doing in the time present Baptisme saueth §. 43. What kinde of meanes of grace Baptisme is II. Baptisme is no physicall or naturall meanes of working grace as if the grace which is sealed vp thereby were inherent in the water or in the Ministers act of sprinkling it as in medicines salues hearbs meats and the like there is inherent that vertue which proceedeth from the vse of them and being applied they haue their operation whether a man beleeue it or no but it is only a voluntarie instrument which Christ vseth as it pleaseth him to worke what grace or measure of grace seemeth best to him so as grace is only assistant to it not included in it yet in the right vse thereof Christ by his Spirit worketh that grace which is receiued by it in which respect the Minister is said to baptize with water but Christ with the Holy Ghost and with fire Matth. 3. 11. §. 44. Of the necessitie of Baptisme III. A meanes of working a thing may be said to be necessarie two wayes 1. Absolutely so as the thing cannot possibly be without it Thus are the proper causes of a thing absolutely necessarie as in this case Gods couenant Christs bloud and the operation of the Spirit are absolutely necessarie for attaining any grace 2. By consequence so as according to that course and order which God hath set downe things cannot be without them Baptisme is not absolutely necessarie as a cause for then should it be equall to Gods couenant Christs bloud and the worke of the Spirit Yea then should all that are baptized without any exception be cleansed But it is by consequence necessarie and that in a double respect 1. In regard of Gods ordinance 2. In regard of our need thereof 1. God hauing ordained this a Sacrament to be vsed it is necessarie it should be vsed if for no other end yet for manifestation of our obedience He that carelesly neglecteth or wilfully contemneth any Sacrament which God shall enioyne him to vse his soule shall be cut off 2. Great is the need that we haue thereof in regard of our dulnesse in conceiuing things spirituall and of our weaknesse in beleeuing things inuisible We are carnall and earthly and by things sensible and earthly doe the better conceiue things spirituall and heauenly therefore hath God ordained visible elements to be Sacraments of inuisible graces Againe we are slow to beleeue such things as are promised in the word therefore the more to helpe and strengthen our faith God hath added to his couenant in the word his seale in and by the Sacrament that by two immutable things Gods couenant and Gods seale in which it is impossible for God to lie we might haue strong consolation Besides though in generall we doe beleeue the truth of Gods word yet we are doubtfull to apply it to our selues wherefore for better applying Gods couenant to our owne soule God hath added his Sacrament to his word §. 45. Of the contrarie extremes of Papists and Anabaptists about the necessitie and efficacie of Baptisme There are two extremes contrarie to the forenamed points about baptisme One in the excesse which is of Papists that attribute too much thereunto and make it a plaine Idoll Another in the defect of Anabaptists and Libertines which derogate too much from it and make it an idle ceremonie In two things doe Papists exceed 1. In the necessitie Of Baptisme 2. In the efficacie   They make it so absolutely necessary as if any die vnbaptized he cannot be saued which doome they passe against infants though they be depriued thereof without any fault of their owne yea or of their parents being still borne A mercilesse sentence without any warrant of Gods word yea against his word against the order which he hath prescribed He hath established his couenant promised to be the God of the faithfull of their seed on which ground S. Peter saith The promise is vnto you vnto your children S. Paul saith your children are holy Shall all these priuiledges be made void by an ineuitable want of baptisme if so would God haue enioyned circumcision which to the Iewes was as baptisme is to Christians to be put off to the eighth day before which day many infants died or would Moses haue suffered it to be forborne all the time that the Israelites were in the wildernesse If it be said that baptisme is more necessarie then circumcision I answer the Scripture layeth no more necessitie vpon it If it were so necessarie as they make it then the vertue of Christs death were lesse effectuall since he was actually exhibited then before For before it was effectuall for infants without a Sacrament but belike not now Had the ancient Churches conceiued so of the absolute necessitie of baptisme they would not haue had set times for the administring thereof nor suffered it to be put off so long as they did Some Churches appointed it to be administred only at Easter Some at Easter and Whitsuntide And though many who gaue euidence of their true faith died before they were baptized yet they did not thereupon iudge them to be damned This practise and iudgement of the ancients hath made many Papists somewhat to mitigate that absolute necessitie and to say that In this case God which hath not bound his grace in respect of his owne freedome to any Sacrament may and doth accept them as baptized which either are