est sua peccata patriae suorum quantum fiori potest tegere all of nothing So for a man to come to this that he wil not conceale his fathers mothers or friends faults to speake against his owne country and countrymen yea against himselfe is against the nature of man cannot be wrought in man but by a supernaturall cause This we see the holy men in the Scriptures did It is naturall to every man so farre as he can to cover his owne faults and the faults of his Countrey and friends Moses when no necessity bound him confessed that he came of a cursed stocke spared not his brother Aarons fault in making the Calfe but committed it to writing spared not his sister Miriam in the cause of murmuring no not his owne fault in murmuring against the Lord at the waters of strife Numb 11.11 dispossessed his owne children and would not have them to succeed him in the Magistracy a very unnaturall thing but preferred Ioshua yea he put by his owne Tribe and the Tribe of Iuda and preferred Ephraim This is not able to agree with the naturall man but must come from an higher cause Therefore the writers of these bookes must be inspired by God 10. Whereas the whole drift of the greatest Philosophers and most learned men was to teach how Kings should enlarge their Kingdomes and to be in credit with Princes and great men this teacheth that life is the contempt of life It teacheth the contempt of the world and worldly honours The Prophets they never sought to be in favour with Princes but were so farre from that that they answered them not so much to that they asked as to that they should have asked therefore this is supernaturall Therefore the true way and from God not from man Against the Iewes The next point as God is a Spirit so must his worship be spirituall so we finde in the Scriptures not onely forbidding of images and shadowes but also a flat negative And as in the case of Gods unity though false religion may agree with the true in the first point yet not in the second so in this regard howsoever they exclude images yet they fault in this that all their worship is ceremoniall bodily and rituall consisting in matters of ablution and outward types And though there be types in the old Testament yet he proclaymeth every where that he abhorreth them for he will have a contrite heart and onely the circumcision of the heart Therefore as man is bodily and his notions fall into the compasse of the body so as that worship that commeth from him is bodily whereas the worship that commeth from God is spirituall 2. To this may be added that of Miracles and Oracles to confirme this religion as the other did in confirming their religion They were not done in corners but in the sight of Pharao in the middest of all his servants 2. Againe they were not frivolous but they that have felt them have got good by them 3. They are not imitable nor expressible by the art of man as the dividing of the red Sea the causing the Sunne to stand still in Ioshuahs time the making of Ahaz Diall to goe backe 10. degrees both which Areopageta saith are in the Persian Oracles The raining of Manna from Heaven Iannes and Iambres were not able to imitate Moses For Oracles of the Gentiles they did 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 philippise Oracles speake as King Philip would have them and that they were very ambiguous and needed Delio natatore the Swimmer the Interpreter Apollo to expound them Therefore Porphyry said that their Oracles commonly had Posticum a backe-dore These doe not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 philippise are not doubtfull need no Delius natator the Swimmer the Interpreter Apollo Last most of the heathens Oracles came not to passe but in the Scriptures they came all to passe some three hundred yeeres before some 500. some a thousand some three thousand as the dilatation of Iapheth which happened not before the calling of the Gentiles And this for confirmation both of the old and new Testament common to the Jewes aswell as to us those that follow are proper to Christian religion 1. Aug. 23. de eivitate Dei out of Porphyrie de regressu animae of the regresse of the soule the greatest enemy that ever the Church had That it is no true religion that doth not yeeld a sufficient purgation to the soule of man Moreover he addeth there that the Platonists received from the Chaldees that the purgation of the soule of man cannot be nisi per principia but by the principles we know that Plato his principles were 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the father the mind love an enignaticall speech of our Trinity But this i. the purgation of the soule of man no religion teacheth but ours for it teacheth that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the word tooke upon him sinfull flesh to purge away the sins of man therefore ours the true all the rest are meerely bodily for all their exorcismes and sacrifices are bodily and not spirituall and so withall the