things straight do bow them a contrarie way that so they may the easilier bring them betwixt both which is to be straight and right so the Lord when he entends to make a proud man humble and meeke he will breake his heart with sorrow and affliction wherewith when hee hath been throughly exercised he is the fitter to be brought to the meane betwixt both that is broken-heartednes and humilitie For as a log in the deepe mire hauing long lien therein is so fastened to the place as it is impossible to remoue or pluck it out vnlesse it be loosened and turned into another place but being so handled it may with ease be taken out Euen so if a man set vpon his dregges I meane being riuited into his sinnes be not loosened from them by some terrour and heart-smart though hee be brought neuer the neerer to repentance thereby yet he shall if he be such a one as God wil shew mercie vnto hee shall I say much more easily be perswaded thereto According to that which wee say in our common speech and that truly of a wicked man bent to his will and to liue licentiously that hee is neuer like to amend and come to good vnlesse the Lord awake him by some great affliction This manner of Gods dealing with men to bring them to so happie an estate by so vnlikely meanes and so farre off should teach the men of this age that wisedome hauing knowledge which the ignorant cannot learne that in their troubles and astonishments they should not think that they are punished seeing God taketh delight therein and so wax hardened but to know that they not humbling their hearts to seeke the Lord by preaching and by Gods benefits they haue need to be awaked by his iudgements and that he doth therefore afflict them that they may know they are farre gone in their euill course that so they may lay surer hold of his word and take direction and counsell from thence to be brought to God But let vs see how God wrought by the second meane that was farre off and so how hee brought him on by degrees to true conuersion This second meane was Pauls care of him in his desperate estate to hinder and disswade him from offering violence to himselfe and his kindnes towards him in ouercomming euill with good For whereas the Iaylor had shewed himselfe cruell towards him when he had giuen him no cause so to doe and therefore looked for no good will at his hands if possibly he should stand in neuer so great need thereof behold hee had no greater friend then him whom he had deserued to be his greatest enemie for euen by him was his life preserued This when he weighed and considered which hee could not but see Paul so earnestly beseeching him to doe himselfe no harme who had not otherwise been held back from killing himselfe I say when he laid these things together he was againe amazed at this but in another manner and better then before For before his heart was troubled desperatly thinking what losse he was like to haue but now hee was moued in a more commendable manner to see Pauls vnlooked for kindnes towards him This began to draw his heart towards Paul which we know must needs be a great change from that which was before And by this we may mark the beautie of vertue and grace in Gods seruants how greatly it moueth the hearts euen of wicked men Surely if they were carefull that their light might shine in good conuersation among men they should not a little prouoke them out of their bad course and to bee in loue with a better I doe not denie but it most moueth them when it bringeth any benefit to them as heere Pauls loue and care did to the Iaylor they had double force to worke vpon him And although it helpe much I grant to the further drawing him on toward goodnesse yet that only was not to be seene in him but that did beate into him a perswasion that he was a good man and was able to doe him good also and therefore a little after he desired to know of him how he might be saued So that kindnes and harmelesnes and other fruits of loue if they were more vsually and plentifully shewed foorth by Christians they would vndoubtedly pearce the hearts of many wicked men and cause them to thinke that they are farre from the course which they should walk in For though many scorners and profane persons doe trample goodnesse and good men vnder their feete yet the beautie of pietie and Christianitie doth much moue and auaile with many As we see by Peters words to Christian women where he saith Let the wiues be subiect to their husbands that euen they that obey not the word may without the word be wonne by the conuersation of their wiues But especially if Gods seruants would as opportunitie is offered shew their loue in seeking to win them to God and to help them towards eternall life much more should they perswade them to forsake their bad course and to embrace a better As our Sauiour Christ talking with that woman of Samaria brought her to repentance And this be said of the second meane of the conuersion of the Iaylor though farre off which as it was a degree before the former so they who are moued as hee was are sensiblie set forward as he was though I denie not but that many comming thus farre and further from their euill course may yet be farre enough off from true conuersion But let vs heare the third meane which the second now spoken of procured and brought foorth and that is a neerer degree to goodnesse then the former And this it is that he conceiued so well of them of Paul and Silas I meane that for all the commandement of the Magistrate hee brought them out of the prison and fell downe before them in token of reuerence to them and so fell to neere acquaintance with them who being good men it gaue hope of his further good taking by them And here I will stay a while to teach how we may profit by this To this end this I say that as his neere clinging and cleauing to them was another meane to bring him to true conuersion euen so God vseth the familiaritie and acquaintance that wicked men haue with his seruants to this end that they may distaste their former course and bring them to heare the word preached and so in time to be changed Thus many become beleeuers in Christ by companie and acquaintance with Preachers who being appointed by Christ to be fishers of men doe shew the loue to them that Christ shewed to themselues before that if they be men of God indeed they will lay open to them their treasures which they haue gathered out of the hoard of the Gospell and impart the same vnto them For although many of that profession I meane the Ministerie
that is first such an heart as they might feare him for therefore their answere was disliked although their words were good because they proceeded not from such an heart But this speech of the Lord in this manner vttered raiseth a doubt in the hearer what hee should meane by wishing such an heart as though the feare of God could not grow in any heart and likewise come from it and if it bee so what heart is that hee wisheth vnto them To the which may be answered that the feare of God and obedience to his commaundements doe not come from euery heart neither doth such fruite grow in euery garden Note and it must be such an heart indeede as cannot be matched neither hath any fellow or companion But what manner of heart is that you will say you doe not vnderstand what hee meaneth I answere therefore further that by such an heart he meaneth in one word an heart conuerted to God more particularly an heart broken with sorrow for sinne and the feare of damnation yet quieted againe and eased by beleeuing the remission of sinne and sanctified also to newnes of life Euen such an heart is fit to breed the feare of God and in such an heart it can dwell and in no other And that is called by our Sauiour a good heart which onely and no other can bring forth good things For so he saith a good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth good things and contrariwise so that if the heart be good that is truely turned to God then it is fitted for that which God here wished to his people that is to feare him and keepe his commandements and not else Now for proofe that it must be thus the scripture is cleare and plentifull As first that the heart must bee wounded for sinne and broken with sorrow and feare till it bee sicke againe is prooued by the words of our Sauiour where hee saith The whole haue no neede of the Physitian but the sicke And they in the Acts were pricked in conscience for their wofull estate before they came to Peter to aske how they might bee healed but then they came to him and the other Apostles though they had railed on them before and said Men and brethren what shall we doe As if they should haue said in this our distresse and dispayring in our selues what helpe can ye minister vnto vs or ease vnto our soules This contrition and sorrow is one of the three things which helpe to make the euill heart good And yet this without the other two is nothing to this purpose but fit onely to raise vp flashes and feares of hell to the tormenting of the conscience and the holding of it in slauerie and bondage for which cause it is called of the Apostle the spirit of bondage But this being rightly vsed maketh a most direct way to the renuing and changing of the heart that it may be good To proceede therefore the second thing required to make the heart good is faith vnfained that the afflicted minde may see and beleeue the sinnes of it to bee pardoned to the easing and quieting of it which then standeth in need of it and most earnestly desireth it and the Lord hath giuen a free grant of it vnto such as are thus prepared for it by earnest desiring it euen as in the forementioned place the Lord saith I am a physitian for the sicke and in another place I will giue the water of life vnto such as thirst which the sicke and troubled conscience hearing counteth it the happiest and welcomest tidings that could be brought vnto it and so by due and aduised considering it laieth holde of it though weakely and by little and little the Lord inabling the partie and so beleeueth that it is as effectuallie offered to him as to any of Gods children that haue already imbraced it And this mightily worketh both to ease and quiet and also to quicken him who was before so cast downe and troubled And thus to passe to the third thing requisite to the reforming and rectifying of the heart that the true feare of God may proceede from thence the partie being thus perswaded of the loue of God and the free remission of sinne and what vnlooked for contentment he hath thereby breaketh forth into the praise of God with admiring his kindnes and saith what thankes shall I giue vnto the Lord for his vnspeakeable mercy vnto me What shall I offer vnto the Lord for this his great goodnesse And so hee being constrained by the loue of God so shed into his heart is perswaded and inabled in good sort to goe about the dutie which God requireth indeuoring and purposing to walke before him in vprightnes and innocencie for euer after And this desire of his not being frothie and rash stirred vp of more and painefull feare as in many wicked ones it is but proceeding from faith which worketh by loue and from the certaintie of the fauour of God assured to him by the holy Ghost is not a suddaine passion in him which is hot and feruent for the present onely but comming from so good a foundation and ground sanctifieth him effectually by working a dislike of euill because it is euil and an heartie and vnfained loue of al goodnesse which grace being thus wrought in him is the third thing required to the changing of the heart and turning of it vnto God And this must go with faith as we are taught in the Epistle to the Corinthians where he saith Seeing we haue these promises let vs clense our selues from all filthinesse of the flesh and spirit and grow vp to full holines in the feare of God With this agreeth that of Saint Iohn that if we haue the hope which is the daughter of faith we purge our selues from sinne as it commeth to our sight Thus I haue shewed what graces of God must necessarily be planted in the heart that it may bring foorth this fruit I mean the feare of God that so it may become such an hart as God heere wisheth the people when he saith oh that there were such an heart in them Now that the Christian Reader may not be deceiued in iudging whether he hath such an heart or not I will adde some caueats about these three properties which make the heart good that he examining and obseruing them may see whether he haue them or no. And to begin let him know that about the first of them which is pricke or wound of conscience and feare of Gods displeasure for the same I giue these two caueats or watch-words The one is this that if God presse our consciences with the powerfull preaching of his word Note and accuse and arrest them thereby that we in no wise resist that worke of grace but submit our selues thereto seeing he vseth to do so to them whom he will saue The other that being
