the man of God setteth downe the tearmes of his companions and sheweth how he coueted only Gods louing countenance The sicke desire health the imprisoned libertie the poore desire riches but few desire Gods countenance in the forgiuenes of sinne in the beholding of vs in Christ in giuing the graces of his holy spirit which are the pledges of his loue Many worlds are nothing worth it is a good heart which the Lord requireth Sanctification holines and the blessing of Gods spirit are true riches which we must craue and obtaine with sighs grones and teares For if we can sigh if we can grone if we can sorrow when we are but in sicknes of body or some outward calamitie what a shame is it if we cannot sigh sorrow and grone for the inward wants and necessities of the soule But if men knew what it were to haue the inward peace of conscience which passeth all vnderstanding they would surely desire it more That I might keepe thy statutes So many would haue Gods fauour to shine vnto them in libertie in health or in riches but he craueth God his fauour in his word which if we can get let the Lord deale with other things which concerne vs as pleaseth him best Will we know then when we haue a true loue to God his word It is when we especially desire it and nothing aboue it For as the greatest light that euer came to the world is the light of the Sunne so the most precious thing that can come to the world is the light of Gods word that we may see the light in God his light and behold the countenance of the Lord Otherwise if we be in prosperitie we will thinke our selues to be well when we are in aduersitie we thinke our selues ill Here we may see that as there is cleerenes when the Sunne shineth and that there is darknesse in the mists and cloudinesse so there is a vicissitude of Gods children whilest sometime their vnderstanding is cleered by the comfort of the word other sometimes it is darkened by the mists of ignorance which commeth to passe that we might the more reuerently and louingly esteeme the word For as the Lord hath the dispensation of the Sunne in heauen so hath he the disposing of his countenance to vs on earth Vers. 136. Mine eyes gush out with riuers of water because they keepe not thy Law MIne eyes gush out with water He doth here shew a cause why he did so earnestly pray for Gods louing countenance in his word for he was greatly grieued and sore afflicted and trouble compassed him on euery side The speech is not a false or fained speech but such as sheweth the greatnes of his griefe by that which is greater and it is as much as if he had said I weepe bitterly and often because men keepe not thy Law And this is the note of true zeale which easeth it selfe with teares and not with reuenge or anger and this is godly zeale when we cannot helpe a thing then by teares to commit it to God who alone is able to saue men This was not for priuate iniurie but because Gods law is broken This then is true zeale when we can deuoure priuate iniuries be zealous in Gods cause for fleshly men are hot in their owne causes and cold in the cause of the Lord. A man cannot thus be sorrowfull for another vnlesse he be sorrowfull for himselfe and then are we truely sorrowfull for our selues when we can mourne for others As Marie loued much and therefore wept much because much was forgiuen her And hereof it commeth that most notorious sinners being conuerted are most truely zealous haue greatest compassion ouer sinners for they haue felt Gods goodnes so greatly to them that they desire that others should be partakers thereof As Panl more zealous than the rest because more notorious than the rest of the Apostles PORTION 18. TSADDE Vers. 137. Righteous art thou O Lord and iust are thy iudgements AS in the latter end of the former Portion the Prophet shewed that his eyes gusht out with riuers of waters because of the generall backsliding and falling to iniquitie so here he sheweth that he had almost pined away and consumed to nothing to see the ripenes of iniquities in them which were his enemies And whereas this might haue beene a great temptation that notwithstanding there were made so many promises to the godly and such iudgements threatned to the wicked yet the godly sustained so hard things and the wicked were in so good a case he confirmeth his faith by staying his whole confidence on God and trusteth in God because he is righteous and acknowledgeth him to be a righteous God because euery part of his word is righteous and whatsoeuer the Lord hath said either concerning his promises to his seruants or threatnings to his enemies is most iust and true The selfe same must also stay vs when we are in the like temptations when we shall be counted as precise fooles and vnquiet spirits because we weepe and lament for the sinnes of others or when we seeing the wicked liue in such pleasures begin to maruell how it commeth to passe that the godly are so ill dealt withall and when the godly liue with teares and the vngodly passe their time in ioy Wherefore the man of God raiseth vp himselfe with this meditation howsoeuer those things seeme to be confounded cast together yet thou ô Lord art God and gouernest all thou art a righteous God and thy iudgements are righteous yea euery word of thy word ô Lord is righteous and true thy promises which in time thou shalt performe will not fall away nor thy iudgements which thou wilt one day execute shall not faile Behold how we also must strengthen our faith in the like assaults This was a notable example of faith which so yeelded to the due obedience of the word of God for our instruction when we are in such distresse our eyes must not be set on any visible or earthly things but onely on things inuisible and heauenly euen on the word of God on his promises which he wil performe on his iustice which he will execute we must I say haue our eyes lifted vp further than the scope of heauen and the circuites of the Sunne we must looke to heauen where Gods promises shall be fully performed and accomplished we must looke to hell where his iudgements shall be finished fully executed For though both Gods promises may on earth be performed and his vengeance may here be executed yet all his promises are not shewed to any nor many of them shewed to all but there may be some wanting of them and the wicked may haue a great torment of minde and hell of conscience and yet all haue them not neither haue any all because many are glorious in their life and pompous in their death What then shall we say to this but with the
touching the forgiuenesse of our sinnes and euerlasting life for if we can once be persuaded that Christ is ours wee shall not greatly doubt but that with Christ we shall haue all things needfull for vs. Let vs receiue this benefit though it come alone vea though it bring troubles with itâ— and then for outward things we shall possesse our soules with patience For saith this reuerend man we haue â—o true feeling of the forgiuenes of our sinnes if we cannot when we feele it be therewith contented and readie to forgoe all other things 3. To looke well to our sanctification and regeneration for if the Lord grant vs to be the glorious temples of his most holy spirit wherein his graces may shine he will not deny vs the base things of this life or if he doe we shall haue a good supplie of better things 4. To be well assured of our glorious resurrection for it is far greater to raise vs being consumed to dust than to preserue vs being aliue 5. Faith in Gods prouidence if hee made all things of nothing much more easily can hee preserue things made if hee cares for the beasts much more for mâ—n if for wicked men much more for his children if for his children when they sought him not much more when they seeke him with all their hearts and desire to serue him in holines true righteousnes 6. Lastly learne by examples that it is Gods blessing in the meanes and not the meanes without it which preserue vs. The Fathers before the flood fed on hearbes without flesh or fish and yet liued 700 800 900. yeeres The Israelites liued 40. yeeres without change of garments or any earthly and ordinarie prouision Moses and Elias liued 40. daies without meate These examples teach vs if we haue the meanes not to trust in them if we want them not to distrust in God And thus farre the summe of the second Sermon III. The third is of zeale which teacheth first how God commaundeth and commendeth zeale secondly how he rewards it The rules to know the true zeale of God are these 1. True zeale begins in our selues so proceeds to others and gaine returnes from other men ends in our selues Abraham Iob Moses c. first sinite themselues euer be more zealous against themselues than against other men for by the sense and feeling of our owne sores we be taught to deale more mildly and meekely with the sores of other men 2. True zeale is as willing to be admonished as it is carefull to admonish and that not onely of superiours where we must yeeld of necessitie but also of equals yea of inferiours whom we may seeme to contemne 3. True Zeale is not to bee hot by fits and colde in the ende 4. A very speciall marke of true zeale is this To be comforted in the publike prosperitie of the Church when priuate crosses may make vs â—ad and contrarily to mourne and lament for our brethren when priuate prosperitie might cheere our hearts 5. True zeale saith he will not spare sinne in kindred for that he loueth most naturally that hath learned to loue most spiritually and he loueth most truly that cannot abide sinne in the partie beloued without some wise and discrecte admonition 6. True zeale feareth not the force of the mightie neither is it dismayed at the lookes of the proud 7 True zeale is seene in their cause who can neuer recompence vs againe 8. The last rule of zeale is this to bee humbled in our selues for those sinnes which wee espie or censure in other men and specially such sinnes as wee espie in them which are committed to our charge for that the holy Ghost in his word accounteth their sinnes our sinnes And thus farre the third Sermon IIII. The fourth Sermon is of a good name And here he teacheth vs 1. How deare and precious a thing a good name is 2. Next what singular gainfull fruits and effects it carieth with it how God good meÌ„ are delighted with vs if we haue it 3. How careful we ought to be not to hurt our neighbour in his good name because it is an inestimable treasure which being lâ—st is most hardly recouered 4. With what care conscieÌ„ce we should seeke to find it hauing found it with all endeuour industrie to preserue it 5. He teacheth how a good name good report being good things must proceede from good causes as of vertue godlinesse and good religion 6. He noteth how the world accounteth of Gods children as of monsters if they haue but one sâ—ip and highly esteemes of a worldling for one externall gift of minde or bodie though sinnes swarme in him 7. He teacheth that if we will auoide an euill name we must first auoide all euill surmises and deuises against other men next we must haue a godly iealousie ouer our own waies that they may not breede in men any suspition of euill 8. Lastly men must be plentifull in all good workes all which must be done first with a simple and sincere affectâ—â—nâ— â—â—xt with in â—â—â—â—â—â— and diâ—erâ—tion And thus farre of a good name V. The siâ—t Sermon is of humilitie The contents of it briefly are these 1. Whereâ—ore the Lord humbleth his children before they be crowned 2. How pride rots and marres all good gifts in vs. 3. How dangerous and â—urâ—fâ—â—â— prosperitie is to many 4. How to accept good meanes in time when God calleth vs to repentance 5. How dangerous spirituall pride is to Gods children 6. How feare must increase as Gods gifts increast in vs 7. How euill thoughts doe exercise Gods best children and by what messengeâ— God awaketh them And this is the short summe of the fift Sermon VI. The sixth serues well for Christian parents for the good education of children 1. Hee warneth them that they lament not so much for their children if they bee dismembred or prooue idiots as if they prooue grosse sinners so become worse than idiots For such assuredly without repentance dishonour God greatly in this life caÌ„not escape euerlasting perdition after death but of poore idiots there is mâ—re hope 2. Next he teacheth Parents that when they finde foule sins in their children wisely to consider what causes breed them whether they be not theÌ„selues disobedient to their heauenly father hand haue been to their naturall parents and yet not repented of their sinnes 3. Lastly with what wisedome and affection we must correct our children euer mindfull how that we punish our owne sinnes in them And thus much of the sixth Sermon VII The seuenth and last Sermon teacheth vs 1. That sorrow for sinne is the first step to godlines for saith he it is impossible to hunger after Christ without it 2. That the word of God must effect that sorrow in vs by piercing our hearts and teaching vs that wee haue to doe with God and not with men and this will wound vs with a liuely feeling
