offred him for though the common opinion be that he was but 13. yeares olde yet the more receiued opinion of the best Writers is that Isaac was 25. or 27. yeares olde How then could Abraham being an olde man of more then 120. yeares be able to binde Isaac being a young and lusty man and lay him on the altar to kill him For though Abraham had a commaundement to kill Isaac yet wee finde not that God commaunded Isaac to suffer himselfe to be killed now Nature moues euery one to seeke to saue his owne life and to resist such as would kill vs. How then was Isaac brought to yeeld thus farre to his Father For answere heereunto wee are to knowe that Abraham was no ordinarie man but a Prophet and that an excellent and extraordinary Prophet So God himselfe testifieth of him to Abimelech Hee is a Prophet and he shall pray for thee yea he was esteemed and reuerenced as a Prophet an honourable man euen of the heathen The Hittites tell him Thou art a Prince of God amongst vs. Genesis 23.6 Now being a man of so high place and so great regard euen in the world doubtlesse hee was of much more authoritie in his owne house It is therefore very likely that hee tells Isaac his sonne that hee had a speciall commaundement from GOD to kill him in sacrifice Now Isaac being an holy man and well brought vp hearing this is contented to be sacrificed and obayes his Father herein This I speake not as certaine but as most probable and it is the iudgment of best learned who haue had good experience in the Scripture This circumstance well obserued serues greatly for the commendation of them both of Abraham the Father that had so religiouslie brought vp his onelie Sonne that was most deere vnto him that hee would not resist the will of GOD reuealed vnto him though it cost him his life Oh that Parents would followe Abraham in so doing to their children then would it goe well with the Church of GOD. Againe Isaacs behauiour is heere admirable that hee would not resist his weake and aged Father but suffereth him to binde him and to lay him on the Altar yeelding himselfe vnto death when his Father tolde him My sonne GOD will haue it so This example must bee a patterne of obedience not onely for children towards their parents but for vs all towards Gods ministers when they shall tell vs what God would haue vs doe we must submit our selues and yielde though it turne to our bodily paine and griefe for Isaac yeelds though it were to the losse of his life But alas who will follow Isaac For let the minister speake against our carnall pleasure and vnlawfull gaine let him crosse our humour and affections then wee refuse to heare and will not obey Nay if the minister of God as the Lords priest come with the sacrificing knife of Gods word to the throat of our sin to kill the same in vs that so we may bee pure and acceptable sacrifices vnto God doe we not resist him and say in our hearts Wee will none of this doctrine Or if he like a Prophet of God come and offer to binde our consciences with the cordes of obedience and to lay our affections on the altar of the Law then we resist and are either too yong or too olde too rich or too learned or too great to be taught and bound to obedience But let vs know that if wee will bee true Isaacs euen the sonnes of faith and obedience and the true heires of Abrahams faith as wee would beare the world in hand then as he did submit himselfe to be bound of his father so must wee yield our selues to the ministers of God to bee bound by his word and suffer the same word to be in vs the two edged sword of the spirit to cut downe sinne and corruption in vs and to make vs newe creatures that so both in body and soule wee may become pure and acceptable sacrifices vnto our God Thus much of the facte it selfe wherein Abrahams faith is set forth Now follow the Arguments or reasons whereby the same worke of faith is commended vnto vs. The first Argument is taken from the great impediments which might hinder his faith and they are in number three First that he was brought to this worke not by ordinary command but by an extraordinary course in temptation Beeing tempted Secondly that he was to offer his own childe yea his onely begotten sonne Thirdly that he who had receiued the promises must offer him and kill him in whom the promise was made For the first impediment In the ordinarie translation it is read thus When he was tried But that is not so fit beeing rather an exposition of the meaning than a translation of the word For the very word signifieth to be tempted and the meaning is when he was tried I would therefore rather read it thus when he was tempted or beeing tempted as the word signifies In the handling hereof first wee will intreat of the nature of this temptation and then come to the circumstances belonging to the same Temptation as it is here vsed may be thus described It is an action of God whereby he prooueth and makes experience of the loyaltie and obedience of his seruants First I say it is an action of God This is plaine by the testimony of Moses in Genesis Gen. 22.1 where if we read the history we shall finde that God did prooue Abraham Obiect But against this it may be obiected that Saint Iames saith Iames 1.13 God tempteth no man and therefore no temptation is the action of God Answ. That place in Iames is thus to bee vnderstood God tempteth no man that is God doth not stirre vp or mooue any mans heart to sinne Yet further it will be said That temptation is an action of Satan for so in the Gospel wee may read Mat. 4.3 that hee is called the tempter Answ. Some temptations are the actions of God and some the actions of Satan God tempteth and Satan tempteth but there is great difference in their temptations first in the manner for Satan tempteth a man to sinne against the will of God and to doe some euill God tempteth a man to doe something which shall be onely against his owne affections or his reason Secondly God tempteth for the good of his seruants but Satan tempteth for the destruction both of their bodies and soules Againe I say Whereby he makes triall c. Here some will say God knowes euery mans heart and what is in them and what they will doe long before and therefore hee needeth not to make triall of any man Answ. God makes triall of his seruants not because hee is ignorant of that which is in their heart for hee vnderstandeth their thoughts long before but because he will haue their obedience made knowen partly to themselues and partly to the world so that hee makes triall of his seruants
sonne into the world that whosoeuer beleeued in him should not perish but haue euerlasting life Now when we are in the extremitie of all temptations we must still hold fast this promise and venture our soules vpon the truth of it This was Abrahams practice for in this temptation Gods meaning was to trie Abraham and to see what he would doe Now Abraham hee holdes fast the promise and yet obeyes God though all the reason in the earth cannot tell how that promise and that commandement could stand together But this was Abrahams faith though I know not nor reason knoweth not yet God knoweth and therefore seeing I haue his commandement I wil obey it and seeing I haue his word and promise I will beleeue that also and neuer forsake it And euen thus must we striue to doe in al temptations whatsoeuer yea euen in those that come from Satan which are full of malice and all violence In our heart and conscience wee must still hold and beleeue the promise of God and this is euer the surest and safest way to get the victory ouer Satā To hold that Gods promise shal be performed though wee knowe not how but rather see the contrary And though in humane reasoning it bee a note of ignorance and want of skill to sticke alwaies to the conclusion and question yet in spirituall temptations and trialls this is sound diuinitie Alwaies to hold Gods promise and to sticke fast to that conclusion and not to follow Satan in his Arguments neither suffer him by any meanes to driue vs from it Further in that this fact of offering vp Isaac was onely Abrahams triall we may obserue that it did not make him iust before God but onely serued to proue his faith and to declare him to be Iust. And therefore whereas Saint Iames saith Iam. 2.21 That Abraham was iustified through workes when he offered his sonne Isaac vpon the altar His meaning is that Abraham did manifest himselfe to bee iust before God by offering vp his sonne and not that by this fact Abraham of a sinner was made iust or of a righteous man was made more iust For indeede good workes doe not make a man iust but onely doe prooue and declare him to bee iust Thirdly God gaue Abraham this commandement Abraham kill thy sonne but yet he concealed from him what was his purpose and intent herein for God meant not that Abraham should kill his sonne indeede but onely to trie what he would doe whether he would still beleeue and obey him or not Where we see that God who is trueth it selfe reueales to Abraham his will but not his whole will whence ariseth this question Whether it be lawfull for a man according to this example of God when he tels a thing to another to conceale his meaning in whole or in part For answer hereunto we must knowe there are two extremities both which must be auoided in this case 1 That a man must alwaies expresse all that is in his minde 2 That in some cases a man may speake one thing and thinke another speaking contrary to his meaning But this later is no way lawfull and the other is not alwaies necessarie Wee therefore must hold a meane betweene both to wit that in some cases a man may conceale his whole meaning saying nothing though they bee examined namely when the concealing thereof doeth directly stand with the glory of GOD and the good of his brother Thus godly Martyrs haue done for beeing examined before tyrants where and with whom they worshipped GOD they haue chosen rather to die than to disclose their brethren and this concealing of their mindes was lawful because it touched immediately the glory of God and the good of his Church Secondly a man may conceale part of his minde but that must bee also with these two caueats First that it serue for Gods glory Secondly that it bee for the good of GODs Church Thus did Ionas conceale the condition of mercy from the Niniuites when he preached destruction vnto them saying Within fortie daies and Niniuie shall be destroyed though it is euident by the euent that it was Gods will they should bee spared if they did repent But that Condition God would haue concealed because it would not haue beene for the good of the Niniuites to haue knowen it sith the cōcealing of it caused them more speedily and earnestly to repent But out of these cases a man being called to speake must declare the whole trueth or else hee sinnes greatly against Gods commandement forsaking the property of the godly Psal. 15.2 And thus much of the first impediment of Abrahams faith The second impediment to Abrahams faith is contained in these words Offered his onely begotten sonne We knowe that the loue of Parents descends to euery childe naturally but especially to the onely begotten vpon whom beeing but one all that is bestowed which when there are many is diuided among them And therefore in all reason this might greatly hinder Abrahams obedience That God should command him to offer his sonne yea his only begotten sonne But yet by faith hee ouercommeth this temptation breakes through this impediment and offers vp his onely sonne Where wee note that true faith will make a man ouercome his owne nature Loue is the strongest affection in the heart especially from the father to the childe euen his onely childe And a man would thinke it impossible to ouercome this loue in the parent vnlesse it were by death there beeing no cause to the contrary in the childe But yet beholde Abraham by faith subdued this speciall loue which he bare to his onely childe God himselfe testified of Abraham that his loue to Isaac was great Gen. 22.2 and yet by faith hee ouercommeth this his loue This point is carefully to be marked as declaring the great power of true sauing faith for if faith can ouercome created and sanctified nature then vndoubtedly the power thereof will inable man to ouercome the corruptions of his nature and the temptations of the world for it is an harder thing to ouercome our nature which wee haue by creation than to subdue the corruption thereof which comes in by transgression And hence such excellent things are spoken of faith it is called the victorie that ouercommeth the world 1. Iohn 5.4 And God is saide by faith to purifie the heart faith strengtheneth the heart Acts 15.9 And through faith we are kept by the power of God vnto saluation 1. Pet. 1.5 Is this the power of faith to ouercome nature and the corruptions thereof then howsoeuer religion be receiued and faith professed generally among vs yet vndoubtedly there is little true faith in the world for euen among the professours thereof how many be there that subdue the sinnes of their liues and suppresse the workes of their wicked nature surely very few Now where corruption beareth sway and sin raigneth there sound faith cannot be for if faith were sound in men it would purifie
that God so loued the world that he gaue his onely begotten Sonne that whosoeuer beleeued in him should not perish but haue euerlasting life This is Gods promise and it shall neuer be changed Now therefore howsoeuer my case be heauie and desolate yet God is able to comfort me and to bring my soule out of hell and from this case of desperation therefore though he kill me I will trust in him and I will vse all holy meanes whereby I may ouercome this hard and grieuous temptation So if it shall please God to call vs to suffer any thing for the name of Christ and his holy profession flesh and bloud we know is weake and Nature will make this obiection that life is sweete what course therefore shall we take we must doe as Abraham here doth vnto the certainty of Gods promise we must adioine his power and reason thus God hath made this promise that he will be with them that suffer any thing for his owne names sake and I knowe that hee is able to deliuer me and though he will not yet he can make me able to beare it therefore I will patiently suffer and abide whatsoeuer his holy hand shall lay vpon me Thirdly is a man so troubled with some sinne that he cannot get out nor ouercome it Then also let him set before him this fact of Abraham and vnfainedly endeuour to doe heereafter For that which is past let him labour to beleeue this promise of God At what time soeuer a sinner doth repent him of his sinne hee will put all his wickednesse out of his remembrance And for the time to come being first resolued that God can inable him to leaue his sinnes let him striue by good meanes to leaue his sinne auoiding the occasions of it and praying against it and this will be as a cable-rope to drawe him out of the pit of sinne This course wee must take and this doe in euery hard case that shall befall vs. And thus much of the meanes whereby Abraham induced himselfe to obey God The third and last reason whereby Abrahams faith is commended vnto vs is the issue and euent thereof in these words From whence he receiued him also after a sort From whence that is from death After a sort or as it may be read in some shewe This is said because Isaac in the thought and purpose of Abraham was but a dead man for Abraham was fully resolued with himselfe vpon Gods commaund to haue sacrificed him yea hee had gone so farre as to put the sacrificing knife vnto his sonnes throate and had slaine him indeede had not the Angell of God staid his hand and therefore when the Angell said Lay not thy hand vpon the childe neither doe any thing to him euen then did Abraham in some shew receiue Isaac from death Here we learne diuers points 1 That whosoeuer shall rest on Gods prouidence and good pleasure euen in cases of extremitie when he shall be out of all hope with himselfe shall at the last haue a good issue This wee see to bee true by Abrahams example in this place As wee said before he himselfe no doubt had rather haue died ten thousand times than to haue Isaac slaine in whom the promise was made but yet beleeuing Gods promise that that should neuer change hee rests himselfe on Gods good pleasure and prouidence and goes on in obedience and so in the end receiued a blessed issue This is very cleerely set downe vnto vs in the History recorded by Moses For when Abraham had gone three daies iourney in the wildernesse and had built an Altar then Isaac said vnto Abraham Gen. 22.7 Father here is the fire and the wood but where is the lambe for the burnt offering Then Abraham said My sonne God will prouide him a lambe for a burnt offering Vers. 8. And thus yeelding himselfe to Gods good pleasure and prouidence he receiued his sonne againe as a dead childe restored to life So when we are in cases of extremitie when all goes against vs and when we can see no hope of any good issue or ende and all good meanes seeme to faile vs if wee can then cast our selues on Gods prouidence and rowle our selues vpon God we shall haue comfort in the ende and a good issue out of all Wee doe all of vs in word acknowledge Gods prouidence but whē wee come to the pinch that wee fall into cases of extremitie then wee vse vnlawfull meanes and doe not with Abraham cast our selues vpon God but seeke helpe of the diuell and wicked men But all such persons must looke for a cursed issue They therefore that feare the Lord beeing put to any plunge or extremitie must cast themselues vpon God wholly and waite for his good time and pleasure and then will the issue be both ioyous and comfortable vnto their soules Here some circumstances of this fact are to bee considered out of the larger story The first is this What did God vnto Abraham at this time when he was about to kill his sonne Answ. God now gaue him a commandement to stay his hand and not to slay his sonne By vertue whereof Abraham staies his hand God before commanded him to goe three daies iourney in the wildernesse and there to sacrifice his sonne Hereupon Abraham goes but now beeing come to the place hauing bound his sonne and is ready to cut his throat God bids him stay his hand and then also Abraham obeyeth God and doeth not kill his sonne Here we see Abraham is at Gods commande and as wee say at his becke Hee doeth not follow his owne will and pleasure but when God calles he is wonderfull pliable to doe Gods commaund whatsoeuer it bee one way or other This practice of Abraham must bee a looking glasse for vs wherein to see what manner of persons wee ought to be Looke what God commaunds vs to doe that wee must doe and what hee forbids vs that wee must not doe But this is a rare thing to bee found in these daies our practice generally is contrary for in our liues wee followe our owne humors and affections neuer regarding what God doth either will or nill But if wee will be Abrahams children we must follow Abrahams practice in this place For the sonnes of Abraham will doe the workes of Abraham Iohn 8.39 Good seruants will come and goe doe and vndo at their Lords pleasure and forget themselues to obey their masters And so must it be with vs if we call God our good Lord and master Luk. 6.46 The second circumstance to bee considered is the time when Abraham receiued his sonne from death to wit at the very same time when his knife was at his sons throate and he himselfe ready to offer him vp for a sacrifice vnto the Lord at that same instant God spake vnto him by his Angell from heauen and said Abraham stay thy hand Gen. 22.10 This circumstance is worth the marking for God lets
