Adams was actuall and death reigneth not but where sinne reigneth The same Apostle finding in his understanding enlightned and in his zeale inflamed and in his will rectified by the Spirit of God good motions to serve God uprightly yet those discouraged and ineffectualled in him often he chargeth all this upon his corrupt nature which he calleth Peccatum inhabitans Sinne dwelling in him Vers 20. Lexmembrorum the law of his members Vers 23. Corpus mortis the body of death Vers 24. The flesh Vers 25. With my minde I serve the Law of God with my flesh the law of sinne This the Author to the Hebrews doth call 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The sinne that doth so easily beset and inviron us For this little Infants unborne and new borne are subject unto death and to charge death without a charge of sinne would call the judge of all the world unjust That there is originall sinne and that David here complaineth of it we have made it cleare Now observe that David in his repentance to make it full doth apply all his sinnes to the multitude of Gods tender compassions For a full confession maketh way to a full absolution When Jeremiah advise thus to search and try our wayes first and then to turn to the Lord he intendeth that we must examine our hearts in this search to the bottome and go so farre back in this inquisition as to the mother sinne the primitive and originall masse of corruption which empoysoneth our nature which cancreth our manners and in time gangreneth our whole conversation mortally to the very dominion of sinne David doth so for here he looketh back so farre as to his first conception and diggeth so deep as the root of his sinne For he chargeth all his transgressions upon this beginning of sinne which indeed in all the children of Adam is not onely a naturall pollution defiling us but it is a corrupt seed shooting out in time into a blade and bearing a full eare of actuall prevarications Therefore no man knoweth his own heart and let no man be so bold of his own strength to promise resistance to such temptations as have corrupted others It is the Apostles good counsell Brethren if any man be overtaken in a fault ye which are spirituall restore such a one in the spirit of meeknesse considering thy self lest thou also be tempted In which words The considering of thy self is no other then the wise remembrance of thy originall corruption for there is tinder in thee apt to take fire from a little spark There is in Sathan both cunning and malice enough with his temptations to strike this fire The Apostle useth a fit word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 si anticipetur for sometimes we are by sensuall motives perswaded and by semblance of good deceived or by entisements of pleasure or profit allured to evill When the Serpent as with Eve disputeth with us and corrupteth our judgement darkeneth our reason blindeth benummeth or deadeth our conscience and so we not onely take but gather and give the forbidden fruit Sometimes Sathan catcheth us by surprise and with a sudden temptation having all opportunities for sinne to friend he overtaketh us and embarketh us in some trespasse before we have leasure to advise our selves So was Troy taken at last by a cunning stratageme Victâ—mque quamvis videat Vix or edit sibi potuisse vinci She saw her self orecome by foes Yet scarse beleeves she what she knows Thus was David here caught he was at leasure in peace in glory and power at ease his mind now quiet his breasts full of milk his bones of marrow and walking on the leads of his house his eye no sooner was fastened on the beauty but his heart was fired with lust after Vriahs wife he enquired of her sent for her defiled her prevented and surprized with a sudden temptation This he imputeth to his naturall corruption by his originall and birth sinne So some that have ever made conscience of an oath yet upon a sudden passion sometimes rap out a fearfull oath to Gods great dishonour and their foule offence So some that make conscience of giving Suum cuique to every one his own yet upon an opportunitie offering them anothers goods upon faire termes of likely secrecie have robbed a neighbour I have upon like occasion given examples of this work of corrupt nature in the sonnes of men in Hazael who brought a present from Benhadad to Elisha to demand whether his master should dye of that disease The man of God looked Hazael so stedfastly in the face that Hazael was out of countenance but the man of God wept And when Hazael demanded why weepeth my Lord He answered Because I see the evill that thou wilt do to the children of Israel their strong holds wilt thou set on fire and their yong men wilt thou destroy with the sword and wilt dash their children and wilt rip up their women with childe And Hazael said But whâ—t is thy servant a dogge that he should do this great thing Yet presently he returned to his master brought him comfort of his recovery and on the morrow he took a thick cloth and dipt it in water and spread it on his face that he dyed He reigned in his stead and did like a dogge all that evill c. When Christ said one of his twelve should betray him Judas was one of them that demanded with the rest Nunquid ego Domine Is it I Lord But a sudden temptation surprised him Then entred Sathan into Judas Iscariot And he went his way and communed with the chiefe Priests and Captains how he might betray him unto them Most memorable is the example of Peter whom Christ forewarned of his denyall of him A thing so farre from Peters heart that he took it ill to be so charged he protested against it and vowed to dye with him or for him rather then he would deny him Yet being in the high Priests Hall when Christ was ill used there