are hoarded vp in the word for vs to make vs happy forasmuch as they are drawne out from thence no other way but by thirsting after them and by it we are made partakers of them as the blessed Virgine saith in her song The Lord filleth the hungry with good things and sendeth the rich or full empty away which is the cause why the poore people of God doe shew their thirsting desire not onely many other wayes but also by this namely in their ordinary labour and trauaile to heare the word of God preached that sundry miles off from their dwelling place if they haue it not there though it be with mocking and taunting them for it by such as are far from thirsting after it themselues The third cause why God requireth thirsting is because we should otherwise neuer know how exceedingly we are beholding to him for the variety of grace and good things which we receiue thereby frō him as faith patience the forgiuenes of sins c. For so Salomon saith in the Prouerbs The person that is full despiseth an hony combe but vnto the hungry soule euery bitter thing is sweete So that we feeling such neede of them as that our soules should faint and be starued without them we see and acknowledge that which we could not haue done without it neither would easily beleeue it namely that the Lord loueth vs dearely and that his mercy is great towards vs yea and that in things of the best kind which others hauing offered them of God as well as we doe set no store by them and all because they feele no want of them but could as they thinke be well enough without them And thus much of the causes of thirsting The third followeth and that is how long wee should thirst For it seemeth vnreasonable to many that we should be held alwaies at one point as that either we should euer be thirsting for one grace or if that be not required of vs yet that we should bee thirsting still after some other To the which the answere is that we must alwaies be thirsting euen so long as God hath any good grace to giue and till he be wearie of bestowing vpon vs. Which seeing it shall neuer be while we remaine heere God being a wel-spring and fountaine of all good things neuer drawne drie and more readie to giue then we to aske it is for our singular benefit and not a bondage that we may be alwaies thirsting for so long there is stil some good comming towards vs and otherwise we were not liable to the liberall offer which God maketh heere by the Prophet neither were we the persons to whom he speaketh in saying Ho euery one that thirsteth come to the waters and drinke But yet this I say further that in this manner we should thirst namely for any grace till we receiue it if it be heere to be enioyed or a sure grant of it if we cannot partake it heere that in the life to come we shal haue it and we are not to thinke that when we haue obtained any gift or grace of God that we are commanded still to be asking of one and the same thing which to do were against common sense and reason but for a greater measure of it as encrease of faith loue and patience when we haue alreadie receiued a part in them and for such things as we yet want with the like appetite to desire and thirst for them as at the first anguish of mind and wound of conscience we did long for the forgiuenesse of our sinnes And this of the time how long we ought to thirst which is the third point in this first part The fourth followeth namely how we should come to thirsting and how it should be vpholden which being such a worthie gift of God had not need to be neglected but as an appetite to bodily food for the preseruing of health is by all meanes to be maintained and sought The meanes are neither costly nor hard to come by as in bodily dainties it fareth but readie and at hand Euen to see our wants in grace and emptines thereof as how weake our faith is how faint our hope how cold our loue and how hardly we haue proofe of our patience Also to obserue our corruptions as touchinesse frowardnes vncleane desires wrath desire of reuenge c. and in what bondage they hold vs. If we obserue these in our selues they will make vs desire the sincere milke of the Word to guide vs aright also to watch and pray sigh and groane that we may resist the euill and nourish the good For as the husbandman by toiling and sweating at hay and haruest prouoketh the bodily thirst so we labouring with our hearts to plucke vp and to plant as there shall be cause shall thirst till wee obtaine that which wee goe about and desire And God who calleth vs to it and promiseth largely to satisfie vs will not mocke vs but do as he hath said that is to say satisfie our soules with good things And thus we come to thirst But when we see our hearts thus possessed and taken vp with the feruent and constant desire of the good things which we would haue we must also be perswaded to labour readily and willingly as need shall require whether it be by prayer conference or the like to obtaine them remembring that which is said in the Psalme that wisdome and so all the parts thereof is to be sought out that is with all diligence of those that haue pleasure therein But one obiection heere I will answere which troubleth some and that is that they say In the beginning when men turne to God first they thirst and cannot be satisfied to their quiet and contentment but they see no such thing in them after I answere though all shew it not after as they did at first by complaining asking questions and lamenting their wants to other yet they long and thirst for that which they see needfull for them and yet wanting but they do not shew it so much and that is wisdome which other vnexperienced and more weake in knowledge and faith cannot do but must shew their thirsting as I said and it may be perceiued of themselues to be so by their daily care and diligence to nourish the old grace they haue alreadie and to obtaine new and by the course of their life it may be perceiued of others but if they grow full they be in ill case Thus the first branch of the three in this first part hath bin handled namely who they are whom God calleth out by the Prophet from the rest of the people to take part in the best tidings that euer were or can be brought from him and that is all such as thirst The second branch followeth and that is what are the good things that they shall haue which thirst The benefit which they shall enioy is answerable to their thirst
with afflictions and those that they haue laid on them be not sore nor grieuous therefore when any come vpon them of any waight indeed they cast them off as impatient in bearing the burthen Neither let any say to me this that the children of God are alwaies vnder the crosse neither are they long without some afflictions seeing their life is compared to a sowing in teares For notwithstanding this many are their outward blessings also especially where the pure preaching of the Gospell is enioyed for many troubles may be easily swallowed vp where that is to helpe to digest them And yet what poore and weake commendation may be giuen of the ioyfull welcoming of the troubles which are sent to such for the most part And this to be true which I say those times do proue wherein they haue some load of affliction laid vpon them for what earnest seeking to God is in them or patience to beare them Indeed if they continue or waxe more grieuous so that they can neither auoid them neither is there any hope of earthly helpe left vnto them to come out of them then perhaps and not till then for the most part when they see no other remedy it may be seene that God is sought vnto seriously and then they stirre vp their faith to lay hold of assistance from God with some confidence when all other helpe faileth For example when by some sore visitation and sicknesse that is like to be vnto death God awaketh any of his the disease permitting and giuing libertie to the partie afflicted for some sicknesse is more violent then other it may be seene sometime that he lieth more like vnto one that preacheth and giueth encouragement and exhortation to repentance ioyfully rather then as one readie to die but how rare is this to see for in many smaller troubles perhaps patience will hardly be found And whereas some of Gods corrections cause sorrow only to the afflicted without paine to the bodie as the losse of friends or goods some cause sorrow that commeth from paine as sicknesse and grieuous diseases it may be that the former may worke some good now or then but for the most part the latter if extremitie hinder not leaue the best fruit behind them Howsoeuer it be there is no doubt but that this grace is too much wanting and the rather it is the lesse sought seeing we leane too much to temporarie holds and stayes and for that our hearts runne after earthly things inordinately as health riches peace c. though we see by long experience that there is no hold of them nor any safe resting in them And this lingring heere like Lots wife must be purged out of vs and chased from vs or else we shall degenerate from the faithfull in former ages and shew too truely that we be not led with their spirit when we being so nestled heere can so hardly go out of our selues to welcome the troubles which God sendeth to weane vs from hence and do not rather pray that we may reioyce vnder them and be thankfull in them The third thing in this first part of the text is that euill persons shall haue small cause in the end to reioyce of their hard proceedings against the seruants of God howsoeuer they pursue them with great delight for God will surely take part with them against their enemies As heere we see in the Iailer whom he terrified while Paul and Silas sung for ioy in so much that he and other his companions when they heard it might see that they had a God that could and would comfort them when hee himselfe their wicked aduersarie thought he had loaden them with anguish and sorrow and that this their God could astonish him with feares and desperatenesse when they whom he oppressed were merrie How God doth this in the world to come it is cleere enough by that Scripture to the Thessalonians where it is said That it is a righteous thing with God to recompence tribulation to them that trouble his and to them that are troubled rest when the Lord Iesus shall shew himselfe from heauen with his mighty Angels in flaming fire Indeed in this world that is not alwaies seene but yet God doth it euen heere also while he professeth that he will blesse them that blesse his and curse them that curse his and while he sheweth fearefull iudgements vpon them who did sore vexe his good seruants and constraineth other to crie out and with their owne mouthes to acknowledge that he plagueth them for their sakes whom they hated and persecuted For examples of the first kind Zidkiiah is one the arch-prophet of Baal who did not only feed Ahab with lies and false messages as from God when he demanded of him what the will of God was in a doubtfull and waightie case but also smote Micaiah the true Prophet of the Lord and withstood him for speaking the truth For this very cause he was constrained afterwards with feare to hide him from chamber to chamber Another example of the first kind is Corah with his companie for resisting and rising against Moses the true seruant of God charging him to be an vsurper of the Priests office and to take too much vpon him and himselfe to bee Gods true Priest for the which as Moses witnesseth he was swallowed vp of the earth with those which were of his conspiracie Examples of the latter sort is Pharaoh who after ten warnings by God in strange punishments for not letting the people of Israel go to serue the Lord out of his land but pursuing them still euen into the sea was in the middest thereof drowned when he was constrained to confesse that the Lord tooke part with Israel against him all the Egyptians saying We will flie from the face of Israel for the Lord sighteth for them against the Egyptians Another example is Iudas who betraying his Master into the hands of the high Priests for money was compelled to confesse before them that set him on worke in a most heauie torment of conscience casting the money againe before them I haue sinned in betraying the innocent blood By all these it appeareth that they shall haue small cause to glorie of their winnings in the end who offer hard measure to Gods people the Lord himselfe crying out thus vnto them Touch not mine annointed nor do my Prophets no harme Neither let any obiect heere that they know them not to be such for so they will affirme in their mad mood and raile on them who yet when they will speake as they are perswaded in good aduisednesse will say of them as Saul did of Dauid that he was more righteous then he and as the King of Babylon said to Daniel thou art the seruant of the most high God So let faithfull Christians rest in their innocencie and in the witnesse of a good conscience and let them count it banquetting
seeme to be wanting For what can be further desired then that after such a sweet and plentifull partaking of Gods benefits and that in his fauour while we liue here yet that the best should be behinde namely to inioy fulnesse of pleasures at Gods right hand after wee goe hence and that for euer Yea and this in the middest of the anguish and torture of the reprobate For so our Sauiour saith when the wicked shall bee at their wits end then looke vp saith hee to his and lift vp your heads for your redemption draweth neere meaning that the effects thereof shall then appeare And therefore S. Peter teacheth a most singular vse of this that the Lord shall come to iudgement in a fearefull manner to the wicked but to the euerlasting comfort of his elect agreeing with that which the Lord requireth here saying Seeing these things must be what manner persons ought we to be in holy conuersation and godlinesse Now it followeth to shew what the fruite of a godly life is to the children of them that leade it as I haue done alreadie to themselues who are parents for such a promise God maketh to them and so the Lord speaketh here that it may goe well with them and with their children So that Parents fearing God doe thereby prouide well for their children as well as for themselues and deriue Gods blessings to them aboundantly which promise is confirmed by the Lord in the second commaundement where he saith He will visit the sinnes of the fathers vpon the children vnto the third and fourth generation of them that hate him and shew mercie vnto the thousand generation of them that loue him and keepe his commaundements This is also further confirmed by the contrarie in Deuteronomie where God speaketh thus to the people of Israell Because thou diddest not serue the Lord thy God with ioyfulnesse and a good heart for the aboundance of all things therefore these curses shall be vpon thee for signes and wonders that is euident signes that he is offended with thee and vpon thy seeds for euer And if it be so then it followeth that if we loue our children we should indeuour aboue all things to leade a godly life Which is vrged by the Lord at mens hands in the entrance into their mariage that couples should be espoused to him before they be so one to another And it may be truly said that they set not by neither care for the welfare of their children who doe not first regard their own good and welfare of their soules by walking obediently vnto Gods commandements themselues And how vnnaturall a thing is it that any should bee the meanes to bring children into the world to send them to hell And that they should be so pitilesse as to cast their poore shiftles progenie vpon the curse of God more grieuous then if it were vpon the swords point and that through their sinne and wickednesse For thereby that is by bad example giuing they make them like themselues as much as in them lieth For as by a godly care in themselues and a christian education of them they commonly haue the fruite thereof in their children that by the blessing of God they be religious also so a thousand to one if in the profanenesse of themselues the children become faithfull and good christians but if they doe no thanke to them they did as much as in them lay to make