And the Ministers of the Gospel do speak even as if Christ himself spake in us 2 Cor. 5.10 we speak in Christs stead But as in the time of the Law God sent his Prophets sometimes to such as would not give them the hearing so doth he now in the time of the Gospel but that must not discourage our Ministry at their peril be it Gods Word will ever be Gods wisdom though the prophane count it foolishness and it will be Gods truth though heresie and schisme pick quarrels Therefore if you would learn to pray and be prepared for that holy worship hear Gods speech first and that will teach you what to ask as you ou ought Hear the word from us as the Thessalonians did 1 Thes 2.13 When ye received the word of God which ye heard of us ye received it not as the word of men but as it is in truth the Word of God which effectually worketh also in you that believe 2 Here is metus I was afraid the Seventy read 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I was in an extasie as St. John saith when he saw the vision of the Son of man Rev. 1.17 I fell at his feet as dead There were two things to strike the Prophet vvith astonishment 1 The Majestie of the Speaker 2 The matter of the speech And both these must both meet in our understandings and in our affections to enlighten and to move them that vve may know what vve have to do and vvith vvhom vvhen vve pray that vve may come before him vvith fear and holy reverence 1 The great glory and Majesty of God to vvhom vve resort in prayer is such as no creature can endure the sight thereof The Angels standing before him Isa 6.2 cover their faces with their wings 2 The matter of his speech conteined in his vvord to the Prophet is the summe of the Bible Justice punishing sin in his Church Vengeance destroying the enemies of his Church and Grace redeeming his Church from the povver of Satan by the glorious Kingdom of Jesus Christ Quae. Why should the Prophet be afraid at this here vvas matter of comfort the heaviness of the night is promised the joy of the morning The Church though it must suffer for a time for sin hath here a promise of tvvo main consolations 1 Their ovvn deliverance from dangers into a restitution of them into Gods favour 2 Their eye shall have their desire also upon their enemies they shall see the vvheel of vvrath go over them and the Lord shall let out of their throats the bloud of his people vvith vvhich they have made themselves drunk all this is matter of joy and vvhat needeth this fear Sol. Who can come without fear before him that can and will do all this for if he be angry yea but a little they are blessed that trust in him fear is a proper passion of a true believer and is inseparably joyned with saving faith For seeing the bond of our union with Christ by faith whereby he dwelleth in us is Partly the hold that he hath of us by his Spirit Partly the hold that we have of him by faith The first is firme Joh. 10.27 There shall not any one pluck them out of my hand he giveth a strong reason for it for my Father who gave them me is greater then all and none is able to take them out of my Fathers hand we are his gifts and his gifts and calling are without repentance But the flesh doth put the Spirit to it so hard some times even in the elect of God that the hold on our part is weak which breedeth fear and that fear makes us hold so much the faster From hence it comes that all the intelligence between God and man doth begin at fear in us This is not the fear of an evill conscience as it was in Adam when he hid himself from God but the fear of reverence of God and the good conscience of our unworthinesse being fallen from our originall righteousnesse The Shepheards that were keeping watch by night because of their flocks were sore afraid when they saw the light shining at that time of night that the Angel began with Nolite timere fear not yet were they in the lawfull businesse of their calling The blessed Virgin no doubt wel and holily employed Zecharie the Priest in the Church about the occasions of his office yet all afraid This is the seasoning and preparing of the heart for God to be cast down before him it is humbling our selves under the mighty hand of God and we cannot pray as we ought without it When the Apostle saith we cannot pray as we ought and that the spirit helpeth our infirmities he sheweth that such as he have infirmities and they feel them when they come to appear before God and where infirmities are there must needs be fear if they that have them be sensible of them Yea I dare say that they that come to prayer without fear come without faith and all their prayers are turned into sin Ob. We read of comming with boldnesse to God Because we have an high Priest which is touched with the feeling of our infirmities Heb. 4.15 16. in all points tempted like as wee are yet without