applying of the heauenly doctrine of the word of God And indeede this is heere set downe as a true fruit of our loue to the word as the loue of the word is made a true fruit of a godly man for as it is impossible a man should be truely religious and feare God yet haue no sound loue nor delight in the word of God so is it likewise impossible a man or woman should truly loue the word of God in their heart that seldome or neuer bestow any paines in the serious and earnest meditation of the same Dauid calls God to witnes that the loue he bare to the law of God was exceeding great when he said O how do I loue thy Law Psa 119.97 And in the same verse he seemes to proue the same to God it is my meditation continually which indeed is a note of true loue to be euer thinking of the thing beloued And in very deed the carefull and diligent study the often and earnest meditation of the word of God is the very life and strength of all our worship and seruice of God for if men should reade much and neuer meditate it would doe them no good if men should heare much often neuer meditate they should be little the better If men should pray much and often and neuer meditate they should finde small comfort If men come often to the Sacraments and doe not before and after meditate of the Couenant of grace they should not receiue much good thereby so that you see that Meditation is all in all it puts life to our reading hearing praying receiuing and without it al our reading hearing praying and receiuing will stand vs in small stead For without this Meditation this Lawe that is the word of God will eyther in time be forgotten whereby wee shall become vnmindefull of it or else it will prooue as a Talent hid in the ground vtterly vnfruitfull vnto vs for this Meditation indeed is the third steppe of a true conuert The first is to heare the word of God readily the second to remember it diligently and the third to Meditate on it seriously and this is compared to the Chewing of the Cud Deut. 14.6.7 which is neuer found in the vncleane but in the cleane beasts True it is that hearing and reading the Word will beget knowledge but Meditation is the speciall meanes to worke vpon the affection for else all our knowledge shall onely be in generall idle and swimming in the brayne which may well bee called braine-knowledge but no heart-knowledge but by serious Meditation wee doe applie that wee heare to our owne selues in particular laying the Doctrine to our owne hearts applying it to our selues to comfort our sad soules to humble them for our sinnes and to square our liues thereby that wee may in all things keepe a cleare conscience before God and man The Lord giues Ioshuah a straight charge to doe thus Let not the Booke of the Lawe depart out of thy mouth But meditate therein day and night That thou mayest obserue and doe according to all that is written therein for then shalt thou make thy way prosperous and thou shalt then haue good successe Ioshua 1.8 and Deuteron 6. vers 6.7.8 And thus the seruants of God haue been much exercised in meditation and thereby haue growne woonderfull not only in knowledge but in practise as we may see in Dauid Psa 119. who tooke great delight in Gods Lawe and made it his meditation continually And of Isaac it is reported that hee went out into the fieldes in the euening to meditate Genesis cha 24. This reprooues the common fault Vse 1 in the world that most men vtterly neglect this duety seldome or neuer settle themselues to meditate in the Lawe of God and his heauenly Doctrine It is hard to finde a man or woman that makes any conscience of this duetie to set themselues apart and set themselues in Gods presence to call to minde that they haue heard and learned to applie it to themselues in particular to humble them or to comfort them And this is the cause why most men hearing and reading so much as they haue yet profit so little in knowledge faith repentance and obedience They can be content to heare the word preached and taught and it may be now and then to reade a chapter but to thinke vpon it to ruminate vpon the word of God and as it were to chew the Cudde to call the same to minde againe to applie it to themselues to labour to profit by it this they cannot indure this they care not for For if men did carefully meditate of the things they heard and read how could they be so ignorant in Gods word as most be So voyde of knowledge faith repentance humilitie zeale patience and the like gifts and graces which accompany godlie and holie meditation For bookes of Statutes men wil not only haue them in their houses but at their fingers ends but Bible they haue none And if they haue it lieth vpon the deske or table and they reade it not And if sometimes they reade yet they neuer meditate thereon This may admonish all men as Vse 2 they loue their owne soules to make more care and conscience of the performance of this duetie to call to minde that wee doe heare or reade to thinke and muse vpon it to chew the Cudde to lay it to heart yea and to applie it to our owne soules and consciences in particular This is like the rumination or chewing of the Cudde to lay it to bee found onely in the cleane beasts whereas they which chewed not the Cudde Deuter. 