Midianites as farre as that lasted to carrie them By this we learne that God seeth it expedient in his wisdome sometime to leaue the godly long vnder the crosse and not to put an end to their troubles by and by as ordinarily he vseth to doe according to that which is said in the Psalme Heauinesse may endure for a night but ioy commeth in the morning And againe He that commeth will come and not tarrie But he knoweth well that when he vseth so to doe wee commonly conceiue hope thereby that our affliction be it sicknesse disease losse or any such will not hold vs long and therefore our deuotion is more short and cold and we in so doing neither honour God nor haue any proofe of our faith and patience neither experience another time after how to beare our trouble aright For the which cause the Lord sometime disappointeth our false hope and putteth vs to greater plunges by holding vs longer in our affliction to the end we may search our selues deeplier and we may be more throughly touched with the feeling of our sinnes and rebellions and so turne to him in faith and amendment For this cause the Lord holdeth vs sometime on the racke the longer as in paine sicknesse or penurie as also bondage to such as haue superioritie ouer vs and vse it to our great disquiet and wearying of vs and we pray and long to be deliuered but the Lord seemeth not to heare vs pray but letteth the burthen remaine still vpon vs. Wherefore thinke we doth he so when he professeth that he afflicteth not willingly neither delighteth therein and yet we lie in paine and griefe I answere the Lord seeth wee be not yet tamed and humbled sufficiently great hath the pride of our hearts been our inconstancie vnfaithfulnesse vncharitablenes also with other sinnes and our mindes are set on the world excessiuely and wandring after our diuers lusts And we are like to returne to these courses againe if we were set at libertie as soone as we desire therefore doth he seeke to weane vs from these and the like by continuing such vnwelcome crosses vpon vs. So wee are for the same causes depriued oft times of our deare companion in mariage which is a great part of death it selfe or driuen from our owne habitation into the fearefull prison which taketh much from the delight of liuing yea and we are tried with sudden dearth as oft times by excessiue raine and wet sometime by drouth as Gedeon here was in as hard a case being driuen to flie from his owne dwelling in a manner famished In these the like God leaueth his seruants for the causes which I haue mentioned and also to the end that his deliuerance and ease giuing after them all may be the more precious when it commeth hauing been so long desired and thirdly to this end he holdeth his roddes the longer ouer vs that patience may haue her perfect worke in vs and himselfe haue the whole praise An example of this which hath been said wee haue in Ioshua 7. where the people hauing promise of Gods assistance went against the men of Al not making question but they should speed as well as they had done before at Iericho But loc on the sudden they were smitten before their enemies This astonisht them till the Lord tels Ioshua the cause Ye looke saith the Lord it should be with ye as at other times but I see cause of the contrarie Looke well into the matter and ye shall find that there is sacriledge among ye and therefore ye cannot stand before your enemies So that though they were doing the worke of God yet because there was found in them this infection it made the Lord to crosse their hopes that so they might purge out their sinne and goe about the worke in a better manner Many wonder why the Lord saieth them long vpon their sicke beds whereas if they had their health they say they should worship him in publike and priuate with more cheerefulnes Wheras the Lord aimeth at a further matter and would purge out their coldnes hypocritie carelesnesse and other sinnes accompanying them euen in their good duties that so they may returne thereto with more reuerence and conscience We reade that Paul after his great lifting vp into heauen was buffered with vnwelcome temptations which though hee prayed that he might be rid of yet the Lord suspended his helpe that Paul might be humbled and fitted to vse his knowledge the more fruitfully Now followeth the salutation of the Angell the Lord is with thee thou valiant man If we marke the ebbe and low estate of Gedeon as we haue heard it was wonderfull to heare this newes brought him that the Lord was with him as it was lamentable to see in what distresse he was when hee heard the words of this message vttered to him For it was as much as if the Angel had said the Lord loueth thee as one of his deare ones and he is with thee euen now to comfort and preserue thee euen in this thy oppression and therfore none shall be against thee to hurt thee This was much to be said in such a time of calamitie to such an afflicted person And yet wee must know that it yeeldeth to vs the like instruction That euen in great outward troubles and inward disquietnes of minde when a body would thinke that God and all good men were our aduersaries yet in all this is God with vs whom he hath made a couenant with yea he loueth and careth for vs as deare and precious vnto him euen as Christ Iesus the sonne of his loue was though without beautie among men and as a withered branch despised Esay 53. Therefore the spouse in the Canticles saith I am blacke but comely O ye daughters c. meaning that the Lord Iesus her husband esteemed no whit lesse of her neither was she any whit lesse amiable in his eye being tanned in the sunne then when she was in her perfect beautie Indeede the sinne which causeth the Lord to afflict is odious but the affliction it selfe argueth that he makes much of vs because thereby he would purge out of vs that which he misliketh which affliction when it hath wrought kindly the Lord can soone change our hew and restore our former beautie as Iobs example witnesseth The reason is this he hauing once testified his loue freely vnto vs before at our effectuall calling and shedding it plentifully into our hearts by the holy Ghost saying to our soules I am your saluation and your exceeding great reward and your God alsufficient and binding vs to beleeue the same he remaineth like himselfe and changeth not and therefore hee requireth that wee should doe the same that is by faith hold it fast in our perswasion that he doth so And this is more that the Lord is so affected to vs in the depth of our afflictions as if we were freed
vainglorious persons which they desire they would neuer giue him his due but take it to themselues insomuch as wee see that such doe not onely vaunt of their wealth birth strength and such like but if they haue onely some good qualitie as that they be prouident husbands or will keepe their promise and pay their due where it is owing they glorie thereof and disgrace other that faile therein though the most of their other doings may be cast as dung in their faces to their shame But giue we vnto God his due promise we to our selues nothing but vpon condition if God will and acknowledge wee him as the giuer and as one that hath right to dispose of that which he hath giuen vs and when we are denied successe in that which wee hope to bring to passe let vs in token that we confesse the Lord may iustly ioynt vs not fume and fret raile and curse and much lesse vtter we so much in words to others that we thinke we are accursed when wee see ourselues crossed but beare wee it meekly and patiently and the greater our gifts are which we haue receiued in more humble fruitfull and dutifull manner let vs shew our selues to vse them That Gedeon was bidden to send away many of the people and why we haue heard now let vs see who they are that be exempted from the warre and sent backe of which sort there were two and twentie thousand the text noteth them to bee those that were faint-hearted and timerous and so had God commanded in Deuteronomy that such should be sent backe lest they should discourage other Here this is to be considered when Gedeon their Captaine thought them meet for warre and God had called them also to that place and duty and giuen them gifts for that purpose though they waxed timerous in that they through faint-heartednes and sloth did not vse and employ their gifts the shame and sin was theirs though God sent backe I speake it for our owne edification and benefit for if many here were exempted by God from the battell and yet thought fit and meete by men doe not well bestow and vse these common gifts of the Spirit as skill and knowledge in manuary things pertaining to the bodie and this present life how much more may we thinke that about the more excellent gifts of the Spirit as illumination and matters belonging to the life to come men doe deceiue the expectation of those with whom they liue and be other I meane farre worse then they goe for Oh it is true that there are many persons who goe in the sight of men for good yet the Lord doth not account so of them but exempt them from his militant Church euen as he shoaleth out a great many of these souldiers as faint and vnfit for warre when they should come to fight with their enemies whom yet Gedeon thought meete persons for it and yet we know wee are much easilier deceiued in iudging about them then these Looke we therefore to it in a thing by infinite degrees more precious how God iudgeth of vs and hang wee not vpon the opinion of men For hee is not allowed whom men or ones selfe praiseth but whom God praiseth And therefore we are not to account of all that are among vs professing the Gospell no though they be not branded with notorious sins to be sound hearted and good Christians though we know no other by them till God make them manifest as he did these in their kind Is it for vs to iudge before the time but howsoeuer men iudge such as feare God and depart from euill as he himselfe commended Iob for such an one it is sure that they only are accepted of him More specially to applie this As the oddes betweene the faint-hearted and valiant souldiers was great euen three to one and yet all went about the seruice of God in outward shew so great disproportion there is among such as worship God betweene the lukewarme or indifferent sort of Christians and the feruent heartie and zealous worshippers Indeede God doth not inable nor allow vs to seuer the one from the other so that wee may determine how farre the number of the one exceedes the other as here he did Gedeon but wofull proofe bewraieth no lesse then I haue said And yet he that dismissed these white-liuered souldiers from the armie of Gedeon and onely accepted the seruice of these three hundred whom hee fitted for the purpose with faith and resolution will also exclude all hollow-hearted lukewarme and temporizing Christians from hauing a part among such as he will honour so farre as that he will not bee honoured by them I meane not that all Christians should bee martiall men and fit for the field but as Gods worke is diuers so a diuers kinde of spirit hee requireth in them that doe it in Gedeons men courage and might in Christians feruencie and resolution to walke with God For though wee haue no Midianites to fight withall yet we haue worse enemies both within vs and without and therfore haue need of spirituall magnanimitie to vse spirituall weapons against them And though we were not warre-faring men yet in that wee be but waifaring as all Christians are both we had need of feruencie and spirit For he that in generall commands Rom. 12. Be feruent or hot in spirit commands the same in prayer Iam. 5. saying be feruent therein likewise in hearing Be swift to heare telling vs that the violent snatch the kingdome to them c. and the like affection also we must haue in all duties Though in deede when dangers and troubles befall men for their profession then is a speciall occasion offered of expressing what courage is in them but if wee nourish not that grace daily in other duties how shall it be at hand when we haue greatest need of it And this I speake because I see that the ancient and heauenly fire which once appeared most worthily in many both in their entrance and progresse of their good course of pietie and a good conscience is turned to ashes and extinct or burnes so close and feeble that it can hardly be discerned and in stead thereof either a blockishnes and deadnes is come vpon men or a faint-hearted remisnesse and indifferencie as if men cared not greatly whether they professed or no and saue for names sake many could be content to be without it well enough And as for such their disgrace is as farre aboue these souldiers of Gedeon as their sinne for these were onely sent backe but the other the Lord vomits out of his mouth Some there are through Gods goodnesse euen as Gedeons three hundred who looke to the Spirit and good cause for it is the temper of a Christian but alas how few Besides that the diuell in stead of this grace brought in a franticke sort of furious persons whose zeale is to depart from the Church Now to
the action to be ordinarie but indeed this of Manoah had bin warrantable at any time as being grounded vpon diuine warrant commanding him so to doe And whereas it is againe obiected that Manoah not being of the tribe of Leui but of Dan ought not to offer sacrifice neither was that according to the law that hee did it is answered that hee gaue the flesh and the other things to the Angell whom he tooke to bee a Prophet that hee might offer them for the Prophets had an extraordinary calling that though they were not of the house of Aaron yet it was lawfull for them to sacrifice as Elia and Elisha did for when the Priests corrupted the pure worship of God the Lord stirred vp the Prophets to restore it againe But this was no Prophet ye will say I answere no hee was not but more then a Prophet and therefore the flesh and the other offering being laide on the rocke the Angell did wonderfully hee raised fire out of the rocke and consumed the sacrifice And the same we haue heard to haue been done in Gedeons sacrifice before for although it bee not expressely said here that fire was brought out of the rocke as there yet seeing there is no mention of any fire brought by Manoah and yet that the Angell is said to haue departed in the flame it is most likely that fire was stricken out of the stone the Angell ascended into heauen as though he would vse the flame insteade of a chariot and he dissolued the body which he tooke on him and went away in the fire which was a great wonder to them for Monoah and his wife were stricken with a great feare when they saw that he was an Angell of God and after that he appeared no more to them In that Manoah did as the Angell willed him turning that which hee would haue set before the man of God for meate into a sacrifice it teacheth how fit and ready we should be to be moued and ledde by good instruction to any duty that wee know not neither thought of before meekely receiuing the words of exhortation without resistance or vnwillingnesse This minde was in the Thessalonians to whom Paul writeth thus We are perswaded of you in the Lord that both yee doe already and will doe still the things that wee commande you meaning that they resolued with themselues to make the doctrine of the Apostles the rule of their life Thus should all Christians bee affected like the paterne that Paul giues the widowes that they should diligently be giuen not onely to the particular duties of compassion Rom. 12. but to euery good worke This commendeth the grace of God highly in all such as are thus prepared to serue God in euery part of their life that as they shall see what the good and acceptable will of God is toward them so they are ready still to new duties And so it doth much checke and accuse them who are slow and backward to any good thing that shall be required of them and readily yeelded to by their brethren they would be counted with the forwardest but yet in duties that like them not they will be reasoning against them though in some other they shew themselues commendable And yet for all that which I say let it be clearely seene that there is enough to binde their consciences to that whereto they should yeeld lest they be lead by company will or fancy and there is cause of this readinesse and alacritie in receiuing the word by the people if they consider that the Minister himselfe is tied to the like dutie in vttering it according to that charge of Peter feede the flocke of God with a ready minde not of constraint and the Apostle Paul confirmes it There is necessitie imposed vpon me and wo be to me if I preach not c. If then I doe this necessarie worke willingly it is thankworthie otherwise it is necessarie and I must doe it without thanks How shall this bee if the people hold off and pleade libertie to take and refuse what they please Therefore Cornelius Acts 10. professeth himselfe and his ready to heare whatsoeuer Peter should say from God to him And when he saith whatsoeuer he meaneth whether reproofe or commandement as well as comfort and instruction This she weth that not all that doe some duties doe them readily but either for finister respects or by halues as he in the Gospell who was bidden goe into the vineyard answered hee would but went not so many heare zealously but neuer weighing the worke of God nor forecasting the difficulties repent them of their forwardnesse Others readily yeeld to the truth in their minds as sound and good but their hearts come slowly forward they delight not therein nor approue it as liking that it should gouerne them Againe some things which the word requires we yeeld to for the outward action especially yea and stand stiffely in the defence of it as Iudas did for the relieuing the poore because in a diuers respect our desire concurreth with Gods commandement euen corruptly peruerting the end and vse of a good duty to our own benefit which ought onely tend to Gods glorie But here we doe not obey readily because the manner of obeying which is for conscience sake displeaseth vs as the artificer liketh it well that God calleth for diligence in his calling for his coueteous minds sake but to be occupied therein for the seruing of Gods prouidence the auoyding of noysome lusts and temptations the practise of his faith and patience thankfulnes contentment he hath no readines thereto yea this awkenesse is in the best that they like any dutie should bee vrged which others are tardie in and themselues prone vnto but to be drawn any further and to suffer exhortation and reproofe for their blemishes and errors that is vnwelcome So that readines and teachablenes humbly to giue place and curbe our contradicting and rebellious nature where God hath manifested his will vpon good ground is a rare gift of the spirit and attendeth onely vpon them who with Dauid haue a respect to all Gods commandements Excellent is that speech of Dauid O Lord thou saidst Seeke my face and I answered Lord I will seeke thy face Euen as the waxe applied to the seale receiues the impression and the holy instruments of musicke in the Temple sounded according to the skilfull blowing or fingering of Asaph and his brethren so pliant and tunable should our hearts be to the voice of God and make such harmony in his eares as he himselfe hath made inwardly in them as the seruant mentioned in the Gospell whose obedience in going comming and dooing seemed to be so prompt as if it were the eccho of his Masters voyce And such as haue attained any measure herein let them looke to this one thing that they be constant in so doing lest beside the expectation the diuell in time
yet were not so and all Diuines almost grant that Marie the mother of our Sauiour had no more children then Christ only and therfore they expound those places Mat. 13. 12. of his kinsmen and kinswomen And that this the Hebrew word here vsed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which properly signifieth a naturall brother is put as vsually for a kinseman also and the posteritie of brethren the Scripture is cleare and plentifull in shewing it Reade for Example Leuit. 25. where the word brethren signifieth the children of brethren Ouer your brethren the children of Israel ye shall not rule one ouer another with crueltie And numb 32. shall your brethren the children of Israel goe to warre and ye tarrie here In both places by brethren the Scripture meaneth the posteritie and children of the 12. sonnes of Iacob and so many other Scriptures doe And so to returne if this Othniel and Achsah had been within the degrees forbidden that he might not haue married her but it had been against the commandement of God who doubteth but that hee would haue been better aduised and that hee meant not in offering her to doe any thing that should offend God I say therefore if either Othniel or any other winning the citie could not lawfully haue married her Caleb would haue supplied his offer some other way to the contentment of the partie And vpon the answer to the question I say much like as vpon the answer of the former question as the matter requireth and giueth occasion Let none gather from this speech of Caleb that it is lawfull to marrie within degrees forbidden as though Caleb had made such a marriage for his daughter And although he were called his kinsman yet seeing it is not said he was his brothers or sisters sonne therefore I haue no necessarie occasion offered to answere the question whether Cosin Germans may marrie together but yet seeing I haue thus spoken of it I therefore signifie my iudgement agreeing with such as I haue read and conferred with and that is this that although the word of God doe not expressely forbid it yet seeing it prohibiteth those degrees that be further off it is of great probabilitie that Christishould more then in a common manner consider and examine for what weightie and speciall causes they doe imbrace and not abstaine from such marriages And me thinkes he hath giuen some watchword thereof vnto vs in this that the life of many couples so marrying together hath been found tedious and accompanied with mutual dislikes betwixt the parties when no reason could be seene thereof beside that and for proofe hereof it hath been acknowledged that to haue been the cause thereof For my part when the question hath been propounded to mee about such marriages I haue as I know the practise of many my betters to haue been I haue I say disswaded from them for inconueniences not as vnlawfull and so I leaue this point But to returne to Caleb although he had maried his daughter within degrees forbidden yet it had giuen no libertie to vs to doe so neither to doe any thing else that is vnlawfull or forbidden by the word of God forasmuch as we haue our direction there what we may do either in matters of marriage or in any thing else whatsoeuer And therefore wee ought little to regard examples that leade any other way And thus these obiections being answered I will proceed in th story And first that it is said here that Othniel being a valiant man took the citie Debir notwithstanding that the difficulties to win it were very great by this wee see that besides this verifieth the prouerb which is heere spoken of him that a mans gift preferreth him as the like may be said of Ioseph Daniel and others and that all men should seeke for the gifts of God which they may attaine to honour the giuer who preferreth them thereby I say besides that we may learne that Othniel being religious and his prayers being most faithfully made to God as we reade in the Chronacles so that God heard them and yet he tooke incouragement by the offer of Caleb to set vpon that great worke we may I say learne that euen godly men may take and vse the benefit of such incouragements as are lawfully offered them to the going about any worke that God commandeth them It is true indeed that euen his bare word alone ought to put life into vs and quicken vs to our duties and much more because there is a promise of blessing annexed to the obeying of euery commandement of his yea a great promise of reward but yet seeing we are weake because of the flesh that striueth against the spirit in vs therefore we haue need of all helpes and furtherance that may whet vs on And therefore though it was the dutie of Othniel to set against the enemies of God as the rest of the Israelites were bound to doe yet there is no doubt but he was much more earnestly set on by this incouragement So it is the dutie of euery faithfull minister of God to preach the Gospel diligently and willingly euen for the commandement of Christ If thou louest mee feede my lambes and my sheepe yet if the Lord blesse his labours plentifully and the people minister to him readily so that hee bee sufficiently prouided for no man doubteth but that hee shall doe his dutie much better as seeing thereby that hee is as good reason why hee should so bee highly and well regarded So a Christian man that laboureth with his hands in the calling God hath set him ought to bee occupied therein willingly and for conscience sake but if God blesse him with good successe he shall goe about the duties of it farre more chearefully and in better sort In all things we find it thus If the Gospell be soundly and diligently preached all ought to be ready to heare it but if magistrates themselues bee forward that way and cause others by their authoritie to doe the same so that they see the Gospel be had in good account shall it not thinke we quicken euen the best much more then they should otherwise be not that these meaner incouragemēts should most preuaile with men but the Lords commandement yet that shall the better doe it when these also be added to helpe our weakenes But to looke to these principally while the chiefe is neglected that is a thing meerely preposterous and the next way to pul downe al right maner of going about our duties what shewes thereof soeuer men wil make and how commonly so euer the the greatest part offend this way And yet God seeing the infirmitie of his people and their vnto wardnesse to godly duties and how hardly they are brought to the well discharging of them by his bare commandement hath drawne them on by fit rewards promises and incouragements For who doubteth that the deare seruants of God are much heartned and helped
