worship him As for the image we reade that to turne the glorie of the incorruptible God into the similitude of a corruptible creature is idolatrie Well may I then affirme with Moses Cursed be the Image and the Image maker The conclusion therefore of this poynt is this that we seeke the Lord and his strength euermore that wee pray vnto God in humilitie sinceritie and in full assurance of faith continually who without end is to be sought because without end he is to be beloued The third thing contained in our duetie is what effect this seeking and praying ought to worke in vs comprehended in these wordes If thou be pure vpright if the cloudes be ful they will powre forth raine vpon the earth vnpossible it is that a man that seeketh after God and prayeth vnto the Almighty should not bring forth the fruits of a godly life for if the tree be good the fruits cannot be bad if the head of y e water be pure it wil send forth pure waters into the cesterns Wherefore as good motions are stirred vp by praier so must they bee fostred by practise of life according to that of the Apostle Quench not the spirit nor grieue the holy one of God by whom ye are sealed to the day of redemption He quencheth dearly beloued the spirit which being once lightened with the sparkles of faith felte Gods motions in his hart doth neglect to increase the one to a flame the other to good workes in his life but with the dog turneth to his vomit with the Sow that was washed to her wallowing againe in the mire Therefore beloued loue and seeke the Lord pray to the almightie be pure and vpright in conuersation fly from sinne as from a serpent for if thou come neare it will bite thee The teeth thereof are as the teeth of a Lyon to slay the soules of men and all iniquitie is as a two edged sword the woundes that it giues cannot bee healed I dare not stand as I would vpon these pointes fearing tediousnes wherefore let this suffice for the former general part concerning the duty we owe vnto God Now Gods promises for the performance herof yeeld vnto vs most plentiful matter of doctrine cōsolation First of his iustice that as he will suffer no sin vnpunished so he will leaue no good work vnrewarded but giueth to euery seueral actiō his seueral hire iust recompence of reward Shall the howre come in which al that are in their graues shal heare a voice come forth they that haue done vvel to the resurrection of life they that haue done euil to the resurrection of condemnation Shall the Lord search Ierusalem with Lanthornes Shall all foule corners be swept and all pleites and vvrinckles be vnfolded Shall the sea graue death and hell giue vp al that is in them and shal all the deade both great and small stand before God vvhen the bookes are opened and shall euery man haue praise of God according vnto his deseruing Shall vvee then discerne betweene the vessels of honour and of vvrath betweene sheepe and gotes the iust and vniust Finally shall there be an infallible generall and incorrupt iudgement wherein the booke of all our offences shall be laide wide open Now God bee mercifull vnto vs be fauorable O Lord bee fauorable But to proceede it is thy nature O Lorde to gather vp the wheate and burne the tares to cut down all fruitles trees cast them into the fire yea into a fierie furnace that neuer shall be quenched into an vtter darknes where is weeping wailing and gnashing of teeth then be fauorable O Lord be fauorable Doth not the Lord spare Dauid a king and a Prophet for murther doth he not spare the Sichemites for adulterie nor Absalom for treason nor Saul for tyrannie nor Eli for negligence nor Achab Ieroboam nor Iezabell for crueltie nor Herod Nabuchadnezzar Lucifer for pride nor Pharaoh for incredulitie then be fauorable O Lord be fauorable to vs in whom almost euery one of these sins doe dwell and remaine Did the Lorde for corruption ouerflow the world with water did hee burne Sodome for her villanie did he cast Adam and Eue out of Paradise for eating of the forbidden fruite did hee stone a poore wretch to death for gathering chips on the Sabboth day then be fauorable O Lorde be fauorable vnto vs. But dooth not the Lord spare the Cedar tree for his height nor the Oke for his strength nor the Poplar for his smoothnesse nor the Lawrel for his greennes No verely from the Cedar that is in Lybanon euen to y e hysop that groweth out of the wall yea euery one that bringeth not forth good fruite is hewne downe and cast into the fire it is a righteous thing with God to render vengeance to those that disobey him and to destroy such as haue forsaken the law by euerlasting perdition Behold the Lord shal come in the great and latter day of iudgement when none shall escape his iudgment seat with cloudes shall he come and euery eie shall see him euen they which pierced him thorow shall also waile before him being sūmoned