them prooue otherwise Obiect And whereas many of them will be ready to obiect that they will bee vnruly and disordered howsoeuer they bring them vp in the feare of God and good instruction yea though they be carefull also themselues to walke vprightly in their whole course before them Answ they may be answered that it falleth not out oft to be so but we should trust God for that and commit the successe to him by doing our duties conscionably towards them And if it please God that the meanes shall not alwaies take effect partly lest wee should ascribe the good successe to our selues and so take the glory from him and partly for other causes vnknowne to vs let vs leaue Gods secrets vnto himselfe but there shall be alwaies cause enough why God doth so and to iustifie him seeing few are so carefull about the good education of their children but that they may be iustly charged with default that way This be said of the fruit that shall follow the godly life of parents in their children that they shall prosper and it shall goe well with them as with their parents in respect of other who liue among them and best of all hereafter when they goe hence For they shall be receiued with their parents into the paradise of God into an habitation not made with hands but euerlasting to the which our Lord Iesus is gone before to prepare a place for them and all his to the which he vouch safe to bring vs euen speedely to whom with the father and the holy Ghost be ascribed all honor praise and thanks for euermore FINIS TWO SERMONS VPON MATTH 13. vers 45.46 Vers 45 Againe the kingdome of heauen is like vnto a Marchant man that seeketh good pearles Who hauing found a pearle of great price went and solde all that he had and bought it THe summe and effect of this Parable is this that how base and vile soeuer the Gospell seemes in the eyes of men yet whosoeuer commeth to finde the worth price and excellencie of it will giue all that he hath to get it and will rather part with all then he will forgoe it For here by the kingdome of Heauen that I may shew what is meant by it wee are not to vnderstand the place of the blessed mansion of the faithfull after this life whither Christ is ascended though the words are thus to be taken sometimes as in Matthew I say vnto you that many shall come from the East and from the West and shall sit downe with Abraham Isaac and Iacob in the kingdome of heauen neither is it taken for the absolute kingdome of God whereby he guideth and gouerneth all the world and all his creatures from the greatest vnto the least of them neither lastly is it taken for that especiall rule and regiment which Christ as the head hath ouer the Church his bodie which is likewise called a kingdome after a more especiall manner but here by kingdome wee are to vnderstand the Gospell of the kingdome as it is called in Marke Iesus went forth into Galile preaching the Gospell of the kingdome and in diuers other like places And this Gospell of the kingdome is not only in many places of this Chapter but most euidently in the 21. Chapter of this Euangelist called the kingdome of God in these words Therefore I say vnto you the kingdome of God shall be taken from you and giuen to a nation that will bring forth the fruite thereof
to call the righteous who so thinke themselues but the sinner to repentance So that to thirst for grace is no common grace of God and according to the price that the holy Ghost sets it at it aduanceth them that haue it farre aboue many florishers who yet beare no small shew of religion and goodnes And this I doe aduisedly and willingly teach and publish for their sakes who through Gods goodnes haue attained to this grace in some good measure and yet feare that they are of all other most miserable That they may see Gods mercy farre greater to them then they can be perswaded that it is But while they thus meanly account of their estate which is right happie yet I know there are other who come farre short of them in feruent desiring of holy and heauēly things and haue onely a desire to heare preaching at some time and as they say in their good moode and otherwise are as vaine and vnprofitable as others who yet will be ready to thinke themselues to be they of whom the Prophet here speaketh as it commeth to passe too cōmonly that they apply amisse cōfortable Scriptures to themselues which belong not vnto them and they to whom they belong indeed put them from them as fast through vnbeliefe as not pertaining to them I will therefore somewhat more fully and clearely set downe my minde agreeable to the Prophets about this thirsting Therefore that men may be able to proue without deceiuing themselues that they haue this thirsting which the prophet requireth to the which so precious a promise is annexed of obtaining that which they so desire we must vnderstand that foure things are requisite to be knowne The first is what are the true properties of thirsting Secondly the causes why God requires it Thirdly how long we must thirst Fourthly how we may best come to it Concerning the first the properties of it may best be seene by considering them in the naturall thirst and namely these two the one that he which thirsteth doth most hartily desire drinke so as he cannot be quiet but through the hope of it The other which also is consequēt to it is that if it be deferred he can do nothing but is ready to faint for want of it Both are most clearely to be seene in Sampsons thirst who hauing slaine a thousand men of the Philistims with the Iawe boane of an asse was sore a thirst and called on the Lord and said Thou hast giuen this great deliuerance into the hands of thy seruant and now shall I dye for thirst meaning he could not beare it nor doe any thing without drinke Now to apply these to the spirituall thirst he is truely said to thirst for the pardon of his sinnes for eternall life or any grace of sanctification not who desireth and prayeth for them but yet can goe his way without them or the certainty and assurance of them and yet can be well contented but he who fainteth in his soule for want of them neither can goe about any thing readily nor in kind without some true perswasion of inioying them And this is apparantly to bee seene in the seruants of God both in the Scriptures mentioned and also in our daily experience of such as we liue with For the first looke vpon Dauids example when he desired any grace of God as mercy to couer his sinne the liberty of worshipping him among Gods people the presence of God in comforting his soule or knowledge of his will How doth he witnes this thirsting to haue bin in him when he sought these In the 51. Psalme Haue mercy on me O Lord according to thy great mercies and the multitude of thy compassions In the 42. Psalme he saith Like as the Hart brayeth for the riuers of waters so panteth my soule after thee O God vers 2. My soule thirsteth for God euen for the liuing God when shall I come and appeare before the presence of God vers 3. My teares haue beene my meate day and night while they daily say to me where is thy God In another Psalme O Lord of hoastes how amiable are thy dwelling places my soule longeth yea and fainteth for the courtes of the Lord. But that I heape not vp many testimonies in a matter so cleare in our owne obseruation either of our selues or our brethren what marueilous sighes and earnest longings haue we seene in Gods people to obtaine that which they desired as when he hath begunne the worke of grace in them when he hath brought them in loue with the life to come giuen them eyes to see the bondage of feare doubting of pardon of their sinnes and what a precious treasure it is to mortifie and bring into subiection their vnruly passions and the strength of their great offences what longing I say to be deliuered and to be set at liberty hath there been seene what sighing and vnwearied desiring of the grace which they sought hath there beene in them which affections witnessed that there was this thirsting in them that till they had some word of comfort from God who onely can doe it they could in no wise be satisfyed Neither was this so with them onely in a mood and for a season for so a wicked man may desire heauenly things also but this continued till they obtained their desire and as they obtained one good thing they thirsted for another as I shal haue occasion to shew afterwards and also for a greater measure of that grace which they had already And this thirsting in Gods people condemneth that which goeth for it in many and that howerly and flitting desire of the word or the good things which are in it which falleth as it riseth and vanisheth as a shadow and commeth to nothing in the ende when the fruite of it should be greatest And yet seeing either they cannot or will not learne to put difference betwixt the one and the other that is the true thirst that which is deceiuable they are far wide thinking that they haue that kinde and right thirsting after spirituall foode of the soule when yet by this that hath bin said of this matter it is manifest that they are farre from it if it were but for this cause that they giue ouer seeking before they haue found the grace which they seemed to thirst for And this be said of the properties of thirsting the first of the foure things which I set downe And this ought to teach vs not to marueile when we see many to fall away from their zeale who haue seemed forward because it was neuer aright planted in them The second point followeth namely the causes why God requireth this thirsting to be in vs that cannot be in any but in his seruants And the causes are specially three The first seeing it must be sutable to the bodily thirst The secōd if we thirsted not we could not haue the variety of good things which
CERTAINE SERMONS PREACHED AND PENNED BY RICHARD ROGERS Preacher of Weathersfield in Essex directly tending to these three ends First to bring any bad person that hath not committed the sinne that is vnpardonable to true conuersion Secondly to stablish and settle all such as are conuerted in faith and repentance Thirdly to leade them forward that are so setled in the Christian life to bring foorth the fruite of both WHEREVNTO ARE ANNEXED diuers godlie and learned Sermons of another reuerend and faithfull seruant of God M r. SAMVEL WRIGHT Bachelor of Diuinitie late President of Sidney Colledge in Camebridge deceased tending also to the same ends with diuers particular points in both profitable and fit for these times 1. IOHN 5.13 I write vnto you that beleeue in the name of that Sonne of God that yee may know that yee haue eternall life and that yee may beleeue in the name of that Sonne of God LONDON Imprinted by FELIX KYNGSTON for Thomas Man 1612. TO THE RIGHT HONOVRABLE EDVVARD DENNY Lord Baron of Waltam c. IT is recorded in holie Scripture right Honourable that Iehoshaphat King of Iudah much renowned for his pietie did send out his Princes to teach in the Cities of Iudah By which act of his and the setting downe of it by the holie Ghost although I goe not about to confound their office and dutie with the Prophets and Leuites yet they are not on the other side to be taken and counted as nothing I meane both his act and the report of it by the holie storie For though they did not preach to the people in the cities whither they came hauing Leuites with them to doe that seruice yet their countenancing authorizing and backing of the Leuites who did teach the people indeed is not without cause said to be a preaching seeing it made way to the people receiuing of it with much more readinesse and cheerefulnesse then otherwise they would haue done yea they were much more incouraged to the zealous embracing and professing of it with fruits following and that by the aduancing and magnifying of it by such noble and worthy persons then might haue bin looked for at their hands otherwise For though the word of God and the pure doctrine taught out of it be of sufficient authoritie to draw and perswade the hearers to submit themselues to it yet considering the blindnes vntowardnes and rebelliousnes of mans heart against heauenly things a number would neuer haue set foote in the holie place to heare for all the report that might haue come to their eares of the price and benefit of the glad tidings preached if they had not been incouraged and brought on by such worthie examples Oh wee know what force there is in such meanes In so much as euen with vs howsoeuer there are of the Nobilitie many who haue the preaching of the Gospel in singular account yet the people that dwell farre off from them and be not seated neere to them they I say hearken not after them neither are any thing moued by them But where such are seene by the people that liue by them to haue the preachers of the word in high account for the message they bring and to bee subiect to the holie doctrine which they teach euen that is a strong cord to draw the inferiour sort to shew reuerence to the ordinance of God and to cause them to think that if such great persons so highly esteeme of their ministery and message that there is doubtlesse some great matter that moueth thē to it And though that be not all neither is of any power to conuert the heart for that is the proper worke of the holie Ghost yet many are at the first brought on to receiue the preaching of the Gospell who after feele the power of it also and enioy the benefit of it when yet their first beginnings therein are chiefly occasioned by the zeale and forwardnes of such good patternes And this is one cause Right Honourable why we Gods Ministers doe much wish and pray for the superiours and great persons and especially those who are noble and growing toward the highest places that they may be sincere and zealous for the truth because though they be no Preachers as neither Iehoshaphats Princes were yet wee know how greatly they may set forward preaching and honour God in going before the people in their holy course I say we pray that many of them may be such euen as wee highly praise God for those who are such alreadie And as wee are glad to see them fauourers and followers of that which we preach by the authoritie of God one father of vs all so we desire which is the next thereto that they would be patrons of our writings which we set foorth with the same mindes for the common edification of the Church of Christ that when it is seene that such as are in high place and zealous professors of the truth also do make account of them there may be farre greater hope that many others will doe the same And therefore I humbly craue of your Honour that I who haue presumed to dedicate these few Sermons to your Honour may be with your good liking allowed so to doe The which though they be things of small account as they are commonly reckoned to be yet I would not haue offered them if I had thought they might not promise that good to the Church which I know your Honour is willing to further Besides if there be any thing in them worthy your accepting and reading they are your due by good right and the testimonie of my thankfull heart and the best that I haue to present to your Lordship who though you neuer saw my face yet euen vpon report of me to your Honour did giue me cause to haue you in daily remembrance while I liue But a word is enough of this To lay out the matter of the Sermons I thinke it not meete to bee tedious to you about it and the rathe for that it is in the short Epistle to the Reader done sufficiently further then thus to signifie that the thing which is chiefly aimed at in them among many other to good purpose is to giue helpe to the Reader as need shall require to make his calling and consequently his election as the Apostle Peter willeth sure And thus not to bee further tedious to your Lordship I end praying God that as hee hath honoured you in a double manner so he would accompanie your earthlie honour with abundance of such blessings as are wont to goe with it and multiplie your best honour with the varietie and increase of his heauenly graces From Weathersfield this 20. of Aprill 1612. Your Honours in all humble dutie to commaund in Christ RICH. ROGERS TO ALL TRVE CHRISTIANS AND WELWILLERS TO to the Gospel or such as yet are further off from the power of it whom the Lord in time may call Richard Rogers wisheth al good that they want to