liue in as that they may not bee able to denie them and all to the end they may the easilier be brought to repentance and not onely told in preaching what is sinne which I grant must be done but as farre as may bee they are to bee charged as guilty who are so and to bee vrged as they haue giuen cause so farre as that they may be pricked in their consciences vnlesse their hearts be flinty and so to say from their hearts we haue sinned And this is one principall point in preaching to be aimed at by Gods commandement to Timothy where it is said preach the word in season and out of season rebuke conuince and exhort with all lenity and this conuincing is most auaileable through Gods blessing among other meanes to awake the drowsie conscience and so to quiet and reforme it This is that which our Sauiour foretelleth vs in Saint Iohns Gospell that the spirit of God that is the power of the word inspired by the holy Ghost and preached by his Apostles and Ministers after his resurrection should conuince the world of sinne So we reade in the second of the Acts that Peter proued against the Iewes and conuicted them in their consciences that they had crucified the Lord of glory who consented thereto And it is said immediately following there when they heard it they were pricked in their hearts Thus when Dauid could easily yeeld to the truth generally set downe to him by Nathan but could goe no further namely to see himselfe faulty whose sinne reached to the heauens the Prophet Nathan conuinced him and told him saying thou art the man that hath dealt so cruelly and wickedly and then hee could say I haue sinned So in Sam. 24. when God had shewed Dauid his sinnes in numbring the people he repented and yeelded vers 17. Thus Paul dealt with the Romans when he sought throughly to make odious to them their former ill course What fruit had yee saith hee in those things whereof ye are now ashamed their consciences bare them witnesse that that they had none And as this kind of dealing with the people in our preaching is most profitable and like to doe most good so it is one of the hardest matters namely to rouze vp the conscience and to conuince it Profitable I say it is for that if it be awaked and pricked it cannot but acknowledge the sinne in all likelihood and bleed and so relent for it and craue pardon and abandon it which is the direct way whereby the holy Ghost guideth men to saluation but if any be drowsie and sleepy conscienced so that they be not moued by hearing any reproofes or doe striue against the light of their owne conscience being conuinced which is more or wax hardened which is worst of all and a most vnkind abusing of that gratious worke of God in them I bewaile their case for they not onely receiue not any benefit thereby but doe waxe worse and so depart from God so as they seldome returne to him againe for the most of them of which sort Iudas was and some others And yet these shifts men will vse when they are conuicted for either they are not pricked or struggle against it and seeke to shift it off or else they are hardened by the deceitfulnesse of sinne all which ought most carefully to be taken heed of To returne therfore it is profitable for the hearers to be oftentimes conuinced and otherwise our ministery doth them little good but so it is also hard to winde in with them and to pierce their hearts as I said I meane to bring the hearers to this point that they shall cry out and say euery one for his owne part I haue sinned For concerning the ministers who should bee one speciall meanes to doe it they for the most part abstaine from this worke altogether either winding vp all in obscurity that they are not vnderstood or at least contenting themselues with the bare propounding of the truth without applying it to the conscience or discouering the corruption of the heart that so the hearer may not escape This worke they leaue to the peoples discretion And alas they are so farre from working the word vpon themselues that they haue many starting holes and excuses for their sinnes and extenuate them and alleage their owne infirmities and other mens examples so that though they be stricken by our preaching as with an arrow yet they be harnessed and bumbaced in such wise that they will shift off the blow and not bee wounded thereby but rather will follow their owne euill courses the more and harden their hearts still who may well set the best side outward I denie not and for a while carrie a faire shew as though all were well with them but God knoweth their harts and let them be sure that their sinne shall find them out and it shall not goe well with them in the end The vse of this is that we so looke to our selues in the whole carriage of our liues that we feare not what may be said to vs or brought against vs so verifying the prouerbe the righteous is bold as a Lion and the rather seeing wee haue iudged our selues that wee may not bee iudged of the Lord and haue kept our consciences pure and good to the end we may not feare conuincing of them for the word of God can offer no violence to them who offer it first to themselues especially for any wilfull offending but yet if for all this we be found too light and in somethings worthy to be blamed as who can looke so narrowly about himselfe but he may be iustly charged or if wee breake out amisse then our dutie is to desire that the word may challenge vs euen for that and being conuinced of it let vs willingly and readily yeeld wherby we shall free our selues from the iust blame of blockish sleepy of secure and obstinate hearers But now I passe from this conuincing of them by the messenger of God to the expostulating with them for the breach of their couenant saying Why haue ye done this As if he should say in the person of God to them if ye can shew any reason why yeemay doe thus I giue you leaue come forth and make your answere but the people answered not a word in token that they held themselues guilty This teacheth that God is equall and righteous in his proceedings yea euen toward those who haue prouoked him as he saith in the like case by his Prophet to those that were the posterity of this people heere mentioned come and let vs reason together c. Hee doth not as men do who will smite them who haue done them wrong before they shall know why and are neuer willing to come to good conditions with them how tractable soeuer they might finde them These are indeed cruell and vnmercifull men who will not offer any
Iudge was dead they returned and did worse then their fathers in following other gods to serue them and worship them they ceased not from their owne inuentions nor from their rebellious way 20. Wherefore the wrath of the Lord was kindled against Israel and he said because this people hath transgressed my couenant which I commanded their fathers and hath not obeyed my voice 21. Therfore will I no more cast out before them any of the nations which Ioshua left when he died 22. That through them I may proue Israel whether they will keepe the way of the Lord to walke therein as their fathers kept it or not 23. So the Lord left those nations and droue them not out immediately neither deliuered them into the hand of Ioshua NOw followeth the last branch of this second part of the chapter that is to say that when the Iudge died the people did worse then their fathers as is set downe in this verse whereupon the wrath of God was kindled against them as appeareth in the twentieth verse and then the fruit of it namely Gods punishing of them is set downe in verse 21. and the end why he did so in the 22. that was to proue them and therefore it is said in the last verse that God left the enemies in the land still in Ioshuas time and did not cast them out Now of these as they lie in order That it should bee thus with this people as in this verse it is said it is no lesse lamentable then wonderfull For when God had pitied them they groning to him and sent them Iudges who should deliuer them out of their oppressions and they likewise did deliuer them indeed after that blessing who would not haue said that they would haue proued a rare people in thankes and obedience vnto God Now therefore in that they turned another way when the Iudge was dead who was sent to deliuer them and kept not their couenant which they had made with God but rebelled against him what trercherie was this And to that end is their sinne aggrauated in this verse to wit that they did worse then their fathers but following their owne inuentions and euill waies By all which it is to be gathered what light-headednesse and inconstancy is in men who haue sometime made earnest profession of amendment also what lewdnesse accompanieth the same to set it on worke Heereupon it is that all good exercises of prayer and purposes of good life are soone forgotten and worne out of memory with many A simple minded man would thinke that where there hath been so much knowledge in people and shew of good conscience going with it as that they both doe cause confession of sinne and accusation of themselues with breaking forth into solemne protestation and couenanâ—â— of turning to God with all their heart he would thinke I say that if after ten or twelue yeeres absence from them he should returne againe that hee should finde rare profiting in the Christian trade at least much forwardnes in knowledge and in all good duties and they so setled therein that they could not be remoued any more from them But as people much to bee lamented they who might looke for such a thing shall be like rather to finde it farre otherwise and much worse as wee see heere it was with these And in stead of growing in knowledge and grace at least of setlednesse and stedfastnesse in their good beginnings they shall be found reuolters from the same rather as it goeth with men now adaies and to haue deuised with themselues or consulted with others about new waies and courses of life cleane contrary Some to fall in with Papist and sectaries other to bee drawne to whoredome and vncleannesse and the greatest part into depth of worldlinesse sutes vncharitable contentions and the like which though it be fearefull to heare of yet it is common and easie to be found euen while good exercises of preaching and some good neighbourhood continue and bee enioyed of them and therefore how much more shall this be found where such good meanes are wanting Oh if goodnesse preuaile not with them and haue not the vpper hand yea if it be not loued aboue all other things and in price aboue them and diligence vsed daily in the practise of good duties all shewes of the best beginnings will soone turne to the contrary And good reason it is that where men professe godlinesse which is the greatest riches and hath the promises of this life and of the life to come good reason I say that there they should not be ashamed to seeke by all meanes to aduance and honour it to the end that all may know the worthinesse and price of it and that it is not without reward euen in this world Which while few regard to doe they are worthily put to reproch and shame But heere beside that which hath been said a good occasion being offered out of all these verses together wee may gather a good direction for a great part of our life and that as well before affliction come as in the time of it and after deliuerance out of it Before it come and while God giueth vs leaue to serue him with cheerefulnesse which is a sweet portion in this life we should greatly labour to keepe well while we are well and not doe as this people did here to wit prouoke God to punish vs for sinning against him as the world doth negligently or wittingly Secondly if we haue for al our heed taking broken out against conscience which without good heed taking may full easily be we should cry to God after our fall from vnder our burthen not tarrying till we be driuen to it by extremity as these heere were and further when we cry to him wee should wait patiently and the rather because we haue by our sinne prouoked him against vs till God deliuer vs. Thirdly seeing he will most certainly helpe being thus sought to let vs beleeue and be perswaded that hee will heare vs graciously as wee see heere he did them who yet were great offenders and thus let vs strengthen and inable our selues to this patience with confidence Fourthly when wee be deliuered let vs afterward oft remember consider in what an vncomfortable estate we were before and how good and gracious the Lord hath been to vs to bring vs out of such aduersity and with daily thankes cleaue to him yet more neerely then before and in no wise prouoke him by renewing our sinnes as these did heere which were monstrous and to our owne cost be we well assured it shall be And thus if we be carefull to doe it shall goe well with vs and good daies shall we see as may be looked for in so bad a world and such as haue their thousands of gold shall not bee able to buy and purchase with all their abundance But to passe to the next
reuiued and refreshed thereby and how dead in good duties wee are and vnprofitable our consciences being Iudges without them And it is well if here by this we winde out of all poisoned baites that are laid for vs. And this of the first of the foure parts of the Chapter I haue spoken in this former part of this verse and somewhat also before in other Chapters that is of the peoples sinne The second part of the Chapter NOw it followes the second that is of the punishment that followed their sinne and how they cried to the Lord vnder it in these sixe verses Their punishment was seuen yeeres oppression by the Midianites as in this verse is to be seene and the manner of their oppressing them is set downe in the fiue verses following And for their oppression by the Midianites let it teach vs that it was iust because they had sinned For God scourgeth men iustly and not without their due desert Man suffereth for his sinne as the Prophet Ieremy saith So that if any should thinke they are hardly handled being punished of God let them proue themselues without sinne or else let them hold their peace Nay I will yeeld more then so to them let them be able but to proue this that they haue only offended through infirmitie and not rather wilfully and of knowledge and they shall either be freed altogether from great vexations in their liues or else they shall freely and without constraint confesse that God hath dealt iustly yea mercifully in so visiting of them rather then that he hath done them any wrong Thus much for this and that God will punish when men prouoke him by their transgressions as we may here learne I haue in other places shewed The manner of the Midianites oppressing the people of Israel was the spoiling them of their victuall namely corne and cattell for the space of seuen yeeres without which they could not liue Their corne they destroied when they had sowen their fields And they were driuen to make them cabins in the hollow places of the earth vnder the hils and rocks where they had holes and creuises to let in light to defend themselues from them and in the fields and lower parts of the earth they made them dennes and darke places not fit for habitation but in which they might safely lay their goods and substance to hide them from the Midianites They made also high towers and strong from which they might see a farre off which could not be beaten down easily and these shifts they were faine to make For their enemies were as grashoppers on the face of the earth and their camels and other beasts to destroy the fruites of the Israelites were almost without number What these Midianites were and of what stocke they came it is not necessarie to inquire seeing it is not set downe though some writers say that they had their beginnings thus that one of Abrahams sonnes which he begat of his wife Ketura builded a citie beyond Arabia in the South in the desert of the now called Saracens and called the name of it Midian or Madian and the people of it were called Midianites or Madianites and were supposed to be they of whom the Kenites came These brought with them the Amalakites and men of the East to helpe them This was a grieuous and sore affliction to be thus driuen to extremities for want of food And yet no other then was long before threatned among many other to come vpon them for their apostacie and idolatrie For what though we heare of no consuming of the people of Israel in battell yet beside that it could not be but that many of them were slaine by so long and violent assaulting them so what death is more cruell then by liuing to be famished and what miserie in this life greater then to be to seeke of foode where it can hardly be come by and yet that which is to bee reserued and had is scarcely fit to preserue life Here therefore by the contrary wee may see what a benefit of God this is when in a land and in cities townes and villages all people may be fed fit for their condition when there is no inuasion of forraine enemies to spoile and destroy the fruits of the earth whereby the inhabitants are preserued nor any famine by any other iudgement of God and when there is no iust cause of complaining in our streetes We know in the great famines that are mentioned in the Scriptures yea and in smaller famines in our owne remembrance what crying and lamentations there haue been In the daies of Abraham Isaac and chiefly of Iacob when they were forced to send into Egypt for corne In the time of Elimelek and Naomi when they were driuen from their dwelling in Bethelem Iuda to goe and soiourne in the land of Moab for want of food and after in the daies of Ioram King of Israel when the men had no other way to preserue their liues but by eating that which was against nature yea and yet they could hardly come by it and when the women did eate their own children as also in the last besieging of Ierusalem by the Romans And to what end speake I this but that we should lift vp our hearts and more feruently and oft be thankfull to God for this one benefit of plentie although who seeth not that it is indeed but one of many yea of infinite other which wee receiue And why doth God this Euen to the end men may follow their callings diligently and conscionably with cheerefulnes and with the same minde walke in the feare of the Lord continually And therefore the euill example in life that in the abundance of Gods earthly blessings doth flow euery where in drunkennesse and all lasciuiousnes doth draw vpon men greater plagues then wants and famine are and that is leanenes of soule blindnes vnbeliefe hardnesse of heart and impenitencie which if we had the spirit of the Prophets wee should deeply bewaile But to leaue such I adde this that for the quickning vp of the best it were fit for them when they grow to a meane and common esteeming of these benefits of God to suppose with themselues and put the case that they were in want and penurie euen in the state of this people of God by the oppression of the Midianites or the like As that when they haue sowne their seede it should be spovled before their faces so that they should not eate of it and that the prouision which they haue made for their liues should be carried away by enemies or taken from them and they famished for want of it it would make them better to value and prize such benefits and yeeld to the Lord a more holy and fruitfull vse of them Whereas commonly men doe not so till they be driuen to it by wants and decay in their substance then they can say Oh what plentie of Gods benefits
said if they were they would haue giuen them but that was no thanke to them but their owne benefit credit and honour but seeing they were not in his hands they vncourteously and barbarously denied it to them being their brethren and in subtiltie they did it lest they being ouercome of the Midianites they should haue been hardlier dealt withall by the Princes of Midian hearing that they had relieued their enemies And this subtilty ioyned with selfe-loue are the two strings to mens bow by the which they shoote out the most of their actions as arrowes For the good the most doe it is not done for the commandement nor for conscience sake but of selfe-loue for their owne priuate benefit hoping to be gainers thereby which may be done by the heathens for any religion or feare of God that is in it or when they hold back the good which in conscience they ought to doe of an euill minde they hold it back as these men of Succoth did for feare lest if they should doe it to some they should fare the worse at the hands of other as these men of Succoth here did A like point whereunto I obserued in the men of Ephraim And hereby wee may see what barbarous rudenesse was in these who yet were brethren and countrimen to the Israelites that to Gedeon their gouernour by whom they were vpholden in peace and who now was in the middest of this last worke of pursuing the Midianites and rescuing of Israel they should shew themselues so barbarous and voide of all humanitie Which was as if when the house top is on fire they in the nether part should lie still as though the fire could not hurt them or as if a man standing vpon the onely bough of an high tree and thereby only kept from danger of falling should with his hatchet cut it downe and by the fall of it breake his necke This rudenesse and irreligiousnes is in many brutish people at this day who are not onely no helpers in the wants and necessities of Gods people either for soule or bodie but hinderers yea and gripers of them Senselesse bloks they are who can neither heare see nor sauour any good towards any but as Nabal who not only gaue not any thing to Dauids men but rated them and railed on them thereby casting a mist as it were vpon his vnmercifulnes that it might seeme the more tollerable And this we may further note here in that they by their falsehood subtiltie and dastardlinesse sought to saue their liues that wee might not marueile when we see that some are readie to betray forsake yea and lend their helping hand to persecute their natiue Prince countrey and brethren yea and religion it selfe and all for the broken and shiuered hope of a transitorie life and safetie which yet they misse also oft times as is to be seene in that speech of Mordecai to Hester If we remaine in this danger doest thou looke to besafe For why God reuengeth such falsehood and cowardlinesse as our Sauiour saith He that will saue his life shall lose it The vse here of is that though life be sweete yet it is not to be preserued by subtiltie falsehood and preposterous feare when the Lord will haue it to bee brought into triall and requireth it at our hands Euen so in all other things subteltie and dastardlinesse is to be auoided and simplicitie and courage is to be practised Of this more God willing after in the conspiracie of the men of Schechem with Abimilek Now Gedeon threatneth the men of Succoth for their barbarousnes and boldnes towards him their deliuerer as they had iustly deserued euen to teare their flesh with the thornes of the desert The which he iustly did being their Magistrate for our Sauiour teacheth that hee who scorneth but his brother or neighbour is worthie of the highest degree of punishment And much more this which was committed against the gouernour might be thus met with and requited he not threatning them in wrath but vpon good consideration I will deferre speaking of the punishment till the inflicting of it be mentioned but let this be marked that Gedeon did euen then speake of preuailing against Zeba and Zalmunna without feare as if he had alreadie subdued them therefore he saith When the Lord hath deliuered them into my hands as not doubting but that he would then I will teare their flesh with briers In the meane time here let vs marke that hee left not off the greatest and most necessarie dutie which must of necessitie presently be done to wit the pursuing of the Midianites for the other namely the punishing of the men of Succoth which was to be done also but might better bee deferred This wisedome and discretion is to be learned of vs that of duties to be done of vs or euils to be auoided with the danger and punishment that followeth them that be first done in both which of necessitie must be first and yet the other not neglected nor omitted but in due season regarded also Instances may be these as there bee many other to visit parents in great sicknesse which requireth present duty without delay is to be preferred and performed rather then to iourney about profit though lawfull also which may as well be done another time Also to preferre hearing of a Sermon before common businesse if it be not to our greater hurt c. And this I say further that not onely common actions must giue place to seasons but euen one season to another In which our best rule is that wee preferre that season which occasioneth a worke of presentest vse although some other dutie of an higher nature offer it selfe Yea and here obserue that euen a ciuill season may sometime bee preferred before a religious As for example It falles out that a man is offered some fauour and hope of release out of some trouble which he is in or reconciliation with his aduersarie mightier then himselfe if he will vse some present helpe which else he cannot enioy or it may be he hath a summe of money to pay vpon a set day and that vpon a great forfeiture or he is sent vpon an errand of life and death say it be to fetch the Chirurgian to let his master or parent blood being in a desperate case otherwise or is commanded to serue the Prince c. Against these commeth some other opportunitie as of hearing the word of prayer in familie These bee all necessarie in their kinds and due times but in no wise ought to iustle aside the other more needfull to be done at that time and these may be attended vnto when leisure from the other will giue leaue the other are as the tide which staieth for no man Therefore we must beware lest through our ignorance though cloaked with honestie or neglect especially wilfull contempt we leaue the greater for the lesser Which causeth to the partie so offending shame
which is best of all there are with infinite other vnutterable prerogatiues so many excellent and holy seruants of God gone before vs thither to welcome vs. Of which point see more by the like occasion of Ioshua and others in the former processe of this booke Now the last of the things that followed after the death of Gedeon is this to wit that the people of Israel for all that wee haue heard God did for them fell againe to Idolatrie and that most shamefully And by this we see what fearefull things follow the taking away of good gouernours which maintaine true religion For they by their authoritie haue contained and held the people within compasse who being dead they fall away Pray therefore earnestly for them and make we vse of their liues that we may leade a godly and peaceable life vnder them For contrariwise when other that know not the Lord rise vp in their roomes the people shall haue sorrow their bellies full The like may be said of godly preachers and parents what a losse it shall bee to the people of God whom they shall leaue behinde to forgoe them But of this at large in the second Chapter Their sins were these two One that they tooke Baal-berith as they called him for their God the other that they forgot the Lord their God This Idoll they called the Lord of league whose Image they set vp Herein consisted their worshipping of him that they acknowledged the good things that they receiued to bee giuen them of him and the remouing of their troubles to bee from him also And to ascribe these to a stocke what was it but to goe a whoring after it as here it is said they did from the true and liuing God And hauing ioyned themselues to him they forsooke and forgot the Lord God who had done all good things for them And this and no better is the worship and seruice which our deuoutest votaries in popery doe giue vnto the Lord at this day as to him that will compare the religion of the one with the other will easily and soone appeare See somewhat of this their sinne in Chapter 2. 11. 13. Furthermore this example teacheth how inconstant we are in all good beginnings and courses and how ready wee are to decline and turne away from thence euery one to that whereto his false and deceitfull heart carrieth him whether to Poperie or any other loose and vnfaithfull seruing of God in hypocrisie as to say Lord Lord and to draw neere to him with the body the heart being far from him while no conscience is made of dutie towards him Whereas the only forgetting of the kindnes of the Lord our God who onely hath fed preserued deliuered and inlightned vs vnto the life to come and who in one word hath been all in all vnto vs I say this onely forgetting him and the suffering of his benefits to slip out of our mindes is sinne of it selfe most grieuous and great without the other as we haue seene chap. 2. 2 3. and in this chapter also I haue said the like of this point vers 27. The vnthankfulnes of the people towards Gedeons posteritie is set downe in this verse which is further expressed in the next chapter as in this that they suffered his sonnes to be slaine their sinne is aggrauated hereby that he had done so great things for them as to deliuer them out of so fearefull bondage as we haue heard they were in to the Midianites But in this they did like themselues For not to repeate that which I haue said hereof twice in this chapter vers 18. 22. we may be sure of this as we see here in these that they who are vnfaithfull and vnthankfull to God are not to be trusted that they will deale better with men This both the heauenly order of the law of God teacheth and many examples also As Abraham said I saw that the feare of God was not in this place and therefore what trustinesse is to bee looked for to me of men And likewise that example of the vnrighteous Iudge sheweth as much that neither feared God nor reuerenced man This measure our Sauiour found among his owne countrey men when he had done many great good workes among them yet they would haue stoned him for them And why for they were not faithfull to God Doe we our duties therefore of conscience to God that so wee may not faile toward men For otherwise from vs nothing is to bee looked for but vnfaithfulnes to men and euill example vtterly vnbeseeming vs when time shall serue to bewray and sift vs which as the prouerbe saith is the mother of truth and reuealeth that which was long hidden Now to end the chapter with the answere of an obiection It is marueiled at that God suffered this Idolatrie and superstition so long vnpunished For such as obiect thus thinke that it fell out a little after the victorie as it is sure Gedeon asked of the people the earings that made the Ephod by and by after the victorie whereas yet Gedeon continued fortie yeeres after this But it is answered by S. Austine who in such a case being no article of our faith may haue his iudgement approoued and receiued being likely and not being answered by the Scripture He saith that though the gold was gathered soone after the victory yet the Ephod was not made by and by but long after to wit about the end of Gedeons life Or if it were made sooner yet it was not abused till toward his death But of vncertainties we are not to ground any instruction and therefore here an end THE FIFTIE FIVE SERMON IS CONtinued on the ninth Chapter of Iudges Verse 1. Then Abimelech the sonne of Ierubbaal went to Shechem to his mothers brethren and communed with them and with all the familie and house of his mothers father saying 2. Say I pray you in the audience of all the men of Shechem Whether is better for you that all the sonnes of Ierubbaal which are seuentie persons reigne ouer you either that one raigne our you Remember also that I am your bone and your flesh 3. Then his mothers brethren spake of him in the audience of all the men of Shechem all these words and their hearts were moued to follow Abimelech for said they he is our brother 4. And they gaue him seuenty peeces of siluer out of the house of Baal-berith wherewith Abimelech hired vaine and light fellowes which followed him 5. And he went vnto his fathers house at Ophrah and slew his brethren the sons of Ierubbaal about seuentie persons vpon one stone yet Iotham the youngest sonne of Ierubbaal was left for he hid himselfe 6. And all the men of Shechem gathered together with all the house of Millo and came and made Abimelech King in the plain where the stone was erected in Shechē THe summe of this Chapter I will first set