14 6.7 were vncleane This is the marke and propertie of a godlie and Blessed man whereas the not doing it is the marke of a wicked vngodly man Let vs then remember that we make the word of God our Meditation continually Many men meditate much some in one thing and some in another as they are led by fond affection some thinke of honours some of pleasures some of riches some of one thing and some of another And of these they doate and dreame talke and speake continually But heere wee are taught another lesson namely that our mindes must especially be set vpon the word of God that must be our delight and the ioy of our heart 3. Point The last point in this Verse is the circumstance of Time namely not by fittes But the godly man keepes a continuall course in the study and meditation of the word of God so as hee setteth apart some time for the worship and seruice of God at least twice a day to meditate and study in Gods Booke Hence wee learne that euery one Doctr. 4. A godly man sets some time apart euery day for Gods seruice that will liue a godly life and so please God that he may find comfort to his owne soule and be blessed in the end must set some time apart euery day for
ingrafted into Iesus Christ Psal 92.12 Math. 7. doth by vertue of his Resurrection bring forth the fruit of faith and obedience both to God and man In due season that is in time conuenient when it may best seeme for the glory of God and the good of our Neighbour Thirdly by a contrary property that her leaues doe not fall that is in time of Winter and stormes her leaues fall not And this is a signe of our perseuerance that the godly man is not offended nor daunted with crosses persecutions or afflictions or any other calamity whatsoeuer but doth by patience possesse his Soule and by faith wades as it were throughout all these dangers Secondly the happinesse of a godly man is described by that blessed successe that God giues to all his affaires hee takes in hand It shall prosper because hee takes them in hand according to Gods commandement and in his feare with prayer and calling on the name of the Lord Ioshuah 1.8 to the glory of God and the good of his Neighbour Wicked described In the second part of the Psalme the Prophet descibeth the most miserable and cursed estate of the wicked and vngodly verse 4 5. That it is cleane contrary that as their waies and liues bee contrary so their reward and end is contrary The Prophet describing the cursed and miserable estate of the wicked saith first It is not so with them that is the wicked and vngodly men are in a far contrary estate and condition they cannot in any case bee compared to a tree that is planted by the riuers of waters that brings forth her fruit in due season and whose leafe doth not fall neither do they prosper in their actions neither doth GOD giue successe vnto them But hee setteth out the cursed and wretched estate of all wicked and vngodly men by a contrary similitude comparing them to Chaffe which the winde driues away That is euen as chaffe hath no roote in the earth and wanting all iuyce and norishment must needes bee fruitlesse and dry so as the winde doth most easily scatter it away Euen so the wicked are not rooted nor grounded in Christ whereby it comes to passe they being vtterly void of all grace of Gods Spirit that they can bring forth no fruite of good workes neither can they perseuere in time of temptation whereby againe it comes to passe that they be carried away with euery blast of vaine doctrine and with the least storme of temptation and blast of aduersity they are tossed to and fro And when the wind of Gods iudgements shall blow vpon them they are cleane scattered away This is their estate and condition heere in this life And for their estate and condition in the life to come the Prophet layeth it downe likewise verse 5. in these words They shall not bee able to stand in Iudgement That is they shall not bee able to stand with comfort before the face of the Iudge Reu. 6.13 but shall tremble and quake as not being able to endure the angry countenance of the Iudge Neither is this all but they shall likewise bee seuered and secluded from the blessed company of the godly That as heere in this life they could not abide a godly man but did hate him persecute him and shunne his company So at the last day so iust shall their reward bee that they shall bee separated from them And as Goats cast on the left hand Mat 25.34 there to