number you to the sword and you shall all bow downe to the slaughter because when I called yee did not answer when I spake yee did not heare but did evill before mine eyes and did chuse that wherein I delighted not So then whâ—ther by the destruction of the wicked or salvation of the chosen Gods name is still glorified His justice â—xpâ—cts what should have beene done but was not paid unto mercâ— Hee can be no loser by mans unthankfulnesse or ungratefulnesse The case is all one as if one should take that from a theefe with the left hand which hee hath picked out of our right hand Thus much of the two points proposed I doe desire no more than that the tree may be judged by the fruit and questionlesse the use of these â—esolutions for convincing our selves of sinne or quelling despaire or for encouraging the carelesse and impenitent unto repentance by giving them the right hold of the meanes of life is much greatâ—r than can bee conceived without the admittance of their truth First seeing the end of our preaching is not so much to instruct the elect as to call sinners to repentance not so much to confirme their faith that are already certaine of salvation as to give hope to the unregenerate that they may bee saved how shall wee accomplish either intendment by magnifying Gods love towards the elect who these are God and themselves know How shall he that lives yet in sinne pâ—rswade himselfe there is probability that he may bee saved because God hath infallibly decreed to save some few Rather seeing by the contrary doctrine the most part of mankinde must necessarily perish hee hath more reason to feare leâ—t he be one of those many than one of the few The bare possibility of his salvation cannot be inferred but from indefinite premisses from which no certaine conclusion can possibly follow and without certaine apprehension or conceit of possibility there can bee no certaine ground of hope But if wee admit the former extent of Gods unspeakable love to all and his desire of their eternall safety which desperately perish every man may nay must undoubtedly thus conclude Therefore Gods love extends to mee It is his good will and pleasure to have mee saved amongst the rest as well as any other and whatsoever he unfainedly wils his power is able effectually to bring to passe The danger of sinne and terrour of that dreadfull day being first made knowne to our Auditory the pressing of these points as effectually as they might bee were this doctrine held for current would kindle the love of God in our hearts and inflame them with desires answerable to Gods ardent will of our salvation and these once kindled would breed sure hope and in a manner inforce us to embrace the infallible meanes thereunto ordained Without admission of the former doctrine it is impossible for any man rightly to measure the hainousnesse of his owne or others sinnes Such as gather the infinity of â—innes demerit from the infinite Majestie against which it is committed give us the surface of sinne infinite in length and breadth but not in solidity The will or pleasure of a Prince in matters meanly affected by him or in respect of which hee is little more than indifâ—erent may bee neglected without greater offence than meaner persons may justly take for foule indignities or grievous wrongs But if a Princes soveraigne command in a matter which he desired so much as his owne life should be contemned a loyall subject conscious of such contempt though hapning through riot or perswasions of ill company would in his sober fits be ready to take revenge of himselfe specially if hee knew his Soveraignes love or liking of him to be more than ordinary Consider then that as the Majesty and goodnesse of our God so his love and mercy towards us is truly infinite that he desires our repentance as earnestly as wee can desire meat and drinke in the extremity of thirst or hunger as wee can doe life it selfe whiles wee are beset with death This our God manifested in our flesh did not desire his owne life so much as our redemption We muâ—t therefore measure the hainousnesse of our sinne by the abundance of Gods love by the height and depth of our Saviours humiliation Thus they will appeare infinite not only because committed against an infinite Majesty but because with this dimension they further include a wilfull neglect of infinite mercies and incomprehensible desires of our salvation Wee are by nature the seed of rebels which had lift up their hands against the infinite goodnesse of their Creator in taking of the forbidden fruit whereby they sought to be like him in Majesty Conscious of the transgression the first actors immediately hid themselves from his presence and as if this their terrour had imprinted a perpetuall antipathy in their posteritie the least glimpse of his glory for many generations after made them crie out Alas wee shall die because we have seene the Lord. We still continue like the off-spring of tame creatures grown wilde alwayes eschewing his presâ—nee that seekes to recover us as the bird