al to appeare most fearfully before his imperial throne of maiesty thē be fauorable O Lord be fauorable A las with what eies shall we miserable sinners behold him so gloriously sitting in his roiall kingdome with all his mightie and holy angels and whole number of saints sounding with the voice of the archangell and trumpet of God causing the heauens to passe away with a noise and the elements to melt like waxe the earth to burne with the works thereof yea with what eies shall wee behold him when we see the Sun darkned the Moone eclipsed and the stars fall down from heauen But alas when he taketh the furbished blade into his hand when he is ready to throw the fiery thunderbolts of his wrath when hee summoneth before him the worme that neuer dieth the fire that neuer shall bee quenched to reuenge vppon the wicked into what a plight are they then driuen then leaue they off be fauorable O Lorde be fauorable and say to the hils O ye mountains come and couer vs O yee waters come and ouerwhelme vs wo wo wo how great is this darkenes The godly on the other side are bathed in such streames of blisse and aduanced to such happines as neither tongue can vtter nor heart conceiue The second thing wee haue to note in his promises is his mercy which exceedeth al his workes For God though hee haue giuē a curse of the law against sinners yet seeing Christ for the penitent hath borne the curse whereby his iustice is not impaired he is content to accept our weaknesse as our strength to recompence our imperfection with rewarde of greatest perfection and that which we can performe but in small part hee is content to accept as whole not for any
seeme too base in our eies are scorned for their labours as much as we should be for our idlenes Then saith Moses Noah began to be a husbandman In that it is here said that Noah began it doth not disprooue that hee gaue not himselfe to husbandrie before but it importeth that Noah began to set vp husbandrie againe after the floud before any other so this good man recomforted with the experience of Gods fauour which had exempted him and his seede out of all the world and reioycing to see the face of the earth agayne after the waters were gone though an olde man and weake then he was yet hee returneth to his labour afresh and scorned not to till and plant for all his possessions as though he were an husbandman such a lowlines is alwaies ioined with the feare of God that they y t are humbled with religion do not thinke themselues too good to do any good thing Here note by the way that none of Noahs sonnes are sayd to begin this worke but Noah himselfe the olde man the hoary head and carefull Father begins to teach the rest and shewes his sonnes the way how they should prouide for their sonnes and howe all the world after should liue by labour and trauell till they return to dust so the olde man whome age dispenceth with all to take his ease is more willing to prouide for the wantes of his children then they are which are bound to labour for themselues and their parens too as the Storke doeth feede the dam when shee is olde because the dam fed her when she was young What a shame is this to Shem and Iapheth that is to vs which are young and strong that the Father should be called a laborer when the sonnes stand by Now the ground was barren because of the floud and could not bring foorth fruite of it selfe because of the cursse therefore it pitied Noah to see the desolation and barrennes slime vpon the face of the earth which hee had seene so glorious and sweet and fertil with all maner of herbs and fruits and flowers before Therefore hee setteth himselfe to manure it which waited for nothing now but a painefull labourer to till and dresse it that it might bring forth delights and profits for sinful man as it did before By this we may learne to vse all means for the obtaining of Gods blessings not to lose any thing which we might haue or saue for want of paines for that is sin As Salomon noteth in the 24. of Pro. when he reprooueth y t slouthful husbandmā bicause his field brought foorth Nettles and Thistles in steade of grapes not because the grounde woulde not beare Grapes but because the slouthfull man woulde not set them Shall God commaund the earth and all his creatures to increase for vs and shall not we further their increase for our selues as wee increase and multiplie our selues so wee are bounde to ioyne hande and helpe that all creatures may increase and multiplie too or else the Fathers shoulde eate the childrens portion and in time there should bee nothing left for them that come after this regard Noah seemeth to haue vnto his posteritie and therefore h e gaue himselfe vnto husbandrie which is commended in him vnto this day and shall bee recorded of him so long as this booke is read whereby wee are warned that he which liueth