with all his heart and soule and might and for that hee is preferred afore all Kings afore or after him not that Iosias could fulfill the lawe perfectly as it required but it is meant of the endeuour of his heart and life by which he straue with all his might to serue God as well as he could his exsample is ours We professe religion wee must looke that our hearts affect it we professe a turning from sinne we must take heed it be not formall and from the lips but from the heart So when we practice any duty of religion whether we pray or heare the word or receiue the Sacrament this is the sacrifice that we can offer we must not doe them coldly and carelesly but with zealous affection and resolution from the heart Otherwise if we serue God for fashion sake and our hearts are on the world and our owne lusts wee offer the sacrifice of cursed Cain and we with our formall religion shall goe to him But let vs offer the sacrifice of Abell that is though it be neuer so little yet let it be the best wee can and all we can and God will accept vs as he did Abell And thus the Parent should giue God his best childe the young man his best yeares euery man his best part which is his heart And thus we follow the steps of holy Abell who offred to God the best sacrifice he had This was the fruite of his faith euen so that Parent that young man that professor that hath true faith will do so likewise Hitherto of the first effect of Abels faith It followeth By the which he obtained witnesse that he was righteous This is the second effect of Abels faith wherby it is commended 1. For the meaning By faith hee meanes sauing faith which makes a man iust before God and no other For whereas he had said afore that by faith our Elders had obtained a good report He proues that general by this exsample of Abell therefore that sauing faith which was meant there is also meant here These wordes set downe two benefits which Abell had by his sauing faith First he was iust by it Secondly God testified that he was so For the first Abels faith made him iust and righteous not because his faith was an excellent quality of that vertue in it selfe as to make him iust but because it was an instrument whereby he apprehended and applied to himselfe the righteousnesse of the Messias to come whereby hee might stand iust before God This was his righteousnesse which he had by faith for hee trusted not to any holinesse of his owne though it is out of question hee knew he was the sonne of that man who once was perfectly righteous but the trust and confidence of his heart was in the righteousnesse of that blessed seed which God had promised should breake the serpents head This Promise he knowing beleeued it applied it to himselfe and this faith made him righteous Here we learne a worthy lesson of Christianity namely that the true and the vndoubted way to heauen is a holy and liuely faith in Iesus Christ for this faith makes a man righteous that righteousnesse opens him the gate of heauen To this end saith the Apostle Being iustified by faith we haue peace with God but by whō through our Lord Iesus Christ. For the vse of this doctrine we must renue our former exhortation which indeed cannot be too often presled to the conscience There is none of vs so vile none so profane but we desire saluation If we do then we must tread the beaten way to it For we are not borne heires of it neither can we come thither by chaunce but there is a way that must be taken that way is but one all other are misleading by-waies Again that way must be taken in this life else it is too late Now this way is to be a iust righteous man With this neuer man failed and without this neuer man attained to saluation for No vncleane thing can come into the kingdome of heauen Neuer was man iustified there which was not iust before and that must be here begun which in heauen is to be perfected In this life therefore wee must seeke to be iust Now our owne good workes will not serue to make vs iust for they are all vnable to indure the trial of Gods iustice And if we stand to them and they proue not able to satisfie Gods iustice then in stead of sauing vs they will condemne vs. Therefore with Abell let vs go out of our selues deny our selues and cleaue onely to Christs righteousnes in life death this is the way that neuer will deceiue vs. But some wil say We walke in this way I answer He that walketh in a way may be traced by his steps so then shew your steps of holinesse of deuotiō of charity c. these must shew your faith leaue these steps behinde you and then your faith is good Thus did holy Abell beleeue thou it acknowledge it and follow thou after him and renounce all by paths which the Papists or thy own braine imagineth Let this one doctrine sinke into thy heart in steade of many and let not the diuell strake it out For if thou walke in this way my soule for thine it will bring