doth the fowlers or the beasts of the forest the sight of fire And yet unlâ—sse hee shelter us under the shadow of his wings wee are as a prey exposed to the destroyer already condemned for fuell to the flames of hell or nutriment to the breed of serpents To redeeme us from this everlasting thraldome our God camâ— downe into the world in the similitude of our flesh made as a stale to allure us with wiles into his net that hee might draw us with the cords of love The depth of Christs humiliation was as great as the difference betweene God and the meanest man therefore truly inâ—inite Hâ—c that was equâ—ll with God was conversant here on earth with us in the forme and condition of a servant But of servants by birth or civill constitution many live in health and ease with sufficient supplies of all things necessary for this life So did not the Son of God His humanity was charged with all the miseries whereof mortality is capable subject to hunger thirst temptations revilings and scornings even of his servants an indignitie which cannot befall slaves or vassals either borne or made such by men or to use the Prophets words Hee bare mans infirmities not spiritually onely but bodily For whâ— was weake and hee not weake who was sick and hee whole No malady of any disease cured by him but was made his by his exact and perfect sympathie Lastly Hee bare our sinnes upon the â—rosse and submitted himselfe to greater torments than any man in this life can suffer And though these were as displeasant to his humane nature as to ours yet were our sinnes to him more displeasant As he was loving to us in his death so was hee wise towards himselfe and in submitting himselfe unto his cruell and ignominious death did of two evils chuse the lesse rather
WISDOME Crying out to Sinners to returne from their evill wayes CONTAINED IN THREE pious and learned Treatises Viz. I. Of CHRISTS fervent love to bloudy Ierusalem II. Of GODS just bardening of Pharaoh when he had filled up the measure of his iniquity III. Of MANS timely remembring of his Creator Heretofore communicated to some friends in written Copie but now published to the generall good EZEK 33. 11. Say unto them As I live 〈◊〉 tâ—e Lord God I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked but that the wicked turne from his way and live turne ye turne ye from your evill wayes for why will ye dyâ— Oh house of Israel LONDON Printed by M. P. for Iâ—hn Stafford dwelling in Black horse Alley neere â—â—â—â—â—street 1639. CHRISTS FERVENT LOVE TO BLOVDIE HIERVSALEM OR An Exposition delivered in a Sermon on MATT. 23. vers 37. MATT. 23. vers 37. Oh Hierusalem Hierusalem thou that killest the Prophets and stonest them which are sent unto thee how often would I have gathered thy children together even as an ben gathereth her chickens under her wings and yes would not THe summe of my last meditations upon the former verses was That notwithstanding our Saviours predictions or threatnings of all those plagues shortly to befall Hierusalem there was even at this time a possibilitie left for this people to have continued a flourishing nation a possibilitie left for their repâ—ntance that their repentance and prosperity was the end whereat the Lord himselfe did aime in sending Prophets and Wisemen and lastly his onely Sonne unto them The former of the two parts the possibility of their prosperity and repentance was proved from the perpetuall tenour of Gods covenant with his people first made with Moses afterwards renewed with David and Salomon and ratified by Ieremie and Ezechiel The tenour of the covenâ—nt as you then heard was a covenant not of death onely but of life and death of life if they continued faithfull in his covenant of death if they continued in disobedience The later part of the same viz. That this peoples repentance and prosperity waâ— the end intended by God was proved from that declaration of his desire of their everlaâ—ting prosperity Oh that there were such an heart in this people to feare me and to keepe my commandements alway that it might goe well with them and their posterity for ever And the like place Psal. 81. vers 13. to the end Esay 48. verse 18. Both places manifest Gods love and desire of this peoples safety But the abundance the strength with the unrelenting constancie and tendernesse of his love is in no place more fully manifested than in these words of my text The abundant fervencie wee may note in the very first words in that his mouth which never spake idle or superfluous words doth here ingeminate the appellation Oh Hierusalem Hierusalem This hee spake out of the abundance of his love But love is oft timeâ— fervent or abundant for the present or whiles the object of ouâ— love remaines amiable yet noâ— so constant or perpetuall if the quality of what wee love bee changed But herein appeares the constancie and strength of Gods love that it was thus fervently set upon Hierusalem not onely in her pure and virgin dayes or whiles shee continued as chaste and loyall as when shee was affianced unto