make them trulie happie for euer CHristian and gentle Reader I offer to thy view in this little booke certaine Sermons tending to the good of all that can finde time and willingnes to reade and regard them And more particularlie at this they aime some of them that they may helpe forward and perswade ignorant profane bad persons and hypocrites to distast and waxe wearie of their euill and dangerous course For out of all these kinds of wicked persons doth the Lord daily call home some effectually where the Gospell is soundly plainly and powerfully preached And I would they should know as much as I say to the end they may not harden their hearts against God as they may possibly and easily doe while they see many safely and happily guided in their liues and themselues nothing so but may heare his voice willingly by repairing to such wholesome Sermons wherein the Lord sheweth himselfe willing to be reconciled vnto them and wherein he thus speaketh O nation not worthie to be beloued yet for all this if thou wilt returne from thine iniquitie I will receiue thee graciously And what should make them like glad as the hearing of this as the Gentiles were when they heard first that God had granted vnto them as well as to the Iewes the glad tidings of saluation Euen this sort of people may haue no small incouragement by reading these Sermons and especially those among the rest which shew how they that wander out of the right way may returne and come home vnto it againe Some of these Sermons doe aime at this to keepe such as are drawne out of their sinfull course alreadie to the certaintie of saluation and to keepe such stedfast in their faith hope and repentance and that they may not fall from them And other some of them serue to helpe forward all such so stablished that they may grow in knowledge and grace and so bring foorth fruits beseeming the Gospell And I would they might finde no lesse fauour and acceptation with the readers then I am sure they found with them who heard them preached I haue shewed what the matter is that is handled in these Sermons now I will shew my reasons why I haue gathered not one but sundrie of the same argument together and set them foorth so And after I will declare to thee in what order I place them in this treatise and why The first reason why I set downe many in one booke of the same argument and not of diuers is this for that this matter and doctrine of the conuersion of a sinner is very hard to be perceiued and discerned of many hearers and especially so as they may cleerely see how to trace the way and goe in it Therefore that which could not so easily be perceiued in one sermon I haue thought good to lay foorth in many and out of diuers texts of Scriptures which tending all to this end to wit to set downe the conuersion of a sinner to God doe giue more light in this matter and offer occasion of more things about it then one alone can doe These therefore being read with consideration may through Gods blessing make this point cleere who how and when a man is conuerted and make him able to trie whither he himselfe be so or no. And if one be well grounded in the doctrine that teacheth this and haue the vse of this he shall much the easilier attaine to further knowledge and consequently to the vse thereof both which are meanly and of few attained to seeing so few are well setled in the other The next reason of this my thus doing is because this doctrine of the conuersion of a sinner is but little and too seldome taught I meane al the parts of it are seldome set downe together especially at one time and in one sermon All which were meete to be done and oft the weake capacitie slipperie memorie and many other defects in the most hearers requiring it and that they might see both how farre they are from conuersion while they are in their first condition of ignorance and vnbeliefe and how they are to be brought to it and also how contrarie their hearts and liues should be to that they were before when they be conuerted These parts of it are seldome handled altogether in preaching though one sometime another of them another time be taught and deliuered But it is a long time though the word be diligently preached as in few places it is before the most part of the hearers are able to lay one part and point of it with the other and to make the whole worke of conuersion of them all And to adde the third reason seeing all that the people know and practise without conuersion is nothing I meane either pleasing to God or profitable to saluation vnto themselues They may I denie not know many points and learne sundrie instructions as concerning the letter but to know so as they beleeue without which faith it is impossible for them to please God they cannot without conuersion and to practise so in their liues as that they may be said to repent and liue holily without which they shall perish and neuer see the Lord that is impossible without the same conuersion For these causes and some other of which this is not the least that by experience I haue seene great fruit come of this doctrine diligently and much taught and little fruite where it hath not been much in vse for such causes I say I haue of purpose set out many sermons of this argument desiring that the people may be made better acquainted with it and that such Preachers as thinke me worthie to be heard in this request would frame themselues to teach it in their owne or in other places where they come As for them that feare they shall glut the people with beating thus vpon the same things as though they could preach no other I answere if wee preach to the end the people may practise that which we teach and if the people also make vse of that which they learne about this matter it shall be found so hard and precious to know themselues conuerted that they shall themselues desire that doctrine concerning it to be taught againe and againe and namely of faith and repentance rather then to be wearie of it for they shall see that when the same thing shall be taught out of new texts euen the old matter shall be in manner new to them Now it followeth to shew why these texts are set downe in the order in which they are placed in the treatise The first texts are Acts 16.24 and Matth. 24.12.13 and the sermons on both tend directly to shew how a sinner is conuerted except the beginning of the Sermon in the 16. of the Acts which yet maketh a way to the doctrine of conuersion in the storie of the Iailer And in those two Sermons the reader may see the three parts of conuersion And diuers of
duties I say are not to be neglected Euen as the Iailer heere did as he could performe all these And where that helpe is ministred mutually amongst Christians as well in the best things as in the meaner much outward and inward peace is there enioyed good example shewed as a fruit of the Gospell and good hope that many shall be gained and brought thereby vnto it Note And heere I do specially desire all people of God to heare me in two things most needfull to this purpose The one that such as be of more hard froward austere and impatient disposition and yet religious would take a little paine to bridle and subdue the same and with grauitie and integritie to be more amiable that so they may discourage none of the weaker sort The second that such as receiue helpe of their brethren would not burden them and wearie and discourage them from such duties doing by their vndiscreet importunities looking for that which is beyond their compasse for them to aske or the other to grant and yet to iudge and censure them for not yeelding vnto them Now the last fruit of the Iailers faith and that is touching his houshold followeth that he reioyced that they also beleeued in the Lord. Therein he declared himselfe to be a right kind and louing master euen as he was a sound and good Christian and also that he was become a faithfull friend vnto Christ his master who so counteth of all them that reioyce at the conuersion of a sinner Euen so such masters may haue good hope of their true profiting and reioycing that desire to haue their houshold to be a little Church and beleeuers in Christ and all other may know that Christ accounteth highly of these who reioyce for them that of great sinners are conuerted to God And thus to make an end of the whole storie as we will iudge of the stature and proportion of a Giant by his hand or legge so we may iudge of the Iailers whole course of life by these parts of it That he was made a rare paterne in faith and godlinesse of a most barbarous and prophane person Now wherefore say I this but to the end that many who as yet are estranged from God and enemies to him euen a farre off may yet at least bethinke and resolue themselues to returne againe vnto him and neuer to leaue off till they bee truely come home and haue more in them then any reprobate that may fall away againe can haue TWO SERMONS VPON MATTH 24.12.13 PREAched by RICHARD ROGERS Vers 12 And because iniquitie shall be encreased the loue of many shall be cold But he that endureth to the end he shall be saued AS I vse and thinke it expedient so to doe in preaching a Sermons to acquaint the hearers first with the things which most concerne them to attend vnto so I will first shew what matters I meane to stand vpon And as it was the vsuall manner of our Sauiour to speake to the people of the things that concerned all that heard him that there might be hope that all sorts might take good thereby so my purpose is to do Now therefore seeing all sorts of hearers are either workers of iniquitie and such as fill the world with sinne or such as haue receiued the loue of the word into their hearts of which sort some haue been discouraged and haue begun to faint and to waxe cold and some hold on their course commendablie though these be the fewest therefore to all these three sorts I will direct my speech that the first may repent betimes and returne to the Lord the second may rise out of their falles and stand faster in the good estate wherein they had begun and the last may hold on in their first loue and continue to the end wherein their happinesse consisteth And that I may not be thought to speake what I list I will shew how our Sauiour Christ doth giue occasion hereof most fitly speaking himselfe of all these three sorts in the words which I haue read vnto you For he foretelling many things that should afterward come to passe putteth in this one amongst the rest saying It shall be in the latter dayes that people shall be giuen ouer to sinne and euen where the Gospell shall be preached euen there iniquitie shall abound in such wise that it shall draw away many of them who haue embraced and loued the truth so that they shall faint and fall from the goodnesse that hath been in them but let them saith he rouse vp themselues againe and returne to their first loue and they who yet hold it let them abide still in it for they only who continue to the end shall be saued And by this which he saith it may easily be gathered that he speaketh of three sorts as I also entend to do and withall three things he setteth downe One that iniquitie shall abound the second that by meanes thereof the loue of many shall waxe cold the third that they who wisely decline and shunne both and enter and keepe on in the good way wherein God hath set them vnto the end they shal vndoubtedly be saued and haue euerlasting life Now to begin with the first I wil handle it thus I will before I go further proue the words of our Sauiour to be most cleare true that all may see into thē Secondly applie them in more particular manner to all such as do cause iniquitie to abound that all who desire may be able to see whether they be of the number of them that they may thereafter prouide for themselues And thirdly I will shew what vse all such ought to make of the doctrine which they haue verified in hauing been helpers to encrease iniquitie and that is this that when they see they haue liued in times past to no other end then to helpe to fill the world with sin they may giue all diligence to seeke the pardon of their euill doings and neuer rest quiet vntill they haue obtained it and come out of them which is the right vse of knowing it But if they still go forward in their euill course they may shew themselues to be as they are that is contemners And that the world shall be full of iniquitie in these latter daies of ours it is proued by two reasons the one drawne from Scripture the other from experience The Spirit of God speaketh thus in the Scripture that as it was in the dayes of Noah so shall it be in the comming of the Sonne of man For as before the floud came they did eate and drinke marrie and giue in marriage vntill the day that Noah entred into the Arke and knew nothing vntill the floud came and tooke them all away so shall it then be Whereby Christ sheweth that in the latter dayes a part whereof this age is wherein we liue the people shall be as they were in that wofull time
