enough that the things of this life restored vnto them Wel let vs bee wise in the examining of our own hearts heereby certainely whatsoeuer wee ioy in aboue the Lord it shall be the meanes to bring a curse vpon that blessing and so bee the occasion that in the end it shall be taken from vs that wee which would not reioyce aright in GOD shall now haue nothing wherein truely to reioyce But if so bee that wee haue so reioyced in the principall blessings that in steed of them the other haue beene vile vnto vs certainely this will teach vs to ioy in them though these bee taken from vs and beeing wise with the blessed Salomon to preferre the greater blessings we shall haue the lesse also cast ouer and aboue into the rekoning vnto vs that so our ioy may be full wanting nothing and so vsing the lesse that wee do not set our hearts vpon them but are able to extend our ioy vnto the giuer of them wee shall by this meanes beeing found faithfull in a little bee made stewardes of greater blessings that so returning all vnto our God in that small measure which we enioy in this life he may be all in all vnto vs in an heaped vp measure in the life to come And thus ordering our ioy shall wee find it to bee in the Lord and so shall wee also find it by the right measure thereof proportioned both according to the things wee doe inioy as they doe exceede each other in worth and excellencie and also to the right vse and imployment thereof So doeth our Sauiour giue his disciples the rule when he had giuen them that excellent gift of subduing all aduerse power But reioyce not in this that the Spirits are subdued vnto you but reioyce rather that your names are written in heauen therein not forbidding them to reioyce at all in these excellent gifts for they were great blessings of GOD and therefore they might lawfully reioyce in them but teaching them therein a true measure of their ioy that they should more reioyce in the more excellent blessings The best apprehension of this right measure shall bee gained by the discouerie of two extreames either of reioycing too much when the cause doth not require or of reioycing too little if the matter be of moment Wouldst thou know in this deliuerance howe thou maiest reioyce too much If it hath not bettered thee in the way to heauen If thou hast not answered the end of a deliuerance euen to serue thy God more conscionably in newnesse of life If thou art so set vpon thy lyes and bound in the seate of the scorners that thou hatest to bee reformed for all these mercies though all things are renewed vnto thee yet thou remaynest in thine olde sinnes If it bee not more ioy vnto thee to doe righteously then to receiue good at the hands of GOD Why takest thou the name of GOD in thy mouth seeing thou hatest to bee reformed wretch that thou art what hast thou to doe with ioy that still reioycest in thy sinne Thou maiest well say vnto laughter thou art madde and vnto ioy depart farre from mee Surely any ioy in this case is too much vnto thee Wouldest thou haue a president to direct thee heerein when the Lord had deliuered the Iewes from the handes of the Ethiopians it is recorded by the holy Ghost that Asa their King beeing incouraged by the prophets of the Lord the First worke that hee did was to purge the land of all it abhominations And so performed true thankefulnesse vnto his GOD in deedes and not in wordes Afterwardes hee gathered togither all the remainder of the people to Ierusalem to offer sacrifice vnto the Lord and to make a couenant with him of most faithfull seruice Which when they had performed in most solemne and effectuall manner and bound themselues further to the same by an oath yea further by a most grieuous penaltie of death for default therein The Spirit witnesseth that all Iudah reioyced at the oath and therevpon followed a most comfortable blessing that the Lord gaue them rest round about Marke I pray you in this example the true vse and intertainment of a deliuerance Heere is sinne first remoued which was the cause of the former danger that so the like might not after befall them Then heere is a course taken to preuent sinne to come by most euident signes of true conuersion vnto GOD that so they might inioy both temporall and spirituall happienesse And then when the Lord was first made glad with the conuersion of his seruants and when the Angells had cause of ioy for the repentance of sinners then came ioy in a right order from heauen vnto earth and the vessells beeing thus fitted to receaue this heauenly influence the holy Ghost recordeth that the people reioyced and showted euen vp to heauen as making a sweete consent therein with God and the Angels Oh neuer let vs looke to reioyce aright in earth if by our vnfained sorrow for sinne we haue not caused ioy in heauen And if so be wee haue reioyced before the couenant bee made know wee that our ioy is vnseasonable and too much if any The