grieved Abraham he tooke her alone for desire of of-spring not to satisfie lustfull desires and now when she promised seede and his heart was raised up with expectation of a sonne to have all his hopes dashed by the quarrels that Sarah had with her she being gone away and hee knowing not where to have her nor how to procure her returne nor what was become of her nor of his child wherewith she went and which was deare unto him even now before he saw it in the world This surely put him to much griefe and sorrow This crosse is not very usuall to have a great bellied wife runne from a man but if such a kind of desertion shall befall any either hee must be very respectlesse of his wife or else it would be a corrasive unto him But a worse crosse or as bad befell him after for at last the Lord made him to divorce Hagar and to send her quite away never againe to live with him This was as bad and worse then to burie her If God do even separate a mans wife from him either his affection to her is little or else his griefe for her will be much but hee had Sarah his first wife and that served to mitigate the putting away of his superadded woeman So you see his domesticall afflictions in his wife now consider what hee suffered in his childeren 1. In Ishmael whom hee had first hee was faine to banish him or excommunicate him whether you will or both this was an hard thing to him hee had but two sonnes and now hee must thrust one out of his family for ought that hee knew never to see him againe Hee must adventure him to the wide world and send him abroad with his mother in all probability of reason to starve or begge hee knew not whether Would it not grieve and trouble any of you to send a pretty youth about a douzen or ten yeares old out of his house without any thing but a bag and a bottle not knowing what hee would doe or whether hee must goe yet God tried Abraham thus hee must learne to trust Gods word without meanes and above hope The promise was that God would make him a great man and now God began to performe promise by seeming to make him a begger If God seeme to threaten us with beggerie in our posterity wee must consider that such a crosse seemed to bee rushing upon Abraham but God found meanes to make that sonne great to whom hee was not suffered to give any thing that it might be made evident that it is easie with God to inrich a man cast out and destitute of all friends But Abraham had another sonne see the crosses that befell him in Isaac First hee waited long for him before hee had him To be long deferred from enjoying a thing promised and hoped for is a burden somewhat tedious if a man have not faith and patience in some good measure and quantity Thus God tried Abraham hee lived twenty five yeares after the promise of a large ofspring before he imbraced the same which the promise pointed to How could wee brooke the deferring of a promise twenty five yeares But when hee had him was the last triall and worst of all hee must take him and ride with him a long journey of three dayes to a certaine mountaine and there hee must offer him up to God for a burnt offering here God tried Abraham to the quicke Hee must denie naturall affection in killing a sonne so deare unto him and that at this age If God see fit to have him why did hee not call for him when hee was a young childe before hee had filled his heart with so intense love and earnest expectation If hee will have him now why cannot hee send some disease to fetch him but the Father must murder the sonne so nature must give place to Gods commandement Hee must also denie his credit in the world and expose himselfe to most harsh and in shew just censure of all men yea of his familie and of his wife Sarah too whose griefe for her slaughtered sonne must needes cause her to lade her husband with grievous complaints and in appearance also righteous Yea hee must in some sence contradict and crosse even faith it selfe by slaying him in whom the Lord had said unto him In Isaac shall thy seede be called Thus faith must conquer nature conquer credit and conquer it selfe which also it did in Abraham For hee considered that God was able to raise him up againe from the dead from whence in a figure hee had received him So it seemeth good to God to put his servanrs hard to it and to require such things at their hands as cannot but bee very difficult unto them Thus you have heard of Abrahams life now at last hee died in peace and in a good old-old-age after he had lived 175. yeares not so long as his Fathers and fore-fathers God still shortening the age of man usually that he might put them and us in minde of our latter end and make us carefull to prepare for it continually * ⎠* THE NINTH EXAMPLE OF SARAH HAGAR AS Abraham is called the Father of the faithfull so it is also said to Godly woemen concerning Sarah whose daughters yee are as long as yee doe well c. So that shee is honoured with this title of being the mother of beleevers as hee was the Father Having therefore set before you the example of Abraham wee proceede to consider the example of Sarah his wife Let us see 1. Her birth 2. Her life 3. Her death Concerning her birth her Father is knowne her Mother is not knowne Shee had the same Father with Abraham not the same Mother for so he telleth Abimelech saying Gen. 20.12 Shee is indeed my sister the daughter of my Father not the daughter of my mother and shee became my wife For as yet God had not forbidden to marry with any of the kindered of ones flesh as after hee did so that as yet hee might lawfully take his sister by the one side to be his wife the consort of his bed and shee was borne 10. yeares after Abraham for it is noted that when Isaac was borne shee was 90. yeares of age and he a 100. So was she 10. yeares younger then himselfe and he exceeded her in age 10. yeares as it is meete though not necessary that the husband be somewhat elder then his wife Gen. 21.5 Abraham was a hundred yeares old when his sonne Isaac was borne to him Gen. 17.17 Shall Sarah that is ninety yeares old beare so it is manifest that there was the difference of ten yeares betwixt Abraham and Sarah And this is all we have to say of her Birth Now concerning her life wee will looke into her carriage good and bad and then to the things that befell her good and bad First then for that which was good in her in
did shew his goodnesse to Noah and gave him dominion over all creatures and power to eate flesh which before God had given them no warrant to doe and therefore I suppose the godly did not usually unlesse in sacrifice if then And herein the Lord was gratious to Noah that for his sake he made a covenant And he was a figure of Christ in whom the Lord did make a covenant with all mankind then the second time not to destroy them with eternall destruction if they would trust in his mercy and repent of their sinnes For this temporall covenant was a shadow of that eternall into which all mankind was againe admitted through Christ that was to come But they did soone cast of this covenant in running to other gods which may seeme to be the onely sinne that then did cast the committers quite out of the covenant other sinnes did keepe them from injoying the good things of the covenant but this did cast them out of it altogether so that having runne into that they were no longer in the covenant Now see Gods grace more fully to us that hath renewed this covenant which is in Christ more evidently and take we heede of casting our selves out of it againe by following strange Mediators and Jesusses as I thinke the Papists doe Whosoever doth seeke to any other merits but only those of Christ thrusts himselfe out of the covenant of grace and Christ is become of none effect unto him Lastly Noah had two Godly sonnes and this is a singular favour to give a man a Sem and Iaphet if he have a Cam and that all his sonnes be not discoverers of their Fathers shame Lastly after 950. yeares Noah died and so must we all after not so long a life O therefore prepare wee for the comming of death that it may not take us away in the midst of our impenitency * ⎠* THE SEVENTH EXAMPLE OF HAM NIMROD Babilonians I Have offered to your consideration the Examples of the Old World I proceede to speake of the World that now is as S. Peter calles it 1. from the floud to Abraham and then from Abraham to the death of Ioseph for there the Booke of Moses called Genesis is concluded Now here first I will set before you the bad examples of bad men then the good examples of good Of the bad we have Cam Nimrod particulars and the builders of Babel in an heape as it were and of the good wee have Sem and Iaphet and the godly posterity of Sem whose geneologie is noted to shew the age of the world till Abram First J will begin with Ham and note his parentage and life for of his death in particular Moses hath made no mention For his parentage he was the son of Noah borne to him before the floud after his 500. yeare for to that age lived he before he became a Father and after that in the whole time of his life hee had no more children God of purpose it may seeme giving him but few children because his minde was to begin the present world with a few as he did the first with one man that so his blessing in the large increase of mankinde afterwards might be more evidently discovered But the youngest sonne was this Ham. Now for his life I marke three things in it First the great benefits God bestowed upon him Secondly the great sinnes he committed Thirdly the great punishments which God inflicted upon him for his sinnes First God vouchsafed to save him in the Arke from the Deluge of waters so that he perished not with the world but escaped with his Father and Brethren It was a speciall and singular favour to make him one of the few that is eight persons that were delivered from the raging waves and enjoyed the benefit of a miraculous preservation of that little handfull of men whereof the Church visible did then consist Wee see that one was an Hypocrite a dissembler a wicked unsanctified man who though he continued a professour of the true religion and worshipper of the true God with his Father and Brethren yet was destitute of true piety and continued gracelesse a servant of sinne voide of due reverence and charity towards his aged Father Gods Minister and the most holy man of all those times and served God with them alone in outward forme and fashion For had he beene truly good he would not have run into so foule a sin at least he would not have persisted in it without repentance as he did See then that the Lord shewes a great deale of patience long-suffering and goodnesse to hypocrites in the Church and maketh them partakers of all outward benefits and priviledges which are bestowed upon the Church so did Ishmael live in Abrahams family a long time and Esau longer in Isaacs So Core Dathan Abiram and the rest of those rebels and murmurers were brought out of Egypt passed thorough the sea saw the miracles and did eate Manna and drunk water out of the rock and were shadowed with the cloud and conducted by the pillar of fire among the rest of the sons of Iacob And I pray you to take heed by this warning of priding and pleasing your selves in this that you be members of the Church escape divers punishments enjoy many mercies live in good esteeme among the godly and carrie away as great credit as any other men in the Church All this befell Cham a wicked Hypocrite and at last a damned Reprobate It is a dangerous thing to flatter our selves in a bad estate and to couzen our selves with false arguments making our selves to trust upon a false conclusion and to judge our selves Gods children and in the state of salvation upon such reasons as have no verity nor stability in them You live in the true Church so did Cham you live amongst godly men have beene borne of godly parents have beene instructed in the doctrine of godlinesse so was Cham you have escaped great punishments enjoyed great benefits and beene well reputed of by godly men all this befell Cham and all this notwithstanding Cham was cursed and damned and so may you In after times the Jewes bragged of the Temple of the Lord and the Temple of the Lord are we and yet the Lord rejected them and cast them out of his sight In Christs daies the Jewes bragged that Abraham was their Father for Iohn Baptists warning would not serve the turne to make them forbeare such idle boasting of their Pedigree but our Saviour telleth them that the Divell was their Father yea Iudas himselfe was one of Christs Familie and Disciples and Apostles and trusted with the bag and yet a Divell O therefore beguile not your selves with ill grounded hopes and build not upon a rotten foundation If you say unto mee why then you leave us in uncertainty and affoord us no sure pillar upon which to ground our hopes I answer not so but I will turne you to
