the author the God of truth pretious for the matter the glorious mystery of Christ pretious for the frame and forme plainnes of stile mixed with maiesty pretious for the end to make vs wise vnto saluation Let vs indeauour now to make the best vse of this doctrine 1. The first vse of it is to admoÌ„ish euery minister who by his office and calling is to handle the word of God to to doe it with reuerence and humility in as much as it is a thing of that exceeding price and therefore a woe shal be vnto him whosoeuer that shall rashly and vnaduisedly and vnreuerently dispence it Exod. 30.18 Wee shall read that among other the holy things which God ordayned to be made in the ancient tabernacle he appointed a lauer of brasse in which Aaron and his sonnes should wash their hands and their feete so often as they went into the tabernacle or did goe vnto the altar to minister which outward washing coÌ„manded to the preists and that with such a strait penalty that they must do it lest they dye ver â—0 serueth to teach all those that succeed them in the seruice of God in the Church to take heed how they do vnholily and without due preparing and study and an humble seeking of the lord aduenture to meddle with a thing of that heauenly price as the word of God is If any man speake let him speake as the words of God saith Saint Peter 1. Pet. 4.11 2. Secondly it is an admonition also to all that come to heare Eccles 4.17 to take heed as Solomon saith to their feete before they come into the house of God I may say to you touching the word of God as Christ saied to the people touching Iohn baptist Math. 11.7 what went ye out saith he into the wildernesse to see so what is it that you come from your houses to the Church to be pertakers of is it an idle song or an old wiues tale or a foolish history or a friuolous enterlude ro be laughed at or what is it that you come for is it not the word of God if you say it it is know you not of what price it is or doe you consider from whom it comes of whom it treates and to what end it aymes if you doe how do you dare to come vnto it with vnprepared vnreformed vnsanctified hearts how is it that we make no more account of hearing it then of any other vaine imployment Alas who is there amongst vs but generally he comes with as great preparation to his worke or to his market or to his play as he doth to the grauest exercises of the most pretious word of God nay our preparation vsually is greater vnto things of that nature then to this for whiles we are setting our selues to these occasions we will busy our tongues and our thoughts about the things pertaining to them but when we com to the word we neuer seeke to disburthen our thoughts of all other matters that we might be the more free to entertaine a thing of that exceeding price RemeÌ„ber what god said to Moses when he appeared vnto him when Moses was comming towards the place God called vnto him put off thy shooes Exod. 3.5 c. meaning by that ceremony to strike a kind of awfull reuerence into Moses when as he was now to come stand before God thereby also teaching vs that when we come to the exercises of Gods worshippe among which the vse of the word is the principal wee must labour as the Apostle saith to cast away euery thing that presseth downe to ease our selues from euery vncleane vnhallowed worldly or needlesse thought Heb. 12.1 from euery vnreuerent motion which may be a clogge or hinderance vnto vs in the saueing heareing of Gods word This is the second vse 3. Thirdly it is to be applied as an aduertisement to all those that Professe themselues to be knowers and doers of the word to beware how by theire euill liues they be a meanes to bring the precious word of God into disgrace wee see by euery daies experience how forward men of corrupt minds are to pry into the actions and courses of those which seeme to haue some more respecte vnto the word of God and to religion then they themselues haue how ioyfull a thing it is vnto them when they can haue but any colour of occasion to say Lo these be the men that be so ful of scripture that talke so much of Gods worde beholde their fruites marke If they be not as bad or worse then any other This is a game vnto such and by this meanes they wretchedly strengthen themselues in their contempt of all goodnes woe to him whosoeuer that shall giue iust cause to such people of exception and to make Gods precious word to become a byword in the mouthes of euill men how often doeth the Apostle giue charge to professors of religion to looke vnto it Tit. 2.5 that the word of God be not euill spoken of what a heauy accusatioÌ„ is it that is laied to the charge of the Iewes the name of God is blasphemed among the gentiles through you Rom. 2.24 what a sharpe expostulation is that which is vsed by God him selfe againste