take euery occasion to increase their sinne euen by occasion thereof that if any of their name haue been noted aboue other for some bad qualitie as stoutnesse and stomacke bragging and boasting pot-companionship or such like oh they must vphold the name though it be but a shaddow as Absoloms pillar and so be sutable to their name if it occasion them euill and to keepe aliue the bad practizes and course of them that bare that name before them Euen so names more aduisedly and wisely giuen to children as I haue taught in another place are good occasions to prouoke them to their duties Besides we may see what men get who are of any good note by entring into so neere a league and hauing so inward acquaintance with such dames and mates which though it were in single and lawfull marriage yet it threatens as farre as man may iudge an extinguishing of the good sparkles of grace in them that are so matched Which should cause the seruants of God to linke themselues in marriage with women more like to themselues in religion and good behauiour And for them for whom it is too late to giue this warning vnto who are too many let them yet receiue and imbrace this instruction that is giuen them in the second place that is to say how they take counsell of such wiues or ill companions in cases doubtfull and and dangerous as are malicious high-minded quarrellers contentions waspish couetous and gripers or in a word voide of true religion Sampson may be an example to all both of hearkning too farre to such and so Gedeon may be also and likewise of opening and telling that secret which is not meet to be imparted vnto them which Sampson did to his great reproch and abasement But here an end of this seeing of both these last points I haue intreated purposely before out of the former histories THE FIFTIE FIVE SERMON ON THE EIGHTH CHAPTER OF THE BOOKE OF IVDGES Verse 32. So Gedeon the sonne of Ioash died in a good age and was buried in the sepulcher of Ioash his father in Ophrah of the father of the Ezrites 33. But when Gedeon was dead the children of Israel turned away and went a whoring after Baalim and made Baal berith their God 34 And the children of Israel remembred not the Lord their God which deliuered them out of the hands of all their enemies on euery side 35. Neither shewed they mercie on the house of Ierubbaal or Gedeon according to all the goodnesse which he had shewed vnto Israel NOw together with the Chapter the holy story maketh an end of Gedeons acts and maketh mention of his death and buriall and sheweth what the people of Israel did afterwards In this verse it is said he died in a good age For seeing some of his faults haue been spoken of to leaue them so would haue bred some doubts he hauing done many good things therefore his end is here set downe to shew that both hee had the blessing of old age granted him and also that it was blessed with many good things by God vnto him The same that is said of him is said of Abraham that he should die in a good old age Which speech here applied to Gedeon and affirmed of him though it be not to be drawne so farre as to prooue he died godly but onely noteth fulnesse of daies and prosperitie in this life yet it is cleare that he died so and obtained eternall life after in that he is reckoned among the faithfull in the Epistle to the Hebrewes Which is to good purpose to bee set downe he being though a godly man yet blemished that thereby we may know he repented By this we are taught that we must stablish our faith hope and other graces of God begun in vs at our first conuersion that wee may bee rooted grounded and setled therein as the Apostle willeth the Colossians and that so the neerer we are the graue the more glorious and fruitful our profession may be and in our age we may more flourish then in our youth which is a thing not easily found nor obtained Therefore the Apostle Saint Peter also exhorteth saying Take heed that ye be not led away from your stedfastnesse and sheweth how that may be like to be euen by the error of the wicked For by beholding how they walk who haue no feare of God at all and by harkning to their subtill counsell and poisoned perswasions we shall find to our cost that there is no small force to draw vs after their cursed example wheras we were in a good course before If Gedeon so mightily and oft assisted and helped did yet fal in such manner as we haue heard what may we look for in so many and so variable cases through out our whole liues It is well seene in this age what need they haue to profit by this doctrine who ranne well sometime as the Galathians did but yet haue suffered themselues to be letted so that they obey not the truth which they began and professed commendably to doe Many faults both to the wounding of the conscience and the offence of men prouoke God daily in his owne children and make faith to seeke and hope to waxe faint for that we doe not labour carefully to bring forth fruit plentifully thereof and to hold out with all possible endeuour the profession of our hope with ioy And if we haue trode awry and begun with the wise virgins to slumber yet through due and continuall attending vpon God and daily and oft repairing and drawing neere to him wee should not sleep therein but make haste speedily to come home againe vnder the Lords wing and protection where only true safety and good being is to be â—ound and that the rather seeing the poore chicken and bird void of reason after the least straying longs by by after the damme and to be vnder her wing and say wee therefore euery one with the Prophet to the Lord O forsake me not ouer long and euer and anone looke wee that all be well with our soule that there be peace betwixt God and vs and that our faith and repentance waxe not stale nor loathsome to vs. And make wee no haste to rush into shamefull and reprochfull sinnes for neither is the burthen and shame of them easily borne nor the getting out of them and the recouering of our selues againe from vnder such bondage easily obtained when wee be once fallen into them whereof by many occasions much hath been before spoken And hereafter the long mentioning of Gedeons acts followes his death To teach vs that to be the end of all flesh whether the life be short or long as Dauid also witnessed in other words saying I goe the way of all the world And great incouragement wee haue to prepare and haste for death if wee haue learned aright to dye seeing with our being with Christ
for me to speake of Gedeon Barak Iphtah and Samson these the holy Ghost commendeth And though some of them as men did sometime fall yet we are to thinke they returned and rose vp againe seeing the Scripture as I remember doth neuer condemne them So that in respect of them and by their helpe if the people could haue seene it and made benefit of it we may say they liued in a golden age Now whereas it is not so apparantly to be seene that this booke doth set foorth Christ vnto vs in all the commendations of these Iudges who yet is the end of all bookes of Scripture to such as demaund about it I answere that Christ is not cleerely set foorth in any of those bookes of the old Testament first written but darkly and by types and figures as God saw it meete for those ages and so wee are to thinke of this booke where the deliuerances from so great enemies as are mentioned herein are types of that great deliuerance and redemption of men wrought by Christ out of the iawes of the diuell And let the commending of sundrie of those Iudges by the holy Ghost satisfie vs that they could not haue been good men nor haue liued by faith as they were said to haue done if they had not beleeued in Christ and been sanctified thereby Besides what authoritie shall we giue to the old Testament if they who are commended in it to haue been men of God as diuers Kings and Prophets with many other did not liue and walke by faith seeing it is not expressely set downe without which they could not please God Now the summe of this booke is thus much first a declaration generally of the estate of the religion and manner of worshipping God which these Israelites vsed in their Common wealth from the death of Ioshua to Eli the Priest for the storie of Ruth containes things done in the daies of the Iudges Ruth 1. 1. and more particularly this booke layeth out their sinnes and Gods calling them out of them by sundrie warnings and iudgements vnto repentance with many fearefull examples of their reuolting and turning backe againe whereby may bee seene how corrupt they were both in religion and manners and this booke is a liuely glasse if we well consider it of this our age The parts of the booke are three The first setteth downe the slouthfulnesse of the Tribes in executing the commandements of God against their enemies and the punishment threatned for it Chap. 1. and 2. and their slouthfulnesse is illustrated by the contrarie course of Iudah and Simeon who were forward to goe against them as in Chapter 1. to verse 21. is to be seene The second part is from the 2. chapter to the 17. which treateth of the Iudges and their great actes according to occasions offered who in their due time were raised vp The third part is from chapter 17. to the end and setteth foorth some odious and monstrous acts committed in those confused times when there was no ordinarie Gouernour and therewithall the punishments which followed The author of this booke is vnknowne but yet the booke is canonicall and authorized also by the new Testament The time of the actes of it from the death of Ioshua to Eli the high Priest is gathered to be about 300 yeeres The end of this booke as shall better appeare in the particular handling of it is to instruct and perswade vs in this latter age of the world to carry our selues vprightly and in a streight and well ordred course both in prosperitie and aduersitie I meane to hold the feare of God in both and to keep hope and patience in and through out this our pilgrimage with prayer and repentance which if we do God will be no lesse with vs then he was with the good people mentioned herein The order which I purpose to obserue in the Lectures vpon this booke is first to giue the short summe of the Chapters then to deuide euery Chapter into parts for the better distinguishing the points thereof that they may be better vnderstood and more clearely seene into thirdly I giue the sense of the verses more fully and lay forth the doctrine with the reasons and vse thereof though for the most part they be not alwaies expressely set downe which manner of handling the diuerse histories of this booke as also I thinke the same of our preaching out of all other Scriptures namely that after the meaning and sense apt and fit instruction should bee drawne out with the application to the present state need and vse of the hearers plainely and pitbily as may be for their best edifying I hold meetest to be vsed And I weuld to God that there were consent giuen therto of al Preachers and that this course were aimed at I wish that euery one did not follow his owne priuate course who hath neuer learned any good way or order of preaching Whereby it commeth to passe that some fill their Sermons with the froth of their owne braines or the bare authorities of men and least proofe is brought out of the Scriptures Also some preach darkely to the little benefiting of the hearers not to mention all which were endlesse And although for many other things I leaue the consideration therof to my reuerend and learned brethren yet in this I hope without ostentation and arrogating ought to myselfe I may be allowed to speake in regard of the long time which I haue spent in studying learning and practising as I haue been able the holie exercise of preaching And now to end these my Lectures this I say that beside the varietie of much good therein contained there are some points to good purpose occasioned touching faith and repentance and sundrie directions giuen how to seeke the Lord when we haue slipped and how to beare trouble aright Thus much I thought good to say before I enter into the seuerall Sermons euen to this end that some good light may be giuen as to him that marketh duly it may appeare Now I will proceed to the text itselfe THE FIRST SERMON VPON THE FIRST CHAPTER OF THE BOOKE OF IVDGES VERS 1. And it came to passe after that Ioshua was dead that the children of Israel asked the Lord saying who shall goe vp for vs against the Canaanites to fight first against them VERS 2. And the Lord said Iudah shall goe vp behold I haue giuen the land into his hands IN this Chapter two things are chiefly contained to set downe the summe of the Chapter and parts of it together The first is the commendation of the tribe of Iudah to the 21. verse the cause we shall heare afterward The second is the setting downe of the sinne of the tribes that are mentioned after in that they slothfully suffered the Canaanites to liue by them and did not expell them and that is to the end of the Chapter Iudah is commended in a double manner first for the actes they did now at
notorious and knowne sinnes and let them endeauour to giue good example without wearinesse that so they may bee free from such fearefull offences And this be said of the peoples repentance To all the former instructions out of these two verses this I adde that if the bitter weeping of the people there caused the place to take the name from thence so that to this day it is retained and is called a place of weeping and further we see how long the remembrance of it is kept for many yeeres after then it doth strongly commend to vs what care we should haue while we liue to possesse the generations comming after vs of good examples giuen by vs among them that liue with vs which may doe good when we are gone either Ministers by their diligent and feruent preaching and godly liuing or the people in more then ordinary receiuing the message of the Gospell with thanksgiuing and other commendable fruits following The place of such inhabitants whether it receiue a name from such things done there as this Bochim did heere or no it is not so materiall But this is to bee thought that the remembrance of such good things done them might harten and encourage many that shall come after them not in that place onely but also in many other to follow such examples But whether they doe or no this is too true that no vile actions shall bee done to leade the people from God and goodnes no disorder I meane vnruly behauiour and reuell rout keeping but their example shall bee taken vp to be sure not onely of them that haue seene them but also of them who shall come after them hauing heard of them and be made customes if not petty lawes among themselues as the custome of spending the twelue daies at the Natiuity c. doth too truly testifie And thus I end THE THIRTEENTH SERMON ON THE BOOKE OF IVDGES The second part of the Chapter VERS 6. Now when Ioshus had sent the people away the children of Israel went euery man into his inheritance to possesse the land 7. And the people had serued the Lord all the daies of Ioshua and all the daies of the elders that outliued Ioshua which had seene all the great workes of the Lord that he had done for Israel 8. But Ioshua the sonne of Nun the seruant of the Lord died when hee was an hundred and tenne yeeres old 9. And they buried him in the coasts of his inheritance in Timnah-heres in mount Ephraim on the north side of mount Gaash 10. And so all that generation was gathered vnto their fathers and another generation arose after them which neither knew the Lord nor yet his workes which he had done for Israel 11. Then the children of Israel did wickedly in the sight of the Lord serued Baalim 12. And forsooke the Lord God of their fathers which brought them out of the land of Egypt and followed other Gods euen the gods of the people that were round about them and bowed vnto them and prouoked the Lord to anger 13. So they forsooke the Lord and serued Baal and Ashteroth NOw followeth the second part of the chapter to the end which also containeth the summe of the rest of the second part of the booke vnto the 17. chapter and setteth downe the estate of the children of Israel vnto the death of Sampson and that was after this manner 1. The people prouoked God by their sinnes 2. God punished them for them and that by other nations 3. He raised vp Iudges to them and 4. When they cried vnto him deliuered them 5. After that they brake forth and fell to Idolatry againe And this was their estate all the time that passed till the acts mentioned in the 17. chapter as is shewed by perticular examples through all the chapters before that beginning in the third But if any see reason not to consent that these verses in this second part of this chapter doe lay forth the summe of the second part of the booke in generall it maketh no great matter He must yet grant that in them is set downe the estate of the people generally at the time after Ioshuas death who knew not the Lord and in the chapters following more perticularly vnto the seuenteenth chapter The distinct matters in this second part of the chapter are these fiue now mentioned 1. Their sinne 2. Their punishment 3. Their crying to God 4. Deliuerance 5. Their reuolting The first of them was their sinne the which is set downe from the eleuenth verse to the fourteenth with the occasion that they tooke to fall in that manner and that is from the sixth verse to the eleuenth And the occasion was the death of Ioshua and other good gouernours heere mentioned that outliued him for though in their time the people serued the Lord as heere it is said yet after them arose another generation that knew not the Lord and then they forsooke him Of these now as it followes in order And first let vs consider what is said of Ioshua then of the people and lastly of them both Of Ioshua first in his life and so come to his death then of the people after his death In that it is said of him that he had sent the people away to their inheritance before he died as it is recorded Iosh 24. it causeth a question to bee moued why hee had called them together before his death that appeareth in the chapter mentioned now throughout vnto the 28. verse and it was to this end to rehearse Gods benefits to them and to exhort them to serue the Lord and this was a little before his death at which time also he renewed a couenant betwixt the Lord and the people the like to which we reade that Iehoida did betwixt the Lord and Ioash the King And so did Nehemiah Iosiah and other whose rare godly example is set forth most clearly and liuely to be a patterne to all Christian magistrates euen the highest how they should count it their greatest honour to honour the Lord among the people and cause them to doe so likewise to aduance his true worship also and therefore to see true and sound doctrine taught and not to suffer superstition nor false opinions to bee thrust vpon the Church and to prouide as neare as may be that the people may know that they doe not require these things of them for fashion but in sincerity and that seeing the Lord is a plentifull rewarder of them that seeke him therefore they must not thinke themselues discharged in that they prouide for the outward peace of the people only wherein yet they doe very commendably but that they may liue godly also because vnder God they are the maintainers and preseruers of both tables And the best that they can yeeld the Lord for aduancing them is to serue him in feare themselues and kisse the sonne and prouide that others may doe so and that
the destruction of many of the Philistims brought vpon them by his meanes hee himselfe losing his life with them But before he did it he tooke his best opportunity to bring it to passe For he being set betwixt the pillers as was said in the former verse hee asketh of the seruant that led him to set him so as hee might feele them with his shoulders which he spake as though hee would haue eased and rested himselfe being wearied with grinding in the prison and by bearing his chaines and bolts but intending indeed to seeke the best opportunity to cast downe the house vpon the Philistims Here first marke this that he notwithstanding he had lost his eyes which should haue guided his body yet hee was not vnmindfull of the worke of his calling namely to plague the Philistims Gods enemies and therefore he vsed the help of the seruant to further him thereto We should all learne to remember and consider for all our troubles and discouragements those weightie charges and duties which are in our power to performe that wee leaue them not by occasion thereof neither lay them aside as wee are easily brought to doe thereby So that although wee haue not all incouragement and abilitie thereto as were to be desired yet we should vse that which we haue and may come by Rare is the example of Ionah in this behalfe that being in the Whales belly where for streightnes of roome noisomenes and stinch hee could a man would thinke doe nothing yet euen there made his faithfull prayer to God and vpheld himselfe by faith For notwithstanding we are disabled altogether to performe some duties by necessitie yet those which wee may wee should with Samson labour to performe and haue a care to discharge them I speak this for that many professors of the Gospell hauing receiued a checke from some of their betters for being more forward in religious duties then other or then is well liked and for making more conscience of their waies then the most I say they sustaining a rebuke for the same are discouraged and are ready to leaue off their Christian course altogether at least their feruencie and forwardnesse which is vtterly vnmeete for them to doe for so they shew that they feare man more then God and so they cut him short of his due as they thinke good which is in no wise tollerable Whereas if they were seruants tenants or otherwise inferiours to such superiours as should abridge and depriue them of some helpes and liberties which might further them to the discharge thereof yet ought they not through feare to giue ouer the duties which they may performe but the rather constantly to hold out therein and practise the same in al points as they may For what shall all help of man be to them if God be against them Moses would not leaue the least dutie vndone to please Pharao I remember what I haue read of a valiant Roman Captaine in a fight by sea that first hee aduenturing to put foorth his hands to catch at the gable of the enemies ship with eagernes to surprise her and draw her to his owne Nauie as prisoner lost his right hand by the sword of the enemie which being cut off he haled againe with the left hand thinking to pull her away but in the attempt lost his left hand also when he saw himselfe disarmed of his hands he being neere fell downe and with his teeth drew the ship with such violence that hee wonne her in the despite of the defenders thereof I bring in this as an allusion to shew the exceeding resolution of carnall men in the aduancing of their purposes for honour wealth or fleshly proiects but in this matter of our holy profession wherein God is highly honoured if wee bring forth much fruit who takes not a repulse by the smallest discouragement either from being zealous therein and an ordinary worshipper of God or for being carefull ouer his family or a liberal relieuer of the distressed Saints or from walking in his particular calling with a good conscience or to be short from seruing God inwardly and outwardly with labour and attendance as the cause requires Also who being shut out one way seekes passage another trying all meanes rather yea and though disappointed in part yet to do somewhat rather then nothing Paul indeed being restrained from publike preaching sat not still but did what he could in prison so that his bands were as famous as his liberty not saying with Elija therein weake Take my life now Lord for Iezabel giues no permission to thy Prophets to teach openly but makes a racket of them If we may honour God in publike let vs if not then among a few if not so yet in our family if we be sequestred from al these yet in our spirit and that shall be our discharge before God But if any shall say I haue offered God my seruice in his Church and hee refuseth it therefore he must pardon me if I haue the smaller list to be otherwise occupied this is madnesse and follie or else sloth and hypocrisie Oh saith many a son wife seruant ye little know what a father husband or master or landlord I haue to discourage me otherwise I can tell what I could doe in seruing God as well as other Well marke what Paul saith If thou be a seruant though streitned doe as thou maist the worst master cannot make thee cold without thine own consent although if thou be free vse it rather And therefore it was a great sinne in Dauid when hee was driuen to his shifts by Saul to offer his helpe to Achish against the Church make the best of it that we can For want of incouragement must not coole our affection though it may hinder action much lesse may it excuse discontentment or that which is worse And seeing such sullennes argueth that there is no resolute purpose indeed to dutie therefore many such grow loose and consciensles in their trouble for affliction will search a man and others being in time inlarged and set free are as barren hypocrites after as euer before they were plentifull in their complaints of their miserie We must thinke Zachary and Elizabeth had as many dismaiments as we vnder Herod and in so corrupt a time let vs be as they and wee shall be borne with for being no forwarder But here an end for this time THE EIGHTIE EIGHT SERMON ON THE XVI CHAPTER OF THE BOOKE OF IVDGES HEre to goe forward as Samson was preparing to bring to passe that great slaughter of the Philistims so the Lord had prepared the persons for him to execute it vpon them Therefore it is said here that the house was full of men and women and all the Princes of the Philistims were vpon the house prouision being made where they might best see aboue three thousand men to behold Samson and please themselues therein Which cleerely laieth out the