before the world was drowned with waters which times were fraught with all impietie and iniquitie with contempt of Gods word and all abomination Saint Paul agreeth with our Sauiour Christ herein and saith In the last dayes as these are wherein we liue shall come perillous times yea and know saith he that it shall be so But if yee would know how perillous hee answereth such as wherein men shall be louers of themselues couetous boasters proud cursed speakers disobedient to parents vnthankefull vnholy without naturall affection truce breakers false accusers intemperate fierce no louers at all of them that are good trayterous high minded headie louers of pleasures more then louers of God And if all these with the like do now flow is it not true that iniquitie aboundeth But for that let experience from which the second reason is to be drawne declare what is found in this part of the latter age in which we live and whether the times be so bad as it was foretold they should be Consider it by the ages of men as yong or old by the sexe as men or women and by their estate and condition as the rich and the poore the mightie and the meane To say a little of euery one what stoutnesse pride disobedience is to be seene euery where in youthes who being but as the flower that to morrow withereth yet lift vp their crest as though they were riuited into a long life and had a promise of eternitie heere which if it were yet had they but an estate in miserie But I may not stay to make large discourses of euery one What ignorant senselesnes to conceiue knowledge of heauenly things is in the aged and as much vnwillingnes to learne And what else but frowardnes malice and an insatiable desire of getting while yet they haue more then one legge in the graue In so much that he who should hope of the saluation of the most of them must stretch out his charity beyond his warrant and ground As for the wealthie what is their occupation and practise but to seeke with might and maine to grow more wealthie minding that labour as if they sought after heauen it selfe In the meane while not regarding the multitude of those that want to serue the necessitie of them with their superfluitie neither embracing the Christian life euer the more for all the goods they haue but turning aside from it rather and as little longing after heauen it selfe which kind of life while they so please themselues in what wise man would iudge any otherwise of them but that they thinke they shall neuer die or that they shall come againe when they be dead to take the benefit of that which they haue But what say we then of the poore The Prophet Ieremie saith of them surely they are foolish they know not the way of the Lord nor the iudgement of their God And experience proueth it to be so For who doth not see that the poore sort take themselues to be priuiledged that they should not seeke after knowledge For these are their speeches Sermons are for rich folke as though they had no account to make to God and therefore we see they are rude and brutish for the most part contemning instruction speaking ill of the wealthier sort shifting stealing idle further then necessitie driueth them to worke and labour And by this that hath been said of them it is not hard to iudge of the rest namely how miserable as our Sauiour hath heere foretold their whole course of life is And the like may be said of Minister and people and of one and other What faithfulnes to God is in the most of them who take vpon them to bee guides to Gods inheritance What loue is there in them to their flocke what diligence in preaching and priuate studie and reading And for their liuing with thē if so be they do liue with thē what is their conuersing with them but either in hollow peace and fained loue in gaming and carnall merrie making or else they liue among them in strangenes hating one another and in sutes and controuersies but what fellowship haue the people with them for their instruction and edification but that they feare or flatter them for a peniworth in their tithes and for their priuate commoditie And thus by laying open the particular kindes of persons it is too manifest that iniquitie aboundeth and that Christs prophecie of our age is most true in fortelling that it should be so What remaineth therefore seeing scripture and experience proue it to be thus and yet that the workers of iniquitie shal be driuen from Gods presence and are accursed what remaineth I say but this First that it be proued by plaine demonstration who are they that cause it to increase for as much as few or none will applie this to themselues but will shift it off one way or other Secondly when it shall be seene who they be that they make all possible haste to repent and seeke mercie And to finde out who they be that fill the world with iniquitie it is no hard matter and they may all fitly be brought to foure kindes The first are notorious sinners and such as cannot be hidden as adulterers drunkards idolaters oppressors reuengers and such like These as they cannot be ignorant that their doings are odious and horrible so they goe not alone but haue their attendants and handmaides waiting vpon them as the Apostle describeth them in the Epistle to the Romanes saying walke not in gluttonie and drunkennes in chambering and wantonnes in strife and enuying These therefore whosoeuer they be whose sinnes may be written in their foreheads with great letters for the appearance and certaintie of them these I say fill the world with sinne and cause iniquitie to abound they cannot bee excused they haue nothing to cloake them The second sort are such as are counted honest townes men who looking after nothing for the most part but how they may liue are as forward in and as fit for one religion as another Who partly for law sake partly by example and custome seeing what others doe come to Church indeed but for any knowledge or goodnesse they get thereby all is one whether they goe or not And if it were no more but this that they haue neither zeale nor knowledge to worship God by it may easily bee gathered what their liues be towards men These although for want of better they must beare office in townes yet all disorder is where they dwell seeing they are as bad themselues as others vnlesse perhaps some of them haue a little more ciuilitie then the worst and rudest And who doubteth in the meane while but that all kinde of sinne swarmeth there as the bold prophaning of the Sabbath drunkennes whoring contention vniust dealing scorning of those that bee better then themselues cauilling reuenging stoutnes to reiect all good admonition with
part of the text in which hee setteth downe the fruit of such an heart and life and that is twofold one redounding to the parties in whom they are the other to their posteritie and children And the blessing annexed is one to both that is to say prosperitie and welfare both temporall and eternall For so hee saith That it might goe well with them and their children for euer So that the Lord would haue vs know that all in whom there is such an heart that they doe feare God and indeuour to keepe his commaundements alwaies shall prosper and be well liking in that course For by saying it shall goe well with them his meaning is they shall see Gods blessing so to accompanie them in that course of life as they shall confesse it to be to their exceeding good liking and so as in no other they could finde the like by many degrees And yet this is not to bee vnderstoode of outward prosperitie peace and welfare in riches honour and such like simplie but conditionally so farre as they be good for Gods children Whereof the godly for the most part are voide and this hungrie scrambling world will keepe them farre enough off from them and yet this is no cause of griefe to them neither God prouiding better for them that they should be lesse wedded to this world But God principallie meaneth hereby that hee will make their life pleasing and comfortable to them with inward peace and gladnesse of heart which farre surmount the other and yet as hee seeth it expedient they shall haue sufficiencie of the other also All men much desire peace euen with men they finde malice and contention with the vnquietnes that goeth with it to be tedious troublesome and vnwelcome to them and euen outward peace to be imbraced And so we are willed by the author to the Hebrewes saying follow peace with all men so as it goe with holinesse as if he should say although it flie from you yet let it not goe but pursue it till ye obtaine it For it is a singular gift of God to liue without feare by men one man being vsually as the prouerbe saith a wolfe nay a diuell to another But if men had as good insight into the worth and price of the inward peace namely to be without feare of Gods displeasure and the burden thereof and what is the libertie and holy securitie of his beloued ones they would much more desire that yea although they wanted all which a man may want hauing it Oh! to be without feare of condemnation the iudgement day and of the day of death whose sting being plucked out is not fearefull to Gods people and contrariwise to bee in that account with the Lord that nothing shall bee wanting which is good for them for so the Prophet saith The Lord is my shepheard therefore shall I want nothing we may continually wonder that God will be so bountifull to loue them here to their end and after to receiue them to glorie And yet when I haue said what I can of this matter I must leaue it raw and vnperfect but that we may know by a little what the whole meaneth in some sort But heare in few words what the scripture speaketh to this purpose Hee that walketh vprightly saith Salomon walketh boldly therefore safely Saint Paul speaking of the like saith He that walketh after this rule peace shall be vpon him S. Peter The eyes of the Lord are euer ouer the righteous his eares are open to their praiers but the face of the Lord is against them that doe euill and who is he that shall harme you if ye follow that which is good For such shall see good daies that is leade an happie and blessed life But whilest I thus speake casting downe all pompe of the world at the feete of godlinesse as it were me thinkes from hence somewhat is to be answered to such as obiect thus Obiect what is there such gaine in godlinesse Is it an estate so highly to be magnified Surely then the wise men of the world are deceiued who count it the greatest bane to their pleasures Answ I say it is so to sinfull pleasures with the which what wise man would meddle or haue to doe Note But it seasoneth our lawfull delights and brings them into their kinde that they become sweet and pleasant without any danger as roses in a pozie rather then growing vpon prickes whereas they not being ioyned with godlines they bee no better then poyson and as it maketh Gods chastisements to be easilie borne so it maketh prosperitie doubly pleasant Oh great is the gaine of godlinesse which hath the promises of this life and of the life to come Therefore much to bee lamented and bewailed is the estate of all such who are strangers to it and much more they who shunne and loath it as they who are spoken of in Iob Who say to the Lord depart from vs we desire not the knowledge of thy waies Who is the Almightie that we should serue him and what profit shall we haue if we should pray to him Oh this woful progenie who can sufficiently lay forth the vengeance that hangeth ouer it For if God begin iudgement amongst his owne what shall the end of them be that obey not the Gospell as S. Peter speaketh And if the righteous be scarcely saued where shall the vngodly and the sinner appeare What is become of the generations of all those who in their daies went about to iustle godlinesse to the walles Who counted it foolishnesse and contrariwise the greatest happinesse to inioy the pleasures of sinne for a season As Iezabel the mistresse of persecutors and Corah with his company the rebell against Gods faithfull Ministers and Haman the proude a deadly enemie to all that worshipped God truely Did not these with their companions finde that they met with their match And did they not leaue sufficient testimonie behinde them that their glorie was their shame and their happinesse had been to haue loued that which they loathed and pursued in the seruants of God I meane true godlinesse Euen so the liues of those whom they persecuted is blessed euen as their memorie also is and so shall all they be that follow their steps accordingly as the Lord saith here It shall goe well with them that feare me and keepe my commandements And so I conclude this poynt maruailing at them who thinke it more then needeth to bee more forward this way then others and therefore speake euill of vs because we walke not after the same excesse of riot that they doe But one thing more is to be marked that to all the prosperitie which Gods seruants shall inioy in this present life of which I haue said somewhat this he addeth that it shall also goe well with them hereafter euen for euer which saying of his maketh vp to the full whatsoeuer might