the Lord by David a man after his owne heart but upon Hierusalem often drunken with the Cup of fornications upon her long stained and polluted with the bloud of his Saints upon her children who with the dogge returned unto their vomit or with the sow unto their wallowing in the mire or puddle of their Mothers dust whose sacrifices were mingled with righteous bloud upon Hierusalem and her Children after he had cleansed her infected habitations with fire and carried her Inhabitants beyond Babylon into the North-land as it had beene into a more fresh and purer aire not onely before the Babylonish Captivitie but after their returne thence and replantation in their owne land God would have gathered them even as the Hen doth her chickens â—nder her wings c. In which words besides the Tendernesse of Gods love towards thâ—se Cast-awayes is set out unto us the safety of his protection so they would have beene gathered For as there is no creature more kinde and tender than the hen unto her young ones so is there none that doth more carefully shroud and shelter them from the storme none that doth more closely hide them from the eye of the Destroyer Yet so would God have hidden Hierusalem under the shadow of his wings from all those stormes which afterwards over-whelmed her and from the Roman Eagle to whom this whole generation became a prey if so Hierusalem with her children after so many hundred yeeres experience of his fatherly love tender care had not remained more foolish than the new hatched brood of reasonlesse creatures if so they had not beene ignorant of his call that had often redeemed them from their enemies How often would I have gathered you and you would not Here were large matter for Rhetoricall digressions or mellifluous Encomions of divine love points wherein many learned Divines have in later times beene very copious yet still leaving the truth of that Love which they so magnifie very questionable It shall suffice mee at this time first to prove the undoubted truth and unfainednesse of Gods tender love even towards such Cast-awayes as these proved to whom he made this protestation Secondly to unfold as far as is fitting for us to enquire how it is possible they should not be gathered unto God nor saved by Christ whose gathering and whose safety Hee to whom nothing can be impossible had so earnestly so tenderly and so constantly longed after These are points of such use and consequence that if God shall enable mee soundly though plainly to unfold their truth you will I hope dispence with mee for want of artificiall exornations or words more choice than such as naturally spring out of the matters handled as willingly as the poore amongst you pardon good house-keepers for wearing nothing but home-spunne cloth For as it is hard for a man of ordinary meanes to bestow much on his owne back and feed many bellies so neither is it easie for mee and my present opportunities both to feed your soules with the truth and to cloath my discourse with choice words and flourishing phrases And I am perswaded many Preachers might in this argument often prove more Theologicall so they could be content to be lesse Rhetoricall Yet let not these premises prejudice the truth of the conclusion My purpose is not to dissent from any of the Reformed Churches but only in those particulars wherein they evidently dissent from themselves and from generall principles of truth acknowledged by all that beleeve God or his word Were I to speake in some Audience of this point it would be needfull to dip my pen in Nectar
answâ—red Can a woman forget her sucking childe that shee should not have compassion on the sonne of her wombe yea they may forget yet will not I forget thee Behold I have engraven thee upon the palmes of my hands c. These and the like places of the Prophet compared with our Saviours speeches here in my text give us plainly to understand That whatsoever love any mother can beare to the fruit of her wombe unto whom her bowels of compassion are more tender than the Fathers can be or whatsoever affection any dumbe creature can afford to their tender brood the like but greater doth God beare unto his children Unto the Elect most will grant But is his love so tender towards such as perish Yes the Lord carried the whole host of Israel even the stubborne and most disobedient as an Eagle doth her young ones upon her wings Exod. 19. 