remaine for euermore in torments which are easelesse and remedilesse Neither the sinners in the company of the iust that is in the company of those that bee iustified and reconciled to GOD in IESVS CHRIST which shall then inherit the Kingdome prepared for them Hitherto wee haue opened the first part of the Psalme containing the estate and condition of a godly and a wicked man here in this life and in the life to come The secōd generall part of the Psalme NOw followeth the second part of the Psalme in the last verse containing the confirmation of that doctrine And that our Prophet doth by shewing the efficient cause both of the happinesse of the one and the misery and wretchednesse of the other The first efficient cause of the happinesse of the godly man is in these words Because the Lord knowes the way of the righteous That is he likes loues and approues of it so as hee doth direct and blesse it And therefore it shall prosper And the cause why the estate of the wicked is vnhappy and their way shall perish is because the Lord doth not know their way that is hee taketh no delight in the way or the life of a wicked man hee loues it not so as hee should direct and prosper it And therefore it shall perish And thus much for the meaning of the words now let vs come vnto the Doctrines VERSE 1. Blessed is the Man that hath not c. BLessed is the man or Oh the Blessednesse of that man or as it is in the Originall Oh the blessednesses of that man They seeme to bee the words of a man musing and meditating with himselfe wherein mans blessednesse should consist As if hee shold say some pronounce him blessed that is in honour some count them blessed that haue aboundance of riches some that liue in pleasure some place it in one thing some in anothe But Oh the blessednesse of that man that feares the Lord that is truly religious of the godly and righteous man Hence wee learne rhis Doctrine Doctr. 1. The godly man alone is blessed That of all men vnder Heauen the godly man alone is blessed and the vngodly and wicked man is cursed The righteous man a happy man in the sight of God when the wicked is wretched and miserable This doctrine is very apparant in the word of GOD It is the scope and drift of the whole Scriptures to proue this one point That the godly man is blessed and the wicked man is cursed Psal 112. Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord and delighteth in his Commandement Psal 119.1 Blessed be they that bee vpright in their way and walke in the Law of the Lord. Psalm 32. Blessed are they that keepe his testimonies and seeke him with their whole heart Againe Psalm 37. Blessed is the man whose iniquity is forgiuen and whose sinne is couered Blessed is hee to whom the Lord imputeth no sinne and in whose spirit there is no guile Reade the seuen and thirty Psalme which seemeth to bee penned of purpose to confirme the euerlasting truth of this Doctrine That the godly are blessed and the wicked are cursed and this blessednesse of theirs doth not reach onely to this life but also to the life to come according to that of the Apostle Godlines hath not onely the promise of this life but also the life to come 1. Tim 4.8 Yea if wee obserue the course which the Spirit of God taketh in the course
as much familiaritie and shew as good a countenance to the worst and make them as welcome as the best be they what they will be Papists or Atheists yea let them bee as prophane as Esau hee is notwithstanding for their company but by this meanes they do little thinke that they do hazard both faith and a good conscience and cause the godly themselues to suspect them that they are but prophane And indeed it cannot otherwise bee but if they themselues did make any conscience of sinne they would likewise make conscience of the occasions of sinne whereof what can bee worse then lewd company who are ready to make a mocke at euery good dutie and whose nature is to haue other men to runne into the same excesse of ryot with themselues 1 Pet. 4 4. yea when a man or a woman hath some good things in them as to loue the word of God to like of Gods faithfull Ministers to delight in prayer c. In comes a wicked man and breathes out his poison seeking by bad counsell and lewd perswasions to disswade them and draw them backe Oh you loue the Minister too much he wil make you precise you need not to take such paines but take your libertie what need you bee afraid of them Oh when such wretches step in and thus poure out their lewd counsels and perswasions what doe they else but draw men to perdition especially when they do deale with such as be young Christians but comming on in the wayes of godlinesse And when they speake that to great Personages who by nature are most inclined to libertie O what le ts are these to a young Christian in the wayes of godlinesse And when the Lord leaues