and brought low enough But God will deliuer them let one get righteousnesse and faith and the spirit of prayer though they vvere in an iron furnace vnder Paraohs tyrannie in an house of bondage let them but cry and from thence God will deliuer them So in Hesters time a wonderfull affliction it was that the day of execution was appointed when all the godly should be put to sword not one seruant of God should be left aliue But now when they could crye vnto God and had none else to goe vnto but him and him they would goe vnto and trust vpon him knowing that he could help them if he would and would also for his promise sake deliuer them Then wee see the day that was appointed to their sorrow turned to their ioy that which was thought to bring destruction vpon them brought destruction vpon their enemies and the day of their most extreame captiuitie proued to be the day of their most ioyful deliuerance that euer they had And it must needs be so for els God should loose the end of his corrections for he corrects them to make them pertakers of his holinesse But if hee should suffer them to pine away and to eat vp their hart with griefe this would not make them more holy but more sinful and therefore he saith he will not let the rod of the wicked alwayes lie on the righteous least he put forth his hand to euill noting that if the Godly should be too much afflicted they could not hold in but would turne a side to sin by courses but God will none of that for then he should misse of his intent So he speakes in another place Isa 57. 16. That he will not alwaies chide least the spirit should faile before him shewing that if he should not moderate the crosses of his Saints they would faint perish vtterly then he should be the looser As if when one goes to tame his colt for his vse he should break his backe by some meanes spoile him the master should loose by that it were no profit for him to do so So when God comes to his owne elect which are before their calling as Iob speaks wilde asse coltes vntamed vnruly he will master them and crush them make thē stoupe but he wil not breake them destroy thē and consume them for then the damage were his for he should crosse his owne purpose which is to bring them to life Therefore Gods children may be assured of comfort an happie end shall follow an vncomfortable beginning an happy deliuery shall come insteade of an vnhappy seruitude The vse of this is to teach vs neuer to faint vnder our crosses and troubles be they what they will be neuer be discouraged God is Iehouah that can help though men will not yea though all were against vs as Pharaoh the Egiptians against Israell and none would moue the hand to help yet his help is sufficient to gainesay them all For hath God deliuered vs from spirituall enemies which is the greatest miserie this is the great and hard slauery to be vnder the diuels yoke to bee in bondage to filthie lusts now hath God set vs at libertie from the yoake of the Diuell shall hee not giue ease from those men that presse our flesh hath hee remooued the tyrannie of sinne which would haue damned our soules and cannot hee giue vs refreshing from the misery of our body If God deliuer from sin death hell neuer faint as though hee could not deliuer from outward afflictions if he haue ouercome the greater the lesser shall not withstand him God did giue freedome from those that be simply euill as sinne is simply euill and the cause of all ill then t is easier to succour against those which are not in themselues and simply euill but often are turned into blessings Hath Christ washed vs from our sinne the worst and hardest enemie for all the world cannot wash away one sinne then neuer feare these lesser matters O but this makes me doubt whether I am Gods childe or not because I haue such long and fiery troubles if God loued me would he afflict me thus why then looke to these people heare they were the best nation vnder the Sunne and none so good as Israell euen then when they were thus threshed vnder Pharaos cruelty All other people were but as thornes they were the rose and other were but harlots they the Lordes spouse yet they were afflicted indeede to keepe them from running after Idolatry and so to damnation So that outward ease is no signe of Gods fauour else none should be in Gods fauour but the Sodomits and the Cananits for they had all the ease and wealth and outward prosperitie and the credit and worship of the world And before the floud Kaines children had all the beautie of the world on their side They found out Musicke and keeping of Cattle and all must bee beholding to them But that is no matter let vs keepe Gods fauour let vs feare him and pray vnto him and then our long and strong crosses shall bring long and strong comforts Secondly let vs hence learne to prepare for crosses since gods children may bee sorely afflicted else little doe wee know how they will sting vs when they doe come It is our best course therefore to get wisedome while the price is in our hands labour to get patience and to acquaint our selues with God that we may seeke to him waite for deliuerance at his hand For that makes crosses so tedious and grieuous when they hit vs on the bare whereas if wee had patience to beare them and faith to emptie our harts by prayer in Gods bosome they would be easie Nothing makes crosses burdensome but when they meete with an heart in which remaines some sinne vnrepented or some passion vnsubdued But if with faith and patience yeeld our selues vnto Gods will wee should be as quiet as lambes as Christ was as a sheepe before her shearer dumbe answered not a word So Paul in the Acts when they perswaded him not to goe to Ierusalem what doe you weping and greeuing mine hart I am readie to dye for Christs sake at Ierusalem he could be content to giue his skinne to be whipt and his bodie to be imprisoned yea and his life also to be kild for Christs sake nothing could be to deare or to much to bestow on him Prepare therefore for crosses and we shall be able to beare them But if wee goe on in a fooles paradice and think indeed this world is a vale of teares to others but to mee it shal be a place of pleasure they must haue trouble but I must haue ease then when insteed of ioy we finde griefe that wee looked not for and we dreamed of creadit but there comes nothing but contempt wee imagined that God should lift vs vp higher and higher and he casts vs downe lower and lower this casts one into
