their God requite this his loue which they had no more deserued then any other Nation Certainely as they deserued it not afore they had it so they requited it not when they had it but requited this loue of God with sinne with rebellion and with disobedience They tempted him they prouoked him to wrath they presumed of his mercy and proued a most stubborne stifnecked people a froward generation Moses partly saw this in his owne experience and better discerned it in the spirite of Prophesie and therefore wondring at this their wickednes he cried out Do you thus requite the Lord O foolish people and vnwise thus that is with sin and disobedience which is the onely meanes to displease the Lord to prouoke him to wrath for this cause they are worthily called a foolish and vnkind people by Moses and here by the Prophet A Nation not worthy to be beloued namely for their vnthankefulnesse and vnkindnes which was such as they not onely were slacke and carelesse in performance of such duties as God required but euē multiplyed their sinnes and committed those soule rebellions which his soule hated And amongst many the Prophet here in this Chapter noteth three of their great sinnes for which they were a Nation not worthy to be beloued Couetousnesse Crueltie and Deceit all which were the more hainous and intollerable because they were the sinnes of their Princes their rulers and their Priests who should haue bin lights examples to the rest Now although euery sinne in it selfe is of that ill desert as it is able to cast vs out of Gods fauour and depriue vs of his loue yet behold here God complaines not vppon a little cause but for wonderfull and exceeding vnthankfulnes vnkindnes in them who of all other should haue loued the Lord. As a man cares not for hard vsage from him whom he esteemes not but a little vnkindnesse dooth greatly greeue a man from him who is loued and respected so is it with the Lord our God hee loued not the Gentiles as hee did the Iewes neither was hee so bountifull vnto them and therefore as wee may see though they liued alwayes in ignorance and continued alwaies in disobedience yet the Text saith the time of that ignorance God regarded not but when as the Iewes his owne people whom hee chose out of all people and bestowed his loue vpon them and made his Couenant of grace with them when they became vnkind vnthankfull forgetfull stubborne and rebellious that caused the Lord euen to complaine of that indignitie and to cry out by Moses Doe ye thus requite the Lord O foolish people and vnwise And heereby the Prophet O Nation not worthy to be beloued and therefore there is no man but if he be asked what hee thinkes of this Nation of the Iewes he will aunswere that they are a most vile and wicked people a froward generation and that they are worthy to taste deepely of all Gods plagues who so farre abused his loue and mercy But what doth this belong to them alone and is Israel a Nation not worthy to bee beloued Nay I may cry out with as good cause O England a Nation not worthy to be beloued For God hath beene as good a God to vs as he was to them and wee haue beene as vnkind a people to him as they were to him But that I may be free from discrediting our natiō frō defiling my owne nest let vs prooue both these points and laye them open to the viewe of the world 1. First therefore the same mercies and farre greater haue beene powred and heaped vpon vs hee hath called vs out of the dareknes First of Heathenisme and then of Popery his couenant of grace and saluation he hath confirmed with vs his treasures of his word and Sacraments hee hath imparted to vs his holy word neuer better preached and the mysteries thereof neuer more plainly opened since the time of the Apostles and as wee haue Religion so wee haue it vnder a Religious Prince whereby it comes to passe that these blessings of saluation we enioy not in secret or by stealth but we haue it coūtenanced by authority so that religion is not barely allowed but euen as it were euen thrust vpon men Besides all this wee haue a land also that floweth with milke and hony it is plentifull in all good things wee haue liberty peace vnder a peaceable Prince and the companions of peace prosperitie plenty health wealth corne wooll golde siluer aboundance of all things that may please the heart of man thus hath God deserued the loue of England 2. But now England how hast thou requited this kindnesse of the Lord certainely euen with a great measure of vnkindnesse that is with more and greater sinnes then euer Israel did so that if Moses spake true of them then may our Moses much more truly cry out against England doest thou thus requite the Lord thou foolish people And if this prophet said thus of Israel for three sinnes then may it be saide of England for three hundred sinnes O England a Nation not worthy to bee beloued for thou hast multiplied thy transgressions aboue theirs of Israel euen as though thou hadst resolued with thy self the more Gods kindnes is heaped on thee the more to multiply thy sinnes against him For thou England as thou hast requited the Lord with sins so not with a fewe sinnes or smal sinnes or sinnes which hardly could haue bene preuented for that had beene a matter of some excuse or not of so great complaint But thy sins are many and grieuous and capitall And which is worst of all wilfull and affected euen as though God had deserued euill of vs and that therefore wee ought malitiously to requite him If any man