicious, regular,
and inoffensive determining of them. And so I commend
you to the grace of God, and remain

Your most loving brother and fellow-labourer,

in the service of Christ and his Church,
ED. NORWICH.

2 Cor. iv. 5. For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the

Lord, and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake.

The words comprise: I. a duty, to preach; II. the subject of the duty;

not ourselves, but Christ.

I. The duty, preaching. Its dignity, 343, and difficulty, 344. Necessity

of preaching, in regard to Christ, 344; in regard to the ends of the

Gospel, 345; in regard to ourselves, preaching should be attended

with demonstration, 347; wisdom, sincerity, spiritual authority,

meekness, 348; boldness, and piety of life, 349.

II. Matter of preaching. Men preach themselves, by lording over the