and dutie as he was desirous kindly to grant it and offer it there should be no let but Dauid should without delay espouse his daughter and become his sonne in law therefore he willed all his seruants to commend his good will vnto Dauid and to shewe him howe highly he was in the Kings fauour when all this while GOD knowes and hath made the world to know that this was but to entrap him and bring him into a snare that by her means he might the sooner priuily dispatch him But when Dauid in modestie was vnwilling to take so high a place and therefore excused himselfe for his pouertie and inabilitie to giue a dowrie befitting the greatnesse of such a personage Saule verie glad of so good an occasion as he thought would not let it slip but as he made shew in great kindnesse tels him what is the dowry all that you stand vpon if that be all the impediment I will soone remoue this let and the matter shall bee effected Let not Dauid thinke but that his nature will afford a dowrie good enoughe for a princes daughter and let him not imagine that Saule is so farre in loue with mony as that he will looke for so great a summe of him whō he hopes to find a valiant couragious sonne no Dauid thy valure is a treasure and some of this courage is that which my soule desires and which shall fully accomplish this mariage we desire let mee but see heere 100. foreskins of the Philistines those enemies of God and Gods people by whose meanes we haue sustained much losse and daunger Doe then I say take reuenge of these my deadly foes which thy valure I know can doe without delay and these shall be to me in stead of so many masses of gold and siluer this shall be a price for which and in recompence whereof I will bestow my daughter vpon thee which I doe not aske doubting of thy valure and courage but that a further experience may more amply proue that of which we haue had continuall tryall in thy selfe that thou wilt be a valiant son vnto me This was a colourable speach pretēded great good will whē in the meane while all Sauls mind burned with malice and desire of Dauids death and he hoped by this meanes to make him fall by the hand of the Philistians Now Saule well knowing his owne falsehood and double dealing was hereby brought into a vehement but a most false and iniurious suspicion of Dauids infidelitie and treacherie towards him So those that haue poluted their owne soules and bodie with most filthy facts and are the most vncleannest and wicked persons in a countrie will soonest imagine and suspect an other to be most filthie and are readie to iudge all men sore where their sores runnes An other cause of this is hipocrisie when one neuer examineth his owne heart then he is most readie to prie into an other mans life and he that spares himselfe will lay load vpon an other Thus the Scribes and Pharises were dissembling hipocrites and neuer medled with their owne hearts to condemne any sinne there and therefore Christ and his disciples could haue no peace by them but they were continually misdeeming and suspecting and ready to censure hardly of them without a cause for if they would haue bestowed but some time in truth to haue entred vnto their owne soules and made a narrow search of themselues they would haue founde so much businesse there as other men might haue liued quietly enough by them So Saint Iames saith 3. Chap. 17. vers That true wisdome which is from aboue is without iudging without hipocrisie He shewes the cause why the best men be neuer the rashest iudgers neuer so hastie to passe sentence vpon other men because they hauing true hearts desiring to be as good as they seeme to be haue so much to doe in fighting and striuing with their owne corruptions as that they cannot spend so much time to be examining other mens dealings and marking what other men doe amisse So on the other side take me an hipocrite that cares for nothing but to make a shew before men that neuer labours to approue his heart to God and neuer striues against his owne secret sinnes you shall haue him so nimble and so quicke in searching out other men that he cannot see a fault where it is but he hath such sharpe sight that hee can see a fault where none is in an other because he cannot see a fault where it is in himselfe They thought that the cause why they could so quickly condemne other men was because they were more holy thē other men and therefore tooke a priuiledge to themselues to giue what verdit they thought good on euerie mans actions but Saint Iames tels them an other tale and brings the true cause indeede what made their hearts so readie to conceiue amisse and to thinke wrongfully of an other because they had not as yet learnd to thinke aright of themselues for more hipocrisie alwaies breedes more rash iudging and misprision Thus we see what be the causes of this euill suspicion namely at the lest foolishnesse and vncharitablenesse or else an ill conscience and deepe hipocrisie and the one of these is alwaies a cause Now the effects are euen as bad for if the heart bee infected thus it makes one apt and readie to speake do euill if one allow himselfe to thinke euill hee cannot withhold his tongue to speake it and his hand to practise ill if occasion serue for what euer is within in the thought that will shew it selfe opēly it will bewray it selfe in the mouth in the hand in all ones actiōs As appeares in Daniels enemies that hauing cōceiued an ill opinion of him that he kept them from honour did nothing else but practise and lay diuilish plots till they had brought him into danger of death and founde him within the compasse of a law All this malice arose from hence that they falsely suspected Daniel to forestall them of honour and to haue kept them from that high place that they thought themselues as worthye of and euery way as fitte for it as hee The vse of this is that if we would not be found culpable of the breach of this commandement and trangressing against the name and fame of our christian brother then must we not giue ourselues allowance to conceiue any ill opinion of them without sufficient warrant and due ground for the same for though the thing which we suspect be so indeede that is not the question if we haue no warrant nor noe good proofe and foundation for our suspicion we are guiltie of the hurting the fame of our neighbour for what though it may he so in matters of our neighbours credit we must not take such light coniectures as a sufficient cause to moue a suspicion we must doe as we would be done by and I pray you what man aliue almost is there that
with idolaters for this is to joyne our selues to those that hate god And for this Iehosaphat was reproued what saith the prophet wouldest thou loue those that hate God help them what hadst thou to do to be so friendly familiar with Gods enimies Yet if one had come to Ahab and tould him that he had hated God he would haue defied him and said that he had loued God as well as the best but that is no matter what Ahab would say so long as God accounts him an enimy Iehoshaphat should haue had no society nor freindship with him so that they are much to be condemned that will seeme to haue some care of religion them selues and to looke to their owne waies that they be good but yet they can be familiar make friendship with Idolaters and professed superstitious persons why but is not this an hatred of God and are not you then subiect to that reproofe of Iehoshaphat what wouldst thou loue them that hate me No man will be known to be a familiar friend to an open traytor that the King counsell hath proclaimed a traytor for feare least he should be tainted with some suspicion of treason And in deede he that will be so conuersant and so well acquainted with such as God hath proclaimed traytors those that haue any spirituall wisdome and true loue of God may not without just cause vehemently suspect him as one that him selfe beares no great good will to God and his pure religion And shewes mercie to thowsands of them that c. IN that that God promiseth to shew mercie to thousands of them that loue him keepe his commandements we learne that the best way for any man to do good to his childrē is to be godly him selfe as the verie words of the commaundements doe carrie it So Psal 37. 