make doubt of this and therefore thinke I speake too hardly of our Church I will thē deale plainly and particularly and rip vp the sores of our Nation that so they may be healed to the bottome The common sinnes of England wherewith the Lord is requited are these First ignorance of Gods will and worship I speake not of that compelled ignorance in many corners of our land which is to bee pittied because they want the means but wilfull and affected ignorance Men are ignorant euen because they will be ignorant Meanes of knowledge were neuer so plentiful and yet neuer more grosse ignorance is not he wilfully blind who will not open his eyes in the light can there bee any darknesse at noone day but it must bee wilfull But our Nation is darke and blinde in the Sunne-shine of the Gospell and grosly ignorant when the Gospell beats their eares and light shines round about them so as if they closed not their eyes and stopped not their eares they coulde not but both heare and see who woulde look for ignorance after thirty fiue yeares preaching and yet many are as ignorant as if they had beene borne and brought vp vnder
popery so that our people are as euill as those in the dayes of Christ of whome the holy Ghost saith Light is come into the world but men loue darknesse more then light So knowledge is come into England but many English-men loue darknesse better then knowledge Alas how many thousands haue we in our Church who know no more in religion then they heare in common talke of all men and which is worse they thinke it sufficiēt also which is worst of all wheras they might haue more they will not but care not for it 2. The second maine sin of England is Contempt of Christian Religion Religion hath bin among vs these fiue and thyrtie yeares but the more it is published the more it is contemned and reproched of many insomuch as there is not the simplest fellow in a Country towne who although he knows not one point of religion yet hee can mock and scorne such as are more religious then himselfe is this is one of the moaths of England that eates vp religion this is grieuous in whomsoeuer but most intollerable in two sortes of men First in them who are altogether ignorant that they should mocke they knowe not what A pittifull thing to here one who himselfe cannot giue the meaning of one petition in the Lords prayer to vpbraide other men because they are too forward but it is the worst of all when men of knowledge and such as liue ciuilly and would be counted good Christians are indeed of the better sort cannot abide to see others goe a little before them but if they doe presently they are hypocrites and dissemblers Thus not prophanenesse nor wickednes but euen religion it selfe is a by-word a mocking stocke and matter of reproach so that in England at this day the man or woman that begins to professe Religion and to serue God must resolue with himselfe to sustaine mockes and iniuries euen as though hee liued among the enemies of religion and not among professours and as religion increaseth and spreadeth it selfe so doth the number of these mockers O what a cursed sinne is this to contemne the greatest fauour that God can giue vs that is his holy religion for the which we should rather praise him all the daies of our liues All that God can giue a man in this world is his Gospell what then can God giue to bee regarded whē his Gospell is cōtemned This sinne was neuer amongst the Iewes they indeede regarded it not so as it deserued but who did euer make a mocke and a scorne of it but England O England how canst thou answere this God sendes thee the most precious iewell that he can sende to a Nation and thou scornest it them that bring it and them that receiue it euen as though it were no blessing but a curse so that as Christ saith to the Iewes For which of my good workes doe you stone me So may the Lord say to England I haue giuen thee a fruitfull land a blessed Prince golde and siluer peace and liberty plentie and prosperitie for which of these O England doest thou contemne my religion The least of these deserue loue but England hath a better then all these that is his Gospell the word of saluation and yet that all is contemned as beeing nothing worth and those which confesse it and those that bring it and consequently God himselfe that giue it If England had no more sinnes but this this deserues that it should be saide of vs that wee are a Nation not worthy to be beloued aboue all Nations for some Nations woulde haue religion that they might loue it but they cannot haue it some haue it and loue it not but in no Nation is it made a mocking-stocke but in England And where are those men but in England who like the dog in the manger will neyther entertaine religion themselues nor suffer them that would let vs in time take heede of this sinne as a sinne that crieth to God to reuenge so vile a dishonour done to his Maiestie neyther is there any sinne that more certainely foreshowes and more forcibly hastens the remoouing of the Gospell from vs. For high time is it to cease louing where loue procures disdaine And to stay giuing where gifts are scorned Carrie home this lesson to your great Townes and Cities where you dwell for in these populous places are these great mockers for where God hath his professours the Diuell hath his mockers and repent betimes of this sinne for holde on in mocking and bee sure that God who will not bee mocked will remooue his Gospel from you but if you leaue