all these parts onely I will make a Decoction of them all so to make them more Cordiall into one Staple Doctrinâ— when first we have explained something necessarie thereunto God his writing downe of the actions of Earth proceâ—deth not from his want of Memorie as if he intended to make use of his Notes for the benefit thereof There be two expressions like in sound yet so different in sense that applyed to God the one importeth Blasphemie the other sound Divinitie namely Ancient and Old God is termed in Daniel The Ancient of Dayes exprâ—ssing his everlasting continuance from all Eternitie But Old he cannot be termed as appropriated â—o Creatures they wax old as doth a Garment and carrying in it more then an 〈◊〉 of impairing and decay God hath all the perfections of Age Knowledge Gravitie Wisdome without the infirmities thereof Weaknesse Frowardnesse Forgetfulnesse Wherefore he reciteth downe mens Actions not out of any necessitie to helpe himselfe to remember them but partly out of State as Ioseph made use of an Interpreter though understanding his Brothers language partly that the producing the â—ame in Evidence at the Last Day may silence and confound the more impudent Malefactor These Actions thus written amount to many Bookes and we finde seven severall Bookes mentioned in the Scripture First the Booke of Life whereof frequent mention in Gods Word Phil. 4. 3. Whose Names are in the Booke of Life This containeth a Register of such particular persons in whose salvation God from all Eternitie determined to have his mercie glorified and for whom Christ merited Faith Repentance and Perseverance that they should repent beleeve and be finally saved Secondly the Booke of Nature This mentioned by David Psaâ— 139. 16. Thine eyes did see my substance yet being unperfect and in thy Booke all my members were written which in continuance were fashioned when as yet there was none of them Thirdly the Booke of Scripture and here behold it and happie were it for us could we but as zealously practice it in our hearts as we can easily hold it in our hands Fourthly the Booke of Providence wherein all particulars are registred even such which Atheists may count trivâ—all and inconsiderable Math. 10. 30. But the very haires of your head are all numbred And where is their number summed up Even in the Booke of Gods Providence Fifthly the Booke of Conscience This Booke is Gods as the trâ—e Owner and Proprietarie thereof yet so as he lendâ—th it to man in this Life to make use thereof Sixthly the Booke of mens Actions Hence that frequent expression in Scripture Psalme 51. 9. And blot out all mine iniquities intimating that all our ill deeds are fairely written til God in Christ doth crosse or deletâ— them And if our ill deeds be registred surely our good deeds be recorded God not being like those envious and ill-natured persons who onely take notice of what is bad passe by and neglect what is good in another Seventhly the â—ooke of mens Afflictions Some account this onely a distinct Tome or Volume of the former Booke others an intire Booke of it selfe Psal. 56. 8. Thou 〈◊〉 my sâ—ittings put my teares into thy Bottle are noâ— all these things written in thy Booke And if the white teares of Gods servants be botled up surely the red teares are not cast away but their innocent blood causelesly shed shal though â—lowly yet surely and severely be punished on the causers thereof These Bookes are for a time concealed and not opened till the Day of Iudgement First because some of them are not finished and compleated till that time Finis is not as yet affixed unto them and it is absurd that a Booke should be published before it is perfected The generations of mankind continuing till thâ— Day of Iudgement such Volâ—mes as concerne the Quick at that Day are not ended till that Day Secondly God conceales them for a while untill the Day of Iudgeâ—ent that then his owne Honour may be the more advanced and his enemies the more confounded at the unexpected opening of these Bookes The maine Doctriâ—e is this All men must at the Last Day be tryed so as to be saved or condemned by the Bookes Thâ— truth hereof will appeare by an induction of all mankind which fall under a generall Division of Pagans and Christians Be it here premised That all Mortalitie shall be tryed by one of these two Statutes either the Statute of Infidelitie or the Statute of Vnconscionablenesse The former we have set downe Marke 16. 16. He that beleeveth and is baptized shall be saved but he that beleeveth not shall be damned By this Statute shall no Heathen man be tryed because God is not so austere how-ever others may accuse him to reape where he did never some Invincible Ignorance shall so farre excuse them that it shall never be charged on their Account that they never beleeved who never had the meanes conducing thereunto The second Statute is the Statute of Vnconscionablenesse expressed Romans 2. 14 15. For when the Gentiles who have not the Law doe by nature the things contained in the Law these having not the Law are a Law unto themselves Which shew the workes of the Law written in their hearts their consciences also bearing witnesse and their thoughts the meane while accusing or else excusing one another Now bâ— this Statute shall all Heathen be tryed that they have been wanting to that light of Nature bestowed upon them In proofe whereof we divide the Heathen into Heathen Heathen and Civilized Heathen By the former we understand those pure-impure Pagans who are meerly wilde without any Art or Learning to cultivate or instruct them The Southerne point of Africa is knowne to Mariners passing thereby by the Name of the Cape of Good Hope which in relation to the Natives inhabiting thereabouts may more truly be termed the Cape of sad Despaire for they are but one Degree or Remove from brute beasts Yet even these have more Light then they have Heat and their Naturall Vnderstanding dictates unto