SERMONS VPON THE WHOLE BOOKE of IVDGES and first the entrance into them I Confesse it is no small matter for a man to take vpon him to set foorth Lectures or Sermons of any part of the word of God especially of an whole booke thereof and the rather for that it is a matter of much greater difficultie and danger so to doe then to preach them seeing for mine owne part I would easilier be brought to preach three Sermons then to set foorth or penne one and besides we see that learned men I speake of many who might for their excellent gifts profit many and doe the Church much good are haraly drawne thereto I leaue their reasons to themselues perhaps they thinke it a needlesse worke to set foorth more bookes For mine owne part I knowing that many would reade little if there were not new bookes set foorth I thinke it to good purpose to labour in that kinde especially when the things set foorth are for the quickening vp of the present drowsie age And so I testifie my iudgement by my writings that I am of another minde not for that I would dissent from learned men or seeke glorie and praise by this my practise when to speake as the truth is I confesse freely that as I come many degrees behinde them in gifts for that purpose so I would not take vpon me this exercise of writing vnlesse I were led to it by waightie reasons but in the simplicitie of my heart I speake it that I set myselfe to this worke as I can haue time and leisure from my publike imployment in my Ministerie and other priuate duties euen to keepe myselfe from danger in this euill world as idlenesse too much tampering in the world and such like needlesse and hurtfull besinesse as well as for the desire I haue to benefit any other hereby and besides I thinke it better to benefit the Church while wee liue being but a short time other may rise vp after to perfit such beginnings then to burie our gifts vtterly and so to depriue it altogether of the same by death Also I see that euery age of men hath sundrie troubles annexed to it the old as well as the young and occasions are offered of sinning and offending God many waies by one occasion or other which are not thought of before they come In so much as when the danger of youth and of the former yeeres of our life is passed with inwara peace and without any grosse and iust offence to others which yet to doe is few mens cases and rarely obtained and not without much striuing and watching to enter in at the straight gate yet the diuell so much the more enuieth our credit in the Church and the comfort we haue from God in such an estate especially the Ministers and therefore hee doth the more bend his force against such that hee may in their latter end disgrace them by winding them into some reprochfull and foule offences that so he may as much as in him lieth make their former vertues and part of life to be ridiculous and of no account And therefore as I am not ashamed to confesse that I haue receiued wonderfull cause of thanksgiuing to God for his so great bountie and fauour towards me the most vnworthie in my younger yeeres to keepe me from the infection of the time and sins of the age wherein I haue liued yet God be mercifull to my many slips and infirmities so I am not I say ashamed to confesse that I feare in this my declining age hasting apace to the graue as with griefe of heart I haue seene in many that I may possibly yea and that full easily be drawne to an vnprofitable earthly idle and dead course of life and thereby to greater offending of God and blemishing of my profession and Ministerie vnlesse I should labour to preuent it by some set labour and study and so to hold fast that which I haue receiued of the Lord and that is by the occupying and vsing the gifts which he hath giuen me as in this kinde of studie namely of writing I may and also if I should not endeuour to grow forward in grace experience and in the knowledge of our Lord Iesus Christ from the which a man may be easily hindred by the error of the wicked rather then to looke what I haue done heretofore I might easily flatter myselfe thereby and so at least stand at a stay or which is worse goe backe and so lose my part of happinesse with them that continue to the end For I make chiefe account of that hauing it not in fruition as yet but by hope onely and I know it may easily and many waits be hindred and staied as Satan can handle the matter and as I see many goe to worke And for this cause I desire to be occupied vntill the Lord come and in this manner hauing more then one foote in the graue And to the end I may tye myselfe to liue the freer from dangerous falles and offences while I am here a stranger and absent from home and therefore I say I haue set myselfe to this kinde of worke as being not able through debilitie of body and lamenes to trauaile abroad and helpe other neighbours more then at home by preaching as I haue done since I first began where my labour was desired and by conferring much as occasion was offered as I vsed in health to doe And if any laugh at this which I haue said of my fearing myselfe as thinking it meere folly I cannot doe with it neither am moued for their so censuring me but I tell them this that while they feare not their frailtie also but count it foolishnes they hast apace to vtter miserie Now for taking this booke in hand to set out my Sermons vpon it which I haue before preached though I haue gone ouer in the course of my Ministerie many other besides this I take this booke in hand not as making comparison betwixt it and other bookes of Scripture but partly seeing no Lectures or Sermons are set out vpon it that I know to giue light and helpe to such as need it and partly at the earnest desire of those that heard my Sermons on it and if I may know and perceiue my labours in this to be thought worth the setting foorth I would be willing as much as in me lieth to doe the like in some other booke In this worke beside the people who are not brought vp in learning who may see that their whole life may be directed hereby and may much profit by it so I intended also in it to benefit Students and Preachers who are not yet experienced nor best furnished with matter for the edifying of the hearers so that beside the fruite they may reape hereby in common with the people so they may learne how to make vse of the historicall part of the Bible and learne to draw doctrine and instruction out of the examples
thereof fit for the people and that out of the bad as well as the good euen as well as out of other Scripture which all haue not learned to doe neither haue attained vnto and therefore doe oft times offer violence to the Scriptures by making allegories of them and so wresting them to another sense then the holy Ghost hath made of them without which manner of handling them they can draw none or little matter out of the most examples in the stories of them and so beside that their doctrine is not soundly gathered so they giue too fearefull suspition to the ignorant that such parts of the Scripture are barraine and drie while they doe by such shifts and yet indirect so hardly draw matter and doctrine out of them when yet it is certaine and cleere that they are full of sound instruction But to come to my purpose I will now set downe some generall things before I enter into the text which may giue some light to the better vnderstanding of the whole book such as I gather partly by obseruing laying together that which I read in it comparing one thing with another and partly out of that learned and reuerend Father Master Peter Martyr whose workes neither the most priuate men can vnderstand nor many Ministers though they may vnderstand them can come by neither if they can shall they finde there that which shall be much for their simpler hearers benefit And first let the reader marke how this booke agreeth with all the former from Genesis to the end of Ioshua and what is the summe of them and this Concerning the booke of Genesis after mention is made in the beginning of it of the creation of the world and the generations to the flood it doth afterward shew how God chose his people out of Abraham and his posteritie and how they were sent into Egypt to auoid the famine In Exodus these things are the principall how the people of God multiplied and increased in the land of Egypt till there rose a King who cruelly oppressed and vexed them sore and how they were deliuered out of the bondage which they were in there by Moses and how they had lawes giuen them to gouerne them And this last point is the summe of Leuiticus also The booke of Numbers declareth their diuers resting places in the desert and their goings forward toward the land of Canaan In Deuteronomy Moses being to depart out of this world and to leaue the people doth most faithfully repeate the law to the generation which came after the former and which then liued I meane to the posteritie of Abraham Then came Ioshua and led the people into the promised land and diuided the land of the Amorites and Canaanites which partly was subdued and gotten out of their hands and partly remained to be conquered he I say diuided it amongst the twelue tribes according to the commandement of God after he had brought them ouer Iordan slaine many of the Kings of Canaan and possessed their cities and grounds in that countrey This is the summe and contents of the booke of Ioshua After his death to come to our purpose the Lord gouerned his people the Hebrewes being placed in that land by Iudges whom to that end he indued with excellent gifts and by them deliuered and kept the people out of the hands of their enemies who as yet did all the daies of the Iudges remaine in great numbers to vex them But to vnderstand better the meaning of the word Iudges a materiall point in this booke to be vnderstood though to iudge signifie to know the cases of such as contend and be at variance and to giue sentence of iudgement betwixt men yet these Iudges mentioned in this booke had not that office neither were called Iudges in that respect But as the word signifieth also to reuenge and to redeeme out of bondage thus did those Iudges deliuer and redeeme the people as in this booke is at large declared I speakâ— not of Samuel who is said after to iudge them also by deciding controuersies and ciuill causes But these Iudges had that office assigned them of God to deliuer the people as I haue said out of their enemies hands and so to iudge them and therefore were called by that name of Iudges and this booke that intreateth of them and their acts throughout is called The booke of Iudges And briefly to lay out the state and condition that these people the Hebrewes then liued in whereby the office of the Iudges may the better be vnderstood they hauing not yet conquered the land were occupied as at their first entrance into it and after Ioshuas death a while in subduing it and their enemies but afterward they suffered them to remaine and become tributaries to them and were thereby as God saw it meete and as need required in great perill and miserie by them and then because they were his people lest they should haue been vtterly destroyed these Iudges were raised vp by him without the election of men to rescue and deliuer them But afterward when they were at rest and peace God gouerned them not by those Iudges therefore Iphtah when he was desired would not raigne ouer them neither had they authoritie ouer them but he vsed the help of someother excellent persons fit by their vertues and gifts for that purpose and they ruled the people but the Iudges as I said were stirred vp by the Lord in great dangers brought vpon them by their enemies to be helpers and deliuerers vnto them and to keepe them in peace afterward while they lined So that these Iudges were not chosen by succession as Kings neither by the voyces of the people but were raised vp by God as wee haue heard indifferently as well out of one tribe as another and how meane and vnfit soeuer they were before for that purpose God did furnish them by and by after he had stirred them vp with most excellent gifts for that end to the which he appointed them And it went farre better with the people while they were vnder them then it did afterward when they would needs haue a King to raigne ouer them For they did alwaies deliuer the people of Israel out of the calamitie with which they were oppressed whereas their Kings did sometimes waste them and bring them into captiuitie and were the most part of them Idolaters And although vnder the Iudges the people were somtimes oppressed grieuously by strangers and especially vnder Samson by the Philistims for why we must know their horrible sinnes deserued it and prouoked God to deale with them in that manner yet they were neuer led into captiuitie while they liued with them Againe there were few of the Kings good men in Israel not one the Iudges for the most part were all such A good testimonie whereof we haue in the Epistle to the Hebrewes where we thus reade of the commendation of them The time would be too short
teachers that be of that religion it is no way fit nor lawfull seeing by their gifts of learning they may so draw an high conceite of them from the children that they may the easier distill and drop poyson into them by their corrupt religion And this for answere to the question and withall an end of the whole chapter THE SECOND CHAPTER VERS 1. And an Angell of the Lord came vp from Gilgal to Bochim and said I made you goe vp out of Egypt and haue brought you vnto the land which I had sworne vnto your fathers and said I will neuer breake my couenant with you 2. Ye also shall make no couenant with the inhabitants of this land but shall breake downe their altars but yee haue not obeyed my voice Why haue yee done this 3. Wherefore I said also I will not cast them out before you but they shall bee as thornes vnto your sides and their gods shall be your destruction 4. And when the Angell of the Lord spake these words vnto all the children of Israel the people lift vp their voice and wept 5. Therefore they called that place Bochim and offered sacrifices there vnto the Lord. WE haue heard in the first chapter the notable victories of Israel ouer the nations while they obeyed the word of God and also the sin of many of them in suffering the Canaanites to liue Now it followeth how the Lord of his goodnesse reproued them for the same by the messenger that preached to them and the fruit that followed thereof And afterward vnto the end of this chapter the holy Story setteth downe the summe of almost the whole booke namely to the 17. chapter taking occasion to doe this from the acts of former times beginning at the things which were done before Ioshuas death The summe of all the rest of this chapter from verse 6. is thus much I shua a little before his death hauing called the people together and giuen them their charge as appeareth in chapter 23. and 24. of that booke that they should beware of Idolatry and feare the Lord after that he sent the people away and died in whose daies and in the daies of the elders that liued after him the people obeyed his charge as it is to bee seene in this chapter from the 6. to the 11. verse But after that it is shewed how the next generation that arose after them declined from that good course and so did the ages that followed them one was like another throughout this booke vnto the 17. chap. and here with it is declared how God dealt with them And that in few words was thus they fell to prouoke God by Idolatrie and other sins then the Lord was displeased with them for it and deliuered them into their enemies hands after that they cryed to the Lord and he raised them vp Iudges or deliuerers of them yet they obeyed not euen them which caused him to be againe offended with them and to threaten them as is to be seene to the end of this chapter And this is declared and laid out by the diuers examples of the people throughout all this booke vnto the 17. chapter according to the generall diuision made of the whole booke in the beginning According to the meaning now set downe the parts of this chapter follow which are two The first is a calling of the tribes that had offended to repentance to vers 6. The other is the setting downe of the estate of the people after Ioshuas death and Gods dealing with them vnder the Iudges throughout these 15. next chapters vnto the 17. and this is to the end of this chapter I will leaue the last part to the due place wherein it is to bee considered and examine the first as order requireth And heere in this first part we may see these two things A reproofe of the people by the Angell to verse 4. and the effect that followed thereon that is the peoples repentance to the sixth verse so that in the first part of this chapter is shewed how the people had prouoked God already by not driuing the nations out after their first entrance and the death of Ioshua as wee haue heard in the former chapter and that they were brought to repentance In the second part is declared how another generation that knew not the Lord did much worse for they not onely made couenants with the Canaanites as the other did who were brought to repentance but also serued all manner of Idols and prouoked the Lord thereby To begin therefore with the former branch of the first part that is their reproofe the messenger that was sent to them to make it more forcible to pricke their consciences first rehearseth the benefits which God had bestowed vpon them which ought rather to haue drawne them to obedience And this he doth in the first verse as ye may see then he setteth downe the faults for which hee reproueth them One that they made leagues with the Canaanites contrary to Gods commandement the other that they had not cast downe their Alters and he expostulateth with them for the same saying why haue ye done this contrary to the charge which the Lord gaue you in the 2. vers And lastly he threateneth them that their disobedience should be to their great punishment saying I will not driue them out but they shall bee prickes in your sides and their gods shall bee a snare vnto you and this in the 3. verse Now it remaineth to speake more particularly of these in order But before I come to speake of the message I will say a little of the messenger The word Messenger or Angel signifieth sometime a created nature without a body as Hebr. 1. Angels are called ministring spirits and these assumed some forme at Gods commandement for the time then being the better to accomplish their office as Genes 18. Sometime this word signifieth any other messenger that God sendeth to execute his will as Reuel 2. and 3. where by the Angell is ment the minister that was sent to them a messenger from God And whether of these soeuer is ment heere it maketh no matter and it being not particularly expressed in the text it is sufficient for vs that wee know it was a missenger sent of God and therefore sufficiently authorized and of those to whom he was sent one who ought to be reuerently receiued and beleeued And let it teach vs that God alwaies vsed the ministry of his seruants to reueale as it hath seemed good vnto him and to declare his will vnto men either about the generall couenant of grace and promise of saluation or about any other particular thing as hee saw cause and this he did whether they were Patriarkes Angels Prophets or Apostles by whom he did it in ages past or as he doth now other ministers of the Gospell as Pastours and Teachers whom he vseth at this day to reueale his will vnto the people
it appeares that they had load enough vpon them as one would thinke and yet as though there had not bin enough said of the hand of God against them the holy Ghost addeth heere that whithersoeuer they went forth the hand of the Lord was against them as if it should bee said whatsoeuer they tooke in hand or went about it prospered not but they were crossed therein whereas of the godly we reade in the first Psalme the contrary to be said and set down The like is spoken by the Prophet Azaria to the people of Iuda in the secōd booke of Chronicles This though it be not seene of many nor marked of the disobedient and therefore not complained of yet their misery therefore is the greater seeing they goe on brutishly as the foole to the stocks and the oxe to the slaughter till a dart pierce through their liuer But some feele and perceiue it when God being angry with them his hand is against them as experience witnesseth though he deale not now so much nor apparantly against his enemies in bodily as spirituall plagues for doe not many loden with sorrow and misery crieout that God fighteth against them though there be no outward punishments to bee seene vpon them and that they neither prosper nor enioy any inward peace but are wearisome to themselues cursing their lot and wishing themselues out of the world nay laying violent hands vpon themselues for very anguish of heart and madnesse thinking falsely so to escape their misery And how heauie a thing is that thinke wee especially when they know not how to remedy it And as it is thus with them euen so Gods hand is euer with his faithfull seruants in all their waies which God hath set them in They are like the tree planted by the riuers of waters that bringeth forth fruit in due season and whatsoeuer they do it shall prosper Indeed this is the lesse seene to be because they finde it so hard a thing for them in the middest of so many discouragements to continue in their vprightnesse as we may see who marke it but they are oft vnsetled and broken off by the burthen of the flesh from their innocency or else are forced with much adoe to recouer themselues being fallen and are in great heauinesse thereby But while God vpholdeth them by his grace hee doth also make them well liking and to prosper yea in their weakest estate in respect of other and to recouer And whereas it is added that this pursuing of them by the Lord in all that they set their hand vnto was as he had sworne to them it is to teach vs that it could be no otherwise seeing God speaketh nothing in vaine much lesse if he sweare to it according to Samuels words the strength of Israel will not lie One iot or tittle of his word cannot faile It is farre more firme then the law of the Medes and Perfians which yet altered not So that if the Lord speake the word or sweare except it be conditionally whether it be a threatening to such as prouoke him or a promise of any good things to such as trust in him it shall most certainiy come to passe what attempts soeuer there be to the contrary as is daily to be seene And therefore it is to be wondred at that men are so little moued thereby but for all his threats go forward in their bad course till the euill threatened doe come vpon them and cause them to crie out euen as Gods seruants also doe smart when his promises being certaine are for all that not beleeued of them But this matter is oft occasioned And this bee said of the peoples sinne and of their punishment It followeth now in the text VERS 16. Notwithstanding the Lord raised vp Iudges which deliuered them out of the hands of their oppressors 17 But yet they would not obey their Iudges for they went a whering after other gods and worshipped them and turned quickly out of the way wherein their fathers walked obeying the Commandements of the Lord they did not so 18. And when the Lord had raised them vp Iudges the Lord was with the Iudges and deliuered them out of the hand of their enemies all the daies of the Iudge for the Lord had compassion of their gronings because of them that oppressed them and tormented them NOw follow the other things which I mentioned before in the sixth verse in laying out the points of this second part of the chapter and that is how the Lord raised them vp deliuerers in their oppressions when they cried vnto him who were called Iudges This cannot bee vnderstood of any one time seeing he sent not many Iudges at once among them in any time of their affliction Therefore hee sheweth heere to the end of the chapter what was the condition of the people of Israel and the changes and diuerse courses that they were in the time of the Iudges In few words it was thus when they cried to the Lord in their oppressions he pitied their grones and raised them vp Iudges which were deliuerers of them as I said and he was with them to blesse them and yet they turned away from him againe for all that and so he was prouoked to go against them afresh as is set downe in the latter end of this chapter in some of the verses that follow And first in that it is said in the eighteenth verse for these three verses are to bee ioyned and read together that they groned to the Lord vnder their oppressions who saw nothing amiffe in themselues before it must teach vs that calamities will search and stirre vs vp to griefe and to make our mone to God for very anguish of heart how carelesse and iollie soeuer wee haue been before when wee boldly prouoked him and when wee haue been so carelesse and headstrong as that nothing could serue to plucke downe our stomackes yet sore troubles haue broken our hearts as if we neuer had been otherwise Therefore when his word will not preuaile the Lord is faine euen to maister men by strong hand that at least hee may tame them by violence if he cannot bow them to repentance euen as men handle horses and such beasts as they cannot rule they cast them and keepe them vnder by binding them that so they may worke their pleasure on them The wilde Asse must be taken in her moneths when she cannot resist and this course the Lordis driuen to take with vs to wit to make our hearts to smart and to loade them with sorrowes or else there would bee no rule with vs thus I say he is faine to take vs downe According to that which is said in the Psal When he smote them they sought him yea they sought him early Pharaoh himselfe when he felt the smart of the plagues of Egypt sought for Moses to pray for him to the Lord. Long it is
it is to teach vs that which wee are hardly brought to beleeue namely that he is most ready to remit and to remoue his punishments yea when we haue prouoked him thereto by our sins if it repent vs. When Dauid confessed his sin the Prophet Nathan being sent of God to moue him to repentance and vnderstood by his confession that he did so answered him immediately thy sinnes are forgiuen thee So the posterity of this people heere mentioned when God had sent vpon them a strange iudgement in their wheat haruest euen thunder and raine that they might thereby perceiue and see that their wickednesse was great in asking a King contrary to Gods commandement who had forbidden them so to doe and the people had giuen testimony of their repentance in desiring Samuel to pray for them and confessing that sinne in asking a King and their other sinnes hee answered Feare not the Lord will not forsake his people for his great names sake because it hath pleased the Lord to make you his people and I will not cease to pray for you but I will shew you the good and right way And the whole Scripture throughout is full of examples that tend to the same end So that it may boldly and truly bee said the Lord is gracious and of great kindlesse and repenteth him of the euill that hee had brought vpon his So that it remaines that this heauenly Scripture lie not by vs vnoccupied and without fruit and vse But seeing wee doe oft forget the Lord and thereby doe that which is euill in his eyes oh fickle and inconstant people that we are wee should not sleepe in our sinne but repaire to this remedie to rend our hearts rather then our garments and neuer to thinke our selues well till we haue recouered our losse and by faith see that wee are receiued into fauour with him againe for hee waiteth for this our humiliation and it shall neuer come before him in vaine and be frustrate but he will most certainly accept of it and as for vs we ought neuer to be quiet till wee doe so And wonderfull it is and to our great detriment that the way being so open to Gods mercy and louing kindnesse euen to them that stand in need of it while they smart for their prouocations of him it is I say to bee wondred at that so few take benefit by it yea and that assoone as they haue offended they hast not to returne to him againe but wander in vnbeleefe and hardnesse of heart till they bee driuen to it by meere necessity to bow and cry vnto God And the more wee bewray our blockishnesse herein in that wee bee so hardly brought vpon our knees when we haue sinned against God wee are to know for I thought it meet to vtter it that there are no knots nor difficulties in this doctrine namely that God will be found when hee is sought vnto and will heare when he is prayed to It is a most cleere and well approued truth and none faile of helpe but such as doe not either heartily seeke it if they know how or else such as are ignorant how to doe it And that which I haue said of repenting and returning to God when wee see some speciall fault committed either by negligence or wilfulnesse to wit that we should in solemne manner thus cry vnto God as we haue been taught euen so we ought to doe though there be no apparant wilfulnesse seene in our daily slips and infirmities to offer vp to God daily our sutable repentance for the same that so we may bee no time or not long in the least manner estranged no nor absent from God but continually goe in and out before him through the day and so all our life long which is our Paradise and felicity in this world And this be said of the first of the three examples as occasion hath been offered to the tenth verse THE NINETEENTH SERMON ON THE THIRD CHAPTER OF THE BOOKE OF IVDGES WE haue heard how God raised vp a sauiour or deliuerer to the people of Israel when they cried to him in their oppression euen Othniel now it is shewed how he fitted and furnished him for so great a worke And that was thus Othniel being a priuate man and one of the meanest of his fathers house only somwhat enriched by his marrying of Acksah Calebs daughter and a man of some courage was the person whom the Lord stirred vp for this purpose And he being further off then many other from ability hereunto it is said that the Lord gaue him his spirit meaning the fruits of his spirit as knowledge and iudgement to vnderstand the matters of God and his will which are things most requisite for a gouernour and he gaue him also encrease of courage strength and wisedome for warre and besides them all certified him by his spirit that he was called of God to such a seruice Now all things being thus appointed by God he as it is said heere iudged Israel that is hee executed his office in taking vpon him the protection of his people wherein the Lord being with him hee rescued them out of bondage to liberty againe and gouerned them and restored the pure worship of God among them and more particularly concerning the subduing of the aduersary of Israel it is said that the Lord strengthened him against him that Cushan-rushathaim I meane and gaue him into his hands And this cleerely teacheth vs that all gifts of the spirit and all excellent effects therof they are none of ours they are the Lords he giueth and distributeth them at his pleasure as we see heere that it was the spirit of the Lord that came vpon Othniel whereby hee brought to passe the great things that he did And whatsoeuer is of any note in man for price and exceliency it is all of God and commeth from his meere bounty Alas there is no bird stripped of her feathers more bare and naked then man in himselfe is void of goodnesse for what hath he that he hath not receiued Insomuch as all that he hath to glory of is his sinne A most holy and approued truth which giueth God his due and layeth out man in his colours that hee is nothing else if her robbe not God of his honour and pranke not vp himselfe in his gifts he is nothing else I say but naked poore and a mirrour of misery Saul the King of Israel when he wrought so great a deliuerance for Israel against the Ammonites Moses and Ioshua in the mighty preuailing for them against the Heathen nations and that in spite of all their teeth who were the proudest of them yea and Salomon in all his royalties what had they to commend set out themselues withall but the gifts which God furnished them with How doe numbers iet vp and downe vaunting themselues who hauing some gifts giuen them of God but to a farre other