very ioy of the Dragons shall be better accepted of God then the reioycing of such sinners that proceedes not from repentance Oh let vs haue respect at least vnto our Seede and posteritie Doe wee know what we doe by this entertainement of a deliuerance as to reioyce therein without reformation of our liues Surely wee prouoke the Lord to hate our feast dayes hee hath protested hee will not smell in our solemne assemblies But doe they prouoke mee sayeth the Lord and not rather themselues to the confusion of their faces Yes surely as our Sauiour would doe no more workes in his owne countrey because of their vnbeleefe so let vs not looke hereafter for the like wonderfull worke of GOD if this bee the best fruite the multiplying of our sinnes and then consider what wrong wee shall doe vnto posteritie from whome wee shall bee the occasion to take such great mercies and so expose them vnto such fearefull desolations as follow therevpon To leade thee a little further in the examining of thy selfe concerning thy exceeding in this measure of ioy art thou deliuered and therefore thou mayest reioyce Oh but remember that Ioseph is in affliction and therefore thou must sorrow too If therefore thou canst not bee more sorrowfull in the sorrow of the afflicted then ioyfull in respect of thine owne priuate good surely thy reioyfing is not good Thou takest too much ioye vnto thy selfe and giuest too little sorrow vnto the cause of thy brother To lead thee yet a step further in the examining of thine excesse Is the Church of God deliuered and therefore thou mayest reioyce Oh but remember the Apostles rule in a case not vnlike As hee would not
in it yet here is the victory of thy faith thou shalt be roused out of it Not so much by the touch of thy conscience for that is common to the wicked as by the power of the spirit which wil raise thee vp againe Doest thou fall againe into the same sinnes yet behold herein is the victory of thy faith they are not thy sinnes because it is not thou but sinne that dwelleth in thee Nay they are not the same sinnes neither the same in quality as hauing lost much of their former force Neither the same in operations working lesse hurt Doest thou desire to bee freed from all sinne Doest thou grone vnder the burthen and cry out O wretched man that thou art who shall deliuer thee from this body of sinne Behold heere is a meane victory of thy faith Be it vnto thee according as thou beleeuest Corruption in due time shal be cloathed with Corruption Thus maiest thou trye thy faith by thy sinnes and in the seuerall victories thereof confirme thy selfe therein not by each of them seuerally but by all of them in degrees As the Lord shall lead thee along in the experience of these conquests As for those euils which are so conceiued in the world namely the euills of afflictions which are iustly lead vpon thee Examine the victory of thy faith ouer these euen by these rules Art thou a christian and is affliction thy portion Let this be the first triall of thy faith to prepare thy soule vnto them Put it in thy reckoning if thou wilt liue godly in Christ Iesus that thou must necessarily suffer great afflictions Art thou entred into the combate and wouldst thou haue a triall of a conquest First submit thy selfe willingly vnder the mighty hand of GOD that thou maiest witnesse thy submission be are paciently what thy Lord hath laid vpon thee that thy patience may bee exercised Lay voluntary afflictions vpon thy selfe follow thy calling euen in thy greatest troubles Giue not thy bodie to fretting at the prosperity of others but fall to examining thy selfe why it is thus with thee Hauing found out the cause eyther Sinne or Tryall If sinne bee the cause by repentance remoue it If Tryall bee the cause to make experience of Gods graces in thee examine thy selfe againe how thou hast vsed the blessings of GOD see whether some rust of negligence or corruption hath not fastned vpon thee If thou shalt find it so yeeld thy selfe willingly to the tryall follow thy GOD in purging out thy drosse so at length thy righteousnesse shall breake out as the light and thy wel doing as the noone day And thus shall thy faith triumph in all these troubles Though thou art afflicted yet shalt thou not bee in distresse persecuted thou maiest bee but thou shalt not be forsaken cast downe thou shalt bee and yet thou shalt not perish die thou doest continually and yet behold thou liuest neuer free from sorrow and yet alwaies reioycing beeing poore thy selfe and yet making manie rich hauing nothing and yet possessing all things though the outward man perish yet thy inward man is renewed dayly and these light afflictions which are but for a moment causeth vnto thee a farre more excellent and eternall weight of glory Thus shalt thou not onely in affliction be more then a Conquerour through the Supporting hand of GOD giuing testimony vnto thyne innocencie