fearefull curse to be vpon it when we vse it not The fourth rule is that if we will labour for true zeale wee must be patient in our owne causes and deuoure many priuate iniuries that the Lords cause may be the better prouided for and that his glory may goe the better forward For wee see how soone and how grieuously we are moued for our owne causes and how soone we are cold in defending Gods cause This then is true Christian zeale to deny our own reason and priuate commodities and especially to seeke Gods glory though it be with our danger This would so stop the mouth of the aduersarie that howsoeuer for a while he thinketh vs to be cholerike mad men and esteemeth of vs as reuengers of our own affections yet one day he will confesse that wee did not seeke either our owne commoditie or our owne reuenge but that whatsoeuer we did we did it for Gods glorie and in the defence of a good cause The seeking to reuenge our priuate euils doth much hurt and bringeth great iniurie to this godly zeale for if we could speake with the tongues of Angels and could speake neuer so gloriously to the delight of all men and haue not loue euen to our very enemies all were nothing all were abomination in the sight of the Lord. Contrariwise if wee can be content to forsake our selues and to be accounted as nothing wee shall bee more acceptable to the Lord and finde lesse trouble to our selues True it is that God his children euen in their best actions are troubled whiles they suruay their inward affections and gage their hearts before the Lord whether they haue not done their things in selfe-loue rather than for loue of God whether in vaine glory rather than for the glory of God without which exercise we shall neuer see whether our actions be pure or whether they be vnpure or whether they be mixed whether they be in respect of God or in respect of our selues Many can reioyce at good things in themselues and repine to see them in others many can be grieued with euils in themselues which will reioyce to see it in others Wherefore we are greatly to suspect our selues and our zeale when we are thus affected because it is a manifest token that we are not pleased with that which is good for Gods glory but for selfe-loue neither doe wee repine for Gods dishonour but at our owne discredit But wee are to learne howsoeuer the good is done to reioyce and howsoeuer euill is committed to be sorrowfull We see the Prophet here was not grieued so much because they were his enemies as because they were the enemies of God For if he had thought theÌ„ to haue bin Gods childreÌ„ whatsoeuer priuate iniurie he had receiued he could haue swallowed it vp and more haue reioyced in them as they had been the children of God than haue beene griued because they iniured him Here then we must learne to beare with the infirmities one with another but especially with the frailties of the children of God neither are we so hainously to be offended with the infirmities of the godly as with the presumptuous sins of the vngodly and obstinate True it is indeed that our zeale must cause vs most to be grieued for the sins of the godly by how much they were come neerer to the image of God than others Howbeit it must alwaies be with a fellow feeling and pitifull sympathie towards them as the Apostle exhorteth vs Rom. 15. that the same minde should be in vs which was in Christ Iesus of which place we haue spoken often before Wherefore we must make Gods friends our friends without any respect of persons howsoeuer they be otherwise farre distant from vs either by place or familiaritie or nature or howsoeuer and on the contrarie whosoeuer is Gods enemie must also be ours howsoeuer we are ioyned together yea though we lie both together in one wombe This would seeme an hard doctrine to flesh and blood and yet our Sauiour Christ hath manifestly and plainly taught it vs Matth. 10. 37. and 16 14. Luke 14 26. If amy man come to me and hate not his father and mother and wife and children and brethren and sisters yea and his owne life he cannot be my disciple What would he haue vs to cast off all naturall affection and so the Scripture should repugne whereas it is set as a note of them that should come in the last perillous times 2. Tim. 3. 3. That they should be voide of naturall loue and affection and might be contrarie to that Exod. 20. Honour thy father and thy mother c. No he meaneth nothing lesse but he meaneth that we should so be ioyned in naturall loue as he speaketh of himselfe Who is my mother who is my brother euen he that heareth the word So that though we be neuer so farre asunder we must loue them that loue God and though that we be neuer so neere we must hate them that hate God yea and so farre as our friends would pull vs from God and from his truth we must shake off all naturall affections not because they be ioyned to vs in the flesh but because by no meanes they will be ioyned with vs in the spirit Yet in the meane time we must remember that we doe all duties of loue and obedience to them as in admonishing them in praying for them and mourning for them and then if nothing will serue but we must either cleaue to them and forsake God or forsake them and clâ—â—ue to God we must separate our selues from their corruptions knowing alwaies that we must obey the first Table before the second and pietie must goe before charitie and we must serue God before we serue man and nature must giue place to godlinesse The fift rule is that we must be stricter to our selues than to any others in some things and we must offer more libertie to others than to our selues If we complaine of sinne let vs be at most defiance with our owne corruptions so when we fight against the corruptions of others we shall not fight against their persons but against their sinnes This is the doctrine which our Sauiour Christ also taught vs that if we would see well to pull out the more of sinne in another man we should first labour to take away the beame of sinnes in our selues Why calleth he it a beame in vs and more in others because our owne corruptions are or ought to be farre better knowne to vs than the corruptions of other men we should be best acquainted with our owne infirmities and know that there is in vs a bottomlesse pit of corruptions Which Paul saw when he said that of all sinners he was the cheifest that is he had the greatest light of his owne wants and was most familiar with his owne corruptions Wherefore we must first iudge our selues and cast the first stone at our selues we
them with that affection wherewith we of them in the like case would be admonished and yet as we also remember to be admonished of them as though we were admonished of God Doest thou loue Gods glorie then wilt thou surely admonish thy brother of sinne Doest thou loue thy brother then wilt thou admonish him with compassion See here is that which teacheth all wisedome I must be grieued for sinne because it is that that casts all mankinde from the Lord because it is such a thing as thrust Adam out of Paradise it is so grieuous a thing that it ouerwhelmed the old world with waters it consumed Sodome and Gomorrah with fiâ—e it crucified Iesus Christ the Sonne of God it is such a thing as is an enemie to God the Father an enemie to God the Sonne and an enemie to God the holy Ghost and therefore I must needes be an enemie vnto it yet I must be grieued as putting my selfe in the like case that the offender is Wherefore many faithfull Ministers of God when they are most hot they haue most heauines in their soules least the curse which they must needs threaten doe turne to the confusion of the persons whom they threaten Thus we see this zeale will teach vs neither to rebuke sinne too coldly nor yet too hotly For we shall not so loue God as we shall abuse man the image of God neither shall we so loue man as we shall hinder or impaire the glorie of God for if we be sorrowfull that God is offended and that man hath offended we shall be sure to make an holy medlie Vers. 140. Thy word is proued must pure and thy seruant loueth it HEre the Prophet shewing his loue to be the cause of his zeale repeateth in effect that which he said before It may seeme strange why the man of God should make mention of this so oft that the word of God is true But we must know that he did it to strengthen his faith in the time of trouble and that then he might not faint We thinke not that there is such need of faith because we feele not the like temptations For they that haue no sight of their corruptions know not their vnbeliefe and they that feele not their vnbeliefe feele not the necessitie of this strengthning of their faith And as they that know not their vnbeliefe know nothing so they that beleeue and see their vnbeliefe know this to be necessarie They then that haue a true triall of their vnbeliefe know this faith to be a rare gift of God So that the Prophet commendeth the word of God here of experience for he saith Thy word is proued most pure His meaning is this This is the cause why I am so zealous euen because I loue thy word and therefore O'Lord I loue thy word because I finde it by proofe to be so pure That we then may make this our rule for examination why are we so cold in zeale euen because we are cold in the loue of the word For as our loue encreaseth so encrease also our delight and griefe our delight to see the thing loued to haue happie proceedings our griefe to see the thing which we loue to be despised This we see to be in euery kinde of loue For a man that truly loueth his wifâ— cannot abide to see his wife contemned and discredited nor the woman that truly loueth her husband can abide to see him reiected and despised When we loue our friend we are grieued to see any contempt offered vnto him This then we see in the nature of true loue to reioyce to see the person loued aduanced or the thing which we loue esteemed and grieued to see either the person or thing so loued to be cast downe and contemned It was a griefe euen to the Heathenish Philosophers to see their doctrine not regarded were they so moued for the small regard of that earthly doctrine which had no exact truth in it but was mingled with infinite errors and vntruths and shall not we much more be moued to see the word of God which hath so exact a truth and no vntruth contemned and little set by wherefore when we haue not this godly griefe in vs it is a manifest argument that our loue is very cold For as our loue is the greater so vndoubtedly our griefe will be the greater and so as our loue is the lesse so will our griefe to see the thing defaced be also the lesse When we haue much delight in any thing we are much grieued and who are more grieued to see the word of God troden downe than the godly because of all other their delight is most in it Not without cause then is this loue commended vnto vs to be a token of our zeale and therefore we see Psalme 67. the Church praiseth and prouoketh all the world to praise God when the word had free successe such is the loue of it to the word of God O let thy people praise thee O God yea let all the people praise thee Oh lâ—t the nations reioyce and be glad c. As then the children of God thinke themselues in ioy and prosperity when the word of God is in prosperitie so it being in any trouble death is not troublesome to them so that by their death and suffering they may any thing confirme the truth and giue countenance to it The Prophet of God sheweth his loue to the word saying All my springs O Lord are in it meaning that all his ioy his delight and affections were wholy set on the word of God Wherefore if there be such ioy in hauing it there must needes be great griefe in wanting it We are herein greatly to condemne our selues that we are no more thankfull for our vnthankfulnes bringeth this secret curse that we are no more zealous because many can hardly iudge betweene fleshly anger and spirituall zeale such is the rare feeling of this true zeale they are readie to imagine that if one be godly zealous they are straightway carnally angrie How necessary a thing therfore it is to know godly zeale all men may see for as we haue said that the Lord threatneth Reuel 3. that vnlesse the Laodiceans would be more zealous and amend he would spue them out that is he would haue no delight in them 〈◊〉 the Lord would as leeue haue vs of another religion as to be so luke-warme in his true religion For as a stomacke is easily brought to prouoke a vomite by receiuing somewhat that is lukewarme so the Lord spueth as it were out of his stomack luke warme professors as them whom by no meanes he can brooke which is a most feareful thing We know that the good father Elie 1. Sam. 3. although otherwise no doubt he was the deare seruant of God was grieued for the sinnes of his sonnes and mourned when the Arke of God was taken was reproued by the holy Ghost that he should loue the glorie of his sons