fruit of their bodies If God make not a woeman to beare children but make her pious and godly able to bring forth the fruits of the spirit in that spirituall marriage betwixt Christ and her she hath cause to be so thankefull for this fruitfulnesse as easily to brooke the trouble of the other unfruitfulnesse And those whom God doth not afflict with this affliction must learne to praise him for their fertile wombe It is a sinne not to prize even these temporall benefits but to grumble at abundance of fruit of the body is so foule a fault of ingratitude and unbeleefe that a man or woeman should greatly blame themselves for turning a thing beneficiall in it selfe into a distresse and misery unto themselves Another crosse was that she was sleighted by her maide yea that she bare the crosse somewhat impatiently must be reckoned in the number of her sinnes Doubtlesse it is a trying affliction to be assaulted with rude saucy and contemptuous words and gestures of a disobedient and undutifull servant Hardly shall the spirit of a governour be able to hold it selfe in patience when it shall see a servant or inferiour to looke too disdainefully or arrogantly or heare them utter surly and scoffing words Pride in an inferiour shewes it selfe by undutifulnesse and it will prove an hard thing to the superiour not to thinke it equall that pride should encounter pride againe with passionate resistance of it You must learne that have servants most times as most times Hagar was dutifull to be thankefull for it and must take heede of doing any thing by which you may give your servants occasion to sleight and contemne you for their corruption will quickly lay hold upon any occasion of such misdemeanour A third crosse was this to be taken from her husband into the house of Pharaoh and after of Abimelech 'T is true she could blame none but her selfe and her husband for that crosse but that did not make it lesse a crosse as hee is no lesse wounded that woundes himselfe by mischance then he whom an enemy should purposely wound and this crosse was made a little the more bitter by this that she was though gently and with milde wordes yet duely chidden for it by Abimelech too who tels her plainely of it saying Gen. 20.16 I have given thy brother this name hee gives Abraham ironically with somewhat a tart rebuke as much as if he had said whom thou wouldest have had us thinke to be onely thy brother a 100. shekels that is of our money some 72. lb. od money neere upon a 100. markes and addes behold hee is to thee a covering of thine eyes and to all that are with thee and with all other thus shee was reprooved She was sensible of the rebuke this was somewhat bitter that a stranger should chide her for not sufficiently covering her eyes Sure it was a griefe to her to come under just reproofe we must take heed that our evill carriage make us not subject to just reprehension We shall be ashamed to heare of what we were not carefull to shunne And so much of Sarahs life Of her death we reade Gen. 23. She lived a 127. yeares and died at Hebron and was buried in the cave of Makphela which Abraham bought for money of Ephron the Hittite for that use upon that occasion She is the onely woeman so farre as my memory serves me whose time of living is registred in Scripture whither it have any mistery in it I cannot tell no woemans age is recorded but Sarahs alone the mother of Isaac doubtlesse God intended to grace her in it above other woemen And so we have done with Sarah too It will not be amisse to add Hagar to her of whose birth we have nothing recorded in Scripture and as little of her death but by that which the Scripture speaketh of her there is some good probability that she was a woeman fearing God First because of all woemen in Sarahs house who having above 300. men-servants must needes have many maide-servants also she made choice of her to give unto her husband Abraham to the end that some seede yea the promised seede might be taken from her Sure Abraham and Sarah would not have preferred her above all the maidens in the house if they had not thought her also a good and godly maiden I suppose therefore that seeing her matter and mistresse thought her good we should goe against the rules of charity though we reade of some faults she had if we thinke not so too Let us consider of her life and see her vertues and faults benefits and crosses First it was a great vertue in her that all the time of her dwelling with Abraham before shee carried her selfe very dutifully and respectively to Sarah else she would never have given her into Abrahams bosome Let all servants learne of her to shew all reverence and dutifull behaviour to their governours and not onely to the rich and wealthy but to the poore also nay as S. Peter saith not onely to the good and curteous but also to the froward for so is Gods commandement to them expressely Ephes 6. Col. 4. 1 Pet. 2. and if any servant doe otherwise they do not garnish and adorne but disgrace and discredit true religion The servant is no further godly then hee or she shewes reverence and honour to the master and governesse Looke therefore that you set your selves to please and content your governours with all obedience and duty if you will have God and your owne consciences to approve of you Secondly when the Angell met her and asked her whence she came and whither she went she answered plainely and said I flie from the face of my Mistresse Sarah she told truth without lying and that is a good thing and commendable to speake truth though it be to ones owne shame but to have told a lie to an Angell might have procured her great reproofe and herein you may see that Hagar exceeded her Mistresse for when the Angell charged Sarah with laughing shee denied it but Hagar being examined confesseth the truth without lying We shall doe better in this case to follow the maide then the Mistresse Another good thing in her was that when shee was commanded by the Angell of God to goe and humble her selfe to her Mistresse shee did so Here all you inferiours must learne of her nay rather of the Angell which taught her what you should doe if you have by frowardnesse or ill carriage provoked your Governours so that they doe use perhaps a little too much rigour towards you yet you must submit and humble your selves acknowledge your owne faultinesse and patiently stoope to their words of reproofe yea or blowes of correction This submission is the best way to pacifie wrath and to settle peace Afterwards we reade of no falling our betwixt Hagar and Sarah Learne therefore all yee servants to stoope
purpose and then shewed it her Hath not God succoured some of us in dangers almost as great by sending us or shewing us some present meanes of helpe which it was not possible for any wit of ours to provide Let not such a benefit be forgotten and let us learne to trust upon him ever after and not to be carkingly troubled with casting dangers before hand and disquieting our selves with feares because we see no way out God will have a Well in store and shew it us at the exigent Againe it was a great mercy of God that himselfe vouchsafed to give him a name and so sweet a name as that of Ishmael which signifieth God will heare and may seeme to point out the deliverance whereof I spake last for then it is said I have heard the cry of the lad O that we could labour to be Ishmaels in this sence such as have interest unto this mercy of being heard of God Such we shall be if we depart from iniquity and study to please God for if any man doe the will of God him will God heare Lastly God blessed Ishmael in outward things and made him to prosper so much in the world that he became a great man and had twelve Princes issuing from his loynes and after a great nation Why should the Saints doubt of things needfull seeing even those of whom we are not sure that they were Saints enjoyed so great abundance or why should any man boast himselfe of these things which an Ishmael may have as well as an Isaac And why should not we be incouraged to serve God in uprightnesse who vouchsafeth so liberally to reward his servants as to blesse their children so much for their sakes And so much for the life of Ishmael Now for his death which is set downe Gen. 25.17 These are the yeeres of the life of Ishmael 137 yeeres and then hee gave up the ghost and died and was gathered to his people He lived ten yeeres more then Sarah for she lived 127 and he an 137 and this is to be noted of him that the yeeres of his life are reckoned which is not done to any wicked man in Scripture againe whereby some probability is given that he was a good man seeing it is also said that He was gathered to his people a phrase not used of any but good men signifying that he went among the Congregation of the good men which went before him But howsoever we must learne by his death to prepare for ours that we may be gathered unto our people If we live as Gods people we shall die as Gods people and be gathered amongst them and shall be raised up also with them at the resurrection of the just But if we live with the wicked we shall die with the wicked and be gathered together with them to shame and torment at the last And so much of Ishmael Abrahams sonne by Hagar Now of others that lived at the same time Eliezer of Damascus the Steward of his house into whose hands hee committed all that he had so it is told us Gen. 15.2 and 25.2 Hee was his eldest servant and ruled over all that he had of his Birth and Death we reade nothing in Scripture but of his Life some passages are related 1. His vertues and good deeds for of his bad deeds no mention is made not that he was altogether free from sinne for if Abraham and Sarah were in some things found faulty it cannot be thought that this man a servant of theirs was faultlesse but because the Lord did not write an entire story of his life but would set him before the eyes of servants as an example for them to imitate Now of him therefore wee must note his good carriage his benefits and his crosses First for his good deeds when Abraham called him and would have him put his hand under his thigh a gesture used to the godly Patriarkes by such as bound themselves to them by an oath perhaps to signifie their subjection to them and faith in the promised seed which was to come out of their loynes he would not hastily and hand-over-head take that oath which was ministred unto him but with due caution and warinesse that he might not thrust himselfe into the danger of forswearing himselfe by rashnesse but might have a quiet conscience by seeing clearely how farre his oath bound him and to what that so he might know himselfe able to performe his oath and might accordingly fulfill it In him therefore we learne to be warie in swearing and to sweare in judgement that is advisedly and with good consideration informing our selves fully of the thing sworne too that it might not be either impossible or unlawfull to the intangling of our soules in the perill of falling into that hainous offence of perjury No man must proceede to an oath hastily and inconsiderately but must ponder upon the thing sworne too that he may have a full resolution to accomplish the same Looke to your selves that you shew the like religious respect to the great name of God An oath is a strong bond in which a man laies his soule as it were in pawne to God so that the breach of his oath is a forfeiture of his pretious soule to the hands of Gods judgement so great a bond must not be taken upon us without great cautelousnesse They therefore that have sworne on a suddaine not deliberating seriously of it must know that they have even offered contempt to God because though perhaps the thing was just and possible yet it was so by chance alone and as it fell out and if it had beene otherwise yet they would have taken it so that no thankes was due to any religious care of theirs if it were otherwise Repent therefore of your hastinesse and heedelesnesse in swearing this is to shew your selves such as doe not feare an oath and so doe not duely reverence and honour the great Majesty of God whose name in swearing you invocate against your selves Therefore also those that minister an oath must not be displeased at such cautelousnesse but must readily satisfie the doubts and scruples of those that sweare that with good conscience and a quiet minde they may take it upon them for seeing they be carefull before they sweare to understand what they sweare unto it giveth good hope that after they have sworne they will be as carefull that they keepe it and so their oath shall be to some purpose which should very much content and satisfie him that gives them the oath But he that will speedily and without considering take an oath will also be as ready to breake it alledging his former ignorance or mistaking as an excuse of his not fulfilling it Hitherto of his devotion to God in respect of his wary entring into an oath Now comes to be handled his good carriage towards Abraham in the businesse by oath committed unto him First he
they had slaine onely the ravisher it might seeme to have beene justified by this reason had it beene good but Hamor and the other Citizens knew nothing of this abuse at least they were not guilty of it none of them had abused their sister Secondly who ever made this law that a man greatly wronged should kill him from whom he had received wrong so their reason is naught and if it were good yet would it not reach farre enough to justifie their deedes Here we have two faults to answer their Father surlily and impenitently justifying the fault in a kinde of angry muttering at the reproofe this is a common fault amongst inferiours if they be reprehended they goe away grumbling some sorry excuses or other being angry within and shewing it as farre as well they dare by mumbling out some fond words so as they cannot be distinctly heard This is a kinde of replying to Governours and is a sinne shewing that there is no sparke of true repentance for the fault at least that then that sparke is even raked up But if after the heate of passion that carried one to commit the fault a man be told mildly of his fault and then mumble out such foolish excuses sure he is not penitent and in very deede such mutterers would have their mouthes stopped and stomacke taken downe with smart and blowes This shewes a sleighting of the Governour as well as not repenting of the fault I pray you inferiours now you are quiet consider how undecent a thing it is and how ill beseeming your places that you may blame it in your selves and condemne it for the future and seeke to get it pardoned And now learne to doe better give such an answer as these young youthes should have done but did not that is confesse your offences humble your selves resolve upon and unfaignedly promise amendment and pacifie the anger at once of God your Governours and your owne consciences And see in them a second fault in this one answer a bearing out of themselves in their sinnes without feare shame or remorse and that upon so fond a pretext as this that they had received a wrong first To continue heardned in a sinne such a sinne not to be able to see the hatefulnesse of it not to feele the weightinesse of it not to feare the just judgements of God and due punishments of men but in steede of sorrow to shew stiffenesse as much as to say if it were to doe againe I would doe it and I am not sorry that I have done it this is a great badnesse and to beare ones selfe thus in sinne upon meere false conceits that have no probability of truth in them argues a most blinde minde and a stupid conscience and makes the sinne much more offensive to God as shewing that the mind is not carried to sinne on a suddaine temptation but gives it selfe to sinne out of the place it hath given to the beleefe of false principles as these had concluded with themselves that it was reason to kill him that abused their sister and therefore deliberately had resolved to doe it Let us take heede to our selves that we be not thus hardened by the deceitfulnes of sinning Now the punishment of this sinne is this that they were minded of it by Iacob and had not that part of the birth-right setled upon them though the next in age that Reuben had forfeited but were scattered and divided in Israel and made to be two of the smallest and meanest tribes not fit either to command and rule or else to have the double portion because of their small number God did afterward turne this to Levi to a blessing but in it selfe it was