feare that God doth not marke vs for his enemies Which miserable condition the vnbeleeuers are alwaies in vnlesse they be hardened which is far worse as I said before for if his anger be kindled but a little as it is euer toward them a great deale happie are they that feare him I would not therefore bee a bad person if there were any way to shun it euen for this cause whereas yet all the terrors heere are but a glimps of those that follow afterwards And contrarily why should not the godly be content to beare some hardnesse heere seeing they are freed from the greatest terrours if they know their liberties both heere and heereafter But somewhat like this I spake of in Eglons example before Now I should proceed to speake of Barak hauing begun with Debora and said of her that which is occasioned by the text but I should haue no time thereto in this sermon therefore an end heere THE TWENTIE SIXE SERMON ON THE FOVRTH CHAPTER OF THE BOOKE OF IVDGES WE haue heard of Deboras message to Barak in the two former verses Now followeth Baraks answere to her message in this eighth verse If saith hee thou wilt goe with me I will goe else not This answere of his seemes to yeeld little to Gods commandement sent to him by Deboras ministery neither to ascribe any thing to Gods promise and therefore shewes how he profited not by those two strong peswasions to leade to duty mentioned before but proues that hee ascribed more to her presence then to Gods promise which what could it be lesse then a great blemish in him as may bee seene by his amending his fault afterwards Whose faith is so highly renouned among the worthies in the epistle to the Hebrues Beside she was offended with him for his so answering and therefore it was doubtlesse infidelity in him If it bee asked why then is hee afterward so highly commended for his faith I answere that when the message came first to him the thing enioyned him from God by Deboras message seemed to be most full of difficulty For he was commanded to make commotion and to rebell against him that was King ouer them to wit this Iabin who was very great and mighty he was also charged to gather an armie of men together though hee was but a priuate man himselfe These things therefore for him to take in hand and that against such a fierce and strong captaine as Sisera was it made him afraid to set vpon such a worke and especially while he was vnexperienced in so great a triall and difficulty and this was the cause why hee could not beleeue except shee went with him that God would deliuer him with his men of warre into his hand But afterward weighing better the commandement of God and his promise God by his spirit assisting him hee beleeued the words of Debora and obeyed and so obtained the victory by faith as it is said in the forementioned place to the Hebrues And how vsually this falleth out and commeth to passe euen to the godly that at the first they doe stagger and doubt and beleeue not by and by and that through the strong reliques of the old Adam there is no man of God but hath proofe and yet for all that afterward they being strengthened by the spirit of God recouer themselues againe and beleeue confidently This is apparent in Dauid euen after he had beleeued saying O Lord wash mee throughly cleanse me for I am wholly filthy And againe Create in me a new spirit as if the old had been vtterly lost Also in Moses when he was first commanded to goe to Pharaoh how fearefull he was at the hearing of the message and how hee shrunke backe but afterward how boldly did he execute the same and deliuer it vnto him Euen so the best of vs when we heare of the death of our deare friends or of great losses that are befallen vs also at the beginning of great sicknesse and paine arresting vs oh how doe we faint and distrust that we shall neuer submit our selues and yeeld obediently to them though God command vs straitly to doe so while we cast both our eyes on the burthen and crosse that is on the the things that are seene as the Apostle speaketh and while wee are not yet come to our selues to looke vp to God with confidence and to things not seene but eternall But when we weigh how they come from him that loueth vs and therefore cannot intend our hurt we then submit our selues to God and stay vpon him for grace to go vnder all and waite patiently for a good issue And because our hearts arise oft times against our brethren when we see these weakenesses in them and begin to iudge and thinke too hardly of them for the same the Lord therefore letteth vs sometimes see the same or other such in our selues that so wee may learne to beare with the infirmities of them And when wee haue experience of this it causeth vs to bewaile tenderly the weaknesses that we see in our brethren and with the spirit of meeknesse helpe to hold them vp rather then by and by to censure them ouer sharply for the same And it is to be deepely bewailed to see how farre off many are from duty in this behalfe though otherwise religious and such as loue the truth frō their herts are ouercome with deadly cōceits against their brethrē when they see they haue fallen by infirmity are strongly incensed against them leaue thē to themselues neuer telling them of it kindly as if they see thē ouercome of impatience teastinesse anger or if their zeale feruency in seruing God be slaked abated or that they be offensiuely taken vp of and carried away with the world These and the like I confesse are rust causes to raise griefe in vs and are much to be disliked of vs when we espy them in such as be well thought of by vs and they are blemishes in them not to be borne with or allowed but yet for all that when wee shall see such things in them wee must beware that wee censure them not too hardly for who hath giuen vs authority to iudge them crying out vncharitably that there is no religion in them For though it cannot bee denied but that the diuell hath by watching his opportunitie got aduantage ouer them yet they being not vntractable but only deceiued in their so offending and yet in other parts of their liues they holding their care to please God and labouring to keepe a good conscience we must not for some one such weaknes fall by and by to such hard iudging of them and to depart from them which is vtterly against charitie and dutie but to think that there being so many snares to intangle men it may easily enough be so with them as wee may see it to be with our selues if we be not blinded with
They both prepared themselues to warre we see but these went about it by Gods commandement hee in the pride of his owne heart and without God They trusted in the promise of God for victory he in his owne strength and great army They went against Gods enemies he against Gods friends yea against God himselfe Whereby we may see that it much auaileth to haue a good cause to maintaine and to haue God to goe with vs therein as many examples in Scripture testifie of the warres of godly Kings with idolaters A good cause is the defence of the Gospell and the true worship of God by a Christian Prince against such as would force him to Poperie or any other false worship by open warre also the maintaining of his owne dominion bounds or right in great and waighty matters or recouering them being vniustly detained from him A Christian Prince in these and such like cases may make warre and command his people against the enemie and so I may say of the like But to leaue this instance and to lay out this doctrine in another more familiar to the common sort it is manifest where the like is to be found among vs who are in peace to wit that we haue a good cause and our controuersies with the bad it is manifest I say that the one sort hath great encouragement by the goodnesse of his cause to follow it rather then the other who hath none at all but much against him For where all these encouragements are or the most which Barak had and of which I haue spoken they are to animate men to their duties so I will not say what successe and blessing particularly shall follow them who vse them but they shall most certainly reape great fruit thereby and abundantly one way or other and therefore good reason that such should doe the Lords worke diligently and contrariwise the other if they could bee made to consider what they goe about in following a bad matter they should neuer dare be hold to proceed as they doe to wit ås Sisera did to defend an ill cause but they would feare to goe forward and desist from their attempts Good and bad goe to worke both alike as these heere did for outward preparation but not in a like manner nor with the like minde nor to the like end And although Sisera had not wilfully in the pride of his heart gone against Israel because they were Gods people as Pharaoh did and although hee bee not properly to be charged for not consulting with God or weighin the cause in going against Gods people for alas he was an Heathen and therefore ignorant of such matters yet to speake the best that may be said of him hee trusted in chariots horses souldiers and munition thereby purposing with maine force to reduce the rebellious Israelites as hee counted them to the yoake of obedience and knew also that they were Gods people But it was indeed no wonder that he tooke this course being a cursed Canaanite such an one as he was But to leaue him and to come nearer our selues is it not admirable that among vs who are of the visible Church there should bee found some that in their enterprises life and dealings maintaine an euill cause one against the other as Barak and Sisera did for what though their actions both ciuill in religious exercises be the same and that in outward respect there appeare little or no difference in some of them yet so prophane and vnconscionable many of them are that they hold the righteous an abomination and deface as the Pharisies did Christs their best actions and will see no difference betwixt their owne and the others And to please themselues thus they say of them Tush as precise as they seeme they doe but as we they follow their trades buy sell eate drinke marrie c. and we do as they reade pray heare the word receiue the Sacrament c. what oddes therefore betwixt vs yes for why shall not two be in the field or at the mill and yet the one receiued the other forsaken and the one a reprobate the other chosen Surely as they differ in their ends so they differ in the meanes vsing that leade thereto and though they differ not in dying for the outward manner yet they differ in this that one dieth happily the other miserably and so they doe in their affections differ as in their desires hope encouragements and successes The one asketh who will shew vs any good The other prayeth O Lord lift vp the light of thy countenance vpon vs for it is more to vs then all abundance And in this light both of knowledge for direction and of grace for assistance thereto The godly man walketh looking at the promise in all his lawfull attempts knowing also that the Lord who is his light to guide him will bee his defence also to vphold prosper and blesse him The other walkes in darkenesse being led by erronious opinion sense example nature and sometimes shame feare and proud confidence in himselfe and therefore goeth through many dangers smarts sorrowes whether he be crossed or whether he haue his desire Hee reeleth also and stumbleth as the Egyptians did when darkenesse did ouerspread them while the Israelites walked in safety at liberty In a word the one serueth God the other the diuell the one is cheerefull patient confident the other of a contrary minde and carriage Therefore let euery man who desireth to be approued of God iudge himselfe and as for others both such as I haue spoken of and they who doe the same actions with them though wee know not with what mind let vs conceiue the best so farre as in charity we may of them but yet let vs suspend our sentence and allowance of them till after longer triall and further knowledge of and acquaintance with them And consider yee that reade this what I say and the Lord giue you vnderstanding For in that which I haue said of the wicked incensed against the righteous their deeds being good but their owne euill consisteth a great difference betwixt a true Christian and a counterfait as to him that will lay both sorts together with good consideration shall appeare And of this Scripture heere an end THE TWENTY EIGHT SERMON ON THE FOVTRH CHAPTER OF THE BOOKE OF IVDGES Vers 14. Then Debora said vnto Barak Vp for this is the day that the Lord hath deliuered Sisera into thine hand is not the Lord gone out before thee So Barak went downe from mount Tabor and tenne thousand men after him Vers 15. And the Lord destroyed Sisera and all his charets and all his host with the edge of the sword before Barak so that Sisera lighted downe of his charet and fled away on his feete Vers 16. But Barak pursued after the charets and after the host vnto Harosheth of the Gentiles and all the host of Sisera fell on the edge of the sword there was not
bauds to adulterers and to spend that day leaud and vnseemely meetings and match-makings stage-playes and other reuell rout and all vnder the honest colour of exchanging commodities and maintaining their charge So that in stead thereof men and women set to sale their good name chastity sobriety and whatsoeuer else should bee pretious to the godly Now vnto these before mentioned of greater wealth and place whereas some thinke that in the next words shee speaketh to men of meaner state such as is said here dwelt by Middin a place they say where they met more vsually for a Mart or exchange of their wares which place being before intercepted by the enemies and now free for all to haue recourse to it and passe too and fro by the high waies shee exhorts them that repaired thither to praise the Lord. This opinion of theirs is gainsaid by the purest translations and beside one thing should bee vnderstood in both places to wit of traâ—â—ique and merchandise if it were so But the word Middin is not to be taken heere for the proper name of a place where wares were sold but the words dwelling by Middin are to bee translated thus sitting in iudgement As if she should say let men of authority and rich lawyers who may now sit in iudgement about ciuill causes let such praise the Lord because they may now doe it safely It is the honour credit peace and benefit of Magistrates and learned counsellors as also the welfare of the people that places of iudgement and iustice be frequented and vpholden as we see heere in England in our Terme times at Westminster and out of Terme in other places where equity and right are maintained and wrong and iniurie punished Oh it is a time full of desolation when through famine plague or any inâ—ection such places must lie vnoccupied in the times when they should be frequented and set a worke in deciding causes helping the innocent to his right and weeding out of euill doers Whereby we may gather how heauy times those were when iudgement ceased and the open places where iustice was ministred were laid wast and left voide And therfore we reade in the former chapter that the people could not enioy that liberty of publike iudgement seates but they were driuen to go priuately to Debora for iudgement not dwelling sumptuously in palace or castle famous in that respect or honourable but obscure vnder a Palme tree Now therfore as they when they might againe boldly and freely sit in iudgement are heere called to praise God for it So such persons with vs enioying such priuiledges ought to call themselues duely and daily to zealous thankesgiuing with such other duties as accompany the same yea their whole life should sauour thereof And they shall haue much to answere to God who do otherwise As for the people what duty they owe for enioying this benefit I will shew by a fitter occasion in the next verse But to let these goe of whom I haue spoke in this verse because Debora heere speaketh also to all such as went and walked by the way this should cause all such as goe to and fro about their businesse pleasure or other necessarie vses as trauellers to praise God highly for such liberties seâ—ing a little before that the high waies lay vnoccupied and to speake of the benefit thereof one to another to his praise and not to trauell to and fro in rude prophane and loose manner gabling like wild geese in vnciuill and rude sort as though they enioyed such liberties to offend God by them And much more ought their behauiour and communication to bee sober and Christian like when they goe to the house of God to bee edified by the word prayer and Sacraments and also when they returne home againe and in a word to walke harmelesse in all places which behauiour is much out of vse in this land and yet God bee thanked not altogether in some places But heere an end for this time THE THIRTIE TWO SERMON ON THE FIFTH CHAPTER OF THE BOOKE OF IVDGES NOw to proceed with the rest that I haue begun withall heree Debora speaketh to the seruants that in going forth to draw water for their necessary vse were not free from the archers who shot at them and put them to much paine trouble and danger or feare at least thereby Where we see that as they who are in the meanest places of seruice are not to bee suffered to enioy their liberty to liue idly but to be imployed and occupied as Dauid when he was young kept his fathers sheep and set to worke that they may be maintained thereby and such ought to be thankfull when they may goe to it in peace so they are to bee admitted also and taken into the number of them that worship God in the assembly and therefore ought duly to bee brought thither by their gouernours and taught there to know him Euen such as cut wood and draw water the very droyles in houses as they are called who doe the most seruile workes and therefore in some countries such as keepe swine sheepe and cattell which is more base then to serue them onely euen these I say being of them who are redeemed by the precious blood of Christ as well as other should be taught to honour God aright and to liue vnder his gouernment and therefore not suffered to liue brutishly as in some places they doe but be brought forth by their parents or rulers into the congregation of the faithfull to learne those things that concerne their happinesse and peace this being presupposed that there they shall be taught Which I speake to the shame of such masters and gouernours as neuer regard any such matter neither consider that they owe that education to them for the seruice they doe them and the vse they make of them and most of all that they owe it them by the band with which they are tyed to it by Gods commandement whereas the life of such is as miserable for their soule as they vnder the Turkes gallies for their bodies yea euen as asses who spend the day in toyle and then are thrust at night into emptie stables so are they sent after their tedious and brutish seruice vnto their wofull home and at last to hell as a heauie recompence of their labour Fie therefore vpon such tyrants And yet if some masters in conscience of the commandement doe for some it may be doe giue them more libertie to goe to the assemblie to worship God yet oft times another euill is in the way that when they come there they haue nothing taught them so that by one meanes or other all that list may see they die miserably of which sort oh that the number were not too great Thus much of these The next sort spoken to in this verse are they who dwelling in villages and vnwalled townes were left desolate and driuen from their habitations and they
chiefe men in the tribe of Zebulon she had praised before and that for their forwardnes against Gods enemies in so great perill as we haue heard they were in For it was a ridiculous thing in the iudgement of men for such a small number as they were to goe against such huge armies and all as valiant souldiers addressed in warlike furniture by whom they might haue been swept away in lesse then an houre but they preferred God and his word before their owne liues By the high places mentioned here the mount Tabor is signified on which they were appointed to stand to behold the multitude of the Canaanites and yet they not flying away from them but marching toward them their faith appeared to bee so much the greater and therefore they are thus commended Thus much for the meaning of these fiue verses Now I haue cleered that which was needfull to be made plaine in this storie there being some difficultie therein the next thing is that we seeke a further benefit by it And first by them who are commended for yeelding their helpe in that great worke of the Lord as Ephraim Beniamin and Ishaker mentioned in the 14. and 15. verses we may see that such as doe set themselues to further Gods people or his seruice shall not be vnrecompensed nor forgotten as these are here regestred to their praise neither is any to thinke that the labour and trauell so bestowed is in vaine And whereas some obiect That now the Scriptures are finished and therefore no man can looke for the same particular reward that these enioyed I meane to be Chronicled in the monuments thereof yet let them know that if they be faithfull and constant to the end the Lord hath written their names in another booke farre more durable euen the booke of remembrance wherein he writeth the workes of the Saints that he may both here and for euer reward them and honour them before men Angels For though it be vsuall with men to doe as the Butler did to Ioseph I meane to let goe vnrewarded many kindnesses and duties done to them by their neighbours yet God who is lesse bound to the best by any due of desert but only of his free promise and gracious fauour he I say will not doe so for why if one offer but a cup of cold water vnto any in the name of a Disciple that is because he is so the Lord will not leaue him vnrewarded Therefore when the woman in the Gospell had powred ointment on the head of our Sauiour he said that wheresoeuer the Gospell should be preached that act of hers should bee remembred and spoken of Much more they who shall honour God more fruitfully and faithfully may assure themselues that great is their reward from him for hee that shall forsake any thing for his sake shall receiue an hundred fold for it euen in this life besides the happinese that abideth him in the life to come Oh therefore the blockishnes and vnbeliefe of the greatest part euen of Christendome who desiring to enioy good daies while they liue here doe in no carefull manner take the way thereto but shift as the baddest sort do to take their part in the sinfull pleasures of this life By meanes whereof though they thinke themselues on the surer hand and to play the part of wise men yet in truth they neuer finde the quiet and sweete fruite of the Gospell which yet many of them professe nor euer attaine the happie life here or after that they looke for Oh things present doe so dazle their eyes with their deceiueable beauty and their hearts are so hollow inconstant and vnfaithfull that if they be tickled with loue and liking of any thing that pleaseth their humour how dishonest yea and filthie soeuer it be they are drawne after it as the silly fish with the bait So that it is no maruaile that few doe beleeue that their labour in the Lord shall be rewarded by chusing rather to abide affliction then to embrace the short pleasures of sinne Oh the number is great of them that follow the deuices and desires of their owne wicked hearts vpbraiding the godly with the small gaine they get by their zealous profession of religion Indeed it is a thing impossible for an vnbeleeuer to see either the vnfruitfulnes of his owne estate or the gaine of the contrarie as wee see by them in Malach. 3. who aske in plaine termes If it be not in vaine to serue God and what profit commeth thereby c. But this ought not to trouble the righteous as we see in the 16. verse of the same chapter but if through frailtie they slip into that temptation as Dauid did Psal 73. let them doe as he did vers 17. enter into the Sanctuarie of God and change their opinion But as fast as one seeth another taken away and for all the fearefull manner of the death of some of them who haue liued as if they feared neither hell nor iudgement day yet what one of an hundred remaining behinde still is brought any thing neerer to a Christian life thereby Now more particularly by these of Machir or Manasses Zebulon and Issachar which were chiefe men in the tribes and yet forward and readie to ioyne with the rest against Gods enemies wee learne that as the mightiest and wealthiest should not come behind others in any part of Gods seruice but put foorth themselues before them as these here did so they that doe not so must see that they shall haue reproch for their negligence and sloth as the other shall be renowned of God himselfe as wee see here these be which were enough to put heart and courage into that sort of men particularly if sinne haue not plucked it out But of this I speake in other places by occasion and therefore I say no more now Now Debora passeth from these whom she commended and turneth to the other whom she discommendeth in these verses Whereby we may see how great the reproch of thē is who do not helpe in Gods house to set forward his worke and to ioyne with his seruants therein For such do not only discourage their brethren and let the worke lie raw and vnperfect but they flesh their aduersaries and God knoweth whether they would not also turne on their sides if they should be tryed Wherein it is not amisse to obserue the plaine dealing of the holy Ghost in this narration for as he ingenuously yeeldeth testimony of praise to the well deseruing so hee conceileth not the shame of the carelesse and slothfull but rebukes them without respect of persons Which dealing as it sheweth what course he will take in that solemne day wherin he will iudge the world with equity so it should driue all fooles out of these conceits whereby they beguile themselues saying rush God will doe neither good nor euill and that hee will not smite them but they
