shame omnia Romae venalia Templa sacerdotes altaria It was once the Grecians infamy 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Titus 1.12 There have been many National sins which one Country hath upbraided another withal But how is it that since the light of the Gospel in our Land we have made prize of the sins of all Nations and made them free Denisons amongst us Schisme in the Church corruption of justice bribes gluttony drunkennesse contention pride outlandish manners oppression that Tyrus and Sidon will appeare more innocent then Chorazin and Bethsaida and Sodom and Gomorra are like to make a better reckoning in the day of audit then Capernaum Therfore try your wayes and make your paths even and strait before he come qui justitias judicabit If your righteousnesse be not right the light that in them is darknesse and then quantae tenebrae how great is that darknesse 2. When you have examined your righteousnesse Caution 2. and finde it to be a sincere reddition of due to God and man take heed that you trust not in it When Jacob came to a new Covenant with Laban for wages he said to him do this So shall my righteousnesse answer for me in time to come Gen. 30.33 for my hire before thy face Our upright dealing with men may justifie us to face of man but our righteousnesse in the court of heaven is a poor plea let no man reteine it for an Advocate to answer there for him it will be speechlesse in that presence So much of it as is ours is foul and immerent deserving no favour at the hand of God We have two things to do 1. A debt to pay to God 2. A Kingdom to be purchased in heaven We are broken for the debt our righteousnesse cometh nothing near the clearing of the debt and can we hope of doing any thing toward the purchase Nature it self cannot wish them more unhappy then they are that trust in their own righteousnesse for the reed they lean upon will first wound them and then break under them 3. Yet let it go for a caution too Caution 3. do not so under value thy righteousnesse as to think there is neither need nor use of it because it meriteth nothing at the hands of God for God is gracious to accept from us that which deserveth no such good liking from him Thus he accepted the humiliation of Ahab and he rewarded it thus he accepted the repentance of Niniveh and the thiefe upon the crosse that confessed Christ and shortly after died received a promise to be with Christ in Paradise Christ speaketh comfortably Him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out Joh 6.37 Righteousnesse is the way to him This is the song and Jubilation of the Church We have a strong City Isa 26. i. Vers 2. salvation will God appoint for wals and bulwarks Open ye the gates that the righteous nation which keepeth the truth may enter in For God keepeth a book of remembrance Mal. 3.16 such as Malacy saith A book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord and that thought upon his name for the Lord loveth the righteous Ps 58.11 and verily there is a reward for the righteous Yea beloved I dare go so farre and I am sure that I tread on ground that will carry me through it is not faith it is sin it is presumption to trust in the righteousnesse of Jesus Christ onely without a care and conscience and practise of righteousnesse in our selves For Christ redeemeth us not to idlenesse but to work out our salvation we are delivered from the hands of our enemies ut serviamus ei that we might serve him redemption doth not destroy but renew our creation and we were created to good works and we are called to holinesse Let no man think that Christ needeth the help of our righteousnesse to satisfie his Father but we do need our righteousnesse to declare our faith in Christ and to make application of the righteousnesse of God to our selves Though the full strength of Scripture be bent against merit of righteousnesse there is no ground there for idlenesse to stand upon we must not cast all upon Christ and make him who came to redeeme us from the punishment of our evil works a redeemer of us from the necessity of good works Our very union with him is enough to necessitate operative righteousnes for he saith My Father worketh as yet ego operor and I work and it is his word thus must we fulfil all righteousnes Therefore that Christ may see he paid the debt for such as would have paid it if they could and did their best to pay all let us not neglect our own righteousnesse in our quest of salvation but being only by Jesus Christ delivered from the hands of our enemies let us serve him in righteousnesse and holynesse before him all the days of our life Let it go also for a caution 4. Caution that seeing the necessity of righteousnesse we do look well to the integrity thereof as the Apostle admonisheth us in his testimony of the Corinthians That in every thing ye are enriched by him 1 Cor. 1.5 7. so that ye come behind in nogist It is noted of the Saints of God in glory that they do weare long white robs these be the garments of righteousnesse there is our sicut in Coelo we must not wear our righteousnesse like a short garment it must be entire covering the whole body to