a punishment God causeth that for murder and such insolencies toward the Father the whole posterity after them doth fare the worse in earthly things for their fault and just it is that he should doe so for hee lookes upon Parent and childeren as upon roote and branch making but one common bodie where each is a part and therefore in smiting the roote doth bring misery upon the branches too and contrarily O let us take up this argument to fortifie our resolutions against sinne shunne earnestly the doing of those evils which may provoke God to scatter and disperse thine ofspring after thee And so much of Simeon and Levi onely we have mention of Levies death too how long he lived and then he died Exod. 6.15 that he lived 137. yeares Now of Iudah in severall consider his faults and vertues benefits and crosses His faults were these besides what was common in the matter of of Ioseph and the rest First that he seperated himselfe from his Fathers house and went and lived with a certaine Cananite called an Adullamite because he lived neere a place called Adullam and out of I know not what occasion there grew a great and inward friend with him This was to get out of Gods blessing into the warme sunne to leave the family of Iacob and table with Hiram this was to excommunicate himselfe out of the Church what in him lay and to bid adue to God and all his spirituall blessings It must be noted as a great fault for any worldly respect whatsoever voluntarily to transplant a mans selfe out of the visible Church into a profane and unhallowed place where the Church is not There where you have Gods Word Gods Sacraments Gods Name and Gods people and finde your selves spiritually edified there abide though it be with some inconveniences to your estate and be willing rather to suffer outward dammage then inward shew more love of goodnesse then Iudah did when he was a prophane young man After you see he returned home to his Fathers house it had beene better not to have departed thence at all A second fault being there he is led by his eye to marry a Cananitish woman It is likely without consent or privity of his old Father it is scarce like he would goe to him to aske counsell whose family he had forsaken Beware young men of erring with Iudah and marrying your selves to prophane and idolatrous persons of your owne heads for sinister respects least the Lord punish you as he did Iudah The youth of Iudah doth a little excuse for he was very young when he had his first childe as appeares because his childe by Tamar viz. Pharez had two sonnes at the time of their going downe to Aegypt when Ioseph was but 39. yeares for he was 30. before the yeares of famine came when he stood before Pharaoh and there had beene 7. yeares of plenty past after his preferment and two of famine Now Iudah was Iacobs fourth sonne borne about the fourth or fifth yeare of his being in Padan and Ioseph the last borne there about the 14. yeare so there was some 10. yeares space betwixt that therefore Ioseph being 39. he could be at most but 49. Tamar by whom he had Pharez was married to
PROTOTYPES OR THE PRIMARIE PRECEDENT PRESIDENTS OVT OF THE BOOKE OF GENESIS Shewing The Good and Bad things They did and Had Practically applied to our Jnformation and Reformation By that faithfull and painefull Preacher of Gods Word William Whately late Pastour of Banbury Together with Mr. WHATELYES Life and Death Published by Mr. Edward Leigh and Mr. Henry Scudder who were appointed by the Authour to peruse his manuscripts and printed by his owne Coppy Vivitur Exemplis Praecepta ducunt Exempla trahunt 1 COR. 11.1 Be yee followers of me even as I also am of Christ EXOD. 23.2 Thou shalt not follow a multitude to doe evill 1 COR. 10.11 Now all these things happened unto them for Ensamples And they are written for our admonition LONDON Printed by G. M. for EDVVARD LANGHAM Booke-seller in Banbury MDCXL TO THE RIGHT WORSHIPFVLL THE MAIOR THE VVORSHIPFVLL THE ALDERMEN AND BVRGESSES AND THE REST OF THE INHABITANTS OF THE TOWNE AND PARISH OF BANBVRY Right Worshipfull c. AS I could not but congratulate my owne and your happinesse in the injoyment of your worthy Pastours labours so both I and many other Christians do now condole your misery in the losse of the good Authour The greater your happinesse was the greater now is your misery and I feare many of you prized not the blessing so much as you should have done and that you knew not the greatnesse of the benefit so well by the fruition as now by the want of it At Banbury even amongst you was your Pastour borne and bred and there he lived and died Ministers are called Incumbents so was he being diligently resident in his place they are stiled Lights so was he like a candle or lampe which spent himselfe to give light to others He spent his means and strength amongst you and as himselfe in his sicknesse said He sought not yours but you Of all the Ministers that ever I knew so experimentally he was the most unblameable in his conversation I had the happinesse to live almost a yeare with him in his house neare foure yeares under his Ministry and to be esteemed by him one of his faithfullest friends I have cause to blesse GOD for him whilst I live since it pleased him by his meanes not onely to reveale many saving truthes unto mee but also to set them on with such power as I hope I shall never forget them Oh with what life and zeale would hee both preach and pray and how strict and watchfull was hee in his whole life being as every good Minister should be Blamelesse Sober Just Holy Temperate of good Behaviour given to Hospitality apt to teach a lover of good things and good men Hee studied to approove himselfe unto GOD a workeman that needed not to be ashamed rightly dividing the word of Truth He propounded to you the Examples of holy Writ and was himselfe whilst he lived an Example and Patterne of all good works If that saying therefore of Austins be true So many as a man shall edifie by a good Example for so many he shall receive a reward of a blessed life than surely he hath now received a full reward for all the good hee did by his holy life unto those with whom he conversed In a word hee was a most pious and accomplisht Divine for his ministeriall parts and paines as one of his neare Friends said truely hee might sooner bee envied than matcht and equalled being in this like Saul higher than his brethren by the head He was well skilled in both the Originall tongues being able to render the Text out of his Hebrew Bible or Greeke Testament to another in our mother tongue as familiarly almost as if it had bin English For the Arts he was a good Logician as his exact Analysis of the ten Commandements sheweth a good Philosopher as his Sermons in manuscript on the 104. Psalme doe witnesse a good Rhetorician or Oratour as his printed Treatises aboundantly testifie Hee had words at will and could readily and aptly expresse himselfe in his Sermons which gift of Elocution is requisite if not necessary for a compleate Divine He had by long Experience gotten the art of preaching and he wrote a tract concerning that subject hee had an excellent faculty in characterizing or fitly describing a vertue or vice or any other thing and though he had no common-place-booke of his own yet he could treat of any subject I might also extoll his other indowments and without danger of exceeding magnifie him for his strong naturall parts his solid judgement and tenacious memorie and commend some vertues wherein hee excelled to your imitation as his Humility Mercifullnesse Beneficence Laboriousnesse and Diligence in his Calling and then also shew how comfortably he died being full of heavenly speeches and godly Exhortations Therefore I passe from himselfe to this Opus posthumum this first worke of his which since his death came to light viz. Sermons on all the Examples or Historicall part of Genesis which Booke containeth a briefe and short Story of the things done from the beginning of the world to the death of Joseph for the space as it is thought by some of 2309. yeares by Doctor Willet of 2368. yeares Examples are not unfitly compared unto looking-Glasses wherein one may behold as well what to eschew as what to follow So you should follow the Faith of Abraham and Obedience of Isaack but shun their lying and dissembling follow Noah and Lot in their Righteousnesse and Zeale but shunne their drunkennesse and incest And because an Example of a Person living amongst you may bee more prevalent with some then the Examples of others though singularly holy whose vertues they onely read of as a Sermon delivered Viva voce doth more affect then the same reade out of a Booke So walke therefore as you had him for an Example and bee you followers of him as hee was of CHRIST in the Graces before mentioned and all holy conversation Remember him who had the rule over you who hath spoken unto you the Word of GOD whose Faith follow and Charitie too for Master Whately was the most bountifull Minister to the poore I thinke in England of his meanes your Consciences will witnesse that hee hath often pressed and urged this Dutie upon you and as hee was earnest in perswading his Hearers to beneficence so hee practised the same Himselfe entertaining some poore widdowes or necessitous Persons weekely at the least at his Table and giving the tenth of all his Estate that way and see how GOD blessed him for the same his Estate as himselfe told mee prospered the better after hee tooke that course and in his sickenesse hee comforted himselfe with that Promise Psalme 41.1 3. Blessed is hee that considereth the poore the LORD will deliver him in time of trouble The LORD will strengthen him upon the bed of languishing O follow him therefore who by Faith and Patience inherits the Promises let
and of all that die in the Faith of our Lord Jesus to whom bee ascribed all Might Majestie Dominion and Glorie both now and for ever more Amen This Man of God and faithfull Minister of Christ departed this life upon Friday the 10. of May Anno Domini 1639. neare the end of the six and fiftieth yeare of his age Feb. 25. 1639. Imprimatur THOMAS WYKES Banburies Funerall teares powred forth upon the Death of her late pious and painefull Pastour Mr. William Whately deciphered in this Sympathizing Elogy I am that Orbin which of late did shine An heav'n enlightned starre with raies divine Which did arise within mee and dispence Light life heate Heav'n-infusing influence And went before me steering right mine Eye Vnto the very place where CHRIST did lye He was a Cynosura in my motion To Heaven's bright haven on this worlds vast Ocean Or as the Aegyptian Pharos to descrie The rockes of sinne and errour to mine Eye Hee was my Glorie Beautie Consolation My very soule I but the Corporation I would goe on with bleedings to recite His and mine owne sad fall but I can't write Throbs shake mine hand and griefe my sight destroyes And when I speake ah teares doe drowne my voice Yet will I sigh and give my sorrowes pent Within my breast by mournefull breathings vent Come then speake sighs write teares and sadly storie The dark Ecclipse that hath befell my glorie My Starre is falne and Heavens did so dispose That there he fell where he at first arose The Starres above us thus their races runne Returning thither whence they first begunne But did I say hee 's fallen Stay me there He is translated to an higher spheare Where though to th' world he is obscur'd he may Shine forth unvailed in a purer ray Fixt to an endlesse rest in heavens bright throne Above all starry Constellation But ah alas Death hath dispos'd it so That his rise prooves my fall his weale my woe His weale my woe strange what a change is this My welfare was but now in wrapt in his But thus Death innovates and did he not Tell me that he Commission hath got And warrant for his fact from heavens great King I would have brought him into questioning Ah death what hast thou done Dost thou not care To make a breach which ages can't repaire So rare a Frame in peeces for to take VVhich Heav'n and nature did combine to make A Master-peece For who did ere behold So sound a spirit in so strong a mold Heaven's treasure which within his breast abode VVas by his liberall tongue disperst abroad All Graces gave a meeting in him even To make his breast a little map of Heav'n His lips distilled Manna and he stood Not so for Church-goods as the Churches good His voice it was a trump whose sound was made VVith breath divine which it from Heaven had His life a dayly Sermon which alas Methinkes was measur'd by too short a glasse Ah Death though Painters give thee holes for eyes Yet thou canst see to take the richest prize To hit the fairest mark yet I suspect It was my sinne which did thine hand direct My light had I improov'd it well for gaine VVould have remaind els lights sha'nt burn in vain Yet sure he is not dead for why I find Him still surviving in my breast enshrin'd And who can say that he 's of life bereaven That lives in 's works inpious hearts in Heaven He 's but a sleepe by death undrest not dead Or hath but changd his dresse for he in stead Of these sin-staind ragges of mortality VVeares a pure robe whose length's eternity M. B. EXAMPLE I. OF Adam and Eve AS all other knowledges are conveniently taught by Precepts and Examples so is that best of knowledges the art of living holily Hence it is that as I have instructed you to my poore ability in the Law and the precepts of good life so I doe now intend to set before your eyes the Examples recorded in Scripture of Men both good and bad that by observing the swervings of the one and the right walking of others you may better keepe your owne feete in the streightest paths Onely concerning Examples you must know this thing in generall that no Example at all hath the force of a precept either to binde the consciences of men to any thing as a duty or to restraine from any thing as a sinne because the knowledge of sinne is from the Law and where there is no Law there is no transgression and our care must be to walke in Gods waies not in the waies of any man whatsoever But Example prevaileth alone to perswade the will as a fit argument of Exhortation or Dehortation not as an argument to proove a thing needfull or sinfull Seeing then my duty is to perswade you to all goodnesse and to disswade you from all evill and the Examples of Scripture are undoubted and certaine and they offer themselves as it were unto the sences and so more worke on the will to allure or deterre I thinke it a convenient meanes of helping you in all righteousnesse and against the contrary to make a collection of those Examples of good or bad things which are left us upon record by a divine pen and I will range these Examples according to the order of time wherein they lived so farre as I can informe my selfe thereof by the Word of God And I will begin with Adam and Eve and put them both together because their good and evill was put togeher in practise thereof The Method I intend to take in each person is this I will consider his Birth Life and Death and in his Life I will looke to his carriage and behaviour in respect of the deeds he did good bad indifferent and doubtfull and the things that befell him either prosperously or adversely in benefits or afflictions Now for Adam and Eve because they were the first fountaines of mankind and therefore could not be borne in the same manner as others be for he that is borne must have a Parent and he that hath a Parent was not the first man or woman because his Parent was before him therefore I cannot tell you any thing of their Birth but of their entring into the world by another way which was to them the same in effect that our begetting and birth is to us I will informe you according to the Scriptures for it much concernes us to understand our originall and to know certainely how mankinde came into the world Know then in summe That God made Man of the dust of the earth and breathed into him the breath of life and man became a living soule Here is in briefe the Creation of Adam now Adam signifieth red Earth because his body was made of such kinde of Earth and concerning Woman it is noted that God caused a deepe sleepe to fall upon Adam and then tooke one of his ribbes