this sinne and entertaine the Gospell as it worthilie deserueth then be sure of it that God wil continue the Gospel to you and your posterity after you in the face of all your enemies round about you 3. The thirde common sinne of England is Blasphemie manie wayes but especiallie in vaine swearing false swearing and for-swearing and the abuse of all the names and titles of the Lorde God This sinne is generall euen ouer the whole land especiallie in Fayres and Markets where men for a little gaine will not care to call the Lord of Hostes to be witnesse to a lye and the God of truth to testifie an vntruth And which is worst of all Gods holie Name is vsed in vaine oathes and ordinarie talke when men haue no cause to sweare at all so that it is most lamentable to see and obserue that the name of any man of honour or worship is vsed more reuerently lesse abused then that fearfull and glorious name the Lord our God 4. The fourth generall and great sinne is prophanation of the Sabbaoth A common sinne euerie where and yet so great a sinne that where it raignes in that countrey congregation family man or woman there is no feare of God nor anie true grace in them for the keeping of the Sabbaoth is the maintaining increasing and publishing of religion 5. The fifth sinne of our Nation is euill dealing in bargaining betwixte man and man How hard a thing is it to finde an honest simple plaine dealing man and that euen in such great assemblies as this is I feare present experience will testifie you are nowe manie thousandes gathered together some to buy some to sell some to exchaunge Remember that I haue tolde you an honest hearted and plaine dealing man is harde to finde therefore labour to approoue your selues sincere hearted men remember the counsell of the holie Ghost Let no man oppresse nor defraude his brother in bargaining for the Lorde is the auenger of all such thinges These sinnes are generall and vniuersall as a canker And so are the sinnes of the sixe seuen eight Commaundements though they bee not altogether so common as these bee Murthers Adulteries Vsuries Briberies Extorsions Cosonages they are a but then vnder which our earth grones and they crie against vs to heauen so that vpon as good or much
some for women but repentance is for all without which it may bee saide of all and euery one of age not one excepted No Repentance no saluation These Sermons being in my hands and not deliuered to mee from hand to hand but takē with this hand of mine from his own mouth were thought worthy for the excellēcie and fit for the generalitie of the matter to bee offered to the publique view I haue also other works of his in my hands of which being many I confesse my selfe to be but the keeper for the time taking my selfe bound to keepe thē safely to the benefite of Gods church of whose treasure vpon earth I make no question but they are a part and I hartily desire you my good friendes and all other faithful Christians to solicite the Lord in praier for me that I may faithfully discharge my selfe of that great charge which in this respect lieth vpō me that his grace blessing may be on me and all others who are to bee imployed in this seruice wherein had the Lord so pleased wee coulde heartily haue wished neuer to haue bene imployed but that his life might haue eased vs of the labour and that as I begin with this so I or some other better able which I rather desire may goe forward vndertaking the weight of this great burthen and not faint till he haue made a faithfull account to the Church of God of all the Iewels deliuered to our trust And nowe these first fruites of my labours in another mans vine yard as also all that hereafter do or may follow I humbly consecrate to the blessed spouse of Christ Iesus the holy Church of God on earth and namely to the Church of England our beloued mother who may reioyce that shee was the mother of such a son who in fewe yeares did so much good to the publique cause of religion as the wickednesse of many yeares shall not bee able to weare out But first of all and especially I present the same vnto you my very worshipfull and Christian friendes who I must needes say are very worthy of it in many respects 1. For the matter it selfe which is repentance my selfe being able to testifie that you are not hearers but dooers rise in knowledge and rise in the practice of Repentance insomuch as I dare from the testimonie of my conscience and in the word of a Minister pronoūce of you that as you haue heard and knowne this doctrine of repentance so blessed are you for you doe it And 2. for him who was the author hereof whose mouth spake it from the feeling of his soule and whose soule is now bound vp in the bundle of life I know cannot in good conscience conceale the great delight you haue alwaies had in the reading of his books the reuerend opinion you had of him liuing how heauily and passionately you took his death departure therefore to cheare you vp in want of him I send you here this little booke his own child begotten in his life time but borne after his death obserue it well and you shall finde it not vnlike the father yea you shall discerne in it the fathers spirit and it doubts not but to finde entertainment with them of whom the father was so well respected And for my selfe I spare to rehearse what interest you haue in me and all my labours it is no more then you worthily deserue and shall haue in me for euer you are the fairest flowers in this garden which