their whole possessions to giue to the preachers as it was done in the primitiue Church 5 The nature of true zeale is set downe Heb. 10. where the Apostle heauily threatneth them that willingly giue ouer thēselues to sinne there is named in the proper tongue the zeale of fire For as fire is not without heate so zeale is hot cannot long be holden in It is set downe by the contrary Reu. 3. when after the Church of Laodicea for her lukewarmnes is threatned to be spued out of the Lord his mouth it is added be zealous and amend where we see zeale to be opposed to lukewarmnes which is too temperate an heate for the profession of the Gospell Againe I. Cor. 14. 1. that which in our common translation we reade Follow after loue couet spirituall gifts c. the naturall text hath Be zealous after the more excellent gifts And Rom. 12. Be feruent in spirit i. let God his spirite kindle in you a fire which may flame out of you Now there are diuers kinds of zeale as the zeale of the world of the flesh of false religion according to the world And euery man is eaten spent consumed with some kind of zeale which must shame vs if we haue not the true zeale for that this zeale leaueth in vs some aduantage and recompēce which the world and carnall men haue not For when they haue spent set on tilt all the strength of their bodies powers of their minds they haue no gaine but torment of consciēce wheras the godly being spent in a good cause haue that repaired in the inner mā which is cōsumed in the outward Now to know what that true zeale is as neere as by properties we may describe it wee must first vnderstand that it is grounded on knowledge For if our zeale be not according to knowledge much like to the zeale of them spoken of Rom. 11. wee may come to persecute the Trueth and thinke we do very welll Our zeale must begin where the word begins end where the word ends that in all things it be proportionable to the word Our Sauior Christ rebuketh the Pharisies for straining out a gnat swallowing vp a Camel for tithing cummin seed and mint and for pretermitting the weightier matters of the Law wherein they bewrayed a rotten zeale in that they were carefull in the lesse and carelesse in the greater points So now a dayes many rather desiring to be counted zealous then to be zealous for a ceremonie wil be as hot as may be and yet in more principall poynts of religion they are as cold as can be in greater causes let this be our canon to vse greater zeale in lesse matters let this be our pedagogie to vse lesse zeale so that we remember to count nothing small in the word and that we can increase decrease in affection as the thing loued doth increase or decrease in goodnes If I say we can zealously pursue the most principall things and for the peace of the Church can tolerate lesse things for if any man in matters of lesse importance list to be contentious we haue no such custome neither the Church of God wee shall obserue this 1. rule still remembring this caution that we count nothing small commanded or forbidden in the Word The second rule is that wee haue an eye as well to things inward as outward our Sauiour CHRIST reprehendeth the Pharisies for that they made cleane the out side of the platter and left the inner-side foule whose liues though outwardly they were without reproofe yet inwardly they were full of pride disdaine self-loue such like Wel our zeale must begin within and in time appeare without we must no lesse feare to doe euill being by our selues alone then if we were eyed of the whole world least that we become as painted sepulchres and as such dishes as are cleane without and foule within A branch of this Rule is to haue a narrow and iealous eye of our owne corruptions lurking in the bottomles pit of nature and gaged onely by the word and spirit When we loue to be hypocrites in dissembling this naturall corruption and yet are busie in pretending some outward sanctimonie the iustice of GOD in time will vncase vs then the sinne which we would hide shall appeare in the face outwardly and the good which in Truth wee neuer loued shall be seene neuer to haue bene in vs. Herein then we may go to schoole with the couetous man who had rather be rich than be counted rich that we may rather be godly indeed than be counted to be godly least that seeing wee be not such indeed as we would bee we become notoriously to be such as we would not be 3 The third rule is that we keepe a tenor of zeale in both estates as well in aduersitie as in prosperitie Manie in peace are professors who in time of troubles are persecutors who louing the peace of the Gospell not the Gospell it selfe doe more bewray that they were neuer truely zealous Others whilest they be vnder the Crosse are very demure and deuout who if once they come aloft forget the simplicity of the Gospell and fall to the securitie of the world Hereof comes that fearefull complaint that men hote in preaching and professing while they are vnder are choked in their zeale when they come to preferment Such men are glad not of the gospell but of the prosperity of the gospell such men will be sad not for the want of the Gospell but for the aduersitie which followeth the persecutors of the Gospell Our triall herein may bee thus if our priuate estate be prosperous wee lament with Dauid the estate of the Church being ruinous or if our priuate estate being perilous wee can reioyce with Paul in the estate of the Church being prosperous our zeale is according to truth Dauid neere the Crowne for his happines fasted for the estate of the Church lying in abhominable filthines Paul a prisoner in bonds thought himselfe at libertie so long as the Gospell was free 4 The fourth Rule is that in pure zeale wee be patient in our owne causes and deuoure manie priuate iniuries that the Lord his cause may the better be prouided for haue the better successe Many can be as hot as fire in taking vp their owne cause who are as cold as yee in defending the Lord his cause This Rule obserued would sow vp the lips of the aduersarie who though for a time he thinke vs to be cholerike mad-men madly reuēging our priuate affections yet one day should confesse that we sought not our own cōmoditie but God his most precious glorie And to stretch this examination of our harts one degree further let vs beware of that corruption which springing from self-loue will giue vs leaue to reioyce at good things so long as they be in our selues but repineth at the sight of
much moued but in the Lords cause they are as cold as ice and there is no heate within them which is a testimonie vnto them that their anger is fleshly and that it doth greatly displease the Lord. Therefore if when wee see a man commit any sinne and we also know that it tendeth to the dishonour of God and the hurt of his owne soule and if then we can be grieued and if then we cannot chuse but be angry hereby we may know that our anger is good because the glory of God and the profit of our brother did therevnto moue vs and not our priuate iniuries Now if wee would be glad thus to make the glorie of God the chiefe cause of our anger let vs first learne to passe ouer iniuries done against vs and quietly to beare them and by that meanes we shal better learne more safely to be angry when the thing concerneth the glorie of God for if a man hath not learned to put vp his owne iniuries patiently and without reuenge he shall mingle it with the other and so shall passe measure and most commonly he shall make both vnprofitable Secondly some men can neuer be pleased and euery light trifle doth stirre them vp to anger which cannot but be euill and this proceedeth altogether from the flesh this anger cannot be allowed But spirituall anger is not easily stirred vp and when it is then it is measured by the quantitie of the fault a small fault a small and short anger a greater fault a greater anger of a longer coÌ„tinuance For herein must we be like our heauenly Father who is slow to wrath chideth vs not continually marketh not what is done amisse nor recompenceth vs according to our deseruings But continually vseth more meanes to cause vs to loue him than to cause vs to feare him And thus ought it to be with vs also if we wil be children of such a father so that we ought to striue and labour to be loued rather than feared and by loue to allure rather than by feare to compell Againe with the Lord wee ought to be greatly grieued for great offences for smaller offences to be lesser grieued Now if a man finde himselfe to bee of a hastie nature and quickly angrie know also that such a one exalteth folly and that anger resteth in the bosome of fooles But a man of a patient spirit passeth in wisedome Yea let him know that such anger is not good and therefore labour earnestly that it may be repressed in him which that he may dolet him think and know that before holy anger there must goe prayer that the Lord in mercie may rightly direct him in the same If therefore we cannot or do not before our anger or when the occasion is offered pray vnto the Lord that he may keepe vs vpright in the same we haue to suspect our anger for we are in danger to fall and offend therein Thirdly it is a marke of Christian anger when we are angrie with sinne in whomsoeuer wee finde or whosoeuer committeth it for many will in their own matters and causes be very angrie and in them will pretend a careful zeale of Gods glorie but if a sinne be committed which toucheth them not they can easily let it passe as if a mans owne wife bee a whore his children disobedient his seruants stubborne and wilful or if any sinne be committed which toucheth him neere theÌ„ wil he exclaim cry out for that God is dishonored and will say Who euer saw such seruants What wickednesse is in children now adaies that they be thus disobedient and what women bee these to doe thus wickedly In the meane time if another mans seruant be disobedient if his wife be an whore he cannot be angrie he cannot be grieued Such men as these must needs suspect their anger for herein they bewray want of faith want of loue want of care of the glorie of God which as it is aduanced by the obedience of others as well as by ours so it is likewise dishonoured by the sinnes of others as well as by ours But when the sinne doth not concerne vs if then we cannot bee contented but the very zeale of Gods glorie and the loue of our brethren doth moue vs thereunto then may we thinke that our hearts be vpright in that anger Againe there be diuers which when their enemies offend then wil they be readie to cry out against it and will bee highly displeased withall but if their friends offend they can beare with