sin Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace that wee may obtein mercy and finde grace to help in time of need Sol. this is cleered by the same Authour in the same Epistle declaring how many considerations must concurre as ingrediences in this our spirituall boldness 1 Let us draw neer with a true heart Heb. 10.22 2 In full assurance of Faith 3 Having our hearts sprinkled from an evill Consciences 4 Our bodies washed with pure water 5 Let us hold fast the profession of our Faith without wavering 6 Let us consider one another to provoke to love and good works 7 Not forsaking the assembling of our selves together c. 8 Exhorting one another Let a man before he pray try his vvayes and examine his soul upon those interrogatories and I dare say the best of us if we sin not also in presumption vvill finde himself short in every one of these perticulars of that perfection that should accomplish boldnesse But having those things in some measure and more in desire and endeavour our boldness must needs be as much shaken with fear as these graces in us are shaken with infirmity And upon this fear our Church teacheth us to pray to God in these words Pour down upon us the abundance of thy mercy forgiving us those things whereof our conscience is afraid 12 Dom. post Trinit and giving unto us that which our prayers dare not presume to ask through Jesus Christ our Lord. And this some of our brethren have quarrelled as a contradiction in our prayers because we say we pray for tha we dare not pray for To whom I answer in these words of my Text O Lord I heard thy voice
corruptions drowned and destroyed in the same waters And the Apostle saith I would not that ye should be ignorant of this thing which admonisheth both you and us that are your ministers 1 You not to be ignorant in those great mysteries of salvation 2 Us not to leave you untaught or unremembred thereof We that preach to a mixt auditory consisting incipientes Abcedaries in religion who are not yet out of their first elements which the Apostle calleth the doctrine of beginnings And some few proficients who also have their measures not all of equall growth but some few as much better grown then others as Saul was higher then all the rest of the people must as well give milk with the spoon as break bread and divide strong meat and me thinks there be two places that direct us well in the dispensation of the Word of God 1 That of the Prophet Isaiah The Word of the Lord was unto them precept upon precept precept upon precept Isa 2. â—3 line upon line line upon line here a little and there a little in which words The matter of our preaching is exprest in two words 1 precept which teacheth us what to do 2 line which exemplifieth doctrine and serveth as a copy to write by And again the manner of our preaching is declared profitable if the same things be well taught till they be well learned And this is modicum ibi modicum ibi here modicum not too much at once for oppressing the spirituall stomack and here is ibi and ibi ibi amongst the proficients and ibi amongst the incipients 2 That of St. Peter Wherefore 2 Peâ— 1.12 I will not be negligent to put you in mind of those things though ye know them Yea I think it meet so long as I am in this tabernacle to stirre you up by putting you in remembrance This sheweth the use of often repetitions of such things as we ought not to forget for it is not enough to have light in our understanding there must be also zeal in our affections Religion in the head is speculation in the heart affection in the hand action If we do our duty thus as we are directed it must be your great fault if either you be ignorant or forgetfull of these things The spirit of God is our example for he remembreth this passage of Israel often and modicum ibi a little here in the old Testament modicum ibi a little there in the new Testament for this is also profitable for us This sheweth that the often preaching and learning and remembring the doctrine of our Baptisme is a most necessary lesson in the school of Christ that we do not enter into a new peace with the Egyptians whom God hath drowned in the red sea that we do not revive and quicken in us those things which the laver of new byrth hath purged by suffering sin to reign in our mortall bodies and by obeying it in the lusts thereof That we do not so much as in heart return again into Egypt out of which God hath so gratiously delivered us Profitable is the remembrance of our Baptisme for it is the sacrament and seal of our deliverance from the curse of the 〈◊〉 from the spirituall bondage of Satan from the dominion of sin iâ—â—heweth us the old Adam dead in the death and buried in the grave of Christ It also serveth being often remembred to stirre us up to a practise of Christian conversation and to an holy imitation of Christ in