in this place I after others haue planted for the Lord or rather God by vs And two principall pearls in that Crowne which I hope for at the last day from the Lord my God whose word at my mouth you haue receiued with much reuerence and with such profit as if I had the like successe of my labours in others I should then neuer haue cause to say with the Prophet I haue laboured in vaine spent my strength in vaine but my iudgement is with the Lord and my worke with my God And if I knew you not to bee such as take more delight in doing well then in hearing of it I would prooue at large what I haue spoken of you yet giue me leaue to say that which without open wrong I may not conceale that beside your care knowledge and godly zeale to religion and other duties of the first table to God himselfe your charitie and pietie to the needie distressed Christians at home and abroad your mercifull dealing with them who are in your power your beneuolence to learning and namely to some in the Vniuersitie do all proclaime to the worlde those your due prayses which I well knowing your modesties doe spare once to name neither would I haue saide thus much were it not for this cold and barren age wherein we liue that so when our preaching cannot moue yet your godly examples might stirre vp Pardon me therfore I pray you thinke it no wrong to you which is a benefit to Gods Church But goe forward in the strength of the Lord your God hold on in that happie course you haue begun be faithfull vnto the ende the Lord will giue you the Crowne of life faithfull is hee which hath promised who will also doe it proceede good Sir to honour learning in your selfe and others and religion especially which is the principallearning and proceede both of you to practise religion in your owne persons and in your family hold on to shine before your familie and amongst the people where you dwel in zeale and holines holde on hereby still to shame poperie to stoppe your enemies mouthes and to honour that holy religion which you professe to gaine comfort of good conscience to your selues assurance of eternall reward and lastly to encourage mee in those painefull duties which lye vpon mee for I openly professe that your religious zeale and loue of the truth with many other good helpes are principall encouragementes in my ministerie and especiall motiues vnto mee to vndertake the charge of publication of so many of the workes of this holy man deceased as may not in better manner be done by others But I keepe you too long from this holy exhortation following I therefore send you it and it to you and from you to the Churche of God for I dare not make it priuately yours and mine wherein the whole church hath interest as well as we It was Preached in the field but it is worthy to be admitted into our hearts I found it in the opē field but vpon diligent viewe finding it to bee Gods corne and a parcell of his holy and immortall seede therefore I brought it home as good corne deserues And as it is Gods corne so in you I desire all holy Christians to lay it vp in Gods garners that is in their hearts and soules And thus committing this little volume to your reading the matter to your practise you and yours
also the seede of it And againe seeing that all euills tendes to a perfection as well as Grace doeth what reason therefore is there but wee may safely thinke that the Diuell would hale euery one to that height of sinne if it were not that the powerfull hande of God preuented him who will neyther suffer wicked men nor the Diuell himselfe to bee so wicked as they coulde and would be The vse of this second rule is notable For in this searching of our selues it sheweth vs what wee are without all colour or deceit and fully discouers vnto vs the vglines of our natures it may teach vs all how to think and esteeme of our selues when we heare of Caines vnnaturall murther Pharaohs vnnaturall crueltie the Sodomites vnnatural lust Achitophels diuellish pollicie Senacharibs horrible blasphemie Iudas monstrous treason Iulians fearefull Apostasie When wee heare of the fearefull murthers treasons periuries sinnes against nature blasphemies Apostasies witchcrafts crafts and other the horrible sinnes of the worlde let vs then returne into our selues and looke homewardes euen into our owne heartes and confesse euerie one that these should haue beene euen thy sinnes also if Gods grace had not preuented thee This will humble thee and make thee thinke vilely and basely of thy selfe and so consequently bring thee to repentance and true amendement and the verie reason why men repent not nor amend their wayes is because they are Pharisies by nature and thinke highly of themselues and of their owne natures and their naturall inclinations this will be a harshe a strāge doctrine to them Oh they haue excellent narures and they canot endure such such sinnes and they thanke God they are not as ill as others but let all such men knowe they must cease magnifying nature learne to magnifie Gods grace Let them knowe that nature in them is in the roote as much corrupt as in the worst man in the world and euerie mans heart is a bottomlesse fountaine of all sinne therefore praise not thy nature but Gods grace and mercie in giuing thee so good a nature or rather so well restraining and rectifying thy nature stay not there but desire of the Lord that as hee hath giuen thee a better tempered nature then to other men so also hee woulde bestowe on thee his espeiiall and