them many cleare and straight Rules from which their darke and crooked practice doth swerve and decline For although the Morall Law may be said to be written in them to use the phrase of a Critick literis fugiâ—ntibus in dull and dimme Characters partly because in a great measure obliterated at the first by Originall Corruption at the Fall of Adam partly because defaced since and â—retted out with the Rust and Canker of Barbarisme contrâ—cted by lâ—ng Custâ—me in severall degenerating Gâ—nerations Yeâ— still so much of the Morall Law remaines legible in their hearts as may convince their practice to be contrarie thereunto In a word though they come farrâ— short of other refined Heathen in knowledge yet their knowledge as little as it is goeth farre beyond their performances so that justly they may be condemned when the Bookes are opened on the Statâ—te of Vnconscionablenesse Civilized Pagans succeed such who by Art and Education as
vouchsafed his Grace not onely to write her name in the Book of Life in Heaven but also to prefix her name before a Book of Life in Earth The Matter may be divided into these two Parts The first Chapter sheweth Thâ—t many are the troubles of the rightâ—â—us and the three last do shew That 〈…〉 them out of all One of the Ends is to shew the Pedigree of our Saviour otherwise Geneaâ—ogers had been 〈◊〉 a loss for four or five Descents in the deducing thereof Another End is undeâ— the conversion of Ruth the Moabitesse to typifie the calling of the Gentiles that aâ— he took of the blood of a Gentile into hiâ— body so he should shed the blood out oâ— his body for the Gentiles that there mighâ— be â—ne Shepheard and one Sheepfold The Authors name probably Samuel iâ— conceal'd neither is it needfull it should be known for even as a man that hath â— piece of Gold that he knows to be weight and sees it â—â—amped with the Kings Imagâ— careth not to know the name of that maâ— whâ— minted or coined it So we seeing this Book to have the superscription of Caesar the stamp of the Holy spirit neeâ— not to be curious to know who was thâ— Pen-man thereof And now to the words Now it came to passe in the dayes when the Iudges Ruled that there was a Famine iâ— the Land Observe in the words What a Famine Where in the Land When In the time that the Iudges judged the time being set down for the better certainty of the History Quest. Is this the Land whereof it is â—aid Gen. 49. 20. Asher his bread shall be fat and afford dainties for a King which is call'd Deut. 8. 7. A good Land of Wheat and Barley Vineyards and Fig-trees Oyle Olive and Hony which is commended Ezek. 20. 6. â—o be a Land flowing with Milke and Hony the glory of all Lands How commeth it to passe that thy Rivers of Oyl are now dammed up thy â—treams of Wine drained drie that there is no bread found in Bethlem the house of bread Answ Israel hath sinned a fruitfull Land maketh he barren for the sinne of the people that dwell therein The peoples hard hearts were rebellious to God and the hard earth proved unprofitable to them their flinty eyes would afford no tears to bemoan their sins and the churlish Heavens would afford no moysturâ— to water their earth Man proved unfaithfull to God his Maker the Earth proved unfruitfull to Man her Manurer Obser. Famine is â—a heavy punishment wherewith God â—fflicteth his people â—or their sinnes that it is an heavie punishment appeareth because David 2 Sâ—â— 24. 14. chose the Pestilence before it for even as Zebah and Zalmunna Iudg. 8. 21 chose rather to fall by the hand of Gideoâ— then by the hand of Iether his Son because the Childs want of strength would cause their abundance of pain so better it is to be speedily dispatcht by a violent disease then to have ones life in â— Faminâ— prolong'd by a lingring torture That it is inflicted for their sinnes is shewed Lev. 26. 19. Deut. 28. 23. 1 King 8. 37. and these sinnes most especially procure Faminâ— 1. Idolatry 1 King 17. 1. 2 King 4. 36. 2ly Abuse of plenty the prodigall Child Luk. 15. from the keeping of Harlots was brought to the keeping of Hoggs It is just with God to make men want that to supply their necessity which they have mispended in their nicetie 3ly Shedding of Innocent blood 2 Sam. 21. 1. 4ly Oppressioâ— of the poor Amos 4. 16. And no wonder if men to grind the faces of poor people make mony to which God gave no naturall fruit to bring forth a monstrous increase if God cause the earth which naturally should be fruitfull to become barren and afford no profit Vse 1. It may serve to confut â— such that when God doth scourge them with Famine as blind Balaam fell a beating of his dumb beast when he himself was in fault they vent their spite in cursing and railing on the poor Creatures whereas indeed were the matter wel weighed they might say of all Creatures as Iâ—dah did of Thamar his daughter-in-law they are more righteous then â—e for locusts mildew blasting immoderate drought and moysture are the means by which mans sinne is the cause for which Famine is inflicted And yet in prosperity we are commonly like Hogs feeding on the mast not minding his hand that shaketh it down in adversity like Doggs biting the stone not marking the hand that threw it Vse 2. If any desire to prevent or remove a Famine let us prevent and remove the causes thereof First let us practise that precept 1 Iâ—h 5. 21. Babes keep your selves from Idols 2ly Let us be heartily thankfull to God for our plenty who by the seasonable weeping oâ— the Heavens hath â—aused the plentifull laughter of the Earth and hath sent the former Raine to perform the part of a Midwife to Deliver the infant Corne out of the wombe of the parched Earth and the latter Raiâ—e to doe the duty of a Nurse to swell and battle the Grain Let us not seeth the Kid in the Mothers Milke let not our want on Pallats spoile wholsome Meat before it commeth to the just Maturity neither let us cast away any good food but after our Saviours example Let us cause the Fragments to be basketted up that nothing may be lost 3ly Let us pray with David Psal. 51. 