g Iuvenal Sat. 2. Esse aliquos manes subterranea regna Nec pueri credunt that whatsoever was spoken of old amongst the Gentiles is written in the Scriptures is beleeved in the Church of divels of hell of everlasting torments is but a bug-beare or scare-crow to feare superstitious folkes and hold them in awe But they strive unprofitably against the streame of their owne consciences which with a roaring voice doth summon them day and night to appeare before the judgement seat of the inexorable and Almighty Iudge Of all men those feare hell most who say there is no hell The sound of a shaking leafe maketh their hearts to shake for feare when there is none to pursue them And even then when they preach to men that hell is a fable they finde a most direfull hell within themselves burning up the most secret bowells of their wretched soules Why did Iudas hang himselfe when there was none upon earth to doe him any harme if there be no hell Death was more tolerable unto him than the feare of the unestimable torments which now hee suffereth there What were r Suet in Nerone c. 46 the monstrous dreames of Nero What Å¿ Xiphilinus Epitome Dionis the hideous and most ugly ghosts of those whom he had slaine which he saw a little before his death bounding out of the earth and leaping to his throat but a warning to appeare the next day in judgement to give an account of so much Christian and innocent blood which he had most wickedly shed If there bee no judgement after this life from whence came it that t Pro copius de bello Gothico lib. 1. Theodoricke king of the Gothes Protector of the wicked heresie of the Arrians after hee had put to death the 2. worthy Senators of Rome Symmachus Boetius because they maintained the true faith could not looke upon the head of a great fish that was set upon his table crying that it was the head of Symmachus which with most horrible yawning and fierie eyes sought to devoure him That was a citing indeed for suddenly he was taken to his bed and from thence to the grave v Thuanus lib. 57. Aubig 2. tom lib. 1. The Authors of the Massacres of France could not be at quiet many dayes after that bloody Tragedy for the horrible sight of great multitudes of ugly Ravens hovering about the Louure and voyces which cryed incessantly in their eares Murther murther murther suing them to come personally before him who sitteth on the throne and before the Lambe whom they had slaine in his members 'T is a truth not onely x Audreas Liba de cruentatione Cadaverum Levinus Lemnius de occultis natura miraculis lib. 2. cap. 7. ascertained by bookes but also averred by dayly experience in all nations That if a murtherer come in sight of the person whom hee hath slain the Coarse though almost rotten and stinking will bleed and disclose him What is that bleeding but a testimony that if men will not y Psal 58.11 There is a God that iudgeth in the earth and in his owne time will be avenged of all murtherers namely of them who lay violent hands upon his deare ones Therefore when the soules under the Altar cryed for vengeance against the persecuters who had stained their hands with their innocent blood a Rev. 6.11 it was said unto them that they should rest yet for a little season untill their fellow-servants also and their brethren that should be killed as they were should be fulfilled For as God spared the b Gen. 15.16 Amorites till their iniquity was full and as the Lord said to the Scribes and Pharisees c Mat. 23.32 Fillye up the measure of your fathers because then all the righteous blood which their fathers had shed was to come upon them So the Lord hath a time appointed for the full deliverance of his Church and everlasting destruction of his enemies even the last and great day of this decaying world d 2. Thes 1.7 8 9 10 When the Lord Iesus shall be revealed from heaven with the Angels of his power in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God and that obey not the Gospell of our Lord Iesus Christ who shall bee punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power when he shall come to be glorified in his Saints and to bee admired in all that beleeve in that day XV. Day which is a day of wrath e Zephan 1.15 a day of trouble and distresse a day of vastnesse and desolation a day of darknes and gloominesse a day of clouds and thicke darkenesse A night rather than a day yea both a day and a night A day wherein Gods judgements against all ungodly men shall shine cleerer than the noone day A night because of the place of the extreamity of the universalitie of the eternity of the effects of the paine whereunto they shall bee condemned by this thundering voice and unrecallable sentence of their righteous ludge f Mat. 25.41 Depart from me ye cursed into everlasting fire prepared for the divell and his Angels To hell must they goe even to the darke and ugly g 1. Pet. 3.19 prison which shall be the last habitation of all ungodly sinners How pleasant how faire soever a prison be we say that there were never faire prisons And therefore what will not a man suffer rather than to goe to prison he will flee he will give all that he hath hee will runne to his friends and cry for succour h Aug. de verbis Aposto li. serm 18 Contremiscis c onturbaris pallescis c. S. Augustine saith that in his time they would flee to the Church runne to the Bishop fall downe lye wallowing at his feete cry with a pale countenance with a trembling voice My Lord I am troubled my Lord I am to be cast in prison take pitty of me relieve me So hard so unsufferable a paine doth it seeme to all men to bee in prison though it there were no other paine to be suffered but to be closed up Yea our owne houses would be hatefull unto us if our liberty of going abroad were restrained O then how huge how intolerable shall bee the torments of those bloody butchers who have shed the blood of Gods Saints like water when they shall bee cast headlong into the hellish prison which may bee most properly called i Iob 10.21 22. the land of darknesse and of the shadow of death Where there is no order and where light it selfe is darknesse O how shall they tremble how shall they cry and teare their soules when they shall bee violently throwne downe into the k Luk. 18.31 deepe and bottomlesse pit which m Aug. in 50. Homilius hom 16 â—uÌ„ sine poenitentiae remedio infoelices peccatores exceperit c. when it hath received impenitent sinners
able to deliver us from the burning fierie fornace and he will deliver us out of thy hand O King When the deepe gulfe of the red sea is before our faces when Pharao and his most dreadful and cruell armie followeth us hotly at the heeles when high and steep mountaines runne along by our sides and bereave us of all hope of flight then to say k Exod. 14 13. Feare ye not stand still and see the salvation of the Lord which he will shew you to day In a present evill to looke for present deliverie in the middest of the valley of the shadow of death to see to imbrace life l Heb. 11 24 25 26. to refuse great riches and honours for the denying of Christ to chuse povertie by confessing him to preferre suffering of affliction with the people of God to the enjoying of the pleasures of sinne for a season to esteeme the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Aegypt as Moses did and as many Christians have done and doe still is a most wonderfull and speciall exercise of true faith What Vertues are more commanded unto us by precept 2. Meeknes charity and recommended unto us by most excellent examples of the Patriarkes of the Prophets of David of Iesus Christ of his holy Apostles than humilitie meekenesse charitie where find ye better occasion to practise them than in your greatest adversitie m 1. Cor. 4 11 12. Ye are reviled and ye blesse ye are defamed and ye intreat as Paul did ye are stoned to death as Steven was and ye kneele down and cry with a loud voice n Acts 7.6 Lord lay not this sinne to their charge This is true meekenesse this is true charitie We are tossed to and fro with most grievous and tedious tribulations 3. Patience then as the Apostle saith o Heb. 10.36 wee have neede of patience that after we have done the will of God wee may receive the promise then it is time to be that which we professe We say that Patience is the fairest flower of of the Christian mans garden Other flowers delight in faire weather and grow not but in ground well weeded and gnibbed up This groweth among the brairs thistles of stinging tribulations and spreadeth most faire when the weather is most foule Frost and Snow Haile and Lightning Stormes and Tempests make it to blossome with a most pleasant shew and to breathe a most sweet sent Then the righteous man not looking to the stone that hurteth him but lifting up his eyes to the almightie hand of the heavenly Father which threw it saith as David said of Shimei who cursed him p 2. Sam. 16.10 So let him curse for the Lord hath said unto him Curse Dauid Who shall then say Wherefore hast thou done so Men have their mischeivous ends when they afflict the righteous man and it may be that they molest him wrongfully Tribulations also may come upon him by his owne faults and many other wayes yet God hath an hand in all his most wise providence guideth them Shall he then repine shall he kicke against the prickes God forbid But rather knowing that his sufferings are Gods owne worke and that q Deu. 32.4 all his wayes are iudgement he taketh David for his President and saith with him I was r Psal 39.9 dumbe I opened not my mouth because thou didst it Here here then is the wonderfull patience of the Saints who bridle their mouthes from grudging against God and open them not in their temptations but to poure out their humble requests and prayers before him Prayers 4. Prayers which faint and as it were droope in the faire summer-dayes of our peace and wealth but recover their vigor yea redouble their force in the fleeting and freezing winter of our calamitie God saith to the righteous man Å¿ Psal 50.15 Call upon me in the day of trouble so he doth Ionas t Ioh. 2.1 snorted in the ship but hee was awake praied in the Whales belly The Disciples so long as the sea was calme and quiet prayed not but when the tempest arose and the winds spake lowd and the surges threatned the ship with sinking then they prayed then they cried v Matt. 8.25 Lord save us wee perish So Peter walked a little while upon the sea without praying but when hee saw the wind boistrous and began to sink he cried x Matt. 14 30. Lord save me Prayer is the meane whereby God bestoweth his blessings upon us It is the bucket which we dive and thrust farre into the undraynable fountaine of his graces that we may receive of his fulnesse and grace for grace Then tribulations are behoovefull unto us that by them knowing our need we may be moved to pray Are wee not saved y Rom. 8.24 by hope 5. Hope what hope what desire can wee have of heavenly things when all things laugh upon us in the world the present enjoying of the one expells out of our hearts the desire and hope of the other Therefore by the counterpoize of the evils of this life God stirreth up in us a most vehement desire of the life to come and holds our hope perpetually busied in praying and crying z Rev. 22.20 Even so Come Lord Iesus XVII All these graces without perseverance are nothing for a Matt. 24.13 he that shall endure unto the end 6. Perseverance Constancy shall bee saved And there is no perseverance without constancie The maine object of Constancie is tribulation neither is it seene but in things very difficult to undertake or to overcome b 2. Mac. 7. Consider the courage of seven brethren suffering all kinds of most cruell torments because they would not at the Kings commandement transgresse Gods commandement and eate swines flesh Wonder at the constancie of their marveilous mother who with a manly heart in a womans breast exhorted them to take their death cheerfully for Gods cause and after their execution went joyfully to the burning caldron and sealed also the truth with her blood How many faire promises were made unto them But c Heb. 11.35 they refused to be delivered that they might obtaine a better resurrection In the Ecclesiasticall stories of Christians such examples are infinite At d Euseb hister Eccles lib. 5. c. 1. Sanctus Vienne in France a Deacon of the Church called Sanctus being torne in pieces with hot pincers being at divers times so cruelly racked that hee was nothing but wounds but bruises but putrefying fores but a peece of swollen flesh without almost any figure or shape of a man could never be compelled to tell his name his familie his dwelling place His onely answer to all their rackings scorchings burnings was I am a Christian Neither could the Executioners by the Tympan by the hot and burning pans by the teeth of wild beasts wring out of Blandina a maide and servant to a Dame
mind is to destroy it for ever but God by the persecutions chastiseth the securitie tryeth the faith exerciseth the patience of his children and setteth forth his owne glory in their delivery as ye have heard in the fourth Sermon He hath ever done so hee will doe so unto the worlds end and therefore let us in all our heavy displeasures rely upon his wisedome as it is written n Psal 37.5 Commit thy way unto to the LORD trust also in him and he shall bring it to passe Then our owne experience shall inforce us to confesse that o Rom 8.28 we know that all things worke together for good to them that love God to them who are called according to his purpose So in Gods wisedome we have a second reason to move us to patience XIII Thirdly we should ever set before our eyes his truth which is more firme and constant than heaven and earth and all things that are therein men may be disloyall and false But p 2. Tim 2.13 if we beleeve not yet he abideth faithfull he cannot deny himselfe He is q 1. Sam. 15.29 the strength of Israel he will not lye nor repent for he is not a man that he should repent He hath wisedome to foresee the events before he promise he hath power to performe whatsoever he promiseth he is goodnesse it selfe and therefore he will throughly fulfill all his promises r Esa 55.10 11. For as the raine commeth downe and the snow from heaven and returneth not thither but watereth the earth and maketh it to bring foorth and bud that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater So saith he shall my word be that goeth foorth out of my mouth it shall not returne unto me voyd but it shall accomplish that which I please and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it XIV Wee have his promise in the second part of our text for when he biddeth us hide our selves as it were for little moment untill the indignation be overpast he implyeth in the commandement a most comfortable promise that the affliction of the Church shall last but for a moment which being expired his indignation shall overpasse and the Church shall be delivered This promise and the exhortation grounded upon it is very formall in Habacuc where God speaketh after this manner ſ Hab. 2.3 The vision is yet for an appointed time but at the end it shall speake and not lye Though it tarry wait for it because it will surely come it will not tarry The promise is that the vision the prediction concerning the deliverance of the Church hath 〈◊〉 appointed time which being expired God will fulfill it the exhortation is Therefore waite upon it This time is not a long time it is but a moment t Psal 30.5 For his anger endureth but a moment In his favour is life weeping may endure for a night but ioy commeth in the morning as David saith in the thirty Psalme Yee have the like promise in the fiftie and fourth chapter of Isaith v Esa 54.7 8. For a small moment have I forsaken thee but with great mercies will I gather thee I have hid my face from thee for a little in the moment of wrath but with everlasting kindnesse will I have mercy on thee saith the LORD thy redeemer XV. Here then wee have solid comfort and a soveraigne remedy against impatience in tribulation x Psal 125.3 For the rod of wickednesse shall not rest upon the lot of the righteous lest the righteous put foorth their hands into iniquity we heare the promise and howsoever wee beleeve it we thinke the time to be very long and wee cry as David often in the Psalmes And thou Lord how long for one houre of affliction is more sensible unto us than a yeare of prosperitie Therefore God y Psal 103.14 knowing our frame and remembring bring that we are but dust speaketh unto us according to our hearts desire and telleth us that hee hath a time appointed for our deliverance whereof he keepeth a most exact reckoning and shall not lose the least parcell thereof a Eccl. 3.1 To every thing there is a season and a time to every purpose under the heaven A time to be afflicted a time to bee delivered the time of affliction is to some shorter to some longer To Noah and to his family in the Arke b Gen. 7.11 Gen. 1.13 14. it was of one yeare and tenne dayes To the people of Israel in Egypt c Gen. 15.13 four hundred years To the lews in Babylon d Ier. 25.12 Ier. 29.10 Dan. 5.2 seaventy years To the woman diseased with the bloody e Mar. 9.20 issue twelve yeares To the impotent whom the Lord cured at the poole of Ierusalem f Ioh. 5.5 thirty and eight yeares To the woman delivered of her child to bee fed in the wildernesse g Rev. 12.14 a time and times and halfe a time which are three yeares and an halfe To Moses to be hid h Exod. 2.2 three moneths Hosea speaking of the time of Gods deliveries saith i Hos 6.2 After two dayes will hee revive us In the third day will he raise us up and we shall live in his sight k Ioh. 11.39 Lazarus was in the grave foure dayes l Luk. 18.33 The Lord was put to death and buryed and rose again the third day Hee advertised the Church of Smyrna that shee should have tribulation m Rev. 2.10 tenne dayes He spake of his houre when hee said to his mother n Ioh. 2.4 Mine houre is not yet come Hee said to his Disciples o Ioh. 16.16 A little while and ye shall not see me and againe a little while and ye shall see me In our text God speaketh of a little moment David saith p Psal 37.10 Yet a little while and the wicked shall not be The Apostle saith that q 2. Cor. 4.17 our affliction is light and is but for a moment He saith againe r Heb. 10.37 Yet a little while and he that shall come will come and will not tarry S. Peter writeth to the faithfull of his time that ſ 1. Pet. 1.6 for a season they were in heavinesse through manifold temptations And it was said to the soules that were under the Altar that t Rev. they should rest yet for a little season untill their fellow-servants also and their brethren that should bee killed as they were should be fulfilled that is to say untill the end of the world which to flesh and blood is very long for if these blessed soules thought the time which was betweene their death and this vision of Iohn so long that they cryed v ver 10. How long O Lord what wonder if men leading a most wearisome and tedious life under the crosse cry to God as David did x Psal 119 82. Mine eyes faile