martyred before they could be baptized on else depart this life with vow and desire to haue that Sacrament but by some remedilesse necessitie could not obtaine it If remedilesse necessitie can helpe the matter what necessitie so remedilesse as for a childe to be still borne Againe they adde such efficacie to baptisme as it giueth grace of the worke it selfe wherein they equall it to the verie bloud of Christ and take away the peculiar worke of the Spirit and the vse of faith repentance and such like graces What can there be more in the water of baptisme then was in the bloud of such beasts as were offered vp for sacrifices But it is not possible that the bloud of Buls and Goats should take away sin They themselues attribute no such efficacie to the word preached and yet they cannot shew where the holy Ghost hath giuen more vertue to baptisme then to the word This text ioyneth them both together that he might cleanse it with the washing of water through the word What can be more said of a meanes then that which is said of the word It pleased God by preaching to saue them that beleeue The Gospell is the power of God to saluation c. On the other side Anabaptists and such like Libertines too lightly esteeme this holy and necessary ordinance of God in that they make it only a badge of our profession a note of difference betwixt the
flesh he addeth this law Therefore shall a man leaue his father c. In this place these words haue both a literall and a mysticall sense A literall of man and wife A mysticall of Christ and the Church The maine thing which the Apostle aimeth at is to shew how neerely man and wife are linked together that thereby they may the rathet be moued to performe those mutuall and seuerall duties which they owe each to other But because he propounded to husbands and wiues the examples of Christ and the Church as patternes and motiues to them to doe their dutie he applieth that which was first spoken of man and wife vnto Christ and his Church to shew that there being so fit a resemblance betwixt these two couples the patterne propounded is the more pertinent to the purpose and the reason enforced from thence the more forcible Because the opening of the literall sense will giue great light to the mysterie I will first handle this text according to the meaning of the letter The first clause for this cause implieth a necessarie connexion with that which went before The neere vnion of man and wife as well as of Christ and his Church was before noted A wife was said to be as the bodie of a man yea as himselfe Adam called her his flesh and bones Hereupon both Moses and Paul inferre Therefore or For this cause shall a man leaue father Because man and wife are so neere by Gods institution they must also be most deare each to other in their mutuall affection The Man meaning an husband is here in particular mentioned because at the first making of this Law the woman was brought to him to see how he would like her and hauing cast his affection on her he was to be bound hereby to continue that good liking towards her as also because of the preheminencie which man hath aboue his wife Yet is not the man only tied hereby but the wife also the nature and rule of relation requireth as much if a man must inseparably cleaue to his wife the wife must answerably cleaue to her husband These words shall leaue father and mother are neither generally to be taken of all duties as if no dutie were to be performed to parents by children after they are maried nor simply as if indeed parents were vtterly to be forsaken but they are meant 1. Of that daily seruice which children vnder their parents gouernment performe vnto them seeking to please them in all things When children are maried then their daily attendance must be vpon their wiues or husbands taking care how to please them 2. Of erecting a new family for which end their parents house must be left and the husband and wife must dwell each with other 3. Of the difference to be put betwixt parents and wife or husband So as if by any ineuitable occasion it should so fall out that a man must leaue his parent or his wife as in case parent and wife were both giuing vp the Ghost and in places so farre remote as the husband could not possibly be with both yet both instantly desired his companie by this Law he must leaue his parent and cleaue to his wife Hereby then the bond of mariage is declared to be the most inuiolable bond that can be For all men know that the bond betwixt parent and childe is a firme and inuiolable bond but the bond betwixt husband and wife is more firme and inuiolable To set forth the firmnesse of the mariage bond he addeth this Emphacicall phrase shall be ioyned or as the word properly cording to the naturall notation thereof signifieth shall be glued to his wife Things well glued together are as fast firme and close as if they were one intire peece Yea we obserue by experience that a table will oft times cleaue in the whole wood before it will part asunder where it is glued so as an husband ought to be as firme to his wife as to himselfe and she to him Fitly doth this agree with that which followeth they two shall be one flesh Our English cannot well expresse the Greeke in good sense word for word