By the maine truths M. F Rom in his great Oracle saith he found in the whole Scripture the single and scattered places which make some shew of disproportion to the whole must be expounded and resolved Or if the way of reconciling them be doubtfull and difficult as who can deny but the infinite wisedome of the Creator may far exceed all the wisedome of the creature those places may stand as secrets not understood but they may not breake in peeces that body of truth which we finde by joynts fitly and proportionably ioyned together in the body of Scripture Seeing then the command of God the practise of all good Kings Magistrates Ministers and people according to their severall places recorded in Scripture are cleare that evill persons as limited and explained must not be borne This or the like Texts may not be interpreted against them but by them One Scripture often expounds but never contradicts another The point carries in it first a reproofe and conviction Vse 1 of those who will by no meanes beare the infirmities Ro. 15 1. of the weake which in duty they ought But can well enough beare the iniquity of the strong which in duty they ought not If a tender conscience did but scruple a Ceremony or but stop it may be at some of their yester nights dreames a late upstart Innovation Such were cast in their opinion presently and it may be it would not be long before they heard on 't as persons intolerable as men not to be borne But as for idle ignorant blinde covetous Shepheards these were no burthen to some and too much borne by all As for swearers drunkards scoffers at that which is Religion indeed prophaners of the Lords day these were no burdens they were the companions or followers of some and too much borne by all even there where they are the greatest burden of all at the Lords Table As Neh. 13. 24. for professed Papists and such as were Popishly affected Who like that impure off spring in Nehemiah spake half in the speech of Ashdod and could not speake in the Iewes Language but according to the Language of both people these were no burdens to some and too much borne by all the men of that Generation Yea what discernable paines did some take to make them light enough for all to beare Had not some studied a complyance and accomodation with Rome Had they not almost beaten out a middle way which yet would have proved no better then that broad way which leads to the chambers of everlasting death What a cry was there by some for peace and unity And why Not that Ierusalem might be a City Ps 122. 3. compacted or at unity within it selfe as the Psalmist speakes which ought to be not onely the prayer but the earnest endeavour of us all and is one of the most desireable and comely things in the world But that Ierusalem and Babylon Sion and Sodome might be compacted and at unity one with another Hence their blending of truth and errour of superstition and holy worship Hence their mincing and mangling our Doctrines and Tenets and handling of controversies as if they handled thornes which they were afraid to touch Hence their gentle dealing with errour and speaking Popery so faire What could all this portend but a hope yea a designe that at last unrighteousnesse and peace might embrace that truth and a lye might kisse that light and darknesse might mingle that Christ might have communion with him whom our Fathers called Antichrist and we beleeve he hath given us no cause to mend his Titles Gen. 49. 15. Surely that which was prophecied of Issachar in reference to civill burdens will be the History of such men in reference to spirituall they crouched betweene two burdens and bowed their consciences to beare and were angry with all that bowed not with them possibly for Issachars reason too though I judge no mans intentions because they saw that rest was good and the Land that it was pleasant Good Hezekiah once offered himselfe to beare any burden of fine or ransome 2 Kin. 18. 14. that he might purchase his peace with the King of old Babylon I have offended saith he return from mee that which thou puttest upon me I will beare We have cause to feare that some men have offered to beare much and lay downe great prices for the purchase of peace with the King of new Babylon It is a good bargaine to buy truth with the expence of peace but it is a miserable an undoing a breaking bargaine to buy peace with the expence or rendering up of any truth though without question peace is a richer commoditie then should be bangled away upon trifeling niceties or the crochets of Schoole-men Such as are properly called Dissidia Scholarum non Ecclesiarum Secondly this truth wipes off that false and scandalous Vse 2 aspersion which is so commonly cast in the faces of the best as if they were the people whom the Psalmist Ps 68 30. describes that delight in warre as if they were all for troubled waters and the fire of contention as if they were indeed like Solomons froward man that soweth strife Yea Pro. 16. 