thee to heauen if not at the last day this doctrine will condemne thee because it shewed thee this way and thou wouldest not walke in it Secondly obserue He saith Abell was approued and accepted of God How proues hee that Because his workes pleased God as who say his workes cannot please God vnlesse his person do therfore in that his works do thence he concludeth that his person did it is the reason of the holy Ghost and therefore infallible In the framing of this reason the holy Ghost teacheth vs a great point of our religion namely that first a mans person must please God afore his actions can And after the person then the actions This is plaine in these words for it is said he first obtained witnesse that hee was righteous himselfe and then God testified of his gifts So likewise more plainely Genesis 4. 4 God had respect first to Abell and then to his offring So that the truth is manifest No worke pleaseth God afore the worker do This being so hath excellent vses First it ouerthroweth a maine pillar of Romish religion Iustification by workes For how can a man be iustified by his workes when hee himselfe must be iust afore the works can be Vnlesse hee be iust his workes be wicked if they be wicked afore his person be iust how can they then iustifie him And if the person bee once iust what needes it then to be again iustified by works Good works make not a man good but a good man makes a worke good shall that work that a man made good return againe make the man good 1. That is absurd in reason And 2.
It is needlesse For the man is good alreadie else the worke could not haue beene good Wee may therefore say workes are rather iustified by the person of a man then his person by the works and it is a most vaine thing to looke for Iustification from that which thou thy selfe must first iustifie afore it be iust if wee had no other reasons against iustification by workes but this this were sufficient Secondly hence we learne that till a man bee called and his person iustified and sanctified all that euer hee doth is sinne 1. His common actions his eating drinking sleeping walking talking are all sinnes Yea 2. The workes of his calling his labor in the same though neuer so iust equal and vpright 3. Further his ciuill actions namely the practice of ciuill vertues his outward grauitie meekenesse sobrietie temperance quietnesse vprightnesse and all outward conformitie are all sinnes Yea more then all this his best actions namely his practicing of the parts of Gods worship or his deeds of charitie his praier his hearing the word his receiuing the sacraments his giuing of almes they are all sinnes vnto him if hee haue not a belieuing and penitent heart yea such sinnes as shall condemne hâ—m if hee had no other Obiect This should seeme strange diuinity that the most holy actions as praier c. should be damnable sinnes I answer they are in themselues holy and good and as farre forth as God hath commanded them yet in the doer they are sinnes because hee doth them from a fowle vnholy heart for the same action may be holy in it selfe and in regard of God the author of it and yet a sin in him that is the doer of it As cleere water pure in the fountaine is corrupted or poisoned by running through a filthy and polluted channell so are euen the best actions sinnes as euen the preaching of the word to a minister whose heart is not cleansed by faith and his person accepted of God it is a sin vnto him and if he repent not shall be his condemnation Cain sinned not onely in hating and murthering his brother in lying and dissembling with God but Cain sinned also euen in offering sacrifice And Abels sacrifice had beene a damnable sinne but that his person was iustified before God And the reason of all this is good for nothing in the worke is able to make an action acceptable to God but onely the acceptation of the person by Christ. This being so it stands vs euery one in hand to looke to our selues and to labour aboue all things for faith and repentance that so our persons may be accepted righteous before God and thereby our actions accepted also If it be a miserable thing that all thy actions euen holy actions should be sinnes then labour to be iustified for that onely can make thy workes accepted if not then though thou labour neuer so much to be approued in the world set neuer so glorious a shew vpon thy workes to the eyes of men they are all abhominable sinnes in the sight of God and at the day of iudgement they shall goe for no better Preach and teach all thy life long nay giue thy life to die for religion Giue all thy goods to the poore depriue thy flesh of all delights build Churches Colledges Bridges High-wayes c. and there may come a poore shepheard and for his keeping of his sheepe be accepted when thou with all this pompe of outward holinesse maist be reiected And why this only because he had faith thou