which is thus they two shall beinto or in one flesh the meaning is They which were two before mariage by the bond of mariage are brought into one flesh to be euen as one flesh as neerely vnited as the parts of the same body and the same flesh This vnitie is not in regard of carnall copulation for if they be maried they are one flesh though they neuer know one another nor in regard of procreation because one childe commeth from them both for though they neuer haue childe yet are they one flesh but in regard of Gods institution who hath set it downe for a law and as another nature that man and wife should be so neere one to another Their consent in mariage by vertue of Gods institution maketh them to be one flesh Well doth our English note the emphasis of the originall in this particle THEY they two which sheweth that the bond of mariage knitteth only two together one man and one woman and no more This Law setteth forth the Vnion betwixt man and wife Therein three things are noted concerning the state of mariage 1. The praeeminencie of it a man shall leaue father and mother 2. The firmnesse of it and be ioyned to his wife 3. The neerenesse of it they two shall be one flesh §. 80. Of preferring husband or wife before parents The first point sheweth that A wife or an husband must be preferred before parents The examples of Leah and Rachel yea and of Micol are commendable in this respect 1. The bond of mariage is more ancient more firme more neere There was husband and wife before there was parent and child and there is a time when parents children may depart one from another and that while both liue but no time wherein man and wife may part asunder till death part them And children though they come from the flesh of their parents yet are made two so as of one are two but husbands and wiues though they were two before yet are made one so as of two is one What wrong then doe such parents vnto their children as keepe them euen after they are maried so strait vnder subiection as they cannot freely performe such duty as they ought to their husband or their wife This is more then a parents authority reacheth vnto Yet many thinke that their children owe as much seruice to them after they are maried as before which is directly against this law Greater is the wrong and more sinfull is the practise of such as keepe their children from their husbands or from their wiues The match say they falleth out much worse then we looked for But this should haue beene looked to more carefully before hand After mariage it is
affection whereof I speake is not a carnall sensuall beastly affection but such an one as may stand with Christian grauitie and so briety hauing relation to the soule of a mans wife as well as to her body grounded both on the neere coniunction of mariage and also on the inward qualities of his wife Thus farre of an husbands inward respect of his wife It followeth to speake of his outward cariage towards her §. 13. Of an husbands kinde acceptance of such things as his wife doth S. Peter giueth a generall rule for an husbands outward cariage to his wife which is that he dwell with her according to knowledge that is as a man able to order his cariage wisely to his owne honour and his wiues good that so she may haue iust cause to blesse God that euer she was ioyned to such an husband Out of this generall these two branches sprout forth 1. That an husband giue no iust offence to his wife 2. That wisely he order that offence which is giuen by her To auoid giuing of offence he must haue respect 1. To that which she doth as duty to him 2. To that which he doth as duty to her In regard of the former two things are requisite 1. That he kindly accept what she is willing and able to doe 2. That he wisely commend and reward what she doth well Thus hauing for orders sake laid downe these heads I will distinctly handle the seuerall points The first particular wherein an husband sheweth himselfe to be a man of knowledge in walking before his wife is by a kinde and respectiue acceptation of euery good duty which his wife performeth Abraham in testimony of his good acceptance of Sarahs pains in nursing her childe made a great feast when the childe was weined and Elkanah on a like respect gaue liberty to his wife to doe what seemed her best A great incouragement must this needs be vnto wiues to be subiect vnto their husbands in all things when they obserue no part of their subiection to be carelesly neglected but rather graciously accepted it quickens the spirit of a wife to thinke that her care and pains in pleasing her husband shall not be in vaine §. 