he shall raigne snares fire and brimstone and an horrible tempest 1 Snares to hold them then if they be not delivered follow fire and brimstone and they cannot escape This is the case of a sinner if he repent not if God pardon not hee is in the snare of Sathans temptation he is in the snare of divine vengeance let him therefore cry aloud for his deliverance that he may have his feet in a large roome The wicked lay snares for the righteous but God either preventeth them that their soules ever escape them or else he subventeth them The snares are broken and we are delivered No snares hold us so fast as those of our owne sinnes they keepe downe our heads and stoope us that wee cannot looke up a very little ease they are to him that hath not a seared conscience 2 A quo petit from whom he askes Christ directeth us to say Pater noster qui es in coelis Our Father which art in heaven libera nos à malo deliver us from evill David directeth his prayer to God the God of his salvation This prayer is like to speed 1 Oratio plana an open prayer It is confession and prayer for in that he prayeth to be delivered from bloud-guiltinesse he pleadeth guilty to the evidence of bloud Confession hath a great efficacie to induce mercy prayer of great force to obtaine it Here they are in composition and they shew that the two punishments of sinne shame and feare are upon him Confession sheweth his shame prayer sheweth his feare of Gods anger and just vengeance so it is oratio plana an open prayer 2 Legitima lawfull It is an honest lawfull request his soule is Gods for he saith all soules are mine hee desireth deliverance of their soule 3 Plena full He desireth two things herein to be delivered from the sinne of bloud ne relabatur lest he relapse into it from the vengeance due to that sinne ne corruat lest he perish by it so it is oratio plena 4 Recta right Hee knowes that this is a sinne which none but God can pardon he hath not left the dispensation of pardon of this sinne to any subordinate Magistrate on earth he hath deputed under him an avenger of bloud no pardoner therefore he directeth this prayer onely to God so it is oratio recta it goes the right way as he saith I will direct my prayer to God and will looke up 5 Fidelis faithfull It is full of confidence for he calleth God to whom he addresseth himself the God of his salvation My Saviour my King my God challenging a propriety and interest in him so it is oratio fidelis 6 Fervens earnest It is full of zeale and holy earnestnesse and importunitie as appeareth in the â—ngemination here used O God he resumeth it and taketh better hold of him Thou God of my salvation 1 O God is a good invocation for hee heareth prayers 2 Yet to distinguish him from all false Gods hee is so particular as to single him from all other thou God 3 And to magnifie him and to reenforce his Petition he calleth him Deum salutis the God of Salvation which expresseth him able to deliver him for it is his nature and his love and his glory to be a preserver of men 4 And to bring home this joy and comfort into his own heart he addeth salutis meae of my salvation So it is oratio fervens and the Apostle telleth us that such a prayer prevaileth much with God For God may be a Saviour and a deliverer and yet we may escape his saving hand his right hand may skip us Wee can have no comfort in the favours of God except we can apply them at home rather we may thinke on God and be troubled I finde that in David himselfe My God my God why hast thou forsaken me Why art thou so farre from helping me and from the words of my roaring 2 O God I cry in the day time but thou hearest not and in the night season and am not silent This would never have troubled him if he had seene that all had fared alike if he had heard none complaine but it followeth Our Fathers trusted in thee they trusted in thee and thou diddest deliver them They cryed unto thee and were delivered But I am a worme and no man despised c. His enemies upbraided him he trusted in the Lord that he would deliver Let him deliver him c. But a stedfast faith laying hold on God as my salvation the decreer the worker the giver of my salvation that armeth me against all the malice of the world against all the sinnes of my soule against all the divels of hell Why art thou so sad c. Confidam in Domino ipse mihi salus I will trust in the Lord he is my salvation But here is a Quaere why David doth in particular desire to be delivered from the sinne of bloud and mentioneth not his great sinne of adultery for which hee did commit that murder That that sin was the fulnes and height of his transgression as the Apostle saith when sin is finished it bringeth forth death so that is the comprehension of the whole transgression If he be freed from that he is câ—â—ere of all When Judas made confession of his sinne hee saith no more but I have finned in betraying innocent bloud that passeth for a full confession yet he sinned in covetousnes also for so one of our Ancients saith Auaritia Christum vendidit Covetousnesse sold Christ yet because his treason was the finishing and full growth and stature of his sin that comprehendeth all the rest The word blouds here used is by Saint Augustine Saint Gregory and others interpreted according to the frequent use of Scripture to contain our whole naturall corruption In multis sanguinibus tanquam in origine peccati multa peccata intelligi voluit In many blouds as in the originall of sin hee would have understood many sins Ad peccata respiciens looking to his sinnes plus dicit he saith more Caro sanguis non possidebunt regnum Dei Flesh and bloud shall not inherit the Kingdome of God Refert ad Vriae caedem referri dicit ad omnia ejus peccata mortaâ—iâ— Hee hath reference to the murder of Uriah and saith that all his mortall sinnes are to be referred to it So Saint Gregory and after them Master Calvine Both Davids sins were sins of hot bloud First bloud enflamed with lust Secondly bloud enflamed with anger and revenge Here was the right bloud of lawfull marriage extinct by murder a propagation of illegitimate bloud added by adultery Uxor a wife became mulier ahenea a brazen-fac'd woman a shamefull and hatefull title So both sins here contained 3 The greater sin is here named for murder is a more hainous sinne then adultery Adultery defileth the body that may be thoroughly washed and made clean but