it iustly as a blessing and rewarde of their education to the shame I speake it of such loose persons as whose childrens religion shameth the ignorance and vngodlinesse of their parents Thirdly this redoundeth to the honour of God and his faithfulnesse when one posteritie after another for some generations shall bee found to know the God of their fathers in whose steps to walke it is to them a worthy commendation before men but much more in the sight of God as Timothy a godly childe and grandchild is commended Secondly here in that the Lord doth raise a deliuerer out of the tribe of Dan in which this place Zorah was neere to Eshtaol and verse 25. sheweth this tribe being one of the meanest It teacheth that God will serue himselfe by the meaner sort as well as by the mightier and greater when it pleaseth him For if he furnish them with gifts fitting for that he setteth them about whereof they are as capeable as the other thereby he enables them for the worke which not their birth or wealth alone can doe as we haue seene before Therefore it is not for vs to scorne and reproach such whom the Lord by their gift will exalt though this be to be added that neither meane nor mighty shall haue any cause in the end to reioyce in their preferment otherwise then they haue well and rightly vsed their place and themselues in it with their gifts And as I haue said of outward place and aduancement in the world so I say of inward grace and gifts of the spirit That euen out of the meane or middle sort of people the Lord chuseth many yea most to be heires of saluation and to vse our Sauiours words Matth. 11. to be seasoned with the Gospell by beleeuing for so I expound the words And doubtlesse in comparison of these few great ones are called nay many who haue striuen against mediocritie of estate which yet Agur preferreth as the best to serue God in they haue forsaken their owne mercy See more in the tenth chapter 1. 2. 3. verses thereof The Angell speaketh to her of her barrennesse that she might receiue the message of bearing a childe more thankefully and ioyfully for barrennesse in those daies was generally holden a kinde of curse as I noted in chap. 12. the end and fruitefulnesse a blessing but wee see that God turneth this curse to a blessing and it was counted no doubt by this woman a great worke of his mercy that hee gaue a childe to her being barren as well as of his power as Dauid reckons it Thus doth the Lord make way for the thankfull entertaining of his mercies by laying before vs our want and insufficiencie and yet all is little enough to procure that affection except it be a little at first for in a very short time our mindes are changed with the time and we rather looke vpon that we enioy then looke backe vpon our former penurie or the author of our change So that the Lord is faine to vpbraide vs by his vndeserued kindenesse as hee did Dauid by his taking from the sheepefold in stead of reaping the fruite thereof in praise and dutie which is verified well in many of them that haue mourned and complained long of the heauie burden that oppressed their conscience which they feared as Hezekiah once did that they should neuer bee eased of and at length met with such comfort as they long wished for for although at the first obtaining thereof they indented with God that hee should bee all in all with them yet in time they haue worne out the remembrance of such kindenes as Pharaohs butler did Iosephs Let such and all others whose conscience beares them witnesse that the Lord hath made them fruitfull of barren in what kinde soeuer but that they haue brought forth sower grapes and wilde oliues and made themselues barren againe of fruitfull let them I say looke backe and view the matter yet better and pay their rearedges which they are run into with God lest at length they wish they had bin beholding to God for lesse except their fruit might haue made the Lord as I may say beholding to them for more then they haue yeelded To him that hath shall be giuen hee shall receiue fauour vpon fauour that keepes the old in precious remembrance and regard occupying for him whose the talents are which are occupied whereas he who hath not shall forgoe still till he haue lost all that is he that hath forgotten him of whom he receiued that which hee hath shall both lose that for which he hopeth yea and the principall to which he hath This for one point Besides by this example the Lord sheweth vs how hee turneth his chastisements to benefits vnto his people as the issue of Iobs afflictions witnesseth For if they from whom he taketh away any good things and correcteth receiue not greater outward benefits then they forgoe yet if they waite on God they shall haue proofe of the graces that are in them as faith patience and obedience as oft I haue already noted in this booke which are farre more sweete to them then any outward libertie which they lose and forgoe So then let the people of God prouide to walke before him with vprightnesse and they shall see whether their life bee not replenished with comforts and they followed with many a token from God of his loue to them and pleasure in them by all which they shall finde their daies vpon earth to be sweetely passed and they exceedingly well prouided for till they be taken to glorie The Angell in prescribing to the woman that shee should drinke no wine nor eate no vncleane thing said so because the childe that she should beare should be a Nazarite to the Lord who by the law of the Nazarite was himselfe to bee tied to certaine ceremonies for that time of his so being the one was that he should also abstaine from wine secondly that no rasor should come on his head thirdly that hee should not touch or come neere any dead body of this reade further in the booke of Numbers Now a Nazarite was one that was separated from others and more particularly such a one as serued the Lord in a more strict manner then other did as for Samson who was to continue this estate throughout his life he was a peculiar person and therefore a type of Christ not onely in death and that most victorious but euen in life wherein our Sauiour fulfilled all righteousnesse The signification of the Nazarite was this that the Lord would haue all that come neere vnto him and will be in his seruice to be separated from the common sort which doe not examine their waies after the rules of Gods word but walke after their owne hearts desire And hereby and vnder a ceremony hee requireth that of his which in plaine words he doth elsewhere saying ye shall therefore be
Philistims that as they were least hurtfull when they were most busie in seeking out the meaning of the riddle so I may truly say this of the most of bad sort that the greatest good they doe either in Church or common-wealth or at least the sewest euils that they commit are when they be at their labour and tyed to the works of their calling euen as the theefe is fast from doing of euill when his hands are tyed behind him For though euill persons are ill minded euen at their worke and as ill occupied if they haue opportunitie seeing they are framed thereto yet this can be nothing so much as when oyle is put to the flame for then they are at elbow roome and much more when they be lincked in company with such as be like themselues which is as far from that which ought to be as may be seeing euery part of a christian mans life should bring forth fruit And it ought to be a great humbling of such when God shall open their eyes vntill which time they dreame of no danger that whereas they are commanded in all that they doe or goe about to honour the Lord they yet shall be by manifold witnesses brought against them conuinced of the contrary For whether they fast or feast labour or be idle whether they be alone or in company or whatsoeuer they doe yea euen when they worship God in the congregation their hearts are lusting after some euill and far from goodnes Therefore happy are those seruants who when the Lord commeth may be found occupying their talent so as they may be able to say they haue been neither idle nor vnprofitable in the knowledge of the Lord Iesus willingly and with good aduisednes but since they were taken into his seruice haue shewed themselues faithful diligent alway except infirmitie and yet euen then they are also occupied namely in resisting the same Thus we see that for three dayes they did beat their brains about finding out the meaning of the riddle and we read no other but that they do so the other three dayes till the seuenth came But very probable it is that they deuised among themselues if need should be that they would vse Samsons wife in the matter to help them to come by the meaning of it because it is said in this verse that they came to her and vrged her sore to get it of him on the seauenth day when their hope otherwise was altogether past although it is like they had sore vrged her to doe so before then I say they threatned that they would otherwise burne her fathers house And further they made a great matter of that they should lose thereby if they could not shew the meaning of it as if they had been vndone by it and all this they ascribed to her bringing of him thither if she did not learne the meaning of the riddle and tell it to them And hereby their seeking to get it by shifts and guile when they could not finde it out by coniecturall wit and deliberation wee may see how like to these Philistims the most part of people are who for a while keepe compasse in their matters they deale in and in their behauiour as though they were well ordered persons this I say many do for a time while they haue no great prouocation nor temptation to breake out but if they doe like stormes and tempests arise to stirre and disquiet them loe then they appeare in their colour and make themselues knowne what they are and what little gouernment they haue of themselues Saul when Dauid being pursued of him shewed him plainly that hee had such aduantage against him that hee could haue killed him spake mildly and kindly to him but when he had thoughts put into his head that Dauid sought his life then he was most spitefully exasperated and incensed against him So in another kinde while Ananias and Saphira his wife kept their possessions in their hands there was no complaint made of or against them neither were they accused to haue liued offensiuely but when the Church was in need and they for praise of men would doe as other did according to the Apostles perswasion that is to say relicue the poore and so proceeded to sell some part of their lands then they began to distrust that they should haue enough and of a couetous minde kept away part of the price that they sold it for and yet would make a shew to giue it all swearing falsely thereunto So many among vs liue peaceably innocently and vnoffensiuely as honest neighbours and well liking religion for a time who yet in trials and yet these not great particularly in matters of money or money worth bewray that they are to be commended for none of all these shewes of goodnesse but lay foorth themselues in contrary colours Much like to that which Satan spake of Iob though amisse and in another case Touch him and he will curse thee to thy face And we may almost binde it for true that if a man being laid to the touchstone of gaine especially when no man knoweth what he doth doe approue himselfe conscionable he is an honest man indeed And as the Philistims did here fall to shifts vnlawfull meanes crueltie and many other euill waies who first did not so In like manner we see among ourselues that some will shew themselues as faire chapmen as may be like the bargaine very well and boast they will not take good gaine tenne pound c. for it againe also they will agree vpon couenants seale the writings take witnesses appoint the day of payment or deliuerie and what should I say more yet let the ware or merchandise in the meane season waxe cheaper then was supposed then begins the franke buyer to shrinke palter and shift dishonestly for himselfe And so doth the seller commonly if the price rise any thing whereas they bought and sold before hand pretending they were resolued vpon whatsoeuer euent to rest satisfied if there were losse to depend vpon God for restitution and not to shrinke backe Psal 15. 4. if gaine yet to confesse it equall and iust to yeeld and forgoe it without grudging seeing God hath cast it vpon the partie And the same humour is bewraied in such sellers as comming short of the price they would haue yet being compelled to deliuer the commoditie do change and impaire the qualitie and goodnesse of it or cut it short in measure or vse other men gripingly to make themselues amends shewing plainly that they regard not any thing in their contracts saue onely to make a pray of their brother and serue their turne by him without conscience or ciuill respect of the Common-wealth So also when men cannot enioy their commodities and thriue as they would but decay or feare that they shall or if things grow deare or by an hundred like occasions they who for a time were of good carriage and
and partly haue bin deliuered by them into their enemies hands to be slaine And what maruell For she that hath sold her selfe will much easilier sell her Paramour And therefore well did the same Salomon giue warning that shee is to bee shunned as hell mouth But though bodily danger be so much to be feared by her yet that is the least spirituall hurt is farre greater But by the occasion of this which I say I adde that the sin of them is farre more grieuous who abhorre common harlots who might easily bewray them yet will not refraine from making those or going about it at least who were honest before to stoope to their lure and so become whores and dishonest which thing of the better sort is more to be feared Of this falshood and trecherie I haue said somwhat in the former Chapter Thus much of the first attempt of Delilah by the which though she preuailed not in that which shee sought yet this shee gained that shee was the more imboldned to set vpō him again as hauing receiued no check nor discouragement by him for that which she had done already Therefore shee is not discouraged but attempteth the matter the second time as in these next three verses is to be seene And she boldly said to him that hee had deceiued her and told her lies which might iustly cause her she said to doubt of his loue to her and therfore now she required better dealing at his hands or else she should be much grieued This shamelesse behauiour of hers should teach vs that all boldnesse in euill is an high degree of sinne and we should keepe our selues farre from it as not euen to dare open our mouthes to a woman to hearken and consent to a filthy and vncleane demand or motion wherby also she may know and be priuie to the wickednesse that is in vs. The same I say of boldnesse in any other sin as boasting threatning slandering lying swearing challenging of any to fight or any other like vnto these it is fearfull to heare any of these or to see them committed with such boldnesse as they are Oh modesty and bashfulnes what seemly comely ornaments are they euen where conscience is as yet wrought by the word but wanting for they doe keepe and preserue many from shamefull euils oftentimes who haue no religion to guide and defend them But boldnes is and ought to be vsed in the defence commendation and sute making for good things and therein to be shewed and when it is so employed it is then in kinde This point I will not heere enlarge seeing it often commeth to hand Now followeth Samsons answere to her sute in the second attempt And that was much like the former If saith he now I be bound with new ropes that neuer were occupied I shall bee weake as another man Wherein wee see he dallies with her still and suffers her to demand that of him which was not meet in any sort for him to haue suffered yea and answeres her also about it For what though he held her off with a lie yet seeing hee did not refuse to answere her about it and charge her to speake no more of it being a secret not to bee vttered and also in that hee doth so the second time when he had tried already that she sought to know it onely to the end shee might deliuer him into the Philistims hands in these respects I say as it was palpable dotage in him to doe so euen so it was the next way to set her forward in soliciting and importuning him till shee got it at his hands It was therefore a further degree both of his sinne and also of the bringing on of his misery He might haue been made wise enough to haue refused to heare her any more about that hauing seene before that the Philistims lay in the chamber iust by if opportunity had serued to binde and take him And this may teach vs that it is no better then sottishnesse to bee so impotently giuen ouer to a mans appetite and either this way in lingring after or clinging to a wicked woman or in pursuing hotly any other sinne seeking the fulfilling of a mans desire so that he can no way bee remoued from it and that especially when neither proofe of former danger thereby nor feare of present euill nor the foreseeing of any to come and yet all certaine and apparent can hold him from it And though in this grosse manner Gods seruants bee not commonly enchanted and bewitched which were monstrous yet let vs not rest in that nor in any like impotency as in hunting greedily after the wealth of this world and ioying in the pride of life c. but so bridle wee and keepe vnder our wicked hearts especially when wee haue had faire warnings before as he had that they bring vs to no such like slauery and bondage but that we abhorre them more then at the first if we did then entertaine them especially we hauing had proofe as he had what woe will follow The more I consider this fact of Samson the more I thinke of that phrase which the holy Ghost vseth to describe sinne by I meane that of drunkennesse And as by other occasions I note other properties of a drunkard wilfully rushing into it so I obserue this one of venterousnesse and boldnesse Well said he that described drunkennes among many other properties of the disease that it puts into man a marueilous confident hopes so that it dareth fight with any man without weapon whom sobriety durst not encounter with though well armed And no wonder for when the braine is ouercharged and nature oppressed in stead of the purelight and vnderstanding of mind there is ingendred a frothie conceit and appearance of that which is not and in stead of the spirit and vigour of the affection succeedeth a degenerate boldnesse and foole-hardie ventrousnesse as all men can iudge that the boldnesse of a drunkard comes rather for want of wit then presence of courage Euen thus fareth it with Samson in this distemper and spirituall drunkennesse of his Still he makes his companion answeres faire and farre off flourishing and casting about as if he had skill and strength enough to match and goe beyond her whereas alas it fareth with him as with the man I spake of who thinking himselfe strong enough to goe alone and vpright tottereth and falleth at euery turne For although the secret was not yet vttered yet these preambles of dalliance and trifling what were they but as the nibling of the fish or the hopping of the bird about the bait and snare which she hasteneth and yet would not seeme to hasten vnto Doubtlesse if Samson his grace had not been in great part imbezeled and feebled ere his locks were cut off he had carried a truer measure of himselfe and better iudgement of his owne case then to thinke himselfe his owne man and able
his profession rediculus And to let him see what this will grow to hee may further vnderstand that God dealeth with such after this manner that first he suffereth them to be vnsetled in their course so that they serue God awkly and vntowardly as he goeth to worke that vseth dull edged instruments they cannot pray nor walke roundly and cheerefully in their calling but are full of vnquietnes with much grudge of conscience and a very tast of hell which to continue many houres or dayes is yet an heauier burden and greater bondage And yet if they relent not when they be vnsetled and when they see themselues thus far out of the way of godlines a greater danger is like to follow that is that they shall be hardened and so farre from repentance and then they fall from euill to worse till they breaking into other open offences bee met withall and requited with sundry open and shamefull punishments This is the Lords manner of dealing with his owne euen as he dealeth with the vngodly first to warne them secretly by the accusation of their conscience and if that doe them no good to call them backe then he casteth them into bodily or visible iudgement And so the bestende they haue of their bad doings is to goe backe with shame and sorrow whereas they might haue shunned both and haue liued in peace and with comfort Which being duly considered hath made mee oft to maruell that men whom I know to be very carelesse can yet bee so quiet Me thinks where much sinne is committed and such as the persons cannot be ignorant of it when they haue done it they should not put it vp so cleanely and sleepe vpon it so easily but that it ought to trouble them euen as the stomacke ouercharged seeketh to be vnburdened So I say I thinke they should haue but small peace within when so much may bee seene to bee amisse without for let them set as faire a face on their bad doings as they can yet can they not be the whole men that they goe for and God wil not be mocked they must cast vp their vnsauorie gorge and clense their harts and hands from euill before God will accept and take knowledge of them for his For if the conscience being tender and like the apple of the eie can suffer no violence how can they loade it with so great a burden of knowne sinnes but they must needs cause it to cry out if they doe not with true repentance seeke to God for mercie to ease it For a penitent soule cannot feele the least violence to be offered to the conscience by sinne committed but it crieth out to be cured and therefore they who giue greater cause cannot bee in good case when they set it light hauing so sore offended And thus much by occasion of the Canaanites sinne It followeth THE THIRD SERMON VPON THE FIRST CHAPTER OF THE BOOKE OF IVDGES VERS 5. And they found Adonibezek in Bezek and they fought against him and slew the Canaanites and the Perezites VERS 6. And Adonibezek fled and they pursued after him and and caught him cut off the thumbes of his hands and of his feet VERS 7. And Adonibezek said Seuenty Kings hauing the thumbes of their hands and of their feete cut off gathered bread vnder my table as I haue done so God hath rewarded me So they brought him to Ierusalem and there he died TO make entrance into these verses which I haue read yee haue heard how God gaue victorie now it is shewed more particularly how the victorie before mentioned was gotten the place being set downe where the battel was fought that is in Bezek and the King of the people is mentioned who was Adonibezek who fled in the battell as being too weake but was taken and handled as is set downe in the text to wit hee had the thumbes of his hands and feete cut off Whether the men of Iuda knew that he had so dealt with other or no or whether the Lord directed them so to doe without knowing any such thing it is not expressed but he himselfe confessed that hee had done so to others and that God had requited him with the like That which was said of the Canaanites punishment that it was inflicted vpon them when their sin was growne ripe may as truly be said of their King as by his owne confession may be gathered but hauing spoken of that point alreadie I omit to say any more of it But seeing this Adonibezek being taken as he fled had his thumbs cut off as he had cut off others before out of these verses let vs first note this that God measures out to men euen as they measure and mete to others according to the words of our Sauiour With what measure ye mete shall bee measured out to you againe So that as we haue done to other so shall we be dealt with The Lord confirmes this truth where he saith He that sheddeth mans blood by man shall his blood be shed Which was rightly verified in Haman and that in many points For first as he accused Gods people vniustly so he was charged and that by the King himselfe where yet he was not guilty and he was condemned without solemne iudgement seeing he had done so to others and when he was handled most reprochfully and adiudged to most shamefull punishment yet there was none that pitied him a wonderfull thing to be spoken of one that had been in so great fauor with the King and why this euen because he had been pitilesse towards other that it might be verified which was then true and afterward written Iudgement shall bee mercilesse to him that sheweth no mercy Why was he hanged and that vpon the gallows that he had set vp for godly Mordecay I say stil euen that the scripture might be fulfilled euery way that as he had done so it might be done to him again for in that hee purposed to doe it it was done alreadie in Gods account Now that wee may bring this neerer to our selues many among vs complaine how they be wronged in their dealings with men they are euill spoken of slandred railed vpon they say and many other waies abused And they thinke they receiue very hard measure at mens hands hereby they maruell at it and complaine that none are vsed as they be but what blindnes is it that couereth there eies For doe not all that liue with them know at least their owne consciences can tell them that they haue dealt euen so with other and thereby haue giuen cause to be so dealt withall againe But oh blind selfe-loue that cannot see that which all other doe see I meane which thinkes that tolerable in ones selfe which yet hee accuseth and condemneth in another and seeth not the iust iudgement of God vpon himselfe by other mens wronging him which hee himselfe by his iust desâ—â—ts hath brought vpon