while some that take vpon them to preach are vnsound in religion some ignorant some stuffe their sermons with authorities of men whereas it is the word of God that hath authority ouer mens consciences some go aboue the peoples capacity and reach few preach diligently constantly and carefully that I speake not of the lose and dissolute behauiour that is not tolerable amongst their hearers how should preaching keepe the credite that it ought to be in and bee like to drawe or perswade people to faith and repentance Nay what greater cause is there of the generall ignorance carelessnes and profanes of life in the people then these and such like abuses seene in the Ministery And while they he thus farre out of the way them selues they are yet more bold to open their mouthes against the diligenter sort who knowing that Christ requireth it at their hands that as they loue him they should feed his sheepe and his lambes doe of conscience seeke to discharge their duties and they are therfore cried one of as doing more then they need And whiles this is suffred what hope is there that any great remorse for sinne or pricke of conscience should be wrought in the people by their standing vp amongst them or any true hope of eternall life wrought in many But these things being remoued and good preaching and liuing in stead thereof interteined and practised such a Ministery as it is highly pleasing to God and commanded by him so it giueth good hope of gathering a plentifull people vnto him As for the profane speeches of them which count the preaching of Christ and suffering for his name to be foolishnes let Saint Paul put them to shame if not to silence who hath taught them if they will learne their answer from him that they whom God wil saue shall and must by this obtaine it or else they shall neuer haue it I haue now spoken of the first point that the end of this great worke of Christ namely preaching is to conuert the bearers thereof to God now the second in this first part followeth and that is this Though that be the ende of it yet the most part commonly regard it not neither consider it but goe away without that blessing Euen as our sauiour here chargeth these cities for their contempt saying If some yea such as in your own iudgement are profane and worldly had seene and hard the great workes of God that haue been done among you they had repented but ye haue not done so vnto this day The complaint is iustly made of the like carelesnes in all ages that when the people had the Prophets and Apostles yea our Sauiour himselfe by whom they might haue beene made happy and with the eyes of faith seene the saluation offred them yet they sought not to know the things that concerned their peace Noah the preacher of righteousnes was dispised and laughed to scorne when he told them of the destroying of the whole earth by water and yet he gaue them an example by his preparing the Arke and so they had a double motiue to beleeue it Esay crieth out when he saw the people made a mocke at his preaching and a iest of his children whom he begat to the Lord thereby saying turne away from me and let me weepe bitterly and labour not to comfort me because the people perish Ieremy to whom they of Anathoth answered preach no more to vs in the name of the Lord for we will not heare thee but preach vnto vs pleasant things bewailed them thus Oh that mine eyes were a fountaine of teares that I might weepe bitterly for the losse of this people Iohn Baptist when he saw the Pharisies come to his Baptisme of whom Christ said to his Disciples except your righteousnes exceed theirs ye cannot enter into the kingdome of heauen said to them O ye generation of vipers who hath taught you to flie from the vengeance to come Bring forth fruites of amendment and say not with your selues we haue Abraham to our father And how our Sauiour lamented the people as many places testifie so that one doth liuely proue O Ierusalem Ierusalem which stonest my Prophets and killest them whom I haue sent vnto thee how oft would I haue gathered thee together as the henne doth her chickens but thou wouldest not Behold thy dwelling shall be left to thee desolate And againe O that thou haddest knowne in this thy day the things that belong to thy peace but they are hidden from thee And Paul oft turned from the Iewes and refused to teach them because of their contempt All the which with others many like vnto them doe proue euen as our Sauiour foretold that it should be in these latter dayes as it was in the time of Noah and Lot that for all the cost the Lord bestoweth vpon the people in sending the glad tidings of saluation amongst them yet admirable and fearefull to say few receiue and imbrace them but it commeth to passe what by mens rebelliousnes and vnthankefulnes and all the ingines and allurements that stand vp in their way that they that come forwardest a very few excepted be but as Agrippa that is almost Christians One would thinke that when God hath done more for one place and people then for others And that he hath giuen to it for a long time sound and sauory instruction while others haue wanted it that he should looke both for much people there and those also well seasoned although it be not so among others but when they shall faile there how iust cause shall he haue to expostulate with them and to complaine as Christ doth here that they contemned and set light by his kindnes And yet where almost shall hee find it otherwise If not as he found it among the Iewes to whom he spake in the tenth of Iohn verse 32. where he sayeth many good workes haue I shewed you from my father for which of these workes doe ye stone me yet at least as is mentioned in the fifth of Esay vers 4. that when after great cost bestowed vpon his vineyard he looked that it should bring forth grapes it brought forth wilde grapes So it was with them of whom we read in the Prophet Michah who acknowledged that they owed much to God and desired much more at his hands but what fruit did they yeeld him euen wilde grapes euen false and feined repentance for that which was true and sound For that they could not hitte vpon when yet excepting that they offred him seruice with their great cost For thus they say as one man Wherewith shall I appeare before the Lord and bow my selfe before the high God Shall I come before him with burnt offrings and with calues of a yeare olde will the Lord be pleased with thousand of rammes or with ten thousand riuers of oile Shall I giue my first borne of
we haue laied our foundation already we haue beleeued and repented as our Sauiour would haue it long agoe and we will not alter our iudgement and practise for any other There are three especiall causes why all should hast to repent at the first hearing so soone as they can be able to discerne the authority and power of the word The first is because if we doe it not at the first perhaps we shal neuer after and especially if any such of vs be cauillers and resisters of it I deny not but the Lord calleth at the ninth and eleuenth houre which refuse to come at the seauenth but who is so desperate as to ieopard his happines by so bolde an aduenture seeing the wicked and the deceiuers waxe worse and worse and he that is not fit to be vrged to day is like to be lesse fit to morrow For who knoweth that he shall haue minde or meanes or if he haue both yet whither he shall haue opportunity by health and freedome from paine and diseases to vse and inioy them And although he doe yet whether the Lord will blesse them In all which respects the wise man adulseth thus Remember thy maker O man in the dayes of thy youth whiles the euill dayes come not nor the yeares approch in which thou shalt say I haue no pleasure in them I haue I denie not seene the ignorant and carelesse who haue not been able to discerne and consider what they doe in neglecting and refusing the benefit of the Gospel offred them I haue seene such I say to haue bin brought to repentance and that God hath not called their sinne to remembrance against them though many euen of them yet haue neuer found it so Note But the scornefull and the cauiller who against his knowledge hath resisted the truth and striuen against it I haue rarely in mine obseruation seene but their death hath bin like their life without any pregnant signes of repentance The second cause why men should be desirous to conuert truely to God at the first hearing of the Gospell is this that though we might be sure to doe it at the last whereas yet in all experience late repenting is dangerous what wise man would be content to goe without the fruit of it in the meane season No if it were but for one day when he might inioy it Seeing one day in the house of God is better than a thousand in any estate whatsoeuer out of a godly life And thus it shuld be seeing thus it might be with a man that so he may inioy euen all his life long the most sweet peace of God which passeth all vnderstanding though not without tribulation in the flesh which no vnbeleeuer nor impenitent person can tast of his reioycing being onely momentany and deceitfull The third reason is this that the sooner we repent the sooner we make ioyfull and glad al the true seruants of God yea the very Angels whom our Sauiour affirmeth to reioyce thereat and besides the sooner we shall be fit to teach the waies of God to sinners and helpe to conuert the wicked vnto him when we shal our selues be able to reioyce in our saluation being made assured thereof by his holy spirit And who would lye idle from so great imployment to draw sinners vnto God when we reade that they who winne many shall shine as the starres for euer and ouer Obiect If it be obiected against this which I haue sayed why is the repentant state in so meane account in the world then if it be so gainefull and so highly commended Answ I answere for three causes First seeing the dearest to God are in this life vnder many troubles as the Church complaineth I am blacke O ye daughters of Ierusalem that is disfigured with troubles therefore the bad world shunneth and despiseth her For which she answereth in the Prophet Micha Reioyce not at me O mine enemy for though I am fallen yet shall I rise againe and I will beare my punishment because I haue sinned And yet when they such Despisers I meane and their like are afflicted and the godly in prosperity they thinke them the onely happy people Secondly they narrowly obserue the slips and infirmities of Gods seruants and make them odious and are readie to take hurt by them but the good course of their life they regard not neither think that they need to follow them therein Nay shall I say as the truth is If the godly keepe a narrow watch ouer their waies oh then they be too precise for them to keepe company with they say and on the otherside if they slip offensiuely at any time nay if they be but reported of to haue done so be it true or false they crie out in another manner thus oh these be your professors doe you not see what fruits they bring forth So they who are purposed to take no good by them can alwayes lay stops in their owne way and while they be at that point it is no maruell though they set not much by repentance which is that whereof Gods people haue their name that they be called repentant or godly The third reason why such haue the godly life in no better account and reckoning is for that they know little nay they are farre off from it what ioy and comfort it bringeth with it neither the sweete and holy peace which they who liue godly doe enioy For Salomon truly setteth downe that he that is a stranger from the life of Gods people shall not be partaker of their ioy Neither as S. Iohn saith can any know what that song meaneth which maketh the godly merrie and ioyfull but themselues which are the Lords redeemed ones which if they did know they would as our Sauiour said to the woman of Samaria first haue asked it of him as the thing that is most precious and would haue preferred it before the pleasures of sinne which yet last but for a season And this be said of the second point in the second part namely of repenting betimes Now this repenting which Christ heere speaketh of what it is which is the last point in this second part this I say let vs examine a little and so make an end His words are these they would haue repented in sackcloth and ashes This must needs be as we may well gather by his owne words a matter of great importance And that the repenting which men commonly so call is nothing lesse then that which he heere meaneth and speaketh of For the Lord Iesus in saying They would haue repented in sackcloth and ashes meaneth that they would haue done it heartily and soundly as these outward ceremonies did testifie such a thing And he speaketh so because it was well knowne to them to whom he spake that they who repented vnfainedly in times past shewed it that way though he did not thereby iustifie all to be
for God or any godly mirth to make them merry No neede therefore to exhort the wicked to reioyce that are euen surfetted already with ioy and pleasure but the righteous that mourne the righteous that be heauy these haue need to haue God and his seruants to comfort and cheere them vp Obiect 1 But here it may be replied the righteous man hath indeed need of this ioy whereunto the Apostle exhorts them but how is it possible that the righteous so beset and compassed with troubles can reioyce for this seemeth to be a strange paradoxe and opinion to the world that the righteous can in the midst of so many troubles and crosses finde any matter to take ioy in Answ But yet if we will but open our eyes wee shal easily see that the righteous man and he alone hath cause euen in his greatest troubles to reioyce and be merry and euen to triumph for ioy of heart for what though the world be bent and banded with all the spite and hate it can against him yet euen in this hath he more cause of ioy then of sorrow Reade and marke to that ende the words of our Sauiour Christ who is truth it selfe Matth. 5.2.12 Blessed are yee whē men reuile and persecute your and say al manner of euil against you for my sake falsely Reioyce and be glad for greate is your reward in heauen For so persecuted they the Prophets which were before you To be hated of the world to be reuiled persecuted slandered marke it is a signe y t we are blessed and therfore a cause to make vs to reioyce Nay we see that all the hatred reuiling persecution and slander they can raise do helpe to increase our reward and the brightnesse of our glory and the waight of our crowne in heauen Nay hereby are we assured that we are in the straight and beaten way to heauen For thus saith our Sauior they hated they reuiled they persecuted the Prophets which were before you as though he should say by this you may know that you are in the direct way to heauen For thus haue all the Prophets before you passed thither and so we see since our Sauiour Christ to haue passed this way into glory and by the same to haue carried to the same glory al his Apostles Martyrs and holy men that haue liued and died vnder the Gospell Behold then in a word what ioy euen the hatred of the world and wicked men affordeth vnto vs and that is that our heauenly reward of glory is both increased and confirmed and sealed vnto vs. And to this precept of our Sauiour wel agreeth that of the Apostle Iam. 1.2 my brethren count it all ioy when ye fall into diuers afflictions meaning as I take it of such as were inflicted by the world which then was most vsuall we must then reioyce and that withall ioy in the greatest measure we are able because thereby we attaine to be patient and so shall be perfect and compleate men in Christ An example of this precept we haue both in the example of all the Apostles Act. 5. in the ende who being beaten for professing Christ went away reioycing from the counsel taking it as an honour done to them And so of this our Apostle 2. Cor. 12.10 I take pleasure saith he in infirmities in reproches in necessities in persecutions for Christs sake For when I am weake then am I strong He tooke pleasure in these because he found that euen by them God ministred greater strength and comfort to him Obiect 2 But here againe I know that many good distressed soules wil be ready to reply that if it were but for the world and for men and afflictions thence they would be cheerefull and merry in these regards we haue seene but now they haue not flesh and blood alone and these afflictions to wrestle against but against principalities and powers against Satan the prince of the world and against spirituall wickednesses which are in high places These are of great power and of great might these are continually laying siege against their soules to take them how can they be merry that be night and day besieged thus dangerously especially of legions of deuils of spirituall wickednesses that are diligent and watchfull night and day to surprize and take their soules Alas these are many and strong enemies and we are weake and in continuall combat with them Answ I answere true it is these enemies are many and of great power dilligence and subtilty ioyned with deadly hate and malice against vs. But consider againe bee they neuer so strong and powerfull yet if we doe but resist and stand out against them they will flie from vs. Resist the deuill saith the Apostle Iames. 