The Broken Heart OR DAVIDS PENANCE Fully exprest in holy Meditations upon the 51 PSALME BY That late Reverend Pastor SAM PAGE Doctour in Divinity and Vicar of Deptford Strond in the Countie of Kent Published since his death BY NATHANAEL SNAPE of Grayes Inne Esquire LONDON Printed by Thomas Harper 1637. TO THE HONORABLE Sir ROBERT AYTON Principall Secretary to the Queenes most excellent Majestie and Master of Saint Katherines neere the Tower of LONDON Sir MY intentions had fastened the patronage of this Booke upon that pious and Right Honorable Gentleman Sir Iulius Caesar your predecessour in the Mastership of St Katherines whose dedication of himselfe to that great Master and maker of the world renders you the Successour of his place and my service Therefore and because all that know you rightly speak you to be a friend to Learning and Philagathus in abstracto a true Religion Lover I thought fit to present these devouâ— Meditations to your judicious acceptation These royall Penitentials deduced and exemplified unto us from the sacred person of a King conclude all persons and degrees from an exemption in the practise And the command of that excellent duty is more especially incumbent on us in these particular times of humiliation when that formidable pestilentiall sword hath so smitten us and hangs still so perpendicularly over our heads The profit of Repentance it removes our sinne in reatu poena it blunts that weapons point whose thirst is sooner quencht with â—ear then bloud and it preferreth the miserable delinquent from the shamefull Barre to the most glorious Bench. Let the Reverend Authors pen declare his worth and let the worke commend it selfe to the world Onely Sir be you pleased to give it countenance and protection which I am confident will improve it to a more generall and publique approbation and make it the more redundant in the Churches benefit Health honour and Heaven at last I wish you from the heart of Your humble Servant N. S. MEDITATIONS upon the 51. PSALME VERSE I. Have mercie upon me O God according to thy loving kindnesse according to the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions IN this Psalme David is 1. For himself ad fin v. 17. 2. Then for the Church 18. 19. In the first part 1. He is all crying God mercie and supplication v 1 2. 2. Confession of sinnes 3 4 5 6. 3. Supplication against 7. ad fin 17. 1. In the first consider 1. What ailes him where is his griefe his transgressions his iniquitie his sinne 2. What remedie loving kindnesse multitude of tender mercies 3. What effect of these to blot out to wash throughly and cleanse away all this uncleannesse 3. What he ailes He varieth the phrase and calleth his disease transgressions Arias Mont. rendreth it praevaricationes to our sence For the Law setteth us bounds thus farre we may go and no further every sinne is a transgression an over-reaching of our bounds Peshang signifieth the same to forsake the commandment and it answereth Gods challenge of him by Nathan Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the Lord Vers 2. He calleth his griefe his iniquities these also are against the Law which S. Paâ—l calleth holy and just He calleth it sinne which is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is privatio legis This shewethus the danger of all our sinnes They put us out of the way for our way is the way of Gods commandments all other are called false wayes It is Uia legis the way of the Law which guideth our thoughts words and actions It is Via veritatis the way of truth which guideth our understandings and judgements It is via pacis the way of peace which guideth our heart and the affections thereof Sinne putteth us out of all these wayes Into those false wayes which David doth utterly abhorre Yet he is fallen into them by a strong temptation It is our wisedome to know and consider the nature of sinne that every sinne is transgression of Gods Law So Joseph answered his wanton Mistresse How shall I do this great wickednesse and sinne against God And now David hath bethought him he saith to Nathan I have sinned against the Lord. We must not think that any of our sinnes do hurt God or take from him any thing to empaire him For when we live in his obedience we give him occasion to exercise his holinesse in our sanctification his goodnesse in our conservation his bounty in donation of all good to us But if we transgresse he exerciseth his wisedome in his detection of us his holinesse in abhorring of us his justice in punishing of us So that the going out of our way which he hath set us in his Law is the hinderance of our owne journey and the danger of our own souls and bodies It is our great blindnesse of judgement and hardnesse of heart that we should delight in sinne against the Law of God The Law of God is an undefiled law The Law is holy and the commandment holy just and good This was ordained of God to be a bridle to restraine sinne yet our corruption hath made it a spurre to provoke and put on sinne So the Apostle found it For sinne that it might appeare sinne working death in us by that which is good that sinne by the commandment might be exceeding sinfull For corrupt nature is impatient of restraint and no fruit seemes so faire to the eye or taste so sweet to the palate as the forbidden fruit doth Every man above all things in the world affecteth his own will and desireth libertie to do what seemeth good in his own eyes The Law doth restrain us of this and it is 1. Holy in directing us a way wherein we may wâ—lk in all pleasing to God 2. Iust in declaring the danger of going astray from it 3. Good in rewarding our obedience for godlinesse hath the promises of this life c. David hath professed great love to this Law great delight in it all his Psalmes over He hath confessed great benefits received from it yet here he confesseth transgression and iniquitie and sinne he hath not kept this Law and hath sinned against God Now we see in this example how heavy sinne is when the conscience groweth sensible of it Nothing so pleasant as our sinne for the time but Citò praeterit quod delectat It soone passes away which delighteth now David gronesunder the burthen of it he hath the whole weight of the law upon him for it and he hath found that he hath walked contrary to God We have great use of this recollection of ourselues 1. We have need of God every moment for his help and comfort and counsell So long as our sinnes are upon our conscience unrepented unpardoned we cannot pray to God for any favour 2. We cannot give thanks as our prayers are turned into sinne if we regard wickednesse in our hearts for God heareth not sinners 1.