God of the Christians is not like to the heathen gods for he is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 one who loveth man i. he delighteth not in cutting mens throats or burning them to afhes as their divels had virgins babes old men young men good men offered up to them And the sacrifices of beasts in the old law were onely used for two respects 1. That they might be types of those things that are in the Gospell 2. To be an admonition to men to shew them that they have deserved to be thus killed and sacrificed God was so farre from having men to be sacrificed to him that he himselfe came downe to give himselfe a Sacrifice for our sinnes And what greater love can be then for a man to give his life for that he loveth for his friend therefore no greater 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 love to man then this In a witnesse two things required 1. Skill 2. Honesty 1. Ioh. 1.1 Now for the Gospell 1. For the witnesses In a witnesse two things required 1. Skill 2. Honesty First for the skill There is never a one of them but can say we write and say 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Which we have heard which we have seene with our eyes which we have looked upon and which our hands have handled Not as Homer Plato and the rest that had their things from other and by report And withall the writers of the Scriptures writing them when the world bare greatest hatred against them and yet never any durst write any booke against Moses in his time or against the Gospell in these daies And de probitate testis concerning the honesty of a witnesse The honesty of a witnesse there can be no better reason given then that Tacitus giveth That they testifie best quibus nullum est mendacii pretium that have nothing for their labour
naturall affection be a vice and reprehensible no doubt it cannot fall in Deum upon God therefore we must give him his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 affection over his creatures 2. No workman will give over his worke till he hath brought his worke unto perfection But generation of things is not yet compleat and every day he bringeth forth some new thing therefore yet God hath not given over his providence Dilucidius apparebit in singularibus this will more clearely appeare in particulars 1. Arist de motu animalium argues of the providence of God the Sea being higher then the Land and the waters farre above the brimmes of the earth and no Philosopher being able to give a reason why it should not overflow the earth especially seeing the nature of it is to overflow it must needs be of Gods providence which doth limit its bounds that it cannot passe 2. Plotinus from plants They without any direction if they stand betweene two soyles the one dry and barren the other moyst and fruitfull they will shoote their roote from the dry and barren to the moyst and good ground 3. From the Flowers that shut themselves in the night lest they should receive corrupt and evill moystures in the day they open themselves for to receive the heate of the sunne Psal 147.9 4. In the Birds The yong Ravens saith David cry unto the Lord and he feedeth them being as yet scarce covered with the white mosse and forsaken of the old Raven from their dung there ingendereth a worme that creepeth up to their bill and so are fed 5. Arist that the little fish Pimotheca entreth league with the Sea-crabbe and taking a stone in his mouth when the Oyster openeth it selfe against the sunne swimmeth in with the stone in her mouth so that the Oyster cannot shut againe so the Crabbe pulleth forth the meat and they both fall to their prey 6. In Beasts The wild beasts are not so fruitfull and generative as the tame least all things should be overrunne with them therefore there is something that taketh their fruitfulnesse from them namely God 2. Whereas their natures are to pray therefore by all likelyhood they should love those places that are fittest to pray in yet they love desert places dennes 3. Psal 104. When man is to goe forth to his worke all the day time they lie in their dennes at night when man is to take his rest they goe forth to seeke their prey Generally in all the discerning the places of nourishment and the meanes how to get nourishment out of it the knowing of the motions of the musculs without a teacher 2. When a man of great experience and knowledge may easily be confounded and deceived in a great company of sheepe in seeking every Lambs ewe the Lambe in the thickest of them will finde out her owne ewe 3. In discerning of hurtfull things at the voyce of a Kite the Chicken at the smell of a Woolfe the Lambe will flie though they never had experience of any hurt by them 4. The 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 affection of the parents toward mishapen children though to every one else most odious yet no lesse loved of their parents then if they had all the gifts of nature perfect 5. The sudden cry of every creature