a man or a woman to listen to such cursed counsell Note it is a great signe that the Lord loues them not So it is said that the Lord left Absolom that hee should not receiue the good counsel of Achitophel because the Lord would destroy Absolom So it is said of Rehoboam that he listned onely to the counsell of his young men because the Lord would bring his iudgements vpon the house of Salomon This should admonish all men to take heed of such kind of men as the Vse 2 very limbs of the diuel and the messengers of Sathan who seek to draw men from God from Iesus Christ and from a godly life to stoppe our eares at their lewd and damnable counsels not to heare them nor to listen to them yea if it lie in our power to remoue them and to banish them our presence as the greatest enemies of our Soules and the messengers of the Diuel seeking to peruert and poison our poore soules to put our mouthes out of taste and to make vs dislike those that are sent of God who ought to bee most deare vnto vs. Obiect It will bee here obiected whether it be not lawful vpon some occasion to be in their company or to haue dealing with wicked men Respons Answ In some case it is lawfull as thus First that it bee onely for necessitie as that we cannot auoyd it in ordinary matters of this life vnlesse we should go out of the world secondly that we haue a due calling thereunto thirdly that we be not silent at the committing of sin but that euer we shew our dislike of their vaine courses and lastly that we labour with out selues to bee grieued at their sinnes as Lot was at the Sodomites In the counsell of the wicked c. THe original word signifies such wicked men as are neuer quiet in their mindes but euermore musing and deuising some mischiefe which they may vtter and practise as occasion serues And in this note the very propertie Doctr. 3. Wicked men are euer deuising of mischiefe of a wicked and gracelesse man He is neuer at rest but still plotting and deuising some mischiefe against God or good men This we may see by diuers examples 2. Sam. 16. Achitophels coūsell was esteemed like as one had asked counsell at the Oracle of God The like we may see in Herod when hee heard of the birth of Christ Math. 2.7 as of a new-borne King what policy did hee vse to destroy the Sauiour of the world The Scribes and Pharisees Math. 26. how carefully did they consult and take counsell together against Christ to put him to death yea they brake their sleepe about it Ier. 18.18 When the Iewes could not endure Ieremie to preach plaine and to tell them of their sinnes they therfore by and by say thus Come let vs deuise and imagine some mischiefe against the Prophet of the Lord Let vs smite him with the tongue Let vs take no heede nor giue any eare to his preaching Hest 3. So Haman deuiseth how to put Mordecai and the Iewes out of fauour by deuising a most vile accusation So Deog that blacke mouthed Dog 1. Sam. 22.9 Dan. 3. deuiseth how to accuse Dauid to Saul So those wicked Rulers did deuise to inuent some mischiefe against Daniel And the Prophet Michai sheweth that it is an old practise of wicked men to deuise wicked things In the Primitiue Church the enemies of Gods children that persecuted the Christians deuised this shamefull slaunder That they worshipped an Asses head c. So in these dayes it is manifest that the Diuell stirres vp wicked men to accuse Gods children to deuise slaunders and false accusations against them The Diuell hath one Doeg or other to accuse Dauid to Saul to thrust him out of fauour and to bring him into disgrace And when as they can say nothing iustly against them then they beginne to deuise how they may raise vp some false report or other to smite them with the tongue And the reason of this is because they are foolish and ignorant For they not knowing the Lord nor vnderstanding his waies aright but being in this respect worser then the Oxe that knoweth his owner And the Asse that knoweth his maisters Cribbe as the Lord doth complaine of them they cannot but doe as S. Paul did in the time of his ignorāce Esay 1.3 euen oppose themselues against God and his children And for this cause the Lord doth make his mone for the foolishnesse and ignorance of his people as of the wel-spring of all their rebellions against him in these words For my people are foolish they haue not knowne mee they are foolish children and haue none vnderstanding They are wise to doe euill but to doe well they haue no knowledge Vse 1 Seeing wee are taught here what is the nature of wicked men namely that they haue in them a restlesse desire to peruert the wayes of the godly and to doe some mischiefe This must teach vs first of all to deale wisely and warily with them least wee bee corrupted by them Wee are here set as vpon a hill or a stage and professing Iesus Christ a small spot will bee seene in our garment