head of sinne That we were all in Adam in the day of his creation needeth no proofe for out of him was the woman created and of them made one flesh by marriage was all mankinde propagated So that these first parents of our flesh did stand or fall to the benefit or losse of all their posteritie But man stood but a while in honour and by his fall he not onely corrupted his own person but his nature whereby there remained an infection of sinne to the pollution of the whole nature of mankinde This the Apostle hath affirmed disertly In Adam all dye that is all are subject to the law of mortality and all are under the curse of the law for the second death God concluded all under sinne that is both the infection of sinne and the punishment thereof David speaketh here of his originall sinne in the pollution thereof and confesseth that from that root of bitternesse this and all his other sinnes derived Therefore he confesseth the beginning of it not onely at his shaping and formation in the wombe when God gave his body a composition in the wombe and set every member and part of his body in the proper place but he goeth higher to his first conception In peccato fovit me in sin she nourisht me his first warmth which put the first natural heat to the radicall moisture of which we are created This appeares in the difference between the first man created and the first generated for â—f Adam it is said In the image of God made he him But de primo generato of the first begotten for in the account of the Genealogie he reckoneth not Cain who was gone from the presence of God nor Abel who was by Cain murthered But the Genealogie begins at Seth of whom we reade And Adam begat a sonne in his own likenesse after his image and called his name Seth. For Cain he needed not to say so for the corruption of his foule heart shewed him borne of corrupt seed But Seth was one of the holy Fathers of the Church yet begotten in the image of Adam now corrupt and not in the image of God as Adam was created How could it be otherwise for our first parents being defiled who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean Not one The Fathers with full consent referre that speech of Iob to our originall sinne as Pineda upon that place recounteth and quoteth them I should not need to prove this point of originall sinne having so cleare evidence for it as my Text in hand But that the Pelagians long ago denyed any such sinne or naturall corruption affirming Verba Pelagii Ut sine virtutâ— ita sine vitio procreamur atque ante actionem propriae voluntatis id solum in homine est quod Deus condidit The words of Pelagius That as we are begotten without vertue so without vice and before the acting of our own wils that onely is in man which God made Saint Augustine long ago took this heresie to â—ask and learnedly confuted it But of late Ann. 1620. there was a Pamphlet stolne out in print and vented from pocket to pocket by some Anabaptists at home who yet refuse to be so called In this the heresie of Pelagius is revived and originall sinne denyed and peremptorily it is affirmed that no sinne is derived from our parents We take say they from Adam vanity corruption and death This vanity is onely a weaknesse and impotencie in nature to know and do the duties of the Law of God But they deny it to be sinne Their reason is Adam was made of the earth we were made of Adam Adam was made of the earth onely in respect of â—iâ— body for God first made the body and then infused the soul in it The body was free from sinne the soul a spirituall substance infused by God was also free from sinne so Adam was created without sinne But we were no otherwise made of Adam then Adam was made of the earth and we were no more in Adam when he sinned then Adam was in the earth before his creation First according to the body Adam had no commandment given him till he had understanding to embrace it and will to receive or refuse it Adam sinned not till he departed from the commandment They conclude hence that we receiving nothing but our flesh from Adam cannot sinne till we have understanding to know what is commanded us ergo no originall sinne To all which we answer That the flesh which Adam took from the earth was pure for so was the earth But the flesh that we take from Adam is tainted with sinne And true it is that no actuall sinne can be committed without the Law But we may be guilty of originall impuritie without prevarication of the Law Adam had onely the matter of his body from the earth we derive more from Adam For whereas as God breathed into the body of Adam all at once the breath of lives We live three lives The life of plants in our vegetative The life of bruits in our sensitive The life of Angels in our rationall soul Philosophers and Phisitians and the learned Scholars of nature do resolve that we traduce two of these lives from our parents the third is immediately both created and infused by God The proper seat of originall sinne is in the sensitive part of man and that corrupteth our reason and as it groweth faster then our rationall doth so it over-groweth it and keepeth it down untill our new birth doth cut it and keep it short and the good Spirit of God give us strength to resist it and to subdue it This God himself hath in both Testaments fully detected in two holy Sacraments first Circumcision This was to be administred so soone as an infant was capable of it even after the first criticall day and that part of the body was chosen for this Sacrament which might best shew our generation unclean it was a Sacrament of purgation the impuritie of our naturall generation In the new â—estament the Sacrament of Baptisme was instituted to the same purpose And where our Anabaptists do charge us that by our doctrine of originall sinne we bring upon infants a danger of eternall death and thereby we revive that wicked Proverbe The fathers have eaten fowre grapes and the childrens teeth are set on edge We regest this calumny upon them in just imputation For when they confesse that we traduce from our parents vanity corruption and death these are the punishments of sinne and if we have no sinne of our own it is our parents sinne and so our teeth are on edge for their sowre grapes The doctrine of originall sinne was ever taught in the Church and when Saint Augustine did meet with the Pelagian heresie denying it he opposed it strongly and because the adversary urged the faith and doctrine of certaine Hereticks denying originall sinne S. Augustine produceth the constant contrary asseverations of the