and to giue thanks that wee haue been either kept from being a pray to such deuourers or mercifully snatcht out of their iawes as a costly garment out of the fire But to passe from this let vs weigh that he had vsed this crueltie vpon seuentie Kings so that he was not satisfied by ten or twentie times continuing his cruelty toward so many no nor three times twentie and more and would haue done the same many hundred times more if hee had not been cut off and so hindred as God in much mercie prouideth that such doings shall haue an end And by it we may learne that when men haue entred into a bad course it is neuer time for them to leaue and come out of it especially if they haue benefit thereby and take liking and delight therein and most of all if with profit and delight it be growne into a custome with them Simon Magus had a long time bewitched Samaria with his sorceries euen almost the whole citie and neuer went about to desist from that practise till he was against his will broken off by the preaching of Phillip Demeirius the Siluer-Smith had done the like in another kind in the citie of the Ephesians deceiuing the people along time for his owne gaine in making siluer shrines or temples for the Idol Diana And this is so true that if a man do but fall into any particular sinne once or twice he is readier to commit it twenty times then once to be think himselfe about breaking it off As if it be by making of a lie and false swearing deceiuing breaking the Sabbath picking and stealing or the like bad tempering and needlesse medling any other way In Peter this may bee seene who neuer went so farre as to intend and purpose any euill but being demanded a question only on the sudden which hee looked not for whither he were Christs disciple denied the truth but through feare against his conscience and hauing once so done being asked the same the second time did so againe and the third time being prouoked so denied it with an oath and a cursing of himselfe if he knew the man Iehosophat could not be warned to forbeare fellowship with Ahab and his sonne Iehoram hauing once suffered himselfe to take pleasure therein though he had a sharpe warning of it and smarted also for the same And Sampson for the loue of a Philistine woman suffering her vnlawfully to moue question to him about that which tended to the loosing of his life and the graces of God in him which were most precious because he cut her not off neither staied her at the first but answered her which he should not haue done though he ment not to tell her the secret that she asked yet he answered and trifled with her so long in needlesse and dangerous talke that at last through importunitie she got that which she sought and which hee neuer ment shee should obtaine till hee found when it was to late what it is to yeeld and giue place to euill though but once or twice For as the breaking out of waters by cutting the banck that holdeth them in is the ouerflowing of much ground and spoileth it so the making of a breach in the conscience and the yeelding and giuing place to euill but a little layeth open a man to much bondage and anoyance thereby so that he goeth on as on that runneth a pace from the top of an high and steepe downe hill who is not able to stay till he come to the bottome This truth which is verified in so many things Salomon hath most liuely exemplified in one saying An harlot is a deepe graue and a narrow pit which he that falleth into can hardly get out of to escape And therefore to come to make vse of this which hath been said wee are to know that the counsell and rule that the Physition giueth for the preseruing of health namely that wee should resist the beginnings of danger and so we shall be free from the euill that would follow the same is meete for all such to bee followed as desire to inioy their spirituall health and that their soules may feare well and that is that they take great heed when they be first inticed by the deceitfulnesse of sinne that they resist strongly before delight be kindled and dally not with that which they are tempted with lest they bee also hardned which if they doe they shall by purging out that corruption finde the fruit of that holy counsell and promise in the Gospell Watch and pray so shall yee not fall into temptation Oh if some could haue done it when with Ioseph they haue been inticed and could haue shaken of the leaudnesse of their euil hearts at what ease and in what freedome might they haue walked who haue by giuing place to their lusts and not kurbing them vp in due time brought themselues into a loathsome state of life and to a continuall bondage And this confutes them who being reprooued for sinne excuse themselues like children that it was the first time or that they went not so farre but they could easily desist As they that dally with women or maydens by vnchase speech behauiour or euill thoughts of whom many fall by degrees to commit folly nay filthinesse because they resisted not dalliance and nipt not that cursed fruit in the blossome Now that which remaineth in this verse is a question to good purpose and that is why the Israelites did not kill this tyrant Adonibezek out of hand but reserue him to this bondage and to die so The answere is God giuing them commandement not to spare the Canaanites and hee hauing been more cruell then some other God to bee sure inclined their hearts to doe so both that he might haue the measure that hee had offered other and also that it might be knowne that hee died not in warre which had been some glory to him it being vnmeet that so cruell a person should haue so honest a death Another question may bee this concerning himselfe why this tyrant when he had so shamefully defaced and dismembred so many Kings yet why he would haue them to feed vnder his table There is no doubt but that he did it to remember and shew the glory of his victories and while they were made to feede so basely vnder his feet as dogges to gather that which fel from his board it was to satisfie his proud and vaine-glorious humor therewith as well pleasing to him as if his eares had been filled with musicke By the first namely that fact of the Israelites we may learne that it is meet that monstrous doings vilanies with the persons who wrought them should be made odious according to the desert of them As murtherers of Princes the Lords annointed to bee put to the extreamest torments before their fearefull death As we haue been certified of the exquisit tortures that were
whereof many thousands in this land are partakers which their fellow brethren in other nations being as Israel was in Egypt Iuda in Babylon oppressed with idolatry would thinke they obtained an vnualuable benefit if they might haue freedome from it And so they may well thinke For oh what a liberty is it both to soule and body and yet we may haue it with farre more ease then they had it that is without trauell or iourney And although they cannot value it in any sort according to the worth of it who haue neuer felt the burthen of a troubled conscience and bodily vexations yet wee that haue though they bee nothing so grieuous as they had we I say are euery day that we rise out of our beds to doe our necessarie businesse to confesse this marueilous worke of God for our deliuerance And yet I deny not but that other benefits of God are to bee sought for also as the enioying of the sincere preaching of the Gospell to the further welfare of our soules and things necessary for this present life that so there may want no encouragement to Gods seruice But howsoeuer the Lord should denie vs the one I meane plentie for our bodies which yet for many yeers he hath most gratiously yeelded and granted vs yet we should contend for the other I meane sound and sauing knowledge by an happie and sound ministery by all meanes if possibly wee may enioy it Which I speake to the iust reproofe of all such as doe onely regard their outward estate in the world little or nothing looking after the benefit of true happinesse by their soules welfare forecasting altogether to plant themselues ther whither the hope of earthly commodities doth leade them And though the townes families and kindreds be neuer so prophane and superstitious to the which they make hast yet that they little regard but so as commodity and honour may be gotten as their common question is may we looke for any good there they will dwell there they will liue and dei and there they will match and leaue their children to remaine after them But as from holding them from the infection of Popery or labouring to shield them vnder a setled good ministery and so to minde and seeke their saluation it is no part of their thought Nay there bee thousands in this land that lust after the seruitude of Popish Egypt againe earnestly desiring that day which God turne away the Lord forgiue it them as our Sauiour prayed for them that crucified him they know not what they do So farre are they from thankfulnesse for their freedome that they are voluntary slaues vnder that Pharaoh of Rome euen in their owne countrey But to returne and so to draw to an end let it be counted of vs a rare and singular mercy of God to be free from great calamities and extremities both of soule and body as these Israelites were who were deliuered out of Egypt and the bondage thereof And by occasion of this which I say this I further adde that such as liue void of grieuous paines and diseases as well as Egyptian bondage which others yea and those many of Gods deare children are vnder as the stone collicke gowts vlcers gripings and such like also such as be not in vtter penury and want nor yoked with vnquiet vnkind and supestitious companions in marriage nor with vnmercifull land lords and cruell ouerseers and gouernours which doe make their life wearisome to them and consume all their cheerefulnesse and comfort as as the moth eateth vp the beauty of a garment let all such I say beare their other pettie and small discommodities troubles and visitations patiently and contentedly and bee highly thankfull for that they are deliuered from farre greater yea and let them acknowledge that if with freedome from these and the like they hold sound peace with God and bee free from the stings of an euill conscience also that they enioy a peece of a paradise though in a meane condition and let them pitie those which are in such depths of griefe that their feruent prayes may moue the Lord to pity them also and let them that be free from them resolue with themselues and endeauour to vse their liberty and health to all possible good doing And yet let this bee knowne also that where God layeth these great burthens vpon some of his hee giueth them the greater grace to goe meekely vnder them And let vs beware lest through our security and negligence God may iustly vpbraid vs with his benefits as heere he doth Israel that hauing elbow-roome and liberty to serue God in our places and callings without any to disturbe vs or hold vs vnder we enbondage our selues by an ill conscience loosenesse security earthlinesse and the like euils by which our life should be as irksome as in Egypt or Babell The second benefit heere mentioned that God bestowed vpon them was that he brought them into the fruitful land in which they dwelt which was a farre greater matter then the former as shewing them plainly that he thought it not enough to deliuer them out of bondage except hee filled them with good things also He had done much for them if hee had onely deliuered them out of that fearefull bondage though hee had left them in the wildernesse but to bring them also into that fruitfull land and to giue it to them oh admirable kindnesse Behold then heere the great bountifulnesse of God that hee can as well and willingly giue abundance to his children as keep them out of great troubles He is not therby wasted nor diminished in his blessings by giuing them out liberally bestowing them being a fountain of riches neuer drawne dry So he said to the posterity of his people Oh that Israel would haue hearkened to me and haue walked in my waies I would soone haue brought downe their enemies I would haue fed them with the fat of wheat and with honey out of the rocke Neither neede we thinke that he standeth at it to giue vs these whose honour it is to bestow great things and hath already giuen vs the greatest of all euen his owne sonne and therefore can much more afford vs these smaller benefits also As we know that he did giue great riches to Abraham Isaac Iob and to other his faithfull seruants whom he loued dearely And wee in this land haue good proofe hereof in that with deliuerance from bondage we haue the Gospell peace gouernment plentie and such like And more particularly we in this land haue cause to admire the goodnesse of God in deliuering vs from the cursed practises of those Iesuites Locusts whom that beast hath sent forth to destroy vs Prince Nobles Magistrates Ministers and to root out Church and policie among vs and bring in darkenesse and confusion againe Wee owe doubtlesse as great thankes to God for these mercies and specially in the late Treason as Israel did for their
he will most surely keepe promise in both So although the godly are bound heere onely to some particular duties yet in the generall couenant they are vrged both to beleeue those things which God promiseth them and also to walke before God continually in their whole course wherein yet their failings are not reckoned against them which by frailty they offend in but if any will boldly tempt God being carelesse in looking to their couenant let such know that God will not bee mocked their sinne will finde them out And so vnderstand it of particular couenants such as this was that God made heere with this people If hee promise to blesse them in their marriage earthly affaires and businesse with such like if they bee faithfull therein as they couenant then if they faile and bee false-hearted God is free from his word and promise The next thing in the couenant is that God in forbidding them fellowship with those nations and commanding them to pull downe their altars on which they were wont to offer to their false gods did thereby cut off occasion from them of committing Idolatry teaching vs thereby that if we will auoide the occasions of euill we shall also be kept from the euils themselues yea grosse sinnes as idolatry drunkennesse adultery and the like though we be very prone to commit them And yet on the contrary if we will not shunne the occasions of them and the meanes that leade to them we shall vndoubtedly fall into them Take one for example the most common of the rest If we bee foolishly and vnbeseeming our profession snared with some woman as hauing been caught by her eye lids and taken with that which is precious in her we must to auoid the fowle and shamefull sin of adultery first with chast Iob to make a firme couenant not to looke vpon her secondly neither talke of her nor with her whereby wee might easily nourish wicked lust and desires And thirdly come we not in her company if it may be as godly Ioseph refused to doe or at least looke wee not after her neither let our thoughts linger nor carrie vs that way but by feruent prayer be chased away farre from her and then there is no feare of committing the sinne or of falling into any further danger for the word of the Lord hath spoken it So I might say many a man might haue eschewed murther if hee could haue withdrawne his heart from wrath and reuenge and so might many haue auoided oppression and miserlinesse if they could haue snibbed the first straying concupiscence and their vnlawfull desires after another mans commodity I propound these instances among the rest not hauing time to speake of all or many for that the diuell spiteth the seruants of God and seeketh more specially these waies to bring his malice to passe casting a blindnesse vpon them that they shall hardly see no not when they be in great danger till they be fallen into it by being taken with the baite that he laid for them Yea wofull experience hath made vs to see this to be too true and they who haue broken out of this snare know with what difficulty they haue escaped and as for the common sort who shew no great religion in their liues there are few of them but are brought to shame if opportunity serue some of these waies or be made to hang downe their heads by reason of guilty consciences and such mischiefe both the one and the other might haue auoided and namely vncleannesse one of the foulest if they could haue been perswaded to shunne the occasions thereof in keeping out of the company of such as by whom they become besotted and impotent and also if they could walke soberly in their particular callings by them as hauing nothing to doe with them So that we may see what good they get by their dalying vnseasonable companying and loose talking which they vse with women which yet is one of the chiefe delights that the ciuill sort of men doe take and yet they would thinke they should haue great wrong offered them if they should be warned of it But to come more particulerly to this couenant which the heads of Israel must keepe toward the Lord of casting downe their alters and of hauing no fellowship with the Canaanites they affoord a seuerall lesson By the first that I mentioned this may bee learned that Christian Magistrates are by their authority to pull downe all Idols and abolish superstition both of the infidels and heretickes and the occasions of Idolatry and to purge their dominions and iurisdictions from such drosse and abominations Hezekiah brake downe the brasen serpent being abused and called it Nehushton that is a peece of brasse And so much the rather seeing Gods worship is simple and vncompounded and hee that addeth thereto any superstitious ceremony tainteth the substance as much as lieth in him And all Christians ought to doe the same in their priuate houses and places subiect to them as their fields farmes Chappels c. And yet let them take heed that they attempt not to doe so out of their callings or in other mens houses or other places where they haue no authority to meddle vpon any deuotion or good intent as they cal it either to honor God or benefit others or though it were to winne the Idolaters themselues For that course is not onely not ordained of God to winne the Idolaters to sound religion but also forbidden and other meanes as the preaching of the word conference c. are appointed to root the same out of mens hearts and to turn them from such blind deuotion The other may bee tearmed zeale but vnaduised corrupt and sinfull neither of an wise Christian to be vsed And this bee noted by occasion of the one part of the peoples couenant namely that they must pull downe their alters The other to wit that they should haue no fellowship with them I haue spoken of before chap 1. vers last saue onely that I spake not particularly of making marriages with Idolaters which yet followeth by good and necessary consequent For if a priuate Christian fearing God may haue no familiar conuersing with such then much lesse in marriage making with them which is the nearest fellowship of all other And so I briefly conclude with the charge giuen by the Lord in Deuteronomie Yee shall make no marriages with them neither giue thy daughter to his sonne nor take his daughter to thy sonne Now the messenger of God hauing told the people of the couenant which they were bound to he shewes them their sinne that they had broke their couenant and conuicteth them of it saying ye haue not obeyed Which being so spoken to them they could not deny it And this Scripture teacheth that men ought to bee conuinced of their sinne by the word of God and to haue them so proued to be iust prouocations of God which yet they
lying in them vncontrolled that wee shall become drunken with them and besotted so as wee shall be vtterly impotent and not by our prayers or other meanes if we vse any be able to preuaile against them Nay I say more when God shall visit vs with sicknesse or otherwise or when his word hath in speciall manner wounded our consciences and feared vs with his displeasure for them yet euen then wee shall not be able to breake off from them and come out of loue with them they haue so strongly and forcibly drawne vs after them euen as an husband a naturall man vpon his death bed can hardly depart from the wife of his youth whom he hath dearely loued And if as in that case it comes sometimes to passe if I say wee doe crie out of such sinnes in the anguish of our consciences or when we thinke we shall die as such afflictions will search deepe and perhaps constraine vs to vtter in our extremity and paine some confessions of them and dislikings and to make purposes while God holds vs as it were on the racke with promise and protestation neuer to returne to them any more yet it shall appeare that euen those promises are but wrung from vs by force and feare as Sauls confession was when hee heard hee should lose his kingdome For when Gods heauie hand shall once bee off from wringing and paining either our minds or bodies wee shall bee ready to runne to our old byas againe as Ahab did after his rash and hasty putting on sackcloth and to imbrace those and the like sins with as great liking that I say no more as we did before Behold therefore what a bondage it is to bee deluded by and ouercome of such base commanders and what iniurie we doe our selues when we fall into league with any speciall sinnes and why doe wee not throughly and hartily dislike and set against them while they be as it were in the bud and as yet but newly sprung vp in vs and in their first alluring of vs yea rather why did we not rather keep thē out at the first so that they might haue had no such power ouer vs For there is hope in the beginning of our acquaintance with them to withstand and shake them off if wee would set our selues to the purpose to doe it namely as the word of God teacheth vs that is with diligence and vprightnesse knowing that wee should not lose our labour Whereas if wee giue place to tentations and foolish allurements and doe not wisely and seriously withstand the beginnings thereof wee bee not only in danger to become slaues to them afterward and vnable to chase them away when we would as I haue said but also to prostitute our selues to many other which are their companions till wee finde that which this people found heere in expelling the Canaanites that we cannot possibly be rid of them or if some few doe yet it is with exceeding difficulty So that they are wise who giue not vp their members as weapons of sinne but by faith set themselues to mortifie it betimes after they haue attained sound hope to be saned knowing that otherwise the strong man Satan will hold and keepe possession if a stronger then hee come not euen the Lord himselfe by his power to driue him out And yet if this bee well begun and attempted of vs I thinke this caueat or watch word not vnprofitable but necessary that although wee haue got the vpper hand and cast out the vncleane spirit yet if we shall suffer by our carelesnesse and sloth this good worke to slake and to bee broken off our enemie will make another assault vpon vs and gather strength to recouer his possession againe For though he be once driuen out yet hee imbarkes himselfe if he can get in againe as he laboureth to doe and stronglier keepeth the hold with double force and courage nay seuen fold more then at the first he did and then what will the end bee all may see to wit though not worse then in the beginning as it is with him who did but goe about it but did it not in deed yet with exceeding difficulty and perill though hee had expelled him before From hence it is that many at this day and those also of the forwarder sort haue no courage in them to roote out sinne in their townes and families seeing they entertaine the same in themselues And if they attempt any such thing yet they doe it but faintly and soone leaue it off And hereof it is that numbers neuer grow to any great ripenesse in religion I meane the practise of it neither doe euer come to see the tenth part of the fruit of it in the comfort that it bringeth because they are not wise to chase away those common sinnes to the which they doe most lie open nor doe but dallie with them and neuer oppose themselues against them any thing hartily especially any long time together So that many liue in whoredome in malice in oppression deceiuing and the rest for the most part who are kept from reprochfull euils yet liue but a dead and vncomfortable life seeing they doe not resist offers to sinne when they haue any made to them as Gedeon did the kingdome but seeke and hunt after them rather and such a life hath small force in it to perswade others to repentance And this of the first punishment THE TWELFTH SERMON ON THE SECOND CHAPTER OF THE BOOKE OF IVDGES NOw to proceed The second punishment threatned to wit that they should bee thornes in their sides is next to bee weighed Oh how fearefull is this For what is more irkesome then continually night and day lying or going to haue thornes pricking our flesh which must needs breed griefe vpon griefe and sorrow vpon sorrow And this came to passe afterward vnto this people of Israel who were oft brought as is manifest in this booke and in the Scriptures following to sin after sinne and punishment vpon punishment for suffering the Canaanites and Idolaters to liue amongst them and the Lord to bee prouoked and the land defiled thereby And in the large laying out of this punishment vpon the people of Israel let it teach vs that fellowship and familiarity with such and with prophane persons will pricke our consciences as thornes our flesh when wee must oft remember that wee haue thereby not onely allowed them in their bad speeches and examples against our knowledge and conscience which will pricke and vexe vs afterwards if there bee any true feare of God in vs but also that we our selues be tainted by their fellowship and not dulled onely in grace and gifts But of this before This doctrine may also more generally be applied to all sinnes which we shall suffer to lurke and lie in vs they are as thornes in our flesh afterwards Howsoeuer in the committing of them they be as sweet and pleasant baits yet
before men are fitted and framed to heare the Lord speake vnto them but being bitten with sorrow they are glad to cling to him But alas what commeth of the most of these his corrections and sharp dealings with such Nay for that I can say no more but this that the most of them doe but bow for the time as a bulrush with the winde their goodnesse being as the morning dew and so it goeth away and they cry out onely while the rod is held ouer them and afterward they returne againe to their old byas And so did these heere and so doe many seeke the Lord for a time and yet turne aside againe as a broken bow But if such as be thus cast downe as these were when God afflicteth them so that one would think they would neuer lift vp their bristles against him any more if these I say doe yet waxe bold and kicke vp their heele against him what shall we thinke of them who relent not at all for their euill doings no nor for Gods heauie hand vpon them but harden their harts as the dog which biteth the staffe that beateth them What then yee will aske is to bee done if groning vnder mens burthens of sinne and punishment haue no good effect All the remedy heere is this that men in such cases finding out their sins doe also seriously consider of the foulenesse of them and the woe that they bring with them and so tread them also vnder their feet and beleeue better things to bee comming from God toward them euen mercy and forgiuenesse which onely are able to crush their sinnes in peeces afterwards as well as to make them kindly and truly acknowledged and cried out of while the smart taketh hold of them This be noted of their groning Now behold what the Lord did when they did thus complaine and cry out he had compassion on them and raised them vp Iudges that should deliuer them out of the hands of their oppressors and spoilers and he did so and was with them and it repented him that he had so suffered them to be oppressed He doth oft as he did to Ahab pitty sinners when they smarting for their faults cry out of them but he doth not receiue them to mercy except they truly forsake them which I say for our instruction that wee may know that the Lord is easily to be entreated of vs waiting indeed our repentance And when we do but giue signes of disliking our sinnes for the time he stayeth his heauie hand from pursuing vs what would hee doe thinke we if we came home to him with all our hearts But so we must know on the other side that hee in so dealing with vs heapeth hot coles vpon our heads add maketh vs vnexcuseable when wee hauing such faire encouragement at his hands shall yet keepe a loofe from him and shew vnfaithfulnes when we haue made couenants with him of amendment But heere commeth in their misery as in this verse is to bee seene that when he did all this to them that heere is set downe yet for all his pitying them and shewing so great kindnesse toward them yet their Iudges who called them from Idolatry were not heard nor regarded of them They considered not what a benefit it was to enioy such although they cried in the anguish of heart for helpe in trouble Now in that this was a common thing with them after their deliuerances thus vnthankfully to deale with the Lord in not obeying their Iudges for so they are charged heere to haue done and in the chapters following is to be seene that they did so by this briefly let vs learne that men are rarely the better for their deliuerances out of their troubles howsoeuer they crie to God in the middest of them Whereas a man would thinke it should be the thing most regarded of them and they should be oft in considering both how irkesome and vncomfortable it was to them when they lay in affliction as in paine of body by sicknesse or disease or in pursuit by enemies or in any other distresse also what a gracious liberty it was and what ease to them when they were deliuered yea and with all this they should yeeld rare thankesgiuing to God for the same especially seeing it is the end of all deliuerance euen the greatest and withall this that we may serue the Lord euer after without feare Againe another thing is not to bee omitted in this verse that in stead of hearkening to and obeying God and their Iudges they fell againe directly to Idolatry and so forsooke the God of their fathers and most brutishly bowed themselues to their Idols which were but blocks and could doe nothing for them A deceiueable pleasure they tooke therein as mans nature is very prone to serue God after a grosse and false manner yea and the holy story sheweth that they did quickly fall to this and turne out of the way to teach vs how soone a well ordered course and good things are forgotten and laid aside This as it may bee obserued in this people that they soone waxed wearie of their good beginnings so also it is apparant in others that come after them who though they haue good example before their eyes to goe before them therein yet they are soone carried another way especially when the chiefe persons are gone who delighted in well doing And yet further to lay out their sinne it is set forth by an apt and fit similitude of fornication euen as holinesse to God is in the Scripture oft times compared to chastnesse in marriage For as the whoremonger is drunken and besotted with his lewd companions so that he can regard no counsell neither can see it to be his discredit to be linked in with such an one neither is moued with the wasting of his goods which is caused thereby euen so the spirituall whoremonger which is the Idolater is as blind as his Idoll and cannot bee disswaded from it but an Image and Crucifix ouerswayeth him when the worshipping of God in spirit and truth is tedious and vtterly vnsauoury to him The reason of all this which I haue said of him and of all such at this day who aggrauate their sin in the like manner is this that men regard nothing but their ease vain pleasure haue no consciences to performe their promises vowes made to God in the time of their affliction Againe they being either void of faith vtterly or hauing receiued some small measure of it and being slow negligent in the meanes vsing daily and duly whereby it should be confirmed they hauing also others to ioyne keepe company with them in doing as they do it easily commeth to passe that they so soone decline and their promise which they made to God of repentance doth vanish like the sparkles THE SIXTEENTH SERMON VPON THE SECOND CHAPTER OF THE BOOKE OF IVDGES Vers 19. 20. 21. VERS 19. Yet when the
