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A04622
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A sermon preached at Henly at the visitation on the 27. of Aprill, 1626 Vpon those words of the 9. Psalme, vers. 16.
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Barnes, Robert, 1576 or 7-1639.
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1626
(1626)
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STC 1474; ESTC S114149
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18,363
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40
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of their obedience or disobedience to their wholsome doctrine Lastly most glorious persons may be full of deceit they that come in sheepes cloathing may be inwardly rauening wolues yea watchmen may be blind and dumbe dogs that cannot barke Es 56.10 and greedy dogges that can never haue enough from the prophets to the priests they may all deale falsely Ier 6.13 there may be a conspiracy of them in the medst of the Church Ezek. 22.25 As in the Trent Councell Yet thus farre I will hold with them that the person doth much commend the worke the Apostle said not in vaine Tim 2.3.14 Continue in the things which thou hast learned knowing of whom thou hast learned them that is God yea and it may be Me Gods minister who haue bene in thy soule by the spirit of power effectually concurring with my service Againe it puts you in mind the Church-wardens here assembled who as the hoâ—se of Cloe. 1. Cor. 1.11 this day by solemne oath are to present that sinnes may haue their iust censures RemeÌ„ber before whom you stand whose oath you take euen the oath of the Lord. Ex. 22.11 Non considerandum cui sed per quem iuras saith Ierome Take heede then on the one side of spleene that you doe nothing malitiously so your accusation may be iust your affection vniust and in doeing that ye shall sinne which ye had sinned in not doeing Ille dat poenam tu amisisti laudem he may be punished but thou shalt not be praised On the other side of conniuence and partiality for there is an Omnia benè Latine too well knowne to the vnlearnedst that swallowes vp all vanities Drunkenesse vncleannesse swearing profanation of the sabbaoth goe abroad all the yeare before and when the visitation comes either the presentment is packt vp with some recusants names or otherwise with an omnia benè as if there were no recusancy in good manners this is not charity that couers sinne but a miserable indulgence that cherisheth sinne In the Creation there was an omnia benè God reuiewed his workes and they were exceeding good Gen. 1. in our redemption there was an omnia benè He hath done all things well he hath made the blinde to sea the lame to goe heere was an omnia benè indeed but neuer any since If any thing may vrge you to a sincere discharge hereof me thinkes it should be the consideration of what followes in the next circumstance Iudgment The Lord is knowne to execute iudgment Verbum hoc iudicij vtinam nemo transiret sine iudicio I will says one that no man would slight over this word Iudgment In the Ciuill law the title de iudicio is a great title much studied but among Christians it were to be wished it were much more that it ever resownded in our eares arise ye dead and come into iudgment In the scripture this name is diversly vsed somtimes for wisdome to discusse and discerne things doubtfull Giue thy iudgments to the king Psal 72.1 somtime for a moderation in punishing Correct me O God yet in thy iudgment Ier. 10. somtime it signifies the cause or controversy to be iudged occasioning Esay to reproue the Elders of Israell because the widdowes cause came not before them they promoted it not but put it off from day to day to gratifie their oppressours Somtime the word of God it selfe is called Iudgment 119 Psal either because God in his word as a iudge pronounceth what he would haue done or for that it containes nothing but what is iust or that therby we shal be iudged accquitted condemned SoÌ„time the office of iudgment publicke government Deu. 1.16 Lastly the punishment itselfe So shall thy iudgmeÌ„t be 1. kings 20.40 the daughters of Sion shall reioyce because of thy iudgments Psal 48.10 take it in what sense you please either for wisdome to discerne or moderation to punish or the cause it selfe or the square of iudgment or the offices of iudging or punishmeÌ„t still iudgment belongs to God though I must confesse most properly and peculiarly in this place it implies Punishment the rather because of the next word executes hauing its due reference to iudgment Many are the sinnes of a people and therfore manifold