most orthodoxe Fathers of the Church in their own words For he citeth Ireneus Ciprian Reticius Olimpus Hispaâ— Hilar. Ambrose Innocentius Gregor Basil Magnus Chrysost and Jerome which is a full cloud of sacred witnesses of antiquity beleeving and teaching the same doctrine This upon the Text in hand Saint Augustine doth clearly avouch Nunquid David de adulterio natus erat quid est quod sie dicit nisi quia trahitur iniquitas ab Adam Nemo nasâ—itur nisi trahens poenam trabens meritum poenae Was David born in adultery Why speaks he so but because iniquity is drawn from Adam There is none born which draws not punishment drawing that which deserves punishment He urgeth the words of the Apostle Corpus mortuum est propter peccatum propago sumus corporis mortui The body is dead by reason of sinne We are the off-spring of a dead body Julian the Pelagian did urge against originall sinne the honourable state of Matrimony So Saint Augustine chargeth him Tu autem dicis nuptias sine dubio damâ—ari ab omni sit liberum obligatione peccati But thou sayest The condemning of marriage is no sinne But marriage was ordained and the blessing of propagation was given before the sinne of Adam And marriage is honourable among all men and the bed undefiled The sinne of Adam did not discommand marriage nor reverse the blessing of encrease And Saint Augustine upon this Psalme doth answer Opus hoc castum in conjuge non habet culpam sed origo peccati trahit secum debitam poenam Non enim maritus quia maritus mortalis non est aâ—t aliunde nisi peccato mortalis est Matrimoniall function is without fault but originall sinne draws with it the punishment due to it For the husband as a husband brings not death nor any way but by sinne God provided a remedy the seed of the woman against sinne and suffered humane infirmity to passe on that he might shew mercie where he pleased But you may demand what any spirit of contradiction can alledge against Davids disert confession of his formation and conception in sinne Our Anabaptists answer That it is a question whether his confession here intend himself or his mother It was a poore shift to busie our thoughts about such a question for why should David confesse any thing here concerning his mother If any why not both parents This confession must have coherence and correspondence with the former I acknowledge my wickednesse my sinne is ever before me But what if it concerne him Then thus he confesseth and desireth God to consider whereof he was made of dust weak flesh unable to resist the tempter when the Law came unto him through which weaknesse he was overcome This is that which we call originall sinne this Carentis justitiae wanting of righteousnesse this impotencie to all good acts this seed of corruption which is the teeming and pregnant spawne of all sinnes But they would have it that as Christ because he had our flesh and was made sinne yet was no sinner So David though confessing himself conceived in sinne was not by conception and birth a transgressour To which we answer 1 That the comparison is blasphemous between Christ and David for Christ was conceived by the holy Ghost David in the ordinary way of flesh 2 That we call not originall sinne transgression of the Law in origine for that is the definition of actuall sinne For originall sinne is defined 1 Est corruptio naturae à prima perfectione It is the corruption of nature from the first perfection 2 Est corruptio naturae hominis quae efficit ne vere obediamus legi Dei nec simus sine peccato It is the corruption of humane nature which makes us unable to obey Gods Law that we cannot be without sinne 3 Est ignorantia inmente concupiscentia in carne It is ignorance in the minde and concupiscence in the flesh 4 But the fullest is this It is an hereditarie corruption of nature which bringeth forth in us the works of the flesh and proneth us to all evils and thereby doth fasten upon us a guiltinesse whereby we are in desert and danger of the wrath of God And this is the sinne which David here confesseth which began with him in his very conception But they alledge that the words of David may have reference not to himself but to his mother Then we must understand him thus that David doth not confesse sinne as a fault but as a punishment and so it hath regard to curse I will multiply the sorrows of thy conceptions So he onely meaneth his mothers punishment for the fall and his weaknesse through the fall That weaknesse we call originall sinne But why David in his repentance should repent his mothers punishment we cannot so well discerne for true repentance hath respect not to the punishment deserved but to the sinne deserving it Therefore these poore flashes of humane wisedome which is carnall sensuall and diabolicall cannot elude the evidence of truth that David bewailing his sinne doth repaire to the root of it in his conception confessing the first seminarie of this weaknesse to begin there But our Anabaptists urge further that if the matter of which David was made was tainted with sinne Then was also the matter of which Christ was made tainted with sinne for he was conceived in the wombe of a mother We reply That he was conceived by the holy Ghost and it was an holy thing that was born in his mother so the Angel saith to her They reply that then Christ was not true man for he was not born of the substance of his mother We answer That Christ was born of the very substance of Mary and that in his miraculous generation by the holy Ghost the substance was not changed but the qualitie of it For when David prayeth after for a new heart he doth not desire to have the substance of his heart changed but the qualitie thereof that of a sinfull and unclean heart it may be made a pure and holy heart a fit Temple for the holy Ghost to dwell in Thus I hope I have to any sober judgement cleared both our received doctrine of originall sinne and the interpretation of my Text against these old and new Pelagians and so the confession of David standeth good that beside his actuall transgressions of the Law he standeth guilty before God of originall uncleannesse from which corrupt fountain all his streames of actuall iniquities do derive I will now fortifie this doctrine with plain demonstrations of the truth from the Scripture 1 Wherefore as by one man sinne entred into the world and death by sinne and so death passed upon all men 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in whom all have sinned Neverthelesse death reigned from Adam to Moses even over them that had not sinned after Adams transgression Saint Augustine understandeth this sinne to be that originall sinne that David here complaineth of for
