not to delay the time seing we know not what shall be on the morrow Iam. 4.14 First it is a just thing with God to contemne that man dying that despised him living He that calleth not upon God in his prosperity will God heare his cry Iob. 27.9 when trouble commeth upon him The best way to kil a Serpent is to bruise his head and when it is young so the safest and surest way to withstand sinne and Satan will be in the beginning not the latter and of our dayes in health not in sicknesse in life not in death betimes not when it is too late See this in the foolish Virgins that lingred their time of repentance but when the season was past they cryed againe and againe Lord Math. 25.11.12 Lord open unto us And what answer did they receive Verily I say unto you I know you not Luk. 13.24 verifying the saying of our Saviour Many I say unto you will strive to enter in and shall not be able because doubtlesse they strive when it is too late Secondly we must looke for a time when there will be judgement without mercy now is the time of mercy without iudgment Now are the dayes of grace now is the time of turning and repenting when this time is gone and past there will come a day of blacknesse and utter darknesse when there is no place nor time of turning For as the day of death taketh us the day fo judgment shal find us as we see in Caine Esau Iudas the rich man in the Gospell and such like Thirdly the houre of death to which the greatest sort post over their repentance hath many hindrances accompanying it that the sicke man cannot freely thinke of the state of his soule neither call to remembrance his sinnes that he hath committed Lastly beware of all lettes and impediments which as so many stumbling blockes lye in the way and keepe us from repentance Never was there good worke to be done but it hath found many oppositions Satan standeth at our right hand ready to catch hold of us The manifold impediments of true repentance when he seeth us sliding from him and resolued to leave sinne As then they that were bidden and called to the feast had all of them their excuses so such as are stirred up to repentance make not that hast which they ought but are wise to their own hurt and become the greatest enemies to their owne soules Let us therefore see their reasons or rather pretences which they use to hinder their returne into the right way First they alledge that repentance is full of difficulty a way hedged with thornes hard and painfull Be it so the harder the worke is the more excellent it is But what is the hardnesse of the worke in respect of the greatnesse of the wages and reward Besides this yoke of Christ is easie and this burden is light because the often practise thereof will make it so familiar unto us that we shall take pleasure and delight in it because we shall have God to put under his hand and assist us in the practise thereof because such vertue proceedeth from the death of Christ Rom. 6.6 that our old man is crucified with him that the body of sinne might be destroyed that henceforth we should not serue sinne and we have him after a sort to draw in the yoke with us and because God powreth sweet and secret consolation into the hearts of such as resolve to turne to him whereby they find that peace of Conscience which passeth all understanding Another impediment is presumption of Gods mercy and a foolish and ungrounded perswasion that God will accept of them whensoever they returne to him True it is we have many precious promises of grace and mercy in holy Scripture Ezek. 18.32 33.11 Psal 103. 1 Tim. 2.4 But these men do abuse them and build upon a weake foundation they dreame of a God made all of mercy and forget his justice which is to set up an Idoll in their hearts they dwell so much upon the promises of the Gospell that they cast from them the curses of the law These are like to the Spider that gathereth poyson out of the sweetest flowers The goodnesse of God is published and Proclaimed so often for the comfort of the weake not for the encouragement of the wicked to raise up the penitent not to hearten or harden the obstinate it is bread for the Children to eate not for dogges to devoure To conclude Nah. 1.3 let us remember that as the Lord is slow to anger so he is great in power and wil not surely cleere the wicked The third impediment is contrary to the former and that is despaire of Gods mercy The former hoped too much this sort hopeth too little and both of them without cause This possessed the heart of Caine despairing of Gods goodnesse as if it were lesse than his sinnes Thus also Iudas perished who saw his sinne in the glasse of the Law but could not lay hold on Gods mercy and therefore died without hope Sathan hath two deceitfull glasses and brast asunder through despaire Thus doth Satan shew forth two false glasses to deceive the sight of sinners before sinne is committed he sheweth them his mercies greater than