are Gods punishments Ezek. in his 14. cap. from the 13. v. forward summes vp foure iudgments Famine Warre Pestilence Evill beasts 1 Famine comes riding on a pale horse killing with hunger and death somtimes clad in a roabe of immoderate raine and showers drowning the worlds plentie and the earths provision somtimes bearing on her shoulder heavens of brasse and treading vnder her feete the earth of iron Pale and leane she is more then the picture of death mors in illa as well as mors in olla nay more genus miserabile Lethi When God who giues to man the breath of life shall denie bread to maintaine life when winter shal be turned to summer summer to winter when a man shall rise early and eate the bread of carefullnesse and at night be to care for his bread sow much bring in litle the haruest litle but the labourers many when one plants another waters God denies the increase is not this a great iudgment Yea and a threefold sin amongst many hastens it first swearing and forswearing that the very earth mournes because of Oathes Ier 23.10 there was a famine in the daies of David what is the cause and they did break their oath 2 Sam. 21.1 Do not men now slight an oath is it not as common as words yea a common accuser says Austine is a common forswearer Secondly the neglect of gods worship wherof the Iewes were so guiltie and punishments brought on them for not repairing the temple Now if the materiall temple and his ceremoniall service caused such displeasure to arise what will the contempt carelessenesse of his reasonable service presse him to The tribes went vp to the temple it was Gods expresse commaund the frequenting of the tabernacle Exod 23.17 So that publique meetings for his worship are not as some would haue it a Iewish ceremonie or ambulatory to cease with the law and that temple but omninò perpetuum altogether permanent in Christs Church neither counts he himselfe as well serued by sitting in a chimney corner though with devotion as when we are praying and praysing his holy name in the place allotted for his worship A third sinne is the wasting of Gods creatures so that in respect of mens vnthankfullnes and some lauishing of them God takes them away In quo quis peccat Hee makes the punishment answerable to the offence The drunkard shall be cloathed with ragges Prov. 23.21 a louer of pastime shall be poore 21.17 the whore shall he bring to a morsell of bread Secondly war rusheth forth riding on a red horse vnbridled carrying all things by force of armes not lawes A time wherein Pirrhus regards not the aged head of Priamus nor yet the sacred altar whereto he flies a time
mercy I beseech you againe and againe take notice of this nâ—glect â—ay if it may be with your owne and your officers eyes noâ— referring this reformation to church-wardens but that a more immediate execution both vpon our gentry and inferiours may bring God to be â—â—eâ—y knowne and knowne in his Saints and so I come to my last part and end of all these executions in iudgement that God may be knowne and acknowleâ—g'd God is knowne Austin reades the words thus Notus est Dominus propter iudicium quod fecit Ierome thus Agnitus est Dominus iudicium faciens the vulgar thus Cognâ—scitur Dominus â—ud câ—afâ—ciens and our last translation thus Nâ—tuâ— se facit Iehovah iudicio quod exercuit but intenâ—ing one and the same thing that the Lord God hath is and will be knowne by executing iudgement Two words shall dispatch all first a Quomodo how next a Quando when The Quomodo how God is knowne will appeare in the practise of a threefold duty For as one well saith Iudicia Dei sunt commendanda formidanda meditanda Gods judgements first are to be praised and admired The Lord is righteous in all his wayes and holy in all his workes they are to be praysed in respect of their greatnes strangenes goodnes Abyssus abyssum inuocat O the deepenesse of his wisedome knowledge how vnsearchable are his iudgements and his waies past finding out Rom. 11.33 We see the effect not causes the middle not the end David that numbred the people is spared and the people numbred are destroied the prophet seduced is slaine by a lion and the lying prophet that seduced him escaped a theefe is saved at the last gaspe and Iudas an Apostle condemned Caesar that hath the worst cause sâ—cceedes best Pompey that hath the best cause yet speedes worst Gods enemies flourish and are exalted when his freinds mourne and weepe One would thiâ—ke the word of God prevalent in beating downe enorm ties faster then Sathan could raise them so that where the gospell abounded sinne should not superabound and yet this glorious sunne hath not dispelled all those foggs