Eccl. lib. 2. cap. 7. Pontius Pilat who condemned Christ to dye was overwhelmed with so many miseries that to be delivered of them all at once he followed the example of Iudas and killed himselfe t Act. 12. Herodés Agrippa after he had for a while persecuted the Christians killed Iames imprisoned Peter taking to himselfe the honour due to God was stricken by an Angell and was eaten of wormes whose pittilesse teeth taught him that he was a medden of putrefaction and not God v Suet on in Nerone cap. 47. 49. Nero the first persecuter of Christians among the Gentiles after that he had set Rome on fire put his wise and learned master to death rifled his mothers entrails to see where he lay when he was in her wombe taking life from her that gave him life burnt quicke or dismembred with the teeth of his dogs many thousands of Christians murthered all his friends and filled the whole Empire with orbity desolation and mourning having no friend but murther and crueltie finding no foe that would kill him Ergo ego inquit nic amicum habeo nee unimicum thrust himselfe thorow with his owne sword and was to himselfe his owne Hangman x Suet. in Domitiano ca. 13. 14. Domitian who worshipped no other God but himselfe who erected Temples and Altars to his own mortall deitie who constrained his people to call him the Lord our God and persecuted the Christians because they would not give that title to any other but to our Lord Iesus Christ nor worship any but God was betrayed of his owne wife in whom hee trusted was slaine by his owne servants was buryed without honour like a filthy carrion I should be too tedious if I should relate to you the tragical deaths of AdriaÌ„ of Severus of Decius of Valerian of Dioclesian of Maximinian of Maxentius of Maximin of Iulian the Apostate of Valens Arrian hereticke who were prodigious examples of Gods veÌ„geance against persecuters Which of you hath not heard or read the strange deaths of Kings and Princes who by murthering of our fathers sought to murther once againe Christ in the cradle and to give life to the beast which had beene wounded to death In them all was in all them that follow their bloody foot-steps shall be fulfilled that which is written in the Psalmes y Psal 21.8 9 10. Thine hand O Lord shall find out all thine enemies thy right hand shall find out those that hate thee Thou shalt make them as a fierie oven in the time of thine anger The Lord shall swallow them up in his wrath and the fire shall devoure them Their fruit shalt thou destroy from the earth and their seed from among the children of men Have wee not heard it Our owne eyes have they not seene it XII The best of us all is like unto Asaph a Psal 73.2 3 5 6.7 8 9. we are envious at the foolish our steps slip when we see the prosperitie of the wicked They are not in trouble as other men neither are they plagued 〈◊〉 other men Therefore pride compasseth them about as a chainâ—â— violence covereth them as a garment their eyes stand out with fatnesse they have more than heart could wish They are corrupt and speake wickedly concerning oppression they speake loftily they set their mouth against the heavens and their tongue walketh through the earth Then we begin to fret to murmure to deny Gods providence to aske Is there knowledge in the most high These men which prosper are ungodly but wee who cleanse our hearts and wash our hands in innocency are plagued all the day long our chastisement returneth turneth every morning They are happy but we are miserable When we iudge when we speake so are we not foolish and ignorant like unto little children are wee not as beasts before our God If any man have a deadly wound whether is most to bee feared the putrefaction and impostume or the Chirurgions Launcet and Rasor the searing hot yron or the Gangrene What is sinne but the corruption and impostume of the soule what is affliction but the heavenly Physicians Rasor and cauter As then a wise man will say that he whose impostume is not launced is in danger of his life and he who feeleth every day the smart of the Rasor is in hope of recovery howsoever ignorant children will judge otherwayes and will choose rather a lingring and insensible death than a sharpe cure So will hee which entreth into the Sanctuary of God judge and say that sinners when the Lords hand is heavy upon them are happy because they are chastised for their correction as when a man sicke of the dropsie is kept under a strict and pinching diet But hee who covereth his face with fatnesse who spendeth his dayes in mirth and feeleth not the smart of the Lords rod is so much more miserable than the sicke man who being swolne up and defaced with the dropsie liveth in the Tavernes and every day overchargeth his decaying body with surfetting and drunkennesse as the soule is more precious than the body For what are such men but as fatted swine for the great day of the Lords slaughter as I have said And why doth the Lord b Minut. Felix Miseri in hoc altius tolluntur ut decidant altius heave them up and as it were set them on the pinacle of worldly pleasures and honours but to cast them downe into destruction and make their fall more remarkeable as was the fall of Haman persecuter of the Iewes and of Iezabel murtherer of the Prophets XIII But what although some of them d Iob 21.13 23 24. spend their dayes in wealth having still their breasts full of milke and their bones moistened with marrow What although they dye in their full strength and after the long dayes of a joyfull life being wholly at ease and quiet in a moment they goe downe to the grave without the least pricking of griefe without any feeling of the smart of death which may happen to some few in this world Shall they also escape the dint of the wrath and vengeance of the great and righteous Iudge in the world to come When God through a most wonderfull patience and long suffering hath given unto them many yeeres to repent as he gave to the men of the first world in the dayes of c Gen. 6.3 Noah an hundred and twenty yeares to amend their lives and they spend them all in riot in licentiousnesse in persecuting of his Church in presumptuous sinnes against his Majestie selling themselves to worke wickednesse in his sight as f 1. King 21.25 Ahab did will he not turne his patience into fury and pay them home at once requiting them with the unconceiveable punishment of eternall damnation XIV I know they doe what they can to shake out of their thoughts the feare of that judgement and to make their hearts beleeve that there is no such matter
indignation and he shall bee tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy Angels and the smoake of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever and they have no rest day nor night In vaine shall they strive and struggle to rid themselves from the eternall chaines of darkenesse wherewith they are tyed in that bottomlesse Mine for like unto fishprickt with the Anglers hooke the more they wrench and wriggle to escape faster and faster are they intangled and sinke deeper into the burning lake of death and damnation Are not darkenesse blood fire brimstone burning alive torments fearefull enough to make the haire to bristle and the stoutest heart to melt as waxe against the fire and yet all these are but shadowes and counterfeits of the extreamity of paine wherewith the damned are racked in hell If Nebuchadnezzars hot glowing furnaces if Antiochus caldrons of boyling oyle if Phalaris fierie brazen Bull if Davids sawes harrowes of yron and mortars if the needles the pinsers the burning yron grates and brazen chaires if the tympan the spits the flaying of living men and other torments practised by Tyrants against Christians were so fell and hideous if dayly men invent new tortures more fierce and terrible than those were doubtlesse the paines of hell which the divell deviseth or rather which are of Gods owne invention are ten thousand times more horrible than mans heart can imagine As in all Gods workes i Aug. epist 3. ad Volasianum Tota ratio facti potentia facientis Considera authorem tolle dubitanonē the reason of the doing is the power of the doer So in this let Atheists consider the author and all their doubts will cease God hath said it and will he not performe it XIIX As every member joynt and part of wicked men conspire together in sinne to offend God so the righteous and Almighty God hath bequeathed to each of them a severall torment The mind shall be racked with the consideration of the unexpugnable wrath of God and contemplation of its own endlesse infelicity The memory shall be continually tormented with the remembrance of the manifold and foule sinnes which were causes of such plagues The conscience shall feele a k Esa 66.24 Mar. 9.44 worme ever gnawing it with a most bitter but unfruitfull remorse of sinne The phantasie shall bee troubled with ghastly visions The eyes shall see nothing but ugly divells and damned persons The eares shall heare nothing but roarings of the infernall spirits but shriekes and dreadfull cryes of tortured malefactors What the palat shall taste what the nostrils shal smell what the hands shall catch hold of what the other parts of the body shall suffer in that dark dungeon of Gods wrath I know not This I know that as l 1. Cor. 3.9 eye hath not seene nor eare heard neither have entred into into the heart of man the things which God hath prepared for them that love him in the kingdome of light with his owne selfe so no tongue can utter yea no heart can imagine the manifold and bitter plagues which the justice of God hath reserved for them that hate him in the kingdome of darkenesse with the m Iob 18.14 King of terrors XIX Happy would they thinke themselves if after many myriades of yeares they might hope for some reliefe but to fill up the unmeasurable measure of their miseries they know that God hath called the fire wherein they burne n Mat. 25.41 everlasting the death whereunto they are condemned o 2. Thes 1.9 everlasting destruction and qualifieth with the same title the worme which gnaweth their never-dying conscience saying that p Mark 9.48 it dyeth not They know that the entrance into hell is large and easie but the regresse impossible They know that the power and justice of God hath appointed unto them an immortall death an endlesse end everlasting darkenesse in the middest of an ay-burning fire poyson of dragons cruell venime of aspes bitternesse it selfe to eate and to drinke in the blackenesse of an eternall night whereupon the cloud of Gods curse and the shadow of death shall dwell for ever and the light of comfort shall never shine XX. This is the share allotted to all them that feare not God to q Luk. 16.19 the rich man who did no harme to Lazarus but onely refused to give him meate and to r Mat. 25.41 42. all his mates to ſ Mat. 25.30 the unprofitable servant to him who goeth to the marriage-feast without t Mat. 22.11 12 13. a wedding garment O then two and threefold more shall bee children of hell all those which throw the crummes of bread out of Lazarus mouth which are never weary of ill doing which have all their garments stained with the blood of Gods servants Shall it v Mat. 10.15 Mat. 11.22.24 be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of iudgement than for those who receive not the Preachers of the Gospell and refuse to heare the word Oh then how intolearble shall be then the plagues of God upon the Neroes Dioclesians all the persecuters of the Gospell x Psal 11.5 6. The Lord tryeth the righteous but the wicked and him that loveth violence his soule hateth Vpon the wicked hee shall raine snares fire and brimstone and an horrible tempest that shall be the portion of their cup. Then then y Rev. 16.10 they shall gnaw their tongues for paine then nothing shall be heard and seene amongst them but a Mat. 12.13 weeping and gnashing of teeth but crying b Rev. 6.16 to mountaines and rockes to fall upon them and to death to come and kill them when c Rev. 3.6 death shall flee from them d Aug. de Tempore serm 252. Quta quibus in hoc seculo vita offertur nolunt accipere in inferno quaerent mortem non poterint invenire When in this world life is offered unto them they refuse to accept it Therefore in hell they shall seeke death and shall not find it In that desire as there is a great sinne so there is in it a great paine It is a righteous thing with God to punish sinne therefore it is a sinne in the prisoners of hell to desire to shake off the punishment of sinne Againe e Quid tam poenale quā semper velle quod nūquam erit c. What is more penall saith Bernard than ever to desire that which never shall be and ever to be unwilling to that which shall never but be They shall never obtaine what they would and evermore sustaine what they would not XXI Adde unto all those punishments one which shall bee to all the persecuters of the Church a deadly wound ever bleeding for in that great day f Esa 26.19 Rev. 20.13 the earth the grave the sea death it selfe shall deliver up the dead which are in them the Martyrs whom these
persecutions Know they not that she is e Gen. 8.4 the Lords Arke which as the water increaseth mounteth up higher and higher and cannot be submerged Vndertake they to beate her with stormie winds and with the violent streames of afflictions Experience might have taught them long agoe that she is f Mat 7.24 25. the Lords house founded upon the rocke and that the gates of hell shall not prevaile against her Have they dismantled her populous townes and laid her open to the violence of all her enemies I g Zech. 2.5 saith the LORD will be unto her a wall of fire round about and will be the glory in the midst of her Is she h Rev. 11.11 Rev. 13.7 overcome by the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomlesse pit and thrust downe into the grave of death and of eternall oblivion As the belly of the Whale was a safe habitation to i Ion. 1.17 Ionah so the graves shall been most sure lodging and bed of rest to them till he who k Ion. 2.10 spake unto the fish and it vomited out Ionas upon the dry land shall speake to the earth to the sea to the fire to all the creatures that have the least bone of his faithfull servants committed unto them and l Esa 43.6 say to the North Give up and to the South Keepe not backe bring my sonnes from farrre and my daughters from the ends of the earth Thou the Church shall rise againe to the great astonishment of those that persecuted her and shall remaine upon the earth till her time be come to bee received into the glory of her spouse where she is already in many thousands of her members which now m Rev. 7.9 stand before the thrane and before the Lamb cloathed with white robes and palmes in their hands This is her hope this is her trust which shall not bee disappointed and therefore when the sharpe rods of affliction whizze with multiplied blows upon her back eares she comforteth her selfe and saith n Mich. 7.7 8 9 10. I will looke unto the Lord I will wait for the God of my salvation my God will heare me Reioyce not against me O mine enemie when I fall I shall arise when I sit in darkenesse the Lord shall bee a light unto me I will beare the indignation of the Lord because I have sinned against him untill he plead my cause and execute iudgement for me he will bring me forth to the light and I shall behold his righteousnesse Then she that is mine enemy shall see it and shame shall cover her which said unto me Where is the Lord thy God mine eyes shall behold her now shall she be troden downe as the mire of the streets XXIV 1. Vse Let us all dearely beloved rest in this hope and possesse our soules with patience whereof we have a o Tertul. de Patientia c. 15. Satis idoneus Patientiae sequester Deus Si iniuriā deposueris penes tum ultor est c. Gardian most excellent most trustie most sure even God himselfe If thou commit unto him thy iniury hee is a revenger If thy dammage he is a restorer If thy payne he is a Physician If thy death he is a raiser up from the dead what cannot patience doe which hath God for debtor It will hope against hope when it is brought to the red sea and seeerh nothing before behind on all sides but present death it will p Exod. 14.13 stand still and see the salvation of the Lord knowing that he with draweth his healing hand till the wound be desperate that it is his glory to deliver out of danger 2. Vse when it is come to the height and cannot bee shunned by the wit and strength of man that his power is more conspicuous where there is no wine he turnes water into wine and raiseth Lazarus when he is dead buryed and stinking He hath said of the afflicted man who calleth upon him q Psal 51.15 I will be with him in trouble let us thanke him for his promise and chuse r Bern. in Psal Qui habitat serm 17. Bonum est in cammo habere te mecum quà m esse sine te velin coelo rather to bee with him in the middest of Nebuchadnezzars burning furnace than in heaven without him saying as David said ſ Psal 73.25 Whom have I in heaven but thee and there is none in earth that I desire besides thee And because he is faithfull in all his promises and t 2. Cor. 1.4 comforteth us in all our tribulations let us looke with the eye of a stedfast faith for the sweet fruit of this bitter seed v 2. Cor. 4.17 for the eternitie of blessednesse which is hid in the moment of our afflictions for the exceeding weight of glory which these light wounds of weake and mortall mens hands worke in us O let us this day x Rom. 8.23 2. Cor. 5.2 groane within our selves most earnestly and cry to heaven for the comming of the great day wherein y Rev. 20.14 15. death and hell and whosoever shall not be found written in the booke of life shall be cast into the lake of fire which is the second death and we z 1. Thes 4.17 shall be caught up in the clouds to meete the Lord in the aire and so shall we ever be with the Lord by a most fruitfull and glorious exchange For whereas he is now with us in the fulnesse of grace to shew us the paths of life we shall be then with him in the fulnesse of glory and living with him for ever shall with one heart and mouth sing this song of David Full many be the miseries That righteous men doe suffer But out of all adversities The Lord doth them deliver O Lord this is the desire of our hearts this is our request unto thee Heare us and answer us through the precious and infinite merits of Iesus Christ thy Sonne to whom with thee and the holy Ghost be all praise honour and glory both now and for evermore Amen FINIS ERRATA PAg. 66. l. 8. for sent r writ p. 71. l. 28. r. cleannes l. 34. As. l. 35. d. they p. 95. l. 34. Caves p 97. l. 3. d. of p 104. l. 16. d. the. p. 107. l. 5. r. seale l. 28. inwardly p. 124. l 7. with you p. 130. l. 6. circuits p. 198. l 18. d. not p. 204 l. 6. a little p. 125. l. 2 d. of