sauing grace and as hee hath kept thee from the fearefull sinnes of others thou beeing as ill naturally as they so he would also leade thee into the way of saluation which else the best nature in the worlde can neuer attaine vnto The third rule to be knowne and practised of him who will truely searche himselfe is that euerie man borne of Adam is by nature the children of wrath and Gods enemie this is true of all without exception high or lowe rich or poore Noble or simple borne in the visible church or without And further by beeing enemie of God hee is therefore borne subiect to hell to damnation and to all other curses so that looke as a Traitor conuicted stands thereby in his Princes high displeasure and is sure of death without speciall pardon so standes euerie man when hee is borne conuicted of high treason against God in his high disfauour and is in danger of Hell which is the fulfilling of the wrath of God Thus Dauid confesseth of himselfe I was borne in iniquitie and in sinne hath my mother conceiued mee If in sinne then in Gods wrath and vnder the daunger of damnation If anie aske howe or why this is so I answere the trueth as also the equitie of this third rule dependeth on the two former for because euery man is borne guiltie of Adams great sinne and also tainted originally with al corruption and a pronenesse of all sinne therefore it followeth in equitie and iustice that euery man is borne vnder the wrath and curse of God This point is a plaine and euident trueth yet men in the world thinke not so and it is the cause why men repent not of their sinnes for most men thinke that by nature they are in Gods fauour and therefore they neede not so sue for it in humiliation repentance but only liue ciuillie and do no open wrong and all is well whereas alas there is no condemned traitour more out of his Princes fauour nor more sure of death without a pardon then all wee are out of Gods fauour and sure of damnation vnlesse wee procure Gods fauour againe by Faith and Repentance For the better opening of this third rule and the manifesting of the Truth let vs knowe further that the curse of God vnder the which wee all are borne is three-fold The first is a bondage vnder Sathan It is a certaine truth that euerie man as hee is borne of his Parents and till he repent is a slaue of Sathan man or woman high or lowe Sathan is his Lord and Maister Hee sits as Iudge in his heart and in his sense Sathan is the king of the natiōs and god of the world Men wil in words defie Sathan and not name him without defiance and spit at him and yet alas hee is in their heartes they spitte him out of their mouthes but hee is lower they should also spit him out of their heartes and that is true defiance indeede for alas he lodgeth in thy heart and there hee maketh his Throne and reignes vntil the spirit of regeneration dispossesse him and till then no seruant is subiect to his maister no slaue to his Lorde as is the heart of man by nature vnto Sathan the Prince of darkenesse Nay our bondage is more fearefull then the slauerie of anie poore Christian in the Spaniards or in the Turkes Gallies for their bodies are but in bondage and at commaund and vnder punishment but our best part our heart our conscience our soule it selfe is captiuated vnto him and vnder his commaunde who is the king of crueltie and confusion and lord of hell whose commandements are iniustice whose seruice is sinne and whose hyre is damnation The second part of the curse of the first death or the death of the bodie that is a separation of the soule and bodie asunder for a time namely til the last iudgemēt This death is duely and iustly the punishment of anie one or the least sinne therefore howe due and iust a punishment vppon that horrible heape of sinfulnesse which is in euery mans nature and it is a most terrible curse For it is the very gate of hell and the downefall of damnation vnto all men but such as by faith and repentance doe get their death sanctified by the death of Christ vnto such men indeed it is no curse but a gratious and glorious blessing for it is altered by Christ his death But vnto all men by nature and which repent not it is the heauie curse of Gods wrath and the verie downe-fall into the gulfe of hell The third part of the curse vnder which euerie man is borne
temptation sickenesse or open persecution the chaffe of naturall presumption and outward formalitie in Religion will flye away and it must be the penitent humbled and beleeuing heart which must then abide it out and endure the Fan of temptations and persecutions And to conclude Let not the Diuell deceiue thee in making thee imagine or hope to please God and yet to let thy corruptions lie vnseene and thy sinnes vnsearched out least thereby thou marre all for thou vsest not to laye vp wheate in thy garners vntill it be purged from the chaffe so thinke not to store vp anie sauing knoweledge or anie other grace of God in thy heart vntill the Chaffe of vanitie bee first blowne away that so the holie graces of God may be laid vp in the garners of thy soule And therefore questionlesse to speake one worde to touche our common professors in the verie sore of their soules all knowledge that is stored vp in these vnpure and vnsearched hearts is euen as wheate layd vp in the chaffe which is a thousand to one sure to bee eaten vp by the chaffe so that when the winnowing time of triall and persecution comes I feare that such men will for all their knowledge