for feare of his own skinne he denyed and forswore him thrice This body of sinne we do all alwayes beare about us and therefore we passe the time of our so journing here with feare for which of us may not be thus surprised For there is no kinde of sinne which our heart abhorreth most but we are in danger of it by reason of our naturall corruption wherefore Christ taught us to pray Et ne nos inducas in tentationem And leade us not into temptation Therefore a wise man feareth and departeth from evill but a foole rageth and is confident Folly is rash and goeth on inconsiderately and trusteth to his own strength We live in perpetuall danger by reason of this naturall corruption for the Spirit hath his eclipse and often upon our grieving him leaveth us in our own wayes that we may see our naturall impotencie to that which the Law requireth of us and be so much the more
The Broken Heart OR DAVIDS PENANCE Fully exprest in holy Meditations upon the 51 PSALME BY That late Reverend Pastor SAM PAGE Doctour in Divinity and Vicar of Deptford Strond in the Countie of Kent Published since his death BY NATHANAEL SNAPE of Grayes Inne Esquire LONDON Printed by Thomas Harper 1637. TO THE HONORABLE Sir ROBERT AYTON Principall Secretary to the Queenes most excellent Majestie and Master of Saint Katherines neere the Tower of LONDON Sir MY intentions had fastened the patronage of this Booke upon that pious and Right Honorable Gentleman Sir Iulius Caesar your predecessour in the Mastership of St Katherines whose dedication of himselfe to that great Master and maker of the world renders you the Successour of his place and my service Therefore and because all that know you rightly speak you to be a friend to Learning and Philagathus in abstracto a true Religion Lover I thought fit to present these devouâ— Meditations to your judicious acceptation These royall Penitentials deduced and exemplified unto us from the sacred person of a King conclude all persons and degrees from an exemption in the practise And the command of that excellent duty is more especially incumbent on us in these particular times of humiliation when that formidable pestilentiall sword hath so smitten us and hangs still so perpendicularly over our heads The profit of Repentance it removes our sinne in reatu poena it blunts that weapons point whose thirst is sooner quencht with â—ear then bloud and it preferreth the miserable delinquent from the shamefull Barre to the most glorious Bench. Let the Reverend Authors pen declare his worth and let the worke commend it selfe to the world Onely Sir be you pleased to give it countenance and protection which I am confident will improve it to a more generall and publique approbation and make it the more redundant in the Churches benefit Health honour and Heaven at last I wish you from the heart of Your humble Servant N. S. MEDITATIONS upon the 51. PSALME VERSE I. Have mercie upon me O God according to thy loving kindnesse according to the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions IN this Psalme David is 1. For himself ad fin v. 17. 2. Then for the Church 18. 19. In the first part 1. He is all crying God mercie and supplication v 1 2. 2. Confession of sinnes 3 4 5 6. 3. Supplication against 7. ad fin 17. 1. In the first consider 1. What ailes him where is his griefe his transgressions his iniquitie his sinne 2. What remedie loving kindnesse multitude of tender mercies 3. What effect of these to blot out to wash throughly and cleanse away all this uncleannesse 3. What he ailes He varieth the phrase and calleth his disease transgressions Arias Mont. rendreth it praevaricationes to our sence For the Law setteth us bounds thus farre we may go and no further every sinne is a transgression an over-reaching of our bounds Peshang signifieth the same to forsake the commandment and it answereth Gods challenge of him by Nathan Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the Lord Vers 2. He calleth his griefe his iniquities these also are against the Law which S. Paâ—l calleth holy and just He calleth it sinne which is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is privatio legis This shewethus the danger of all our sinnes They put us out of the way for our way is the way of Gods commandments all other are called false wayes It is Uia legis the way of the Law which guideth our thoughts words and actions It is Via veritatis the way of truth which guideth our understandings and judgements It is via pacis the way of peace which guideth our heart and the affections thereof Sinne putteth us out of all these wayes Into those false wayes which David doth utterly abhorre Yet he is fallen into them by a strong temptation It is our wisedome to know and consider the nature of sinne that every sinne is transgression of Gods Law So Joseph answered his wanton Mistresse How shall I do this great wickednesse and sinne against God And now David hath bethought him he saith to Nathan I have sinned against the Lord. We must not think that any of our sinnes do hurt God or take from him any thing to empaire him For when we live in his obedience we give him occasion to exercise his holinesse in our sanctification his goodnesse in our conservation his bounty in donation of all good to us But if we transgresse he exerciseth his wisedome in his detection of us his holinesse in abhorring of us his justice in punishing of us So that the going out of our way which he hath set us in his Law is the hinderance of our owne journey and the danger of our own souls and bodies It is our great blindnesse of judgement and hardnesse of heart that we should delight in sinne against the Law of God The Law of God is an undefiled law The Law is holy and the commandment holy just and good