conceiued borne and nourished him so long in her wombe and to himselfe and oftentimes without death to both When he is thus cast forth with sorrow and paines if he had the use of understanding to know the miseries whereunto he is borne and of speech to utter what he thinketh of them he would make his moane with Ieremy a Ierem. 20. vers 18. That he came forth out of the wombe to see labour and sorrow and b Iob 3. ver 2. cursing the day wherein hee was borne would wish with Iob c Iob 10. ver 19. to have beene carried from the wombe to the grave For he doth no sooner open his nostrils to breathe suck up the refreshing moysture of the ayre but he is encountred and beset on all sides with unavoidable dangers he is borne in teares he liueth in miserie and dyeth in griefe hunger and thirst cold and heate nakednesse and weakenesse labour and wearinesse greasinesse sweat waking and sleeping feavers and consumptions are the first deputies who at his first entry into the world goe meete and welcome him to make the first solemnities of this palace of vanitie and mourning wherein hee hath seant set the first foote when ignorance and forgetfulnesse vaine hope and trembling feare senslesnesse and despaire joy and sadnesse despite and cholor burning lust and cold disdaine a thousand combersome passions ten thousand pricking cares troupe together and joine themselves to the first band to conduct leade him by certaine journies and stations incht to some longer to some shorter to the king of terrours to the mannor of darkenesse to the land of the shadow of death where d Iob 17.14 he shall say to the grave Thou art my father and to the worme Thou art my mother and my sister II. Whom can you name to me that hath spent the short dayes of this life and hath not walked upon the bryers wherwith it is strewed nor felt their pricks Kings are the first amongst men but they are men And ye shall sooner finde the sea without billowes the aire without moving the bramble without prickles than man without evils for what is mans life but an Ocean of miseries wherein there is no drop of true delight and happinesse When yee cast your eyes upon Kings and Princes heed not the precious Crowne which glittereth upon their heads nor the shining Purple which covereth their nakednesse nor the legionaries and squadrons of souldiers which guard them nor the Nobility which hedgeth them on all sides nor the glorie of their servants nor the magnificence of their fare nor the excellencie of their palaces nor the gorgeous pomp of their Court. Pierce further in thrust your eyes within the centre of their hearts consider their deeds and carriage and you shal see at one sight a head crowned with gold a heart scorched with griefe The flower of Purple the brightnesse of Scarlet the glistering plate-laces of Gold the twinkling lewels dazeling the eyes of the beholders and pensivenesse blacking the soule of him that beareth them Men invironed with guards without and besieged with feares and terrours within ever laying some new plot and manie times crossed in their designes notwithstanding their great power not able to doe all that they would and often constrained to do what they would not making a faire shew to those whom they hate mistrusting those in whom they must needs trust suspecting now their wives now their children fearing all those that feare them c TIBERIUS Timeo incustoditos aditus timeo ipsos cufiodes dreading all entries which are not kept yea and dreading also their own keepers passing the dayes in painefull labours in trouble of minde in many dangers betweene shamelesse flatterers craftie calumniators and aposted assasms and seeking in the darkenesse of the night the rest which a remorsefull remembrance of things past a gnawing feare of things to come a thousand other perplexities pull away violently from their eye-lids f Pro. 14.13 Even in laughter their heart is sorrowfull and the end of their mirth is heavinesse They drinke Wormewood in a cup of Gold the Sugar of their delights is embittered with the Gall of discontent and when they glut themselves with voluptuous pleasures and swallow downe the most rare and costly dainties as Behemoth draweth up Iordan into his throat either feare death as if they had the sharp point of a naked sword hanging by a haire above their heads or long for it to make a dolefull end of the huge heape of their manifold and wofull miseries which extract from them now and then a vehement disdain of their royall Robes with this true exclamation g O nobilem magis quà m felicem pannum c. O cloth more glorious than happy the lowziest beggar of the countrey would not stoop downeward to lift thee from the ground if hee knew with how many cares frights and vexations of spirit thou art lyned All the Tragedies though fabulously written are made of the true miseries and strange calamities of Kings Princes and other great men of the world Runne thorow the stories of Heathen men of so manie Kings how few shall yee finde whom a drie and peaceable death hath sent to the grave where now the worme feedeth sweetly on them In the Scriptures ye see Saul possessed with the Divel murthering the Lords Priests smiting with the edge of the sword the whole Citie of Nob men and women children and sucklings Oxen Asses and Sheepe seeking to kill his owne sonne and heyre and finally imbruing his unmercifull and pittilesse hands with his owne blood There ye see Ishbosheth slaine by his owne Captaines in whom he had speciall affiance There yee see the good and godly King David no sooner unpestered of one warre but he is entangled into another ye see him overwhelmed with domesticall calamities constrained to behold and suffer the incests parricides rebellions revolts of his owne children and to be upon his guard against them who should have guarded him There ye see Salomon the wisest but not the best of the sonnes of men after hee had taken a deepe draught in the crystaline cup of worldly prosperities and given his heart to seeke and search out by wise-dome all things that are done under heaven upbraiding them all with this true saying h Eccles. 1.14 Behold all is vanity and vexation of spirit The life of all the Kings of luda was nothing else but as a web woven as a baudrick interlaced with evills what was the state of the Kings of Israel but an hideous spectacle of most horrible calamities Neyther shall ye finde any amongst the Politicians and Statesmen living amongst the wearisome turmoile of imploiments who once in his life findeth not whereupon to sing to his perplexed soule Salomons complaint which Gilimer the last King of the Vandales harped with a mourning and sorrow-full tune to the Emperour Iustinian whose prisoner he then was i Eccles. 1.2 Vanity of
but the evill which I would not that I doe Whereof the Apostle rendreth this reason writing to the Galathians b Gal. 5.17 for the flesh lusteth against the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh and these are contrary the one to the other so that yee cannot doe the things that yee would teaching most cleerely that the sinnes of the spirituall man come from his weakenesse and not from his will otherwise they should be sinnes of malice and not of infirmitie I conclude then that if mans righteousnesse be strictly examined in the balance of the Law there never was and c Eccles 7.20 there is not a iust man upon earth that doth good and sinneth not saving our Lord Iesus Christ who through the prerogative of his immaculate conception by the wonderfull operation of the holy Spirit was d Rom. 8.3 in the likenesse of sinfull flesh e Heb. 7.26 holy harmelesse undefiled separate from sinners and for that cause is called f Act. 3.14 the Righteous that title belonging only to him in that respect 1. Ioh. 2.1 VI. But what godly men cannot claime to themselves in the rigorous strictnesse of the Law that they finde in Gods mercifull acceptation and in the modification of his blessed Gospel wherein he entitleth his beloved children with this honourable name of Righteous men judging of them not by the imperfect perfection of their righteousnesses g Esa 64.6 which are as filthy ragges but by their affection and earnest endevour to be such as they should and which they strive with might and maine to be h Phil. 3.7 13 14. forgetting those things which are behinde and reaching forth to those things which are before and so pressing toward the marke for the price of the high calling of God in Christ Iesus For God who sheweth himselfe in the Law clothed with the majestuous and inexorable severitie of a Iudge representeth himselfe in the Gospel as a Father arrayed with meekenesse and mercy regarding the willingnesse of his children rather than anie perfection which may besought but shall not be found in their obedidience so long as they are in the way to their home For in the faithfull and true Christian there are two men i Ephes 4.22 24. The old man which we carry with us from our mothers womb when we are first borne and the new man which is given to us when wee are borne againe That man is Satans worke and the bitter fruit of the rebellion of the first Adam This man is the worke of Gods Spirit and the sweet fruit of the obedience of the second Adam That man is corrupt by deceitfull lusts and therefore is ever busied in drawing us away from goodnesse and entising us to evill This man is created after God in righteousnesse and true holinesse and is ever thrusting us forward from evill to good That man is strong and mightie This man is feeble and withstandeth with great difficultie That man though very powerfull hard to be overcome waxeth old and decayeth from day to day untill he be altogether destroyed This man increaseth every day in might and vigour and like the people of Israel when they were upon their journey ascending to appeare before God in Sion goeth k Psal 84.7 from strength to strength till he come l Ephes 4.13 unto a perfect man unto the measure of the stature of the fulnesse of Christ. So that man is at the last subdued overthrowne and killed by this man as the monstrous Gyant Goliah was by little David That man where he reigneth bringeth forth for fruit m Rom. 6.21 22. shame and his end is death This man hath his fruit in holinesse and his end is everlasting life From hence it is that God when he is to speake and make us know what account he maketh of his servants considereth them not according unto those relickes of the old man whose strength is weakened and whose life decayeth and dyeth every day to call them Sinners and wicked ones but for his n Phil. 1.6 owne good workes sake which he hath begun in them and will performe untill the day of Iesus Christ calleth them Saints Righteous Perfect For the Divels worke in us is not so considerable to defame us publikely with the disgracefull name of Sinners and wicked men as Gods worke is to grace us with the honourable title of Saints and Righteous men namely seeing the Lord maintaineth setteth forward performeth his own good work at length destroyeth Satans work in us as I have said What wonder then if he qualifieth us with titles of honour according as we are already shall be hereafter for ever and ever through his power and grace and not according as Satan hath made us and as wee shall not be alwayes for evermore For this cause it is written that o Numb 23.21 He hath not beheld iniquity in Iacob neyther hath he seene perversenesse in Israel Not that there is none but because p Mich. 7.18 he pardoneth iniquity and passeth by the transgression of the remnant if his heritage covering it with the precious robe of the righteousnesse of his deare Son q Col. 1.22 in whom he hath made us holy unblameable unreproveable and r Coloss 2.10 complete in his own fight And therefore righteous and perfect in Christ of unrighteous and uncomplete in our selves VII The man whom God calleth righteous in this sense is pourtrayed by the holy Spirit as well negatively as affirmatively David saith of him negatively that Å¿ Psal 1.1 he walketh not in the counsaile of the ungodly nor standeth in the way of sinners nor sitteth in the seate of the scornefull and t Psal 119 3. doth no iniquitie S. Iohn saith that v 1. Ioh. 3.6 9. bee sinneth not or as he explaineth himselfe doth not commit sinne that is to say he sinneth not with pleasure and content Whereof the holy Apostle rendreth two reasons for the first he saith that he that committeth sinne is of the Divell he is Satans bond slave for the Divell sinneth from the beginning he hath ever beene is and shall be busied in ill doing Therefore whosoever sinneth as he doth is his and not Gods But the righteous man is delivered out of his clawes through our Lord Iesus Christ the Sonne of God x Vers 8. who for this purpose was manifested that he might destroy the workes of the Divell His second reason is this y Vers 9. Whosoever is borne of God doth not commit sinne for his seed the seed of his predestination and of his Spirit remaineth in him and he cannot sinne because he is borne of God a Bern. de natuâ—â digai tat amoâ— c. 6. Piccatum patitur potius quà m facit quiex Deo natur est Bernard saith That he rather suffereth sinne than committeth it According to that saying of the Apostle b Rom. 7.20 If I doe that I
levelled to the ground turned into ashes and now there is nothing to be seene where they stood but dens of Foynes and Foxes but heapes of unprofitable stones but thickets of thistles nettles and bryers I have seene many great honest families broght by the barbarous rude souldier to cleanenes of teeth constrained to begge when these Horse-leeches were feeding upon their spoyles To how manie have yee even ye your selves inlarged your mercifull and charitable bowels who were accustomed to be bountifull unto others and who come to you to be the glorious object of the forwardnesse and overflowing grace of your cheerfull and liberall charity after that they were compelled like r Mark 14 51 52. the young man in the Gospel to leave in the hands of the robbers the sheet which others lesse cruell had left them to cover their nakednesse and to flie from them naked thinking themselves happie to be like unto ſ Ier. 39.18 Ebed-melech and t Ier. 45.5 Baruch after thē destruction of Ierusalem by the Babylonians and to have their life for a prey 14 But that also is not granted to all for the blood-thirstie crueltie of the wicked cannot be quenched but with the blood of the righteous The Lord Iesus the author and finisher of our Faith the Shepheard and Bishop of our soules after that v Heb. 12.2 he had endured the contradiction of sinners against himselfe was at the last set to sale by one of his owne Disciples betrayed with a kisse delivered unto the insolencie of the souldiers tyed hard with cordes beaten spitefully crowned with thornes scourged most cruelly brought forth to the Iews disfigured with streames of blood flowing from the most parts of his wounded bodie an ugly spectacle to make Rocks to cleave Tygres to weepe and the Divels themselves to quake and start backe with sorrow But all that cannot satisfie these more than stony-hearted and hellish Cannibals forthwith they cry x Ioh. 19.15 Away with him away with him crucifie him His death they thirst after neither can anie thing slake their thirst but the blood of his death His Disciples fared not better than hee y Act. 7.59 Steven the first Martyr was stoned for his sake What welcome his Apostles got of those to whom they preached the good tydings of peace yee may judge by the relation which the Apostle makes of the Feasts wherewith hee was intertained at his first comming to them a 2. Cor. 11.24 25 26 27. Of the Iewes saith he five times received I forty stripes save one thrice was I beaten with roddes once was I stoned thrice I suffered shipwracke a night and a day I have beene in the deepe In iournying often in perills of waters in perills of robbers in perills by mine owne countrey men in perills by the heathen in perills in the city in perills in the wildernesse in perills in the sea in perills among false brethren In wearinesse and painfulnesse in watchings often in hunger and thirst in fastings often in cold and nakednesse Behold I pray you in this one Apostle a three-fold universalitie of the evils which he suffered of the places where he suffered of the persons of whom he suffered he suffered hunger thirst nakednes cold imprisonment scourges and whips stoning shipwrack No place was a place of refuge to him against so many evils he suffred by sea by land in the citie in the wildernesse Lo wheresoever he came to preach there he found a crosse to take up and to be laid upon his shoulders All kind of persons had a quarrell to him the Gentiles and the Iewes of his owne nation known enemies and false brethren They conspired all they concurred all to bereave him of his life and prevailed for after that hee had passed thorow the burning Fornace of all other evils he was beheaded at Rome by the commandment of the Emperour Nero. When one Apostle one member of Christs Church was so hardly used thinke ye that the rest who sailed with him in the same ship did sleepe upon a calme and quiet sea without wagging and danger of shipwrack b Act. 12.2 Herod killed Iames the brother of Iohn with the sword c Rev. 10. Iohn was relegated into the Isle of Patmos for the word of God and for the testimony of Iesus Christ d Act. 5.40 41. after that he and the rest of the Apostles had been beaten had suffered shame for Christs Name at Ierusalem e Ioh. 21.18 19. The Lord foretold Peter that he should glorifie him by a violent death but where we know not for the probabilities be many that he was never at Rome The Ecclesiastical Stories tell us that f Dorotkgus in Synopsi Cyprian de duplici Martyrio Sabellicus Aeneid 7. lib. 2. c. Andrew his brother was crucified at Patros Bartholomew was flayed quick in a town of Armenia called Albana Philip was tyed to a poste and stoned to death at Hierapolis Thomas was put to death by the Indians to whom he preached the Gospel Matthew was nailed quicke to the ground at Myrmena Iames the sonne of Alpheus was cast headlong from the pinacle of the temple of Ierusalem and felled with stones and clubs Iude Lebbeus called also Thaddeus laid downe his life for the Gospel at Beryta after that hee had preached Christ to the Edesseniens and all Mesopotamia Simon the Cannite suffered martyrdome in Mauritania Matthias was executed amongst the Aethiopians Mark the Evangelist was trailed thorow the streetes of Alexandria in Egypt with a halter about his neck and afterwards burnt quicke Luke was hanged upon an Olive tree All the Apostles all the Evangelists sealed the doctrine of the Gospel with their innocent blood 15 The cruell tyrant Nero sowed the Christians in Wolves in Beares and other wilde beasts skins and uncoupling his Hounds and Mastiffes after them made the tearing and dismembring of innocent and godly men a game for the people to behold Others he tooke and heaping them one upon another as so manie Fagots set them on fire that they might serve for fire to warme and for light to shine by night to those which walked thorow the streets of Rome g Ters Apologet cap. 5. Sed tali dedicatore damnationis nostrae etiam gloriamur c. Wee glory saith Tertullian in this setter forth of our condemnation for whosoever knoweth him may iudge that nothing could be condemned by Nero but that which is a very good thing I should be too prolixe and tedious if I should name particularly all the circumstances of ten heavie persecutions which lasted 318. yeares from the eighth yeare of that lumpe of clay soked in blood called Nero unto Constantine the Great under Nero Domitian Traian Antoninus Verus Severus Maximinus Decius Valerian Aurelian Dioclesian in whose time so much blood was shed in one day that the executioners were wearie and faint with killing as h Euseb hist Eccles lib. 8. cap.