shrinke aside and betraye the Trueth their knowledge then prouing no better then chaffe because it was layde vp in an vnholie heart If therefore thou wouldest stande and endure when Poperie or persecution or temptations come if thou wouldest abide the furie of the fanne of temptations nowe then exercise thy heart with the fanne of Gods lawe Search and ransacke it purge out the chaffe of corruption and store vp knowledge in an holie heart and a good conscience and that will abide the violence of all temptations yea when God suffers the Diuell to doe with vs as hee did with Peter to winnowe vs like wheate to sifte and trie vs as he did Iob with the furious winde of all his malice then knowledge will prooue Wheate that will abide the winde and gold that will abide the fire thus glorious will it bee in the ende if wee followe this holie Prophets counsell and Search our hearts ¶ And thus much for the first pointe namely the dutie of searching heere commaunded in which we haue stayed the longer because it is the foundation of all the rest and this beeing well layde the whole building will goe vp the faster Now wee come to the second generall point here laid downe that is whom must wee Search the Prophet answereth your selues not other men but your selues This search so vrged and inforced by the Prophet must not bee of other mens hearts liues but of our owne our owne are our charge and not other mens and therein is the saying true which else is most false Euery man for himselfe for as euerie soule must bee saued by it selfe so must it beleeue repent and search it selfe The dutie therefore here commaunded is for euerie man that woulde haue his soule to be saued to search it and reforme it leaue others to be searched by themselues Here the holy Ghost meets with the common corruption of this world and that is that men are Eagle eyed to see into the liues of other men but to looke into their owne heartes and liues they are blinder then Moles they can see moates in other mens liues but discerne not beames in their owne whereby it comes to passe that they stumble and fall fowlie for the eyes of most men are set vpon others and not vppon themselues and therevpon it is that an euill man seeing oother men and not himselfe thinkes best of himselfe and worst of other men but contrariwise a good man seeing himselfe and not other men thinkes worst of himselfe and better of other men an euill man lookes outward and iudgeth other men but a good man lookes homeward and iudgeth himselfe and in iudging condemnes himselfe farre aboue other men and that because by searching into his owne heart and waies he knowes that by himselfe which he knowes not by any man in the world besides So then wee must search not other meÌ„ but our selues our owne hearts our owne liues are our charge and burthen the liues of other men concerne vs not being priuate men further then either to follow them being good or take heede of them being euill but to search or be inquisitiue into them is no dutie commaunded vs but rather a foule and a base vice forbidden of God Indeede Magistrates in their people Pastours in their congregations and housholders in their families are to search but they can search onely for criminall causes to open actuall sinnes but this searching must be of our hearts which no man can search but our selues onely Fewe men haue a calling to enquire into other mens liues but euery man hath a calling to search into himselfe but alas men doe farre otherwise they suffer themselues to rotte in their owne sinnes and erect an Inquisition ouer other mens liues and it is to be seene in daily experience that those men who are the great Searchers and pryers into other men are the neglecters and forgetters of themselues And contrariwise they who doe narrowly Search themselues and their owne wayes and looke into the corners of their owne hearts doe finde so much worke to doe with themselues that they little busie themselues wiâ—h other men And thus much may suffice for that point It followeth O Nation not worthy to be beloued The third point Who must search the Iewes who are here termed a Nation not worthy to be beloued and yet for all that they are bid to search themselues that so vpon their repentance they might be beloued Where we may see the vnspeakable loue of God and his wonderfull mercy offering grace vnto such men as are altogether vnworthy of it Gods children are by nature like other men and God findes nothing in them why to respect them aboue other but euen of his owne mercy makes them worthy who of themselues are not therefore how worthy is that God to haue all the loue of our harts who loued vs when we were not worthy to be beloued But let vs examine more particularly why God doth call the Iewes a Nation not worthy to be beloued I answere God had blessed them aboue other Nations Hee gaue them his couenant of grace thereby made them his people and committed to their trust his holy word and Oracles but he delt not so with other Nations neither had the heathen knowledge of his lawes Besides all this they hadde a better land then others about them it flowed with Milke and Honie that is with all commodities and delights and though their Countrie was but little yet themselues so populous and so powerfull that whilest they pleased God no enemie durst set vpon then Thus for soule and body they were euery way a Nation blessed of God a people beloued of God aboue all others Now how did this people thus beloued of