4.7 and he will flie from you Resist him though he be neuer so strong Resist him though he haue his legions of diuels with him against thee and he shall flie from thee Marke it he shall flie and that from thee Note Thou shalt put him to flight be thou the weakest Christian in the world if thou wilt but resist him with the shield of faith the sword of the Spirit c. Heere therefore we haue greater cause of ioy and triumph then of sorrow For what cause hath he but to reioyce that may euery day so easily triumph ouer so great and so many enemies that being a poore weake man may put to flight whole armies and legions of diuels Obiect 3 But some man may except thus Indeed I haue a great promise from God I shall do this if I resist but alas many times through my weaknesse I am readie to slumber and to sleepe and cannot be euer as I should be watchfull to resist Nay I find such a cursed rebellion in my heart that carries me continually as a slaue and captiue to the will of the diuell Answ Indeed I must needs confesse there is a great cause of sorrow and lamentation Miserable man saith the Apostle Paul Rom. 7. the end who shall deliuer me from this bodie of sinne But yet we haue also by the mercie of God sufficient wherewithall to raise vs vp in this sorrow for we haue the Spirit of God within vs to helpe our infirmities we haue the Angels of God night and day to pitch their tents about vs to aid vs against the euill angels we haue God himselfe who neither slumbereth nor sleepeth that watcheth and careth for vs. Be we neuer so weake and the diuell neuer so strong God who is with vs will vphold vs and no diuell shall plucke vs from him or out of his hands If I should further enter to lay downe all the causes that may and ought to moue the faithfull vnto ioy I should not easily find an end of so large and long a Treatise I will therefore in a word only entreate euery man who is desirous to learne what cause he hath to reioyce being a righteous
to teare the wounds that we ought to heale and to bind vp But this do the wicked when they seeke to vex and grieue the faithfull that be alreadie wounded and cast downe with sorrow in their soules yea and for that they carry corruption still about them I say not he is the happiest that reioyceth most for that no doubt many times he may do which is but in a verie wofull case as our Sauiour Christ saith wo be to you that laugh but he I say is the happiest man that hath the greatest cause of ioy For this is the argument of all those blessednesses which our Sauiour Christ pronounceth Matth. 5. the poore in spirit are pronounced blessed because they haue cause to reioyce So they that mourne they that be meeke c. are blessed because these though they do not reioyce yet they haue euery one of them iust cause to reioyce But to proceed hath the faithfull and righteous alone iust cause of ioy Then if thou desirest soundly to reioyce practise carefully and constantly a iust and righteous life for without this faith and vprightnesse it is impossible though thou hast made a beginning therein alreadie euer to find any state that will giue thee cause all things well weighed to take any ioy in it It is not the throne of a Prince nor the treasure of the earth nor the pleasures of the world that can afford it Vse 4 Lastly hath the righteous man cause to reioyce then ought he to stirre vp himselfe vnto the dutie following namely that he do reioyce indeed This nature it selfe teacheth euen naturall men that if they see iust cause why they should be glad they will stirre themselues vp to be ioyfull and merrie And the rather are the righteous to be mooued to this dutie because they haue the Lords commandement heere by the Apostle to stirre themselues vp vnto it For is the Lord so carefull of his that he cannot endure to haue our hearts possessed with sorrow but will haue it to be expelled thence by his heauenly ioyes and shall we be behind in this duty Shall he command and shall not we obay shall he exhort and shal not we attend to that which wholy tendeth to our owne ioy and comfort If the King or prince command their subiects to be merry as Salomon 1. King 8.64 Ester 5.1 this alone stirreth them vp to mirth though there were noe other cause but the kinde speeches and greetings of the prince And ought not Gods voice much more to preuaile with vs to this ende But I come now to the limitation first and then in due place to the enlargement of this ioy It is limited first by the manner of it that it must be in the Lord and then secondly enlarged by the time that it may be alwayes to reioyce in the Lord is to reioyce for that we know him to be our God alsufficient and Christ Iesus our Lord also to reioyce for the Lords cause who alone giueth ministreth vnto vs cause of reioycing as 1. Sam. 21. in the thanksgiuing of Hanna Mine heart reioyceth in the Lord mine horne is exalted in the Lord So Mary my spirit reioyceth that is my heart reioyceth because of the Lord who hath giuen mee this cause of ioy and mine horne is exalted in the Lord who hath bin fauourable and gratious vnto mee By this limitation then we see the ioy of the faithfull which only is true ioy to be distinguished from other sorts of ioyes which are many For some there are who reioyce in themselues and in that seruing of God that liketh them and not in the Lord as first many naturall men if they haue a good meaning and liue quietly and ciuilly among men they thinke they cannot chuse but be saued These men ioy but all the ground of their ioy is not from God but from themselues from their owne blinde reason and the presumption of their owne heart Secondly Papists and such as follow the ancient Pharisies These men not onely doe many ciuill good duties but they fast they pray they pay tythe of all they haue they giue almes they abstaine from iniustice extortion c. They are very strict and very precise in many things they wil not marry they wil not eate such and such meates and at such times These men they reioyce also yea and boast themselues not only before men but before God as the Pharisie did Luk. 18. But their ioy ariseth from themselues and from their owne good deeds and meritorious actions as they hould them They reioyce not in the Lord. Others yet there bee who reioyce in the things of this world For which indeed it might be lawfull for a man to reioyce but this their reioycing is altogether after a sensuall and a carnall manner They reioyce in riches in honor in pleasure but this their ioy it neither ariseth from God nor endeth in him but either it proceedeth only from the creature and resteth in it or els it is ascribed to their own paines and labour or for that they haue attained to this wealth or that place by their owne industry or some friend or other is magnified for it or els rather theÌ„ any part of their ioy should seeme to proceede from God it is ascribed to good lucke and good fortune these all offend in this that they reioyce in these things but not in the Lord as the author of euery good thing they haue Againe there are some that ioy in lawfull things but their ioy is not taken lawfully they neuer waigh whether they vse them in such a manner as God in his word hath giuen them warrant for or not They delight and ioy in duties of their calling to looke vnto their businesse This is well But to be taken vp with them as the chiefest matters and on the Lords day the day of the Lords rest when they should assemble themselues in the congregation of Gods people to heare his woâ—d and to learne his will or when they should priuately be holily occupied this is not to reioyce in the Lord for it is against the Lords will and commandement who hath giuen vs charge to rest the seauenth day So many other thinges in themselues are lawfull and a man may reioyce in them I meane recreations and refreshings of body or minde after labour but to spende whole dayes in them is euil also the fellowship of marriage and the liberty of eating and drinking but if we doe them without thanksgiuing without keeping a measure and moderation and if we reioyce in any of these actions though lawfull of themselues not banishing the sinnes that accompanie them in the world and obserue not a holy and a righteous manner in the doing of them neither doe them by faith all this our reioycing is vaine and wordly and not in the Lord because it is not with those circumstances obserued which he hath prescribed in his word But of all other the
worst sort is of them that reioyce in actions simply euill as in vncleane and filthy talking in swearing in drunkennes whoring and blaspheming of the name of God Reproue and rebuke those men for it Their answere is ready what may we not speake may we not bee merry Yes mirth is lawfull The Lord by the Apostle stirreth vp here children vnto it but marke to what mirth not that which is taken in the sore mentioned sinnes and other like vnto them but in the Lord. Complaine not therfore without a cause as if God were too strict and precise to thee to restraine thee from all mirth Here indeed is a restraint but it is from vngodly mirth from reioycing as I may say in euil thy ioy must not be vnchast dishonest sensual earthly beastly The Lord is bountifull enough to thee in lawfull ioyes vouchsafed vnto thee to take thy part in Learne therefore hence to try thy mirth for when thou art reproued for thy lewd mirth it is no sufficiēt excuse to say we were but merry For know that there is a double mirth a holy mirth and an vngodly mirth a mirth in God and a mirth in the deuill Try therefore and examine thy mirth of whether sort it is If it be in God First God is alwaies in the one ende thereof and the heart is lifted vp in praise and thanksgiuing to God but for other he wil bring thee to a straight account reckning Againe if thou wouldest know that thy mirth is in the Lord try and examine whether thou thy selfe art in Christ For none can reioyce in the Lord but he that is already in Christ Be the thing wherein thou reioycest neuer so lawfull obserue neuer so strictly the time and measure in it this thy ioy is but a prophane and carnall ioy and not in the Lord. Euen the very delight thou takest in moderate eating and drinking and recreation if it be not of faith as it cannot be if thou be not in Christ it is sinne and therefore not in the Lord. And by this we see that only the righteous man can be truly ioyfull The worldly and the carnall he may reioyce in lawfull things but he cannot reioyce lawfully but in a carnal and fleshly manner this ioy neither proceedeth from God nor tendes to God but resteth in the matter neither is it ruled by the direction of Gods words but is disorderedly carried by the sway of his profane and wicked heart And as I haue said that we must beleeue in Christ and know that our names are written in heauen before we can reioyce in the Lord so there are other signes whereby we may know it for it being a thing of such worth and excellency I thinke it good to set downe more euidences of it We shall therefore better know that our ioy is in the Lord if we loue God greatly that is more then all that is precious in the world for the perfection of loue is ioy and therefore be carefull to obey him and if we loue our brethren for his sake And further if we sigh to be vnburdened and long to be with Christ which is best of all for by our reioycing that we haue in Christ Iesus our Lord we die daily And therefore by daily growing more ready to die we doe well testifie the ioy that we haue in him Lastly if our ioy haue vnfained thankes and feruent prayer for the continuāce of it as her companions for so doth the Apostle require that it should be accompanied it shall well appeare that we reioyce in the Lord. And here an other thing shall not be out of season to signifie to the reader that while he is commanded to reioyce in the Lord he must know that it nothing derogateth from it to delight in the word of God which Dauid oft professed that he did and that it was more sweet to him then the hony to his mouth for the word and the preachers that bring glad tidings out of it are the instruments and meanes whereby we delight in the Lord. And when we are taught to reioyce in the Saints which are on the earth and such as excell in vertue it hinders nothing our reioycing in the Lord but furthereth it seeing they are heires of the promise of life with vs and therefore helpers of that ioy The same I may say of reioycing in a good conscience For that is a testimony of our reioycing in the Lord. These and the like concurre with our ioying in God and are all helpers of that ioy And so that remaineth still firme that he that will reioyce should reioyce in the Lord. Now I come to the time when and how long this our ioy is to be in God and that is alwaies the Lord so that we wil be contented but to limit our ioy within those bounds we haue seene is liberall and bountifull for the time he doth not stint and limit vs to any set and certaine time but he will haue vs to reioyce in him euermore Herein differeth the ioy of the faithfull from the ioy of the world that worldly ioy is neuer constant and perpetuall but euen in laughing as Salomon teacheth the heart is sorrowfull and the end of that mirth is heauinesse But the ioy of the faithfull flourisheth at all times and in all seasons it is like to the Laurell tree that neither winter nor summer casteth the leafe For this ioy hath continuall meanes to feed it withall neither can the righteous man if he consider it euer want cause to ioy and be merrie in God We haue seene the righteous man hath cause to reioyce in affliction and so much more hath he in prosperitie Hee hath cause to reioyce when he prayeth because God is neere to heare his prayer and when he readeth because he seeth God to speake to him in his Word and to giue peace vnto his conscience And so in euerie thing the righteous go about they haue cause to go ioyfully about it their calling especially be it neuer so base yea euen the poorest labouring men if they be Gods children they are then imployed in Gods businesse when they are about their calling he hath set them in the seruant when he is about his masters businesse he may reioyce in doing it For reade Ephes 6.6 you shall see that which their masters set their seruants about is called the will of God and that in seruing their masters with care and in a good conscience they serue God and Christ. And God will giue them a reward and pay them their wages for it They reioyce also when they haue occasion to giue and distribute for they are assured that what they giue to the poore and needie brother they giue to Christ and that in feeding him they feed Christ in cloathing him that they cloath Christ yea they reioice in death it selfe For they know it is not to them
