the power of God to saue that is the instrument by which hee powerfully saueth Though therefore thou hast not power to settle thine own hart by giuing saith vnto thy selfe yet thou hast no cause to be discomforted for by praier vnto God and by study in the word of GOD it is obtained at his hands These are the conditions betweene God and man which God requireth where he forgiueth sins three in number One that concerneth most directly thy selfe that is repentance renewing thy heart to hate sinne and to loue vertue and reforming thy life to slie sinne and practise vertue A second that concerneth most directly thy brother that is charitie and compassion to forgiue vnto him the wrongs done vnto thee to comfort him and to doe good to him as thou wouldest that God should forgiue vnto thee the wrongs that thou hast done vnto him that God should comfort thee and doe good vnto thee A third that concerneth most directly God himselfe reuealed vnto vs in his sinne Iesus Christ namely our faith that wee neither thinke basely of the mercy of God nor of the merite of Iesus Christ as if there were some person that it could not releeue and thy selfe that person and some sinne that it could not do away and thy sinne that sinne And now maiest thou vnderstand what it is that causeth so many to perish in their sinnes and how it commeth to passe that so few are saued when yet without exception of any sinne the Lord Iesus commandeth and by commandement giueth leaue to aske and hope to obtaine forgiuenesse of sinne and likewise without exception of anie sinne God the â—…ather of our Lord Iesus Christ promiseth to forgiue sinne First they haue no caâ—…e of repentance to forsake sinne yea with delight they dwell in it liue in it and die in it and they will rather forsake God and renounce heauen then leaue their pleasant and gainfull sinnes Secondly they haue no care of charitie and compassion to their neighbour they regard not the rest the credit the prosperitie the peace and safetie of their neighbour and being full of pride of wrath and furie they prosecute the least wrong till they be reuenged Thirdly they regard not to know how ample the Lords mercie is and the death of Christ and doctrine of saluation are foolishnesse to them they pray not for faith and they stoppe their cares against the word of God And hereby it commeth to passe that they perish in their sinnes not that their sinnes are so great that they cannot bee pardoned or God so mercilesse that he will not pardon them or Iesus Christ so defectiue in his mediation that he hath not done and suffered enough to discharge them but themselues are so carelesse so prowd so contemptuous so desperate that they will not leaue to sinne they will not loue their neighbours they will not know God but they will goe on in their courses like them whom Ieremie complaineth of saying They are all adulterers and an assembly of rebels and they bend their tongues like their bowes for lies but they haue no courage for the trueth vppon the earth for they proceed from euill to worse they haue not known me saith the Lord. This is the cause why they perish And here maiest thou vnderstand how to reape the benefit of the leaue that Christ hath giuen thee by his commandement to aske forgiuenesse of thy sins how to reape the benefit of the promise that God hath giuen thee to grant forgiuenesse of sinnes First forsake the sinnes that haue been so chargeable vnto thee and hauing already found the reckoning to be so heauy vnto thee diet no more at the Ordinarie of fleshly lusts where the soule must pay for it in hell and the inheritance waste that God hath dearely bought for thee And finding how great need thou hast of mercie and forgiuenesse to keep thee from being eternally miserable Learne to bee tender hearted toward thy brother and afford him thy forgiuenesse that thou maist obtain the same measure of mercy at the hands of God And let it bee the chiefe of thy daily studies to vnderstand more cleerely then yet thou dost how infinite and boundlesse the mercie of God and the merit of Christ his bloud is In the word of God thou shalt finde these things And while thou are occupied with desire in these studies faith in the mercies of God will grow apace and in a short time bring thy conscience to that happy quietnesse that S. Paul speaketh of saying Being iustified by faith wee haue peace toward God through our Lord Iesus Christ. Thus is thy feare growing from the multitude of them that perish and from the small number of them that are saued notwithstanding the commaundement of Christ giuing leaue to aske forgiuenes and the promise of GOD offering forgiuenesse shewed to bee an idle feare if thou wilt haue care of these conditions vpon which God granteth forgiuenesse of sinnes CHAP. XXII BVT heare againe the afflicted conscience breaketh out into grieuous complaintes and faith If these be the conditions required where sinnes are to be forgiuen I must neuer looke to grow vnto any agreement with God for the forgiuenes of mine for I haue not one of these three things in me For first I want repentance sinne aboundeth in me and whether I hate it or no I cannot tell though I know I haue no cause to loue it that proueth now so grieuous vnto me And secondly I hold my selfe to be void of loue to my neighbour I feare least I shall enuie other men their happy peace of conscience and their happy hope of saluation and that standeth not with loue And sure I am that I haue hurt them oft with the vniust act of my sinne and haue grieued and offended them with the vngodly example of my sinne And these things haue no agreement with loue And as for faith of all three it is furthest off If dispaire could obtaine forgiuenes of sinne I should soone speed for I am not far from that but if saluation must be apprehended by saith I am most far from it for I haue litle or no faith the present feare that I am in is directly opposite to faith This is the miserable condition of this burden that they which are pressed with it doe quickly apprehend and too well remember any thing that may increase their feare but they are dull too apprehend and doe soone forget any thing that might giue them comfort If this troubled sinner could but remember while the three conditions were spoken of what was said vnto him why hee should not be discomforted at the hearing of these conditions as if they or any one of them did breed impossibilitie of obtaining forgiuenes of sinnes he would not now make this fâ—…uolous obiection But let vs helpe his memorie that when God shall be pleased to looke gratiously vpon him his feare may be remoued for the ease
by Esay When you shall stretch out your hands I will hide mine eies from you and though ye make many praiers I will not heare for your hands are full of bloud By bloud he meaneth soule and bloudie sinnes my hands are full of this bloud for my sins are many therefore if I should lift vp my hart with my hands vnto god in the heauens he will neither behold the stretching out of my hands nor heare the desires and grones of my heart Also I find this saying of the Prophet set down as a rule that shall stand Your iniquities haue seperated betweene you and your God and your sinnes haue hid his face from you that he will not heare Iniquitie seperateth between God and vs I am full of iniquitie therefore there is a wall of seperation shutting him out from mee and mee from him And sinne causeth him so to turne away his face that hee will not heare but I am guiltie of innumerable sinnes therefore God hath hid his face from me and â—…ee will not heare How then can I pray seeing I haue no God that will lend any eare to my praier Secondly I haue no mediator in whose name to pray and for whose sake I may hope to be heard when I pray For men and Angels whom some do make their mediators are no mediators the Apostle saith There is one God and one mediator betweene God and man which is the man Christ Iesus This saying excludeth all other mediators And the only mediator the man Iesus is no mediator for me for I haue denied him and he hath said Whosoeuer shall denie me before men him will I also denie before my father which is in heauen And I am sure that I haue denied him before men if not in words because these daies of peace haue giuen me no cause so to doe which I know I should haue done if daâ—…es of persecution had vrged me yet I haue denied him by my deedes The Apostle hath this saying of the men of his time which is most true in mee They professe they know God but by workes they denie him Hee may bee denied by vngodly workes but I am ful of vngodly workes therefore haue I denied him before men And hauing thus denied him hee must and will denie me before God So haue I no mediator Thirdly if I should offer to pray I must pray without any promise but so to doe were to pray idly for then only doe men pray according to the will of God and with comfort to be heard in their praiers when they ground their praiers vpon the promises of God But I neuer tooke heede to the promises of God and at this time I cannot call them to remembrance and if I could call them to remembrance I were neuer the better for God is not bound to performe his promises to any but to them alone that out of their loue to him striue to keepe his commandements For Moses thus speaketh of him Thou maiest know that the Lord thy God he is God the faithfull God which keepeth couenant and mercy vnto them that loue him and keepâ—… his commandements euen to a thousand generations If any loue not the Lord out of his loue to keepe the commandements of the Lord hee can make no claime to the couenant of God or to any promise of his neither is God bound in his truth and faithfulnesse to performe any promise to him but such a one am I that haue not loued the Lord nor out of loue studied to keepe the commandements of God but haue broken them all therefore I haue no promise to ground my praiers vpon and for that cause I cannot pray Fourthly I know not how to pray how to begin and how to make any proceeding and if at any time I incline my heart to pray I am disturbed I know not how and other thoughts draw away my minde While I thinke to aske forgiuenesse of sinnes my minde runneth out into a wilde remembrance of my sinnes with much pleasure to thinke vpon them While I thinke to pray for grace to assist mee against the power of sinne the lusts of my heart call backe my thoughts and I am deuising how I may compasse it to commit sinne and my will wholy inclineth that way While I thinke to pray for the inheritance of heauen my loue to this world carieth away my minde and I am studying how I may winne the pleasures and preferments thereof And euer my good desires that should lead my minde are crossed and put downe by my bad desires and I cannot raise vp or if I raise it I cannot hold vp my heart to God and holy things with any staiednes I know what is requisite vnto praier by the Apoâ—…les words Pray alwaies with all maner supplication in the spirit and watch there unto with all perseuerancâ—… If I pray it is with my lips I doe not make supplication in the spirit and to watch vnto praier that is diligently to attend with all the powers of my soule without either drowsinesse fainting or wandering of my thoughts is most farte from me And being so vnskilfull and so vnable to pray how can I pray to preuaile by my praiers And lastly which is my greatest mischiefe when I thinke to pray or when I doe pray or when I haue praied there is something within mee that giueth mee my answer assoone as I haue praied and sometime before I haue praied and I am farre from attending vpon God till hee doe giue mee answer as if I did not pray vnto God but rather vnto my self The Prophet Dauid saith Wait patiently vpon God and hope in him the meaning whereof I take to be this when we haue shewed our desire vnto God in praier and supplication that then we should hope in him to receiue a gracious answer and wait patiently for that answer till it please God to shew vs mercy in his appointed time I doe not so I haue neither hope nor patience to wait vpon his hand but mine owne heart maketh answer without God And that answer is alwaies a negatiue answer a flat deniall a plaine repulse So that I haue lesse hope and lesse comfort in and after my praier then before I praied and where others finde themselues much eased in heart after they haue by praier powred out their desires into the lap of God I am much more troubled esteeming euen my praier to be turned into sinne all these things together make me most vnable to pray This is a grieuous obiection but in framing this obiection the troubled sinner fareth like a blinde man in an vnknowen house who wandering without â—…guide goeth hee knoweth not whether and stumbleth often vpon the same threshold so doth he in seuerall branches of this obiection stumble at the same offences that haue beene answered and taken away before But let vs lend â—…and to bring him into the way First he aâ—…th he cannot pray because