the foot that is the integrity of the whole man For whosoever maketh conscience of his righteousnesse in some things and not in all is but a hypocrite that man makes conscience of nothing at all That professor that for his profit will do any thing contrary to the revealed Will of God or if for pleasure or for revenge he will go out of the way of Gods Law that mans righteousnesse is but vain For St. James saith Whosoever shall keep the whole Law and yet faileth in one point is guilty of all Jam. 2.10 Sinne is like leaven a little of it sowreth the whole lump of righteousnesse Knowing the necessity of this righteousnesse and the continual use of it 5. Caution and that our whole life is a perpetual warfare here on earth we must know that this righteousnesse must never be put off or laid aside all our life long it must not beworne in our colours ad pompam but in our armour ad pugnam to the fight This righteousnesse is not for shew but for service There be some temptations that take their aime at us and come forth to assault us there be others that are shot at random and yet may hit us As he that killed Ahab directed not his aim at him so a man sometime by occasion falleth into temptation If a man at those times have not his righteousnesse to seek but that he wear it as a brest-plate it may
me out of his belly shall flow rivers of the water of life John 7.38 These be sure proofs of sincere faith which though it be weak yet it will gather strength and being able to fight will in the end be made able to overcome all our enemies 3. How faith may be preserved This seemeth a needlesse question because we have cleare evidence of Scripture that sincere faith cannot be lost True it cannot finally be lost it is assured to God but we must preserve it so as that in temptations and afflictions we may not be cast down with fear that it is lost Neither that we do bear our selves too bold upon it so farre as to presume Therefore we are bound to the use of all those means ordained by God to preserve faith If it be an hypocritical or a temporary Faith it may be lost if it be a true Faith this is one certain sign of it The same means that breede Faith in us the same means do nourish it therefore If thou standest by Faith be not high minded but fear It is a Tenet of the Church of Rome Rom. 11.20 and it is now revived of late by the Anabaptists in a book of the last yeer that a man may finally fall away from saving grace And many false shewes are made out of Scriptures not rightly understood to maintain this heresie I say no more but as the Apostle doth Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall He that is once assured of his standing 1 Cor. 10.11 cannot fall because the same Spirit which witnesseth to our spirits that we are the sonnes of God doth also teach us all things and bring all things to our remembrance which Christ hath taught us The means are The Word the Sacraments Prayer 1. The Word for as we are born anew by the immortal seed of the Word so we must as new born babes desire the sincere milk of the Word that we may grow thereby 2. The Sacraments of Baptisme and the Lords Supper for these also serve to strengthen Faith 1. By visible representations to the sense of the inward graces of Gods spirit that walking here by Faith and not by sight we may have something to fasten our eye upon which may be to us as the brazen serpent lifted up 2. By the vertue of consignation because these Sacraments are the Seals of Gods Covenant of grace obliging God the giver to continue his love to us and reciprocally binding us to return duty and love and obedience to him 3. By the efficacy of mediation because they be the means in the Ordinance of God whereby he doth convey his spiritual graces to us so that Baptism is called the cover of regeneration and by Baptism Christ is put on The Supper of Christ presenteth Christ to us our spiritual food and therein we do eat and drink his body and blood This admonisheth us to be swift to hear and to neglect no opportunity for the same To renew our Baptism by often repentance to frequent the Table of the Lord as the feast of our souls This advanceth our ministry of these by which this Serpent is lifted up on high and set on a pole for all that desire health to look upon it They that are carelesse and negligent in these things will soon make shipwrack of that temporary faith that they seem to have for they that live in the neglect of these things do forsake their own mercy and declare plainly that their Faith is not sound and sincere but their whole righteousnesse is like the morning dew soon dried up 3. Prayer 1. for that shewes of whom we hold not of our selves but of God 2. That bringeth us into Gods acquaintance and familiar conversation whereby we do more perceive Gods love to us and declare our love to God 4. How Faith must be used The handling of this point draweth in the third word of my text which is life The just shall live by Faith The right use of Faith is to live by it as I have shewed in the exposition of the words 1. There is use of it in the natural life 2. In the spiritual life 3. For the eternal life 1. In the