Adams was actuall and death reigneth not but where sinne reigneth The same Apostle finding in his understanding enlightned and in his zeale inflamed and in his will rectified by the Spirit of God good motions to serve God uprightly yet those discouraged and ineffectualled in him often he chargeth all this upon his corrupt nature which he calleth Peccatum inhabitans Sinne dwelling in him Vers 20. Lexmembrorum the law of his members Vers 23. Corpus mortis the body of death Vers 24. The flesh Vers 25. With my minde I serve the Law of God with my flesh the law of sinne This the Author to the Hebrews doth call 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The sinne that doth so easily beset and inviron us For this little Infants unborne and new borne are subject unto death and to charge death without a charge of sinne would call the judge of all the world unjust That there is originall sinne and that David here complaineth of it we have made it cleare Now observe that David in his repentance to make it full doth apply all his sinnes to the multitude of Gods tender compassions For a full confession maketh way to a full absolution When Jeremiah advise thus to search and try our wayes first and then to turn to the Lord he intendeth that we must examine our hearts in this search to the bottome and go so farre back in this inquisition as to the mother sinne the primitive and originall masse of corruption which empoysoneth our nature which cancreth our manners and in time gangreneth our whole conversation mortally to the very dominion of sinne David doth so for here he looketh back so farre as to his first conception and diggeth so deep as the root of his sinne For he chargeth all his transgressions upon this beginning of sinne which indeed in all the children of Adam is not onely a naturall pollution defiling us but it is a corrupt seed shooting out in time into a blade and bearing a full eare of actuall prevarications Therefore no man knoweth his own heart and let no man be so bold of his own strength to promise resistance to such temptations as have corrupted others It is the Apostles good counsell Brethren if any man be overtaken in a fault ye which are spirituall restore such a one in the spirit of meeknesse considering thy self lest thou also be tempted In which words The considering of thy self is no other then the wise remembrance of thy originall corruption for there is tinder in thee apt to take fire from a little spark There is in Sathan both cunning and malice enough with his temptations to strike this fire The Apostle useth a fit word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 si anticipetur for sometimes we are by sensuall motives perswaded and by semblance of good deceived or by entisements of pleasure or profit allured to evill When the Serpent as with Eve disputeth with us and corrupteth our judgement darkeneth our reason blindeth benummeth or deadeth our conscience and so we not onely take but gather and give the forbidden fruit Sometimes Sathan catcheth us by surprise and with a sudden temptation having all opportunities for sinne to friend he overtaketh us and embarketh us in some trespasse before we have leasure to advise our selves So was Troy taken at last by a cunning stratageme Victâ—mque quamvis videat Vix or edit sibi potuisse vinci She saw her self orecome by foes Yet scarse beleeves she what she knows Thus was David here caught he was at leasure in peace in glory and power at ease his mind now quiet his breasts full of milk his bones of marrow and walking on the leads of his house his eye no sooner was fastened on the beauty but his heart was fired with lust after Vriahs wife he enquired of her sent for her defiled her prevented and surprized with a sudden temptation This he imputeth to his naturall corruption by his originall and birth sinne So some that have ever made conscience of an oath yet upon a sudden passion sometimes rap out a fearfull oath to Gods great dishonour and their foule offence So some that make conscience of giving Suum cuique to every one his own yet upon an opportunitie offering them anothers goods upon faire termes of likely secrecie have robbed a neighbour I have upon like occasion given examples of this work of corrupt nature in the sonnes of men in Hazael who brought a present from Benhadad to Elisha to demand whether his master should dye of that disease The man of God looked Hazael so stedfastly in the face that Hazael was out of countenance but the man of God wept And when Hazael demanded why weepeth my Lord He answered Because I see the evill that thou wilt do to the children of Israel their strong holds wilt thou set on fire and their yong men wilt thou destroy with the sword and wilt dash their children and wilt rip up their women with childe And Hazael said But whâ—t is thy servant a dogge that he should do this great thing Yet presently he returned to his master brought him comfort of his recovery and on the morrow he took a thick cloth and dipt it in water and spread it on his face that he dyed He reigned in his stead and did like a dogge all that evill c. When Christ said one of his twelve should betray him Judas was one of them that demanded with the rest Nunquid ego Domine Is it I Lord But a sudden temptation surprised him Then entred Sathan into Judas Iscariot And he went his way and communed with the chiefe Priests and Captains how he might betray him unto them Most memorable is the example of Peter whom Christ forewarned of his denyall of him A thing so farre from Peters heart that he took it ill to be so charged he protested against it and vowed to dye with him or for him rather then he would deny him Yet being in the high Priests Hall when Christ was ill used there for feare of his own skinne he denyed and forswore him thrice This body of sinne we do all alwayes beare about us and therefore we passe the time of our so journing here with feare for which of us may not be thus surprised For there is no kinde of sinne which our heart abhorreth most but we are in danger of it by reason of our naturall corruption wherefore Christ taught us to pray Et ne nos inducas in tentationem And leade us not into temptation Therefore a wise man feareth and departeth from evill but a foole rageth and is confident Folly is rash and goeth on inconsiderately and trusteth to his own strength We live in perpetuall danger by reason of this naturall corruption for the Spirit hath his eclipse and often upon our grieving him leaveth us in our own wayes that we may see our naturall impotencie to that which the Law requireth of us and be so much the more