Tim. 4 14. Alexander the Copper-smith did him much evill At Rome he was presented before the bloudy Tyrant Nero whom hee calleth a ver 16.17 a Lion Then no man stood with him but all men forsook him Then his friends abandoned him and the Tyrant put him to death What the rest of the Apostles suffered by false brethren and open enemies ye may reade in the Acts and in their lives IX What the Church was to suffer after them by b Rev. 11.7 the Beast fighting against the Saints and killing them by the Whore of Babylon c Rev. 17.4 6. drunken with the bloud of the Saints and of the Martyrs of Iesus by d Rev. 20.8 Gog and Magog compassing about the beloved city S. Ioh. hath foretold in the Revelation What our Fathers what we have suffered not of the Turkes Persians Tartarians Americans and other sworne enemies of Christian Religion but of those bloody butchers which call themselves Catholicks the heavens have seen the earth which hath drunk up our blood can speak the murtherers which have shed it can bear record our owne experience can best of all testifie What policy what craft hath beene practised to undermine and wholly undoe us by our owne brethren of our owne kinred familie religion hardly would ye beleeve if I should tell it Christs prediction hath been accomplished e Luke 21.16 Yee shall bee betrayed both by parents and brethren and kinsfolks and friends and some of you shall they cause to be put to death and yee shall bee hated of all men for my Names sake Our brethren have sold us for money as flesh is sold at the shambles and we have been lesse regarded than slaves by those which bought us whose humanity like Dracon's Lawes is printed in all Christendome with our Fathers and our blood and whose affection and loyaltie towards us is written upon the running waters What wonder then if among so many professed enemies and cunning traitors Many are the Evills of the righteous X. The Righteous considering how hee is thus besieged on all sides and hurried in all fashions by foes and friends is often overtaken with diverse thoughts and surmises more dangerous than all the externall Evils which may befall unto him Worldlings judge of God's favour to men by their prosperity and of his hatred towards them by their adversity When Abimelech King of Gerar saw Abraham thrive hee said unto him f Gen. 21.22 God is with thee in all that thou doest What he said was true but the ground whereupon hee built it was sand for g Luke 16.19 20. the rich Glutton in the Gospell thrived and Lazarus who was laid at his gate full of sores thrived not yet that gluttoÌ„ is in hell because God was not with him and Lazarus is in Abrahams bosome because God was with him The Scribes and Pharisees evill Doctors of the good Law concluded h Mat. 27.41 42. That God was not with Christ because hee delivered him not from the crosse The righteous man himselfe when his affliction is long and heavie taketh like conclusions against himselfe When the Angell of the Lord said to Gideon i Iudg. 6.12 13. The Lord is with thee thou mighty man of valour Gideon answered Oh my Lord if the Lord be with us why then is all this befallen us The Lord hath forsaken us and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites Ye read Iobs complaints k Iob 6.4 The arrows of the Almighty are within me the poyson wherof drinketh up my spirit the terrors of God do set themselves in array against me He teareth me in his wrath l Iob 16.9 he hateth me he gnasheth upon me with his teeth m Iob 19.11 and he counteth mee unto him as one of his enemies Ye heare David crying out pittifully n Psal 22. My God my God why hast thou forsaken me why art thou so farre from helping me and from the words of my roaring Ieremiah bemoaned the state of the Church after the same manner o Lam. â— 20 Wherefore doest thou forget us for ever and forsake us so long time And now in the Palatinate and now in France doe not all the faithfull mourne and cry doe we not cry with them and for them O Lord how long The wicked when God crosses them in their desires and projects are accustomed to say p Mal. 3.14 14. It is in vaine to serve God and what profit is it that we have kept his ordinance and that we have walked mournfully before the Lord of bosts And now we call the proud happy yea they that worke wickednesse are set up yea they that tempt God â—e even delivered The righteous Asaph held the â—â—me speech in his great affliction and said q Psal 73.13 Verily 〈◊〉 have cleansed my heart in vaine and washed my hands 〈◊〉 innocencie Moreover these internall â—â—lls take such hold of the righteous man that he will bring Gods word which he hath beleeved in question doubt whether it be true if the Religion which he professeth be of God if the cause which he sustaineth and for which he doth undergoe so many evills be good for if it be good if it be of God why doth he not uphold it David being brought to his wits end and even to the pits brinke by Saul deemed that Gods Prophets had deceived him and said r Psal 116.11 All men are lyars What greater evill I pray you can befall a Christian man than to bring in controversie Gods providence and the perpetuall care which he hath of his Church than to thinke that godlinesse which he hath sucked with his mothers milke is but a fable a dreame an invention of man than to imagine that hitherto he hath imbraced a shadow for the body hath sought the truth in a lye hath esteemed vanity and winde to be Gods word than to frame such conceits against the honour of God and his owne salvation If such doubts come not in his mind if he beleeve that the religion which he professeth is from above that Å¿ Psal 34.15 the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous and his eares are open unto their cry that light peace ioy salvation is sowen for the upright man it seemes unto him that he is none of that number and gathering out of the store and greatnesse of his evills most dangerous presumptions he pronounceth against himselfe That he hath beene an Hypocrite a vile reprobate and cast-away I know that such perplexities are but short symptomes to the righteous man whereof he recovereth by the powerfull assistance of Gods Spirit when as they are deadly convulsions to the wicked and wofull prefaces to a dolefull Tragedie which they shall everlastingly act and nevâ—r end yet howsoever they be short they are sensible and lye so heavie vpon the wearied soule of the righteous mâ—n that in comparison his outward evills seeme unto him â—â—ter than a feather wherewith
SERMON IV. Of the causes of the righteous mans Evills PSALM XXXIV XIX Many are the Evills of the Righteous 1. A All the Evills of the Righteous man and of the Church are foretold in the Scriptures 2. The cause of the righteous mans evills is the Antipathie which is betweene him and the wicked 3. As soone as a man begins to serve God he is persecuted 4. Satan is most incensed against those which have some speciall charge in the State or in the Church 5. Christ forewarneth us of persecutions that we may waite for them knowing that they are the way to heaven 6. It is strange that God not onely suffereth the righteous man to have so many evills but also will bee called the author of them all 7. God doth it for the righteous mans sake for other mens sakes for his owne sake 8. He correcteth the righteous man of his former sinnes 9. Hee withdraweth him from sinne in time to come 10. And therewith tryeth him 11. Often without any regard to sinne his onely end is to try him 12. As it is prooved by the examples of Iob 13. Of the spouse in the Canticles 14. And of Saint Paul 15. Great tryall of the Churches of the Palatinat and of France 16. Moreover afflictions are the exercise of the righteous mans Faith Meeknesse Charitie Patience Prayers Hope 17. And wonderfull constancie 18. Difference betweens the Righteous man and the Hypocrite 19. Prayer I. THE manifold Evills which are incident to Gods dear ones howsoever they be so extream that they are sometimes driven by them upō the brim of the sleep downfal of despairing yet this consideration me thinks is forcible and most able to blunt the sharpest edge of most vehement sorrows to sweeten their gall to asswage their violence and make their seeming intolerable heavinesse easie to be borne that they come not at unawares and unlooked for but if we have eares to heare and eyes to see may be both foreknowne and foreseene Surely our Lord Iesus Christ was no sooner presented to the Lord in the Temple but Simeon prophecyed of him that a Luk. 2.34 he was set for the fall and rising againe of many in Israel and for a signe which shall be spoken against And Christ himselfe foretold his Disciples that b Mat. 10.16 17 18. he sent them forth as sheepe in the midst of Wolves that they should bee delivered up to the Councells scourged in the Synagogues brought before Governors and Kings for his sake yea c Ioh 16.2 that whosoever killed them should thinke that he did God service Neither speaketh he of his Apostles onely which were then present to heare his words but in the parable of the marriage of the Kings sonne he forewarneth all his servants which he is to send forth to call men to the wedding that d Mat. 22.6 they shall be intreated spitefully and slaine And compareth his Church which is the Congregation of righteous men e Mat. 7.25 to an house builded upon the rocke which is storme-beaten with the floods of crosses and winds of persecutions Therefore the holy Apostles exhorted the Disciples to continue in the faith shewing them that f Act. 14.22 we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdome of God Which we All righteous men all true Christians for gall that will live godly in Iesus Christ shall suffer persecution g 2. Tim. 3.12 The Lord himselfe sheweth for what end such things are foretold us saying h Ioh. 16.4 These things have I told you that when the time shall come ye may remember that I told you of them for lest we should be overtaken with afflictions he advertiseth us that they shall come and therefore adviseth us to looke for them that fore-casting and expecting them we may be upon our guard according to the exhortation of the Apostle i Eph. 6.13 take unto us the whole armour of God that we may bee able to withstand in the evill day and having overcome all stand still like the rocke in the sea which all the foaming waves of the Ocean all the thundering tempests of the ayre all the spite and might of all the elements cannot shake When povertie orbitie shamefull and smarting diseases when all kind of mischiefes rushed upon Iob with such sudddainesse that he had no leasure to heare and consider the particulars of any one of them how could he have worshipped God how could hee have faid k Iob 1.21 The Lord gave the Lord hath taken away blessed bee the name of the Lord if when he was at ease he had not exercised himselfe with the conceit of all evills which are incident to man if hee had not harped often upon this meditation God may deprive thee of all thy children bring thee to leannesse of teeth pull away thy soule from thy body he hath done so to many other why not to thee Nothing in my opinion made Paul more forward to suffer afflictions more bold to resist them more strong to overcome them than the forewarnings l Act. 20.23 which the Holy Ghost gave him that in every citie bonds and afflictions waited for him All they waited for him hee waited for them and when they they thought to steale upon him they found him ready to buckle with them and lend them his necke Brethren Iesus Christ hath not deceived us he hath not made to his Disciples stately and loftie promises of riches of honours of worldly preferments as Cyrus the younger did to his followers ye heare him speaking aloud m Luk. 14.16 27. If any man come to me and hate not his father and mother and wife and children and brethren and sisters yea and his owne life also he cannot be my Disciple and whosoever doth not beare his crosse and come after me cannot be my Disciple What the Lord hath foretold experience hath made good n Rev. 6. At the opening of every seale of the sealed booke which is the Gospell of our Lord Iesus Christ Iohn saw some new plague follow thereupon and we see nothing round about us in forraine countreys where that booke is unsealed but wars but dearth but death but all kind of miseries Consider then I pray you weigh wel upon what conditions ye have mustered among the cōpanies of Christs souldiers where your pay is losse of all your goods your gaine is death your victory is not of things seene your triumph is disgrace infamie and shame For if o Luk. 14.33 ye forsake not all that ye have goods life honours dignities ye cannot be Christs Disciples II. Looke what antipathie what contrarietie of humours is in nature betwixt plants and plants as betwixt the Vine and the Colewort betwixt the Colewort and the Hearbe grace betwixt the plants and beasts as betwixt the Serpent and the Ash-tree the serpent and the Rue betwixt beasts and beasts as betwixt the Catte and the Mouse betwixt the Wolfe and the sheepe
be proper unto him because he not onely bare witnesse to the truth but also sealed it with his most precious blood So all true Christians are Christs Martyrs because their whole life is nothing else but a martyrdome that is to say a testimony which they render to the Gospel Martyrium vitae that it is of God and to Iesus Christ that hee is the Sonne of God Testimony which they bare with such fervencie and zeale that they would chuse rather to be scorched racked torne in peeces and die the most cruell death that mans wit can invent than to leave off to glorifie their God and Saviour by publike confession and holinesse of life Such men are Martyrs in affection before God who judgeth of men not according to the event of things but according to their will and intention If any man live in the Church meaning to deny Christ rather than to suffer losse of goods or any bodily paine for his sake he is an Apostate in Gods eyes though he never bee put to that triall and die peaceably in his bed confessing Christ with his mouth So he that is resolved to make lesse account of his life than of the Gospel is a true Martyr before God n 1. Sam. 15.7 who looketh on the heart though God spare him and preserve his life from the hands of the wicked If Paul said truely of Priscilla and Aquila that o Rom. 16.4 for his life they had laid downe their owne neckes because they feared not to undergo all dangers for his releasing shall God p 1. Reg. 8.39 who onely knoweth the hearts of all the children of men neglect the zeale and affection which his faithfull servants have to his service Martyrium sanguinis Notwithstanding the Church which diveth not into mens hearts giveth not this glorious name of Martyrs but to those which are Martyrs in action which I say cannot by most exquisite torments and painfull deaths be driven back from their profession which they sealed most constantly with their innocent blood which though Christ did yet we give not the name of Martyrdome to his death because it had a more speciall end and is the ransom of mankind The Church hath ever called Steven the first Martyr as being the first which suffered death for Christs cause * Act. 12.2 Iames the brother of Iohn was the second VII In them yee finde the three qualities which are necessarily required in them whom Christ honoreth with this glorious title 1. They were full of faith and of the holy Ghost I say that they were godly men for a good conscience a godly and an upright life is so needfull in this case that the Apostle saith q 1. Cor. 13.3 Though hee give his body to be burned and have not charitie it profiteth him nothing This is called by some the Martyrdome of life and is more difficult than the Martyrdome of blood for it is not so easie to a man to kill sinne in himselfe to burne his covetousnesse his pride his ambition his lusts and unlawfull desires in the fire of the Spirit as to suffer the executioner to cast his body in a fire of wood Which I pray you all to lay to your hearts that in this time of outward peace with men yee may bee Martyrs inward with God Martyrs not in the flesh but in the Spirit having your praise not of men but of God 2. They suffered for the best cause that ever any innocent man suffered for Suffered they not for the Sonne of God who is r Psal 45. fairer than all the children of men Suffered they not for the Gospel which is Å¿ Rom. 2.16 the power of God unto salvation to every one that beleeveth and therefore more excellent than the Law for which the Iewes suffered Let no man say that the theefe upon the crosse was a Martyr because he repented and confessed Christ for repentance changeth not the nature of crosses neyther can it be said truely that all those which repent at the houre of their death are Martyrs The thiefe confessed he not that t Luk. 23.41 he suffered iustly and received the due reward of his deeds And have we not this commandement of the holy Ghost v 1. Pet 4.15 16. Let none of you suffer as a murtherer or as a thiefe or as an evill doer or as a busie-body in other mens matters yet if any man suffer as a Christian let him not be ashamed but let him glorifie God on this behalfe x Aug. Epi. 61. 166. It is the cause which maketh the Martyr not the punishment y Euseb lib. 5 cap. 16. Aug. de correctione Donatistarum cap. 7. Let not the Montanists the Pepusians the Marcionites the Donatists the Circumcellions and other heretiques bragge of their Martyrs there was never any heresie so blockish so ridiculous so impious but there was found some obstinate fellow who offered to dye willingly for it Men in our dayes have gone to the fire with a merry countenance for maintaining of Atheisme For the divell hath also his Martyrs whom an ancient Doctor calleth most properly z Martyres Sataricae virtutis Martyrs of a diabolicall courage and therefore a Aug. in Psal 68. all the praise of Martyrdom is in the goodnesse of the cause not in the grievousnes of the pain Martyrs make not their cause to be good or their doctrine to be the Gospel it is the good cause it is the Gospel that makes Martyrs Our sufferings make not our cause iust but a iust cause will make our sufferings glorious 3. They had the choice of death and life if they would have recanted and ioyned themselves to the Iewes against Christ they had not beene killed If a Christ an be put to death for Christs sake without offer of life upon condition of abjuring the Church calleth him not a Martyr for who knoweth what hee would have done if the option of life had beene given unto him b Mat. 2.16 The innocent babes which Herod slew for Christs sake were not Martyrs because they had no such election neither could they in that age have accepted it if it had beene offered Our fathers also which were massacred tumultuously without any accusation examination exhortation promise of life for the same cause were not Martyrs These these onely which seeing on the right hand the Priest the Altar the Incense to offer the breaden God to worship and on the left the hang-man stirring the fire unsheathing and shaking threatningly the fatall sword erecting the gibbet or the scaffold trussing his arme to hit right a deadly blow spet at the Idols flye from the Altars run to the fire to the sword to the gallows to the water cry as Montalchino did at Milan Let Christ let Christ live and Montalchino dye these I say these are the men whom the Church hath honoured with the excellent title of Martyrs who dye in Christ with Christ