they are and his justice lesse than it is but after the committing thereof he maketh his mercies to appeare lesser and his justice greater than indeed it is But he is a lyar from the beginning and the father of lies trust him not beleeve him not the contrary to that which he speaketh is commonly true God hath mercy in store for all that doe repent from the bottome of their hearts Ezek. 18.21.22 and hath promised to put all their sinnes out of his remembrance To deny the infinitenesse of his mercy is to deny him to be God Remember the examples of old how he hath dealt with penitent sinners with Rahab the harlot with Manasses the King with Peter that denyed him with Paul that persecuted him with such as crucified the Son of God and delivered him into the hands of murtherers Luk. 7.38 with that woman which washed the feete of Christ with teares and wiped them with the haires of her head To conclude let us call to minde the description of the name and nature of God The Lord the Lord strong mercifull and gracious slow to anger and abundant in truth Exod. 33.6.7 reserving mercy for thousands for giving iniquity transgression and sinnes The next impediment is the cares of this life and the deceitfulnesse of riches the pleasures of this world These are dangerous snares and baites of Satan wherewith he hunteth after the soules of men and catcheth them as fishes are with an hooke Luk. 14.17 Math. 13.22 Luk. 12.19 2 Tim. 4.10 and as corne is choked with thornes Luk. 8. For as full hands are able to hold and receive nothing no not the purest gold when they are
to the Land of Canaan that is our journey and passage toward Heaven Here we must resolve with our selves to meet with many enemies and crosses as it were rubs and stumbling blockes to hinder us and turne us out of the way Except therefore wee often call to minde our heavenly Canaan the end of all our labours when all our sorrowes shall bee finished we shall never be able to goe forward but we shall be discouraged in the middest of our race and sit still as a wearied man that is quite tyred and out of heart First conclude from hence Vse 1 that Gods Kingdome is certaine It is no deceivable promise neither doe we runne as uncertainely or as one that beateth the aire but as we runne for an uncorruptible Crowne so wee doe runne that we are sure to obtaine For wee have a sure Word of Christ surer then the Heavens because they shall passe away as a scrowle 2 Pet. 3.10 and the elements shall melt with heat but his Word shall never passe but it must be fulfilled and accomplished It is not the manner of Christ neither of the Apostles of Christ to use deceitfull reasons like subtill Sophisters to blinde or bleare the eyes of the simple they builde the soules of men upon the strong rocke that cannot be shaken Let us therefore bee well grounded in this article of our faith which should never have beene applied to drive away feare except it had beene in it selfe certaine and infallible For a certaine disease cannot be expelled by an uncertaine remedy Secondly let us walke before the Lord in feare and trembling who being privy to all our infirmities and knowing whereof we stand most in need hath provided this as an effectuall remedy against all distracting thoughts and troubles that arise in the world God hath not left us without comfort nay hee hath ministred the greatest comfort where the greatest discomfort remaineth He knoweth what tentations arise in our mindes touching worldly wants he sendeth us not therefore naked and unarmed into the field to buckle and wrastle with enemies that would be too strong for us For whereas he might have ministred unto us a thousand other comforts he singleth this out as armour of proofe which is able to withstand all the fiery darts of the Devill For as the Hushandman is carefull to make the fence strongest and the hedge highest where the beasts are most busie and ready to enter so Christ our Saviour understanding that wee lye most open to assaults of feares and cares and to have our faith battered by the engines of our spirituall adversary reacheth how to resist him by keeping this in remembrance that it is our Fathers good pleasure to give unto us the Kingdome And doubtlesse nothing in this world will more provoke us to stand in awe of God and to get grace in our hearts then this Heb. 12.28 as Heb. 12. Wherefore we receiving a Kingdome which cannot bee moved let us have grace whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly feare What will move us to submit our selves unto him and to walke in obedience before him if the consideration of this promise of a Kingdome to banish feare of want from us cannot doe it If an earthly Prince should thus comfort any of his people Feare not poverty I will promote thee to honour and glory how would it refresh his soule how would it revive his spirits and how would it provoke him to doe him the best service he could