affrighted with any griefe by all mens confession it cannot be voluntary no reason can be given of it and it hath made the heathen confesse that it was Vox naturae vel amantis dominum naturae the voyce of nature or of one loving the Lord of nature So we see that there is a providence both by argument and also by practise in the Sea Plants Flowres Fishes Wild-beasts c. Theodoret Bishop of Sirus hath taken paines about this point in his ten Sermons de providentia concerning providence The second opinion The second point To that imagination that granteth providence but such onely as is in a Clocke the plummets weighing downe by little and little so that the providence is in the second causes 1. The meanes worke nothing but as the Prophets say there is beside the bread the staffe of bread Ezech. 4.16 5.16 14.13 Matth 4.4 Psal 17.14 Hag. 1.6 which Christ calleth the World of God David Gods hidden treasure which if it be not we shall as Haggai saith put money into a bottomlesse purse The meanes alwaies worketh not because there is not a thing added to the meanes that giveth strength The Philosophers have acknowledged it and called it the infusion of strength and efficacy into the creatures This is the first cause not of the secondary causes that if without meanes divers things have beene brought to passe not onely Genes 1. because men should not thinke that the sunne is cause of light he made the light before the sunne nor thinke that the seed is cause of fruit therefore he made with the seed fruit but also in these daies we see preferment cast on them that never sought for it Second causes withstanding yet the effects are brought forth Christ used clay to open eyes which is rather a meanes to put them out Helias put Salt into Salt water to make it fresh and sweet Iohn 9.6 2 Reg. 2.20 Gen. 40. 41. Iason Phereus healed by a sword thrust into his belly Iosephs imprisonment the meanes of his preferment the first bringing in of the Christian faith doth most firmely shew this Then by want of learning They had not onely no meanes but also meanes against them great learning confounded by weaknesse strength by nothing something 2. Fortunes commission it is not issue of warre of which though many profane mouthes have given forth this that Sors Domini campi fortune is Lady of the field yet there never was any but before he entered battell vowed and after payed his vow So in drawing of lots which a man would thinke especially to be of chance Ionah 1.7 c. 5.16 c. yet the Marriners in the shippe with Ionas used this as being of the providence of God Cassena in Plutarch 3. Ihado when the Heathen could not finde out any thing but was in doubt used to fall to lots as if God would answer them in their doubtfull lots 3. From chaunce medly Herodotus Cambyses lighting off his horse his sword falling out of the Scabbard ranne him into the groyne and he ascribeth this to providence for his evill behaviour in Egypt Lastly the Philosopher concludes That casuall things are nothing else but effects of causes farre off removed if of these much more the things concurring neere together are referred to providence That is a greater argument of providence to joyne things farre asunder then those that be neere But that which proves all fully Prophecy cannot be brought to passe withall the plummets but that is of the providence of God Having shewed that there is a providence of God in generall 2. That it dealeth her selfe and hath her owne hand in bringing things to
and yet in the same booke in the Epistle of Aristobulus it is said that part of it was translated before the Empire of the Persians was begun long before it came to be translated of the 70. But it appeareth that it hath pleased God in most strange manner in every Nation to leave some Register or Chronicle of this as among the Egyptians Manetho among the Phenicians Sanchoniatho among the Chaldees Berosus in Asia minor Abidenus among the Persians Metasthenes among the Gentiles Histaspis Hecataeus Euemerus Alexander polyhistor In the second booke of Herodotus we shall finde that notable miracle that God wrought on Senacherib though somewhat corrupted the edict of Cyrus almost the whole prophecie of Daniel 11. booke of Josephus as Augustine lib. 8. de civit Dei Alexander being in Babylon and purposing to build an Image to Belus and certaine of the scattered Jewes which were then the cunningest workemen refusing to build an Image to any Idoll of the Heathen vowed to roote out cleane all the Nations of the Jewes but he was soone appeased by Iaddus the High Priest for he hearing of the Kings vow met him in peaceable manner in Aarons attire whom as soone as Alexander saw he fell downe before him and worshipped him and presently gave over his purpose And being demanded the cause of so sudden change of his purpose answered that Hiaddus appeared unto him in the same likenesse of that God which appeared to him bidding him to conquer the whole world in the