for Christ in Christ holily with Christ wisely for Christ gloriously O how glorious before God is the death of Martyrs c Psal 116 15. Precious in the sight of God is the death of his Saints but namely of his Martyrs which dye in him with him for him Weenest thou that it is but a slender glory that Christ hath chosen thee one among a thousand to be his Martyr that he will have thee to suffer not onely with him as doe all those which suffer for righteousnesse sake but also for him that as he d Ioh. 21.19 forewarned Peter by what death he should glorifie him so hee taketh thee by the hand and saith to thee Come I have picked thee out from many millions to beare witnes to the truth of my word before the great men of the earth to seale the faith thou hast in me with thy blood to honour me with thy death When c Gen. 32.6 7 8. Iacob was advertised that his brother Esau was comming to meete him and foure hundred men with him hee was greatly afraid and divided the people that were with him and the Flockes and the Heards and the Camels into two bands them he set foremost in the front of the battell f Gen. 33.2 3. the second place he gave to the hand-maides and their children the third to Lea and her children but he put Rachel and Ioseph hindermost because hee loved them best he adventureth all that he hath to save these two God doth farre otherwayes with his people he setteth foremost a little number of chosen men to whom hee hath distributed his graces in a greater scantling than to the rest them he setteth in the front to be his Martyrs and to fight against the powers of the world sparing the multitude to bee the seed-plot and nurserie of his Church IIX Who can conceive sufficiently the greatnesse of this honour g Luk. 6.23 When yeare hated excommunicated reproached put to death for the Sonne of mans sake Christ biddeth you reioyce and leape for ioy because the Prophets were used in like manner h Heb. 11.32 c. The Apostle in his epistle to the Hebrewes maketh a catalogue of many Worthies which under the Law suffered for the word of God of whom the world was not worthie that we may esteeme our selves most happy when God conformeth us to them i Iam. 5.10 11. S. Iames willeth us to take them for an example of suffering affliction of patience that as we count them happy so we may make it a part of our happinesse to bee like unto them k 1. Pet. 5.9 S. Peter will have us to know that the same afflictions are accomplished in our brethren that are in the world And S. Paul will have us to remember that by tribulations for the Gospell l 1. Thess 2.14 wee become followers of the Churches of God which is no small honour It is said in the Song of Salomon that m Cant. 4.13 the plants of the Church are an Orchard of Pomegranates A Pomegranate hath within it sundry partitions and as it were little mansions with many graines in each of them of a sweete taste and red colour orderly set one by another and all together infolded and shut up under one outward skinne which hath at the top a little round circle like a crowne A most excellent Embleme of the faithfull who are as so many graines set orderly together by the unity of one faith and by the bond of perfectnesse which is charitie having a sweet taste in the holinesse of their life and a red colour in the conformitie of bloudy persecution in the severall Churches where God hath planted them under the Catholike Church whereof the head is our Lord Iesus Christ who as he was first crowned with thornes upon earth so is he now crowned with glory in heaven IX To him must we looke principally as the grains of the Pomegranate looke upward to the head of the skinne wherein they are wrapped and according to Peters exhortation n 1. Pet. 4.12 13. reioyce when we are in the furnace for our tryall in at much as wee are partakers of Christs sufferings for o Rom. 8.28 whom God did foreknow he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Sonne first in crosses for him next in crownes through him p Rom. 8.17 2. Tim. 2.11 the one and the other with him In this Realme men of good birth hold it no little honor to beare the liverie of the Kings Favourite and how much more the Kings owne liverie Shall wee not then account it a most speciall honour and glory to beare Christs liverie in whom God is well pleased and who is the King of kings to be for him made like unto him to be a curse among men for him who was a curse before God for us to dye that we may glorifie him who is dead to save us Should not the members bee ashamed to take their sports and delights under a head crowned with thornes I confesse that there is a great difference betwixt Christs sufferings and ours First hee is God and man we are but men Secondly hee was in his manhood without sinne there was never man so holy but he was a sinner Thirdly q Gal. 3.1 3. he in his torments was made a curse and drunke the full cup of Gods wrath which was so bitter to his soule that he cryed r Mat. 26.46 My God my God why hast thou forsaken me All the Saints and Martyrs have alwaies in all their heaviest crosses beene comforted and supported of God Fourthly he suffered for the expiation of sinne and his death is the life of the world All the Martyrs ſ Rev. 7.14 15. have washed their robes and made them white in his blood therefore are they before the throne of God They have all suffered to beare witnesse that he suffered for the sinnes of the world none of them have suffered for the sins of the world t Leo. 1. epist 83 ad Palestinos Episcopos For though the death of many Saints hath beene precious in Gods eyes yet hath not the killing of any Saint beene the propitiation of the world The righteous have received but they have not given crownes and the fortitude of the faithfull hath brought forth examples of patience not gifts of righteousnesse The death of each one of them was severall neither did any by his owne end pay the debt of another considering that among thē sonnes of men Iesus Christ our Lord alone is he in whom all are crutified all are dead all buried all raised up of whom he said v Ioh. 12.32 If I be lifted up from the earth I will draw all men unto me Yet in this is the conformitie of our sufferings with Christs sufferings that as when Christ suffered for our sake and in our roome we suffered in him so when we suffer for Christs sake he
suffereth in us as when the head suffereth all the members suffer and when the members suffer the head suffereth Is not Christ the head are we not the members of his body This was the cause why the Apostles after they were beaten x Act. 5.41 reioyced that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for Christs name for this same cause the Apostle reioyced that he was y Eph. 4.1 the prisoner of the Lord that a Gal 6.17 he bare in his body the markes of the Lord Iesus that b Col. 1.24 hee filled up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ for though all Christs sufferings bee accomplished and c Ioh 19.30 finished in capite in the head for the redemption of the Church yet they are not all fulfilled in corpore in the body for the edification of the Church but as long as there shall be in the world one faithfull to suffer Christ shall have some evill to suffer because Christ and the faithfull are one S. Paul was scholed with this Iesson before his entry into the Church when the Lord Iesus cryed unto him d Act. 9.4 Saul Saul why persecutest thou me even as when ye tread a man upon the foot the head will cry Why treadest thou on me What wonder then if e Phil. 3.8 10. he counted all things but doung that he might know Christ and the fellowship of his sufferings that he might be made conformable unto his death and if hee rendred testimonie to all the Christians of his time that f Rom. 5.3 they gloried in tribulations O bonds more honourable than the Diadems of Kings O tribulations more glorious than the glory of Salomon Is there any golden chaine so glistering as the irons wherwith the Confessors are shackled for Christ Is there any glory to be matched with the glory of the blessed Martyrs suffering with Christ and in their sufferings made conformable to his image The Pagans say that it is sweete and honourable to dye for our countrey The souldiers glory in the wounds which they have received for the defence of their chimneyes And those which are led to the gallows for the service of their King feele glory in their shame and professe that they diâ—content seeing they die for their Soveraignes sake What is our native soyle compared with the Church what is the most glorious King of the earth paragoned with Christ Lesse than nothing We glory in our death for men which when we are dead cannot reward us and shall we bee ashamed to dye for Christ who when we are dead giveth us life and satiateth with immortall honours those which honor him for g Rom. 8.17 if we suffer with him we shall also be glorified with him For this cause h Tert. Apologet cap. 1.46 ult Iust Apol 1. the first Christians when they were condemned thanked their Iudges but principally they thanked God saying i Aug. ser de Cypriano Deo gratias Thankes be to God so did our fathers and so must we doe So then ye have heard the causes why God will have his children to suffer for their owne sakes He will eyther chastise them for the sinnes which they have committed or restraine them from the sinnes which they might perpetrate or try them to make knowne how they can carry themselves in affliction or put in practice the manifold graces wherewith hee hath endued them or honour them with the glory of his Confessors and Martyrs X. When they are thus afflicted God hath also regard to other men First their afflictions are meanes whereby the Elect are converted to God Christ when he was persecuted in one Towne fled into another and preached there He k Mat. 10.23 commanded his Disciples to doe the like By occasion of the persecution in Ierusalem l Act. 8.1 4 Act. 11.19 20. the brethren were scattered abroad throughout the Regions of Iudea of Samaria of Phenice of Cyprus of Antioch where they preached the Lord Iesus and the hand of the Lord was with them and a great number beleeved and turned unto the Lord. Why were n Act. 16.19 31. Paul and Silas cast into prison at Philippi The event shewed that God did it for the conversion of the Iaylor who was one of his Elect. And therefore Paul said o 2 Tim. 2 10. that hee endured all things for the Elects sake that they might also obtaine the salvation which is in Christ Iesus with eternall glory And writing to the Philippians from the prison at Rome where hee received the glorious crowne of Martyrdome he saith p Phil. 1.13 that the things which happened unto him had fallen out to the furtherance of the Gospel so that his bonds in Christ were manifest to all Cesars Court and in all other places For howsoever he was q 2. Tim. 2.14 bound the word of God was not bound The prison was his Church there he preached and there he converted many Thus the Albigenses of France being dispersed by a most furious and violent persecution went preaching the Gospel in Germanie in Bohemia in England All the flourishing Churches in Europe at this day are the harvest which they sowed but especially r Tert. Apologet ca. ult Idem ad Scapul cap. ult Clemens Alex Strom. 4. the seede of the Church is the bloud of Christians for those which behold their constancy wonder wondering they inquire the cause thereof inquiring they learne it learning it they are converted Å¿ Iustin Apolog 1. Euseb lib. 4. cap. 8. Iust Mart. beholding the unexpugnable constancie of Christians in the atrocitie and extremitie of their torments said to himselfe that such men which made no account of death could not bee men given to pleasures and wickednesse because voluptuous men being timorous and faint-hearted cannot suffer any thing which is grievous to be felt and above all things fear death therupon he was converted became of an Idolater a ChristiaÌ„ of a Philosopher a Martyr I might relate unto you a most true storie of a Noble man converted by the wonderfull constancy of those of whom I spake in my last Sermon and protesting at the houre of his death that hee dyed in their faith But by this which I have said ye see that the temporall death of Gods Saints is eternall life and salvation to many of Gods Elect. Likewise their constancie and wonderfull boldnesse to maintaine the Gospell against all the wisedome and power of the world their holy stoutnesse to die for it is no small comfort to the Church and a great confirmation to the weake brethren which use the Apostle found in his bonds as he saith That t Phil 1.14 by them many of the brethren in the Lord waxing confident were much more bold to speake the word without feare For this cause Saint Iohn saith that v 1. Ioh. 3.16 as Christ laid downe his life for us so wee ought to lay downe our lives for
promise it is both wonderfull and profitable to consider for when hee will shew his strength that which he doth seemeth contrarie to that which he intendeth to doe When he came to lighten and gladden Abrahams soule by the confirmation of his promises he sent m Gen. 15.12 an horror of great darkenesse upon him n Gen. 32.25 When hee came to blesse Iacob hee wrestled with him and put his thigh out of joynt o 2. Kin. 2.21 Elisha sweetned the unholsome waters with salt p Ioh 9.6 Iesus Christ putting clay on the eyes of a blinde man restored him to his sight q Marc. 7.33 he put his fingers into the eares of a man that was deafe and they were opened Even so he debased and abated Ioseph to the lowest pit of the prison that his power might be marvelled at in advancing of him to the highest dignitie of Pharaos Court. Hee winked at Pharao and his armie when they persecuted and pursued his people into the midst of the red sea that when with the blast of his nostrils the sea came and covered them and they sunke as lead in the mightie waters his people might sing unto him r Exod 15.11 Who is like unto thee O LORD amongst the gods who is like thee glorious in holinesse fearefull in praises doing wonders and his enemies might say of him that Å¿ Iosh 2.11 hee is God of Heaven above and in earth beneath Hee permitted Senacherib King of Assyria to take all the defensed cities of Iuda and to bring Hezakiah to such extremitie that hee had not two thousand men to withstand him then hee sent his Angel from Heaven to deliver him then t Esa 37.20 all the kingdomes of the earth knew that he is the Lord even hee only Consider Nebucadnezzar in his rage fury comanding to heat the burning fierie furnace seven times more than it was wont to be heat and to cast the three Confessors into it saying to them v Dan. 3.15 Who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands His mind was to destroy the bodies of these Saints But O miracle of the almightie power and vertue of God! the fire was a rampier and wall to guard them the flame was a garment to clothe them the furnace was a fountaine to refresh them Mortall bodies were cast into the fire they were not hurt thereby as if they had bin immortall the flames received them tyed and untying them were tied themselves They spared the hands and the feet whereof they burned the bands They slew the men that cast these Salamanders into the furnace for the furnace was exceeding hot to teach you that the strength of the fire was neither extinguished nor abated yet they touched not the bodies of the Saints not changing their nature but bearing respect to their godlinesse yea and such respect that there was not an haire of their head singed neither were their coats changed neither had the smell of fire passed on them which goeth beyond all admiration The fire dared not touch but their bands The Tyrant fettered them the fire unfettered them that ye may see the crueltie of the Tyrant and the obedience of the element The Princes and Governours of the kingdome were come thither to see the great solemnitie of the dedication of the golden image but they saw that which they could never have thought of They came to worship the idoll they went home admiring and worshiping the power of God The king himselfe who ere-while had cast in the fire these three Confessors because they would not serve his gods nor worship the golden image which he had set up was constrained to worship their God and to confesse that x Vers â—9 there is none other God that can deliver after this sort So Satan was confounded in his malice seeing his power abated by his owne craft whereby he laboured to overthrow the servants of the living God and Gods Power Wisdome Goodnesse Providence was glorified in their deliverie God y 1. Kin. 17 4. spake to the ravenous Ravens and they fed Elijah He a Ion. 2.10 spake to the Whale and it vomited out Ionas upon the dry land When his people was scattered hither thither among the Chaldeans Assyrians Medes Persians and other Nations b Esa 43.6 bee said to the North Give up and to the South Keep not backe bring my sons from farre and my daughters from the ends of the earth So was fulfilled that which is written in the Psalmes c Ps 76.11 Surely the wrath of man shall praise thee XV. Such examples of the glorious power of God in the afflictions of righteous men are most frequent in the New Testament As in the creation he commanded light to shine out of darkenesse So in the redemption of mankind he made our Saviour a curse for us that hee might blesse us and put to death the Prince of life that through his death he might give life to those which were dead His enemies sealed and guarded the Sepulchre where hee was buried and said d Psal 3.2 There is no help for him in God But e Rom. 1.4 hee was declared to be the Sonne of God with power according to the Spirit of holinesse by the resurrection from the dead and was more glorious in his death than he was in his life So his Church is never so wonderfull as in the persecution Then f Exod. 3.2 3 4. ye see the great sight which made Moses amazed The bush burning with fire and yet not consumed What more vile than a bush what more contemp tible in the eyes of men than the Church what more susceptible of burning than a bush what so easie to bee overthrowne as the Church as the little flocke of weak sheepe inclosed with an armie of strong and cruell wolves yet the bush was not burnt because God was in the midst of the bush So the Church cannot be destroied because Christ hath said g Matth. 28 Loe I am with you alway even unto the end of the world Consider h Act. 16.22 Paul and Silas torn with stripes thrust into the inner prison and their feete made fast in the stocks The infidels might have said that the God who suffreth his servants to be thus abused is either weake and impotent or unrighteous and malicious But see behold in this permission a most wonderfull work of his power goodnesse and mercy His Saints had their feete in the stockes their hands in the gyves Their heart was franke their tongue was free The Divell was then a prentise and had not learned to gag Their heart was inditing a good matter Their tongue was the pen of a readie writer At mid-night they were waking What did they while they waked did they howle for griefe and paine complained they of their contumelies accused they the crueltie of the blood-thirstie Governors blamed they the rigor of the pitilesse