hast none his person was iustified before God and thine is not Therefore let this be my counsell from Abell Labour not so much to worke glorious workes as that which thou doest doe it in faith Faith makes the meanest worke accepted and want of faith makes the most glorious worke reiected for so faith the Text. Abell must be accepted else his sacrifice is not Thus wee see Abell was iust and God so accounted him The second point is That God gaue testimonie hee was so In these words God giuing testimonie What testimonie it was that God gaue of Abell and his gift it is not expressed in the word and so it is not certaine but it is very likely that wheÌ„ he Cain offred God in speciall mercy sent fire from heauen and burnt vp Abels sacrifice but not Cains for so it pleased the Lord often afterward when he would shew that he accepted any man or his worke he answered them by fire from heauen So he burnt vp the first sacrifice that Aaron offred Leuit. 9.24 So he answered Salomon 2. Chron. 7.1 And so Elias 2. Kings 18.28 And so it is likely that he gaue this testimonie that he accepted Abell and his offring This was a great prerogatiue that Abell and the Fathers in the old testament had We haue not this but wee haue a greater for wee haue that that is the substance and truth and body of this For wee haue also the fire of God that is his spirit comes downe into our hearts euery day not visibly but spiritually and burnes vp in the heart of a beleeuer his sinnes and corruptions and lights the light of true faith that shall neuer be put out The vse hereof is this As no sacrifice in the old law pleased God but such as was burnt by fire from heauen sent downe either then or afore so our sacrifices of the new Testament that is our inuocation of Gods name our sacrifice of praise our duties of religion our workes of mercy and loue neuer please God vnlesse they proceede from a heart purged by the fire of Gods spirit that is from a beleeuing and repentant heart both which are kindled and lighted and daily continued by that fire of Gods spirit Therefore it is that Paul saith 1. Tim. 1.4 That loue must come out of a pure heart and good conscience and faith vnfained The duties of religion and works of loue comming from this purged heart ascend into the presence of God as a smoake of most acceptable sacrifices and are as a sweet perfume in the nosethrils of the Lord. Now of what did God thus testifie Of his gift It may here be asked at the first how can Abell giue a gift to God hath the Lord neede of any thing and are not all things his I answer God is soueraigne Lord of heauen and earth and all creatures yet hath hee so giuen his creatures vnto man to vse as that they become mans owne and so he may esteeme vse them and being mans a man may in token of his thankfulnes return them again to God especially seeing God accepts them being so offred as most free gifts This sheweth vs first the wonderfull mercy of God that whereas we can offer him nothing but his owne he vouchsafeth to accept a gift offred of his owne euen as though we had of our owne to offer 2. See here a difference betwixt the sacrifices of the old and
aime at the Ministers life then with the consent of his flocke he may goe apart for his owne safetie for a time So it was with Paul when the Ephesians were in an vproar about their Diana Paul in zeale would haue entred in among them but the Disciples suffered him not Act. 19.30 This they did for Pauls safetie and the good of the Church for they knew those Idolaters would haue beene most fierce against Paul And so ought euery particular Church to haue speciall care of the life of their Minister Other cases there be in which he may flie but I will not stand to recite all because there bee so many circumstances which may alter the case as well respecting his enemies as himselfe and his people making that vnlawfull at one time to some persons which to others or at another time may be lawfull Secondly whereas it is said These seruants of God wandred vp and downe wee doe learne that a man may lawfully go from place to place and trauell from countrie to country if so be he goe in faith as these men did Againe their going was to keepe faith and a good conscience and for the same ende may any man lawfully trauell from place to place But when men goe not in faith nor yet for this ende the better to keepe a good conscience there vndoubtedly their trauell is not lawfull By this then we haue iust cause to reprooue the badde course of many wanderers among vs as first of our common beggars whose whole life is nothing else but a wandring from place to place though not in faith nor for coÌ„science sake but they finde a sweetnesse in their idle kind of life and therfore they wander because they would not worke Now this their course hauing no other ground but loue of idlenesse and contempt of paines in a lawfull calling cannot