courage is estimated by a good cause He that undertakes a good cause and follows it with a good Conscience must be a man of courage Heat daring and adventuring on a bad cause is wildnesse and passion in a morall sense and so not so much as Heathenish fortitude and in a Christian construction is Murder and Stealth and so farr from any pretence to holy resolution Wife Saint Aug. long since resolved all the famous cryed up and too much imitated Roman Conquest to be magna latrociuia glorious robberies because there was no solid Plea of Justice for them which both Reason and Religion exacts Moses his resolution and enterprize was grounded on both those Principles It was rationall for he knew whom he served And Religious for he had Gods Warrant a competent Authority and his peoples Deliverance a just cause Therefore he feared not Pharah because he feared God therefore he went before the People because God led and guided him therefore he spoyled the Egyptians because God the Chief Proprietor bad stated the spoyles on the Israelites Here was all the requisites to an holy Warr Lawfull Authority a just cause Righteous Prosecution of it and these are sufficient to make the enterprize reasonable and religious and the undertaker stout and Valiant according to that Exhortation 1 Chron. 19.13 Be of good courage and let us behave our selves Valiantly for our People and for the Cities of our God and let the Lord doe that which is good in his sight And the Apostles Admonition Quit you like men be strong 1 Cor. 16.13 11. Invisible God is invisible therefore no visible corporeall representation or similitude of him is to be fancyed or framed See him we may as Moses here did by Faith trusting his Power Wisedom and Goodnesse but not by sight for he hath no demensions who is infinite no composition who is most simple And so we are not to conceive God to be expressed by any Figure because as a Learned Romanist condemning the Opinion of some of that Party and the Practise of that Church praeter hoc besides this that the most spirituall simple being cannot be shadowed by any Image proxima occasio est there is danger simple people may be thereby enduced to take God for a fleshly Father and by his gray haires suppose him mutable Peres Ajala edit Paris An. 1562. lib. 4. cap. 8. So also Durand Dist 9. lib. 3. quest 2. and this is very consonant to holy Writ which therefore forbids any Image of God lest we should conceive him visible and corporeall Isay 40.18 To whom then will ye liken God or what likenesse will ye compare unto him Acts 17.29 Forasmuch then as we are the off-spring of God we ought not to think that the God-head is like unto gold or silver or stone graven by Art and mans device But most clearly Deut. 4.15.16 Take ye therefore good heed unto your selves for ye saw no manner of similitude on the day that the Lord spake unto you in Horeb out of the midst of the fire Lest ye corrupt your selves and make you a graven Image the similitude of any figure the likenesse of male or female Where there is first a Prohibition ver 16. and the Reason ver 15. and this Prohibition is backed with a Caveat ver 23. Take heed unto your selves lest ye forget the Covenant of the Lord your God which he made with you and make you a graven Image or the likenesse of any thing which the Lord thy God hath forbidden thee And this strengthened with two Arguments the one relating to the thing for which this Caveat is entred God hath forbidden The other to quicken and sharpen our care therein For thy God is a consuming fire even a jealous God ver 24. the former is grounded on Exod. 20. v. 4. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven Image or any likenesse of any thing that is in Heaven above or that is in the Earth beneath or that is in the Water under the Earth The latter on Exod. 20. ver 5. Thou shalt not bow down thy self to them nor serve them For I the Lord thy God am a jealous God visiting the iniquity of the Fathers upon the Children unto the third and fourth Generation of them that hate me Which Abulensis observes on this place as Rain lib. 2. cap. 2. Sect. 33. de Rom. Eccl. Idol 12. Though God be invisible yet he seeth all things this is truely to see the invisible when we beleeve he cannot be corporally seen As Tum dignè aestimamus Deum quum inaestimabilem dicimus Min. Faelix All that we can comprehend of God here is to beleeve him incomprehensible All that we can see of him is that he is invisible yet all things past present and future are visible to him the perswasion hereof is a sure Foundation of Religion and the fear of God For who dare sin though in secret who hath a Conscience within and Quid prodest non habere conscium habenti conscientiam and the invisible Judge above and without him who observes all our paths the most close and recluse knoweth all our projects and contrivances and understandeth all our thoughts The Third Part. O God who are the great God onely to be feared and worthy to be praysed a bountifull rewarder of those who diligently seek and religiously observe thy will Thy will is our sanctification Sanctifie us that thy will may be done Cause thou us to forsake Egypt all false and wicked wayes to walk uprightly in the midst of a crooked and perverse Generation that whereas the World lyoth in wickednesse our course may be contrary to keep our selves unspetted from the World that we fear