chambers and shut thy doores about thee hide thy felfe as it were for a little moment untill the indignation be overpast Then wings are given her l Rev. 12.14 that she may flie into the wildernesse into her place from the face of the serpent and be nourished there for a time and times and halfe a time even for the time of Gods good pleasure Then having her backe turned to the world her face to God then being in her conjunction with Iesus Christ her Sun she possesseth in him a secret but a most cleer perfect light Then is fulfilled in her that which is written in the Psalmes m Psal 45.13 The kings daughter is all glorious within She remaineth not alwayes thus but after the few dayes of her vanishing out of the sight of the world like a bride coming out of her chamber shee rejoyceth to begin her race againe and to quicken with her light them that dwell in the valley of the shadow of death having nothing firme nothing constant in this world but the inconstancie of her unsteadfast estate As there is a vicissitude and interchangeable course of light and darkenesse of the day the night of Summer and Winter As n Eccles 1.6 9. the thing that hath bin is that which shall be and that which is done is that which shall bee done and there is no new thing under the Sunne all things having in their inequalitie this equalitie that they goe and come like the wind which whirleth about continually from the South to the North and returneth againe according to his circutes So the Church of God so righteous men which are in the Church have their alterations changings from good to evill from evill to good and againe from good to evill from prosperity to adversity from adversity to prosperity by a perpetuall and most constant revolution till the great and long looked-for day of refreshing come and put an end to all our evills ingulfing them in the eternall joyes of heavenly goods And therefore David telleth us in our text by forme of history through his owne experience and fortelleth us by forme of prophecie that Many are the Evills of the Righteous But the Lord delivereth him out of them all II. Peruse all the ancient histories and yee shall finde that it hath ever been so The first man was scarcely come out of Gods hands and created after the likenesse of his maker when Satan tempted seduced overthrew and plunged him into an Ocean of evills and woes Then he might have wept because Many are the evills of the Righteous Look how soon he is cast down to the ground by Satans malice he is as soone lifted up by the mighty power of Gods hand and the mercifull promise of the seed of the woman Then he might have sung for joy because the Lord delivereth him out of them all The promise was a prediction of the vicissitude of evills and of goods shared to the Church o Gen. 3 15. I will saith God to the serpent put enmitie betweene thee and the woman and betweene thy seede and her seede It shall bruise thy head and thou shalt bruise his heele The seede of the woman is Iesus Christ the righteous and the Church of righteous men with him and under him The serpent shall bruise the Churches heel Many are the Evills of the Righteous The seed of the woman shall bruise his head But the Lord delivereth him out of them all p Gen. 4.8.25 Cain killing Abel his righteous brother caused a heart-breaking sorrow to his righteous parents Adam Eue Many are the Evills of the Righteous God gave them another seede in stead of Abel whom Cain slew and they called him Seth But the Lord delivereth him out of them all When the world was drowned in a deluge of waters Noah was constrained to see all his kindred and all the children of God overwhelmed by the flood and to lie prisoner in the Arke with his familie q Gen. 8.13 the space of a yeare among all kind of beasts to save his life Many are the Evills of the Righteous At the yeares end God remembred him drying up the waters brought him out of that captivitie and r Gen. 9.9 established a new covenant with him But the Lord delivereth him out of them all Å¿ Gen. 12 1 4. Heb. 11.8 9 Abraham obeying Gods calling left his country his kindred and fathers house and went out not knowing whither hee went hee sojourned in the land of promise as in a strange countrey dwelling in tabernacles which hee removed from one nation to another from one kingdome to another people His wife was twice ravished the countrey people abused him his nephew Lot rewarded his good deeds with unthankfulnes with all this his wife was barren and hee had no children Many are the Evills of the Righteous In the middest of his afflictions as it were in the fit of an ague t Gen. 24 35. God gave him flocks and heards and silver and gold and camels and asses and men-servants and maid-servants in so great a number that v Gen. 14.14 he armed of his servants borne in his owne house three hundred and eighteene for the rescuing of Lot x Psal 105 14 15. God suffered no man to doe him wrong he rebuked Kings for his sake saying Touch not mine anointed and doe my Prophets no harme Hee constrained them to render him his wife undefiled he gave him a sonne in his old age to make him laugh But the Lord delivereth him out of them all God prophecied to Abraham that y Gen. 15.13 14. his seed should be a stranger in a land that was not theirs and should serve them and be afflicted by them foure hundred yeares So it was And so was averred this saying of David Many are the evills of the Righteous Heare also the prophecie of the Catastrophe And also that nation whom they shall serve will I iudge and afterward shall they come out with great substance So was it also But the Lord delivereth him out of them all When the people had taken possession of the Land of promise flowing with milke and hony how many times were they beaten vanquished subdued oppressed by the Philistines Amorites Moabites and other neighbors Many are the evills of the Righteous They cryed to God and he heard their requests he sent them men clothed with his Spirit which delivered them he gave them as many dayes of peace as they had of warre But the Lord delivereth him out of all Ye have heard in what troubles in what dangers in what disquiet and perplexities David lived a great while after he was anointed King of Israel and what afflictions he had in his owne familie ye know also what was the event of them all and that he spake by his owne experience when he said Many are the evils of the Righteous but the Lord delivereth him out of them all Ye have read
unfained commeth charitie a vehement love of God and of man for Gods sake and therefore God describeth the righteous man whom he delivereth by those two markes of knowledge and of love saying p Psal 91.14 Because he hath set his love upon me therefore will I deliver him I will set him on high because hee hath knowne my Name This love is conjoyned with a great reverence and respectuous feare of God and the keeping of his most holy commandements in the simplicitie of an upright life Wilt thou then bee assured of Gods salvation q Psal 85.9 Surely his salvation is nigh them that feare him r Psal 103.17 18. The mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that feare him and his righteousnesse unto childrens children to such as keepe his Covenant and to those that remember his commandements to doe them Å¿ Psal 116.6 The LORD preserveth the simple Such righteous cannot with dry eyes behold the sinnes of the world whereby God is exceedingly offended but they mourne and weepe before God and in their weeping have a most sure marke of Gods love and care towards them When God turned the Cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes t 2. Pet. 2.7 8. He delivered the righteous Lot who was vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked for that righteous man dwelling among them in seeing and hearing vexed his righteous soule from day to day with their unlawfull deeds When he was to destroy Ierusalem he gave commandement to his Angell saying v Ezech. 9.4 Goe thorow the midst of the Citie thorow the midst of Ierusalem and marke a marke upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the middest thereof If the righteous man sigheth for the abominations that be done in the world hee is no way a complice in them therefore God said to Elijah x 1. King 19 â—8 I have left me seven thousand in Israel all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal and every mouth which hath not kissed him If these markes of a righteous man be in thee they are sufficient to make thee partaker of Gods deliveries he looketh not to thy qualities which make thee to bee redoubted or contemned among men y Psal 147 10 11. He delighteth not in the strength of the horse he taketh not pleasure in the legs of a man the LORD taketh pleasure in them that fear him in those that hope in his mercy a Luk. 16.19 The purple and fine linne sumptuous and dainty fare musicke and dancing could not deliver the rich man from the torments of hell because he was wicked Povertie beggerie nakednesse pining sicknesse could not barre Lazarus from the everlasting pleasures of Paradise because he was righteous b Pro. 11.3 4 6. The integritie of the upright shall guide them but the perversenesse of transgressors shall destroy them Riches profit not in the day of wrath but righteousnesse delivereth from death The righteousnesse of the upright shall deliver them but transgressors shall be taken in their owne naughtinesse XVII The righteousnesse of the upright delivereth him not as a cause meritorious of deliverie as the Papists would perswade you for it is stained with many spots and blemishes of sinne as yee have learned in the first sermon but as a quality requisite in him whom the Lord will deliver for if we seeke the true causes of our deliveries God saith first negatively that c Deut. 9.4 it is not for our righteousnesse Next he saith affirmatively that it is d Ezech. 20.9 14 44 Ezec. 36.22 for his owne Names sake If temporall deliverie from the evill of affliction come not from our merits can eternall deliverie from sinne and hell bee the merite of any mans righteousnesse The bread for which we sweat before we can have it to eate is the gift of God and wee aske it of God in that qualitie and shall the bread of life be the reward of an hireling No no e Rom. 6.23 The gift of God is eternall life through Iesus Christ our Lord If Papists say that David praieth f Psal 7.8 Iudge me O LORD according to my righteousnesse and according to mine integritie that is in me and saith plainly g Psal 18.19 20. The LORD rewarded me according to my righteousnesse according to the cleannesse of my hands hath he recompensed me c. Answer that in these and such like places which are infinite he declareth that he was inriched with the qualities wherewith hee that waites on the Lords deliverance must bee graced but speaketh nothing of the causes of his deliverance which in the end of the 18. Psalme he acknowledgeth to bee Gods free mercy saying h Ver 50. Great deliverance giveth hee to his King and sheweth mercy to his anoynted to David and to his seed for evermore And else-where confesseth that it is Gods righteousnesse and not his when he prayeth thus i Psal 143.1 2. Answer me in thy righteousnesse and enter not into iudgement with thy servant for in thy sight shall no man living be iustified So he forsaketh all merits and asketh grace when in another part he prayeth k Psal 25.18 O bring thou me out of my distresses looke upon mine affliction and my paine and forgive all my sinnes Such prayers are they not most frequent in the Psalmes When the Papist singeth in the Church a de Profundis if hee understand what hee saith will he not be mooved to deny all merits when he considereth this prayer of righteous David l Psal 130.2 3 4 7. Lord heare my voice let thine eares be attentive to the voyce of my supplications If thou LORD shouldest mark iniquities O Lord who shal stand but there is forgivenesse with thee that thou mayest bee feared Let Israel hope in the LORD And why because forsooth there is a great deale of righteousnesse in Israel Not so why then because with the Lord there is mercy and with him is plentious redemption Let us also acknowledge and confesse with heart and mouth that m Iam. 3.22 it is of the LORDS mercies that we are not consumed because his compassions faile not XIIX Though this doctrine of the nullitie of the righteous mans merits and of the efficacie of the saving mercies of our righteous God be most true yet n 2. Thes 1.6 it is a righteous thing with God to deliver the righteous man 1. because being iust by nature o Psal 45.7 he loveth righteousnesse and hateth wickednesse and is as sensible of the one to protect it as of the other to punish it p Psal 34.15 16. The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous and his eares are open unto their cry the face of the Lord is against them that doe evill to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth 2. Because the cause for which righteous men suffer is