This was ordained of God to be a bridle to restraine sinne yet our corruption hath made it a spurre to provoke and put on sinne So the Apostle found it For sinne that it might appeare sinne working death in us by that which is good that sinne by the commandment might be exceeding sinfull For corrupt nature is impatient of restraint and no fruit seemes so faire to the eye or taste so sweet to the palate as the forbidden fruit doth Every man above all things in the world affecteth his own will and desireth libertie to do what seemeth good in his own eyes The Law doth restrain us of this and it is 1. Holy in directing us a way wherein we may wâ—lk in all pleasing to God 2. Iust in declaring the danger of going astray from it 3. Good in rewarding our obedience for godlinesse hath the promises of this life c. David hath professed great love to this Law great delight in it all his Psalmes over He hath confessed great benefits received from it yet here he confesseth transgression and iniquitie and sinne he hath not kept this Law and hath sinned against God Now we see in this example how heavy sinne is when the conscience groweth sensible of it Nothing so pleasant as our sinne for the time but Citò praeterit quod delectat It soone passes away which delighteth now David gronesunder the burthen of it he hath the whole weight of the law upon him for it and he hath found that he hath walked contrary to God We have great use of this recollection of ourselues 1. We have need of God every moment for his help and comfort and counsell So long as our sinnes are upon our conscience unrepented unpardoned we cannot pray to God for any favour 2. We cannot give thanks as our prayers are turned into sinne if we regard wickednesse in our hearts for God heareth not sinners 1.
head of sinne That we were all in Adam in the day of his creation needeth no proofe for out of him was the woman created and of them made one flesh by marriage was all mankinde propagated So that these first parents of our flesh did stand or fall to the benefit or losse of all their posteritie But man stood but a while in honour and by his fall he not onely corrupted his own person but his nature whereby there remained an infection of sinne to the pollution of the whole nature of mankinde This the Apostle hath affirmed disertly In Adam all dye that is all are subject to the law of mortality and all are under the curse of the law for the second death God concluded all under sinne that is both the infection of sinne and the punishment thereof David speaketh here of his originall sinne in the pollution thereof and confesseth that from that root of bitternesse this and all his other sinnes derived Therefore he confesseth the beginning of it not onely at his shaping and formation in the wombe when God gave his body a composition in the wombe and set every member and part of his body in the proper place but he goeth higher to his first conception In peccato fovit me in sin she nourisht me his first warmth which put the first natural heat to the radicall moisture of which we are created This appeares in the difference between the first man created and the first generated for â—f Adam it is said In the image of God made he him But de primo generato of the first begotten for in the account of the Genealogie he reckoneth not Cain who was gone from the presence of God nor Abel who was by Cain murthered But the Genealogie begins at Seth of whom we reade And Adam begat a sonne in his own likenesse after his image and called his name Seth. For Cain he needed not to say so for the corruption of his foule heart shewed him borne of corrupt seed But Seth was one of the holy Fathers of the Church yet begotten in the image of Adam now corrupt and not in the image of God as Adam was created How could it be otherwise for our first parents being defiled who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean Not one The Fathers with full consent referre that speech of Iob to our originall sinne as Pineda upon that place recounteth and quoteth them I should not need to prove this point of originall sinne having so cleare evidence for it as my Text in hand But that the Pelagians long ago denyed any such sinne or naturall corruption affirming Verba Pelagii Ut sine virtutâ— ita sine vitio procreamur atque ante actionem propriae voluntatis id solum in homine est quod Deus condidit The words of Pelagius That as we are begotten without vertue so without vice and before the acting of our own wils that onely is in man which God made Saint Augustine long ago took this heresie to â—ask and learnedly confuted it But of late Ann. 1620. there was a Pamphlet stolne out in print and vented from pocket to pocket by some Anabaptists at home who yet refuse to be so called In this the heresie of Pelagius is revived and originall sinne denyed and peremptorily it is affirmed that no sinne is derived from our parents We take say they from Adam vanity corruption and death This vanity is onely a weaknesse and impotencie in nature to know and do the duties of the Law of God But they deny it to be sinne Their reason is Adam was made of the earth we were made of Adam Adam was made of the earth onely in respect of â—iâ— body for God first made the body and then infused the soul in it The body was free from sinne the soul a spirituall substance infused by God was also free from sinne so Adam was created without sinne But we were no otherwise made of Adam then Adam was made of the earth and we were no more in Adam when he sinned then Adam was in the earth before his creation First according to the body Adam had no commandment given him till he had understanding to embrace it and will to receive or refuse it Adam sinned not till he departed from the