but thou hast beene able in body to stand vnder thy burden and to performe many good seruices in thy calling and he hath not smitten thee in thy children friends and goods with the rod of patient Iob but thy estate remaineth safe thy friends are cheerefull about thee such mercies of God haue accompained thy affliction and ministred comfort vnto thee in the time of it And in these things one part of that promise deliuered in Gods name by the Apostle hath beene performed vnto thee God will not suffer you to be tempted aboue that you be able He himselfe that sent the temptation gaue thee strength to beare the temptation and vnto this day thou bearest it though not without griefe yet not without hope Why then shouldest not thou withall cheerefulnes hope and pray that God would performe vnto thee graciously the other part of that promise but will giue the issue with the temptation c Doth not the Apostle when he giues vs that promise in Gods name vse a preface to perswade our hearts to hope for it and pray for it commending God in whose name hee giues it by the title of faithfull saying God is faithfull that will not suffer you to be tempted aboue that yee be able Hope then in that faithfull God pray vnto that faithful God who hath already approued his faithfulnesse in performing vnto thee theone part of his promise and as he is true and faithful he will hauing freely bound himselfe performe his whole promise and giue an issue of thy temptation and thou shalt liue to ouercome it And heere I will acquaint thee with an holy rule which God obserueth in the temptations of his seruants which rule offereth hope of deliuerance from thy greeuous temptation before death The rule is found in Deuteronomie where Moses speaking to the people of Israel and remembring their wearie wandring through a roaring and terrible wildernesse and the many heauie accidents that in that wildernesse came vnto them saith that God led them that way to humble them and to prooue them that he might doe them good in the latter end Gods meaning was after a hard beginning to bring them to a comfortable end when they were first humbled and prooued And very meete it is that Gods seruants should bee humbled and it is right in God to prooue his servants whether they loue the Lord with all their heart and will indure with patience his good pleasure and whether they will cleaue vnto him in danger and put their trust in his mercies and this proofe is best made by crosses and troubles for this cause doth God send troubles to his seruāts whom he loueth but alwayes with a reseruation in his good purpose to do them good in the latter end Apply this vnto thy selfe It was fit that thou shouldest be humbled to acknowledge thy selfe before God to be dust and ashes and laden with iniquitie to humble thee in this sort God hath sent this crosse doe thou therefore humble thy selfe vnder the mightie hand of God that hee may exalt thee in due time It was fit that thou shouldest be prooued that thou mightest see thine owne strength to bee but rotten◅es and dust and that thou mightest shew thy loue thy patience thy faith in God that it might appeare whether God or thine owne case were dearer vnto thee and whether thou wilt glorifie him in aduersitie as thou ma◅ kest shew to doe in dayes of peace and prosperitie and thus to prooue thee he hath sent this temptation therefore now shew thy selfe a man shew thy selfe a Christian shrinke not from God murmure not at his visitation suffer with patience and pray in faith and be constant vnto the end And hee that hath brought thee into this temptation as it were into a roaring wildernesse to humble thee and to prooue thee will surely doe thee good in the latter end Surely this rule offereth vnto thee comfortable assurance that before the end of thy dayes thou shalt see an end of thy temptation and such an end as shall bring thee more ioy then thy affliction doth now breed thee griefe But say that death do take thee away before thou hast ouercome this temptation and thou fearest it may doe so grounding thy feare vpon two reasons one is the possibilitie of it thou maiest die presently the other is the danger of it thou thinkest that then thou shalt die in infidelitie and without faith if this danger were not the possibilitie of dying and death it selfe whensoeuer comming could bee no iust ground of thy feare for the Patriarks and Prophets yea Christ himselfe the Sonne of God and his holy Apostles died and all the Saints of God die And it can not bee hurtfull to any that is so common to all except there be some speciall danger annexed to it that makes it hurtfull to one that is not hurtfull to an other This danger thou saiest is thine infidelitie And thine infidelitie and want of faith thou proouest by the qualitie of thy temptation which thou takest to be directly opposite to faith and the banisher of all faith If therefore it shall appeare that though thou die before thou hast ouercome this temptation to thy liking yet thou wātest not faith in Christ euen faith vnto saluation then there is no cause of feare Indeede this temptation argueth a roote of infidelity to remaine in thee for seeing the Lord Iesus hath borne our sinnes in his body vpon the tree and in bearing them hath taken them away and hath washed and cleansed vs in his bloud and seeing God the father of our lord Iesus Christ receiuing satisfaction in the sacrifice of his Sonne hath by an irreuocable word promised to forgiue our sinnes and to remember our iniquities no more and these things both concerning the meritorious sacrifice of Christ and concerning the faithful promise of God are knowne and haue been made knowne vnto thee Surely this temptation of accusing thoughts would long since haue receiued an answere if there had not beene some roote of infidelitie remaining in thee to giue continuall nourishment vnto it But because there is some infidelitie in thee doth it therefore follow that there is no faith That is not so there may be both together either in his measure and degree Doth not Saint Paul tell vs that in himselfe at the same time there was one power which he calleth the Lawe of his minde leading him to God and to the loue of his lawe and an other power which hee calleth the lawe of his members leading him from God and leading him to sinne his words are I delight in the law of God concerning the innerman but I see another law in my members rebelling against the law of my mind and leading mee captiue vnto the lawe of sinne which is in my members Can anie things bee more opposite one to an other then these two lawes of the mind and of the members either striuing to draw
So did the Apostle Paul wish vnto himselfe when hee expressed his minde in these words Desiring to be loosed and to bee with Christ which is best of all And the same Apostle speaking of the death of all the faithfull saith in this wise Wee know that if our earthly house of this Tubernacle be destroied wee haue a building giuen of God that is an house not made with hands but eternall in the heauens Here is the change of the soules dwelling from a ruinous house on earth to an eternall house in heauen Afterward the same Apostle saith Wee are bold and loue rather to reâ—…one out of the body and to dwell with the Lord. Here is the change of the soules company on earth it conuerseth with mortall men in heauen it dwelleth euer with the immortall God This is all the hurt that death can doe vnto vs if this were to be called hurt it bringeth the body to rest in the graue and it bringeth the soule to present glorie with God and all the dangerous deadly and killing power that originally it had by any confederacie with sinne all that is taken away by the death of Iesus Christ. And if it were sometime to be feared as a poisoned serpent of the olde serpents brood yet it is so spoiled by that serpent that was lifted vp vpon the crosse that it hath neither tooth nor sting nor any poison left to hurt any beleeuer Heare to this purpose the words of Saint Paul O death where is thy sting O graue where is thy victorie the sting of death is sinne and the strength of sinne is the law but thankes be vnto God which hath giuen vs victorie through our Lord Iesus Christ. Death therefore cannot be hurtfull to the beleeuer And if while he liue he take such order and find such fauour that God will be pleased in Iesus Christ to send him a discharge of his sinnes by faith in his sonne he hath no cause after death to feare the reuiuing of his accusation though the legions of lying diuels whose malice makes them accusers of the Saints before God should altogecrie out against him as Saint Paul teacheth vs saying Who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods chosen it is God that iustifieth who shall condemne it is Christ which is dead yea or rather which is risen againe who is also at the right hand of God and maketh request also for vs. Thou hast no cause to feare death or any thing that followeth death if while thou liue thou returne to God and recouer his fauour in Iesus Christ for there is full discharge against accusation condemnation both in this life and after this life in the free loue of God and most meritorious intercession of our Lord Iesus Christ. CHAP. XXXI THE storme is ouer our afflicted sinner by this time seeth no cause any longer to dreame of terrifiing death and were it not that one dâ—…am of bitternes disseasoneth the comforts of life that God hath lent vnto him he should grow to some reasonable temper But one thing hee hath cause to complaine of and let vs heare him that we may vnderstanding his griefe be the better able to helpe him Hee telleth vs of a heauie case his sleepe he saith is not quiet but mixt with fearefull dreames at his table his minde taketh in more sad thoughts then his mouth doeth bits of meate the voice and face of his old acquaintance and former friends doeth now reuiue his greefe so oft as he doeth either see them or heare them the fairest roomes of his house which he had trimmed vp for his delight if hee come into them doe strike him with grieuous terrour and all those things that hee delighted in before are new matter of sorrow and heauines vnto him and it is his onely content though without to sit alone in darknesse This hee taketh to be some curse of God folowing him and an euident signe of Gods iust and fearefull anger following him for what should make Gods good creatures other mens comforts to be discomforts to him but the onely displeasure of God To this I answer that it is very likely that it is so and will continue to bee so with him so long as this burden of accusing thoughts lies heauy remaining vpon his wounded conscience It is a very kindly effect of it that hath growen out of it and wil vanish with it Thou sleepest catest with a wounded heart and hence it is that while thou sleepest and eatest thou still feelest the smart of thy wounded heart Thy ancient friends and former woonted delights appeare vnto thee now when thou art not fit to take pleasure in them as before time thou didst and that maketh thee at the present to be the more troubled thinking vpon thine old liberty now lost And the things prepared for thy pleasure while thou wert capable of pleasure in the contrary disposition of thine heart bent altogether to feare and sorrow doe now bring â—…orth a contrary effect vnto thee euen increase of sorrow And a desire of shaddow and solitarienesse though they be hurtfull doth follow a grieued minde as Ieremy saith of the man that beareth the yoke in his youth Hee sitteth alone and keepeth silence because he hath borne it vpon him And this desire of darknesse and solitarinesse either is an effect of mortification in him that is crucified to the world seeing the world crucified to him or else it groweth partly out of shame and partly out of anger that things are in no better tune and vpon the recouering of thy peace and ceasing of thy temptation this trouble will certainly vanish away In the meane time giue place to this griefe as little as thou canst and striue to reioyce in the Lord and in the good blessings hee hath bestowed vpon thee pray him that bestowed good things vpon thee to giue thee a free heart to take comfort in his guiftes that thou maiest be prouoked to praise his name And withall craue and vse the counsell and helpe of some learned and skilfull Physician for there is somthing in this griefe that hath neede of his iudgement and diligence And the God of hope fill thee withal ioy and peace in beleeuing that thou maiest abound in hope thorow the power of the holy Ghost Amen And now after some delay in answering such obiections as the vnquiet soule hath made out of his grieuous feare let vs grow vnto a conclusion concerning this burden of accusing thoughts and let vs gather together briefly orderly the scatterd grounds of hope that this burden may be cast off when God shall be pleased to giue his blessing and the scattered rules of aduice that teach how to cast it vpon God And for grounds of hope that this burden of accusing thoughts may bee cast off vpon God for the sinners â—…ase it hath beene shewed and proued First that his sinne not being that