against himself for it Personall considerations do much aggravate or extenuate sinnes Sinnes of ignorant persons are nothing so defiling them and provoking God as sinnes of knowledge Sinnes of yonger persons in whom the passions of youth are more unruly and understanding and reason as yet but in the blade offend not so much as sinnes of aged persons whom time and experience should both informe and confirme in better wayes they have felt more comfort of the favour of God and seen more examples of the justice of God and have been longer taught in the word of God and where God soweth liberally he expecteth to reape plentifully Sinnes in poore persons who have received little at the hands of God displease him not so much as theirs whose cup doth overflow whose pathes are anointed with butter and their bellies filled with the treasures of his plenty Sinnes in inferiour persons not so offensive as in Magistrates and Princes and eminent persons whose examples may prove infectious to corrupt many Generally the same sinnes in the people are lesse then in the Minister Cujus in ore verbum vitae cujus in more should be vitaverbi In whose mouth is the Word of life in whose conversation the life of the word Therefore when David remembred his own person a King and an holy Prophet so much beholding to God for his high favours his heart did the more smite him for his trespasse And thus should the example work with us upon any temptation to sinne to consider with Joseph How should I do this great wickednesse and there take occasion to recount the favours of God to us the fruits of the earth the fruits of the wombe of our cattel our peace our health our daily bread our friends and all the comforts of life concluding thus God hath deserved better at my hands then so that I should give way to this temptation and so sinne against him whose loving kindnesse hath followed me all the daies of my life Should I blaspheme his Name by swearing in whose name is my help Should I prophane his Sabbath who hath allowed me six dayes for my work and this one for my rest and relaxation of all cares of life to attend his service Should I offend my neighbour whom God made in his own image for whom Christ shed his pretious bloud and for whom he taketh care as he doth for me that he may live in peace by me And as this in early consideration may prevent sinne so in a later consideration it may serve to hasten our repentance and to make it more serious when not withstanding so many reasons against it I have yeelded to a temptation and committed a sinne The more cause I had not to do it the more must my repentance be 2 The Commission Have done evill Sinnes of omission wherein God is neglected or our neighbour in duties of pietie or charitie give great offence You may see it in the sentence I was hungrie Et non pavistis me Ite maledicti and ye fed me not Go you cursed Sinnes of desire though not effected and perpetrated do more offend for as our good desires do stand for acts and receive rewards so our evill and unlawfull desires expresse the malignity of our corrupt dispositions and merit just vengeance Sathan doth corrupt the heart first and then out of the foule treasure of the heart proceed all kinds of evils Peccatum animae the sinne of the soul is the pollution of the soul and God seeth it David was an adulterer when his desire was first enflamed with lust but now it is done Vriahs wife is defiled Uriah is slain here is a sinne of commission Sinnes of this kinde which corrupt us and do hurt abroad cannot be recalled so long as sinne is but in desire it defileth at home onely but when it comes abroad into action it is a complete and full unrighteousnesse Therefore in repentance we must especially have care of such evils as are done by us which we cannot recall to repent them heartily and to wash them clean from our consciences for they cleavefast to us they scatter their poyson abroad And if sinnes of omission do smart so upon offenders and sinnes of desire how deep is the scarlet dye of sinnes of commission 3 The trespasse I have done evill Evill is a creation of our own for all that God made was exceeding good This we can do of our selves yet Sathan puts us on by his temptations Yet not under the name or shew of evill the delight and pleasure of the flesh seemed in the temptation like the forbidden fruit faire to the eye and pleasant in taste The evill we commit if we think of it will soon appeare like it self to our understanding and reason but especially to the Spirit of God in us But our appetite hath not the leasure to advise with these in general delight is good pleasure is the gift of God But if this be not regulated by the Canon of manners which is the holy law of God there may be a latent evill which we are loath to see for feare of depriving our selves of our desired delight But when lust hath conceived we see the birth of sinne quickly succeeding Then the pleasure is gone and nothing remaineth but the evill the guilt of sinne and the burthen of the conscience That is done and there remaineth behinde the sting of it anguishing the conscience or the custome of it searing the conscience Every evill we do is an injury to God and a contempt of his Law If God should for his pleasure scourge and torment us and make it his sport to heare our groanings and to see our teares who could challenge him for using his own creatures according to his own will but as a father he loveth us our paine his smart How is it then that we take pleasure in evill which God hateth and which so offendeth him that his soul abhorreth all them that work wickednesse It is a better way to be before hand with quid faciemus What shall we do good Master what good thing may I do to obtain everlasting life then to cry Quid feci what have I done Oh what evill have I done to deserve death Or as Job Peccavi quid faciam tibi I have sinned what shall I do unto thee The name of evill should loath us it is so foule and it should feare us it is so dangerous Therefore in all temptations to it it will be our wisedome and holinesse to abstract the pleasure of evill from the evill To part them and weigh them by themselves We shall finde the pleasures of sinne in weight lighter then vanity and in such firme conjunction with vexation of the spirit and for their lasting so short lived and so soone gone and leaving such a bitternesse in the soul behinde them that the very thought thereof in sad consideration will call such mirth madnesse and say to such pleasure What meanest thou Again evill weighed by