them and thinke the sinne in them smal or nothing But Christian and spiritual anger is cleane contrarie for it rather beares with the fault in his enemie than in his friends and will sooner more sharply rebuke it in his friend than in his enemie Therefore such friends as can smooth a man in his sinne are neither to be liked nor desired for Open rebuke is better than secret loue and the wounds of a louer are sweete Wee see that if a mans child or his wife or some speciall friend were sicke in bodie they vse all meanes that they might be restored to their health and if they did not their wife children or friends would quickly thinke they loued them not And why should it not be thus in the spirituall sicknes of sinne How doth a man loue mee when hee will not vse all meanes to deliuer me from the danger of sinne When therefore our friends doe fall into sinne if then wee can be angry and that when they doe most fauour vs because the cause is Gods and concerneth their saluation if then wee can remember old loue and temper wisely loue with anger to reproue them it is a signe that our anger is not fleshly but of the spirit Fourthly there is a note of Christian spirituall anger which though it be very like to the former yet it discerneth one from another as much as any other doth For many men will be angry with other mens sinnes but they can neuer be angry for their owne Against such as these the Lord speaketh saying Hypocrite cast out the beame out of thine owne eye first and then thou shalt see to cast out the moâ—e out of thy brothers eye And againe in another place He that is cleere among you cast the first stone at her When we therefore can be first angry with our own sinnes and more angry with them than with others yea when we can throw the first stone at our selues then is our anger of the Lord. For no man can euer bee angrie in vprightnesse of other mens sinnes which cannot first be grieued and angrie with his owne If our anger begin first with our selues and that for euerie sinne that is in vs so that there is no sin which we are willing to fauour in our selues or desirous to continue and lie in it still and no man is more grieued for our sinnes than we our selues are and
make conscience of sinne being knowne the Lord visiteth vs with priuate and publike meanes that as the wicked shall be without all hope ease or end tormented in hell so these in mercie and measure should haue their hearts broken which because they would not doe by the louing inuocating and inuiting of them by the Lord therfore it is done by some crosses Secondly it respecteth the regenerate either to continue them in their good estate or to keepe them from some grosse sins For God his children doe sometime fall and alwaies may fall if God keep them not Because Dauid and Manasses had sinned God sent them the crosse that they might not forget him Now because the same may be in vs if the Lord will powre out his wrath vpon the wicked surely he will not suffer his owne children to be vncontrolled We must not then as some are wont to doe say Did not Dauid sinne make ye so much at me was not Dauid a great sinner and yet saued It were well indeed if we would binde Dauids sinne with Dauid his repentance or if we consider how the Sunne was turned into darkenes the Moone into blood in his kingdome if we shall see the pillars of Gods iudgements and vapours of God his wrath against him among his owne how his sonnes rebelled they that would be Counsellers became traitors and how the wicked caitifes insulted ouer him we would surely know that it did little helpe vs to reckon vp Dauid his sinning This doth God to sow the lips of the wicked that they should not say that God doth spare and punisheth not sinne in his and that they should not dreame of escape when his owne seruants are so punished And although God his children presently fall not but are readie to fall he wrappeth them often in the crosses of the wicked not so much to punish any sinne present but to preuent in them some sinne to come that thereby taking away the occasion of sinning he might humble them before they fall Againe albeit they be not subiect to grosse sins yet because they are oft puft vp with priuie pride dead vnmercifull dull forsaking their first loue sometime neither hot nor cold luke warme without zeale briefly in that they are not as God his children should be or as they themselues sometimes and before haue been the Lord in wisedome correcteth these wants and infirmities that from infirmities they should not burst out into enormities from sinning of ignorance they should not sin against conscience and from secret sinnes that they commit not presumptuous sinnes For this cause Reuel 3. the Lord sent plagues on the Church of Laodicea not so much for grosse and notorious sinnes but because they were not humbled and zealous enough but such as might more easily haue fallen into deeper enormities hereafter If men vse to trie gold seuē times in the furnace not for any masse of drosse in it but to proue it how much more had the Lord neede to trie our faith although we be not giuen to any great and notable crime For as there may be two vses in the trying of gold the one to purge it from drosse the other to fine it the more so there are two vses of corrections the one to punish sinne the other to trie their faith And although the Lord more principally doth not punish sinne but rather secondarily chiefly trying the patience of his children yet when men cannot accuse vs neither we can accuse our selues yet the Lord will purge vs from some secret corruption which may breede a sinne in time to come And hereupon it commeth that priuie pride secret selfe-loue close couetousnes hidden hypocrisie and such like are counted sinnes of God his children though of worldlings they be thought good vertues But some will say Is this the truth ye sticke to Is this the Gospell which ye professe See what hurliburlies see how many opinions there are what a companie of religions are start vp see what denying of the faith what grosse sinnes are sprung vp see what deaths plagues and warres are accompanied with it Surely it seemeth that this is not the Gospel Before all things were in better case no such disturbance in religion no such noise of notorious sinnes no such turmoilings on euery side all things were at good quiet but now we haue more troubles than euer in former times were heard of The wicked do not onely breake their neckes at this blocke but God his owne children haue daungerously stumbled at it For when Iob Dauid Ieremiah without God his spirit beheld the prosperitie of the wicked and the aduersitie of the godly they confessed their feete had almost slipped sauing that they durst not condemne the generation of God his children To remedy this the holy Ghost saith that when the graces of God doe most appeare then will the Lord send greatest iudgements for the contempt of his Gospell in the wicked and for the neglect of it in the godly Now this is foretold that we might not be offended when it commeth this vse doth Christ teach vs to make of it These things haue I told you before that when they come to passe c. For to God his children being but babes in Christ this is a great temptation And to come to our daies Doth it not trouble men much that there be so many vnlearned Ministers of learned Ministers that there be so many vngodly men that they see such oppressing Magistrates such rebellious people such carelesse gouernours that there is such an height of subtiltie in couering and cloaking sin where is most knowledge such running to sinne where is most preaching and where the Gospell is receiued that there should be such sects and heresies when they shall see the Papists readie to outface the Gospell what may a man do now or how may he stay himselfe if the Lord should leaue him Surely God hath foretold it Euen as the Sunne then shining bright the Moone giuing light the cleere aire are tokens of God his loue so much more the word and as these being darkened obscured shew God his wrath so the word obscured doth testifie his wrath much more Yea if dearths plagues famine or such like come we must be forewarned of them And our Sauiour Christ when men asked him signes he told them of many and Mat. 24. that there should be such wonders in the heauens in the earth and in the seas that euen the very elect should be confounded almost Now if Christ had not forewarned these things in the equitie of his iudgement we might indeed haue had some occasion of offence And for this cause our Sauiour Christ saith Matth. 11. Blessed are they that are not offended in me because such confusions shall be that men will be readie to lay the cause of these things on the Gospell and on the word and therefore blessed are they that are forewarned of these things and know why they come If the Iewes would not
therefore it is the spirit of God that must certifie our hearts and spirits of the same And hereof there doth arise that which we take as the fourth note when we finde it in our selues to wit the life and nimblenes that is in vs to doe good for when a man doth finde fauour from God for the forgiuenes of sinnes then the loue of God constraineth him that ioy which he conceiueth inforceth him putteth life into him for the performance of those things which are pleasing vnto God then he beginneth to finde himselfe not onely reclaimed from euill but also applied and framed to that which is good then is his vnderstanding inlightened to see into the mysteries of godlinesse and into that great worke of his redemption and into whatsoeuer concerneth the sauing health of his soule then is his iudgement reformed and he is made able to iudge betweene false religion and true betweene the workes of the flesh and of the spirit betweene that which is good and that which is euill displeasing in the sight of God Then are his affections in some good measure altered his desire is set not vpon earthly but vpon heauenly things his ioyes are not in the earth but in the heauens his anger is wasted and spent not vpon his owne priuate cause and quarrels but vpon his owne sinnes and vpon whatsoeuer hindreth the glorie of his God This is the life of God in him thus he liueth that hath receiued the spirit and thus he leadeth his life continually for they that haue receiued the spirit are led by the spirit do liue accordingly bringing forth the fruits of the spirit But this hath weaknes ioyned with it and men through frailtie may soone fall and therefore their life is said to be hid in Christ because in full perfect manner it doth not appeare Therefore if notwithstanding these frailties and falles wee will know whether we still retaine the spirit of God we must search our selues and trie our hearts by these rules First if through frailtie we haue fallen for who is he that falleth not we will then know whether by our fall we haue lost the spirit of God or no let vs see what liking or misliking we haue of sinne for if after our fall we doe hold our former hatred of sinne and the oftner we fall the more thorough deadly hatred we conceiue against sinne vndoubtedly that frailtie hath not as yet depriued vs of the spirit Secondly come and see how it standeth with thy sorrow for so long as thy sorrow encreaseth for thy sinnes it cannot be thought that sinne and the flesh haue ouercome vtterly quenched the spirit in thee Thirdly trie thy care and if thou growe in a godly care both how thou maist be able to wage battell against sinne in the plaine field how thou maist preuent sinne in all his policies then thou hast a further assurance that sinne although it be as great as Goliah yet it hath not hitherto preuailed against thy poore and little Dauid I say against those few and small graces which the good spirit of God hath bestowed vpon thee But the last is most certaine and that is this When thou art carefull to redeeme that which by the fall thou hast lost and hast a care to runne so much faster forward by how much more thou hast been letted by thy fall then it doth appeare that the spirit is in thee yea it is liuely and mightie in operation and such as shall neuer be taken from thee vntill the day of Christ. Thus may we in some good and competent