28. some will not feare to fasten that wickednesse upon them which God by his Propher justly charges upon those Hypocrites Yee Fast for strife and debate yee Is 58. 4. pray for strife ye preach for strife ye consult for strife And what is taken for the occasion of all these hard speeches which ungodly sinners as S. Jude speakes Iud. v. 15. have spoken against them Nothing but their answerablenesse to the duty of this Text They cannot beare 1 Kin. 18. 17. them that are evill Elijah was traduced for the Troubler of Israel only because he could not beare idolatrous Priests and Idol-worship The Prophet Ieremy was accounted a man of strife and a man of contention to the Ier. 15. â—â— whole Earth A man of strife there is much in that expression Christ was called a man of sorrowes to note the multitude of his sorrowes or as if he had bin compos'd Isa 53. 3. of all kinds and degrees of sorrow Antichrist is called a man of sinne to note him Merum scelus 2 Thes 2. 3 as Beza gives the emphasis of such forms of speaking a man made up of wickednesse or evill in the abstract So when Ieremy was called a man of strife it sets him forth for a common Barretour the veriest wrangler in a Country As if he were another Ismael his hand against Gen. 16. 12. every man and every mans hand against him And how got he this stile Only because he could not beare the prophanenesse of some and the will-worship of others His service among the Iewes was in this sence like that of Manlius Torquatus among the Romans who gave it over saying Neither can I beare their manners neither can they beare my government The Iewes could
magnificent for Christ When we spare no cost 1 Sam. 24. 23. nor sticke at any price to serve Christ and his Church or Christ in his Church If we shal be rewarded thus for cold water from the spring which can hardly be called ours what shall we be for warm water froÌ„ our browes bodies given to a disciple in Christs name If we shall be thus rewarded for water what shall we be for our bloud shed for the name of Christ When for Christs sake we labour and sweat and dye to do good for others When to Christ and to his people in his name we give our time and our strength our sleep and our meats our comforts and recreations our credit and our estates our liberties and our lives When Ahasuerus read in Hest 6. 1 2 3. the booke of the Records of the Chronicles how Mordecai had discovered a treason against his person The King enquires what honour and what dignity hath bin done unto Mordecai for this It seemes if the King had thought on or read him sooner he had rewarded him sooner God hath ever in his eye all the Records and Chronicles of your good workes he reades your journals every day and when he meets with any that have done or spoken aright for him he enquires what honour what dignity hath been done for this man If none hath been done he will doe it himselfe if any thing hath been done he will doe yet more He that honours 1 Sam. 2. 30. me I will honour Who would not worke for thee O King of Nations Who would not worke for thee O King of Saints None shall lose a word no nor a thought for Christ Wherefore as the Apostle concludes so shall I this first Doctrine My Beloved Brethren 1 Cor. 15. last be ye stedfast unmoveable alwayes abounding in the worke of the Lord forasmuch as you know that your labour is not in vaine in the Lord. And this leades me on to the first part of the Gradation observed and approved by Christ in their works The laboriousnesse of them I know thy worke and thy labour Laborious working in a good cause is very pleasing Doct. 2 unto God God is not unrighteous to forget your worke Heb. 6. 10. and Labour of Love Where we have the same Gradation in the same words and there not to forget is to delight in God is himselfe a pure Act and he loves to see man Active And the more active we are the more like we are to God and therefore the more liked of God Likenesse is the ground of Love He makes his Heb. 1. 7. Angels or messengers Spirits and his Ministers a flame of fire Spirits are the most active creatures living and fire is the most active creature without life Fire is the most operative Element and flame is the most operative part of the fire No sooner had man received his being but he is put to labour to serious labour though not to consuming labour The Lord God tooke the man Gen. 2. 15. which he had made and put him into the Garden to dresse it and to keep it No sooner was man fallen but he was put upon sore consuming labour In the sweat of thy face shalt Gen. 3. 