will counsell in a speciall manner vnto them that be his children As in this place he reuealeth vnto Iacob the particular estate of the two sonnes of Ioseph In like manner when God was to destroy the Sodomites Shall I hide saith the Lord from Abraham that thing which I do seeing that Abraham shall be indeede a mighty Nation for I knowe him that he will commaund his sonnes and his houshold after him that they keepe the way of the Lord. And the Prophet Amos saith Surely the Lord will doe nothing but he reuealeth his secrets to his seruants the Prophets So saith our Sauiour Christ to his Disciples Ye are my friends and he giueth a reason because saith he I haue reuealed vnto you all that I haue heard of my Father Iohn 15.15 So that those which are in Christ the friends of God they shall in a particular and speciall manner knowe those things which God will not reueale vnto others And looke as this is here verified to Iacob in a speciall manner so it is true generally in all Gods seruants children hee reuealeth some particular things vnto them more then hee doth vnto others For besides that generall knowledge which they haue in his word he reueales particularly vnto them the knowledge of their owne election of their iustification sanctification and glorification to come though not by way of prophecie yet by the working of his spirit in the ministerie and meditation of his word And thus much of the blessing Now followe the Circumstances The 1. Circumstance to be considered is the time when Iacob blessed the two sonnes of Ioseph noted in these words when he was dying that is being ready to die not in the act of dying In this circumstance wee may learne two especiall duties one for masters of families the other for the Ministers of Gods word for here Iacob beares the person not onely of a Father but of a Prophet First Masters of families are here taught to set in order their houses and families whereof they haue charge before they die for Iacob hauing a great charge and many children calls for the sonnes of Ioseph Ephraim Manasses before his death and makes them his owne to perfect his family Quest. How will some aske must a man set his house in order when he dies Answer By doing two things after Iacobs example for first he disposeth of his temporall things and distributeth his temporall inheritance in the Land of Canaan Secondly he giues them charge of some duties concerning himselfe and some others especially concerning religion and Gods worship and then he dies as it is said When he had made an end of giuing charge vnto his sonnes he plucked vp his feete into his bed and gaue vp the ghost Genesis 49.33 So likewise Masters of families they must set their houses in order by the like two duties 1. By a due disposing of their temporall goods and possessions and 2. by giuing exhortation and charge vnto their children and family concerning the worship of GOD and the practice of true Religion This as wee may also reade 1. Kings 2 was the practice of good King Dauid when he was about to die and as he saith to goe the way of all flesh hee calls for Salomon his sonne and makes him King in his stead and giues him a most notable charge concerning Gods worship Verse 3 reade the place it is worth the marking So the Prophet Isaiah when he comes to Hezekiah from the Lord hee aimes at these two and bids him set his house in order for hee must die and not liue Isay 38.1 and so ought euery Master of a familie after their example both learne and practice these two duties Secondly Gods Ministers must hence learne their dutie for Iacob was a notable Minister and Prophet in Gods Church which was then in his family Iacob he blesseth the sonnes of Ioseph that he might receiue them into his family and into the couenant that so hee might continue and preserue the Church of God after his death for looke as Isaac his Father did call him into the couenant and blessed him so dealeth hee with the two sonnes of Ioseph And accordingly euery Minister of GOD in his place ought to haue speciall care to conuay and deriue true religion and the Gospel of Christ from hand to hand so much as they can while they liue that so after their death it may be published and maintained In the new testament we haue a worthy commandemēt for this purpose S. Paul hauing instructed taught Timothy in the waies of godlines and religion chargeth him that what things he had heard and learned of him the same he should deliuer to faithfull men which should be able to teach other also that so Gods Gospel and religion going on from hand to hand from person to person might increase from time to time S. Peters practice herein was notable 2. Pet. 1.15 I will endeauour therefore alwaies that yee may bee able to haue remembrance of the things of God after my departure hauing professed before that while he liued he would stirre them vp by putting them in remembrance v. 13. And in like sort all Gods faithfull ministers must doe their whole endeauour before they die that the Gospel may be preached when they are gone 2. Circumstance By what meanes did Iacob blesse the two sonnes of Ioseph Ans. By faith in the promises of God so the text saith By faith Iacob blessed the two sonnes of Ioseph And if we consider the matter well wee shall see it was a notable faith for hee was now a poore pilgrime in Egypt and yet by faith giues them portions in the Land of Canaan Quest. Why will some say did hee not keepe himselfe in the Land of Canaan Answ. Iacob indeede dwelt there for a time but yet as a soiourner hauing no more liberties than hee bought for himselfe no not so much as water for his camels or a place to bury the dead and besides he was driuen out of this his own Land by famine and was faine to flie into Egypt for food and sustenance and there to liue as a poore pilgrime and stranger forth of his owne countrey And yet for all this extremitie as though he had bin some mighty potentate of the world or some Emperour hee makes his Will bequeathes vnto his children the Land of Canaā allotting to euery one his part portion which must needs be a worke of a notable faith wonderfully apprehending applying the promise of God In his example wee are taught a notable dutie in the matter of our saluation When as any of vs by reason of the rigorous temptation of sinne and Satan and by their assaults shall seeme to our selues to bee as it were thrust out of our inheritance in the heauenly Canaan what must we doe We must not despaire but euen then set before our eies and call to remembrance the promises of God made vnto vs in
Christ concerning life euerlasting and theron we must rest and stay our selues Then let temptations assault vs and driue vs whither they can still wee must holde fast the promise with both hands of faith and aboue hope by faith appoint and designe vnto our selues a part and portion in the kingdome of heauen And so doing wee shall bee true Israelites and true followers of this faithfull Patriarch who by faith beyond all likelihood allots the Land of Canaan to his posterity 3 Circumstance The parties whom he blessed namely the two sonnes of Ioseph Manasses and Ephraim Hereof wee may read at large Gen. 48.8 9 c. where among many things obserue this one Ioseph brings his two sonnes Manasses and Ephraim vnto Iaacob his father that hee might blesse them as he lay on his bedde Now Iosephs mind was that Manasses the elder should haue the chiefest blessing and therefore he set Manasses at Iaacobs right hand and Ephraim the yonger at his left But Iaacob beeing to blesse them laies his hands a-crosse putting his right hand on Ephraims head and the left on the head of Manasses whereby he gaue the birth-right which was a principall prerogatiue vnto Ephraim contrary to Iosephs desire Vnto Manasses hee gaue a blessing also but farre inferiour to Ephraims Now here we may not thinke that Iaacob did this vpon any fond affection as parents oftentimes doe because they loue one childe better than another but hee did it after a speciall manner by the direction and instinct of Gods spirit which so appointed it For when Iaacob blessed them he knewe not of his owne knowledge by the benefit of his senses which was Ephraim and which Manasses Againe looke as Iaacob gaue the blessings at this time the principall vnto Ephraim and the lesser to Manasses so afterward they came to passe For as we may read the tribe of Ephraim was farre more populous and more glorious than the tribe of Manasses And therefore in the bookes of the Prophets Hos. 4.16 and 5.9 and 6.4 c. we shall finde that the name of Ephraim is giuen to all the ten tribes and they are called by that name because it was the most noble tribe of all and the most valiant and as it were the shelter of all the rest Yea further of this tribe came 1. Chron. 7.27 Iehosuae that noble captaine and 1. King 11.26 Ieroboam and many other mighty Kings of Israel Where we may learne that God is the disposer of honours and dignities in this world he giueth these to whom he will to some more and to some lesse as pleaseth him yea sometime he raiseth vp men of base and lowe degree to great dignitie as Dauid saith Psal. 113.7 He raiseth the needy out of the dust and lifteth the poore out of the dongue Now whence comes this Is their learning their great strength their beautie or wonderfull skill and knowledge the cause of their preferment or the wealth of their parents or any thing in them No surely If we speake of the first cause wee see in this example that the preferment of Ephraim aboue Manasses was for no cause in Ephraim for what was in Ephraim that was not in Manasses when Iaacob blessed them Surely nothing for hee was but a childe as the other was and a yonger childe also but hee was preferred by reason of Gods good will towards him And so it is with all those that are aduanced to preferment in this world Wherefore seeing honour and dignity commeth not from themselues or any thing in them therfore they must not ascribe it to their owne wit learning strength or friends but wholly to the gift of God as the first cause and so must labour to vse it to the honour of him that onely giues it of his good pleasure else they sacrifice to their owne net Hab. 1.16 Quest. Why doth the holy Ghost in this place put Iosephs name downe who was not blessed and conceale the names of the two children that were blessed Answer If wee reade the History in Genesis wee shall see the reason hereof For when Ioseph heard that his Father Iacob was sicke though he was a mighty Prince and a noble Potentate among the Egyptians and his Father but a poore Pilgrime yet hee comes to his sicke Father before his death and brings his two sonnes with him to haue his Father to blesse them before he died and therfore the holy Ghost heere nameth Ioseph to shew vnto vs what respect he had of his Fathers blessing hee made more account thereof and did more esteeme it that so he might haue his sonnes within the couenant than of all the Kingdomes in the world and therefore he brings them both to his Father to be blessed a little before his death Now looke what minde affection Ioseph beares the same should be in euery one of vs. Whatsoeuer our estate be whether honourable or base and meane wee must with Ioseph esteeme more of Gods couenant to be members of Gods Church then of all the honour in the world besides and we must esteeme our places and preferments that we haue or our children may haue to be nothing in comparison of the blessing of God and his fauour Yea we must chuse with Ioseph rather to leaue our honours and dignities for a time or if it were for euer then to lose the blessing of Gods grace and blessed shall those Fathers be with Ioseph who had rather haue their children blessed of God then aduaunced in the world The second action of Iacobs faith is in these words And worshipped on the end of his staffe and it is a notable worke for the cōmendation of his faith But before we come vnto it there are certaine questions which may profitably be considered As first for the translation how the words should be read The Papists read them thus And adored the top of his Rod that is say they the top of Iosephs Scepter who came to visit him From whence they would gather and ground their abhominable Idolatrie in the Adoration of creatures and namelie of Holie things as Crucifix Reliques Images as also of God at and before such holie things But we must know that their translation is false and erronious and cannot be iustified howsoeuer they may bring some mens witnesse and testimonie for the same For in reading it thus and adored the top of his Rod they leaue out a substantiall word of the text to witte this word vpon whereby they corrupt the Text and depraue the meaning of the holy Ghost Againe their obseruation and collection hence is most abhominable for to worshippe an Image or other holy thing or GOD himselfe in or at the same is flatly forbidden in the second Commaundement Thou shalt not make to thy selfe any grauen Image c. Thou shalt not bow downe to them But our Translation in this place is true and right according to the wordes of the Text and the meaning of the holy Ghost That
his life and when he dieth he shal be able to worship praise God On the other side take notice of it he that liues in couetousnes in profanenesse in fornication and wantonnes for the most part so dies Come to a couetous man at his death and talke with him and you shall finde nothing in him ordinarily but rauing talking about his bargaines his billes and indentures other worldly things And so wee may say of other lewd liuers looke what minde they had while they were liuing that shall you find most in their mouthes while they are dying which shewes plainely that as men liue so they die But some will say that oftentimes the godly man raues and speakes lewdly and it may be profanely before his death Ans. It is true indeed the best man is not freed from any kind of bodily sicknesse but is subiect to them as well as the wicked as to burning feuers and such like by the violence and rage of which diseases they are often driuen to raue to speake fondly and sometimes lewdly yea it may be profanely But what is that to the purpose for thogh a godly man for the time of his fit cannot expresse the grace of his heart but rather the corruption of his nature yet whē he hath recouered himselfe he is sory for the same is then ready willing to praise God with all his heart So that if wee would die well as Iacob did praising God then let vs lead our liues as he did namely by faith and the direction of his word and promises Then come death when it will and how it will wee may indeede be sore assaulted by sickenesse and temptation but yet we shall neuer be ouercome for God is faithfull that hath promised an issue to his children in temptatiō 1. Corinth 10.13 Lastly whereas Iacob worshipped God at his death Here we learne that sound zeale will neuer decay Many men haue zeale indeede but it comes onely from the strength and soundnesse of their bodily constitution and looke as strength decaies so doth that kind of zeale But sound zeale will not decay and weaken with the body but as Dauid saith of the righteous Psal. 92.13 15. will flourish like a palme tree and growe like a Cedar in Libanon it shall still bring forth fruit in a mans age and flourish This wee see was true in Iacob for though he were old and feeble with sicknesse yet he sheweth forth sound zeale in his heart at the houre of his death Euen so will it be with vs that professe religion if zeale be sound in our hearts it will shew it selfe and the older wee are the more fruits of grace wee shall bring forth and then shew forth more true zeale than in yonger yeares For though bodily strength decay yet sound zeale will neuer decay but when strength faileth then will zeale flourish if it bee sound like to the palme tree which will bud and sprout though the roots of it bee cut off Wherefore if wee would shew forth zeale in our age we must get soundnesse of it in our youth for that will put forth it selfe in the time of death And thus much of Iacobs example Iosephs Faith VERSE 22. By faith Ioseph when he died made mention of the departing of the children of Israel and gaue commandement of his bones WEe haue heard in the former verses the seuerall examples of the faith of the three Patriarchs Abraham Isaac and Iacob Now