14. Of husbands sleighting and reiecting their wiues goodnesse Contrary is their practise who thinking all which a wife doth to be but her duty take little or no notice thereof or if they cannot but take notice of it yet lightly regard it and sleightly passe it ouer This oftentimes maketh a wife euen repent the good she hath done as Dauid repented the seruice which he had done for Nabal The truth is that wiues ought rather to looke vnto God for his acceptation then vnto their husbands and though their husbands will take no notice or not regard what good thing they doe yet for conscience sake and for the Lords sake to doe their duty But yet notwithstanding considering our weaknesse and backwardnesse vnto euery duty it can not be denied but that an husbands sleight regarding of his wiues goodnesse is an occasion to make her weary thereof and that he doth as much as in him lieth to make her repent thereof But what may we say of such as scornfully reiect their wiues duty yea like them the worse for making conscience thereof and so cleane contrary to the rule of christianitie ouercome goodnesse with euill Surely they shew a very diabolicall spirit to be in them and cannot but minister much griefe and offence to their wiues and make that which they doe to be very irksome and tedious Fathers ought not to prouoke their children much lesse husbands their wiues §. 15. Of husbands courteous accepting their wiues reuerend cariage For the better conceiuing of this so needfull a point I will somewhat more particularly and distinctly applie the same to the seuerall duties of a wife which were drawne to two heads Reuerence Obedience For the first if a wife manifest her dutifull respect of her husband by any reuerend behauiour gesture or speech he ought to meet her as we say in the middest of the way and manifest his gratious acceptance thereof by some like courteous behauiour gesture and speech being seemely not foolish Obiect Thus shall an husband abase himselfe and disgrace his place Answ The courtesie which I speake of as it commeth from a superiour being a meere voluntary matter and a token of kindnesse and fauour is no abasement of himselfe but an aduancement of his inferiour a great grace to her no disgrace to him Abram was counted of the Hittits a Prince of God yet in communing with them he bowed vnto them It is noted as a commendable thing in Esau that though at that time he was his brothers superiour at least he tooke himselfe so to be yet obseruing how Iaakob reuerenced him bowing seuen times to the ground he ranne to meet him and embraced him and fell on his necke Most pertinent to the point is the example of King Ahashverosh who beholding Esthers reuerend standing before him held out his Scepter vnto her which in a King is great courtesie But to put the matter out of all question let the example of Christ noted in Salomons song be obserued and we shall finde his courtesie euery way answering the reuerence of his Spouse §. 15. Of husbands too great loftinesse Contrary is a loftie carriage of husbands to their wiues who ouerlooke all reuerence shewed by wiues no more respecting their wiues in this case then children or seruants or then Kings doe respect the reuerence of their subiects Oft haue I noted that there is a great difference betwixt a wife and all other inferiours in which respect all euidences of reuerence should much better be respected yet we know that Kings and Queenes will put out their hands to be kissed by their subiects when they kneele before them which is a token of courtesie how much more ought husbands to shew courtesie Vnworthy they are to be reuerenced of their wiues who too Lord-like ouerlooke them §. 16. Of husbands ready yeelding to their wiues humble suits Againe it being a token of reuerence in a wife humbly to make knowne her desire to her husband he ought to shew so much courtesie as readily to grant her desire this courtesie the forenamed Ahashuerosh afforded to Esther Dauid to Bathsheba Isaak to Rebekah Abraham to Sarah and many other husbands to their wiues Abraham shewed herein such respect to his wife that though the thing which she desired were grieuous to him yet he yeelded to his wife Obiect God first commanded him so to doe Answ This addeth the more force vnto the argument shewing that it is Gods expresse will that an husband should shew this kinde of courtesie to his wife Much more ought a man to doe at his wiues request then at any others whether friend childe or parent yea much more free
duties and also of the restraint of that extent §. 36. Of seruants endeuour to make their iudgement agree with their masters The extent of seruants duties is in my text only implied vnder this indefinite particle Obey which being not restrained to any particulars must be extended to euery thing but in other places it is expresly laid downe in these generall termes Obey in all things Please well in all things It is not therefore sufficient that seruants performe their duties well in some things they must doe it in all things yea in things that may be against their owne minde and liking if their master will haue it so For this end let seruants note these two rules The same extent and restraint that was before noted in laying forth the duties of other inferiors is here also to be obserued in the duties of seruants for therein they all agree The same rules therfore that were before set downe may here againe be applied I refer the reader to those places for a more large amplification of the generals and here I will content my selfe with adding such particular proofes as are most proper and pertinent to seruants 1. That they labour to bring their iudgement to the bent of their masters iudgement and to thinke that meet and good which he doth Thus the seruant of the Leuire which thought it meetest to turne into one of the Cities of the Iebusites to lodge