fall the making of them after his owne Image in knowledge righteousnesse and true holinesse with a most beautifull strong swift healthie and comely body free from all danger of sicknesse death or other misery giving them dominion over all creatures planting so excellent a place for them as Paradise and granting them the use of all the trees and that of life and putting on them so pleasant a service as that of dressing and keeping the Garden besides the hope and assurance of Eternall life upon condition of their obedience of which Paradise it selfe and the tree of life were signes unto them For if wee should live the life of glory by obeying the Law so should they have done seeing they also were under the same Covenant of workes that we be under Now after their sinne God bestowed divers benefits on them The chiefe was the promise of a Saviour viz. The seede of the Woman to tread on the Serpents head that is to destroy the Divell and the workes of the Divell and to deliver them from the mischiefe which Satan sought to bring upon them By which words he did make the Covenant of grace with them and their Posterity providing a remedy equall to the disease and the meanes of revealing it to all in that be manifested it to them that they might teach it to their children and so one to another till all knew it and then making them Breeches and continuing their life and granting them children These be the benefits The miseries they felt were pronouncing a curse upon them adjudging them to an inavoidable necessity of naturall death to much sorrow in their life he by tilling the ground which should bring forth ill things to him and that with sweat and labour and shee by bearing children in sorrow and by being compelled by subjection to her husband then by casting them out of Paradise debarring them the tree of life and giving Caine over to kill his Brother better then himselfe which must needs be an heavie crosse to them which God did somewhat mitigate by giving them another godly sonne even Seth. This is their life their death followes Adam lived 900. yeares and for Eves death it is not mentioned how long shee lived for God hath not thought it fit to tell us the length of the life of any woman except Sarah in Scripture upon what consideration it is hard to guesse but sure it is to humble womankinde that because they were first in bringing in death deserved not to have the continuance of their lives recorded by Gods pen. So have I briefely runne over the first man and the first woman And now I will make use of all First from their Creation and the benefits bestowed upon them in and after their Creation let us learne to acknowledge God to be our Creator the Fountaine of our being and to submit our selves wholy to him in all things seeing we have received our being from him for in making them he made us in them and whatsoever benefits he gave him in Creation he gave them to us in him seeing if he had not cast them away we should not have wanted them Wee must not lesse praise God and be lesse thankefull for that happy estate because Adam forfeited it for his naughtinesse in sinning cannot diminish the goodnesse of God in granting to him and his so great a heape of pleasures here with certainty of Eternall life after Doe you not see that God made us all to happinesse and life in our first Parents fitting all things so that he might have stood and delivered over all those benefits unto us Let us not murmure against God for the punishment justly inflicted upon us in them and on them for the sinne committed by them especially wee must praise God for the promise of the seed of the Woman which now God hath performed to us by whom salvation and life was offered and tendered to all so that by the second Adam all might have received happinesse as they lost it by the first if the fault had not beene and were not meerely in themselves that have beene and are carelesse of Gods goodnesse neglecting to consider of his mercy to beleeve in him and to turne to him Secondly in Adams sinne let us all see our owne sinfullnesse and our mortality and misery in his misery For by one man sinne came into the world and by sinne death and so death passed over all This sinne is our sinne after a sort we must lament it and bewaile it and be humbled for it and in the sence of our wretchednesse runne to the promised seed to deliver us from sinne and death and to repaire the Image of God in us by the mighty worke of his Spirit which is as easie for him to doe as to create us just at the first and which he will as certainely performe for us if we seeke it as hee did then in our first making Againe let us learne to hate and loath sinne and Satan not to hearken to his suggestions but to beleeve Gods threats and submit to his Commandements let the husband resolve not to obey the voice of his wife against God let the wife take heed of drawing her husband to sinne let the husband rather reforme her then be corrupted by her O beware of thinking to get any thing by doing wickednesse disobedience will bring nothing in conclusion but misery and unhappinesse Let us take heed of flying from God and of excusing our faults and casting the blame upon others chiefely upon God himselfe as Adam did but let us rather confesse lament and trust in his mercy and implore it then dawbe and dissemble and thinke to escape by frivolous shifts and extenuations and especially learne not to be proud of apparell which is no better then a badge of our wicked rebellion and of our shamefull nakednesse Let us be the better for the things we know concerning Adam and Eve our first Parents Againe let us be carefull to follow them in all good deeds which they did O let us repent and beleeve in Christ hoping for life by him according to the Covenant of grace as they did when they had broken the Covenant of Workes For by trusting in Christ we shall goe to Heaven in the way of Evangelicall obedience standing in a resolution and indeavour not to sinne and a carefull humbling our selves and seeking pardon when we faile as sure as they or we should have done in the way of Legall obedience if they and we had remained innocent and God will as surely inable us to this Evangelicall obedience if we seeke to him for grace and the renewing of his Image in us as hee had inabled him to Legall and exact obedience In truth Christ hath made the way to life eternall as easie to us in the path of the Gospell as it was to him in the path of the Law for wee have grace to keepe us from loving and
seeke to God for pardon or for grace to repent Wherefore I say againe looke on thy first Parents that how bad soever thou beest were causes of thy being so bad and promise thy selfe pardon upon repentance because they are pardoned and hope to be penitent if thou indeavour and seeke it because they were helped which were as vile sinners as thy selfe THE SECOND EXAMPLE OF Caine. NExt after Adam and Evah the Scriptures propound unto us the Examples of Caine and Abel two sonnes of those Parents First wee must speake of Caine who being the elder Brother was yet the worser man for the Lord hath never accustomed to give his graces according to the priviledges of age that the gift may appeare to be free and gratuitous not at all deserved by any thing that the man may finde in himselfe Now speaking of Caine we must handle his Birth and Life for it hath not seemed good to God to tell us any thing of his death His Birth wee have Gen. 4.1 Adam knew Evah his wife and shee conceived and bare a sonne and called his name Caine or a possession saying I have obtained a man of the Lord or as it may be translated a man the Lord perhaps expressing her conceit to be that this sonne of hers must be that man who was also to be God that should redeeme her selfe and all men from the mischiefe which the Serpent had brought upon them but if shee had any such hopes shee had much deceived her selfe for God doth seldome make such hast in granting so great things immediately after the promise he chooseth rather to exercise the faith and patience of his people in waiting some good and large space of time for the performance of the promise Now concerning this man we will note first his carriage and behaviour then the things that befell him In his carriage some things are for mattrer good some things altogether evill That which is good is that at his Fathers appointment and education he betook himselfe to a needfull trade of life for so it is said Caine was a tiller of the ground that is he gave himselfe to Husbandry This calling as it is very usefull for even the King is served by the land that is tilled so it is you see a very ancient calling it is full of paines and full of profit much increase saith Salomon doth come by the labour of the Oxe but where no Oxe is the crib is empty You see it hath the precedencie of the Shepheard for the elder sonne was assigned to this trade as the most necessary Wherefore mee thinkes they doe not shew themselves to be of the same minde with Adam that are still ready to pull downe tillage and set up pastorage as I may call it Indeed pastorage gives most private gaine to one or two men and therefore they that are led more by selfe love then by charity or the love of mankind are more affected to it but surely Gods pleasure was in making the World to make provision for a multitude to live in convenient abundance rather then for a few to live in excessive riches Howsoever you see this is good in Caine he imbraced a calling and lived painefully therein for hee was tilling the ground he did not alone take upon him the name of a Husbandman but did exercise himselfe in the workes of that calling Secondly Caine was religious too at least in respect of the outward acts for in processe of time hee brought a gift to the Lord of the fruit of the ground hee worshipped God by offering something to him of that which by his goodnesse and blessing the earth did bring forth unto him The Lord will be served even with our costs with gifts with rendring him backe againe something of that which himselfe hath given us He commanded Israel not to appeare before him emptie but to bring free-will-offerings and heave offerings of their hands God loves not an empty worshipper he is liberall to us he would have us also liberall to him wee receive much from him he lookes to receive something of us that so we may actually acknowledge him to be the giver of all He is not contented that the mouth worship him in prayers and praises nor the eare in hearing and attending to him nor the body in bowing it selfe to him nor the hands in lifting up themselves but he will be honoured with our goods as Salomon saith Prov. 3.9 even with our substance For though he hath not now commanded any thing to be burnt upon the Altar having abolished all Sacrifices by sending his Sonne to offer up himselfe in Sacrifice for our sinnes that he might take away our sinnes by that one offering once for all yet now he hath appointed such a worship as cannot be maintained without cost in regard of the persons attending it and the instruments of it and hee hath now appointed them to reape our earthly things in his steed which in his steed doe sowe unto us spirituall things Marke this then as a thing in it selfe good to worship God and to worship him with giving a gift unto him as also in the Psalme hee saith bring presents to him that ought to be feared Further it was a lawfull and good thing in Caine even after his great sinne committed that he built a City for surely to take order for the replenishing of men with people and the commodious habitation of men borne into the world is a good and commendable thing in it selfe though men may easily and often doe transgresse much in the manner of doing it Therefore the Lord saith Esay 58. 12. in commendation of his people and in way of promising a great benefit and honour There shall be of thee that shall build the old waste places Thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations and thou shalt be called the Repairer of the breach the restorer of paths to dwell in Surely if to build old wasts and repaire decaied places that they may stand to many generations be a praise as you heare from the Prophet then to build new that were not built before that also is a good thing and laudable This therefore must be noted as a good thing in Caine that hee gave himselfe to build a City Lastly that is good in him that he was the husband of one wife and did content himselfe with the first institution of marriage not corrupting it with taking variety of women to one and the same man at the same time as God had made but one Eve for Adam and said a man shall cleave to his wife not to his wives and they shall be one flesh meaning theâ— two not three or foure Some are of opinion that in the beginning Evah at every burden bare twinnes and so there came into the world together a man and a woman whether this was so or not I cannot affirme but it may seeme probable because the Holy Ghost makes