14. Deliver us from blood guilâ—inesse O Lord and let us seeke that the hoary hairs may not go down to the Grave in peace of such as have shed Innocent blood 〈◊〉 leaâ—t the personal offence of a privaâ—e Man remaining unpunishâ—d become the Nationall sinne of a Kingdomâ— buâ— upon the Kinâ— and upon his Seed and upon his House and upon his Throne shall be Peace foâ—ever from the Lord. Lastly Let us be pittifull and liberall to relieve the distresses of the poor for why should our dead Tables groan under the weight of needlesse feast upon them whil'sâ— Gods living Temples groâ—n under the want of necessary food within them The Atheniâ—n women had a custome to make a Picture of Famine every yeare and to drive it out of their City with these words Out Famine in Food out Penury in Plâ—nty but let us say in word and second it in deed Out Sin in Sanctity Out Prophaâ—esse in â—Ãety and then we shall see that as long as our King Reigâ—eth there shall be no Famine in our Land But however God shall dispose of us for outward blessings I pray God keepe us from that â—â—â—le Famiâ—â— mentioned â—â—os 8. 12. that wâ— living under the Norâ—hern Heavens should wander to the East â—nd run to and fro to seek the Word of the Lord and should not find it but may the light of the Gospell remain with us on Earth as long as the faithfull witnesse endureth in Heaven And a certain man of Bethlehem-Judah went to sojourne in
to the making in all probabilitie it is something the farther from the undoing thereof How-ever grant Religion were in never so peaceable and prosperous an estate yet the sad Sâ—bject we now inâ—ist on could not be unseasonable All Spirituall Meâ—t is not to be bought up and brought in for our present spending and feeding thereon but as good Husbands we are to powder up some for the time to come And seeing none of us know what is to come and all of us deservâ— the worst that may be it will not be amisse to arme our selves with Counsels and Cautions in case God should give us to live in an Age wherein the Foundations are destroyed First Enter a Silent Protestation in the Court of Heaven of thine owne Integritie as to this particular That thou hast not willingly consented to the destroying of the Foundations of Religion I say Silent IT is Davids counsell Psal. 4. 4. Commune with your heart upon your Bed and be still There may be danger in making a loud Protestation it may be interpreted to be the Trumpet to Sedition Secondly it may be quarrelled at as tasting of the Leven of the Pharisees which is Hypocrisie for men to make a publique confession of what may seeme to tend to the sinfull praysing though indeed it be but the needfull purging of themselves A Silent Protestation Nothing more difficult then in dangerous Times for Innocence it selfe to draw up a Protestation with all due Caution so as to give her Adversaries no advantage against her If it be layd too low the Protestor destroyes his owne innocence and may be accessarie to the robbing himselâ—e of his due and so may die Felo de se of his owne integritie If it be drawnâ— up too high with swelling expressions the Protestor may expose himselfe to just Censure as a Libeller against that Authoritie before which he entreth his Protestation We cannot therefore be too warie and too cautious in the making thereof to observe the Golden Meane betwixt both extreames For the better effecting whereof we will weigh every word in the Counsell propounded In the Court of Heaven And that for a double Reason First because it is a standing Court no danger that it will ever be put downe secondly because it is a just Court no suspition that any Corruption can ever prevaile therein Of thine owne Integritie He that hateth Suretiship is sure saith Solomon Prov. 11. 15. Breake not thy selfe by undertaking more then what thou art able to performe Man may have not onely a charitable opinion due from us to all of whom the contraâ—ie doth not appeare but also a confident presumption of the goodnesse of such with whom they have had a long and intimate familiaritie Yet all this amounts not to that certaintie to embolden one to undertake a Protestation in their behalfe which he ought to confine to himselfe of whom alone and that scarcely too by reason of the deceitfulnesse of mans heart above measure he can have any competent assurance Thine owne Integritie As to this particular Confesse thy selfe in other things a notorious sinner guiltie of sinnes of Omission Commission Ignorance Knowledge Presumption Despaire against God thy Neighbours thy selfe in thought in word in deed We reade of the Daughters of Zelopheâ—ad that they pleaded before Moses and gave this Character of their dead Father Numbers 27. 3. Our Father died in the Wildernesse and he was not amongst the assembly of them that were assembled against the Lord in the companie of Korah but died in his sinne Meaning that he was none of those Mutineer not eminently notorious for Rebellion onely being a sinfull man as all are he was mortall with the rest of his kinde What a comfort will it be if one can truly avouch it in his Conscience to the searcher of hearts Lord I acknowledge my selfe a grievous sinner yet I appeale to thee that I have not been active in the destroying of the Foundations of Religion but opposed it as much as I might and when I could doe no more was a Moâ—rner in Sion for the same That thou hast not willingly consented Where know to thy comfort that God keepes a Register in Heaven of all such who doe or doe not consent to any wicked action And if we may prosecute the Metaphor after the manner of men we may say On the one side of the Booke are set downe the Names of such who concurred and consented to Wickednesse On the other side such are recorded who were on the Negative and by their suffrages did dissent from the same Thus we finde it written to the eternall commendation of Ioseph of Arimathea Luke 23. 