in this verse the holy Ghost setteth downe the example of Iosephs faith The words in this verse are plaine and easie neede no exposition They are a plaine and briefe summe of the ende of the 50. Chapter of Genesis Let vs therefore come to the points of doctrine and instructions which are to bee learned and gathered forth of the words First note in generall the great resemblance of this example with the former of Ioseph a godly sonne with Iacob a godly father for both of them shew forth their faith when they die For it is said of both By faith when hee died So that in ground and circumstance of time they both agree Herein we may obserue first that the good examples of Superiours vvhether they be ciuill or Ecclesiasticall are of great force to bring other men on and to make them forward in the duties of religion their zeale as Paul saith to the Corinthians in the case of almes prouoketh many Iacob the father beeing a worthy Prophet and Patriarch giuing an holy and blessed example vnto Ioseph and his children doth shew forth at his death most notable behauiour wherein hee worthily expresseth the trueth of his faith Now his example works with Ioseph and he in his death behaues himselfe in the same manner that his godly father did before him and therfore superiours must look to all their sayings and doings carefully that they may bee worthy examples to their inferiours to drawe them on in religion and in the feare of God Secondly hence inferiors also must learne to follow the godly holy and religious examples of their gouernours and superious whether they be ciuill or Ecclesiasticall as we may see in this place Ioseph doth imitate the godly example of his father Iacob Hereof Saint Paul giueth straite charge vnto the Philippians saying Brethren be followers of me and looke on them which walke so as ye haue vs for an example Phil. 3.17 And in the next Chapter exhorting them to honest conuersation hee biddes them doe those things which they had heard receiued and seene in him But are these duties practiced among vs bee the elder sort teachers of good things to the yonger doe the yonger follow their elders in wel-doing nay verily but such are our times too many among vs both those that giue and those which follow good examples are as signes wonders as the Prophet speaketh they are made a reproach a by-word among men and are foully disgraced by odious tearmes Isay 8.18 But this indeede is a practice of Ismael that mocked Isaac Genesis 21. ver 9. And we againe must vndoubtedly know that vnlesse it be reformed that hand of God which hath beene stretched out against vs in manie fearefull iudgements will not be pulled backe but stretched out still till it bring vs to destruction for God will not suffer his ordinances to be contemned and his holy ones to be abused hee looketh for better fruites at our hands and therefore wee must learne of these godly Patriarches both to giue and to followe good examples In the example of Ioseph more particularly wee are to obserue two points 1. Iosephs faith 2. The actions of his faith whereby it is commended For the first it is saide that by faith Ioseph when hee died c. Ioseph for ought wee finde in Scripture had not such meanes to come by faith as his Auncestors had before him For the three Patriarches Abraham Isaac and Iacob had otherwhiles the appearance of GOD vnto
and lip-faith and to be endued with true sauing faith whereby we may profitably heare the word and receiue the sacraments and so enioy Gods most excellent promises in Christ. Men may lie and be deceiued but God is truth it selfe and cannot lie and therefore as he hath made his promise of life to beleeuers and to no other so will hee surely accomplish the same to them and to no other Wherefore if we loue our soules and desire life let vs get into our hearts the grace of faith And thus much of the third effect of their faith The fourth and fift effects which I will handle together are these Stopped the mouths of Lions Quenched the violence of the fire For the fourth Whereas some of these persons are said to haue stopped the mouthes of Lions it is to be vnderstood of Daniel as appeareth in the 6. Chapter of that booke For Daniel through the malice of others that incensed the Kings wrath against him was cast into the denne of hunger-bit Lions But Daniel euen then beleeued in the Lord and put all his trust in God and for this cause the Lord by his angel stopped the mouthes of the Lions and as it were sealed vp their pawes that they could not hurt him The fift effect in quenching the violence of the fire must bee vnderstood of Shadrach Meshach and Abednego the companions of Daniel which three as we may read Dan. 3. refused to worship the golden image which Nabuchadnezzar had set vp For which cause they were cast into an hot burning Ouen but they put their trust in God and claue fast vnto him in obedience euen to the hazzard of their lyues Whereupon the Lord by his omnipotent power did most miraculously preserue them by staying the rage of the fire contrary to the nature thereof that it had no power ouer their bodies nay it did not burne the haire of their heads nor cause their garments to smell And therefore they are said to haue quenched the violence of it because it had no power ouer them thogh it burned most fiercely but was to them as though it had been quite put out and quenched Now ioyn these two effects together they affoord vs good instructions First here wee learne how to behaue our selues in time of danger and at the point of death Euen as these foure men did so must we from the bottome of our hearts forsake our selues and put all our trust in Christ. This did Daniel when he was in the Lions den and this did the 3. Children in the hot fiery furnace And this hath beene alwaies the auncient practice of Gods children in all ages At the very point of death and in the extremitie of all danger they rested themselues wholly vpon the mercifull promises of the true God The time wil come vpon vs all wherein wee shall be called to the practice of this duty for we must all passe the doore of death once lie in the pangs thereof Now what shall we doe when we lie halfe dead gasping panting for breath able to speake to no man nor to heare any speaking to vs when all comfort of the world failes vs Surely we must then at that very instant labour to leaue our selues and this world and yeeld vp our selues by faith into the hands of GOD and cleaue fast vnto Christs Passion from the bottome of our hearts and he will surely deliuer vs from the danger stopping the mouth of Satan that roaring Lion quenching the fire of hell that it shall not touch vs. But some will say if this be all we must doe then all is well for this I can soone doe when time serues and therefore I will take no care till then Answer Beware of spirituall guile for it will be found a most hard matter for a man to rely and cast himselfe wholly vpon Christ in the houre and pang of death For then aboue all times is the diuell busie against vs then will the conscience stir if euer and the body being tormented the soule must needes be wonderfull heauie This we may see by the state of our Sauiour Christ in his agony and passion and therefore wee must not reckon so lightly of this duty Question But if it be so hard a thing how could Daniell and the three children doe it Answer They were prepared for it for they rested vpon God in the time of peace and so were enabled to rely vpon him in time of perill Euen so if we would beleeue in God when wee die then shew forth our faith we must while we liue put our trust in him and shew it by obedience for rare it is to finde a man that liues in vnbeliefe to shew forth faith at his end And therefore while wee haue health strength and peace wee must labour to beleeue and then shall wee finde the comfort of it in time of perill and of death Secondly from these two effects of faith wee obserue further that Gods diuine prouidence doth firmely rule and gouerne the whole world Ordinarily God gouernes the world by secundarie causes setting one creature ouer another and ordaining one to doe this thing and another that and accordingly they worke but we must not thinke that God is bound to any of these meanes but is most free to vse them or not to vse them Ordinarily he executeth this or that punishment by this or that creature and so by meanes conuayes his blessings but yet he can work without them as here we see For he preserues his creatures against the ordinary meanes as Daniel from the Lions whose nature is to deuoure and against the nature of fire he saued the three children in the fire So that God worketh by meanes but yet freely because he can work at his pleasure either without or against meanes and his powerfull hand sauing against meanes shewes his ruling and disposing prouidence ouer all things Thirdly by these effects of their faith wee learne that Gods goodnesse and mercy towardes beleeuers is farre greater and more vnspeakeable than euer he promised or they could exspect This point is carefully to be considered of vs all for it is of singular extraordinary vse especially in time of perill and trouble and yet we see it is the plaine truth of God and therefore Paul giues thanks and praise vnto God who is able to do for vs exceeding aboundantly aboue all that wee aske or thinke Daniel put his trust in the Lord when he was in the Lions den and what doth he obtaine for his labour the Lord neuer promised to stop the Lions mouthes neither did Daniell euer presume vpon that deliuerance and yet the Lord saued him And so the three childrē though they made no account of their liues because God had not promised to keep them frō burning yet they com out in safety For God in mercy so quenched the heat of the fire vnto thē that thogh it burnt to death those that cast them in yet
the way walke in it Our Elders obayed this commaundement of the spirit and walking in this way found the end of it euerlasting life If we would attaine the same end of the iourney we must walke the same way But the world will say this is a needlesse exhortation for we walke this way we deny our selues and looke to be approued of God onely by Christ but it is strange to see how men deceiue themselues Can a man walke in a way and not leaue marks steps behind him euen so he that walks in this way follow him you shal see steps of his continuall dying vnto sinne liuing vnto holinesse insomuch that a man that followeth him marketh the course of his life in this way may euidently say See where hee hath cast off left behind him this that sin see where he hath taken vp caried with him these those vertues graces of God Marke here is a print of his faith here is a print of his hope here are prints of his loue And thus may a child of God be followed traced all the way to heauen euen vntil he come to his death which is the gate of heauen How mightily theÌ„ are they deceiued which think they haue walked all their liues in this way and yet there is not one step to be seene for assuredly this way is so beatâ—n and troden that no man euer trode in it since the world began but he left behind him manifest visible steps that all men that would looke at him might see he had gone that way As therfore we all desire to come to heauen as we professe we walk in the way thither so let vs be as carefull to leaue behind vs our steps namely tokens prints of our faith our hope and loue which if we do then mark the excellent vse of those steps 1. They testifie vnto all that see them that we walked the right way to heauen and secondly they wil serue for marks directions for theÌ„ that shal walke in the same way after vs. By the 1. we shal leaue an honorable testimony of our selues behind vs by the 2. we shall moue other to magnify gods name to whoÌ„ our steps haue bin marks directions helps furtherances in the way to heauen Secondly for what were these Elders approued for their faith for nothing else Amongst these Elders Sampson was wonderfull in strength Salomon in wisedome Ioshua in courage Moses in learning many of them in the honour and pompe of the world in beauty riches and other externall gifts and the most of them all in long life yet not for one or all of these are any of them saide to be regarded of God but it is plainely said that for their faith God did approue them Here then learne what is the thing amongst all things that must make vs acceptable vnto God euen this To deny our selues and to rest vpon the mercy of God in Christ this wil do it nothing else Hast thou streÌ„gth so had Golias as wel as Sampson hast thou beauty so had Absalom as wel or more theÌ„ Dauid hast thou wisdom so had Achitophel thogh not like Salomon yet aboue ordinary men hast thou riches Esau was richer theÌ„ Iacob hast thou liued long so did Cain Ismael as wel as Isaak hast thou many childreÌ„ so had Ahab as wel as Gedeon hast thou learning the glory of nature so had the Egyptians as well as Moses for there Moses learned it All these thou maist haue yet be a vile person in the sight of God so far from being approued of God as that he wil not vouchsafe vnlesse it be in his anger once to regard or looke at thee hast thou therefore any of those outward gifts it is not to be contemned it hath his vse thanke God for it and and vse it well and vse it so as by it thou maist be approued amongst men but stand not to it before God for though it be wisedome or learning or neuer so excellent a gift it cannot purchase the fauour acceptation of God but true faith is able to please God both in this life and especially at the day of Iudgement This doctrine first confuteth the error of some grosse Papists who hold and write that many Philosophers for their good vse of the light of Nature for their deepenesse of learning and for their ciuill liues are now Saints in heauen a most manifest and shamefull vntruth and here as manifestly confuted for was Salomon not accepted for all his wisedome and shall Socrates was Moses not accepted for all his learning how then should Aristotle if faith made all of them accepted and nothing but faith how is it possible they should be accepted which neuer heard of faith nay I say more If many a man that liueth in the Church as deepe it may be in humane learning as they and of great knowledge also in the whole doctrine of Religion which they neuer knew and yet could not nor euer shall be accepted of God onely for want of this sauing faith How absurd is it 〈◊〉 imagine saluation for them which neither had sparke of faith nor knowledge of Christ Let vs theÌ„ hold that as there is no name whereby to be saued but onely the name of Christ so no meanes to be saued by that Christ but onely faith euen that faith for which these Elders were accepted of God Secondly this excellencie of faith aboue all other gifts shewes the vanity of the world so carefull earnest in seeking honour riches credit wisedom learning all which can but make them esteemed and approued to the world and so carelesse and negligent in getting true faith which will both approue a man vnto the world and make him honorable in the eyes of the Lord God Thirdly by this doctrine the Popish doctrine is iustly condemned which teacheth that a man is iustified by his works and that faith is not the most excellent of Gods graces Here we are taught other diuinitie for that for which a man is accepted by that he is iustified But for their faith onely were they accepted therfore iustification is only by faith Againe that which makes a man accepted of God that must needs be the most excellent thing of all For God which is goodnesse it selfe regardeth that that is the best but God esteemed theÌ„ only for their faith therfore it is the chief of all graces of God in regard of making a man accepted of God Fourthly here is a patterne and president for Gods children how to bestow measure out their loue estimation in the world God loued Salomon more for his faith then for all his glory and wisedome and esteemed more of Moses for his faith theÌ„ for all his learning So deale thou with thy wife thy child thy seruant thy friend with all men Hast thou a wife neuer so beautifull louing honest thrifty neuer so toward