19. thou eat thy bread Sinne brought in sweat and now not to sweat increases sinne It is a part of our holinesse to submit to that which was a part of our curse The idle man is Satans Agent and the laborious man is Gods Not but that Satan hath nimble hands and heads in his service Satans idle man is he that will not doe the worke which God sets him he is ready enough to toyle like a horse in the worke his owne lust sets him He will not worke in the Garden of some honest imployment or not there honestly and all this while he is idle though he sweats and breaks his sleep because he doth not a stroake of Gods worke Of such an idle man it is chiefly said Diabolus quem occupatum non invenit ipse occupat He imployes whom he finds not well imployed On the contrary Deus quem occupatum invenit ipse occupat God imployes them whom he finds well imployed He found Moses labouring on the plaines among his flockes and sends him to Pharaoh for the deliverance of his people He finds Peter and Andrew casting a Net into the Sea and he saith follow Mat. 4. 18 9. Eccl. 9. 10. me and I will make you fishers of men Then heare the counsell of the Preacher Whatsoever thy hand findeth to doe doe it with all thy might To doe and not with the might we have is to doe nothing We live no more then we worke and we worke no more then we labour As idlenesse is the buriall of our selves so unlaboriousnesse if I may so speake is the buriall of our workes without diligence they not onely flat but dye upon our hands There are some whose very businesse is idlenesse and there are many who are idle in their businesse Seest thou a man diligent in his businesse Pro. 2â— 29. Rom. 12. 11. saith Solomon Not sloathfull in businesse saith the Apostle To be slow in businesse is ill but to be sloathfull is farre worse An industrious man is often wearied with working but he is never weary of his worke Spontaneae lassitudines morbos loquuntur is an Aphorisme Hip. Apb. of Physicians To be weary when we know not why foreshâ—wes diseases of the body I am sure it is an Argument of a diseased soule The heart of the sluggard is like the field of the sluggard overgrowne with Pro. 24. 30 weeds They who worke for Christ should imitate Christ in his worke for us I must worke the workes of him that sent Ioh. 9. 4. me saith Christ There is an Emphasis in that expression 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 As they speake in Ieremy Come Ier. 18. 18. let us devise devises against him Which notes strong plotting to mischiefe the Prophet so to worke a worke notes the strong intention of Christ upon it Many doe rather play their works then worke their works And it is observed that as mean men play so commonly rich and great men worke but for recreation Christ who had unsearchable riches in himselfe and in greatnesse was Gods Fellow will yet worke a worke for us Shall we thinke any labour too great for him Christ by his own labour in your cause when your foules lay a bleeding hath out-bid all the labour you have or can bestow in his cause now his Church lyes a bleeding I know Honourable and Beloved you have often dined upon businesse so did Christ My meat is to doe the will of Ioh. 4. 34. him that sent me and to finish his worke I know you have laboured in the midst of many crosses but Christ laboured for us upon the Crosse I know you have wrestled with many difficulties but Christ for your sakes wrestled
Exod 5. 20 21. Aaron who stood in the way as they came forth from Pharaoh and they sayd unto them The Lord looke upon you and iudge because ye have made our savour to be abhorred in the eyes of Pharaoh and in the eyes of his servants to put a sword into their hands to slay us They thought he would undoe them quite and while he attempted to recover their liberty would endanger their lives Againe they expostulate with him at the Red Sea They said Exod. 14. 11 12. unto Moses because there were no graves in Egypt hast thou taken us away to dye in the wildernesse wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us to carry us out of Egypt Is not this the word that we did tell thee in Egypt saying Let us alone that we may serve the Egyptians For it had been better for us that we should serve the Egyptians then that we should dye in the Wildernesse How angry were this people with their begun deliverance how did they preferre bondage before it and put this miracle of mercy among yea below their greatest afflictions What patience almost could beare this but who could beare it without patience Further in the second place they who worke for Christ shall be sure to meet with reproaches slanders and oppositions from professed enemies When Nehemiah labours to restore Ierusalem he is slandered Neh. 2. 