51. He did not consent to the counsell and deed of them who betrayed our Saviour Not willingly Be it here observed that mens Bodieâ— may be forced to countenance that with their corporall presence which their Soules doth both reluctate at and remonstrate against One eminent instance whereof we have Ierem. 43. 5. For in the fore-going Chapter Iohanan the sonne of Kareah came to Ieremiah pretending desire of advice from him and promising to conforme himselfe to his Counsell in that great Question of importance Whether he with the Remnant of Israel should goe downe into AEgypt Ieremiah disswades them from that Journey as contrarie to the will of God and threateneth them in case they undertooke the same How-ever we reade in the next Chapter verse 4. That this Iohanan the sonne of Kareah and all the Captaines of the Forces were not content to carry downe the Remainder of the Captivitie into AEgypt but also they tooke Ieremiah the Prophet and Baruch the sonne of Neriah along with them for the more credit of the matter to weare them for a countenance of their wicked Designe Captaines of the Forces indeed they were and here they shewed a Cast of their Office violently to force two aged perâ—ons contrarie to their owne intentions and resolutions Egregiam verò laudem spolia amplae refertis Goe Cowardly Tyrants erect Trophies to your owne Victories make Triumphs of your owne Valour A great matter of Manhood a Noble Conquest to compell poore Ieremâ—ah the Prophet and painfull Baruch his Scribe each of them by proportionable computation above sixtie yeares of age to returne into AEgypt whilest their Mindes with a contrarie motion to their Bodies went back to or rather never removed from the Land of Israel An eminent Instance that mens Bodies may sometimes be forced to doe that which their Soules doe detest Secondly we except such from willing consenting as have been fraudulently circumvented instrumentally to concurre to the destroying of Foundations cleane contrarie to their owne desires and intents as erroneously conceiving they supported the Foundations when really they destroyed them This commonly commeth to passe by having mens persons in admiration Jude 16. So that possessed with the opinion of their Pietie they deliver up their Judgements as their Act and Deed signed and sealed â—o them to beleeve
as much Consolation as the scantling of so few words can receive Verse 4. The Lord is in his holy Temple The Lord. Notwithstanding all these Distempers and Disasters God is not un-Lorded He is not degraded from his Dignitie but remaineth still in full Possession and Power what he was before The Lord is Say not he was which all must confesse or will be which the godly doe hope but the Lord IS in actuall being But where is He say some Surely in some meane and obscure place where he maintaineth no Majestie or Magnificence O no He is in his Temple the eminent place of his Residence But this his Temple is prophaned and unhallowed levelled in the Dignitie thereof to ordinarie places Indeed if some men might have their will it should be so but He is in his holy Temple In a word God is not un-Lorded this Lord is not un-Templed this his Temple is not unhallowed and notwithstanding all wicked mens endeavours to destroy the Foundations the Lord is in his holy Temple FINIS THE GRAND ASSIZES A Sermon preached at Saint Maries in Cambridge REVEL 20. 12. And the Bookes were opened THere is not in all the Scripture a more lively representation of the last Judgement then in this and the paralel Chapter of the Prophesie of Daniel Foure grand Observables present themselves therein First Verse 11. I saw a great white Throne Throne there is Majestie Great there is Magnificence White there is Integritie no spot of Injustice no sparke of Partialitie shall staine the Puritie of that Dayes Proceedings God grant that this Throne White in it selfe and White in relation to him that sitteth thereon may prove White to us that our innocencie thereat in Christ may be cleared and our soules with joy comforted and compleated Otherwise though the Throne be White the Day will prove to guiltie Offenders as it is described Ioel 2. 2. A Day of Darknesse and of Gloominesse a Dâ—y of Clouds and of thick Darknesse Secondly The Earth and the Heaven fled away from his face that sat on the Throne Wherein had the harmlesse Heaven and innocent Earth offended that should cause the flight What if the Heathen had superstitiously worshipped the Hoast of Heaven the Heavens purely passive therein had never consented thereunto What if the Earth had brought forth Thornes and Thistles she did it not willingly but cursed and commanded by God Gen. 3. 18. so to doe Alas both Heaven and Earth were conscious to themselves of comparative impuritie and fled like Dross from his Face who is a consuming fire See here how poorely the wicked are helped when they Petition the Mountaines to fall upon them and cover them Fall upon them that is Improbable Cover them that is Impossible Ill are the Mountaines able to protect them when the whole Earth cannot defend it selfe cannot make good it 's own Station but flyeth away Thirdly Iohn saw the Deaâ— Small and Great stand before God Here the extreames Small and Great are expressed whilest those of middle seized condition betwixt them are implyed Mens Nets commonly are so cast the great Fishes break through the Threads and little Fishes creep through the holes whilest Gods Drag-net is so large so strong so advantagiously cast neither Great nor Small can escape it I saw the Dead Small anâ— Great But why is there here no mention of the Living our Creed according the Analogie of Faith teaching us that God shall judge the Quick and the Dead I Answer S. Iohn onely took notice of them who were most numerous and that which was most miraculous Most numerous the living at the last day being