his and his righteousnesse cannot but moove him to undertake the defense thereof Vpon this foundation the Church made this prayer to God q Psal 44.22 23. For thy sake are wee killed all the day long we are counted as sheep for the slaughter awake why sleepest thou O Lord arise cast us not off for ever 3. Because he hath promised to deliver the righteous and it is a part of his righteousnesse to keepe his promise Hence is this prayer of David r Psal 71.2 Deliver mee in thy righteousnesse ſ Psal 143 1. answer me in thy righteousnesse Hence is this excellent saying of the blessed Apostle t 2. Tim. 4.7 8. I have fought a good fight I have finished my course I have kept the faith Henceforth there is laid up for mee a crowne of righteousnesse which the Lord the righteous Iudge shall give at that day and not to me onely but unto them also that love his appearing Sweet v Bern. de gratia libero arbitrio in fine Bernard How calleth he the crowne which hee presumeth to be laid up for him the crowne of righteousnesse Is it not because that which is promised gratis of meere good will is asked righteously and as a thing due Finally he saith x 2. Tim. 1.12 I know whom I have beleeved and I am perswaded that hee is able to keepe depositum meum that which I have committed unto him He calleth Gods promise his depost and because he beleeved him who had made the promise hee redemands considently the thing promised promised through mercy but now to bee payed through righteousnesse The crowne then which Paul looketh for is the crowne of righteousnesse but of the righteousnesse of God not of his owne righteousnesse for it is a righteous thing that he render that which he oweth and hee oweth that which he hath promised this then is the righteousnesse whereof the Apostle thinketh so well even the promise of God For this cause David called Gods promises the word of his righteousnesse saying y Psal 119 123. Mine eyes faile for thy salvation and for the word of thy righteousnesse XIX Now God not onely delivereth the righteous man but also delivereth wicked men and fills them with many blessings for the righteous sake z Gen. 7.7 He saved Ham in the Arke for Noah his fathers sake a Gen. 6.9 who was a iust man and perfect in his generations walking with God b Gen. 18.32 If there had been tenne righteous men in Sodom God would not have destroyed it for tennes sake c Gen. 19.22 neither could he destroy it as long as righteous Lot was in it d Gen. 17.20 Ismael was blessed for Abrahā his fathers sake e Gen. 30.27 Laban confessed that the Lord had blessed him for Iacobs sake f Gen. 29.5 He blessed Potiphars house for Iosephs sake How often was the people of Israel saved from the fierie Wrath of God through the praiers of g Exod. 32.14 Num. 14.13 Psal 106.13 Moses Were not h 2. King 2.12 2. King 13 14. Elijah Elisha the Charet of Israel and the horse-men thereof more steedable to their people than an armie of horsemen i Act. 27.24 37. God gave he not to Paul all them that sailed with him which were two hundred threescore and sixteene soules When it was said to the soules that were under the Altar that k Rev. 6.11 they should rost yet for a little season untill their fellow-servants also and their brethren that should be killed as they were should bee fulfilled This is to teach us that Gods Elect and the righteous men which are in the world are the upholders thereof and that it must finish when they shal be taken away from it as if ye pull from a ruinous house the props wherewith it is supported it goeth swiftly to the ground XX. Therefore let us above all things set our minds and hearts upon righteousnesse and endeavour to attaine to true holinesse of life that as it was said to Abraham l Gen. 12.2 Thou shalt be a blessing so may we be a blessing both to our selves and others namely that in the darke day of Gods indignation we may be m Psal 1.5 able to stand in judgement and with the congregation of the righteous n Psal 118.19 20. enter into the gates of righteousnesse and dwell forever o 2. Pet. 3.13 in these new heavens promised unto us wherein dwelleth righteousnesse and that through the most precious and powerfull merits of our onely Lord and Saviour p 1. Ioh. 2.2 Iesus Christ the righteous to whom with the Father and the holy Ghost be all praise glory and honour both now and evermore Amen SERM. VII Of the infinite number and of the divers meanes of the Lords deliveries PSALM XXXIV XIX But the Lord delivereth him out of them all 1 THe righteous mans evills and the Lords deliverances are the exposition of Sampsons riddle 2. As many evills as many deliverances yea of each evill many deliverances 3. Exhortation to hope and trust in the Lord. 4. The Lord delivereth by meanes against means without meanes 5. He delivereth by weake meanes as by flight whereof shall be spoken in the next Sermon 6. Hee opposeth men to men and delivereth his Church by the sword 7. He maketh his creatures of all kinds to fight for his Church 8. He is wonderfull in the delivering of his Church against the nature of the meanes 9. He delivereth also without meanes 10. When his Church is destitute of all helpe and of all hope hee alone delivereth her without any visible helpe 11. When the righteous man is overcome he overcommeth his enemies and so is delivered 12. As it is most evident by the examples of Shadrach Meschah and Abednego 13. Of Eleazer 14. Of the seven brethren and of their mother mentioned in the second book of the Maccabees 15. As also of Christians in great number as of Steven 16. Of many Martyrs in the Primitive Church 17. And since the reformation 18. Such victories come of faith love and zeale 19. Prayer 1 THis text is a cleere exposition of Sampsons riddle a Iudg. 14.14 Out of the eater came forth meate and out of the strong came foorth sweetnesse afflictions are the eaters and as it seemes to men the destroyers of the righteous man and what is stronger than death what meat so good so seasonable of so excellent a rellish as comfort in affliction as joy in the middest of sorrow as glory and honor in shame what so sweet as to find heaven in hell content in discontent life in death Many are the evills of the righteous man There is the roaring Lyon rising up against him not one lyon but many there is the eater or rather there be the eaters b 1. Pet. 5.8 which walke about seeking to devoure him But the LORD delivereth him out of them all there is
be ascribed but to the most wonderfull power of God I put in this ranke the confusion and disorder which God sendeth amongst his enemies when he will deliver his people The Midianites come to fight against Israel but h Ver. 22. the LORD set every mans sword against his fellow even throughout all the host When i 2. Chron. 20.2 22 23 25. the Moabites Ammonites and Idumeans with one consent sought to destroy Iehoshaphat and his people the Lord troubled them with the spirit of division after such a manner that the Moabites and Ammonites slew and destroyed the Idumeans and after that every one helped to destroy another so that Iehoshaphat and his people had no more to doe but to goe and take away the spoyle and give thankes unto the Lord. How often by such divisions God hath saved the reformed Churches in forrein nations and namely in France we all know IX When God delivereth against the nature of meanes he will teach us that he standeth not in any need of meanes when his pleasure is to deliver And therefore now and then he delivereth without meanes k Pro. 16.7 When a mans wayes please the LORD he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him He delivered l Gen. 33.4 Iacob from Esau changing his heart and appeasing his wrath which was suddenly turned into imbracements kissing and weeping He delivered David from Saul by many meanes but when the messengers which were sent by Saul to take him prophecyed and thought no more on him what helpe of man what visible meanes were there When he preferred Ioseph in the Court of Pharao Daniel and his fellowes in the Court of Nebuchadnezzar and of Darius Nehemiah and Mordecai in the Court of Artaxerxes by what means did he it The Psalmist saith that m Psal 106 46. he made them to bee pittyed of all those that carryed them captives Hee converted Saul and of a persecuter made him a Christian of a Captaine an Apostle of a Ring-leader of most cruell and bloody Wolves a most vigilant and faithfull shepheard of Christs flocke David speaking through his owne experience saith to the man which is persecuted wrongfully n Psal 37.5 6. Commit thy way unto the LORD trust also in him and he shall bring it to passe and he shall bring foorth thy righteousnesse as the light and thy iudgements as the noone day Wee may wonder that he doth it but how he doth it who can tell How Saul knew Davids innocency we can tell o 1. Sam. 24.18 1. Sam. 26.21 because when he might he killed him not but it is wonderfull to consider by what unknowne wayes of Gods secret providence Saul fell twice into his hands Henry the third King of France spake of us at Tours as Saul spake of David and said that we were more righteous than hee because we had rewarded him good whereas he had rewarded us evill It was the wonderfull and immediate worke of GOD that hee could not bee saved but by them whose fathers hee had killed and was resolved to bee the protector of those whom he had persecuted if the Monks impoisoned knife had not cut too too soone for us the brittle thread of his mortall life God be praysed that amongst us there are no Clements no Barrauts no Chatels no Ravaillacs for p 2. Sam. 26.9 who can stretch forth his hand against the LORDS anointed and bee guiltlesse X. How often hath the Church beene afflicted stormed forsaken of all creatures destitute of all helpe of all counsell of all comfort and he he alone hath come on a sudden and both comforted and delivered her He prophecied by Daniel that under the persecution of Antiochus his people should be brought to such extremity that q Dan. 11.45 none should helpe them What then shall they perish for want of helpe It followeth in the next chapter r Dan. 12.1 And at that time shall Michael stand up the great Prince which standeth for the children of thy people and there shall be a time of trouble such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time and at that time thy people shall bee delivered every one that shall be written in the book Who is this Michael who but our Lord Iesus Christ called elsewhere Å¿ Iosh 5.14 15. the Prince of the host of the LORD If all the Angels of heaven if all the men of the world should stand still with their armes crossed if all the creatures should with hold their helpe from us our Michael saith unto us t Mat. 28.18 20. All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth and loe I am with you alway even unto the end of the world Though he be v Phil. 2.9 10. highly exalted though he have a Name which is above every name though he x Psal 47.7 be king of all the earth and that at his Name every knee must bow of things in heaven and things in earth and things under the earth yet he is our high Priest and beareth us into the most high and inmost heavens yea weareth us as an ornament upon his shoulders and upon his breast and as the Apostle saith y Heb. 2.11 is not ashamed to call us his brethren When all things seeme to be desperate and past hope of recoverie when the faithfull are nothing but a skeliton but a carcasse a Ezech. 37.2 c. of dry bones as the people of Iuda was in the captivitie of Babylon if it please him to speak the word onely they shall come together againe bone to bone they shall live rise again and be a great Army Hee hath by his word done things greater and more wonderfull By his word he hath made heaven earth by his word he heaped plagues upon plagues while they had destroyed Pharao and his people they that are sicke cry unto him b Psal 107 7. he sendeth his word healeth them c Mat. 9.6 20 22. By his word onely he cured one sicke of the palsie and the woman diseased with an issue of blood By his word onely he quieted the winds calmed the roaring seas rendred sight and light to the blind raised the dead By his word onely he restored his people to the land of Canaan By his word he saveth the Church By his word by his onely power and good will without any visible and knowne meanes he hath given peace to the Churches of France for when we were betrayed and sold by sundry of our brethren forsaken of many pursued by a great armie he was for us and delivered us Then wee sung with thanksgiving the hundreth twenty and fourth Psalme XI There is yet another kind of deliverie which commeth immediately of God and is most wonderfull of all How he delivereth us by the ruine of our enemies how by death he giveeh us life wee shall heare in the next Sermon but that hee delivereth us when
valiant courage of Eleazar one of the principall Scribes in the dayes of the blood-thirstie Tyrant Antiochus Epiphanes i 2. Maccab. 6.21 c. He was besought by the Kings officers for the old acquaintance they had with him to bring flesh of his owne provision such as was lawfull for him to use and make as if he did eate of the flesh taken from the sacrifice commanded by the King that in so doing he might be delivered from death and for the old friendship with them finde favour A friendly counsell if yee consider the men which gave it but if ye consider the intention of the divell who suggested it a most violent assault and craftie tentation what so sweet as life what so desirable as to save it without any reall offence what so plausible or at least more excusable than to make a shew of an evill which indeed thou doest not to shun to be made a publike shew of the evill which otherwise thou must suffer with shame and great torments Flesh and blood will say to Eleazar that in this there was no sinne The Pope which giveth dispense to the Papists of this Realme to dissemble and deny their Religion will say that it was but a veniall sinne and of the number of those which are most pardonable Eleazar led with another Spirit even with k Esa 11.3 the Spirit of the Lord which is the spirit of knowledge of wisedome of counsell of might and of the feare of the Lord saith not so but considering the holy Law made and given by God It becommeth not our age said he in any wise to dissemble whereby many young persons might thinke that ELEAZAR being fourescore yeeres old and tenne was now gone to a strange religion and so they through mine hypocrisie and desire to live a little time and a moment longer should be deceived by me and I get astaine to mine old age and make it abominable for though for the present time I should bee delivered from the punishment of men yet should I not escape the hand of the Almighty neyther alive nor dead wherefore now manfully changing this life I will shew my selfe such an one as mine age requireth and leave a notable example to such as be young to dye willingly and courageously for the honourable and holy lawes This seemed madnesse and despaire to his Iudges which changing the good will they bare him into hatred and their meeknesse into fury and rage let him straight wayes to the Tympan which was a most cruell kind of torture whereupon being ready to dye of the stripes which hee had received ceived he groaned and said It is manifest unto the Lord that hath the holy knowledge that whereas I might have beene delivered from death I now endure sore paines in body by being beaten but in soule am well content to suffer these things because I feare him XIV Reade also the storie of the cruell death and constancie l 2. Macc. 7 of the seven brethren and their mother at that same time the Tyrant himselfe marvelled at their courage for that neither the scourges and whips wherewith they were torne nor the cutting out of their tongues nor the mangling and maiming of all their members nor the pulling off of the skin of their heads with the haire nor the hot pannes and caldrons wherein they were fryed being yet alive could compell them against the law of God to eate swines flesh The eldest heire worthy of the prerogative of the first-borne answered to the Tyrants threats to the Hangmans whips and to all the tortures We are ready to dye rather than to transgresse the lawes of our fathers and exhorted his brethren as they exhorted him to dye manfully for the law of God And to make you know that this was not madnesse of mind but faith the second said to the King Thou like a fury takest us out of this present life but the King of the world shall raise us up which have dyed for his lawes unto everlasting life So spake the third so the fourth and the rest but the youngest was most wonderfull of all for neither could the promises of riches and honours tickle him nor the cruell torments which he had seene his brethren suffer shake his constancie but being encouraged by his most wonderfull mother he cryed to the executioners Whom wait ye for I will not obey the Kings commandement but I will obey the commandement of the law that was given unto our Fathers by Moses So they dyed so dyed last of all their marvellous mother after that she had beene to them in stead of a Levite or Priest and had exhorted and comforted them with a most excellent speech concerning the resurrection And therefore the Apostle ascribeth their victorious constancie to their faith saying Heb. 11.35 that by faith they were tortured not accepting deliverance that they might obtaine a better resurrection XV. The Christian Church aboundeth in such examples of most wonderfull victorie against the flesh the world and the divell In it this is to bee admired that men which may live in honor by denying Christ choose shame and dishonor preferre torments to ease sorrow to joy paine to pleasure death to life kissethe postes and other instruments of their punishments looke upon the torments with a cheerefull face runne to the fires as joyfully as worldings doe to a bridall feast and not onely rejoice but also m Rom. 53 glorie in tribulations which is the highest degree of pleasure and joy Steven stopping his eares to the murmuring of the people which like a swarme of Hornets and Waspes made a humming noise about him shutting his eyes to the stones wherewith they were armed to fell him and overcomming by faith the horrors of death n Act. 7.55 56 59 60. looked up stedfastly into heaven and seeing there the glory of God and Iesus standing on the right hand of God cryed with a triumphing voice Behold I see the Heavens opened and the Sonne of man standing on the right hand of God Neither could their showting nor the stones which hayled upon him stay him to kneele downe and to call upon God both for himselfe and for them XVI If ye search the Ecclesiasticall histories of the Martyrs of the primitive Church and of ours the examples of such victories are infinite S. Ignace Bishop of Antiochia hearing the roaring of the hungry Lions and seeing them stretching foorth their clawes to teare him and opening their throats to devoure his flesh cryed with a loud voice o Iren adv heres sib 5. Because I am Christs wheat now shall I be ground with the teeth of beasts that I may bee found to bee the pure bread of God p Euseb hist Eâ—cl lib. 4. cap. 15. Policarpe Bishop of Smyrna answered to those which now intreated him with many promises now impotuned him with threats to call the Emperour My Lord and to deny Christ to bee his Lord I have served him