which is translated message or errand doth not onely signifie a word or message by mouth but also a thing or deed such as that was which he did vnto him for he was sent from God to kill him euen as among the Latines Verbum res Quid hoc verbi est Quid hoc rei est both are one Now followeth the third thing and that is in this 20. verse namely of Ehuds last words to the King immediately before he killed him and of Eglons behauiour thereat as it is heere set downe let vs consider of which this I say In that he should so simply hearken to and beleeue him admit him into his secret parlour and that Ehud being a stranger should neither be suspected nor searched as the manner is and great reason was for it before hee should haue accesse to the King and that none of all the Kings attendants should aduise such a matter that hee should not bee suffered to stand on his feet before the King which was more suspitious but rather commanded to bee vpon his knees before him and then that hee should cause his owne company to goe out of the place and leaue them two onely together but especially to let Ehud depart before they saw all to be wel These I say and such like if the Lord had not blinded and cast a myst before them could neuer haue passed as they did And we may say it was much like that which we reade of Abner captaine of Sauls hoast and all his men to wit that when he imagined that Dauid pursued him and sought his life and should therefore haue more specially watched and attended the Kings person then at other times yet that euen then all the armie should be asleepe together where they lay in so much that Dauid challenged Abner for it was it not admirable For it could not haue been so in any reason except God had cast a sleepe vpon them to the end that Dauids integrity and innocency toward Saul might be knowne when there was seene no other way to shew it and all saw that would how he might haue killed Saul And hereby let vs learne that when God will haue any worke wrought or any thing brought to passe for his glory the good of his Church or destruction of his enemies he hauing many waies to bring it to passe will effect it through infinite difficulties without our troubling our selues about it For his prouidence alway ministreth to and makes way for his purpose till it be executed Dauid was so coped in by Saul at one time that there seemed no hope of escape but then the Lord whistled him away and set him about other businesse What lets and discouragements thinke wee had Noah to hold him from that great worke of building the Arke to the preseruing of the world and the Church of God I will leaue it to the consideration of the reader rather then spend the time in laying it forth In the bringing to passe Gods promise to Ioseph in his dreame what a long time was it before it was effected euen well nigh twentie yeeres and how vnlike and in the meane while how many difficulties were raised and set in the way to the frustrating of it as the malice and enuie of his brethren some of them intending and seeking to kill him but all the company consenting that he should be sold to strangers a farre off from whence they thought he should neuer haue bin any more seen of them neither his dreames come to passe and then his imprisonment also after all by the false accusation of his whorish mistrisse who would not haue said that by the meanes of all these he should haue been vtterly depriued of the benefit of the promises which God had made to him But could they preuaile was any iot of Gods word made voide so that it came not to passe And was all the cruell malice of Haman easily auoided in plotting the destruction of all the Iewes Gods people the day thereof being appointed the King perswaded by him to let all be as hee would haue it and no friend to them but they were as sheep appointed to be slaine but they that were in as great danger themselues that is to say Hester and Mardocai and when shee the Queene who was all their hope vnder God should goe about to helpe them out of the danger she brought her selfe thereby into the present perill of her life And yet because it could not be possible that the Church of God should be ouerthrowne did not he most strangely deliuer it But to let passe examples in Scripture euen thus the Lord hath and doth vphold his Church heere and there for a time against all enemies and lets and will doe till he hath accomplished and made vp his number And when wee see that he continueth his fauour more specially to any place or people through many trials let vs say the Lord hath done great and maruellous things for them and they had need to acknowledge his kindnesse and profit by it more then in common manner lest their account be harder to be made then other mens And to come to shew it more particularly and so to conclude this point if euery priuate person whom this concerneth could weigh through what difficulties as tentations and discouragements God hath brought him to hold and keepe faith and a good conscience both in the beginning middle part of his combate and conflicting daies and more specially when he hath well nigh runne his race and finished his course with ioy oh what thankes would he render to the Lord for it For all such may well remember how oft they haue said within themselues that they shall neuer be stablished and perseuere to the end and that the promise of heauen made to them is too good to be true And yet God hath so mixed his power with their weakenesse and so vpheld them beyond their expectation that hee hath brought them safely through all that they feared Oh I cannot sufficiently magnifie and commend this goodnesse of the Lord and withall the glorious worke of faith and what wonders they effect and yet little known or asked after But seeing the arme of the Lord is no more shortened now then in times past but he doth great things for them that beleeue at this day let vs also learne Dauids lesson Commit thy way to the Lord saith he and beleeue that he will effect it and he will doe it in deed without any needlesse and indirect trouble or fretting care of thine but if we beleeue not I deny not but that we may see as Elisha told the Prince of Israel and Mordicai Hester Gods promises performed to others which hee made as the vnbeleeuing Prince did but we shall haue no part therein our selues nor cause of sound reioycing thereat in as much as we had no exercise of our faith in beleeuing them Therefore this worthily
a man fall and not rise againe or goe out of the way and not returne And if this rebelliousnesse and bad disposition were in the wicked onely it were lesse to bee maruelled at but let it be well considered and it shall be found in such as haue sometime serued God in truth who if they lose the hold that they had and haue suffered the wicked flesh that is their sinfull nature to get the vpper hand in them againe oh how hardly is it put out of possession againe So that as the diuels said to our Sauiour Christ thou art come to torment vs before the time So it is euer too soone and very imprisonment to the wicked flesh to be brought vnder the Lords wing againe and to put on his yoke though it be easie as it is said to be This is the cause why licentious dissolutenesse is in so great account at this day in all sorts and so dimme light shineth out of them who should bee lights to other And if it should be demanded how Gods people can keepe so long from vnder his gouernment and are so loth to returne againe vnder it I answere partly confused knowledge ignorance and forgetfulnes how to returne if they were euer well grounded at all is one cause and partly the lothnesse and vntowardnesse of the flesh to bee pent in seeking liberty rather amisse euen that is the other And thus while men haue any shelter how rotten and helpelesse soeuer it be they flie from God But for as much as when no shifts will serue they must returne againe to the Lord their first husband as it is said in Hosea let all that bee wise with all speed returne to him and make godlinesse as it is indeed the greatest riches and chiefe stay seeing that is alwaies and onely comfortable As it is the Psalme A day is better therein then a thousand elsewhere And seeing wee in miseries and troubles do as this people heere did often fall a sighing and sorrowing yea murmuring and fretting and yet turne not to God nor from our sinne but bite on the bridle of our punishment and yet at last we must bee brought to it for all our vnwillingnesse therefore as we should take heed that we keepe the profession of our hope firmely while wee may so yet when wee haue fallen let vs not despaire no nor yet delay to turne to God with the soonest as I haue said Againe by this people many may learne good They were held vnder and pursued by him that had nine hundred Chariots of iron alwaies going out and in among them to vexe and oppresse them on euery side A plague great enough one would thinke for euen the mercies of such are cruell And yet this was not the worst that befell them for God was also against them and had sold them into their hands and now while it was thus with them in so great misery what should they doe and yet which is more twentie yeeres to be in this estate how should they be able to abide it By the fearefull example of these and yet some of them belonging to God it is good for vs to take occasion to consider the estate of them who are vnder sundry sore and great calamities the Lord sending them for their rebellions and grieuous prouokings of him and himselfe frowning vpon them who should haue been their comfort in their troubles Oh how should it grieue vs to behold it For when they are in perplexity and vexation by men or otherwise and then haue God against them also this commeth neare the saying Woe to him that is alone Herein Dauid shewed himselfe wise for when hee heard Gods message from the Lord concerning the chusing of his punishment he answered Let me fall into the hands of the Lord and not of men The reason was because he knew himselfe to haue repented and therefore that in iudgement the Lord would remember mercy But oh how terrible a thing is it to fall into the hands of God being our enemie or into the hands of men when he hath giuen vs vp to their pleasure to be handled as wee deserue Euery affliction is sharpe and heauy when God makes it so by setting an edge vpon it and by pressing downe the conscience vnder the loade of his wrath Consider some particulars for example The pouerty and penurie of many thousands and the same as poore in knowledge of God and grace Others in marriage vnquiet thrusting one another out of doores children crying about them the neighbours disquieted among them all going to hauocke in family and God in the meane time also an enemie to them what an heauie calamitie is this to behold Others to bee taken captiues by forren enemies as Sampson put to grinde or which is worse to the gallies and which is worst of all to haue no God to flie to in this their distresse which yet is the case of many who haue held their heads full high and were also farre enough in their owne conceit from such an estate oh how wofull is it And if the sore diseased sicke and pained persons should bee added to these with other miserable ones and yet without God in the world all these thus to bee distressed which I haue mentioned with such like almost without number oh how lamentable is it to thinke on And whereas some of these bee Gods children they must know that if they will doe as his enemies he will make them somewhat like them in bearing the marke of it so that as the wicked flie from God and hate him for smiting them for their sin so his owne children hauing likewise prouoked him shall oftentimes make but slow hast to him through an ill conscience telling them that they are not welcome till they come in another manner to wit in vnfained repentance All this I haue spoken to a double end one to perswade all to labour aboue all things to make God their friend that is by seeking to be reconciled to him that thus in their troubles they may haue a refuge to fly to for comfort The other is to moue such as are free from both kinds of miseries to pitie them that are vnder both and to consider that seeing they may goe in and out before the Lord without feare both in their daily course of life and also in their suites c. therefore they should deadly abhorre sinne themselues which onely makes them feare his power and iustice and that as much as euer they reioyced in his fauour and so doing mourne for them whose misery I haue mentioned that are in an estate both dreadfull and damnable And this be said of the first three parts of this chapter out of these three verses to wit of the sinne of the people of their punishment and of their repentance The fourth part of the Chapter THe fourth part of this story followeth of Gods deliuerance of them out of the
into the land of promise and in rooting the idolatrous nations out of it euen the word of the Lord he speaking thus vnto him Arise goe ouer this Iordan thou and all this people vnto the land which I giue them as I was with Moses so I will bee with thee I will not leaue thee neither forsake thee And this was Pauls vpholding and stay as throughout all the places whither he went preaching so at Corinth where hee was in great danger For thus the Lord said to him by a vision in the night Feare not Paul but speake and hold not thy peace for I am with thee and no man shall lay hands on thee to hurt thee for I haue much people in this city And the same I may say of many other And by the same commandement and promise of God wee are guided still who prosper and like well in our life and no other waies And this is that life of faith which is so highly commended in the Scriptures when it is said the iust shall liue by faith And are not wee subiect to the same discouragements and the like that they were in ages past that so we may see wee haue the same need to bee strongly vpholden and soundly encouraged as they were But though it be not to bee doubted of but that many doe see this and haue learned thus to be guided in their actions for they only liue comfortably so it is as much to bee lamented how infinite persons know not that there is any such easie and plaine way to guide them no neither can they bee brought from being led by their carnall reason and prophane custome in the actions of their life neither can bee brought to stoop and submit themselues to any such gouernment as God hath seene best by meanes whereof they going about them as it liketh them best not looking what God requireth if they doe a good thing or what he promiseth therfore they doe it not so as he is pleased therewith to wit because hee commandeth it much lesse to that end and with such a mind as it should bee done with encouraged by his promise Therefore they haue many plagues in their liues by following their owne desires and waies and when it falleth out better with them that they prosper in the world yet haue they no sound comfort in any thing that they doe Apply this to all affaires in mens callings Therfore I will say this one thing to thee whosoeuer thou art that wouldest liue comfortably Try the working of this doctrine in thee looke but one weeke to thy calling faithfully to discharge the duties of it conscionably and so farre as thou hast knowledge endeauour to obey all other commandements of God and be firmely perswaded of the promise of God to thee that thou art safe in so walking For he hath annexed a promise of blessing to the obeying of euery commandement yea and that an hundred fold more then thou forgoest thereby Thou wilt aske how shalt thou know that God doth reward thee so I answere bee thou iudge thy selfe if he deale not so with thee For example let this be the case Thou wilt say if thou wert not tied so strictly to obey God thou couldest take thy pleasure in merrie company or benefit thy selfe as other men doe to gaine and get commodity whereas now thou being tied to make conscience darest not doe so but must lose and forgo much thereby I heare thee now heare thou me likewise Thou confessest that the profit and pleasure thou forgoest by obeying God is vnlawfull and against conscience for otherwise who holdeth thee from it Now put the case that when thou hast so gotten it God vrge and cause thy conscience to prick thee and thou beest wounded therein which stingeth worse then Hornets for so God doth one time or other make mens sinne smart and sting the committers of it in most painfull sort or which is worse leaues them hardened If thou knowest what this meaneth or beleeuest that which I say to thee what wouldest thou not giue to be healed of this intolerable paine Euen all that thou hast how much soeuer it be For that is a signe to thee of losing thy soule vtterly if thou persist therein and what shall it profit a man to winne the whole world and lose his soule Thou fishest with a golden hooke which being lost is not recompensed by all thou catchest therewith Now answere mee haddest thou not been voide and rid of this terrour and tast of hell if thou haddest auoided and resisted thy sinne Mightest thou not haue been quiet and merrie as other of Gods seruants be if thou haddest obeyed the Lord Then tell me would not that thy mirth and quietnesse haue been an hundred fold better and more welcome to thee then thy profit pleasure which hath brought thee this hellish torment of conscience this wound and sting which taketh away all delight from thee so that for deliuerance out of it thou wouldest giue all that thou hast Therefore know that God will giue an hundred fold more profit ease pleasure to thee euen in this life if thou obeyest him or doest any thing for his sake ouer thou shalt find by making thy best gaine of thy sinne But I must remember my selfe for I haue bin long in this point Only this I adde that it is to bee bewailed that this heauenly wisedome so little entreth into men nor preuaileth with them Alas they haue no leisure to thinke of the reckoning being in the middest of their iollity It is also worthy our noting that while Sisera was in his flourishing and iollity the Lord threatens to take him downe and to bring him low I will saith the Lord to Barak draw vnto thee the chiefe captaine of Iabins army and his chariots and whole host to the riuer Kishon and deliuer him into thine hand Oh! how fearefull then is the estate of Gods enemies euen such as are euill workers and set against Gods people that in the middest of their pompe and pride the Lord hath taken their names though in another manner and to another end then the names of Recusants are taken to answere it euen that he may be reuenged on them And hath not this been a common vse with such with Chorah Naball Iezabell and many others that while they walked heere on the earth at liberty their destruction was told from heauen to bee at hand and they summoned to appeare to their arraignment and if some of them then did not neither now many doe know before it commeth neither once dreame of any such thing nor feare it yet seeing it is euer comming and hauing threatened it and so it hangeth as a sword point continually ouer their head oh how vncomfortable is it to thinke vpon Oh therefore be we alwaies vnder his wing and abide we in his loue that so we may be euer out of horrour and
out and longing for her sonnes retune with his great spoile and bootie fearing yet the hardest because he tarried so long till she was answered by her Ladies and so answered herselfe that he was busie in diuiding the spoile This place laieth out the exceeding care that parents haue of the welfare of their children and the thought they take for them in any likelihood of danger they being betwixt hope and feare about them and if they be long out of sight they are much pensiue for them and troubled within themselues especially if they be in any perill The which setting apart the odious fact of Sisera was commendable in his mother and according to the rule of nature to hope and long for his prosperous returne and to feare the contrarie So Saul that was after King of Israel knew his fathers affection to be so tender ouer him that when he was sent to seeke his asses and tarried long not finding he hasted home lest his father should turne the care of recouering the asses into care for his sonne And Iob though in a farre better respect feared euen when his sonnes feasted together for increase of loue lest they should offend God So Dauid in his charge to Ioab abounding in this tender loue toward his sonne Absolon when hee made warre against him did streightly command him to intreate him gently And S. Paul teacheth that we should haue care of our owne which well becommeth all and the contrarie is vnnaturall whether wee respect their neglect of their bodily maintenance and so leauing them to sinke or swimme when yet they may relieue them or their soules welfare and saluation by neglecting or denying them holy instruction education in the waies of the Lord by meanes whereof they are left as a prey to the lewd and bad by their wicked companie and example which is farre worse then bodily penurie and miserie though who knoweth not that it is wofull to be brought vp idle and without a lawfull trade of life destitute of necessaries Of both vnderstand that of Salomon Teach a childe c else he may teach thee on the gallowes But as there is a sinne in the defect that is vnnaturalnes in parents to their children not to be allowed no not so much as that of Siseras mother which I last of all mentioned so there is in the excesse another sinne that is farre more common then that as when parents are too fond ouer their children and cannot abstaine from she wing affection toward them and that without discretion to wit to the vnruly disobedient and subtill and wilfull as well as to the simple timerous tractable and religious whereby they giue them occasion nay they incourage them to abuse them boldly saucily and with small respect and to winde them which way they list Thus Dauid by Adoniah and Ely by his sonnes found it and smarted for it accordingly Whereas men should hold their children in a godly awe and keepe them within compasse by authoritie which God hath giuen them ouer them and yet not in rigour neither voide of parentlike kindnesse For want of which regard had by parents toward their children on both sides great inconuenience falleth out that some are handled and oppressed with vnseasonable seueritie who deserue it not and other are cockered with too much indulgence and lenitie till they be made much the worse for it And not much vnlike to this last mentioned affection in parents is this or rather a branch of it that some of them through a deceiuable humour deale out their loue to their children vnequally when yet by the cariage of themselues it is equally deserued affecting the one for some outward respect or priuate conceit as Isaac did Esau and Dauid Absolon who thought there was not such another to be found There is yet another error in parents toward their children who are too farre carried in affection to them and that is that because it is permitted vnto them nay commanded to prouided for them therefore they runne into most troublesome and pensiue care to prouide for them and thereby fall into most noisome temptations snares of the diuell to benefit them whereas they ought to haue well learned this lesson before that for all their affection toward them they should not offend God for their sakes nor neglect or lose any grace neither leaue any worke of charitie and mercie vndone nor ieopard their owne saluation by wounding their conscience any manner of way for them They should consider that it is ill pitie towards their children which makes them impious against God and iniurious against man and most of all against themselues nay rather what torment shall it not be to their consciences vnlesse it be worse to remember that they haue increased their childrens portions with the complaints of the poore or through their worldlinesse and they must now goe and sustaine endlesse woe for it But while I thus speake it ought of children to be marked that this affection of the parents if it were but according to nature rectified and sanctified in them toward their children though it did not weaken their estate for their preferment as I haue noted out of the fact of Calebs endowing his daughter ought to be a sufficient motiue and perswasion to them their children euer to shew all reuerence obedience and thankfulnes to them though many parents and mothers especially who can most hardly bee brought to keepe within their bounds toward their children may after they come to yeeres of discretion iustly complaine that the more they haue shewed their loue to them the lesse they are set by and regarded of them Oh what I haue obserued and seene in this which I now speake of and that not in one or two but another occasion may be giuen to say more of it in another place And this of Siseras mothers affection to him Of Sisras mothers speech we haue heard much longing for his returne Now it followeth in this verse how the other Ladies among whom his wife was thought to be answered her and that in such wise as appeareth in the text that she being sorrowful was ready to take comfort by their words euen as all that be in heauinesse which is vnwelcome of it selfe would willingly and are easily brought to desire comfort yea though it be not ministred to them from any good ground nor aright And the summe of their comfort was this that there was no doubt nor question to be made but that Sisera had got the victorie ouer his enemies and that his tariance was as in such cases it falleth out for the distributing of the bootie and spoile which was taken therein to euery one according to his labour condition and worthinesse which said they being much and of great value after so noble a conquest it could not in a short time be dispatched This was the conceit and false perswasion of the Ladies wherein they rested