only to himselfe is not to bee remembred of them which liue after But as Dauid cared howe the realme should be gouerned after his death aswell as he did during his life so though wee die and depart this worlde yet wee should leaue that example or those bookes or those workes behinde vs which may profit the Church and Common-wealthe when wee are dead and buried as much as wee did when we liued among them Euen as Noah planted a vineyard not for himselfe but for the ages to come after Some do thinke that Noah planted the first vineyarde and drunke the first wine and that there was no vse of grapes before which opinion they are led vnto that they might excuse Noah and mittigate his faulte if hee did sup too deepe of that cup the strength and operation whereof was not knowne vnto him nor vnto any man before But it is not like that the excellent liquor and wholsome iuice of the Grape did lie hid from the worlde so many hundreth yeeres and no doubt but there were vines from the beginning created with other trees for how coulde Noah plant a vineyard vnlesse he had slippes of other vines or grapes that grew before seeing he did not create fruites but plant fruites as we doe for this is principallie to bee noted that so soone as hee had oportunitie to doe good hee omitted no time but presently after the floud was gone that the earth began to drie he plied it with seedes and wrought it till he saw the fruits of his labour By this wee learne to omit no occasion to doe good but whensoeuer wee may doe good to count it sinne if we do it not But if we be so exercised then all our workes shall prosper like the vineyard of Noah because the fruite of the vine dooth cheare the countenance and glad the heart of man Therefore some haue gathered vppon the planting of this vineyard a signification of gladnes and thankefulnes in Noah for his late deliuerance as the Iewes by their solemne feastes did celebrate the memoriall of some great benefite but I rather Iudge that God would haue vs see in this example what men did in those daies and how wee are degenerate from our parents that we may prepare against the fire as Noah prepared against the water This is worthy to bee noted to that God did not so regard his husbandrie but that hee had an eie to his drunkennes and speakes of his fault as wel as his vertue whereby we are warned that though God blesse vs now while wee remember him yet hee will chasten vs so soone as wee forget him though we be in a good name nowe infamie wil rise in an houre though we be rich at this present pouerty may come sodainely though we bee well while wee are heere yet we may fall sicke before night euen as Noah is praysed in one verse and dispraised in an other euen nowe God commends him for his lowlines and nowe discommendes him for his drunkennesse as though hee had forgot all his righteousnes so soone as hee sinned and woulde call in his praise againe This was to shewe that Noah was not saued from the floud because hee deserued to bee saued but because God had a fauour vnto him for he which was not drowned with water was drowned after with wine As the Pharisies when they had done wel were proud of it and lost their reward so when Noah had done a good worke he spotted it with sin and was dispraised where hee was praised as though God repented him that he
not able to hurt your better part seeke not to gaine the fauor of the world for the whole worlde is not able to saue a soule but feare to offende him that is able to destroy both body and soule in hell and seeke to please him that is able to saue them both in heauen for euer Now followeth another fruite of Zaccheus conuersion namely his good confession for as hee beleeued with the heart vnto righteousnesse so hee confessed with the mouth vnto saluation When Zaccheus was mocked of the Pharisies it seemeth that he should stoope downe for shame but when he was thus reprooued reuiled by them the Scripture saith that he stood vp in signe of gladnesse As the Apostles went away reioicing that they were coūted worthie to suffer rebuke for the name of Christ so Zaccheus the Publican went forth reioycing that hee was reproched for the cause of Christ. Before Zaccheus was a Publican and therefore stood in sinne very daungerously like the house that is builded vpon the sand ready to bee ouerturned with euerie tempest but now Zaccheus is become a true Christian and therefore stands in righteousnesse very safely like the house that is built vpon a rocke free from any danger of falling Behold Lorde the halfe of my goods c. There are two parts of this confession The first is his gift to the poore the second is the restitution of his vniust gotten goods Before Zaccheus was an oppressor of the poore now hee is a great benefactor to the poore before hee was an encrocher vpon other mens goods now he is a distributer of his own