commandements when thou shalt enlarge my heart IV. But when we have no certain knowledge of Gods wil are so disposed that we may say with S. Paul q Phil. 1.21 Christ to me to live to dy is gain when I say we are resolved to suffer all extreamities and a thousand deaths rather than to deny him then the practice of this commandement is not onely lawfull but also necessarie then not onely we may but also should trye if hiding of our selves and fleeing be the meanes which God hath appointed to deliver us from the present evill of persecution God gave an expresse commandement to the people of Israel r Exod. 12.32 that none of them should goe out at the doore of his house untill the morning of that night wherein hee smote the first-borne of Egypt The like commandement was given to Rachab Å¿ Iosh 2.19 that none of her family should goe out of the doores of her house into the street lest they should perish in the destruction of the towne of Iericho I confesse that wee have not any such personall commandement directed unto us but I say that this generall commandement Come my people enter thou into thy chamber c. is sufficient and a good warrant for all Gods people till he chuse such as pleaseth him and make them to know manifestly that he will have them to bee publike Confessors and Martyrs whereof they cannot make question if once they bee taken and laid in bonds for Christs sake for then they must drinke the cup which the Lord setteth to their heads more gladly and courageously then Socrates did the Hemlocke Till then they may convey themselves out of their enemies hands by lurking in some hid and unknowne place by fleeing or any other way which is not unlawfull V. t Gen. 27.43 Rebeckah advertised that Esau had vowed to slay Iacob counselled him to flee to Laban her brother and he did so v Exod. 2.15 Moses knowing that Pharaoh sought to slay him fled from the face of Pharao and dwelt in the land of Midian not forsaking his calling but waiting till God gave him a more cleere declaration of his will thereupon which after he had received he returned into Egypt nothing dreading the feare of Pharao and of all his Court How often did x 1. Sam. 19.22.27 2. Sam. 15.14 David flee from place to place to shun the wrath of his King and the conspiracy of his owne sonne not for lacke of courage but though godly prudence and fore-seeing advisednesse David which had the promise of the kingdome of Israel fled David which knew that his kingdome could not be taken from him fled Oh how many excellent Psalmes did he make at those times wherby ye may know that he mistrusted not the truth of Gods promise yet would not tempt him by trying of his power a 1. King 17.1 Iudg. 5.17 Elijah which by his prayers shut the heavens and it rained not upon the earth by the space of three yeares and sixe moneths b 1. King 17.22 Elijah which raised from death the widdowes sonne of Sarepta c 1. King 1.10.12 Elijah which brought fire from heaven upon the Kings Captaines and their fifties That wise godly and wonderfull Prophet when he was threatned by Iezebel d 1. King 19.2 3. fled he not for his life to Beersheba in Iuda and from thence to the wildernesse At that time e 1. King 18.13 Obadiah hid he not an hundred men of the Lords Prophets by fifty in a cave when Iezebel sought them to kill them what can bee said against those holy Fathers which in the time of the cruel persecuter Antiochus Epiphanes f Heb. 11.38 wandered in deserts and in mountains and in dens and caves of the earth and of whom the Apostle saith that the world was not worthy VI. If any say That such precepts and examples are of the old Testament and should not bee fitted to Christians which live under the Gospell I answer That in the new Testament the commandements are more formall and the examples more frequent and inforcing Christ gave hee not this expresse commandement to his Apostles g Mat. 10.17 23. Beware of men and when they persecute you in this City flee ye into another h Tert. de fugain persecutione cap. 6. Some say that this coÌ„mandement was temporall given to the Apostles onely for that time only wheÌ„ they were sent to preach the Gospell to the lost sheep of the house of Israel even as that other coÌ„mandement in the beginning of the Chapter i Mat. 10.5 Goe not into the way of the Gentils and into any City of the Samaritans enter ye not which is now abolished True the commandement forbidding to preach the Gospel to the Gentiles and Samaritans is abrogated but by another commandement b Mark 16.15 Goe ye into all the world and preach the Gospell to every creature Tell us now where how and when the commandement of fleeing in persecution hath been recalled And if it be not annulled by another commandement why it should not stand for ever as the rest doe which are in that chapter that one of not preaching the Gospel to the nations excepted What have they to answer to this other commandement c Mat. 24.15 When ye shall see the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the Prophet stand in the holy place whoso readeth let him understand then let them which bee in Iudea flee into the mountaines c. Had the Apostles any thing to doe with it Were they in Ierusalem when the towne was besieged There were many Christians to them it pertained to it they obeyed for d Athaâ—as Apolog. de fug acontra Arianos Hic est hominum terminus ad perfectionemducens ut quod Deus iubet hoc faciant this is the way to perfection to doe that which God commandeth But to come back to the 10. chapter of Mat. Said he to the Apostles only or rather hath he not said to the Apostles first next to all Preachers of the Gospell and consequently to all Christians e Matt. 10.16 Behold I send you forth as sheepe in the middest of Wolves Be ye therefore wise as Serpents and simple as Doves What is that to be simple as Doues It is to be harmelesse what to be wise as Serpents To keepe our selves from harme and as it followeth to beware of men when they persecute us in one City to flee into another What are their eares stopt with incredulity when this other commandement is read unto them f Matt. 7.6 Give not that which is holy unto the dogs neither cast yee your pearles before swine lest they trample them under their feet and turne againe and rent you Is this a commandement of fleeing and of hiding of our selves why not why shall I remaine but to walke abroad Why walke abroad but to confesse I must not confesse before
by the Maliumetanes desirous to be killed for Christs sake But he returned as he went because none of those miscreants would debase themselves to flay such a calfe Now what was that desire but giddinesse but rashnesse but presumption and vaineglory A wise and experimented Pilot will never runne his ship upon the shelves and rocks If the storme drive him upon the dangers then he sheweth his courage and skill So a modest man will not to shew his courage cast himselfe into the fire of affliction and draw upon himselfe unnecessarie evils but if he be apprehended if the glory of God if the edification of the Church if the necessitie of his calling binde him to suffer for Christs sake then he will shew that when he lurked courage was not wanting to his warinesse but his warinesse ruled his courage and commanded it to waite vpon the Lord. Hee which seeketh enemies wilfully and rashly is a seditious and factious fellow But he which hath enemies and seeketh them not which is persecuted without cause or for Gods cause Hee which cannot shun them nor have peace with them except he forsake his station denie Christ scandalize the Church and then chuseth rather an honest and glorious death than a dishonest life is the truly wise and courageous man Therefore e Cyprian Epist 83. Cyprian warned his Church to be warie that they offered not themselves to their enemies but if they were taken to confesse constantly Wherein there is also a dutie of Charitie which we owe to our enemies 3. For howsoever not onely it is not an ill thing but rather a most glorious thing and a f Phil. 1.29 gift of God to suffer for Christ and to be his Martyr g Euseb hist Ecclis lib 4. cap. 15. as the Martyrs themselves acknowledged when they thanked God for that honour h Clemens Alexandr lib. 4. Stromatum yet notwithstanding we must not give any occasion to our enemies to heape sin upon sin by shedding of our innocent bloud which we should doe if we prevented their malice going to them when they seeke us not or betraying our selves to them when they cannot finde us and crying Here here I am come racke kill hang burne as the Circumcellions did Wherein also we should become wilfull murtherers of our owne selves for there is no great difference betweene killing of our selves and provoking other men to kill us IX Neither should we be much moved with the reviling of those which cast in our teeth that by fleeing we deny Christ and so fall into the pit whereof he hath forewarned us saying i Matth. 10.33 Whosoever shall denie me before men him will I also denie before my Father which is in heaven k ver 38. And he that taketh not his crosse and followeth after mee is not worthy of mee For such preachers of magnanimity and constancie are either enemies or of our owne folkes If enemies answer as l Athanas Apolog. de fuga Athanasius did to the Arrians Ye are forsooth scandalized because we flee the persecution Lay your hands to your hearts and confesse that ye are sorie and much discontented that we have prevented your malice and by our flight have hindered the intention ye had to kill us If we doe ill to flee ye doe worse to persecute us Leave off to seeke our lives and we shall leave off to flee for the safetie of our lives For what is our fleeing but a testimonie of your persecution If friends take heed that they preach not against fleeing because they would be glad that all remained to deny Christ as they are resolved to doe rather then to lose their commodities It is not good to tempt God Many which tarry at home goe to the Masse lest they should beare Christs crosse and fall into that inconvenience whereof they will seeme to be affrighted for us But he that fleeth leaving his goods and all that he hath among his enemies forsaking his friends for Christs sake seeking with a thousand incommodities libertie of conscience among an unknowne people hath a most heavy crosse upon his shoulders and not onely denyeth not Christ but maketh knowne to all men his faith in him his love to him his zeale for him And therefore the ancient Church called such men Confessors whereas the persecutors and hypocrites call them Denyers If they were willing to deny would they flee would they leave their goods forsake their friends hazard their lives to deny Wherefore flee they because they shun all occasions whereby they may be compelled through the weakenesse of the flesh to denie Christ and seeke else-where with losse of goods danger of their lives much griefe and anguish of minde among men of an unknowne tongue whose conditions fashions customes are contrarie unto theirs libertie to confesse him resolved not onely to flee but also to die rather then they should renounce that faith that hope that confidence which they have in Gods mercies and in Christs merits For as Chrysostome saith m Chrysrst ad popul Autiochen homil 67. The Christian mans life should bee full of blood not by shedding of other mens blood but by a strong resolution to shed his owne blood for Christ when it shall be needfull Hee that is thus disposed is not led with n 2. Tim. 1.7 the Spirit of feare as our enemies hypocrites and ignorantly zealous brethren say but with the Spirit of power of love and of a sound minde The occasions will teach him when Gods will is that he flee when that he slay to die Therefore wee should pray one for another as Paul did for Timothie o 2. Tim. 1.7 The Lord give thee understanding in all things X. If these words be taken in a figurative and allegoricall sense then as I have said they are an exhortation to patience like unto many others which ye reade in the Psalmes and in the Prophets David saith p Psal 37.7 Be silent to the Lord and waite patiently for him Esaiah said to the Iewes q Isam 30.15 In quietnesse and confidence shall be your strength Ye reade in the Lamentations of Ieremiah r Lament 3.26 27 28 29. It is good that a man should both hope and quietly waite for the salvation of the Lord It is good for a man that he beare the yoake in his youth Hee sitteth alone and keepeth silence because hee hath borne it upon him Hee putteth his mouth in the dust if so be there may be hope Which figurative manner of speeches are thus set downe else-where in proper words Å¿ Luk. 21.19 In your patience possesse ye your soules ye have need of patience that after yee have done the will of God yee might receive the promise But the Spirit of God useth such figurative speeches in this matter because they are very popular and most fit to expresse the nature of patience for because the people was to be led captive into Babylon and to be
murtherers have slain shall arise and bee received into eternall glory in the presence of their enemies with this welcome from the eternall Iudge g Mat. 25 34. Come ye blessed of my Father inherite the kingdome prepared for you from the foundation of the world O most wonderfull inheritance h Aug. Hareditas Domini nou minuitur multitudine possessorian tanta singulis quanta universis It is not diminished by the multitude of those which possesse it It is as large to every one apart as to the whole multitude together O most excellent and glorious inheritance It is a kingdome wherein our darkenesse shall bee converted into light our sorrow into ioy our trouble into peace our weaknesse into strength our dishonour into honour our ignominie into glory our misery into happinesse our death into life our patient hope into the reall enioying of all good our prayers into thanks-giving Where the heavens shall receive us the holy Angells welcome us the blessed Saints ioyne themselves unto us where our bodies being made of mortall immortall of naturall spirituall of burthensome nimble shall shine brighter than the fairest summer-day Where i 1. Cor. 15.28 God himselfe without any meanes shall bee all in all perfect and absolute knowledge to our mindes an ocean of love to our hearts soveraigne good and the blessed center of eternall rest to all our restlesse affections where he himselfe after a most wonderfull and glorious manner which cannot be imagined shall be light in our eyes melody in our eares the wished and longed-for obiect of all our senses where he saith That k Rev. 21.3 he himselfe shall be with us and be our God l Aug. de Civit Dei li. 22. capaile i. he shall be unto us all whereby we may be satisfied and whatsoever all may honestly desire life salvation meate drinke riches glory honour peace and all good Which David expressed in few words saying m Psal 16.11 In thy presence is fulnesse of ioy at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore And againe n Psa 17.15 As for me I will behold thy face in righteousnesse I will be satisfied when I awake with thy likenesse For then God shall be the end of all our desires then o Aug. idid Ipse finis evit desideriorum nostrorum qui sine fine vide bitur sine faslidio amabitur sine fatigatione laud abitur We shall see him without end wee shall love him without loathing we shall prayse him without wearying Then also our enemies shall see our glory in him and with him and as the Author of the booke of Wisedome saith p Sap. 5.2 When they see it they shall be troubled with terrible feare and shall be amazed at the strangenesse of our salvation so farre beyond all that they looked for c. XXII O then dearely beloved let us learne to discerne wisely q Mal. 3.18 betweene the righteous and the wicked betweene him that serveth God and him that serveth him not Salomon saith that r Pro. 13.9 the lampe of the wicked shall bee put out comparing wicked men to a candle which when it begins to burne giveth a faire light but endeth in stinking smoake and caligiousnesse for their end is worse than their beginning because Å¿ Iob 21.30 they are reserved to the day of destruction to the day when wrath shall be brought foorth On the other side t Psal 37.37 39 40. Marke the perfect man and behold the upright for the end of that man is peace because the salvation of the righteous is of the LORD he is their strength in the time of trouble and the Lord shall helpe them and deliver them he shall deliver them from the wicked and save them because they trust in him The short dayes of mans fading and dying life me thinkes may be most conveniently compared to a stage-play wherein often Kings sonnes mount on the scaffold disguised in poore mens rags and beggers march with a stately pase attired in sumptuous robes about their greasie bodies hiding scurvie heads under crowns of gold and stretching forth a royall Scepter with scabbed hands but when the curtaines are remooved when the Tragedy is ended and the Players are stript of their borrowed apparell he that made so many vaine glorious shewes and called himselfe Hercules or Agamemnon is knowne to be poore Irus who goeth begging thorow the streetes and crackling crusts of browne bread betweene his muddie and rotten teeth and hee that was thought to be Irus is knowne to be the royall sonne of Aeacus T is even so betweene the Church and the world when v Luk. 16.19 20. Lazarus starves for hunger at the rich mans gate and the rich man jetteth in his purple and makes good cheere when x Mat. 27.39 Christ is nayled upon the crosse and his enemies stand hard by reviling him when the y Rev. 11.9 10 11 12. dead bodies of Christs two witnesses lye unburied in the streets of the great City and they that dwell upon the earth reioyce over them and thanke their gods of gold silver brasse because they have overcome them it seemes that those which are thus afflicted are but poore snakes forsaken of God and that those others which swim with content in the Ocean of worldly pleasures are Gods deare ones But when the divells shall bury the rich Glutton in the lowest pit of hell when boiling there in the lake of fire and brimstone he shall lift up his eyes and see Lazarus in Abrahams bosome abundantly satisfied with the fatnesse of the house of God drinking great draughts in the river of his pleasures when the spirit of life from God shall enter into his two witnesses when they shall rise againe stand upon their feet and ascend up to heaven when a Mat. 24.30 Iesus Christ shall come in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory when he shall set his sheepe on his right hand and the goates on the left when b Rev. 1.7 they which pierced him shall see him and by him shall be throwne downe into the rich Mine of eternall torments c Aug. 50. homil Homil 16. Morituri vitae morti sine sine victuri to dye there unto life and to live unto death world without when those d Sap. 5.4 5 whose life they accounted madnesse and their end disgrace shall be received into the haven of eternall securitie then then all the Bulls of Bashan shall know that al their life was but a ridiculous move-merry their pleasures but a shew their felicitie but the glympse of a shadow that those whom they had sometimes in derision and who were in their mouthes a Proverb of reproach are Gods beloved children and his most precious jewells XXIII O then where are they that thinke to overthrow the Church And when will they listen to this truth Minde they to raine downe upon the Church a deluge of