measure trie and proue whether we haue the spirit of God or no for where these fruites are to be found there is also the spirit of God For further confirmation whereof we may note the manner of speech where he saith Quench not the spirit We doe commonly vse to say the fire is quenched when the light and heate thereof is taken away and indeed nothing can properly be said to be quenched but the fire Now whereas the Apostle saith Quench not the spirit he giueth vs to vnderstand that the spirit is in some respect like vnto fire therefore if we doe but a little consider of the nature of fire we shall a great deale better iudge of the spirit And among others these properties we finde to be in the fire First of all it will burne vp consume things that may be burned and consumed and therefore lighting vpon straw stubble stickes or such like it bringeth them to ashes and doth make them as though they had not beene at all Secondly it doth purge and purifie those things that can abide to be purged and this it doth first by taking away the superfluitie of drosse that hath ouercouered the thing to be purged Then by fining the thing it selfe and by making it purer purer Thirdly it giueth light euen in the most dimme and darkest places And last of all it giueth heate and withall doth as it were put life into those things which are capable of life for whilest a man is frozen and starued for cold he is numbed and as it were without life but being brought to the fire he is heat he is reuiued he is cheered then becommeth actiue nimble These are the properties of fire and these do in some manner resemble and shadow out vnto vs the workes and effects of the spirit For first of all when the spirit of God seazeth vpon a man and entreth into his soule then it beginneth to burne to waste and consume in him those things that will be wasted after this sort euill affections noysome lusts and other stubble which is in man by the spirit of God are consumed and burned Secondly it doth purge vs from grosse sins and daily more and more doth purifie vs that we may be a cleane and holy vessell and temple for him to rest and dwell in Thirdly it is a shining lampe euer burning continually giuing light vnto vs in that way which we haue to walke And lastly it doth set vs on heate inflameth vs with a zeale of Gods glorie with a care of our dutie and with a loue of all mankinde yea withall it putteth life and lust into vs to walke in that good way which leadeth vnto life and to doe all those good workes which may glorifie God or be commodious vnto men Thus we see what likelihood there is betweene the spirit and fire for which cause the spirit in the Scripture is compared vnto fire nay it is sometimes called fire for Iohn saith That our Sauiour should baptize with the holy Ghost and with fire that is with the holy Ghost which is like vnto the fire Therefore as truly and as certainly as we may say that there is fire where we see straw and such like things consumed or gold and siluer finely purged
who although we haue the generall rule of our doings yet faile in the particular practise thereof I beleeue He confesseth that all wisedome was in Gods word and this although we confesse yet in practise wee often thinke that some wisedome of men must be added thereto But hee confesseth that all wisedome is in the word and that it is sufficient to make men perfect Vers. 67. Before I was afflicted I went astray but now I keepe thy word THis is another reason which moued him to pray that hee might not be as a horse alwayes beaten but teach me that I may preuent these beatings If I be taught of thee I misse not if I be not I erre In prosperitie I could not seeke to be taught but in affliction drawe me thereunto so that now I desire to be taught of thee If prosperitie made this man worse seeing we are in prosperitie let vs be iealous of our selues and now seeke for that which God will bring vs to by affliction and which will bring affliction vpon vs. If hee will heare when wee humbly crie in affliction how much more if wee make our humble suite in our prosperitie Afflictions come because we will not iudge our selues then it is a blessing to haue the word to iudge vs and the Preacher to rebuke vs that our wanton lusts may be corrected Then wee are fond if wee will bee wearie of the word or of daily admonition If the word helpe in affliction how much more in prosperitie if we tend thereto Whom God loueth hee correcteth and wee shall know that God loueth vs when we are corrected if we be made better by it for in it selfe it is a punishment of sinne but when in the death of Christ it is sanctified to vs so that it maketh vs dye to sinne and that sinne is loathsome to vs then is it a token of Gods fauour For afflctions are common to all Eccles. 9. but when we profit by them then are they good to vs. For if good things become hurtfull if they bee not sanctified much more shall afflictions if they bee not sanctified in the death of Christ to make vs examine our wayes and see our sinnes and to driue vs to Christ. But the wicked are either worse or no better Then wee must profit by them or else we make away for a greater punishment Vers. 68 Thou art good and gratiâ—us teach me thy stâ—tutes HE desireth to be taught by God that whether hee were in prosperitie or trouble hee might liue well because prosperitie would make him forgetfull and affliction would ouâ—â— whelme him if God did â—ot teach him This must teach vs that in what state soeuer we be we desire to be taught of God otherwise we shall false After he had shewed that he keepeth Gods commanden eâ—ts he craueth for grace where he pleadeth not his merit Though he kept the word yet he prayeth that he may still be raught because he knâ—w not all and because he was râ—adie to eâ—â—e both in practise and iudgement And tâ—â—s must teach vs not onely to desire to be taught when we eâ—â—e but euen when we doâ— well Hee prayâ—th especially for the teaching of the spirit Vers. 69. The proude haue imagined a lye against mee but I will keepe thy prâ—cepts with my whole heart HE sheweth another cause why hee would be taught and that is hee hath to fight with the world And wee haue the same causes as our corruption and the world The world loueth none but her owne And if we were as zealous as others haue beene wee should be as sore troubled For they are enuious and if wee should fight with them with their owne weapons wee were too weake and therefore wee haue neede to bee helped of God Proud Faith humbleth and infidelitie maketh proud Faith humbleth because it letteth vs see our sinnes and the punishments thereof and that we haue no dealing with God but in the mediation of Christ and that wee can doe no good nor auoide euill but by grace but when men know not this then they thinke much of themselues and therefore are proud Therefore all ignorant men all heretikes and worldlings are proud They that are humbled vnder Gods hands are humble to men but they that despise God doe also persecute his seruants By proude he here meaneth them that had good gifts to teach vs that though wee bee persecuted of them that are in high places yet this is the manner of Gods people These first mocked him part 7. then they did him iniurie part 8. and here they deuise suttle deuices against him and this is the continuall practise of the wicked This is a great temptation to set a faire face vpon an euill cause and to deface a good cause as is noted by the Hebrue word This was great grace that he could withstand it The way is to approue our selues and our cause to God for if we depend vpon men then shall wee be amazed This maketh that true which is Eccles 8. that it happeneth to the good as though they were euill and contra This is the practise of the Familie of loue to raise vp euill reports against the cause of true religion and against the persons and they preuaile much This is the practise of men in these daies to deface the persons by calling them Puritanes and the cause that it will ouerthrow states With my heart The word must haue the whole heart and not a part or else we shall not outstand this temptation He meant that he did throughly meditate not that hee did nothing else For want of this we see that many being well coloured with the word yet doe shrinke when euill reports arise Vers. 70. Their heart is sat as grease but my delight is in thy law HE further sheweth the daunger of this temptation for as they were suttle to deuise wickedly so were they able to bring their wickednesse to passe For by this speech he meaneth that they had all things at their owne will and were through their riches in great authoritie I delight He sheweth how hee ouercame this by fatting his heart with the word as the wicked fatted themselues by their riches or else he should haue been carried away Then let vs neuer rest in reading or hearing the word till wee come to such delight in it as that we fat our selues with it as the worldlings doe with their riches If wee could doe this then should we easily take our hearts from these earthly things for this is the cause that men set their delight on earthly things because they know no better And that they may finde this delight it is needfull that they finde comfort in the promises by the forgiuenes of sinnes by the assurance of Gods fauorable prouidence in this life and euerlasting life afterward which when they feele and finde then shall the word be so sweete that they shall forgoe all things for it Till wee come to this delight temptations
our selues in meditation and that this depriueth vs of much profit herein in that we doe not appoint some certaine time for meditation moderating other things of our ordinary callings making a conscience sometimes to refraine from our common speeches So our vnderstanding our iudgement our will to practise will be bettered If then at our tables in our beds at our worke we would redeeme some time to reade to pray or to conferre wee should finde wonderfull profit and walking in earthly things we should haue heauenly mindes Vers. 104. By thy precepts I haue gotten vnderstanding therefore I hate all the wayes of falsehood AS in the beginning of this part the Prophet of God protesteth his loue to the word so now in the end he sheweth his hatred to the contrarie This then as we haue partly set down before more largely by Gods grace shall shew hereafter is a true token of loue to the word wheÌ„ we either hate falsehood in religion or corruptioÌ„ in manners We are then to looke into our hearts to see if we hate Poperie and heresie if there bee in vs an hatred against blaspheming of the name of God against adulterie false dealing and such like For we cannot loue the true worship but we must hate heresie we caÌ„not loue Gods name and yet not hate the abusers of it wee cannot loue chastitie and true dealing but we must hate adulterie and vnrighteousnesse But if wee feele our selues to be indifferent persons and come what come may we care not greatly vndoubtedly wee are of no religion For if thou doest not hate an Atheist thou louest not God if thou hatest not heresie thou doest not loue Gods law if thou hatest not adulterie thou art not truly chast if thou hatest not false dealing thou art vnrighteous We see heretiks neuer hate one another because none of them loue the trueth for the Papists can be content with the Familie of loue and the Family of loue with them Wherfore we see that many doe falsely pretend religion chastity and true dealing Note here in that he saith I haue gotten vnderstanding by thy word as though his vnderstanding was the cause of his zealous hatred of the false worship What is the cause then that men doe not hate euill in greater measure because they bee ignorant and knowe nothing Indeede noueltie displeaseth them a little but when they be somewhat acquainted with that which is taught them they will like it well enough Why doe we hand ouer head take any religion euen because we haue not gotten vnderstanding Why doth heresie get such easie entertainment with many of vs because we are vnconstant and borne away with euery blast as witnesse Peter and Iude and because wee are not fast rooted in knowledge as is mentioned Ephes. 