godly life that we may not receive the grace of God in vain that wee be not again defiled with the world for the Apostle will tell us That if Christ hath opened us a new and living way through the vail Heb. 20.22 23. that is his flesh we must draw neer with a true heart in full assurance of faith having our hearts sprinkled from an evill conscience and our bodies washed with pure water Holding fast the profession of our faith without wavering For if we sin wilfully after we have received the knowledg of the truth Veâ—se 26. there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins But a certain fearfull looking for of judgment Verse 27. and fiery indignation which shall devour the adversaries I conclude in the Apostles words therefore brethren I would not have you ignorant concerning this passage of the Lords Israel through the red sea Vers 16. Hab. â— 6. When I heard my belly trembled my lips quivered at the voice rottennesse entred into my bones and I trembled in my self that I might rest in the day of trouble when he cometh up unto his people he will invade them with his troops AT this verse beginneth the third Section of this Chapter and it conteineth the consternation of the Prophet dejected before the Lord with the former considerations and the sad estate of the land of Canaan 1 Concerning the words When I heard The Prophet fitting this Psalme as you have heard for the common use of the Church doth not speak in this place in his own person perticularly When I heard but in the person of that Church of God to which this prophecy was sent Verse 14. They came out as a whirlwind to scatter me is spoken of the Midianites invading Gods people not the Prophet Habak So that Theard here is collectively the whole Church and perticularly every member thereof But what is that is here heard Surely this hath a double reference 1 To the former prophecy of Gods threatned judgments against his people of which you heard before Verse 2. O Lord I have heard thy speech and was afraid For it was a fearfull judgment which God had denounced against them 2 It hath reference to the full commemoration of Gods former mercies for howsoever faith may grow upon this root of experience of Gods favour yet when the Church of God shall consider all that former favour now turned into indignation and shall feel that power which once protected them so miraculously now armed against them this cannot but cast them into great fear This fear is described fully and rhetorically in four severall phrases 1 My belly trembled 2 My lips quivered 3 Rottennesse entred into my bones 4 I trembled in my self It is the manner of the spirit of God in such like phrases to expresse a great horrour and dismay by the belly is meant the inward parts and bowels So the Prophet upon the denunciation of the burthen upon the desert sea saith Therefore are my loyns filled with pain Isai 21.3 pangs have taken hold upon me as the pangs of a woman that travaileth I was bowed down at the hearing of it I was dismayed at the seeing of it My bowels shall sound like an harp for Moab Isa 16.11 and mine inward parts for Kirharesh So Job Job 30.27 My bowels boyled and rested not And David Mine eye is consumed with grief yea Psal 31.9 my soul and belly I am poured out like water all
come to the Court and he shall see how many Spheres of greatnesse do move above him Here is more work for ambition if we remember the law proximum ut teipsum thy neighbour as thy self we will no more desire to exceed one the other in the state wherein we live then a man desireth one hand or one leg in proportion of strength and bignesse to exceed the other in his body 5. We have a fair example in our elder brother for though he was such as to whom it was said Adorent eum omnes Angeli ejus Heb. 2.17 Worship him all ye Angels yet to become our brother In all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren He could not do this without humiliation there was no power above him to humble him and he thought it no robbery to be equal with God the power that did it was in himself humiliavit semet ipsum he humbled himself Ambition therefore putteth us out of the way of life Christ humbled himselfe Et qui vult esse discipulus meus sequatur me He that will be my disciple must follow me The doctrine of contentednesse doth still offer it self to us commanded in the last of the ten for non concupisces aliena faith sortè tua contentus be contented with thy lot this also serveth for the next point 3. They are charged with covetousnesse Of which Christ saith Take heed and beware of Covetousnesse giving us a double caution against it The Apostle giveth a reason because it is the root of all evill but that reason doth not draw blood 1 Tim. 6.10 for where the conscience is not tender malum culpae the evil of punishment is not feared But it