chastise him for so he acknowledgeth in the 51. Psalme that not only for that grosse and notorious sinne of adulterie and murther he had deserued Gods vengeance but generally he accuseth his whole life of sinne and transgression of Gods lawes that the wrath of God in his punishmēts what so euer it should please him to lay on him might of al the world be acknowledged to be iust and righteous For thus he cryeth Against thee against thee O Lorde I haue sinned that is I haue done nothing but sinned done that which is euill in thy sight that thou mightest be iustified in thy sayings and haue the vpper hande when thou art iudged And least we should thinke that he speaketh of some short time of his life in which the diuell had so greatly preuayled with him he declareth in the next verse that it was euen from his natiuitie yea frō his conception that this corruption hath remayned in him which is contrarie to the righteousnesse of God Behold saith he I was borne in sinne and in iniquitie did my mother conceiue me whereas thou louest trueth in the inward partes This cōfession of Dauid therefore is sufficient to cleare the Lorde from all vnrighteousnesse and to shewe manifestly that Dauid is not punished for the peoples sinnes as an innocent which hath deserued nothing in his owne person nor is beaten altogether for the faultes of other mē which could not stand with Gods righteousnesse except in that case where our sauiour Christ willingly offered him selfe to be punished for our transgressions But here the Israelites prouoking the wrath of the Lord deserued y e a good gouernour should decline out of y e right course for their punishment And Dauid him selfe can not deny but y e when so euer the Lord shal chastice him he shal not do it with out his deserts So y t euery way it standeth with Gods righteousness that Israel hauing caused his wrath to be kind led against him he should stirre vp Dauid whome he had giuen to them being a most excellent Prince for their benefit nowe to giue occasion of their punishment But against this doctrine of the iustice and righteousness of god two kind of aduersaries do rise vp The first are the Pelagians and Papists so farre as they agree with the Pelagians The second are the Atheistes the former sort reason after this manner If you say y t God moued Dauid to number y e people which was sinne do you not thereby make God y e author of sin God forbid let God onely be righteous and all men sinners For he only is holy he only is pure frō al corruptiō and there is no vnrighteousnes in him But howe can you auoyde that inconuenience say they that followeth of this assertion God moued Dauid to do that wherwith he was displeased therfore he was the cause of the sinne in Dauid It is easily auoyded For the same storie is set downe in 1. Chro. 21. Chap. where it is said that Satan or the aduersarie stoode vp against Israel and moued the hart of Dauid to number y e people by conference of which place of Scripture with this my text we may see how God moued Dauid to number the people and yet moueth him to no sinne For whereas it is here saide that the Lorde was angrie with Israel and moued Dauid against them for we can not aptly vnderstand any other but either the Lord or the wrath of the Lord which moued him and in the Chronicles it is saide that Sathan moued him it is manifest that God and the diuell concurre in one action God as a most righteous iudge and Sathan as a most malicious enimie By which wese that there proceedeth nothing from GOD but iustice and that the sinne which is euill commeth from the diuell so that the Lord God although he be the first mouer in all our actions for in him we liue and moue and haue our being yet he is not authour or cause of any euill in vs. Neuerthelesse hee vseth Sathan to punish vs who although hee be a malitious enimie yet is he a minister of y e righteous iudgement of God although against his will and euen then when he opposeth him selfe against God For Sathan is not suffered to reigne and rage at his pleasure against the elect of GOD for then he would in one moment ouerthrow the whole Church of Christe but kept in chaines of darknesse so that he can not stirre but where and when it pleaseth God in iustice to vse his ministerie and seruice Therefore when the wrath of the Lorde was kindled against Israel Sathan also standeth vp against Israel as a minister of Gods wrath by necessitie of Gods ordinance though a cruell aduersarie by his owne will and malicious affection So that neither by colour of this texte nor of any oother in the whole Scripture the Lord can be charged as the cause of the same euill which he punisheth either in the elect or in the reprobate for what so euer proceedeth from him as it proceedeth from him is good and to a good end who vseth well euen Sathan the aduersarie of all goddnesse and his members the reprobate and so ordereth brideleth and gouerneth their sinnes and wickednes that euen their euill he turneth to good out of their wickednesse as it were light out of darkenesse bringeth his glorie So he hardened the heart of Pharao yet was he not the cause of Pharaos sinne but the cause was in Pharao him selfe who of his owne corruption did set him self against God and of Sathan who ruleth in the reprobate and stirreth him vp to rebellion and obstinate resisting of Gods commandements Thus was the heart of Pharao hardened by God as by a righteous iudge by Sathan as by a malicious