4. Earthly parents will noâ— vouchsafe to wait perpetually upon their childâ—â—n the Hen continueth not her call from morning untill night nor can shee endure to hold out her wings all day for a shelter to her young ones as they grow great and refuse to come shee gives over to invite them But saith the Lord by his Prophet I have spread out my hands all the day long unto a rebellious people which walked in a way that was not good after their owne thoughts A people that provoketh mee to anger continually to my face that sacrificeth in Gardens and burneth incense upon Altars of brick which remaine among the graves and lodge in the monuments which eat swines flesh and broth of abominable things is in their vessels which say adding Hypocrisie unto filthinesse and Idolatry Stand by thy self come not neere unto meâ— for I am holier than thou Such they were and so conceited of our Saviour with whom heâ— had in his life time oft to deale and for whose safety hee prayed with teares before his passion These and many like equivalent passages of Scripture are pathâ—tically set forth by the Spirit to assure us that there is no desire like to the Almighties desire of sinfull mans repentance no longing to his longing after our salvation If Gods love to Iudah comne to the height of rebellion had beene lesse than mans or other creatures love to what they affect most dearely if the meanes he used to reclaime her had beene fâ—wer or lesse probable than any others had attempted for obtaining their most wished end his demand to which the Prophet thought no possible answer could be given might easily be put off by these incredulous Iewes unto whom he had not referred the judgement in their owne cause if they could have instanced in man or other creature more willingnesse to doe what possibly they could doe either for themselves or others than hee was to doe whatsoever was possible to be done for them And now Oh inhabitants of Ierusalem and men of Iudah judge I pray you betweene mee and my vineyard what could more be done to my vineyard that I have not done to it Wherefore when I looked iâ— should bâ—ing forth grapes brought it forth wilde grapesâ— Esay 5. 3 4. But the greater wee make the truth and extent of loveâ— the more wee increase the difficulty of the second point proposed For amongst women many there be that would amongst dumbe creatures scareâ— any that would not redeemâ— their sucklings from death by dying themselves Yet what is it they can doe which they would not doe to save their owne lives And did not God so love the World that hee gave his onely begotten Sonne for it Yes for the World of the Elect. If there be Worlds of the Elect I see not why any should be excluded from the number â—ut to let that passe Gods desire of their repentance which perish is undoubtedly such as hath beene said Yet should wee say that he hath done all that could be done for them how chanceth all are not saved and was the vineyard more barren than Sarah the fruit of whose wombe he made like the starres of the skie or like as the sands bâ— the Sea shore innumerable was it a matter more hard to make an impenitent Iew bring forth fruits worthy of repentance than to make a virgin conceive and beare a Sonne If it were not how chanceth it the word of the Lord and that but a short one should bring the one to joyfull issue whiles the other the repentance of these Jewes and other ungodly men after so many exhortations and threatnings after so many promises of comfort and denuntiations of woes which the Prophets the Apostles and their Successors have used is not to this day nor ever shall be accomplished If repentance of men borne and brought up in sinne be a worke altogether impossible all of us should utterly perish none repent If possible to any shall it not be possible to the Almighty who alone can doe all things If possible in him why is not repentance wrought in all whose salvation he more earnestly desires than the most tender hearted mother doth the life and welfare of her darling infant Hence in probability some may conclude either Gods love unto such as perish is not so great as some mothers beare unto their children or else his power in respect of them is not infinite And against our doctrine perhaps it will be objected that by thus magnifying Gods love towards all we minish his power towards some From which to derogate ought is in some mens judgements the woâ—st kind of blasphemie a point as dangerous in divinity to speake but doubtfully or suspiciouâ—ly of it as in mattâ—r of Staâ—â— to determine or limit the Preâ—ogative Royall Howbeit if no other choice were left but a necessity were laid upon us of â—eaving either the infinite power or infinite goodnesse of our God questionable or unexpressed the offence were lesse not to speake of his power so much as most doe than to speake ought prejudiciall all to that conceit which even the Heathens by the light of nature had of his goodnesse This attribute is the chiefe object of our love and for which hee himselfe desires to be loved most And in this respect to derogate ought from it it must needs be most offensive But his curse be upon him that will not unfainedly acknowledge the absolute infinitenesse as well of his power as of his goodnesse Whosoâ—ver hee be that loves his goodnesse will unfainedly acknowledge hee is to be feared and reverenced as the Almighty Creator and Judge of men Unlesse he were in power infinite hee could not be infinitely good Howbeit hee that restraines his love and tender mercy only to such as are saved doth make his goodnesse lesse at least extensively than his power For there is no creature unto which his power reacheth not But so doth not his loving kindnesse extend to all unlesse hee desire the good and safety of those that perish For winding our selves out of the former