gold siluer or promotion but reconciliation with my God and his fauour in Iesus Christ If thou hast these two then thou goest beyond Cain then shalt thou stand before God with Abell and be accepted Remember these two humiliation for sinne and desire of reconciliation these two is the summe of religion If thou hast these thou art blessed with Abell if not cursed with Cain howsoeuer thou liuest in the world If thou say Cain kill'd his brother and so would not I doe for all the world I will do no man hurt in body or goods This will not serue for it is said that God had no respect to Cain afore he kill'd his brother euen when he offred his sacrifice and therefore this duty is most necessary and there is no shifting it off 2. Cain offred as well as Abell yea Cain offred afore Abell as it is manifest in Genesis 4.3 And yet Abels sacrifice was better when it came to the proofe and was accepted not Cains which came first Hence we learn that a man may be more forward then many other in many outward duties of religion and yet not be accepted of God Another may be not so forward to the duty and yet when hee comes be better accepted Whence comes this what is forwardnesse in good duties a fault Nothing lesse but hence it is he that outwardly is most forward may come in hypocrisie without faith the want whereof makes his forwardnesse nothing worth Many such haue we in our Church great frequenters of places and exercises of religion and yet they come but as Cain did or it may be in worse intents Thy forwardnesse is to be commended but take this with thee also Care not so much to be first at the SermoÌ„ or to be there oftner theÌ„ other as to goe with true faith repentance a heart hungâ—ing for grace if not boast not in thy forwardnes Cain offred afore Abell yet not accepted so there may com an Abell after thee bring faith with him be accepted wheÌ„ thou with thy hypocriticall forwardnes shalt be reiected as Cain was Thirdly did Cain offer as wel as Abel Hence we learn that the Church militant is a mixt coÌ„pounded coÌ„pany of men not of one sort but true beleeuers hypocrites mingled together as here in the very infancy of the Church here was a Cain worshipping in shew as wel as Abell that worshipped in truth So was it in the infancy so in her perpetual growth so shal it be in the last age of the church the good shal neuer be quite separated froÌ„ the bad vntil Christ himself do it at the last iudgement Goates shall alwaies be mingled amongst the sheepe till Christ the great shepheard do separate them himselfe Math. 25.34 And he that imagineth a perfect separation till then imagineth a fancy in his braine and such a Church as cannot be found vpon the earth This being so let no man therfore be afraid to ioyne himself to the visible Church neither let any that are in it go out of it because the bad are mingled with the good for so it hath been alwaies euer wil be he then that wil go out of a Church because there be hypocrites in it must go out of the world for such a Church is not fouÌ„d but triuÌ„phant in heaueÌ„ Fourthly 〈◊〉 that Cain Abel offred hence we learne that the Church of God which truly professeth his name hath been euer since the beginning of the world For this Church was in the houshold of AdaÌ„ wheÌ„ there was no more but it in the world for sacrifice to God is a sign of the Church yea beside the sacrifice they had a place appointed where Adam his family came together to worship God For so much Cain intimateth Gen. 4.14 16. Cain went out from the presence of the Lord that is not onely out of his fauour protection but from the place of his solemne seruice where he wonted to manifest his special presence to his childreÌ„ seruing him and therfore Cain as being excomunicate complaines verse 14 because he must leaue it Thus the Church hath been froÌ„ the beginning therfore is truly call'd Catholike The Papists abuse this place notoriously for whereas the Church hath been so antient they argue therfore it is aboue the Scripture yea that we could not know it to be Scripture but by the antient testimonie of the Church We must know the Scripture is two wayes to be considered 1. As it was written penned by holy men and so it is later then the Church for Moses was the first penman of Scripture but secondly as it is the word of God the substance sense and truth therof is much more antient theÌ„ the Church yea without the word of God there can be no Church For without faith is no Church because the Church is a coÌ„pany of beleeuers and without the word it is no faith therfore no word no faith no faith no Church So then the Scripture was afore the Church but penned after Thus we see that Cain and Abell offered Now secondly what offred they sacrifices Sacrifices were vsed in the worship of God for two ends 1. When a sacrifice was offred especially of beasts when a man saw the bloud of the beasts poured out it put him in mind of his own sins and the desert of them taught him to say thus Eue as this creature is here slain his bloud distils drops away so my sins deserue that my bloud should be sâ—â—ed and my soule be drenched in hell for euer This creature can die but one death for it sinneth not but my sins deserue both the 1. and 2. death Secondly sacrifices serued to put theâ—â— in minde of the Messias to come and the slaying of the beasts shewed them how the Messias should shed his bloud giue his life for the â—irâ—s of the people These are the 2. principal ends of sacrifices for these 2. ends did Cain Abel offer Cain in hypocrisie and for fashion sake Abell in truth conscience and sinceritie As it was in the old sacrifices so is it in our Sacraments of the new Testament whereof the sacrifices were all types 1. In baptisme sprinkling of the water serues to shewe vs how filthily we are defiled with our owne sinnes 2. It signifies the sprinkling of the bloud of Christ vpon the heart of a sinner for his sanctification from sinne 2. In the supper the breaking of the bread signifies 1. how we should be broken in humiliation for our sinne and the pouring out of the wine how our bloud and life should be shed and poured out for our sinnes if wee had that that we deserue And secondly they represent vnto vs how the body of Christ was broken his bloud poured out for our sinnes which he was content to suffer vnder the wrath of his Father for our sakes so that we see both the sacrifices and
sinnes from the world for this is one of the strongest and commonest encouragements that men take to liue in a sinne If they thinke it likely to be concealed But here they see how false a ground that is For if they can conceale it from men yet can they not from God and if God know it then can he reueale it to the world when it pleaseth him Againe whereas Abels bloud cried when he was dead It teacheth vs that God had a care of Abell both liuing and dead for it were nothing to say his bloud cried if God heard not that cry But it s apparant he heard it for he reuenged it and punished Cain when Abell was dead and could not reuenge it himselfe And this care God hath not ouer Abell alone but ouer all his children and as the Psalmist saith Pretious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his Saints that which is vile and of no regard in the world is pretious with God Tyrants make hauocke of the Church and kill them vp by heapes but God records vp euery one and will not faile to reuenge it when they are dead For if God haue bottles for the teares of his seruants surely much more hath he bottles for their bloud The vse whereof is to teach vs in all extremities of danger or distresse to learne patience yea though we be sure to die yet as Christ saith To possesse our soules with patience For we haue one wil heare the cause and reuenge our quarrell when we are gone So that if wee be patient wee loose nothing but if wee be impatient wee get nothing Let vs therefore hold our tongues for the wrong done to vs crieth loude enough to God for reuenge who will heare it as assuredly as he did Abels And thus wee see how Abell spake then euen after he was dead The second point is Hee speakes also yet and that three wayes First his faith yet speaketh because it admonisheth all men euery where who either heare or reade this story to become such as Abell was namely true worshippers of the true God for in Abels example it prouokes all men to be like him because it assureth them of the same regard and reward with God that Abell had and so Abels faith is a neuer dying Preacher to all Ages of the Church Here wee learne that the holy Examples of Gods children are reall teaching and loude preaching to other men For there is a double teaching namely in word or deede It belongs to the Minister to teach in word and to all men to teach by their deedes and good examples And if the Minister teach not thus also it is the worse both for him and his hearers It sufficeth not for him to teach by vocall Sermons that is by good doctrine but withall by reall Sermons that is by good life His faith his zeale his patience his mercy and all other his vertues must speake and cry call to other men to be like vnto him which if he practice carefully in his life as Abell did then shall his vertues speake for him to all posterities when he is dead Againe Abell though dead may be said to speake because howsoeuer his body be dead yet in soule and spirit hee liueth with God in heauen And thus the word speaketh may be vnderstoode because it is here opposed to death by which he being dead yet speaketh that is being dead in body yet liueth in soule which life with God was obtained vnto by his true and sauing faith Thirdly hee may be said to speake yet as all other Gods Martyrs are said to crie in the Reuelation from vnder the altar How long Lord holy and true doest thou not auenge our bloud on them that dwell on the earth As this is true of all Martyrs so specially of Abell the first Martyr of all which words are not spoken neither by him nor them vocally with vttrance of voice but it is so said to signifie what feruent desire the seruants of God haue in heauen of the full manifestation of Gods glory in their bodies and of an vtter abolishment of sinne in the whole world Which their desire they doubtlesse vtter to God in a more excellent manner then in this world wee can vtter any thing with our voice and thus Abell speakes yet and shall speake till the worlds end Hitherto of the first Example the Example of Abell The second is of Henoch in these words By faith Henoch was translated that he should not see death neither was he found for God tooke him away for before he was translated he was reported of that hee had pleased God c. THe second example of faith is taken also out of the old world before the floud and it is of Henoch the seauenth from Adam to whom strange and miraculous things befell by reason of his faith Let the meaning of the words be first examined By Faith That is by his confidence in the Messias or his sauing faith he was taken away Taken away That is from earth to heauen not by an ordinary worke but miraculously as is euident by the next words That he should not see death That is that he should not feele death nor any dissolution of soule and body and therefore his taking away was miraculous For to be taken away by death is an ordinarie worke but to be taken away and yet not die that is miraculous and extraordinary and such was Henochs So then the substance of these words is thus much Henoch hauing this grace from God to beleeue stedfastly in the Messias to come was likewise honoured with this high prerogatiue To be taken into heauen without tasting of death further was taken away to the end that he might not die Thus we haue the meaning Now concerning this translation of Henochs there are two opinions Some thinke hee was translated in soule onely and not in body and they say he died in the translation so as his soule onely was taken vp into heauen and his body slept in the earth Though this appeares false at the first sight yet let vs see their reasons and what they can say for themselues Their first reason is this No mortall body vnglorified can enter into heauen but there is no mention of his glorification therefore his body could not come in heauen Answer It is certaine it was glorified ere it came in heauen If they reply it is not mentioned I answere it followeth not that therefore it was not for euery circumstance of euery action is not mentioned For many circumstances of actions must necessarily be supposed such a one was this Againe the glorification of his body is here plainly enough implied where it is said he was translated that he should not see death Now if his body sawe not death it was made immortall which is a speciall part of glorification Their second reason Christ was the first that euer entred into heauen both in
beleeueth against all the world and is commended to all ages for this faith It is therefore but a vaine flourish of the Papists to presse vs so much with their multitudes and vniuersality and consent and vnity and succession cōtinuance For all this is worth nothing as long as they first proue not that that doctrine or opinion which these multitudes hold hath his ground from Gods word till then all the other is vanity For it is better with Noah to haue Gods plaine word of his side then to beleeue otherwise with all the world which was here deceiued condemned when Noah alone beleeued Gods word and was saued And thus we see who were condemned the world To end this point one question may not vnprofitably be here moued Whether was all the world that is all the men in that world condemned or no The words seeme to imply that all but Noah were and yet it may seeme strange that of so many Millions none should repent but he and if they repented why were they not saued I answere The world of that wicked age was condemned two wayes First with a corporall destruction and so they were all condemned without exception No high houses no hilles no deuises of man could saue them For the waters rose 15. cubits aboue the tops of the highest mountaines vnder heauen Gen. 7.20 And so though till then diuers of them liued by flying to the hilles yet that being their last refuge and being thus taken from them then all flesh perished that moued vpon the earth and euery man and euery thing that drew the breath of life For so saith the Story Genesis 7.21.22 And it is but vaine to imagine that any of them could be saued vpon that Arke for first it was so made with a ridge in the top as is most probably thought that no man could stand vpon it much lesse make any stay in that violent tossing by tempests Againe if they could yet could they not haue liued so long for want of foode the waters being almost a yeere vpon the earth And thus it is most certaine they all without exception were destroyed with bodily destruction But secondly they were condemned to an eternall destruction in hell and therefore S. Peter 1.3.18 saith Their spirits are now in prison who were disobedient in the dayes of Noah Now all the question is whether were they all condemned or no. I answere For ought that we certainly knowe out of the scripture they were all condemned Yet in the iudgement of charity wee are not so to thinke and the rather because there are many probable coniectures that some of them repented For howsoeuer many of them beleeued not Noah iudging that he spake of his owne head yet it is more then likely that when they saw it begin to raine extraordinarily at least when they saw themselues driuen to the tops of the hilles and there looked hourely for death that then diuers of the posterity of Henoch and Methusalem and Lamech were ashamed of their former vnbeliefe and then turned to God in faith and in repentance And doubtlesse that is the onely or the principall cause why God brought the floud in fourty dayes which he could haue done in foure houres that so men might haue time to repent Genesis 7. But it will be saide If any repented why then were they not saued I answer because they repented not in time when they were called by Noahs preaching Repentance is neuer too late to saue the soule from hell but it may be too late to saue the body from a temporal iudgement And this I take it is that that wee may safely hold for it seemes too hard to condemne all the posterity of Methusalem Henoch Lamech and other holy Patriarks who as the Text saith begat sonnes and daughters and to thinke that none of them repented when they saw the floud come indeede as Noah had said It cannot be but they heard their Fathers preach and why might not that preaching worke vpon their hearts when the Iudgement came though afore it did not But why then did not God record in the Scripture neither their repentance nor saluation but hath left it so doubtfull I answere for the very same for which he would not record Adams nor Salomons All for this cause that he might teach all men to the worlds end what a fearefull thing it is to disobay his commandement as Adam did or to defer repentance when they are called by Gods word as these men did Therefore to feare vs from the like though afterwards they repented it pleased God not to record it but to leaue it doubtfull This question being thus discussed yeelds vs two strong motiues to repentance First for if we repent not betime our state then is fearefull and doubtfull though not desperate as wee see here the saluation euen of Methushelas children is doubtfull for they repented not when they were called but deferred it till the iudgement came So if we deferre our repentance till our deaths there is great question of our saluation but let vs repent when wee are called by Gods word and then it is out of question then there is no doubt of our saluation Secondly if we repent betime we shall escape the temporall Iudgement which God sends vpon the world for sinne If not but deferre repentance till the Iudgement come we may then by it saue our soules but our bodies shall perish in the vniuersall Iudgement If the children of Henoch and Methushelah which were neere a-kinne vnto Noah had repented at Noahs preaching they had beene saued with Noah they did not But when the floud came indeede then doubtlesse they beleeued with Noah and wished themselues in the Arke with him but it was too late they saued their soules but were drowned with the rest So assuredly when God threatneth any Iudgement on our Church or Nation they that beleeue and repent betime shall escape it But they that will liue in wantonnesse with the world and not repent till God begin to strike If then they doe when the floud is come though saluation cannot be denied to repentance whensoeuer yet let them assure themselues they shall beare their part with the world in the punishment as they did partake with them in their sinnes Let then these two considerations moue vs all to turne to God by timely repentance then shall we be sure to escape both the eternall and temporall Iudgement and not be condemned as here this world of the vngodly was And thus we see who were condemned The world The second point is whereby were they condemned the Text saith onely by which hee condemned c. Whereupon some would vnderstand faith and reade it thus by which faith he condemned the world Which though it be true for the faith of holy men condemnes the vnbeleeuing and misbeleeuing world yet is it not proper in this place where the Arke is described by the vses of it which are two whereof this is