4. Many in our countrie are stiffe in heresie because they were neuer sound in iudgement they were euer inconstant they were neuer rooted in Iesus Christ and therefore were carried away with euery puffe of vaine doctrine Some indeede as we haue said before fall for lacke of good conscience but some neuer come so farre because they heard not or else heard very negligently and therefore whosoeuer shall now come and blow an illusion in their eare he shall be heard How shall we know an enemie he commeth vnder the cloake of loue and is couered with the vizard of honestie but his vnderstanding faileth his iudgement is corrupt In that it is here saide all the wayes of falsehood we must note that we are to growe from knowledge to knowledge from faith to faith from glorie to glorie that growing in godly vnderstanding we may grow also in hatred of falsehood This verse may seeme to haue some contrarietie with the verse a little going before where he saith I haue abstained from euerie euill that I might keepe thy law but indeede there is none because no true mortification both here and in that place is required an hatred auoyding of euill Wee must knowe that the way to make good things frâ—â—â—te is the way to feele euill thing sowre As when thou art grieued to feele thine eye an occasion of euill or euill thoughts to bee in thine heart with bitternes and vexation of spirit thou must striue against them and God will giue thee strength to striue not onely without constraint but also of a loue of good and a hatred of euill The first way then vnto righteousnes is wear somâ—â—es of sinne and to striue against it though with great trouble because the more we vexe torment and disquiet our selues the more we shall come to the loue of good and then the hatred of sinne will growe of it selfe If then a man cannot finde this hatred of sinne in him hee must labour to auoide all occasions that hinder his vnderstanding of the truth as distractions troubles of minde and vse all meanes to grow in knowledge as reading hearing conferring and such like For our not profiting in knowledge is our not profiting in hating of heresies and our â—ot hating of heresie is a token of our not profiting in knowledge When we heare then if our hearing doe not worke in vs a loue of the truth and hatred of the contrarie wee haue not profited in knowledge but if we grow in knowledge we shall knowe it by profiting in the loue of the truth and in the hatred of falsehood Wee haue shewed how in the former portion the man of God testifying his affection to Gods law and concluding with his hatred to the contrarie intermiâ—gieth his reasons that because he found by experience that the word of God made him wiser then his enemies than his teachers and the aged and did preserue him from euery euill way therefore he found such comfort in it that no naturall thing was so liking to his outward man as this was to his inward man PORTION 14. NVN. Vers. 105 Thy word is a lantorne vnto my feete and a light vnto my path THis portion following is a prayer to the Lord to bee further instructed in the word of God and to haue his affections thereby more reformed The reasons which hee vseth bee three the first is his faith in the word in that he made account of it to be the onely meanes whereby he should be directed in all his wayes and this is contained in the first verse of the portion Thy word is a lantorne vnto my feete and a light vnto my steps or path The second is his constant purpose to perseuere in the obedience of Gods word in the verse following I haue sworne and will performe it that I will keepe thy righteous iudgements The third is his miserable calamitie wherein he was which constrained him to pray which appeareth in the next verse I am very sore afflicted O Lord quicken me according to tâ—â—y word These things are afterwards shewed in the verses following as his faith in Gods lawe in the two last and his calamity
owne nature and kinde are good yet doe become euill sinfull through vs. This may be perceiued in all the parts of our life let vs then a little fee how our corruption deceiueth defileth vs in many things First this is without all controuersie that is onely the corruption of our owne hearts which causeth vs to be slacke in doing good or to leaue it altogether vndone or else to do that which is euill and odious in the sight of God For albeit many causes may be pretended which sometime may haue a shew of goodnesse yet those causes are but corruptions there is no goodnesse in them Some men are kept back from doing good to their familie by catechizing them because they would not haue all meâ—â—â— talke of them and because they would not hazard the credit of their name Some are 〈◊〉 backe from being zealous in godlinesse because they might stil vse their libertie in buying and bargaining whereby they might prouide for their selues and families And for euery thing they doe they will haue a colourable excuse they will doe nothing without a reason But their excuses are but colours their reasons are very rawe not seasoned with the word They are deceiued through the deceitfulnes of sinne their corruption deceiueth them they are beguiled because they make no triall of their hearts The same thing commeth to passe euen in those things which in their kinde are good To leaue sinne is a very good thing yet if wee doe not herein take heede vnto our hearts we may besore deceiued for when wee be minded and doe purpose to leaue sinne let vs consider the cause why wee purpose and goe about such a thing and we shall often finde that it is not the conscience of sinne but the feare of punishmeÌ„t or the shame of the world which moueth vs so to do The adulterer doth many times abstaine from his filthie adulterie not because that sinne is odious in the sight of God but because it will bring him to open shame among men The theefe without any hatred of theft doth sometimes keepe himselfe from the outward act that hee may auoid hanging and the outward danger of the lawe And that the shame of the world and feare of men doth more preuaile with many than the feare of God it may appeare by this that they wil abstaine from such things whereunto there belongeth shame or for which some grieuous punishment amongst men is appointed as for theft murther adulterie c. yet they will passe by great sinnes for which there is no penall statute as swearing c. For if there were any true conscience of sin in them they would make a conscience of all sinnes but especially of these sinnes which in Gods eyes are most abominable Againe we must not rest when we haue left any sinne as though that were sufficient but we must narrowly search into our hearts to see what cause hath moued vs so to doe for if we doe not with sorrow repent vs of our wickednes and leaue it for the feare of God but forsake it either because it will bee no longer profitable vnto vs or because wee be sickly or olde or weake and take no longer pleasure in it then our labour is but lost our hearts haue deceiued vs. And many no doubt are thus deceiued yea they shew that they be deceiued by this that they can still speake of their sinnes without sorrowe and laugh at others which commit the same sinnes Verily if they had repented of their sinnes the remembrance of them would haue bene grieuous vnto them yea they would be very sorie when they saw others fall into the like sinne But seeing they can laugh and make a sport at it when any man doth it as they haue done most sure and certaine it is that their hearts haue deceiued them they are yet in their sinnes though they haue left them outwardly Let vs proceede a little further that we may see into the corruption of our hearts We purpose to deale faithfully we purpose to heare the word to reade it These things in themselues are very good yet if wee be not carefull ouer our hearts their corruption will pollute and defile them For if we be moued hereunto not with any zeale of Gods glorie but with a care of our owne credit not because in Truth wee would countenance the Gospell but because wee would get some countenance by it the thing good in it owne nature is made euill vnto vs and sinfull because our hearts are not right in the thing And how manie bee thus deceiued may soone appeare by the small fruit which most men doe get by the word For when wee see manie very diligent in hearing of the word yet profiting nothing nor desiring to profite it is vndoubtedly true that those men are deceiued by their owne hearts which are not right with God If there were any conscience if there were any heart or spirit in men they would profit something or at least they would be greatly grieued for their not profiting Moreouer when wee haue brought our purpose to practise and haue done any good thing indeed euen then I say may wee be beguiled if wee take not good heede The corruption of our heart is readie to make vs proude of well-doing whereas indeed we should be humbled it is readie to make vs glorie in that for which we should giue glorie to GOD it is readie to make that an occasion of slothfull carelesnesse which should be as a spurre to make vs more carefull Therefore when the thing is done when the worke is wrought and when all our purpose is brought to passe wee must still be carefull ouer our hearts wee must still haue an eye to them that our corruption bee in no wise hurtfull to that good grace which God hath giuen vs. Thus whether wee purpose to leaue sinne or wee leaue it indeede yet we may be deceiued by our hearts if they bee not right in doing of them Therefore aboue all things we must take heede vnto our hearts otherwise we may doe many goodly glorious things in the sight of men yet our hearts wil one day accuse vs for them our conscience will check and controll vs and God which is greater then our consciences will vtterly condemne vs. Now contrariwise when our heart is vpright with God when it is sound and sincere then will the Lord fauourably accept of our doings and through his Sonne he will count them righteous Thus if we with a pure heart doe leaue sinne though the dregs therof remaine with vs if with a good heart to Godward we labour after goodnes though wee cannot doe the good which we would this vprightnes of our hearts doth please God greatly and he will surely pardon the other imperfections through Christ. True it is that no man can say his heart is pure if he compare it with the rule of Gods word or with the iustice of God and therefore