natural life for 1. In prosperity 2. In adversity there is use of it 1. In prosperity 1. Faith is a shield to bear off all the flattering temptations of the flesh Heb. 11.24 the world the Devil so it is said of Moses By Faith Moses when he was come to yeers refused to be called the sonne of Pharaohs daughter And by Faith Joseph when he was tempted by his unchaste mistris whose offer tendered him all sensual delight refused her and would not sin against God 2. Faith is the contentment of the righteous in those things that they possesse they beleeve them to be the gifts of God and they are satisfied with his allowance so by Faith Daniel was content with his pulse and refused the Kings meat they that do beleeve that God knows better then they what is good and sufficient for them are content with what they have 3. Faith is the acknowledgment of all our good from God for thanksgiving is a work of Faith and giveth God his due 4. Faith dependeth upon God for the time to come Psal 16.5 as David saith thou maintainest my lot I have set the Lord alwayes before me Psal 16.8 he is at my right hand I shall not be moved Upon which ground the faithful do build things hoped for and commit their wayes to the Lord. They cast all their care upon God for he careth for them And surely it is for want of Faith that the filii saeculi hujus the men of this world do rise so early and go so late to bed and eate the bread of carefulnesse robbing God of his service and breaking the Sabbath and often doing wrong to their brother to build up themselves it is a signe that they dare not trust God A strange inference 1. For we beought nothing with us into the world 2. We cannot deny but that whatsoever we have or possesse in the world it is the gift of God for aperiente manum de implet omnia we have no interest in any thing being born in sin the right is in him the gift from him 3. We must confesse that very little will serve our necessities whilest we do live in the world 4. We shall carry nothing away with us and why should we discruciate our selves with cares for others seeing that is the care of God our children also are his inheritance I know and beleeve that our children are under the Covehant and Promise of grace Ero Deus tuus seminis tui Let us study to breed them to the love and service of God let us not waste unthriftly what we may spare from our own necessities and for the charge of their education Let us use all honest and lawfull means to provide for them Thus are we discharged
covetousnes corrupteth our selves but oppression doth violate our neighbour of whom the law giveth such charge ama proximum ut teipsum 3. Their folly for what is this great stock which they have gathered and what is the rich heap that they have caught it is but thick clay and what have they done with all their labour and travel but made a burden thereof for themselves 4. Their cruelty is charged upon them which is exprest in sundry circumstances of amplification as 1. In the extremity of it no lesse then spoiling which comprehendeth all kinds of hard measure that can be offered 2. In the extent of it which is amplified by two circumstances 1. Not Persons nor Societies Towns Cities but whole Nations 2. Many Nations 3. In the effect of their cruelty which also brake forth into blood the blood of men a thing that God holdeth at such a price that he not only made severe laws for preservation of life but he maketh a curious inquisition for blood when contrary to his law it is unjustly spilt unto which God hath given a voyce For there is vox sanguinis a voyce of blood as we say in Abels story and to which voice he lendeth an eare for that blood cryeth unto him 4. In the general infection of this cruelty which hath corrupted the whole land of the Chaldaeans the City the great City of Babylon and all the People that dwell therein The Prophet in the former chapter did complain to God of the pride and cruelty and covetousnesse of the Chaldaeans in which as they exceeded so the poor Church of God smarted and the patience of God forbearing to punish them made them think that God gave no regard to them and it made many even within the Church stagger fearing least God had taken no notice of their sufferings and their enemies injuries Do you not now receive it from the mouth of God himselfe that he hath all those things written in his book that he keeepeth an exact account both of the offences done and of the offenders 5. To shew that they have abused his patience and long-suffering by continuing in the evils above-mentioned he saith How long to shew that he hath contended with them in patience al this while and that no forbearance will recover them from their evil ways no spoile or cruelty will satisfie them in their evil ways therefore he proceedeth to judgement against them The argument of this text is the punishment of the pride of the Chaldaeans punished 1. With just reprehension of all 2. With derision they shall be taunted 3. With spoile and destruction Here we must first take notice of the justice of Gods processe against them Note 1 for he giveth account of his provocation and rendreth a reason of his