imprint it more deepely in his heart least at the first brunt he should haue obayed and afterward haue shrunk back For it is doubtlesse that this calling was harsh to reason and that Abraham found many hindrances and therefore it were dangerous he would haue started back after som trial of these difficulties he must passe throgh if he had had but a bare call commaundement to go But when God saith to him Goe out of thy natiue Country let it not stay thee that thou wast borne there nor hinder thee that thy kinred dwels there but leaue all and come with me forsake all and trust me follow me into the land that I will show thee I take thee from one but I will giue thee another When God I say vseth all these and it may bee many more like words to Abraham its apparant hee would haue him furnished with strength and resolution to goe through with his calling after he had once made entrance into it Out of which practice of God we learne this Instruction that God would haue no man enter vpon any calling or dutie with a fearefull and faint heart nor with a doubtfull minde but with a strong settled resolution to go through stitch with it and not to relent and repent in the midst And for this end God would haue all men afore they enter seriously to consider the place or duty they are to vndertake for the Lord had rather a man should refuse at first then hauing entred to looke backe againe and it is great folly for men hastily and suddainly or humorously to cast themselues vpon any calling and then vpon triall and experience of the dangers and difficulties thereof to be weary and wish they had neuer done it Men in this world are generally wiser in matters of the world If a man bee to build a house hee will not forth-with set vpon building such a house as his humor desireth but wil first of all sit down count the cost then his owne ability to see if the one will counteruaile the other else hee neuer begins it So saith Christ the wisedome of God of the wisedome of this world and the like also he saith for warre that no Prince will fight with his enemie on vnequall tearmes but will knowe himselfe able to sustaine the encounter Luke 14.28.31 So the calling of a Christian is to professe the Gospell of Christ. As the Magistrates is to defend it the Ministers to teach it so all meÌ„s to professe it now it is as impossible to build without cost or to fight without power of men as to profess Christ in any calling either generall or particular without crosses We must therefore consider first what our calling and profession will cost vs it is sure to cost vs a dangering of our credites and estimation in the world it may be our goods our liberties it may be our liues themselues Againe what enemies we haue to encounter in this spirituall warfare the diuell death hell sinne corruption and the crafty malice of wicked men all these we are sure to meete withall Were it not then folly for a man to vndertake this profession and not to consider thus much aforehand The want of this is cause why some put their hands to the plough and after shrinke away and make themselues ridiculous to their enemies corporall and spirituall And for particular callings the case euen standeth so also Some men thinke the calling of a Magistrate a place of honour and therefore ambitiously plot and desire to raise themselues into authority neuer remembring the burden and trouble they are sure to finde Which when they feele to be too heauie for their lazie shoulders to beare with ease they foully fall to plaine carelesnesse and neglect all doing good in their places and wish they had neuer bought honour so deare So others thinke the Ministerie nothing but a place of ease exemption and preferment And in these conceites rush presumptuously rashly into that holy State neuer thinking aforehand of that great charge of soules they are to take nor of that heauie account they are to make for them nor of the hatred and contempt and extreame disgraces they are sure to finde if they doe their duties with conscience And therefore when vpon experience they finde it so to be they either fall to carnall courses with the world and neglect their duties that by these two meanes they may please the world or else they continue in their duties with much griefe and vexation wishing they had chosen rather any calling then the Ministerie and by either of both do expose themselues to shame and much rebuke Whereas contrariwise hee that aforehand casts his account what it will cost him to be a Minister what he must vndertake what he must lose what hee is sure to finde is so settled and resolued afore-hand as hee goeth through all dangers and contempts with comfort courage and contentment Let vs therefore all learne by this practice of God when we thinke to enter vpon any such duty to reason with our selues as God did with Abraham what we are to forsake and what we are to meete withall So shall we not afterward repent vs but goe on with much assurance as Abraham did This point I haue the more inlarged because it is of speciall vse in Christian life Thus much of the Cause of Abrahams faith Gods calling and all the circumstances therein The second point is the excellencie and commendation thereof commended by the fruite and effect It made him yeeld to this calling of God And this obedience of his faith is spoken of two wayes 1. It is laide downe generally Hee obayed God 2. It is further commended by diuers particulars which we shall see in their places Obayed God Here is the obedience of Abrahams faith laide downe in one generall word He obayed that is when God called him to leaue his Country kindred and friends hee yeelded against reason because God bade him When God told him he would carie him into another land he beleeued it and lest a certaine for an vncertaine a possession for an expectation heere was the power and excellencie of his faith appearing in this obedience From hence we learne two instructions First seeing Abraham is the Father of the faithfull Rom. 4.11 and our glory is to be children of faithfull Abraham Therefore wee must all learne as good children to followe our Father in framing our liues according to Gods calling when GOD calleth vs to anie state of life then to obay and when not God but the world or ouâ— owne corrupt hâ—m ours call vs then not to obay For to obay the first is the obedience of faith but to obay the second is the obedience of corruption Therefore against this practice of holy Abraham two sorts of men doe offend and thereby shewe themselues children vnlike their Father Abraham First such men as being called by God to some functions or duties will not obay
euery sinne by the practice of true repentance and so make our selues fit pilgrimes for the way to heauen Thirdly we must learne contentation of heart in euery estate of life which God shall send vpon vs we must bee contented as well in sickenesse as in health in pouerty as in plentie in trouble as in peace and in good report and ill report and in all estates of life and death A pilgrime in his way taketh all things patiently that befall him and if he be iniuried any way he puts it vp quietly without seeking reuenge or making complaint till hee come home where he knowes hee shall haue audience and redresse Euen so must we behaue our selues in this our pilgrimage to heauen in hope of that redresse and rest we shall haue we must beare all things patiently that befall vs in this life which is the way and doing these three things we shal become good pilgrimes and strangers in this world Here two questions offer themselues to be considered First if euery man both in profession and practice must shew himselfe to bee a pilgrime and stranger in this world Whether then is it not a good estate of life for a man to contemne the world and all things in it and to betake himselfe to perpetuall beggerie and voluntary pouertie Answ. The world in Scripture is taken diuers waies first for the corruptions and sinnes in the world and these must be contemned by all meanes possible yea that is the best religion which teacheth best how to contemne these and he the best man who most forsakes them in what calling soeuer he liues Secondly for temporal blessings as money lands wealth sustenance and such like outward things as concerne the necessarie or conuenient maintenance of this naturall life And in this sense the world is not to bee contemned for in themselues these earthly things are the good gifts of God which no man can simply contemne without iniurie to Gods disposing hand and prouidence who hath ordained them for naturall life The Papists esteeme it an Angelical state of perfection approaching neere to the state of glory when a man forsaketh all and betakes himselfe to voluntarie pouertie as begging Friers do But indeed it is a meere deuice of mans braine and hath no warrant in Gods word which decreeth thus that he that will not labour in some lawfull calling shall not eate Obiect But here they will say that our Sauiour Christ speaking to the young rich man bade him goe and sell all that he had and giue to the poore and hee should haue treasure in heauen Mar. 10. Answ. That commandement was not ordinarie but speciall belonging to that yong man It was a commandement of triall giuen to him onely as this was to Abraham when God said Abraham kill thy sonne Gen. 22.2 And the reason of that commandement was peculiar to him namely to shew him his corruption and to discouer his hypocrisie Againe howsoeuer the yong man was commanded to sell all yet he is not commanded to giue all but onely thus Sell all giue to the poore 2. Obiect Againe they obiect that Christ himselfe was a beggar and his Disciples also and had nothing of their owne but went vp and downe the world as beggars and liued of that which others ministred vnto them Answ. This is a meere forgerie and cannot be proued out of the word of God The bagge which Iudas carried doeth prooue the contrary for he was as it were the steward in Christs family who looked to their prouision and to their contribution to the poore as may be seene Ioh. 13.27 28 29. Yea Christs Disciples though they left the present vse of their houses and places yet they gaue not ouer their title and possession in them for Christ went to Peters house where he healed his wiues mother Math. 8.14 And after the time of Christs passion Peter and the other Disciples returned to their ships againe and became fishers for a time For Christ Iohn 21. after his resurrection appeared to them while they were fishing 2. Quest. Whether may a man lawfully seeke to bee rich seeing we must professe our selues to bee pilgrimes and strangers in this life Ans. Riches are taken two waies 1. for things sufficient 2. for aboundance For the first by things sufficient I meane things necessarie and meete for a mans estate to maintaine him and his family and thus a man may seeke to be rich for so wee are taught to pray in the fourth Petition Giue vs this day our daily bread that is things meete and needfull for the day From whence I reason thus That which wee may lawfully aske at Gods hands wee may lawfully seeke for But we may lawfully aske of God all things necessary to this life Therefore wee may lawfully vse the meanes to attaine vnto them And this Agurs praier sheweth also Giue me not pouertie nor riches feede mee with food conuenient for me Where wee see it is requisite a man should labour for things necessary to this life Now because mans corrupt nature is so gripple that hee would not bee contented with the whole world though it were all his therfore we must learne this rule of contentation for worldly things namely to followe the counsell and example of wise and godly men who are neither couetous nor riotous but rest contented with that which is sufficiēt As for the wearing of apparel we haue no speciall rule nor precept in Gods word and therefore our direction must bee the example and fashion of the most graue and godly in that calling whereof wee are whose president must be our direction in all cases wherof we haue no precept nor rule in Gods word But if riches bee taken in the second sense for aboundance aboue that which is competent and sufficient then it is not lawfull for a man to seeke to bee rich for proofe hereof we haue the plaine testimony of the word of God Paul saith 1. Tim. 6.8 9. When we haue food and raiment wee must therewith be contented for they that will bee rich fall into tentation and snares and into many foolish and noysome lusts which drowne men in perdition and destruction Where the Apostle dooth not simply condemne a rich estate but rather the desire to be rich that is a desire to haue more than is necessarie for the maintaining of a mans estate Yet this is the common sinne of the world men are so couetous that they wil not be contented with that which is enough but still toyle and moyle for more till they haue gotten so much vnder their hands as would honestly and sufficiently maintaine ten men of their estate and calling But all such are condemned by the testimony of the holy Ghost in the place afore named Quest. What if God giue abundance to a man by lawfull meanes what must such a man doe Answ. When God sendeth riches in aboundance to any man hee must thinke himselfe to be appointed of God as a
with the speciall blessing when as he gaue the same to Iacob vnwittingly how then could he doe this by faith For the answering of this we must consider two things First it is true indeede that Isaac was blinded ouermuch with a fond affection toward Esau and loued him otherwise then he ought and therfore was purposed to haue blessed Esau with the speciall blessing This was a fault in Isaac but yet it takes not away Isaacs faith nor makes it to be no faith But it shewes that Isaacs faith was weake and ioyned with som infirmity in forgetting Gods particular promises Secondly howsoeuer at the first Isaac erred in his purpose for the blessing of his children yet afterward hee corrects himself for it For as we may read in the History after he had indeede blessed Iacob supposing it had beene Esau when Esau came for his blessing with his venison the Text saith Gen. 27.33 That Isaac was stricken with a meruailous great feare and saide I haue blessed him and therefore he shall be blessed correcting his fault in his former purpose yea and though Esau sought it with teares yet hee could not moue Isaac to repent himselfe of blessing Iacob Heb. 12.17 wherefore it is vndoubtedly true that he gaue these blessings vnto his children by faith Now from this that Isaac blessed his children by faith wee learne many instructions The first concerneth Parents that howsoeuer they cannot as Isaac did like Prophets and Patriarchs pronounce blessings vpon their children foretell what shall be their particular estate afterward yet if Parents would as farre as they may followe the practice of Isaac they should bring great comfort and consolation vnto their owne soules both in this life and in the life to come Isaac set before his eyes all the promises that God had made both concerning him and his sonnes and by faith in these promises is moued to blesse his children so if Parents would haue true comfort in their children they must search through the whole booke of GOD and see what promises God hath made vnto the godly and to their seed withall they must by faith apply vnto their own soules all these gracious promises endeuouring also to make their children to knowe the same and to walke worthie thereof and then as their obedience shall encrease so will their ioy encrease not onely in God but mutually one in another This will stay their hearts in all assaults yea euen in death it selfe Secondly whereas Isaac blessed his children by faith heere we may take iust occasion to speake of such wicked persons as are cōmonly called blessers who are too much esteemed of by many at this day and their wicked practises counted blessings and good meanes of helpe when as indeede they are most vile and wretched creatures This may be thought a hard censure because they are taken for cunning men and women and for good people who followe Isaacs example in blessing mens children and cattell they are thought to doe no harme at all but much good by helping strange mischaunces that befall men in their bodies children or goods Thus would some excuse and defend these wizards and blessers who are the wretched limbs of the diuell but let vs knowe that if they will blesse aright it must be by faith Now what faith haue they hath God made any promise to them that by their meanes hee will helpe those that come to seeke helpe at them for their children cattell nay verily there is no such matter God neuer made promise to any such nay hee hath flatly forbidden not onely such practices as they vse but also for men to seeke to any such persons and therefore they cannot blesse mens children and cattell by faith But they say they doe these things by faith yet it is by faith in the diuell and in his promises For this is certaine that as God hath his Lawes and Sacraments for those that enter couenant with him so on the contrary the diuell hath words spells and charmes as his lawes and rites wherein he exerciseth his slaues and by a Satanicall faith in the diuels word and promise doe these Wizards and wise-women blesse mens goods and children This is true by the common confession of many of them to omit all other proofe And therefore wee must hold them for the limbs of the diuell and his wicked instruments to drawe men from God and so in no case goe to them for any helpe for in so doing we forsake the liuing Lord and his helpe and seeke for helpe at the diuell then which what can be more odious But say we receiue some outward helpe by their meanes yet marke the issue the Lord hath said Leuit. 20.6 If any turne after such as worke with spirits and after southsayers to goe a-whoring after them then will I set my face against that person and will cut him off from among his people Therefore vnlesse we feare not the curse of God we must be warned hereby not to seeke for helpe at their hands For they are gracelesse people who haue no feare of God before their eyes but they set themselues against God and his word And indeede these common blessers which seeme to doe no hurt but to blesse mens children and cattell are more dangerous then notorious Witches who can onely hurt mens body and goods when God permits whereas these blessers ensnare the soule and drawe whole Townes and Countries to the approbation and partaking of their wickednesse The third point to be considered is the parties blessed that is Iacob and Esau. Heere marke first the order which the holy Ghost vseth hee setteth Iacob in the first place and yet Esau was the elder brother what is the reason of this Answer We must knowe that the Scripture vseth a three-fold order in the naming of persons 1. The order of Nature as when the first borne is put first And thus Dauids sonnes are numbred according to their age first Ammon then Daniell the third Absolon c. 1. Chronicles 3.1.2.3 2. The order of dignitie when as those are put in the first place not which are the eldest but which are best and most in GODS fauour This order the holie Ghost vseth in naming Noahs sonnes Genesis 5. verse 31 saying Noah begat Shem Ham and Iaphet when as Iaphet was eldest and by order of nature should haue beene put first yet with Shem GOD continued the couenant 3. The order of Historie when as one that is first or chief in dignitie is placed last because his Historie begins in the last place So our Sauiour Christ is mentioned last in the Genealogie made by Saint Matthew because his Historie began in the last place though in dignitie hee were first and principall To apply this to our purpose The order which the holy Ghost heere vseth is not the order of Historie nor of Nature but of dignitie because Iacob was chiefe in the fauour of GOD therefore the holy Ghost putteth him