precept of our Prophet and adding a reason in his words and these are his words Cast all your care on him that is on God for he careth for you that is when afflictions lie heauy vpon you and carefull thoughts how to bee freed from those afflictions troble your harts quiet those thoughts in your selues because your wisedome is defectiue and your power is weake and you are vnable to bring enterprises to passe and doing that which in such case God commandeth and alloweth to bee done commend your businesse and the successe of it to God by faithfull prayer his wisedome is infinite his power is omnipotent and by him enterprises are brought to passe This is Peters aduice vsing our Prophets words and only changing the name of burden into the name of care because our burdens doe breed our care and this reason hee addeth in his owne words for hee careth for you that is he taketh vpon him and will dispose and effect all things for your ◅ase and safetie This exposition of casting our burden vpon the Lord is further warranted by the councell of Saint Paul saying thus Be nothing carefull but in all things let your requests be shewed to God in prayer and supplication with giuing of thankes that is whereas others wrestling with the burden of their businesse take much care how to accomplish what they desire and gaze vpon their strength their wealth their wit and friends to see what helpe these can affoord doe not you in such sort trouble and turmoile your selues but modestly considering and vsing such meanes as you haue a◅d giuing thankes vnto God whether your meanes bee great or small intreat him in your faithfull prayer to prosecute the businesse for your not betraying your owne businesse by sloth and negligence yet trusting only to God and depending only vpon his blessing for successe faile not continually to sollicite him with your prayers Dauid that is the speaker here doth in another place by another speech of his excellently interpret this saying Trust thou in the Lord and doe good dwell in the Land and thou shalt bee fed assuredly delight thy selfe in the Lord and he will giue thee thy hearts desire commit thy way vnto the Lord and trust in him and he shall bring it to passe and he shall bring forth thy righteousnesse as the light and thy iudgement as the noone day wait patiently on the Lord hope in him Here hee giueth many precepts and euery precept hath his annexed promise The precepts do follow one another in a most kindly order and together doe teach vs what is to cast our burden vpon the Lord. First he commandeth vs to trust in the Lord that is to cal to remembrance the couenant that God made with vs and the many promises that hee hath giuen vs and seeing hee is faithfull and true in all his promises to trust to that couenant and to ground our faith vpon those promises Secondly hee commandeth vs to delight our selues in the Lord that is to cheere vp our hearts in God and to reioice in him seeing wee haue a God both wise mighty mercisull and saithfull tied vnto vs by so large promises more worth then all friends fauourers and helpers in the world And this reioicing kindely followeth trust in God Thirdly he commandeth vs to commit our waies to the Lord that is after our trust is setled in the couenant and promises and our ioy conceiued in hauing God so tied vnto vs then to fall to prayer and to intreate God that he will take our cause into his hands that he will bee pleased to prosecute the businesse for vs and seeing hee is the gouerner and disposer of all the world and of all causes in the world that hee will vouchsafe among all other causes to haue care of ours Lastly he commandeth vs to wait patiently vpon God and hope in him that is when trust hath begotten reioycing and trust and reioycing haue together shewed our desires vnto God in prayer then to expect in quietnes of our minde such issue as he shall be pleased to giue not failing to hope for all goodnesse at his hands Among which degrees of our demenour to God-ward for the referring of our cause◅ to him hee forgetteth not to insert this aduise that wee doe good and dwell in the land that is that continuing in our place and standing we take no in direct courses that may offend God and pull a curse vpon vs in stead of a blessing but that wee doe the offices of our callings behauing our selues in all things as becommeth wise and honest men as in the sight of God that we may in all good conscience expect his blessing Thus doth he teach vs to cast our burdens vpon God These rules being obserued then he promiseth in all things ease of our burdens First he promiseth sufficient maintenance saying Thou shalt be fed assuredly Secondly hee promiseth content of heart saying He will giue thee thy hearts desire Thirdly he promiseth cōuenient dispatch of all thy businesse saying And hee shall bring it to passe Fourthly he promiseth iustification of all thy well doings against mis-construction and slander saying Hee shall bring forth thy righteousnesse as the light and thy iudgement as the noone day which all men cleerly discerne These promises pertaine to the second part of my text and they greatly commend the soundnesse of those rules of aduice whereto they are annexed And the rules of aduice doe interpret the casting of our burden vpon God That my text speaketh of and they shew vs that this is truely to cast our burden vpon God namely in our trouble to remember the couenant of God and the promises of help which as he gaue in mercy so hee will fulfill in truth and to trust vnto that couenant and vnto those promises that is vnto that God that made that couenant and gaue those promises and thereupon to take heart vnto vs and to cheere our selues in God which hee calleth delighting in God reioyeing that we haue so wise so mighty so mercifull and so faithfull a God so strongly tied vnto vs by so faithfull promises and then in this gladnesse of our hearts to commend our businesse vnto God by praier and to make him our aduocate our Atturny our solliciter our factor our agent putting ouer our cause wholy to him reseruing nothing to ourselues but to put him in remembrance from time to time by our praier and carefully shunning all vnlawfull shifts that flesh and bloud may perswade vnto doing that onely that hee by his word doth command vs. And hauing thus left the cause in the hands of God to wait patiently and quietly for such successe as God shall be pleased to giue thinking that alwaies best which hee shall bee pleased to doe This by Dauids owne interpretation is that casting of our burden vpon the Lord which in the words of our text hee aduiseth vnto For
masterly authoritie and wisedome to draw them back from iniquity In which godly attempt fathers and masters haue alowāce frō God yea they are not only warranted of God to do it but it is a charge laid vpon them children seruants being committed to them not onely to doe them seruice and to be at their cōmandemēt but rather to receiue education instruction from them And when parents and masters faile and become carelesse of the instruction of their children seruants and in the right gouernmēt of them God doth often in his iustice punish the fathers masters neg ligence with the childrens and seruants disorder And when parents masters are carefull to instruct gouerne aright their children seruants then God in his mercy requiteth that care and diligence with the obedience and faithfulnesse of children and seruants Salomon saith in the Prouerbs The rod and correction giue wisedome but a childe set at libertie makes his mother ashamed Here iustice repayeth with disorder in the child the neglect of instruction and gouernement in the parents The same Salomon saith a gaine Correct thy sonne he will giue thee rest and will giue pleasures to thy soule Here mercy repayeth with contenting obedience in the child the wise and careful gouernement of the parents To masters also that their seruants may not breede their vnrest Salomon in the same place giueth these Items by which hee might well suppose that wise men would take warning A seruant wil not be chastened with words though hee vnderstand yet hee will not answer This is plaine enough that for some seruants the right gouernment of them something more then words is sometime necessary And againe he saith Hee that delicately bringeth vp his seruant from his youth at length he wil be euen as his sonne This is plaine enough that a delicate life with liberty and pleasure is not to be allowed to seruants by any rule of good gouernement left to thy griefe he take vppon him to bee more then a seruant Yet these rules for parents to desire and helpe the reformation of disobedient children and for maisters to desire and help the reformation of disordered seruants giues no defence vnto vnnaturall parents that are tyrants to their owne children and to cruel masters that increase the proportion of worke and number of strip◅s but dimin◅sh the due allowance of meate and cloathes and sleepe and are neuer pleased but euer brawling Saint Paul saith vnto parents Fathers prouoke not your childrē to wrath Lenity must be vsed though not cockering and too much sufferance And to masters he saith Masters doe vnto your seruants that which is iust and equall Equity must be vsed toward them thogh not remissenesse To the same purpose may it bee saide for children and se◅uants if while they haue carried themselues duetifully and deserued well their parents or maisters out of their owne vnkindnesse and cruelty doe prooue a heauy burden vnto them because it may please God to ease them of that burden by chaunging the mindes of their parents and maisters it belongeth vnto them as a speciall point of the casting of their burden vppon the Lord to pray vnto God for their parents and maisters that hee will be pleased to open and amend their hearts that they may see their errour and may reforme the same learne to deale more kindly which belongeth to parents and to deale more iustly which belongs to maisters and whereas they haue no authoritie to admonish to teach to correct as their parents and maisters haue yet with due reuerēce they may be bold obseruing opportunitie and vsing decent and humble speeches somtimes to tell them what they think to be fit How reuerently when Saul wronged Dauid and had spoken to Ionathan his sonne and to all his seruants that they should kill Dauid which was Ionathans griefe because he loued Dauid how reuerently did Ionathan labour to make Saul his father see his errour saying vnto him Let not the King sinne against his seruant against Dauid for hee hath not sinned against thee but his workes haue beene to thee verie good for he did put his life in danger and slew the Philistim and the Lord wrought a great saluation for all Israel thou sawest it and thou reioycedst wherefore then wilt thou sinne against innocent bloud and slay Dauid without a cause And when Naamat the Syrian tooke great indignation at the Prophet Elisha because he came not out and laid his hands vpon his leprousie to heale it but commanded him to wash himselfe seauen times in the waters of Iordan which he iudged nothing so vertuous as the waters of Damascus which indignation of Naama◅ the Lord and master grieued all his seruants how reuerently did they say vnto him Father if the Prophet bad commanded thee a great thing wouldest thou not haue done it How much rather then when he saith vnto thee wash and be cleane Such words of mildnesse spoken in fit season and with reseruation of due reuerence may by seruants and children be vsed to their fathers and masters to induce them to see their former errour that it may be a meanes vnder God to change their mindes But this liberty can no way iustify the insolence and vnduetifulnesse of many children seruants that being restrained by the seueritie of their parents and masters grow into discontent speake contemptuously and raylingly without all reuerence and without all regarde either of the authoritie of their parents and masters or of the subiection and duety that they owe vnto them By the same rule is euery one whose domesticall trouble growes by the errour of his neighbour if hee would bee cased which may be the changing of his neighbours minde taught to pray vnto God for the bettering of his neighbour and to put his owne helping hand to so good a woorke by admonishing his neighbour neighbourly And hee hath precepts from GOD to warrant that course Moses saith Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thy heart but thou shalt plainely rebuke thy neighbour and not suffer him to sinne So that there wanteth charitie in him that will not louingly tell his neighbor of his errour And God doeth often in his iustice make thy bad neighbour to be a cause of trouble vnto thee because thou knowing his disorders hast not told him of them that he might amend A like commaundement giueth the Lord Iesus saying If thy brother trespasse against thee goe and tell him his fault betweene him and thee alone That is if his faul be bent against thee as the chosen obiect of his malice or directed another way it light vppon thee to the hurt or hazard of thy life thy peace thy profit or thy good name or if his misdeede were neither intended against thee nor did light vpon thee but onely thou art grieued in thine honest soule to behold so vngodly dealing in these cases thou art commāded of the