inconsiderable in number to the dead as being onely the product of one Generation Most Miraculous It is usuall and ordinary to see the living arraigned everie Assizes and Sessions but for the Dead to appeare before the Judges is most strange and therefore onely noted by the Apostle The Fourth Observable in the words of my Text And the Bookes were opened We read of King William called the Couqueror that he caused a Survey-Booke to be made of all the Demesne Lands in England which he no lâ—sse proudly and prophanely then falsly termed Dâ—omesday-Booke yet was not the same unpartiâ—lly performed some Lands being rated above and others beneath the true value thereof Behold here the true Dooms-day Bookes done without feare or favour wherein all mens actions were unpartially recorded And the Bookes were opened The words are a Metaphor borrowed say some from Mercatorie transactions betwixt Buyer and Seller where the Debtâ— are Booked taken say others from Iudiciall Proceedings where the Indictments of Malefactors are written and read before the Iudge and this beares best proportion with the Context Take notice herein of the low condescention of the high God of Heaven speaking after the manner of men Should God speake of himselfe as he is his expressions would be as incomprehensible as his Essence What then is to be done in this case to make man capable of Gods discourse Either man must be mounted up to Heaven a perfection in this Life unattainable or God of his goodnesse may be pleased to stoope unto Earth which by him is graciously performed Let us not therefore thinke the lower of his Greatnesse but the higher of his Goodnesse Let no Preachers count it a diminution to their Learning a degrading to their Language to humble themselves to the Capacities of their Auditories having so good a Precedent God the Father as I may say incarâ—ating himselfe in his humane expressions And let people listen the more attentively to Gods language herein When the Iewes heard Acts 22. 2. that S. Paul spake in the Hebrew that is in their owne Tongue unto them they kept the more silence Seeing God descends to our Dialect let us attend with the more earnestnesse to what is spoken And the Bookes were opened All Metaphors in Scriptures must tenderly be toucht lest as the wringing of the Nose bringeth forth blood they â—e â—ortured to speake beyond and against their true intention But Metaphors from Gods mouth speaking 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 must be handled with much moderation lest in the prosecution thereof we come into the suburbs of Blasphemie Where Discretion adviseth us to be cautious in others Devotion câ—mmands us to be timorous in following such Metaphors How-ever we may safely tread in the steps of the Scripâ—ure and use such phrases as we findâ— therein In the words we may observe five Doctrines all which like the Linkes in a Chayne depend one upon another First God writes downe and records 〈◊〉 actions of meâ— on Earth Secondly Actions thus written are not trusted in loose Papers but bound up Thirdly Actions thus boâ—nd up 〈◊〉 not onely to one but make many Bookes Fourthly Bookes thus made are not preseâ—tly opened but for a time kept secret and concealed Fifthly Bookes thus concealed shall not be concealed for ever but in due time shall be opened I intend not a particular prosecution of
anciently the Grecâ—ans and Romans and at this day the Persians and Chinois have scoured over the dimme inscription of the Morall Law that it appeareth plaine unto them Such were Socrates the Pagan Martyr put to death for asserting one God Diogenes the Heathen Hermite Plato their Moses who saw the back parts of God in the Doctrine of his Idâ—â—'s Regulus their Abraham so famous for his Faith though but a Morall one kept with the Carthaginians Titus Vespasian their Iosiah who wept at the consideration of the sinnes of the Iewes and Gods seveâ—itie at the sacking of the Temple in Ierusalem Verily I say unto you I have not found so much civill performance no not amongst many professing themselves to be Christians Such wise Soveraignes such loyall Subjects such valiant Generalls such â—orthie Souldiers such loving Husbands such dutifull Wives such provident Pareâ—ts such obedient Children such equall Masters such faithfull Servants such constant Friends such courteous Neighbours that they discharged all Morall Relations to the admiration yea envie of all Beholders Yet even the best of these in the strictnesse of Gods Justice may be condemned when the Bookes are opened For grant that in some particular actions they may be said morally to supererogate even over-doing in goodnesse what was required at their hands yet in other things they were defeâ—tive and fell short of the just measure of Gods Commands according to the Morall Light manifested unto them That servant doth not his Masters will who being commanded to shut all the doores in the house doth latch bolt lock barre and barricado up one or two of them leaving the rest standing open So though some of these Heathens may seeme in some particular acts to surpasse themselves and to be better then the Law enjoyneth them yet in other things they were deficient and justly condemnable for the same seeing Gods finall Sentence shall be passed not according to some eminent performance of persons but according to the constant drift scope purpose and tenour of their conversations Besides some grand Vices though not so visible to humane eyes infected the transcendiaries of their highest atchievements First Vâ—ine-glory and Popular Applause the Pole-Stâ—rres by which they steered all their actions Had Pride been the Weapon whereat a Duel had been fought betwixt Alexander and Diogenes probably the Conqueror of the World had been worsted by a poore Philosopher Secondly Hypocrisie set a Tincture and Dye on all their Actions Who hath more golden Sentences then Seneca against the Contempt of Gold Yet