and mists which haue surged from hell But if the sun cause such a stinke i'ts a signe some dung-hill is nigh let it reflect on a bed of roses there is all sweeâ—nes These presidents occasion some to despaire of others to deny Gods providence but let vs alwaies say Righteous art thou O Lord and iust are thy iudgements His iudgements are sometimes secret sometimes manifest alwaies just One while he punisheth in this life and in these like courts least there should seeme to be no providence others remaine vnpunished least there should be thought to be no ensuing iudgement Secondly Gods iudgements are to be feared If men listen not when he speakes by his word ministers mercies certainely he will be knowne by his iudgements Pharaoh first askes in a kinde of scorne quis est Dominus but after vpon sight of his judgements then digitus Dei est hic this is the very finger of God and againe The Lord is righteous but I and my people are wicked Ex 9.27 The most wicked haue trembled at judgements Baltashars countenance changed at the hand-writing in the wall and Felix at Pauls preaching of righteousnes temperance iudgement to come But if they quake not imputing all to blind chance and fortune it shewes they haue an atheisticall and irreligious heart euen worse then the devills who as St. Iames saith beleeue and tremble Whereas the truely sanctified with David cry out one while from my youth vp till now thy terrours haue I suffered with a troubled mind another while as it is towards the end of the 119 Ps O let my soule liue and it shall praise thee and thy iudgements shall teach me Now last of all Gods iudgements are to be pondered by frequent meditation which in mid'st of tribulation yet comforts the deiected strengthens their faith encreaseth hope I considered thine euerlasting iudgements and received comforts saith the Psalmist But out alas how farre are we from this serious thought how little vse returne we to our soules by these occurrences We haue beene smitten indeede and the hills haue trembled and our carcases haue beene torne and throwne to in the streets for all this Gods anger is not turned away but his hand is stretched out still Es 5.25 Surely the reason of all is our sleight passing by these iudgements not so often seasoning our retired'st thoughts as there is just cause The wofull occurrences of times haue but the same working in men which a stone hath when it falls into the waters Falling in it maketh a great noise and stirrer the wates very much one waue begets another for a good pretty space at last the motion growes weaker and weaker and the water returnes to his former smoothnes so we heare of diverse fearefull accidents at the first comming we are much moued it runnes from man to man with much swiftnes but on a suddaine when this first addresse is past the matter dyes we are as we were and the iudgement leaues no impression God grant the last yeares plague for want of serious plunging our thoughts hath not found vs this yeare as proane to worke wickednes with greedines as before And thus much of the Quomodo how God is vsually knowne The Quando remaines the time when God thus manifests himselfe Hugo the Cardinall on this Psalme mentions a threefold day Wherein God is knowne to man the day of tribulation of death and the last iudgement He is knowne to some for their salvation wherevpon saith the wise man of the wise man that he sees the plague and auoides it facile laqueos euadit in terris qui habet oculos semper in coelis saith the Glosse But to others for their destruction they fall as a bird in the snare God then is knowne of his seruants here more priuately but hereafter to the whole world more publiquely Luther on this Ps also writes how the Lord is knowne two wayes First outwardly by punishing the vngodly and preseruing the righteous Secondly inwardly through the terrifying of conscience Shall I abridge all into one sâ—mme Iudges â—e e haue their courts and are knowne in them so God hath three courts to be knowne by 1. of session 2. of conscience 3. of the generall assize This of session is for penalties on our bodies goods good name either in our selues or others Though I will confesse the end of his punishments in this kind is not only for sinne but as in the blindmans case that the glory of God also might be manifested Ioh 9. If herein man chance to escape and this court of outward penalties take such little or no hold on him yet in the second place there will arise perplexities of conscience God is the iudge in this court the conscience the witnes the Devill the accuser the law the triall the deede the euidence the person the prisoner Tell me not of peaceablenes