very same attire that that man ware After those daies by the meanes of Ptolomey and his Embassage to Aristobulus and his great Library in Alexandria the Jewes religion was dispersed Laâ—rtius in the life of Epimenides which agreeth with Act. 17. The Athenians being visited with a strange plague and asking counsell of the Oracle how to rid themselves of it the Oracle sent them to Epimenides He told them that they were not to seeke to their owne God but to another God for it was another above all their Gods that sent them this plague and it was onely to be driven away by Sacrifice They making offer to discharge themselves of this offered Sacrifice the plague neverthelesse continuing they were faine to send to Epimenides the second time to know in what manner they should sacrifice and where he counselled them to let the beasts goe whither they would and in that place where they should stand still there to sacrifice them to that God that had sent them that plague The beasts went on with the Sacrifice on their backe untill they came to Mars his streete and comming to a faire plat there stayed where they built an Altar and dedicated it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Acts 17. to the unknowne God The like is in the Romane histories the Romans having got a great victory over their enemies after built a Temple and consecrated it to peace and demanding of their Oracle how long it should continue word was given them that it should endure quoad virgo peperit till a Virgin should beare a child which because they thought it would never be they set this inscription upon the doore Templum pacis aeternum The everlasting Temple of peace And about the time that Christ was borne in the shutting on an evening it fell downe to the ground without any helpe Thus much for the Antiquity both by them whose writings yet remaine and fathers as also by the Heathen themselves that proposition alwaies holding Quod primum verum What is most ancient is true 2. Argument The continuance of it The second argument from the continuance of preservation of it most miraculously as that the religion that commeth from man or any false God cannot have the like whereas we see the Jewes continued in captivities under other nations more then any as under the Philistins Moabites Amorites Persians Romans Egyptians and yet in all these it hath continued So also the people round about them Especially the victorers nature being to turne the religion and lawes of the conquered to his owne bearing a deadly hate to them and their religion And Antiochus bending himselfe wholly to destroy all the copies of the Law and yet hath it beene so wonderfully preserved as not one jot of it hath at any time perished We see that the chiefest men in Philosophy Physicke Law c. have left their schollers behind them to renâ—w their writing their workes have beene countenanced of mighty men as much as could be all meanes in the world hath beene used for the preservation of them yet most of their writings have beene lost some have come to the posterity unperfect or very corrupt On the other side there hath beene extreme contempt of the Jewes their enemies intent alwaies to subvert them and their religion as also a purposed malice of the Jewes themselves against their owne religion All meanes possible used to the subverting of it yet as yet it hath continued So that there is not a materiall point that feareth the sifting either concerning manners or faith so that we may say Hîc Dei digitus here is the finger of God for time leaveth her markes in humane things And though there be differences in the divers taking of things and in the divers forme of words yet they tend all to one end There is no materiall difference about any materiall point so that it mattereth not which of all the waies it be taken The like may be said concerning the whole manner of their religion They never changed their religion customes or lawes being in captivity in divers strange Lands whereas any other Nation being instituted in a strange religion strange customes and Lawes useth to alter her owne and give her selfe to that other religiâ—n 3. The certainty of Christian religion The third thing the certainty That whereas other writings are brought into question or are imperfect or not authenticall but counterfeits The perfectest of all mans writings fals into one of these In it 1. no imperfection Impossible that man should take away the least part in the Christian religion without the destruction of the whole 2. No contradiction or include contradictions but this religion can fall into none of these Therefore this religion must needs be the religion of God 1. For imperfection It is a certaine note that when any thing commeth from man it groweth by little and little untill it come to perfection no such thing in this For in the delivery of the Law all was delivered at once most absolutely in the 10. Commandements under which there is no duty but may be sensibly contained to which nothing hath beene or could be added nothing be detracted without the cleane overthrow of the whole onely writers have explained them which because man cannot doe in his writings it must needs be from God 2. For contradictions Paul 2. Cor. 1. The words of man are sealed with etiam non yea and no but the writings of