Take an example hereof in David toward Mephibosheth the sonne of Jonathan When the King after inquisition for some left of the house of Saul that he might shew him kindnesse for Jonathans sake had called him unto him and said Feare not 2 Sam. 9.7 8. for I will shew thee kindnesse for thy Fathers sake and will restore thee all the Land of Saul thy Father and thou shalt eate bread at my Table continually Hee had no sooner heard these gracious words and received this comfortable promise but by and by hee bowed himselfe before him Thus ought it to be with every one of us when we consider what promise of honour and advancement we have received we should in all humility cast down our selves and walke in reverence and godly feare all the daies of our lives before him The driving out one feare should worke in us another kinde of feare If we have not this grace here we deceive our selves if we looke for glory hereafter The Kingdome of grace goeth before the Kingdome of glory If wee belong not here to the Kingdome of grace we shall never enter into the Kingdome of glory hereafter Lastly learne from hence that we are saved by hope by hope I say which is a gift of God whereby wee wait with patience for good things nay the best things to come For seeing we are armed and strengthned against feare of wanting worldly wealth by the consideration of a Kingdome to come where there is no want wee are taught in all waves and stormes of this life to put our trust in God and to cast anker in heaven Whereby behold by the way a great difference betweene the godly and the ungodly The godly man hath the best things to come it is worst with him at the first and in the beginning the farther he goeth the better it is with him and the best of all is after this life Eccles 7.1 This made the Wise man say The day of death is better then the day of ones birth And the Apostle testifieth Rom. 13.11 Now is our salvation neerer then when we beleeved It is not so with the ungodly his best is in the beginning True it is it was never good with him nor never will be but he is best at the first the longer he liveth and the farther he proceedeth it is worser and worser with him for he heapeth up sinne upon sinne untill it come to the full and withall treasureth up wrath against the Day of wrath and the worst of all remaineth for him in the world to come So then we must acknowledge that we hold our salvation by hope and therefore it is not present Rom. 8.24 but to come for hope that is seene is not hope for what a man seeth why doth he yet hope for it as the Apostle sheweth We have it not therefore in possession but in expectation and therefore he addeth afterward If we hope for that which we see we doe with patience wait for it Wee must all doe as Abraham is commended to have done Rom. 4.18 19. beleeve above hope being strong in faith Rom. 4. we have so many hindrances of our salvation It is with us as it was with David he had a Kingdome promised and he was anoynted unto it yea in the end had full possession of it But in the meane season he found many stormes and tempests going over his head and ready to drowne him and sinke his ship in
Thou shalt not lust how heinous must the sinnes of our nature and the transgressions of our life be wherein we have yeelded full consent to rise up and rebell against God And Iesus answering said vnto them Suppose ye c. It seemeth by this answer of Christ that these men justified themselves because they suffered not as the other did and condemned them as notable notorious wicked men which rash judgement as a false sentence and censure in them Christ condemneth Doct. This teacheth that outward judgements and calamities that befal the children of men Outward judgements doe not alwayes befall the worst neither free the best men doe not alwayes seize upon the most wicked and worst men neither do they free the most righteous from them It is the corrupt judgement of corrupt men to jmagine that such as are sharpely corrected and extraordinarily visited and chastened are the greatest sinners of all and on the other side such as escape and live in health in wealth in glory in favour in peace in honour and inprosperitie are highly in his favour A common errour of the world and no marveile For first being blinded with the disease of selfe love few looke upon themselves and enter into a search of their owne hearts and wayes or consider what they doe themselves deserve They turne their owne sinnes behind their backes where they are sure they cannot see them but other mens they hang before them to have them alwayes in their sight Secondly by escaping without punishment and having freedome from scourges they flatter themselves with a vaine perswasion and presumption that God approveth and is delighted with their workes whereas we should learne that God by such examples stirreth up all men every where to repentance This errour we see in Iobs friends who