enimie against God mankind by Pharao him selfe as by a man who being cleane voyde of Gods spirite by corruption of his owne nature is inclined to nothing but to contempt and disobedience of God and y e whole matter so ordered in all pointes by the diuine prouidence that the glory of his iustice might be set foorth in Pharaos destruction euen as y e Lord saith vnto him euen for this cause haue I stirred thee vp that I might shewe foorth my power in thee that my name might be renouned in al the world Therefore the same God which maketh an hypocrite to reigne for the sinnes of y e people and giueth a king in his furie whom he taketh away againe in his indignation as y e prophet saith euen the same God by the same authoritie wisdome iustice moueth Dauid a good king against Israel y t he might punish them without all contagion or infection of y t sinne and euil by which he was moued to number y e people which caused god to punish them so y t although god giueth the first mouing power and strength in al maner of actions which we must confesse to be good as proceding from him
ordreth disposeth al euil which is a per uerting of y t good which cōmeth from God proceedeth from Satan the corruptiō of mans nature so y t he conuerteth y e same alwayes in y e end to his glory the benefite of his elect as we see in y e persecution of y e wicked the infirmities of the godly yet is he by no meanes to be charged as the author cause of sinne euill If this wil not satisfie you but y t you will further vrge me with that questiō of the Maniches whence cōmeth euil seing nothing but good cōmeth from God yet you affirme y t God is the cause of all things I wil answer as I haue learned out of the anciēt writers who wer troubled with y t sect of y e Maniches which affirmed y t there were two beginnings When it pleased y e almightie to shew foorth his infinit power wisdom goodnes in y e creation of things visible and inuisible bodily spiritually it pleased him for y e illustratiō setting forth of y e glorie of his goodnes to ordeine for so they haue taught me to speake y t euil shuld proceed out of y e frewill of his reasonable creatures And this his ordinance is good For although euil be naught and cursed be he y t saith euill is good yet y t there shuld be euill which is Gods ordinance it is excellēt good If this seem strange to any man I wil make it plain by two manifest reasons the first is the excellencie of goodnes can not so well appeare be knowne as by y e comparison of the contrarie which is euill Therefore it is perfect good that euill should be for the manifestation of that which is good we see that in all y e creatures and workes of the world GOD hath ordained that his glorie should shine in contraries As to the intent y t the beutie and glory of light should be seene and knowne to be such as it is he hath ordained darkenesse For if he had created light to be perpetual without any change of darknes how had it ben possible for men although liuing in the light to haue knowne the excellencie of light so should God haue ben defrauded of y e glory of so beutifull profitable and cōfortable a creature Therfore euen as by darknes we learne how to esteeme light and by bitter that which is sweete and euery other thing by his contrarie euen so by the deformitie of euill we are taught howe great is the excellent comlines of that which is good therfore the ordinance of god that there should be euill is perfect good Althtugh this reason be plaine inough yet the second reason is more manifest euen to y e meanest capacities For y t the glorie of gods mercie might appeare in the saluation of his electe and his iustice in the condemnation of the reprobate it was necessarie that there should be euil and so necessary that otherwise there should haue bene no matter for the mercie and iustice of God to worke vppon For if there shoulde haue beene no sinne nor euill wherein shoulde the mercie of GOD in pardoning and forgiuing of sinnes haue bene seene if there should haue beene no transgression howe shoulde the glorie of Gods iustice haue shined in punishment Ye see therefore that God by no means may be compted the author of euill which he hath not created made or wrought but ordeined that it shoulde proceede from the freewil of his reasonable creatures for the illustration of his glorie Let vs therefore tremble at his righteous iudgementes who doth all thinges according to the good pleasure of hys will and hath made the wicked man for the daye of his wrath as Salomon testifieth and yet by no meanes is the cause of his wickednes If any man bee not satisfied with this answere he may enter further into y e vnmeasurable deapthe of Gods iudgement into which he may rather finde an entraunce thē a way out except it bee to his euerlasting destruction for his horrible presumption You haue heard nowe the iustice of God defended againste the Pelagians and Papistes it followeth that I speake some thing to the confutation of the second enemies thereof which are the Atheistes who because they will not bee troubled with such thornie doubtful questions as these are imagine that they haue founde an easie way vnto wisedome and a solutiō for all controuersies of religion when they say in their harts there is no God Against whose impietie madnes the time wil not serue me to spek so much as their wickednes deserueth yet if time wold permit neuer so large a discourse I could say in effect no more against thē