be but greatly displeasing vnto God who inioynes that euery man should walke in some lawfull calling and eate his owne bread This they doe not and therefore the curse of God pursueth them for generally they are giuen vp to most horrible sinnes of iniustice and vncleannesse they walke inordinately for they range not themselues into any families but liue liker brute beastes than men they are not members of any particular congregation but excommunicate themselues from all churches and so liue as though there were no God no Christ nor true religion And herein we may see Gods hand more heauy vpon them that they take all their delight in that course of wandring which in it owne nature is a curse a punishment Secondly we may here also iustly reprooue the course of some others among vs who will needs be trauellers not for religions sake for that were commendable if they had such neede nor yet by vertue of their calling which were lawfull but onely for this ende to see fashions and strange countries and they refraine not from such places as Rome Spaine c. wherein that cruell Inquisition will hardly suffer any to passe with safetie of a good conscience But shall we thinke that this their trauell is commendable No surely for the ende of lawfull trauell is the preseruation of faith and a good conscience â—r the bond of some lawfull calling Now these men trauelling vpon no such grounds but onely vpon pleasure how shal we think they will stand to the truth when they thrust themselues into such needlesse danger and triall The crazed consciences of many at their returne shew sufficiently the badnesse of that course Further note the state of these beleeuers for their attire it was of sheep skins and goate skins The like may be obserued in other famous Prophets and seruants of God Eliiah wore a garment of haire and thereby was knowen 2. King 1.8 And so did Iohn Baptist Matth. 3.4 Yea the false Prophets went so arraied that they might the rather be respected of the people Zach. 13.4 And our Sauiour Christ saith The false Prophets shall come in sheeps cloathing like the true Prophets when as indeede they are rauening Woolues Now the true Prophets of God went thus basely attired that not onely by word and doctrine but also in life in conuersation they might preach repentance vnto the people And indeede euery Minister of the Gospell ought to bee a light vnto his people both in life and doctrine and he that preacheth well and doth not liue according to his doctrine buildes with the one hand and pulls downe with the other Now whereas these seruants of God went vp and downe in such base attire as sheepe skinnes and goat skinnes it was for pouerties sake beeing depriued of friends goods house and lands and so destitute of prouision for better attire In their example wee may note that Gods seruants and children may bee brought to extreame pouerty and necessitie so as they shall want ordinary foode and raiment and bee faine to couer themselues with beasts skinnes This was the poore state and condition of godly Lazarus Yea Christ Iesus for our sakes did vndergoe a meane estate for he had not a place whereon to lay his head and at his death hee had not so much ground of his owne as might serue for a buriall place but was laid in Iosephs toombe which is a great comfort to any childe of God in like distresse For why should any be dismayed with that estate which Christ Iesus and his deerest seruants haue vndergone for his example Heere some may aske how this can stand with that saying of Dauid I haue beene young and am olde yet I neuer saw the righteous forsaken nor his seede begging bread Psalm 37. verse 25. Answer Dauids saying may be taken two wayes first as his owne obseruation in his time For he saith not The righteous is neuer forsaken but that hee neuer sawe it and indeede it is a rare thing to see the righteous forsaken Secondly which I take to be Dauids meaning the righteous man is neuer forsaken and his seed too For if God lay a temporall chasticement on any of his seruants suffering them to want yet hee forsaketh not his seede after him but renueth his mercie towards them if they walke in obedience before him he may make triall of godly Parents by want but their godly children shal surely be blessed so that this hindereth not but that the godly may be in want Further whereas they are said to goe vp and downe in Sheepes skinnes and Goates skinnes we must vnderstand that they did it by faith From whence we learne that when all temporall blessings faile then the childe of God must by faith lay hold vpon Gods gracious promises of life eternal and stay himselfe thereon This point must be remembred carefully for say we should want all kind of temporall benefits must we thereupon despaire and thinke that God hath forsaken vs God forbid nay when all meanes faile and the whole world is against vs yet then we must lay holde vpon the promise of life eternall in