commandment They conclude hence that we receiving nothing but our flesh from Adam cannot sinne till we have understanding to know what is commanded us ergo no originall sinne To all which we answer That the flesh which Adam took from the earth was pure for so was the earth But the flesh that we take from Adam is tainted with sinne And true it is that no actuall sinne can be committed without the Law But we may be guilty of originall impuritie without prevarication of the Law Adam had onely the matter of his body from the earth we derive more from Adam For whereas as God breathed into the body of Adam all at once the breath of lives We live three lives The life of plants in our vegetative The life of bruits in our sensitive The life of Angels in our rationall soul Philosophers and Phisitians and the learned Scholars of nature do resolve that we traduce two of these lives from our parents the third is immediately both created and infused by God The proper seat of originall sinne is in the sensitive part of man and that corrupteth our reason and as it groweth faster then our rationall doth so it over-groweth it and keepeth it down untill our new birth doth cut it and keep it short and the good Spirit of God give us strength to resist it and to subdue it This God himself hath in both Testaments fully detected in two holy Sacraments first Circumcision This was to be administred so soone as an infant was capable of it even after the first criticall day and that part of the body was chosen for this Sacrament which might best shew our generation unclean it was a Sacrament of purgation the impuritie of our naturall generation In the new â—estament the Sacrament of Baptisme was instituted to the same purpose And where our Anabaptists do charge us that by our doctrine of originall sinne we bring upon infants a danger of eternall death and thereby we revive that wicked Proverbe The fathers have eaten fowre grapes and the childrens teeth are set on edge We regest this calumny upon them in just imputation For when they confesse that we traduce from our parents vanity corruption and death these are the punishments of sinne and if we have no sinne of our own it is our parents sinne and so our teeth are on edge for their sowre grapes The doctrine of originall sinne was ever taught in the Church and when Saint Augustine did meet with the Pelagian heresie denying it he opposed it strongly and because the adversary urged the faith and doctrine of certaine Hereticks denying originall sinne S. Augustine produceth the constant contrary asseverations of the
most orthodoxe Fathers of the Church in their own words For he citeth Ireneus Ciprian Reticius Olimpus Hispaâ— Hilar. Ambrose Innocentius Gregor Basil Magnus Chrysost and Jerome which is a full cloud of sacred witnesses of antiquity beleeving and teaching the same doctrine This upon the Text in hand Saint Augustine doth clearly avouch Nunquid David de adulterio natus erat quid est quod sie dicit nisi quia trahitur iniquitas ab Adam Nemo nasâ—itur nisi trahens poenam trabens meritum poenae Was David born in adultery Why speaks he so but because iniquity is drawn from Adam There is none born which draws not punishment drawing that which deserves punishment He urgeth the words of the Apostle Corpus mortuum est propter peccatum propago sumus corporis mortui The body is dead by reason of sinne We are the off-spring of a dead body Julian the Pelagian did urge against originall sinne the honourable state of Matrimony So Saint Augustine chargeth him Tu autem dicis nuptias sine dubio damâ—ari ab omni sit liberum obligatione peccati But thou sayest The condemning of marriage is no sinne But marriage was ordained and the blessing of propagation was given before the sinne of Adam And marriage is honourable among all men and the bed undefiled The sinne of Adam did not discommand marriage nor reverse the blessing of encrease And Saint Augustine upon this Psalme doth answer Opus hoc castum in conjuge non habet culpam sed origo peccati trahit secum debitam poenam Non enim maritus quia maritus mortalis non est aâ—t aliunde nisi peccato mortalis est Matrimoniall function is without fault but originall sinne draws with it the punishment due to it For the husband as a husband brings not death nor any way but by sinne God provided a remedy the seed of the woman against sinne and suffered humane infirmity to passe on that he might shew mercie where he pleased But you may demand what any spirit of contradiction can alledge against Davids disert confession of his formation and conception in sinne Our Anabaptists answer That it is a question whether his confession here intend himself or his mother It was a poore shift to busie our thoughts about such a question for why should David confesse any thing here concerning his mother If any why not both parents This confession must have coherence and correspondence with the former I acknowledge my wickednesse my sinne is ever before me But what if it concerne him Then thus he confesseth and desireth God to consider whereof he was made of dust weak flesh unable to resist the tempter when the Law came unto him through which weaknesse he was overcome This is that which we call originall sinne this Carentis justitiae wanting of righteousnesse this impotencie to all good acts this seed of corruption which is the teeming and pregnant spawne of all sinnes But they would have it that as Christ because he had our flesh and was made sinne yet was no sinner So David though confessing himself conceived in sinne was not by conception and birth a transgressour To which we answer 1 That the comparison is blasphemous between Christ and David for Christ was conceived by the holy Ghost David in the ordinary way