to loue best 516 how to loue superiours equall and inferiours 120 Loue of the creatures hinder 20. carnall loue 637 Lust remedies against it 635 M MAdnes the cause of it 20 Magistrates how they may winne the peoples fauour 260 they must be men of wisedom 38 haue a care of Gods glory pray for the people 778 their sinne most dangerous 79â— siâ—s of the people cause euill Magistrates 53 Markes of Gods children 25 See children of God Mâ—riners that sâ—ile on the Sabbath 164 Matrimonie notes to know whether it be of God 20 consent of parents 21 choise in it 742 the spousage before knowne by the light of nature 122 the end of it 806 Meanes 27 of saluatioÌ„ 42 all good meanes must â—e vsed 615 â—70 we ought to attend thereoÌ„ 736 neglect therof a tempting of God 674 by what meanes wee draw to God 690 to keepe vs from sin 7â—8 the vertue power of the meanes in God 844 meanes of least shew bring greatest graces 290 Mediatour who it is 80 how dangerous to appeare before God without him 694 Mediocritie 29 Meditation 615 159 574 564 in labour 4 how we be hindred therein 10 commodities of it 22. rules for it 23. of Christ his death 19â— of death in or on the word 450. to redeeme the time for it 471 Meditation must be continued 459 we will alwaies meditate thinke on the things we loue 459 Melancholy Satan and it disquiet afflicted soules 257 Memorie helpes for it 23 â—5 447 Mercie 209 of God 9 522. the rich mercy of God to the faithfull in opening their eyes when many millions are left in darkenesse and miserie 503 it is either in giuing or forgiuing 697 to the poore 69â— how it worketh in the wicked 247 to whom the mercies of God are dearâ— 782 Merit 509 Messengers of God how they binde and loose 877 must be prepared for trouble 747 their euill life how dangerous 752 messengers of Satan within vs. 306 Minde 52 cast downe 95 distempered 482 Ministers 24. the necessitie of theÌ„ â—39 â—40 the vse whereunto they are appointed 341. their dutie first to reade and studie 342. secondly to teach the word â—43 how where what he must teach 344 when 345. to pray for himselfe and the people 345. thirdly hee ought to liue a godly life â—46 fourthly hee ought to teach priuately as well as publikely 347 how a Minister may â—â—â—e 347. Miniets the porters of heauen 288. meanes to bring vs to Christ. 288 Ministers and Auditors are not alwaies alike 448 Ministerie 24 646 the haste of young men to it 24 the dignitie of it 747 the necessitie of it 340. whether a man may desire it 52. negligent in it 752 790 sufficiencie for it 546 couetous in it 735 Miracles giuen in mercy and in iudgement 736 Mirth 25 the way to godly mirth 724 Morall and Ceremoniall 132. See Law To know things morall and ceremoniall 138 Mortification goe together with remission of sinne 105 Mother 76 three good mothers breeds three euill daughters 830 Motions secret vnto sinnes 108 the spirit restraines euill motions 89 the godly are not free from euill motions 681 we must watch ouer them 703 the first motion to sinne must be crucified in vs. 467 why so few good motions come to vs 522 sudden motions to good 476 Motes what sinnes are called motes and what beames 632 Multitude to follow is dangerous 704 Murmuring the policie of Satan therein 26 how common in our daies 249. remedies against it â—51 758. how readie we are in our daies to murmure 815 N NAme good name how pretious 259 260. See good name Nature good and euil 29 natural men measure others by theÌ„selues 715 they count all spirituall things as paradoxes 457 Necessitie two kindes thereof 166 Neighbour who is our neighbour 79 O OBedience what it is 50 to the word 826. it must be free 44 triall of it 544 strict obedience to be laboured for 292. popish obseruations and workes of supererogation in the point of obedieÌ„ce confuted 393 Occasion of euil must be auoided 25 263 Offences 721 47 74 90 702. small sinnes great offences 727 Oppression 780 Order necessarie in all things 833 Othes 75 476 P PApists 3 673 disquieted in minde 96 rest in the worke wrought 689. neuer felt the power of Christ his grace 787 popish obiections against the Gospell 802 popish superstition 455 Papists goe beyond carnall Protestants in outward things 805 455 How papists follow Peter 483. papists may not be spared for their ciuill honestie 455 Popish Doctors of reason 520 PareÌ„ts immoderate loue 2â— follie 258 for what cause the Lord afflicteth parents in their children 277 their consent in mariage 743 consideration in correcting their children 798 Pastors the â—inne of the flocke their sinne 259. their office 772. See ministers Patience 6â—9 759 56â— triall of it 25 properties of it 254 vnder the crosse 761 768 the vse of Gods patience 694 Peâ—ce three-fold 7 of minde 97 of conscience 209 false peace ibid. of the wicked 6â—0 of the Church 542 People their dutie to their Magistrates 76 to their Ministers 349 Perfection God lookes not for it at our hands 390 Periurie how men fall into it 333 Persecution 670 popish persecution how great 791 Perseuerance 496 694 721 116 in the vse of the meanes 15 764 a sure triall both of knowledge and faith 510 Pâ—ruert who they be that peruert others 730 Physition properties of him 794 Pittie who are to be pittied 25 Plague 79â— boldnes and fearefulnes in it 2 extremities 104 plague threatned 790 for the contempt of the word 513 A perfume for christiaÌ„s against the plague 444 Pleasure 653 734 how we may take pleasure 726 vse of it with restraint 7 9 of sinne 323 Pollution the polluted person polluteth all things 189 Policie of the world euill 838 Polygamie 586 Posteritie care thereof 798. Iehosaphat punished in his posteritie 462 Posts on the Sabbath 165 Pouertie the cause and vse of outward want 26 Poore 261 zealous in defence of them 258 poore in godlines 784 collections for them on the Sabbath 161 Praise 27 733 749 Preaching with prayer before after 272 the power therof 283 708 sincere bring men to Christ 139 needfull by sea 164 distinguished from catechizing 664 the onely meanes to worke faith 690 346 173 Preachers how they winne fauour 8â—1 how they should carrie themselues 358 247 a true marke of a faithfull Preacher 375 See Minister Prayer 2 38 when to pray 26 to offer vp our prayers to God albeit in perplexitie of spirit wee know not how to pray 484 publike for the sicke 34 want of it cause want of faith 177 what it is 90 a remedy in temptation 873 how it is hard and what doth season it 507 619 how profitable 776 motiues thereunto 777 the more grace a man hath the more need he hath to pray 46 47 it is the best sacrifice 8â— priuate prayer necessarie 501 rules for prayer 562 563
2 Spirit of faith and regeneration not vtterly quenched That the regenerate leese not the spirit of sanctification Ioh. 3. 7. 8. Ioh. 10. 28. 29. Note Simile Simile Vse of the doctrine of quenching the spirit 1 2 3 The notes of the spirit of sanctificatioÌ„ 1 First difference is in illumination 2 3 Knowledge of the godly like the Sun of the wicked like lightening Second difference in affections 1 2 Example How the faithfull loue God 2. Pet. 1. 2. 3. 4. The fourth rule The mercies of God how they worke in the wicked Notes of sanctification 1 Note Simile 1 2 3 4 What the godly are to feare Dauids feeling lost Note Our ioy may be lost Example Their state after arelapse We be as ready to murmur as the Israelites Murmuring Nature of murmuring Death Impatience Note Fauour of God how precious Riches no argument of Gods fauour Remedies against murmuring Faith in our Redemption and Faith in Gods prouidence goe together Belieue Gods prouidence and patience towards thee Rom. 2. 3. 4. Deut. 8. The second helpe against murmuring faith of our redemption Rom. 8. Gen. 24. 3 Beleeue thy sanctificatioÌ„ The conuersioÌ„ of a sinner how great a thing it is Esay 11. The third helpe faith of the resurrection See the treatise of the resurrection in the second part The fourth beleeue eternall life is thine The fift stay against murmuring Prouidence â— 2 3 Particular prouidence Note Examples of Gods prouidence See the treatise of the resurrection in the 2. part Psalm 37. A good obseruation 1 Properties of a patient minde Phil 4. 11. Ierem. 45. 4. Gen. 28. 1. Tim. 6. Psalm 4. The feeling of forgiuenes of sinnes brings coÌ„tentation with it The second propertie of patience Prou 10. To receiue earthly blessings from the Lord wee must be voide of distracting cares Matth. 6. and resigne all our right into his hands Conclusion 1 2 3 4 1. Sam. 2. 30 Rules of true zeale Hypocriticall zâ—ale Brownisme Matth. 7. * Or though we know nothing by our selues 1 Cor. 4. 4. How to censure other men Admonition 2. Propertie True zeale and humilitie goe together Iob 31. How inferiours admonish superiours 3. Propertie To reioyce in the publike prosperitie of the Church when priuate crosses make vs sad 4. Propertie True zeale not blinde in reprouing sinne in â—indred Pâ—râ—es â—olly The â— note of zeale Ioh. 29. 8. 9. Brownists Admonition little practised The 6. note zealous in defence of the poore The 7. note 2. Cor. 12. 2â— The sinnes of the flocke are the sinnes of the Pastor Two speciall fruits of vertue which euer increase one another A good name more precious thaÌ„ gold Effects of a good name most comfortable in all states sorts of men Magistrates Lawyers Preachers Schoolemasters Captaines Psalm 40. 1. God will turne c. Godly poore Poore 1 Not to hurt our neighbours good name Susanna 2 Care to get a good name Care of a good name keepes vs in obedience 1 Infidels haue no good name The first step to a good name a religious care against open and outward sinnes great and small Simile Eccles 10. 1. Simile Note The iudgement of the world of the godly A religious care against secret sinnes which bring vs out of credit with God Secret sinnes many waies reuealed wheÌ„ the Lord will afflict vs. Euill surmises Eccles. 7. The second step to a good name Auoide occasions of euill Example A prayer Note The third step to a good name is to be plentifull in good workes Simile 1 Two rules of good workes 2 Looke well to thine affectioÌ„ to the end thou hast purposed in thine heart of euery good worke 1 2 3 Good counsell against euill report 1 2 1 2 Psalm 37. 5. 6 Offences Non â—inor est virtus quaÌ„ quaerere paris tueri Euill report 1 2 They are shamelesse men which regard not how they be reported of Worldly sorrowe Hypocrisie 1. grosse 2. close 1 2 Special rules when a secret sinne is cause of euil report 1 Ioshua 7. 2 How wee ought to profit by euill reports â— Two occasioÌ„s of euil reports An euill thought resting in the minde how dangerous Vse of false reports 1 2 Luke 14. 11. Iam 4. 6. 1. Pet. 5. 5. Gen. 3. Examples of pride Gen. 11. 7. Exod. 14. Hester 7. Dan. 4. Amos. â— 1. King 20. 22 2. King 23. Act. 12. 23. 2. Chro. 16. 10 1â— 2. King 20. 2. Chro. 32. 37 Vnthankefulnes punished 2. Chro 35 Dauid Matth. 16. 17. Matth. 26. Priuie pride and the fruit of it 2. Cor. 12. Saul Ahab Rehoboam 1. Sam. 9. 12. 10. 22. 1 King 2â— 27. and 29. 1. King 12. 24. Humâ—tie in the godly Abraham Isaac Iacob Ioseph Moses Dauid Pledges Ezekiah Iosiah Asa. Esai 38. 2. Chro. 34. 1â— Ezechiel Zacharie Elizabeth Marie Wherefore the Lord huâ—bleth his childreÌ„ before that he honoreth crowneth them with his graces 1 2 3 Priderots and coÌ„sumes many good gifts of God â—â— vs. Aphantasticall humility Impatiencie It is best for vs vnder the crosse to bee thus minded Gen. 22. 2. Sam. 15. How to auoid the crosse or to be freed if it become A Stoicall numneffe When sinners die a quiet death it is an euill signe A heart obdurate and hard in sinne Not too greedily to desire prosperitie Prosperitie Gods iudgements To accept the good meanes in time when God calleth vs to repentance Note Rom. 2. 4. Spirituall pride Note Pray well before after preaching As graces increase so desire thy feare may increase Wherefore our feeling and ioyes are but by fits Vnthankefulnes cause of dulnes Strange doubts in the godly of Gods wisdome power c. Wherefore Gods childreÌ„ are often exercised with euil thoughts How the godly by not suspecting their affectioÌ„s may fall to grosse actions Security how dangerous Note Pro. 28. 14. Our priuie pride not respecting the meanes had plentifully how it is corrected AbseÌ„ce from the congregation Note Victorie ouer our faults before they get strength and breake forth Psalm 119. By what mes sengers God awakens his children Psalm 11â— Use of the former doctrine 1 2 3 To visit the sicke Heb. 11. 25. 27. Hebr. 12. 2. 3. Foolish children For what causes the Lord afflicteth parents in their children Education of children Mariage bed to be saÌ„ctified with prayer Godly children Gods speciall gift * As beautie strength wit c. * If the childe reseÌ„ble his pa rent sin beautie strength wit for the most part naturally hee is infected with the sins which accompanied those gifts in his parents as pride vaine-glory A notable meditatioÌ„ in the correctioÌ„ of children 1 The follie of some parents 2 PareÌ„ts must giue their children a good example in their priuate familie When to begin to catechize children Wee must mourne and pray in the corrections of our children Household gouernment The want of household discipline cause of many euils A note for parents Obiection That pareÌ„ts may haue a good conscience
