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
not beare his plaine dealing and reproofes neither could he beare their hypocrisie and rebellion And Ieremy had almost beene like Manlius in giving over upon this ground Then I said I will not make mention of him nor speake any more in his name Chap. 20. 9. But he recovers himselfe his word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones and I was weary with forbearing and I could not stay Heathens may but beleevers cannot quite give up their worke because of the contradiction of sinners And hence he becomes a man of strife For in the close of that verse he shewes that he had avoided all other occasions I Ier. 15. 10. have neither lent on usury nor men have lent to me on usury as if he had said I kept my selfe exactly within the bounds of my calling I have not troubled my self or this people with any other matters I have not entangled my selfe in any of the affairs of this life which 2 Tim. 2. 4. he expresses by the Synecdoche of not lending upon usury and yet he was a man of contention On the same termes we have many men of contention at this day But as it was commanded Ieremy by the Lord in that Chapter ver 19. so may we say to these for all the clamours of men Let them returne unto you but doe not you returne unto them For doe they strive against sinne It is their duty Doe they oppose error they are called to it Doe they beat downe superstitious vanities God commands it Can they not beare evill It commends them to God To agree with men thus were to conspire against Christ Such peace on Earth is warre with Heaven And we may answer all men who would have us quiet with evill as that Sword did to those who said unto it O thou Sword of the Lord how long Ier. 47. 6 7. will it be ere thou be quiet put up thy selfe into thy scabbard rest and be still How can we be quiet seeing the Lord hath given us a charge against Askelon and against the Sea-shore of Babylon there he hath appointed us He hath given all his people a charge against iniquity against every evill there hee hath appointed them And may this Sword and Bow of all the upright in heart be like the bow of Jonathan and the Sword of 2 Sam. 1. 22. Saul not turning backe nor returning empty from the blood of sinne-slaine and from the fat of our mightiest corruptions both in Church and Common-wealth Let me therefore close this Doctrine with Exhortation Vse 3 to all in your severall places beare not them that are evill this impotency is your strength for God and this impatience your holinesse Beare not evill in your Governments in your Families in your Children in your Servants in your friends that are as your owne soules no nor in your own souls But let this word be to You especially even to You of the Great and Honourable Assembly who are the called of God and the King and the chosen of this whole Nation Your great worke for God for the King for the whole Nation is to finde out and take away both things and persons which are evill Let your Acts testifie before Heaven and Earth that you cannot beare them It was a noble resolution of the Israelites who were no sooner informed that their Brethren the children of Reuben and Iosh 22. 11. the children of Gad and the halfe Tribe of Manasseh had built an Altar on the borders of Iordan but presently they resolve to fight against them They will not Ver. 12. beare them in this though their Brethren the reason was because as the Morall Law taught but one God so the Ceremoniall taught but one Altar and therfore a second was insufferable And had not their answer V 13 14. Ver. 21. to the Princes sent in Embassie satisfied them that they meant it not for Sacrifice doubtlesse they had taken deepe revenge in that quarrell of God And let me beseech you this day to take up the like resolution and speedily to execute it against every Altar yea every thing about Gods worship whose Authours and abetters cannot give as good an account for its beginning standing and continuance as those Reubenites did for that I hope I have seasonably moved you this day of your Fast to resolve on this For the Prophet tels us this is Gods Fast Is not this the Fast that I have Isa 58. 6. chosen To loose the bands of wickednesse to undoe the heavy burdens and to let the oppressed goe free and that yee breake every yoake Those things then which are bands of wickednesse resolve now to loose them whatsoever is a heavy burden resolve to undoe it when 1 King 21 9 â—0 IejunioruÌ„ dies insumebantur in reconciliando Deo maleficijs tollendu et jure dicendo Iunius in loc you are shewed any yoake that is not of Christs making resolve as in the sight of God this day to breake it That so all the bands being loosed the burdens undone the yoakes broken every one that is oppressed may goe free It was a custome among the Iewes upon the very day of their Fast to enquire after publike offenders This was the reason why cursed Iezabel to put a face of holinesse upon murder caused a Fast to be proclaimed that she might slay innocent Naboath pretending that he had blasphemed God and the King Change the persons and the president in the maine is very imitable It is a good part of a Fast-duty to judge those to stoning some legall punishment who doe indeed cast stones of blasphemy either at God or Kings And so in a proportion to judge any evill doer Againe I exhort to this the removing of evill as the most proper method of doing good If the body naturall be distemper'd it is to little purpose to be at the charge for Cordials and Restoratives untill the noxious humours be purged and carried away No man will bring in goodly furniture into his house untill the dust and rubbish be swept up and cast out I doubt not your approbation nay who hath not seene your practise of this course for the restoring of the body politicke and the Adorning of Gods house his Church whose house are we even as many as hold fast the confidence Heb. 4. 6. and rejoycing of the hope firme unto the end Lastly I exhort to the removing of these burdens the evils of sinne least wee provoke God to lay other burdens upon us more blessed be his name then hee hath done yet of the evils of punishment They that will beare the former burdens shall beare the latter whether they will or no Be they persons or Nations We have heard heretofore such out-cryes against some faithfull Ministers as Amaziah made at Court against Amos. The Land is not able to beare all their words Wee have just cause to feare Amos 7. 1. that the Land will