good as dead at a 100 yeares old It is improbable that there should have beene so great difference of bodily strength betwixt the Father and the Sonne Now from Abraham forward the Holy Ghost maketh his story more large then that of former times We shall follow Gods pen and propound unto you this Father of the faithfull that by doing his workes you may shew your selves his children In him looke to his 1. Birth 2. Life 3. Death For his Birth he was the sonne of Terah borne as some thinke about the 200th yeere of the world some 352 yeeres after the floud but as some thinke 60 yeeres sooner about 1948 of the world and after the floud 298. For his life we will consider his carriage good and bad and the things that befell him good and bad Let us begin with his vertues and good deeds and observe him as an excellent patterne of all vertues and goodnesse that we may profit the better by considering his life more particularly Let us see what vertues and good deeds he practised towards God first and then towards man First for God hee is commended for faith Abraham saith the Author of the Hebrewes by faith called of God c. and Abraham by faith offered up so that faith he had and was called the friend of God as the Apostle S. Iames witnesseth now without faith no man can possibly please God or be his friend So had Abel as we shewed you before so had Noah so had Henoch so had all the godly at all times This grace is the cardinall grace the radicall grace that upon which all other graces grow as on their roote and on which they move as the doore upon its hinges Therefore you that would be called the children of Abram heires of the blessing of Abram come and compare your selves with him and see whether you be faithfull as he was to that end know that faith is the grace by which we beleeve things invisible and supernaturall concerning another life hereafter So the Apostle distinguisheth walking by faith from walking by sence or sight and Faith is said to be the Evidence of things not seene and ground of things hoped for Reason and naturall discourse will informe of things sensible and naturall concerning the present life but the things that are above sence and reason concerning a future life hoped for hereafter nothing doth informe us but faith and faith is that grace by which the soule beleeveth such things It hath three sorts of acts in regard of which it is stiled by three titles Faith of God Faith to God Faith in God Faith of God is that by which we beleeve that there is such a God as indeed he is All conceits of God are not of faith but those apprehensions of him which agree to his being and conceive him to be such as himselfe doth set forth himselfe to be and you shall see what Abraham beleeved concerning him 1. He beleeved that this God was one and but one as the Scripture witnesseth of him He worshipped God he called on the name of God he builded an Altar to God not to gods or more gods but to one God JEHOVAH 2. He beleeved that this one God was True Omnipotent able and willing to doe any thing that he should speake viz. that he was All-sufficient and faithfull as S. Paul witnesseth being fully perswaded that what he had spoken he was able also to performe and Heb. 11. that he was able to raise him from the dead 3. He beleeved that this one God was possessor and judge and therefore also Maker of Heaven and Earth And 4. That he was righteous and would doe righteousnesse in punishing the wicked that lived in sinne and in sparing and being favourable to the righteous man that did study to walke before him in a good conversation Now these be the principall things to be assented unto concerning God Secondly Abraham had faith to God that is he gave consent to all those things that God said because he said them which necessarily followeth from his acknowledgement of the truth power and All-sufficiency of God So doth the Author to the Hebrewes note that it was a land which after he should receive for an inheritance He beleeved that God would give him that land according to his promise and he beleeved above hope in hope that he should be Father of many Nations and it is said that God preached the Gospell unto him saying in thy seed which is Christ shall all Nations be blessed He beleeved that of his seed should come the Messiah which should free mankinde from the curse and make them partakers of the blessing So he beleeved Gods threats against Sodome that God would destroy it with fire Thirdly he believed in God 1. He trusted upon his mercy in the promised seede that for his sake not for the worth of his owne righteousnesse God would be mercifull to him and save him He beleeved in God and this faith was counted unto him for righteousnesse He was justified by this faith as the instrument he did not worke meaning in respect of justification he did not thinke to be pardoned and accepted for the workes sake but beleeved in him that justified those which in themselves be ungodly by justifying he meanes pardoneth their sinnes as it is said Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sinne for the promise was not made to him by the workes of the Law but the righteousnesse of faith that is the righteousnesse without workes as he described it before Now if you have this faith and all these acts of faith then you are Abrahams sonnes if not in vaine doe you lay title to his inheritance Therefore trie your selves and if you have this faith then know your selves happy if not you are farre from blessednesse you are still under the curse But secondly Abraham feared God True faith will bring forth the feare of God not the passion of feare nor slavish feare nor feare of flight but the feare of caution and warinesse a not daring to offend God as the Lord himselfe witnessed of him saying Now I know that thou fearest mee when thou hast not spared thine onely sonne Loe the feare of God is such a disposition of heart to God-ward out of the apprehension of his excellency and greatnesse and justice that will cause a man not to be bold to dare to omit any worke that Gods Commandement injoyneth him unto and so not to commit any thing that God condemneth I pray you consider have have you this vertuous feare of God Doe your hearts stand in awe of him so that you flie from the offending and displeasing of him as from the greatest of all evils those that have Gods feare before their eyes they are godly like Abraham those that have it not they are wicked as Abram thought the men of Gerar and Egypt to be O labour for
store yet we have sufficient to keep our selves and ours from pining away with want O that we could be as full of thanks when we are freed from wants as we have beene of complaints even for small crosses And now use moderately your abundance that God may not strip you of all and bring you to such extremity and why should we forfeit our selves and ours to famishing when wee see that God is tender to us and willing to satisfie us with good things And lastly let every man prepare for this crosse think of it tell himselfe it may befall him and resolve if the wisedome of God shall bring it upon him that he will labour patiently to undergoe it not so as to be sorrowlesse that were no way commendable but so as to be moderate in grieving and to turne his griefe into spirituall griefe and powre it forth before the Lord in humble and penitent confessions and lamentations for sinne Before I depart from handling of Hagars Example I must say something of Sarah and her which I knew not how so fitly to speake of in the life of either viz. that these two Mothers and the children borne of them were Allegories as S. Paul calls them that is figures of some other thing mystically signified by them For this we have the authority of S. Paul Gal. 4.21 In these words Heare you not what the Law that is the writings of Moses commonly called the Law because the Law was the principall part thereof doth say for it is written that Abraham had two sonnes one of the bond-woman another of the free-woman and the son of the bond-man was borne after the flesh that is by a bare naturall power of generation as any man naturally may beget a child of a woman without any power above nature concurring to the work But she that was borne of the free-woman was borne by promise that is not so much by any naturall strength of the Parents as by vertue of Gods promise which bound his truth to set his Omnipotency a worke above nature otherwise Abraham that had so long lived with Sarah in her youth and could never become a Father by her should much lesse have beene so by her now when her body was quite dried with age which things saith S. Paul are an Allegory according as I told you before For these are Testaments or Covenants the one from Mount Sinai which came thence being there published and promulgated it is the Law the Covenant of workes whereof it is said The Law came by Moses and this is said to gender unto bondage that is to beget and make not sonnes and daughters of a free and ingenuous spirit loving God and out of love doing him service and meerely of his grace love free favour and promise expecting their reward but bond-slaves which out of a feare of punishment or hope of reward doe service and expect the reward for the worthinesse sake of their workes and this Covenant is Hagar meaning is signified by Hagar for saith he this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia meaning is so by signification and representation and answereth in signification and Type to Ierusalem which now is and is in bondage meaning to the Law and to the curse and rigour of it being debtors to the whole Law to doe it or if they doe it not to the curse to suffer it But this Ierusalem which is from above that is the Heavenly Ierusalem the Church the number of true beleevers that doe indeed seriously imbrace the doctrine of the Gospell which began by Christ and his Apostles to be preached at Ierusalem not hoping to be justified and saved by the merit or worth of their owne workes but by the free promise of God in Christ those are free from the curse and rigour of the Law and shee is the mother of all true Christians of us all that is of my selfe and all those which with mee looke for righteousnesse and salvation alone through the merits of Christ and mercy of God in Christ through faith in his name and after he saith As then he that was after the flesh persecuted him that was after the Spirit even so saith he it is now Here you have the full Allegory two Mothers a bond-woman and a free-woman two manners of begetting after the flesh and after the Spirit two kindes of children bond-men and free-men and the bond still persecuting the free The Mothers are the two Covenants that of the Law and that of Grace The two manners of begetting one of the promise the other by the flesh two kindes of children bond-men to good and free-men The matter is this Those that bring nothing but their owne naturall power to the Law and so seeke by it to be justified they are but of a slavish disposition and have nothing but the reward of slaves but those that looke to the goodnesse of God in the Covenant of Grace having the power of Gods Spirit are made to love God as children and admitted to the inheritance of sonnes Let us take heed of being sonnes of the bond-woman for many be such still The Papists will needs challenge salvation as due by the merits of their owne workes and so in very deed doe exclude themselves from it by challenging it on a wrong ground And the multitude are in this respect no whit better then the Papists for their owne good deeds are still in their mouthes as if they would be saved by workes which yet cannot save them yea some reliques of this ignorant and foolish pride was found in the Saints who if they finde not which they will never finde perfection in themselves are still apt to question their estate as if it were their owne goodnesse that should bring them to Heaven not the goodnesse of God in Christ rewarding them freely with that undeserved crowne because they are become the children of God by faith in Christ Now let us take heed of being the sonnes of Hagar but let us acknowledge still our owne sinfullnesse and unworthinesse yet still rest on his mercy in Christ and strive to obey him in love as children doe their Father and so much for Hagar * ⎠* THE TENTH EXAMPLE OF KETVRAH ISHMAEL ELIEZER NOw Abraham had a third wife her name was Keturah The Scripture bringeth her in as it were a dumbe person tells nothing of her parents life nor death but mentioning her bare name alone shewes that shee was Abrahams wife as I conceive and what children shee had by Abraham we are told Gen. 25.1 her sonnes were sixe as you may reade in that place Now the Lord seemeth to tell us this little of this woman and her sonnes because we should the more acknowledge the blessing of God upon Abraham in restoring him to a second youth as it were and making him so fruitfull as to beget six sonnes in his old-old-age after Sarahs death whereas before at an 100 he was as good as dead