21. ver A good man is mercifull and lendeth his seede enioyes the blessing c. After 29. The righteous shall inherite the land and dwell in it for euer Not this in his owne person for that were no blessing for a good man to liue still in this world but in his seede hee meanes One would thinke the contrary what is hee alwaies lending still doing good why alas how shall his poore children doe how shall they do nay they be rich children shall do well enough they haue a rich legacy left them for they shall haue Gods blessing for when he saith the blessing it is more then if one had said the whole earth and all the world for so one might haue and yet bee vnder the curse and liue and die a miserable man but he shall haue the blessing all things necessarie for soule bodie heauen and earth for so much the blessing containes So 112. Psal The generation of the righteous shall be blessed If then the blessing of God be the cause of all prosperitie and happinesse and contrarie the curse of God the beginning ground of all miserie then so farre as we are good or ill so farre doe we doe good or ill to our stock For in Leuit. God threatens that if one be disobedient to God and his commaundements he shall be cursed in his soule and bodie in his wife children and all that he puts his hand vnto but on the otherside if one be vpright with a perfect hart set him selfe to follow Gods commaundements then he shall be blessed in soule and body in wife and children and all that he shall put his hand vnto so that the blessing of God shall meet him at euerie turne Sith then God is so mercifull to all those that loue him and shew it in keeping this commaundement This serues for the comfort of all such that be good children of good parents though perhaps their parents can leaue no great matter for outward things yet if they haue laide vp many praiers for them in heauen and leaue them Gods fauour for their possession they haue a good parentage for they haue Gods blessing to trust vnto better be the childe of a godly then of a wealthy parent for he that him selfe is a good man and hath proceeded of good parents is now possessed of a double blessing for his fathers prayers and for his owne prayers for his fathers mercie and for his owne mercie to This likewise serues for the comfort of gods children that haue many children and little wealth little goods to leaue them but that is not the question what goods they haue but if they be good and labour also to haue their childen good if they were thowsands of them they haue the blessing of God and that shall maintaine them well enough those that be blessed of god shall not want for signes of his blessing Sometimes indeede the godlyest parents haue wicked and vngodly children as Iacob had but yet God will either couuert them as he did Iacobs sonnes so that those which at the first he saw to be as prophane as any hee liued to see conuerted verie holy men and pillers of the church or else if all be not good yet God giues grace that some one of them at the least shal be holy as Abraham had vngodly Ismael but yet he had godly Isaac and Isaac had prophane Esau but he had holy Iacob to and Dauid had wicked Absalon incestious Ammon but yet with all he had godly Solomon Nathan or if none of the next of-spring be good yet some of them that follow shall bee holy the godlinesse of the parent will shew it selfe in the bud sooner or later as in Hezekiah though Manasseh that succeeded him was at first a wicked idolater yet good Iosiah was in the next generation a good holy man or if that good men at any time bee barren yet his owne soule and bodie shall feele the blessing Those that loue him and keepe his commandements THat is those which haue such a true loue to him as doth shew itselfe by the faithfull vsing of his pure worship and by keeping not the duties of flesh and bloud but his commandements So that heere God sets down this as a note of louing him to keepe his commaundements whence this lesson ariseth that the loue of God consists in keeping his commaundements but afore the doctrine be further declared an objectiō must be remoued for one may say what doe you say that none loue god but those that keepe his commandements then I pray you where can you find one that loueth God and who is this that is able perfectlie to keepe and fulfill the law of God But for the absoluing of this doubt knowe that there is a great difference betwixt these two to keepe Gods commandements to fulfill Gods commandements for keeping noteth a truth fulfilling a perfection this perfection Christ onely had but this truth euerie christian must haue for euerie christian man may so farre keepe Gods law as that he shal be both accepted and also rewarded though not for the merits
warrant for vs to breake Gods commandement because wee had forgot that which God bids vs remember this is euen as if a man should forget his purse behind him when hee went to the market and when hee came to buy things wanting mony of his owne should goe and cut another bodies purse and then if one come and tell him this is not honest dealing it is plaine theft and why would you bee so bold to cut your neighbours purse why alas neighbour I hope I was in no fault necessitie drew mee to it for I had left my purse at home and I knew not how to doe for mony to buy my things and to haue gone backe againe would haue beene to much paines Why but doth this make it lawfull to cut your neighbours because you had forgotten your owne nay who should haue remembred it and not come to make such shifts and euen so men deale with God oh they cannot chuse but breake the sabboth they are driuen to it of force necessitie compels them and what necessitie why such things lie to bee done that will bee spoiled else why but why did you forget them before now shal your former forgetfulnesse bee a warrant for you to steale Gods holy time and abuse it to vnholy things Some hath a bonde to pay that will bee forfaited else and why did you not remember before to make your condition with such an exception vnlesse it were on the sabboth and then to defer it for some reasonable time after or some such like condition and so I haue this and this thing that must bee done and why did not you thinke of this before to preuent it as it is sure you might if you did serue God in your calling and not couetousnesse so others say it is so tedious and irksome to spend that day holy that they cannot endure it and why is it tedious to you is it not because you prepared not your soule to keepe it you let sinne keepe dominion in your hart all the weeke and then it must needes bee dull and dead to all goodnesse on the seauenth day but those that doe labour to walke vprightlie purely before God sixe daies finde such comfort thereby as no outward pleasure can bring nor anie thing in this world but onely the ordinances of God can afford Secondly this teacheth vs to lay as a dutie euery one vpon his owne conscience to remember this day in all our affaires to haue this in our minde that wee entangle not our selues by any businesse which might hinder vs from keeping of it first because wee haue so direct an item as wee call it to remember this day secondly because whereas God contented himselfe in all