actions 1 The hiding of Moses their childe when he was borne 2 Their courage and boldnesse in that action in not fearing the Kings commandement Of their hiding of him we will first intreat generally and then come to the circumstances thereof In generall Their hiding of the childe was this They kept him close and vnknowen to the Egyptians for three moneths space because the King had giuen commaundement and charge to all his people that they should drowne euery man-childe born among the Hebrewes Exod. 1.22 In this action of their faith we may obserue some speciall points First Moses was to be a worthy Prophet and Captaine or guide vnto the people of Israell and therefore howsoeuer other men-children were drowned vpon the cruell commaund of Pharaoh yet the Lord prouides for him so soone as he is borne that he shal be hid and so preserued from the tyrannie and rage of Pharaoh Whence wee learne that God in the middest of all persecution doth euermore preserue the seede of his Church There be two estates of Gods Church in the world the first is quiet and peaceable when the Gospell is publikely professed taught and receiued without hostile opposition as by Gods great mercy it is in our Church at this day The second is an hidden estate when as it cannot shew it selfe visible but the open profession of the Gospel is suppressed by the rage of the enemie the diuell and by wicked cruell men that be his instruments Thus GOD suffereth his Church somtimes to be shadowed and in these times many of his deere children to be slaine put to death for the sins of his Church yet so as that alwaies he preserues the seede of his Church When Isay had shewed the Iewes the fearefull desolation of their Land that the Cities should be wasted without inhabitant their houses without man yet then he saith There shall be a tenth in it and the holy seede shall be the substance or vnderprop thereof Verse 13. God doth not deale with his Church as hee doth with the enemies thereof hee but loppes off the branches in his Church when as hee stockes vp the roote of the enemies Isay chapter 27. verses 7 8. When hee visited Sodome and Gomorrah hee destroyed them vtterly out of the earth but the Lord doth euer keepe fast the seede of his Church that when the storme of persecution is blowen ouer his Church may spring and flourish afterward Here some may say Seeing God purposed to make Moses such a worthy man ouer his people why did he not by some wonderfull powerfull and mighty manner preserue him against the rage of Pharaoh Answer God indeede was able to haue sent a legion of Angels for his preseruation or to haue done it after some strange visible manner but yet he would not for we must knowe and remember that it is Gods pleasure to shew his power in weak means He can preserue euery seruant of his from all kinde of iniurie but he will not alwaies doe so When Christ himselfe our Sauiour was in his infancie persecuted by Herod God his Father was then able to haue preserued him in Iudea and to haue ouerthrowen his persecutor by manie legions of Angels yet hee would not but onely vseth the poore helpe of Ioseph and Marie with the ordinarie weake meanes of flight and all this hee did that hee might be glorified in the weakenesse of his seruants for when all meanes faile then doth hee magnifie his power and prouidence in preseruing those that trust in him And thus much of this Action in generall The circumstances to be considered in the hiding of Moses are foure 1. The time when hee was hid the Text saith When hee was borne Moses as wee saide must be afterward a notable seruant and a worthy instrument of GOD whereby hee would worke the deliuerance of his people out of the bondage of Egypt and yet we see he is faine to be hid so soone as he is borne Hence wee learne that those that be the seruants of GOD and are in speciall fauour with him must looke for trouble and affliction in this life from the cradle to the graue from the day of their birth to the houre of their death Moses is in danger of his life by Pharaoh so soone as hee is borne And so was our Sauiour Christ by Herod when hee was but a babe whereupon his Parents fled with him into Egypt for his safety And aunswerable to their infancie was the rest of their life full of danger full of trouble And as it was with them so is it with others 2. Timothie chapter 3. verse 12 Hee that will liue godly must suffer persecution and hee that will be Christes Disciple must take vp his Crosse euery day and followe him Luke 9.23 This is a point which all of vs must marke wee must not looke to haue ease and ioy in earth It is enough for vs to enioy that after this life If Christ himselfe carie his crosse out of the gate we then with his disciples must take vp our crosse and followe him euery day The 2. circumstance to bee considered is this How long was Moses hid namely three moneths Question Why was he hid no longer Answer Because they could not for it is likely there was search for him and therefore they made a basket of reed and dawbed it with slime and pitch and laid the childe therein and put it among the bul-rushes by the riuers brinke Thus did the Parents aduenture the childes life for the sauing of their owne wherein we may see a great want and weakenesse in their faith for they kept their childe a while by faith but afterward cōmitted him to the dangers of the waters of wilde beasts and fowles of the aire So that it is plaine their faith was weake and mingled with feare and with some doubting For in keeping the childe three moneths they shew forth liuely faith but when as they expose him to danger for their owne safety heerein they bewray some want of loue and weakenesse of faith and yet we see they are heere commended for their faith Which sheweth plainely that if a man haue true and sound faith though it be but weak yet God in mercy will take knowledge of it and commend it passing by the weakenesse of it yea and vnto that faith will giue the promises of life euerlasting made in Christ The third circumstance to bee considered is this Who it was that kept Moses three moneths In Exodus it is said that his mother kept him but here it is said his parents kept him where the holy Ghost includes his father also How can both these be true Answ. Wee must knowe that the Mother was the chiefe doer in this worke and the father though he was not a doer yet he gaue his consent Now we must remember that consent is a kinde of doing whether it be in good things or in euill for when Saul did but
did the Gadarens there was set before them Christ Iesus the Lord of life and their hogges and cattell Now they prefer their hogges before Christ A most miserable and senselesse choice And is it not as ill with vs There is set before vs on the one side heauen and on the other side hell but men for the most part chuse hell forsake heauen Ciuill worldly men whose delight is all in riches they prefer earth before heauen the seruice of sinne which is the greatest slauerie before the seruice of GOD which is perfect freedome and glorious liberty of the Saints in light and thus doe all men without Gods speciall grace Whereupon Paul prayes in his Epistles for the Churches that God would giue vnto them the spirit of wisedome that they may be able to iudge betweene things that differ And this wisdom we must labour for that when these different things are set before vs we may make a wise choise otherwise we shew our selues to be like brute beasts without vnderstanding do quite ouerturne our owne saluation In the Ministerie of the word we haue life and death good euill set before vs as Moses said to the people Deut. 30.15 19. Let vs therfore endeuour our selues to chuse life by embracing and obeying the word of God so shall we followe both his precept and practice To suffer aduersity with the people of God Heere wee may obserue what is the ordinarie state and condition of Gods Church and people in this world namely to be in affliction and vnder the crosse Hence Paul saith That we must come to heauen through manifold afflictions Acts 14.23 The Lord knoweth what is best for his seruants and children and therefore he hath set downe this for a ground that all that will liue godly in Christ Iesus must suffer persecution 2. Tim. 3.12 Thus the Lord dealeth with his children for speciall causes for first all crosses as losse of goods friends liberty or good name they are meanes to stirre vp and awake Gods people out of the slumbring fit of sinne for the godly are many times ouertaken this way The wise virgines sleepe as well as the foolish Now afflictions rouze them out of the sleepe of securitie See this in Iosephs brethren who went on a long time without any remorse for selling their brother But when they were stayed in Egypt then they are rowzed vp and can say Genesis 42.21 This trouble is come vpon vs for selling our brother Secondly afflictions serue to humble Gods children Leuiticus 26.41 So the Church of God speaketh I will beare the wrath of the Lord because I haue sinned against him Micah 7.9 Thirdly they serue to weane the people of God and to driue them from the loue of this world for if men might alwaies liue in ease they would make their heauen vpon earth which may not be And heerein GOD dealeth with his children like a Nurse when shee will weane her childe she layes some bitter thing vpon the pappes head to make the childe to loathe the pappe so the Lord to draw our hearts from the world and to cause vs to loue and seeke after heauen and heauenly things hee makes vs to taste of the bitternesse of affliction in tâ—is worlde Fourthly afflictions ferâ—e to make Gods children to goe out of themselues to seeke sincerely vnto GOD and to relie onely vpon him which in prosperity they will not doe This Paul confesseth of himselfe and others Wee saith hee receiued the sentence of death in our selues because wee should not trust in our selues but in God 2. Corinthians chapter 1. verse 9. So good King Iehosaphat when hee was compassed of his enemies Hee cried to the Lord and said Lord wee knowe not what to doe but our eyes are towards thee 2. Chronicles chapter 20. verse 12. Yea the rebellious Iewes are heereby driuen to seeke the Lord whom in prosperity they forsooke as wee may see at large Psal. 107.6.12.13.19 Lastly afflictions serue to make manifest the graces of GOD in his children The Lord saith Iob knoweth my way and trieth me Iob 23.10 Deuteronomie 8.2 Remember all the way saith Moses to the Israelites which the Lord thy GOD ledde thee this fourtie yeares for to prooue thee and to knowe what was in thine heart Hence Iames calleth temptations the triall of faith Iames chapter 1. verses 2.3 And Paul makes patience the fruite of tribulation Romanes chapter 5. verse 3. For looke as the showers in the spring time cause the buds to appeare so doe afflictions make manifest Gods graces in his children Patience hope and other vertues lie close in the heart in the day of peace but when tribulation comes then they breake forth and shew themselues Hence wee learne that it is not alwayes a token of Gods wrath To suffer affliction If any man or people be laden with crosses it is no argument that therefore they are not the children of GOD for as Peter saith Iudgements begin at Gods house 1. Peter chapter 4. verse 17 and any crosse vpon a people family or particular persons if it bring forth the fruite of grace in them is a true signe they belong to GOD. Yea when men wander from God by an euill way these afflictions are meanes to call them home to GOD. Psalme 119.67 Before I was afflicted I went astray And they that forsake their sinne and returne to GOD in the time of affliction are certainly Gods people for the wicked man fretteth and murmureth against God when a crosse commeth and he cannot abide it But the godly man is humbled therby and it makes him more obedient in all duties vnto God This wee should consider for by an outward profession wee beare the world in hand that we are Gods children and therefore wee come to heare Gods word and to learn how to behaue our selues as beseemeth his children But if we would be knowen to be Gods children indeede then when any of Gods iudgements doe befallâ— vs wee must make this vse of them namely labour thereby to be humbled for our sinnes and to forsake our sinnes and to make conscience of all bad wayes for euer afterward and then wee shewe our selues to be Gods children indeede but if vnder the crosse or after the crosse wee be as dissolute as euer wee were and still followe our olde sinnes then wee cannot be iudged to be Gods people and children but rather a wicked and stubborne generation which the more they are corrected the worse they are like a stithy the more it is beaten the harder it is Let vs therefore by the vse of Gods iudgements shewe our selues to be Gods children so shall wee say with Dauid with much ioy and comfort It is good for vs that wee haue beene in trouble Psal. 119.71 Thus wee see what Moses chose now come wee to the thing he refused To enioy the pleasures of sinne for a season By pleasures of sinne wee must vnderstand the riches and dignitie that Moses
reward Now euery true beleeuer that endeuours to doe the will of God is in Christ and so Christes righteousnesse with the merit thereof is his so farre forth as serues to make his person acceptable to God Whereupon hee hath a promise of reward made vnto him vpon his obedience yet not for his worke but for the worke of Christes obedience in whom he is And so must these words here be vnderstood 1. The consideration of this reward of life eternall giuen through Christ to those that suffer for his sake may make vs ioyfull and patient in all our afflictions for righteousnesse sake A naturall man will endure much for a good recompence in the end Now Christ saith Great is your reward And therefore let vs reioice in suffering for Christ holding fast our confidence which hath so great recompence of reward Heb. 10.35 Secondly is life euerlasting a recompence that is a giuing of a reward Then heere is condemned the desperate practice of many a one who spend their whole life in a greedie pursuite after the profites and pleasures of the worlde as it were running themselues out of breath in the way to hell without all regarde of their soules till death come thinking that if at the last gaspe they can crie God mercie and commend their soules to GOD all is well But all such persons for the most part deceiue their owne soules not considering that life euerlasting is giuen as a reward Now wee knowe that no reward is giuen to any man till the worke be done which hee is set about he must come worke in the Vineyard some part of the day that would haue his pennie at night as for those that neither stirre hand nor foote to doe the worke what reward can they looke for And yet this is the state of carnall liuers they addict themselues wholly to earthly things But if wee looke for any reward at the day of death wee must labour in the workes of godlinesse all the dayes of our life for therefore were wee redeemed Luke 1.74.75 In the whole booke of God wee finde but one man that liued wickedly and repented at his end that is the thiefe vpon the Crosse. Which shewes that it is a most rare thing for a man to haue the reward of life euerlasting after this life that labours not in the workes of godlinesse in this life Thirdly the consideration of this reward must stirre vp all Gods children vnto all diligence in the duties of godlinesse that with cheerefulnesse through the whole course of their liues When wee shall die wee will looke earnestly for this reward and therefore while we liue we must diligently doe the workes that God commaundeth and then when death comes we may assure our selues that God will giue vs this reward not because wee did deserue it by our works but because he hath promised it in Christ vpon our endeuour in obedience and true repentance And thus much for the reason of Moses choise VERSE 27. By faith he forsooke Egypt and feared not the fiercenesse of the King For he was couragious as hee that saw him that is inuisible IN this verse the spirit of God proceedeth to another example of Moses faith and heereto also in the verse following hee addeth a third Now hee is thus large in the commendation of his faith for this end to perswade the Hebrewes to whom this Epistle is sent that they were not to looke for any Iustification by the workes of the Law and his reason is because if any man could be iustified by the workes of the Law it must be Moses who gaue the Law to the people from the Lord