according to S. Pauls phrase Rom. 4. So Gods blessing is able to make our soules fruitfull in all good workes though of our selves wee be utterly barren and unfruitfull And thus we have done with Abrahams wives Now let us speake something of his contemporaries beginning with his sonne Ishmael Ishmael was sonne of Abraham and Hagar his maide servant borne unto him at his 86. yeeres as saith the Holy Ghost Gen. 16. ult He was the sonne of a godly Father but whether himselfe were godly or not it is uncertaine But in his life we must note First his Vertues Secondly his Faults Thirdly his Benefits Fourthly his Crosses and then shall we come to his death His vertues First he lived in his fathers house in outward conformity and obedience for he submitted to his father at 13. yeares to be circumcised Gen. 17.25 and so had the outward seale of the covenant but yet he was not the promised seede nor had the covenant made with him nor had the Church and true religion continuing in his family So we must learne not to satisfie our selves with being in the Church outwardly but must labour to become true members of it and to enter into the covenant indeed It will not profit us to have the Sacraments outwardly administered to us for he is not a Jew which is one without neither is that circumcision which is outward in the flesh but wee must indeavour after the inward circumcision even to get the righteousnesse which is by faith that that faith may purifie our hearts and purge away from us all filthinesse of flesh and spirit And if we make use of the outward seale thereby to be made to see and feele our uncircumcisednesse of heart and heartily acknowledge Gods will and power to make us partakers of the inward circumcision so putting forth our selves to beg for and labour after that inward circumcision the Lord will surely bestow it upon us Againe all children must learne to submit themselves to their parents at least to an outward performance of such holy duties as by their parents they shall be instructed in else they are worse then Ishmael and will become matter of anguish and vexation to their godly parents Would Ishmael accept circumcison and wilt not thou accept instruction learne the principles of Christian religion and settle thy selfe to some shew of goodnesse then shall Ishmaels example rise up in judgement against thee and condemne thee And parents must observe Gods goodnesse in their childeren if they find them even in such a degree tractable and ruly for this is farre better then to be wilde and furious and to cast of all semblance of goodnesse and yet such would the best mans childeren prove if the hand of God did not restraine them But another good thing in Ishmael was that he submitted himselfe to his Father to be banished out of his house no question but Abraham that loved him would informe him of the necessity which lay upon himselfe so to expell his sonne and would furnish him with all good counsell who then being some 16. yeares old was capable of good advice and so did he without murmuring or wilfull refusing to go yeeld himselfe to that punishment It is a good thing in childeren to take quietly their parents chastisement even though they should be somewhat severe But to oppose them or to rebell against them or fall to clamorousnesse and impatiency is a great sinne even though the correction should be causelesse and unjust how much more if they be righteous and deserved Learne of Ishmael this submission how will you hope that you be Gods childeren if you do not equall such a one as Ishmael in goodnesse Againe Ishmael did another good office in the conclusion of his Fathers life for it is noted of him that he came to Isaac and joyned with him in his Fathers funerall Gen. 25.9 by which it is manifest that he bare no grudge against his Father for casting him out of his house but bore that respect towards him which was due to a Father and therefore did him the best honour he could at his latter end yea that hee did not harbour in his minde any envious and malicious thought against Isaac and therefore would come unto him and unite his paines to burie his Father Learne so much good of him I pray you as to forget that severity which perhaps Parents may have shewed to any of you and not put off the dutifulnesse of childeren because you have met with something that flesh and bloud would call hard measure The lesse inducement any man hath from a parents kindnesse to love and honour him the more commendable it is if hee performe all honour to him but he that will be so transported with discontentment against a parent for some sharpenesse as even to hate and contemne him most of all if his owne folly have inforced his parent to such proceedings is without all doubt a gracelesse and a wretched childe I pray you learne also by Ishmael not to suffer envy to rise against your Bretheren if in any thing they be preferred before you to your detriment Love not them lesse then the name of a Brother or Sister doth require because you may thinke that they have stood betwixt your parents love and bounty and your selves and so as it were overshadowed you and kept the sun-shine from you but behold the hand of God in so disposing of things and resolve to love still as Bretheren Further Ishmael did one good act of honour and duty toward his mother Hagar For it is said Gen. 21.21 that his mother tooke him a wife out of the land of Egypt so he was ruled by his mother in marriage having her liking and consent yea giving himselfe to be guided by her as did also Isaac to Abraham and Iacob to Isaac It is a needefull thing for childeren to take the consent and assent of their parents yea if it be but of the mother supposing the father to be dead or absent and not to rush into this estate against their willes and privity No comfort can come to the conscience in such a match for whosoever is joyned together otherwise then Gods Word alloweth can have no ground of comfort as those are that are joyned without the good will of those whom God hoth made his deputies in this businesse The Lord saith to Parents take wives for your sonnes and give your daughters plainely putting them into his roome in that behalfe wherefore having not consent from them they live in an unlawfull matrimony untill such time as by humble repentance before God and submissive intreaties to their parents they have attained that good leave of their parents which they ought to have gotten before If therefore any amongst you have so offended they must see the fault and be humbled and seeke pardon Most times the Lord doth sensibly crosse such matches make use of those crosses to increase your godly
and such When in these things hee doth not as S. Paul biddeth equall himselfe with them of the lower sort but of the higher When though God have humbled his estate yet he maust still keepe up his port and by hooke or crooke make a shift to be as gallant as ever This prooves a proud heart for noe man would bestow so much garnishing upon himselfe if he did not count himselfe some body and did not desire to be so accounted of others Therefore Isaiah among other fruites of proude vanity speaketh of the many gewgawes of the women of his time by which they sought immoderately to set out themselves A number of you thinke your selves farre the better when you have set up your selves with a deale of gaudinesse such lace such ruffes so in the fashion If it be sutable to your place and meanes it is no great discredit but if above surely it is as great a discredit as can be for it is as if you should weare a paper upon your heads or backes in which were written in great letters as in some other crimes hath beene done Bee it knowne unto all men that here goes a proud man and a proud woman It is even a Proclamation of your pride and folly and a telling tales against your selves which I am sure you would not doe if you did well thinke of it yea it is more then that for it brings your names into question about your truth and if you be females about your honesty there is such a mans servant she is exceedingly sleeked up see what a wase-coate what a gowne what a ruffe what a dresse shee hath it might well beseeme a mans daughter that would give her a large portion what hath this wench to maintaine it Is her father able to doe much for her no well then I wish she get it by honest meanes I wish that either a false finger or an over-curteous lip do not helpe her to it I am afraid all is not well that she is so fine This is all the good this haughtinesse doth you and will you not leave it The Sodomites punishments First they were taken captives blesse God that you have not felt this misery Secondly God sent fire and brimstone and destroyed them all at once Ezek. 16.49 They were set forth for an example Iude. v. 7. Sodome was turned into ashes 2 Pet. 2.6 The ground is now turned into a salt sea called the Dead Sea no fish will live in it the bird that flee over fall downe dead Thirdly they were cast into the lake that burnes with fire and brimstone Let us feare the sinnes of Sodome God is able to punish us in the same manner * ⎠* THE FIFTEENTH EXAMPLE OF ISAAC HItherto of Abraham and those that lived with him now we come to Isaac the sonne of Abraham not of his body so much as of his Faith for hee was the sonne of the promise the sonne of the free woman not of the bond-woman which was borne as S Paul saith not by the flesh nor by a meere naturall power but by promise by vertue of that gratious promise which God had made with him for this was a word of promise at that time I will come and Sarah shall have a sonne and in Isaac shall thy seede bee called and wee bretheren saith the Apostle as Isaac are sonnes of promise Now Isaac signifieth laughter or hee hath laughed or shall laugh a name given to him by God himselfe upon occasion of his Fathers laughter when he heard the promise not out of unbeleefe as Sarah once laughed but out of the joy which he conceived from the assured hope which hee had of the performance of the promise and because God filled both Abraham and Sarah with gladnesse and laughter at his birth when they were both olde and in course of nature were now past all possibility of having children Concerning Isaac we must shew his birth life and death For his birth he was borne in the hundreth yeere of his Father and the 90. of his mother His Father was Abraham his Mother Sarah both as good as dead but by faith they received strength to have a Sonne at that age For Faith will make a barren body fruitfull and also a barren heart In in his life consider First his Virtues and goodnesse Secondly his faults and weakenesses Thirdly his prosperity and benefits Lastly his afflictions and crosses For his Virtues in generall he was a true godly man and was endued with Faith without which no man can please God This Faith the Author to the Hebrewes taketh notice of in him saying By Faith Isaac blessed Iacob and Esau as concerning things to come This vertue of Faith is that by which a man beleeveth God in all that he speaketh barely by vertue of his truth and indeceiveable authority And as it apprehendeth the truth of all Gods word so particularly the truth of his promises and by name that great promise of remission of sinnes and salvation for the sake of Jesus Christ the true Messiah and promised seede in whom all spirituall blessings are conferred upon the sonnes of men for it is said in him shall all the nations of the earth be blessed Consider your selves therefore Bretheren whether you also have this same vertue of Faith in your hearts beleeving all that God speaketh to you because he speaketh it and specially all his promises and by name that principall promise of grace and salvation by Christ for without this Faith you cannot be the children of God If you have it not you are strangers from God and from the covenant of grace If you have it you are his sonnes and daughters justified before him and accepted in his sight through him the Beloved in whom the Father is well pleased And therefore labour to get it and to grow in it more and more that it may exceedingly abound in you as S. Paul saith it did in the Thessalonians But beware you deceive not your selves in a bare conceite of Faith saying you beleeve when indeed you doe not so but let your Faith be a working Faith approoving it selfe by love and by obedience that so you may indeed be the children of Abraham and children of promise as Isaac was and If you can thus approove your Faith then rejoyce in it above all things knowing that you are rich in Faith though you want all outward things for he that hath Faith hath God to bee his and that is sufficient to make him happy in the absence of all other things More particularly Isaacs Faith shewed it selfe by many excellent effects in regard of God For first he submitted himselfe to God to be offered on the Altar by his Father according to Gods commandement not making any resistance because his Father made it manifest unto him that God had given him a commandement so to offer him Hard it is to say whether the obedience of Abraham in being willing
married any without the liking and privity of his Father but took the right and due course gave up himselfe to his Fathers authority and direction and therefore God gave him a good Rebekah indeed a comfortable wife and vertuous woman In this therefore all children are bound also to imitate him Children must take their Parents counsell and direction in matter of marriage and not bestow themselves without their good liking and consent that they may have Gods blessing attending them in their marriage when they honour at once both God and their Parents in obeying Gods Commandement and shewing due respect unto their Parents So did even Ishmael though otherwise a wilde man for it is said of him that his Mother tooke him a wife So did Iacob afterwards His Father blessed him and sent him to Padan Aram to take him a wife of the daughters of Laban his Mothers brother And when Sampson saw a woman of Timnah that pleased him well he spake to his Father and Mother to take the Maide for him who went downe thither and made the match for him Indeed the Parents have more discretion and understanding then the children by reason of their age and experience and therefore it is for the childes good to follow their advice And to whom must the children goe for comfort and helpe in case that any crosse befall them in marriage but onely to their Parents of which comfort and helpe they deprive themselves if they venture upon marriage without them wee know that those God hath not joyned in marriage whom he doth not unite in that estate Now God hath made the Parents his Deputies in this behalfe saying unto them give your daughters in marriage and take sonnes for your daughters and againe you shall not give your daughters to them in marriage nor take their sonnes to your daughters Now how can it be said that God joyned them if their Parents whom hee hath made rulers over them in his steed do not joyne them seeing immediately hee doth joyne none in these our daies Also the children are the goods of the Parents as a part of their possession insomuch that they were also to be sold to pay their debts Wherefore as no bargaine is firme in other kindes of goods without the consent of those that have right unto those goods so neither can this covenant be good without the consent of Parents which have as much right from God in their children as in any other of their goods Wherefore those sonnes and daughters are much to be blamed who have neglected this part of their duty to their Parents and have suffered their blinde and strong passions so farre to transport them that against their Parents consent and counsell they have bestowed themselves in Matrimony and so have transgressed against the plaine commandement of God Such must heartily repent of their sinne and humble themselves before God with much sorrow for their great and wilfull disobedience Parents would not have their children thus to slight and dishonour them yea they take it grievously and are much perplexed with sorrow for their children in this case therefore children should bee much grieved themselves if they have given this occasion of griefe unto their Parents To satisfie mens owne desires and affections without regard to Gods ordinances is a notorious disobedience and bringeth the guilt of a great offence upon the soules of them that have so offended All you that have married in this disorderly manner see that you doe unfaignedly