see when we have gone through the faire promises of the gaine-sayer we are to deale with other enemies as anguishes of this life c. then with the last enemies and then we are to make account that when wee deale with the last enemy i. death if wee escape him we shall be sure to keepe our soules Patience the roofe of godâ—â—nesse tectum In consideration whereof as we said in faith that it is fundamentum virtutum the foundation of other vertues so patience is tectum virtutum omnium the roofe to keepe them from the stormes of afflictions without which showres would fall into the building and rot it And this may well be warranted Luke 8.15 our Saviour describing the spirituall harvest saith that they brought fruit in patience the fruit is the last thing in the other the bud and the blossome the fruit that must come through the blade more plaine I am 1.4 that therefore patience must be that we may be perfect and want nothing i. that perfection may be added Phil. 1.29 he joynes them both together to beleeve and to suffer Vnto you it is given not onely to beleeve in him but also to suffer for him Heb. 6.12 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that ye be not slothfull but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises faith and patience the first and the last the beginning and the ending Sure it is that when this vertue is come and covered the roofe we have good cause to rejoyce in so much as the Apostle 2 Cor. 12 10. he will rejoyce in his patience that he had suffered reproaches infirmities persecutions and anguishes for Christs sake Which patience Rom. 5.4 working experience then hee hath spem solidiorem more sure and solid hope then he comes to that Rom. 8.35 that he throweth downe his Gauntlet to any thing that can separate him from the love of God and he beginneth with the stoutest enemies speaking by experience as the worke being perfect in him If â—n punishment it brings forth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 if in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 To the precept what is commanded that is patience but we will distinguish it according to this object to affliction that is of two sorts 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 precept for direction punishment for correction and accordingly on both sides there is a diverse patience It is said that in every law there is a directive and corrective force if the first escape the second will take hold aut faciendum quod oporter aut patiendum quod oporiet either we must doe what is due or suffer what is due we must be either Active or Passive 1. The first patience this whereby when we see that we are under the rod we submit our selves to the corrective law knowing it to be just for our deserts The reasons be two but one for suffering 1 Pet. 4.19 the maine reason of both these because it is the will of God Of his Will we enquire not the cause but the reason it is revealed therefore we are bold for the confirmation of our faith one this he will have the whole world know The manifestation of his own justice that sinne shall not be unpunished partly plaine Numb 20.12 the waters of Meribah cost Moses his life his wavering that waters came not at the first was the forfeiture of entrance into the land of promise and many more may be brought but they are all darkened by Christ his punishment for sinne may shew how well God liketh it Now albeit the maine punishment fell on Christ the Son of God and this passio Christi his Passion was the greatest sign of the love that he bare to us so must it be reciproce though that fell on him yet so it fell that there should still be a visitation of his Church though it was promised in the beginning God makes a covenant with us and to this end that his mercy may not be withdrawne from us yet Psal 89.31.32 But if his children forsake my law then I will visit their transgression with the rod c. So it is a part of the league betweene him and us that we shall endure the fatherly correction 1 Pet. 4.17 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the time is that justice shall beginne at the house of God an argument if justice beginne at the house of God if God shew his justice in punishing those which he hath a speciall favour and love unto therefore it doth argue that he will punish the unbeleevers more grievously Luke 23.31 It in me that am a greene tree what shall become of a dry tree therefore the green shall downe too Ier. 25.29 If mine owne house where my name is called upon offend I will beginne to plague it and shall you go scotfree therefore there is a not sparing of the house of