Lord to tell him of his fault that if hee be curable he may amend And because thou knowest not but that it may please God to ease thy burden of domesticall troubles making them of short continuance by reforming the troubler it is a speciall point of casting this burden vpon God to pray for the amendment of thy neighbour and to put thy helping hand thereto by gentle and neighbourly admonitions But this liberty of telling thy neighbour his fault giues no allowance of rayling and reproaching and publique disgracing of men by casting their infirmities and faults in their teeth A christian man must abhorre all such bitter courses remembring what the Apostle Peter saith Loue couereth a multitude of sinnes That is a right charitable man though hee seeke to reforme his neighbour by telling him of his sinne yet he will not disgrace or shame his neighbor by publishing his sinne It may please God to ease thee of the burden of thy domesticall trouble by weakening the power and crossing the malice and abating the pride of thy troubler that either hee shall not dare or shall not be able to proceede any further in thy vexation as he daunted the Pride of Laban when he pursued Iacob for hee meant euill to Iacob but by the way God came to Laban the Arnmiteâ—… a dreame by night and said vnto him take heede that thou speake not tâ—… Iacob aught saue good And by this threatning of the Lord Labans stomake was taken down as hee confessed to Iacob the next day saying I am able to doe you euill but the God of your Father spake vnto mee yester night saying Take heed that thou speake not to Iacob aught saue good And GOD crossed the fury and violence of Saul when hee thought to haue slaine Dauid Saul intended to sâ—…ite Dauid to the wâ—…ll with the speare but he turned asiâ—… out of Sauls presence and he â—…ote the speare against the wall but Dauid siâ—…d and escaped c. In this case it is not lawful foâ—… thee to pray vnto God for the death the sickenesse the impouerishing or any way the hurt of thine enemy leaue him to the iudgement of God and pray vnto God to forgiue him his wicked malice Yet is it lawfull for thee to pray vnto God that hee will be pleased to confound the deuices and to crosse the attempts and to scatter the prepared power of thine aduersaries So we reade that Dauid in the time of Absoloms treason when he vnderstood that Ahitophel that great politician tooke part with him he feared his counsell and first prayed vnto God saying O Lord I pray thee turne the councell of Ahitophel into foolishnesse And afterward sent his wise and faithful friend Hushai the Aâ—…chite to bee an opposite vnto Ahitophel by whose meanes indeede Ahitophels counsell was reiected to the danger of Absolom and safetie of Dauid and many like prayers wee haue in the Psalmes In one place Vp Lord let not man preuaile In another place Let not them that are mine enemie vniustly reioyc ouer mee neither let them winke with the eâ—…e that hate mee without a cause And in another place Let not the wicked haue his desire O Lord performe not his wicked thought lest they be prowd Thus wee see that the Saints haue made their prayer vnto God against the malice power and cunning of their aduersaries that God would be pleased to abate their pride to asswage their malice to confound their deuices and delude their cunning that they might not preuaile to doe the mischiefe that they intended And so far it is lawfull for thee to pray for their disappointing And because sometime the seruants of God haue made request vnto him against the persons of their enemies praying for their destruction as Eliâ—… did against the messengers of the King of Israel saying If that I be a man of God let fire come downe from heauen and deuoure thee and thy fifty As Dauid in diuers places of the psalmes let them bee confounded and put to shame that seeke after my soule let them be turned backe and brought to confusion that imagine mine hurt And in another place set thou the wicked ouer him and let the aduersarie stand at his right hand when he shal bee iudged let him be condemned and let hâ—… praier be turned into sinne As Peter tâ—…e Apostle praied against Simon Magus thy mony perish with thee that is both thou and thy mony perish And Paul the Apostle against Alexander the Copper-smith saying Alexander the Copper-smith hath done me much euill the Lord reward him according to his workes Let none of vs thinke that for the procuring our ease and deliuerance from our neare troubles it is lawfull for vs to bend the force of our pâ—…aiers against the persons of our aduersaries and to desire their destruction or hurt For those whose examples are before remembred were the Prophets of God and Apostles of the Lord Iesus Christ who knew the reprobation of those against whom they praied and so rather pronounced the knowen iudgements of God then the priuate affections of their owne hearts and if they pronounced their owne affections they were affections conformed to the known iudgements of God not contending to guide moue Gods iudgements So doth S. Austin affirme of all such praiers saying those things which are spoken in the forme of wishing are things opened by a spirit of prophecying and when they say let that be done and let that be done it is no other then if they had said such and such a thing shall come vnto them Noâ—… we haue no such knowledge of any mans reprobation he may prooue a sheep of Christ whom as yet by his fruits we find and therfore esteem a wolfe And we haue no such spirit of prophecy by which we can foretell what wrath from God shall fall vpon them And also our Sauiour hath giuen vnto vs this rule which we must follow Pray for them which hurt you and persecute you Therefore if God be pleased to ease vs of the burden of our troubles by weakning the power asswaging the pride and malice and by disappointing and scattering the purposes and counsel of out enemies we in seeking this grace at his hands may pray against their deuises but not a against their persons And therefore by this rule is no countenance giuen to the dire imprecations and bitter curses that many vncharitable men powre out against their troublers Perhaps it may please God to ease thee of this burden of domesticall troubles making them short either by remoouing thy troubler from thee or by remouing thee from thy troubler And this remoue all may be made either by death or by some other course And thereto some rules pertaine in the right obseruation whereof a wise man for his ease casteth his burden vpon God If the remoue be to be made by death this is a thing
that may fall vpon vs as for example Ioseph was sould vnto strangers and imprisoned in Aegypt the men of Zeklag were spoiled of all that they had in their absence with Dauid Abiathar of the house of Eli was cast out by Salomon from being Priest vnto the Lord warre and famine and the anger of Princes yea many inferior causes breed many calamities the only sure way of casting our burden vpon God is to acknowledge the worke of God in our calamity patiently to beare what he laieth vpon vs and heartily to pray vnto him for succour That wee ought to acknowledge Gods worke in our calamity and patiently to beare his pleasure Iob doth teach vs saying Shall we receiue good things at the hand of God and not receiue euill Surely we doe neuer deserue any good at the hand of God and wee doe continually deserue euill what reason then haue we to desire euer to receiue good that we neuer deserue and neuer to receiue euill that we euer deserue Patience therefore in bearing the calamity that God laieth vpon vs doth well become the sonnes of men And that in our calamity wee ought to pray vnto God if wee would haue him to ease vs of our burden is so cleare that wee neede no proofe for it What man is hee religious or profane beleuer or vnbeleuer that doth not in his calamity remember God looke vp to heauen and pray to God the Mariners in the ship whereinto Ionas was entered when he fled from God when the storme vpon the sea was sore and the tempest proued a calamity vnto them so that they threw the wares out of the ship into the sea to lighten the ship for safty of their liues without instruction they could then according to their knowledge of God fall to praier For so it is written The Mariners were affraid and cried euery man vnto his God Though it be not generall with all men being in calamity and misery to beare it patiently yet it is generall with all men in calamity and misery to pray for ease So that a religious man being burdened with any calamity needeth not so much to be taught that it is fit for him to pray as hee needeth to be comforted by being put in hope that God will in due time answer his praier as surely he will if he be called vpon in the name of his beloued sonne For so hath the Lord Iesus assured vs saying Verely verely I say vnto you whatsoeuer yee shall aske the father in my name he will giue it you Let him pray therefore vnto God the father in the name of the Lord Iesus and patiently attend the Lords leisure and in due time he wil haue mercy vpon him This is when any calamity is fallen vpon vs to cast our burden vpon the Lord for our ease If it be the feare of death that is thy burden and perhaps with regard vnto others that shall be in some danger by thy death as wife children seruants and others that haue their education and maintenance vnder thee First the burden of feare of death is made easie to a godly man by many considerations in al which he casâ—…eth his burden vpon the Lord. First hee will consider that it is common to all Adams posteritie Aâ—… Dauid being ready to die saith vnto his sonne Salomon I goe the way of all the earth therefore death ought not to seeme fearefull to thee that is common to all Secondly hee will consider that hee cannot die before the time appoynted of God that gaue him life and assigned from euerlasting the certaine length of it as Iob saith Is there not an appoynted time to man vppon earth And shall any desire longer life then the giuer of life alloweth Or shall any be grieued to resigne his life into the handes of him that gaue it Thirdly hee will consider that the end of life shall bee the end of trouble vnto him that his death shall bring him rest from all troubles as the Spirit of God from heauen hath proclaimed saying ' Blessed are the dead that die in the Lord for they rest from their labor Rest and ease from weary labour is obtained by our death and departure out of this life Fourthly hee will consider that the sting and danger and all bitternesse of death is taken away by the death of Iesus Christ and death vnto the Saints is made the gate of life the Apostle saying O death where is thy sting O graue where is thy victorie The sting of death is sinne and the strength of sinne is the law But thankes be vnto God which hath giuen vs victorie through our Lord Iesus Christ. Lastly for his ease of feare in the approach of death yea for the filling of his heart with all true comfort in death that he may rather desire and long for then any way feare the houre of his death he will consider that his death shal be the gathering of him vnto Christ his redeemer as the Apostle saith Desiring to bee loosed and to bee with Christ which is best of all For while we liue in the world we are absent from the Lord and we walke by faith and not by sight But when we depart this world wee are gathered vnto him to dwel for euer with him And that is performed which hee promised saying Though I goe to prepare a place for you I will come againe aud receiue you vnto my selfe that where I am there may ye be also By these considerations is the burden of the feare of death made easie to a beleeuer and in all these considerations doth hee cast his burden vpon the Lord for his ease If hee therefore feare his owne death because others shall want him his wife shal be a widow his children shal be fatherlesse his seruants shal be orphanes and many shall misse him that now haue a helper of him and for their sakes rather then for himselfe hee is afraid to die This burthen is to bee cast vppon God by commending them vnto his prouidence who giueth food to al flesh because his mercy indureth for euer and who is the keeper of Israel that neither slumbereth nor sleepeth And that hee may doe this the more comfortably for the ease of his heart let him remember that the Lord saith All soules are mine both the soule of the father and also the soule of the sonne are mine He that created thee and had a care of thee as the worke of his handes to maintaine thee created also thy wife thy children thy seruants and thy poore friends and therefore hath also a care of them as the worke of his hands to maintaine them And hee that gaue his Sonne for thee to redeeme thee and therefore had a fatherly care for thee to doe all things for thy preseruation and saluation did also giue his Sonne for them to redeeme them and therefore also hath a fatherly care of them to doe all