not it's fears nor be afraid of any confederacy of Devills or men who pursue our soules with deadly hatred Be mercifull to us O Lord be mercifull and let our refuge be under the shadow of thy Wings for thou wilt carry us as upon Eagles wings untill all tyrauny be over-past that thou be our fear and our dread to fear thee and thy goodnesse and to fear nothing but thee because thou art with them who fear thee onely because thou art and there is none else there is no God besides thee Devills are slaves and the breath of man is in his nostrills and wherein are they to be compared wherefore should they be feared but thou art the blessed and onely Potentate the King of Kings and Lord of Lords who onely hath immortality dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto whom no man hath seen nor can see for he is invisible to whom be Honour and Power Everlasting Amen MOSES his Festivall Heb. 11.28 Through Faith he kept the Passe-over and the sprinkling of blood lest he that destroyed the first-born should touch them THere are certain praecognita Principles in the Christian Profession which are not to be disputed on by the Professors but beleeved The first of which are acknowledged by the more generous
10.5 as the elect of God holy and beleved and so his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 created in Christ Jesus unto good Works Ephes 2.10 that is done in respect and regard to our selves this with reference and relation to God This indeed is that which both constitutes and denominateth an act the work of Faith that it is both truely done and truely said to be done by Faith that it is done in obedience to God submission to his will and in order to his glory The same act for the substance may be both morall and spirituall that which differenceth them is the manner and end of doing for some good things are done by a common light of Reason and with a freedom and ingenuity of Spirit and those are heroicall noble actions and it's generosity some with respect to humane society neighbour-hood and conformity to the Laws of that place where they live and these are civill morall actions and it's civility or policy some are with sincere affections to God and obedience to his will and word and those are Divine Spirituall actions and it's Faith and Religion which enjoyns and requires these Aug. lib. 19. de civit Dei cap. 25. throughout 3. But this act of Moses was both morally good for when he was at years he undertook the cause of the oppressed it was heroically good for then also his Reason was at the full and he did work freely and generously it was spiritually good because then also he knew it was the will of his God and he did it faithfully Reason told him the enterprize was both just and honourable and so morally good reason conducted by religion ascertain'd him it was both just honourable and holy and so divinely good And therefore it is added When he was at years 4. When he was at years when his reason was ripe and his faith active and stirring or come to maturity full forty years of age Acts 7.23 For had Moses refused those offers of Pharaohs Daughter c. in his Infancy and tender age it might have been interpreted folly and childishnesse or if after in his minority and lesse discerning age weaknesse and inexperience or if upon the perswasions of his Parents this at the best would be called good Nature at the worst be taken for Indiscretion or vain glory and so still he might be supposed to refuse he knew not what nor why And very likely thus or some one of these wayes it was censured at Court and he esteemed a rash unfortunnate fellow that stood in his own light and hindered his own preferment But as Luther in another case aliter Romae c. so here they were of one Opinion at Court it was thought otherwise in Heaven For Moses was now of a very discerning Spirit being in full height and vigor both of body and mind a great observer of causes and of great abilities to distinguish and separate betwixt the precious and the vile having all advantages to improve his judgement and sufficient opportunities to ballance every thing aright to take and make an exact account of wisdom and folly of a moment and Eternity so that this act of his reprobation and election was not conjecturall upon peradventures or surmises but prudentiall not upon any humane consideration of case pleasure profit or honour c. but upon conviction of conscience not of a scrupulous conscience guided by light and undiscussed Arguments not througly weighed or not right set with an even hand neither by an erronious mistake of good for had nor an opinionative complyance with the examples and conceits of others but of conscience rightly enformed walking exactly according to it's Rule Jesus Christ our Lord would have engagers and subscribers to his Discipleship and Government to ponder and to consider before hand what they are resolving whether they can endure the contempts and hatreds of the world the common attendants of his service whether they can be content to follow and take part with that persecuted Prince the King of sufferings and his little Flock his despised sequestred plundered Subjects les = t in the conclusion they prove like that ridiculous Husband who begun to built without proportioning the charges and his abilities or comparing the expences and his revenues Good Works ought also to be well done with sober