latter dayes of sinne and iniquitie wherein heresies haue so corrupted doctrine and vngodlines hath so stained our liues if we had not this constant rule of Gods word among vs Oh what a treasure is it whereby we may see heresie and auoide it whereby we may see truth and follow it Which rule of equitie seeing willingly the wicked depart from they are worthily plunged and plagued in their owne sinnes Vers. 156. Great are thy tender mercies O Lord quicken me according to thy iudgements THat is True it is I am a sinner O Lord but yet I am not a desperate sinner as mine enemies are but such a one as on whom thou wilt shew thy mercies therefore I hope that thou wilt helpe If thou shouldest simply deale with me according to my deseruings I should be condemned for who can stand in thy sight iustified but I compare not my selfe with thee but with them who are become mine aduersaries According to thy iudgements Such is thy fatherly mercy which forgiueth my sinnes and heareth my prayers that thou wilt not reward me according to mine iniquities but wilt fauourably looke vpon me according to the multitude of thy mercies Vers. 157. My persecutors and mine oppressors are many yet doe I not swarne from thy testimonies THis sentence is the same in effect with diuers other in diuers portions of this Psalm As The proude haue had me exceedingly in derision the proude haue digged pits for me the wicked haue laid a snare for me and such like Now in that he saith my oppressors are many he sheweth that he had not to doe with one man or two but with many It is a matter as wee haue shewed before to be godly among the godly but he is a diuel that is euil among Angels and therefore was he worthily cast downe into hell and he is a sinner that will sinne among Saints and therefore iustly was Adam throwne out of Paradise If we liue among the godly what praise is it to be godly nay what an horrible thing were it not to be godly If the Church discipline were truly executed it were a small commendation to do well and to abstaine from sinne yet now in this want it is praise-worthie to abstaine from sinne for feare of God But it may be we taste not of such troubles as the Prophet tasted of because we liue not so carefull of godlinesse as he did which if in truth we did we should haue troubles as he had Well we are in this world as sheepe among wolues to trie vs whether we will be corrupted with the euil examples of this world or whether we will swarue from the Lord our God whilest he proueth vs. Their carnall reasoning commeth to nothing which say the world is set on euill the world was neuer so wicked charitie was neuer so colde a man cannot now professe without taunts scoffes and troubles For we see here that the Prophet in his time had many and great persecutors whom notwithstanding so manifold corruptions could nothing mooue Wherefore we must learne although sometime we are slaundered though sometime we are euill spoken of taunted and troubled our estate is not worse than our forefathers hath bene and the beloued Saints of God haue had before vs. So long as we are well entreated of God and man we will keepe the lawe but when we suffer reproaches taunts iniuries losse or discredit we then run either to euill meanes or to reuengement or to dispaire Where many iniuries haue bene offered many haue bene rendred againe if they haue not requited iniury for iniury with reuenge they haue vsed some ill means to escape out of their trouble if they haue not vsed ill meanes yet they haue secretly begun to mistrust God his promises and prouidence and haue gone to wisards and witches if they could doe nothing in malice they would doe something in policie if they could preuaile with neither they would fall to dispaire But the Prophet of God vseth here no vnlawfull meanes he goeth not in his affliction to Sorcerers hee recompenceth not ill for ill hee did not dispaire in God his promises he did not thinke with himselfe that the Lord would defend his enemies cause and forsake him but hoped still in God his good and appointed time to receiue helpe wherein the man of God is set before vs for our imitation in that neither his faith could bee shaken nor his obedience slaked nor daunted And surely this is Sathans last refuge and most daungerous assault to perswade vs in affliction that therefore the Lord doth plunge vs in miserie because he hath no loue towards vs. But the man of God opposing his faith to all such temptations saith I know O Lord by the records of thy law that thou hast laide vp helpe for mee and that thou art my defender How sweete and comfortable this is they which are humbled and well exercised by temptations know What greater assault vsed the diuell to our Sauiour Christ than this what saith he doest thou thinke if thou werst Gods childe thou shouldest want bread it is not like if thou werst the sonne of God that hee would or could suffer thee to be without food Like are his temptations to vs art thou thinkest thou the childe of God then thou shouldest be helped then thou shouldest not lie in this case This was his last dart which he threw at Christ on the crosse if thou art the childe of God then we doubt there is nothing but thou canst helpe thy selfe Well we see here that the man of God neither mistrusteth Gods promises nor forsaketh his law Neither surely is our faith sound vntill we can beleeue in miserie neither is our obedience pure vnlesse we continue euen when we are oppressed not of a few but of many For then we may perswade our selues to haue true faith when it is wrought in prosperitie and tried in aduersitie and being voide of all helpe of men wee still hope for helpe of God that we may say I will not be afraid often thousands of the people that should beset me round about Psalm 4. 6. Though I walke through the vallie of the shadow of death I will feare no euill for thou art with me thy rod and thy staffe doe comfort me Psalm 23. 4. I am perswaded that neither life nor death nor Angels nor principalities nor powers nor things present nor things to come nor height nor depth nor any other thing shall be able to separate vs from this loue of God which is in Christ Iesus our Lord. Verse 158. I saw the transgressors and was greiued because they kept not thy word THis also in substance we had before where the Prophet saith Mine eyes gush out with riuers of water because they kept not thy law my zeale hath euen consumed me because mine enemies haue forgotten thy word The Prophets words in a word haue this meaning Lord as for mine owne things or priuate iniuries I am cōtent to put
them vp but when I saw they began to breake thy law this pinched me at the heart Here we see he was not very nice and delicate in the defence of his owne case but when it came to Gods cause he was not smally mooued Whereby we must learne to translate our zeale to Gods cause and in defence of his glorie to haue our heart blood waxe hot so that euen a godly anger with griefe be stirred vp in vs. For this is the difference betweene a holy and spirituall anger and prophane and carnall anger holy anger is with griefe of the sinne and without reuenge of the person carnall anger is with reuenge of the person and without griefe of the sinne Wherefore if we will haue our anger holy it must be tempered with griefe as we did speake before of zeale wherein we taught that our anger should feede vpon the sinne and coÌ„passion should make vs bleed with griefe for the persons sinning Well we may learne that if we will not swarue from Gods law we must not onely be grieued for our sinnes but also for the sinnes of others For this is the triall of a godly griefe when we are first grieued with our owne and then are grieued with the sinnes of others because true griefe beginneth first in our selues and from our selues it passeth truly vnto others On the contrarie we much bewray our hypocrisie if we first wade vpon other mens sinnes and suffer our owne to grow and if we can fret angerly at a little sinne in another and can be no whit displeased with a great sinne in our selues This is a preposterous griefe to weep to sorrow to sigh for sinnes in others and not to weepe for the sinnes of our owne soules and this is want of the true loue of Gods word To be grieued when wee our selues doe sinne and to be nothing grieued for the sinnes of others Wherefore if we be in place where we want time and opportunitie openly to rebuke sinne and reforme it at the least let vs labour to be grieued which griefe must sit so neere our hearts that when any time or opportunitie serueth we cease not nor stay to vtter it with our mouthes For they that are throughly grieued at the heart will at one time or other burne vntill they haue vttered it with their mouth Wherefore we must labour whatsoeuer sinne we mislike in iudgement to be grieued for the same in affection for many can mislike sinne and it is an easie thing but few are grieued for sinne for it is an hard matter If euer we had neede to mourne for the sinnes of others we had neede at this day that our griefe of sinne in time of prosperitie may shew vs what faith we shall finde in trouble But no marueile though we be no more grieued with sinnes in others because we are so little grieued with sinne in our selues For if we were throughly and sincerely grieued with sins in our selues we should also be grieued with it in others wheresoeuer we found it Which griefe we shall not truly haue vntill we can deuoure all priuate iniuries And seeing this is the ioy of a true Christian to see the Gospell haue free passage and this is the sorrow and griefe of the childe of God to see this Gospell hindred they who reioyce not at the one nor sorrow for the other haue either the loue of the word cold in them or altogether none And as it is an argument of Gods childe to be grieued more for one breach of Gods law than for many priuate offences so it is an argument of selfe-loue to take to heart so grieuously priuate euils and little to be moued as key colde to see the contempt of Gods glorie Wherefore it followeth in the next verse Vers. 159. Consider O Lord how I loue thy precepts quicken me according to thy lâ—ving kinnesse HEre is an argument of true loue Lord saith the man of God I loue thy law in my selfe I loue it also in others for looke what good thing is in me I wish the same in others I hate sinne in my selfe I am sorie for it in others For looke what euill I mislike in my selfe I am grieued for it in others That we may make this a rule to examine our hearts by doe we loue the law of God how shall we know it euen when we are as glad that others doe well and fare well to their saluation as we would be for our selues when we are as much grieued when others doe ill as if we our selues had done it For many will come so farre as to mislike sinne and to speake vehemently against sinne but few come to be grieued for sinne wherefore seeing sinne is so ripe let vs so be grieued for it as we may pray against it and let vs craue of God to haue this godly griefe stricken into vs that by that meanes we may be stirâ—ed vp to prayer and so we shall in time to come either reioyce to see our prayers graunted and our mournings effectuall or else we shall beare the testimonie of a good conscience and in as much as in vs doth lie we shall be guiltlesse of their sinnes Neither in saying Consider how I loue thy precepts doth the man of God say out his good deedes but humbly confesseth to the Lord his owne graces receiued as may appeare by the words following where he pleadeth mercie and not merit This loue wherewith he loued God came from that loue wherewith God first loued him For he seeing the great loue wherewith God loued him he was mooued and inforced to loue God againe so that his purpose is thus much Thou seest Lord that I am an enemie to sin in my selfe for I forget not thy law thou seest I am an enemie to sin in others for I am grieued to see them transgresse thy law wherefore O Lord quicken me and let thy louing mercie whereby thou hast created me and redeemed me in Christ whereby thou hast deliuered me from so many troubles and enriched me with so many and continuall benefits renew reuiue quicken and restore me Thus we see it was not his deserts but Gods louing kindnes whereof he speaketh which if we would often meditate of in seeing how fearefully we are made how gratiously we are preserued how mercifully we are redeemed from how many sinnes we are deliuered what fearefull iudgements we haue escaped we should prouoke our selues the more to the loue of God and his word Againe in that he saith quicken me we see he acknowledgeth no other life but that which is from the word and that we liue by faith and therefore he teacheth vs that we should craue our life both temporall and spirituall of God And if without the word we are not able to liue in the bodily life much lesse without it are we able to liue the spirituall life Whereas he repeateth this request three times in this one portion we