the other commandements to set them downe either onely affirmatiuely or onely negatiuelie hee hath not done so in this commandement but to set the deeper impression in our harts hath set it downe both affirmatiuelie and negatiuely keepe it holy saith hee and as though that were not inough doe no manner of worke in it and then wheras other of the commandements for the most part haue no reasons annexed to them in the decalogue though in the scripture else where they haue this and the second commandement haue diuers reasons added vnto them that men might haue a greater regard vnto it Therefore if wee will doe any thing for Gods sake then doe this for his sake if a friend should come to vs and say I haue some ten errands which I would haue you doe for mee and I will recompence you throughly for your paines but of all the ten there is one amongst the rest which I would haue you especiallie to remember and of all loues see that you forget it not would not one thinke him verie negligent and vnmindfull of his friend that would forget this of which he had such a speciall charge especially if his friend should in most of the other giue but the bare commandement and thing set downe without any more words but should insist vpon that and giue him reason vpon reason why hee should haue a speciall care of it but so God saith to vs hee giues vs warning before shewing that wee are ready to forget it but hee would haue vs striue against this forgetfulnesse and then because wee should not forget but doe it hee vrgeth it with many reasons now then to forget this is it not a plaine contempt and neglect It followes To keepe it holy NOw the Lord shewes what is to bee done on the sabboth day namely wee must keepe it holy it is not inough to forbeare our owne worke and so to keepe it idly but wee must bee as carefull to doe Gods worke and so to keepe it holy Hence then wee learne this doctrine that the sabboth must bee imployed in holy exercises it must not bee a bare rest but a sanctified rest so ceasing from worldly things as that we be taken vp in heauenly things for idlenes is a sin euery day but much more on the sabboth No man hath alowance in gods word to spend any time idly but it is a damnable sin in the weeke daies much lesse are we warranted to spend Gods time vnprofitablie and idly of the twaine it were better leaue ones owne worke vndone vpon ones owne daies permitted for his labour then Gods worke on Gods daie appointed for his seruice Now the reasons why this must bee spent onely in holie exercises are taken from the ill effects that will follow if wee doe not spend it in these workes These ill effects wee shall see in Exod. 31. 12. Where God commands them that they should abstaine from all workes and keepe it an holy for if they doe worke euen in making garments and things for the temple which seemed to pertaine to god much more in things of their owne these two euils will follow first they shall die the death their life shall bee taken away they must die a naturall death and then secondly they must bee cut off from their people j. bee subject to the curse of God and bee cast off from the people of God by solemne excommunication These bee the punishments of polluting the Sabboth no small punishments and these God doth execute daily euen among vs for though the law of the land takes not hold on such persons to put them to death yet God giues them ouer to commit some sinne which mans law punisheth with death and the first cause of all and that at which God strikes and which their owne soule feeles most heauie as appeares by the daily complaints when they bee brought to execution is that they neuer regarded the sabboth had no care to heare Gods word to spend the day in duties of religion in prayer but followed after vanitie and their owne lust and therfore God meets with them And though the minister cannot by law excommunicate them and cast them out of the congregation yet God excommunicates them that in the
commandements are lightsome the spirituall hart feedes vpon the spirituall law and delights and rejoyceth in it This must serue therefore to cut off those dangers that men cast to themselues in keeping of this commandement as though God had ouershot himselfe in making such an vnjust law as no man can keepe it but hee must bee vndone by it as though hee knew not what hee did when hee bad them rest the sabboth day It is a meruailous impudencie in many that no man durst speake so hardly and presumptuouslie against any positiue law of the prince as euerie base person will speake against this law of God Oh it is impossible to keepe it such losses it brings and these damages it brings that hee must needes come to beggerie that will obserue it what did God seeke the impouerishing and the spoile of men when hee bad them serue him nay he appointed it as a day of blessing and it seemes so hard and vnjust to them because they bee carnall and fleshly and not hauing faith in Gods promises nor any desire to obey him they will still haue shifts and something to say against it the hart is dead and wicked or else the law would bring comfort Oh how should one doe for recreation say some is it not a recreation for a christian to heare the voice of a christian and for a sheepe of Christ to feede in his pastures is it not a recreation for a person condemned to come where hee may get his pardon sealed to him is it not a recreation for a man subject to death to heare a direction that will leade him to life therefore if wee were not altogether sencelesse and blockish in respect of spirituall sence and life it would bee as great a joy for vs to feede at his table and in his house vpon the bread of life as in our owne houses vpon corruptible bread And againe could Christ finde in his hart for our sakes willingly to bestow his soule body and giue his bodie to death and his soule to suffer the wrath of God and shall wee account it a burden to bestow one day in seauen vpon him to be made pertakers especiallie of such benefits And God hath willinglie giuen vs sixe for our calling and may wee not well afford the seauenth to our soules but wee haue such businesse wee cannot doe it But for matter of businesse God shewes two things that if one would obserue should easilie preuent these businesses first sixe daies shalt thou doe all thy work Where hee shewes that if one would labour faithfullie and conscionablie in their calling vpon sixe daies they might well dispatch their businesse but indeede this makes men so loath to giue a seauenth day to God because hauing beene idle and vnthriftie on the sixe they haue neglected some businesse that now lies vpon them the seauenth day and then it is a great burden indeede and impossible for such to keepe it but they must loose by it but Gods commandement brings no such losse their owne sinne is the cause of it and if this bee not the cause then the other is men take more vpon them then their owne work for if one take nothing but his worke hee may dispatch all well in sixe daies if one serue God in his calling his calling will not hinder him from keeping Gods commandements but if one serue couetousnesse and filthie lucre then indeed hee can finde no time to serue God When men in hast to bee rich and eager desire of wealth will take more in their hands then they can mannage this