Apostles to worke humility and true repentance in their Auditors suppose a possibilitie of humiliation and repentance a possibility likewise of acknowledging and considering our owne impotency and misery a possibility likewise of conceiving some desire not meerely bruitish of our redemption or deliverance Our Saviour yee know required not onely a desire of health of sight of speech in all those whom he healed restored to sight or made to speake but withall a kind of naturall beleefe or conceit that he was able to effect what they desired Hence saith the Euangelist Marke 6. 5. Mat. 13. verse last Hee could not doe many miracles among them because of their unbeleefe Yet CHRIST alone wrought the miracles the parties cured were meere patients no way agents And such as sollicited their cause in case of absence at the best were but by-standers Now no man I thinke will deny that Christ by the power of his God head could have given sight speech and health to the most obstinate and perverse yet by the rule of his divine goodnesse he could not cast his pearles before swine Most true it is that wee are altogether dead to life spirituall unable to speake or think much lesse to desire it as wee should Yet beleefe and reason morall and naturall survive and may with Martha and Marie beseech Christ to raise up their dead brother who cannot speake for himselfe The third Objection will rather be preferred in Table-talke discourse than seriously urged in solemne dispute If God so dearly desire and will the life and safety of such as perish his will should not alwaies be done Why Dare any man living say or thinke that hee alwaies doth whatsoever God would have him doe So doubtlesse he should never sin or offend his God For never was there woman so wilfull or man so mad as to bee offended with ought that went not against their present will Nor was there ever or possibly can be any breach unlesâ—e the will of the Law-giver be broken thwarted or contradicted For he that leaves the letter and followes the true meaning of the Lawgivers will doth not transgresse his law but observe it And unlesse Gods will had beene set upon the salvation of such as perish they had not offended but rather pleased him in running headlong the wayes of death Yet in a good sense it is alwayes most true that Gods will is alwayes fulfilled We are therefore to considâ—r that God may will some things absolutely others disjunctively or that some things should fall out necessarily others not at all or contingently The particulars which God absolutely wils should fall out necessarily must of necessity come to passe otherwise his will could in no case be truly said to be fulfillâ—d As unlesse the Leper to whom it was said by our Saviour I will be thou cleane had beene cleansed Gods will manifested in these words had beene utterly broken But if every particular which hee wils disjunctively or which he wils should be contingent did of nâ—câ—ssity come to passe his whole will should utterly be defeated For his will as wee suppose in this case is that neither this noâ— that particular should be necessarily but that either they should not be or be contingeâ—tly And if any particular comprised within the latitude of this contingency with its consequent come to passe his will is truly and perfectly fulâ—illed As for example God tels the Israelites that by observing his Commandements they should live and dye by transgressing them Whether therefore they live by the one meanes or dye by the other his will is necessarily fulfilled Because it was not that they should necessarily observe his Commandements or transgresse them but to their transgression though contingent death was the necessary doome so was life the necessary reward of their contingent observing them But the Lord hath sworne that he delighteth not in the death of him that dieth but in his repentance if then hee never repent Gods delight or good pleasure is not alwayes fulfilled because hee delights in the one of thâ—se not in the other How then shall it be true which is written God doth whatsoever pleaseth him in the Heaven and in the Earth if hee make not sinners repent in whose repentance hee is better pleased than in their death But unto this difficultie the formâ—r answer may bee rightly â—itted Gods delight or good pleasure may bee done two wayes either in us or upon us In the former place it is set upon our repentance or obsequiousnesse to his will For this is that service wheâ—eto by his goodnesse he ordained us But if we crosse his good will and pleasure as it respects this point that is if wee will not suffer our selves to be saved the same delight or pleasure is set upon our punishment and fulfilled upon us And if wee would enter into our owne hearts wee might see the Image of Gods will hitherto manifested by his word distinctly written in them and that the Rule which his justice observes in punishing the wicked