God This would be very unpleasant unto us but that if we suffer not this a worse thing to be left would follow Heb. 12.6 Whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth Revel 3.19 God doth castigare omnem silium quem recipit he scourgeth every sonne whom he receiveth so herein is our choyce whether we will be disinherited or chastened Aug. Si hoc tibi magis malum videtur exhaeredari quam non casligari ist hoc elige So that if a man will be of the company of the wicked then Psal 73. he may share prosperity with them if not then Ier. 12. he shall be of the afflicted heritage and if our inheritance be magis bonum a good rather then the other we must passe under this 2. The procuring of out own benefit either by calling us backe when we are gone or retaining us in the state we 〈◊〉 in 2. Another reason of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 correction as the first was the declaration of Gods judgements so this for our owne benefit 1. Esa 28.19 vexatio dat intellectum vexation gives understanding Psal 119.14 it was good for David that he was in trouble i. many men cannot be without it Aug. saith of himselfe that when he did follow with a full streame worddly pleasures pectoris dolâ—r a griefe in his chest was the first visitation that recall'd him by Pauls unhorsing and smiting blinde was his entrance and so many have beene recovered to God and unlesse we be thus smitten and awaked the naturall folly and the world ringing in our eares will make us that we shall not heare So in our continuance of sundry Hase 2.6 Sepiam viam tuam spinis I will hedge up thy way with thornes if thou wilt out of the way a thorne shall pricke thee and bring thee in againe Basil is said that being a man much subject to infirmity and sicknesse once in his sicknesse was very earnest with God for the recovery of his health and when he had obtained it he remembred that he had left out a condition that when he requested of the Lord that he might recover his health he
that professe Christ in outward behaviour and shew that in their gates and apparrell are opposite to this there are plaine Tessarae Badges of the enemy and if you heare them speake they have the right Watchword of the Devill Worldly speeches and worldly signes and that we doe militari carni sanguini we weare them daily and so by this we may examine our selves 4. The fourth The perishing of a righteous man in his righteousnesse It was the manner of the delivering of the standard among the Lacedaemonians 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 My name I deliver unto you eiâ—her bring it home or be brought home upon it This is confession of the name of Christ that we bring our Shield sound to God or else dye for it rather then lose it that is he must not onely be bound at Jerusalem but dye for Christ Jesus 5. Last How to others we may be perswaded for the procuring of it in them also The Apostles precept Col. 4.6 our speech must be such as the hearers may receive grace and have profit by it It hath a place in the second Commandement and not onely in speech but also as Christ saith in Workes c. And as Rom. 2. Esay 52.2 that men blaspheme not the Word of God by your unreformed lives that men say not this word is a word not of power but may say it is a Religion of strength that they say not that our Religion is Unweaponed or a Favourer of Vice The Penalty of the Commandement Penaltie God will not hold him guiltlesse that is as before in the second Commandement he saith hee will fall downe to an Image because hee will spare himselfe he shall not need to begge therefore he will fall downe but God upon that saith they shall all fare the worse for it hee will visit him and his children to the third and fourth generation So here is a Frustra quod non erit frustra here is a taking of Gods name in vaine which will not prove in vaine for he will come in judgement they to save themselves from some present danger will take his name in vaine but here cometh not an holding Guiltlesse but a Condemning for it It shall turne to his destruction where he thought to be saved The reason why God annexed here a penalty as before the great gaine a man might reape by changing his Religion So here when there is a great profit then there is a great penalty set upon them that breake it So here Ubi lapsus est in procliui as a mans tongue as Augustine saith Posita est in udo is set in a glio and slippery place Therefore as it is Psalm 141.3 God must set a doore and a lock upon our lips And that doore is Thou shalt not be held guiltlesse that is if ye be called Christians and take upon you a vaine profession and make frustrate Gods name For a Christian must depart from wickednesse 1 Sam. 2.3 Psalm 75.5 I said to the fooles deale not so madly and to the ungodly set not up your horne If you take upon you any other name if you defend not this or defend things opposed to this in Disputations maintaine false Doctrine if in your speech you