of flesh 2 That we call not originall sinne transgression of the Law in origine for that is the definition of actuall sinne For originall sinne is defined 1 Est corruptio naturae à prima perfectione It is the corruption of nature from the first perfection 2 Est corruptio naturae hominis quae efficit ne vere obediamus legi Dei nec simus sine peccato It is the corruption of humane nature which makes us unable to obey Gods Law that we cannot be without sinne 3 Est ignorantia inmente concupiscentia in carne It is ignorance in the minde and concupiscence in the flesh 4 But the fullest is this It is an hereditarie corruption of nature which bringeth forth in us the works of the flesh and proneth us to all evils and thereby doth fasten upon us a guiltinesse whereby we are in desert and danger of the wrath of God And this is the sinne which David here confesseth which began with him in his very conception But they alledge that the words of David may have reference not to himself but to his mother Then we must understand him thus that David doth not confesse sinne as a fault but as a punishment and so it hath regard to curse I will multiply the sorrows of thy conceptions So he onely meaneth his mothers punishment for the fall and his weaknesse through the fall That weaknesse we call originall sinne But why David in his repentance should repent his mothers punishment we cannot so well discerne for true repentance hath respect not to the punishment deserved but to the sinne deserving it Therefore these poore flashes of humane wisedome which is carnall sensuall and diabolicall cannot elude the evidence of truth that David bewailing his sinne doth repaire to the root of it in his conception confessing the first seminarie of this weaknesse to begin there But our Anabaptists urge further that if the matter of which David was made was tainted with sinne Then was also the matter of which Christ was made tainted with sinne for he was conceived in the wombe of a mother We reply That he was conceived by the holy Ghost and it was an holy thing that was born in his mother so the Angel saith to her They reply that then Christ was not true man for he was not born of the substance of his mother We answer That Christ was born of the very substance of Mary and that in his miraculous generation by the holy Ghost the substance was not changed but the qualitie of it For when David prayeth after for a new heart he doth not desire to have the substance of his heart changed but the qualitie thereof that of a sinfull and unclean heart it may be made a pure and holy heart a fit Temple for the holy Ghost to dwell in Thus I hope I have to any sober judgement cleared both our received doctrine of originall sinne and the interpretation of my Text against these old and new Pelagians and so the confession of David standeth good that beside his actuall transgressions of the Law he standeth guilty before God of originall uncleannesse from which corrupt fountain all his streames of actuall iniquities do derive I will now fortifie this doctrine with plain demonstrations of the truth from the Scripture 1 Wherefore as by one man sinne entred into the world and death by sinne and so death passed upon all men 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in whom all have sinned Neverthelesse death reigned from Adam to Moses even over them that had not sinned after Adams transgression Saint Augustine understandeth this sinne to be that originall sinne that David here complaineth of for
a way that seemeth good in a mans owne eyes but the end thereof are the wayes of death This is viaâ—on bona the way not good we must turne out of it here repentance beginneth Leave to doe evill Natures way the way of corrupt will the way of our lusts the way of the world are beaten waies many travaile them but these are new waies which are called our owne crooked waies turne out of them 3 The object to the Lord. This may seeme to import very small comfort for transgressors to turne to the Lord for he hath declared himselfe a jealous God and a consuming fire he hath digged a pit for sinners his wisedome cannot but see his lawes broken his holinesse can doe no lesse than abhorre it his justice cannot but punish it To turne sinners to God is to bring stubble to the fire but marke the sequence of my text First he will teach sinners Gods waies and then there can be no danger of their turning to God For Adam when he had turned from God by disobedience it was no wonder that he turned not to God by repentance but fled from his presence and hid himselfe because the way to God was shutup till God himselfe opened it in the promised seed yet there is no record of his turning kept This point affordeth the most comfortable doctrine that we can preach or you heare That a sinner may turne to God and be welcome to him it is the oyle of gladnesse it is the bread that strengtheneth mans heart Manna reconditum the hidden Manna It is a flagon of wine from the Lords Cellar It is the fulnesse and fatnesse and marrow of Gods house It is the living water drawne from the rivers of Gods pleasure which refresh the City magni regis of the great King It is the very extraction and distilment of the two Testaments of the Law and of the Gospell Let a sinner upon survey of his conscience and the detection of his sinne whilest his iniquities are in number and are set in order before him even then in the cold fit of feare resort to the Lord and cast himselfe at his feet and seeke his face There be great reasons for it 1 There is a necessitie in it there is no helpe elsewhere none can forgive sinnes but God onely The Apostles and Ministers of the Word forgive sinnes upon repentance but ministerially they doe pronounce Gods pardon ex officio by