and the manner brutish They want and would haue to defray the hard world or to bestow vpon their lusts and to maintaine themselues in pride of life but neither worke they because they thinke it is a sin to be idle nor because they looke for any other fruite of their labour saue the bringing in of the peny They see not whose commandement it is that they should labour Genes 3. therefore they goe through it with vexation discontentment distrust endlesse carking and tying God to their girdle to giue what successe they desire which if they get they take it for granted that he loueth them if not they storme To the impure all things are impure and so are their callings they doe the workes of them commonly not to shunne noysome lusts temptation and the fruites of sloth nor to serue Gods prouidence neither to sharpen and fit themselues thereby to religious exercises and to good duties nor to auoide offensiue burthening of others nor to doe good and relieue them that want c. and so to obey God in all nay to speake the truth when they are in their shops at markets in their fields they are far from setting God before their eyes much lesse doe they beleeue that God is with them there to blesse them in their worke as well as when they are occupied in duties meerely religious Sinister ends and causes doe compell the most to yeeld some obedience to Gods commandement but doubtlesse if all were now men of worth and might liue of themselues we should haue few workers As we see by their words saying Oh such a man is happie Why because he need not worke nor toyle as we doe but liue easily and enioy the world at will And by this they bewray that they could bee content to doe so too if necessitie vrged them not to doe otherwise Therefore their labour is as displeasing to God as their idlenesse in a manner as they vse it A wofull thing ans not without the curse of God vpon such as will not learne a better direction that whereas some goe about their worke in faith beleeuing that because they are Gods beloued therefore God will giue them rest blessing and successe others rise earely sit vp late drudge and droile eate the bread of care and drinke the water of affliction yet either they thriue not or at least they are as much to seeke of soule-prouision I meane grace and hope of saluation at the end of their wearisome life as at the beginning whereas it shoud haue been their first work after they came to yeeres of discretion Which should teach vs wisedome and not to giue God a short and formal pittance of seruice when we be at Church on the Sabbath but seeing that great worke is to seeke with the most therefore to giue all their diligence thereto that is to make their saluation sure that all the sixe daies we may wholly giue vp our selues to other affaires without so much as minding God or godlinesse For the Lord will haue vs serue him religiously as well in actions ciuill not religious of their owne nature as holy and this is the scope of his third Commandement which tieth the seruice of God to euery part of our liues in our common course of liuing as well as the second doth to religious duties and therefore must be extended to our particuler callings as being the greatest part of our time and wherein our liues are most taken vp But I will proceede in the next Sermon and here an end Now to proceed where I left THE THIRTIE EIGHT SERMON ON THE SIXTH CHAPTER OF THE BOOKE OF IVDGES WHile Gedeon was thus hard at worke and labouring the Angell came and spake comfortably vnto him as if he had bin praying or in the like exercise and not to terrifie him To teach vs that our businesse and works of our callings are no lets to vs frō hauing cōmunion and fellowship with God neither doe hinder his presence and comfortable being with vs. And the same may be said of our callings themselues ordained by him bee they meane and base or waightie Therefore the Lord was with Iacob in his iourney and in the way when hee was going from his brother Esaus wrath and rage And so hee made the Gospell effectuall in Lydia by Pauls preaching she being then a seller of purple and rich and not yet truly conuerted to God And the Lord blessed the two tribes in their calling and habitation saying Reioyce Zebulon in thy goings out that is in thy prosperous voiages on the seas and thou Ishachar in thy dwelling in tents meaning in thy quiet keeping at home about thy traffique and businesse And by this which I haue said let vs marke that if it be not long of our selues our lawfull callings and businesse are no hindrances of vs from the seruing of God holily and religiously as some thinke they be but that from them we may goe to prayer or the like exercise in good manner euen as wee may from these to them Although I may truly say this that for not well learning it few can ioyne these wisely and rightly together because their affections and delights are set too egerly towards that which sauers of the earth and of gaine which is the cause that measure is not commonly kept therin Dauid saying that he had rather be a doore-keeper in the house of the Lord then to dwell in the tents of the vngodly which he would not haue said if mens attendance vpon the basest worke in their lawful callings had been an hindrance to them from Gods seruice may by his words stay and comfort many weake Christians who thinke that they are much letted from the duties of godlinesse euen by the very vsing of their callings because they be not spirituall as prayer and the like exercises are But to end this let the vse of that which hath been said be thus much vnto vs that wee euer labour to be so innocent well gouerned in al our earthly businesse and workes of our calling that we may not driue the Lord from vs but haue him alwaies with vs by the spirit of truth direction and comfort as we haue heard he hath been with other and was here with Gedeon in their earthly affaires for that is the vsing of them aright and in their kinde The next thing in this verse is this that though the Lord sent his Angell to Gedeon for his owne reliefe and comfort and also the peoples yet wee see this was not done till they were brought neere to extremitie all helpe of man was past and they had no other refuge vnder God but to prouide for themselues by flying from their dwellings to saue their liues As for example Gedeon whose father was in some authoritie and therefore none of the poorest yet was at this point euen thrashing a little corne by the aide and nourishment wherof he and his might flie from the
Eunuch communicating with Philip who went away reioycing with sundrie others doe witnesse which should be sufficient to incourage them who suffer these sores to fester inwardly through concealing them and so to preuaile against theÌ„ through their negligence and fainting vnder them to make their cases knowne in time for if they can neither by prayer fasting hearing c. find comfort against their heauinesse resolution in their doubts strength against sinnes direction for particuler duties and the like their last refuge must be to repaire to them that can doe the part of an Ananias to Paul or this Angell to Gedeon I meane bring to mind somewhat which might speake to the heart of them and restore them to good health and comfort againe Which doubtlesse during the temptation they could not feele But the folly of men or their bashfulnes or ignorance is great who denie themselues the libertie which God alloweth them and so procure the more sorrow to themselues I speake of such as may haue resolution for seeking whereas thousands cannot who full gladly would make their benefit thereof But here it is time to make an end THE FORTIETH SERMON ON THE SIXTH CHAPTER OF THE BOOKE OF IVDGES HOW Gedeon was answered and satisfied about the signe he asked wee haue heard Now note wee further here what a blessing and reward he obtained of God for his kindnesse and curtesie he shewed to the man as he thought him to be whereby wee see how God rewardeth theÌ„ that receiue and make account of his true seruants and messengers Gedeon though he were driuen by the Midianites euen neere to famine and sore oppressed by theÌ„ so that the forgoing of a little in that time of need and extremity was more then a thousand times as much in the time of plentie yet euen then he did not withhold his liberalitie from this messenger of God And what lost he by it Nay how infinitly did he gaine So Abraham doing this dutie receiued for good men Angels of God So that poore widow yeelding her mite to the Prophet of God that is somewhat euen of the little that she had receiued great abundance for it So our Sauiour saith agreeably to this Whosoeuer shall giue vnto one of these little ones he meant such as beleeued in him and were in the sight of the world abiect to drinke but a cup of cold water onely in the name of a Disciple verely I say vnto you he shall not lose his reward But of this dutie before this I adde by way of remembrance thereof This intertainment is a part of liberalitie and a fruite of the Spirit So any refreshing of the hearts of Gods Saints is a worthie worke and shall be regarded of God I acknowledge that men must doe in this as they may continue other duties which are imposed vpon them about their own flesh and familie but yet they must not vnder that colour be cold and backward in this dutie of loue neglecting and letting passe such opportunities of doing good as are offered for vncertainties to come As for them that waste much vpon lewd companie play gaming whoring drinking they shall one day know to their cost what it is to lash out and spend the good blessings of God in such vnprofitable and hurtfull manner whereby so many members of Christ might be relieued But for the intertaining and bestowing of a good part of mens goods in such manner as I here speake of and commended as Gedeon did it is to receiue men for their mutuall good and edification and not to euill and carnal ends And therfore that Christians through selfeloue or worldlinesse should be too fast handed scantie and nigardly towards other their poore brethren it sauours of small liking or ioy they haue in their communion of Saints or fruite of their profession whatsoeuer loue to God they pretend For the practise of loue and mercie must approue our godlinesse to be sound and not frothie And yet this is apparent that many a man saueth more by his vpright and conscionable walking and feare of God the which before hee made no conscience to mispend vpon his lusts as many other doe then would well serue them to allot and applie to good vses But to returne when the Angell had thus resolued Gedeon by the signe mentioned he departed from him which cleerely sheweth to what end he came vnto him Now as it falleth out oft times to Gods seruants that the end of one trouble is the beginning of another there ariseth a new trouble to Gedeon after that he was deliuered out of the former doubt danger And in the next verse it is shewed how hee was brought out of it and in the 24. how hee giueth God thanks for it His trouble was this that he had seene an Angell of God therefore he feared hee should die And no maruell for wee shall reade in many places that the old fathers when they had seene God as he might be seene or an Angel were sore terrified and afraid that they should die So in this vnperfit speech saying I haue seene an Angell of God hee ment as we also must supplie it thus I shall die So Iacob after he awoke and perceiued the Lord to be present in the place where he lay and had dreamed that night was afraid and said The Lord was in this place and I was not aware and hauing wrastled with the Angell thinking that he had been a man maruelled that he liued So when Manoah knew that it was an Angell of the Lord that had spoken to him he said to his wife wee shall surely die seeing wee haue seene God So the people said to Moses on Mount Sinai when God came downe they were so afraid that they desired Moses that he would intreate the Lord to speake no more to them in that manner lest they should die The reason of this feare in them was sinne that made them as Adam afraid of Gods voice after he had sinned which before he reioyced aboue all things to heare And thus through the darkenesse which came of sinne they not being able to abide the light of Gods presence their consciences draue them to flie from God who is almighty and holy and pure who can abide no vncleannesse which all mortall men are full of so that euen they who were not tainted with wilfull sinning against God esteemed it is present death to haue God present As the good Prophet Esay testifierâ— saying Woe is me for I am vndone because mine eies haue seene the Lord of Hoasts And though he confessed that hee was a man of poluted lippâ—s for the neerer men come to God the lesse blemishes and smaller they see in themselues yet we know that was indued with grace But this in him and others came of their iustly troubled conscience vnsound and vnpure seeing that God of himselfe by nature is both the author of life and comfort and therefore
of the truth of Gods promise and that he did cast himself confidently thereupon Thus his faith grew and shewed it selfe apparantly So should we when we haue been much laboured with to belieue by the preaching of the Gospell and haue our selues also much been occupied in attaining thereto we should I say then look for the fruit thereof And namely to haue proofe of our faith indeed in and about the common difficulties wherein in times past wee haue bee foiled and found it almost impossible sometime or at least very vnlike that we should preuaile by faith euen there I say we should looke to haue some strength thereof otherwise then in former times As for example when a man seeth his sinnes and the guilt of them though he be truly humbled for them euen then to lift vp the hand of faith to heauen and lay hold on the mercy of God in Christ Also in time of temptation to resist temptation by beleeuing that God wil giue vs victorie Againe when a man must lose goods and life and all that hee hath for the Gospell or else to forsake it then to cleaue fast vnto it beleeuing that we shall be great gainers thereby And so when a man wanteth meat drink and apparrell yet euen then to acknowledge Gods prouidence though by weake meanes and rest in it peaceably In like manner hauing long heard the word and how we should make it profitable to our selues by belieuing it we should grow to this point that we should be wearie of our rouing and wandering of our sleeping of our discoursing and disputing against that which we like not being vnpleasant to our flesh and say with Samuel Speake Lord for now thy seruant heareth and is ready to rest in thy will whither reproouing commanding or incouraging yea and to be vpholden guided reformed or kept within compasse whither by the terrors commandements or promises of it So ought we in all other parts of dutie to be readie to say euery one for himselfe Lord now haue I learned how I should worke in my calling vse my peace and prosperitie behaue my selfe in secret and with others and walke throughout my life innocently and fruitfully belieuing that I shall not lose the fruit of my labour And further I blesse thy name I am ready to bee put the triall and am not altogether as in times past each occasion offered by thy Maiestie is welcome I am the more incouraged to stoope meekely vnder mine affliction when I see thou hast sent it for then I belieue thou art readier to assist mee in bearing it and that thou wilt giue a good issue out of it and therefore farre be it from me to be so plunged and amazed at trials as I haue been for that were to be euer learning and neuer come to knowledge yea it were alway to be a child going by the helpe of others and neuer alone which is the propertie of a changeling And thus doing wee shall find that which the good Martyr found that when God called him to the stake he endured the fire though before hee could not endure the flame of a candle to singe so much as his finger In these and such like to haue proofe of our faith is a thing much to bee reioyced in and a good signe that our faith groweth and is strengthened otherwise then it hath been in times past according to the saying of the Apostle to the Colossians Be rooted and grow in faith that ye may abound therein And so I might say of many things particularly as of impatience anger wrath vncleane and vnchast desires excessiue feare of trouble conceits terchinesse rash iudging and many other more when we haue pursued and had them in the chace disliking condemning and long time and oft praying against them we should looke for some victorie ouer them and by the faith in which we prayed to rest perswaded that such meanes shall not bee vsed of vs in vaine but looke that the rootes of them which were fast setled in our hearts before be now loosened in vs and more and more dailie and that it shall so appeare euen then when any new occasion shall bee offered and when we shall be prouoked to offend by any This will liuely shew though wee shall neuer be vtterly void of the reliques and exâ—crements of our corrupt and rebellious heart that our faith is better confirmed in the word that commandeth vs to purge them out And this a man would thinke were more to the honour of Christians then to boast and iangle of their faith and faile in the triall ridiculously which is an easie religion to learne if it might goe for payment To whom a man might say Where is now that tongue of thine which so lustily bragged of faith as Zebul said to Gaal cap. 9. Also we further see here that though Gedeon had the promise of God that he should ouercome the Midianites yet hee lies not still but serueth Gods prouidence by furnishing himselfe with a armie good as he could conueniently to goe against them And so we ought to vse ordinary meanes to bring any worke to passe appointed vs of God though wee haue the promise of good successe from him and yet againe on the other side we should not attribute any thing to them for that were to detract from God his due But of this before at large THE FORTIE FIVE SERMON ON THE SEVENTH CHAPTER OF THE BOOKE OF IVDGES NOw to goeforward where I left in this verse God tels Gedeon that the people of his armie were too many to giue the victory vnto lest they should ascribe it to themselues This speech of the Lord sheweth how vnfit wee bee to haue any great matter committed to vs or to our trust and gouernment for wee are most prone to abuse it and therefore he is faine oft-times to take away many good things from vs lest they should much hurt vs though they might if wee could rightly vse them turne to our great good and the benefit of others This people of Israel if they had gone altogether to the battell and got the victory they would not haue acknowledged God to haue giuen it them but their owne power and skill and yet wee know how miserable they were a little before when Gedeon himselfe complained in what distresse they were and how low they were brought so that one would thinke they were vnfit inongh to ascribe ought to themselues and that they ought rather hauing been brought from such bondage as they had been in before yea and they might also easily haue seene cause to giue glory to God for it if they with two and thirtie thousand especially so many thousands of them being faint-hearted souldiours had subdued more then an hundred thousand persons And this is the more odious in this people because they would haue abhorred such a leaud conceit or quality in themselues while they remained vnder bandage yea if they had
confirme Gedeons faith and consequently fitted for the purpose which being performed they ceased to dreame diuine dreames or to interpret them diuinely By this we see that he bestoweth excellent gifts and graces vpon the bad aswell as vpon the good which gifts either are meerely naturall and ordinarie or supernaturall and extraordinarie Naturall and ordinarie as industriousnesse wit policie strength for the attaining of learning skill wealth credit and the wel gouerning and defending of families subiects and common-wealths Supernaturall as enlightning and knowledge by the word and specially of the law terrifying and the Gospell generally working a confused ioy and vanishing faith in them Extraordinarie as the gift of miracles tongues and the like in the infancie of the Church were These he giueth to many more then hee giueth faith vnto or regeneration euen as the visible meanes leading thereto as Baptisme and the Ministerie are common to both And why because the subordinate ends for which these gifts serue are more generall then those which the speciall gifts serue for Therefore we see that many are well fitted for naturall ciuill morall and ministerially spirituall and diuine ends who yet are no more fit for the maine end of all I meane for godlinesse and saluation then if they wanted the other because the speciall end is not so large and vniuersall as the common end is Yea doubtlesse the wicked are oft times endowed with common gifts in a farre ampler and more glorious manner and measure then the godlie the Lord heaping hot coales vpon their heads and clearing himselfe from the blame of their condemnation seeing that he who bestowed vpon them so liberally in the one kind would not haue denied them the other which accompanie saluation if they had humbled themselues to the seeking after them and not rested in the outward priuiledges as they who boasted of the Temple the Temple whereas in the meane while There came from the North East and all quarters and sat downe with Abraham in the kingdome of heauen and themselues who boasted of the Temple and were the children of the kingdome Christ saith plainely were cast out and excluded But of all such gifts we may say that seeing they are not the peculiar gifts which are proper to Gods owne children but those that are common to one and other it may be said to them as Christ said to the disciples when they reioyced so greatly that the diuels were subiect to them and cast out of men by them Reioyce not that the diuels are subiect vnto you but for that your names are written in heauen so they who haue but knowledge of the Scripture in the letter only with memory and speech to carry away and vtter it hearing the same ioyfully sometime and are but restrained from some outward euils let them not glory and rest themselues therein without sanctification and faith vnfained that so their reioycing may be sound and not to be taken from them else let them feare lest it be answered them as it was to them that pleaded their great workes of preaching and miracles Depart from me ye are workers of iniquitie I know you not And therefore it followeth that the benefit of that dreame redounded to the people of God and not to them that dreamed and interpreted the same Euen as the excellent gifts of an vnsanctified person publike or priuate may possibly doe Neither can any gifts of God that the vnrighteous haue profit them to saluation They haue no vse of their knowledge they are not the better for their hearing and prayers they lose all their cost and trâ—â—ell that they bestow in seruing God howsoeuer like dumbe pillers they may direct others in the way not stirring themselues For they delight not therin but draw neere him with their bodies and serue him with lip-labâ—â—r but their hearts are farre from him and therefore in vaine doe all 〈◊〉 worship him Which should make them looke about more seriously till they can proue that they doe more then say Lord Lord but that they endeuour aboue all things to doe the will of the Lord. How much more vaine is it then to trust in riches which of all common gifts are commonest and therefore furthest from commending the possessors of them to God Lastly let vs marke that God doth his people good by things which are of no reckoning nor account when yet the best things that the vngodly haue cannot profit them as the dreame and interpretation of it which indeed was an excellent gift yet in mens account a meane thing and for all that as meane as it was by that did God quicken Gedeon and comfort him Euen as wee see heere God vseth the meanest things as men iudge of them and things that are nothing worth for the welfare of his seruants So God did by the Manna an vnlike thing and of meane account nourish and preserue the liues of his people so by foure leprous persons that were shunned and loathed of al he saued all the people and so he saued the Prophet aliue and fed him by Rauens these were great matters by base and weake meanes And why this because as Iob saith euen the stones of the field shall be in league with thee and the beasts thereof at peace with thee This doctrine seemeth after a sort contrary to the former to 〈◊〉 that the wicked may not take comfort in the gloriousest things concerning this present life and yet the meanest things in this world through Gods goodnesse shall serue for the benefit of the godly but both may stand well together And to say a word or two more of this what is meaner in the account of the Heathen then water bread and wine being of their owne nature common creatures and yet what great matters are wrought by them in Gods people So to behold and view the creatures and workes of God which all may doe what great matter is it thought to be and yet what sweet meditation haue Gods seruants thereby to their comfort Lo then how they are blessed in all parts of their liues who feare God and that they may find in all things if they sift and fearch them throughly and marke what God promiseth accordingly And when all this is so yet in the meane while there is no peace to the vngodly neither is any creature at league with them but may and shall when God will annoy them This was manifest in Iezabel whose neere attending seruants eunuehes cast her downe headlong on the stones out of the window This is the secret hand of God but not perceiued And as for that which hath been said before of the dreame it is not said to the end we should attribute any thing vnto dreames now common with vs and naturall although God had said of that dreame that Gedeon should be comforted by it THE FORTIE EIGHT SERMON ON THE SEVENTH CHAPTER OF THE BOOKE OF IVDGES NOw followeth the fruit of