bury the name of God or if you bury it not but talke of it foolishly and vainely and without feare and reverence if in talke you forget it if you speake evill of Gods name by disliking of his mercies bestowed upon any or his judgements if you when you should blesse his name you take it and apply it to Witchcraft and Sorceries and evill things If when you should blesse others ye make it a By-word to curse them by it If in swearing you take it in vaine if you vow and doe not performe if any of these wayes you blaspheme God How then Then it is said The Lord will not hold him guiltlesse And it is well said for it is he indeed that must doe it for the World will hold him guiltlesse as swearers now a dayes are not punished For a man that should empaire a mans name I have better remedy for it then for the blasphemie of the name of God He shall not goe scot-free for slandering my name but Gods name findeth not so much favour of our Law Therefore because the World regardeth it so little it is necessary that the Lord should take it into his hands the Lord will looke to it Not to be held Guiltlesse is the whole matter for who is there that shall not fall into intollerable and endlesse trouble if the Lord hold him not Guiltlesse For every man is guilty before God and if he found him guiltie yet he will not be accompted guiltie but this name shall not be holden guiltlesse Hic est totus fructus ut auferatur peccatum this is the whole fruit that our sinne may be taken away else we are the most miserable creatures if we lived alwayes in Vaine Because Gods threatnings in the Law pertaine as well to this life as to the life to come and we said before that there is no Commandement that ever God hath set downe that there is so fearefull judgements in this age and in the age before and in every age as this hath had Zach. 5.4 The Prophet setteth there a flying Booke and that was to take hold of the house of the Swearer and to consume the Posts Tymber Stones and all For stoning Levit. 24.11 to stone the Perjured person to death Num. 5.21 Then the Priest shall charge the Woman with an oath of cursing and he shall say to the woman The Lord make thee be accursed and detestable for the oath among the people and the Lord cause thy thigh to to rott and thy belly to swell vers 22. And that this musty water may goe into thy bowels to cause thy belly to swell and thy thighes to rot And not onely in these private persons but Jer. 21.7 the plagues of God against whole Nations 1 Sam. 21. the plague of a Famine Shall hee prosper shall hee escape that doth these things or shall he breake the Covenant and be delivered Ezek. 17.16 Destruction and Captivity on a whole Land And there are bookes of this thing alone and of particuler persons and whole Nations God hath shewed manifest judgements And this cannot otherwise be because we are so zealous and carefull of our name how much more is God of his For his name passeth ours We say and it is a common By-word among us What is a man but his good name 2. They say Crudelis est sibi homo qui famam suam negligit aut inultam sinit He is a cruell man that neglecteth his name that God should be negligent if he should not punish it Et solius laesae famae causa duellum est permittendum quia fama ambulat pari passu cum vitâ the taking away of a mans life that taketh away his good name Then if we for our owne names sake
will turne to you we must pray Convert thou us O Lord and we shall be converted Lam. 4. If he say to us Make you cleane hearts Ezek. 18 Because that is not in us we must pray Create in me a cleane heart and renew a right spirit in mee Psal 51.10 When Christ saith Beleevest thou this Joh. 11. for as much as Faith is the gift of God Eph. 2. we are to pray with the Disciples Domine adde nobis fidem Luk. 17.5 When the Apostle exhorteth Perfecte sperate 1 Pet. 1.13 we should say with the Prophet Lord my hope is even in thee Psal 39. And where our duty is to love with all our hearts because we cannot performe this without the assistance of Gods Spirit we are to pray that the love of God may be shed in our hearts by the holy Ghost Rom. 5.5 THE SECOND SERMON JAMES 1.16 17. Erre not my deare brethren Every good giving and every perfect gift is from above and commeth downe from the Father of lights with whom is no variablenesse neither shadow of turning AS Saint Paul 2 Cor. 3.5 tels us that we are not sufficient to thinke a good thought but our sufficiencie is of God So the Apostle saith â—t is God onely from whom every good giving and every perfect gift commeth And that we shall erre if we either thinke that any good thing which we enjoy commeth from any other but from God or that any thing else but good proceedeth from him so that as well the ability which man had by nature as our enabling in the state of grace is from God He is the Fountaine out of whom as the Wiseman saith we must draw grace by prayer which is Situla gratiae the conduit or bucket of grace Therefore