dissembling hipocrites which like a rower in a boate lookes one way and puls another to professe one thing Psal 50.19 and doe the contrary what hast thou to doe to take my couenant in thy mouth c. Dauid was a man deare vnto God yet because by his adulterie and murder he had made the enemies of God to blaspheme the Lord would not suffer the fact to goe away without some testimony of his displeasure 2. Sam. 12. And sure what euer thou be be sure the Lord will punishe thee if thy euill life thy not labouring to master thine owne affections and to make thy conuersation such as becometh the Gosple doe giue occasion to any profane person to ieast at religion and speake euill of the waies of Godlines Remember it therfore yee that loue the word remember it I saie that the word of God is precious be not you a meanes to bring it into disgrace This is the third vse 4. A fourth vse is to cutt off all vaine and idle vseing of the scripture It is a common grace of some to vse some words or sentences of scripture in steed of ieasts and prouerbs in their common talke by which to delight themselues and other The word of God is Precious and ought to be vsed with greate regard I will looke vpon him that is of a coutrite hearte and that trembleth at my words Isay 66.2 There is a great difference betwixt trembling at the word and making of a mans selfe merrie by playing and toying with the word the Lord lookes vpon the one and pittieth it he sets himselfe against the other and will reuenge it Wee haue an example of the practise of it
and a thing very ridiculous and childish to tie a mans selfe so straite as not willingly to swarue frō the direction and warrant of the scriptures If wee be sick wee will goe first to carnall meanes last to the scripture if wee be greiued in mind and touched in conscience wee will looke for comfort any where before we will seeke it in the scripture if wee be wronged and iniured in the world wee will runne after the eggings on of our owne corrupt heart to be our owne auengers before wee will aske counsell of the scripture As in these few so almost in all other things any rules please vs better then the rules of the scripture In apparrell wee are led by the fashion in meat and drinke by our sensuall appetite in recreation by companie or by our owne in ordinate affections in dealings with men by our profit in getting riches by our vnsatiable desires these be our rules the precepts of the word of God either wee doe not know or we doe not esteeme them or wee thinke it a burden and a kind of restraint to be tied to obserue them Ier. 2.13 Thus we are like vnto those of whome God cōplaines by Ieremie They haue forsaken me saith he the fountaine of liuing waters digge themselues pittes euen broken pits that can hold no water so wee let goe the best aduise which cannot erre and deuise rules and precepts to our selues which must needes deceiue vs. To reforme this common euill let vs remember what we haue heard viz. that God hath furnished his word with varietie of directions the precepts of it are of equall largenes to our spirituall occasions as many as walke according to this rule peace shall be vpon them saith the Apostle but to euery other course whatsoeuer it be Gal. 6.16 Pro. 14.12 wee may boldly apply the saying of Salomon There is a way that seemeth right vnto a man but the issues thereof are the waîes of death And thus much of the commendation giuen to the law of God it is large in matter and abounding with varietie of doctrine Now followeth to speake of the next thing by which it commended It is pretious the value and price of the matter doth equall the largenes and varietie of it The pretiousnesse and excellencie may many waies be made knowne vnto vs first by the author of it 1. Pet. 1.25 Ps 1.2 Act 20.27 Rom. 3.2 2. Tim. 3 16. 2 Pet. 1.21 which is God for which cause it is so often called the worde of God the law of God the counsell of God the oracles of God The whole scripture was giuen saith Paul by inspiration of God And it came saith Saint Peter not by the will of man but of the holy Ghost and I haue written it saith he heere in my text So that it is no idle tale deuised as Atheists say by the witte of man to keepe the vulgar in subiection but it is the very mind of God the very expresse patterne of that truth which is originally in the foūtaine of al truth which is the lord secōdly by the matter of it the matter of scripture is in a word that great mistery of godlines of which the Apostle speaketh God manifested in the flesh c. 1. Tim. 3.16 Col. 1.27 1. Cor. 2.8 A glorious mistery A hid mistery which non of the princes of this world could know A mistery which no man by the witte of man is euer able to conceiue A mysterie which the Angells in heauen do admire and the Deuills in hell doe tremble at A