advise and religious prudence lest they lose their value and degenerate into indiscretions rashnesse or heat of spirit and therefore the circumstance of time is signanter dictum is taken for a further proof of Moses his Faith When he was at years For 1. Youth is suspected and commonly if that Age produce any good Fruit it soon decayes and if it follow not the vanities of the World it is much under restraint And therefore Aristotle resolves That a young man was not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a fit hearer of the severer precepts of morality 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because usually with them passion and vanity rules all and commands in chief and with them there is an impetus or fervor their passions are violent and head-strong 2. As this clause was added to shew it was a dis-passionate act not moved thereto by any youthfull heat or incitation so it was unprejudicate directly contrary to those prejudices his Education might have infused into him Passion and prejudice are two great tyrants and where these sway Reason and Religion are excepted or exiled and youth is most subject to passion and Education most apt to beget and breed a prejudice and so these words may seem to be inserted both to denote that as this act of Moses was no passionate fit or pange of Youth so it could not be an effect of his Education for this should have biassed him the other way as being all his minority trayned up in Pharaohs Court and tutored in the Egyptian Learning Strange it was his Piety should thus crosse his Education that in the confluence of worldly satisfaction if they deserve that expression he should contemplate the excellencies and perfections of the Eternall Reward For Quod semel est imbuta c. Education especially unto what also we are naturally inclined as all are to folly and vanity hath a great influence on our after dispositions and conversations And those sollies we have been acquainted with in our softer Age we after fancy and dote on and therefore to move in a direct opposite course to Nature and it 's second Education which is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a new acquired Nature whereby sin and the world takes possession on us must needs argue great strength of Religion and holy affections by reason of that received Rule intus existens c. and this was Moses his case 3. Had Moses done this in his old Age it might have been conceived dulnesse or policy or dotage and therefore also might these words be used For we reade of severall Princes indeed who have deposited their Robes of Majesty surrendred their Crowns and become reclase Hermits yet this course of
endearments be either inconsistent with or prejudiciall to our holy profession any lets or hinderances to us in the discharge and performance of the duties of Piety or Charity the love of God and Man then we are by all means to quit and dis-own them we must come out of Babylon though our Interests be there if we cannot stay but we must partake of their sins we must forsake Egypt if she distresse the People of God and our precious Faith for we cannot serve God and Mammon Christ and Belial Q. But what is there such a power and faculty in man to refuse or choose what he will And if so then doth not this power necessarily inferr a freedom in the will of man A. Certainly man is a free Agent in all his exercises and operations and what he doth not freely he doth not as a man but as a horse and mule which have no understanding and we are forbidden to be such Psal 32.10 for it is naturall for the will of man to move freely rationally and deliberately and this freedom or liberty of the will is an essentiall of humanity and the proper act of that freedom is Election which is exposed both to coaction and compulsion Voluntas non cogitur for that which is compelled is against the will and that which is against the will is not willed It is true the will may be letted changed and the commanded actions thereof compelled that is those inferiour faculties which are moved by the will but the immanent actions of the will that is to deliberate will and choose cannot be so and also to necessitation and determination to one For if the will be determined by the Physicall and speciall influence of outward causes then morives were in vain reason in vain deliberation in vain all perswasions and threats in vain but therefore are these used because man hath a power of Election that he may deliberate and act indifferently and either doe or not doe or doe this or the contrary For what exercise have we of our wills if we act not voluntary And how act we voluntarily if we be necessitated absolutely And to what end and designe are those terrors and promises of the Lord the danger we shall incurr by our disobedience and the reward we shall reape by our obedience if they be not as rationall motives and have not with them a persuasive efficacy It is true indeed that the will often mistakes and errs in her choyce putting bitter for sweer evill for good and one the contrary But this proceeds not from any forfeiture of what was naturall to the will and all or certainly very few excepted confesse that Adam had true and entire liberty but from the corrution of nature or the naturall faculty depraved which is a contracted contagion whereby we are averse and indisposed to good we are refractory and rebellious