is their fault and all this is not their worke but the worke of their lust this is to bee a busie bodie but let any man bee faithfull in his calling on the sixe daies and not through greedinesse encomber himselfe with more then is needefull and hee shall see hee may easily keepe this seauenth to God there is no cause of such complaining against it And indeede to a spirituall hart that hath any grace measure of Gods spirit how euer it seeme to carnall men it is most just and equall yea most sweet and comfortable so that they can with all their harts thanke God that he hath giuen them one day wherein they may lighten their harts of all worldly cares and throw of all griefes thoughts of debts or such like to giue them selues wholy to seeke comfort in him that will prouide for them in due time and hath prouided this sabboth as an ease vnto them that they should not trouble them selues wtih any such thoughts on that day And thus much to proue that the keeping of a seauenth day and spending it in holy dutie is a morall law and perpetuall and belongs vnto vs as well as to the Iews and so much the more vnto vs because we hauing more excellent meanes a greater perfection is required of vs. As also to shew that euery one must make a preparation for the sabboth Both by dispatching his businesse as nothing may bee left vndone till the sabboth and by behauing himselfe so in the businesse as his affections may not bee to much tied vnto them for the former will hinder the rest of the sabboth and the latter the holynesse of it Therfore that we may keep an holie rest he must doe all that hee hath to doe vpon the sixe daies and if hee take more vpon him then he can finish in the space of sixe daies it is more then God laies vpon him and he doth not labour for conscience sake but for couetousnesse sake and this is not his worke but the worke of his corruption and then secondly a man must draw his hart from the loue of the world worldly things and then neither worldlie losses will fill his hart full of worldlie greife nor commodities with worldlie delight which two things would hinder him from delighting in spirituall exercises so that he that will empty his hands of all worldlie businesse and his hart of worldlie affections shal be able with comfort to keepe a rest and an holie rest vnto God And for the first reason drawne from the equitie of Gods commandements that hauing giuen vs the large allowance of sixe daies and taken the small pittance of one daie vnto himselfe hath dealt in great equitie with vs so that one must not goe about to make hipocriticall shifts and excuses for if he doe it is not from the hardnesse of the law but the hardnesse of his hart not from difficultie in the thing but want of loue in the person for nothing is so easie but a worldlie hart that loues not God will be shifting and haue some odd reasons against it Now we must speake of the second reason It is the sabboth of the Lord thy God IN which God lets vs know that he which is our God and the mightie strong God hath impropriated this to himselfe as his owne possession set a part for his owne seruice therfore wee must willinglie
before their children shall make euen with them and reuenge and quitte there parents wronges to the full by the like fauage dealing with them A second dutie of thankefulnesse is to pray for their parents As in Tim. 2. He commands that prayers be made for all in authoritie And if any must praye for those that be further of in common weale much more for those that are nearer in the familie Therefore this is a fault to bee greatly condemned in many that can see their parents faults and speake of them too much but cannot finde time to fall downe before God and beseech him to heale their nature and helpe them out of their sinnes Many haue liued a longe time with their parents yet cannot say that they sent vp an heartie prayer to heauen for their parents so vnnaturall and vnthankefull be they The vse of all these duties to those whose parents are not aliue is to looke that their sinnes be not aliue after their parents death And therefore to examine themselues whether they haue beene faultie in any of these things and if they do repent for it and desire pardon else they be lyable to two plagues First that their children should take their parents quarrell in hand and requite their wicked dealing in what euer dutie they haue fayled and haue not repented of it And secondly that as honouring parents brings a long and happie life so their dishonouring their parents should make them haue a short life and miserable or if a long life yet full of Gods curses for their vnrepented sonne Therfore let such as be now fatherlesse marke themselues and finding that their children are stubborne against them and vnthankfull and rebellions euerie way as many may see it openly and wofully let call themselues backe and see what kinde of children they were before how they behaued themselues to their parents whether they were not all together faultie in this point If it be so let them confesle that their owne sinnes haue found them out and are turned open let them acknowledge that God is iust and hath giuen the same measure into their bosomes their own euill is fallen vpon their owne heads they digged a pit in their youth and now in their age are fallen into it And thus much of the duties of children Now follow the duties of parents to their children For vnder the dutie of inferiour is comprehended also the dutie of the superiour And as God would haue inferiours to giue honour so he commaunds superiours to carrie themselues in that manner that they may deserue honour And doth bind them as straightly as the inferiours Now the duties of parents to their children are eyther in their tender yeares riper age The parents dutie to the children in their tender yeares and childhood is first to instruct them in religion to season them with the words of pietie or by little and little to drop in the grounds of holinesse into them euen so soone as they are able to speake and beginne to haue the least vse of vnderstanding So Prouerb Teach a childe in the trade of his youth and he will remember it afterwards Where the holy ghost exhorting men to teach their young children meetes with an obiection Alasse might one say teach such little ones what good will that doe we shall but loose our labour for they cannot vnderstand it nor conceiue the meaning of these things The holy ghost answeres Be it that for the time he cannot vnderstand the sense yet teach him the words and tearmes of goodnesse and though while he continues a child perhaps it seeme a fruitlesse thing yet you shall see afterwards it will not be in vaine for the crop of this seede that was soone in the childhood will appeare when he comes to age though for a time it lay hidden then he wil remember these things that to good vse which it seemed he got no good by when he was so young wanting vnderstanding Therefore let him haue the words taught him when he is able to heare and speake words and after when he is of more discretion he will conceiue remember the sense too And this dutie the holy ghost commaunds Ephes 6. 