misterie which the Atheists in their mouthes doe scoffe at but euen at the same time in their hearts doe quake to consider This is the matter of the scripture Iesus Christ yesterday to day the same for euer he is the yea and the amen of all the promises Heb. 13.8 2. Cor. 1.20 Reuel 1.11 the Alpha and the Omega the first and the last the pith and marrow of the whole thirdly by the stile of it Fullnesse of maiestie in simplicitie of words the like temper no where else to be found in any humane writer whatsoeuer I know that in sundry parcels of the scripture there are to be seene many more then steppes or prints of eloquence which the wisedome of God did to make vs know that he could if it had pleased him haue frettised as it were the whole volume of the booke with the excellencie of words yet generally it is so carried in such a low phrase of speache which yet doth not sauour of any earthly mould but makes a man euen as it were in despight of himselfe to admire it Thy testimonies are wonderfull saith Dauid yet in the next verse he saith the entrance into them sheweth light Psal 119.129 giueth vnderstanding so that there is a depth of misterie in plaines of words Fourthly the end of it the end of the scripture is not to please idle humors with variety of delightfull matters nether to exercise busy wits with subtilty of questions nor to be as a matter of storie only to acquaint men with the course of times nor to furnish mē with ability to discourse the word of God aimes at none of these ends which yet notwithstanding are the cheife scope and euen the happinesse of the most Authors but it driues at this one point to make a man wise vnto saluation To shew the path of life 2. Tim. 3.15 Psal 16.11 Luk. 1.79 Rom. 1.20 To guide our feete into the way of peace we may read in the great booke of the creatures as I may so call it the invisible things of god his eternall power godhead yet the knowledge of God gotten there is of no power but only to make vs inexcusable And therefore Dauid haueing spoken of the maiesty of God which appeareth euen in the creation of things Psal 19. Ver. 7. comes at last to this The law of the lord is perfect conuering the soule to shew that without the word of God though man might gaine knowledge enough to condemne him yet he could get none to saue him And so many other places hauing declared the testimonies of the power of God which are to be seene euen in the very waues of the sea Psal 93. at last he concludes the psalme O lorde thy testimonies are very sure meaning that there is no certaine and comfortable knowledge of God to be gotten but only from thence And for the same cause Christ told the woman of Samaria that they worshipped they knew not what and that the true worship was only among the Iewes Ioh. 4.22 because they only had the scriptures Now then looke how farre saluation life eternall euerlasting happinesse doe exceed all other things by so much is the doctrine of the scripture of greater price then all other doctrines then all other writings whatsoeuer Thus you see the price and exellency of the word of God pretious for
his hand shortened that he should not be able to see euery parcell of his holy pleasure put in execution It may seeme needles to insist vpon this pointe touching the vnfallible certaintie and fulfilling of the scripture but if wee consider our times wee shall see it is a needefull doctrine For whatsoeuer mens profession is their conuersation is such that a man may well thinke of them that they imagin the word of God to be but an idle tale a frightfull sound to amaze fooles full of terrible threatnings but yet lighter then vanity in performance Heb. 13.4 Gal 5.21 Psal 15.2.5 Doth the vnchast person think it true that whoremongers and adulterers God will iudge doth the drūkard beleiue that no such shall inherit the kingdome of God doth the vsurer imagin that there is any certainty in that speach that no such shal be receiued into heauen doth the contemner of Gods word suppose that that shall come to passe which Paul saith VIZ that the lord will in flaming fire render vengeance to them that do not obey the Gospell doth the despiser of knowledge perswade himselfe that Solomon spake with authoritie when he said 2. Th. 1.8 The lord would laugh at his dectruction doe those that presume vpon Gods mercy and thinke they may liue how they will and repent when they will giue credit to that where it is said Prov. 1.22.26 that these which doe despise the riches of Gods bounty and abuse his patience do but heap vp wrath to themselues against the day of iudgement And so I might say in many other things Is it likely that mē think there is any truth in the words which are so flat against these courses of which their life is a continuall practise Rom. 2. ◠◠sure it is not for out of all doubt if