beholding the suddaine calamity into which he was fallen tooke occasion to condemne him of Hypocrisie impiety that because he suffered much they judged he had offended much and therefore suffered more then others and more then themselves Chap. 22. This we see in the Disciples of Christ Ioh. 9. Ioh. 9.2 When they saw the man that was blind from his birth they asked him Master who did sinne this man or his Parents that he was borne blinde They never consider the secret causes of Gods judgements but as if there could be no other cause but this one they enquire whether he or his Parents deserued by their sinnes that he should be so borne The like we see in the Barbarians of Melita Act. Act. 28.4 28. When they saw the viper upon Pauls hand they sayd amongst themselues Doubtlesse this man is a murtherer whom though he hath escaped the sea yet vengeance suffereth not to live So in this place these men would have coÌ„cluded these Galileans to be desperate sinners who happly might be better then themselves because they were suddainly and savagely slaine with the sword but Christs answere teacheth that outward afflictions and chasticements doe not evermore seaze upon the worst and wickedest men neither are the better sort freed from them but they oftentimes lye open to them more then others as we see in Iob Chap. 1. and 2. and 1 Pet. 4. judgement beginneth at Gods house the wicked abound in all things Psal 17. Whiles David lay under persecutions Psal 73. The reasons Reas 1 first all outward things fall out alike to all as David saith â— Sam. 11.25 The sword devoureth one as well as an other So affliction meeteth with one as well as with another There is one event to the righteous and to the wicked as is the good so is the sinner and therfore no man knoweth either love or hatred by all that is before them Eccl. 9.1 Secondly the wicked are oftentimes as it were stalled and fatted to the day of slaughter like fedde beasts appointed to be killed Iam. 5.5 Deut. 32.15 Iam. 5. Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth and beene wanton Yee have nourished your hearts as in a day of slaughter Thus he letteth them alone to worke out their owne destruction that they forsake God which made them and lightly esteeme the rocke of their salvation Thirdly he chastiseth his owne children that he may bring them nearer to himselfe and that they should not be condemned with the world as 2 Cor. 4. We alwayes beare about in the body 2 Cor. 4.10.11 1 Cor. 11.31.32 the dying of the Lord Iesus that the life also of Iesus might be made manifest in our mortall body for we which live are alway dilivered vnto death for Iesus sake that the life also of Iesus might be made manifest in our mortall flesh When we are judged we are chastened of the Lord that we should not be condemned with the world if then we would judge our selves we should not be judged 1 Cor. 11. Vse 1. Vse 1 Seing God layeth outward afflictions upon his owne children and letteth the wicked goe free we may gather and conclude from hence that no affliction whatsoever shall separate from him those that are his nor death nor famine nor nakednesse nor sword nor perill nor pestilence nor persecution can divide and divorse betweene God and us his love is so sure and steadfast like mount Sion which cannot be removed Psal 125.1 the Lord standeth like a buckler round about his people Rom. 8.28 that all shall worke for the best to them that love him This is a singular comfort that he will make not onely his blessings to turne to our good but he will sanctifie all our afflictions and adversities and make even them blessngs also and further our salvations yea oftentimes more then the other It is not so with the vngodly not only their crosses are curses but all their blessings are turned into judgements and nothing shall be able to doe them Indeed the faithfull must suffer they are called unto it 1 Pet. 2.21 The Crosse is the calling of a Christian and the badge of Christianity Christ hath left us an example that we should follow his steppes therefore though they suffer yet their sufferings cannot take them from God nor God from them The foundation of God remaineth sure and his giftes are without repentance They then are justly to be reprooved that conceive and judge hardly and harshly of them that have beene taken away by the plague and pestilence in this heavie visitation nay the dayes may hang over out heads and we may see them with our eyes when we may pronounce them happy that died of this contagious sicknesse and gaâ—â— up the Ghost in their beddes no doubt many of our deare brethren in other places that are pursued by the rage of cruell enemies daily in danger of the sword at their throates that are constrained to keepe garrisons in their townes and Cities yea billit mercilesse Souldiers in their houses as it were vipers in their owne bosoms desire with all their hearts that they were striken by