if Tacitus and other of his Contemporaries may be credited none more Rich none more Covetous then he as if out of Designe he had perswaded others to cast away their Money that he himselfe might come and gather it up againe Thus these Heathens for ought we can finde in Scripture are left in a dâ—mnable but farre be it from me to say in a damned condition When men of my Profession were formerly admitted into the Commission of the Peace it was fashionable for them to goe off the Bench at the Assizes after the Iurie had Cast and before the Judge did pronounce the Sentence of Condemnation on Malefactors To shew that we of the Clergiâ— ought to be Men of Mercie taking no delight in the sad though necessarie part of Punitive Justice Give me leave so farre to remember this ancient Custome that I may make an improvement thereof for the present occasion We finde these Heathen men Cast by the Verdict of the Scriptures let my Sermon therefore depart in silence and proceed no further in this Point as to any determining of their finall condition When Haman Esther 7. 8. fell into the displeasure of King Ahasuerus it is said they covered his face as of a man that lost himselfe at Court and no pleasing spectacle for others to behold it being a ghastly sight to looke on a though living man yet dying yâ—a dead favourite Let us cover the faces of these Heathen men as from any further discoursing of their condition whose sad Case may thus briefely be drawnâ— up They are left under the Wrath of God and weight of their sinne and without any ordinarie â—ay to a Saviour I say ordinarie I confesse it is a Gospel-Truth That in the Name of Iesuâ— onely Salvation is to be expected and it is a Maxime no lesse sound then generally received Extra Ecclesiaâ—â— nulla salus Out of Gods Church no hope to be saved if both be confined to common Dispensations and the regular knowne way of Gods manifesting of himselfe But how farre forth it might please God to revealâ— Christ to such Heathens on their Death-beds by peculiar favour out of the Rode of hiâ— comâ—on kindnesse and how farre foâ—th God as an Vniversall Creator may be pleased to indulge unto some â—minent Heathen persons is curious for man to enquire and impâ—ssible to determine Leave we theâ— therefore to stand or fall to their owne Master onely adding this That it will be farre better at the Last Day of Iudgement for these Christian Pagans as I may terme them then for many Pagan Christians amongst us now-adayes who are worse under the Sunne-shine of Grace in the Gospel then they by the dimme Candle-light of Nature Come we now to Christians where the difficultie is the lesse to prove that they all shall be arraigned and may justly be condemned when the Bookes are opeâ—ed which will plainely appeare on the serious perusall of the following particulars First That to all persons living within the Pale of the Church Christ hath really and cordially sine fuco dolâ— without any fraud or deceit been tendred unto them under the Conditions of Faith and Repentance That whosoever beleeveth oâ— him should have everlasting life And this will appeare when the Bookes shall be opened Secondly that even the worst of men living under the Light of the Gospel have at one time or another their heads filled with good notions and their hearts with good motions Grace illuminating wooing and courting them as I may say to lay hold on God in his Promises on the truth whereof their owne Consciences will be deposed and so this will appeare when the Bookes are opened Thirdly that God standeth readie on mans good improvement of the aforesaid illuminating Grace though not for the merit of mans performances but for his owne meere mercie and promise sake to Crowne their Endeavours with the addition and accession of farther degrees of Grace even such as infallibly accompanie salvation For I shall never be of their Opinions who parallel Gods proceedings with those of Adonibâ—zek Judg. 1. 7. who put seventie Kings under his Table there to gather up Crummes which probably did very plentifully fall down unto them whereas he before-hand had taken order that their Thumbes were cut off Their Thumbes I say which alone of all the fingers are of the Quorum to the gathering or grasping of any thing and whose effectuall correspondencie with the rest of the
killed their Appetite with good Cheare seeke with Dishes made for the nonce to enliven it againe to the supâ—rfluous wasting of Gods good creatures and much endammaging the health of their owne bodies But leaving them let us be content with that competent Foode which God hath allotted us knowing that better is a Dinner of Herbes with peace then a stalled Oxe with strife and God if it pâ—easeth him can so blesse Daniels Pulse unto us that by meane Fare we shall be made more strong and healthfull then those who surfet on excesse of Dainties And she did eate and was sufficed It is a great blessing of God when he gives such strength and vertue to his creatures as to satiâ—â—â—â— our hunger and the contrarie is a great punishment For as 1 Kings 1. 1. when they heaped abundance of Clothes on aged King David yet his decayed body felt no warmth at all so God so curseth the Meat to some that though they cramme downe never so much into their bellies yet still their hungerâ— encreaseth with their Meat and they finde that Nature is not truly contented and satisfied therewith And left thereof Hence we learne the over-plus which remaineth after we have â—ed our selves must neither be scornfully cast away nor carelesly left alone but it must be thriftily kept Imitating herein the example of ouâ— Saviour who though he could make five Loaves swell to sufficient foode for five thousand men yet gave he command that the fragments should be carefully basketted up Vers. 15 16 17. And when she arose to gleane Boaz commanded his servants saying Let her gather among the sheaves and doe not rebuke her Also let fall some of the sheaves for her and let it lie that she may gather it up and rebuke her not So she gleaned in the field untill Evening and she threshed that she had gathered and it was about an Ephah of Barley BEfore I enter into these words behold an Objection stands at the doore of them which must first be removed Objection One may say to Ruth as our Saviour to the young man in the Gospel One thing is wanting Here is no mention of any Grace she said to God either before or after Meat Answer Charitie will not suffer me to condemne Ruth of forgetfulnesse herein She who formerly had been so thankfull to Boaz the Conduit-Pipe how can she be thought to be ungratefull to God the Fountaine of all favours Rather I think it is omitted of the holy Spirit to be written downe who had he registred each particular action of Gods Saints as it is Iohn 21. 