they had any such conceipt and did not rather say to themselues as they did in Ieremies time Ier. 5.13 it is but winde they would humble themselues before the Lord for their euills past and their future reformation should manifest their reuerent perswasion of the certainite of those Iudgements which stand vpon record in in the scriptures Therefore let vs remember this this scripture this word is not a deuise of man it was written by God euery curse writtē in it shall fall vpon the vnrepentant and euery blessing promised therein shall be made good to the soule of euery true beleeuer FINIS The second Sermon THe next question to be handled in this place touching that which God hath heere saied that he had written the great things of his law is why it was meete that the word of God should be cōmitted to writing As I haue proued vnto you that it was not writtē at aduētures out of the humors of som priuate mē but by the special appointmēt directiō of God so it shall appeare that the writing of it was not vndertakē but vpō very great reason and for very exceeding good purpose The maine and principall end was the spirituall good and edification of Gods Church that is not to be doubted in asmuch as in all things the Lord hath a cheife respecte vnto the Glorie of his owne name in the good of his chosen But how and in what manner and for what respects the writing of the word was necessary for the churches good it shal be worth our labour to enquire Vnderstand therfore that the writing of the word was and is for the good of the Church in this respecte euen that it may haue one certaine and vnfallible rule by which all doctrine may be tryed all controuersies in religion decided all doubts resolued and euery conscience firmely grounded and setled in Gods truth For this cause we read that when there was no word written but Moses law the doctrine of the prophets was tried by it After when to the law of Moses were added the sermons of the prophets Isay 8.20 then euery thing was referred vnto them so Christ cleared his doctrine and made it good by Moses and all the prophets Luk. 24.27 Pauls defence was this that he had said no other things then those which Moses and the prophets did say should come And all the learned in the best times which followed Acts 26.22 toke the same course leauing themselues an example vnto vs to make the written word as it were the standard or the kings beame by which to try all doctrine that is tendred to vs accepting none for sound good but only that which is agreeing therunto So that looke what necessity ther was that the Church should haue a Iudge to decide doubts and a true rule to find out and to discern the truth the same is there that the word should be put in writing for the common and perpetuall good of all posterity If any man thinke that the word of God might as well and profitably haue proceeded for the Churches good from hand to hand by liuely voice as by writing the father commending it to his sonne and so continuing it one after another to the end he is much deceiued For first the mind of man is very slippery and weake and soone ready to forget the best things secōdly mans nature is very prone to error apt either to entertaine or to broch new religions and therefore to preuent forgetfulnes to auoid error and to preserue the truth of God from corruption it was meet the scripture should be written It is worthy to be marked the speach of Luke in the preface of his Gospel to that noble Theophilus Luk. i. 4. he confesseth that he had been instructed in the doctrine of religion yet he thought to write vnto him from point to point that he might haue the certainty of those things So that though he had indifferent good knowledge before yet writing the story was the meanes to beget certainty This shal be written for the generation to come saith Dauid Psal 102.18 writing is the best meās euen as we se by common course to preserue a thing vnto posterity Besides as in a generallitie it was necessary the word of god should be written that there might be one certaine rule to iudge the truth by so for one maine pointe of doctrine it was very behoofull viz. to assure vs that Christe the sonne of Mary was the true Messias who being once come none other was to be looked for To setle vs wherin there could be deuised no more direct course then this viz. that first the promises of his comming should be recorded the nature and office and all other circumstances of his person discribed and then the history of all his acts his birth doctrine miracles death exactlie registred that so the following ages comparing both togeather seeing how euery promise was fulfilled euery prophesie accomplished might resolue vpon it that hee indeed was the Christe and that there is no name else giuen vnder heauen wherby wee may be saued