doubts not to say vnto Timothy He should saue himselfe and others For more particular application of this doctrine reade verse 2. of this Chapter This victory is remembred and made mention of in the Psalme where it is said Doe to them as vnto Midian and as vnto Oreb and Zeeb Which teacheth that this story and so other in the bookes of canonicall Scripture is diligently to bee remembred that wee may haue vse of the diuers good things that are in it that through the Scriptures wee might get knowledge experience consolation and hope as to pray as Gedeon did in danger and distresse to hope and waite for the like successe in our seuerall necessities which God will as surely doe and performe to vs as he did here to his people hauing made the like promises thereof vnto vs as vnto them And through the writings of the Euangelists and Apostles wee shall meet with quotations of Scripture out of the old testament as it were setting a second edge vpon them and teaching the reader with what regard and obseruation he is to reade them As our Sauiour doth in recording the history of Lots wife and in speaking of the prophesie of Daniel touching the pollution of the Temple by the abomination of desolation and diuers such like places besides the fulfilling of the prophesies of the Messias and other things to come to passe in the Church ere the second comming of Christ For to this end the holy stories are written as well as the other books of the Scripture I meane for our instruction edification and comfort As Dauid mentioneth this story so doth Esay speaking of Zenacherib God shall saith he raise vp a scourge like that of Midian And so it came to passe as he prophesied for the whole armie of that King was slaine by God euen as this of the Midianites Now followeth another thing mentioned in this verse that is when the most of them were slaine the Israelites with Gedeon pursued and followed after the rest where note his wisedome in foreseeing and preuenting danger to come When he had scattered them they might haue gotten strength againe afterward and so haue troubled them as before as another Iabin King of Canaan arose which he preuented And in warre this is meet to be done against the enemies both bodily and spirituall Satan being throwne out laboureth as our Sauiour saith to enter in againe This is also necessarie in euery calling to be prouident to keepe away danger by wants and oppression concerning both body and soule It is great wisedome to follow herein the vniust Steward namely in prouiding for the time that should come after and to follow the example of the fiue wise virgins who so prouided oile for their lamps that when the other foolish for want therof were shut out at the bridegroomes comming they entred in with him to the wedding So wee should deale surely to preuent diuel and world and al offences that might break out from vs through our owne corruption and not to be so foolish as to bring needlesse sorrow vpon our owne heads by neglecting any meanes that might remoue it Yea and one Christian with another must be faine and is forced to deale circumspectly there be so many weakenesses in vs and shifts to deceiue lest they breake off their fellowship Wee see daily to what perfection men haue brought their trades and how easily they thriue through carefull marking and remoouing the seuerall inconueniences thereof and vsing the best prouidence and all opportunities making for their gaine which their predecessors knew not But alas how raw and rude yea what bunglers are men in the trade of all trades who beates his braines to attaine to a gift readinesse and dexteritie therein Who seekes to bring the excellencie thereof into the view of the world or vpon their owne proofe and experience to teach others the next and directest way both of being and walking as a Christian And why because men are not wise to follow this trade without breakings off and many onsets and turne-againes they neither will search out and vse the best meanes which may make them expert and bring in gaine nor will learne wisedome to preuent disaduantages annoyances temptations and therefore their worke goes not forward their skill in this trade comes not to ripenesse For behold while they thinke they serue God commendably in some duties which they apply their mind too there growes in them noisome lusts vnseene vnrepented off and these make them new to begin and set them so much behind hand againe that they almost despaire of euer recouering their forwardnesse neglected The Beniamites we reade in the 20. of this booke met their brethren in the field stoutly but lo the euill was behind them and that they were not aware off till the flame and smoke ascended and then all their courage was cooled To teach vs if we will prosper to make cleane worke before vs and leaue not something vndone through sloath which will cost vs double and trebble afterward And if we bee wise let vs learne with Gedeon how to vse and keepe the victorie as well as how to get it how to clense out that euill which we are prone to as do some duties which we like lest according to the prouerbe He that flieth and escapeth will returne and fight againe whereas we might haue slaine him right downe at the first and been past all danger Furthermore it is to be noted as commendable in Gedeon that when he had gotten the victory hee was willing that other should haue part of the glory thereof to wit these other tribes Nephtali Ashur and Manasse who yet could helpe but little comming after Gedeon had gotten the victory with great danger Which example of his should teach vs to vse the gifts of God not so that we should seeke glory by them but to desire that other also might exercise and haue vse of their gifts to the benefit of the Church we of the Ministery especially should doe this that wee may bee able to say as Moses said Would to God that all his people could prophesie yea and to this end let vs rather in giuing honour euen striue to goe before each other yea the meanest who may soonest and easiliest thinke themselues neglected and despised Excellent therefore is the practise of Christ and Iohn Baptist who though they were both admired by diuers sorts of people and that in such wise that there was carnall emulation betweene the Disciples of both yet alway they so carried themselues that the one honoured the other and both fulfilled all righteousnesse Yea Iohn in the middest of his flourishing yet still acknowledged himselfe but the shadow and Christ the substance himselfe the herold and Christ the Prince I must decrease saith he and Christ encrease Which example of his if his successors had as well regarded Satan had not so soone corrupted
stirs vp strife and multiplieth transgression Prou. 29. It were indeed an honour for a man to depart and say I see he was not in frame to be answered with angrie words I therefore durst not striue to outshoote the diuell as it were in his owne bow That which hee thinkes be commeth him I count it my reproch who professe to fight against my corrupt nature Therefore let the dead burie the dead I meane they that be fit for nothing else let them giue taunt for taunt and scorne for scorne they are free from righteousnesse and bondmen to their owne lusts but I haue learned rather to repay good for euill then euill But yet this is not so to be taken as though in all things we ought to yeeld to froward and peeuish persons but in our owne priuate cases onely and when we lawfully may but in no cases or matters that are contrarie to Gods will or preiuditiall to his honour As for example if these Ephramites would haue set vp Baals altar againe it had in no sort been tollerable that Gedeon should haue borne it at their hands much lesse haue yeelded to them or we in any such thing And this be noted by his answer A worthie example whereof wee haue in Paul who resisted Peter and gaue him no place in the point of collusion with the Iewes Now followeth the fruite of that his meeke and milde answere vnto them to wit that their anger was thereby alaied which agreeth well with that of Salomon in the Prouerbs A milde answere putteth away anger and againe A meeke tongue breaketh bands The second blow makes the fray as the prouerbe saith The reason thereof is double First because wrath wanteth matter to worke vpon if it be not opposed Secondly meeknesse shameth anger euen as humilitie makes pride to hang downe the head And he must be some odde man for rage and fiercenes who is otherwise Thus Dauid by Abigails mildnes was staied from the bloodie attempt which Nabals boysterous roughnes prouoked him vnto Such a grace is this meeknes and mildnes that Christ pronounceth them blessed that haue them He wils vs to learne of him to be meeke who as the lambe before the shearer so opened hee not his mouth Thereby Abraham preuailed with Lot and Moses so excelled in this vertue that he was said to be the meekest man vpon earth Contraries are cured by contraries as wee know and Physitians cure not hot agues by inflaming but by asswaging the skilfull Fencer doth scape many a blow and foile his aduersarie by declining and giuing backe and not by opposing his body or weapon vnto it Cannon shot batters downe castles and walls which yeeld not but rebound from the soft packe of wooll that giues place and resists not The lightning passeth by slight and slender obiects but consumes and deuoures the solid and well compact substances And so all that haue experience may see what fruite wee might reape of this yeelding and what a good name and report which is better then siluer it would bring to vs as by the scripture now cited appeares beside many other worthie fruites if we did regard to practise it Yea doubtlesse and by this meanes wee might euen open the mouth of our hottest aduersarie when his heate is ouer to commend vs and confesse his owne folly and our great wisedom in stopping much sinne thereby and so he might learne meeknes of vs as Dauid blessed Abigaile But now meane and inferiour persons will not stoope an inch no not to that equanimitie wherewith great and worthie personages haue been furnished The wife oft times shall bee found iustly conuicted of the crontrary fault of shrewishnes and snappishnes the seruant stout and sturdie will giue no place to his master few will learne this meeknes Which causeth them to finde the like that they offer to other euen rough currish and vnkinde dealing which filleth the world with contention and vnquietnes Whereto I grant there are many prouocations but we must obey the Lord in this that wee should shew all meeknes vnto all men But some will say That it booteth them not to vse meeknes either in words or deedes toward such as are vnreasonable persons who the gentlier they be entreated the more they play vpon the aduantage and insult ouer others yea the yeelding to their furie is the incencing of them and addeth oile to the flame I answere Roughnes towards such bad and base natures is more meete then kindnes so a man keepe his measure and vnder colour of resisting sin in another disobey not God Thus Elisha willeth the elders to answere Iehorams seruant But if the persons be such as we cannot safely so controll though lawfully let vs say with that good Prophet The Lord see it and iudge and the Lord rebuke them Assure we our selues God hath waies enow to hamper and tame such wolues and tygers Iulian vsed to scoffe at the Christians thus Oh your Master Iesus of Galilie bids you turne the other cheeke to him that smites you c. but God made him yeeld and say Thou art too hard for me and hast gotten the vpper hand O thou Galilean And what was the end of him who pluckt his fellow by the throte and would not heare his meeke plea Such is the end of all rough boisterous and proud spirits But so much shall suffice for this time THE FIFTIE ONE SERMON ON THE EIGHTH CHAPTER OF THE BOOKE OF IVDGES The second part of the Chapter Vers 4. And Gedeon came to Iordan to passe ouer hee and the three hundred men that were with him wearte yet pursuing them 5. And he said to the men of Succoth Giue I pray you morsels of bread vnto the people that follow mee for they be wearie that I may follow after Zebah and Zalmunna Kings of Midian 6. And the Princes of Succoth said Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna now in thine hands that we should giue bread vnto thine army 7 Gedeon then said Therefore when the Lord hath deliuered Zebah and Zalmunna into mine hand I will teare your flesh with thornes of the wildernesse and with briers 8. And he went vp from thence to Penuel and spake vnto them likewise and the men of Penuel answered him as the men of Succoth answered 9. And he said also to the men of Penuel when I come againe in peace I will break downe this tower 10. Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor and their hosts with them about fifteene thousand all that were left of all the hosts of them of the East for there were slaine an hundred and twenty thousand men that drew swords 11. And Gedeon went through them that dwelt in Tabernacles on the East side of Nobah and Iogbehah and smote the host for the host was carelesse 12. And when Zebah and Zalmunna fled hee followed after them and tooke the two Kings of Midian Zebah and Zalmunna and
companions are least pitied of men when the Lord entrappeth them in their owne snare Sooner would a man let loose a Lion if he durst out of the pit or the danger wherein it is then the Foxe because besides the hurtfulnesse it hath so many shifts to conueigh it selfe from danger and is so hardly catcht Who pitieth these men of Succoth and Penuel because they in seeking by subteltie to preserue their liues iustly were beaten with their owne rodde and lost them Whereas he who falles into danger either in a good quarrell or in his simplicitie is either saued by God or pitied in his ruine by men And is not this a double miserie when men are in distresse to heare others say of them they are well serued Heathens haue obserued this cowardly subteltie for who is more subtill then hee that is most fearefull to be euer vnprosperous and seldome euen in forren dissentions of Kings and States haue they sped well who haue held off and plaid the spectators of other mens successe For whosoeuer hath got the vpper hand they haue smarted if they whom they denied to succour they are made the prey of them whom they forsooke if the other yet they smart also in that they did onely forbeare for their sakes and not actually helpe So vnnaturall is it counted in a common calamitie to betray one enemie to another or not to helpe when we are able Which I speake not to excite men to parts taking alway in other mens iarres but to shew how iustly these were handled for their craftinesse in denying helpe not to strangers but their owne captaine And euen so how odious doth God make Newters and Temporisers in religion they are hated of Papist and Protestant and are as cursed as he that is hanged betwixt heauen and earth Touching the vse of this and how to abhorre this sinne reade before in the 2. doct of the 6. verse And these with like punishments for the like iniquities doe not light vpon other that are plaine vpright mercifull and in a word religiously circumspect in their carriage and who make conscience of their waies I doe not deny but that the best doe oft meete with sharpe persecutions but they are for good causes or else their troubles be but fatherly trials and corrections for their good so S. Peter saith If ye suffer for righteousnesse sake blessed are yee And againe If the will of God be that ye suffer it is better that ye suffer for wel-doing then for euill So that we see such haue to beare off the sharpenes and painefulnesse of their sufferings by their reioycing in the Lord and by the blessed estate that they are in whereas the other haue their punishments as forerunners of greater euen here before hand as the Apostle saith Indeed full often I confesse they shelter themselues to men-ward by their greatnesse and shift well inough when meane persons go to wracke According to the prouerbe Great men dote and poore men smart But when God who is higher then they as Salomon saith calleth thē to account as being their only competent Iudge when they haue broken through other iudgements by fauor feare or bribes as great flies breake through cop-webbes then they meete with their match As alas who seeth not what waies there are to bring this about As displeasure of prince factions and partakings treacheries challenges and highnesse of spirits As our owne English Chronicles for these 2. or 300 yeeres plentifully witnesse Now if the Lord spare not great ones let all fawning flatterers who seeke to such and willingly offer themselues as instruments of oppression cruelty and wrong because they looke to be safe vnder their wings from punishment as Ziba and such like let such feare I say for their patrons shall not shelter themselues howsoeuer they no doubt thinke otherwise And this be said of this point for the fuller handling of that which I noted vpon the 9. verse to the same purpose And here we may more particularly marke by the executing of punishment vpon these chiefe men of the citie rather then vpon the common citizens that as the greatest in place and authoritie haue many priuiledges aboue the meaner persons both in credit wealth estimation and commanding others so the Lord brings them foorth to the terrour of inferiours and they lie open to greater danger hurt and losse thereby then others doe and in time it breaketh out and appeareth if they doe ill behaue themselues in their places This is a great cause why men who are aboue other should carrie themselues humbly and not proudly as too many of them doe and also looke well to themselues in euery part of their dutie for a time will come when they shall pay for all and when their estate shall be such as the meanest vnder them would be full loth to be in their roome And to such I say as Dauid in Psalm 2. Be wise now therefore serue the Lord in feare and kisse the sonne yee mightie ones lest he crush you in peeces Happie then are all they that trust in him if his wrath be kindled Also the inferiors should here learne not to murmure against them because they are so farre aboue them for they sometime goe vnder more sore and heauy punishments then they themselues doe yea and though they behaue themselues commendably in their places yet God oft correcteth them more then some others lest they should kick vp their heele against him by meanes of their wealth and greatnesse as it is too common a thing for such to do So that as God hath his number among all estates both high and low so he nurtureth them all by afflictions according to his heauenly wisdome that they may safely in their appointed time be gathered to their fathers But here being a fit place to make an end I will stay for this time THE FIFTY THREE SERMON ON THE EIGHTH CHAPTER OF THE BOOKE OF IVDGES Vers 18. Then said he to Zeba and Zalmunna What manner of men were they whom ye slew as Tabor And they answered As thou art so were they euery one was like the children of a King 19. And he said They were my brethren euen my mothers children As the Lord liueth if ye had saued their liues I would not slay you 20. Then he said to Iether his first borne sonne Vp and slay them but the boy drew not his sword for he feared because he was yet but young 21. Then Zeba and Zalmunna said Rise thou and fall vpon vs for as the man is so is his strength And Gedeon arose and slew Zeba and Zalmunna and tooke away the ornaments that were on their Camels necks NOw after all this was done it followeth according to the diuision of the Chapter in the beginning of it how Gedeon executed punishment vpon the two Kings of Midian whom after hee had shewed them to the Princes of Succoth and Penuel hee purposed to punish And first seeing
to iniquitie and when they haue seene such workes of God to be shewed on his enemies then euer after to bee more firme in their couenant keeping with God These things being thus brought about to the killing of so many of the men of Shechem a thing so vnlikely in their first making of Abimelech king it shall not be amisse to consider a little of it the spoile of the men being so great and yet so small likelihood thereof till the Lord sent an euill spirit betwixt Abimelech and them Who would haue said in the time of their agreement and loue that was betwixt them that they should haue growne to this point to become vtter enemies and while they were so neerely ioyned and knit together in amitie and friendship that they could be thus alienated and at the vttermost defiance one with the other They who were promised by Abimelech to be aboue all other respected and preferred who would haue said that they of all other should be hardliest handled yea destroyed But wee must vnderstand that there were two causes hereof and the one rising from the other The one was this their loue was wicked and cursed and bound together with rotten bands The other was this that the wrath of God burning like fire brake and consumed these bands whereby hee raised an euill spirit betwixt them to the destroying each of other And let all that are wise bee instructed hereby that where men are as these were companions and friends in euill and that they are not linked together by the feare of God and the loue of goodnesse that their fellowship will not hold long what likelihoods and shewes soeuer there be of the continuance thereof And the more euils that it is compact and framed of the deadlier and more violent shall the breach of it be If it be not accompanied with wicked practises as theirs here was yet euen the secret moths of selfe-loue priuy pride and the seeking of commoditie therby being the grounds of this agreement and fellowship euen they wil consume it as the moth doth the garment It is a worke of great difficultie for the best intended loue euen betwixt good Christians to be held firme and kept vnbroken and there must be renuings of couenants oft times betwixt them and all little enough the diuell so sets in to raise and make diuision among brethren For why It is a good note of their welfare and happinesse to be knit together in brotherly loue So saith our Sauiour Hereby shall men know that ye are my Disciples in that yee loue one another But if men be brethren in euill as if they be more neerely knit together because they both ioyne in a bad cause ye haue heard Gods sentence of such agreement alreadie it shall surely come to naught as this betwixt Abimelech and the men of Shechem did now vnlikely soeuer it shall seeme to be so in the time of their peace and loue And the same I say of their fellowship who are both of them vnreformed although it bee not for ill ends and purposes entred into by them And let this which I haue said make vs wise in seeking loue and friendship one with another But here the occasion being fitly offered I end THE SIXTIETH SERMON ON THE NINTH CHAPTER OF THE BOOKE OF IVDGES NOw followeth the further destruction of these men of Shechem For when their citie was destroyed they fled to a double fort which was their castle for the strength of it euen the house of their god Baal-berith as they called him with whom they had made a couenant and therefore hoping that there they should haue been safe And these were the chiefe and wise men of the citie And Abimelech hearing of it came and destroyed both them and their Temple In that these hoped there to finde ease and defence by the holinesse as well as the strength of the place wee may see that when men haue no religion nor acquaintance with God how wise and great soeuer they be what poore shifts they haue to prouide for their safetie euen to thinke that the holinesse of the place their gods of wood or stone or the reliques of Saints or some such rotten props shall free them from their troubles and feares No although they should seek to the true God in their haste which is much liker to worke their good yet their hearts being farre from him and they without confidence in him that he would helpe them euen that seeking of theirs should not be able to deliuer them But all these are bruised reedes and spiders webs much like the helpe that Baals Priests obtained by calling on him whom for their deceiuing of the people in such a manner Elias caused to be slaine Euen such helpe doth the wilful generation of Papists and Seminaries at their death in their greatest need obtaine themselues and their superstitious votaries whom they haue deluded and brought into the snare with them Of whom one a principall ring-leader at his death was constrained to renounce the opinion of merit and humane satisfactions for sinne although he was loth to haue that gap opened to the people for shame whom they had so grossely seduced Another yet liuing and of greaterreckoning in the Popish Church Better I meane is forced to confesse that for the auoiding the perill of vainglorie and carnall presumption it is the safest of all to repose a mans whole confidence in the onely mercie of God in Christ Iesus And by this we see that howsoeuer for sinister ends they suppresse the truth and abuse their sillie Proselites yet when they are coÌ„pelled by the force of their conscience or the terror of death to put away lying and equiuocating which few of them attaine to but dye in hardnes of hart wherein they liued but wheÌ„ it fâ—lleth out otherwise theÌ„ they confesse renounce their coÌ„ceits as bruised reeds to be vnable to support theÌ„ which as it is commonly vnprofitable to themselues so yet it should serue to deterre others from venturing and resting so boldly vpon their vngrounded assertions To omit other there was a third of long and great account and reckoning among people of that religion whom I visiting vpon the death-bed was an eare witnesse with sixe or seuen other of that place then present also that the partie then shortly after deceasing renounced the dunghill stuffe of that religion and reckoned all Poperie as a deceitfull trade and particularly the chiefe points thereof who yet had long been a stiffe and stout defender and maintainer thereof Oh therefore blessed are the people whose God is the Lord Iehouah and who know him the onely true God and whom he hath sent Iesus Christ for this is eternall life But as these men of Shechem here were slaine in the Idolatrous Temple of their Idoll Berith for their blindnes and putting their confidence therein so shall all be serued that rest on such proppes that is to say they shal be
to speake more heere being as much and a great deale more as is like to be regarded of such as I speake of Thus we haue seene the wofull end of this cursed Abimelech and of the wicked men of Shechem who had been the furtherers of him to the mischiefe that he wrought And after these troublers of the land were taken away there was peace and euery man left off from the worke that Abimelech had drawne him to and went home to his owne place where first it may be seene what stirre disquiet and trouble one vile person may make in the Church or Common-wealth the Lord so punishing the peoples sinne as partly I noted before in this chapter Absolon was but one man but how did he disquiet his father and the whole land Likewise Sheba the sonne of Bicry that raised a new commotion against Dauid and so the Prophet Elias told Ahab that he troubled all Israel And so I may say of Achan and of Kora and of many other euery of these was but one in his attempts but each of these what plagues and mischiefe wrought they by their seuerall sinnes though most of thē priuate persons to the whole state of the Church and Common-wealth of Israel If wee compare the sinnes of the whole body with the sinnes of a few wee shall finde that the sorrow which few brought vpon the whole companie came little short of the plagues which God inflicted vpon the whole when all prouoked him Although alas what speake I of particular actions Adam his sinne first brought a feareful confusion into the whole creation What wonder then if this contagion and pestilence hath euer since and still doth cause the like disorder in the places where it rangeth whose deformitie yet and the mischiefe that it workes though we see as it were with our eyes who almost is not bewitched with the painted beautie thereof But to returne when Achan Sheba Absolon were taken away behold all was whist againe and a great calme there was after so horrible tempests The whole Church is as a ship in which if there be one Ionah what tumult makes he but cast him out and the danger is ouer And as this is true of great sinners and publike offenders so it is true of more inferiour and priuate persons as of Magistrates in their precincts Headborowes in townes Masters and parents in families seeing but for the badnes of such the rest should be in peace And further by the rooting out of Abimelech let vs confesse it to bee a great benefit when such authors of mischiefe and workers of iniquitie bee taken away and therefore giue all our endeuour for the maintenance of peace and to make holy and right vse of it while we enioy it For as wee may see by these that sought peace after the death of Abimelech euen so the most that are vsed to trouble other in time waxe wearie of it In these two verses is the shutting vp the whole chapter Iothams prophecie is verified and Gods iudgement thereby declared how hee rewardeth iniquitie Of which this I say briefly seeing in some sort it hath been touched already that they who take ill matters and bad in hand shall haue smal cause to reioyce thereof in the end For their sinne will finde them out when they thinke least of it And it is most like also that looke what way they haue sinned euen the same way their sinne may be punished as here it was Stone for stone Abimelech killed his brethren vpon a stone and he is killed by a weake woman most vnlikely with a stone The like wee haue heard of Adonibezek and of Oreb and Zeeb who tooke their death where they wrought mischiefe Oh how doth God recompence into their bosome in full measure heaped vp and running ouer vnto such The which they will not foresee and so preuent vntill they smart and be past recouerie If this cannot moue any of the like sort to take warning by such watch-words in time to hate their bad course and that with detestation at least let those that haue shunned and declined from such euill waies reioyce with thanksgiuing and that vnfained for that they haue been preserued from them and that they haue chosen the good way to walke in it howsoeuer they haue had many prouocations vnto the contrary And last of al we may see here that as God reuenged the innocent blood of Gedeons sonnes so God will take part with such innocents Hurt them not therefore for the time will come when thou shalt pay deare for thy so doing of which point looke more in the former part of the historie The end of the ninth Chapter THE SIXTIE ONE SERMON ON THE TENTH CHAPTER OF THE BOOKE OF IVDGES Vers 1. After Abimelech there arose to deliuer Israel Tola the sonne of Puah the sonne of Dodo a man of Issachar and he dwelt in Shamir in mount Ephraim 2. And he iudged Israel three and twentie yeeres and died and was buried in Shamir 3. And after him arose Iair a Gileadite and iudged Israel twentie and two yeeres 4. And he had thirtie sonnes that rode on thirtie asse colts and they had thirtie cities which are called Hauoth-Iair vnto this day which are in the land of Gilead 5. And Iair died and was buried in Kamon THE summe of this Chapter is briefly this that the children of Israel hauing enioyed peace and libertie for a time vnder Tola and Iair fell againe afterward to Idolatrie Whereupon the Lord also did againe deliuer them into the hands of their enemies wherfore they calling vpon God were at the first sharply reproued but afterward truly repenting they obtained fauour with God and were released of their sinnes as before time By occasion whereof entrance is made into the storie of their deliuerance in the chapter following The parts of it are three The first containeth the time of their peace to verse the sixth The second a new defection and reuolt of the people from God to verse the 17. The third mentioneth the preparation that the Ammorites made against the children of Israel and the peoples and Princes meeting and comming together to consult and agree how to goe against them and this is to the end of the Chapter The first part of the Chapter GOd raised vp these two Iudges to wit Tola and Iair after the former to keepe the people in the true worship of God and in outward peace Here to speake somewhat in this first part of both these two Iudges of Israel ioyntly together and afterward somewhat seuerally this is to be noted of the former that after the ouerthrow of that cursed Abimelech the people of Israel had a long time of peace in both their daies that is 45. yeers Where note that though God iustly punisheth the sins of mē as he did theirs here yet he doth still remember his people and regard them sending them peace againe afterwards euen as