euen in the face of thine enemies But further also by trusting in GOD thou shalt be deliuered out of them all not onely from such snares as are layde to intrappe thee in this life but through faith thou shalt in the ende haue a full conquest ouer them all GOD shall wipe away all teares from thine eies there shal be no more death nor sorrowe nor crying For GOD shall tread Sathan and all thine enemies vnder thy feete Lo heere the victory of thy faith ouer all thy troubles by which thou mayest try thy selfe whether thou art in the faith or no. As thy faith if it be found will vphold thee in all thy troubles that thou sincke not vnder them and deliuer thee also so farre out of them in this life as shall stand with Gods glory and thine especial aduantage so will it not leaue thee till it haue freed thee from all thy troubles and offered thee vp in marriage for euer vnto thy bridgrome Christ Iesus Thus shall thy faith inable thee to triumphe ouer all afflictions and so shall it teach thee the right vse of these outward things that so they may not bee snares and euills vnto thee It shall teach thee first to rate them at their iust and true value neither so to ouerprize them as to thinke none like vnto them as Esau did that so wee may loose the better blessings Neither so to vnderrate them as not to account them the good blessings of GOD for which wee must not giue accoumpt at the daye of the comming of our Lord and Sauiour Iesus Christ. Our faith hauing taught vs to giue them their true worth will heereby also direct vs for the holy obtaining of them both in respect of the right order which is to be obserued therein as also in the meanes that must further vs to the same and also in the measure of our seeking these blessings concerning the order it hath this rule out of the word First seeke the kingdom of heauen the righteousnesse therof and all other things shall be cast thereunto Whereby wee are taught as to seeke first the best things that so wee may haue a right in these so not to neglect these things altogither though now they shal be cast vpon vs vpon presumption of Gods prouidence if wee follow the better but to remember we haue a calling to be imployed in and supplied also by these things which if we neglect we are worse then infidells which we must follow that we may be humbled thereby So hath GOD disposed the obtaining of these things and so is faith guided in the right order of procuring of thē The triall is that 1. our seeking of these things do not hinder our enioying of the better 2 that though God hath allotted vs as we may foolishly imagine six dayes for these things but one for the other yet we imploy more time in seeking the things of the soule thē the things of the body yea indeede in the seeking of these outward things which concerne this life we may haue this testimonie as that we shal in these seeke onely greater things And herein our faith doeth helpe vs exceedingly as both assuring vs that wee seeke these thinges not for themselues no not so much for our owne vse as for Gods glory whose good blessings they are and therefore that wee may yeeld obedience to his commandements and not despise his blessings Therfore wee accompt them worth the seeking and also in the seeking of them thus resoluing our consciences
of him And surely had we only hope in this life wee were not onely liuing of all men most miserable but dying also our hope must needes perish with vs But here is the hope of the Saints that not onely their sufferings shall giue further life to the Church in this world but shall prepare them to a blessed life in the world to come So that now though hee kill vs yet wee will trust in God not onely in that though wee die yet wee shall liue in the posteritie of the Church whiles shee is militant but our light afflictions which are but for a moment they doe cause vnto vs a farre more excellent weight of Glory that wee may triumph for euer with the Saints in heauen Meruailous is our gracious God vnto his children for the confirming of them in the hope of the life to come and that by two especiall meanes both by the inward testimonie of his Spirit approuing so our innocencie that by the power thereof it breaking forth as the light and shining at the no one day though wee die yet by it wee might liue with the saints in grace and further also by the gouernment of the same Spirit soreuiuing his Church and renuing the same in her greatest decayes as that she hath and shall continue her militarie life till the heauēs bee no more and euen then liuing and remayning shall bee caught vp in the cloudes to meete the Lord in the ayre and so for euer to bee with the Lord. So did the Lord prouide for his seruaint Iob that when hee was wearie of his life yet hee was not wearie of his innocencie and hee yeeldes an excellent reason of it in the 8. verse For what hope hath the hypocrite when he hath heaped vp riches if