the Angell saith to Gedeon about conquering the Midianites haue not I sent thee So the two Disciples that went from Ierusalem to Emaus when our Sauiour went into their companie in the way bewraied their vnbeliefe concerning his resurrection that day This day they say hee should haue risen againe but because they heard not of it they did not think that there was any such thing But did not our Sauiour shew them their fault so as they saw it for they knew that it was euen he who they said should haue risen againe that day Of Mary and Martha the like may be said who were both beleeuers in Christ and beloued of him yet when Christ went about to raise vp Lazarus and to that end asked them where they laid him did they not shew that they thought it could not be now done and therefore answered Lord by this time he stinketh for he hath been dead foure daies And yet that they might see their weaknes in beleeuing Christ raised him vp which they thought impossible In all these and in Gedeon wee may cleerely see our faces as in a glasse For in a crosse especially if it bee any thing smartie and sharpe although we gaue testimonie of our faith before and that with ioyfulnes yet now in the triall of vs how poorely are wee armed to goe through it and perswaded of the good issue of it Doe we not hang downe the head and faint and say within our selues this crosse will be our vndoing And againe it cannot turne to our good neither could any haue been so vnwelcome to vs. For example if wee be depriued of our deare companion in mariage or lose some round summe of money or be otherwise impaired in our wealth or vnder some strange paine doe we say as in time of peace in meeknes of spirit the Lord who loueth vs hath done this for our good euen he that cannot suffer the winde to blow vpon vs hath sent it Doe we say It must be thus and is expedient for vs It is long first I feare and full faintly done if we doe it at length and few attaine thereto And yet doe wee not see in these and the like the marueilous hand of God how hee sendeth light in darknesse ioy in heauines and as it were life in death Doth not God bring vs through them otherwise then wee looked for and doth he not make vs see and afterward acknowledge that such affliction was good for vs Euen as he said to Gedeon here doth the Midianites oppressing of you seeme impossible to be auoided Behold then euen thou shalt doe that which seemeth impossible and shalt subdue and ouercome them Thus wee see how we should make our profit of this answere Gedeon receiuing this answere from the Angell that he should deliuer Israel doth now in this fourth point aske of the Angell by what meanes hee shall do so great a matter For these words by diligent considering of them we find not to be spoken doubtingly as before but as inquiring and asking a question as if he should say I doubt not but that shall be done which is promised but I aske by what meanes it shall be brought to passe For hee sheweth that he is not of ability seeing he was but of a poore family in the halfe tribe of Manasseh which was also meane not mighty as some other and also for that he was the least in his fathers house His meaning was that he maruailes that he should deliuer Israel seeing he wanted all things which were required to so great a worke For warre could not be taken in hand by a poore man and one of a meane condition such an one as he knew himselfe to be seeing riches and power and authority especially were required thereto And if it be asked whither Gedeon offended in mouing this question seeing Sarah and Zachariah were reproued for the like question asking I am sure that so Abraham and the Virgin Mary asked the like and were not reproued as neither Gedeon was here Neither was it the mouing of the question that was found fault with but the doubtfull minde with which it was moued and therefore they two doubting were found fault with that is Zacharias and Sarah Abraham and Mary were not neither therefore Gedeon as appeareth by the answere of the Angell who reproued him not but answered his question And by this we may learne that as questions moued with doubting of that which the Scripture resolueth vs of is euill so to moue questions where we are ignorant of weighty points which we would be resolued of is commendable in all matters that tends to edification and most of all in and about those which are most necessary as Paul himselfe and the Iailer before their conuersion and after they began to looke after their saluation did so to wit asked questions about it And to be slacke and backward in seeking of resolution in such cases where we are ignorant and haue cause to inquire and aske is in no wise to be liked but rather threatens great hurt and danger whereof more might be said but occasion hath bin already offered to speake of this duty of seeking relation in doubtfull cases both in opinion and conscience before The Angell answeres him without rebuking him and satisfieth him in that which he demanded that is how he should be able to doe such a worke saying howsoeuer in warre ordinarily taken in hand riches power and care requisite yet in this my power without them shall suffice for thou shall saue Israel not by them but by my power because I will be with thee and by the strength that I will giue thee And so God answered Moses when he sent him to Pharaoh to deliuer his people out of Egypt to Iosua in like manner when he should lead the children of Israel after him into the lande of promise And so Gedeon here was satisfied especially by these words of the Angell to wit that he should smite Midian as if they were but one man euen as it was all one for the Lord to destroy one as it was tenne hundred thousand And this came to passe when the Midianites slue one an other So that in vsing meanes to serue Gods prouidence we doe well when we see God his meaning to be that we should do so but alway with this caueat that we take heed of Asa his sin who is said to haue made his Physitians his God by seeking to them and trusting in them not seeking God in them But let vs euer beware least we grow to that profanenes which we read of in that cursed Rabshaketh I meane to iustle God out from our enterprises saying as he did Counsell and strength are for the warre and so not to trust in the Lord our God This speech here vttered by the Angell to Gedeon I will be with thee the Lord vseth oft times and not alwaies in the same particuler meaning
heart the Disciples in their too much ascribing to Christs bodily presence and an hundred more in Scriptures doe testifie And much more may the same be said of our selues yet while we feare our frailtie against such assaults as we haue cause daily to doe and learne to rest on God as those deare seruants of God did wee are much staied and our hearts well eased thereby in respect of former times As to say a little in particuler by the contrary when wee haue obtained of God the gift of beleeuing that we are freed from condemnation and that wee shall haue eternall life if we rest there and looke not daily to reuiue our hearts by hearing the word often whereby the feeling of Gods fauour is more reuiued and quickned and also by remembring and applying Gods promises from day to day and from time to time and with both if we labour not also to reioyce therein that so we may be kept in holy compasse thereby wee shall be euer flitting off and on and stand at an vncertaine stay And this shall not onely be at our first beleeuing which there is least doubt of but euen after we haue been stablished and setled therein For at first assurance is not easily obtained ordinarily till we haue had some experience of Gods louing kindnesse towards vs and of our owne vprightnes And euen so I may say the same of beleeuing Gods promises in other temporary things how we shall faint therein without the forementioned exercise and more hardly beare our crosses or goe vnder some paine and sicknesse or haue victorie ouer some speciall sinne and mortifie some corruption that hath much preuailed in vs. But if these be pursued earnestly and the other promises of grace bee oft and vsually recorded with feruent prayer to God for strength it is not to be denied but much fruite shall follow and we shall sensibly perceiue that wee get ground of our selues in that behalfe and grow more neerely acquainted with the minde and will of God that he will grant vs further to preuaile against such difficulties and yet if wee grow to thinke that we shall neuer obtaine grace against our corruptions nor outgrow discouragements nor well beare our crosses or finde blessing in our callings notwithstanding the vse of publike and priuate meanes yea further if wee doe minde and looke after these things but now and then and that slightly also we may well know that there is no fruit to be expected to come thereof which is the cause why some who are not destitute of true faith are often times as it were new to begin in these things after long going about them Now this standing at a stay and small profiting in the subduing and striuing against vnbeliefe commeth not barely and altogether of frailtie when we would gladly preuaile and cannot but in great part of yeelding to temptation and occasions drawing vs violently to sinne against our conscience which causeth a mans hold vpon the promises to faile exceedingly or too much giuing place to carnall reason which perswadeth that wee neede not giue such attendance to these things but in the meane while wee see that we are greatly set backe thereby So that it is manifest that without diligent heed taking to the strengthening of our faith we easily grow to distrust God and his promises And much more if we will hearken to such voyces as we shall too oft heare sounding in our eares that we neede not take such paine nor haue our heads beaten and occupied about it whereas all diligence is to be giuen thereto for attaining so excellent a gift as that is And most of all when by willing offendings of God we weaken our selues which how small need we haue of we may easily see when we consider that wee fall to doubting through the vntowardnes of our hearts without adding further sinne our faith being fitly compared to fire which may as well goe out by negligence in adding thereto as wilfulnes in quenching thereof This our sinne in so hardly giuing credit to God is aggrauated hereby that if we are to deale with men about great matters wee are easily satisfied and beleeue them if wee haue their word and writing which manifesteth too plainly our distrust towards God from whom nothing is inough to stay vs vnlesse with Thomas we may grossely feele and see that which we desire Nay I say more if we be to compasse any matter for our owne pleasure profit or preferment oh how bold and full of courage we be although we must goe vnder perill losse or any such like thing for obtaining the same but to suffer any difficultie or danger so much as to stretch out our faith to beleeue or our hope to waite for that which God hath promised though hee giue vs neuer so great cause and incouragement by good euidence and testimonie and by former experience of others and our selues yet wee haue no heart to it Therefore if we be wise let vs be much stronglier built vp in the confidence of Gods fauour and of his promises take more paines to abide therein pray and watch against the occasions of vnsetling it and chaine vp our so great ascribing as we haue done to sense and reason And so doing we shall see our selues well propped vp and vpholden though we haue no promise of miracles to doe it as Gedeon had Of one of the signes that Gedeon asked wee haue heard now followeth the other When Gedeon had desired one signe that the fleece might be moistened with dew and the ground drie now he desired that when dew was on the earth the fleece might be drie and to both the signes asking God yeelded which he would not haue easily done if he had not approued it To teach that if in our weaknes and timourousnes wee had this wisedome to repaire to God and make our mone to him in feeling our burthen and to say with confidence Lord strengthen our faith we should be staied and eased and so in all distempers whatsoeuer we should not be left to our selues nor forsaken Which many as I said haue not learned to doe and therefore their whole life is but a conflicting with doubts and feares rising anew in their mindes and that endlesly by the malice of the diuell disquieting and molesting them and hindring them from that resolution and holy boldnesse which God alloweth and commandeth to be in them And whereas the enemie buzzeth into them that it were presumption to hold the promise of forgiuenes and life otherwise then doubtingly this fact of Gedeon in so earnest and doubled requesting of strength and confirmation from God should dash and quench it And so by our proofe of Gods answering our prayers at one time wee should learne to vse the same meanes againe in a like manner and as often as neede shall require at another time knowing that as it is Gods honour to be beleeued in his promises so it stands with his
losse of our liues goods or religion but onely of our will and corrupt affections or the forgoing of some small thing for peace sake which we may lawfully yeeld vnto and we are not debters to our rebellious nature but ought to be professed enemies against the same Againe while we haue peace abroad from ciuill and forraine dissention Oh what a benefit it is as we may see by that which we reade of in the first booke of the Kings that in the daies of Salomon euery one liued safe vnder his vine and vnder his figtree As on the contrary when there is warre or persecution Oh what feare and danger is there what spoile of men and goods is there yea what hauocke of all things Therefore I must needes say vnto you that cannot loue your enemies but boile and swell one against another and to you that may liue quietly euery day in the weeke who yet scarcely do it one that you haste warre vpon your selues yea you long and groane for it or for some other plague and if the Lord would as it were winck to allure you neerer to him yee your selues tempt him to lay load on you and to such I say with griefe you cannot tell what it is to inioy peace and make vse of it Whereas if you did well consider it yee would seeke yea and insue after peace so far as ye might attaine it with holinesse and by no meanes suffer it to go from you and ye would not so yeeld to your lusts and carnal affections in fauouring nourishing and satisfying whereof ye depriue your selues of the sweete and infinite fruits of common peace But if this distemper and vnrulinesse be found in a familie betwixt husband and wife or other parts of the familie it is more to be bewailed what did I say nay monstrous Oh what good might be done in this time of peace as the Churches did find in the Acts And this should we doe if we were wise for so God commandeth As much as in you lieth haue peace with all men Yea though it cost vs somewhat as Abraham with losse procured it betwixt Lot and himselfe And if any such be vexed by strangers and disquieted by them let them consider that it is iust with God to punish them so who haue broken peace yea and despised it with neighbours kindred and wife at their owne home And in that it is said here that they laboured til they were faint and wearie we see that the earnest following of our duties will make vs oft times neglect and forget our selues and out bodily ease as they did So the woman of Samaria was so rauished with Christs sweet communication as ignorant as she was when he first met her at the well yea saucie and scornefull that for the great defire shee had to heare him she forgat her selfe and neglected the care of her bodily businesse And Abrahams seruant so minded the dutie which was enioyned him of his master that although hee had need hauing trauelled farre yet hee would not eate till he had dispatched that which he went about Thus Peter Actes 10. through the heauenly intention of his mind ouercame his hunger so that before any thing could be made readie he was in a traunce And so Paul whose watchings and fastings are in other places set downe to haue been so many did neglect his sleepe and repast at Troas through that feruency of spirit which caused him to preach till midnight and at Ephesus did vsually for three yeeres exhort them in the night as well as in the day But aboue all our Sauiour Christ who through his earnestnesse and zeale did many times as in that holy speech and communication with the woman Ioh. 4. forbeare his meate and forget to eate alleaging that he had meate to eate which they knew not of vers 34. Euen so our minds being set seriously vpon our duties as prayer reading good company the following of our calling c. we do not at all many times or very little mind other things belonging to our bodily welfare and it is our crowne so farre as we can by good occasions remember that with Gedeon we haue done so Indeed in and about play pleasure and seeking after the commodities of the world the case is cleare that too too many haue swet and doe continually forget and disguise themselues so that neither cold hunger heate or vnseasonablenesse can hold them backe or hinder them But in Gods matters as his worship and in things which tend to our owne saluation and the hunting and purging out of some speciall sinnes also in furthering and bringing on one another to faith and good duties and so seeking how to do most good to the poore members of Christ Oh how few are to bee found to doe thus who yet neither spare labour time cost or any thing else about their owne matters whereas we should bee so taken vp with Gods matters that our owne euen lawfull might bee moderated at least Thus Marie sat at the feete of Christ and through her attention to his preaching neglected the lesse necessarie work of preparing for him Now though euery example bee not a law to bind euery man to the like yet where we see it so agree with the doctrine of the word as here such examples must be our instruction and we may well gather that there is a singular affection of loue to God and ioy in his seruice where it is so which concernes vs much to follow And much more we may conclude that when men in hearing the word or prayer c. doe so wander and are so weary that euery minute is an houre vnto them and euery houre ten till al be done and some wil not endure out the whole time but depart to serue their appetite or follow their worke these we may be sure are little affected with the action since other things are predominant with them which will not giue place euen when the most religious duties are in hand The man of trade must looke to this yea the worshipfull and all estates that feare God to the end that of meere conscience they may obey God in their seuerall callings and places Thus Ioshua went all night long to helpe the Gibeonites and Gedeon was neither by hunger nor wearinesse held backe from pursuing after the Midianites The vse hereof is to warrant our selues that our greatest delight be in seruing the Lord in one part of our life as in another as in the chiefest to God so next in the particular duties of our callings painefully in euery estate and degree and faithfully and so to take our rest refreshing and recreation which yet should follow and come after these and not goe before them Gedeon being wearie and his men asketh but bread of his owne countrey men for whose peace he pursued the Midianites as well as for his own his reason was twofold
or other and so may I haue and what then But to this it is to be answered where one chiefe sinne is committed there are many other as handmaides to accompany it As in the sinne of Achan Dauid Ananias and Saphira with many others is to be seene Therefore if we thinke it be a shame for vs to be charged with many then take we heed of any one for it will not goe alone and if we thinke it a small matter to bee rebuked for one know we for certaintie that one will bring and draw many to it and he only is happy that wisely taketh heed of all But this doctrine I haue handled before therefore the lesse shall serue Looke backe into chap. 1. vers 7. Moreouer let the foolishnesse of these men of Shechem who beleeuing Abimelechs faire words went by and by and made him King let it I say teach vs wisdome For it is a singular good watch-word to all Christians that we doe not regard so much the speeches of vaine and loose persons as weigh and compare their actions one with another that we may profit by them and not be beguiled As the prouerb saith what should I hearken to words when I see deeds contrarie His were vile and horrible as they saw therefore they ought not to haue regarded his words For he that is faultie in a great matter is not to bee trusted in a small For example if as our text teacheth a man be vnpitifull to his owne as this Abimelech was he will certainly be without pitie and compassion to other howsoeuer for vaine glory he may shew pitie sometime and in some case but that will not hold neither is it to be rested vpon for one swallow maketh not summer So if one will contend and fall out with disclaime and deceiue his neere friend let not a stranger trust him For though such an one bee now in fauour with him yet they may twentie waies be easily estranged one from another as we see it commeth daily to passe So if a man liue not peaceablie and kindly with his wife hee may say what hee will of his agreeing with others but longer then while his corrupt and inconstant humor bee pleased he will liue kindly with none This Dauid aimed at and meant in his answer to them that brought tidings of their murthering of Saul and of Ishbosheth for what likelyhood gaue they of any more fidelitie to him if the time should haue serued So to prosecute this point in more particulars wherein the truth of it doth best appeare let vs not be deceiued but wise if we see that a man be not faithfull to God let vs not thinke that he will bee to vs. So if one helpe not his poore neighbour in his need there is small liberalitie or neighbourhood in him at any time If a man bestow not the Sabbath in godly exercises and religious duties it is sure he doth little that way on other daies and if he doe yet it is not of knowledge nor conscience whatsoeuer he doth without which it is nothing worth So if a man cannot be appeased in a small matter let him say what he will it is sure hee will much lesse bee in a great and yet men commonly say any thing but this I would doe for you or could yeeld vnto when yet a small matter is requested of them So to enlarge the argument from the greater and more likely to the lesser if thou canst not trust them whom thou hast long knowne faithfull though thou gettest many new friends thou shalt neuer be bold soundly to rest vpon them Also if a man will seeme repentant and leaue not an il outward qualitie he hath not certainly yet begun to search and purge his euil heart If the righteous find much adoe to be saued he is farre from it that taketh his libertie at his pleasure And who is little troubled about seeking assurance of his saluation If one day spent and taken vp in a godly life bee sweet what were many may the whole life if it were passed therein If we faint in afflictions and yeeld readily to temptations we may know by that our strength was neuer great Againe also as our Sauiour saith If ye be vnfaithfull in the smallest things who shall trust you with the greatest treasure And so to say somewhat of Gods dealing with vs if God haue helped vs in the hardest when we sought to him in feruentnes and truth he will by the same meanes helpe vs in smaller danger If he spare not his owne as he did not the Prophet who disobeyed him at Bethel much harder shall the state of the bad be as Ieroboams was who hard of the others punishment And if we be sure that he hath giuen vs his Christ the greatest of all gifts much more will he giue the smaller being sought with the like mind Thus we may take good by Abimelechs words and bee bold to say that hee set not more by the men of Shechem then by his brethren whatsoeuer he said Now one thing I will adde or repeate rather hauing handled it in this Chapter more at large I meane touching these men of Shechem who went and made Abimelech King for all the abomination that they saw hee had wrought who ought rather to haue pursued him to the fearefullest death as I haue said Out of whose practise wee may clearely see that there are none so vile and odious persons shewing openly their wickednesse to the world but they are applauded and approoued of some in their odious and bad practises and none are so godly but shamelesse beasts there are who openly wil defame them and speake maliciously of them yea if need be to their faces The reason is that they who commend and maintaine these vngodly ones are as vile and bad themselues as they as I prooued before out of the Apostles words And for further proofe of this which I say let that be considered of Iudas when hee had betraied his most kind and louing Master yet how was hee incouraged to it before and rewarded for it by thē that went then for masters in Israel euen for the chiefe pillers of the visible Church yea teachers and lights to others though the fact was afterward cried out of by the traitor himselfe saying I haue sinned in betraying the innocent blood And all experience aswell as Scripture prooueth the truth of this point which shewes how full of sinne and euill doings the times are And yet they who applaud such goe for honest citizens and townesmen till they bee bewrayed by the Lord and till their wickednesse breake foorth euen as the others doth Which rightly verifieth the prophecy of our Sauiour who foretold that in these latter daies the abundance of iniquitie should bee such that it should cause the loue of many to waxe cold So that I conclude that they are happy who are wise to turne away from
arise from their ale-bench one of them stabbeth another as Ioab thrust Abner thorow with his weapon euen while he embraced him Call yee this loue It is diuelish loue then which brings foorth such fruites Therefore let our beginnings and attempts be alwaies good yea and well followed also or else let vs neuer looke that the end of them shall bee any better this one thing being excepted that repentance come in the way for then it may end well in that it is repented of but this is not the thing that the vngodly propounded to be the end of their wicked acts neither if it were could they be sure to obtaine it for it rarely befalleth such But reade of this point in the 22. verse following which mentioneth the fulfilling of this prophecie In this last verse after the speech of Iotham it is said that hee fled to hide himselfe for feare of Abimelech And no marueile though he fled for men haue been impatient in hearing rebukes in all ages euen as there may bee no reproofe either of mens estates or doings admitted or borne be they neuer so vnsound or wicked especially by those who are great in the world for the most part That of Hoseah the Prophet doth sufficiently testifie it saying Though by swearing lying stealing adulterie c. the land do mourne yet let no man reprooue another meaning that it should bee in vaine And our Sauiour foresaw this in willing his Disciples to flee from citie to citie noting that men would not beare reproofe but through the loue of the darknesse they were in they would hate the light especially to be reprooued and the messengers of God that were the bringers thereof Reade how Asa a good man handled the messenger of God Hanani the Seer when hee brought his message from God he was wroth with him and put him in prison Many who know their owne strength what they are able to doe because they are of great wealth and authoritie how iustly soeuer they are reproued will not see that but pretend that Preachers seeke to bring their necks vnder their girdle and to dominere ouer them and that they alleage to be the reason why they refuse to be reproued by them But let their consciences tell them that they feare them not in that respect they being men of small account in the world but yet they take occasion to shake off their sermons or priuate companies vnder that pretence and colour But they hope by this meanes that they may attaine most easily that which they haue sought and doe desire to wit that they may more boldly goe forward in their sinnes while there is no man that shall haue accesse or allowance to tell them thereof But what followeth such doing but this that they goe forward in them still till they ring in euery mans eare and are in euery mans mouth to be talked of and they also dye after the same manner that is without repentance being bereaued of all their greatnes and left helplesse and hopelesse in great basenes and contempt Farre are such off from the estate of the wise who pray Let the righteous smite vs that so we may not fall into the hands of the wicked to be bought and sold of the vngodly at their pleasure All the world well nigh sings this note with the wicked people of Anathoth Preach to vs pleasant things but let none reproue For though there was neuer more neede yet to that point they are come that euen base ones will not admit it when yet wee should all suffer the wholesome words of exhortation The reason why reproofe is so vnwelcom is because the worse that men are the more daintie iealous they be to be handled roughly or to be told plainly of their faults and to be drawne out of them as wee see the tenderest faces can least endure the nipping weather and the galled flesh can abide no rubbing For the truth is tart and bitter to them few can admit it except it be tempered with some sweetnes of flatterie which though a man know it to be dangerous and as the vipers sting killing by ticking yet men had rather be tickled to death then healed by corrasiues We reade of one in historie who was cured of an impostume by the sword of his enemie which opened an issue in his flesh and let out the corruption And till the Lord giue wisedome to such to suffer their enemies for so they call the Minister as the Galathians did Paul for telling them the truth to wound them their owne selfe-loue will nourish such impostumated matter within them as will breake inwardly for lack of vent and destroy them This is an euill spirit in men that neither they will be innocent for then they might walke boldly through the pikes nor yet abide to bee called to question They will both deserue blame with the formost and yet with the forwardest be reuenged vpon him that shall controle them though it bee by Gods commandement So that neither Scripture Minister no nor God himselfe may stand vp against them they are lawlesse and exempted persons But oh man consider if thine enemie should wish thee a shrewd turne he could not inuent a greater then this that thou shouldest want an admonisher to warne thee by the refusing of whom thou more hurtest thy selfe then thy greatest enemie can hurt thee The Lord threatens it against the Iewes when hee denounceth the most seuere punishments against them Therefore in that thou maist be reproued especially in publike where no man is priuie to the matter but thy selfe think it a greater portion then many of farre higher place enioy and profit thou if thou be wise by it accordingly Some might think that Iotham ranne away because he said more then he durst stand to but we must know he put his life in Gods hands and hauing discharged his duty auoided as much as he could the lions mouth danger being not bound to put his finger into the fire wilfully and yet as it is like not afraid thereof if God had giuen him into his enemies hands and called him to seale the truth by his blood And therefore let none condemne such of rashnes or cowardise who hauing rebuked sinne in such as are boisterous and malicious shift for themselues and prouide as they may for their owne escape and safetie Rather this condemneth the cruell disposition of them whom they reproue who when they cannot iustly conuince such of error or slander rashnes or the like but haue their owne conscience condemning them for the same offences yet will not suffer those to liue by them in peace who haue done their duties and discharged their conscience in iustly reprouing How shall such be brought to be conuicted that so they may relent and amend who cannot endure to be accused And it is the mercie of God considering the spitefull nature of the wicked that any godly Iotham or Minister of