The first and the most principall is by the reuerent heedfull and attentiue hearing of the word of God For that as it hath bin the principall meane of God to beget faith and to breed and begin this ioy in thine heart so is it the chiefe and soueraigne meane whereby God will both continue and encrease this ioy in thee for he hath giuen this charge to his seruants whom he trusteth with his word to reueale and to discouer daily in the preaching of the Word more plainely vnto vs the riches of his grace in the Gospell Now it cannot be but the more cleere fight we come to haue of the mercie of God in Christ the more our hearts must needs take ioy and pleasure in it Secondly by the preaching of the Word we haue not only the eye of our vnderstanding cleared and the mists and vailes of our ignorance remedied but our affections are also whetted on to a greater delight and ioy in the goodnesse of God alreadie knowne vnto vs. Our memories also are continually renued and refreshed when we heare the same or the like doctrine promises and exhortations iterated and repeated vnto vs. Would we therfore euer haue our ioy to continue fresh and flourishing then let vs neuer be wearie of hearing the word of God taught and preached vnto vs this was the seed of our ioy and this is that which feedeth it causeth it to continue grow and florish and without which it cannot but wither decay and die in vs. But besides the preaching of the Word the Supper of the Lord is very effectuall to this purpose For hereby these mercies the cause of all our ioy are brought not onely to our minds and memories which is done by the preaching of the Word but nearer yet euen to our view and touch and taste that we may after a sort euen feele them with our hands and see them with our eyes and taste them with our mouthes To this seale of the Word we should adde the daily and continuall reading of the Word and Scriptures of God For what are the Scriptures but as one well termeth them the letter of the Creator to the creature the letter of God vnto man If we be delighted in reading ouer many times the kind letter of some speciall friend vnto vs we cannot but much more ioy in reading so kind and louing writings of God vnto vs. But the word of God is more fitly as I take it in the Scripture called the will and testament of God For herein the Lord hath set downe what inheritances what bequeathes and legacies he hath willed and bequeathed vnto vs. Can we reade these continually carefully and attentiuely and not be moued to ioy No it is impossible For it is not in this Testament of God as it is commonly in the wils of men There though there be many and great things bequeathed yet in a few readings ouer a man may come to sound the bottome of them But the will of God containeth an endlesse and bottomlesse sea of riches that a man can neuer sound the depth nor reach the bottome of it Note If he could reade ouer the Bible ten thousand times euery time hee should find if hee reade it carefully and heedfully new matter of ioy and more causes of reioycing then euer he found before Practise therefore this dutie of reading oh how glad would many great Kings and holy Prophets haue been to haue had these holy bookes of Scripture to reade which we haue now and could not To haue had I say those bookes which we now haue and are contented to let them lie by vs the whole day or weeke and neuer looke into them They reioyced to reade continually the darke and obscure promises of the bookes of Moses and the Prophets but we scarce vouchsafe to reade the cleare and manifest declaration of the glorious Gospell of Christ as it is by the Euangelists and Apostles written and recorded vnto vs. Their care in this and our carelesnesse in reading the Scriptures is one cause why they in those darke and mistie times reioyced by faith to see the day â—f Christ to come and we scarce reioyce to behold the 〈◊〉 â—hrist past and recorded vnto vs. Yee are therefore all 〈◊〉 be exhorted that are desirous of this happines and ioy whereunto you are by the Apostle exhorted if yee can reade that ye take euen euery day if it may be some little time some quarter of an houre at least to reade something in the Scripture or some godly books which may make you the more ioyfull and merrie in God all the day and night after If ye cannot reade nor cannot get conuenient means to learne yet be carefull that your children or seruants may that at the least you may heare them reade I know men will be readie heere to find excuses Thou doest not vnderstand it thou wilt say when thou readest it or hearest it read This it may be true in part some things thou canst not vnderstand but many things and those that most directly serue to comfort to instruct and cheere thee are so plaine and easie that it is impossible not to conceiue them For therefore hath the Lord written the greatest part of Scripture not by men of deepe and profound learning but by shepheards and fishers and heardmen and tentmakers that the simplest man that is willing to learne might conceiue them and no pretence or excuse might be left to them that will not Againe thou wilt be readie to find excuses from the businesse of thy calling thou hast wife and children to care for and a familie to prouide for therefore thou must follow thy calling to prouide for them and maintaine them These are idle and cold excuses for what if thou hast not only thy selfe thy wife and children and familie to prouide for but haddest a kingdome to rule and to order the cares troubles and businesses thereof these are no sufficient excuses to exempt thee from the reading and the daily reading of the word of God Marke the charge that is giuen to the King Deut. 17. the end He is to haue the booke of God continually by him And what must he then do let it lye by him for a shew or for other men to reade in No he must reade in this booke And marke when Al the dayes of his life that he may learne to feare God and to keepe the words of the law and not 〈◊〉 from the commandements to the right hand nor to the 〈…〉 may prolong his dayes This duty that is there layed vpon 〈◊〉 King lieth vpon euery Christian he is to reade the word of God that he may obserue it and it may be well vnto him Ioh. 5.39 Christ speaketh it to all the Iewes Search the Scriptures which they must doe by the continuall reading of them And euery where our Sauiour Christ alleageth to theÌ„ the reading of the word saying Haue you not read what Dauid did and
as it should seeme they can keepe it well enough though they neuer sue and seeke to God for it the fountaine and author of it If they that haue continued a long time in Christs schoole should trie and examine how small proceedings they haue made in this Christian duty and search to finde out the cause of their so little profiting they shall finde by triall one maine cause to haue bin the neglect of prayer for so excellent a grace as this is Next vnto prayer the Apostle in the place before named addeth thanksgiuing For though we craue and beg neuer so much this ioy at Gods hands yet if he send vs ioy according to our desire and we be not mindfull to returne thankes vnto him he will withhold and withdraw his hand from giuing it to vs. God indeed hath bound himselfe to giue grace and to giue ioy vnto them that aske it but yet so that they be thankefull after without which thankefulnesse for benefits receiued they that come to God plainely declare that they pray not as they ought For when we pray for ioy or pray for any grace wee are not simplie to rest in the desire it selfe but our desire must aime at a further ende and that is that we receiuing these may praise and blesse God for them Marke the Prophet Dauid in the sixth Psalme in the thirtieth Psalme and in diuers others he desireth that the Lord would giue him life but he asketh not life simply that he might liue but because the dead cannot praise God here as the liuing doe And therefore desireth life that liuing he might praise God After the same manner is framed also the prayer of Hezechiah Esay 38. So therefore we are to pray for life that liuing we may praise God and pray for ioy that reioycing we may praise him we are not to aske life simply to liue but that liuing we may praise God neither are we to aske ioy simply for it selfe but that reioycing in God and in his goodnes we might haue cause and be the fitter to blesse God for it And thus if we come to God for supply of new ioy with thanks for the former obtained God is ready and willing to heare vs But seeing I cannot goe through all the meanes of preseruing our ioy at this time I will here stay for this time THE FOVRTH SERMON VPON THE SAME TEXT NOw to proceed where I left the next duty prescribed by the Apostle for the continuance and encrease of our ioy is That we quench not the Spirit Where by the spirit I take to be meant the good motions of the Spirit of God in our hearts For when these good motions caused in vs by the spirit are cherished the spirit of God is cherished and being cheared so he cheareth and filleth our hearts with ioy and annointeth vs with the oyle of gladnes On the contrary quench these good motions and thou quenchest the spirit of God which should cause this ioy in thine heart Therefore commeth there at any time any good motions into thine heart be carefull by all meanes possible to entertaine them to cherish and to make much of them So shalt thou make glad the good spirit of God and hee shall giue peace and ioy to thy soule But is this commonly practised Nothing lesse For as it was said of the Israelites fortie yeares long they grieued the Spirit of God so may it be said of the most among vs our whole life hath bin a continuall grieuing and prouoking the good spirit of God For which of vs can excuse our selues but that we haue had diuers good motions sometimes from others sometimes from our selues and yet we haue resisted them Sometimes we haue bin moued to heare the word of God yet either for some vaine pleasure or small profit we haue neglected it Many times we haue had a motion to leaue swearing cursing lying and some especiall sinnes we haue bin giuen vnto yet haue we not cherished these motions nay we haue banished them away and shut as it were the doores of our hearts against them No maruell therefore the spirit of God affordes vnto vs so scanty measure of heauenly ioy when we thus daily and continually grieue him when as fast as he kindleth any grace or good thing in vs we are readie to quench it and as it were to cast water vpon it Note If we will haue ioy we must make much of the Spirit of ioy that we shall doe if we neuer crosse any good motion but be readie with all cheerefulnesse and alacritie to foster and to cherish it in vs so that of a good motion it may grow to be a setled and a constant affection in vs otherwise looke for no ioy from that Spirit whom thou carest not to grieue Rather feare as iustly thou mayest that heauie sorrow or at least a deadly and senselesse numnesse will befall thee For experience hath shewed most fearefull examples not only of them that haue lost their ioy for a while but of them that haue died in most lamentable despaire by resisting these good motions and others that for all the time of their life with all the meanes they could vse were neuer able to recouer the feeling of their ioy againe lost by the resisting sometime of one good motion quench not therefore the spirit that is the good motions of Gods Spirit But yet if thou wilt keepe thy ioy remember and be carefull to quench another spirit that is all the motions and suggestiōs that he seeketh to put into thy mind For as the Spirit of God is the Spirit of ioy and being cheared by thee will cheare thy heart in God So Satan is a spirit of heauinesse and a spirit of despaire entertaine him and follow his motions and thou fallest into the way of despaire and heauinesse resist him and his suggestions and thou shalt both cheare the Spirit of God and free thy selfe from all that sorrow and heauinesse that the diuell seeketh to bring into thy soule Againe that thou mayest keepe thy ioy in God remember it is not sufficient for thee to keepe some kind of ioy and delight in good things but thy ioy in these things must be a predominant Note an euerlasting ioy For if thou suffer the delight of any earthly matter to possesse to occupie the chief place in thy heart thy true ioy is gone Herod he had some kind of ioy in hearing Iohn Baptists preaching whereupon also he did many good things but because his ioy was not predominant but the ioy of pleasures did exceed it which he tooke in his incestuous adulterie therefore he lost euen that ioy he had And this experience teacheth vs that the setting of our ioy vpon one thing remoueth it from other things he that hath his chiefe delight taken vp in his profit is the lesse set vpon pastimes he that is chiefly set vpon one pleasure is lesse bent vnto another But