and reprobate is to measure out their plagues and punishments according to the measure of their neglecting his will or contradicting his delight in their subjection That as the riches of his goodnesse leading them to repentance hath beene more plentifull so they by their impenitencie still treasure up greater store of wrath against the day of wrath To this purpose doth the Lord threaten the obstinate people before mentioned in Esay These are as a smoake in my nose and a sire that burneth all the day as hee hath spread out his hands to them all the day Behold it is written before mee I will not keepe silence but will recompence into their bosomes your iniquities and the iniquities of your Fathers together saith the Lord which have burnt incense upon the mountaines and blasphemed mee upon the Hils therefore will I reward their former workes into their bosome Both these parts of Gods delight are fully expressed by Salomon Wisdome cryeth without shee hath uttered her will in the streets shee cryeth in the chiefe places of the concourse in the opening of the Gates in the Citie shee uttereth her words saying How long yee simple ones will yee love simplicitie and the scorners delight in their scorning and fooles hate knowledge Turne you at my reproofe behold I will powre out my spirit upon you I will make knowne my words unto you These passages infallibly argue an unfained delight in their repentance and such a desire of their salvation as the wisdome of God hath expressed in my text But what followes Because I have called and yee refused I have stretched out my hand and no man regarded but yee have set at nought all my counsell and would none of my reproofe I also will laugh at your calamitie I will mock when your feare commeth This his delight remaines the same but is set upon another object To the same purpose Esay 65.12 Therefore I will
degenerate into a contempt and despising of others and an over-valuing of thine owne perfections thine owne puritie and imaginarie righteousnesse Let the sixt day on which both man and beast were made of earth but yet a living soule breathed into man remember thee â—hat this earth which treads upâ—n thee must returne to the earth which thou treadest upon this body which loads thâ—e must returne to the grave and thy spirit returne to him that gave it And let the Sabbath remember thee too that since God hath given thee a temporall Sabbath placed thee in a Church of peace thou must perfect all in a Sabbath in a consciâ—nce of peace by remembring now thy Creator in all in some in one of these dayes of the New weeke either as God hath created a first day in thee by giving thee the light of the Gospell or a second day by giging thee a Firmament of knowledge of the things that concerne thy salvation or a third day accesse to that place where those doctrines and waters of life are gathered together the Church or a fourth day wherein thou hast a Sun and a Moone Thankfulnesse in prosperitie and Comfort in adversitie or a fifth day in which thou hast Reptilem humilitatem volatilem fiduciam an humble dejecting of thy selfe before God and yet a sure confidence in God or as in thy sixt day thou considerest thy composition that thou hast a body that must dye though thou wouldst have it live and thou hast a soule that must live though thou wouldest have it die Now all these dayes are contracted into a lesse roome in this text into two for here the originall word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is either In diebus juventuâ—is in the dayes of thy youth or In diebus electionum tuarum in the dayes of thy choices or whilst thou art able to make thy choice First therefore if thou wouldst be heard in Davids prayer Delicta juventutis c. Oh Lord remember not the sinnes of my youth remember to come to this prayer In diebus juventutis in the dayes of thy youth Iob remembers with sorrow how hee was in the dayes of his youth when Gods providence was upon his Tabernacle and it is a sad but a late consideration with what tendernesse of conscience what scruple what remorses wee entered into the beginning of sinnes in our youth and how indifferent those sins are growne to us now and how obdurate wee are growne in them It was Iobs sorrow to consider his youth and it was Tobits comfort When I was young saies hee all my tribe fell away but I alone went often to Ierusalem For It is good for a man to beare his yoak in his youth saith Ieremie and even then when God had delivered over his people to be afflicted purposely â—et he complaines on their bâ—halfe that the persecutor laid thâ— heaviest yoak upon the ancientest men Age is unfit for burdens and to râ—sâ—rve the weight and burden of our conscience conversion and repentance till our age is an irregular incongiuous and a disproportioned thing Labore fracta instrumenta ad Deum ducis quorum nullus est usus Wilt thou pretend to work in Gods building and bring no toolâ—s but such as are blunted and broken in the sâ—rvice of the world No man would present a lame horse a disordered clock a