heard to wit that the children of Israel did offer violence to themselues rather then they would in the least manner wrong other therefore they would much lesse take away so great a portion of ground from him with whom they had nothing to do neither were prouoked by him Where we learne this that we should neuer finde sweetnesse in comming by any profit amisse and namely with the hurting and wronging of other First seeing wee thereby prouoke God against vs for God is the auenger of such things and what is our life if God be against vs Besides as we deale to other so shall we be dealt with againe and lastly besides an ill name wee shall haue an ill conscience also as wee may see in Iudas And as we should offer hard measure to none so least of all to the poore and to such as cannot beare the losse and are not able to stand with vs in suite For wee being by the commandement of God to relieue them what pleasure should wee take in plucking from them and God threatens to heare their crie against their oppressors And yet how are the poore griped and pilled But he that obserueth it shall find that either God maketh themselues who so wrong them to crie out of it for feare of his reuenging hand one time or other or else it shall be to them I meane their sweete morsels as they count them which they take in by wronging other as the Israelites Quailes were who died with them while they were in their mouthes Euen so shall they haue small liking of their iniurie they doe that I say no more But let them rather make restitution and that speedily while they may in token of their repentance which is the onely good end that can be made of such doings This point hath oft come to hand and largely been insisted vpon See verse twelfth Only let vs marke the example of Iacob for the proofe of the doctrine who rather then he would giue Laban a quarrellous and vnreasonable man the least occasion to challenge him for pillage and robberie did more then he needed euen make good euery sheepe which was cassually destroyed or perished with his owne Now if all this our good dealing doe not preuaile with our euill aduersarie nor stop his mouth yet as Iacob answers Laban the Lord who seeth vs in secret will take our cause into his owne hand and plead for vs whereas otherwise although all men should stand out for vs yet our conscience and God being against vs wee should not be able to stand vnder our burthen Another reason Iphtah setteth downe in these verses thus Sihon king of the Ammonites would needs come out against vs as wee were going toward Canaan and God gaue him into our hands so that by him wee enioy this land which ye contend for and which he enioyed and therfore what haue ye to doe to claime it or what right haue yee vnto it For yee neuer possessed it but Sthon of whom we wonne it by the law of warre So that if the Lord our God hath cast him out and giuen his land to vs commest thou in who hast nothing to doe with it against vs to possesse it Hee further in the 24. verse sheweth that which he said cleerely by a similitude thus Yee Ammonites worship the Idoll Chemosh for your god and you thinke that the land which yee possesse yee inioy it by his benefit and so by good right so we haue this by the benefit of the true God and therefore we possesse it by very good right And as for Chemosh hee called not that idoll a God for that hee tooke it to bee so but for that the Ammonites so iudged it to be We may see here how farre we may lawfully enioy such things as are taken in warre and that is when the warre is lawfully taken in hand as by Israel it was That which we thereby obtaine by good successe that may we enioy as giuen into our hands by the Lord. And to speake of things more priuat the same may be said of all that God giueth vs by the good will of our friends or by our lawfull dealing and by Gods blessing in our calling But yet with this watchword that wee honour him therewith in Christian life and glad the hearts of Gods people thereby which we ought as well to do as to be able to prooue and shew that the commodities we enioy are no fruites of our owne rapine oppression couetousnesse and euill conscience but indeed the bequests of our father which as Iacob said the Lord our God hath bestowed as a blessing vpon vs his seruants seeking first the things that concerne our happinesse and God his kingdome and receiuing from him these smaller things againe in token of his allowing and approouing of vs. But this is an vsuall argument in this booke therefore I passe by it More particularly let vs note out of this verse in that Israel would not and was guided by God therein when he had great need so much as goe through the land of Sihon without his leaue learne we hence I say that no man may vsurpe or challenge to himselfe another mans right but euery man is to be content with his owne portion and allowance yea in this the Lord will haue the meanest free from the tyrannie of the greatest and taketh the cause of the poore into his owne hand against their potent enemies though there be none vpon earth that can iudge them as in the case of Ahab and Iezabels extorting Naboths vineyard doth appeare And the reason is good for next to the good of the Church the Lord hath a special care of vpholding of societie among men by order and good gouernment which are ouerthrowne when proprietie in goods and commodities is taken away by the vnequall vsurpation of the greater ouer the smaller And in truth as there is small oddes betwixt beasts and men when the common bands of equitie are broken so much lesse is it like that a Church can bee setled and established in such confusion and the greater is their sinne who euen in the Church exercise this mischieuous practise whereof not God who is the God of order but Satan is the author euen as he is of all other disorders Therefore let none be troublesome or iniurious to other more then he would be content that another should wrong or hurt him in that which is his None should be oppressed in bargaining or otherwise as the Lord by the Apostle hath giuen in charge which if it were well regarded much complaining of iniurie and hard dealing would cease But this is a branch of the other It came of the Lord that Sihon did not only deny passage to Israel through his land but also that he should prouoke them to warre that he might giue him and his land into their hands and withall giue them passage through his country Euen so it
first fruites consecrated to him that wee might vse the rest with thanksgiuing And in that she was his only childe it must needs increase his heauinesse that by his vow he had brought vpon himselfe when he saw he must be depriued of her and to this his sinne brought him in his rash vow making or whatsoeuer other sinnes they were that others may beware thereby And by this we learne that God for mens sinne will not spare to depriue them of that which is most deare vnto them One reason hereof is that the Lord meaneth to humble them deeply and to cause them to descend into themselues more seriously and to purge out the sinne that waiteth them a mischiefe and so to preuent it And therefore this vse wee should make of it that whensoeuer the Lord dealeth so with vs wee should know it is for the hardnes of our harts which otherwise and without such breaking of them will not be softned And let vs the lesse marueile at it when we finde it to be so for though he haue often gone about it by gentler meanes yet we know they haue not preuailed so that wee haue driuen him to deale more hardly with vs as wee count it and to handle vs more roughly as to wound vs so deeply by taking the things from vs which are most deare vnto vs. And if we are not to be accused for that our hearts are hardned by the deceitfulnes of sinne but that wee relent yet let vs know that God hath sufficient cause to afflict vs as to exercise and prepare vs for greater and to hold vs here as strangers But of this in another place although I haue often obserued it before in the seuerall stories of the punishments which fell vpon the idolatrous Israelites By this verse it may appeare how sore Iphtahs daughters meeting of him did trouble him as both by his word hee testified saying Oh thou that shouldest haue been my chiefe earthly comfort thou I say art one that hast chiefly cast me downe Also by signes thereof hee shewed it in that hee cut his garments for sorrow after the manner of the Hebrewes when they saw that some great calamitie was suddenly befalne them as in Ioel and other places it appeareth And he shewes the reason that hee hauing vowed to offer her to the Lord he might not he said goe backe such was his ignorance that he knew not there was libertie giuen by the Lord in that case to redeeme that which a man had vowed amisse This verse affoordeth vs many good lessons and first by this that she was such a trouble to him after hee had gotten the victorie and that the Lord pulled him downe so sore thereby by this I say we are taught that God seeth it expedient thus to deale with his seruants oft times that when hee hath exalted them by some great fauour bestowed vpon them lest they should take too much delight therein and so become surfeited therewith hee addeth some affliction to it or taketh away some part of the benefit which point I haue at large handled in chap. 8. vers 1. of this booke yet I will here adde somewhat This appeareth therefore in sundrie particulars as in our goodly shew and likelihood of fruitfull haruests and hope of other commodities commonly wet or drie cold or heate immoderate and other changes and casualties cut off a great part of our hope So in marriage wealth credit and such like the Lord addeth sicknesse some losses or other affliction or holdeth the feare of them ouer our heads as the parent doth the rodde ouer the childe to weane vs from too great pleasure taking in them Euen as we reade in all ages he hath done the like So Isaak and Rebecca in their kind and comfortable marriage had Esau their sonne to bee a vexation to them in his most wicked marriage and before that sometime a famine and sometime the ill dealing of strangers with them So Iob for all his wealth had his crosses and namely his wife yea hee was so acquainted with this truth and Gods dealing with his deare children that hee said in the middest of his prosperitie that he looked for his change And who doth not see it necessarie that the Lord should deale thus with vs For else it should bee found so to be with vs as it was in the daies of Noah when they did eate and drinke marrie and were married and made that the chiefe end of their liuing here whereas godlinesse being the great riches and a day passed therein being better then a thousand in any estate beside the Lord would haue vs claspe about that and be ready to learne by little and little that wee haue no hold of any transitory thing here below though lawfull but we should count one thing necessary though we be occupied about many And to make good the doctrine that I haue gathered out of this verse to wit of Gods keeping vs vnder some way in the middest of our prosperitie I conclude that if Paul had neede to be buffeted lest hee should be lifted vp aboue measure we may lay our hand vpon our mouth and say God hath most iust reason to deale thus with vs as I haue said Now if hee seeth it meete thus to exercise vs lest wee should bee lifted vp then much more if we haue already been so and passed our bounds in any such manner Now to goe forward by these words of Iphtah Oh my daughter thou art of them that trouble me and by the deepe and sudden sorrow which they testifie to haue then possessed him by them I say wee may see and obserue another thing that the best delights and greatest pleasures of this life in which wee haue had exceeding comfort as hee had in his daughter may possibly and doe often turne to our great sorrow and discontentment We see the same in Iacob when his sonnes hating their brother Ioseph had dipped his coate in blood to hide their owne sinne and brought it to their father to make him thinke that he had been slaine by some wilde beast when he saw it hee brake out in a great passion and said This is my sonnes coate an euill beast hath deuouted him Oh what heauinesse tooke hold of him euen from and by him who was his ioy and most deare vnto him And thus it is with vs as it was with them So consider how deare Absolom was to his father Dauid and when word was brought him of his death how heauily did he take it how did he wish and desire that hee might haue lost his owne life to haue saued his as his words vttered in most patheticall and lamentable manner doe testifie where he thus crieth out Oh Absolom my sonne my sonne would God I had died for thee oh Absolom my sonne my sonne Euen so what sore disquiets and corsiues are many children to their parents wiues to their
God that they are beholding to them in great part for their liues as we reade that for ten righteous mens sake Sodome should not haue bin destroyed euen for this they are I say beholding to the same good seruants of God as well as for the welfare of their soules who by their holy prayers and other good endeuours would be helpers to them if they might be regarded of them yea to say much in few words if it were not for them the world could not stand so that they haue all that they enioy for their sakes and more might haue at Gods hands but that they willingly withhold it from themselues And what doth the whole rabble of them yeeld againe to Gods people thinke we but vnthankfulnes vnlesse it be a few whom God inlightneth to beleeue the truth euen as Iphtah did receiue at the hands of the Ephramites whom he set at libertie yea and that with all indignitie discourtesie and bad vsage But to omit them with whom there is little hope of good to be done this I say to them who desire to glorifie God by bringing foorth much fruite let them not be discouraged but beare it contentedly at their hands it is the onely recompence that the vnthankfull world can yeeld to such as Christ himselfe found and foretold it vs saying I haue done many good workes among you for which of them doe yee stone me And againe If they haue not knowne me saith he neither will they know you For the fuller vse hereof looke in chap. 8. verses 22. and 35. also chap. 8. 1. Lastly in this verse whereas this finne of contending and dissembling in these Ephramites is found to be not in one but many generations of them as partly we haue heard already in the 8. chapter of this book where we see the Ephramites did the same to Gedeon then that these their posteritie did here to Iphtah and afterward the like pride is read to be in their posteritie it reacheth how a sinne keepeth in a kindred for many generations after as treason whoredome flatterie dissembling and such like and such taints and staines are not worne out till speciall grace of God doe worke and effect the same But of this before chap. 8. 1. for in these points I shunne tediousnes of purpose In these two next verses is set downe the answere of Iphtah to these Ephramites by which answere it is cleere that he vsed all meanes like a wise and well gouerned man before hee would take vp weapon against his brethren the Ephramites notwithstanding their bold prouoking of him and he Iudge and gouernour ouer them and might therefore by his authoritie haue beaten them downe And the summe of his answere was this that they laid a false accusation to his charge for contrariwise at such time as he was sore prouoked by the Ammonites and driuen to make warre with thē he sought helpe of them and they would not goe foorth with him but put him to his shifts and when he fought with them to the perill and danger of his life the Lord deliuered them into his hands Therefore he demands of them what cause they the Ephramites had to assault and set vpon him in that manner they did Thus much of Iphtahs answer Now let vs a while consider of this more particularly as wee haue done before of the Ephramites quarrelling with him Where this commeth first to be noted by their disordered contending with him not in course of law but seditiously and with tumult how one affliction arose to this good man after another as the trouble that he had by his daughter was accompanied in some sort with this that came to him by his neighbours the Ephramites Whereby we may see the condition of Gods people as in a glasse that they are euer wrapped into new combats and troubles daily so as the end of one is the beginning of another As wee see in the booke of Iob it is said of his troubles how one complaint came to him in the necke of another and yet which is more to bee marueiled at God of his goodnesse so worketh by them that they who will be ruled by him may see them turne to their profit and benefit according to the saying of the Apostle to wit that all things turne to the best to them that loue God The like saith S. Iames Count it my brethren matter of the greatest reioycing whē ye fall into diuers tribulations And it is a doubt mercie of God that it is so For we are so corrupt and defiled that if things succeed with vs after our desire we are exceedingly lifted vp and forget our selues in such wise that our pride is intollerable and we shamefully disguise our selues so that such as feare God and behold vs knowing we are but wormes meate are greatly grieued to see our insolencie Therefore to keepe vs from such disguisednes and the danger that commeth thereby what a fauour of God is this that he after some prosperitie doth vse to exercise vs with new combats and afflictions and all to hold vs vnder yea and much to benefit vs. For as it is better to goe to heauen with one foote then to hell with both so he will rather saue vs with putting vs to some paine and griefe here rather then to lose and forgoe vs vtterly by suffering vs to enioy vncertaine and momentany prosperitie and the pleasures of sinne for a while Of this hauing spoken what I thought fit in chap. 11. vers 34. and 8. 1. I adde no more here Onely this watch word is necessarie to be taken of vs that although wee be now and then as Iphtah was before chap. 11. 35. humbled with some afflictions so that for the time we be brought to obedience and subdued as it is meete for vs to be yet because wee doe so soone wash them off therefore we haue need of many and those also strong afflictions as Iphtah had as mallets to beare vs downe one after another and bruse vs that so we may be meekned vnder the mightie hand of God and we must be importunate with him in our prayers that we may be more and more accustomed daily to beare the crosse patiently and contentedly till hee haue perfected and brought to his appointed measure the good worke that he hath begun in vs. And whereas the succession of heauie afflictions much dismaieth vs for the most part though alas they are not worth the naming in respect of Christs whose afflictions wee should be conformable vnto nor yet to the glorie which through him they worke vs as the Apostle saith I say it should be otherwise and we should cast one eye eft vpon the righteous and equall dealing of God and eft vpon the cause within our selues as well as vpon the greatnes of the affliction or the multiplicitie of them as hath often been noted before in handling this argument Secondly here we see
vncharitablenesse an vnruly tongue c. the religion of this man were altogether vaine There are reasons of this 1. The Lord saith Sonne giue mâ—e thy heart he meaneth not a rotten heart and corrupt he needs it not but an heart well searched and well drained from sinfull affections and lusts such an heart he calleth for and chuseth For he knowes that where a mortified heart is there also is an heart quickned to the life of God and the more fit for dutie both within and without 2. The chiefe seruice of God is inward and this inward stands especially in repentance which first consisteth in the change of the euill habites and qualities of the soule ere new be put in For no man grafteth vpon a rotten stocke nor puts new wine into old vessels 3. A christian man fetch surer euidence from hence of his reformation then from any particular dutie to the affirmatiue commandements of the morall law and more soundly distinguisheth himselfe from an hypocrite I seperate not the parts of repentance but diuide the false from the sound by this rule many a good Christian is behinde hand in this worke and euer shall be for no man is pure and hardly forgoes some one or few old relikes of Adam and therefore looke how much a man profiteth in this peece of religion so much hee groweth more truely religious The vse is that they who haue chosen the easier course of seruice I meane to doe good duties doe better tend that other part of christianitie which hath been lesse regarded by them and that they trauaile in denying themselues ouercomming their passions abstaining from and crucifying their corrupt nature where it is strongest in them and so shall their religion prosper and better beseeme them For though it be the harder part of the two yet time bestowed therein will counteruaile the labour most plentifullie And for a good man to be a debter to any lust is most vnseemely but to be a seruer fulfiller and obeyer thereof and to haue the weapons of sinne still vnmortified and fighting in him against righteousnesse as Paul speakes is monstrous Thus much of the Nazarite In this verse the Angell telleth the office of the childe that should bee borne to wit that when he should come to age fit for it he should begin to deliuer his people from the bondage of the Philistims Wherein the Lord declareth his tender loue and care of his people who when they are oppressed and in tribulation doth pitie them and thinketh euen before of easing and redressing their sorrowes whereby he would draw them to relenting for their sinne and to be ashamed of their prouoking of him to punish them and of the hardning of their hearts by lying still in their offences without humbling themselues and crying to the Lord for mercy and deliuerance And if yee aske why hee doth not as well take them out of their troubles as well as he pitieth them therein and why he suffered this people to lye in bondage so long to their enemies till Samson grew vp and was able to deliuer them I answere he were willing and ready to doe it and much more if it might be good for them but that cannot be while they still harbour and nourish their sinnes but they would procure vpon themselues greater vexation by continuing their wicked course if the Lord should deliuer them before they repent for the same as hath bin often proued by the example of these Israelites crying for ease but neuer heard till by repentance the Lord was grieued for their miserie So that Gods suffering their oppressions to hold them vnder a long time as this his people was by theirs namely from the birth of Samson till hee came to mans estate and after it was not for that he taketh pleasure in afflicting his hee professeth the contrary but it is for that they relent not neither cast themselues down before him to draw compassion from him by their lamenting after him And therfore their long abiding vnder their tribulations doe argue exceeding hardnes of heart in them whereby they procure the same And whereas men cauill with God and say they cannot bow their own hearts nor force them to relent God must soften them and breake them or else he is the author of their miserie I answere they can binde heauie burthens vpon his shoulders which themselues will not take vp with the least of their fingers And that appeareth by the slight account they make hereof and their dealing so carelesly in so weightie a matter For although the Lord can pull out the stone of the heart as the Prophet speakes and make it an heart of flesh yet if this were the thing they desired they would first apply themselues to that grace of his which is able to worke this effect in them and then put ouer and commend the blessing of their labor to God which while they neglect to doe they haue that within them which shall witnesse against them to be the wilfull causes of their own desolation The Lord is not bound to them in the least respect to minister the meanes of the word in afflictions benefits examples help by others much lesse grace to be humbled and repent Therefore in that they vse none of these ordinances of his to the wholesome ends to which they are appointed the sin is theirs he is guiltlesse in that he hath offered them more faire then themselues were willing to accept of Neuer did the Lord leaue any to himselfe hardned and impenitent who desired to profit vnder his doctrine and discipline Therefore let men beware they ouerreach not themselues in their subtiltie for as bold as they are in speech here yet when they come to answer the Lord face to face they shall be dumbe and of their own mouthes shall the Lord condemne them To the which end more might be added if the point came not so often to hand throughout this booke as oft as the relapses of the people are mentioned See also the first branch of the doctrine vpon the 7. 8. 9. verses of the former chapter Thus much of the first part The second part of the Chapter Vers 6. Then the wife came and told her husband saying A man of God came vnto me and the fashion of him was like the fashion of the Angell of God exceeding fearefull but I asked him not whence he was neither told he me his name 7. But he said vnto me Behold thou shalt conceiue and beare a sonne and now thou shalt drinke no wine nor strong drinke neither eate any vncleane thing for the childe shall be a Nazarite to God from his birth to the day of his death 8. Then Manoah prayed to the Lord and said I pray thee my Lord let the man of God whom thou seâ—test come againe now vnto vs and teach vs what wee shall doe vnto the childe when he is borne 9. And