followeth Which while some have coveted after they have erred from the faith and pierced themselves through with many sorrows Ambition hath this handmaid to attend it this factour to negotiate for it for ambition is not supported without great charge our own times tell us so and Ambition cannot be a great spender if covetousnesse be not a great getter Covetousnesse is an inordinate desire of the wealth of this world and is many ways culpable 1. Because God hath given man dominion of the earth and hath put all things under his feet let not us remove them and as David saith let us not Cor opponere set our heart upon them Gold and silver are lower put under us then the surface of the earth for they grow within the bowels of the earth nearer to hell to shew the danger that is in them Therefore the Apostles had these things not put into their bosomes or into their hands but laid at their feet 2. Because the Scripture hath expresled the woe of God belonging to the covetous as you have heard Vae homini qui congregat non sua wo to the man which gathereth not his own They that are covetous Ose 12.7 do carry stateram dolosam a deceitful ballance for lay the conscience in one scale and the least gain that is in the other the conscience is found too light as Saint Augustine Lucrum in arcâ damnum in conscientiâ For Saint Paul calleth covetousnesse Idolatry Eph. 5. and Christ calleth Mammon the god of the covetous ye cannot serve God and Mammon This is clear for where doth the covetous man bestow and place his faith hope and love but in his wealth which we do owe to God The rich man sang a Requiem to his soule Luc. 12. Now my soule make merry for thou hast goods enough laid up for many years 3. Because covetousnesse is a fruitful sin the daughters thereof are commonly 1. Usury 2. Rapine 3. Fraud 4. Bribes 5. Simony 1. Concerning Usury let me out of the word say only to you that he shall dwell in the Lords Tabernacle that is shall rest under Gods Protection on earth and he shall dwell in the holy hill that is Ps 15. possessions in heaven Who putteth not his mony out to usury Where he shall dwell that doth so you may easily conclude If you wil hear the judgement of a Parliament the Statute concerning the forbidding of usury doth begin thus Forasmuch as all usury by the laws of God is sinne and detestable An. 14. Elizab Be it therefore enacted c. If thou wilt know the judgment of learned Divines fathers both of the Eastern and Western Churches Councels later Divines have written against it and detected it unlawful so that it is of all learned evil spoken of But the covetousnesse of the Chaldeans was not of this sort therefore not of purpose to be handled but incidently to be remembred yet non sine morsu in transitu yet not without a lash in the way Fraud is another of the daughters of covetousnesse when we by any wit or the art of seeming do over-reach one another in matter of negotiation of which the Apostle That no man go beyond or defraud his brother in any matter because the Lord is the avenger of all such 1 Thes 4.6 as we also have forewarned you and testified Bribes is another daughter of covetousnesse It was part of Samuels purgation of himself Of whom have I received bribes 1 Sam. 12.3 to blinde mine eyes there with for Solomon saith A wicked man taketh the gift out of the bosome to pervert the Wayes of judgment Pro. 17.23 Micah describeth more then his own times The heads of Sion judge for reward Mica 3.11 and the Priests thereof teach for hire and the Prophets thereof divine for money yet will they leane upon the Lord and say is not the Lord among us no evil can come upon us Read on Symony is another daughter of covetousnesse I say no more of it but leave it with St. Peters blessings Pereat argentum tuum tecum let their money perish with thee But rapine was the proper and natural daughter of the covetousnesse of the Chaldeans they had their Angle and their Net and their Dragge nothing could escape them The great fish did eate up the little ones oppression was the crying sinne of Babylon all their neighbours did groan under it 1. This sin doth destroy jus naturale natural right which is quod tibi fieri non vis alteri ne feceris do as thou wouldst be done to out of which principle these two do arise 1. Ne cui noceas hurt none 2. Vt communi bono deservias serve the common good 2. It offendeth the written law which doth not only restraine actum rapinae non furaberis the act of rapine thoushalt not steal but voluntatem rapinae non concupisces but the will thou shalt not covet Agur the son of Jakeh saith There is a generation whose teeth are as swords Pro. 30.14 and their jaw-teeth as knives to devoure the poore from off the earth and the needy from among men This generation is not yet grown barren Christ saith Pauperes semper habebitis vobiscum you shall