torne booke to the King Caro est jumentum thy body is thy beast thy flesh is thy horse wilt thou present that to God when it is lame and tired with excesâ—e of wantonnesse when thy clâ—ck the whole course of thy life is disordeâ—ed with passions and perturbations when thy booke the historie of thy life is torne and a thousand sins of thine owne torne out of thy memorie wilt thou then presâ—nt this Clock this Booke so defaced and mangled to thy God Thou pretendâ—st to present that indeed which thou doest not present Temperantia non est temperantia in senectute sed impotentia intemperantiae Thou pretendest to present temperance and continence to God and in age temperance is not temperance but onely a disabilitie of being intemperate It is often and well said Senex bis puer An old man returnes to the ignorance and frowardnesse of a child againe but it is not Senex bis juvenis an old man returnes to the dayes of youth againe to present fruits acceptable to God so late in his yeares Doe this then In diebus juventutis in thy best strength and when thy naturall faculties are best able to concurre with the grace of God Doe it too in diebus electionum tuarum Whilst thou maist chuse For if thou hast worne out this word in one sense that it be too late to Remember him in the dayes of thy youth that 's sinfully and negligently spent already yet as long as thou art able to make a new choice to chuse a new sinne that when the heats of youth are not overcome but burnt-out then thy middle agâ— chuseth ambition thine old age covetousnesse as long as thou art able to make this choice art thou not able to make a better than this God testifies the power that hee hath given thee I call heaven and earth to record this day that I have set before you Life and Death c. therefore chuse life if this choice like you not saies Iosuah to the people If it seeme evill in your eyes to serve the Lord chuse you this day whom you will serve Here 's the Election day bring that which you would have into the ballance with that which God presents you and tell mee what you would chuse to preferre before God As for honour and favour and health and riches perchance you cannot have them though you chuse them but if you have can you have more of them than they have had to whom these very things have beene occasions of ruine It is true the market is open till the last bell ring and ring out the Church is open and grace offered in the Sacraments of the Church but trust not then to that Rule That men buy cheapest at the end of the Market that heaven may bee had for a breath at the last when they that stand by the bed and heare that breath cannot tell whether it be a sigh or a gaspe whether a religious breathing and anhelation after the next life or a naturall breathing and exhalation of this But finde thou a spirituall good husbandry in that other rule That the best of the market is to be had at first at the beginning For howsoever in thine age there may be by Gods working Dies juventutis God may make thee a new creature and so give thee a new youth for as God himselfe is Antiquissimus dierum so with God no man is superannuated yet when age hath made a man impotent for sinne these are not properly Dies electionis when hee forbeares sin out of an impotencie towards that sinne And therefore
to suffer the punishment due to our â—innes than to suffer sinne still to raigne in us whom he loved more dearely than his owne life If then we shall continue in sinne after the manifestation of his love the hainousnesse of our offence is truly infinite in so much as wee doe that continually which is more distastfull to our gracious God than any torments can be to us So doing we build up the workes of Satan which hee came purposely to destroy For of this I would noâ— have you ignorant that albeit the end of his death was to redeeme sinners yet the onely meanes prâ—destinated by him for our redemption is destruction of the workes of Satan and renovation of his Fathers Image in our Soules For us then to reedifie the workes of Satan or abett his faction is still more offensive to this our God then was his Agonie or bloudy sweat For taking a fuller measure of our sinnes let us hereunto adde his patient expectation of his enemies conversion after the resurrection If the sonne of Zaleucus before mentioned should have pardoned any as deeply guilty as himselfe had beene of that offence for which hee lost one of his eyes and his father another the world would have taxed him either of unjust follie or too much facilitie rather than commended him for true justice or clemencie But that we may know how farre Gods mercy doth over-beare his Majestie he proceeds not straightway to execute vengeance upon those Jewes which wrecked their malice upon his deare and onely Sonne which had committed nothing worthy of blame much lesse of death Here was matter of wrath and indignation so just as would have moved the most mercifull man on Earth to have taken speedy revenge upon these spillers of innocent blood especially the law of God