then y e prophet Dauid writeth in the 14. Psalme Amar Hanabal The greatest and most doltish foole of all fooles hath said in heart there is no God But what meaneth the prophet so to befoole them when of all other men they are or woulde seeme to bee the finest witted the best learned and most full of all wisedome and knowledge euen because of all other they are most voide of all true wisedome which although they fansie to thē selues that they only haue found yet is there not one among an hundreth that dare acknowledge it A goodly wisedome that they are ashamed to professe and stand in defēce of it for although they nourish that monster in their hearts are bold sometimes to shew foorth the same where they thinke themselues to be the best learned yet is ther not one of them that dare encounter with a Christian Philosopher to mainetaine by reason that which they holde againste all reason they obiecte perhappes you will oppresse them with the authoritie of Gods worde and the holye Scriptures where vnto they giue no credit nay we wil lay the Bible aside and dispure with them out of the great booke euen out of the beutifull theater of the world in whose creation and preseruation if they can not reade written in great capitall letters the almightie power wisedome goodnes and the iustice and mercie of God in the gouernement thereof they are the most blind blockishe and vnsensible of all other creatures And yet they fancie in their frensie that they haue founde out the greatest and the deepest point of wisedome when they are fallen into the greatest absurditie or follie that can be For what can bee more contrary to reason thē to affirme an effect without a cause or to followe their dreames an eternall effect without an eternall cause Therefore the holy Ghost most aptlie exprobrateth vnto them extreme follie because by their monstruous position of denyinge God they take away the fountaine of all knowledge and wisedome that is the cause of all thinges But as the asse yeeldeth to no other reason but to a clubbe so they are more worthie to be knocked downe with a betle then to be confuted with anie reason which
for the continuall mightie assistaunce of his holy spirite y t seeing our weaknes is so great we may alwayes finde his grace whose power is made perfect in infirmitie to bee sufficient for vs so that although of frailtie wee fall often yet by grace wee may alwayes rise againe so that wee neuer fall away Finally we haue need I say in respect of our infirmitie to pray for strength earnestly of God for if Dauid being a man after Gods owne heart did but trip surely we are readie to fall downe right yet we see y t Dauid did not only slide out of the way of humane slipprinesse but also did fall into some great and notorious offences Dauid therefore was a Saint but he was no Angell it is an Angellike perfection to doe the wil of God in al things The Saintes vpon earth must pray for the same and contend to come as neare it as they can and by their imperfection be instructed to humilitie vntill by the grace of God in Iesus Christ they be brought into the same estate of perfection with the Angels In the person of Ioab we haue to consider two thinges first the aduice which he giueth and secondly his execution of the Kinges commaundement Ioab was a man as his storie declareth indued with great courage and diuers other good qualities yet not simply to be commended for there were great faults in him He was a man in whō vertues vices were almost equal such a one as Alcibiades is discribed of y e Greciās Marius of the Romanes But his chiefest vertue was valiancie courage yet in his example he is noted by the holy ghost in giuing counsel to Dauid to be faint harted cowardlik For first y e holy ghost testifieth y t he vtterly misliked this interprise of Dauid and as a man wel acquainted with the affaires of y e realme and knowing there was not iust cause why the people should be mustred he did easily coniecture y t the kings commaundement proceaded of vaine prid and presumption therefore hee had no good will to execute it In so much that it is shewed in the booke of Chronicles that he did performe the Kings precept negligently for he not onely omitted to number the tribe of Leui for which he might haue some excuse because they were addicted to the seruice of religion but also he left out the tribe of Beniamin The reasō is alledged because the kinges cōmandement seemed abhominable vnto him and as he did abhorre and detest the kings commandement so he shewed diuerse reasōs of his misliking for after protestation of his goodwil desire of y e kings honour in y t he wished the Lord might increase the people an hundreth times as many as there were y t the king might not suspect him as one that refused to take paines in his seruice first he sheweth that there was no sufficient cause of this muster when hee saith wherefore doth my lord the king desire this thing And againe hee saith are not they all the seruauntes of my Lord the king For one cause of numbring the people was vsed euen of heathen princes that the sublectes thereby should professe their obedience but at this time there was neither suspition of war abrode nor rebellion at home Moreouer he did also insinuate that the kings transgression would be y e cause of Gods punishment to fall vppon the people where he saith and why shoulde this be an offence or guiltines vnto Israel by vsing these reasons to diswade the king from