25. the world would not have been able to containe the Books which should be written Let none therefore take occasion to omit this dutie because here not specified rather let them be exhorted to performe it because in other places it is both commanded by Precept and commended by Practice Deut. 8. 10. 1 Cor. 10. 31. Yea in the 27. of the Acts the Mariners and Souldiers people ordinarily not very Religious though they had fasted fourteene dayes together yet none of them were so unmannerly or rather so prophane as to snatch any Meat before S. Paul had given Thanks Let us not therefore be like Esau who in stead of giving a Blessing to God for his Pottage sold his Blessing to his Brother for his Pottage but though our haste or hunger be never so great let us dispense with so much time as therein to crave a Blessing from God wherein his creatures are sanctified as no doubt Ruth did though not recorded And when she arose to gleane The end of feeding is to fall to our Calling Let us not therefore with Israel sit downe to eate and to drinke and so rise up againe to play but let us eate to live not live to eate 'T is not matter we need not make the Clay-Cottage of our Body much larger then it is by immoderaâ—e feasting it is enough if we maintaine it so with competent food that God our Landlord may not have just cause to sue us for want of Reparations Boaz commanded his servants saying Let her gather among the sheaves and doe not rebuke her Observation It is lawfull for us according to our pleasure to extend our favours more to one then to another Ruth alone not all the gleaners was priviledged to gather among the sheaves uncontrouled Give leave to Iacob to bequeath a double Portion to Ioseph his best beloved sonne for Ioseph to make the Messe of Benjamin five times greater then any other of his Brethren for Elkanah to leave a worthier Portion to Hannah then to Peninnah the reason is because there can be no wrong done in those things which are free favours I am not lesse just to him to whom I give lesse but I am more mercifull to him to whom I give more Yet in the dealing and distributing of Liberalitie let those of the Family of Faith be especially respected and of these those chiefely which as the Apostle saith are worthy of a double honour Corollarie Shall it not therefore be lawfull for the Lord of Heaven to bestow Wealth Honour Wisdome effectuall Grace Blessings outward and inward on one and denie them to another You therefore whom God hath suffered to gleane among the Sheaves and hath scattered whole handfulls for you to gather you that abound and flow with his favours be heartily thankfull unto him he hath not dealt so with every one neither have all such a large measure of his Blessings And ye common gleaners who are faine to follow farre after and glad to take up the scattered eares who have a smaller proportion of his favour be neither angry with God nor grieved at your selves nor envious at your Brethren but be content with your condition it is the Lord and let him doe what is good in his eyes shall not he have absolute power to doe with his owne what he thinketh good when Boaz can command that Ruth and no other may gleane among the sheaves without rebuke Had the servants of Boaz without expresse warrant and command from their Master scattered handfulls for her to gleane their action had not been Charitie but flat Theft and Robberie for they were to improve their Masters goods to his greatest profit On the other side it had been a great fault to with-hold and with-draw any thing from her which their Master commanded them to give Yet as the unjust Steward in Luke made his Masters Debts to be lesse then they were so many servants now-adayes make their Masters gifts to be lesse then they are giving lesse then he hath granted and disposing lesse then he hath directed Men commonly pay Toll for passing through great Gates or over common Bridges so when the Liberalitie of Masters goeth through the Gate of their servants hands and Bridges of their â—ingers it is constrained to pay Tribute and Custome to their servants before it commeth to those Poore to whom it was intended Thus many men make the
Ecclesiastes 8. 11. Because Sentence against an evil work iâ— not executed speedily therefore the heart of the sonnes of men is â—ully set in them to dâ—e evill These men proceed upon a dangerous mistake namely they conceive the Bookes to be cancelled which are onely conâ—ealed and because God forbeares they mistake him to have forgot to doe Justice There was lately a Iudge in England whom I need not be ashamed to name as the honour of his Robe and Profession viz. â—ustice Dodderidge whom they commonly called the sleeping Iudge Indeed he had an affected drowsie posture on the Bench insomuch that many persons unacquainted with his Custome therein having Causes of Concernment to be tryed before him have even given all for lost as expecting no Justice from a Dormant Iudge when he all the while did onely retire himselfe within himselfe the more seriously to consult with his owne Soule about the validitie of what was alledged and proved unto him as appeared afterwards by those Oracles of Law which he pronounced Wicked men in like manner erroneously conceive God to be a sleeping God chiefely on this account because of the long impunitie of notorious offenders David himselfe may seeme in some sort guiltie of the same vulgar error Psal. 44. 