God take away his soule Implying thereby that if hee were an hipocrite and had no sound testimonie of his sincerity then indeed if GOD should kill him he could not trust in him then he had no hope if his soule should be taken away But seeing he knew that the liuing Lord had taken away his iudgement because the Almighty had put his soule in bitternesse and the ground of this his sauing knowledge was the testimonie of his innocencie proceeding from the vndoubted worke and euidence of the Spirit Therefore doeth hee cleaue to the testimonie of his good conscience as whe◠by hee was assured not onely to come out of these troubles but further also was bould to professe that Hee knew that his redeemer liued and that hee should see GOD in the flesh Behould the meanes whereby wee liue though wee die and whereby wee are assured that wee shall liue for euer euen the testimonie of our innocencie and vprightnesse of heart And yet behold a further testimonie for the confirmacion of the same Doest thou see the Spirit of GOD ruling in the Church and gouerning so comfortably the troubles of the same that though she die dayly yet shee liues continually Not onely in that though the outward man perish yet the inward man is renued dayly but especially heerein is the continuate life of the Church wonderfull that the bloud of the Martirs becomes the seede of the Church Doest thou heare the wicked say Come let vs vtterly roote them out Do the Godly complaine they haue destroyed all there is no hope and yet doeth the Lord say still concerning the desolations of his Church The roote of the righteous shal not bee remoued Yet therein will I leaue a tenth which shall continewe and shall bee eaten vp as an Elme or an Oake which haue a substance in them when they cast their leaues so the holy seede shal be the substance thereof Though I vtterly destroy all the nations where I haue scattered thee yet I will not vtterly destroy thee but I will correct thee by iudgement and not vtterly cut thee off Are these the promises of thy GOD concerning his spouse that shee shall continue vnto the worlds ende hath the performance of them beene answerable from time to time therevnto that so by the experience of her former preseruation thou maist collect that the Lord will deliuer her to the end and by her wonderfull continuance in this life thou maist further gather her abode for euer in eternall happinesse What canst thou desire more for the confirmation of thine hope then according to thy inward and outward troubles to haue this double Testimony of the spirit both in the protection of the Church without and the inward witnesse vnto thy spirit renued and sanctified to lead thee along with cheerefulnesse in the vndoubted expectation of the reward to come that so thou maiest run with ioy the race that is set before thee and hauing finished thy course obtaine the Crowne of euerlasting happinesse And what can better recompence al thy priuate losses then that thou art weake that the Church of GOD may bee strong that thou art abased that the church may be exalted Yea though it should so fall out that the Church were to bee fetcht againe with thy dearest blood If now thou shalt not set light by any troubles that in this respect may befall thee If nowe thy life shall not be vile vnto the That thou maist fulfill thy course with ioy If this shall not be thy testimonie that thou hast euen beene ready not onely to distribute the Gospell of God vnto thy people for the after groeth of the Church but euen thine owne soule surely neuer looke to approue thy selfe a good sheepheard vnto thy people Neither looke to giue vp thy account with ioy and to shine as a starre in the Firmament for euer Behold how the hope of the Saints concerning the life to come and consider the meanes that giues them life in death euen the testimonie of their innocencie which shall endure for euer and the seede of the Church continuing vnto the end And tell me if there were euer malice like vnto that which would at one blow haue cut off all this hope not onely to depriue the Saints of their righteousnesse whereby they might haue liued in the hearts of the faithfull but so farre as lay in them euen to cut off vtterly the seed of the Church that so there might not be hereafter any succession thereof The Liues of the Saints would not serue their malice but they will haue a deuise to robbe them of their innocencie by laying that on their poore sheepe which the Wolues would haue done It was not the life of the Prince and state which could satisfie their rage No they had vowed vtterly to roote out the name of religion and therefore their proiect was to destroy all Seed that might giue hope to posteritie thereof not onely the royall seede for the after nurserie of the Church but further also the immortall seede of the word yea moreouer to abolish vtterly the seed of the righteous that all hope of posteritie in