gold siluer or promotion but reconciliation with my God and his fauour in Iesus Christ If thou hast these two then thou goest beyond Cain then shalt thou stand before God with Abell and be accepted Remember these two humiliation for sinne and desire of reconciliation these two is the summe of religion If thou hast these thou art blessed with Abell if not cursed with Cain howsoeuer thou liuest in the world If thou say Cain kill'd his brother and so would not I doe for all the world I will do no man hurt in body or goods This will not serue for it is said that God had no respect to Cain afore he kill'd his brother euen when he offred his sacrifice and therefore this duty is most necessary and there is no shifting it off 2. Cain offred as well as Abell yea Cain offred afore Abell as it is manifest in Genesis 4.3 And yet Abels sacrifice was better when it came to the proofe and was accepted not Cains which came first Hence we learn that a man may be more forward then many other in many outward duties of religion and yet not be accepted of God Another may be not so forward to the duty and yet when hee comes be better accepted Whence comes this what is forwardnesse in good duties a fault Nothing lesse but hence it is he that outwardly is most forward may come in hypocrisie without faith the want whereof makes his forwardnesse nothing worth Many such haue we in our Church great frequenters of places and exercises of religion and yet they come but as Cain did or it may be in worse intents Thy forwardnesse is to be commended but take this with thee also Care not so much to be first at the SermoÌ„ or to be there oftner theÌ„ other as to goe with true faith repentance a heart hungâ—ing for grace if not boast not in thy forwardnes Cain offred afore Abell yet not accepted so there may com an Abell after thee bring faith with him be accepted wheÌ„ thou with thy hypocriticall forwardnes shalt be reiected as Cain was Thirdly did Cain offer as wel as Abel Hence we learn that the Church militant is a mixt coÌ„pounded coÌ„pany of men not of one sort but true beleeuers hypocrites mingled together as here in the very infancy of the Church here was a Cain worshipping in shew as wel as Abell that worshipped in truth So was it in the infancy so in her perpetual growth so shal it be in the last age of the church the good shal neuer be quite separated froÌ„ the bad vntil Christ himself do it at the last iudgement Goates shall alwaies be mingled amongst the sheepe till Christ the great shepheard do separate them himselfe Math. 25.34 And he that imagineth a perfect separation till then imagineth a fancy in his braine and such a Church as cannot be found vpon the earth This being so let no man therfore be afraid to ioyne himself to the visible Church neither let any that are in it go out of it because the bad are mingled with the good for so it hath been alwaies euer wil be he then that wil go out of a Church because there be hypocrites in it must go out of the world for such a Church is not fouÌ„d but triuÌ„phant in heaueÌ„ Fourthly 〈◊〉 that Cain Abel offred hence we learne that the Church of God which truly professeth his name hath been euer since the beginning of the world For this Church was in the houshold of AdaÌ„ wheÌ„ there was no more but it in the world for sacrifice to God is a sign of the Church yea beside the sacrifice they had a place appointed where Adam his family came together to worship God For so much Cain intimateth Gen. 4.14 16. Cain went out from the presence of the Lord that is not onely out of his fauour protection but from the place of his solemne seruice where he wonted to manifest his special presence to his childreÌ„ seruing him and therfore Cain as being excomunicate complaines verse 14 because he must leaue it Thus the Church hath been froÌ„ the beginning therfore is truly call'd Catholike The Papists abuse this place notoriously for whereas the Church hath been so antient they argue therfore it is aboue the Scripture yea that we could not know it to be Scripture but by the antient testimonie of the Church We must know the Scripture is two wayes to be considered 1. As it was written penned by holy men and so it is later then the Church for Moses was the first penman of Scripture but secondly as it is the word of God the substance sense and truth therof is much more antient theÌ„ the Church yea without the word of God there can be no Church For without faith is no Church because the Church is a coÌ„pany of beleeuers and without the word it is no faith therfore no word no faith no faith no Church So then the Scripture was afore the Church but penned after Thus we see that Cain and Abell offered Now secondly what offred they sacrifices Sacrifices were vsed in the worship of God for two ends 1. When a sacrifice was offred especially of beasts when a