edified and walked in the feare of the Lord and were multiplied by the comfort of the holy Ghost And this conuersion of Saul with the churches peace growing thereby some haue ascribed vnto Stephens prayer as an intermediate cause who while they stoned him kneeled downe and cryed with a lowd voyce Lord lay not this sinne to their charge Of which prayer of Stephen Austin in his fourth Sermon of the Saints hath this saying If Stephen had not thus prayed the Church should not haue had Paul but therfore was Paul being fallen from his horse raised from the earth because when Stephen with bowed knees was fallen to the ground hee was heard in his prayer Therfore thogh thou hast not oportunitie to admonish thy remote aduersary yet pray vnto God for his conuersion Thou knowest not whether God wil heare thy praier and shorten thy trouble by changing the mind of thy troubler If it be to bewrought by a remoue and that remoue to be made by death therein thou hast nothing to do before-hand but to maintaine that resolution that alwaies ought to be in all Christians namely to yeeld to the wil of God and to approue his worke as well in killing as in giuing life and as well in our selues as in others And if it please God to take away thine enemy then is it thy part to praise his name that suffereth thy peace to out-liue thine enemies fury but neither worke it nor desire it nor reioyce in it as a calamity happened to thine enemy or to his house much lesse offer violence to thy self that may free thee from short troubles but it will surely plunge thee into eternall troubles If God haue appointed to shorten thy troubles by remouing either thy troubler from thee or thee from thy troubler by distance of place that you may be yet further a sunder and the one out of the reach of another as opportunity is offered wisdome will aduise thee what to doe For the departure of an enemie a wise man said A bridge of gold should be made to further his speedy passage rather then to stay him with any impediment And it is at thy liberty flying from the swords point of persecution and malice to remooue from one City to another But if God be pleased to maintaine against thee the enemy that he hath stirred vp thy chiefe casting of thy burden vpon God is by patience to possesse thy soule bearing quietly what thou canst not shake off by hearty praier to sollicite the maiesty of the most high God to free thee from thine enemy when it pleaseth him and in the meane time to giue thee wisdome to suffer as thou oughtest to his pleasure Thus much how to cast the burden of remote troubles vpon God when thy troble groweth from the malice of remote enemies that offer wrong vnto thee Sometimes thou art not hurt by remote enemies but rather art greeued for remote frindes or strangers for whose calamity thou are affected with heauinesse Sometime in regard of common humane nature because they are men as thou art and it grieueth thee that any of thine owne kinde should suffer such calamity sometime in regard of common holy religion because they worship the same God and beleeue in the same Sauiour that thou doest and it greueth thee that any of thy faith and religion and any true worshipper of thy God should indure such misery For direction to cast this burden vpon God there needeth no long discourse because I feare there are not many that beare any such burden of sorrow for others misery or vpon whom it lieth heauy if they sorrow at all or vpon whom it abideth long if it be heauy Selfloue permitteth vs not to mourne for the calamity of other men when we are at case our selues The Butler in Pharaoes court when hee had once recouered his owne place and honour neuer regarded nor was moued with Iosephs imprisonment The chiefe Butlar did not remember Ioseph but forgat him And those wounds neuer enter deepe in our hearts which we only see or heare in others and feele not in our selues and the teares that fall from our eies for other mens miseries quickly drie vp If Amos liued in this selfe-delighting and neighbour contemning age wanton and excessiue one way but wanting and pitilesse another way he would surely crie out againe as before he did saying They drinke wine in bowles and annoint themselues with the chiefe ointments but no man is sorry for the afflictions of Ioseph that is euery man cherisheth himselfe delicately but no man regardeth how other men fare Yet because God hath alwaies his a mercifull father mercifull children because some there are of tender hearts that mourne with them that mourne and haue put on as the Apostle speaketh tender mercy and kindnesse to satisfie them I pray them to call to remembrance the three rules giuen before iâ—… the case of like griefe for frindes most neare First so farre as distance of place betweene thee and them the small acquaintance that thou hast with them and thy weake means will suffer afford them thy best helpe Egypt afforded food to Canaan when famine was sort in that land The King of Moab gaue entertainment to Dauids father and to his whole houshold when Sauls displesure was heauy to them in Israel Dauid had Ziklag giuen him to dwell in when he could not be safe in Iuda Mercy by hospitality succoureth many strangers that by famine warre and other calamities cannot remain in safety at home If thou be grieued for the calamity of them that dwell farre off affourd thy best helpe thou shalt make lesse thy sorrow for their calamity while thou makest lesse their calamity by thy mercy Therefore did the brethren among the belieuing Gentiles make collections to send to the poore Saints at Ierusalem Secondly vse patience in this case and till God put an end to their miseries glorifie thou God in his iudgments that so exerciseth truth humbleth correcteth and punisheth Lastly pray vnto God for them that in his iudgements he will be pleased to remember mercy and to spare the sheepe of his owne pasture if they be true worshippers or at least that he will spare the worke of his owne hands whatsoeuer they be and forgiuing their sinnes that he will giue them repentance that they may come to the knowledge of him and of his truth and in the end be deliuered from his fiery wrath In these three things iâ—… helping mercifully in bearing patiently and in praying fruently consisteth the right manner of casting our burden of griefe and sorrow for other mens calamities vpon God And so haue wee considered of this third secular burden of more remote troubles which hath great affinity with the burden of more nigh and domesticall troubles and differeth onely in respect of the persons by whom thou art wronged and for whom thou art grieued in that they are
of our Sauiour Iesus Christ who hanging vpon the crosse and being vnder the same temptation for other mens sins which thou art vnder for thine owne sinnes vsed the same words that Dauid did saying My God my God why hast thou forsaken mee I intreat this afflicted sinnet hearing the sonne of God complaine that he was forsaken of his father to tell mee his opinion whether he thinkes he was forsaken eternally or was forsaken onely for a time and whether after this forsaking God did not returne vnto him and deliuer him from all his feare If hee should answer that he thinkes hee was eternally forsaken and that God â—…turned not to deliuer him and that he was neuer deliuered from his feare it â—…ere an absurd answer For the history is plaine and cleare that though he were forsaken vnto the death and lest vnto the will of his enemies and sealed vp in his graue yet as the Prophet in his person had spoken to God before saying Thou wilt not leaue my soule in the graue â—…ither wilt thou suffer thy holy one to see corruption So God dealt with him hee was not left in the graue hee did not see corruption for on the third day God raised him vp again to life Forty daies after that hee ascended vp into heauen euen with his body and now in all fulnesse of glory and maiesty he sitteth at the right hand of God So that his folly would fully bewray it selfe if he should answer that Iesus was eternally forsaken and that God returned not to deliuer him from his feare And if hee answer as truth will compell him that he was forsaken onely for a time and after inioyed againe and still inioyeth the fauour of his father then it will follow by his owne confession that all that are forsaken are not eternally forsaken and some are onely left for a time to be tried exercised and humbled and after triall taken of their faith after patience perfected and true humility wrought in them hee that had forsaken them doth gather them againe into his lap he that had left them to themselues doth again receiue them into his charge And why then may not our sinner that crieth out thus that he is forsaken of God suppose himselfe to be onely forsaken for a time And if our sinner complayning that hee is forsaken thinketh otherwise as namely that God hath forsaken him for euer I answer him first that he speaketh foolishly and out of ignorant feare that being a matter of Gods secret counsel where of it is not possible that he should haue certaine knowledge that hath not so much knowledge as hee should of Gods reuealed will Let him goe first and make himselfe better acquainted with Gods reuealed will let him study to learne and know the promises the threatnings the precepts and rules contained in Gods word And as for the secret counsell of the Lord so much as concerneth him to vnderstand God â—…ill in time by his worke make knowen â—…nto him In the meane time let him learne to keepe silence that hath no certaine knowledge of the thing whereof he presumeth to pronounce Secondly I say vnto him that the â—…nner of his temptation argueth and concludeth against his owne saying that hee is not forsaken for euer For if God had purposed to forsake him for 〈◊〉 hee would not haue laied vpon him this temptation to make him thereby to see his sinne and the danger that his sinne bringeth him into for the sight of these things is a very ready way to repentance for it maketh a man to bee truly displeased with his sinne and it â—…aketh him restlesly carefull and desirous to winde himselfe out of the danger and it doth awake him with a witnesse out of his old security But rather if the Lord had intended his eternall reâ—…ection hee would haue rocked him asleep in his security with continual prosperity and much peace after the manner of the world that he might haue had no cause to feare sinne so long as the prodigall sonnes prosperity lasted hee neuer thought of returning home to his fathers house That surely is the way to scale vp sinners in their security and to keepe them from all thought or all desire or at least from all resolution with speede for to leaue sinne And so vseth God to deale with them whom hee forsaketh for euer As Iob obserued saying vnto God Wherfore doe the wicked liue and wax old and grow in wealth their seed is established in their sight with them and their generation before their eies Marke in the next words what followeth Their houses are peaceable without feare and the rod of God is not vpon them They are not troubled with any temptation like thine Their Bullocke gendereth and faileth not their Cow calueth and casteth not her Calfe They send forth their children like sheepe and their sonnes dance They take the Tabret and Harpe and reioyce in the sound of the Organs They spend their daies in wealth and suddenly goe downe to the graue Thus for the most part God dealeth with them whom he meaneth to forsake for euer And this continuall prosperity most kindly locketh vp all the powers of their soule in security as in a dead sleepe that they neuer intend repentance but are confirmed in their sinne and in the contempt of God As Iob in the same place noteth in the very next words saying They say also vnto God depart from vs wee desire not the knowledge of thy waies who is the almighty that wee should serue him and what profit shall we haue if wee should pray vnto him Thus continuall prosperity shuttâ—…th vp the heart in security and bringâ—…th the wicked asleepe in sinne whereas no temptation that can come vnto a man doth so kindly waken the heart and open the eies of a sinner to see his sinne to hate his sinne to forsake his sinne to turne to God and to seeke pardon by repentance as doth this tentatiâ—… of thine Thinke rather that God is gâ—…thering thee to himselfe and laies this burden vpon thee to stay thee from râ—…nning still from him then that hee hath eternally forsaken thee But against this fearefull perswasion oâ—… finall forsaking the best of all arguments is the gracious maner of the Lords merciful dealing with his people whom yet hee dealeth withall no lesse sharply then he hath now dealt with thee The Prophet Esayâ—… sets downe that manner of the Lords dealing and deliuers it in the words of Gâ—…d himself saying For a litlâ—… while haue I forsaken thee but with great compassion will I gather thee For a moment in mine anger I hid my face from thee for a little season but with euerlasting mercy haue I had compassion on thee saith the Lord thy redemer This is Gods manner these are his owne words Now let vs compare thy words with these words of God and see how neare thou comest to his truth I hou saist God hath forsaken