19. with rebellion What will you rebell against the King cry Sanballat and Tobiah and Geshem the Arabian In a sence we may say of this reproach as Hierome of heresie it is such as doth not become a man to be patient under it None ought to be so patient under it as not to vindicate his loyalty yet every one ought to be so patient under it as not for feare of such aspersions to forsake his duty Nehemiah confutes the slander not by desisting from his worke but by the fairenesse and integrity of his worke By that time patience hath digested this or the like reproaches you must looke for scoffs So in the same place They laughed us to scorne saith good Nehemiah and derided us Neh. 4. 2 3. In the fourth Chapter they are jeering againe What do these feeble Iewes Will they fortifie themselves will they sacrifice will they make an end in a day Will they revive the stones out of the heapes of rubbish that are burnt Even that which they build if a Fox goe up he will even breake down their stone-wall Words as full of scorne as prophane wit or rancoured malice could make them And the weight of these scoffs did lie so heavy upon the spirit of Nehemiah that he could not ease himselfe but by breathing Heaven ward Heare Neh 4. 4. ô our God for we are despised Woe be unto those who by scoffing set Nehemiah's a praying Scoffs were never any match for prayers nor ever will be There is no greater argument of a desperate cause nor clearer prognostick of ruine to such then when they begin to deride For though the patience of men may and ought to beare even this yet the patience of God will not When scoffers whet their tongues then assuredly God is whetting his Sword Once more you have need of patience for when you have borne reproach and detision daily then looke for contrary plottings and opposition The Histories of Ezra and Nehemiah are so full of these that I referre you to the whole What raising of Parties What hiring of Councellors What Letters to the Court What bribing of Nehemiah's near friends to take them off could doe was done in opposition of his designe And while God hath such a worke to doe and men have such corruptions in their hearts and the Devill such temptations in his hand the like will be done againe And if so O Patience Patience who can doe any thing for Christ without thee Wherefore let patience have a perfect worke otherwise Vse you can never bring your workes to perfection In patience Iam 1. 3. Luk. 21. 19 possesse your soules As faith gives us the possession of Christ so patience gives us the possession of our selves An impatient person is out of his owne power his parts and abilities are as lost to him he cannot use them Neither is there any nearer way to our owne ends and comforts then patience First wait patiently on God For the Lord is a God of Iudgement blessed are all they that Isa 36. 18. wait for him You will say there might be blessednesse indeed in vvaiting upon a God of mercy But hovv can vve be blessed in vvaiting upon a God of Iudgement Is there any Motive in Judgement to invite attendance I ansvver First Iudgement is not here taken as opposed to Mercy but as opposed to severity and rigour O Lord correct me but with iudgement not in thine anger lest Ier. 10. 24. Ier. 30. 11. thou bring me to nothing To correct in judgement and in measure are the same Iudgement is the moderation of anger It is a blessed thing to wait on him who we are sure makes reason not rage the rule of his Actions who holds every passion in the Golden Bridle of Moderation Secondly judgement is here taken for equity as it is opposite to injustice either in not punishing the wicked or in not relieving the good That man is blessed who waits upon a just Judge with a just cause Thirdly judgement is here taken for wisedome as Iudgement is opposed to folly and weaknesse of understanding It is a great burthen to wait upon a foole but we can easily stay for the resolutions of the wise who we are sure have the compasse of a businesse in their heads and are skilled in timing and ordering every circumstance How blessed then are they who while they worke for can wait upon this God of judgement whose moderation and justice and wisedome are such as will not suffer him either to doe any thing before the set the fit time come nor to stay the doing of it one minute after Hence the Church is brought in admiring God and rejoycing that shee had waited on him None ever repented of this patience Loe Isa 25. 9. this is our God we have waited for him and he will save us This is the Lord we have waited for him we will be glad and rejoyce in his salvation The words have a sound of victory and triumph in them It should seem the enemies had mockt them as they did David with their God Where is now your God They had it is Ps 42 10. like blasphemously scorned them concerning the true God as Elijah did Baals Priests justly concerning that I doll when it delayed to help them either he is talking or he is pursuing or he is in a iourney or peradventure 1 King 18. 27. he sleepeth and must be awaked At the noise of this blasphemy the Lord awaked as one out of sleep and like Psal 78. 65 66. a mighty man that shouteth by