repent of the sinne before God and confessing the fault before him seeke to prevent the curse that must else fall upon you and your children after you for so dishonouring your Parents And you young men and women that be not yet married see that you binde your consciences and resolve your wills to obey this commandement Follow God in your Parents and be not so rash and selfe-willed as to crosse them and follow your owne heads and passions This duty will be easie if you looke carefully to your passions at first and suffer them not to be undiscreetely fixed upon any person untill you have acquainted your Parents with your desires and crav'd their allowance and consent But if a man or maide doe inthrall themselves and intangle others by a disorderly placing of their affections then shall they make this otherwise easie duty hard and impossible to themselves Keepe your selves therefore Masters of your owne hearts and sell not away your liberty through an over-hasty yeelding of your selves to your unruly passions Suffer not your mindes to be drawne away by any meanes but pray God to keepe your hearts in order It is a sinfull love as well as a sinfull passion in any other kinde which troubles an house and makes the children contrary to their Parents and to proove the greatest crosse that may be to them to whom they ought to have beene the greatest comfort Lastly Isaac shewes his due respect unto his Father by joyning with Ishmael his brother in burying his Father for so it is said his sonnes Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machphelah This is the last office that childeren can performe and they must shew their love and duty to them in the honourable performance of this last act as to testifie their love to their Parents so to declare their faithfull hope of the resurrection from the dead For therefore are men with due solemnities committed to the bosome of the earth because they expect their glorious rising againe and they shall not utterly perish and fall as doe the bruite and unreasonable creatures Now see Isaacs carriage towards his mother There was no love lost betwixt them but as Sarah did tenderly love Isaac so did he requite her love with love againe as is manifested in his sorrowfull taking of her death though she lived with him to a great age For so it is written that after Rebekkah was brought unto him and he was married unto her Gen. 24 ult Isaac was comforted after his mothers death intimating that even untill then he was grieved for the losse of her It is a fault therefore in childeren oversoone to forget their dead mothers and to let their remembrance quickly to slip out of their mindes how much more to be weary of their over-long lives and to be glad when the time comes that they must put them into the dust in respect of some paultrey gaine of money of land that they shall possesse when the Father and mother is dead All that desire their parents death for their goods sake which they shall enjoy after them and are glad when they shall change their parents for their goods must needes be called wicked and ungratefull childeren See therefore that you children love even your mothers heartily moderately lamenting their death that you may make it appeare their life was not a burden unto you And so have we seene Isaacs goodnesse towards his parents Looke into his carriage
sanctified because they were imperfect in patience Why should we make such untrue and uncharitable and indiscreet conclusions either against our selves or others with whom we live As an extenuating of faults to make them seeme nothing and make our hearts hard under them is to be condemned so an over-aggravating of them to make our selves seem no children making our case worse then ever any mans before is likewise to be condemned Satan is author of both these follies and the effect of the latter is to drive us from God as well as of the former and all things are ill used when they tend to keepe us from comming to God and trusting in him So much of Rebekkahs good and bad now of the good and evill occurrents that befell her Her prosperity first was great for God called her from her Fathers house in which Idolatry did raigne and false worship prevailed to be a member of Abrahams house and a mother of the Messiah and a professor and practiser of Gods true religion and not alone so but gave her grace to be a godly woman an heire of the promise made to Abraham together with her husband This is the greatest of mercies here below to be called from darknesse to light from serving the devill and Idols to serve the true and living God If God have granted to any this mercy even to call them effectually to himselfe out of the darknesse of a false worship and religion to the light of a godly life How much cause hath he to blesse God and to rejoyce in this mercy above all mercies and bee freequently and heartily thankfull But if you have not yet attained it for many live in the Church that be not of it take notice of your wretched condition and now cry earnestly to God to bring you to the effectuall and saving knowledge of his truth that you also may be indeed and â—ot in bare profession of the houshold of Abraham the true Church But Rebekkah had other benefits beauty health and strength for ought we reade after marriage as before A rich and godly husband in whom she was doubly happy for her soule and state and one godly childe too whom she dearely loved and who shewed himselfe a man worthy to be loved A good husband a good state a good childe good health bee they not benefits indebting us to God in many praises and thankes and much carefull obedience Let not these mercies be strangers to your thoughts but ponder upon them to stir up your selves to thanksgiving and obedience Now for her crosses some shee suffered in her dayes as well as others First her husband fell blinde and weake and almost bedridden No doubt but she did participate with him in this affliction and it was a griefe to her to see him so imprisoned in darknesse and some trouble it must needs be though her love made it easie to give attendance upon him in that estate Likewise she could not but grieve to see her husbands affections to be so much more than they should have been for a long time upon her elder but worser son It was also a great griefe unto her to see the rudenesse and bloodinesse of her son Esau who comforted himselfe against his brother with an intention so soon as his Fathers funerals were over to dispatch him and rob him of the blessing though he could not get it to himselfe Would it not cut the heart of one of you Parents to heare that one of your sons you having but a couple in all the world should resolve to become a murderer of the other and so you stood in danger of being deprived of them both at once would not both these things grieve you Againe it was a griefe to her to have her good son as it were banished from her house and compelled to fly away in secret for his life For had he not been compelled to steale into Padan Aram in respect of Esau as to steale thence again in respect of Laban his Fathers estate was not so low that he must needs have travailed over that Iordan with a staffe and come to Labans house all alone and there have served an hard service for a wife Sure Isaac was not a prodigall he had not consumed his estate so that Abrahams grandchilde must be sent out so poorely appointed whose steward when he fetched a wife for Isaac had ten Camels well laden with rich things and many servants to attend him and so with speed returned home with his errand But feare of Esau caused him to goe speedily and secretly that no man might know it lest so he might have fallen into mischiefe by his meanes and to tarry so long till he might heare his brother was pacified Now did not this think you wound Rebekkahs heart Did she not part with a great part of her comfort when she parted with her beloved son Iacob so far so long and in such a manner But worst of all so long as she lived with her daughters shee was miserably vexed with their frowardnesse and ill conditions Indeed at length Esau tooke his journey to mount Seir where her friends dwelled and made this crosse more easie by removing his habitation with his wives and all he had but in the mean it was an anguish to her and that viz. losse of Esau too when Iacob was gone could not but minister matter of some affliction to her in minde Now let all of us be perswaded to looke for these and the like crosses that by fortifying our selves against them we may be made more patient and so beare them with lesse discontent for what are we that God should handle us with more indulgence than this so good a woman And those that lie under any such crosse in husband sons daughters daughters in law let them frame themselves to a more contented suffering because they finde that they bee no other kind of evils than those wherewith their Father hath exercised their betters in former times as he doth also for the present Hee must be an unruly childe that will roare and take on when he beareth no more than his other brethren and sisters beare before him yea and if we have escaped these particular crosses let us be thankfull to God for our freedome even from them and make the bearing of the rest more easie because we have not as we have deserved and might have had the same we have and these also for an overplus of misery THE SEVENTENTH EXAMPLE OF ESAV WEE are now to handle the example of Esau Hee was a twin Iacob being the other twin We must treate of his birth life and death First for his birth we are informed that hee was the son of Isaac and of Rebekkah the wife of Isaac daughter of Bethuel by his wife Milcah Which Bethuel was son of Nachor the brother of Abraham He was borne in the yeare of the world 2108 as some thinke and as others
in the yeare 2168. and after the flood as some thinke 512. and as others 562. for there is 60. yeares difference in chronologie because of the doubt about Abrahams birth Now the manner of his birth was this as the Scriptures relate Gen. 25.25 He came out first in colour red and all over rough as an hairy garment for which cause his name was called Esau which signe made as one that was stronger than ordinary children be and all over covered with haire In him the Lord shewed the freedome of his election as the Apostle notes Rom. 9. For Before the children were borne or had done good or evill it was said The elder shall serve the younger God chose not him but Iacob though they were borne both of the same Parents and at the same burden Now concerning his life we must consider 1. That which was good therein 2. That which was evill 3. His prosperity 4. His crosses and miseries For the first some things he did that for matter were good and commendable as even a bad man may have some good things found in him The first good thing was that he did shew good respect unto Isaac his Father For he was glad to gratifie him in his diet bringing home the Venison that he caught of which was made dainty meat which the old man loved to feed upon and when he came to him to present his Venison according to his Fathers appointment that he might receive the blessing from his Father he spake reverently unto him For when he brought the meate ready prepared for his eating he said thus to him Let my Father arise and eat of his sons Venison that thy soule may blesse mee Chap. 27.31 and after ver 34. Blesse me even me also ô my Father and ver 38. Hast thou but one blessing my Father blesse me even me also ô my Father Though his Father had given the blessing to Iacob his brother yet he doth not rage and grow into passionate expostulations but with gentle and reverent termes and with teares and with prayers seekes to get some blessing from him This proveth evidently that he carried a reverent esteeme of his Father in his heart and honoured him duly The same love and respect he shewed to Isaac after for when his wrath was kindled against his brother Iacob and that he minded to revenge himselfe by killing Iacob Yet he resolved to forbeare till Isaac was dead that he might not procure too much griefe and sorrow to him in his old age and therefore it is recorded that he said The dayes of mourning for my Father are at hand then will I kill my brother Iacob ver 41. He would not have deferred the murder of his brother for Isaacs sake till after his death but that he bare some respect and good will unto his Father And hee shewed the same respect unto him after Chap. 28.6 For when hee perceived his Father had blessed Iacob and sent him to fetch a wife from Padan Aram and not to take any Canaanitish woman and that the daughters of Canaan which he had married displeased his Father he went to his Vncle Ishmael and tooke his daughter Mahalath to wife seeking as well as his wit could serve to please his Father in that latter match although indeed he went not rightly to work in that marriage neither Some care you see he shewed to give his Father content though he had not wisdome enough to order himselfe rightly for that end Thus this Esau though he wanted grace and feared not God yet he bare love and reverence in some degree as a carnall man could unto his Father Isaac who loved him dearely and so he requited his love againe with such a kinde of love as might be found in an unsanctified person Now all you sons and daughters that have Parents living with you or have had come and lay your selves in the ballance with Esau and consider if you have so much as equalled him in this kinde of imperfect dutifulnesse towards your Parents He out of a kinde of naturall inclination or out of hope of being still kindly used and blessed of his Father shewed much respect unto him divers wayes Hath nature have carnall ends prevailed so much with you to encline your hearts to your parents as they prevailed with Esau If so yet boast not of this thinke not much the better of your selves these kinde of shadows of vertues cannot prove you to be godly children nor afford you sound comfort because themselves be not sound and perfect You have no great reason to please your selves because you are as good as Esau an unsanctified man and one of whom we can give little hope but that he was a casta-way I say therefore satisfie not your selves be not good in your own eyes because of this painted and counterfeit goodnesse But if otherwise it be and that it is evident you come far short of Esau and have not declared so much regard of your parents as he hath done then how bad must you account your selves that are much more sinfull even than an Esau might have been And it is cleare that divers children be far worse than this bad son of Isaac for they shew no reverence no submission to their aged Parents but apparently sleight them in word and deed grumble at them chafe against them carry themselves cuttedly and currishly towards them if at any time they be crossed by them will not be held from following their own evill desires as Esau was from killing his Brother by a desire not to grieve them but wilfully run on in their wicked courses even though they see and know that their wicked carriage doth greatly afflict and torment their Parents but purposely some do things to torment them O sin hath a greater sway and dominion in such childrens hearts than it had in Esaus and they are far more wicked than he was Yea when they see their Parents displeased with their wayes yet they have not so much desire to give them content as Esau had nor do not so much as labour in any manner though never so poorely to give them any satisfaction at all Woe woe unto such children what can he expect from God that is a viler son than Esau was Let such shame themselves by his example and now receive reproofe with meekness and greatly repent of their undutifulnesse if ever they purpose to attain pardon And now let all children that desire to enjoy in themselves the comfort of being the children and chosen of God strive to outstrip Esau in filiall obedience and duty Let them for conscience sake to God put on a largor measure of love and a greater reverence to their Parents labouring to please them in all things in the Lord out of conscience to submit themselves unto them honor them because God hath required it at their hands and to labour to forbeare all sin as in an holy regard to God so in part also out of a