goods before hee was a receiuer and a taker nowe he is a restorer and a giuer neither doth he giue sparingly but he giueth liberally laying vp a good foundatiō against the time to come Now hath Zaccheus found that pretious pearle and for ioy thereof he is content not to sell but to giue all that hee hath to enioy the same When the rich Ruler in the former chapter was willed to sel all that he had to giue it to the poore he went away very sorrowful for he was very rich but Zaccheus perhaps as rich as he is content of his owne accorde vnbidden to bestow halfe his goods vpon the poore and that with a cheerefull mind If Zaccheus had giuen only the third part of his goods no doubt but Christ would haue accepted it for he accepteth the widowes farthing because it was giuen with a willing minde but if hee had giuen all his goods to feede the poore as the Pharisies gaue their almes to be seene of men yea or his bodie to be burned as some Romans haue done to get renowne it should haue been to no purpose because it was done to a wrong end Now as Zaccheus was rich in the goods of this life so was he rich in faith also neither was it an idle or dead faith that Zaccheus had but it was a fruitfull a liuely faith a faith that worketh and laboureth by loue such as is required at the handes of Christians Saint Iames saith Shew me thy faith by thy workes and here Zaccheus doth shew his faith by his workes Before he was exercised in vngodly works which are the fruites of infidelity but now he is exercised in the works of mercy which are the fruits of a liuely faith Zaccheus is very liberall in relieuing the poore but he is liberal of that which is his owne so there are many now a daies that are very liberall but it is of that which is none of theirs for as Nahab Abihu offered strange fire vnto the Lord so these men offer strange goods vnto the Lorde There are some amongst vs that thinke to make amends for their vniust dealing by giuing part of that to some good vses which they haue gotten by bad meanes if they haue gotten a pound by vsury oppression they are cōtent perhaps to giue a pennie to relieue the poore But as it was not lawful for the Israelites to bring the price or the hire of a harlot into the house of the Lord so it is not lawful for vs to apply the gain of our ill gottē goods to the seruice of God The halfe of my goods I giue c. Zaccheus saith not I haue giuen as an vpbraider of God or I wil giue as a delayer that means to giue away his goods after his death when he can keepe them no longer but hee saith I giue to signifie that his wil is his deed that he meaneth not to take any daies of paiment for the matter For as before he ranne apace to see Christ and came down hastily to entertain Christ in his owne person so doth he here giue quickly to relieue Christ in his needy members This is Zaccheus last wil testament that he maketh before his death and seeth the same proued and performed before his eies If therefore we desire to do any good to any of our poore bre thren let vs learn of Zaccheus to do it quickly while we are aliue for time will preuent vs and death will preuent vs. I know there would be many that would bee willing to giue some part of their goods to the poore before their death as Zaccheus did but that they knowe not what neede themselues may haue there of before they die and therfore for the most part they will hardly forsake or leaue their goods till their goods forsake and leaue them But herein they shewe themselues to doubt of Gods prouidence as it were to distrust of his paiment who hath promised to repay whatsoeuer is giuen vnto the poore as it were lent vnto himselfe and y t not secretly though they did their almes neuer so secretly but the Lord wil reward thē openly as our Sauior speaketh Ma. 6. the wise preacher Eccl. 11. willeth vs to cast our bread vpō the waters that is to be liberal to the poore whose watry eies bewray their great necessity or as others expound it to hazard and aduenture some of our goods vpon our nee dy brethren as Merchantes do aduenture their goods vpon the seas for although they may seeme to bee in great perill and danger of perishing in the waters yet commonly it falleth out that by y e blessing of God they returne with greater profit So albeit the reliefe that is bestowed vpon our distressed neighbors may seeme to be lost yet as the wise mā saith after a time we shal find it againe and as the precious oyle descended from Aarons beard to the skirts of his clothing so certainely the oile of mercie and charitie which wee powre into the woundes of our distressed brethren shall descende into our owne soules and as the widdowes oile was increased in the cruse because shee relieued the Lordes Prophet so shall this pretious oile bestowed vpon the poore be returned vpon our heads in great measure Thus is Zaccheus liberall