man saw the bloud of the beasts poured out it put him in mind of his own sins and the desert of them taught him to say thus Eue as this creature is here slain his bloud distils drops away so my sins deserue that my bloud should be sâ—â—ed and my soule be drenched in hell for euer This creature can die but one death for it sinneth not but my sins deserue both the 1. and 2. death Secondly sacrifices serued to put theâ—â— in minde of the Messias to come and the slaying of the beasts shewed them how the Messias should shed his bloud giue his life for the â—irâ—s of the people These are the 2. principal ends of sacrifices for these 2. ends did Cain Abel offer Cain in hypocrisie and for fashion sake Abell in truth conscience and sinceritie As it was in the old sacrifices so is it in our Sacraments of the new Testament whereof the sacrifices were all types 1. In baptisme sprinkling of the water serues to shewe vs how filthily we are defiled with our owne sinnes 2. It signifies the sprinkling of the bloud of Christ vpon the heart of a sinner for his sanctification from sinne 2. In the supper the breaking of the bread signifies 1. how we should be broken in humiliation for our sinne and the pouring out of the wine how our bloud and life should be shed and poured out for our sinnes if wee had that that we deserue And secondly they represent vnto vs how the body of Christ was broken his bloud poured out for our sinnes which he was content to suffer vnder the wrath of his Father for our sakes so that we see both the sacrifices and
during prime of his age is giuen to nothing but to his pleasure that is as good to him as Iacobs redde broth was to Esau take this pleasure frō him and take away his life herein is all his ioy and he delighteth in nothing so much as to spend his time in hunting hawking dicing gaming wantonnesse and drinking Now know for certaine this is a right Esau and yet many such haue wee among vs who thinke of themselues that they are they iolly fellowes and they onely carrie the braue minde but as for Iaacob and such as make conscience of their waies and words those alas are silly fellows Now what is to be said or thought of these Surely this if they doe not and that in time looke to their estates and to themselues it will cost them their liues euen the life of their soules Esau lost his birth-right by his profanenesse and so will these men doe if they continue in this estate they will blot their names out of the booke of life and roote themselues quite out of the kingdome of heauen Therefore let all yong men whatsoeuer they bee high or lowe take heede how they liue in sinne and goe on in their wickednesse for if they take Esaus course and continue in profanenesse doubtlesse they will haue Esaus end How wonderfully doth Satan bewitch them that while they goe on in sinne they should thinke so highly of themselues and so basely of those that make conscience of their waies Wherefore in the feare of God let such betime redresse their waies and courses lest when Gods curse is vpon them they crie too late for mercy And thus much of the parties blessed The fourth point to be considered is the nature or matter of this blessing in the ende of the verse Concerning things to come The meaning of these wordes is this That olde Isaac their father did pronounce blessings vpon his sonnes not onely for the time present but also for the time to come in blessings temporall and spirituall as wee may read Gen. 27. vers 28 39. where hee giueth to them both the fatnesse of the Land and plentie of wheat and wine and especially to Iaacob that he should be Lord ouer his brethren But some will say it may seeme to prooue otherwise for while Iaacob liued he was alwaies humble and subiect to Esau and when he came to his owne countrie from among the Aramites as he met with Esau he sent presents to him and when he saw him he went before and bowed himselfe to the ground 7. times vntill hee came neere to his brother Answ. That prophecie of Iaacob and Esau that the elder should serue the yonger must not be restrained to the persons of Iaacob and Esau but referred to their posteritie especially in the daies of Dauid and Salomon for then were the Edomites who came of Esau in subiection to the Israelites the posteritie of olde Ismael Whereupon Dauid speaking as a King saith Psal. 60.8 Moab shall be my wash-pot ouer Edom will I cast my shooe meaning thereby that hee would bring the posteritie of Esau into a base and lowe estate of subiection vnto him according as we may see verified 2. Sam. 8.14 But some will say that Isaac when he blessed Esau pronounced that he should haue a fertile soile and the fatnes of the earth should be his dwelling place Gen. 27.39 whereas in Malachie the Lord saith Mal. 1.3 he hated Esau. And a token thereof was this that hee had made his mountaines waste and his heritage a wildernesse for dragons