with Dauid against Absolom when hee himselfe withheld his beast from him at such time as he would full gladly haue gone and whereon he should ride because he was lame Another is that of the Iewes slandering our Sauiour that he said Destroy the Temple and in three dayes I will reare it againe Whereas hee said destroy this Temple meaning his body so they that hearing Christ say of his beloued disciple Iohn If I will that hee abide till I come what is that to thee c gaue it forth erroniously that hee said I will that hee abide till I come and so gathered that Iohn should not dye Concerning this soundnesse and fidelitie in reports hearing bearing and telling this I say that he must bee a man well ballanced with grace and girded with veritie as a peece of his christian furniture who lesse or more lieth not open to the diuell in this kinde who will doe much to make them that goe for professors to lose the credite of their godlinesse Was it not a goodly ornament for the old Prophet whose honour is to be true of his word to be taken in a lye both warpe and woofe making and telling Was it not a sweete nosegay to the Church thinke wee that two great and forward professors should be drawne forth and censured for lyars I meane Ananias and his wife Euen christians rake vp the common scumme and scurfe of the age they liue in and hauing heard reports doe out of a corrupt vanitie or a leaud and sinister intent altogether corrupt the truth and text thereof with glosses and comments additions and detractions of their owne making Psalm 15. this is no good signe of a man that shall dwell with God if we may collect by contraries If the Lord require that wee bee wise and beware of beleeuing euery thing lest we become reporters of an vntruth vnwillingly how shall they escape that cast each tale in their owne mould and hammer it in their owne forge ere they giue it out and when it is broched it is no more like that which they heard from another then an apple is to an oyster as the speech is Whereas the breast of each honest man should be an harbour for truth to lodge in and should be as precisely carefull to see it safely deliuered and vttered forth as of a pledge or secret pawne left him by his friend And let this worke a detestation of this Popish practise of lying and giuing foorth reports yea and coyning them oft times which they thinke will make for their vantage not onely falsely but so incredibly and shamelessely that the very hearers blush for shame thereof It hath been is and euer will bee one of the rotten pillars wherewith they stay vp their kingdome and maintaine their diuelish doctrine But here I ende THE SEVENTIE TWO SERMON ON THE XIII CHAPTER OF THE BOOKE OF IVDGES IT appeareth that Manoah beleeued his wife and therefore hee prayed to the Lord that the man might appeare againe to them who had brought the message to his wife that they might not be left in doubt what they should doe to the childe euen as they beleeued him that it should be borne And the Lord heard his prayer and sent him againe vnto them and hereby it was that the man of God appeared the second time as in this second part of the chapter may be seene In that Manoah gaue credite to his wife as appeareth by his prayer to send him to them againe we see that there was faithfulnesse and trustinesse betwixt them in that as shee reported the message by and by that was brought vnto her so hee beleeued it at her mouth accordingly A liuely glasse for couples to looke in to direct them in this poynt how they should be true and trustie one to the other according to that which Salomon speaks of a faithfull wife Prou. 31. That her husbands heart resteth in her and a man would thinke that there had need to bee no lesse betwixt them who must liue for their whole life time together And much wearinesse and discontentment must there of necessitie bee betwixt them otherwise as they finde who respect not grace chiefely in their matches but either to satisfie their eye saying with Samson giue me her for she pleaseth me or else make them vp for wealth or begin their marriage in a worse manner then by both the former Such finde litle trustinesse one at ahothers hand as appeareth within a small time after who yet haue that which they sought and reape the fruite of their owne labours when they meete with many curses in their matches euen as God hath foretold them But of this I will adde no more here hauing so oft spoken of it And it is well to be marked that in this doubtfull case of the childes bringing vp about which they were carefull but yet knowing not what to doe in this doubt I say he therefore prayeth to the Lord for direction by the appearing againe of the Angell for he knew that God would not leaue them in suspence about such a thing as he would haue them doe Which should teach vs that in all difficulties and doubts as well as in other troubles wee should seeke to God to guide and assist vs they being matters in doing whereof we must giue proofe of a good conscience both as Iehosophat did and as the Lord commandeth in the Psalme saying Call on mee in the time of trouble c. We can skill to complaine and make our moane to euery one that wee meete with what heauy affliction haue befalne vs who yet cannot helpe vs but rather increase our sorrowes but with God to whom they should chiefely complaine and make their moane men haue no acquaintance But as it is with them in this that they bee strangers to him euen so they haue helpe and thriue accordingly Let the reader see chap. 1. 2. and often in this booke touching this argument as also the next poynt which is answerable thereto As he sought to the Lord so hee obtained that which he asked to teach that it is not in vaine to pray and as he seeing that God hauing sent to them a strange and vnusuall message which Manoah did not well vnderstand knew hee would not leaue him in suspence and feare but would make his minde knowne to them more perfectly and therefore prayed in faith in like manner we are to doe to beleeue that we shall obtaine that which we pray for He must pray in faith and wauer not saith Saint Iames and in an other place It is the prayer of faith that must saue And Saint Paul saith that we cannot call vpon him in whom we beleeue not Which I say both because that is no prayer but babling that is voyde of faith and also for that such prayer of faith euen by one much more by many being seruent obtaineth most vnlikely things at
And we may say the like That if God heare our prayers and approue of our weake and poore course of life wee may assure our selues that he loueth vs and therefore will not in any aduersitie forsake or cast vs off But God heareth not such as lie still in their sinnes This reason of the woman pithie and concludent may bee further extended to this sense that seeing God had then allowed and accepted them and their offering when they had lesse ground to looke for it nay were more vnlike to speed of their desires then much more would hee now and in time to come testifie his loue towards them hauing passed his word to them and in token thereof deuoured their sacrifice It was his meere goodnesse saith she to giue vs any accesse at all to his Maiestie to offer vp our requests and thanksgiuing to him and to vouchsafe to smell asweete fauour from our offering He needed haue done no such matter it came from himselfe it was his free loue to vs to reueile himselfe to vs more specially then to others Doubtlesse if hee had meant to slay vs he would haue done it before and spared all this labour therefore these are arguments rather that he will reueile himselfe yet further to vs and loue vs more dearely and giue vs more cause hereafter to trust him and giue thankes to him So that when she saith He meanes not to kill vs she implieth more viz. But rather blesse vs more abundantly then before so farre will he be from killing vs. And this argumentation of hers is not vnlike to that of Pauls Rom. 5. 8. If Christ dyed for vs being sinners much more being iustified in his blood shall we be saued from wrath And it serues as a president for Gods people in their doubts and temptations to rouse vp themselues from deadly feare and to gather strength againe to themselues by reason framed according to this of hers And thus should euery afflicted soule and conscience reason in time of his trouble and say to himselfe There was a time when I was out of couenant with God had no promise to ground my faith vpon and wanted hope yet then the Lord visited me in mercie opened my eyes to see and my heart to mourne vnder the burthen of my sinne to come to him for ease and to finde forgiuenesse Since that time I haue had much doubting and been troubled about beleeuing and repentance which haue driuen me to proue them and thereupon I haue rested and found peace Now therefore though I am tempted againe strongly to thinke my estate to be vnsound and naught yet I remember Gods mercies of old and therein am and will be comforted If God had meant to forsake and cast me off quite hee would not haue proceeded so farre with me as he hath done he would haue let me lien still in darknesse vnbeliefe hypocrisie c. and taken lesse paines to call me change me reforme and gouerne me These betoken not hatred but loue no more then the deuouring of the sacrifice argued that God would kill Manoah and his wife Doubtlesse the Lord who did owe me no such fauour at all shewed me mercy freely to the end he might shew me more in time to come and finish his gracious worke in me And thus I construe all his dealings with me hitherto his enabling me to pray and to beleeue to hate sin to grow in knowledge and to inioy his blessing vpon all these to much encrease Let others say as they will I will not be so vnthankfull as to think he hath done all this in vaine that were to mock and deceiue me but I verily beleeue all was and is for good and therefore that I shall see more promises fulfilled till I see the Lord himselfe in the land of the liuing c. But here I end THE SEVENTIE FOVRE SERMON ON THE XIII AND XIIII CHAPTERS OF THE BOOK OF IVDGES OF the first reason of Manoahs wife we heard in the last sermon The second followeth which was this he appeared again again to vs saith she instructed vs what we should do wherto also she said to her husband we attended readily as you know and beleeued his words for thus we must vnderstand her for as much as the word profiteth not if it bee not mixed with faith therefore she concludeth that they should not dye And this which was in her so commendable is no lesse in so many of vs as the like is found but an especiall gift of God to vphold our selues in tryals and then to beleeue God and giue credit to him when we haue nothing else to depend vpon But if we be faint in trouble then as Salomon saith our strength was neuer great And as it was no small trouble to Manoah so to doubt in like maner shall we find it Further out of this second reason of hers rightly vnderstood we learne that although this is no good consequent God hath sent his word among vs againe and againe therefore he will not destroy vs but loueth vs yet let vs take it as it was both meant of her and practised of both her and her husband to wit that they receiued the message at the mouth of the Angell and beleeued his word being confirmed by a signe and then the reason is good in this manner God instructed vs and we receiued it therefore he will not destroy vs. And thereafter is our instruction For if we imbrace and beleeue the doctrine of the scripture that it is for our vse and benefite and receiue it not as the word of man but as it is indeed the word of God and it be sweet to vs as the honey to the tast as the Prophet spake then may we be sure that we shall not perish But more particularly the words of this second reason hauing relation to the Angels message giue vs occasion to looke backe into the nature and quality thereof The Lord sayth she hath told me that whereas I was barren I should conceiue a sonne and that he should be an instrument to saue Israel out of the hands of the Philistims The time also he hath appointed the manner of my dyet and abstinence he hath prescribed adding the reason because the childe must be a Nazarite And this he hath not once to me but the second time to vs both testified and we haue rested therein beleeued the report and receiued a signe What shall we now thinke God will kill vs How then haue we beleeued the message seeing that if he kill vs it is not possible that a child should be borne and begotten by vs and therefore all the other particularities are absurd and frinolous Or if we still beleeue the word of God how can we say God will slay vs Thus doth this woman bestirre her selfe to settle and restore her husband by a strong reason drawne from their faith in the promise of God which could admit no
of much vncleanenes confusion of blood and posteritie beggery of the parties and families so forsaken and of what other riots and disorder God knoweth For where the sacred ordinances of God which are the religious bands and securing pledges of peace vnion and order are once leapt ouer and troden downe who can limit within any bounds the mischiefe like to ensue Therefore let none of such as are guiltie in this kinde plead Samsons example who had as little libertie giuen him herein as they Now whereas some obiect that Samson herein gaue place to wrath and rather withdrew himselfe then abode with her lest hee might possibly haue broken out further I answere Samson in not dealing outragiously in words or deeds is to be commended howbeit his going away in passion is not thereby excused seeing this did not amend the matter but made it worse And although the partie offended may sometimes auoid as Ionathan did to alleniate such as are displeased in the companie yet this followeth not that the partie offended of the married couples may depart from the offender and goe away for adoe for thereby he nourisheth his own humour prouoketh the other further rather thē slaketh it in either But to goe forward and so to draw to an end here we may see what men get by such dealing For while they be sullen and take displeasure and will not bewray it the other against whom they conceiue it are impatient and cannot beare it as we see here Samsons wife and her father not enduring this manner of his departure from her in dislike and discontentment they no marueile breake off their loue and turne and shew it to another This was the good he got by his inconsiderate dealing And if we marke wee shall finde that such rash follie and vnaduised dealing as this of Samsons was is commonly recompensed with some such vnwelcome crosse and trouble and all through their owne fault who cause and prouoke it so that they would after buy it off with labour and cost when it is too late which by a little wisedome and patience they might altogether haue remoued kept away As may appeare by that fact of Absolom who being secretly incensed against Ammon for abusing his sister whereas he ought to haue accused him to his father and committed the righting of his cause to him vnder God without nourishing of a reuengefull humour what brought hee to passe thereby and what ensued of it but Ammons murther Dauids sorrow a breach in the familie and to Absolom himselfe an vnpleasing exile from his fathers Court and presence But farre different was Dauids behauiour being prouoked by Shemei he leaues the man and looks into himselfe It may be I haue deserued saith he that God should suffer him to curse me let him alone A most worthie president Therefore let the angry and sullen person come foorth and shew what he hath gained by his folly saue the name of a foole and the brand of reproch and we will recant and call backe that wee speake No wonder if the mad man casting fire darts arrowes and deadly things haue some of them light vpon his owne pate It is iust also with God to bee displeased with such and resist them while they are vniustly displeased with others and meditate how to reuenge Many euen vpon the sudden in their vnaduised rage haue killed their dearest friends as Alexander is reported to haue done in his drunken fume and after being sober they haue been readie to reuenge themselues for their madnes Others leaue prints of their anger in the faces or bodies of such as they light vpon and some they kill forth right which they then repent of when either they haue smarted well in the purse or be drawne forth to punishment which is appointed for such furie and outrage Let it teach vs to shake off wilfulnes impatience and heate passions and in stead of a little pleasing of our selues through folsie not neglect wise and kinde dealing which shall not be repented of And to this end we must vse to meditate both of our own corruptions of pride selfeloue anger loosenes tetchines frowardnes and the like how many and foule they are and also of our selues who are but wormes dust and ashes and therefore no such as may not be crossed and last of all we should consider of those whom wee are wont to bee offended with that they are but men and mortall and therefore subiect to humane infirmities and what marueile then if they doe things sometime that we like not and which doe crosse vs seeing they doe to vs but as we haue done oft to other And wee being sicke of the same disease and being infected with the same originall contagion and poyson should rather pitie them then bee angrie and out of patience with them But it were infinite to set downe that which yet might be said to good purpose of anger and remedies against it This for this time by occasion of Samsons sullen mood at his departing from his wife then As for the fact of Samsons wife and her father so soone to be aleniated from him and she to be giuen to another it is not to bee marueiled at neither any reason to be asked of it they being not led thereby much lesse by a better guide in their doings but by will and strength of flesh whereby they were readie to take very slight colour and pretence of reason for their doings as hath been noted before and as shall further appeare in the next chap. vers 2. And so we must looke for no better measure at the hands of wicked and vnreasonable men if we giue them the least occasions who are commonly carried to outrage without any occasions to teach vs to haue as little to doe with them as wee may and when wee must needs take wee heed that we make all sure on our sides as possibly we may to auoid euill and perill by them But if it fall out afterwards that wee bee in danger to them and that they haue aduantage against vs as who is not subiect to that and to the like wee must beare it patiently committing the successe to God with well doing And here an end of this Chapter THE SEVENTIE NINE SERMON ON THE XV. CHAPTER OF THE BOOKE OF IVDGES Vers 1. But within a while after in the time of wheate haruest Samson visited his wife with a Kid saying I will goe in to my wife into the chamber but her father would not suffer him to goe in 2. And her father said I thought that thou hadst hated her therefore gaue I her to thy companion Is not her younger sister fairer then she take her I pray thee in stead of the other 3. Then Samson said vnto them Now am I more blamelesse then the Philistims therefore will I doe them displeasure I Will proceed keeping the order that I obserue in the rest And first to begin with the summe it is thus
as if it it had been sword staffe or other weapon And when hee had slaine them hee shewed what heapes hee had made with so slight a helpe or instrument Heere we see that these Philistims lately so exceedingly ioyfull did not onely lose their ioy but their liues also And this may tell vs yet a heauier thing then the former For it teacheth that for the most part looke what fearefull and blind estate the blind and bad people liue in and chuse to repose themselues in in the same they continue for the most part and end their daies For is there almost any place left for amendment Therfore the Apostle saith The wicked and the deceiuer wax worse and worse and when they crie peace peace and all things are safe then commeth destruction suddenly vpon them before they be aware as the trauell vpon a woman with child and they shall not be able to auoide it When the rich man in the Gospell reioyced most in that he had he was nearest a wofull end So Baltazzer when he was drinking wine merrily with his Princes and Concubines in the vessels of the Temple then the fearfull hand writing appeared on the wall hauing this meaning God hath finished thy kingdome So Agag And as such liue so they die Although I denie not but God where it pleaseth him can giue a new hart where it is sought and cause such vanity to bee distasted as wherein men haue delighted and worke found reioycing instead thereof Therefore chuse wee the best delights and so the longer we hold them the soundlier wee shall enioy them vntill we keepe them vnto our end Another thing that he did was that when he had slaine an heape he correcteth himselfe when hee smote them on both sides with the iaw-bone they preasing about to take him and he saith two heapes or many as if he should haue said heapes vpon heapes had been slaine by him And seeing hee knew that God gaue him the strength thereto hee being a godly man why doth he vtter these words but that al might see and acknowledge what a great worke God had wrought by him and that by a weake meane euen with the iaw bone of an Asse To teach vs that where the Lord will haue vs execute iustice without pitie vpon euill doers we must not faint nor be negligent to doe his commandement vpon them as Samson did here Ioshua before on Achan Ehud vpon the King of Moab and Shamgar on the Philistims God will haue the wicked smart for their trespasses openly committed to smart I say by men according to the weight and hainousnesse of them and vtterly forbiddeth foolish pity to be shewed in such a case according to the saying of Salomon It is an abomination to iustifie the wicked The like may be said against that foolish pity which ariseth in vs when wee behold Gods immediate hand vpon them and yet wee ought not then for all this to insult ouer them but we must ascribe honour to God with those 24. Elders in the Reuelation and Dauid vpon the death of Nabal Now followeth the third point that as Samson honoured God in shewing what hee had done by him in slaying heapes of men euen a thousand so he added this thereto that he gaue a name to the place where hee did it as a memoriall thereof that all posterity comming after might know vnto the end of the world what great things God did for his people against their enemies The name of it he called Ramath-Lehi as if he should haue said the lifting vp of a iaw-bone which remaineth as a monument of Gods mighty worke by him euen to this day Thus and by this meanes Gods seruants haue praised him in times past as in the booke of Numbers Ioshua and other is to bee seene as well as other times by songs and dances that wee all may marke and remember his benefits and great workes and praise him among the generations following to the quickening and comforting of his people and the feare of his enemies although not in the same manner that some haue done in ages past But of this before once or twice The fourth part of the Chapter Vers 18. And he was sore athirst and called on the Lord and said Thou hast giuen this great deliuerance into the hand of thy seruant and now shall I die for thirst and fall into the hand of the vncircumcised 19. But God claue an hollow place that was in the iaw and there came water thereout and when he had drunke his spirit came againe and he reuiued wherfore he called the name thereof En-hakkoreh which is in Lehi vnto this day 20. And he iudged Israel in the daies of the Philistims twentie yeeres NOw followeth the fourth and last part of this Chapter wherein is shewed what an exceeding great thirst Samson had after the slaughter of these Philistims and that he prayed to God and he giue him water so that he reuiued and so he praised God there And 〈…〉 time that hee iudged Israel is in the last place adioyned and set downe â—â—ch was twentie yeres By this thirst of his the Lord would haue him to know himselfe and to be held vnder lest by that which hee had done to the Philistims hee might haue been lifted vp aboue that which was meet Thus he dealeth with his intermixing his chastisements with blessings that both they may be held in humility by the one and yet may haue sufficient encouragement to abide constantly in a good course and not forget the Lord and become high minded as they are easily brought to bee by the other to wit his benefits And thus the Lord saw good to deale euen with Paul himselfe who was buffeted by Satan when hee had been listed vp to the third heauen by the rauishing of Gods spirit yet hee had that humour remaining in him which needed setling and cooling that his ioy might be kept within holy lists and bounds And the same I haue noted in that famous accident of Iphtah his daughter whom God set on to abase him that hee might proceed on to the triumph more soberly Wee must thinke Gods seruants are deare to him when hee sticketh not to bereaue them of their preciousest delights to the end they may hold their delight in him and not turne their sweetnesse into bitternes I meane their holy reioycing into fleshly presumption The reason hereof is because else God cannot trust vs in the businesse he sets vs about except hee giues vs coolings and abasements to consume the superfluity of our hypocrisie conceitednesse of our selues pride and security which are as vnfit dealers in heauenly matters as Nadab and Abihu their strange fire was to kindle incense or offer sacrifice withall And secondly the Lord honoreth many of his deare seruants whose faith and setlednesse in grace and freedome from such grosse staines hee is priuie vnto by giuing them
to resist when his mistrisse or rather his lust had him bound in chaines and laid vnder feet as foiled and vanquished Ah poore Samson it may be said thou wert strong enough to match Lions and thousands of men but grace stands not in the bignesse of bone and strength of armes or greatnes of stomacke thy lust and thy harlot are stronger then the Lion or mightie men Therefore let this be enough to conuict all such of folly as are of Samsons humour Tush ye must not tell them of bad company nor stealing of liberty which God denieth them they would not haue you think they haue shaken hands with the feare of God they would bee as loth to part with a good conscience as others yea it may bee answered so thought Samson he would haunt the harlots house and yet secretly keepe his goodnesse too for all that But how and where lay the strength to effect this Poore soule onely in his foolish conceit and boldnesse and indeed onely there lay the foundation of his woe For if he had felt his declining and weakenesse then had he with astonishment shaken off his louer and departed But now hee feareth nothing till all be too late and this makes him to sport and play in a matter of the greatest importance and danger Therfore to all such bold persons as say Turne me loose to any company and the strongest enemie If I be foiled laugh at me To such I say yea we shal be sure you shal be laughed at though the wise will pitie you rather but who shall giue you counsell to escape it before truly he that can perswade you to walke humbly and with feare of your owne frailty and to watch against and suspect your owne frailty and falshood of heart hee I say may keepe a mischiefe from you and hold you from venturing and dealing with such an aduersary as you know will master you But if you looke to escape danger and yet reiect this grace then know for certainty that these kinds of Merchant-venturers alwaies make shipwracke and bring in no better gaine All the grace that a man hath is little enough to quench the dart of tentation suggested which yet is but the beginning of the sinne and shalt thou adding fewell to the fire and helping the diuell forward by inward prouoking thy selfe to sinne thinke to quit thy selfe well of it in the hottest assault If God try thee his grace shall bee sufficient for thee if thou wilt tempt him and trouble thy selfe know thou hast no promise of safety or to be kept harmeles but maiest looke certainely for thy downefall as for thy owne wisedome grace is not propped vp by such pillers but shall totter and reele as an house which hath lost her foundation yea they that goe to worke thus on their owne head most assuredly with Samson shall fall and bewray their folly at last to teach them by the experience of fooles that wisdome which the word and other vnhappy men could not doe Then shall they see there was oddes betwixt keeping innocent and wilfull offending they shall finde that the strength of the one is not like the other though they were little aware of any such matter The issue of this second attempt was altogether as it was in the former for she bound him with ropes againe and had company lying ready for the purpose at hand if there had bin any worke for them to do though as yet he fell not into their hands And let this teach vs not onely to feare and suspect trechery and vnfaithfulnesse in leaud women which we know as this was such an one but generally also wherein soeuer wee haue to doe beware we that we defile not our hearts and hands in any wicked actions and practises whatsoeuer shewes and promises are giuen and offered vs. Remembring the words of our Sauiour Bee wise as Serpents and innocent as Doues and beware of men Which I doe not say as though I would teach men vncharitablenesse charity being not suspitious but to giue warning to Gods seruants to beware how wee put our selues into mens hands and trust their faithfulnesse vpon a faire word or countenance which our Sauiour willeth vs to take heed of and giues vs example also in that he would not commit himselfe to men though they speake him faire and giueth his reason thereof For he knew what was in man But while we doe thus we do not iudge of men what they are but are warie as we be counselled or what religion is in them further then we haue proofe thereof by their words and deeds and yet that we do not so finally neither but for the time onely while they lie in knowne euill or not knowne to be reformed So that neither are wee on the one side to iudge men without ground and warrant neither yet are wee on the other side to commit our selues into their hands hauing that knowledge and experience that wee haue of mens vnfaithfulnesse how common it is vpon a bare shew But heere an end for this time THE EIGHTIE FOVRE SERMON ON THE XVI CHAPTER OF THE BOOKE OF IVDGES THe third attempting of Samson by Delilah followeth in these next two verses For shee seeing hee dealt so slightly in the matter and that he did not in good earnest forbid her to meddle any more about it but still dallied with her she tooke his deniall but in sport and therfore sets vpon him againe not despairing but that by importuning him shee might in time preuaile and ouercome him By this we may learne that if we resist finne houerly and in that so waighty a matter as this was as striking at our happinesse and deale slightly and loosely about it when all that wee can doe against it is little enough to withstand it wee can giue no further token that wee will fall into and commit the sinne it selfe and that shortly For the diuell and his wicked instruments that lie in the way to deceiue vs and to draw vs into the snare they are wise in discerning and artificial in marking how we goe to worke and how farre we hold backe from yeelding to tentations If we doe it earnestly with strength of reason resolutely to disswade our selues from the same and be feruent and constant therein we put them to their shifts to inuent arguments of greater force whereby they may be in better hope to preuaile with vs. As the diuell dealt with our Saniour according to his resolute and strong deniall in most slie and subtill manner But if we refuse the bait but faintly as Balaam did for al the shewes he made the wages of iniquity that was offered him or if we shew that we feare not the danger greatly which is like to ensue but stand strongly in our owne conceit that wee can easily withstand the sin in the vpshot and that we haue no need to be counselled about or against it as the most at