and did excell in obedience to both Tables and therefore is a renowmed Prophet vnto all posterity in speciall fauour with God Numb 12.7.8 But Moses could not be iustified by the works of the Law for here the holy Ghost proues that Moses was iustified saued by faith The thing that cōmends Moses and makes him stand before God is not his works but his faith and therefore the conclusion is that as Moses was not iustified by his works but by faith no more must they stand vpon their works to be iustified therby but labour for such faith as Moses had Now this faith of Moses is a true sauing faith founded on these two promises of God 1. On this great maine promise made to Abraham I will be thy God and the God of thy seed 2. On another particular promise rising from the general made vnto him when he was called to fetch the Israelites out of bondage which was this I will be with thee and guide thee And in this place Moses is said to haue faith not onely because he beleeued that God would be his God as hee was the God of all Abrahams seed but because he beleeued particularly that God would be his God defend and be with him in the deliuerance of the Israelites out of Egypt To come particularly to this fact By faith Moses forsooke Egypt Moses departed from Egypt twise First when hee had slaine the Egyptian and fled from Pharaoh vnto Midian and there kept Iethroes sheepe Secondly fourty yeares after when hee led the people of Israell out of Egypt into the Land of Canaan and heere some make it a question whether of these departures is meant in this place Answere It is most like that this place is to be vnderstoode of his second departure rather than of the first And the reason is taken out of Exodus Chapter the second verses 14 15. Where wee finde that the first time he fled for feare for so soone as he heard that his slaughter of the Egyptian was knowen to Pharaoh he fled in such feare as that hee durst not returne againe of 40. yeares Now these words are not to be vnderstoode of such a flight for here it is said Hee departed not fearing the Kings wrath or fiercenesse Here some will say This is no commendation for malefactors and rebels doe flie their Country Answer They flie indeede yet not in faith but in feare Moses fled in faith and hereby his faith is commended that hee fled not fearing the King But malefactors flie for feare of due punishment Moses departed with courage and boldnesse and therfore fled not as a malefactor for he feared not the King as appeareth plainely in the History for though Pharaoh had said vnto him Exod. 10.28 Get thee gone see thou see my face no more for when thou commest in my sight thou shalt die yet Moses went once more namely the tenth time and tolde him of the tenth plague and saide That Pharaohs seruants should come downe vnto him and fall downe and pray him to get him out with the people and their cattell And when the Israelites murmured against him at the red sea when Pharaoh was at their heeles and they had no way to flie Moses encourageth the people saying Feare not stand still and behold the
whom God knoweth it good for they are deliuered in generall iudgements and preserued for his glory and vse of the Church But how did the Angel destroy the first born in Egypt both of man and beasts Answ. By taking from them their teÌ„poral liues by destroying or killing their bodies That is the sense and plaine meaning of the holy Ghost to this signification answereth the word in the originall Now some doe abuse this place such like for the ouerthrowing of the ancieÌ„t ceÌ„sure of the church in excoÌ„municatioÌ„ for say they the practice of S. Paul 1. Cor. 5 is the principall ground of excommunication where Paul bids that the incestuous man be giuen to Satan for the destructioÌ„ of the flesh Now they that denie excommunication would haue that place to bee interpreted by this because the same word is there vsed and therfore say they Pauls words must bee vnderstood of destroying the incestuous mans body and taking away his temporall life This interpretation doth quite ouerthrowe excommunication for if nothing else be there vnderstood but onely the tormenting of the body then excommunication is not thence prooued But the truth is that that censure which the Apostle vrgeth there cannot bee vnderstood of the punishment of the body which I prooue thus In that place S. Paul opposeth the flesh and the spirit Now vsually when he maketh this opposition Flesh signifieth the Corruption of the whole man the Spirit signifieth the grace of God in the man so that his plaine meaning is this Let him be deliuered to Satan for the destruction of the flesh that is for the destruction of his naturall corruption and of the body of sinne Further where it is said the first borne wee must vnderstand it of the first borne among the Egyptians both of man and beast And whereas he saith should touch them he meaneth the Israelites who were not touched in this destruction Hence we learne two points further 1 The first borne of Egypt are destroyed both of man and beasts This is markeable for the Egyptians in former times destroyed the Israelites children and especially their first borne for they slew all the males lest they should increase in their land and now it comes to passe that their children euen the principall of them their first borne are slaine for the Israelites sake and when they are preserued Where wee may obserue a most righteous and yet an vsuall kinde of iudgement with God Hee doth often punish the wicked in their kind with their owne sinnes This is true euen in the best so farre forth as they are sinnefull The same iniurie which Dauid did to Vriah was done vnto him by his owne sonne euen by his sonne Absolon 2. Sam. 10. v. 10 11. and 16.22 And this our Sauiour Christ teacheth vs saying Math. 7.1 Iudge not that ye bee not iudged We find this true likewise by experience they that giue themselues to back-biting rayling slaundering by the iust iudgement of God haue for the most part the same done vnto themselues by others so that men are often punished in their owne sinnes For God hath his store-house full of iudgements and hee can punish men what way hee will But hee oft obserueth this order to punish men by their owne sinnes and to catch the wicked in their owne deuises This must bee a motiue to make vs to looke vnto our selues and to haue care against all sinnes of the second table for looke wherein thou takest thy pleasure to Gods dishonour therein shalt thou feele and see Gods iudgement vpon thee to thy correction and confusion Psal. 109.17 As hee loued cursing so shall it come vnto him and as he loued not blessing so shall it be farre from him This Adonibezek felt and confessed when his thumbes were cut off Iudg. 1.6 7 As I haue done so God hath rewarded me Lastly in that the destroyer killeth the first borne of Egypt marke a strange kinde of Gods iudgements King Pharaoh and his people sinne because they wil not let the Israelites goe but the punishment of their sinne is laid vpon their children and cattell The like wee reade of 2. Sam. 12.14 when Dauid had committed those grieuous sinnes of adulterie and murther a part of his punishment was the death of his child When he numbred the people the plague light on them 2. Sam. 24. Now we must not too curiously prie into the reason of this course of Gods iudgements for he is not bound to giue account of his actions yet in reason we may see the equitie thereof For we must consider of kingdomes and societies and of townes and families as of bodies euery societie is a body and the particular persons therein are members of that body Now looke as it is in the naturall body so it is in the body ciuill or politicke Oftentimes in the naturall body when the stomach is sicke the head aketh the braine is wounded and the heart aketh the foote is hurt and the head aketh and the offence of the tongue may be punished with stripes vpon the backe Euen so it is in ciuill societies the Prince sinneth and the people are punished or the pâ—ople sinne and the Prince is punished This is no iniustice with God for sith Prince and people make but one body and so Parents and children God may iustly lay vpon any member the temporall punishment of sinne committed by another And thus much of this example and of the faith of Moses alone The Israelites Faith VERSE 29. By faith they passed through the red sea as by drie land which when the Egyptians had assayed to doe they were drowned HItherto wee haue heard the faith of Moses alone highly commended in two examples Now followeth a commendation of his faith with others so that heere is a new example of faith to wit of the Israelites together with Moses For Moses is heere to be considered not onely as one of them but as a principall agent in this work of faith And here their faith is commended vnto vs by a wonderful strange action which they did through the power and goodnesse of God namely by their passing through the red sea not by passing ouer it for that might haue beene by Art but through it which is aboue nature and Art meerly miraculous This fact of theirs is largely set down Exod. 14. And that it might appeare to be euery way wonderful as it is indeede the Author of this Epistle commends it by two circumstances which notably set forth vnto vs the strangenesse hereof First by their manner how they passed through namely as by dry Land Secondly by the time wheÌ„ namely then when the Egyptians following theÌ„ were drowned Here first we will speake of the fact it selfe and then of the circumstances The fact is set downe in the first words By faith they passed through the red sea The words are plaine of themselues and offer vnto vs sundry points worthy our obseruation And first
is the right time for a man to shew his faith when there is in himselfe no cause of beleeuing Obiect But when a man is in this case he cannot beleeue Answ. Indeede to beleeue then is a wonderfull hard thing and a miracle of miracles But yet this is the propertie of true faith so to doe and if there bee but one dramme of true faith in the heart that despaires howsoeuer it may for a time lie hidde as dead yet at the length it will make him to hope and waite for mercy and life at the hands of Almightie GOD. And therefore if it shall please GOD at any time to lay a torment vpon our consciences so as wee shall striue with the wrath of GOD thinking that hee hath cast vs away yet for all that then we must beleeue GODs promises and set before vs his mercies and therewith refresh vs. And if this faith were not the childe of GOD many sundry times were in a most miserable case the Lord therefore hath most mercifully prouided to helpe him by the grace of faith When a man is past all hope of life he must then beleeue and hope for life as the Israelites did in the red sea for preseruation And vndoubtedly this is a comfortable signe of grace if a man in the horrour of conscience can shewe forth the least sparke of true faith Fourthly note the effect and issue of this faith They passed through the red sea We say vsually that water fire be vnmercifull creatures and therefore the naturall man feares them both but the Israelites faith makes them not to feare the water but it makes them bold euen to passe thorough the sea The like we may see for fire in the 3. children Dan. 3.16.23 who were not affraid of the hot burning ouen but were as bold in it as out of it Rauenous wilde beasts are terrible vnto men but faith makes a man not to feare them and therefore Daniel feares not the Lyons though hee were throwen into their denne to bee deuoured Dan. 6.22 Great is the fruite and force of faith it takes from a man the feare of those creatures which by nature are most terrible And here wee see a cause why the holy Martyrs of God died most cheerefully A man would thinke it strange that one should goe into the fire reioycing as many of them did but the reason is Because they had faith in their hearts which taketh away the feare of the most fearefull creatures But if it bee so may some say that the Israelites by faith went through the redde sea not fearing the water why may not we that beleeue now doe the same for wee haue the same faith that they had Answ. Wee haue indeede the same faith and yet wee cannot passe through waters as they did For their faith rested on two promises first on this made to Abraham I will bee thy God and the God of thy seed SecoÌ„dly on a particular promise made to Moses For when he coÌ„manded him to goe through the red sea withall he made a promise to keepe and preserue them and this they beleeued and so went through Now howsoeuer we haue iustifying faith hauing the same generall promise yet we haue not the like particular promise That if wee passe through the red sea God will be with vs and saue vs. And therefore if any man shall aduenture to doe so let him looke for nothing but death for it is not an action of faith but of presumption And therefore Peter sunke when hee would needs walke vnto Christ vpon the sea hauing no such hold vpon Gods speciall promise as here they had and the Egyptians following presumptuously were drowned Wherfore let vs here be warned not to attempt to doe extraordinary workes without Gods special warrant for a particular faith requires a particular promise besides the generall promise of God in Christ. Further let vs here obserue a wonderfull worke of Gods mercy and power When these seruants of God were brought into extremitie of danger so as they were in a desperate case for their temporall life yet then the Lord findes a way of deliuerance And indeede if a man consider aright of it hee must needes acknowledge that these Israelites were in a pittifull case for they had the red sea before them and mountains on each side and themselues hindred from flight by their bag and baggage and with their children and the huge hoste of Pharaoh behinde them so as to mans reason there was nothing but present death to bee looked for yet the Lord in mercy to saue them makes a way where there was no way and opens them a gappe to life when naturall reason could lay before them nothing but violent death Which shewes the wonderfull mercy of God to his owne people and seruants And the like thing we may read of in Dauid when he abode in the wildernesâ—e of Maon for there Saul followed him and he and his men compassed Dauid and his men round about 1. Sam. 23.26 27. Now what hope of deliuerance was there for Dauid Ans. Surely this only Dauid was the seruant of God the Lord preserued him that hee might rule his people after Sauls death and therfore he escapeth though wonderfully for a messenger comes to Saul and bids him haste for the Philistims inuaded the Land and so Saul returned from pursuing Dauid and went against the Philistims Hence we learne this generall rule that in the extremitie of all danger God hath meanes to preserue and saue his owne children and people Which must teach vs to commend our case to GOD and to rest on him in all dangers for when our case is desperate in our sight then are we fittest for Gods helpe Let vs therefore in such cases learne to practice our faith and then especially to cast our selues vpon GOD. This Iehosaphat did most notably for beeing assaulted with the huge armies of the Moabites Ammonites c. he praied vnto the Lord most feruently saying 2. Chron. 20.12 Lord there is no strength in vs wee knowe not what to doe but our eies are towards thee and thus doing was preserued for God will in no extremitie forsake them that trust in him The red sea In many places of the olde testament it is called the sea of rushes Psal. 106.7 9. Or the sea of sedges Ier. 49.21 It is a corner of the Arabian sea that parteth Egypt and Arabia Those which haue seene it in trauell say it hath no other colour than all other seas haue Why then is it called the red sea Answ. To omit many supposed causes hereof ther be two especially for which it is so called 1 Because of the red sand for both the bottome of the sea and the shoare are full of redder sande than ordinarily is else-where 2 Some thinke it is called the redde sea by reason of the sedges and bul-rushes which growe much at the sea side and bee of a redde colour which by reflection may