meaning that he should dwell in a barren Land How can these two agree Answ. First wee may say thus That the land of Edom was a fertile land but yet in respect of the Land of Canaan but a barren and waste Land Secondly Isaac speaks here of Idumea as it was in his time not as it was afterward for it might be fertile in Isaacs time 〈◊〉 yet after become barren for God will curse a Land by turning fruitfulnesse into barrennesse for the wickednesse of them that dwell therein Psal. 107.34 And thus much for the example of Isaacs faith Now follow the examples of the faith of Iacob Iacobs Faith VERSE 21. By faith Iacob when he was dying blessed both the sonnes of Ioseph and worshipped on the end of his staffe IN these words the holy Ghost layes downe the notable and worthie example of Iacobs faith which is heere commended by two actions First his blessing of the two sonnes of Ioseph Secondly his adoring or worshipping of God In the first action consider these points 1. The blessing it selfe 2. The circumstances belonging to the same As 1. the time when Iacob blessed them that is when hee was dying secondly by what meanes did hee blesse them namely by faith thirdly the parties blessed Ephraim and Manasses Of these in order First for the blessing Of this kinde of blessing wee entreated in the former verse in the example of Isaacs faith and therefore neede not now repeate the same Onely this wee must remember that this blessing of Iacob is not the common or ordinarie blessing of a Father but the extraordinarie blessing of an holy Patriarch and Prophet of God The blessing it self stands in three things 1. Iacob makes the sonnes of Ioseph his own sonnes adopting them and taking them into his family And this is the meaning of those words in Genesis where Iacob saith as hee is blessing them Let my name be named vpon them and the name of my Fathers Abraham and Isaac Gen. 48.16 that is they shall be receiued into my family and be my children called after my name 2. He giues them two portions in the Land of Canaan for Iacob was made an instrument of God by way of prophecie to distinguish and diuide the Land of Canaan among his children 3. He doth as a Prophet by the spirit of prophecie foretell the condition and estate of Ephraim and Manasses in their posterity to wit that they should be great Nations and of them should come two great people in these three things doth Iacobs blessing consist Out of this blessing of Iacob we learne two things First that God alloweth this liberty to a master of a family to adopt and chuse for the vpholding of his house a childe or children in the want of issue from his owne body For here olde Iacob for the continuance of his posterity and the enlarging of the Church of God adopteth his sonnes sonnes into his own family to be his own sonnes And this he doth by faith And therefore a Lord and Master in his family may doe the like but yet with this caueat hee must euer take heede that in this adopting he doe not vniustly hinder his owne issue or kindred Againe whereas Iacob blesseth these two sonnes of Ioseph by fore-telling the particular estate of their posterity for their portion in the Land of Canaan here wee learne that in many things God doth vouchsafe to reueale his
witnesse but rather be excepted against as altogether vnworthy and so would prooue a discredit to his friends cause a shame to himself so it is with vs in Christs cause if we professe in word deny indeed we discredit Christ and his profession shame our selues for euer And therfore we must be carefull not only in word and iudgement but in life conuersation to make a true constant confession of Christ and of his truth And thus much for the exhortation Now followeth the 2. point to be obserued in this verse namely the manner how Gods Church people may put in practice this worthy exhortation of the holy Ghost To be constant in the faith And this consists in three duties 1. They must cast away that which presseth downe 2. They must cast away that sin that hangeth so fast on or sin which so readily doth compasse vs about 3. They must run the race that is set before them with patience Whosoeuer in Gods Church either Iew or Gentile can performe these 3. things shall be able no doubt to follow the counsell of the holy Ghost cōtinue cōstant in the faith vnto the end Of these 3. in order The 1. thing then to be done is this We must cast away that which presseth down or thus Cast away the waight or burthen for so much the word in the originall signifieth euen that burthen which so presseth down the poore Christian that he cannot goe on forward in the course of godlinesse and Christianity By burthen or weight here we must vnderstand 5. things 1. The loue of this temporall life 2. Care for earthly things 3. Riches temporal wealth 4. Worldly honour preferments 5. Worldly delights and pleasures All these are things which lie heauy