of Shechem died also about a thousand men and women AFter the forementioned slaughter and holding Gaal out of the citie the Israelites in Shechem thought among themselues that they would be auenged of Abimelech as it seemeth and they went out of the citie to pursue him They neuer considered what a punishment they had sustained already by their rash putting themselues vnder that vaine-glorious boaster Gaal but vnaduisedly followed their quarrell But he vnderstanding it tooke the aduantage of that their attempt and so disposed his bands of souldiers that hee set two of them to take those that came forth of the citie and slew them and hee and another band rushed to the entrance into the citie and hauing fought against it the whole day took it and slew the people in it and destroyed the citie and sowed salt in it If the men of Shechem had gone out of the citie but to walke or to doe some businesse as some perhaps would thinke they did Abimelech should not haue needed to prepare two or three bands of armed men to set vpon a few scatteringly here and there and those vnarmed comming forth to their worke or if they had gone out vpon pleasure what had he gained to haue gone forth with bands against a few persons But it is cleare therefore as I said and most certaine that they went out in warlike manner to fight with Abimelech though they went without Gaal their Captaine being much prouoked and incensed for the losse of their neighbours whom Abimelech had slaine the day before For they were many and for that they were now heated very much and more in spite rashnesse and desire of reuenge rather then good aduisednesse they went to worke being driuen and put to their shifts as they thought and that somewhat they must doe to him either that they must ouerthrow him or else they saw that hee would surelie root out them for to this it was now come that the word of God by Iotham might be fulfilled And by this we see to what desperate shifts men are driuen by their falsehood crueltie rashnesse vaine confidence in man and by the like sinnes and what wise man would looke for any better end of such doings If God had brought vpon them that trouble in their innocencie hee would haue taught them how to beare it whatsoeuer had been like to haue followed but now they runne vpon the swords point and therefore both they that sought to fight with him abroad and they that waited for to set vpon him and his men in the citie are both of them destroyed This is the best end that sinne bringeth vpon the committers And thus wilfulnesse stomacke and stubbornesse bring many to destruction while they who are contrary minded are in peace So contention whoring drunkennesse and riot doe the like in their kind and they that seeme to bee safest and freest from danger being of that sort may looke for no better fruit nor end of their euill doings but shame sorrow and a miserable death though not by enemies as these men of Shechem found it whether it bee in their beds or wrought by their owne hands all is one if repentance breake not off their euill course The which while Gods seruants behold and see to what a wofull end their euill doings bring many who yet in their iolitie thought themselues the only wise men of others and all fooles who walked in their innocencie and vprightnesse I say while Gods seruants see this they shall praise him highly for that they followed a better course by Gods direction and euen now I say when they see Gods threats executed vpon euill doers as they were told that it should be so in the middest of their prosperitie and iolitie And all that come after them shall see good cause and haue incouragement to hold on a Christian course and to turne neither on the right hand nor on the left although they shall see pietie and good conscience to be iustled to the walles and scorned yet shal the worst day of these that practise them be farre better then the best of the other for all their setting out of the matter for a while and when their time commeth in which they shall smart then shall Gods seruants reioyce in their owne sinceritie and innocencie Let the reader looke backe to the former chapter and inlarge this point by adding thereto that which hath been noted touching the sinne and iudgement of Succoth and Penuel Now followeth the further proceeding in and laying foorth of the ouerthrow of the men of Shechem Abimelech might for all the force of them goe and dwell safely in his house as he did at Arnmah not farre from Shechem their power being weakned and Gaal thrust out by Zebul But yet they rose vp against him as we haue heard of stomack if possibly they might any way be reuenged But their so doing being told to Abimelech turned to the destruction of them that did so and to them that were in the citie with it also as appeareth in these foure next verses Reade them in the text The Lord hauing purposed their ouerthrow did thus goe forward with it for he hath many waies to execute his iudgments threatned vpon his enemies It was a iust cause to astonish the rest when he began with the formost but alas where there is no counsell from God to direct them what can they do but waite their time to follow their fellowes in the like iudgement Euen so God sometimes sweepes away all the companie of bad men and euill workers in some one place at once as hee did whole kingdomes in Ioshuas time and made his people possesse and inhabit them Sometime he keepeth them vnder and wasteth his enemies by degrees and one after another as here as before I noted out of the space of Abimelechs raigne where the same point hath been handled So they that marke it shall finde that though hee giue them their scope and libertie for a time which hee doth that they may repent they in the meane while looking after no such thing I say they that mark it shall see how God either beginneth to blow vpon their prosperitie as the East wind in the Spring beginneth to nip and hold in the leaues that were comming foorth or else as a great frost doth all at once kill them so doth he suddenly send desolation vpon them one way or other when their time is come And therefore let no seruant of God feare or be dismaied for the greatnes and pride of such for in a small time their glorie and iollitie shall vanish it shall be no more seene there is a greater then they who will surely cut off their hope and lay their glorie in the dust Oh that the righteous could then praise God for that hee hath kept them in all those times of danger within their bounds not suffering them grossely to reach out their hands
the places of high office and honour whereunto their excellent gifts haue lawfully aduanced them not degenerating by pride crueltie and couetousnesse the common companions of men bred meanely when they are got aloft I say when such are not regarded it is a great contempt not of them onely but of God in them for hee that despiseth the poore despiseth his Maker and much more hee that reprocheth them in authoritie to call them vpstarts or to defame them by their base blood that so their more eminent vertues may be blemished A common disease among the factious and flattering followers of great and vicious persons to staine the honour of such as are more truly noble then they in vertue and wisdome by this that they are but men of yesterday and cannot shew the Armes which their patrons can But whether is it better as hee in the history answered to raise vp a new or to bury the old Gentrie and Nobilitie Of this the lesse because I haue said somewhat in the two points before not impertinent hereto Now as we haue heard that God chose out of Ishaker a poore Tribe Tola to Iudge Israel so also we see here that he chooseth the Noble to bee Gouernours as he did this Iair here who for his wealth was able to giue a City to euery of his thirtie sonnes To teach vs that Nobilitie is no let to the gouerning of the common-wealth but the honourable and mightie hauing examples of their ancestors to prouoke them to vertue and many other helpes and complements to the well discharging thereof they may be seene in many respects to be the fittest this being added if they bee not lifted vp with insolency and high conceit of themselues which they haue no cause to do if they consider that they came of nothing and are but wormes meat and also if they would weigh their mutable state and how full of lamentables changes their liues be And to say the truth it is an vtter shame for vs that when God hath done much for vs we should be found vnfaithfull Neither is high place any greater impediment to priuate godlinesse then publike gouernment Although if euery man might tell his owne tale there is none so poore nor any so rich but will alleage somewhat why they should not be tied to dutie precise but liue as they thinke good and bee released from this burden as they count it whereby what doe they but lay stumbling blocks in their owne way Therefore wee may boldly giue it foorth as a rule in Christian practise it is a miserable and vnlawfull estate of life which cannot stand with the daily and carefull practise of Christianity Somewhat I deny not must be yeelded to the occasions and vnseparable businesse which attend vpon greatnesse but yet so farre foorth onely as men defalke and detract nothing from the substance of that high and great due which the greatest owe to a greater then themselues But yet if men dare goe thus farre they shall find that God wil not giue his honour to another but rather his iealousie wil breake out against them like fire that maintaine their honour by treading his vnderfoot Psalme 2. This be said of those things which were seuerall in these two Kings and which they did in their life now of that which was common to them both I meane their death For so it is said of both that they died and that was when their dutie each for his time was discharged in procuring and maintaining Gods true worship and outward peace to their countrie a long season thē they gaue place and were gathered to their fathers their bodies were laid in the earth in hope of the resurrection To teach vs that all of vs are here to doe our duties in our callings to serue God therein who hath giuen and committed to our trust talents with a charge to occupie them till he come and allowes none of vs to bury them in the earth but straightly forbids it to wit to bee idle and to suffer our gifts to rust in vs and to this end we inioy euery man his proper gifts The Lord hath set vs our habitations and stinted our time of dwelling in them with commandement that we should not be idle nor vnprofitable in the knowledge of our Lord Iesus nor in our particular calling but to attend thereunto for profitable vses to our selues and others and hath for that purpose appointed that we should haue comfortable fruite thereof in all necessarie things of this life to incourage vs to our duties that so we might be none of the refuse and idle hang-byes in the world and in both our generall and particular calling to serue God for conscience sake and with comfort To this end I say God hath set vs here alwaies to haue our eye vpon our departure and with good father Barzillai to prouide for our graue And when wee haue thus discharged our selues and the Lord shall giue vs warning by sicknesse paine disease of our end to bee at hand or call vs home with small warning wee should be readie for his comming to yeeld our soules into his hands and our bodies to the graue for a season in hope of receiuing them againe which shall be no hard matter for vs to doe who haue as strangers here prepared for it before as wee haue learned to doe Neither should we looke or desire to haue any more abode or continuance here but giue ouer our selues in peace and willingly commend our selues vnto the Lords safe keeping as I haue said And therfore in the meane time we should soberly vse all the transitorie helps of this life as wealth friends wife and our life it selfe so that they may not be clogs with their deceiuable shew to hold vs from farre better things And in the meane while take the best vse of them to profitable ends and doe the good that wee may doe by the helpe of them seeing in the graue there is no such thing to bee looked for And so the remembrance of the time well passed shall be most comfortable but as for those that are calling in for their cheare and merry making in this world otherwise then they are sure they shall be able well to giue their reckoning for it hereafter such can neither possibly dye well nor willingly vnlesse they bee desperate To the which purpose I haue spoken elsewhere as the diligent reader shall finde The second part of the Chapter Vers 6. And the children of Israel wrought wickednesse againe in the sight of the Lord and serued Baalim and Ashtoroth and the gods of Aram and the gods of Zidon and the gods of Moab and the gods of the children of Ammon and the gods of the Philistims and forsooke the Lord and serued not him 7. Therefore the wrath of the Lord was kindled against Israel and he sold them into the hands of the Philistims and into the hands
so many shifts to wash it away and so harden their hearts that they cannot profit thereby but with great vse and comfort to his owne children in the end especially how terrible and feareful soeuer the beginnings and proceedings also sometime are or seeme to be vnto them And so he terrifies many at their first conuersion with the feeling of his wrath and heauy displeasure iustly kindled against them for the odiousnesse and detestation of their liues past so that they fall into a kind of despaire as the people in the Acts did at Peters sermon saying Men and brethren what shall we doe And yet a little before they made light of their sinnes which then so pricked their consciences and had no sense of them By all this that hath been said of this matter we may gather what manner of thing sinne is if it appeare in the proper colours of it and as it is indeed to wit the most fearefull of all things Many thinke this true that I say of murther adulterie idolatrie and such like But the truth that I haue vttered is verified of other sins also which yet seeme lesse odious as of anger impatience worldlinesse distrust tetchinesse pride of heart sloth and idlenesse the leaudnes of the eie self-loue deceiuing reuenge and the rest whatsoeuer they be if they come clearely to the conscience to be felt and duly considered And because we make them such common matters and are so little grieued for them the Lord is therefore driuen to awake vs as heere hee did this people to make vs astonished and stung at the heart for those sinnes which wee thought were small or none at all while wee lay nuzled and drowned in them For if God open our eyes once to see them as they are to be seene and as they may be felt with the shame foulenesse basenesse sottishnesse in the committing of them and the danger that they bring wee iudge euen so of them as well as of the rest For what horror doth adultery breed when it is thought of after the committing it is as an arrow shot through the liuer But of that ve will say there is no doubt so what is anger when it is past to him that offended by it but shame and so I may say of all other A view hereof may bee taken in Saul when God pursued him for his sinne and made him crie out saying What shall I doe for God hath forsaken me and speaketh no more to me And what torment thinke wee felt Iudas when of himselfe he said I haue sinned in betraying the innocent blood And when his sinne so wounded his conscience that the halter made an end of his life And Adams transgression also which was diuers from both the other what wrought it vpon him was he not so terrified for it that he fled from Gods presence as farre as he could to hide himselfe in the thicket among the trees And if I should reckon vp an hundred more who all sinned in a diuers manner one from the other which of them hath not abhorred his owne as if no other had been so vile when God makes him see it Therefore the Martyrs rather then they would commit sinne against their conscience and feele the terrour of it chose to lose their liues rather as wee may reade plentifully in the booke of Monuments True it is men doe not alwaies see nor feele this neither can they be brought to be moued and astonished for their sinne except they be by the Lords strong hand thus forced and vrged But by this to end the matter in hand we may iudge what shall be the horror of the Iudgement day it selfe when all such things shall fully be made manifest And for vse of all this let vs learne seriously to haue all sinne in horror and detestation yea euen then when it puts on an harlots face and hath most force to deceiue vs lest that which we heare strike and wound vs at the heart when wee looke for no such thing but shall find it most deadly vnwelcome vnto vs. Another thing herein to be marked is that although they had dealt deceitfully with the Lord both in their former abuses of their deliuerances and now also in their complaint which they make for new helpe yet the Lord leaues them not in this case which had been enough to haue hardned them and made them quite desperate But euen by these words of defiance whereby hee seemeth wholly to abandon them from protection yet secretly he drawes them to a deeper searching into themselues and to a far more serious meditation on their estate that so hee might grant them their desire and receiue them to fauour againe Oh vnspeakable and admirable kindnesse of the Lord thus to draw water out of the rocke and to fetch light as it were out of darknesse If God be so gracious to his children when he seemeth to frowne then how sweete and pleasant is his amiable countenance and how delightfull are his promises and his incouragements If he cannot forget himselfe so farre to his children though degenerate as to put off the habit of affection towards them euen when he would play the Iudge then how pleasant is his louing kindnesse Therefore although it is not easie for him that is fallen and departed from God to see this intent of God toward him in the time of his threats and terrors yet they knowing it to bee so they must grow to beleeue it in the time of their neede for it magnifieth Gods deepe rooted and tender loue to his children when they haue offended and it makes matter of vnfained thankes and praise when the worst end of his anger and displeasure shall appeare to haue been this that remorse and repentance might be wrought in those who had offended him that so they may be receiued of him againe The vngodly see not neither finde any such fruite of Gods renouncing their complaints and confessions or his terrors of word and workes against them for their sinne his voyce is as the voyce which sounds in a deafe mans eare or if they heare it they either rebell the more or else runne away from him through feare But did this present terror so worke in these No the Lord meant better to them though he spake roughly because indeed faire speech was no fit medicine for their disease and they were drawne to him by the secret condition more then driuen from him by the open threat So strangely doth the same speech and word of God instruct or teach wisedome yea put hope into the beleeuer and vtterly disanimate and turne off the wicked or at least no whit profit them For as God intendeth a thing so shall it worke all shall worke for the best to them to loue God Sweetnes shall come out of bitternes to them whereas the other hauing no such promise finde no such effect Christ saith the text looked vpon Iudas
of God to their owne hurt For seeing God by this holding off and forbearing of trials which wee could not beare doth require both exceeding thanks vpon serious recording of this manner of his dealing with vs from time to time as also a growing daily in strength to suffer greater troubles hereafter a grace not common how grossely do they inuert and abuse this purpose of God who make no other vse of his sparing and dandling them in the lap and armes but to weare out the feare or expectation of affliction altogether whereby the longer they are free the weaker they are to suffer What difference in this point will ye make betwixt these and such as to whom affliction is euer vnwelcome and intolerable I meane the vngodly Let all Christians beware therefore of this softnesse and tendernesse Furthermore we haue heard in the seuenth eighth verse that the Philistims and the Ammonites sore vexed Israel eighteene yeeres and in all that time they neuer durst take vp weapon against them vntill they repented but then they began with good courage to resist them and assembled themselues against them By the which it may be noted what liberty and courage true repentance bringeth with it The reason is this when men in their conscience see that they haue dealt trecherously with God and haue nourished and followed the desires of their owne hearts contrary to that they knew they should haue done they haue no hope in him at such times neither feele any heart or strength in themselues to deale against their enemies either ghostly or bodily This is that plague that God threatneth in Leuiticus that his people should not be able to stand before their enemies if they sinned against him and in the fifth Chapter of this booke it is said when Israel had prouoked the Lord there was no heart in them to stand against those that held them in bondage So that wee see how sinne disguiseth men and how preposterously it causeth things to goe with them when they are inchanted and carried away with the allurements and pleasures of it Which prooueth the contrary to be true to wit that the seruice of God is perfit freedome and that it is faith and godlinesse which onely giue courage and boldnesse as to a Lyon by well doing And seeing it cannot be denied that no bondage is like this to be bondmen to our lusts let all looke to receiue from God both reward and punishment in this life and hereafter accordingly as in their liues they haue sought either of both See Iudges 5. 8. and the notes vpon it This order that the people tooke for the choosing of their Gouernour was by the Lords direction as we may after see by his confirming it in sending his spirit vpon Iphtah He did it as by an outward incouragement to stirre them vp to fight against their enemies Euen as he did the like by Caleb who incouraged the people by the like meanes in such a like case saying in a difficultie of winning a Citie Hee that taketh it to him will I giue Achsah my daughter to wife which though the people ought to haue done I meane to fight against Gods enemies for his commandements sake onely yet they had neede of spurres and were the better drawne on by such incouragements Euen as Magistrates and Ministers owe duty of conscience to God in their place to beate downe sinne and aduance the Gospell but yet they are the better heartned thereto when both sorts are incouraged by the high Magistrate and the Minister beside by the readinesse of the people to their dutie And so euery other in his place shall be better set forward in well doing by temporary incouragements though Gods commandement be the strongest motiue So husbands and wiues should liue kindly together by bond and promise each to other for conscience sake but yet they doe this much better when each respecteth the other by yeelding mutually that which they owe each â—â— other THE ELEVENTH CHAPTER OF THE Booke of Iudges Vers 1. Then Gilead begat Iphtah and Iphtah the Gileadite was a valiant man but the sonne of an harlot 2. And Gileads wife bare him sonnes and when the womans children were come to age they thrust out Iphtah and said to him Thou shalt not inherit in our fathers house for thou art the sonne of a strange woman 3. Then Iphtah fled from his brethren and dwelt in the land of Tob and there gathered to Iphtah idle fellowes and went out with him IN this Chapter the person is mentioned who should goe before the people of Israel in the warre against Ammon And the summe of this Chapter with the parts which are foure is here further set downe to be this First the calling of Iphtah is mentioned vnto the 12. verse The second part is how he seekes to appease the Ammonits by messengers moouing them by reasons to desist from warre but all in vaine to vers 29. The third part containeth the ouerthrow of the Ammonites by Iphtah to vers 36. The fourth sheweth what fell out after and particularly how hee performed his vow which he had made to God if he might get the victory in vers 32. and this is to the end of the Chapter Now to come to the first part before Iphtah became their Guide and Captaine it is shewed how vnlikely it was that he should be so therefore he is described in the first verse to haue been the sonne of an harlot who ordinarily might be admitted to no such place In the second and third verse it is shewed how his brethren did therefore whether through pride and scorne or emulation or both expell him out of their fathers house so that he was faine to flie into another land and somuch the more hee was vnlike to be gouernour And yet God so brought it to passe by his prouidence that the Princes of Gilead euen such as had driuen him away were constrained to send for him againe euen him among all other whom they had banished from their fellowship to bee their guide according to their decree made in the former Chapter to wit seeing he had of all other begun warre with the Ammonites and so vpon agreement betwixt him and them hee yeelded to them and the Lord ouer-ruling the action he was elected Iudge ouer them and this to the 12. verse Now of these more particularly as they lie in order And first how he is described namely in these two points One that hee was the son of an harlot being the sonne of Gilead the other that he was yet a valiant man and of great courage and fit for warre So that by the first he was basely accounted of as he was base borne by the last he came to good estimation and credit among men as he well deserued For the first whereas Gilead the father of Iphtah tooke to him an harlot beside his lawfull wife we see he did not obey the