away from thy presence and take not thy holy spirit from me 12 Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation and uphold me with thy free spirit 13 Then will I teach transgressors thy wayes and sinners shall be converted unto thee HEre he petitioneth for a constant course of Gods favour for hereafter wherein 1. Deprecatur he prays against v. 1â— 2. Supplicat prayes for Verse 12. 3. Promittit promiseth Verse 13. 1 Deprecatur prayes against 2. 1 Gods casting him away from his presence 2 Gods taking his holy spirit c. 1 Cast me not away from thy presence Our sinnes deserve that God should deny us to come before him for why should the children of darkenesse presse to the light or the children of death to him in whose presence is life Our first Parents soone found how unfit they were for the presence of God and therefore so soone as they had sinned of their owne accord they fled from the presence of God and hid themselves When Cain had done that murther upon Abel his brother it was Gods just punishment a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be And he was sensible of it Behold thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the earth and from thy face shall I be hid And Cain went out from the presence of the Lord. The foolish shall not stand in thy sight This is excommunicatio major the greater excommunication When Pharaoh was exasperate against Moses he said Get thee from me take heed to thy selfe see my face no more When David heard how Absolon had slaine Amnon hee was moved like a father for the death of a sonne more that hee suffered that griefe from a sonne yet when the strong fit was off he could not but returne to his fatherly affection to Absolon yet neither his owne naturall inclination or the perswasions of Ioab by the woman of Tekoah did yet readmit him to the Kings presence The King said let him returne to his house and let him not see my face Much more sorrowfull is the punishment of exile from the face of God for David preferreth the presence of God before all other good whatsoever Many say who will shew us any good Lord lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us Christ is the light of Gods countenance a light to lighten the Gentiles God to Moses My presence shall goe with thee and I will give thee rest Christ is called the Angell of his face So David prayeth that Christ may not faile him and that he would not in respect of his sinnes deprive him of the comfort of his Redeemer Saint Gregory saith he prayeth here against Cains sinne of despaire for A facie dei projicitur cui spes veniâ— post peccatumnegatur Hee is cast from the sight of God to whom hope of pardon after sinne committed is denyed Augustine hath a good note here prius dixit averte faciem à peccatis meis first he said turne thy face from my sinnes but here ne projicias me à facie tuâ Cujus facieÌ„ timet ejus faciem invocat Cast me not from thy face whose face he feares his face he desires to see It was Abrahams prayer O that Ishmael might live in thy face or before thee â—he would aske no more of him They that walke uprightly and conscionably before God are not cannot be ashamed to behold his face As for me I will behold thy face in righteousnesse I shall be satisfied when I awake with thy likenesse 1 Here in the righteousnesse of Christ I shall see thee but hereafter I shall fully enjoy thee when after I have borne the image of the earthy I shall beare the image of the heavenly 2 Take not thy holy spirit from me Christ calleth this spirit a Comforter David had need of him now in distresse because of his sinnes This spirit he promised a guide to leade us in the way of all truth David had need of him for seeing God loveth truth in the inward parts and hee had gone in false waies he needeth this guide to guide his feet in the wayes of peace When David hearkened to the voyce of temptation and his eye did walke after his heart then did God withdraw his spirit from him and left him to goe alone He findeth the want of that faithfull guide of his waies and prayeth O take not thy holy spirit from mee David had a double portion of Gods holy spirit for hee had 1 The spirit of holinesse to direct and guide his life and conversation as a private man and by that hee became a man after Gods owne heart 2 He had the spirit in plentifull measure in regard of his office and place and that also was double for 1 Juveni Davidem servum meumâ— oleo sancto meo uâ—xi eum I have found David my servant with my holy oyle have I annoynted him he had not onely Samuels externall unction but God gave him a spirit fit for a King to goe in and out before his people Else how could the yongest sonne of Ishai bred abroad in the field and taken from following the ewes great with lambe have beene fit to have come from managing a sheepe-hooke amongst his fathers cattell to have managed a Scepter in Israell the Lords inheritance And wee have example hereof in Saul his predecessor of whom we reade that when hee parted from Samuel who annointed him King God gave him another heart for so Samuel had told him that the spirit of the Lord should come upon him and hee should be turned into another man Hee that called him to be a King accommodated him for government Thus did God also deale with David Then Samuel took an horne of oyle and annointed him in the middest of his brethren and the spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward So that he not onely was sanctified in further measure as a private man but was indued with heroicall graces fit for a Prince And it is said after this that 1 He walked wisely 2 He governed prudently 2 David was a Prophet also of the Lord herein not inferiour to Saul for it is said of him that he prophecied and it was a wonder Etiam Saulinter Prophetas Is Saul also amongst the Prophets David is called the sweet singer of Israell and we have many of his holy Psalmes whereof the Church of God maketh singular use No question but the sinne of David had much weakened the power of the holy spirit in him all these waies and he seemed now to himselfe as a man divested of these graces in such sort as was grievous to him besides he had the fearefull example of Saul his predecestor of whom it is said But the spirit of the Lord departed from Saul and an evill spirit from the Lord troubled him Now charged with the conscience of his sinne and peradventure comparing his sinne with Sauls he feared the like punishment Saul