certainely shall this Steward of Ioseph rise up against such in judgement But secondly Iosephs servant was a very obsequious and dutifull servant whatsoever his Master bad him doe was presently done c. 42. ver 25. Ioseph commanded him to fill their sackes with corne as much as they could carry and to put every mans money into his sackes mouths and to put his silver cup in the youngest sackes mouth and his corne money and he did according to his Masters words and c. 44.4 He bids him runne after them and say Why have you returned evill for good is not this the cup in which my Lord drinks and for which he would make diligent search for so I thinke it should be rendred for the matter of divining was farre enough from Iosephs Loe the obedience of this servant he by the light of nature without Scripture was taught to doe that and did it which the holy Scriptures teacheth us to doe viz. to be obedient to our Masters as you reade by Saint Paul to the Ephes Coâ—os As also to Timothie and by Peter Therefore they are to be blamed that living in times of clearer light and enjoying more helps towards vertue are yet farre lesse obedience then this man was As vineger to the teeth and smoake to the eyes so is a sloathfull messenger to him that sends him and even so is a sloathfull or carelesse servant to them that imploy him as vineger sets the teeth an edge smoak makes the eyes to mart so these provoke anger and griefe in their Governours Fulfill therefore the honest commandements of your Governours with speed and diligence what things they appoint you to dispatch let them be dispatched in fit season and manner If thou wert a Master thou wouldst have such a servant be thou therfore such a one and do as thou wouldst be done by O but his Master may some say bad him doe that which was not lawfull viz. To lay snares for the men in putting the cup into Benjamins sacke unawares to him and then following after them with a grievous accusation that they had done great wrong and shewed great ingratitude in taking away his Masters cup and so bringing them backe as if they had beene great malefactors I answere that it is probable Ioseph had acquainted his Steward with his meaning that he did this not with an intention of bringing them into servitude or doing them any wrong but making a little further tryall of them for some consideration and so the thing was not ill done of Ioseph nor of him Let your obedience therefore know its due limits obey your Masters in all things so farre as justice and your duty to God will permit Thirdly his carryage to Iosephs brethren was very kind and curteous he brings them to his Masters house speakes comfortably to them saith peace be to you freeth them from their feares wherewith they were perplexed lifts up their hearts to God and saith he had given them that money brings Simeon forth to them whom they had left bound behind and gives them water to wash their feet and provender to their Cattle Loe what store of kindnesse and courtesie he shewes to these strangers his Master appointed him to bring them to his house but all the other kind usage is from himselfe as it were an over-plus besides that which was enjoyned him out of a good and affable nature and out of some good will he bare them because he had beene informed of the God of their Fathers Now let him be an Example to us of practising like curtesie to strangers and specially when we see them troubled and grieved and most of all if we perceive them to be servants to the true God learne that vertue of this Steward though hee was a servant and bond-man yet it was to Ioseph Thus have I finished the Examples of the Booke of Genesis which containes a short and briefe story of the things done from the beginning of the world to the death of Ioseph for the space as it is thought by some of 2309 years or therabouts and of some of 60 more because they doe differ in judgement so much about the age of Terah when he begat Abraham The maine thing in the whole story to be observed is how wonderfully the providence of God wrought by degrees to bring his Church from out of the loynes of Abraham and to make it a great and mighty Nation which was but a little family preserving truth and Religion in that household and lineage when hee suffered all other Nations by little and little to follow their owne way and runne into Idolatry and abominations FINIS 1 Tim. 3.2 Tit. 1.8 * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 will beare both readings 2 Tim. 2.15 1 Tim. 4.12 1 Pet. 5.3 Tit. 2.7 There are two singular virtues in a good Example 1 It may profit a world of people 1 Thes 1.7 8 2 It is lasting and may doe good for a long time after 1 Pet. 3.5 6. M. Harris at Hanwell * He was a Preacher at Banbury above thirty yeares * Hee went over in his preaching the whole Booke of Iudges both the Samuels the 1 Kings to the 11. C. or therabout all the Psal to the 106. the whole Gospel of Iob. besides al the principles of Religion often Heb. 13.7 Owne tulit punctum qui miscuit utile dulci. Mat. 3.12 By marriage of sisters M. Thomas and Mistres Ioyce Whately * M Thomas Pot The Preface to the insuing Treatise Bare Examples binde not The Method observed in handling all the Examples Nothing can be said of Adam and Eves Birth but of their entring into the world Gen. 2.7 Adam what it signifieth 21 22. verses of the same Chapter The Creation of Man was necessary There must be first Man and why Non datur infinitum actu The time and matter of mans Creation Why Man was made of the dust Gen. 2.7 It is hard to understand the nature of the soule Eves body was made of a rib and why A fond conceit that women have no soules and the originall of it Their life Their bad carriage The first sinne of our first Parents Gen. 2.16.17 How long Adam continued before he sinned is not revealed * The Hebrew word is ambiguous The fall of our first Parents described Divers sinnes followed the first sinne Their doubtfull and indifferent behaviour Their good carriage Evah why so called Their benefits 1. Before their fall 2. After their fall Their Crosses Their Death Why the length of any Womans life except Sarahs is not mentioned in Scripture The uses of the whole Omnes nos eramus ille unus Rom. 5.12 We should not bee proud of apparell Ede bide lude c. Eves first fault The greatnesse of our first Parents sinne Caines Birth Caines carriage 1. Good 1. Hee had a calling The commendation of husbandry 2. Was outwardly religious 3. Built a City 4. Had but one wife Some thinke Eve still bare
wirh him 2. Dealeth plainely with him 3. Hee dealt bountifully with him Abrahams good carriage to strangers Heb. 13.2 Abrahams faults before his calling James 3.2 His first fault idolatry Abrahams faults after his calling 1. Weakenesse of faith 1 Sam. 27.1 Exod. 6.12 2. A carnall feare of death Psal 118.6 Psal 23.4 3. He dissembled 4. He drew Sarah to sinne so farre as to indanger her chastity A double ignorance 5. Abraham had two wives 3. Abrahams benefits 1. Temporall 1. For himself 1. A good wife 1 Pet. 3 6. A good wife a great blessing Prov. 18. â—2 Prov. 9.14 Prov. 31.10 11 2 He had children Psal 127.5 3 He had good servants especially one 4. Abraham had good kinsmen 1. Lot 2. Nahor 5. Abraham had faithfull friends Prov. 18.24 5. Abraham had a good name Eccles 5.13 A great and famous victory Isa 41.2 3. 2. God did doe good to others for Abrahams sake 1. Blessed Lot and delivered him 2. Blessed Isaac giving him goods and goodnesse He gave also abundance of outward things to Ishmael Shewed favour to him after his death Psal 112.6 Abrahams spirituall blessings 1. He was called from a false religion to the true Gal. 3.8 2. Spirituall blessings 1. God made him gratious promises 2. Appeared to him many times to renue those promises 3. He entred into a covenant with him and his seede after him Abrahams crosses 1. He changed his countrey and left his fathers house Psal 45.10 Mat. 10.36 2. Was uncertaine where he should dwell 3. Suffered crosses 1. In Lot his kinsman 4. His wife Sarah was twice taken away from him 5. Sarah was barren 6. There fell out a great jarre betwixt him and Sarah 7. Sarah died before him Gen. 23.3 8. He suffered in Hagars ill carriage to Sarah and in her running away being with-child 9. Hee was made to divorce Hagar and send her quite away 10. Hee was forced to thrust Ishmael out of his family 11. Hee was crossed in Isaac many wayes Heb. 11.19 Abrahams death 1 Pet. 3.6 Sarahs birth Her life 1. Her vertues 1. Her faith Heb 11.11 2. Shee obeyed her husband Gen. 18.6 1 Pet. 3.1 1 Pet. 3.6 3. Shee reverenced her husband A double feare Gen. 18.12 1 Cor. 11.3 7 â— Shee was a loving Mother and nursed Isaac her selfe Gen. 21.7 5. Shee apparelled her selfe modestly 1 Pet. 3.5 1 Pet. 3.3.4 1 Tim. 2.9 10 Sarahs faults 1. Shee was weake in faith Gen. 18 12. Ver. 11. Ver. 14. Heb. 11.11 2. Shee being â—ngry â—alâ—ely accâ—sed her husband Gen. 16.5 Verse 6. 3. Shee was somewhat too rough with Hagar 4. She dissembled at her husbands request 5. She lyed Sarahs benefits 1. Shee vvas a holy vvoeman 2 Shee had a godly and rich husband that was well esteemed 3. Shee had a godly childe 4. God delivered her twice out of a misery into which she had cast herselfe Sarahs crosses 1. She was barren a long time 2. Shee was sleighted by her maide 3. She was taken from her husband into the house of Pharaoh and Abimelech Her death Her age onely of all women is mentioned in Scripture Hagar nothing in Scripture of her birth or death It is probable she feared God and why Her life 1. Her Vertues 1. Shee was obedient to her governours 2. Shee told the truth Gen. 16.8 3. Shee submitted her selfe to her Mistresse aâ— the Angels commandement 4. Shee was thankfull to God for his goodnesse in bringing her home to Abrahams family 5. Shee was patient 6. Shee was carefull to provide her sonne a convenient wife Sarahs faults 1. Shee grew proud 2. Shee ranne away from her Mistresse Her benefits 1. She was one of Abrahams servants 2. Shee had the favour of her Master and Mistresse Ephes 6.3 Tit. 2.9 Pro. 14 35. 27.18 3. She received great mercies from God 4. Shee had Ishmael and a promise concerning him Her crosses 1. Sarah used her hardly 2. Shee and her son were cast out of Abrahams family 3. Shee saw her sonne ready to die with thirst Gal. 4.21 Ver. 22. Ver. 23. Ver. 24. Ver. 25. Ver. 26. Gal. 4.29 Keturah Ishmael His Vertues 1 He was outwardly conformable and obedient to his father 2. He submitted himselfe to his father to be banished out of his house 3 Hee ioyned with Isaac in his Fathers funerall 4. He was ruled by his mother in marriage His faults 1. He mocked his brother Ephes 5.4 2 Was a wilde man 3. Hee was a quarrellsome fellow Gen. 16.12 His Benefits 1. Deliverance from two great dangers 2. God provided water for him when hee was ready to die for thirst 3. God himselfe gave him his name Gen. 21.17 Joh. 9.31 4. He prospered much in the world His death See Ainsworth on Gen. 25.17 Eliezer The Scripture saith nothing of his Birth and Death nor of his faults His vertues 1. He proceeded warily to an oath 2. Carried himselfe well to Abraham 1. Hee used speed in performing his oath The iourney was about 300 miles Mat. 5.33 Psal 15.4 2. He served his Master religiously 3. He praised God for his good successe 4. He was discreete 5. He had a care of his Camels 6 Was diligent and made hast about his businesse Col. 3.22 Ephes 6.5 His benefits 1. God gave him a godly Master 2. He had his favour 3. He was a true Christian 4. God prospered him His crosse Hee was a bond-man Abrahams Contemporaries Lot His death is not mentioned in Scripture His vertues He was a righteous man 2 Pet. 2.8 A twofold righteousnesse Gal. 3.21 22. The righteousnesse of the Gospell is twofold Lots particular vertues 1. He left his owne Countrey and Fathers house 2. Hee was troubled at the evill conversation of the Sodomites 2 Pet. 2.8 Psal 119.136 So in drunkennesse 3. Hee was hospitall Heb. 13.2 1 Pet. 4.9 Christmas 4. He intreated the Sodomites to desist from their villany 5. He sought to deliver his sons in law 6. For a good while he kept close to his Unkle Abraham His faults 1. He chose to dwell in a fertile place among sinfull men 2. He continued to dwell in Sodome among great sinners 3. He offered his two daughters to the Sodomites Rom. 6.2 4. He lingred in Sodome till the Angels tooke him by the hand Job 2.4 6. Hee was twice drunken His benefits 1. God gave him repentance 2. He and his were delivered out of the burning of Sodome His afflictions were foure Lots wife Her benefits 1. Delivered from Captivity 2. Delivered out of the burning of Sodome Her sin shee looked back to Sodome Her punishment Lots daughters had no vertues their vices 1. They agreed together about two grievous crimes Gen. 19.31 Qui semel verecundiae limites transiluerit graviter impudentem esse oportet Their owne sinne they make their Father drunken Their speciall sinnes Abrahams confederates Their vertues 1. They were friends to Abraham It is a good thing to be a a friend to the godly Prov. 13.20 Mat. 10.22 Acts 28. 2.