their office Therefore the Iewes accused Christ of blasphemy for forgiving sinnes for they knew him not to be God He healeth all our infirmities and pardoneth all our sinnes 2 God though he abhorre sinne yet he loveth the person of the sinner he cannot despise the worke of his own hand he hath sworne by his life that he will not the death of a sinner but rather that he turne to him All the while that he hath his hand in his bosome while he is plucking of his sword out of the sheath while he is whetting of it while he is lifting it up all this while he is expecting our repentance and if we turne not he smiteth home if we doe convert he saith Put up thy selfe into thy scabberd rest and be still He dealeth not withus as with enemies at armes end but forbeareth us and openeth his bosome and revealeth to us the bowels of his compassion The two greatest and dearest loves that are he taketh upon himself to declare his tendernesse over us 1 the love of an husband secondly of a father for under these titles he hath desired to appeare to his Church yet he taketh an holy pride to transcend husbands and fathers in their naturall love for thy Maker is thy husband the Lord of hoasts is his name What husband will receive againe a disloyall divorced wife that hath given her body to be defiled and hath scornefully abused him and borne children to strangers yet God receiveth us after all this wrong yea whilest we are in the height of this sinne he wooeth and courteth us and seeketh our conversion I will allure her and bring her into the wildernesse and speake friendly to her heart Though fathers provoked by disobedient children forget naturall affection and mothers cast off all compassion yet God cannot yea though he doe for a time forbeare yet upon repentance if thou turne to him In the place where it was said ye are not my people there it shall bee said unto them ye are the sonnes of the living God Hee was that father who saw met received and cloathed and welcommed his vnthrifty sonne he sent not after him but when he returned he embraced him Our God is kinder than that father for he sendeth into the farre Country after to seeke us out he sendeth his Prophets Apostles Ministers Ite in universum mundum goe into all the world he riseth early to send them God himselfe offereth his owne wings how often would I have gathered you some parables expresse chiefly what God doth somewhat we should doe The parable of the Prodigall chiefly sheweth quid nos what we The parable of the lost sheepe quid Deus what God 3 We have comfort from Gods often inviting sinners to him nothing shall dismay us for he requireth and commandeth our resort to him with a non obstante nothing hindering and Samuel saith to the people yee have done all this wickednesse yet turne not aside from following the Lord but serve the Lord with all your heart and Christ saith Come all weary and heavy laden 4 God taketh more pleasure in the returne of a sinner to him then he conceived anger for his departing from him When God had lost Adam by his sinnes the griefe was not so great as his joy was when he recovered him by the seed of the woman The second Adam had twise from heaven proclaimed over him Hic est filius meus dilectus this is my beloved Sonne There is a parable for that more joy for the lost sheepe than the 99. Sinne is an act of depraved nature it is opus nostrum our worke Grace is opus Dei Gods worke he loves his owne workes more than hee hates ours Iacob Satis est vivit filius meus It is enough my sonne is yet alive The father in the parable pleaded and justified the cause of his joy My sonne was lost and is found This shewes the sure mercies of God which declare him God But because of us sinners thou shalt be called mercifull for ubi non est miseria non est misericordia where there is no misery there is no mercy The first sinners were Angels they fell not all and those that fell did corrupt onely themselves there was no propagation of that creature When Adam and Evah fell they corrupted the whole nature of mankinde and this magnified the Creators mercie when he raised up an horn of salvation to preserve a creature whose generations had else beene subject to ruine
God is above his law his lawes binde him not neither is his truth or justice prejudiced or any way blemished by his dispensation and indulgences and maintenance of his prerogative His revealed will holdeth in the generall but limiteth him not he will shew mercy on whom he will Neither is he bound to his owne ordained meanes of grace but he can save without them and no doubt he doth also therefore though sinne deserve hell fire yet he may forgive this punishment where he will without violence to his law which much encourageth our turning to God for though it come to a decree yet before the decree come forth it may by repentance be delayed in the very egression the childe may come to birth and no strength to bring it forth And howsoever we finde no way of salvation without the Church nor meanes of grace without Iesus Christ yet let me tell you I dare not say that all those morall heathen who lived in the light of nature onely yet by the law written in their hearts did conscionably performe that which that law did command were certainely damned I will shew you what hope may be There was a law given to Adam poena â—ors punishment death When Adam sinned hee saw nothing but death before him he had no hope of favour God had reserved an unrevealed meanes of mercy in his owne secret wisedome and will It was not a contradiction to the will revealed but a gratious dispensation to declare him all in all Now seeing it is so excellent and so beneficiall a duty to turne to the Lord consider that God hath concluded us all under sinne and that must be