there because the day was far spent when he saw his master to be of another minde yeelded to him So did those seruants yeeld to their master who at first thought it vnmeet that he that had ten talents should haue one peece more and those seruants also that at first thought it meet that the tares should be plucked vp from the wheat This rule is to be obserued in the particular points before deliuered as the worke which seruants doe and the manner of doing it their apparell their allowance yea and in the correction which their master giueth them and the rest Contrary is that great conceit which many seruants haue of their owne iudgement wit and wisdome thinking themselues wiser then their masters as Gehazi who opposing his owne wit to his masters wisdome said Behold my master hath spared Naaman this Syrian in not receiuing at his hands that which he brought but as the Lord liueth I will runne after him and take somewhat of him This was also a fault in the children of the Prophets that would not rest on Elishas iudgement but importuned him against his minde to send some to seeke the bodie of Eliah This selfe-conceit is the cause of many mischiefes as of discontentednesse at the worke their master appointeth them and at the allowance of meat and drinke which they haue of much libertie they take to themselues of pride in apparell and other vices before noted if the forenamed rule were duely obserued many of those mischiefes would be auoided and much better obedience yeelded §. 37. Of seruants yeelding to doe such things at their masters command as they cannot thinke to be most meet The second rule which seruants must obserue is this that Though they cannot in their iudgement thinke that fit to be done which their master will haue done yet vpon his peremptorie command they must yeeld to the doing of it It appeareth by Peters answer to Christ that he did so for being commanded to let downe his net for a draught thus he answereth Master we haue toyled all the night and haue taken nothing here he sheweth that his opinion was that it would be in vaine to let downe their nets neuerthelesse at thy word I will let downe the net here is his obedience against his opinion More cleare is the example of Ioab for this purpose when the King commanded him to number the people he declared that he thought it a very vnmeet thing to doe by this phrase Why doth my Lord the King delight in this thing yet against his iudgement he yeelded to the Kings peremptorie command for it is said that the Kings word preuailed against Ioab Obiect This is no fit example because Ioab sinned in obeying Answ Ioab cannot iustly be charged with sinne because it was not simply vnlawfull to number the people Dauids sinne was not in the act of numbring the people but in his minde which moued him to doe it for there was no iust cause to doe it only pride and curiositie moued him as may be gathered out of his owne reason in these words that I may know the number of the people To doe such a thing only to know it was curiositie But why would he know it surely on a proud conceit that he had so many worthies so many Captaines so many men of warre Out of Ioabs example seruants may here learne in humilitie and reuerence to render some reasons to moue their master not to presse vpon them that which they thinke to be vnmeet but yet if their master will not hearken to their reasons but stand vpon his authoritie his word must preuaile Contrary is their peremptorinesse who by no meanes will be drawne to doe any thing at their masters command which they themselues thinke not most meet to be done Such an one is that foole whom Solomon thus describeth Though thou shouldest bray a foole in a morter among wheat with a pestle yet will not his foolishnesse depart from him These fooles bring much mischiefe vpon their owne pates in disobeying their masters for exceedingly they prouoke his wrath who hath power to take vengeance of them Neither let them thinke to receiue comfort in their suffering because they refuse an vnmeet thing for meetnesse is not a sufficient warrant against vnlawfulnesse To disobey in a thing which lawfully may be done is vnlawfull if therefore the pretext be only an vnmeet thing meetnesse is preferred before lawfulnesse and vnlawfulnesse lesse accounted of then vnmeetnesse §. 38. Of seruants forbearing to obey their master against God That the extent of seruants obedience be not too farre stretched the Apostle setteth downe an excellent limitation thereof and that in these foure phrases As vnto Christ As the seruants of Christ Doing the will of God As to the Lord all which doe shew that the Obedience which seruants yeeld to their master must be such as may stand with their obedience to Christ So that if masters command their seruants neuer so peremptorily to doe any vnlawfull thing that is any thing forbidden by Gods word they may not yeeld to it The midwiues of the Hebrew women did well in refusing to doe any thing to helpe forward the murderous practises of the King of Egypt in slaying all the male-children of the Hebrewes it is expresly said that they feared God and did not as the King commanded them so as their disobedience in this kinde was a token of their feare of God In this case Ioseph is