his euill purpose hee mght seeme to some men to haue discharged the dutie of a trustie and faithfull counsellour But the holy Ghoste noteth him of great frailtie and fainte hartednes when he saith neuertheles the kinges commaundement preuailed with Ioab and with the capitaines of the hoste The rest seeing the kings humour held their peace said nothing onely Ioab vseth some speach to alter the kinges minde but perceiuing with what affection the king was carried he thought it was not best for him in policie to set himselfe altogether against the kinges affection though hee bare the kinge good will and wished to haue him remoued from that vnprofitable attempt yet hee durst not aduenture to incurre the kings displeasure by doing his duetie throughly and discouering y e hidden wound which he thought was to sore to abide any sharp medicine for in such a case as this hee thoght it was not best to be to earnest vehement a persuader so followed Machiauils philosophie 2000. yeres and more before Machiauil was borne His cowardnes in this case is rather to be noted for that at other times he had shewed great courage and valiantnes and giuen such faithful aduise counsell that his example is worthie to bee followed of all good counsellours For in the I9 Chap. of this booke we read that when Dauid after the slaughter of Absalom yeelded so much to the naturall affection of a father in lamenting for the death of his vnnatural son that he forgot the duetie of a king whiche was to encourage and rewarde his good subiectes for their seruice in somuch that when y e people heard what lamentation hee made for Absalom they were clean discouraged and came by stealth into the Citie more like to men that had fled from the feelde thē such as had obtained so notable a victorie against the kings enimies Assone as Ioab heard thereof hee came boldly into the kings presence and with great courage he did the duetie of a faithfull counsellour for he tolde the Kinge of his fault plainely and shewed him the daunger throughly you haue discouraged saith he the hearts made ashamed the faces of all your faithfull seruauntes which haue deliuered your life and the liues of your wiues and of your sonnes and daughters and haue established the kingdome this daye in your hand you loue thē that hate you hate thē that loue you For you haue shewed this day that you make no accompte neither of your princes nor of your people For I perceiue if Absalom had liued and all wee had beene slaine this day you woulde haue beene well pleased with it But nowe I aduise you leaue your mourning and goeforth speake comfortably vnto the people or else I sweare vnto you by the Lord you will vtterly alienate the minds of your subiectes from you So that you shal not haue one man tarrie with you this night And this affliction shall bee greater then all the troubles and daungers you haue susteined euen frō your youth Wherevpon Dauid arose and went encouraged his souldiers so y e kingdom was established in his hands you se how roughly effectually Ioab dealt with the king in that case But at this time he is noted to haue dealt faint lie and timerously For although hee apposed some reason against the kings vnlawfull desire yet hee did it with a weake arme and so of frailtie fayled of his duetie Concerning the execution of the kinges commaundemente there is some controuersie Whether Ioab shoulde haue obeyed the kinges precept when he knewe it proceeded frō an euill affection The time will not serue me to discusse the reasōs on both the sides therfore I will speake of the case briefly and generally If the prince commaund any thing to be done whiche of it selfe is vnlawefull and against the commandement of God that commandement of any subiecte is not to be excuted for we are so boūd to obey earthly princes that we disobey not the God of heauen earth therfore Ioab shold haue suffered death rather then to haue obeyed Dauids cōmaundement in betraying murdering of Vrias with y e sword of y e Amonites which was a faithfull subiect a valiant captaine I say he should haue suffered death rather then to haue executed such a commandement because y e fact was altogether vngodly vnlawfull of his owne nature But in this case where the fact of his owne nature was indifferent and lawfull of it selfe as to number the people in some cases is not onely lawfull but also necessarie If Ioab had done his duetie throughly in admonishing the king of his corrupte affection and of the vengeance of GOD like to ensue if hee proceeded therein and that when hee had done all that he could ought to haue done to disswade him his aduice woulde take no place but the kinge would stil vrge his commandement enforce Ioabs obediēce I see no cause but y t he might haue executed y e kings cōmandemēt the conclusiō of y e whole matter because I see y e time is past I would be looth to abuse your honorable patience too long in few wordes is this The iustice of God is set foorth to this ende that wee might bee affraide by sinne to prouoke his wrath the malice of Sathan is described that we might be carefull to beware of it and by faith to withstande it the frailtie of man is shewed that seeing our weakenesse wee might bee humbled thereby and taught to seeke for strength only at the hands of GOD whose grace through our Lorde Iesus Christ shall bee sufficient for vs To whome with the holy Ghost one eternall and euerlasting God bee all honour and glory wolde without end Amen