he promiseth in the old Testament To poure upon his Church both the Spirit of grace and of prayer that as they sue for grace by the one so they may receive it in by the other Zach. 12.10 Unto this doctrine of the Apostle in this place even those that otherwise have no care of grace doe subscribe when they confesse themselves to be destitute of the good things of this life and therefore cry Quis oftendit nobis bona Psal 4. As before the Apostle shewed that God is not the cause of any evill so in this verse he teacheth there is no good thing but God is the author of it If he be the Fountaine of every good thing then he cannot be the cause of evill for no one Fountaine doth out of the same hole yeeld sweet and bitter water Iam. 3.11 Secondly if every good thing be of God onely then have we neede to sue to him by prayer that from him we may receive that which we have not of our selves Wherefore as this Scripture serves to kindle in us the love of God for as much as he containes all good things that we can desire so it is a speciall meanes to provoke us to the duty of prayer This proposition hath two parts first an Vniversall affirmative in these words Every good giving secondly a prevention for where it may be objected that howsoever some good things come of God yet evill things also may successively come from him even as the Heathens say that Iupiter hath divers boxes out of which hee doth powre both good and evill the Apostle preventeth that objection and saith that with God there is no variablenesse nor shadow of changing So that as the meaning of these words in the Prophet Hosea 13.9 Salus tua taniummodo ex me is both that salvation is onely of God and that nothing else but salvation commeth from him so the Apostles meaning in these words is both that God is onely the cause of good and that he is the cause of nothing else but good lest when we are tempted unto evill we should make God the Author of all such temptations The former part of the proposition called subjectum is Every good giving c. The latter part called praedicatum is descendeth from above Where the heathen call all vertues and good qualities which they have 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of having the Apostle calleth them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of giving to teach us that whatsoever good quality is in any man he hath it not as a quality within himselfe but he receiveth it from without as it is a gift Esau speaking of the blessings bestowed upon him saith I have enough Gen. 3.3 And the rich man Luke 12. Anima soule thou hast much good as though they had not received them from God but the Saints of God spake otherwise Iacob saith These are the children which God hath given me Gen. 33.5 Againe when Pilate without all respect of God of whom the Apostle saith There is no power but of God Rom. 13. said Knowest thou not that I have power to crucifie and to loose thee our Saviour said againe Thou shouldest not have any power over me except it were given thee from above Iohn 19.10 The consideration hereof serveth to exclude our boasting Rom. 3. That the Wise man boast not of his wisdome Ier. 9. seeing wisdome strength and whatsoever good things we have it is the good gift of God as the Apostle tels us Quid habes quod non accepisti 1 Cor. 4. Secondly this division is to be marked that of the good things which come from God some are called Donationes others Dona and to these two substantives are added two adjectives whereof one doth answer to the givings of Gods goodnesse the other to the gifts of God ascribeth perfection The first errour the Apostle willeth them to beware is that they thinke not that God is the cause of any evill because every good thing commeth from him the second errour is that they should not conceive this opinion that the maine benefits are from God and the lesser benefits are from our selves not so for the Apostle tels us that as well every good giving as every perfect gift is from above That which the Apostle cals Donatio is a transitory thing but by gift he meaneth that which is permanent and lasting Ioseph is recorded to have given to his brethren not onely corne but victuals to spend â—y the way Gen. 45.21 So by giving the Apostle here understandeth such things as we neede in this life while wee travell towards our heavenly Countrey but that which he calleth gifts are the treasures which are laid up for us in the life to come and thus the words are used in these severall senses Of things transitory the Apostle saith No Church dealt with me in the matter of giving Phil. 4.15 there the word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but speaking of the good things that come to us by Christ he saith The gift is not as the fault Rom. 5.16 where the word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 By Givings he understandeth beauty strength riches and every transitory thing whereof we stand in neede while we are yet in our journey