permitting thus much But Gods mercy is above his law above his justice These did exact the very abolition of these sinners in the very first act of sinne committed against God made man for their redemption yet hee patiently expects their repentance which with unrelenting fury had plotted his destruction Forty yeares long had hee beene grieved with this generation after the first Passeover celebrated in signe of their deliverance from AEgyptian bondage and for their stubbornnesse Hee swore they should not enter into his rest And now their posterity after a more glorious deliverance from the powers of darknesse have forty yeares allotted them for repentance before they bee rooted out of the land of Rest or Promise Yet hath not the Lord given them hearts to perceive eyes to see or eares to heare unto this day because seeing they would not see nor hearing would not heare but hardened their hearts against the Spirit of grace Lord give us what thou didst not give them hearts of flesh that may melt at thy threats eares to heare the admonirions of our peace and eyes to foresee the day of our visitation that so when thy wrath shall be revealed against sinne and sinners wee may bee sheltered from flames of fire and brimstone under the shadow of thy wings so long stretched out in mercie for us Often Oh Lord wouldst thou have gathered us and wee would not but let there be we beseech thee an end of our stubbornnesse and ingratitude towards thee no end of thy mercies and loving kindnesses towards us Amen GODS IVST HARDNING OF PHARAOH When he had filled up the measure of his iniquitie OR AN EXPOSITION OF ROM 9. 18 19. Therefore he hath mercie on whom he will have mercie and whom he will he hardneth Thou wilt say then unto me Why doth be yet find fault For who hath resisted his will LONDON Printed by JOHN HAVILAND for ROBERT MILBOURNE 1638. Gods just hardning of Pharaoh when he had filled up the measure of his iniquitie Or An Exposition of ROM 9. 18 19. Therefore hath he mercie on whom he will have mercie and whom hee will hee hardneth Thou wilt say then unto me Why doth he yet finde fault For who hath resisted his will THe former part of this proposition here inferred by way of conclusion was avouched before by our Apostle as an undoubted Maxime ratified by Gods owne voyce to Moses For he said to Moses I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy and I will have compasion on whom I will have compassion Exod. 33. 19. The true sense and meaning of which place I have before declared in unfolding the 16. verse of this chapter so that the later part of this eighteenth verse Whom he will hee hardneth must be the principall subject of my present discourse The Antecedent inferring this part of this conclusion is Gods speech to Pharaoh Exod. 9. 18. Even for this purpose have I raised thee up that I may shew my power in thee and that my name may be declared throughout all the Earth The inference is plaine seeing Gods powre was to be manifested in hardening Pharaoh The points of inquiry whose full discussion will open an easie passage to the difficulties concerning Rebrobation and Election and bring all the contentious controversies concerning the meaning of this chapter to a breefe prospicuous issue are especially foure 1. The Manner how God doth harden 2. The pertinencie of the Objection why doth hee yet finde fault for who hath resisted his will and the validitie of the Apostles answer 3. The Logicall determination of this proposition Whom hee will hee hardeneth what is the proper object of Gods will in hardening 4. What manner of division this is Hee will have compassion on whom hee will have compassion and whom hee will hee hardeneth For the right opening of all these foure difficulties the explication of the single termâ—s with their divers acceptions sâ—rves as a key The termes briefly to be explicated are three 1. Gods will 2. Induration or Hardening 3. Irresistible The principall difficultie or transcendent question is in what sense Gods will or Induration may be said to be irresistible whom hee will hee hardeneth Not to trouble you with any curious distinctions concerning Gods will this is a string which in mâ—st meditations we were inforced to touch Albeit Gods will be most truly and indivisibly one and in indivisible unitie most truly infinite and immutable yet is it immutably free omnipotent able to produce pluralitie as well as unitie mutabilitie as well as immutabilitie weaknesse as well as strength in his creatures By this one infinite immutable will hee ordaines that some things shall be necessarie or that this shall be at this time and no other And such particulars hee is said by an extrinsecall denomination from the object to will by his irresistible will The meaning is the production of the object so willed cannot be resisted because it is Gods will that it shall come to passe notwithstanding any resistance that is or can bee made against it If any particular so willed should not come to passe his will might be resisted being set only on this By