judgments Our lesson is Whensoever God punisheth there is a fault deserving serving that punishment for God is just he doth not punish the innocent Thus he began with the first sinners that we read of in the holy story With the Serpent quia tua hoc fecisti Gen 3.14 because thou hast done this So to Adam because thou hast hearkned to the voyce of thy wise c. And to Cain if thou do evill sinne that is the punishment of sinne standeth at the doore And for the processe against the old world first God saw the fault thereof before either he repented the making of it or resolved the punishing of it and so forth all the Scripture through and through the experience of all times 1. Because God is just Reas 1 and justice is a vertue that giveth suam cuique every one his own now rods are for the back of fools and all sinners are fools and all men are sinners and therefore none past the rod in the justice of God 2. Because punishment in the nature of it is evill though in the use of it it be good for the good it doth Reas 2 and sin brought it into the world it is contemporary with sin it cleaveth to it it cannot be parted from it as the mortality of man is joyned with the nature of man Therefore we may conclude whensoever we feel any punishment in our selves or see any inflicted on others subest culpa There is a power that deserveth this punishment Against this it may be objected that 1. God doth chasten some of his own beloved children with punishments for their tryal that they may come forth as gold fined 2. God doth sometime correct his own for example of others 3. The wicked and ungodly vex and torment the righteous even for the serving the true God many have lost their goods their liberties their lives for the testimony of the truth Thus did all those holy Confessours and all those glorious Martyrs suffer the cruelty of the enemies of God 4. The corruption of justice and the abuse of power doth sometimes turn into tyranny and so evill men are cherished and good men punished as the Prophet Isaiah saith He that abstaineth from evil maketh himself a prey 5. Sometimes good Princes are abused by their flatterers and lying informers who possess them of an evil opinion against better men then themselves as in the example of Mephibosheth for Ziba his Bayly accosed him falsely of treason to David and David though a King of Gods choosing was not at leasure to search into the matter 2 Sam 16 3 4. but presently not hearing the just defense of Mephibosheth gave away to Ziba all that pertained to Mephibosbeth 6. Sometimes just persons in execution of justice are nimium justi over wise and such justice is injury as Solomon faith Be not just over-much and the light of nature taught the heathen to say Summum jus est summa injuria 7. Sometimes Judges are swayed by the affection they bear to others to regard rather the satisfying of their envy whom they love then the execution of Justice and so wrong may be done where it is not deserved as Herod cut off Iohns head for no dislike of him in himself but to please his minion In answer to all these objections put the case how you will I am sure God is just and will neither himself punish nor cause nor suffer any to punish but where so much punishment is well deserved Peradventure he that inflicteth the punishment may offend in it and there may be a fault done in the manner of it or that for which the punishment is inflicted may be no just cause or the person may be mistaken but still I say God is just subest culpa there is a fault the hand of God the will of God is in every punishment and they never do any thing without the justice of God Job that justified his integrity so stoutly as we read in his story did never deny himself to be a grievous sinner and to deserve the punishment that he suffered though he still did stand upon it that he was not therefore punished If the punishment be for tryall the
soul hath no peace till it hath wrought a revenge upon it self and upon the body too in which it committed sin Davids Humiliavi animam meam and St. Pauls Castigo corpus meum Ps 35.13 1 Cor. 9.27 Isa 38.17 There must be afflictio and amaritudo animae we carry rods about us for the nonce even our own hearts will smite us as Davids did this brings God home to us again For I dwell with the humble and contrite and then salvation is come home to our house once again Isa 57.15 2. Impii autem non sic Not so with the wicked They sin against their souls because all the evils of their whole life are written in the book of Gods remembrance and foulded up in the rowle of their own conscience which shall be opened against them in the last day and they shall be judged according to all that is writen in those books and there shall be judgment without mercy to them that shewed no mercy Jam. 2.13 This doth not exclude temporall punishments for so shall they smart also they shall have no peace in this life for ever and anon as Job sa it their candle shall be put out and God shall distribute his sorrows amongst them They shall have many great shames many great fears many sad affronts of care and discontent though commedled with some faire weather good chear