on mans soule as weighty burthens which presse it downe especially then when the soule should lift vp it self to seek heauenly things So in the Parable of the Sower riches pleasures cares for the things of this life are called thornes which choake the word of God in a mans heart and make it vnfruitfull And surfetting drunkennes are said to be things which oppress the heart and make it heauy And easie it were to shewe by many testimonies that all these fiue things do press down the heart especially then when it should be lifted vp in the seeking of heauenly things Now in this that these 5. things are waighty burdens we may learne first what is the cause that in these our daies euery where the Gospel of Christ being published preached expoūded takes so little place in mēs hearts whether we regard knowledge vnderstanding or affection and obedience For Gods word is a word of power mighty in operation how comes it to passe then that the ground is barren where it is cast why makes it not men learned religious Ans. Surely in euery place where the word of God is preached especially among vs these fiue things possess the hearts of men exercise all the thoghts of the minde and affections of the heart From whence it commeth to passe that after long preaching there is little fruit or profit either for knowledge or obedience for where the heart is pressed downe with the waight of these earthly things there the word of God can take no place nor bring forth fruit And this is generally true among vs though we heare Gods word from year to year and thereby might increase in knowledg obediēce if we would yet in many there is little shew of either and the cause is in these worldly cares which take place in our hearts For this is a most certaine truth that so long as our hearts are addicted to the greedy seeking after these earthly things honour pleasures c. so long will the ground of our hearts bee barren The good seed of Gods word may be sowen therein but little fruit shall come thereof saue briers and weeds which will increase our damnation Again whereas the loue of tēporal life care of earthly things c. are sore burdens pressing downe a mans heart from heauen to earth and making it heauy and sad and dead in regard of all spirituall exercises and contemplations Hereby we are taught oftentimes to giue our selues to eleuate and lift vp our mindes and hearts to God partly by meditation in his word partly by inuocation on his name and partly by thanksgiuing And to doe these things the better we must remember to set apart some speciall time euery day for this speciall worke so as we may say with Dauid Psal. 25.1 Lord I lift vp my heart vnto thee Dauid was well acquinted with this exercise and so was Daniel for both of them vsed this as we may read Psa. 55.17 Euening and morning saith Dauid and at noone wil I pray make a noyse And Daniel vsed to pray vnto God 3. times a day wherein he would heartily vnfainedly call vpon God with thanksgiuing And great reason we should do so for wee liue in this world wherein are innumerable waighty things which press down our hearts frō looking vp to heauen therfore we must often practice our selues in holy meditatiō prayer vnto God that so we may lift vp our soules vnto God from the things of this world To vse a fit cōparisō we know that those who keep clocks if they would haue the clock stil going must once or twice a day winde vp the plūmets which cause the wheels to go about because they are still drawing downward Euen so seeing our hearts haue plummets of lead which are worldly cares and desires to press them down from seeking vp to heauen we must doe with our hearts as the clock-keeper doth with his plummets winde them vp vnto God euery day for this ende must set apart some particular time to do the same in holy duties Why doth God command the 7. day to be sanctified and set apart from all bodily exercises worldly cares vndoubtedly it is for this end to cause men to eleuate their hearts from all wordly things to seeke the things aboue else if the minde should be alwaies pressed down with worldly cares it could neuer attain to heauēs ioys He that hath not cōsciēce on the Lords day to lift vp his heart to heauen by prayer and hearing Gods word with meditation theron cannot possibly haue any soundnes in religion nor his heart firmely settled on heauenly things Thirdly whereas the holy Ghost saith That the Hebrewes must cast away the weight that presseth downe Here wee are taught in what manner and how farre forth wee must vse the things of this life as riches honours and lawfull pleasures yea and all temporall blessings whatsoeuer namely so farre forth as they will further vs in the course of religion and in the exercises of godlinesse and vertue and no further But finding by experience that these temporall things be a burden vnto vs pressing vs downe and making vs vnfit for