God is above his law his lawes binde him not neither is his truth or justice prejudiced or any way blemished by his dispensation and indulgences and maintenance of his prerogative His revealed will holdeth in the generall but limiteth him not he will shew mercy on whom he will Neither is he bound to his owne ordained meanes of grace but he can save without them and no doubt he doth also therefore though sinne deserve hell fire yet he may forgive this punishment where he will without violence to his law which much encourageth our turning to God for though it come to a decree yet before the decree come forth it may by repentance be delayed in the very egression the childe may come to birth and no strength to bring it forth And howsoever we finde no way of salvation without the Church nor meanes of grace without Iesus Christ yet let me tell you I dare not say that all those morall heathen who lived in the light of nature onely yet by the law written in their hearts did conscionably performe that which that law did command were certainely damned I will shew you what hope may be There was a law given to Adam poena â—ors punishment death When Adam sinned hee saw nothing but death before him he had no hope of favour God had reserved an unrevealed meanes of mercy in his owne secret wisedome and will It was not a contradiction to the will revealed but a gratious dispensation to declare him all in all Now seeing it is so excellent and so beneficiall a duty to turne to the Lord consider that God hath concluded us all under sinne and that must be the lesson of us all to turne to him What then is required to a perfect conversion to God 1 A search of our hearts for sinne comparing our waies with the rule which is the law of God This is that the just man doth when he meditateth on the law of God day and night for that meditation serveth 1 For information of the judgement quomodo ambulandum how we are to walke 2 For search of our conscience quid feci what have I done 3 For full resolution quid merâ—i what have I deserved 2 Vpon this followeth percussio cordis the smiting of the heart a true sorrow and penitentiall deploration and confession of sinne for he that confesseth shall finde mercy 3 A present holy and constant reformation of life to the uttermost of our power and desire with care and feare for the future all this David here promiseth in peccatores convertentur ad te sinners shall be converted unto thee But how shall this be unto me 4 The Authour of this Here David is modest he beginneth with docebo vias I will teach thy wayes but he saith not et convertam and I will turne he will not take that upon him nor convertent se they will turne themselves he will not promise so much for them Convertentur they shall be turned it must be Gods owne worke turne us and we shall be turned Christ hath delivered us from the extreme rigour and exaction of the law and by the good favour of God it will now suffice that we labour our conversion to God using the meanes by him ordained to that purpose and cherishing in ourselves the good motions of Gods Spirit abstaining from sinne all that we can and declining the occasions thereof and when we finde our selves falling away from him to take our selves in the manner and speedily to cry God mercy for it and to be more warie hereafter by taking heed to our words and thoughts and waies that we may doe no more so If you desire to know whether you doe abide in him or not 1 Examine your selves by the fruits of holinesse and righteousnesse in your selves for Christ saith He that abideth in me and I in him he bringeth forth much fruit 2 You shall know it by your zeale in prayer and the successe thereof for if you abide in me and my words abide in you you shall aske what you will and it shall be done unto you 3 By your following the example of Christ in walking as he walked for as the merit of his obedience serveth for our justification so the example of his holinesse advanceth our sanctification for he hath said discite à me learne of me he is a Doctor as Bernard saith Cujus in â—re verbum vitae cujus in more vita verbi in whose presence is the word of life in whose conversation is the life of the word His love his patience his meekenesse and humility his obedience to his father are all exemplarie and Blessed is the servant whom his Master when he commeth shall finde so doing Where we affect and endeavour this way he is assistant to us and will not faile either in the worke to ayd it or in the reward to crowne it VERSE 14. Deliver me from bloud-guiltinesse O God thou God of my salvation and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousnesse 6 HE supplicateth in particular for pardon of his late great sinne of bloud in the murther of Uriah 1 Orat he prayes 2 promittit promises In the petition observe 1 Quid petit libera me â— sanguine what he prayes for Deliver me from bloud 2 A quo Deus Deus salut is meae from whom he askes O God thou God of my salvation 1 Quid petit what he asketh here we are directed in our pursuit of pardon to search our consciences for sinne and to crave speciall pardon for such sinnes in particular as doe most disquiet our conscience and offend God and scandall our profession of religion abroad and grieve the Church of God at home Such was this notorious sinne of David the crying sinne of murther the murther of a loyall faithfull servant Though all sinnes are mortall yet they are not all of equall magnitude the circumstances of persons time occasion place motives and such like doe either aggravate or extenuate them This murther of Davids hath full weight a King appointed by God to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a shepheard of the people to be the butcher of a subject a preserver of men to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a destroyer He on whose head God had poured his holy oyle to rent gall and wormewood to any subject to turne tyrant A Prophet of the Lord appointed to guide others in the way of life to become a plotter of death This bloudy execution done on a subject so ready to expose his life in defence of his Soveraigne so deserving honourable reward so receiving dishonourable injustice And this to revenge an honest good affection to his Master and to make way for a marriage to conceale a shamefull adulterie a former injurie done also to him in defiling his Subjects bed Some sinnes affected with strong desire and committed with sensuall delight doe charge the conscience after the glosse of their faire seeming is worne off