kill him So the Gibeonites thought themselues safe when the Princes of Israel had sworne to grant them their liues and Rahab was satisfied when the Spies had promised her by an oath that they would saue her and her fathers house when they came to take Iericho the citie wherein she dwelt Such an account hath been made of an oath euen among the Heathens as hath been noted in the storie of Iphtah and the men of Gilead chapter 11 verse 11. by the like occasion Therfore most fearefull it is that such as goe for Christians breake and goe from their oath which they haue made to witnes their faithfulnes to their brethren putting their trust in them wheras their bare word ought to haue tyed them much more this condemnes such as lay vnconscionable oathes on people and vrge them to sweare to that which is in no wise to be vrged vpon them Now they did as they had said to him I meane they bound him with two new cords and brought him downe from the rock loe thus they dealt with him and deliuered him into their enemies hands Now in that they were constrained thus to bring him bound to them euen as a sheepe to the shambles and as if men should deliuer their dogges to the wolues and so must bee depriued of such a great benefit as hee had been to them almost twentie yeeres in deliuering them from the oppression of the Philistims God giuing them no commandement to assist him note wee that it falleth out many times that wee must and cannot auoide it be depriued the case so requiring of our best helpes and meanes of our health peace libertie and other commodities And God will haue vs feele the smart thereof to make vs know our selues the better And how ought this to bring vs out of loue with our speciall sinnes which are the causes hereof or of like vnquietnes and distraction in our liues And if we desire to keepe the best things wee haue to our comfort then let vs offer violence to such our sins as loosnes inconstancie hollow-heartednes wilfulnes stoutnes worldlines or to any other as they shall sit more neere vs. Touching this fruite of sinne wee haue had occasion to speake often and through this booke The men of Iudah to shew their diligence and to purge themselues from blame with the Philistims brought Samson from the rock bound vnto them in that place Lehi before mentioned nigh the borders of the Philistims and yeelding him vp so into their hands at least going about so to do for else if he had escaped before they saw him bound and before they had receiued him into their custody they might haue been thought to deale fraudulently with the Philistims and not to haue bound him I say when they brought him to them in that manner I meane fast bound they shouted with a great noise for ioy so glad they were when they had him their enemie so neere them euen in their hands and as they thought past escaping Behold heere the ioy of the wicked wherein it consisteth and how it is caused In a word when their desire is accomplished howsoeuer it bee as in the apprehending of a great enemy of theirs as heere it was with the Philistims when they had got Samson bound so in their aduancement in feasting in play vaine pleasure and such like But as for good things as the certainty of the fauour of God the assurance of eternall life other heauenly tidings of the Gospell the setting vp of the kingdome of Christ or the ouerthrow of idolatry or some great sinne finally in holding and keeping a good conscience which yet is continuall feasting they know they cannot reioyce in these Whereby a man may iudge more certainely of their estate to Godward then the Physitian may of the state of his patients disease by feeling his pulse And to speake as the truth is what resting is in such ioy how lawfull soeuer the things are in which they reioyce but a sudden sorrow may follow as greatly stinging and tormenting them or such as will at least a while after vndoubtedly take hold of them in this changeable world if no other way by losing and forgetting that which caused such reioycing And these moods and passions which are as meere extremities as the noonetide is to midnight are nothing beseeming the faithfull seruants of God but doe vtterly disguise them who haue learned to take vp their delight in the other things holy and heauenly which I haue last mentioned and such like and in their reioycings in and about these outward to bee carried alwaies in a meane and with measure And because I know that vpon that which I haue now saide it will answere these demands and questions whether it be vnlawfull to reioyce in such lawfull things as God giueth men to enioy in this life as victory ouer enemies promotion wealth and such like I answere no as I said before so as withall we desire and resolue to make right vse of them so farre as wee know how or may learne but to rest in them is vnlawfull for that were to trust in them which is idolatry Also to exceed in reioycing for hauing them is to take away our ioy from better things if we haue any or to hinder it that there may be none of which fault to be conuinced Iob in no wise could abide it I thinke it not vnfit heere though I might bring hither his owne words which doe cleerely shew that hee was a paterne of rightly enioying riches to set downe the obseruation of the right learned Father Master Beza concerning this point Hee well weighing the story of Iob and his practise this way speaketh thus of him about this thing Iob saith he lost his goods without any great griefe therfore he enioyed them when he had them without any great loue Thus wee haue heard in this second part how the Philistims preuailed thus far to the satisfying of themselues in seeking reuenge vpō Samson that they caused the mē of Iudah to bring him bound vnto them to their great reioycing Now followeth the third part of this Chapter wherein we shall see how flitting and short this their ioy was THE EIGHTIE ONE SERMON ON THE XV. CHAPTER OF THE BOOKE OF IVDGES The third part of the Chapter Vers 14. And the spirit of the Lord came mightily vpon him and the cords that were vpon his armes became as flax that was burnt with fire and his bands loosed from off his hands 15. And hee found a new iaw bone of an Asse and put forth his hand and tooke it and slew a thousand men therewith 16. And Samson said With the iaw bone of an Asse heapes vpon heapes with the iaw bone of an Asse haue I slaine a thousand men 17. And it came to passe when he had made an end of speaking that he cast away the iaw bone out of his hand and called that place
For if she had been repulsed and beaten back from such boldnes at the first she should haue had no incouragement or much lesse no doubt to haue proceeded further as she did afterward It was as great wisedome in Samson to answer her in this as it was in Balaam when he answered the words of his Asse It was time he should haue said with himselfe for him to thinke that hee had gone farre enough in prouoking God when hee opened the mouth of the dumme beast to reprooue him So should Samson haue thought that when he had imboldned a wicked woman to tamper and meddle with him about that which touched his life and concerned his soule to bereaue it of the furniture of the graces of God he should haue thought I say that it was time to cease speaking to her or to admit her to speake of any such matter to him yea to turne vtterly away from her rather and vtterly to giue her ouer Ioseph when his whorish Mistresse lay at him day by day to yeeld to her wicked request the Scripture testifieth that yet he hearkened not vnto her neither would be in her companie So if any of vs haue made vagaries and outstrayings yea though not so grossely as Samson did neither in fellowship with lewd women which were horrible but if it be but in fond and filthie lingering after them and their whorish companie when our consciences shall accuse vs for so doing and warne vs to desist and breake off betimes from such longing and lingering after them as they who haue nothing to doe with them and when withall we set before our eyes the shame and sorrow that will fall on vs by that which we long for and hast after then I say let vs thinke it is high time for vs if wee haue vnhappily gone so farre to breake the brood and scatter the mists of such idle and filthie thoughts and wicked lusts and with astonishment aske of our selues what haue wee done and by the helpe of our faithfull and seruent prayers to throw them all in the dust and not with Samson to dally with them as he did with his Delilah but marke and thinke seriously vpon the end thereof And so doing wee shall to some purpose make our benefit of this example of Samson otherwise wee may with the common sort wonder at and condemne his follie and our selues play the fooles in the like or a worse kinde It is not strange that he who purposely had prostituted himselfe to the will of an harlot and was now in the pursuit of his lust could not then breake the bands of his sinfull desire when it had snared him for the time of preuenting this mischiefe was when hee was first enticed now the matter was gone so farre that being vnder feete he had small list or strength to rise vp and call himselfe to a serious remembrance of his offence And Delilahs lap and armes was no fit nor likely place or occasion of such thoughts or meditations wisedome was driuen out of his breast by corrupt affection the blow was smartie enough but hee had lost his feeling So that there is no more miserable a sight then to behold a man when he is intangled with the snare of his owne lust or any sin that wasteth the conscience for then is hee shiftlesse and cannot helpe himselfe but is readie to beare any burthen which shall be laid vpon his shoulders rather then to rise vp from vnder it Therefore great is the loue of God to that man who not hauing at first preuented the beginnings of sinne but been ouertaken with the deceitfulnes of it at the first view yet vpon more aduised consideration of the danger which it leadeth vnto shall awake and rouse vp himselfe and flie from it as from a serpent And for his shifting her off with a lye as though he would both satisfie her and yet keepe himselfe in safetie by not bewraying the secret his wisedome and commendation was alike in both For as he dealt foolishly in answering her at all so did hee as ill in looking to stop her mouth with a lye Which forewarneth vs not to shift for our selues nor looke to make our part good by lying though the way lie open thereto and is then too readie at hand when we see no other way which sinne in all kinds thereof is condemned howsoeuer little account be made of it And the rather it is to bee taken heed of seeing we oft times runne headlong into it as I haue said when wee see no readier way to shift for our selues and as wee thinke to saue our credit and auoid greater danger And seeing there was no other to bee looked for then that Samson being in the case hee was at this present should prouide for his owne safetie by a lye a poore shield for him whose innocencie and watchfulnes should haue been his defence let vs beware of entring acquaintance with any sin for it will bee costly in the maintaining and draw a man by a wretched necessitie to adde thereto many other sins euen as Samson must seeke couert and safegard to himselfe by a lye for want of better except at first dash he would haue gone through stitch and haue told her the matter Touching his dallying humour and his playing wilie beguily with her as if he had had wisdome and skill enough to shift her off with trifling answers if the hardest should come although it sauoured somewhat of confidence and conceitednes of his supposed strength much like Peters rashnes when hee was told by his Master that he should denie him yet in the sequell it bewraied his more then common folly as hee that had had but one eye might easily haue seene that no lesse euill could follow which also shall appeare in due place hereafter She as if hee had told her the truth as she verily thought hee had went about forthwith to make proofe of his words for whereas hee told her hee should be weakened if he were bound with seuen greene withes or cords she caused them to be brought to her foorthwith and she bound him with them though indeed hee brake them oh wonderfull sottishnes in him to suffer it and she had certaine of the Philistims lying in waite in a chamber thereby who should be ready to take him if he had been weakened indeed as she supposed he was and looked for it Thus wee see whereto her flattering words tended euen to seeke his life And this is as good as they may looke for who haue neere fellowship and secret company with such companions For though as Salomon saith her lips drop as the honey combe euen as if she were pleasure it selfe to a man yet her paths leade to destruction and an whore will hunt after the pretious life of a man We haue read of many who partly haue been most wofully handled of the strumpets themselues whom they haue trusted with life and goods
sottishly vnto them as hee was vexed almost to the death to heare her to tell him she must forsake him and could not loue him if his hart was no more toward her then she saw which yet she spake but in grosse dissembling All bondage is grieuous but what is greater then bondage to an whore when a man cannot but cling to her and be at her lure whose heart is false toward him and seeketh his destruction We must take heed that we rest not in the best things that are subiect to change but much more that wee hang not our securitie vpon deceitfull pleasures especially of all other vpon a wicked alluring woman whō rather then Samson would once thinke of forgoing behold he shameth not to abandon God conscience and all not to speake of the outward mischief that ensued And surely if this be true of Samson who sinned against conscience all this while what shall we say of them who commit secret filthines with greedines and yet without remorse What a death is it to them think we to be pluckt by violence from their old acquaintance which by custom is become as the poore mans lambe whom Nathan describes to Dauid euen as his sonne Therefore when men haue liued a long time in a lewd course without let how welcome is death to them that makes an vtter separation betweene them and their lusts which liued before in as streight league and vnion as the soule and body together Oh bondage vnspeakable to bee inwardly linked to the loue of that which can neither be enioied but with extreame miserie nor forgone but with intollerable vexation Let this be one motiue among others to humble the sinner before God and to shew him how out of measure sinfull his corrupt nature is as also to teach him not so eagerly to pursue his lusts except he will bring a world of sorrow vpon himselfe when the time of forsaking them is come For what though at the last cast many a man renounces the old courses of vngodlines and repents him yea and is ashamed of his doings this is when the conscience is terrified by some violent feare or griefe not while hee hath his will and prospereth in his euil And yet alas who seeth not that these terrors when they seaze vpon any for we must not think they seaze vpō al many dying sots as they liued without feeling for the most part vanish away and come to nothing so that those great penitents if they get vp and recouer their maladie how far doe they put from them the remembrance of the former trouble and shew that it was distastfull vnto them and forced them in the bitternes thereof to say any thing but now they are at libertie they returne againe as naturally to their byas as the stone falleth downward Oh therefore pray and labour that it may bee good which ye set your hearts on and delight in being accounted of you as most precious for the end else will be more bitter in the parting then euer the loue was in enioying Loue the best things and feare not to exceed measure for besides the vnspeakable and sound ioy they affoord this they also yeeld euen a perpetuitie they shall neuer bee pulled away as our Sauiour saith this ioy shall no man take from you Now he was so wrought on by her that as wise as hee thought himselfe in purposing that shee should neuer know that which shee sought at his hands yet because he gaue place to his wicked affections he was not onely snared and in danger as before but now told all vnto her to wit that there neuer came rasor on his head but if his lockes were cut off he should lose his strength which was as much as if he had told her how they might take his life from him and bring all shame and sorrow vpon him as they did in deed and yet more then this hee might though to small effect haue said to her to wit beside all this euill which I shall sustaine hereby I doe also set the Lord against me to depriue me of his grace and all this for thy sake for thus much doubtlesse he suffered for her By which so many good obseruations arise as a wise man may be to seek with which to begin first But briefly of two or three One is this that we shall not need to complaine of the hurt and wrong that other doe vnto vs which how common it is all places doe witnesse for none are greater enemies to vs then our selues Were hee not a monster of men that should offer but the one halfe of this vnto vs that Samson did to himselfe as here may be seene But behold all this and no lesse doe some nay very many offer to themselues We storme rage and crie out of other if they hold but a little of our due from vs and much more if wee sustaine greater hurt by them whereas we by our sinnes worke our owne woe and yet through blind self-loue we are neuer angrie with our selues when yet wee could finde in our hearts to pursue others vnto death Oh rend we our hearts for our sins and be deeply displeased with our selues for them All these Philistims could not haue done Samson the mischiefe which he did himselfe by his owne folly or rather madnesse But if they had attempted any such matter against him as to make him infamous as hee made himselfe would he not streight haue reuenged it Nay did hee not reuenge it in the sequell But to leaue him who sinned not in reuenging and come to our selues who is he that dare but iustly reproue vs for a fault be it neuer so grosse but he shall haue our badge and liuerie presently and we thinke him our enemie and watch our season to be euen with him as Esau dealt with his brother Iacob And yet so farre is a louing reproofe from hurting vs that if wee were the men wee should be it might keepe the hurt we speake of from lighting vpon vs and be as a precious balme vnto our heads Well then will a wise man say I see these men are i alous of themselues and their owne hurt if they can endure no other to touch them but they will flee in his face they will be long enough it is to be hoped ere they wrong themselues willingly Indeede the reason is sensible but the proofe is most preposterous For that man that will not take the losse of a penny at anothers hand without storming will spend many a pound to haue his wicked desire satisfied nay he will vndoe himselfe and strip himselfe of all he hath and yet thinke neuer the worse of himselfe when hee hath done nay no man may tell him of it neither Therefore if we will preuent outcries and late repentance for time to come for there is a time when such fooles crie out I am lost I haue vndone my selfe let vs
By both which though the difference I confesse in the persons was not small nor in the issue of their troubles like behold to what wofull estate mens sinne brings them and that Gods owne children are not free but if they will follow the sinnes of other men they shall be punished here like other men Oh! how doe many verifie this who haue in their time shined as lights and been the supporters of many weake ones who haue blessed God for their counsell and example whose flower was neuer so glorious as their fade decay was ignominous They haue wished themselues in the state of the meanest of those who haue admired them in their welfare their conscience hath plaied the hangman within them they haue to the astonishment of their beholders called themselues outeasts from God who hath hidden his face from them withdrawne all confidence from them in their prayers all sauour in hearing and sense of his goodnesse which in times past they enioyed plentifully And why this Themselues haue bewraied some by pride and conceit of a perfection obtained separated themselues from the fellowship of their brethren as hearing the word and vse of other meanes and so by degrees waxt loose and hardned Others beguiled with the snares of the world others with pompe not a few with voluptuousnes or other sinfull lusts haue cried out of their estate not for their losse of some outward blessings as Naomi did but euen the chiefest I meane inward peace toward God and hope of pardon And yet such of them as were not hypocrites God hath made that very affliction vnder which they haue groaned to break their hearts to reclaime them though their former grace and honour they neuer recouered And the like danger lye all open vnto who dare tempt God as they did and waxe wanton as if grace should abound by the abundance of their sinne Such as are in this case I shall say more to in the handling of Samsons sorrow and afflictions that followed his fall but happie they that by preuenting this disease need no such physick The meanes I obserued and set downe at large in the first verse Now it must not be omitted that is added to wit that he knew not that the Lord was departed from him No wonder he felt not the smartie effect of it as yet he fared as he who is robbed in the night of all his treasure or wares of his storehouse but till the light of the day he misseth nothing But then oh what an inuentorie makes hee of his seuerall losses And so did this poore selfe-robber in this place When the Philistims came vpon him there was no power to resist then it appeared indeed that he was robbed to purpose and he might with sorrow his belly full recount his damages at leisure I feare me it is the case of many who lie as Samson did without his locks on Delilahs lap to consider little what their owne sinne hath brought vpon them It was thus with Dauid and Ionah in their slumber as with Samson that they were robbed but it was night with them they could for the time see no harme done Mens relapses from God are dangerous and frequent and their repentances rare and few how scape they then Can they keepe the Lord close vnto them retaine their zeale ioy and comfort in his promises more then poore Samson committing either the same or as great offences No no they haue euill consciences cold comfort few and those faint prayers and lesse fellowship with God yea in their sense they feele no election no assurance of saluation In their sense did I say They haue none they goe on and on and misse none of all these during this obstupefaction and benummednes of conscience but beare off all without remorse or complaining Oh wofull people And yet in times past while they had life and a working conscience in them a lesse blow then this would haue gustered and flaited them and they could soone haue grieued for the decay of the least grace the want where of now little troubles them It is wofull to lose grace but more to feele no such losse And yet yet this and such like mens wilfull sin causeth to thē The vse is to teach vs not onely to abhorre the cause hereof but to esteeme it a mercie of mercies to haue a tender conscience a watchfull heart and effectuall and operatiue which may make our liues both plentifull in good duties and in sound comfort arising therefrom And a further vse is to cause vs to feele and abhorne the least temptation to that sinne which most certainly will procure a senselesnes herein and an vnprofitable lying vnder that burthen And this of the second part of Samsons apprehension and the seuerall worthy instructions arising therefrom bee spoken Now of the confequents thereof in the next Sermon God willing THE EIGHTIE SIX SERMON ON THE XVI CHAPTER OF THE BOOKE OF IVDGES The third part of the Chapter Vers 21. Therefore the Philistims tooke him and put out his eyes and brought him downe to Azzah and bound him with fetters and hee did grinde in the prison house 22. And the haire of his head began to grow againe after he was shauen 23. Then the Princes of the Philistims gathered them together for to offer a great sacrifice to Dagon their God and to reioyce for they said Our God hath deliuered Samson our enemy into our hand 24. Also when the people saw him they praised their God for they said Our God hath deliuered into our hand our enemy and destroyer of our countrey which hath slaine many of vs. 25. And when their hearts were merrie they said Call Samson that hee may make vs pastime So they called Samson out of the prison house and hee was a laughing stccke vnto them and they set him betweene the pillers IN these fiue verses of this third part of the Chapter it is shewed what manifold outward vexations were brought vpon Samson through his many sinnes though the Philistims who were the instruments thereof intended no such thing but yet it is shewed that in these tribulations he did repent as we reade Manasses to haue done in his afflictions Heere is shewed also what great ioy the Philistims had both Princes and people for that they had got him into their hands though that their ioy lasted but a while and how they praised their Idoll Dagon for it and gathered themselues together a great number of them to make themselues pastime by bringing forth Samson at their pleasure to that end euen to be laughed at These things are set forth in these verses and in the last of them is shewed that they set him betwixt the pillers whereby Samson made preparation to the mischiefe that hee brought vpon the Philistims by and by after in casting downe the house vpon them And first in that God thus gaue Samson vp into the hands of his enemies and punished
the destruction of many of the Philistims brought vpon them by his meanes hee himselfe losing his life with them But before he did it he tooke his best opportunity to bring it to passe For he being set betwixt the pillers as was said in the former verse hee asketh of the seruant that led him to set him so as hee might feele them with his shoulders which he spake as though hee would haue eased and rested himselfe being wearied with grinding in the prison and by bearing his chaines and bolts but intending indeed to seeke the best opportunity to cast downe the house vpon the Philistims Here first marke this that he notwithstanding he had lost his eyes which should haue guided his body yet hee was not vnmindfull of the worke of his calling namely to plague the Philistims Gods enemies and therefore he vsed the help of the seruant to further him thereto We should all learne to remember and consider for all our troubles and discouragements those weightie charges and duties which are in our power to performe that wee leaue them not by occasion thereof neither lay them aside as wee are easily brought to doe thereby So that although wee haue not all incouragement and abilitie thereto as were to be desired yet we should vse that which we haue and may come by Rare is the example of Ionah in this behalfe that being in the Whales belly where for streightnes of roome noisomenes and stinch hee could a man would thinke doe nothing yet euen there made his faithfull prayer to God and vpheld himselfe by faith For notwithstanding we are disabled altogether to performe some duties by necessitie yet those which wee may wee should with Samson labour to performe and haue a care to discharge them I speak this for that many professors of the Gospell hauing receiued a checke from some of their betters for being more forward in religious duties then other or then is well liked and for making more conscience of their waies then the most I say they sustaining a rebuke for the same are discouraged and are ready to leaue off their Christian course altogether at least their feruencie and forwardnesse which is vtterly vnmeete for them to doe for so they shew that they feare man more then God and so they cut him short of his due as they thinke good which is in no wise tollerable Whereas if they were seruants tenants or otherwise inferiours to such superiours as should abridge and depriue them of some helpes and liberties which might further them to the discharge thereof yet ought they not through feare to giue ouer the duties which they may performe but the rather constantly to hold out therein and practise the same in al points as they may For what shall all help of man be to them if God be against them Moses would not leaue the least dutie vndone to please Pharao I remember what I haue read of a valiant Roman Captaine in a fight by sea that first hee aduenturing to put foorth his hands to catch at the gable of the enemies ship with eagernes to surprise her and draw her to his owne Nauie as prisoner lost his right hand by the sword of the enemie which being cut off he haled againe with the left hand thinking to pull her away but in the attempt lost his left hand also when he saw himselfe disarmed of his hands he being neere fell downe and with his teeth drew the ship with such violence that hee wonne her in the despite of the defenders thereof I bring in this as an allusion to shew the exceeding resolution of carnall men in the aduancing of their purposes for honour wealth or fleshly proiects but in this matter of our holy profession wherein God is highly honoured if wee bring forth much fruit who takes not a repulse by the smallest discouragement either from being zealous therein and an ordinary worshipper of God or for being carefull ouer his family or a liberal relieuer of the distressed Saints or from walking in his particular calling with a good conscience or to be short from seruing God inwardly and outwardly with labour and attendance as the cause requires Also who being shut out one way seekes passage another trying all meanes rather yea and though disappointed in part yet to do somewhat rather then nothing Paul indeed being restrained from publike preaching sat not still but did what he could in prison so that his bands were as famous as his liberty not saying with Elija therein weake Take my life now Lord for Iezabel giues no permission to thy Prophets to teach openly but makes a racket of them If we may honour God in publike let vs if not then among a few if not so yet in our family if we be sequestred from al these yet in our spirit and that shall be our discharge before God But if any shall say I haue offered God my seruice in his Church and hee refuseth it therefore he must pardon me if I haue the smaller list to be otherwise occupied this is madnesse and follie or else sloth and hypocrisie Oh saith many a son wife seruant ye little know what a father husband or master or landlord I haue to discourage me otherwise I can tell what I could doe in seruing God as well as other Well marke what Paul saith If thou be a seruant though streitned doe as thou maist the worst master cannot make thee cold without thine own consent although if thou be free vse it rather And therefore it was a great sinne in Dauid when hee was driuen to his shifts by Saul to offer his helpe to Achish against the Church make the best of it that we can For want of incouragement must not coole our affection though it may hinder action much lesse may it excuse discontentment or that which is worse And seeing such sullennes argueth that there is no resolute purpose indeed to dutie therefore many such grow loose and consciensles in their trouble for affliction will search a man and others being in time inlarged and set free are as barren hypocrites after as euer before they were plentifull in their complaints of their miserie We must thinke Zachary and Elizabeth had as many dismaiments as we vnder Herod and in so corrupt a time let vs be as they and wee shall be borne with for being no forwarder But here an end for this time THE EIGHTIE EIGHT SERMON ON THE XVI CHAPTER OF THE BOOKE OF IVDGES HEre to goe forward as Samson was preparing to bring to passe that great slaughter of the Philistims so the Lord had prepared the persons for him to execute it vpon them Therefore it is said here that the house was full of men and women and all the Princes of the Philistims were vpon the house prouision being made where they might best see aboue three thousand men to behold Samson and please themselues therein Which cleerely laieth out the