to the very Laws of Nature as well as of Grace of right Reason as holy Religion and we are prone and strongly enclined to observe and follow the desires and delights of the carnall sensitive appetite and to satisfie the lusts of the flesh for the understanding is full of ignorance and darknesse during this state of corruption of pride and contradiction against all sacred and saving truth the will is full of enmity and opposition against that which is good the conscience full of impurity and sophystry the heart of folly and madnesse of infidelity and hypocrysie and therefore no wonder if every imagination fancy and conception of the heart be unto evill and that continually Yet even in these aptnesses inclinations and prejudices the will moves freely and acts by choyce For as Angels and good Spirits by a most free agency doe good and nothing but good because their understandings are taken up with the contemplation and satisfaction and their affections with the desires and delight of good onely So Devills and wicked men long and thirst pursue and prosecute sin by chusing the evill and refusing the good having the understanding darkened being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them because of the blindnesse of their heart Ephes 4.18 and so allowing and approving of sinne and wickednesse So that whether the object be chosen good or evill the will acts 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by deliberation and with indifferency though that the good is chosen be from the causality of Faith and influences of spirituall Grace that evill from the corruption of Nature either transmitted and passed over to us by carnall propagation or contracted by vitious habits customes and education and this properly concerns not the liberty of the Agent but onely expresseth the reasons causes and motives for which he thus exerciseth and manageth his liberty It was from Nature that Moses chused or made a choyce it was by Faith he made this choyce He chused rather to suffer affliction c. Q. But what doth Faith Catechise and direct men rather to suffer affliction Can sufferings be the objects of our desires and longings Or are afflictions in numero eligibilium matters worthy of our election and complacency A. Doubtlesse they are in some degree and measure though not of themselves yet secondarily in respect of their uses as they relate either to the prevention of a greater threatned and demerited impendant evill or as they conduce to some present or future good For sometimes they are Fatherly corrections to avoyd the wrath and severity of dis-inheriting When we are judged we are chastened of the Lord that we should not be condemned with the World 1 Cor. 11.32 and that is an happy temporall judgement which barrs an Eternall a desireable chasticement which wards off future condemnation Sometimes they are Instructions It is good for me that I have been afflicted that I might learn thy Statutes Psal 119.71 and to receive Instruction is highly appetible and that with the most ingenuous and noble as well as holy and religious spirits Sometimes they are preparatives for Glory having not onely a purging but also a purifying quality 2 Cor. 4.17.18 For our light affliction which is but for a moment worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternall weight of Glory While we look not at the things which are seen but at the things which are not seen for the things which are seen are temporall but the things which are not seen are eternall Sometimes they are discoveries of the truth of the inward parts of our sincerity That the tryall of our Faith being much more precious then of Gold that perisheth though it be tryed with fire might be found unto prayse and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ 1 Pet. 1.7 that though they be sharp and biting yet have they in them somewhat of the bonum jucundum but indirectly and by consequence For we are to count it all joy when we fall into divers temptations Knowing this that the trying of your Faith worketh patience James 1.2.3 much of
the paths of holinesse and righteousnesse for then we have assurance that we shall passe from Death to Life through Death to Eternity 2 Tim. 4.7.8 I have fought a good sight I have finished my course I have kept the Faith Henceforth there is layd up for me a Crown of righteousnesse which the Lord the righteous Iudge shall give me at that day and not to me onely but unto them also that love his appearing The Third Part. ALmighty God which did safely leade thy people Israel through the Red Sea Behold see we beseech thee we are people be thou our God and guide for our help standeth in thy name leade us by the still Waters in the paths of righteousnesse for thy names sake And though the Devill and the World pursue our Soules with deadly hatred yet send out thy truth and light let them leade us and bring us to thy holy Hill and to thy Tabernacle and when we walk through the Valley of the shadow of death let thy right hand uphold us for our Souls followeth hard after thee let our passage to the Heavenly Canaan though through many tribulations be easie peaceable religious and comfortable that we be not condemned with the World but we may passe from death to life from Egypt to Canaan from the World to thee the lover and Saviour of Soules And to this end make us to passe the time of our sojourning here in fear