4. Bring them up in instruction and feare of the Lord. And this Timothies mother did put in practise For it is noted of her that she instructed Timothie in the scriptures from a child and that was the cause he was so holy a man she was a nurse to his soule as wel as to his bodie and gaue him milke out of the breasts of the scripture so soone as he had done sucking her owne breasts so that as he waxed strong in naturall strength of naturall life so he waxed strong in the knowledge of the life to come and therefore he grew so excellent a man and so worthy a preacher and member of the Church because his mother fedde his soule as well as his bodie The second dutie of parents to their children in their yonger yeares is to correct them to giue them correction which the holy ghost in the Prouerbs commaunds often and shews the fruit of it Correct him and thou shalt saue his soule chasten him and he will giue thee pleasure In the latter the rod of correction driues away folly this is the onely meanes to make a diuorse betwixt folishnesse and his heart which are so neerely wedded together But in correction these rules must be obserued First let it be seasonable and done in time passe it not ouer to long but begin early enough So Salomon saith Hee that loues him corrects him be time and doth not omit it till it be to late but takes the fittest opportunitie when he may with most ease and fewest stripes doe most good For indeed a small twig and a fewe blowes in time when he is yet a child not hardened in sinne will doe more good then many tods and abundance of stripes afterwards if this seaso be let slip for if the child be not mastred when he is young he will maister his parents when he growes elder Therefore let them not get an head for if they doe they will prooue like an young colt that hath gotten an ill tricke at the first he hath once cast his rider he was marred in the beginning and now you may sooner almost kill him then breake him and bring him in any good order againe Secondly it must be done with great compassion and mercie not in bitternesse to ease ones selfe with the paine of the child which is too barbarous crueltie For in truth commonly there is good cause why the father should be as much grieued or rather more then the child because for the most part he doth but correct his owne sinnes in his sonne for if the childe be curst and froward is it not because he hath seene the parents brawling and contentious if he lye hath not his father giuen him a patterne of dissembling and if he sweare being
abundance of loue breeds aboundance of patience for loue hopes all thinges and suffer all thinges And loue is not prouoked but where there is little loue their is little bearing and little hoping and there they be quickly prouoked vpon euerie light and small defect or fault they grow to chasing and brawles and then who euer was troubled with such a husband or such a wife Nay they might rather say who euer had such an vnloving and vnkind heart as I for if there were that loue that should be and in that measure that there is that loue they would beare with patience and meakenesse such infirmities and would not be so quickely prouoked nay not by greater matters As the mother that in good earnest and without dissembling loues her little childe though it crie all night and be vnquiet and breake her sleepe and disquiet her verie much yet shee will not fling it out of doores nor lay it at further end of the house furthest from her but shee vseth it kindly and will doe what shee can to still it and when it cries shee will sing and in the morning they be as good friends as euer before and shee feeds it and tends it neuer a whit the lesse for all the nights trouble One that were not acquainted and knew not the loue of the mother would wonder why did it not disquiet your rest all night and can you be so merrie with it now Yes shee can for shee loued it and shee hath forgotten all that in the morning And so indeed could the husband and wife loue one an other with such a pure and christian loue they would beare much and endure much and yet loue neuer a whit the lesse For loue is all waies a brestplate against impatience A third profit that springes from loue is that loue edifies and loue seekes not it owne thinges therefore if they loue one an other they will in all thinges seeke the good one of another and then if he see a fault in his wife he will tell her of it meekly and gently and labour to bring her to amendment then if he see any fault of his part shee will with all reuerence and humilitie admonish him of it But on the contrarie where there is not loue they will regard their owne ease more then the saluation one of an other Then if the husband see his wife in any fault he thinkes indeede it is a sinne but if I come to tell her of it she will streight be in a passion and chafe and so the wife I confesse this sinne is dangerous to my husbands soule but if I should goe about to admonish him he is so hiddie that he would be bitter furious against me presētly But now here is a great want of loue in eyther partie For what though your wife will be in a passion he that loues his wife would rather shee should be in passion against him for a litle time then God with her for euer And the wife that loues her husband would more willingly suffer her husbands anger and futie for a while for well doing thē he should suffer Gods wrath eternally for ill doing Whereas they not louing one an other put it of with silēce dare not speake A fourth fruit of loue is that it armes one against iealousie the poyson of all dutie for loue will neither bee suspicious in matters of goods nor iealous in matters of the bodie For all iealousie and suspicion I speake of euill iealousie and suspicion for if their be euident and apparant causes and reasons then it is iust and no fault but all ill iealousie causlesse suspicion ariseth of one of these two points First either that one is or hath beene wicked himselfe and hauing beene faultie and naught himselfe he is readie to iudge others by himselfe and to measure all with his owne measure or else from a doting affection that one makes a God of this or that thing this is not true loue So when the wife doats foolishly vpon her husband and makes an idoll of him then is shee quickely readie to be iealous wheras a true and sound loue would worke the contrarie effect in her So for matters of goods he that trusts in them will trust no bodie with them but is alwaies suspitious and misdemeaning and will neither trust wife nor seruants nor children nor any not because they would not deale faithfully enough but because he makes that his God And therefore is immoderatly afraid to loose it but where there is a pure and seruent loue that will cut of all needlesse and misdeemings both in goods and bodie This is the first dutie that is common both to husbande and wife The second followes and that is faithfulnesse That both bende their wits and all their endeuours to the helpe each of other and to the common good of the familie The husband must not follow his priuate pleasure and delight nor the wife her owne ease pride but though by nature they could both be content to seeke themselues Yet they must striue both to build vp the house and to doe good one to an other and not hurt Because they stand in the place of Christ to those that are committed vnto them both for their soules and bodies First then the husband and wife must be faithfull in their bodies one to an other else they breake the couenant of God For mariage is not a couenant of man but a couenant of God where in the parties binde themselues to God and they be in recognisance in heauen to keepe themselues pure and chast one to an other Then for other matters there must be one purse and one heart and hand for the good of the familie and each of other But now if the wife be wastfull and idle then she like a foolish woman puls downe her house And if the husband be an vnthrift and consume and spende that idly and vainely to serue his lust or pride or anie sinne that might helpe his wife and children and be a meanes to make them liue plentifully and cheerefully whereas now they are pinched with want and necessitie this lauishing is a great vnfaithfulnesse and comes accompanied with manie inconueniences So much for the generall duties belonging both to husbande and wife The particular follow And first the wife must feare her husband as is commanded in Ephes 5. 