from being lost in the first sence and meaning of that word And there is o◅e that will saue from destruction those that are ready to perish and thee among others that will deliuer from damnation those that are already iudged and thee as well as others and that wil pluck out of the iawes of death out of the snares of Satan and out from the gates of hell those that were ready to be swallowed vp and deuoured as a pray and thee assoone as others so to recouer thee from being lost in the sense and meaning of the word And this seeker is of that diligence wisdome that he cannot be disappointed of finding this sauiour is of that goodnes power that he will not and cannot be letted from sauing whom hee intendeth to deliuer of whom the Apostle to the Hebrewes saith He is able perfectly to saue them that come vnto God by him seeing hee euer liueth to make intercession for them And who is this diligent seeker that can and will so certainely finde who is this mightie Sauiour that can and will so certainely preserue it is the Lord Iesus Christ the sonne of God the sauiour of mankind of whom the Euangelist yea himselfe the Euangelist onely reporting his words saith The sonne of man is come to seeke and saue that which was lost So that if any man be gone astray if any man bee out of the knowledge and care of God his keeper Iesus came to seeke him And if any were worthy to perish and already by sentence giuen adiudged to perish such is the condition of all men Iesu◅ is come to saue him And it is worthy obseruation that he saith The sonne of man came to seeke the sonne of man came to saue as making this seeking and sauing of them that were lost to be the onely end as indeed it was of his comming into the world For this cause was he conceiued by the Holy Ghost for this purpose was he borne of the Virgin Mary to this end and for the effecting of this saluation was the sonne of God made the sonne of man yea for this and for this onely did he fulfill all righteousnes and yeelded obedience euen to the death of the crosse that he might seeke and find them that were gone astray and that he might recouer and saue them that were lost so that hee that shall deny these things to be truely intended and fully performed by Iesus Christ doeth make idle and fruitlesse the incarnation and passion of our Lord Iesus Christ and denieth the vertue of the death and bloudsheding of the sonne of God Let our afflicted sinner consider these things and set his heart on worke to meditate vpon them and it will come to passe that whereas before the remembrance of his lost estate was cause of heauines vnto him the same very condition shall giue him comfort and hope and saue him as an argument to proue him to be one of those for whom Iesus Christ died to saue them For if it be true that the lord Iesus came to seeke and to saue them that were lost and be also true that ◅e is lost then it must also be true that Iesus Chist came to seeke to saue him The Lord Iesus said to the woman of C◅naan I am not sent but vnto the lost ◅eepe of the house of Israel Vnto those lost sheepe hee was sent and to none other So that if our afflicted sinner see himselfe to be a lost sheepe there is hope that the Lord Iesus was ◅ent for yea it is most sure that he was sent for him sent to seeke him sent to saue him whereas if he had a proud opinion of himselfe as had the Pharises that he were not as other men for so gloried hee saying O God thanke thee that I am not as other men or if he nourished a careles opinion of himselfe as doe the contemners of the world that he were in no danger for so doe they flatter themselues saving Wee are deliuered though we haue done all these abominations Then Iesus indeed should not profit him for hee came for none such He saith of himselfe I am not come to call the righteous but the sinners to repentance In this very name therefore that he is a lost sinner a sinner worthy to perish he may comfort himselfe in Iesus Christ and hope to be saued by him that came to seeke and saue that which was lost Let me in a few words briefely and plainely open to this sinner his estate what it is in himselfe and what it is in Iesus Christ that as in himselfe hee seeth cause of griefe and feare so in Iesus Christ he may see cause of hope and reioicing if hee looke into himselfe and consider what he is by birth what he is by kind and what he hath manifested and declared himselfe to bee by his life and conuersation surely hee is and shall find himselfe to be a lost creature and a child of wrath for he shall find nothing in himselfe but sinne deseruing eternall dest◅uction he shall find that hee was conceiued in sinne that he was borne in iniquitie and that he liued in sinne not onely in the daies of his first ignorance whi◅e sinne reigned without resistance in his mortall body but also in the daies of knowledge sinne yet remaining and misleading him into many errors and it ◅ thus not onely in him but euen in all ◅en and among all others euen in the elect of God in Gods owne peculiar people euen they at home and in themselues are lost creatures dead in sinnes and by sinnes deseruing eternall death The Angell appearing to Ioseph said vnto him of the child conceiued in the wombe of the Virgin Mary Shee shall ◅ing forth a sonne and thou shalt call his ◅me Iesus for he shall saue his people from their sinnes Those whom his father gaue vnto him therefore called his people them he saueth he saueth them from their sinnes By which speech it is plainly intimated that euen they considered in themselues are lost by their sins And so is our afflicted sinner considered in himselfe with respect to his kind to his birth and to his life hee is lost hee is a child of perdition and therein hee hath cause to be humbled and to feare the iustice of God But let not the sinner gaze so long vpon this his naturall estate that his dazled eies should after be vnable to look any higher such a view of this our naturall condition as may serue to beate downe the pride of flesh and bloud and to bring vs vnto true humilitie and to the deniall of our selues before God is sufficient Let him therefore after consider him selfe in another and view his conditiō estate in Iesus Christ by vertue of his holy calling of his second birth namely his regeneration and hee shall find himselfe another man He shall find that God hath
true and God often lets his wrath fall heauily vpon his elect for their sinnes To that end heare the words of Gods Church speaking to the malignant company of her enemies that reioice at her trouble I will look vnto the Lord I will wait for God my Sauiour my God will heare me Reioice not against me O mine enemie though I fall I shall arise when I shall sit in darknes the Lord shall be alight vnto me I will beare the wrath of the Lord because I haue sinned against him vntill he plead my cause and execute iudgment for mee then will hee bring mee forth vnto the light I shall see his righteousnes The Church confesseth that she bare the wrath of God shee confesseth that that wrath fell vpon her for her sinnes and therefore promiseth to beare it patiently because she bare it iustly and she takes not that wrath of God for any euidence of reprobation neither ceaseth to esteeme her selfe the chosen of the Lord that shall inherit his fauour And therefore she exerciseth her faith in looking vp vnto the Lord and out of faith promiseth her selfe all gratious respect with God in her praiers shewes her selfe rich in hope that God himselfe will in due time plead her cause and bring her out of the darknes of her trouble into the light of ioy and so magnifie his loue and fauour to her that her aduersarie the malignant congregation shal be ashamed Therefore certainly God doeth often let his wrath fall vpon the elect for their sinnes and the manifest strokes of Gods wrath cannot bee said to be infallible euidences and signes of reprobation as our afflicted sinner affirmeth to his owne great hurt And if hapily vpon hearing of these things thus spoken his diseased mind should begin to cauill and to say that if other iudgements and strokes of Gods wrath be not euidences of reprobation yet that iudgement and stroke of wrath that is fallen vpon him is a plaine euidence of reprobation his iudgement being accusing thoughts a wounded conseience the most heauie of all Gods iudgements whereof Salomon saith A wounded spirit who can beare it For that stroke is the beginning of intolerable punishment it is the very gate of hâ—…ll iâ—… is that worme that shall liue euer in the bosome of the damned it is euen no other then hell vpon earth And why shold God set a mans sinnes against him in so terrible a manner as hee doeth in this temptation but because his meaning is to condemne vs for our sinnes aforehand to let vs see that hee shall doe it most iustly our sinnes being so many and solothsome against this cauill and for the remouing of this offence from his heart I will adde this vnto that that hath been already spoken that God doeth lay euen this particular stroke of his wrath namely a wounded conscience in the sight of sinnes vpon his elect and therefore that wrath is no euidence of reprobation The prophet Dauid bore this stroke of Gods wrath whereof he speaketh thus Thine arrowes haue light vpon 〈◊〉 and thine handlyeth vpon me there is nothing sound in my flesh because of thine anger neither is there rest in my bones by reason of my sinnes for mine iniquities are gone ouer my head and as a weighty burden they are too heauie for me Here was a stroke of the wrath of God fot he complaineth that Gods hand was heauie vpon him and that Gods arrowes had pierced him and it was not a weake stroke or slight touch but forcible and fearefull so that it made the whole man languish and for the anguish of his soule his body also was consumed and oppressed with paine and feeblenes so that neither in his flesh nor in his bones remained any soundnes And what stroke of Gods wrath was it but euen this particular stroke of accusing thoughts and of a wounded conscience by reason of sinnes that were so heauie a burdthen that the vexation of them was his consumption and was Dauid vpon whom this stroke of wrath fell was hee a reprobate if he were he was such a reprobate as the Lord Iesus Christ was and no other nor otherwise whom the builders refused cast aside as vnfit for the building but God made him the cheefe corner stone as Peter saith This is the stone cast aside of you builders which is become the head of the corner So in the kingdome of Israel Saul Doeg and other busie doers despised and cast aside the sonne os Ishai but God did chuse him to build the kingdome of Israel This therefore is most certaine that euen this stroke of Gods wrath when hee setteth our sinnes in order against vs is no more a signe of reprobation then any other stroke of Gods wrath whatsoeuer This part therefore of his obiection when he calleth himselfe a reprobate is a bold and desperate speech wherein he shews himselfe presumptuous against GOD and vncharitable against himselfe and whether he be a reprobate or not hee ought not to pronounce himselfe to be one the name of reprobation hauing reference vnto the vnknowne and secret counsell of God not vnto the knowne and manifest sinne of man And though our sinnes deserue reprobation Gods wrath falleth vpon them that are reprobate yet neither the sinne that wee are guiltie of nor the wrath that is fallen vpon vs for that sinne though it be this particular stroke of a wounded conscience can be said to be arguments of reprobation And whereas he saith that we deuise answers to his obiections that cary shew of strength among men but those his obictions are vnanswerable before God and our deuised answers before him will be of no vertue Let him know that the answers which wee haue made to his obiections are all grounded vpon the word of God by which word hee shall iudge all men and all the causes of all men As the Lord Iesus saith The word that I haue spoken it shall iudge in the last day And therefore our answers being grounded vpon that word shall stand as rules of trueth before the iudgement seat of God when all the obiections that he hath made growing onely from feare and from a weake heart distempered with a temptation of vnbeleefe shal be found to bee of no force And with this assurance of the sufficiencie of our answers wee waite to heare what he can further obiect why he may not hope for the forgiuenes of pardonable sins seeing Iesus Christ by his commandement hath giuen him leaue to aske forgiuenes of sinnes and God the father of our Lord Iesus hath promised to grant forgiuenes of sinnes as hath before out of the word of God beene truely declared CHAP. XXVII A Fresh assault this afflicted sinner maketh vpon vs and against himselfe for this fierie dart is not easily quenched And againe he obiecteth most vnkindly saying My sinne deserueth death and I must die I haue wronged the Lord of life