that whatsoever may happen to us in the way yet at the end we may so passe the Waves of this troublesome World that we may come into the land of everlasting life through Iesus Christ our Lord Amen IERICHO Taken Heb. 11.30 By Faith the Walls of Jericho fell down after they were compassed about seven dayes VVE have done with the Acts and Sufferings of Moses Now follows the feats of Ioshuah his Successor and of Israel under his conduct For then By Faith the Wall of Iericho fell down c. The first Part. The full Historicall Relation is Penned Joshuah 6. and is plain beyond exception that which is to be examined may be What use the Hebrews to whom the Apostle presseth this for an instance could make hereof seeing these events were miraculous and extraordinary and they had no assurance God would work extraordinarily and miraculously for them Could they fancy without high pride and presumption that the Seas should divide themselves into a Passage for them or that fenced Cities should fall down as their approaches or upon their Beseigings And the right determining of the case thus stated may be this It is true we cannot expect may not demand what in particular their Faith obtained because they had a promise from God for these whereas we have no such Promises and therefore cannot aske them in Faith Rom. 14.23 which alwayes pre-supposeth either expresse Praecept or Promise in such cases But in generall we know That what we aske beleeving we shall receive that is what we ask by warrant and allowance of Gods Word which is the potent assurance evidence and record for our Faith If any extraordinary Revelation be indulged then we may pretend to the like extraordinary successes because Gods power is still the same alwayes infinite and when he will actuate as I may speak that Power then Credenti omnia possibilia nothing is impossible to a Beleever without an hyperhole or excesse of expression nothing which is an Object of Faith and so far as it is so nothing for which we have a promise provided we keep within that compasse and the tenure thereof for God hath restrained and stinted our desire in Earthly things and prescribed bounds and limits to our Petitions concerning them It is true for our spiritualities we have an absolute word of Promise as large as can be desired That our Faith can conquer Hell and purchase Heaven which is indeed every thing which can be hoped for so that if we will not lose and cast away our selves God will save us in despight of all opposition and all the powers of darknesse But for our Temporalities the Promise is conditionall made up with exceptions and proviso's which confines our petitions to suite for them under a clause of submission and expediency in ordine ad spiritualia for we have his concessions and grant for them onely for so much and so long as may tend to his glory and serve for our spirituall concernments and interests The Second Part. 1. Iericho fell as the sounds and Alarums of c. The Enemies of Gods Church shall fall and not be able to arise not by the force of Armes or prevalency of the Sword or any other humane assistances but by the Voyce of his Messengers and the Preaching of his Word sounding like a Trumpet by them and the Prayers of his People God sheweth himself the Almighty by giving efficacy and strength to his word to cast down every thing that exalteth it selfe against the knowlodge of God and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ a Cor. 10.4.5 and to the spirituall weapons of his Church prayers and tears he doth great and wonderfull things for her not by force or an Army but by his Spirit Zach. 4.6 And when Anti-Christ shall be confounded and destroyed God to shew the irresistable power of his word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 will reduce bring him to nothing when he is in his Pontificalibus his greatest height of pride consume him with his word for it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of great efficacy Heb. 4.12 sharper then any two-edged Sword like Samuels Sword to cut Agag in pieces that he appear no more to hew a way through all opposion and cut down all opposers God needs not will not have his Cause Managed by a standing Army Religion alwayes loseth by the Sword of Violence and Force is both unnecessary and improper for the meek temper of Christian Profession That Cause is very bad which hath nothing but an Arm of Flesh to justifie it and a few impertinent excuses as insufficient to sanctifie the designe As Adams Figg Leaves were to hide his nakednesse And the reason is given by the Captain of our Profession My Kingdom is not of this World Iohn 18.36 is neither erected nor established by Worldly Power those Arts of fraud and force which are practised for a worldly Kingdom 2. Though God might have done this immediately by himself yet he takes in the Ministery and Hands of the Priests In the great Affaires of his Church God brings about his own work by them God the Efficient they the Labourers and Work-men under him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 co-workers under workers to him who labor under him 1 Cor. 3.9 15.10 his Ministers under him for his people 2 Cor. 3.6 Christs Embassadors in his absence and by his Commission to negotiate the Affaires of his Kingdom 2 Cor. 5.20 Now then we are Ambassadors for Christ as though God did beseech you By us we pray you in Christs