ease delights and such sweetnings as the flattery of the world and the favour of the times shall yeeld them Yet in the end all the evil that they have studyed and intended against others shall fall upon their own heads But still the worst is behind their souls and bodyes shall smart for it in the last day and the hand of God shall then pay home For them I take no care be it unto them as they have deserved and the Lord requite it at their hands and requite it upon them But for so many as follow righteonsnesse and fear God and would walk in his ways let us stirre up one another in the fear of God to seek the Lord whilst he may be found and to tender our souls The sins that we commit with such delight will cost us many an heart-breaking sigh many floods of salt water tears of bitternesse which are sanguis animae the blood of the soul hanging down of the head beating of the brest fasting from our full fare and stripping our bodies out of their soft raiment into sackcloth and changing our sweet powders into ashes There is no such disease incident to man as this Tremor cordis the trembling of the heart for sinne this Anima dolet the learning of the Physitian the art of the Apothecary have no receipt for it As Saint Paul saith of the law that is the strength of sinne so I may say that at first in the beginning of the cure the very remedy is the strength of the disease and makes the disease double the distresse thereof as in David 1. The Pophet came to heal him and he saith I said in my haste all men are lyars Prophets and all if they speak of any comfort to me Ps 116.21 2. God himself presented himself to his thought and that would not do I thought upon God and I was troubled my fear came and ceased not my soul refused comfort Yea there is such a sweetnesse in revenge that a penitent man doth take upon himself that he hath a kind of delight in his own self-punishment as in Jeremiahs example Look away from me Isa 22.4 I will weepe bitterly labour not to comfort me There is nothing that makes us sinne with so much appetite and so little feare as this we have banished Confession which bringeth shame upon us and penance which bringeth smart we have taken the matter into our own hands and no man hateth his own flesh Repentance is rather matter of discourse and contemplation then of practice and passion and so we sin and our souls are not much troubled at it But whosoever is toucht in conscience throughly with the remorse of sin will say there is no disease to a wounded Spirit and the costliest sacrifice that a man can offer to God is a contrite spirit and a broken heart 3. Punishment labour in vain Is it not of the Lord of Hosts that this People shall labour in the very fire and weary themselves with very vanity 1. Here is labour it is labor improbus that useth to carry all before it it is amplified For here is labour in the fire Multa tulit fecit que puer sudavit alsit labour even to wearines 2. Here is much ado about nothing For all this is for vanity very vanity 3. Who crosses them Is it not of the Lord of Hosts Annon ecce à Jehova exercituum Calv. Nonne ecce à cum Domino Interlin From the first here is labour This sinne is very painful Covetousnesse to gather wealth together Doct. and cruelty to destroy so many to strip them and ambition to purchase high place hereby we may truly say Hic labor hoc opus est Is it not strange the way to hell is all down the hill yet it is very uneasie and very weary travelling thither Christ calleth to him all that are weary and heavy laden Mat. 11.28 and promiseth to refresh them And God sheweth his People a rest saying This is the rest wherewith you may cause the weary to rest and this is the refreshing Isa 28.12 But this rest is not promised to them that weary themselves and work in the fire rising early and going late to bed to work shame for their own houses and to sin against their own souls such shall one day complain We have wearied our selves in the ways of wickednesse and destruction Wisdom 5 yea we have gone through deserts where there was no way but as for the way of the Lord we have not known it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifieth a wicked man cometh of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifieth labour for it is a great deal of labour that they take that live in pursuit of honour in the oppression and molestation of their brethren in the racking vexation of covetous congestions of wealth Cain vexeth himself Nimrod must be a mighty hunter before the Lord Lamech must kill a man the earth must be full of cruelty to have their own will this is labour in the very fire to do mischief The head of wickednesse must be always plotting and projecting they imagine wickednesse upon their bed it will not suffer them to sleep The hand of wickednesse must be always working The foot of Pride must be always climbing The eye of envy is ever waking Shall I give you a full description of the labour of the unrighteous Deut. 28.65 drawn to the life The Lord shall give thee there a trembling heart and failing of eyes and sorrow of mind And thy life shall hang in doubt before thee and thou shalt feare