get no helpe against it but that death approched and drew neere hee vttered these words now at last whereby it is cleere that he had little thinking of any such thing before Why now I see that all is vanity Another hauing builded a goodly house when hee had shewed the commodities and pleasantnesse of it to a plaine countrey man asking him how he liked it he answered I like it well if a man might keepe it alwaies Thereby marring the ioy of it who could not commend it but together with the deadly and vnwelcome remembring the momentanie and flitting estate thereof and the vncertaintie of enioying it And all the ioy of the wicked is no better then I haue said and yet that none may thinke the Lord to deale partially bee it knowne that if his owne people degenerate and partake with the other in their sinne and play the fooles with them by reioycing in euill and things transitorie as their paradise they shall smart with them likewise and for the time enioy no better priuiledge then they doe Therefore let vs bee wiser and imbrace and prosesse that ioy which cannot be taken from vs neither shall euer be repented of that we haue sought it and that is our reioycing in the Lord in his word in his seruice and in his Saints and to be short in his all sufficiencie And this bee said more fully of this point which yet I handled by the like occasion in chap. 15. Againe heere let vs marke at what time and when the ioy of the Philistims was damped and taken from them And that was when they were met together to sport themselues and bee merrie and when they were furthest off from any thought of trouble or death or of losing and disappointment of their pastime euen then was the house throwne downe by Samson vpon them Like to that which the Apostle speaketh When men cry peace peace and al things are safe then shal sudden destruction come vpon them as trauell vpon a woman with child and they shall not be able to escape euen as Baltazar also was most fearefully threatned the losse of his kingdome in the middest of his banqueting This doctrine doth mauellously crosse our vile nature who giue our selues leaue when health and welfare meet together and abide with vs any time to make our selues drunke with them and to take our fill of them And therefore we cannot away with this to heare of any change nor to be awaked out of our carnall drowsinesse and for this cause seeing men will not hearken to the Lord bidding vs watch and beware of such surfetting and spirituall drunkennesse therfore he leaues many in the snare oft times wherein like fooles they be taken And by this we may see when God hath begun iudgement before with his owne so that they escape not that it shal much more grieuously meet afterward with his enemies and therefore that their iudgement sleepeth not This I enlarge not hauing spoken of it in the place before mentioned chap. 15. The casting downe of such an house we know all it passed the strength of a common man And as he had his strength restored to him againe as we see so had hee also his inward grace as appeareth by that which hath been said of his repentance and his prayer of faith Now therefore since that the case being thus altered with him we must behold him as another man then when he was besotted and made drunke with the wicked woman And here let vs marke what a difference there is betwixt the time of grace in a man while God guideth him and the time of bondage when God letteth him follow the deuices and desires of his wicked heart as may bee here seene in Samson Oh grace if it could be seene with eyes as we can see but a darke resemblance of it by some outward shewes thereof it would in an admirable manner draw vs to loue it as the meekenesse of Moses the loue of Ionathan the zeale of Dauid and the like and so would the foulenesse loathsomnes and terriblenesse of sinne cause vs to abhorre it as the diuell as in Iezabels cruelty Ioabs malice Hamans murtherous mind is to be seene Oh what a shame it is for a man that hath been reuerenced and highly regarded for his approued innocency faithfulnesse and constancy in good carriage to become a foole in Israel a base ridiculous and contemptible person And againe I say oh how glorious and worthy a thing it is to see such an one to be reformed and cast into the mould of the Gospell Looke vpon thy selfe if euer thou diddest serue God vprightly these vertues here set downe had place in thee yea prayer was sweet to thee and hearing with such like fruites of amendment were pleasant but when thou hast suffered thine heart to carrie thee after the corrupt inclination thereof thou art then become vtterly disguised as if thou haddest neuer been the same person I will here onely adde this how sinne maketh men impotent and taketh heart from the committers of it as I haue shewed other waies how loathsome and odious it is Reade that one example to this end in this booke When the Lord brought warre vpon his people for their Idolatry by the Canaanites it is said that the people were so put out of hart with the thinking of their sinne and so appalled in their consciences remembring how they had transgressed that among fortie thousands of them there was not one that durst take vp speare or shield against the enemie But of this point plentifully before and particularly vpon those words That he thought hee would doe as at other times But here an end THE EIGHTIE NINE SERMON ON THE XVI AND XVII CHAPTERS OF THE BOOKE OF IVDGES NOw to proceed with Samson vpon this that hee casting downe the house vpon the Philistims died also with them it is demanded if he did not kill himselfe which if we finde that he did then all the commendations of his renued repentance falles to the ground and is washed away by this his last so wofull a fact and that also aduisedly done Hereto I answere that it cannot bee said hee killed himselfe indeed he died with them but the end that he propounded was not that he might die neither did he desire it but he sought reuenge vpon Gods enemies which was the worke of his calling and that which was like to bring and procure it but what was that but a faithfull seruing of God though with the losse of his life euen as the Apostles did If they preached Christ they saw it would cost them their life and that they should be slaine if they would needs preach him now when it fell out so indeed by their preaching shall we say therefore that they killed themselues and that they sought their owne death No no more then a zealous and diligent Preacher who by his paines in study and
much afraid to goe on in their cruell course against them as wee see the Priests by the counsell of Gamaliel thought good and saw cause to be ruled by him in letting the Apostles goe who had before intended most cruelly against them what was it that hindred them from their purpose but this that they feared that the Lord would haue resisted them who indeed so terrified them that hee constrained them to let them alone Thus as well as by the death of some that are maliciously minded against the faithfull other of their companie are so astonished and appalled that they desist from their wicked attempts and are in such feare that for the time they cannot tell what they may doe Thus to conclude God easeth the shoulders of his seruants many waies as wee see of the burthens that oppressed them and many other waies that cannot be expressed and not in the least manner by taking their oppressors away in the middest of their florishing and crueltie that wee may see he knoweth how to deliuer his and sheweth accordingly in due season that he doth not forget them and all to this end that they may not faint from their good beginnings nor be discouraged in any good course but hold it alwaies best to depend vpō him as Israel by Pharaos drowning and Shushan and the Prouinces by Hamans abasement with the like found it And though in some hot and fierie trials this be hard for the faithfull to go vnder yet after they haue borne the brunt they would not for any good haue done otherwise But of the sundrie waies whereby God vseth to succour his and ioynt their enemies I haue in another place discoursed at large Therefore thus much be said of this point and of the whole history of Samson THE SEVENTEENTH CHAPTER Vers 1. And there was a man of mount Ephraim whose name was Micah 2. And he said vnto his mother The eleuen hundred shekels of siluer that were taken from thee about which thou cursedst and spakest of also in mine eares Behold the siluer is with me I tooke it And his mother said Blessed bee thou of the Lord my sonne 3. And when he had restored the eleuen hundred shekels of siluer to his mother his mother said I haue wholly dedicated the siluer vnto the Lord from my hand for my sonne to make a grauen Image and a molten Image now therefore I will restore it vnto thee 4. Yet herestored the money vnto his mother and his mother tooke two hundred shekels of siluer and gaue it to the founder who made thereof a grauen Image and a molten Image and they were in the house of Micah 5. And the man Micah had an house of gods and made an Ephod and Teraphim and consecrated one of his sonnes who became his Priest 6. In those daies there was no King in Israel but euery man did that which was right in his owne eyes IN this Chapter before I enter into the handling of it as I vse to do in the other I must stay a while and say somthing for the satisfying of the reader and that not onely about this Chapter but also all the other that follow to the end of the booke That which I meane is this Whereas it may be by the ignorant thought that the things mentioned in these fiue Chapters following were done in order of time after those things which goe before I finde by conference of Scriptures that they were not neither can it be that they should But it appeareth that the acts set downe in them were done long before And because it may seeme strange which I say I neither will nor dare affirme it barely because any other man saith so but I will shew my reasons out of the Scripture I affirme therfore that the things that are said to haue been done in these Chapters following were done before the times of any of the Iudges or at the least at the end and after the death of Othniel mentioned in the first Chapter or in that vacation of those eighteene yeeres vnder Eglon while there was no Iudge in Israel And they may not inconueniently bee reckoned to the second Chapter and the eleuenth verse and those that follow it which doe mention the horrible wickednesse of the people of Israel after Ioshua was dead and the chiefe rulers who ouerliued him My reasons that these things were done before the times of the Iudges or thereabout are these The first is that it is said in the next Chapter that the Tribe of Dan being a populous tribe did inlarge their borders at that time which if it should be vnderstood to follow the storie of Samson in the former Chapter a reckoning being duly made must be full three hundred yeeres from the diuision of the land Against the which therefore as nothing like to be so that in the 19. of Ioshua is opposed where it is said as here it is that the border of the children of Dan was at that time lesse then sufficed therefore the children of Dan went vp and fought against Laish euen then and taking it smote it with the edge of the sword and enioyed it for their inheritance and dwelt in it So that if they of Dan then tooke it it followeth that the story in the next Chapter where they are said then to haue taken it is to bee referred to that time mentioned in Ioshua 19. which was three hundred yeeres before and not to the time following immediatly after Samson according to the order of the Chapter as it is set And this is my first reason why these fiue Chapters follow not the order of time as they be placed Another reason why these Chapters cannot bee vnderstood to bee set downe according to the order wherein they stand and the time in which they are thought to haue been done to wit immediately after Samson but are to bee referred to the former times that were three hundred yeeres before another reason for it I say is this that Ionathan the Leuite mentioned in these two Chapters is said to haue been the nephew of Manasseh the son of Moses and the sonne of Gershom nephew to Moses who were dead well nigh three hundred yeeres before the death of Samson and therefore vnlike or rather impossible that he should liue after Samson Thirdly whereas the acts of these fiue Chapters followed one another at the same time it is manifest that at the war of the Beniamites chapter 20. Phineas the sonne of Eliazar the sonne of Aaron ministred before the Lord at that time and asked counsell of him if they should go against Beniamin to warre And the same Phineas aboue three hundred yeeres before the death of Samson appeased the wrath of God by thrusting through Zimri and Cosby in their tent while the people of Israel were on the other side Iordan and were not as yet come into the land of Canaan Therefore the acts mentioned
places of this booke therefore I will here containe my selfe But one thing more here by so good occasion I will note about faith worthy our remembrance and regard and that is this that though the Tribe of Iuda beleeued the Lord and his promises in one thing and did therfore valiantly I meane in expelling the Canaanites that dwelt in the hill countries and the Lord was with them accordingly yet in another thing they did not beleeue namely that God would expel the enemies that dwelt in the valleyes because they had iron chariots and therefore they went not about it neither did they obtaine any such thing of God Whereby we see that we may possibly beleeue one promise and yet not another and which is no great maruell wee may beleeue when the case is more easie and the thing which is promised is of lesse difficultie to obtaine as here it was with them then when it is otherwise Euen so we may beleeue at one time and yet not at another The reason of both is seeing wee are fickle and inconstant therefore wee fleet and change in time and wee are also timerous by meanes whereof it commeth to passe that although we may be brought to belieue a thing of lesse moment or which in former time we haue belieued yet at some other time and in another thing where in we haue no experience and which striketh vs with greater feare there we faint and giue ouer The vse of this is that we accustome aquaint and bend our selues when we haue giuen credit in some things to God that we may do the same in other and if we find it otherwise then that we take knowledge of our weakenesse and thinke our strength in beleeuing not to be very great And therefore we thus seeing our wants therein are not to please our selues and rest in that which we haue done but looke to that which is yet to be done of vs and as Saint Iames speaketh of patience that it should haue her perfit worke so faith must haue her perfit worke also That thus wee may goe a degree further as the Apostle willeth the Colossians namely to abound in faith Which cannot bee without thankes giuing to God and much ioy to our selues VERS 20. And they gaue Hebron to Caleb as Moses had said and he expelled thence the three sonnes of Anake THis giuing Hebron to Caleb is repeated for it had been giuen to Caleb by Moses before as it is said in the booke of Ioshua and now the warres of the Tribe of Iuda being set downe the chiefe captaine whereof Caleb was this is againe spoken of And it is said that to him this citie with the coasts thereof was giuen namely by Ioshua as God had appointed in Deutronomie That which is the chiefe matter here of giuing Hebron to Caleb as it was before promised and he was not holden backe no nor deferred nor defeated of it teacheth that wee ought in no wise to detaine any mans due from him though it bee in our power to doe it nor to withhold reward from him that hath deserued it Gods will is that euery man inioy his owne as wee would ours which he hath bestowed vpon him And this being so sharpely reprooued by Saint Iames in masters towards their seruants withholding their due from them doth much more challenge them who in waightier cases haue wrought vnrighteousnesse against any Thus hee writeth Behold the hire of the labourers which haue reaped your fields which is of you kept backe by fraud crieth and the cries of them that haue reaped are entred into the eares of the Lord of hostes It hath been a pollicie vsed by gouernors to promise great rewards to such as shall bewray dangerous practises of traitors or find out open malefactors or performe good seruice against the enemies of the Church and their countrey which if they be not regarded and rewarded accordingly how shall the hands of men be strengthened and they incouraged to doe these duties Ahashuerosh an Heathen King when he had been deliuered from the treason that two of his seruants intended against him and that by Mordecay who detected it as soone as he vnderstood after it had been forgotten a time that he had not been rewarded for his faithfull seruice he did in most ample maner command and saw it effected that he should be rewarded So Belshazzar did to Daniel for his faithfull seruice and Pharaoh to Ioseph in an admirable manner Much more that which is a mans owne is to be restored or pay him at the due time as by the executor the borrower or any other who by right ought to doe it But euen among Christians the neglect hereof and the shifting of many contrary to couenant oath promise and bond calleth their profession into question among such as would gladly conceiue better of them But God meetes with such iustly for neither are they trusted in their health nor yet pitied in their distresse but beare a marke of their vntrustines and vnfaithfull dealing vnto the day of their repentance or to their graue And therfore they who are put in trust and defeate the orphan or other to whō it is due as also those banckrupts who inrich themselues with the goods of other men and then giue it out that they are not able to pay though they haue it in their power to do it or disable thēselues by their vnthriftines carelesnes and all such as hold from men that due that belongs to them shal feele Gods anger as bitter as masters shal who detaine hold backe their seruants wages But they doe no better who will claime it before it is due or else will bee displeased and will prouoke to sute although they know no iust cause for that which is sought in such a case I meane before it be due is to be obtained either by intreaty if it may bee yeelded or by agreement and composition but the rule before mentioned bindeth only to lawfull not irreligious promises As for that which is here said in this 20. verse that Caleb expelled out of Hebron the three sonnes of Anak vnderstand that they are those three who are mentioned in the 10. verse Sheshai Ahiman and Talmai where the driuing of them out is ascribed to Iuda in the general which in this verse is particularly said to haue been done by Caleb who was chiefe in the worke For the doctrine to be gathered hence reade verse 10. THE SEVENTH SERMON VPON THE FIRST CHAPTER OF THE BOOKE OF IVDGES The second part of the Chapter VERS 21. But the children of Beniamin did not cast out the Iebuzites that inhabited Ierusalem therefore the Iebuzites dwell with the children of Beniamin in Ierusalem vnto this day NOw followeth the second part of the chapter which laieth out the beginning of the calamities of the people of Israel as to the end of the chapter may bee seene namely that
all the Tribes suffered the nations who were their enemies to remaine among them contrary to the commandement of God in the booke of Numbers for thus he saith When ye are come ouer Iordan into the land of Canaan ye shall driue out all the inhabitants of the land before you And a little after If ye will not driue out the inhabitants of the land before you then those whom ye let remaine of them shall be prickes in your eies and thornes in your sides and shall vex you in the land wherein you dwell The first of the Tribes that is said to haue suffered the Canaanites to remaine in their coasts that excepted that wee heard of Iuda in vers 19. and did not cast them out was Beniamin which was neere to Iuda And although it be said in Ioshua that the Tribe of Iuda could not cast out the Iebuzites that inhabited Ierusalem but burnt some peece of the citie yet there it is said they dwelt with them therein so it is said here of Beniamin seeing that citie of the Iebusites was a part of it in the lot of them and part in the lot of Iuda that they dwelt also with Beniamin still and were not cast out till the time of Dauid but they of Beniamin built it againe after Iuda had burnt it Now seeing they had a precise commandement from God to expell the Iebusites thence it was their sinne that they did it not the least that they may be charged with was slouth and negligence and the seeking of their owne ease which to doe in things forbiden is most dangerous By this then we see the euil that sloathfulnesse and ease seeking bringeth to wit this that itselfe holdeth a man from obeying God though there should be nothing else to doe it And that is when for the ease and pleasure which is taken therein men dull the edge of courage and forewardnesse to good duties which was in them before such an one is the slouthfull whose words are these A lion is in the way meaning thereby that hee cannot labour euen as a man in a sweet slumber is most vnwilling to be awaked This slouth is a sweet poyson keepe from it he that can but he that doth not it will slea him as Salomon saith As the common sluggard doth loath and shun labour and therefore loueth to bee doing any trifling thing rather then to worke and be well occupied so doth hee that is slow in the duties of Gods seruice he lets them passe and omits the opportunity of doing them which ought much to be regarded For as a word spoken in season is much worth euen like apples of gold and pictures of siluer euen so is an act or deed done in due time as namely among other that wise and godly courage of Ester shewed in due season in going to the King for the preseruing and sauing her owne life and her peoples from the traine that Hamon had laid for them in season Oh euen so is forewardnes and readinesse to goe about the worke and businesse that God inioyneth vs in euery condition of life But there are extremities on both sides There are some that fall to their worke but looke after nothing else whereas all should be first sanctified to God themselues first that then their workes may be accepted of him Others would seeme and be taken for godly but they are carelesse and slacke in following the works of their callings nay they condemne the prouident and diligent as worldly and miserable muckwormes Both these are extreames to bee auoided of Christians by ioyning both callings together I meane religion and labour But for this sloath to say a little more of it if wee take not great heed the best of Gods seruants may soone be drawne to it and no way sooner then if we begin to waxe wearie of well doing in our generall or particular calling and suffer our selues to be plucked from our stedfastnesse therein by the error of the wicked and to be caught and snared with the deceitfulnes of sin for so we are rocked a sleepe ere we be aware in which case it shall be no easie matter to awake or bring our selues backe againe into our former good course And so shall we liue vnprofitable fit onely to consume and wast the good benefits of God Oh! what a death it is to a sloathfull person to be vrged to the duty that he hath cast off and hath now no pleasure in nor ability vnto as to a Minister to preach in his old age who looked not after it in his youth to the which estate he hath brought himself euē as a ruinous house falleth downe altogether when it is let go to decay for want of repairing in time For the remedying of the which mischiefe in al that are annoyed with it I see no better direction then that which our Sauior hath giuen vs in these words when he saith occupie till I come Whereby he meaneth not only the worke of our calling but also that euery one that will prosper should vse his talent euen such gifts as God hath bestowed vpon him as knowledge wealth time grace and such like to the doing of good with them and not to bury them vnprofitably in the earth For beside that the fruit of idlenesse is pouertie theft beggery c. God also loueth and blesseth the painefull and diligent and thus if we be carefull after Gods direction to bee well occupied wee shall bee free as from other euils so from this danger of sloath The like counsell to that which our Sauiour giueth is that of Saint Paul to the Ephesians that they redeeme the time that is buy it out of the hands of idlenesse vnprofitablenesse and euill and then employ it faithfully to necessarie vses and ends And the rather because so much pretious time is already spent in vaine let that which remaineth be better passed to recouer our losse The life of a Christian can least of all other stand with idlenes It is without respect of the particular calling as husbandry marchandize or other trading full of diligent heed taking that the conscience may be kept pure and good but much more al may see when labour in these is adioyned to the other therefore the punishment of the sloath is not small but as the Wise man teacheth The idle mans backe shall be clothed with ragges and his belly pinched and starued for want of food and by this wee may guesse what his soules diet shall be It followeth VERS 22. They also that were of the house of Ioseph went vp to Bethel and the Lord was with them VERS 23. And the house of Ioseph caused to view Bethel and the name of the citie before time was Luz VERS 24. And the spies saw a man come out of the citie and they said vnto him shew vs we pray thee the way into the citie and we will shew thee mercy VERS 25. And