33. Let the wife see that shee feare her husband and 1. Peter 3. 2. The Apostle requires a conuersatiō with feare So that if euer the wife will be comfortable and profitable to the husband and doe anie good in the family shee must haue a care of her heart and looke that shee carrie an inwarde feare to her husbande for the husband is the wiues head euen as Christ is the head of the Church and euen as the Church must feare Christ Iesus so must the women also feare their husbands And this inward feare must be shewed by an outward
doe good and make him drie to minister matter for euerie contention Secondly beware of couetousnesse For a couetous man cannot but be cruell so Solomon saith in Prouerb 1. This is the way of all those that be greadie of gaine they will take away the life from the owners thereof He cares not what mischeefe an other hath so he may haue lucre Who euer stands in the way twixt him and his landes hee wisheth his death vnfainedly If it be a father he could reioyce to see him laid in his graue that he might haue his lands if a brother so he may gaine by his death you can bring him no more welcome newes then that his brother his dead Alwaies coueteousnes drawes after it a long tayle of craft and crueltie Lastly take heede of riotousnesse and drunkennes for when drinke is in the wit is out and grace is out to then a man is such light stuffe that the diuell may tosse him about at his pleasure So in Prouerbs 23. 29. To whome is woe to whome is sorrow and stripes without cause c. First it hurts the bodie it selfe Secōdly it breedes strife and contention murmuring brawling and wounds without cause for when they went good friendes if drunkards can be good friends to their pots all on the sudden vpon a madde humor no bodie knowes they fall together by the eares and are readie to stab and mischeife one an other and two or three houres after aske them why and then they cannot tell but t was a mad humor of theirs Thirdly they so spend themselues this way and drinke vp all their wealth as that they haue no abilitie to doe any worke of mercie Therefore pride couetousnesse drunkennesse must be shund of all those that will keepe this commandement thou shalt not kill Thus much for the sixt commandement concerning the safety of our neighbours person and what duties we doe owe vnto him Now followes the seuenth commandement concerning his chastity and how we should that way behaue our selues in these words Thou shalt not commmit adulterie THe summe of it is that we should auoyd all vncleanenes in our selues and others and vse all meanes to preserue our owne and our neighbours chasiitie The things forbidden eyther Inward in all vncleane lusts Outward 1. Adulterie 2. Fornicatiō Vnnaturall with others selfe naturall in mariage eyther entring without parents consent c. vsing out of season and immoderatly 3. Vncleanenesse eyther Wantonnes In the Things parteyning to bodie as apparrell food sleepe bodie parts hand eye and foot whole in dauncing FIrst for filthie lusts and desires of the heart consented vnto Though they be kept in neither breake forth in word nor deede yet this verie lust and desire it selfe makes one a breaker of this commandement before God As our Sauiour Christ the lawe maker and therefore also the best expositer of it doth testifie Math. 5. 27. I say vnto you hee that looketh vpon a woman to lust after hee hath committed adulthrie with her all readie in his heart They of olde afore hee saith meaning the Pharises had said thou shalt not commit adulterie extending the commandement no further then the grosse act and that they would not haue men commit because it would bringe reproch vpon their name and death vnto their bodie but Christ makes a more narrow meaning and shewes that the adulterie of the heart is odious to God as well as that of the bodie and that men cannot more easily see and perceiue that outward filthinesse then he doth the inwarde for hee hath pure eyes that can abide none iniquitie and hee searcheth the heart and reynes An vncleane heart therefore wishing foule thinges and meditating vpon vile matters is most hatefull to God The vse of this is to condemne those that when they heare Gods curse against the breakers of this commandement concerning adulterie that thinke if they haue not broken forth into the outward action they are free and out of gunshot it pertaines not vnto them But let them know that if they haue an ill heart though men cannot charge them with the euill act yet God can charge them with the euill thought and that they are lyable to Gods curse as well as those that offend outwardly Indeede there be degrees and the increase of sinne bringes an increase of iudgement and grosser sinnes shall haue more greeuous plagues but the least thought is sufficient to condemne them And those that will not humble themselues nor care not for inward motions will if occasion be offered easily be drawne to the outward practise For if lust haue conceiued it bringes forth sinne and he that will not refraine it in the conception shall not be able to hinder it in the birth therfore he that would not haue sin borne must not let lust cōceiue but labour earnestly to kill it in the wombe as it were for howsoeuer thought be free in respect of the sight and law of men yet it is not free from Gods nor from his law which was not only giuen only to reforme and rule the outward manners but the soule also and the affections Secondly this serueth for the instruction of those which haue thus offended that they must repent and craue pardon at Gods hands and intreat him of his mercie to kill this lust and to wash away the filthinesse of their heart that they may not only be freed from the iudgement of God due to the sinne but also may hinder the birth of so filthy a monster as will proceede of this so ill a conception in either conception it is a foule fault after the conception to take any thing that may disable the encrease and birth of it but in this conception it is the greatest vertue and safest way to take such a receite as shall quite kill it that it may neuer come forth to light and this conceite is only to repent and craue pardon for else God will bring their secret sinne to open shame and their inward filthie desire to outward publique disgrace Now the meanes to purge ones heart and to make it cleane and pure from such filthie affections is first to pray to God often and earnestly to punish the heart and to sanctifie it by his holy spirit Then secondly to be faithfull and diligent in some honest and lawfull calling that may busie the heart vpon some thing lawfull and profitable for idlenesse is the mother of foule lusts As a standing poole not hauing any course of running growes filthie of it selfe and full of toades and neuts and filthie vermine so the heart that is not taken vp in some good and honest calling is a fit place for the diuell to breede and engender all monstrous and filthie lusts idlenesse procures lust nothing more as what was the reasō why the Sodomits grew so filthie vncleane that no people euer were so filthy and beastly but because hauing the most fruitfull and abundant contrrie in the world for it was like