the lesson of us all to turne to him What then is required to a perfect conversion to God 1 A search of our hearts for sinne comparing our waies with the rule which is the law of God This is that the just man doth when he meditateth on the law of God day and night for that meditation serveth 1 For information of the judgement quomodo ambulandum how we are to walke 2 For search of our conscience quid feci what have I done 3 For full resolution quid merâ—i what have I deserved 2 Vpon this followeth percussio cordis the smiting of the heart a true sorrow and penitentiall deploration and confession of sinne for he that confesseth shall finde mercy 3 A present holy and constant reformation of life to the uttermost of our power and desire with care and feare for the future all this David here promiseth in peccatores convertentur ad te sinners shall be converted unto thee But how shall this be unto me 4 The Authour of this Here David is modest he beginneth with docebo vias I will teach thy wayes but he saith not et convertam and I will turne he will not take that upon him nor convertent se they will turne themselves he will not promise so much for them Convertentur they shall be turned it must be Gods owne worke turne us and we shall be turned Christ hath delivered us from the extreme rigour and exaction of the law and by the good favour of God it will now suffice that we labour our conversion to God using the meanes by him ordained to that purpose and cherishing in ourselves the good motions of Gods Spirit abstaining from sinne all that we can and declining the occasions thereof and when we finde our selves falling away from him to take our selves in the manner and speedily to cry God mercy for it and to be more warie hereafter by taking heed to our words and thoughts and waies that we may doe no more so If you desire to know whether you doe abide in him or not 1 Examine your selves by the fruits of holinesse and righteousnesse in your selves for Christ saith He that abideth in me and I in him he bringeth forth much fruit 2 You shall know it by your zeale in prayer and the successe thereof for if you abide in me and my words abide in you you shall aske what you will and it shall be done unto you 3 By your following the example of Christ in walking as he walked for as the merit of his obedience serveth for our justification so the example of his holinesse advanceth our sanctification for he hath said discite à me learne of me he is a Doctor as Bernard saith Cujus in â—re verbum vitae cujus in more vita verbi in whose presence is the word of life in whose conversation is the life of the word His love his patience his meekenesse and humility his obedience to his father are all exemplarie and Blessed is the servant whom his Master when he commeth shall finde so doing Where we affect and endeavour this way he is assistant to us and will not faile either in the worke to ayd it or in the reward to crowne it VERSE 14. Deliver me from bloud-guiltinesse O God thou God of my salvation and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousnesse 6 HE supplicateth in particular for pardon of his late great sinne of bloud in the murther of Uriah 1 Orat he prayes 2 promittit promises In the petition observe 1 Quid petit libera me â— sanguine what he prayes for Deliver me from bloud 2 A quo Deus Deus salut is meae from whom he askes O God thou God of my salvation 1 Quid petit what he asketh here we are directed in our pursuit of pardon to search our consciences for sinne and to crave speciall pardon for such sinnes in particular as doe most disquiet our conscience and offend God and scandall our profession of religion abroad and grieve the Church of God at home Such was this notorious sinne of David the crying sinne of murther the murther of a loyall faithfull servant Though all sinnes are mortall yet they are not all of equall magnitude the circumstances of persons time occasion place motives and such like doe either aggravate or extenuate them This murther of Davids hath full weight a King appointed by God to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a shepheard of the people to be the butcher of a subject a preserver of men to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a destroyer He on whose head God had poured his holy oyle to rent gall and wormewood to any subject to turne tyrant A Prophet of the Lord appointed to guide others in the way of life to become a plotter of death This bloudy execution done on a subject so ready to expose his life in defence of his Soveraigne so deserving honourable reward so receiving dishonourable injustice And this to revenge an honest good affection to his Master and to make way for a marriage to conceale a shamefull adulterie a former injurie done also to him in defiling his Subjects bed Some sinnes affected with strong desire and committed with sensuall delight doe charge the conscience after the glosse of their faire seeming is worne off