Saul persecuted Dauid but his end was to kill himselfe with his own sword 1. Samuel 30.4 And Iesabell she persecutes the Prophets children of God but her end was this the dogs did eate her flesh The whole stock of the Herods were great enemies to Christ But their name was soone rooted out and Herod called Agrippa that slew Iames and persecuted Peter was eaten vp of wormes Many great Emperours in the primatiue Church were persecuters but they died desperatly And Iulian for one once a Christian died blaspheming Christ casting his bloud vp towards heauen cried Thou hast ouercome ô Galilean thou hast ouercome And to come neerer these times what reward from God the persecuters of the Church haue had we may reade in the booke of Acts monuments which was penned for that purpose And to come to these our daies the whole band of those that call thēselues leaguers in Fraunce Italy Spaine c. like the Tabernacles of Edom and the Ismaelites Moab and the Agarims c. Psal. 83.5 6 they vow the destruction persecution of Gods Church but yet Gods Church stands he so cōtriues the matter that they draw swords against thēselues slay poyson one another Herein doth God graciously make good his promise to his Church that the weapons made against her shal not prosper And Zachary 12.3 there is a prophecie of the Church in the new Testament the Lord saith He wil make Ierusalem that is his Church an heauy stone for all people that lift it vp shal be torn though all the people of the earth be gathered against it where the Prophet setteth down notably what shal be the condition of those that persecute Gods Church the more they persecute her the more they shall haue Gods hand against them to confound them Dan. 2.34 there is mention made of a stone hewen out of a rocke without hands which smote the image vpon the feete which were of yron clay brake them to peeces By that stone is meant the kingdom of Christ which shall dash in peeces the kingdomes of the earth which set themselues against Christ and his kingdome For Christ must raigne till hee haue put all his enemies vnder his feete so that destruction is the ende of the enemies of Gods Church For the hand of the Lord shall bee knowen among his seruants and his indignation against his enemies Isay 66.14 And thus much of the 2. circumstance Now in this whole fact of the Israelites passing thorough the red sea towards the Land of Canaan there is a notable thing signified namely Baptisme So Paul saith The Israelites were baptized vnto Moses in the sea 1. Cor. 10.2 Yet wee must remember it was not ordinary Baptisme but extraordinary neuer administred before and neuer shall be so again for ought we know The Minister of this Baptisme was Moses an extraordinary Minister as the Baptisme was extraordinary The outwarde signe was the red sea or rather the water of the redde sea The departing of the children of Israel out of Egypt thorough the redde sea signifieth the departing of the children of GOD out of the kingdome of darkenesse from the power of sin and Satan And the drowning of Pharaoh with all his hoste in the redde sea signified the subduing of the power of all spirituall enemies with the pardon and death of sinne which stands partly in the abolishing of sinne and partly in newnesse of life And to this alludeth the Prophet Micah saying He will subdue our iniquities and cast all their sinnes into the bottome of the sea Micah 7.19 As if he should say Looke as God subdued Pharaoh and all his hoste in the bottome of the sea so will he cast and put away the sinnes of his people From this we learne two points 1 That the Baptisme of infants hath warrāt in Gods word howsoeuer some mē be of a contrary opinion for here we see all the Israelites were baptized in the sea and among them no doubt were many children If it be said this baptisme was extraordinary and is no ground for ours Answ. True it was extraordinary for the manner but yet herein the matter and substance and the thing signified is ordinary and the end all one with ours and therefore the baptizing of infants in the red sea is some warrant for the baptisme of infants in the Church now adaies Secondly here we may learne another instruction As the Israelites went through the red sea as through a graue to the promised land of Canaan so we must know that the way to the spirituall Canaan euen the kingdome of heauen is by dying vnto sinne This is a speciall point to bee considered of euery one of vs we professe our selues to be Christians wee heare Gods word and receiue the sacraments which are the outward badges of Christians and we perswade our selues of life euerlasting after death wel if we would haue that to be the ende of our iourney then we must take the Lords plaine way in this life which is to die vnto all our sinnes So it is said they which are Christs haue crucified the flesh with the affections and lustes thereof where this duty is inioyned to euery Christian hee must crucifie the lusts and affections of the flesh and not liue in sinne For a man cannot walke in sinne and so runne the broad way to hell and yet waite for the kingdome of heauen these two will not stand together and therefore if we would walke worthy the calling of Christianitie wee must haue care that all our sins whether they bee of heart or life little or great new or olde may be mortified and abolished Many will for a time become ciuill and seeme to be religious especially when they are to receiue the Lords supper but when that time of the sacrament is past then they returne to their old custome in sinning againe wherby it appeares that their change was but in shew to blind the eies of men And doe we not each Sabbaoth professe our selues good Christians and seeme to glory in it by keeping this day with such solemnitie But alas as soone as that day is past many some euen this day runne into all ryot This is not Christianity this is not the way to heauen but if euer we thinke to come to Canaan we must kill and bury our sinnes we must die vnto them or else we shal neuer come to the ende of Christianity namely eternall life And thus much of this circumstance and also of the example it selfe Iosuahs Faith VERSE 30. By faith the walls of Iericho fel down after they were compassed about seuen daies FRom the beginning of this chapter to this 30. verse we haue heard two sorts of examples of faith the first of beleeuers from the beginnning of the world to the flood The second of such as were from the time of the floode to the giuing of the Lawe in Mount Sina and of both these we haue
should come forth and incourage the people that their hearts might not faint nor feare nor dread their enemies because of the powerfull presence of God fighting for them The Papists obiect this by way of reproach against Zwinglius who was one of the restorers of the Gospel That hee died in the fielde among Souldiers But this indeed is no reproach but rather a matter of great commendation vnto him in that for the increase of faith and knowledge in them that were weake Christians about him hee was content to hazard his owne life And thus much of the eight effect The ninth effect of faith for which these worthy men are commended is this They turned to flight the Armies of the Alients This may be vnderstoode of the most of the Iudges and of the good Kings of Iuda and Israell But I will make choyse especially of two Gedion and Iehosaphat for Gedion one of the Iudges with three hundred Souldiers Iudges 6. and 7 altogether vnweaponed onely with light pitchers in their hands put to flight a mighty huge Armie of the Midianites And Iehosaphat a godly King being assaulted with a mighty and great Armie of Moabites Ammonites and men of mount Seir knew that by force of armes hee could not withstand them and therefore by faith makes a worthy prayer vnto the Lord and the Lord heard him and set his enemies one against another and so did he put them to flight which hee could neuer haue done by any strength of his owne Heere wee may learne how Kingdomes and people may become able to put to flight their enemies The best way is to put in practice their faith in God by humbling themselues truly for their sinnes past with vnfained confession of them vnto God praying withall earnestly for the pardon of them and for Gods aide assistance protection against their enemies The power of this meanes is euident in Scripture and therefore when Eliah was taken vp Elisha cried My Father my Father the Chariot of Israell and the horse-men thereof 2. Kings 2.12 giuing him this notable commendations that he was as good to Israell by meanes of his faith as all their Chariots and Horse-men Question How could that possibly be true Answer If we reade the Story wee shall finde it to be most true that by his prayers which he made in faith he did as much or more then al the strength of the Land could doe And so it shall be with all Christian Kings and people if they can shew forth their faith by prayer vnto God they shall doe wonderfull much hereby in subduing of their enemies To apply this to our selues wee haue had many and dangerous assaults from Popish enemies both domestical and forraine who haue of long time and no doubt stil doe purpose our ouerthrowe Now how shall wee be able to withstand their might and to escape their malice True it is Christian policy and warlike prouision must be vsed yet our stay and rest must not be thereon but wee must stirre vp our faith both Magistrates and Subiects Prince and people and first of all humble our selues for our sins and shew forth our repentance by new obedience in time to come and then pray for a blessing vpon the outward meanes which shall be vsed This is the right practice of faith in the case of danger by our enemies which we shal finde if we exercise it vnfainedly to be a surer meanes of safety and victory against our enemies then all worldly munition and policie For hereby we shall haue the Lord for our protection and his blessing vpon the outward meanes giuing strength and good successe thereunto when as omitting this duty the Lord will not be with vs and then we shall finde that vaine is the strength or wit of man Let vs not therefore betray our selues wilfully into our enemies hand but by this practice of faith enable our selues against all our enemies whatsoeuer otherwise wee may iustly feare to be deliuered into their hands for a prey vnto their teeth And therefore if we loue our owne safetie and the wel-fare of our Land let vs practice this duty For the prayer of faith auaileth much with God if it be feruent and therefore the Lord saith to Moses when he fell down before him to turne backe the wrath that was broken-in vpon the people Let me alone as though Moses had held or bound the Lords hand by his prayer that hee could not smite his people And thus much for the ninth fruite of faith The faith of the widowe and the Shunamite VERSE 35. The women receiued their dead raised vp to life THis is the tenth and last fruit of their faith which must be vnderstood of these two women especially the widow of Zarephath and the Shunamite The widow of Zarephath giuing entertainment o Eliiah in the great famine had this blessing vouchsafed vnto her for her faith that her dead sonne was restored to life by the Prophet And the Shunamite that prouided lodging for the Prophet Elisha had her onely son restored to life from death by the Prophet through faith Now heere we must obserue that these two women did not only beleeue in the true God but more particularly that God would vse these his seruants as meanes to restore to life their two children that were dead as appeares by this that both of them made means to the Prophet for the reuiuing of their children which they did by faith But some wil say This last effect of faith may seeme to crosse the Scripture else-where which saith that Christ is the first fruites of them that sleepe How then could these that were before Christs incarnation be restored from death to life Answer Saint Pauls meaning is this that Christ is the first of all those that rose from death to life to die no more but to liue for euer So indeede Christ is the first fruites of them that sleepe for he rose to liue for euer As for these two and some other mentioned both in the olde Testament and the new that were raised from death to life they rose not from the sleepe of death to liue for euer but to die againe In this tenth fruite of faith all Parents may learne their duty towards their children in the case of sicknesse or such like They must follow the example of these two godly women and labour especially to shew forth their faith in such duties as God requireth in such a case to wit they must humble themselues for their owne sinnes and for the sinnes of their children and family praying earnestly to God for the pardon of them for GOD may visite the iniquity of the Parents vpon the children in bodily iudgements and entreating the Lord to restore them to health and liberty and withall they must vse the ordinarie lawfull meanes of recouerie in physicke and such like praying to God for a blessing thereupon This is their dutie but alas the manner and practice of
scourged The fourth is Bonds and imprisonment The fift is stoning verse 37 They were stoned The sixt is this They were hewen asunder These were all worthy fruits of faith being endured for religions sake but the particular points might heere be obserued haue beene handled before and therefore I pasâ—e them ouer The seauenth kinde of suffering is this they were tempted These words by the change of a letter in the originall may be reade thus They were burned And some doe so translate it thinking that they that writ or copied out this Epistle at the first did put one letter for another Their reason is because examples of grieuous punishments are mentioned both before and after this and therfore they thinke this should be burning which is a sore and grieuous death But wee may safely and truly reade the words thus They were tempted conceiuing heereby that they were enticed and allured by faire promises of life to forsake their religion So the same word is vsed by Saint Iames saying Euery man is tempted when hee is drawen away by his owne concupiscence and is entiâ—ed Iames 1.14 If any aske why this kinde of triall in tempting should bee placed among such cruell torments I answere because it is as great a triall as any can be For it is as dangerous a temptation to ouerthrow religion and a good conscience as any punishment in the world This appeares plainly in Christs temptations by the Diuell for in those three Satan bewraies his malice and craft against Christ and his Church most notably Now Satan not preuailing with the two first makes his third and last assault from the glory and dignity of the world for shewing vnto Christ all the Kingdomes of the world and the glory of them hee saith All these will I giue thee if thou wilt fall downe and worship me Math. 4.9 Indeede Christes holy heart would not yeeld vnto it but that it was a grieuous temptation appeares by Christs answeres For in the former temptations he onely disputed with Satan out of Scripture but when this temptation comes Christ bids him as it were in passion auoide Satan signifying thereby not onely his abhorring of that sinne but also the danger of that assault by the world And indeede these temptations on the right hand as wee may call them will most dangerously creepe into the heart and cause shipwracke of faith and a good conscience All Dauids troubles and persecutions could not bring him to so greeuous sins as did a little ease rest A huge great Armie cannot so soone giue entrance to an enemie into a Citie as riches and faire promises neither can bodily torments so soone preuaile against a good conscience as will worldly pleasures and faire promises In regarde whereof wee must take heede that wee bee not deceiued by the world for the view of the glory and pompe thereof will sooner steale from a man both religion and good conscience then any persecution possibly can do And indeede who doe so oft change their religion when trialls come as they that haue the world at will The eight example of suffering is this They were slaine with the sword There can be nothing saide of this which hath not beene spoken in the former examples and therefore I omit it The ninth and last example of suffering is this They wandred vp and downe in sheepes skinnes and Goates skinnes being destitute afflicted and tormented That is being either banished or constrained by flight to saue their liues they wandred vp and down in base attire and were destitute of ordinary foode and comfort and so in great affliction and torment Heere wee see these seruants of GOD were driuen from their owne Country friends and families by persecution Whence we obserue that in time of persecution a Christian man may lawfully flie for his safety if hee be not hindred by the bond of priuate or publique calling For these seruants of God here coÌ„mended for their faith did flie when they were persecuted and that by faith therfore the action is lawfull as I might prooue at large but that I haue spoken of it heeretofore VVhen our Sauiour Christ knewe that the Pharisies heard of the multitude of Disciples which he made Ioh. 4.1.3 hee left Iudea where they had greatest iurisdiction and came into Galile for his safety The Prophet in the old testament did fly as Elias from Iezabel 1. King 19.3 And so did the Apostles in the new and that by Christs direction Math. 10.23 Obiect 1 But some will say Persecution is the hand of God therfore no man may flie from it for so he should seeme to flie from God himselfe Ans. Wee must consider persecution two waies first as it is the hand of God secoÌ„condly as it is the worke of the wicked enemies of Gods Church For them God vseth sometimes aâ— instruments in laying his hand vpon his Church either for chastisement or for triall Now a Christian being persecuted for the truth and hauing libertie to flie cannot bee said to flie from Gods hand vnlesse he went away contrary to Gods command as Ionas did beeing sent to Niniue and beside he knowes that is impossible But his intent is to flie from the wrath of his enemies to saue his life for the further good of Gods Church Again the reason is not good To say persecution is the hand of God therefore a man may not flie from it For so might a man conclude that nonâ— ought to flie from sicknesse or from warre both which a man may doe with a safe conscience not beeing hindred by some speciall calling Obiect 2 But euery one is bound to testifie his faith religion before his enemies and therefore may not flie in persecution Answ. True indeede a Christian man must so testifie his faith if he bee called thereto of God but if God giue him liberty and opportunitie to flie then he will not haue him at that time to iustifie his religion by that meanes Obiect 3 But if it be lawfull to flie how then comes it to passe that some of Gods children when they might haue fled would not but haue stood to iustifie their profession vnto death Ans. We must iudge reuereÌ„tly of theÌ„ thinke they did it by som special instinct motioÌ„ of Gods spirit as appeareth by their patience constancy in their greatest torments Examples hereof wee haue in our English Acts and Monuments in men worthy of notable commendations for their constancy and zeale for the truth of the Gospel Quest. If flight in persecution may bee an action of faith Whether may not the minister of Gods word fly in time of persecution Answ. There be some cases wherein the Minister may lawfully fly 1 When that particular Church and congregation ouer which he is placed is dispersed by the Enemies so as he hath no hope to gather and call them back againe then no doubt hee may flie till his congregation be gathered againe 2 If the persecutors doe specially