records belonging to the Church of God and to the people that â—…tend to haue any knowledge of God hoâ—… many hath he heard 〈◊〉 that did so and what were they in the first age of the world that lasted from the creation to the sloud sixteene hundred fifty and 〈◊〉 yeares we read of much wickednesse â—…ow Kain vnnaturally killed his brother Habel how Lamech transgressed Gods ordinance for mariage and gloried in â—…is owne cruelty saying to his wiues in his wicked pride I would stay a man in 〈◊〉 wound and a young man in mine heart We read of the carnal licenciousnesse of the men of the best line How the sonnes of God saw the daughters of men that they were faire and they looks them wiues of all that they liked Yea of the whole race of mankind we reade that the earth was corrupt before God for the earth was filled with cruelty then God looked vpon the earth and behold it was corrupt for al flesh had corrupted his way vpon the earth And their wickednesse was so vile in the sight of God that hee repented to hane made man vpon the earth and hee brought a floud vpon the earth where with he destroied euery creature in whose nostrels was the breath of life And in all this time it is not read that any grew vnto this height of wickednes to incroch so farre vpon the right of God and to be so vnnaturally sinfull as to kill him selfe In so many yeares the Deuill that was a murderer from the beginning could not preuaile so far among the most wicked as to perswade any to lay violent hands vpon himselfe This wickednesse was then vnknowen from the floud to the natiuity of our Lord Iesus Christ for the space of two thousand three hundred and eleuen yeares wee read of horrible wickednesse of warre among natiâ—…s of the tyranny of Nimrod of â—…e building of Babel of the vncleaâ—…esse of the Sodomites of the slaughter of the Sichemites of the tyranny of Phaâ—… of the sinne of the Cananites of the â—…bellion of Korah of the couetousnesse 〈◊〉 Balaam of the sornication of Zimri 〈◊〉 infinit vngodlinesse in euery age of 〈◊〉 in euery generation but of this â—…ind of vnnaturalnesse for men to lay â—…iolent hands vpon themselues we haue 〈◊〉 few examples Saul fell vpon his owne sword and killed himself because â—…e would not come aliue into the hands of the Philistims that preuailed against â—…im in battell and his Armour-bearer â—…couraged by his Lords example did â—…e like vnto himselfe And not many â—…eares after Ahitophel the great counâ—…ller that followed Absolom vpon discontent left Absolom went home to his â—…ne house and hanged himselfe We â—…ad of a fourth whose name was Zimri â—…at being besieged in Tirzah and not able to defend himselfe and the place â—…ent into the Kings Palace and setting the house on fire burned himselfe and these are all that the Scripture recordeth guilty of this impiety for we are not to number Sampson among them whose purpose was not to kill himselfe but to execute the iudgement of God vpon the Philistins which was a worke of his calling in the faithfull and zealous performance whereof hee lost his life And I wittingly passe ouer the history of Razis that fell on his sword and slew himselfe that he might not come aliue into the hands of them whom 〈◊〉 sent to take him leauing the credit of that History to the authority of the writer Whom yet if wee adde to the former the number is not much increased by him So few they were in so many yeeres with whom the ancient murderer could 〈◊〉 to make them enemies of their owne 〈◊〉 And if we consider what manner persons they were with whom he did so far preuaile their wickednesse will seâ—…e to warne any man that hath any dram either of piety or wisdome or care of his owne credit not to put himselfe into the company and ranke of them Saul was a man enuious traiterous perfidious cruell and profane His enuy appeared in this that hee hated Dauid because the Lord prospered him and because the people lioâ—…oured him for that and for no other cause did hee seeke to take away his life His traiterous minde appeared in this that vnder pretences of loue shâ—…wes of the greatest fauour hee sought to kill Dauid giuing his daughter Michol to Dauid to be his wife that she might be the traine to destroy him How persidious and false of faith he was appeared in this that often giuing his promse to Dauid to doe him no harme and giuing it into him aduisedly vpon sight and proofe of Dauids innocency and faith to him he yet euer brake it and vppon euery the least opportunity went out against him with his Army to take him His cruelty appeareth in this besides other proofes thereof that vpon the report of Doeg telling him that Ahimelech the Priest had asked counsel of the Lord for Dauid and had giuen him victuals and the sword of Goliah hee sent for Ahimelech and all the Priests of his fathers house euen fowre-score and fiue men and caused them all to be slaine and destroied also Nob the City of the Priests where Ahimelech dwelt â—…miting with the edge of the sword both man and woman both child and suckling both Oxe and Asse and sheepe with the edge of the sword in most barbarous and inhumane cruelty How profane hee was without due feare and reuerence of God the former act done vpon the Priests of the Lord without regard of the seruice whereunto they were separated to minister at the Altar of the Lord doth plainly show And his preuenting the time appointed of God in offering his Sacrifice when the people were scattered from him and Samuel was not come vnto him But chiefly his profanenesse appeared in consulting with the Witch at Endor As it is written of him Saul said vnto his seruants seeke mee a woman that hath a familiar spirit that I may goe to her and aske of her and his seruants said to him behold there is a woman at Endor that hath a familiar spirit then Saul changed himselfe and put on other raiment and he went and two men with him and they came to the woman by night and he said I pray thee coniure unto 〈◊〉 by the familiar spirit and bring me him vp whom I shall name vnto thee This is an â—…sallible argument of a most profane heart in times of trouble and danger to 〈◊〉 helpe of the Deuill to place hope in him to regard his word and answer These things ought to bee done vnto God onely his helpe onely should be sought in the time of danger in his merâ—…y and truth onely wee ought to trust 〈◊〉 to giue credit to his word which shall stand for euer and from the God of truth to 〈◊〉 for counsell to the father of lies and from the Sauiour to flie for helpe to the destroyer
cheerefull seruice of them that are about thee vse thy bed thy clothes thy meate prepared for thy ease thy couering thy nourishment vse all the creatures of God in their kinds and praise God that thou maiest haue them S. Paul saith Euery creature of God is good and nothing ought to be refused if it be receiued with thanksgiuing for it is sanctified by the word of God and praier It ought not saith he to be refused it ought to be receiued with giuing of thankes And if we vse praier vnto God that it will please him to blesse vnto vs his owne gift which the word of God alloweth vs to vse he will sanctifie it for our good For God that giueth these things is good the things themselues that God doth giue are good therefore the effect of them being Christianly vsed cannot but bee good Continue the opinion of thine owne vnworthinesse but reiect thy vnwise purpose of refusing to vse Gods creatures for thine vnworthinesse CHAP. XXX OVR poore distressed sinner reclaymed from the conrses that in his last obiections hee remembred the first being a quicke violent and apparent purpose of ending his owne life the second being a slow dangerous and close purpose of wasting his life is not yet so freed from the troubled thoughts of death that he can with a quiet hope of life looke to the God of life and thus further out of remayning feare obiecteth to the disquieting of his owne heart though I may not hurt my life with violent hands as first I thought to doe and must nourish my life with seruiceable hands which in the second place I thought not to haue done yet my life must come 'to an end by the condition that all Adams children are subiect vnto God said to Adam in the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread till thou returne to the earth for out of it wast thou taken because thou art dust and to dust shalt thou returne This was the condition of the first man this is the condition of all men and among all it is also my condition I must die if I cherish life neuer so carefully And this remembrance of death considering my present woefull estate is fearefull vnto mee two manner of waies First I feare lest death should take mee away before I be deliuered from this temptation as it may well doe for I may die to day or to morrow yea I may die presently And if I should so hastily die while this feare directly contrary to faith lieth yet vpon my conscience I should die in my infidelity I should die without faith in Christ and so to die without faith in the sonne of God is the high-way to eternall damnation for the Lord Iesus saith he that beleeueth not is condemned already because he beleeueth not in the name of the only begotten sonne of God Secondly if there should be any ceasing and intermission of these accusing thoughts before my death yet I feare death because after death this accusation may bee renewed and the precedent ceasing proue no doing away for euer but onely a deferring for a time of this plague And I haue cause to feare such a thing because the right time of preferring accusations against sinners is the time after death when men must come to iudgement as the Apostle saith it is appointed vnto men that they shal once die and after that commeth the iudgement After death the soule commeth to iudgement the book of conscience must then be opened and accusations then or neuer must be heard and if these accusations now be so grieuous vnto mee now while iudgement is far off while there is place for repentance and hope of forgiuenesse surely they will then be much more fearefull woefull miserable horrible therefore the remembrance of death come it sooner or come it later come it before or after the stay of this temptation is fearfull vnto me This obiection is not hard to bee answered thou fearest death two manner of waies First lest it come before thou haue ouercome this temptation and recouered peace with God by faith in our Lord Iesus And thou fearest this hasty comming of death for two causes one is because it is possible that it may so come for we may and must if God cal die presently another because it is dangerous so to die thou takest thy temptation to bee directly opposit to faith therefore if thou die before it bee ouercome thou diest without faith and to die without faith is sure damnation Thus thou fearest deathes hasty comming and to thy feare of death this way growing we will first make answer Against thy feare of death comming before thy temptation be ouercome God giueth comfortable hope that death shall not come before thy temptation be ouercome And it comes not at all but by the appointment of God neither sooner nor later then he appointed it For hee sent vs with life into the world he hath appointed the length of our life in the world and the time and manner of our dying and departing out of the world lieth onely in his pleasure of whom the Prophet saith To the Lord God belongeth the issues of death The set time for the produceing of all his appointed workes resteth in his owne counsell when the Apostles questioned the Lord Christ after his resurrection for the restoring of the kingdome to Israel he made them answer It is not for you to know the times or the seasons which the father hath put in his owne power And if the time of all his workes be put and placed only in his power then the time of thy death which is one of this workes is put only in his power But his God that hath the sole disposing of thy death hath as I said giuen thee comfortable hope that death shall not come before this thy temptation be ouercome For this we haue his gracious promise deliuered by the pen of the blessed Apostle Paul saying God is faithfull that will not suffer you to be tempted aboue that you be able but will giue the issue with the temtation that ye may be able to beare it Here he promiseth an issue of euery temptation and also that the man burdened there with shal be able to beare it and ouercome it And hitherto though this temptation hath beene grieuous vnto thee and in bearing of it thou hast felt and found thine owne weaknesse yet God hath supported thee and thou hast beene inabled to indure weary daies and comfortlesse nights And in the meane time while this temptation hath lasted for thy further strengthening thou hast inioyed many mercies of God both in thy soule and body and estate and friends for hee hath not smitten thy soule with the stroke that fell vpon Nebuchadnezzar thou hast had and stil hast thine vnderstanding free to inquire after God and harken after his mercy and he hath not smitten thy body with the bile of Aegypt