not bee able long to beare all their workes who made this cry if they be borne The burden of Gods wrath will sinke a whole people together who are willing to beare the errours and vanities of one another At least our children may beare the sin of this generation in bearing their sin as the children of the Israelites did their Fathers sinne Of whom God speakes Numb 14. 27. How long shall I beare this Generation Your carkasses shall fall in the Wildernesse v. 32. And your children shall wander in the wildernesse fourty yeares and beare your whoredomes their Fathers dyed and they carried their Fathers sinne fourty yeares and were so long debarr'd the possession of the promised Canaan If we should as they prove false to Christ our carkasses may fall and our children may wander who knowes how long in a wildernesse of trouble and distraction bearing this spirituall whoredome of ours before they shall be admitted to the Canaan of a setled condition Therfore to conclude all doe not this great this dangerous evill The Bearing of them that are The Bearing of that which is evill Beare not Oppressors and Merchants rather then Stewards of Justice in the State Beare not Buyers and Sellers Money-changers rather then Ministers in the Temple Beare not the Seates of those who have sold and vext Doves but have spared Crowes and admitted uncleane birds to nestle there Beare not ignorant idle Idoll-Shepheards who feed themselves and not the flocke Beare not sonnes of Belial who make men abhorre the offerings of the Lord. 1 Sam. 2. 12 17. Beare not prophane Atheists blasphemous Swearers swinish Drunkards filthy Adulterers bloudy Murtherers false Witnesses in any corner of the Land Beare not Idolaters who change the truth of God into a Lye and Rom. 1. 25 worship the creature more then the Creator or the creature with the Creator who is blessed for evermore Beare not a Graven Image nor the Maker nor the Adorer of it But defile all the Coverings of the Graven Images of Silver Isa 30. 22. and the Ornaments of all the molten Images of Gold cast them away as a menstrous cloth say unto them with amighty voice a voice hath been heard as the voice of many waters already But say it now with a mighty voice even the voice of a great thunder Get ye hence Beare not superstitious Rev. 14. 2. Innovators who are all for mixtures in the worship of God Whose minds are corrupted and they have a mind to corrupt others from the simplicity that is in Christ. 2 Cor. 11. 3 The Gospell and the wayes of it are not Simple as Simplicity is opposed to depth of wisedome for therein is made knowne the manifold wisedome of God But as simplicity Eph. 3. 10. is opposed to mixture As in Philosophy we distinguish between simple and mixt Bodies so in Divinity we may between simple and mixt Ordinances Every thing the more simple in this sence it is the more excellent it is and more free from corruption And God who infinitely excels All is most Simple He is Ens Simplicissimum Simplicity is his first Attribute I heare the Heralds have a rule amongst them That the most simple Bearing is the most honourable Bearing Coates full of Devices shew a meane Descent I am sure the simplest Worship is fullest of Honour A Religion full of devices could never nor ever shall prove it hath often attempted to purchase a Pedigree from Heaven Then beare not mixing Innovators Neither beare the old mixtures the old Leaven which was left in the first reformation Take away the names of Baalim the Remnants of Superstition that they may no more be remembred by their Name Hos 2. 17. Consider and consider whether you should beare that which hath been groaned to you as a burden by many by most Petitions from all the Quarters of the Land I meane plainly Our present Frame and Constitution of Church-Discipline and Government But let this come to Tryall Though Ephesus had not the patience to beare them or those things which were evill yet Ephesus had the patience to heare and try those who said they were good though upon the debate it appeared they were not Thou hast tryed them which say they are Apostles and are not and hast found them Lyars This is the second great worke specified about which Second worke of the Text. that Church laboured and exercised their patience And should now be discussed but I will onely hint at those three particulars which the words hold forth concerning such tryals First The necessity of them None either persons or things although they pretend divine Authority ought to be admitted without tryall For here such as said they were Apostles were found Lyars Who remembring Eph. 5. 8. 1 Cor. 13. 9. Mat. 24. 24 Acts 20. 29 30. 2 Pet. 2. 1. 2 Cor. 18 13 14. Mat. 24 24 that all men by Nature are darknesse and that the best are but in part enlightened That Christ and his Apostles have prophecyed False Christs and false Apostles shall come and that the worst men shall come in the best shapes A Devill will transforme himselfe into an Angell of Light That these false Teachers are many and that they shall have many Followers their Art being so exquisite that it will deceive if it were possible the very Elect Who I say taking in these thoughts will not conclude the necessity of a Tryall though Ius divinum be the plea. Secondly the words hold forth the justice and equity of such Tryals Such as pretend divine Authority ought not to be rejected or condemned before Tryall Thou hast tryed them which say they are Apostles It is most reasonable that so high and sacred a plea as that should be fully heard Prejudices and suspitions bare reports and accusations miscarriages and ill successes cannot single or all together beare out the rejection of any thing or person before Tryall which claimes by Divine right Thirdly the words hold forth the fruit and benefit of such Tryals Due tryall will quickly discover those who are but pretenders it will unmaske hypocrites Thou having tryed hast found them lyars As the Furnace to mettall or the Ballance to coyne such is due Tryall to men it will shew what is Drosse what is Light I say due Tryall will shew it For if you bring a light peece to a false beame it will returne for currant Then it must be a due tryall due for the Nature of it not a Tryall of Curiosity but of Sobriety not of Temptation but of Disquisition Due also in regard of the Rule it is made by Not by Tradition not by Custome not by Councels not by that which is usually called Antiquity Iosh 9. 4. The torne Garments and mouldy bread of cunning Gibeonites will not prove them come from the far countrey Some things are so old that they are the worse for it Like the Gibeonites bread they mould Truth doth not so It