23. Awake why sleepest thou O Lord arise cast us not off for ever But God in due time will soundly confute mens mistake herein and appeare what he is a slow but sure Revenger of Malefactors in the Day when the Bookes shall be opened Vse 2. Are we all to be tryed in the Day when the Bookes shall be opened Let us then labour to get these Bookes cleared so much as relateth to our particular Accompts and crossed by the Blood of Iesus Christ before that Day doth approach and let us not despise the committing of small sinnes knowing that many of them quickly swell our Accompts It is a true Maxime Qui negligit minima nunquam ditescet He that neglects small things shall never make a Rich man Who would thinke that a Penny a day should within the compasse of a yeare amount to more then thirtie shillings It is incredible how insensibly many small sinnes greaten and inflame our Reckonings and therefore let us beware thereof The Italians have a Proverb It is good to goe to Bed without supping and to rise in the Morning without owing If Physicians will approve the former part for healthfull good Husbands will justifie the latter part for thriftie But especially it is good Divinitie in relation to our spirituall Accompts Happie he who this Night by the effectuall pleading of Christs Merits gaineth of God before the closing of his eyes the clearing of his sinnes that so to Morrow Morning he may arise dis-engaged and un-indebted for his former Offences Lastly let this teach us to be warie what we doe on Earth as knowing and beleeving that a Memoriall is kept in Heaven of whatsoever we act here below There is still a Project propounded on the Royall Exchange in London wherein one offers if meeting with proportionable encouragement for his paines so ingenuously to contrive the matter that every Letter written shall with the same paines of the Writer instantly render a double impression besides the Originall each of which Inscript for Transcript I cannot properly tearme it shall be as faire and full as lively and legible as the Originall Whether this will ever be really effected or whether it will prove an Abortive as most Designes of this nature Time will tell Sure I am if performed it will be very beneficiall for Merchants who generally keepe Duplicaâ—tes of their Letters to their Correspondents What here is propounded is alreadie performed in relation to our actions in Gods presence Whatsoever we doe good or bad at the acting thereof reflects beside the Principle a double representation of the same One in the Booke of our Conscience The woman of Samaria sâ—id to her â—ellow-Citizens John 4. 29. Come see the man that told me all things that ever I did Herein Hyperbolicall was her expression Christ told her not all but many things and one thing too much for her without her serious repentance namely her unlawfull conversing with him who was not her Husband But this is most true of our Conscience it will really represent unto us whatsoever we have done either accusing or excusing us therein And as Sores and Wounds doe throb and ake the more in infirme persons the neerer it draweth to Night so the older men grow and the neerer they approach unto their Death the more frequent constant and acute will be the prickings and the pinchings of their Consciences The second Copie of all our Actions is kept in Heaven recorded in Gods Booke Let all therefore but especially men in places of Legall Proceedings whether Iudiciall or Ministeriall officers therein be minded of integritie in their carriage from my Text and the occasion thereof THE GRAND ASSIZES Let Diligent Attorneyes so faithfully Solicite let Painefull Solicitours so honestly Agitate let Trustie Sheriffes so truly Impannell let honest Iurie-men so conscionably give their Verdict let faithfull Witnesses so sincerely Depose let the Honourable and Learned Iudges so unpartially passe their Sentence as knowing they must give an Account thereof to GOD in the Day when the Bookes are opened AMEN FINIS A Comment ON RUTH BY T. F. B. D. LONDON Printed for G. and H. Eversden and are to be sold at the Sign of the Greyhound in Pauls Church-yard 1654. TO The Right Worshipfull the Lady ANNE ARCHER in the Countie of WARWICK THE Apostle to the Philippians chap. 4. v. 15. giveth them this high commendation None communicated with me concerning giving and receiving but ye onely Should I apply the same in relation of my selfe to your Ladyship I should be injurious to the Bountie of many my Worthy Benefactours How-ever not exclusively of others but eminently I must acknowledge you a Grand Encourager of my Studies In publique testimonie whereof I present these my Endeavours to your Ladiships Patronage Indeed they were Preached in an eminent Place when I first entred into the Ministerie above twentie yeares since and therefore you will pardon the many Faults that may be found therein Nor were they intended for publique view till understanding the Resolution of some of my Auditors to Print them to their Profit but my Prejudice by their imperfect Notes I adventured on this seasonable prevention The Lord make his Graces flow plentifully from the Head of your Family your Religious Husband to the lowest Skirts thereof the last and least of your Relations Your Ladyships in all Christian Offices THOMAS FULLER A Comment ON Ruth CHAP. 1. Vers. 1. Now it came to passe in the dayes when the Iudges Ruled that there was a Famine in the Land BEfore we enter into these words something must be premised concerning the Name Matter End Author of this Book It hath the name from Ruth the most remarkable person in it to whom God