continue in health and that they may continue to deale iustly honestly and dutifully This triple imploiment for thy praier thou hast iâ—… the time of thy domesticall trouble for thy selfe that art troubled or grieued for them by whose meanes thou art troubled or for whose sake thou art grieued and for the rest This is the second common rule of casting thy burdon vpon God in domesticall troubles namely that thou fall to praier according to the saying of S. Iames is any among you afflicted let him pray Now let vs see what other rules as more particular are to be added to patience and praier CHAP. IX THese domestical troubles being of diuers sorts let vs first distinguish them into two rankes because it is either sicknesse death or some calamity that is happend to thy selfe or to some other neighbour 〈◊〉 â—…d kinsman or of thy family for which thou art out of thy loue and compassion to others and out of sence of thine owne euill greeued Or else it is some wrong offered vnto thee by others in their vnthankfulnesse disobedience vniustice or forwardnesse out of which springeth â—…vnquietnesse and vexation to thee with this latter member of wrongs let vs first begin and see what it is to cast this burden vpon God First here let the wronged person that beareth the burden consider whether the occasion of these burdens grew of himselfe or no. For so it oftentimes commeth to passe that the vnkindnesse of tâ—…e husband prouoketh the wife to some such course as turneth after to the husbands trouble And likewise the disobedience of the wife may driue the husband vnto that course that after becommeth her heauy burden Can the party that first did wrong without prouocation be offended with the party that in the second place did amisse being prouoked somtimes the fondnesse and negligence of parents that wil not instruct nor when needess correct their children nor in any thing restraine them of their owne will or else the euill example of the parents makes them become wanton disordered and euill conditioned as it fell out in Hell his children and in the end the parents see and heare things of their children that grieue their hearts and out of their disobedience and insolency they are wronged and it cannot be otherwise folly cleaning to the soule of the childe but that when the soule is not husbandly tilled by the discipline of the parents it must bring forth weedes of euill behauiour sometime the child that complaineth of the vnkindnesse of parents hath by his owne folly by his disobedience and riotous courses giuen vnto his parents of themselues tender and louing inough cause to be vnkind to change their countenance to shorten their allowance yea to shut the dore against him and to settle his inheritance vpon some other So likewise the mâ—…ster sometimes hath no care at home to teach his seruants to know and feare God and if he goe to the house of God himselfe he careth not to bring his seruants with him or if he bring them with him hee looketh not whether they stay there or no or if they stay whether they marke and learne any thing or no these are not the studies of his heart He suffereth them also to exceede decorum and comelinesse of seruants in their apparel and to be abroad at vnseasonable times with other yong persons and what youth and liberty wanting an ouerseer will doe wise men know also by his owne euill example of riot and vnthristinesse hee becomes vnto his seruants a plaine corrupter they thinking themselues out of danger of reproofe while they tread in the steppes of their masters and gouernours or else an euill master dealeth vniustly and vnkindly with a faithfull seruant and being so brought vp and so prouoked no maruell if at length they breed their Masters trouble Sometime the seruant being both well taught and well intreated and hauing no iust exception against the gouernment and vsage of his Master out of the lewdnesse of his owne euill heart or harkening to the counsell of ill company becommeth disobedient and vnfaithfull and prouoketh his master to take strait courses with him Sometime also an vndiscreet man dwelling by a neighbour of peaceable disposition presumeth vpon his neighbours softnesse and offereth him wrong in such manner as ouercommeth patience and makes the quiet man to stir againe and then hath he trouble in his habitation and feeles himselfe compassed with troubles more then he looked for in all these and like cases the grieued man is the occasion of his owne burden in these domesticall troubles When he findeth this then to cast his burden vpon the Lord for his case is to reforme the errours of his owne misgo uernment and to looke better to the waies of his family and to reforme the errours of his owne life that hee giue better light vnto his owne houshold and draw them backe to goodnesse by his example whom hee had corrupted before and to giue satisfaction to his neighbour whom hee had wronged and to abstaine from after-wronging of him Thus stopping the fountaine of cause giuen by himselfe the streame of offence takeÌ„ by others wil soone drie vp the common rules of patience and harty praier to God withal not neglected If thy vnkindnesse to thy wise and thy bad husbandry made hir vnquiet vse her more kindly and proue a better husband and she shall be quiet So let the wife by more dutifull and modest behauiour recouer hir husbands loue If neglect of discipline with too much remisnesse in gouerning children and seruants and thine owne euill example among them were cause of their disorder vse thy fatherly and masterly authority better and giue a better example and thou shalt haue them in better obedience The child also and seruant becomming more obedient and more faithfull shall soone recouer the loue and fauour of their Parents and Masters And if thy neighbour were prouoked to vex thee because thou hadst first iniuriously vexed him make thy peace with him for the first wrong and abstain from offering a second and hee will liue in peace with thee Surely if the occasion of a mans domesticall trouble grew from himselfe this is to cast his burden vpon God for his owne ease in the feare of God to remooue the occasion to reforme the disorder in himselfe to giue satisfaction to seeke reconciliation and to hold a better course afterward and to doe this in patience ioyning withall praier vnto God that he wil giue both to himselfe and to them that were his troublers wisdome and grace that hee may no more giue and they may no more take any such offence But if a mans domesticall troubles grow not from himselfe giuing the occasion but onely from their owne euill heart that troubled him so that he can say as Samuel did Whom haue I done wrong to Or whom haue I hurt And as Dauid said O Lord my God if I haue done this thing if
there be any wickednesse in my hand if I haue rewarded euill to him that had peace with me yea I haue deliuered him that vexed me without a cause then let mine enemy persecute my soule and take it If the burdened man be himselfe faultlesse and the euill heart of the euill doer be the onely fountaine of his euill deede as the Scriptures testifie and daily experience shewes it to be most true that there are such neighbours and such domestikes that of themselues without cause giuen are troublesome as froward wiues with whom it is as vnquiet dwelling as with a Dragon and euill husbands that haue neither wisdome nor honesty to respect the weaknesse of the womans sex and to intreat them with due mildnesse and children riotous and disobedient that will be ruled by no counsell nor order of parents and parents so vnnaturall and carelesse that they haue no regard of their children and seruants so slothful vnfaithfull and murmuring that they will neuer be good and masters so vnreasonable and cruel that their seruants liue vnder them a miserable life and neighbours and companions to whom it is a pastime to doe euill according to Salomons words As he that faineth himselfe mad casteth fire-brands arrowes and mortall things so dealeth a deceitfull man with his friend and saith am I not in sport Thus falleth it out many times that the quiet man giuing no occasion yet receiueth iniury to his great molestation In this case this very testimony of his heart that he is falultesse glueth much quiet to his soule and giueth much boldnesse of heart to him to commend his cause vnto God and to craue his helpe that is the patron of all innocency And it is a goodly rule of casting his burden vpon God in this case to beare patiently his burden till God intreated by humble praier send releefe And this rule is commended vnto vs by the Apostle Peter saying If when ye doe well yee suffer wrong and take it patiently this is acceptable to God He therefore that hopeth for ease must quietly beare in the meane time according to the pleasure of God The trouble may be a present iniury passing away with the deede not to be continued neuer to be iterated as the rayling of Shemei vpon Dauid to beare patiently that which impatience cannot helpe giueth hope of ease and recompence from the good hand of God as Dauid said of Shemeis cursing it may be the Lord will looke vpon mine affliction and doe mee good for his cursing this day Therfore to suffer it patiently not rendring euill for euill no◅ rebuke for rebuke is to cast that burden vpon God If it be a wrong iterated or continued and prosecuted still patience with praier is to be vsed for by patience wee possesse our soules and by praier we obtaine helpe at the hands of God In this continuing and iterated trouble it may please God for thy triall thy exercise and thy good to continue it long or else in mercy to deliuer thee from it be times If he interpose his hand of deliuerance to make it of short continuance which is to be praied for then he will put an end to thy trouble either by changing the minde of thy troubler or by weakning and crossing his malice or else by remouing thy troubler from thee or thee from thy troubler wherein till his will be reuealed by his worke he is to be attended in patience and to be intreated by praier And because he may remoue the burden of thy domesticall troubles by reforming the troubler it is a maine point of the casting of thy burden vpon God to pray vnto him for the reforming of them And to put to thy hand to so good a worke By this rule if a man bee troubled with an vnquiet wife and would be eased by the good worke of God in reforming hir he must pray vnto God that he would be pleased to giue he◅ a better heart And hee himselfe must in all louing manner teach her what is comely for her to doe as a woman as a wife as a mother as a mistresse as a neighbour wheresoeuer he hath found he◅ to erre and by her errour to haue been the cause of his trouble So did Iob checke and reforme the errour of his wife when she prouoked him to curse God saying thou speakest like a foolish woman What shall we receiue good things at the hands of God and not receiue euill So on the other side if a woman be troubled with a bad and vnquiet husband and would be eased by the good worke of God in reforming her husband shee must pray vnto God that he will be pleased to giue her husband a better heart and she her selfe must in all dutifull manner helpe that change actempting it partly by gentle wordes in season spoken and partly by her owne louing and modest behauiour that is very forcible to reclaime euen a froward minde By words Abigail attempted to reforme the churlishnesse of Nabal her husband chusing a fit season to tell him of the danger thereof the next day after when he had slept away his drunkennes She obserued opportunitie so should all women doe Therefore doeth Bathsheba say of a vertuous woman Shee openeth her mouth in wisedome and the law of grace is in her tongue And such words of wisdome from the tongue of his wife an honest man shold not refuse to heare and vnto wise words spoken in season let her adioyne her milde and humble behauiour by which much good may be done vpon him as testifieth Saint Peter saying Likewise let the wiues be subiect to their husbands that euen they which obey not the word may without the word be won by the conuer sation of the wiues while they behold your pure conuersation which is with feare So ought the wife both both with milde words and good behauiour helpe the reformation of her husband These prescribed rules for the man to desire and helpe the reformation of his wife that is froward and for the woman to desire and helpe the reformation of her husband that is disordred when the one prooues the others burden by their errour giue no countenance vnto the disgracing complaints vnto the vnciuill taunts and checkes vnto the brawling words blowes and other euill vsage that passe now and then between man woman when one is offended with another surely God is not the author of such dealings neither do the married that vse such dealings cast the burden of their domesticall troubles vpon God os take ◅ny course to make burden lighter but they do increase it and make it heauier By the same rule parēts masters burdend with disobedient disordred children seruants and desirous to turn off their burdē vpon god are taught to pray to God for the reformation of their children seruants to put their own helping hand to the worke vsing their fatherly and