his recantation you shall see how hee declareth himself against them pronouncing them all vanity and vexation of spirit It is an old Proverbe Fortis in bello sapiens in ira amicus in adversis Strong in warre wise in anger a friend in adversity This is the Purgatory in which these are tryed If they comefairly off in these probations we esteeme them approved I may adde hereunto that a true Christian is tryed also in temptatioÌ„s of pleasure Ioseph was not so put to it either in the pit wherinto his brethren let him down or in the hands of the stranger Merchants into which he was sold not in the prison where his feet were in the stocks and the irons entred into his soule as in the hand of his Mistris when she laid hold of him and said lie with me Pleasures corrupt our understanding and cast our reason and judgment into a dead sleep They steale away the heart There is none that understandeth and seeketh after God Non est Deus in viis corum God is not in their wayes God sends Ezech. to Ierusalem on this errand Sonne of man cause Ierusalem to know her abominations For as Eliphas saith in Iob Man beleeveth not that hee erreth in vanitie therefore vanitie shall be his change His branch shall not be green but shall be cut off before his day Epaminondas is recorded a rare example of stayednesse that was able to walk sadly and gravely nothing moved with the vain delights of the people whose hearts were all set upon a merry pin on their wanton holyday It is a great example of Israel being in pursuit of the Philistines when Saul had cursed him with a curse that should eat any food till night that hee might be avenged on his enemies The story saith The men of Israel were pressed with hunger And all they of the Land came to a wood where honie lay upon the ground And the people came into the wood and behold the hony dropped and no man moved his hand to his mouth for the people feared the oath Wee are in pursuite of three dangerous enemies the Flesh the World and the Devill We have taken an oath in our Baptisme to fight strongly and constantly against these Fasting is one of our weapons we shall not want the sweet temptation of hony that is of pleasure dropping before us entisements to break our fast Let us remember our early oath sworne to God in our Baptisme Let us keep a devout fast from all sinfull delights what though it cost us a pinching and pressing bunger This is the way to get victory of our enemies before night for when night commeth we can no longer work Pleasant to the eye and delectable to the taste was the forbidden fruit But nakednesse and the losse of Paradise the sweat of the face and the multiplyed sorrows of Child-birth followed eating our first parents were no longer happy then whilest they were fasting It will be a very hard matter to perswade a man in the vanitie of his pleasure to offer God a sacrifice of a broken heart For in our full dishes and overflowing cups wee cannot remember Ioseph's affliction we shall hardly then arise from our banquet to visit him and suffer with him There is nothing in the world that so dimmeth the sight to behold the course of Gods judgments in the World nothing so deafeth the eare against the Word that runneth very swiftly nothing that fatteth the heart to slaughter so much as pleasure doth If Iobsâ—onnes â—onnes feast Iob feareth and sacrificeth least they should offend God in their mirth It is a spirituall kinde of martyrdome to absteine from pleasures when they are in our power as Bernard Inter epulas esurire To be hungry amidst banquetâ— as Israel did when the hony dropped and lay on the ground to tread upon it and passe over it Naturall death doth not spare us for our businesse for our delights and Iobs children were surprized with a violent death when they were feasting Mortification which iâ— the breaking of our hearts the thrashing grinding of our spirits should be so willing so 〈◊〉 so peremptorie as to do execution even upon the body and soule at a short warning not regarding the present delights of the world lâ—st another giâ—d us and carry us whither wee would net least like Haman wee be harried from the Queenes Banquet to the tree of execution A third impediment of this Sacrifice is a natural slothfulnesse in us to do those things that have any painfulnesse in them S. Pauls precept is Not slothfull to doe service The slothfull will not plough because of Winter therfore he shall beg in â—ummer but have nothing Ever since our first parents tasted the forbidden fruit that sweet meate had sowre-sawce Man was made for travaile and hee that would not labour might not eat So when we pray panem nostrum our bread wee mean not the bread of idlenesse for there is no â—read ours but what wee labour for so they go together in the sentence Insuâ—ore vultus tui vescêris pane tuo In the sweat of thy race shalt thou eat thy bread And we must labour for the bread that endureth for ever We must work out our salvation It is an idle prâ—tense to cry out Leâ— est in vsae There is a Lion in the way We know that our adversary the Devill goeth about like a roring Lion there is no way out of his walk Hee compasseth the earth to and fro we must resist him The Apostle hath fitted a Panoply to arme us against him We must fight a good fight Vincenâ—i dabitur To him that overcommeth shall be given If we be so idle that we will not stirre or so faint-hearted that we dare not see our own bloud or so pitifull that wee cannot finde in our hearts to destroy such an enemie our own idlenesse is our ruine It is one of the greatest tasks that ever thou undertookest by thy repentance to breake thine owne heart Thou hast armies against thee within thy selfe to preserve it from contrition and breaking 1 All thy imaginations of thy thoughts for they are onely evill these are an innumerous armie the miâ—â—tia warfare of the brain 2 All thy affections and passions which proceed from the heart these are all Cardiacall 3 All thy sins which Concupiscence hath brooded in thy heart the nest of them all These are the militia warfare of the heart Nate Deo potes hoc sub casu ducere somnos ô born of God in troubles deep and midst of anguish canst thou sleep The man of God that fighteth these battailes must not be idle The true cause of this spirituall idlenes in us is the reluctation of our corrupt nature to the work of our own salvation for our progression of our nature is easie the way lieth all down-hil our sayling is with winde and tyde and he that maketh his voyage for Hell may ship his oares and never needeth