and speake worse then in christianitie and equitie he should he that will speake to often of other mens infirmities cannot keepe himselfe from speaking to much sometimes therefore the best vvay is to be sparing in this kind of talke Speake seldome first Then secondly when one hath a good calling iust cause to speake let him speake discreetly in due time and due place that some good may come by his speach that either the partie may be brought to the sight and amendment of his fault or else others may be edified and helped against such faults speake in good affection and with good discretion that some or other may be the better for it Euer more if one will speake of an others faults let him be able to say I speake it to this and this good end this and this good vse I hope will ensue of my speach or if he can see no profit that will come by his vttering it let him keepe it till an other time let him lay his hand vpon his mouth and say he hath gone farre enough allreadie For if there can be no good vse seene in speaking of it certainely there is much sin in speaking of it And for raysing of an ill and false report against ones neighbour it appeares what a fault it is in that God hath appointed and decreed in his law that those which doe slaunder an other shall themselues vndergoe the punishment which such a fault had deserued and such a person haue suffered if the thing had beene true as he that wrongefully accuseth an other of theft he himselfe should be dealt withall as with a theefe and he that reports that another hath committed adulterie if it be proued false himselfe must feele the smart that an adulterer should This the righteous God hath ordained for what can be more iust then that he which digs a pit for his neighbour without a cause should himselfe fall into the pit and he that seekes to take away his neighbours fame and life by a lye should loose his owne credit and life for a lye And this though the Magistrate neglect his dutie God will not neglect but as he made the law so he will see it put in execution for he is not vniust vnlesse one first punish himselfe by true repentance Thus this law is broken by vniust accusing It is next broken by vniust defending of wicked men and bad causes whē one will vse his name and credit and prayse to vpholde such a man whose name soule and bodie and all are worthie to fall into hell This is condemned 17 15. Where speaking of this kind of men that be lyars in request and false witnesses in fauour that be of so good a nature as that they will heale all thinges make vp all gaps and make a glosse for any matter they will condemne no man nor finde fault with nothing of such he saith he that Iustifieth the wicked and he that condemneth the iust men they both are abomination vnto God He shewes that this dealing which men call a good nature is euen as abominable to God as if they should condemne goodnesse and good men And therefore such men get but a little they carrie away the credit with men but they are as much out of credit with God as they with credit with man and God will bringe about that they shall haue a spot in themselues of that wickednes which they allow in an other for at length God causes both the sinne and the shame to breake out and then their former honour is all dasht So he saith in an other place he that prayseth the wicked the people will curse him To that he makes such a good bargaine for himselfe as both God and the people of God hate him and abhorre him And in truth iustly to for he is worthie to be hated because he keepes men from repentance for there is no better medicine in the world to heale the soule and kill the sinne then to let the sinner sustaine the shame and the paine that is due for his sinne for this is a medicine of Gods making And if all the phisitians in the world lay their heads together they cannot inuent a better and therefore if they had any true loue they would let them haue it and not dawbe ouer the sore so as it should fester ranckle to death So that no greater enemie can be found to the soules of men then such that will smoth all thinges ouer with colourable shifts Then also they doe much hurt to others for now when sinners are gotten in credit crept into some account they are lesse suspected can with more ease doe hurt and mischeefe for if darkenesse might be called darkenesse and sinne goe vnder the name of sin and the diuell come in his owne colours it would be so open that no man would trust and so odious that all men would hate it But now when the diuell will call euill good and come like an Angell of light then men giue him some entertainment and he doth hurt them before they suspect him and when euill men be garnished with some false commendations they can closely conuay their wicked intents to doe more hurt a great deale because they are lesse doubted As in one example may appeare in vngodly and sufficient ministers if they can get some commendation to commend them and some great mans letter to speake for thē thē those that els would neuer haue come to so much credit are admitted without any further inquirie and to the place and office of the ministrie and when by lying they haue entred their whole dealing is agreeable to such a beginning and they proue very wolues that sterue and deuoure the Lords flocke And all this mischeefe came from a false witnesse that commended them with a lie And so for matters of commonwealth when places of charge and importance are through false commendations committed to naughtie and wicked persons oft these proue vilde wicked doing much hurt in the place so that these faulse and foolish prayses are but to get some credit to the wolfe that he may the more freely deuoure and wast the flocke So that as one must not speake of his neighbors faults but in loue and discretion and vpon good proofe so neither must he speake in his commendations But in wisdome and when the commendation is grounded on knowledg and iudgment And thus much for giuing out false speaches Now followes for receiuing which is a fault no lesse haynous before God then the former for he is not only in fault that inuents lyes of his owne head but he also that receiues them and giues credit to them and is bold to ground his report to an other vpon them And that both concerning others and also concerning himsefe To giue eare to a false report concerning an other is forbidden as bewraying of a great want of loue and good affection to the name of ones brother and an ill